PLAIN-1	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/07/21/why-deep-fried-foods-may-cause-cancer/	Why Deep Fried Foods May Cause Cancer	In the latest study on dietary patterns and breast cancer risk among women, healthier eating was associated with eliminating three-quarters of the odds of breast cancer, whereas less healthy eating was associated with up to nearly eight times the odds. Included in the unhealthy eating pattern was the consumption of deep-fried foods, which have previously been linked to breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, oral and throat cancers, esophageal cancer, and cancer of the voicebox. No deep fried foods? What’s a Southern belle to do? Instead of deep fried foods, how about the traditional Southern diet, characterized by high intakes of cooked greens, beans, legumes, cabbage, sweet potatoes and cornbread, which may reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer significantly. What about the consumption of deep-fried foods and risk of prostate cancer? Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington found that eating French fries, fried chicken, fried fish, and doughnuts was associated with about a third greater odds of prostate cancer. After stratifying for tumor aggressiveness, they found slightly stronger associations with more aggressive disease, suggesting that regular intake of deep-fried foods may contribute to the progression of prostate cancer as well. What in deep fried foods is so bad for us? Just heating oil that hot can generate potentially carcinogenic compounds, and then known carcinogens such as heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons form when the muscles of chickens and fish are cooked at that temperature. Deep-fried plants, on the other hand, can form acrylamide. I did a video about acrylamide back in 2008, suggesting it’s a probable human carcinogen (See Acrylamide in French Fries). Since then, studies have suggested pregnant women may want to cut back on French fries to protect the growth of their baby’s body and brain. Based on a study (highlighted in my video, Cancer Risk from French Fries) feeding people a little bag of potato chips every day for a month, it now seems acrylamide may also cause inflammation as well, which could explain its purported role in cancer progression. Acrylamide intake has been associated with endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, and esophageal cancer. How much cancer risk are we talking about? Taiwanese researchers examined lifetime cancer risk and French fry consumption. The researchers picked on French fries because they comprise by far the greatest percentage contribution of acrylamide to the diets of children. They estimated that, at most, one or two boys and girls out of every ten thousand would develop cancer eating French fries that they would otherwise not have developed if they hadn’t eaten French fries. So it’s not as bad as eating something like fried fish, or fried chicken, but how much is that saying? The level of cancer risk in both boys and girls associated with French fries depends on how long and hot they’re fried. In Europe, the food industry swore that they’d self-regulate and control fry times to decrease acrylamide levels, but we’ve yet to see any subsequent change in acrylamide levels in French fries. Researchers continue to urge that the cooking temperature should be as low as possible and the cooking time should be as short as possible, “while still maintaining a tasty quality” of course. We wouldn’t want to reduce cancer risk too much—they might not taste as good! Blanching the potatoes first reduces acrylamide formation, but potato chip companies complain that, not only would it muck with the flavor, but it would reduce the nutritional properties by leaching away some of the vitamin C. But if we’re relying on potato chips to get our vitamin C, acrylamide is probably the least of our worries. More on heterocyclic amines: There are some things we can do to counteract the effects of these carcinogens, though: I touch on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Meat Fumes: Dietary Secondhand Smoke and Is Liquid Smoke Flavoring Carcinogenic? Certain fats may play a role in breast cancer survival as well: Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken and Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat. 	Even before the oil gets in the fryer, it’s been heavily damaged by the refining process. The multi-step process to take a whole food seed to a refined oil leaves behind oxidized, reactive fatty acids and chemical residues.Does this refining process oxidize vegan DHA pills, making these fats harmful?I hope not. Great question!Of the well known dietary fatty acids, DHA has the highest peroxidation index. Do the manufactures add an antioxidant to their DHA products?Agreed, great question! It may be more of a question for the manufacturer. We do know that DHA oil from algae appear effective. Another study here.Yes, but does the DHA vegan supplement also provide EPA, or just DHA? This is important, no? I’ve seen most vegan DHA supplements make no mention of the product containing EPA. Fish oil has both. Maybe you can clear this up for me, I assume I am missing something here in the understanding.Leslie: I’ve seen quite a few commercial, algea-based omega three pills which include both DHA and EPA. Here’s just one example (not one I’m promoting. Just the first one that popped up in a random search): http://www.devanutrition.com/vegan-dha-epa-delayed-release-omega-3.htmlI’m sure there are also pills with just the DHA, but I don’t think it is hard to find ones with the EPA too if that’s what you want.How is it that some algae provide both DHA and EPA, and others do not? I figured that algae in itself ALWAYS contained both the DHA and EPA, as fish oil contains both DHA and EPA and the fish get it from eating algae. But some vegan companies say just DHA. Hmmmm….Leslie: I had assumed that the difference between different pill claims was due to different processing techniques. But you could be right. It could be that the pills which only claim to have DHA are simply not reporting the EPA? I really have no clue.Hi Leslie: Most algal DHA supplements contain only DHA. Increasingly though there’re products with both DHA and EPA. If you type in “vegan omega-3″ on amazon, you can find them, but they are even more expensive than algal DHA-only products. It’s, of course, good to take both DHA and EPA but not essential because DHA and EPA equilibrate in the body: If you took only DHA, some of it would be converted to EPA, and vice versa.I find it thought provoking that the fish oil companies are shifting to balancing their DHA EPA supplement to contain more EPA than DHA, as a greater amount of EPA than DHA in the body has been found to be more effective for mood issues, as well as some feel other issues as well. Vegans may be compromising themselves by taking DHA only….creating a level of DHA and EPA that might adversely effect them.http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/EPA-stands-alone-as-a-depression-fighterhttps://labdoor.com/article/epa-to-dha-ratio-a-benefits-and-risks-analysisSeems like a good question for one of the manufacturers like Nordic.From the study you linked tohttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23651876 Dietary patterns and breast cancer risk among women.“The ‘healthy’ food pattern was characterized by the consumption of vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, legumes, olive and vegetable oils, fish, condiments, organ meat, poultry, pickles, soya and whole grains; while the ‘unhealthy’ food pattern was characterized by the consumption of soft drinks, sugars, tea and coffee, French fries and potato chips, salt, sweets and desserts, hydrogenated fats, nuts, industrial juice, refined grains, and red and processed meat.”SO – the “healthy food pattern” included low fat dairy, olive and vegetable oils, organ meat and poultry”!!and excluded tea!?!This study exemplifies the importance of the ability to read the study and understand the statistical method in order to interpret the study correctly. They did what is known as principal component analysis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal_component_analysis ) as their factor analytic technique. The goal was dimension reduction prior to statistical analysis, not a direct inference of a best-fit ‘healthy’ pattern and a best fit ‘unhealthy’ pattern — really this would make no sense for a two-factor model since the unhealthiest pattern would be simply the negative of the healthiest pattern and there would only be one factor.The correct interpretation of their statistics is that: 1) They first found two orthogonal factors which varied significantly in their sample. That is, there is ‘A-type’ variation in which consumption of vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy, etc, all increase together, and some of the other dietary components decrease. Then there is ‘B-type’ variation in which consumption of soft drinks, sugars, tea, etc all increase together, and some other dietary components decrease. The sample diets from the FFQ varied from person to person a fair bit in both the A-way and the B-way. The study calls them ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ but based on the characteristics given they could also plausibly be called ‘traditional/rural’ and ‘urban/industrial’. 2) In a model that looked at both A-ness and B-ness of diets as independent variables, A-ness was found to associate with higher breast cancer risk while B-ness was found to associate with lower risk. If you had to pick between A-ness and B-ness as the only ways in which you could vary your diet to protect yourself from breast cancer, your best bet would be to reduce B and increase A. That said, A and B cannot be interpreted simply as straightforward lists of healthy/unhealthy things. In fact there are very obvious reasons why tea consumption would tend to increase along with all the other refined and processed foods, that have nothing to do with tea’s health per se. There are also obvious reasons why organ meats might be more common among people with greater access to other fresh and traditional foods, that have nothing to do with the health of organ meats per se.If you had to ask me the study is valuable but it doesn’t do much to pinpoint exactly what is good or bad for breast cancer. We rely on other research in order to interpret what the healthiest dietary pattern for preventing breast cancer might be. Note that in Greger’s article the study in question is only introduced as the latest, not the greatest. In many respects, the study isn’t all that great.This is what Dr Greger said – “healthier eating was associated with eliminating three-quarters of the odds of breast cancer, whereas less healthy eating was associated with up to nearly eight times the odds”Again – the healthier eating pattern included vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, legumes, olive and vegetable oils, fish, condiments, organ meat, poultry, pickles, soya and whole grains.No matter how you want to spin it you can’t.However it would be useful if the good doctor would post a link to the ENTIRE study not just the abstract.The study is freely accessible, Charles, and can be reached from the source link to the publisher on Greger’s PubMed citation. Greger is quoting his results from table 3, model II. I should mention that I misspoke a bit in calling these models ‘univariate’. They focus on only one pattern at a time as the independent variable of interest, but their other statistical controls such as age, menopausal status, etc, are independent variables also. Note that I haven’t said anything about the quality of Greger’s reporting on the study yet, either. Given that your OP talked about the study and not what Greger said, I assumed we were talking about what the study itself means.Read the study and try to comprehend what I wrote as something other than ‘spin’, then I might get back to you. I assure you that they found two patterns which spanned about 24-31% of dietary variation in the population, then asked how healthy those patterns actually were. They did not ask up front “what is the pattern whose variation explains the greatest variation in health outcomes?”. The latter form of questioning is well-framed to get you a list that distinguishes apparently healthy foods from apparently unhealthy, while the former is not.This study exemplifies the importance of the ability to read the study and understand the statistical method in order to interpret the study correctly. They did what is known as principal component analysis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal_component_analysis ) as their factor analytic technique. The goal was dimension reduction prior to statistical analysis, not a direct inference of a best-fit ‘healthy’ pattern and a best fit ‘unhealthy’ pattern — really this would make no sense for a two-factor model since the unhealthiest pattern would be simply the negative of the healthiest pattern and there would only be one factor.The correct interpretation of their statistics is that: 1) They first found two orthogonal factors which varied significantly in their sample. That is, there is ‘A-type’ variation in which consumption of vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy, etc, all increase together, and some of the other dietary components decrease. Then there is ‘B-type’ variation in which consumption of soft drinks, sugars, tea, etc all increase together, and some other dietary components decrease. The sample diets from the FFQ varied from person to person a fair bit in both the A-way and the B-way. The study calls them ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ but based on the characteristics given they could also plausibly be called ‘traditional/rural’ and ‘urban/industrial’. 2) In a model that looked at both A-ness and B-ness of diets as independent variables, A-ness was found to associate with higher breast cancer risk while B-ness was found to associate with lower risk. If you had to pick between A-ness and B-ness as the only ways in which you could vary your diet to protect yourself from breast cancer, your best bet would be to reduce B and increase A. That said, A and B cannot be interpreted simply as straightforward lists of healthy/unhealthy things. In fact there are very obvious reasons why tea consumption would tend to increase along with all the other refined and processed foods, that have nothing to do with tea’s health per se. There are also obvious reasons why organ meats might be more common among people with greater access to other fresh and traditional foods, that have nothing to do with the health of organ meats per se.If you had to ask me the study is valuable but it doesn’t do much to pinpoint exactly what is good or bad for breast cancer. We rely on other research in order to interpret what the healthiest dietary pattern for preventing breast cancer might be. Note that in Greger’s article the study in question is only introduced as the latest, not the greatest. In many respects, the study isn’t all that great.A litttle more nuancing might help. I obtain lots of vegetable from my grocery garden, wich I store in my freezer for winter time, after boiling it for a short minute. I may hope that that is not so bad!As I understand, boiling in water and steaming don’t cause acrylamide formation. It’s the burning of plant foods due to dry heating that leads to acrylamide.Thanks! The issue for me with FAT supplementation is this;Many Many people arer taking all kinds of Omega’s, Olive, Primrose oils etc. Can we clarify the research as to how they oxidize and cause damage? They layman really has no idea on how to proceed and not create chaos with the oils they take. Now Dr Peter Glidden is against all oils for the most part. I think he makes an exception for Youngevity EFA and maybe coconut oils. Any help to clarify would go a long way.Great point, Anthony. A guest below also had a comment about oxidation. Maybe this can be another NutritionFacts Research Fund project? Dr. Greger has a video about the true shelf life of cooking oils. It would be nice to see more on the oils you mention.So would fried coconut oil be safe, and organic potato chips fried in just organic coconut oil not be an issue/problem, as far as arrylamide content as well as oxidation, inflammation? Wondering what you think about this. I have no idea.is it safe to bake potatoes, etc. in the oven brushed with a little olive oil? What is the temperature at which acrylamide formation becomes a concern?Hi Jan. Here is a video about the best way to cook sweet potatoes. It’s really the french fries (deep frying) that is problematic, as they are laden with acrylamide. Here is a study looking at acrylamide and temperature. This study mentions how cooking time and temperature may determine acrylamide levels.I watched that video & I like the fact that Dr. Greger won’t compromise quantity of GOOD FOOD vs. quality.. He mentions that best way of eating such a healthy food as sweet potato is how you get most of it.. Therefore if someone doesn’t have time or facility to boil, they don’t have to stop eating it! one can bake & eat more of it to get same nutrients. That obviously doesn’t apply to french fries, but reminds me about some schools or work places, which only provide students/employees with french fries & no better alternative. Here the challenge is either eat the deep fried potatoes or stay hungry.. This is a much more difficult decision to make, and for me as an advocate for public health is an example of how important is infrastructure changes to have healthier nation.Good information. I will be sharing the informationI will be lurking around the net trying to find out about the dangers of oxidation of oils. If anyone else finds anything please post.beast carcinogen indeedHow about air popped popcorn? Hot temperature? Starch? Short cooking time? Sounds like a recipe for acrylamide. I would be bummed…I love my air popped popcorn.	acrylamide,beans,breast cancer,cabbage,cancer,cancer survival,carcinogens,chicken,children,cooking methods,doughnuts,endometrial cancer,endometrial health,esophageal cancer,esophageal health,Europe,fish,french fries,frying,greens,heterocyclic amines,industry influence,inflammation,kidney cancer,legumes,lung cancer,men's health,oils,oral cancer,ovarian cancer,pancreatic cancer,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,potato chips,poultry,prostate cancer,sweet potatoes,throat cancer,turkey,vitamin C,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23092936,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22809476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23128205,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19158207,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23651876,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16332665,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23335051,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15072585,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22136129,
PLAIN-2	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/07/16/do-cholesterol-statin-drugs-cause-breast-cancer/	Do Cholesterol Statin Drugs Cause Breast Cancer?	What does breast cancer have to do with cholesterol? There are many potential mechanisms by which cholesterol boosts breast cancer growth. For example, our bodies make estrogen, which is correlated with an increased risk of breast cancer, out of cholesterol. We also package cholesterol into LDL, which, as you can see in my video Cholesterol Feeds Breast Cancer Cells, appeared to increase cancer proliferation and decrease patient survival. Cholesterol is a major component of “lipid rafts.” Compared to their normal counterparts, cancer cells have higher levels of these cholesterol-rich lipid rafts in their plasma membrane, which may be important for cancer cell survival and may serve in human cancer development in terms of tumor migration and invasion. Elevated levels of cholesterol-rich lipid rafts have been found in breast cancer cells, and the hypothesis is that reducing blood cholesterol levels “may disrupt lipid raft formation and thereby inhibit breast cancer development.” This suggests cholesterol targeting may be used as a cancer therapy. Controlled laboratory experiments have shown that phytosterols in seeds and nuts at dietary relevant levels appear to inhibit the growth of several types of tumor cells including breast cancer cells, including both estrogen-receptor negative and estrogen-receptor positive cancer. The therapeutic implications are that “plant-based diets rich in phytosterols may offer protection against the development of breast cancer.” Of course, you can’t make a lot of money on pumpkin seeds, so researchers looked to cholesterol-lowering statin drugs (this study is highlighted in my video, Statin Cholesterol Drugs and Invasive Breast Cancer). Some petri dish work looked promising, but population studies have shown mixed results. Some studies showed that women on statins had decreased breast cancer risk, some showed increased risk, and most showed no association. These were all relatively short-term studies, though. “Long-term” statin use was defined as mostly just three to five years, but breast cancer can take decades to grow. The one study that looked at ten or more years of statin use only included 62 cases. Given the increase in statin use over the past few decades, and the fact that they’re commonly prescribed to be taken every day for the rest of women’s lives, the studies published to date only had limited ability to evaluate the impact of long durations of use. We better figure this out: about one in four women over 45 in this country are on these drugs. But that all changed with the publication of a study in 2013 including thousands of breast cancer cases. Long term statin users—women taking statins for ten years or more—had more than double the risk of both major types of breast cancer: invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma. Once women do get breast cancer, though, recent studies in Finland and the UK suggest statin use may improve survival. The number one killer of women is heart disease, not breast cancer, so we still do need to bring down cholesterol levels. Might there be a way to get the benefits of cholesterol reduction without the risks? Plant-based diets have been shown to lower LDL-cholesterol by over 30%, within just a couple weeks, equivalent to most of the standard cholesterol lowering statin drugs and without any breast cancer risk. As drugs go, statins are remarkably safe, but they can still present rare but serious side effects in both men and women (Statin Muscle Toxicity). How can we lower cholesterol without drugs? It’s Purely a Question of Diet. We can lower our cholesterol by lowering our intake of three things: Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. Where are trans fats found? Trans Fat In Meat And Dairy. Where is cholesterol found? Predominantly eggs: Eggs and Cholesterol: Patently False and Misleading Claims. There are also some foods particularly adept at lowering cholesterol levels: 	Off topic, but what does the science say about sprouted greens, like like sprouted sunflower greens? So many people online and in the health community rave about the therapeutic and nutritional value of eating sprout-greens, as well as sprouted raw beans, and seeds, but is this actually accurate and documented by science or just assumptions, maybe even wrong? I see a sunflower sprout as something that should probably be left in the ground, for it wants and is designed to grow up to be a big sunflower, no? Wouldn’t the baby sprout contain some anti-nutrients to deter (humans!) from stopping its’ lifecycle to grow up to be a 5 foot flowering, beautiful plant?We have so many videos on sprouting! For more information on raw foods I’d suggest Brenda Davis’s book, “Becoming Raw” – perhaps the most referenced book on rw foods. She did a guest post about paleo diets, too.Does this imply that if a woman who hasn’t been on statins develops breast cancer, putting her on statins will increase her chances of survival? In other words, are statins the next breast-cancer drug?Hi. Here is a great video that mentions statins and breast cancer risk that may really help. Thanks for your post.http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/846189?src=emailthis A study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncologists meeting this year said that statins lower the risk of cancer death in some types of cancer. The study says statins don’t affect cancer incidence.Hi Sandra. I can’t seem to open your link. Do you mind resending? Perhaps we need to update some information, but it seems there is concern of taking statins, as it’s associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.It doesn’t help that breast cancer and heart disease (and most dis-eases) are such sensitive and personal topics for many and I have found it difficult to suggest a healthier diet (even with referring to blogs like this and medical sites) when a pill can ‘do it all’. Thank you for all the knowledge you share, as it encourages me to stay open-minded and true to my stance.Read this today:http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/treating-more-adults-with-statins-would-be-cost-effective-way-to-boost-heart-health/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Harvard%20Chan%20School%20Update%20July%202015%20–%20Friends%20(1)&utm_content=Yikes! Is there not a better cost-effective way to help the public reduce heart disease risk? Semi rhetorical question. Thanks for the link very interesting.A friend of mine was diagnosed with ALS last year. One of possible causes of the disease inhis case: 10 year use of statins. The neurologist took him off the medication immediately.I’m confused about dietary cholesterol. You appear to imply here and in other places that dietary cholestrol should be avoided as it causes an increase in serum cholesterol, yet even T.Collin Campbell acknowloges that this is not the case. My understanding is that animal protein causes the body to over-produce cholesterol. Maybe it doesn’t matter as animal proteins come with lots of cholesterol and sat fat anyway, so the health recommendations would be the same? I would appreciate some clarification on this. Thanks for the great work!Hi Marty. Let me try to help. Saturated fat boosts cholesterol much more than dietary cholesterol, but dietary cholesterol still raises blood cholesterol slightly. This British Medical Journal blog explains more. Dr. Greger commented at the end stating “Indeed the Institute of Medicine did not set a tolerable upper intake limit for cholesterol “because any intake level above 0% of energy increased LDL cholesterol concentration.”[1] So the optimal intake may indeed by zero, as heart disease remains the leading killer in both the UK and US. [1] Trumbo PR, Shimakawa T. Tolerable upper intake levels for trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Nutr Rev. 2011;69(5):270-8.” His video on Optimal Cholesterol Levels may also help. Animal protein can be detrimental to health in excess, but I am uncertain its effects on cholesterol. I would agree with your statement that “Maybe it doesn’t matter as animal proteins come with lots of cholesterol and sat fat anyway.”Is it cholesterol itself that promotes cancer, or is it “excess” cholesterol? I’m curious because our bodies create cholesterol as needed. So is it just the excess that we may get from our diet that is a problem or any cholesterol that’s a problem?But that woman in the commercial seems so happy. She acts like she won the lottery when she finds out that she is “down with Crestor” then she dances down the street, high fiving everybody on her way. Her friends congratulate her on the great news.I have normal cholesterol, and I’m never *that* happy.These are what I call the “dancing fat*sses”…their drugs make them happy…usual corporate swill. I have Ch of 145 and I’m concerned about it being too low. From what I read the elderly live longer with higher Ch…the real issue being OXIDIZED Ch…not blood levels.I wonder how many are taking statins when their cholesterol is high due to an iodine deficiency. Iodineresearch.comAnother translation accomplished in Portuguese – http://nf.focoempatico.net/estatinas-causam-cancro-da-mama/Wow, I’d sure like to see that 30% drop in cholesterol….I’ve been vegan x 3 years, and my levels are still higher than the usual recommended levels.Dr. Greger says that statins are remarkably safe, considering that they are drugs, and mentions the proviso that occasionally they cause muscle pain. What about diabetes? I’ve read a couple studies indicating that those taking statins have anywhere from 50% to more than double the rate of contracting diabetes as those not taking statins (those taking low dose statins had less diabetes).	breast cancer,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,estrogen,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,nuts,phytosterols,plant-based diets,plasma membrane,pumpkin seeds,seeds,side effects,statins,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16565487,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25329299,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22806241,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18338406,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16381630,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23833125,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25304447,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14527636,
PLAIN-3	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/07/14/breast-cancer-cells-feed-on-cholesterol/	Breast Cancer Cells Feed on Cholesterol	One in eight American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. There are a number of compounds in plant foods that may protect against breast cancer by a variety of mechanisms. I’ve talked about the benefits of broccoli, flaxseeds, and soy foods before (See Breast Cancer Survival Vegetable,  Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Prevention, and Breast Cancer Survival and Soy) but a recent German study reported something new. The researchers found that sunflower and pumpkin seeds were associated with reduced breast cancer risk. They initially chalked the association up to the lignans in the seeds (See Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake), but their lignan lead didn’t pan out. Maybe it’s the phytosterols found concentrated in seeds? (See Optimal Phytosterol Source). There is evidence that phytosterols may be anticancer nutrients and play a role in reducing breast cancer risk. I thought phytosterols just lowered cholesterol? (See How Phytosterols Lower Cholesterol) What does cancer have to do with cholesterol? Increasing evidence demonstrates the role that cholesterol may play in the development and progression of breast cancer. Cancer feeds on cholesterol. Transformed cells take up LDL, so-called “bad” cholesterol, and it’s capable of stimulating the growth of human breast cancer cells in a petri dish. The ability to accumulate fat and cholesterol may enable cancer cells to take advantage of people eating high fat and high cholesterol diets and at least partially explain the benefit of a low-fat diet on lowering human breast cancer recurrence. Although the data has been mixed, the largest study to date (highlighted in my video, Cholesterol Feeds Breast Cancer Cells) found a 17% increased breast cancer risk in women who had a total cholesterol over 240 compared to women whose cholesterol was under 160. However, the researchers could not rule out that there may be something else in cholesterol-raising foods that’s increasing breast cancer risk. Tumors suck up so much cholesterol that LDL has been considered a vehicle for delivering antitumor drugs to cancer cells. Since cancer feeds on cholesterol, maybe we could stuff some chemo into it like a Trojan horse poison pill? The uptake of LDL into tumors may be why people’s cholesterol levels drop low after they get cancer—the tumor is eating it up. In fact, patient survival may be lowest when cholesterol uptake is highest. “High LDL receptor content in breast cancer tissue seems to indicate a poor prognosis, [suggesting] that breast tumors rich in LDL receptors may grow rapidly [in the body].” We’ve known about this for decades. You can tell that was an old study because, when it was published in the ‘80s, only 1 in 11 American women got breast cancer. If cholesterol increases breast cancer risk, what about the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs? See Statin Cholesterol Drugs and Invasive Breast Cancer. More videos on broccoli and soy’s protective effects against breast cancer: Some I didn’t mention include: 	When I eat fresh stalks of celery my mouth goes tingly and numb. Someone below (I included their comments) said that it was caused by a chemical in celery. Others have told me it is from Eugenol in celery.Someone told me it was caused by Eugenol in celery, and this can be toxic to some people. Chemicals such as furanocoumourans as well?Anyway, would longterm exposure to this possibly cause harm to lining of stomach, GI tract, if it irritates the mouth like this? Doesn’t happen every time but it does tend to happen, even if the celery is fresh picked, vibrant, and organic.Wondering if anyone else has experienced this reaction.Thanks.Yeah it makes the celery taste weird. Not experiencing it to your level though. Cook it in soups and the effect is gone.Could it be the oxalates causing this sensation? Darker, outer stalks are higher in oxalate than the inner blanched stalks. Interestingly, celery is the only thing that will halt my severe nausea, although I too sometimes observe an uncomfortable feeling in my mouth when I eat it. Pineapple too, is high in oxalate, and causes me similar although slightly different sensations, and sun sensitivity. I’ve read we can have too much oxalate, causing a buildup; possibly a reason for the “sometimes”, rather then every time? Oh, and to what the previous comment says, I’ve also read that boiling can reduce oxalate.Pineapple is not a commonly allergenic food, is not known to contain measurable amounts of oxalates or purines.http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=34In fact, pineapple’s bromelain content is why it’s considered an anti-inflammatory food.Therefore, it must be something else in pineapples causing that “mouth ripped to shreds” feeling, rather than oxalates. It could be merely the physical properties of the fiber, perhaps.K. Did a Google search: it’s the bromelain.http://www.popsugar.com/food/Burning-Question-Why-Does-Pineapple-Irritate-Your-Mouth-3098109https://www.google.com/search?q=why+does+pineapple+irritate+my+mouth&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safariLeslie: do you have the same problem with cloves? Cloves are the richest source of eugenol, so if eugenol is the culprit, you’d have a reaction when you eat cloves.Also, celery contains nitrites.Leslie – Have a look at comments under recent blog posts (within the last 2-3 I think) about furocoumarins (in citrus) and melanoma – there is a large study just out on this.Dr. Greger isn’t it time for another “Year-In-Review?”Can’t wait to have study after study being thrown at my face for an hour. I had to watch the previous year-in-review 2-3 times to absorb all that information.Yes! Soon!http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26103605 http://www.mdlinx.com/cardiology/medical-news-article/2015/07/15/anticardiovascular-diet/6235276/?subspec_id=484A dietary pattern characterized by high fruit, vegetable, legume, whole grain, nut, berry, seed, and fish intakes, and possibly by intakes of dairy, coffee, tea, chocolate, and alcohol (not in excess), but low meat and detrimentally processed foods is associated with reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease and rates of noncardiovascular, noncancer chronic inflammatory-related mortality.Dietary cholesterol seems to not have a strong correlation with blood levels and we don’t really know why. Of the two women in the US who are aged 115, one eats 3 raw eggs at one meal daily, which is a very large dietary cholesterol load. Which is more important – the intake or the blood levels? Also, are these eggs from free range or factory fed chickens?. It seems that some are harmed by dietary cholesterol from egg yolks, while others may benefit.Hi Ian. Perhaps both are important. I linked many resources above that helps answer the dietary cholesterol question. Here is a post about free-range vs. conventional eggs and cholesterol.Dr. help me with this. Cholesterol is made by the liver. Eating cholesterol rich foods like eggs does not increase cholesterol in blood Or does it?It sure can. Have you seen Dr. Greger’s testimony. If not you may be interested in the communication/a>. I think he is at 2:06:00. Another speaker is Dr. Barnard who addresses the issue at hand. He is probably like 15 min before Dr. Greger, addressing the AHA/ACC report directly and then Dr. Greger follows-up on it. Another write-up that explains the confusion between dietary cholesterol. And I mention all of these links within this blog, Peek behind the egg industry curtain. Dietary cholesterol still appears to be a concern.This site also recommends Nori for breast cancer prevention. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/ This video says a single sheet of nori a day can cut your risk of breast cancer in half.Thanks for sharing this, Matthew! Just a quick tip (since I know you are an experienced user here), Dr. Greger usually does a great job at relating topics and hyperlinking in the Doctor’s Note. The Doctor’s Note is where I look first to find related articles and to help answer questions! It looks like he mentions how nuts, mushrooms, greens, and seaweed may help reduce breast cancer risk.Thanks I don’t see how I missed that.Is Dr. Greger planning on publishing more data on intervening with diet after a cancer diagnosis? The list of anti cancer foods according to this website include:nuts walnuts, pecans, peanuts vegetables garlic, beets, broccoli beans black beans, lentils fruits cranberries, lemons, apples spices turmeric (with pepper), rosemary, ginger tea matcha, white tea with lemon, hibiscusThe five year survival rate of cancer is about half. With diet, that rate can be doubled to ten years for some individuals.Using selenium rich foods like Brazil nuts and garlic could help prevent cancer. Some individuals achieve a similar benefit with vitamins. Did you know that they say modern medical interventions are only 3 percent effective? I wish your results were more widely published and widely available.Biological fact: Cholesterol is a steroid hormone. Question: What value is there in stating that a hormone (and esp. cholesterol of all of them) affects the growth of a cancer? Sorry but in this particular post, you’re stating the obvious.Don’t stop at cholesterol, don’t stop at IGF-1, go to the core! hGh Why don’t you look instead at the hGh hormone and the link with diet? That will be more interesting! Did you know people whose pituitary gland was flashed with 12,5 mCi of gamma radiation with a Gamma Knife or Gamma Unit find the production of hGh selectively inhibited and can no longer develop cancers or diabetes? (Schaub) Is there a link between that mother hormone that hGh is, and diet?I think higher insulin is as cancer promoting as hGh? Too many refined carbs? I’ve read that most people after the age of 50 have incipient cancer(s). If you are older and have issues with minor chronic infections…too many colds…etc…probably a good idea to try and boost the immune system?I have breast cancer. In May of 2015, I went to an event at the New School in NYC. The featured speaker was Paul Stamets. The event was packed, every single seat was taken and people were even sitting in the aisle. Among other things, Paul Stamets said that his mother had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and given just 3 months to live. Her oncologist would not recommend chemotherapy/radiation because she was too old and the cancer too advanced. However, the oncologist did recommend Turkey Tail mushroom. Paul Stamets, played an audio of his mother calling about mundane matters and he said that was several years after her diagnosis. He mentioned other miracle stuff like that during the presentation, involving other deadly diseases. After the presentation, I went to WholeFoods Supermarket which is just a few blocks down the street to buy Turkey Tail Mushroom as a supplement. The Wholefoods clerk was already handing TTM to people that had been at the same event and wanted to buy it. I have been taking TTM since that time, till now. I did mention to my oncologist at Sloan Kettering that I was taking Turkey Tail and brought her a booklet detailing all the different mushrooms and what they are good for, that was given out at the event at the New School. The only thing I can see, is that my left breast is a lot smaller than my right breast, which is noticeably bigger. I have an appointment with my oncologist and surgeon, because I called them and told them about the size difference. I was wondering if you had ever heard of Turkey Tail mushroom and its supposed effects on breast cancer, Dr. Greger,I watched ​his talk on TED and he says that she in fact took two powerful and agressive drugs along with the mushroom: taxol (which is chemootherapy) and herceptin (kind of chemo, too). So, I am not saying the mushroom did nothing for her, on the contrary, but it was not only the mushroom. Dr. Greger does have a video on mushrooms in the PREVENTION of breast cancer, but treatment is a different thing – I would be interested in this, too.I have had radiation, but no chemotherapy. And yes, you are right he did say his mother took another drug in addition to Turkey Tail Mushroom. I was just surprised to see that many people in Wholefoods, that had attended the same event, lining up for Turkey Tail mushroom.Link to TED talk not working just fyi ;-)Thanks, Joseph! I edited the comment and put the direct link instead!Hi Gadea. We have so much information on mushrooms. The FDA approved a trial on turkey tail mushrooms in 2012. There may have been many more since. It sounds like you’ve done some homework! I am so glad you are asking these questions and communicating with your oncologist at Sloan-Kettering. I’ve heard of some great dietitians who work there. I have not read any research about mushrooms reducing breast size, but I suppose as long as there are no additional risks taking mushrooms than why not include them in your diet? Mushrooms contain beta-glucan fiber and can be thought of as immunomodulators.I started on Turkey Tail mushroom since I heard Paul Stamets at the New School. He talked them up. While he was careful to say, that he did not attribute any miracle cures to them, he nevertheless implied that repeatedly. I have always included White button mushrooms in my diet. I had an appointment with my oncologist Dr. Elizabeth Comen at Sloan Kettering and she did not put much stock in Paul Stamets claims. I had a booklet that was given out and she browsed through it. But I take TTM anyway.Thank You, dr.Greger for all extremly useful informations. I wnat know Your position to Canabis Oil therapy breast cancer ( and all rests too, and almost all chronical diseases, together with 80% raw fruits and 15% raw vegetables and5% seeds diet . Is this combination raw plant diet + canabis oil without psychoactive supstances , the best solution against cancer ( and many of other diseases)? Thank You with all my heart for all what You do with Your videos. MD S.Mazak Beslic, SerbiaI don’t believe there’s data for cannabis’s role in cancer treatment beyond symptom management for the most part. There is some minor evidence for its use with brain tumors, but I haven’t seen breast cancer data. The Oncology Nutrition group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is spotlighting a session on “Marijuana: Is it Medicine Yet for Cancer Symptom Management?”. It will be interesting to see where alternative treatments can advance cancer research. I like your point about lots of raw foods in the diet, as of course nutrition can play such an important role in cancer prevention and treatment.Engaging into translating and republishing all contents from NutritionFacts.org into Portuguese. I am sure that we can shift this culture even faster if we go beyond language barriers. Any suggestions on this initiative? Please share. hugs http://nf.focoempatico.net/colesterol-alimenta-cancro-da-mama/Hi Rodrigo. Wow — this is incredible! Did you make this site? I let our Program Director know and we’ll look into this more. I agree the more languages the better! Thanks so much for letting us know!Best regards, JosephHi Joseph! I’m very pleased to read you. Yes I did make this website. I’m in contact with Tommasina and I’m very glad to have you guys there. Please keep inspiring us. rodrigoForgive me, Rodrigo — I jumped the gun. She told me all about you! Thanks so much for the help!The site looks great!Rapidly dividing cells -like cancer -uses up a lot of cholesterol but I am still not seeing the causative connection between cancer and cholesterol. Its like saying cancer cells need lots of water and oxygen which is also true -but there is no causative connection -other than statistical -which could be for any number of other reasons	body fat,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,breast health,broccoli,cancer,cancer survival,cholesterol,fat,flax seeds,Germany,LDL cholesterol,lignans,low-fat diets,phytosterols,pumpkin seeds,seeds,soy,sunflower seeds,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-glucan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3081176,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22948801,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22591208,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23434903,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21422422,
PLAIN-4	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/07/09/using-diet-to-treat-asthma-and-eczema/	Using Diet to Treat Asthma and Eczema	I previously discussed the power of fruits and vegetables to help prevent and treat asthma and allergies. If adding a few more servings of fruits and vegetables may help asthma, what about a diet centered around plants? Twenty patients with allergic eczema were placed on a vegetarian diet.  At the end of two months, their disease scores, which covered both subjective and objective signs and symptoms, were cut in half, similar to what we might see using one of our most powerful drugs. The drug works much quicker, within about two weeks, but since drugs can often include dangerous side effects the dietary option is more attractive. This was no ordinary vegetarian diet, however. This was an in-patient study using an extremely calorically-restricted diet—the subjects were practically half fasting. Therefore, we don’t know which component was responsible for the therapeutic effect. What about using a more conventional plant-based diet against a different allergic disease, asthma? In Sweden, there was an active health movement that claimed that a vegan diet could improve or cure asthma. This was a bold claim, so in order to test this, a group of orthopedic surgeons at Linköping University Hospital followed a series of patients who were treated with a vegan regimen for one year. (This study is highlighted in my video, Treating Asthma and Eczema with Plant-Based Diets.) Participants had to be willing to go completely plant-based, and they had to have physician-verified asthma of at least a year’s duration that wasn’t getting better or was getting worse despite the best medical therapies available. The researchers found quite a sick group to follow. The thirty-five patients had long-established, hospital-verified bronchial asthma for an average duration of a dozen years. Of the 35 patients, 20 had been admitted to the hospital for acute asthmatic attacks during the last two years. Of these, one patient had received acute infusion therapy (emergency IV drugs) a total of 23 times during this period and another patient claimed he had been to the hospital 100 times during his disease and on every occasion had evidently required such treatments. One patient even had a cardiac arrest during an asthma attack and had been brought back to life on a ventilator. These were some pretty serious cases. The patients were on up to eight different asthma medicines when they started, with an average of four and a half drugs, and were still not getting better. Twenty of the 35 were constantly using cortisone, which is a powerful steroid used in serious cases. These were all fairly advanced cases of the disease, more severe than the vegan practitioners were used to. Eleven couldn’t stick to the diet for a year, but of the 24 that did, 71% reported improvement at four months and 92% at one year. These were folks that had not improved at all over the previous year. Concurrently with this improvement, the patients greatly reduced their consumption of medicine. Four had completely given up their medication altogether, and only two weren’t able to at least drop their dose. They went from an average of 4.5 drugs down to 1.2, and some were able to get off cortisone. Some subjects said that their improvement was so considerable they felt like “they had a new life.” One nurse had difficulty at work because most of her co-workers were smokers, but after the plant-based regimen she could withstand the secondhand smoke without getting an attack and could tolerate other asthma triggers. Others reported the same thing. Whereas previously they could only live in a clean environment and felt more or less isolated in their homes, they could now go out without getting asthmatic attacks. The researchers didn’t find only subjective improvements. They also found a significant improvement in a number of clinical variables, most importantly in measures of lung function, vital capacity, forced expiratory volume, and physical working capacity, as well as significant drops in sed rate (a marker of inflammation) and IgE (allergy associated antibodies). The study started out with 35 patients who had suffered from serious asthma for an average of 12 years, all receiving long-term medication, with 20 using cortisone, who were “subjected to vegan food for a year,” and, in almost all cases, medication was withdrawn or reduced, and asthma symptoms were significantly reduced. Despite the improved lung function tests and lab values, the placebo effect can’t be discounted since there was no blinded control group. However, the nice thing about a healthy diet is that there are only good side effects. The subjects’ cholesterol significantly improved, their blood pressures got better, and they lost 18 pounds. From a medical standpoint, I say why not give it a try? If you missed the first three videos of this 4-part series here are the links: More on eczema and diet can be found in my videos: There are a number of other conditions plant-based diets have been found to be effective in treating: 	I am confused about coconut fat. Is it the processed and extracted coconut oil that increases gut permbeability only? Or does the fresh coconut meat also cause inflammation and increase gut permeability? Thank you.I am not sue about gut permeability and coconut oil, specifically. I did not see anything in the literature on human studies. Fresh coconut and coconut water are probably the best types. Dr Greger points out the differences in this video between saturated fat from coconut vs. animal fat. From the transcript “Unlike saturated animal fats, coconut oil doesn’t cause that spike inflammation immediately after consumption of animal foods, which makes sense because as you’ll remember it may be the dead bacterial endotoxins in animal products ferried into the body by saturated fat that are to blame. ”Two recent reports on coconut oil that may help:CSPI report on coconut oilForks Over Knives reportYeah I too would like to know if coconut flesh is inflammatory, and if it increase gut permeability like other high saturated fat foods.My wife is > 3 years vegetarian and >0,5 years vegan. However it does not seem that her diet affected her eczema anyhow. What is she missing?“SCD diet”, but do a vegan version of it. Follow it 100%.I work in a skin care clinic as a laser technician and we recommend a product called Juice Plus. We have seen so many people improve their health including eczema. Its a variety of 30 fruits veg and berries in a convenient capsule or chew form. The Vineyard Blend (berries and grapes) is the powerhouse when it comes to improving eczema due to its circulatory properties. We find it easy to recommend as its safe as its 100% food and its NSF Certified. Its so hard to get that much needed 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables daily…..I know better and I still don’t do it! I can send some before and after photos if you’d like or if you would like any more info you can check out my website at http://www.marnie.canada.juiceplus.com Switch the website at the top depending what country you are in. Its a frustrating skin condition for many so I hope my info helps :)You could consider supplementing with D3, https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health-conditions/eczema/# It is recommeneded here for all folks.Hi there. It is hard to say what is best. I would need more more information about the diet. Have you seen all of our videos on eczema? Some of these might help. You may consider eliminating certain foods that may or may not be linked to skin health. I also suggest seeing a dermatologist and dietitian familiar with skin conditions. Let me know if you need help finding one.I have been vegetarian all my life (30+ years old) but still deal with eczema/dry skin symptoms. Any ideas/suggestions?Hi SK, perhaps flaxseed may help?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/Perhaps you ought to talk to an MD who is familiar with doing blood testing for identifying various viruses that also can impact eczema/skin problems. Once your MD can identify the specific virus involved–since many vaccines automatically contain hidden animal viruses depending upon excipients, etc. used; plus they also can contain “mycoplasmas”–you can address your problem, including maintaining a LOW lysine diet, i.e., eliminate foods that are high in lysine, which “feed” viruses. Just a suggestion that may help.I thought viruses feed off of arginine, and that lysine inhibits and fights them, no? Cold sore remedy (herpes virus) is to avoid arginine foods and add more lysine.You might want to correct this statement. Lysine has been show to do the opposite.Hi Catherine, this comment went to me but I think you meant for it to go to SK. They may not have seen your reply.look into pygnogenol. It is found in very small quantities in the peels of some fruits.You could have your vitamin D3 levels checked. https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health-conditions/eczema/# Do you get enough sunshine?Regarding eczema, it has both genetic and environmental factors involved. Lots of factors can exacerbate the condition such as stress, contact with irritating substances and soaps, cold & dry climates or heat & sweat. Avoiding animal products would definitely decrease inflammation associated with eczema, but considering these factors would help you better deal with the problem. Interestingly according to among treatments are mentioned short warm showers vs. long hot showers and mild soap and moisturizers. Also exercise and reducing stress can improve the condition.Have you seen all of our videos on eczema? Some of these might help. Coconut oil on the skin may help, and of course seeing the dermatologist to discuss the right lotions or ointments can help. You may consider eliminating certain foods like eggs or wheat or milk, as some folks have allergies to these foods.As far as what diet to follow, there are (conflicting) websites like this one:http://www.flawlessprogram.com/2014/10/01/eat-these-superfoods-for-eczema-healthy-gut/On a different topic. I am interested in using diet to improve or manage Polycystic Kidney Disease. I am familiar with the Tanner rat studies, but I’m not aware of any other research having been carried out. As it also affects the liver and other internal organs, it obviously has wider implications. Can you give any more information please, and does it depend on how much the disease has progressed? I’m also interested in the effects acupuncture can have. Have any interventions, other than drugs, been successful? Thank you for your help and the fascinating articles.Hi Helen. Here are our videos on kidney disease and one on kidney failure. I am not sure it pertains to polycystic kidney disease. This foundation has more information on the disease. They claim “At present, no specific diet is known to prevent cysts from developing in patients with PKD. Reducing salt intake helps control blood pressure in PKD patients who have high blood pressure. A diet low in fat and moderate in calories is recommended to maintain a healthy weight. Speak to your doctor or a dietitian about other changes to your diet, such as avoiding caffeine.”Strains of Lactobacillus reuteri are said to help with asthma (as well as colic): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22691248, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25444531. My cow’s milk kefir contains L reuteri–are there other sources?Thanks for the links! I am not sure where else that strain is found? I just wrote more about kefir in this comment which may help. I reference one study about that strain.Im an asthmatic and have turned vegan for the last 6 months. I still continue to be on medication and have not seen a noticeable change to the point of giving up on the diet. Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated.Hi Elizabeth. Sorry to hear you have to still take medication. A vegan diet can be healthful and even help with asthma based on some of the studies Dr. Greger mentions, but it depends on what you’re eating overall. The diet may not be helpful in every case, but I think even if some of the symptoms associated with asthma are not lessened, a healthy eating pattern can still benefit you in other areas of disease prevention.I’m not sure where to ask this question, but I was wondering if there is any research regarding alopecia (hair loss) with diet. I’ve read blogs with some vegetarians indicating they’ve had hair loss. Is this a b12 or zinc deificiency? Are there types of foods that can minimize this? Thank you	asthma,blood pressure,caloric restriction,cancer,carcinogens,cholesterol,eczema,kidney disease,kidney function,kidney health,LDL cholesterol,lung disease,lung health,placebo effect,plant-based diets,side effects,smoking,steroids,Sweden,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eczema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11840688,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4019393,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2196084,
PLAIN-5	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/07/07/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-pills/	Treating Asthma With Plants vs. Pills	In my video Treating Asthma With Fruits and Vegetables, I highlighted a landmark study on manipulating antioxidant intake in asthma. The study found that just a few extra fruits and vegetables a day can powerfully reduce asthma exacerbation rates. If the antioxidants in the plants are ameliorating asthma, then why can’t we take antioxidant pills instead? Because antioxidant pills don’t appear to work. Studies using antioxidant supplements on respiratory or allergic diseases have mostly shown no beneficial effects. This discrepancy between data relating to fruit and vegetable intake compared with those using antioxidant supplements may indicate the importance of the whole food, rather than individual components. For example, in the Harvard Nurse’s Health Study, women who got the most vitamin E from their diet appeared to be at half the risk for asthma, (which may help explain why nut consumption is associated with significantly lower rates of wheezing), but vitamin E supplements did not appear to help. Men who eat a lot of apples appear to have superior lung function, as do kids who eat fresh fruit every day, as measured by FEV1 (basically how much air you can forcibly blow out in one second). The more fruit, salad, and green vegetables kids ate, the greater their lung function appeared. Researchers are “cautious about concluding which nutrient might be responsible.” There’s vitamin C in fruits, salads, and green vegetables, but there are lots of other antioxidants, such as “vitamin P,” a term used to describe polyphenol phytonutrients found in grapes, flax seeds, beans, berries, broccoli, apples, citrus, herbs, tea, and soy. Polyphenol phytonutrients can directly bind to allergenic proteins and render them hypoallergenic, allowing them to slip under our body’s radar. If this first line of defense fails, polyphenols can also inhibit the activation of the allergic response and prevent the ensuing inflammation, and so may not only work for prevention, but for treatment as well. Most of the available evidence is weak, though, in terms of using supplements containing isolated phytonutrients to treat allergic diseases. We could just give people fruits and vegetables to eat, but then we couldn’t perform a double-blind study to see if they work better than placebo. Some researchers decided to use pills containing plant food extracts. Plant extracts are kind of a middle ground. They are better than isolated plant chemicals, but are not as complete as whole foods. Still, since we can’t put whole foods in a capsule, we can compare the extracts to fake sugar pills that look and feel the same to see if they have an effect. The first trial involved giving people extracts of apple skins. I’ve talked about the Japan’s big cedar allergy problem before (See Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies), so apple extract pills were given every day for a few months starting right before pollen season started. The results were pretty disappointing. They found maybe a little less sneezing, but the extract didn’t seem to help their stuffy noses or itchy eyes. What about a tomato extract? A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled eight-week trial was performed on perennial allergic rhinitis, this time not for seasonal pollen, but for year-round allergies to things like dust-mites. There are lots of drugs out there, but you may have to take them every day year-round, so how about some tomato pills instead? After oral administration of tomato extract for eight weeks, there was a significant improvement of total nasal symptom scores, combined sneezing, runny nose and nasal obstruction, with no apparent adverse effects. Would whole tomatoes work even better? If only researchers would design an experiment directly comparing phytonutrient supplements to actual fruits and vegetables head-to-head against asthma, but such a study had never been done… until now. The same amazing study, highlighted in my video, Treating Asthma with Plants vs. Supplements?, that compared the seven-fruit-and-vegetables-a-day diet to the three-fruit-and-vegetables-a-day diet, after completion of its first phase, commenced a parallel, randomized, controlled supplementation trial with capsules of tomato extract, which boosted the power of five tomatoes in one little pill, and the study subjects were given three pills a day. Who did better, the group that ate seven servings of actual fruits and vegetables a day, or the group that ate three servings a day but also took 15 supposed serving equivalents in pill form? The pills didn’t help at all. Improvements in lung function and asthma control were evident only after increased fruit and vegetable intake, which suggests that whole-food interventions are most effective. Both the supplements and increased fruit and vegetable intake were effective methods for increasing carotenoid concentrations in the bloodstream, but who cares? Clinical improvements—getting better from disease—were evident only as a result of an increase in plant, not pill, consumption. The results provide further evidence that whole-food approaches should be used to achieve maximum efficacy of antioxidant interventions. And if this is what a few more plants can do, what might a whole diet composed of plants accomplish? See Treating Asthma and Eczema with Plant-Based Diets. I also dealt with preventing asthma in the first place: Preventing Asthma With Fruits and Vegetables. The theme of whole foods being more efficacious than supplements seems to come up over and over again. See for example: More on “vitamin P” in How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years. The anti-inflammatory effects of nuts may explain the Harvard Nurse’s Health Study finding: Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell. 	Maybe the asthma trick is in what not to eat. If they ate a pill instead of the whole fruit, they would not displaced the animal foods (could be allergenic in some people). They would eat the same diet plus the extra pill. Switching the thought process of missing something (a +$$$ pill) to taking something out (animal -$$$) could be scientific too.Vegan regimen with reduced medication in the treatment of bronchial asthma.: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4019393Thanks for the study link. From the related articles it looks like yoga can help, too.As an asthma sufferer, I can say that pills help tremendously. If I take around 7,000 mg vitamin C a day, my symptoms are greatly decreased. But I have to take at least that much or no benefits. I’d like to see studies on taking much more vitamin C than what’s normally recommended. I’ve had friends who do vitamin C IV’s… around 50,000mg given through the blood. Prescribed by a doctor of course. It totally stops their symptoms. Maybe the fillers in vitamins have something to do with effectiveness?Hi Amanda. Thanks for you comment. I suppose the fillers could be problematic if allergic to a substance that it contains. Good to know your doctor is prescribing the high dose vitamin C and you are not injecting yourself! If it works for you and you’re finding relief then more power to ya! So many folks suffer from Asthma (like my baby cousin) that I am happy to hear when something works.Have you tried having your Vitamin D3 levels checked?Here’s what boggles the mind. My choice then is to either (A) pick a juicy, healthy, fruit off a tree (or buy it for peanuts at the local market) and enjoy it as a snack, or (B) pop something that has been processed to the hilt with artificial flavouring (gross), that would cost me more, has negligible benefits and perhaps even a negative side effect or two to boot. Why would we willingly spend money on something so distasteful when a perfectly tastier, healthier, cheaper option is available? What am I missing here??Sounds good to me! Perhaps convenience and unhealthful dietary patterns interfere with choosing fresh fruits and vegetables? Access to foods could be another part, but I agree with you 100% that choice “A” is preferred. If you have not already, please consider keeping up with the new videos posted every weekday and subscribe to the daily video feed! Thanks for your comment, Tikiri.It’s unfortunate the Nutritionfacts articles do not carry citations as do the videos. I’m curious as to what “extracts” are and whether they differ from “concentrates”, as in Juice Plus.Hi Steve,The following sources regarding apple and tomato extracts are hyperlinked within the text above:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15849424http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17519582http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22854412Thanks. I should have noticed that.The hyperlinks for individual studies aren’t bolded as the video titles are, and are a rather subdued green as opposed to the bright blue we’re used to seeing. They can be easy to miss! Enjoy the articles. :)Thanks for asking, Steve. b00mer is right we do link the studies but they are in the hyperlinks for blogs. You can still find them. The study will go into more depth on type of extract. As for “Juice Plus” , Dr. Greger has a few videos on that supplement.Thanks.Last October my son was coming to visit and he is a vegan. I bought almond milk in preparation for his arrival, so for about a week I was not drinking dairy. I began to notice that my breathing was easier. After he left I took myself off all dairy and within another week was off my asthma meds. No more daily inhaled steroids. I’m also off Benadryl now. If I get around cats and dogs for extended periods I might need a rescue inhaler, but overall my symptoms are much better.Wow that is amazing! Dairy can be a major allergen for many folks. I am so glad you are finding relief. That’s why i love NutritionFacts.org because the public can visit the site for free and learn about crucial nutrition topics. If you have not already, please consider keeping up with the new videos posted every weekday and subscribe to the daily video feed. Thanks, Jim.I know what you mean about dairy.When i was a kid i had asthma i drank milk back then as i got older i drank less milk but more sodas but my asthma went away.Never made the connection until about a year ago when i found out the real truth about dairy.This spring when the pollen was falling like snow everyone around me was sniffing and snorting and complaining about congestion but i was free and clear.I tell everyone i talk to about diet that if you want better health at least ditch the dairy at least ; )So the big idea is more fruits and vegetables for more plant fiber. We recommend BACON! made from eggplant. Here is a link to our Vegan Bacon video. Spoiler alert: there’s turmeric in there. <3 Whirled Peas Kitchen https://youtu.be/aVcPoqhWPocAllan: Another winner! I’ve heard of processed vegan bacon, coconut bacon, and of course, tempeh bacon. I’ve never heard of eggplant bacon before this. You make it look absolutely delicious. And I really liked how you gave the overview at the beginning.That’s too much work for me. But sure do hope I will get to try it some time in the future. Thanks for the link!Just a heads-up on some scary TV viewing tonight on Frontline. Hunting The Nightmare Bacteria. Can also be seen online. It gives good reason to stay healthy and avoid all hospital stays.Asthma is not dependant on Vitamin C. Vitamin D3 has been found in a number of people to treat and cure Asthma. You can read “The Miraculous Results Of Extremely High Doses Of The Sunshine Hormone Vitamin D3 My Experiment With Huge Doses Of D3 From 25,000 To 50,000 To 100,000 Iu A Day Over A 1 Year Period” by Jeff Bowles for more information on how to use D3 to cure Asthma. Many people are very deficient in Vitamin C and Vitamin E, those being some of the vitamins lost to the mills.I’m confused about reaching 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables, as the USDA uses cups now instead. When you refer to a serving of fruit, is that the previously used USDA serving size of about 1/2 cup for most and 1 cup for leafy greens? Or is each serving now 1 cup for most and 2 cups for leafy greens? I find references to both measurements as a serving online. I don’t think I’m the only one confused! :) Thank you so much!I agree with LilacKitty, this is an important question. How much exactly is a “serving?” Thank you, Drs. Greger and Gonzales, for the constant stream of life giving information.Good questions. The guidelines always seem to be changing. USDA now uses cups. 5 cups (servings) total of fruits and vegetables is the minimum to shoot for, but more is definitely preferred. Here is a guide to what counts as a serving for vegetables and fruits.	allergies,antioxidants,apples,asthma,beans,berries,broccoli,children,citrus,flax seeds,fruit,grapes,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,herbs,inflammation,Japan,lung disease,lung health,nuts,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,polyphenols,protein,respiratory infections,salads,soy,sugar,supplements,tea,tomatoes,vegetables,vitamin C,vitamin E	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21623967,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22854412,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15849424,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17412780,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17519582,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7735592,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9246135,
PLAIN-6	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/07/02/how-fruits-and-vegetables-can-treat-asthma/	How Fruits and Vegetables Can Treat Asthma	In my video Preventing Asthma With Fruits and Vegetables, I highlighted an international study of asthma and allergies involving more than a million kids. The study found a consistent inverse relationship between prevalence rates of asthma, allergies, and eczema and the intake of plants, starch, grains, and vegetables. Researchers speculated “over a decade ago that if these findings could be generalized, and if the average daily consumption of these foods increased, an important decrease in symptom prevalence could be achieved.” No need to speculate any more, though, because plants were finally put to the test. Researchers have proposed that “by eating fewer fruits and vegetables, the susceptibility to potentially harmful inhaled substances of the population as a whole may be increased because of the reduction in antioxidant defenses of the lungs.” The thin lining of fluid that forms the interface between our respiratory tract and the external environment is our first line of defense against oxidative damage. Oxidative damage is important in asthma, contributing to airway contraction, excessive mucous production, and hypersensitivity. Antioxidants protect against oxidative stress, so our lung lining contains a range of antioxidants our body makes itself, as well as those obtained from our diet, particularly from fruits and vegetables. We can even quantify the level of oxidative stress in people by measuring the level of oxidation products in their exhaled breath, which drops as we start eating more fruits and vegetables, and drops further as we combine more plants with fewer animal foods. Do those with asthma really have lower levels of antioxidants than people without asthma? Compared to healthy controls, subjects with asthma had lower whole blood levels of total carotenoids and lower levels of each of the individual phytonutrients they measured: cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene compared to healthy controls. Therefore, they posit, “the accumulating evidence does suggest that diet has an influence in modulating the response of the lung to inhaled allergens and irritants. However, it is possible that the reduced carotenoid levels in asthma are a result of increased utilization in the presence of excess free radicals.” So it’s like a chicken-or-the-egg phenomenon. We know antioxidant-rich diets have been associated with reduced asthma prevalence. However, direct evidence that altering intake of antioxidant-rich foods actually affects asthma was lacking, until now. There are two ways to test the effects of fruits and vegetables on asthma. Add fruits and vegetables to people’s diets and see if their asthma improves, or take asthmatics and remove fruits and vegetables from their diets and see if they get worse. The first such study of its kind, highlighted in my video, Treating Asthma With Fruits and Vegetables, placed subjects with asthma on a low antioxidant diet. After just a matter of days, there was a significant worsening of lung function and asthma control. The researchers conclude that, “This finding is highly significant for subjects with asthma, as it indicates that omitting antioxidant-rich foods from the diet, for even a short time frame, will have a detrimental effect on asthma symptoms.” Ironically, the low antioxidant diet consumed by subjects, where they were restricted to one serving of fruit and up to two servings of vegetables per day, is typical of Western diets. In other words, the low antioxidant diet they used to worsen people’s asthma, crippling their lung function, was just like the standard American diet. As about “half the population usually consumes a diet with an intake of fruit and vegetables equivalent to that in the study diet or less, it appears likely that this dietary pattern, which must be considered suboptimal for lung health, may have a significant impact on asthma management, indicating the potential for typical Western dietary patterns to contribute to a worsening of lung function and asthma control.” Within just days, cutting down fruit and vegetable intake can impair lung function, but does adding fruits and vegetables help with asthma? That was the second phase of the study. Asthmatics on the standard American diet had about a 40% chance of relapsing into an asthma exacerbation within three months. However, put them on seven servings of fruits and vegetables a day instead of three, and we cut their exacerbation rate in half, down to 20%. Imagine if there were a drug that could work as powerfully as a few fruits and vegetables. If manipulating antioxidant intake by increasing fruit and vegetable intake can so powerfully reduce asthma exacerbation rates, why not just take antioxidant pills instead? I cover that in my video Treating Asthma With Plants vs. Supplements? And if a few extra servings of fruits and vegetables can make that kind of difference, what about a whole diet composed of plants? Check out Treating Asthma and Eczema With Plant-Based Diets. What else might antioxidant-rich diets help with? See: How many antioxidants should we shoot for? See: Where are antioxidants found the most? 	I’m not surprised, but since I have had a Melanoma, what do you think of that association of citrus with Melanoma? I don’t think growing up in Australia and getting a widespread deep partial thickness sunburn that caused me to miss 6 weeks of school helped much. I also wonder if kids near citrus eat more and if it is really the sun exposure?Hi Robert. A few site users were discussing this in an earlier blog. See our comments and links, here. From one study mentioned it seems citrus juice and grapefruit was the potential culprits, but the authors conclude more research is needed before any strict claims against citrus is confirmed.Thank you.A psoralen video highlighting the foods that contain it would be timely by Dr. Greger. Figs, citrus, celery, and much more. These foods can increase sunburn potential, for some in a real bad way. I get fried after eating celery and figs. Badly. Lips burn real bad after figs and getting some sunshine. Very few aware of this phenomenon.It is worth reading the study if you have a history of melanoma. They carefully controlled for sun exposure and a bunch of other things. It is the second time this association has been found (albeit the first time was with one of the two cohorts in the study). It is diet in adults they looked at, not kids. The researchers suspect it is to do with the psoralens in citrus; note that psoralens are also high in a large family of veges that includes carrots, celery, parsnip, parsely, coriander, cumin, dill and others. For those of us with past severe sunburn and melanoma history the DNA damage is already done, but it may pay to consider the amount of psoralens in your diet so as not to encourage progression of other melanomas – eg, not to consume a lot of carrot and orange/celery juice.Thank you very much. I am an MD, like Dr Greger, who thinks that diet and other lifestyle interventions are the most important interventions. I will take your advice Kate and follow the study. I am so glad Dr Greger added Joseph Gonzales RD as he is prompt and thoughtful.I’ve been grappling with the issues of plant based diet now for over a year now, and wish there were more about how to ensure we get it right. My blood sugar went up, my teeth are suffering, the carbs are high on this diet compared to my old meaty, fattier one. But I got rid of acid reflux and lost weight on the plant based diet. I intend to win at it, but it’s not as easy as changing one’s food preferences. Dr. Greger sometimes gives us glimpses of his diet and that is very helpful. The blueberry amla soymilk smoothie I’m going to try out. I know his would not necessarily be for everyone, but it would help to have his menu and supplement choices as a sample of workable plan that has the research behind it, not that it’s medical advice, just common sense gained from observing research. When I mention the whole food plant-based diet to people, they are often sold already, but have heard horror stories or tried it themselves without a good plan and failed. They were not happy they had to abandon it, since they like the good effects. It’s sort of sad.bobluhrs: I’m glad you are having some partial success. I agree that the devil is in the details and it would be better to have full success. I also agree that seeing some meal plans that are backed by the best science is very helpful. I have some ideas for you:1) Check out the book, “Becoming Vegan – Express Edition” by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. Dr. Greger has spoken highly of these authors and even had them as a guest blogger on this site. The book is excellent, extremely well researched, and includes some sample meal plans for varying levels of calorie needs. I consider it more of a reference book than a read-cover-to-cover book. So, it’s not a big investment in time to check out the book.2) 21 Days of Free Meal Plans – if you participate in the free PCRM (Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine) 21 Day Kickstart program, you will get 21 day’s worth of meal plans developed by top nutritionists. I believe that Dr. Greger has spoken support for this program and in addition to meal plans: They will hold your hand for 21 days, including recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. The forum is monitored by a very respected RD. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)3) Here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations. It’s not quite the meal plans you are looking for, but it gives some great general advice that you will want to keep in mind, including B12: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Hope that helps.I second Thea’s recommendation of Davis and Melina. I have the Expanded Edition. It’s permanently on my nightstand and I refer to it all the time. Everything in it is based on science, not on hunches or feelings. Just the data in tables and charts are worth the price.I agree so much!!! I got a great glimpse when Dr. G. said he had yams/sweet potatoes with dried cranberries, etc., sprinkled with cinnamon for breakfast one day. I tried something similar and had kabocha squash with frozen blueberries mixed in and sprinkled with cinnamon. It was delicious, and I never would have thought of it without having seen Dr. G’s breakfast comment one day.I´m vegan for many years, but there is no improvement in my asthma. I need an inhaler for most of the year. Seven servings of fruit and vegetables are a lot. I dont eat this every day. But I will try this in the next weeks. Best regards from Germany, RubenVitamin D3, or rather the hormone like substance D3, can treat and reduce the incidence of asthma attacks. http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20100910/vitamin-d-may-improve-asthma-control Vitamin D3 is recommended on this site for all people. Sunlight would probably be better. Modern windows are UV opaque and probably let less D3 be made when people sit next to the them than ever before. I am interested in the D content of foods. I think cooking destroys it. Plants use Vitamin D and it may be present in fruits.My asthma resolved shortly after I eliminated all dairy products from my diet, around 25 years ago. I used to need to carry my inhaler with me at all times just in case I experienced a flare up. Haven’t touched one in over two decades now and feel great! Should have made the move from veggie to vegan sooner…I’m confused about reaching 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables, as the USDA uses cups now instead. When you refer to a serving of fruit, is that the previously used USDA serving size of about 1/2 cup for most and 1 cup for leafy greens? Or is each serving now 1 cup for most and 2 cups for leafy greens? I find references to both measurements as a serving online. I don’t think I’m the only one confused! :) Thank you so much!	allergies,alpha-carotene,animal products,antioxidants,asthma,beta carotene,chicken,cholesterol,cryptoxanthin,eczema,eggs,fruit,grains,lung disease,lung health,lutein,lycopene,oxidative stress,peas,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,Standard American Diet,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11405522,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9832483,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22854412,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18324527,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16373941,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8128408,
PLAIN-7	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/30/how-fruits-and-vegetables-can-prevent-asthma/	How Fruits and Vegetables Can Prevent Asthma	Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children and the prevalence is increasing around the world. Despite this, most research dollars are spent on adult chronic disease. “One might ask,” a group of researchers posited “whether this is because our politicians and senior administrators feel themselves to be more likely to suffer from the latter, and thus ignore allergic diseases as they mostly impact children and young adults” – who don’t vote. An enormous study about asthma and allergies in childhood, highlighted in my video, Preventing Asthma with Fruits and Vegetables, was published that includes more than a million children in nearly a hundred countries, making it the most comprehensive survey of asthma and allergies ever undertaken. The researchers found striking worldwide variations in the prevalence and severity of asthma, allergies, and eczema—a 20 to 60-fold difference in prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic runny nose, and atopic eczema around the world. The large variability suggests a crucial role of local characteristics that are determining the differences in prevalence between one place and another. What kind of environmental factors? Why does the prevalence of itchy eyes and runny noses range anywhere from 1% in India, for example, and up to 45% of kids elsewhere? There were some associations with regional air pollution and smoking rates, but the most significant associations were with diet. Adolescents showed a consistent pattern of decreases in symptoms of wheeze (current and severe), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and atopic eczema with increases in per capita consumption of plant foods. The more their calories and protein came from plant sources, the less allergies they tended to have. In general, there seems to be an association between an increase in asthma prevalence and a decrease in consumption of fresh fruits, green vegetables, and other dietary sources of antioxidants, helping to explain why the prevalence of asthma and respiratory symptoms is lower in populations with high intake of foods of plant origin. High intakes of fat and sodium, and low intakes of fiber and carbohydrates, are linked with asthma, while traditional and vegetarian diets are associated with lower rates. For example, if we look closer within India, in a study of more than 100,000 people, “those who consumed meat (daily or occasionally) were more likely to report asthma than those who were strictly vegetarian.” This also meant avoiding eggs. Eggs have been associated (along with soft drink consumption) with increased risk of respiratory symptoms and asthma in schoolchildren. On the other hand, consumptions of soy foods and fruits were associated with reduced risk of respiratory symptoms. In fact, removing eggs and dairy from the diet may improve lung function in asthmatic children in as little as eight weeks. Therefore, it may be a combination of eating fewer animal foods and more plants. High vegetable intake, for example, has been found protective in children, potentially cutting the odds of allergic asthma in half. And fruit has also shown a consistent protective association for current and severe wheeze and runny nose in adolescents, and for current and severe asthma, allergies, and eczema in children. Why is this? I’ve talked about the endocrine-disrupting industrial pollutants (see Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors) building up in the meat supply that may increase the risk of allergic disease, but the increase in asthma may be a combination of both a more toxic environment and a more susceptible population. One review notes that, “The dietary changes which have occurred over recent years may have led to a reduction in these natural antioxidant defenses, resulting in a shift of the antioxidant status of the whole population and leading to increased susceptibility to oxidant attack and airway inflammation.” In adults, for example, the risk of airway hyper-reactivity may increase seven-fold among those with the lowest intake of vitamin C from plant foods, while those with the lowest intake of saturated fats may have a 10-fold protection, presumably because of saturated fat’s role in triggering inflammation. The protective effect of plant-based food may also be mediated through effects on intestinal microflora. It turns out that differences in the indigenous intestinal flora might affect the development and priming of the immune system in early childhood. Kids with allergies, for example, tend to be less likely to harbor lactobacilli, the good bacteria that’s found in fermented foods, and naturally on many fruits and vegetables. Lactobacillus probiotics may actually help with childhood asthma, which may help explain why children raised on largely organic vegetarian diets may have a lower prevalence of allergic reactions. Infants raised this way tend to have more good lactobacilli in their guts compared to controls, though they were also more likely to have been born naturally, breastfed longer, and not been given antibiotics, so we can’t really tell if it’s the diet until we put it to the test (See Treating Asthma with Fruits and Vegetables). More on preventing allergic diseases can be found in my videos Preventing Childhood Allergies and Preventing Allergies in Adulthood. More on protecting lung function with fruits and vegetables can be found in Preventing COPD With Diet. Surprised probiotics can affect immune function? Check out my video Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics? And if you think that is wild, wait until you see Gut Feelings: Probiotics and Mental Health. What might be in plants that’s so beneficial? See Anti-inflammatory Antioxidants. What might be in animal products that is harmful to lung function? There are endocrine-disrupting industrial pollutants that build up in the food chain that may be playing a role. See my video Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies. Also there’s an inflammatory omega-6 fatty acid found predominantly in chicken and eggs that may contribute to inflammation as well. See Inflammatory Remarks About Arachidonic Acid. Choosing fragrance-free personal care products may also help reduce airway reactivity: Throw Household Products Off the Scent.  I compare the efficacy of plants to pills (Treating Asthma With Plants vs. Supplements?) and explore the role an entire diet filled with plants might play in Treating Asthma and Eczema With Plant-Based Diets. 	WOW!! All the more reason to eat loads of fruits and veggies!! But seeing this makes me wonder about that new study about citrus fruits. It doesn’t make sense that eating an orange or grapefruit each day could cause melanoma!! Do you see this as an accurate study? Or, is it an example of “more is not always better”?I have never heard of citrus causing melanoma. Feel free to share any link or study that discusses this more. It seems like when it comes to fruits more is better!Yes, it was in the news yesterday. I think it might have some validity. Consider that lemon and lime juice on top of the skin makes someone very photosensitive. Maybe there are folks with leaky guts or some sort of indigestion/bad digestion of food (or unhealthy macrobiome) that allows ingested citrus to travel towards the skin, sweating it out, who knows. These science on this that came out really seems relevant and thorough, and has raised red flags.Thanks! Citrus has been identified as a “trigger” for pain in patients with migraine headaches and arthritis, but to my knowledge this is very rare.guest, you may be on to something about leaky gut and citrus. 3 yrs ago I started drinking 1/2 a lemon in a glass of water. I have no history of ever being allergic to any food, even had the standard test done and nothing showed up. I guess it didn’t include lemon.Anyways I ended up with hives all over my body. Red bumps that also itched. After freaking out about that for a while I spent $100 to see a dermatologist and they prescribed me some prednisome. But before I took that it dawned on me to stop the lemon juice first, and very soon the hives left me. I guess as you get older something new might pop up. About the only citrus I eat now is maybe some orange on a salad.I haven’t heard or seen this, but if there is any validity at all, I am sure it is because of what gets done to it chemically in growth and processing, not the inherent fruit quality.Maybe people who eat more citrus also live in warm climates where citrus is grown and get more sun exposure. Could be a factor!I usually eat one type or another of citrus each day, so I may need to stop! Thanks for such prompt replies!!! I love the work that goes on here at Nutrition Facts!!!!!Well, if you are not experiencing any pain or discomfort I would suggest eating all the citrus you want! Just look at how healthful the stuff is! Here is a little ditty on citrus, if interested. Thanks, LAURALEAH! Of course, ultimately it’s up to you to decided what’s best to eat. Glad you are finding some helpful tips here at NutritionFacts. If you have not already, please consider keeping up with the new videos posted every weekday and subscribe to the daily video feed.Best, JosephJust a thought to add here and that is consideration for people like me whose asthma is triggered by a salicylate sensitivity. I know I am not in the “average” group of those whose trigger is this, but I do know of at least two other persons in my area who have this too. We were all diagnosed with it by allergists. We must be careful how much fruit and veggies we eat and are equipped with our lists that tell us which fruit and veggies are “very high”, “high” etc for salicylate (which is nature’s preservative of the fruit or vegetable). PS I just love your site and it is helping me and so many others cheers, AnnCitrus Fruit and Melanoma: Is There Any Link? Grapefruit and Melanoma: What’s Happening Here? An association, yes. But is there a real risk?Thanks for the links!Also, as I often say on this blog, don’t forget that the total diet is important. I have checked out these references and find that the poor citrus has been taken out of context. As Walt Willet, MD, of Harvard says, “Food is a package deal.” Nearly all of the health professionals in the cited studies were carnivores. Dr Campbell comments on this in his excellent book, The China Study. So, what we are really seeing in these studies is the possible effects of citrus within the context of a meaty diet. Does that apply to you? Anyone seen any studies of the frugivore vegans – do they have a higher incidence of malignant melanoma? Or what about the low fat, whole food vegans? It is my understanding that these last two groups are, in fact, widely known for their excellent skin quality and generally low cancer rates. Wasn’t there a study a few years ago that attributed cancer in general to low fruit consumption?	air pollution,allergies,animal protein,antibiotics,antioxidants,asthma,biomagnification,breastfeeding,calories,children,chronic diseases,dairy,eczema,eggs,elderly,endocrine disruptors,fermented foods,fruit,immune function,India,industrial toxins,inflammation,lung disease,lung health,meat,organic foods,oxidative stress,persistent organic pollutants,plant protein,plant-based diets,probiotics,protein,respiratory infections,saturated fat,smoking,soda,soy,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin C	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17943568,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10451693,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22628152,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23317966,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12485315,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20092649,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22771150,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15067979,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11048770,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8128408,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22885561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15007630,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10833469,
PLAIN-8	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/25/our-tax-dollars-subsidize-unhealthy-foods/	Our Tax Dollars Subsidize Unhealthy Foods	Why do food companies sell junk? Because unhealthy commodities are highly profitable. This is in part because of their “low production cost, long shelf-life, and high retail value,” which create perverse incentives for industries to market and sell more junk. In a study highlighted in my video, Taxpayer Subsidies for Unhealthy Foods, researchers at the University of Cambridge stated, “Coca-Cola’s net profit margins, for example, are about a quarter of the retail price, making soft drink production, alongside tobacco production, among the most profitable industrial activities in the world.” One of the reasons production costs are so low is that we tax-payers subsidize them. Distinguished UNC Professor of Nutrition, Barry Popkin, writes: “For more than a century, Western governments have invested heavily in lowering the costs of animal products and some basic cash crops [such as sugar]. Accordingly, Western diets have shifted during the past century, especially after World War II, to include more animal sourced foods—meat, poultry, dairy, seafood, and eggs [as well as more sugar and corn syrup]. During this same period, however, we have begun to realize that a healthy diet actually requires fewer animal products and empty calories, and more vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. Redressing this balance is a complex task requiring not only a shift in agricultural investment and policy, but also changes in social preferences that have developed over decades, in part due to dollar menu meat.” Why is chicken so cheap? In the nine years that followed the passage of the ‘96 Farm Bill, corn and soy were subsidized below the cost of production to make cheap animal feed. So, U.S. tax-payers effectively handed the chicken and pork industry around $10 billion dollars each. What if we instead subsidized healthy foods? Or taxed harmful ones? Every dollar spent taxing processed foods or milk would net an estimated $2 in healthcare cost savings. Every dollar spent making vegetables cheaper would net $3, and subsidizing whole grains could net over a one thousand percent return on our investment. Unfortunately, we can’t count on Big Broccoli. The produce sector lacks the extensive funding that went to create the National Dairy Council, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Pork Producers Council, and the American Egg Board. Even if we removed the hundreds of billions of dollars in annual subsidies for animal products, it might not be sufficient to tip the balance in favor of healthier diets. According to Professor Popkin, “We have created societies in the West that value and consume meat, dairy, poultry, fish and seafood. Over several generations, a particular way of life has been promoted that has shifted expectations about diet to include large amounts of animal-sourced foods”—the concept that a meal centers around some hunk of meat. The idea that animal products should form the basis of our diet has been scientifically debunked, but remains the social aspiration of billions of people. As we in the West slowly come to accept that our diets and eating habits are not healthy, it is to be hoped that this will change policies not only here, but throughout the world. For more on the power Big Food’s hold over our political system, check out videos such as: My video series on corporate influence over our federal nutrition guidelines may also be enlightening: And if we really wanted to save our country money we could start by trying to wipe out some of our leading killer chronic diseases: 	What is that food product? Frozen yogurt stuff? Fake crab?It’s a block of spam with Uncle Sam. Note: you can always find the image credit at the bottom of the blog for more information about the picture.NF always has such great (and artistic) graphics, photos, and visual aids.Many of the foreign students my daughter met in college were shocked by how inexpensive meat is in the US. They were from countries where meat is one of the most expensive foods….which it really is in the US (without subsidies) as well.Here’s a question from an earlier video: Dr. Greger reported on how piperine significantly (up to 2000%!) boosts the bioavailability of curcumin, but stopped short, it seemed to me, of recommending that one routinely combine black pepper and turmeric to have those effects. In an earlier talk by Dr. Greger for Rouxbe Cooking School, he seemed appalled at the proposition, but perhaps he has changed his point of view? Since the effects might be quite significant, I’d appreciate a clarification re the desirability of combining pepper with turmeric both for 1) those looking to prevent chronic metabolic diseases and for 2) those currently coping with such diseases. Thanks!Cathy, piperine in black pepper increases the bioavailability of curcumin presumably by inhibiting an enzyme that participates in Phase II of the liver detoxification process. The problem is the same enzyme is responsible for the removal of some drugs and of some endogenous waste material. So, black pepper, while increasing there bioavailability of curcumin, increases the half life of some drugs, which is potentially dangerous. Longer exposure to endogenous waste material may have negative effects as well. On the other hand, a lot of people eat black pepper with food regularly, apparently without any problems.Thanks, George, for this clear explanation. I imagine anyone on medication that clears through the liver would be at risk if they boosted curcumin with piperine — a lot of people!I use turmeric powder in a small dose of coconut oil to dissolve it and then I put it in a smoothie. I assume this is ok since I don’t use pepper?Dr. Greger mentions that there are some people who should be careful about curcumin. Please let me know if this helps answer your question.Thanks Joseph – so anyone taking medication which clears through the liver should be cautious? If that’s so, perhaps Dr. Greger should express that qualifier, so people are advised before they jump on board the turmeric/pepper bandwagon.….and the garlic bandwagon might also command a qualifier as John Hopkins Lupus Center has advised that humans with autoimmune diseases/disorders should avoid garlic as well as ginseng, alfalfa, and some other stuff. (John Hopkins Medical staff considered number one (or two) in the world). Everything “natural” is not always in our best interest.Poor underappreciated Big Broccoli. Hey Dr. Greger, this TED talk reminded me of you: “Broccoli – the DNA whisperer”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmFnzc3oZ04You honestly believe if govt subsidized kale, we as Americans would eat more kale?count us in…kale and spinach salad is a family favorite, but hard to find spinach and kale fresh–they usually go bad within two days unless you can find them fresh, which is really rare even here in the middle of californiaMaybe it is just wishful thinking on my part, but I feel a change IS coming, though slowly! People in general are waking up to the benefit of eating real food, at least more so than in the past, so hopefully the snowball will grow once it get’s rolling! The internet has changed our interface with information gathering, which can be either negative or positive, depending on your good sense, or lack thereof, but the point is we can now find the info we need, IF we know how and where to look! It annoys me no end to see the BS that passes as fact for the sheeple who NEED to believe what they always have, so merely continue to buy into the subsidized agenda with no clue they are hopelessly brainwashed! Dr Greger and others are the shining lights in this fog of noxious and dangerous “spam” (above)…ugh!I clicked on the link for “scientifically debunked” in Dr. Greger’s post above and then skimmed part of the paper. I didn’t have time to read it in detail, but one sentence made me do a double-take, and then a triple take, and then a head scratch: “Rare was the scientist, such as Weston Price, whose studies of isolated indigenous populations prompted him to promote a vegetarian diet, or at least a diet with minimal meat, grown in natural environments (Price, 1981).​”Wow. I wasn’t able to find the paper they were referencing to see more, but if this is an accurate representation of Weston Price’s work, that poor man must be raging from his grave to see what has been promoted in his memory. I *think* I remember Plant Positive talking about how Weston Price’s work has been twisted, but this is very interesting collaboration if true.You stumbled upon something amazing, Thea. I followed the link too after reading your response, and found the same. They were actually not referencing a paper but Price’s large book, Nutrition and Physical Regeneration – the “bible” of the WAPF. Except it seems the organisation just cherry picks the thousands of case studies that it the “high fat diet” they promote. This books is a fascinating read, but just as that Pub Med article points out in such a startling way (as you noticed) Price did not find that tribes who ate meat were big and strong and tribes that were vegetarian were weaklings. I ant aware he promoted a vegetarian diet at all; I am not sure where that came from – but he certainly wasn’t a proponent of high meat and fat for all as the only way to be healthy. I see his actual focus more on “no processed foods” as the way to be healthy… which I think we’d all agree with. It’s also worth reminding ourselves that he was a dentist, focusing on oral health, and his ideas about nutrition and general heath were not founded on research as we see it today, but hypotheses. Unfortunately, too many people saw them as facts. Thanks for pointing out this amazing statement.MEC: Thanks for going the extra mile, looking into this, and then taking the time to report back. Nice post.On the topic of the post, thank you Dr. Greger! One of my pet peeves is how unhealthy foods like animal products are subsidized. I have long felt that if meat cost consumers what it actually costs the world (including externalities–pollution, etc.), we would all be so healthy naturally. Very few people would be able to afford meat regardless of their cultural biases. Cultural biases would then (probably/hopefully?) change over time…Why can’t an Organic Vegetable Council be formed and begin lobbying in Washington D.C.? Lack of funding? Maybe. Who wants to see an Indiegogo funding project for “Big Broccoli”? From news reports, I understand that organic produce is making huge profits in recent years. I think it’s time to start this veggie council.When folks at work learn that I eat plant based, they usually defend their consumption of animal products with a claim that they don’t feel satisfied/full unless they eat meat. How do I respond to that? Is it to do with gut microbiome?I’ve heard that too. I think it’s because people don’t add enough starch to their meals. I’m not satisfied with a salad consisting of lettuce and chopped raw veggies, either. But when I add whole wheat pasta, brown rice, or a sweet potato, I feel more satisfied. I also like to add more protein and fat with beans, walnuts and various seeds. Now we’re talking about a meal not an appetizer.Like salads and fruit, pasta and rice leave me hungry–even if I literally eat more than my stomach should hold: every meal requires legumes, avocados, or nuts for me to feel full for more than 2 hours.Phil C: I think that Herb I. Vore gave a great answer, but I also think it is only part of the answer. So, part of the problem is that people don’t know *how* to create a healthy meal that will satisfy them.Another part, in my opinion, is psychological. Since it is true, my answer to such a statement (which I have heard several times before too) often includes something along the lines of, “I used to feel the same way. But as I started to eat more healthy, I realized that it was phychological. I was raised to think that I needed meat as part of the meal and that any dish without meat was the ‘side’ dish. So, of course I didn’t feel satisfied eating only a side dish. However, most people seem to find that when they start eating truly healthy whole foods, including plenty of good starches like beans and whole grains, and *enjoying* those foods and when they understand in their heads that such dishes are complete, then that feeling of satisfaction is there.”I also think there is a third piece to this phenomenon that you touched on concerning gut stuff. Have you seen this talk by Michael Klaper? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tJyb1wTxg4 Anyway, this talk is speculation, but if it is true, then it may be that the person really does require some time to adjust to healthy eating. And you could explain that there is a possibility that they have harmed their bodies with the food they have eaten so far to the point where they are probably addicted to meat. They could wean themselves off of it if they wanted to…Finally, the fourth piece is that there are some people who really aren’t interested in eating healthy and have never truly tried and are just saying what they *think* would happen if they gave it a try. (Because after eating the salad before the meal, they are still hungry.) That situation requires a different response, but it would be hard to give such a response because if might come off as calling the person a liar.Those are my thoughts. Does that help?	American Egg Board,animal products,beans,chicken,Coca Cola,corn,corn syrup,cost savings,dairy eggs,empty calories,factory farming practices,Farm Bill,farmers,feed additives,fish,fruit,grains,industry influence,marketing,meat,Medicare,milk,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,National Dairy Council,National Pork Producers Council,pork,poultry,seafood,soda,soy,Standard American Diet,subsidies,sugar,tobacco,turkey,vegetables	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22745605,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22365570,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21151043,
PLAIN-9	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/23/reducing-arsenic-in-chicken-and-rice/	Reducing Arsenic in Chicken and Rice	In 2013, Maryland became the first state to ban the feeding of an arsenic-containing drug to chickens. This arsenic-containing drug is used to control parasites and gives chicken meat an “appealing pink color.” In 2011, the FDA found that the livers of chickens fed this drug had elevated levels of inorganic arsenic, a known human carcinogen. In response, the drug’s manufacturer, Pfizer, voluntarily pulled the drug off the U.S. market. However, it’s still sold overseas—including to places that continue to export chicken back to us—and a similar arsenic-containing drug for use in poultry is still available in the United States. The Maryland ban was still some help, though; it kept Maryland farmers from using stockpiles of the drug. How much arsenic gets into the actual meat and not just the internal organs? We didn’t know until recently. In a study highlighted in my video, How Many Cancers Caused by Arsenic-Laced Chicken?, researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health coordinated the purchase of chicken breasts off grocery store shelves in ten cities across the country. They found that 70% of the samples of chicken meat from poultry producers that didn’t prohibit arsenic drugs were contaminated with the cancer-causing form of arsenic at levels that exceeded the safety thresholds originally set by the FDA (before the FDA relented and admitted that there’s really no safe level of this kind of arsenic). When the drug was first approved, scientists believed that its organic arsenic base would be excreted unchanged (organic arsenic is much less dangerous than inorganic arsenic). Guess what appears to convert the drug into the carcinogenic form? Cooking. When chicken meat is cooked, levels of the arsenic-containing drug go down and levels of carcinogenic arsenic go up, suggesting the drug may degrade into the cancer-causing inorganic arsenic form during cooking. How much cancer are we talking about? If we estimate that about three-quarters of Americans eat chicken, then the arsenic in that chicken has potentially been causing more than 100 cases of cancer every year. The John Hopkins researchers conclude that “eliminating the use of arsenic-based drugs in [poultry and pig] production could reduce the burden of arsenic-related disease in the U.S. population.” Arsenic-containing drugs fed to chickens is one of the ways arsenic gets into rice. When we feed arsenic to chickens, the resulting arsenic-bearing poultry manure is introduced to the environment, soil, and water, and rice sucks it up from contaminated soil and can transfer it to people who don’t even eat chicken. There is massive environmental contamination from the poultry industry; nearly two million pounds of arsenic has been poured into the environment every year by the U.S chicken industry alone. We’re even seeing arsenic in foods sweetened with organic brown rice syrup. It reminds me of the arsenic in apple juice story. Although the U.S. made lead and arsenic-based pesticides illegal years ago, they still persist in the soil, so even organic products are not immune. There are other sources of arsenic (such as naturally occurring arsenic deposits), but arsenic-containing poultry drugs have been deliberately administered to animals intended for human consumption for 70 years. Consequently, exposures resulting from use of these drugs are far more controllable than are exposures from environmental sources. And the good news is that, thanks to a lawsuit from the Center for Food Safety and other consumer groups, three out of the four arsenic-containing drugs fed to poultry have been officially pulled from the market. I’ve previously addressed this issue in my video Arsenic in Chicken. It’s nice to see there’s been some progress! The antibiotics the poultry industry continues to feed chickens present another public health hazard. See my videos: Cooking may also create other carcinogens from the muscle itself: 	“And the good news is that, thanks to a lawsuit from the Center for Food Safety and other consumer groups, three out of the four arsenic-containing drugs fed to poultry have been officially pulled from the market.”Is the remaining one drug still being fed to poultry nationwide? Is there any progress on banning the drugs internationally so they’re not poisoning the rest of the world and U.S. chicken eaters who are consuming imported chicken?Along similar lines, does anyone actually monitor the use of these banned substances, seeing as how they have stockpiles of them stashed away?Not really. If you ask an old cowboy named Howard Lyman he’ll tell you ranches stockpile illegal drugs and still use them today. When I interviewed him once he said not in 35 years had the USDA ever came to his farm and asked questions.I am finding out. Please sit tight!Seedy, thanks for your patience. Dr. Greger said “the problem is that there are still stockpiles of the drug in use presumably but I think the one on the market is only sold for turkeys”I also wrote a reply, here, (just below) about my interview with Howard Lyman back in 2008Thanks so much for following up on this! I’m not surprised by the answer. A sad state of affairs. And one of many reasons to avoid eating meat.I thought this was going to be an article on reducing arsenic in brown rice. Wash thoroughly and cook using “pasta” method – several cups of water per cup of rice – pour off excess water after cooking.100 cases of cancer per hundreds of millions people per year doesn’t sound alarming compared to other threats.Hey Paul. That’s a great method for reducing arsenic in rice. Thanks for sharing. It is important to note that the levels of arsenic in rice may not be as high when compared with other foods, and from the looks of it the main reason why our rice is contaminated with arsenic is due to poultry plants using it in the first place! Dr. Greger has some great resources on food and arsenic. ​He also compared arsenic levels of wild rice to brown rice in this Ask the Doctor Q&A.​Paul, I cook rice in a rice cooker. Have you tried the “pasta” method using a rice cooker? Does it work?How would you do that, exactly? The convenience of the rice cooker is that you add the correct amount of water and the rice comes out nicely without excess water.What’s happening is that by providing extra cooking water one is hopefully leeching out more of the arsenic in that water (and maybe nutrients:-( Its a pain, but what I sometimes do is strain the cooked rice and rinse in hot water (if I want to be extra anal about it) and put back in my pressure cooker in the “warm” mode to reheat and evaporate the remaining water. It really does take away from the convenience of a rice cooker or pressure cooker. Damn poultry farms!how about just soaking the rice overnight and discarding water?Thanks for continuing to bring to light Ways We Can Better Choose our Food. Without Exposure, People are kept Dumb, and that’s the way the food manufacturers want to keep it so you just blindly keep spending your money on what they offer. Start your Health path in a less toxic direction by getting the facts and share with your friends. It will make our world a better place to live.Dr. Greger: Thank you for the article. I eat rice three meals a day almost everyday, so I’ve been concerned about arsenic in rice. Is there a significant difference between white rice and brown rice with respect to the arsenic content?A guest member supplied us with a link that looked at rice from different countries. I’ll post it, here. It is important to note that the levels of arsenic in rice may not be as high when compared with other foods. Dr. Greger has some great resources on food and arsenic. ​He also compared arsenic levels of wild rice to brown rice in this Ask the Doctor Q&A.​ ​I think it’s valuable to note when reports like these are published that perhaps many other foods containing arsenic were not tested? I am not saying arsenic in rice is not concerning, but perhaps other foods also deserve awareness. The arsenic concentrates in the bran, so white rice would have less. I still do not think avoiding brown rice is necessary. In the report you can see what brands have the least. Let me know if this helps?Thank you Joseph and the guest so much for this article. I’d seen the original article in CR, but this is significantly revised and more detailed.Thanks Joseph and others here for the information and links. I have some reading to do. I’ve been wanting to switch my plant milk use to brown rice (but hesitate due to the arsenic), from my current cashew milk – it’s so delicious, and so easy to make – but I want a similarly easy, healthful alternative that I can make, with less fat. Anyone care to share their favorite, healthy, plant milk of choice (grain or seed)? Thank you! (BTW: I’ve made quinoa “milk” – it’s good/easy to make too). Maybe Dr. Greger has done a comparison on plant milks that I’ve missed. I’ll have to check that out too.You are welcome, Tanya! Here are some links to videos on plant vs. cow’s calcium and and updated video on the same topic, here. Here is one on Almond milk vs. Organic milk. The thought of making your own plant milks sounds amazing! Keep in mind it won’t have the vitamin and mineral core that is added to most plant-milks. However, you can certainly find those micronutrients elsewhere. I always suggest mixing it up a bit. I advocate for variety when it comes to foods like whole grains, beans, fruits, and veggies. The same could be said about plant-milks.Thank you!. Good point on the lack of micronutrients in homemade plant-milks – I do try to get those elsewhere in my diet. Yes, I agree, variety is key! BTW: Here’s two simple rice/quinoa and cashew – milk recipes: http://www.absolutevegan.org/html/absolutevegan_plantmilk_recipe.html BTW: as an ethical vegan, I need no convincing to avoid cow’s milk, a human health disaster, and the cause of unimaginable animal cruelty.Oh gotcha. Forgive me I was not trying to convince you (or anyone) to avoid cow’s milk. These videos are the only milk comparisons we have here so I thought I’d share. Sorry if you had already seen. Thanks for the recipe link I definitely need to try making my own!Oh – please, no apology needed! The links are great – they offer ample science as to why we should all be avoiding milk & dairy in our diets…Thanks again!Hey, I absolutely love oat milk, it’s super delicious and a bit sweeter than other plant milks. Homemade hazelnut milk is also good but I don’t know how high the fat content would be in that one. I hardly ever drink oat milk though because of the packaging (aluminum inside) but you could always make it yourself :)Thanks Dennis – I’ll find recipes and give both a try!I’m sorry Joseph, I meant to reply to Tanya!Hey Tanya, I accidentally replied to Joseph’s comment instead of yours, you can find it below :)Watch your vitamin supplements, too. The industry often uses “brown rice powder” as a flow agent / capsule filler.Garlic and other plants containing organosulfur compounds have been helpful in detoxifying arsenic. I know from personal experience. :-)There may be a notion that organic brown rice has a lower arsenic level than conventional brown rice, but according to Lundberg farms, their California-grown organic and conventional brown rice had the same level of inorganic arsenic present when tested. Their test results are accessible via their website.Yes. i contacted them and they told me just what you said.Not much of a consolation for us currently, but very interesting all the same in regards to arsenic consumption: http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/121-a31/	apple juice,arsenic,brown rice syrup,cancer,carcinogens,Center for Food Safety,chicken,cooking methods,FDA,food additives,industrial toxins,Johns Hopkins University,lead,liver,meat,organic foods,parasites,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,pork,poultry,rice,safety limits,turkey	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23270108,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22759637,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22336149,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23694900,
PLAIN-10	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/	How Contaminated Are Our Children?	In a study highlighted in my video, California Childen Are Contaminated, researchers analyzed the diets of California children ages two through seven to determine the cancer and non-cancer health effects from food contaminant exposures. It turns out food may be the primary route of exposure to toxic heavy metals, persistent pollutants, and pesticides. “Though food-borne toxic contaminants are a concern for all ages, they are of greatest concern for children, who are disproportionately impacted because they’re still developing and have greater intake of food and fluids relative to their weight. Pediatric problems that have been linked to preventable environmental toxin exposures include cancer, asthma, lead poisoning, neurobehavioral disorders, learning and developmental disabilities, and birth defects.” The good news is that changing one’s diet can change one’s exposure. Quoting from the study, “A diet high in fish and animal products, for example, results in greater exposure to persistent pollutants like DDT and dioxins and heavy metals than does a plant-based diet because these compounds bioaccumulate up the food chain.” Plants are at the bottom of the food chain. The sample of California kids, however, was not eating a plant-based diet. Cancer benchmark levels were exceeded by all 364 children for arsenic, the banned pesticide dieldrin, a metabolite of DDT called DDE, and dioxins. Children exceeded safety levels by a greater margin than adults. This is especially of concern for children because all of these compounds are suspected endocrine disruptors and thus may impact normal development. Cancer risk ratios were exceeded by over a factor of 100 for both arsenic and dioxins. Which foods were the worst? For preschoolers, the number one food source of arsenic was poultry, though for their parents, it was tuna. The number one source of lead was dairy, and for mercury it was seafood. And the number one source of the banned pesticides and dioxins was dairy. (See Preventing Parkinson’s Disease With Diet.) The researchers also recommended children should eat lower quantities of chips, cereal, crackers, and other crispy carbs to reduce acrylamide intake.  The California study didn’t split up the groups by gender, but a similar study in Europe found that men had higher levels of some of these pollutants than women. For example, levels of the banned pesticide chlordane were higher in men, but women who never breastfed were right up there alongside men, with the lowest levels found in women who breastfed over 12 months. Therefore, it is likely that the lactation-related reduction in blood pollutant levels partly explains the lower body burdens among women compared with men. So cows can lower their levels by giving some to us, then we can pass it along to our children. What non-cancer effects might some of these pollutants have? They can affect our immune system. Studies clearly demonstrate the “ability of dioxins and related compounds to have a long-lasting and deleterious impact on immune function.” This manifests as increased incidences of respiratory infections, ear infections, cough, and sore throat. At first, most of the data was for during infancy, but now we have follow-up studies showing that the immunosuppressive effects of these toxins may persist into early childhood, so we should try to reduce our exposure as much as possible. Because these pollutants accumulate in animal fat, consuming a plant-based diet–decreasing meat, dairy, and fish consumption–may reduce exposure for children and adults alike. These findings should come as no surprise to those who saw my video Pollutants in California Breast Tissue. For an overview see CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure and President’s Cancer Panel Report on Environmental Risk. Pollutant exposure may affect the ability to have children in the first place (Male Fertility and Diet and Meat Hormones & Female Infertility). Such a delay, though, may allow one an opportunity to reduce one’s toxic burden through dietary change (Hair Testing for Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy and How Long to Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy?). During pregnancy, pollutants can be transferred directly (DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood), and after pregnancy through breastfeeding (The Wrong Way to Detox). Once our kids are contaminated, How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs? The chemicals have implications for older children too: Protein, Puberty, and Pollutants. Seafood is not the only source of toxic heavy metals. See: Videos on primary food sources of other industrial pollutants include: There are some things we can eat, though, to counteract some of the toxins: 	​This blog reminds me of PCBs found in children’s fish oil and how algae-based omega 3 supplements may be much less risky.I may have missed it but has Dr. Gregor addressed the evils of vaccinations, a barbaric practice that directly injects contaminants into the infant or child’s bloodstream. It can’t get more directly poisoning than that.Vaccination is one of the greatest public health triumphs in the history of humanity, not the lest of which for eliminating smallpox, which used to kill hundreds of millions of people.You’re just regurgitating what you’ve been taught but as one of my professors once said, “What’s the use of knowing so much if what you know ain’t so?” So called smallpox is a body initiated and conducted process of elimination through the skin from excessive toxemia. As with any body elimination process, once this process has run it’s course, the patient always recovers. It’s the ones where there’s medical intervention, i.e. vaccines, etc. that die. The causes are cumulative emotional, physical and chemical stressors from dietary, environmental and lifestyle factors.“Doctor” That is perhaps the most idiotic thing I’ve read in Disqus.In the 60’s millions a year worldwide died from smallpox. The World Health Org joined by dozens of other volunteer, charitable, health orgs and Governments around the world launched a program to eradicate the disease. It took over a decade. The whole world, TV,Newspapers, magazine media watched and documented a massive global vaccination program that encircled and extinguished outbreaks till in 1980 the disease was completely wiped off the planet.Trying to rewrite that or deny that is like trying to deny that WWII happened. You sir are delusional. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dm79sp.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6293036 http://www.sciencemag.org/content/196/4296/1298.short http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-diseases/smallpox-article/ https://web.stanford.edu/group/virus/pox/history.html#Eradication http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/1/1/25.abstractWait for it, there’s going to be some response about DDT (or some other chemical) or something like “Germs aren’t real, they are made up by Big Pharma to sell their products”.No, bacteria are very real and they are also present when dis ease processes are made necessary but they are not causative. We have hundreds of billions of micro organisms in and on us. If they caused health complications, humans would not even exists.Wrong, wrong wrong. There are pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms. Some are symbiotic, some are parasitic. You live in a dreamland.Wow, he comes from the land of friendly parasites and non-pathogenic microorganisms. I need to get some of what that Dr is smokin’Who knew if you just didn’t have any toxemia/contamination you could have avoided smallpox?Lol..You have to be seriously dedicated to deluding yourself to keep that BS up. ..Like a little kid with his fingers in his ears yelling “Nah-Nah- Nah-Nah ..I can’t hear you!”.. “Germs aren’t real!! All scientists are wrong!!!” Where do they come from?I wish I knew. That thinking doesn’t really hold water though, considering the number of Native Americans that were killed by smallpox, they lived a pretty clean/natural lifestyle and it surely didn’t save them.http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/08/09/yes-there-really-are-people-who-dont-acc/ Good read with insight into the denial, what their strawman premises of germ theory are .. and the idiot’s argument against it.Micro organisms feed on waste matter and other toxic substances, not living tissue, number one. Number two, do you honestly believe a simple celled organism is capable of overtaking a hundred trillion celled organism, the most sophisticated organism in existence with an army, navy, marines and swat team of defense mechanisms? If you do, then you must also believe that the tine island country of Grenada could invaded and take over the entire United States of America.Well, it is patently obvious you have never taken a microbiology (and probably not a biology class) in your life. I don’t even know how to respond to that glob of crap.You obviously have been brainwashed to not understand how small micro organisms are Mike.I’m breeding an army of them to take over the world, so if they are that small, how many do I need?You’re right, I haven’t. If I did I would probably be as disinformed as you. Instead I have undergone an extensive study of Practical Physiology. I skipped all the medically controlled “education” and went directly to useful practical information and my patients thank me for it all the time. If you’re extremely lucky, some day you too may find the right information but its doubltful.If only you could see me laughing at you right now.I did take biology in high school but that doesn’t really count.You’ve never acknowledged the Smallpox question… are you in denial that the entire 12 year eradication vaccination campaign even happened???I’m not in denial about any of this. What I am is correctly educated as to what dis ease is, what purpose these physiological processes serve and what makes them necessary. And also that there’s no such thing as vaccine. It’s just a concept like the moon is made out of cheese is a concept but obviously it has on validity, neither does so called vaccine. The human body can only use a limited number of substances and the ingredients in so called vaccines, (embalming fluid, razor sharp micro slivers of aluminum, MSG, polysorbate 80, mercury derivatives, macerated putrefied monkey kidneys, etc.), are definitely not on the list. They belong in the witch’s cauldron straight out of “Macbeth”. If you don’t think such a caustic chemical soup injected directly into the body – no chance to be partially neutralized by the digestive system – damages healthy cells and cellular function or even can kill the entire organism, you’re certifiably imbecilic. Perhaps YOU should make your own “cocktail” of the above “vaccine” ingredients and down a glass full and see how that works for you. It will probably make your completely immune to everything for eternity as I’ve seen other morons do who were medically tricked by “experts” like yourself into believing they caught something and took “medicine” and it cured them alright…they all died!Again I ask are you denying the eradication of smallpox took place?There it is… Something even more laughably ignorant than your other post.. Doctor…what a joke.There it is… A post more laughably ignorant than your first post… Doctor…what a joke.And you dodged the question.Blah blah blah…I’m sure your imaginary patients feel extremely lucky they found you. Do they give you a link to a colorful printable diploma once you’ve “passed” that extensive study?Troll…Delusional faker.Nope, I’m correct. You have been medically brainwashed but you wouldn’t know that because if you knew you were brainwashed you wouldn’t be brainwashed but you are – irreversibly brainwashed. You’ve only studied wrong information that is promulgated by medical interests which definitely include CDC, WHO, NIH, etcetera so that they can “save the day” with their lab synthesized chemicals and make billions. Medicine’s top priority is to make sure the public never suspects that the on going complications people experience are from their underlying illness and not from the “medicines” but that’s slowly changing as more and more people wake up to the delusion of so called medicine. You haven’t found the correct information yet, keep searching. As always, health is only produced by healthful living and not from drugging people, duh…And the 12 year vaccination campaign that the entire world witnessed as the scourge was eradicated at the cost of millions to the governments and entities.. that provided the doctors and nurses and aide workers AND vaccines (manufactured and contributed by the Russians mostly).. that went at their own peril into disease ridden 3rd world hot spots.. the millions that died ..that was all what? A dream.. an elaborate hoax ? It happened.. The whole world watched and participated..it’s not a matter of being misinformed moron. You are in some kind of deep grand delusion if you think you can spin Smallpox away with germ theory denialist BS. DUH…Dr. Greger, I believe it is very important that you do a video segment on “the vegan diet” which you talk about so much. People need to know many things all at once, in one video: such as how there are many canned foods that are extremely high in salt; soluble and insoluble fats, vitamins, and fibers; electrolytes (especially important for developing teens who get dead arms while sleeping/sitting); steamed vs raw for absorption; probably juicing too; celtic sea salt (for electrolytes); and I could probably think of a few other things too but there are things new vegans need to know before they switch or there could be serious problems that arise…it needs to be done.Thanks Doc. Love the info and the vids.Hey Robert. I appreciate the suggestion. We do not promote a particular “diet” so a video on vegan diets would not be appropriate. I can send you loads of resources to organizations who promote vegan diets and have menu plans and recipe options. For those following a vegan diet or looking to transition I love Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations. Of course, as you point out, he covers many research studies conducted on vegan diets or populations who follow a vegetarian or even a more plant-based type of diet. I am happy to help answer any questions you have about a healthful vegan diet. Maybe I can write a post about what consists of a healthful vegan diet? If that is something our site visitors would like I’ll ask Dr. Greger if I can post something in my Ask the Dietitian section under “Nutrition Questions”Thanks again for your thoughts, JosephThis is a great blog post. Thanks for writing it. I often read the abstracts you refer to. I read the California one and the abstract also implicated vegetables and fruit with heavy metal contamination, right up there with dairy. I am assuming the actual article (not the abstract) went into more detail and showed tuna, poultry and the other animal foods you mention are higher risk factors. Or was it more a leap of faith/understanding that the higher up the food chain you go, the worse it gets? I just want to be certain I’m passing on reliable information to people, and not just reading with a ‘vegan is best’ slant.Hi MEC. Thanks for utilizing the abstracts. I wouldn’t assume anything! It’s always great to double check to make sure Dr. Greger and myself are reporting the study findings correctly. We are pretty quick to fix any errors, so please, if you ever see anything “off” just ask. Are you referring to Fig. 3 in that study? You are right it seems that the selected fruits and vegetables mentioned in the abstract contributed to pesticide exposure. The good news is that finding organic options essentially eliminates this concern. Plus, eating organic may be healthier and safer. Let me know if this helps. Thanks again for your comments.Thanks for your fast reply. I was able to read the whole article (linked to the video referred to in this article) and it did make it clear that the more animal foods we eat, the more contamination. That’s what the actual researchers said. Then in the breakdown they pointed out repeatedly the fact that various plant foods also added to the heavy metal risk. I have always found Dr Gregor’s articles and videos reliable information, and am glad to say this has also proven to be the case.I think as vegans, it becomes a habit of ‘putting down’ animal foods, but forgetting to mention that we need to aim for nutritional excellence in plant foods also. In fact, even though I had read often about heterocyclic amines in cooked meat, I had heard nothing about acrylamides until this week when i both studied it in my nutrition degree as well as read this article on Dr Gregor’s website. Vegans are always baking vegetables, grilling vegetables, stir-frying vegetables in water till they ‘caramelise’ (or should I say ‘acrylamidise’), baking vegan type cakes and cookies – and no one says a thing about the carcinogens caused by these cooking methods. Maybe this is why vegans also get cancer, despite meat avoidance. It might be time to bring this to light, for the good of the whole vegan community.Joseph, do you know if it’s true or not that lacto fermenting veggies can break down pesticides and certain pollutants, as I’ve read in many separate places that say also it reduces the need to buy everything organic, which I just can’t afford to do, (so am progressively growing more of my own.) Not everyone provides the studies like you do here! If only! Thanks!Hi Charzie. I’m not familiar with any research. If you find any links post them! I think organics are preferred, but please don’t let that stop you from eating whole foods! Often finances keep us from buying the most healthful items in the market, but we still have to eat. The benefits of eating conventional veggies outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. I agree that if you have the space growing your own is preferred.Hey Charzie, Organic is an expensive Premium product like Fancy cigars and Expensive brandy, so save your money and eat more conventional fruits and veggies, you will be far more healthy in the long run and you might even have a bit of extra coin in your pocket to treat yourself to some fancy chocolate or a night out. Best wishesMercola says lacto fermenting works, so it surely must.What the hell is Lacto fermenting? Will it make my pizza taste better?Think kimchi and sauerkraut. I don’t think those things would make pizza better, rather the opposite.Canadian bacon and sauerkraut pizza. Sounds gross, but it’s delicious.I’m going with gross on that one, mostly because I find sauerkraut repulsive.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYey8ntlK_Eno pickled pigs feet or chicken feet? What kind of a second rate operation produced that!So lets eat our fruits and veggies !!!!!!!!!!@disqus_wnYOIlS4ks:disqus Its that time of the year I would love to hear you guys cover is the the topic of SAFE effective Mosquito repellents, the internet is filled with anecdotes, but what are the FACTS? what does the science sayOne question I have is that if Neuro-behavioral disorders are caused by the environment and common food we consume, why is it that only some children and not all are affected by it ? I am being very simplistic but have always wondered about this.	animal fat,animal products,arsenic,asthma,biomagnification,birth defects,breastfeeding,California,cancer,chicken,children,dairy,DDT,dieldrin,dioxins,ear health,endocrine disruptors,Europe,fish,heavy metals,immune function,immunosuppressive drugs,industrial toxins,lactation,lead,meat,men's health,mercury,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,plant-based diets,poultry,respiratory infections,seafood,sore throat,throat health,tuna,turkey,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23140444,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23036451,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23201820,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20851760,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21571030,
PLAIN-11	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/	Living Longer by Reducing Leucine Intake	Many studies have shown that calorie restriction, without malnutrition, can increase lifespan and lower the risk of age-related diseases, such as cancer. However, for many people, calorie restriction clearly has its drawbacks. In the classic Minnesota Starvation Study, many of the volunteers suffered a preoccupation with food, constant hunger, binge eating, and lots of emotional and psychological issues. Even researchers who study caloric restriction rarely practice it. There’s got to be a better way to suppress the aging engine enzyme, TOR (see Why Do We Age? for more on TOR). That’s why researchers were so excited about rapamycin, a drug that inhibits TOR, thinking it could be caloric restriction in a pill. But like any drug, it a long list of potentially serious side effects. There’s got to be a better way. The breakthrough came when scientists discovered that the benefits of dietary restriction may be coming not from restricting calories, but from restricting protein intake (See my video Caloric Restriction vs. Animal Protein Restriction). If we look at the first comprehensive, comparative meta-analysis of dietary restriction, “the proportion of protein intake was more important for life extension than the degree of caloric restriction.” In fact, just “reducing protein without any changes in calorie level have been shown to have similar effects as caloric restriction.” That’s good news. Protein restriction is much less difficult to maintain than dietary restriction, and it may even be more powerful because it suppresses both TOR and IGF-1, the two pathways thought responsible for the dramatic longevity and health benefits of caloric restriction. Some proteins are worse than others. One amino acid in particular, leucine, appears to exert the greatest effect on TOR. In fact, just cutting down on leucine may be nearly as effective as cutting down on all protein. Where is leucine found? Predominantly animal foods: eggs, dairy, and meat (including chicken and fish). Plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans, have much less. “In general, lower leucine levels are only reached by restriction of animal proteins.” To reach the leucine intake provided by dairy or meat, we’d have to eat nine pounds of cabbage—about four big heads—or 100 apples. These calculations exemplify the extreme differences in leucine amounts provided by a conventional diet in comparison to a plant-based diet. The functional role of leucine in regulating TOR activity may help explain the extraordinary results reported in the Cornell-Oxford-China Study, “since quasi-vegan diets of modest protein content tend to be relatively low in leucine.” This may also help explain the longevity of populations like the Okinawa Japanese, who have about half our mortality rate. The traditional Okinawan diet is only about 10% protein, and practically no cholesterol, because they ate almost exclusively plants. Less than one percent of their diet was fish, meat, eggs, and dairy – the equivalent of one serving of meat a month and one egg every two months. Their longevity is surpassed only by vegetarian Adventists in California, who have perhaps the highest life expectancy of any formally studied population in history. This reminds me of the study I profiled in The Benefits of Caloric Restriction Without the Actual Restricting. Methionine is another amino acid that may be associated with aging. See Methionine Restriction as a Life Extension Strategy to find out which foods to avoid in that case. Both leucine and methionine content may be additional reasons why Plant Protein is Preferable. Other reasons why those eating plant-based diets may live longer:  This all may help explain the results of Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies. 	What are the practical protein recommendations for us to follow? How much protein should we eat daily to not activate TOR, but to fulfill our nutritional needs? Can we eat unlimited vegetable protein since it is low in leucine and methionine?Here are some protein recommendations. In the last link of this blog Dr. Greger mentions how plant protein is preferable. It’s hard to say exactly how much protein to restrict to suppress TOR. The recommendations for protein intake vary from 10-35% of total calories. The tradition Okinawan diet is only about 10% protein, so perhaps the lower end of that range (10-35%) is preferred.Maybe this is a stretch, but I was thinking that if nature provides growing, developing infants with an ideal formula in mother’s milk, maybe our nutritional guidelines should be based close to that proven ratio, so I investigated it and was VERY surprised by what I found…(remember it is mostly water.) Mature human milk contains 3%–5% fat, 0.8%–0.9% protein, 6.9%–7.2% carbohydrate calculated as lactose, and 0.2% mineral constituents expressed as ash. Its energy content is 60–75 kcal/100 ml.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/392766Thanks, Charzie. Since the values you gave are by weight, I converted them to percent of calories. Human breast milk contains ~5% protein, 54% fat and 41% carbohydrate. Pretty surprising that protein is so low. I’m guessing that the growing infant needs lots of healthy fats for brain development, that adults probably don’t.Thanks so much Julie, a math whiz I am not, but thought it was interesting with all the questions about protein we get grilled about. I agree about the brain growth and the fat%… plus it is very easy to digest and utilize and comes with all kinds of amazing benefits, including even pro and pre biotics. Once past nursing age I’m sure the ratios shift to less fat and more carbs, (but cow’s milk is never an acceptable substitute for infants for numerous reasons.) If adults ingest that much fat, well…I had diabetes and it was all about the fat because dropping it to >10% made it go away before I even lost much weight!The amino acid in plant based diets that is likely to be limiting is lysine (not to be confused with leucine). Consume enough lysine in a varied plant based diet, and you’re likely to have adequate amounts of all the other essential amino acids.Beans, greens and potatoes have more lysine relative to their leucine + methionine content than other higher protein plant foods: potatoes (0.83), legumes, greens (0.7), nuts & seeds (0.5) grains (0.3), so even though the leucine content of beans may seem high in absolute terms, they still offer the best balance of adequate lysine without excess leucine and methionine. Food group leaders by this measure include cauliflower (1.72), split peas and lentils (0.86), pumpkin seeds (0.70), buckwheat & quinoa (0.67).The more I look at potatoes, the more they appear like the ideal staple. Compare the percent of amino acid requirements for a 60 kg adult in 2000 kcal of these foods:potato skim milk whole eggs His 147% 1000% 720% Iso 141% 853% 782% Leu 106% 802% 649% Lys 151% 921% 709% Met+Cys 159% 712% 1013% Phe+Tyr 220% 1353% 1099% Thr 180% 941% 864% Try 227% 1053% 973% Val 168% 833% 769%fiber 203% 0% 0%One could eat nothing but potatoes and get adequate but not excessive amounts of every essential amino acid (and be well ahead on the fiber and potassium fronts, as well).Thanks, Darryl. I eat lots of beans, greens and potatoes so I guess I’m all set on amino acids.Darryl, I’m curious, What is your area of expertise? Thanks for all your amazing insights here on NF forum.I have an undergraduate degree in biochemistry but have worked most recently in computer science. I just discovered (largely inspired by Dr. Greger) a fascination with the underreported sides of nutritional science, and in particular its relation to chronic and aging-related disease, and so for the past two years, on average I download 3-5 papers daily from the primary literature, and when I find time read a couple.Cool! Biochemistry is definitely an great foundation for the field of Nutrition. So, you are in the vanguard of two fields that can change the world (nutrition and technology). Amazing! Keep going!What do you make of the Glycemic Load of potatoes? According to nutritiondata, the GL of a large baked russet is 29. See http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2550/2There’s no question potatoes have a pretty high glycemic index, and hence present an issue for those who already have insulin resistance or diabetes. There’s perhaps a saving grace in that a substantial fraction of their starch will gelatinise/anneal into digestion resistant starch if baked and allowed to cool for a few hours.Sweet potatoes are nutritionally superior in most respects, with 2000 kcal complete in all essential nutrients for a 60 kg adult except B9, K, Se, and maybe EFAs (some greens and a Brazil nut would fix this), and moreover have a glycemic index about half that of potatoes. I wish that I enjoyed their taste more (I find them too sweet in most dishes).Darryl: Thanks for this post. I like how you put all that information together. Very helpful.re: “…I wish that I enjoyed their taste more.” You may feel that way about all sweet potatoes, but I thought I would share that I find that the sweet potatoes that are white or purple-fleshed are a lot less sweet than the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. And I have had great success in substituting those types/colors of sweet potatoes in dishes without problem. Sometimes I even like the sweet ones better in dishes that call for regular potatoes.I just wanted to share because I generally do not like the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and was happy to discover a few years ago that the other colors actually taste different to me. Plus they have a better texture than the orange ones I think.Just sharing.Adding fiber or fat will low the glycemic load of potatoes – and of any food, so to speak.And what about the phytonutrients in potatoes?I have been following a plant based diet for the last 2 years, and before that I used to intermittently fast every 3 months to lower my IGF-1 and mTOR levels, which I get measured every few months. Since following your site the last few months and reading the very interesting article I have increased my intake of black beans and other legumes to benefit from their potential. However this article about leucine seems contradictory to that of increasing bean intake, such as black beans, to improve long appear to contain a reasonable quantity of leucine.Leucine is still an essential amino acid so humans require dietary sources. The average 140 pound adult needs roughly 2673 mg per day. Also, I feel if we spend too much time worrying about one essential amino acid we forget about the massive amount of iron, zinc, fiber, antioxidants and phytochemicals in black beans. They are such a healthful food that I would hate to see folks limit them based off their higher leucine content.That was my thinking as well, I will see how my increased consumption in black beans has affected my IGF-1 levels next week. Keep you posted ;-)) ThanksPlease, Chris – really interested to know what have worked best in lowering IGF-1 levels!What is the current thinking on resveratrol and aging?The primary target for resveratrol is activation of SIRT 1. There are a lot of data “out there” regarding resveratrol – some data suggest reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some neurological diseases and various cancers. Probably no effect on maximum lifespan in humans (as opposed to CR), but probably effect on health span in some subgroups. Resveratrol is not the fountain of youth and resveratrol can in no way outweigh a poor diet. Regarding health there are no alternative to a diet as near as possible to WFPB diet.Plantstrongdoc gave the link to a study in another blog I’ll post it here, if interested. Thanks, Dommy!Joseph, As you know resveratrol is just one out af several polyphenols that have been extensively studied – others are quercetin, genistein, catechin and others – and data suggests considerable health benefits. Resveratrol is probably famous because it is present in red wine – and hence a very studied compound. Others are also “potent compounds” – and the “secret” behind the enormous health benefits from a plant based diet is probably a synergistic effect from all the polyphenols and it can of course not just be reduced to resveratrol or quercetin – but a very interesting field.This is not news to NF readers but here’s the latest study correlating nut consumption and longevity: “Nuts and peanuts, but not peanut butter, may protect against death from cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, and other major causes” http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=153534&CultureCode=enThank you, Joseph.Awesome. Thank you!Just curious, what does the photo have to do with this topic. Looks like a McDonald’s fish sandwich.I was trying to contrast caloric restriction versus animal protein restriction–quantity of food versus quality of food. Sounds like it didn’t come across. If you can find a better Creative Commons pic I’ll swap it out!not an easy task. how about this:https://flic.kr/p/53RvYtI will some more for a photo. The other thing I don’t get about the picture above is the shoe lace or whatever that is. And is that photo supposed to be showing both animal protein and plant protein? I don’t see that. Not an important part of this great article, just something that made me wonder.Dr. Greger,I posted the below comment on your Calorie Restriction vs. Animal Protein Restriction video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/I’m glad you wrote more about this topic, but I’d love for you to discuss more about the shared connection mTOR has with aging and muscle protein synthesis. The studies I reference below discuss how mTOR is the pathway that leucine uses to signal muscle protein synthesis. For plant-based people who want to build lean muscle mass, I ask again, are these goals (longevity vs. building lean muscle mass) fundamentally opposed goals since they both seem to occur through the same amino acid (leucine) acting on the same signaling pathway (mTOR)? Or, hypothetically, could is be a case of plant vs. animal sources of protein similar to your dozen videos on plant vs. meat nitrates (see more in my original comment below).Thanks for your consideration.ORIGINAL COMMENT —————————————————– It seems that both signaling muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and aging prematurely (as discussed in this and previous video) involve the leucine/mTOR connection. Do you think, or is there research, that long life and building muscle mass are fundamentally opposed goals based on how our body is designed? Also, do you think, or is there research, that the mTOR theory of aging and leucine acting as a trigger could be meat/animal-protein specific? In other words, could eating leucine-rich plant foods in order to signal MPS still provide longevity benefits as well as muscle-building benefits? Kind of similar to the whole nitrate/nitrite conundrum where plant-sourced nitrates (from beets and arugula) get metabolized in the stomach and re-sent to the mouth where, instead of becoming carcinogenic nitrosamines (as is what happens when you consume nitrates from meat), they become NO and increase our oxygen efficiency. This seems plausible to me since you’ve praised pumpkins seeds (which are relatively high in leucine) in some past videos: (http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=p… specifically the mineral content and serotonin boosting effect.Research papers describing MPS and leucine signaling: – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16365096 – http://jap.physiology.org/content/106/6/2026 – http://www.biolayne.com/wp-content/uploads/Norton-J-Ag-Food-Ind-Hi-Tech-2008.pdfHi Michael. I meant to give this to you earlier, thanks for the reminder! Here are a few position papers that discuss protein needs in athletes. 1) Nutrition and Athletic Performance and 2) Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian diets and a more recent version, here. The exact amount of protein for athletes to maintain and build muscle mass without stimulating TOR is very hard to determine. I do not think any study has been conducted to know for certain. Again, I think you’re onto something, as even though pumpkin seeds may be higher in leucine they provide fiber, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals that eggs and chicken do not.I think this is an important question. Sarcopenia is a serious concern for older people (like me) as it can lead to falls, fractures, diabetes, or otherwise restrict the quality of one’s life. I find it sad to see older people who are frail due to sarcopenia, since it is unnecessary. It is certainly significantly more difficult to build lean muscle when one is over 65, at least that’s my personal experience. Because of this, I think it wise to pay attention to muscle mass when one is younger (wish I had paid more attention) – it’s much easier to maintain it than create when one is a senior. Living longer does not necessarily mean a better quality of life. Picking out one aspect of health (not stimulating TOR) and then overly restricting protein to achieve that one goal could well backfire way down the road.Here’s the url for a short and inconclusive overview of some studies and issue from Harvard:http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/daily-protein-needs-seniors-still-unsettled-201406117208Great point, for those over 65 more protein is required. The low end of protein recommendations are between 0.8-0.9g/kg for adults. After 65 years old, based on this study, I would suggest bumping up these recommendations.I also saw that study when was published several months ago. I recall they categorized less than 10% of calories from protein ‘low protein'; between 10 and 20% ‘moderate protein'; and over 20% protein ‘high protein’ diets. Those under 65 did better on low and moderate protein diets, but those over 65 did better on high protein diets insofar as cancer was concerned…but they had much more diabetes. So it’s a tough call to recommend a high protein diet even for seniors. I guess it really depends on how many calories you take in.For a typical 80 kg. (175 lb.) man, a moderate recommendation would be 1 gram of protein X 80, or 80 grams/day. Say this guy eats 2,400 calories–which a lot of active men do. 80 grams of protein is about 320 calories, so he should be aiming for 320/2,400 or 12.5% of calories from protein. That’s low-moderate. To be considered ‘high protein’, he’d have to consume over 480 protein calories, or 120 grams. That’s 50% over the moderate recommendation of 1 gram per kg. of body weight, and nearly twice the RDA set by official health organizations (0.8 grams per Kg.).I just doubt that getting 1.5 grams/Kg. is a good idea when so many seniors suffer from reduced kidney function (about a third of those > 60 have Stage 3 CKD). But maybe vegetable sourced protein is OK?Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I think it’s noteworthy that the high protein group eating animal protein in this study was responsible for 75% increased overall mortality and a 4-fold increase in risk of dying from cancer, compared with higher protein intake from plant sources. The increased risk of diabetes mortality seemed strange. I wonder if they controlled for animal protein? I would agree that 1.0g/kg is probably better than 1.5g/kg, but keep in mind protein recommendations vary based on individual needs.Thanks for the reply. The study you cite is very interesting, particularly to me the part about older people having more difficulty producing sufficient IGF-1 for good health (not sure what that level might be).This underscores the fact that nutrition and health is a complicated topic! More of something is not necesssarily better, but the same can be said for less.I share your concern about getting enough protein to just maintain strength and muscle mass at 60 this yr. I’ve been pretty much vegan for 2 yrs and lost 15 lbs down to 150 at 6ft tall. I measure my strength every month by how many pushups, situps, pullups, and dumbbell presses I can do. I didn’t want to become the typical skinny, weak vegan example. Out of 21 meals I include one with fish.I recently upped my protein to maybe 50 or 60g from a low in the 30-40 area as it was a struggle to keep up the reps and no muscle mass gains. All downhill into our 80s…grr So I’ll see if that makes a difference. A vegan muscle building site recommends 150g of protein for a 150lb man. I’m not about to do that.I am 81 and fair health but nothing serious, yet. I read this about Leucine. “Excess leucine may be a cause of pellagra, whose main symptoms are “the four D’s”: diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia and death,[10] though the relationship is unclear” I have considered adding protein powder to my morning smoothies. Doesn’t seem like a good idea. I don’t work out except a short walk a few times a week but watching my diet and food I eat. I am 5ft 7in and 154 lb.Sounds like you’re doing pretty darn good at 81 rob. I guess I raised the bar pretty high for myself having the superman Jack LaLanne for a role model..lol He was in great shape all the way to 97 by working out every morning at 5 and then 6am for more than an hr. He ate alot of fruit and salad, but also ate egg whites and salmon every day. I’m trying to avoid doing that.I am wondering why your protein intake is so low compared to mine. According to Chron-O-Meter, a typical days worth of food on my diet provides about 75g of protein. Since I am only 5’7″, small framed and 124 pounds (56 kg), I doubt my difficulty building muscle is protein related since I’m getting about 1.3g/kg/day, which I’ve seen recommended for seniors (I’m 68). When I used to do a lot of weight lifting (which I only started in my early 50s), I was a long time vegetarian but ate a lot of dairy, including whey protein, but quit heavy lifting and focused on aerobic conditioning about 3-4 years ago, and about a year ago switched from long time vegetarian to vegan. The combined change dropped my weight from about 142 to 124. I am happy about losing fat but I clearly also lost a lot of muscle as I am not nearly as strong these days. I am trying hard to regain some of that muscle but it is a struggle. I have read that for seniors, increasing volume of resistance exercise is needed to adequately stimulate muscle growth, but don’t have the references handy. Keep up the good fight!I guess I get too full eating fruit, potato and salad and haven’t paid much attention to protein. I don’t use protein powder, just added beans 3 times a day, plus quinoa and sweet peas. I did some exercise most of my life. I guess I miss the good old days at age 30 when gaining strength and size was easy and felt strong before a workout. I haven’t really lost any muscle at 60 and I’d like to keep it that way. But I am finding it harder to make any gains.Well after 2 wks of increasing my plant protein and a bit of fat from nuts I’m pleased with the results in both strength and mass. Also feel stronger and more “puffed up” in the legs, back and arms. That’s a big plus because it helps make the wrinkles in the arms and even under my eyes decrease. I may not have been eating enough fat along with enough protein. I also gained 3 lbs, to 153 assuming it is muscle. So it’s not all downhill (getting weaker) from 60 to 80 even on a plant based diet.Sitting 50 lb overhead press increased from 22 to 31 My weakest event. Squats with 35 lb from 32 to 42 reps, 5 sets pull-ups 5 to 7 chin-ups 7 to 8 sit-ups still 80 in 2 min.Now I am wondering whether significantly increased amounts of leucine post strenuous exercise, e.g. from heavy weight lifting, might not have the negative effects it would otherwise have. The last article cited by Michael got me thinking about this.Leucine is still an essential amino acid. I think the idea is that consuming too much may be problematic, but lower amounts are fine and still necessary. I suggest shooting for the low end of protein recommendations, but as we discussed bumping up needs after 65 years old.I am pretty sure the calorie-restriction-longevity idea has been discredited for humans (even though it holds for rats and mice). Not that it is central to your posting. But it might be best not to feature that idea since it seems to fly in the face of evidence (for humans and at least some other primates).Instead of just saying that, perlis, can you show us a link to something that goes against the evidence that the doctor stated. Thanks, JohnHas CR been discredited? There are contradictory primate studies on this issue, both of which have some serious issues. As for the human studies, none is long enough to make a proper determination of lifespan extension, but most biomarkers look positive for CR. One thing that is quite clear, is that equilibrium species (such as humans) are not going to see the 30-40% maximal lifespan increases with CR that have been shown for mice. The traditional long-lived Okinawans are perhaps the best example of moderate CR combined with low protein intake, but there are several other lifestyle factors that likely contribute as well.vegetarian Adventists in California study you linked to http://www.pkdiet.com/pdf/vegetarianism.pdfConclusions:Choices regarding diet, exercise, cigarette smoking, body weight, and hormone replacement therapy, in combination, appear to change life expectancy by many years.SO – how can you claim that diet ALONE is responsible for the increase in life expectancy??This is only a partial answer to your question, but the video at this link http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/ shows evidence that the plant-based diet has a protective effect that goes beyond that of other healthy choices. This is not at all to say that exercising, not smoking, and so on aren’t very important to one’s health, but diet really does seem to be the most important factor of all. I believe that there are other videos here related to this topic that I didn’t have time to browse around for but that I vaguely remember.This is only a partial answer to your question, but the video at this link http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/ shows evidence that the plant-based diet has a protective effect that goes beyond that of other healthy choices. This is not at all to say that exercising, not smoking, and so on aren’t very important to one’s health, but diet really does seem to be the most important factor of all. I believe that there are other videos here related to this topic that I didn’t have time to browse around for but that I vaguely remember.You may want to check out the papers on the Adventist Health Study-2 cohort. There are so many studies within this cohort that finds diet is the factor responsible for lower rates of diabetes, some cancers, lower body weights, etc. All of these videos on Adventist may also help explain.Why, if you believe in a paleo based diet, do you spend so much time going to alternative sites to argue with them? I am not trying to be hostile or anything; I am just curious.I find the scientific evidence offered by Dr. Greger very helpful for my lifestyle choices. What do you find here that supports your day to day life?Thanks!Dr. Greger,I have a question. I have been following a low-fat, whole-food, plant-based lifestyle for 4 years. I am now a consultant for the lifestyle and have my own business: Attainable Wellness. I have also been using Liquid Aminos for seasoning on a daily basis. Liquid Aminos have leucine and methionine as well as other amino acids that are derived from soy beans. After reading your article I wonder if Liquid Aminos are healthy?Could you share your opinion? I don’t want to lead myself or my clients astray.Thank you so much,Sherry PattersonAttainable Wellnesshttp://www.AttainableWellnessInc.comSherry@AttainableWellnessInc.comAn oldie but useful. Is MSG Bad For You? . Keep in mind there is less than a half a gram of protein in liquid aminos. I am not advocating it, but if you like the taste I see no reason to avoid based on the animo acids content.It might be interesting to note that soy protein isolates are VERY high in leucine (http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000082000000000000000.html) …but as previously noted (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/) 3-5 servings of (WHOLE) soy is better for you. Looks like those transitional “Vegan Faux-meats” based on TVP may not be a “safe” alternative afterall.I Wonder if Leucine from Plant Sources is Any Different Than Leucine from Animal Sources?… Some of the Top Foods with HIGH Leucine Levels ARE from Plants: Soy Protein Isolate, Spirulina and Watercress! :-(Good points! Please see my comments below in this thread. It may help explain your two recent questions. Thanks.There’re only two types of leucine: L-leucine and D-leucine. Plants and animals contain only L-leucine, so the leucine vegans get from food and that omnivorous do are one and the same: L-leucine.What are your thoughts on Liquid Aminos as a seasoning. They contain leucine and methionine derived from soy beans.Please see my comments below to Sherry. Thanks, unless this is Sherry from another account, in which case please see my reply to your original comment :-)“To reach the leucine intake provided by dairy or meat, we’d have to eat nine pounds of cabbage—about four big heads—or 100 apples.”I’m just wondering if the nine pounds of cabbage would relate to, say, a cup of yogurt. — or maybe a half cup. Or three cups. In other words, how big a portion of animal protein are we talking?According to Cronometer.com, 9 lb of cooked green cabbage contains 1.7g of leucine. The same amount is contained in 1.3 cups of plain, lowfat yogurt.I am 65 years old and my arms —the skin of my arms— has become ultra sensitive. I am a passionate vegan and I would never go back on this one; however, every single time I show what happens to my skin in my arms —that is the only part of my skin where it happens— they tell me immediately that the problem comes from not eating enough “animal protein”. Let me explain what happens: a little heavier pressure on the skin of my arms causes the capillary vessels to explode and bathe with blood a vast region. Eventually it all goes back to normal. My mother was NOT vega at all and she had the same weakness; so, it has to be some sort of genetical trend, or is it? What would the advice be?I’m not sure how animal protein would “fix” the problem. You could try and see if there is a difference? We have many videos on skin health. Protein, vitamins, and minerals are important for generating new growth of skin, hair and nails. So long as these nutrients are adequate I would expect proper growth. Have you seen a dermatologist? What did your doctor recommend?Did you check your bleeding, prothrombin, and coagulation times?I see that soy foods and nuts and seeds, even beans are high in leucine. Should one avoid them too?What is the leucine content of nuts and seeds. Should they be restricted.I understand that some plan foods are high in methionine, like sesame seeds. Would you recommend limiting these foods? I eat a whole food plant-based diet since my breast cancer diagnosis and I was wondering if I should limit my consumption of tahini.Good question, Cecile, and I see that nobody’s responded. In addition to methionine and leucine, other amino acids may be troublesome: arginine also appears to stimulate mTOR signaling and many cancers thrive on glutamine. As for sesame seeds, they also contain a fairly significant amount of copper, which stimulates angiogenesis. As a cancer survivor, I opt for following the precautionary principle–and have eliminated sesame seed paste. According to the nutritiondata website, chia seems to be a healthy alternative. Compared to other common seeds, it’s lower in glutamic acid and very low in methionine.Speaking of the Okinawans, you profiled a study a ways back talking about the benefits of the sweet potato, as far as undigested proteins of S.P. having positive effect, but is there also a negative effect as far as undigested proteins circulating the body, causing immune or gut issues? I’ve always heard that undigested proteins can be a bad thing as well. Thoughts on this, Dr. G? Thanks.I am wondering which study you are referring to. One of the reasons I quit taking PPIs for acid reflux was the issue of undigested proteins causing allergies. So this sounds odd to me but I have not seen the video.Dr. Greger did a video highlighting the benefits of sweet potatoes, and he said that parts of the sweet potato proteins remaining undigested are what created these said benefits. So yeah, for some folks maybe undigested proteins do not cause harm but I am wondering if this applies to the sweet potatoes as well.I got a little confused. Here Lucene shortens my life. but in every Bodybuilding guidebook it’s one of the essential aminos that every sportsman should take. Even they claim it is good that it activates mTor. I had read that 5-`10mg a day is essential to gain muscle. Where s the middle?Here are some protein recommendations. In the last link of this blog Dr. Greger mentions how plant protein is preferable. It’s hard to say exactly how much protein to restrict to suppress TOR. The recommendations for protein intake vary from 10-35% of total calories. The tradition Okinawan diet is only about 10% protein, so perhaps the lower end of that range (10-35%) is preferred. The low end of protein recommendations are between 0.8-0.9g/kg for adults. After 65 years old, based on this study I would suggest bumping up these recommendations. For athletes now we’re talking a new ballgame. I talk about that further down in the thread about protein needs, of course they can vary depending on individual needs.Don’t know if this will help anyone’s fears or not, but I looked up leucene amounts for 1 cup of a few foods that people might easily/naturally eat a cup of at one time — on the NutrtionSelf.com website :Chicken: 2827 mg Pinto Beans: 1308 mg Quinoa: 483 mg Brown Rice: 372 mg Broccoli: 230 mgSo, even though beans are higher in leucine than say brocooli, beans still have *significantly* less leucine than say chicken. Given the abundance of evidence we have on the benefits of beans (check out: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=beans), I say, “Pass me some beans, please!”Sources: chicken: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/700/2 bean: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4312/2 brown rice: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5710/2 quinoa: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2 broccoli: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2357/2What about soy protein from tofu or tempeh? You mention vegetables and beans, but not soy products.We mention tofu and tempeh in our soy section.However, some other studies show that supplementing leucine extends lifespan in mice.Even though the results of the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, are based on animal studies, they hold a lot of promise especially in our efforts to keep old age at bay.In the study, Dr. Enzo Nisoli, of the University of Milan gave mice drinking water laced with three amino acids — leucine, isoleunic and valine. At the end of the study, the mice receiving the amino-acid cocktail extended their lifespan by 12 per cent compared to the control group receiving ordinary water.Small typo: “it a long” should probably be “it has a long”as an athlete i know that leucine is probably the most important amino acid for anabolic response, and proteins are as good s their leucine content, so if i want to be stronger and build muscle, dont i need plenty of leucine?Alas, mTOR is responsible for some anabolism (and in the hypothalamus, satiety), but also suppresses catabolic processes like autophagy that confer protection against aging related diseases. There may be a fundamental downside to depending on leucine for anabolic response and weight loss.There is a bright side: while protein restricted animals live longer, and leucine related mTOR inhibition appears to account for some of this, most of the benefit of protein restriction is captured in experiments that just restrict methionine. Excess methionine appears harmful by an different mechanism, increasing mitochondrial membrane potential and ROS production.So, there’s the option of attempting to maximize benefits from higher leucine intake while minimizing excess methionine (and probably cysteine, which spares methionine requirements). Foods with high Leu/(Met+Cys) include most legumes (avg 3.2), azuki beans (4.2), kidney beans (3.8),, peas in pod (5.3), almonds (4.0), corn (3.7), green peas (2.8) with soy at (2.7). For comparison, whey’s ratio is 2.2 and egg whites are 1.5, so for a given amount of leucine kidney beans would provide only 40 % the Met + Cys load. There’s also the strong possibility in the literature that two conditionally-essential amino acids, glycine and serine, may mimic methionine restriction, and many of the same foods rate highly for Gly+Ser/Met+Cys content. I like glycine as a bedtime hibiscus tea sweetener.Could you explain how cysteine “spares methionine requirements”? And where’s the evidence for serine?Speaking of amino acids, I’ve also read that arginine stimulates mTOR signaling http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/12/1/506/htm and that many cancers thrive on glutamine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2917518/ Comments? You’re always so insightful.What would you (and everybody else) say about the links (below) I came across some time ago?“Cancer cells require the amino acids glycine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and serine to synthesize DNA, build new blood vessels, and duplicate their entire protein contents. They also require these and certain other amino acids to synthesize other proteins that act as growth-promoting hormones or tumor growth factors. The controlled amino acid formula impairs the synthesis of a protein called elastin, which is absolutely essential to the manufacture of new blood vessels.” ​https://www.apjohncancerinstitute.org/caat-protocol“This led to the identification of glycine – a non-essential amino acid – as a metabolite that is consumed by rapidly growing cancer cells and released by slow-growing cancer cells. Glycine is endogenously produced in both the cytosol and mitochondria; using genetic profiling, the authors determined that transformed cells have an increased reliance on either exogenous glycine or glycine produced by the mitochondrial pathway.” ​http://dmm.biologists.org/content/5/4/415.3.full“One of the most striking results of the new data is how the pattern of glycine consumption relates to the speed of cancer-cell division. In the slowest dividing cells, small amounts of glyine are released into the culture media. But in cancer cells that are rapidly dividing, glycine is rapaciously consumed. The researchers note that very few metabolites have this unusual pattern of “crossing the zero line,” meaning that rapidly dividing cancer cells consume the metabolite while slowly dividing cells actually release it.” http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120524143446.htm“Not all cancers show up on FDG PET scans, and that could be because some use glutamine metabolism rather than glycolysis. Or they could depend on still another nutrient, the amino acid glycine. A May 2012 article in Science found that, in a study of 1,300 samples of tumors from early-stage breast cancer patients, those whose tumors had higher levels of glycine synthesis were more likely to die from the disease.Researchers know very little about how the body regulates glycine metabolism. Yet its contribution to tumor cell proliferation only increases the evidence that changes in metabolism are a cause of cancer and not just a consequence.” ​http://protomag.com/assets/cutting-cancers-power?page=1On the other hand, it seems dietary glycine might have opposite effects?…Glycine as a potent anti-angiogenic nutrient for tumor growth ​Dietary glycine prevents the development of liver tumors caused by the peroxisome proliferator WY-14,643 ​Dietary glycine inhibits the growth of B16 melanoma tumors in miceIsn’t this just another case of getting lost in the reductionist thinking? Which doesn’t seem very healthy. Do this one thing for longer life. There is no one magic bullet, folks.Artcomm:Citrus bioflavanoids, which are found in the white parts of the rinds of oranges and lemons, strengthens the capillaries. Or in other words, decreases their fragility. Just a FYI.I love Dr Gregor and dutifully follow all his suggestions but I have to object to his charactorization of Calorie Restriction as a diet with constant hunger, many emotional and psychological issues, etc. The Minnesota Starvation Study is esp unfair as a basis for evaluating CR. I believe it is the study conducted during WWII using soldiers or consciencious objectors who were forced to participate in the study. Why not use research conducted in the last 20 years with willing participants who are committed to CR? Like me. I have practiced a vegan, CR lifestyle since 1998 and have done fine with it. I reduced my calories to 1800 (I was formerly eating about 2200). I was hungry for the first year, at times, during the day until my weight went very slowly (less than a pound per 2 weeks) down to my college weight, my body reached some kind of equilibrium and I stopped losing weight. I checked out my diet with a nutrition database to make sure that I was get adequate nutrition. Since I was eating 11 servings of veg/fruit a day with plenty of legumes and nuts, my nutrient intake was outstanding including 50 grams of fiber and 60 grams of veg protein. My bio markers are fine including 149 total cholesterol, 78 LDL and 120/70 or lower Blood Pressure. 1800 calories of vegan food, as long as you exclude the usual vegan snacks like chips, sports bars, etc is really an enormous amount of veg/fruit/legumes and hunger is not an issue. Most CR people, including those who eat animal protein, are actually eating a near vegan diet to to the enormous value placed on vegetable, fruit and legumes.These are all healthy foods. As Joseph Gonzales has mentioned above, Leucine (and also Methionine, BTW) is an essential amino acid, and it needs to be consumed. While you shouldn’t be swimming in whey protein shakes (whey protein is very high in Leucine), a well-rounded plant-based diet is highly unlikely to result in a detrimental level of Leucine, Methionine, or any other animo acid. You’re certainly not cutting your life short by eating soybeans, lentils, peanuts, almonds, and walnuts — unless that’s the full extent of your daily diet.aventist study 2 result say that vegan live shortter lives than those who eat fish.Not really. The mortality rates weren’t significantly distinguishable (the mean for each cohort fell within the 95% confidence interval of the other). However as AHS 2 is an ongoing study, we can expect those confidence intervals to narrow considerably.	Adventist Health Studies,aging,animal products,animal protein,apples,beans,cabbage,California,caloric restriction,chicken,China Study,cholesterol,dairy,Dr. T. Colin Campbell,eggs,enzymes,fish,fruit,grains,IGF-1,Japan,LDL cholesterol,leucine,lifespan,longevity,meat,mood,mortality,plant protein,plant-based diets,poultry,protein,rapamycin,side effects,Standard American Diet,TOR,turkey,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22934068,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2815731/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20395504,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19419870,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11434797,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21862237,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22442749,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23216249,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16226298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22268691,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20234038,
PLAIN-12	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	Exploiting Autophagy to Live Longer	Thanks to advances in modern medicine, we are living longer lives, but we’re doing it by lengthening the morbidity phase. In other words, we live longer, but sicker, lives (see my video: Americans Are Live Longer, but Sicker Lives). So, traditional medicine increases the number of old people in bad health. Ideally, though, we’d extend lifespan by slowing aging to delay the onset of deterioration, rather than extending the period of deterioration. That’s exactly what a new compound appears to do. It sounds like science fiction. A bacteria in a vial of dirt taken from a mysterious island creating a compound that prolongs life. And not in the traditional medical sense. Researchers in a study profiled in my video, Why Do We Age?, called it rapamycin—named after the bacteria’s home, Easter Island, which is known locally as Rapa Nui. Rapamycin inhibits an enzyme called TOR, or “target of rapamycin.” TOR may be a master determinant of lifespan and aging. The action of TOR has been described as the engine of a speeding car without brakes. Rather than thinking of aging as slowly rusting, a better analogy may be a speeding car that enters the low-speed zone of adulthood and damages itself because it does not and cannot slow down. Why don’t living organisms have brakes? Because they’ve never needed them. In the wild, animals don’t live long enough to experience aging. Most die before they even reach adulthood. The same used to be true for humans. For example, just a few centuries ago, average life expectancy in London was less than 16 years old. Therefore, living beings need to grow as fast as possible to start reproduction before they die from external causes. The best evolutionary strategy may be to run at full speed. However, once we pass the finish line, once we win the race to pass on our genes, we’re still careening forward at an unsustainable pace, all thanks to this enzyme TOR. In our childhood, TOR is an engine of growth, but in adulthood, it is the engine of aging. “Nature simply selects for the brightest flame, which in turn casts the darkest shadow.” Sometimes, though, even in our youth, our bodies need to turn down the heat. When we were evolving, there were no grocery stores; periodic famine was the norm. So sometimes even young people had to slow down or they might never even make it to reproductive age. So we did evolve one braking mechanism: caloric restriction. Caloric restriction may extend lifespan mainly through the inhibition of TOR. When food is abundant, TOR activity goes up, prompting the cells in our body to divide. When TOR detects that food is scarce, it shifts the body into conservation mode, slowing down cell division and kicking in a process called autophagy, from the Greek auto meaning “self,” and phagy meaning “to eat.” Autophagy essentially means eating yourself. Our body realizes there isn’t much food around and starts rummaging through our cells looking for anything we don’t need. Defective proteins, malfunctioning mitochondria, stuff that isn’t working anymore, and cleans house. Clears out all the junk and recycles it into fuel or new building materials, renewing our cells. So caloric restriction has been heralded as a fountain of youth. The potential health and longevity benefits of such a diet regimen may be numerous, but symptoms may include dropping our blood pressure too low, loss of libido, menstrual irregularities, infertility, loss of bone, cold sensitivity, loss of strength, slower wound healing, and psychological conditions such as depression, emotional deadening, and irritability. And you walk around starving all the time! There’s got to be a better way, and there is. Check out my video Caloric Restriction vs. Animal Protein Restriction. More tips for preserving youthful health: 	The simplest way to facilitate autophagy is to fast daily by limiting eating to a narrow window, about eight hours, during the day. Autophagy is known to increase the immunity, too, because the process can capture and kill bacteria inside cells and recycle the nutrients in them.I limit eating to about 12 hours. Wondering if that’s long enough to have a positive effect.I don’t think it is. I think it takes about 14+h on average for mTOR to bottom out on a fast/feed cycle.Thanks!Hi Adam – do you have a reference you could cite for that information? ThanksI’m practicing this “intermittent fasting” approach at the moment, but would love to see what Dr. Gregor comes up with in terms of solid research out there… Great information. Love all the videos! Thank you!Yes, thanks Doc for this; mTOR signaling seems to spur cancer cell proliferation. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3775843/Excess amino acids, glucose and insulin and oxidative stress activate mTOR signaling; many plants have phytonutrients that inhibit it. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3039966/Leucine, an amino acid predominant in dairy, helps explain why milk sets off the wacky cell signaling system that leads to prostate cancer, says German dermatologist Dr. Bodo Melnik. Lots of links to his research here: http://eatandbeatcancer.com/2014/07/23/anti-cancer-diets-whats-the-deal-with-dairy/“…just a few centuries ago, average life expectancy in London was less than 16 years old.”I suspect that this average includes infant and childhood mortality. Whenever I look at the age when adults of a few centuries, or even quite a few centuries, ago died, the numbers are not that different from our times: 50s-70s or even later.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672390/The crude average figures often used to depict the brevity of Victorian lives mislead because they include infant mortality, which was tragically high. If we strip out peri-natal mortality, however, and look at the life expectancy of those who survived the first five years, a very different picture emerges. Victorian contemporary sources reveal that life expectancy for adults in the mid-Victorian period was almost exactly what it is today. At 65, men could expect another ten years of life; and women another eight [24,32,33] (the lower figure for women reflects the high danger of death in childbirth, mainly from causes unrelated to malnutrition). This compares surprisingly favourably with today’s figures: life expectancy at birth (reflecting our improved standards of neo-natal care) averages 75.9 years (men) and 81.3 years (women); though recent work has suggested that for working class men and women this is lower, at around 72 for men and 76 for women [34].If we accept the working class figures, which are probably more directly comparable with the Victorian data, women have gained three years of life expectancy since the mid-Victorian period while men have actually fallen back by 3 years. The decline in male life expectancy implicates several causal factors; including the introduction of industrialised cigarette production in 1883, a sustained fall in the relative cost of alcohol and a severe decline in nutritional standards, as outlined below. The improvement in female life expectancy can be partly linked to family planning developments but also to other factors promoting women’s health such as improvements in dress. Until widespread accessible family planning facilities arrived after the First World War, women’s health could be substantially undermined by up to 30 years of successive pregnancies and births [35–37]. These figures suggest that if twentieth century women had not also experienced the negative impacts of tobacco consumption becoming respectable, along with an increased alcohol intake and worsening nutrition as they began to consume the imported delicacies originally preserved mainly for the men (all those things which had cost their menfolk three years), they would have gained six years.Thanks Charles. That article is a fascinating read. I seem to recall your name from a few years ago as a passionate advocate for the Dark Side of the Force! Or am I mistaken?you are mistakenOK. My apologies. There was a Charles Glashow who used to be an active commenter on eg Don Matesz’s blog and appeared to advocate high meat diets….http://donmatesz.blogspot.com/2012/09/grass-fed-animal-products-prevent.htmlNow I know what you mean – yes that was me – I’ve moderated my views on diet but I still consume animal productsDear Dr GregorI love your site and have learnt so much but please I wish you wouldn’t use random facts that only tangentially relate to the point you make- “…just a few centuries ago, average life expectancy in London was less than 16 years old.” It detracts from your argument and makes you look a bit desperate. Evolution like this doesn’t work over a few centuries and of course the reason the figure is so low is because of death in childbirth which is the opposite of the point you are making.Nevertheless I forgive you. Keep up the great work..I can ask for a reference to this comment if you’d like? Thanks for the kind words.Someone emailed us a reference if you are interested. “Just three centuries ago, life expectancy was less than 16 years and 75% of people born in London in 1662 died before they reached the age of 26″ I hope this helps clarify things.Dr. André Gernez works on cancer prevention propose a cancer prevention protocol validated on rodents with induced early-stage liver cancer: Group 1: Caloric reduction (~50% survival) Group 2: Caloric reduction + vitamin/minerals (~75% survival) Group 3: Caloric reduction + multivitamin + chemoprevention (~92% survival) => Result [1)] suggests autophagy is associated with cancer cell death when the cancer is in its early stage.Human equivalent is 30 days long and has been practiced in France since the 1970s.The books from the same author are in French, it’s really too bad. They are must reads for anyone interested in pioneering works. He integrated the stems cells into a theory of carcinogenesis (1968). Sadly “stem cells” and their relevance in cancer is mainstream medical knowledge today without his due acknowledgement.small request : replace term “traditional medicine” with orthodox or western medicine. TCM or First Nation herbalism would count as traditional in my book.Noted! Thanks, ToBeAlive :)How is this a new compound? The study you link to in the very sentence in which you call it “new” is from 1975… And even a cursory look into the research shows that it is associated with both a decrease but also an increase in different forms of cancer risk.It is, anyway, unclear what the point of this piece is—it’s hardly possible or medically advisable for your readers to start speculatively taking rapamycin in an attempt to lengthen their lifespans. What was the intention here?I also practice daily “IF.” It’s 1:45 and I just finished lunch consisting of carrots, celery and apple slices dipped in hummus topped off with a sweet potato. Throughout the morning I consumed two cups of coffee and four cups of a variety of teas: a green/white blend, a green/hibiscus/lemongrass blend, and Celestial Seasonings Indian spice which is black tea with cinnamon, cloves, and other great stuff. I have an office in the hospital where I can come and go seeing patients at my own pace. I challenge myself to see as many as possible before I have any food. I have conditioned myself to not even THINK about eating till at least noon. It is really amazingly simple. As far as the comment below re: a 12 hour feeding window, I doubt that would qualify for IF or achieve the effects of calorie restriction. That is essentially eating from 10 AM to 10 PM. Not much “hormesis” occurring there.Actually I also drank a cup of green tea with amla and erythritol, after which I ate the leaves.Metformin also inhibits mTOR. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=metformin+and+m+torAnd maybe also resveratrol. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24060150This citation is particularly interesting, especially toward the end: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21851178In the subject autophagy and cancer, there’s an interesting work done by Dr. Michael Lisanti, an american researcher in cancer treatment now working in Manchester, UK. Without going into details that can be seen HERE, he says both autophagy inducers and autophagy inhibitors can kill cancer cells: he calls this the autophagy paradox. To solve this paradox, he suggests the best strategy is to give alternating autophagy inducers and autophagy inhibitors to cancer patients – this will “confuse” the cancer, and the tumor will die. So, translating this to a day to day living, it’s probably a good idea alternate caloric restriction with non-caloric restriction…?Disagree. At 80 I’m doing far better than any of my ancestors. Feel fine, exercise, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, peas, nuts, B12 ….Fitness exercise most days. My wife slightly younger just did a 5K first in her age group. At Fitness there are people in their 80’s and 90’s doing just fine. No pharmaceuticals.Now I have a couple health situations which cause me no problem. I’ve had squamous cell carcinoma’s removed heal fine. Doubtless sunburns decades ago. I have atrial flutter dating from a bad cold in 2004, where my atrium beats at 270 but my ventricle beats at 70. This is not Afib. I get a cardiologist checkup yearly. No treatment advised, no aspirin even. Feel fine, bicycle up steep hills (this is NH) not out of breath no heart stress.There are people around here who look much older than I am but were born later. That’s their choice. The doctors that prescribe whatever the fashionable and expensive pharmaceuticals need to heed: http://nutritionstudies.org/major-medical-center-offers-plant-based-programs/. A couple relatives in the medical industry may be headed in that direction very slowly since nutrition isn’t taught in medical school and research in the U.S. is funded by pharmaceuticals thanks to Republicans cuts to NIH. NIH did fund a rat longevity study for T.Colin Campbelll in “The China Study” (funded by Premier Chou Enlai who had cancer). Essentially rats on 20% protein died or were very sick at usual life span while rats on 5% protein were in great shape.Jerry I was just talking to someone about this very thing. At 5 and 10 k races one sees the fittest individuals during the award ceremony–in all age groups. Truly inspiring. 80 years olds are getting around as well as the younger racers.We’ll never get mainstream nutritionists to acknowledge these facts about longevity until their monetary connection with food multinationals is severed. Read Big Food. Has the American Society for Nutrition lost all credibility? http://www.eatdrinkpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/ASNReportFinal.pdfMakes sense, thanks for sharing!	aging,autophagy,blood pressure,bone health,caloric restriction,calories,depression,Easter Island,elderly,enzymes,evolution,infertility,lifespan,longevity,mitochondria,mood,morbidity,mortality,muscle strength,oxidative stress,rapamycin,reproductive health,sexual health,TOR,wound healing	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/americans-are-living-longer-but-sicker-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22934068,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21157483,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23325216,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24240128,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16226298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19923900,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1102508,
PLAIN-13	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/09/new-dvd-reviews-best-bowel-movement-science/	New DVD Reviews Best Bowel Movement Science	 The bowel movement videos are all scheduled to go up on NutritionFacts.org next month, but you can download and watch them right now. The current batch of videos from volume 24 on NutritionFacts.org just ran out, so running until August I’ll be rolling out the videos from this new DVD, volume 25. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak-preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share them as gifts, but there is nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up free online at NutritionFacts.org. If you’d like the works–40+ hours of video–you can get the complete DVD collection. If you were a regular supporter, you’d already be a bowel movement expert by now, having already received the new DVD. I now come out with new DVDs every 9 weeks. If you’d like to automatically receive them before they’re even available to the public, please consider becoming a monthly donor. Anyone signing up on the donation page to become a $15 monthly contributor will receive the next three DVDs for free (as physical DVDs, downloads, or both–your choice), and anyone signing up as a $25 monthly contributor will get a whole year’s worth of new DVDs. If you’re already signed up and didn’t receive your volume 25 yet, please email Tommasina@NutritionFacts.org and she’ll make everything all better. If you’d rather just watch all the videos online here as they launch, but would still like to support my work of helping to educate millions about healthy eating, you can make a tax-deductible donation to my 501c3 nonprofit organization NutritionFacts.org using a credit card, a direct PayPal link, or by sending a check to “NutritionFacts.org” PO Box 11400, Takoma Park, MD 20913. Although there are already some great sites out there for free healthy recipes (like ForksOverKnives.com, StraightUpFood.com, and HappyHealthyLongLife.com), I’d love to feature some fan favorites on our Facebook and Google+ pages. Once we accumulate enough we can compile all the links onto a NutritionFacts.org recipe page to make it easier for everyone to put healthful eating into practice. Just like the best drugs in the world don’t work unless you take them, the healthiest foods in the world don’t work unless you eat them. It’s my job to give you the best science as to the healthiest foods to eat; it’s your job to make them delicious. So get cooking! Submit links to your favorite recipes to recipes@nutritionfacts.org. I’m excited to share that NutritionFacts.org pages are now getting nearly 20 million hits a year, an average of more than 50,000 views a day. I’m so honored that so many find my work useful and worthy of sharing. Though even with 62 active volunteers (we love you!) and four dedicated full-time staff working overtime, you can imagine how overwhelmed we would be if even 1% of viewers contacted us. And indeed we field hundreds of requests daily. 	I don’t know if it’s been there before or not, but I noticed the section that said something like, “Learn About Dr. Greger” for the first time with this video. It’s an excellent piece! Both in terms of being a great addition to the DVD, but also I liked the content and how it was put together. Good job.And great job with the DVD topics themselves. The videos have matured so nicely. I really like how so many of the videos give us lots of background information and plenty of studies to back up each topic/claim.I feel great knowing that I contribute to NutritionFacts and enjoy the side benefit of getting those DVDs sent to my home for early preview. All the cool kids are doing it…Hello, I just bought a digital version of a video but….where do I find it? I thought it was going to be sent to my email. Anybody knows please? Thanx.	DVD	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/02/is-buying-organic-worth-it-a-review-of-the-science-in-new-dvd/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-14	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/	Blood Type Diet Perceived as "Crass Fraud"	It was Adolf Hitler who coined a propaganda technique he called, “The Big Lie,” arguing that people may be more likely to believe colossal untruths, because they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously, so in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility. Dr. Peter D’Adamo’s book Eat Right for Your Type makes the astounding claim that people with different blood types should eat different foods. Type O’s, for example, are supposed to be like the hunter and eat a lot of meat, whereas type A’s are supposed to eat less. A 2013 systematic review of the evidence supporting blood type diets was published in one of the world’s most prestigious nutrition journals. The researchers didn’t find any. The researchers sifted through over a thousand papers that might shed some light on the issue, and none of the studies showed an association between blood type diets and health-related outcomes. They conclude that “there is currently no evidence that an adherence to blood type diets will provide health benefits, despite the substantial presence and perseverance of blood type diets within the health industry.” Ten years earlier, the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association released a number of papers that came out of a day-long scientific seminar held by the Norwegian Society for Nutrition. 40,000 copies of the Eat Right for Your Type had been sold in Norway, and so the researchers sought to determine whether blood type diets were visionary science or nonsense. They also concluded that they are nonsense. The author of the blood type diet book responded to the review on his website, saying that “there is good science behind the blood type diet, just like there was good science behind Einstein’s mathematical calculations.” He says that if blood type diets were just tested in the right way, like  Einstein’s E=MC2, he would be vindicated. The reason we don’t see any studies on blood types and nutrition, he complains, is “because of little interest and available money.” But he’s sold more than seven million books. Why doesn’t he fund his own studies? That’s what the Atkins Corporation did. In fact, he has! In 1996, he wrote, “I am beginning the eighth year of a ten year trial on reproductive cancers, using the Blood Type Diets … By the time I release the results in another 2 years, I expect to make it scientifically demonstrable that the Blood Type Diet plays a role in cancer remission.” OK, so that would be 1998. The results? Still not released, sixteen years later. Good tactic, though, saying you’re just about to publish a study and banking that nobody would actually follow up. So in his sequel, he said he was currently conducting a “twelve-week randomized, double-blind, controlled trial implementing the Blood Type Diet, to determine its effects on the outcomes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.” (See my video Blood Type Diet Debunked). That was ten years ago. As my Norwegian colleague bemoaned, “it is difficult not to perceive the whole thing as a crass fraud.” So rarely are popular press diet books afforded such fact-checking. Kudos to these researchers. If only we had this 13 years ago when the book was on the bestseller list! I have a few videos on popular diets, such as: I also wrote a book about low-carb diets, which is now available free online full-text at AtkinsFacts.org. Unfortunately, nutrition illiteracy is not just a problem among the public, but among the medical profession: 	It is unfortunate that these fad diet books can get published with no legitimate research to validate the recommendations! It just adds to the confusion and gives the people who are resistant to change a crutch.I would say that most people aren’t “resistant to change” but, when looking for change, are lured by the latest publicized offerings. So many folks have no idea how to critique a new fad; they go with what the ads say or what Dr. Oz says or some worker in a health food store hands them.These things always bring to mind the wonderful adage “People like to hear good news about their bad habits”jaja.. my philosophy is “I AM REAL NOW” …started becoming real…i became a Pescatarian…and I can not kill any fish anymore… therefore, I AM VEGAN! [live &learn]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4keZlwdyAJkThe problem with the blood type diet is that it assumes that there is something about the blood type that determines everything else about the person.I don’t fault the guy for writing the book. I fault everyone else for not doing any critical thinking about the matter.“I don’t fault the guy for writing the book.”???You don’t fault someone for spreading bad information that is not backed by science?“I fault everyone else for not doing any critical thinking about the matter.”So why does the author not get the same judgement? He believed what is not true which means that it is clear that research was either lacking or non-existent for the book.Because it is standard operating procedure for people to have ideas that they think have value and for other people to test those ideas.Standard operating procedure?Um k.Pretty lazy response that appears as though you are trying to sound smart.Science works via someone proposing and someone else testing. Sorry if I sound smart.Dude,You are expecting readers of a book to research what a book says and then challenge the authors. You are implying that when people read books that they should take a scientific approach to it.It is not reasonable that anything beyond a small minority of people do this. I do and I am sure you do. But I would never project that onto others. There is some assumptions that are made, although often incorrectly, that a book that is filled with apparent facts (though the blood type diet is clearly misleading) is well researched. How much time do you think people are supposed to have outside of everyday life and then you want to add they have to research everything that they read?So the expectation is that people use some “standard operating procedure” that I have never heard of so I would love to see where you get the idea that what you think is posted somewhere for all to see or taught or whatever the access to this process is so free and well known. If people ran their lives like this one could never get through a BA or BS in four years; an MA or MS in five to six, and forget a PhD. You’d be spending time challenging everything you encountered. You have to have some assumptions that people with credentials, in the blood type diet’s case the dude was a homeopath but you also have people like Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo who are also behind the BTD. With homeopathy and also a medical doctor that ends up being more than enough for people.I guess that the world should stop so we can constantly question what we think we know and what we are told rather than putting a little faith that sometimes what we are told is accurate. With the BTD, I never bought into it but I can see some people did. There are doctors involved in the diet, studies that make claims that some readers have no idea how to debunk and not everyone has the tool set to even full absorb what a study would be telling them through the data.Again, how do you still blame the people that read the book rather than those who wrote it? Shouldn’t the author of the book and the people behind the diet be held to the same standard? Clearly they either 1) didn’t follow the standard operational procedure or 2) understand the research that they did or 3) intentionally lied. Yet it is the people that follow the diet who are at fault for not challenging or taking time to research and refute a diet that has some medical professionals behind it.I also didn’t say you sound smart. I said that it appears that you are trying to sound smart.I read books all the time and then experiment on myself. Those people who read his book could easily have done the same thing. They could also have read counter ideas and noticed that the theory was full of holes.It works by someone proposing (and generally with some evidence to back it up) a hypothesis in a scientific journal or at a scientific conference. The subsequent testing is then done partially by the original proposer and partially by their well-qualified colleagues. That is fundamentally different from putting something out to what amounts to a popular vote by laypeople who generally have neither the training nor the resources to meaningfully validate the claims.There is no law saying that someone can’t publish a book. But the theory in the book should be tested by others, including individuals. The peer review process does not work very well for paradigm shifting ideas. Alfred Wegener had a very negative peer review for 50 years until pictures by the US Navy of the floor of the Atlantic Ocean proved that the continents actually did drift. I know that the official peer review process is supposed to work a certain way, all unbiased and such, but that is NOT how it works in practice.I’m not sure where the law thing came from; no one claimed that it was illegal for the book to be published.Again, the vast majority of the target audience have neither the means nor the wherewithal to test the hypothesis presented in the book (which, incidentally, doesn’t present it as a hypothesis but with assertion of fact – a very unscientific thing to do). I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t have a handy lab at home where I can do my blood work every day to validate the claims in any such book.As you seem to be having a hard time understanding this, let me provide an analogy: If I say to a co-worker, “the program I just wrote is going to take over all your gadgets and extract your soul for tormenting, unless you do X”, they’ll know I’m just kidding (and what’s more, they’ll have the expertise to trivially prove that I’m talking rubbish); if I say the same thing to my child, then not only will they not be able to prove my claim wrong, but they’ll believe me because of my status in our relationship (D’Adamo’s “Dr” and “naturopathic physician” confers similar status at first glance, in many people’s eyes). In the case of the child, I’m certainly the evildoer and the child the innocent victim.HTH“the vast majority of the target audience have neither the means nor the wherewithal to test the hypothesis presented in the book” I don’t get it. EVERY SINGLE READER has the means to test the hypothesis. All that they need to do is try it. Then, if they are still unsure, they can try one or all of the other blood-type diets to see what happens. Does the rash go away? Does the insomnia go away? We don’t need very expensive ivory tower institutions to test things. We can and should test them ourselves.Um, wut?Oh, right: the placebo effect doesn’t exist, right?See, if I believe strongly enough that a given thing (be it medicine or lifestyle change) that I believe I’m adopting will have a certain effect, then there’s a high likelihood that this effect ensues, whether or not I’m actually really adopting that thing. This is why you need to a) measure objectively, b) not know whether or not you’re adopting it, and c) be able to compare outcomes between applying the thing and not (i.e., the control). Experimenting on yourself without access to a lab makes (a) impossible, and (b) and (c) very hard (and impossible without help).But maybe you have access to a helper and a lab, in which case you’re just making an error of entitlement, so let me assure you: the vast majority of people who have access to D’Adamo’s books, don’t have access to your enormous resources. I hope that’s clarified things for you.Of course the placebo effect exists, but it doesn’t require $multimillion experiments to get around it. One first has to be aware of it. That is the first big step. And people must understand that if they let it influence their judgement that they will be paying for garbage that they don’t really need.Most of my DIY healing compatriots are not even aware of it’s existence. Too bad. Most skeptopaths think that it is an insurmountable problem that can only be gotten around with $multimillion experiments, the experiments that only pharmaceutical companies can afford. This is simply not true.A) I didn’t say $multimillion. Even a few thousand per year would be too much for me, and sufficient lab visits + helper to at least single-blind the experiment would cost at least that.B) Regarding ability to consciously counteract the placebo effect: [citation needed].B) me.I think that it probably only works with people who have been practising absolute honestly for decades. It changes one’s character. I can’t be sure, because I do not know nor can I imagine any other way to be.Wait, so you’re saying that because, based on your (by definition) subjective opinion you were able to consciously counteract the placebo effect, everyone can? That’s an even bolder statement.But back to your original claim, blaming the victims: I’ve got a hypothesis (don’t worry; I researched it as well as D’Adamo researched his claim) that if you stand in front of a large microwave antenna while it’s active for 10 minutes per day, you will disease-proof yourself. I believe it is now your responsibility (oops, I meant “standard operating procedure”) to test it out. (Everyone else reading: please don’t test this out. Or engage in victim-blaming.)Actually, I didn’t say that. I said that perhaps most people couldn’t do it because they don’t practice absolute honesty. Most people can easily fool themselves because they spend so much time lying to everyone else. This would probably include you.Thanks for keeping the conversation civil! I responded about the placebo effect above if interested. Appreciate your opinions and ability to have a conversation even if there is disagreement.Thanks for keeping the conversation civil! I responded about the placebo effect above. Good points.Joseph, I couldn’t find your comment.Um, wut?Oh, right: the placebo effect doesn’t exist, right?See, if I believe strongly enough that a given thing (be it medicine or lifestyle change) that I believe I’m adopting will have a certain effect, then there’s a high likelihood that this effect ensues, whether or not I’m actually really adopting that thing. This is why you need to a) measure objectively, b) not know whether or not you’re adopting it, and c) be able to compare outcomes between applying the thing and not (i.e., the control). Experimenting on yourself without access to a lab makes (a) impossible, and (b) and (c) very hard (and impossible without help).But maybe you have access to a helper and a lab, in which case you’re just making an error of entitlement, so let me assure you: the vast majority of people who have access to D’Adamo’s books, don’t have access to your enormous resources. I hope that’s clarified things for you.“There is no law saying that someone can’t publish a book”You seem to lack the ability to focus. that was never in question.“But the theory in the book should be tested by others, including individuals”And like many things, it was and has the backing of qualified people,that doesn’t make it right of course.“Alfred Wegener had a very negative peer review for 50 years until pictures by the US Navy of the floor of the Atlantic Ocean proved that the continents actually did drift”Ok but that is not what we are talking about. All that does is prove that you are wrong. You see, anyone who would have investigated what we knew about plate tectonics back in the day would have come to the conclusion that the idea at the time was right and that Wegener was wrong. Thus, anyone who did their research would have also come to the wrong conclusion. Just change plate tectonics and continental drift to the Blood Type Diet. Perhaps some readers did research and ran into the data that seemed to support it. Tie that into the idea that it is ok to rely on experts…except for you who probably googles anything that your doctor tells you.“I know that the official peer review process is supposed to work a certain way”More lack of focus. We were never talking about peer reviewed papers. You were blaming the readers of the book and not fellow experts in related fields.Oi. Nice tap dance attempt.And all of those people are wrong. They castigated Wegener for 50 years. Wegener’s evidence is still used today to support the theory of continental drift. There was nothing wrong with his evidence. It was perhaps not sufficient to convince everyone, but that does not make them right and him wrong. It just makes them lacking in imagination and the courage to look outside of the box.My point is NOT that the people were wrong. My point is that at the time most of the science was that the evidence for plate tectonics was not there, thus if someone did their own research back then and came to the same conclusion as the science of the time they would still have been wrong even when they used your bullshit argument of following “standard operating procedure”.Your inability to focus is astounding. I am going to assume that you know your first BS was wrong so you now keep trying to target other things. Why can’t people like you ever just say “Yeah, maybe I was wrong” or “I should have worded it like XYZ since I am clearly being misunderstood. Instead you argue your BS to the end even when it is obvious that the authors, which you hold blameless, are the ones that should have done more work in this topic and not the readers. There are times in life that one has to rely on experts and assume that the data is solid. Obviously this does not mean that experts are always right but you cannot expect everyone to live the life of a cynic.Did you ever consider that maybe some of these folks used your method of validating the book? Self testing? Not that anecdotal evidence is proof of anything.“evidence for plate tectonics was not there” The evidence was there. Just not enough to convince uptight people trying to defend their turf.Did Wegener publish a paper or a popsci book to present his hypothesis? Erich von Däniken Went the popsci book route.Erich von Daniken’s theory cannot be proven nor disproven until such time as UFOs are proven or disproven (sort of an impossibility, logically speaking.) So, for me, von Daniken’s theory is merely hot air. Wegener’s theory has been confirmed so many times that it is no longed doubted by anyone.What was your point again?The point was the venue chosen by Wegener to present his hypothesis to be tested? In a respected peer-reviewed journal or in the court of public opinion (popsci book 4 layppl)??I have no idea what venue Wegener used. I do know that for paradigm shifting discoveries, the peer review process is flawed.Not sure why mjs responded so negatively, I totally get what you are saying and the fact that it is succinct has little to do with laziness.Thank you, crystal. Yes, insightfulness usually comes in very short sentences. Arnold: “I’ll be back”. Leonidas the Spartan: “Then we will fight in the shade.” Jesus: “Whatsoever you would have others do to you, do also to them.”. Descartes: “I think, therefore I am”. bachcole: “I experience, therefore I am”. McArthur: “I shall return.”.Of all the fad diets this is probably the worst. Theoretically it makes absolutely no sense. ABO is one system – what about all the rest? Whats next: Eat right for your haircolor?What about the ayurvedic body type diet, promoted by the likes of Dr. Chopra and Dr. Oz?http://www.doctoroz.com/article/ayurvedic-diet-how-eat-your-body-typeI am not as familiar with Ayurvedic diets, but from what I gather there is far more research than this “blood type diet” not to mention Ayurveda is an ancient Indian practice. I would be very weary of some Ayurvedic medicines due to metals. I don’t think there is one “diet” and Western practitioners are definitely not as familiar with the 3 doshas and what constitutes a healthful diet. Also, yoga, meditation, etc., are all part of the healing process in Ayurveda, as lifestyle and diet are not separate. I hope others can weigh-in here. I’ll post more links and references as I find them. Thanks for bringing up this topic.“very weary [sic] of some”The error (feels like automatic spelling “correction”) may not be obvious to all: leeryFixed! Thanks, yes sometimes I go too fast thx for catching that!what about genotype diets . is there some truth to thatGreat question. Yes. There is research to support that those with genetic variants may need altered diets. Genetic and metabolic determinants of human epigenetic variation is one abstract I found on the subject.The idea that an individual ideal diet varies from person to person is valid given the immense variability in the human genome and thus phenotypes. The biomarker this author chose to identify genotypes and diet relationship does not appear valid but the concept does. We just have to move on and explore more predictive biomarkers.Exactly. The more we know, the more we know how little we know. Blood type may be a small pixel in the much larger picture.Truth tellers convey the facts, with measured caution. Liars know the facts, but willfully mislead. Bullshitters just make up any story to impress the people that pay money or take the time to listen to them.I think there is some research about people with type A blood having less stomach acid. Maybe they shouldn’t eat so much meat.Any doctor trying to heal, tries his best, and has NOTHING TO DO WITH HITLER, who was killing, not healing. Dr. Greger, please read more articles, in particular about works of Dr. William Donald Kelley, who established the basics of some protocols in medicine, which WORK IN CURING CANCER!! Just go to http://www.dr-gonzalez.com/history_of_treatment.htm and educate yourself, on how blood type can and do affect our immune system, our digestion and consequently the healing.Thanks for the link! I think Dr. Greger was just referring to the fact this so-called “blood type diet” has been scientifically reviewed and it does not appear to hold any credibility. It’s a huge lie and folks should know about it! If anyone still wants to buy the book are try the diet I have no objections (we’re all adults and we make our own choices), but as a dietitian I would never recommend it. This reminds me of the Gerson diet, where studies also do not appear to hold credibility for its use.I am one of the thousands who purchased the book some years ago after seeing a tight correlation between the type O list and my own experience . I agree that the so-called science behind the blood type diet is a made up. But I think what Dr. D’Adamo tried to do was come up with a scientific sounding theory to back up what he saw happening in people. I have IBS and am gluten intolerant. And seeing his list for type Os for the first time, I immediately knew that there was something to it, as it agreed almost 100% with my own experience. But I know other people that are type O that have normal digestive systems that would totally laugh at the type O list as being totally irrelevant to them personally. As the type-O diet would suggest, eating meat does make my stomach feel better. But having moved to a FODMAP free, plant based diet has worked wonders for me. Now at age 60 I am in better health than I have been in years!Good points. Yes, and like 50% of folks are type O so there would be some huge variations.Following the blood type diet – with a few exceptions – led to big improvements in health for me. I do not think this guy who came up with this has a bad or evil or selfish motivation. I think his intentions are good. And even if they were not, lots of people claim to have greatly benefited from following the blood type diet.Understood, but if folks have greatly benefited there is still no research to support whether or not the benefits were due to the “diet” or just random, like a placebo effect. Look, I am all for people feeling better so that’s good to hear something worked for you, but selling 7 million copies of a book with no science raises questions for medical and health professionals. I am unsure his intentions I think what matters is the research.That is a very flawed study in that “Gerson” video. Actually they did not follow the Gerson protocol in the study so Dr. Greger using the Gerson name in the video is misleading. Disappointing to say the least.I know about that one too… Gonzalez’ protocols are based on a combination of Dr Kelley and Gerson. I think anyone familiar with Gonzalez might not be so quick to dismiss the claims made by this author and it should be remembered that a lot of great scientists (not saying I think this blood type author will be one of them), have made some wrong conclusions, but have also contributed a lot. I just don’t know if villifying this author is completely justified as of yet… as much as I support the notion that anything other than plant based foods are merely optional or necessary when there is no other option.However, we must remember: absence of proof does not mean proof of absence. Just because we don’t find any proof of the blood-type association, it does not mean there is no such an association.Yes, would be nice if you made a piece about Ayurvedic eating and how much science there is to it.Noted! Thanks. Please see my comment below as someone also asked about Ayurvedic diets.All ‘modern medicine’ MD’s, R.D., etc, please watch : “The Truth about Cancer” by Ty Bollinger, and please inform yourself on real studies.I recall hearing Mr. Bollinger pushing something called “Cancer, Step Out of the Box” on the sort of radio station on which you might also hear ads for gold coins, survival foods, male-enhancement pills and whatnot.Mr./Mrs. kylemeister, please read carefully, Bollinger’s documentaries are about cancer and their title is, I’m repeating once again, in case you have trouble reading “The Truth About Cancer”. You can watch and listen to some of these series (11 altogether) on youtube, which to my knowledge is not a radio… Maybe there should an age limit for giving the comments here…Call me crazy, but I’m thinking his book (granted, I didn’t get the title exactly right) is probably basically similar to his youtube videos. This accountant/”cancer researcher” appears to me to be a pseudoscience/conspiracy-theory crank who associates with others of that sort.I just want to add that I think Ty Bollinger is genuinely on a mission to find a different solution than chemo/radiation to the cancer equation after losing his parents and many family members to it. He may not be “qualified” as a actual researcher, but strong passion that drives us can be very powerful motivator and agent of change, which is desperately needed in this area. I don’t think he has all the pieces for sure, and maybe even some questionable ones, but he is trying hard to reframe the puzzle, which is more than standard medicine is doing by continuing to perpetuate the same “nuke ‘em all and check for survivors” approach, and nary a word about diet, prevention, or alternatives. I learned a lot from the series he put together, even if I thought some of his “experts” were less than stellar and missing some key issues…like a non animal based diet for starters! (But I also believe that each of us are the culmination of our ancestry, and just because I can’t handle any animal products for several reasons, doesn’t mean others may not have more leeway.) I firmly believe that plants heal and and about everything else is questionable, but our tolerance and the consequences vary…which is probably true about everything in our individual lives. Anyway, I definitely would not classify Mr Bollinger as a dangerous/distracting conspiracy theory crank, but a man on a hopeful mission who is reframing the outmoded attitudes and questionable practices of current treatments that have depressing overall “cure” rates, debilitating effects, and potential to cause the very disease it is trying to alleviate, and focusing on increasing the body’s natural ability to heal and maintain a disease free state. Though I know we need weapons to win a war, I also know that not having to start a war in the first place is the best answer to the conundrum. Only opinion, but I feel that his “Quest for the Cure” series has the potential to at least stimulate curiosity and help forward needed dialogue for other possible solutions, besides the obviously inadequate ones currently entrenched as dogma.A fool and their money are easily parted. Who buys these books, where are the facts, where is the evidence? These people think empirical has something to do with royalty .Haven’t read the book, so don’t know anything about the blood-type diet. But thinking that one diet is the right way of eating for all seven-billion + humans in the planet doesn’t make sense to me. Look how different all of us are in many ways. If superficial differences are not important, look how differently we react to external stimuli, like food, in immediately measurable ways? For example, some people can eat half a pound of beans everyday without any problem; others can’t eat an ounce occasionally without developing gas problems.I would tend to agree. I think the bean and gas connection is interesting and folks don’t give beans enough credit. I mean the science on beans is there, so I see very good reason to incorporate more beans into the diet. Of course, if they “tear you up” even with an ounce avoid them like the plague, but I have seen little research to support this. No doubt I’ve heard folks mention it anecdotally and I’d never tell someone to eat something that causes bloat and pain, it’s just that I’ve found most folks can tolerate beans in the end.Totally agree and in my experience, most people who EXPECT beans to cause them problems, experience them! I know because I WAS one of them! LOL! It’s amazing how when you change your perspective, everything follows suit! I love beans now, but that is just a tiny example…changing my diet changed my entire life, and even though I am certainly getting older, (a good thing now!) it just keeps getting better! Thank you Nutrition Facts/Dr Gregor, you rock!Dr. G. talked about the blood type diet over a year ago. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/As a type O+, I was happy to hear it was debunked. I love me my peanut butter. And cinnamon….and avocados….and….:-)Talking about diet. Is there a place I can go to to see if my plant based diet is proportionally correct?Try Cronometer. They have an app and a website. You enter your food in and it will give you all the info you need.thank you, I looked at cronometer and, if I can be honest here I am an impulsive emotional eater and if I have to count a calorie I am afraid it has already been eaten and to late to consider its fate. For my purposes I am thinking categories like fruits, whole grains, beans, greens, vegetables. so if I eat a cup of fruit, 3 cups of cooked grains in their whole form, 3 cups of cooked beans, and 4 cups of cooked greens and miscellaneous raw vegetables a day is that an optimum plant based diet if it meets my caloric needs? If I need to cut calories out what should be the first portion to reduce in size?Good job! As the famous quote goes, ” it’s not what we don’t know that hurts us…it’s what we ‘know’ that JUST AIN’T SO!!His associates are medical doctors, with a difference approach to heal. Most of them educated themselves about nutrition, in contrary to any ‘conventional’ M.D, who knows next to nothing about it. Examples of these doctors: B. Weeks, M.D, Stanislaw Burzynski, M.D, PhD, L.E. Connealy M.D, B,Johnson, M.D, NMD, D.O, R. Mitchell, M.D, S. Pai, M.D, S. Tenpenny, D.O., any MANY others. One day, in case you get cancer, go and get his book or watch his video’s, because once your oncologist will tell you, there is no help, after having trashed your body with chemicals and radiation, there is maybe better solution, which actually WORKS. So maybe it is better you know about it, before it is too late.Just because I don’t know how a black cow that eats green grass and produces white milk doesn’t mean it isn’t a reality… or that I can’t enjoy it or otherwise benefit from it. Science can’t prove “love” either, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It is important to consider decades of human experience into account when it comes to new diets just as it is important to consider millennia of human experience when it comes to the safe usage of plants, herbs, etc. Some things cant be understood until we have the tools to do so. Think blood cells, bacteria, viruses… or elements, atoms, atomic particles, sub-atomic particles… or quantum physics.. or almost everything else “science”:denied… until they didn’t. Philosophy ALWAYS leads science.funny you should mention cows, they have more blood types then humans and yet what do they all eat?Different TYPES of Grasses?.. Hay?… Corn?… Alfalfa?… Insects (within the aforementioned)?… Cement?… Basically they eat whatever they are fed. Plus, cows aren’t smart enough to observe the world around them… and make choices as a result. :-)Fruits, Veggies, Nuts, Seeds and Grains. It cannot get any better than that !!!!!am I missing something here??? Quoting Dr. Peter “there is good science behind the blood type diet,” but The reason we don’t see any studies on blood types and nutrition, he complains, is “because of little interest and available money.” I need to give my head a shake I guess! Is there science Dr. Peter or not ??I’ve been vegan for seven years. I’m grateful for Dr. D’Adamo’s book, which I read almost two decades ago. It suggested I avoid chicken & I immediately stopped eating chicken (I wasn’t eating meat). However, I am also very glad that I didn’t take his advice to add back snails, lamb, mutton or rabbit (which were listed as ‘highly beneficial’ for my blood type).I remember reading the original theory by that researcher, although the name is somewhat changed for this diet .Although the concept was decried as a Nazi idea, I remember having my doubts in that (for example) people who have had too many Fava beans in their diets tend to get anemic. I had learned about the iron platelets in blood, and began to try to understand misplacement, motion or discolouration of these platelets. I am asking – isn’t anemia from a culturally based diet inherited? Particlarly, I have long term vegetarian diet because my parents both suffered form osteo-arthritis (from too much red meat, I had read). Here again, isn’t the consumption of meat a co-relative of ones’ offsprings’ inherited “sins”? I say sins as if injuries or blemishes.Not totally off topic, but a nagging question I would love to hear some intelligent feedback on… which is why I am posting here! I am one of the approx 6% with A neg. blood, (out of a total 15% of ALL Rh negative blood-types) and had 2 O pos. sons, so I am obviously well aware of haemolytic disease and the joys of rhoGAM! (My mother wasn’t so lucky.) So being the ever inquisitive type, I have always wondered what evolutionary trait could have possibly selected for systematically destroying one’s offspring, the total antithesis to life, which to me kind of defies natural laws! I understand random mutations and all, genetic disorders, etc., but usually when even a seemingly defective trait is *perpetuated* it has some survival advantage, like sickle cell and malaria for example. So what am I missing? I am pretty broad minded, so the following paragraph caught my attention even though it creates more questions than it answers. Could someone, anyone, please help ground me and frame this before I start watching the skies for my “real” ancestors? LOL!“All animals and other living creatures known to man can breed with any other of their species. Relative size and color makes no difference. Why does infant’s haemolytic disease occur in humans if all humans are the same species? Haemolytic disease is the reaction that occurs when an Rh negative mother is carrying a Rh positive child. Her blood builds up antibodies to destroy an ALIEN substance (the same way it would a virus), thereby destroying the infant. Why would a mother’s body reject her own offspring? Nowhere else in nature does this occur naturally. This same problem does occur in mules – a cross between a horse and donkey. This fact alone points to the distinct possibility of a cross-breeding between two similar but genetically different species.”	Albert Einstein,Atkins diet,blood type diet,doughnuts,exercise,fat,fruit,meat,Norway,nutrition myths,rheumatoid arthritis,smoking,sugar,vegetables	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23697707,
PLAIN-15	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/	Why Do Heart Doctors Favor Surgery and Drugs Over Diet?	When he was a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. published a controversial paper in the American Journal of Cardiology, highlighted in my video, Fully Consensual Heart Disease Treatment, noting that heart bypass operations carry significant risks including the potential to cause further heart damage, stroke, and brain dysfunction. Angioplasty isn’t much better, also carrying significant mortality and morbidity, and often doesn’t work (in terms of decreasing the risk of subsequent heart attack or death). “So,” he writes, “it seems we have an enormous paradox. The disease that is the leading killer of men and women in Western civilization is largely untreated.” The benefits of bypass surgery and angioplasty “are at best temporary and erode over time, with most patients eventually succumbing to their disease.” In cancer management, we call that palliative care, where we just kind of throw up our hands, throw in the towel, and give up actually trying to treat the disease. Why does this juggernaut of invasive procedures persist? Well one reason he suggests is that performing surgical interventions has the potential for enormous financial reward. Conversely, lack of adequate return is considered one of the barriers to the practice of preventive cardiology. Diet and lifestyle interventions lose money for the physician. Another barrier is that doctors don’t think patients want it. Physician surveys show that doctors often don’t even bring up diet and lifestyle options because they assume that patients would prefer to be on cholesterol-lowering drugs every day for the rest of their lives rather than change their eating habits. That may be true for some, but it’s up to the patient, not the doctor, to decide. According to the official AMA Code of Medical Ethics, physicians are supposed to disclose all relevant medical information to patients. “The patient’s right of self-decision can be effectively exercised only if the patient possesses enough information to enable an informed choice. The physician’s obligation is to present the medical facts accurately to the patient.” For example, before starting someone at moderate risk on a cholesterol-lowering statin drug, a physician might ideally say something like: “You should know that for folks in your situation, the number of individuals who must be treated with a statin to prevent one death from a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke is generally between 60 and 100, which means that if I treated 60 people in your situation, 1 would benefit and 59 would not. As these numbers show, it is important for you to know that most of the people who take a statin will not benefit from doing so and, moreover, that statins can have side effects, such as muscle pain, liver damage, and upset stomach, even in people who do not benefit from the medication. I am giving you this information so that you can weigh the risks and benefits of drugs versus diet and then make an informed decision.” Yet, how many physicians have these kinds of frank and open discussions with their patients? Non-disclosure of medical information by doctors—that kind of paternalism is supposed to be a thing of the past. Today’s physicians are supposed to honor informed consent under all but a very specific set of conditions (such as the patient is in a coma or it’s an emergency). However, too many physicians continue to treat their patients as if they were unconscious. At the end of this long roundtable discussion on angioplasty and stents, the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Cardiology reminded us of an important fact to place it all in context. Atherosclerosis is due to high cholesterol, which is due to poor dietary choices, so if we all existed on a plant-based diet, we would not have even needed this discussion. The lack of nutrition training in medical school is another barrier. See, for example, my videos Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance and Doctors Know Less Than They Think About Nutrition. Shockingly, mainstream medical associations actively oppose attempts to educate physicians about clinical nutrition. See my 4-part video series: For more on why doctors don’t make more dietary prescriptions, see my video The Tomato Effect, Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Cause of Disease, and Convincing Doctors to Embrace Lifestyle Medicine. Heart disease may be a choice. See Cavities and Coronaries: Our Choice and One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic. 	This is horrifying, but not surprising. Before I started my MBA studies in finance, I worked in the business office of a hospital. Part of my job was delivering monthly income statements to the surgeons in our group. “From your hands to their hands” I was told. i.e. their income information was more confidential than anything else, certainly far more confidential than any patient information. Hospitals are under tremendous pressure to increase revenues. Unfortunately, medicine is all about money and not about effective treatment. Spend some time in the business office of any hospital and you will be convinced.…also, keep yourself healthy so you can stay out of the hospital as a patient!Agreed. My one visit to the ER was the biggest nightmare of my life. They really don’t care one bit about you or anyone. It was one of the most inhuman experience of my life. I asked to leave, and they said if I left without the doctor’s consent that insurance would not cover it and I would have to pay the full costs myself. So, in other words, to get out you have to pay bail. How is that any different from a prison?Pamela is saying to stay out of the hospital by being health. She isn’t saying to avoid the hospital when you are sick. Just stay away from for-profit hospitals. It was also probably inhumane, because the nurses were poorly educated, arrogant, and bitter. A lot of nursing schools completely disregard teaching nurses on how to relate to patients.Same thing happened to me. I waited 8 hours in the middle of the night to be treated… and was never seen by a Doctor. When I said I wanted to leave, they told me I would not be covered by insurance and would be charged up to $500 because I was seen by Triage!! They cleaned my would and put a band aid on it! $500 for a band aid!This is precisely the reason why the most harmful thing you can do for your health is to go see a doctor. Doctor’s like Dr. Greger are extremely rare. So, who do you trust? I have yet to meet a single local doctor who is anything but a big pharma sponsored drug dealer. It’s getting to the point where, if you want to save your health, the most important thing you can do is avoid doctors completely.Or perhaps find one’s like Dr. Greger? I have a list of a few. Let me know if you’d like more info :-) Thanks, AlexanderYes, I would like to see a list, because I have not been able to find a single one in my area. It’s not like you can even search for that, my insurance provider does not have ‘knows plant-based nutrition’ as a search criteria. They should, though.Cool! See if this list helps, or if in the DC area there is a brand new clinic that opened, the Barnard Medical Center. Here is a link for ​ Dr. McDougall’s list​.Joseph I have been counseling patients for over 10 years about nutrition and have been vegan for over 13 years. How do I get on Dr. Mcdougall’s list.I have personally prescribed Dr. Mcdougall’s recipe book more than 100 times in my practice.I practice Internal Medicine.Hey G-man so glad to know you counsel folks about nutrition! I have no idea how to make the list. Sorry about that. I suggest emailing Dr. McDougall or his staff.Joseph, I have also been looking for a GOOD doctor here in Lehigh FL, (near Ft Myers). I am so disgusted with the state of medical practice, I don’t even know where to turn! Years ago I had a horrible reaction to a drug and ended up in the ER. My partner made it clear to them that I had just started taking a new medicine when he noticed I was totally disoriented and confused, (I have little memory of it) and the short story is they tested for everything but, including X-rays! I left there no different than when I arrived and since he couldn’t reach my doctor, made the executive decision to stop the drug…which eventually solved the issues. It was a very traumatic experience, all because of a simple UTI! Shortly after that, I saw Forks Over Knives, and alarm bells went off…time to make drastic changes, for a lot of reasons! I had recently been diagnosed with diabetes, so the timing couldn’t have been better to try a WFPB diet, (30 days was the plan) and never looked back! My doctor was amazed at the changes, but was very hesitant to take me off a slew of now unnecessary medications, despite the fact that everything had changed, so I told her that if she didn’t, I would do it myself. She was very distant when she found I didn’t actually need them, my numbers were great, but her whole manner changed. Maybe because she knew I wouldn’t have to come back every couple of months for her “services”, but I eventually left her practice. I would love to find someone who is nutrition based because I know first hand that it is the vital answer to so many issues! Dr. policy was prescribe something for a symptom, and side effects be damned, and never try to FIX or even discover the actual problem, never even considering diet, other than to tell me to lose weight and recommending an Atkins type diet! I honestly feel all the drugs I was taking only contributed to my problems…it seems every time I had an appointment, there was a new pill on the agenda! Now I cannot believe I fell into that black hole, because I feel better than I EVER have since making the all important dietary change! Still, it would be great to have a REAL doctor to trust with my health…that takes our insurance! Seems drugs and procedures are covered, but nutrition isn’t!Powerful story thanks for sharing! Any doctors pop-up from McDougall’s list? PCRM may have more information, too. I suggest contacting their team and the new Barnard Medical Center once open. Let me know how else I can help.Just saw that, I will check it out, thanks so much!A couple more links: http://www.vegdocs.com/find.html https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fE8SDNAWkVPxhfpTaleAlZn9ZxmhlkDEomGmTOydCu4/edit#gid=609419254Thanks for the info! There were a couple not too far from me. I’ll have to contact them. Thanks!A question to you Joseph: My understanding has been cholesterol is just one of the risk factors of atherosclerosis. There’re others, like lack of exercise, smoking, nutrient deficiencies (example: vit. D). Am I wrong?Yes, sounds right! I would say cholesterol is the biggest factor though, as lack of exercise and nutritional deficiencies (like lack of fiber) all promote factors that stimulate the build-up of atherosclerotic plaque.These are all covered on this site – inflammation, oxidation, TMAO from animal protein, etc….Thanks Paul! Here is a link for “guest” or anyone if interested. Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection.Alexander, do you know any in Alabama or Georgia? Thanks!Maybe. Here is a link for ​ Dr. McDougall’s list​. Type in your zip and see who pops up! Good luck.That link doesn’t appear to be working anymore.Go to McDougall’s site, hover over “CONNECT”, and then click on “Find a Health Care Practitioner”. It’ll take you to the same link, but the page will work; not sure why.I saw that initially but I changed immediately after it works for me now.No, I’m in NJ. I know Dr. Furhman is in NJ, but he’s pretty far from me and I seriously doubt it would be easy to become his patient, with his busy schedule. There’s probably a huge waiting list for him, anyway.Your conclusion is so wrong. Doctors push drugs, because people demand drugs, and if they don’t get drugs they tend to write a bad review of that doctor. This can threaten a doctor’s career. In a patient’s eyes, the doctor did nothing if they did not prescribe or offer some treatment. Doctors are pressured into over-prescribing drugs by lousy and ignorant patients.It is also illegal for a doctor to receive money from a pharmacy. In fact, a pharm rep can’t even offer a doctor lunch. Whether or not you buy the drug from the store has absolutely no financial impact on the doctor. The worst thing you can do is avoid a doctor when you are sick.Hi Pamela: This book, written by a surgeon with a conscience, elaborates nicely on what you’ve observed: Unaccountable by M. Makarythanks! Will take a look.“Why . . .”Why else? Nutrition: $$ Surgery: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!Even diseases can be social constructions. For example, people give them names and categorize them from social interactions. If the diseases are discovered or treated by people seeking money, hospitals could become financial institutions. Knowledge could potentially save your life and damage their image. But there is a real need for hospitals/doctors like for example trauma.The Social Construction of Illness: Key Insights and Policy Implicationshttp://hsb.sagepub.com/content/51/1_suppl/S67.full.pdf+htmlmoneyI seem to recall reading in “You: the owner’s manual” by Dr’s Roizen and Oz a few years back that most cardiac surgeons take statins in a prophylactic manner for themselves. Any cardiac surgeons care to weigh in on that?Keep ‘em sick, you can fleece money off patients as long as you keep them alive. Big bucks for Big Pharma. Not health care, but disease control. If your oil light in your car comes on, unplug the light, is their solution. Don’t address the cause of disease, just treat the symptoms. Too bad Medicare won’t cover alternate medicine and naturalistic medicine.The only people “keeping ‘em sick” are the patients themselves. Doctors would love if you changed your diet, but they know that is not an option, because Americans are gluttonous pigs. Our culture would rather fix a problem, rather than prevent it. Also alternative medicine by definition is medicine that is unproven scientifically, if it actually worked it would be labeled mainstream medicine. At that point you would probably be against it. Do not pretend that the alternative medicine industry isn’t a multibillion dollar industry just like pharm companies. The difference is that the alt medicine industry is overtly lying to the customer.I’ll choose alternate medicine, supplements, and nutrition. Feeling a lot better since I dumped the doctors and their poisonest pills.my man had a triple heart bypass in Oct 2014. We started to become vegan in June 2014. But we were cutting the red meat and going meatless meals for a few years. But now he is on the drugs so he doesn’t have another heart attack. But we keep wondering if he should come off of them.But in 2003 he had a heart angina and had for stents. All 4 stents were totally clogged, that is why he had the triple bypass. We went the the heart nutritionist who taught us how to stop the salt and eat more healthy. So we bought organic chicken breast and wild caught pacific salmon and organic yogurt and Almond Milk and thought we were doing OK. But we think we should keep the drugs up for a while until more blood tests can be takenSusad2985,Please watch the first 5 minutes of Dr. Greger’s 2014 annual vid: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/(of course if that grabs you’re welcome to watch the rest!)Store bought almond milk isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, btw.susad2985: I hope your guy does very well for many years to come.Based on what you wrote, I question how much your nutritionist understands about heart disease. If your man wants to get off drugs, I highly recommend the book: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell B. Esselstyn. The book is a powerful read, explaining the one diet proven to reverse heart disease. The book is also fast and easy. And the 2nd half of the book is recipes, so I also consider the book short. The book is pretty much in line with what Dr. Greger recommends, but gives you guidance for the specific condition you are talking about. http://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433287493&sr=1-1&keywords=prevent+and+reverse+heart+diseaseThere are no guarantees once a disease progresses like this. But Dr. Esselsyn shows that there is every reason to hope. Good luck!I’m not seeing where you added exercise to your man’s daily life. Stents only unclog portions of your arteries, not all your arteries. You need exercise to benefit the entire heart.In clinical practice I have found that MOST people would rather take a pill than change their diet. When I instruct people how to loose weight to rid themselves of metabolic disease I hear “Easy for you to say. You’re skinny!” RIGHT! I’m VEGAN!Exactly, Americans do not like to diet. We love fast food and cheese. The entire reason a person gets to point of heart surgery is because of their poor diet. So of course American’s are going to choose surgery over changing their diet. We have the best medical care in the world, but we are so pathetic when it comes to preventative medicine. Our culture would rather fix a problem, than prevent a problem.Treatment isn’t about what is easy, it is about what is effective. Chemotherapy for cancer isn’t easy, but it can be effective. What is really sad is that the standards of care for CVD are neither easy nor effective at actually curing the underlying disease. So for people with CVD, easy is simply not an option.It’s probably the easier path for many that look for magic solutions without effort (aka, take the pill). In my case, I wanted to get away from prescriptions as much as I could. For weight loss and other reasons, I switched to a vegan diet about 3-4 months ago. I had 2 blood works done so I could compare before/after. Among other benefits (like losing weight, lowering my blood pressure, etc.) my cholesterol went down from 213 to 140, JUST BY BEING VEGAN. It’s sad that people go for the magic solution (=pill) instead of realizing how much better they would be if they just change other habits!It is a false assumption to think doctors favor surgery over diet, its the fact that Americans are too gluttonous to bother with a diet. A doctor is just being realistic. Americans are far more likely to stuff their face with french fries and cake, as well as use a scooter at Walmart. The only realistic option is surgery.The only realistic option is surgeryIf after the patient is given all relevant information and then makes an informed decision to ignore the very strong advice to change their diet, then, yes, surgery might indeed be a last resort. But for doctors to not completely inform the patient of options that have a high level of efficacy based on peer reviewed research regardless of whether it is their opinion that the patient will not follow the a given option is simply unethical, and in my opinion rises to the level of malpractice.The know damn well the power that brainwashing and the establishment of deep emotional habits have with people. No doctors that I have ever heard of will do anything more than raise their eyebrows when they mention “the standard American diet”. They as a group will not lobby or agitate for any kind of change as a group. Look at the AMA.The way we have set our whole economy and way of like up as a giant human-destroying machine that serves only a few … and to what purpose, is the biggest tragedy in history. All of our ancestors, crawled out of the oceans, raise themselves up from the slime, fight and died many times over to establish a better humanity, only to have it end as this disgusting inhuman system that uses people as a mean to an end for some end that is unsustainable and toxic anyway? Makes no sense to me.I have been on a plant based diet (Well 98% )for a year after having two stents placed lost all the weight exercise eat no oil no sugar no dairy…I do eat two 3 ounce pieces of wild Alaskan salmon fresh from Alaska I have friends who live there…(Fish Oil made me have nose bleeds because of the blood thinner and aspirin combo)dropped 50 pounds dropped ldl 77,cholesterol 134,and trigs 90 hdl 40…But had a Nmr lipid profile and mu apo-b was high 90 my ldl-p was high 1622 my small ldl-p high 855 was told eating way to many carbs and by the way the carbs I eat are ALL complex not a one refined(Bad) carb…told maybe family history(My Dad was the only one who died of heart disease none of his sisters and brothers or mom and dad and nobody on my moms side died from heart disease and he smoked heavily drank and ate a SAD diet so could that be the reason he died and I didnt eat a perfect diet either so is there a genetic link???). so was told a Mediterranean style diet might be better and has shown if the grains and starchy foods are dropped so will the particle count.and niacin.Any suggestions? The rest of my NMR test came back great except the things I mentioned.Now Im being told the large douses of deoxidine i was supplementing caused my tsh number to go way high and that will contribute to the raise in particle count?Thanks for your post. I am not sure what dietary approach is best, but I can give some suggestions. Have you seen the research by Caldwell Esselstyn? We have so much good information about reducing cholesterol and heart disease risk on our site. Dr. Esselstyn published research showing how a plant-based diet can be “A way to reverse CAD”. Meat can cause inflammation and saturated fat appears to have other deleterious effects such as increasing the risk of heart disease. “A nutritionally poor dietary pattern, characterized by a high meat and alcohol consumption and low micronutrients intake, is related to an increased stiffening of large arteries.” Other foods that may help arterial stiffness are turmeric and coffee. Search Mediterranean diet on our site to see more about the research on that type of diet. Carbohydrates do not seem to be problematic, if anything, they are very healthful. Dr. Greger wrote an entire book about “carbs”, titled Carbophobia, which you can read for free here.With the exception of the fish…I eat a completely plant based diet with no oil no dairy no sugar at all…No simple carbs at all…And i talked to Dr Esselstyn many times….He does not want me eating fish but as I said had nose bleeds from fish oil and blood thinner combo and I eat chia seed and flax seed I grind my own(Flax Seed),but from what I have read the conversion to EPA and DHA is not enough or is it? If it is and I cut out the fish then I am 100% plant based.I dont drink or smoke.This is my dietBreakfast-Different Meals On Different Days.1 cup Steel rolled oats or Quinoa or Buckwheat Organic Whole Grain or old fashioned rolled oats (Bob Mills) 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk 1 to 2 cups of mixed fruit.(Blackberries,Raspberries,Strawberries and Blue berries 2.5 ounces oif each fruitLunch-Beans are rinsed also. Different Meals On Different Days.1 or 2 bags of miracle noodle or rice from shirataki with 1 cup of cooked raw portabela mushrooms or raw white mushrooms cooked in broth instead of oil and 1/2 to 1 cup of muir glen (no oil spaghetti sauce) or hunts no salt diced tomatoes and no salt hunts sauce.With Salad1/2 to 1 cup of no salt added beans(all Kinds)mixed with about 2 to 4 cups of carrots,celery,cucumber,tomato,bell pepper,onion, black olives,no salt banana peppers pieces and 2 to 4 pieces of 100% organic buckwheat crispbread.1/2 to 1 can of beans with 1/2 or 1 cup of Brown rice or Organic Wild rice or Pearl Barley or organic california basmati brown rice.1 or 2 cups of mushrooms and 1 cup of Brown rice or Wild rice or Basmati rice1 Large bag of spinach leaf or regular salad leaf or Cole Slaw and Kale, baby spinach and collards.With some vegetables added.Sometimes mixing in some raw vegetables with the beans and rice or the mushrooms and rice.All with no salt vinegar and lemon and 2 tablespoons of maple grove farms fat free balsamic no oil salad dressing, and minced garlic and no salt spices.Dinner- Different Meals On Different Days.Cabbage with mushrooms and onions and peppers cooked. 3 or 4 ounces of copper river salmon once or twice a week with vegatables( omega 3 supplements made me have nose bleeds I’m on a blood thinner too have Heart diease with 2 stents) 1 Bag of frozen vegetables all the vegetable types with salad or brown rice I just mix it up daily.I don’t eat this everyday… 2 cups Buckwheat,Quinoa,Rice and Corn spaghetti or 100% whole wheat some days mixed with 1 can of no salt added diced tomatoes and 1 can of no salt added tomato sauce and some days mixed with fresh vegetables and eaten over a 3 or 4 day period.Some days I grill or bake large Portabella mushroom head and put it on Ezekiel bread with a slice of onion and tomato or roasted red pepper for dinner with a salad or vegetable. With sweet potato or Purple or Red Potato…Cabbage and Mushrooms mixed together as a meal too.1 Gallon of water every day.No oil,No sugar except what is in the fruit No cheese and No dairy…)Very low salt I use black Himalayan salt not to often dont know if my iodine levels have been affected..Well under 1500 mg allowed daily with Coronary Artery Disease .Snacks oil free popcorn,granny smith apple,No oil corn tortillas made into chips.	alternative medicine,AMA,brain disease,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,Cleveland Clinic,coma,complementary medicine,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,heart disease,heart health,informed consent,LDL cholesterol,Lifestyle medicine,liver disease,liver health,medical ethics,medical profession,medications,morbidity,mortality,muscle health,plant-based diets,side effects,statins,stroke,surgery,vegans,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3825914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23177484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22040718,
PLAIN-16	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/	Phytates in Beans: Anti-Nutrient or Anti-Cancer?	In my videos, Phytates in the Prevention of Cancer and Phytates for Rehabilitating Cancer Cells, I described how phytates in beans may be the reason why legumes are so successful in preventing cancer and re-educating cancer cells. What about phytates for the treatment of cancer? Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. It arises from “adenomatous polyps,” meaning that colon cancer starts out as a benign little bump called a polyp and then grows into cancer that can eventually spread to other organs and kill. So the National Cancer Institute funded the Polyp Prevention Trial, highlighted in my video, Phytates for the Treatment of Cancer, to determine the effects of a high-fiber, high fruit and vegetable, low-fat diet. Researchers found no significant associations between polyp formation and overall change in fruit and vegetable consumption. However, those with the greatest increase in bean intake only had about a third of the odds of advanced polyps popping up. It could have been the fiber in the beans, but there’s lots of fiber in fruits and vegetables, too. So it may have been the phytate. If the tumors develop from polyps, they still need to spread. Tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis are multistep processes that include cell proliferation, digestion through the surrounding tissue, and migration through barrier membranes to reach the bloodstream so the tumor can establish new proliferating colonies of cancer cells. A critical event in tumor cell invasion is the first step: the tunneling through the surrounding matrix. To do this, the cancer cells use a set of enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases. This is where phytates might come in. We’ve known that phytates inhibit cancer cell migration in vitro, and now perhaps we know why. Phytates help block the ability of cancer cells to produce the tumor invasion enzyme in the first place (at least for human colon and breast cancer cells). So what happens if you give phytates to breast cancer patients? Although a few case studies where phytates were given in combination with chemotherapy clearly showed encouraging data, organized, controlled, randomized clinical studies were never done—until now. Fourteen women with invasive breast cancer were divided randomly into two  groups. One group got extra phytates; the other got placebo. At the end of six months, the phytate group had a better quality of life, significantly more functionality, fewer symptoms from the chemo, and did not get the drop in immune cells and platelets chemo patients normally experience. What are the potential side effects of phytates? Less heart disease, less diabetes, and fewer kidney stones. Because cancer development is such an extended process—it can take decades to grow—we need cancer preventive agents that we can take long-term. Phytates, which naturally occur in beans, grains, nuts, and seeds, seem to fit the bill. In the past, there were concerns that the intake of foods high in phytates might reduce the bioavailability of dietary minerals, but recent studies demonstrate that this co-called “anti-nutrient” effect can be manifested only when large quantities of phytates are consumed in combination with a nutrient poor diet. For example, there used to be a concern that phytate consumption might lead to calcium deficiency, which then led to weakened bones, but researchers discovered that the opposite was true, that phytates actually protect against osteoporosis (See Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis). In essence, phytates have many characteristics of a vitamin, contrary to the established and, unfortunately, still existing dogma among nutritionists regarding its ‘anti-nutrient’ role. As one paper in the International Journal of Food Science & Technology suggests: “Given the numerous health benefits, phytates participation in important intracellular biochemical pathways, normal physiological presence in our cells, tissues, plasma, urine, etc., the levels of which fluctuate with intake, epidemiological correlates of phytate deficiency with disease and reversal of those conditions by adequate intake, and safety – all strongly suggest for phytates inclusion as an essential nutrient, perhaps a vitamin.” The paper concludes that inclusion of phytates in our diet for prevention and therapy of various ailments, cancer in particular, is warranted. More on preventing tumor invasion and metastasis in: Other foods that can help stop the progression of precancerous lesions (like the adenomatous polyps) are profiled in Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer and Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer. There’s a substance in mushrooms that’s also another “essential” nutrient candidate. See Ergothioneine: A New Vitamin? 	loves me some cranberry beans…Fruits and vegetables have phytates too. I can’t see the association between phytate intakes and colon polyps.I believe it’s because they are highly digestable and move thru the gut well vs breads and meats which tend to get stuck and probably partially rot to be crude about it. lolMy point is the most properties of beans are the same for fruits and vegetables.Jason, are you sure about that? Because that is not what was stated in the article. So you are saying there is no difference what so ever, that gram to gram, fruits and vegetables have exactly the same amount of phytates as beans. No differences in the nutritional profile at all. Frankly, I find that hard to believe.The phytate content of most fruits and vegetables is quite small compared with that of beans and grains. Many common fruits don’t even have phytates like apples, apricots, bananas, pears, peaches & grapefruit. Here’s a summary on phytates with charts showing the phytate content of beans, legumes, nuts and seeds. http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-phytates-phytic-acidThe studies did not use fruits/vegetables with the same amount fibers as beans for comparison.Today Nutrition Facts was used as a reference on mercola.com. Dr Mercola sited Dr. Greger’s May 14, 2015 video on nuts. “With regards to nuts, one recent study10 found that daily nut consumption translated into an extra two years of longevity, and cut death rates of cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease. As reported by Nutrition Facts, “nut consumers lived significantly longer whether they were older or younger, fat or skinny, whether they exercised more, smoked, drank, or ate other foods that may affect mortality.” They also busted the myth that nuts’ high fat content will make you gain weight.” http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/05/28/benefits-mediterranean-diet.aspxWhen I first adopted a plant based diet I ate a lot of almonds. I ate between 8-16ozs of almonds a day. As far as they weight goes, I lost 30lbs eating that way. As far as health that was the end of me being sick going on 4 years now. Not even a cold.So what is the ideal serving of beans on a daily basis? Thank you.In “Superfoods: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life” by Steven Pratt and Kathy Matthews, they recommend “at least” four one-half cup servings a week. http://www.superfoodsrx.com/the-superfoods/ Remember, each 20 gram serving (about two tablespoons) reduces your risk of death by eight percent.Hey Bea. It really depends on what else you are eating, sex, and age, so hard to say. USDA recommends 5.0-6.5 ounce equivalents for adult women and men. A 1/2 cup of beans is considered a serving.Looking for delicious ways to include more beans in your diet? How about a nice burger? Our Black Bean Beet Burger recipe video mentions NutritionFacts.org by name but does not mention phytates. The next one will. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jkc1oZYZ5MWow, this is really interesting. I have been soaking my grains and beans for years to try to diminish the anti nutrient idea of phytates. My kitchen prep just got easier. Many thanks for your great work.What about those who have IBS or IBS-like symptoms and who beans just rip through?Try smaller beans (lentils) or cooing them longer, soaking, sprouting, or maybe even a bit of kombu while cooking? If still problematic perhaps avoid. Others may have alternative suggestions.Thanks for the response, I’ll try that.It’s may also be individualized regarding what beans are helpful or harmful? I have a friend with Crohns who swears he cannot eat certain beans, but chickpeas and lentils are fine. I think he is crazy, but I do not take him for a liar. He also claims store bought bread gives him a hard time, but homemade rotti (he is basically Indian) with whole grain flour and no additives is fine. Anecdotally, some of these things help him, but I have no idea how this would relate to others with IBD. See what works for you! You may also consider talking to your doctor about mucilaginous herbs like slippery elm and marshmallow root. We need way more research here so I was reluctant to even mention, but I feel these herbs (check with your doctor) may offer some support and are non-invasive and will not boost a flare. Vitamin D and probiotics could help. And also glutamine. Lastly, (or perhaps first) I would check out Dr. Greger’s videos on IBS. Kiwi and cayenne have been found to help, as well. Good luck, Will. Let us know what works?Funny you mention that as I tend to do better when I have Chickpeas as opposed to Black beans.WooHoo!!! Go chickpeas. Okay, that makes 2 people anecdotally. Good luck. Let us know what else seems to work. Looks like Sara has found relief from smaller beans, too.Hi Will, you can also try to eat small amounts of legumes frequently, instead of having quite large servings. I have light IBS symptoms (largely improved on a WFPBD) , and if I eat legumes this way I don’t experience discomfort afterwards. So, small amounts of legumes per meal, always soaked and well cooked until very soft. I also tolerate some of them better, for example the delicious lentils of which I can eat a big plate :). Joseph is right.One mans medicine can be another mans poison.What recent studies, besides the one example given, is Dr. Greger referencing in this statement: “recent studies demonstrate that this co-called “anti-nutrient” effect can be manifested only when large quantities of phytates are consumed in combination with a nutrient poor diet” ?I wondered this also. Wouldn’t a diet high in phytates be high in nutrients due to the nature of phytate-containing foods?I make hummus 2-3 times a week and use 2 cups of dry chickpeas that I soak overnight to cut down the cooking time. Should I start cooking them raw to increase the phytates? Thanks :-)Dr. Greger, could you talk about saponins as a risk for increasing gut permeability? I’ve been studying auto imumune diseases and they talk a lot about that and abou avoiding nightshade family. I appreciate.	antinutrients,beans,breast cancer,breast health,calcium,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chemotherapy,colon cancer,colon health,diabetes,fiber,fruit,grains,heart disease,heart health,kidney health,kidney stones,low-fat diets,metastases,mortality,National Cancer Institute,nuts,osteoporosis,phytates,phytic acid,polyps,prediabetes,seeds,side effects,vegetables,vitamins,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22415590,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16772456,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20152024,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12028025,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17044765,
PLAIN-17	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	How Phytates Fight Cancer Cells	Phytate is a compound found in beans, grains, nuts and seeds. The average daily intake of phytate in vegetarian diets is about twice that of those eating mixed diets of plant and animal foods, which may help explain their low cancer rates. Aside from helping to prevent cancer, dietary phytate has been reported to help prevent kidney stone formation, protect against diabetes mellitus, dental cavities, and heart disease. Do all these potentially beneficial effects sound too good to be true? Are there other examples of compounds made by plants that can have benefits across multiple diseases? Why yes! Aspirin, for example, which is found throughout the plant kingdom may also account for a variety of plant-based benefits (See Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods). But of all the things phytates can do, the anticancer activity of phytate (also known as phytic acid, IP6, or inositol hexaphosphate), is considered one of its most important beneficial activities.  Dietary phytates are quickly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and rapidly taken up by cancer cells throughout the body, and have been shown to inhibit the growth of all tested cancerous cell lines in vitro. Phytates have been shown to inhibit the growth of human leukemia cells, colon cancer cells, both estrogen receptor-positive and negative breast cancer cells, voicebox cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, liver tumors, pancreatic, melanoma, and muscle cancers. All at the same time not affecting normal cells. That’s the most important expectation of a good anticancer agent: the ability to only affect cancerous cells and to leave normal cells alone. In my video, Phytates for Rehabilitating Cancer Cells, you can see how leukemia cells taken from cancer patients are killed by phytates, whereas normal bone marrow cells, are spared. This may explain why bean extracts kill off colon cancer cells in vitro, but leave normal colon cells alone. What are the mechanisms of action by which phytates battle cancer? In other words, how do phytates fight? How don’t they fight? Phytate targets cancer through multiple pathways, a combination of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune-enhancing activities, detox, differentiation, and anti-angiogenesis. In other words, phytate appears to affect all the principal pathways of malignancy. The antioxidative property is one of the most impressive characteristics of phytate. In fact that’s why the meat industry adds phytates to meat to prevent the fat oxidation that begins at the moment of slaughter. Phytates can also act on our immune functions by augmenting natural killer cell activity, the cells in our body that hunt down and dispose of cancer cells, as well as neutrophils, which help form our first line of defense. And then phytates starve tumors as more of a last line of defense. Not only can phytates block the formation of new blood vessels that may be feeding tumors, but disrupt pre-formed capillary tubes, indicating that phytates may not just help blockade tumors, but actively cut off existing supply lines. What’s really remarkable about phytate, though, is that unlike most other anti-cancer agents, it not only causes a reduction in cancer cell growth but also enhances differentiation, meaning it causes cancer cells to stop acting like cancer cells and go back to acting like normal cells. You can see this with colon cancer cells for example. In the presence of phytates, human colon cancer cells mature to structurally and behaviorally resemble normal cells. And this has been demonstrated in leukemia cells, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and muscle cancer cells as well. For more on the cancer and phytate connection, check out Phytates for the Prevention of Cancer and Phytates for the Treatment of Cancer. This video reminds me of my video on the spice, turmeric, Turmeric Curcumin Reprogramming Cancer Cell Death. What else can we eat to improve the cancer-fighting front of our immune system? See Boosting Natural Killer Cell Activity. More on the concept of starving tumors of their blood supply in Anti-Angiogenesis: Cutting Off Tumor Supply Lines. Is there clinical evidence of plants actually reversing cancer progression? You won’t believe your eyes: 	mindblown! Did not know that it was possible for cancer cells to differentiate back to normal cells.Dear Dr. Greger, Why is the phosphorus in pyhtic acid good for us but the phosphorus in phosphorus food additives bad for us? (The consumption of phosphorus preservatives in junk food and injected into meat may damage blood vessels, accelerate the aging process, and contribute to osteoporosis., from Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola) Thank you, PaulaThat’s a good question, PaulaE. You mentioned Dr. Greger’s video on phosphate additives and there are some answers there. I think of this kind of like beta-carotene supplements vs. beta-carotene from foods. Whereas the beta-carotene from foods are beneficial, but the supplements are harmful. Once nutrients are extracted by themselves their efficacy becomes more unstable and often harmful. Whole food is the way to go! Another example are naturally occurring nitrites in vegetables like celery. They are perfectly fine in vegetables, but once extracted and used to treat processed meats, nitrites can form dangerous compounds knows as nitrosamaines.Your body uses phosphorus in every energy reaction it makes. Most of the energy you use in a day is used by your brain or in maintaining your body temperature at 98 degrees. Phosphorous is very in demand by your body. So any phosphorus that is bonded to something else, like calcium or an organic, carbon based chemical organo phosphates, or in phosphoric acid as in dark soda, is going to at least slow your body down or get pasted into bones or mitochondria as a compound at worst. So getting clean phosphorus is very important to your body’s homeostasis. Beans have a lot of phosphorus, thank you for pointing this out to me, this is what I should be eating, as does whole grain. Developing a phosphorous deficiency is very dangerous because one of the only ways to see if you have one is if the body has already started leaching phosphorus from your bones and is putting it in the blood stream. Many people already have one. Too much phosphorus in the blood could mean you need more, not less. People who had diets rich in Phosphorus had great bone health later in life. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25856461I have been baking my own whole grain bread for several years. Before I bake my bread, I take care to let the dough rise for long time by natural fermentation. Many years ago I was taught, that by doing this, the enzyme phytase will break down the phytate in the grain, thereby making the mineral content more available for our digestive system. But does that mean, that I am going to miss some of the cancer prevention from the phytate? Anyway, in my (and several of friends opinion) this slow food process makes a delicious bread. I also guess, that other processes during the rising of the dough is enhancing the food value.Great question. I don’t think all phytates will be removed. Keep in mind phytates are found in so many plant-based foods! I think what you’re doing is just fine, as homemade bread sounds delicious and perhaps even more healthy than store-bought depending what’s in it.Is the phytic acid actually removed or is it simply broken down into other forms?Hi Harriet I am not sure. Want to dig around and find out for us? I know you are research savvy :-) It would probably be in the introduction or discussion section of any of these studies. My guess is broken down.Your guess is correct. The phytic acid is actually degraded—hydrolyzed, or converted to inositol and phosphate, its component parts, explained Dr. Aaron Cowieson, professor of animal nutrition at the University of Sydney. (Dr. Barbara Harland, US expert on phytates in human nutrition, suggested I speak with Cowieson.)Structurally, phytic acid is composed of 6 phosphate groups attached to an inner ring of inositols. It’s the inositols that are so important. They help control blood sugar and have exhibited many anti-cancer properties. The phosphate groups, however, must be sequentially removed for the inositols to be available, said Cowieson.Proper soaking techniques, he said, can activate phytase enzyme, which initiates the removal of several phosphate groups. When that partially degraded phytate reaches the small intestine, other enzymes break down the remaining phosphate groups, leaving the inositols exposed.What soaking techniques does Cowieson recommend? Foods high in phytase enzyme (rye, barley, buckwheat, wheatbran, ricebran) can be soaked overnight at low pH (2-4, which you can achieve by adding some lemon/citric acid). Most foods with phytic acid, however, don’t have much endogenous phytase enzyme. Cowieson suggests soaking those foods overnight at low pH with a source of phytase enzyme (one of those mentioned above)—and slightly cracking any hard outer shells so that the phytase can travel from one source to another.What about the recommendation for soaking beans in baking soda to decrease raffinose and avoid gas? Wouldn’t that avoid activation of phytase enzyme? I am a bit confused here… And would that all be the same for soy beans? http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/does-adding-baking-soda-to-soaking-beans-reduce-raffinose/Hi, Dorange,Yes, it does seem that soaking beans in an alkaline solution would not lead to the activation of phytase enzyme, according to what Cowieson says.If gas is your concern, Brenda Davis, the dietitian who wrote “Becoming Vegan” and whom Dr. Greger often quotes, suggests cooking beans in kombu to counteract gas. She has lots more suggestions for gas here. http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/healthy-way-good-fortune-new-years/ (Oh, how I wish somebody would explain how to hyperlink in these comments!)I’m not sure what you mean by your last question.Thanks, Harriet! So I’d better keep soaking my beans in an acidic solution! I don’t have any concern with gas, but good to know about kombu. Interesting that I used to cook my beans with it to benefit from its mineral content! Have to go back to doing this! Thanks for the article! My second question refers to whether soy ” behaves” as all the other legumes. I believe it does? PS: I believe hyperlinking is not possible in this platform… :(As far as I know, soy behaves the same way.Thanks for the postscript.Help me, Joseph. Please tell me how to hyperlink to sources. I tried doing it in Word and then copying and pasting here, but that didn’t work.It’s an html code that took me a bit to learn ;-) here is a link that can help Visit our HTML tutorial!So, it’s possible, after all! :)Why then are we told to soak our nuts and grains and beans to remove the phytates and other nutritional inhibitors?because someone said phytate is bad. It got repeated so much it eventually became fact. Welcome to the MachinePhytates only act as nutritional inhibitors when they are eaten in excess in a diet already low in minerals. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancerAnd vegan diets can can be low in zinc.Perhaps soaking does more then just reduce phytates? Dr. Greger mentions how soaking or adding baking soda to beans helps reduce raffinose, which can increase flatulence (gas). That said, beans and gas are not all cracked up to be what most people claim (i.e. if you eat beans you have tons of gas). There are still phytates that remain after soaking, just fewer. Keep in mind we obtain phytates from many foods if eating a healthy fiber-rich diet.Great read!! Sorry to change the subject but just want to let all migraine sufferers know what’s worked for me. I have suffered from chronic migraine for over 20 years now and pain killers and medication had stopped working, with these headaches I would also get a high temperature, I read on cure zone a possible cure using Apple cider vinegar and honey and water, so in desperation I decided to try it and wow it has made a massive difference, I have never felt better, no migraine or temperature since I started 2 months ago, it’s a miracle cure I’m glad I found just wish I knew about it 20 years ago!! I should be grateful if u would discuss the benefits of acv Dr Gregor as I believe it deserves lots of credit. Thanks a millBut what about beans and legumes being relatively high in methionine and methionine’s ability to worsen cancer? I am fighting advanced Stage IV prostate cancer and I have been restricting methionine to 2mg/kg per day so it doesn’t leave a lot of room for delicious beans. I had been vegan for most of my life but jumped on the Paleo Bandwagon for two years – long enough for my PSA to go from 6.0 before to 150.0 after and Gleason Score 8 in 12/12 specimens with mets all over so I believe that I unmasked a latent prostate cancer which went wild in the presence of all that animal protein. After treatment and having returned to my vegan diet the PSA went to 0.039 so I am pleased but want to KEEP it that way with a methionine restriction. Incidentally, my parents raised me as vegan since about age 11(with a very, very strong family history of cancer on both sides). I started treatment and returned to a vegan diet at the same time. There was no big drop after starting treatment (Lupron) but a slow and steady decline of the PSA over the past 18 months. In other words, I am not sure I got some jolting good effect from treatment so much as staying on a vegan diet. But I cut beans out about two months ago and wonder if I did the right thing. I am figuring 150mg methionine per day, which doesn’t allow for many beans.Hi Chiron. Thanks for sharing your story. Glad to hear your PSA is going down. Thanks for pointing out methionine. Dr. Greger addresses this in his video on methionine restriction. The recommended dietary allowance for methionine and cysteine are 1209 mg per day in a person weighing about 140 pounds. So 150mg seems a bit low. Check with your doctor for clarification but I see no problem with eating beans. When I think of PSA numbers dropping I think of Dr. Ornish’s work. Beans have so many healthful components (fiber, antioxidants, phytonutrients) and have been shown to help fight cancer. Warm thoughts.Sincerely, JosephOne thing that confuses me about Dr. Ornish, is that he recommends skim milk. I remember reading a lot about milk promoting prostate cancer. Dr. Greger has some good info, too. http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/Thanks for sharing that link, Julie!Thanks, Joseph. I don’t mean to put too fine a point on it, but it seemed that the seminal article was one you must be familiar with – Epner, Morrow, et al in Nutr Cancer – 2002(42)2:158:66 Nutrient intake and nutrient indexes in adults with metastatic cancer…etc. He demonstrated a 58% reduction in serum methionine when it was kept at 2mg/kg for research subjects. While the RDA is much higher for both methionine and cysteine (don’t you mean cystine in the case of cancer?), it seems the therapeutic range would be much lower. I figure I am in uncharted territory here, but I figure it’s like flossing your teeth. You can floss all you want at the normal RDA, but once you get cancer you need to do something more drastic than floss. From personal experience I can tell you that a patient can have a great and healthy diet on this severe methionine restriction. I just don’t want to be cutting out something that might be helpful.Secondly, and perhaps this is the wrong venue for this discussion, McCarty et al in Medical Hypotheses (The low-methionine content of vegan diets…etc) say that one can reduce one’s methionine levels by “ingesting ample amounts of fruit, wine, and/or beer.”. I can’t figure out why they said that can you? All I have been able to find is evidence that methionine restriction reduces Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) while alcohol seems to increase the presence of Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein – 1 (IGFBP-1). Any ideas?I should disclose that I am a Naturopathic Doctor.Thanks for clarifying. Mentioning a fine point or study on this site is one of the main purposes of this interactive forum, so no worries there :-) I have not seen that study by Epner. I am not sure the correct spelling of the amino acid “cystine” I thought is was cysteine? At any rate you are of course in a situation where trying anything may help your prognosis. My only thought for eating beans was the fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients that are found in beans. Every study I have read on beans seem to be very helpful. You could certainly avoid if you feel that’s the best choice. It may be? As a ND you probably know more about this research than me! I agree with you about the alcohol and IFG-I, not sure why that paper would mentions alcohol being helpful for prostate cancer? My research href=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24870117″ target=”_blank”>Applying the precautionary principle to nutrition and cancer shows “limiting or avoiding alcohol may reduce the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, colon and rectum, and breast.” So even though prostate cancer is not on that list I would be weary to too much booze, if any. Let me know if you want more links to Dr. Greger’s videos on IGF-I.Best to you,JosephWow, Joseph, I am touched that you responded so thoughtfully. Cystine is an amino acid made of two cysteines bonded in a more stable form. I don’t suppose it matters much really – you can’t easily absorb cystine so it’s not nearly as good a medicine. Cysteine is, of course, used in the body in many reactions such as making glutathione (which is a good thing), and is most familiar as N-acetyl-cysteine which has been proven to be a good medicine. The only thing is, there is an article by Liu, Zhang, Wang et al that describe how the dual deprivation of Methionine and Cystine has a powerful synergistic effect on glioma cells – it both prevents their proliferation and induces what they call “autophagy” which I presume to mean that the glioma cells eat themselves.And, it wasn’t necessarily my ND that made me familiar with the literature, it was cancer. And, for all readers I really urge you all to go to pubmed.gov which is the Library of Congress site which includes medical research from all over the world. It’s free and open to the public. As far as the alcohol, well, I concur with the conventional literature – particularly the Medscape article which declared “No amount of alcohol is safe”.As part of my research for an upcoming book on diet and cancer, I interviewed an Australian doctor who is studying methionine restriction and cancer. Due to an embargo on publication, he was not able to discuss some of his recent research but when I asked him what he’d do about methionine if he had cancer, he said he’d probably restrict methionine to 1 g/day.How would we *translate* 1g into food intake, Harriet? Avoiding protein altogether? Looking forward to know more about his findings and your book!Re: Protein and CancerYou can go to the Nutrition Data website and search under “Tools,” then “Nutrient Search,” for foods highest and lowest in methionine (or in many other compounds). You can also refine those searches according to food categories (legumes, fruits, grains, vegetables, etc.) Here’s the link: http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/nutrient-searchAs you probably know, glutamine (glutamic acid) is another amino acid that some cancers feed on–in particular cancers in which the Myc oncogene is involved. (That includes many brain cancers–and other kinds too.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2917518/ Glutamine activates mTORC1 signaling. It flips and then keeps open the switch that allows “grow” signals to be sent– telling cells, including cancer cells, to grow.Leucine, an amino acid predominantly in dairy, does that, too. See http://eatandbeatcancer.com/2014/07/23/anti-cancer-diets-whats-the-deal-with-dairy/So in answer to your question, yes, if you have cancer, limiting protein seems to be a wise strategy. In fact, calorie restriction and periodic fasting may also be in order.And make sure you incorporate foods that inhibit mTORC signalling, includinggreen teacrucifersturmericorganic, whole soyresveratrol (skins of red, purple and muscadine grapes,also blueberries and mulberries)Source: Dr. Bodo Melnik, German dermatologist who has published widely on dairy-acne-prostate cancer link. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408989/Metformin, a drug commonly used to control insulin levels in type 2 diabetics, also lowers mTORC signaling, he says. See http://www.jscimedcentral.com/Endocrinology/endocrinology-spid-antidiabetic-drug-metformin-1029.pdfThanks, Harriet! Interesting about the role of the drug Metformin… have you ever heard of the Reverse Warburg effect, a theory by Dr. Michael Lisanti? Google “The Autophagic Tumor Stroma Model of Cancer Metabolism”. There’s a very interesting small talk by him here. Metformin, besides being a mTor inhibitor, it is a powerful antioxidant and autophagy inducer, and it’s being successful in reducing tumor mass when alternating with an autophagy inhibitor, like chloroquine (yes, the malaria medicine). N-acetylcysteine is another powerful autophagy inducer, like Metformin. Watch his talk, search his research, you’ll be fascinated.So does that mean soaked and sprouted grains are better or worse for us?Hi Briana. I don’t think so. Please see my comment below, as this is a great question that many people have been asking! Thanks for your comment.It’s possible to get too much fiber.Volvulus of the sigmoid colonIt’s possible to get too much fiber. http://www.meb.uni-bonn.de/dtc/primsurg/docbook/html/x3450.htmlSure. Especially if someone has undergone gastric bypass. In healthy individuals fiber can take some getting used to they are new to eating large amounts. Dr. Greger touches on cruciferous veggies and how much is too much. See if that helps? Lastly, check out how much fiber humans used to eat in this blog! It is quite shocking. Thanks for the comments, JackI eat them all the time, love them, glad we have them to fight cancerdoes this have anything to do with “phytic acid”? I’ve heard from some vegans that they soak their beans and grains to reduce this acid because it depletes some things like zinc, magnesium, iron and calcium and inhibits enzyme function. When they soak the beans and grains it neutralizes the acid. So, what is going on? Is it best to soak or not? Is this interfering with the health benefits listed above?Yay, Dr. Greger! Very glad you’ve written this article and posted several new videos – Thank you. Was speaking with someone just last week about all the IP-6/Phytates do to help against cancer, promote good health and the bad wrap they’ve gotten. Also glad that Dr. Shamsuddin, who’s pioneering research on phytates back in the 1990’s at the University of Maryland, has a chance to get more recognition for his great work. He indicates that IP6 breaks down in our systems to IP3, which facilitates cellular communication, so cancer cells can once again ‘hear’ the message to differentiate or die. He’s got a couple of books you can find on Amazon…Eat your beans!Have you come across any pediatric research using phytates to halt malignant tumor growth? My niece died from a very aggressive medulloblastoma, despite being stage 0 and 100% surgically removed, full rounds of chemo and intense radiation, it still grew back at the same site. We simply had no ways of halting the growth. If you have come across any brain research, pediatric or otherwise, with the use of phytates, would you please post? Maybe some other little one will be able to make it.I soak, sprout, then cook my beans. How much phytic acid is left after this? What is your recommendation regarding preparation?If phytates are good for us and help to prevent cancer, should we be soaking our nuts to remove the phytates as with earlier recommendations? Or how much/what forms of phytates are good for us?you people ought tom stop worrying about what you eat, tomorrow you could get knocked down by a busAmazing – We are fearfully and wonderfully made !!!I am a raw vegan, so I don’t eat beans; I do eat raw buckwheat though which contains phytates. However, the phytates are reduced when soaked or sprouted, so is it ok to eat raw and unsoaked? It seems like something that might be hard on the digestive system, but I want to keep the phytates…	angiogenesis,animal fat,animal products,antiangiogenesis,antinutrients,antioxidants,aspirin,beans,blood cancer,bone marrow health,breast cancer,breast health,cancer,carcinogens,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cavities,cervical cancer,cervix health,colon cancer,colon health,dental health,diabetes,food additives,grains,heart disease,heart health,immune function,inflammation,kidney health,kidney stones,leukemia,liver cancer,liver health,meat,melanoma,men's health,metastases,nuts,oxidative stress,pancreas health,pancreatic cancer,phytates,phytic acid,plant-based diets,prediabetes,prostate cancer,prostate health,seeds,skin cancer,vegans,vegetarians,voice box cancer,voice box health,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrosamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9244360,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11198165,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10625945,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22916808,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15297368,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17044765,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14608114,
PLAIN-18	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/	Colon Cancer Prevention: Is it the Fiber or the Phytates?	Dietary factors are considered the most important environmental risk factors for cancer. Within recent years, a large number of naturally occurring health-enhancing substances of plant origin known as phytonutrients have been recognized to have beneficial effects on certain cancers. Beans, chickpeas, split peas and lentils are packed with all sorts of wonderful nutrients, but the reason they may protect against several degenerative diseases may be due to non-nutritive compounds, or even so-called “antinutrient” compounds like phytates. Phytates have a somewhat negative reputation for binding to certain minerals (like iron, zinc and manganese) and slowing their absorption. But they have also been found to offer anti-inflammatory health benefits. “The reputation of phytate has had a roller coaster ride ever since its discovery; it has undergone alternate eminence and infamy.” (I previously explored the surprising new science about phytates in my video Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis). Could they play a potential role in preventing colon cancer? In the U.S., colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death, but some parts of the world have had just a tiny fraction of our rates, with the highest rates reported in Connecticut, and the lowest in Kampala, Uganda. The famous surgeon Denis Burkitt spent 24 years in Uganda and most of the hospitals he contacted there had never seen a case of colon cancer. Noting they live off diets centered on whole plant foods, he figured that maybe it was the fiber that was so protective. Some studies have called that interpretation into question. Danes appear to have more colon cancer than Finns, yet Danes consume almost twice the dietary fiber. What else, then, could explain the low cancer rates among plant-based populations? Well, fiber isn’t the only thing found in whole plant foods, but missing from processed and animal foods. Maybe it’s the phytate. Dietary phytate, rather than fiber per se, may be the most important variable governing the frequency of colon cancer, as phytate is known to be a powerful inhibitor of the iron-mediated production of hydroxyl radicals, a particularly dangerous type of free radical. So the standard American diet may be a double whammy, the heme iron in muscle meat plus the lack of phytate in refined plant foods to extinguish the iron radicals. This may account for what researchers found in the Adventist study, highlighted in my video, Phytates for the Prevention of Cancer. They found excess risk of cancer for higher intakes of both red meat and white meat, suggesting all meats contribute to colon cancer formation — about twice the risk for red meat eaters, and three times the risk for those eating chicken and fish. Those who eat meat could reduce their risk in two ways: by cutting down on meat or by eating more beans, an excellent source of phytates. So it’s not just how much meat we eat, but our meat to vegetables ratio. Between the two extremes (high-vegetable and low-meat diets versus high-meat and low-vegetable diets) a risk ratio of about eight appears to exist, sufficient to explain a substantial part of the international variation in the incidence of colorectal cancer. Those with the worst of both worlds, high meat and low vegetable, were at eight times the risk. More on colon cancer in Stool Size Matters. Here are a few of my latest videos on the latest wonders of the musical fruit: What about that music, though? See my blog Beans and Gas: Clearing the air. What about soybeans and cancer? See Breast Cancer Survival and Soy and BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy. Other ways to mediate the effects of meat intake can be found in my video Reducing Cancer Risk in Meateaters. For more about how phytates may play a role in both cancer prevention and treatment see Phytates for Rehabilitating Cancer Cells and Phytates for the Treatment of Cancer. 	Beans, Beans, Beans! Maybe the single most important food to include in your daily diet? Thanks for all the hard work Dr. Greger and staff!B12 supplements issues with me. Anyone else here have issues?http://www.livestrong.com/article/355766-vitamin-b12-supplement-dangers/“Vitamin B12 supplements may cause blood clots and heart failure. Patients with a history of cardiovascular problems should avoid B12 supplements. Blood clots develop in the lower extremities and may dislodge and travel to the heart and brain, causing heart attack and stroke. B12 supplements may cause the heart to stop functioning normally, leading to decreased transport of oxygenated blood to body organs. Patients with heart failure often experience problems breathing due to accumulation of fluids in the lungs, sudden weight gain, edema, fatigue and shortness of breath.”Can you provide a link to the studies behind these statements?It is important to discuss any supplements and medications with your doctor. B12 is commonly prescribed (especially for those over 50 years old), according to the Institute of Medicine. I have not seen these kind of issues the link addresses, and not sure what studies the article is referencing. B12 is super important. Adults needs roughly 2.4 micrograms per day. In supplement form it comes in higher doses. Cheapest source of B12. Here is more on B12 and Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations. if interested. Thanks.Vegetarians need B12 supplementation, since the richest natural source comes from meats.Sorry that is a well known old wives tail which, as it turns out is not true. There is some evidence that B12 in meat is not in a bioavailable form. or that the high stomach acid levels required for meat consumption destroy any B12 present. There is good evidence from studies such as the Framingham Offspring study that you are more likely to have sub normal levels of B12 if you do eat meat.When I was a meat eater, I needed b12 injections. I went vegan 3 years ago, and had my blood work done recently, everything was normal! B12 among everything else was fine. Also a side note, I have Crohn’s disease, that was getting worse until I changed my diet, a colonoscopy last year showed that it was healing. My incurable disease is healing! It’s so nice note to be in all that pain!I think you have misunderstood something. Truly I am interested if you can back it up with a pathophysiological explanation and some references to articles. If you have ever seen a young person with subacute combined degeneration caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency, you will make sure to supplement with B12! This is important: If you are vegan you have to take a B12 supplement!B12 is stored in the body, correct? So will people who have recently become vegans have ample stores? Could you give those people any guidelines on how long they could go without supplementing? What would those guidelines depend on–on how long and how much meat they ate? on the quality of their intestinal bacteria? Does fermentable fiber increase your ability to use B12?Check out the article which Veggie Eric shared below, for good solid footnoted information about B12. http://www.vibrancyuk.com/B12.htmlHarriet, I am not an expert in the metabolism of B12, but in general I dont have a problem with supplementations, if you know what you are doing. I would recommend everybody to supplement with B12 as soon as they go plant based and also consider D-vitamin unless they live in a very sunny place.According to the links provided in the referenced article. what are being described are allergic reactions to Cyanocobalamin. Neither article says anything about Methylcobalamin, the natural form of B12. This is the first sentence from the Drug.com page referenced on the Livestrong page. ” When used in small doses, no COMMON side effects have been reported with this product”. The author of the article also states that “B12 is naturally present only in animal foods”. Since the writer does not even understand where B12 comes from. Clearly this article was either written out of ignorance, or possibly as an attempt to mislead people.B12 from methylcobalamin might work for some, but go ahead and read online some of the horror stories people have experienced after taking methyl B12. I am not going to post all these peoples’ comments, but I do not think they are lying. Something about the methylcobalamin form of B12 really changed their body for the worse. Yeah, I really doubt these people are making this up. And I am one of those people. Really screwed with my body. Maybe there is something bigger going on in people with bad reactions — — — maybe they have a “leak” somewhere in their body that allows substances into places where they do not belong. I do not know.I have no idea what your objective is. The posts you have made have taken things out of context. Both of the articles linked from the Livestrong post are about rare allergic reactions to Cyanocobalamin the synthetic version of B12. You can find the same list of adverse reactions for any vitamin. Here is the one for Vitamin C http://www.drugs.com/sfx/vitamin-c-side-effects.html . If you are trying to convince people that meat is the only safe place to get B12. You are going to have a tough time, people here are smarter than that.Not trying to convince people to eat meat. Letting people know that there are good meaning folks out there who are experience harmful reactions to B12 supplements. And not just the cyanocobalamin. Take the time to read people’s stories. B12 supplements in any form can be a scary experience for some us. This has nothing to do with trying to get people to eat meat. Today I am a vegan and hope to remain that way.Guest, if you are having these problems, try Methyl B12 and for the love of God get off the meat, dairy and fats so your body can begin to heal.GUEST: Really? Ok, I’ll bite…So what are these B12 supplement issues you are personally having? Can you please list them specifically so we can try to help? Or… possibly, that article was written to be misleading and a blatant unsubstantiated pot-shot at vegans who normally supplement with B12.What non-animal products is B12 in? And real B12, not the inactive form.Clearly you know nothing about B12, What is synthetic and what isn’t, or Even the source of B12. Certainly you could manage to find the B12 page on Wikipedia or lookup some of the many articles and videos about B12 on this site. You should learn about it so you aren’t posting things which mislead.No doubt that getting B12 from meat is the most dangerous way – B12 from meat is associated with heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and autoimmune diseaseSpirulina, nori, tempeh, and barley grass all forms or natural B12… natural B12 is made by bacteria in the soil having nothing to do with coming from an animal or not… I’m sorry but “Livestrong” is not an authority on nutrition but rather a pro-meat eater blog site where people like Ms. Sherry post misleading information about vegan topics like the wildly inaccurate B12 post you linked to above…It’s interesting that there have been a few recent “Guest” posts here linking to “Live Strong” vegan bashing articles lately. You and the blogger Ms. Sherry should probably read up more on B12 before you write/post another misleading article like the one you linked to above.great read here about B12 ~~> http://www.vibrancyuk.com/B12.htmlQuote from the article “Dr Michael Klaper argues that vitamin B12 is present in the mouth as well and intestines”B12 gives me very painful canker sores and they last for week or so. I am a Vegan but I don’t take B12 supplements, just try to do the best I can through diet.Maybe check the ingredients list on your B12 sups. There might be an offending ingredient agitating your cancer sores not the actual B12 itself. Also, some cancer sores can be caused by stress like ulcers and most cancer sores are linked to dairySee here ~~> http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/I looked up the causes of Canker Sores, according to the Mayo Clinic, Canker Sores are caused by:A minor injury to your mouth from dental work, overzealous brushing, sports mishaps or an accidental cheek biteToothpastes and mouth rinses containing sodium lauryl sulfateFood sensitivities, particularly to chocolate, coffee, strawberries, eggs, nuts, cheese, and spicy or acidic foodsA diet lacking in vitamin B-12, zinc, folate (folic acid) or ironAn allergic response to certain bacteria in your mouthHelicobacter pylori, the same bacteria that cause peptic ulcersHormonal shifts during menstruationEmotional stressNotice that low B12 levels are associated with Canker Sores. You should be consulting with your doctor to figure out what is actually going on. Although you find correlation between B12 and your Canker Sores, it is quite possible that B12 itself is not causing your Canker Sores.I have to say I have never heard of B12 supplements causing heart attacks? The author has only had 5 yrs experience as a nurse, she says she’s been ‘published’ on a couple websites? I can’t believe she actually tries to pull that statement off on the masses. Very poor. I would have been embarrassed to have written such a statement. It shows she is a very young nurse giving her opinion on those non-meat eaters needing B12, they should just eat dead animals! NOT. My background and study in nutrition trumps her quite a bit as I’ve been a nurse for 38 yrs and have 2 masters under my belt, one as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She is trying to draw in credibility by saying she is ‘published’, what she is trying to do is tickle the ears of people who don’t know what that means, off course now she can add Livestrong to her list of ‘websites’. To say you are published means in a peer review scientific journal, that is hard to do, not your girlfriend’s $29/mth website. I write things on my two websites all the time, but I would be laughed out of town if I tried to pass that off as being ‘published’. Her flare for the drama is seen in the bio, which the author themself is usually the one who writes, and it seems she has added some froth from the extra dairy fat and beef lard to that one, lol. The long arms of the beef/dairy industry are always around us. Now I will say, there are some people who have a genetic disorder with the MTHFR genes that will cause abnormalities in their processing of Folate and B12, the signs are close to what she says is for risk for ordinary folk taking B12 supplementation. That shows her lack of knowledge concerning the misinformation she is publishing. This gal has enough medical background to be dangerous.I also want to add, the only folk I have seen in need of B12 shots are meat eaters. Vegans usually take care of them selves far better than a run of the mill American SAD eater. Vegans usually try to buy organic, which means more B12 is being created on the surface, no Roundup or heavy Pesticides on organic foods to kill off the B12 producing bacteria and archaea. My B12 has always been above normal and I have been a veg-head for 28 years.Dr. Greger, does soaking the beans (and throwing out the water) have any impact on the amount of phytates contained in the cooked beans?Yes, soaking can reduce phytates, but not completely removed them. Brenda Davis RD discusses the impact of soaking and sprouting in her book, Becoming Raw. I found one study that showed soaking faba beans can lower phytates. Germinating the beans did even better.Is there any way you can post the study you mentioned? The link was a dead end. Thanks.FIXED. sorry about thatThanks.When you soak beans & thereby reduce the phytates, where do the phytates go? Do they go into the soaking water? Is it a good idea to use the soaking water for cooking the beans or is it better to discard it & use fresh water?What a great question I have no idea! Can anyone else help me here? Let me check Brenda Davis’s book on soaking and phytates she has ample references. My thought is soaking is still fine it can reduce fructooligosaccharides and phytates and that is okay. Eating them is most important no matter how you prepare beans.Here’s what I understand from talking with many food scientists as well as with Brenda Davis. If anybody has any corrections or additions, feel free to chime in.Plant seeds, including grains and legumes, store phosphorus for future growth as phytate (phytic acid). When you soak those seeds under the right conditions (warm water temperatures, appropriate ph), you activate their phytase enzyme, which then begins the process of breaking down phytate. As the seeds continue to soak, they start germinating–breaking down phytate and releasing phosphorus to support future growth.Some grains have quite a bit of phytase enzyme–rye, barley and wheat do, for example. Oats generally don’t because they’re usually heat-treated, which destroys the enzyme. Legumes vary, but in general don’t have as much phytase enzyme as rye, barley and wheat.One scientist I spoke with suggested you could soak some cracked rye berries with some cracked legumes in warm water, and the phytase in the rye would help break down the phytic acid in the legumes–but that’s a lot of work, especially when the phytic acid is health-promoting.Phytic acid is sometimes called the dilemma of human nutrition. The main problem is that it binds certain minerals–including calcium, iron and zinc. The solution for us vegans (and for those in third world countries) may be to avoid eating major sources of those minerals along with foods rich in phytate and to consume foods that enhance absorption of those minerals. Quercetin and tannic acid may enhance zinc uptake, for example. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20546406) And Dr. Greger talks about onions (Their outer layers are rich in quercetin) somewhere on this siteAs for the oligosaccharides, the fermentable carbs that cause gas, yes, soaking will help reduce them. But they get into the soaking water, says Davis, so cook beans in fresh water. For those who have not yet digested Davis’ terrific book, “Becoming Vegan,” here are her suggestions for cooking beans. http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/healthy-way-good-fortune-new-years/In Denmark people eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, but the problem is that the the meals are centered around the meat, and vegetables are a small side dish. Lunch are often rye bread (lots of fiber), but on top different kinds of meat – eg “leverpostej” (chopped liver and blubber – I dont know if it exist in other countries), sausage, ham and so on. Barbecuing is almost a sport in the summer. Regarding alcohol we are probably too liberal. Legumes are only eaten by very few. Most men in Denmark thinks that a real man eats meat, but as dr. Greger has illustrated several times – real men eats plants!This is not meant to be argumentative but I’m confused about something Dr. Greger says in the article. He says, “[d]ietary phytate, rather than fiber per se, may be the most important variable governing the frequency of colon cancer, as phytate is known to be a powerful inhibitor of the iron-mediated production of hydroxyl radicals, a particularly dangerous type of free radical. So the standard American diet may be a double whammy, the heme iron in muscle meat plus the lack of phytate in refined plant foods to extinguish the iron radicals.” If [one of] the big issue[s] is with iron, why would the rates of colon cancer only double for red meat eaters, but triple for those eating chicken and fish? Seems like that should be the exact opposite given the above quote about hydroxyl radicals.Hey vmnc. Good thoughts thanks for your comment. I think Dr. Greger was just referencing this article in regards to the quote about phytates being possibly more important than fiber. I am not sure that is the whole story. He still has hundreds of video on fiber showing its benefit.With a history of pre-cancerous polyps, I changed my diet in August 2013 to include many servings of beans each week as well as a high daily intake of fresh vegetables. I avoid processed food as best as possible. I dropped 30 pounds. My last colonoscopy in Jan 2015 was clear. I do soak my beans overnight for ease of cooking. Maybe I should be ccoking them in the soaking water instead of draining first?Great work, Lance! Thanks for sharing. Soaking is fine. I don’t think you can remove “all” of the phytates. There are still benefits to soaking and sprouting.Does tofu from spouted soy have fewer phytates, and would it be easier to digest? I have found some extra firm tofu hard to digest and am thinking sprouted tofu might be a better alternative.I would think so. I have not seen a study on sprouted tofu, but the fact sprouting can have a role in decreasing phytates would make sprouted soybeans a good choice.When I cook dry beans I use the pressure cooker. I cook a pound of beans in about 6 cups of water or veggie broth without soaking first. Depending on the type of bean it takes about 35-40 minutes to go from dry to completely cooked. No worry about throwing out the nutrients in the soaking water and it’s quicker too.For convenience I prefer to eat canned black beans (Eden and others). In order to remove as much BPA and BPS as possible before consuming I rinse off the black goo canned beans come packed in.Am I losing any significant bean nutrition this way? The beans themselves remain intact after cold water washing, ready to cook and eat.Just a thought: if you’re putting the beans on/in a salad, maybe you could pour the liquid into a container to save for soup. I keep a container in my freezer into which I pour liquid from cooking veggies, etc., and later I use same as soup stock since store-bought stock leaves something to be desired for me.No I do not think you are losing any nutrients. I recommend rinsing the beans to remove excess salt anyway :-)I soak dried beans and then cook them. What do you recommend – soaking at room temperature for 12-24 hours or in the refrigerator?I don’t soak. Perhaps I should. I need a personal chef! I use a crock pot when I make my own, but mostly eat canned or Grandma’s beans if I am lucky enough to see her. I am human and get quite busy with work ;-) My stomach handles them well never had a problem. Other swear by soaking and I do not disagree with them.He mentioned using Eden’s–no salt beans…. Wouldn’t it be good to save the liquid for soups? Or is there a reason we should not?Yes. That is even better! Sure, you could save the liquid if it adds to your dishes. Some people like the garbanzo bean juice for their home-made hummus. Totally up to you!Beans, beans, the American fruit. The more you eat the more you toot. The more you toot, the better you feel. So let’s have beans at every meal. LOL!There are many countries with a lower prevalence of colon cancer than Finland. http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/colon-rectum-cancers/by-country/The endocrine disrupting BPA/BPS would have leeched into the liquid from the can lining. Save it? That’s why I discard it.How about Eden’s?Eden went BPA-free in their can liners but likely substituted it with BPS, which may be worse.I’m so glad that I found a person like Dr Michael Greger! I’m a paramedic who used to work in polish medical system. I was astonish how ignorant medical doctors and my colegues was – in terms of food-influence knlowdge. We were perfectly trained in performing resuscytation and other methods of sustaining life at the edge – but none of us were trained in prevention of theese dieseases which caused those states we were struggling with our bare hands as an outcome… I’ve sent myself hundrets of people after cardiac intervention to hospitals and later on – to homes – and that was a death sentence for this patients, and I truly regret that I didn’t had the knowledge to help and support them in terms of dietetics after cardiac indicents – back then, when I was a part of the medical system. I have some blood on my hands… Thank you, mr. Greger – and thanks for your whole team. Great work you’re doing. I truly respect you for that.In another Video, Dr. Greger said that each 20 gram serving of beans reduces our risk of death by 8 percent. In another video, he shows that the best bean is black beans.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/It is clear that beans may be the most important dietary factor in life extension, more so than nuts by a slim margin. There is a bean nut, the peanut, and a bean tea, red tea or green red tea. Beans can add profoundly to life and improve the lifes of people who eat them down the road.Beans should be eaten daily to promote health.I read that beets are important for a healthy colon, based on the centenarians in Russia who eat borscht.I translated the article into Portuguese and republished. I hope this awareness on health and nutrition can grow, along with the NutritionFacts.org community, and spread in the Portuguese speaking world. Thank you all for being there. http://focoempatico.net/prevencao-do-cancro-do-colon-e-da-fibra-ou-dos-fitatos/Do you soak beans before cooking? What effect does that have on phytates?Hi Julien. I touch on this further down in the thread, here. Thanks for your question.I have a concern regarding hospital food. My general comment is that they give people the food that in most cases put them here in the first place. Specifically, my son has been here at Johns Hopkins Hospital in rehab from surgery for a tumor. The wound from the surgery is healing “too slowly” which is an issue because he can not due chemotherapy until the wound heals. So, they sent around a nutritionist and he said simply, “as many calories as you can eat, and you need a lot of protein to heal.” He gave us no menu. At this point, let me state my prejudice: Like Dr. Greger’s grandma, I found Nathan Pritikin, after having a chest pain. I did not go to the clinic but I read his book. That was 40 years ago. I am now 71 and take no medications and run five miles every day (slowly). I don’t eat meat and hardly ever eat any animal products and until recently (after watching Dr. Gerger’s video regarding vitamin B12). I eat brown rice and beans and tofu almost every night. I am, obviously, not dead. Okay, here is the problem: I have been ordering my son veggie burgers, tofu and rice (they do not offer beans!), oatmeal, and, to hedge my bets, salmon, which has been available about every third day. We have been here for six weeks. The staff has put a lot of pressure on me and I have caved somewhat, ordering chicken and turkey and low cholesterol eggs. I do not know why more protein has to mean more meat. Also, I just read, Dr. Servan -Schreiber’s book “Anti-cancer” and he offers tons of data suggesting that meat stimulate the growth of a tumor. My son’s tumor could not be completely excised, and it could come back, and has come back once already. JHH is arguably one of the greatest hospitals in the world. I know that I am right, and I have the science, but I do not want to risk my son’s life because of my experience prejudicing my choices for his meals. And, by the way, patients at Adventist Hospital with a veggie diet must heal, no? Any thoughts would be appreciated.Your options must be very limited, and you have done a great job with what you have available. The most anti-cancer foods according to this site include: nuts: walnuts, pecans, and peanuts veggies: beets, kale, garlic, broccoli. carrots fruit: cranberries, lemons, apples spices: tumeric, rosemary, ginger tea: hibiscus, white with lemon, and matcha berries: blueberry, barberry, goji berry, and strawberry nori, white button mushrooms, flax seed, and amla are also recommended.Dr. Hoffer has followed several doctors in finding that large doses of vitamins can greatly improve cancer outcomes. He recommends Vitamin C, Niacin, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Folic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids, Selenium, and Zinc.Are you allowed to bring in your own food? You could bring in some trail mix made with these ingredients. Dr. Greger on this site said that the effect of tumeric on cancer was limited to how much you could take.Dr. Hoffer wrote a small book, User’s Guide to Natural Therapies for Cancer Prevention and Control where he outlined many people who did quite well using vitamins in addition to their regular chemotherapy, he cites 40 percent survival after ten years. With nutrition and orthomolecular vitamin therapy, you should be in the best shape possible. Could you bring in your own vitamins? Do doctors there object?You should like you are picking the best foods from the menu. Is your son allowed to sit near a window? Vitamin D3, made from sunlight, is very powerful against some cancers.Good luck.Hello again Cleo1943. There are almost 500 studies going on right now to see if high D3 (50,000 IU or so in some) are good for cancer, to see if it could be a treatment and a cure. The companies sponsoring this research are reasonably sure it is a good treatment. D3 can’t be regulated by the federal government, so you can be in the study yourself without reporting.You can read about this herehttp://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/08/06/why-we-dont-have-a-cure-for-cancer-yet-or-do-we.aspxOr see the clinical trials here.https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=vitamin+D+cancer&recr=&rslt=&type=&cond=&intr=&titles=&outc=&spons=&lead=&id=&state1=&cntry1=&state2=&cntry2=&state3=&cntry3=&locn=&gndr=&rcv_s=&rcv_e=&lup_s=&lup_e=Why would pharmaceutical companies spend billions on drug treatments to study one that is available for free? I imagine if you are frustrated with big pharma, the results of these studies will not be published and a treatment for cancer will be hushed up.Good luck. D3 takes some getting used to. It can shift your whole heart around and rearrange all the elements in your body. I like to use it concurrently with a magnet over my heart, brain, and body.My prayers.HI Cleo. My sympathies during this hard time. I used to work at MD Anderson Cancer Center and my boss actually used the book, AntiCancer, to design our breast cancer intervention trial. I would simply tell the dietitian you work with that you’d like to explore a more plant-based menu, based off this book and some of the research you’ve read. Any RD in the cancer field should be able to meet your requests even if they do not believe in the book 100%. They are trained to find options for their clients and I am positive if you kindly address these issues you have they can offer solutions. What do you mean by they are “pressuring you” to add more animal foods? Is it that he is not meeting protein needs? I cannot imagine receiving more pressure in an already pressured (understatement of the year) situation. Often our hands are tied when it comes to “hospital food” so consider options for bringing in food or making sure fresh fruits and veggies are available. I can bet the hospital has a salad bar and for good heavens let’s write a letter to John Hopkins so they can stock kidney beans in the salad bar! Let me know if I can be of more help.Warm wishes, Joseph	cancer,chicken,chickpeas,colon cancer,colon health,DNA damage,Dr. Denis Burkitt,fiber,fish,grains,iron,lentils,meat,nuts,oxidative stress,phytates,phytic acid,plant-based diets,poultry,processed foods,red meat,split peas,Standard American Diet,turkey,Uganda,vegans,vegetarians,white meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11198165,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6862688,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8223063,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2990653,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139122,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2731998,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6296797,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9786231,
PLAIN-19	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/	Low Carb Diets Found to Feed Heart Disease	People going on low carb diets may not see a rise in their cholesterol levels. How is that possible? Because weight loss by any means can drop our cholesterol. We could go on an all-Twinkie diet and lower our cholesterol as long as we didn’t eat too many. A good cocaine habit could do it. Anything that drops our weight can drop our cholesterol, but the goal isn’t to fit into a skinnier casket; the reason we care about cardiovascular risk factors like cholesterol is because we care about cardiovascular risk, the health of our arteries. Now we have studies that measure the impact of low carb diets on arteries directly, and a review of all the best studies to date found that low-carb diets impair arterial function, as evidenced by a decrease in flow-mediated dilation, meaning low-carb diets effectively stiffen people’s arteries. And since that meta-analysis was published, a new study found the same thing: “A dietary pattern characterized by high protein and fat, but low carbohydrate was associated with poorer peripheral small artery function,” again measuring blood flow into people’s limbs. But peripheral circulation is not as important as the circulation in the coronary arteries that feed our heart. There has only been one study ever done measuring actual blood flow to the heart muscles of people eating low-carb diets. Dr. Richard Fleming, an accomplished nuclear cardiologist, enrolled 26 people into a comprehensive study of the effects of diet on cardiac function using the latest in nuclear imaging technology–so-called SPECT scans, enabling him to actually directly measure the blood flow within the coronary arteries. He then put them all on a healthy vegetarian diet, and a year later the scans were repeated. By that time, however, ten of the patients had jumped ship onto the low carb bandwagon. At first I bet he was disappointed, but surely soon realized he had an unparalleled research opportunity dropped into his lap. Here he had extensive imaging of ten people before and after following a low carb diet and 16 following a high carb diet. What would their hearts look like at the end of the year? We can talk about risk factors all we want, but compared to the veg group, did the coronary heart disease of the patients following the Atkins-like diets improve, worsen, or stay the same? Those sticking to the vegetarian diet showed a reversal of their heart disease as expected. Their partially clogged arteries literally got cleaned out. They had 20% less atherosclerotic plaque in their arteries at the end of the year than at the beginning. What happened to those who abandoned the treatment diet, and switched over to the low-carb diet? Their condition significantly worsened. 40% to 50% more artery clogging at the end of the year.  In heart scans of the patients, as seen in my video, Low Carb Diets and Coronary Blood Flow, the yellow and particularly red areas represent blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle. The scan of one of the patients who went on a plant-based diet, shows how their arteries opened right up increasing the blood flow. Another person, however, started out with good flow, but after a year on a low-carb diet, they significantly clogged down their arterial blood flow. So this is the best science we have, demonstrating the threat of low-carb diets, not just measuring risk factors, but actual blood flow in people’s hearts on different diets. Of course the reason we care about cardiac blood flow, is we don’t want to die. Another meta-analysis was recently published that finally went ahead and measured the ultimate end-point, death, and low-carb diets were associated with a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality, meaning living a significantly shorter lifespan. The reason I have so few videos about low-carb diets is that I already wrote a book about it. Carbophobia is now available free online full-text at AtkinsFacts.org. Atkins’ lawyers threatened to sue, leading to a heated exchange you’re sure to enjoy that I reprint in the book. I did touch on it Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping it Up, though low carb diets don’t necessarily have to be that unhealthy (see my video Plant-Based Atkins Diet). Here are some videos I’ve done on conquering our #1 killer: 	Dr Greger, I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work, yours is the best website in the universeI second that Aneta. This has to be the most revolutionary site on health ever created!! It is my #1 go-to source… my Health Bible! I refer videos to friends and acquaintances with tumors and cancer. Humanity deserves this knowledge. .. After that it’s up to each individual whether they will follow it or not!!!I’m curious if there are any studies comparing vegetarian/ vegan diets to low carb/normal protein/high fat, as this is the diet currently touted by the Paleo crowd. It seems that the high fat diets in the study were Atkins diets, high in both animal protein and fat. What about moderate animal protein/high fat?No no no, Paleo does not mean “high fat”. Paleo and Atkins, or at least the old Atkins, are not the same at all. Most Plaeo advocates define their diet as high in low starch veggies, small amount of low fat protein, small “healthy” fats (avocado, olive oil, monounsaturated fats) some seeds & nuts, no processed foods, no added sugars, legumes or processed wheat, and a small amount of fruit.Sounds pretty healthy, but why would a Paleo diet have extracted oils? I was at Whole Foods the other day and saw the ingredient list for a Paleo item and it also had olive oil.Well, I guess there are no hard & stringent rules to what “Paleo” actually is. But you’re correct, any extracted oil shouldn’t be Paleo, nor should any processed foods/meats such as bacon, jerky, etc., but some say it is. The term Paleo used by many to define a diet is pretty much a misnomer, and admittingly, I’m not an expert.Dr. David Jenkins helped invent the glycemic index. He developed a portfolio diet for lowering cholesterol. One study he was part of looked at the difference between a vegan and omnivorous low-carb diet, as seen in this video. I do not necessarily recommend it because I have seen excellent clinical results from a strict plant based diet higher in carbohydrates and lower in fat, but still this ‘eco-atkins’ type of diet shows that perhaps animal fat is very different from plant fat.Use coconut oil for most of your fats. It is true, my cholesterol has gone up from eating too much processed meat.There is not just one “paleo diet.” There are many interpretations.There is – sort of.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0708681While not a true veg diet, it was close in that is was a low fat calorie restricted with fat being only 30% of calories and saturated fat 10%. That arm of the trial had women and men eating 1500 or 1800 calories, respectively. So that means for a man only 180 calories would come from sat fat which would be only 20 grams. So that would have precluded eating very much meat or dairy. the other arms were the Mediterranean and low carb diets.In all measures the low carb beat the mediterrranean which beat the low fat.There are other studies as well but not as rigourous, but pretty much every diet tested against a low fat diet wins.The best part of this study is that food was provided to the participants at noon (the main meal of the day in Isreal), it lasted 2 years and there was a very high complaince rate (95 % year 1 and 84% year 2).BTW, low carb diets, such as Atkins, are not high protein.The are high fat (60-80%) with very low carb and modearte protein.The paleo diet that was origianlly developed to mimic what our ancestors ate for millions of years has sort of morphed into a low fat no wheat or sugar type of diet.They tend to be higher in protein with the suggestion being to eat only lean meats, I suspect because of the lingering fear of fat. So the claim that his diet is what out ancestors ate for million of years calearly is not correct. For as we know from indigenous peoples such as the Inuit and others, who routinley eat meat that had the most fat first and then the rest and then feed to leanest meats to the dogs. Also if we look at all carnivorous animals, we find that after the kill the first thing they go for are the viscera often leaving the the muscular parts to the vultures.Also with the current paleo idea as to what we ate, it’s hard to imagine how our ancestors survived on tubers and plants, etc for example in the norther hemispher fot the 6 months or so when you couldn’t grow anything. And as for olive oil and other oils, they are realtively recent inclusions to our diet. For example, read about the myth of olive oil having been consume for centuries.Dr. Greger, I’d be thrilled to see some data and suggestions on increasing blood flow to the brain for those who have had TBI/concussions, especially for young adults with history of concussions from sports. Apparently the increased blood flow to brain helps damaged brain tissue heal. Sure, one could cut back on fat and add berries. But your data is fun!Hi Leslie. Interesting thought! I searched for increased blood flow and concussions but nothing was relevant on diet. If I find more I’ll be sure to post.Does low carb necessarily mean high meat-based protein and high fat? What I’m asking is what did these people on the low carb diet actually eat? If they ate veggies and fruits instead of starches, then this study would be astonishing. But if they ate lots of meat-based protein and fat, then this study doesn’t tell us anything new at all.Exactly. How is “low carb” defined in reference to this study?Good points. It is hard to say what the low-carb diet consisted of. I’ll look deeper into this. You can too by checking out the actual study. Dr. mentions how the diet was supposed to be a healthy vegetarian diet, but then 10 folks went on a low-carb diet. From the methods: “Each patient was advised to consume a diet consisting of 10 kCal/pound/day. On the basis of caloric calculations, patients were instructed to consume 15% of their daily calories in protein, 70% in carbohydrate (principally complex carbohydrates), and 15% in fat with a 2:1 ratio of nonsaturated (polyunsaturated, monosaturated) to saturated fat intake. For example, a 170-pound person would be instructed to eat 1,700 calories per day, including 255 calories from protein (64 grams), 1,190 calories from carbohydrates (297 grams) from a variety of (mostly complex) carbohydrates, and 255 calories fat (28 grams), of which no more than 9 grams could be saturated.” At any rate, this dietary pattern seemed to trump the low-carb diet.Here’s a link to the new study which found an association between low carb and poorer peripheral small artery function. http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FBJN%2FBJN109_07%2FS0007114512003091a.pdf&code=3b0134193b14a1741e3a1a9fe14560df The study was conducted in Spain, but the study authors noted that “the diet consumed by the present study population was similar to the diet of a corresponding American population with equally high CV risk”. It was based on a 3-day food intake evaluation and reduced to a low-carbohydrate score. Guess they weren’t following the Mediterranean diet, but instead the good’ol American SAD.A newer review http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4418418/ questioned whether low-carb diets have a favorable or detrimental impact on endothelial function, or is it the quality of the carbs which matters. They commented that high carbohydrate diets which cause hyperglycemia have been demonstrated to worsen the efficacy of the endothelial system and are associated with an increased CVD risk. A limitation to the studies analyzing low carb diets is that the carbs must be replaced by fats and protein, and it can be “challenging to differentiate the effect of carbohydrate restriction from the effects due to alterations in other macronutrients”. They observed that low-carb diets are associated with decreased intake of fiber, fruit or root vegetables, and increased consumption of meat and dairy, which may contribute to the adverse vascular outcomes. This review concluded that emphasizing the quality and GI index of foods may be a more promising approach to preserving vascular function than low-carb.However, the Eco-Atkins diet, which is low-carb vegan, has been shown to be associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality rates. David Jenkins published this study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4418418/ which used nuts as a replacement for carbs. The full-nut dose of 73 g/day (2.6 oz) reduced A1c, LDL, and ApoB with good compliance among the participants with the diet. This is the diet I follow which has helped me drop my A1c to 5.0, total cholesterol to 145, LDL particles down to 668, inflammation markers low, and BMI fine. I think my success with this low-carb plan is from using high quality, whole plant foods and low GI carbs.What about those of us vegans who eat a lot of nuts, avocados, seeds, and tofu, but virtually no carbs and zero animal products? My diet is about 40% fat, but only the veggie kind. So far, no heart or vascular disease, low homocysteine and CRP. The reason for low-carbs? Unfortunately, I’m pre-diabetic and even whole grains raise my glucose excessively (even though I’m quite thin).Hey Russell, a high carb plant diet does not cause diabetes, in fact Dr. Neal Barnard’s patients managed to reverse their Type-2 diabetes by eating as much as they cared for of fruits, veggies, grains, legumes etc. Diabetes is a disease of fat toxicity as Dr. Gregor has taught us in previous videos. I would recommend cutting your fat intake WAY down to no more than 10% of your calories. Try to aim for 80-10-10 for optimal health. (carbs-protein-fat). Use Cronometer.com for an excellent look into your diets macro/micro nutrient breakdown. Raw till 4 high-carb, low fat for the win!!People who do not have this problem are always quick to recommend this sort of thing. I also note that the doctors pushing this approach do not have such problems themselves — if I am wrong here please direct me to one who does. Unfortunately, I also suffer from carb sensitivity due to a medical mistake and the fact is that, like others with blood sugar regulation issues, too many carbs dangerously elevates my post-prandial glucose levels. Intelligent use of supplements, exercise, and a moderately low carb diet have kept me from slipping into any diagnosed disease — in fact, most doctors would now laugh at my concerns based simply on fasting blood sugars — but I work hard. I would love to reduce fat content and eat more carbs but given my observations based upon extensive blood monitoring I do not see how it could possibly work.One problem with these studies is the confounding of animal products with “low carb” and, as the doctor points out, at least one study showed that a vegan low carb diet (Eco Atkins) can be healthy (though it was a bit high in processed soy for my taste). And BTW, I do support a vegan diet approach so I am on his side in that respect.Finally, while I cannot claim to have read every study on fat metabolism and diabetes, every one I have read involves obese patients. So I always have the question about how this applies to fit folks who otherwise appear to have normal fat metabolism. I am pretty fit and can eat nearly 4,000 calories a day on a lower carb diet without gaining weight at a certain point. That is on a diet of approximately 60% fat.Steven, thanks for the comments. We have similar issues, and I’m up to 60% plant-based fats on some days as well. Like Steve Bozic above, who clearly means well, there is a lot of ignorance in the community about what thin vegan diabetics or pre-diabetics should do. It’s also frustraging to see so much conflation between low-carb animal diets and low-carb plant-based diets. There are extremely different!! (Yes, have seen Jenkins’ excellent work supporting plant-based fats, and higher fat levels in general).For that reason, three of us from Nutrition Facts have taken our conversations off-line and we compare notes and send around interesting studies and articles on a weekly basis. Feel free to join us if you want. I’m at russelllong@me.com. Yes, we are all basically Eco-Atkins.I’ve had a few emails with Caroline Trapp who runs the diabetes program for Dr. Neal Barnard, and she finally admitted that there is virtually no data on thin diabetics, and recognizes that it presents a different set of problems since we don’t have insulin resistance and instead appear to have insulin production problems, And you need a lot of insulin to metabolize carbs, whole grain or otherwise. (Not so much for veggie fats or protein.)Here’s the question regarding Eco-Atkins: at higher veggie fat intakes, I find my LDL can climb to 138. At the lowest fat intake that I can get to while still keeping A1c under 5.5, I get about 35% of calories from fat and my LDL drops to 95. But wow, at those lower levels, its hard to stay over 140 lbs,, and I’m 5’10”. Finding the middle ground between getting too skinny and having excessive LDL is very challenging.Thanks, Steve! From Dr. Barnard’s research, study participants received either a low-fat vegan diet or a typical diet for diabetes and found significant changes in weight loss and insulin levels. Dr. Greger presents the study in this video.Steve, not sure if you saw my response below, and I appreciate the comments. I actually do use Cronometer. I briefly got my fat to 10%, while compensating for the lost calories with brown rice, whole oats, etc., but my glucose went crazy and the docs were threatening to put me on insulin. Unfortunately, Greger/Barnard’s approach just doesn’t work for thin people with diabetic-type issues. We’re clearly in the minority though, and heavier people should definitely go with the Greger program.Anyway, my A1c is happily under 5.5 now, and the docs are not concerned about my glucose so long as I keep it there.Well, heavy or thin, it just doesnt work for some. I cannot get weight down while concentrating on carbs. It doesnt matter if its mostly complex..the insulin resistance may play a part. contrary to popular belief..we can be very active people, but carbs of any kind wreak havocHey Becky. Have you tried a Raw Till 4pm high fruit diet yet? It will reverse Insulin Resistance. Here’s what I eat in a day – What I eat in a day – My smoothie recipe: Approx. 2500cal (gets me to approx 4pm daily). Macronutrient breakdown of roughly 80% Carbs / 10% Protein / 10% Fat. (Which is ideal for optimal health)250ml of soy/almond chocolate milk (almost all brands B12 fortified) 20 Pitted dates Handful or two of Spinach (or kale) 1 teaspoon of “Ceylon” Cinnamon (not the common kind found in most stores) 1.5 tablespoons of Chia Powder 1.5 tablespoons of Hemp seeds Optional 1 fresh Indian Gooseberry (left in the fridge to soak over night in water) 1 Apple 2 Kiwis (if available) 1 Handful of Dried or fresh cranberries (if available) OR 1 Handful of dried or fresh Figs (if available) 1 tablespoon Coconut sugar (optional for taste) 6-8 Bananas depending on size (super ripe with tons of brown spots if possible) Fill blender rest of the way with water(I’ll also sometimes sprout Broccoli seeds and throw a handful in)Then for dinner it’s a cooked carb rotation between Pasta/Potatoes/Rice/Quinoa with mixed Veggies (mainly Broccoli) and tomato sauce.This daily diet when checked on Cronometer.com meets all of the Vitamin/Mineral as well as Fat/Protein/Carb requirements for optimal health.Wow. No, thats way more than I eat. Any addition of fruit or veg, besides, besides s bit of ight salad fare, seem to count as sugar. Kale (strange) even gave me a couple lbs. when I review how those with insulin resistance seem to have all go to fat storage if not used right away, it sees accurate. I am active, eat clean for the most part, and rarely consume over 2000 kcal in a day. The oy way I have evet lost weight was by extreme exercise ( zumba-way fun!) And eliminating most carb. Because so many are as confused, as I am, I am now studying nutrition. lower carb rates can cause troble with memory and other issues with the brain. When I put more carbs back in my diet (mostly vegetable, but some fruit), I felt more awake, just as the RD tlod me. By no means am I a young pup, so a little brain fog (and with heart and muscle conditions as well…I’m complicated. Im only told to gind a way to lose weight. No direction gor me, except my new RD. I cant imagine all that fruit would help me. I do add chia and flax seed, alternating, fish oil and vit D (mine was a little low). Yes, the Ceylon cinnamon is used often, as is garlic and turmeric…yes, right in my greek yogurt! Savory, and quite tasty with some homemade balsamic vinegrette! I eat some berry every day too. somehow, my blood sugars have been low, but I still gain. Doesnt help that I needed a steroid treatment to get my legs going last fall.Sorry about the spelling. Its on my phone today, a bit harder for me sometimesIf your issue is that you have insulin resistance the only real cure is to cut out all animal foods as the saturated fat and cholesterol in them is causing your disease. Yours is a disease of “Fat Toxicity” as Dr. Gregor has done a few videos on in the past few months. Once you cut out all animal foods (meat, dairy and eggs) as well as oils, and other overtly fatty foods and replace them with an abundance of fruits daily then and only then will you cure yourself of the insulin resistance issues you are troubled with. You should use Chronometer.com to make sure you are meeting all of your micronutrient requirements as well. Potassium is the key to weight loss. Not sure if you know this but 98% of Americans do NOT get enough Potassium daily.Glad you found something that works, that is the what’s important!Hey Russell. Here’s the key. Long term results. I know you’ve got your issues under control now eating that much plant based fat but have you tried to go “fruit-based” “Raw till 4pm” Freelee the Banana girl style yet? It’s been super successful for most even slim, active people that are at risk for type-2 diabetes. I say give it a shot for a few weeks at least. Smash in the bananas brah. Peace and love.I can eat about two bites or banana before my glucose exceeds the speed limit. Or about a quarter of an apple. I wish it could work… I love fruit but other than a strawberry or two sometimes, they’re off my list.I second Russell’s comments. For instance, you frequently see recommendations to eat berries as a “low glycemic” fruit but my experience as been that even small amounts (like picking blackberries as you walk through the woods here in the PNW) elevate my glucose, and it sounds like Russell has much bigger problems than I do. I’ll stick with emphasizing the vegetables.Russell. I saw your earlier response and am interested – I will contact you soon.Interesting conversation, at any rate!I have similar reactions but could probably manage 1 banana and an apple and no more. I also find coffee has a negative effect , after about 30mins-1hr. When I used to eat biscuits before going Plant based Whole food, anything containing golden syrup or corn syrup also gave me problems, similar to the effects of MSG in some processed food.Steve, your advice would kill Russell. Freelee and Durian Rider are fraudsters.Hey Russell, a high carb plant diet does not cause diabetes, in fact Dr. Neal Barnard’s patients managed to reverse their Type-2 diabetes by eating as much as they cared for of fruits, veggies, grains, legumes etc. Diabetes is a disease of fat toxicity as Dr. Gregor has taught us in previous videos. I would recommend cutting your fat intake WAY down to no more than 10% of your calories. Try to aim for 80-10-10 for optimal health. (carbs-protein-fat). Use Cronometer.com for an excellent look into your diets macro/micro nutrient breakdown. Raw till 4 high-carb, low fat for the win!!Good question. You may want to check out some of Dr. Jenkins’s work. Dr. David Jenkins helped invent the glycemic index. He developed a portfolio diet for lowering cholesterol. Here are 38 citations about diet and disease with this one showing tree nuts help improve glycemic control. Nuts and seeds appear helpful for those with diabetes. Vegans on a low-carb diet ate nuts/seeds and seemed to do okay, as seen in this video on a low-carb plant-based diet. Click “source cited” to find the actual study, if interested. I do not necessarily recommend it because I have seen excellent clinical results from a strict plant based diet higher in carbohydrates and lower in fat, but still this ‘eco-atkins’ type of diet shows that perhaps animal fat is very different from plant fat.Thanks Dr. Gonzales. I am aware of some of the research on nuts but not all and will follow up these links. It is clear from many sources, including Dr. Gregor’s videos, that walnuts may be the best attested “super food” out there. In any event, I eat a fairly large amount of nuts and seeds and they have been key to making it work for me.Please see Russell’s response to me above. I always thought that blood sugar spikes were fine and of no threat to the organs as long as the levels were brought down to a safe level within a few hours. Mine can spike up 175 after a bowl of fruit, but as long as I move around and exercise it comes down 2 or 3 hours later. I always was told this was safe, but the studies Russel posted claim otherwise. Your thoughts?Hi Leslie. Sure I’ll look into, but I don’t see a study? Can you find me a link for reference? Thanks!Joseph, here is a link to a study which found that post-meal glucose spikes above 140 are a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, both in nondiabetic and diabetic people. Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12796066 Full article http://ccs01.vo.ca-cncx.net/o41/5507/bw/bs/FPCR20080006/articles/LA7D.pdfMany thanks for sharing that link. Looks like under 140 mg/dL may be optimal. The Standard of Medical Care in Diabetes 2015 mentions < 180 mg/dL. I think the lower the number the better. Again, thanks's for sharing that important study.When you say “whole grains raise my glucose excessively” what are you considering a high glucose reading? How long does it stay that high? Does it eventually come down a few hours later? Thank you for clarity, this might help me.Studies show that above 140, organ damage can begin to occur. I try always to stay below 140. Unfortunately that means that if I have a half cup of oatmeal, I exceed that number by quite a bit and will stay above 140 for 2-3 hours unless I go for a walk right away. Instead I substantially reduce my oatmeal amount and add flaxseed, almond butter, hemp seeds. These reduce the peak considerably and also taste great!Thanks for the studies. But I am confused and now curious about something…as you claim that if you go for a walk after eating the oatmeal then the blood sugar issue is no longer an issue, as this obviously keeps your blood reading at a safe level, of no harm, but you instead you add nuts and seeds in place of the oatmeal, and this, I am to assume, allows you not to have to go for the walk. Why not just eat the oatmeal and exercise? It seems so natural, like the “human” thing to do, to be on our feet, active before and after exercise. Am I understanding this correctly?It would take a one hour walk to hold glucose down to sub 140. I just don’t have the time and need to get to work. But you are on the right track; if one has time for extended walks after each meal every day, some carbs can definitely be added.I eat meat so can distinguish between low cabo and high protean.the experiment does not mean low carbo no good.. It just means high protean no good.I believe Dr. Greger has reviewed studies comparing animal protein to plant protein and plant protein doesn’t have the same negative effects as animal.You are correct. Dr. Greger has a blog about the ratio of animal vs. plant protein and cancer. You can view his video in that blog, too. Thanks, Amanda.I couldn’t find the free download of Carbophobia at atkinsfacts.orgdownload gives 404 but you can get the html one and then print to pdf. http://atkinsfacts.org/printer_friendly.htmlThanks, Mike!Hi Susanna. You can read for free from the printer friendly version (the link Mike gave below). We’re working on fixing the PDF link. Thanks!Lies. Big Vegetable Oil Companies producing “research”. Dr. Atkins Diet has helped scores of patients, to lose weight and reduce cholesterol, and triglycerides. Low fat and high carb diets have proven to increase weight, and to promote diabetes.You remind me of Nina Teicholz. I’m guessing you consider a diet getting about a third of its calories from fat and about half from carbohydrate to be “low-fat” and “high-carb.”One thing is, I’ve never seen a paper indicating an Atkins-type diet having the kind of effect seen here. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4338379/Read Dr. Atkin’s Diet Revolution.Read Carbophobia.Here is a excerpt:There is nothing new or revolutionary about Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution. Various high-fat diet fads like Atkins have been masquerading under different names for over a hundred years, starting in 1864 when an English undertaker and coffin maker by the name of William Banting wrote a book called Letter on Corpulence.[24] Based on what we know now about these diets, Banting’s book may very well have added to Banting’s business.2tsaybow, it really is a great read, isn’t it? :) Who else but our Dr. G. could find the humor in death and diet?LOL. Atkins died from heart disease he kept hidden from his public, you have got to be joking! I got rid of my diabetes and tons of other health issues after switching to that low fat, high complex carb, whole food diet…where do you get this antiquated nonsense from?Dr. Atkins feel on a slick icy sidewalk and hit his head, and died from it. He didn’t die from heart disease. That’s why your brain isn’t fully working. Saturated fat is needed for brain functioning. And carbs t shoot up your blood sugar. Low fat diets cause heart disease, and cancer. You never had diabetes to begin with.I love you Doc! You really help get me on the right path! Thanks, PBasing this on ONE study?Hi, Really. I don’t think so. Dr. Greger has multiple hyperlinks in this blog post with all the research available in “sources cited” – check it out! Also, he mentions at the end of the article why he doesn’t have tons of information on low-carb diets because he wrote an entire book about it called “Carbophobia.”For ease. These citations are from the video low-carb diets and coronary blood flow. Hope this helps.H. Noto, A. Goto, T. Tsujimoto, M. Noda. Low-carbohydrate diets and all-cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. PLoS ONE 2013 8(1):e55030.J. Merino, R. Kones, R. Ferré, N. Plana, J. Girona, G. Aragonés, D. Ibarretxe, M. Heras, L. Masana. Negative effect of a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet on small peripheral artery reactivity in patients with increased cardiovascular risk. Br. J. Nutr. 2013 109(7):1241-1247.R. M. Fleming, K. Ketchum, D. M. Fleming, R. Gaede. Treating hyperlipidemia in the elderly. Angiology 1995 46(12):1075-1083.R. M. Fleming, L. B. Boyd. The effect of high-protein diets on coronary blood flow. Angiology 2000 51(10):817-826.F. L. Santos, S. S. Esteves, A. da Costa Pereira, W. S. Yancy Jr, J. P. L. Nunes. Systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials of the effects of low carbohydrate diets on cardiovascular risk factors. Obes Rev 2012 13(11):1048-1066.L. Schwingshackl, G. Hoffmann. Low-carbohydrate diets impair flow-mediated dilatation: Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br. J. Nutr. 2013 110(5):969-970.R. M. Fleming. Reversing heart disease in the new millennium–the Fleming unified theory. Angiology 2000 51(8):617-629.Another misleading title. And what is most outrageous is referencing a felon…..http://www.fbi.gov/omaha/press-releases/2009/om082009.htmThanks for your comments and opinions.It’s safe to say Dr. Fleming and his research has been discredited based on his felonies.Oh this is so exciting! It reminds me of my first philosophy class, Logic. I had to go back to my old book to determine whether of not the fallacy in your argument is Argumentum ad hominem or if its a Moralistic fallacy. I love it – “outrageous referencing a felon..” He didn’t make money off people eating plants. There is no money in having people eat a whole food plant based diet, just the opportunity for good health.There is a lot of money to be made if Americans eat a Standard American Diet. Who makes the money? The beef industry, the dairy industry, big poultry, big pharma, big agriculture (corn fructose, yum!), and all those medical professionals making all that money by performing surgeries that would not be needed if their patients just ate beans and veggies instead of meat.“He didn’t make money off people eating plants.” —-http://cnsnews.com/news/article/doctor-who-got-atkins-death-report-selling-his-own-diet-book“There is no money in having people eat a whole food plant based diet….” LOLOnly in the known universe Aneta kapron !This comment is a bit off topic : ) Below is a paragraph from an email sent by the owners of PEERtrainer about the benefits of Nicotinamide Riboside(NR), and a product they are promoting called NiaCel, made by Thorne Research.The PEERtrainer owners claim “When cell fuel increases, so does your energy, and nearly every aspect of your health improves. There isn’t an advanced MD we have come across recently who a) does not recommend this and b) take it themselves every day.”I’m very curious to know what Dr. Greger has to say about it. He’s one of the few people I trust for honest, unbiased nutrition information. Here’s the paragraph:“Nicotinamide Riboside (NR): Sometimes referred to as the “Miracle Molecule” or “Hidden Vitamin,” NR is found naturally in trace amounts in milk and other foods and is a more potent, no flush vitamin B3 (Niacin)derivative.Published research has shown that NR is perhaps the most effective NAD+ booster, an essential metabolite found in all cells. NAD+ is arguably the most important cellular cofactor for improvement of mitochondrial performance and energy metabolism.Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell where macronutrients are converted to energy the cell can use. Mitochondria also play an important part in the aging process. It is hoped that by stimulating mitochondrial function with the NR molecule scientists will see increased longevity as well as other health improvements.Researchers worldwide continue seminal discoveries characterizing the unique properties of NR in a wide range of health benefits. These include increasing mitochondrial health, increasing muscle endurance, neuroprotection, sirtuin activation, protection against weight gain on a high fat diet, protection against oxidative stress, improvement of blood glucose, and insulin sensitivity to maintain blood sugar levels within the normal rangeFindings from a recent study by Weill Cornell Medical College and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland researchers showed that mice on a high fat diet that were fed NR gained 60 percent less weight than mice eating the same high fat diet without NR.Moreover, unlike the mice that were not fed NR, none of the NR treated mice had indications they were developing diabetes and they had improved energy and lower cholesterol levels, all without side effects. The Swiss researchers were quoted as saying the effects of NR on metabolism “are nothing short of astonishing.”A study by researchers from Harvard Medical School in conjunction with the National Institute on Aging, published in December 2013 in CELL, demonstrated that mitochondrial dysfunction (a hallmark of aging) in aging mice is due to a disruption in sirtuin1 dependent nuclear mitochondrial communication.They further showed that a reduction in NAD+ levels is responsible for this disruption. They also showed this mitochondrial dysfunction was readily reversible by administration of a NAD+ precursor. The authors found that “one week of treatment with a compound that boosts NAD+ levels is sufficient to restore the mitochondrial homeostasis and key biochemical markers of muscle health in a 22 month old mouse to levels similar to a 6 month old mouse.NiaCel, from Thorne is a single ingredient product that is designed to boost NAD+ levels. Essentially this product produces “cell fuel” or ATP. When you make more cell fuel you help to support:Weight Managment by promoting THERMOGENESIS Greater Endurance for both athletes and tired people Fat Metabolism Nerve Function Insulin Sensitivity Brain Function Healthy Aging.” Thanks, LesleyI am not sure this is a good place for advertising. Consumption of supplements in not encouraged here unless it is B-12 of Vitamin D.Thanks for sharing, Leslie. I don’t see any links to your comments so not sure exactly what the study is, at any rate looks like animal data so it is hard to based day-to-day choices off animal studies. I agree with 2tsaybow’s comment that the only main supplement needed are B12 and Vitamin D. B12 is super important. Check out Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations for more information, if interested.Thanks again, JosephDr Greger, I would be willing to be a test subject of a vegan diet. I have been vegan 3 yrs. I am 60.Hey, broken1. We do not conduct clinical trials but you can always share your stories, what works for you, what didn’t, what foods you feel give you the best boost of energy, etc, etc! That would be great and super helpful for others who may be trying to eat more plant-based.Thanks, JosephHey thanks Joseph for your reply and time. I do relate to others I talk with at my grocery store about eating a plant base diet. And many people respond positively. My produce friend call me the organic vegan guy. They know my name, but I like the nickname. I guess I should keep a journal. Maybe one day my kids will benefit from it. Namaste.Sure is confusing when you have people like Dr. Permultter and Dr. Wahls advocating paelo/grain free and even ketogenic disease for those with autoimmune, neurological, and other serious diseases based on their own experience or treating patients.Selma, Agree, there are a lot of conflicting opinions out there, which is why for me, as a sciencey-person, I always come back to not opinions, but the evidence (here’s a fave video about that). Who’s published their results? Who’s citing evidence rather than their opinions? One thing I love about NutritionFacts.org (and why I volunteer for the site) is that it’s not-for-profit and all references are listed (under “Sources Cited” tab).I failed to find any clinical studies published by Dr. Perlmutter but found one published study by Dr. Wahls-to the contrary of what I thought I knew about her work, her study showed the positive effects of veggies on the fatigue associated with MS. Also, the effect of a diet that is helpful is usually evident to the person eating it within 1-3 weeks. That’s pretty quick. So we should not be afraid to do our own experiments and find what makes us feel best :)Exactly what I planned on doing…for just a month, trying out a WFPB diet over 5 years ago. In 3 weeks no more diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, on and on. Needless to say, I never looked back. There would be NO controversy if people would just give the diet in question a fair trial. I also eventually lost half my body weight too, but the original goal was to nix another round of pharmaceuticals and stop disease progression, I was already taking 12 meds and hadn’t even reached 60 yet. Needless to say, they are all history now, including narcotics for severe arthritis, fibromyalgia. and back issues. I never did have to get the knee or hip replacement they were scheduling me for either. I am soooo thankful I finally learned the truth and the ADA should be ashamed of themselves, seriously. Their “healthy diet” is a sham for diabetics…it may maintain the disease in a “better” way, but it didn’t come close to eliminating or reversing it like a WFPB diet did!Great to hear about your healthy choices, Charzie! So glad you’re feeling better :)People are having a hard time with round up poisoned wheat that is GMO garbage. It is ruinous. So many people on paleo (not atkins or soth beach) are much healthier with no allergies and no diabetic problems. Doctors besides the few like DR OZ, now being harassed for his honesty, are concerned with the money they get from pharmas and not our health.Having looked at the abstract for the source article, I am unclear about what seems to me to be a significant point. Dr. Greger wrote, “[Fleming] He then put them all on a healthy vegetarian diet”; later he (Dr. Greger) refers to “the veg group.” So what exactly was the diet of the Treatment Group? A ‘vegetarian diet”–even a “healthy” one–is usually defined as one that excludes flesh foods but not dairy &/or eggs. Is *that* what the treatment group ate? If so, that’s different than what Dr. Greger recommends and what many of us follow–specifically, a vegan diet. Could someone with access to the full article (hint, hint, Joseph!) clarify what the Treatment Group’s diet comprised? Thanks.I may have spoke to this further down in the thread. If you cannot find please let me know. Thanks, throrn324So what do we do continue eating high fat and moderate carbohydrates?If that is something you want to try I suggest checking out the Eco-Atkins diet by Dr. David Jenkins. Dr. Greger shows a video about low-carb plant-based diets. I do not necessarily recommend it because I have seen excellent clinical results from a strict plant based diet: A multicenter randomized controlled trial of a plant-based nutrition program to reduce body weight and cardiovascular risk in the corporate setting: the GEICO study.Good luck whatever you choose! Let me know if you want more info. Dr. Greger explains in his book, “Carbophobia”, the importance and healthfulness of carbohydrates (unrefined whole grains). I highly recommend skimming through the resources on this blog they are super helpful! Thanks again for your post.Because they do not raise blood glucose levels in diabetics.http://authoritynutrition.com/low-carb-diets-and-cholesterol/What about this article?Hey Justin. It looks like there are no available citations so I am not sure. our site offers all citations and information free of charge. Let me know if you have other questions.Best regards, JosephThanks doctor! I follow the Weston A Price Foundation for nutritional and lifestyle advise for most things, everyone has their own hobbies and likes for things though. I eat lots of grass fed beef, organic chicken, and takes fermented cod liver oil and high vitamin butter oil everyday! Along with lots of butter from kerrygold. I also drink raw milk, eat raw cheese, raw pastured egg yolks and cooked egg whites. I have a total cholesterol of 241 HDL of 104 LDL of 128 VLDL of 9 and TRIGLYCERIDES of 43 which is outstanding ratios and numbers. I have recently wanted to go low carb but am scared to now but my HbA1C was 5.6 and my glucose was 83 all the tests listed above were from over a year and a half ago now. Haven’t wanted to go back to get tested!Hi Justin, you might want to look into the studies that are being done by nutritional scientists. This website is a good starting point. There is also the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine website. Its is PCRM.org.I am not a registered dietitian like Joseph but when I began having problems with my blood sugar I started to rethink my day to day diet and I’ve found that a whole food plant based diet really made be feel better. I hope you spend some time here and watch many of the videos that Dr. Greger has made. My favorite ones are his annual presentations. If you have a chance watch From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseased with Food. I think it is the best one.Good luck and good healthI know of a person who religiously follows Dr. Mercola. Joe is very well known for what he does, but it now seems that he is at opposite ends of the spectrum that Michael is touting. I will stay with Dr. Greger and the science that he so generously gives us. But, what about Mercola and this article? It’s entitled: They Just Made This Stuff Up and Most of Us Believe Ithttp://everlast.mercola.com/r/?id=h397b0daf%2c8eeab6d%2c9242368&et_cid=DM75661&et_rid=964365743Hi John. I am not sure about Mercola I do not know him if you have any questions related to the research we provide here (or have some of your own you’d found) let’s discuss! I could spend hours reading nutrition articles and giving you my “take” but I’d rather focus on the research :-) Sounds ok?Dr Greger, I’m a 30-year Type I diabetic on Dr Bernstein’s lowcarb diet for glycemic control – my HbAic is 5.3%. However, my coronary artery calcium score is zero. My doc tries hard to persuade me I’m digging my grave with my teeth, just like you, but my experience suggests you are gravely misguided. Were I to embrace your advice, my HbA1c would return to near 8% as it was on the ADA low fat diet and I would once more be at extreme risk of diabetic complications.Hey Jonathan. Please eat what you feel is best. I will say that the ADA diet is useful, as well as a strict plant based diet for lowering A1c. From Dr. Barnard’s research, study participants received either a low-fat vegan diet or a typical diet for diabetes and found significant changes in weight loss and insulin levels. Dr. Greger presents the study in this video. Good luck with your diet I commend you for lowering your A1c.I am trying to find Carbophobia that is now available online full-text at AtkinsFacts.org. Unable to locate it. Help please.That link IS the book ;-) You can read page for page on the link you supplied, or check out this free PDF.That link IS the book ;-) You can read page for page on the link you supplied, or check out this free PDF.Interesting –So you quote a single old study from 15 years ago on 26 patients using SPECT , the limitations of that era that we are all aware of. How is it that no one has have done a follow up to see if the results could be replicated? Or have they and just never published because they didn’t? One will never know since there is no way of checking. But with the popularity of low carb diets since 2000, one would clearly have expected this to have been done many times over since it would bypass all of those risk markers such as LDL,HDL,,LDL particle size, CRP, etc. and get right at the “heart” of the question.Then you point out more recent sutuidies that dramatically show a low carb diet causes heart disease to progress. From the alarm of them one would expect people on low carb diets to be dropping like flies due to their CAD.And then to further show how bad low carb diets really are you reference a study that shows overall mortality is increased (RR 1.3) in those on a low carb diet . Of course RR is a pretty slippery statisitic. For example, statins are advertised to reduce risk by 33% but if you look at the package insert of any of them and look at the data upon which that number is based you will find that the absolute risk reduction is just 1% over 3 years (i.e. in the treated group of people at high risk for vascular diasease only 2 out of 100 had an event while in the placebo group 3 out of a 100 had). So that means out of every 100 people taking a statin for 3 years, 99 of them will not have had any benefit.But the main concern I have is that you fail to point out that in that very large meta analysis (272,216 patients) that the mortality and incidence of CAD was not statistically different. And to me those are the real hard end points in any study.So on the one hand you are using data from various imaging studies to prove that low carb diets cause CAD to either devlop or progress, but ont the other the study that shows the real hard endpoint, ie. incidence or mortality from CAD does not.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3096634/Why-butter-eggs-won-t-kill-Flawed-science-triggers-U-turn-cholesterol-fears.htmlnew science says cholesterol is not a bad thing at all. Our bodies NEED it, our brains NEED it, that is why our bodies make it. Giving up sugar is what helped me…and sugar is grains too.” that is why our bodies make it.” … that is why you don’t need to get cholesterol from the diet. We also need water but consuming too much can kill you. These simplistic arguments about cholesterol which you have found are half truths at best and seriously misleading at worst. Be very cautious about people claiming there is “new science” on nutrition and health which real scientists, researchers and physicians are unaware of … two and two still make four whatever the diet book infomercials and promoters may say.I have had issues with carbohydrate addiction for a long time. I am morbidly overweight at this point. When I fast for a day or two…I detox from the carbs and I feel extremely better. I am also able to control my carb intake. In my experience now and in the past (I lost more that 50 pounds twice in my lifetime) I find reducing my starchy and sugary carbs helps me to take control of my weigh loss. I have other issues to deal with also…such as motivation, exercise, chronic health issues, etc..Good for you keep it up! if you want more information about how whole grains and other healthful carbohydrates let me know. Motivation is hard to find for everyone! We must find what we love doing in regards to physical activity and perhaps look for that “greater purpose in life” to help build our self esteem. Social support is also key. Best to you.http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/former-omaha-doctor-faces-possible-sanctions-for-fraud/article_04877e84-3dda-11df-a936-001cc4c03286.html?mobile_touch=true​“the best science we have,” LOL.I agree some people may have carbophobina. But what about cholesterolophobia?Namely, cholesterol does not cause heart disease. Never did.And secondly, even if it did (but 50 % of people who get heart attack have normal or even low cholesterol levels which shows that it does not matter what your cholesterol level is), it is not ingesting (dietary) cholesterol that raises your (blood) cholesterol. It is ingesting sugar, too many carbs and inflammatory foods. So even if you go out of your way to stretch the truth and interpret it the way you set out to interpret it, i.e., distorted, LC diets do not cause heart disease, at least they didn’t cause it those 5-6 million years when humans were eating mostly meat and fats.Meanwhile, there hasn’t been one single vegan society in the whole human history. Not one, ever. And there isn’t one now. because without animal fats, you can’t procreate. This is what happens when you pretend to be smarter than Mother nature.Is there a study showing that without animal fats you cannot procreate? Interesting! Please eat what you feel is best we do not promote one diet over another. Based on the research cholesterol does not appear to have a lower limit so I am not following that logic. Anyway, we many be in a bit of a disagreement about optimal cholesterol levels but that doesn’t mean we cannot have a civil conversation about the research. Thanks for you comments, Tomorrow.“He then put them all on a healthy vegetarian diet” – biased much?Did you see the research on plant-based Atkin’s diet? If interested, here is a video on a low-carb plant-based diet. I do not necessarily recommend it because I have seen excellent clinical results from a strict plant based diet higher in carbohydrates and lower in fat, but still this ‘eco-atkins’ type of diet shows that perhaps animal fat is very different from plant fat.Yes, I’m in correspondence with many who have successfully followed this approach. I however question any diet that requires supplementation and/or requirement of specialized non-local foods to sustain health. Most animal species get along just fine without any specialized supplementation. If they were unable to do so, they would have long since become extinct.Total non-sense. Reduced blood flow ? Of course, the lowering of sugar, not the increase of protein or fat, causes a settling and leveling of your entire body. Eat some sugar its like adding gas to the BBQ Stop being a vegan activities , We can all see how sickly our vegan friends are .My name is Diana, I am here to give my testimony about a doctor who helped me in my life. I was infected with CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE in 2010, i went to many hospitals for cure but there was no solution, so I was thinking how can I get a solution out so that my body can be okay. One day I was in the river side thinking where I can go to get solution. so a lady walked to me telling me why am I so sad and i open up all to her telling her my problem, she told me that she can help me out, she introduce me to a doctor who uses herbal medication to cure CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE and gave me his email, so i mail him. He told me all the things I need to do and also give me instructions to take, which I followed properly. Before I knew what is happening after four weeks the CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE that was in my body got cured . so if you are also heart broken and also need a help, you can also email him at ogboduherbalhivcure@gmail.com OR ogboduspellhome@gmail.com OR ogboduherbalhome@hotmail.com .After seeing the article on plant based atkins, I did 6 days straight on it, using nuts and seeds and greens and 6 oz of berries, the results were spectacular. Lost 12 lbs. It had the added benefit of lowering my overnight blood sugar from 140 to 102 with in 3 days. The problem is it is boring and I had very little energy. However, my goal was to burn out the ceramides that had accumulated in the muscles by forcing my body to become a fat burner. Once the ceramides that blocked the absorption of sugar into them were cleaned out, it was possible to convert to a high carb low fat vegan diet. Ceramides are formed when you consume fats – mainly palmitic acid in a high insulin environment. Eating too much fructose even from fruit – usually more for women- can cause issues. If your liver’s glycogen stores are already full, then the fructose will be converted to fat which can then form ceramides in a high insulin environment. Banana girl suggesting women should be smashing in 1000 calories smoothies, have led many women including my daughter and daughter in law to gain weight. And when it happens, banana girl said it is from past metabolic damage. No it is just they are exceeding their liver’s storage and creating ceramides. My daughter and daughter in law continued to have issues after quitting the diet, but after putting them on the plant based atkins diet for six days to burn out the ceramides, they are now able to drop weight eating normally. In summation, before starting any hclf diet, I recommend that everyone do a plant based atkins to burn out the ceramides first and also only eat fruit on an empty stomach and limit fruit consumption at any one time to 500 calories for women and 800 for men.	abdominal fat,animal protein,Atkins diet,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chemotherapy,cholesterol,cocaine,Dr. Richard Fleming,fat,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,longevity,low-carb diets,mortality,paleolithic diets,plant protein,plant-based diets,prehistoric diets,protein,Twinkies,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22905670,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11108325,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23372809,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23294905,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22850317,
PLAIN-20	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/	How Curry Can Kill Cancer Cells	It is estimated that the human body consists of ten or so trillion cells. Almost all of these cells get turned over within approximately 100 days. That means we’re like a new person every three months. We reinvent ourselves physically. And since we’re physically made of air, water, and food—those are essentially the only inputs—we are what we eat, literally and physically. In a sense our body has to rebuild itself every three months with the building materials we deliver to it through our stomach. Our mouths are like the access road to the continual construction site of our body. Trucks roll in three times a day. What do we want them to deliver? Some shoddy cheap stuff we scrounged around for or bought at the discount outlets that’s just going to fall apart? Or do we want to build our foundation solid? We are each walking inside the greatest known architectural structures in the universe. Let’s not ruin such grand blueprints by consuming junk. We only own the biological real estate we’re born with, so if we need to rebuild every three months, we also need a wrecking crew. If we’re replacing ten trillion cells every hundred days, that means we have to kill off about 100 billion cells every day. Out with the old, in with the new. We do that primarily through “apoptosis,” pre-programmed cell death (from the Greek ptosis, meaning “falling”, and apo, “away from”). For example, we all used to have webbed fingers and toes. Literally. Each one of us did in the womb until about four months, when apoptosis kicked in, and the cells in the webbing kill themselves off to separate our fingers. However, some cells overstay their welcome: cancer cells. They don’t die when they’re supposed to by somehow turning off their suicide genes. What can we do about that? Well, one of the ways the yellow pigment in curry powder kills cancer cells is by reprogramming the self-destruct mechanism back into cancer cells. Let me just run through one of these pathways. FAS is a so-called death receptor that activates the FAS associated death domain, death receptor five, and death receptor four. The FADD associated death domain then activates caspase-8, which “ignites the death machine,” and kills the cell. (To see the diagram of the pathway, go to my video Turmeric Curcumin Reprogramming Cancer Cell Death). Where does curry powder fit into all this? In cancer cells, curcumin, the pigment in the spice turmeric that makes curry powder yellow, upregulates and activates death receptors (as shown in human kidney cancer cells, skin cancer cells, and nose and throat cancer cells). Curcumin can also activate the death machine directly (as shown in lung cancer and colon cancer). Caspases are so-called “executioner enzymes,” that when activated, destroy the cancer cell from within by chopping up proteins left and right—kind of like death by a thousand cuts. And that’s just one pathway. Curcumin can also affect apoptosis in a myriad other ways, affecting a multitude of different types of cancer cells. It also tends to leave normal cells alone for reasons that are not fully understood. Overall, researchers “showed that curcumin can kill a wide variety of tumor cell types through diverse mechanisms. And because curcumin can affect numerous mechanisms of cell death at the same time, it’s possible that cancer cells may not easily develop resistance to curcumin-induced cell death like they do to most chemotherapy.” For more on turmeric and cancer, check out Back to Our Roots: Curry and Cancer and Carcinogen Blocking Effects of Turmeric. Other herbs and spices such as garlic and amla have similar selective effects against cancer cell (See #1 Anticancer Vegetable and Some Ayurvedic Medicine Worse than Lead Paint Exposure). I talk more about this concept of “apoptosis,” programmed cell death in: What else can turmeric do? Here’s the videos I have so far (with more on the way!): 	This is fascinating stuff. Thanks for all your videos and articles, which keep me motivated to stay away from SAD. Bring on the curry, sambar, shiro, and other yummy turmeric laden peasant foods.Check out this simple turmeric concoction. I dissolve it into sauces and dressings and use it with steamed-sauteed vegetables. http://eatandbeatcancer.com/2012/12/06/anti-cancer-recipes-how-to-make-turmeric-more-potent-and-tasty/Curcumin is also a powerful anti-cancer property for pets. Dr. Leilani Alvarez explains: http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/blog/dietary-recommendations-cancer-recovery-dogs-cats/I’ve been adding a small 1.5 inch piece of raw turmeric root to my juice that I make each day. Does juicing it raw provide the same benefits as eating it from spice/curry form?I would think so, but from what I can tell these studies are conducted on dried powders. Sometimes dried herbs and spices can be more concentrated, but that doesn’t mean the root (the direct source) would be a bad choice and I would expect the benefits from juicing turmeric root.Thanks – hopefully the benefit is there. If you find any more details or have an idea on if I should use more please let me know.No problem! Thanks to Julie for finding the video that I could not! Looks like fresh is fine :)JG, Dr Greger’s video, “Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin”, answers your question. Fresh and dried turmeric both increase the absorption of curcumin. Eating fat with turmeric increases the bioavailability even further. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/Perfect, maybe I’ll add a pinch of black pepper to my juice as well. Thanks Julie!The raw turmeric helps with inflammation, but heat treated turmeric has DNA strand protecting benefits that the raw does not. Gregor had a video on that. Try to cook with it too and get the best of both worlds.Yes, I agree with Ben. I personally add fresh turmeric to my green smoothies and add turmeric powder to my food (esp when cooking millet and rice etc).No it doesn’t JG. Turmeric/Curcumin is not highly bioavailable by itself and it needs to be consumed with pepper or a fat for the body to properly use it. Blend a juice from turmeric and coconut milk.Hi Aqiyl. I also include two tablespoons of fine ground flaxseed to my juice, maybe the fat from there would help. Good idea, though to use coconut milk as part of a base for the juice or maybe do that in a smoothie instead.You might want to try the smoothie recipe: I call it my “brain body energizer. :) http://www.naturallifeenergy.com/goji-berry-curcumin-juice/Fascinating. No doubt that a mostly plant based diet is the best. Are there any known serious downsides to curcumin? We have no problem recommending B12, vitamin D and selenium as a supplement. Would anybody here recommend curcumin as a supplement? Michael? Joseph? Dr Dynamic? Others?Hmm not sure. As you probably know, Dr. Greger mentions who should not consume turmeric. I think if someone refuses to use the spice in cooking than perhaps taking a supplement (or a capsule full of turmeric) would be a good option. I just shoot a few tsps of turmeric powder into my mouth when I remember and call it a “supplement” but I don’t use the curcumin supplements and I have not recommend them.Actually, our very own vegan Dr. Mcdougall has flat out sad that vitamin D supplements are harmful and should be avoided. He put it in writing.I’m wondering if green tea or other plant polyphenols have quite the same capacity, since my immune system is unfortunately overreactive to turmeric. Also fasting seems to be very beneficial for a wide array of chronic health issues including cancer. Lately I’ve been playing with fasting/green tea combo, it feels good, natural and easy..Green tea has so many benefits I could write a book here! Check out Dr. Greger’s resources. Polyphenols are very important. The first video discusses how juicing our fruit may remove these important polyphenols. So yes if you cannot do turmeric there are so many other plant-foods that exhibit similar roles.That first paragraph is now my new email signature.While it may be true that cumin, turmeric kill cancer cells, it’s because they are toxic chemicals. Unfortunately, anything that will kill cancer cells will also kill healthy cells. BTW, these substances do not act on living cells. It’s the other way around as these substances are not under any type of intelligent control unlike the living body. They are just dumb chemicals.In his video, Dr. Greger says ” And here’s all the different types of cancer cells curcumin can kill, but it tends to leave normal cells alone for reasons that are not fully understood. Overall, this review showed that curcumin can kill a wide variety of tumor cell types through diverse mechanisms.” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/Do you avoid all spices and most herbs? I partly agree with your logic. Spices are not meant to be ingested by humans. But what do you think of garlic and chives and onions? Are these act like toxic chemicals also? You avoid these?I don’t understand why spices aren’t meant to be ingested by humans? They are plants with biological properties, like any other, and have been shown to have so many benefits over time. I realize everything is made up of chemicals, but toxins implies something that would poison and harm…we’ve been using them for eons for their benefits. What am I missing?This is just my opinion, but the spices have inherent properties that kill things. They are a flavoring. Sure, they have positive attributes, when someone is sick. Not everyday or weekly substances to put in our bodies, in my opinion.Don’t be fooled by the ‘natural’ argument. Arsenic is natural but it will kill you. The truth of the matter is that technically you don’t want anything in or on your body that has a pharmacological result only nutritional. For that reason, most of your so called herbs are toxic and should be avoided. They are just unrefined drugs. People not knowing any better, have died from herbs and supplements so be careful! Just because some company puts something in a jar or tube and tells you how great it is, you should be ever vigilant. The reason drugs seemed to “work” IS BECAUSE THEY ARE TOXIC! If you body is having an acute or chronic disease process and you take ‘x’ and the dis ease goes away, what’s really happened is your subconscious brain has to stop the dis ease repair / detox process and now attempt to neutralize whatever poison you’ve just ingested or rubbed into your skin as that becomes a higher priority because you’ve just poisoned yourself and that’s a threat to survival. So what should you do when you don’t feel good? Go to bed! Allow the dis ease to run it’s course and you’ll be fine. Then you need to figure out what it is you’ve done that’s making the dis ease necessary in the first place and eliminate whatever that may be.Sorry but your “logic” escapes me. Food is medicine, as per Hippocrates, all plants or anything we ingest have pharmacological effects…Nutrition has pharmacological effects! Certainly not everything is beneficial, but the dose makes the poison, assigning a label like “toxic” to plants traditionally used to heal is arbitrary and meaningless in your example. Should we avoid plants with oxalates, phytic acid, or any number of “toxins” when we know they also have benefits? Do you do a chemical assay of everything you ingest and know just how it affects your biology? Your theory of disease is pretty um, interesting too. So if you breathe pollution and get lung cancer, you can just blame yourself and go to bed? Okay.With all due respect – Ideally you only want to ingest substances that have nutritional results, i.e. convertible to living matter. Fruit is at the top of that list. And no dose does not make the poison. That’s a ridiculous medical concept. A substance is either a food OR a poison, poison defined as not convertible to living cells, therefore whatever it is is an irritant. As for dose, a poison is a poison regardless of dose – if it’s a small dose, it’s a small amount of poison; if it’s a large amount, it’s a large amount of poison. Plants don’t heal anything, only the living organism can do that, but because what you’re referring to is symptom suppression, yes certain plants with pharmacological effects do indeed suppress symptoms but since acute and chronic symptoms are RIGHT ACTION completely under the control and direction of the subconscious brain, suppressing symptoms would be like if you had to defecate but instead of voiding you stuck a cork up your rectum to stop the “symptom”. And yes we should avoid plants with phytic and oxalic acids or, at the least should minimize them. Yes spinach, kale and chard have lots of nutrients but they also have oxalic acid so it should not be dietary staple. You can get all the same mineral benefits from romaine lettuce without the oxalic acid. I have had patients with lung difficulties that, as a part of their health remediation process, MOVED from where they were living where air pollution was high to places with clean air because it was important enough to them to do that. They understood that health is only produced by healthful living.I don’t make the rules, Mother Nature does. One of the rules is that whatever substance you’re referring to, if you cannot make a mono meal off of it, it’s not really a food for us. If you attempted to eat nothing but curry or cumin, you would be in for a rude awakening. Unfortunately garlic, contrary to popular belief, is definitely toxic and some of its chemical components are used in chemical warheads. Onions, of course, is what tear gas is made from so it’s an irritant too. Surely you’ve chopped into an onion and had some of the volatile gases get into the air and into your eyes. I’m not saying I don’t like their flavor, I do, but what we’re discussing here is if they are toxic or not. Having said all the above, the good news is that if you’re going to cheat with garlic and onions, if you sauteed them, much of their volatile gases are cooked off so they are not nearly as toxic to you as when eaten raw. Just don’t stick your head over the pan when sauteing as you will choke. When used in warfare, these chemicals when breathed in cause blistering of the lungs and death by suffocation within probably less than a minute. Pretty gruesome huh.I do avoid most spices. I use a little oregano and garlic salt in stir frys and I use to use red pepper but like salt, it’s majorly toxic and was actually causing dis ease symptoms. Since eliminating pepper, I no longer have the symptoms so it’s worth it! I eliminated salt years ago as well as the other ‘whites’ – white flour, refined sugar, dairy, refined rice.Most lack of eases people experience are due to what they put in their bodies, other lifestyle factors and not caused by viruses, bacteria and other things too small to see. As long as one lives within our biological limitations and dictates, experiencing dis eases becomes rare. I began my journey into conscious living 27 years ago and can honestly say that I have not taken even as much as an aspirin since. So with the exception of a couple of recoverable accidents and routine dental cleanings, I have not been a very good medical customer. All my adult life, I have never had health insurance. The few accidents I’ve had, I paid for services out of my pocket. Perhaps I’ve been lucky but I do try to be careful when doing things that could be dangerous.Dr Jack, with very little respect, you are a goof. Turmeric and cumin, onions and garlic have been consumed multiple times daily across the vast reaches of India, Asia and Africa with only beneficial effects. Eat what you will but keep your harmful nonsense to yourself.Another good curcumin read. I still drink mine in a cup of green tea with a dash of black pepper. That way I don’t have to add it to a food dish every day.Just noticed Frontine is doing a familiar story tonight. “The spread of pathogens in chicken” and why the food safety hasn’t stopped it.They must be getting ideas from watching Dr G’s videos…:)So what is the right way to eat turmeric powder? Do we add it to the oil or do we add it to the preparation without frying in oil? I use turmeric powder everyday and use it both ways. I use it in my dals where I add it to the water directly, while in vegetable preparations I sometimes add it to the oil. So what is the right method. Thx.Hi Joseph Gonzales, do you think Doctor Greger could comment about the effects of curcumin on Amyloid Protein in the brain?? Clinical Psychiatrist Dr Tim Jennings of http://www.comeandreason.com has alot to say about this and its benefitsWyman – Please if you are putting in a link – link to the article/video you are referencing not to the home page with no way to know where what you are talking about is. Thanks.I eat turmeric almost every day. It’s one of my treatment. I think it’s working very well for me. No any side effects, I feel better and better everyday. I’m so glad that I didn’t choose chemo and radiation to treat my cancer. Thank you so much Dr. Greger. People live with knowledge, I believe that the knowledge Dr. Gregor teach us, not only for prevent the diseases,it’s also treating the diseases. Only key is don’t give up, just keep up, god bless everyone!Jojo, I am using turmeric to treat breast cancer. I, too, am not using conventional medicine. Did you elect to have surgery!Whats the best way to eat turmeric, in powder form or fresh root form and how much a day?I’d like to know if Turmeric Powder is just fine to consume for the benefits or do we need to consume Curcumin Extract Powder Standardized to contain 95% Curcuminoids,no body is talking about this and I think it’s pretty important when it comes to consuming Turmeric.Any body have any thoughts on this?Dennis, I have not found any research papers on turmeric vs. curcumin extract. Those that sell curcumn extract make a convincing sales pitch, that’s for sure. However my own personal experiences with turmeric over this past year has proved to me that my body responds well to it. I receive a definite benefit from daily consumption of turmeric and have documented and tested the results to my satisfaction.Yup, been consuming 3 teaspoons fresh turmeric powder with black pepper, almost daily, for about a year. I miss some days but pretty consistent. I have stopped for a week at a time to test results. It’s all subjective, but I find that I am very flexible, no sore muscles, no joint aches, when I’m on it. I run and lift weights, and at 62 if I don’t take turmeric daily, with my strenuous workouts, I get sore and achy. With turmeric i feel great, like back in my 30’s. I’m also taking it for prostate cancer prevention along with many other natural clean foods; so far so good – no tumors. All the men in my family have died from it, so I’m pretty extreme with my eating; natural foods are medicine for me. Thank you Dr. Greger for all your work. I’ve pulled many, many tips from your web site and worked them into my cancer beat down food protocol. Blessings to you and family.Dr. Greger, this article is right on time for me. I am gathering information on cell replacement. Different sources give different times for cell regeneration for different cells. Red bloods are replaced around every three months, but are bone cells completely replaced in 3 months? Also, why do scars remain when skin cells are replaced. Thank you in advance.Here is a study worth reading: http://data.tapintegrative.org/news/jnsv-curcumin-study.pdf	aging,cancer,carcinogens,cell death,chemotherapy,colon cancer,colon health,curcumin,curry powder,kidney cancer,kidney health,lung cancer,lung health,medications,nasal cavity cancer,pregnancy,skin cancer,skin health,spices,supplements,throat cancer,throat health,turmeric,water	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15987718,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23466484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9894605,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11716543,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20576468,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17201158,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19590964,
PLAIN-21	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/	Testing Turmeric on Smokers	Researchers are becoming increasingly aware of “plant-derived substances that act as chemopreventive agents.” Chemopreventatives are substances that help prevent cancer, as opposed to chemotherapy agents aimed at treating cancer. These plant-derived substances are not only inexpensive, they are also easily available and may have no or limited toxicity. Since 1987, the National Cancer Institute has tested more than a thousand different potential agents for chemopreventive activity, of which only a few dozen were moved to clinical trials. Curcumin, present in the Indian spice, turmeric, which is used in curry powder, is one such agent currently under clinical investigation for cancer chemoprevention. According to their mode of action, chemopreventive agents are classified into different subgroups: antiproliferatives, antioxidants, or carcinogen-blockers. Curcumin belongs to all three, given its multiple mechanisms of action. Curcumin appears to play a role helping to block every stage of cancer transformation, proliferation, and invasion, and may even help before carcinogens even get to our cells. A study back in 1987, highlighted in my video, Carcinogen Blocking Effects of Turmeric,  investigated the effects of curcumin on the mutagenicity (DNA mutating ability) of several toxins and found that curcumin was an effective antimutagen against several environmental and standard mutagenic and cancer-causing substances. However, this was in vitro (from the Latin meaning “in glass,” as in a test tube or petri dish). What about in people? We can’t just take a group of people and expose them to some nasty carcinogen so we can give half of them turmeric and see what happens. We could wait until some toxic waste spill happens or nuclear accident, but otherwise, how could researchers find people who would voluntarily expose themselves to carcinogens—unless, they smoke! That’s why researchers test antimutagenic agents on smokers, who have carcinogens coursing through their veins every day. If smokers pee on some bacteria, the number of DNA mutations shoot up dramatically. Remember, all life is encoded by DNA, whether bacteria, banana, or bunny rabbit. (When measuring urinary mutagens, it’s easier to just pee on some bacteria.) The urine of nonsmokers caused far fewer DNA mutations. It makes sense: nonsmokers have fewer chemicals running through their system. If we have nonsmokers eat some turmeric for a month, nothing really happens. But what if we do the same for smokers? In just fifteen days the mutagenic potential of their urine noticeably decreases, and it drops even more by day 30. The turmeric the researchers used was not some concentrated curcumin supplement, but just plain turmeric you might buy at the store. They also used less than a teaspoon of turmeric a day, indicating that dietary turmeric is an effective anti-mutagen. However, in the same study the researchers found an even more effective anti-mutagen: not smoking. Even after eating turmeric for a month, the DNA-damaging power of smoker pee exceeded that of nonsmokers. To find out more, check out Back to Our Roots: Curry and Cancer and Turmeric Curcumin Reprogramming Cancer Cell Death. Other foods that may protect DNA include kiwifruit (Kiwifruit and DNA Repair), cruciferous vegetables (DNA Protection from Broccoli), leafy vegetables (Eating Green to Prevent Cancer), garlic (Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids), green tea (Cancer, Interrupted: Green Tea), but which is better? (Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea), and plants in general (Repairing DNA Damage). Smokers are common research subjects for carcinogen studies. But other groups of people following similar lifestyles are used. For example, see what happens to carcinogen levels when those eating processed meat start eating vegetarian in my video Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine. 	Dr. Greger, is there a comparison between the urine of non-smokers eating turmeric regularly and that of non-smokers who don’t consume turmeric regularly? Thanks.Hi Mario. Yes, I think that is what this study, Effect of turmeric on urinary mutagens in smokers looked at. Researchers found no difference in urinary excretion of mutagens from non-smokers. Concluding “dietary turmeric is an effective anti-mutagen and it may be useful in chemoprevention.”I meant to post this to you so you could have Dr. Greger look into this. It’s a big deal, apparently. Hopkins, as you know, one of the most reputable medical institutions on Earth. If not “the” most.The Johns Hopkins Lupus Center has recently listed garlic as a food to be avoided by persons diagnosed with lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE).I saw it circulating on the internet. Not sure if true, as I did not see any actual research. Want to call the lupus center and ask them? That is my best thought.Of the thousand possible chemopreventive agents tested by the National Cancer Institute, what are the others, besides turmeric, that were effective enough to be moved to clinical trials?It seems like there are many. One I found on grape seed extract, but this paper discusses Progress in cancer chemoprevention: development of diet-derived chemopreventive agents. Maybe that can help.Yes, thank you very much!Off topic, but important for animal rights! Please sign this petition to tell congress to support the AWARE act to end the horrific animal cruelty at the USDA. http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16552As an ex-smoker I was very interested in turmeric. However, I ran across a study- Lung tumor promotion by curcumin, (june 2009) which suggest that curcumin actually promotes lung tumors in smokers and ex smokers. Therefore, I have stayed away from it. Has there been any recent studys which suggest different results? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2691137/That’s a government site, who do you trust when government talks about GDP, GDP economic benefits when people are sick, therefore become dependent on a system of sickness till death, when you pay for it from your earnings.Good find. I read the abstract and it appears it is a mouse study, so until there are human data I don’t think there is much concern for smokers using turmeric.The Johns Hopkins Lupus Center has recently listed garlic as a food to be avoided by persons diagnosed with lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE).Dr. Greger, this article reminds me of an email exchange that you and I had once. In that email, I asked about the efficacy of the Alcat test, which takes your blood and exposes it in vials to 150 foods and watches the reaction. Those for which your white blood cells show a stronger reaction are then suggested to be ones to avoid. You didn’t have any particular thoughts about the test. Is the acceptance of testing like this on the rise?The recommended amount of any substance is rarely mentioned if at all in these studies.I read the help and/or cure of cancer but never emphysema. Why?What is the recommended dosage of turmeric for a 175lb smoker?What is the recommended dosage of turmeric for a 175lb smoker?	antioxidants,cancer,carcinogens,chemotherapy,curcumin,curry powder,DNA damage,India,metastases,National Cancer Institute,oxidative stress,smoking,spices,tobacco,turmeric	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/http:/nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1579064,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23466484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3623345,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19721899,
PLAIN-22	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	Why are Cancer Rates so Low in India?	It is estimated that many tumors start around the age of 20. However, detection of cancer is normally around the age of 50 or later. Thus, it takes cancer decades to incubate. Why does it take so long? Recent studies indicate that in any given type of cancer, hundreds of different genes must be modified to change a normal cell into a cancer cell. Although cancers are characterized by the dysregulation of cell signaling pathways at multiple steps, most current anticancer therapies involve the modulation of a single target. Chemotherapy has gotten incredibly specific, but the ineffectiveness, lack of safety, and high cost of these monotargeted therapies has led to real disappointment, and drug companies are now trying to develop chemo drugs that take a multitargeted approach. Many plant-based products, however, accomplish multitargeting naturally and are inexpensive and safe compared to drugs. However, because drug companies are not usually able to secure intellectual property rights to plants, the development of plant-based anticancer therapies has not been prioritized. They may work (and work better for all we know), and they may be safer, or even fully risk free. If we were going to choose one plant-based product to start testing, we might choose curcumin, the pigment in the spice turmeric (the reason curry powder looks yellow). Before we start throwing money at research, we might want to ask some basic questions, like “Do populations that eat a lot of turmeric have lower cancer rates?” The incidence of cancer does appear to be significantly lower in regions where turmeric is heavily consumed. Population-based data indicate that some extremely common cancers in the Western world are much less prevalent in regions where turmeric is widely consumed in the diet. For example, “overall cancer rates are much lower in India than in western countries.”  U.S. men get 23 times more prostate cancer than men in India. Americans get between 8 and 14 times the rate of melanoma, 10 to 11 times more colorectal cancer, 9 times more endometrial cancer, 7 to 17 times more lung cancer, 7 to 8 times more bladder cancer, 5 times more breast cancer, and 9 to 12 times more kidney cancer. This is not mere 5, 10, or 20 percent more, but 5, 10, or 20 times more. Hundreds of percent more breast cancer, thousands of percent more prostate cancer—differences even greater than some of those found in the China Study. The researchers in this study, highlighted in my video Back to Our Roots: Curry and Cancer, conclude: “Because Indians account for one-sixth of the world’s population, and have some of the highest spice consumption in the world, epidemiological studies in this country have great potential for improving our understanding of the relationship between diet and cancer. The lower rates of cancer may, of course, not be due to higher spice intake. Several dietary factors may contribute to the low overall rate of cancer in India. Among them are a “relatively low intake of meat and a mostly plant-based diet, in addition to the high intake of spices.” Forty percent of Indians are vegetarians, and even the ones that do eat meat don’t eat a lot. And it’s not only what they don’t eat, but what they do. India is one of the largest producers and consumers of fresh fruits and vegetables, and Indians eat a lot of pulses (legumes), such as beans, chickpeas, and lentils. They also eat a wide variety of spices in addition to turmeric that constitute, by weight, the most antioxidant-packed class of foods in the world. Population studies can’t prove a correlation between dietary turmeric and decreased cancer risk, but they can certainly inspire a bunch of research. So far, curcumin has been tested against a variety of human cancers, including colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast, prostate, multiple myeloma, lung cancer, and head and neck cancer, for both prevention and treatment. For more information on turmeric and curcumin, check out Carcinogen Blocking Effects of Turmeric Curcumin and Turmeric Curcumin Reprogramming Cancer Cell Death. I’m working on another dozen or so videos on this amazing spice. This is what I have so far: Amla, dried Indian gooseberry powder, is another promising dietary addition: I add amla to my Pink Juice with Green Foam recipe. Not all natural products from India are safe, though. See, for example, my video Some Ayurvedic Medicine Worse than Lead Paint Exposure. More on the antioxidant concentration in spices in general in Antioxidants in a Pinch. Why do antioxidants matter? See Food Antioxidants and Cancer and Food Antioxidants, Stroke, and Heart Disease. Which fruits and vegetables might be best? See #1 Anticancer Vegetable and Best Fruits for Cancer Prevention. 	I need to start cooking more Indian food. It’s a good thing it’s so tasty. Just remember guys, most Indian restaurant food is loaded with butter and cream.Very true. Do you know if that is also the case in India? I hear they eat alot of clarified butter. (Ghee)Ghee is definitely the preferred frying medium, but the day to day food is basically a simple dal, vegetable dish, and rice. The rich and creamy dishes are reserved for special occasions.You can make many indian dishes without… they may not be precise, but they are close and very good…This is true. I make both northern and southern dishes by roasting my spices in a dry pan instead of in oil. It all tastes delicious.This Indian chef shows how oil free spice roasting is done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP8G4n5K3iQjustme: Fun video! Thanks for the link.Veganrunner: Sounds like you got some knowledgeable answers to your actual question. I just wanted to share that PCRM’s 21 Day Kickstart program has an Indian version, which is still in English, but all the recipes are Indian ones. It is my understanding that those recipes were developed by natives. So, those recipes should be a way to make some reasonably authentic tasting Indian food without the animal products. (The 21 Day Kickstart program is free, though requires registration.) Just sharing in case you would be interested.Thanks Thea. The reason I was asking is because I have a patient who refuses to give Ghee up. He is under the impression it is a health food. One of his Indian friends told him so and he is sticking to it! She also said to eat walnuts so it isn’t all bad advice. I was wondering if anyone knew of this tradition/belief. But I think Brydon gave a good answer–“used for special occasions.”Veganrunner: Very interesting. This is the second time in a relatively short time where I have heard of someone who has seriously taken health advice from someone who isn’t qualified. The other person was swearing by what her masseuse told her. :-OAs you say, you already have an answer. But I was wondering if maybe the following would also help? This short Jeff Novick video doesn’t mention ghee, but the same principle would apply. Of course, your patient may not be able to make the connection… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbALgjmZUek&feature=fvwrelGood luck with your patient.I am Indian Pharmacologist and try answering some questions. Yes Indians use lot of spice in food. Turmeric is traditional and compulsion in many foods. Turmeric is an hall mark to be used in all sacred occasions. In marriage it is used on bride / groom face. Many events of day involves Turmeric.Coming to Ghee. Yes Consumption of Ghee is extremely good for health. But the ghee what we are suppose to use is clarified butter extracted from Butter milk and not from the milk solids. Now by research it is known that butter can slim you down and we believe Ghee also should.If any recipe is required please do ask ramesh000@yahoo.com @Veganrunner:disqusYou can replace ghee in most Indian dishes with coconut milk or coconut oil. I know, coconut oil and milk are bad too but probably not as bad as ghee, which is even worse than butter.Milk is very bad I agree, but coconut oil is extremely good for brain and antimicrobial. It keeps you slim. Try putting on wt by using oil. You fail totally and become slim.brydon10: Here’s a recipe for you to get started: Tofu Paneer Bhurji. The recipe was recently featured in PCRM’s recipe of the week. I haven’t made it yet myself, but it looks really, really good and I have vowed to give it a try. If you try it first, let us know what you think. http://support.pcrm.org/site/MessageViewer?dlv_id=115301&em_id=103143.0Perhaps it is because life expectancy in India is so low! You began your article by noting it can take 50 years for a cancer to grow.This is true. India has very high heart disease rates.“Seventy-nine per cent of men and 83 per cent of women were found to be physically inactive, while 51 per cent of men and 48 per cent of women were found to have high fat diets. Some 60 per cent of men and 57 per cent of women were found to have a low intake of fruit and vegetables, while 12 per cent of men and 0.5 per cent of women smoke. Moreover, the prevalence of biological and metabolic risk factors was also found to be high. Overweight and obesity was reported in 41 per cent of men and 45 per cent of women. High blood pressure was reported in 33 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women, while high cholesterol was found in one-quarter of all men and women. Diabetes (and or metabolic syndrome) was also reported in 34 per cent of men and 37 per cent of women.”Source for above: http://www.world-heart-federation.org/press/releases/detail/article/reasons-for-indias-growing-cardiovascular-disease-epidemic-pinpointed-in-largest-ever-risk-factor/??? Do you know Indian 70% are vegetarian. How they got heart disease?http://www.world-heart-federation.org/press/releases/detail/article/reasons-for-indias-growing-cardiovascular-disease-epidemic-pinpointed-in-largest-ever-risk-factor/In India, “vegetarians” still eat lots of saturated fat because they consume ghee and other dairy products.http://forbesindia.com/article/recliner/being-vegan-in-india/4482/1?id=4482&pg=1Iskador (mistletoe) is a plant based cancer treatment used widely in Western Europe and very little in US. Rudolf Steiner was one of the first to identify this treatment back in early 20th Century.A Great Recipe for increasing turmeric consumption, especially if you don’t cook much curry:Aromatic Brown Basmati Ricehttp://www.antonnutrition.comThis is an East-Indian rice side with sweet spices and a touch of turmeric for color. The traditional whole spices add special flavor and make a lovely presentation. Cook the rice in stock to for depth of flavor…so tasty it makes any Indian meal a company dinner.• 1 1/2 cups brown rice• 3 1/4 cups low sodium vegetable stock• 1(or more) teaspoon turmeric• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt (check sodium content of stock)• 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, smashed with the side of a knife• 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed• one 3-inch cinnamon stick• 9 green cardamom pods• 6 whole cloves• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional)1. Gather ginger, garlic, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and cloves into a piece of cheesecloth and tie off loosely.2. Bring all ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes, until the water has absorbed and the rice is tender.3. Remove the cheesecloth bag. Mix in the cilantro just before serving. Top with a sprig of cilantro.NBMaggie: This looks SO delicious! And easy/something I can see myself doing. Thanks for taking the time to post the recipe. This one is also going on my “recipe to-do” list. Thanks!That looks delicious! I am making that for dinner tonight.Thanks again Dr Greger! In an age of so many “good sounding” but speculative opinions about everything, I really appreciate your reliance on reputable, peer reviewed evidence; especially the sources compiled below every video comment. I’d even like to see that here (with numbered references?). Anything to emphasize your comments are far from a typical blog entry.I think it would be hard to number references because he links to other videos, which of course have ample citations. We can still click the hyperlinks and see the individual references :-) Thanks for your kind words! I agree, “Anything to emphasize your comments are far from a typical blog entry.”Excellent post! I’m moving in with an Indian family in a few months and will have to learn to love spicy food. (Leaving out the ghee, of course!)Very helpful information about curcumin. What is the best and reliable place to buy curcumin?I would suggest the turmeric spice, either fresh root or powder, rather than curcumin capsules. I’m not sure a reliable curcumin supplement, but perhaps others have more experience and can weigh-in?Joseph, do you know anything of liquid turmeric? It is sold here in Australia in health food shops.I don’t, sorry. I go for the powder and sometimes the root. One time I juiced the root and my juicer turned yellow. True (uneventful) story. Good luck!Thank you Joseph I will try the fresh root of turmeric spice. If you have any reliable place to buy, please let me know :)Any grocery store should do :-)Thank you Joseph :) it is just difficult to trust in any source of real ingredients! But i will still keep checking at Mountain Rose Herbs’ web siteA good place to buy bulk herbs and spices, etc online is Mountain Rose Herbs. They actively work to protect and preserve the earth. They are dedicated to sustainable business practices and support small organic farms around the world, as well as efforts to protect our wild lands.I just checked the web site but they are out of stock of turmeric root. If you have any other suggestion please let me know.I don’t know where you are based, but I find fresh turmeric root in both Chinese, Indian and Asian food stores.Just this morning I saw fresh turmeric root at Sprouts Market but it was expensive. The turmeric powder I use these days is from a company called Terrasoul. It’s organic and I’m very happy with the product. I bought it online directly from the company but it’s available at Amazon, too. I’ve used other organic turmeric brands from Amazon and they’re all pretty good, too. One has to be careful buying turmeric, or any other spice, from Indian stores because 1) the spices are not organic 2) the turnover is low, which affects the freshness. Good turmeric powder has a bright color between orange and yellow (saffron, amber?). If it’s pale yellow, it’s best days are behind it. (I’m from that part of the world and have been eating turmeric all my life, so I’m pretty familiar with it.)sorry, are we talking about the same country?..https://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2007/04/26/india-has-one-of-the-highest-cancer-rates-in-the-world/ according to the stats in that, india has, overall, one of the HIGHEST rates of cancer in the world. I seriously don’t know if i can trust this website for unbiased information. It seems as though whenever a new video comes out and you double check the facts, it becomes evident that what we are actually dealing with is a thinly disguised springboard for either preaching veganism or having a bash at ‘animal products’. I can’t think of much in india that we can be proud of in terms of nutrition.And how ironic that India, of all countries in the world, should be looked at through vegan tinted specs, in order to say something positive about EITHER vegetarianism or veganism.There are nationwide deficiencies of iron http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25614831 , b12, choline and even d3 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25883424.None of this would be so if they had regular access to clean animal foods http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24866058 that supply these nutrients. And please remember that Ghandi himself tried to live off a vegan diet with his followers, but later concluded that it was detrimental to their health (which of course it is. They drank some milk to correct, at least partially, the imbalance) We should, with heads hung low in shame, remember that in India there is an epidemic of b12 deficiency that has crippled the nations health. Millions of children are born with massively impaired cognitive function, often because of the parents stubborn refusal to eat foods of ‘animal’ origin. Are we contributing to this gross misinformation? this website claims to be impartial and yet will not address such real burning issues amonst this poor population of people; and that, just for the sake of upholding a religious ideology (i.e ‘veganism’).Come on folks, this is peoples lives we are dealing with here. Remember that the possibility that “a large percentage may have a subclinical vitamin deficiency are not simply theoretical within populations in India” http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/74/2/157.full And,” It has been known for >3 decades that vegetarians in India have lower serum cobalamin concentrations than do nonvegetarians, with the lowest concentrations being in vegans” This is not some wacky study looking at correlation..we are talking about the hard science of nutrition, which does not respect our ideologies. So how does the b12 factor influence cancer? In numerous ways: if indian women could only get their b12 levels UP ( even if it were just from a few glasses of clean, raw milk if they had issues with ‘meat’) they would massively reduce their risk of cervical cancer http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2971743/ .That is just one example.But remember that cancer aside briefly, 60% of indian women are aenimic..pray, what is that to be proud of ? will curcumin sort that out ? And more importantly, how would vegetarian foods help these poor women ? A half of all kids under the age of 4 are malnourished….plant foods to the rescue? Get real people.No plant foods are going to supply the b12, d3 ,retinol or omega 3 etc that are among the most common nutritional deficiancies found with the indian populations http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/national-nutrition-week-2014-top-nutritional-deficiencies-in-india/. We just need honest people to acknowledge this.gunter73 the reference you site reports 7 lakhs Indians will be diagnosed with cancer in 2015. 7 lakhs in case you do not know is 700,000. that is out of population of 1,200,000,000.In Us according to 2012 report 13 million people were living with cancer. 13 million is 130 lakhs out of population which is 1/6th of Indian population.Hi G-man, be that as it may, I still don’t think we have a lot to celebrate about the health of the indian nation; that is why i broght up the issue of malnourishment..it is an absolute epidemic, and one which saddens us. We desparately need practical solutions to this problem.Did you read the articles that you referenced? It talked about the difference between traditional India and now. Traditionally, India had very low rates of cancer, but with all their GMO and pesticide laden farms now, things seem to be changing. It does not seem that you are interested in finding out about what could make sense here, but rather, trying to create conflict with Dr. Greger. I don’t find your post informative or interesting, just creating conflict for its own sake. Do you really think that India isn’t the land of most sophisticated and greatest use of spices for health? Then who is? John S PDX ORHi John, I personally love indian cuisine more than any other in the world (!)..not only that but years of personal involvement with indians has given me a great soft spot for them..that was the reason for my post. When we have all ‘said our bit’ those issues i raised are still there..and they make me sad. And no doubt they do with you as well. India has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world. Not , i believe , primarily because of diet. But certainly diet has played a role. John, i love all those spices and am fully aware of their healing power..but my point is that they wont address the harcore nutritional deficiency problems that the indain people suffer, simply because the spices wont supply the body with those nutrients.India is one of the few countries in the world where compassion and mercy for animals is actually part of the mainstream culture, I can’t see why anyone would want to reverse this and contribute to the horrible stain on humanity that is industrial animal agriculture. If there is a nationwide B12 deficiency as you say, the obvious solution would be to have the government mandate fortification of common foods with B12 rather than convince poor people to go against their religious/ethical beliefs and buy food that they likely can’t afford anyway. As for iron, there are plenty of plant sources of iron, it’s a matter of educating people on how to obtain enough. Remember that anemia is common among women even in western countries where they are eating loads of meat. D3 can be obtained from sunlight, my guess is that more people are doing office jobs now so don’t go out enough during the day so this is also a matter of education.You said “India is one of the few countries in the world where compassion and mercy for animals is actually part of the mainstream culture”Well perhaps keeps in the culture, but things are pretty ugly now:“India has been the largest exporter of beef in the world since last year, and has further widened its lead over second-ranked Brazil with a projected total of 2.4 million tons exported in 2015 against Brazil’s 2 million.The USDA report, released earlier this month, predicts that global beef exports overall will rise to a record 10.2 million tons, 3% higher than the October 2014 forecast.Beef has also overtaken basmati rice as India’s largest agricultural food export in terms of value, according to data from the country’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products’ Export Development Authority, cited by the Economic Times newspaper.Although the slaughter of cows, sacred for the Hindus that make up India’s majority population, has long been banned in several parts of the country, states like Maharashtra — one of its largest — recently expanded the ban to include bulls and bullocks as well. However, since India’s exports are composed entirely of water-buffalo meat or carabeef, the bans will not affect the figures cited in the report.”http://time.com/3833931/india-beef-exports-rise-ban-buffalo-meat/Hi Doug, I take your point about the fortification and thanks for attempting to address the issue with a cool head (!) I think the people of India, just as anywhere else, have the right to choose for themselves. Some of them refuse to eat any animal products and for them the fortification idea is certainly a solution. For the vegetarians who drink milk for a food source of b12, that milk shoul be made available and should be clean ( an aside, I dont personally drink milk). I would never suggest that they should eat anything against their conscience, but that would also include a purely plant-based diet.You must get a good workout jumping to conclusions, huh? NUTRITION FACTS, not vegan facts…get it? Veganism is some arbitrary cult that abducted you against your will to elucidate us poor malnourished souls? So you’re here to inform us that eating a plant based diet is somehow deficient? Did you even read the articles you so magnanimously provided because you missed some critical info…as others already stated. What is YOUR agenda? Try another website, this one is based on science, not your personal belief that killing animals is a need to feed you! What do you think the animals you favor for your dinner eat, to grow up to be on your precious plate? Plants…oh how does Bessie manage??? And MILK? Spare me! Unless you are a baby cow sir, why would you suck on COW’s milk? Human milk is for human babies, and contains the right proportion of nutrients for them. Cow’s milk exists to make a calf grow into a half ton cow in a year…not a healthy goal for people, not to mention the foreign proteins that confound our biochemistry and cause many health issues. Once any animal is weaned, milk is not necessary. Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. So I gotta ask, are you an infant or a calf…based on your sarcastic rant it’s hard to guess. By the way, B12 is made by SOIL BACTERIA, not animals. It would do anyone well to take some supplementation, since we have depleted the soil and have become so anal about a speck of it on our produce anyway, and even cows don’t get to graze the earth since they are forced to eat the crap the factory farms feed them. (as if they don’t stand in enough of their own all day) Instead of their natural diet of grass they are forced to ingest cheap chemical laden grains, other dead animals, antibiotics to keep them alive under grotesque conditions, and other unsuitable slop, and their flesh concentrates all the other pollutants you so enjoy. Yumm, chow down! Or do you prefer “free range” instead? LOL, yeah, that’s sustainable, great option. Not a possibility when we have more cows than people nor the land to sustain them. Or piggies. Or chickens. (And all those lovely by-products). When you see one of those animals, do you start salivating, chase after them at high speed, crush their neck in your pointy snout and vicious canines, and rip out their bloody innards with your sharp claws like any other carnivore? And digest it in your highly acidic stomach and exceptionally short carnivore intestine so it doesn’t putrefy like in us biologically herbivorous humans? Or maybe you are merely an omnivore, like a bear, or a racoon, or a skunk. Oh wait, they have pointy snouts, sharp teeth and vicious claws too…hmmm. Do you have a picture to share? Eating animals is what advanced our brain growth and allowed us to evolve from apes into smart folks like you, right? Yep, just like all those other omnivores and carnivores… Gee, what hampered their brains, eating all that meat? Maybe they never learned to harness fire and cook so they could get more nutrients for brain growth? So ‘prey’, what is your “deficiency” that you are compelled to spew your “anemic” ideology here? “HONEST people” can deal with the truth without bending reality to suit their personal tastes and preferences. Many of us have experienced first hand the healing effects of an appropriate diet in the return of health and shedding of disease, it speaks for itself quite clearly if you aren’t into denial. Forcing your biased and slanted opinions down the throats of those who know better prompts me to offer you some more real science, outside of this “preachy” “animal product bashing” one, to sink your frightful canines into…https://www.scribd.com/doc/94656/The-Comparative-Anatomy-of-Eating http://plantpositive.com/ http://www.pcrm.org/ http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/the-vegan-diet-backed-by-science/ http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/june2013/06102013vegetarian.htm http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/the-evidence-for-a-vegan-diet/251498/ http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html https://www.forksoverknives.com/contributors/rip-esselstyn/ https://www.drmcdougall.com/ http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/plant-based-nutrition/ http://nutritionstudies.org/ http://doctorklaper.com/ http://foodrevolution.org/Sorry Charzie but you’re reply is just too overweaning. You have failed to address even one of the issues I raised in what i wrote. They are real issues involving real people that call for real solutions beyond eating a handfull of soil.And seeing as you took it on yourself to remind me that this website is concerned with ‘science’, why did you not reply to my post with cool-headed scientific answers? As it is you have simply resorted to borderline insult accompanied with a seething rage..but all that aside there are some things you mentioned that i would like to address..first up, I did not say that a plant-based diet cannot cure disease: it can. But lacking any clinical experience, you seem to assume that a plant-based diet will cure the spectrum of diseases that are all connected with b12 deficiency. Even Dr Gregor himself will tell you that is simply not true. There is such an epidemic in India. How do you suggest this be dealt with? The reason I mentioned milk is that many Indians who dont eat meat drink milk because it contains a modest amount of vitamin b12..if they choose, for whatever reason, not to eat meat or drink milk they run the risk of developing one of the b12 deficiency diseases. I think a five year old can work that out. The basic problem with your approach to health and nutrition is that issues such as ‘sustainability’ and ‘animal welfare’ and the likes are a SEPARATE issue. I dont actually disagree with you on those issues, but they are SEPARATE from a discussion of say retinol or d3 or b12..the issues i broght up in my post which you failed to address. This ‘fudging’ of human health with environmental issues forces people to become dishonest. I guarantee that if you listen to Dr Essylstyn or Dr Macdougall or one of the other ‘plant-based’ doctors speak for more than an hour, they will all at some point in their talk/lecture bring up environmental issues.. They are two totally different issues.If I was overweening, I was just mirroring your haughty, opinionated, diatribe. You know what they say about opinions…I’ve been adding whole frozen amla (indian gooseberries) to my breakfast oatmeal, purchased at my local Indian grocery. Would the frozen fruit possibly be subject to heavy metal contamination?? If Dr. Greger regularly eats powdered amla, can I assume the gooseberry component of triphala, which he warns against, is safe?Dr. Greger initially praised triphala due to its impressive antioxidant capacity but later withdrew his recommendation based on the presence of various contaminants in some of the samples tested. Banyon Botanicals sells all manner of ayurvedic products. I questioned them re: this issue. They responded by reciting the testing and quality control measures that they employ which are documented on their website. I was satisfied with their response and have been purchasing triphala as well as tulsi and hingvastak from them.My bigger question is: Can we trust the produce, frozen produce, and dried spices – imported from India – available at most Indian groceries?Cathy: The only safest – or least unsafe – way to buy anything grown in India is to buy organic products imported by a reputable US company. If the frozen amla you use is not organic, I think using them is taking a chance. PsychMD mentioned Banyon Botanicals. Another good company is Organic India. I take triphala tablets made by Planetary Herbals.Listing countires by life expectancy, India ranks #150 out of #193 countries, near the bottom of the list (but they don’t get cancer). I’ve lived in India and the average Indian is in very poor health (but they don’t get cancer). The grass isn’t always greener on the ‘other side’.You must take into account that in a lot of India (countryside areas) the living conditions are the ones of a third world country, sanitation is terrible, what would you expect?I don’t think that even the cities there fare much better. Similarly, some countries in Africa part of the population have healthier diets than in Western countries, yet their life expectancy is not surprisingly, what you would expect from third world countries.Now India is changing as it follows western diet. All times meat, soft drinks, medicine for small health problem etc.India has become poor country, because politicians are stashing trillions of $ by corruption. When there is lack of justice, poor finance, diet always takes a hit. To use Knowledge they need moneyReference: World Health Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancyThe life expectancy in India is only 65. Are they just dying of something else before they have a chance to get cancer?This might make an interesting topic for a future video. Curcumin boosts DHA in the brain: Implications for the prevention of anxiety disorders.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25550171Brain: Wow, this is great news! For those who don’t eat fish the only way to get DHA directly is through Algal DHA, which is expensive. Thanks for posting.Turmeric is truly the next wonder drug. Does anyone know just how much Tumerick you need daily to be effective ? Also does taking the tumor it as a capsule work just as well?We in India seeing cancer rate is steadily increase in the past 5 years… every one is using white polished rice rice… lot of refined oil… meat intake is on rise…. spices which they use are highly adulterated… Its all globalization invasion in every country….. http://www.XulonZoe.org Health Retreat Center…however, hepatitis & diabetes are high up there – why?“Americans get between 8 and 14 times the rate of melanoma” Anybody stop to think whether the dramatically higher levels of melanin in the average Indian’s skin might have something to do with this??I am truly believe that plan base diet it’s best treatment for cancer, I got diagnosed stage 2 B breast cancer in Nov. 2013. I’m only 32 at that time, I was scared，my little girl only 2 month old. I starting to search best treatment for cancer and then I found Dr. Greger. Learned a lot. I rejected chemo and radiation. Start to cut meat little by little, around August 2014, after I finished 3 times surgery, I became a vegan and I feel better and better and better every day. I didn’t take any drugs, my treatment just eat healthy and do exercise that’s all. My doctors are worried, but all the test results are showing I’m fine, I’m cancer free. And I feel really good, I don’t feel any sickness at all. Right now I am back to normal, back to my old job, work full time, with two kids, life is good. I’ll keep my healthy lifestyle for my rest of my life, because it works, and I believe I have many many years to come. God bless everyone!Jojo: Thanks for sharing your story. I can just imagine how scared you were. Congratulations on being cancer free. I hope it continues that way for the rest of your life. And congratulations on eating a healthy diet. That can be a hard change for some people to make, even with a health condition. But you did it. You should be proud.What brand(s) of Amla do you use in your pink drink so as to avoid contamination with toxic heavy metals?Thanks for the great service you provide, Dr. GregerI cannot recommend a specific brand, but perhaps others using it and can give there take?Carl: While I can’t make any assertions myself, lots of people swear by the company, Mountain Rose Herbs, as a great source for trust-worthy herbs/powders/teas etc. Here are their amla selections. https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search?page=1&q=amla&utf8=%E2%9C%93 Sadly, the powder is currently out of stock. But you could ask them when they will get it in again.(Note: While they are out of the powdered one, they do have the dehydrated version for the same price. Depending on how the dehydrated product ends up being, you might be able to just get that and grind it up yourself in a food processor. Or maybe enjoy it better in the chunky form??? Just an idea.)empowering article … thank YOU … please consider adding “Blogger” to your “add this” buttonIn India yogurt and cheese and ghee (butter) are eaten regularly all of which Dr Gregor usually finds cause cancer?aloha, from memory (I’m in Thailand now) Harvard U. wondering why vegetarians have a 70% less chance of getting cancer decided to look into it: what were vegetarians doing or not doing as the case maybe. Harvard researchers found that chlorophyll wraps itself around the mutagen and the cancerous cell was now too large to penetrate a healthy cell. So, your body just eliminates it. Tamils are primarily vegetarians so it would be interesting to know if their cancer rates were even lower than non-Tamil rates. (Much like the Seven Day Adventists vs other Christians.) Another factor with a plant based diet, especially one with a lot of “leafy green vegetables”, is the body’s ph goes into the alkaline range and this also suppresses cancers, viruses and spoors. (Acidic ph is just the opposite in creating an environment in which these mutagens thrive.)Indians also consume much less food than westerners – it’s a poor country. Did the studies control for caloric restriction which has for many decades demonstrated similar effects?“Contaminated vegetarianism” of Asian Indian is fallacy. The true Indian diet life style should be taken from Rural India where stuff like Ice cream, saturated fats and fried foods are not seen. It will be interesting study the prevalence of Heart diseases in Urban vs and rural Indian population to reinforce this view. Yes, typical Indian diet comprises ghee and butter which is proved to be good for health particularly brain. Honey, Butter and ghee is often prescribed in Ayurveda while recent studies have de-linked the saturated fats ( not trans-fats or artificial hydrogenated fats) with heart diseases but they seem to be pronounced effect when viewed in conjunction with life style. Hence a deductive inference about a particular food as bad of good seem to be inconclusive unless a holistic factors are taken for study which is highly unlikely in the present research studies.	antioxidants,beans,bladder cancer,bladder health,breast cancer,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,chemotherapy,chickpeas,China Study,colon cancer,curcumin,curry powder,endometrial cancer,fruit,India,industry influence,kidney cancer,kidney health,legumes,lentils,lung cancer,lung health,meat,medications,melanoma,men's health,multiple myeloma,pancreatic cancer,plant-based diets,prostate cancer,prostate health,ranking foods,side effects,skin health,spices,turmeric,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18462866,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23339055,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22471448,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19721899,
PLAIN-23	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	How to Reduce Exposure to Alkylphenols Through Your Diet	Alkylphenols are industrial chemicals that are found in hair products, spermicides, cleaning products and detergents. They are considered endocrine disruptors. For more information on alkylphenols, check out my video Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies. Concern about alkylphenols first surfaced decades ago when a group at Tufts observed an excessive proliferation of human breast cancer cells in certain types of plastic containers, something that would normally only be seen if the cells were exposed to some type of estrogen. They identified an alkylphenol leaching from the plastic as the culprit, having “estrogen-like properties when tested in the human breast tumor cells.” Excessive proliferation of human breast cancer cells is never good, so countries in Europe started banning and restricting the use of these chemicals. However, the U.S. EPA has been slow to respond. A half million tons of alkylphenols continue to spew out into the environment every year, so much so that now that they come down in the rain and then accumulate up the food chain. One study, highlighted in my video, Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors, examined the Japanese food supply to find out which foods had these potentially allergy-exacerbating endocrine disruptors. The researchers found that chicken and fish had the highest levels. Water animals and birds concentrate these compounds to levels several thousands of times greater than those in the environment because these are fat-soluble chemicals. “Therefore, they can easily contaminate foods of animal origin, which are thought to represent the most important source of human exposure to many organic pollutants,” not just the alkylphenols. Another research group also found that fish was the worst. Which kind of fish? Anchovies, mackerel, salmon and cod seem to have the highest levels. In fact, salmon was the only food found contaminated with nonylphenol diethoxylate, which is even more potent than regular nonylphenol. The levels of contamination in fish were at the concentrations that start to make breast cancer cells go crazy in vitro. These findings are consistent with the fact that seafood consumption has been associated with severe asthma, current and severe rhinoconjunctivitis, (seasonal pollen allergies), and current and severe eczema (an allergic-type disease of the skin) in adolescent populations around the globe. If these synthetic xenoestrogens are playing a role, what about natural phytoestrogens, such as those found in soy foods? It turns out that in patients with asthma, consumption of a diet with moderate to high amounts of soy phytoestrogens is associated with better lung function and better asthma control. If anything then, it’s these chemical pollutants, which come down in the rain, contaminate the soil, the plants, and then concentrate up the food chain in the fat of animals. We’re now the animals at the top of the food chain, like the polar bear or bald eagle, building up higher levels of these synthetic xenoestrogens. Thankfully, there aren’t many cannibals around anymore. However, there is one group that continues to feed off human tissues—babies (See The Wrong Way to Detox). Alkylphenols have been found to concentrate in human breast milk, particularly in women who eat fish. The highest levels of these endocrine-disrupting pollutants were recorded in milk samples from mothers who said they ate fish at least twice a week, consistent with the fact that seafood consumption represents an important source of alkylphenol intake. Even these “slightly elevated levels of endocrine disruptors in the milk of mothers with a seafood-rich diet may be associated with adverse effects on neurological development, fetal and postnatal growth, and memory functions on breastfed infants, because these contaminants may interfere with the endocrine [hormonal] system.” Since these toxins concentrate in fat, the highest concentrations may be found in straight animal fat, such as chicken fat, lard, tallow, or fish oil. Consumption of fish oil capsules and processed fish products has been associated with alkylphenol concentration in mothers’ milk, again due to bioaccumulation up the food chain. And then we recycle the leftover remains of farm animals into farm animal feed, so the levels can get higher and higher in animal products. As one commentator noted, while these pollutants do contaminate human milk, they also contaminate cow’s milk—humans and cows live in the same polluted world. In fact, infant formula was found to be over five times more contaminated, so breast is still best, absolutely. But these kinds of studies are important in order to provide good suggestions for food choices to nursing mothers to prevent excess exposure to these pollutants in their infants. We can kind of cut out the middlefish and move lower down the food chain in hopes of decreasing our exposure to industrial toxins. Endocrine disruptors have also been linked to conditions such as male infertility (Male Fertility and Diet and Xenoestrogens and Sperm Counts) and early onset of puberty (Protein, Puberty, and Pollutants and Xenoestrogens and Early Puberty). What other industrial pollutants build up in the aquatic fish chain? See, for example: Farmed Fish vs. Wild Caught. Which is worse? How Long to Detox from Fish Before Pregnancy? If it’s too late, How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs? 	Radioactivity, PCB’s, mercury, perfluorochemicals, flame retardants, dioxins, alkylphenol endocrine disruptors in our food! These toxins are the #1 reason I avoid animal products. Dr. Gregor’s compelling videos on this subject are what brought me to nutritionfacts.org.I wouldn’t be surprised if this is why I used to get migraine headaches and felt unwell throughout the following day after eating salmon , and my gums flared up after eating chicken. Both of which I used to like when I was not vegan. Now I have no migraines or swelling gums after meals. Great info !” observed an excessive proliferation of human breast cancer cells in certain types of plastic containers”What type of plastic containers were the human breast cancer cells found in? I’m trying to get my mind around this strange sentence.Oh boy, this video freaks me out. Salmon as even a future possibility in my diet is now off the table. Is this as real and concerning as the science is suggesting? Farmed raised and wild salmon carry the same toxic level, in this regard? I’ll avoid both.Please do more videos on fish, especially canned fish. Lots of people subscribe to the benefits of eating canned sardines and salmon for the calcium content (fish bones). I can’t imagine that there is not some severely toxic consequence of eating fish bones (heavy metals and such).https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgrFXN4d1JcDr. Greger,What is your position on US EPA and FDA advice to pregnant women based on “The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010″, the federal government’s evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote healthy eating that “women who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume at least 8 and up to 12 ounces of a variety of seafood per week, from choices lower in methyl mercury.”? Thanks,	alkylphenols,allergies,anchovies,animal fat,asthma,biomagnification,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,breast milk,breastfeeding,cancer,chicken,cod liver oil,eczema,endocrine disruptors,EPA,estrogen,Europe,fat,fish,fish oil,hormones,industrial toxins,infants,Japan,lard,lung disease,lung health,mackerel,memory,milk,persistent organic pollutants,phytoestrogens,plastic,poultry,pregnancy,salmon,seafood,soy,turkey,xenoestrogens	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1935846,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23319429,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20435081,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20435081%20,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18584869,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18528544,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18410965,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22885561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21650741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15833488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9504980,
PLAIN-24	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/	Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies	In my video Preventing Childhood Allergies, I noted a study in Japan that found higher maternal intake of meat during pregnancy was significantly associated with about three times the odds of both suspected and physician-diagnosed eczema. The researchers suggest that certain components of meat may affect the fetal immune system. But what about the moms, themselves? A plant-based diet may also help alleviate allergies in adults. See Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants and Preventing Allergies in Adulthood. Seasonal allergies have exploded in Japan in the past few decades, starting with the first reported case in 1964 and now affecting millions every year. We’ve seen a rising prevalence of allergic diseases around the industrialized world in past decades, but perhaps nothing quite this dramatic. Some have suggested that profound changes in the Japanese diet may have played a role. Over the latter half of the century total meat, fish, and milk intake rose hundreds of percent in Japan, so researchers decided to look into dietary meat and fat intake and the prevalence of these seasonal pollen allergies. No association with overall fat, but “higher meat intake was significantly associated with an increased prevalence.” Saturated fat wasn’t associated with increased prevalence either, so what other constituents in meat may be to blame? The researchers considered the cooked meat carcinogens, the heterocyclic amines, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and the nitrosamines. A new review, highlighted in my video, Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies, however, raised an intriguing possibility. There’s a class of industrial pollutants called alkylphenols, recognized as common toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals that tend to accumulate in the human body and may be associated with allergic diseases. A variety of studies have shown how they may exacerbate allergen-induced inflammation, “suggesting that alkylphenol exposure may influence the onset, progression, and severity of allergic diseases.” These toxic xenoestrogens can be found in human breast milk, in our body fat, in our urine, in our bloodstream, and even in the umbilical cord blood going to our babies. How did it get there? Through contaminated food. It all goes back to a famous study about the reduction of penis size and testosterone levels in alligators living in a contaminated environment. I don’t know what you do for a day job, but these researchers observed that a population of juvenile alligators living on one lake in Florida exhibited a “significantly smaller penis size” and lower blood concentrations of testosterone compared to animals on some different lake. The most important difference between the two lakes was that Lake Stubby was fed by relatively polluted waters. They attributed the “short penis phenomenon” to estrogen-mimicking (xenoestrogenic) environmental metabolites of DDT that still pollute our Earth. This seminal work introduced the concept of endocrine disruptors. Environmental xenoestrogens might result in feminization of exposed male animals. And that’s just the shriveled tip of the iceberg. Since then, endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been implicated in the dramatic rise over the last 50 years of diseases like breast cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, diabetes, obesity, and fertility (such as dropping normal sperm counts), genital birth defects such as penile malformations, preterm birth, neurobehavioral disorders in children linked to thyroid disruption, and earlier breast development in young girls. Because genes do not change fast enough to explain these increases, environmental causes must be involved. Since our greatest exposure to the environment is through our gut, it’s no surprise that our greatest exposure to these endocrine-disrupting chemicals is through diet. To find out which foods may contain these alkylphenol endocrine disruptors, check out my video Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors. More on endocrine disruptors in: A different class of chemicals has been found to be associated with smaller penis size in humans. See Chicken Consumption and the Feminization of Male Genitalia. 	“We can kind of cut out the middlefish and move lower down the food chain in hopes of decreasing our exposure to industrial toxins”, as you say. One more good reason, if needed, to go WPFD. Thanks again, Dr Greger!Maybe you oversaw that inadvertedly or left it out on purpose, but there is no proof for your statement that the prevalence of allergies has exploded in Japan since 1964. The number of diagnosed cases has started to rise since 1964, which is mainly due to better diagnosis and awareness int he population. Allergies have existed for longer than 1964 so any conclusion based on your statement is invalid, because no reliable data exist.Christian Jo, what is unreliable about the study Dr. Greger sited, showing that allergies increased 2.6 times from 1980 to 2000? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15746556Yes this study’s data shouldn’t be labeled invalid. The study does show that there is an increase in allergies so I think that’s a fact. I would think that the diagnosis and awareness during that 2 decade time period remained constant from constant sampling techniques. So the increase in diagnosis and awareness shouldn’t play a major role. I’m not really experienced in this but this is what I think.The only fact is that the number of DIAGNOSED cases of allergies rose. all the rest is speculation….You can still not draw a strict conclusion based on these data because you dont have a proper control-group. Absolute numbers of people with allergies could have dropped in the time between 1980 and 2000 whilst the diagnosed cases rise due to the abovementioned reasons.Hi Christian you bring up important points regarding diagnostic methods post 1964. I don’t think any “strict conclusion” was drawn though? Dr. Greger is simply reporting the evidence that is available. I agree it would be nice to see more data! Please share anything you find to help us learn more about allergies and pollutants. Thanks!Lake Stubby! I love your humor.The Japanese sure are having their lifespans reduced by our way of life. Perhaps they are an island nation with the exact surface area to volume ratio for long life. Perhaps they refuse to eat the foods of their ancestors as a way of letting go. Perhaps they have yet to achieve what they say they have. Perhaps they are a society of immigrants like our own nation awaiting a trip to America.Thanks as always for your wonderful work Dr. Greger, I send all my clients to your wonderful website.	adolescence,alkylphenols,allergies,animal fat,animal products,animal studies,birth defects,body fat,breast cancer,breast development,breast health,breast milk,cancer,carcinogens,children,cognition,dairy,DDT,diabetes,eczema,endocrine disruptors,fat,fertility,fish,heterocyclic amines,immune function,industrial toxins,infants,infertility,inflammation,Japan,meat,men's health,mental health,milk,nitrosamines,obesity,penis health,penis size,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,prediabetes,pregnancy,premature puberty,prostate cancer,prostate health,puberty,saturated fat,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,sperm counts,testicular cancer,testicular health,testosterone,thyroid disease,thyroid health,women's health,xenoestrogens	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19552790,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22991565,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8713642,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15007630,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15746556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22871601,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15930804,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22449171,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23548368,
PLAIN-25	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	Slowing Cognitive Decline with Berries	A plant-based diet is thought to have played a significant role in human evolution and the consumption of whole plant foods and even just extracts have repeatedly been associated with a decreased risk of aging related diseases. And by healthy aging I’m not talking preventing wrinkles, what about protecting our brain? “Two of the most dreaded consequences of dementia with aging are problems moving around and difficulty remembering things. Dementia robs older adults of their independence, control, and identity.” Fruits and vegetables help reduce the risk of other chronic diseases, so might they work for brain diseases as well? There has been a proliferation of recent interest in plant polyphenols as agents in the treatment of dementia. There are 4,000 different kinds of polyphenols found ubiquitously in foods of plant origin, but berries are packed with them, possessing powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. There’s a subset of polyphenols called anthocyanidins, which are found in blue and purple pigmented fruits and berries. These polyphenols are uniquely and specifically capable of “both crossing the blood–brain barrier and localizing in brain regions involved in learning and memory.” And that’s precisely where we need them. The brain takes up less than 2% of body weight but may burn up to 50% of the body’s fuel, creating a potential firestorm of free radicals. Maybe these brain-seeking phytonutrients in berries could fight oxidation and inflammation, and even increase blood flow? This raised a thought-provoking idea. Maybe a “nutritional intervention with blueberries may be effective in forestalling or even reversing the neurological changes associated with aging?” It would be a decade before the first human trial was conducted, but it worked! “Blueberry supplementation improves memory in older adults,” suggesting that “consistent supplementation with blueberries may offer an approach to forestall or mitigate brain degeneration with age.” What other blue or purple foods can we try? Concord grape juice was also tested and had a similar benefit, suggesting that supplementation with purple grape juice may enhance cognitive function for older adults with early memory decline. Why use juice and not whole concord grapes? Because then you couldn’t design a placebo that looked and tasted exactly the same to rule out the very real and powerful placebo effect. And also because the study was funded by the Welch’s grape juice company. This effect was confirmed in a follow-up study, showing for the first time an increase in neural activation in parts of the brain associated with memory using functional MRI scans. But this brain scan study was tiny: just four people in each group. And same problem in the blueberry study: it had only nine people in it. Why haven’t large population-based studies been done? Because we haven’t had good databases on where these phytonutrients are found. We know how much vitamin C is in a blueberry, but not how much anthocyanidin—until now. The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, highlighted in my video, How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years, followed the cognitive function of more than 16,000 women for years, and found that “long-term consumption of berries was related to significantly slower rates of cognitive decline, even after careful consideration of confounding socioeconomic status” (that is, even after taking into account the fact that rich people eat more berries). The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study was the first population-based evidence that greater intakes of blueberries and strawberries were highly associated with slower rates of cognitive decline, and not just by a little bit. “The magnitude of associations were equivalent to the cognitive differences that one might observe in women up to two and a half years apart in age.” In other words, women with higher intake of berries appeared to have delayed cognitive aging by as much as two and a half years. Why shouldn’t we just take some anthocyanidin supplement? Because there hasn’t been a single study that found any kind of cognitive benefit by just giving single phytonutrients. In fact, the opposite is true. “Whole blueberries appear to be more effective than individual components, showing that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” These findings have potentially substantial public health implications, as increasing berry intake represents a fairly simple dietary modification to test in older adults for maintaining our brain function. What other ways could we improve our memory and cognitive function?  What other near-miraculous properties of berries are there? I add them to my morning smoothie: A Better Breakfast. 	Is there anything better than a bowl of berries with some chai spices? https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/anti-cancer-strategies-3-better-ways-of-eating-berries/Read this while eating a bowl of oatmeal full of berries! Those 2.5 years are mine! Oh wait, I’m not female. Are there any studies showing cognitive benefits for male berry munchers?Good point. For men, I would expect similar results. This study discusses how DASH and Mediterranean diets help reduce cognitive decline in elderly men. In particular, nuts, legumes, and whole grains were found to be significatly protective. The authors conclude these foods “may be core neuroprotective foods common to various healthy plant-centered diets around the globe.” Lastly, this study found some associations with certain fruits and vegetables and less cognitive decline. I wonder if berries were responsible? If you are looking for more information on men, check out the 12 videos at the end of this blog post, as so many studies are covered by Dr. Greger. Hope that helps!What about Indian gooseberries? Or the Amalaki powder derived from them? I take the powder nearly every day in a green smoothie–thanks to Dr. Gregor’s advice.Indian gooseberries (alma) may help with diabetes. Amla has been extensively studies and found protective for many disorders, perhaps due to it’s high antioxidant capacity?When I searched about cognitive decline only animal studies were available, which doesn’t tell us anything of value for how it works in humans. However, one review mentioned the phytochemicals in alma like quercetin, gallic acid, corilagin and ellagic acid, therefore some logic that this stuff could help reduce cognitive decline may be apparently, but of course we need a human trial to know for sure.Blueberries and oatmeal, the true breakfast of champions! Unfortunately, organic berries are no longer in my budget, which kinda concerns me since blueberries are listed as one of the “dirty dozen.” I have no choice but assume the benefits outway the risks, as these studies do not specify “organic”, so we can assume they’re not. Once again, why does organic have to be so darn expensive… a rhetorical question of course, my apologies.No apologies, I agree! Perhaps we all need to forage for berries, collect gallons, and freeze them so we have peak-ripenened berries all the time! Ok, so in a perfect world that may be the case….I agree, the benefit of eating conventional berries outweigh the risks of not consuming them. Luckily, Dr. Greger dedicated a huge section of his new DVD to this important question is buying organic worth it? I highly recommend seeing what his new review suggests!Are wild blueberries grown without pesticides, etc.?Hmmm I am not sure? Anybody have the answer to that? I think if they don’t say “organic” unfortunately pesticides may still exists, even on a label that says “wild”. Please correct me if I am wrong. I think the only “wild” berries with no pesticides would come from my fantasized idea of walking in a dense forest with a plethora of wild berry bushes :-)I’m awaiting an answer from the wild blueberry association. Do you check your FB page for messages?You are right, Joseph. Unless labeled “organic”, wild blueberries are definitely sprayed with both herbicides and pesticides.I don’t believe all wild blueberries are necessarily organic BUT – I’ve worked with the Wild Blueberry folks and they indicate that the wild blueberries are actually higher in antioxidants than cultivated berries. #goodtoknow! I think they taste better too!http://www.superberries.com/assets/images/PDFs/ORAC_R2Fruit-Vegetables2010.pdfBlack Raspberry 19220; Chokeberry 16062; Elderberry 14697; Wild Blueberry 9621; Blackberry 5905; Blueberry 4669; Sweet Cherries 3747; Gooseberry 3332; Goji 3290.Of course they do. This is a matter of volume. Smaller berries means by volume (per cup), you’re eating more. More berries, more antioxidants. Oh and you’re right, the wild variety are generally sweeter. I love ‘em. strawberries are a close second though.http://www.superfoodsrx.com/nutrition/nutritional-research/wild-vs-cultivated-blueberries-56.html“Wild” refers to a slightly different type of berry.http://www.superfoodsrx.com/nutrition/nutritional-research/wild-vs-cultivated-blueberries-56.htmlUnfortunately not.Some could be. Wild blueberries are not cultivated, and not easy to grow. They are smaller, and taste better too. Just last year a big national brand sold frozen wild blueberries which stated right on the label, “grown without pesticides”, not organic, but that was good enough for me. They’re gone now. BTW, organic does not mean without pesticides, it means without synthetic pesticides. Also, I believe that some frozen fruits & veggies “may” have less chemicals (at least on the surface) because they’re rinsed before freezing, but you can research that for yourself.Thanks for the reply, but the DVDs aren’t specific as to their content.any clue on how many berries you need to eat to make a difference?I think most studies show like a half-cup to a cup of berries. So not much at all. Feel free to browse the “sources cited” section of this video to see the exact doses. If you can’t find it holler and I’ll look. Thanks, David.I don’t see a “sources cited” section. Do you mean the hyperlinked articles? I think the amount is critical and a definitive answer with sources would be great.Ok no problem. I know there are many buttons on the site. I was referring to the video “How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years” that I hyperlinked in my comment above. You are right that this blog post only has hyperlinks and they do link to the studies themselves, but if you get to the video, under the title there are buttons that are super helpful like “View Transcripts” and “Sources Cited” which show all of the research papers used to create the video.The amount of berries consumed differ from each study. For example, the Concord grape study gave about 15ounces of grape juice daily, but those with more body weight drank a bit more. In the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study women eating more more than 1 serving of blueberries per week and more than 2 servings of strawberries (a half cup is a serving) per week had better results. So I’d say a half-cup to a cup of berries per day is all you’d need to see improvements, which is pretty constant with other studies the Dr. Greger covers in the video How Much Fruit is Too Much? I also think variety is key, as berries are high in anthocyanidins other foods like oranges and tea have far more flavones and flavonols.Here is an exerpt from Life Extension Magazine which did a cover story on blueberries in the April 2015 issue: “Why not just eat the berries and get the anthocyanins from your diet? For one thing, it would be prohibitively expensive, since whole-berry studies typically require 350 grams (about 3/4 of a pound) of berries to achieve effects…eating too many whole blueberries can offset the incredible benefits conferred by the natural polyphenols they contain. The cost of blueberry extract is also quite low in comparison to the whole fruit.” They go on to state, “Blueberry extract (including stems) is even more potent the the whole berry or juice, providing greater metabolic support throughout the entire body and without the excess sugar of the raw fruit….wild blueberries possess up to 10 times the nutritional capacity of cultivated berries.”Full article for those interested:http://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2015/4/Blueberries-Boost-Longevity-Beyond-Calorie-Restriction/Page-01I take one supplement from LEF. They have a good reputation for integrity, safety, and seem to reference a lot of credible research. But you have to remember, they’re in the business of selling supplements. IMHO: unless I have very good specific reason to take a concentrated processed food supplement, I’d rather just eat the food. So far, the only supplement I know of that Dr. Greger recommends for strict vegans (of which I am not), is B12. If you don’t eat blueberries, start. If you do, then do you “need” added blueberry extract in a pill? To each his own on that one. I’m a big fan of “JERF”: Just Eat Real Food.Just an hour ago I came upon some unopened bags of aronia berries (black chokeberries) stored in the back of the freezer, and forgotten — “until now” (LOL). A quick nutrition profile search mentions their huge anthocyanidin content, the highest of any berry in fact. Many other antioxidants as well.Then tasting them reminded me why they got tossed: they taste like cardboard!But now mixing them with wild blueberries and pomegranate juice and lightly sprinkling with stevia powder makes all the sweet difference.Dr. Greger clearly prefers whole foods or perhaps juices in the case of concord grapes, to supplements containing single phytonutrients. But what about blueberry or pomegranate concentrate pills I’ve seen for sale on the internet and heath magazines? Or what about elderberry syrup or grapeseed or hawthorn extract capsules etc.? Is there any benefit from taking them or are they a waste of money?I wouldn’t go for the pills, but elderberry and hawthorn if used in the right circumstances I believe would have value.Are dried fruits like raisins and dried wild blueberries as nutritious in polyphenols and anthocyanidins as fresh whole grapes or blueberries? (Dried or baked kale chips–as nutritious as non-dried kale?) ThanksYes, I think dried fruit has it’s place. it still has many of the polyphenol properties. When fresh is not available I see no concern with dried or frozen fruit and however you’re going to eat more kale is fine with me :-)Question for the dietitian:Blueberries are so tasty that they are easy to add, but I read recently that beet juice had been shown in a study to lower blood pressure significantly. My question is whether whole beets steamed are as effective as beet juice? Also, should I limit the amount of beets I eat because of the sugar in them? I have been eating 3/4 cup of steamed beets a day to lower blood pressure. See article:Hypertension. 2015 Feb;65(2):320-7. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.114.04675. Epub 2014 Nov 24.Dietary nitrate provides sustained blood pressure lowering in hypertensive patients: a randomized, phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.Kapil V1, Khambata RS1, Robertson A1, Caulfield MJ1, Ahluwalia A2.I think steamed beets are delicious and beneficial. Often studies are conducted for ease so they may have used beet juice because participants handle better than eating whole steamed beets (I am not certain if this is the case here). I suggest eating beets and blueberries! Rule of thumb – foods in their whole state are preferred. Keep up the healthful eating!Thank you.Sent from my iPadIs there any study which shows anthocyanidins in plumbs?My word recall has significantly improved in recent weeks (62, female). Noticeable to spouse. I’ve made a number of improvements in diet this year, but improvement in word recall SEEMS to be correlated with inclusion of 1/2 c or so of frozen blueberries/strawberries/cherries in daily smoothie. Before, I would need a word like “anthrax”, say, and would have difficulty pulling it immediately from the “a” shelf, rather than a similar word. (My brain seems to store words alphabetically? :-) Small sample size (1!), many confounding factors, but reason enough for me to continue with the berries!You wrote, ““long-term consumption of berries was related to significantly slower rates of cognitive decline. . . ” I wish popular writers would state whether they mean “statistically significant” or “wow, that was really significant!” I’m a scientist and am familiar with the difference. But a statistically significant difference might be trivial, just that there was 95% chance that the observed difference was not by chance. Using the same word for quite different meanings, either of which might be the one meant, leads everyone including scientists to be confused.Thanks for the suggestion. Note that the link to the Harvard Nurse’s Health Study is provided and anyone can dig into the papers themselves for more clarification.	aging,anthocyanins,antioxidants,berries,blueberries,brain disease,brain health,chronic diseases,cognition,Concord grapes,dementia,evolution,fruit,fruit juice,grape juice,grapes,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,inflammation,memory,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,placebo effect,plant-based diets,polyphenols,strawberries,supplements,vegetables,vitamin C,wrinkles	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22475317,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16917175,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22535616,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20047325,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22468945,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22907211,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20028599,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23002931,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22658645,
PLAIN-26	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/	What is ‘Meat Glue’?	The so-called “meat glue enzyme” transglutaminase is used by the meat industry to add value to meat by gluing together smaller scraps into a larger chunk. And it’s not just used to make fake steak—the American Meat Institute estimates that it’s used in about “eight million pounds of meat every year in the United States.” Transglutaminase can be used to cross-link pieces of any type of meat, fish, or meat product, and hence can be used to produce large chunks of virtually intact looking meat or fish out of small meat or fish cuttings. When researchers actually tested for transglutaminase in 20 samples of meat from the supermarket, they found meat glue in only two of the samples—in a sample of salmon and a sample of turkey (See Is Meat Glue Safe?) Where does meat glue come from? For decades, the sole commercial source of transglutaminase was from the livers of guinea pigs. Now it can be sourced much cheaper. However, the future of meat glue remains uncertain because of “communication difficulties.” One of the reasons the industry uses meat glue enzymes is because, “restructured meat can be made from underutilized portions of the carcasses.” For example, you can get away with adding up to 5% tendons to beef, and some people can’t tell the difference. This has raised food safety concerns. There is a “risk that otherwise discarded leftovers of questionable microbial quality could find their way into the reconstituted meat.” One can actually take a microscope and see introduced E. coli O157:H7 along the glue lines where meat pieces were enzymatically attached, which shows that the restructuring process can translocate fecal matter surface contamination into the interior of the meat. Furthermore, people who have problems with gluten may develop problems when ingesting meat treated with the meat glue enzyme, since it functions as an auto-antigen capable of inducing an autoimmune reaction. (Many gluten reactions may not actually be to gluten, though. See my video Is Gluten Sensitivity Real? and most need not worry about gluten sensitivity. See my video Is Gluten Bad For You?). Some meat additives, however, may actually improve food safety. See Meat Additives to Diminish Toxicity, Viral Meat Spray and Maggot Meat Spray. More on E. coli O157:H7 in my video, Meat May Exceed Daily Allowance of Irony. For those interested in the politics of this “Jack-in-the-Box” strain, see my blogs E. coli O145 Ban Opposed by Meat Industry and Supreme Court case: meat industry sues to keep downed animals in food supply. From a population perspective, the E. coli in chicken is more of a concern. See my video Avoiding Chicken To Avoid Bladder Infections. 	Do we know what brands use this meat glue? Would love some advice as to how to stay away from this! So appaulingHow about avoiding animal protein, altogether?I’ll look into this, but to my knowledge it’s so poorly inspected and regulated that it would be very hard to know what companies use it. I’ll post any new info I find here. Thanks, MichelleSort of related to this, how susceptible am I too catching viruses, bacteria, diseases, illnesses, and such as a result of working as the checkout scanner/cashier at the grocery store thus having to handle raw chicken packages, red meat packages, pork, turkey, egg cartons, etc.? If I am having to handle these “wrapped” yet often dripping in juice-packages dozens of times a day, should this be a huge concern of mine, or will my body build up resistance to the pathogens? I am hoping this is not the disease route of some diseases we chalk up as being caused from other things. Thanks. I am very concerned at my age to being exposed to these things, but I also do not want to over react. I’d rather follow what the science says.Heather does your work allow you to wear gloves? Dr. Gregor has some great videos on contamination. Click on Health topics above.Yes, but the gloves are cumbersome, thus not user friendly. I’m just wondering how big of an issue and concern this should be for regular grocery store workers working the checkout counter. I have watched all the videos on this on this website, but I do not seem to get an answer from the videos or opinion from Dr. G if this is a legitimate concern for us checkout counter workers.There are latex and non latex gloves fit for a king, surgeon, deli workers, food handlers and you name it. At a checkout counter I would be more worried what the customer thought. Don’t wear a mask too.Hi Heather. Legitimate concerns you address. Handling those products can put you at greater risk. Best to keep as sanitary as possible. Gloves are an option as others have mentioned. Have you seen this post about chicken? http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/My best advice is wear gloves and sanitize the checkout conveyor belt often.hi heather,when i read your post, i was thinking of this video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/Yes, informative video. But from what I read elsewhere, this is not as big of an issue for adults – our immune systems are developed, mature. I hope Doctor G. can offer some insight on this issue today on this post. Please, Dr. G?……from a concerned vegan grocery store employee.Turkey Brest by butterball is glued together with something..and doesn’t seem fit…Related to this is the recent finding by NIH that emulsifiers, like polysorbate-80, added to many processed foods to improve texture and extend shelf life actually promote colitis and metabolic syndrome in mice by altering their gut microbes and by breaking down the protective mucus layer lining the colon and exposing it to bacteria. http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/march2015/03162015additives.htmThe fact that an enzyme is extracted from the livers of guinea pigs is not only greatly disturbing but very upsetting that most meat products will not have this information on the product itself. Can this meat glue be used on any meat?Looks like it, as they found it in supermarket salmon and turkey, but I do not know all of the restrictions. It is misleading to say the least.Go organic or go vegan!This probably increases the mass of the chicken too. The meat industry is a very secretive industry…Meat glue … ugh, what a resulsive sick idea.Is this something we will find in our cuts of meat from the butcher or meat section of the supermarket, or more likely something that would be found in processed food such as “turkey loaf” and things such as that?Ugh, just the idea is going to have me feeling queasy for the rest of the day … thanks a lot! ;-)	American Meat Institute,animal products,animal protein,animal studies,autoimmune diseases,celiac disease,chicken,cost savings,e. coli,E. coli o157:H7,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,fish,food poisoning,foodborne illness,gluten,meat,meat glue,poultry,processed meat,salmon,steak,transglutaminase,turkey	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9212095,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22055118,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22747363,
PLAIN-27	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/	Is Liquid Smoke Safe?	We know smoke inhalation isn’t good for us, but what about smoke ingestion? Decades ago, smoke flavorings were tested to see if they caused DNA mutations in bacteria—the tests came up negative. Even as more and more smoke flavoring was added, the DNA mutation rate remained about the same. But the fact that something is not mutagenic in bacteria may have little predictive value for its effect on human cells. A group at MIT tested a hickory smoke flavoring they bought at the store against two types of human white blood cells. Unlike the bacteria, the mutation rate shot up as more and more liquid smoke was added. But, “there is no evidence that mutagenic activity in a particular human cell line is more closely related to human health risk than is mutagenic activity in bacteria.” In other words: just because liquid smoke causes DNA mutations to human cells in a petri dish, doesn’t mean that it does the same thing within the human body. A good approach may be to just analyze liquid smoke for known carcinogens, chemicals that we know cause cancer. Damaging DNA is just one of many ways chemicals can be toxic to cells. A decade later researchers tested to see what effect liquid smoke had on overall cell viability. If you drip water on cells, nothing happens, they keep powering away at around 100% survival, but drip on more and more wood fire smoke, and you start killing some of the cells off. Cigarette smoke is more toxic, but three out of four of the brands of liquid smoke they bought at the supermarket killed off even more cells, leading them to conclude that the cytotoxic potential of some commercial smoke flavorings is greater than that of liquid cigarette smoke, a finding they no doubt celebrated given that the researchers were paid employees of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Unfortunately they didn’t name names of the offending brands. That’s one of the reasons I was so excited about a new study, where they tested—and named–15 different brands of liquid smoke. This maximum “response” they were measuring was p53 activation. P53 is a protein we make that binds to our DNA, you can see this illustrated in my video, Is Liquid Smoke Flavoring Carcinogenic?. It activates our DNA repair enzymes. So a big p53 response may be indicative of a lot of DNA damage,and a few of the liquid smoke flavorings activated p53 almost as much as a chemotherapy drug like etoposide, whose whole purpose is to break DNA strands. Other flavorings didn’t seem as bad, though there was a hickory smoke powder that ranked pretty high, as did the fish sauce, though smoked paprika didn’t register at all. The p53-activating property in liquid smoke was eliminated by standard baking conditions (350°F for 1h), so if you’re baking something with liquid smoke for long enough, it should eliminate this effect, though just boiling—even for an hour, or slow cooking doesn’t appear to work. They conclude “If the DNA-damaging activities of liquid smoke were thought to be deleterious, it might be possible to replace liquid smoke with other safer, smoky substances.” Why do they say if thought to be deleterious? That’s because they’re not really measuring DNA damage, they’re measuring p53 activation, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. P53 is considered “Guardian of our Genome,” guardian of our DNA. It’s considered a tumor suppressor gene, so if something boosts its activity is that good or bad? It’s like the broccoli story. Cruciferous vegetables dramatically boost our liver’s detoxifying enzymes. Is this because our body sees broccoli as toxic and is trying to get rid of it quicker? Either way, the end result is good, lower cancer risk. It’s a biological phenomenon known as hormesis – that which doesn’t kill us may make us stronger. Like exercise is a stress on the body, but in the right amount can make us healthier in the long run. So, for example, teas and coffees caused p53 activation as well, but their consumption is associated with lower cancer risk. So it’s hard to know what to make of this p53 data. Due to the limitations of the available tests it’s hard to calculate the genotoxic potential of liquid smoke, or any other food for that matter. A better approach may be to just analyze liquid smoke for known carcinogens, chemicals that we know cause cancer. This was first attempted back in 1971. One of the seven liquid smoke flavors researchers tested contained one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon known to be cancer-causing, but there’s a bunch of similar carcinogens researchers didn’t test for. A later study, however, tested across the board, looking specifically at five different carcinogens in retail liquid smoke seasonings. The recommended daily upper safety limit for these carcinogens is 47. Hickory smoke flavoring has only 0.8 per teaspoon, so we’d have to drink three bottles a day to bump up against the limit. And mesquite liquid smoke has only 1.1. It turns out that most of the carcinogens in smoke are fat soluble, so when we make a water-based solution, like liquid smoke, we capture the smoke flavor compounds without capturing most of the smoke cancer compounds. The only time we need to really worry is when eating smoked foods—foods directly exposed to actual smoke. For example, smoked ham has 21.3 per serving, and smoked turkey breast has 26.7 per serving. One sandwich and we may be halfway to the limit, and one serving of barbequed chicken takes us over the top. Eating less than a single drumstick and we nearly double our daily allotment of these carcinogens. Nothing, however, is as bad as fish. Smoked herring? 140 per serving. And smoked salmon? One bagel with lox could take us ten times over the limit. I’ve touched on those cooked meat carcinogens before. In Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens I explored the role of these cooked meat chemicals in tumor growth. PhIP: The Three Strikes Breast Carcinogen explored their role in cancer invasion. Reducing Cancer Risk In Meateaters offered some mediation strategies. Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine? showed how even vegetarians may be at risk and Cancer, Interrupted: Green Tea and Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids explored some counter measures. Some smoke compounds may be a concern even if we don’t eat them. See Meat Fumes: Dietary Secondhand Smoke. Even the smell of frying bacon may be carcinogenic: Carcinogens in the Smell of Frying Bacon. Some plant foods exposed to high temperatures may also present a concern. See Is Yerba Mate Tea Bad for You? and Acrylamide in French Fries. What about Carcinogens in Roasted Coffee? The broccoli liver enzyme boost story is covered in The Best Detox. 	This makes me wonder where Smoked Paprika ranks as a carcinogen.Joevegan ~This article by Dr. M. Greger mentions smoked paprika;http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer&utm_source=NutritionFacts.org&utm_campaign=e7ad8caf91-RSS_BLOG_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_40f9e497d1-e7ad8caf91-23516193This statement is in todays article. Talking about P53.Other flavorings didn’t seem as bad, though there was a hickory smoke powder that ranked pretty high, as did the fish sauce, though smoked paprika didn’t register at all.Thanks, missed that; I shouldn’t post before I’ve had my cup of morning tea.“Other flavorings didn’t seem as bad, though there was a hickory smoke powder that ranked pretty high, as did the fish sauce, though smoked paprika didn’t register at all.”Oh oh.. Is adding 1/2 – 1 tsp of liquid smoke flavoring into my cashew cheese or coconut bacon going to increase my chances of cancer? :-(Hi Ravi K. It wouldn’t appear so seems how liquid smoke has only 0.8 per teaspoon of carcinogens and the upper safety limit is 47.The bacon on the other hand…One has to have fun with food while being Vegan ;-). Wonder where liquid aminos fall on this scale?I had never heard of coconut bacon. I assumed it was some sort of preparation method for bacon.Anyway, the only thing I found on Braggs is this:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-msg-bad-for-you/So, if grilled meats carry carcinogens, do grilled vegetables pick them up too? Or does grilled food only absorb the carcinogens when it has a high fat content? So meat, or perhaps vegetables coated in oil would, but vegetables without oil wouldn’t?Hi Jess. Meat contains creatine and sugar, which combined form heterocyclic amines – potentially mutagenic/carcinogenic compounds. Since veggies and plants lack creatine they do not form these dangerous compounds. Veggies on the grill can pick up polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), however, you are thinking right as more PAHs stem from fat dripping onto the grill, so perhaps less fat would yield less PAHs if grilling vegetables. One thing is for certain the smoked meats appear the most dangerous.We Indians are fond of smoked brinjal bharta ( the inner of roasted brinjal) . What is your opinion regarding health?Hi Dr. Agarwal. I couldn’t find anything on that product. I think if large doses of veggies are eaten with spices like liquid smoke or others the benefit of eating the whole foods outweigh any potential negative associations with the spices. In general, herbs and spices are bursting with antioxidants! If I find out more about this spice I’ll post it. Thanks!Hi Dr. Greger and Joe, I have a question that has been bothering me. I was wondering about your opinions on Mikoyo’s Creamery’s Smoked Farmhouse cheese. It’s a fermented nut cheese made from cashews, miso and nutritional yeast and unlike many other vegan products that use liquid smoke, it is actually smoked. Since it is high in fat, do you think it would contain carcinogens like bacon? I can’t find any studies on smoked nuts and carcinogens that might have similar implications for cancer or overall health. Thanks so much!	animal products,artificial flavors,black tea,body fat,broccoli,cancer,carcinogens,chemotherapy,chicken,coffee,cooking methods,cooking temperature,cruciferous vegetables,DNA damage,exercise,fat,fish,fish sauce,Green tea,ham,herbal tea,herring,hormesis,liquid smoke,liver disease,liver health,lox,mesquite,mutation,oxidative stress,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,poultry,safety limits,salmon,smoked foods,smoking,stress,tobacco,tumor suppressor genes,turkey,vegetables	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-yerba-mate-tea-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10566883,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6751955,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23402862,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4100074,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8224319,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3556356,
PLAIN-28	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/	Does Antioxidant Intake Matter for Stroke and Heart Disease?	In my video Food Antioxidants and Cancer, I talked about how antioxidants from whole plants are associated with lower cancer risk. It turns out that total antioxidant capacity of diet may also be protective against stroke, the world’s leading cause of death after heart disease. This is in contradiction to all the antioxidant supplement studies that failed to show benefit. This may be because the food antioxidant studies took into account thousands of different compounds, in doses obtained from a usual diet, rather than individual nutrients at unnaturally high levels. The buildup of oxidized fat is considered the hallmark of fatty streak formation, the earliest manifestation of atherosclerotic plaques. The oxidation of fat can happen outside the body, every time we cook it, but oxidized fats are not only formed in foods, but may also be generated during digestion, especially in stomach acid. Our stomach may be like a “bioreactor for the oxidation of high-fat, cholesterol-rich foods. Muscle foods contain large amounts of endogenous catalysts which accelerate fat oxidation.” As poultry sits in our stomach, the oxidation may build up minute by minute. Turn out chickens are bled of only about half their blood, and the remaining residual can be a powerful promoter of fat oxidation, so there are those in the industry advocating an additional decapitation step, but if oxidation is the problem, antioxidants can be part of the solution. We know antioxidant pills don’t work. While extensive experimental data “have revealed a central role for oxidative stress in the stiffening of our arteries and suggested a potential role for ‘antioxidant’ treatment in cardiovascular disease, experimental data has not translated into clinical benefit. Most antioxidant vitamin trials have failed to reduce heart disease and death and may in fact even be detrimental. As a result, some have even questioned the supposedly central role of oxidative stress in the disease process.” The fact that pills didn’t work was described as a critical blow to the whole free radical theory of aging. But high-dose single-antioxidant supplements are not a good substitute for the very complex antioxidant network of thousands of compounds in foods, present at concentrations far below those used in those pill trials. No one had ever looked at the overall effect of the complex antioxidant network in our diet in relation to our leading killer, coronary heart disease… until now. A large prospective population-based cohort study, highlighted in my video Food Antioxidants, Stroke, and Heart Disease, measured total antioxidant capacity of people’s diets: “The total antioxidant capacity measures, in one single value, the free-radical-reducing capacity of all antioxidants present in foods and all the synergistic effects.” They observed that “higher total antioxidant capacity of diet was statistically significantly associated with lower risk of incident heart attack in a dose-response manner,” meaning, potentially, the more high antioxidant plant foods in one’s diet, the better. Which foods have the highest antioxidant content? See: It’s the heme iron in chicken blood that may be contributing to fat oxidation in the stomach. That’s one of the targets of the Meat Additives to Diminish Toxicity. More on reducing stroke risk can be found in my videos Preventing Strokes with Diet and Whole Grains May Work As Well As Drugs. I have more than 150 videos on heart disease. Heart Disease Starts in Childhood and One in a Thousand Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic are among two of the most recent. 	are frozen Indian Gooseberries as good as dried? My local Indian market only has frozen.Hi Sue. I am not sure what is better. Dr. Greger does have some information on Indian Gooseberries and the answer may be found here. Hope that helps. Note there are even more videos on amla (Indian gooseberries) within that link.Best, JosephBerry researcher Dr. Mary Ann Lila says that frozen can even be better than fresh under certain circumstances. Read more here: http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/tips-picking-unseasonal-berries/or it could also be the anti inflammmatory of veg/fruitsGood point! It could be, but I would think the antioxidants add to that anti-inflammatory effect.Let us keep eating our fruits and veggies, legumes and nuts and seeds and pack up on the Antioxidants !!!!!Thanks for all your extensive work! Best wishes from Karin with family..“The buildup of oxidized fat is considered the hallmark of fatty streak formation, the earliest manifestation of atherosclerotic plaques.”So where does the oxidized fat risk come from in a WFPB low processed food diet? Would like to see more information geared towards the WFPB diet rather than mostly about meat eaters.Good question, jm. I suppose very little oxidative stress would occur from a Whole-foods plant-based diet. Oxidative damage as you mentioned may be more likely from processed foods, especially like french fries and chips. The diet would be very high in antioxidants and fiber – a good combo for reducing fatty streaks. There are many videos and blogs here that discuss avoiding this process. How to Prevent Heart Disease, and Eliminating 90% of Heart Disease Risk. Let me know if these help?Best, JosephI recall seeing research that a deficiency of B-12 can lead to deposits in arteries even in vegans.Here is a link to a discussion of how best to test for B-12 problems and how best to detect issues. I especially think that elevated homocysteine is important, as it has been implicated in so many chronic challenges to bodily health. http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/everyveganThe link was very informative, especially what to look for in your annual blood test for B12. The difficulty in getting fortified cereal is that most ready-made ones are high in sugar content. I am hoping that B12 supplement, Nori , Wakame and other Seaweeds are going to be adequate.No, do not rely on these. They are not adequate. I use a xylitol chewing gum that is fortified and that also makes an environment in the mouth that does not support acid-etching bacteria. My dentist recommended this, and has her kids use it. Nutritional yeast may have enough B-12 for some individuals, and my cat begs for it. He is a big old guy, maybe 20 pounds, and he eats as much as a human probably would, every day, so he is an interesting science experiment, but he also gets meat. There are concerns about using a ton of it in humans. Our peristalsis is slower. Going too low in B-12 is life-threatening, and it happens even to meat-eaters because assimilation is tricky. Where I live, in Portland, you can easily find docs who will test properly and give you shots if you are low. This is not something to mess around with, as you can get nerve and artery damage. If you have any other identifiable health issues, you need to stay on top on this, especially if you use conventional medicine that does not think about it or ask you about it.No mention of Turmeric? Or Ginger.Hi Ron. In other videos, yes. Try any of these turmeric and ginger. Thanks for mentioning them.Best, JosephFrom the text ” This may be because the food antioxidant studies took into account thousands of different compounds, in doses obtained from a usual diet, rather than individual nutrients at unnaturally high levels.”this appears contradictory to :“But high-dose single-antioxidant supplements are not a good substitute for the very complex antioxidant network of thousands of compounds in foods, present at concentrations far below those used in those pill trials.”I believe the first quote is a mistatment	aging,animal fat,animal products,antioxidants,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cholesterol,factory farming practices,farm animals,fat,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,mortality,multivitamins,nutrient synergy,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,poultry,stomach health,stroke,supplements,turkey	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17179431,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22998880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10091835,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17484034,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22135074,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23841595,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11728810,
PLAIN-29	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/	Does Antioxidant Intake Matter for Cancer?	The USDA removed their online antioxidant database of foods, “concerned that ORAC values were routinely misused by food and dietary supplement manufacturing companies to promote their products.” Indeed, supplement manufacturers got into my-ORAC-is-bigger-than-your-ORAC contests, comparing their pills to the antioxidant superfood du jour, like blueberries. We know there are lots of bioactive compounds in whole plant foods that may help prevent and ameliorate chronic disease in ways that have nothing to do with their antioxidant power, so I understand the USDA’s decision. So should we just eat lots of whole healthy plant foods and not worry about which one necessarily has more antioxidants than the other, or does one’s dietary antioxidant intake matter? We have some new data to help answer that question. Researchers recently analyzed total dietary antioxidant capacity and the risk of stomach cancer, the world’s second leading cancer killer. A half million people were studied, and dietary antioxidant capacity intake from different sources of plant foods was indeed associated with a reduction in risk. Note that they say dietary intake; they’re not talking about supplements. Not only do antioxidant pills not seem to help, they seem to increase overall mortality—that’s like paying to live a shorter life. Just giving high doses of isolated vitamins may cause disturbances in our body’s own natural antioxidant network. There are hundreds of different antioxidants in plant foods. They don’t act in isolation; they work synergistically. Mother Nature cannot be trapped in a bottle. Similar results were reported with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma: the more ORAC units we eat per day, the lower our cancer risk drops (though antioxidants or not, green leafy vegetables were particularly protective. Going from eating one serving of green leafy vegetables per week to a serving a day may cut our odds of lymphoma in half). Should we be worried about antioxidant intake during cancer treatment, since most chemo drugs work by creating free radicals? According to some of the latest reviews, highlighted in my video Food Antioxidants and Cancer, there is no evidence of antioxidant interference with chemotherapy, and antioxidants may actually improve treatment and patient survival. But should we take a multivitamin? See Should We Take a Multivitamin? What about fish oil supplements? Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil? I recently covered how and why we should strive to eat antioxidants with every meal in an important three-part series: Preferentially getting one’s nutrients from produce not pills is a common theme in the nutrition literature. See, for example: Antioxidants may also slow aging (See Mitochondrial Theory of Aging), reduce inflammation (See Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants), improve digestion (See Bulking Up on Antioxidants), and help prevent COPD (See Preventing COPD with Diet). So where are antioxidants found? See my series that starts with Antioxidant Content of 3139 Foods and Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. What about the role of antioxidants in other leading causes of death? That’s the subject of my video, Food Antioxidants, Stroke, and Heart Disease. 	In the video, “Antioxidant Content of 3139 Foods” the link to the references doesn’t work, but then I found that the USDA has published a more recent paper on the antioxidant content of foods. I’m having fun looking over this data. First surprise was that figs have more antioxidant power than goji berries. http://www.orac-info-portal.de/download/ORAC_R2.pdfHi Julie. Thanks for the heads up we’ll update that reference and include the one you found from 2010, href=”http://www.orac-info-portal.de/download/ORAC_R2.pdf” target=”_blank”>USDA report.Very interesting. Thanks for the link. Black Raspberry 19220; Chokeberry 16062; Elderberry 14697; Wild Blueberry 9621; Blackberry 5905; Blueberry 4669; Sweet Cherries 3747; Gooseberry 3332; Goji 3290.With cancer (stage 3c ovarian–7 years), the role of ORAC in cancer inhibition is one layer of an “idea”. It appears mitochondria can become dysregulated, throw off ROS into the cytoplasm and rip up the DNA, dysregulating molecular growth pathways. Then you have the tumor microenvironment, c-cell perpetuating inflammation and angiogenesis pathways for tumor growth and survival. It’s not all about ORAC, though it may contribute by cooling off ROS. There are multiple inhibitors of cancer growth in food. Agarwal, et al published a great 2006 paper illustrating the effect which I often share with patients. I believe daily therapeutic (not culinary) doses of tumeric, ginger, brassica, pomegranate juice, berries…sprout combinations I grow, garlic, onions and purple cabbage are the main vegetables I eat due to budget. During chemo, I just stopped all supplements a day or 2 before and after because I do not want to help the cell kick the drug out.ORAC?Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity – “Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC) assay measures the degree of inhibition of peroxy-radical-induced oxidation by the compounds of interest in a chemical milieu. It measures the value as Trolox equivalents and includes both inhibition time and the extent of inhibition of oxidation. The assay has been used to measure the antioxidant activity of foods.”Hi readers, Democracynow.org today had on special time the creators of Cowspiracy. Have any of you checked the numbers they are mentioning in that documentary? If those numbers are anywhere near true then phew I need to rethink some points of view.Little bit unsure what to think right now, grasping in the dark, shine some light somebody?But what if you’re a vegan who has been told to take various “isolated” supplements like B12, Vit D & calcium and a DHA/EPA supplement to ensure no deficiencies when avoiding meat, dairy and fish? I know we’re talking about antioxidants here, but does the advice I’m hearing more and more about getting your nutrition from food, not pills, apply here?That is something that interests me also. Dr. Greger, when he talks about calicum, he mentions fortified foods being a source. and all the is a calcium added to almond milk for example. Maybe it is different because it is a mineral. and if the almond milk is going in your smoothie with heaps of other stuff like greens, fruit, berries, then it shouldn’t be a problem?b12 also makes me wonder also. but taking it in a pill is still the best option, when you consider all the baggage that comes with the other sources.John McDougall says no to vitamin D supplements. I agree with him. an excuse to make you go outside more is good anyway.DHA/EPA is an interesting question because I wonder about the validity of having these levels of omega 3 for health anyway. I should look more into it. Could someone send me some links? Currently, I’m just relying on chia, flax, hemp, walnut, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, and greens for omega 3, 6. Currently I’m not taking a supplement. I’d consider one after having my levels tested and they turned up on the lower end.Check out Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations he covers everything you list! Yes, obtain it all from food is best. Sunshine, greens, beans, and flax. B12 is the only one you absolutely need. See if this helps?Thanks, JosephHarvard did any interesting study when they realized vegetarians have a 70% less chance of getting cancer. (I’m not good with time but I want to say less than 2 years ago.) They were curious to what vegetarians did or not do for this spectacular percent in not getting cancer. “Leafy green vegetables,” someone concluded. They found that chlorophyll wrapped itself around the mutagen and now the cancerous cell was too large to penetrate a healthy cell. Then your body took care of it. The one thing they didn’t relate was how “leafy green vegetables” also produced an alkaline ph in one’s body. This also inhibits cancers, viruses and spoors. So, it seems it’s not just antioxidants but “leafy green” veggies – chlorophyll – with a more alkaline ph which will help prevent cancers with some potential to reverse the cancer. I do want to ask how veggies we should ingest daily. I get fresh fruit smoothies here in Thailand (they are great) and I can also get a shot of wheat grass. The promo for the wheat grass says it’s the same as eating 1.5 kg of veggies. Do I really need that much? PS: there is growing evidence that intermittent fasting prior to chemo not only ameliorates the side effects of chemo but seems to target the cancerous cells better.Daily recommendations from the USDA says 3 cups. I find that number a bit low. More fruits and veggies is always a good idea in healthy individuals.	antioxidants,berries,blueberries,cancer,cancer survival,chemotherapy,chronic diseases,DNA damage,fruit,greens,industry influence,lifespan,lymphoma,mortality,multivitamins,non-Hodgkin lymphoma,nutrient synergy,oxidative stress,ranking foods,stomach cancer,stomach health,supplements,USDA,vegetables	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22038870,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22784609,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22072493,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15464182,
PLAIN-30	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/02/is-buying-organic-worth-it-a-review-of-the-science-in-new-dvd/	Is buying organic worth it? A review of the science in new DVD	One of the most common questions I get when I speak is “What do you think about buying organic?” As with any question like this, I first try to gently explain that what I or anyone else thinks doesn’t really matter. What matters is the science: What the best available balance of evidence shows right now. How else could we possibly make decisions for something as critical as the health of ourselves and our families? I put together a 5-part video series summarizing the best science comparing the nutritional content, pesticide risk, heavy metal toxicity, and food poisoning risk of organic versus conventionally raised foods, including a video on practical tips for making your own DIY fruit and vegetable wash: They are all available right now as a video download as part of my new Latest in Clinical Nutrition volume 24 (all proceeds go to charity). It can also be ordered as a physical DVD. The organic food videos are all scheduled to go up on NutritionFacts.org next month, but you can download and watch them right now. I’m excited to announce that the downloads are now in HD and have all the chapters marked like in the physical DVD. The current batch of videos from volume 23 on NutritionFacts.org just ran out, so starting now and running through June, I’ll be rolling out the videos from this new DVD, volume 24. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak-preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share them as gifts, but there is nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up free online here at NutritionFacts.org. If you’d like the works–40+ hours of video–you can get the complete DVD collection. In the image above you can see the list of chapters from the new volume 24 DVD — a preview of what’s to come over the next few months on NutritionFacts.org. Order my new DVD at DrGreger.org/dvds or through Amazon. It can also be ordered as a video download at DrGreger.org/downloads. If you were a regular supporter, you’d already be an organic food expert by now, having gotten the new DVD last week! I now come out with new DVDs every 9 weeks. If you’d like to automatically receive them before they’re even available to the public, please consider becoming a monthly donor. Anyone signing up on the donation page to become a $15 monthly contributor will receive the next three DVDs for free (as physical DVDs, downloads, or both–your choice), and anyone signing up as a $25 monthly contributor will get a whole year’s worth of new DVDs. If you’re already signed up and didn’t receive your volume 24 yet, please email Tommasina@NutritionFacts.org and she’ll make everything all better. If you’d rather just watch all the videos online as they launch, but would still like to support my work of helping to educate millions about healthy eating, you can make a tax-deductible donation to my 501c3 nonprofit organization NutritionFacts.org using a credit card, a direct PayPal link, or by sending a check to “NutritionFacts.org” PO Box 11400, Takoma Park, MD 20913. Time and time again you’ve heard me kvetch about the corrupting role money has played in the field of nutritional science. Financial considerations decide which foods get studied, which studies get published, and which findings get disseminated to the public. And when a company funds its own research, you always have to worry if the inherent conflict of interest is biasing the results. That really hit home when I was recording the video, Nutritional Yeast to Prevent the Common Cold. The video ends with a concern that some brands of nutritional yeast may be contaminated with lead. 	Dr Greger, my “kvetch” is that you don’t use Yiddish phrases enough; but I love it when you do! If you’re anything like me, your grandparents spoke in Yiddish when they didn’t want your parents to understand them. Your parents only learned a few Yiddish phrases, and you: practically none at all. For sure, I”ll be happy to contribute to your new research fund.די באַמערקונגען זענען דרייווינג מיך משוגע שוין (http://imtranslator.net/translation/english/to-yiddish/translation/) ;)איך האָפֿן אַז עטלעכע פון זיי מאַכן איר לאַכן.If he wants the majority of his audience to understand him, he will continue to post the way he has been.Another consideration when choosing organic, is net benefit to the environment. That’s important to me and millions of others.I’m aware that is not your focus, but it might be worth mentioning. Thanks!Even that question is complicated. Industrial scale organic farming uses herbicides and pesticides, just ones sourced from nature. Some are benign, others less so. Industrial scale organic farming has somewhat lower yields, so requires more acreage. And no-till farming is difficult with organic methods, so industrial scale organiic farming entails greater soil loss. There’s a world of difference between the high-labor organic farming we envision, with compost fertilization, integrated pest management, weeding by hand, and careful stewardship of the environment, and the organic farming that’s economically viable on a large scale.. Ideally, as consumers, we’ll all become aware of the tradeoffs.Admire your work, Doctor Greger! Would love to share with the Russian audience. If you`re open for my translating the information you provide, I`d be happy to make a website in Russian. Many blessings. yogawithann@gmail.comHi Anna. What a generous offer! Do you mind sending an inquiry about volunteering on this form, here. Thanks so much!sent:)Dr Greger, the things we do for which we are paid is good because we are meeting the needs of society is some way. But the things we do for which we are not paid is storing up treasure in heaven. Well done! I am a vegan and studied under the spirit teachers in London. Barbara, SydneyIs it honestly the supplements and taking nutrients in concentration the has the negative effects you described or is it common additives and coatings used in many supplements that causes those negative results.That’s a good question. I think it’s both. Even unwanted contaminates like lead could be found.do you have a French translation of these DVDs? Thanks	DVD	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/29/dr-greger-takes-on-mediterranean-diet-in-new-dvd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-31	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/	Orange Aromatherapy for Anxiety	Aromatherapy — the use of concentrated essential oils extracted from plants to treat disease — is commonly used to treat anxiety symptoms. Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent class of psychiatric disorders in the general population. However, their treatment is challenging, because the drugs used for the relief of anxiety symptoms can have serious side effects. Thankfully, credible studies that examine the effect of essential oils on anxiety symptoms are gradually starting to appear in the medical literature. However, in most of these studies, exposure to the essential oil odor was accompanied by massage. This makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the effect of the aroma itself. A typical example includes this study where patients in the intensive care unit the day after open-heart surgery got foot massages with orange-scented oil. Why not back massages? Because they just had their chests cracked open so they have huge sternotomy wounds. Patients showed a significant psychological benefit from the aromatherapy massage. But how do we know the essential oil had anything to do with it? Maybe it was just the massage. If that’s the case, then great—let’s give people massages! I’m all for more ICU foot rubs. “There is considerable evidence from randomized trials that massage alone reduces anxiety, so if massage is effective, then aromatherapy plus massage is also effective.” One study where cancer patients got massaged during chemo and radiation even found that the massage without the fragrance may be better. The researchers thought it might be a negative Pavlovian response: the patient smells the citrus and their body thinks, “Oh no, not another cancer treatment!” More recently the ambient odor of orange was tested in a dental office to see if it reduces anxiety and improves mood. Ambient odor of orange was diffused in the waiting room and appeared to have a relaxant effect—less anxiety, better mood, and more calmness—compared to a control group where there was no odor in the air. No odor, that is, except for the nasty dentist office smell. Maybe the orange scent was just masking the unpleasant odors. Maybe it had nothing to do with any orange-specific molecules. More research was necessary. So in another study, highlighted in my video, Orange Aromatherapy for Anxiety, researchers exposed some graduate students to an anxiety-producing situation and tested the scent of orange, versus a non-orange aroma, versus no scent at all. The orange did appear to have an anxiety-reducing effect. Interestingly, the observed anxiety-reducing effects were not followed by physical or mental sedation. On the contrary, at the highest dose, the orange oil made the volunteers feel more energetic. So orange aromatherapy may potentially reduce anxiety without the downer effect of Valium-type drugs. Does that mean we can get the benefits without the side effects? I’ve talked about the concerns of using scented consumer products before, even ones based on natural fragrances (Throw Household Products Off the Scent), and there have been reports of adverse effects of aromatherapy. Alternative medicine isn’t necessarily risk-free. For example, there are dozens of reported cases of people having their hearts ruptured by acupuncture. Ouch. But the adverse effects of aromatherapy were mostly from skin irritation from essential oils being applied topically, or even worse swallowed. Certain citrus oils can also make your skin sensitive to sunlight. Lavender may also help for both anxiety (Lavender for Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and migraines (Lavender for Migraine Headaches). The only other aromatherapy-related video is Wake Up and Smell the Saffron, though I have others on natural ways do reduce anxiety, including:  Natural, though, doesn’t always mean safe. See, for example: Of course eating citrus is good too! I have videos on Reducing Muscle Fatigue With Citrus and Keeping Your Hands Warm With Citrus, but Tell Your Doctor If You Eat Grapefruit. 	Thank you for this, Dr. Greger. Since being a vegan and using essential oils I am the healthiest I have ever been(at 59), I haven’t even taken an aspirin in years. Thank you for doing all the research to show us the light!!!What are reputable companies for essential oils? And how do you disperse their scent throughout a home?Hmmm that is a good question I am uncertain what brands they used in the study. Since you’re not ingesting the stuff I would think most any would do the trick. I know some folks add a few drops to a spray bottle of water and mist throughout home.I was looking for something more passive like a diffuser or something. Essential oils by disreputable companies are often diluted with vegetable oils, etc. But I will look around, thanks!I know this specific article was written about aromatherapy but is there a reason why organic, all-natural, plant-based, therapeutic grade essential oils should not be ingested? I know that they aren’t regulated by the FDA but many vitamins and nutritional supplements aren’t either… So, I was wondering if you had any opinion/experience or information on that. Thanks!Hi Christy, these are a couple of informative articles on the subject. The simple reason as to why they shouldn’t be ingested isn’t a matter of theory. It’s a matter of evidence, that essential oil ingestion has been shown to cause harm.http://leetea.hubpages.com/hub/Essential-Oil-Safety-Documented-Side-Effects-Injuries-and-Deaths-from-Essential-Oil-Ingestionhttp://leetea.hubpages.com/hub/Why-Are-All-the-Articles-that-Suggest-Ingesting-Essential-Oils-is-Safe-Written-by-Young-Living-Sales-RepsDoterra – http://www.doterra.com If you are really interested you can see if there is a Doterra rep in your area and they can give you all kinds of information. The key to Doterra is they are very careful about their oils and are of the highest quality. They are not added to with other oils, but are the pure oil. So very potent. You can dilute and mix them however you want. They are so high quality you can actually add most of them to your food. Some are not good for you to ingest, however, so please read which ones are appropriate to eat. They can be infused, or directly applied to the skin, or used in cooking. Not cheap but last a long time.Lauren, this is a company without tear-level marketing that has excellent grade essential oils: http://www.nativeamericannutritionals.com/The orange oil smells delicious, I’ll bet — will check it out. Another suggestion is to place a few drops of Rescue Remedy under your tongue. https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111219071030AArf8YxDoesn’t matter how pure the oil or scent it goes straight to my brain and starts disorienting it. Next thing a migraine attack is starting. Some scents are worse or faster working than others.I know that when I walk by my flowering citrus trees I feel better – the oranges especially. Will have to try Orange essential oil for my anxiety – will Nerolie work, I have that.As a cancer survivor, over the years I have learned that chemotherapy and radiation can significantly increase your sense of smell. I have never read this, or seen it documented in any literature, however it it true for me, (although I only had radiation). As I am now involved in a cancer support group, I have learned this is not just me, but many have reported this especially those who have undergone chemotherapy. It is actually an issue that arrises between couples living with cancer as a heightened sense of smell can make one more sensitive to smell that never bothered them before. This may be why the smell of essential oils doesn’t work with cancer patients. Cancer patients may not be used to a change it their senses, or may actually be overwhelmed. Just food for thought…	alternative medicine,anxiety,aromatherapy,benzodiazepines,cancer,chemotherapy,citrus,complementary medicine,fragrance,France,fruit,massage,medications,mental health,oranges,plant-based diets,radiation,side effects,skin health,sunlight,Valium	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22936057,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12805340,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11134689,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11511848,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21309711,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22849536,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21093944,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19125379,
PLAIN-32	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/	Peeks Behind the Egg Industry Curtain	The American Egg Board is a promotional marketing board appointed by the U.S. government whose mission is to “increase demand for egg and egg products on behalf of U.S. egg producers.” If an individual egg company wants to run an ad campaign, they can say pretty much whatever they want. But if an egg corporation wants to dip into the 10 million dollars the American Egg Board sets aside for advertising every year, because the board is overseen by the federal government, corporations are not allowed to lie with those funds. This leads to quite revealing exchanges between egg corporations that want to use that money and the USDA on what egg companies can and cannot say about eggs. Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act I was able to get my hands on some of those emails. Of course a lot of what I got were pages with nearly all of the text blacked out (you can see these in my video, Who Says Eggs Aren’t Healthy or Safe?). But I did find some illuminating correspondence. For example, one email shows an egg company trying to put out a brochure on healthy snacking for kids. But because of existing laws against false and misleading advertising, the head of the USDA’s poultry research and promotion programs reminds the company that eggs or egg products cannot be couched as being healthy or nutritious. “The words nutritious and healthy carry certain connotations, and because eggs have the amount of cholesterol they do, plus the fact that they’re not low in fat, [the words healthy and nutritious] are problematic.” This is the United States Department of Agriculture saying this! However, the USDA official helpfully suggests, “I believe you can say something that’s just as strong if not stronger, that is ‘naturally nutrient-dense.’” Why can we say eggs are nutrient-dense but not nutritious? Because there’s no legal definition of nutrient-dense. We can say Twinkies and Coca Cola are nutrient dense, but legally, we can’t say something is nutritious unless it’s actually… nutritious. For example, the egg industry wanted to run an ad calling eggs a nutritional powerhouse that aids in weight loss. The USDA had to remind the industry that they can’t portray eggs as a diet food because of the fat and cholesterol content. In fact, eggs have nearly twice the calories of anything that can be called “low-calorie.” “Nutritional powerhouse” can’t be used either. Fine, the industry said, they’ll move to plan B, and headline the ad “Egg-ceptional Nutrition.” They couldn’t say that either because, again, given the saturated fat and cholesterol you can’t legally call eggs nutritious. So the headline ended up as, “Find true satisfaction,” and instead of weight loss they had to go with “can reduce hunger.” The USDA congratulated them on their cleverness. Yes, a food that when eaten can reduce hunger—what a concept! They can’t even say eggs are “relatively” low in calories. Can’t say eggs are low in saturated fat—they’re not. Can’t say they’re relatively low in fat, they’re not. Can’t even call them a rich source of protein, because, according to the USDA, they’re not. It’s illegal to advertise that eggs pack a nutritional wallop, or that they have a high nutritional content. Eggs have so much cholesterol, we can’t even say they “contribute nutritionally.” Can’t say eggs are “healthful,” certainly can’t say they’re “healthy.” Can’t even say eggs contribute “healthful components.” Since we can’t say eggs are a healthy start to the day, the USDA suggests a “satisfying start.” Egg corporations can’t call eggs a healthy ingredient, but they can call eggs a “recognizable” ingredient. Can’t truthfully say eggs are good for us, either. By law, according to the USDA, the egg industry “needs to steer clear of words like ‘healthy’ or ‘nutritious.’” For a food to be labeled “healthy” under FDA rules, it has to be low in saturated fat (eggs fail that criteria) and have less than 90mg of cholesterol per serving (even half an egg fails that test). For the same reason we can’t tout ice cream for strong bones, we can’t say eggs are healthy because they exceed the threshold for cholesterol. Egg corporations aren’t even allowed to say things like “Eggs are an important part of a well balanced, healthy diet” on an egg carton because it would be considered misleading according to the USDA’s National Egg Supervisor, since eggs contain significant amounts of fat and cholesterol and therefore can contribute to the leading killer in the United States, heart disease. The industry can’t afford to tell the truth about the eggs, or even the hens that lay them. The industry crams five to ten birds in cages the size of a file cabinet their whole lives, but when providing footage to the media, the American Egg Board instructs, “do not show multiple birds in cages—they look too crowded and open us up to activist criticism.” Not only is the industry barred from saying eggs are healthy, they can’t even refer to eggs as safe because more than a hundred thousand Americans are food poisoned by Salmonella from eggs every year. The egg board’s response to this egg-borne epidemic is that Salmonella is a naturally occurring bacterium. An internal egg industry memo didn’t think that should necessarily be the key message, fearing that “it may be counterproductive by implying there is no avoiding Salmonella in eggs aside from avoiding eggs altogether.” The food poisoning risk is why the American Egg Board can’t even mention anything but eggs cooked hard and dry. No soft-boiled, no over-easy, no sunny-side up—because of the Salmonella risk. The American Egg Board’s own research showed that the sunny-side up cooking method should be considered “unsafe.” In light of bird flu viruses, both the white and yolk must be cooked firm. The VP of marketing for the Egg Board complained to the USDA saying they’d “really like to not have to dictate that the yolks are firm,” and cites a Washington Post article saying runny yolks may be safe for everyone except pregnant women, infants, elderly, or those with chronic disease. It turns out it was a misquote—eggs can’t be considered safe for anyone. Instead of safe, they can call eggs “fresh,” the USDA marketing service helpfully suggests. But they can’t call eggs safe, and they can’t say eggs are “safe to eat.” They can’t even mention safety at all. Wait a second, not only can eggs not be called healthy they can’t even be called safe? Says who? Says the United States Department of Agriculture. For more peeks behind the egg industry curtain see: 	i think i’ll stick with tofu scrambleSo, with this recent change in lowing concerns about cholesterol from what you eat, does this mean the Eggs Industry is going to make claims on health that they previously couldn’t? Or is this reduction in concern for dietary cholesterol just a political thing?We’ll see what claims they start making. Regardless, it seems the Egg Industry is being deceptive when it comes to public knowledge. Cholesterol guidelines are a subject that many researchers are debating. Dr. Greger discuss optimal cholesterol levels, here.Thanks. I have seen that video before, in fact just shortly before the announcement by National Nutrition Advisory panel that dietary cholesterol isn’t a concern. In fact that report really created a conflict at home where I was pointing out how bad eggs really were, and then they came out with a report that said they are fine. Do we know what study(S) the Advisory Panel was relying on for their decision?Hey MikeOnRaw. Glad you saw that video! Have you seen any of the communication from Dr. Greger testifying at the DGFA meetings? It was just a few days back. This may help. I think he is at 2:06:00 . Another speaker is Dr. Barnard who address the issue at hand. He is probably like 15 min before Dr. Greger. He addresses the AHA/ACC report directly and Dr. Greger follows-up on it. Hope that helps!Thanks for your comments! JosephGo Dr. Greger!Thanks for the link to this testimony. Also, thanks for pointing out the times that Dr. Barnard and Dr. Greger spoke. I would not have had the patience to find that myself.Nope, didn’t see testify but I will check it out tonight. Thanks for the follow ups.Dr. Barnard is at 1:46. Thanks again.Yea what about egg white…Dr Ornish oks them and has reversed CAD with them in his first food group for reversal.Does this include organic eggsPerhaps. Most studies fail to separate organic vs non-organic. They both probably have the same amount of cholesterol and saturated fat, as seen with grass-fed organic beef and conventional beef.Don’t forget that just a few years ago the Harvard Physicians’ Study determined that that although infrequent egg consumption caused no detectable harm, eating just one egg a day would increase risk of both heart disease and all causes of mortality. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400720 In fact, there are thousands of other studies which say much the same thing, warning against regular consumption of eggs and cholesterol-bearing foods. How the nutritional advisory council can disregard all these studies and be so callously caviler with Americans’ health is beyond my comprehension. I’ll be maintaining my abstinence from animal products whether they or their sponsors in the food industry like it or not.What about egg whites?Yea what about egg white…Dr Ornish oks them and has reversed CAD with them in his first food group for reversal.Egg whites don’t have cholesterol. They still have protein, but lack fiber and antioxidants. Not sure exactly how their protein relates to increased risk of IGF-I, but animal protein may increase IGF-I production.Explorer: I’m not sure if you would get notified of this or not, but I posted about egg whites separately on this page. There are lots of compelling reasons to stay away from egg whites.Thanks Thea. You can always right click on a comment (on the time) and copy link address. You probably know that as you have been here a while :) either way is fine. I appreciate your input.Joseph: No, I did not know that. I always wondered how people did that. Thanks!In the United States, the vast majority of soybeans, 87 percent, are genetically modified organisms, also known as GMOs, according to GMO Compass. GMO soy is also found in up to 70 percent of food products in U.S. supermarkets, including cereals, breads, soy milk, pasta and meat.Have fun with your tofu – I’ll stick with pastured duck eggs.Seems most tofu I find is organic, hence, not made with GMO soy.Hi Charles. There is lots of info on GMO and soy in this video, if interested.Thanks for your comments! JosephI thought high cholesterol foods were no longer a problem? Not that I want to eat eggs, but I tend toward high cholesterol and I’m still confused about it, sorry! If we don’t get high cholesterol from dietary cholesterol, as they now say, then how do we get it? Saturated fat? Is it just in our genes?Hi Susan, Cholesterol guidelines are a subject that many researchers are debating. We’ve known for a long time saturated fats boost cholesterol more than just dietary cholesterol. Dr. Greger discuss optimal cholesterol levels, here.In practically all poultry farms retroviruses, which are closely related to mouse mammary tumor retrovirus (MMTV), can be found. Laying hens have a high rate of ovarian tumors, but such tumors are uncommon in hens less than 2 years old. Oviductal and ovarian tumors are generally not differentiated, and genital tumors occur mainly in hens above the age at which most are slaughtered. In commercial poultry operations, hens are usually sacrificed after their first year as layers, aged between 22 and 24 months. Battery-egg laying hens attract retroviruses of mice on the grain stocks. Eggs are therefore permanently infected. Retrovirus secreting mice also come into contact with free-range chickens. Free-range chickens are often kept outdoors so that the risk of contamination through the pollution of food on the ground may be greater from mice feces. In the winter months, mice more than likely go to aviaries and poultry farms to collect scraps of food.Virus bearing and virus-secreting mice, cereals, chicken feed, poultry infection, vertical transmission of retroviruses via eggs and processing of raw protein in Bavarian cream and other confectionery products occur, man being the terminus. By consumption of undercooked egg- proteins, there is an increase of ovarian cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer in humans.Humans are commonly exposed to potentially oncogenic viruses that naturally infect and are frequently endemic in animals, which are part of the food chain, such as laying hens, chickens and eggs.This is ridiculous! Eggs have been eaten in the human diet since agriculture was developed, and probably before. There is nothing wrong with eating eggs. Salmonella in eggs is from unhealthy living conditions, just avoid commercially grown and eat organic pasture raised. The world today is obsessed with “what’s healthy” that I believe they lost sight of what’s natural for our species and how we’ve developed into the master race over the last few million years, it wasn’t by watching cholesterol, counting calories and eating GMO/processed foods. – I don’t eat eggs because I had a stomach injury and can no longer digest them, but I do feed them to my family.Thanks Lena. You are certainly welcome to make any dietary choices as you see fit. Dr. Greger is simply reporting on the Egg industry. He is not saying we should or should not eat eggs. You make great points and I appreciate your comments!Sincerely, Josephlena: re: “…what’s natural for our species…” I agree with you on that point. But the devil’s in the details. How do you determine what is natural? I can think of two good ways: 1) by looking at our biology, 2) by looking at which foods promote health and which foods promote disease.The problem with using history as your guide is that humans are not natural creatures in that we do lots of things, including eating, based on custom and availability, not biology. Then add in that we have so many years worth of history over such a wide variety of geographies and thus availability of food, that you have to be very careful about what lessons you take from looking as specific populations that lived a long time ago. It’s not that you can’t learn any lessons. But it does mean that you can’t conclude much with the simple idea that humans have been eating eggs for a long time. So? Humans in some populations have been dieing of heart disease and cancer for a long time too (while other populations avoid these diseases by eating extremely small amounts of eggs and other animal products). What humans have been doing for a time in and of itself is not a selling point.We do have answers to the two good ways of determining what is “natural for our species”. For a great primer on what our biology tells us concerning humans eating meat, check out: Humans Are Naturally Plant Eaters http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.htmlAnd for what science tells us about which foods promote health vs promote disease, you are in the right place. Keep watching videos and reading the articles. The more you take in, the more you will understand this point. Good luck.For people asking about egg whites, here is a repost from me, where I quote other people:There are two problems with eggs, the yolk and the white. (To paraphrase Dr. Barnard.)According to Wikipedia, here’s what’s in egg beaters: “”Egg Beaters is primarily egg whites with added flavorings, vitamins, and thickeners xanthan gum and guar gum. It contains no egg yolks.”Since egg beaters do not have egg yolks, the cholesterol issue is not in play. But egg whites are just as bad for you. Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, there are two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out two other health issues with egg whites.Dr. Greger recently posted some videos on how animal protein can raise insulin levels. I’m not sure if that applies to egg whites or not. But here is one of the videos. I can’t find the other one. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?Is there any method of protecting the remaining pancreas in newly diagnosed diabetics (nutritionally or lifestyle)?DuWayne: I don’t know specifically about “protecting the remaining pancreas”. What I can say is that Dr. Barnard has had great success in reversing Type 2 diabetes with a whole plant food based diet. (I presume the success he has seen involved protecting the pancreas, but I’m not 100% sure what you mean by that nor could I probably answer if I was.)Dr. Barnard wrote a book, complete with recipes, on this very topic if you are interested in learning more: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427403813&sr=1-1&keywords=prevent+and+reverse+diabetesGood luck.Hello,if hibiscus tea is great and green tea is amazing what do you think about the combenation of the tow in one cup? does the vitamin c in hibiccus halps for the absorption of the green tea nutriants ?is it the new best beverge ? :) thanks..!!!Hmmm…just how BIG is the egg industry? Could their influence, ahem, have possibly swayed the recent “cholesterol decision” that will surely be another green light to gobble down still more tortured animals and their byproducts?I agree strongly with your comment. There is a book on how to control Cholesterol without diet. “Cholesterol Control Without Diet. The Niacin Solution” by W. B. Parsons. For more than 50 years, controlling Cholesterol has been easy, with the use of mega doses of Niacin (2-3 grams a day). This has also been lampooned by big business and big pharmacy, as being unpractical. Perhaps that is what the committee is trying to report. That high triglycerides, high LDL, low HDL, are all about a Niacin deficiency. Niacin therapy is no longer considered safe perhaps because of the flush and the risk of nausea if taking Niacin without food. Also, most people will have to step their way up to these doses, this is not considered practical by modern medicine. However, a vegan diet may not be as effective as the mega doses of Niacin, or maybe as effective. It seems that big business wants to have it all the way around. Surely the dairy industry, egg industry, and meat industry are horrified by the benefits of less meat consumption. Surely they would encourage people to use Niacin therapy to aid their blood test results. Did you know that nearly 2/3 of Americans have a milk intolerance? I was surprised to find myself among them (I found I am a candidate for Lactaid treatment, though), and I feel better when I eat less meat I am sure vegetarians at this site would love to present an alternative, which is also sunk by the modern money making machine, Niacin therapy can extend life of those with unhealthy diets and taking Chromium Picolinate may blunt any IGF-1 spike from eating animal protein.I am another one who cannot stomach milk, and have disliked it since I was a small child. My mom and I did daily battles over it because in the late 50’s you did not question authority, and mom ruled! LOL! I used to give away my school milk to a friend who promised he wouldn’t tell! I know this is disgusting, but for me it was like swallowing mucus! As I got older, I found I was lactose intolerant, no surprise there, and no tears either! I never liked meat either so being vegan works for me in a myriad of ways! I am healthier now than I was 20 years ago, and certainly lighter! Even being vegan, my cholesterol tends to be on the high side, so I do take niacin, I just have to watch the dosage because of the flushing! Thanks!Dr, Abram Hoffer found that Niacin can cure a myriad of mental disorders, including schizophrenia, some depression, anxiety, most kinds of addiction, and bipolar disorder in the early 1950s and six years later he found that this miracle drug is good for blood chemistry as well. Men and women who have done Niacin therapy for heart disease probably have very good emotions. Prescription Niacin has been proscribed to many people without any concerns for over 70 years. The American Psychological Association tried to discredit him and his journal in the 1970s, a decision that still stands to this day and to Wikipedia. He has treated thousands of patients successfully with the premise that they have a deficiency. The APA said that if patients respond to one gram of Niacin, possibly even for addiction, they had pellagra and were downgraded as being never mentally ill. Perhaps this is true. Perhaps one fourth of Americans have chronic pellagra and not mental illness and one third get this in each year. Niacin is stripped from our whole grains in refineries and we are supposed to eat 6-11 servings of this a day. Perhaps this was good too, we have more protein from milk, which has been good for mankind for the past 100 years. Speaking as a botanist, fertilizer for plants (is fertilizer cheating?) is just mineral nutrition, elements. What if there was fertilizer for people? According to Abram Hoffer, there is, and he worked to established what would fertilize people for different diseases. This is called Orthomolecular medicine. It is as alternative as nutrition therapy like that found at this site, but as profoundly beneficial. Main stream medicine, like that for cancer, involves using steroids, which are a kind of fertilizer, and radiation therapy, which in a way is a kind of addition that nutrition therapy harnesses, there are poisons in plants to foreign bodies called phytonutrients. Congratulations on your many years as a vegan. Would you be surprised to learn that Americans are deficient in many elements on average? I think it is possible to say of the 20-60 nutrients that are essential, that is, must be eaten, cannot be made by the body like Niacin and Vitamin C, Americans are deficient in most of them and these deficiencies are building in the form of chronic illness..The eggstraordinary lengths the egg industry resorts to polish the image of their beloved product of chicken menstruation borders on chickanery.Food is hazardous too health! Do Not Eat!!Manage your risk, and eat the less hazardous foods.I am a first grade teacher and everyday my students, all public school students, are exposed to every food group that you fight so hard to expose and discourage. I see the results of “food poisoning” every week. Students have all the symptoms of consuming unhealthy meals and results are found in poor academic performance. The problem seem so massive, what can be done to help change food laws in one of Americas largest institutions?The way our industrial farms raise our food is nothing less than a crime. If you refuse to buy eggs from these and only buy from local farmers or those who are cage free, there will be more humanely grown food and more nutritious and safer food. Eggs contain 6-7 grams of high quality protein each, one of the best food sources on the planet. If Chickens were allowed to eat their natural diet, eggs would be high in omega 3 fats. Cholesterol is needed by every cell in your body, especially the brain. The brain makes it own cholesterol, but statins stop this production, and cholesterol is such a large moleule that it can not cross the blood brain barier. What happens? Memory loss, dementia, etc. Elderly with the highest cholesterols live the longest….Check out Anthony Colpo’s book, THE GREAT CHOLESTEROL CON, and read the research findings on Cholesterol and heart disease. Why is it France enjoys such a low incidence of heart disease and has one of the highest intakes of Cholesterol and Saturated fat? Find out about Ancel Key’s, the great lier! How our Government adopted standards based on assumption and then tried to prove their hypothesis. 50 years of lies and billions of $ for the pharmaceutical industry. AND worst of all focusing on a lie and ignoring what really does make a difference. A high carbohydrate diet is a killer!! Stop eating sugar, and that low fat/high carbohydrate diet..it’s not working!! Stop Smoking, Exercise daily, Decreasing Stress, correct your Omega 3/6 ratio!, Eat more Omega-3 fats (Saturated fat intake helps improve Omega3 status and immune function, PUFAs suppress your immune system). Get adequate Magnesium, CoEnzymeQ10, Selenium, L-Carnitine and Nitric Oxide, Vitamin and minerals in the right amounts, GARLIC and a diet full of vegetables and fruits to provide the powerful phytonutrients our bodies need to stay healthy. The lie is being revealed, find out more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/19/health/dietary-guidelines/Anthony Colpo? LOL! On his blog and videos Plantpositive has slain Colpo’s bogus research and “theories” and totally laid to rest any doubts about WHY Keys opted to eliminate certain radically changed populations from his studies! Don’t believe what you WANT to read or hear, do the science! PLEASE, especially HERE! Other than that, a lot of what you say has validity, but some of it is just misinformation that the paleo crowd loves to re-chant, ad nauseum! Plants heal, animals are foreign proteins and harm us in many ways. Any benefits they confer can more easily be gotten from not killing a living being. A balance will help, but why not just go all plants? It is totally doable, stop kidding yourselves and spreading silly disinfo!The 77 pages of scientific references in The Great Cholesterol Con are quite credible. Colpo is not alone in his findings. I appreciate the reference to the plantpositive website. I will check it out. Thanks! I have yet to read anything good about Ancel Keys so it should be interesting. Eating animal flesh is not my thing either. I do free range eggs every once in a while……..and then NON-GMO organic plants. But the idea that cholesterol causes heart disease is like blaming the paramedic for the accident. My point isn’t to eat paleo, my point is we need to be looking elsewhere and quit wasting our money and lives on a lie. Stress, Sugar & obesity, PUFA, smoking, inactivity, environmental toxins, etc these are the killers.Your body would probably love to turn all the Cholesterol it makes into Vitamin D3. Too little time too little sunshine. The meatless diet can add more than 10 years to your life.I am in total agreement with you on the “killers” and I personally think the cholesterol issue is a smokescreen for eating animal products in general. Good, bad or indifferent, it only comes from animals, besides what we ourselves produce, the issue isn’t just cholesterol. Glad to hear you are primarily plant based too! The garbage they call our “food” supply is getting more frightening, it isn’t even food anymore, and it’s devastating when you see so many sick kids. We never heard of asthma, allergies, autism, and the list goes on, when I was a kid in school in the 60’s, but now the school nurses can’t keep up with doing out all the medications in my grandkids school! It really scares the bleep out of me!I think this person represents what most Americans eat and do. I like this site because it gives me hope that I am not going to get many chronic diseases and have lots of options in health. You will not find many friends here for your ideas that a plant based high carb diet is bad. This is not a pro paleo or Adkins site. Dr. Greger is hoping to instill healthier living in all Americans. I would say that rich people live longer and western Americans have less disease than the third world. I would also say our diet is a factor. I would say for the first time our children are not going to live as long as us, and this is when smoking is declining. Why are the wealthier healthier than the poor when the poor eat so much less meat? Well, if you lived in the depression according to one poster, your increased consumption of beans would mean you would live five years longer than any other time. Statistically, I would rather be rich than poor for my health. However, the rich are not the blessed of modern religion. Why are the poor not healthier if they are more blessed? Why do those who go to Harvard live longer than any other cohort group in the country? This disjunct keeps priests awake. If you work in the egg industry, eggs are probably a big factor in what nourishes America. I would say the FDA might say that it is okay to call an egg nourishing. I would also say that they are not something that is going to keep you alive into your 100s. Is this your goal? Eggs have fed Americans. Are they part of a complete diet? Maybe not according to the food groups the vegans of this site are drawing. It is possible that Cholesterol is made by the liver to fed something in the body that is not well fed by Cholesterol as Vegans, who do not eat cholesterol, still have cholesterol in their bodies. In this way, Cholesterol is not an essential element, but it is a nutrient on food labels. Vegans do not have any Cholesterol at all in their diet. .So what they do is focus on protein in eggs. But a recent study that I don’t think the egg industry had any part in hinted that eggs might help prevent type 2 diabetes. (You are aware I’m sure). What are your thoughts?	American Egg Board,animal fat,bone fractures,bone health,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cholesterol,chronic diseases,Coca Cola,cooking methods,eggs,elderly,factory farming practices,fat,food poisoning,foodborne illness,Freedom of Information Act,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,infants,LDL cholesterol,marketing,nutrient density,nutrition myths,poultry,pregnancy,protein,safety limits,salmonella,saturated fat,turkey,Twinkies,USDA,weight loss,zoonotic disease	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-33	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/	What’s Driving America’s Obesity Problem?	Currently, nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight. By 2030 it is estimated more than half our population may be clinically obese. Childhood obesity has tripled, and most children will grow up to be overweight as well. The United States may be in the midst of raising the first generation since our nation’s founding that will have a shorter predicted life span than that of the previous generation. The food industry blames inactivity. We just need to move more, they say. But what is the role of exercise in the treatment of obesity? “There is considerable debate in the medical literature today about whether physical activity has any role whatsoever in the epidemic of obesity that has swept the globe since the 1980s.” The increase in calories per person is more than sufficient to explain the U.S. epidemic of obesity. In fact, if anything, the level of physical activity over the last few decades has actually gone up in both Europe and North America. This has important policy implications. We still need to exercise more, but the priorities for reversing the obesity epidemic should focus on the overconsumption of calories (See How Much Exercise to Sustain Weight Loss?). American children are currently eating about an extra 350 calories (equal to about a can of soda and small fries), and adults are eating about an extra 500 calories (equal to about a Big Mac).  We’d have to walk two hours a day, seven days a week to burn off those calories. So exercise can prevent weight gain, but the amount required to prevent weight gain may be closer to twice the current recommendations. It’s more effective to stick to foods rich in nutrients but poor in calories: see my video Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score. It’s cheaper too, see Best Nutrition Bang For Your Buck. Public health advocates have been experimenting with including this kind of information. One study found that fast food menus labeled with calories and the number of miles to walk to burn those calories appeared the most effective in influencing the selection of lower calorie meals. Exercise alone may have a small effect, and that small effect can make a big difference on a population scale. A 1% decrease in BMI nationwide might prevent millions of cases of diabetes and heart disease and thousands of cases of cancer. But why don’t we lose more weight from exercise? It may be because we’re just not doing it enough. “The small magnitude of weight loss observed from the majority of exercise interventions may be primarily due to low doses of prescribed exercise.” People tend to overestimate how many calories are burned by physical activity. For example, there’s this myth that a bout of sexual activity burns a few hundred calories. So you may think, “Hey, I could get a side of fries with that.” But if we actually hook people up and measure energy expenditure during the act (and the study subjects don’t get too tangled up with all the wires and hoses) it may be only close to the metabolic equivalent of calisthenics. Given that the average bout of sexual activity only lasts about six minutes, a young man might expend approximately 21 calories during sexual intercourse. Due to baseline metabolic needs, he would have spent roughly one third of that just lying around watching TV, so the incremental benefit is plausibly on the order of 14 calories. So maybe he could have one fry with that. I previously touched on this in my video Diet or Exercise, What’s More Important For Weight Loss? Don’t get me wrong–exercise is wonderful! Check out, for example: 	Whole REAL food fills us up, while processed FAKE food make us hungry. The food industry puts all it’s energy into figuring out how to make us eat more of their products. The advertising gets us to try it, and the carefully choreographed textures, flavors, saltiness, sweetness keep us coming back for more. The goal is to create a “food” that almost, but doesn’t quite satisfy us.A market economy provides what people demand, not what makes them healthy – unless that also happens to be what they demand. If vegetables and fruit could be cheaply packaged, stored, and commoditized like potato chips and Fruit Loops, we would see commercials every day touting the health benefits of vegetables and fruits. Instead, we’re sold potato chips “made with whole grains” and Fruit Loops fortified with “essential vitamins”.Government is the natural fallback in this situation and it could do a lot to resolve our confusion, but unfortunately these days rather than responding to the actual needs of its citizens it responds to the multitude of special interest groups with their own causes to defend and dollars to donate. That means corporations and the organizations they fund acting to defend and increase their interests, which ultimately means corporate profits. Unfortunately it does not mean the average citizen who is going about the business of living their lives who wouldn’t know the first thing about collective action or organizing a political advocacy group in defense of their interests…let alone healthy eating. The average person doesn’t even know what his or her interests are.No, the public doesn’t stand a chance in this day and political environment…but for nutrition information and education sites like this one…assuming someone is lucky enough to stumble upon it and decide that it, rather than any of the myriad websites promoting one fad diet over another, contains information that will help them improve their health through healthy eating.I do a lot of exercise, walk easily about 15,000 steps a day and do biking 3-4 times a week….BUT I still eat a fair amount of crappy processed junk so I know where the problem is.We’ve all heard this before and it’s true; YOU CAN’T OUT EXERCISE A BAD DIET.I have found this idea to be absolutely on the money. I’ve been eating your way for several years now, but found myself gaining weight over the last year. Highly perplexed, I sort of reverted back to my salad only days. Although I couldn’t sustain this for more than a couple weeks, a few pounds slipped off. But I was hungry…so I decided to listen to you, stop snacking, move more, and eat at regular times. Now I’m like I was in the beginning of my plant journey. I eat more whole grains, seeds, and beans with fruit, salads, and veggie sides. I walk instead of ride whenever possible. Stand instead of sit. Do exercises that are interesting and encouraging. The pounds are slowly coming off. I am satiated. I don’t constantly think about food anymore.Watching your videos encourages me to stay on track without obsessing about the whole thing. Thank you so much for this beautiful gift.Focusing on diet and exercise as culprits of the obesity epidemic, while true, is myopic since it does not identify the ultimate cause: the steadily declining American quality of life. Right now the domestic work week is approaching 50 hours while for the French, Germans and Austrians, it is 35 hours per week. The average American has 6 hours per week free time after getting the basics done. Americans don’t know how to cook anymore and don’t have the time for it anyway. Obviously, they don’t have time for exercise either. The effective enslavement of the masses to the military industrial complex that former President Eisenhower warned us about has come true.A terrific book that documents this is “The Overworked American”:http://www.amazon.com/Overworked-American-Unexpected-Decline-Leisure/dp/046505434X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427213895&sr=1-1&keywords=overworked+americanI trace this trend to the WWII Roosevelt Administration mobilization campaign to get women into the workforce typified by “Rosy the Riveter” propaganda:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_the_RiveterSubsequent campaigns to convince women they are not “fulfilled” unless they burn their bras and enter the workforce have done the rest. The obvious is ignored: If “Rosy” is going to rivet, then hubby must homemake or the quality of life declines for both.No solution to the health and obesity epidemic is possible until the quality of American life is improved to allow for it.I guess it depends on how you define free time. The average American watches 4-6 hours of TV per day according to AC Nielsen. If that doesn’t count towards their free time, and is just considered ‘the basics’, then, yeah, we’re kinda low on time.I’m a lazy salary man myself, but my wife works a lot of overtime. Even with the 50 hour work week, volunteering at church on Wednesdays, a bible study group on Mondays, church on Sunday, going to our son’s sporting events, shopping (because shopping is, apparently, essential) and a daily workout, she still has hours to waste on Pintrest every day.You are right that our busy lifestyle is part of the reason why we’re obese (we don’t take the time to make food and just grab whatever is ready), but it isn’t “The Man” who is making us busy.I’m on board. I think it stinks too that so many women who have children, the future of this country, are forced out into the work place to support them, and have to hire a someone to do the job they wanted of raising their own child at home! Other countries have found better ways, why can’t we? My son passed away and I “see” my remote grandchildren trying to cope with this situation, and it is heartbreaking when there isn’t much I can do so far away! Then they have to be latchkey kids sometimes, bigger kids watching little kids, eating and drinking whatever…it’s nobody’s fault per se, but it is NOT healthy in any respect, and very stressful for everyone!I’m going to have to disagree. I think Americans have the time, they just don’t prioritize for it. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. How is it that a single parent working 2 jobs still manages to find the time to cook and eat healthy AND workout 30 minutes a day? The answer is because that is where their priority lies. Excuse will do wonders for a lazy person. Stop the excuses and find results.As we know, the message to the public can’t just be based on cutting calories. There has to be some part of the message that focuses on whole food sources vs processed foods.Why don’t you talk about the toxicity and addictive additives in foods instead of exercise. Everybody knows we are being fed anything but real food.Hi Beverly. Good question. I searched our website and we have lots of information on addictive foods. There is also research on cow’s milk casomorphin and autism and crib death.and perhaps people don’t know what to replace the unhealthy diet with? Once on a plant based whole food diet it’s quite important to learn a new range of cooking skills in order to stick with it, or you’ll give up and go back to processed food. Maybe education needs to be part of the equation as well.Totally agree, not just about the cooking, but all the new food choices and eliminating the old ones…and just all the change! Anyone who expressed interest in a plant based diet quickly felt overwhelmed by the dramatic changes that felt so unfamiliar, no matter how simple they seemed…I always try to give tips and links to basic, simple recipes, and step by step approaches like the 21 day challenge or the like, where they walk you through it one day at a time! Crazy but true. I think we are truly creatures of habit and that is why so many of us get stuck in our bad, but familiar ruts…and don’t really want to change! LOL! I know that was true for me for all but the last 5 years!yes if it feels like you’re depriving yourself people won’t be able to stick with it. I needed to workout the balance of each meal ie how to incorporate a plant based protein (and how to make it appetizing) No one is going to last if it tastes like cardboard. I also had to get used to the bulk of vegetables we needed to purchase. I liked the Engine 2 diet book while trying to figure out the new way of planning groceries and putting together meals in the beginning. Then you develop your own meals gradually. but you know you’ve made progress when you feel ill watching a cooking program using dairy/animal protein/ mountains of sugar and you have to switch the channel ! Or trying a biscuit after several months and not enjoying the taste anymore, and realizing that you really prefer the taste of fruit /nuts/dried fruit now. My sense of smell and taste buds changed as well. I also did not feel hungry as often as I used to , and it leveled out. I agree that you have to tackle it one day at a time , it became natural for the whole family after about 5- 6 months.Good for you getting the whole family on board! It was just me and my husband, who lost his leg to diabetes and poor self care. Not wanting the same fate, I got on board with the WFPB diet, reversed many illnesses and my own life-long struggle with obesity. I am a total convert, I wish I could say the same for him. His habits rule him and I have to realize you can lead a horse to water…but…you know.It’s great to have the extra energy isn’t it? It is amazing you were able to free yourself from the life-long struggle with obesity. Eating habit is the hardest thing to change because unlike drugs/toxins etc we actually need food. I think I am almost there with reversing my blood glucose problems but I am still needing to tweak things. Habits are really hard to break so I can see why it’s hard for your husband, I still crave for certain things too, but of course we do wish our partners and ageing relatives will make the switch so they can avoid future illnesses. Sometimes children are better at adapting so they kind of lead us too in a way.The diet mentality I had always been taught…caloric restriction and portion control, are doomed to fail by their very nature. Feeling sated is a biological drive that asserts itself and defeats the best of intentions, causing enormous self hatred at one’s perceived “failure” and weakness, time and time again. I “dieted” my way to over 300 lbs, ate so little, and still could not lose weight, even with exercise. Everyone else assumes you just pig out all day and lay around, that just adds to the self esteem issues. I wish I had learned about the WFPB lifestyle so much earlier in life, because that was the key to all my problems, (as I’m sure it would be for most anyone) but better late than never!In fact exercise actually makes you fat. Russell Eaton, author, “Why You Should Avoid Exercise”…and to lose weight you should eat Cheetos and drink beer, because in fact, eating more actually makes you thin.Its pretty obvious that its not physical activity but poor diet. Kitchen workers are active most of their days yet many are obese.I work in a kitchen. I was obese for many years. Just standing up all day did not help me lose weight. I finally got a grip on my weight when I started bicycling to work everyday. I lost 95 pounds that way. Just standing up all day does not raise one’s heart rate. Raising one heart rate during exercise is what can really help with weight control. Riding up hills on a bike raises one’s heart rate I couldn’t eat ALL that I wanted and still lose weight by exercise, but my diet didn’t have to be nearly as draconian as it would have been had I not exercised everyday. Anyway, I haven’t gained back even one pound in 5 years and I have actually lost 10 more. Even after the 95 pound weight loss, I was already in the normal weight range. I have continued to exercise everyday and have steadily improved my diet. I don’t eat meat at all and eat far fewer sweets than I used to. Now, I might be getting too thin. So, exercise DOES help with weight control at the right amount and with SOME control of diet- it does lessen the severity of the control needed. It also helps a lot to eat plants, because the fiber contained in it is very conducive to weight control as well. Eating only whole foods and not processed foods also helps a lot as well. To me, it is not either/or but both/and. It also isn’t a matter of going to the gym, but incorporating activity into one’s daily living, such as by bicycling to work. Also fixing one’s own meals is very helpful. I only go out to eat once every two weeks.I am beginning my dissertation for my PhD program about August and am doing the dissertation on obesity and cognition. I would love to discover some of the study resources you cite to add to my lit review. Thank you.Hi Marjorie. Good luck on your project! All citations are listed within each hyperlink on this blog post. Let me know if any of them do not work. Also, you’ll find the “sources cited” button under each video title helpful for Dr. Greger’s references. Lastly, you may find some great citations from our obesity page. Or even more when searching for cognition. You may be preoccupied for a few days :) Best of luck let us know how we can help!Sincerely, JosephThank you for your kind response. I have indeed been preoccupied in my readings, but I am enjoying the data.The US food supply statistics may throw some light on the background to obesity. For example in 1909 when figures began, the food supply equated to about 3,400 kcalories per person per day. In 2010, the last year for I’ve seen figures, it was 4,000 kcalories per person per day. Saturated fat was 50 (grams I think) per person per day in 1909 and 59 in in 2010. It reached a high of 64 in 2002 and 2003. Carbohydrate fell from 499 in 1909 to 474 in 2010 and fibre from 29 to 25 while cholesterol rose from 440 to 460.http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USFoodSupply-1909-2010This news was disturbing and you’ll be glad you gave up seafood. “Slave-caught seafood winds up in US” http://rt.com/usa/243841-slave-caught-seafood-us/The Pleasure Trap by Doug Lisle explains a lot for me. It’s similar to alcoholism or drug addiction. Today’s food evidently simply provides too much of a pleasure shot, it’s so hard to say no to more. So, get it out of the house and don’t go to restos or places where that’s all they serve. We can relearn how to eat.Cell’s ability to store fat is an evolutionary survival adaptation. Researchers need to focus on the genes that allow cells to store fat so that we can escape the flood of phony miracle diets and miracle lifestyle and nutritional cures that are endlessly being peddled to a frustrated ad gullible Public..I recently heard a talk about the effect of glyphosate (Monsanto’s roundup) in the food supply causing a hormone disruption. In as small as parts per trillion!!!These pollutants cause obesity. In higher concentrations they cause cancer, infertility, etc… Check out Stephanie Seneff MIT professor and her talks about this chemical…. Avoid Glyphosate, eat non-GMO and organic.Americans and people of most nations are systematically socialized to eat unhealthy, and are systematically hindered from getting knowledge about what is healthy. Even the pediatricians that children go to, which usually are grossly overweight themselves, and hence very bad role models, participate in this bad socialization program. Some knowledge: http://www.abicana.com/health_information.htm	Big Mac,body fat,calories,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,children,diabetes,Europe,exercise,fast food,fat,french fries,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,low-fat diets,metabolism,nutrition myths,obesity,prediabetes,sexual health,soda,weight loss	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/26/best-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23174547,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18504442,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23363498,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3401553/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19828708,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23220355,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22681398,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21872750,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6476990,
PLAIN-34	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/	Food Manufacturers Get to Decide if Their Own Additives Are Safe	In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced their plans to all but eliminate trans fats from processed foods, citing a CDC statistic that the elimination of partially hydrogenated oils from the food supply could prevent more than 10,000 heart attacks and thousands of deaths every year. Up until that point, trans fats enjoyed their so-called “GRAS” status: “Generally Recognized As Safe.” How did these killer fats get labeled as safe? Who decides what’s safe? Currently, a “generally recognized as safe” determination is made when the manufacturer of a food substance evaluates the safety of the substance themselves and concludes that the use of the substance is safe. In other words, the company that manufactures the substance gets to determine if it is safe or not. This approach is commonly referred to as ”GRAS self-determination.” To make matters worse, not only do companies not have to inform the public, they don’t even have to inform the FDA. A company may voluntarily tell the FDA they just came up with a new food additive that they’ve decided is safe, but are not required to do so. The cumulative result is that there are an estimated 6,000 current affirmative safety decisions which allow for more than an estimated 10,000 substances to be used in food (See Who Determines if Food Additives are Safe?). In addition, an estimated 1,000 manufacturer safety decisions are never reported to FDA or the public. “Manufacturers and a trade association made the remaining decisions without FDA review by concluding on their own that the substances that they themselves were selling were safe.” While manufacturers are not required to notify the FDA of a “safe determination,” sometimes they do voluntarily notify the agency. From these notifications, researchers have been able to see which individuals companies select to make these determinations. Of the 451 GRAS notifications voluntarily submitted to the FDA, 22.4% were made by someone directly employed by the company; 13.3% were made by someone directly employed by a firm hand-picked by the company; and 64.3% were made by a panel hand-picked by the corporation or the firm the corporation hired. Are you doing the math? Yes, that means zero safety decisions were made independently. An astonishing 100% of the members of expert panels worked directly or indirectly for the companies that manufactured the food additive in question. And those are just the ones the food companies let the FDA know about. The companies also used the same in-the-pocket rent-a-scientist “experts” over and over, leading food industry watchdog Marion Nestle to ask “How is it possible that the FDA permits manufacturers to decide for themselves whether their food additives are safe?” It may be because many of the companies providing our daily food are corporate giants with “political muscles that national governments would envy.” PepsiCo alone spent more than $9 million in a single year to lobby Congress. The fact that food additives like trans fats have been allowed to kill thousands of Americans year after year comes as less of a surprise to those who realize that “three of Washington’s largest lobbying firms reportedly now work for the food industry.” I’ve got three dozen videos on food additives. Here are a few highlights: Artificial Colors: Phosphates: Preservatives: Sweeteners: Others: Just as the food additive industry gets to decide which food additives are safe, the food industry holds sway over which foods are considered safe. See, for example, my video The McGovern Report. 	Unbridled capitalism is worse than feudalism or slavery even, at least in those systems the upper classes as a whole benefit from healthy workers. Capitalism makes no such considerations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mxp_wgFWQoThe fox guarding the hen house. Why do food manufacturers and the FDA even bother going through this charade? To deceive the public? If so they’ve done a great job fooling people into thinking that all food additives are well tested and safe.Too much of proteinous foods can cause high cholesterol whiich can lead to heart disease.Protein forms about 15% of our total diet.At an advanced age, eat little of protein. Protein contains high cholesterol which is dangerous to the health.Too much of proteinous food intake can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke or cardiac arrest.Chren should eat a lot of ffod containing protein. Protein is good for growth and maturation in a child.s life, e.g. milk, eggs amongst others.Trans fat and Red dye #40 have both fallen thru the crack on the FDA’s additives-to -ban plate. Yep, we’ve got the best government money can buy.It’s about enlightenment. Knowledge IS power. It is time. The day has come to pull the covers off the food/grocery/FDA/healthcare/pharmaceutical conspiracy and hold them accountable with real consequences for their years of deception and crimes against humanity. ENOUGH OF THE HUSTLE!!One option for food processors replacing trans-fats is interesterified vegetable oils, with randomized ordering of fatty acids on the triglyceride backbone. When long chain saturated fatty acids are redistributed to the sn-2 position, interesterified fats appear more atherogenic than native fats. 1, 2, 3, 4, reviews: 5, 6, 7.I’m afraid I’m not nearly as versed in the biochemistry as your are darryl. Could you please tell me in a nutshell (pun intended) if these new fats they’re creating to replace trans fat are better or worse than the original? I know that with the story of BPA, even worse substitutes supposedly took its place when companies removed it from products, so I wouldn’t be surprised if its happening again with trans fats.In triglycerides, the 3 positions on glycerol (sn-1, 2, 3) where fatty acids are attached by ester bonds don’t have equal health effects. During digestion and as they cross cell membranes, the fatty acid in the middle position (sn-2) is preserved, while the other two are removed by lipases, and the atherogenic (plaque forming) health effects appear largely determined by the the fatty acid at sn-2. In lard, sn-2 is mostly occupied by atherogenic palmitate, while in most plant oils, sn-2 is usually occupied by less saturated fatty acids than the other two positions. For example, although cottonseed oil is 24% palmitate, very little is at sn-2. When randomized by interesterification, sn-1,2,3 each have 24% palmitate, and the oil becomes much more atherogenic in rabbits 1. In most cases, interesterified plant oils will redistribute more atherogenic fats to sn-2, so when some more saturated oilsoils (palm, cottonseed, soy) are interesterified to increase melting point, they can be expected to be more harmful than their native forms.ahh, thank you for the explanation! It still took me a while to digest it, but I think I get the basics of it. Hopefully those in power use the science for once and don’t replace one bad oil with another.“For the love of money is root of all evils.” – 1 Timothy 6:10.A word from the Word seems appropriate here!What should a person with very tight muscles eat? I have had this problem since puberty at 12 and it still hasn’t gone away and is only getting worse at 71. I love your website and look at it everyday. Thank you so much!Hi Val. Gosh not entirely sure. Dr. Greger addresses foods like citrus and berries being good for muscle soreness so perhaps giving those a whirl? Let me know if it works! Thanks for your post.	cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,FDA,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,Marion Nestle,mortality,Pepsi,processed foods,safety limits,trans fats,USDA	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23925569,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16480546,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23410611,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23925593,
PLAIN-35	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/	Meat Industry Wins Right to Sell Tainted Meat	In my last post, I talked about a particularly virulent strand of Salmonella traced to Foster Farms. But while even Mexico banned the importation of Foster Farms’ chicken on public health grounds, it was still sold in the United States. Why wasn’t there a recall? How could Foster Farms continue to legally sell chicken contaminated with this virulent strain of Salmonella? It all goes back to Supreme Beef v. USDA, a court case in which the meat industry sued the USDA after they had the audacity to try to shut down a slaughter plant that was repeatedly found violating Salmonella standards. The meat industry won. The Federal Appeals Court ruled that it wasn’t illegal to sell contaminated meat; what was illegal was the USDA trying to protect the public by shutting down the plant. Because normal cooking practices destroy Salmonella, the presence of Salmonella in meat does not render the meat “injurious to health.” Salmonella-infected meat is thus legal to sell to the consumer. We can get infected no matter how well the meat is cooked though. According to researchers, even though consumers “may eliminate Salmonella on ready-to-cook chicken by proper cooking, they could still be exposed to and acquire a Salmonella infection from cross-contamination of other foods with Salmonella from raw chicken during meal preparation.” If we measure the transfer rate from naturally contaminated poultry legs purchased in supermarkets to cutting boards in the kitchen, overall, 80% of the leg skins in contact with the cutting board for ten minutes transferred Campylobacter (another dangerous bacteria found in chicken feces) infection to the cutting board. And then if we put cooked chicken back on that same cutting board, there’s about a 30% chance it too will become contaminated. Even though people know that washing hands can decrease the risk of food poisoning, only about 2/3 say they actually do it. Even though most people know about cross contamination, 1/3 don’t even say they wash their cutting boards. Though awareness appears to be growing, even when people wash the cutting boards with hot soapy water we can still find Salmonella and Campylobacter (see Avoiding Chicken to Avoid Bladder Infections). The reason most people have more bacteria from feces in their kitchen than their bathroom is because people rinse their chickens in the sink, not the toilet . Foster Farms swore they’d try to reduce the number of chickens they were producing with this virulent strain of Salmonella from 1 in 4 to just 1 in 20. Why not a zero tolerance policy in countries such as Sweden? Because then, as the head of food safety for Costco noted, “you wouldn’t have a poultry industry.” Other countries have been able to raise chickens without Salmonella. One industry-funded scientist complained that if the entire onus to produce safe products is placed on industry, “it then gives the consumer no personal responsibility to handle their product correctly.” That’s like a car company saying we can’t make safe cars because then no one will wear a seat belt. I’ve touched on this topic before in my videos Salmonella in Chicken and Turkey Deadly but Not Illegal, Zero Tolerance to Acceptable Risk, and Unsafe at Any Feed. More on the issue of cross-contamination in: Note when it comes to egg-borne infection the issue is not just cross-contamination, given Salmonella can survive the most common egg cooking methods. Check out my video Total Recall. Though some meat additives may make meat safer (Viral Meat Spray and Maggot Meat Spray), others may increase the food safety risk. See my video Phosphate Additives in Chicken. 	All the more reason to adopt a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle.I’m so glad I gave up meat 18 years ago. However, I can’t seem to find effective alternatives to eggs in certain recipes for baking, and that really worries me. I guess I’m going to have to raise my own, and I hear its a lot of work.Hi Nigel. So nothing works as far as egg replacers go? I have a long list of possible substitutions, let me know if you want to view. Thanks for your comment!JosephHi Joseph, I be grateful to receive that list of egg substitutes, I have a couple of ok methods but more would be better, I never use eggs though.Other members may have better ideas than me, but here are several options I have found helpful: Ingredient Substitution ChartBest, Joseph“Safari can’t find the server” is the message I get from this click.Try this link: http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/PCRM_Substitution_Chart.pdfCheers!Hey Joseph and jj. Thanks a lot. I run a blog for new vegetarians and it is always nice to be able to pass on such advices :)I don’t bake a lot of things but have found ground flax seed in water let sit 10 minutes works very nicely for everything I bake. There are recipes on the web for eggless pumpkin pie and other things.Thanks for the reply. I’ve tried the soaked flax seeds for egg white replacement when needing beaten egg whites for meringue, but they fall flat so quickly and won’t dry with the same crunch for Pavlovas. I once tried an egg replacer for pumpkin pie, which smelled absolutely atrocious whilst baking. Every time I try an egg free version of pancakes, they seem flat and lifeless.I welcome new ideas or tips, but I really enjoy beating egg whites for any recipe. I don’t use much of the yolk, but there is just nothing like a good ol’ egg based cookie recipe. I really only use a few more eggs than normal at holiday times. I might get through a dozen every month or two with most of the yolks going down the drain. However, I’m very conscious about cracking the eggs in the sink, using only stainless steel with them, and boiling afterwards. Plus, the calcium in the shells really do wonders for my rose bushes. I’m really considering getting a hen or two.Well, if you can’t get your own hens, it is possible to biuy non-factory eggs almost everywhere. There are genuine free-range farms selling organic eggs, they’re just more expensive.Hi Nigel,I just Googled Vegan Pavlovas and it popped this up. Hopefully their recipe will help you out. http://www.icecreamandgiggles.com/2014/12/vegan-pavlova.htmlHave you heard of Hampton Creek’s “Just Mayo”? It supposedly works amazing in cookies and other baking, and now they’re perfecting a scrambled egg replacement “Just Scramble”. Amazing science behind these plant-based solutions: http://time.com/3117300/eggless-egg-hampton-creek-just-mayo/Since we know that cross contamination is an issue, and that cooking meat only reduces risk, instead of eliminating it.Isn’t that grounds to try to reverse the decision in Surpreme Beef vs USDA?I think many others felt the same way! I do hope this is investigated more and better efforts to protect human health at put into place.For what it’s worth, wood protects itself with chemicals that destroy bacteria. Bacteria on wooden cutting boards will be gone overnight, whereas some bacteria may remain on plastic cutting boards even after being scrubbed.The morale of the story is — Don’t eat chicken are any other meat !!!!from the NYT (not my opinion, at all) http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/31/upshot/red-meat-is-not-the-enemy.html?abt=0002&abg=1?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&bicmst=1409232722000&bicmet=1419773522000&_r=0Dear dr Greger, what would you respond to this ?“Likewise, people who eat meat from animals raised on organic farms that don’t pump their cattle full of hormones can be just as healthy as vegans who eat organic fruits and vegetables and the right kinds of grains.”	campylobacter,chicken,cooking methods,cooking temperature,farm animals,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,food poisoning,food recalls,foodborne illness,industry influence,Mexico,poultry,safety limits,Sweden,turkey,USDA	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23587707,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20051196,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9830117,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23317854,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10463448,
PLAIN-36	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/	Chicken Salmonella Outbreaks Show Food Safety Systems Failure	Salmonella causes more hospitalizations and more deaths than any other foodborne illness, and it’s been on the rise. Salmonella causes a million cases of food poisoning every year in the U.S., and over the last decade or so the number of cases has increased by 44%, particularly among children and the elderly. And chicken is the number one cause of Salmonella poisoning. Starting in Spring 2012, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) documented more than 600 individuals infected across 29 states with a particularly virulent strain of Salmonella (one in three were hospitalized). Investigations pointed to Foster Farms—the sixth largest chicken producer in the US—as the most likely source of the outbreak. The CDC warned people, but nothing was done. Foster Farms apparently continued to pump out contaminated meat for 17 months. Though there’s only been a few hundred cases confirmed, for every confirmed case the CDC estimates 38 cases slip through the cracks. So Foster Farms chicken may have infected and sickened more than 15,000 people. When USDA inspectors went to investigate, they found 25% of the chicken they sampled was contaminated with the outbreak strain of Salmonella, presumed to be because of all the fecal matter they found on the carcasses. In their February 2014 issue, Consumer Reports published a study on the high cost of cheap chicken, finding 97% of retail chicken breast off store shelves was contaminated with bacteria that can make people sick. 38% of the salmonella they found was resistant to multiple antibiotics (considered a serious public health threat by the CDC). Consumer Reports suggested the cramped conditions on factory chicken farms may play a role, and indeed new research shows the stress of overcrowding can increase Salmonella invasion. The Pew Commission released a special report on the Foster Farms outbreaks, concluding that the outbreaks bring into sharp focus the ineffectiveness of USDA’s approach to minimizing Salmonella contamination in poultry products. The agency’s response “was inadequate to protect public health,” and to this day thousands of people are getting sick with this preventable foodborne illnesses. One of the Pew Commission’s recommendations is to close facilities that are failing to produce safe food and keep them closed until their products stop sending people to the hospital. What did Foster Farms have to say for itself? They said that their chicken was “safe to eat,” that there’s “no recall in effect,” and that it is “Grade A wholesome.” In the same breath, though, they say Salmonella on chicken happens all the time. Their chicken is “Grade A wholesome,” but might kill us if we don’t handle it right. (See Foster Farms Responds to Chicken Salmonella Outbreak). As outspoken food safety advocate Bill Marler put it, the poultry industry’s reaction to the presence of fecal contamination on chicken is that… sh*t happens. Salmonella contamination is also a problem in the U.S. egg supply, sickening more than 100,000 people every year. See my video Total Recall. Other pathogens in meat include Yersinia enterocolitica in pork (Yersinia in Pork), Staphylococcus (U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph), MRSA (MRSA in U.S. Retail Meat), Hepatitis E (Hepatitis E Virus in Pork), bladder-infecting E coli (Avoiding Chicken To Avoid Bladder Infections), Clostridium difficile (Toxic Megacolon Superbug), and Campylobacter, the most common bacterial chicken pathogen (Poultry and Paralysis). Poultry appears to cause the most outbreaks, but is all chicken to blame equally? See my video Superbugs in Conventional vs. Organic Chicken. How was it legal for Foster Farms to continue to ship our meat known to be contaminated with a dangerous pathogen? See my videos Why is selling Salmonella tainted chicken still legal? and Chicken Salmonella Thanks to Meat Industry Lawsuit. 	So what’s new about this?My daughter is testing various kinds of meat and eggs for salmonella and e coli for her Biology project in High School. I am interested to see her results.Blech! Can not believe I ever ate dead rotting corpses! If you love animals you cannot eat them!just glad we are veganNew story on FRONTLINE “The Trouble with Chicken” more scary than Michael Greger, M.D. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/trouble-with-chicken/?utm_source=bestofnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Best_of_May-15_C&utm_campaign=Frontline_2015	antibiotics,CDC,Center for Science in the Public Interest,chicken,children,Consumers Union,elderly,factory farming practices,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,industry influence,meat,mortality,Pew Commission,poultry,salmonella,turkey,USDA	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/10/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/01/why-is-selling-salmonella-tainted-chicken-still-legal/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22980013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15095181,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24350836,
PLAIN-37	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	Viral Food Poisoning from Pesticides?	Although the most serious causes of food poisoning like Salmonella come largely from animal products (for example, most foodborne-related deaths have been attributed to poultry), millions of Americans are sickened by produce every year, thanks to noroviruses. Noroviruses can spread person-to-person via the fecal-oral route or by the ingestion of aerosolized vomit, which together may explain most norovirus food outbreaks. But a substantial proportion remained unexplained. How else can fecal viruses get on our fruits and veggies? The pesticide industry may be spraying them on (See Norovirus Food Poisoning from Pesticides). The water that’s used to spray pesticides on crops may be dredged up from ponds contaminated with fecal pathogens. When you hear of people getting infected with a stomach bug like E. coli from something like spinach, it’s important to realize that the pathogen didn’t originate from the spinach. Intestinal bugs come from intestines. Greens don’t have guts; plants don’t poop. “The application of pesticides may therefore not only be a chemical hazard, but also a microbiological hazard for public health.” What is the industry’s solution? To add more chemicals! “The inclusion of antiviral substances in reconstituted pesticides,” researchers assert, “may be appropriate to reduce the virological health risk posed by the application of pesticides.” Or we could just choose organic. Likewise the Salmonella in alfalfa sprout seeds (See Don’t Eat Raw Alfalfa Sprouts) likely came from manure run-off or contaminated irrigation water. But this pesticide angle adds a whole new route for fecal pathogens to pollute produce. Broccoli Sprouts are safer, and organic sprouts may therefore be safer still (See Broccoli Sprouts). Organic foods may also be healthier (see Cancer Fighting Berries) and don’t carry the potential chemical hazards associated with pesticides. See my videos: 	Dr. Greger, please write as soon as there is any research into any health differences (including contamination issues like the salmonella on the alfalfa sprouts) through the use of veganic permaculture practices. I am curious to learn if there is a meaningful difference with farmers who abstain from using animal-based fertilizing methods (like cow poop and blood meal).Here is an example of what I’m talking about:http://www.onedegreeorganics.com/why-veganic http://www.onedegreeorganics.com/our-farmers ^This company sources its ingredients from farms that use vegan permaculture practicesThat would be interesting, Nicole. I’ll be sure to bring this up. This article was more about pesticide sprays already being contaminated. The bacteria found in the nooks and crannies of alfalfa seeds likely came from manure run-off or contaminated water. Obtaining alfalfa seeds from fresh water sources and clean soil (I would assume ) lead to less pathogens.Dr. Gonzales, I understand that some organic farmers use chicken poop for fertilizer. Correct? How common is that practice? I also understand that some forms of arsenic are used in chicken feed, although the FDA recently banned many of those forms. Do we now have to grill our local organic farmers on what they’re using for fertilizer? Your thoughts?Im sorry but organic food does have pesticides, too.Good point, Lea. I forget the numbers, but still far less amounts in organics and may be a safer route.What are you sorry for? Just because organic certification is meaningless doesn’t mean there is no pesticide-free food being grown anywhere. Those privileged enough to have access to farmers markets and community gardens can take advantage of knowing which foods are truly pesticide-free, and the rest of us can fight for access to these things. If half of all fast food restaurants and gas stations in the US were community gardens, we’d all know a lot more about how our food was grown, without relying on certifications and labels.I’m so disgusted. Sometimes I’m grateful for your information but not necessarily happy about it. I am just going to move out into the middle of nowhere and grow my own veggies. It’s final!we could all live in one of these (see link) , save costs on housing and invest more in having a huge vege patch : ) I’ve been learning how to grow vegetables for the same reasons, and other outbreaks we had locally. http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/home/professor-dumpster-is-home-after-a-year-spent-living-in-2x2m-bin/story-fneuz5ql-1227233957030After several massive recalls of spinach in recent years I was puzzled about how the plants became contaminated. After reading your article, it now makes sense that contaminated the irrigation water is the source of problem. I live in an area where, a decade ago, one local community had a serious issue with contaminated drinking water. In that case the community drinking water came from a common well.The well water was contaminated with fecal matter from agricultural run off. The end result was several deaths and a number of people hospitalized after drinking tap water. Investigations found that there were multiple faults in the water treatment system, both mechanical and human in nature.After the investigation was completed, huge amounts of money were spent to upgrade the filtration and monitoring system for the community drinking water. However I can well imagine that in most agricultural situations little if any monitoring takes place for water used in irrigation. It would be easy then to imagine how fecal contamination could easily get onto plants and then directly into humans.The part of that equation which is not so directly understood is the use of contaminated water to mix pesticides. This is very counter intuitive given the fact that most fruit are grown above ground level, and one assumes normally not exposed to pathogens such as e coli. How clever of us ingenious humans to find a way to get poo on apples.Then again we’ve also found a way to get radioactive isotopes from nuclear tests into the bones of all children born since 1950. From that perspective I suppose poop on apples really isn’t such a big surprise.Interesting story about the contaminated well-water. That is very unfortunate to hear. I think the folks who spray these pesticides don’t always have access to clean water. The regulations of water use and testing for bacteria seem slim to none. It appears we have so much contaminated water from agriculture run-off that it is hard to avoid. Scary to think the industry’s solution is to develop another antiviral pesticide to combat the dangers of water contamination.I wonder why the workers who pick and or handle these items on the farms don’t get sick and act as a heads up on the contaminations ?Good call. Lets find some of that research. We know that animal agriculture workers have higher rates of cancers. I can only imagine that workers who are in the fields receive more exposure and suffer more risks. Some folks talk about not eating pesticide-laden foods as a human rights issue, not necessary for their health. That makes sense to some degree, and I mean sure, cheaper food, but at what costs? See these resources for more information:CHAMACOS study is really good: http://www.healthresearchforaction.org/sph/chamacos-cohort-studyMedia coverage on it: http://www.thenation.com/article/178804/warning-signs-how-pesticides-harm-young-brainFarmworker Justice also has lots of info/resources. Click on “Pesticide Safety Resources” — http://www.farmworkerjustice.org/resources/health-and-safety-resourcesAm I the only one who reads stuff like this and just wants to pull out my hair? How could we de-evolve to such a pathetic state and think we are so advanced? It just boggles me!I know, Charzie. It is sad. Thankfully we know what is going on to some extent, and can make informed decisions.Dr. Greger, I am having trouble finding information on Monk Fruit as a sweetener. I dont see it listed on your site. Any information would be appreciated.There have been a number of posts over the years asking for information on Monk Fruit – it would be good to see something on it. (try this query in google monk fruit site:nutritionfacts.org )I don’t think there are any human studies, but there is some reach on it suggesting some benefits. Sound like it’s been used for a while and some in vitro studies exist Chemistry and pharmacology of Siraitia grosvenorii: a review.Hi, Cole! Thanks for reposting this question. Perhaps it’s time to reevaluate the literature on sweeteners like monkfruit, stevia, and erythritol? I couldn’t find anything in pubmed on monkfruit! Anyone else have any studies? We’ll look into this, please give me some time…Thanks again, JosephHi Joseph , One thing I did not know was that it comes under the Siraitia grosvenorii Fruits so I’ve included the wikipedia definition and intro. Hopefully the links are not broken.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siraitia_grosvenoriiEffects of Siraitia grosvenorii Fruits Extracts on Physical Fatigue in Mice: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3813191/Sweeteners from plants-with emphasis on Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) and Siraitiagrosvenorii (Swingle):http://www.researchgate.net/publication/235344814_Sweeteners_from_plants-with_emphasis_on_Stevia_rebaudiana_%28Bertoni%29_and_Siraitia_grosvenorii_%28Swingle%29Thanks! I didn’t know monkfruit’s “real” name ;-) I found another study and posted it below.Best, Josephme neither ! but I was sure I’ve seen the fruit when I was in parts of Asia. I use the monk fruit based sweetener or stevia , and neither of them seem to affect my insulin sensitivity. No more sugar spike, no more sudden personality change- issues : ) I will be looking up the study, thanks.Nutrition Action/ CSPI downgrades noncow-milks sweetened with monkfruit.Having been a fifth generation farmer and now an vegan who grows much of his own food, I feel inclined to make an observation and comment. I was raised on a traditional farm upon which used crop rotation between production years for maintenance of organic content. We also included livestock in our rotation. This was before the tidal wave of genetically modified seed and other “progressive” trends in modern agriculture. I have been poisoned by transdermal absorption of concentrated herbicide and have seen the results of livestock waste used to enhance commercial (chemical) fertilizers. When spraying anything on a crop, the water may contain raw, undigested fecal matter that will most certainly result in a risk to consumers; however, we should remember that spraying contaminated water into the air and sunshine is also one of many manners in which organic contaminate are removed from water (or at least rendered harmless). Just to make an exaggerated point … After water containing fecal contaminates has been sprayed onto a crop, if that water is allowed to dry and be exposed to air, rain, dew and sunlight, at some point, those contaminates will have been rendered completely harmless. This, of course, depends upon several factors, such as: How concentrated was the contaminate in the water being sprayed? What type of contaminate was present in the water? At what stage of biological digestion was the contaminate when it was mixed with the water and how long was it mixed before spraying? How long after spraying has the contaminated water been exposed to air and sunlight before harvest? A big one: Has it rained or has heavy dew volatized between the spraying process and the harvest? There are so many variables that can either mitigate or magnify the effects of contamination that we must rely largely upon luck of the draw when making a purchase. Personally, I am quite fearful of today’s agricultural products, for numerous reasons. It would be quite nice to believe that a operator who has several hundred acres to care for could conceivably put his shadow on each plant and assure that all processes took turn in an orderly and proper manner, most beneficial to consumers; however, the reality is quite different. I personally grow enough organic food for a family and can care for each plant accurately and properly, but even this small operation is so demanding that if I attempted to add to my operation, it would be impossible to manage. Considering all of the variables, I fully understand how a perfect storm of contamination and follow-up circumstances can so easily result in deadly consequences. Indeed, it takes a perfect storm of prudent operating and good luck NOT to be infested and possibly sickened by contamination.Love the post! Thanks, appin. I can only speak to my previous tiny garden in DC. It was nice being able to check every plant with my own eyes, but even then I was not abel to produce everything I needed. Perhaps we need better education on farming, finding neighborhood gardens, and ways to dig-up our own yards?John Jeavons and colleagues have repeatedly shown that a plot 40×100 feet can feed a family of 4 comfortably, and 1 person fully, without external inputs like fertilizers or pesticides. His major book, How to Grow More Veg…, has gone into 8 editions so far. Other books, some well-written for lay people, are being published all the time; and Jeavons’ nonprofit Ecology Action puts out bulletins to help optimize nutrition. And John Jenkins’ book Humanure, whose 3rd edition is online, solves the poop problem at several levels, though not the corporate.After the outbreak and recall of *organic* raw spinach a few years ago we quit eating it uncooked. All our organic vegetables are washed but also steamed now — for safety’s sake as well the nutrient enhancement steaming affords.Dr. Gregor, how does eating organic protect you from this? http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2012/O157H7-11-12/index.html I know the spinach didn’t do it, but organic farming does not mean vegan farming. The cows, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks and who know what other animal used in organic fertilizing do. As do the humans harvesting the processing the crops. Here an article that might also shed so light on how organic spinach can become contaminated by e-coli. http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2012/O157H7-11-12/index.htmlRelevant short article worth reading. It’s not just pesticides. “The Down and Dirty on Manure and Food Safety” http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2015/03/the-down-and-dirty-on-manure-and-food-safety/There may be an advantage to mechanically harvested vegetables (eg. much baby spinach these days, organic or conventional, is untouched by human hand).I soak my baby spinach or any veggie that I suspect may have crap on them in a pot of vinegar and water for about an hour before I have them for lunch. It also perks them up a bit if they are wilted.I drain the pot into a jar and put it back int he frig for the next day. I use the same solution for about 5 days before I start fresh again.Vinegar can be used to remove certain pesticides and bacteria from your fresh produce. Of course, you don’t need apple cider vinegar for this—any basic white vinegar will do. Gayle Povis Alleman, MS, RD recommends a solution of 10 percent vinegar to 90 percent water as a bath to briefly soak produce.3 Just place your veggeis or fruit in the solution, swish it around, and rinse thoroughly. Just don’t use this process on fragile fruits (like berries), since they could be damaged in the process or soak up too much vinegar through their porous skins.Gary, some people alternate, in either order, vinegar and food-grade peroxide solution to kill possibly-harmful as well as beneficial bacteria. A comprehensive approach would include what I haven’t yet seen, a sketch of how/why Shiga-toxic E. coli are evolving in such numbers in industrial agriculture.Dr. Greger ‘n co… thank you for all your fine work. The article raises issues, but what do you recommend we do as a response? e.g. I noted in the comments below one reader suggests a 10% vinegar solution. I myself do a vigorous wash of my veg before consumption. I think many would appreciate and benefit from what you regard as best practices for handling fresh veg to be consumed raw. Many thanks!Hi James. I decided to put together a list of “best practices” so to speak, on my Q&A page. See if this helps?Thanks for your feedback! Joseph	animal products,chicken,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,fruit,mortality,norovirus,organic foods,pesticides,poultry,salmonella,turkey,vegetables,viral infections	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3647642/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673201/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23290241,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3471645/,
PLAIN-38	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/	The Reversal on Fish Oil	Are the purported benefits of fish oil supplementation for the prevention and treatment of heart disease just a “fish tale“? Thanks to recommendations from organizations such as the American Heart Association that individuals at high risk for heart disease ask their physicians about fish oil supplementation, fish oil has grown into a multibillion dollar industry. We now consume over 100,000 tons of fish oil every year. But what does the science say? A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, highlighted in my video Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil? looked at all the best “randomized clinical trials evaluating the effects of omega-3’s on lifespan, cardiac death, sudden death, heart attack, and stroke.” The studies told the subjects to either eat more oily fish or to take fish oil capsules. What did the study find? Overall, the researchers found no protective benefit for all-cause mortality, heart disease mortality, sudden cardiac death, heart attack, or stroke. What about for those who already had a heart attack and are trying to prevent another? Still no benefit. Where did we even get this idea that omega 3’s were good for the heart? If we look at some of the older studies, the results seemed promising. For example, there was the famous DART trial back in the 80s involving 2,000 men. Those advised to eat fatty fish had a 29% reduction in mortality. Pretty impressive—no wonder it got a lot of attention. But people seemed to have forgotten the sequel, the DART-2 trial. The same group of researchers, and an even bigger study (3,000 men). In DART-2 “those advised to eat oily fish and particularly those supplied with fish oil capsules had a higher risk of cardiac death.” Put all the studies together, and there’s no justification for the use of omega 3s as a structured intervention in everyday clinical practice or for guidelines supporting more dietary omega-3’s. So what should doctors say when their patients follow the American Heart Association advice to ask them about fish oil supplements? Given this and other negative meta-analyses, “our job as doctors should be to stop highly marketed fish oil supplementation in all of our patients.” I’ve previously discussed fish oil supplements in the context of risks versus purported cardiovascular benefits: But if the benefits aren’t there, then all one is left with are concerns over the industrial pollutants that concentrate in the fish fat (even in distilled fish oil, see Is Distilled Fish Oil Toxin-Free?). These same contaminants are found in the fish themselves. This raises concern for adults (Fish Fog), children (Nerves of Mercury), and pregnant moms: 	Why are there no comments on this article yet ?What about the Omega 3using microalgea oil with DHA and EPA? Are they a waste of time as well?Not entirely. The microalgae DHA-based seems to have comparable efficacies to that of fish oil. Plus, you avoid potential contaminants that Dr. Greger is talking about in fish oil. Dr. Greger recommends Omega-3 Fatty Acids 250 mg daily of pollutant free (yeast- or algae-derived) long-chain omega-3’s (EPA/DHA). More attention should be paid to this type of nutrient if balance of fats are off (omega-3 to the omega 6 ratio) in the diet, or folks are not consuming foods rich in omega-3 fats. More on Dr Greger’s nutrient recommendation.The Fish/Snake Oil video (3 Feb 2014) cites several papers particularly from 2012 which found no benefit (even harm) from n3 with respect to all-cause mortality, cardiac death, sudden death, myocardial infarction, and stroke. However, the linked Doughman et al paper from 2007 claims n3 provides “health benefits and as natural medicine in several major diseases.” What benefits and major diseases are they referring to? They bullet five discussion points of which #3: “possible protective mechanisms of EPA/DHA in major diseases such as coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, cancer and type 2 diabetes”I don’t see compelling evidence stating that “fish oil: bad” but “algae oil: good”.I see some! Forgive any delays, Theodore. Sometimes my posts may be later generated. I am starting to see more!I’ll comment. My biggest concern about relying on epidemiological studies is this: Do we know enough yet to design the studies correctly? Omega 3s are extremely heat sensitive. The oils can go rancid easily–and the fats in the fish may get oxidized or not, depending on how you cook it. So unless we’re comparing raw apples with raw apples, we’ll be spending a lot of research time and money coming up with what could likely be meaningless results.If you look in the address bar you can see the release date of the article.I postponed dealing with the “other than saturated” fat issue for a long time because of all the confusionist talk, settled for a lets sit this one out and then act. :) However I’ve come around so many articles claiming benefit for ADHD or other less than optimal functioning brain afflictions, that I’ve settled on some 3’s. There was one study that mentioned that even if fed a diet extremely high in 3’s, people with certain sensitivities in the end always end up with very high 6 vs 3 in their profiles. I don’t understand how that comes to be, maybe the 3’s get selectively burnt off or something? The thing is that if those inevitable low 3’s if, end up causing me symptoms, I’d rather keep using some support than have none.This site is very good at pointing average Joe too a better diet, but not all of us are average Joe’s. Since we have a nutrition director now I’d like to ask what the fatty acid advice would be for people with ADHD/Autism Spectrum Disorders.Hi Arjan den Hollander,Can you give me a background of the studies you are referring to? I am not too familiar with ADHD and essential fats. Off the top of my head I would not think the amounts would differ. Have you seen Dr. Greger’s videos on ADHD and food dyes? or Cow’s milk and autism? A assume so since you are an above average joe! Send me some of the study links and lets see what they say about fat. thanks!Hi,I’d be a below average Joe if anything but no I cannot give you “the” study, the internet is abuzz with them and I’ve categorized the lot as just noise, the amount of noise made me think I might be in the vulnerable category though.The balance became taking them will likely not harm me too much, severe deficits if they occur likely will, so I settled on a fish first or some oils every now and then.That sentiment still stands for me, as it will for a lot of people google fish oil and ADHD : About 696,000 results (0.60 seconds)Internet abuzz is no understatement as you can see.I haven’t used milk in a year, only WFPB. And at this time haven’t eaten anything animal based for 6 weeks. Never really been a candy (color) or artificial sugar person, not a big refined sugar consumer either for that matter.Hello The minimum people should consume daily is 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds to meet the minimum 4000mg Omega3 daily requirement to live. No personal advice is permitted in this forum, but since you insist: You are doing fine with with 15g walnuts and 15g of flax. Greger, McDougall, Barnard and others low fat vegans will flip and call that a high fat diet, that’s why Gonzalez didn’t answer you yet. If you want to hit 50g daily, I would tell you to add cacao to the ground flax seeds and walnuts and wet the mixture with raw organic coconut oil, add raisins, craisins or banana for delicious chocolate pudding.Hi, thanks for your reply. If I add this all up I end up getting 15% of my energy intake from fats. The Swank people themselves set the value at 40 -50 gr. I’m 95 Kg@ 1.86 body fat about 15%, I’m not very active overall but I do as much short moderate bursts of activity as my personal weaknesses allow me to do, I try never to stall for more than 30 – 45 min.In what universe is 15% fat much? I need to go even lower?Hi, thanks for your reply. If I add this all up I end up getting 15% of my energy intake from fats, I eat a lot. The Swank people themselves set the value at 40 -50 gr. I’m 95 Kg@ 1.86 body fat about </=15%, I'm not highly active overall but I do as much short moderate bursts of activity as my personal weaknesses allow me to do, I try never to stall for more than 30 – 45 min. Given what I eat I suspect I burn at least 3000 but probably 3500 calories a day.In what universe is 15% fat much? I need to go even lower? The 15 gr flax and walnuts are non negotiable, 400 grams (dry weight) of rice/oats/quinoa packs 15 grams of fat all in itself.Oh and cacao for me cannot be more than a few fresh ground nibs through my 1 cup of coffee a day. I get very more more vulnerable to mania, especially if I combine it with physical activity or fun reads/shows/good humor. Sounds jummy though :)The flax seeds and walnuts are great sources of omega3. If we don’t eat animal products or any other oils except a little unadulterated extra virgin olive oil or a little raw organic coconut oil we can get adequate omega3 from flax seeds, walnuts and greens. Ground flax seeds can be mixed into anything. Ground flax seeds with tomato sauce is a ground beef substitute, a meat sauce substitute that people cannot tell the difference when served with whole grains and beans. I eat as much avocado, seeds and walnuts as you, I am into good fat. I don’t believe Dean Ornish never eats avocado, walnuts and flax seeds. I always wonder whether low fat vegans really avoid these good helpful fats. I await their response to this conversation.I especially appreciate advice on how to prepare things and what combinations to do for flavor and function.Personal advice is encouraged on the forum! And just for the record I don’t consider myself a “low fat vegan.” But your thoughts and feedback are always welcome, Rivka, as are everyone else’s. Thanks so much for everyone’s participation and for making NutritionFacts.org a thiving community of ideas!Could it be that switching to a WFPBD should come with a cautionary warning when on medications? Dr. Greger, would you care to comment on tbatts666 and me in this topic? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/Proper nutrition is important and as you point out in previous post there is variation in populations. So one size doesn’t fit all. When one is on medications it is always best to work with your prescribing professional when making lifestyle changes. The problem is that my industry is much better about getting folks onto meds than discussing the potential problems and lifestyle alternatives. Psychiatric medicines pose many challenges due to lack of data on long term effects and withdrawal problems. I recommend that those interested in these areas… psychiatric illness and psychiatric medications read Robert Whitaker’s, Anatomy of an Epidemic, and Breggin’s, Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal: A Guide for Prescribers, Therapists, Patients and Families. After reading these books and working with patients I have found that all these medications should come with warnings on long term (i.e. over 4-6 weeks) usage of these medications regardless of diet. In my experience adjusting psychiatric medications needs to be done with the guidance of a knowledgeable practitioner with support from patient and their support network.It can also be very helpful to get connected to peer-support groups. Re-Thinking Psychiatry has been great for me in Portland, Oregon, as has Heaving Voices Networks. Icarus responded with a volunteer visitor for a family member who was inpatient. Researching the work of Open Dialogue has also been helpful. It isn’t just diet that needs attention in these difficult times. I am an exercise instructor, and I am well aware one can over-dose on exercise, as it can trigger endorphins and other endogenous biochemicals that are addictive. This process in a reason anorexia is so difficult to treat for conventional medicine. The interaction of exercise and endocrine function is not as well understood as it should be, though some coaches know to counsel injured athletes that they may suffer withdrawal syndromes if they cannot get the workouts they are used to.Yeah, try to find one of those, especially on a limited income! Trying to get off Celexa after many years turned into a nightmare and the only “advice” I can get is keep taking it, other than the million plus suggestions online!survivingantidepressants.org is an online community with lots of support for those looking to get off antidepressants.But since urinary PH is inherently changes with switching too a WFPBD and this clearly influences metabolism of these stimulants, I am openly requesting Nutritonfacts.org puts up a cautionary addendum on all topics ADHD/stimulants/high fiber vegan/wfpb.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RybNI0KB1bg They might end up getting forced into taking full doses while the dose which is based on the old diet.So, Dr Greger, does this mean you support her recommendation to eat coconut oil and her other tips?You use the words may and might in every fact in your book. You also use the words may and might in tweets and in the first three words of your email newsletter subject where these qualifying words don’t belong at all. You MichaelGregerMD may be able to get over with giving direct advice but a dietician, a nutritionist, a pharmacist can’t. Non profits can’t get donations to give health advice. It can be a thriving community of ideas that is applicable as general knowledge and individuals can decide for themselves. Don’t use the words “advice” or “counseling” You can tell what the science says and you can qualify with “may” and “might” Before AsktheDietician gives advice, if you don’t believe me, Ask the Lawyer. So 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds daily is what? Low fat? high fat? adequate good fat? You have no comment or complaint about 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds daily; it must be adequate good fat, not too much, not too little!I’m not sure you’ve actually read or viewed many of the videos on this forum, Rivka. Dr. Greger promote flax and walnuts and other nut consumption. If anything, consumption of oils (a refined food) is downplayed.I viewed the videos. He is very conservative with nuts and seeds portions. Low fat high fat very subjective unless there is some science we haven’t heard yet. He is scared of too much fat and so are all the researchers.In the last few days we learned from the Med Diet videos that 30g of nuts daily (and veggies) provided stat sig benefit (particularly walnuts although several other nuts also produced negative hazard risk from all causes). Dr Greger since at least 2011 has recommended “250 mg daily of pollutant free (yeast- or algae-derived) long-chain omega-3’s (EPA/DHA)”.Animal fats, saturated fats, cholesterol, and transfats are to be avoided (ideally 0 g). Unsaturated fats should be consumed in moderation (I don’t recall upper or lower limit recommendations).Last month we learned in “Flax seeds for hypertension” that we want SBP < 115 mmHg, that SBP may be "the single most important determinant for death in the world today" and that 30 g of ground flax seed daily sig reduced SBP by about 10-15mmHg. If our blood pressure is above 115, we may want to consider the following daily:* 250 mg yeast of algae EPA+DHA * 30 g walnuts or other nuts (3.6 g ALA, 11.5 g LA) * 30 g ground flax seeds (about 7 g ALA)Which is roughly a 1:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 and 200 kcal (or 10% of a typical daily diet) from these essential fatty acids.My experience is that this regimen is not effective for most people because of the low or non-existent conversion rate of short chain Omegas to their long chain equivalents. Realize that humans have NO NEED for the short chain Omegas found in the plant foods you cite. Humans require only long chain Omegas which they normally get from fish and minimally might get from plant foods.There is only one way to determine whether the individual is getting enough LONG CHAIN omegas in the optimal 1:1 ratio and that is through serum testing which is accurate mature technology available from several labs in the USA. My experience has been that EVERYONE blindly consuming Omega 3 plant foods is being mislead which shows up when they get tested. Most plant sources of Omega 3s are a waste of time for most people.Take some enzymes or leafy greens with ground flax seeds if you can’t convert the fats to active DHA and EPA. The fish are Fukushima-ed and toxic from everything else, we have to make the plant sources work.Rita,Your suggestions may prove helpful. But my overriding point is that nearly all vegans who eat plant sources of Omega 3s are terribly deficient in their ratio. In fact, my experience with several runner friends is that, with all the chia, flax, walnuts, etc they consume, they have the same terrible ratio as SAD dieters – about 1/14. It is a rude awakening to find this out. Assuming consuming these foods will optimize or even improve one’s ratio is the height of folly. Responses to different regimens varies considerably with the individual. The only way to determine a personal ratio is with lab testing.Rivka, What enzymes are you suggesting–digestive enzymes? And how do leafy greens help convert ALA to long chain 3s?Are you talking about leafy greens as a source or as a catalyst of some sort?Hey Stephen, Can you clarity what short chained omegas you are referring to? Humans do have a need for ALA (omega 3) and LA (omega 6). These are the essential fatty acids our body’s can only obtain from foods. I agree with you that the conversion rates vary widely and it is clear we do need sufficient EPA and DHA. I am glad you are finding testing that works for you.Dear Dr Gonzales,Thanks for requesting clarification. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Omega 3/6 ratio issue with an aggressive health professional like you. I’ve been researching it for about 2 years through reading the literature and personal testing.In all my reading, there has been universal agreement that optimizing the LONG CHAIN Omega 3/6 ratio has a strong protective effect for chronic disease in the general public. Beyond that is where I have detected problems.My tentative conclusion is that the public is being seriously mislead by ubiquitous ineffective Omega dietary advice. My perspective comes from the aviation and fleet maintenance industries where oil sample analysis is highly accurate at detecting anomalous wear patterns that predict equipment failure long before it occurs. In a like manner, serum gas spectroscopy testing is mature reasonably priced technology that can map out every fatty acid in a serum sample. So computing the Omega 3/6 ratio for this technology is a slam dunk. Not just “for me”, testing is the only method anyone should use to determine their Omega status. Popular advice is the equivalent of pouring oil in your engine by guessing rather than using a dipstick – not a good idea.My present suspicion is that nearly everyone following a plant-based diet with foods high in SHORT CHAIN omega 3s like flax and walnuts is no better than average for their LONG CHAIN Omega 3/6 ratio which is 1/14 and that is TERRIBLE. It gets worse. The ratio is only part of the issue. The LEVEL of Omega 3s is also very important. Without the proper level, not enough Omega 3s get into cells no matter what the ratio is. Testing can determine the level too.Have YOU had your serum Omega status tested recently and, if so, what is it? There are a number of labs doing this testing. I can make a recommendation if you like. Why not invite Dr Greger to test too if he has not done so and publish the results.In summary, my position is, it is inaccurate and irresponsible to recommend dietary sources of SHORT CHAIN Omega fatty acids like flax and walnuts the way so many popular articles do because it misleads the public into thinking that somehow optimizes their LONG CHAIN Omega 3/6 ratio. NOT TRUE. Dr Greger’s recommendation for algae base supplementation, while “functionally equivalent” to the LONG CHAIN Omegas from fish, will likely turn out to be woefully inadequate for optimization for most people. The ONLY way to determine the individual ratio is through testing. Everyone’s motto should be: DON’T GUESS. TEST!I can speak further on the subject of optimization – another knotty subject – once you guys have published your ratios.An excellent National Institutes of Health lecture by Dr William Lands is available here:https://youtu.be/kivrYNjiXk8Stephen Albers‘Be sure to listen to parts 3 and 4 of this video by Dr. Landis. That gives a much clearer picture.You are welcome! Anyone is always free to share their ideas or research here! That is the point of our website!Dr Gonzales,One of the researchers I contacted had developed an equation for estimating the proper dosage of EPA/DHA needed to reach a particular serum ratio. After confirming that a salmon regimen would drastically lower my ratio from 1/14 to 1/2, I began a new regimen based solely on Dr Greger’s recommended Algae based supplement with an amount based on the equation. The researcher called the EPA/DHA Golden Algae source “functionally equivalent” to fish sources. He also said that nutrition research into the millions of different algae strains is just beginning and stressed that algae are one of the oldest known life forms on this planet. It will take about 60 days for me to receive test results from this plant-based supplementation regimen.So just to be sure, are you talking about long chain Omega 3’s for brain health or for heart/artery health? Are you suggesting that the longevity studies for the Mediterranean diets were based on the effects of long chain ratios?Jeff,Thanks for your question. Keep in mind I’m a consumer, not a medical expert. But, based on my considerable reading, the body has NO NEED for short chain EFAs except for converting them to long chain EFAs which the body uses. By supplementing with LONG CHAIN EFAs (EPA/DHA) the need for short chain EFAs from flax, hemp, chia, walnuts, etc disappears. Since short chain EFAs are poorly converted to long chain EFAs in everyone and not converted at all in some people, focusing on them is not appropriate. The focus for all health benefits should be on long chain EFAs which are obtainable from fish or vegan source golden algae supplements. The amount of supplementation should be adjusted to obtain the desired ratio as revealed by serum TESTING.I am not a doctor either, but my understanding is that Omega 3s also help reduce the amount of AA that is made out of Omega 6s because uptake of omega 3 aids with release of excess omega 6. I think that AA promotes inflammation.Why do people continue to suggest to others to eat coconut oil when Dr. Greger keeps warning against it bcuz of the high saturated fat content. Plus, consuming high n~6 will block n~3 eaten at the same time. And, plant based n~3 doesn’t convert efficiently. So, while I am not a doctor and wouldn’t presume to give out advice, I can say that I think what you’re recommending is incorrect information.Good question, I found a flaw in the study that @Michael_Greger_MD:disqus refers to as the basis for his “coconut oil is bad for you” video. This featured in his Nutrition DVD more than 5 years ago as far as I can remember. The study was giving margarine to all 3 groups (safflower, butter and coconut) which we all know does raise your cholesterol, and the coconut group received an extra serving of Hydrogenated coconut cream. We all know that is transfat, you can take any healthy oil and hydrogenate it and i will be bad for you. Apart from margarine(for what reason they were giving this beats me, well the only reason I see it so skew the results to show coconut is bad) the other two groups were given NON-hydrogenated servings of Safflower oil and Butter, Only Coconut group was given oil and hydrogenated cream. I read the paper that Dr Greger provides with his DVD. When I argued about this with a “blind follower”(no issues with DR Greger this guy kept saying that he cannot be wrong when Dr Greger was humble enough to admit otherwise) of Dr. Greger. he refused to accept and then said you can contact Dr Greger he will respond. Cut a long story short I told him to contact Dr Greger and He did and Dr Greger RESPONDED(I hear he always does so Kudos to him) and he admitted “the cohorts were wrong” in that study. So I don’t understand why Dr Greger still carries this study that he admitted was wrong. If Coconut or coconut oil was bad for you entire South India would have been extinct“If Coconut or coconut oil was bad for you entire South India would have been extinct”By the same logic, “If saturated fat, cholesterol, or transfat was bad for you, the entire modern world would have been extinct.” Indeed, we’re headed in that direction.How long has the modern world been consuming transfats? Sorry your point is devoid of Logic Please don’t try to argue if you have not idea what is the consumption of coconut in South india. They have been consuming coconut for thousands of years. Transfats consumption has only become mainstream in the 1960 it was only invented in 1890 as far as I remember. Everything is coconut. All 3 meals coconut chutney and everything cooked in coconut oil and deserts made from coconut. Infact most vegetarians at one point(before the formation of the Dairy Industry that resulted in Cold Chain Supply) were vegan they were using only coconut milk.We sure can see the modern world riddled with diseases. In South India only in the last few decades diseases have increased. We never get to hear that those in South India were living comfortable till 100 til the last generation. My own great Grandmother lived to be 104 years and 99 she travelled alone 1500 km to reach my Grandmas house in Bombay where she died.I am curious why did you only choose to address this because it seemed easy to argue ;-). Lets address the facts that why trans fat was fed to the coconut group double than the other two groups and why @Michael_Greger_MD:disqus after admitting the studies were wrong is still carrying this on his website. Here is a lot of research done on coconut oil that is peer reviewed But in India http://coconutboard.nic.in/cnoqulty.htm At the bottom of each of the pages you will find the research papersI don’t appreciate the personal attack. I am not obligated to engage and address all of your points. I only countered your absurd hyperbole with another hyperbole. Extinction requires 100% fatality. So, it matters not if a population has lived for thousands of years or one generation. Saturated fat does not lead to extinction but is implicated in sub-optimal health.Whether coconut oil has other great benefits or whether there are cofounding problems with other sources of saturated fat (such as cholesterol and proteins in dairy) is an interesting discussion for which I have little to contribute. I will allow those more knowledgable to jump in. Until then, I remain sceptical of pro-coconut research put forth by the Coconut Board of India.Wow you sure are a #TROLL then. You are the one attacking me for a casual statement. It was Hyperbole I never meant or even imagined that they could go extinct. And you had to #troll me for that. You are the only one attacking here. The coconut Board is only listing down research done by Research centers in india. They do not do any inhouse research. You are being cynical. You did not even bother to check where the studies are from. Stop Trolling if you don’t have time to even read the links go back under your bridgeThanks for your post! Please send me the links you are referring to, or any reference that you feel is incorrect and we’ll take a look! It is because of folks like you we’re able to alter our information and stay current on the science.Thanks so much! JosephThis is the study on Nutritionfacts.org that says coconut oil is no better than butter when it comes to cholesterol. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/ Someone has posted a link here. I have read this study in the 2007 nutrition DVD of @Michael_Greger_MD:disqus As he attaches all the pdfs of the studies I found this flaw. here is the study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9756121 My friend even wrote to Dr Greger more than 5 years ago and Dr Greger admitted it was a mistake. Back then this website did not exist(rather it was not the same website) but when This website was started in this Avatar that study was included. We can clearly see in the study that that the groups(the full study was in Dr Gregers DVD) that all 3 groups were given margarine Which we know raises Cholesterol. But the Coconut group was also given Hydrogenated Coconut cream. This is why the Coconut group did just a little better than the butter group Obviously if you gave it two servings of hydrogenated fat it still was not the worst. I don’t know why you guys keep demonizing Coconut oil based on these flawed studies.Thanks for reposting your questions and finding that study. From what I see not all of the citations from this video involves studies that only used hydrogenated coconut oil. One study that Dr. Greger profiles in the video you linked actually mentions some of your concerns regarding other studies that use hydrogenated oil in the introduction section. If interested you can read here.I don’t think Dr. Greger is saying that coconut oil be shunned completely. I took this straight from the transcripts.“Walt Willett’s recommendation from Harvard, if you are going to use it use it sparingly. Now look, if you’re eating so healthy that your LDL cholesterol is under 60 or 70, then I don’t see coconut oil as a problem. Unlike saturated animal fats, coconut oil doesn’t cause that spike inflammation immediately after consumption of animal foods, which makes sense because as you’ll remember it may be the dead bacterial endotoxins in animal products ferried into the body by saturated fat that are to blame. ”I hope that helps a bit. Please keep us posted should another study arise, just post it on the website for discussion.Thanks, JosephI think its giving out the wrong message to include a flawed study or rather a study that was aimed at demonizing coconut oil by whatever industry. here are some more studies conducted in India http://coconutboard.nic.in/cnoqulty.htm At the bottom you can see the studies especially in South India coconut oil has been consumed as a staple for thousands of years. No way coconut can be called unhealthy unless you are talking about oil which in case every oil is unhealthy. There is not need to pick on coconut oil. I think you should make a video on your views @disqus_wnYOIlS4ks:disqus which is very true. I just find it sad to see today coconut oil being demonized and an oil that was not even edible once is being touted as a healthy oil(I am speaking about Canola which is nothing rapeseed oil which was used as an industrial oil. It has high Ueric acid and was actually used to adulterate its cousin Mustard oil in India and had caused deaths) Whats even more appalling that many people believe that coconut oil(along with cashews) contain cholesterol its all a result of these fraudulent studies conducted by the “hydrogenated fat industry” few decades ago so they could replace the coconut oil in the food/baking industry with margarine.I’ll update the info on coconut oil in a Q&A. Please check back within a week to see my response here.Thanks for the follow-up. I think flawed study or not it was still published and I don’t feel we’re giving our the “wrong” information when Dr. Greger is simply relaying information from the studies. As I mentioned, the researchers themselves in one study we reference are asking the same questions you are regarding studies using hydrogenated oil.ThanksAbout the part where you say “simply relaying information on studies”, It would be very “wrong” if you started to “relay” information on the deliberately fraudulent studies sponsored by GMO. Then what about the scores of peer reviewed studies that are against a plant based diet or promote meat/eggs/dairy? So you see you cannot “simply relay” information, we trust you guys who are the expert to even verify these studies. Because since the last few decades there are enough studies that promote a meat based diet that we can relay. If you get my drift?http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/Should DHA still be recommended for pregnant women?According to the Institutes of Medicine, pregnant women need 1.4g/day of a-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega-3 fatty acid that elongates and “breaks” into DHA and EPA. It is unclear how well ALA can convert into DHA and EPA, which is why some take extra precautions about supplementing DHA.I recall some research showing women of childbearing age are better at converting ALA to long chain 3s than men or older women (I think). Have you read that research, Dr. G?I have only seen this study on women converting ALA better than men. If you find other please post! And please forgive my delay I know you asked other important questions that I will answer in due time!Thanks for you patience, JosephMy Dr suggested I stop taking fish oil supplements for a different reason: he said there were links to prostate cancer in men. Anyone else been advised of the same thing?The research is mixed. Some do say omega-3’s/fish oil may be risky and increase prostate cancer risk I feel Dr. describes many reasons to avoid it from this blog regardless of it’s impact on prostate cancer.Armchair theoryFacts: Whole food selenium reduces prostate cancer risk (supplement selenium increases risk). Selenium neutralizes mercury. Mercury is dangerously abundant in fish and fish oils.Thus (again armchair hypothesis): Mercury in fish oil *causes* prostate cancer.The only armchair theory is yours :-P>…They conducted a study that passed a peer review.Where, what results?Hi Joseph. Do you have access to the SELECT paper to which you linked? Does the paper mention the source of omega-3 and selenium? Other studies have shown that selenium (from for example Brazil nuts) correlates to lower cancer risk and other studies correlate concentrated supplemental selenium to cancer. Likewise, did SELECT participants received isolated omega-3, or was it from fish, algae, or plant source?The paper is free and you can download from the link above. It doesn’t mention sources of the foods, the researchers used dietary questionnaires and measured blood levels of different omega-3s.So then is there any benefit to taking the algal omega 3’s?Sure there could be. They are effective, but the question is do you need them or not? Some folks choose to take as safety measure. Please see my comment below, Dr. Greger gives tips on this. thanks!So, no fish oil… Still flax seeds for omega-3? I assume the science hasn’t reversed the position on needing omega-3s, just the need to supplement them in non-whole food form?wish this was clearer in the article. here, dr. greger questions the benefits of omega 3 in relationship to CHD (in addition to expounded upon the danger from a fish source.) previously, we’ve been shown that plant based sources of omega 3 cut risks of CHD in addition to providing numerous other health benefits.It may be clearer in the flax seed videos all over the website. Sorry about any confusion in this article.It seems to me the findings in the videos have changed over time. We had for years understood n3 to be good for the heart. We understood that DHA and EPA were specifically good for the brain and heart. Less clear are the direct benefits of ALA and conversion. We know fish oil is loaded with toxins (unchanged or worsening). Now we learn that there is no heart benefit from fish oil (reversal of understanding). It is unclear whether there is any heart benefit to n3 in general sans fish.I will say however, that hypertension is obviously heart related. So, while there may not have been a study directly comparing fish oil, flax ALA, algae DHA+EPA, it does seem reasonable to assume there’s something fishy about the fish. That’s vaguely implied by Dr Greger’s videos but not spelled out (I assume because the evidence is weak). It’s also not clear if the benefits of flax have anything to do with ALA or rather the high fiber, lignans, and other nutrients.YES!!!! That is what I am talking about!!!! “Enthusiast” ;) (pun intended) . But seriously, you are spot on.As always, thank you for the truth.You rock, Dr. G.My triglycerides were 2,000 30 years ago. I was 71 inches tall and 158 pounds, as well as being very fit. I was placed in lipid studies and ultimately received maximum dose statins, developing myopathy and a high CPK. Despite intense exercise and statins with progressive elimination of meat, my triglycerides only decreased to 500 with an LDL of 18.. I have always loved vegetables and fruit. I switched to Zetia with some improvement , but when I added Lovaza, my triglycerides dropped to 140, HDL 41, and LDL of 56. The trouble with trials is that they do not address atypical patients such as myself. I eat a mostly vegetarian diet with no red meat, milk products or eggs. Occasionally I have a flavouring of free range self fed Costa Rican chicken, as did some heathy Chinese in the China Study. I surf, run, play tennis , walk my dogs and do not own a car. Where I live in Costa Rica is a Blue Zone(Guanacaste) with high levels of magnesium, calcium, and other minerals in the water. Do you have alternatives for extremely high triglycerides, with milky plasma & urine, and additional risk of pancreatitis? Thank you.Good question. Not sure about “alternatives” other than trying to control blood fats thru strict dietary intervention?Hi Robert! Sheesh, sorry to hear you’ve been having to deal with that! Agree with Joseph (isn’t NF lucky to have him? :) diet may be your best answer. (Also, remember any kind of processed sugar-including alcohol-can elevate triglycerides.) Additionally, high triglycerides can also sometimes be caused by a slow thyroid or by liver problems. Might be worth having your doc check those out. And if you’re not already, don’t forget to eat 2 TB of ground flax per day! Pura vida & hope this helps!I eat nothing from out of the Pacific ocean or from the far east though I do sprinkle a TBSP of organic flax seed on my organic oats every day. As for heart, circulation & BP issues….pure organic cayenne pepper in a lil water has kept me off of filling a second prescription for BP meds and allowed me (yes, without Drs. blessing) to take less meds than prescribed….and maintain my BP now at 110/68. Ask , No print out and take this info to your doctor for his evaluation & opinion…Phil which form of cayenne pepper do you use? I have a tincture that I can put a few drops into the water but not sure how much to use. I do know however that cayenne capsules can cause extreme heartburn :( Please tell me dose and frequency that you take your cayenne. Thanks britThanks for your newsletters and videos. As for EPA and DHA, can you comment on the literature about their usefulness regarding brain health, ADHD, lowering of inflammatory markers, and lowering of triglycerides? It is easy to understand that eating the standard American diet (SAD) leads to an imbalance of Omega 6 to 3 ratios, and that a largely plant based diet may correct that, so is there any place in nutrition to supplement with non-contaminated omega-3’s considering many people eat less than an optimal food plan?There surely could be, and Dr. Greger has that recommendation for optimal nutritional. Please see me comment at the very end of this thread.Thanks, JosephYou people are discussing about health issues, I like it. But do you people know that you are ignoring/neglecting many important factors? Really, you people are ignoring /neglecting many important factors which you people should not ignore while discussing any of the health related issues such as on this platform. That is, while discussing any of the health issues(esp about etiology, effects of some nutrients,….) you people shouldn’t ignore these important factors. So my advice is first of all, discover those important factors.Hmm. You mention the phrase “important factors” no less than 4 times in your comment but do not explain further. With 1500+ videos on all sorts of health topics, which “important factors” do you believe Dr. Greger is ignoring/neglecting?The important factors you are ignoring/neglecting while discussing health issues : As example, I will mention few of them : 1)Many people have bad habits such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption,… Also many people consume other narcotics/substances which are harmful to health. Also it is possible that some people do take drugs to enhance sex performance, but do not disclose that they are taking these drugs. These are just some examples. All these are to be investigated and studied ( all their effects on All THE ASPECTS of health) in details before coming to some conclusion. At least, by research scientists and other related people. 2)It may happen that a person may be contaminated with poisonous substances incidentally or thru some other routes(Toxicology). These are just some examples. All these are to be investigated and studied(all their effects on ALL THE ASPECTS of health) in details before coming to some conclusion. At least, by research scientists and other related people.3) It may also happen that the place/environment where the person is living/working is not good, and causes some sort of harmful effects on the health of the person. All these are to be investigated and studied(all their effects on ALL THE ASPECTS of health) in details before coming to some conclusion. At least, by research scientists and other related people.In my earlier comment, I many times mentioned “you people” because not only you but almost all the research scientists and other related people ignore/neglect these important factors and come to conclusions regarding the etiology of the diseases. This is wrong, wrong, wrong.Also at this point of time, I want to mention one important aspect as follows: THE HEALTH STATUS OF A PERSON (healthy or diseased. If diseased, suffering from which disease/diseases) DEPENDS ON THE FOLLOWING THREE FACTORS: 1)What he/she eats: here every that thing comes which enters the person’s body thru any of the routes(oral, injectables, breathing,…) 2)What he/she does: here all the actions/work/…done by person comes 3)What he/she thinks:Noted down, yet I am unable to find the fourth factor. You may think of Genetic diseases/factors. But let me tell you, if we study and investigate the reasons/causes/etiology behind these genetic diseases in details, then again you will come across the above three factors (That is, these genetic diseases are due to the above three factors, anyone, anytwo or all the factors mentioned above). So, no need to mention genetic factors separately. Here what I meant to say is that at least research scientists and related people should consider the above three factors while investigating and studying the etiology of diseases/disease.Also noted, in treatment of Disease, like you I don’t believe in medicines prescribed by doctors. Instead I believe in nutritions/nutrients/nutritional medicines. Noted, once I frequently used to got ill (fever, headache and other symptoms of infections ). Upon the requests of the doctor, I used to do malaria, typhoid tests. Most of the times, they come positive and the doctor used to give me antibiotics/antimicrobials as per the pathological test reports. But again after 15-30 days, again malaria or typhoid. This happened many years. Then lastly, my Doctor, Dr. Z. A. Dhange, M.S. (general), prescribed me the following medicines : Syp. Elixir Neogadine, two times a day before lunch and before dinner, 30 days {iodised peptone 0.322 mg(equivalent to 33 mcg of iodine), manganese chloride 6.67 mg, manganese sulphate 1.33 mg, sodium metavanadate 0.22 mg, zinc sulphate 10.71 mg, pyridoxine hydrochloride 0.25 mg, cyanocobalamin 0.167 mcg, nicotinamide 3.33 mg/15 mL. Tab. Ferium 100mg, after lunch, 30 days. {Iron (|||) hydroxide polymaltose complex} Tab.Folvite 5mg, half a tablet, three times a day, 30 days. {Folic acid} Cap. Omeprazole, before lunch and before dinner, 30 days. Antipyretic/pain killer tabletNoted this time, he has not prescribed any antimicrobial, as usual. But even after two whole days no change in symptoms/signs. Noted every that time when he prescribed antimicrobials, within one or two days, I feel better and many symptoms/signs have been vanished off. But this time (no antimicrobial), this is not the case. I got angry with my doctor thinking that how infection will be cured without the use of antimicrobials. No change in symptoms /signs even on 4th and 5th day. But anyhow I sticked to the prescription. Ha, after taking antipyretic/pain killer, I felt better to some extent, but only for few hours. But on the sixth day, surprisingly I felt totally better. Not only this, the infection has been vanished off completely. Not only this, now even after so many years, I hardly got infection (malaria, typhoid, ….. ). Then, many things/conclusions came in my mind. Noted, I did Diploma in Pharmacy and M.Sc. (Biochemistry ). Also I have a great passion in medical field(esp. Analysis type). I do study as and when I get time.These “important factors” are called confounders in scientific research, and in good studies scientists do their best to account for them.It is true that no study is perfect. All have flaws. However…Dr. Greger is not a scientist. He is merely reporting the science as he sees it. He leaves the adjustments for the researchers doing the research.Thanks for your reply, Sir. But let me tell you that Scientists are not doing their best. Reasons: 1) These scientists are not enough for these tasks Or 2)They researched studies is not being made applicable to bear good fruits.Thanks for your reply, Sir. But let me tell you that Scientists are not doing their best. Reasons : 1 ) These scientists are not enough for these tasks. Or 2 ) Their researched studies is not being made applicable to bear good fruits. In medical science, many, many things related to diseases remained unanswered even today. If these scientists and related people would have done their best, as far as those ” important factors ” are considered, so many things would not have remained unanswered. And my advice to them ( scientists and other related people ) is : Please don’t neglect these important factors. Go deep and deep. Also, let me tell you that crime is related to diseases to some extent, ie, if dreadful diseases are vanished off, crime will also decrease to much/some extent, and that too automatically. And in such situations, police,politics, people, ….are grateful to these people(scientists and related people).Thanks for your reply, Sir. But let me tell you that Scientists are not doing their best. Reasons : 1 ) These scientists are not enough for these tasks. Or 2 ) Their researched studies is not being made applicable to bear good fruits. In medical science, many, many things related to diseases remained unanswered even today. If these scientists and related people would have done their best, as far as those ” important factors ” are considered, so many things would not have remained unanswered. And my advice to them ( scientists and other related people ) is : Please don’t neglect these important factors. Go deep and deep. Also, let me tell you that crime is related to diseases to some extent, ie, if dreadful diseases are vanished off, crime will also decrease to much/some extent, and that too automatically. And in such situations, police,politics, people, ….are grateful to these people(scientists and related people). I know initially you will not accept this point ( crime reduction ), but it is Truth.Thanks for your reply, Sir. But let me tell you that Scientists are not doing their best. Reasons : 1 ) These scientists are not enough for these tasks. Or 2 ) Their researched studies is not being made applicable to bear good fruits. In medical science, many, many things related to diseases remained unanswered even today. If these scientists and related people would have done their best, as far as those ” important factors ” are considered, so many things would not have remained unanswered. And my advice to them ( scientists and other related people ) is : Please don’t neglect these important factors. Go deep and deep. Also, let me tell you that crime is related to diseases to some extent, ie, if dreadful diseases are vanished off, crime will also decrease to much/some extent, and that too automatically. And in such situations, police,politics, people, ….are grateful to these people(scientists and related people). I know, you people don’t believe this (automatic crime reduction) initially, but it is the Truth. If you people don’t believe this, you people can do a lot of research on this matter (automatic crime reduction due to decrease in dreadful diseases) (but for this you people also have to research/understand what compels some people to go in the wrong path and do crime. And let me tell you if crime has to be vanished off, then this( what compels some people to go in the wrong path and do crime) has to be investigated/researched/understood thoroughly, among others. May be some people go in the wrong path and do crime due to greed and/or bad intentions but this is not the case with most/many many of the criminals, I think.If your (not entirely clear) observations apply solely to what you perceive from this particular page of blog + comments, you might benefit from & be more satisfied by reading & listening to at least several other of Dr. Greger’s instructive blogs & videos. (I might also add, since it is also unclear if English is your native tongue, that referring to those whom you address as “you people”–and doing so repeatedly–comes across as rude at best and belligerent at worst.)The important factors you are ignoring/neglecting while discussing health issues : As example, I will mention few of them : 1)Many people have bad habits such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption,… Also many people consume other narcotics/substances which are harmful to health. Also it is possible that some people do take drugs to enhance sex performance, but do not disclose that they are taking these drugs. These are just some examples. All these are to be investigated and studied ( all their effects on All THE ASPECTS of health) in details before coming to some conclusion. At least, by research scientists and other related people. 2)It may happen that a person may be contaminated with poisonous substances incidentally or thru some other routes(Toxicology). These are just some examples. All these are to be investigated and studied(all their effects on ALL THE ASPECTS of health) in details before coming to some conclusion. At least, by research scientists and other related people.3) It may also happen that the place/environment where the person is living/working is not good, and causes some sort of harmful effects on the health of the person. All these are to be investigated and studied(all their effects on ALL THE ASPECTS of health) in details before coming to some conclusion. At least, by research scientists and other related people.In my earlier comment, I many times mentioned “you people” because not only you but almost all the research scientists and other related people ignore/neglect these important factors and come to conclusions regarding the etiology of the diseases. This is wrong, wrong, wrong.Also at this point of time, I want to mention one important aspect as follows: THE HEALTH STATUS OF A PERSON (healthy or diseased. If diseased, suffering from which disease/diseases) DEPENDS ON THE FOLLOWING THREE FACTORS: 1)What he/she eats: here every that thing comes which enters the person’s body thru any of the routes(oral, injectables, breathing,…) 2)What he/she does: here all the actions/work/…done by person comes 3)What he/she thinks:Noted down, yet I am unable to find the fourth factor. You may think of Genetic diseases/factors. But let me tell you, if we study and investigate the reasons/causes/etiology behind these genetic diseases in details, then again you will come across the above three factors (That is, these genetic diseases are due to the above three factors, anyone, anytwo or all the factors mentioned above). So, no need to mention genetic factors separately. Here what I meant to say is that at least research scientists and related people should consider the above three factors while investigating and studying the etiology of diseases/disease.Also noted, in treatment of Disease, like you I don’t believe in medicines prescribed by doctors. Instead I believe in nutritions/nutrients/nutritional medicines. Noted, once I frequently used to got ill (fever, headache and other symptoms of infections ). Upon the requests of the doctor, I used to do malaria, typhoid tests. Most of the times, they come positive and the doctor used to give me antibiotics/antimicrobials as per the pathological test reports. But again after 15-30 days, again malaria or typhoid. This happened many years. Then lastly, my Doctor, Dr. Z. A. Dhange, M.S. (general), prescribed me the following medicines : Syp. Elixir Neogadine, two times a day before lunch and before dinner, 30 days {iodised peptone 0.322 mg(equivalent to 33 mcg of iodine), manganese chloride 6.67 mg, manganese sulphate 1.33 mg, sodium metavanadate 0.22 mg, zinc sulphate 10.71 mg, pyridoxine hydrochloride 0.25 mg, cyanocobalamin 0.167 mcg, nicotinamide 3.33 mg/15 mL. Tab. Ferium 100mg, after lunch, 30 days. {Iron (|||) hydroxide polymaltose complex} Tab.Folvite 5mg, half a tablet, three times a day, 30 days. {Folic acid} Cap. Omeprazole, before lunch and before dinner, 30 days. Antipyretic/pain killer tabletNoted this time, he has not prescribed any antimicrobial, as usual. But even after two whole days no change in symptoms/signs. Noted every that time when he prescribed antimicrobials, within one or two days, I feel better and many symptoms/signs have been vanished off. But this time (no antimicrobial), this is not the case. I got angry with my doctor thinking that how infection will be cured without the use of antimicrobials. No change in symptoms /signs even on 4th and 5th day. But anyhow I sticked to the prescription. Ha, after taking antipyretic/pain killer, I felt better to some extent, but only for few hours. But on the sixth day, surprisingly I felt totally better. Not only this, the infection has been vanished off completely. Not only this, now even after so many years, I hardly got infection (malaria, typhoid, ….. ). Then, many things/conclusions came in my mind. Noted, I did Diploma in Pharmacy and M.Sc. (Biochemistry ). Also I have a great passion in medical field(esp. Analysis type). I do study as and when I get time.again malaria or typhoid. This happened many years. Then lastly, my Doctor, Dr. Z. A. Dhange, M.S. (general), prescribed me the following medicines : Syp. Elixir Neogadine, two times a day before lunch and before dinner, 30 days {iodised peptone 0.322 mg(equivalent to 33 mcg of iodine), manganese chloride 6.67 mg, manganese sulphate 1.33 mg, sodium metavanadate 0.22 mg, zinc sulphate 10.71 mg, pyridoxine hydrochloride 0.25 mg, cyanocobalamin 0.167 mcg, nicotinamide 3.33 mg/15 mL. Tab. Ferium 100mg, after lunch, 30 days. {Iron (|||) hydroxide polymaltose complex} Tab.Folvite 5mg, half a tablet, three times a day, 30 days. {Folic acid} Cap. Omeprazole, before lunch and before dinner, 30 days. Antipyretic/pain killer tabletNoted this time, he has not prescribed any antimicrobial, as usual. But even after two whole days no change in symptoms/signs. Noted every that time when he prescribed antimicrobials, within one or two days, I feel better and many symptoms/signs have been vanished off. But this time (no antimicrobial), this is not the case. I got angry with my doctor thinking that how infection will be cured without the use of antimicrobials. No change in symptoms /signs even on 4th and 5th day. But anyhow I sticked to the prescription. Ha, after taking antipyretic/pain killer, I felt better to some extent, but only for few hours. But on the sixth day, surprisingly I felt totally better. Not only this, the infection has been vanished off completely. Not only this, now even after so many years, I hardly got infection (malaria, typhoid, ….. ). Then, many things/conclusions came in my mind. Noted, I did Diploma in Pharmacy and M.Sc. (Biochemistry ). Also I have a great passion in medical field(esp. Analysis type). I do study as and when I get time.Correct me if I’m wrong but weren’t the majority of the people in Dart-2 on statins and other meds? If so, then it is unlikely that Omega-3s would make a difference. If true then this doesn’t disprove the value of Omega-3s for the rare unmedicated human being.That is my understanding from this article: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1357266Looking at the Dart-2 study, subjects were treated for Angina, but it makes no mention of satins.I notice in dirkhofman’s posted metastudy that its authors were careful to distinguish, twice, “statin-era” studies from the older ones. Clearly, widespread statin use makes many studies less useful, until they correct for that possible confounder..Well omega 3’s may not be good at preventing heart attacks, but for women I’ll tell you one thing they’re good at: preventing menstrual cramps. When I take 850 mg of algae omega 3’s daily I never get cramps. Although I faithfully take a heaping TB of ground flax daily, for the last 2 weeks I haven’t taken my algae omega due to a delay receiving my online order. The result? I got a terrible sleep last night due to cramps–OUCH!The DART and DART2 trials had subjects consume oily fish rather than just fish oil supplements. Is that a fair conclusion against the use of fish oil capsules? Fish oil supplements have been associated with a reduction in cognitive decline. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24954371Hi Rph1978. The DART-2 study participants ate both oily fish and fish oil supplements finding, “Men advised to eat oily fish, and particularly those supplied with fish oil capsules, had a higher risk of cardiac death.” So both sources seem to be problematic if this study holds true. I think Dr. Greger makes good points by looking at 10 other links beyond fish and cardiac health in his blog. Re: cognitive decline – thanks for the study you listed. Looks like folks with a certain allele-type had benefit, and folks with normal cognitive function, too. Not sure this study alone on cognition is enough to warrant fish oil supplements.One thing that I think causes bad results in studies that look at products like fish oil, herbs, and similar is the quality of the product used. I did a report a little bit ago on the efficacy of Echinacea on cold and flu and most studies showed benefits and the ones that did not were using preparations of Echinacea that were of low quality, inadequate dose, or/and used the wrong parts in the preparation. Back on subject, could that be the case here? Could these studies be looking at inferior fish oils? I work at a health food store in north Florida and we only offer fish oils that have very strict processes as far as purity source and overall quality.Interesting take, Raymond Colon. I feel with any study it’s important to know the quality of food or supplements taken, which researchers cannot always take into account. You are onto something there! One thing I may point to is this link discussing studies on supposedly “high quality” fish oil. Perhaps there are other methods I am unaware of regarding regulatory testing but it appears even “quality” fish oils still pose a risk.The vast majority of random samples of oils on shelves and immediately after leaving factories were rancid and toxic. There might be ‘higher quality’ oils, but how would you rate them? I personally visited a highly regarded factory in Iceland and while they have lots of lovely literature and claim to take numerous periodic tests, I found no convincing numbers, just a lot of eloquent hand-waving.Dr. Gregor, I watched one of your hour-long lectures about mortality from all causes and the upshot was that the reason that meat eaters and vegetarians had comparable death rate was because the B12 and omega-3’s that meat eaters got balanced out all the other health benefits that the vegetarians got from not eating animal products. So are you still in favor of omega-3’s, just not from animal sources?Good question, Laurili! Others have been asking about this so I’ll point you to Dr. Greger’s recommendations. Please click this link and check out my comment about this, here.Do those of us who are low fat vegans who don’t consume any oil or margarine at all need to worry about the omega 6:omega 3 ratio because our intake of omega six is so low. In other words, adopting the strategy of lowering omega 6 INSTEAD of increasing or supplementing with omega 3 in order to arrive at a proper ratio (walnuts, flax, and avocado occasionally consumed). This seems intuitively better because it uses food and/or its restriction instead of supplementation. Is this a correct strategy or am I missing something?Very complex, but yes those who omit or highly limit omega-6 rich oils should have better omega 3 ratios, as Dr. Greger describes: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-would-you-suggest-as-an-ideal-omega-369/And to answer your question, yes! whole plant-sources of omega-3s are packed with ALA and essential fats.The negative studies were all done in omnivores, as veganism is rare in the general population. We don’t know the effect of DHA deficiency in long-term vegans, but studies suggest that levels are very low over time in veganism. To err on the side of caution, it is wise to recommend replacement of DHA (since conversion from EPA is very low).I don’t know which studies you are referring to but here’s one that shows the conversion rate in vegetarians and vegans increases to accommodate the need for DHA. Also notice the part about vegans having the highest level of DHA (286.4 micromoles) in the blood, even higher than that of fish eaters.http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Omega-3-ALA-intakes-enough-for-EPA-DPA-levels-for-non-fish-eatersIt is just one study but it does make sense from an evolutionary stand point. Not all regions of the world could have provided ample sources of DHA for the millions of years of our evolution.I’m no paleo-dieter, but their basic thesis interests me. If ancient humans did not adequately produce a particular essential nutrient ourselves, we’d need to get it from the environment. From where would ancient humans have obtained EPA and DHA? Should we assume that all humans ate fish or algae? Or did we obtain EPA and DHA from higher quality free range animal flesh? I’m sceptical.I recently started taking vegan Omega 3 (EPA-DHA) in the hope of lowering my triglycerides. Am I wasting my time/money?Not sure, VeganBlitz. Many ways to try and help lower tryiglycerides. Some studies do support your theory, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25480558, but I would certainly discuss with doctor.I heard a high consumption of fish oil could lower triglycerides. My level is really low, so I stopped taking them. I’m curious how to get them higher. Any thoughts?It is my understanding that only fish oil provides EPA-DHA.DHA is cheaply processed from plants, namely, microscopic algae which are plants. No need to strip out the oceans. Algae grown in vats inside a building.Why is the retail price several times what fish oil is if they are ‘cheaply made’?Not in my experience. My WalMart has mine at $10/month. Good luck -I have found that sugar and oil drive triglycerides. Cut those out and your numbers will be good. Or so it was for me.What about fish oil for eye health or skin- should we still avoid it because it increases cardiac risks?It doesn’t, or at least it’s not clear at all that it does. Worth a read: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1357266Not sure, Judy. Haven’t seen the research. Good question though! I feel many foods and dietary patterns help protect the skin, eyes, other organs. One post I found on skin health.Best wishes, JosephEat 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds daily to consume 4000mg Omega3.On reading other sources (JAMA, 2013) it is suggested that the reason there is no statistically significant benefit in the latest studies is that the studies couldn’t be controlled for statin drugs, which even out the results. Any answer to that finding? The recommendation continues to be eating some forms of fatty fish a couple of times a week. I really enjoy the articles here but I really wish they were a bit less biased and more inclusive of research which might suggest other than a completely meat-free diet. It makes me lose confidence in the credibility here, which is a shame. Not the only example I’ve found since following this site.Thanks for your feedback. It is important to be transparent. NutritionFacts does not suggesting a meat-free diet, or any “diet” for that matter. Do you mind forwarding reference that counter this blog? I feel this is the point of the comment section, to explore the research. Happy to correspond and discuss other areas of the site you find bias.Sincerely, JosephSure, here’s the study. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1357266I am surprised to hear NutritionFacts is not suggesting a meat-free diet. Almost every article or video I read/see suggests this. With data in most cases, but they do suggest it. Which is fine, I would just like there to be a more not “balanced” but widely informed view. If the widely informed view leads to one diet or another, all the better. Not looking for “balance” for it’s own sake. Thanks for the response Joseph!Thank for the study. What I gathered from the conclusion was omega-3 supplementation didn’t associate with less disease risk. Not sure how this study counters the blog post? You make a great point about balancing the studies. Our hope is folks can decide what foods to eat and what “diet” works best for them based the research. If there are ever any studies you feel we’re leaving out please simply post them :)Just to clear things up, the omega 3 to 6 ratio is still important, right?Thought you’d never ask, barbarabrussels! It very much seems to be important! Thanks for mentioning. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909Interesting post – thanks. No change in all-cause mortality is a little surprising given the role of n3 vs n6 fatty acids in inflammation. Does this mean… 1) That anti-inflammatory benefits of omega 3s are equally dubious or 2) Inflammation doesn’t have a significant role in disease after all?Hi Steve. Omega-3’s play a role on inflammation and they are essential to consume in the diet, so I would say they do play a significant role on health and disease. It just appears fish oil research is too controversial and they should not be touted by doctors for all patients, as they typically are.There are reasons to consider consuming DHA/EPA other than heart health, namely, to help protect against neurological problems including dementia, macular degeneration, etc. I am not sure if Dr. Gregor has addressed this issue but sure would appreciate it if he were to. I have read studies showing that vegans have very low serum levels of DHA, which I find worrisome. Hence I supplement with an algae oil (Ovega 3).Great question, Mr. Johnson. Here is a study looking at DHA/EPA levels in both fish and non-fish eaters. Researchers found “Total n-3 PUFA intakes in non-fish-eaters were 57-80% of those in fish-eaters, but status differences were considerably smaller [corrected]. The estimated product-precursor ratio [corrected] was greater in women than in men and greater in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters.” And to conclude: “Substantial differences in intakes and in sources of n-3 PUFAs existed between the dietary-habit groups, but the differences in status were smaller than expected, possibly because the product-precursor ratio [corrected] was greater in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters, potentially indicating increased estimated conversion of ALA”It appears vegans have a high product-precurser ratio, (women even better than men) making their conversation of ALA to EPA/DHA acceptable.I am uncertain all studies make this claim. So you are thinking right, if vegan, not bad idea to consider algae omega-3 supplement as a safety blanket, especially for men.Joseph: Thanks for your response. I think this is perhaps an underappreciated issue. I would point out that the quality of this study has been questioned in the following comments:http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/93/5/1154.1.longBut independently, it seems to me the real issue is tissue level of DHA/EPA (where blood serum levels are often taken as a proxy; I have no idea if this is a good assumption). It is difficult for non-experts (like me) to obtain the relevant literature and have confidence in evaluating what we do read (so thanks for Dr. Gregor for being a great guide!). Jack Norris provides a detailed overview along with references that is fairly recent (April 2014), which might be of help to those interested in this topic:http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/omega3#n3intakeHis conclusion (same as that of Dr. Fuhrman) is that vegans/vegetarians cannot get sufficient DHA (in particular) and EPA from relying on ALA conversion, and should supplement. So as you said at the end, it is something that one should consider, and I would add “very carefully”.Thanks for mentioning Jack’s work. I was writing about some of the studies he references. Here is what i drafted that discusses this further and can link back to the site. Hope this helps:​ ​Dr. Greger discusses, How do you achieve a good omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acid ratio? Very complicated research. Some concerns may exist taking high doses of ALA (think flaxseed oil) and eye issues. Other studies show ALA can help boost levels of DHA over time. Older vegan men can have very little DHA in their blood. It’s unclear how blood levels of DHA translate to disease risk. The bottom line: there is not enough research to show these supplements (either ALA from flax oil or DHA/EPA from microalgae/yeast) are 100% necessary. It depends on age and gender. For example, pregnant women run more risks if they fail to supplement. DHA is so crucial in childhood brain development that pregnant and lactating women should take a supplement. Advice needs to be individualized and best to discuss this with your doctor. Because of all the interest in this topic I am considering posting a separate Q&A. Until then, Dr. Greger has general information and guidelines about omega-3’s. As a precaution, and especially if you following a vegan, taking a vegetarian-based DHA/EPA supplement may be a good idea. I appreciate everyone’s feedback on such a wide ranging topic!If epa&DHA are unstable and oxidize rapidly(quote from Steve Blake, phd) I am inclined to doubt the benefit of supplementing them even if derived from algae.I wonder if it’s safe to home-grow these algae. :)A few papers discuss their efficacy. So yes it does appear they are effective and beneficial. Efficacy of algae is similar to that of fish. And Omega-3 fatty acids for nutrition and medicine: considering microalgae oil as a vegetarian source of EPA and DHA.I understand that long chain omega 3’s are very unstable and are rapidly oxidized bringing into question the value of supplemental omega 3’s regardless of derivation.we have algae omega: Algae- Based Omega 3 EPA and DHA 2 capsules have 570 mg of total Omega 3’s. EPA 180 mg, DHA 320 mg, and other Omega 3’s 70 mg. Is this good or bad?Please see Dr Greger’s nutrient recommendations for more info on values. And always talk to doctor about amounts, as a best practice. Thanks!Thankshttps://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bx5wFjZiRSvRZ0JOWTBTcXdoU0U/editEffect of a Combined Therapeutic Approach of Intensive Lipid Management, Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation, and Increased Serum 25 (OH) Vitamin D on Coronary Calcium Scores in Asymptomatic AdultsWilliam Davis, MD, FACC, Susie Rockway, PhD, CNS, and Mary Kwasny, ScDIf the benefits of Omega 3 fish oils is untrue how do we know if Omega 3 from plant base diet is also a lie, who to trust?Huge difference between fish oils and omega-3’s from whole-foods. Great question though. Here is one paper looking at a high-fat (includes nuts) and lower carbohydrate vegan diet, showing cardiac benefits.more conflicting info. this doesn’t jive with with Ornish’s work.Peterpan, good call! it doesn’t match other intervention studies that have been conducted on lower-fat diets, as you mention, Dean Ornish. It is not to say previous studies on lower-fat diets were incorrect in their findings (finding are findings), but perhaps that fat intake is not the whole story? Maybe it depends on type of fat, how much, and what other foods are eating in the diet? I am not sure, but let’s follow these types of intervention trials and see what comes out next.I also wonder about the change in quality like oxidization of these omega 3 /DHA oils , even if we choose the algae based DHA capsules.Good point. This is why I am big on whole-foods! The algae-DHA appears to be effective. The microalgae DHA-based seems to have comparable efficacies to that of fish oil. Plus, you avoid potential contaminants that Dr. Greger is talking about in fish oil.Thanks ! This has prompted me to look for more whole food /plant based source of DHA. Are there any food or beverages that may interrupt the absorption of plant based DHA?Not that I am aware of. ​Dr. Greger discusses how to achieve a good omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acid ratio, which may help. Omega-6’s will compete with omega-3’s for elongation of fatty acids, but taking it straight I am not sure. I would expect the DHA to work effectively.You don’t have to worry about oxidation when cooking whole foods? Is that correct? My nutritionist says that omega 3s are extremely sensitive to heat–even more so than 6s–and suggests using dietary anti-oxidants (in marinades, for example) to help protect against oxidation.Thanks for the correction! I meant to elaborate saying whole foods sources do not appear to be as volatile as ALA- rich oils, like flax oil. You can still cook ground flax for up to an hour without losing the benefits.That’s great to know about cooking flax.Is algae-based oil as volatile as fish oil? (That may have been a & a-ed already–asked and answered.)Hi Harriet. It may be I am not sure? At any rate I do think it would be less risky than fish oil if one were taking it. I posted more about the algae oils here not sure if I let you know yet forgive my delay I know you’ve been patient :-) I appreciate your posts.Thanks for your questions! JosephAnd thanks for your responses. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems that the website might need two people to fill your shoes. Answering all these questions is a lot of work.:-) Yes, try 3 or 4! Just jokes. This is an exciting challenge and I am blessed with the opportunity. I have so many new posts coming soon! Check back on my page Ask the Dietitian for more info as I compile all the best questions from our members. Thanks Harriet Sugar Miller!I’m discouraged by this. I’ve been taking distilled fish oil every day just to keep the Omega 3:6 ratio in check. Now I guess I have to find an Algal solution. And what’s to say they are contaminating the Algae from the water source used to grow it?Aren’t they cultivated in vats?What about evening primrose oil? I am currently taking a supplement that is a combination of epa + dha fish oil concentrate and primrose oil. Is there real benefit from either or should I just toss the bottle now ;)Hi, Schalk Neething. Good question. Not sure about primrose oil I haven’t read anything ground breaking. It’s touted for high levels of Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA).Could have mentioned the overfishing madness when algae-sourced Omega 3s will serve nicely for better benefit.Setting aside the pollutant issue, if that’s possible, I’ve read from other sources that we should we be taking Fish oil to help prevent cognitive decline? What do you think?Hi, Russell. I mentioned cognitive decline in a below comment. Click here . See if that helps?I wonder if you have seen the paper by Superko, et al. Circulation 2013;;128:2154-2161 regarding the variability of individual blood response to omega 3 supplementation? From this paper the authors refute the JAMA meta-analysis……”conclusions regarding the benefit of omega-3 fatty acids, based on studies that did not assess blood levels, may be confusing and misleading because of the inclusion of subjects who did not achieve a therapeutic blood level. For example, in the JELIS investigation, the risk of major coronary events was significantly decreased in the group with high (>150 μg/mL) on-treatment plasma EPA levels, but ≈39% of subjects did not achieve that level despite1800 mg/d EPA supplementation.”There is genetic variability in the response to supplementation. Measuring blood levels would provide beneficial information about the dosage required to optimally reduce cardiovascular risk.Thanks for this! I read it. I think that is a great point about measuring blood values vs amounts the amount of essential fats we obtain from foods or supplements. Seems like a better indicator to measure blood, doesn’t it? I also have the question “what about actual levels in tissues?” how do we know the blood fats are being absorbed by the tissues that use these fats? At any rate, this is important to understand the different methodology in these studies. if anyone can lend more info here I am sure we could all learn more. One thing to note, higher blood levels of omega-3’s are not always associated with positive results. This study found prostate cancer patients with higher blood levels of omega-3 have been shown to have higher risks of prostate cancer. Even the researchers were shocked of this finding. It did not change recommendations for essential fats and prostate cancer, but interesting findings nonetheless.I am more concerned about strokes than heart disease since a number of relatives have succumbed to it in the past, although they were in their 90s. This is also to do with DHA if I remember correctly.Purslane is also a common “weed” than can be found just about anywhere. I love to forage not only to supplement my diet with superior nutritious “real” plants that haven’t been altered and hybridized, but for the exercise and satisfaction of identifying viable alternatives to our “typical” veggies. I’ve had both the wild and domesticated versions of purslane, and though the domesticated variety is bigger and fatter than it’s wild relative, I vastly prefer the wild variety. A great website for anyone who is interested is http://www.eattheweeds.com/ He also has a bunch of videos on Youtube. Fun stuff! I had to learn all over again after moving from CT to FL, but it’s always rewarding! You’d be surprised how many edibles you can find even in your own neighborhood if you are adventurous!it’s interesting how we could be missing out on all the EPA/DHA and immune boosting nutrients by throwing away these “weeds”. Apparently purslane is quite invasive though , so some people might want to grow them in a pot unless the wild varieties are available somewhere.Purslane used to “volunteer” in my garden in CT, which most people would have tossed out with the other “weeds”, but it is so small and low growing, it never truly became a pest, especially once it became a “crop”…I actually wished for more! LOL. There was also wild amaranth, disrespectfully known as “pigweed”. an amazing, delicious, nutritious, multi-purpose plant of which you can eat the young greens or wait for the seedhead… yep, the same family as the amaranth seed you purchase, growing FREE and freely almost everywhere! Along with that there is chenopodium, also known as lambs quarters, goosefoot, and a slew of other local names, another very desirable and nutritious green related to quinoa, and the seeds again are a valuable crop! Of course it isn’t the same as going to the store and buying produce ready to cook or eat, but a wonderful free alternate that gets us back to our literal “roots”, with new eyes, healthy exercise, amazing nutrition, free of charge, and for me, a kind of primal satisfaction lacking in modern life! There is “magic” in these wild plants because they are the medicines we evolved with, ignored out of ignorance and disrespected because we didn’t cultivate them…”WEED” is such a relative moniker, as it really only refers to a plant growing where it wasn’t planted intentionally, but so many of these are real food that has so many more nutrients than domesticated varieties because nature has created it, and man has not messed with it…only their relatives, bred to specific ends. There is a world of nutrition and new flavors out there we ignore simply because we call them weeds. Of course they are not all edible or even taste good, so it does take knowledge to correctly identify them and know the specifics. Even our tomatoes and potatoes will sicken us if we eat the leafy parts…they belong to the same family as “deadly nightshade”! Here in FL there is a ubiquitous wild cactus in the opuntia family, that like many “weeds”, is not only edible, but has medicinal properties…a chemical structure similar to glucophage, the anti-diabetic medicine, with a similar effect. The young, flat pads are known as nopales, a traditional food used by natives of the Americas through history, and also the source of the “cactus pear” or “prickly pear”. These are just of few of the more common ones, but there is a whole new world of them to learn if you are so inclined, even if just a handful of the more common ones. They are so much more than “weeds”!!! (Can you tell I’m enthusiastic about the topic? LOL!)Thanks ! You got me curious about edible weeds now. I realized now that I shouldn’t be “weeding out” the violets in my flower-bed which I nearly did. If anyone is interested in Purslane , go to the SuperfoodEvolution-channel on Youtube titled “Wild purslane plant, A common “weed” or Edible super green?”. It lists ways of identifying Purslane weeds, the nutritional value, and how to use them. However they also warn that the roots are inedible, and people sensitive to Oxalates or kidney stones shouldn’t eat it raw but need to steam it. I’ll try growing them , collecting seeds from the pods and keep cultivating like micro -greens because I am unsure about the effect of traffic fumes and spraying around my place.Good for you! It amazes me how much more nutrition these wild edibles contain than the “normal” produce that’s been hybridized! Some of them border on medicinal herbs because of issues of concentration of particular components and/or flavor, and are used in moderation or for teas/tisanes, etc., but the more research that is done, the more amazing they prove to be…they truly are medicine! Because of their tenacity to survive they are branded weeds and people spend a fortune trying to get rid of them when we could be reaping the benefits of consuming them instead! I get a sort of perverse kick out of so many weeds increasing tolerance to Glyphosate, the killer herbicide sprayed on crops and in GMO’s. As with the abuse of antibiotics, (a much more serious issue) mother nature tries to strike a balance, something much of mankind seems intent on dominating or destroying, in so many ways.you make a good point there, when you think about it there must be a scientific reason why these so-called common weeds are “tenacious survivors”, and by consuming them we also derive whatever benefit they have. Some apparently regulate blood sugar as well, or give us an energy boost. I don’t have enough knowledge to tell if any one of them are toxic so I need to learn a little more. It seems like we’re now realizing the value of the knowledge our grandparents and great grandparents had (I wish I listened to them !).ProOmega fish oil from Nordic Naturals was recommended by my ophthamologist for chronic dry eye. Do you know of scientific evidence that this helps? Nordic Naturals states that it is third party tested for environmental toxins but maybe I should switch to the yeast or microalgae omega 3s. Your thoughts are appreciated!Hi NHindie, Great question! Hope you don’t mind if I jump in…My aunt’s eye doc also recommended Nordic Naturals, but even though she got some relief of dry eye (about 30%), she said she was self conscious that her breath smelled fishy all the time! :( Also, I was concerned about it as I remembered a Consumer Reports article a few years back questioning the freshness and possible preservatives NN uses in their fish oil. SO my aunt switched to a microalgae Omega 3 and had a 100% improvement in her dry eye-in less than 2 weeks! So you would know quickly if it’s going to work for you. Here’s a piece Dr. G. did awhile back about plant-based versus fish-based Omega 3’sHi Jen and thanks so much for your comments! Do you know what brand of microalgae omega 3 your aunt is using and also whether the brand used is important? Sincerely, DianeI don’t know off the top of my head but can find out! But better yet, Dr. G. mentions some possibilities here. I’ll get back with you when I find out which one she’s using :)Awesome! Thanks for that and for the links. Much appreciated!!Hey NHindie,There are many to choose from. This is a old video talking about a few brands. Any should suffice. Dr. Greger recomends any one that offers 250 mg daily of pollutant free (yeast- or algae-derived) long-chain omega-3’s (EPA/DHA)Hope our answers help!JosephHi Joseph, Welcome aboard! I love NutritionFacts.org and have shared videos from the site with many of my friends and family. I truly appreciate you and Jen getting back to me and on a weekend too! Based on all the great input I’m looking forward to making a switch from the fish to the yeast or algae-derived long chain omega-3s. Sincerely, DianeThis reminds me of the continued onslaught of Statin drugs still being prescribed to so many; yet heart disease remains the number one killer in Americans especially women. Fish oil I have read many studies especially how the processes come together in creating the product as a whole. Just to create fish oil there are many steps and the end result does indeed leave questions to me on the safety and actual product itself. It all comes down to our diet. We are what we eat, plain and simple. Inflammation and oxidation is the culprit to many diseases especially cancers and heart disease. Gods pharmacy is abundant. It’s there for anyone that chooses to seek alternative therapies, and not just a synthetic drug. Terry talks Naturally is a great website for many topics and other resources. I am 52 and take no prescriptions. It is my desire and lifetime goal not to fall in the death trap of the vicious cycle of RX drugs.Nerve and brain cell walls are made up of fat. A diet high in Omega 6 results in hard sticky brain cell walls which are prone to MS – see “Overcoming MS” by R. George Jelinek. Omega 3 cell walls are soft and flexible, not sticky, and are very beneficial for MS treatment. Plant sources of Omega 3, such as walnuts, chia, flax are very inefficiently absorbed as sources of EPA and DHA. As an 80 year old, blood tests show very high levels of SHBG binding globulin which pushes my free testosterone down below acceptable range. Walnuts, chia, flax raise SHBG which I certainly don’t want. So we do look for DHA about 100mg and somewhat less EPA in diet, currently from fish oil pills. We just ordered algae with claimed 100 mg DHA plus EPA.Hi Jerry. Based on the research available I think the algae supplements would be a better choice. For Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations. Hope that helps.Best, JosephI take Omega3 supplements for brain health as well as heart health. I’ve read medical study reports that Omega3 improves brain function in older adults. Has Dr Greger researched brain health and Omega3s?Hi James. Dr. Greger has researched omega-3 and brain health. Brain health is a wide ranging topic. I am linking to one of his pages on omega-3’s, many hyperlinks will send you to more videos. See what you think? Here is the gist:The health benefits that are believed to be associated with Omega-3 fatty acid intake include: decreased inflammation, help for arthritis, and reduced symptoms of depression. I would lump depression and inflammation as factors related to brain health.Hope this helps! JosephDo these results mean there is no benefit from eating ground flaxseed?Hi Geo,I don’t think so. Most of these studies were looking at fatty acid supplements, not flaxseed. We still see such wonderful benefits regarding flax seeds! Please see my other comments within this thread re: flaxseed. Thanks, JosephA 2014 meta-analysis showed that marine-derived omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation had a significant lowering effect on CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α levels.http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0088103That surely has to count for something when we are talking about preventing chronic low-grade inflammation and related diseases. I have not seen this study referenced anywhere on nutrtionfacts.org.Please can this be looked into for future NutritionFacts research?Thanks for this. This study found “The effect of marine-derived n-3 PUFAs from dietary intake was only assessed in subjects with chronic non-autoimmune disease, and a significant lowering effect was observed on IL-6, but not on CRP and TNF-α.” This is valuable and meta-analyses are important as they take into consideration a lot of research at once. So I agree with you, and they certainly count for something. I don’t doubt these findings. I still have concern with potential toxins found in marine oils, as Dr. Greger addresses in this blog. Maybe a question could be, “how could we see the same effects of lowering inflammatory compounds by choosing toxin-free PUFAs”, or “what is the effect of diet on these same markers?”, or “what randomized control trials focus on these inflammatory markers “I just found this study on algal oil based omega3s: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24261532Awesome find! Thanks, Scott.There is also a recent study on improving the bioavailability of omega-3 algal oil….http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijfs.12455/abstractAs a side note, there has also been a recent study into the bioavailability of fish oil powder, being shown to be comparable to that of traditional fish oil.http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v69/n3/full/ejcn2014250a.htmlMy theory on these studies. Why Fish and Fish oil was found to have benefits in the past? Only because it was in comparison to a meat and dairy diet. Fish is anywhere from 60% to 90% water. It is so light and is filling. So studies that showed health benefits from consuming fish and fish products was simply due to a reduction in consumption of meat/Dairy/Eggs that the fish replaced. But when you compare it with a vegetarian or a very healthy vegan diet fish consumption will show no additional health benefits. So there is no controversy or some mysterious factor Fish oil and fish products was promoted by the fish industry. Fish oil is the waste of the fish industry. What better way to sell their waste turn into the “health product”.Thanks, that’s an interesting take on it for sureDo Omega 9s help the body rid itself of excess omega 6s, and if so, are Omega 9s plus DHA supplementation (for neurology support) as helpful as Omega 3’s?HI sf_jeff. I am not sure. I only know omega 3’s are the only fats that are essential. The body can make omega-9 so supplementing seems off.What do you make of this? Does the USDA have access to different or only older studies?Page 20 Line 282 (UDSA: Science Report 2015 Diet Guidelines) “Regarding contaminants, for the majority of wild caught and farmed species, neither the risks of mercury nor organic pollutants outweigh the health benefits of seafood consumption.” ( http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/PDFs/Scientific-Report-of-the-2015-Dietary-Guidelines-Advisory-Committee.pdf )Hi Alex. Many reports like to claim there are more health benefits than risks. I think it depends on so many factors. As you know there are many resources here on fish it is up the consumer to weigh the benefits and risks. Thanks for sharing the report.Fish oil also raises uric acid levels, which can lead to kidney stones, gout, etc.What is your reference for this claim?A March 30, 2015 New York Times report states that research does not support any benefits from fish oil supplements. The article is here: http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2015/03/30/fish-oil-claims-not-supported-by-research/Is this the same study?Hi Greg N. I’m not sure looks like a JAMA 2014 article in the times report. At any rate it may be similar to the 2012 JAMA article that Dr. Greger cites. Not sure if that is helpful.You need omega 3’s 6’s and 9’s not just omega 3’sThis just shows that media can overshadow the truth by highlighting only one result of a study. I always believed that fish oil was highly beneficial and almost an essential for optimum health. Thank you for showing us the truth.Fish oil is quite popular among my friends, I can’t wait to show them is article.*ThisThanks Lizzy! I highly recommend checking out the videos that Dr. Greger hyperlinks and checking out the Doctor’s Note in each video, as they link to more and more research about fish oil. I think their are safer alternatives, like golden algae. If curious about how much Dr. Greger recommends see his Optimal Nutrition Recommendations. Thanks again, Lizzy we love when articles are shared!Best, JosephWhat fish is fish oil made from?They vary. All kinds of fish! Check the bottle as again they really do all vary and some have mixtures.Great information as always. I have a question: Has anyone looked at the product below? It is the highest potency I found on the market and the best price per content. Please click the tabs to see the ingredients, etc. My questions are these on all these supplements:Do we have to be concerned with oxidation of the omega-3 fatty acids in the algae based supplements? I have not found any studies or independent testing to answer my question, so I thought I would pose it to the group to see if anyone knows anything, or can answer my question related to the oxidative state of the final products, including the one below from opti3omega. I also asked the opti3omega manufacturer the same question and if I received a reply, I will post it here for everyone to benefit (if anyone else is interested in this topic). The reason I bring this up is Dr. Greger, if I’m understanding correctly, indicates bodily systemic oxidative stress is induced from the oxidation of fish oils. Does the same concern translate to the algae based supplements too? Lastly, what about all the other ingredients added (see the ingredient tab at the link below to see what I am talking about for the opti3omega product). Are these things helpful, harmful, neutral; or does the benefit of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids trump any concerns about the additives? I also ask this because the six brands featured inDr. Greger’s video (link below) also contain similar additives. It would be nice to have development of a truly “clean” plant based, long-chain omega-3 supplement. The closest I found as far as additive free is at another link below for the unique brand (pretty “clean” in comparison), but my question remains regarding the oxidative states of the oil in these supplements. Lastly, the mg of DHA per mg oil for the Diva, opti3omega, and nuique respectively are the following in case anyone is interested: 0.24 0.60 0.55 So the potency of the opti3omaga was the best and the best price on a cost basis, while the next most potent was the cleanest as far as additives go. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/ http://opti3omega.com/opti3.html http://www.nuique.com/omega-3-dha-375mg/There could be a concern with oxidation, like as we see in flax oil. Dr. Greger address the shelf-life of oils in this video. Thanks for sharing those links I had not heard of some of those brands. Still, the studies show these algae oils are effective. Perhaps we could ask the companies themselves about shelf life and ways to measure oxidation? Maybe this could be a NutritionFacts Research Fund project in the future?Thanks. I did write to the opt-3mega company and their reply was that their oil was not oxidized, but no analyses of final product was sent to support their claim. I could write back if anyone is interested to see if they do testing on a per batch basis, and more importantly, will share their analyses as proof of their claim…Again, any comments/thoughts on additives?What about oxidation? Is no one else interested regarding oxidation state of the supplements?My thoughts below…I know that flax meal is inefficient at converting omega-3 to DHA and EHA. But, what if I just took more of it? Instead of a few grams of algae omega-3, take a tablespoon for flax meal?Might be cheaper, plus flax meal has protein and fiber. Also makes smoothies thicker.Nice thought. But not a panacea. It is now known that conversion of SHORT to LONG chain fatty acids is not only very inefficient as you point out (typically about 3%), it is also variable from one person to the next. And, even worse, some people do not convert at all. That is why standardized supplementation advice is wrong. The only way to determine Omega 3/6 statusis by serum testing.You only need so much alpha-linolenic acid (ALA – mother chain of omega-3’s). Adequate intake is 1.6g/d for adult men and 1.1g/d for adult women. That is not much. I’d ask your doctor what they recommend. Dr. Greger has Optimal Nutrition Recommendations that includes information about DHA. Lastly, dietitian Ginny Messina gives her thoughts on supplementing EPA/DHA​. You have to find what’s best for you! It also depends on your overall diet, as Dr. Greger discusses, achieving a good omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acid ratio.I wonder whether the fish oil used in the study was low quality stinky fish oil covered by capsules, masquerading the quality, thereby affecting study results? I am enrolled in a voluntary Vitamin D study and they ask for the brand and type of Vitamin D supplement used( i.e. liquid or capsule). Quality and absorbability of supplements are often overlooked factors.That is a good question. All studies are available in our “sources cited” section they might have more information about specific brands. I might add that even some fish oil brands that claim to molecularly distill to remove PCBs and other contaminants have still been found to contain toxins. When looking at children’s fish oil supplements PCB’s were found.I’m new here, and a new vegan. I saw Dr. Greger’s video on Youtube titled “40 year vegan dies” which suggested DHA may extend the life of vegans. But this article on the “reversal on fish oil” is newer. Should I hold off on the DHA? and should the youtube video “40 year vegan dies” be taken down?	American Heart Association,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,DHA,fat,fish,fish oil,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,lifespan,medical profession,men's health,mortality,nutrition myths,oils,omega-3 fatty acids,seafood,stroke,supplements	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22493410,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23247954,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12571649,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24090562,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22968891,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12588785,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22493407,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2571009,
PLAIN-39	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/03/introducing-joseph-gonzales-r-d/	Introducing Joseph Gonzales, R.D.	First, I want to thank all those that applied for the Nutrition Director position. I am so thrilled my work attracts such talented folks! We received dozens of applications from doctors and nurses and dietitians who dedicated days of their lives slogging through a grueling application process all for the honor of serving you. And that honor goes to Joseph Gonzales, R.D. Let me turn it over to him so he can introduce himself: Hello everyone!   I am so thrilled to join the team. It’s always been a passion of mine to help others. Let me tell you a little about my background:   Professionally, I started working as the Health Coordinator for Head Start – a federal program providing early childhood education, health, and nutrition for children. To focus on more nutrition-related efforts, I took a position in Washington, D.C., as Staff Dietitian with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). There, I helped organize their Food for Life Programs, where certified instructors teach cooking classes dedicated to nutrition education for disease prevention. I also helped coordinate and publish clinical research studies, working closely with research study participants for nearly 4 years. I left the Physicians Committee to pursue medical school but took a detour and ended up working with the University of Texas – MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Integrative Medicine Program, specifically, as a dietitian in a comprehensive lifestyle study for women with breast cancer. It’s been a privilege to work alongside such courageous women.   My passion for both nutrition and helping others is perhaps best exemplified by my volunteer work in the Marshall Islands. I served at the Diabetes Wellness Center with the Director of Nutrition, Brenda Davis, R.D., helping people to control (and in some cases even reverse) type 2 diabetes with dietary changes. For years, I have witnessed the power of eating healthy in my own life, and through the lives of many friends, family, and research study participants. As NutritionFacts.org Nutrition Director, my hope is to forward the mission of making advances in the field freely available and accessible to all by helping people wherever they are at with improving their diets.   I may not have all the answers to your questions, but I can help find them for you. Please leave a question in the comments section under any of the videos or blogs and I’ll do my best to help.   Sincerely, Joseph Gonzales, R.D. Nutrition Director 	So totally Awesome to have you aboard, from someone who check this site each and every day at 7:00 AM Central. We all are so blessed to have this site and information available to us, so needed today, and even more so globally going forward. Thank you for being a part of this and working with the dedicated team.I appreciate the kind words! Whoa! Everyday? Awesome! I’ll do my best to answer questions so you can keep spreading the word about the value of Dr. Greger’s site! Thanks so much. josephGlad to have you on this great team. “Everyday” is not unusual; I wake up, brew my white tea, and then log on to this site. You guys are how I start each day; then I check back in the evening to read comments. Many health conscious people view this site; I believe it has the best information on health and nutrition available.Hey joe! That is great to hear. Thanks, be in touch.The end of the video (Turmeric Curcumin, MGUS, and Multiple Myeloma) states that eating pickled vegetables increases risk of multiple myeloma, but the gut microbe folks say we should eat that. I am so confused. HELP!!!!Hi Susan. Have you seen my comments on the tread from that video? I think I address that concern. Indeed it is confusing perhaps the idea is to find healthful fermented sources and eat them in the right amounts?Please forgive me. But I am not able to discern what would be healthful fermented sources? Can you please elaborate? Is Kimchee healthful?Forgive me I meant to say I commented on this topic on the MGUS video. I am reposting :) see if this helps? Thanks, Susan J.Apple cider vinegar is still okay, but don’t mess with the pills. Check out Dr. Greger’s video about if kimchi and sauerkraut are harmful. Seems a little bit of sauerkraut is okay, so perhaps with things like capers a little is fine to consume. I like this powerpoint from a dietitian from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle presenting at AICR on fermented and picked foods on cancer risk. Explains a lot about fermented foods.Welcome aboard Joseph, it’s so great to see this fantastic website becoming even better. Look forward to your input. Peace and beans. Lorri. Xxx…Thanks, Miss Creant!Welcome aboard Joseph. This is going to be great fun!Thanks, Veganrunner! Fun indeed! I appreciate your help and supportCongratulations and welcome, Mr. Gonzalez! That’s an impressive resume (especially liked seeing PCRM on the list!), and I look forward to learning much from your expertise and experience.Thanks, Laloofah! PCRM was a great experience. I leaned a lot from study participants and leading research studies. I look forward to your comments and input!Welcome :) I’m glad to see NutritionFacts.org growing. Since you are looking forward to answering our questions…. here is one that I asked in February of 2014, but haven’t received a response to (other then Dr. Greger was working on a video for it that should be out in 6 months, but that hasn’t happened yet).2/18/2014Hello,I have been a subscriber for a little while now and vegan for several years. I love the informative videos and articles posted on this site. Well done.However, there is one thing I have yet to find on this website (or many others) that I would appreciate if Dr. Greger could comment on; demineralized water.I have recently become concerned with the amount of heavy metals and VOCs in my municipal water source and have been looking at reverse osmosis or distillation systems for home water consumption. However, there seems to be some controversy over consuming demineralized water (these two systems remove ALL dissolved solids including beneficial ones like Calcium and Magnesium), as it is said to have negative long term consequences to ones health.“For about 50 years, epidemiological studies in many countries all over the world have reported that soft water (i.e., water low in calcium and magnesium) and water low in magnesium is associated with increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to hard water and water high in magnesium.”http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutrientschap12.pdfThere has been an increase in popularity (that I have even seen expressed though the comments of your subscribers) in only consuming demineralized water. It would be greatly appreciated by not only myself, but many of your subscribers (I assume) if Dr. Greger could address the issue of long term consequences to ones health with the steady consumption of demineralized water.Thank you.Kindest Regards, JonathanI endorse this wholeheartedly. Our bodies are fueled by the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and the sunlight we absorb. I realize that air and sunlight might be outside the scope of nutrition, but certainly the water we drink is just as important as the food we’re consuming daily. Please do a segment on water, it would be greatly appreciated!Agreed. Water is vital! I will respond to Jonathan’s questions above, as it’s an important one! Thanks for this endorsement, Chris.I am very curious also. We live in south Florida where the well water smells so strong of sulfur and whatever else, when the neighbors water their lawn you can tell without looking! Houses are stained orange/brown from the over-spray of their sprinkler systems. There is no way this stuff is palatable, so some type of purification system is needed here! We didn’t like the usual system based on sodium, so invested a lot in an RO system, but now I’m concerned it may not be the great thing we thought it was at the time, with all the talk about minerals in the water being beneficial. Damned if we do, and damned if we don’t? No way I would even consider bottled water, we couldn’t afford it anymore for one, and second, it’s quality is just as questionable from what I’ve read, and I do drink a LOT of it! I would be very interested in studies on water quality in regards to health.Thanks, Jonathan! Goodness our apologies for not responding to this great question. As you can imagine we receive hundreds of emails and comments daily. I just came along and I plan to get to ALL relevant questions in time. Thanks for your patience. You bring up an important issue. Water ought to be pure and healthful but what’s best? Dr. Greger has some info on water but I don’t see anything about demineralized water. A quick search in pubmed finds over 500 studies when I just search “demineralized water”. Here is one study that stood out, Demineralization of drinking water: Is it prudent?. Check out the section on “Minerals in Water: The Debate”, if interested. It points to a few things you mention about demineralized water possibly leading to lesser health. One thing caught my eye in this report, that “Drinking water soft or hard has been a subject of debate and discussion and controversies” So I suspect we need more research before making a conclusive answer. Let’s keep this conversation going. if others can help me find more research on water and minerals please chime-in!As far as I know you can get all the minerals you need from food you eat, but drinking dirty water is bad so drinking distilled water would seem like a good plan and then eating mineral rich foods, but I have heard people say that drinking distilled water, which has no minerals in can cause problems with the distilled water pulling minerals back in to it, out of your body, and so it can be negative because of this. Not sure how true that is, I just heard it and it made sense that it might cause a reaction in the body.I would say some kind of remineralised distilled water would be the cleanest water, however I would say spring water that is tested and checked for bacteria and or pollutants, which is shown as clean would be the healthiest, just due to being distilled by nature and then being so mineral rich due to travelling via many mineral rich places before being collected.However, I have heard people say that they think drinking liquids in fruit form is the best solution as you get so much of the minerals from the fruit. My issue would be how much sugar is in it. But drinking liquids that comes from plants would mean a lot of dodgy chemicals and pollutants would be filtered out by the plants, so long as there not sprayed with loads of pesticides, which is less likely to happen with organic produce. this would probable be pretty healthy and clean in smoothie form, and even in juice form, so long as there is no sugar added and the juice is not naturally high in sugar. I think this would be a good way to get clean liquids rich in minerals.So a video on the healthiest fruit or vegetable juice and or smoothie, could be useful. :)Using organic fruit and veg for all your daily fluids would be massively expensive and the calories would be ridiculous. Far easier to move to a town that uses spring water or water from deep bore holes that is regularly checked for contaminants. And also an area that doesn’t adulterate the water with flouride. You’ll notice from the smell that good deep borehole water doesn’t have very much chlorine added to it as it doesn’t have the contaminants that surface water does.My personal smoothie recipe… http://www.misscreant.me/health-fitness-and-wellbeing/recovery-nutrition/Thoughts on juice v smoothie (with lots of videos from here to back it up) http://www.misscreant.me/2015/01/25/juice-v-smoothie/.Most cities do not use just chlorine anymore. I live in Tucson & although we (LUCKILY) hadn’t enough revenue in the 90’s for a floride treatment plant ( yea !), most cities use chloramine (nasty combo of chlorine & ammonia) which is almost impossible to clean up with filters or anything else. Chlorine mixed with ammonia = more $ for companies (as it’s cheaper) but deadly for consumers….but if one dies they already have many more to take their place, Showering with that water is toxic….especially in HOT showers…Thx for the smoothie recipe, always on the lookout for more choices; but, I need oz and teaspoons, not the European measures; I am way too busy to convert. thanks,30g is near enough an ounce it makes no difference, if that helps. I don’t ever measure it all exactly anyway, it’s always just there abouts-ish. :-DBuying loads of spring water is as expensive as organic foods. If you don’t have much money distiller and a way to reminilise the water would be the cheapest way.Thank you for your reply and my apologies on the delay in response.That article seems to confirm the WHO report with the caveat that more testing is needed. I assume (as of now) the best option is to have your water tested and then find a third party certified (NSF) filter to remove any contaminates that are present without removing any essential minerals.If anyone is interested, this is the filter I installed about a year ago. So far, so good. http://www.multipure.com/aquaversa.html http://www.multipure.com/mpscience/contaminant-reduction-list/And through this link you can check off any specific contaminates in your water and see which filter/unit has been verified to remove it. http://info.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/Congratulations and welcome! I’ve been here for almost two years and am frequently blown away after putting the knowledge into practice for myself and my family. I keep thinking “I’ll donate when I can afford it”, with this appointment of Mr. Gonzalez, how can I not contribute. I’m enjoying watching Dr. Gerger’s word making its way around the Internet and within my family. You can not put a price on the body of work presented here. Thanks and I wish you much continued success!Stu. This is the very reason I wanted to work here! Whatever I can do for you and your family that leads to a healthier lifestyle please don’t hesitate to ask! I appreciate your considerate note. Best to you and yours, josephWelcome. So glad to have another expert from whom I can learn.I do have a question – I have been mostly vegan for 10+ years (vegetarian for 20 years). All of a sudden, my usually outstanding health is the pits – diagnosed with hypothyroid, osteoporosis, general malaise. I am wondering if my diet is to blame….. What is the easiest way to determine if I am getting sufficient nutrients? My diet is low-carb, moderate fat, with very little processed food (a veggie burger every now and then…) and mostly organic. I take supplements. I know that you can’t diagnose my specific concerns, but am looking for advice on how to determine. Thank youThanks, DB Johnson. Hard to know if diet is to blame. I don’t like “blame” in general so let’s forget it! You are dealing with some concerns and that is all you need to do, in my opinion. Note that I cannot give medical advice so I encourage you to discuss with your healthcare team, but please feel free to relay anything you read here! I can’t speak to any diet in general, but filling up on whole foods and following a vegan diet may be a great choice, according to so much of the literature. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics wrote a position paper in 2009 on vegetarian and vegan diets finding them to be healthful at any stage of life, but with any “diet” it must be well-rounded and planned. I am linking a few or Dr. Greger’s videos and info on thyroid health, osteoporosis, and fatigue. They may help? Lastly, Dr. Greger has optimal nutrition tips that may be worth a gander. Thanks for your post and let me know how else I can help. JosephThank you so much for your reply and for the linksDB Johnson just out of curiosity how do you manage a low carb diet as a vegan? What are you eating to make up the difference in fat and protein? Do you actually mean you don’t eat junky carbs?It’s tough and I do a low-carb as I can. The carbs that I eat are measured. 1/2 cup beans, 1/4 dry lentils or dry barley. 1/2 banana, 1/2 sweet potato etc. I used to eat a lot of pasta, rice etc. A serving of organic, whole wheat pasta, for me, was 6 oz, uncooked. I actually did fine with that. But, DH needed to change his diet, to low carb, due to health.Hi DB, Yes so you are talking about simple processed carbs. Have you ever entered your food into an app? It is pretty difficult to eat all those plants and call it low carb. But no junky carbs. I agree. Nice day of food.Hi DB, in my heart of hearts, I just would find it hard to believe that a whole foods plant based diet would cause all of those problems… it just doesn’t make any common sense when the ONLY thing you’ve left out is toxic meat, fish, poultry, oils and sugars. There just CANNOT be anything good about eating such toxic foods (especially when they are basically just a “middle man” for the greens that we are already eating anyway)… but having attended Dr. John McDougall’s Ten Day Live-In Program, we were taught that supplements can cause severe problems…. you may want to google Dr. McDougall and Supplements. I used to “live on” supplements and I started to experience some problems, so I’d just either take more supplements or find new ones to try to “fix” the problems never realizing that it was the supplements CAUSING the problems. I’m anxious to hear how you make out. Wishing you the best DB. Nancy Nurse :))What an interesting comment. Thank you for caring! You are right. i am only leaving out stuff that we know is bad for health, the environment, animals… Maybe it is one/all of my supplements. I will Google Dr McDougall and maybe even stop my supplements to see what happens (except for B12) With appreciationYou are most welcome, DB… please do keep me informed on how you’re doing. Blessings.Good luck with the new job! I already have a request for you. I am interested in FASTING and it’s effects on human health. You would help a lot if you found and shared any studies you find on that topic. Thank you for your effort.You got it, Zuppkko! Thanks for the warm welcome. Are you talking about fasting with water only or doing a type of “cleanse”?Unfortunately I am not an expert in this area. I can say that I have not seen any promising studies on fasting. Much more literature on eating the right foods to help with disease prevention. I know a lot of folks are into “fasting” but I am very cautious about it and would never recommended it. Happy to learn more about together, if you ever come across new research please share!If you ever get a chance look up True North in Santa Rosa California. It is run by Alan Goldhammer and the physician is Michael Klapper, MD. They are right next to Dr. McDougall’s health and wellness center. They do water fasting up to 60 days medically supervised and have great results.Welcome Joseph! There is a plethora of anicdotal evidence regarding the benefits of fasting with water. However, it’s great that science is finally starting to catch up. Here is one article I read recently: https://news.usc.edu/63669/fasting-triggers-stem-cell-regeneration-of-damaged-old-immune-system/He’s just getting settled in, but will get to these ASAP–thanks for everyone’s support!Congratz to the winner !!!I have to say that you’re going to have a LOT of work to do, but i think that you will became an essential member of this growing community.I hope the best for the future,Mauro (aka Merio, BS in Biotechnology, MS student in Medical Biotechnology)AddendumThis song is perfect for your “victory”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSTivVclQQ0Dear Merio,Considering I am a die hard hockey player and fan, this song speaks volumes! I hope I can help make a difference. All candidates were qualified for this role, so I better do a great job! Please help me. The music video is a great start for motivation!Best, JosephUnfortunately i do not have the time to follow this site properly because of my university studies, but there are a lot of great volunteers here on NFs and you have only to ask for help and they will respond quickly !I suggest to work on a FAQ section for this site (maybe looking on other plant based sites) since i have seen a lot of videos where people bring the same questions over and over again and after a while it became annoying… a FAQ section will be perfect to solve/minimize this problem (not immediately, but a sort of work in progress).Glad that you love the song (XD); The Queen are simply the best !!!It’s just ‘Queen’ not ‘The Queen’. ‘The Queen’ lives in Buck Palace. :-D Xxx…Oh, sorry for the error !Thanks for the feedback. We have a FAQ page. I am working on my Q&A section which I hope is valuable to members.I’ve had a question regarding iodine for some time.As far as I know there are few options: – iodised salt – seaweeds – supplementI believe sodium-intake should be minimised, so that’s a no. I’ve also read about many pollutants in seaweeds these days. Is supplementing currently the best way to go?Thanks, Vince Green. Hard to say? Depends on overall diet. You only need 150 micrograms a day. Iodine is also found in veggies grown near costal areas. The amounts vary and the values are not always available. You are spot on with other sources of iodine in iodized salt, seaweed, and supplements. Some good info on iodine here. Not sure all seaweeds are polluted. Some research shows seaweed/sea vegetables can be beneficial. It is also worthy to note that too MUCH iodine may be as bad as too little. Not sure supplementing is the best way to go, you may not need it if eating plenty of costal veggies, some nori, and using a bit of iodized salt. I cant recommend what’s best, as I simply don’t know! But I would start with reading some of this info. Always best to consult with doctor about supplements right for you. Thanks for your post.Congrats Joseph! Impressive background. I’m wondering if you could shed some light on the value of becoming an R.D. in today’s climate. I am a huge believer in WFPB diets and am looking to further my education on optimal nutrition across the lifespan but am concerned that current R.D. educations are not modernized to focus on WFPB and food as medicine. Or perhaps there are certain programs you’re aware of that agree with many of the themes of NutritionFacts.org for example?Please Becky go for it!!! We need more health educators, plain and simple. I don’t think it matters too much on where you go to school. Any place that offers a degree in dietetics I support. Essentially, you’ll learn the basics of nutrition; how vitamin E is transported and absorbed, how to draw and understand amino acid structures and enzymes in biochem, but ultimately once you graduate the field of nutrition is vast! You can get jobs in healthcare, food service, outpatient clinics, public health, etc. Having the RD credential is important in my eyes, even if you think (which I agree to some extent) schools don’t focus enough on “food as medicine”. You may actually be surprised to see the times are changing, even if just a tad. I had a class in college called “whole-food nutrition”, so there are surely nutrition curriculum that focus on more of a whole-foods angle. I suggest you stay up to date with the science, with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and their position papers and their wonderful Dietetic Practice Groups, and increase your dietary knowledge, then when you are a new RD you will have much opportunity to work where you feel you can make the most impact. Not sure if this is helpful or I am just ranting ;0 let me know! Good luck on your quest. JosephGood morning Joseph ( from Australia ). Welcome to the team.Thanks, BIBI! SO glad to be here (from Utah)!Super that you joined!!! I have been following this site for the past three years. As a breast cancer survivor (by the way I was treated at MD Anderson), I use to do my own search until I found this site. Now, I let Dr. Greger do all the work and I just delight myself reading/watching his work. I am glad that now questions will be answered and I am wondering where I can drop some.Thanks, Cida! Glad you follow the site. Even more glad to hear you are around to do so! Keep up the good fight. Let me know if I can ever help.Best to you, JosephWelcome!Thanks, Gary!Hi Joseph,Welcome aboard. Thanks for joining in to help us all.I recently learned of a new report published by the highly reputable Worldwatch Institute that states that 51% of global warming is caused by raising animals for food. The previous understanding as published by the IPCC was 18%, second only to buildings, which is huge enough. But if it’s 51%, that’s big news. Can you or anyone you know shed any light on this? Is this peer reviewed? Does it make sense to someone capable or evaluating the report? Here’s a link to ithttp://www.worldwatch.org/files/pdf/Livestock%20and%20Climate%20Change.pdfThank you, and again, welcome.KeithHey Keith. Thanks for the welcome. Not sure? I have read this report but I am no expert in environmental health. Can anyone else jump-in and supply some references? I know the report is almost 10 years old but to my knowledge the same concerns exists re: animal agriculture and green house gasses. I saw a great flick, Cowspiracy, that points to a lot of what you mention. Lets see if others can add their input.Take care, JosephThe Cowspiracy site has a facts page, with lots of links on it, which is enough to terrify me :/ http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/I fail to see his qualifications? Sounds like a political hack!Great to have you on board Joseph!Thanks, VeganVagon! Appreciate that.Congratulations, its good to see another male dietitian in the field, im surrounded by women, ahhhhh, I also applied for the job, but im an Intern at the moment.Thanks, Cameron! Appreciate the shout out. Look forward to seeing your posts!JosephNonprofits aren’t permitted to give practical advice. You can’t get donations to give advice or counseling; you better stick to explaining how things “may” be applicable in circumstances.Hi Joseph and welcome! So glad to be able to have my questions answered!I have two questions: I have 7 month old twins and was wondering when and how to start supplementing them with b12 (currently breastfed and I take b12 cyancobalim 1000mcg twice a week I hope that’s enough?!) –2) are there any resources on how to feed babies a plant based diet, what first foods should be and whether or not to Puree or go with baby led weaning (self feeding) et cetera? I am finding that they are getting very constipated and squealing in pain when they need to ‘go’ even though so far they have been eating only plant foods; fruits (pureed apple pear prunes banana), vegies (potato sweet potato brocoli cucumber avocado) and baby porridge and drinking apple juice diluted in water. My diet is a starch based plant based diet so I shouldnt be causing it through my milk. Any help would be greatly appreciated!Hi, Sara! Thanks for your questions, I am trying my best! Will take a bit to get to everyone who has commented on other posts. Check this out from the Vegetarian Resource Group. Scroll down to Nutrition Information and there is a boat load of info on feeding children. Of course, discuss feeding patterns and supplements with your doctor, but there is no reason a well-planned plant-based diet cannot suffice. Let me know if these help.Best you and your little bambinos! JosephThank you very much Chris for bringing up the water topic. I agree that it needs to be addressed as well. I hear from some people RO or distilled water is healthy while others say it isn’t.I saw this article on the subject. http://www.vega-licious.com/best-water-filter-home/http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutrientsindw.pdfhttp://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutrientschap12.pdfI currently use a device similar to RO but not sure about the safety of it and would like to know ASAP. Thanks! Don’t wanna harm my body.Welcome to the latest member of the best nutrition site on the web! (But you already knew that since here you are!) It is great to have you on board, and I feel bad you are already getting blasted with so many questions! I won’t do that. Heh heh, not YET anyway! LOL! It is so nice to have an accurate source of nutrition information that isn’t governed by the latest fad or financial agendas, and with you on board it can only be even better. Best of luck to you, and thanks Dr Greger for all your hard work and passion!Thank you, Charzie. Please don’t feel bad at all. I am happy to be here. I appreciate your nice words. Look forward to your contributions in the discussions.Best, JosephWelcome to NutritionFacts.org!!! Since you asked, here is the question I’m currently struggling with: http://WWW.health.gov lists the iron content of various foods. For example, it claims that I TBS of Blackstrap Molasses contains 3.5 mg of iron. Does this value already have absorption assumptions built in?For example, assume the following: — I am a premenopausal woman with woefully inadequate iron consumption. — I consume 1 TBS of Blackstrap Molasses at a meal that: — Does not include known iron inhibitors (tea, calcium supplements, etc.) — Does include a good source of Vitamin C — Does include a good source of LysineGiven those assumptions, how much iron will I absorb from the molasses? — Roughly 3.5 mg? — A bit more than 3.5 mg? — Considerably more than 3.5 mg? — Whatever is in the box that Jay is bringing down the aisle? (Too young to get a Let’s Make a Deal reference?)I’ll take “Whatever is in the box that Jay is bringing down the aisle”, Monty Hall!. Completely joking :) Thanks for your detailed question. The Institute of Medicine sets nutrient guidelines on iron (18 mg for premenopausal women 19-50) but they don’t take absorption into consideration. Meaning, they factored rates of absorption into the guidelines so that the public would not have to calculate percentages at every meal :) Technical question about how much would “really” be absorbed. Depends on her current iron stores, as well. You’d absorb far less than 3.5mg I suppose, but the vitamin C will help. I’m blocking on the studies that measure iron absorption percentages, but what I might say is molasses is great! Actually one of the healthiest sugars. The fact it has so much iron is amazing to me! If other foods were added, iron-rich foods like dark leafy greens, beans, lentils, tomatoes and citrus, iron needs could be easily met.Thanks, Lottsagreens JosephWelcome Joseph! I just wanted to say that in the top picture you are smiling and look happy but in the one where you’re wearing a white coat you look sad. Can we photoshop a smile on your face?Thanks so much HemoDynamic, MD! Research is serious business ;) Ha! I promise to smile more in next photo-op. Appreciate your contributions to the site over the years!Could you please give me the name of the blood test that give me a list of all the minerals, vitamins, and the condition of my health. I would really like to be able to get a blood test and know if I am deficient in anything and need to eat healthier, but I am not sure what the name of this test would be called? Something similar to the person in this video would be useful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O_A6Mh1J48Hmm I am not sure, Stephan. I would recommend typical blood tests ordered by your doctor. Ask about minerals and vitamins, specifically, and if that kind of testing is needed.Nutrient panel? I live in the UK. So would it be a Nutrients test? If you were going to do a test to make sure someone was in optimum health what would you test for?I found one place calling it a ‘nutritional screen’. That was at medichecks.com Looks incredibly comprehensive but it’s £499. I had a look on NHS website for common blood tests that they do and they don’t even mention nutrient tests.If i had £499 spare i would probably do it out of pure interest, but i certainly can’t afford that. Shame one can’t get them on the NHS, makes me wonder what the NHS agenda truly is by not doing them? Don’t they want people to be healthy? Probably not, healthy people do not make profits for Big Pharma, healthy people do not keep healthcare professionals in employment.I think it’s called a ‘nutrient panel’ which checks for nutrient levels, various kinds so you’d need to check what nutrients are being checked for and if the panel you’re getting is the one you actually want before you pay for it.LEF calls it Nutrient Panel. Very expensive though.Welcome, Joseph! I am a regular follower of the site. A WFPB diet has changed my life from being someone who was hopelessly overweight to being what one of my colleagues calls her “role model.” I am a wound care nurse (CWOCN) and work a lot with diabetics, stroke patients and mostly overweight people in a rehab hospital. Nutrition is so critical to wound healing but I just despair at what is served up for meals to my patients. Patients are also free to bring in whatever they want and of course soda flows freely everywhere. So many of my patients are in their state of poor health due to their lifestyle but I almost never bring this up for fear of being inappropriate or offending (we get graded big time on “patient satisfaction”). What’s the best way to start the conversation with people who may not be interested in change?Hi, Kay R.N.,Tough questions. Are their R.D.’s who work with you and educate the patients about nutrition and wound care? Do the doctors? Perhaps a handout could be in place at the very least. So much research on protein, zinc, vitamin C and wound care, if my MNT serves me right? Forget the amounts of nutrients off top of head (I think it’s based on wound severity) but surely if brought up in a caring and gentle way your patients can connect to I see no harm there. Practice what you may say before hand. Sometimes you’d be surprised to find out pts DO want to learn more, they just have not gotten the right advice. To counter your point, how inappropriate or offensive is it for you to “not” say anything? I am not sure if there is a right answer. Just trying to see the situation from all angles.That’s a very difficult thing to do. I haven’t had much success (yet…), but here are a couple of ideas that may help: – Enlist your enthusiastic colleague to advocate for your experience and success. Then hopefully you may have more authority with a referred patient. – Use lots of “I” statements; describe what you have done, the process and the results. – Ask them if they want to talk about diet, and respect their decision if they say no. Good luck!Hello there Joseph!I enjoy the scientific basis for this site’s nutrition opinions and I think a dietitian with research experience is a great addition. Good on ya.As a current dietetics student, I find I’m more interested in the “why” behind all of the information than the actual diet planning piece. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you become more involved in a research career? That is where I think my interests match best, but I’m not sure if I can jump into an MPH or PhD financially. Would you have any advice for nutrition research and what is most realistic? I would appreciate that very much.My best, BHi, Bethany!Thanks for your questions :) I didn’t actually plan to do research as a dietitian, the opportunity simply arose when I took my job in DC. I loved it and was very interested in doing more, so that led to more opportunities. I am really unsure the best path for you. I suggest learning about the different dietetic practice groups within the Academy. They must have some geared toward research. I highly utilized my instructors and preceptors during my internships, they are obviously super helpful. If nothing else helps, email us and I may be able to connect with RD colleagues in public health and research for more ideas.Best to you on your quest! JossephWelcome Joseph ! This site has already made a lot of difference to myself & family and I look forward to learning more.I have thoroughly appreciated Dr. Greger’s blog and advice and he has become my go-to guy for most things nutritional. Glad that there will be a place now for questions/answers and very happy that you will be working with Dr. Greger, Dr. Gonzales. So, here is my first response to an article and a question, If fish oil supplements do not provide any real benefit to our health, what about the capsule forms of flax seed oil. I am a vegan and have been taking these now for a couple years. Thanks!Thanks for your note, Lee Marie,The research is mixed on flax oil. There is better evidence to suggest eating ground flaxseed than flax oil. I think that supplementing omega-3 fats need to be individualized, and perhaps DHA is better than flax oil. I made several comments regarding omega-3 fats on his last blog. If interested please check-out: The Reversal On Fish OilPlease keep adding to this discussion! Omega-3 fats are essential, but how much to take, in what form, when to take them, etc. are important questions to ask!Best, JosephWelcome Joseph. I look forward to hearing more from you, as time goes by. Thanks to Dr. Greger for bringing us such a distinguished addition to help us in our journey of health. LynnThanks, Treehouseinparadise! I appreciate the welcome :)JosephWelcome!Doesn’t look too healthy!Welcome, doctor! This site has done loads for me and my health in just a short time, not to mention the health of my wife and daughter. I do have one question that I have been meaning to ask someone, and since you opened the door to ask questions, here it is: When I do my own review of studies that purport this or that, how can I find out who funded them? I am especially intrigued in this because it appears I might be dealing with white coat syndrome, and I see lots of studies on the matter but want to follow the money to determine whether any of the conclusions could be biased or tainted. Thankyou!So glad to hear this site is helpful for you and your family, Mark! You bring up a good question about bias studies due to funding. Luckily, at the end of all publications authors are mandated to disclose any conflicts of interest. You should be able to see them clearly. In fact, Dr. Greger has a few tips on this. If interested, Aren’t all studies funded by corporations biased?. Let me know if that helps?Best to you, JosephCongratulations Joseph! Dr Gregor iand the research he shares is wonderful. You will be a great addition to the NutritionFacts Team. Bringing ihealthy eating specifics to the people. I love it. I’m so proud to be a dietitian again. Have you joined Dietitians For Professional Integrity on Facebook? We welcome you!! I wish you the best, Laurie Carter Haessly V ( on Facebook) MA, RD, IBCLCThanks, Laurie! So glad to see other RD’s on the site! Yes, I love Dietitians For Professional Integrity. Every RD should be aware of the conflicts of interest within the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.Thanks for your note, JosephWelcome. As a BC survivor I would love to know what your nutritional program at MD Anderson for breast cancer patients entailed.Hi, Rosalie,Thanks for your interest. Our main nutritional efforts within the study were based on the book, AntiCancer, by David Servan-Schreiber. I think it is a great book that provides many references on nutrition and cancer.Here are a few hyperlinks with loads of information about MD Anderson:– Integrative Medicine Program – The Servan-Schreiber/Cohen Anticancer Fund – An Intensive Lifestyle Intervention Program to Modify Cancer Outcomes – Lecture Series – Integrative Medicine Program (hour-long video presentation)I hope these may help.Sincerely, JosephWelcome and good luck! Let´s spread good health, brave ethics and common sense…Thanks, Joseph!!!I really appreciate your work!Just wondering if spinach and kale should be eaten cooked instead of raw as stated below. “The truth is that both spinach and kale are very healthy for you. Unfortunately, it really needs to be steamed before it’s eaten. Steaming or cooking deactivates the oxalic acid content that they have, making them more nutritious. Oxalic acid binds with the calcium in our food making it unavailable for digestion. Over time this can lead to a plethora of health issues, osteoporosis among them. The acids can also irritate the kidneys.” http://www.healthfreedoms.org/raw-green-smoothies-are-not-as-beneficial-as-you-think-2/Hi, Lisa. Thank you so much!Raw and cooked vegetables both have their place. The oxalate content in vegetables decreases when cooked. Boiling has a larger effect than steaming.However, only spinach, mustard greens, and beet greens are the stubborn vegetables that wont give you any of their calcium. Kale does just fine in term of absorbable calcium. The cruciferous veggies (Kale, broccoli, cabbage) when eaten raw can be problematic, but you have to eat like 10 cups a day! To some folks (AKA: “cruciferous junkies”) I know this is doable. Please. Don’t let this be you, Lisa ;) (totally just kidding) Not sure about some of the other health issues, but to my knowledge these veggies exhibit more health benefits.I hope this help! JosephWelcome JosephThank you, Jay!I am also an everyday addict! I post links to these videos on the Dr. Ornish Spectrum website all the time. Any chance of getting a video or write-up specifically on the topic of Carnosine as a supplement?Hi Susan J! Thanks for your post. Yes, I’ll look into carnosine supplements. I’ll review some of the literature soon, but in the meantime one of my dietitian colleagues, Jack Norris, RD already has some research on the matter. If interested please visit here.Thanks, JosephI haven’t found this topic yet on this website…Thought this would be a good spot to ask… Do you have a favorite, most efficient and helpful app for nutrition? Mainly for food diaries, etc. I’m not focusing on calories, but would mainly like a convenient way to log a simple food journal. I’d like to be able to recommend the best one to my clients. Thank you! -Jami O’Day, MS, RDI don’t unfortunately. If you find a good app please let me know!Actually I was reading a newsletter that mentioned apps. Thought I’d share. Check out page 17 of this link if interested. Thanks, J. O’Day. Vegetarian Nutrition Spring 2015 Newsletter.	jobs	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	-	-
PLAIN-40	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/	Are Multivitamins Just a Waste of Money?	About one in three Americans take a multivitamin. Is that helpful, harmful, or just a harmless waste of money? In 2011, the Iowa Women’s Health Study reported that multivitamin use was associated with a higher risk of total mortality, meaning that women who took a multivitamin appeared to be paying to live shorter lives. But this was just an observational study—researchers didn’t split women up into two groups and put half on multivitamins to see who lived longer. All they did was follow a large population of women over time, and found that those that happened to be taking multivitamins were more likely to die. But maybe they were taking multivitamins because they were sick. The researchers didn’t find any evidence of that, but ideally we’d have a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial, where thousands were followed for over a decade, with half given a multivitamin and half a placebo. That’s what we got the following year in 2012 with the Harvard Physicians’ Study II. And after a decade, the researchers found no effect on heart attack, stroke, or mortality. The accompanying editorial concluded that multivitamins are a distraction from effective cardiovascular disease prevention. The message needs to remain simple and focused: heart disease can be largely prevented by healthy lifestyle changes. The researchers did, however, find that for men with a history of cancer, the multivitamin appeared to be protective against getting cancer again, though there was no significant difference in cancer mortality or cancer protection in those who’ve never had cancer before. Still, that’s pretty exciting. It is just one study, though. Ideally we’d have maybe 20 of these placebo-controlled trials and then compile all the results together. That’s what we got in 2013—a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that analyzed twenty-one trials and more than 90,000 individuals. The analysis found no influence on mortality either way. Some found more cancer mortality, some found less cancer mortality, but all in all it was a wash. And that was heralded as good news. After the Iowa Women’s Health Study came out we were worried multivitamins could be harming millions of people, but instead they don’t appear to have much effect either way. The accompanying editorial asked whether meta-analyses trump observational studies. The Iowa Women’s Health Study followed tens of thousands of women for nearly 20 years. What if we put all the studies together, the big observational studies along with the experimental trials? And that’s what we got in December 2013. The review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, highlighted in my video, Should We Take a Multivitamin? found that multivitamins appear to offer no consistent evidence of benefit for heart disease, cancer, or living longer. But aren’t vitamins and minerals good for us? One explanation for this result could be that our bodies are so complex that the effects of supplementing with only one or two components is generally ineffective or actually does harm. Maybe we should get our nutrients in the way nature intended, in food. The accompanying editorial to the December 2013 review concluded that enough is enough. We should stop wasting our money on vitamin and mineral supplements. Americans spend billions on vitamin and mineral supplements. A better investment in health would be eating more fruits and vegetables. Imagine if instead we spent those billions on broccoli? I’ve previously addressed multivitamins in my videos Are Multivitamins Good For You? and Multivitamin Supplements and Breast Cancer (with a follow-up in my Q&A Is multivitamin use really associated to an increased risk of breast cancer?). I also touched on potential risks in Dietary Theory of Alzheimer’s. With the exception of vitamins D and B12 (Vitamin Supplements Worth Taking), we should strive to get our nutrients from produce, not pills. What about fish oil supplements? Check out Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil? 	I think that a *good* multivitamin is more cost-effective for vegetarians and vegans than taking separate vitamin B12 & D supplements – one pill is easy to remember; studies have routinely demonstrated that medication compliance / adherence drops rapidly as the number of required pills and permutations rises.Yes but two vitamins is easy to remember. Vitamins B12 and D are quite inexpensive too. Plus the message here is that multivitamins might do more harm than good. We didn’t evolve taking in large doses of a few select vitamins and minerals. There are literally thousands of compounds in foods that work together in out bodies like a symphony. If the violin starts overtaking the rest of the instruments then the music falls apart. T. Colin Campbell’s book Whole discusses this in great detail. Worth a read.I tried to take B12 but it gave me bad canker sore. I appreciate any suggestion.A multivitamin and mineral supplement is convenient and cost-effective, but, like most things in life, it’s a compromise. Most multivitamins have a lot of pre-formed vitamin A, which is not water soluble and therefore can’t be excreted from the body. The body can’t store it either, meaning it could be poisonous. The better way to get vitamin A is as beta-carotene. Even that is better to get from food. (In smokers, admittedly a high-risk group, supplemental beta-carotene has been shown to increase lung-cancer risk.) For vitamin E, most multivitamin products have racemic alpha-tocopherol. Naturally occurring vitamin E is a family of compounds, all members of which are chiral and only one enantiomer of each occurs in nature, so taking alpha-tocopherol doesn’t meed the body’s need of vitamin E. A typical multivitamin contains 100% RDA of folic acid. In the US refined grains are fortified with folic acid. (Unrefined ones naturally contain folic acid.) So, taking a multivitamin can result in folic acid overdose. A typical multivitamin doesn’t have enough vitamin D. The other issue is trace minerals: multivitamins typically have either too much trace minerals or too little, both of which could be dangerous. I used to take a multi but now take carefully selected individual nutrients.“multivitamins are a distraction from effective cardiovascular disease prevention”: It’s important to keep that in mind!The danger of a non targeted supplementaton like multivitamins is that it gives a false sens of security, and so often mislead away from a healthy diet. Pills are so convenient! It’s an easy excuse for not going to the market, not cooking, save time, save energy, and so on…Is this the Centrum study? That’s not a multivitamin it’s synthetic garbage :-). Diet and lifestyle is paramount to good health but investing in a supplement that is preferably food based as an added layer of protection should not be discouraged especially in an era when our soils and subsequently foods are depleted.Yes, supplement quality is so important. It sounds like this article is just about multivitamins, but what about minerals? I think for those who eschew animal foods, getting sufficient absorbable zinc, selenium and iron (women) can often be a challenge.A handful of pumpkin seeds for zinc; a couple of brazil nuts for selenium; and lots of dark green leafy vegetables like kale or spinach for iron. These foods also have an abundance of phytonutrients not found in pills. It needn’t be as much of a challenge as an adventure in eating more variety than ever before.Lentils, soybeans and blackstrap molasses are high in iron. Vit C helps with absorption.One gets what they pay for. If you buy a cheap vitamin that is made from synthetic vitamins and minerals and won’t dissolve in a cup of vinegar for days, its likely to have little or no impact. However, I you invest in a plant-based vitamin made from whole plant foods that does dissolve in vinegar in minutes, then what would the results be. Doing research that is super broad and general is much different that specifically listing which company and vitamins are being researched. Those in the vitamin business would agree that there is lots of crap on the market, but that does not mean its all crap. Many vitamin takers believe in eating a whole food plant based diet as well. Most Americans for sure, eat a crummy diet, many of them are not even aware its crummy, so therefore a quality plant-based vitamin may be of assistance. Lets just end with this, a Yugo is a car, and so is a Lexus, the comparison ends right there. There is a vast difference between the two and comparing safety, quality, driver satisfaction and beyond in almost every thinkable category there is no comparison. Writing any kind of research that begs them into the same pot greatly diminishes what a quality manufacturer actual produces. I could be wrong but I believe similar thinking applies to the ‘vitamin’ category as well.There are good and bad multi-vitamins and I would like to know what kind of vitamins were used in the study. Most OTC vitamins don’t work, and I know that for a fact! You have to take multi-vitamins that are pharmaceutical graded and you have to take them twice a day, with food, to be absorbed properly.. One-a-day vitamins will never work since the potent vitamin C and all of the B-Complexes will be flushed out of your body after about 8-10 hours since they are water solvable. Then free-radicals take over your healthy cells One of the main purposes of taking multi-vitamins is to increase your levels of antioxidants. When your body is saturated with antioxidants, and you have reduced your free-radical gap (range) to a minimum, you have removed the gap where infections, inflammations, and abnormal cell damage happens. I use a Biophotonic scanner, using Raman Spectroscopy, to measure the carotenoid molecules in your skin. The carotenoid is a bio-marker for overall antioxidant protection, and the denser the molecules, the better your cellular health (immune system) is. I have scanned vegans, vegetarians etc, and even if they score higher than average, they still have a free-radical gap and have ways to go to before their body is saturated with antioxidants. This scanner was developed by University in Utah and is a scientifically sound and protected device. Lester Packard, one of the most acknowledged antioxidant specialist, recommends that everyone should get scanned, increase their score to the max, and maintain their max number to stay healthy. I have eating a healthy, plant-protein diet and also taken supplements that WORKS, and have not been sick in the last five years I have been doing this.Interesting! What supplements have worked to reduce your free-radical gap using Raman Spectroscopy? In “The Antioxidant Miracle” Dr. Lester Packer recommends Lipoic acid, CoQ10, Vitamins E and C. What new ones has he recommended over the last 16 years since the book was published?Hi Thomas! Dr. Packard wrote this paper after he was introduced to the scanner by Pharmanex in 2002. He recommends the LifePAK line of supplements which are also in the PDR. It is especially LifePAK Nano that is the most potent supplement since it is encapsulated in Nano technology for better absorption. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/97182049/lesterpackerandthescanner.pdfUnfortunately, Dr. Greger has chosen to ignore the plethora of positive studies regarding supplementation. As such, though I agree with eating well wholeheartedly (though not exclusively plant based), I choose to unsubscribe as my needs are not being met due to doctor bias.I believe Dr Greger (research) pretty must is sticking with B12 and vitamins D depending on how close you live to the equator. Do you have other studies that demonstrate that supplements are needed?Hi Veganrunner! Here is an interesting journal to why supplementation is needed: http://whybioscan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/2002-06-19-JAMAClinicalApplications1.pdfIt appears that editorial was written before this meta. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17327526Ira, please follow through and post links to a few of those studies. But don’t shoot the messenger—Dr. Greger is just reporting what’s out there. He does feel supplementation of vitamins D and B12 can be a positive thing.First of all: Isolated nutrients can never be as beneficial as those absorbed from food with their associated co-factors.“The whole is more than the sum of their parts.”And: How uneducated and incompetent or ignorant, but in any way dilettante must “scientists” be if they do not even distinguish between regular synthetic-, active synthetic- and whole-food vitamins???!!!It´s just like the wide spread ignorance of the difference of Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) or the Daily Value (DV), which are just the daily intake levels of nutrients that are considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of 97–98% of healthy individuals, which means the minima required, so humans who are not under stress do not suffer from a deficiency, which is far from the optimum levels – or the ignorance that tiny amounts of essential trace elements can make the difference of health or illness or even death.Most are one-track specialists, and thus little more than amateurs – just like the politicians, the voters, or those who invest their money in funds and corporations, without knowing the devastating effects of their activities on the environments, humans and the entire society, humankind.Until the FDA regulates Vitamins like they do medications I will not take a vitamin pill. I take only those not provided in whole foods like D3.Maybe they are just the people who think the easy out of good nutrition is by taking a pill. I thought that eating fish was the way to get B12 and Vit D, but I am now recovering from mercury poisoning.Iodine (actually iodide), in addition to vitamins B-12 and and D, is not reliably found in most plant foods, with the exception of sea vegetables, and should be included in a discussion of nutrients that may need to be gotten through supplementation or food fortification for vegans. Even a sheet of nori delivers only about 1/3 of the RDA for iodine. And the salt used by the food industry is typically not iodized. A high quality multi-vitamin/mineral supplement will include all three.Steve: I don’t know whether I agree with your conclusion or not (focusing on taking a single multi-supplement), but Dr. Greger would agree (at least he did in 2011) with your point about iodine. Here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations, including the few nutrients he calls out, such as iodine: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/I read it and he says iodine needs to be supplemented for persons NOT consuming sea vegetables. He does say that Kelp has too much iodine, but why can’t people eat but a pinch of it. My diet is still not perfect and I do consume iodized salt.The book “Vegan for Life” recommends iodine supplementation because of the inconsistent quantities in sea vegetables. I discovered that I may have a deficiency.Yes, iodine should be a concern because most people get from iodized salt. But what happens if you eat neither table salt or sea weed? Heck, it’s not even included in most multi-vitamins.In an ideal world, I believe what Dr. Greger proposes in the way of getting most all nutrients from foods would be best. Furthermore, as a graduate of the program that Dr. Colin Campbell did in cooperation with Cornell University, I am also an advocate of a more holistic approach to nutrition, as opposed to the reductionist method of isolating individual micronutrients. However, we live in a world where our food, our environment, and the ability of our bodies to assimilate nutrition have all, for various reasons, been compromised, amounting to a net decrease in assimilated nutrients. We could argue we would all be better off without electricity because it isn’t natural, and if we could manage to get up at dawn to work and be in bed early, it might arguably be healthier. Unfortunately, it’s not the way most of us live. From my own experience, at this point I believe the addition of some basic vitamins and minerals through non-synthetic, whole food-based supplements can be valuable for many people. This is especially true as people age, and their abilities to absorb nutrients from the food declines. Of course, I believe that a good and balanced diet based on organic plant-based food is a precursor for health, and supplements cannot compensate for diets that create disease rather than health. However, I wouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water when it comes to whole-food supplements, and the good they may do to help rectify possible nutritional shortcomings that may exist for people eating even the most well-planned plant-based diet.You might find the video link below interesting comparing a whole food broccoli supplement to broccoli sprouts.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/Interesting study, although again, it is the often done comparison of whole foods vs supplement. We know there are many co-factors in whole foods that isolated nutrients are missing, hence their lack of bioavailability. What though if we use supplements for exactly what their name suggests; to supplement our diet together with those foods that contain the co-factors? Obviously, when it comes to nutrients, the shotgun approach, or more is better approach, isn’t good. However, what if a person is eating a very balanced whole food, plant-based diet, and tests still show deficiencies in certain nutrients? Or what if their bodies, skin, nail, hair, etc., would indicate some dietary deficiency? Should we ignore it? Again, as a grad of Colin Campbell’s program with Cornell, I am definitely not lining up on the reductionist side of the fence. However, I wonder if we sometimes need to be realistic about the fact that compromised foods and compromised bodies often result in less than ideal assimilation of nutrients.If somebody is eating a complete WFPB diet and still presents with nutrient deficiencies, then this is a definite medical condition and should be treated as such, including therapeutic intake of concentrated nutrients. But this is treatment for a specific condition, not a general admonition for everybody. In addition, the person’s doctor should be trying to determine why with adequate dietary levels, they are still deficient. If that can be found and addressed, perhaps the person could stop supplement therapy and just go back to diet alone. Somebody who has adequate nutrient balance from diet alone does not need take even more nutrients in concentrated form.I made this point once with Jeff Novick on one of his FB posting. I wasn’t de-friended but I was no longer allowed to post. I did not make the point in the form of a statement, but rather in the form of a question. No further commentary allowed. I thought it was not the best way to have an engaging conversation surrounding a topic with many differing opinions. Allow the contrary opinion to remain and engage the counter argument. JHM: Your points are strong and valid! Thanks for this post.@Clint Stevens, Fortunately this forum seems a bit more progressive; there are numerous comments from people suggesting supplementation should be considered when needed. Cheers!I’m trying to be a vegan but people around me always say plants are just as “bad” because they contain pesticides and all. Can anyone please tell me how to eat fruits/veggies safely? What would happen if I eat those “pesticides”? So right now I’m thinking: Meat : cause cancer more rapidly, contains substances that somehow don’t “fit” in us. Plants: pesticides and viruses. Any advice please? Many Thanks!It is always a good idea to avoid persistent organic pollutants but the “devil is in the details” and it is a matter of context. The leading sources are diary, meat and fish see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/ and …. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/. Of course other non pesticide contaminants need to be worried about such cadmium, lead and arsenic… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/. Leading source of arsenic intake is chicken… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/. Sometimes these chemicals come from surprising sources see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/. It is very complicated but clearly eating fruits, veggies, starches and legumes exposes us to less chemicals which can harm us. You can find many other video’s and studies to show how to minimize your exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. As far as viruses we aren’t susceptible to plant viruses but we can get exposure to bacteria and viruses for more on this subject you might want to view some of the 14 videos relating to “viral infection”…. the most recent is http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/. So refer those “people around you” to NutritionFacts.org to explore the relative dangers of fruits/veggies to dairy, meats and fish. Good luck on your journey to eat healthier and stay tuned to NutritionFacts.org for the latest science and to reinforce your efforts to eat healthier.Thank you :D. Now I can assure myself to be a vegan!You want to make sure to buy organic for anything without a peel. There are a ton of lists if you do a google search about which foods are most important to get organic and others you could skimp on if you are concerned about cost. (I do a lot of smoothies with organic berries and spinach because they are cheaper frozen and generally just as nutritious. I mean, who can afford organic blueberries?!). Berries, anything soy, leafy greens, apples, etc. you def want to get organic, whereas foods like avocado, bananas, pineapple, are less important because of their skin. I’ve used crop shares to save money on fruits and veggies. Check out some of these: http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/organic_natural/dirty_dozen_plus_14_foods_you_should_buy_organic, http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php. Bear in mind that you are getting FAR more toxins eating meat, dairy, and fish.Thank you very much! anyway I always wonder why people around me eat cheap “crap” and then pay so much for medical expenses!Yeni: Dr. Forrester’s response was really excellent and to the point. The fact is, if someone is worried about pesticides and other contaminants, they would do well to get rid of the meat/fish, dairy and eggs.I’ll just add one tiny bit more info to help put the topic into perspective: What happens if you eat plants that are not organic? Is that really bad? Here’s a quote from one on Dr. Greger’s blog posts:“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.”from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/Hope that helps.Thanks for the link.hope more people will know this :DI have read that with vitamins it’s all about getting a good brand, because it make a huge difference where things are sourced from and how the minerals are extracted. Thoughts?How do you know your vitamins are working?? I was taking $232 per mo. for 2.5 yrs with little effect. switched to this brand that offers $ back if they aren’t absorbing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM5-gPecL_AI take a daily multivitamin only for the reason that I feel that it is an inexpensive way I can get the trace and rare earth minerals that are lacking in most farm-factory grown foods.All true… Vitamin supplements probably do not do much (if anything) to protect against heart disease, diabetes and the like. But that should not surprise anyone – because most chronic diseases are not caused by vitamin deficiencies.But, vitamins DO help in a myriad of other ways that are difficult to quantify.For myself, I eat a healthy whole food plant based diet. But when I tracked the micro nutrients from what I was eating on an IPhone app, I found that my intake was deficient in several vitamins and minerals. And then, when my physician tested my blood for one of them (vitamin D) I found that I was actually slightly deficient in it.So, even though I eat a supposedly very healthy diet, I find that I need to take a multivitaminHow does being slight deficient in one vitamin mean that taking a multi vitamin is the answer?Also Vitamin D is unique in that’s our body makes it from sunshine and cholesterol. Given frequent short exposure to adequate UV light over a good percentage of your body, your body makes all the vitamin D it requires. Food, animal or plant, has almost no vitamin D. If the label shows that a food has vitamin D, it is because A vitamin D pill was basically ground up and added. Most Americans live where we risk frostbite if we tried getting sun during the winter even if the UV level were adequate, which it is not. So supplementation of vitamin D is just the price we must pay for living clothed indoors at high latitudes rather than naked in the sun near the equator.There was one confirmed by blood test. There were several more where my intake was significantly below the RDA but since there has been no blood test I can only assume that I have acdefiviencyAnd, by the way, my vitamin D was tested in the summer time and, despite the fact that I spent hours each day in the sun without sunscreen, it was still deficient.Hmm, I thought we were supposed to be taking omega 3 as well (especially vegans) because it’s difficult to get enough out of flax or walnuts, etc. every day. Right now I take vitamin D (because I had it tested and it was low and I live in the north) and omega 3 every other day or so.B12 is super important. Adults needs roughly 2.4 micrograms per day. In supplement form it comes in higher doses. Cheapest source of B12.For more on Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations. You are right Dr. Greger has mentioned taking some. See if that helps?Best, JosephI’m sure sorry that there is a scientific consensus that vitamins are a waste of money. Maybe people aren’t taking enough.Dr. Abram Hoffer was treating people with Orthomolecular therapy for over 50 years before his death in 2009. He gave thousands of people (both cancer and schizophrenia) hope and his work lives on with biochemists like William J. Walsh who wrote “Nutrient Power: Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain”Vitamin therapy is an alternative therapy now, like dietary intervention is. The two have a lot of power and might have power together.In An Interview with Abram HofferJOURNAL OF ORTHOMOLECULAR MEDICINEOfficial Journal of the International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine Volume 24 3rd & 4th Quarter 2009 A. SAUL, Ph.D. Page 122““How dangerous is niacin therapy?” I answer them, “You are going to live a lot longer. Is that a problem for you? …I personally have been on 1,500 to 6,000 mg daily since 1955. The biggest danger of taking niacin is that you live longer. One of my patients is 112. She does cross country skiing and has been on niacin for 42 years.” (Saul, 124) He lived to be over 90 and personally made this observation among his thousands of patients, to say nothing of those he treated and heard about with formerly mainstream niacin for heart disease.http://www.orthomolecular.org/library/jom/2009/pdf/2009-v24n0304-p122.pdfWhat a great article. Thank you, Matthew. These were of particular interest.Saul: “Yet it turns out that most of the negative reports are based on research that used ineffectively low doses of vitamins.” Hoffer: “I agree. I could also spend millions to prove that the small amounts of these nutrients will not prevent car accidents. Who is funding all these silly studies? No orthomolecular physician ever claimed that giving 200 IU of vitamin E and 500 mg of C cured anything. Perhaps you should write a paper with tongue in cheek in which you announce, “Antibiotics Do Not Cure Infection”. Then, report somewhere hidden in the paper that you only gave them 200 or even 20,000 IU of a drug that requires doses of one million or more.”Saul: “Vitamins have also been attacked with allegations that they are somehow actually dangerous.” Hoffer: “I am really impressed with the concern some scientists share over those “dangerous” vitamins. I wish they were as worried over those dangerous poisons called drugs. Each bottle of pills should have a poison label with skull and crossbones, and the word “poison” in large letters.”Thank you for reading the article so carefully! Some antibiotics can be under prescribed and it is strange that anti-depressants are now meant to carry a black box label for depression for teenagers. I am so happy to hear that every doctor except for one who saw Dr. Hoffer’s practice decided to use orthomolecular medicine in their profession. Orthomolecular medicine has been discredited on the grounds that people who take niacin and get better are told retrospectively that they just have pellagra. Dr. Hoffra is one of the greatest doctors in the world for curing so many people with pellagra, then. Wouldn’t it be great if heart disease was just pellagra? All the symptoms can be treated with high doses of Niacin, as has been done before statins. Perhaps long term heart disease patients should stick to it, he said that they live longer. http://www.orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1989/pdf/1989-v04n04-p211.pdf I am glad Dr. Hoffer caught so many cases of pellagra and has been able to cure it in several different illnesses. People who stay on Niacin might take more of their statins, hearing that they could have pellagra and heart disease. Dr. Hoffer maybe had treated a lot of people who had pellagra and mental illnesses. If the disease responds to one gram of Niacin a day, at least you’ll know it’s just pellagra.Thank you for another good read. That article on niacin is very much appreciated. I believe a WFPB diet and healthy lifestyle can help the body heal. But if one has really abused the body in the younger years I think there are nutrients needed to repair the damage that one isn’t going to get just in healthy food. Pellagra, hmmmm. lol.Regarding getting all multivitamins through fruits and vegetables – I’ve heard over and over that fruit is not to be eaten within 30-60 minutes of eating vegetables. In some NF videos on antioxidants it is recommend to take berries with meals. Does that mean fruit can be eaten together with vegetables?I liked the article because it was simple and concise. I look forward to the day when you’ll be able to do a blood test using your smart phone. Then you’ll know exactly what nutrients you need – hourly.I agree Eric. And many vegans have marginal intakes of iodine, selenium, iron (women) and zinc (men), so have a small amount of these in a multi is probably a good idea.And since when were multivitamins supposed to protect against cardiovascular disease? They help protect against nutrient deficiencies!Multivitamins will be cost effective if there are deficiencies of those vitamins. If there are no defiencies of the vitamins, they are a waste of money, and may even be harmful. There are various studies showing this, even though it is plain common sense..REPOSTING QUESTION by Nicholas: Re: Does antioxidant intake matter for cancer. Hello and thank you for allowing me to ask you about this. You have a negative view of dietary supplements. Can you be so sure that all of them have little or no effect? I was a smoker for almost 40 years, the last 20 of these a heavy smoker. I was diagnosed with a Paranoid Schizophrenia and the use of tobacco helped deal with this unfortunate turn of events. Obviously, I have always been worried about developing cancer and in recent years (I actually quit only a little under a year ago) I have had three chest x-rays to this end because I was beginning to experience feelings that were unnerving, aches and mild localised throbbing in my thorax. I have made a point of using dietary supplements and this began as a child with just a multivitamin/multimineral once a day to where I am now, where I also take 2000mg vitamin C with 20mg Zinc, 200 iu vitamin E, 1200mg odourless garlic, all once a day, and 30mg CoEnzyme Q10 twice a day. I also use 1000mg glucosamine since a knee operation eight years ago twice a day, 800mg plant sterol twice a day and a pill of lutein once a day. I am what you may feel is someone who has become reliant. I have read Patrick Holford and have a mother of 86 who has always felt that supplements work. I am certainly not judging your ideas negatively, however. I am convinced that you take your information from credible studies but can you definitely say that across the board no one benefits from supplements beyond a placebo effect? I chose to enjoy a vegan diet last year. I had been vegetarian for the previous year and a half and I am keen to continue with this choice but I am worried about cutting down or even doing without the supplements I take. What about the B12 factor? Now, I take a multivitamin that provides me with 10 mcg/day vitamin B12, well above the RDA, and the only other sources I have for this vitamin is fortified yeast extract and nutritional yeast. Whichever way, it is added, supplemented, and no vegan can get away with that, to my knowledge, short of eating soil. I have only been receiving your posts in my inbox for a couple of months. I like your presentation and intend to continue doing this, and donating as I have once already, so I would appreciate a definitive answer to the central question of are all supplements useless, even dangerous? And if you can also settle the B12 issue, too, that would be grand. Thanks.Hi Nicholas. Thanks so much for letting me repost this question you hit on so many important factors. I think the above blog does a great job explaining the research, but you may benefit from watching the other videos that Dr. Greger mentions, especially this one that brings up cancer and if we Should We Take a Multivitamin?. There is a good explanation at the end of the video. Other research has found certain supplements like Lutein pills may actually increase cancer risk. Antioxidant supplements are not an effective replacement for eating real veggies. From the SELECT trial vitamin E was associated with increase prostate cancer risk. Folic acid supplements may also be associated with increased cancer risk. Male smokers supplementing with beta-carotene have been shown experience increased risk of lung cancer and mortality. The only supplements that Dr. Greger mentions in this blog that “with the exception of vitamins D and B12 (Vitamin Supplements Worth Taking), we should strive to get our nutrients from produce, not pills”. His recommendations for B12 and where to find the cheapest source are here: Cheapest source of B12 along with Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations.I commend you for quitting smoking! Huge step. Note that you have many supplements listed and it’s best to discuss them with your doctor, as I cannot give medical advice. I would ask your healthcare team about zinc, as the Upper Limit is 40mg, and you are at 20mg with one pill! The RDA is 11mg for adult men. I don’t worry too much about excess B12 or Vitamin C since they are water soluble and no toxicities are known. I think Dr. Greger’s recommendations are spot on, and always good to share this info with your doctor so you can find the right plan.Thanks, JosephThanks for posting that up for me, Joseph. To be honest, I don’t know what to think. This whole issue of nutrition, how best to get what your body needs, is still a science in ascendence and advice from either side of the pond does not necessarily tally.What I would say is that even with pharmaceutical drugs different people respond differently to them: what may work for some does not necessarily work for others. I think the same should be said for alternative treatments like supplementation and perhaps this is why there is such a choice of treatments to choose from for any given ailment, simply because there have been many people over many years all finding slightly different solutions to health problems in their own particular communities, such problems being similar but perhaps not identical, for example, to another community?What Dr Greger says is as valid, therefore, as what Patrick Holford has to say simply down to how the evidence has been assimilated. It leaves me knowing that I can take all the advice under the sun but in the end I have to come to my own decision. However, could I direct you to my other post on this page, under my pseudonym, kaibloom? It is right next to what you have posted, thanks.Joseph, as stated earlier I have contacted my supplement manufacturer about Lutein and I have now received their response. I shall copy and paste it as it is:“”Our Retinex tablets contain lutein beadlets, which are esterified forms of lutein. In each tablet, we include 103mg of Lutein Esters, which deliver 10mg of free-base lutein. When we refer to 10mg Lutein in our literature and on our packets, this is the minimal amount that will be delivered by every tablet, however due to differing bioavailability, some individuals will in fact obtain slightly more.The Natural Medicines database does not flag a concern with lutein esters. It states:“Lung cancer. There is epidemiological evidence that low serum levels of carotenoids, including lutein, are associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. However, other epidemiological evidence suggests that lutein is not associated with an increased or decreased risk of developing or dying from lung cancer”.Other research sites such as WebMD and PubMed state that there is evidence (1) to indicate that Lutein and other carotenoids may actually reduce the risk of lung cancer, however further study is required before any such claims can be made.In reference to the form of Lutein, the ester variety, such as our Retinex, is stabilised using fatty acids, which does not affect the absorption, efficacy or safety of Lutein. There is at least one study (2) to indicate that Lutein esters are actually more bio-available than ‘free-base’ Lutein, so considered by some to be more beneficial.””So, there we have it, Joseph. It is a typical difference of opinion from what Dr Greger is saying about Lutein leaving me with having to come to my own conclusion about it, as I thought I might. The link you supplied to the traffic light presentation had next to no information other than the opinion it is dangerous. Further to my comment about the seasonality of the vegetables that are sources of Lutein, I have performed a general search and I have found that there are vegetable and fruit sources that are present throughout the year, so not as I originally thought just a winter event. From this I could dispel my psychological reliance on the supplement, perhaps, but knowing there is history of ARMD in my family means I wonder if such a decision is correct when I could be benefitting from the supplement. Hey Ho :-)Having read through this page, I need to speculate on something. Does anyone eating healthily still actually get all the daily nutrients their body needs from the food they eat, every day? People eat different foods from day to day, even with healthy diets, with varying levels of nutrients made available as a result.My point is that if you are taking a multivitamin/multimineral as a supplement to a recognized healthy diet doesn’t this allow your body to sift through all of it and decide which nutrients it needs to absorb on a daily basis? If you are not taking the mulitvitamin/multimineral then one’s body may in fact be deprived compared to when you are taking it. I’ve never thought of supplements as meal replacements, I have always considered them as something to supplement the food I am eating.Good point! If you do supplement I suggest finding one without added metals like copper and iron. Water soluble vitamins are probably harmless, but then again the poor regulation of supplements in general are an issue. It’s really up to you to decide if your diet supplies the necessary nutrients. Please check out the other videos on multivitamins from the links in the blog they are very helpful determining the pros and cons of multivitamins.Dear Nutritionist Gonzales,This research report is challenged by the Life Extension Foundation:http://www.lef.org/Featured-Articles/2013/12/Federally-Funded-Analysis-Attempts-to-Undermine-Vitamin-and-Mineral-Supplements/Page-01In Dr. Greger’s web video on the 40 year vegan who died of heart disease, he distributed a sheet of common deficiencies among vegans. I think Vegans have less deficiencies, but he mentions at least Zinc prominently in addition to B12.Niacin and Vitamin E at least are stripped from whole grains in processing. I think it might be important to add some of these nutrients back. I think it is interesting to note that the health benefit of a vegetarian lifestyle can be mimiced with a honed and generous use of some vitamins. This is important in presenting options to a community which seems to agree with you but is coming from a totally different background.I recently tried the supplement MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) because I heard that it reduced joint pain. I was surprised by how well it worked. Everything that I have read seems to be positive to the extreme. The claims include improvements in cartilage, muscle repair, skin, hair, detoxification, immune function, and almost everything you can think of. When I hear those kinds of claims, especially from a chemical I am very suspicious. I read that this is essentially the same chemical in cruciferous vegetables, onions, and others and most people are very deficient in sulfur even if they eat lots of sulfur containing vegetables. Is this supplement something that should be taken? Are the claims listed true? What are the possible negative effects and their dependence on dosage? If the claims of insufficient intake are true is there a better way to boost sulfur intake?Hey Matthew. I found 9 papers on the MSM and safety. Here is one, it does mention a few side effects. Looks like folks were taking 2600mg. Like you, I don’t think the miraculous claims for MSM are 100% valid. If cruciferous veggies do the same thing essentially than a much better choice. The only supplements Dr. Greger recommends are found here: Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations. I hope that is helpful. Please ask your doctor if MSM is right for you.Best regards, JosephI take 750mg of MSM 2x per day. If left off in a few days my lower back discomfort starts. The discomfort is really noticeable when laying down and trying to sleep. OTC pain killers don’t relieve that same discomfort and certainly are less desirable to be ingesting. People have to take what is best for their body. There is no best list of supplements that fits everyones requirements.Does it lower your blood pressure immediately, effectively, and without regards to the time it was taking with lasting results? I took some and thought I lost contact with my blood pressure without feeling dizzy. I am worried I was having a bad reaction because I’m allergic to sulfa drugs. Maybe not, if its in all fresh vegetables. Dr. Linus Pauling said taking 3 grams of vitamin C a day could extend your life by 25 years. He lived well into his nineties. It’s essential, a real war out there for Niacin and Vitamin C. I am surprised people are so civil about our deficiencies. The Nobel Laureates would be proud.The ‘Kind’ of multivitamin that I take is food based. Some of the nutrients that are in the multivitamin are hard to get otherwise, like vitamin K2. K2, by the way, comes from bacteria and it’s ‘not’ from a synthetic but a cultured source. I try to get all my supplements from food based sources, like iodine from kelp.I have to agree that food is better, but that is not always practical.	cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cost savings,fruit,Harvard Physicians’ Study II,heart disease,heart health,Iowa Women’s Health Study,lifespan,longevity,mortality,multivitamins,stroke,supplements,vegetables,women's health	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-multivitamin-use-associated-to-a-risk-of-breast-cancer/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-multivitamins-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23255568,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23117775,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24217421,
PLAIN-41	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/	Understanding Lifestyle Medicine From the Heart	I talk a lot about numbers and statistics, but as the Director of Yale’s Prevention Research Center Dr. David Katz put it in an editorial in the American Journal of Health Promotion, to reach doctors, our fellow colleagues, maybe we need to “put a human face on it all.” We have known, for at least a decade that the “leading causes of both premature death and persistent misery in our society are chronic diseases that are, in turn, attributable to the use of our feet (exercise), forks (diet), and fingers (cigarette smoking). Feet, forks, and fingers are the master levels of medical destiny for not just thousands of people on any one occasion but the medical destiny of millions upon millions year after year.” We as doctors, as a medical profession have known—Ornish published his landmark study 25 years ago (See Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped). “We have known, but we have not managed to care,” writes Dr. Katz. “At least not care deeply enough to turn what we know into what we routinely do.” Were we to do so, we might be able to eliminate most heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and cancer. But saving millions of lives is just a number. He asks doctors to: “forget the bland statistics of public health, and ask yourself if you love someone who has suffered a heart attack, stroke, cancer, or diabetes….Now imagine their faces, whisper their names. Recall what it felt like to get the news. And while at it, imagine the faces of others like you and me imagining beloved faces. Now imagine if eight out of ten of us wistfully reflecting on intimate love and loss, on personal anguish, never got that dreadful news because it never happened. Mom did not get cancer; dad did not have a heart attack; grandpa did not have a stroke; sister, brother, aunt, and uncle did not lose a limb or kidney or eyes to diabetes. We are all intimately linked, in a network of personal tragedy that need never have occurred.” Which leads to what he is asking doctors to do about it: put a face on public health every chance you get. “When talking about heart disease and its prevention—or cancer or diabetes—ask your audience to see in their mind’s eye the face of a loved one affected by that condition. Then imagine that loved one among the 80% who need never have succumbed if what we knew as doctors were what we do.” “Invoke the mind’s eye,” he advises, and “then bring a tear to it.” (See Convincing Doctors to Embrace Lifestyle Medicine). I think I’ve only profiled one other editorial (Ornish’s Convergence of Evidence), but this one really struck me, so much so I used it to close out my live presentation, More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases. Why don’t more doctors practice lifestyle medicine? Two theories are offered in The Tomato Effect and Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Disease. For more on the power of our day-to-day choices, see: 	I feel this way of educating people will get more people to listen because they want to take action. I’m no doctor, but I wish I could spread awareness easier without coming off as preachy. I also I like the photos you pick.It is hard to advocate for change in others. I mostly get away with it as a physician when patients or others open the door with questions about disease or disability. You can lead by example… a good form of teaching. Another thought is to direct others to this website or other commercial free websites such as Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine or Dr. John McDougall.Dr. Forrester, Thank you for your feedback! I have shied away from directing others to the hard facts (in thought they might not read anything) but I think it’ll be super beneficial to share with them, these two sites.Thanks Dr Greger for sharing this so useful idea: put a face on a problem, so it triggers the emotion that has a chance to lead to action! Beliefs and habits are so hard to change. We need a good strategy to lead our patients to change instead of resistance.Although this idea is excellent, I’ve frequently wanted to write to remind you that there are many of us, myself included, who despite being a vegetarian for most of my 53 years, exercising regularly, never smoke or drank alcohol or used drugs, still have been diagnosed with cancer multiple times. My belief is that we must look more closely at the environment and how all of our collective actions to harm it only harms ourselves. “No man is an island, entire of itself” . Nutrition is one small piece of the health puzzle.Sylvia, when you say you have been a vegetarian for most of your life does that mean you eat some animal protein?None, no dairy, no animal products at all. I ate animal products as a child because I had no choice.Hi Sylvia,Cancer does seem to be a ‘great mystery’. My therory on it is that people with a ‘higher metabolic rate’ tend to be less prone to promoting cancer cell growth. My observation is younger people on ‘junk-food diets’ can be less suseptible, and older people on ‘healthy diets’ can have problems even though they may appear to be doing everything right.A high VO2Max and a very low fitness age, coupled with a 100% ‘live’ plant=based-diet (no processed vegan food) as a solution is just my therory that I am testing on myself. Time will tell.http://www.ntnu.edu/cerg/vo2maxYou can eat a vegan diet without eating a healthy diet. I am not saying you eat a unhealthy diet. If not doing so already try a starch based diet with fruits and veggies and just a few nuts and seeds. And if you use any added oils use them very sparingly.I believe you are right about cancer and environmental factors. There are certain areas of the world that are more cancer prone than others. There are so many known carcinogens that are allowed in our food, water, air, soil, etc. Synthetic everything.Sylvia,It is a good thing that you have had cancer multiple times and are still with us. I hope your cancer stays under control or in remission and that you stay healthy. Can you tell us more about your diet like what you eat on weekends? Would you consider your diet to be a high fat/low carb or a high carb/low fat? Do you eat much refined grains, sweet drinks or sodas, processed foods? This is very interesting to me as I also walk your road. What would you be willing to share on your cancers and their treatments while being a vegetarian? Any info would be appreciated without getting too detailed.I’m not sure nutrition is a small piece of the puzzle. I would agree we are exposed to many carcinogens. You might enjoy watching Dr. Greger’s 2009 presentation… http://www.turnx.info/Stopping_Cancer_Before_It_Starts_Flash/ It gives a good overview of cancer and the way we can minimize our risk for getting cancer or at least slowing it down so it isn’t clinically significant in our life time. Sorry to read about multiple diagnoses of CA. Good luck.I’m with Janessa. When I told my wife and kids that I wasn’t bringing processed foods into the house anymore, they just rolled their eyes. When I told them I wasn’t bringing milk or juice home, my kids stopped talking to me for a week. My oldest is morbidly obese and will binge on candy, cookies and ice cream while lamenting her weight problem. My wife tries to lose weight with low carb even though she says that her heart health scares her and she knows it’s not good for her. I cook healthy dinners and they make something else (or go out to eat).How do I convey to them the seriousness of their decisions? How do I convert them to a healthy lifestyle? My wife’s sister died of breast cancer 3 years ago at age 40… how much of a wake-up call do people need??Enthusiast: You are in a difficult position because your wife is not on board. I don’t know if this will help or not, but here is a recorded audio interview between Chef AJ and a woman who at one point brought her family “over”, including three children who were *very* not happy at first. You have a different situation, but maybe you can get some ideas from this talk???https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4bxPZio9nA&feature=youtu.beWould showing Forks Over Knives to your family help???My heart goes out to you. I hope you are able to make some progress.Thanks, I’ll watch that. Not sure I could get them to sit thru FOK ;)I know it’s no help at all, but your problem is universal, and how we got into this situation in the first place. I know because I was “one of them”. For me it took a diabetes diagnosis to wake me up, sad but true, and still I know others who just take their meds and go on as always, making no changes, losing limbs and life. Why? What is the trigger to make that connection? Sure wish I knew! I really think that if doctors like our beloved Dr G started presenting a stronger case for nutrition and emphasized that pills are TEMPORARY measures to help, not fix the problems. Almost everyone I know panders to their tastebuds with hardly a thought of the consequences, besides fleeting guilt sometimes. It’s a problem with so many layers! I think with all the different ideas about diet, people just tune out to all of it because it gets so confusing! If somehow we could present the truth in a united and universal way, and stop all the stupid conflict, it would help greatly! I vote we make Dr Greger president, and let him take care of it! LOL!!!Hello. There is a discussion about diabetes at this link at this site: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/This site makes some recommendations for diabetes: hibiscus tea, cinnamon (one teaspoon a day of the “toxic” variety can bring blood sugar to normal), flax seed meal, amla, and beans are recommended here for high blood sugar.Thule has produced another list of recommendations from this site:Indian gooseberries (amla), .coffee, soy, flaxseeds, green tea, pulses (dried beans), chamomile tea, purple potatoes, sprouts, whole grains, vinegar, and beans.Some of these food can work as well as the leading prescription without the side effects.Unfortunately the main reason doctors treat chronic diseases instead of prevent them is the same reason Willie Sutton robbed banks, because that’s where the money is. We do not have a health care system but instead have a disease management system that creates more sickness than it treats. Drugs are given which create side effects which are treated with still more drugs which create still more side effects in an endless loop. As Dr. Greger and others have pointed out, disease can be both prevented and treated with food, but that is not profitable for doctors, hospitals, drug companies, etc and the entire medical-pharmaceutical complex. What we really need is a dramatic change in the way medical schools and our medical system operate, that is, for people and not for profits. And unfortunately that would put many doctors out of business.Well summed up. In other words, the ‘system’ is broken. Or perhaps more to the point, the people are broken.With all due respect, this notion that the medical establishment has an underlying, ulterior motive to perpetuate illness in order to profit is ridiculous. I have been a physician for 25 years and I assure you there is absolutely no need to drum up business. Sunday night I drove home four hours in a torrential downpour after seeing Dr. Greger in person in Camarillo, CA. (It was a thrill). The following day I was on call and accepted 21 patients to our 56 bed psych hospital, with another 10 waiting in the ER for their turn. Of the five new patients that I personally admitted, one was a pleasant, 187 lb. 55 y/o lady on 24 different medications for problems ranging from diabetes to hypertension to hyperlipidemia to coagulopathy, etc. As I reviewed with her her list of meds she knew exactly what each one was for and was adamant they all be continued. Strict adherence to an Ornish-style diet would probably eventually allow her to discontinue 90% of them. However, she had been clean and sober for 13 years and as far as she was concerned that was as much lifestyle sacrifice as she was willing to accept. There is no “big medicine” conspiracy to keep healthy life choices a secret. Is there an American alive who doesn’t know what the term “junk food” means? Yet millions choose to consume it every day. Who doesn’t understand that sugar makes you fat and smoking causes cancer?Psych MD, I agree with you that way too many eat junk food. That does not mean that much of the medical system aims for money rather than health. Why would they send people to jail who don’t use chemo and radiation when chemo is horribly expensive and 3% expensive? Just because many eat junk food doesn’t rule out ill will among the greedy. I think it’s mostly not doctors but salesmen and corporate types. John S PDX ORI’m having trouble understanding your sentence re: sending people to jail for not using chemo. My specialty is not particularly lucrative compared to most others, but I have never found it necessary, nor has the thought ever occurred to me to render suboptimal care to insure a continuous stream of business. We have patients literally lined up at the door waiting to get in. Years ago I knew an internist who would not accept smokers into his practice. As a result he had fewer but healthier patients. Greed obviously exists but I believe that the vast majority of physicians have their patients’ best interests in mind. For a substantial portion of our society instant gratification is a primary driving force which, unfortunately, often leads to delayed deleterious outcomes.Issues regarding consent issues with minors with respect to chemotherapy (e.g. the case in Connecticut) are very much outliers. Minors are the only population [aside from those judged incompetent by a court of law, involved in the criminal justice system, or unconscious (e.g. coma)] that a court can either compel or restrict medical treatment. That is a red herringThere are obviously many factors that go into how broken our medical industry is in the US. I do think that physicians are contributing significantly to the problem. I think most of us aren’t aware of how we contribute to the problem. I speak to physicians regularly about chronic conditions and lifestyle interventions, over treatment and over testing. They are generally appreciative of the information. Unfortunately there is alot of momentum in the systems we work in to support the status quo. I think each physician needs to work in their own specialty to avoid over treatment and over diagnosis as well as reinforce their colleagues working in other specialties. They need to keep up with the most current science. Currently I’m going through the experience of studying to take my Family Medicine Boards for the sixth time. The only disadvantage I have is that the “correct” answers in lifestyle medicine has not caught up to the boards yet. No mention of the Nordic Cochrane Collaboration Report on the problems with routine mammogram screening for populations as opposed to indicated diagnostic mammography. No mention of the value of diet and exercise to prevent, stabilize and often cure chronic conditions. No mention of the long term adverse consequences to prescribing psychiatric medications… read Robert Whitaker’s Anatomy of an Epidemic or Peter Breggin’s Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal: A Guide for Prescribers, Therapists, Patients and Their Families. It is important for us that work in treating diabetes, arterial disease and weight issues to give the correct information to our patients and their families. We know about advising to stop smoking to minimize the risks of developing cancer. We should know that the issue with sugar is that it has a calorie density of 1800 cal/pound and understand the physiology enough to explain to patients the difference between starches (i.e.. calorie density 500), breads(i.e. 1400) and oils(i.e. 4000). Physicians need to lead the way to better population health one patient at a time. It will take a team effort. We have too many patients on too many drugs and every drug prescription requires the signature of a health care provider. We need to begin to “detox” our patients off medications through skillful counseling and the foundation for that is the best science. I encourage all physicians to subscribe to NutrtionFacts.org to keep current so they can give patients the best information and also improve their own health.Hear, hear, Dr. Don!I really appreciate the point being made here, but the problem is that the issue is presented in a way that makes it sound as if almost no one would ever die if these lifestyle changes were made. People would still get cancer or some other disease eventually—just not as soon. It’s unhelpful and inaccurate to talk about eliminating most cancers and other lifestyle diseases, rather than increasing the number of good-quality years in people’s lives.I often want to share material from this site with friends, especially with regards to meat-eating, but whenever I do, this is the main criticism I get, and it leads to the core message being ignored, because the “We can eliminate most cancer!” claim comes across as zealotry, and it’s inaccuracy obscures the scientific basis for the recommendations.How would you increase the number of good quality years in people’s lives if no change to the standard Western diet was made?If people’s bodies are “breaking down” / aging faster than they should due to a standard Western diet for example, then the quality of life will be degraded earlier.That’s a tough one. One battle is making the public understand that “healthspan” is really the more relevant term rather than “lifespan.” Another is that, although up until now there haven’t been *effective* pharmaceutical interventions against aging and/or age related diseases, there are emerging interventions such as Basis by Elysium (that has 5 Nobel Prize winners on its board) that have very promising results in rodent models (their specific trick is high doses of pterostilbene and nicotinamide riboside). Basis is currently being marketed as a supplement, but their board and CEO want to start human trials very soon (at least, that’s their publicly stated intent).While I’m not convinced enough to drop $50/month on that product, I do eat various types of wild berries (e.g. wild (low-bush) blueberries and various others) that have among the highest concentrations of pterostilbene available in natural fruits (ug vs 10^5 more in Basis) that are just as, if not more, expensive to procure. I’m not convinced yet that nicotinamide riboside is the panacea they’re claiming it is. Mouse models have shown that it’s effective at preventing hearing loss (and/or regenerating hair cells) when administered into the middle ear (and / or systemically available for uptake into the blood supply for the cochlea). But the argument that it supplements NAD+ has not yet been borne out, even in rodent models, and even then there are no standards or baseline on what NAD+ deficiency is, how to measure it, or whether systemic administration will increase mitochondrial uptake.The only supplement backed by significant, real science that has demonstrated uptake by mitochondria is MitoQ. Even then, I’m skeptical that it provides the long-term benefits in humans. They are doing longitudinal studies, but that takes years.At best, regarding health and longevity..diet is 50% of the equation.What every centurian has in common…is a large degree of daily (rural) physical activity (Okinawan’s in the 50’s & 60’s). Something that can not be achieved in the USA without…Janess hits a key word “preachy”. In the medical field, we come across as having all the information, “listen to me, I can help you.” Patients should feel comfortable looking at us and saying “listen to me, this is my problem and this is what I need for you to help me.” Our current stimulus for action is the experience of pain. To successfully grow lifestyle changes, make patients warriors in the battle instead of making them church members in the pew.I’ve been vegan for about one year. Certainly a sacrifice but there is a lot of good food to eat. The one food I don’t eat now but consider eating is nuts. After having 2 stents I went vegan soon after I read Dr Esselstyn book “Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease”. In the book he does not endorse nuts yet I see a lot of positive research about eating nuts. I think the rational around Dr Esselstyn’s advice is to try to avoid the high fat found in nuts. So I guess the question in a nutshell, should I eat nuts?	amputations,blindness,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chronic diseases,diabetes,Dr. Dean Ornish,exercise,eye disease,eye health,heart disease,heart health,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,Lifestyle medicine,medical education,medical profession,mortality,smoking,stroke,tobacco,Yale	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21721959,
PLAIN-42	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/	Don't Forget Fiber	The famous surgeon Denis Burkitt is better known for his discovery of a childhood cancer now known as Burkitt’s lymphoma than for his 1979 international bestseller, Don’t Forget the Fibre in Your Diet. Anyone asked to list the twenty or more most important advances in health made in the last few decades would be likely to include none of what Dr. Burkitt considered to be among the most significant. What was the number one most important advance in health according to one of the most famous medical figures of the 20th century? The discovery that “Many of the major and commonest diseases in modern Western culture are universally rare in third-world communities, were uncommon even in the United States until after World War l” yet are now common in anyone following the Western lifestyle. So it’s not genetics—they’re lifestyle diseases (See Dr. Burkitt’s F-Word Diet). This means they must potentially be preventable. Those eating the standard American diet have very high levels of a long list of diseases—such as heart disease and colon cancer—that were similar to the rates of disease in the ruling white class in apartheid Africa. Conversely, the rates in the Bantu population were very low. These native Africans ate the same three sister diets of many Native Americans, a plant-based diet centered around corn, beans, and squash. In fact, it was reported that cancer was so seldom seen in American Indians a century ago they were considered practically immune to cancer—and heart disease. What are “very low” rates? 1300 Bantus were autopsied over five years in a Bantu hospital and less than ten cases of ischemic heart disease, the West’s number one killer. The Bantu’s rates of heart and intestinal disease is similar to poor Indians, whereas wealthier Indians who ate more animal and refined foods were closer to those in Japan—unless they moved to the U.S. and started living like us. You find similar trends for the other so-called Western diseases, which Burkitt thought were related to the major dietary changes that followed the lndustrial Revolution: a reduction in healthy whole plant foods—the source of starch and fiber–and a great increase in consumption of animal fats, salt, and sugar. His theory was that it was the fiber. He believed all of these major diseases may be caused by a diet deficient in whole plant foods, the only natural source of fiber. Fiber? In a survey of 2,000 Americans, over 95% of graduate school-educated participants and health care providers weren’t even aware of the daily recommended fiber intake. Doctors don’t even know. How much fiber should we shoot for? The Institute of Medicine recommends 38 grams for men 50 years and younger and 30 grams for men over 50 years. Women 50 years and younger should get 25 and those older than 50 should get 21 grams. But these levels are just the minimum. I recommend we look to our evolutionary past for more clues on fiber intake. See my video Paleolithic Lessons. One analogy Dr. Burkitt used is this: “If a floor is flooded as a result of a dripping tap, it is of little use to mop up the floor unless the tap is turned off. The water from the tap represents the cause of disease, the flooded floor the diseases filling our hospital beds. Medical students learn far more about methods of floor mopping than about turning off taps, and doctors who are specialists in mops and brushes can earn infinitely more than those dedicated to shutting off taps.” And the drug companies are more than happy to sell us rolls of paper towels, so patients can buy a new roll every day for the rest of their lives. To paraphrase Ogden Nash: modern medicine is making great progress, but just headed in the wrong direction. How do we know that diet was the critical factor? Because when we place people stricken with these diseases on plant-based diets, their disease can be reversed (Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped). In fact it was the work of Burkitt and others in Africa that led to the disease reversal work of pioneers like Nathan Pritikin (Engineering a Cure). More on fiber: And for more of the scoop on poop: 	Burkitt died of a stroke apparently at 82. Was he not following his own advice??Matt – there is some irony there, huh? In addition to his etiology of pediatric Cancer, Dr. Burkitt discovered early on the connection between low fiber intake and the western diet and diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. He was also an early influencer of Dr. John McDougall, a thought leader and pioneer in promoting health and wellness through a low fat, whole food, plant based diet. Check out this video for more info on diet and disease. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/I have a lot of respect for McDougall’s take on whole foods, but especially his pet… “starches”, he totally saved my sanity and helped me drop 50% of 300 obese pounds! Though I personally can’t do the 75% he recommends, more like 60%, my lifelong “fear” of all starches (carbs) indiscriminately, was misplaced, unhealthy, and greatly contributed to my problems! (Of course he recommends complex starches such as grains, legumes, tubers, starchy veggies and the like, and NOT processed starches as in white flour and bakery goods!) History can be a valuable teacher!Kudos to you Charzie, for dropping 50%. Every bit helps and it sounds like what you are doing is working for you. You are a great success storyOr you could look at it another way: We all have to die of something (the mortality rate of the human race is 100%!) Better to die at 82 suddenly of a stroke than to die slowly of a heart attack at 56 and spend the next 20 years dying. 82 isn’t a bad life span! Plus, a big percentage of strokes are caused by stress. And we all know what the mainstream medical profession does to those professionals who do not subscribe to their theories. Just a thought.We need be careful when assessing the flaws in others due to what we expect their health should have been. I don’t know Burkitt’s total lifestyle. For example, was he carnivorous, exercise regularly, have a healthy outlook on life, handle stress well, etc?. Eating fiber is only one part of the whole story, and I appreciate his input in an area of health that needs a lot of attention.How many 10 year vegans do you think were around in the UK or even US in 1993 (his death year). Without looking it up 82 is about the median expectancy today whether healthy or not. Maybe with a quicker medical response they could have saved him and got him into the nursing home for the typical last 10 year torture. I was shocked to learn that on average there is not much difference in life expectancy of vegan vs nonvegan but the difference is in quality of life as you age especially if you end up strong enough to survive the last 10 or more years in poor physical or mental health.Maybe the doc should expand on the role of starch as it has a bad reputation among the general population as well as carbohydrates. I have enough information to counteract the misconceptions about carbs but not about starch.People consume a lot of fat with the starchy foods, that’s where the confusion comes from.Carbophobes and the paleophile crowd fear carbs, of which starch is a type. Specifically, starch is a polysaccharide. Starch is a large molecule made of many (poly) glucose molecules. It’s how plants store energy. So, the info you have about carbs, would almost always apply to starch.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161547.phphttp://www.chemistryexplained.com/St-Te/Starch.htmlRead “The Starch Solution” by Dr. John McDougall. http://www.drmcdougall.comDr. McDougall’s book is an excellent source. His website has a number of free eLectures under Education>videos including his presentation, The Starch Solution. The book is about half recipes courtesy of the other half of the McDougall team… his wife Mary. Once you understand the importance of what to eat you need to change your behavior by shopping and cooking and eating differently. There is so much misinformation out there it is important to have accurate commercial free sources of information… For me the big three are NutritionFacts.org, drmcdougall.com and PCRM.org. There are others out there as well such as vegSource.com. Our beliefs help us navigate our complex world. If we believe that a food is healthy then we tend to buy it. If we believe a food is harmful, addictive and contains poisons we tend to avoid. So it is a natural tendency for people to grab onto a concept like the Mediterranean Diet and run with it… even if the devil is in the details. Having an understanding of statistics helps but isn’t necessary if you find trustworthy sources. One problem is we don’t know what we are doing is harmful is until it is too late or we get into a disease state we could have avoided. The other is that do to variation in populations you can do everything right and still have a heart attack or stroke. I think for me it is about “stacking the odds in our favor” so that we delay death, avoid disability, minimize drugs/procedures and lead quality lives. I like to tell my patients it is about 80% nutrition and 20% fitness. Here again the devil is in the details. Exercising doesn’t necessarily equate to being fit. I heard Dr. Alec Isabeau of True North Health give a nice presentation that equated fitness to aerobic, strength, flexibility, balance and stability. So I recommend as a minimum folks subscribe to NutritionFacts.org and the McDougall newsletter and beyond that explore topics of personal interest. The science keeps changing and no doubt we will know more in 5 to 10 years then we did 5 to 10 years ago… so keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org.I remember maybe twenty or so years ago fiber became a hot advertising topic so, of course, the cereal and bread companies were all trying to “out-fiber” each other. The winner of the fiber race was a bread called, I think, New Horizon. Sales soared until their secret ingredient was revealed. To increase the fiber content they were adding sawdust.Wow. Just wow.I do remember that! So was that sawdust “BAD” fiber, or was it just the idea of sawdust that made it lose it’s appeal?Oh hell no!You have a link for that? Reminds me of some the stuff I read in this book:http://www.amazon.com/Salt-Sugar-Fat-Giants-Hooked/dp/0812982193Something jumps out at me after reading this. As a whole, our society seems to search for the answers to problems in specifics…cholesterol, fiber, saturated fat, certain vitamins, antioxidants, etc. Of course we know this is all critical and valuable information, or we wouldn’t be here! But the general population seems to have a tendency to take any of this information and bastardize it into some kind of twisted human shortcut. Using this article as an example, they will run to the store and grab a fiber supplement to add to their milkshake that they gulp in addition to their usual SAD, and think they are doing a healthy thing! It never occurs to them that eating the foods rich in fiber is a huge part of the benefit too! Same with gulping handfuls of vitamins and supplements, or cutting out red meat in favor of fish and/or poultry, and so on! I was once there myself, and drove myself crazy because I KNEW instinctively it was all wrong. Our lives can get so complicated we forget who we really are and where we come from…the good earth, and we pay dearly. When I hit the proverbial wall, it was a health crisis. Suddenly I was forced into a position to rethink everything…or perish! Amazing motivation! It sucks, but it was my redemption. In the midst of chaos came clarity…I had to simplify my life and get back to nature, via the 60’s hippie child who still resided within somewhere! The only analogy I can think of to describe the way it felt, is to imagine a caterpillar emerging from it’s cocoon as a butterfly! I felt (and eventually looked) like a whole different creature, and was able to shed the excess parts that were no longer useful for ones that brought balance and freedom. (Kind of flowery I know, but hey…butterfly! LOL) My whole point here is, if we just learn to eat wholesome, unprocessed plant food, as it comes from nature, (and even try cultivating or foraging some too!) we would all be a whole lot better off as a nation than debating the merits of the various contributing factors complicating health issues! (That doesn’t necessarily apply here, of course! LOL) Best of health to all of you!!!You are absolutely right about the unfortunate (and all too human) tendency to want to simplify a message and take a short-cut whenever possible. And, of course, a fiber supplement does not have nearly the same benefits as a high fiber, plant-based diet. One of the videos linked above, Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet provides a nice illustration of your point. The nutrient alone (Metamucil) is not as good as the food (prunes) is not as good as the diet (vegan). And this is just looking at constipation. Think of all the other health benefits of a diet rich in fiber!On the other hand, a complex message is not always better. I found it interesting to see a recent study (see here and here) that compared weight loss in study participants who were instructed to eat 30 grams of fiber daily with those who were instructed to follow The American Heart Association Guidelines and the “high fiber” group lost a similar amount of weight even from a single recommendation. Even though, 30 grams of fiber is not a truly high fiber level (more like a good minimum for most adults) and there are certainly many other aspects to a healthy diet, that one change may have led to increased consumption of less processed plant-foods and still yielded some benefits.Best of health to you too!It’s true that the study of nutrition has tended to be reduced to which foods are the sources of which specific nutrients. Dr. Campbell calls this “reductionism” and discusses it in his book Whole. This thinking has spawned the whole supplement industry and has led to simplistic thinking (“My doctor told me to eat a banana a day for potassium!”) When I tell people I eat a whole food plant-based diet they usually express concern about, of course, protein and also that it’s just not a complete diet. Au contraire! I don’t believe that physicians or nutritionists are aware of all the elements in foods that are good for us and that are refined out of the SAD. I don’t think that a person who eats the SAD, even after adding in “enriched” foods and loads of supplements, can make up for the nutrients left out and the bad elements added in. Yes, eat food as natural as possible to get more nutritional value.I have had the same epiphany after chasing the alternative health movement for 40 years. My attention has been jerked from one ‘answer’ to another for all of our ills. Finally I’ve settled on an answer for myself; whole, simple foods just the way God put them on this earth. I don’t think our creator meant for it to be rocket science. If vitamin C is the answer, eat more oranges and lemons. If calcium is the answer, eat more greens. If vitamin A is the answer then eat more carrots. In other words, when you eat whole healthy foods from the earth, you will automatically get everything you need from every category. Nothing works in isolation but in synergy with everything else to provide a complete answer. My epiphany came with the introduction of green smoothies to my life. Wow! What a simplified answer. I start off every day with more raw fruits and vegetables than I used to get in a whole week! And the health inprovements would take me another whole paragraph. Acid reflux- gone, esophogeal spasms – gone, carpal tunnel – gone, 20 pounds – gone, 25 years of sleep problems – gone, extreme dry mouth – gone. I can’t imagine the amount of fiber they contain! I have quit looking at my health in isolated elements and started thinking of it as a complete picture. And it is looking better all the time!Thanks Dr. Gregor; I appreciate all your videos and articles. I saw a lecture of Dr. Burkitt on video on the subject of fiber, which was interesting and informative.I am not sure I understand fiber…hoping for some answers. If I put a cup of oats or a cup of buckwheat in my BlendTec and turn them into flour – does the fiber disappear? Same question with regard to carrots…if I blend them with water in the blender – does the fiber go away? Thanks in advance for some clarity..you are asking one of the best questions I’ve seen. I hope someone answers your query. I will give you a partial answer and I don’t know if anyone knows the full answer. Fiber is something in the “whole” food. Its not important in itself but as part of the whole food. It doesn’t go away but is transformed. A brick is different from powdered minerals. There are nutrients there but they are quickly getting oxidized or transformed also. The undigested, and partially whole fiber, is creating nooks for bacteria when it gets to the colon so it may do some helpful things. In some foods it may be protecting nutrients from changing, or getting absorbed, so some of the nutrients get into you and some are shared with the different bacteria and reactions that go on inside the bowel. Some foods blended up may be just as good or better and some foods may be greatly degraded. I don’t think anyone has worked this all out to know the advantages and disadvantages for all the different foods. The different combination parameters are astronomical when we look into combining foods and how they could interact. Don’t think about cooking, that’s another astronomical combination. We measure the nutrients we know but there are likely thousands of other things that are important we haven’t recognized yet most likely. No one knows but eating everything whole is best but not likely practical as we would have to spend the day chewing and eating. But is that for sure necessary? or worthwhile. I would say, eat whole as much as you can but the others ways have good advantages too. If you eat 50% whole that may be as good as 100%. I don’t know and I’m not sure anyone else does either. Good thinking and great question.Thanks for your thoughts…someone told me that once I ground the grains into flour – they had no fiber. But I can’t reconcile that with cooking them until they are soft and then chewing them. Why would that retain fiber if blending them before swallowing wouldn’t? Still confused.Great question! If all parts of the grain are kept in the flour, then you’ve still got the fiber. The fiber is found in the bran portion of the grain (the other parts of the grain are the germ and the endosperm); so if the bran remains in the flour, so does the fiber. This illustrates the difference between whole grain flours and refined flours. Refined flours are made by removing the bran and the germ, removing much of the grains goodness (like protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals). Here’s a great page explaining the whole grain in its entirety: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-grainsHi Jackie. Good question. If you filter the juice, you will lose phytonutrients. Take a look at the Nonextractable polyphenols, usually ignored, are the major part of dietary polyphenols. Most polyphenol phytonutrients in plants are locked to the fiber. Take a look at this video: [http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/] to put it into perspective.I guess I would answer this way. Chewing is not anywhere near as efficient as blending. The fiber is much smaller blended but perhaps that is still OK and perhaps not. Blending leaves all the nutrients but they “may” start degrading and oxidizing sooner in a more “open” form. If you drink it right away, maybe not so much. Cooking is not as efficient as blending but could destroy some nutrients but with some foods allow them to be released. Also with whole grains ground into flour, the glycemic index is near the same as processed flour and that may have health detriments but its way better then refined flour that may not have some balancing compounds to blunt that.Some of the fiber in its more intact “structure” ?? could have advantages to the microbiome, that when not optimized, has been linked to immune disease, cancer and atherosclerosis. Just “google” microbiome to see all the evolving research into that area.I blend greens and other foods all the time. It is way better to do that and what you describe then to buy it processed and the nutrient levels will be higher and the fiber perhaps “bigger” especially if you don’t blend too long.It may be that our “system” evolved to have the fiber pieces in our gut. including the way bacteria use them and the way they may distribute nutrients and compounds that change on the way through the digestive process. The size of those may matter more or less. I don’t “know” that. But… It certainly appears with heath outcome data from epidemiology and studies that eating whole plant based foods gives the best outcomes by far for health and all the human benefits that go from there. I guess… blend some of the food, not too long, and eat some things whole, can’t be bad. good to discuss with you. It helps me think for explanations to others that ask me in real life.Jackie, fiber can be soluble (e.g., apple juice has fiber from the soluble pectin) or insoluble. Grinding prior to eating does not destroy the fiber. Your teeth and stomach grind and break down foods the same way. Fiber is not destroyed. Fiber passes through our gut, and some of it is broken down by bacteria. Dr. Greger posted a video on that, I believe. Check this site out: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/146935.phpThanks to all for the information. Appreciate your responses.No one knows how fiber effects the nutrient use and bacterial interactions in our gut and how we may have evolved to take advantage of that. Components of fiber “may” not be the same as more intact fiber. It would appear healthful to take that into consideration with some of the diet “whole” to help accomadate that process.Ok, I’m slowing becoming convinced of the importance of a plant-based diet. But in my over 20 years of searching for answers for health issues, I have come across some very important issues that I can’t quite fit with a fully plant based diet. I’d really appreciate it if Dr Greger could personally address these, or direct us all to past videos/articles of his that do address these. I’m sure all of Dr Greger’s audience would benefit from these answers. 1) how does one get enough iron on a plant-based diet? 2) how does one get enough B12 on a plant-based diet? 3) I have read Dr Kate Rheume-Bleue’s great book “Vitamin K2: The calcium Paradox”. Unless one eats natto (not me!), there is no significant way to get enough vitamin K2 (we get it from the tissues of ruminants who produce it from K1 they get in the chorolphyll in the grass they eat). K2, along with vitamin D and vitamin A (real A, not beta carotene), regulate calcium and keep it in your teeth and bones and remove it from your arteries. So how do we humans, who do not have the ability to make K2 from K1, get our K2 if we don’t eat animals who eat grass or animals who eat animals who eat grass? As Dr Kate shows, the rise of heart disease correlates to when farmers started feeding their animals grains and stopped letting them eat what they should be eating–grasses. Her book incorporates the world-wide health studies of indigenous populations who lack heart disease and other western diseases, done by Dr Weston Price in the 20’s and 30’s. 4) I was fascinated to hear of Dr Greger’s video on saturated fat’s ability to prevent insulin from working with blood sugar. Is it only animal-based saturated fat or all fats? Does coconut oil have this same effect on insulin? Do any other oils (fish oil, krill oil, nuts, olive oil, etct) have this effect? 5) I was also fascinated to hear from Dr Greger that a study showed that eating animal meat causes insulin to be released (not blood sugar, just insulin, right?). I read that that study has not been duplicated. Does he know anything about that? And can Dr Greger explain why this happens? What is the mechanism? 6) with all the studies I hear about related to the health problems that seem to be associated with eating animal products, I always wonder–were the animals grass-fed and were the meats loaded with K2 or were they not grass-fed and devoid of it (as most animal products are now)? I want to know if this issue has any bearing on why these studies show disease from a non-plant based diet.If we’re all looking for the truth about our health, these questions need answers. Thank you!I am just a lay person, but I will try to answer some of your questions. Plenty of plant foods have iron. This non Vegan site lists NO animal foods as a good source of iron. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=70 this might be the case, since WHfoods.com does not list liver or red meat as one of the healthiest foods. This site, which lists all foods http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-iron.php stated that mollusks, such as oysters, and clams as well as liver and red meat have good amounts of iron. Eggs are not that high in iron http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/117/2 and milk has NO iron http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/69/2. Chicken is not particularly high in iron, either http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/671/2 The issue is that non heme iron in plants is not as well absorbed as heme iron found in red meat. However, the upside to this is that one cannot get an overdose of iron on plants, but a person can overdose from the heme iron found in red meat, liver or mollusks. Eating Vitamin C along with the iron source promotes its absorption. I don’t eat animal products, but my blood work showed my iron levels were sufficient. I do eat blackstrap molasses and pumpkin seeds most days as these are high in iron. As for “real” Vitamin A, there are very few good animal sources of this. Only liver is a good source and who would want to eat liver everyday? You would have to eat two sticks of butter everyday or 16 eggs everyday to get enough Vitamin A. And just like heme iron, “real” Vitamin A is toxic in large amounts, whereas Beta Carotene is not. And there are LOTS of plants that have LOTS of Beta Carotene and even if it is not all converted, there is so much in these sources that plenty will be converted to retinol. This same site showed that Sweet Potatoes, among other plant foods, such as carrots and dark green vegetables, have far more Retinol equivalents than any animal food except liver. Pumpkin is also an excellent source. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=106 Of course, one absorbs the Beta Carotene better if one includes a whole plant food fat source, such as nuts, with the Beta Carotene source. I eat a carrot as well as turnip greens everyday for beta carotene. As for B12 and K2- both of these are made by bacteria, not made by animals. Even Mercola, who is a strong advocate of animal products, stated a person could get K2 from other fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut. Sauerkraut might be a bit more palatable than natto is. He stated here that using the right starter culture will raise the amount of K2 in the vegetables. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/11/19/fennel-plant-prevents-bone-loss.aspx Since B12 is made by bacteria, I don’t see why a person couldn’t get B12 from vegetables fermented with the right starter culture as well. As for the Inuit having no heart disease, that is a pure myth that has been disproven. Here is Loren Cordain, a strong advocate of eating animals, who stated that archaeology showed that the Inuit often had severe atherosclerosis long before they would have eaten any western foods. http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/2010/03/24/loren-cordain-caution-on-saturated-fats-disaster-with-grains-will-be-public-after-march-25th/Daniel: How nice of you take the time to write all of this information out. And so well done to! Thanks.Related to Patrice’s question, what about taurine? Human body makes taurine, but, as I understand, not enough. Some of the taurine we need is supposed to come from food and only animal foods have taurine.Red algae also has taurine. http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FJNS%2FJNS3%2FS2048679014000330a.pdf&code=d1a24ab1a9ecda36215d621ee092fd38 We can convert Cysteine into taurine and good plant sources are ” red peppers, garlic, onions, broccoli, brussels sprout, oats, granola, wheat germ, sprouted lentils” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CysteinePatricia, your questions do have answers! After some quick internet searches, I found some things to get you started:1. Plants, such as spinach and beans, are great sources of iron. It is helpful to add iron-absorbing foods to the mix, like garlic, onions, and anything containing Vitamin C, as it aids in iron absorption. http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.phphttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/2. People eating solely plants need to supplement B12. I suggest reading and watching what Dr. Greger posted on the subject, and even reading his “Sources Cited” for more in-depth info.http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/B12 comes in different forms. Greger discusses that here: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/which-type-of-b12-is-best/Personally, I take a liquid form of methylcobalamin. It’s the more “active” form. I put a few drops into a glass of water every morning. Read more about methylcobalamin here:http://www.methylcobalamininfo.com/3. We can get enough K1 from plants. Here is what WebMD says: “Most people get enough vitamin K from their diets.” http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-vitamin-k?page=2Here are the plants highest in Vitamin K: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000104000000000000000-w.htmlThis study, actually says the K1 may prevent hardening of arteries: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19386744As for K2, this seems to be a new micronutrient of interest of late, dismissing, of course, the musings of the dentist Weston Price and his “X factor”. There seem to be 14 types of K2s:“Vitamin K2 includes a range of vitamin K forms collectively referred to as menaquinones. Most menaquinones (MKs) are synthesized by human intestinal microbiota and found in fermented foods and in animal products. Menaquinones differ in length from 1 to 14 repeats of 5-carbon units in the side chain of the molecules.”Natto is rich in MK-7.Below are two reputable sites that seem to be pretty exhaustive on the subject. They conclude that there needs to be more studies done on K2. Nothing conclusive can be drawn from the studies up to date.http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminK/http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vitaminkAs for Dr. Kate and her book on K2, I have not read it. But I am leery of these outlier Drs and nutrition “experts” and their pushing of a magical new treatment (coffee enemas by the Gerson gaggle), the eat-lard-don’t-exercise-and-lose-weight diet (Gary Taubes), or an all-powerful, super micronutrient (K2). Such speculation sells books and creates interest in people looking for a magical solution. Kate suggests heart disease was caused by livestock being fed grain? That sounds like nonsense. A more plausible explanation is the explosion of calories consumed by Americans after WWII. Over the last 50 years we eat 2/3 more added oils (75lbs/person/year), 45% more grains (mostly processed), 40% increase in added sugars (152lbs/person/year), and 57lbs more meat (195lbs/person/year). This gluttony, and plummeting activity levels, results in rampant obesity and heart disease. Not the fact that cows aren’t eating grass. http://www.usda.gov/factbook/chapter2.pdfHere is a take on the Weston Price Foundation, which I find to be a cult of sorts. http://plantpositive.squarespace.com/blog/2012/3/25/tpns-26-weston-price.html This is Sally Fallon, president of the Foundation. Not the healthiest looking individual: 4. Study was on saturated fat. Coconut oil raises bad cholesterol, just like animal fat. Coconut is one of the very few plant sources of saturated fat. So I assume that its effects on insulin are the same.http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/The other things you listed have poly-unsaturated fats. I do not have time to look into each (get our omegas from algae supplements though!)5. Not sure what study you’re referring to.6. Answered in 3.Best,NeilAs an addendum to your excellent reply–and that of Daniel, as well, Some personal notes:I tried taking 1-2 tbsp. of coconut oil daily, had a lipid panel done six months later, and was pleasantly surprised to find that my HDL (good cholesterol) rose (from about 45 to 55), while the LDL and TG were more or less unchanged. What does this prove? Probably nothing. We all are different, and there is no guarantee that if I kept taking the coconut oil that HDL would remain elevated (for me) and LDL well behaved. In fact six months later my HDL dropped back almost to where it had been before I started taking the coconut oil. What did raise my bad cholesterol (I think) was eating cheese (about 2-3 oz. per day), yet I can’t be totally sure about that. The only thing I know is that my HDL rose after taking coconut oil for the first six months, but that may just have been incidental.Re: vegans not getting enough nutrients, specifically iron, I wondered myself since going entirely WPF-based, and so analyzed what I ate on a representative day. It turned out to be 1.9 times the RDA (per Nutritiondata.com). So no worries there. What about zinc, since I’m male? I’ve analyzed the past three weeks, and have been above the RDA every single day but one, averaging over 25% above the RDA. For calcium it’s 60% over the RDA; for potassium it’s double the RDA; and for magnesium more than triple the RDA (1.35 grams/day). I worry more about OVER-nutrition than under-nutrition on a whole plant food diet.The whfoods website Daniel linked is an excellent resource; besides listing top nutrition sources from foods, it gives the lowdown on each nutrient.I think I’ve read here at Dr. Greger’s site that only about 2% of Americans get enough potassium while a large majority gets too much sodium. Many are deficient in magnesium relative to calcium. Vegans seem to do better with all these as well as most vitamins. So while Patrice does us a service by asking us if we are getting enough nutrients, we should do the same for those on standard Western diets.Jason, I admire your ability to take the time to calculate your daily intake! Very disciplined. I have not done that. My HDL was 43 and LDL 45, with total cholesterol at 109 (with 20% of triglycerides added to HDL and LDL). That was after about 2 years on whole food, plant-based diet. Wish I had done a “before” analysis, however, to see what it was before my 180 change. I have pretty good numbers apparently: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/heart/diagnostics-testing/laboratory-tests/lipid-blood-testsRe: Nutrient Deficiency Issues. There is no question that Americans are nutrient deficient. Americans on the Standard American Diet (SAD) are sorely lacking in most nutrients because the diet consists primarily on empty calories coming from highly-processed foods, from which most nutrients are removed during processing. In their place, sugar, fat, and salt are added for taste and shelf-life. It is, however, almost impossible to be nutrient deficient if one gets all or the majority of one’s calories from a variety of whole plant foods. There is one main exception: B12. Vitamin D we can, ideally, get from sunshine. But some people just don’t get out enough, especially in winter time. But, so many things (grains, milk-substitutes) are fortified with Vitamin D. In addition, mushrooms are a good source. I take a Vitamin D supplement during the winter.I have been looking at whfoods’ site. Very informative. I think this site is a bit “cleaner” in it’s layout with regard to which foods contain which nutrient. One can find the foods containing the most or least amount of macro or micronutrients per weight or per calorie: http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/nutrient-searchIt helps, when analyzing the contents of one’s daily meals, to eat at home–which I do 99% of the time. Then I know what has gone into my food. I also only eat about 25 different food items, and once I’ve looked them up at Nutritiondata and placed them into my Excel spreadsheet, they’re permanently there in the record, and can be C&P’ed to the next worksheet. There are probably other programs out there if you don’t like working with spreadsheets.Yes, the Nutrient Seek feature at Nutritiondata is very helpful to locate foods high in particular nutrients we are looking for–as is whfoods, though it omits certain foods, probably because it considers them to be unhealthful. So if you’re looking for natural B12 sources there, it’ll list salmon, sardines, even shrimp, but no clams or mussels–which are actually the richest sources.Re: B12, I’m still a bit confused how we can store several years’ worth of it, while apparently absorbing no more than 1.5 mcg + 1% of the excess at any particular meal. Seems we wouldn’t absorb much more B12 than we need to use each day, and so couldn’t store B12 for the future. Lately I’ve been taking about 20 mcg. with each meal (unless I have a few shrimp); I guess I’m only about 99% vegan, but I think that’s probably good enough. I’d take more B12, but it comes with other unwanted vitamins (B1 and B6), and even though these are readily eliminated, my philosophy is to take as few supplements as possible.Odd to have LDL so low as yours. I guess that’s very good news. Mine has averaged a little under 100 over the past several years, but I’ve only been about 90-95% vegetarian–until recently. I’m hoping to get it down to 75 or so, while keeping HDL > 40. But many people with very low cholesterol (e.g., TC < 130) also have low HDL (<40). They probably don't need the protective effect of HDL. So you're doubly lucky.Here is something from Whfoods.com http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=112which states our body can make K2 out of K1. “The K1 form of vitamin K is found in plant foods, and 44 of our WHFoods are plant foods that serve as excellent, very good, or good sources of vitamin K! Many of our best sources of this vitamin are green vegetables (including 16 excellent sources); this makes good sense since K1 is required for green plants to conduct the process of photosynthesis. The K2 form of vitamin K is made from K1 and K3 by bacteria and other microorganisms. It can also be made in the human body through a conversion process involving K1 and K3.” I also think the issue is perhaps not whether we are consuming enough iron or zinc, but whether we are absorbing all of these nutrients well enough on a plant based diet. Also, are we converting enough Beta Carotene into retinol? Are we converting enough ALA from ground flaxseed into DHA and EPA? I need to take these tests. I did take a B12, folate and iron test and my iron levels were adequate, my B12 levels were very good and my folate levels were extremely high. I would like to take a Vitamin A test, as Vitamin D test and an Omega 3 test- I am just not sure the insurance would cover these tests. I do eat ground flaxseed everyday. I get B12 from fortified soymilk, as well as Red Star nutritional yeast, which is fortified with B12. I eat pumpkin seeds and take a Prostate supplement for zinc. By the way, I used to have very high LDL cholesterol when I was very obese and now that I have lost a lot of weight (over 100 pounds) through exercise and eating plants, my LDL is now 81 and my HDL is in the high 70’s. My triglycerides are 43. Perhaps I should try to get my LDL below 70, but does my high HDL make this less important? I don’t know.True. If you want to really eat a healthy, WFPB diet, you’re going to have to cook yourself, especially if you don’t live near a metropolitan area with restaurants and eateries with healthy choices. Like you, I cook all my own meals. I have never counted calories. I can tell if I’m gaining fat, and increase activity and eliminate treats and calories as needed. To me, counting calories is a “diet”–something I’ll never do. Diets are complicated nonsense that discourage people from sticking with them, assuming they are even worth sticking to. Just eating mostly, if not entirely, whole plant foods, is the only standard to which I hold myself. I have thought about keeping track of nutrients. But then, unfortunately, that just seems too tedious for me. Also, I cook random and often new things from various cook books I’ve bought, so my list of foods and spices is quite large. From what I’ve read, if I get enough calories on my diet, I’ll naturally get more than enough nutrients, with the exception of B12 (if I do not eat animal products and not enough fortified foods) and Vitamin D in the winter. Although I do eat a lot of flax meal, chia seeds, and other plants high in omegas, I also take an algae omega supplement.Re: B12 Here is what McDougall has to say on B12. He claims we have a 3-year’s store of B12 in our liver, if we’ve been on an omnivorous diet. He doesn’t provide a cite for this claim, however. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/nov/b12.htmMcDougall wrote this blog post in 2007. A recent metanalysis of B12 requirements from 2013, however, shows that the studies on which the RDA is based are questionable, at best. And, due to the invasive, and currently-seen-as-unethical procedures used to determine current levels, follow-up studies are not possible. Here is the review: http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/346968This recent review, from 2014, showed inconsistencies in all recent studies dealing with determination of B12 deficiency. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25470607 One needs to pay for this article, from 2014, but it seems to say the same: http://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g5226.longMy take away is this: We need B12, but trying to figure out to any certainty how much a certain individual needs (other than the bare minimum that results in complications), at a certain point in a person’s life, or how much anyone is storing, is likely unattainable, at least to any degree of certainty on an individual basis. As with any attempt at reducing nutrition to discrete nutrients, when countless environmental and genetic factors, enzymes, phytonutrients, proteins, bacteria, and metabolic pathways play such an intricate role, we end up failing to see the forest for the trees. The forest being eating a diet of unprocessed foods, primarily or solely of plants, and, if we eat meat and dairy, do so minimally from local non-factory-farmed sources.For me, Vitamin D (actually a hormone, not a vitamin) is a great example of the intricacy of health. For example, I recently discovered that vitamin D is made from sunlight hitting our skin and changing a type of cholesterol to previtamin D3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25207357 I knew sunlight = Vitamin D, but not that cholesterol was the precursor. Furthermore, I watched this TED talk that shows sunlight releases nitric oxide bound in our skin into our system. Nitric oxide helps dilate our arteries, reducing likelihood of stroke and heart disease. https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_weller_could_the_sun_be_good_for_your_heart?language=enMy cholesterol is low, especially compared to those on Western diets. But in light of the fact that our bodies make all of the cholesterol we need, I don’t worry about it. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hbc Some of these, let’s call them quacks, like Mercola (although he’s not the worst), claim we NEED cholesterol from our diet. He claims, on his website, that our bodies only make 75% of the cholesterol we need, and the other 25% we need from our diet, i.e., eat fat and animal products. He cites the American Heart Association website. The funny thing is that this is what the AHA website has to say about cholesterol production: “Your body, and especially your liver, makes all the cholesterol you need and circulates it through the blood.” http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/AboutCholesterol/About-Cholesterol_UCM_001220_Article.jspAnyway, I’m rambling.BTW, if you’re looking for a supplement that is solely B12, without other vitamins, I use this: http://www.vitacost.com/garden-of-life-mykind-organics-b-12-sprayNeil: I especially enjoyed your paragraph on Mercola and the American Heart Association. Fun read.Thanks, Thea. Off subject, what do you do as a “NF Volunteer”?Just this – ie, help with the comments section. When I can, I answer people’s questions. When I think a post is part of an interesting discussion, I take part, while trying to role model as best I can. When a post strikes me as particularly good in some way, I say so. (Actually, there are a lot of excellent posts that I don’t have time to comment on. Especially lately. The quality of posts and posters on NutritionFacts just keeps going up and up. I feel very honored to be part of NutritionFacts.) When a post breaks the rules, I deal with it one way or another. I’m just a volunteer, so I don’t have time to do all that I would like to do. But I do give it an honest effort.Thanks. That sounds interesting. One can get sucked into these blogs and comment sections, though. :)Yes! Lots of sucking…Well, keep the crazies in line!You make a lot of sense even when ‘rambling’, and again–deeply appreciated. This strikes me as a good board to post on, as very few ad-hominem attacks, and most people are pretty knowledgeable and have a good attitude about food and learning. Even the low-carbers are treated with respect–as they should be. Of course, between you and me, low-carb is a terrible idea for the environment, but we should never blame people who are searching for a more healthful way of eating, and the Paleo Diet–to take an example–is a step up (at least) from the SAD.The most accessible Whole Plant Foods seem to be salads, and that is usually an option in restaurants.I have been counting calories lately, though I seldom bother to do that. I wish to know why I haven’t been losing weight on a vegan diet. So far I suspect it’s my overconsumption of nuts and seeds, and occasional use of cooking oil. My macronutrient ratio is about 55-33-12 (carb-fat-protein), while I get the impression from reading folks here that very few get 1/3 of their calories from fat; and some people even boast of maintaining an 80-10-10 diet (pretty much a rice and sweet potatoes diet). My goal is to get fat down to 25% and protein up to 15%.I calculated micronutrient intake to satisfy my curiosity whether I was getting the RDA of everything. I also calculate intakes of Omega-3 and 6 fats to see whether I’m observing a good ratio there (so far about 1:3). That is important if we want to be able to convert ALA to EPA and DHA. I get quite a lot of ALA–in excess of 10 grams/day, so even if I only convert, say, 4% of that to DHA, that would be equivalent to over 400 milligrams. Many fish oil capsules contain less than half of that. I bought several bottles of fish oil, but stopped taking them partly out of laziness, and partly out of wariness after reading accounts here on their toxicity. You are probably smart to get Omega-3 from algae. Sometimes I eat a can of sardines, which are high in Vit. D, Omega-3, and B12. Yes, I know there are some toxicity issues, which is why it is something I do only rarely. I have mild hypertension, and am hoping it will go away on a vegan or near vegan diet. In a month I probably have five servings of animal food–say 500 calories, But I eat upwards of 3,000 calories/day ( a small bowl of almonds or walnuts can easily have 500), and burn off perhaps 700 calories in exercise. So maybe I’m only getting 1/2 of 1% of calories from animal products (shrimp, egg, maybe sardines)… certainly less than 1%, meaning that I am indeed over 99% vegan.I’ll try it for a while, and if that doesn’t work (help me lose weight or lower BP), I’ll go all the way…and if that doesn’t work, I’ll try something else, like meditation. But so far I have noticed improvements in health from moving from 90% vegan to 99% vegan.Re: Vit. D, I’ve read that to synthesize it from sunlight, we need to be exposed to UVB radiation when the sun is at least 50 degrees above the horizon (UVA won’t do the job at all or as well). I try to get 10 minutes of midday sun most days. I had also read reports that we needed cholesterol to convert the sun’s rays to Vit. D, but your account seems the most logical. Most inhabitants of the tropics, who rely on sunlight for their Vit.D, probably have low serum cholesterol like you do. It is very bizarre how some people make a fetish over cholesterol, saying it is beneficial, when most of it isn’t.jason: re: ” I wish to know why I haven’t been losing weight on a vegan diet.” If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend the following talk: “How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” by Dr. Lisle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQThe perfect compliment to the above talk, to really drive home the concept, is a talk from Jeff Novick on the topic of calorie density: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401994095&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=lose+weight+eat+more+jeff+novickGood luck.Thanks…I happened upon this video a couple months ago…it made a lot of sense. Basically, I recall he said to watch the “pleasure traps” like nuts & seeds, and watch the oils. I can attest to that, for my weight does drop when I observe these measures (chocolate was another vice, but has become a more occasional indulgence).Now that I know what I need to do, I just need to do it!jason: I had a different take home message – at least as the bottom line. The pleasure trap information is part of it. But I believe that the biggest point in regards to losing weight is understanding calorie density and how to move up and down the “line”.re: “Now that I know what I need to do, I just need to do it!” Me too!!!!!!!!!!!Yes, this site has a much tamer, inquisitive discourse than others. That is why I enjoy it. I learn so much more here than I would on other sites. A lot of other sites are visited by uninformed idealogues who regurgitate as dogma misinformation they heard at the gym or read on some random site.Re: Weight Loss: I hate to make a suggestion without knowing more about your situation, but, in regards to losing weight, I always ask people about their physical activity. So I say the following, understanding that some, or all, may not apply to you, and assuming you’re cutting out added oils and sugars.Weight loss plateaus, even on a vegan diet, if calories in equal calories being burnt. Here is an interesting TED Talk on the chemistry of this premise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuIlsN32WaETo decrease the input of calories, try eating slower and/or stopping when you feel about 80% full. Here’s why: http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-eating-slowly-may-help-you-feel-full-faster-20101019605Most people are under the impression that cardio activity burns more calories than it actually does. If I ran 10 minute miles (6 mph pace) for 1 hour (assuming I could even keep that pace for an hour!!), I would burn a little over 800 calories. http://www.healthstatus.com/perl/calculator.cgiSo, if one wants to lose more weight, the length of moderate exercise needs to be increased, the intensity of the exercise needs to be increased, or a mixture of both. http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1827342,00.htmlIn addition, many people fail to do strength training. Increasing lean muscle increases daily caloric expenditure. Studies show that regular strength training increases resting metabolic rate 7-8%. http://www.sdsm.k12.wi.us/cms_files/resources/Why_The_Confusion.pdf http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8030593So, I think if you implement these principles, you’ll have no problem losing that extra weight. Heck, it seems you’ve got control of the most important, and often hardest, part: what you eat.Re: Omegas. If you have not already, you should watch and read Dr. Greger’s posts on fish oil, algae-based omegas, etc. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=omegaI take this: http://www.vitacost.com/amerifit-nutrition-ovega-3-500-mg-60-vegetarian-softgels-15Based on my research, it’s the best for one’s money. Consumer Labs agrees (you need a subscription to view their studies). Aside from health issues from fish oil and toxins therein, if one cares about the environment, one should not take fish oil. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/opinion/16greenberg.html?_r=0Re: Vitamin D. I’m sure angle and intensity of sun’s rays determine how long we need to be in sun, as does skin tone, surface area of skin exposed, etc. But figuring that out sounds too complicated to me–too many variables!! I exercise or do yard work outside when possible. Always putting sunscreen on face, hands, forearms, and neck because they’re exposed ALL the time. I put sunscreen on other parts only if I’ll be out longer than half hour in summer. I burn easy. Mushrooms also naturally contain Vitamin D. Luckily I looooove mushrooms: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=122 http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-011102000000000000000-w.htmlRe: Cholesterol. Cholesterol is critical for our bodies, which is why our bodies make just enough for optimum performance. I’m assuming that if our blood cholesterol drops due to much of it being converted to Vitamin D via UV exposure on a give day, then the body will create more to level the deficiency out.Neil: Thanks for the tip on the algae oil! I keep thinking I should add that to my daily routine. I just haven’t gotten serious about it yet. I really appreciate knowing where I can find a good deal, because I do think I’ll be going the algea oil supplement some day.How big would you say those pill are? I’m not so good with swallowing pills. I know someone who takes a similar product, but she can’t swallow the pills at all. But because the oil is given lemon flavoring, she just punctures the gell cap and sucks out the oil. I doesn’t look like this product is flavored per say. But it does have sorbitol, a sweetener I believe. So, maybe it would taste OK. Do you swallow the pill whole or have you tasted the oil?One thing that worries/confuses me is that the product also has caramel (color I believe) added. Here are Dr. Greger’s videos on caramel: http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/I wonder why they would add color to a pill?As an aside: nice post overall. I appreciated it.You’re welcome, and thanks re my post! I did quite a bit of research on the algae supplement, after watching the great videos on the subject posted on this site. Once I did all the research, Consumer Labs comes out with a study saying that, of all the algae-based omega supplements they looked at, Ovega was the best buy. Good in that it confirmed my finding, but I could have saved a lot of time had I seen their study first!Re: Caramel Coloring: I agree with the caramel coloring. That reminds me. I was meaning to write the company and ask about that. I take the pills to avoid fish pills and their heavy metals and toxins, only to consume a chemical coloring that may be carcinogenic! They should be able to find something else. I believe they do it to protect the pill from sunlight. Sunlight exposure speeds rancidity. But one would think the brown bottle that the Ovega pills come in would suffice. The Environmental WOrking Group lists caramel color as a “low” concern, however. http://www.ewg.org/foodscores/ingredients/16660-CARAMELCOLOR California limits it as a carcinogen, however, and Consumer Reports show concern: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/01/caramel-color-the-health-risk-that-may-be-in-your-soda/index.htm This study suggests it may be carcinogenic: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23294412 Anyway, I’m on the look-out for a better alternative. We’ll see if the company responds to my request/query.Re: Pill Size. The pills are fairly big, but the gel-like exterior gets really slippery. I find them really easy to swallow. But, if you find it difficult to swallow, maybe try throwing them in the blender with your smoothie, assuming you make one each day. I would say cut them up, but the inside is liquid. Heck cutting them, in half, squeezing and rinsing out the oil inside into a glass of water, and throwing away the caramel colored shell, may be the best of both worlds!Neil: Thanks for the reply and additional info. I’m really happy to be able to skip some of the research on this. :-)Great! Glad it helped. I’m actually now watching the Lisle video you posted. About half way through.Ok. I just contacted them re their use of caramel coloring. Here’s the link, in case you want to pile on:http://www.ovega.com/contact-usYes! :-)Nice!Save Your Life and Everything You wanted to know about Nutrition was written by Dr. David Reuben, MD (psychiatrist) in or around 1975. He also goes deeply into fiber. He refers to the Zulus of Africa. But, he is better known for his book “Everything You Always Wanted to know about sex (but were afraid to ask), perhaps a much more interesting subject than fiber.:} I think he is still alive…..Why are the fiber recommendations lower for people over 50? ThanksAnyone here know if there is a tolerable upper limit for dietary fiber? I’ve never seen one, and have been wondering if it’s possible to eat too MUCH fiber.Very few Americans get the recommended amount of fiber (25-38 grams/day, but some whole plant vegans get around 70 grams or more. I’ve been averaging about 90 with no ill effects (some occasional flatulence, and to be sure, about two BM’s per day).Of course there is the theory that too much fiber can prevent the absorption of certain micronutrients. Any body know if this is true?On face value, without doing research, I can say with essentially 100% certainty, that one cannot eat too much fiber. If it were true that one could eat too much fiber, then one could eat too many whole plants (mixture, of course): whole grains, fruits, nuts, legumes, and veggies. This, of course, is impossible.Dr. Greger has posted videos on the subject of gut microbes and their digestion of our food (just search “fiber” on this site). Eating whole plants, i.e., all the fiber we can get, allows the “good” bacteria to proliferate. These microbes digest the fiber, creating chemicals beneficial and, perhaps, crucial to health.Here are other articles, in addition to the videos and cites used by Greger.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24495527http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25663207Jason, in regards to absorption of micronutrients, you may be thinking of lectins (like gluten), and phytates contained in grains and legumes? Both are greatly reduced by soaking the grains and legumes, and by the heat of cooking. Phytates are actually beneficial (do search on this site; Dr posted videos). I am cutting and pasting something I wrote on another blog regarding the fear of lectins and phytates:Carbophobes and Paleophiles fear grains mainly because of phytate and lectin. Phytate, however, in grains, beans, and nuts, has anti-cancer properties. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/Although phytate does reduce the absorption of some minerals, adding mineral absorbers, such as garlic and onions to a meal, would negate such effect. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/The conclusion being that phytate-containing foods are beneficial. “The higher phytate intake with whole-grain products will undoubtedly lead to a percentage decrease in mineral absorption, but the absolute amount of absorbed minerals may remain unchanged, because of the large amounts of minerals in these products. In addition, it has been suggested that dietary phytate may exhibit some beneficial health effects, such as prevention of kidney stone formation [ 8 ], protection against diabetes mellitus [ 9 ], caries [ 10 ], atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease [ 11 ] as well as against a variety of cancers [ 12 ]. Thus, it could be concluded that the beneficial health effects discussed in regard to phytate are more important for populations in highly developed countries than its antinutritive properties.” http://www.kup.at/kup/pdf/6239.pdfAs for lectins (e.g., gluten), they can be greatly reduced by cooking or fermenting of the food source. http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/IND43940829/PDFThe only people who need to avoid whole grains, beans, and legumes are those with confirmed celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/ How to Diagnose Gluten Intolerance | NutritionFacts.orgNeil, your response here and below are deeply appreciated. I will check out your links.I don’t know if I could agree with a categorical statement that it is impossible to eat too much whole plant foods. I also wonder if eating too much fiber could overtax the whole colonic system? But what would constitute ‘too much’? 100 grams? 200 grams? It’s odd that if fiber has so many benefits in terms of reducing cholesterol or sugar in the blood (which it does), and if there is no tolerable upper limit, why the RDA has been set so low…essentially 25 grams for women, 38 grams for men, and 30 for older men. Why not 50 grams for everybody? How about children?I have been eating whole grains since 1970 when I became vegetarian, later Macrobiotic (lots of brown rice and beans!). Even when I returned to a more omnivorous diet, I maintained my preference for whole grain, and have eaten a high fiber diet most of my adult life. Refined grain, usually pasta or white rice, was and is very rare for me, and I eat sparingly of it. I have no phobias of grains, gluten, beans, nuts, seeds, but do agree that fermented foods are probably good for us. Anyway, my digestion has always been strong, few stomach complaints even with the huge amounts I eat. I don’t know what I’d do without fiber. I had to give it up for three days to prepare for a colonoscopy, and that was worse than the procedure itself.Any time one ups their fiber intake it needs to be done slowly to let the system get used to the fiber. Too much too soon can cause a clog in the drain.Never had that problem, except when traveling. I recall shortly after going WPF vegan I did get constipated and went six days…That hasn’t happened in eons…Now I average two a day, and probably beat out the Tongans in terms of super-poop. I will say that getting dehydrated can be a problem, since a certain amount of liquid is required to move a large amt. of fibrous foods through the colon. This is especially true during hot weather. Luckily, most high fiber WP foods contain lots of water. But still, being active, we can easily dehydrate.Thanks yet again, Neil, for your detailed and very helpful response.Addressing your statements in order:1. Yes, there were no spices added to the barley ‘gruel’ (a bit thicker than soup), although the bit of seaweed does act a little like a spice. Seaweed also goes great with mushrooms, as you probably know. Speaking of which:2. I concur completely on the virtues of fungi; they are superfoods, which are very high in protein, Potassium, Zinc, natural aspirin, and fiber…low in calories and fat. They’re probably, along with green leafies, the most healthful thing you can eat. Plus, they are unique and delicious. I’m fortunate to live in an area which has many different native varieties.3. I think, as with salt, one can get used to using oil in very moderate amounts. I’m finally starting to recognize that my oil consumption has been a stumbling block to my losing weight. Today I had sauteed tofu cubes with spinach–which had been steamed beforehand. I only needed to use a bit over a tablespoon of oil. The small amt. of fat makes most vegetables more palatable, and I think oil’s one virtue (aside from the incidental virtue that some oils contain Vit. E or n-3 fatty acids) is that it enables me to consume large quantities of green vegetables… albeit maybe more than I really need. Speaking of which, how do we know how much we really need?4. One can get caught up in this nutrition stuff, and in counting the inventory of what one eats, I’ll grant you. It is not as laborious as you might think, for once the food items are listed, it’s a simple matter to C&P to subsequent days. It takes me much less time to inventory a day’s consumption than it takes to write this reply to you!I don’t really intend to do this very much longer, however–I just would like to know my average consumption over a two or three month period; then wait six months and do it again. The reason for doing the accounting is to make sure I’m getting adequate amts. of micronutrients and to ascertain what my macronutrient ratios are–not because I necessarily believe there is one “ideal” set of ratios for everyone, or even for myself, but to keep track of them, and their changes over time.One huge difference between plant based diets and Paleo/Atkins/South Beach/Zone diets, which are mostly designed for quick weight loss, is the macronutrient ratio. To compare my diet over the last five weeks: 58-32-10 (C-F-P) with a typical Paleo diet, which could very well have these same percentages, but applied to different macro-nutrients–e.g., 58% fat; 32% protein; 10% carbs– illustrates the wide range of possible ratios. Of course, I think eating 32% protein is nonsense unless one is just aiming for quick weight loss from a ketogenic diet. I do believe in listening to the conventional wisdom, even if the ratios are not entirely determined and documented. If the USDA recommends a range for carbs of 45-65%, then I think the Paleo dieters are being reckless in shooting for 10%, regardless of their motivation; theirs is clearly not a sustainable diet. Ditto for fats (USDA recommends 20% to 40%, I think–while Paleo aims for 60%). Since the USDA range for protein is, as I recall, 10% to 35%, the Paleo diet, with its suggested 30% of calories from protein, is within range only one this macronutrient.But still, I have a problem with this USDA range for protein, given that the RDA is only 0.8 grams per Kg. of body weight. A 70 Kg. person should only need 56 grams of protein. On a 2,000 calorie diet (which few people can limit themselves to), that would be about 11% of calories going to protein. (On a more typical 2,300 calorie diet, it would be < 10%). Some Paleo folks actually suggest we aim for 200 grams or more of protein/day, which is triple the RDA or more. That's probably unhealthful, as well as bad for the environment. But even the top of the USDA range (35%) is WAY over the RDA, unless one happened to weigh over 300 lbs. and limits oneself to < 1,500 calories/day. That's why I said that the most logical range for protein would be 10-15%, or perhaps as high as 20% for VERY active men. Most Americans get way too much protein, especially animal protein.Incidentally,I've read recently that while low (20%) protein diets than on low ones. That’s another reason for tracking my protein calories.I actually think that because a WPF diet is so nutritionally dense, we only really need to worry about the macro ratios– and perhaps the n-3, n-6 ratio (aside from getting enough B12, D, and perhaps DHA). But there are different WPF diets–most high carb, low protein, low fat–such as my own, but some, like Eco-Atkins (silly name) which attempt to be high in protein and fat. Actually, I probably adhere to a High Carb-Moderate Fat-Low Protein diet, since I’m still averaging > 30% in fat calories, and I only count myself borderline Low Protein. So far I’m pretty happy with that ratio (at least I feel OK); last year I was getting about 5% more in protein and 5% less in carbs. I plan to compare my lab tests with last year’s to determine which sort of diet suits me better (Moderate Carb-Moderate Protein) or (High Carb-Low Protein). Of course any associations I draw may not be causative, but merely incidental.5. The Okinawa diet seems like such an outlier, with its 85% of calories from carbs, that I hesitate to extol it as the ideal. Maybe the actual numbers were slightly different, or maybe people of European ancestry would require a bit more protein and fats–as the Sardinian numbers would indicate. But I’ve never been convinced by deterministic injunctions to slavishly emulate our ancestors, for many of our ancestors had poor diets. Climate certainly matters, as well as activity, and a rule of thumb I think would be to eat more fat in colder climates, more protein for hard physical work (resistance type), and more carbs for lighter, more aerobic activities. Possibly my aversion to resistance training arises from my low protein intake (relative to fats and carbs)? That’s just a wild guess.6. WHO : “The nature of dietary carbohydrate appears to be a more important determinant of health outcomes than the proportion of total energy derived from carbohydrate intake.”Translation: avoid refined carbs.It is VERY noteworthy to me that the MINIMUM % for the WHO is 55% carbs. This means that virtually every high protein/high fat diet out there is well out of range–even the moderate Zone Diet, which I think is about 40% carb. I myself was out of range last year, since I only got about 53% carb calories. Of course virtually all European and North American averages are out of range, since they tend to be in the high 40 percent range. It’s true, as you say, that the European and Western authorities recommend less carbohydrate and more protein than the Asian authorities, but the real dividing line is between the public authorities themselves and the various private hucksters (Paleo, Atkins, etc.) touting low carb weight loss diets–and to hell with the environment, sustainable health, or finances of the individuals practicing them. I am more inclined to trust the public authorities here than I am the promoters of fad diets–as I assume you are. I also think our diets need to suit our finances, and since carbs are generally cheaper, I can see why the WHO would set the range for them pretty high. The trouble with protein is contamination in animal-sourced foods, and lack of complete amino acids in plant-based ones. But the latter seems to me less of a compromise, as well as a much cheaper way to go.6. I’m taking your suggestions to heart, and doing some small amt. of resistance training more frequently. Instead of doing 5 minutes about once a week, I’m doing about 8 minutes every two or three days. I do some assisted pullups, some pushups, and arm-closings,which exercise the chest. I do two sets of 20 and 12 reps, do the other two exercises, then return for two more sets this time of 16 and 8 reps. Once I’ve generated some muscle tone, I’ll graduate to dumbells. I don’t think I need to do any leg resistance training, as I can get that just by climbing hills on the bike. Another thing I’m inclined to incorporate into my exercise regimen is some Yoga postures,or at least some stretching.7. Yes, I’m familiar with the drawbacks of relying on BMI’s, but only mentioned them because they are confirmed in my case by my waist measurement (about 40″) and because Dr. Greger had a video which recapped a survey showing that vegans were the one group which averaged a normal BMI (about 23), while even the vegetarians were overweight (25+). This same study also showed that blood sugar rose as one went from vegan to vegetarian to pesco-vegetarian to omnivore–and I think blood pressure rose as well. This may have been the Adventist Study. It is surely a major selling point for a vegan WPF diet. Now, if I could just get down to a BMI of 26,I’d be pretty happy.Last year, a study made a big splash by claiming that people in the overweight category–specifically those with BMI’s of 25 to 26.5–lived longer (had a lower all-cause mortality) than even those in the Normal category (18.5 to 24.9). This was particularly true for smokers and ex-smokers, but was even true of never-smokers, as I recall. But I think this only applies to people over 50, and younger folks of normal weight are still healthier, as a rule.It would be nice if the medical profession stopped using BMI, and perhaps they would if abdominal measurements could become error-free, or if there was an accurate way of measuring body fat percentage (I think there is, but it’s rather cumbersome and expensive).8. I got a lot of leg cramps last year, usually around 3AM, but sometimes shortly after a long ride–thankfully, never DURING a ride. At the time I was about 92% vegan, 8% animal product by calorie. I read up on cramps, and figured it was likely magnesium or potassium deficiency–not that I was truly deficient in these minerals. Since eliminating most of the animal products, I’ve swapped them for plant foods containing electrolytes such as Mg, Ca, and K, and just get MORE of them–as I’ve documented here. My BP has fallen, which means I’ve been able to scale back considerably on the hypertension meds, even though my weight has stayed about the same. I count that a real success of the WPF diet.Thanks for the detailed response, Jason. Apologies for not acknowledging it prior to now. Just too busy, and knew I needed a block of time to properly respond.1.) I am going to give the gruel a try. I have seaweed (and kelp) now from an Asian market. Love it. I think I may add Bragg’s Amino Acids to the mix. You ever try that. Brilliant stuff. I use it all the time. I may have mentioned it in an earlier message.2.) Where do you live, being near a rice paddy and a mushroom-abundant environment? I really want to grow mushrooms, but it is a time-consuming process. Have you had a go at it?3.) I agree with you. If a little added oil helps you consume more veggies, then a bit of oil it is! Oil does lend savoriness to meals. Now that I use very little oil, I buy small containers of oil. Oils go rancid after a certain time, resulting in free radicals and off tastes.4.) I’ll take your word re nutrient calculations! It is still too daunting for me! :) I can appreciate the dedication and commitment on your part, however.Re: Paleo. Hopefully we’ll be seeing some long-term studies on the Paleo diet. The problem now, however, is defining what exactly is the Paleo diet. It seems to have morphed into various factions, as any developing “religion” does.Re: Differing Protein Requirements for Older and Younger Adults. Do you have sources for this claimed variation in protein needs? I did a quick search and found there to be no difference in requirements. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/5/1322.abstractRe: Protein Intake and Activity. I don’t see how increased activity requires, as you suggest, increased % of protein. Muscles burn glucose. The more we work/workout/exercise, the more energy we need for our muscles to burn. Carbs are the most efficient. Fat is the densest form of energy, but must be converted. Why, as you suggest, do we need a higher percentage of protein though? If we’re eating more calories, we’re getting more protein, although some food items have more amino acids than others. Perhaps if we want to maximize muscle building and size, extra protein may help.5.) I don’t think there is an ideal diet, aside from a WFPB diet where plants are the main calorie source, but assuming that macronutrient ratios and animal product consumption will vary between populations and individuals today, as they have since the human ancestors first broke off and wandered into different climate zones or areas with different flora and fauna. With the understanding that no diet is ideal for all people in all situations, Okinawa has one of the highest percentage of centenarians. But I think you hit the mark when you talked about environment. Okinawans benefit from a temperate climate, with temperatures between 50-90 degrees year-round. They probably have access to fresh veggies all year, and they have access to the ocean. Living in the rugged mountains of Sardinia, another Blue Zone population has a temperate climate, too, but probably not ideal for crops and going down to ocean for fish. So, hardy goats and sheep provide milk, which can be stored long-term as cheese–high-density calorie source. Grains can also be stored long-term. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/04/11/398325030/eating-to-break-100-longevity-diet-tips-from-the-blue-zonesIf you live in a place like Alaska, animals (fat and meat) during the long winters is probably the most efficient, high-density source of calories. One may be able to scrounge some plants during the short summer and can or pickle, but that would entail a lot of work.Re: Plant-based Proteins. Why do you say plants don’t have the amino acids we need. They do. That is a myth. Just eating potatoes would give you what you need. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_proteinhttp://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/59/5/1203S.longRe: Protein and Exercise. There are millions who eat many times more protein than you, and do no exercise whatsoever–cardio or strength. You simply have an mental aversion to strength training!6.a.) Re: WHO Recommendations. It is safe to say that the premise and many to most of the tenants of these fad diets are nonsense, as you note. I do not think that the WHO took people’s finances into account when making recommendations, however. I do think that is a natural benefit, as you note: plants, especially local, sustainable ones, are more cost-effective than animals.6.b.) Congratulations on the strength training! Maybe after seeing some results and getting into a routine, you’ll start to like it.7.) Yes. I do not think the BMI should be used. Inaccurate.8.) So no cramps since going totally vegan?No problem, Jason. I enjoy the discourse. The research appeases my Teutonic tendencies, and I learn a lot in the process. Hope some of it helps.Re: Fiber Statement. I thought a bit before claiming that we cannot eat too much fiber. I finally came up with an analogy that makes sense to me, and maybe it will to you. One cannot eat too much fiber, anymore than one can breath too much oxygen in when one breathes fresh air. Our lungs have a certain capacity. The amount of oxygen may vary, depending on the environment in which we are in, but we can never get too much oxygen, if we are simply inhaling all the fresh air that our lungs can hold. In the same way, our stomachs have a limited capacity, if we fill our stomach up with whole plant foods, which contain fiber, we can never get too much fiber. This is why I believe it is simply impossible to get too much fiber.Re: RDA. These are the absolute bare minimums for health. Also, the guidelines set by the FDA and USDA are heavily influenced by lobbyists from the meat, dairy, sugar, and processed food industries. Here is a jumping-off point on this subject: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/The RDA is set so low, in my opinion, because the average American’s intake is even lower (15 grams per day). http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fiber-full-story/A higher RDA would seem unattainable by most Americans–a too radical of a change in eating habits. In addition, more fiber would mean more whole plants, which would mean less meat, dairy, and processed foods–something the industry does not want. The RDAs are minimums. But, as the Harvard School of Public Health says in the previous hyperlink, when it comes to fiber, “more is better.”Re: Fermented Foods. They are great for us. They are very beneficial because of the bacteria that they contain, which aid in our digestion. Anywhere from 1-3% of our body mass is bacteria, most of it in our digestive tract working away. We need to keep the balance on the side of the good bacteria. http://www.livescience.com/34004-microbes-human-body.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16696665 To that end, I actually make my own sauerkraut and kombucha. Turn out pretty good, I might add. :)If I chose to be flip, I could say that one CAN get too much oxygen from breathing air–by hyperventilating. But I suppose the analogy is not exact. If one eats loads of fiber without adequate hydration, one could get clogged up, as jj implies. That hasn’t been my problem for decades, and if anything, I lean more towards loose stools. That may be because I get so darn much magnesium in my diet (about 1.4 grams). But, as with fiber, I hate to give up the foods rich in magnesium: they’re so tasty!I wonder if I am calculating fiber correctly? Per Nutritiondata, a cup of cooked black beans contains 15 grams of fiber. Three cups would be a normal serving for me, which I could chow down without batting an eyelash. That would be 45 grams–in slightly less than 700 calories. Of course greens tend to be fibrous, as well as some seeds like flax and even sesame; all of these are basic items on my menu which I eat every day. I find it easy to consume 90 or even 100 grams of fiber/day.Below you asked me about my activity. I’m sort of sedentary, except that I clock about 15 hours of moderate intensity aerobics a week (2+ hours/day), which means I’d be called ‘extremely active’, esp. for my age (62). There’s something called Metabolic Equivalent Task, which calculates the # of hours and the difficulty of the task (e.g., resting = 1; walking = 2; easy-moderate exercise= 3-5; high intensity exercise >5, etc.). These are rough guidelines. My MET is well over 45, I think. That’s the highest category. Calculating # of calories burned is somewhat inexact, but based on my heart rate monitor, I’d estimate I burn 750 or more calories/day.Of course, as Jeff Novick points out in the video below, those who perform a lot of exercise usually just ramp up their appetites to compensate. One can eat oneself out of any exercise regimen. So I think the key (for me) is probably avoidance of pleasure trap foods (nuts/seeds) or rationing of them. Maybe instead of always having them on hand, and eating 1 oz. of nuts or seeds per day, as Dr, Greger suggests, maybe I could have my customary 2 or 3 oz. but not have them every day? Of course I must have flax every day for medicinal purposes (lowering BP and as the best source of Omega-3), but that is not much of a vice, is it? I never crave it as I might a bowl of almonds, walnuts, or some sesame tahini.One last question on fiber: is it true that you can deduct however many grams of fiber you eat from your tally of carbohydrate eaten? IOW, does fiber COST us energy to digest it? If so, that could be another good rationale for consuming lots of fiber (from whole foods).Yes, one can always come up with a rare exception to most any situation, but such examples are irrelevant to the general populace and the point being made. Just because someone hyperventilates, and feels dizzy due to a higher O2 ratio to CO2 in the body, does not mean that O2 makes everyone sick and should be avoided anymore than everyone should avoid grains because a the few people with celiac disease fell ill after eating wheat. Generally speaking, no one is going to get sick from eating too much fiber when eating too much fiber from whole plant foods. Of course, you can say we can get too much fiber if we ate a gallon of Metamucil or some other processed fiber supplement. And, if we took Metamucil or other such supplement we may become constipated if we don’t wash it down with enough water. But that is irrelevant to the point being made, and is not part of a healthy diet based on whole plant foods. Furthermore, whole plant foods have a very high water content. I fail to see how hydration is an issue, and I have not found anything suggesting hydration to be an issue with fiber, when the diet is whole plant foods.On a more important note, I fail to see the reason for your continued pursuit to determine a safe upper limit for fiber, or trying to figure out exactly how much fiber you are getting. What have you read, from a reputable source, that says too much fiber is dangerous? You haven’t provided any source yet. I’ve failed to find any such evidence myself. If you cannot find any such sources, then there is no reason to pursue an answer to something that poses no problem, and requires no answer for someone eating whole foods, primarily plants. The only issues with fiber that I’ve come across are issues with people taking fiber supplements. Fiber supplements are unnecessary for someone on a WFPB diet. http://www.webmd.com/diet/fiber-supplements You seem to be on a WFBP diet. You will get all the fiber you need on this diet/lifestyle, and you will never “overdose.”There is one situation, however, where one may want to be careful about eating too many plant foods, thereby too much fiber. If one was on a primarily processed food and/or animal product diet–devoid of fiber–and suddenly began eating a whole food, plant-based diet. Such a person could very well experiences gas, bloating, and discomfort. This is due to the fact that the “good” bacteria in your gut required to process fiber and plant products are in very low numbers because they haven’t had this plant “food”, while the “bad” bacteria required to digest the processed foods, fats, sugars, animal proteins are in high numbers. In such a situation, one might need to ease into an entirely/primarly whole plant food diet in order to allow the “good” bacteria to increase their numbers so that their numbers reach a point that allows them to handle all the fiber. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983?pg=2 You have been on a primarily plant-based diet for some time. Thus your system should be well-prepared for all the whole plant foods you can throw at it.You do a lot of aerobic! Maybe throw some strength training in for the reasons I stated before. Strength training is also good for posture and bone density.Re: Exercise and Increased Hunger. When we exercise, our muscles are using the glucose in our blood for fuel. (The brain is the biggest user of glucose.) When the blood glucose is down, then our muscles break down the glycogen, stored in the muscles and liver, to make more glucose. When this is all gone we hit the proverbial “wall” while exercising, and our body needs to start breaking down fat. Most of us don’t work out hard enough to “hit the wall.” But once we finish exercising, our body naturally wants to restore the blood glucose, and any glycogen that was used. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21190/ This is why we get so hungry. Our body does NOT want to break down our fat stores. It’s an evolutionary adaptation. A body wants to save the fat for a rainy day, if at all possible. Also fat is much harder for the body to make/store, and also to break down. That is why after exercise you get really hungry because the body wants to restore glucose and glycogen by the easiest way possible–eating. Personally, I find that, if I’m trying to lose weight, and I have sharp hunger pains after working out, I will drink water, eat a piece of fruit or small salad, if anything, and wait a half hour or so before eating anything substantial. The level of hunger dissipates quickly for me after half hour or so. Hunger is still there, but it is greatly reduced. The body realizes that quick energy from food is not coming, resorts to breaking down fat stores to restore energy levels. This is how we lose weight. Increase energy use, and decrease energy input. Problem is, people give in to this hunger urge after working out, and then gorge, eat high-caloric foods, and/or “treat” themselves because they went to the gym, thereby eating as much, or more calories than they expended working out. (People often believe they have burnt more calories during exercise than they actually have.)Re: Nuts. Yes, if one is trying to lose weight/reduce caloric intake, nuts and seeds need to be rationed due to their caloric density. Tahini has a lot of oil/calories I believe, like hummus. Unless you make your own, and thereby can reduce the amount of added oil.Re: Fiber Costing Energy. I have never heard of the fiber-carb equation you mention. As to fiber costing us energy, I think your focus is again on the wrong thing. A sweet potato, for example, has more energy/calories than celery. If you ate 100 grams of potato and 100 grams of celery, you’d get more calories from the potato. It’s not that it costs more energy to digest the fiber in the celery (it’s the microbes that do any digesting of the fiber anyway). It’s the concentration of calories from fat, carbs, proteins in the food. That should be your focus if you want to reduce calories rather than fiber. Fiber is broken down to some extent by microbes in our gut, but it mostly passes through our system.Your last sentence shows that your focus, in my opinion, is misplaced. You are focusing on consuming lots of fiber, and figuring out how much you need, “from whole foods”. Your focus should simply be to consume whole foods, specifically plants, and the fiber will naturally take care of itself.Wow, you really know a lot, Neil. Your ideas about how to deal with hunger after exercise are excellent–I will try them!Today, after my typical 2.5 hour bike ride, I treated my self to 2.5 lbs. of watermelon and 100 grams of sweet potato…waiting over an hour before having a real meal. It seemed to work. The ‘meal’ consisted of a liter or so of barley-carrot-onion-seaweed gruel (tastes much better than it sounds!). All of this food weighed nearly 5 lbs., but only amounted to about 1,000 calories–which is just slightly more than I burned up in exercise (lunch is the biggest meal of my day).It’s not that I purposely seek out high fiber foods; they just naturally are what I prefer. Thanks for disposing of that myth that digesting fiber costs energy. Hence, there is no such thing as a food (celery?) which has a negative calorie profile. The microbes do the work of digestion.I recall reading online somewhere a couple years ago (yes, I know that’s not very helpful), that one can get constipated if one is dehydrated in hot weather. I suppose you could eat a lot of beans and not take in sufficient water. Though high fiber foods naturally contain water, it is possible to use dried foods like grains and beans and not drink sufficient liquid .The Macrobiotics of yore made a virtue of taking in minimal amts. of beverages (a pint or less/day), and ate little raw food. That could get one dehydrated in hot weather.Thanks for allaying any worries I may have had re: excessive fiber. I generally get concerned when I either don’t get the RDA of a nutrient (rare), or get over three times the RDA–which is true of fiber, Magnesium, and probably some vitamins (A and C, most likely). Dr. Greger reports that our Paleolithic ancestors probably got huge amts. of Calcium, Vit. C, Fiber, Vit. E, Zinc, Iron, etc. So I probably have been needlessly worrying. I am in the Paleolithic ballpark on several of these, and that’s probably healthful.Yes, Tahini is quite high in calories, which is why I make my own, using about 1/2 the oil used in commercial products. So what if it isn’t creamy? The consistency is closer to Gomasio, the Japanese/Macrobiotic staple, but minus the salt. Another thing, when grinding our own sesame tahini, we needn’t always use sesame oil, but can experiment with other oils. Nevertheless, I find I eat too much of it, and so only have it on hand rarely. First I’m weaning myself off sauteed vegetables and getting used to whole days of no oils. Second will be the reduction of nuts/seeds to something sensible, like no more than 2 ounces/day, preferably 1 oz. And here’s where having those nutrient values for my foods will come in handy, as I can aim for my goal of getting < 25% calories from fat.But now that I know that I'm getting more than enough of every micronutrient (with the possible exception of zinc), I'll probably stop keeping track of them, and just focus on the macronutrient ratios and total calories. You are right that people often overestimate how many calories they burn, but I find that a heart rate monitor is helpful in this regard. It usually tells me that I am burning less calories than most guidelines would indicate. Take biking, for example: My average rate of calorie burning is about 400-450/hour per my HRM, yet a lot of guidelines tell me I should be burning 600 or more (Nutritiondata is notorious here, saying I'm burning over 900 calories/hour).Yes, I realize I should also include resistance training, but I hate it. Ten minutes a week is about all I can stand.As with fiber consumption, I haven't found anything which indicates an upper limit for aerobic exercise. Guidelines recommend up to 5 hrs/week of moderate exercise (I'm doing triple that). The only contraindication is for those who've already suffered a heart attack, and even there they say one should not run over 7 kms/day or walk over 11 kms/day.Thanks, Jason. I know more than most (which is unfortunate), but less than some. The more I delve into it, the more I realize I have to learn. Let me know how the after-exercise tip works for you!How exactly do you prepare your gruel? Sounds pretty appetizing, actually. I like all the ingredients, just never put them together.The calorie deficit food thing is a myth–an urban legend. Celery is often used as an example. Celery contains mostly water and fiber. We chew it, and then swallow, as anything else. No extra energy expenditure there. Then it essentially flows, passively, through our system as would anything else (well, faster than processed or animal foods, which have no fiber to move things along). Water from the celery is absorbed or excreted, and the fiber passes through our system while getting “fed” on by some bacteria along the way. We don’t burn energy processing fiber. Read this. It gives a good explanation: http://realdoctorstu.com/2012/04/11/does-eating-celery-burn-calories-the-science-about-negative-calorie-diets-finally/You have NOTHING to worry about regarding eating too much fiber by sticking to a WFPB diet, and not taking fiber supplements. Your energies and focus are better used somewhere else.Re: Hot weather constipation. I’ve never heard of that being an issue. Sounds like a random statement on a blog or by a fringe MD or nutritionist. WFPB diets have a large amount of water in the food. Sure, if you are eating only plain beans, potatoes, and or grains, you may need to wash them down with water. And, if you’re going to do strenuous exercise in the heat, you should front load on some water. But, generally speaking, our bodies let us know when we need water–we become thirsty, and we drink. The 8 glasses a day standard is another urban myth: http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp If one is on the standard American diet, the salt and sugar (pull out water from our system), and lack of water in the food, can increase chance of dehydration; maybe people on a SAD diet need to be told to get 8 glasses of water because they aren’t getting it in their food. But even their bodies tell them when their thirsty, although they would dehydrate quicker in the heat with all that sugar and salt in their diets.Re: Ancestors’ Diet. Greger put up video regarding Vitamin C. You should look for it. Scientists think our bodies stopped making Vitamin C because of all the plant food we ate–we got so much from diet that it was a waste of energy for our bodies to make it. Carnivores, however, make Vitamin C internally.Re: Resistance training. You probably know of all the benefits. Here are just a few links, in case. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/fitness/in-depth/strength-training/art-20046670http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/growingstronger/why/http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=557559&mode=2Re: Upper limit for aerobic exercise. Much to my surprise, I discovered a while ago, that there may actually be an upper limit to aerobic exercise! Luckily, it does not pertain to most of us because we don’t exercise hard enough, consistently enough for it to be an issue. It’s more marathoners and triathletes. Exercise causes our muscles to break down a bit, including our heart muscle. Our bodies can easily repair this micro tears. But, some people can do so much aerobic exercise, consistently over years, that the body can never fully recover from the damage from each punishment, resulting in calcification of our arteries around our heart. Here is the TED Talk from which I’m getting this info. Fascinating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6U728AZnV0Wow, another bonus response. Thank you, and I’ll reply on the off-chance you check this thread again.The “gruel” is just boiled pearl barley (I’m going to experiment with hulled barley, which is less refined than pearl), to which I have added slices of carrot, onion, and some seaweed–a Nori type, but it doesn’t come in sheets. Since reading this blog, I now avoid Kombu and Hiziki. In fact, since Fukushima, I’m inclined to avoid Japanese sea vegetables entirely. I’d get Dulse if I could. But any seaweed adds much to the Barley soup/gruel, as the small amt. of sodium it contains spices up the bland barley.I’m inclined to agree with you that the 8 glasses of H2O is not usually a necessity. I think one can drink too MUCH water, and in fact I was probably taking in six liters/day of liquid from food and beverages last summer, and coincidentally developed a kidney problem, where creatinine was not cleared out. At one point I was considered Phase III CKD. Of course I was still asymptomatic, and as I had no proteinuria, my condition was not as dire as it sounds. I decided at that point to go totally vegan and reduce my liquid consumption–not increase it as so many people had been suggesting. Three months later my kidney function was normal. I don’t know if this was because of eliminating animal products completely (I’d been about 95% vegan) or reducing liquid consumption, and thus the filtering load for the kidneys (I would suspect the latter). Or it may have been because I’d had star fruit on a couple of occasions–before coming across Dr. Greger’s warning. Concerning kidney function, it’s anyone’s guess. They are complex organs, and kidney disease seems to be more of a mystery than heart disease. I read recently than a huge percentage of Americans is expected to develop CKD during their lives, and CKD seems to be a silent epidemic.Re: Vit. C, I saw the Paleolithic Lessons Video of Dr. Greger. I’ve long been a big fruit consumer, and actually think I meet or exceed the Paleolithic standard of 600 mcg/day. In fact, I checked my diet-diary, and I meet or exceed the Paleolithic standard on fiber, calcium, Vit. A, C, E, folate, and probably magnesium. This is another reason why I avoid vitamin pills–besides a B-complex which contains B12. The only nutrient I sometimes don’t get enough of is zinc, but since I’m not very sexually active anymore, that may not be at issue. Of course getting 15 hrs/week in moderate intensity aerobics may increase my requirement for some nutrients. Since I’m hypertensive, I never drink sodium containing energy/electrolyte drinks, but sometimes will go for coconut water (I live in the tropics). I think I consume < 2 grams of sodium/day..maybe much less. Surprising given the amt. of exercise I do. I also seldom eat when I'm out on my bike rides, but rarely hit the wall or feel woozy (it has happened once or twice in several years, as BP drops down to about 80/50). That might actually call for a sodium drink. But it's likely our Paleo-ancestors had salt rarely, and probably averaged < 1 gram of sodium/day. I don't understand why a lot of Paleo folks thank it's OK to pack in the salt. That may work for younger very active folks, who can sweat it out or whose kidneys can excrete the excess sodium, but it's not going to work for me. I have to watch both liquid and salt intake, and since a lot of the foods I eat contain much liquid, a lot of days I only have a teapot of tea and a couple glasses of water.I'm not in the marathoner category (I think that's running 26 miles). I don't run, but I checked out one of the sites you linked, and my intensity of cycling (12-14 MPH) is about equivalent to jogging 5 MPH. I still think even that site overstates the actual calorie burn, because it estimates about 850 calories/hour, whereas my heart rate monitor usually says 400-500–unless I've done significant climbing, in which case maybe 600, tops.Maybe I'm so conditioned that my heart doesn't have to work so hard pedaling 12-14 MPH, whereas a novice would–and hence, would burn more calories? That's one downside of getting in shape. Of course I'm not in complete shape, as I'm still overweight (spare tire); so probably I'll have to take the resistance training seriously. Would 30 minutes/week be sufficient?We've established that fiber and aerobic exercise probably have no upper limit–short of running marathons or doing Iron-mans frequently. What about nuts? Just about every video I've seen here extols their virtues. Could one chow down on a half cup or even a cup/day? That would be 250-600 calories…but assuming one ate no oils…One's percentage of calories from fat would still be low (<30%). I don't understand if nuts are so great, why we should limit them to 1 oz/day. True, they are a concentrated energy source, and a potential pleasure trap, but unless the idea is to get fat calories really low (< 20%), we have to get our fats SOMEWHERE. (The same goes for seeds, like pumpkin, sunflower, sesame). Dr. Greger's latest videos on the Mediterranean Diet show that subject averaged about 4 tbsp. of olive oil. That's nearly 500 calories. Wouldn't they be better off eating 500 calories worth of almonds or walnuts?No problem! I actually came across something about nuts the other day by Dr. Jeff Novick (similar teachings as McDougall and Greger) regarding nuts, so your last paragraph prompted me to look into it sooner than I would have.Re: Gruel. So no spices? Do you boil the ingredients together until the carrots and onions are cooked? I have recently been buying salted and packed kelp and see weed from an Asian supermarket. I like making seaweed salads. Seaweed is also a natural source of iodine. I do worry about the safety of food products that I get from Asia, specifically China and Japan, as you mentioned. I believe the seaweed I get is from Korea, but I’ll have to check.Re: Efficiency and Weight Loss. I agree that efficiency in form of any exercise will result in less effort, and less need for calories. Your heart is also stronger than someone’s who doesn’t exercise as much thus allowing your heart to pump more blood per beat. Your heart, however, is one muscle that does not change in size that much. If, however, you only bike, you’re essentially only using your leg muscles, and neglecting the muscles in your torso and arms. Your leg muscles are the largest muscles, but they do become efficient at the same activity, especially if you have developed good form, rhythm, and gear shifting techniques. Neglecting the strengthening your entire body, and your leg muscles in different ways/movements, takes away from building these other muscles, and taking advantage of increased caloric use by exercising and building these other muscles. Personally, I would say that 30 minutes a week is on the low side. I would do at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. At the very least, you can do push-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, squats and/or lunges, and some forms of core exercises (e.g., crunches).You can pick out some exercises for your major muscle groups, and do entire body circuit (repeat 3-4 times per workout) three times a week, or split the body up in those 3 days. For example, arms and shoulders one day, chest and back another, and legs and core/torso the third day. And go from one exercise to another, ideally to opposite muscle group. No resting for you, but you’re resting the muscle you just did. Example: do push-ups (chest and triceps) then do pull-ups (back and biceps); do a bicep exercise, then a tricep; do leg curl then leg extension, etc. This way, you are getting a mild aerobic workout, too, by continually moving from exercise to exercise, and not wasting time waiting around between sets. I’m not a proponent of fads, as you can imagine, but I did try an exercise program, P90X, that I found great. Lot of great exercises, many I had never done before. If you don’t like gyms, all you’ll need is a pull-up bar, dumbbells, and exercise mat, and you can do it at home. It is pretty intense, but you’re in good shape it sounds. So, if you feel a pre-set program is better for you than trying to come up with something on your own, maybe give P90X a shot. You’ll have to commit an hour to 1.5 hours per day, at least 6 days a week to the program, however. It’s a commitment for 12 weeks (the length of entire program), but may be a nice change from your normal routine.Re: Paleo. Like any type of “religion” or fad, there are so many versions now that there is no definitive Paleo diet, just like there was no definite diet for our ancestors. As to what any one denomination of Paleo says about salt, I have no idea, and don’t care to know. :) But I agree with you that our ancient ancestors probably ate little salt, but did seek it out. It was once prized more than gold. It is how Roman soldiers were paid–hence the term “salary.” Of course we get more than enough usually in our modern diet. As an aside, this book is really interesting:http://www.amazon.com/Salt-World-History-Mark-Kurlansky/dp/0142001619Re: Excess Nuts. Greger has a video about the huge amount of selenium in Brazil nuts. I think 1 or two per day is max. Greger has a series on nuts, showing that 90% of studies show that increased nut consumption does not result in weight gain. He goes over the various reasons as to why researchers think this happens: http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/Jeff Novik shows in this short excerpt that the health benefits of nuts is over-rated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvYq6WTm258It goes against common sense to think that eating more calorie-rich nuts does not result in weight gain. Studies seem to say so, however. I’d hedge my bets, and keep consumption down to handful a day though.Personally, I make my own trail mix by mixing a variety of nuts and then throwing in goji berries, and maybe cranberries. I can eat quite a lot, if I don’t keep them out of reach. Also, nuts are so darn expensive, which is another reason I try not to eat very many.Getting 500 calories (or any calories) from whole foods rather than added oils (olive, in your example) is ALWAYS better. Olive oil is pure fat with little nutritional value. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/Glad you checked back. I hope Dr. Greger’s readers won’t begrudge our going off on a few tangents, now that the posting is a couple weeks old.Re: the barley soup, just bear in mind that barley requires a bit more cooking time than the vegetables. Oh, adding mushrooms is another winner.Weaning myself off cooking oils isn’t as difficult as I imagined it to be, though it’s true that green vegetables like kale and collards don’t taste as good steamed as they do sauteed; the same probably goes for salads. But one could always try to cut DOWN, and use half the amt. of olive oil one would normally use. Avoiding gratuitous use of empty-calories fats is a must, I think. Nevertheless, the latest videos on the Mediterranean Diet posted here seem to indicate some benefits for extra virgin olive oils, relative to refined oils or animal fats, so I think moderate use may be OK. I think olive and canola oils have a favorable ratio of Omega 3-6, so may be of benefit in that way. Other oils, like sunflower and rice bran oils have high Vit. E or have high phytosterol counts (I think rice bran and sesame oils are best here), hence could help lower LDL cholesterol.My goal is to average about 1 tbsp. of oil per day…which is about a third of what I was getting previously.Regarding nuts, I agree with Novick that the evidence is not very impressive, and may be even less impressive for WPF vegans. Nonetheless, having 2 oz. of nuts/day seemed to be better than only having 1 oz. in the study he cited. I suppose it boils down to your ideal macro-nutrient ratio. Assuming we opt for a sensible and moderate 10-15% share for protein, and an equally moderate and sensible 50-55% share for carbs, that would leave about 35% for fats. Even conservatively choosing only 30%, that means that I’d expect to get 750-900 calories from fat, based upon a total calorie load of 2,500 to 3,000. (Yes, I know, that seems like I’m eating a lot of calories, but I’m pretty active–having, for example, burned 2,300 calories this morning on a 4 hour ride).Yesterday I ate 3 tbsp. of flax seeds, 2 oz. of almonds, 1 1/2 of walnuts, and 1 oz. of peanuts. Total calories from these nuts and seeds was about 900, and their fat calories was 700. Still, my overall macronutrient ratio was 57-32-11, and that included 2 ounces of chocolate (an occasional indulgence). Eliminating all of these and just having the flax seeds, would have dropped my total calories to 2,300 (from 3,000) and lowered my fat calories to 325 (from a little over 1,000), and the % of calories from fat from 32% to about 14%. That would be a very radical change, indeed…I’m sure weight-losing, but how sustainable? Ideally, I think I’d like to be getting 60% from carbs, 25% from fat, and 15% from protein. My fruit/grain/vegetable/legume foods–which are the main foods–just don’t contain that much fat. I’d be getting over 70% of calories from carbs if I cut out nuts & seeds–limited myself to 1 oz/day of them. It’s true the WHO recognizes the ideal % of calories from carbs of 55-75%, but that’s higher than the American or European standards, which I think only go up to 65%. Why be extreme?Funny thing about Brazil nuts, I used to sometimes go through a whole package of them (100 gram or 200 gram). Never experienced any side effects from selenium toxicity. Now I never buy them specifically, and usually don’t go for mixed nuts containing them, as I avoid the salt. I think we can store selenium.Your writings on exercise depressed me. I think nothing of a 3 to 4 hour bike ride, but the thought of lifting weights for half an hour (3 times per week!) is not appetizing. I suppose I’ll have to try it if nothing else works to get my weight down (BMI = 28-29). Yes, I hate gyms, but have found an outside place with some equipment. Still, Dr. Greger has cited surveys showing that WPF vegans have the lowest BMI’s (about 23), and so I’d think I’d eventually lose weight just sticking to the diet and persevering with the aerobic.Oh, add Potassium to the nutrients I get a shitload of (nearly 10 grams/day). Going whole plant based, it is easy to consume a lion’s share of most of the nutrients. I don’t think overconsumption of potassium is an issue unless one has end stage renal disease, in which case one has to be careful. I’ve found that getting loads of potassium, calcium, and magnesium has lowered my incidence of getting cramps from over-exertion.I don’t know if going off on week-long tangents is against commenting “etiquette,” but I’m sure that people just skip by the thread after skimming a few of our responses, which are pretty dense.Re: Gruel. I usually find a way to mushrooms (and garlic) into most things I cook, so that’s good. I’ll have to try it out. No spices added, right? Just the ingredients you mentioned?Another tangent to follow, if you’re so inclined, regarding mushrooms, which I love. Have you heard of a guy named Stammets? He’s the guru, the alpha and omega, the expert on mushrooms. I came across his work through TED Talks. If you’ve got the time, I found this extremely interesting: http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world?language=en http://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=7248 This is an extended version of the topics covered in the TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwLviP7KaAcRe: Added Oil. Oil is pure fat so if you’re goal is to reduce calories and take off weight, that is an easy place to begin reducing calories. I used to douse salads with olive oil, and pour oil into pans to saute veggies. Then, I think through McDougal’s cookbook, I learned that one could saute with water, vinegar, veggie stock, soy sauce, etc. I had no idea! Helped me cut out quite a bit of oil, as did making my own salad dressings.Do you use Bragg’s Amino Acid? Great stuff–heavy in amino acids, extremely low in sodium, especially compared to normal soy sauce. I often saute with it for a more savory flavor.Of course virgin olive oil is “better” than lard or highly-(heat) processed oils. But that’s like saying an organic, dark chocolate bar is better than a pack of M&Ms. Point being that if olive oil does have a good ration of omegas, why not skip the calorie overload with the oil pouring, and just eat a handful of olives?I can’t attest to the taste difference between steamed and sauteed-in-oil veggies because I rarely do the latter now. If I do, I usually put the veggies in a curry or something rather than eat them as-is.Re: Cutting out nuts. You say that if you cut out the nuts you ate the other day your total calories from fat would have dropped 325, and that your percentage of total fat would have been extremely low. But you’re assuming that you would not supplement those 325 fat calories with a high-volume, plant-based meal, less-caloric-dense meal (e.g., your gruel). I think you would however, unless you’re trying to quickly drop weight. And, any such meal replacement would contain, at the lest, a little fat. Myself, I just focus on variety. Some days I may eat an entire avocado (half in smoothie, half on veggie burger), trail mix, flax meal in smoothie, coconut milk curry, and all the fat contained in the other food that day. Other days I may not eat any of these fattier items. Trying to get a set % of each macro each day is just too detailed oriented for me, and too time-consuming, and, for reasons stated below, I believe, not worthwhile.Re: Macro/Micronutrients. Personally, I’ve never gotten into such calculations, as I think I’ve mentioned. Too tedious for me; it seems your aversion to strength training would be comparable to my aversion to working out such calculations. You, obviously, have the interest and patience to do such calculations. Most people do not. I think it is detrimental for those people wanting to go to a WFPB diet because they get bogged down in the details and minutiae, and quickly become frustrated. An easier objective is for people to cut out all processed foods and most, if not all, added oils and sugars, eat mostly, if not entirely, whole plants. That’s more simplistic. I believe, as stated by WFPB doctors and nutritionists, that if I get my needed calories from a WFPB diet (where carbs are the primary caloric source), I will necessarily get all the nutrients I need, barring, of course, B12 (since I eat hardly any animal products), and maybe Vitamin D, especially in the winter. That said, I’ve eaten venison a few times over past 4 years, which was procured by friends who hunt. I sometimes put organic, whole, grass-fed milk in coffee if I can’t get an organic plant-based substitute. But, other than that, I eat a wide variety of WFPBed meals, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/I do get a bit “technical” as to some of my foods, based primarily on things I’ve learned on this site: amla powder in smoothies; growing and eating my own broccoli and fenugreek sprouts; goji berries; taking it easy on Brazil nuts (like you, they were my favorite); taking algae-based omega supplements.Furthermore, in modern society, we have little to no chance of being malnurished, i.e., getting too few calories, and, therefore, too few carbs, proteins, and fats. I have never read of anyone having a carb, protein, and/or fat deficiency who was not malnurished. You say 75% carbs is extreme. But is it, or is it just a guestimate? The USDA admits as much: “The lower limit of dietary carbohydrate compatible with life apparently is zero, provided that adequate amounts of protein and fat are consumed. However, the amount of dietary carbohydrate that provides for optimal health in humans is unknown.” See page 275 of the document: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI//DRI_Energy/265-338.pdf Furthermore, if we are getting all the carbs we can eat via WPFs (e.g., tubers, legumes, grains, veggies, etc.) we will get protein and fat, too, which all of these plants have to some degree, assuming we don’t eat animal products.The WHO recommends 55-75% of carbs, but states, “The nature of dietary carbohydrate appears to be a more important determinant of health outcomes than the proportion of total energy derived from carbohydrate intake.” http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v61/n1s/full/1602943a.htmlThe Japanese requirement is 60-72%: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jnsv/59/Supplement/59_S53/_pdfThe EU, recommends 45-60% carbs. http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/nda100326.htmThe US carb requirement is 45-65%: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter7.htmAs you can see, there is a bit of a range, with the Asian country and the world-wide organization having higher requirements than the animal-product-centric US and EU organizations. (And these are more current standards, note you–after the world’s animal consumption has increased greatly in the past couple decades. I can imagine the guidelines being greatly influenced by peoples’ eating habits at the time. Japan’s meat consumption, for example, has increased 4 fold in the past 40 years: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/datablog/2009/sep/02/meat-consumption-per-capita-climate-change)But what is “ideal” for macronutrient percentages? Are these agencies making these percentages based partly, or more than partly, on what modern society eats, or likes to eat, and what is safe? Probably. But, in my mind, what is the point of following these mostly random guidelines when one is eating a WFPB diet, and getting all one’s calories this way.The longest-lived grouping of peoples on earth is on Okinawa, and they traditionally got at least 85% of their calories from carbs. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/118/3/214.fullThe shepherds in the mountains of Sardinia–also one of the longest-lived communities on earth, get about 61% of calories from carbs. file:///C:/Users/DCLIT13/Downloads/Nutrition_Sardinia_08_09_2014_RomeoSherpa%20(1).pdfMy point being that if one is on a WFPB diet, and getting most, if not all, needed calories from a plant-based diet, it will be impossible to be deficient in a macronutrient, and difficult to be deficient in a micronutrient. Such deficiencies are seen mainly in those who are malnurished, i.e., not getting enough calories.Re: Thoughts of strength training being depressing. Sorry for the depressing thoughts on strength training! :) Maybe you could muster a few sets (15 minutes worth) of push-ups (regular, decline), pull-ups, and chin-ups a day before your bike riding each day.Re: BMI. The BMI is nonsense. It’s a very rough guide, at best. Lean people with muscle mass, like me, are considered overweight because it does not take into muscle mass. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265215.phpRe: Cramps. I agree with you. When I was younger, I got cramps all the time while running. I never get cramps now.A slight addendum to what I wrote–since I didn’t address every point you made.1. Organic dark chocolate I would count as basically a plus (though certainly open to abuse, as with nuts), while M&M’s would be entirely off the menu. I try to get 85% cacao chocolate, which is about as bitter as I can stand.2. I wrote–or intended to write–that I would have reduced fat calories TO 325 (not BY 325) had I eliminated all nuts and chocolate–but retained the important flax seeds. The actual reduction would have been 700 fat calories…and about 900 total calories. Clearly, I’d lose weight fast making such a change, but I worry it might not be very sustainable.I don’t think I’ve subsisted on a diet of less than 15% fat calories since my Macrobiotic days as a young man. Why not shoot for 25% fat calories first, see how that goes…Incidentally, I was wrong about the recommendation for fat: it’s not 20-40%, but 20-35%.3. Interesting that the Japanese guideline for carbs is so narrow (60-72%), and again, very notable that virtually nobody meets the lower limit of 60%. I still think a 60-25-15 ratio would be pretty easy to defend, as it’s within all of the public guidelines. The stupid Paleo and Atkins people are doing it all wrong; they’re getting 60% fat, 25% protein, and only 15% carbs. I’m inclined to say they must be anarchists, who don’t give any credence to governmental bodies and their recommendations.Jason, I see your addendum, but not it’s precursor. I think you may not have posted your main reply to my last post. Hopefully you saved it! I know I have, a few times, typed lengthy emails or posts, only to have them be erased or lost by some glitch. Makes me want to pull my hair out.Re: Chocolate. That is my upper limit: 85%. Have you read about recent tests done on chocolate? Cacao powder is very high in cadmium. It seems that cacao plants have a penchant for taking up cadmium from the soil. Local pollution and toxic soils where the plants are grown exasperate the issue. https://www.consumerlab.com/news/More_Popular_Cocoa_Powders_Contaminated/08_05_2014/Testing of chocolate bars by Consumer Labs show that those tested are below toxic levels, but, when I asked regarding that, Consumer Labs say that it is because the cacao is diluted by the sugar, milk, and other ingredients in the chocolate bars. That said, I square of dark chocolate should be fine. Also, due to climate change, disease, and increased demand, chocolate prices are going to increase heavily. The plus side will be that, with the cadmium levels, we will have another reason to limit consumption!Re: Reduction of fat calories. Yes, that is a large calorie reduction. Assuming you do not supplant the nuts with a less dense energy source, pushing your calorie intake back up, then you would lose weight more quickly, especially at the level of exercise you maintain.Re: Carbs and government guidelines. I agree with your statement re the Paloe and Adkins diet. The beliefs of the Paleophiles and Adkinites are an entirely other issue, and another rabbit hole we could dive into. Although I do not agree, for the most part, with their reasoning,science, or archaeological and evolutionary “evidence,” I cannot fault them for not giving much credence to government guidelines. If you have watched the videos, and read the sources cited, posted by Greger on how industry influences are food regulations, watched movies like “Food, Inc.” or “Forks Over Knives,” or read the great book, “Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Industry Hooked Us,” then you, like me, would give little credence to USDA guidelines. The USDA is tasked with two diametrically opposed interests: on one hand, it is supporting “farmers” (factory farmers and industry organizations) who grow corn, wheat, sugar, and soy, and who raise livestock for beef and dairy, through regulations and heavy subsidies; and, on the other hand, it is tasked with ensuring our collective health through dietary guidelines–guidelines that determine how much we should eat of these very things grown by factory farms. Positions within the USDA and FDA are a revolving door with the food and food manufacturing industry. http://ivn.us/2013/02/11/the-revolving-door-fda-and-the-monsanto-company/Surprised you didn’t see my longer precursor (starting with the words, “Thanks yet again, Neil…”); it’s located just slightly below your latest reply–to which I’ll now reply.I didn’t know about the cadmium in chocolate–or cocoa. Guess I’ll have to lower my cacao consumption from a couple Tsp. of cocoa and 1/2 to 1 oz. of chocolate. Maybe cut them in half. I use cacao for its beneficial effect on blood pressure and endothelial function, as Dr. Greger has recently documented. Cacao (cocoa and chocolate) also has a lot of magnesium, but I can easily get that elsewhere. Re: cadmium, apparently tea also has cadmium, but tea-drinkers tend not to absorb much. Perhaps drinking tea also helps block cadmium absorption from chocolate?Once we start worrying about various pollutants in food, we can go crazy.I think the solution is to cut down but not eliminate these foods. Even shellfish in limited amounts ought to be OK–though I did get sick once from eating clams which were infected by bacteria, and have (rarely) gotten hives from spoiled fish. A little bit of pollution, however, should be tolerable, and I would think that would go for heavy metals like cadmium (mercury is another matter).Yes, substituting 700 or 900 calories worth of carb-containing whole plants for the nuts would mean an awful lot of broccoli or pumpkin. I already eats tons of fruit. I could up my grains(from about 5-6 servings, or nearly 3 cups/day), or certainly eat more beans. But I’ve noticed with me, at least, that beans can be nearly as much of a pleasure trap as nuts, and I can easily wolf down 900 calories or more in a single meal. Still, I think beans would be the logical substitute for nuts. They’re also cheaper than nuts.Re: the guidelines issued by public bodies–whether of the WHO, the EU, US, Japan, etc. I tend to believe them when they agree on the macronutrient ratios–i.e., when they are unanimous in recommending that people eat 50% or more carbohydrate calories, 20-30% or so of fat calories, and 10% or more protein calories. It is true that the US guidelines for protein are very broad, but virtually all public guidelines do recommend we get about twice as much carb calories as fat calories, and about twice as much fat calories as protein calories. Taking the midpoints of the USDA ratios, we would have 55% carbs; 28% fat; and 22% protein. Yes, I know the percentages add up to more than 100%, and that’s entirely due to the ridiculously broad protein guideline of 10-35%. That itself probably arose because of the milk, meat, and egg lobbies. But ignoring that blemish and just taking the first two suggested ratios, we would get 55-28-17, which would not be far off from an “ideal” proportion of carbs, fat, and protein.In comparison, the Paleo diet, for all its virtues in avoiding processed food and dairy and incorporating vegetables, is on Mars, and so is the Atkins diet–at least as recommended in its ketogenic weight-losing stage. I would be wary of adopting long term any diet which diverged so much from the conventional wisdom as outlined in the recommendations of the public health organizations of the WHO, EU, US, and Japan. Ditto for getting radically different amounts of micronutrients as outlined in RDA’s and tolerable upper limits. Surely the scientists on all of these boards know something about nutrition and human health? I would be less likely to give credence to specific suggestions on how to obtain specific nutrients–e.g., drink milk to obtain calcium. That would be playing favorites, and governments do far too much of that recently, as witness the various and sundry corporate bailouts. When government starts shaking hands with corporate interests, that’s when I start getting suspicious and cautious. But a general outline of macronutrient ratios or RDA’s of micronutrients I think is helpful. We all have to start SOMEWHERE. People whom I trust generally follow these guidelines, or provide careful arguments when they deviate from them, while the Atkins and Paleo folks are beyond the pale…arrogant with a superior know-it-all attitude. I admire Dr. Greger for not being a firebrand and revolutionary, or for being a cautious revolutionary,who always provides evidence.One issue I’ve been meaning to bring up with you is Glycemic Load. I’ve been tracking this, as Nutritiondata provides a GL figure for most foods, and I have been pre-diabetic for the last few years, at least based on fasting blood sugar (mostly between 100 and 110; seldom 110). Nutritiondata suggests we limit ourselves to a GL of 100 per day, while I find I have been averaging nearly 180 on my WPF diet. The only way I could get my GL down close to 100 would be to eat many fewer calories, for virtually all of my diet is glycemically pretty high.My question: is glycemic index or load bunk? I used to think not, given my FBS readings, but on the other hand my HbA1c was only 4.8, so I’m probably at low risk for diabetes.I suspect that the tremendous amt. of fiber I eat is protective as far as diabetes is concerned, as is the low amt. of saturated fat I get. Maybe fiber lowers the effect of a high glycemic load food, but in that case, you’d think they would have factored the fiber into their GL calculations?Jason, the last response of yours that I see is “glad you checked back.” I don’t see the “Thanks yet again” response. Ironically, I am retyping my reply now because the shock wave software or something on my computer crashed, wiping the page! Darn! I’m writing this in a Word doc now.Re: Cadmium in tea. Interesting. I didn’t know that. After researching a bit, it seems that tea sequesters arsenic and cadmium in its roots, with little getting to the leaves. So looks like we’re safe. Good because I have a pitcher of hibiscus-green tea in fridge at all times.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18357630Re: Over-analyzing harmful aspects of food. I agree. We can over-analyze foods and their toxin level. On the other hand, in today’s over-populated world, filled with industrial and pharmaceutical chemicals and drugs in our food supply and the environment, sometimes it is good to know what to avoid. Rice, for example, takes up arsenic like a sponge, storing it in the germ. Brown rice is the worst. Rice from China is the worst. Polluted environment and fertilizing paddies with chicken manure; chickens fed arsenic-laced feed. So, if one has a diet where rice is the primary calorie source, buying rice from California-with the lowest-tested arsenic levels—can be an easy measure to reduce toxin levels.http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htmRe: Replacing calories with less calorie-dense foods. Yes, that was my point. Replacing calorie-dense foods, such as nuts and added oils with broccoli, pumpkin, or something with lots of fiber/bulk fills us up, but not with calorie overload. I love beans, but think I’d get more calories from a bowl of trail mix next to me than a bean dish next to me! And nuts aren’t cheap, as you note.Re: Guidelines on macro and micronutrients. I agree with you that the macro guidelines are good rough estimate, and more worthwhile than most of the micronutrient guidelines. But, I have to ask, what is the point for the general populace? I have never heard of someone, who is not malnourished, suffering from a lack of protein, carbs, and/or fats. There is overconsumption of one or all three, and consumption of processed foods containing these. Even on a fad diet, the body can compensate, to a certain extent, with overly high amounts of one macro, as long as calorie intake is enough. But if one is getting enough calories (i.e., is not malnourished), from a WFPB diet, the ratios are well within the guidelines. I feel that macro calculations are an esoteric endeavor relegated to very focused people like yourself and dieticians who offer up some ratio they’ve devised to their clients. But 99.9% of people do not have the time or interest to do such calculations each day.Re: Fad diets. One has to look at current photos of the main proponents of these diets to judge their efficacy. Sally Fallon (Weston Price); Loren Cordain (Paleo); Adkins and Gary Taubes (Adkins; eat fat, no veggies). They are all dumpy and overweight. Look at Drs Fuhrman, Barnard, McDougall, Esseylsten, Ornish, etc. All lean.Re: Glycemic Load. I’ve never delved into this issue. I did a bit of research. I am going to shelve the GI and GL levels as somewhat subject, likely irrelevant for most, and unnecessary if on a WFPB diet. This meta-analysis of GI and GL studies has this to say:“Based on the evidence found in this review, it seems premature to include GI/GL in dietary recommendations.”“Generally, the associations between GI or GL and heart disease, measures of insulin sensitivity, diabetes, blood lipids, or measures of obesity were mixed. Generally, the associations between GI or GL and heart disease, measures of insulin sensitivity, diabetes, blood lipids, or measures of obesity were mixed. longitudinal) generally showed inconsistent results that were weak or non-significant. When looking at adjusted analyses only, the picture is still inconclusive. The majority of analyses show non-significant associations, and the significant associations reported show a mixed picture with both positive and inverse associations observed for several outcomes. Whether a lowering of dietary GI and GL should be part of the dietary recommendations for healthy populations is, in our opinion, still debatable. The evidence from this review is not strong, aside from a small protective effect of GI on a few outcomes.”http://www.encognitive.com/files/%20%20Academic%20Journal%20Should%20glycemic%20index%20and%20glycemic%20load%20be%20considered%20in%20dietary%20recommendations.pdfYou eat a lot of starchy foods. Your glycemic index, however that may be calculated, may be higher than someone on an Adkins or Paleo diet. But you eat whole, unprocessed foods and exercise regularly. Jason, with your focus on things such as macros and GI/GL, I am beginning to think you are simply trying to find ways to convince yourself that you or your diet are unhealthy! The GI/GL thing reminds me a bit of the BMI—unnecessary and unhelpful. One doesn’t need a GI/GL, if one is on a WFPB diet. And one only need to see if a person has belly fat to determine if they are overweight. No BMI needed.I have a question for you. I am contemplating taking out my amalgam fillings by a dentist skilled in doing so. Amalgams are up to 50% mercury. I am just fearful of the dentist, and repercussions—like root canals—from the drilling out of the amalgams. I’ve watched these videos, and read up on it a bit. http://iaomt.org/basics/I’m leaning towards removal.Sorry for your losing what you’d already typed (I know how that feels), particularly as your responses are so informative…which is why I’m a little embarrassed that you ask me for advice on mercury containing dental amalgams. You probably know more about that than do. It seems to me that probably hundreds of millions of people have them, and so are in the same boat.I’m sure I have some. My gut instinct would be to’let sleeping dogs lie’, figuring that removing them might actually increase your mercury absorption. At least I’d research the topic thoroughly before doing anything. Let me know what you find!My precursor post is located below this subthread (below jj’s post and my reply).As to my preoccupation with macro-nutrient ratios, perhaps this is due to my early practice of Macrobiotics, which itself had several different diets or regimens: for example, the infamous diet # 7, which was nothing but (unrefined) cereal grain (no fruit or vegetable) to which some hippies committed themselves excessively, in the attempt to reach Enlightenment–some apparently dying from insufficient nutrition. The Number Seven diet and the other numbered diets were devised by the modern, but somewhat doctrinaire Japanese founder of Zen Macrobiotics, George Ohsawa, but later practitioners of Macrobiotics, while abandoning strict “diets” as being often counter-productive, still held to the ideal of ‘principal’ food: that grains should constitute the mainstay of human diets (as they pretty much had since the advent of civilization); that vegetables and beans were secondary, fruits, nuts, and animal products tertiary (depending on climate), and other items were to be avoided or to be consumed rarely. Nothing was verbotten to a free, healthy individual; Ohsawa famously said that “He who cannot smoke, drink, eat fruit or meat is a slave.”The idea of proportionality and that nothing was absolutely forbidden (theoretically even Heroin or Meth in small enough doses) was intellectually appealing to me, though it is hard to hold these two nearly diametrically opposed concepts in the mind at the same time. We usually yearn for either more discipline or more freedom, not both–yet haven’t all great artists and creators demonstrated that we need both freedom and discipline? It may take a lifetime to master these, but I still believe in some kind of proportionality, which is represented by things like food pyramids and now, food plates. Of course these are just guides, but I do believe that there are profound differences between a food plate devised by, say, Michael Greger and one devised by Loren Cordain, both in terms of effects on the body–e.g., in some easily measured things like LDL cholesterol and blood sugar, as well as effects on the mind–the less easily measured things like whether one is a materialist or more spiritual, and for the latter whether that spiritual belief is among the more ‘Yang’ monotheistic religions, which tend to have jealous gods, or one of the more ‘Yin’ polytheistic or non-theistic (e.g., Taoism) ones–where religious practice tends to be more a matter of self improvement, like Yoga.You could say that religious belief tends to be an accident of birth, and to some degree this is true, though certainly less than in the past. Nowadays, if one is a Westerner, he or she can freely choose what type of diet to follow, as well as what type of religious belief (or non-belief, if one chooses) to hold. Of course I don’t mean to imply that religious belief implies spirituality, for there are plenty of materialistic, greedy religious officials, hucksters, and followers (wolves in sheep’s clothing), as there are some relatively disinterested and morally correct atheists. Spirituality merely implies a concern with things larger than the ego and the temporal. Macrobiotics held (and probably still holds) that more vegetarian inclined people tend to be less violent, domineering, and materialistic–and I pretty much agree. Still there is a branch of Christianity (Dominionism) where people take literally the passage in Genesis where God exhorts the people to dominate the plant and animal kingdoms (all other life) and dispose of them as they wish. You had Pat Robertson recently bemoan the fact that too many people have become slaves to their attraction to vegetables! So there’s certainly a faction–probably in just about any religion–which arrogantly believes Man is superior, and to a large degree insulated from the effects of his actions re: the environment, and for sure what kind of diet he follows.There are so many reasons to oppose an Atkins or Paleo diet besides physical health: environmental, economic, social, aesthetic, sentimental (compassion for animals), sensory…Macrobiotics explained all of these nearly 50 years ago, so there is really nothing new here. Dr. Greger (probably wisely) limits himself to facts on physical health, and so omits all the psychological Hippie notions which attracted many back in the 60’s and 70’s, but I still think they are perhaps even more important than the immediate physical stuff–unless one has a serious or acute health problem. It seems the majority has been going in the wrong direction, not merely from over-consumption of trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and other processed junk, but in following low carb high (animal) protein fad diets. A world of seven billion people needs to eat LESS animal protein, not more. We already eat too much protein. Ohsawa may have been a total non-entity as a nutritionist, was no doctor (though he treated people), but was fundamentally right when he said that money = violence when it came to food. He said if a country had 100 million people and produced 100 million apples, you had the right to eat one apple, no more. This is the concept of social justice: that taking more than our share implies that others go without. This notion probably appears to many as communistic, but if you think about it, it is true. Of course I don’t literally follow it, and we also have imports, but thinking globally, the only ways to eat high protein diets as suggested by Atkins and Cordain is to a) spend more money, raising the price, thus taking away from others without your money; or b) increase production via factory farms. Both alternatives are unpalatable to me, plus I prefer vegetables.A Paleo diet consisting of 55% fat calories, 30% protein calories, and 15% carbohydrate calories may be as healthful for some as a WPF diet consisting of 55% carbohydrate calories, 30% fat calories, and 15% protein calories may be for others. Both diets may be micro-nutritionally adequate, especially when amenable to supplementation. But the Paleo diet is more expensive, more environmentally destructive, less socially just, crueler to animals…as well as a mass delusion reminiscent of other mass delusions Americans have participated in recently: the idea that one can return to an idealized past which never really was and could never be in this day and age. The Paleo dieters are a lot like the followers of Ron Paul or other ‘Paleo-conservatives': certainly preferable to the status quo, whether SAD or SAP (Standard American Politics), but nevertheless unrealistic for most people–and I say this as an admirer of Paul. All seven billion of us cannot subsist on grass-fed beef, sorry. A modern country like the USA needs to have a national health plan–and I say this cognizant of the many faults of the American profit-driven healthcare system. We can’t simply expect that all 320 million of us will fend for ourselves.Sorry for the rant and the digression. I came to the diet (whether Macrobiotics, or its modern descendant, WPF diet) because of its philosophy, not my clinical health. I have to believe that something is noble or socially good before I’ll do it, unless something is twisting my arm.Point taken on GI/GL: they are pretty much useless. I agree that the BMI is flawed, but am nearly obese and do have abdominal fat (waist = 40″), so I think it’s a (very) rough measure.Gary Taubes I wouldn’t exactly term ‘dumpy’ looking, though I haven’t seen any very recent photos of him. MacDougall had a funny video showing all of these people and contrasting them with the thin whole plant folks. I don’t know if the statistical sample of diet gurus is big enough to be significant, but I’m sure it’s a very strong correlation. Of course we’ve known from the epidemiological studies from the 50’s of Ancel Keys and before that Westerners tend to be fatter, as well as have more CVD than non-Westerners, and this is mainly attributable to diet.While I generally don’t like Taubes, I did find his article on salt to be thought-provoking. I’m sure I could find some common ground with some Paleo folks–just as I can with the Ron Paul guys–but one Paleo fellow really went overboard when he recommended up to 7 grams of sodium. That’s out of this world, devil dare or devil may care (take your pick). There’s a juvenile macho element to today’s Paleo/Crossfit community which is the polar opposite of the Macro-Hippie community of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Of course America’s been in revolt against the late 60’s just as the hippies were in revolt against their parents. We sure like drama. But taking 3 grams of sodium may not be bad, even though I restrict myself to a gram or so because of hypertension–and I’m not sure I’m salt-sensitive.Finally, the whole diet inventory thing isn’t that time-consuming, assuming you more or less eat the same kinds of foods everyday, which I do. Not every vegetable needs to be inventories, for some have minuscule calories. I’ve stopped taking inventory now, as I’ve got about 5 weeks under my belt, and have ascertained my macro ratios (about 60-30-10) as well as significant deviations from micro-nutrient RDA’s: in my case, Mg and fiber over triple, K double, Ca and Fe about 60% higher than recommended. My n-3 to n-6 ratio is roughly 1 to 3, and I get over 10 grams of the former, thanks mainly to flax seed. I take B12 supplements and get plenty of sun. I think I’ve got my bases covered. Several months from now I’ll probably do the diet inventory thing again.Just another small addendum, again, as I misquoted Ohsawa and realized I didn’t address the issue of arsenic in rice, which is important, as I eat Thai red rice most days, and could be getting more than my quota of arsenic, especially as I live right next to a rice paddy and drink well water. The upside is I don’t get any fluoridated water. (That’s another reason for avoiding sweets and junk foods). Rice is principal food for people in Asia, but I also incorporate oats and buckwheat, and would eat rye and quinoa if they were affordable and available. I think wheat and corn are probably less desirable grains, but OK in moderation for most people. Never cared for millet.There was a Lord Peter Wimsey detective novel as I recall (‘Strong Poison’) wherein the murderer accustomed himself to taking arsenic daily, thereby building up a tolerance/immunity to it, while doing in his rich relative with (he thought) impunity. I wonder if this is true? I don’t think I suffer from the usual side effects of arsenic poisoning, like stomach aches and lack of appetite (I never get stomach aches and have strong and steady appetite). But I have had intermittent kidney problems (high BUN and creatinine); don’t know if this could be related to arsenic intake.The Ohsawa quote was actually, “He who cannot smoke, drink, eat fruit or meat is a CRIPPLE” (not a slave). Makes much more sense, especially when you consider that inveterate smokers and alcoholics are slaves to their vices. I still don’t think even very moderate smoking is a good idea, but I don’t have anything against a very occasional puff on a pipe or cigar (cigarettes are more insidious).But the Ohsawa quote leads me to the concept of the occasional vice as a counterweight to the usual virtuous routine we all try to follow. If one is 99% virtuous, but occasionally smokes, drinks, or eats animal products is that better or worse than being 100% compliant? Might there be pitfalls in being perfect–psychological or spiritual, if not physical pitfalls? I think very probably.Jason. I’m back! House issues, 90-hour work weeks, trip to Mexico, fruit tree planting, etc., kept me on the sidelines. Hope things are well. Will give “quick” response to your last messages.Re: Arsenic. It’s naturally occurring in the environment, so getting it completely out of our systems is probably impossible. Rice, for some reason, more readily absorbs arsenic found in the soil than your average plant. http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/ucm319948.htmThe real problem is where the rice is grown in soil with lots of extra arsenic, e.g., contaminated soil from industry (like China) or by way of the use fertilizer consisting of chicken feces from factory-farmed chickens fed feed laced with arsenic (like in the southern US) . Consumer Reports says that rice from India and CA have the lowest levels. I have also started implementing the cooking suggestions to reduce arsenic (I think in a video on this site or the Consumer Reports’ article): 1.) rinse the rice thoroughly before cooking; 2.) cook in excess water; and 3) dispose of excess water and rinse rice again. Or just eat white rice, which has very low levels compared to brown rice (sacrificing some of nutrients that brown rice has, of course).Re: Arsenic Tolerance. Yes, it is possible for humans to become tolerant to arsenic: http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/population-found-adapted-arsenicAmazing how adaptable organisms are.If you’re well water has high levels of arsenic, it is probably safe to say that your rice from the adjacent paddy has even higher levels. But you’d have to test that.Re: Wheat and Corn. Why do you say wheat and corn are “probably less desirable grains”?Re: Smoking. Never done it. Aversion to sucking in smoke into lungs. Any type must be bad to some extent. Will be interesting to see if lung cancer rates start moving up again in states that have legalized marijuana.Re: Ohsawa and Being “Virtuous”. I read a bit about the macrobiotic lifestyle/philosophy. Very interesting. Never heard of it before. Sounds like a WFPB diet with a splash of oriental mysticism (labeling some foods “yin” and others “yang”). I’m not a religious or spiritual person. I do appreciate self-reflective philosophies and ways of life. But what is 100% “perfect” or “virtuous”? Who decides the standards? Who judges? “[T]here is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Shakespeare. In other words, there is no right or wrong other than labels put on things by humans, based on their individual or group needs and wants. There is no universal, objective standard for right or wrong. Smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating animal products may be held, by some humans, as bad. But, if one looks at occasional smoking for ceremonial purposes by native peoples, drinking alcohol during times of poor sanitation and plumbing where alcohol was a sterilized liquid free of harmful bacteria and the well water was not, or eating meat where and when it was the only way to have enough calories for survival, then one cannot say participating in such activities was not moral or perfect. I guess I take a more pragmatic, philosophical look: do the least amount of harm as one can to oneself, others, and the environment. No one is “perfect” because perfect does not exist except in the fickle minds of the person(s) claiming to know such a state of existence.We need fiber for a lot of reasons! This has been the answer to a lot of medical condition. I myself have been suffering from hemorroids and according to bit.ly/1855tgI it is one of the best remedy for such condition. I can now proudly say that I’m hemorrhoid free!	Africa,animal fat,animal products,beans,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,corn,dietary guidelines,Dr. Denis Burkitt,fiber,heart disease,heart health,Japan,Lifestyle medicine,medical education,medical profession,mortality,Native Americans,plant-based diets,processed foods,salt,squash,Standard American Diet,stool size,sugar,vegans,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6283683,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1406058/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21308015,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2320559,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1072556/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8450092,
PLAIN-43	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/	Organic Milk and Prostate Cancer	Researchers have expressed concern that since cow’s milk contains estrogens, dairy could stimulate the growth of hormone-sensitive tumors. The thought is that the consumption of dairy products could both “promote the conversion of precancerous lesions or mutated cells to invasive cancer and enhance the progression of hormone-dependent tumors.” This was initially postulated based on suggestive population-scale data like a 25 fold increase in prostate cancer in Japan since World War II. What was happening to their diets during that period? A 5, 10, and 20 fold increase in eggs, meat, and dairy consumption, respectively, whereas the rest of their diet remained pretty stable. But diet wasn’t the only major change in Japanese lifestyles over the latter half century. Similarly, even though countries with higher milk consumption tend to have more prostate cancer deaths and countries with lower milk consumption fewer deaths, there could be hundreds of confounding variables. But it certainly does spur interest in studying the possibility. A recent study from Clemson University represents the other extreme, controlling for as many factors as possible by isolating prostate cancer cells out of the body in a petri dish and dripping cow milk on them directly. The researchers chose organic cow’s milk, because they wanted to exclude the effect of added hormones so that they could test the effect of all the growth hormones and sex steroids found naturally in milk. They found that cow’s milk stimulated the growth of human prostate cancer cells in each of 14 separate experiments, producing an average increase in cancer growth rate of over 30%. In contrast, almond milk suppressed the growth of these cancer cells by over 30%. But just because something happens in a petri dish or a test tube doesn’t mean the same thing happens in a person. It’s just suggestive evidence that we can use in a grant application to get money to study actual people. This can be done with a retrospective (looking backward) study where we take prostate cancer patients and figure out what they ate in the past, or a prospective (looking forward) study where we look at people’s diets first and follow them for a few years and see who gets cancer. The looking back kind are typically referred to as case-control studies, because researchers look at cases of cancer and compare their diets to controls. The looking forward kind are often called cohort studies because a cohort of people is followed forward. Then, if we want to get fancy, we can do a so-called meta-analysis, where you combine all the best studies done to date and see what the balance of available evidence shows. The latest meta-analysis of all the best case control studies ever done on the matter concludes that milk consumption is a risk factor for prostate cancer. And the latest meta-analysis of all the best cohort studies ever done also concludes that milk consumption is a risk factor for prostate cancer. An even newer study profiled in my video, Prostate Cancer and Organic Milk vs. Almond Milk, suggests that milk intake during adolescence may be particularly risky in terms of potentially setting one up for cancer later in life. Despite hormone-related cancers being among our top killers, as pointed out in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, “we simply do not know which hormones, and how much, are in the food that we ingest. More effort has been directed at the investigation of illicit use of designer steroids by Olympians and ballplayers than to the investigation of the effect of dietary hormones on cancer and other diseases that affect millions.” A proposal is therefore made to monitor levels of steroid and other hormones and growth factors in all dairy and meat-containing foods, though to date this has not been done. I touched previously on the prostate cancer data in one of my oldest videos, Slowing the Growth of Cancer. Other factors may play into the link between cancer and dairy consumption including industrial pollutants (Industrial Carcinogens in Animal Fat) and IGF-1 (How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1?), but for more on the hormones in dairy see: What about all the studies suggesting milk “does a body good”? See my video Food Industry “Funding Effect”. 	I can’t play the video….This is a blog entry only, without a video. However the names of related previously published videos are mentioned within the text and you can view these by clicking on them.There is no video it is an article.Article titled “Organic milk and Prostate Cancer”, yet no mention of organic milk. ALMOND milk only alternative mentioned…It’s in the fourth paragraph, second sentence “The researchers chose organic cow’s milk…”The reference is here: “The researchers chose organic cow’s milk, because they wanted to exclude the effect of added hormones so that they could test the effect of all the growth hormones and sex steroids found naturally in milk.” in the 4th paragraph,Organic milk also contains naturally occurring estrogen, the amount is dependent upon the gestation period in which the cow is milked. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=naturally+occurring+estrogen+in+raw+milkWhat role might the phytoestrogens in soy and other plant based foods have in tumor growth?In epidemiological studies, soy consumption is shown to both prevent cancer as well as increase survival rates in those already diagnosed. In vitro studies using isolated soy phytoestrogens show favorable epigenetic effects and enzymatic inhibition. By overwhelming scientific consensus, it can be stated that the soy phytoestrogens, as well as those found in other foods such as flaxseeds and other beans, are protective against cancer.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11064-010-0142-2#page-1They play no role at all, They are not actual estrogens. That dairy industry talking point has been debunked. See Here: https://vimeo.com/111054783 and here: https://vimeo.com/109373842Um… doesn’t look like you read the article very carefully. Definitely DOES mention organic milk.I’m wondering if the nuclear bomb hitting japan might have beenLinked to cancer increasesI lost what I’ve just typed I think, the information on the correlation between the atomic bomb, Fukushima etc can be found at : http://www.rerf.or.jp/index_e.html with a lot of conjoint research between the U.S and Japan. You can select English or Japanese version of the site at the top right hand corner of the website. Another site from Japan confirms Dr G’s report about Dairy , meat, fat may be linked with prostate cancer . They also mentioned calcium, I am not a Dr so unsure of which type. They also mentioned an animal protein called IGF-1 , which is linked with prostate cancer.Has there been any studies using raw milk vs almond milk?I’ve read (e.g. in an article by Dr. Mirkin – well known sports medicine doctor) that for some reason, there’s no evidence yogurt has the same effect. I’d appreciate hearing from anyone with information on this.Did Dr. Mirkin provide any sources for that claim?From what I understand, the main problem with dairy is its signalling proteins–specifically, leucine, which stimulates IGF-1 and mTOR growth signalling. https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/07/23/anti-cancer-diets-whats-the-deal-with-dairy/Yes, Dr. Mirkin always provides references. I located his blog post and got the reference. http://drmirkin.com/men/is-lifestyle-responsible-for-our-epidemic-of-prostate-cancer.htmlhttp://www.jurology.com/article/S0022-5347(14)02524-5/pdf PD31-06 DAIRY INTAKE AND PROSTATE CANCER RISK: RESULTS FROM THE CALIFORNIA COLLABORATIVE PROSTATE CANCER STUDYGood question! One of my projects as graduate student in nutrition was a review of the literature on dairy foods and prostate cancer risk, so to my knowledge there is some evidence for yogurt but not as much as there is on dairy foods as a group or milk in particular. Many of the studies that look at dairy consumption combine yogurt with other dairy foods and do not analyze it separately. Other studies do look at yogurt separately but have a very narrow range of intake in their study, making it difficult to draw conclusions about risk. To illustrate, I have linked a couple of the larger studies below.The Multiethnic Cohort Study did not show an association between yogurt consumption and prostate cancer risk, but the highest grouping of intake was >40 grams per day (less than 1/4 cup).In contrast, the EPIC Study did show a significant increase in risk with higher consumption of yogurt (17% increased risk for the highest intake group with a median of 57 grams per day).If you are interested, the review I did was published in Oncology Nutrition Connection and you can access it here. The section I originally wrote on yogurt was not included, however, as they were looking for a shorter article and the evidence for yogurt was simply not as robust as other dairy foods.RAslam: This post is really helpful because a lot of people have posted questions on NutritionFacts about dairy yogurt in particular as opposed to dairy in general. That’s cool that you have looked into the issue so deeply (or as deep as exists right now). Thanks for sharing.Thanks very much! Your comments and links are very helpful.Hi David! It may be helpful to think of all the health problems created by dairy use rather than specific dairy foods being higher in this or that cancer. The milk protein itself, casein, accounts for 87% of milk is naturally carcinogenic.In addition to prostate cancer, dairy causes cardiovascular disease [http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/], [[http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/], autoimmune issues, allergy issues, crib death and autism [http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/],hormone issues [http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/], saturated fat, trans-fat [http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/], cholesterol, hormones [http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/], and puss.Thanks for the feedback. I agree with you, and am very concerned about prostate cancer. But diary is known to reduce gout flare ups and so for a vegan like me who has had them, it seems natural to think about eating some dairy. I was surprised to read one study that found vegans have higher uric acid levels than meat or fish eaters, and vegetarians the lowest of all dietary types (perhaps because of dairy). Perhaps that was so because many of the vegans in the study were eating refined carbs, but I don’t think this was investigated. Anyway, that’s what sparked my interest in low/no fat yogurt as perhaps the least harmful dairy product overall with one positive benefit for those with gout.I thought uric acid came from the break-down of proteins…(not carbs)?Here’s a link to a good description:http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=51Uric acid comes from the breakdown of purines, not protein. Purines are in DNA/RNA and are the result of the body breaking down cells. But there is a connection to protein – foods high in protein tend to be high in purines. I don’t understand why plant purines are less likel to cause gout flare ups but that’s what Choi found:Choi, H. K., K. Atkinson, E. W. Karlson, W. Willett, and G. Curhan. “Purine-Rich Foods, Dairy and Protein Intake, and the Risk of Gout in Men.” N Engl J Med. 2004 350(11): 1093-103.Choi, H. K., S. Liu, and G. Curhan. “Intake of Purine-Rich Foods, Protein, and Dairy Products and Relationship to Serum Levels of Uric Acid: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.” Arthritis Rheum. (2005). 52(1): 283-9..Can you share the reference of the study?Happy to:Serum Uric Acid Concentrations in Meat Eaters, Fish Eaters, Vegetarians and Vegans: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in the EPIC-Oxford Cohorthttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3572016/I’ve just read this meta-analysis of 32 cohort studies published earlier this year. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25527754 The authors concluded that “high intakes of dairy products, milk, low-fat milk, cheese, and total dietary and dairy calcium .. may increase prostate cancer risk.” They discussed but didn’t state any conclusions on yogurt. The RR for yogurt intake in the five studies they looked at was 1.08 per 100/g day. Interestingly, they found whole milk protective. (RR per 200 g/day . 98) Has anyone on staff looked at this meta-analysis? If so, could you provide some insight?I have been reviewing this meta-analysis in more depth–and want to point out that while the study concluded that whole milk may be somewhat protective, it identified two fairly recent studies showing an association between prostate cancer and risk of progression to fatal disease. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3542910/Thanks for these pointers. I don’t have access to the 32 cohorts study but will read the other one.I am horrified that I encouraged my three children (2 boys an 1 girl) to drink milk when they were growing up (as is the praxis in dairy-traditional Sweden where I live) thinking I was doing the right thing. All that dairy at home and school, thinking it was a good source of calcium, yet this country has the highest rate of osteoporosis in the world.Have always bought organic food, even though it is very expensive here and I have very small means. Think food is more important than clothes or anything else you spend money on, as it is an investment in your health. Recently been learning about plant-based diets through my daughter (19) who is vegan and through this site. I make only vegan food when she visits and I like it too. I drink organic soy milk myself now instead of cows milk.In general I’ve always eaten very little meat (and nearly always organic). Always said I could easily be a vegetarian since I like all of those vegetarian foods. (Or at least a pescetarian); I grew up right on a little fishing lake in Michigan and like eating fish and love seafood. Haven’t eaten meat in a long time now, but have eaten fish with my boys. I’m scared to death of chicken since I’ve learned more about it. Have been avoiding cheese for a while, but find it’s really tempting,My oldest son (21, lives on his own) was influenced to purchase more fruit and vegetables by my daughter. He hasn’t changed the rest of his diet however. He is very physically active and trim but smokes unfortunately (that cough of his really scares me). Though cigarettes aren’t as bad as all the things he used to put in his body and brain, if you get my drift (he’s been clean for over a year), so I can’t push too hard.The youngest is 15 (who lives mostly with his father) has some problems with weight gain due to medications and an extremely sedentary lifestyle because of agoraphobia and extrem social anxiety. Been trying to get his father to at least use lower fat dairy products (which my son eats no problem when he’s with me) but my ex-husband doesn’t listen well to others, especially me, and he is not easily convinced of anything. My ex’s father has prostate cancer and his maternal grandfather died from it, so if there are any hereditary factors my boys might not be so lucky.I just hope the example my daughter is setting and my own attempts to change my eating habits will influence them in a positive direction. My ex has hypertension so I sent him an article about flax seeds and he seemed very interested, so there is some hopd.Stacey, I think a lot of us understand both your frustration with the misdirection of health based education over the decades and also the current issues surrounding what you now know in relation to reluctant loved ones! At least I do! Though nutrition will probably always be open to it’s areas of debate, so many of the facts get twisted by those with an agenda, and it just makes doing the right thing almost impossible for most people. I decided the best course ultimately, was to simplify to the extreme. It works on all levels for me because it is the cheapest route too! No animals products, and nothing processed…plant products as they come from nature, or mildly processed, as in cooking, fermenting, or simple ways of preserving. If I make bread I even grind my own grain, often sprouted first. A bit more work but also so satisfying on a gut level! (Ha ha, I made a punny!) Keep taking the best care that you can of yourself… and whoever else you can, and hope that they get the message. I know this is no help, but you aren’t alone in it!Thanks for your encouragement!I suggest try to find a local farmers market in your area. http://www.localharvest.org/ Just punch in the zip code and a list will show up, not only of farmers markets, but farms, meat suppliers etc. (I am not sure if you live in U.S. or not – this site may be limited to U.S.) Sometimes, produce from farmers markets are more reasonably priced. I live on a very limited income, so i understand your frustration and i’ve noticed prices are sky-rocketing where i live. Not a good sign. :(I also suggest look to acquire some heirloom seeds. Even if you don’t have land or a yard, produce can be grown in containers and also see if there is a community farm or co-ops in your area. These are merely suggestions, in the end you will make the decisions that work best for you and your family. :-)Yes, in time by taking steps yourself in your choices, will play an impact on other people in your life.Thanks for your suggestions. I live in Sweden. Food prices are among the highest in Europe. We have a value added tax (a type of sales tax, included in the sticker price) of 12% on food and 25% on everything else. Also there is a near monopoly with the few grocery store chains. Unfortunately many Swedes have the attitude that you should spend the least amount of your money on food, perhaps because it’s so unreasonably expensive. Of course, organic food is even more expensive. I recently bought organic cauliflower for about $5 a pound.There is at least another meta-analysis supporting the same conclusions (just thought it would be interesting pointing out as it is more recent): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25527754. It looks at dairy products in general but seems to look each product individually (milk vs cheese, etc).Hi, I would like a video about food for childeren (8-10 years old); should they eat meat, dairy, raw milk etc to grow? or what should they eat/supplement to max. there health. Thanks.The only way for an optimum healthy life is to consume raw organic foods. All your veggies should be certified organic, your meat should be pastured grass fed, milk should be raw, nuts and seeds should be raw and uncooked. This is how humans lived for thousands of years and how mother nature intended it to be.You post very cogent, well researched statements – kudos. Question: with something being certified ‘organic’ – is that a reasonable assurance, considering organic standards are not enforced? I try to buy local when I can. I knew some local farmers that were selling their produce/meats/products at a local farmer’s market…the FDA threatened to shut down their stands, since they used the term Organic. The farmers were very ethical and proud of their organic products. It’s almost as if the FDA owns the rights to the term Organic. I suggested, to just label their products are pesticide free, hormone free, etc. instead. ;-)When i first learned of the industrialized food system (Codex, FDA laughable standards, meat industry, GMO contamination of farmland, acquisition of seed companies from Monsanto and the like, etc) it was disturbing. :O Luckily, farmers are banding together, and defending food freedoms and independence. Buy clean (heirloom seeds! I can’t stress that enough, for anyone that reads this….).USDA is the agency in control of organic certification; FDA considers (at best) proportions of organic ingredients in a processed, labeled product. The Natl Organic Standards Board decides details. Whoever hassled the farmers, they were selling their crop as organic without being certified; since the 1990s, that’s a Federal no-no, and so far has stopped a lot of fraud and frustrated some presumably honest but often not-well-informed farmers. If you have faith in a local farmer’s honesty AND knowledge, lack of certification is no obstacle. They just can’t use the word. Some go biodynamic and are certified by Demeter, whose rules differ a bit.ilse: Dr. Greger has several videos which discuss health issues regarding children. It is very important to note that none of videos support children eating any meat, dairy or eggs. There’s even one video where Dr. Greger quotes the famous pediatrician, Dr. Spock (sp?) as saying that no dairy is appropriate for children after they are weaned.It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes. Here are Dr. Greger’s general nutrition recommendations: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/But you have a fair point that children do have some special needs, and those are not specifically addressed by Dr. Greger’s materials. I think that the site VRG (Vegetarian Resource Group) has some great, well-researched materials regarding how to feed children healthy food. Check out these pages: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.php http://www.vrg.org/family/kidsindex.htmYou might also check out materials from the Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which is another wonderfully well-research source for information on healthy eating: http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/info_children.pdf http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/info_advchild.pdfHope that helps!Isn’t cow’s milk one of the harder milks for the majority of the population to digest? Also, since organic standards are not really enforced, could some of these issues be attributed to milk that is labelled organic, but in reality not? Organic gives the food companies a reason to jack up the price….but it doesn’t mean they are truly organic. FDA standards are abysmal.Again, the rules are enforced– by NOSB, founded by organic farmers as part of USDA. For a good critique of organics in the US, see Cornucopia’s ranking of nominally organic milks and eggs, and last November yogurts.I’d be curious to break it down even more: Was the milk they used pasteurized/homogenized. What about raw milk? Our family gets raw cow’s milk and I am no longer drinking it because I believe it might be causing inflammation and my dh is also doing an experiment and quitting it for awhile, however, my kids still drink some, but I have cut way back for them.Organic milk and raw milk are very different. Organic milk, while labeled organic, can still contain pesticides and it is pasteurized (heated to the point where vitamins and nutrition is destroyed) and homogenized (fat globules broken up). Raw milk is not pasteurized or homogenized. Raw milk retains all the natural fat and nutrition which actually help regulate the body and to lose weight. Yes, natural fat can help lose weight. They might as well used factory farm milk in this study. Such a shame to see deceiving studies taking place, misinforming the public. Make sure to drink Raw Milk, not Organic, because big corporations have tainted the “Organic” name.All milk is formulated to stimulate growth, especially I would think raw milk. It is not just the hormones that are directly absorbed and remain active in the human body, but also the proteins themselves. Animal studies with isolated casein protein, the primary protein in milk stimulated and promoted cancer growth to such a degree that 100% of the rats who consumed it developed liver cancer. In contrast none of rats feed plant protein, either wheat gluten or soy protein, developed liver cancer. 100:0 ratio! In humans cows milk has been shown to stimulate the production of IGF-1, which plays a central role in the progression of many types of cancer.The reason for this different reaction between plant and animal protein is the ratio of amino acids in the different proteins. Animal foods have more sulfur containing amino acids than plant protein, especially milk protein. So it is the very protein in milk that signals the infant mammal to grow, grow, grow! And the growth signal is controlled by the percentage of calories represented by protein. Slow growing animals like humans have milk with only about 5% of calories as protein while very fast growing like rats have milk with 50% of calories from protein. Cow milk runs about 20%-23% protein, and so provides a much stronger growth signaling than human milk. Not surprising really since a 60 lb calf needs to get to be a 600 lb cow in less than a year.And all of this is only important to infants. Adult of all mammal species including humans have no need for such growth signaling. When it is still given in adulthood it will still stimulate growth, but often not of the type desired. At the cosmetic level it stimulated the skin and can be the source of acne. At a more important level it stimulates the growth of cancer.Mammalian milk raw or pasteurized, organic or not, is definitely a functional food we all need to stay away from as adults.Well…. if you pour whiskey on prostate cancer cells in a culture, they will probably die. That does, unfortunately, not mean that drinking whiskey will kill a prostate cancer in a human body. Estrogen in milk will probably not make it through the liver (That’s why contraceptive hormones have to be modified to work when taken orally). More interesting in this context may be the increased exposure to dioxins and similar highly stable compounds of which some can mimick the effects of sex hormones. Prostate cancer grows best when nurtured by testosterone, while estrogen may have the opposite effect.Any sense of who funded the Clemson University study? [In future, would it not seem relevant to include who the funder(s) were of each study?)I am not sure. You can find the study here, but in the actual blog Dr. Greger always gives us the links.I posted my question because neither the video nor what I can see at the study link provides information about funders of the Clemson University study. So, I’m sorry to say, a response 3 months later which reads “I am not sure” is not helpful.Gotcha! Well thanks for telling me. Forgive the delay it’s just that we receive perhaps 300+ emails a day! Here is the answer to your question:“Funding for this study was provided by the Cancer Research Fund donated to Clemson University by Mr. and Mrs. James Creel and by the Healthcare Genetics Program, Department of Nursing, Clemson University”Many, many, many sincere thanks! It bolsters the study to know the funders are not the type likely to expect skew results.I would love to know if there has been any work done on other dairy sources (eg butter, and cheese), or is it all milk-focused?Hi nnmlly. These links will send you to everything we have on butter and cheese. All dairy products have lactose, which contain galactose (the sugar found in milk that may be harmful). Yogurt may have a bit less galactose, but it is still there. Milk seems to be the most destructive of the dairy foods, but yogurt and other dairy products like cheese (although the research is mixed), have been associated with increased risk of insulin-like growth factor, which can boost other disease risks like cancer. Another study shows higher intake of lactose (equivalent of 3 glasses of milk per day) may be associated with ovarian cancer risk. So yes, lots on milk, but still plenty of studies that lump dairy protein together showing a connection between lots of dairy products and cancer risk. For example, this study found high intake of dairy protein and calcium from dairy products and high serum concentration of IGF-I were associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. Perhaps it’s the amount that matters? Of course these are only observational studies, but they can help identify trends. Hope that helps answer your question. Take a look though some of this and let me know if you further questions.Thanks for posting this, JosephThank you so much for this reply.I live in a very dairy-focused country (New Zealand), but do not buy milk for my family on the basis of the available research (I can’t quite kick my occasional haloumi habit though).My child is completely dairy-free due to an intolerance. People often lecture me about giving her a calcium deficiency – the Diary campaign here is so strong, that many people think she should spend her childhood in hospital, unable to breathe, rather then forgo milk.I spent some time looking at the literature around calcium requirements and was rather shocked to discover that recommended intakes overlapped with levels known to cause heart problems in some demographics. My conclusion was that recommended intakes were likely higher than needed, and that a clean wholefood diet, heavy on vegetables and devoid of processed crap (along with plenty of outdoors activity) ought to suffice.Regardless – this is a happier, healthier home for being milk-free. Thank you for sharing your research.AnnaPlant-based milks should be fortified with calcium. Don’t forget the beans and greens! Huge amounts there, as well as sesame seeds, nuts, seeds, even dried fruits like figs, but yes make sure to get enough calcium for the kiddo! Sounds like you’re on the right track :)Yup – beans, greens, sesame seeds, nuts, seeds, figs all take a front row in her diet. It took a few years to get her to eat all these things voluntarily, but the perseverance was worth it – she happily munches through them as meals or snacks.She is four now, and she just made (with a wee bit of chopping help) the salad to go with our dinner, and it has all the above in it!Thanks for the reassurance!i drink milk	almond milk,cancer,dairy,eggs,estrogen,factory farming practices,farm animals,growth promoters,hormones,Japan,meat,men's health,metastases,milk,mortality,organic foods,organic milk,prostate cancer,prostate health,steroids	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249408/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12606246,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17704029,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15203374,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22043817,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11857417,
PLAIN-44	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/	Who Should be Careful About Curcumin?	Following flax and wheatgrass, turmeric is the third best-selling botanical dietary supplement, racking up $12 million in sales. Currently, sales are increasing at a rate of 20%. “Curcumin is a natural plant product extracted from the turmeric root and is used commonly as a food additive popular for its pleasant mild aroma and exotic yellow color.  It is widely considered unlikely to cause side effects.” However, just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s not toxic. Strychnine is natural; cyanide is natural. Lead, mercury and plutonium are all elements—can’t get more natural than that! But turmeric is just a plant. Surely plants can’t be dangerous? Tell that to Socrates. “In considering the validity of the widely accepted notion that complementary and alternative medicine is a safer approach to therapy, we must remind ourselves and our patients that a therapy that exerts a biologic effect is, by definition, a drug and can have toxicity.” It cannot be assumed that diet-derived agents will be innocuous when administered as pharmaceutical formulations at doses likely to exceed those consumed in the diet. Traditional Indian diets may include as much as a teaspoon of turmeric a day. Doses of turmeric that have been used in human studies range from less than just a 16th of a teaspoon a day to two tablespoons a day for over a month. On the other hand, the curcumin trials have used up to the amount found in cups of the spice, around 100 times more than what curry lovers have been eating for centuries. Studies have yet to show overt serious side effects in the short-term. However, if we combine high dose curcumin with black pepper, resulting in a 2000% boost in bioavailability (See Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin), it could be like consuming the equivalent of 29 cups of turmeric a day. That kind of intake could bring peak blood levels to the range where you start seeing some significant DNA damage in vitro. So just incorporating turmeric into your cooking may be better than taking curcumin supplements, especially during pregnancy. The only other contraindication cited in the most recent review on curcumin was the potential to trigger gallbladder pain in individuals with gallstones. If anything, curcumin may help protect liver function and help prevent gallstones by acting as a cholecystokinetic agent, meaning that it facilitates the pumping action of the gallbladder to keep the bile from stagnating. In one study, profiled in my video, Who Shouldn’t Consume Turmeric or Curcmin?, researchers gave people a small dose of curcumin, about the amount found in a quarter teaspoon of turmeric and, using ultrasound, were able to visualize the gallbladder squeezing down in response, with an average change in volume of about 29%. Optimally, though we want to squeeze it in half. So the researchers repeated the experiment with different doses. It took about 40 milligrams to get a 50% contraction, or about a third of a teaspoon of turmeric every day. On one hand that’s great—totally doable. On the other hand, that’s some incredibly powerful stuff! What if you had a gallbladder obstruction? What if you had a stone blocking your bile duct? If you eat something that makes your gallbladder squeeze so much, it could cause pain. So patients with biliary tract obstruction should be careful about consuming curcumin. For everyone else, these results suggest that curcumin can effectively “induce the gallbladder to empty and thereby reduce the risk of gallstone formation and ultimately even gallbladder cancer.” Too much turmeric, though, may increase the risk of kidney stones. As I mentioned in Oxalates in Cinnamon, turmeric is high in soluble oxalates which can bind to calcium and form insoluble calcium oxalate, which is responsible for approximately 75% of all kidney stones. “The consumption of even moderate amounts of turmeric would therefore not be recommended for people with a tendency to form kidney stones.” Such folks should restrict the consumption of total dietary oxalate to less than 40 to 50 mg/day, which means no more than at most a teaspoon of turmeric. Those with gout, for example, are by definition, it appears, at high risk for kidney stones, and so if their doctor wanted to treat gout inflammation with high dose turmeric, he or she might consider curcumin supplements, because to reach high levels of curcumin in turmeric form would incur too much of an oxalate load. If we are going to take a supplement, how do we choose? The latest review recommends purchasing from Western suppliers that follow recommended Good Manufacturing Practices, which may decrease the likelihood of buying an adulterated product. I previously discussed the role spices play in squelching inflammation and free radicals in Which Spices Fight Inflammation? and Spicing Up DNA Protection. Then out of the lab into the clinic with attempts to test the ability of turmeric extracts to treat joint inflammation with Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid Arthritis and Turmeric Curcumin and Osteoarthritis. I wish there was more science on wheatgrass. I just had that one unhelpful anecdote in my video How Much Broccoli Is Too Much? There is good science on flax though. See: More on gallbladder health can be found in my video Cholesterol Gallstones. And those who are susceptible to kidney stones should try to alkalinize their urine by eating lots of dark green leafy vegetables. See Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple Cabbage. Based on this new science on turmeric (lots more to come!), I now try to include it in my family’s daily diet. 	Today’s blog on oxalates was very helpful; I think I’ll cut back on the turmeric from 1 teaspoon to 1/2 a teaspoon or so, especially since I eat spinach every day too. Regarding the oxalates in cinnamon, are there any oxalate dangers in eating Ceylon cinnamon?I love how you can take a boring vegetable or bean, add the right mix of spices, and suddenly it becomes a delicious dish that everyone gobbles down.Very thought provoking research you’ve given us today. 2000% boost in bioavailability concerns as it might relate to how it effects other bodily functions in maybe a harmful way.I have a concern about the iodine that is added to regular salt. Does this synthetic form of iodine have any negative science behind it as far as not being healthy for humans? Does long term consumption of this food additive have negative consequences, even if ingested in sensible amounts (regardless of the sodium intake issue)?Basically, for those out there who don’t eat a lot of fish and would prefer not to eat anything out of the ocean, is this fortified salt as an iodine source safe? Thank you Dr. G. for any science on this.Yes, it is safe. Keep in mind that salt in processed foods is not iodized, however. Anyone whose main source of salt is processed foods may still need a source of iodine.When iodine was first added to salt to help ppl avoid goiters, there was no massive processed food industry. Therefore, adding a little iodized salt to a WFPB diet is not a bad idea.Read labels – most salt containing iodine in the US also contains DEXTROSE.Dextrose is just another name glucose. Your body and your brain run on glucose.Got curious and checked the label. There’s not even a single calorie of glucose in a single 1/4 tsp (1.5g) of salt. There’s more glucose in a placebo sugar pill.BTW If I were ever in a life-threatening accident, I would HOPE I’d be administered dextrose/saline solution to keep my body from going into shock.Oops. Forgot this.That seemingly never ending fascination trying to use a measurement of volume as a measurement of weight not helping the message. Tsp’s is like watching a toddler trying to cram a cube in the round hole, over and over and over again, if a kid keeps doing that after a certain amount of time the parents should start to worry a little bit. If a kid can learn……..The research used weight, the Good Doctor has converted the weight of that component found in a given volume of turmeric so we can measure/visualize the amount. Dr. Greger does a great job of explaining the science to the whole audience.Should be using metric exclusively, my bad.The doctor is an American; in the lab he uses metric, in his kitchen and garage/shop he uses English units. Get over it, were Americans, we don’t use metric exclusively and we don’t drive on the wrong side of the road.No that wasn’t so bad. It’s more so your tendency to be targeting Dr. G’s material for what you think is wrong. I see lots of good stuff!!This is somewhat off topic but when I was in junior high, the late 1960’s, the US was going to switch to metric but it turned out that it was too expensive for the auto industry to retool. Now the auto industry has retooled for some time and the US is still on the English system that even the English don’t use. It is time we americans got out of our comfort zone and made an effort to join the rest of the world. Perhaps NF could display both measurements since they are being internationally read. I notice my measuring cups have both english and metric. When we divide 5/8 by 2/3 doesn’t one convert to decimal to solve the problem?I too was in JH when the switch to metric fizzled. Unless there is profit in switching; it probably won’t happen quickly. Manufacturing and medical have been slowly changing to metric, even packaged foods usually have both systems. The latest cookbooks however are still old school. I only responded to Arjan to defend Dr. Greger’s delivery (not that he needs defending) as I find all his messages well composed and very understandable. I wouldn’t want to add additional work (displaying both measurements) to his plate. Indeed, when I read European articles no one bothers to include measurements other than metric for the American readers.That’s because we don’t want to check the internet or books to get an estimated average density of a substance to help us guesstimate a certain weight of something.We get a scale instead of a spoon and we weigh off 5 grams.Metric is easier and unavoidable because it makes sense, and it only remains an issue if you avoid using it. And it would just be polite to settle for once on a the system 96% of all mankind has already agreed upon, and the system that doesn’t require books full of conversion tables but is as simple as: http://www.geek-jokes.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_detail/public/images-gallery/USvsEU.png?itok=5TOSh7BoNo biggie for a spice when speaking of typical amounts used in cooking here in the U.S.. Do European cooks measure small amounts of dry ingredients in fractions of grams?So how does one know if one is prone to kidney or gall stones? In a normally healthy person is a gel cap filled with turmeric and a bit of black pepper a good thing or a risky thing? I feel like we’re getting mixed messages here.The simplest way to apply this, in my nursing opinion, is to use 1/3 tsp turmeric daily for preventive benefit; but if we have undiagnosed aches and pains, we should partner with our doctor to get evaluated and discuss any nutritional treatments.Let me add the metric conversion: 1 tsp = 0.6 cl; 1/3 tsp. = 0.2 clThank you. Just frustrated with the back and forth.LDGourmet, FYI, I’ve been taking turmeric capsules of approx.1 tablespoon (12 “00” caps) ,with 1 tablespoon capsules of cardamon and 1/2 tablespoon of tellicherry black pepper daily for 4 months. Oh, I forgot, 2 cups of blueberries also. I do this for cancer prevention and muscle and joint flexibility. I drink 60 to 80 oz of water daily, lift weights and run. I feel great at 62. Every – body – is different. This is working well for me so far. I also have several others healthy eating habits. My blood work is excellent. No health issues and my very high risk genetic cancer propensity is being held in check. Best wishes to you.You WILL know when you have one and it isn’t pretty! LOL. I’ve had both, excruciating! I no longer have a gallbladder, and had numerous recurrent bouts of kidney stones before going plant based and dropping 1/2 my body weight about 5 years ago. I hope I don’t jinx myself, but I haven’t had a problem since and eat way more of the supposed “offending” oxalic acid containing plant matter than I ever did before, so feel there is a lot more to the equation than meets the eye. I can’t be very specific or scientific, but I am quite sure it has everything to do with no longer consuming animal products, since other episodes of weight loss were of no help. Sure wish I knew about WFPB ages ago!!!You could also go to PubMed and type in curcumin, or any number of branded preparations, and read the thousands of positive studies. Here is one for Meriva:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21194249Actually plutonium is an artificial element so it is definitely not natural which is probably why it is so incredible toxic.Hi Jane’s Addiction,One study (http://tinyurl.com/o546uzv) from 2008 suggested that because much of the oxalate in cinnamon is not water soluble, it isn’t as available for the body to absorb, and to end up in the urine for excretion (thus affecting risk of kidney stones). In this study, the percent of oxalate that was water soluble in cinnamon was 6% vs. 91% water soluble oxalate in turmeric. The authors concluded that supplemental doses of turmeric, but not cinnamon, could increase the risk of kidney stone formation in susceptible individuals.However, this study sample was very small (11 healthy adults). Further complicating the interpretation of the results is the fact that plants are, well, plants. They are living organisms, and their composition can vary greatly based on soil conditions, pest exposure, heat, light, moisture, fertilizer use, and other differences in growing conditions. So, just because the cinnamon used in this study didn’t contain a lot of water soluble oxalate, that doesn’t guarantee another cinnamon source wouldn’t have higher amounts.In the end, I think it’s wise to be cautious about loading up on cinnamon (beyond the usual culinary amounts), if you have any reason to believe you are at risk of kidney stones – hHave you ever had stones? Has anyone in your family ever had them? Have you ever had blood or urine lab results that suggest this is a problem for you?If you really want to take cinnamon in supplemental amounts, you may want to talk to your doctor or pharmacist about it first. When taken in typical culinary amounts, I don’t believe cinnamon will pose a risk of kidney stones.I do running to keep fit and a couple of years ago I decided to try barefoot style running. I bought the shoes for barefoot style which have no absoprtion because one mainly runs with the front of the foot striking the ground. I found it ok but one day I caused swelling around the achilles tendon running for a bus barefoot style with a small rucksack on my back. I saw my local doctor and he said it was just a little inflamation and no serious injury had been caused. I did however sporadically get pain and swelling around my achilles tendon even after I had stopped running barefoot style. I decided a year ago to start consuming tumeric with my food, about a half teaspoon a day and I did notice after a couple of months this inflamation around the achilles achilles tendon cleared up. I also noticed that I ceased to have occasional pain around the joints that all runners experience after a hard run. I must admit it is difficult to confirm that it was the turmeric but before I started using it after strenuous workout I did feel quite sore but not anymore. I can’t quite get passed the horrible photo. Is that the best you could come up with depicting a pregnant women. ( I do appreciate the information on kidney stones)Ooops!! Good to know this info! I’ve just had a big glass of warm water with a squeezed lemon, tiny bit of Himalayan salt, and a tablespoon of curcumin, with some black pepper, because I was starting to feel fluey, with a sore throat and temperature. In just 30 minutes my symptoms disappeared, and I feel just fine! Amazing! But I guess it’s too much curcumin? Or maybe to have a big dose like this only when you feel something coming is ok?The article just posted (discussed in my post just now) says curcumin actually suppresses the immune response. In the case of a cold, this may be a good thing since the symptoms are largely an OVERREACTION of your immune system, whereas if your immune system is finely tuned you will experience no symptoms even though the charge of the rhinovirus is at full rage.Thanks very much for your response, Daniel! Wow, and all this time I have been thinking that curcumin actually boosts the immune system, as shown in quite a few studies. It is quite confusing to see how some studies say one thing and others say something completely different. Looking all over the internet, I find more sites where they praise the immune system boosting properties of curcumin than the opposite. How can we be sure? It happens with so many things. One example: Dr McDougall says that the potato is a fantastic food, and that we could live on potatoes alone. But Dr Greger says that potatoes are bad for us. I admire and respect both of them. What should I believe?So often, following the culinary practices of our ancestors is shown to be a healthier option. Because of this, I was not surprised to read that use of turmeric in cooking is probably a safer route than taking a curcumin supplement.The abstract of the new article posted on Facebook http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23701561 says, “colorants like curcumin exert significant suppressive effects on the T helper (h)1 immune activation cascade in freshly isolated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.” Does this mean we should moderate our turmeric intake no matter what, or is this yet another case of the sum of the whole food works better than the sum of its deconstructed parts?I am a healthy, fit (5’6″, 125 pound) 39 year old. After having 2 babies in 2 years, I had severe cholecystits and biliary colic while trying to nurse my newborn. I opted for cholecystectomy because it seemed the only way I could eat enough food to support myself and my baby. That was 7 years ago, and I still have less digestive comfort than I enjoyed prior to the surgery. I also experience intermittent alcohol and fat intolerance (holidays or birthdays may result in severe episodes of vomiting or diarrhea). I eat a plant based diet with ‘meat on the side’ several times per week. I suspect my liver becomes fatigued and am looking for a nutritional support for my liver. Curcumin has been suggested, but I only find evidence of it’s ability to support gall bladder function, which would not apply since I no longer have one. Any suggestions?I suggest looking at Dr. Greger’s videos and resources on liver health. He has suggestions for liver support. The curcumin may have additional benefits. Check with your doctor about using it or adding turmeric to your diet.First, I wish to say thank you Joseph and Dr. Greger for such a wonderful website.Now, as for the Turmeric supplement, I have started taking Turmeric Curcuma 450 mg one or two capsules per day a week ago. The reason I started taking Turmeric is for my osteoarthritis in my finger joints.I have developed number of side effects, just one week after taking it – some are really bad. So I did further research regarding Turmeric supplements. I came across an article called “The dark Side of curcumin”. After reading the article, and the fact that I have developed these side effects, I am not sure if I should continue to stay on this supplement. Here is the link to the article, just in case someone might be interested in reading it – http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1002/ijc.24967/asset/24967_ftp.pdf?v=1&t=ib9n9l6v&s=2f28030b10740c29731e314cd82821b8470dbfdeRegards, ZoraHi Zora. You are very welcome! I suggest if you started developing side effects to stop taking it. Does the same thing happen with straight turmeric powder? Although osteoarthritis is different from rheumatoid arthritis perhaps some of the same foods or treatments could be applied? Turmeric is not the only spice to help fight inflammation. Check with your doctor about alternative supplements and discuss the side effects from curcumin. Also the link you supplied doesn’t seem to be working for me.Thank you Joseph. I will stop taking the Curcumin capsules for now. I did try Turmeric powder a year ago or so, just once or twice – I just was not fund of this spice. I may try it again. I will keep looking into other kinds of anti-inflammatory remedies. I prefer to keep the pain and inflammation via food and spices if possible, instead of resorting to NSADs. I have removed all nightshades vegetables, all dairy food, wheat and other grains that contain gluten. I don’t eat soy products either. I am curious Joseph, what is your opinion on nightshade vegetables and arthritis? As for the link I provided, you are right, it doesn’t open for me either – not sure why. Sorry about that. But if someone wishes to read the article, one can google “The dark Side of curcumin – Wiley Online Library”. It should appear at the top of the page.Regards, ZoraThanks! I agree that if you can avoid taking NSAIDs (or minimizing) and instead find alternatives, than more power to you! Nightshades only affect so many people, but they can be more problematic for folks with arthritis. You could try introducing them back one at a time. You should know within a few days (at most) if the food is causing pain. I would hate to steer you in the wrong direction so please tread lightly and ask your doctor or a dietitian about an “elimination diet.” You can read the way we conducted the elimination phase of our dietary intervention for people with migraines. Nutrition intervention for migraine: a randomized crossover trial. That may help a bit.I’m Doctor Micheal Ibadin,I am the representative doctor of University of Benin Teaching Hospital(UBTH),I have been given the opportunity by the hospital management to advertise on net how we operate,we are specialist in organ surgery and transplantation of human organs, we also deal in the buying and selling of human organs like kidney and liver,if you are interested to sell your kidney to us,you are advice to get back to us with the email below so that we can proceed further. We are located in USA,MALAYSIA,INDIA and NIGERIA and our head office is located in NIGERIA. Please get back to us with the below email: ubthospital.representative@gmail.com	alternative medicine,bladder cancer,bladder disease,bladder health,calcium,cancer,complementary medicine,curcumin,DNA damage,flax seeds,gallbladder disease,gallbladder health,gallstones,gout,heavy metals,India,kidney disease,kidney function,kidney health,kidney stones,lead,liver disease,liver health,medications,mercury,oxalates,plutonium,pregnancy,safety limits,side effects,spices,supplements,turmeric	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-gallstones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22492273,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17900536,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10102956,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23594449,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12087559,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19721899,
PLAIN-45	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/10/now-hiring-new-employment-opportunities-at-nutritionfacts-org/	Now Hiring! New Employment Opportunities at NutritionFacts.org	It’s been a long-time dream of mine to bring a dietitian or other nutrition or medical professional onto the team to help answer everyone’s questions. When NutritionFacts.org began in 2011, I was able to personally respond to every comment, every email. Sadly those days are long gone, but an eager team of volunteers stepped forward to help. Alas, despite their Herculean efforts, hundreds of questions remain unanswered and our email backlog continues to grow. Wouldn’t it be great to have a place you could go to have all your nutrition questions answered (for free!) by someone you trust? Thanks to another rousing round of generous year-end support, we are able to make this dream come true. If you or anyone you know fits the requirements and is interested in dedicating yourselves to advancing a lifesaving cause, please apply through our Employment Opportunities page. Here are the details for this full-time work-from-home staff position: Role Use your expertise to answer questions on the website, over email, and through social media Requirements Responsibilities I’m excited to share that the manuscript for my upcoming book How Not to Die (fingers crossed for January 2016!) is nearing completion. Now I just need to get it fact-checked to the teeth in preparation for the publisher’s April deadline. This is where you may come in! I need to hire at least five fact checkers to work essentially full time next month to ruthlessly ensure its scientific integrity. If anyone’s ever described you as “anal-retentive” you might be perfect for the job :) For the Nutrition Director position, unfortunately we can only hire U.S. citizens or those legally authorized to work in the United States, but for the fact checker positions we can hire anyone anywhere in the world. Here are the details for the month-long work-from-home fact checker positions: Role At least five people needed to help factcheck Dr. Greger’s upcoming book Requirements Responsibilities Apply though the Employment Opportunities page. 	“Wouldn’t it be great to have a place you could go to have all your nutrition questions answered (for free!) by someone you trust?” Awesome news.And even more so regarding a book from Dr G!Well, good day to ask a question, if there ever was one! What happens to external applied oils and moisterizers that are applied to the skin/face? Do they simply remain 100 percent outside the body, or do these oils seep into the body and eventually make there way to the liver and other organs for processing? I don’t like the idea of having even natural oils sitting in my body, unprocessed possibly, for years on end, unable to be eliminated? The other oil/skin ointment issue that concerns me is zinc oxide, as zinc oxide (the one that is used as a sunscreen) naturally contains a fair amount of lead, according to my research (at least 2PPM). How would the body process that zinc and lead if it is entering the body not from the mouth, thus, not going through the proper or able elimination channels?.Yes, they are absorbed through the skin. They have solved EFA deficiency issues with Omega 6’s this way.They say don’t put on your skin something that you wouldn’t eat.Wonderful news!!!!…..New Book……have been wondering about that for years now….. ;-))) And WONDERFUL news!!!! That you have secured the resources to hire some tremendous talent to enhance the value of this site for all who likely need it most!!!!Keep up the GREAT work. You and YOUR T E A M are the B e S t!!!!Happy Vegantine’s DAy!!!!!From a devoted daily reader/365 days of the year!!!!! (Hit a new low weight/have now dropped 65 pounds/within 10 pounds of my High School weight/1972 grad/and I was running 11 miles a day at that time….. Have never felt better!!! Veganist/Nutritarian/Human.David K.FoodLover: Thanks for your note. Your progress is wonderful. Congratulations!Maybe Dr. Greger could get Emily Deans M.D. psychiatrist motivated to try and find flaws in the book. She’s the lady that pretty much saved my brain with her choline tip from her site: http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.nl/p/map.htmlShe does nutritional health support too but from the complete opposite angle, she highly educated and has a scientific mindset. If anyone can find flaws or points to open to argumentation she can, someone with a different point of view can pick up things people sharing the same points of view as the author won’t. Most serious participators here are pretty much on the vegan or WFPBD train.It couldn’t hurt to ask as one M.D. to another, who knows maybe the two sides end up shaking hands and help each other filling in some blanks when it comes to diet, maybe even solve the riddle of equal lifespan between vegetarians and omnivores.I know one thing, if you really want something quality tested, bring up the biggest guns you can find and let you them have at it.Great news about the book. I can’t wait. I think making sure the book is scientifically airtight is critical to its acceptance. I know Dr. Greger and his team will do a bang-up job.The Nutrition Director sound like Darryl’s Job :DCould Nutritionfacts supply employees to a Online University Library?	jobs	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-46	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/	Why Pepper Boosts Turmeric Blood Levels	“Historians from all around the world have produced evidence to show that apparently all primitive peoples used herbs-often in a sophisticated way. Quinine from Cinchona bark was used to treat the symptoms of malaria long before the disease was identified, and the raw ingredients of a common aspirin tablet have been a popular painkiller for far longer than we have had access to tablet-making machinery. Indeed, today many pharmacological classes of drugs include a natural product prototype that we originally discovered through the study of traditional cures and folk knowledge of indigenous people.” There’s a plant in South Asia called Adhatoda (from adu meaning “goat,” and thoda meaning “not touch” because it’s so bitter even the goats won’t eat it). It has compounds that help open one’s airways and as such, Adhatoda tea has been used traditionally to treat asthma, where the leaves are steeped with black peppercorns. Leaves steeped with black peppercorns? That sounds gross to me—why would they do that? Because they’re smart. Back in 1928, scientists discovered what the people evidently already knew, that adding pepper increased the anti-asthmatic properties of the leaves. Black pepper alone didn’t work: it was the combination. And now we know why. Just like approximately 5% of the spice turmeric is composed of an active compound called curcumin, about 5% of black pepper by weight is comprised of this compound called piperine. Curcumin is responsible for the yellow color of turmeric and piperine for the pungent flavor of pepper. Piperine is a potent inhibitor of drug metabolism. One of the ways our liver gets rid of foreign substances is making them water soluble so they can be more easily excreted. But this black pepper molecule inhibits that process. And it doesn’t take much. If people are given a bunch of turmeric curcumin, within an hour there’s a little bump in the level in their blood stream. We don’t see a large increase because our liver is actively trying to get rid of it. But what if the process is suppressed by taking just a quarter teaspoon’s worth of black pepper? Then you see curcumin levels skyrocket (See Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin). The same amount of curcumin consumed, but the bioavailability shoots up 2000%. Even just a little pinch of pepper—1/20th of a teaspoon—can significantly boost levels. And guess what a common ingredient in curry powder is besides turmeric? Black pepper. Another way to boost the absorption of curcumin is to consume it in the whole food, turmeric root (fresh or dried as a powder) because natural oils found in turmeric root and turmeric powder can enhance the bioavailability of curcumin seven to eight fold. When eaten with fat, curcumin can be directly absorbed into the bloodstream through the lymphatic system thereby in part bypassing the liver. How is it prepared in India? With fat and black pepper. Amazing how they could figure that out without double blind trials. (Though maybe it just tastes good, and it’s merely coincidence?) Their traditional knowledge certainly failed them with ghee, however, which is practically pure butter fat, which may explain India’s relatively high rates of heart disease despite all their turmeric. Why would we care about boosting curcumin levels? Learn why in my videos Which Spices Fight Inflammation? and Spicing Up DNA Protection, Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Turmeric Curcumin and Osteoarthritis. It’s also good to know Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric. I’ve previously covered this topic of food synergy in videos such as Apples and Oranges: Dietary Diversity and Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation that emphasize the importance of eating a variety of plant foods to take advantage of some of these interactions. The black pepper mechanism reminds me of the grapefruit (Tell Your Doctor If You Eat Grapefruit) and broccoli (The Best Detox) stories. A testament to the power of plants. The painkilling properties of aspirin mentioned in the video are actually found throughout the plant kingdom: Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods. In some circumstances, traditional medicine wisdom seems incredible (Tomato Effect); in others, dangerous (Get the Lead Out). But that’s what we now have science for! 	What about grapefruit? And does blocking it every day pose a risk, by disabling detoxification of other substances? Would by that line of thought taking in pepper or grapefruit a few days a week be safer than every single day?Good questions Athan. I look forward to the replies.Awesome info as always Dr GExactly my thought. We dump on many medical drugs because their method of action is often throwing a monkey wrench in a normal metabolic process, ignoring the fact that nature put that process there for a reason. I hope we get more NutritionFacts information on this broader, interesting matter.People don’t believe me but I love pepper in my smoothies. This is my flavor of the month: 1/2 Hass avocado 3/4 c wild blueberries 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper 1 t turmeric 1 t ginger 1 t Ceylon cinnamon 1/4 t cardamom 1/4 t cloves I’ll admit that I prefer mango to blueberries, but I go with the blueberries because they pack an even greater nutritional punch than mango. But, if you prefer mango, substitute 1/2 c mango for the blueberries, or maybe 1/4 c mango and 1/4 c pineapple. Now, if you’re off sugar like I am, then this will be plenty sweet for you. If not, you may want to add something like erythritol. (I personally couldn’t get behind the erythritol—I think it has a ‘taste’.)Jane,In your ingredient list you have 1 t turmeric and 1 t ginger. Is that teaspoon?Thanks,TomSmall t always means teaspoon in recipes.Large T means Tablespoon.Yep, that’s one teaspoon turmeric and one teaspoon ginger. Enjoy!thanks for the recipe, Jane, it will be my smoothie tomorrow:-) it has all the essential spices in it. Wonderful!Jane’s…what other liquid do you put in that smoothie? Do you use a bunch of ice or just water? Thanks!Just water. The wild blueberries are frozen, so they act as the ice.I love spicy food Indian food. Right by our office is a vegetarian/vegan Indian restaurant that serves dal with a severe kick. I may go there today for my turmeric fix and will add extra pepper. Dr. Gregor, I wonder if I can use Pabla Indian Buffet as a medical tax write off? Maybe if you write me a prescription!I have a question. In the transcript Dr. Gregor mentions that the nutrients in Turmeric is more absorbed with the addition of fat. Do we need to add fat to our dishes or does the amount of fat that naturally occurs in vegetables suffice. I cook by water sauteing my vegetables, so I do not add any other fat other than what naturally occurs in whole plant foods. I was wondering if perhaps I would absorb more nutrients by adding a little olive oil or something.Most fruits and vegetables have scant amounts of fat (olives and avocado are the exceptions). Grains don’t have much either. The best sources of whole plant-based fats are nuts, seeds and selected legumes (soy/tofu in particular).Sandy, I often use the water saute method for my vegetables too. A recent Dr. Greger post (sorry I cannot recall at the moment which one) suggests adding whole plant-based sources of fats, rather than extracted oils, to increase absorption of fat-soluble phytonutrients. Ideas, as stevebillig mentions below are nuts and seeds, or a tahini (made from sesame seeds) dressing and olives would work too.Great question! I have been adding some oil-based salad dressing to my raw spinach, arugala, and kale leaves at Dr. Gregor’s suggestion. Now I can see the need for adding butter to my steamed broccoli as well.wrong. dr.g doesn’t recommend butter or oil. stick to whole food plant sources of fats. nuts, seeds, avocados, olives. for example, avocado with your mexican food. olives with your pasta… seeds in your salad…lol. But butter tastes better. Actually, I don’t use cow’s milk butter, but rather smart balance margarine. Is using canola or walnut oil on broccoli better for you than butter? Certainly. The point was rather to compare trying to get the nutrition of vegetables in a dietarily insignificant amount of oil vs trying to get the nutrition of vegetables with no oil at all.If you MUST put something on your steamed broccoli or baked potato, try hummus! There IS a brand called World’s Healthy Gourmet that has only tahini in it….no extracted oils! Whole Foods carries it and some independent health food stores! Salsa is equally nice on them!I take a capsule of Turmeric, 400 mg. . Sounds like I should take black pepper about same time. Is I still effective to just use pepper at lunch/dinner?Wow, just the other day, Dr. G confirmed for me that pepper is required to increase the bio-availability of Curcumin (when taken alone), but is not necessary to add to Turmeric. That seems to be confirmed in the body of the article, but the title threw me off: “Why Pepper Boosts Turmeric Blood Levels.” I just hope I’m getting it right because I just bought a pound of Turmeric and love adding it to my smoothies… but I haven’t been adding the pepper.well, in that case black pepper is going in my smoothie tomorrow:-)But what about this recent study? http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0113993 “Piperine, a natural bioenhancer, nullifies the antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of curcumin in streptozotocin-diabetic rats” Addition of piperine to curcumin treatment seemed to lower the effect of curcumin alone on both markers for diabetes and antioxidant activity. How can this be?20 mg/kg piperine didn’t adversely effect the curcumin effects. The higher dose of 40 mg/kg did, and elevated ALT & AST indicates some liver toxicity. 40 mg/kg in a mouse, using FDA conversion factors, scales to 225 mg piperine for a 70kg human, the amount in 2.2 tsp of ground black pepper.And you were doing so great! mg/kg, mg/kg, mg/kg, mg, kg and then it all went south…. 2.2 tsp = voodoo science, even though your American beverage industry doesn’t think so :) http://youtu.be/MepXBJjsNxs?t=8m48sThanks for replying. I was surprised to see this. The subjects were rats. All of the dosages were pretty large weren’t they. The figures for blood sugar seem to show that curcumin alone was the most effective, followed by piperine; the combinations were less effective, with the high dose piperine combination the worst. Surprising.Thanks for the link to Indian cooking fats. India contains so many different food cultures. There are areas where ghee is the primary cooking fat; others which use sesame or coconut oil. The area I know best is Bengal where mustardy flavors are loved, and mustard oil is the traditional cooking fat. Lots of modern Bengalis, worried about erucic acid, cook with peanut oil and add mustard oil at the end for flavor. Mustard oil is dark gold, a little thick, and amazingly aromatic. It’s the one oil that still tempts me occasionally. I don’t think black pepper is commonly used in Indian food any more; tho it was the original peppery spice used in everything, it’s mostly been supplanted by the new world chilies, used whole or as chili powders.I’ve altered my prior post (I had 3 tabs open on mouse studies). 3.7 tsp is a lot of black pepper.I love mustard oil, which at the local Indian grocery is imported in the same bottles as sold in India, but labeled for massage use, For anyone on a low-fat plant based diet, aromatic oils like sesame and mustard are a great finishing touch.You nailed it Darryl! The only free oils I EVER use, and only rarely, are toasted sesame, a few drops upon serving, and a gift from my sister of truffle oil, used the same way. Either can totally change the character of a dish, and take it out of the realm of the ordinary for special occasions.Their traditional knowledge certainly failed them with gheeGhee is mostly for restaurant fare. Many more Indians cook at home with less expensive sunflower, peanut, or mustard oil. While sunflower and peanut oil didsn’t fare any better than ghee in this case control study, those who cooked with mustard oil appeared to have half the cardiovascular risk, and those who fried with mustard oil only a quarter of the risk, as the reference group which cooked with sunflower oil. As rats and pigs (unlike humans) accumulate erucic acid in their hearts, since the 1970s mustard oil has been labeled “external use only” in the US. Canola oil is similar, replacing nearly all the erucic with oleic acid, though with a poorer ω-3/ω-6 ratio.Canola oil still has an ω-3/ω-6 ratio of 1:2, which is decent enough. It is probably close the overall optimum intake ratio (which might be anywhere between 1:1 and 4:1). While I’m at it, let me dispel the common myth that canola oil is made from some genetically modified “Frankenstein crop”. The rape cultivars used for the production of canola oil have been conventionally bred to substitute oleic acid for the (probably benign) erucic acid and to greatly reduce the content of glucosinolates (no, not the toxic substances some tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorists make out of them, but the same beneficial, pungent-tasting anti-cancer compounds found in cruciferous vegetables). They are very popular in Europe, where genetically modified cultivars are not even allowed. In Northern America, most rape cultivars grown for human consumption have been genetically modified only subsequently to make them resistant to Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup – like many other crops. If you don’t shy away from oil in general I think that unrefined, expeller-pressed canola oil (which has a nice nutty flavor and still some glucosinolates) makes a great complement to virgin olive oil.Timar: re: “…dispel the common myth…” Great post! I have a hard time explaining to people that canola oil is not something to feared. I try to stay away from all oils myself. But if I’m going to have an oil, I think that canola oil is a very good choice.Dr. Gregor, Does it matter what type of fat when combining turmeric and fat to enhance absorbtion? Will olive oil or coconut oil yield the same result as dairy or animal fat?“One of the ways our liver gets rid of foreign substances is making them water soluble so they can be more easily excreted. But this black pepper molecule inhibits that process.”So does this mean that pepper is actually very bad for you when put on seared beef or chicken?Dr. Greger:THANK YOU for the wonderful, life-changing and life-saving information you provide. My comment on your statement: “One of the ways our liver gets rid of foreign substances is making them water soluble so they can be more easily excreted. But this black pepper molecule inhibits that process.”In my case, I don’t want to inhibit this process! Who knows how such inhibition affects us? Potent curcumin effects can be obtained in multiple ways, including via the UCLA formulation that does not contain oil or piperine and has been shown to remove amyloid plaques, as well as the Japanese formulation Theracurmin.‘How is it prepared in India?…Amazing how they could figure that out without double blind trials.’In fact, Dr.G, they had something much better [from Wikipedia]’ Ayurvedic (Medicine) practices include the use of herbal medicines, mineral or metal supplementation (rasa shastra), surgical techniques, opium, and application of oil by massages.(as well as dietary protocols) Originated in prehistoric times, some of the concepts of Ayurveda have been discovered since the times of Indus Valley Civilization and earlier.[(3300–1300 BCE; mature period 2600–1900 BCE)’ Yup, these guys were like people of ancient Iraq (who invented mathematics,architecture,hydraulics,medicine, &much more), but now are called ‘savages’…This is a fantastic article on so many levels. It is yet another example of the powerful health benefits of turmeric as can be seen on all the other NutritionFacts videos http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/ but also powerful effect of the consumption of combinations of whole foods and many interactions that can occur from meals high in a variety of phytochemicals from different plant foods. Should we be focusing on getting small amounts of turmeric each day combined with other spices, vegetables and whole starches such as legumes combined with a source of fat from whole foods such as ground flaxseed or small amounts of walnuts rather than focusing on how much of the active ingredient of turmeric we should be taking in capsule form each day? Is this not what traditional Indians or Okinawa Japanese did through out their lives, who had very low rates of cancer compared to Western countries?I am a cancer patient and I am interested in boosting my immunity. What is your opinion on the vitamin C drip as a treatment for cancer?Hi Doc, I have stage 4 carcinoid cancer. It is supposed to be a chronic disease but, I still have hope. The only thing that has shrunk my tumors so far is everolimus…and not much. Do you have any suggestions as far as tumeric/curcumin or anything else that you think might help? Thanks, EdWill whole peppercorns break down if I take them along with my turmeric pills? Thanks.	alternative medicine,aspirin,asthma,butter,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,complementary medicine,curcumin,curry powder,fat,heart disease,heart health,herbs,India,liver health,malaria,medications,pepper,piperine,quinine,spices,tea,turmeric	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22048552,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2887943,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3917507,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22471448,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9619120,
PLAIN-47	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/	Foods That Fight Osteoarthritis & Inflammation	Osteoarthritis is the most frequent cause of physical disability among older adults in the world, affecting more than 20 million Americans. It is estimated that 20% of us will be affected in the coming decades and it is becoming more and more widespread among younger people. Can anti-inflammatory foods help with this disease? Osteoarthritis is characterized by loss of cartilage in the joint. We used to think it was just mechanical wear and tear, but is “now generally accepted to be an active joint disease with a prominent inflammatory component.” This is supported by the fact that, for example, there is significantly higher production of inflammatory prostaglandins from tissue samples obtained from the knees of people suffering from the disease. If the loss of cartilage is caused by inflammation, an anti-inflammatory diet may indeed help. A recent review concluded that using optimal nutrition and exercise as the “first-line” intervention in the management of chronic osteoarthritis could well constitute the best medical practice. What does “optimal nutrition” look like? The China study “showed the serious health consequences of high consumption of pro-inflammatory foods (meat, dairy, fat, and junk) and low consumption of anti-inflammatory plant foods (whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and beans, split peas, chickpeas and lentils).” The unnatural Western diet “contributes to low-grade systemic inflammation, and oxidative tissue stress and irritation, placing the immune system in an overactive state, a common denominator of conditions such as arthritis.” There are phytonutrients in plants that appear to help decrease the degradation of the joint cartilage, inflammatory activity, cell death and oxidative damage. This is based largely on in vitro studies, suggesting protective benefits of soy, pomegranates, citrus, grapes, green tea, and the curry powder spice turmeric. But my patients are people, not petri dishes. What role might the yellow pigment curcumin in turmeric play in the treatment of osteoarthritis? Obesity doesn’t just put more stress on our joints. The fatty tissue inside our joints—like in the kneecap itself—is a source of pro inflammatory chemicals that have been shown to increase cartilage degradation. Curcumin may not only help prevent the release of inflammatory chemicals, but may also slow the formation of the fat pad in the first place. But this has all been in test tubes. There have been two clinical studies published to date. The latest study took 50 patients suffering from mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis and gave them either the best available medical treatment, which included control with anti-inflammatory drugs and pain-killers, or the best available treatment along with some proprietary curcumin supplement. They looked at a number of different outcome measures, including the Karnofsky scale which goes up to 100 (normal, no evidence of disease), down to zero, at which you’re dead. The group with the added curcumin did significantly better, and were able to double their walking distance (see the results in my video, Turmeric Curcumin and Osteoarthritis). The curcumin group was also able to significantly decrease their drug use, side-effects, swelling hospitalizations, and other treatments. But it doesn’t have to be some fancy proprietary formula. In the other study, “The efficacy of turmeric extracts in patients with knee osteoarthritis,” about a hundred sufferers were randomized to ibuprofen or concentrated turmeric extracts for six weeks, and the curcumin group did as good or better than the ibuprofen group. Even though ibuprofen is over-the-counter, it can cause ulceration bleeding and perforation of the stomach and intestines (that is, it can eat right through your stomach wall). In fact, that happened to someone in the study. Whereas the side-effects of curcumin include potentially protecting against a long list of diseases. What about rheumatoid arthritis? See Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid. Also check out Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin and Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric. I think the only other video I have on osteoarthritis is Rose Hips for Osteoarthritis. Those unfamiliar with The China Study should read it! I also mention it in my video China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death. If, as described, oxidative stress and inflammation both play a role in joint inflammation, then that may help explain the role of turmeric. See my videos Which Spices Fight Inflammation? and Spicing Up DNA Protection. 	If you’re going to get turmeric from food instead of supplements, should it be raw or cooked to get the anti-arthritis benefits described here? I remember from previous blogs that some benefits of turmeric come from cooked and some come from raw.From the “DNA Protecting Spices” blog entry, it appears that raw is indicated for inflammation (the suffix “-itis” generally denoting inflammation):“In terms of DNA damage, the results from raw turmeric did not reach statistical significance. However, the opposite was found for its anti-inflammatory effects.” http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/Adding pepper to turmeric to inhibit liver enzyme production is fine for promoting curcumin uptake, but what about inhibiting normal liver function that is designed to remove other substances the liver sees as waste products or harmful compounds? Seems to me this is getting a little dicey. Those enzymes are there for very good, health promoting reasons. Let’s not get so absorbed in food as allotropic medicine and get back to trusting ordinary whole foods (whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes) as the best way to build and maintain health. Once you start down the food-as-medicine path you need to get concerned about dose, frequency, and unintended consequences. I hear those concerns coming out in the comments below. Back to basics, people.Agree with you Dr. Dave, though not sure why you are addressing this to me?I am not a medical person or researcher. While considering ordering piperine (black pepper fruit extract) to up my absorption of turmeric, I found this study done on rats, http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0113993, which indicates that piperine nullifies the antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of curcumin. I love black pepper so will continue consuming it as a condiment; however, I am not going to use the extract.Further reading, leads me to believe that ginger increases the efficacy of turmeric and possibly other nutrients. I am now adding 1/8 t. ginger powder to water and drinking it before taking my Organic India turmeric capsules which also include curcumin extract. I am also drinking the ginger powder water as I am weaning myself off Ibuprofen and it does help cut down on my pain and inflammation. In addition, I add 1/4 t. of ginger powder to my morning smoothie.There is video about turmeric and how much better it works when you ingest it with black pepper. Make sure to check that out as well.When I take my turmeric supplement (I also eat curries but not often enough) I also make sure to have black pepper along with it just to make sure that I get max bang for the buck…or bang for the spice if you prefer.YES YES YES on the ground black pepper inclusion! It has been proven to increase our absorption of this mighty plant food! I’ve read that both FRESH AND DRIED (powder) turmeric is equally good for our bodies!!! yay!Your memory serves you well! Consuming turmeric as a whole food, either fresh or dried, or as a powder can boost its bioavailability. Combining the powder with fat in a meal as they do in India helps turmeric be absorbed right into the blood stream. See this video for more details: Boosting the Bioavailability of CurcurminHow much “concentrated turmeric extracts” should one take? how much per capsule and how many capsules per day?I just take a capsule that has turmeric in it in the same dry and powder form as if you were to put it into your cooking, I have never seen an extract but they are probably out there.I thought about capsules, but for me they cost too much. So now I mix my grocery-store turmeric with applesauce. Usually I put it on a small plate (an orange one natch) and lick it all up, every last granule. However suits each of us is fine.Putting the turmeric in apple sauce is actually a pretty cool idea.Does the apple sauce kill the flavor, or is it just enough to tolerate?I actually like the flavor. However, a little bit of AS/Turmeric and some cinnamon? Use curry that you like with the turm in it? Mint oil? Etc?Check out this video for your answer http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/The video Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric is helpful and discusses who might want to avoid turmeric and how much may be helpful/harmful.Is concentrate tumeric (gold milk) dangerous with anticoagulant? I read it can cause bleeding.Hi France! Are you referring to gold milk as in the Ayurvedic recipe for cooking some turmeric powder in milk? If so, you do not need to worry about consuming gold milk (say, turmeric powder cooked in some soymilk or almond milk) with anticoagulant medications. Like who many products, however, it can become difficult to determine the drug-nutrient interactions with food concentrates. So typically, your safest course of action is to consume turmeric in levels one would normally find in regular dietary amounts. You can find more information about the possible concerns regarding turmeric consumption in the video Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric?Thank you for the answer, and yes I was referring to the Ayurvedic recipe.The link to the review doesn’t work … just sends me to the National Science Library.Hi Bruce, I got the same result when clicking on it. I’m guessing this is the actual source:http://www.hindawi.com/journals/arthritis/2012/560634/Raw? Cooked? Capsules? In food? How much?Kathryn there are a bunch of videos on Turmeric. Go to browse topics below.yes, Doc Greger has a BUNCH of awesome turmeric videos…I think they are among his BEST videos!!!THANKS!I don’t like the taste of turmeric in food. Is capsule form equally as good or better? If so, how much and how often is required to derive benefit?Check out this video. If you take it with black pepper the bioavailability of the curcumin in turmeric should increase enough to make capsules just as effective.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/Thanks!I can’t use black pepper to enhance the effectiveness of turmeric. What other options are there?Wiki+Wiki= Grapefruit and pomegranate, seem to block the same enzyme. But most of us will have seen warnings about grapefruit on medication, could be a bit too strong an inhibitor.NF team?Should one use the capsules of circummin & black pepper, even though that one is adding turmeric..(grocery store spice) to cereal, and a small amount in cooking as well ??Believe this one or not, but I actually put black pepper (12 to 15 turns on my pepper mill) straight into my smoothies. I do have tons of fruit in there as well along with some greens so I cannot even taste it at all. It could be that I am used to it.Try it in smoothies if you get the chance. Use fresh ground and just start off with a couple of turns of the mill to see how it works for you.I take turmeric in capsules or sometimes I just eat Indian curries. I tried putting turmeric into foods myself but a little goes a long ways and I have more than ruined a few meals so I stick to capsules or a vegetarian / vegan Indian restaurant option.As a side note – my smoothies end up right around 2 quarts when they are done blending so if you make smaller ones, cut back the pepper for sure.mjs_28s: I DO believe it! Several years ago, I got a recipe from PCRM for “mango lassi” that included black pepper in addition to frozen mango, non-dairy milk, and dates. (I think that was it. There may have been one other ingredient.) I was surprised at the inclusion of the black pepper, but it works *really* well. It helps to balance out the sweet taste in a good way. So, I totally see black peoper working with smoothies.One also has to pay attention to the quality of the turmeric; in some cases lead has been added as a filler (think of the lovely yellow colour in old paintings…) – so it is best to get organic turmeric!Lead…?I would like to know more detail about thism as in…who…when…where…links…source of info!I’ve noticed a reduction in arthritis pain with turmeric capsules along with an allergen free plant diet. Thanks for all these videos on the value of turmeric. Also, thanks for the further advice to stick to that China Study diet. All you all plant docs saved my life with your research and education. Thanks.Must the black pepper be taken right after the capsule or can it be take just with food the same or next day?Does anyone know if this would be helpful for Dupretins Disease?As far as I am aware, diet has no known role in Dupuytren’s Disease. The article linked below summarises current knowledge:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1963648/Someone asked for the amount of cumin – with all the authorities on here a simple answer would be nice rather than having someone do all the research!Hello genera, 1/3 tsp or 0.2 cl of turmeric (curcumin is within) daily is considered safe per the video: http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/Where can you purchase turmeric, in all forms? Reliable, reputable source that supplies us with what it says it is?Amazon sells a few brands of organic turmeric powder and several brands of capsules. It’s a good idea to buy organic turmeric because most of the turmeric sold in the US comes from India, which has to feed more than one billion people. To do that they have to maximize crop yields. The only way to do that is to use pesticide. There’re laws on pesticide usage but nobody follows them because of corrupt bureaucrats. They reportedly use some pesticides banned here decades ago.I have been juicing turmeric root in my green veggie juices. Is this an efficient way to reap the benefits of this spice?Stan, approximately 100 g of turmeric provides 53% of dietary fiber, one of its many benefits. Here’s a reminder of what happens when juicing foods: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/I have been using turmeric as an anti-inflammatory for a while. I take a high-quality turmeric supplement. The benefits I’ve experienced from the turmeric have been impressive…it helps my pain and swelling just was well as the stuff my Dr. prescribed. However, the turmeric doesn’t upset my stomach at all. I am learning more and more about the health benefits of turmeric that even go beyond it’s anti-inflammatory capabilities and am always looking for new ways to use turmeric in my diet.	aging,alternative medicine,animal fat,arthritis,autoimmune diseases,beans,cartilage health,chickpeas,China Study,citrus,complementary medicine,curcumin,dairy,exercise,fat,fruit,grains,grapes,Green tea,Ibuprofen,immune function,inflammation,joint disease,joint health,junk food,lentils,meat,medications,obesity,osteoarthritis,oxidative stress,pain,phytonutrients,polyphenols,pomegranates,saturated fat,soy,spices,split peas,Standard American Diet,tea,turmeric,vegetables	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23194896,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23143785,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15731292,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23487030,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23339049,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19678780,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22832078,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23312408,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22662293,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21194249,
PLAIN-48	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/29/dr-greger-takes-on-mediterranean-diet-in-new-dvd/	Dr. Greger Takes on Mediterranean Diet in New DVD	The Mediterranean Diet is an “in” topic nowadays, in both the medical literature and the lay media. More than 450 papers were published in the medical literature during just the last year alone, more than one a day. As a recent commentary noted “Uncritical laudatory coverage is the common parlance. Specifics are hard to come by: what is it? what is its history? why is it good? Merits are rarely detailed; possible downsides are never mentioned.” I answer these questions and more in a 6-part video series: They are all available right now as a video download as part of my new Latest in Clinical Nutrition volume 23 (all proceeds go to charity). It can also be ordered as a physical DVD. The Mediterranean videos are all scheduled to go up on NutritionFacts.org by mid-March, but you can download and watch them right now. The current batch of videos from volume 22 on NutritionFacts.org just ran out, so starting next month and running through April, I’ll be rolling out the videos from this new DVD, volume 23. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak-preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share them as gifts, but there is nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up free online here at NutritionFacts.org. If you’d like the works–40+ hours of video–you can get the complete DVD collection. Here’s the list of chapters from the new volume 23 DVD — a preview of what’s to come over the next few months on NutritionFacts.org: Order my new DVD at DrGreger.org/dvds or through Amazon. It can also be ordered as a video download at DrGreger.org/downloads.   If you were a regular supporter, you’d already be a Mediterranean diet expert by now, having gotten the new DVD last week! I now come out with DVDs every 9 weeks. If you’d like to automatically receive them before they’re even available to the public, please consider becoming a monthly donor. Anyone signing up on the donation page to become a $15 monthly contributor will receive the next three DVDs for free (as physical DVDs, downloads, or both–your choice), and anyone signing up as a $25 monthly contributor will get a whole year’s worth of new DVDs. If you’re already signed up and didn’t receive your volume 23 yet, please email Tommasina@NutritionFacts.org and she’ll make everything all better. 	Lots of good videos to come ! I can’t wait to see everything :) The DVD end with “How Much Fruit is too Much?” a video we were waiting for ! Dr Greger, what could we do without your groundbreaking life saving science based nutrition website ? The simple fact that everything will be out there for free is absolutely priceless ! It seem too good to be true, but it’s actually true. A million thanks !In the discussions of the mediterranean diet I have heard, I’ve never heard anyone factor in the fact that the mediterrean area tends to be warm. People who live in warm climates tend to get more sun exposure than people in cooler climates. Did any scientists explore the natural vitamin D levels in Mediterranean peoples?Does anyone know which post has the recipe for pumpkin pie sweetened with dates? It’s in here somewhere, but I have been searching around for a half hour and can’t find it. Any help would be appreciated!Coclesmary,The Healthy Pumpkin Pie recipe is a quick and easy way to get your daily antioxidants intake and can be found here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/Thanks for your help, I made it once and then was going crazy trying to find it again. By the way, Whole Foods has quite good whole wheat pie shells in the freezer department. I was impressed, and it makes the whole pie so easy.girer çıkarım ümraniye web tasarım da girerim cıkmam ama kurumsal web tasarım da önüme gelmeyin sakın siz nasıl dersiniz bilmiyorum ama ümraniye web tasarım firmaları rasında girişler hep serbest siz hiç firma rehberi gördünüzmü lan konuşmayın o ümraniye web tasarım firmaları zman sokar cıkartırım söyleyim bak site ekle dedikya en iyi reklam yerleri olarak hepinizin amın akoyum şerefsizler :)	DVD	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/09/dr-greger-addresses-saturated-fat-confusion-in-new-dvd/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-49	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/	The Spice That Helps Ease Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain	According to the World Health Organization, “80% of the Earth’s inhabitants rely upon the traditional medicine for their primary health-care needs, in part due to high cost of Western pharmaceuticals. Medicines derived from plants have played a pivotal role in the health care of both ancient and modern cultures.” One of the prime sources of plant-derived medicines is spices. Turmeric, for example, has been consumed over the centuries around the world. Turmeric is known by different names in different societies—my favorite of which is probably “zard-choobag.” Turmeric is the dried powdered root stalks of the turmeric plant—a member of the ginger family—from which the orangey-yellow pigment curcumin can be extracted. The spice turmeric is what makes curry powder yellow, and curcumin is what makes turmeric yellow. In the video, Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid Arthritis, you can see the molecular structure of curcumin. I always thought it kind of looked like a crab. In recent years, more than 5,000 articles have been published in the medical literature about curcumin. Many sport impressive looking diagrams suggesting curcumin can benefit a multitude of conditions via a dizzying array of mechanisms. Curcumin was first isolated more than a century ago, but out of the thousands of experiments, just a handful in the 20th century were clinical studies, involving actual human participants. Most of the 5,000 were just in vitro lab studies, which I’ve resisted covering until the studies moved out of the petri dish and into the person. But since the turn-of-the-century, more than 50 clinical trials have been done, testing curcumin against a variety of human diseases, with 84 more on the way. One such study got my attention. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder that causes progressive destruction of the cartilage and bone of joints. The long-term prognosis of RA is poor, with as much as 80% of patients affected becoming disabled with a reduced life expectancy. There are lots of drugs one can take, but unfortunately they’re often associated with severe side effects including blood loss, bone loss and bone marrow suppression, and toxicity to the liver and eyes. The efficacy of curcumin was first demonstrated over 30 years ago in a double-blind crossover study: curcumin versus phenylbutazone, a powerful anti-inflammatory that is used in race horses. Both groups showed significant improvement in morning stiffness, walking time, and joint swelling, with the complete absence of any side effects from curcumin (which is more than can be said for phenylbutazone, which was pulled from the market three years later after wiping out people’s immune systems and their lives). In the new study, 45 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis were randomized into three groups: curcumin, the standard of care drug, or both. The primary endpoint was a reduction in disease activity as well as a reduction in joint tenderness and swelling. All three groups got better, but interestingly the curcumin groups showed the highest percentage of improvement, significantly better than those in the drug group. The findings are significant and demonstrate that curcumin alone was not only safe and effective, but surprisingly more effective in alleviating pain compared to the leading drug of choice, all without any adverse side effects. In fact, curcumin appeared protective against drug side effects, given that there were more adverse reactions in the drug group than in the combined drug and curcumin group. In contrast to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), curcumin has no gastrointestinal side effects, and may even protect the lining of the stomach. Hard to appreciate the gorgeous color of fresh turmeric root unless you see it for yourself. You should be able to find it at any large Asian store. I incorporate it into my Natural Nausea Remedy Recipe. The inner color is almost fluorescent! I’m afraid followers of NutritionFacts.org are going to get sick of turmeric, but there’s a load of important new research I felt I needed to cover. So far there’s Turmeric Curcumin and Osteoarthritis, Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin and Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric? I’ve previously talked about treating autoimmune joint inflammation with diets full of plants in Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis and Potassium and Autoimmune Disease. If phenylbutazone sounds vaguely familiar, maybe you read my Q&A Is horse meat safe to eat? 	I for one love hearing all of this great new information about turmeric and I highly doubt I’ll ever get sick of it. Keep it up!There’s lots of great information regarding the extracts from turmeric. How beneficial is it to nosh the raw root? If it is beneficial, how much should one eat daily?So all this happens without black pepper?Costco is now selling Turmeric in capsules… Is this as good as cooking with it? I find it hard to eat a regular diet of Turmeric….In Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin and Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric?, I just found most of the answers to the question I posted 33 minutes ago.Please write some materials on which forms of circumin/turmeric are best to use. For example, is it good to take the gel caplets sold by some places such as Puritan’s Pride?I quit that brand once they began using those transparent colored plastic bottles. Mind-boggling stupidity to store light-sensitive nutrients in such things.Do you know the transparency of the plastic bottles? There may not be much uv-visible light getting through. As a safety measure they are superior to glass, they seem to be readily recyclable. I would not call that mind-boggling stupidity. Charity can go some way to ease one’s sense of sharing values in life.Pretty easy way to incorporate turmeric daily is to add 1 tea spoon of turmeric to boiling brown rice + some ground black pepper. The rice has a great colour and pretty decent taste. You can also add a spoon of olive oil, but I found that when I add oil the rice is a bit hard after 30 minutes of cooking. Also use the exact amount of water that will be absorbed by rice so you don’t lose anything.I’m not tired of hearing about the benefits of turmeric. It’s my #1 spice for fighting inflammation and joint pain. I went from dreading mowing the lawn and using the railing going down stairs (wondering if my knee might give out) to now doing different exercises during the wk. Like walking, squats holding a 25lb dumbbell, lunges (very tuff for bad knees) and squat thrusts for cardio and getting the blood flowing good. I was even able to include chin-ups and pull-ups again. No way you can do them with sore elbows at age 59.I don’t care for turmeric in my food but I have no problem dabbing some in 3 or 4 cups of hot green tea throughout the day.Full disclosure, I can’t give turmeric the full credit for eliminating my joint pain when 18 months ago I also eliminated all sugar, cakes, soda, and cookies. All dairy, eggs, and meat. And most processed food except for some cereal and bread. Just recently added back some sardines for some extra omega 3 and vit D source.Going on a diet of greens, beans, nuts, fruit and veggies was a massive change for me being a life long meat eater 3 times a day. I wasn’t sure my body would survive the shock…lol But it seems to be what my body wanted as I’ve seen many improvements, not just the joint pain.And getting the daily emails from Dr Greger and Nutrition facts does a good job of keeping me on the right track with the latest nutrition reinforcement. Thanks, GaryI and my dogs have been taking turmeric for about the last 3-4 weeks. Two of my dogs are 13yo and active. Though they show a bit less stiffness they are far better than before we started taking the spice. There is a closed group on FB that is run by a veterinarian in Australia called Turmeric User Group. Some of the results are astounding. Cancers are disappearing, stiffness is replaced by flexibility. These are not clinical trials, just ordinary people willing to help their animals and themselves. Does it work for everyone? No. Some of that has to do with the preparation and dosage. Those that are getting the best results are using organic turmeric powder. Most make it into what is called the Golden Paste which combines the powder with water and cooked over a low/med heat. After 7-10 minutes fresh ground black pepper and either coconut (cold pressed/organic) or olive oil (cold pressed/organic) is added. This batch is then allowed to cool and then put into sterilized jars and kept in the fridge. It will keep up to 4 weeks but is advised to consume within 2. It is also best to take it a few times during the day for it doesn’t seem to stay in the body very long.Kathi: Thank you so much for this post! I have an aging dog whom I love SO much. I’m going to give this a try!Kathi: Follow up questions: Why is oil added at the end? Does it make it taste better/easier to consume for the dog. Or is there an assumed health benefit?Also, what is the typical dosage given? (FYI: I have a giant breed dog.)Thanks!Do you recommend supplements over powdered turmeric for people with kidney stones. Are there no oxalates in the supplements?Dr. G I could never get sick of hearing about the benefits of – anything. Even turmeric. :-) I use it all the time now! With pepper. ;-)BTW I’d have to guess that a pure 100% capsules of Turmeric powder is fine.what is the best way to heat turmeric? You have mentioned that only the heated version of turmeric has dna repair properties.i’m an immigrant from south Asia and have been eating turmeric all my life. In small amounts, turmeric is tasteless; in large amounts, it’s bitter. This means you can add turmeric to anything in small amounts. I add it to rice dishes, curries, pasta sauces, soups, chili, stir-fry, baked foods, and so on.Nice Tip!that the reality we need more eticca medical system (and le interested on money)What Jane’s said. Never get tired oh cooking with, eating (or drinking), or hearing about turmuric.My grandmother has one of the most severe cases of RA recorded in Michigan and has suffered its crippling effects for years, along with terrible side effects of countless harsh drugs. However, last year she started taking doses of turmeric powder, and miraculously has been able to get off most of her medications!!! Her RA doc and everyone else is astounded. She has more energy and less pain than she’s had in years, it’s really quite amazing. The person that recommended it to her was my aunt, who suffers from fibromyalgia and takes turmeric, which also helps her inflammation. Thanks for spreading the word about this amazing yellow root. :)I’m going to second that! Though I also dramatically changed my diet which improved other health issues, tumeric has been a real blessing for RA and fibromyalgia, not to mention some really painful back issues, and even mental function. I had actually been on narcotics for almost 10 years because I was essentially bed ridden otherwise, and have been able to wean off of them completely. I am not pain free, but it is manageable now, I can even ride a bike! I used to think that people who were into the “health kick” were fringe lunatics, and now I am one and so grateful!…A happy grandmother!A caveat here is the possiblility of ingesting contaminated “natural remedies.” Poisonous herbs, lead, arsenic, DDT and PCBs often contaminate “natural” products. Check your garden or farm products for up to 200 noxious contaminants (take them to a friendly lab like at a technicn or university – or use the Pathology lab). Otherwise, purchase your products from Nutriceutical companies that manufacture under a Pharmaceutical licence and strict Good Manufacturung Practice, companies which check all their products for contaminants and guarantee high purity, quality and potency of products from Human Food farm produce – not rocks and sea algae not usually eaten by human-beings.Clicking the link to “Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric?” leads to the video “Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin” instead.MMR, thanks for pointing that out so we can get it fixed.I understand you should consume black pepper while using turmeric.Yes, with its piperine ~1% of the curcumin in turmeric. Since piperine is roughly 5-9% of black pepper and curcumin 3% of turmeric powder, black pepper should be a scant ½% of turmeric. For turmeric as dry powder, ¼ to ½ gram dose is common. How many turns of black pepper that averages, I haven’t yet measured; I use 7-8, likely too high.every day you use take turmeric or can you just use black pepper daily on food or otherwise?I have turmeric twice daily with black pepper, but you can also put pepper on various other foods, since it seems to potentiate many nutrients. Bon appetit!I’ve seen the same GI intolerance in some patients with COX hypersensitivity occur with curcumin. Wish it weren’t so. Not common, but more than absent.I have Crohn’s disease, which is also an auto-immune disease. This may be anecdotal, but a bowl of Indian food has always felt like comfort food to me. The link to turmeric suddenly makes sense. The responses to this article have given me some great ideas on ways to add more turmeric to my diet. Thanks.I was getting sick of hearing about all the benefits of turmeric, but then I ate some turmeric and my sickness went away.How could we ever “get sick” of your health-delivering information?! I love it all. It’s possible I’ve missed it in another video or blog, but I’m wondering HOW one should ingest turmeric? In food only, or as a supplement?Kathy, this video may answer your questions: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/Is this hype or gimmick or is this true? http://www.curcuminfullspectrumformula.com From: http://foodrevolution.org/?source=emailheader This is what Ocean Robbin wrote:In recent weeks, I’ve shared with you about the remarkable health benefits of curcumin, which is a pyhytochemical extract of turmeric.Thousands of studies have found that curcumin may reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s, and that it may be beneficial for your immune system, liver, digestion, and neurological function.Many of our members have been writing to ask me how much to take, how to take it in a bioavailable form, and where to get curcumin from a source they can trust.We’ve researched extensively, and we’ve found a resource that I’m excited to share with you.Check it out here.Quantum Wellness Botanical Institute has developed a curcumin supplement that includes a potent delivery enhancer which studies have found increases bioavailability by 500%. Their supplement is 100% vegetarian, organic, and non-GMO.Click here to find out more.Wishing you the best of health,Ocean RobbinsP.S. If you take advantage of this offer, Quantum Wellness Botanical Institute will contribute a portion of the proceeds to support the work of the Food Revolution Network. Check it out here. http://www.curcuminfullspectrumformula.comHi Lili. I am not sure? I get my turmeric at the store. Not sure of any research that promotes a specific brand. I may be missing something here though.Hope that helps. JosephWould it be wise to choose one that’s packaged in dark containers? Are spices sensitive to light?Perhaps, although I did not see anything on UV light and spices	alternative medicine,arthritis,autoimmune diseases,bone health,bone marrow health,cartilage health,complementary medicine,curcumin,curry powder,eye health,ginger,Ibuprofen,immune function,inflammation,joint disease,joint health,lifespan,liver health,medications,pain,rheumatoid arthritis,side effects,spices,turmeric,World Health Organization	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-horse-meat-safe-to-eat/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7390600,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16387689,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22407780,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19721899,
PLAIN-50	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	The Top Three DNA Protecting Spices	In my video Which Spices Fight Inflammation? I profile a landmark study that compared the ability of different spices to suppress inflammation. The study also compared the spices’ ability to protect DNA. Cloves, ginger, rosemary, and turmeric were able to significantly stifle the inflammatory response, but can they also protect DNA? If a tissue sample is taken from a random person, about 7% of their cells may show evidence of DNA damage, actual breaks in the strands of their DNA. If we then blast those cells with free radicals, we can bring that number up to 10%. But if the person has been eating ginger for a week, DNA damage drops to just 8%. In the video, Spicing Up DNA Protection, you can see a comparison of DNA damage in cells from people eating different spices. Those who hadn’t been eating any herbs or spices were vulnerable to DNA damage from oxidative stress. But just including ginger in our diet may cut that damage by 25%—the same with rosemary. Turmeric is even more powerful—DNA damage was cut in half. And this was not just mixing turmeric with cells in some petri dish: This is comparing what happens when you expose the cells of spice eaters versus the cells of non-spice eaters to free radicals and count the DNA fracture rates. And not only did the turmeric work significantly better, but it did so at a significantly smaller dose. One and a third teaspoons a day of ginger or rosemary was compared to practically just a pinch of turmeric (about an eighth of a teaspoon a day)—that’s how powerful the stuff is. I encourage everyone to cook with this wonderful spice. It tastes great and may protect every cell in our body, with or without the added stress. Counting the DNA breaks in people’s cells before and after a week of spices without the free radical blast revealed no significant intrinsic protection in the ginger or rosemary groups. However, the turmeric still appeared to reduce DNA damage by half. This may be because curcumin is not just an antioxidant—it also boosts the activity of the body’s own antioxidant enzymes. Catalase is one of the most active enzymes in the body: each one can detoxify millions of free radicals per second. If we consume the equivalent of about three quarters of a teaspoon of turmeric a day, the activity of this enzyme in our bloodstream gets boosted by 75%! I suggest cooking with it rather than, for example, just throwing it in a smoothie. Why? Because this effect was found specifically for heat-treated turmeric. In practice, many herbs and spices are only consumed after cooking, so the researchers tested turmeric and oregano in both raw and cooked forms. In terms of DNA damage, the results from raw turmeric did not reach statistical significance. However, the opposite was found for its anti-inflammatory effects. So we might want to eat it both ways. “Practical recommendations for obtaining curcumin in the diet might be to add turmeric to sweet dishes containing cinnamon and ginger.” I add it to my pumpkin pie smoothies (a can of pumpkin, frozen cranberries, pitted dates, pumpkin pie spice and some nondairy milk). We can also cook with curry powder or turmeric itself. The researchers suggest something called “turmeric milk,” which is a traditional Indian elixir made with milk, turmeric powder, and sugar. I’d suggest substituting a healthier sweetener and a healthier milk. Soy milk, for example, might have a double benefit. If you’re taking turmeric to combat inflammation, osteoarthritis sufferers randomized to soy protein ended up with significantly improved joint range of motion compared to dairy protein. For some other extraordinary benefits of spices, see: There are a few herb and spice caveats. See, for example: Too much turmeric may also not be a good idea for those at risk for kidney stones (See Oxalates in Cinnamon). Feel free to check out my Healthy Pumpkin Pie recipe for another way to spice up your diet. 	Oh…remember Al in Deadwood. Stones are not good!Thank you Dr. Gregor. I used to absolutely hate powdered turmeric but found that the fresh form delicious. I find it next to the ginger root in many stores. Fresh turmeric is delicious cooked with anything Indian and even better used in Ethiopian lemony yellow split peas called Kik Alicha. After discovering Kik Alicha, I also discovered the dry stuff isn’t too bad in it. Sambar is also OK made with the powdered kind. Capsules are another good way to get it down the gullet. I guess I make no sense, but want to say thank you for helping me in so many ways…even learning to like dried turmeric.Dr. Greger, did you also want to mention that the use of black pepper (piperine) when taken at the same time as the turmeric can boost blood levels of curcumin from the turmeric by up to 2,000%?Swing Dancer, I also wanted ask about the pepper? Is it essential to add it, or not? Maybe it just boosts the effects of something that is already pretty effective? What about the pepper Dr. Greger?Yes it is, it blocks liver enzymes from transforming it.Which method of heat treatment is most beneficial to use on turmeric? There are many ways one could heat it. Either in a water based medium or dry, and either using convection heat or microwave. I don’t want to ruin the benefits I need. Also, I assume regular standard store-bought turmeric you find in the tins in the spice sectiopn is suitable for this purpose?No Oil…!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_o4YBQPKtQLooks like he is having a mild panic attack or breathlessness crisis there ^^. Anyway I’m pretty sure you should look at NO OIL as don’t eat oil for the sake of oil: do not drown your salads in olive oil, do no eat fries or potato chips laden with fat, avoid emulsified oils (sauses) or hardened oils (spreadables).I think it is very unlikely he would push the discontinuation of all oil as either a heat conductor or transport medium of nutrients in carefully chosen tiny doses. Both require very small amounts of oil and frankly cooking would become exceedingly difficult and bland without some of it sometimes.I agree. I can’t prepare a satisfying meal without some oil. In practice, “no oil” means “no more oil than is necessary”. Perhaps, Dr. Greger will address this issue in detail.For what it’s worth, I dropped all oil use a few months ago and love my food more than ever before. I never would have imagined how easy it is to clean grease-free dishes.How much is too much turmeric? How much do you recommend per day?See this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/You can load a lot of turmeric and pepper into peanut butter, and spread it on bread or crackers. Very tasty savory snack.Pepper, oil, boiling……Too much guess work for me. I take a standardized preparation, CurQfen. Curcumin is combined with fiber derived from Fenugreek to form a highly bioavailable, sustained release product that is both water and fat soluble and crosses the blood-brain barrier. I understand Dr. Greger’s distrust of supplements and “fancy pills” but the fact remains that of the 7000-plus curcumin studies cited in Pub Med, the overwhelming majority involve some form of enhanced delivery system.For example, the very study Dr. Greger cites in the above paragraph with the words “boosts” highlighted in green used a lipidated curcumin supplement called Longvida.Hi Dr Gregor, Thanks for the info.. Does that mean that raw turmeric had no reading for protection against DNA damage? Or was it just that raw is better as an anti inflammatory? I eat a heaped teaspoon with black pepper in water daily – Im hoping this will also give me DNA protection.. ? Thanks!! Kateahhh this brings backs memories of tumeric milk my mom would make me consume the minute she saw us getting sick…n i hated it but had to drink it. Tumeric leaves a nasty stubborn stain on any counter so could never pour it down the drain or anywhere w/o my mom finding out ha!!Hey guys, I was inspired by this blog post to find and/or create a turmeric smoothie, since Dr. Greger says we should be eating turmeric cooked and raw. So this is what I came up with! 1/2 Hass avocado 1/2 c frozen mango 1/2 t turmeric 1/2 t ginger 1/2 cinnamon a few cracks of black pepper (yes, pepper in a smoothie!) : ) soymilk, almondmilk, or water (I used water) optional: erythritol or whatever sweetener you prefer (I didn’t add a sweetener) I actually LOVED this smoothie, even though I was afraid it would be gross. The ginger, cinnamon and pepper give it almost a chai kick, and the turmeric seemed to be working some magic in there too. And to me there’s nothing better than avocado and mango. So there you have it! A delicious smoothie that lets you get the benefits of raw turmeric curcumin and black pepper piperine.It blocks cytokines involved in ovarian cancer tumor/cell milieu that cause inflammatory based metastasis and cell growth too (EMT theory.). I am hoping it can also get into the mitochondria to quench ROS, vit E did not,, believed to cause multiple, random DNA breaks, recombination, amplifications and deletions of tumor suppressors. As a BRCA1+, preventing DNA assaults, is one of my approaches to avoiud overloading the cell, and remaining good allele. Thank you for your work. It is so validating and helpful to the cancer community.Hey There – I’m curious – are these studies done on fresh turmeric, or turmeric powder? I use the fresh a lot, but almost never the powder. I’d love some insight – thank you!	antioxidants,cinnamon,cooking methods,cooking temperature,curry powder,dairy,DNA damage,ginger,herbs,inflammation,milk,osteoarthritis,plant protein,protein,pumpkin,recipes,rosemary,soy,soy milk,spices,turmeric	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15636169,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23378457,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3518252/,
PLAIN-51	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/	The Top Four Anti-Inflammatory Spices	Once in a while I come across a study that’s so juicy I have to do a whole video about it (Which Spices Fight Inflammation?). A group of researchers at the University of Florida, Gainesville and Pennsylvania State set up a brilliant experiment. We’ve known that ounce per ounce, herbs and spices have some of the greatest antioxidant activities known. But that’s only ever been tested in a test tube. Before we can ask if an herb or spice has real health benefits, it is first necessary to determine whether it is bioavailable — whether the active ingredients are even absorbed. This had never been done, until now. The researchers could have taken the easy route and just measured the change in antioxidant level in one’s bloodstream before and after consumption, but the assumption that the appearance of antioxidant activity in the blood is an indication of bioavailability has a weakness. Maybe more gets absorbed than we think but doesn’t show up on antioxidant tests because it gets bound up to proteins or cells. So the researchers attempted to measure physiological changes in the blood. They were interested in whether absorbed compounds would be able to protect white blood cells from an oxidative or inflammatory injury—whether herb and spice consumption would protect the strands of our DNA from breaking when attacked by free radicals. I cover the DNA findings in my video, Spicing Up DNA Protection. They also wondered if the consumption might alter cellular inflammatory responses in the presence of a physiologically relevant inflammatory insult. What does this all mean? The researchers took a bunch of people and had each of them eat different types of spices for a week. There were many truly unique things about this study, but one was that the quantity of spices that study subjects consumed was based on the usual levels of consumption in actual food. For example, the oregano group was given a half teaspoon a day—a practical quantity that people might actually eat once in a while. At the end of the week, they drew blood from the dozen or so people they had adding, for example, black pepper to their diets that week, and compared the effects of their blood to the effects of the blood of the dozen subjects on cayenne, or cinnamon, or cloves, or cumin. They had about ten different groups of people eating about ten different spices. Then they dripped their plasma (the liquid fraction of their blood) onto human white blood cells in a Petri dish that had been exposed to an inflammatory insult. The researchers wanted to pick something really inflammatory, so they chose oxidized cholesterol (which is what we’d get in our bloodstream after eating something like fried chicken. If oxidized cholesterol is a new concept for you, please check out its role in heart disease progression in my video Arterial Acne). So they jabbed the white blood cells with oxidized cholesterol and measured how much tumor necrosis factor (TNF) they produced in response. TNF is a powerful inflammatory cytokine, infamous for the role it plays in autoimmune attacks like inflammatory bowel disease. Compared to the blood of those who ate no spices for a week, black pepper was unable to significantly dampen the inflammatory response. What about any of the other spices? The following significantly stifled the inflammatory response: And remember, they weren’t dripping the spices themselves on these human white blood cells, but the blood of those who ate the spices. So the results represents what might happen when cells in our body are exposed to the levels of spices that circulate in our bloodstream after normal daily consumption—not megadoses in some pill. Just the amount that makes our spaghetti sauce, pumpkin pie, or curry sauce taste good. There are drugs that can do the same thing. Tumor necrosis factors are such major mediators of inflammation and inflammation-related diseases that there are TNF-blocking drugs on the market for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and ankylosing spondylitis, which collectively rake in more than $20 billion a year ($15,000–$20,000 per person per year). At that price, the side effects better be hugs and rainbows. But no, the drugs carry a so-called “black box warning” because they can cause things like cancer and heart failure. If only there was a cheaper, safer solution. The spice curcumin, the yellow pigment in turmeric, is substantially cheaper and safer, but does it work outside of a test tube? There’s evidence that it may help in all of the diseases for which TNF blockers are currently being used. So with health-care costs and safety being such major issues, this golden spice turmeric may help provide the solution. See Antioxidants in a Pinch and How to Reach the Antioxidant RDA to see the extent to which even small amounts of spices can affect one’s antioxidant intake. Another elegant series of “ex vivo” experiments exploring the cancer fighting power of lifestyle changes can be seen in the videos starting with Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay. Mushrooms (Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation), nuts (Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell), and purple potatoes (Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes) may also reduce inflammation (along with plant foods in general, see Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants and Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods). In fact so well that plant-based diets can be used to treat inflammatory conditions. See, for example, Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease, Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Potassium and Autoimmune Disease. Animal products on the other hand may increase inflammation through a variety of mechanisms, including endotoxins (How Does Meat Cause Inflammation?), arachidonic acid (Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation), and Neu5Gc (The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc). 	Great article. Thank you. I was surprised that cinnamon was not on the list. Was that tested?Sounds like it was tested, Phil. “…..and compared the effects of their blood to the effects of the blood of the dozen subjects on cayenne, or cinnamon, or cloves, or cumin.”And I was surprised that cayenne wasn’t one of the four. I never would have guess cloves. http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/benefits-of-cayenne-pepper/This article perhaps in part shows that some spices can blunt the impact of meat eating, IGF-1 spikes, or other kinds of inflammation. This is the same list of spices that is recommended as the best at fighting cancer in vitro. The only spice recommended as high in ORAC but not included here is Oregano, which does not seem to be a known cancer fighter but is rich in anti-oxidants. Cloves, rosemary, tumeric (maybe with pepper), and ginger should be eaten daily to reduce cancer risk and inflammation risk. Drinking a cup or two of Chai or other cloves and ginger tea daily could add years to life or reduce injury. Rosemary tumeric, cloves, and ginger are all spices available in tea, are all known cancer fighters, and can reduce inflammation based health issues that can accumulate in life.You mentioned tumeric with maybe black pepper… you might be interested in Dr. Greger’s video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/ if you haven’t seen it.good information but best 5 out of 10 is not much of a contestI have to loose confidence of what is said here, Cayenne pepper deserves to be one of best.Cayenne pepper does have its place here http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/I wonder if it’s possible to eat too much of these spices?Yes. Because of oxalate absorption, keep it under a teaspoon of turmeric a day. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/ I wouldn’t go overboard on any of these. Small amounts are plenty. Everything is toxic in large amounts. Except whole fruit apparently ;)Ashton Kutcher ate only whole fruit and ended up in the hospital. There is such a thing as too much fruit.Too much fruit is only too much fruit if it replaces all other foods. Ashton Kutcher ate nothing but fruit. If he ate that much fruit in addition to a diet of whole grains, beans, greens and veggies, he would have had no problem.Dr Greger, I guess it would be considered a spice, but I am really curious if you can find out any legitimate info on nigella sativa, the infamous black seed, black caraway, black cumin, kalonji, and so forth! It has even more purported uses than it does aliases and it is said to cure everything but death! LOL! I use it a lot in and on bread and certain dishes for it’s very unique flavor, but recently I’ve been reading about it’s benefits everywhere, from the distant past to the present and am wondering how much of it is hype and how much is factual because the stuff sounds like a pharmacy! Google black seed benefits or something similar, it’s crazy! I think this site is the only place I can’t find anything about it! LOL!Nigella sativa has been far more extensively studied than unrelated Cuminum cyminum (ordinary cumin), appearing in the title of 1600+ papers. Most studies of N. sativa, its essential oil, or important components thymoquinone, alpha-hederin, and carvacrol have been in vitro or in animals, and many have found cancer chemoprevention, anti-tumor, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and indirect antioxidant effects.Studies of Nigella sativa in humans. most from developing nations where its long been a herbal medicine, report pluripotent effects: • relief of repiratory symptoms in asthmatics 1, 2 and chemical war victims 3 • reduction of seizures in intractible epilepsy in two studies 4, 5, but not a third 6 • reducted LDL cholesterol and triglycerides 7, 8, 9, 10, additive with statin therapy 11 • reduced blood pressure in hypertensives 12, 13, 14 • improved glycemic control 15 • topically effective against allergic rhinitis 18 and may reduce immunosuppresion from conventional therapy 19 • improved symptoms in rhumatoid arthritis 20 • relieved soreness in tonsilitis 21 • enhanced memory, attention and cognition 22 • stabilized mood in adolescents 23 • reduced opiate withdrawal symptoms 24 • improved semen quality in infertile men 25 • effective against tapeworms 26, • comparable to triple antibiotics in eradicating H. Pylori 27 • reduced hepatitis C viral load 28 and an an unusual case report, may have eliminated HIV 29Several papers report contact dermatitis from N. sativa essential oil, but the the most worrysome report of toxicity is that of acute kidney failure in a hopitalized diabetic taking N. sativa tablets 30.WOW Darryl, thanks, that oughta keep me busy for a while! The stuff really is amazing! I was surprised I didn’t find any mention of it here prior to your helpful response, as this is always my go-to fact checking central, whenever I have a health related question. I know he can’t possibly cover it all, but apparently this is a pretty hot item! Nature is so amazing! The more I learn, the more the line between food and medicine blurs, and the less pharmaceuticals seem to deserve the same term. A pharmaceutical drug’s focus is so singular and concentrated, which unlike the wide spectrum of complementary effects of the natural plant based herbals, seems ironically primitive by comparison! (Isn’t amazing how a shift in perspective can alter your entire reality? LOL)Just have to add in my thanks – this was a great article and it is so empowering to think that we can impact the course of diseases in our bodies. Makes me hopeful!!! Thanks, Doc – you rock!I would like to see the top ten not just the top four. I can’t use cloves. Rosemary only in small amounts in cooking. Do use ground ginger and turmeric in a tea but sometimes it seems that the system rebels. Am really into anti-inflammatory herbs for osteoarthritis. Would like to see more choices in any article by Dr. Greger because can’t always tolerate the specific items mentioned.Dr. Greger’s articles are mostly interesting and informative but too many times they just raise more ?’s that don’t have answers. There are a lot of answers out on the web but too much of it can’t be trusted.JJ you might have missed it. This is the article Dr Greger is referencing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23378457Thank you. Remember looking at it but was in a migraine aura and it wasn’t making sense. Wonder what the difference is between paprika and cayenne?Do you think dried/ground ginger and tumeric are better or fresh?The answer is probably…both. Benefits from each. I don’t think you can go wrong though with the standard dried sources though. Such small amounts are needed too.I use all those spices daily except rosemary. My girlfriend and I even put turmeric in our porridge.Thanks Doc, and thank you for your newsletters. Your information makes being vegan so much more wonderful. I am learning many good things that I can share with my family and friends. Keep up the good work. Stay well, do good deeds and spread the love.Before I start I would like to say that this site is my go to for nutrition.Anyways, I didn’t see anything here about “Milk Thistle”. I have U. Colitis and I’ve started using M. Thistle. I found results instantly especially in my energy level. There seems to be a lot of research on it out there. I was wondering if Dr. Gregor could look into it. It seems to be a great Liver detox (as well as other organs), protects mucus membranes, stim. Glutathione production.Regards, RobHi Rob. Thanks for reposting your question and glad you come here for nutrition info! I did find some research on milk thistle and UC. It seems milk thistle may be used in UC patients to maintain remission.Another one: Amelioration of experimental colitis by a novel nanoselenium-silymarin mixture.Hope these are helpful. I always take the stance if a herb or food can help the symptoms of a disease, so long as it does not cause additional harm, than no harm in trying.Best, JosephThanks Dr. I found it very powerful for my condition. I felt a difference right away. But it was a little too stimulating. I decreased my intake to 1 per day or 1 every other day (Milk Thistle Tea).ThanksThanks Doctor. This passed week I added milk thistle and increased mushroom intake for it’s Ergothioneine. I think with my UC (chronic condition) the Mitochondria was being affected. My Acupuncture Instructor puts emphasis on the mitochondria for health so that’s what sparked my interest here.Thanks again, RobGlad to hear you are finding solutions. I think acupuncture can help many ailments. Quick clarification: I am registered dietitian, not a doctor ;)Thanks again for your post, RobJosephDr. Gonzales, Do you know which anti-oxidant and/or anti-inflammatory compounds in foods cross the blood-brain barrier? What does their ability to cross that barrier depend on?Yes, polyphenols can. Check out the latest blog (I am sure you saw it) :-) on berries.So is it safe if I eat a lot of these spices via gelatin capsules? How much is too much? ThanksThose caps are so small I am not sure their impact. If worries about the gelatin can you find a veg capsule or buy spices in bulk? I always encourage using them in food preparation rather than swallow as capsules.	alternative medicine,ankylosing spondylitis,antioxidants,autoimmune diseases,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,Cayenne pepper,chicken,cholesterol,cinnamon,cloves,complementary medicine,cost savings,cumin,curcumin,DNA damage,ginger,heart disease,heart failure,heart health,herbs,inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,medications,oregano,osteoarthritis,oxidative stress,pepper,poultry,psoriasis,rosemary,side effects,spices,Tumor necrosis factor,turmeric	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23378457,
PLAIN-52	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/	Superbugs on Retail Chicken	One of the most concerning developments in medicine is the emergence of bacterial super-resistance—resistance not just to one class of drugs, like penicillin, but to multiple classes of drugs (so-called multi-drug resistance). In the 2013 Retail Meat Report, the FDA found that more than a quarter of the Salmonella contaminating retail chicken breast were resistant to not one but five or more different classes of antibiotic treatment drugs. Throughout history there has been a continual battle between humans and pathogens. For the last half century, this battle has taken the form of bugs versus drugs. When we developed penicillin, the U.S. Surgeon General declared, “The war against infectious diseases has been won.” However, the euphoria over the potential conquest of infectious diseases was short lived. In response to our offensive, bacteria developed an enzyme that ate penicillin for breakfast. In fact, bacteria can excrete such large quantities of the enzyme that they can destroy the drug before it even comes into contact. So we developed a drug that blocks the penicillin-eating enzyme. That’s why you may see two drug names on an antibiotic like Augmentin—one is the actual antibiotic (amoxicillin), and the other is a drug that blocks the enzyme the bacteria tries to use to block the antibiotic (clavulanate). But the bacteria outsmarted us again by developing a blocker blocking blocker—and so it goes back and forth. However hard we try and however clever we are, there is no question that organisms that have “been around for three billion years, and have adapted to survive under the most extreme conditions, will always overcome whatever we decide to throw at them.” So we went from first generation antibiotics, to second generation antibiotics, to third generation antibiotics. We now have bacteria that have evolved the capacity to survive our big-gun third generation cephalosporins like ceftriaxone, which is what we rely on to treat life-threatening Salmonella infections in children. Where are these super-duper-superbugs found? According to one study profiled in my video, Superbugs in Conventional vs. Organic Chicken, “almost 90% were isolated from chicken carcasses or retail chicken meat.” But what if we only ate antibiotic-free organic chicken? In the first such study ever published, researchers compared multidrug-resistant bacteria in organic and conventional retail chicken meat. All of the conventional chicken samples were contaminated; however, the majority (84%) of organic chicken meat samples was also contaminated. So 100% versus 84%. Organic is definitely better, but odds are we could still be buying something that could make our family sick. Where do these antibiotic resistant bacteria come from if organic producers are not using antibiotics? A possible explanation is that day-old chicks come from the hatcheries already infected with these bacteria before they arrive at the farms. Or, they could become contaminated after they leave the farm in the slaughter plant. Organic chickens and conventionally raised chickens are typically all slaughtered at the same plants, so there may be cross-contamination between carcasses. Finally, factory farms are dumping antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria-laden chicken manure out into the environment. Researchers can pick up antibiotic-resistant genes right out of the soil around factory farms. So even meat raised without antibiotics may be contaminated with multi-drug resistant bacteria. In a cover story in which Consumer Reports urged retailers to stop selling meat produced with antibiotics, the researchers noted some store employee confusion: “An assistant store manager at one grocery store, when asked by a shopper for meats raised without antibiotics, responded, ‘Wait, you mean like veggie burgers?’” On second thought maybe the employees weren’t so confused after all. I addressed this issue previously in videos such as: Isn’t it illegal to sell meat contaminated with dangerous bacteria? Unfortunately no. See why in my video Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal. Reminds me of the case I wrote about in Supreme Court case: meat industry sues to keep downed animals in food supply. 	Ok. This might not be a perfect place to post this article but it is so interesting and we know what havoc antibiotics play on our gut. Full article is available for free.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4245565/Great find!Veganrunner: *Super* interesting article. Thanks for posting it!Dr. Greger, Please see the Jan 17th New Yorker magazine cartoon on page 20. A man is eating a hamburger & fries in a diner. A man in a white lab coat holding a clipboard sits on a nearby stool. The man, lifting his hamburger, says to the doctor/researcher: “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather eat this NOT knowing what the latest science suggests.” I’d rather know. So thanks for providing the latest scientific research & education. I still think you deserve a MacArthur Foundation Genius Award because the unexamined meal might NOT be worth eating.Thanks for the tip on the cartoon… I’m always looking for good ones to work into my presentations to health care professionals and lay groups. In my experience most patients are open in being exposed to knowledge but that doesn’t necessarily lead to change in behavior. One Australian study showed that 52% of participants had not heard of a PBD… they classified them as “Pre-contemplative”… I see my job to move them along to the “Contemplative” stage of change… of course an exam room or class is a different environment than a diner. The next stages for those interested are… Planning, Action, Maintenance. The genius of this site is that it is a great commercial free way to move folks to Pre-contemplation to Contemplation stage. Of course for those who follow the blogs and comments folks adapt change at different rates and for different reasons. Keep tuned and thanks again for the tip.Hi Don, please provide a link to the study. Thanks.Its funny that time scale of 3 billion years gets mentioned. That is actually not the sort of time that is the big factor.Bacteria live on a different time scale from us. They splice of at rates of 20 min to a few hours, and every split might have the mutation that proves protective. They pack up to half a million generations in 1 of ours.In human relativity that would mean 12,5 million years to adapt to that nasty new medicine or chemical. If anything bacteria are very poor adapters if one looks at it like that.I mean look at what we did in half that time: http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c294/aarongabriel1/brains_large.jpgWhen everyone is eating more and more meat … shall soon die out the chimpanzeeMy gut flora was a mess after taking a cephalosporin. Research on probiotics is weak and biased. I ended up eating lots of raw vegetables, and fermented cabbage. Three days later, my gas and discomfort after eating my favorite foods (legumes) was gone.As a vegan I have no real concern about getting a super bug from chicken, or any other meat. However the fact that these super bugs are loose and free to roam, they obviously pose a serious heath threat to everyone. I’ve been a fan of using nutrition and natural treatment as opposed to drugs for many years.The day may arrive, and sooner than we might expect, when a plague created by some mutated virus will sweep across the world, entirely resistant to any treatment. On those who actually can fight this off, without medical intervention will survive long enough to reproduce and carry on the species.These are the folks, who, like the very adaptable super bacteria mentioned, evolved some natural means of fighting off viral infection. First principles at work, only the strong shall survive.Bacteria are everywhere not only in chicken but just everywhere (any food, water, air etc.). And the only real thing that can protect us is our immunity however banal it may sounds. So we again should go to the basics: nutrition, sleep, physical activities and stress managment. I doubt there ever will be a better way.Evolutionarily, is there any benefit for bacteria to kill its host?Not really, apart from the fact that they can spread out from the body and infect other hosts (but they already do that following other ways).The “best” parasite is the one that is symptom free for the host.How can we find independent farmers to buy live chickens from n our area . We need to get organic natural raised chicken. Other countries sell live chickens at farmers markets. Why cant we do the same here? Boycott the big producers. Until they raise chickens the natural way instead of cage raised. Either that or get laws n place to outlaw cage raised animals. Its cruel and animal abuse. They are not fit for human consumption anyway. We have those two choices.Chicken would be a bad idea even if “organic”.Check the videos here:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/And yikes, living chicken to be killed at home..?No matter how you would put it, the whole thing is animal cruelty, and for not good reason, the only thing you get from eating them, is to be a lot more prone to disease, and contributing directly to arteriosclerosis.Broilers and broiler meat products are highly contaminated with multiresistent Escherichia coli and are considered to be a source for human infections. Both transmission from bird to bird and transmission from bird to offspring might play a role in the presence of these strains in broilers. The percentage of infected birds at Dutch broiler farms increased within the first week from 0–24% to 96–100% independent of the use of antibiotics and stayed 100% until slaughter.Much of the global broiler chicken population is hatched and processed in as few as six weeks, dramatically multiplying the annual number of new potential zoonotic hosts. Every year 45 billion chickens pass through the world, along with 1 billion pigs, which may have contact with an estimated 50 billion great reservoir of waterfowl, like ducks, geese and swans. Never before has the avian influenza A virus had so many potential “stepping stones” from which to choose.Broiler chickens have been selectively bred for rapid growth to market weight. In 1920, a chicken reached 1 kg in 16 weeks, but today’s broiler chicken strains may now reach 2.6 kg, a size large enough for slaughter, in only 6 weeks. Daily growth rates have increased from 25 g to 100 g in the past 50 years — an increase of more than 300%. Genetic selection is so intense that the age by which broiler chickens reach market weight and are slaughtered has decreased by as much as one day every year. Ongoing selection for rapid growth is a severe welfare problem as it has resulted in poor bone health, leg disorders including deformities, lameness, tibial dyschondroplasia (TD), and ruptured tendons, and has been correlated with metabolic disorders such as ascites and sudden death syndrome. Heavier broilers (>2400 g) are more likely to be lame. In some cases birds become completely unable to walk.An interesting side note to this article: I helped lead a systematic literature review (currently writing manuscript for publication) to determine the connection between antibiotic use on farms to the emerging resistant bacteria found in humans. One finding in our search was that although organic chicken had nearly as much bacteria, conventional chicken had more resistant bacteria. There are also so many factors at play with the spread of resistant bacteria – unfortunately, its not as simple as completely eliminating the use of antibiotics from all farms. Hopefully, with the President’s new plan to combat resistance (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/27/fact-sheet-president-s-2016-budget-proposes-historic-investment-combat-a), we will start to have better tracking systems where we can follow super-bug sickness in the hospital all the way back to its original source (food, farm animal, pet, wildlife, etc). Then we can make a more definitive conclusion as to how resistant bacteria is emerging and spreading, and what we can do to control it.	antibiotics,beef,chicken,children,Consumers Union,factory farming practices,farm animals,FDA,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,meat,medications,organic foods,penicillin,pork,poultry,salmonella,superbugs,turkey,veggie burgers	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16735149,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22755514,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22260927,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4993539,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22247155,
PLAIN-53	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/	Foods for Computer Eye Strain	What happens to our eyesight when we sit in front of a computer all day? As researchers from the SUNY College of Optometry note in a study profiled in my video, Dietary Treatments for Computer Eye Strain, the rise in computer screens “has led to an increase in ocular and visual problems, including eye discomfort, blurring of distant objects, eye strain, and asthenopia (visual fatigue).” This has caused so-called “nearwork-induced transient myopia.” That’s when after staring at a computer screen for a while we look out the window and things start out all blurry. Our vision becomes blurred because our poor little ciliary muscles pulling at our lens are locked in this constant state of contraction to keep that near focus. Over time, this may have long-term adverse consequences. How to Combat Computer Eye Strain Experts in the field recommend taking 4-12 minute breaks staring out the window every hour. We can also aid our vision with our diet. A double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study, for example, found a significant improvement in refractive values and eyestrain symptoms when subjects ate black currants compared to a placebo. However, what passes for currants in the U.S. are usually champagne grape raisins, not actual black currants, which were banned in the U.S. a century ago at the behest of the lumber industry. The lumber industry feared that they might spread a plant disease that affects white pine (which we hardly even harvest any more). Black currants are, however, currently making a comeback (and the ban has been lifted in some states), though any anthocyanin-rich berry might have similar benefits (such as bilberries, blueberries, cranberries, black raspberries and red raspberries). Foods vs. Supplements Why bother with whole bilberries or black currants when we could just take anthocyanin supplements? Because, as we’ve seen over and over again, when we test supplements, we’re lucky if they actually contain what is listed on the label. Furthermore, even for products containing bilberries, one study found that labeling was often uninformative, misleading, or both, something for which the herbal supplement market is infamous. The largest study to date found that it appears most herbal supplement labels lie. Bilberries vs. Nazis Bilberries gained notoriety during World War II when it was said that pilots in the British Royal Air Force “were eating bilberry jam to improve their night vision.” It turns out this may have been a story concocted to fool the Germans. The real reason the Brits were able to suddenly target Nazi bombers in the middle of the night before the bombers even made it to the English channel was likely not because of bilberries, but because of a top secret new invention the British needed to keep quiet: radar. For best results when it comes to computer eye strain, stick to whole berries with blue and red pigments, and don’t forget to give your eyes a break each hour. For other videos on protecting our vision, check out Greens vs. Glaucoma, where I listed the best foods to help prevent glaucoma; in Dietary Prevention of Age-Related Macular Degeneration I did the same for age-related macular degeneration. I’ve also addressed the Dietary Treatment of Glaucoma. By using a standing or treadmill desk, we can avoid some of the other adverse health effects of sitting at a computer all day. See my video Standing Up for Your Health. I’m now up to 17 miles a day! 	BPA-ALTERNATIVE TURNING OUT TO BE MAYBE EVEN WORSE THAN BPA:In a groundbreaking study, researchers have shown why a chemical once thought to be a safe alternative to bisphenol-A, which was abandoned by manufacturers of baby bottles and sippy cups after a public outcry, might itself be more harmful than BPA.http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/bpa-alternative-disrupts-normal-brain-cell-growth-is-tied-to-hyperactivity-study-says/2015/01/12/a9ecc37e-9a7e-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.htmlwhat idiots they are :(I also recommend a program called ” f.lux ” to reduce eyestrain. Just enter your location and it does the rest.I think that working as an operator and later in the business office at the phone company froze my muscles. Now retired I cured myself by reading “The Program for Better Vision” doing the exercises. I no longer need classes for distance or close up. So the muscles can be reactivated. Mine did so after wearing glasses for 42 years.I do need to improve my typing skills! It is Glasses not classes! LOLA bigger monitor/screen placed further away should be a consideration also.Good reminder, thanks! I had to look twice to parse the “4-12 minute breaks …every hour” reference. If I took 4 12 minutes breaks each hour, I would get very little else done. Might be worth spelling it out (“to”) in this instance, for easily confused folks like me. :DI can only speak for myself, but I am attempting to reverse my own myopia. As mentioned in the blog post, breaks are critical, but there is animal model evidence to suggest that our eyes are physically adapting to corrective lenses. Ever wonder why we need stronger prescriptions every year? Our lenses have a fixed focus point that is individually tuned so our eyes can focus at infinite distance. These lenses are not appropriate for close up work that happens around 16-24″ and may ultimately damage our vision even further.I now do all close up work with a greatly reduced prescription. The strength is chosen such that my screens are crisp but everything just beyond them begins to blur. Like lifting weights in the gym, this should encourage my eyes to respond by increasing their range of focus over time. As with anything else involving our biology, our eyes are constantly adapting to environmental stresses. At least that’s the theory I’m betting on. I continue to use my full-strength prescription when outdoors or when doing anything that requires perfect vision at a distance such as driving. I haven’t seen much improvement in my range of focus yet (only 5 weeks in) but my eyes are no longer red at the end of the day, and they feel much more comfortable in general.I wish there was more human data available to guide us, but the rapidly growing eyewear industry has no incentive to fund such research. Any eye doctor to suggest such practices would be ostracized by their peers who have been trained to prescribe as many lenses as possible. I’m sure Dr. Greger knows what that feels like. It’s a testament to his dedication to the truth, and us. This is no different than any other area of the modern medical industry. Prevention and reversal of disease, myopia in this case, is outside of the existing paradigm and threatens industry profits, much like our beloved whole food plant-based diet.You are not alone, I am actually doing the same thing – wearing reduced strength lenses for daily tasks and only putting on the “correct” glasses for driving at night. I am also trying to encourage (or “retrain”) my eyes to focus, as that’s the ability they lose with time when assisted by stronger lenses. I’ve been doing that for over a year now. Sadly, my daily schedule is still wrong, i.e. not enough sleep and not enough eye exercises, but I notice improvement in focusing, sometimes I can see really well with my weak glasses, but only sometimes. I am sure combined with eating lots of berries and green leafy veggies, plus less computer time, more time in the Sun and outdoors, as well as some eye exercises would make it possible to reverse myopia, especially in the 50’s+.Based on limited individual cases, I think it will continue to add up over time. I’m doing most of those things too, including indirect exposure to sunlight by wearing hats without sunglasses when possible. Awesome to hear that I’m not alone.Definitely not alone :) BTW I am not in the 50’s, much younger, but my guess is that generally myopia naturally stops progressing after the 20’s and starts reversing as one gets older. But wearing stronger and stronger lenses every year should be a huge alarm bell – it is just plain wrong and makes no sense. I encourage everyone to get eye prescription and glasses, but also order glasses with reduced lenses from one of the cheap online stores, you can reduce strength by 0.5 or 1.0 and try them out for some time. These days a pair of glasses can be ordered for as cheap as $9, so why not?Jack, I’m following the same path as you and James. I’m myopic and my distance vision has definitely improved, and my “driving glasses” prescription is much weaker than before.I think the fruit and veg help, but it was this website that got me on my way:http://www.myopia.org/If you click on the picture of the young girl at the right of the page it brings you to an animation that explains the principle.you skipped over the most obvious and highest quality solution of all – forget commercial retail “supplements.” The phytomedicines (plant powders put inside a capsule) are typically several years since harvest; they are encapsualized often in smaller size gelatin caps which many people have a difficult time digesting at the doses which would garner a body response from that phytochemical; and you are always going to be more prone to getting contamination from other excipients, fillers, extenders, fakes, etc. So, why not try learning how to grow what you can, but until you can be your own producer, research and purchase in bulk size, the raw material which the supplement companies purchase to use in their “manufacturing” process. It might take a few months, but you can vet the quality suppliers and can set up a first-rate Apothecary comprised of infinitely more flexible, customizable, much higher quality, and did I mention incredibly more cost-effective? For example, if you put in a bilberry shrub this year, and until it produces, you buy a pound of bilberry berry powder from a reputable source such as Mountain Rose Herbs, and use in smoothies or capsulize it yourself (in high quality veggie-caps), you can experience its many benefits right now from the fantastic power of bilberry – which is similar looking to the more common blueberry but with exponentially higher levels of medicine — the cost-effective question alone sells the idea of becoming your own Herbal Medicine Self-Healer. Why take decades and go broke trying to get the medicine from what is essentially a much weaker carrier – the Blueberry? I use blueberries as flavoring but I use the far more powerful berries in Organic Powder form, as my medicines and in numerous ways. The lesser known berries, roots, leaves, barks, and flowers which have a much longer proven track record than the recent known to be harmful and unproven commercially synthesized pharmaceuticals, can be used in both food dishes and as medicine teas, caps, poultices, essential oils. Many more knowledgeable researchers say the difference between earlier man and us is that they used to use these lesser known roots, berries, flowers, leaves as daily food and this is why many of us are trying to return to these habits through herbal medicine. Herbal Medicine was once simply our daily Hunter-Gatherer diet. Modern Agricultural Genetics has dumbed down the wisdom of plants.Does anybody get headaches from working at the computer? Does anybody get wired from the computer’s light?	anthocyanins,berries,bilberries,computer eye strain,currants,eye disease,eye health,fatigue,fruit,grapes,herbal remedies,industry influence,jam,raisins,supplements,vision	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18339041,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14581247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10767671,
PLAIN-54	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/	Currant Treatment for Glaucoma	In my video, Dietary Prevention for Age-Related Macular Degeneration, I discussed how eating goji berries with nuts and seeds can help build up yellow plant pigments such as lutein and zeaxanthin in our eyes to help fight age-related macular degeneration. But once we’ve preserved the pigment in our retinal pigment epithelial cells, we need to keep them alive. This may be where anthocyanin phytonutrients come in. Anthocyanins (from the Greek anthos, meaning flower, and kyanos, meaning blue) are natural plant pigments that make pansies look purple and turn green cabbage into purple cabbage, yellow corn into purple corn, brown rice to purple rice, white potatoes to blue potatoes, orange carrots to purple carrots, and keeps blueberries blue and blackberries black. As we age, our critical retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer starts to break down. However, we may be able to decelerate that aging with blueberries. In the study I profile in my video, Dietary Treatment of Glaucoma, human RPE cells bathed in blueberry anthocyanins had fewer free radicals and a lower proportion of aged cells, suggesting that blueberries and other red, blue, and purple pigmented fruits and vegetables may help prevent age-related macular degeneration. Blueberries may be especially important for blue eyes, as can be seen in my video Greens vs. Glaucoma. Preventing disease is nice, but what if we already have a disease like glaucoma, an incurable eye disease in which our optic nerve (which connects our eyes to our brain) starts deteriorating, and we start losing our visual fields? A few years ago, Japanese researchers showed they could apparently halt the progression of glaucoma with black currants. They gave people black currants for six months and found that black currants significantly boosted the blood flow to their optic nerve. The results suggest that black currants might be a safe and valuable option, but because the study was not double-blind and there was no control group, I didn’t report on it when it was initially published. But now we’ve got just such a study. Glaucoma patients were split into two groups—half got black currants; the other half didn’t. The study measured the deterioration of the patients’ visual fields in both groups in the two years leading up to the study. Despite taking the best glaucoma drugs on the market, the subjects’ visual fields deteriorated. Then the study starts. The berry-free control group continued to worsen, but the berries appeared to stop the disease in its tracks after both one and two years. And since there’s no downside to berries (only good side-effects), in my professional opinion everyone with glaucoma should be eating berries every day. For more on the latest science on preventing and treating vision loss, check out Greens vs. Glaucoma, where I detailed the best foods to help prevent glaucoma. My previous treatment of glaucoma can be found here: Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther. I’ve mentioned anthocyanins before in: They may be why purple potatoes (Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes) and purple cabbage (Superfood Bargains) may be preferable. Anthocyanins are the pigments in red and purple cabbage that allow for the kitchen chemistry in Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple Cabbage. More on currants in Enhanced Athletic Recovery Without Undermining Adaptation. 	Do people with beeturia excrete all those beneficial anthocyanin?I have beeturia but never excrete any pretty colors when I consume black currant.Dr. Gregor, are these fresh or dried black currants used in the study? Not sure I’ve ever seen them at my grocer.would black current oil have any benefits?http://noarthritis.com/the_number_one_health_problem.htmWatch out for the nightshades plants, and those containing solanine. Arthritis cause.goji berries, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, tobacco, and more.Some arthritis and pain issues derived from other ailments react negatively to blueberries.MY GUESS IS THAT A LOT OF THE EXOTIC AND LESSER KNOWN BERRIES, FRUITS, PLANTS HAVE NOT BEEN TESTED AND CAN HAVE ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES UPON HUMAN CONSUMPTION. All plants, fruits, have defense mechanism.And potatoes, one of the strongest nightshades to avoid if one has inflammation, arthritis, or other pain issues.What is the scientific evidence to support these wild-sounding assertions?Have you ever seen any articles published on this? I have done Medline searches and haven’t found anything.Most people don’t have to a problem with solanine. Don’t flame the nightshade concern. I personally consume lots of nightshades without a problem. If you feel you have a problem with nightshades, go get tested for the allergy.I remember the American Academy of Dietetics published their review of nightshade plants and found that they were not harmful. Same thing with the blood type diet, it was not credible. They were positive about vegetarian and vegan diets, with some cautions (like ensuring people get adequate calcium, iron and zinc). They are now called the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.You write primarily about dark berries, primarily black currants but then in the last sentence you say everyone with glaucoma should be eating berries every day. Are lighter berries also beneficial for glaucoma? I’ve been trying to sample different varieties of black currants when I get the chance and I haven’t found a variety that I really like yet. I prefer red currants and other dark berries like blueberries and marionberries. Can you advise on specific varieties so I know which to grow?The berries used in the study are known as Cassis and are not the currants grown in the US, according to other videos on this website. St. Dalfour is a French company that manufactures preserves and has a Cassis preserve that I use as a spread. In Japan, we have a Cassis extract (supplement) containing the anthocyanins. It is expensive, but I am willing to use it as a treatment. Nutritional support is popular here due to numerous commercial applications regularly researched by Japanese scientists (as these two cited studies attest). I also use drops for Glaucoma, however, I am optimistic that the addition of these berries can help maximize visual acuity.Fresh and frozen only! Or dried ok? And are other berries as helpful, or is it something special in currants? THNK YOU Dr G, you ROCK!OK I see now there is a special DR3 variety of anthocyanins in currNts, given they took them in tablet form, I assume dried currants are ok. Or buy tablets…The principle is simple: the darker the berry the more beneficial pigment it contains.Then the black elderberries I consume are now extra special.OK I see now there is a special DR3 variety of anthocyanins in currNts, Nd given they took them in tablet form, I assume dried currants are ok. Or buy tablets…Almost always, the whole food is more healthful than a tablet.The small dried fruits sold as “currants” are actually dried very small grapes–Zante currents, used for baking. The black currant used here is a genus Ribes species, related to blueberries, not grapes. It’s really dark and tiny. I was surprised to see a study using them since I’ve never seen them commercialy available. In the UK they’re a traditional source of vitamin C for children–a sweet fruit concentrate called “Ribena” They’re very strong flavored and most people need to cultivate a taste for them.These look like they might be the real thing: http://www.currantc.com/index.php?submenu=about_us&src=gendocs&ref=CurrantC_Story&category=v4_About_UsYup. Those are black currants. That’s a nice website. I’m amazed at the acreageof currant bushes in the photo. I have a mere 3 bushes and they take days to pick–very very labor intensive picking. Their fruit price is a bargain!I’m thinking for those who live in apartments, they may be able to find black currents in polish/russian specialty food stores or in jams or jellies. Not exactly the healthiest option, though. If I recall, the fresh berries are extremely tart. Best for juicing with added source of sweetener (fresh apple juice that you make yourself, for example or from a trusted brand (Knudsen?)).Ribena got into legal troubles because of their Vitamin C claims. They were fined. http://metro.co.uk/2007/03/26/ribena-has-almost-no-vitamin-c-204616/The stuff they sell on my supermarket shelves has additives, so I wouldn’t call it a fresh product or a whole food.o fresh red or black grapes give the same protection as currents?Roy, almost certainly not; as another post says, the currants being discussed are not related to grapes or Zante ‘currants’ which are raisins. The genus Ribes (red or black currants) is the sole member of a family (Grossulariaceae) closest to the Saxifrage family, not as elsewhere stated bluberries (which are Heath family members). So unless the resveratrol in grapes does something similar, grapes (in its own family) won’t help.Dr. Greger why don’t you include in your articles how much was given of any foods you tell about? And how did they get people to eat the black currants when they are not very tasty? Details are just as important as research results when it come to using a food for a health problem. Thank you.This study dealt with normal tension glaucoma only. My assumption is is that those of us with glaucoma who have ocular hypertension as the cause would therefore not benefit from the methods this study used. Or at least that would hold true until further research confirms that ocular hypertension glaucoma is also improved with the study’s treatment methods.I’ve never seen fresh black currants in any store in the US. When I can’t find a fresh produce, my second choice is freeze-dried powder, but I can’t find freeze-dried black currant powder at Amazon or any other health-food online store I shop at. I did find the French black currant jam another reader had mentioned, but it’s sweetened with fruit juice, which is like sweetening with sugar water, so I’d like to avoid it. Any ideas about consuming black currant regularly is appreciated. ThanksThomasN: I know someone who gets frozen black currents (at least I think it is the right kind that we are talking about here) on-line. The shipping is very expensive since they ship with dried ice to keep it frozen. But it might be worth getting???? Do you want me to try to find the supplier?znaturalfoods.com has freeze dried for 30 per lb. Also has excellent products, i have ordered many and am always happyHere’s a paper that lists the anthocyanin content of some common foods: J. Agric. Food Chem. 2006, 54, 4069−4075 (available online free of charge; I tried to upload it without success.)Thanks, ThomasN; I see from that Wu et al paper that black currants are highest in delphinidin and cyanidin. So my reply to Roy should be modified– though red grapes won’t help, Concord grapes have similar though much lower anthocyanin content.I have been conscientiously eating roughly two tablespoons of black currants daily — a bit of overkill from Darryll’s calculations of 1 1/3 tablespoons of black currants daily — to get the adequate amount of anthocyanin to protect against the deleterious effects of glaucoma. If I were to switch to blue berries, could I give up the black currants? Shipping costs to the West Coast for the black currants are astronomical. Or could I lessen my costs by eating some blue berries and fewer black currants? If I could switch to blue berries — either totally or partially, what quantity a day would I need to consume? Thank you for your valuable input.	aging,anthocyanins,blindness,blueberries,cabbage,corn,currants,eye disease,eye health,fruit,glaucoma,Japan,macular degeneration,phytonutrients,potatoes,purple potatoes,rice,vision	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22018225,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8690039,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22377796,
PLAIN-55	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/	Foods for Macular Degeneration	Anyone who has gotten a bad sunburn knows how damaging the UV rays in sunlight can be. Imagine what those same rays are doing to back of our eyeballs (our retinas). The eye is designed to take sunlight and focus it like a magnifying glass into the back of our eyes. Thankfully, we have a layer of cells called the retinal pigment epithelium that supports and protects our delicate retinal eyesight machinery. The layer builds up yellow plant pigments like zeaxanthin from our diet, absorbing blue light and protecting the retina from photo-oxidative damage. The yellowing of our corneas when we develop cataracts may actually be our bodies’ defense mechanism to protect our retinas. In fact, when cataracts are removed, the risk of blindness from macular generation shoots up (because we removed the protection). Instead of trading one type of vision loss for another, it’s better to pigment the back of our eyes through diet instead of pigmenting the front of our eyes with cataracts. The pigment in the back of our eyes is entirely of dietary origin, “suggesting that the most common cause of blind registration in the Western World could be delayed, or even averted, with appropriate dietary modification,” according to authors of a study on age-related macular degeneration. Where in our diet do we get these pigments? The egg industry brags that eggs are a good source, but have nearly six high-lutein, free-range, certified organic eggs a week for three months and the pigmentation in one’s eyes may only marginally increase (see Egg Industry Blind Spot). Instead of getting the phytonutrients from the egg that came from the chicken that came from the corn and blades of grass the chicken pecked on, we could get it from the source. One cup of corn and a half cup of spinach a day for three months seems to dramatically boost the protective eye pigment in subjects. In the video, Dietary Prevention of Age Related Macular Degeneration, you can see a comparison of the amount of these phytonutrients from eggs compared to corn and spinach. If we cut out the middlehen and get these nutrients from plants directly, we see a substantially larger increase in protective eye pigment. Three months after the subjects stopped eating the corn and spinach, the levels of these pigments remained relatively high, indicating that once we build our macular pigment up with a healthy diet, our eyeballs really try to hold on to it. So even if we go on vacation and end up eating more iceberg lettuce than spinach, our eyes will hold out until we get back. Eggs can increase zeaxanthin levels in the blood, but they can also raise bad cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. Thus, as researchers conclude, “an egg yolk-based dietary strategy to increase plasma zeaxanthin cannot be recommended, and an alternative, cholesterol-free, food source is desirable.” One such alternative would be goji berries, which have up to 60 times more zeaxanthin than eggs. A modest dose of goji markedly increases levels in our body. Consumption of goji berries may be an effective, safe whole food strategy to increase zeaxanthin in the bloodstream. But we don’t need it in our blood, we need it in our eyes. A group of researchers performed a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial to test the effectiveness of goji berries at increasing pigment levels. To preserve eyesight in the elderly in traditional Chinese medicine, people are often prescribed 40 to 100 goji berries a day. In this study, participants consumed only about 15 berries a day for three months. Even at this small dose researchers  found that goji berries could protect against loss of pigment and prevent the buildup of debris that builds up in the back of the eye. Both loss of pigment and debris buildup are associated with age-related macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of legal blindness in older men and women, affecting more than ten million Americans, so increasing our consumption of these pigments as a society could significantly decrease the prevalence of blindness. In the above study, researchers gave the goji berries in milk so the butterfat could increase the absorption of these carotenoid pigments. A healthier way to get the same effect would just be to eat goji berries with nuts or seeds—in other words, goji trail mix. Though they didn’t appear to boost a measure of immune function (Boosting Natural Killer Cell Activity), goji berries are one of the most antioxidant packed snacks out there. A tip on getting them inexpensively can be found in my video Are Goji Berries Good for You? 	Goji berries are from the nightshade family and can cause intense pain-issues and neurological ailments in certain individuals whose bodies’ can not effectively deal with the alkaloids in nightshades. A nightshade-free diet eliminated most of my joint pain and arthritic and neurological issues.Since you, Dr. Greger, found out how much much better Indian Gooseberries are, couldn’t one substitute org. Amla Powder for the Goji Berries (I did use a teaspoon per person in my morning smoothie)?Obviously I can’t speak for Dr. Greger, but one interpretation is that if you want good anti-oxident protection you add Amla whereas if you want corneal pigments you use Goji berries.I wouldn’t be surprised if half a teaspoon of each wasn’t better for you than a teaspoon of either.Thank you, Jeff! I am glad you showed me the need for both for different ways to help our vision!where do you find goji berries? I see them covered in dark chocolate but not by themselves.Perhaps this link would be of use. http://www.amazon.com/Healthworks-Certified-Organic-Goji-Berries/dp/B00BPX4OPS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420159200&sr=8-2&keywords=goji+berries Thank you.znaturalfoods.comOn a goji bush … Do you know how to get down off an elephant? Sorry, I got Tullamore Dew for christmas.goji berries covered in dark chocolate are probably healthy as long as you aren’t particularly sugar sensitive and you avoid other sugar sources. They would probably be significantly less healthy for the pocketbook, though.It is the lens (not the cornea) that yellows from UV and develops cataracts.Both Lens and cornea are subject to clouding up.Ha!! “middlehen”…article is informative and funnyThere seems to be an error in describing the goji berry dosing used in the cited studies. Here and in videos, Dr. Greger says the the studies used 15 berries/day. However, as I read the studies cited the doses used were 13.7 grams/day in one and 15 grams/day in the other. I’ve counted out and weighted goji berries and found that it took roughly 80 berries to make up even 14 grams. That is nearly 2 tablespoons, and would be more in line with the traditional Chinese medicine dosing (40-100 berries) that Dr. Greger mentions.Please check, clarify, and correct if needed.I have early macular degeneration and have been using goji berries at the 15 berries/day dosing since Dr. Greger’s videos on the subject; but I guess I had not checked the dosing against the cited studies until today.I would be happier at the low dose, because Medline says goji berries exert “Moderate” interactions with medications, including suppression of the liver’s p450 cytochrome detoxification system– which might cause an unwanted increase in blood levels of one of my antiviral meds.http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/1025.htmlThere have been case reports of serious interactions with warfarin.These potential drug interactions might be worth noting.I would much prefer to be told I’m missing something, or otherwise mistaken about the study dosing.Thanks to Dr. Greger for all your work, and a happy new year to all!I sympathize with you because I know someone who struggles with this problem too. It takes a lot of toughness to cope with MD. What if you back off the berries and compensate with some spinach? I if you don’t like spinach (like me), you might try mixing in with swiss chard, arugula and kale. For some reason I love the blended flavours of green leafies. the more the merrier! Best wishes to you. Keep up the fight!Thanks. I’m lucky to like spinach, with or w/o other green leafies. Actually, my habit lately has been to have spinach daily, in a mid-morning smoothie that includes goji berries. (But how many???) I’m also lucky to have no symptoms so far from my macular degeneration– that’s what I meant by “early” (at 63 it’s not early onset).It amazes me how spinach and asparagus can be so disgusting cooked to dark green and sloppy (with or without mayonnaise) and yet so delicious raw (spinach) or lighly sauteed (asparagus) topped with a little vinaigrette.Arugula and kale have their own benefits.(oops… I thought MD meant Muscular Distrophy. I was wondering if you were a mind-reader.)I grew up with cooked spinach (with cream) and I like raw spinach as a smoothie with an orange or a pear. But lately I must have had too much smoothie as my breakfast because I have been told by an older sweet MD (gone to be with the Lord already at age 96) before when the output still has almost the same color as the input then it did not get digested well enough. And he used to give me a product called Zypan (=pancreatic enzymes + …) and that helped me in the past (to be taken with a meal that is not hotter than lukewarm), but I did not like that he thought I would have to keep taking this with meals (that my digestion would not improve). He said that older people do not have enough stomach acid for digestion? Any thoughts on this? And does the spinach and the corn have to be raw to be of benefit? Thank you for any and all input!Hmmm. I typed “What causes macular degeneration” and searched with duckduckgo.com (It doesnt track you), and all the hits say it is caused by getting old and genetics: “although early onset cases are becoming more common in patients as young as 40″. Pretzel logic. Round up the usual suspects. You’re all helpless victims.Shouldn’t someone write the Retina-International folks a letter? With letters after their name?Thanks, Coacervate, for “duckduckgo.com”!Bilberries were used in WWII for pilots to protect their eyesight. It is likely blueberries also support eye health. While the dark anthocyanins characterize dark berries, often the lighter pigments occur as well, and there are other health advantages to blues. In addition, they are not in the nightshade family. Blues are widely available, sourced in the U.S.I am extraordinarily fond of this story. It is widely reported and re-reported, and is occasionally debunked as a myth. When Sir Winston Churchill ordered an attack on a German dam, he ordered a very precise night strike that would be very hard on the eyes even during the day using bouncing bombs to avoid torpedo nets. I believe these pilots were told to improve their night vision and I believe they used carrots. It is said by some that the RAF pilots were told to say that they were eating bilberry jam to confuse the German spies that were present into thinking that would cause night vision improvement. I feel this story today shows that purple pumpkins or purple carrots, possibly their original color, would actually be better for the eyesight than they are now. Those are the foods that are known to improve eyesight. It is actually not really known if bilberries are good for eyesight, but they would be good for anyone who eats them! Goji berries can improve vision, reported here.Wait! You mean pumkins used to be purple???I feel so cheated!Bilberries were used in WWII for pilots to protect their eyesight. It is likely blueberries also support eye health. While the dark anthocyanins characterize dark berries, often the lighter pigments occur as well, and there are other health advantages to blues. In addition, they are not in the nightshade family. Blues are widely available, sourced in the U.S.Please, can you tell me what “legal” blindness means?Brite, legal blindness is defined in America as 20/200 as best possible corrected vision in either eye. Unaided vision is not defined in blindness. According to optometrists, 20/20 is average vision for America for all ages. What is the standard deviation of eyesight? Eyesight can worsen throughout life. Only more than 3.6 million Americans over 40 have vision less than 20/40 according to optometrists. http://www.aao.org/newsroom/upload/Eye-Health-Statistics-April-2011.pdf I am surprised at how good American vision is, very few people have less than perfect vision according to optometrists.Thanks a lot, Matthew, for your veryy clear and complete answer.I think that the contradiction leans in the possibility of a correction ( it is said “even with eyeglasses).Thank you! Perhaps eye wear is worn mostly to correct astigmatism. Or, as you say, perhaps only 3.6 million Americans have eyesight that cannot be corrected to 20/20. Please excuse the typo I corrected. “were” to “wear.” I think it is very challenging for the brain to see and hear at the same time, and uses brain waves to achieve that goal, the alpha to see, the delta to hear. Even on a pot of matcha tea a day I still cannot see 20/20 with my alpha brain wave being very over active. Did you know all optics, including the human eye, produce an image that is upside down and mirrored? The central optic nerve in your brain has to reverse and invert this. The delta brain wave might help generate depth perception. Nuts and seeds can cause the delta brain wave, and maybe so can elder flower tea. It is very challenging to produce the cones that it takes to hear in three dimensions with a flat ear, it is challenging to locate a sound. I think the delta brain wave works with the alpha brain wave to achieve this, location in hearing. This is a very difficult task that can cause pain or disease if it becomes disoriented. I have often wondered why people with brain damage still do not have problems of perception in seeing or location in hearing. Perhaps these brain waves are deep inside of us. Perhaps they use the whole of the nervous system. Thank you for your help.” the alpha to see, the delta to hear.”I think it’s a lot more likely that delta is needed to both see and hear and alpha is needed to coordinate and report results. I would bet that delta brain waves occur during pattern recognition on non-myelinated, heavily circular neurons and alpha brain waves occur on myelinated neurons that stretch relatively straight between brain regions. I am sure a neurologist could probably come along and find a couple errors in my understanding, though.“The central optic nerve in your brain has to reverse and invert this.”I think the central optic nerve reports to the processing center in the back of the brain *as mapped* and the inversion happens somewhere after that. I am not really even sure that “Upside down” is a well-defined concept. Think of sensory perception as a topological phenomenon – you can stretch and turn without changing things, but “between” is meaningful (although with a different meaning at the nerve source than at the brain center target) and the primary conserved property is consistency of destination. The same point on your body will always send impulses to the same processing column in your brain regardless of what other factors change. Distance between areas on your body (I am talking about touch instead of vision now – hopefully the metaphor holds) are determined experimentally by your brain based on a signal pattern running across your body in pulses whose timing trigger the mapping on the brain structures.Also if you have less than 20 degrees of vision you are termed “legally blind”. So a person could see 20/20 but still be legally blind if their vision field is less than 20 degrees. Most people have 140 degrees of vision.When cataracts are removed, the implants that replace the human lens almost all have UV blocker incorporated into the material, so the risk of macular degeneration after cataract extraction doesn’t necessarily increase.I add about 1 teaspoon of goji beeries to a smoothie about once per week, is that sufficient?I’ve been reading a lot about the hazards of blue light coming from computer monitors (LCD screens) and full spectrum light bulbs. It seems to be more dangerous for people who have had cataracts removed. Best to wear the yellow tinted blue light filter glasses while working on computers.i see that there are supplements for Zeaxanthin. is that helpful for masular degenerationI am sick and tired of reading about high cholesterol allegedly causing heart problems. This is the Medicine of the end of the 20th century!! Good cardiologists like Dr Sinatra, who also thought of cholesterol as the culprit, his practice made him change his mind back in the 1990s. And there are scores of others. People who have suffered a heart attack, their cholesterol level was high only in 50%, which means it is NOT a scientific argument.Dr Greger in order to bias his vegetarian/vegan views serves us with his theories about eggs causing high cholesterol.Dr Lair Ribeiro, a Brazilian eminent cardiologist and nutriologist considers eggs as the most important food after maternal milk. He cannot start a day without eating 3-4 eggs. There are scores of videos on youtube. But unfortunately even first class physicians like Dr Greger will never understand it without getting rid of their prejudice. Such physician should read/see cardiologists like Dr Sinatra, who laughs his head off when he hears about cholesterol causing heart problems.I wish I had higher cholesterol. (I have it only slightly above 200. I eat around 10-12 eggs per week and I cannot reach 250 cholesterol levels. I am probably not human even though I lead a sedentary life. This is THE EVIDENCE, Dr Greger. I also love vegetables and fruits and .. fish and meat as well. The last two may sound to you like a red rag to a bull. Sorry about that. This is called Meditarreanean diet. Have you heard of that? I am not talking about the studies done in the 1950s or 60s, but a recent publication from 2012. Dr Greger, if you have an open mind, you should present this study here in your posts instead of cherry picking limiting your mind to only plants. Plants are GREAT! But only plants is the same as relying only on mainstream media and showing big-headedness.RichardoRichard: re: “People who have suffered a heart attack, their cholesterol level was high only in 50%, which means…” Your conclusion is not logical based on the evidence. What your statistic really means is that the labeling of “high” by traditional medicine is grossly incorrect. Or perhaps an even better way of looking at it is: “high” is not a helpful category when an entire population is on average too high. Instead, what we want is “safe” levels of cholesterol.So, what we know is that a total cholesterol below 150 and LDL below 70 makes one pretty much heart-attack-proof. But above 150, a person is in the danger zone. This explains your 50% statistic. Those are people who traditional medicine does not label as high, but in fact who are “high” if by “high” one really means “a level that will lead to hard attacks”.I understand why you think that cholesterol is not relevant. There is a lot of misinformation out there that has convinced people such as yourself that cholesterol does not matter. It sounds like you care deeply about evidence and as you say, cherry picking is not good. If you want to know how the cholesterol denyiers cherry pick and outright twist their evidence, I highly recommend the scholarly work from Plant Positive. Plant positive directly addresses the issues/claims you have been exposed to.http://plantpositive.com/Thea, thank you for your reply.Please tell me why the French have on average 250 cholesterol level? And it is one of the last nations in Western Europe who suffer from, CVD. And what is their staple diet? Unfortunately they have problems with cirrhosis… but it is a different story.Yes , I was imprecise about high cholesterol. Sorry. You have scored a point. But our body needs cholesterol badly! Look, the cholesterol deposits in the arteries is the body’s reaction to help patch up the scars in the arteries due to the mechanical damage (huge pressure) chemical damage resulting from scores of other factors – lack of nutrients, toxification, etc.The worst is inflamation, blood inflamation in this case. If it weren’t for the helping hand of the cholesterol we would die from internal bleeding,!!! Thank God we have cholesterol! Besides, cholesterol is needed to synthetize vitamin D, whose importance even Dr Greger talks about. We need it for our hormone production – testosterone, estrogen. Every cell needs our cholesterol, and last but not least our brain.Do you want to starve your body? – if so, it is your choice. But before you do it, just open your mind, read at least Dr Sinatra or just see this http://www.heartmdinstitute.com/health-topics/cholesterol/579-what-s-really-good-and-bad-about-cholesterol . These are only snatches. Go deeper. If you want more, I can give you other links.There are scores of cardiologists who follow the same idea. Neither of those “pro-cholesterol doctors want us to eat a meat meal 5 times a week, if you have it once or twice a week, you won’t suffer from cholesterol deficiency. That Brazilian doctor I mentioned last time is around 70 years old and he looks at most 55. That “eggs-eater” should have been dead long ago if cholesterol were not a myth. I should have been dead as well.I know it is hard to shake or uinlearn our way of thinking and change it when the evidence is in front of us.Sorry, I have to leave you – two soft-boilt eggs are waiting for me.Ricardo, you are unfortunately employing the “cholesterol is necessary” argument, a common argument used to support cholesterol rich diets.“Given the capability of all tissues to synthesize sufficient amounts of cholesterol for their metabolic and structural needs, there is no evidence for a biological requirement for dietary cholesterol. Therefore, neither an Adequate Intake nor a Recommended Dietary Allowance is set for cholesterol.There is much evidence to indicate a positive linear trend between cholesterol intake and low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, and therefore increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A Tolerable Upper Intake Level is not set for cholesterol because any incremental increase in cholesterol intake increases CHD risk.”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=542There is no dietary need to consume cholesterol. If inflammation is what your worried about, diets rich in saturated fat and cholesterol are by far the most inflammatory of all. Those 2 hardboiled eggs your eating, as performed in this study, resulted in endothelium impairment after consuming. A clear sign of inflammation. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2904713/#!po=43.1818You can see other mechanisms of inflammation here. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=endotoxemiaToxins, you are unfortunately employing the “cholesterol is not necessary” argument, a common argument used to support non-cholesterol diets.What you say, according to your “scientific data” I should have already been dead, because I have been eating like that all my life. My crp is 0,7., triglycerides – 55.You are absolutely right – try writing to Dr Sinatra or Dr Mercola or Dr M. Ali and scores of others – they will laugh at you.I am still alive – the best living proof that your scientific argument is at most theoretical. LDL is also fine as long as it is not oxidized. Lp(a) is highly inflamatory form of LDL. I am not afraid of it.I hate hard-boilt eggs. Where did you take it from? Were you dreaming? Read more closely, please.Stick to your non-cholesterol diet and be happy. No wonder, there is no argument to make you see clearly.It is no use debating either with fanatics or with prejudiced people. It is not my job to convince you.Have a nice evening. Here in Europe it is the dead of night. Sorry, I have to leave you. Long live cholesterol ! :-)))Ricardo, I am not arguing that dietary cholesterol is harmful because we don’t need it. I am arguing that it is harmful to consume and strongly inked with heart disease. Your argument that: we need serum cholesterol so we need dietary cholesterol, is illogical. I hope you understand this difference.Heart disease takes time to develop. Americans eat a high saturated fat, high cholesterol diet but most do not experience heart disease till later in life.“try writing to Dr Sinatra or Dr Mercola or Dr M. Ali and scores of others – they will laugh at you.” Should I consider these people nutrition experts and authorities? What difference does it make if these individuals agree with the science or not. Dr. Mercola himself is a well known quack and I would hardly consider him a reliable source of information.To say that cholesterol is unrelated to heart disease is to turn a blind eye to the countless studies showing this link and cherry pick a meager few. This is indeed the theme of the video we are commenting on. Please look at the evidence coherently. I have seen both sides of this argument and know the arguments people use to support a cholesterol rich diet. I hope you will take the time to truly understand what you are getting yourself into and see the other side of it. Here is a good place to clear up the cholesterol confusion. http://plantpositive.com/18-cholesterol-confusion-1-pri/Lastly, ” hate hard-boilt eggs. Where did you take it from? Were you dreaming? Read more closely, please.”Came from your comment. “Sorry, I have to leave you – two soft-boilt eggs are waiting for me.” I’m sorry, I should have said SOFT boiled egg instead of hard. I didn’t know there was a difference.Toxins, let’s take the argument from a different angle. Do names like Gregg Braden, Deepak Chopra or Rupert Sheldrake to name just a few ring a bell in your mind? Especially the last one.There are two aspects, both are based on science – experiments in vitro and experiments in vivo. Dr Sinatra is a good example of the latter and in point of fact this is what matters – his 35 years of clinical practice.You see, I have lost faith in the so-called science of the 18th century, which we still practise today, even though I myself have a PhD (not in the field). The paradigm of what is science and what the science is not, is in the process of a change.If you are a good observer, you must have noticed that there has been a huge uproar against the old-fashioned science and it is still on the increase. The reasons are obvious. Delve into Sheldrake’s Science Set Free (American title) or just watch scores of videos showing how “science” tried to enslave him. His life is a good example. This one is good stuff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPccMlgug8A Science has turned out to become a religious belief. No wonder there are so many alternative approaches in almost every field, because people are fed up with those egg-headed 18th century individuals who live today. The pure example is Richard Dawkins. Those “scientists” have led themselves to the dead-end street. And they are blocking any development.But our discussion has become something else.Returning to the cholesterol issue, there’s hardly a difference if you argue one way or another. For me you are like Dr Greger limiting himself to showing views that only support a vegetarian or vegan diet. Why doesn’t he comment on the recent Spanish study on Meditarranean diet? Why doesn’t he want to face the reality? It is not very comfy, is it? Obviously, it isn’t, because his vegetarian diet will have to be scrapped.I have always tried to see both sides of the argument. It gives me pleasure to read NutritionFacts but I don’t wear blinkers, or blinders as you say in America. I remember my being afraid of cholesterol in the 1970s, which did not make me vegetarian. I am omnivore because a human being has always been like that. And I am too old to go into fads.RicardoRichard: Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.re: “But our body needs cholesterol badly!” That’s always such an interesting argument to me, because no one I know disputes that our bodies need some amount of cholesterol to function correctly. I would say that it is a strawman argument, except that I think that when people say that, they are really thinking something else and just not being specific.If what you are really suggesting is that our bodies need cholesterol and that the only way to get it is by eating it or that we have to supplement what our bodies make by eating it, then Toxins already answered that point. Our bodies make all of the cholesterol that we need. No worries there.If you are suggesting that our bodies need cholesterol and therefore there is no way to have too much of it, then I would point out an analogy for you: Our bodies also need water. But too much of it can kill you. To think that our bodies can have unlimited amounts of cholesterol without there ever being a problem (that cholesterol is more special than water) is against all common sense. I’m not saying you believe this. I’m just making a point.So, there is a limit/line above which too much of the stuff in our veins would be a problem. The question is: where is that line? We know that when total cholesterol is below 150 and LDL below 70, people don’t get heart attacks. Above that, people get heart attacks. Unsafe cholesterol (ie, above 150) is not a guarantee that a person will get a heart attack, but the risk goes way up compared to having safe cholesterol levels.This gets us back to our original points: You stated that 50% of the people who get heart attacks have low (or normal?) cholesterol. And I explained how the traditional definition of “low” is has been perverted in a society where “normal” is too high to be safe. Ie, where normal is to die of heart disease.Hope that explanation clarifies my point.Sure, it does. But see a human body holistically. You don’t want more cholesterol than 150 because from your point of view it is dangerous for heart attack. And what about your brain, and the production of vitamin D, and other hormones? If you are happy, lower your cholesterol below 100, it is your choice. Perhaps you will never have a heart attack and that’s great but what about your brain and other hormones and probably sth else that we have not discovered yet?RicardoRichard: The thing is, the healthiest people on the planet, the ones who have sharp minds at 100+ and live long healthy lives, generally have cholesterol below 150 and primarily eat a whole foods plant based diet. (You can do research on the “blue zone” populations if you want.) So the specific problems, plus general worries you list (ie: “… and probably sth else that we have not discovered yet?”) are not an issue in practice.In theory, your concern could be a valid one: If someone can have cholesterol that is too high, can we also have cholesterol that is too low? Zero cholesterol is too low. But where is the line? I’m not aware of anyone, baring some genetic deficiency, whose body isn’t able to make ***all of the cholesterol that they need.*** And that’s the point. If you have all that you need, then you have all that you need. Ie, Not just low enough to avoid heart disease, but high enough to be healthy. The entire point of NutritionFacts.org is to figure out the diet that is most likely to lead to optimum health/disease prevention. Baring some terrible problem where a person’s body doesn’t make all of the cholesterol that they need, we don’t have to worry about cholesterol going too low. Our bodies make what we need. Once that idea really sinks in, the concerns you raise disappear. Here is some evidence to back up this point (click “sources cited” for details if interested): http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/Thea, you see, I am very “allergic” to people who are “mono”. I mean, who ar4e specialists in only the right toe of the left foot or who love only one type of music or who talk only about one subject and those who are vegetarian or only meat-eaters or only fish-eaters, or only speak one language, etc etc.A human being must try to develop their full potentiality and nobody will convince me that eating only meat is the best or eating only vegetables is the best and they usually try to support their arguments from their own yard. Try to see why being a vegetarian is wrong. There is plenty of material (not only in English) instead of convincing yourself of your being right using arguments taken from your like-minded people.I have forgotten before to add that my example of eating eggs is not the only one. There are far more omnivore people than vegetarians or vegans, although it is not a scientific argument to prove you wrong. Besides I am far away to convince anybody.For vegetarians cholesterol was a red rag to a bull and therefore they turned vegetarian (others did it for other reasons, for instance animal-lovers), but the whole problem with cholesterol is a hoax.Your argument that the body produces sufficient cholesterol is taken from the air. The same we may say that the body produces enough vitamin C (it does not produce any) or that it produces enough CoQ10 or enough hormones.As we know nothing is static and with age there are changes in the level of hormones, etc, etc. So why are you sure that our bodies produce sufficient amount of cholesterol in this case? Perhaps it doesn’t.Last but not least I think our life is too short so that we should try (at least this is my philosophy of life) and find plenitude in every aspect of our lives to enrich our experience in order to live fully. Why should I limit myself to eating only plants? Is it healthy. You say so and your sympathizers, because there is no strong scientific argument that this is true. There is no agreement among doctors and researchers on the issue. Fortunately there is still food for us on our planet. We must use it sparingly but taking advantage of everything.How can I “go into nothingness” without drinking different kinds of alcohol, without experiencing hunger or unhappiness? Without experiencing love and happiness? Without eating meat, poultry, fish and eggs, vegetables and fruits?Cholesterol can be as low as the 10 range and you will still live a perfectly healthy life. This is evident in those who have genetic disorders resulting in extremely low cholesterol, thus, the argument that below 150 is too low is simply untrue. I would see this video for the evidence.http://plantpositive.com/22-cholesterol-confusion-5-cho/Great , Toxins. my advice is you should strive to lower your cholesterol below 10 and you will lead perfectly healthy life. Be happy.My point being the “cholesterol is necessary” argument for eating cholesterol is faulty on many levels. I would encourage you to watch the plant positive video I linked if you are truly interested in the evidence.As in my comparison somewhere here, motor vehicles are necessary, but scrap them leaving only 100 in the entire US and so many lives will be spared every year.Good luck to you, Ricardo.The same to you, Toxins.RicardoRichard: re: “Please tell me why the French have on average 250 cholesterol level?” I don’t know what the average French cholesterol level is, but I’m willing to accept your number for the moment for the sake of argument. I am aware that the French (as least historically and maybe still today) have lower CVD than say Americans. So, let’s say this is the “French Paradox”: ie, that their cholesterol levels are pretty darn high, but that they have relatively low rates of CVD. So, I think you are asking: How do we explain this apparent “paradox”?For this, I would refer you to the “Asian Paradox”: On one hand, we have a bazillion and one studies showing that smoking causes or greatly increases our risk of cancer. On the other hand, we have some Asian countries who smoke way more than America does, and yet has way less lung cancer. How do we explain that? Does that mean that smoking doesn’t really cause cancer? No, smoking really is bad for us. Smoking really does greatly increase our risk of getting cancer. What the data means, is that there is another factor at play in the Asian countries. As we have seen on NutritionFacts, we are starting to learn what that confounding factor is – by eating a mostly whole food plant based diet, people can do a lot to lower their risk of various cancers, even when they smoke. We do not know the answer to the paradox for sure, but we definitely have enough information about smoking to know that smoking is indeed bad for us, regardless of what happens in some Asian countries.The French Paradox is likely the same situation, with a third factor mitigating their risk. Why would I believe that the French Paradox is anything like the Asian Paradox? Because like the issue of smoking, we have a bazillion and one studies showing that high cholesterol is a big risk factor for heart disease.Something to think about.You try hard enough to always slant your explanation to a plant based diet. Now I have caught you or rather you have led yourself to the dead-end street. Whereas you were lucky to explain the Asian Paradox with the plant based diet, you are not so lucky to account for the French Paradox by using the same method. This time you did not dare to use the same argument… because it was too risky.Frankly speaking are you really convinced that a plant based diet slows down or reduces substantially harmful effects of smoking? If so NutritionFact.org should take worries off the minds of the smokers in the Western World as long as they follow a healthy (in your understanding) diet. Logically thinking it is good idea, isn’t it?As far as I am concerned I think that there are other factors (not necessarily a plant-based die)t that will account for that Asian paradox. But one thing is certain – in case of the French as it was not convenient for you, you prefered to abstain from mentioning resveratrol, a phytonutrient found in red wine that is THE “culprit”. Obviously you couldn’t mention it, because wine is terribly destructive or even poison according to your way of thinking.RicardoRichard: There is no great problem here. I didn’t speculate because I have no evidence on the confounding factors behind the French Paradox. Very simple. I stick to the evidence as best I can. I’m sorry you don’t understand the point I was making.Thea, I did understand, I am afraid. Do you call evidence, your explanation of the Asian paradox? We may call it only a hypothesis not the evidence. You couldn’t find that evidence in case of the French, because you can’t account for it using vegetarianism or veganism.RicardoRichard: To clarify: 1) no I did not attempt to explain the Asian paradox with strong evidence. What I said is that we are *starting* to understand the why (with some good evidence). What I didn’t say explicitly, but will now is: the “why” is irrelevant. I didn’t have to mention the potential “why”, except that it is so interesting. The main *point* was: “What the data means, is that there is another factor at play in the Asian countries.” That’s the point. Even if we don’t know the details, we do know that smoking is bad for us. Do you really want to argue this point?2) re: “You couldn’t find…” Again, you mistake my meaning. I haven’t even looked for evidence regarding the case of the French Paradox. I just don’t care. Because what we know is that there *are* one or more confounding factors regarding the French for the reasons I explained above. In other words, just because the French may have higher cholesterol and lower heart attacks does not mean that the French situation wipes out all of the extremely strong science we have linking high cholesterol to heart disease. Just like the existence of cancer free, smoking Asians do not wipe out all of the very strong evidence that we have linking smoking to cancer. *That’s* the point. That is the answer to what I had believed was an honest question about the French.ad 1 No, I don’t think that smoking is a good and healthy thing. I simply tried to show you how funny your argumentation was.ad 2 You didn’t even try to look for the evidence because it would sound really funny to use the same kind of arguments. It looks that you cannot see the world around outside the vegetarian/vegan diet, which is a “mono” attitude (I explained that before). The world is wider than healthy nutrition.Cholesterol accumulating in the arteries is a consequence of the inflammation – without cholesterol the the sore spot of the damaged endothelium cannot be properly covered and protected. Total cholesterol is meaningless. There could have some meaningful indications of the problem if you use a spectracell test, because the so-called LDL is not a devil as it is painted.One should devide LDL into small and dense particles. – the latter are really dangerous because they are highly inflammatory. Please read more if you can take the information outside your health encyclopedia. http://www.heartmdinstitute.com/health-topics/cholesterol/399-worried-about-cholesterolIt is the same as saying that motor vehicles are to be blame for all road accidents. Scrap the vehicles or leave only 100 in the entire US and the problem will be solved. And you have solved your problem with cholesterol by lowering it to 150.re: “…wine is terribly destructive or even poison according to your way of thinking.” I don’t know why you think that. I don’t remember every saying any such thing. I certainly don’t think it. Do you have me confused with another poster? Or are you making assumptions?Sinply because wine is not in the prescription at NutritionFacts.dot, your health-nutrition encyclopedia. I was disappointed not to see your reply to my argument on the French paradox, which in point of fact is no paradox at all.RicardoRichard: re: “That “eggs-eater” should have been dead long ago if cholesterol were not a myth.”This is a strawman argument. The issue under discussion is risks/probabilities. Not guarantees. In other words: No one says that high cholesterol *will* give you a heart attack. It just raises your risk dramatically. Similarly, no one says that smoking *will* give you cancer. It just raises the risk dramatically.Everyone has heard about this or that 100 year old who smokes a pack a day every day for the last 80 years and never got cancer. So, when you smoke, you takes your changes. Who knows, you may be that lucky one. Similarly, there are people who eat 3 eggs a day every day for 80 years and low and behold, no heart attacks, no diabetes, etc. That’s great for them. But the majority of people were not so lucky… That’s the point.re: “I should have been dead as well.” I’m glad you are still alive to have this conversation. :-) Lucky person! With all my best wishes, I hope your luck continues.Thea, thank you for wishing me well. I am not a doctor but I have been reading a lot what clinical practice of cardiologists says and especially those who link their research with their practice and I am only repeating their argument. But those who have closed mind don’t want to hear that. That’s the point. Even a probability does not enter into play, because the root problem is not cholesterol but inflammation and cholesterol only helps to patch up the hurt part of the endothelium. All the best to yuou as well.To add onto Thea’s thorough response, this video highlights the cholesterol discrepancy here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/Oh yah! I forgot about that one. There is just so much great info on this site, I can’t keep it all in my head. Thanks for that link. If nothing else, I appreciate it. :-)I just wanted to correct the claim that Dr. Greger is not familiar with the Mediterranean diet and inflammation factors and their effects on heart attack risk. Witness this video from 2003 or so that I think predates the Nutrition Facts website.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04Note that Greger is actually a proponent of the idea that inflammation can be harmful as you can see from a variety of videos on this site, and his quote in the video above concerning the “recommended diet” vs the Mediterranean diet in the post heart attack study is interesting.Hello, sf-jeff. What I meant was Dr Greger’s comments on the latest study done in Spain in 2012 I believe.Thanks for the video. Somehow it had passed me by. I like all his videos, his excellent research and his lively way of presentation except that he is prejudiced against everything which is not vegan/vegetarian (talking about nutrition). He never said a pleasant word in relation to meat-eaters and even fish-eaters. They are a total disaster. He uses their achievements to correct vegan/vegetarian diet. This is not an honest and detached attitude required of a researcher.As for inflammation, he is not consequent. Saturated fats are not inflammatory. They do not go rancid even in room temperature. (it does not mean we must stuff our face with it, bnut consuming from time to time will not send you to an early grave). Dr Sinatra and the growing numbers of doctors do not reject meat. And the Mediterranean diet is ALSO MEAT (not only fish and vegetables and olive oil) Although the video you advised me to watch is from 2003 but Dr Greger remains unyielding today. Still the same blames on cholesterl, etc. See some Dr Sinatra’s videos on the topic.It is true that milk does not contain proper calcium for humans, but look, for the last 300? 400? years babies have been fed on milk. Only for the last 50 yeasrs when pasteurization became a common practice – milk has lost its qualities. And it is not a scientific argument used not only by Dr Greger, namely that it is a strange case that only humans drink other animal’s milk. (It is not true, because cats and dogs drink also cow’s milk, not to mention pigs). What’s wrong in drinking goat’s milk? Now returning to raw milk will probably put a human evolution back on the right track.Take the example of the French and Swiss concerning cheese. They should be dropping dead like flies because of high cholesterol and saturated fat.Concerning other things, most probably already updated by Dr Greger, canola is a hydrogenated rape seed oil, which means it is an artificial trans fat – according to Dr Ribeiro. Besides 400 iu of vitamin D should be updated to 4 or 5 thousand. Meat-eaters don’t have to worry about B12 supplements because of homocysteine levels. I was surprised that he did not mention magnesium or CoQ10 even in 2003.I will probably refrain from commenting on the nutritional items you bring up, but I will say that it looks like we have quite a different view on evolution.Some people think of evolution as a ladder, with humans at the top of the ladder. I prefer to think of evolution as a Bush, with species only become more extreme in one access because of greater variability and random chance. The most successful organism on the planet by far is undoubtedly either the Bacteria or Viruses. They will be around long after humans are gone. We are enormously inefficient by comparison, with just a small fraction of our energies going into creating the next generation.Based on this worldview I don’t really see any meaning in the following:“Now returning to raw milk will probably put a human evolution back on the right track.”Please read my word “evolution” as development. What I meant was that if we started to drink cow’s milk some 300? or 200? years ago, we must have accepted this development and adapted it into our evolution in a micro-scale. Pasteurization upset our apple-cart for some 50 years roughly speaking (problems with allergies, etc) and those serious tendencies towards drinking raw milk, I called them putting a human development back on the right track, ie to resume what had been stopped. I still remember there was fresh milk widely available in Europe in the 1970s and 1980s. If you left it outside a fridge, it would get sour in 48 hours in the room temperature. Now it is milk + chemicals which don’t allow the milk to get sour And this must be the cause of allergies to milk and to dairy products.Personally I have never been fond of milk or cheese, so I am not defending my preferences. But I see what happens around me. Could you imagine babies not drinking cow’s milk in post-industrial countries even this milk full of chemicals?If you are more into Evolution, please don’t tell me that human being never ate meat and meat consumption is the invention of the consumer society. As far as I know, man never stopped consuming meat from other animals. And if that has any pejorative connotations (by analogy to millk consumption), perhaps we should call for cannibalism – it will be healthier… Do you really think that man started off with a plant diet? So I don’t understand where the problem lies. According to Dr Brian Clement cancer and CVD were little known 120 years ago. And suddenly these diseases fell on us because of meat and cholesterol? Concerning simple carbs, yes, I do agree – they contributed tremendously.Suddenly meat and poultry and eggs are the culprit of our bad nutrition?Evolution only gets one vote on your entire genotype per generation. This means “bad” genes can stick around for thousands of generations. Think of the problem we have in the voting box where we choose between 1 democrat and 1 republican times a thousand. Evolution can’t solve lactose intolerance in a thousand years any more than we can change page 47 of the Trans Pacific Partnership treaty in the voting booth. Many of our genes are here not because they in any way help us in modern times, but rather because they helped us (well, some of us) survive the last ice age.I honestly don’t know whether meat eating was healthy 10,000 years ago, but it’s kind of an exaggeration to say that eating chicken, pig, or cow today is the same as eating meat 10000 years ago. Here are a couple links:http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/where-does-the-fat-come-from-in-a-skinless-chicken-breast/ http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/23/will-the-real-paleo-diet-please-stand-up/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/If lactose intolerance is innate so far as human beings are concerned, I am not human. Besides, I know a person who is now in her mid-50s and she drinks 1l of milk every day. And she has been doing that all her life and has been healthy all the time. Her first visit to a dentist happened when she was… in her mid-30s!!! Probably she is not human either… Moreover – my kids drank more or less the same amount each until they were in their late teens without any major or minor health issues, because of my stupidity – I simply did not know about a serious problem of lactose intolerance. I did not hear of sth like that in my surrounding. Today I would not let them do it if they had been born again.I don’t argue your theoretical knowledge of evolution you have brought forward. But what are the practical results? Take the Meditarreanean diet. Problems start when you overeat stuffing yourself with meat every day. But if you eat two or three meat meals a week (with lots of vegetables and flushing it with a glass or two of red wine, nothing will happen. What is wrong is that in Spain/Portugal they have such a meal sometimes at 11 pm or at midnight – they usually don’t have breakfast except for an expresso.. No wonder they still feel full when they wake up next day. And cvd and obesity is on the rise there as well but that is due to the abuse of meat and they love over-eating.“If lactose intolerance is innate so far as human beings are concerned, I am not human.”What point are you trying to make? I was making the point that evolution doesn’t have precise control over genotypes. A lot of what we have today is just dumb luck. You sound as if I am attacking your diet with the above comments when I was doing no such thing.“Take the Meditarreanean diet. Problems start when you overeat stuffing yourself with meat every day. But if you eat two or three meat meals a week (with lots of vegetables and flushing it with a glass or two of red wine, nothing will happen.”I don’t see a problem with that. If you look at the links I provided above, chicken has far more fat and salt in it today than it did 100 years ago, and can potentially have higher fat levels than Ice Cream (although I really should second source that claim), but if you eat a healthy diet, then small amounts of things that are “bad for you” can be good for you because of the variety and balance that they add.Precicely – “variety and balance” your golden words. At last we are at one! I even have a hamburger once a year. And I love it! I did not think you were attacking me. Why should I? By the way, what is a healthy diet? In Dr Greger’s opinion, my diet is NOT healthy.“cut the middlehen” HA!I do love gogi berries and they would rank high on my daily berry list if not for this one fact: consuming them at the rate I need, is too low an ROI – Return on Investment, due to the high level of mold in retail-purchased gogi berries. I have tried upwards of a dozen sources, from high-end to the top online suppliers, and none are free of visible mold. The only way I can eliminate this high dose of mold from gogi (and other berries, nuts, and some whole roots and mushrooms) so that I can use it in a medicine drink for example, is to put every gogi berry through my boiling water flash bath, friction, and wipe-down. This is why I am not able to utilize gogi along with the other dozen or so berries I use every day for my medicine drink made in blender with hemp or almond milk. The next time you see gogi berries in the bin at your local bulk supply store, you might want to examine them very closely. And if you switch to online suppliers for your gogi, and find one that does not pass off highly moldy gogi, please let us know! It appears that gogi is another of the Must Have medicine foods we might have to put into the Grow Your Own category!Tried 2 different brands of goji berries, but cannot digest them (gas, stomach discomfort). Read a great many people have the same issue with goji berries. Any way around this?I’ve never heard of that issue. I guess the best way to avoid any discomfort is to not eat them. Plenty of other foods that contain eye-protecting nutrients.	aging,blindness,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cholesterol,eggs,eye disease,eye health,fat,glaucoma,goji berries,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,lettuce,lutein,macular degeneration,nuts,organic foods,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,poultry,seeds,spinach,vegetables,vision,zeaxanthin	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22018225,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11157880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988128,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21646980,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21169874,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15705234,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21354712,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9286268,
PLAIN-56	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/	Foods for Glaucoma	Glaucoma is the second leading cause of legal blindness in white women, and the number one cause of blindness in African-American women. In a study I profile in the video Greens vs. Glaucoma, researchers chose a population of African-American women to study the effects of fruit and vegetable consumption on glaucoma risk because they were specifically interested in studying the effect of foods with the highest concentration of those eye-protecting phytonutrients like zeaxanthin. Zeaxanthin is found primarily in plants such as kale and collard greens. (It is also found in eggs—find out how much in Egg Industry Blind Spot). However, we’d be lucky if we could find one in ten white people eating even a single serving of these dark green leafy vegetables a month, whereas nearly nine out of ten African-American women in the study consumed this amount. What did the researchers find? Well, as I’ve stressed over the years, all fruits and vegetables are not the same (see for example, How to Reach the Antioxidant “RDA“). Whether the participants hardly ever ate bananas or had one or more every day didn’t seem to matter much in terms of the risk of glaucoma. However, eating only a couple oranges every week was associated with dramatically lower risk. Orange juice was not associated with a lower risk, though, even if drunk every day. A similar finding was found for peaches: fresh peaches seemed to help, but canned peaches didn’t. Similarly the intake of vegetables in general as a catch-all term didn’t seem to matter. For example, whether subjects ate a green salad twice a week, once a week, or zero times a week didn’t seem to matter when it came to reducing glaucoma risk, but most people’s salads are pretty pitiful. It was a different story for kale and collard greens: just two or three servings a month was associated with half the risk of glaucoma compared to once a month or less. It may be especially important for white people to consume kale and collard greens. The lighter our eye color, the more greens we need to eat. Blue eyes let 100 times more light through, so people with blue or gray eyes appear significantly more vulnerable to damage compared to brown or black. Green and hazel fall somewhere in the middle. This is interesting: carrots appeared to be less protective in black women compared to white women. They suggest it could be a difference in food preparation methods. Perhaps the African-American subjects tended to eat carrots raw, limiting the absorption of certain nutrients, while they chopped and prepared their collard greens with oil, making the nutrients more bioavailable because the absorption of carotenoid phytonutrients depends on the presence of fat. This is why I encourage people to eat nuts or seeds with the greens—such as a little tahini sauce or something. Why not just take a zeaxanthin pill? We don’t know what exactly it is in these wonderful foods that’s working their wonders, so it’s probably better to just eat our greens rather than supplements. In fact, people that take calcium or iron supplements may even be doubling, quadrupling, or septupling their odds of glaucoma. It’s better to get most of our nutrients from produce, not pills. I wish there were more studies on under-represented populations. I’ve covered a few, such as Preventing Breast Cancer By Any Greens Necessary, but I am constantly on the lookout for more. My other videos on glaucoma include Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther and Dietary Treatment of Glaucoma. For more on eye health check out my video, Dietary Prevention of Age-Related Macular Degeneration. 	I see nothing on this website suggestion plant-based diet suggestions for those with cystic fibrosis. Maybe in 2015 you can provide some data on best diets for cystic fibrosis. This is a tough go for some, and special diets and nutrient intake seem to be of the utmost concern and need.Then why don’t you do your own study on under-represented populations? As a half American Indian, half Mexican (does that make me 3/4 American Indian?), I can plainly see what the standard American has done to our population. I try my best to stay away from sugar and flour of all colors, not just white. At family gatherings, I bring a big bowl of green beans to share. Maybe it helps a little.“At family gatherings, I bring a big bowl of green beans to share. Maybe it helps a little.” Yes, I believe it does from my own experience bringing plant-based dishes to family gatherings. It’s a great way to encourage people to try foods they don’t normally prepare at home and maybe inspire them to do so. A recent example was an acorn squash recipe I prepared for a family event this fall; it was devoured and received many, “ooh, this is really good”.Smart with the acorn squash! I did that once and was shocked that not one person had had it before!what about if you already have glaucoma? do these foods also help lessen the severity of the condition (assuming you haven’t gone blind yet)?Hanna, check out this video of Dr. Greger’s on “Dietary Treatment of Glaucoma”: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/For a full list of Dr. Greger videos that touch on glaucoma, click here: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=glaucomaAnd, incorporating greens into your diet, if you don’t already include them, surely won’t hurt.Is cabbage as healthy as collard greens (collard greens aren’t common here). What about spinach, silverbeet, turnip leaves, radish leaves, beetroot leaves, mustard greens, bok choy leaves, choy sum leavesI did a pubmed search of glaucoma and diet and couldn’t find any information on cabbage and the other foods you mentioned. Given the complexity of the antioxidants in plants I believe eating a variety with a focus on kale and collards… if available would be consistent with the best current science. Good luck.My mother began suffering the effects of glaucoma at 60… my grandmother suffered the same disease. Both were declared “legally blind” in their late 70’s and, of course, I figured it is a genetic thing. Maybe it’s genetic but only to a certain degree, though. Our lineage is Caucasian. Neither my mother nor my grandmother were inclined to eat kale, spinach, or carrots, but I eat really huge servings of all three as a trio cooked gently in water with olive oil at least three times a week, and I make smoothies with kale, carrots, avocado, onion and garlic on days I don’t cook ‘em up. Hopefully, my eyes will remain unaffected by glaucoma (I’m 65+ and regular eye exams show no trace of that disease). Thanks, Doc, for this post… I feel less worried about ocular health, for it appears I’ve been taking care of my eyes with diet for quite a few years.Does anyone know if Tangerines would work the same as oranges? Probably a dumb question, but just wondering…Salud para todossddasdadsa asddsadRe: the paper by Wang et al that suggests calcium/iron supplementation increases risk of glaucoma: This paper’s results are disputed in a Comment to the publication by Shaikh Y, Yu F, Coleman AL at UCLA. Rather than analyzing the data based on participants’ self-reported values, they used the participants’ serum levels of iron and calcium, and their clinically diagnosed glaucoma incidence. They found “no statistically significant associations between self-reported glaucoma and highest quintiles of albumin-corrected serum calcium… or serum iron”. Full text at http://www.iovs.org/content/53/8/4941.longOne implication is that self reported data must be considered carefully, and if possible backed up with measurements (a pattern also seen in many other studies).There are too many contradictions in this article. You say that white women don’t eat collard greens, but black women do. Yet at the beginning of the article you say “Glaucoma is the second leading cause of legal blindness in white women, and the number one cause of blindness in African-American women. Obviously, according to these two statements we can conclude that collard greens haven’t helped the black women very much then.I find your views very ethnocentric, and somewhat racist, and very narrow to only include blacks and whites, hardly representative of the world in which Glaucoma appears throughout. Not all white women come from a British or Irish background. Varieties of collard greens (Brassica Oleracea) trace back to ancient Greeks, as well as the Romans who grew several varieties including a less poignant variety that had larger leaves and stalk, and was mild in flavor. Last I checked neither Greeks nor Romans were black.Collard greens also existed in diets for centuries in Brazil, Portugal, Kashmir Valley, the Congo, Kenya and Tanzania, not all of the African nations, so therefore not all black women would eat them, as you imply in your article.In terms of North America, Brassica Oleracea existed before blacks were brought here against their will. The Native Americans ate wild Brassica Oleracea before blacks arrived. What did happen however, is that blacks from certain African countries, once in the USA, specifically the southern states, shared how they cooked collard greens, which helped make collard greens more popular in the USA.In Canada, and the USA spinach, broccoli, and cabbage have been popular since these countries were founded. All of these are in the same Acephala group as collard greens, and contain the same nutritional values, thus once again calling into question the validity of your article , Once including that fact, we now see how people around the world have been eating greens in the same family possibly since time began, once again leaving us wondering how beneficial they are to preventing Glaucoma.	African-American,antioxidants,bananas,blindness,calcium,carrots,collard greens,cooking methods,eye disease,eye health,fat,fruit,fruit juice,glaucoma,greens,iron,juice,kale,nuts,oils,orange juice,oranges,peaches,phytonutrients,seeds,supplements,tahini,vegetables,vision,women's health,zeaxanthin	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12915499,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8690039,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3448787/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22247455,
PLAIN-57	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/	How Long to Avoid Fish Before Conception?	Mothers’ increased consumption of fish before and during pregnancy leads to increased exposure to both mercury and the long-chain omega 3 DHA. Mercury may negatively affect brain development in one’s unborn baby, whereas DHA may stimulate brain development. However, the negative effect of mercury appears to outweigh the beneficial effect of DHA for most species of fish (see Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development). Unfortunately, women of childbearing age appear less aware and knowledgeable about this problem than other women, despite FDA and EPA campaigns to inform every OB/GYN and pediatrician in the country about the potential risks of mercury in fish. Since mercury sticks around in the body, women may want to avoid fish with high levels of mercury for a year before they get pregnant, not just during pregnancy. The rationale for avoiding fish for a year before pregnancy is because the half-life of mercury in the body is estimated to be about two months. In a study I profile in my video How Long to Detox from Fish Before Pregnancy a group of researchers fed subjects two servings a week of tuna and other high mercury fish to push their mercury levels up, and then stopped the fish. Slowly but surely their levels came back down (see the video for the graph). I know a lot of moms are concerned about exposing their children to mercury containing vaccines, but if they eat even just a serving a week of fish during pregnancy, the latest data shows that their infants end up with substantially more mercury in their bodies than if they were injected with up to six mercury-containing vaccines. Given the two-month half-life of mercury, within a year of stopping fish consumption our bodies can detox nearly 99% of the mercury. Unfortunately the other industrial pollutants in fish can take longer for our body to get rid of. Certain dioxins, PCBs, and DDT metabolites found in fish have a half-life as long as ten years. So getting that same 99% drop could take 120 years, which is a long time to delay one’s first child. The fact that we can still find DDT in umbilical cord blood decades after the pesticide was banned speaks to the persistence of some pollutants. There’s a shortcut for moms, but it’s The Wrong Way to Detox. What effects do these other pollutants have? Well, high concentrations of industrial contaminants are associated with 38 times the odds of diabetes—that’s as strong as the relationship between smoking and lung cancer! Isn’t diabetes mostly associated with obesity though? Well, these pollutants are fat-soluble, so “as people get fatter the retention and toxicity of persistent organic pollutants related to the risk of diabetes may increase.” This suggests the shocking possibility that obesity “may only be a vehicle” for such chemicals. Now the pollutants could just be a marker for animal product consumption, which may be why there’s such higher diabetes risk, since more than 90% of the persistent organic pollutants comes from animal foods. And indeed, in the U.S. every additional serving of fish a week is associated with a 5% increased risk of diabetes, which makes fish consumption about 80% worse than red meat. PCBs are found most concentrated in fish and eggs (Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants), which may be why there are lower levels of Industrial Pollutants in Vegans. This may also help explain the remarkable findings in Eggs and Diabetes. More on the risks of mercury can be found in these videos: 	Dr Greger- You are the best! I just gave a donation to help with your costs and I hope others will too! This information is so important and yet so sorely missing from most doctors and healthcare professionals. I really appreciate the work you and your team do for all of us who care about our health. Veganmom4girlsDr. Greger, Thanks for the work you do. How would you account for the fact that Paleo folks (Chris Kresser comes to mind) can trot out data that supports their view, so diametrically opposed to the vegan view?The paleo folk are great at either severely misconstruing studies or simply making up information. Please see here for more on the topic of Chris Kresser http://plantpositive.com/22-cholesterol-confusion-5-cho http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/26/vegan-propaganda.htmlhttp://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marktwain128372.htmlMy research work was in prenatal and infant diet and nutrition, plus the role of detoxification prior to pregnancy in the late 1970s and early 1980s when I was studying for my degrees in natural nutrition and holistic health sciences. At that time I requested clients start a detox program 6 to 12 months before considering pregnancy AND that both partners, the intended mother and father, go on the detox program together at the same time. Many who could not conceive, after being in my program, conceived with no problem after the detox-nutrition program and their first try. I wrote the book, now out of print, Feeding Baby Naturally From Pregnancy On… I wish conventional nutrition and medicine, plus vested interests, would have taken more seriously we, who had been considered ‘quacks’ regarding natural nutrition, lifestyle changes and detoxification of chemicals back then and even now, instead of persecuting and prosecuting some of the MDs who saw the light long before MDs like Dr. Michael Greger, to whom I give a hat tip. Thanks for what you do, Dr. Greger; we need many more like you to change the insidious food/nutrition paradigm promoted by the food processing industries. Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth to all beings.Fish is bad for baby, but DHA, as you said, is “not even negotiable,” as a supplement or from seaweed because of its benefit to baby’s IQ and health. This could be used instead of fish. A source of mercury in America is in fillings. They are made of half mercury and every hot drink puts more of them in your blood stream, my opinion. Mothers with fillings should consider seeing their dentist or consult their prenatal doctor to diminish mercury evolution during pregnancy, such as with folate (beans, orange juice) or Amla as detox. Mercury is in fillings because silver does not melt at temperatures tolerable in the dentist chair. Filings are an amalgam made of half mercury, a dental filling is not much different than using soldering wire in your mouth, which also contains Mercury to melt at normal high temperatures. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/ The more walnuts a mother eats the more DHA their is for baby. You also recommend DHA supplements, garlic, and one box of raisins a month. Anything to justify the beans!How Long to Avoid [Consuming] Fish Before Conception? As soon after one’s own conception as possible, for everyone’s sake, including the fish.One of the greatest lessons that parents can ever teach their children is that the lives of fellow creatures are not to be taken for granted; and animals in particular are not to be exploited. Therefore, parents should refrain as best they can from serving fish and other animal-origin foods to their kids, till they’re grown and on their own and can decide how they want to live — but hopefully having learned a beautiful lesson!	abdominal fat,animal products,beef,body fat,brain disease,brain health,children,cognition,DDT,detoxification,DHA,diabetes,dioxins,EPA,fat,FDA,fish,industrial toxins,infants,meat,mercury,obesity,omega-3 fatty acids,PBCs,persistent organic pollutants,prediabetes,pregnancy,red meat,reproductive health,seafood,tuna,vaccines,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22442397,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2600453/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22293416,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22079313,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17065718,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11700268,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21575620,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21257163,
PLAIN-58	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/	Boosting Anti-Cancer Immunity with Berries	For disease prevention and health maintenance, berries of all colors have “emerged as champions.” Research has focused mainly on cancer prevention and treatment. Studies show that the anticancer effects of berries are partially mediated through their abilities to counteract, reduce, and also repair damage resulting from oxidative stress and inflammation. Berries may also have many other positive effects, such as boosting detoxifying enzymes. One of the more remarkable effects is that of blueberries on natural killer cell counts. Natural killer cells are part of our immune system’s rapid response team against cancer cells, eliminating cancer cells through the activation of cancer cell suicide via death receptors. They’re called natural killers because they don’t require activation by prior exposure. We don’t want to wait until our second tumor before our immune system starts fighting. We have about two billion of these soldiers circulating in our blood stream at any one time, but we may be able to get a troop surge with blueberries. Researchers had athletes eat about a cup and a half of blueberries a day for six weeks to see if that would reduce the oxidative stress of long-distance running. They indeed saw a blunting of the spike in oxidant stress. But that’s not what sets that study apart. The number of natural killer cells in the blood typically decreases after prolonged endurance exercise, dropping by half to only about one billion—that is, unless we’ve been eating lots of blueberries. In the video, Boosting Natural Killer Cell Activity,  you can see a graph comparing natural killer cell numbers with and without blueberries.  Those who ate blueberries retained close to the standard two billion cells. This is because six weeks of blueberries had doubled the resting number of natural killer cells up to over four billion. This has never before been demonstrated in humans. There was a study on goji berries, but despite a cup a day for a month, there was no significant change in the number of natural killers. Another study, though, showed a significant increase in natural killer cell activity thanks to the spice cardamom. (Cardamom and blueberries—I never thought we’d be fighting cancer with blueberry muffins!) When researchers took some lymphoma cells in a petri dish and added cardamom, nothing happened. However, if we add some natural killer cells, about 5% of the cancer cells are wiped out. Add a little more cardamom, and our troops do better still. And then if we add more and more spice, then all of a sudden the natural killer cells are killing cancer like crazy—the same number of natural killer cells, but they’re now able to kill off ten times more cancer cells. While cardamom alone had no effect on cancer cells even at the highest dose, it seemed to enhance our natural killer cells’ killer instincts. The same thing was found for black pepper: Black pepper alone, nothing, but when combined with natural killer cells, there seemed to be a boosting effect up to around 30 or 40% cancer cell clearance. If cardamom and black pepper are combined, they synergize and their individual effects are doubled. The researchers conclude that “Taken together, these data strongly suggest that black pepper and cardamom have the potential to markedly enhance the anti-cancer activity of natural killer cells.” Exercise itself can improve immune function in general (See Preserving Immune Function in Athletes With Nutritional Yeast), but the blueberry finding, so far, is unique. The oxidative stress part of the story is told in Reducing Muscle Soreness With Berries. It is true that the blueberry study was funded by the North American Blueberry Council and the North Carolina High-bush Blueberry Council. However, just because the study was funded by blueberry councils doesn’t necessarily mean the science is suspect, but we would want to see the study independently verified, especially one so dramatic. What else can berries do? Check out: You can check also out my blueberry smoothie recipe here in A Better Breakfast. 	Would frozen berries have the same benefits?Yes, frozen blueberries retain their antioxidants.Thanks!Can we know if the active element of cardamom gets into the bloodstream?How much blueberries would need to be consumed to have these effects. I think it’s premature to emphasize the benefits if quantity of blueberry consumption is unrealisticDr. Greger recommends one cup a day and the book “Super Foods, Fourteen Foods That WIll Change Your Life<" by Steven Pratt and Kathy Matthews recommends one to two cups a day. Raisins and dried fruit do count. Juice is evidently too filtered and canning damages the phytonutrients. Eating this many berries can make your brain two years younger. This amount of berries could be expensive, as alluded to by Ariel, and not always available, so considered dried. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EQA93OY/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1Cardamom and black pepper … That’s in the recipe for chai tea! (plus cinnamon, ginger and cloves). Does it get any better than that!?Chai tea, or red chai tea has many of these spices, as you say. Dr. Greger said that one cup of Chai tea has many of the antioxidants you’d need in a day. Perhaps also we could try Cardamon Cinnamon from the Republic of Tea. If there was just a hibiscus chai tea! http://www.republicoftea.com/cardamom-cinnamon-herbal-tea/p/V00677/Adding berries is a great way to fight cancer. It just takes a cup to a cup and a half a day. Even Golden raisins or grapes count. There are dried berries packs on the internet, like this one on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EQA93OY/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I thinking a cup of blueberries a day is very healthy way to find health. To get berries, you could buy frozen or dried as said below. A cup of berries a day can make your brain two years younger. I wish fresh berries were always available. One cup of Chai Tea has many of the spices listed here.“A cup of berries a day can make your brain two years younger.” Where did you read that, Matthew? Thanks.Hello! I saw it right here on this site in the video “How to slow brain aging by two years.: “In other words, women with higher intake of berries appeared to have delayed cognitive aging by as much as 2.5 years.” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/ In this study he cites this report, “These findings suggest that, in addition to their known beneficial effects on cancer and heart disease, phytochemicals present in antioxidant-rich foods may be beneficial in reversing the course of neuronal and behavioral aging.” In the abstract of this report: J. A. Joseph, B. Shukitt-Hale, N. A. Denisova, D. Bielinski, A. Martin, J. J. McEwen, P. C. Bickford. Reversals of age-related declines in neuronal signal transduction, cognitive, and motor behavioral deficits with blueberry, spinach, or strawberry dietary supplementation. J. Neurosci. 1999 19(18):8114 – 8121.Thank you, MatthewMatthew you rock! You have all the videos memorized.Happy Holidays! Thank you very much! I can’t wait to read Dr. Greger’s book on how to add life through nutrition. This diet can bring youth to hundreds of thousands of people. I am glad you are one of them!And it brings health. Happy Holidays to you too!I would love to eat all these berries, but I have diverticular disease. I cannot eat them because of the seeds. This is especially true of blueberries because the seeds are sharp. They are of particular risk to me. Does anyone have any idea how I could process blueberries to ingest them without any seeds? Thanks and Merry Christmas all!I, too wish seedless jam had all the health benefits of the fresh fruit. Evidently, cooking it is bad for the phytonutrients. Trader Joes sells whole pure blueberry juice, if it helps.Oh, thanks Matthew! That sounds delicious. I’ll give that a try! I appreciate your reply! Take care!first off, fix your epithelial cell issue inside intestional channel. start with researching naturopathic approaches because my understanding of how I reversed mine is by focusing on high fiber only, multiple daily movements, increased motility and bulk, and most important of all: years of very concentrated (expensive) daily supplementation of probiotics and increase of food-delivered probiotics, in addition to multiple herbal capsules known to cure colorectal issues. It is a matter of getting to the cause of DV, not bandage solutions which fail to address the underlying systems which are not working properly. I cured multiple GI cancers in CR, IBS, Colitis, and sensitivity to everything to the point of not being able to handle any food. After a year of concentrated effort and throwing every penny I could into the problem, and a lot of self-discipline in what I buy and consume, I totally reversed my colon function to closer to normal. Now have almost no GI symptoms ever – you can do it too. Think independently, do your own research, have a plan, be critical in terms of what you read, and exercise the courage to do things differently. Einstein: Insanity is doing the same things over and over, expecting different results. Change everything from the ground up, heal from the beginning of it all, and take your mind and effort off of relieving symptoms.Hi Deb, I’ve known many people that have been truly helped (cured) by just eating the right kind of diet… please see this quick 2-3 minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmx0V4k2Tf8Eat your berries! Here’s a large cohort showing that people with diverticular disease were able to consume foods like nuts, seeds and popcorn without complications (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2643269/). There isn’t any research to back up the dated recommendation to avoid these foods. In fact, these high fiber foods have been shown to reduce the risk of developing diverticulosis/itis disease in the first place. Check out Dr. Greger’s video on the matter: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/There are so many more berries to consider than blueberries, acai, etc., which are over-studied, over-discussed, and over-marketed. The main issue is that they are also more often not the most cost-effective delivery package for a given nutrient or medicinal component desired. The typically more therapeutic berries, which so often give a far greater ROI – Return on Investment, than blueberries, can be added to smoothies, encapsulized, sprinkled/stirred into foods, made into poultices, teas,”candies,” jellies, etc. Of course we have to vet their source identity and safety, figure out appropriate dosages for our bodies and needs and budget, and develop our ability to know how to read our body’s reaction to every new introduction. How long did it take for us to adopt blueberries as a goal for daily consumption? Too long. Berries you can grow, purchase, or wild-harvest, which you might want to begin learning about and experimenting with include: Hawthorn, Elder, Marqui, Acerola, Schisandra, Saw Palmetto, Bilberry, Sea Buckthorn, Gogi, Aronia, Camu Camu, Amla, Lingonberry, Yumberry. The list is huge as to what you and I can locate and safely purchase, grow in our yard, wild-harvest on a nature walk, and then learn to incorporate into our daily diet. The potential impact of these lesser known berries far outweigh the importance of remembering to budget and buy blueberries. When you get around to comparing the phytonutrient content of the marginalized or forgotten but readily available more medicinal berries, you can prove to your self that the habit you wish to cultivate is researching what is not being sold to you every time you log on to the Internet to read another re-hashed story about blueberries or the other so-called superfruit. Berries as a category is so much more than the Big Three – Blueberries, Strawberries, Black/Raspberries and it it time to bring the lesser promoted ones into the light. In the end, it is simply one of cost-effectiveness. The rest of this century will be about cost-effective eating….eating for longevity and prevention means we need to ask the question of ROI.You have done great research to condense so long a list of super berries! I was using the list of berries from the Republic of Tea for that, Acai, Pomegrante, Goji, Cherry Acerola, Blueberry, Black Raspberry, and Sea Buckthorn. Your list will help a lot of people. Dr. Greger has some videos on this topic:Links at this link:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/Eating healthy on a budget Eating Healthy on the Cheap Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck Cheapest Source of Vitamin B12 The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages Are Goji Berries Good for You? Superfood BargainsHe said that purple cabbage, cinnamon, and cloves are the best antioxidant bargain. According to him, the most powerful berry is amla, followed by rose hips or dog rose. To get antioxidants cheaply, he recommends oregano sprinkles or ground flax seed powder or cloves. A single cup of Chai tea has three days worth of antioxidants (maybe because of the cloves). One cup of green rooibos may have many more according to another site, but he has not tested this. The healthiest berry, between alma or dog rose or rose hips.He ranks berries in this site:“we can get more than twice the bang for our buck choosing blackberries, for example, over strawberries.”http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/I am also interested in the healthiest super berry. Is it dragon wood blood bark? Chris Kilham has a list of some of the super berries here:http://www.medicinehunter.com/featured/From your list, Hawthorn, Elder, Marqui, Acerola, Schisandra, Saw Palmetto, Bilberry, Sea Buckthorn, Gogi, Aronia, Camu Camu, Amla, Lingonberry, Yumberry, what do you eat the most of? What is the best? Maybe we could test this list for what is the cheapest and the best. How do you get the most of these berries knowing that they are different? Dr. Greger has said he likes pomegrante juice for this purpose in part. Have you heard of Jiaogulan? It is evidently the most adaptagenic (stress relieving) plant we know of.http://www.dragonherbs.com/prodinfo.asp?number=601Thank you!This is a wonderful list of commercially unavailable, nutritionally dense berries, some native or naturalized and possible to forage, others really easy to grow. If you live in the western US, Raintree Nursery has a wonderful catalog of bare-root mailable “unusual” berry plants including elder, bilberry, gogi, aronia, lingonberry, huckleberry and black currant. Some of these make handsome, fairly carefree “foundation” plants. I grow blueberries, blackberries and european black currants in a fairly small space. They come ripe over a fairly short season and are easy to freeze and store. They’re one of the most successful parts of my food garden. Give it a try!Please see here for more on the best berry. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/Thanks, Toxins. These berries are so interesting. The “whortleberry” comprises several species of Vacciniums, including V myrtillus, the bilberry or European blueberry, and V vitus-idaea, the lingonberry. They’re closely related to our American blueberry, V cyanococcus. All far northern hemisphere (is that paleoarctic?) northern US, Scandinavia, Scotland, Russia, Siberia. I wouldn’t be surprised if whortleberries outrank our blueberries only because ours have been domesticated–bred for large size, sweetness, resistance to disease/pests, etc. Rowanberries are even more interesting–magical, mythical, druidic trees in Scotland, Sorbus aucuparia, producing a fairly inedible berry that persists on the trees thru freezing winters and are thus available in the hunger times of the year. (Reputed to taste better at the end of the winter too.) Their seeds, like many rose family plants, are reputed to contain cyanide. The birds must not eat them. They’re mountain ash trees–there are a lot of Sorbus species in North America too.Alice, how could you forget about the Indian goosberry? The star of the show!Please see here for more on that. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/Hi Toxins–I like your name–it feels strange to be addressing Toxins! I didn’t forget the Indian gooseberry–I just can’t grow it, here in the very rainy Pacific Northwest–very sad. Wrong climate so I don’t know very much about it. I actually have high blood glucose, so I’ve tried dried amla powder but I didn’t see much of an effect. Maybe I should try again.Sea buckthorn berries are the most potent, rest all put together don’t even match!What is a good alma powder to purchase?Ideally organic. But otherwise get what you can. Brands wise? Just do a search on the interwebz to find suppliers; some health food shops buy in bulk from importers and repackage into smaller amounts to sell.	berries,blueberries,cancer,cancer survival,cardamom,detoxification,exercise,fruit,goji berries,immune function,industry influence,inflammation,oxidative stress,pepper,spices	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20210607,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18211019,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22111516,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11924906,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19857084,
PLAIN-59	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	The Vitamin Everyone on a Plant-Based Diet Needs	A new study from China found that compared to omnivores, those who ate egg-free and meat-free diets had all the typical benefits of eating more plant-based: lower body mass index, lower blood pressure, lower triglyceride, lower total cholesterol, lower bad cholesterol, less free radical damage, etc. Having said that, if those on plant-based diets don’t get enough vitamin B12, levels of an artery-damaging compound called homocysteine can start to rise in the bloodstream and may counteract some of the benefits of healthy eating. In a study profiled in my video, Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health, a group of Taiwanese researchers found that the arteries of vegetarians were just as stiff as the omnivores and both had the same level of thickening in their carotid arteries, presumably because of the elevated homocysteine levels. The researchers concluded: “The negative findings of these studies should not be considered as evidence of neutral cardiovascular effects of vegetarianism, but do indicate an urgent need for modification of vegan diets through vitamin B12 fortification or supplementation. Vitamin B12 deficiency is a very serious problem leading ultimately to anemia, neuropsychiatric disorders, irreversible nerve damage, and high levels of artery-damaging homocysteine in the blood. Prudent vegans should include sources of vitamin B12 in their diets.” One study of vegetarians whose B12 levels were really hurting found that they had even thicker, more dysfunctional arteries than omnivores. How do we know B12 was to blame? Because once they were given B12 supplements they got better. Their arterial lining started to shrink back, and the proper functioning of their arteries returned. Without B12 fortified foods or B12 supplements, omnivores who were switched to a vegan diet developed vitamin B12 deficiency. Yes, it may take our blood levels dropping down to around 150 picomoles per liter to develop classic signs of B12 deficiency, like anemia or spinal cord degeneration, but way before that, we may start getting increased risk of cognitive deficits and brain shrinkage, stroke, depression, and nerve and bone damage. The rise in homocysteine may attenuate the beneficial effects of a vegetarian diet on cardiovascular health. The researchers concluded that while the beneficial effects of vegetarian diets on cholesterol and blood sugars “need to be advocated, but at the same time efforts to correct vitamin B12 deficiency in vegetarian diets can never be overestimated.” 	I’ve watched ALL of your videos on B12, and read everything posted on this website that pertains to B12, but do not see any mention by you discussing the possibility that B12 supplements do not work for some people due to genetic issues/defects, and therefore a need to do the “MTHFR test” or other related genetic tests to find out why the body is not benefiting from B12, and why these supplements might be causing them bad reactions as well. I do not understand the science of this genetic issue, but I know for me that B12 supplements cause severe adverse reactions in me, all forms, all injections, those without sweeteners, with sweeteners, with dairy, without dairy, different doses, – you name it , B12 supplements make me feel way worse than without.And I know of plenty of others who have great difficulty with B12 supplements as well, and have said that it is a “genetic issue” that must be addressed. Dr. Greger, do you have any knowledge of this MTHFR issue, and/or science related to that will help those who have issues with B12 supplements? I want to be 100 vegan, and know of plenty of others who do as well, but they have not been able to find the missing link to why B12 pills are not working, and/or causing them bad reactions.Individuals bearing some very common MTHFR polymorphisms (eg C677T or A1298C) don’t have impaired B12 metabolism. Instead, they have up to 70% less activity of MTHFR, an enzyme in the folate cycle required to reduce methylene-THF to methyl-THF. In the methionine cycle, the methyl is transfered from methyl-THF to homocysteine, to reform methionine by an enzyme which uses B12 as a cofactor. Here’s showing how the two cycles relate.relate.In practical terms, this means individuals with MTHFR mutations may need consume more biologically active folate to compensate. Natural folate is ubiquitous in plant foods, especially green leafy vegetables, legumes, and the germ of grains. However, it isn’t shelf-stable, so synthetic folic acid is used in supplements and to fortify processed foods like flour and breakfast cereals. Humans have a limited and variable capacity to convert folic acid to active folate, and some take supplements of a shelf-stable form of biologically active folate (Levomefolic acid, tradmarked Metafolin and Deplin), which is more bioavailable than folic acid. The amount of levomefolic acid in supplements (400-1000 μg) is comparable to the amount of folate in whole plant based diets, and those eating a lot of leafy green vegetables and greens can do significantly better.Thanks for this. Am I understanding this correctly that individuals with this MTHFR polymorphism issue are not processing the methionine correctly/efficiently and are therefore ending up having it remain as homocysteine (not getting converted back to methionine), thus, they end up testing very high in serum homocysteine?Right. With impaired MTHFR activity, the folates build up as methylene-THF, and only the amount that eeks through MTHFR to methyl-THF are available to remethylate homocysteine back into methionine.I should add that there’s good reason to suspect that the association of elevated homocysteine with cardiovascular disease is a coincident marker of too much high-methionine animal protein and not enough folate containing greens in the diet. Genetic predispositions to lifelong moderately higher homocysteine (like the C677T or A1298C polymorphisms) have little or no effect on cardiovascular risk. Homocysteine lowering interventions, including folic acid supplementation, have no significant impact on CVD risk. In animal studies, high methionine intake increases homocysteine, but is also sufficient to increase atherosclerosis even in the absence of elevated homocysteine. A study of the common MTHFR C677T polymorphism, which lowers levels of methyl-THF and elevates homocysteine, suggests that the homocysteine may just be a marker of low methyl-THF status, which has a more direct role in atherosclerosis. Folate has a lot of cardiovascular benefits apart from remethylating homocysteine, perhaps mediated by quenching the peroxynitrite-derived radicals which cause ischemia/reperfusion injury. The title of this review almost says it all. I would have used “How does folate cure heart attacks”.Interesting and just a tad over my head, but I do get the gist. However, I don’t understand why Elsie’s issues with folic acid would cause the shellfish to mitigate her symptoms.For now I am guessing that the B12 in the shellfish is being absorbed by my body and utilized effectively, and for whatever reason B12 supplement/injections are not. Maybe my (and others’) inability to benefit from B12 supplements has nothing to do with the MTHFR/folate issue?Interestingly, my serum folate level is great.What role does B12 play in this, and why do people feel this (MTHFR issue) is why they have an issue with being able to digest, absorb, utilize, etc. different forms (or any) of B12? The way it was explained to me by my doctor was that “B12 is a necessary component to allow for many different and multi-layered reactions in the body, and some of these reactions are not even the ones we commonly talk about.”I’m guessing from what you’ve said already, a humans ability to absorb/digest/fully utilize a B12 supplement has nothing to do with having this MTHFR issue?Darryl: Thank you for answering this question. I know someone who was asking me this very question the other day. Now I have much better information for her. So, you have already helped more than one person. Thanks!Just want to say I very much appreciate your detailed replies.Elsie, I’m wondering if your level of healthy gut bacteria is not enough to allow for B12 to get into the bloodstream. I recall one person who had to eat animal foods to get his B12 levels up. When I worked with him to reduce his consumption of meat, I recommended probiotics supplementation at double the usual dosage for 2 months. It did the trick, and his B12 levels were very good. He has it checked every 6 months, and if B12 is dropping, he does another round of probiotics. I generally recommend the human micro flora type of probiotic, not the bovine type. To be vegan, take it in powdered form, just mix it into smoothies, cold drinks, water, etc. You need to keep it refrigerated.To understand why I think it could be an issue of healthy bacteria levels in the gut, here’s a link to an article that may help: http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/how-probiotics-and-prebiotics-can-help-your-healthAnd here’s a quote from that article: “Probiotics are the new vitamins,” says Shekhar Challa, MD, a gastroenterologist in Topeka, KS, and the author of Probiotics for Dummies. That’s a bold statement, because probiotics are actually live microbes—specifically, beneficial bacteria that promote human health if consumed in large enough quantities. For germophobic Americans, it’s a revolutionary concept. But the 100 trillion microbes that live in your large intestine do dozens of good things for you. They process indigestible fibers and help keep bowel function regular. They produce a number of vitamins, including B6, B12, and K2, and aid in the absorption of minerals such as iron, calcium, and magnesium. Equally important, they help fend off bad bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can cause diarrhea and, in extreme cases, severe anemia, kidney failure, and death.Wow. Thank you! Of all the things I’ve considered and read about, this makes the most sense. Could you please recommend a specific “human micro flora type of probiotic” brand and type that you’ve had success with, and trust? Would highly appreciate it.Also, some have reported anecdotally that fasting produces positive results in improving the macrobiome in regards to B12 status. Any thoughts? Thanks again for any suggestions on a probiotic brand/product.You’re welcome, I hope it helps to keep your B12 levels up. I recommend HMF Forte powder by Genestra, keep it refrigerated and take it with food.Fasting is a therapy that I have little experience with.According to Joel Fuhrman: “Americans eat 51% of their diet from processed foods and foods low in phytochemicals and antioxidants,” he says. “So you see a buildup of waste products in the cells — AGE, advanced glycation end products — that build up in cellular tissues and lead to atherosclerosis, aging, diabetes, nerve damage, and the deterioration of organs.”Perhaps it’s the buildup of the AGEs that affects the gut microbiome and by fasting our healthy gut flora is better able to support the production of B12 and other nutrients. Maybe Dr. Greger can point us to a study on this?Please let me know if things improve for you on the probiotic supplement.I tried to post a reply earlier but it didn’t show up as a posting. I’ll try again here.First of all, thanks so much for your reply. Do you have a specific brand of “human micro flora type of probiotic” you would recommend? I’d highly appreciate it, and of all the things that have been suggested to me, and that i’ve read online, your suggestion seems the most logical. Thanks.HMF Forte by Genestra. You can get it in powder form.Something you might consider is which nutrients which are particularly high in whatever shellfish you are consuming. Oysters, for example, are high in zinc which is generally low in vegan diets. You could try adding a food source of zinc like pumpkin seeds and see if that has the same effect as the shellfish. While I haven’t heard of zinc being directly being associated with homocysteine levels it might work indirectly,thanks for this question, I am always researching about b12 because I also can’t take it in supplement form, as it causes me extreme anxiety (even though I normally do not suffer from anxiety at all). one time I almost had a full blown panic attack when I took it. It feels as though I just drank like 20 cups of coffee or something. It feels absolutelly horrible. But I can never find that much info about this, besides a few forum posts about other people feeling the same symptoms. Just wondering if these are the same kind of issues you have when taking it in supplement form? I dont have issues when I eat foods/drinks fortified with b12, but I think this might be because the amounts are much much smaller (always way less than 100% rda) than the supplement form. The supplement amounts of it are crazy high!!! I am technically a pescatarian so I do eat fish and shellfish, but only sometimes…I mostly eat vegetarian and vegan. But just because of the fact that I can’t supplement b12 and I certainly do not wanna become deficient, I wouldnt even consider going full on vegan. I’ve had my b12 tested last year and my levels were not deficient but not amazing either, I would say kind of borderline. I was even experiencing some symptoms that are associated with b12 deficiency…tingling in the legs, RLS, depression, insomnia, etc. My doctor said my blood work was considered normal, so she didnt think that this was related to b12. But since I have done so much research on this I felt like I was more informed about it than just some random GP who told me it was just stress and that I should try to relax! So I started eating more clams every week and all my symptoms dissapeared. I now try to eat clams once per week and I have been feeling great. I also eat some fortified cereals and nut milks sometimes, but I don’t want to have to be loading up on those every day just to get barely enough b12, when I can get wayyyy more of it from just a small serving of clams and eating them doesn’t cause me any weird symptoms. Anyway, I wish that I could just take it in supplement form without any of these weird symptoms, it would definitelly make things much easier and I could consider goin full vegan. Anyway, thanks for the article and thanks again for the question and discussion Elsie. It’s at least comforting to know there are others out there like me when it comes to b12.Hi Je! Just looking at your question…and was wondering if possibly it’s something added to the B12 supplement that’s causing your symptoms? Some B12 supplements contain added ingredients and colors…did you see this piece Dr. G. did about artificial food colorings and ADHD symptoms? Not that ADHD is the same as the anxiety symptoms the B12 supplement causes you, but it just occured to me that maybe there was a connection?It’s not a genetic issue, the B12 in supplements is trash, like all supplements. It’s not the same as real B12. Where does a gorilla get is b12? where does the giraffe get it’s b12? Where does an elephant get it’s b12? Why is it that the natural way all animals get b12 is hidden from the public? I’m not yet sure exactly which is our natrual way to get it, but I’m pretty sure it’s natrual river or stream water. Bacteria can only form in water, and that water can’t have high oxygen levels. You simply can’t get b12 from a place that has no water, it comes from water and nothing else. Mushrooms have b12 on them too, as long as they are not washed. – I am about to do an experiment, sense going and getting river water sounds like a pain, I’m going to try a few things: Rib moist dirt on my arm before I sunbake, than lick my arm after(this will kill all bacteria sense bacteria can’t survive outside of water, hopefully the b12 microbe is uneffected). This is also way to test if licking your arm can rise Vitamin D to high levels, Vitamin D washes away from water and can take 5 days to absorb into your skin, licking my be the ultimate way to go. ill also try using the sun to distill water at home than put some dirt in, mix and drink. ill try mud bathing as well, that might be enough to get b12. – In theory putting some dirt in distilled water will work, just use a bucket, place a glass in the middle to catch the water, put water in the bucket around the glass, food wrap/plastic wrap over the top of bucket and a little rock or weight in the middle over the glass.I’ve been a total vegan for the past 15 years and for that time have eaten Nutritional Yeast (supplemented with B12) to compensate for the absence of animal products in my diet. Four months ago, on routine physical exam blood tests, I showed a sl. macrocytic anemia. My primary care ordered a B12 assay, and it was significantly low. Everything else is normal, and because of my age (77-yr old female) he is assuming that I have a reduced capacity to absorb B12 through the gut (decreased Intrinsic Factor etc.). I am now on sub-lingual daily B12, and will go back for another B12 in two months to see if it makes a difference. What surprised me was that I did not have any of the typical symptoms of a B12 deficiency, although it’s possible that my levels were not low enough for me to develop clinical symptoms.6rtury: I’m glad you caught it in time – ie before you experienced symptoms. I’d say that you are doing pretty good. I hope the daily B12 makes a difference. If you are interested, please report back and let us know. I’ve been taking the B12 sublingual weekly. And I wonder if it makes enough of a difference. (Not that I’m low as far as I know. But I couldn’t get my previous doctor to do the test that Dr. Greger recommends – just the less reliable test, which showed normal. And my current doctor is blood test averse. (sigh). )Good luck to you.Have you had your MMA serum level tested? How about your Homocysteine serum level?Can you tolerate B12 injections, Elsie?Not at all. And for a while I thought it was just me, so I considered keeping it going and just waiting till it worked, but I’ve since discovered folks who have horrible reactions to the injections. Who knows, maybe there are proteins/amino acids in the shellfish that my body depends on to create all these mechanisms/cycles/processes to occur in my body that are related to B12/folate/homocsyteine, ec., and that for some reason plant proteins are not as effectively utilized in me. Once again, it is very frustrating, but I am sure as heck not the only one who has claimed to wither/suffer when 100% vegan. I feel a bit lucky that I’ve been able to avoid beef, poultry, eggs, dairy. And I keep the shellfish minimal, not an everyday food.For a while I couldn’t decide whether to get injections or just take a sub-lingual. In the end I decided to compromise and get sub-lingual injections.I’ll add that a big part of my bringing this issue to light here is not just for my own well being, but for that of those who hope to become 100 percent vegan but who have not been able to due to this issue with B12 supplements. I think if this “riddle” can be solved, they’ll be that many more who are now willing/able to be vegan. It is obviously not the majority who are intolerant to B12 supplements, but I do find it interesting that most people I know who have had their B12 level tested have never had their homocysteine and MMA levels tested, and most doctors I’ve met with rarely test homocysteine and MMA to check B12 status.Do you know that there are increasingly reliable sources of plant based B12, if we consider Japanese and Korean research, such as korean nori, and perhaps, Hydrilla Verticillata, which may be the greatest source of B12 ever discovered!http://www.feelgoodplanet.info/bioavailable_plant_sources_of_b12.htmlPerhaps it is simply isolates that your body is rejecting.Warmly, Daniel.I’ve read over the nori B12 debate/studies. I’m not comfortable ingesting massive quantities of iodine (from the nori) in order to maintain healthy MMA, homocysteine, and B12 levels, yet experience has shown me that there’s merit to the effectiveness of raw nori, in regards to the B12 issue.Hi, actually, raw nori has relatively low levels of iodine, in relation to other sea vegetables, and particularly in contrast to kelp, and anyhow; plant based iodine is often lacking in our diet. Check for yourself :-)Yeah, I am aware of that. But the amount of nori needed to maintain adequate levels of B12, MMA, and homocysteine, for me, would all of the sudden turn into high iodine intake. When I greatly exceed iodine intake from nori, I notice some benefit, but unless I do this the nori does not seem like a long term solution to the B12 issue.) Point being, I’m convinced that I’d have to take well over 1000 percent of RDA of iodine (to consume enough of the B12 in nori) to help me. Not gonna do that.Yes, but that is a western standard. You would not intake more iodine than the average japanese citizen. Unless one consumes vast quantities of seaweed; you highly unlikely to have any problem with excessive bio-iodine intake. Anyhow, the active B12 content of raw korean nori is on par with some of the most excellent sources of animal based B12.Furthermore, Chlorella is another option, but check its contents. And Hydrilla as I mentioned in my first post is the richest source of B12 ever discovered, although it remains unknown as to how much of that B12 is fully active.Regards!I’d rather not debate the merits of excessive iodine intake. I’ve read over the data, and there are plenty of experts and doctors who have concluded that it is not safe to exceed the iodine level. I am aware of the Japanese intake of iodine. For me, and my health and body, it does not seem prudent to follow that path. And this is through direct experience. Excessive iodine intake has not been a good thing for me. But to each their own, whatever works for you and your body.Firstly, I was not debating anything :-). It is a fact that the japanese intake more than 10 time the western recommended level of iodine, without issue, quite the contrary. A few communities by the sea, in Japan, do in fact intake excessive quantities of iodine, but they are including massive amounts of seaweeds and seafoods, far exceeding common Japanese intake levels, and even then, most members of such communities do not have any issues. If you have certain thyroid disorders; significant iodine intake can be an issue, even when it is in taken in its bio form, via plant based foods.Secondly, I provided you with several other options, instead of animal foods. And seafood likewise contain large quantities of iodine.Warmly.Yes, I didn’t think you were debating. I just thought it might head that way, so I mentioned it. Thanks for all your suggestions and info.Have you tried Sea-Buckthorn berries ?I have not. I see online that people are making claims that this has true B12 in it, but I have yet to see any credible research on this, and for now I will assume that if it contained true active B12 the sea buckthorn would be the biggest hit in the vegan community to date, and this berry has been around for a while. I know of no one in the vegan community that is relying on seabuckthorn berries for B12, and I think the only way I’d be comfortable gauging its B12 merit is to run MMA, homocysteine, B12 tests after a significant time of relying on just that for B12.But not to say it is not legitimate B12. Just going with my gut for now. If you have credible scientific evidence to share with this community (Dr. Greger, most importantly), please post it here, as soon as possible. Otherwise, I think the berries just might be another “superfood” marketing product.Yeah you could wait a couple of years for someone to do a randomised controlled trial, or you could just eat some sea-buckthorn berries and see if they do the trick. Or maybe even some black trumpet mushrooms. To some extent I think it’s distasteful to let other people do your guinea pigging for you. The trouble is that shellfish are one of the biggest causes of food poisoning, so if it was me I’d be doing everything I can to find a less riskier source of B12 and not being all “show me the evidence and then maybe I’ll think about it”.Yeah, I hear yah on the shellfish concerns, but with B12, “show me the evidence” is of critical concern and importance. If there is one vitamin you don’t want to take a chance being deficient in, this is the one (so it seems).All I know is we need to put our heads together and try to find you a less snotty source of B12. Because I think you’re putting yourself in serious danger here. In serious danger of basing your diet on something that looks like it belongs in a ruffled handkerchief if nothing else. My money is on the sea-buckthorn berries. Although probably not the more cultivated varieties. Why not give it a shot, because there really is no risk from giving it a try. Even if it’s inactive you’re not gonna suffer from nerve damage just from just a three/four week trial.If you have a reputable source of sea buckthorn berries, please post it here. I’ll consider trying it out. Thanks.Also, have you used seabuckthorn as your exclusive source of B12?Have you tried sea buckthorn berries? Did they raise your B12? Did they lower your homocysteine reading on a blood test?I was disappointed that when I asked my doctor for a homocysteine test, he said, “there is nothing that can be done to lower the levels so there isn’t any need to do the test”. This doctor believes in preventative medicine, vegan diet and healthy lifestyle and drugs only when absolutely necessary.I am not as well informed on this subject as I would like but I have a general question. For people who want to be 100% vegan but realize the need for b12 supplement, from what source is/are the b12 supplements derived? I’m assuming there are vegan sources of this nutrient.The vitamin B12 component in B12 supplements and fortified foods is not necessarily from animal sources, it is made by bacteria and sourced from bacteria cultures. Read your supplement labels-some companies use gelatin. Check out this video on the safest sources of B12: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/elsie: Thanks for your post. I don’t know if I’ve had those tests or not. I do know I won’t get them from my current doctor.I’ll keep what you wrote in mind. I hope you are able to find an alternative. That is indeed very frustrating.Thea, If your doctor won’t order the test for you and you really want to know; order the test yourself from an online lab. Your insurance may not pay but you will knowBruce: I didn’t know that was possible. How do you get the blood to them? Are you supposed to draw it yourself. (yikes!)They provide a prescription and send you to a local lab they work with.Oh cool. I might just do that.I am guessing that some such companies are better than others in terms of quality of results. And maybe cost??? Does anyone have specific recommendations?Thanks!No idea which companies might be better.Dr Mark Hyman, author of The Blood Sugar Solution, recommends going to this website for self testing: http://www.saveonlabs.com/ which uses Quest Diagnostics, or you could go to http://www.walkinlab.com/ which uses Labcorp.Thanks for the tips!Have you had your MMA serum level tested? How about your Homocysteine serum level? I’d suggest you test these as soon as possible. Please report back to us any results. Thanks!6rtury, I stopped relying on nutritional yeast for B-12 some years ago esp from bulk bins. Red star makes nutritional yeast with and without B-12 supplementation. Twice I have discovered that bins labeled as nutritional yeast w B-12 were falsely labeled. I found this out by asking staff at MOMS and TPSS to show me the bag in the storeroom they were filling the bin with. Each time the box was labeled Red Star yeast without B-12. It is an easy mistake for any store to make and I wish that Red Star would only make one form of yeast, one that has B-12. I believe that B-12 tablets are the most accurate source, do not rely on nutritional yeast.David: This is a great tip. I only eat nut yeast for pleasure, but I would not have guessed that this could be problem in the bulk bins either. I would have previously referred people to nutritional yeast as an option without qualification. So, thanks again.Someone more qualified than I thought to fix this week Wikipedia article.“While detection of high levels of homocysteine has been linked to cardiovascular disease, there is no evidence that treatment with B-complex vitamin supplements to lower homocysteine levels improves outcomes.” http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HomocysteineMethyl- or cyano-?? I look for the methylcobalamin B12 as I’ve heard the cyanocobalamin B12 is significantly less effective. Cyano appears typically cheaper, if it isn’t doing what my body is needing, then it certainly isn’t worth it regardless of cheaper price. I don’t think Dr. G has addressed these two varieties that are commonly available.Robert: I believe that Dr. Greger addressed your question/concern here: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/which-type-of-b12-is-best/If I may add my “two cents” to the discussion, the bioavailability factor of the B12 vitamin taken is one of, if not, the KEY factor involved, which would mean organic sources, i.e., chemical-free foods and supplements rather than synthetics and pharmaceuticals. Also, for any one of the B vitamins to be utilized efficiently by the human body, the entire spectrum of B vitamins needs to be present/supplemented. At least that’s what I learned when I studied nutrition.Can you have TOO MUCH b12? On my last blood test, my b12 levels were actually above the “sufficient” level, despite being veganGreat question Simone. The standard CBC test for B12 is pretty much useless. B12 levels will always appear extremely elevated on that test if you are taking supplements with B12 in them. A more functional analysis would be MMA (methylmalonic acid) but even that is not always an accurate indication of B12 needs. I encourage my clients to take B12 for at least two months and look to symptoms to determine if their needs are being met. As a water soluble nutrient, the safety margins on B12 are very high.Thanks for the reply!re B12 supplements: 1. Which type?2. How much? 3. How often?Thank you.Dommy:Check out this link: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-best-way-to-get-b12/I wonder if any research has been done on meat fortification. The animals get supplemented (google for lifestock fortification) so my question would be: what would the b12, vitamin D levels etc. be for meat which wasn’t fortified/supplemented.nearly all meat is contaminated with feces which contains an abundance of b12, meat eaters feces consumption is what gives them their b12, its quite disgusting.Han that’s the question that I wanna know the answer to as well. I wish I’d seen your post earlier because I just spent half an hour writing about the exact same thing.Ah, thanks for the heads up. Yes, it’s a fascinating question.Dr GregerI don’t understand why you never mention the fact that most farm animals are given some form of cobalt and/or B12 supplement in order to prevent b12 deficiency. Aside from any other interesting questions this raises, it represents a massive indirect B12 supplement for the people who consume those animals, and to my knowledge this has never been adjusted for in any study comparing B12 status of vegans vs non-vegans.Not that this means vegans shouldn’t supplement with B12 of course. If anything, the fact that so many pasture-raised animals need some form of B12/cobalt supplement provides a strong case that humans should take b12 supplements as well. But what this also demonstrates is that:a) Having to take a supplement in this day and age doesn’t necessarily mean that this isn’t our natural diet, andb) Non-vegans are just as dependent on supplements as we are, if not much more so. The only reason they don’t notice it is because the animals they’re eating have already taken the supplement on their behalf. Notwithstanding the many non-vegans who do take b12 supplements directly, either via multivitamins or fortified foods or via their doctor as a result of medical necessity.In a debate with a carnist I often hear the argument that meat contains b12 and therefore we need to eat meat. And then I explain that animals are just like us and that they need b12 as well and they get injected with it, along with a whole lot of other stuff. And I explain that raising an animal in horrible conditions and stuffing it with essential vitamins and then slaughtering it is not a good excuse to eat meat if we can supplement ourselves.Right. And what’s especially interesting to me is that it’s not only factory-farmed / grain-fed animals who get supplemented. The use of cobalt supplementation is widespread in organic pasture-based systems and it’s main purpose is to prevent b12 deficiency. Farmers are spraying the pasture with cobalt sulphate solution or providing cobalt salt licks or even administering it via oral drenching. And this is before we even get to all the other mineral supplements they give to the animals (copper, zinc, selenium, iodine etc). This is a massive indirect supplement for the people eating those animals. All the while they’re pointing their finger at us saying our diet isn’t natural because we’re taking supplements.Hear, hear. I hope Dr Gregger can find a relevant study on the matter and do a video on the subject.In fact, here’s an interesting study on it: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9225420Awesome, thanks for the heads up.I for one am extremely appreciative animal plight is NOT part of nutritionfacts.org, it tends to keep discussions cerebral instead of emotionally fueled. There is nothing to be gained from it and tends to end in who has better morals squabbles that add absolutely nothing of value.Even though I am very concerned about the lives of animals I could present my request in another way:Meat is being sold with the argument that it is the only natural source of specific vitamins. Which is patently untrue since the animals are supplemented and don’t get their vitamins from natural sources. Also meat has a lot of very dangerous health risks.Agreed?There is just a spectacular range of variables and all of them I would supposedly have to support if I were to agree with you here, and I just cannot do that. Grossly tainted meat from the most abused animal imaginable sold as free range, could still safe a life under the right conditions you know :) ^^I’m entirely not convinced by your reasoning.That’s fine, I’m secure in the fact that there is nothing man does that natural selection and evolution doesn’t do a hundred fold worse every day. Even from that point of view it makes it a marginal, even I dare say luxury issue, at best. I’m leaving this discussion now the chief offender in just the type of discussion I just renounced, the irony! Arrrrg! http://youtu.be/tbR8A27sxg8Han, don’t let this guy bait you like this. He’s just trying to distract people from your very hot original question about the B12/cobalt supplements given to farm animals, IMO. .However the current available statistics show quite a different story. The wealthiest nations are those exploiting the animals by any means the most not the poorest.In UK, for instance, the cost of living is ridiculously low (albeit people keep complaining all the time while the waste their money in useless consumerism) and the level of exploitation is astonishingly high.Anyhow, quite off topic here.Take care, GioI have a question for Dr. Greger that is not necessarily related to the topic of vitamin B12 in the vegan diet. I thought of this question just a few hours ago. Over the weekend, I learned that 75% of healthcare spending in the United States goes towards treating chronic diseases. What percentage of healthcare spending goes towards the prevention of such chronic diseases? It would be better if the medical prevention could prevent these chronic diseases from taking root in patients, but they insist on treating and treating patients, which drives up costs. How does the amount of money that the United States spends on the treatment of chronic diseases compare to other healthcare systems around the world? Are there countries whose healthcare systems manage this chronic disease problem better than ours does? Likewise, are there countries whose healthcare systems invest more healthcare dollars into prevention? If you have the answers to these questions, then I would like to learn from you. Preventive medicine has captured my attention. I am 24 years old and would like to matriculate into medical school in the next year.Can a moderator please remove this post. It has absolutely sex all to do with B12 and was probably posted just to distract people from the issue at hand.Theodore, Jim asked a great question. It is ok if he asks it here.Well, if you think Jim’s question is a great question, then I’d hate to see what you think is a not so great question. Either way I think it’s a crying shame that neither Dr Greger or anyone from the NF team has responded to what is arguably a more pertinent question about the cobalt supplements given to pasture-raised farm animals.Hi Theodore, Dr. Greger and the rest of us at NutritionFacts.org are happy that the site can be a platform for answering user questions related to healthcare and nutrition, whether or not they are directly related to the video or blog post under which they are posted. We would appreciate your tolerance of this policy. Thanks for your concern! As for the cobalt question, I’m certainly intrigued by this question as well, and hope Dr. Greger will consider making a video on it. If I hear anything, I’ll get back to you. Thanks! :)Jim, I don’t have any answers for you in regards to how much money we spend on preventative care or how various countries handle it. However, this website/NutrtionFacts has a great deal of information on how a healthy Whole Food Plant Based diet can prevent a wide range of diseases/conditions. So, I think you are in the right place to learn about how to do this. I believe in the United States, such an approach is called “lifestyle medicine”, which includes other factors in addition to diet, such as exercise.I think the world is desperate for more lifestyle medicine doctors. It is currently an uphill battle to get educated as such, but if you can manage it for your career, that would be really awesome. I hope you are able to do that. Good luck!Jim, prevention is the only medicine according to most doctors. Most medicines prescribed today do not work immediately, well, have poor side effects, require lifestyle modification, and need to be taken forever, meaning that they are probably not treatments. Nuts, beans, green tea, dark chocolate, berries, fresh fruit, and vegetables can prevent many illnesses.I have made a table of preventative health advice. Almost any food here can have almost any of the other effects. There are fibonachi foods in each category (1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21). These foods have cascading effects for your health.A light beer a day and a low dose aspirin virtually eliminate heart disease (probiotics) A grape fruit a day and a vegetarian diet could add more than ten years to your life (orange juice, cherries) Ten cups of green tea a day and cutting back on smoking would almost guarantee you live to 85 (Lemonade a day, green pepper) Six cups of coffee a day and a serving of beans would dramatically reduce your risk of colon cancer, a surprising killer (black raspberries, sunflower seeds. strawberries, billberries) Moderate exercise and a diet low in saturated fats can improve your mood dramatically (meditating, yellow squash, pistachios) Eating tomatoes and soy twice a week can restrict your risk of getting most cancers (brocalli, watermelon, beets, garlic, flax seeds, seaweed) A diet rich in blueberries and whole grain can restrict your ability to get a stroke or dementia (grapes or grape juice) Eating an Once of nuts a day and eating a cruciferous vegetable with olive oil and vinegar and tumeric once a week can help your heart in a diabetes future and manage a heart disease later in life. (miso soup) Eating two servings of dark chocolate a week and getting five minutes of exercsie a day can eliminate your need for heart surgery and reduce your risk of heart disease death by half. (lentils) Two servings of herb tea a day and sweet potatoes can make you seem five years younger (clove, tumeric, ginger, cranberry juice) Drinking 8 glasses of water a day, especially before meals and a banana a day before meals can damage your ability to get metabolic X syndrome and make you lose weight (pumpkins, apples, hibiscus tea, brazil nuts, macademia nuts,Thank you, Matthewcan some one tell me if coq10 is good for energy levels and can anyone have it also which are the best natural and organic brands out there one can fully trust which is non GMO and truly organic for health like b12 suppliment and coq 10, how many practioners are here from dr michaels side are there , if some one could mail me at bhaskardass@gmail.com would really appreciate itWhat are recommendations for children on plant-based diets in various life stages? How much B12 should be supplemented, how often and in what forms (through mother’s breastmilk, sprays, crushed pills mixed with food, etc.)? What supplements besides B12 require special attention (and possibly supplementation) in children?Nika: The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) is a well respected, well-researched site. Here is their general page related to children: http://www.vrg.org/family/kidsindex.htmAnd my favorite article that covers various stages of life: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.phpHope that helps.Really ? I’ve been a vegan for 14 years and I haven’t met anyone who respects the Vegetarian Resource Group. I feel like Nika would be better off trying this link:http://pcrm.org/health/diets/vegdiets/vegetarian-diets-for-children-right-from-the-startTheodore: PCRM is also a good resource. But from what I have personally seen and spoken to others about, so is VRG. Thanks for adding yet another resource.Speaking of PCRM, have you seen the new 2015 dietary guidelines? “The DGAC claims the overconsumption of dietary cholesterol is no longer a concern” http://www.pcrm.org/media/news/statement-on-dgac-annual-meetingToxins: Great page/article. Thanks for the link. PCRM did a great job.But dang. “Really DGAC? Can’t you show some greater integrity?” Argh.Important message but flawed title, “The vitamin everyone on a plant-based diet needs.” Of course, the vitamin we all need is all of them. There is a tendency for people to use the term “vitamin” to mean “vitamin supplement”, as in “Did you take your vitamins today?” But not typically on Nutritionfacts.org.Does Anyone know how effective a b12 spray is? I am currently using it and have been for about 6 months.My doctor recommended the B12 spray. It worked fine but had bad taste. The best brands don’t have unnecessary ingredients.I am printing out this information and giving it to my parents who have recently switched to a WFPB diet after reading Whole and The China Study. Two excellent books, but they do not speak of this urgent topic. I have mentioned it to them before, but they seem to think B12 is not a major issue. My parents are avid readers but don’t really go online all that much and don’t watch your videos. I am hoping your book (in 2015?) will help them to complete the picture of what a healthful diet should entail. I know you are swamped, but do we have any news on a possible publication date? Thank you. PS – A nice feature for your blog posts would be a ‘print this page’ button, so that I don’t have to print out all of the comment section. Just a suggestion. Forever grateful, Barbara.Since our livers store B12, what is wrong with eating a cup of clams (the richest source of B12, according to Nutritiondata) once a month…and foregoing all other animal products–assuming one is not an absolutist? I have a natural aversion to popping pills and would rather get my nutrition in food whenever possible. Seems like one could then be 99% vegan and get the best of both worlds.This will not work unless you eat a massive quantity. We need about 2,500-5,000 mcg per week. A cup of clams has 12 mcg. The reason we need such a large amount is explained in this video series Please see this video then click “next video” on the right panel to watch the whole series http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/Per Nutritiondata, 100 grams of cooked clams contains about 100 mcg of B12–which it says provides 1,648% of the RDA–about 16 1/2 days worth. Don’t know where you’re getting the 2.5-5 mg/week figure from. That would be about 500 mcg/day, or nearly 100 times the new RDA for B12 (the old RDA was lower–only about 2.5 mcg/day).Please watch the video to have an understanding of how much b12 you would need. The RDA % has little value for b12 due to absorption, use, etc. The numbers I provided are based on this knowledgeOK, I watched the video (Cheapest Way to Get B12), and understand the absorption problem. We can only absorb about 1.5 mcg + 1% of the remainder. So if one ate 300 grams of clams, which contain 300 mcg of B12, he/she would only absorb 1.5 + 3 = 4.5 mcg, which is just a daily dose under the new guidelines. Since you don’t recommend that we eat 300 grams of clams/day because of the cholesterol involved (200 mg–about as much as in a small egg), we are left with either taking supplements or fortified foods. However, the math would indicate that all omnivores are deficient in B12 unless they eat foods high in B12 at least twice a day. Someone eating 100 grams of sirloin steak every meal would only get 4.5 mcg.day. You could also get by with eating 50 grams of salmon three times/day. So by this formula, you are really indicating that the only people who are getting enough B12 through their diets are those who eat 300 grams/day of clams, or a vastly higher amount of the richest sources of B12, such as oysters and organ meats–chiefly liver, or those who ensure they get 1.5 mcg every meal–based on three meals/day. Since this is rather unlikely, I take the liberty of doubting your formula, or suspecting that it only applies to those who take artificial supplements and fortified B12 foods. It seems logical that one would absorb more B12 from food on a percentage basis than from pills–more than 1.5 mcg plus 1%. Still, by your own formula, one could eat as little as 2 grams of clams three times a day to get the RDA. That would be a minuscule dose of cholesterol. You could also get by with taking 50 grams twice a day. Thanks for alerting me to this problem–or reminding me of Dr. Greger’s video. I had no idea we absorbed so little B12 from a single meal.Jason, I am not Dr. Greger , so the “your” in this is misdirected. Lets clarify. All you would need to do to get b12 daily as an ominivore is to consume anything that had 1.5 mcg of b12, 3 times a day, or added up to 4.5 at the end of the day. This is not that hard considering that cereals and refined grains are often fortified and many animal foods contain b12 in adequate amounts. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/6197/2 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/111/2 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/703/2http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/finfish-and-shellfish-products/4146/2The formula is based on quite a but of studies so its applicability is high. The absorption rate is based on physiological factors so to assume this “It seems logical that one would absorb more B12 from food on a percentage basis than from pills–more than 1.5 mcg plus” is inaccurate.Also, I would question consuming any seafood, even a little once in a while, since seafood at this point in history is the most contaminated food product one can eat in general. It takes decades for our bodies to rid itself of pollutants that come from seafood.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/Supplements are cheap, safe and easy. I personally do not understand your resistance to taking a 2,500- 5,000 mcg sub lingual tablet once a week if it spares you any potential harms from consuming animal products.I appreciate your taking the time to write well researched and crafted responses. I did a little reading of my own and agree that my assumption that B12 is more readily available from food than pills is unwarranted. If we need 4.5 mcg/day (I say, ‘if’ because the British, for example, are still claiming that we only need one third this amount), the logical thing to do would be to get 1.5 mcg at every meal (assuming three meals/day), and if they were clams or oysters, we’re talking just 2-4 each meal–which would involve a negligible amt. of cholesterol. I looked at the one video which featured ‘clams’ which Dr. Greger has made, and they came out looking pretty good in comparison with beef, chicken, and cheese in regards to pollution. I agree that there is bound to be more pollution in shellfish than in some other animal products, but we are talking about such limited quantities–essentially 5 grams or less each meal, or less than 15 grams/day. I think clams and oysters would also violate the esthetic criteria of veganism less (e.g., don’t eat anything which has a face or a mother) than eating beef, pork, chicken, or even fish, while dairy foods and eggs have too much saturated fat and/or cholesterol for the amts. needed. If I decide to take a supplement, I’d probably opt for taking one a day–which I suppose would be 250 mcg. But I’d rather take even smaller doses three times per day (don’t know if it comes in smaller doses). Don’t like the idea of taking any more of a nutrient in pill form than I need.The good thing about vitamin b12 supplements is that it is water soluble, so there is no risk of toxicity if you do decide to do so. The idea of supplementation may not necessarily be appealing, but it serves the same physiological function as food sourced b12 and has no harmful side effects. For me, I see no risk in doing so. If you haven’t already seen it, the vitamin D video series may also interest you.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/This video is also the first of a series like the B!2 series.Again, I appreciate the responses. I think for me taking a pill–something made in a lab– is a greater step than eating a small amt. of animal products, particularly ones I cook from scratch. Just seems more natural. I agree, the downside is limited since there’s no tolerable upper limit, But reading the page on B12 from the Linus Pauling Institute, it seems that the 1% absorption (from Passive Diffusion) only applies if the other absorption pathways are shut down–because the stomach doesn’t make enough Intrinsic Factor, or the pancreas or small intestine aren’t working properly. I agree that the likelihood of all these mechanisms working flawlessly diminishes as we get over 50 years old, and there may be other factors like not having enough calcium or Vit.C, or perhaps inherited Pernicious Anemia. All of these are potential limiting factors which can certainly lessen the absorption of B12. But how likely is it that the absorption totally shuts down and goes to zero? I think chances are we’d still have some absorption apart from Passive Diffusion, and thus we’d likely get much more than 1%– though I haven’t been able to determine quite how much (the percentage). Another (vegan) website poo-poohed the notion that B12 deficiency is widespread in the vegan community, else it would have been written up, if not sensationalized in the medical press. So at least classic B12 deficiciency is rare. Are all of these vegans–the ones not deficient– taking B12 supplements? I doubt it. I’ve been vegan off and on for many years without taking vitamins or even eating fortified breakfast cereal (it’s pretty much been otameal my entire adult life). The LPI said that studies have shown that while giving B12 to those with high homocystein levels often brings them down, this does not translate to lower CVD or total mortality deaths. (It has shown significantly lower deaths from stroke, however). So the key is to not get hyperhomocysteinemia in the first place, I guess.I think I’ve already seen the video on Vit. D. Since I live in the tropics and get outside most days for a couple hours in the late morning, I probably am getting enough Vit. D from sun. My arms, face, and lower legs are tanned, even if the rest of my body hasn’t been exposed.We absorb 1.5 mcg plus 1% diffusion, im not sure what other absorption there is or what your speaking of. Also, I would comment that nutritionfacts.org is not a vegan website but a science based website. Other “vegan” websites that do not advocate b12 simply are ill informed. Vitamin b12 deficiency can take a decade or 2 to manifest due to our bodies efficient recycling mechanisms. Once depleted, it can be difficult to bring back to normal levels and is dangerous. Please see here.http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-epidemic/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/I understand what you mean when you say “I think for me taking a pill–something made in a lab– is a greater step than eating a small amt. of animal products”, but for me, the line of logic does not make sense when the supplement is completely safe and the animal product is not.As a last comment, if you have seen the entirety of the Vit. D series, you would find out that getting sun on the arms, legs and head does not result in adequate vit. d absorption. Most people are Vit. D deficient, even those that get lots of sun exposure.OK, I’ll assume that that’s the formula: 1.5 + 1%. In that case, I’d rather take 1.5 mcg three times a day than a megadose once a week, or even 250 mcg once a day. Shouldn’t be too hard to get 1.5 mcg in my morning soymilk and take a pill containing 2 mcg for both lunch and supper.Re: Vit. D, I went shopping for vitamins today and couldn’t find pills with more than 400 IU (only the multivitamin pill had 400 IU, and the ones with only Vit D and Calcium all had 200 IU–or even less). I know Dr. Greger has researched this issue, but find it very hard to accept that we need to be taking FIVE TIMES the RDA. That seems excessive, especially in light of the fact that we get some Vit D from sun exposure. In fact, the reason I wasn’t concerned about Vit. D supplementation was because I was relying on what Dr. Greger wrote:Below approximately 30° latitude (south of Los Angeles/Dallas/Atlanta/Cairo)15-30 minutes of midday sun (15 for those with lighter skin; 30 for those with darker skin)or 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D dailyhttp://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/I actually reside below 20° latitude, so I think I should be getting plenty of D naturally. Also, I eat LOADS of mushrooms every day.Still, to be on the safe side, I decided to buy the Calcium-D formulation (can’t get Vit. D here by itself) and take 200 IU/day. That just leaves Omega-3 as a potential issue, and I take 2 heaping tbsp. of flax seed/day, and sometimes eat walnuts. I assume that getting ALA is sufficient, and don’t need the animal source Omega-3’s.I notice that Dr. McDougall says that vitamin D pills should be a last resort, the first choice should be safe sun exposure, and he even says that the second choice, even before popping a vitamin D pill, should be safe sun-bed/sun-lamp exposure. I find this very interesting. And at some point I’ll bring it up with Dr. G, but hearing it from our good buddy McDougall that a vitamin D supplement should be one’s last choice in order to get adequate vitamin D intake really got me thinking. Thoughts?I also am aware of Dr. McDougalls recommendations. I don’t know whether or not he has seen the evidence Dr. G has shared, as it is quite compelling.Yes, Dr. G has put out some compelling evidence, but I do find it revealing that my immune system seems to be suppressed when I take vitamin D by pill, but when I get my vitamin D from the sun things are fine. I can’t help but wonder if the sunshine’s vitamin D is more “complete”, “real”, “natural”, etc., and if the “pill” version of vitamin D has something in it that is, while fine and beneficial in some regards (the evidence seems to show this), in some untold way it might be unnatural for the human body. Just my thoughts here, but I know of others who have had vitamin D pills make them “feel” great and get their health back in certain regards, but at the expense of suppression of their immune system.Sun light exposure is beneficial in other ways besides Vitamin D… such as improving arterial function via the liberation of stored nitrates, etc. into our arteries. You just have to keep in mind that the track record for isolated nutrients especially fat soluble ones such as Vitamin A and E is not very good. That said there are certain circumstances where Vit D is appropriate. I’m sure Dr. McDougall would agree with that.I have not found this to be true (having to eat a massive quantity of clams). I have been able in the past to raise my B12 level considerable amount by eating some shellfish. Normal portions several times per week. I’d rather not have to resort to shellfish (would rather be vegan) but I can not seem to find any supplement forms of B12 that do not wreak havoc within my body. (have tried all the brands, formulations, non-additives, etc. of B12. No luck.)I still did not see anyone address my question about the source of vitamin B12 supplements. I just want to know what are the sources used to make the B12 supplements. Obviously to be vegan it would have to have a vegan capsule or caplet form. And the source of the vitamin B 12? I see the idea of oysters as a source of being tossed around but those are still living organisms and I am wondering if there are other sources? The only source I have seen is in nutritional yeast. I don’t know if some people have a problem digesting that or absorbing the vitamin B 12 from that. Reading the labels on vitamin B12 supplements they don’t really disclose the sourceMany different sources. Cyanocobolamin appears to be best type of B12. Red Star nutritional yeast does have B12. Careful about relying on fortified foods for all of your B12 needs, as you mentioned companies don’t do the best job labeling. Check out Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations for B12, if interested in more information.Thanks for your comments, let me know if this helps? JosephHow did you determine that cyanocobalamin is the best source of B12? I can not find any science saying one way or another. Thank you for clarity on this.Good question. Probably through the many research papers that Dr. Greger read about the efficacy of different types. You can find them all under “sources cited” or within the hyperlinks to his resources on the cheapest source of B12 or which type of B12 is the best. See if these help? Thanks, Elsie!I’m sorry, I know this contributes absolutely zero to this conversation and probably will get virtual tomatoes thrown at me (or worse!) but having raised 2 boys in a major city and now being grandmother to more boys, I guess the 12 year old boy in me is ever alert. I was very present and concerned in this serious discussion that absolutely concerns me because I am a WFPB vegan, and do not take the topic lightly. However, this was short-circuited the minute that 12 year old boy in my brain noticed the abbreviation : MTHFR. I KNOW it’s a leap, and I know it’s ridiculous and I know it’s totally inappropriate, so why did I feel the need to comment? Maybe psychiatric drugs aren’t such a bad idea after all? LOL!I know B12 does not come from animals per se, but from organisms in the soil. I’ve also heard of some controversy surrounding commercial probiotics made from soil-borne organisms, but it was a while back and can’t remember exactly what the issue was. In fact, I actually recall reading a way to culture soil to create your own probiotics, with a disclaimer that it could be dangerous…so I dropped the idea, but… Now I want to know why, because I have since really gotten into fermentation and natural probiotics and want to at least understand the mechanisms involved and learn if they possibly have anything to do with B12 supply. I believe the theory goes before our rigid hygiene, we obtained B12 directly from dirty produce? Not that I relish the idea of eating dirt, but I wonder just how much would have to be consumed to be a “therapeutic” amount, just for the sake of curiosity? I am all for trying to stay as close to nature as possible, but safety is a key issue since better health is the desired outcome! If anyone knows of any studies in this area and can direct me to any info, I would certainly be grateful! TIA!Hello, what is a clean form of vitamin B12 supplement?Most B12 supplements are full of preservatives and artificial additives. Can anyone recommend a very simple clean form of B12 supplement.Can your body only absorb so much B12 at a time? I know Dr. Greger recommends at least 2,500 mcg (µg) a week. Can your body only absorb so much B12 at a time? So would it be best to take 1,000 mcg at a time like 3x per week.Hi Derrek. I am uncertain of exact absorption values. It is safe to say your body can only absorb so much (you certainly cannot absorb all 2500 ug (micrograms) at once). There is no known Upper Limit, so taking more will not affect you negatively. I think either way the amounts you listed are fine. Check out Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations for B12. He list both of those intakes you described as options.The essence of your strategy is to eat what Mr Darwin’s process caused us to evolve to eat. So far so good… The $64,000 question: if that is a pure whole-food, plant-based diet, what did our ancestors eat to get their intake of Vit B12, your recommended diet does not supply? Not trying to be a Clever Dick, but they must have got it from somewhere if theirs was the ‘perfect’ diet versus the environment they adapted to.Hey Dan,Thanks for reporting your question. This comes up a lot, “is a vegan diet ‘natural’ and if so why do we need a b12 supplement?” I don’t’ have an exact answer and I would love more help from our members! A few things come to my mind: 1) What is even considered ‘natural’ these days? I feel we are very disconnected as humans. We don’t know where are food comes from, we seldom grow are own food or even experience being outdoors. Look at the problem with Vitamin D? Experts cannot agree on a preferred value. Also, take into consideration we as a country supplement and fortify our foods (i.e. iron and folic acid in grains, iodine in salt, etc.) There is some thought that humans were able to obtain B12 more readily from the soil while working in the soil, planting crops, and being outside in nature. I am skeptical about that theory and would never tell someone to obtain B12 from dirt. Also, what about water? There is some thought that our water supply used to have B12 and beneficial bacteria, however, we quickly learned of the harmful bacteria/parasites in water supply (think cholera) and now we use treatments to purify our water supply. From Dr. Greger “Our herbivore primate cousins get all they need ingesting bugs, dirt, and feces, and we may once have gotten all we needed by drinking out of mountain streams or well water. But now we chlorinate our water supply to kill off any bugs. So we don’t get a lot of B12 in our water anymore, but we don’t get a lot of cholera either—that’s a good thing!”There are 41 videos on this website that discuss B12. I am certain there is more about this important question. Let’s keep the conversation rolling!Lastly, it may be important to note it is not just vegans who need to supplement B12. Everyone over 50 years old is recommended to supplement B12, according to the Institute of Medicine – National Academy of Sciences.Thanks Dan! JosephHi, I’m not saying IS it natural, rather WAS it natural for those from whom we evolved. My instinct is that Michael has probably come up with the answer and that source for modern day vegans has probably been eliminated by social evolution and modern sanitation. I’ll stick with the supplements…Not sure. Here/a> Dr. Greger discusses a theory. As we both mentioned, it may have been found in the water, and with sanitation all bacteria is killed (which can be god thing too).Hi JosephYou may be interested to know that, since the 1930’s, numerous herbivorous species started coming down with B12 deficiency, even when eating their natural diet. Grass-fed sheep are probably the best example of that. Furthermore, numerous herbivorous species (eg fruitbats) start to suffer from B12 deficiency when taken into captivity and fed cultivated versions of the foods they would normally eat in the wild. All evidence points to mineral deficiencies in the soil. Hence cobalt supplements correct B12 deficiency in ruminant animals, and nickel supplements correct B12 deficiency in pigs (monogastric).No study comparing B12 levels of vegans vs. meat-eaters has ever taken into account mineral levels in the soil from which the vegans’ food originated. Nor did any study adjust for the fact that the meat-eaters were getting a massive indirect supplement in the form of the cobalt (and/or pre-formed B12) supplements that had been fed to the animals they were eating. Nor did any study adjust for the consumption of B12-fortified foods (eg breakfast cereals) by the meat-eaters. Furthermore, very few of the studies adjusted for multi-vitamin use amongst the meat-eaters.I find it extremely odd that even after having posted this information several times on this site and also having written to Dr Greger privately about it, he still does not mention it in any of his videos, articles or public interviews and apparently does not even share it with his colleagues. All I can think is that there is some kind of flaw in this information that he’s just too polite to point out to me.Kind regards.Thanks, Theodore! This is interesting information. I am not sure how the conversation with Dr. Greger went in the past, but please note he does listen to those who visit the site and really loves when he can read research to back up claims. If you some across any studies on soil and B12 let us know!Thanks Joseph. But just to confirm, are you saying that Dr Greger has been unable to find any research that backs up my “claims” ? If that’s the case I would be extremely surprised. Especially as he has a whole team of researchers at his disposal and much of what I’ve said can be corroborated by a 5 minute search on google. Nevertheless, I’ll be happy to provide studies where applicable. Just so I don’t waste any time though, perhaps you could let me know which “claims” he doesn’t think are supported by evidence. Apologies if I’ve misunderstood you.Dr. Greger “is” the researcher on this site. We have many volunteers and myself to help look-up studies and answer questions, but he does not have a team of researchers at his disposal. I am sure he’d love that though! Forgive the confusion, I just meant it’s easier to share studies you feel are valid and we’ll check with him to see if our information needs updating. I see you posted some studies thanks so much, give me some time to review and we’ll get back to you.Joseph and Thea, many thanks for your feedback. I really appreciate it.Joseph, I realise now that we were talking at cross purposes earlier. I fully acknowledge that any theories about the cause(s) of B12 deficiency in vegans are nothing more than conjecture at this point in time. I do believe that soil mineral levels play a crucial role in this conundrum of conundrums and did allude to that earlier, but it was only as an afterthought to my main points, which can be summarised as follows:● Numerous herbivorous animals are at risk of B12 deficiency in this day and age, even when eating their natural diet.● Said animals need to be given some form of supplement to prevent or correct that deficiency.● The cobalt (and/or pre-formed B12) supplements given to those animals constitute a massive indirect supplement for the people who eat those animals. As do all the sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulphur, iron, iodine, copper, manganese, zinc, molybdenum and selenium supplements also given to those animals.● The supplementation of those animals provides irrefutable evidence that the need to take supplements in this day and age doesn’t necessarily mean that the diet we’re eating isn’t our natural diet.● As well as eating supplemented animals, over half the American population consume (B12-containing) multivitamins, fortified breakfast cereals and pre-formed B12 supplements directly.● According to at least one study, even with all the supplemented animals, multivitamins, fortified breakfast cereal and pre-formed B12 supplements consumed by meat/dairy/egg-eaters, around 40% of them still have an inadequate B12 status.● Any article that talks about the (current apparent) need for vegans to take B12 supplements without mentioning any of the above facts is going to create (or at least maintain) a huge imbalance in the public’s perception about the naturalness of a vegan diet vs the naturalness of an omnivorous diet.As I say, the above holds true regardless of whether supplemental minerals are found to resolve B12 deficiency in humans. But seeing as we’re on that subject, I might as well mention that I couldn’t tell from Dr Greger’s comment (communicated by you) whether there have been studies that tested the mineral supplements and found them to be ineffective or whether there simply haven’t been any studies examining this question at all. Perhaps you could confirm one way or the other. If it’s the former, I would be very interested to know which minerals they tested and whether they made any adjustments for known B12 antagonists (such as nitrous oxide or antibiotics etc). Ideally they would test a wide variety of minerals because it would be presumptious to assume that the minerals responsible for B12 deficiency in ruminant animals (or even monogastric animals) would be the same minerals responsible for B12 deficiency in humans, if indeed mineral deficiencies play a part at all. Even amongst ruminant animals, different minerals seem to have differing ranges of importance. You may have noticed from the first article I linked to that the symptoms of copper deficiency in cows are eerily similar to those of B12 deficiency in humans.Either way it wouldn’t necessarily change my view that soil mineral levels (whether it be cobalt, nickel, copper, iodine or some other mineral) are at the heart of the human B12 mystery. Because even if mineral supplements had been shown to be ineffective, it wouldn’t rule out the possibility that those same minerals might have a beneficial effect on human B12 status when abundant in the soil and taken up naturally by plants growing in that soil and then consumed by humans as part of the resulting whole plant-based foods.Joseph, perhaps my point can be illustrated further by turning the OP’s question on it’s head and asking: “Where is the evidence that humans living in a sanitised environment can maintain adequate B12 status by consuming un-supplemented animals (or their milk or eggs) ?” Ideally such evidence would involve testing said animal products to see if they can lower MMA scores, but at this point I guess any evidence would be interesting to look at.Dr. Greger says mineral supplementation has never been shown to improve B12 status in people.Here are a few references to get things started:http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/diseases-of-sheep-cattle-and-deer/page-14 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1201264 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11110865Again it would be useful to know which of my points Dr Greger feels are unsupported, so that I can concentrate on providing references for those specific areas. If you take nothing else away from this, let it be that people eating omnivorous diets are, for the most part, eating cobalt-supplemented animals (or in the case of factory-farmed animals, pre-formed b12-supplemented animals), so for them to question the naturalness of a total plant-based diet because of its current apparent dependence on b12 supplements, is somewhat hypocritical.Theodore: Thank you for the end of this last post, re: “If you take nothing else away from this…” It seems obvious after reading what you wrote, but I had been wondering previously what your point was. Now I get what you are saying/why you are making this point. Very interesting. Thanks.You may be onto something! From what I see these are bat and pig studies. Maybe you are right that human studies need to be conducted when you mentioned “No study comparing B12 levels of vegans vs. meat-eaters has ever taken into account mineral levels in the soil from which the vegans’ food originated. ” Perhaps that is why he is not commenting and when/if these studies are conducted on humans I am sure he’ll report. Thankfully you provided some links and information for site users here and that alone is very helpful.	anemia,b12,blood pressure,blood sugar,bone health,brain disease,brain health,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,China,cholesterol,cognition,depression,eggs,heart disease,heart health,homocysteine,hypertension,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,LDL cholesterol,meat,mental health,neuropathy,omnivores,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,stroke,supplements,triglycerides,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin B12	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-best-way-to-get-b12/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16005009,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22412169,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21915169,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22659999,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22092891,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22493163,
PLAIN-60	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	Comparing Vegans' Arteries to Runners'	We know from the work of Drs. Dean Ornish and Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr. that switching to a plant-based diet can reverse heart disease, opening up arteries in some cases without drugs or surgery. We can’t wait until our first heart attack to start eating healthy, though, because our first symptom of heart disease may be our last (See China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death). Fifty percent of men and 64% of women who die suddenly from coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. To predict the risk of dying from a heart attack, we can measure risk factors such as cholesterol levels and blood pressure. But wouldn’t it be nice to actually see what’s going on inside our arteries before it’s too late? Our imaging technologies are so good now that we can, but the required dose of radiation delivered to one’s chest is so high that a young woman getting just a single scan may increase her lifetime risk of breast cancer and lung cancer by between around 1% and 4%. More on the radiation risks associated with diagnostic procedures in Cancer Risk From CT Scan Radiation and Do Dental X-Rays Cause Brain Tumors? Our carotid arteries, though, which connect our heart to our brain, come close enough to the surface in our necks that we can visualize the arterial wall using harmless sound waves (ultrasound). Carotid artery wall thickness is what was measured in the study I profiled in Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis. How do the arteries of those eating plant-based diets compare to those eating the standard American diet? Researchers gathered up some vegans to find out. In the video, Arteries of Vegans vs. Runners, you can see the thickness of the inner wall of the carotid arteries where the atherosclerotic plaque (considered a predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality) builds up in the standard American diet group. This same inner layer was significantly slimmer in vegans, but so were the vegans themselves. Those eating the standard American diet were, on average, overweight with a BMI over 26 while the vegans were a trim 21—about 36 pounds lighter on average. So maybe the only reason those eating meat, eggs, and dairy had thickened arterial walls was because they were overweight—maybe the diet per se had nothing to do with it. To solve the riddle one would have to find a group of people still eating the standard American diet, but as slim as vegans. To find a group that trim, researchers had to use long-distance endurance athletes, who ate the standard American diet, but ran an average of 48 miles per week for 21 years. Both the vegans and the conventional diet group were sedentary—less than an hour of exercise a week. As you can see in the video, the average thickness of endurance runners’ carotid arteries is between that of sedentary vegans and omnivores. It appears that if we run an average of about a thousand miles every year we can rival some couch potato vegans. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do both. Another comparison between athletes and plant-eaters can be found in Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? It compares cancer-fighting abilities with a similar result. None of this is to disparage exercise, which is critical for a variety of important reasons, immunity (Preserving Immune Function in Athletes With Nutritional Yeast), breast health (Exercise & Breast Cancer), and brain protection (Reversing Cognitive Decline). So diet and exercise, not or exercise. My physical activity comes from walking while I work: Standing Up for Your Health. Not all studies showed vegans have superior arterial form and function. Find out why in my video Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health. 	I’d like to comment on “…but the required dose of radiation delivered to one’s chest is so high that a young woman getting just a single scan may increase her lifetime risk of breast cancer and lung cancer by between around 1% and 4%.” However, mammograms are considered the ‘gold standard’ in breast cancer prevention, yet they are sources of ionizing radiation–the very cause of cancers! When will MDs, the cancer industry and healthcare insurance providers realize that there is a more effective and totally non-radiation-producing breast screening test available for women that is FDA approved? It’s Thermography, which detects heat from cancer cells and, therefore, can provide cancer-detection information much sooner than a mammogram can. Also, can yearly mammograms be one of the ‘unrealized’ causes of lung cancers in women who don’t smoke? Just a thought.They know. Of course they know. This is Cancer, Inc. Highly lucrative for everyone involved to keep the Industry going.And when you bring along some vitamins and food onto the airplane, it all gets x-rayed in security. Then you eat it! And the food and vitamins absorb radiation 1000s feet in sky, then you eat it. Fast from food when flying? Buy supplements at store when back on ground?Indeed, they do know the truth. It has been accurately stated that if a woman continues to get her annual mammograms, doctors will eventually find cancer … Because the accumulated result of mammograms IS cancer. Never forget that cancer is a 200 billion dollar (plus) per year industry. If cancers are suddenly cured, do we honestly think that the thousands of oncologists will go to work at Home Depot and the countless huge cancer hospitals will be converted to seminaries and hotels? The proliferation and propagation of cancer buys too many mansions, yachts, airplanes, chemotherapy drugs, GMO farms, Da Vinci machines and Mercedes to be defeated in this day and age.Just curious, where did you get the info that thermography can be more effective and find cancer earlier? Because what I’ve read has said the opposite, that it is in fact less effective. However, I would love to be believe your claim and see some evidence to the contrary.This site would recommend after a mammogram eating some dried ginger and lemon balm lemonade. Perhaps after a mammogram the patient could eat some beets, garlic, broccoli, apples, lemonade, cranberries, ginger, tumeric with pepper, cloves, oregano, rosemary, chamomile, white tea with lemon, matcha, dandelion tea, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, nori sheets, mushrooms, black beans, and black raspberries. I think it is very important to note that persons administering the mammograms are very likely to get cancer for the same reason. Mammograms are a major cause of breast cancer? While they are highly recommended for prevention? That must be what holds women to the health they have.She read it on some radical misinformed “Occupy Movement” type website. Therefore, it MUST be factual… and even more authoritative than the peer-reviewed reproducible independent clinical studies that contradict her conjecture.Well, Catherine… since you’re the one claiming that Thermography is “more effective for women” at detecting breast cancer, perhaps you should cite a continuum of peer-reviewed reproducible clinical studies validating it. If not, your entire post amounts to hyperbole and unfounded opinion. This is a website about facts and clinical studies, not erroneous opinion.As a home health nurse I visited a male who was 65 years old and had run 29 marathons in his life. He had started feeling short of breath and his doctors though maybe it was his asthma flaring up. His PCP sent him to a cardiologist for a heart work up and he ended up in the hospital for a 5 vessel cardiac bypass. I didn’t have the opportunity to ask him what his diet consisted of but I’m sure he was not on a whole foods plant based diet with very little added oil.Diane: Great post. Now-a-days, people equate skinny and active with healthy. While those are two ingredients that help lower someone’s risk factors, they by no means indicate a healthy individual. It’s like saying that vegan = healthy without specifying more details about the vegan part of the diet. Your story helps to make the point. Thanks.I always thought large amounts of vigorous exercise were better than less and easy exercise. But James O’Keefe (cardiologist) and others have written papers documenting mechanical heart issues and also increased artery plaque buildup for those participating in extreme/long-endurance exercise. These weren’t necessarily low-fat athletes, so I can imagine why increased blood flow of fatty blood would increase plaque buildup, but the mechanical failures of the heart later in life bother me a bit. I’d be willing to bet that vegan marathoners don’t have the save plaque buildup, but the mechanical bit is interesting. I played soccer intensely for a couple hours a day when I was in my teens.O’Keefe talks about it in this TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6U728AZnV0Scientific Papers: http://www.pkdiet.com/pdf/exercise/Excessive_Endurance_Exercise2012.pdf http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(12)00473-9/pdf http://www.msma.org/docs/communications/MoMed/Hearts_Breaking_Over_Marathon_Running_MarApr2014_Missouri_Medicine.pdfAlso, see this post (especially his points 5 & 6) by Jeff Novick (McDougall Dietician, in the discussion boards): https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=43482The O’Keefe video was interesting but the better video was “The most important lesson from 83,000 brain scans” by Daniel Amen. I want to know what the reversing brain damage Brain Smart Program is.Dr. Greger. I’d be interested to know what your cardiac risk factor stats look like. I am 61 y/o with a BMI of 21. Total cholesterol 146. HDL 70. Trigycerides 40. My preferred forms of exercise are resistance tubes, especially for developing upper body strength, and something you once mentioned with a chuckle: whole body vibration. I can tell you that it is no joke, assuming you have the proper equipment. On Black Friday last I purchased a Hypervibe machine. Believe me when I tell you you won’t be laughing if you try doing pushups and squats for ten minutes at 17 G’s. There is mounting evidence that brief, high intensity exercise is more beneficial than prolonged “cardio”. Plus, as the editor of Ironman Magazine put it, “you look better when you’re naked”.Thanks for saying brief high intensity exercise is better than high endurance exercise. I think this might be because you are more likely to do it. Just running three laps a day can cut your heart disease risk in half. The only thing is, there was a way to get people to keep the exercise up. They called it a cure for many illnesses. Recommendations for one half hour of high intensity exercise made many people give it up entirely, and for their lives. With a HDL reading of 70, you are unlikely to die any time and may make it to 100 or later, your thinness will also grant you long life,Matthew you nailed it. Something is better than nothing.The main questions: 1) you must consult your doctor for high intense exercises 2) How much time do you have to do exercises? 3) How many days in a week you can train? 4) Do your body prepare for high intense exercise? high risk of injuries Is boring for you walk or run, or train at the same rhythm? High intense exercises disturb your sleep?There isn’t any evidence to support the vibration machines. I had a company try and get me to endorse its use but the research is lacking.It is interesting subject you brought up Dr. Gregor. I am Internist who has been Vegan for 12 years. i have intolerance to Statins and my baseline Total Cholestrol was 356. with LDL of 234. I have been offering CIMT test from office for last 7 years. 7 years ago despite Vegan diet my LDL was still 140. My CIMT at age 58 indicated that i had arteries of 54 years old. Which was a pleasant surprise but I did not know the reason until 3years later at age 61, when i rechecked my CIMT and found my arteries were of someone 45 years old. At the same time I checked CIMT on a dentist friend who had run in more than 30 marathons. He had a LDL of 109 and weighed the same as I. We are same age.His artery age was 71.Shocked I took Diet history and found that since he ran 40-50 miles a week to maintain weight he used large amount of whey protein and Ice Cream.That convinced me and several others of colleagues benefits of Vegan diet.Do you think Vegans live longer? If so how much longer? If the benefit is that stark, how do we not give into temptation and eat animal products like yogurt and chicken for taste? I had heard the probiotics in yoguart could make you live longer.Yes indeed.Studies show vegans may gain 3.7 years to 6.5 years depending upon which study you look at.Difference tends to decrease by the 9th decade of life.But more important than longer life expectancy is quality of life.Vegans and vegetarians suffer from fewer heart attacks and strokes in the 60’s and also have lower risk of disabling conditions such as osteoarthritis. As far as probiotics ae concerned i have not come across any scientific evidence of that..Thank you very much! By being a vegan I could gain 3.7 to 6.5 years of life. That may be on top of being a vegetarian, because according to the Lora Dunning University, vegetarians live 8 or more years longer than other Californians if you’re a man or 4 years longer if you’re a woman. Did you know that donating blood can add ten years to your life as a man? It causes an enormous drop in blood pressure all month and removes a lot of Iron and “spent” or malfunctioning proteins. I wish I had the will power to eat vegan all year and donate blood every month. This site shows that eating vegan is the healthiest path. There are other avenues to longevity. It is thought that people live longer with regards to how close they are to the center of a country or the capitol. For instance, white men live more than ten years longer than average in D.C. and there are more black 100 year olds there than anywhere else. Having sex and being married can add years to your life, and being a mother drops a woman’s risk of all cancer of her reproductive tract. Swimming is so good for you that it should be part of any life, as is reading and meditating. I am going to find the ideal path to long life with this website in mind.Matthew Smith: Here is another study that should interest you (from PCRM Breaking News):“Vegetarian diets can extend life expectancy, according to early findings from the Adventist Health Study-2. Vegetarian men live to an average of 83.3 years, compared with nonvegetarian men who live to an average of 73.8 years. And vegetarian women live to an average of 85.7 years, which is 6.1 years longer than nonvegetarian women. This study is ongoing and includes more than 96,000 participants. The results further indicate vegan diets to be healthful and associated with a lower body weight (on average 30 lbs. lower than that of meat eaters), and lower risk of diabetes, compared with diets that include animal products.Fraser G, Haddad E. Hot Topic: Vegetarianism, Mortality and Metabolic Risk: The New Adventist Health Study. Report presented at: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic (Food and Nutrition Conference) Annual Meeting; October 7, 2012: Philadelphia, PA.” Also, note that Dr. Greger is working on a book right now on this very topic. So, we should be getting some awesome data/ideas on longevity when he is done.Thank you very much for your reply! I have found great help from your site here. I think it is not just diet that can add to life but also lifestyle choices: Meditating can add ten years to your life. Swimming can add ten years to your life. Being married,can ten years to your life. Listening to classical music can add many years to your life. Going to Church or Temple or prayer group can add ten years to your lifeWhat would happen if you did all of them and were a vegan?I really like that you shared this study. I am surprised that the vegetarians lived that much longer. It must be more of a benefit than just being a devoted Adventist. Perhaps they both have a benefit. Is Dr. Greger interested in demography? They study lifespan and population ecology in humans. Where would people go to live the longest? Current thinking says Washington D.C. for white men, perhaps because it is the center of our society. Many Asians in Hawaii make that the longest lived state in America. I would ask if Indians living near the capitol of India live longest, since they are at the capitol of a vegetarian society. Where are people the tallest? The healthiest? The smartest? The hardest working? The longest lived? These are the questions of a demographer. I think it is based on how close you live to a federal banking institute. Vegetarianism seems to have the same kind of benefit as being a demographer or cultural treasure.Being married,can ten years to your life, if you end up with a good one ^^Matthew do you eat animal products everyday? Once I actually gave them up I wasn’t temped. It’s funny but if I inadvertently eat something with animal, like mashed potatoes the butter tastes rancid to me. Nasty.Yes, I eat animal products everyday. I every now and then I am tempted by them when really I am demonstrating that it is healthier to not eat them. I would love to be a vegetarian again. I have switched to soy milk in cereal and brown rice instead of white. It is divine. I have lost weight eating less meat and taking the fenugreek supplement. I have found a better quality of life for myself by naming the healthiest plant foods when I repent. Amla, Nori, Mushrooms, black raspberry, and all in the center of my intestines, if I repent them there, help me to feel as healthy as when I was a younger man, a vegetarian. Dr. Greger said the plant based diet can give the benefit of the reduced calorie diet. I am interested in getting the benefit of being a vegan, with no Cholesterol and low Saturated Fat. Thank you for showing me why less meat you eat the less you like it. I eat whole grain cheerioes with flax seed and soy protein powder as milk, grapefruit, a blueberry greek yougart with extra blueberries, a pot of matcha tea, and then I try to eat beans, nuts, and whole grain. I make a snack of nori, a half mushroom, almonds, walnuts, dark chocolate, kiwi, dried blueberries, golden raisins, and dried pomegrante or ginger for long life. I am interested in finding what I would like for lunch and dinner that doesn’t have meat or animal in it. Designing meals with Orac and cancer reduction in mind saves me time and money. When you eat meat, I think, the IGF-1 spike causes you to get hungrier and hungrier. Thank your expertise.Is it healthier to do moderate exercise of slightly elevated heart rate rather than interval bouts of intense heart zone targeted exercise?Lately Ive seen claims that moderate bouts (not extreme) of high intensive exercise causes a negative stress response in the body (more ageing). I wonder if they body assumes yr running from a predator.In contrast, Ive been told to target high heart rate because my legs feel fatigued when I walk up 3 flights of stairs. I stand most of the day and walk instead of drive. My diet is low fat whole fat vegan with raw nuts and flax seed oil.Now someone needs to compare the arteries of a vegan athlete, see what diet and exercise together can do.Now someone needs to compare the arteries of a vegan athlete, see what diet and exercise together can do.Dr. Greger, I have a question about nutritional yeast: I recently noticed that one of the brands sold at my local store had a Proposition 65 label on it. Alarmed, I called the company to find out why. They explained that nutritional yeast has low levels of lead and that they are required by law to label it for Prop 65 in California. They claimed that the lead levels are too low to harm anyone, and also that other brands of nutritional yeast contain lead but that they aren’t being labeled. I really can’t imagine eating something with enough lead in it that it has to be labeled. What is the deal?	beef,blood pressure,body fat,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cholesterol,dairy,eggs,exercise,fat,fish,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,LDL cholesterol,low-fat diets,meat,mortality,obesity,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,seafood,Standard American Diet,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22948579,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16275507,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17518696,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21310315,
PLAIN-61	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/	Add Beans, Berries, and Greens to More Meals	After we eat, our bodies create free radicals in the process of breaking down our food. That’s why we need to eat antioxidant-rich foods with every meal to counteract this oxidation caused by metabolism. We can’t just have berries on our oatmeal in the morning to meet our Minimum Recommended Daily Allowance of Antioxidants and call it a day. Each and every meal should contain high antioxidant foods, which means that each and every meal should contain whole plant foods. Antioxidant rich foods originate from the plant kingdom, due to the thousands of different natural antioxidant compounds naturally created by the plants we eat. Consuming fruits—which are high in phenolic phytonutrients—increases the antioxidant capacity of the blood. When fruits are consumed along with high fat and refined carbohydrate “pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory” meals, they may help counterbalance their negative effects. Given the content and availability of fat and sugars in the Western diet, regular consumption of phenolic-rich foods, particularly in conjunction with meals, appears to be a prudent strategy to maintain oxidative balance and health. And of all fruits, berries may be the best source of phytonutrients. In the video, How to Reach the Antioxidant “RDA”, you can see an example of the spike in oxidation caused by a Mediterranean meal of pasta, tomato sauce, olive oil, and fried fish. Obviously, given the spike of oxidation, there were not enough tomatoes. Add a glass of red wine, which contains berry phytonutrients from grapes, and we can bring down, but not blunt completely, the level of oxidation. So the meal needs even more plants. In a study I profile in the video, researchers gave subjects standard breakfast items, resulting in lots of oxidized cholesterol in their bloodstream one to six hours after the meal. But all it took was a cup of strawberries with that same breakfast to at least keep the meal from contributing to further oxidation. In my Food Antioxidants and Cancer video, you can see a comparison of breakfast with berries versus breakfast without. If we don’t consume high-antioxidant plants with breakfast, by lunch we’ll already be in oxidative debt. Let’s say we ate a standard American breakfast at 6 a.m. If we didn’t eat that cup of strawberries with breakfast, by the time lunch rolls around we’d already be starting out in the hyper-oxidized state, and lunch could just make things worse. Since western eating patterns include eating multiple meals a day, including snacks, one can only speculate on the level of biological unrest. If we have some berries for breakfast, at least we’d be starting out at baseline for lunch. This acute protection is likely due to the antioxidant effects of the strawberry phytonutrients. What if, by lunch, we could be even better than baseline? How about our meals actually improving our antioxidant status? If, for example, we eat a big bunch of red grapes with our meal, the antioxidant level of our bloodstream goes up and our bodies are in positive antioxidant balance for a few hours. We get the same result after eating enough blueberries. And imagine if in these ensuing hours before our next meal we were sipping green tea, hibiscus tea or even whole cranberries? (See Pink Juice with Green Foam). We’d have a nice antioxidant surplus all day long. One group of researchers conclude: “These data provide an interesting perspective for advising individuals on food choice when consuming a moderate- to high-fat meal is unavoidable.” (Unavoidable? So what, if we’re locked in a fast food joint or something?) They suggest chasing whatever we’re forced to eat with some berries. Reminds me of those studies I’ve talked about suggesting that smokers should eat lots of kale and broccoli to reduce the oxidative damage to their DNA. Of course, they could also just not smoke. In a single day, the systemic stress of all the fat in our blood and “redox imbalance” (being in a mild pro-oxidant state after meals) may seem trivial. Over time, however, these daily insults can lead to problems such as heart disease, contributing to the hundreds of thousands of deaths a year (See The Power of NO). I strive to eat berries every day and so should everyone. If we are going to drink wine, red is preferable (See Breast Cancer Risk: Red Wine vs. White Wine) See how quickly stress can eat our antioxidants in: Antioxidant Level Dynamics. I used a similar meal-components technique to illustrate the potent antioxidant power of spices. See Antioxidants in a Pinch. All fruits and veggies aren’t the same. I make this point in different ways in videos like Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better? and Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants. I have a series of videos on which foods have the most antioxidants. See Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods and Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. Note these are measured based on test tube tests. There are more sophisticated ways to measure antioxidant activity. See Anti Up on the Veggies. What’s the cheapest common source of whole food antioxidants? See Superfood Bargains for a dollar per dollar comparison. What’s the cheapest uncommon source? See Dragon’s Blood. Are there diminishing returns to getting too many antioxidants? See Maxing Out on Antioxidants. So if we have that bowl of berries in the morning to meet our minimum daily antioxidant needs can we just call it a day?. Hint: the title of my follow-up video is: Antioxidant Rich Foods With Every Meal. 	Can one have too much antioxidant? Is it possible to overdose on antioxidants?There is another video on this website that shows that antioxidants in pill form work counter productive.When I bring up how important antioxidants are for good health, arguments are raised regarding the role of oxidants in oxidative-based apoptosis. My question is, will oxidative-based apoptosis still be able to be carried out by a cell even when it is flooded with antioxidants? Are the hazards of smokers supplementing with vitamin A & E which has been correlated with higher rates of cancer, due to the vitamins (which are antioxidants) inhibiting the cellular process of apoptosis? Is it just supplementing with antioxidants that can be disruptive to apoptosis or can one consume too many antioxidants from whole foods?Thanks for your videos and articles. They are inspiring and help me stay resolved.berries have one of the highest rates of oesticide spray. I buy organic, incl, frozen, but it’s expensive and sometimes the certification is suspect. I buy conventional (not organic) skinned fruits like mango & avocado. With berries eg strawberries am I better to eat less rather than eat with pesticides?Me: Good for you for trying to eat a lot of berries. And a very good question you have. Dr. Greger has a great blog post where he puts pesticide consumption into perspective. :“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.”from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/I translate this bit of info into: Eat organic when you can, but don’t stress about it when you can’t.Happily, there is a way to take this advice a step further to minimize your risks without completely depleting the pocketbook. Every year, the Environmental Working Group actually measures pesticide levels in fruits and veggies–after those fruits and veggies have been prepared in the way people would normally eat them. (For example, peeling a banana or washing first.) If you scroll down on the following page, you will see a list for the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean Fifteen”.http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.phpI bring your attention to these lists because I think they are very helpful for people who can’t afford to eat organic for everything. You could use these lists to help you decide when it is worth putting down money for organic and when it might be safer to buy non-organic.I hope this helps!Dr. Greger is a crusader for the true nature of medicine, prevention. This article truly underscores how we have the power to improve our health and improve our lives. His detailed literature reviews show that beans, greens, and berries, are some of the most powerful ways to improve our health. Spinach, broccoli, onions, garlic, Brussels sprouts, kale, collards, carrots, and beets are some of the most powerful cancer prevention foods there are and, understanding that 40 percent of Americans get cancer, are disproportionately valuable to health. Berries are filled with nutrition and can help the mind age gracefully or even improve as it ages, making a cup a day necessary for living longer. Even a cup of raisins (he recommends golden raisins) count, Beans are the most powerful tool at managing many chronic diseases we can get, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other age related diseases considered to be unavoidable by some. I think Dr. Greger is ahead of his time in trying to stop end of life diseases when so many doctors are busy treating colds, coughs, and bruises. With a rosehip tea and a cup of spinach with its Vitamin K, he might put medicine out of business. I think beans, greens, and berries are necessary for health. If he made this into a Fibonacci, he could add two or five more things, like nuts (half your heart disease risk and some cancers), dark chocolate, green tea, fresh fruit, and whole grain are also really valuable. His food recommendations could eliminate heart disease, add ten or more years to life, guarantee living to 85, reduce risk of colon cancer, improve mood, limit most cancers, restrict risk of stroke or cancer, reduce or manage heart disease and diabetes, reduce your risk of heart disease and sudden heart disease, make you seem five-14 years younger, and limit your ability to get metabolic syndrome and lose weight. These foods include probiotics, grape fruit, orange juice, cherries, ten cups of green tea a day, Lemons, green pepper, beans, black raspberries, sunflower seeds. strawberries, bilberries, yellow squash, pistachios, tomatoes, soy, broccoli, watermelon, beets, garlic, flax seeds, seaweed, blueberries, whole grain, grapes or grape juice, nuts, cruciferous vegetable, dark chocolate. lentils, herb tea, sweet potatoes, clove, turmeric, ginger, cranberry juice, pumpkins, apples, hibiscus tea, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, amla, seaweed, carrots, and Tabasco sauce. Dr. Greger’s recommendation to add oregano, chai tea, hibiscus tea with alma, goji berries, cloves, dried pomegrante seeds, and flax seed powder to every diet would mean nobody would ever be short of antioxidants, and he notesthat we do indeed have a daily required amount of them at more than 10,000 a day.“ten cups of green tea a day” Wow, where is the room for water? After drinking tea and water there wouldn’t be room for food. Or time for it either. LOLYes thank you. They say health benefits of green tea start at 2 cups a day and continue in the video called the “Asian Paradox.” Seven to ten are recommended here. My opinion is that drinking more water is good for you, weight lifters know to drink at least 8 cups of water a day. Do you mean to drink that and tea? I think you can drink tea (or even matcha!) instead of the water.Many of these foods are very good. But it’s also important to make sure that they are alkaline (natural), with a pH rating of 7.1 or above. Alkaline food nourishes the body and protects the mucus membrane in the body, that protective lining that helps prevent disease. Some beans are highly starchy, with a pH rating well below 7.1 and research and reports have shown that soybeans and soy lecithin, the byproduct, harm reproductive organs and the immune system. A good book to read about alkaline food is Sojourn to Honduras Sojourn to Healing: Why An Herbalist’s View Matters More Today Than Ever Before.https://www.createspace.com/5074819I am new to this website but I am enjoying reading the information.Dr. Greger has shown that an unhealthy diet, smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity are the main sources of much of the disease in the country, including America’s three leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, and stoke. “Death in America is largely a foodborne illness,” Dr. Greger summarizes in this video: Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/ In that video he said that nut consumption was the highest factor tied to long life, together with fiber (plants) consumption, and jogging. Eating a cup of oatmeal a day, two handfuls of nuts a week, and jogging four hours a week have the same individual benefit in increasing a woman’s life. Each 20 grams of beans extra a person eats a day reduces their risk of death by eight percent. Is there anything healthier than beans? Maybe roots like ginger, garlic, and beets which are perhaps the most cancer preventative plants in the categories of spices, vegetables, and root crop, are truly worth eating weekly or more often, as my humble offered opinion. I can see that you feel soybeans are unhealthy. They lower the pH of the body, and soy letchithin is an emulsifier in many foods and many fast foods. Soy has been said to have heart health benefits and is an unusual complete plant protein. Perhaps the fact that soy is meat like, its methione, makes it unhealthy. Without soy, beans and rice are just as complete. I would love to eat pH akalizing foods like tea, broccoli, and apples. Dr. Greger said its not just the number of fruits and vegetables you eat but also the quality of fruits you eat: instead of a banana, try blueberries, instead of ground pepper, try oregano, instead of coffee, try chai tea, instead of lettuce, try purple cabbage, instead of canned peaches, try fresh apples. http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/ I am interested in your reference. I love stories of native healers and ethnobotanical plant prospecting. I am really interested in natural products medicine, in getting medicines from plants. Now most drugs are rationally developed at great expenses to patents, with many plants being unused or forgotten as medicines, and many hundreds of faked compounds failing after countless iterations, despite the fact that half of drugs were once discovered from life, and many are still being cultivated for medicine. I am really interested in this site because it shows how whole plants can be used as medicine throughout life. Could you find medicine in garlic? In tomato? Could you use a plant nutrient as a medicine instead of a drug? Could you find the health compound in beans and make it into a drug? Possibly! Maybe it’s a similar idea. I think medicine could get close. Our native passionfruit was a source of an anti anxiety drug. How many others are in Passionflower genus of the tropics? How many fruit have compounds in their red skin to help animals remember where they were found to keep them evolving to be red to be edible to be spread? How many drugs are in the sap of the Poinsettia plant? Health is evolving with us. Herbalists help adapt to the new diseases of the era, an tropical botanists were unable to find cures to metabolic syndrome. Several are presented here: fenugreek, hibsicus tea, beans, amla, and nuts.Thank you for the response. And thank you for your interest in the reference Sojourn to Honduras Sojourn to Healing. I learned about the importance of alkaline (natural) food from the book’s main subject pathologist and herbal medicine specialist Dr. Sebi. In my research I was able to confirm what Dr. Sebi says about acid and alkaline food. I found that popular foods such as garlic, navy beans, and peanuts have pH levels well below alkaline levels of 7.1. Garlic, a toxic substance, has a pH value of 2.9. It is not an alkaline food. It is considered a good cancer prevention food and good for preventing heart disease, yet it is not alkaline. Healthy human blood is alkaline with a pH value of 7.365, so garlic, according to Dr. Sebi and the research, should be removed from your daily diet. I agree with you on most things about food, except foods that are not alkaline. Peanuts are highly starchy, navy beans and kidney beans as well. Many beans are hybrids, cultivated in laboratories so their molecular structure has changed to an unnatural state and toxic state. My research found the following:“Raw kidney beans contain relatively high amounts of phytohemagglutinin, and thus are more toxic than most other bean varieties if not pre-soaked and subsequently heated to the boiling point for at least 10 minutes. The U.S Food and Drug Administration recommends boiling for 30 minutes to ensure they reach a sufficient temperature long enough to completely destroy the toxin.[2] However, cooking at the lower temperature of 80 °C (176 °F), such as in a slow cooker, can increase this danger and raise the toxin level up to fivefold.[3]”It is important to share with people foods that are alkaline (natural), foods with pH values of 7.1 and above. These are the foods that protect and nourish the body. Remember, healthy human blood is alkaline, with a pH rating of 7.365. So the foods we eat must have pH ratings the same as or close to 7.365. For more information about alkaline food and the pH scale read Sojourn to Honduras Sojourn to Healing: Why An Herbalist’s View Matters More Today Than Ever Before. http://www.sojourntohonduras.comDr. Greger has some videos on the Alkaline diet, and he recommends it. Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, & Calcium Loss http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/ Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple Cabbage “an alkaline diet benefits health”… removes Uric Acid and supports muscle, also maybe bones.Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, are far healthier than many beans. And soybeans? Highly toxic. Please read what Dr. Joseph Mercola has written about soy and soybeans. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/soy-health_b_1822466.html“Who hasn’t heard of the marvels of soy? The marketing bandwagon has touted soy as the perfect health food for decades. But could something that sounds so healthful actually be dangerous?If you take the time to look into the actual science, then the answer is yes. Thousands of studies link soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders and infertility — even cancer and heart disease.One of the primary reasons it would be wise for you to avoid soy is that more than 90 percent of soybeans grown in the United States are genetically modified. Since the introduction of genetically engineered foods in 1996, we’ve had an upsurge in low birth weight babies, infertility, and other problems in the U.S., and animal studies have shown devastating effects from genetically engineered soy including allergies, sterility, birth defects, and offspring death rates up to five times higher than normal.Soybean crops are also heavily sprayed with chemical herbicides, such glyphosate, which a French team of researchers have found to be carcinogenic.Soybeans — even organically grown soybeans — naturally contain “antinutrients” such as saponins, soyatoxin, phytates, trypsin inhibitors, goitrogens and phytoestrogens. Traditional fermentation destroys these antinutrients, which allows your body to enjoy soy’s nutritional benefits. However, most Westerners do not consume fermented soy, but rather unfermented soy, mostly in the form of soymilk, tofu, TVP, and soy infant formula.Unfermented soy has the following 10 adverse affects on your body:Please go to the article to learn what those 10 adverse effects are. You’ll be glad you did if you care about your health.Thank you, Chick Peas are very healthy. Beans are really recommended here. This site strongly recommends the vegan diet, and soy is a mainstay for those who can’t eat meat. I think there really is a difference of opinion if soy is healthy. The FDA has approved soy for heart health: “25 grams of soy protein a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. A serving of (name of food) provides ____ grams of soy protein.” I do not question their science, but regularly challenge what kinds of recommendations the federal government makes with regards to diet and exercise. I don’t think we have data on which bean is better than another. Peanuts are a bean, and eating peanut butter everyday was one of the most surprising findings linked to long life. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/Soy, a mainstay in diet? Chickpeas are the healthier and life-sustaining alternative. Please do the research on soy, soybeans, and soy lecithin and post it. Your readers will appreciate reading your findings. Do you know that there is a campaign to get Starbucks to replace soy milk with coconut milk and almond milk? Yes, it’s true. Go to Starbucks’s website and read all the comments about soy, and how Starbucks customers want coconut milk or almond milk instead.JB, your fears are unfortunately inconsistent with the evidence. Soy is a healthy and beneficial food. Fear mongering with soy isolates and rat studies is not necessary. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=soyI am still confused about how to get the amount of recommended antioxidants by looking at the list of 3,000 foods. Will you help me understand how to convert from their numbers to the 12,000 units recommended daily. For example, if it says mmol/100g is 2.8, what does that mean in terms of units and serving size? THANK YOU!!Dr. Greger has recommended one Chai tea, oregano, cloves, hibiscus tea, dried apples, golden raisins, pecans, walnuts, cocoa, matcha, blueberries, amla, and flax seed. He has recipes! His pink foam Hibiscus tea, super pumpkin pie (make it with two chai tea bags opened!), and his breakfast smoothie have huge servings of antioxidants. Sprinkle oregano on most foods, always have a few leaves of red lettuce, or purple cabbage, drink a chai tea a day and sip hibiscus most days, cloves can go on anything, and for a snack walnuts, golden raisins, and dried apples can’t be beat. Cloves, rosemary, tumeric with pepper, fresh garlic, and ginger (or even dried ginger snacks) are very powerful anti-cancer spices, and oregano is a real powerhouse. Dog Roses or Rose hips and Amla are chart toppers. He has listed foods specifically for anti-cancer benefit as well, these are lemons, cranberries, apples, garlic, beets, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, spinach, collards, pecans, peanuts, walnuts, cloves, ginger, tumeric with pepper, rosemary, hibiscus tea, dandelions tea, chamomile tea, matcha, white tea with lemon, are the best of the bunch for cancer prevention. Some foods are very antioxidant dense, like oregano and amla, others not so much. I don’t think they list ORAC units anytime soon, so knowing this, I think we’re saying to sip tea, eat nuts, and beans just to be safe.Do frozen berries preserve their antioxidants? Thanks.Sometimes frozen berries are even a better choice, depending on lots of factors. Here are some tips from the director of the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University. http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/tips-picking-unseasonal-berries/As far as the antioxidants in green tea, Dr. Neal Barnard (vegan doctor held in high regard) has stated clearly in one of his books that the aluminum content of tea is “significant” and for this reason tea consumption should be limited.Elsie, Is that a problem in all green teas or just teas from certain regions?I’ve read that tea trees by nature have a strong ability to absorb aluminum from the soil, whereas many other plants do not have this “ability”.What about black tea? I use it three times a day – loose black tea leafs. Does it have any antioxidant?Can you please address any dietary component to shingles prevention? Thank you!interestign articles, love reading about healthy food and supplements http://www.pharmaonlinerx.com/blog	antioxidants,apples,bananas,beans,beef,berries,beverages,blueberries,carrots,chicken,cucumbers,dates,dietary guidelines,fish,fruit,Green tea,ham,herbal tea,hibiscus tea,kidney beans,lettuce,meat,oregano,oxidative stress,peaches,peas,pork,poultry,seafood,sleep,smoking,spices,Standard American Diet,tea,tobacco,turkey,vegetables,watermelon	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17536129,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9667503,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20955646,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20595645,
PLAIN-62	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/09/dr-greger-addresses-saturated-fat-confusion-in-new-dvd/	Dr. Greger Addresses Saturated Fat Confusion in New DVD	Considering concerns over saturated fat to be the #1 threat to their growth, the global dairy industry launched a covert campaign to “neutralize the negative image of milkfat among regulators and health professionals.” This would be no small task, as leading health authorities around the world encourage the public to decrease saturated fat consumption “as low as possible” to lower the risk of chronic disease. Learn how the industry attempted to undermine the global scientific consensus and the fatal flaw in the recent saturated fat meta-analysis in a new series of videos I just completed. They are all available right now as a video download as part of my new Latest in Clinical Nutrition volume 22 (all proceeds go to charity). It can also be ordered as a physical DVD. The saturated fat videos are all scheduled to go up on NutritionFacts.org early next year, but you can download and watch them right now. The current batch of videos from volume 21 on NutritionFacts.org is set to run out soon, so starting next month and running through January, I’ll be rolling out the videos from this new DVD, volume 22. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak-preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share them as gifts, but there is nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up free online at NutritionFacts.org. If you’d like the works–40+ hours of video–you can get the complete DVD collection. Here’s the list of chapters from the new volume 22 DVD — a preview of what’s to come over the next few months on NutritionFacts.org: Order my new DVD at DrGreger.org/dvds or through Amazon. It can also be ordered as a video download at DrGreger.org/downloads. DVD Subscription If you were a regular supporter, you’d already be a saturated fat expert by now, having gotten the new DVD two weeks ago! I now come out with new DVDs every 9 weeks (*phew*). If you’d like to automatically receive them before they’re even available to the public, please consider becoming a monthly donor. Anyone signing up on the donation page to become a $15 monthly contributor will receive the next three DVDs for free (as physical DVDs, downloads, or both–your choice), and anyone signing up as a $25 monthly contributor will get a whole year’s worth of new DVDs. If you’re already signed up and didn’t receive your volume 22 yet, please email Tommasina@NutritionFacts.org and she’ll make everything all better. If you’d rather just watch all the videos online as they launch, but would still like to support my work of cutting through the confusion and educating millions about healthy eating, you can make a year-end tax-deductible donation to NutritionFacts.org using a credit card, a direct PayPal link, or by sending a check to “NutritionFacts.org” P.O. Box 11400 Takoma Park, MD 20913. If you missed it last week, I featured an exclusive guest blog post by dietitian powerhouse Vesanto Melina, who made it her mission to come up with some celebratory superfood suggestions for the holidays. Check it out: Healthy Holiday Recipes. Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! Internship Opportunities We have three new internship opportunities coming up in 2015: 	I’m really excited that you are addressing the Saturated fat issue. After the frustrating Time Magazine article telling people they should eat Butter for health it’s time to really address the science behind this false claim. Thanks in advance!!!!Doesnt “saturated fat confusion” mean that you ARE confused if you think its a health food……..?We had a glims on that with one of the “treadmil interview” of our favorite doc ! ;) Can’t wait to see the whole DVD now.I was under the impression that this DVD would have the conclusion, “How Much Fruit is Too Much?”, and ordered it. However it does not. I responded to the email in hopes that I could exchange for my order but haven’t received a response yet. Is that video really a whole DVD later?Hi Dogulas, I’m sorry I haven’t come across your email yet, but I’d be happy to exchange your DVD for you. Just send me an email at tommasina@nutritionfacts.org. Thanks for getting in touch!Thanks, I just forwarded the email to you.Can’t agree more. Me too I want to see “How Much Fruit is Too Much?”. But It’s nowhere to be found :(The first video on Volume 22… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/ and now on the website provides information related to your question. I believe a good guideline is not more than 4 fruits per day. We can most likely tolerate more but it it varies from individual to individual. For patients with elevated cholesterol who want to lower cholesterol lower than that achieved on a whole plant diet I often restrict fruit and recheck values. There are also come patients with fructose malabsorption syndrome who need to avoid fruits. Bottom line is whole fruits are well tolerated. You might also be interested in reading Michael Greger’s blog post in October of this year… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,Thanks for your comment Doc. But I was waiting (maybe hoping..) for a video about the health of people who actually eat large quantities of fruits or almost nothing but fruits – like fruitarian. I’m really curious of their health. What kind of problem these people can have, except B12 deficiency. Low bone density ? High Cholesterol (really..?) ? Osteoporosis ? Low BMI ? Very low IGF-1 ? Can this have benefits over regular plant based diet ? Do we have good studies looking at these people ? Personally I don’t follow this kind of diet, I don’t think we can thrive on it. I was on raw food for 6 month and lost 10 kilograms, feeling great but I was weak (and probably B12 deficient).. Back on cooked starch I was able to build muscle mass and now able to lift heavy weight at the gym (progress still continue..).How do you feel about virgin coconut oil? I know it is saturated, but sounds like from all I have read in the past few years that it has amazing healing properties . . .Here’s a list of all the Video’s, blogs and research on the dangers of ingesting Coconut oil.http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=coconut+oilCoconut has nothing unique about it; beans have just as much or more “healing properties” due to their antioxidants and other phytonutrients. Most people aren’t dying of infections that needed healing either. They’re dying of cardiovascular disease. As much as we’d like for the fatty foods we love to be the best thing we could possibly eat, any of their beneficial properties don’t make up for the fact that coconut oil is as bad for arteries as lard.It makes the best lotion for your skin! Eating it? Watch the videos linked by Dr. hemo.And coconut oil is blissful in the bedroom! https://glowingolder.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/sex-lubes-a-tantric-oil/Hi, My question about fat is this. Does the human body need saturated fat at all? Or is it OK to eat zero saturated fat for the rest of my life? (I’m not planning to do it, just a theoretical question. ) Is monounsaturated fat needed for the body? I heard it is healthy but it is still not essential. And how about polyunsaturated fats? How much Omega 3 and Omega 6 do we need actually? Do we need Omega 9?The only essential fatty acids for humans are: omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The human body can manufacture all other fatty acids from those two essential fatty acids.Boldi: You already got a good reply from Ed. I thought I would elaborate just a bit. All “whole”/natural fats are a combination of all three types of fat: saturated, poly and mono. But the amounts vary. Coconut oil has a TON of saturated fat. But olive oil also has saturated fat. Canola oil actually has more Omega 3s than olive oil, etc. It is generally a good idea to limit saturated fat, especially from animal sources. But you will get some saturated fat naturally just by eating foods that contain fat, for example nuts, seeds, corn, etc.As Ed points out, your body will make all of the types of fat that it needs – except for Omega 3 and Omega 6. You have to get those fats from your diet, because your body does not make those fats. The trick for maximum health is to get those fats in the correct proportions. If you can get a chance to see the following lecture from Jeff Novick, you will learn all you need to know about fat (in a fun and fascinating manner!): http://www.amazon.com/Oil-Nuts-Essential-Facts-Oils/dp/B003UYAQIY/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1418762617&sr=1-1&keywords=from+oil+to+nutsThat talk *really* helped me with all of these types of questions. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.Good luck.Thank you both Ed and Thea for your answers! It’s getting clearer all the time… But it’s a little bit hard to figure out the truth, especially about olive oil, coconut oil and fish oils. I can find information both about their health benefits, and about how unhealthy they are, too. A few years ago, when I was getting interested in healthy diet and healthy living, I began at the wrong end. I found the paleo diet. And I tried it and after few weeks a felt terrible on that. So I went back to my “normal” diet. Which was actually almost the same as the “SAD” diet. In central Europe, we eat the same way as the average person in the United States: lots of meat, lots of cheese, lots of dairy products, tons of oil etc. And big percentage of the population is fat and has high blood pressure etc. (As my father says: “Human body needs pork lard!”…this is the way of thinking in my country!) Then later I started searching youtube and everything available, for any kind of usable, true information. This way I came across The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. That book was a big eye-opening for me. And later on I saw John McDougall’s lectures on YT, then Joel Fuhrman etc, and finally I found Nutritionfacts.org few month ago. I think this website is the best on the internet in the field of nutrition, healthy diet, healthy living. No bullshit, just the real truth! I’m very grateful for all the data, articles and great videos here. Michael Greger has a big part in that I’ve become a vegan almost a year ago. I will check out Jeff Novick’s lecture too. Thank you again!More Saturated fat ‘controversy’ here… http://www.bbc.com/news/health-31357438	DVD	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/25/healthy-holiday-eating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/02/dr-greger-addresses-gmos-in-new-dvd/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-63	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/	How to Get Enough Antioxidants Each Day	We need to get a daily minimum of 8-11,000 antioxidant units a day in our food just to stay out of oxidative debt (see my video on The Reason We Need More Antioxidants). To reach that minimum, all we have to do is eat lots of fruits and vegetables, right? Not exactly. Let’s say I ate a whole banana during breakfast (in addition to whatever else). For lunch I eat a typical American salad— iceberg lettuce, half cup of cucumber slices, and canned peaches for dessert. Supper included a side serving of peas and carrots and half a cup of snap peas along with yet another salad. And, finally, let’s say I had a cup of watermelon for dessert. I just ate nine servings of fruits and vegetables and am feeling all good about myself. However, I only made it up to 2700 units, less than a quarter of the way to my minimum daily recommended intake. What am I supposed to do, eat 36 servings a day? (For a cool visual of this, check out my video, How to Reach the Antioxidant “RDA”). What if instead of that banana, I had a single serving of blueberries? And instead of iceberg lettuce for that afternoon salad, I ate four leaves of red leaf lettuce, maybe some kidney beans on top, and a teaspoon of dried oregano as a bonus? For a snack, I had an apple and some dates. It’s not even suppertime, only had five servings, yet I’ve left the minimum recommended daily intake of antioxidants in the dust (topping 28,000 units!). That’s why it’s not just quantity of fruits and veggies that matters, but also the quality. All fruits and veggies aren’t the same. I make this point in different ways in videos like Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better? and Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants. If possible, we should try to choose the healthiest options out there. Now that it’s midday and I’ve reached my daily minimum of antioxidants with those five super servings, can I just eat whatever I want for dinner? That’s probably not a good idea. The estimated minimum antioxidant need of 8,000-11,000 units does not take into account the added amounts needed if other oxidant stressors—”such as illness, cigarette smoke, meat consumption, air pollution, sleep deprivation”—are present. If we had to deal with these stressors we’d need to consume more fruits and veggies just to stay out of the red. In my video Antioxidant Level Dynamics, I profiled a study that used an argon laser to measure human antioxidant levels in real time. The study’s most important finding was that antioxidant levels can plummet within two hours of a stressful event, but it may take up to three days to get our levels back to normal. The take-home message is that, especially when we’re sick, stressed, or tired, we should try to go above and beyond the antioxidant food minimum. Ideally, we need to be constantly soaking our bloodstream with antioxidants, meaning that we should consume high-powered fruits and vegetables—like berries, beans, and green tea or hibiscus—all day long. Unsure of which foods have the most antioxidants? I have a series of videos on this very topic. See Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods and Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. (Note these are measured based on test tube tests. There are more sophisticated ways to measure antioxidant activity. See Anti Up on the Veggies). Spices in particular present a powerful source of antioxidants. See Antioxidants in a Pinch. What’s the cheapest common source of whole food antioxidants? See Superfood Bargains for a dollar per dollar comparison. What’s the cheapest uncommon source? See Dragon’s Blood. Are there diminishing returns to getting too many antioxidants? See Maxing Out on Antioxidants. So if we have that bowl of berries in the morning to meet our minimum daily antioxidant needs can we just call it a day? See: Antioxidant Rich Foods With Every Meal. 	Another reader of NutritionFacts posted a sobering link to a recent blog post. This link contains a statement published by the USDA in which the USDA casts doubt on the efficacy or importance of antioxidants. The link can be found here: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=15866If I remember correctly, Dr. Greger has said that the USDA took down its antioxidant database merely because the data was being used unscrupulously by supplement manufacturers to bolster the questionable health claims they generated to market their supplements. However, this USDA statement seems to say something very different. Here are some direct quotations:“Recently the USDA’s Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) removed the [Antioxidant] Database from the NDL website due to mounting evidence that the values indicating antioxidant capacity have no relevance to the effects of specific bioactive compounds, including polyphenols on human health.”“There is no evidence that the beneficial effects of polyphenol-rich foods can be attributed to the antioxidant properties of these foods.”(Note that the second statement in particular doesn’t seem to differentiate between the various ways that a food’s antioxidant capacity can be tested.)This raises a couple of important questions:If we’re not using the USDA’s measure of antioxidant capacity, then what are we using? Where, for instance, do the numbers used in today’s blog post, the antioxidant units of various foods, come from?How do we know that the antioxidants in healthy foods are what make those foods healthy in the first place?I remember asking myself just this question after watching a video Dr. Greger posted about a study, conducted in Italy I think, in which participants were divided into a high-antioxidant group and a low-antioxidant group. In the study, the high-antioxidant group fared better than the low, and this was presented as strong evidence for the health benefits of high-antioxidant foods. But how do we know it was the antioxidants that did anything? How can we be sure that some other component of the high-antioxidant foods wasn’t responsible for the participants’ increase in health?Does over reliance and daily consumption of food antioxidants suppress the human body’s own “strength” and abilities? Does the easy access to all this “healthy food” make us actually weaker in the long run, thus making us dependent on fueling our defenses? People have gone long stretch just eating fish, insects,….or fasting…..or whatever to survive. Maybe in the abscence of antioxidants they actually become/became stronger? Have humans ever had this much access to such high antioxidant food, and every single day of the year?Great read! I wanted to provide some research that I use to inform Health Care Professionals about antioxidants and how they can be increased in your body and be scientifically measured. I have a BioPhotonic scanner that can measure the density of the Carotenoid molecules in your skin. When our clients make changes by diet and supplementation, and we measure the increased levels, the clients typically have less colds, infections and inflammations. We have had great success in relieving pain and discomfort with clients with Lyme disease and also other patients with MS, fibromyalgia, arthritis, even periodontal disease. But I just wanted to provide you with a list of research from scientists and universities that might be of interest to you!http://www.eternal-age.com/#!scanner-studies/cuns (The research references will be on the last, few pages of the PDF)Make it a great day!The concept of ‘antioxidants’ as we have known it has been shown in recent years to be WRONG and was based on flawed arguments which go right back to the 1950s. The current science surrounding the way human cells defend themselves is being completely rewritten. What has emerged is that human cells produce their antioxidant and other protective compounds which are literally capable of dealing with millions of reactive oxygen ans nitrogen species (free radicals) per second. Compare this with one vitamin C molecule which can quench just one free radical – period!The clinical trials which have been done in hundreds of thousands of humans to investigate a protective effect have failed – spectacularly! Six decades ago we assumed that vitamin C was the reason for the better health in populations who consumed high levels of fruits and vegetables – wrong assumption. So then we turned to phytochemicals such as those found in berries, olives, curcumin, grapes, pomegranates and so on as the reason for the benefit. This is where the ORAC concept emerged. The USDA rightly removed their ORAC database in 2010 because it was misleading. As it turned out, the ORAC values were determined by lab bench studies. However, when humans consumed these same compounds, so little of the bioactive compound is absorbed that virtually no antioxidant effect registers in the cells. This is because these polyphenol compounds are such large bulky molecules that they dont get absorbed in sufficient quantity to have an antioxidant effect.The way cells protect themselves is by registering stress signals and these signals activate the genes to enable the cell to produce around 2000 protective compounds – the list includes antioxidant enzymes, detoxification enzymes, glutathione, vitamin D receptor and many more. To activate these ‘switches’ in the cell the most effective food compound is the sulforaphane derived from a 100% whole broccoli sprout compound.The benefits of the berries and other polyphenols occur largely in the digestive tract, and not in the cells as is commonly thought. Food manufacturers have exploited this flawed theory in marketing so-called ‘super’ foods, Amazonian berries and such like.I’ve made similar comments (a, b, c, d, e, f). One element of this discussion worth examining more closely is the assumption that ordinary respiration generates the bulk of ROS, but this wonderful paper indicates that’s an artifact of experiments with non-physiological substrates like succinate. Glucose appears to burn relatively “cleanly”, and the major sources of ROS appear to be peroxisomes oxidizing long-chain fatty acids and superoxide generating enzymes like xanthine oxidase, or the NADPH oxidases involved in the oxidative bursts of inflammation. Reducing inflammation is a more attractive option than reducing respiration, and fortunately, many so-called “antioxidants” appear to do just that, though not via their ROS quenching potential.Darryl, Thanks so much for the link to this paper – this is ‘right up my alley’. You and I are singing from the same song sheet! However, our voices are drowned out by Big Health Food that continues to perpetrate the same sales hype for so-called antioxidant supplements, masquerading as science.So I’m confused, are you and Darryl disagreeing with Dr. Gregor’s theory about staying out of oxidative dept as shown in the video?I can’t speak for Annette, but I find the evidence indicates many plant compounds like polyphenols, which function as direct antioxidants in the test tube, do not meaningfully contribute in this way when ingested. Instead they’re doing more complicated things to alter gut microbiota, inhibit inflammatory response, and their oxidized forms may induce our own, more potent and better regulated, antioxidant responses.Thanks to our forebears–who believed that truth would emerge with freedom of expression. Glucose burns fairly cleanly? So you’re saying that oxidized fats are a more likely source of ROS? Where do those superoxide generating enzymes come from? From the body dealing with oxidized fats? I realize fats get oxidized when exposed to heat, air, light. So the body also oxidizes fats when it burns fats for energy? Could you explain that process?Dr. Greger, As a vegan who periodically fasts (every couple of weeks I fast for 2-3 days), is there some harm being done because antioxidants/phytochemicals are not consumed during these fasts?Looking at some of the antioxidant “superfoods” I note that many are very high in C… which leads me to ask if heavy doses of C rich foods meet the bill. Or do the various antioxidants tend to “specialize”, to protect in more specific ways?If the latter the USDA list is virtually useless.Is the answer simply to eat lots of various fruits and veggies, to seasoned up with a variety of spices… and hope you are getting a balance of antioxidants?Surely we can do better than that!How about that video about the Gooseberry powder to enhance antioxidant levels? Why is it not mentioned here?Dr.Greger, how do you reconcile with this.http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/antioxidants/Harvard is basically saying don’t depend on antioxidant supplements, but get antioxidants from whole foods, like fruits and veggies—pretty much what Dr. Greger is saying.Hello Dr. Greger. I love your videos! Question: You said the Amla Powder (Indian Gooseberry) is the #1 food most rich in antioxidant. How can we be confident that we are consuming enough antioxidants if it’s been processed into powder? Doesn’t powder oxidize quickly?How about a nutrition facts app that lets us figure antioxidant intake and net anti-inflammatory intake? Either a separate app based on this website alone or an add-on to Lose It or one of the other health apps? I’ve done really well tracking fiber intake with Lose It and would love to have an easy way to track other important nutrients.Dr. Greger’s site shows how important antioxidants are at battling the causes of disease: inflammation, oxidation, wear and tear, dilation, clogging, diffusion (congestive heart failure, more energy for less than peak), inconsistency, erratic changes, uneven pathways, stress (natural responses), damage (IGF-1) missing chunks, nerve movement (brain pattern asymmetry), pain (leaks or exacerbated pores). He suggests that drinking Chai tea, a single cup, has three days worth of antioxidants. Other great sources of antioxidants include oregano, cloves, dried apples, hibiscus tea, matcha or green tea, golden raisins, dried pomegrantes, walnuts, pecans, amla powder or tea, blueberries, rosehips or dog rose (in many hibiscus teas), dried flax seeds, beets, and purple cabbage. These foods are winners in their class and have numerous health benefits that have astounding cumulative benefits. Antioxidant rich foods can stop, delay, reverse, repair, and restore health damage.	antioxidants,apples,bananas,beans,beef,berries,beverages,blueberries,carrots,chicken,cucumbers,dates,dietary guidelines,fish,fruit,Green tea,ham,herbal tea,hibiscus tea,kidney beans,lettuce,meat,oregano,oxidative stress,peaches,peas,pork,poultry,seafood,sleep,smoking,spices,Standard American Diet,tea,tobacco,turkey,vegetables,watermelon	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17536129,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19021355,
PLAIN-64	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/	The Reason We Need More Antioxidants	Glucose is the primary fuel of the human body. We consume glucose and breathe in oxygen to make the energy needed to power our bodies. Plants then take the water and carbon dioxide we breathe out to make oxygen and organic compounds like glucose—and the circle of life continues. The word carbohydrate means, basically, hydrated carbon, which is what plants use to make carbs and all that’s left after we burn them for energy in our muscles and brain. This process of oxidizing glucose to make energy is messy, though, and generates free radicals. Chugging sugar water increases the level of oxidation in our bloodstreams over the next few hours as our bodies metabolize the glucose. (Digestion isn’t the only physiological source of free radicals—exercise is too. See Preventing Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress With Watercress). Why would we evolve to have a negative reaction to our primary fuel? Because over the millions of years we evolved, there was no such thing as sugar water—all sugars and starches came pre-packaged with protective compounds: antioxidants. In nature, sugar always comes with phytonutrients. If we drink the same amount of sugar in the form of orange juice, we don’t get that spike in oxidation, because the sugar in fruit comes prepackaged with antioxidants. We can’t just drink vitamin C enriched sugar water either, because it’s not the vitamin C in the OJ but the citrus phytonutrients like hesperetin and naringenin that beat back the oxidation. And it’s always better to eat the whole fruit than drink the juice (See Best Fruit Juice and Apple Juice May Be Worse Than Sugar Water). If those citrus phytonutrients sounded familiar to you, it’s because I mentioned them before in videos like Keeping Your Hands Warm With Citrus and Reducing Muscle Fatigue With Citrus. If we don’t eat phytonutrient-rich plant foods with each meal, then for hours after we eat, our bodies are tipped out of balance into a pro-oxidative state, which can set us up for oxidant stress diseases. That’s why we need to ideally eat antioxidant rich foods with every meal. In the video, Minimum “Recommended Daily Allowance” of Antioxidants, we can see the levels of oxidized fat in our blood one, two, and three hours after sugar water ingestion, and the corresponding drop in vitamin E levels in our blood as our body’s antioxidant stores are being used up. If we don’t eat phytonutrient-rich foods with our meals, our body has to dip into its backup supply of antioxidants. We can’t get away with that for long. So while ideally we should stuff our faces with as many phytonutrient-rich foods as we can. In  the very least we should eat enough antioxidants to counter the oxidation of digestion. We don’t want to slide backwards every day and end up with less antioxidants in our bodies than we woke up with. A chart in the video, Minimum “Recommended Daily Allowance” of Antioxidants, shows the amount of antioxidants we need every day, depending on how much we eat, just to counter the oxidation of digestion. Men in the U.S. average about 2500 calories a day and so should be getting at least 11,000 antioxidant units a day. Women eat about 1800 calories and so should get at least 8,000 units just to stay solvent. However, the average American doesn’t even get half the minimum–no wonder oxidant stress related diseases abound. We’re getting so few antioxidants in our diet that we can’t even keep up with the free radicals created by merely digesting our meals. We are a nation in chronic oxidative debt. Developed societies eat a lot of food but not enough plants, which could result in exaggerated and prolonged metabolic, oxidative, and immune imbalance. This presents opportunity for biological insult that over time could supersede our defense and repair systems, and manifest in cellular dysfunction, disease, and ultimately death. Is there a refined sweetener that doesn’t cause free radical formation? Yes: Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant. What’s the best way of reaching our daily minimum of 8,000-11,000 antioxidant units a day? That’s covered in my video How to Reach the Antioxidant “RDA“. Background on the role free radicals play in aging and disease can be found in my video Mitochondrial Theory of Aging. Antioxidant-rich diets can even change gene expression: Plant-Based Diets and Cellular Stress Defenses. 	Historically, were not humans more adjusted and exposed to fasting…thus the need for far less anti-oxidants due to longer rests between eating for the human body?Is English your first language?What’s the problem?I am curious, why do you ask if English is my first language? Please let me know as I’d like to be aware of what I might be articulating via the written word that is grammatically incorrect. Seriously, I’d appreciate the constructive criticism.Over-focusing on grammatical correctness may be part of the problem, I think. Clarity is important. That weird placement of an ellipsis in the middle of your original sentence is a sign that you can’t find clearly expressive syntax for posing your question(s). A clause after the ellipsis largely repeats a clause before the ellipsis and together with some clunky diction contributes to a jumbled, confused feel. “The human body” is the thing that needs less anti-oxidants and that rests between eating, but you’ve shoved it to the end of the sentence so that this relationship is not clear as the sentence unfolds. This is a highly non-standard construction, and depending on how you systematize English grammar, probably an ungrammatical one as well. Who talks about “articulating via the written word” when the essential idea is “writing”, anyway? Why so stiff and long-winded? Given that verbs make language move, how did you manage to construct half of your original question as a rambling noun clause?Thank you. I think the points you have made will benefit my writing in the future. Seriously, I am grateful for your time and help.Is there a reliable database that lists the antioxidant units contained in foods? I am a regular user of the USDA food database but so far have been unable to find any listing of antioxidant units on the database.I think I heard in one of Dr. Greger’s videos that the USDA took that list down because it was being abused for marketing claims. I am not sure however, which video that was.Melanie is right, the USDA took their ORAC database down because of scientific as well as practical concerns, see: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=15866Data published by the USDA is in the public domain though, so it can still be (legally) found in the internet. This is the most recent official PDF version of the database: http://www.orac-info-portal.de/download/ORAC_R2.pdfThe website http://oracvalues.com/ provides the same USDA data in a more easily accessible form.However, the concerns expressed by the USDA panel, which lead to the withdrawal of the database, are to be taken seriously. Simple, quantitative comparisons of different foods by their ORAC values are frankly silly – as the ORAC is only a crude and often misleading representation of a food’s physiological potency – and I am not particularly fond of Dr. Greger’s early videos doing such ORAC “benchmarks”.It’s literally comparing apples to oranges (and of course much less related foods).That said, I think ORAC scores have some value for comparing similar foods with each other. If you have two brands of dark chocolate, for example, or two varieties of apples you can assume the one with the higher ORAC value to be the healthier choice.I would like to see food as a whole not as an antioxidant or whatever. But antioxidant levels seem to be Dr. Greger’s criteria for a healthy food. Also, looking for that one food or nutrient that is going to be the answer to good health is not good health. Too often the latest research is contradicted by tomorrows latest research.I’ve started doing periodic fasts (2-3 days in length). During each fast I’m obviously not ingesting antioxidants. Is this enough of a problem to make fasting a questionable activity?For your fluid intake how about you use lemon water or hibiscus tea to get some anti-o’s in?Not quite the amount that you actually need, but it surely is better than nothing.Why do people keep saying glucose is the primary fuel? It isn’t. Over the course of any day, fat provides more energy. This is proven by the respiratory quotient which determines the relative burn of fat vs carbs. 100% fat burning leads to a RQ of 0.7 and carbs 1.0. For the majority of people, RQ is in the low 0.8s. It is a common teaching in physiology texts that for people not performing moderate or higher cardio exercise, 2/3s of energy comes from fat, and 1/3 from carbs, over the course of a day.This doesn’t change the need for anti-oxidants though, as fat and carb burning produce oxidants in large numbers.do such high fat foods like coconut flesh and nuts, and oils actually provide better energy and fuel to allow for intense exercise? How about mental functioning? This is interesting to me.Glucose is primary brain fuel- doesn’t utilize fat/ketone bodies under normal circumstances. Overall brain needs about 120 gm glucose/day (about 400 calorie). Fatty acids are not brain fuel- they are bound to albumin and do not cross blood brain barrier. Fatty acids are not converted to glucose During prolonged starvation ketone bodies produced by liver partly replace glucose as fuel source. This is partially protein sparing. In absence of adequate carbohydrate (brain fuel) muscle broken down (or ingested amino acids used) to produce glucose in the liver. This called gluconeogenesis (known as Corey cycle when I took AP Bio many many years ago).Brain does not store glucose- must be continuously supplied. Although brain glucose levels lower than plasma supply is steady. When plasma (blood) glucose drops below 2.2 mMol (~40 mg/dl) neuronal injury/death ensues. Glucose uptake/metabolism strongly correlated with functional activity in specific brain regions- more active region is the more glucose burned and higher blood flow to that region is. This demonstrated by various imaging modalities (CnMRI, PET scans). Interestingly, although glucose metabolism higher in localized metabolically active regions, overall brain metabolism does not change much.Muscle glycogen primary fuel source first several minutes of moderate-intense physical activity. For aerobic activities Fatty Acids primary fuel source for mild to light moderate intensity activity (upto 60% VO2 max) Can use % of maximal HR as rough estimate of VO2 max for individual. Above this level carbohyrate becomes predominate energy source. At VO2 >80% max carbohydrate is almost entire fuel source- fats and amino acids just don’t come into play. After about 2 hours (give/take) of moderate to heavy aerobic activity carbohydrates virtually sole energy source. They usually need to be repleted as body will have exhausted liver and muscle glycogen.Simple sugar in liquid (about 5%concentration) with electrolytes and citrate optimal for prolonged high intensity aerobic activity in which energy, electrolytes and water must be replaced. Commercial products available but I find diluting OJ with water (50:50) works great and provides similar composition to commercial products.Trent you’ve just rehashed a couple of situations where glucose is a primary energy substrate….and totally ignored ‘total’ daily energy substrate composition. I suggest you keep googling until you get a more complete picture.Bruce,My post was to “guest” response; specifically, questions about mental functioning and fuel for intense exercise. “Guest” did not inquire about total daily energy substate composition.Energy substrate utilization complex and varied by organ system, activity level, and food composition.Key points:1. Skeletal muscle primarily utilizes fatty acid substrates at rest and low intensity physical activity. 2. Skeletal muscle almost exclusively utilizes glucose at more intense levels of physical activity. 3. In addition to activity level RQ is effected by composition of diet. 4. Brain exclusively uses glucose except during starvation or carbohydrate insufficiency.A “complete” picture of whole body and individual organ metabolism is beyond the scope of this forum. Googling can be helpful to find informationBerg JM, Tymoczko JL, Stryer L. Biochemistry. 5th edition. New York: W H Freeman; 2002. Section 30.2 Each Organ Has a Unique Metabolic Profile http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/Best Wishes,Trent Erney, M.D., M.S.During intense exercise we utilize mostly carbohydrates for our energy bursts. Carbohydrates found in (whole grains, fruit, starchy vegetables) provide our muscle cells with glucose (energy). Top athletes consume high carb diets to provide their body’s with an optimal amount of energy throughout their competitions. Research continues to show that athletes on high carb diets perform better then their low carb counterparts. We use fats during low-intermediate forms of exercise such as walking, or light jogging,however obtaining healthy fats from nuts, and avocados are essential to an overall healthy diet.Cameron SeguraSo for the people who consistently get less than the daily recommended amount of antioxidants, what is happening to them? They seem to be still very much alive despite the fact that they may have less antioxidants in their bodies than they woke up with. I have a friend who eats a lot of meat with little antioxidant containing foods and he seems to be doing fine so far.They are aging and getting chronic disease. Look around.No other sweetener killed the fruit flies Fruit flies were also subjected to feeding tests with sucrose and corn syrup, but those sweeteners didn’t kill them. Only erythritol had this effect, as it shown in the chart below:Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/045450_Truvia_erythritol_natural_pesticide.html#ixzz3Kq77nYeHSo better avoid erythritol if you are a fruit fly.(Seriously, naturalnews.com unfortunately is one of the worst examples of all the sciency/truthy, sensationist health-related FUD and paranoia spread on the internet)	antioxidants,chronic diseases,dietary guidelines,energy,fat,fruit,fruit juice,heart disease,heart health,immune function,juice,mortality,orange juice,oranges,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,Standard American Diet,sugar,vitamin C,vitamin E	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17536129,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/222498,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10946914,
PLAIN-65	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/	How Avoiding Eggs Could Help You Avoid Diabetes	Type 2 diabetes is becoming a global pandemic. We know the consumption of eggs is related to the development of some other chronic diseases, what about diabetes? There appears to be a stepwise increase in risk as more and more eggs are consumed. One study found that eating just a single egg a week increased the odds of diabetes by 76%. Two eggs a week doubled the odds, and an egg a day tripled the odds. Recent studies, profiled in my video Eggs and Diabetes, have confirmed the link. In 2009, Harvard researchers found that a single egg a day or more was associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in men and women. This finding has since been confirmed in Asia in 2011 and in Europe in 2012. Reducing egg consumption should start early in life, though, as it appears once we get into our 70s, it may be too late. For those with diabetes, eggs may then hasten our death. Eating one egg or more a day appears to shorten anyone’s lifespan, but may be even worse for those with diabetes, potentially doubling all-cause mortality, meaning egg-eating diabetics seem to live particularly short lives. This is not good news for the egg industry. From a transcript of a closed meeting I got through the Freedom of Information Act, one egg industry advisor said, “Given the rate at which obesity and incidence of type II diabetes is growing in the US, any association between dietary cholesterol and type II diabetes could be a ‘showstopper’ that could overshadow the positive attributes in eggs.” More Freedom of Information Act insights into the egg industry can be found in: Flax seeds may help control blood sugars (Flaxseeds for Diabetes) as well as Indian gooseberries (Amla Versus Diabetes), but our best bet may be a diet composed entirely of plants (How to Prevent Diabetes and How to Treat Diabetes). 	What horse dung! I have chickens, am 68 years old and eat over 20 eggs a week. I’m 5’8″ at 160 pounds and my combined cholesterol number is under 200. I don’t doubt that eggs have cholesterol but the link to type 2 is certainly not primary. Type 2 diabetes is wide spread because most Americans have bad diets and get little exercise. With the amount of fast food we consume and the fact that most of us get out of breath climbing a single flight of stairs eggs are the least of our worries.Having cholesterol lower than “normal” in a world where normal cholesterol is much higher than it should be is not a selling point for eggs.Imagine if everyone smoked, and you said that your lungs were only a quarter-filled with tar while everyone’s lungs are three-quarters filled with tar, so what you smoke is better than what they smoke. Sure, it’s better that they’re not almost full, but the fact that there’s any tar in your lungs is a bad thing.smoking and cholesterol consumption are two totally different things…we need cholesterol, we don’t need cigarettes.“Cholesterol is so important to the body that it makes it itself—Mother Nature doesn’t leave it up to humans to get whatever they need from diet alone. So even if you ate a completely cholesterol-free diet, your body would make the approximately 1,000 mg it needs to function properly.”http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Understanding_Cholesterol.htmCholesterol levels are a meaningless measure of mortality but Homocysteine is.Every point above 6 is a 10% extra risk of premature death (and Alzheimer’s). The other absolute measure is Heart Rate Variability (HRV). The moral of the story is whatever you eat or lifestyle you live that elevates these numbers is stealing your future.My comment was more directed to the fact that one doesn’t need to consume dietary cholesterol, but can synthesize the required amounts.The factors you listed are certainly important, but I don’t know if you can totally dismiss cholesterol levels, since from what I’ve read, no-one in the long-running Framingham Heart Study with a total cholesterol level of 150 or below has ever had a heart attack. Most doctors still seem to put some stock in them as well.Cholesterol is a critical nutrient and as you say manufactured by the body. Since the human body does not make mistakes it is never guilty of killing us. Cholesterol does not load the gun nor does it pull the trigger. We choose to put unnatural stuff in our mouths and commit suicide. The high cholesterol was simply our bodies last ditched attempt to protect us. I disagree with Michael Greger regarding whole grains (and all high GI foods) but he is on the nail with animal products.The idea that it is safe to ingest things that the body makes for itself is unfounded. Cows milk for example is loaded with estrogen, this doesn’t mean ingesting estrogen is a good idea even if you body needs estrogen.yes, Mike…I agree! I guess I stated that so it sounds like I was saying we need to eat it. We don’t but it doesn’t hurt to eat it either:)Correct and it can’t make cholesterol without FAT.Do you even understand they were making an analogy?That is where you are wrong, I think you should make Google your best friend after that remark.Well high cholesterol isn’t necessarily bad. In fact their is data that suggest low cholesterol leads to even greater death.It’s complicated. We all need cholesterol otherwise we would indeed die.we have all been taught HDL is good cholesterol and LDL is bad cholesterol. Well that’s simply wrong. We need we require both of them to remain alive.The real enemy is arterial inflammation. What damages or arteries is sugars and carbohydrates because we clearly find inflammatory markers when they are present. Cholesterol is like a roadways asphalt patch work. It’s designed to coat internal vessels to repair damage from inflamation.The problem is LDL small particulates can stick to the inside vessel where inflammation has damages the blood vessel. Small prticulate LDL will keep building up on a damages interior wall of a blood vessel. Large LDL particle don’t do this sticking action to the cell…so it’s harmless.The key is to reduce blood vessel inflammation. Aspirin helps some, but so do many foods. Fat lower small particulate LDL, Fat increases HDL & large particulate LDL. Your over all LDL will likely go up, but it goes up with an increase in both HDL (good) & large LDL (good) cholesterol with a reduction of small LDL (bad ) cholesterol. Your over all cholesterol may rise but it’s due to improvements in your overall cholesterol.Search foods that are high in inflammatory categories and eat them in plenty. Parsley, dark green veggies and herbs work wonders here. Use Fats wisely to pull greater nutrition from your greens & to benefit from increasing HDL and reducing small particulate LDL…Eggman: I’m sorry to hear about your cholesterol number. It’s my understanding that many heart attacks occur for people who have between 150 and 200 for total cholesterol. To be heart-attack proof, you need to be under 150. If you want to improve your cholesterol numbers, you could try giving up the eggs along with all other animal foods – and possibly avoid Type 2 diabetes at the same time. It’s a win-win.I agree that Type 2 is on the rise because of bad diet. But as we have seen here, that bad diet includes eggs.Good luck.Thea, you seem like an earnest vegan but you need not worry about me. At 68 I’ve already beaten the odds especially since I have no chronic conditions for which I require drugs. Regarding the subject of eggs the latest research from, for instance, Harvard Medical School states that dietary cholesterol is not the problem but saturated and trans fats. Eggs have been vindicated and are considered an important source of just about everything our body needs for good health. Please, eat some meat (or eggs). Not only will you live longer life will be worth living. Besides, diet is only half the picture. I have been doing eastern exercise for over 43 years (no, not yoga…never yoga).Many people get to 68 just fine only to find that their health starts to crumble from cardiovascular disease in the next decade of life. I fear for some of my loved ones who are now traveling down exactly this sort of path.Dietary cholesterol to the tune of 3 egg yolks a day is likely to be at least 10mg/dL of LDL according to Hopkins’ meta-analysis of controlled feeding trials — and I’m giving you a very conservative estimate because I don’t recall the exact model parameters off the top of my head and I want to leave some leeway for various other margins for error, such as your claim that you are less susceptible to cardiovascular upset by virtue of genes or other aspects of lifestyle.http://www.ibcmt.com/2009-03-16-EffectsOfDietaryCholesterolOnSerumCholesterol-PaulHopkins.pdfEggs also contain saturated fat as well as cholesterol. 3 eggs per day is about 4.9 g/day of saturated fat from eggs alone:http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/114?fg=&man=&lfacet=&count=&max=25&qlookup=egg+yolk&offset=&sort=&format=Abridged&reportfmt=other&rptfrm=&ndbno=&nutrient1=&nutrient2=&nutrient3=&subset=&totCount=&measureby=&_action_show=Apply+Changes&Qv=1&Q354=3.0&Q355=1.0That’s about 2.2% of the calories in a 2000 calorie diet, or more than a third of the AHA’s recommended limit of 5%-6% from eggs alone:http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fats101/Fats-and-Oils-AHA-Recommendation_UCM_316375_Article.jspAny other fatty food or oil that you consume will likely bump up your percentage of calories from saturated fat, since most fats in food are a mixture of many fatty acids, including saturated fats.For someone who implies that he engages in a form of exercise which helps to straighten the mind as well as the body, I find it amusing that your words are also implying that life is only worth living with meat (or eggs). What a petty view of life that would be!I’m glad I amuse you and thanks for the uninformed assessment of someone you know nothing about. There are really only two reasons for being a vegan since that is what this thread is really all about. There is the fearful obsession with one’s own mortality – pathetic at best and the displaced love of animals – usually caused by the withholding of parental love. You also lost the broader irony of my comment to eat eggs. Stop being afraid.You are reading into my feelings and eating practices a bit speculatively, and I think I have shown myself to be at least somewhat informed about the risks that may come from egg consumption; more than you, at any rate. Your original comment rests upon the assumption that you value health and lifespan. Should we call that ‘obsessive’ and wildly speculate that it’s due to the withholding of parental or matrimonial love or something?You’re called ‘eggman’, for crying out loud. You don’t think you have a few biases of your own to contend with in this topic area? It seems to me that your identity is a bit bound up with the practice of eating eggs.For every web site you can find that claims eggs are the devil I can find one that says they’re a “super-food” and an important addition to any diet.  The Harvard Medical school is firmly in my camp and even the usually conservative Mayo Clinic cautiously optimistic about eggs.  You’re not well informed – you’ve just chosen a side.Actually, you’re fairly easy to read.  You pontificate about a subject that is far from decided in the scientific or medical community.  And let’s talk handles:  I’ve been “Eggman” for the length of this thread.  The site wanted a log-in and I thought it funny considering the subject.  But “Largelytrue”!  You’ve obviously set yourself up as an authority on a number of subjects.  I can’t imagine how tiresome you must be in a social situation. It would be wrong to assume that my original comments indicate that I overly value health and lifespan.  I was a career Marine so how long I was going  to live was never a convenient or sought after subject.  I was making the point that eggs have been with me a good long time with no deleterious effect. No sub text there.Your addition of “Matrimonial love” to my statement was also telling and uncomfortably revealing.   You write like a woman so I’m guessing that you have some issues of your own at home.I think we can both agree that this exchange is deteriorating and soon it will be “F__k you” or words to that effect.  Not wishing to go there I’ll ask you not to bother replying because I will not receive it.  Instead I’ll move on and leave you to the pseudo -science of the site.You were calling statistical research “Horse dung” because you look at yourself and find that you are not on meds yet. This is like saying that climate change is not occurring because it was a hot day today where you are. It invokes reasoning that is ignorant of the general meaning of the science which it is commenting upon.This site is indeed not without its biases. It’s a weak scientific authority in general compared to peer-reviewed research because it is basically one doctor’s attempt at easily-consumed public health communication on matters nutritional. But a whole-food plant based diet is not that far removed from being the concensus view of ‘optimal’ diet in a complicated debate on diet, which is complicated for many reasons, not least of which being that many disciplines try to claim authority over the discussion, and that ‘optimal’ often turns out to be somewhat of an ambiguous word when groups make recommendations. Limiting dietary cholesterol is a goal of the CDC, the WHMay, might, maybe, possibly are not worss of wisdom or reasons to follow…The longest fast clinically tracked was a man over 500 lbs that lost 276 lbs eating absolutely nothing for 383 days. His health only go better and better and blood work improved week after week etc. Are we to assume Water & Air is nutritious? Why know, but we could deduce his body consuming nothing but his pure fat stores was indeed healthy and beneficial.I’m not aware of any studies where egg only diets were assessed to determine the effects on serum levels…But an eggs is 6g protein, .5g carbohydrate, and 5g fat. It’s borderline ketogenic, or more Atkins-genic….lol. it doesn’t cause the pancreas to secrete insulin, it doesn’t raise glucose…There is a claim via questionaires studies eggs *may* cause it because some scientists see a coorelation on how people responded in survey…I’d be more concerned if a study with rats or pigs fed nothing but eggs were to develop type2 diabetes… But again no such studies. Or a control group of nondiabetic people eating nothing but eggs for 2 weeks with blood tests validating a relation exists.Personally I want to be there to watch my kids grow up and be well enough to help them care for their children. If that constitutes a pathetic fear of my own mortality I’ll take it. Just went through watching my 70 year old father go through double by pass surgery and worsening diabetes. He eats pretty much the same way you do for pretty much the same reasons. I hope you make it to 100, but most people that eat the way you describe don’t. If they’re lucky they live the last 15 years of their life struggling to walk across the Wal Mart parking lot. Hopefully your love of exercise and good genes will see you through.“Harvard Medical School states that dietary cholesterol is not the problem but saturated and trans fats”Three eggs contain: 4.7 g saturated fat, 0.1 g trans fatNo, you will not live longer by consuming animals and their by-products, that will only kill you quicker! It’s a proven fact that vegans tend to live much longer and healthier lives on a plant-based diet because that is what we are intended to ingest. If you consume animals, you are turning your stomach into a graveyard and the statements holds true, “you are what you eat”… well if you keep eating death then you are only committing suicide. Like you said, you’ve beaten the odds… for now!Nicole,Some things to consider when determining what we are “intended to ingest”.1. Meat consumption kick-started civilization: Early hominids found a competitive niche when they began to capitalize on an ability to digest and derive sustenance from meat. However, the meat they could catch by themselves couldn’t sustain them especially in cooler climes where edible vegetation wasn’t always available. They had to learn to cooperate with other individuals to bring down game of sufficient size. This supplied greater protein for the group and allowed it to grow in size and complexity. It also eventually freed some for pursuits besides hunting and gathering. If early hominids had been vegans we’d still be scrambling in the grass for nuts, berries and the occasional beetle, and it would be dinner without a movie.2. Vegetables are the original cause of most intergroup warfare: In hunter-gatherer societies when a group encountered a numerically superior group they would just retreat since there was always someplace else to hunt and gather. If they kept any domestic animals they just brought them along. One day somebody discovered that some of the plants they gathered could be cultivated and agriculture began. However, after taking the time to plant a field and wait around for the harvest too much was invested to retreat if another group came calling. The only alternative was to fight in defense of the land. In essence, plant cultivation is the root cause of the large scale expression of territorial behavior in humans.Please consider this when you’re feeling morally superior about being a vegan. For support of these ideas and to see what growing your precious vegetables has done to the planet see the below link.http://www.theecologist.org/investigations/food_and_farming/268902/humanitys_worst_invention_agriculture.htmlDear Sir: thanks for your message on eggs. My grandmother used as therapy and her patients in Catmon, Cebu, Philippines & Argao, Cebu, Philippines. The patients did not become Diabetic. I am 69 years old and with no diabetes. And I ate plenty off eggs even until now.A t 160 pounds your height you must be fat, since I’m myself your height but I weigh 130 only and still think I got some junk in my trunk. Must be all those eggs making you so heavy.VeganChick, I’m guessing by your handle that you’re female. I am not. The degree of muscle density is much different between us. For a woman you sound about right at 130 – even a bit husky if you’re under 5’8″. However, if you were a man I’d say start lifting something heavier than a veggiburger. Check the life insurance tables to better understand what people should weigh.Actually diabetes has nothing to do with eggs outside of poor coorelation studies. The citation here are mostly based on questionaires and that’s not great science.Also it’s not true that regular exercise would cure type2 diabetes. A 600lb obese person has bariatric surgery and in days or weeks they are cured of their diabetes in 95% of cases. They are still fat, they aren’t exercising but their diabetes is gone?High blood sugar isn’t diabetes. It’s a symptom of diabetes. The cause is excess carbohydrate and sugars and a fat created only when our bodies are storing excess energy as body fat. So it’s a disease of a dietary nature only caused in the presence of excess energy we consume in carbohydrates.The disease is in fact a cause of excess insulin secretion. It’s a metabolic disorder whereby person secretes way to much insulin than is normally required to keep glucose levels normal.You get your sugar checked by your doctor. He say Ahhh your fine your glucose is 99. You think wow! Gres I’m fine… What doesn’t your know? He doesn’t know if you’re secreting 3x the amount of insulin to maintain that 99 level…I believe all doctors need to perform fasting glucose readings on patients. If you fall out side of a normal range of insulin its an indicator you are genetically predisposed to diabetes. This would also give you time to adress your eating habits to limit sugar spikes and insulin spike before your disease grows out of control.I would like to ask Dr Greger on how to increase testosterone production without(or very low) saturated fat/cholesterol. Everywhere I research it seems to be the general consensus that to increase testosterone production (along with better sleep, more zinc/magnesium/vitamin D and such) it really starts with building the testosterone from cholesterol/saturated fats. Is there any way to increase testosterone levels while limiting/replacing cholesterol(or at least balance its negative effects with something else).Thank you for any clarity/information on the subject !Go Vegan.http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/try researching sauna usage to increase testosterone!!!Green eggs! I recently started blending two egg whites with a handful of spinach, broccoli or broccoli sprouts and then scrambling them. You never mention anything about egg whites. Do you consider eggs whites bad too?Tom: Here is what I share with people when they ask about egg whites:There are two problems with eggs, the yolk and the white. (To paraphrase Dr. Barnard.)With egg whites, the cholesterol issue is not in play. But egg whites are just as bad for you. Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, there are two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out two other health issues with egg whites.With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?I’m completely confused by this information…and please no one call me an idiot for that! Is this correlation between eggs and DMII because people are eating processed foods along with those eggs? Because dietary cholesterol is necessary for so many processes in our bodies and if we are only getting cholesterol from sources like eggs instead of processed foods/carbs/sugar then then our bodies will benefit from it. We make our own cholesterol especially if we avoid it dietarily and we make extra cholesterol out of these processed foods and if we eat too much of them we end up with high cholesterol overall. I’ve known people that avoided dietary cholesterol completely and still had to be on statins because if not their cholesterol would be in greater than 500! I have always eaten eggs and meat and saturated fat-I am not Paleo-but was just raised on food like that along with vegetables and my total cholesterol has always been 170’s with triglycerides in the 50’s and HDL between 70-92! Those numbers equate to a very low risk for heart disease. I have never worried about saturated fat in my diet.I like to read about nutrition and health but I am so exhausted from all the conflicting information that gets put out there by people depending on their personal opinions and letting that dictate what they think people should eat and what information they think is valuable that they put out there for others etc. I am going to keep eating intuitively and stop buying into or reading about all the opinionated information/studies out there. “Studies” mean nothing to me. They can be skewed by all kinds of things no matter now systematic they are because we are human. Eat what works for you individually.The egg components responsible for the association between egg intake and diabetes could be the high methionine protein, high levels of arachidonic acid, or the high choline content. It may also be some complex interaction mediated by gut microbiota, as suggested for choline and CVD. • Divergent associations of plasma choline and betaine with components of metabolic syndrome in middle age and elderly men and women (2008) • Dietary patterns, food groups, and nutrients as predictors of plasma choline and betaine in middle-aged and elderly men and women (2008) • Gut flora metabolism of phosphatidylcholine promotes cardiovascular disease (2014) At the moment, all we have is the repeated association of egg intake with diabetes, and CVD in diabetics, in studies from diverse cultures (and background risks). Only recently have many humans lived long enough, on rich enough diets, to experience the long-term harms of nutrient excess in chronic disease risk, and the precise mechanisms aren’t always as well characterized as those for nutrient deficiencies.I am experiencing the same thing. I read Dr. Greger, Joel Fuhrman, and Neal Barnard, and they say don’t eat meat, milk, eggs or we’ll get fat, diabetes, heart problems. Then I read Dr. Perlmutter, Dr. Masley, Dr. Mercola and others, who say the problem is our brains will atrophy, we will get diabetes and Alzheimers if we eat grains and don’t eat enough fat. The latter group always says to eat organic pastured and non-GMO which I do. It’s so expensive that I can’t eat much of it, so I guess that’s my compromise. Lots of veggies and fruit, some grains (less wheat/Gluten), low to moderate healthy fat and very little free range organic pastured non -GMO meat/eggs/yogurt, etc. I don’t have time to sift through each study. I have work and children to raise so I guess this is the best I can figure out what to do. JOhnNeal Barnard is someone you should trust, he does actual research, publishes papers in peer reviewed journals and does extensive clinical trials. He more than most has the actual proof to back up his claims. Likewise Dr John McDougall, Dr Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr Dean Ornish.I’d love to see some credible evidence supporting the outrageous claims the ‘grain brainers’ make.It’s easy to be confused. After all, that’s why the egg industry pays for “confounding studies.” Many of the same folks who brought us ads that smoking is good for us (Doctors choose Lucky Strikes,) have been seeing checkbook-science claims about the killer foods. Just to be clear, no dietary cholesterol is necessary for people. Your liver makes all you need. Check out this video: [http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/]. (Just to clarify, there is no dietary requirement for cholesterol. Your liver makes all the cholesterol you need.)Who knows what those people in the study were eating along with their eggs….corn tortillas? Toast? English muffins? Processed meats? Donuts? Potatoes? Sugar in one form or another? i.e: everything I just listed prior to sugar. I don’t agree with any study that just tweaks or looks at one part of someones diet and doesn’t take into consideration anything else they are putting into their mouths.feel free to come up with your own study. I’d love to see the results.My study is on myself Han. So far I can’t complain and I have never been worried about saturated fat or fat at all for that matter (monounsaturated, saturated, medium chain triglycerides) in my diet at all (I do not however, consume soy, canola, or vegetable oils, etc) and I have the very lowest risk of heart disease every time I have ever had my lab drawn. I am one of those people who believe that fat does not make us fat.Big companies pay to have “studies” done on their products and drugs and what not and we just trust that whatever the results of those studies are must be correct. That is just naive. My point is, if you are doing a study on people who you tell to add one egg a week or one a day or whatever…..it REALLY matters what else they are consuming. Wouldn’t you say that makes sense??? What I believe (and I am also a Registered Nurse) is that the number one thing that raises triglycerides and cholesterol/LDL levels in the blood is excess sugar…whether it is bread or potatoes or rice or processed, packaged non-foods, it is all sugar to your body and when your body runs out of cell space to shuttle that glucose into that sugar is then made into fat and excess cholesterol. Period.Well then by all means: produce a study that proves these _beliefs_ and publish the results.You shouldn’t equate processed sugar with whole plant based carbohydrates, they are very different things in terms of how they affect your health and body. At the very least you need to acknowledge the importance of fiber in natural foods along with all the other nutrients. Nature made us like sweet things because in their natural state those foods that taste sweet have what we thrive on. Starch rich grains and tubers have been the staple foods of all the world’s most successful populations and in whole form they’ve consistently been shown to be good for your health.It so easy to throw number ……………… I want to see the real study ……. I personally saw study that said the opposite of this gentlement…………. it so easy to scare people…. Eating egg is like eating chocolate or meat or carrots or fish or else …… Diversity is the word ….. for example: eating carrots is good but eating 20 pound a week it maybe too much …. as your apetite will go smaller then you eat less other meals (meat/fish/vege/fruit/weats) then your body may miss important thing for your health ……..As always, links to the “real study” are included. You can find them at “Sources cited.”There ARE studies that show otherwise, but here’s the trick, cholesterol consumption has a plateau effect so that up to a certain level of consumption it increases morbidity then there is a saturation point beyond which further consumption has little additional effect. The egg board has been notable in publishing such studies that show people on already high cholesterol diets can eat eggs without further increasing their health risks, they neglect to mention that these people are already at high risk of heart disease and would do better to change their diet as soon as possible.Looks like the dairy, eggs & meat triple death foundations are infiltrating NutritionFacts judging by these less than insightful comments.It means they are really worried. Which is a good thing.Worried about what exactly? Go read a study Han.…worried about science educating people and cutting into their food industry profits. Dr Greger does not profit from his advocacy, advocacy supported by clinical and epidemiological evidence.While the studies that Dr. Greger cites in this post and others may support his belief in a vegan diet, these studies should not be taken as proof. As others have commented, many research studies do not follow the protocols necessary to support the claims they make. I’m disappointed that Dr. Greger never includes the findings of research studies that challenge his beliefs. Good science and and a healthy sense of ethics requires that we all continually challenge our beliefs. This is particularly true for Dr. Greger who represents his information as good science that supports his claims. It’s a good idea to look at Dr. Greger’s citations and then look to see if the research has been peer-reviewed.In any case, I do eat high quality eggs from pastured chickens. So far, I have not seen any evidence that eggs from healthy, pastured hens are the poison that Dr. Greger makes them out to be.Here is summary and link to a review of research studies that looked at the relationship between eggs consumption, type 2 diabetes, and CVD that contradicts Dr. Greger’s post. : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24711708Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2014 Mar 24;7:121-37. doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S58668. eCollection 2014. Egg consumption and cardiovascular disease among diabetic individuals: a systematic review of the literature. Tran NL, Barraj LM, Heilman JM, Scrafford CG.BACKGROUND: This study reviewed epidemiological and experimental evidence on the relationship between egg consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks among type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) individuals, and T2DM risk in nondiabetic subjects.RESULTS: Four of the six studies that examined CVD and mortality and egg consumption among diabetics found a statistically significant association. Of the eight studies evaluating incident T2DM and egg consumption, four prospective studies found a statistically significant association. LACK OF ADJUSTMENT FOR DIETARY CONFOUNDERS WAS A COMMON STUDY LIMITATION. A small number of experimental studies examined the relationship between egg intake and CVD risk biomarkers among diabetics or individuals with T2DM risk factors. Studies among healthy subjects found suggestive evidence that dietary interventions that include eggs may reduce the risk of T2DM and metabolic syndrome. STUDIES AMONG HEALTHY SUBJECTS FOUND SUGGESTIVE EVIDENCE THAT DIETARY INTERVENTIONS THAT **INCLUDE EGGS ** MAY REDUCE THE RISK OF T2DM AND METABOLIC SYNDROME.CONCLUSION: Differences in study design, T2DM status, exposure measurement, subject age, control for confounders and follow-up time present significant challenges for conducting a meta-analysis. CONFLICTING RESULTS, COUPLED WITH SMALL SAMPLE SIZES, PREVENT BROAD INTERPRETATION. Given the study limitations, these findings need to be further investigated.Please read the “Acknowledgments: This work was partially funded by the Egg Nutrition Center (ENC). ENC did not contribute to the writing, analysis, or interpretation of research findings.”Ok, I missed the acknowledgement. But I’m still not convinced the studies Dr. Greger cites are adequate to determine that all egg consumption leads to disease. Here is another interesting analysis that looks at the kind of eggs consumed and how they are prepared. I don’t see anything about the author being affiliated with the egg industry. Plus, the author presents a realistic and nuanced conclusion. He think eggs can be beneficial for many people, but he acknowledges that “consumption may remain advised against in some metabolically/genetically-sensitive and/or hyperlipidemic individuals.” You may also want check out the references for more information on this topic. Please let me know if you see an conflicts of interest.Not All Eggs Are Created Equal: The Effect on Health Depends on the Composition http://www.onlinecjc.ca/article/S0828-282X(10)00011-5/fulltextYou are aware that what you are citing is a letter to the editor, and that there is therefore some question as to whether it has passed peer review (it almost certainly has not). Looking at her publications in PubMed and some blurbs in the popular media, Shapira is at the very least a single researcher who is committed to a certain stance about the possibility of a slightly tweaked egg being much healthier. She has lead authorship on articles like “Egg Fortification with n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA): Nutritional Benefits vs. High n-6 PUFA Western Diets, and Consumer Acceptance.” That “Consumer Acceptance” facet is suggestive of the idea that she is pursuing industry interests or funding in some way, although not conclusive.A search of her name also reveals that she holds a patent related to modifying eggs for consumer acceptance: http://patents.justia.com/patent/6156351Anyone can write anything…sorry!AmenYou are yourself guilty of making claims without evidence. You didn’t provide a link to a study that contradicted Dr Gregor’s quoted studes so much as provide a link to a review that found many studies could not be meaningfully compared to each other. This is hardly surprising since so many studies have failed to take into account the plateau effect of cholesterol consumption where beyond a certain point additional dietary cholesterol has little effect. Dr Gregor has talked extensively about this in other videos, I think his evidence stands up well without bias and is not about supporting ‘his belief in a vegan diet’. You certainly haven’t yet demonstrated otherwise, perhaps you are a little biased?in the UK reading works by dr. john briffa—should shed light on this issue, as well —when i look for the bottom line, i would be dr. david brownstein also why not a mention of lecithin in eggsNice to see Robert Redfern on this forum. I look forward to some further interesting discussions.The saturated fat and cholesterol in eggs play a double whammy in the body, which can unhealthy unbalance our good and bad cholesterol ratios, Eggman, do yourself a favor and try to lower your consumption of eggs. Heres a great video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/Egg is mostly protean. I wonder if fish is simarly bad for health ?Fish has lower levels of cholesterol, has omega 3 oils and numerous other differences.Eggs are not mostly protein. By calorie, eggs are mostly (60%) fat. Like eggs, fish contains cholesterol, trans fat, and deleterious amino acid profiles. Fish are also concentrated sources of biomagnified pollutants. Neither are health foods.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/I never read anything by Dr. Greger about egg whites vs. whole eggs that include the yolk – I have switched to egg whites only and wonder how damaging or not that is.Everyone knows that if you have the good genes, you can eat what you want and smoke as much as you want and you will still live to be 100 with good health. It’s the overall population numbers and the occurrence of disease within that population that these studies are trying to uncover. High intake of eggs, milk, cheese, meat, sugar, etc. are things our evolution never had to combat up until 100 or so years ago. Our bodies don’t have internal mechanisms that tell us “HEY! TOO MUCH! I CAN’T HANDLE IT!”I did recently switch to a vegetarian diet (except for an occasional egg white omellete) and I found tremendous benefits: lost weight, sleep better at night, more energy, better digestion and bowel movements, lower food bills, better tasting ability, much better cholesterol/glucose/A1C blood test numbers. Actually, nothing negative. I slowly worked myself off all dairy (including butter).A recent pre-diabetes diagnosis and the loss of my gallbladder FORCED me to make this change – and the new diet has helped tremendously. Wish I could say I just woke up one morning, saw the light, and did it on my own – I’m not that smart or that disciplined. My hope is that I don’t follow so many others in my family tree who suffered years from diabetes and Alzheimers. All of them were heavy meat and dairy product eaters.I’m reposting a comment regarding egg whites from NF Team member Toxins from the “Is One Egg a Day Too Much?” video [http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/]:1. Egg whites are high in the amino Acid Methionine. Rice has 14 times less of this amino acid and beans 7 time less. When one consumes Methionine in a large quantity (like that found in egg whites), it is broken down into sulfuric compounds. these sulfuric compounds are buffered by the calcium of the bones. the result, over time, is osteoporosis and kidney stones. http://www.vivalis.si/literatu…2.Cancer cell metabolism is dependent upon methionine being present in the diet; whereas normal cells can grow on a methionine-free diet feeding off other sulfur-containing amino acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu…3. Insulin like growth factor is raised significantly by Methionine. Raised levels of IGF-1 = accelerated aging/tumor promotion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org…4. Sulfur from Methionine is known to be toxic to the tissues of the intestine, and to have harmful effects on the human colon, even at low levels, possibly causing ulcerative colitis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org…(information courtesy of Dr. McDougall)To the merchants of doubt (all of you bloggers on this site who profess skepticism):Your presence on this website is mystifying. Those of us who support the site have been reading the clinical and epidemiological evidence for decades, and here is the consensus: eating a low fat, whole food, plant based diet prevents, and if present reverses, most of the most common life threatening diseases seen in primary care. And such people as these just plain feel better.No one is telling you to change your eating habits. So by all means, go to the market right now, and fill that basket with pizzas, brie, rib-eyes, bacon, eggs, and a half-ham for good measure, and don’t forget the chicken. And if you’re tempted to reply to me that “everything in moderation”, then why moderation? Is it because you know that this stuff will kill you after all, so you only plan to eat some imagined quantity that will allow you to indulge guilt-free? Because plant based consumption has no such upper limit: you can eat all the kale you want without running up against some upper limit past which you’re at risk.You will never convince anyone who has studied the clinical and epidemiological evidence that you have a valid point on this subject.Do you understand that sometimes people find their way in here from social media, and that Disqus itself is capable of drawing people in to a site where they have not been before, which may not share all their views exactly but is within an area of interest? Do you realize that sometimes people need to think and learn and consider information from multiple sites before fully accepting the position of this one, and that remaining aware of the news and discussion on this site (even so far as having their own critical comments answered) can be a helpful part of the process?I think you should relax more, even though I do agree that there are probably some This post of yours comes off as somewhat intolerant of ideological breaks, and that in turn suggests dogmatism. That’s the kind of attitude that turns people off to a new movement, so I ask that you be careful. Part of NF’s appeal for me is that it has considerable mainstream appeal, and I would not want you to be among the insiders who detract from that.LOL. First I must preface this with EAT MORE KALE! Most people do not eat anywhere near enough. Having gotten that out the way, here you go, the dangers of eating too much Kale.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/Using your reasoning, I believe that the increase in cell phone usage also parallels the increase in type II diabetes thus that must be considered a cause also….not good for Verizon.So you ‘believe’ that there is a dose-dependent, graded, positive relationship between cell phone use and type II diabetes in recent cohorts of American, Asian, and European populations, when statistically controlling for a variety of other risk factors?And using your own standards for critical analysis, I guess we’ll never know if cigarettes cause cancer.The scientific studies cited by Dr. Greger in his piece on eggs and Type 2 diabetes all appear to be correlational which are not really very meaningful. I’m 70 and have eaten eggs all my life and continue to have normal blood sugar as well as a good lipid panel without any medications. Likewise my grandparents raised chickens and regularly ate eggs through out their lives and lived into their early 90’s without ever developing diabetes. Same for my mother who lived to 97 diabetes free but loving eggs in all its cooked forms. So to say that the consumption of eggs causes diabetes is not meaningful or accurate….maybe in some people it does but I suspect in the majority of the population it does not. The rise in type 2 diabetes is caused primarily by the increase in obesity among the American population.This is “it’s cold today, so climate change must not be happening!” type reasoning in many ways. You do need to understand that Greger is not explicitly stating a causal link, and that a sensible model for type 2 diabetes may show eggs to be a cause for diabetes without being a necessary or a sufficient cause. Understand that in statistical models the type of causation that is being inferred is probabilistic and multifactorial — you seem to know this (with your talk about ‘primary’ causation) but are forgetting somehow to bring it to mind when using your family experience to dispute the findings. Even if avoiding a risk factor is not certain to prevent the disease, and hence produces counterexamples to a rigid rule of necessary causation, I will avoid the risk factor if it reduces the probability of the disease sufficiently, and the disease is sufficiently worrisome.I agree so far that the evidence is not so strong that eggs make an especially large, positive contribution to diabetes risk, and my concern about developing diabetes if all else remains equal is not among the main reasons why I try to avoid eggs. A number of things about me seem to be pretty good for preventing the development of diabetes over the long term, so there is some reason to think that the absolute risk reduction that I might be getting by avoiding egg consumption (to the tune of 1-3 per week) is probably not that great.Nearly all sick people have eaten pickles. In a survey of 10,000 cancer patients, 99% were found to have consumed pickles at some time in their life. 92% of people involved in air and auto accidents had eaten pickles withing 30 days of preceding the accident. 97% of juvenile delinquents come from homes where pickles are served frequently. All pickle eaters born between 1880 and 1930 have wrinkled skin, have lost teeth, brittle bones and failing vision, if the eating of pickles has not already caused their death.Yes, there are some problems with residual confounding in prospective cohort studies, but they are still valuable lines of evidence. I don’t know enough to say that the bulk of the evidence presently suggests that eggs are a cause diabetes of type II, but if these associations are robust across multiple and various study populations, it seems that a causal link is more likely. After all, out of all the possible causal factors that correlate with egg consumption under a wide variety of circumstances, egg consumption itself is what correlates best.I agree, however, that while a causal link between egg consumption and physiological changes predisposing to T2DM is looking more plausible, the evidence is not yet particularly conclusive, and Greger’s tone is perhaps a bit too certain. This is basically what the authors of the British study said of the current state of the evidence in their discussion section. Even if there is a causal link between some components of the egg and factors disposing to T2DM, the effect size may be small enough that it does not account for the bulk of the associations found so far. There are still a number of reasons to restrict eggs as part of a strategy for reducing cardiovascular disease, but perhaps no strong reason to single out eggs as something to avoid if T2DM is all that you care about.I just put in the pickles thing to lighten up the mood a bit. I eat strictly a whole foods plant based diet so wholly agree with this web sites message. And I really enjoy the comments. Except sometimes they get a bit testy. Happy day.Apparently, the fat in the blood makes it hard to transport substances including glucose and also worsens the insulin resistance. This information is from another Dr , Dr E Slywitch,MD, and others cited in a book called “Rethink food” :100 + Drs can’t be wrong by Castle, S and Goodman, A. (2014). (Saturated fats in this study include butter, milk, cheese, egg & meat ). They also discussed the correlation between cholesterol and diabetes, or the metabolic syndrome which backs Dr Greger’s study in this video.I have written before but not heard back on a very important element that is never mentioned. I am under a Dr’s and Nutritionist’s care who agree with all that you write. The exception is their stance that meat and eggs can be acceptable and very beneficial in small quantities IF it is pasture raised, hormone-free, and non-GMO meat. Obviously, this would make a huge difference! I am so curious what Dr. Greger’s view is on the popular Sally Fallon and Westin Price’s info. that substantiates the importance of differentiating between hormone-injected meat vs. natural hormone-free, pasture-raised meat. A response would be much appreciated!Seriously, Sally Fallon?! Whatever her popularity may be in your subcultural niche (and I suspect you are overestimating her popularity) her position is on the very fringe of nutrition science, she does no peer-reviewed research, and her educational qualifications are in English, rather than anything actually relevant to nutrition. If your doctor (really an M.D. or D.O.) and ‘nutritionist’ (what educational qualifications?) are seriously advocating the Westin A. Price Foundation as a source, methinks they are not thinking to carefully and giving undue leeway to a middle ground fallacy, presuming that correct practice and true theory is essentially a compromise between extreme beliefs. Rationalizing a circumstance under which animal products are Perfectly Okay is also good for relations with patients who don’t want to relinquish animal products and can’t abide with the idea of eating a diet with ‘unhealthy’ components in it, however small, and therefore want a doctor to sanctify their food choices.To see what I mean about the WAPF as an organization far on the fringe of science, you may want to look at some of Plant Positive’s coverage of the organization and its claims starting with the video here:http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/25/tpns-26-weston-price.html“natural hormone-free, pasture-raised meat”Hormones are signalling molecules. There is no such thing as a “hormone-free” animal. Any animal you consume will necessarily contain hormones. Eating grass instead of corn does not somehow induce a magical non-hormonal alternative method of cell-cell communication.Plenty of evidence exists to suggest that negative results associated with animal product consumption are in fact inherent to animal product consumption, and that feeding an animal grass instead of corn does not transform it in to something completely different. Heart disease and cancer studies that look at rural Chinese populations, the Inuit, and the ancient Egyptian ruling class support this.The impetus should be on your sources to provide some real-world evidence to support this statement: “[…] pasture raised, hormone-free, and non-GMO meat. Obviously, this would make a huge difference!”The matter is just awesome and very informative for the title and thanks for sharing this site with us.Usmle Medical BooksI know egg and chicken are two of my favorite food. I have learned that egg and chicken are packed with protein. One lesson I learned from this article I came across with http://bit.ly/1GKDO2j but I have never realized how eggs can prevent diabetes. So, 2 eggs in a week, I am guessing this is enough where you can still say ‘healthy’.There is no one item such as eggs that causes diabetes type 2. As in Dr. Greger’s next video “Eliminating 90% of Heart Disease Risk” it says:Follow men over time and those making healthy lifestyle choices are associated with a 90% drop in risk. Same with women, 92% of the risk gone. SAME WITH DIABETES–91% OF CASES COULD BE CONTRIBUTED TO BAD HABITS AND BEHAVIORS. That includes not smoking, eating a healthy diet, exercising, and maintaining an optimal body weight, may reduce the risk of multiple chronic diseases—not just heart disease and diabetes but stroke as well. Up to 80% of strokes avoidable with simple lifestyle changes.BAD HABITS AND BEHAVIORS That is not just eating eggs. There is not just one lifestyle/dietary factor causing ill health. Just as there is not just one lifestyle/dietary factor that makes us healthy.Problem: They have proven that a VEGAN DIET reverses Type II diabetes. Also, those with Type II diabetes who can’t lose it by losing weight, most likely have a Allergic Immune response to certain Non-Vegan proteins. This has nothing to do with eating or not eating eggs. It has everything to do with how the body responds to certain non-vegan proteins.High Fructose Corn Syrup is a MAJOR CULPRIT of the diabetes epidemic in today’s society. Once my hubby started eliminating it from his diet (it is in breads, spaghetti sauce, sweet tea, cereals, you name it!) He can eat those same things with sugar in them and will be fine but if it has HFCS in it…BAM….blood sugar levels go up and GOUT attack comes on full force.Now I don’t know what to believe. I wish doctors would make up their minds.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/11514251/Four-eggs-a-week-can-reduce-risk-of-diabetes.htmlEggs are great for us… http://www.m.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20141009/eggs-type-2-diabetes	aging,amputations,Asia,blindness,chronic diseases,diabetes,eggs,Europe,eye disease,eye health,Freedom of Information Act,Harvard,industry influence,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,lifespan,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/08/flaxseeds-for-diabetes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/choline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/methionine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22390963,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400720,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20471806,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19017774,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22850191,
PLAIN-66	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/25/healthy-holiday-eating/	Guest Blog: Healthy Holiday Eating	Imagine if, instead of a Thanksgiving dinner or winter celebration meal that left you and your guests overweight and over-stuffed, you had a meal that was both superbly satisfying and healthful! It could be the perfect opportunity to introduce some delicious plant-based holiday options to your family and friends. If you are the guest, bring a fabulous main dish to share. A number of national health organizations– U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given nutrient density ratings that qualify certain foods as “powerhouse” foods.1 Powerhouse fruits and vegetables are defined as those that provide, on average, 10 percent or more per 100 calories of 17 qualifying nutrients that are deemed of public health importance by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Institute of Medicine. including iron, zinc, potassium, numerous B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, and B6), and vitamins A (as carotenoids), C, E, and K. The powerhouse foods they list—all plant foods–contain a wealth of protective phytochemicals that are linked with reduced risk of chronic disease. Eight of the nutrients provided are deemed particularly protective against heart disease and cancer. Instead of a meal that is centered on turkey, an entree that is nearly devoid of phytochemicals, your health will get a big boost. Your taste buds will be happy too! Identified powerhouse foods include winter squash, kale and other leafy greens (Chinese/napa cabbage, leaf or romaine lettuce, collard greens), Brussels sprouts, turnips, carrots, pumpkin, and lime or lemon. These can feature in a celebration meal that is satisfying, delicious, and beautiful! To round out a meal, add a salad (lettuce and berries), seasoned and baked tofu, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Here are some recipes: Kale and Red Pepper Holiday Wreath Makes about 5 cups From “Cooking Vegan” by Vesanto Melina RD and Joseph Forest.  Book Publishing Co. 2012 The deep green kale, tossed with pieces of bright red bell pepper, provide a rich source of calcium, iron, potassium, the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E, and omega 3 fatty acids. For a larger wreath, double the recipe. Including tahini as an ingredient is a delicious option, though the wreath will not be such a bright green. Place kale in a steamer, cover, and steam over medium-high heat until the kale is soft to the bite. Drain in a colander and squeeze out any excess water. With a fork, combine the lemon juice, tamari, and tahini (if using) in a large bowl. Add the kale and toss to coat the leaves with dressing. Arrange on a warm platter to create a round wreath shape, leaving a clean open space in the center. Sprinkle with the red pepper and serve.         Holiday Winter Stuffed Squash   Makes 1 stuffed squash, about 8 servings, with 5 cups stuffing From “Cooking Vegan” by Vesanto Melina RD and Joseph Forest.  Book Publishing Co. 2012. 1 winter squash, about 5 lbs (Hubbard, butternut, acorn, kabocha, or turban) Quinoa Stuffing Squash Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Pierce the top of the squash with a sharp knife at 45 degree angle 2-inches (5 cm) over from the top. Pushing the knife blade away from your body, cut around the top of the squash and remove the cone-shaped top piece. Remove any fibrous material from the cone and set the top aside. Remove the seeds and pulp from the cavity of the squash with a spoon. Put the top back on the squash, put on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Stuffing Bring 1-1/2 cups water to a boil over high heat in a small sauce pan. Stir in quinoa and salt, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Put into a large bowl and set aside to cool. Heat 1/4 cup water in a skillet over medium heat and cook onion for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and celery and cook for 3 minutes. Stir into the cooled quinoa along with the corn, red pepper, sunflower seeds, parsley, lime juice, basil, dill, thyme, and pepper. Mix and adjust the seasoning.  	fantastic, generous information!And try this super quick cranberry recipe–filled with healthy bugs for your gut. http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/6-healthy-ways-cranberries-bite-back/Hi Dr. Greger, I am a relatively recent recipient of your wonderful videos, which make a strong case for going vegan.. Can you recommend cookbooks with very simple but very delicious vegan recipes that are truly healthy. I just got a cook book by Isa that is vegan. Some recipes contain coconut milk which I believe you said was not healthy, others contain regular flour.. I want to become vegan but at the moment the task seems daunting without more direction on cook books and recipes that are simple, delicious, and contain relatively inexpensive ingredients. I have bought several cook books but I am not pleased. They mostly contain too many ingredients, taking too long to cook, are too complex , or relatively rare ingredients or even unhealthy ingredients, and many recipes for the most part do not seem that interesting. I would love to hear your recommendations. Also is there a pressure cooker you recommend to cook dry beans that is not that expensive, does the job and is durable? I realize these are mundane questions, but cooking and preparing wholesome, quick delicious meals is where my problem is at the moment.Happy Herbivore is my recommendation. Her blog at happyherbivore.com and her cookbooks. She gives calorie content and is no oil. Some coconut milk is used but you can substitute non dairy milk. Also get Jeff Novick’s DVDs on fast food cooking. The discussion boards at drmcdougall.com are worthwhile too. Dr. McDougall and Mary wrote a Quick and Easy cookbook. Just cook a starch (rice, potatoes, pasta) and add veggies. Be sure to eat a large portion of starch.I feel for you with your experience of recipes with a gazillion ingredients that take a long time to prepare for mediocre results. I have been eating plant-based for a few years now and I have found that it’s more practical to prepare simple foods. I have collected lots of Forks Over Knives recipes and others but find I don’t use them that often. I cook soups with legumes and throw in lots of herbs, whatever I have on hand. It always tastes good. I learned to cook with a pressure cooker (mine is Fagor). I cook (and even taught my husband to cook) various veggies in the pressure cooker and then keep them in the fridge. I also use it to cook my legumes from dry state, no soaking required. When it’s time for a meal I throw together a variety on my plate–potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, yellow squash, green beans, whatever–and to that add some legumes and/or hummus. I sprinkle on pepper or other herbs. It’s always delicious. It looks like a lot of food but it’s not calorie-dense. I love to think of all the good nutrition in it as compared to a SAD plate. Good luck in exploring your food preparation.Each to there own Kay. I too like my meals simple, but occasionally i like to have a meal with some recipes. It all depends on the person and what they want to do.Good luck with your journey. My wife and I have found after acquiring many cookbooks that we often find several that we really like in each one. We also have received many recipes from family and friends that we have incorporated into our regular rotation of meals. Another useful approach at times is just to Google Vegan plus the ingredients you have on hand and you can often find a recipe that fits the occasion. Our family keeps a binder with our favorites so they are easy to find. Congrats on your newly acquired knowledge. Ostrich provided some excellent resources for you to consider. Since individual tastes vary and spices are generally healthy you can modify the simple and inexpensive recipes to suit your own needs. One resource your might consider is PCRM.org. The do a monthly free online kick start program and have a free vegetarian starter kit available on line. Good luck.Ken,As far as a pressure cooker, I’ve owned a small Futura and a larger Kuhn-Rikon for stovetop use. My preference is the KR. The Futura didn’t handle foaming foods (grains/beans) well. The KR was a $175-ish investment that’s made a huge difference in ease and convenience of preparing plant-based meals.As far as cookbooks, there is no panacea. I have many I pull from. However, if you get a pressure cooker, there are a two vegan pressure cooker cookbooks in which I’ve found some great recipes (authors are Sass and Nussinow). For a non-pressure cooker focused cookbook, I frequently refer to recipes in Cooking the Whole Foods Way by Pirello.The human carnivors will most likely reject this delicious ensemble, however we, who have changed our lifestyle realize that it is very healthy and life-giving, and it offers the body a constant state of healing and reinforcing the body’s defense mechanism to fight disease and aging.Human carnivores? lolHave dishes with lots of avacados or nut paste in them. That way the meat eaters don’t miss the meat because plant fats have replaced them. I know someone who says they feel the same after an avacado as they do after a burger.Nice post. Check out these recipes for thanksgiving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOW5eljyjmsI just made the stuffed squash recipe tonight as a test drive before Christmas. It works very well. I added some leftover cooked white beans because they were there. It is definitely a lighter alternative to the usual heavy offerings. If you wanted to make it more decadent I imagine you could drizzle an herb infused oil on the contents before, or right after cooking. Would be very nice in smaller, individual squashes.No one has ever died from eating turkey once a year.Or lefse, potato salad and pumpkin pie.Yes, Mike. This is true – and we also had this discussion in our own home – what’s the harm two or 3 times a year at family holiday meals. But in the end, we opted to skip the turkey and all the creamed dishes for this reason: For us, it takes a lot of determination and self-control to maintain a whole food plant based diet. If we open the door to a taste of this or that on special occasions, we feel that we may weaken our resolve on the rest of the days of the year, that having a taste now will make it much more of an effort for us tomorrow to again refuse non-vegan foods. Also, having been vegan for about a year now, we still remember how difficult the first few weeks were as we vigorously battled cravings for non-vegan foods. Once we were past the cravings (and knew how to shop and cook), it was easy. I don’t want to have to re-enter the craving period. For one holiday meal, it’s not worth several weeks of fighting cravings. Although, if the traditional meal included broiled lamb chops… I might be willing to pay the price! But I’m glad you made the point. Because I really think that physically, 2-3 times a year couldn’t be that bad. For me, though, it’s the psychological side.RV, you make it sound like it’s such an ongoing painful chore to be vegan. I’m sorry to hear you’re still suffering from that feeling and lament.Maybe I was just lucky. I couldn’t wait to go meatless because I didn’t have to eat gross animal parts anymore. My mom was an amazing cook, so I knew what great tasting animal based meals tasted like. But getting off animal based foods was faster, cheaper, easier and overall, tastier! And eating less fat lets me to eat more of the plant based whole-foods I love. The only thing I craved for awhile was cheese. But then, I also had cravings for a few weeks when I quit dark chocolate to ditch the high sugar and sat-fat. I no longer crave either.Once you learn the right seasonings, you can make vegan dishes taste like most meat or chicken dishes if you want. But for me, I don’t care. I like my new dishes for what THEY taste like, not because I can make them taste like stuff that used to make me gag, wondering about if the animal had some disease or too many hormone shots. I just wish I had had the NF site to help me avoid early vegan mistakes, like not taking B12, or eating overly processed foods, and sugar).So jump in RV, the water’s fine. Quit lamenting and start rejoicing! Embrace the taste! Who knows, you might go from being the Reluctant Vegan to the Vegan Enthusiast. Happy Holidays.Um . . . the turkey has died. Needlessly. All tolled in the U.S., more than 45 million turkeys are killed at Thanksgiving and more than 22 million are killed at Christmas.I might not die from eating it, but i choose not to eat eat. Go ahead if you like !!!The Turkey died.Very impressive new way and type presentation of thoughts.Essential revision notes for MRCP phillip kalaraI so love looking at the kale, red pepper wreath. I enjoy looking at it. I love the stuffed pumpkin recipe. Now, this is what I call ‘healthy’. Pumpkin, not to mention is my husband’s favorite. Not that it’s good for his eyes, but just as papaya, reading through this article I came across with http://bit.ly/1GdkfPK is full of fiber. An ingredient to speed up the metabolism process.Excellent, of course, and an excellent choice of Guests for your Blog. We both know of many people who would love to be/and would be great guest contributors here. To expand and enhance the content, and give yourself a break, I would like to hear your thoughts and encourage you to consider having a guest post say once a week/or at least once a month. We would all be the beneficiaries.Many MANY thanks for all of your contributions on behalf of ALL sentient beings!!!!!Happy New Year 2015!!!!	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-67	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/	How Beans Help Our Bones	Health authorities from all over the world universally recommend increasing the consumption of whole grains and legumes—beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils—for health promotion. But what about the phytates? Phytate is a naturally occurring compound found in all plant seeds (like beans, grains, and nuts) that over the decades has been maligned as mineral absorption inhibitors. That’s why, for example, one hears advice to roast, sprout, or soak your nuts to get rid of the phytates so we can absorb more minerals, like calcium. The concern about phytates and bone health arose from a series of laboratory experiments performed on puppies published in 1949, which suggested that high phytate diets have a bone softening and anti-calcifying effect. Subsequent studies on rats, in which they fed them the equivalent of ten loaves of bread a day, “confirmed” phytate’s status as a so-called anti-nutrient. But more recently, in the light of actual human data, phytate’s image has undergone a makeover. A recent study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food asked a simple question: Do people who avoid high phytate foods—legumes, nuts, and whole grains—have better bone mineral density? No. Those that consumed more high-phytate foods actually had stronger bones, as measured in the heel, spine and hip. The researchers conclude that dietary phytate consumption had protective effects against osteoporosis and that low phytate consumption should actually be what’s considered an osteoporosis risk factor. A follow-up study, measuring phytate levels flowing through women’s bodies and following bone mass over time, found the same thing: women with the highest phytate levels had the lowest levels of bone loss in the spine and hip. Those who ate the most phytates were also estimated to have a significantly lower risk of major fracture, and a lower risk of hip fracture specifically. This is consistent with reports that phytate can inhibit the dissolution of bone similar to anti-osteoporosis drugs like Fosamax. Phytates don’t have the side effects, though, such as osteonecrosis (bone death) associated with that class of drugs. People take these drugs to protect their bones, but by doing so may also risk rotting them away (See Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis). Eating healthy can help us avoid other drugs as well. See, for example: Beans might not just help our skeleton last longer, but the rest of us as well. See Increased Lifespan From Beans. How might one boost mineral absorption? See New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found. Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, & Calcium Loss is another surprising video on bone health. And more on the benefits of phytates can be found in my videos: 	What about the high phosphorous amounts in beans, compared to calcium in beans? Can excess phosphorous in relation to calcium prevent adequate calcium uptake?Data on amino acid supplements for vegans? Harmful, harmless? Natural, un-natural?Does beans inclure soy and tofu?Dr. Greger – Do you need to update your “New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found” info in light of the above? That video states: “One of those phytonutrients though, phytates, or phytic acid … can partially inhibit mineral absorption … but because it binds up some of the minerals, that just means one just have to eat more whole healthy plant foods—or eat mineral absorption enhancers”So should we no longer be soaking our grains prior to cooking? If phytates have been found to have a beneficial effect, it would seem that soaking grains (in a slightly acid medium) to reduce phytates is not something we should be doing, right?If you eat enough legumes and grains daily, you should get some phytates in your system even if you soak and cook them. I bet it is still better not to get too much phytates, but small amounts are beneficial.IP-6/Inositol Hexaphosphayte (aka phytic acid, phytate) was demonstrated by Dr. Shamsuddin and others in peer-reviewed research (he also has two books available on Amazon – see links below) back in the late 1980’s and 1990’s to be a helpful aspect of human nutrition, and not an ‘anti-nutrient’ as it was dubbed early on. One can think of it as in one way, a powerful regulator of certain nutrients (e.g. heme iron) where too much can indeed be harmful to the human body, and in this sense, it is a selective nutrient ‘regulator’, not ‘anti’.One of the potential aspects that beans, legumes, grains, seeds, etc., are considered healthy, and may help keep cancer at bay (in addition to fiber) is their content of IP6and how IP6 is converted in the body to IP3, which helps in cellular signalling. This is particularly interesting with regards to immature cancer cells, which ‘fail to grow up’ to become the mature cell they were meant to be. With large doses of IP6/inositol treatment, these cells then are responsive to this signalling and then differentiate.He also developed and advanced early-detection colon cancer screening based on his work.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9244360. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17044765 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14608114 (free full text)http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=shamsuddin+ip6It would be great to know if there is any further/recent research on this topic that Dr. Greger could include in a future post/video!?!And, another interesting research paper on IP6; significantly reducing cancer incidence in hairless mice. Might be of special interest for those who also have hairless pets, I suppose!http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2703150/pdf/cm2009000147.pdfI can see it now: “New! Phytate supplements! on sale now!” — the vitamin industry.IP6 supplements do exist. Have seen them recommended in paleo circles.Oh, now that’s super interesting. I thought the paleo people were the biggest haters of phytates. Now I’m scratching my head.Don’t try to make sense of it Thea. :) They fashionably avoid phytate containing grains, yet phytate containing nuts and seeds get a pass. They rail against the dangers of micronutrient dense, disease fighting, health promoting whole food phytate sources, yet take supplements. I remember reading about it in the context of intentional iron chelation. I can imagine menfolk especially on a paleo diet could be risking iron overload.I think you’ll get a kick out of this too: I recently stumbled upon the “Primal Potato Diet”. As in, eat nothing but potatoes and lose tons of weight. People seemed quite surprised by how great they felt, no dizziness, no hunger, no cravings, and how easily the weight fell off. Despite seeing references to McDougall, it didn’t appear anyone was willing to look at a high starch low fat diet as a viable lifestyle, just as a short term “hack” to take off weight quickly. One person even remarked about how great this was since he tends to gain 5 or 10 lbs a year, and now he can take it off quickly with a week or two of potatoes, instead of 6 months of meticulous paleo eating. *facepalm*I want to yell, hey over here guys! All the potatoes and corn and pasta you want! Come over to the dark side hehehe. And by dark side I mean the fabulous and delightful world of the plant based diet.http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread96746.htmlb00mer: What a great post. I’m still smiling. You have a great way with words. I facepalmed with you – just cause I couldn’t help myself.The text on your page link from 1849 is *very* interesting. It sounds like they were experimenting on prisoners. Wow. But at least it was a good experiment… And I got a real kick out of this part: “… all were employed at light work, teasing hair.” I don’t know if I’d want a prisoner teasing my hair…I’m sure you’re right!There is an obvious Nutrition movement going on with many conflicting arguments for and against, as example, stay away from high saturated fats but there are good fats like coconut oil with 90% saturated GOOD FAT. Also, don’t eat wheat or whole grains say’s Dr. Davis in his book, Wheat Belly. So what do you say, have good saturated fats and eat whole grains because its better for you and it is healthier?No, minimize saturated fat, consume no coconut oil, but yes eat whole grains.Here is just one resource on coconut oil on following links.Check out these articles on coconut oil and saturated fat: http://draxe.com/the-top-5-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/ http://draxe.com/ive-got-a-lovely-bunch-of-coconuts/ http://draxe.com/the-truth-about-saturated-fat/None of those links prove that consuming coconut oil is good for you.Also, saturated fat is created in the body (as well as cholesterol), so it’s not essential to consume it.Hi Ron,You can find people on both sides of any food argument. My research has lead to unequivocally categorize coconut oil as a healthy food. What I also tend to look at is history. People have been consuming coconut products for thousands of years. That goes a long way in my book. Coconut oil went out of fashion from roughly 1980 to 2000. Most people now recognize as a healthy food.RyanI personally would prefer coconut cream or coconut butter that is made from the whole coconut meat. There you get all the benefits of the coconut meat not just the extracted oil.“People have been consuming coconut products for thousands of years. That goes a long way in my book.”Beside the general idea that people have been consuming refined sugar (honey), meat of several types, eggs, dairy, and carcinogenic plants for thousands of years as well, this video might help give you some ideas of which could prevent a mere history of consumption from taking you that far:http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/27/the-tokelauans-the-samburu-and-the-masai-again.htmlRon,Coconut Oil is not a ‘good fat’.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/Dr. Caldwell Esselstynhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_o4YBQPKtQI’m glad to see ev1 is confused as I am. Maybe I’ll stop soaking grains and continue to soak beans except lentils and green peas. My family is convinced their digestion of beans is better after they r soaked with whey or lemon. On the other hand, as an avid exerciser, I was shocked to have lost a tiny bit of bone in my hip.And what about peanuts? New research shows that their lectins help cancer metastasize. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/breaking-anti-cancer-news-ditch-the-peanuts-and-spread-the-word/Peanut lectins survive cooking and digestion. How long do you have to sprout and/or cook other legumes in order to inactivate their potentially harmful lectins? Can anybody answer that?I don’t mean to hijack thread since I am not sure where to ask ..there is a company promoting cricket powder as a new protein alternative without the side effects animal protein. What are your thoughts and will you consider examining this “new” kind of protein..I know people have eaten bugs for years but this is a “sterilized” environment where bugs are grown then ground up for powder and made into barsI saw a video on that but I’ll pass, thank you. Unless it was eat that or starve and die.At one time people threw lobsters in fields thinking they were unedible. We probably saw the same vid. It appears they grind bugs into a meal and add flavor so more appetizing. I am interested is this a free source of protein without the cholesteroleric: Dr. Greger did a video on eating bugs. Here it is: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/But you don’t need to eat bugs to get more than adequate protein. I highly recommend that you take a look at the following page, which is not only fascinating, and fully referenced, but is based on well established information: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlAnother great article that supports and expands on the above page is from Dr. McDougall. http://www.drmcdougall.com/hea… (check out December 2003 for McDougall’s site, “A Brief History of Protein: Passion, Social Bigotry, Rats, and Enlightenment”. Also April 2007, “When Friends Ask: Where do you get your protein?”)Hope that helps.Well i am here first time and found that this amazing site and informative which gives all reader many goodKaplan Lecture Notes Usmle Step 1 2014 US printedWill eating beans regenerate the bones for people with significant bone loss? And if so, how much should one eat per day?According to my Dr. I have severe osteoporosis and as prescribed Boniva. I’m reluctant to take this medicine. Have you a suggestion for treating osteoporosis?bahminj: I’m not a doctor and can’t say anything about whether it makes sense to take a medication or not. But I can highly recommend reading the book, “Building Bone Vitality: A Revolutionary Diet Plan To Prevent Bone Loss and Reverse Osteoporosis”. If nothing else, it has some great info that you can use along with any traditional medical routes you want to follow. http://www.amazon.com/Building-Bone-Vitality-Revolutionary-Osteoporosis–Without/dp/0071600191/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423170358&sr=1-1&keywords=building+bone+vitalityGood luck!Thank you …have ordered the book!s there a vegan treatment for pain from a bone fracture? I broke a greater turbercle in my shoulder 3 weeks ago and my shoulder and arm still hurt!Thanks,KevinHey Kevin. Thanks for reposting this question. Perfect spot with the bean and bone information above ;) I only know of diet helping reduce bone fracture risk. Once the damage is done I’m not sure there is a specific “treatment” however in clinical research, signs point to assuring proper nutrition in times of healing. Some vitamins and minerals that help bone formation are calcium, vitamin C, vitamin D, phosphorous and magnesium. Protein plays a large role in healing. Think sunshine, greens, beans, and citrus. I forget the exact numbers (anywhere from 1.2-1.5 grams of protein/kg), but during times stress (surgery, trauma) increasing your protein intake shows better results. You could try adding 10-20 grams extra protein per day? That isn’t much, about a cup or beans. There are too many factors I would need to know before more specific advice, but I think eating a healthful diet, a bit more protein, and getting plenty of rest while managing stress, etc., would all help. At the very least it can’t hurt :)Good luck we hope you recover swiftly, Joseph	animal studies,antinutrients,beans,bone fractures,bone health,bone mineral density,calcium,chickpeas,Fosamax,grains,legumes,lentils,medications,nuts,osteoporosis,phytates,polyphenols,seeds,side effects,split peas,sprouts,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11198165,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22905230,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17663640,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1392604/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22536493,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/88737,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7077425,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19053869,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22614760,
PLAIN-68	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/	What is Actually in Chicken Nuggets?	In a scathing expose of the USDA’s new meat inspection program, the Washington Post quoted a representative from the meat inspectors union, who said: “pig processing lines may be moving too quickly to catch tainted meat… Tremendous amounts of fecal matter remain on the carcasses. Not small bits, but chunks.” What about the other white meat? In the video, Autopsy of Chicken Nuggets, you can see an infographic the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine created to highlight what they consider to be the five worst contaminants in chicken products. In their investigation of retail chicken products in ten U.S. cities, they found fecal contamination in about half the chicken they bought at the store. But with all the focus on what’s in chicken products, we may have lost sight on what may be missing—such as actual chicken. Researchers from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Baptist Medical Center recently published an “autopsy” of chicken nuggets in the American Journal of Medicine. The purpose was to determine the contents of chicken nuggets from two national food chains. Because chicken nuggets are popular among children, the researchers thought that parents should know more about what they may be feeding to their kids. The nugget from the first restaurant was composed of approximately 50% skeletal muscle, with the remainder composed primarily of fat, blood vessels and nerves, and generous quantities of skin or gut lining and associated supportive tissue. The nugget from the second restaurant was composed of approximately 40% skeletal muscle with lots of other tissues, including bone. “I was floored,” said the lead investigator. “I had read what other reports have said is in them and I didn’t believe it. I was astonished actually seeing it under the microscope.” I profile some of those other pathology reports in my videos What‘s in a Burger? and What Is Really in Hot Dogs? The researchers concluded that since actual chicken meat was not the predominant component of either nugget, the term “chicken” nugget was really a misnomer. If we’re going to eat something chicken-ish that isn’t chicken meat, why not truly boneless chicken: Chicken vs. Veggie Chicken. More on fecal contamination of chicken in Fecal Bacteria Survey, of fish in Fecal Contamination of Sushi, and of pork in Yersinia in Pork. How can that be legal? See Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal. More on the preservatives in chicken in Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola and antibiotic contamination in Drug Residues in Meat. Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens also build up in poultry in particular, something the Physicians Committee also tested for previously: Fast Food Tested for Carcinogens. 	My family doctor has me taking B12 pills and the pills are leading to bad side effects. We’ve tried some different brands and formulas but the pills and shots have been a drag. Are there any genetic tests she can prescribe where I can accurately test the MTHFR to find out if that is the issue here? That all seems overwhelming and confusing. Surely there is a solution to this mess but my doctor is not fluent in the genetic compartment of testing this stuff.Soil-based B12 supplements (‘LifeGive B12 Forte’ is a good brand) and AFA blue-green algae (E3Live.com) would both be extremely beneficial for you. AFA has been scientifically linked to higher B12 levels. You want to avoid all synthetic B12’s and go for the living soil-based B12. B12, after all, is a living soil-based organism that was historically found in soil so we’d get it from foods but modern-day agricultural and environmental pollution has contaminated the soil so bad that B12 in most areas has been killed off.I wonder if these products contain B12 analogues? Blue-green algae is known to contain an analogue version of B12, not real B12. Have you confirmed with company that this is a safe and effective method of B12, in these particular supplements?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20108213 – “Compared to the control period, in the intervention period participants improved their vitamin B12 status, significantly reducing Hcy blood concentration (p=0.003). In conclusion, the Klamath algae product AFA-B12 appears to be, in a preliminary study, an adequate and reliable source of vitamin B12 in humans”. I believe there is another study somewhere regarding AFA improving B12, but I cannot find it at the moment. RobF, I was under the impression that B12 was a living bacteria (an organism lol), do you have information regarding the true nature of this vitamin?Lots of the B12 in many algae’s is unusable, but a small percentage is in some of them. However, even that small percentage is enough to make a huge impact because there’s so much of it. You also have to make sure you have lots of probiotics in your gut so you can fully absorb and utilize not only B12 but all nutrients.Hi joe, this is Vitamin B12:http://www.chemicalbook.com/CAS/GIF/13408-78-1.gifAs you can see it is a simple chemical compound. It is not a living organism. Bacteria produce many things: sugars, carbon dioxide, hydrogen gas, etc. Vitamin B12 is no more a living thing than any of those compounds. Unfortunately this misinformation is quite common in vegan circles.And even B12 analogues will raise serum B12 levels, only real B12 will lower homecysteine and methylmalonic acid, giving the best indication if the B12 is real or an analogue (like the analogue B12 in blue-green algae).Very informative, and i agree, but B12 is not an organsim, it is the byproduct of bacteria. We (humans in general) contain this bacteria that produces B12, but i believe it is not absorbable because it is towards the end of the colon where we absorb little to none of the actual B12.This blog article is even more distressing when you realize that children are the primary consumers of “chicken nuggets.” This fake food is marketed to children and most parents think that they are feeding their kids a nice protein rich food. When you think about how much fried chicken nuggets and French fries kids eat, it is frightening.fat, blood vessels and nerves, and generous quantities of skin or gut lining and associated supportive tissueBut are they composed of chicken fat, chicken blood vessels and nerves, and chicken skin and gut linings/supportive tissue? If so, then it’s still legally a “chicken” nugget.and there come the nutrician to tell us about the MARVELOUS benefits of fat, nerves etc.Didn’t chicken ad says “proteins blabla”. there is no proteins in fats ;).Horrible. How can they sell this junk to kids? I’ve never eaten a chicken nugget in my life. I can tell just by looking at them, that they are not made of chicken!is ANYTHING we eat really what it claims to be? Maybe a cure for cancer, etc. is right in front of our eyes ?(mouths?)/ esiste QUALCOSA che mangiamo che e’ veramente quello che ci fanno credere? Forse una cura per cancro, ecc. e’ proprio davanti agli occhi? (bocche?)A carott is still a carrot, + acetic acid traces because of the fermentation ongoing since start, + a bit a bacterias from earth that we get rid of by peeling them.There ? a rotting flesh with shit over it because of the processing worth less than carrot :3.“How about eggs, bacon sausage and spam? Thats not got much spam in it”Nuggets are a food-like substance…pretty gross, lol..I am visiting this site first time, this article has nice informative..Usmle TutorA misleading article. The nuggets are indeed chicken, they are just not parts of the chicken that are healthiest (or most appetizing) to eat. No need to skew the information and create the impression that this site is overly biased; I would hope your readers are smart enough to figure out that it is not in their best interest to consume chicken nuggets anyway.	animal fat,chicken,children,farm animals,fast food,fat,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,meat,obesity,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,pork,poultry,processed foods,processed meat,USDA	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24035124,
PLAIN-69	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/	Does Caramel Color Cause Cancer?	Used as a coloring agent in products ranging from colas and beer to gravies and soy sauce, caramel coloring may be the world’s most widely consumed food coloring. It helps grocery stores sell more than a billion servings of food and beverages a day. Unfortunately, the manufacturing of certain artificial caramel colorings can lead to the formation of carcinogens such as 4-methylimidazole, which causes cancer in mice but not rats (or at least, not male rats). However, it is unclear whether humans are more like mice or rats in terms of their response to the carcinogen. To be safe, California officially listed it as a carcinogen and started requiring warning labels on soft drinks containing more than 29 micrograms per serving. The soft drink industry was unsuccessful in opposing the action, so they were forced to reduce carcinogen levels in their products—but only in California. Buy Coke anywhere else, and it may have up to five times the limit (See Is Caramel Color Carcinogenic?). There’s another class of additives that the soda industry uses to make its soda brown (see Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola). There are other harmful additives in soda as well (Is Sodium Benzoate Harmful? and Diet Soda and Preterm Birth). Similarly the junk food industry uses titanium dioxide to whiten processed foods (Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease). The meat industry has also used potentially toxic additives for cosmetic purposes such as arsenic-containing drugs (Arsenic in Chicken) and phosphate additives in chicken to make poultry pink. Carbon monoxide is used to keep red meat red, and acanthoxanthins keep salmon pink (Artificial Coloring in Fish). It’s amazing the risks the food industry will take to alter appearances (Artificial Food Colors and ADHD). 	Well this has a simple fix–if it has a label put it back on the shelf!Yes, great point – broccoli doesn’t have a label…You carry a lot of influence with your patients, I am sure. Please suggest they avoid all supplements and “vegan health foods” snacks/vegan ice-creams/cheeses/yougurts/cookies/soy milks etc. that contain titanium dioxide. Sooner or later ‘Whole Foods Market” will get the message and stop carrying products that contain titanium dioxide. They already prohibit certain products because of other seemingly less harmful ingredients.Good point. In my opinion – for what it is worth – a mostly plant based diet 95-98% (with an occasional piece of meat or cheese) is much better than a junk based vegan diet. The key word is WFPD 95-98% of the time.Agreed. One of the most sensible, fair and realistic comments I’ve read. Thank you.“Similarly the junk food industry uses titanium dioxide to whiten processed foods (Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease).”The “healthy vegan food product industry” and the “vitamin industry” also use titanium dioxide, at times in their products. We fortunately have labels on products to give us the heads up to avoid these products.The use of titanium dioxide by vitamin manufactures — in the capsules mostly — is mind-numbingly stupid.As ever the informed consumer must read labels and *not purchase* from offending ‘health’ companies.Off topic: Are amino acid supplements safe for vegans? I sometimes struggle to absorb/benefits (it seems) from beans, grains, nuts, seeds. I know some people take coconut aminos but I doubt this product contains enough amino acids to make a positive difference (I could be wrong). I am on a path hoping to be 100 percent vegan but have had to partake in a bit of shellfish to survive, as far as strength, protein/amino acids, B12. FYI…. might add, I fully agree that there are 100 percent vegans who thrive, excel, and have no need at all to ingest non-plant foods.So, I have biig concerns about supplemental amino acids, as to what this could do harmfully/unnaturally to the body. Any science available on this? But I am willing to give it a try if the science suggests it is ok to proceed.In the GMO articles Dr. Greger dismissed animal studies. So why bring them up here? They are obviously of no use for humans if there are carcinogenic in mice, but not in male rats.	artificial colors,beer,beverages,California,cancer,caramel color,carcinogens,Coca Cola,food additives,gravy,industry influence,Pepsi,safety limits,soda,soy sauce	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17619857,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23026009,
PLAIN-70	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/	We Can End the Heart Disease Epidemic	Many of the diseases that are common in United States are rare or even nonexistent in populations eating mainly whole plant foods. These so-called Western Diseases are some of our most common conditions: These diseases are common in the West, but are rarities among plant-based populations. A landmark study in 1959 I profiled in my video Cavities and Coronaries: Our Choice, for example, suggested that coronary heart disease was practically non-existent among those eating traditional plant-based diets in Uganda. “Doctors in sub-Saharan Africa during the ‘30s and ‘40s recognized that certain diseases commonly seen in Western communities were rare in rural African peasants. This hearsay talk greeted any new doctor on arrival in Africa. Even the teaching manuals stated that diabetes, coronary heart disease, appendicitis, peptic ulcer, gallstones, hemorrhoids, and constipation were rare in African blacks who eat foods that contain many skins and fibers, such as beans and corn, and pass a bulky stool two or three times a day. Surgeons noticed that the common acute abdominal emergencies in Western communities were virtually absent in rural African peasants.” But did they have hard data to back it up? Yes. Major autopsy series were performed. In one thousand Kenyan autopsies, there were “no cases of appendicitis, not a single heart attack, only three cases of diabetes, one peptic ulcer, no gallstones, and no evidence of high blood pressure” (which alone affects one out of three Americans). Maybe the Africans were just dying early of other diseases and so never lived long enough to get heart disease? No. In the video One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic, you can see the age-matched heart attack rates in Uganda versus St. Louis. Out of 632 autopsies in Uganda, only one myocardial infarction. Out of 632 Missourians—with the same age and gender distribution—there were 136 myocardial infarctions. More than 100 times the rate of our number one killer. In fact, researchers were so blown away that they decided to do another 800 autopsies in Uganda. Still, just that one small healed infarct (meaning it wasn’t even the cause of death) out of 1,427 patients. Less than one in a thousand, whereas in the U.S., it’s an epidemic. If heart disease is so rare in rural Africa, how do the local doctors even know what to look for? Though practically unheard of among the native population, the physicians are quite familiar with heart disease because of all the Westerners that immigrate to the country. The famous surgeon Dr. Denis Burkitt insisted that modern medicine is treating disease all wrong: “A highly unacceptable fact—that is rarely considered yet indisputable—is that, with rare exceptions, there is no evidence that the incidence of any disease was ever reduced by treatment. Improved therapies may reduce mortality but may not reduce the incidence of the disease.” Take cancer, for example, where the vast majority of effort is devoted to advances in treatment, and second priority is given to screening programs attempting early diagnosis. Is there any evidence that the incidence of any form of cancer has been reduced by improved treatment or by early detection? Early diagnosis may reduce mortality rates, and medical services can have a profoundly beneficial effect on sick people, but neither have little (if any) effect on the number of people becoming ill. No matter how fancy heart disease surgery gets, it’s never going to reduce the number of people falling victim to the disease. Dr. Burkitt compared the situation to an engine left out in the rain: “If an engine repeatedly stops as a consequence of being exposed to the elements, it is of limited value to rely on the aid of mechanics to detect and remedy the fault. Examination of all engines would reveal that those out in the rain were stopping, but those under cover were running well. The correct approach would then be to provide protection from the offending environment. However, considering the failing engine as the ailing patient, this is seldom the priority of modern medicine.” Dr. Burkitt sums it up with the analogy of The Cliff or the Ambulance: “If people are falling over the edge of a cliff and sustaining injuries, the problem could be dealt with by stationing ambulances at the bottom or erecting a fence at the top. Unfortunately, we put far too much effort into the provision of ambulances and far too little into the simple approach of erecting fences.” And of course there are all the industries enticing people to the edge, and profiting from pushing people off. If all plant-based diets could do is reverse our number one killer, then shouldn’t that be the default diet until proven otherwise? The fact that it also appears to reverse other leading killers like diabetes and hypertension appears to make the case for plant-based eating overwhelming. So why doesn’t the medical profession embrace it? It may be because of The Tomato Effect. Why don’t many individual doctors do it? It may be because lifestyle medicine hurts the bottom line (see Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Disease). Why doesn’t the federal government recommend it? It may be because of the self-interest of powerful industries (see The McGovern Report). But you can take your destiny into your own hands (mouth?) and work with your doctor to clean up your diet and maximize your chances of living happily ever after. 	Right on, Dr. Greger! I am glad to see that you are getting this important message across in your Tuesday/Thursday articles in addition to your videos, because the major search engines such as Google index text on web pages rather than imagery in videos. As much as I like your videos, I think the more often that you write about the concept of heart disease being preventable, the more likely that a search engine will deliver references to this concept on your website, and hopefully guide people towards better health.All of the videos have text transcripts luckily.ahhh the sweet taste of destinyI suspect that the US government would be more willing to protect the population against diet-related diseases if not for the fact that US-based MNCs profit greatly from the selling of processed foods, and from beverages, most of which are clearly detrimental.Even though Americans are only 4% of the global population, they own more than 50% of all global market share, and, this disproportionate ownership has come to pass, in part, because the US Government, and the Fed, are enabling the process. Naturally, the US Government has always been supportive of private enterprise, but for the past few decades, it has been the aggressor in an all-out economic war. Accordingly, very profitable MNCs have been allowed to pay little or no taxes, and in most cases they are also subsidized. MNCs are also the benefactors of the 780 military bases across the globe, and they benefit too from intelligence being gathered by the long list of intelligence agencies (17). MNCs have also received vast financial aid from ZIRP and QE, these programs allowing them to borrow cheaply at home so as to keep taxable profits from repatriating. Thus, and all the way back to the ‘petro-dollar fix’ (which keeps the dollar strong), the restructuring of the tax codes in the 1980s, and the stubborn reluctance to eliminate ag subsidies, and many other such efforts, the US Government has become so intricately intertwined with big business that it is difficult to know where one starts and the other stops.My main point here being, that any admission by officials that any products being produced by US companies are suspect, is like an act of treason.Thanks Ray. Clear, concise and illuminating points. No wonder so many of us are removing the blinkers that informed us from childhood that America is a good big brother. It seems greedy corporations have become a cancer across the globe.Exactly, they are investing in early detection: Find patients before they are so ill they can no longer be cured. But so ill they are willing to pay their life savings for some chemo therapy… It’s all about profits you know.The statistics remind me of Mark Twain’s admonition regarding statistics. For example, while Uganda’s incidence of myocardial infarctions is far lower than Missouri’s (why Missouri?), it still doesn’t prove that Ugandans are not dying of something else, perhaps due to their plant-based diet. Perhaps their lack of animal based protein is leading to some other diseases. In other words, we are not getting the whole picture here. For example, there have been reports that the reason for the Japanese obesity being so low compared to American obesity is because they eat white rice. Hmmm. Would it be PC to point to Portion Control as the real reason? Compare a bento box with tea versus a dinner plate filled with carbs, sugar, and soda.Diet education (by parents) is a major concern, in relation to what you are talking about. I agree about portion control, and sadly most parents learn from their surroundings and their parents. The surroundings scream EAT THIS BIG FAT BURGER Everywhere you go. Society believes when you’ve been relegated to eating salad, you’re dieting, as well. Those two things put together are huge. Humans go the route of least resistance unfortunately :(The head of alibaba Jack Ma interview with Dave Faber this morning reflected this view. In the interview Jack suggested that in China, building hospitals and filling them with medical professionals is not the answer to health issues that are beginning to plague China. Instead, clean water and air should be the goals. Otherwise you are just enabling the problem.It seems the African diet does include meat (see link below). So is an all plant based diet really the answer? Is it perhaps the amount of meat or lack of refined sugars in their diet? If you eat an all plant based diet don’t you also need to take supplements of B12 and other nutrients? It would be good to know just how much meat we need to eat to get all the nutrients we require. What is the rough percentage of meat consumed in the diets of the African communities that were studied? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugandan_cuisineI think you can look at the traditional mediterranean diet especially de Crete one (which have very low CVD rates) to have an idea? Two times fish a week and two small portions of poultry a week, red meat a couple of times a month.http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/adopt-a-mediterranean-diet-now-for-better-health-later-201311066846The African diet pyramid looks close to this: http://oldwayspt.org/sites/default/files/images/African_pyramid_flyer.jpgI LOVE the bottom half of that pyramid! The greens being at the very bottom, the emphasis on herbs and spices as their own group, and the instructions to “enjoy meals with others”. Thanks for sharing. :)A diet that can reverse heart disease can obviously prevent it. A purely plant-based diet has proven to do this. Does a diet that includes meat reverse heart disease? I’m sure if it really could, the meat industry would be all over it.If you look at the mediterranean diet, progression on vascular problems of high risk patients. This is what it can do:“Intervention with a MedDiet supplemented with 30 g/d of mixed nuts for a mean of 2.4 years induced regression of ICA-IMTmean and delayed the progression of both ICA-IMTmax and plaquemax, the ultrasound features that best predict future CVD events. Although ICA-IMTmax and plaquemax progressed in the control group, there were no changes in the MedDiet supplemented with EVOO group. ” (EVOO = exra virgin olive oil)http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/34/2/439.short So there can be some regression and for the rest stagnation of the process. Seems pretty healthy to me. The good thing to see is that nuts can make a difference!Still not really good news for the meat-industry… because the amounts and portions of meat consumed on a MedDiet are small. However dairy is consumed daily in moderate ammounts (and of grazing cows/goats/sheep).That’s great info. Thanks for the reply!Interesting, and I have nuts daily myself, but “delayed the progression of both ICA-IMTmax and plaquemax” to me implies progression is still occurring. I don’t think this is the case with a whole foods, no-oils, plant-based diet.It’s also called “arrested progression” in the article. For me it’s like… if my heart-health is ok… a medDiet is probably ok to eat for me. If arteries are clogged I would have to stick to a whole foods, no-oils, plant-based diet for a while.I wonder if there has ever been studies on regression of heart disease on a whole foods, high fat (unsatureated), plant-based diet, a vegan MedDiet so to say. Because a low-fat version excludes nuts… and in this research it seems nuts had a very positive effect.The principle behind Dr. Dean Ornish’s Spectrum diet adheres to your thoughts in the first paragraph. Basically you must go towards the healthful end of the spectrum to the degree your health (or lack thereof) requires. But as always, prevention is easier than cure.Personally, I would find it hard to give up the satiation and the calories (I’m slim) that nuts provide.Thank You Dr.Greger for bringing Dr.Burkit’s name to the light of this world again – what a doctor and scientist he was and even more God devoted father !Dr. Burkitt certainly had extraordinary vision. One of my favorite Burkitt sayings is, “America is a constipated nation…. If you pass small stools, you have to have large hospitals.” It’s funny but it’s true. When you think about it, fiber is only naturally found in plants. The more plants, the more fiber. So the total amount of naturally occurring fiber consumed from plants also indicates the level of consumption of minerals and phytonutrients packed with it. The higher the fiber, the less toxicity from animal products. So, your poop is a general gauge of high nutrient consumption as well [http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/].is there any information on Diet and dementiaYes – important message. I am an avid reader and sharer and promoter of NutritionFacts.org. But, the recent addition of the annoying message to subscribe to receive it in my mailbox daily, when I am already subscribed, and (at least once) have donated to support your work – needs some tweeking! Please do something about this….PamyCST: I forwarded your message onto the staff at NutritionFacts. Just wanted to let you know that you message was heard. (And shared by me, by the way.)Thanks, PamyCST for your feedback. I’m sorry to hear that the subscribe box keeps popping up–that sounds really frustrating.The box is supposed to pop up once and then go away after you click the black ‘x’ in the upper right hand corner. It shouldn’t reappear unless you clear your browser’s cache/cookies in which case it won’t recognize your computer and it will pop up again.Is that not how it’s working for you? Please let me know and I’ll gather some more information from you so we can diagnose the issue. I’ve sent you an email so feel free to respond to me there. I just thought I’d write here too, just in case.Thanks again for letting us know about this issue! I hope we can fix it soon. :) -TommasinaDr. Greger, what is the source of the quotes from Dr. Burkitt?Is there any evidence that the incidence of any form of cancer has been reduced by improved treatment or by early detection?In the last week I have come across what looks like credible claims for the successful use of GcMaf for many cancers, particularly in conjunction with Nagalase testing. So, if what I have read is valid, we have an example of cancers being reduced by both improved treatment and by early detection.Coronary heart disease and colo-rectal disease are non-existant in Africa you say.. mmmm.. I wonder would it have anything to do with the sun.. vegetables are important alright in providing vitamin A to prevent Vitamin D toxicity from the sun but their good health has absolutely nothing to do with avoiding meat and healthy fats.. It’s all thanks to UVB…Great info… Will share, it so deserves too!!!Medical Books StoreDr. Gregor, Can a whole foods plant based diet help cure my hiatal hernia? If so, how does it help? I am following a wfpb diet and still struggling with acid reflux. I don’t want to have surgery which is what my physician is recommending. Thank you. Leslie SheddHi Leslie. Have you seen Dr. Greger’s video on hiatal hernia? Let me know if this helps! Thanks.	abdominal pain,Africa,appendicitis,beans,body fat,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,colon cancer,colon health,constipation,corn,diabetes,diverticulosis,fat,fiber,gallbladder health,gallstones,heart disease,heart health,hemorrhoids,hernia,hiatal hernia,hypertension,lifespan,Lifestyle medicine,medical profession,mortality,obesity,plant-based diets,prediabetes,rectal cancer,Standard American Diet,stomach health,stomach ulcers,stool size,surgery,Uganda,varicose veins,vegans,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2006199,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3031417,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21308015,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1998476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23045195,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13838030,
PLAIN-71	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/	How to Prevent Heart Disease	Many of today’s lifestyle medicine doctors, myself included, were greatly influenced by Nathan Pritikin, the nutrition pioneer who started reversing heart disease with a plant-based diet and exercise back in the 70s. (More on Nathan Pritikin in Engineering a Cure,  Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped, and The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle.) But how did he come up with the idea of opening up arteries without drugs or surgery? We tend to think of rural China as a place with a fraction of our disease rates, but we may forget about Africa. Pritikin was 43 when he was told by his cardiologist that he was going to die from a heart attack, so he began to live on a diet patterned after the black population in Uganda, a population living off plants that was essentially free from death from heart attacks. After curing his own heart disease with a plant-based diet, he went on to save the lives of thousands of others. What was the data that so convinced him? Last year, the International Journal of Epidemiology reprinted a landmark article from the ‘50s that started out with a shocking statement: “In the African population of Uganda, coronary heart disease is almost non-existent.” Our number one cause of death almost nonexistent? What were they eating? Plantains and sweet potatoes, other vegetables, corn, millet, pumpkins, tomatoes, and “green leafy vegetables are taken by all.” Their protein was almost entirely from plant sources, and they had the cholesterol levels to prove it, similar to modern-day plant-eaters. “Apart from the effects of diet and of the blood cholesterol levels,” the researchers couldn’t figure out any other reasons for their freedom from heart disease. These fifty-year-old findings are still relevant today. They showed “dietary intake to be a key, modifiable, established and well-recognized risk factor for heart attacks. This contrasts with the rather desperate search in recent decades for even newer cardiovascular risk factors.” We have the only risk factor we need—cholesterol. We’ve known it for 50 years, and we can do something about it. See One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic. As you can see in the video Cavities and Coronaries: Our Choice, according to the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Cardiology, the only risk factor required for atherosclerotic plaques to form is elevated LDL, or “bad” cholesterol in our blood. Dr. William Clifford Roberts is the distinguished cardiac pathologist who doubles as the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Cardiology. More from him in Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death and Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet. To drop our LDL cholesterol, we need to drop our intake of three things: trans fat (found in junk food and animal foods – See Trans Fat in Meat and Dairy); saturated fat (found in mostly animal foods); and dietary cholesterol (found exclusively in animal foods). More on lowering LDL in Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. What Dr. Shaper discovered is that heart disease may be a choice. Like cavities. People who lived over 10,000 years before the invention of the toothbrush pretty much had no cavities. Didn’t brush a day in their lives, never flossed, no Listerine, no Waterpik—and yet, no cavities. Why? Because candy bars hadn’t been invented yet! So why do people continue to get cavities when we know they’re preventable though diet? Simple: because the pleasure people derive from dessert may outweigh the cost and discomfort of the dentist. As long as people understand the consequences of their actions, as a physician what more can I do? If you’re an adult and decide that the benefits outweigh the risks for you and your family, then go for it—I certainly enjoy the occasional indulgence (I’ve got a good dental plan!). But what if instead of the plaque on our teeth, we’re talking about the plaque building up in our arteries? Then we’re no longer just talking about scraping tarter. We’re talking life and death. The most likely reason our loved ones will die is heart disease. It’s still up to each of us to make our own decisions as to what to eat and how to live, but we should make our choices consciously, educating ourselves about the predictable consequences of our actions. 	Thank you Dr. Greger. Another great summary. I am forwarding this to all of my family members.Yes, I concur with Veganrunner—another great blog post. Thank you, Dr. G! I do have one question, though: Are you saying that it would be wise, or at least possible, to abstain from brushing and flossing were we to abstain in turn from candy, soda, cakes, and the like? See, I eat a mostly whole foods plant based diet—all I eat that’s not a “whole food” is a slice of whole wheat bread every morning and a glass of unsweetened almondmilk at night. I don’t drink any soda or eat any dessert. But I daily feel the need to brush and floss, and I really can’t figure out why, given that I eat zero sugar, apart from the tiny amount they add to the slice of bread I eat. Could you help me understand this issue a little better? Is there something I’m doing wrong?Jane, he was making the comparison using something we all know – eating sweets and its predictable consequence: CavitiesSimilarly, eating SAD has a consequence: CHDPlease continue to brush and floss.Cavities are not caused by sugar, They are caused by bacteria and bacteria feeds on sugar whether it is from candy or bread or potatoes, etc. Get rid of the bacteria and keep it gone and you will have no cavities.Hi Dr. Greger, your videos are great and have helped me a lot! I have some questions about cardiovascular diseases; I’ve hear some claims that high blood pressure might be a bigger issue than cholesterol, can that be true? How does diet influence high blood pressure, other than salt?Yeah, ummm…cholesterol in your arteries _creates_ high blood pressure. The one causes the other. Don’t want high blood pressure? Don’t eat animal products…because they create the plaques that build up on your artery walls. Too much plaque…smaller diameter for blood to flow through…Bernoulli’s principle of fluid mechanics…ah, but I get ahead of myself.According to Dr Colin Campbell, cholesterol is merely a marker for animal product consumption (.94 correlation) and is not the cause of heart disease. Dr Campbell believes its actually the animal foods which select for gut bacteria which produce TMA, which is then oxidized and eventually damages arterial endothelium. It may be possible to eat substantial amounts of saturated fat, as in coconut oil, and not develop dyslipidemia.As always, I enjoy the encouragement you send with your posts and videos. Thank you!Great post Dr Greger.A friend of mine in his early “70” was diagnosed by his cardiologist years back with plaque build up in his arteries and was told that he needed surgery to correct this plaque problem.He decided to go to his Naturopathic Physician for a second opinion and was told by him to take Serrapeptase 40,000 Units twice daily for 2 months and to then have another ultra sound to see if plaque was gone and after the ultra sound the plaque had dissolved and there was no blockage any more.I’ve been taking Serrapeptase ever since hearing of this,Dr Han A. Nieper an internist from Hannover Germany studied the effects of Serrapeptase on plaque accumalations in the arteries.My question to you Dr.Greger is if you’ve ever heard of this enzyme Serrapeptase and that it desolves plaque in the arteries?Thanks for all your helpful information. DennisDid the NP recommend a WFPB diet?Copied from Wikipedia. Confused on “little meat” in diet. Most tribes in Uganda have their own speciality dish or delicacy. Many dishes include various vegetables, potatoes, yams, bananas and other tropical fruits. Chicken, fish (usually fresh, but there is also a dried variety, reconstituted for stewing),[1] beef, goat[1] and mutton are all commonly eaten, although among the rural poor, meats are consumed less than in other areas. Nyama is the Swahili word for “meat”.[2]In the article in 50’s it also states:” meat and fish were eaten in small amounts”.So you can eat some meat and not have adverse effects on heart health apparently.http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/41/5/1225.longOr more likely, you can eat very small amounts of wild meat (much lower fat and toxin content) and likely have less negative effects than if you eat more. But of course its usually the case that eating far less of something very unhealthy has less negative impacts. Calling that “healthy” is a big stretch.Could be. Though they have cattle, goats, sheep etc, and the meat if probably more fresh.The same stuff happened in Crete, and Japan (Okinawa). You can eat some animalstuff without having negative effects on heart health and have some positive effects of omega-3 + B12 also.I think the message from this post is “Monitor your cholesterol and keep it low to avoid heart disease.”Other vid’s here explain the science showing that all animal products are bad for you. If/when people choose to indulge in meat it should be considered a calculated risk, not good nutrition. There are no loopholes in science…unless you are a quantum mechanic :)Nice piece Dr. Greger, but I was confused by a couple of things. In a video you made a while ago you did an excellent job of tracking down why vegetarians and vegans had no better health outcomes (including heart disease as I recall) than carnivores at one point. Also as I recall you actually discussed the mechanisms behind atherosclerosis and argued that vegans needed to supplement their diets with omega 3 fatty acids (if they weren’t getting any or enough) and B12 (which is virtually impossible to get in a specifically unfortified diet). So how did the Ugandans avoid heart disease on a strictly plant based diet ? (BTW I’m a vegan happily taking my B12 !)No it states: “meat and fish were eaten in small amounts”. http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/41/5/1225.longAlso in Uganda they eat insects. That will take care of some B12I saw documentary that meat is brain food especially fish.mankind evolve from monkeys when their diet shfited to meat.So there may be some downside to vegetarian diet related to dementia.concern: I understand your concern. :-) But I would suggest that the documentary you saw is probably not all that accurate in several respects. For example, my understanding is that your brain “eats” glucose–not anything found in meat. Also, the concept that eating meat is what helped our ancestors to evolve into humans is by no means a scientific consensus. And there is *plenty* of evidence that this is simply not true. Here’s one source that I find extremely compelling: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.htmlThe link between fish and brain health is highly suspect. Here is info on one study: “…in a new review looking at omega-3 supplementation for brain health, researchers found no link between omega-3 supplements and the prevention or improvement of dementia.” Bosch J, Gerstein HC, Diaz R, et al. n–3 fatty Acids and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with dysglycemia. N Engl J Med. Published online June 11, 2012.Lastly, I’ll point out that Dr. Barnard spent a lot of time reviewing all of the research on the topic of brain health vs dementia and Alzheimers. He wrote a book called, “Power Foods For the Brain, an effective 3 step plan to protect your mind and strengthen your memory” And after all that research, Dr. Barnard does not recommend that people eat *any* meat (or dairy or eggs).Hope that helps with your concerns.vegetarian diet related to dementiaI worked in nursing homes from 1970 to 2005. All the dementia patients were meat eaters. The few people I know that developed dementia and are vegetarians are lacto-ovo and ate plenty of sugar, fat, cheese and other junk food. They didn’t know a what healthy diet was. They just didn’t eat meat.You’ll never know just how timely your comment was in this house…So helpful to hear from someone with field experience. Thank youAs we were gathering around the table this morning for our daily treatment team meeting a sweet 40 year old RN mentioned that she had just run a half marathon. I congratulated her and proceeded to tell her about the cherry juice exercise recovery study previously featured by Dr. Greger. She was very interested and I showed her the video. At that point the psychologist, also a runner, piped in, “Yeh, but I can’t stand the taste of cherries.” What he can stand is the taste of Diet Pepsi, which he guzzles throughout the day almost as often as I do green tea. For the majority of people I know, whether they be colleagues, co-workers, or patients, taste is the overriding factor in what people eat. Hence the coronary vs. cavity reference in today’s blog.Dr. Greger, of all the fine videos and articles you have created, I think that your finest has been publishing the notion that heart disease is a personal choice … that a person can choose whether or not to develop it. Also that it can be reversed if a person already has it. Given that the Heart and Stroke Statistics published by the American Heart Association says that about 70 percent of all people ages 60-79 have heart disease, and about 85% of all people age 80+ have it, it is stunning to know that so many of us are ill by the time we reach retirement. Absolutely stunning. We can only hope that your videos and articles reach more people so that they can learn how to manage their health through diet while they still have a chance!Cholesterol in the blood is mostly manufactured by the body, not from dietery intake. The genetic link is the strongest.But the kind that gets stuck to your artery walls and forms plaque is from? Let me help you out–animal products.Let me help you out. It has little to do with animal products (though I agree we should minimize them). It has all to due with your genetic inheritance–and the body’s own propensity to make cholesterol. Diet does NOT significantly reduce bad cholesterol in many people. The crucial factor is genes. Recent study of 500 men who lived to between 95-110 years old. 60 % were smokers; half were overweight. Genes again.The study you cite looked at a group of Ashkenazi Jews. This population is noted for a number of unique genetic characteristics, but to use this miniscule group of outliers to draw any conclusions regarding the effects of diet is specious.The genetic makeup of the human is the critical factor here–not diet. Some people simply produce too much cholesterol, whether they eat steak or seaweed. For years I have eaten an almost vegetarian diet, often subsisting on beans and vegetables and whole grains–cannot lower my cholesterol to a disease-reversal level—can’t even come CLOSE (!) without horrid statin drugs that shut down liver production of chol. Please now, don’t tell me I don’t know me….You can lower you LDL. Read Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease by Dr Esselstyn and follow the diet exactly. Moderation kills. Watch his videos on YouTube. He reversed the heart diseae in very heart sick people. It works! What have you got to lose and everything to gain.Thanks for the comment–but I’ve already tried it,and Ornish. It can work–for some people, but many people simply cannot get low LDL from diet alone.I also have genetically high cholesterol (300-400 range) and yes, even following a very strict, healthy plant-based diet won’t get my LDL and total chol to the levels that most docs are happy with. However, when I looked at all my cholesterol readings from over the last 20 odd years I found that when I follow the FOK/Ornish/Essylstyn diet I was able to lower my levels of LDL and total chol and improve HDL and trigs. For the last 5-6 years I went on statins and allowed my diet to slip back to SAD (vegetarian style). Now I’m off statins for good (side effects are awful) and am transitioning back to a clean plant-based diet. I’ve never had heart disease (my father died of complications of it) and am a healthy weight, nonsmoker, female. Hoping to convince my doc that statins aren’t for me and to give plant-based eating another go. I think for some of us, even with an awesome diet, the numbers won’t get to where most docs want them, but I’m mostly convinced that it doesn’t matter if one sticks to clean eating.Thanks sookiebird, for your comment. I stay on a mostly plant diet, but cannot take Essylstyn completely. That would mean no oils at all, no tree nuts, yogurts, etc. Just too hard for me. I too have had a terrible time with statins. I am able to lower my bad chol. with diet, but never really get under about 110 LDL. I need to get down to about 70. My focus now is more exercise; that should also boost HDL.Thanks barneygoogle for raising some good points. For people like us who have hereditary high cholesterol it’s hard to know what it all means. Hopefully there will be more studies to see if lifestyle choices will give us better outcomes despite the crazy high cholesterol numbers. I guess I see it as an odds game where the cleaner my diet is, the better odds that it will have a good effect. I also have trouble adjusting to a no oil diet, so I try to do a very low oil diet. I consume nuts and seeds in moderation as well.There is a shift towards the importance of particle size as well.I have read that would like to know more about it.Sookiebird and Gar: Check out this NutritionFacts video about particle size: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/Wow, always have to follow the money, thanks for the link!Eliminating the oils is one of the keys. Dr Esselstyn says moderation kills. This is why he had such a hard time with his heart sick patients. He had to meet with them every week to a see what was keeping their cholesterol high but he eventually got it down. One of his patient’s cholesterol was high because he was putting oils on his salads. Cutting out oils is not that difficult. Very few people have the genetic makeup that prevents it if they follow the Dr E’s diet exactly. It’s not worth the heart problems down the road. Don’t give up. This has been proven to work. I wish you all the best in your health.Dr. Esselstyn actually once called me on the telephone after I left an email on his site! He is a very dedicated man. I try to follow his diet, but just can’t make it 100 per cent. However, I use almost NO oils, sometimes a small spray of extra virgin olive oil. He said oils wreck the endolithium, the inner lining of the arteries.You are on the right track. My approach was to follow it exactly to see if I could get there and I did. I will do “anything” to avoid heart problems and other diseases as I have experienced them and they are much more extreme than following the diet. Good health to you and others.barneygoogle…..Of course any degree to which you can adhere to a low fat vegan diet is better than no change. If you have genetics predisposing you to heart disease or high LDL, this is all the more reason to become 100 % compliant!! Once again, as with most people the addictive nature of oils becomes our undoing. A few nuts and little oil here and there is not an ideal diet for those with heart disease or potential disease. What is more important to you barney? Feeding the addictive taste of fats and sugars—-or staying alive? If you were critical, you betcha you’d cut those those oils and nuts out fast. Do you really want to get to that point? (read McDougall and Esselstyn). A brief story about me. I am 60 with a kidney transplant. Ordinarily kidney patients are highly lipidemic, a good majority of which die from stroke and CHD. Anti rejection drugs raise lipids quite high. Because I have high risks for CV disease, I follow a strict low fat vegan diet. My lipid numbers are better than most ordinary people in the US. Cholesterol 141, triglycerides 115, LDL 65, and I am taking highly cardiovascular damaging drugs. Now if a very low fat vegan diet can easily help someone like me, think how well it can work for those NOT taking anti-rejection drugs with high LDL numbers or those with heart disease. I recently had an angiogram. It is a long story why— but the result was No Plaques No Blockages. The results of a nuclear scan was FALSE Positive!!! I can can tell that these results are EXTREMELY unusual for transplant patients. While you are doing well barney, please correct your diet to a TRUE low fat diet BEFORE you experience any heart related events. (As you know heart disease is the NUMBER ONE killer in the ENTIRE world!!! You might be one of those people. Incidentally, LDL cholesterol according to my cardiologist is the number you should be watching to keep heart disease in check. Although I do think that Dr J McDougall has stated that total cholesterol is the most important number and that HDL contributes little to the overall disease risk. (HDL lowers as Cholesterol levels decrease). Thanks for letting me tell my story.Incidentally, I have had kidney disease since I was 8 and now I am 60. I was vegetarian in the 80’s, vegan with non dairy fats in the 90’s, and low fat vegan in the 2000’s. I’m quite certain that doctors do not see this kind of longevity with kidney disease. I have read that many kidney patients die of heart attacks before they even get to dialysis.Norman: Wow! That’s really awesome. Thanks for sharing!Thanks!Sookiebird: Good for you! It’s really not as hard as most people fear. And since you have done it before, you know what the learning curve is like. Just know that there are SO many good and easy recipes out there now that fall into the “clean eating” category. It gets easier to do every year.It sounds like you already know how to avoid foods that raise cholesterol. I will suggest that you also search this site for foods that have been specifically shown to lower cholesterol. That way you can tweak your diet with the latest information that is specific to your situation.Good luck!Thanks Thea. I think adjusting to no oil takes a shift in taste/palate. I also live with 3 other people (hubs and two kids) who have different food preferences and that can make it tempting to splurge on the not so good foods. So my goal is to focus on the gift of WFPB eating and what it does for my body and not on deprivation:).familial hypercholesterolemia is one of the categories that you are referencing, and my professors would state that there is nothing you can do except medications for lowering the cholesterol levels. This distinction between a small percentage and the mass majority needs to be stated. (I wish I could state and site the prevalence rates, but it would take some reviewing my reference works)Possibly because they do not have the fortitude and determination to stick to this diet which requires significant lifestyle adjustment.Agreed, Psych MD!Please stop it with the snarky comments. When you set up a rule (or diet) that 98% of the people can’t realistically meet–then castigate them for NOT meeting it–you are being the fool.Sorry if I have been offensive, barneygoogle, please forgive me. My point is only that in order to achieve the results, it takes an inordinate (and rare) amount of drive and will-power (and time). I do agree with you that 98% of us do not currently have the kind of dedication or force of will to do the diet to the degree that it must be done in order to achieve the reversal of heart disease – myself included. I only want to make it clear to other readers that the science is not in question – the fact that the diet works to prevent and reverse heart disease is certainly proven. The only thing in question is whether people are willing (or able) to fight the battle it takes to follow the diet (as written). Again, I apologize for making you (or others) feel antagonized. It was not my intent.Barney, I do not see any snarky comments. When people are faced with death, you betcha they change their diets. (For those without serious health problems, such as teenagers, motivation is usually lacking). I can tell you with great confidence, once you have eaten an Esselstyn or McDougall diet for a couple of months or sooner you will LOVE it. You won’t believe how you could have eaten all that crappy SAD food!! Promise!… (For anyone living their golden years, atherosclerosis is usually present). Nothing like present, eh?Barneygoogle,If you examine the book Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn, it doesn’t appear that “cholesterol in the blood is mostly manufactured by the body, not from dietary intake.” Subjects eating the Engine 2 diet for 28 days had substantial decreases in their cholesterol values. There is certainly a genetic link for the small percentage of people who have familial hypercholesterolemia.Just to make it clear to everyone reading barneygoogle’s comments, later on, he mentions that he wasn’t really able to actually follow the heart disease prevention diet (too restrictive for his tastes). As for me, switching from lacto-ovo-veg to vegan (NOT low oil) dropped 100 pts off my cholesterol. BUT, I am not a member of the very small minority of people who have a GENETIC (as opposed to diet based) propensity for high cholesterol.Please let me be clear. My goal was LDL under 70. That’s reversal, not just good health level at 100. I could not totally follow Esselstyn for very long, but I do follow it about 90%–adding avery little fish, chicken (4 oz every other day), yogurt and nuts. His diet is just not realistic for long term use by the vast majority of people. Much too hard, too time consuming, not gratifying, too tough for me. I followed Ornish; didn’t work. Followed Medit., and it didn’t work, but my numbers were almost as good as on Esselstyn. So now I combine key points of Medit and Esselstyn. Its realistic for me, with adding a small statin dosage. I now focus more on controlled exercise. That helps too.Barneygoogle, at first it seemed you were saying earlier that the prevention/reversal diet of Esselstyn does not work. As in, many people who are on it do not get benefit from it. But now I understand that you were saying it does not work for you, because you do not chose to employ it (since it is “too hard”). I absolutely agree. That diet is a major lifestyle change. You have to have serious motivation and drive (and time) in order to accomplish it. But the reason it does not work for you is not:1. because “Cholesterol in the blood is mostly manufactured by the body, not from dietery intake” 2. or because “The genetic link is the strongest.” 3. or because “Diet does NOT significantly reduce bad cholesterol in many people”4. or because you lack the genetic buffering capacity that affects longevity found in a very small, tightly cohesive genetic population (Ashkenazi Jewish study mentioned).It did not work for you, Barneygoogle, because you did not follow it. Following Esselstyn is like being pregnant. You follow it all the way, or you are not on the diet. There is no 90% pregnant, and there is no 90% Esselstyn. No judgement against you here – I, myself, have realized that Esselstyn’s diet would be the best for our hearts, but worry that I would not be able to sustain that eating pattern for any length of time, and so have not switched us from whole food (+ oil) vegan.But since this is a science based website, I think it is important that we be clear that this diet has been proven to work for heart disease, and we should not allow it to appear as if we are refuting the validity of the well-documented study(ies) on this subject.All that aside, I am sorry that you have to be on a pill that makes you miserable, and I hope you can find a way to be rid of it soon. Best of luck.Whoa. Please stop making specific comments about me? You don’t know me, or my life. It is people like you–who are well-meaning– okay, but cocksure about everything, who can do a lot of harm. Slow down. A plant based diet is good for health. I live close to it. I believe in it. Eating a plant based diet does NOT magically reverse heart disease. I tried it. No success. Not realistic for most people, anyway. I do NOT have hyperchol–either. Plant based diets MAY help reverse heart disease in a significant number of people—but that is NOT the same thing as offering a cure/reversal. Doctors trumpet their successes– and ignore their failures. We still do not know what diet is best for EACH individual, based on health, genes, etc. Why would anyone think one diet, one med, one lifestyle, is BEST for everyone? Then there are the issues of heart meds, exercise, stress, happiness–many factors go into reversing heart disease. I am writing a book on my own long battle. DON’T write the final chapter for me yet. My mind remains open to many possibilities. You should, too.You are the one making specific statements. It didn’t, work for you because you didn’t follow it. Everthing else you have said is your opinion lDr Esselstyn has proven that it works in two different trials with real heart sicks. Your words can affect others who need help. Be caI ask anyone to compare what I have said, to your comments, and then judge. In fact, I DID try the plant diet for a year, with NO improvements. To me, it is not realistic to eat plants (and little else) for a lifetime. I cannot spend 4-to-5 hours a day shopping for and preparing fresh foods in fancy recipes for every meal. Maddening. Never again eat in a restaurant? Unrealistic. Never eat with family, unrealistic—I told that to Esselstyn. Its foolish and self-defeating to lash out at people who cannot do unreasonably difficult things–do you get that? My Penn Heart Center (one of the best in the world) doctor agrees with me.Yes, I do eat whole foods whenever possible, tons of vegs and salads, avoid oils (a la Esselstyn), and exercise daily. I believe exercise for me, is as important as diet. We’re all different. There is no one cure. I have read everything I can on the subject from Gary Taubes, to Weston Price, Weil, Null, Fuhrman, to Esselstyn and Ornish. I have talked to many fine heart doctors. Everybody cherry-picks their data. Why? There’s MONEY and PRESTIGE in it. Now, I agree, Esselstyn seems logical and honorable, but his studies are small. Much of what he says in his book is anecdotal. Like I have said—anybody here reversing heart disease? Hummm? Well, how did you do it? I WILL listen. You probably ain’t doin’ it eatin’ seaweed, or the bag it came in.Barneygoogle a WFPB diet actually isn’t that difficult. It doesn’t require a chef. It is just different from what you are used to so it requires some adjustment. So for 1 year you ate WFPB-no animal and added oils, nuts, avocado etc and your LDL did not get below 70? I am asking this because you said you followed it but then you said you eat chicken. I am just a bit confused.Another factor is your weight. Are you lean?It’s great you have added exercise. That should help a bit too.A plant-based diet is very difficult for a meat eater. Big transition. Then, there’s the logistics: go to a super market–the kale, bok choy, collards, broccoli, all wilted or yellow as they sit there for–how long? What nutrition in weeks old greens? Cardboard tomatoes? What good are greens in cans? Most froz greens are low quality stuff, or processed. You need a Whole Foods store near you, or live on a farm to get fresh greens. And if you live in the northern climes, winter-time whole foods are always an issue. How do you eat at nephew’s birthday party? Thanksgiving dinner with family? Christmas? The night out with friends at the diner? Very hard to live the diet 100% I get to about 90%, which I think is really good. The diet is too hard, and just sets you up for failure when you can’t make it fully work. I went from Esselstyn to a stricter version of the Medit. Diet–without the cheap, industrial oils, as per Esselstyn. That’s as good as I can do. Some nuts, low fat yogurt, small, lean fish and meat portions. I can make that work.OK but don’t say you have done the diet–because it doesn’t appear that you have.To answer your question (and this may sound strange to you) it is only food! Holidays-I eat all the veggies that are offered without the turkey. Other people’s homes-I eat the veggies. Birthdays-I skip the cake. If you don’t make a big deal about it no one will even notice. Restaurants-veggies. “I am a vegan. I don’t eat animal products. What do you recommend?”And the benefit is that my entire family eats better. Last night my husband made an entire meal of 6 different veggies all prepared differently with different spices. This thanksgiving my niece is hosting and she just reported it will be WFPB.Vegans and runners are basically neurotic people. This becomes a sort of religion and makes you feel superior to everyone else. You completely miss the point about everything I have said.You did not just say that! Might I recommend you start from the beginning of your posts and reread them. You might then understand if I actually “missed” your point.You might want to be a bit more neurotic so you can improve your health!I changed from meat eater to WFPB based at 60. Am I neurotic also?Barneygoogle, I have worked as a health coach since 2008 and worked with around 3k people. What I have found is that very few people have the true genetic factor to where a plant based diet doesnt bring LDL down. My whole family are on statins. And a good few have had the heart attacks and open heart surgeries that tend to follow with those high cholesterol numbers. But I chose to live differently and do have a LDL under 70 non-medicated. You might find that reading Dr Fuhrman’s Cholesterol Protection for Life might be helpful in answering some of your questions.Some of the latest information is that coconut oil which has high saturated fat is actually good for you. Sure gets confusing.Coconut oil being good for you depends on who’s science you are listening to. Stick with the whole food not just the pressed out oil. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/Would recommend the works of Endocrinologist Dr. Ray Peat in regards to the effects of “pufas”. There is a difference between clinical vs. real-world effects of a food and also reductionism (removing all the beneficial parts of the plant to the point that it is easily oxidative in the body and problematic). Peat/ josh rubin, matt stone vs gregors.But for the mean time I trust the better conducted studies, (larger, blinded, randomized, cross-over, placebo, cohort ect..) and peer reviewed…… hence Dr. Gregors for the win. But we still need about a 100 years worth of studying the body to understand it to the point that we can make truly accurate suggestions/recommendations in my opinion.you know we have been eating healthy plant diet, my boyfriend had a heart attack on 22nd of Oct and on the 27th a triple bypass on his heart. The Dr. told me I was keeping him alive because we were eating healthy. He said I saved his life, but he has it in his genes, and needs medication for the rest of his life now. His mothers whole family, both parents and all of the kids died from heart attacks. I just wish he didn’t have to take all of those medications.Heart disease can be reversed. Go to Dr Esselstyn’s website and read the success stories. Then go youtube and !listen to his longer presentations. Read Dr Conway’s success Story. Being Vegan is not enough. You have to follow Dr Esselstyn”s pretty much all the way to get your total cholestol below 150. We all are built a little different and some can cheat a little more than others. Read PresidentClinton’s suçcess story by following this diet. Dr Esselstn says Heart disease does not need exist and. If does exist, it’s progression can be stopped and even reversed. He has proven this in two studies now with actual heart sick patients.So sorry to hear that, Susan. It must feel great to know that your efforts re his food intake have reduced the deadliness of his disease and genetic situation. “Healthy Plant Diet” isn’t specifically descriptive – not sure what that means, precisely – but if you are serious about your boyfriend’s health (as I know you are) and you are willing to make what may seem like EXTREME sacrifices for him and with him (food-wise) – if you are really brave – then do try Dr. Esselstyn’s heart disease reversal diet. It is not for the faint of heart, or the ones who lack self-discipline, but it is your only option if you want him off the meds. Yes, he clearly has a genetic propensity for heart disease, but in your hands is a solution that might possibly work even in the face of genetic predisposition. Even if the diet is not AS successful on your BF as it would have been on someone with better genes, it will still certainly have a positive effect, reducing his danger level, and probably reducing the amount of drugs he has to take. Best of luck – don’t become discouraged in doing good – you are a wonderful caregiver and your love shows.We need to consider food as the fuel for our bodies and not just something good to eat. We are driven by our addictiveness to sugar, fat, and salt and the pleasure it brings but you don’t have to be prisoner to these cravings just like a smoker or alcoholic. Studies have shown you lose these cravings after a couple of months and you begin to appreciate the taste of vegetables and whole grains. There are many websites with recipees and the book Forks over Knives is full or recipes.Another very important issue here (I believe) is chronic STRESS. I held a very stressful job for many years, and have had little or no support for my heart issues. This has a big effect on cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure, the core triangle which some people call metabolic syndrome. The body can’t regulate itself, and the heart pays. That elusive thing called happiness can be a great wellness pill.As a 3 yr. vegan, while I don’t disagree with anything written here on dietary cholesterol, there may be other mitigating factors on how each individual person’s digestive system handles bad fats, or any fat including free oils. Recently, in the cold far north, Dr. David Suzuki (The Nature of Things) added yet another documentary, to his decades long running shows on just this subject. It was all news to me.I’d be very interested if Michael and his team could view and perhaps respond. None of this is bad science. It’s just that that’s all it is, i.e., science *as we understand it*! How do we quantify the metaphysical factors that impinge on bodily health? Next millenia I guess, should we dumb humans escape the ravages of climate change and predatory capitalism. hahahahahaHere’s the free to watch CBC link: http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/the-cholesterol-questionI tried to watch this video but it isn’t available outside of Canada so I checked out the comments. Here is a review of the video and its bad science. The review is detailed and very informative. http://markitonutrition.com/the-truth-about-cholesterol/Recognizing Dr. Greger’s penchant for mirth and irony, I felt compelled to share this little tidbit and hope he sees it. As I was indulging in my daily noon ritual of carrots, celery, and apples dipped in hummus while reading this blog, on the right of my screen appeared an ad for Carl’s Jr. And not just any ordinary ad but a BOGO! Buy one “Mile High Double Bacon Cheeseburger” and get the second one free with the purchase of any large soft drink. Here are the vital statistics: calories 2710, calories from fat 1580, fat 176 g., saturated fat 66 g., trans fat 6 g., cholesterol 390 mg., protein 106 g., sodium 4700 mg., carb 180 g., fiber 6g., sugars 96g. Now THAT is a mouthful.Yikes! Those vital stats are pretty scary. I mean, look how much fiber a person gets. It’s almost like eating a whole grape I think. Waaaay to much! People will be running to the bathroom.;-)I have been eating a plant based diet for 20 years and I am a great fan of the Nutrition Facts website. I am well read in plant based nutrition information as in Drs Barnard, Campbell, McDougall. I have excellent stats as far as cholesterol, blood pressure, and resting heart rate. I am a jogger and great exerciser. My problem is that although it is possible to prevent and reverse heart disease, diabetes, and other lifestyle diseases, I was not able to prevent glaucoma despite my healthy diet and exercise. When diagnosed with glaucoma I insisted that it couldn’t be possible and it was very frustrating that there was no lifestyle change that my opthamologist could recommend to control glaucoma. Very frustrating that I have to take medications and deal with side effects when a change in lifestyle will reverse a major disease such as heart disease. Is my doctor correct? Is there nothing that can be done to prevent further vision loss with glaucoma without medication. I am 62 and do not take any medication. Can anyone help me with this?These videos have information on glaucoma treatment. Hope they help.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/nutrition-advice-to-counter-the-side-effects-of-glaucoma-medications/Thanks Jean, I reviewed the videos on glaucoma. The reason I am mixing glaucoma questions in with an article on heart disease is because Nathan Pritikin states that glaucoma is a systemic disease caused by a Western diet, ie high fat. I am interested in the theory “one diet, one disease” and that all (most) disease, whether systemic or peripheral, is caused by eating animal foods and refined foods. Dr Greger, what are your thoughts on this?Who here has actually reversed/recovered from coronary artery disease? That seems to be the big issue. A plant based diet is good for health. I live close to it. I believe in it. Eating a plant based diet does NOT magically reverse heart disease. I tried it for a significant period of time. No success. (I do not have hyperchol–)Not realistic for most people–unless you have Bill Clinton’s money and chef. Plant based diets MAY HELP reverse heart disease in a significant number of people—fair enough—but that is NOT the same thing as offering a cure/reversal. Doctors trumpet their successes– and ignore their failures. My view is we still do not know what diet is best for EACH individual, based on health, genes, etc. Why would anyone think one diet, one med, one lifestyle, is BEST for everyone? Low cholesterol is no magic bullet, either. Then there are the issues of heart meds, exercise, stress, happiness–many factors go into reversing heart disease. What I’d like to hear from readers here—is what approach/combination worked for you? Did you manage to reverse heart disease? If you did, please tell me how. It’s very, very hard.To all those on this website. Please review the research paper by Dr Esselstyn below and make your own decisions about whether it is antecdotal. It can save your life.http://dresselstyn.com/JFP_06307_Article1.pdfIf you decide to listen to the recommendations of Barney here, at least do your own research first. I know of Dr. Jim Conway, an OrthopedicSurgeon in OKC whose heart disease was reversed. You can google and review his website. Also, Dr Crowe, a fellow surgeon of Esselstyn at the Cleveland Clinic, who replaced him got a complete reversal of his clogged coronary arteries and there are before and after angiograms to prove it. Dr Esselstyn did this with 18 patients and then later with 198. This is proof concept which is the highest form of scientific verification that you can get. He has the mediical tests and documentation to backup his work with his patients. Dr Gregger referred to Esseslstyn and said why not go with the diet based on the research that has been proven to work. Read his book and listen to his presentations on Youtube. Make your own decisions. My cholesteriol dropped from 220 to 113. Don’t worry about it being hard. If you’ve already decided to go Vegan as many of the readers have, the next step won’t be that difficult. It’s worth it to become “heart attack proof”. No other diet can cure you from heart disease, they can only slow down the progression and reduce your risk. I wish everyone the best including Barney as we are all seeking better heatlh. I hope he can find someone on this website who can help him as he has done a lot of research and needs answers. My family is a combination of meat eaters, Vegans followling Esselstyn, plain vegetarians, and Celiacs so if we can make it work anyone can. Based on my own reading of Dr Gregger’s research, this same diet will also help out on cancer and the other chronic diseases that American’s eating the SAD diet have at epidemic levels. Good luck!There is another way to approach this. My father died from a heart attack at 52. His brother 38. If I wait until I get heart disease to try the WFPB diet and other lifestyle changes that would be pretty stupid of me. At this point I feel I have no other choice but to follow evidence based choices.But what I also understand is that not everyone is as committed to these lifestyle choices. I see that in my own family. Some people have these genetic issues and still eat a SAD, are overweight and don’t exercise. The grown children of my uncle who died at 38 are obese, never exercise, and all have heart disease.“Not realistic for most people–unless you have Bill Clinton’s money and chef.”From Jeff Novick, RD: “Examples of some of my favorite simple recipes. Most all of them can be made in about 5 minutes, have less then 5 ingredients and cost much less than 5 dollars.” https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.204432390124.260255.177550385124More on the basic recipe formula, cost and nutritional breakdown: https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10519Thanks for the info. I eat this stuff much of the time. But to deny oneself meat, fish, cheese, dairy, eggs, etc., all the time, is not realistic for 98% of the population. I notice also that NO ONE here has “personally” reversed heart disease by a plant-based diet. Its a lot of theoretical discussion–unless you have done itBased on the science, I would say it is realistic for over 99% of the population.My boyfriend had a triple bypass on his heart on Oct 27th, the Doctor told us that because we are vegan it helped to keep him alive, but its still in his genes. His Mothers whole family died of heart attacks. But we are still vegan, only now he is on many medications, which I am not happy withSusan, have you read “Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease” by Caldwell Esselstyn? It advocates not just a vegan diet, but a low fat (<10% of total calories) whole foods vegan diet. This specific type of vegan diet is very effective at reversing heart disease.Yes I have. We have been vegan for 11 years. I have read that one and Dr. Joel Furhmans. So yes we are not eating and meat or dairy for years. I am very healthy, but I don’t have that gene in me. We don’t have any salt or sugar in the house. I make everything we eat, so we know what is in it.@Jean: Suzuki’s Nature of Things is one of the longest running programs around anywhere. The science there is first rate, not only from Canada, but ‘round the world including the USA. For anyone to *fully* critique that program in 3 days, as it ran the preceding Thursday, is simply not on in my opinion. BTW, I am unable to open your link. I cannot understand why Americans are unable to view that CBC program, as it makes no sense that a video, as important as this would be country specific. Anyone else have that problem? To state categorically that it is diet alone that induces atherosclerosis simply will not wear. The other hugely mitigating factors are how much exercise and what kind, as well as the ole ‘stinkin’ thinkin’ programs, we humans run through our mind. The last item is crucial to how our bodies behave. It is this aspect that no science can quantify and why the dynamic about the villain cholesterol, is *incomplete* in and of itself. I’m still a vegan though! hahahahaA very interesting series of free audio lectures by Nathan Pritikin can be found here:https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/podcast/nathan-pritikin/Nathan Pritikin got cancer, depression and commited suicide, all typical of a low fat diet.	Africa,animal fat,animal products,candy,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cavities,cholesterol,corn,dental health,exercise,fat,fruit,greens,heart disease,heart health,junk food,LDL cholesterol,Lifestyle medicine,medical profession,medications,millet,mortality,mouthwash,oral health,plant protein,plant-based diets,plantains,Pritikin,protein,pumpkin,trans fats,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetables,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1787805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23045197,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=23045196,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2501914/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2378204/?page=1,
PLAIN-72	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	How Seafood Can Impact Brain Development	In my video Fish Intake Associated With Brain Shrinkage, I discussed evidence suggesting that mercury exposure through fish intake during pregnancy may decrease the size of the newborn’s brain. However, just because fish-eating mothers may give birth to children with smaller brains doesn’t necessarily mean their children will grow up with neurological defects. In the video, Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development, you can see real-time functional MRI scans of teens whose moms ate a lot of seafood when pregnant. Because these kinds of scans can measure brain activity, as opposed to just brain size, we can more accurately determine if exposure to mercury and PCBs affected these kids. You can see an MRI of what a normal brain looks like when you flash a light in someone’s eyes, but the MRI is significantly different for the mercury and PCB exposed brains, suggesting toxicant related damage to the visual centers in brain. (For more on the effect of mercury on teens, see Nerves of Mercury). Fish consumption may also increase the risk of our children being born with epilepsy. So does maternal fish consumption have an effect on how smart our kids turn out? The DHA in fish—a long chain omega 3 fatty acid—is good for brain development, but mercury is bad for brain development. So a group of researchers looked at 33 different fish species to see what the net effect of these compounds would have on children’s IQ. For most fish species, they found that “the adverse effect of mercury on the IQ scores of children exceeded the beneficial effects of DHA.” In fact, so much brainpower may be lost from fish consumption that the United States may actually lose $5 billion in economic productivity every year. For example, if pregnant women ate tuna every day, the DHA would add a few IQ points. But the mercury in that very same tuna would cause so much brain damage that the overall effect of eating tuna while pregnant would be negative, wiping out an average of eight IQ points. The only two fish that were more brain-damaging than tuna were pike and swordfish. At the other end of the spectrum, the brain boosting effect of DHA may trump the brain damaging effects of mercury in salmon by a little less than one IQ point. Unfortunately, IQ only takes into consideration the cognitive damage caused by mercury, not the adverse effects on motor function and attention and behavior deficits. We think that attention span may be particularly vulnerable to developmental mercury exposure, probably due to damage to the frontal lobes of the brain. And the IQ study didn’t take into account the relatively high levels of PCBs in salmon and the accompanying concerns about cancer risk. Sustainability concerns are another wrinkle, as farm-raised salmon are considered a “fish to avoid.” While king mackerel is considered a best choice for sustainability, the mercury levels are so high as to warrant avoiding consumption—exceeding both the FDA and EPA action levels for mercury contamination. But why risk any loss in intelligence at all when pregnant women can get all the DHA they want from microalgae supplements without any of the contaminants? We can then get the brain boost without the brain damage. More on PCBs in: 	Are you labeling all fish as having a greater negative ratio of mercury to DHA, or are there sources of fish and shellfish where the DHA positive effect is far higher than the negative mercury effect (level)?What about some species of wild caught shrimp, virtually void of mercury, as well as cold water mussels and clams, all showing very little if any mercury at times? And what about the Japanese fish eaters? There are lots of them.To my knowledge not all fish and shellfish contain PCB’s and mercury at levels that negate the positive DHA benefits, as well as natural B12, but please someone correct me if I am wrong. We deserve clarity here, and we need it!!!!…….I want to be plant-based and vegan as much as possible, but I also would like to know the big picture for this issue, and not just assume that there are not fish and shellfish out there that can be of benefit for people who struggle with digestion issues/nutrient depletion,absorption/amino acid absorption on a vegan diet……..as well as being able to handle B12 supplements without adverse effects.What about sardines?Dr. Greger, you mention microalgae supplements as a good alternative. What about flax seed?From my understanding, if you don’t get DHA sources from animal products, your body converts ALA (the main source of Omega 3 in flaxseed) to DHA more efficiently.According to an article in Nutrition Reviews (Vol. 66, pp. 326-332), between eight and 20 per cent of ALA is converted to EPA in humans, and between 0.5 and nine percent of ALA is converted to DHA. In addition, the gender plays an important role with women of reproductive age reportedly converting ALA to EPA at a 2.5-fold greater rate than healthy men.At 0.5-9%, you’d have to consume a lot of ALA to reach your daily dose.I thought Gregor had previously warned against algae supplements in the video on spirulina…. I’m confused…Johnb: Here’s my understanding: There are different types of algea. Spirulina is a type that is associated with becoming contaminated and having problems. However, the “microalgea” DHA pills you can buy are made from special algea that is grown in highly controlled sterile environments. No worries (all else being equal) about contamination.Make sense?Have been consuming Manitoba Organic Hemp Oil, cold pressed, contains Omega 3 & 6. Comments appreciated.I eat the seeds.	adolescence,algae,attention deficit,brain health,children,cognition,EPA,epilepsy,FDA,fish,heavy metals,infants,mackerel,mental health,mercury,omega-3 fatty acids,pregnancy,salmon,seafood,supplements,swordfish,tuna,vision,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22206970,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22079313,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21543421,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22453298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22534056,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20699117,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21545807,
PLAIN-73	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/30/why-pregnant-women-should-avoid-tuna/	Why Pregnant Women Should Avoid Tuna	All fish contain small amounts of methylmercury, the most toxic form of mercury, and “fish consumption represents the main source of methylmercury exposure.” In my videos Nerves of Mercury and Fish Fog, I discuss how mercury exposure through fish consumption, even within the government’s safety limits, can have adverse neurological and behavioral effects on child development. Severe exposure can cause overt structural brain abnormalities like microcephaly, a shrunken brain disorder. But we didn’t know whether low exposure could also affect brain size until recently. Autopsy studies suggest mercury preferentially affects the developing cerebellum, so researchers used ultrasound to measure cerebellum size in newborns of mothers who had high body levels of mercury. Let’s put those levels into practical terms. In the video, Fish Intake Associated with Brain Shrinkage, you can see the results of a study measuring mercury concentration in human hair. Just one can of tuna a week raises human hair mercury concentration to levels nearly three times as high as the “high” group in the ultrasound study. So the bodies of the women suffering high mercury contamination were considered heavily contaminated, but even just a little canned tuna once in a while could bump our levels even higher. So the high really wasn’t that high. But what did they find? The researchers demonstrated that babies born to mothers with higher hair mercury levels had cerebellums up to 14% shorter than those born to mothers with lower hair mercury levels. They conclude that prenatal exposure to what may be considered low-levels of methylmercury does indeed influence fetal brain development as evidenced “by decreased size of a newborn’s brain.” But what about the long chain omega-3 DHA in fish—isn’t that necessary for healthy brain development? That’s the topic of my video Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development. For more on canned tuna in particular, check out: 	“cerebellums up to 14% shorter”“Up to” is a lousy way to summarize a distribution. It’s common in advertising, but not consistent with a scientific frame of mind.(Disclaimer: I am a subscriber to this site and I don’t eat fish.)Agreed with the “up to 14%” comment.And what about the selenium intake….i’ve read selenium prevents the detrimental effects of the mercury. Is there truth in this theory?Dr. Greger, or any other Dr.’s or knowledgeable folks here…..how about transdermal iodine? Safe? Effective? Prudent? Both vegans and non-vegans claim it is an awesome source of iodine but does it work, and is there reason for concern? Having hard time tracking down literature on this, in regards to “science”. Thanks.What about trout?Does trout pose a risk to pregnant women?All fish contain methylmercury, none of which is good for pregnant women, fetuses, or anyone else. Fish also contain other accumulated toxins, cholesterol, saturated fat, parasites, etc.Why needlessly subject yourself or your children to health hazards? All of the nutrients derived from fish -and other animal products- can be obtained more healthfully, humanely and environmentally responsibly from plant sources. Do the responsible thing: be vegan, for everyone’s sake.My son and his wife went trout fishing. I’m wondering how much mercury is in trout because she’s pregnant. I am a vegan but they are not. Spare me the lecture.But what about this study??The SCDS has shown that Seychellois children have a normal range of development when compared to children in developed countries. So far, we have not found clear evidence of abnormal or delayed development in children as a result of their mother’s consumption of fish during pregnancy.The Seychelles Child Development Study (SCDS) is a research project involving the Ministries of Health and Education in Seychelles, the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, and the University of Rochester in the United States. The study began in the mid-1980s with two main objectives:To study child development in the Republic of SeychellesTo study factors, such as diet, that may modulate associations between mercury exposure and child developmentTo study effects of prenatal and postnatal mercury exposureTo study exposure to organic and inorganic mercuryTo study factors that modulate associations between mercury exposure and child developmentTo study the relation between mercury exposure and disabilities such as Autismhttp://www.urmc.rochester.edu/pediatrics/research/Seychelles-Child-Development-Study.aspxThis is giving me a scare. My husband and I are planning to have our first baby. As I have been reading posts and articles about the path to pregnancy, but it seems difficult to cope with. For instance http://bit.ly/1s6wUdY, I am thinking how difficult it would be to go through the 9 months. Other than chicken, fish is not just my father’s, but my favorite as well. Are there any alternative source for omega 3 other than the food supplement such as fish oil I am taking?Flax seed and walnuts are good omega 3 sources.Call me an elephant, but I just love nuts. Didn’t realize walnuts are good sources for omega 3 too. Thanks.Andrea: If you are OK with taking pills, then how about using an algea based DHA (omega 3) pill? The vegan omega 3 pills are completely safe. There are several companies out there now that sell fish-free omega 3. I’ve even seen one in my local health food store. Here is an on-line example (I’m not promoting any particular brand. Just giving you an idea): http://www.devanutrition.com/vegan_dha_softgels.htmlAlso, I thought you might be interested in the following page which does a good job of explaining *safe* nutrition options for pregnant women, infants, on up through teens. http://www.vrg.org/family/kidsindex.htmHi Thea, thanks for sharing me this. I am enlightened. I know I can’t win my friends with salad, but I don’t mind. Perhaps, people will know what a wonderful life is with all these veggies. My husband is trying to cooperate, he plans to have an all veggie week this week.Andrea: Good luck! Eating healthy can be a learning curve, but when you get over it, you will look back and think that it’s really not all that hard.I did want to point out one little thing: You mentioned “veggies” twice. I just want to make sure that is your short-hand for “whole plant foods”. The point is: You don’t have to *just* eat vegetables/salad. If you tried that, I imagine you would be hungry a lot. And you might miss out on some important nutrition. So, don’t forget all of the other foods that are so good (and filling) to have in your diet: whole intact grains (barley, rice, quinoa, millet, farro, wheat berries, steel cut oats, etc), legumes (all those beans and pea varieties), fruit (especially berries), and nuts and seeds (in moderation = 1-2 ounces a day).If you are new to this, I recommend some good cookbooks that will give you some good ideas and are delicious! A new one I just got attached to is Vegan Casseroles. And some old favorites (all available on Amazon) are: Everyday Happy Herbivore, Let Them Eat Vegan, and Vegan On The Cheap. Some friends of mine are swearing by the new book, Thug Kitchen (and you can get a lot of their recipes for free on-line.) But the book has too much swearing for me to get myself.Hope that helps. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for both you and your husband!Hi Thea! I have to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. It’s been almost a month now that we’re having brown rice and considering oat meal and peanut butter for breakfast. Perhaps, I wouldn’t notice the change, but my friends and my husband did. The whole vegetable thing for lunch and dinner is really helping. As far as I know I need to keep a healthy body before we are having our first baby. (that rhymes, eh?) And that means, I have to lose these extra pounds. I hope next year would be a good year for us.	brain health,children,cognition,fish,heavy metals,infants,mental health,mercury,pregnancy,safety limits,seafood,tuna,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21195558,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22732656,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3768541,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13588955,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8714873,
PLAIN-74	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/	How Fatty Foods May Affect Our Love Life	The food industry, like the tobacco companies and other drug lords, has been able to come up with products that tap into the same dopamine reward system that keeps people smoking cigarettes, using marijuana, and eating candy bars (See Are Sugary Foods Addictive?). New research, highlighted in my video Are Fatty Foods Addictive? suggests that fat may have similar effects on the brain. If people are fed yogurt packed with butter fat, within 30 minutes they exhibit the same brain activity as those who just drank sugar water. People who regularly eat ice cream (sugar and fat) have a deadened dopamine response in their brains in response to drinking a milkshake. It’s similar to when drug abusers have to use more and more to get the same high. Frequent ice cream consumption “is related to a reduction in reward-region (pleasure center) responsivity in humans, paralleling the tolerance observed in drug addiction.” Once we’ve so dulled our dopamine response, we may subsequently overeat in an effort to achieve the degree of satisfaction experienced previously, contributing to unhealthy weight gain. What do fatty and sugary foods have in common? They are energy-dense. It may be less about the number of calories than their concentration. Consumption of a calorie-dilute diet doesn’t lead to deadened dopamine responsivity, but a calorie-dense diet with the same number of calories does. It’s like the difference between cocaine and crack: same stuff chemically, but by smoking crack cocaine we can deliver a higher dose quicker to our brain. As an aside, I found it interesting that the control drink in these milkshake studies wasn’t just water. They can’t use water because our brain actually tastes water on the tongue (who knew!). So instead the researchers had people drink a solution “designed to mimic the natural taste of saliva.” Ew! Anyway, with this new understanding of the neural correlates of food addiction, there have been calls to include obesity as an official mental disorder. After all, both obesity and addiction share the inability to restrain behavior in spite of an awareness of detrimental health consequences, one of the defining criteria of substance abuse. We keep putting crap in our bodies despite the knowledge that we have a problem that is likely caused by the crap, yet we can’t stop (a phenomena called the “pleasure trap”). Redefining obesity as an addiction, a psychiatric disease, would be a boon to the drug companies that are already working on a whole bunch of drugs to muck with our brain chemistry. For example, subjects given an opiate blocker (like what’s done for people with heroin overdoses to block the effects of the drug) eat significantly less cheese — it just doesn’t do as much for them anymore when their opiate receptors are blocked. Rather than taking drugs, though, we can prevent the deadening of our pleasure center in the first place by sticking to foods that are naturally calorically dilute, like whole plant foods. This can help bring back our dopamine sensitivity such that we can again derive the same pleasure from the simplest of foods (see Changing Our Taste Buds). And this is not just for people who are obese. When we regularly eat calorie dense animal and junk foods like ice cream, we can blunt our pleasure so that we may overeat to compensate. When our brain down-regulates dopamine receptors to deal with all these jolts of fat and sugar, we may experience less enjoyment from other activities as well. That’s why cocaine addicts may have an impaired neurological capacity to enjoy sex, and why smokers have an impaired ability to respond to positive stimuli. Since these all involve the same dopamine pathways, what we put into our body—what we eat—can affect how we experience all of life’s pleasures. So to live life to the fullest, what should we do? The food industry, according to some addiction specialists, “should be given incentives to develop low calorie foods that are more attractive, palatable and affordable so that people can adhere to diet programs for a long time.” No need! Mother Nature beat them to it–that’s what the produce aisle is for. By starting to eat healthfully, we can actually change how things taste. Healthiest means whole plant foods, which tend to be naturally dilute given their water and fiber content. Not only is fiber also calorie-free, but one might think of it as having “negative” calories, given the fermentation of fiber in our bowel into anti-obesity compounds (as well as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer compounds). For this reason, those eating plant-based diets eat hundreds of fewer calories without even trying. (See my video Nutrient-Dense Approach to Weight Management). 	This is the theory on “massive ingestion” of raw fruits such as dates and bananas, in that their such intense pleasurable effect (high-sugar) can take over the dopamine response. One can become less motivated. Basically, satisfied by the fruit, missing out on living. Any thoughts on this? Sort of like being drunk on fruit.Natural sugar doesn’t have the same effect on the body as manufactured sugar.Dr. G, I thought that marijuana activated cannabinoid receptors instead of the dopamine reward system. (Of course, now that I think about it, I’m sure there’s no reason it couldn’t activate both.) In either case, does marijuana’s activation of the dopamine reward system make marijuana harmful? I’m especially curious about this given the rise of medical marijuana and, frankly, the rise of legalized recreational marijuana. We all know that pretty much all smoke is carcinogenic, but is marijuana itself harmful, say if it’s infused into olive oil? I’ve heard that moderate use (1-2 times a month) is actually beneficial, especially to one’s psychology, and I’d really like to hear your thoughts on that.Did they do a study about consuming fat alone? Or were they all sugar + fat? Seems to me it may be the sugar not the fat.Nope. Not sugar alone. As I addressed in Dr. Greger’s previous blog post, no one binges on spoonfuls of pure white cane sugar.Disqus is not playing well with my cellphone right now, so I can’t copy and paste a link to my post (try my Disqus profile)…also…. Try Googling the title, “Cheesecake-eating rats and the question of food addiction “.Then the title of this article is misleading. That’s like smoking crack and eating an apple at the same time and then blaming the apple for the addiction. Why not study eating fat alone and see what happens?What about sodas? They’re nothing but sugar and water and people certainly binge on them.Soda is not plain sugar and water. There ‘s more going on there, what with flavorings and CO2 and who knows what else. It’s an experience beyond sugar water.All you need to know is a can of Coke contains close to 40 grams of sugar. Find a study where fat was consumed with no sugar and no simple carbs.Here ya go.Why are you posting a pic of yourself?Not me. That’s the unbalanced author of Keto Clarity, who promotes a very low carb, very high fat diet.What does this photo have to do with you not being able to find a study of fat consumption without sugar or simple carbs? And what about the misleading title in this post?Misread your comment. Thought you wanted an example of excessive fat consumption without sugar and simple carbs and Jimmy came to mind immediately.Why do you need to fat shame Jimmy? At least he has the courage to leave it all out there… http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/beforeandafterAnyone who writes books promoting damaging nutritional falsehoods, and lies about his own health and weight cycling, lies whicht contradict his own public blog posts deserves to be called out on that. It’s not fat shaming.This post is not about him. You brought him into this discussion. You keep avoiding answering why the title of this post misleading. And?I did not say the title of this post is misleading. That’s what you said. Answer your own doggone question. I’ve got a good night’s sleep to get. Over and out.“Answer your own doggone question.” LOL I must’ve hit a nerve. Good night. I hope you toss and turn all night dreaming up an answer to my question.Dear MacSmiley, I think it was very kind of you to try and help someone else with their questions!And don’t forget, there’s a sizable amount of sodium in soft drinks as well.45mg is sizable? Why can’t you admit the main problem with soda is the 40 grams of sugar?I didn’t say 40g of sugar aren’t a problem. I’m saying that isolated sugar is unpalatable and non-addictive unless combined with other agents. We tend not to eat plain sugar but use it to make other substances palatable. It’s the synergistic combinations that are the real problem.Okay, I’m confused. I have pre-diabetes from decades of following a grain-heavy vegan diet, so I now strictly limit my grain consumption, almost down to zero. I currently get about 35% of my calories from fatty plant-based foods (nut butters, avocados, etc.). This has helped me drop my high glucose levels well into the normal range, cause for celebration! But all these fats make me a bit nervous, especially given this post. Should I be? Am not overweight…Hi, Russell. Yes, you should be concerned … I can assure you that grains cannot and do not cause diabetes.Check out this excellent TED talk on diabetes, by Dr. Neal Barnard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktQzM2IA-qUIn most people’s minds (including medical doctors), carbohydrate (sugar and starch) is the cause of blood sugar metabolic disorders like diabetes. However, although carbohydrate calories do count, in the sense that the blood sugar goes up right after eating a meal, this is actually normal … and it does not make the underlying disease of diabetes worse. Insulin is released from the pancreas after eating, and it causes body cells to take up carbohydrate and fat cells to take up fat (triglycerides).When insulin doesn’t work well, the blood sugar rises, and diabetes is diagnosed. In type 2 diabetes, this ineffectiveness is caused by “insulin resistance” … which is actually caused by dietary FAT, not SUGAR. The video above explains how fat “paralyzes” insulin. Diabetics should actually be “fat-counting,” not “carbohydrate counting,” in order to improve their underlying disease.Almost all type-2 diabetics can REVERSE their disease by minimizing dietary fat. Type-1 diabetics will find their insulin needs decreasing by about 30% when they avoid the fat and add the carbohydrate.Thanks Laurie, you’ve sparked my interest. But here’s the thing — if I eat a normal sized bowl of rolled oats, my blood glucose shoots to about 180 and takes five hours to get back to 100. But if I eat a whole avocado with hemp seeds mixed in, I only spike to 125, and am down to 85 an hour later. So, you’re saying I shouldn’t be concerned about the grain-effect upon my glucose? There are many studies suggesting that any spikes above 140 are damaging to the internal organs. I should ignore those?It’s saturated fat that’s implicated in insulin resistance and diabetes, not the mostly unsaturated fat in nuts, seeds, and avocadoes.And you “know” this how? I do not believe the saturated fat in nuts is any different than the one in red meat. If “fat” in the cell reduces the ability of insulin to take in the glucose where is your study that says it has to be saturated fat?I’ll work on getting you a reference tomorrow from a college prof.Meanwhile, keep in mind there are many different types of fatty acids which collectively compose fat, and there are a number of different saturated fatty acids, some of which are problematic and some which are not. Palmitic and myristic acids are considered the most injurious. The jury may still be out on Lauric acid.College prof refers me to a Google Scolar search of “saturated fat ceramides diabetes” which reveals a number of studies. Sorry Disqus isn’t accepting my attempts to C&P.Sorry, I am not impressed! You see many food items that people get addicted to like ice cream, red meat and many other items have high levels of saturated fats. Even if these things do lead to diabetes it does not mean that other type of fats would not do the same thing if consumed at the same levels. I did not say saturated fat was good nutrition but said there is no proof that it is not any type of fat in the cell that knocks off the insulin…What are you looking for? Incontrovertible proof that 35% plant fat is healthy? Dr. Fuhrman seems to think so. The Mediterranean diet is allegedly 40% fat and healthy.To be “heart attack proof”, low fat is ideal to maintain adequate cholesterol numbers. This 2 year study looked at coronary artery lesions of the heart after consuming different types of fat. Polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat and Saturated fat. They looked at angiograms a year apart after intervening with increasing one type of fat in each group. All 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing.http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/263/12/1646.abstract?sid=47d1d016-3c15-43f4-a013-0d10144ef8e3Interesting reference going back to 1990. I would love to see the same study done with IVUS.Meanwhile, forgive my confusion. It’s due to other references I have come across.For example, in Dr. Greger’s newest year in review video, he mentions a patient who resolved his angina with a vegan diet which was not, in fact, a low-fat vegan diet.Also, in an interview on NPR, Dr. Steven Nissen maintained that a study demonstrated atheroma regression by means of a Mediterranean diet. Sorry I don’t know his source. (PREDMED, maybe?)Russell: If I may jump in here, I believe what is being said is that your blood spike is a symptom not a cause. When you eat a lot of those fatty foods, you are treating the symptom, not the cause. This may seem reasonable, except that the cause of insulin resistance is having a lot of fat in your cells. So, by eating all those fatty foods, you are continuing to make the disease worse. It’s not that your blood spike is good. It’s that you want to change your diet so that when you eat your bowl of oats, you do not have a dangerous level of blood spike.I think Laurie’s post was really great. In addition to her information and the video she listed, I recommend taking a look at the following book, which is as great for pre-diabetics as it is for people who already have it: “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program For Reversing Diabetes: The scientifically proven system for reversing diabetes without drugs” Dr. Barnard’s diet is 3 times more effective than the ADA diet which counts carbs – I believe because Dr. Barnard is addressing the cause, not the symptoms. http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414522846&sr=1-1&keywords=barnard+reverse+diabetesOne of the reasons I recommend this book for you is not only because you can read the great information at the front of the book at your leisure, but also because there are recipes in the back of the book, plus meal plans. So, you can see for yourself exactly what a diabetes-healthy diet looks like. If you stick with it, your blood spikes should return to normal size.Please note: I’m not a doctor. I’m just a lay person explaining what I’ve learned – and so many people have reported experiencing. Plus, it’s not just anecdotes. Dr. Barnard has published clinical research on this. It’s worth checking out.Thea, thanks for your comments, and to others as well for jumping in. Just to clarify, insulin resistance is not causing my problems with glucose. My recent labs showed that my LP-IR score is only 25, which is in the bottom quartile of the reference range. In other words, I don’t have insulin resistance in my cells, so excess fats are not the cause of my problems metabolizing glucose. The issue is low insulin production. So, it is far more likely that I’m not treating a symptom, but the actual problem — the excess glucose. Also, a recent carotid scan shows no plaque buildup, so…. just saying… I’m concerned about the fats but I don’t think that blaming insulin resistance is always going to be the correct answer.Aah! I replied below before I saw this new post … Eesh, good luck with it!And at the same time, I would surmise that reducing your dietary fat might yield superb results in any case. This is vitally important for blood-sugar metabolism and could be even more important in your case, because the last thing you want to do is CREATE insulin resistance … make sense? I’d be very interested to hear how it goes if you try this for a month.Just to blow your mind and bust your paradigms … check out this website from a type 1 diabetic (who obviously has the same insulin production problem) … you won’t believe what happened when SHE dropped the fat: http://www.healingdiabeteswithfruit.com/Laurie: Awesome posts in this thread. Thanks so much!Russell: Oh. Thank you for the clarification.Sounds like more of a typical Type 1 problem than at Type 2 problem??? I don’t have much to say on that one–other than, I don’t think there is any reason to believe this statement is true: “I have pre-diabetes from decades of following a grain-heavy vegan diet” My understanding is that type 1 is an auto-immune response that has nothing to do with eating grains.As for your question about eating a diet that is 35% fat – I think the worry would be that you might develop type two diabetes to compliment your type 1. ;-( I don’t know if we have any good data relating fat percents to diabetes. But is a thought: my understanding is that the typical American diet was at one point 40% and now has gone down some. And Type 2 diabetes is still on the rise. Does it matter that your fats are all from plant foods? I don’t know…Seems like you are in a tough spot. I’m definitely not one to give any advice for you. I was just trying to help out with some ideas/analysis that might help you figure out what to do or what questions to ask a doctor.Good luck.Thea, actually Type 2 diabetes doesn’t necessarily involve insulin resistance. Here’s what the Mayo Clinic says:“Type 2 diabetes, once known as adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar (glucose), your body’s important source of fuel. With type 2 diabetes, your body either resists the effects of insulin — a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into your cells — or doesn’t produce enough insulin to maintain a normal glucose level.”It would appear that I’m in the second category.As for diabetes relationship to fat, I just found that in Crete, the diet in the 50s was 37% fat, with stunningly low levels of cardiovascular events (for many reasons including only 15 lbs/yr/person of sugar intake, the lowest in the world, lots of anti-oxidant veggies, exercise, etc). So we know that high fat levels can be okay for the heart if other lifestyle factors are taken care of properly. http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/tdaug2007pg34.shtmlAnd in this BMJ study below that I just found, it appears that a typical Mediterranean diet like Crete’s is associated with an 85% reduction in diabetes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2427084/So, I think I’ve answered my own question. It appears that a high-fat diet, and even more likely in my view, a high-fat vegan diet, should be extremely healthy for those of us with pre-diabetes, or vascular conditions as well.Last point, I can’t prove that my heavy grain-based diet caused my condition. Perhaps I have late onset Type 1 autoimmune diabetes instead. All I know is that I ate TONS of pasta, brown rice, quinoa, pizzas, etc., People were always amazed to watch me eat a 2 lb bowl of whole wheat spaghetti, or a whole pizza with fake cheese by myself. One can overdo anything and even a vegan diet isn’t bullet-proof, I believe, if grains or flours are excessive.I think you’ve got it exactly. Balance your healthy fats, lots of vegies, some whole grains but not too much,berries, some fruits, lots of legumes and some flavorful plant based sauces and you should be good. By the way, it also tastes better than heavy grain and carb. John S PDX ORI am in the same boat with you, Russell – approaching pre-diabetes despite following a vegan diet and being normal weight. In my case, the pre-diabetes is no doubt the result of decades of sugar addiction. Seeing my blood glucose levels shoot up was enough to motivate me to kick the sugar habit and go on the wagon. The higher GI index carbs, like whole wheat breads and potatoes, are also a problem for me. I replaced them with more nuts, seeds, flax, and avocados (35% dietary fat), and my total cholesterol dropped 60 points to 126, A1c is low, and blood glucose levels stay nice and steady. Following a vegan diet, exercise, and avoiding oils and high GI carbs seems to be a winner. I question whether the fats in nuts, seeds, and avocados are to be avoided. Maybe they have a different effect on our dopamine reward system and insulin resistance than animal fats.Suepy, thanks for your feedback. It’s nice to know I’m not alone in my vegan, low-carb, high-fat diet :) What I haven’t mentioned yet is that my lipid particle sizes are in the ideal range, triglycerides are at 44, and HDL is at 90. These are better lipid values than anyone I know. And my A1C is down to 5.3. I’m beginning to think that ine day, this may be considered the most healthful diet in the world. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any studies being done on it yet.Dr David Jenkins, aka the glycemic index guy, has been doing studies using added nuts in the diet and concluded that two ounces of nuts daily as a replacement for carbohydrate foods improved both glycemic control and serum lipids in type 2 diabetes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21715526 He also tested a vegan, low-carb (Eco-Atkins) diet and found that it had lipid lowering advantages over a high-carb, low-fat weight loss diet. http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/4/2/e003505.full I tried the Eco-Atkins diet and noticed that my energy level was lower, so I added back more healthy carbs – beans, lentils, barley, fruit – which gives me a ratio of 50% carb, 35% fat, and 15% protein. If I do eat some higher GI carbs, then exercising (fast walk, jumping jacks, stairs) within 45 minutes will reverse my rising blood glucose down to an acceptable range. Let’s raise a toast to nuts!Dr. Greger has a recent video on LDL particle size. It’s mostly irrelevant. Large “fluffy” or buoyant LDL is not protective or benign. The current consensus is that it’s the particle number (concentration or LDL-P) in the blood that determines atherogenicity, not particle size.Suepy, that’s so smart of you to notice that you can eater higher carbs if you exercise almost immediately. I do that too. But it takes me a lot of running to keep just one Cliff Bar from shooting me up to 150. My own diet is higher in protein — I rely a lot on seitan, and soy products like Tofurky — because lentils and chickpeas send my glucose up a lot too. But otherwise quite similar.I love your thoughts about dopamine and am sure this must relate to the fats. I’m far less hungry now than at any other time in my life, and sometimes I just forget to eat. That NEVER would have happened to me when I was on a carb-rich vegan diet. My problem now is finding a way to keep my weight on. A BMI of 20.0 is just a tad too skinny! How’s your weight?My BMI is 19.4, no problem keeping weight off. My metabolism seems to have sped up with this higher healthy fat, lower fast carb way of eating. Adding lots of fiber rich veggies and a shot of lemon juice while eating carbs also helps keep the glucose level down. Have you ever tried chana dal? It’s very low GI and a good substitute for lentils or garbanzos. http://www.mendosa.com/chanadal.htmlSeitan is great, handles any seasoning or sauce you throw on it. Since it’s low fat, that leaves more room for nuts!So, based on a sample of two people, it seems that high-fat, low-carb vegans simply cannot get overweight. Sort of the opposite, actually! You would laugh to look in my fridge — I’ve got almond, peanut, cashew, walnut, and chia butter, and I eat them by the spoonful They are great snacks and protein sources!I’ll give the chana dal a try. Thanks! And the lemon juice. You may want to check out Dr. Greiger’s video on Amla. I’ve been using it, but haven’t really done a comparison of before/after, so not positive its working, but I think so….Btw, you’re not from the SF Bay Area, are you? Lots of progressive foodies here…A caveat to eating more nuts, seeds, and avocado: they can’t be consumed in addition to crap carbs without causing weight gain. Also important is having a source of omega 3 fats, like 2T ground flaxseed, chia, or hemp seeds. I also use very little olive, canola, or whatever oils, instead making my own tofu mayonnaise and oil free dressings, and using water or broth for stir frying.Hull-less barley makes a great breakfast cereal, although granted not a fast cooker. http://www.mendosa.com/blog/?p=138 I boil a big pot of barley on the weekend, put half of it in mason jars to toss in the freezer, and keep the rest in the fridge. For a quick breakfast, add to a cup of cold (or heated) barley 1T chia seeds, a handful of raw pumpkin, sesame, sunflower seeds and walnuts or almonds, and a chopped apple or fresh berries. If blood glucose levels are not an issue, add currants, raisins, dried cranberries, or soaked goji berries. Yum.Sue P. sweet home ChicagoYou’re a font of helpful information! I love these ideas, thank you. The only caveat — my dentist told me to stop eating so many nuts because they are grinding down my enamel, lol. So, moderate doses of whole seeds/nuts I guess, and will stick mostly to nut butters.Russell, you’re welcome! Like you, I was cautious about upping my fat intake while reducing carbs to control glucose levels, especially after reading Dr Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes. Fats have had a lot of bad press! I also tried the Ornish method (vegan version), but found the very low fat part hard to maintain. Fortunately, Dr David Jenkin’s studies are revealing the value of healthy fats, and Dr Joel Fuhrman, although parallel to McDougall, Esselstyn, et al, differs from them in his support of nuts and seeds in the diet.Definitely what we need are more studies that examine the health benefits of different whole food plant based diets, tailored to individual metabolisms. Meanwhile the proof is in the pudding, via good test results: lipids-check, A1c-check, weight-check, feel great-check.Amla, flax, and turmeric took some experimenting to find a palatable delivery method. I don’t know if amla is helping – I trust the good Dr G’s recommendations. Isn’t there a test for antioxidant levels in the blood? And speaking of SF, it’s home to Robert Lustig and his great talk Sugar: The Bitter Truth, which points the finger to sugar as the real villain instead of fat. http://uctv.tv/shows/Sugar-The-Bitter-Truth-16717Whether the fat in nuts and seeds are addictive maybe needs to be examined, but I must admit to a love affair with almonds and pistachios.Suepy, the healthy fats issue is going to be controversial for some time. David Jenkins, for example, has been shellacked for his conflicts-of-interest, including Unilever, Bayer, and the Nut and Soy Industries. This link below on the fats issue is fascinating and lays out both sides pretty well (Jenkins’ conflicts are outlined in the second comment below the article). I’d love your thoughts on it.http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2010/11/monounsaturated-fats.htmlFyi, I spoke personally to Esselstyn this summer, and he remains adamant that eating nuts and avocados is a terrible choice even for diabetics. On the other hand, Denise Minger has a story online that seriously attacks his credibility, and it also happens to be quite funny and entertaining. She’s not a scientist, but is a young and original mind in the field:http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review-and-critique/#more-1487I hope that Fuhrmann’s view is correct — thanks for sharing that.As for sugar, I agree that minimizing it is important and I rarely eat cane sugar myself, but Lustig goes too far. Please check out Dr. David Katz’s takedown of Lustig in the Huffington Post. Katz is Director of the Yale Prevention Research Center:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/sugar-health-evil-toxic_b_850032.htmlThere’s lots to chew on here!Russell: Hi again. I just had to comment on one more thing. I recommend being very careful about Denise Minger. She may be young. And she may be “original”. But that doesn’t mean that she makes any sense, has any real science to back up what she says, or has integrity. To back up what I say: Denise also made an attack on Plant Positive. If you look at Plant Positive’s response to Denise, you will see what I mean in terms of my criticisms of Denise: http://plantpositive.com/display/Search?moduleId=19496100&searchQuery=Denise+Minger (Just scroll down until you find the link that starts with his first response and move on if interested.)Just something to think about.Thanks Thea. Yes, I see what you mean and am very disappointed that Minger is not speaking in an objective, intellectually rigorous, or impartial way. She appears to have failed to give appropriate credit as well. Sorry you’ve had to put up with that.Nonetheless, her criticisms of Esselstyn’s original heart study are not completely baseless. In Forks Without Knives, for example, there was a patient with extremely high triglyceride levels, and yet that wasn’t considered a cardiovascular problem… why not? These are very dense, atherogenic particles. Easily controlled of course, by limiting carbs… there were also failures to account for patients who dropped out of the study. I’d love to see more detail, and explanation, on his studies to help guide our appropriate understanding. Do you know if his work was ever published in a peer-reviewed journal?Russell: I don’t think Minder has very good objections. For example, the patients who dropped out of Esselstyn’s study were the patients who refused to follow the diet plan. And those patients *were* accounted for. Esselstyn takes great care to show that he followed those patients by showing the stats of those drop-outs compared to the stats of the patients who followed Esselstyn’s diet. (Those drop outs went on to have future heart attacks, including dying.) Those drop out patients were essentially the control group. It was great that there was drop outs so that we would have that comparison data.re: “Do you know if his work was ever published in a peer-reviewed journal?” I don’t know the details, but the back of Esselstyn’s book includes a appendix titled “Publications on Heart Disease by the Author” and includes listings for The American Journal of Cardiology, The Journal of Family Practice, Preventative Cardiology, etc. I don’t know if those count or not.Thanks Thea, that’s helpful information and I agree with your comment.Btw, have you continued to follow this thread? Suepy and I are figuring out all the world’s diet problems :) Personally, I’d love to see Dr. Greger jump in with his thoughts on the high veggie fat issue, but if so, he should first look at the great study link that Suepy just sent. Someone reputable needs to blow the whistle on the high whole grain, low-fat vegan diet for people with diabetes risks. The data just isn’t supporting that approach. I think it looked good in the beginning because it helps lower BMI, but then the proponents became dogmatic. The fact is that higher MUFAs on a vegan diet will help A1c levels, not hurt them. And as for the heart data, well, I haven’t seen anything yet suggesting that high-fat vegan diets contribute to plaque formation or CVD. Thanks much.Russell: I love your and Suepy’s enthusiasm for figuring out nutrition needs. I didn’t follow your discussion in detail. I just skimmed and decided that the best way to be supportive was for me to stay out of it. :-)Except that I couldn’t resist commenting on the assertion that native Alaskans, etc are examples of people who eat high fat and manage to be heart disease-free. It’s just not true. If you missed my post on that topic and can’t find it, I’d be happy to repost for you. I think that accurate information on that point is important for the conclusions you are trying to draw.Since you addressed me specifically, I’ll give you some more food for thought:re: “Someone reputable needs to blow the whistle on the high whole grain, low-fat vegan diet for people with diabetes risks. The data just isn’t supporting that approach. I think it looked good in the beginning because it helps lower BMI, but then the proponents became dogmatic.” This isn’t true. Dr. Barnard’s clinical, published research on live humans with Type 2 diabetes did a whole lot more than lower BMI. He was able to reverse the diabetes, getting most people off of their medications by following a low fat vegan diet that includes legumes and whole intact grains. And there continues to be success stories from person after person. The data is most definitely there – both clinically and anecdotally.re: “And as for the heart data, well, I haven’t seen anything yet suggesting that high-fat vegan diets contribute to plaque formation or CVD.”I’ll remind you that Esselstyn’s original study included one person who did not drop out, and who did go on to have another heart attack (or some kind of heart event). After looking into it, Esselstyn found out that that person had in fact strayed from the proscribed diet and started sneaking more fat into his diet. Everyone else in the study, everyone who stayed with the diet, but who had originally been giving up on by their doctors, did not have future heart attacks. (If memory serves.) This is not terribly strong evidence. But I think it is worth noting.For some stronger evidence, I’m going to copy and paste a recent post from Toxins that begins to address this point:To be “heart attack proof”, low fat is ideal to maintain adequate cholesterol numbers. This 2 year study looked at coronary artery lesions of the heart after consuming different types of fat. Polyunsaturated fat (omega 3 type of fat) Monounsaturated fat (75% of which makes up olive oil) and Saturated fat (the kind found in mostly animal products). They looked at angiograms a year apart after intervening with increasing one type of fat in each group. All 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing.http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=381155——————-I’m not necessarily trying to change your mind. I’m just explaining why I don’t buy your theories personally. At least you can see that it is not a cut and dried topic. In other words, “Someone reputable needs to blow the whistle on…” is too strong a sentiment at this point for what the data is telling us. That’s my opinion anyway.I really do think it is great that you and Suepy have hit on a formula that you are excited about and believe in. For all I know, it may be just the ticket for your situations. I hope so!Thea,I very much appreciate your thoughts, as usual.The study you cite finds that those with the best outcomes switched to low fat meat and dairy while those with poorer outcomes had switched to polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats. My first concern is that the study isn’t based on those on a vegetarian or vegan diet, but on meat eaters, so I’m not sure it is entirely relevant; second, it sounds like the study doesn’t address the LDL issue that Dr Greger says is actually the most important factor. (I would read the full study but its not free online).In his video this week, entitled “How to Prevent Heart Disease”, he says, “…according to the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Cardiology, the only risk factor required for atherosclerotic plaques to form is elevated LDL, or “bad” cholesterol in our blood. Dr. William Clifford Roberts is the distinguished cardiac pathologist who doubles as the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Cardiology…. To drop our LDL cholesterol, we need to drop our intake of three things: trans fat (found in junk food and animal foods – See Trans Fat in Meat and Dairy); saturated fat (found in mostly animal foods); and dietary cholesterol (found exclusively in animal foods).” He doesn’t mention reducing PUFAs or MUFAs….As for the Inuits, I found this AJCN journal study below saying that Inuits have had very low ischemic heart disease as a result of their high omega diets, despite high levels of smoking and obesity. I’d appreciate your citation showing the opposite outcome, if you have one. Regardless, one cannot deny that there are populations who eat high fat diets with little or no heart disease, such as the Masai, and the Cretians. I’m curious if you think the studies are all poorly done, or if you have an alternative explanation for why this might be.Fyi, here’s the Inuit study:http://www.naturalomega-3.com/PDfs/seal_oil/journal_Inuit_of_Nunavik-Cardiovascular_Disease_Research.pdfI think there’s enough strong evidence to support low LDL recommendations, perhaps LDL 100 is right, at least until we know more, but there are many other factors that indigenous studies are pointing towards that we don’t yet understand. Perhaps high levels of grains, or sugars, or daily exercise play a major role, and perhaps this is why some people with low LDLs still experience plaque build-up. Also, triglycerides are clearly being overlooked given their atherogenic potential. As per my former citation by Dr. Alex Sigurdsson, the Triglyceride/HDL ratio may be a more accurate predictor of heart attack risk than LDL.We can probably develop a number of plausible theories why certain indigenous populations such as the Masai, Cretians, and others had high fat diets but low CHD problems. My speculation is that since they exercised prodigiously compared to modern populations, their TRIG/HDL ratios were superb, despite high fat intakes.Anyway, I feel as though our western understanding of heart disease is in its infancy, and it will be another decade before we really begin to get more complete answers.Until that happens, I don’t mind aiming for an LDL of 100 while continuing to eat plenty of nuts and avos. Suepy’s citations supporting nuts and seeds are pretty compelling and I encourage you to look at them.Finally, as for Dr. Barnard’s diet, I respectfully must disagree with the statement that he (or anyone) “reverses the diabetes”. If that were the case, patients could go back to their former diets and not experience glucose problems again for years or decades, until their cells eventually became resistant again. But that’s not what happens. They must stick to the new diet, or they experience a very rapid reversion to their former diabetic conditions. So I believe this term is misleading, at best. To be more accurate, Dr. Barnard should be saying that his diet “reverses the symptoms and progression of the disease.” Yes, he can get people off their medications, and that’s entirely accurate, and wonderful, truly great news. But a reversal is suggestive of a cure, which just isn’t correct.I’ll amend my comment about Dr. Barnard’s diet being inappropriate for those of us with diabetes or pre diabetes. What I should have said is that his diet is inappropriate for those of us who’s condition is related to insulin deficiency. We absolutely must limit carbs, and increase veggie proteins and fats, while keeping our LDLs within certain limits. Getting sufficient calories while keeping glucose and LDL low is a tough challenge.Russell, I’m still chewing on all the good links you gave – thanks! Here is a link to Dr Joel Fuhrman’s comments on including nuts and seeds in the diet: https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/nuts_seeds.aspx The 2010 study by Dr David Jenkins on adding monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) to a low cholesterol diet had some serious limitations. It was only for 2 months involving 24 people who switched to a cholesterol lowering diet that was hard to choke down. The MUFAs used were sunflower and avocado oil, so not exactly what ordinary people would eat! The diet itself lowered LDL levels in both the test and control groups, and the HDL did go up in the test group, but does that necessarily improve heart health? It made great news headlines, but wouldn’t a better test be to use vegans who already have lowered cholesterol levels and add MUFAs in the form of foods, like nuts, seeds, and avocado? Jenkins conflicts of interest also make one wonder.Denise Minger’s critique of Forks Over Knives and Drs Caldwell, Esselstyn, and McDougall was amusing in parts, very detailed, but is not enough to negate the merits of a WFPB diet. Her beef was with some old studies that might be flawed or have ambiguous conclusions, and which helped launch the doctors’ inquiries into plant based diets. The correlations these studies show are another piece in the puzzle, and have been valuable in casting a light on the huge role that diet plays in health. What does seem relevant are the success these doctors have had in treating a variety of diseases, not the strength of the studies.I noticed that Dr Barnard’s Power Foods for the Brain recommends one ounce of nuts and/or seeds daily as a good source of Vitamin E, the nutritionists Jack Norris and Virginia Messina in their book Vegan For Life suggest fat intake for vegans at 20-30% of calories, and Dr Andrew Weil’s diet for insulin resistance has monounsaturated fats at 30-35% and carbs at 40-45%. I doubt that Esselstyn et al have ever tried adding the healthy fats to their patients’ diets – Fuhrman has with great results. There should be a meeting of the minds; granted nuts etc have higher calories and saturated fat, but maybe their metabolism is different due to their high nutrient content. They could test this on a group of vegans who eat like squirrels by charting their lipid and A1c levels (us!).Bottom line: we should test our own levels and follow the diet that works best. People are amazingly complex and there is more going on in our bodies than we’ll ever understand. I was cautioning a friend who has gone vegetarian about the high cholesterol in eggs, and she replied that her dad ate 3 eggs daily and lived to 102. Go figure.Suepy, thanks for the Fuhrman piece. While obviously I hope he is correct and that one can safely and healthily eat over 2 servings a day of nuts, as I do. But I’m a bit put off by his fast and loose use of citations. For example, he cites a study that pumpkin seeds may prevent prostate cancer. But that’s not what the study that he cited said. It was testing the efficacy of pumpkin OIL, alone and in combination with saw palmetto, on BPH in men. First, the study wasn’t looking at cancer, only BPH; second, second, even if one makes the logical leap to assume that benefits to BPH extend to prostate cancer, the study itself shows that after 12 months, the pumpkin oil group’s PSA had reverted to their former values. In other words, no gain. The only group that actually experienced any 12 month PSA benefits was the pumpkin oil group combined with saw palmetto. So… gotta take Mr. Fuhrman’s conclusions with a grain of salt. Here’s the actual study if you want to see it:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2809240/I haven’t checked all of his citations but am concerned that he may not be 100% accurate on those either.On a more positive note, I love this graph that I’ve posted below which shows almost no heart disease in the Inuit, Masai, Rendelle, and Todelau populations despite saturated fat intakes of over 60%. The Paleo crowd uses this citation to support their view on eating animal products, but the argument is germane to our community as well. Why are people from Crete (in the 1950s), and indigenous people from Africa and other areas not susceptible to heart disease despite the high fat intakes? Is it their daily exercise, low BMIs, and other lifestyle factors?The recent meta study suggesting that saturated fats aren’t so bad after all has sent public health researchers into full defensive mode. See this statement from Harvard School of Public Health’s Chairman:http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2014/03/19/dietary-fat-and-heart-disease-study-is-seriously-misleading/Harvard’s conclusion is that the substitution of animal products with refined starch or sugar does not create an improvement in public health or reduce cardiovascular risks. In other words, substituting a lot of processed grains for meat and dairy is simply maintaining the status quo.Uh oh. This is disconcerting as most of my vegetarian friends eat a lot of bread, pasta, rice, and other processed grains because they believe those are safer, which may not be true.Anyway, this begs the question as to whether perhaps all grains may lead to elevated CVD risks. I haven’t seen the data suggesting that someone who eats mostly whole grains has a reduced CVD risk versus someone, say, in Italy who eats mostly pasta.To the contrary, grains directly elevate triglycerides. According to cardiologist Alex Siggurdson’s citations, the ratio of triglycerides to HDL is a far stronger predictor of future CVD risks than LDL itself or many other measures:http://www.docsopinion.com/2014/07/17/triglyceride-hdl-ratio/The best way to lower triglycerides? Cut out grains and sugars. Harvard’s Chairman may be on the right track with his statement, but perhaps he hasn’t gone far enough. What if the heart epidemic that we are experiencing today involves not just saturated fats but also all starches and sugars, refined and whole?But how would that explain the Inuits and Masai? Just as you and I found that we can increase our carbohydrate intake if we immediately exercise, and our glucose won’t spike as it usually does (since we are pre-diabetic). Maybe because the Masai are moving their bodies all day long, these saturated fats aren’t stagnating and jamming up their cells. Instead, they are burning everything off immediately.Maybe the problem is simply a problem of excess: excess grains, excess fats, excess sugars, excess proteins. And then sitting for 12 hours a day.Good question, Russell, why don’t these indigenous people have heart disease on their high fat diets? Have their bodies adapted over the centuries, or is there something else in their diet that compensates, or is the fat not a problem in an unprocessed form? In our Western diet, food processing has probably caused the greatest harm, plus our excess consumption. We assumed that 100% whole grain breads were healthy, but grinding the grains into a flour changed their composition to a fast carb. Same with black beans – moderate GI until blended into black bean soup, then a higher GI. Centenarians around the world eat grains, but in Okinawa circa 1950 in much lower quantity, so grains per se might not be the problem. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa_dietI’m wondering how common insulin resistance and diminished insulin are among the US population? Few doctors seem to care about or measure insulin levels, just the fasting glucose. By the way, Dr Robert Lustig has amended his message to an anti-processed foods campaign. I think he needs to take a closer look at a WFPB diet for his overweight kids. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/19/learning-to-cut-the-sugar/?_r=1 And I’ll take that grain of salt with Dr Fuhrman or anyone who might be too eager to make a point.Suepy, I enjoyed reading your Okinawan diet link. Things the Okinawans seem to have shared with the Masai and Inuits — almost no sugar and dairy, and only a modest amount of grains (the Okinawans ate half the rice of their Japanese counterparts). The major difference appears to be that the Okinawans ate a lot of veggies and sweet potatoes, and very little fat, while the Inuits and Masai ate a lot of saturated fat and not so many veggies.The Cretians ate a bit more dairy, sugar, and grains, but reportedly in low or moderate amounts. And they had plenty of vegetable fats as we discussed. Again, the fats appear not to have been an issue.Another major common denominator between all groups was very high levels of daily exercise as part of their normal lives as is typical in these agrarian or hunter-gatherer cultures.It’s still strange to me that meat/fish wasn’t a problem for the Inuits, Masai, and Cretians. It makes me wonder if perhaps meat and/or fish only becomes a problem once dairy and sucrose are added to a diet, especially in combination with an overabundance of calories and the failure to do rigorous exercise every day. Interestingly, in the 7th Day Adventist studies, the pesco-vegetarians did as well on overall mortality as their vegetarian counterparts. This site has a lot more info on vegan/veggie mortality data:http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/dxratesTotally agree about M.D.s testing insulin levels.suepy: re: “why don’t these indigenous people have heart disease on their high fat diets?” Actually, they do. At least their blood work shows signs of antheclorsis (I know I spelled that horribly wrong). Even ancient mummies from those cultures show signs of heart disease. The reason they weren’t having heart attacks is that they weren’t living long enough (due to other reasons) to get to the heart attack point.If this topic interests you, Plant Positive has some wonderful details and source materials on the topic. Search for words on the following link/page such as: masai, alaska, eskimo, etc. Then click the links to watch the videos. You can also click in his search box for “inuit”. Or even better, go to the top of the list of the “Primitive Nutrition” series and watch the whole thing. :-) It’s *very* educational. http://plantpositive.com/If Plant Positive doesn’t interest you, here is a copy of a post from “xfjea” that is very helpful: “the idea of excellent cardiovascular health among inuits is probably based on inaccurate data. See this review from 2003: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12535749 ” And here is what Graham wrote: “Autopsy data on pre-westernised Inuit shows lots of data for atherosclerosis in the Inuit. http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Atherosclerosis-in-Pre-Westernized-Inuit.pdf ” Personally, I think the evidence is pretty clear on this topic. Hope that helps.Thea, Thanks for the links, and I agree with you that the Paleo diet is very troublesome. It looks like the large majority of studies done concerning the impact of fats on health have used animal products and oils, not whole food, plant based sources of fat like nuts, nut butters, seeds, flax, and avocado. The long term studies on unprocessed plant fats remain to be done, however the real-life and lab results for people using these foods in a WFPB diet show a very beneficial influence on their lipid and glucose levels. I know that Dr Barnard strongly endorses the science that fat clogs up the cells’ ability to respond to insulin, and he has had good success with his mostly overweight, diabetic patients. His book was written 7 years ago, and his comments about nuts are that despite their cholesterol-lowering effect, they make weight loss difficult and MAY interfere with insulin sensitivity. Dr Gregor has a video that challenges the weight gain effect of nuts: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/, and the science seems to be rapidly changing in our knowledge of fat metabolism. The majority of people who are pre-diabetic or diabetic are overweight, but what about those of us who are a healthy weight, exercise, follow a WFPB diet, and are still pre-diabetic? We have tried the low-fat, high-carb diet with limited success. Instead, reducing the carbs and increasing fat with the nuts, nut butters, etc have yielded much better test results: low total cholesterol, high HDL, low triglycerides, good A1c, and good FG. I don’t know the scientific reasons for that, and it contradicts the theory that all that extra fat gums up insulin’s action in the cells, but another mechanism must be going on with nuts, seeds, and avocado that produces these great results. I can’t say that it will work for everyone, but I think it should be seen as an option.Thea, I just saw your reply to Suepy today, since it only appears on the Digest that arrives automatically every few days. Your links are interesting — thanks for sharing them. The Plant Positive analysis on Pygmies and Masai is compelling, and definitely alters my views of moderate or high intakes of animal fats. However, the Graham study concludes with this:“The Eskimo diet was almost entirely meat, as attested to by their severe osteoporosis, while the Egyptian diet contained meat only at occasional festival times; yet the finding of atherosclerosis in both groups suggests that diet alone may not the critical factor…”So, something else may have been causing heart disease even in ancient Egyptians who ate little in the way of animal products. Curious what that might have been….The Pygmy diet was also interesting; high levels of trigyclerides from sweet potatoes, like the Okinawans, and yet very long life spans due to total cholesterols of only 130. That seems to contradict Siggurdson’s data citations on the TRGS/HDL ratio. Then again, his data is for Western populations, not people on anomalous ancient diets of sweet potatoes. Still, many researchers say that TRGS have been seriously overlooked as causes of heart disease. Perhaps that was an issue for the Egyptians. Just speculating.But back to Suepy and my main point, where all this started: we are unaware of any studies on vegetarians or vegans that suggest that a diet high in nuts or seeds may contribute to plaque formation. There are a number of studies actually suggesting the opposite.I was excited to find this intriguing study published in Nutrients journal on Dec 11, 2012, titled Monounsaturated Fatty Acids and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, and which investigates the effect of MUFAs on CVS and diabetic risk factors. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/4/12/1989 It mentions that in 1999 the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (who knew there was such an organization?) “agreed upon a recommendation table on daily intake of fatty acids as a foundation for further discussions.” The Dutch Dietary Guidelines set a range of 8-38% MUFA in healthy adults, 25% for obese, and the other international recommendations vary between 12% and 25% of total calories, while the recommendations for PUFA average 10%.This is what the study found: in subjects with type 2 diabetes, “a significant decrease in TG values following a MUFA-rich dietary regimen could be observed when compared with a low-fat/high carbohydrate diet.” ” Moreover, improvements in FG and pre-prandial plasma glucose were shown, while no significant changes in fasting plasma insulin concentrations, fructosamine and HbA1c were observed. The high MUFA protocols were accompanied with significantly lower values for TC and VLDL-cholesterol as well as increases in HDL-cholesterol, but were not correlated to changes in LDL-cholesterol. Comparison of high (>12%MUFAA) vs low (<12% MUFA) MUFA diets on glycemic control in subjects with abnormal glucose metabolism revealed improvements in HbA1c and fasting glucose in diabetic subjects, but no differences in blood lipids were found.""There is strong evidence that by replacing SFA and carbohydrates with MUFA, various cardiovascular risk factors will be significantly improved. The results of the different meta-analyses addressed in this review point to a beneficial effect of MUFA-rich diets on systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as parameters of glycemic control.""Several studies indicated an increase of HDL-cholesterol and a corresponding decrease in triacylglycerols following a MUFA-rich diet. The effects on total and LDL-cholesterol appeared not consistent, but no detrimental effects on blood lipids were observed. Values for systolic and diastolic blood pressure were found to be reduced both during short- and long-term protocols using high amounts of MUFA as compared to low-MUFA diets. In type 2 diabetic subjects, MUFA exerted a hypoglycemic effect and reduced glycosylated hemoglobin in the long term. Although no detrimental side effects of MUFA-rich diets were reported in the literature, there still is no unanimous rationale for MUFA recommendations in a therapeutic regimen. Additional long-term intervention studies are required to characterized efficacy and effectiveness of recommending MUFA-rich diet among general and clinical populations."The article also has a nifty table listing the fatty acid content of different oils, nuts, fruits, seeds, and animal products. So, more studies are needed to answer questions about how high MUFAs are advantageous, in which foods they work best, does saturated fat matter, are these benefits maintained long-term, are they applicable in only certain populations (healthy vs diabetic vs obese), can a healthy weight be maintained, and so on. If a diet has 25% MUFA and 10% PUFA, making a 35% total fat intake, then that might not be a bad idea after all.Yes, great study! It’s strongly suggestive that you and I are on the right track with high-fat vegan diets. Nice find!!Russell: Thanks for the reply. That’s interesting. I’ve never heard of Type 2 defined that way. I’ll have to see how they define Type 1 to see if they think it is any different.Sounds like you are happy with what you are doing. That’s great. I still don’t see how eating an over abundance of grains (while “over” is not good) would lead to your pancrease producing less insulin. But that’s neither here nor there if you feel that you are on the right track.Good luck!Thea, it’s based on the fact that a pancreas that overworks itself will begin to burn out beta cells. Fewer beta cells means less insulin production over time. And continuing to have big glucose spikes in one’s diet will cause further burnout or even the loss of virtually all insulin production. That’s why the gold standard for any diet, from a diabetic’s standpoint, is to carefully monitor one’s glucose meter post-meals. Anything that causes spikes over 140 is bad (for internal organs AND for further beta cell burnout). Anything under 140 is fine and shouldn’t cause any harm. This is why grains are so dangerous to anyone with diminished insulin production.Interestingly, many of us have learned that whole grains carbs spike glucose as much as refined carbs. For example, I’ve tested and proven to myself that 50 grams of white flour has the identical effect upon my glucose as 50 grams of whole wheat flour. I was shocked when I saw that, but the effect was noticed and confirmed by Dr. Richard Bernstein in his book, The Diabetes Solution. Bernstein is renowned for having popularized the glucose strips that diabetics use today, and is widely respected in his field (Emeritus Albert Einstein School of Medicine). http://www.diabetes-book.com/about.shtmlHere’s the Type 1 definition for you, from Mayo:“Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy. The far more common type 2 diabetes occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn’t make enough insulin.Various factors may contribute to type 1 diabetes, including genetics and exposure to certain viruses. Although type 1 diabetes usually appears during childhood or adolescence, it also can begin in adults.”Russell: Got ya. Interesting!re: whole wheat flour producing same spike as white flour. I was actually aware of this since Dr. Barnard covers the same thing in his book–the one I mentioned previously. However, consuming intact grains – ie, not as flour is different. This is why I make a big point out of telling people in general (not your specific situation) that a recommendation to consume “whole grains” does not mean all those processed products with flour(s). It means *intact* grains – like barley, wheat berries, etc.FYI: if you are a bread lover – they did find that for some reason pumpernickel and rye did not have as big an effect as other flours. I think pumpernickel bread even fell into the “low” glycemic index category, though just barely. You probably already knew that. I thought I would throw it out there in case anyone else reading this was interested.Yes, I agree with you on certain grains, like rye and pumpernickel, but they still need to be used in moderation in their flour form.But there is another problem. The most easy-to-make and accessible whole grains for vegans, I believe, tend to be rice, wheat, corn, quinoa, millet, and oats. Unfortunately, brown and white rice spike glucose equally so that’s not a great option (GI values both around 70). Wheat is not commonly used for cooking. Quinoa, corn (in whole grain form), and millet spike glucose very rapidly, so these aren’t good choices. And whole oats, although personally I love them, take forever to make in the morning, making them impractical unless you don’t have to rush out the door in the morning.So unless I’m overlooking an important, low-GI grain that can easily and quickly be cooked, those of us with blood sugar issues are forced to keep them at very low levels in our diets. But we’d have better A1c levels if we eliminated them entirely.Dr. Bernstein, who is a Type 1, has done that and is now in his 70s with no complications from diabetes. He has been a trailblazer. Unfortunately, I spoke to him this year and he is strongly against fats in the diet, for the same reasons as Dr. Barnard. Based on my previous citations, I think this position is a mistake. He is, unfortunately, also not vegetarian.Russell: Either I’m not understanding what you are saying, or you and I have access to vary different data. In the table I’m looking at now, it shows a GI for white rice as 72 (high), but brown rice as 50 (low). Similarly, quinoa is 53 (still technically low). All of the legumes listed are below 40, with black beans at 30 and peas at 22. Of course, if your particular body reacts with a big spike, it doesn’t matter what the tables say. Maybe that was your point?.I think someone already responded with this idea, but I wanted to share what I do for oatmeal, because I’m not a fan of the quick-cooking rolled oats myself. I make a big pot of whole or steel-cut oats on the weekend. Then all I have to do is scoop, heat and eat over the rest of the week. Works great. The oatmeal lasts at least a week. If you wanted to keep your meals fatty, you could add peanut butter for peanuty oats. :-)Please note: I’m not arguing with you/trying to convince you of anything. Just exchanging information and ideas.Hi Thea. That’s certainly a fair question. Here’s an Australian study on rice varieties that makes the comment that all “the results indicate that most varieties of rice sold in Australia, whether white, brown, or parboiled should be classified as high-GI foods.” There was one exception called Doongara rice that had a GI of only 64.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/56/6/1034.full.pdfHere’s a diabetes site that says brown rice is 66-87, whereas white rice is actually the same or a bit lower.http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/glycemicindlist_2.htmAnyway, this discussion on GI is virtually irrelevant for those of us who lack a second-phase insulin response. I encourage you to read the following, which makes this abundantly clear:http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/2007/08/why-glycemic-index-fails-for-many.htmlI like your idea of keeping whole oats in the fridge. I’ll try that. I already put a big dollop of peanut butter in my occasional oats, and it really helps to slow down the glucose hit and allow me not to exceed my targets.But the key thing for those of us with poor insulin response, or insulin resistance, is to strictly limit the carbs in the first place. Dr. Richard Bernstein’s formula is 12/6/12 carbs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, totaling only 30 carbs a day! Basically impossible targets for a vegetarian or vegan and extreme of course, but he’s mostly talking to Type 1 diabetics with that advice, of which he is one himself. For the rest of us, its a function of what our glucose meters are allowing us to do. For me, I can get away with about 25/25/25 before going over 140 on my glucose meter.Unfortunately, the differences between a serving of rolled vs. steel cut oats in a single serving is the difference between 27 and 32 carbs, not much. So, I can eat almost a full serving of one of them, but that’s less than 200 calories in total for my entire breakfast. I will starve to death! :)Russell: Great info. I will take a look at your references/sources.The only other comment I have is to the following: “But the key thing for those of us with poor insulin response, or insulin resistance, is to strictly limit the carbs in the first place.” I don’t know enough about poor insulin response to say anything about it. But for poor insulin resistance, I believe that was what was fully covered in Dr. Barnard’s book and clinical research. And that’s where we are going to have to disagree. Because Dr. Barnard has successfully treated, both anecdotally and in published clinical research, T2 diabetes without any strict carb limitations. He just encourages people to eat *low-fat*, low GI (no flours, sugars etc) and a whole plant food based diet. And that alone fixes their insulin resistance.But that just brings us back to where we started the conversation. So, I’ll leave it at that. I’m glad you found a diet that you feel is healthy and will give you long results. That’s really great.Thea, yes, I’m with you. I think many cases, if not most cases of insulin resistance are a function of people being overweight and having cells that cannot easily absorb the glucose. Once they lose the excess pounds, the insulin resistance dissipates and they can eat carbs with better glucose responses.However, I believe that too many dietary experts, including Drs. Barnard, Ornish, Esselytyn, etc. have failed to acknowledge that there is an entire group of us who are diabetic or pre-diabetic, facing a different problem — insulin supply inadequacy. For us, the notion of reversing our condition is a fallacy, and eating more than modest amounts of grains may actually be harmful to our health. The American Diabetic Association is certainly culpable in this regard as well.Dr. Bernstein, in my view, is a hero for finding a solution to this problem — low total carbs — even if he erred in thinking that animal-based proteins were superior to plant-based fats as the solution.So… just saying… those of us with insulin inadequacy shouldn’t all be lumped together with those of us with insulin resistance.That said, I hope I’ve made a reasonable case that plant-based fats may not only be a good solution for those of us in this category, but also that this may actually be a very healthy diet choice in general. Clearly more research is needed to distinguish health-related differences for those of us who eat high-fat, low-carb vegan diets, versus those who eat more carbs and fewer fats.We didn’t get into it, but there’s also an argument to be made that lower carbs may also help to reduce IGF-1, and be associated with fewer primary cancers (higher IGF-1 appears to fuel tumor growth), compared to those who have higher average glucose levels, no matter what their diet.With that in mind, I’m also happy to keep my glucose level as low as possible. Its hard to watch out for tumors, but easy to do annual carotid scans to insure that veggie fats aren’t plugging up our vascular systems. :)Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this subject. The science obviously is far from complete, but perhaps we’ll know more in the next few years.Russell: FYI, the Mayo Clinic defines Type 1 this way: “Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy.”I’m not necessarily making any point. Just sharing. :-)Hi, Russell. I think you will find that if you aren’t eating the high fat, you will be able to eat all the carbs you want (and need), without spiking your glucose levels like that. Here’s another piece by Dr. Greger: http://bit.ly/1tek5knNope. Nothing to worry about as long as you’re covering all your nutritional bases (proteins, vitamins, minerals) with the other 65% of your diet and are not in an excessive energy balance.However, it’s not carbs that cause insulin resistance but insulin resistance that causes problems with carbs.Please reference Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s (EAT TO LIVE author) new book THE END OF DIABETES. It will explain all. Meticulously supported by research as usual. Dr. Greger here is a fan.Thanks GardenGirl. From what I can gather on the web, Fuhrman’s plan is a vegan-based, nutrient dense diet, which is pretty much what I’m already doing. I’d love to know more and wish that he had further information publicly available without the need to buy a book who’s tenets I may already be following. Feel free to share any relevant details, if you like.Thanks a lot… so true ! Fresh vegetables and nuts, and nothing else !I may be way off, but I am sure I read that because of the way cocaine screws up with the dopamine in the brain years of use can lead to neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s. If eating fatty or sugary foods screws with the dopamine in a similar fashion as cocaine, can eating fatty foods over a long period of time also leave you at risk of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s?I wonder about the definition of “energy-dense”. Is just “sugar+fat” energy-dense, or would – say, a steak equally qualify as “energy-dense”? Surely there’s a definition for “energy-dense” including a kilojoule-per-weight-unit ratio?Should i moderate the amount of toasted rolled oats that i eat? People say we should aim for less than 10% of calories coming from fat. I think it’s 18% for oats…Also, should i stop putting soy milk on my oats and fruits? In one video dr greger says that soy milk may block the absorption of antioxidants..I eat oatmeal with soy milk. I wouldn’t worry about it. Dr Greger puts soy milk in his morning smoothie.The “negative calories” concept for fiber is kool, although technically some dieticians consider soluble fiber as containing about 2 calories per gram ( gg.gg/fiber-calories ). So foods highest in zero calorie insoluble fiber might be best for weight loss, especially since that type of fiber speeds up intestinal transit time, and the faster food moves through, the less it has a chance of getting absorbed.This is hard to believe. And I think I am agreeing with this. In fact, not eating is even considered a mental disorder, right? Anorexia and obesity, are they just alike? Does craving for food have something to do with this? Perhaps, the first step is to admit that this isn’t normal anymore. I have to start eating healthy, otherwise I will gain weight instead. Being fat has a lot of drawbacks. http://bit.ly/1piukzv is one.This discussion is really interesting to me–thanks, Russell, Sue P, Thea. I’m in a similar position with some differences; I’ve had “prediabetic” fasting glucose levels for at least 20 years–don’t have older records than that–but they were considered “normal” until a few years ago when the ranges were changed so “prediabetic” FBG was lowered from 115 to 100. I’m 72, have been a vegetarian (pretty much whole food, plant based) for 35+y, a vegan (WFPB) for 5, I’m underweight (BMI 17), exercise a lot (more since trying to manage glucose levels). My fasting glucose is upper 90s to mid teens, A1C is 5.5. Since my FBG was flagged about 3y ago, I’ve been really focusing on trying to lower it w/o losing more weight. I’ve read and tried to implement Barnard, McDougall, Fuhrman, and read as much as possible on the web. I’ve been following my diet and exercise carefully via Cronometer and fitbit and measuring glucose, had conversations with my doctor, with an endocrinologist, with a dietician in a diabetes center. My doctor and the endocrinologist say I don’t have a problem–I’m not diabetic, I’m stable, keep doing what I’m doing–it’s great, don’t “worry”. The dietician couldn’t find anything wrong with my diet and responded to my weight, recommending veggie protein powder, and (amazingly) a “blood type” diet (for me, type A, lots of meat!). These are all people at the nearest academic (and wonderful) medical center. However, they are not taking into account the fact that my tiny amount of body fat is slowly morphing from subcutaneous to visceral, and that the numbers of papers implicating “high normal” blood glucose with all kinds of ills, especially dementia, increases. It seems to me that the context of the current diabetes/obesity epidemic controls everyone’s understanding/research/recommendations about the disease. The WFPB doctors’ recommendations (and everyone else’s too) are based on the overwhelming numbers of diabetics who are overweight/obese (they so predominate that they skew the data and control the evidence for treatment); these people cure their diabetes by losing weight. The WFPB diabetes plans help these people do it in very healthy ways. But at 5’6″, I spent most of my adulthood weighing 125 and am now 105 and need to eat more than 2000 kcal/d to maintain it. So I need to do something else. I’ve switched all grains to their intact form, eating mostly whole oats, barley and long grain rice (lower GI for long than short grain. Russell, note that hulled barley’s GI is half that of all the other whole grains–27? cp to mid-fifties for the rest. It does need long cooking but that can be done ahead–this is a great grain for diabetics). Lots of beans, lentils. Lots of vegetables, especially non-starchy. Only low sugar fruits, no juice, no added sugars of any kind. I do eat seeds and nuts–flax, chia, almonds, walnuts, sunflower, a little cashew. No separated oils at all. Macronutrient kcals are 50% carbs, 35% fats, 15% protein, approximately, with energy about 2400 kcals. I am uncomfortable with the high fat levels (my husband would benefit from a straight Essylstein diet instead of his current approximation). I get enough calories by eating a large serving of whole grains at each meal, and I’m no longer losing weight. However, this diet has not had the effect I hoped for and I’m not sure it makes much difference in FBG. At least it’s not getting worse. And, visceral fat and all, I remain very healthy (always feel like the healthiest person in doctors’ waiting rooms!). I’ve felt like such an outlier. I’d love to get some feedback.Alice, It’s good to hear from another skinny vegan who’s pre-diabetic. What really works for me is testing my glucose levels after meals to determine how different foods raise it. I can’t handle too many carbs at once, even low GI foods, which can shoot my glucose up too high. Smaller meals more often have been a positive change, plus getting into motion after a meal. My diet is similar to yours, although most days my only grain is barley (does seitan count as a grain?). I’ve kept my fasting glucose in the 80’s and A1C at 5.2. Last year I switched out rice, white potatoes, and flour products for the nuts, seeds, and avocado, which gave me a fat ratio between 35-45% of calories. Worried about the higher fat, I had my cholesterol tested and it came back total 159, HDL 79, and triglycerides 28, so I decided that this diet looked like the right track. I hope so!Thanks so much for your reply. It sounds like you’ve solved it–fantastic numbers! FG in the 80’s and A1C of 5.2–you’ve become normal! Congratulations! You give me great hope that I can do it too. Can you give me more details? What number range 1h and 2h after meals do you work towards? How many kcals do you need in a day? How do you distribute them over the day? How much grain carbs can you eat without spiking high after eating and then eventually raising FG? Do you limit beans like chickpeas that have a lot of carbs? The best numbers I’ve had were when I was following Dr. Fuhrman’s plan–I ate a lot of soybeans and eggplant I remember, but I also lost weight, didn’t much like the soybeans, and had to cook 2 separate diets since my poor husband simply hated what I was trying to eat. Not sustainable. I have been eating rice and oats pretty much daily and I can easily switch over to barley which I love. Seitan seems a good solution–pretty much carb-less–but probably has zero micronutrients. I have not been testing glucose after meals–started today. Between 97 and 106 all day, walking after first meal and garden work after the 2nd. I need to start keeping good records again. Thanks again, Suepy. I’d like to keep asking you questions if you don’t mind. I’ll try to keep it minimal, but you’ve given me real hope after having pretty much given up.Absolutely there is hope! I would be happy to share with you some of my experiences and would be delighted if in any way this helped you achieve your quest for better health. It takes much trial and error in making diet changes, so proceed with care, testing often to see what works for you in your glucose control, lipid profile, and weight goals. Fortunately I have a local hospital which offers free cholesterol testing (non-fasting) every month, so I go every now and then to track my total cholesterol and HDL. I get the fasting cholesterol and A1c at my yearly physical, and test my glucose with a simple meter from Walgreens with test strips ordered online. It helps to keep a chart of my meals, or enter on cronometer, and I test 45 minutes after a meal to see how high my glucose is headed and if I need to get off my butt and exercise. A sandwich or veggie pizza will send mine to 170, but my goal is to keep glucose below 140, ideally 120, after a meal and below 100 after 2 hours. When I took the GTT test last year my fasting was 80, 1 hour 186, 2 hour 130, which makes me think that I’m insulin resistant. Smaller portions of carbs in a meal and eating/ snacking every 3 hours definitely makes a difference to me.I have great respect and admiration for Drs Barnard, Esselstyn, Ornish, and McDougall and basically follow their recommendations, but I seem to be having more success with Dr Fuhrman’s plan which allows higher nut/seed/avocado intake and stresses beans over grains. Of course, Dr Gregor is my favorite and I hope he looks more into the research on heart healthy fats. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that my fat intake has reached the 46% mark on occasion (love them pistachios!), usually it’s 30-40%, but that is when my lipids are best and glucose levels on target.I rely on beans, lentils, tofu, and seitan for my primary protein sources and have no limit on how much except as part of portion control in a single meal, keeping them between 1/2-1 cup. Same with whole grains, no more than 1/2 cup in a meal, but lots of veggies. My daily calories range between 1600-1800 and with moderate exercise that keeps my weight steady around 102 lbs (I’m 5’1″ tall). I make a meal out of a big salad every day, with 1/2 avocado, carrot, almonds, edamame, etc and use an Engine 2 recipe for no-fat salad dressing.I hope this has answered some of your questions and has been of help. Good luck with your awesome health adventure! Sue P.Thanks so much, Sue P. You’ve given me a very clear description of your pathway. Our diets are very similar (less fat in mine) but mine has not been controlled for quantity over time like yours. (I’ve been too concerned with adequate calories). This must be really important. You’ve convinced me that testing after meals is critical. I’ve started: 9 readings, very careful eating and 2 post-meal exercise sessions, with less relaxation after meals yesterday–and my FG this morning was 85! This is doable! I think I’ve been too frugal–unwilling to spend the expensive test strips densely enough to get their full information. Thank you for your guidance, friend. I’ll let you know how it’s going. AliceAlice, I’m so glad to hear about your FG going down. Yay! Please do keep me updated – I’d love to hear about what’s working and what isn’t. I ran out of test strips last week, ordered more, but feel lost without that input on my glucose levels. Sore fingers are worth it!Alice, thanks for sharing your story. How many grain-based carbs do you eat every day? The lower the better as far as glucose goes — please see Richard Bernstein’s Diabetes book. It’s a brilliant read, though he’s not vegetarian. And do you know your triglyceride levels (they are usually in lockstep with your grain/sugar consumption)? My first thought is that your grain intake may be a bit too high… perhaps replace some of them with more salads with avocado? Fyi, I love my avocados and have a whole one for breakfast every day with hemp or ground flax seed and turmeric on top. I often have two a day for caloric content.Hi Russell. Thanks for responding. I’m so glad you started this discussion–I’m learning so much. I’ll look for Dr. Bernstein’s book. So far I haven’t paid much attention to anyone’s diet prescriptions that are not vegetarian/vegan. I have been eating a half cup (pre-cooking) of oat groats for breakfast cooked with tomatoes, shiotaki, turmeric, black pepper, kale, flaxseeds and soy milk. It’s a bit over 500 kcal and keeps me going for hours. Lunch is usually some kind of leftovers and a big salad. Dinner is some sort of stir fry with tofu and lots of vegetables, or dal and vegetables, or a stew or soup, usually with a cup or so of long grain brown rice. Then add calories as needed with nuts as dessert. I have fruit–maybe 2 apples–with lunch/dinner. I guess I get 250-300g of carbs a day–don’t know how much of it is grains–more than half. No added sugars or even high sugar fruit. No oils. My triglycerides were 68 when last measured, so haven’t been a problem. The thing is: you’ve got to eat something. (And I have to eat a lot.) Too much protein, IGF1 goes up. Too much fat, atherosclerosis, hearth disease and stroke. The evidence increasingly shows this. So the WFPB prescriptions emphasize carbs. This doesn’t work for thin “diabetics” like us. (Gabe Merkin, a mostly WFPB exercise physiologist MD with a blog, says that thin diabetics are “harder to treat”. Yes.) I like your explanation for what’s gone wrong with your metabolism–that your beta cells have been damaged and are unable to produce adequate insulin quickly enough. It makes good sense. I’m not sure it’s true for me–I have the additional metabolic disturbance of needing far too many calories to sustain life. This has been true for ~ 15y. We’ll see how many grain/legume carbs I can take in now without terrible peaks, and whether it will help to space meals differently. I can pretty easily lower BG 15 points or so by moving around vigorously. Fortunately. Suepy, I didn’t do so well today–93–but it’s a continuing project. I’m also away from home right now (w intermittent internet) and did a lot of driving yesterday. Does anyone have any experience with stress and BG? It has seemed to me sometimes that when I have a particularly “sweet” rewarding day my glucose drops to normal. (It’s hard to figure out a way to utilize that observation since my life is generally pretty stress-free these days.)Hi Alice. I’m also learning a lot from this discussion! First, I want to clear something up. IGF-1 on a plant-based diet isn’t a risk factor, according to Dr. Greger. See:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/So, I guess you can eat all the soy and seitan you want! And I don’t know if seitan affects triglycerides, but will try to find out from some self-testing as I’m raising my intake.I pay only modest attention to fasting glucose now because I’m far more concerned with the peaks. We should avoid any peaks, ever, above 140, from what I’ve learned. This will give us comparable values to those without glucose problems. A1c is only a partial measure — one can have a decent A1c and still have peaks in the 150s I think. So, after-meal testing is very important.Personally, I’ve found that avoiding all carbs except seitan, I can easily keep myself in the target range under 140, even under 130. But the moment I have a quarter cup of oats, rolled or steel cut, my glucose climbs right to my threshold. And a quarter cup is hardly enough for a breakfast. For me, carbs just aren’t an option. I wish they were. Funny enough, lentils and other beans have the same effect. I must try very hard not to eat more than about two or three big spoonfuls.Thanks for your links to Dr. Greger’s plant protein and IGF-1 videos, Russell. I agree with you about the importance of staying under 140 after meals, tho I’ve found it very hard to do–I’m experimenting now with immediate post-meal exercise as Sue and you described. Do you test at 1h and 2h after starting to eat a meal to best capture the peak? Seitan is interesting stuff. You can make it out of wheat flour by kneading the flour and water to develop the gluten–the protein constituent of wheat–and then washing out all the starch, fiber and fat in cold water, leaving nothing but protein behind. So there should be no carbs left in it. People sometimes refer to grains as “carbs” because they’re such a common source, but it’s confusing because lots of foods contain carbohydrates besides grains–such as lentils and beans, fruits and veggies. It’s not surprising that lentils and beans raise BG–they contain lots of carbs, along with their protein and fiber. I had your sort of lunch today–a whole avocado with a giant green salad–after a morning of outdoor work, and my “peak” if I measured it at the right moment was 97!Interesting about stress–I’m going to pay more attention to it. AliceAlice, good going with that 97 post-meal glucose! That’s a great number. Yes, I test at around 1 hour and if its higher than I want, say 125-140, I’ll test it again around 2 or 2 1/2 hours because sometimes, especially with a carby meal like beans, I get a delayed peak. If I eat about 40 grams of steel cut oats, which isn’t a huge amount, my peak can be delayed for 3 hours. So, at one hour, it might be at 125, and its easy to get lulled into a false sense of comfort, but then at 3 hours, its at 165! On the other hand, if I have only 25 grams of oats, I may never go over 120. So portion size is critical. That said, I have trouble controlling my portions of carby foods, so that’s why I just decided one day — no more grains! Ever since then, its been a lot easier to manage my peaks.Russell, I looked up diabetes on Dr Fuhrman’s website http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/anti_diabetes_foods.aspx and found these references for his article, so here are the links in case you’re interested in researching some more:9. Casas-Agustench P, Bullo M, Salas-Salvado J: Nuts, inflammation and insulin resistance. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2010;19:124-130. 10. Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Bes-Rastrollo M: Nut consumption, weight gain and obesity: Epidemiological evidence. Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD 2011;21 Suppl 1:S40-45. 11. Jiang R, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, et al: Nut and peanut butter consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. JAMA 2002;288:2554-2560. 12. Kendall CW, Esfahani A, Truan J, et al: Health benefits of nuts in prevention and management of diabetes. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2010;19:110-116. 13. Li TY, Brennan AM, Wedick NM, et al: Regular consumption of nuts is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in women with type 2 diabetes. J Nutr 2009;139:1333-1338. 14. Dunaief DM, Fuhrman J, Dunaief JL, et al: Glycemic and cardiovascular parameters improved in type 2 diabetes with the high nutrient density (HND) diet. Open Journal of Preventive Medicine 2012;29. http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/19/1/124.pdf10. http://www.nmcd-journal.com/article/S0939-4753%2810%2900271-1/abstract?showall=true=11. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=19555412.http://www.researchgate.net/publication/41721803_Health_benefits_of_nuts_in_prevention_and_management_of_diabetes13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696988/14. http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=21562#.VF4bl9a67_YI’m convinced! A personal antidote: my vegan daughter is home for a few months and loves to cook gourmet, high-starch meals using olive and canola oil. Hard to resist, but after I have been eating small amounts of pasta-rice-bread, my glucose and weight have started to go up. Hence, more exercise, so I am now keeping my weight steady at 102, but I noticed that my waist has grown 1-2″. Insulin resistance?! It’s time to say no to the fast carbs and oil; I’m buying more pistachios.whoops – anecdote, not antidoteSuepy, thanks so much. Unfortunately, I probably don’t have enough time to look at those links, but I don’t think we have much alternative but to eat nuts and seeds. If you read my response to Thea an hour ago, if nothing else, please see my last two paragraphs about Dr. Barnard.The big question in my mind is how low can we get LDLs while getting sufficient calories and also maintaining low glucose? If you don’t mind my asking, what’s your LDL?As for your daughter’s great cooking, that’s tough to resist! But a bit of cheating is probably okay if you can still stay under 140 glucose at all times.Russell, I’m barely staying under 140 glucose and the exercise is vital, but I gave my daughter some different cookbooks to look at which don’t use cooking oils or processed starches. My LDL for the past year has been in the low 70’s, however when I had my non-fasting cholesterol tested in Aug and Oct, the LDL and triglycerides were too low to show on the nurse’s meter. She asked me if I took statins, and I said no, I’m a vegan. She asked me what that was, then said my low cholesterol must be genetic. I told her that on the contrary, both of my parents had heart disease, and my dad died from a heart attack at the age of 44, despite being slender all his life. That was my wake up call – food and lifestyle make the difference. My daughter has our fast metabolism and doesn’t gain weight, but cheap carbs can certainly catch up with you!Suepy, be sure to stick with VAP cholesterol, not the regular testing. Regular test results are significantly thrown off by low-carb diets because the LDL number is calculated, not measured. Also, non-fasting tests will throw off triglycerides a lot. You might want to re-test.I relate to having a fast metabolism. My cousin, my Dad, and I all have had hyperactive thyroids. Mine is fully controlled, but at times, I’ve had a massive appetite and couldn’t gain a pound. This might have contributed to my beta-cell burnout.Good advice, Russell. I am getting a fasting test in a few weeks and will request the VAP cholesterol. My last fasting trig was 48 and HDL 80, and that’s after 6 months of 30-40% fat from nuts, etc.Congratulations, those are incredibly impressive numbers for HDL, LDL, and Trigs!! You’re probably in the lowest 0.1% of lipids-based risk, and I doubt anyone could make an argument that your plant-based fats are causing one iota of additional risk! I continue to think that Dr. Esseltyn, Campbell, etc. are completely nuts (pun) on this point. You’re only a sample of one, but if you can get Trigs down so low while maintaining ultra low LDL, others can too. You are basically at the 60:60:60 levels. Of course, you could also check ApoB/ApoA1 ratio, which is a good telltale also.Your glucose, on the other hand, shouldn’t be allowed to spike….Last point — have you had a carotid scan? LifeLine Screening offers one for $150 in a mobile lab, and I think its really the gold standard. It will show whether you have plaque built-up or not. Way better than just measuring lipids.I have not had a carotid scan, but will do. Hopefully there is no residual damage from former lousy diet.Suepy,I just recalled a brief conversation I had this summer with Dr. Esselstyn, in which he said that eating plant-based fats increase our inflammatory markers and cardio risks. When I mentioned that my CRP was excellent, in addition to my lipids, he continued to highlight the dangers of fat despite my scores. So… I asked him isn’t there a viable measurement to find out if what you’re saying is correct? He said, “actually, yes, test for MPO”. I haven’t done that yet, but might ask my M.D. for a lab slip. Here’s what I found on the web about this. Given your family history, it may make sense to test it yourself — if you do, I’d love to know your results:(1) http://www.cardiab.com/content/9/1/9Elevated plasma free fatty acids increase cardiovascular risk by inducing plasma biomarkers of endothelial activation, myeloperoxidase and PAI-1 in healthy subjectsThe novel finding that a mild elevation in plasma FFA may activate vascular MPO and tPAI-1 has important clinical implications. The mechanisms by which MPO may promote atherogenesis include conversion of LDL into more atherogenic oxidized particles (oxLDL), oxidative modification of apolipoprotein A-I that results in a dysfunctional HDL and reduction of EC nitric oxide availability resulting in endothelial dysfunction [21-24,26,53-55]. These multiple mechanisms help explain the strong predictive value of plasma MPO levels for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in humans even after adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, Framingham risk score, or hsCRP [28-30].(2) J Intern Med. 2012 Jan;271(1):43-50. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2011.02397.x. Epub 2011 May 30.Myeloperoxidase is associated with incident coronary heart disease independently of traditional risk factors: results from the MONICA/KORA Augsburg study.Karakas M1, Koenig W, Zierer A, Herder C, Rottbauer W, Baumert J, Meisinger C, Thorand B.Author informationAbstractAIMS:Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a marker of oxidative stress. We prospectively investigated whether an increased serum concentration of MPO is associated with an increased risk of incident coronary heart disease (CHD).METHODS:We conducted a population-based case-cohort study in middle-aged, healthy men and women within the MONICA/KORA Augsburg studies. Serum levels of MPO were measured in 333 subjects with (cases) and 1727 without (noncases) incident CHD. Mean follow-up time was 10.8 ± 4.6 years.RESULTS:Baseline concentrations of MPO were higher in cases compared with noncases (P ≤ 0.001 in men; P=0.131 in women). After adjustment for major cardiovascular risk factors, the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) comparing the top with the two lower tertiles was 1.70 (95% CI, 1.25-2.30). After additional adjustment for markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, the association was attenuated (HR 1.50; 95% CI, 1.08-2.09). There were no significant interactions of MPO with sex or increased weight on CHD risk.CONCLUSIONS:Elevated concentrations of the oxidative stress marker MPO were independently associated with increased risk of incident CHD. This finding deserves detailed evaluation in further studies.© 2011 The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine.Interesting, I’ll see if my doctor will order a test for MPO. I’ve never heard of that test before and looked it up on the Cleveland Clinic website https://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/heart/diagnostics-testing/laboratory-tests/blood-tests-to-determine-risk-of-coronary-artery-disease I’ll be sure to let you know the results if I can get the test. The more information we have to evaluate our diets, the better, and it would be reassuring to know that the higher fat diet is not creating hidden CVD.Alice,You have a very interesting story. It’s interesting, because you have been eating right for so long, but now you feel that you have a big problem. On top of eating right, it sounds like you are exercising quite a bit. My guess is: for a 72 year old, I’m guessing that you are doing better health-wise than many (most?) of the 30 year olds in America.I’m not a doctor, but I think you are asking for my take on what you wrote. Here’s my take:I keyed in on these parts of your text: “My doctor and the endocrinologist say I don’t have a problem–I’m not diabetic, I’m stable, keep doing what I’m doing–it’s great, don’t “worry” … I remain very healthy (always feel like the healthiest person in doctors’ waiting rooms!).” And yet you are certain that you have a problem, because, “…the numbers of papers implicating “high normal” blood glucose with all kinds of ills, especially dementia, increases.”My thought is that those associations that are being drawn between high glucose and ills are probably being drawn on people who eat poorly and/or are overweight. As you have pointed out, the results of such research may not apply to your situation. In fact, we have absolutely no idea whether or not such an association would apply to someone who has been eating incredibly healthy for at least 5 years and who exercises more than most people. We have plenty of examples where we know that the bodies of whole plant based eaters are different than the bodies of SAD eaters. So, it stands to reason to me that the numbers of various indicators for “normal and healthy” would be different compared to the numbers for SAD eaters. Plus, we know that what counts as normal numbers for a 70 year old is often different than what is normal for a 20 year old. My point is: I don’t think your concern about your current numbers is all that well founded.I’m not a doctor. So, what do I know. But your doctors are telling you that you are fine… Maybe they are right? I’m concerned that you may be so worried about hitting an arbitrary number, that you change your diet in such a way that ultimately does hurt your health. Consider that for a moment.Another thought for you: You say that you are under weight. Who says? I understand that you weigh less now than you used to. But does that mean that you are underweight – in the sense of “your health is at risk because of your weight” – right now? Maybe your current weight is what is healthy for this stage of your life? I don’t mean to imply that underweight is OK. I know that underweight can be as big a health risk as over weight. I’m just questioning whether or not you really are underweight. (I don’t know. It’s just a question.)Similarly, you are concerned about your fat type. How do you know this is not normal for someone of your age? I truly hope I don’t sound like someone who is brushing off your concerns as, “oh, she’s just a senior and you should expect poor health.” I don’t think that AT ALL. What I am thinking is that it is appropriate to acknowledge that body composition does naturally change somewhat with age. So, it is *possible* that the changes you are seeing are perfectly normal and healthy for your stage of life. Again, I’m no doctor. So, I don’t know. I’m just believing you when you say that you are the healthiest person in the doctor’s waiting room. So, maybe you really don’t have anything to worry about.It sounds like you already know what to do in order to gain weight if that is your goal – eat more calorie-dense foods. I thought I would point out that gaining weight is usually done one of two ways – by gaining more fat and/or more muscle. You say that you have lost weight. Do you have a sense of whether or not that loss was muscle, fat or some combination? If you can gain weight by gaining more muscle, that seems like a good idea to me. You mention doing more exercise, but not which kind. If you can work in the kind of exercise that will build up muscle, some safe weight-bearing exercise that will be intense enough to build muscle, that might help you feel like you are more on track health-wise.While I don’t expect that I will have changed your mind on anything, I hope that I at least gave you some food for thought.Thank you, Thea, for your very detailed response. I have admired the kind way you moderate this discussion site. The points you raise are ones I have thought deeply about over a long period of time. I know that I am not typical of the population the statistics are derived from; however it seems to me that I have to operate on the assumption that some things are true and apply to me: that glucose peaks over a particular level are damaging to cells throughout the body, that A1C measures actual damage to red blood cells that has occurred over the previous 3 months, and that it’s reasonable to try to lower these measures thru diet, exercise, lifestyle, as possible. I have never come across differing ranges of healthy glucose levels intended for “elderly” people.I think assuming that less-than-good health outcomes are the inevitable result of “aging” is a logistic mistake.Something else I would like to say is that glucose measurement is sort of miraculous–it’s one of the few instances where people can easily get immediate hard information about themselves and how they’re doing, in an area, “health improvement”, that tends to be very theoretical, with people arguing from authority–so-and-so-says…–rather than experience/knowledge, which is hard to come by and where “facts” are frequently not all that clear. It’s a mistake to discount it.My description of myself as among the healthiest people in the waiting room was merely to say I’m not very “sick”. Certainly not in the range for my doctor to want to treat. Fortunately. I basically believe that if I were eating the SAD, I would have diabetes and she would have to treat it. I credit my WFPB diet for my current not-terrible values, and I’m certainly not willing to change it more than “tweaking”.My “underweight” has been well checked to rule out dreadful causes. It’s a practical problem mainly because anytime I’m away from my own kitchen, visiting family for instance, and don’t have pretty complete control of my food, I lose weight, several pounds a week, and it takes a long time to regain it.It is also a big constraint in tweaking the diet to improve glucose control–if I’m losing weight my glucose improves. But I mustn’t lose weight so I can’t really cut carbs much which is the thing, of course, that would help.It’s not clear to me what range of fats that are unrefined, plant based, minimally saturated, and balanced between omega 3s and 6s, are healthy and good. The nominal 10% levels seem impossible for me to achieve–oat grains themselves are 15% fat. These low levels seem to be very important for anyone with heart disease or increased risk for heart disease, but, thankfully, I don’t think that includes me. I’ve been following more of a Fuhrman approach and eating nuts, seeds, avocados, etc. as needed to maintain weight. So sometimes fat has made up 40% of daily calories. I truly don’t know what the cut off value should be. I’d love to have some new good ways to think about this. It seems the central question of this discussion. We “know” that 40% of animal based/processed SAD fat is terrible, but what about the healthiest plant based fats?Exercise really helps blood glucose. I walk, jog a bit depending on the state of my knees, and do some weight lifting. I’m very interested in increasing muscle mass, especially since that’s what is removing the glucose from my blood! It seems very difficult for my body to increase muscle, and I think that is the result of aging, since it wasn’t true a few years ago. I continue to work at it.Alice, I love your reply to Thea, considerate and thoughtful. Since you are interested in increasing muscle mass, maybe you could try replacing more of the carbs with protein. As Russell pointed out, IGF-1 shouldn’t be a problem with plant based protein. Dr Gregor has a number of videos about IGF-1, and he observed that what matters most on all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality rates isn’t the ratio of fat to carbs to protein, but the source, whether from plants or animals.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/Dr Fuhrman has an article linking higher animal and concentrated soy protein to increased IGF-1along with suggestions for building muscle mass. https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/protein_powders_muscle_growth.aspxA new study published in March suggests that animal proteins have a different effect on IGF-1 than plant proteins, but they used soy protein and want to test the other plant sources.http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140308-high-protein-diet-low-protein-cancer-meat-health-food-science/http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131%2814%2900062-XAnother advantage to including more plant proteins and fats in you diet are that they are easy to eat while on the road and visiting family. Bean burgers are everywhere, bean salad and lentil salad are easy to make, and scrambled tofu, steamed edamame are simple. I snack on the White Wave seitan right out of the box and always have a supply of nuts and fruit for those between meal snacks. Traveling does upend our routines!Thanks, suepy. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reply–I’ve wanted to accumulate enough results under my new regime to see what’s happened. It’s all good. By exercising right after each high carb meal 20-30m, and including one low carb/ high kcal meal (salad with avocado ) each day, my postprandial peaks have mostly been under 120, a few ~130, only 3 above 140 (when I hadn’t planned enough time for the necessary immediate postprandial exercise) during the past week. And FG has all been under 100; it’s less predicable–2d in the 80s, then a couple in the 90s, back to the 80s. It’s harder to understand–maybe reflecting accumulated effects of more, or more vigorous exercise, or less obvious differences in dinnertime meals (more fiber, resistant starch, etc). Some days my measurement have been completely normal. I’m very happy and relieved. And I’m so glad this topic came up, and you and Russell pursued it, and I happened upon it. Thanks very much for your links as well. It only makes sense that there are reasons besides sheer Virtue that animal protein is so bad for us–that an amino acid profile dissimilar from ours might be healthier. Dr. Greger has a nice article about it too, trying to establish where the limit on soy should be: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/ The Cell article is particularly interesting and apropos to me–how much protein forms how much IGF1 and how harmful is it, but it’s different in the “elderly”, and an attempt to discover at what age the trend reverses. I’m an admirer of Valter Longo’s work.Alice, I’m happy to hear that you are maintaining good control of your blood glucose. I am having more success, too, at keeping my postprandial peaks below 120, but it’s a challenge, so I am trying a few new tactics. Since fiber and acidic foods slow the glucose response, http://www.mendosa.com/acidic_foods.htm I have been adding lemon juice and flax to my higher carb meals: 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp flax, 2 tbsp erythritol (or Truvia packet), and 1/2 cup water for a modified lemonade. Exercising before a meal also seems to lower the BG spike, and I keep the low GI carbs below 45g in a meal for a daily total under 200g. Not low carb, but careful use of moderate carbs. Dr Gregor recommends 2 tbsp of flax daily, which is even more important for those of us increasing our healthy fats in place of carbs. We need those omega-3’s!Hi Suepy. My update is for you too. I like your method of limiting carbs at any one meal and spacing them out. Do you count all carbs in your 200g limit including fiber, or is it “net” or “active” carbs minus the fiber? AliceAlice, thanks for your thoughtful comments to both Thea and Suepy, which I learned a great deal from. All three of us are very much on the same track. Maybe we should set up our own website specific to low-glucose vegan diets! Hahaha… okay, that sounds like a lot of work, so forget that. :) Anyway, I’m going to try hull less barley, and reduce my soy intake, based on the Greger video link, which may be over 5 portions a day currently if you include soy milk in my tea and coffee. Looks like three portions is in the safe-zone. Thanks for the info!Its funny also to see that we eat the same things when traveling. I put plastic bags of organic walnuts and peanuts in my travel kit, and an avocado. And when I arrive, I hit the grocery store and get more avocados, tofu, seitan (if I can find it). Still, I tend to lose about 2lbs a week when I’m away from home.Btw — just learned my recent LDL is 132, despite my replacing all olive oils (I had about 8 tablespoons/day), with more avocados (probably went from 1 to 2 a day) in addition to my steady diet of two to three servings of nuts and two to three servings of soy meats, which I haven’t changed. My LDL actually went up 9 points from 123 to 132 once I quit olive oil and added more avos. Any thoughts on this? Ideally, I’d like to get it down a bit. Fortunately, HDL is 77 so its not all bad news.My first thought is it must be the saturated fat content of my foods. But the web is filled with data showing that nuts lower LDL even for those on a vegetarian diet. So…. perhaps the oils in the soy products? Or the high saturated fats in avocados? This study suggests avocados lower LDL vs a vegetarian diet:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9428580So I’m stumped.On the other hand, there’s lots of data that also indicates that the LDL relationship with all-cause mortality is a J- or U-shaped curve, and perhaps 100-136 is ideal, especially for older adults. See this:http://www.docsopinion.com/2013/12/15/10-pitfalls-of-using-ldl-cholesterol-to-assess-risk/Anyway, don’t feel the need to respond. Just thought that given both of your great analytical minds, you might clue me in to something that I’m missing to lower LDL a bit. Thanks!Russell, maybe a missing element in our discussions of a higher fat vs low fat diet, to eat nuts or not, might be the vital role of omega-3’s and soluble fiber. I’ve been looking again at Dr Gregor’s past videos and the following comments concerning fats, oils, and omega-3’s. Thea gave a good link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04 to a talk Dr Gregor gave in 2003 about surprising research on omega-3’s and B12. Within a few years of each other two prominent men with heart disease died: Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendys died at the age of 69 with advanced heart disease, and Jay Dinshah, founder of the American Vegan Society died from a heart attack at the age of 66. Dr Gregor puzzled over why studies show that meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans all have the same mortality rate, and in the category of degenerative brain disease (i.e. Alzheimers), we non-meat eaters have 2X the risk. Possibly the reason is that vegetarians/vegans are known to have deficiencies in omega-3’s and B12, which have a strong influence on heart and brain health. Since the ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is 1:1, with a 4:1 ratio good enough, what would it take for vegans to improve that ratio, especially those of us eating extra nuts, seeds, and avocados? I checked my Cronometer diary and if I eat 3 oz of nuts and seeds daily plus 1/2 avocado, but no flax or chia, then my ratio is 8.3:1. By adding 2T of flax and 1T of chia, the ratio becomes 2.3:1, and then I take a supplement of 300 mg algal DHA for extra. Flaxseeds also are great in the soluble fiber department, so maybe a higher fat diet could use a little more, since a low carb diet can be lacking fiber without ample veggies and fruit. My daily fiber intake is between 50 – 60mg, and with daily apple, barley, carrots, that might be what keeps my cholesterol and LDL low.Thanks for the great link, and your ideas about fiber, which make a lot of sense. Strangely enough, I’d never thought about this! I did some calcs and am probably getting about 12-15 grams/day from veggies and beans, 20 from two Haas avocados, and about 10 from almonds, walnuts, chia, and my Italian seitan. Total around 42. My other thought is to experiment with reducing high saturated fats sources like peanut butter, walnuts, tahini, and getting rid of one avocado, and replacing with lower saturated fat sources with similar or better fiber, like whole hemp seeds (not hulled). So… this would raise fiber and lower saturated fats. If that doesn’t bring down LDL, I don’t know what will! I also find that I can eat a half-cup of oatmeal with two tbsps of almond butter and it only take my glucose to 120, but has 10 grams of total fiber.On another matter, Dr. Greger says we can have 3-5 servings of soy a day. Do you have any sense of what that means? For example, one serving of Tofurky sausage is 280 calories, and 30 grams of protein, but one serving of soy milk is just 70 calories and one gram of protein. Does each qualify as one serving? Just wondering because tofu is a very high source of calories relative to saturated fat…Alice, I wanted you to know that I just did some calcs to figure out which foods have the highest calorie-to-saturated fat ratios, and I also made a note of calories relative to carbs. Top of the list are seitan and tofu. Anyway, I’m going to experiment to try to gain some weight. Thought you’d be interested.Hmmm…. it seems I can’t upload this though…. if you can’t see this, let me know. On the far right, I started to add some info on fiber, but that part isn’t complete yet. Draft form….Hi Russell and Suepy. I’m sorry I’m so slow responding. It’s such a pleasure to share these “conversations”.I’m back to struggling—FG in the high 90s—yesterday 107!—as I have to focus on other areas of my life and branch out to other foods, and I make mistakes, only some of which I understand. So much to learn. I’m back to using cronometer again despite the time it takes, and trying record activity and glucose measurements.I came across a study on postprandial exercise, which had prediabetic older healthy adults as subjects (unfortunately, heavier than we are). I think we might be similar (sorry, Russell, I don’t know your age—don’t be offended) since their impaired glucose was assigned to low insulin production, ascribed to aging.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3781561/“Three 15-min Bouts of Moderate Postmeal Walking Significantly Improves 24-h Glycemic Control in Older People at Risk for Impaired Glucose Tolerance”There’s quite a bit of information here. Especially look at the graph of meals, exercise and glucose (fig 1). My readings are very similar; if I can catch the rise before it peaks (30m after starting meal) and jog/walk 15-20m, it goes down but then rebounds to a smaller peak once I stop moving as digestion continues and adds new glucose into the bloodstream. Do you notice that too? I am following this plan, at least after breakfast and dinner, tho frequently more that 15m. (I’m eating Russell’s avocado lunches and there’s almost no peak, so no walk then.) I had an interesting dinner jog tonight: I had made one of my favorite tofu dishes, and my husband had provided a sweet Riesling white wine that he wanted to try with this favorite dinner. It was all really good and I ate more than usual. When I measured at 30m, it was 173. I jogged 1K steps (7m) and it went down to 149. I walked another 1K (10m) and it went up to 152. My dinner was feeding glucose in faster than walking was removing it. I jogged another 3k steps and it went down to 129. I think it might have been the sweetish wine, not something I have much experience with; maybe equivalent to a glucose solution!Sue, I like your lemonade—do you drink it before the meal? I think I remember someone (probably David Mendoza) recommending red wine vinegar in water before a meal for glucose control.Russell, I’m sorry your LDL increased—mine is not very different at 90 something. My doctor thinks it’s great (she’s Very Positive) since my HDL is high too. American Heart Association recommendations (lower than USDA) are to keep saturated fat under 5-6% of daily calories–about 11g for someone on a 2000kcal diet. I went over that today just with oats, flax, avocado and tofu–12g. I like your chart; it looks really useful to compile one of just your foods.Do you use cronometer? I think it’s the easiest clearest way to examine foods. It’s free and you don’t have to enter your diet, you can just look at an individual food. What I do is to use the Search Foods button to select a food, establish a quantity that’s reasonable, and it provides a complete nutrient data set for the food, including carbs, fiber, “net carbs” (that’s carbs minus fiber, the glucose-active carbs), starch, and all the sugars, etc, etc. The only problem is you can’t print it out, so I end up laboriously writing it out so I have it to hand. It’s easy to set up the quantity so foods are comparable by energy or by some other characteristic. (There are multiple data sets for some foods, sourced from different food analyzing agencies, and you want to use the one that has the most complete information.)It’s very hard to make sense of all the studies and their differing recommendations about cholesterol. You have to look at who the study subjects are and what they ate before the intervention. Jeff Novick has some wonderful comments about this. Here’s one about nuts (You have to read to the bottom, despite its initial repetitiousness.):http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=40295It seems to be true in a lot of cases that study findings don’t apply to us because we don’t have the deficiency or imbalance that people who eat the SAD do, so the intervention doesn’t help us. As Thea was telling me.I’ve been making more measurements—before, at 30m, at 60m, usually with some exercise at the 30m mark—for each meal and I’ve been surprised how fast my glucose rises, even with very low GI (supposedly slow digesting) foods, to at least 140 something 30m after starting breakfast and dinner, the meals that include significant carbs. I’m also noticing (I think) how affected glucose peaks are by the background context; if I’ve had a really high peak one evening, FG and the next day’s values seem to be raised, and maybe the next day’s. As tho it comes in waves. If it’s been unusually low one day it will tend to stay that way. I sure wish I understood. It seems something more than just the sum of the diet and exercise. I’ve been amazed at how high my peaks have been—I had no idea when I was measuring at 1h, or even 30m after finishing the meal. The 15m bout paper says something about how the peaks are the cause of microvascular damage, but the reference they supply doesn’t really address the subject. Have you seen any studies of this?Good luck gaining weight, Russell. I’ll be very interested in what you find helpful.Sorry this is so long…and looks so bad. (I wrote it in word because sometimes discus has lost it before it gets posted. Aack!)AliceAlice & Russell, thanks for your informative posts! Balancing carbs-fats-protein is sure tricky when our postprandial glucose likes to soar too high in response to those carbs. My 200 daily carbs are total, so minus my 50-60g fiber, that should put me near the recommended daily 130 carb amount. My BG usually peaks 45 minutes after breakfast at 110-120, but if I try adding any dried fruit or extra tablespoons of erythritol (4g carb each T), or had a late carby meal the night before, then it will rise to 150-180. I need to get moving 30 minutes after a meal to lower it, so I put my little cycle machine under my desk to make exercising easier. http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-tribu-julie-quick-fit-desk-bike-story.htmlI am sold on the benefits of flax, at least 2T-3T daily, and have found several ways to include it in my diet. The easiest is adding it to a smoothie along with 1t alma, but I don’t have a smoothie every day. This is good: mix 1T flax, 1T erythritol, 1t chai spice mix (cinnamon,ginger, cardamon, cloves), and 1 cup soy or almond milk, and stir while drinking. If I add 1t alma, then it needs another 1T erythritol. Sometimes I just mash 1T flax with ripe or defrosted raspberries and 1T erythritol. In a tribute to omega-3’s, studies have shown that they have a beneficial effect on dopamine, opposite the effect that “fatty foods” have. Dr Pamela Peeke had an interesting analysis, “Food and Addiction: The Dopamine Made Me Do It”, which points to the addictive effect of hyper palatable foods – sugary, starchy, fatty, and salty foods. http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/the-dopamine-made-me-do-itFlax is great because it has the omega-3’s, fiber, and lignans. Russell, I like your plan to lower your saturated fat and raise the fiber. Beans and lentils are undoubtedly one of the best sources of fiber and protein, but maybe best 2 or 3 times a day in smaller amounts to limit the carb overload. A serving of soy is:WHOLE SOY FOODS one serving is equal to ½ cup tofu or tempeh, 1 cup soymilk, ½ cup cooked edamame, 1 ounce of soynuts. Healthy choices: Tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy nuts, soy milk Why: Soy foods contain isoflavones that have antioxidant activity and are protective against cancer. Choose whole soy foods over fractionated foods like isolated soy protein powders and imitation meats made with soy isolate.Okay, I’m going to have to chastise both of you for eating too many carbs… its just not okay to be up there at 150-180! Some thoughts from Dr. Bernstein — don’t subtract the fiber — just stick to your glucose meter to figure out how many carbs, in total, you can have at each meal. One of his patients substituted oat bran for protein in her diet thinking that high fiber would be beneficial, “…and her A1c became elevated and her cholesterol to HDL ratio nearly doubled.” So subtracting fiber may not be particularly useful and may serve to overcomplicate a relatively simple glucose test. As Bernstein points out, the GI test also has a number of problem inherent in it for diabetics, namely, that it only measures out three hours, and it doesn’t account for impaired insulin production (meaning diabetic peaks could be MUCH higher), among other things.Thanks for the link to the exercise bike for under-desk use! I may get one too.As for whole soy, where I get confused is that some products like Tofurky sausage are listed as “one-serving” at 3.5 ounces (100 grams). But the web sites I’m looking at list a half-cup of tofu anywhere from 125 to 600 grams! That’s a big range which is why I’m confused. There must be a clearer definition somewhere of what Dr. Greger’s recommended daily amounts are.Russell, I had to laugh at your admonition to watch my carbs – I’ve been good! Well, pretty good. My postprandial glucose has only gone over 140 3X in the past few weeks, and cycling right after eating seems to really make a difference. My daughter has flown the coop, so I am renewing my commitment to an ideal diet and exercise with vigor. I wonder if the low fat, high carb doctors like McDougall can keep their patients’ postprandial readings under 140, or are they even concerned about that? If you ever meet Dr McDougall, I’d love to hear the gist of that conversation! What I find exciting about this 2003 study that I mentioned to Alice http://ccs01.vo.ca-cncx.net/o41/5507/bw/bs/FPCR20080006/articles/LA7D.pdf was the conclusion that isolated postprandial hyperglycemia (IPH) is very under diagnosed, pervasive, and a high risk factor for CVD independent of all the other risk factors. Could IPH be the smoking gun behind so much of the heart disease in people with normal cholesterol and nondiabetic? Intriguing.Suepy, I’m glad to hear that you are keeping your postprandial excursions limited to just occasional trips to the wild side. :) Thanks for the study — Thea needs to see this one as it confirms exactly what we were trying to tell her about grains/carbs and the associated risks. Would you consider sending it to her, or if not, may I do so?It underscores the importance of getting our A1cs as low as possible. I’m wondering if there’s some way to get to 5.0… if anyone figures out a good vegan formula for that, please let me know. I’m going to try to push mine down since I’m usually 5.3-5.4. Anyone care to join me in this little experiment? It might mean even more nuts and seeds… but perhaps worth the fat risk.Also, thanks to Alice also for turning me onto the Cronometer. It’s a pain — who has the time? But I’ll keep at it a few more days to help dial me in. I’ve already learned that my sodium intake is double the recommended amount, from all the fake meats. Guess I’ll have to make my own seitan from now on :(. I’ve also learned that I’m getting too much iron and calcium from food on top of my multivitamins, so I’ll back off on the multis. And now I see why its so hard to maintain weight. Most of my calories come from tofu, seitan, nuts, seeds, and a daily glass or two of red wine. I didn’t know that the wine was so important! Obviously, I will have to force myself to drink more.Btw, I have a new breakfast cereal mix — three tablespoons of oatmeal, three tablespoons of almond butter, and one tablespoon of flax meal/chia meal (yes, you can ground chia in the coffee grinder just like flax seeds). Its about 16 carbs and 350 calories total, and when added to my soy green tea, with erythritol, my glucose barely creeps over 100 and I get around 400 carbs. Love the taste, too.Russell, Since you and Thea have been exchanging ideas, why don’t you give her a heads up about that article on postprandial hyperglycemia. David Jenkins published a study last February http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24500611 about a 6 month trial of a low carb vegan diet vs a high carb lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. The conclusion was: “A self-selected low-carbohydrate vegan diet, containing increased protein and fat from gluten and soy products, nuts and vegetable oils, had lipid lowering advantages over a high-carbohydrate, low-fat weight loss diet, thus improving heart disease risk factors”. He probably should have made both diets vegan for better comparison. PubMed has 36 related articles published in the last 5 years, with several showing improved results on LDL and insulin resistance from soy products. I’m plowing through them to see if there is anything relevant. Here’s hoping that there are some ongoing studies which will shed some light on this low-carb vs low-fat debate.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?linkname=pubmed_pubmed&from_uid=24500611I’ve been using the under desk cycle or other exercise after each meal and snack, starting at 30 minutes after the first bite and continuing for 15-20 minutes. It keeps my postprandial glucose under 110 at the one hour mark, and I have a sufficient second insulin response to keep glucose no higher at the 2 or 3 hour mark. Also I’m trying to build more muscle mass by following the super slow weight training and HITT. Russell, Since you and Thea have been exchanging ideas, why don’t you give her a heads up about that article on postprandial hyperglycemia. David Jenkins published a study last Feb http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24500611 about a 6 month trial of a low carb vegan diet vs a high carb lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. The conclusion was: “A self-selected low-carbohydrate vegan diet, containing increased protein and fat from gluten and soy products, nuts and vegetable oils, had lipid lowering advantages over a high-carbohydrate, low-fat weight loss diet, thus improving heart disease risk factors”. He probably should have made both diets vegan for better comparison. PubMed has 36 related articles published in the last 5 years, with several showing improved results on LDL and insulin resistance from soy products. I’m plowing through them to see if there is anything relevant. Here’s hoping that there are some ongoing studies which will shed some light on this low-carb vs low-fat debate.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?linkname=pubmed_pubmed&from_uid=24500611I’ve been using the under desk cycle or other exercise after each meal and snack, starting at 30 minutes after the first bite and continuing for 15-20 minutes. It keeps my postprandial glucose under 110 at the one hour mark, and I have a sufficient second insulin response to keep glucose no higher at the 2 or 3 hour mark. Also I’m trying to build more muscle mass by following the super slow weight training and HITT. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?linkname=pubmed_pubmed&from_uid=24500611However, I’m losing weight, down to 100 lbs, BMI 19.0. Since my fats are already in the 40% range, I’ll increase protein through soy and seitan, keeping carbs around 40%. Probably changing snacks from fruit and nuts to soy and nuts will help and would eliminate the need to exercise off those extra snack carbs. Postprandial goal is under 120 mg/dL and Never Ever Over 140 (that could be a website!). The chronometer diary is good to use because it has the calorie breakdown wheel which you can click on to show percentages, but it IS time consuming.BTW, your breakfast cereal mix looks good – is the oatmeal cooked or raw? Isn’t it interesting being a guinea pig – lab rat?That link for the slow training and HITT should be: http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/05/11/benefits-of-super-slow-workouts.aspxDiscus is tricky to use if you’re not signed in first.Btw, here’s a graph from Bernstein’s book that you and Alice may appreciate. We’re all probably at the bottom of this scale. It’s amazing that others continue to lump us together with the high-insulin people. That’s why we’re being told to go to a high-carb diet, which obviously cannot work for us based on this chart.Russell, thanks for the note to Thea and this chart. It clearly shows how carbohydrates would be a problem for a thin type 2 diabetic because of low insulin levels. Google “thin prediabetic” and you’ll find several forums discussing this plus some interesting magazine articles. We have company, although it seems that we are in the small minority of pre-diabetics treating it with a vegan diet.Hi Suepy. My post to Russell is for you also. I’m about to do your Google search. Thanks.Russell, your page from Bernstein’s book is really informative. I’ve bought his book– it vastly simplifies my view of my glucose. It’s so obvious I’m amazed I hadn’t seen it before. I was told (w/o testing) that I made plenty of insulin, so I’ve had trouble accepting that I didn’t. Also I’ve been a pretty happy vegan for a long time, and a gardener growing a lot of what we eat, and I have real trouble believing that the wonderful stuff coming out of my garden isn’t what I’m supposed to eat. Butternut squash, red potatoes. Arrrg! But now that I’m testing more often and can see the shape of the peaks in response to the grams of carbs I eat, and the possibilities of modifying them with immediate exercise, it’s really clear. So I do need to modify my diet. I’m starting with the hope that I can manage 40g of carbs at a meal if I can walk afterwards, and I’m choosing them carefully for low GI and nutrients, and my 40g covers only “net” carbs, so I’m not counting fiber, which is pretty high in my diet. If this doesn’t work I’ll have to lower it. I also read recently that caffeine decreases insulin sensitivity, so I’ve switched to decaf, and my postprandial peak is possibly a little lower, but does seem to occur a little later. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Caffeine+can+decrease+insulin+sensitivity+in+humans.+Diabetes+Care%2C+2002%2C+Vol+25%2C+Iss+2%2C+pp+364-369.+GB+Keijzers%2C+BE+DeGalan%2C+CJ+Tack%2C+P+Smits. I think it’s important not to include fiber in your carb count, Russell. It will skew your choice of foods–like avocados. What cronometer gives me for a ~100g avocado is ~9g of carbs but ~7g of fiber, making it a really low net carb food. It’s hard to get enough calories with lower carbs and I make them up with almonds. I hope this will work–it’s so much easier to think about than to do–but I now have a pretty reasonable understanding of it I think. Thanks for you Bernstein post. He’s right I think. Are we going to invent the new WFPB SOS paleo diet?Alice, I’m so glad you bought the book! Yes, it makes a lot of sense. I’m grateful for having spoken to him on the phone earlier this year. Such a trailblazer… we basically owe glucose test strips to this man since he popularized them immediately after finding them in an obscure journal before they were known.I hadn’t been aware of the caffeine link — I’ve been increasing my caffeine due to its effect upon lowering LDL. Sheesh, I guess I need to revisit that now.As for carbs, I always use the gross amount, never the net amount after subtracting fiber. I think that’s what you meant. Bernstein uses gross as well which makes it very easy to make calculations. I basically ignore the fiber count as I find on cronometer that I’m always fine on this.Yep, almonds are my favorite, though my dentist is telling me that I have to stick to almond butter since they wreak havoc on enamel! :)If you ever want to test your insulin, you can buy tests on http://www.walkinlabs.com for $24. Some generic doctor signs them digitally. Then you can print it and go to LabCorp and get them done. Cheap and easy.The Diabetes Director for the Center for Responsible Medicine looked at the Bernstein graph I sent her and admitted that we thin diabetes/prediabetes people are very rare and really not studied in any of the literature. But I’ve also read that we represent 5-10% of the whole group, so why not? We could certainly use more dietary studies along the lines of what we’re all doing now.Alice and Russell, I’ve been reading Dr Bernstein’s book, and it’s new territory for me to be counting the carbs in each meal, yet that seems to make the difference in preventing BG spikes over 140 after meals. I’m safe if I keep under 30g of mostly low GI carbs per meal, and can go to 40g with exercise soon after. I never realized how much fruit I eat, with daily banana, pomegranate, and dried fruit, but am now much more judicious with the fruit and generous with the low-starch veggies. My excursions to the wild side (high carb!) leave me hungry 2-3 hours later and require so much exercise to bring glucose down. After trying to work off a slice of Chicago deep dish pizza (veggie, no cheese please), an hour of exercise got my glucose down to 120, but the next morning fasting was 68, lower than normal. What I’ve realized is that a high carb meal can cause my BG to swing between too high and too low. Two years ago I had a much higher carb diet and first started testing my glucose, but knew little about what the normal readings were. I found that some of my glucose levels had dropped to 62-68 after several hours postprandial, and it was common to go over 140 an hour after a meal. That would explain how I can have an A1c of 5.2 or 5.5 with normal fasting, because the too highs and too lows got averaged out. Proof that A1c and fasting glucose don’t always tell the whole story. So in my case, it might be insulin resistance and not insulin deficiency that is the problem. I’m really hoping I caught it in time, didn’t burn out too many beta cells, and will keep to smooth sailing on the glucose sea.I’ve checked with Labcorp and Quest Labs to see if they offer the insulin response test, but they only do fasting insulin with the 2 hour Glucose Tolerance Test. Saveonlab.com, which costs out of pocket, does have it: “Insulin response test—fasting, 1-hour, and 2-hour glucose and insulin levels after a 75-gram glucose load. This is like a glucose tolerance test but measures both glucose and insulin. Your blood sugar can be normal but your insulin can be sky high.” Russell, they are a bit cheaper than walkinlab.com (your link was for walkinlabs, which is something different). I had a good conversation with the ClevelandHeartLab http://www.clevelandheartlab.com/our-science/ and they have both MPO testing and an Inflammation Panel http://www.clevelandheartlab.com/our-science/inflammation-testing/ for a very reasonable cost if your insurance doesn’t cover their lab (they aren’t in my insurance network). Your doctor would requisition their supplies, draw your blood, then mail it to them for no extra charge – they provide all the materials. I believe the MPO would cost $14.40. They aren’t the same as the Cleveland Clinic, which also tests for MPO, but maybe only onsite.I think we are starting to figure this out! It takes a willing doctor to get the testing, or order online and pay a bit extra. Alice, have you ever tried a rebounder (mini trampoline)? It is good for lowering blood glucose, building bone density, and easy on the knees. I am on my third rebounder and found that it’s definitely worthwhile to pay extra for a good one – I use the Rebounder Air, which can fold in half for storage or transport. Between my rebounder and my under-the-desk cycle, I don’t need to venture out into the cold for exercise as much. A trip into the carb wild side requires the jump rope, (sorry knees!).Alice, wow it is rare for me to fall under 80-85, so I’m not sure why that happened in your case. This seems like a huge insulin response, but that seems counterintuitive for someone with such a low BMI. Have you done the test for insulin resistance? I seriously doubt you have it… But you didn’t say if you still have hypoglycemia now that you’ve adjusted your diet.Another option, I think, is just meter error. My experience is that even the best meters will be off by up to 25% (despite the claims of only 15%).Anyway, I’m very glad to hear that Bernstein’s book has been helpful. Honestly, someone needs to do a veggie/vegan version of it!I don’t think I’ll ever do a 2-hr glucose/insulin test, because I’m quite frankly scared of EVER letting my glucose go above 140, even for a test. Maybe one incident is inconsequential… I don’t know… but I’d rather not burn out even a single beta cell unless there is an upside to the risk.Thanks for the info on SaveOnLabs, and on MPO. I’ll look into both of them.I had a fasting BG of 68 four days ago, after my fling with a slice of pizza (it was yummy, but not again!), retested and it was 70. The 2 or 3 hour insulin response test suggests eating high carb for the previous 3 days, so I am hesitant, like you Russell, to let my glucose go high for that amount of time. Regardless of the results, I would continue with my current lower carb, higher fat and protein vegan diet and exercise. Possibly the serum C-peptide test would give, as Dr Berstein says, “a crude index of the amount of insulin you’re producing. The level is usually zero in type 1 diabetics, and within or above the “normal range” in mild type 2 obese (insulin-resistant) diabetics. If your serum C-peptide is elevated, this would suggest to your physician that your blood sugar may be controllable merely by diet, weight loss, and exercise.” Hypoglycemia was a problem for me when I was in my 20’s, so I’m familiar with the lightheaded/fuzzy feelings that accompany it. Normally I don’t drink alcohol because more than a glass of wine gives me a headache, but 2 years ago I had one margarita with lots of chips and salsa. An hour later I got very lightheaded, dizzy, queasy, and ended up briefly passing out – I would make a cheap drunk! I thought it was from alcohol intolerance, but now that I think about all those carbs I consumed, I bet it was hypoglycemia. My poor pancreas has obviously been overworked all these years; time to make amends.Some interesting information about the MPO test and why our local labs don’t offer it: http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2010/10/new_cleveland_business_clevela.html “Research shows that a large percentage of people who have a heart attack or stroke don’t have high cholesterol or high blood pressure. That fact sent a team of Cleveland Clinic researchers in search of a better predictor. They found it in the enzyme myeloperoxidase. We all have myeloperoxidase, known as MPO, in our bodies. But as plaque inside our blood vessel walls becomes more likely to rupture, we produce more MPO. Increased amounts of MPO can cause erosion of artery walls, too. When a blood vessel erodes or plaque ruptures, a clot forms to patch the weak spot. If that clot blocks blood flow to your heart or brain, you’ll have a heart attack or stroke. So a high level of MPO is a sign that you’re at a higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke. That’s true even if your cholesterol levels are normal, your blood pressure perfect and you’re running marathons. After the discovery, the Cleveland Clinic, through Cleveland Clinic Innovations, launched ClevelandHeartLab, one of 33 companies the Cleveland Clinic has spun off in the past 10 years. What ClevelandHeartLab does is test blood samples, mailed from across the country, for high levels of MPO, then sends those results back to doctors so that they can pass the information on to their patients. Cleveland Clinic has a patent on using MPO to predict cardiovascular disease. But it has licensed that patent to ClevelandHeartLab, on the Cleveland Clinic campus. That doesn’t mean that no other lab can conduct the test, it just means they have to work through HeartLab to do so because the testing method is protected. And labs around the world are doing that.” The Inflammation Panel, with MPO, costs $189 without insurance. This looks like a good test for those of us with good cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight, but maybe have hidden inflammation. I will definitely pursue this and the C-peptide test with my (hopefully willing) doctor, who will give me the NMR results today – finally! BTY, what percent protein do you eat? I’m now at protein 20%, carb 35%, fat 45%, but am thinking of increasing protein – soy and seitan, and lowering fat from nuts.Suepy, good to have that info from the Cleveland folks. You’re good at this! Was your night job doing medical research for a living? :)My protein is 20-25%, carbs 10%, wine 6-10% (lots of calories!), and 60% fats. But watch out for the commercial soy and seitan varieties… lots of iron and salt. Must be a bit cautious.Ha ha, I wish I had some experience in medical research – I’m flying by the seat of my pants! My doctor was very interested in the Inflammation Panel offered by the Cleveland HeartLab, and agreed to order the test for me. The lab called today and said my cost would be $32 since I have insurance but they are not a preferred provider. I’m envious of your wine consumption -fun way to get calories.Here are some thoughts about insulin resistance in thin people. I’ve found 4 factors mentioned in the literature that could cause it: genetic link, hidden visceral fat, sleep disturbances, and hypothyroid. People who work the night shift are at greater risk, and voila, I worked nights for 31 years – definitely sleep deprived. I happily retired not long ago at age 60, but still rise before the rooster. According to Dr Neal Barnard, increased dietary fat can cause insulin resistance, and glucose spikes caused by too many carbs can cause it, so that leaves us with increasing protein as an option (and exercise), back to the Eco-Atkins diet. How much soy to safely include in our diet is a very good question.You realize that you can test for insulin resistance, right? But I’m very dubious about the dietary fat link. My own fat intake is currently running at about 60% of calories. And my insulin resistance score is unmeasurable, below the scale. I shared your seitan and soy protein intake concerns, so I tested my IGF-1. The score came back this morning at the midpoint of the reference range so I am officially less concerned about this now. The great news though is that my A1C is 5.1, the lowest I’ve ever had! The less than great news is that my LDL is still hovering around 136, even though I reduced my vegan saturated fats from 16g to 10g a day. so it appears that it is total fat content that drives up cholesterol, not just saturated fat. Unless I am an anomaly. I’d love to cut out all fat to test this theory, but I’m afraid I would lose 10 pounds in 10 days to do so. I suppose I could live on salads and homemade oil-free seitan for 10 days… Might be a bit tough! And probably pointless too.Trigs at 66, lower than HDL, at 75, which is also good news.Russell, congratulations on your A1c dropping, looks like low carb is working! I got my CardioMetabolic lab report today and am trying to analyze it all – any input you want to give would be appreciated. The pre-diabetes risk factors were mostly good, except for a troubling c-peptide of .64, which is low enough to put me near the high risk zone. I think my beta cells are burned out, but fasting insulin was OK at 5.7. Glucose was 67, which is in the caution zone for too low, and A!c was 4.8 (thanks to watching those glucose peaks). Lipids were: cholesterol 182, trig 49, HDL 73, LDL 101, so I haven’t figured out why my total cholesterol went up along with the LDL since this summer, when total was 125 and 136. Maybe the little meter the hospital used to test lipids then was not very accurate? I’d like to know what makes the readings climb. Total LDL and HDL particles were just above normal, as were ApoB and homocysteine, and CRP was 1.0. Not the stellar numbers I was hoping for, although not bad. I think reducing carbs more and spreading them out in smaller meals would be prudent. These diet changes are an experiment in progress – I have never read so many scientific papers in my life!Its all quite a mystery, isn’t it? Also, we’re looking only at the dietary component. Complex as that is, the genetic element is even more so. I have polymorphisms on my CETP chromosomes — about a third of the population does — and it reduces cholesterol metabolism. So… just sayin’…. we’re not really even looking at those things.Oh and btw, are you getting sufficient B12? It plays a huge role in bringing down some inflammatory markers. It was either homocysteine, or CRP I believe.There seems to be a sweet spot in the fat/carb balance where the lower carbs improve A1c and glucose, but not too much fat to increase cholesterol, and I think you’re right, it’s the total fat content and not just the saturated. Which test did you take for insulin resistance? My B12 is high, as is folic acid – no problem there.The NMR Lipoprotein Test, aka The Particle Test, includes insulin resistance. On WalkinLab.com, it is $117, unless you can get your physician to order it.Yes, you’re probably right about the fats/carbs thing. Saturated fats may not be any different to our LDL than mono or polyunsaturated fats. So, I will have to experiment with finding the right sweet spot with fats/carbs. The only other alternative is to increase proteins further, as I mentioned. Basically, that would mean a lot more low-fat seitan, I guess. I have about 150 grams of protein/day, so I was relieved to see my IGF-1 score be only 121. Reference values for my age are 78-222, so it seems that high plant proteins are not affecting it much, if at all.Btw, have you ever done the ApoB/ApoA1 ratio? Just found a study saying this is the best measure for predicting MI events. The control group was at 0.74. The MI patients were at 1.34. In addition to MPO, this seems like a worthwhile thing to test.Hi Suepy. Your numbers look good–esp A1c. And Russell, congrats on yours. From the amount of testing you’ve had can you tell whether you are more likely to be insulin deficient or insulin insensitive? How would you know? I have never had c-peptide, homocysteine, CRP or ApoB tested, or insulin. I live near Seattle and go to a UW clinic for healthcare. I expect that they’re the best in my area, but testing seems to be on some sort of evidence-based schedule–lipid panel every 3y for people whose lipids are OK, for example. Haven’t decided what I want to do about it… Suepy, are you concerned about you glucose going too low? I remember a magazine article among the items that came up on your google search for “thin diabetics”, where the author figured out that he was having very low overnight glucose levels, from the disparity between his fasting glucose readings and his A1c. His doctor thought it was serious enough to treat. I’m as mystified as ever. I tried your plan of keeping carbs under 30g per meal this morning by reducing the amount of oat groats in my usual breakfast to bring it under 30. Instead of walking at 30m I sat there and at 40m I was at 148 (at which point I walked as fast as possible). If I eat carefully and start walking at 30m I can usually keep it from going above ~135 or so, and I can get it down pretty fast, but I have to keep moving for at least 25-30m or it will head back up. It usually lands in the mid-100s and stays there.I love your indoor exercise solutions. I do have a rebounder and I’ve hauled it out and started using it. The things I’ve tried that seem to help w peaks: switching to decaf (min difference but feels good), something acidic before meals–diluted vinegar or lemon juice, something fatty at the beginning of the meal. Macronutrient levels now are usually 35-40% CHO, 16-20% P, 40% fats.I need some good seitan recipes!What I found out about insulin resistance is that, according to labtestsonline.org “There is no one test that can directly detect insulin resistance”, http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions/insulin-resistance/start/1 but there are some complicated procedures which can help determine it, and some mathematical calculations based on lab results. Commonly used is a formula called the homeostatic model assessment, HOMA2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeostatic_model_assessmen which uses fasting glucose and fasting insulin or c-peptide to calculate beta cell function and insulin resistance. The formula is set up so that normal IR is 1 and normal %beta and % insulin sensitivity is 100%. Usually an IR above 2 is considered resistant, but normal varies depending on ethnicity and gender, with the average IR in healthy humans at 1.7-2. Liposcience Labs has developed a score (LP-IR) using lipid count and size to estimate insulin resistance and offer it with their NMR test. http://investor.liposcience.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=854681 They found that “”Insulin resistance is accompanied by alterations in lipoprotein metabolism that result in distinct changes in the lipoprotein profile detected by NMR.” Recently they announced a Diabetes Risk Index http://investor.liposcience.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=854681 stating: “Many clinicians are challenged about how to effectively manage patients with ‘intermediate’ blood glucose levels ranging from 90 to 110 mg/dL, as within this range there is often ambiguity as to whether a patient will progress to type 2 diabetes. The ambiguity is particularly pronounced in normal-weight individuals, who do not typically present with overtly visible risk factors.” Spectacell Labs, which my doctor used, has a CardioMetabolic Risk Score to determine the chance of developing diabetes and has a bit different presentation of the lipoprotein particle numbers than the NMR. I couldn’t find their apoA1. http://www.spectracell.com/clinicians/products/cardiometabolic-overview/I used the HOMA2 calculator and my IR is 1.11, so Russell, you’re right that I am not insulin resistant but instead am insulin sensitive. Maybe I have a low insulin reservoir, aka the California Syndrome :), which causes my postprandial to spike too high.Speaking of meter error, when I had my blood tests last month, the routine tests were done by Labcorp and the lipid numbers were done by Spectracell, both drawn at the same time. Labcorp said my FG was 79, Spectracell said 67, and my home meter read 76. The previous day, my fasting at home was 80, and usually my meter is a bit lower than the labs, so I’m tending to believe the higher FG since I’ve only gone into the 60’s postprandial after a load of carbs. Could my insulin have surged between tubes to cause glucose to fall? Perplexing.Alice, what I think is also helping me to lower fasting and A1c has been increased intensity when I do strength training 2-3 times a week. If I put more effort into the weights, my glucose levels are lower for the next day or so. While counting the carbs in meals, I realized that erythritol has 4g of not so innocent carbs. The lemonade that I suggested with 1T flax, 1 lemon, 2T erythritol has 14g carbs! Even 1 tsp of alma has 3g of carbs, so when I mix 1cup soy milk, 1t alma, 1T flax, and 1T erythritol, that gives me 14g carbs. How fast it all adds up.I’ve found some good seitan recipes on the web: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/qt/seitanrecipes.htm http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/how-to-make-perfect-seitan/ http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm My favorite vegan cafe, Native Foods, has 2 cookbooks, a website, and a newsletter with great recipes – their seitan is delicious. http://blog.nativefoods.com/nativefoods/2013/02/super-bowl-seitan-snacks-round-1.htmlGood luck!Thanks for the seitan recipes. They look great. Thanks for all your other useful suggestions too–I’m paying more attention to intensity in weight workouts, and the main reason I’m so slow in adding to our conversation is that I’m trying to correct my life-long miserable sleep habits. This cuts into my late-night reading/computer time too much! It’s a struggle, but has to be done.I did some reading about the HOMA2 test, and it’s supposed to give you a value for %beta cell function as well as insulin resistance. Did you get such a value? This seems the important result. Here’s an article comparing tests of beta cell function:http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/48/9/1779And another article on an improved test, iHOMA2:http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/36/8/2324.longThe newer test works better for people who are being treated with various drugs, maybe to improve beta cell function, so I guess it doesn’t apply to us.I’m continuing to try things–starting each meal with a vinegar “cocktail”, adding avocado or almonds to each meal. I’m impressed with how time-specific my exercise has to be, and I’ve wondered if timing (e.g., at the beginning of the meal) of these other modifications might also be important. I tried amla quite a while ago, before I was taking many postprandial readings, and didn’t see any difference in my FG. Do you see any difference in peaks?We’re all quite different aren’t we–my peaks seem to occur so quickly–I sometimes don’t have time to finish eating before I have to start exercise (30m after starting, and sometimes sooner). It must have to do with differences in insulin availability over time–insulin signaling?A question: would it make any difference in how you would treat it to know whether you’re insulin deficient or insensitive?Hope you’re having a wonderful holiday. I’m going to a neighborhood Christmas brunch potluck tomorrow, which will have vegetarian options, but they’ll all be cheesey quiches and fancy fruit salads and desserts. This will be a dietary challenge, which I’ll fail, but I can’t eat by myself all the time…. Doesn’t happen very often.Happy holidays, Alice! I’ve been tracking my postprandial peaks more carefully, and with a lower GI meal it peaks at 30-35 minutes, while a high carb meal will keep my glucose rising up to an hour later. I’ve been trying to exercise at the 30 min mark, but can get indigestion if I’m too active, so am taking care with the amount of carbs per meal. I hope you can get tested for fasting insulin and c-peptide. I used the HOMA2 calculator for % beta cell and it was 102 by using the c-peptide, which I read is better than using the insulin if you are not insulin resistant. I think our diet plan would be the same whether insulin resistant or deficient, but it would be helpful to know the status of our beta cells and how careful we need to be with carbs. Probably the insulin response test would indicate insulin resistance best and is the test recommended in The Blood Sugar Solution. That book is really aimed at people who are insulin resistant, and I haven’t found a book that talks much about pre-diabetics who are not. They forgot about us!I don’t know if amla makes a difference in FG since I never tested my FG before starting amla. I also wonder if the timing of an acid with a meal makes a difference in glucose rise – adding lemon water before, during, or after eating? Exercise and low GI, low carb seem to make the biggest difference for me. I lament having to restrict my pomegranate intake – last year I was eating one a day, but they are high in sugar, so no more than 1/4 cup now at a time.Since my cholesterol and LDL went up so much in November, I’ve been scratching my head trying to figure out what caused the change from my low readings in summer. My basic diet didn’t change much all year, but over the spring and summer I ate more beans, along with lemons and greens in order to become more alkaline since a doctor told me I was testing acidic. I also added 2 tsp of Natural Calm magnesium daily, and I wonder if this made a big difference? In the fall my garden went kaput, so I slacked off on the greens and got lazy with the lemons and magnesium. It’s an easy theory to test – I’m adding them back and will test my cholesterol periodically. Maybe it will help with blood sugar control, too. Have a great new year!Happy New Year! I too have been trying to track postprandial glucose carefully.This last holiday week has been particularly difficult, with several lovely social occasions organized around food, annual things I really look forward to, pretty much spoiled by my sense of having to Minimize the Damage, then coming home hungry and upset, perhaps overeating my own “safe” food and seeing enormous peaks. Probably cortisol as well as carbs. Dinner with dear friends and facing the choice again of eating their carefully prepared super healthy food, organized especially for me, or protecting my carb level. I found an OK compromise and of course loved seeing them, but I feel so cut off from normal human means of socializing. It’s been discouraging. Not sure what I’m doing is sustainable.I’ve also had particularly high peaks after what I thought were manageably low carb meals. Once to 217 an hour after one of Russell’s avocado/greens lunches. Another time to 157 at 30 min which stayed there at least half an hour while I jogged/walked my heart out for 5000 steps. It may not seem likely, but the change I had made was adding 1t amla to my mid-day meal. I continued it for 6 days, then quit and my peaks have gone down–I think. Maybe amla’s effect is on insulin resistance–can’t think of a likely mechanism. It certainly didn’t help me. Maybe I’m wrong and simply connecting 2 separate concurrent factors. (But check it with your own experience.)I’m feeling better now–back to working on the old high nutrient density/low carb/optimal exercise combination that will allow a long, high-function life–as possible. I’ve got an appointment next week with the endocrinologist I saw 2y ago and have been trying to clarify exactly what it is I need from her. Here’s what I’ve been thinking: 1. I’d like to dismiss the problem of whether I have diabetes or not, and what type. Those are her markers, her problems. Since I don’t want or need treatment, I don’t think it matters. She can categorize it as she wants. 2. I do want to establish benchmarks for my current state of (let’s call it) impaired glucose tolerance. I’ve been doing that with FBG, which hasn’t changed, and 2 years of annual A1c tests. These are helpful but inadequate–probably miss the important numbers–peak height & frequency. 3. A1c levels will be misleading for her, because I’m pushing “lifestyle” corrections as far as I know how, to normalize A1c. 4. When I look at the shape of the peaks I’ve mapped over the last few months, like you, I see a fast rise starting at 20-25m after starting to eat, which peaks at 45m to 1h and comes down to 130’s – 120’s – 110’s by 2h. I’m thinking that indicates inadequate insulin in the 1st phase–i.e., no stored insulin, but eventually plenty. If not an insulin production problem, maybe a signaling problem? 5. What I would find helpful is some way of testing the patency/effectiveness of my beta cells, that would provide an indicator of where I am now in the spectrum of normal to insufficient insulin production, and a benchmark for comparison in the future. (First priority–preserving the beta cells and ability to measure success over time.) 6. Her judgement of best testing method. (I’m thinking HOMA2 with fasting PG, insulin, C-peptide. But she’s the expert.) She may not be willing to order the tests due to institutional limits on testing for “non-diabetics”. If she can’t, where does she recommend I go. 7. Her take on effective target peak limits to prevent tissue damage at any level. As I’ve thought about this I’ve wondered whether peak height and frequency; time per incident over some threshold (e.g., 140), cumulative; or sheer glucose instability is the most damaging factor.Can you add anything to this, Suepy?Much appreciated!AliceHappy New Year Alice! Yes, I’m with you 100% on the challenges of holiday meals. I’ve got a reputation among my friends for spurning all their great dishes, or only having a bite, and then diving into my home-made salads and stir fries. Anyway, they get over it eventually. And my will power is pretty strong to avoid those things that will harm me. I’ve got a young son and I want to be healthy for him as long as possible, so the will power part is easy. Your 217 after a salad meal is concerning — Bernstein recommends no more than (if I remember right) about one cup of salad at a time. I find I can eat about three cups safely but if I go to four or five, my peaks go crazy. I’m pretty careful about limiting the amounts. You probably had way too much at one time. Also, it depends on how much exercise I had before the meal (not just after). I just got back from a ski vacation and I found that I could eat tons of salads and other foods and all my glucose numbers were superb. But this morning, a big handful of oats and walnut butter sent me over 150 at 1-hour. Sheesh. So many people with our conditions just don’t pay attention. We may not be perfect, but we’re clearly doing all we can to control and aid our future health. Its a constant mindfulness practice, isn’t it? Sorry I can’t help on the test methods you mention, but perhaps Suepy will have guidance. In any event, please keep me updates on your progress and findings. best — RussellI really sympathize with your frustration when eating with friends who eat far more carbs than you can handle, and with not wanting to be antisocial by refusing or eating little of their carefully prepared food. I have to eat before I get into that situation and have nut snacks to keep myself fortified. I wonder if you could bring a big dish of veggies or salad to share, and eat just a bite of your host’s food? I feel so limited when eating at a regular restaurant – just salads or grilled veggies, and even vegan restaurants can go heavy on the carbs and oils.I have experimented with bigger meals, up to 48g of carbs, and then exercising from 20 minutes post meal to an hour later, which does keep my BG down but the indigestion is not comfortable. Back to frequent smaller meals, every 2-3 hours, of 20 – 30g without the need to exercise right away. I’ve read that taking vinegar or lemon juice before a meal works best when it is a high carb instead of low carb meal, and optimum is 2T apple cider vinegar 2 minutes before the meal. I can’t tolerate acid on an empty stomach and have found that it works while eating my meal, either 1T lemon juice or ACV, which slows the glucose peak to 50 minutes instead of 30 min, giving me time to digest more before exercising.I am curious now about your BG reaction to the amla, because all the studies have shown that it has a beneficial effect on fasting, 2 hour post-prandial, and lipid levels. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21495900There are so many variables that affect our BG that it is hard to pinpoint one item as causing the result, because it can vary according to exercise and diet the day before, sleep, stress, etc. I am going to pay more attention to my glucose readings after adding alma and see if I notice a difference.With a post-prandial reading of 217, some sources would qualify that as a diabetes diagnosis, but most official guidelines for diabetes specify a random reading over 200 with symptoms is diabetic.http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/basics/tests-diagnosis/con-20031902 “Regardless of when you last ate, a random blood sugar level of 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) or higher suggests diabetes, especially when coupled with any of the signs and symptoms of diabetes, such as frequent urination and extreme thirst. Without intervention, prediabetes is likely to become type 2 diabetes in 10 years or less. If you have prediabetes, the long-term damage of diabetes — especially to your heart and circulatory system — may already be starting.”Whatever your doctor wants to call it, you certainly should get more testing, at the minimum a fasting glucose, insulin, C-peptide and A1c. I think the insulin response test is even better and would give you a good measure of your beta cell and insulin resistance status, with insulin and glucose measured at fasting, 30 min, 1 hour, and 2 hour. A funny coincidence is that I also have an appointment with an endocrinologist (first time) this month for the same reasons as you, not wanting any drugs or treatment but for further testing and an experienced analysis of the test results. Regardless of what they say, I think we should give a wholehearted effort to normalize our blood glucose levels with diet and exercise.Getting to the source of our impaired glucose tolerance is the real goal, and it isn’t easy, like with overweight people, to just say the cause is insulin resistance and losing weight will cure it. An interesting study was done, the Counterpoint study, which duplicated the diabetes reversal experienced by people who undergo bariatric surgery by reducing a group of diabetics’ calories to 600 cal/day for eight weeks, concluding that type 2 diabetes was reversible at least in the early years of diagnosis. fhttp://www.practicaldiabetes.com/SpringboardWebApp/userfiles/espdi/file/November%202011/Ldr%20Taylor_PD%202-col.pdfOf course that’s not an option for someone who is thin, but they also concluded that if a person has type 2 diabetes, they have more fat in the liver and pancreas than they can cope with.http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal.htm “Reversing Type 2 Diabetes Our work has shown that type 2 diabetes is not inevitably progressive and life-long. We have demonstrated that in people who have had type 2 diabetes for 4 years or less, major weight loss returns insulin secretion to normal.It has been possible to work out the basic mechanisms which lead to type 2 diabetes. Too much fat within liver and pancreas prevents normal insulin action and prevents normal insulin secretion. Both defects are reversible by substantial weight loss.A crucial point is that individuals have different levels of tolerance of fat within liver and pancreas. Only when a person has more fat than they can cope with does type 2 diabetes develop. In other words, once a person crosses their personal fat threshold, type 2 diabetes develops. Once they successfully lose weight and go below their personal fat threshold, diabetes will disappear.Some people can tolerate a BMI of 40 or more without getting diabetes. Others cannot tolerate a BMI of 22 without diabetes appearing, as their bodies are set to function normally at a BMI of, say 19. This is especially so in people of South Asian ethnicity.”If in fact we do have too much fat in our liver or pancreas which inhibits beta cell function and insulin resistance, how do we get rid of it? That’s a question for further investigation. Keep testing, stick with what works, get your sleep, and don’t stress (easy to say!). I can hear Russell advising now to lower your carbs and eat more nut butters/nuts and proteins – don’t worry about the higher fat or IGF-1 levels. I’m with you in this journey. We can do it! SueGreat comments, Suepy! And just to add one minor thought — my IGF-1 levels are on the bottom third of the scale, and that’s with about 150-160 grams of protein a day! That’s just not a concern. Still a bit uncertain about the higher fats but homocysteine, CRP, both low. Haven’t tested MPO yet….Thanks for your very helpful comments, Sue, and yours too Russell. The link to the counterpoint study–brilliant–thanks. Did you see a further paper by the same group–“T2 Diabetes, Etiology & Reversibility”? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609491/Lots of new ideas–I’ve never seen fat described in the pancreas before.Can I possibly be insulin resistant tho…? I appreciate your comment about my 217 peak–it shocked me and I’ve had trouble even thinking about it.Our situations seem so similar and our conversations here have helped me enormously. This may not be the right format for them–it gets harder and harder to locate the last post. Do you know of any protected/private way to share email addresses among the three of us and not burden NutritionFacts any further? Or are we maybe helping some other thin prediabetics and should feel right at home?I’m off to the Big City tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted about the appointment. AliceAlice, while you are at your doctor’s office, there are two more tests that you could request that would ve very helpful in accessing both your cardiac and diabetes risk. The NMR LipoProfile is available through Labcorp and would indicate your insulin resistance and has a new Diabetes Risk Index. http://www.liposcience.com/news/nmr-based-diabetes-risk-index-dri-helps-identify-normal-weight-individuals-high-risk The Inflammation Panel from Cleveland HeartLab would also be very good to indicate any cardiovascular risk. http://www.clevelandheartlab.com/our-science/inflammation-testing/You have a legitimate reason to be concerned about these health dangers, and I hope your doctor agrees that it’s good to monitor them. Thank you for the link to the paper on T2 Diabetes Etiology – it isn’t easy to understand all the details, but I gained a better knowledge of how diabetes develops and can reverse. The more we understand about how our bodies work, the more steps we can take toward vibrant health.I’m not concerned about putting my email out there… if you want to write, I’m at russelllong@me.com. If I see a strange email address, I’ll open it and hope it is you. :) Btw, I’ve been making my own seitan lately, and it is chewy and delicious. 45 minutes at 325 degrees, let it sit after in the oven or each piece will sort of collapse. Also, add spices and soy or tamari sauce to the gluten dough. When its done, you can dip in olive or canola oil — fantastic treats that you can eat all day long. Also, its about 16 carbs for each 500 calories. Great weight-gaining food.Hi Russell and Happy New Year! My post to Suepy is for you too–and I’d appreciate anything you can add. Thanks, AliceOkay, I shared the link with Thea, as well as an email colleague who runs Dr. Neal Barnard’s diabetes program. Not sure if she understood though (or read it), because she replied that Brenda Davis is a great authority on diabetes and I should read her book. Unfortunately, Brenda’s diet has a high level of carbs!Glad to hear you’re dropping or reducing dried fruit — that made a huge difference for me in my controls. Bernstein actually says to give up all fruit and sweets. which strangely enough has not been a problem for me to do. It seems that a single glass of evening wine seems to satisfy my sweet tooth.I use rolled oats, and just pour hot water over the whole concoction from my filtered hot water dispenser. Works like a charm.Thanks for the Jenkins study. He is funded by some questionable sources, but otherwise it is very compelling.That recipe for chai flax milk should read 1t amla optional, and stir slowly since flax will clump. My computer keeps correcting my spelling when I write amla to alma – guess spell check doesn’t know those Indian fruits.Alice, so many good thoughts…Yes, I agree about the peak… got to keep them down. Sometimes I don’t peak for over 2 hours. Reisling wine is a no-no! I actually find most white wine is a no-no and stock to reds. But like you, I experimented recently and had a shot of slightly sweet tequila for a friend’s 50th (I’m 58), and the next morning I was at 111! No more sweet tequilas! Anyway, I’m less concerned with morning glucose levels since the real concern is avoiding EVER being over 140.I’m not sure how you get so high… perhaps too many grainy foods?Yes, last time I had 3/4 cup of oatmeal as an experiment — my glucose quickly shot up to mid-170s and I went on a one-hour walk and it dropped about 50 points. But then it bounced up again about 20 points so I had to walk some more to reduce it again. That slow-moving glucose is a gift that keeps on giving!I”m trying out the chronometer– thanks for the tip.Btw, don’t put too much stock in the readings. I sometimes take two measurements and get readings about 15 points apart. During my 2-hour challenge test at Labcorp, I took my meter and grabbed a reading at the same time as their reading (at 2 hours) and got a 50 point difference!!Dr. Bernstein’s book discusses why glycemic load and indexes are relatively useless. He thinks counting carbs is the ultimate guide. 30 carbs a day for a Type 1! Anyway, there’s no doubt in my mind that if you want to avoid those peaks over 140, that’s the only formula that truly works. Not sure how many carbs that would be for you based on your insulin production, but its not hard to figure out with a few days of testing.Last point — yes I also noticed that there is a carryover from the day before in my readings. So if I’m high in the morning, I might reduce my breakfast carbs to compensate. It seems to work to equalize and rebalance things.Russell, I’ve also noticed some variations in my glucose meter readings, wondering what causes that? I had a lipid profile test last week, NMR and MPO, so I’ll let you know the results when I get them. The day before the test I ate over 45% fats from nuts, seeds, avocado and will see if that makes a difference, or my daughter’s tasty cooking! I’m going to read Dr Richard Bernstein’s book like you recommended, and am aiming to keep postprandial glucose under 140, relying more on beans, lentils, and barley for protein and carbs.Yes, keep me posted. That will be very interesting to see the results from. by the way, I just noticed that Bernstein has a chart showing insulin production for obese people with normal glucose, versus obese people with diabetes, as well as thin people with normal glucose, and thin people with diabetes.The levels of insulin for thin diabetics was far below obese people with either impaired or normal glucose. This explains the discrepancy that we discussed with Thea!A funny thing happened on the way to the lab: my doctor had never heard of the MPO (myeloperoxidase) test for cardio risk, and ordered for me the only MPO test which her lab offered, called the anti-MPO. It appears that only the Cleveland HeartLab tests for MPO, and this is what they say about the anti-MPO test:Is the p-ANCA test (anti-MPO antibody test) the same as the MPO test performed by Cleveland HeartLab? No. The p-ANCA test primarily measures the amount of antibodies directed toward the MPO protein whereas the MPO test performed by Cleveland HeartLab directly measures the amount of MPO protein. The p-ANCA test is useful for identifying systemic inflammation and vasculitis. In contrast, the MPO test performed by Cleveland HeartLab is useful for identifying cardiovascular risk. CPT Code 83876 Sample Type EDTA Plasma Order Code C133 Tube Type Lavender TopI checked the labs in my area using the CPT code, and none perform this test, and I don’t know if my health insurance would cover using the Cleveland lab by mail. I’m still waiting on the NMR results, but am confident that following a WFPB diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and keeping blood glucose at normal levels will provide cardiac protection, regardless of higher fat intake.That’s funny… I guess MPO is still a cutting edge tool that labs don’t really offer yet. I checked with Labcorp and they also don’t offer it either. But they do have the anti-MPO test. I wonder if that would still be useful for inflammation-related issues, much like CRP? Esselystyn was the guy who recommended MPO to me, because I told him my CRP was normal — 0.8 actually — and his reply was that CRP was not useful and that a high-fat vegan diet was unhealthy. When I countered that there must be a way to determine whether a high-fat vegan diet was causing actual CV damage, he mentioned doing an MPO test.Why MPO would be superior to CRP, I have no idea. He said he had to go to an appointment so I didn’t get to ask further questions.Anyway, I think he’s off-base, but will continue to do annual carotid scans to be sure. And if I could get the MPO here in SF, I would do it.Alice & Russell, the link Alice gave to the study on postprandial 15 minute exercise was a goldmine of links to other studies that are relevant to our discussion: do post meal glucose levels below 200 matter and if so, how to reduce them, which stemmed from our original discussion on the amount of fats and carbs to include in the diet. Now we have a medical term for those after meal glucose spikes- isolated postprandial hyperglycemia. Following that, I found an interesting article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on June 9, 2003 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12796066 http://ccs01.vo.ca-cncx.net/o41/5507/bw/bs/FPCR20080006/articles/LA7D.pdf which concluded: “Recent studies indicate that elevated plasma glucose concentrations are an independent and clinically significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease in nondiabetic and diabetic individuals. Thus, isolated postprandial hyperglycemia (2-hour postprandial glucose level >140 mg/dL in the face of normal fasting plasma glucose <110 mg/dL and normal hemoglobin A1c <6.1%) values is associated with a 2-fold increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease." Another study of concern to older women http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9702426 found: At baseline, 70% of 125 women and 48% of 133 men with previously undiagnosed diabetes had IPH. Over the next 7 years, women with IPH had a significantly increased risk of fatal CVD and heart disease compared with nondiabetic women. This increased risk was not observed in men with IPH. This association was independent of age, hypertension, central obesity, cigarette smoking, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides (multiply adjusted hazard ratio and 95% CI: 2.6 and 1.4-4.7 for CVD; 2.9 and 1.3-6.4 for heart disease).Thea, Suepy and I wanted you share this study link with you. It suggests that it is essential for those with pre-diabetes or diabetes to keep glucose below 140 at all times. It appears that even occasional excursions above 140 double the risk of CVD. If so, then Alice is correct about maintaining tight controls on glucose even at older ages.http://ccs01.vo.ca-cncx.net/o41/5507/bw/bs/FPCR20080006/articles/LA7D.pdfThanks for your open mind and support on this issue.Quickly, a kind favor, if you please… click over to see our article… really love this help : ) and many thanks in writing your very-helpful post. Cheers!…and see you at our post about festivals and fun crafts… http://cnb12.net/2015/01/16/best-diet-for-life-and-diet-for-weight-watchers/	addiction,animal fat,animal products,body fat,brain waves,burgers,caloric restriction,calories,cheese,cocaine,dopamine,energy,fat,hamburgers,ice cream,industry influence,junk food,low-fat diets,medications,mental health,plant-based diets,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,smoking,soda,sugar,tobacco,vegans,vegetarians,water,weight loss,yogurt	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22338036,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9226337,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23016694,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22572644,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22647300,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11058476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11545466,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21371174,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21205113,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21464344,
PLAIN-75	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/23/can-one-become-a-sugar-addict/	Can One Become a Sugar Addict?	People have chewed coca leaves for at least 8,000 years as a mild stimulant without any evidence of addiction, but when certain components are isolated and concentrated into cocaine, we’ve got a problem. The same may be true of sugar—people don’t tend to binge on bananas. The isolation of sugar from the whole food may be the reason we’re more likely to supersize soda than sweet potatoes, or why we’re less likely to eat too much corn on the cob, but can’t seem to get enough high fructose corn syrup. The overconsumption of sugar-sweetened diets has often been compared to drug addiction. However, until very recently this parallel was based more on anecdotal evidence than on solid scientific grounds. But now we have PET scans, imaging technology that can measure brain activity. It all started with a publication from the Institute of Clinical Physiology that showed decreased dopamine sensitivity in obese individuals. The heavier they were, the less responsive to dopamine they appeared to be. We see the same reduction in sensitivity in cocaine addicts and alcoholics, which “would suggest that a reduction in dopamine receptors is associated with addictive behavior irrespective of whether it is due to food or to addictive drugs, as seen in substance abusers.” Dopamine is considered the neurotransmitter primarily involved in the pleasure and reward center of our brain, helping to motivate our drive for things like food, water and sex—all necessary for the perpetuation of our species. It was healthy and adaptive for our primate brains to drive us to eat that banana when there wasn’t much food around. But now that fruit is in fruit loop form, this adaptation has “become a dangerous liability.” The original Coca-Cola formulation actually included coca leaf, but now, perhaps, its sugar content may be the addictive stand-in. What about artificial sweeteners? Though some are less harmful than others (Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant as opposed to Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia), they could still have adverse effects regardless of their individual chemistry. See my 3-part series: What about fatty foods like meat? Does fat have addictive qualities as well? Good question! Check out my video Are Fatty Foods Addictive? 	Actually, there are vegans out, and a growing group of them, consuming mass quantities of fruit sugar every day, to tune of 10-15 bananas, 20 medjool dates, 2 cantaloupes, a pound of grapes and some greens to even things out. Many claim to be thriving on it, but I have to wonder what this massive intake of fruit sugar does to the bodies bacterial environment, so much fructose. FODMAPS and such. Modern supermarkets and supply chains are allowing this…..but is this sugar addiction, dopamine-feeding behavior? Of course it feels good to eat 20 medjools throughout the day. Throw in a few walnuts and you have a candy bar. Anyone have thoughts on this?I eat tons of fruit like that and for me it works.I so also consume veggies, greens, nuts, and oats but the majority, by far, of my calories are from whole fruit.The whole fruit is probably not much of a problem because you are getting tons of micronutrients and the fiber along with it so I wouldn’t just look at fructose from whole fruits from the same perspective as sucrose from added sugars or candies.. If someone was wanting to just juice for fruit and veg intake I would think that going heavier on the veg would be the way to go with fruits being used to give some sweetness and palatability since some veggies are not the best tasting.If the sugars from plant based foods had the same impact on the brain as added refined sugars then we never would have needed candy in the first place. People would just walk by the produce section of a grocery store and start to drool when they see a nice stack of oranges. That doesn’t happen. A few walnuts with a bunch of medjools is hardly a candy bar. That is way to macro level and with your focus on the sugar content. Sugar by itself may not be a good thing but sugars in whole plant foods come along with so many other things that you need…and you also need the carbs.” I have to wonder what this massive intake of fruit sugar does to the bodies bacterial environment, so much fructose…” Plant foods, for the most part, are alkalizing to the body. Here is an interesting article about pH and various kinds of critters that live in the body.http://www.livingwaterhealthsolutions.com/Articles/alkalize.phpHere is one from Dr. Greger:http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/I have nothing to do with that website nor have I ever purchased from them. The article just happens to have a nice combination of information in one place and in a short article regarding acid / alkalinity of the human body.FYI – a food in its natural state being more acidic does NOT mean that it makes your body more acidic. Lemons are acidic but after your body has worked them over, taken the nutrients that it needs, you are left more alkaline. There are lists of foods that alkalize the body all over the internet so don’t go away thinking that a food that is acidic in whole form will acidify the body.I find it interesting that some zoos have had to ban chimps from eating bananas as they have become addicted to them. Bananas were never as sweet as they are now. They have become man-made creations through our intervention in their growth. Food for thought. I think it is easy to stuff one’s feelings with 10 medjools, or any other fruit in indulgence, in the absence of hunger.People are not monkeys for starters.Also, pointing out exceptions to a rule does not mean that the rule has been disproved.Now, seriously, think about ALL the people that you know. How many have you actually seen getting addicted to a certain fruit? I don’t mean someone that eats an orange or grapefruit everyday at breakfast or has a glass of juice, I want to you to tell us how many people you know that have a date problem or apple problem? Eat even three apples and most people will 1) get sick of chewing or 2) get so cramped up that they won’t do that again.Dates – eat enough dates or anything else for that matter, and you get tired of the flavor pretty quick. Now, sugar can be addicting for some people but there are other things in foods that people get hooked on, almost always it is the bad for you foods. Fats and sugars, grilled flavors, etc. People get hooked on candy bars, pizza, soda, ice cream and garbage like that way more than someone gets hooked on fruits.I have never, ever, known anyone that was addicted to fruit. Over the course of my life time up to this point, I would bet that 90% of everyone I have known didn’t eat enough fruit (of course veggies, greens, beans, etc).People with a sugar problem don’t turn to fruit. They will get in their car and go to the gas station and fill up their 64oz cup for $1.00 or buy cupcakes from the grocery store.As far as the chimps go – more than likely they chimps liked them so much they would fight over them. You have a grocery store, cupboards, etc. Chimps get fed on a schedule. Most everyone in the industrial world can eat when they want and what they want. Chimps don’t have that luxury.I agree with you. Fruits are far more satiating than liquid calories from a drink or a high energy desert.I agree with most of what you are saying, BUT i just got through eating 4 good sized red delicious apples and i did not get sick of chewing or cramped. I also had 3 bananas some raw peanuts and almonds along with some organic lettuce from my garden and 2 sticks of celery. I enjoyed my meal and feel just fine. I will have a veggie meal at lunch with beans and barley.Big:You used to eating like that. Additionally, you did not get that much sugar or calories. Four apples (depending on size) has about the same calories as what most people drink in their soda at Taco Bell but you got a bunch of good for you micro-nutrients along the way.The rest of your meal, still plant based, looks like you maybe pushed 750 calories total with the apples, which is about right if you eat 3 meals and a couple of snacks per day.My smoothies are over 800 calories, contain 5 ounces leafy greens, almost 2 pounds fruit, maybe an ounce of nuts and a tablespoon of MRP just to make sure I don’t miss out on anything.I wish I had a garden though! Next place we live we are planning on dedicating a room with a southern facing window for edible plants and possibly a couple of mini-trees like the short lemon trees and maybe a fruiting avocado tree if we can find one. A table of tomatoes, strawberries, and kale for sure. Carrots and potatoes are supposed to be easy to grow indoors as well.I have to agree with rutter that our modern fruit creations are not really natural fruit. If you eat crabapples, quince, American persimmons, medlar, hawthornes or any other kind of fruit that has not been bred so heavily, you will be fine eating a lot of fruit. Our modern heavily bred fruit are a little bit like candy, with grossly oversized fructose and carbohydrates. Jo Robinson explains it in “Eating on the Wild Side.”When I started to eat more plant based I was doing a lot of green smoothies and the high fruit content really made me feel unbalanced. Sometimes I still have a banana/peanut butter smoothie since the nuts balance things out a bit, but for the most part I don’t drink them any more despite the purported benefits.I eat a lot of fruit also and do much better when the fruit is NOT blended. i just eat it whole. Usually with some nuts and greens like lettuce or spinach from my organic garden.I eat around 2600 calories a day and maybe 1800-2000 come from fruits. I drink around 60 oz of fruit smoothies a day made with bananas, dates, and strawberries mostly. I also snack on bananas throughout the day. I have my veggie juices in the morning, and some quinoa and peas, or some split pea soup, or garbanzo bean salad in the evening. I eat 5-6 times a day. I have been eating this way for three years and I can say the bad bacteria and any viruses in my body have been put in check. I haven’t been sick in three years since I adopted a plant based diet and before that I suffered from nasal and chest congestion and would constantly have a cold or flu. I had pneumonia several times also. All signs of sickness is gone. I do stick to alkaline and alkaline forming fruits, vegetables, nuts, and I minimize my legume and grain intake. I keep my fluid pH @7.5 this way. I think about it like this. If you didn’t live in an industrialized country and your country was full of vegetation, what would your diet naturally consist of? The easiest thing to acquire is fruits, and the next easiest is vegetables. Nuts, legumes, and grains take more preparation. Hunting animals is the most time consuming and most dangerous.Thank you for sharing this. I found it very helpful. Do you eat any gluten-grains? I struggle to gain weight and put on muscle no matter how much fruit I eat. Quinoa, no matter how many times I rinse it and soak it, irritates my gut to in the worst way. I eat beans and nails get brittle, hair goes more grey (anti-nutrients?) Starches from grains give me good energy, but I get real bloated and have massive cravings for them within 12 hours.I don’t eat common wheat because it is now a completely GMO crop. I think people have a problem with gluten grains now because it is GMO. I eat grains like Kamut, Spelt, Tef, and Rye. If you eat the bread you also have to look at the ingredients the are made with because often other grains and additive an preservatives will be added in, and you should avoid those products. As far as legumes go, I mostly only eat garbanzo beans and green peas and I don’t have a problem with brittle nails. I stay away from other legumes. Not all plant based foods are equal. I minimize my starch intake from legumes and grains. The bloating feeling you are getting from grain consumption is likely do the the GMO and processing of the grain that effect it gluten makeup which causes digestive issues.Sounds like your digestive problems are likely caused by chronic dehydration. Try really hydrating up consistently and see if those same foods are actually fine for you. 3-5 liters a day is healthy for most adults (per 24hr period).As long as it is whole foods, NOTHING refined…the more the merrier! I have days that I eat nothing but fruit all day and it works, but it must be whole foods and non GMO is a must!FYI NF: Except for the links provided along with the article or the video, it’s hard to find my way around this web site! The A-Z index seems strait forward enough but often times, the key words in the video aren’t indexed in the look up database. What’s the logic of doing a search? It’s not a simple matter of typing in a plant or disease’s name and getting all the related information. The video titles are creative and grab attention but so often, when Dr. Greger says, I’ll tell THAT in tomorrow’s video.”, I don’t have a clue how to find the follow-up video. It’s my opinion someone (not me) doesn’t understand Relational Databases. If these key words are added to the database as the stories/videos are created (and automatically indexed), the information is easily availably by searching with numerous cross references. As is, it takes luck and determination to do any research on a specific subject. It’s easy to get lost in all the interesting videos looking for the one (or two) you need.I’m incredibly grateful for the vast quantity of great, digestible information that has been pulled together into this web site, in articles and videos. I also wish searching were a little more helpful. But, given that the site is free, I don’t think I can really complain. I can put in some effort. I totally hear you though. I’ve had many occasions when I was unable to find a video that might have said something very interesting that was off-topic to the video, but I want to hear it again. One issue I’ve found is that the Search tool searches for any page with any of the search keywords, in any order, instead of giving priority to pages that have both the search keywords. For example, if I search for “join pain”, I might get a bunch of pages that just have the word “pain” in them, and nothing about joints, let alone joint pain. That’s just an example though. It would be nice to be able to have a more advanced search at least. (AND vs OR, or containing _____ but not containing _____, for example. Would be so, so nice.This site is invaluable, Douglas. Like you, I appreciate all that it is. What I am suggesting has more to do with competent database knowledge than expensive programming. I’ve searched on the exact title of a video and not got a hit. A key word brings up several hits but not the one I’m seeking. I then resort to a visual scan of the graphics for each and every video until I see one that interests me. I’ve even found groups of common videos but the one I need isn’t in that grouping. It’s like several folks have access to the file cabinet and each has her own filing system. It makes me want to eat red meat!I have to wonder if they are using a “flat file” database. If so it’s 20 years out of date. However, if they are truly using a “Relational Database” then the programmer is in way over her head. I used to trade stocks fulltime and my trading software of choice was perfect in every way, except it was a dog…that’s D O G ! I contacted the company and made them aware of what was possible and they in fact, switched to a relational database AND a skilled programmer. As a result the stock trading software morphed into a speed demon overnight. Someone who skillfully creates a website isn’t likely a database guru too. This site needs that touch.When I view a video from the library and Dr. Greger ends it saying, “I’ll cover THAT in tomorrow’s video.” I’d like to look up the referenced video by date or name or topic. “Tomorrow’s video” is not a good key search word. The solution is more about understanding what a good database can do than about money.I’ll copy and paste our little conversation and make an official feedbackLarry: Not to invalidate any of your main points, I thought you would want to know that there is a “next video” (along with a ‘previous video”) link underneath each video on the right side of the screen. So, if you want to see “tomorrow’s video” and you are not looking at the very latest video, then you already have a quick link to it without having to do any searches.Thea, I guess you’re saying that works for library videos…thanks. If today’s video, for example, is to have a follow-up video tomorrow, the link would not be created today? But WOULD be present once the follow-up video is released? I’ll pay closer attention next time. As is, the next day I may be away from my computer so catch up on videos a couple days later. By then I’ve forgotten to look for the follow-up.My overall critique is valid. I used to teach seminars and we targeted each quadrant of the USA with mailings. The database had millions of companies and their data stored on CD’s. I could do a search on my home computer and find the thirty thousand I wanted to mail to in two-tenths of one second. For your application a from can be developed that lists all the parameters (data fields) a search query will sort on. Those words are linked to the database files and all the videos they are applicable to. It’s pretty sophisticated…gets into “parent-child” fields and is pre-indexed so is lightning fast. You have an invaluable tool for research here but access is limited to folks like myself who will spend the time ferreting out the good stuff. It’s a shame to accumulate all that info and not have immediate access to it. Think about it.You are preaching to the choir here. I’ve submitted similar sentiments/requests myself. (I’m just a volunteer and have no influence myself.) I’ll make sure your comments get forwarded to the NF staff.FYI: My guess is: Being a non-profit site with limited funding, there may not be much that can be done right now. But hopefully this important issue will be put on a list for future improvements for the site when funding becomes available.Thank you for your posts.Thea, not to beat a dead horse, but to be perfectly clear, I don’ think upgrading your database knowledge and practices would break the bank. It’s more about understanding what is possible, what is “normal”, what is needed, for a modern web site to catalog it’s objects. It’s about joining the 21st century. The money’s already being spent. It’s about spending it wisely…that is, on a skilled professional database guru, not just an afterthought. The non-profit has a Rembrandt painting its pictures so deserves someone equally skilled to catalog its art. What if the great artist locked all his works in a vault and only a few crafty determined people could break in?If a bank tracked your personal money on the par it would be closed by the federal government…and you wouldn’t be content waiting for “future improvements”. It wouldn’t cost anything to explore what is possible NOW. With that under the non-profits’ belt, “intelligent” decisions and, if need be , budgeting can be achieved.Really, really think about it. Y’all must be running out of hiding places for the videos.Hmmmm. What would it cost to revert to the previous version of NF.org?MacSmiley: I am guessing that that’s not an option for a variety of reasons. Plus, there were some big search problems under the old site too. So, that wouldn’t be the fix for this particular bug.On the plus side: I do know these comments are being listened to. If you have anything specific to add, I’ll be sure to pass that on too.Thanks for all your participation on this site.lol “makes me want to eat red meat” lol !!I have to disagree with Dr. Greger on this one.We only have one pleasure center in the brain, which is a normal survival mechanism, so it is no surprise that hyper-palatable foods would light it up like a Christmas tree.If sugar all by itself were addictive, however, people would be downing 5 pound bags of cane sugar by the spoonful or mainlining gallon jugs of Karo corn syrup. But that is not what happens.Look at the image above. What do you see? Do you see plain sugar? Or do you see candy? Candy is sugar + flavorings. (Remember Pixie Stix?) Candy bars, cakes, and cookies are all a combination of sugar + salt + fat + starch and/or protein. Food manufacturers owned by tobacco companies know how to engineer combinations of these ingredients for maximum repeat business.Michael Moss’s book Salt, Sugar, Fat is enlightening in this regard.However, when Dr. Hyman claims that sugar is worse than heroin, or when Dr. Lustig asserts that fructose is toxic, that’s just sensationalistic, inaccurate fearmongering. Anyone who has been or have loved ones who have been ensnared by TRUE substance abuse should be offended by this hyperbolic anti-sugar hysteria.It doesn’t take five pounds of heroin for an addict to get her fix. Why do you believe so much is needed for a refined sugar fix? The illustration isn’t science, it’s just “eye candy” (no pun intended). Since refined sugar (under any name) isn’t usually injected singularly, what illustration, if any, would be acceptable? Refined sugar water? A bag of glucose? Jug of corn syrup?A relatively small percentage of our population is addicted to heroin as compared to sugar. Of course sugar isn’t the only processed supplement added to food to induce glutinous mass consumption, but it’s one of the main triggers causing our epidemic obesity. Are there others? Sure! You may disagree with Dr. Greger but the science does not.I disagree with you on that. Many more people are addicted to sugar, fructose, etc than heroin. It just destroys and kills at a slower rate.@Larry and big alYou are not understanding me, people.The video is entitled Can One Become a Sugar Addict, *NOT* Can One Become an Addict of Junk Food of Which Sugar Is One of Several Finely-tuned Crucial Components.The premise is that various types of sugar, be it glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose, etc. ad infinitum, is addictive because it has been isolated from its fibrous plant source, just like cocaine and heroin. If that were true, people would be uncontrollably gorging on spoonful after spoonful of pure, unadulterated white cane sugar. They’d be drowning their sorrows in undiluted corn syrup and pouring large quantities of honey down their gullets.But that’s not what happens. People binge on Oreo cookies and ice cream not Jack Frost and C&H. Why? Because pure sugar is not inherently addictive.There’s no black market in developed countries for IV bags of glucose/dextrose and Ringer’s lactase solution. Why? Because pure sugar is not inherently addictive.When Hostess filed for bankruptcy, boxes of Twinkies were sold on eBay for exorbitant prices to frantic bidders. Why? Because pure sugar is addictive? No, because if Dominos had filed for bankruptcy, nothing of the sort would have happened to yellow 5 pound bags of sugar.Meanwhile, a drug does not have to be divorced from its plant source to have a mind-altering effect. Case in point: Nicotine. Tobacco is sold and consumed in whole form. Case in point: THC. Because pot-spiked brownies.By the way, both the Japanese, Cubans, and Venezuelans eat large amounts of sugar, yet they are not obese. Without an excess of calories, sugar is a relatively innocuous substance.Meanwhile, there’s a whole industry-backed campaign to absolve saturated fat of any guilt in contributing to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.Here’s an image from one of Plant Positive’s videos, and a few from Alan Aragon’s presentation yesterday.MacSmiley: That was a helpful clarification. I hadn’t thought of it that way before. Thanks for taking the time to make your point again.(and sorry you were having so much trouble with Disqus today)It doesn’t look like my images got uploaded to Disqus. Let’s try again.Wonderful, 4 hours later, all images finally showed up in all their resplendent redundancy. :-/More anti-carb (sugar) research and a sample of what LCHF/anti-sugar proponents are eating…Sorry for the doubles. I don’t know what the problem is with Disqus these days.thanks for the link, lot of good info on that site.. unlike this one :)Which link?Does high fruit consumption promote higher triglyceride levels (and thus a worse blood lipid profile, thus more risk for heart disease)?No it doesn’t. I eat a plant-based diet and I eat around 1800-2000 calories of fruit a day. I have very low triglyceride levels. Now if you are eating a lot of fruits plus a lot of refined sugar, and animal-based protein, and refined foods high in refined sugar and fat, then you may have a problem.Crystalized fructose is the lowest item on the glycemic index, so fruit doesn’t tend to raise triglycerides unless one is in a positive energy balance, overweight or obese.YES IT IS ADDICTIVE – I know because I’m having a devil of a time quitting sugar even though I know it is not good for me. I’ve gone between hours and days, but always fall back into the rabbit hole. I also hide my habit and my spouse thinks I eat really well but doesn’t know the real story. Dr. Gregor – perhaps you could do a video or article on kicking the sugar addiction for good? I’ve never been addicted to anything else before but I can’t quit sugar by myself.Melanie – are you eating sugar by the spoonfuls or foods high in sugar?Exactly. People are blaming one particular substance, one ingredient and/or one macronutrient for the synergistic effect of multiple ingredients.After all, even Bill Cosby knows that chocolate cake is made of wheat and eggs and milk! ;-Phttp://youtu.be/zuamlBQ2aW4If a person wants to make a food rule to avoid foods high in sugar to control caloric intake, be my guest. But just don’t insist it’s only the sugar that’s the problem.Sugar on Oliver show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MepXBJjsNxsFunny stuff.I’ve been obese all my life and a true sugar junkie. I have lately joined the ‘nutritarian’ lifestyle with Dr. Joel Fuhrman and e has educated me and transformed my life. He then brought me to this website and I continue to learn so much more and EVERYTHING reinforces Dr. Fuhrman and I am learning to heed all the warnings. Don’t get me wrong, it takes time to become a nutritarian after years of abuse, but I suggest getting rid of all the sugar in your diet first. And don’t fall for vegan junk food either. I lost 186# and counting (its been only 7mos)! Thanks guys (the doctors)!Congrats!Could refined carbohydrates such as breads also cause an addiction? And if so, is it due to the sugar in these carbohydrates that makes them addictive? Or, do carbohydrates release their own ‘happy hormones’ that make them addictive?I’ve noticed that the less sugar I eat, the less I crave it as much. Definitely similar to addiction.That must be why people need more and more sugar to feel the same highs, much like drug addictions.	abdominal fat,addiction,alcohol,body fat,brain waves,Coca Cola,cocaine,dopamine,fat,fruit,obesity,processed foods,soda,sugar	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22647299,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22016109,
PLAIN-76	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/21/where-are-phosphate-additives-found/	Where are Phosphate Additives Found?	In my videos Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola and Phosphate Additives in Chicken, I talked about the danger of phosphate and phosphate additives, and how phosphates are often added to chicken and turkey to help preserve the meat. But how often is poultry injected with phosphates? The vast majority of chicken products (more than 90%) were found to contain these additives. However, most packages did not list the additives on their label. Sometimes they call the phosphate additives “flavorings” or “broth,” and sometimes the labels don’t say anything at all. In the video, How to Avoid Phosphate Additives, you can see the different ways phosphate additives have been listed (if they are listed at all) on ingredient labels. I’d recommend minimizing one’s intake of anything with the four letters: “phos”. These additives are also used in junk foods and fast food. Some products have phosphorus and aluminum additives. We see this a lot in processed cheeses. One grilled cheese sandwich may exceed the World Health Organization’s provisional tolerable daily intake of aluminum by 428%. (I’ve previously touched on the aluminum in cheese in Aluminum in Vaccines vs. Food). More concerning, though, are the levels of lead in some venison (Filled Full of Lead) and mercury in tuna (The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages). The food industry no longer has to list phosphorus content on the nutrition facts label. There have been calls from the public health community to mandate that phosphorus content of foods be included back on the nutrition facts label, but I’m not holding my breath. All these studies bring home the same strong message, “phosphorus-containing additives are present in most meat products and significantly increase the phosphorus content. Moreover, the lack of this information in the Nutrition Facts labels and even in nutrition databases prevents patients and dietitians from accurately estimating the phosphorus content of their food and their daily intake.” 	Phosphates, yet another reason to not eat meat. Too bad tonight’s news is more likely to inform us about new research that finds chocolate or wine is beneficial to our health. Combine the two and you can skip eating greens.Of topic, but my curiosity is peaked, Rachael Ray just chopped up some bacon for yet another meal her hubby loves. That repeating theme is directed al all women to cook it because hubby wants it. Anyway, she commented, “let all the fat drain off while it cooks.” Has Dr. Greger done a video on how much fat remains after Rachael cooks all the fat out? Is that our problem, we don’t cook meat enough?The idea of letting “all the fat” drain is misleading. It is possible to melt and drain the large visible veins of fat running through a cut of meat, but that is hardly “all the fat”. There is fat inside the muscle cells as well that is not removed. For example, according to the USDA, a 400 Calorie top sirloin beef steak -with fat trimmed to 0″ and broiled- still contains 18.6 g of fat. By calorie, that steak is about 41% fat.“Misleading”? It’s downright deceptive and consistent with media’s defiance of nutritional science to stay in favor of advertisers. Yesterday I met a talkative lady who shared she had diabetes, type II. I gently suggested she could improve her health if she didn’t eat meat and dairy. She claimed she tried the weight loss regimen and eating healthy but it didn’t work…she lost weight but still has the disease. I ask what her typical food was each day and she replied, ‘Subway”. I ask three different ways what was on her sub and she never told me. Her husband volunteered, “Salami” LOL She would tell me what she ate for her other meals either. I only ask because she kept insisting weight loss didn’t help diabetes…she “knew” because she tried it. I told her about this web site and Dr. McDougall three times. She feigned interest but didn’t write either down. All this supports my opinion that as long as selling nutritionally unregulated food is so profitable in the USA, most folks will indulge themselves. They wouldn’t cook at home and send a kit=d to the store because they needed this or that chemical to finish the meal. But people do escape responsibility for what they put in their mouths by eating at restaurants. The diabetic woman by her resistance to saying out loud what was other sub sandwich revealed to me she knew she was not eating healthy. Too many think taking doctors orders and the pills is the way to deal with the illness. Federal law should state, “Upon diagnoses with a fatal disease, residence of this Country are required to attend one month of Reality Nutrition School and reappear before a federal Judge with a signed certificate form Drs’ Greger or McDougall showing successful completion. BTW, One has to wonder how much fat is in the 400 calorie steak before it’s “all cooked out” as Rachael Ray likes ot say. I’d still like to know how much fat is in bacon after it’s cooked.What about organic meat? Does it still contain phosphate additives?“Organic meat” whatever that is, even without phosphates, is unhealthy.Sounds like you do not eat meat at all, but I do eat organic chicken and pork (as well as wild caught fish).Whole Foods states that organic chicken, for example, “must be fed certified organic feed for their entire lives. Organic feed cannot contain animal by-products, antibiotics or genetically engineered grains and cannot be grown using persistent pesticides or chemical fertilizers. It is prohibited to give drugs, antibiotics and hormones to organic birds”.This would imply that organic chicken is better for you than non-organic. But I wonder whether phosphate additives can still be legally added. Does anyone know?Hi Janet B.Correct, I don’t eat “meat”…that means any muscle…red, white, poultry, or fish.Since “organic meat” may not have the contaminants found in typical animals slaughtered for mass distribution, so, free of those, it’s best to consider whether meat by itself is beneficial to your family’s health. Is it?I don’t understand what is gained nutritionally by eating meat. Has it ever been prescribed by a doctor for any illness? My understanding is knowledgeable medical doctors advise against eating meat and dairy when their patients want to avoid cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and type II diabetes. They “prescribe, greens, fruit, veggies, and whole grains but not meat or dairy. Why is that?As I remarked yest, my oncologist refused to admit that I could be a vegan after my radiation treatments. She told me to eat animal protein! That is a U.S. doctor at M.D. Anderson.A friend of mine lost her husband to prostate cancer. His doctor (at one of the Nation’s premier clinics) told him not to eat flaxseed as it was bad for prostate cancer. He avoided red meat and instead ate lots of poultry. The food police are all around us. They infuse the airwaves with false nutritional information and indoctrinate us to believe the nutritional nonsense bombarded by media. Too bad all Americans aren’t wired to NutritionalFacts.org and some of the other medical doctors who devote their lives’ and careers to debunking the misinformation we’re overwhelmed with daily. It’s notillegal to lie about food values.That’s too bad, sorry to hear. Flax is one of the most beneficial inclusions in a diet for preventing these hormone dependent diseases. Its really unbelievable how the myth that flax is bad in these situations continues to spread. Then again, Dr.’s do not get nutrition education. I am unsure if even that would be enough, as current RD’s are not taught this either.I am sorry, but disagree about the reason of the ¨ingnorance¨ of the drs. I truly believe that greed plays a huge role in this, some docs are in the pockets of the pharmas, get kickbacks, add names to the studies (for drugs) that are false, get $ for surgery when there are healthy life style choices, etc. On my last visit to the oncologist for my breast cancer, my dr. introduced to me, in his office, the pharma rep! Then prescribed arimidex, an estrogen blocker, which was a product of the rep. They offered to help me get a reduced rate on the drug, prescribed for 5 years! I went to the pharmacy, the damned thing was 10$ a pill, to be taken every day. And no generic. Yes, I got my eyes opened on this deal alright. And have never trusted a doctor since, and probably will not. I was an idiot to have stayed in the room, and should have refused to pay for the visit.I´m still mad about it, and that was almost 5 years ago. Oh, after reading the side effects, etc. I opted out.Please see here regarding Dr.’s and nutrition http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/ http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/14/nutrition-education-in-medicine-a-doctor-a-day-keeps-the-apples-away/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/I think most Dr.’s are well intentioned people who genuinely believe they are making a difference. I am sure there are some bad apples out there, and I don’t know if the same passion lasts through out the entire careerHow can a medical doctor be “well intentioned” when knowledge is available and she turns her head away? Even worse, any medical doctor I’ve ever discussed nutrition with challenges the benefits of a plant based diet and the avoidance of meat and dairy. They like to claim it’s the patients fault because they won’t eat a plant based diet.. Their passion is to be successful, which is measured by profits.Doctors are taught to be evidence based, if those specific doctors are open minded enough, sharing some papers would be useful.We can agree that any topic we pick can be proved or disproved by papers we find on the internet. Should each doctor be “educated” based on whichever bias they were exposed to? Doctor ignorance is a stray issue. The obstacle between good health and good nutritional knowledge is fear of a dip in our Gross national Product.. Politicians careers are based on statistical numbers and perception. They’re elections are financed (and sabatoged0 by lobbyists who dictate even what the Government’s food pyramid is made of. It’s about money and power. People are motivated by some combination of needs. For “power” “affiliation” and “achievement”. Those with a strong need for power go into low, teaching, sales, preaching, education, politics, and medicine, It’s a mistake to believe they think like folks with a strong need for achievement or affiliation. They don’t. Most don’t go into politics because they aren’t interested (in power). yet others campaign to be high school class president. Their motivational type is established early.Medical students are spoon fed information. They don’t indipendantly prove or disprove all they are taught. Once they are medical doctors their bias is set.well, I can tell you that, in my experience, they may not have studied nutrition at all, but they sure studied 1)medicare billing 2) how to spend 2min 2 seconds with a patient, 3) how to entice patients to more tests, etc. like they did my mom 4) how to cheat on mcare (I spent about 7 min with a nurse practitioner, she billed one hour, one on one. I called the billing people, they said, “oh, we know how to do the billing so you don’t get charged personally”). 5) how to keep a patient who wants to get rid of her breathing machine when she wants to get rid of it. 6)how to get your buddies to submit a bill in the o.r. for passing thru while you’re out of it 7)how to generate extra income, perks from the big pharmas, lobbyists 8)how to order jillions of unnessary tests and more. They probably have a class in med school called “accounting”.No, we’re in a new generation of doctors, health professionals now.Jackie, you put it very well. Thanks. Some doctors are so arrogant they don’t know some patients see how greedy and incompetent they are so look at them with disgust. They would argue patients won’t eat healthy. Locally (Dayton, OH), we have a chiropractor who does a one-hour radio show every Saturday and he always bolster his own ego by jabbering about traveling around teaching medical doctors “nutrition.” It’s funny, he faults the medical doctors for much of what the rest of us are critical about, but then he teaches them meat and dairy are healthy foods. Someone in his family owns a vitamin store so he always advises a group of vitamins to treat whatever the callers need help for. Most often it’s about money and ego. One simple solution would be to have a “medical” or health school where doctors are trained to keep people well. I think they would have a thriving business saving millions form the other doctors. But if they are taught what other MD’s are taught with a couple nutrition courses thrown in, their motive and incentive is to practice conventional medicine. Somewhere Dr. Greger (I believe) mentioned Obamacare covers “wellness” care outside of hospitals. I’l like to learn more about that. For example, what was available before Obamacare, and how it’s different now. If “wellness: is covered then I can understand why Rush Limbaugh and big business is opposed to Obamacare. They’re opposed to you and me being healthy.amen. they have to pay for those univ and med school loans some way or other, right? and…publish or perish. This sob oncologist gave my mother option of chemo and radiation, when she only had weeks to live. Cancer wide-spread, everywhere. He told her “you can have a miracle”. She opted yes, and the first chemo treatment put her in the hospital. He “changed the receipt” for the next treatment, and again, she couldn’t even get home. That was the end of that. The radiation burned her skin. For what? one day longer? Of being sick, throwing up. And how much $ did he make off that little venture? And then my own little horrible episode with the oncologist. No, not the same one. Their favorite line ” you want to do EVERYTHING you can” to prevent recurrence, don’t you? Well, they don’t tell you the side effects.Sadly, Jackie, medical doctors peddle futile, expensive, painful treatment under the guise of “giving hope”.What if all ill people had a George Baily moment (“It’s a Wonderful Life”) and they could look back and see how their life would have been different without meat and dairy. People undiagnosed say they want to eat meat and dairy to “enjoy life”. What do they say in their final moments? I doubt any think it was worth it.Toxins, agreed, myths keep most from eating healthy. And true, doctors aren’t educated in nutrition (that’s on purpose). But not having an education on nutrition does not explain away why a medical doctor advises his patient that flaxseed is harmful to treating prostate cancer. “I don’t know” seems more appropriate.Last time I told a medical doctor I was vegan he ask’ “WHY”. The same doctor wanted to replace my knee because I had swelling and a click in my knee. His diagnosis was “arthritis” and claimed I didn’t have pain because my mind suppressed it. The symptoms I described to him have been the same for thirty years…since my military days. Nothing had gotten worse, just an occasional swelling and stiffness. If it’s caused by arthritis today what caused the exact same symptoms back then? I went to another doctor who said “you need NO surgery”. I suppose medical doctors who actually know nutrition aren’t likely comfortable practicing medicine in the usual manner. The rest are in denial.If all medical doctors were educated on nutrition they’d be obligated to help their patients differently…to avoid disease and illness. How do you suppose that would affect their industry?Larry that’s a very cynical view. Imagine all the medical students right now. Do you really believe that each one of them is doing it exclusively to make money at any cost? Most of these people are well intentioned and want to help people. Yes they want to make money (dont we all) but they feel this is a noble way of doing it. The problem is not that every doctor knows about the efficacy of diet and lives in fear of the word getting out, they simply do not know the power of diet. They are not taught this, how can they know?Toxins, that’s a very naïve view. Medical students are a far cry from practicing physicians. But even they have visions of sugar plums.. You keep defending them claiming ignorance of nutrition. I’m saying they choose to be ignorant. The medical board and the academics who set the curriculum for a medical degree are doctors. Do you suppose all the medical doctors who know this stuff are hiding it from the rest? Read John McDougall, MD. He tells about being a medical student in Michigan asking his profs if food played any part in health. That question always irritated the powers that be. Finally he was taken aside and told if he wanted to have a successful practice to forget al the nonsense about nutrition and health because his success was based on writing prescriptions for high blood pressure medicine.He graduated and did his internship in Hawaii and noticed the older Asians were healthy and the younger one were not. The difference was the old world diet of rice and the new world diet of American food. He also noticed healthy Asians who moved to Hawaii and changed to Americanized eating got American diseases.Over thirty years ago Dr. McDougall “discovered” in his own practice he could take patients off high blood pressure meds by removing meat and dairy from their diet. Funny thing, he had a great mentor who knew it thirty years before him. Even I know about those experiences so the problem can’t be Dr. McDougall, and Dr. Greger, and other dedicated doctors are hiding the science.My own personal experience found me conversing with two nurses just before minor surgery to remove a “cyst” from my neck. They were shocked my pulse was in the fifties and my BP was 114 over (whatever). They ask why I was so healthy and I told them I didn’t eat meat and dairy and I rode my bike 15 miles most days. Apparently they told the surgeon because as I laid face down on a table and he was starting his incision (with the two nurses in the room) he ask, “To WHAT do you owe your excellent health? I’m not one to argue with a knife to my neck and I sensed he wasn’t really interested so I said, , “Oh, I don’t know . to shut him up. he insisted on continuing…”Are you married…do you have children…what is your job?” He concluded my “excellent health” was a result of no stress in my life. The doctor never ask “How long have you been a vegan?” He was satisfied that he convinced nurses diet isn’t a health determinant. Funny thing, this was in a “Seventh day Adventist” hospital where they are suppose to be particular about what they eat. It’s hard for me to imagine doctors aren’t questioned by patients about nutrition. Illness is big business. In my opinion you have too much faith in the integrity of doctors. Like dr. McDougall, and others say, doctors are great for lancing boils, setting bones, and treating illnesses after the disease but they don’t make money preventing disease.What do I know? Not much. I’m just parroting what medical doctors say about their own kind. Why don’t you convince them the other doctors don’t have access to the same nutritional science. Dr. McDougall fought for several years (or longer) to get a bill passed in California requiring medical students to have one little class on nutrition. After he got it passed I phoned my representative and suggested a similar bill and was told he wouldn’t do that because it would “cost jobs”.Enough “truth” is known to not eat meat and dairy. That change alone would eliminate 100% of heart disease. (From clogged arteries.) Other countries don’t have heart disease. Their medical schools don’t even teach students to diagnose heart disease. American medical doctors are selectively stupid.I would think your goal is to maintain an optimal immune system and help heal, and not put anything in your body that might trigger your illness.Toxins from polluted air, polluted food, and polluted water are stored in the fat tissue of the animal. How are you going to keep those toxins out? That’s enough reason NOT to eat meat even it’s organic. This is a big cause of many cancers.I recently ate “Chicken tenderloins”..frozen boneless,skinless chicken with”no hormones or steroids added” My husband bought and cooked it for us..so was so proud of the label( he knows I’m a bit picky)..The next day I was as sick as I am when I ingest MSG..so I checked the label..no MSG..but it did list Sodium Phosphates..So I googled this..and discovered this is an “arterial toxin”..No wonder my head throbbed..and my whole body hurt.I emailed the company http://www.tenderbird.com..and blasted them for using something so toxic..they refunded my money! And now I know..thx for this article..I will be on the lookout for “broth” in chickens,also.Such deception!!You’d be well advised to avoid “chicken” in chicken. Your husband might want to know chicken consumption contributes to prostrate cancer and is as high (or higher) in cholesterol as red meat. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs. Why tempt fate?What are the bad effects of phosphates? That seems to be missing from this clip.I’ve been eating frozen oil-free hashbrowns that contain less than 2% sodium acid pyrophosphate to preserve color. How much of a problem is this?Upsss! my favorite soy milk has tricalcium phosphate. It seems the food industry add these compounds to almost any processed food :-(	aluminum,animal products,cheese,chicken,dairy,fast food,food additives,industry influence,junk food,meat,poultry,preservatives,processed foods,processed meat,turkey,World Health Organization	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/filled-full-of-lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21535864,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12753675,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17720105,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19376617,
PLAIN-77	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/16/phosphate-additives-in-chicken-banned-elsewhere/	Phosphate Additives in Chicken Banned Elsewhere	In my video Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola, I talked about the danger of phosphorus additives in food. However, when surveyed, most future medical professionals were insufficiently aware—in fact, two-thirds had no clue—of the risks related to prolonged high dietary phosphate intake. Even if they knew it was a problem, they didn’t know which foods had added phosphates. 99% knew that sugar was added to soda, but only 7% knew that phosphates were added. I bet even fewer knew that it’s injected into most packages of meat. Though this practice remains banned in Europe, 11 different phosphate salts are currently allowed to be injected into meat and poultry in the United States. This despite the fact that phosphate is considered an arterial toxin—causing our arteries to stiffen up within just two hours of consumption. Phosphate additives may also make poultry more dangerous from a food safety standpoint. Phosphate additives may increase the number of Campylobacter bacteria in chicken exudates. Chicken exudate is the same as poultry purge (colloquially known as chicken “juice”), “the fluid that seeps out from processed poultry carcasses and is often found to be contaminated with considerable numbers of Campylobacter bacteria. It is comprised of water, blood, fats, and other materials added to the poultry during processing.” If chicken isn’t injected with phosphate, the exudates seeping into the package may grow about 100 Campylobacter bacteria. But, add some phosphate to the carcass, and up to a hundred million bacteria may grow. Why does adding phosphate to poultry increase the number of Campylobacter bacteria? It may be because phosphates increase the survival of Campylobacter—by 100 fold or more. The infectious dose for Campylobacter has been shown to be as little as 500 organisms. How much might there be in chicken? 100,000 can be easily recovered from washes of whole chicken carcasses. So what does a million times more food-poisoning bacteria mean for the risk to consumers? A mere hundred fold increase in these fecal matter bacteria can mean a thirty fold difference in the number of human outbreaks of Campylobacter, which can leave patients paralyzed (see my video Poultry and Paralysis). But, if the poultry industry doesn’t add phosphates, how are they (in their words) going to “enhance the moisture absorbance, color, and flavor of the meat and reduce product shrinkage?” Other concerning additives used by the meat industry include asthma-type drugs (Ractopamine in Pork), bacteria-eating viruses (Viral Meat Spray), larvae (Maggot Meat Spray), Arsenic in Chicken, nitrosamines (Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat), and antibiotics (Drug Residues in Meat). Since phosphate additives don’t have to be listed on the nutrition label, how do we avoid them? All in my video How to Avoid Phosphate Additives. 	Aren’t nuts, seeds, beans etc. high in phosphorous? We say those are good for our arteries. Confused!The phosphorous in these foods isn’t absorbed very well, while 100% of phosphorous added to meats is absorbed. Watching Dr. Greger’s video “Phosphate additives in meat purge and cola” should clear up any confusion. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/I love you DR MichaelI’ll watch the video but why do I eat foods where I don’t absorb the nutrients. How do I decide what is enough or worse too much.Nature has a way of given you what you need and holding back what you don’t need. The added chemicals in food is too much. They throw off homeostasis in the body. You will absorb the phosphorus you need from plant-based foods and the phosphorus you don’t need will not be highly bioavailable.NO!!! Not my favorite chicken please. I’ll take this as a wake up call. Does this mean going with organic helps? Coz, I’m thinking just by the looks of the food at our local grocery, it may seem fresh. But I really couldn’t tell which ones to consider. Perhaps, sticking with the greens is better. Not to mention, I have also learned from http://www.thehemorrhoidcurecenter.com/ how good these vegetables are.Andrea: re: “I’ll take this as a wake up call.” That’s a great idea, because this is only way in which your chicken is so bad for your health. You can learn the other ways by doing some research on this site.but, “Perhaps, sticking with the greens is better.” No need to limit yourself so severely! Greens are part of just one of the 4 main food groups!: fruit, veggies, grains, and legumes. The other two food groups which should be eaten in moderation (1-2 oz/day) are: seeds and nuts. Here are Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations for optimal health: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Note the lack of any meat, dairy and eggs – regardless of whether or not the products are organic. You can learn all the reasons why on this site. It really is an eye opener. I hope you are able to use this information to start eating healthy. You will find that you can eat lots of really great yummy foods. Let me know if you would like some practical advice on how to get started.Hi Thea. Thank goodness you’re not taking eggs away from me. I have started having enough green, eggs, lean pork, and bananas. So far, my body has been doing better. I feel so much better now.Andrea: I have no interest in taking any food away from anyone. But it seems like there is a misunderstanding. So, just to clarify was I was explaining to you: I was strongly recommending that you remove all meat, dairy and eggs from your diet in order to maximize your health probabilities. Eggs are especially bad, as you can see in the videos and articles on this site.Anyway, I’m glad you are feeling better. Good luck.Interesting read. Are there any official documents that confirm phosphates are banned in Europe or other countries?	campylobacter,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,Europe,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,food additives,food poisoning,foodborne illness,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,meat,medical profession,poultry,preservatives,turkey	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20173061,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22220204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23161206,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19406976,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22004823,
PLAIN-78	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/	What Do Meat Purge and Cola Have in Common?	In my video, Treating Kidney Failure Through Diet, I profiled research suggesting that the use of a plant-based diet for patients with kidney failure would be beneficial. An important function of our kidneys is to filter out excess phosphorus from our bloodstream, so a decline in kidney function can lead to the build-up of phosphorus in our bodies. This in turn can cause something called metastatic calcification, where our heart valves and muscles and other parts of the body can buildup mineral deposits, eventually potentially resulting in bad things like skin necrosis, gangrene, and amputations. Therefore, controlling dietary phosphorus intake is the lynchpin of successful prevention of metastatic calcification. While both plant foods and animal foods have phosphorus, our bodies seem better able to handle phosphorus excretion from plants, so a plant-based diet may help protect against this dreadful condition. However, we’re beginning to realize that absorbing too much phosphorus isn’t good for anyone, even those with healthy kidneys. Having high levels in our blood has been found to be an independent predictor of heart attacks and mortality in the general population, increasing the risk not only of kidney failure, but also of heart failure, heart attacks, coronary death, and overall death. Dietary intake of phosphate is an important matter not just for persons with kidney disease, but for everybody. It’s thought to cause damage to blood vessels, to accelerate the aging process, and even, potentially, to hurt our bones by contributing to osteoporosis via a disruption of hormonal regulation. The estimated average requirement of phosphorus is less than 600 mg a day, but the estimated average intake in the United States is nearly twice that. How do we stay away from too much of the stuff? In the video, Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola, we can see the different levels of phosphorus in different foods. It looks like many plant foods have as much phosphorus as many animal foods. So why are plant-based diets so effective in treating kidney failure patients? Because most of the phosphorus in plant foods is found in the form of phytic acid, which we can’t digest. Therefore, while plant and animal foods may have similar phosphate contents, the amount that is bioavailable differs. In plant foods, the bioavailability of phosphates is usually less than 50%, while the bioavailability of most animal products is up around 75%. So when we adjust for how much actually gets into our system, plant foods are significantly better. It’s like the absorption of heme and non-heme iron: our bodies can protect themselves from absorbing too much plant-based iron, but can’t stop excess muscle and blood-based (heme) iron from animals slipping through the intestinal wall (see my video Risk Associated With Iron Supplements). The worst kind of phosphorus is in the form of phosphate additives (which are absorbed nearly 100%) that are added, for example, to cola drinks. Why is phosphate added to cola? Without the added phosphate, so many glycotoxins would be produced that the beverage would turn pitch black (see my video on Glycotoxins). Thus, cola drinks owe their brown color to phosphate. Phosphate additives play an especially important role in the meat industry, where they are used as preservatives for the same reason: to enhance a meat product’s color. Just like the dairy industry adds aluminum to cheese, the meat and poultry industries “enhance” their products by injecting them with phosphates. If one looks at meat industry trade journals and can get past all the macabre ads for “head dropping robots for the kill floor,” you’ll see all ad after ad for injection machines. Why? Because of “increased profitability.” Enhanced meats have better color and less “purge.” Purge is a term used to describe the liquid that seeps from flesh as it ages. Many consumers find this unattractive, so the industry views phosphate injection as a win-win. When chicken is injected with phosphates, the “consumer benefits through the perception of enhanced quality,” and the processor benefits from increased yield because they just pump it up with water and they sell it by the pound. The problem is that it can boost phosphorus levels in meat nearly 70%, a “real and insidious danger” not only for kidney patients, but for us all. Another toxic addition to alter the color of meat is arsenic-containing drugs fed directly to chickens (see my video Arsenic in Chicken). Carbon monoxide is used to keep red meat red, anthoxanthins keep salmon pink (Artificial Coloring in Fish) and titanium dioxide is used to whiten processed foods (Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease). I’m amazed by the risks the food industry will take to alter food cosmetically (more on this in Artificial Food Colors and ADHD). There are other harmful additives in soda as well (Is Sodium Benzoate Harmful? and Diet Soda and Preterm Birth). What else is in poultry purge (chicken “juice”)? Find out in my video, Phosphate Additives in Chicken. 	“So why are plant-based diets so effective in treating kidney failure patients? Because most of the phosphorus in plant foods is found in the form of phytic acid, which we can’t digest.”So if we can’t digest the phosphorous in plants due to phytic acid, is this same phytic acid blocking our absorption of other minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, etc.? Do meats and fish have better absorption rates of minerals and vitamins, due to lack of this phytic acid?…. and by meat and fish, I am referring to the ones that are not being altered or injected by industry.Phytic acid has some partial mineral blocking properties, but it is a powerful antioxidant and is linked with better bone health. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=phytic+acidIf my phosphorous to calcium ratio is 5 to 1 (PH/CA), will this eventually lead to bone loss, and or less calcium being absorbed, since it is competing with phosphorous and if phosphorous is always taken in at greater amounts than the calcium, it seems that that alone would limit even more the amount of calcium being absorbed. For instance, if I ate a meal that contained more calcium than PH, versus a meal that contained the same amount of calcium yet far more PH, would the latter meal actually contribute to less of the calcium being absorbed, due to the ratio? Thanks. This all has me confused, but I think there is something here to clear up as many vegans I’ve spoked with on this are concerned, as they too have far greater amounts of PH coming in on a daily basis than CA, yet they are still getting their 100% CA per day. The nutritionist I spoke with thought that the this 100% does not equate to 100% if your PH intake greatly exceeds this 100%, regardless of if the PH is plant-based or not. Thanks, Toxins.Got to love biochemistry but it is and will always lead to more questions and is in general very confusing when using reductionistic science to “explain” adaptive systems. Toxins points are well taken… as always and I agree. I would add to trust your body to do what it needs to do to maintain equilibrium that your body needs. You body is adept at “pulling” in minerals that it needs. I wouldn’t worry about your ratio and the phytic acid if you are eating a varied whole plant diet. If you start developing symptoms you can visit your health care provider to be checked out. Good luck.Despite scare tactics from paleo blogs, phytic acid is not known to contribute to mineral deficiencies in the context of balanced diets of adequate nutrition. Not only that, but it appears high-phytate diets appear to reduce bone loss over time and decrease the risk of bone fractures:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/When it comes to overall vitamin and mineral intake, it also appears that those who refrain from eating meat and fish have fewer deficiencies:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/If you’re still concerned about mineral absorption, you can improve zinc and iron absorption by 50% by including garlic and/or onions:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/Regarding your question about this statement: “So why are plant-based diets so effective in treating kidney failure patients? Because most of the phosphorus in plant foods is found in the form of phytic acid, which we can’t digest.”Phytate does not block phosphorus absorption. Phytic acid itself contains 6 phosphorus atoms.Since phytate does not appear to cause mineral deficincies in healthy people consuming an adequate diet, though does appear to have protective effects against cancer, heart disease, and diabetes (see videos linked in Toxins’ comment), it does not seem rational to restrict consumption of phytate-rich foods.I think her big concern was if a higher phosphorous intake percentage-wise than a calcium intake percentage-wise on a day to day basis would prevent proper calcium absorption. The concern sort of makes sense to me. I’ve read that a lopsided ratio of phosphorous to calcium – more phosphorous to calcium – is a big no no long-term – – – – – osteo-issues, etc. You look at all the green-munching creatures out there, and they seem to be eating way more calcium than phosphorous.I get about 5 times the amount of phosphorus than calcium on my vegan diet. Lots of beans and grains seem to load up my phosphorus intake, and I get my calcium primarily from greens but it is difficult to get near as much calcium than phosphorous when the bulk of my intake is grains and beans. Does an un-even phosphorous calcium ratio contribute to bone loss? Calcium being leached out of the bones? Thanks. I see to have lost bone mass since going vegan, and have been suspicious of this phytic acid issue you’ve brought up. My intake of phytic acid is far higher on a vegan diet than it was on a animal products, veggies, fruit diet.What about chicken broth or beef broth sold in cans? Are they okay to use or are they just as bad as chicken and beef? Also, what about fish sauce? Has there been any studies on its health effect?This is one of the reasons why I am replacing soda with fruit juice. I know it’s much more healthy than drinking chemicals and toxins. I’d like to add how harmful processed food is too. I came across with http://bit.ly/1uRdXC3 and thought to myself that I should end all these cravings and make a U-turn to a healthy path.	aging,animal products,beef,bone fractures,bone health,bone mineral density,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,Coca Cola,cola,food additives,heart disease,heart failure,heart health,iron,junk food,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,lifespan,meat,mortality,osteoporosis,phytates,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,preservatives,soda,turkey,vegans,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23719553,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22334826,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21741857,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21978846,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21055967,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15742973,
PLAIN-79	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/	What to Eat to Reduce Our Toxic Exposure	It is not very common that a single molecule attracts enough interest to merit international scientific conferences of its own. “Ah receptor,” however, “belongs to the rare elite of such molecules.” Ah receptors are an important factor in how our immune system works. For background, see my video, The Broccoli Receptor: Our First Line of Defense. The latest conference offered “new reports about the way plant-derived compounds in our diet are necessary for a fully functioning immune system of the gut.” One study in particular out of the journal Nature, “expanded our understanding of how diet impacts immunity and health by showing that a plant-derived nutrient profoundly shapes the capacity for intestinal immune defense.” And intestinal defense not only protects us against the pathogens we may ingest, but also against toxic chemicals. We’re constantly exposed to a wide range of toxins, from such sources as cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes, furnace gases, cooked meat and fish, cow’s milk, and even mother’s milk (because of what mothers themselves are exposed to) as seen in my video Counteracting the Effects of Dioxins Through Diet. Many of these pollutants exert their toxic effects through the Ah receptor system. For example, dioxins invade the body mainly through the diet (where we get more than 90% of our exposure) as it concentrates through the food chain, presenting a serious health concern. But there are phytonutrients in fruits, vegetables, tea, red wine, and beans that block the effects of dioxins at levels close to what we find in people’s bloodstream. Just three apples or about a tablespoon of red onion a day may cut dioxin toxicity in half. And the half-life of these phytonutrients in the body is only about 25 hours, so we have to keep eating these health-promoting foods day after day. At first we just thought that it was only cruciferous vegetables that could dock in these receptors and fend off toxins, but does that make evolutionary sense? As Lora V. Hooper from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute notes, “Given the variety and flexibility of most mammalian diets, a specific dependence on cruciferous vegetables for optimal intestinal immune function would seem overly restrictive. Rather, it seems likely that many other foods contain compounds with similar immune-stimulatory properties.” Indeed, “the search for foods containing similar immunomodulatory compounds has begun.” We now know that a wide variety of natural plant compounds can counteract the chemical pollution to which we’re all exposed. There is actually one animal product that has also been shown to potentially block the cancer-causing effects of dioxins: camel urine. Camel urine—but not cow urine—was found to inhibit the effects of a known carcinogenic chemical. Importantly, the researchers emphasize that virgin camel urine showed the highest degree of inhibition, performing better than pregnant camel urine, for example. So the next time our kids don’t want to eat their fruits and veggies, we can just say, “It’s either that, or camel pee.” I report different mechanisms but similar outcomes in Plants vs. Pesticides and Eating Green to Prevent Cancer. So this all suggests a double benefit of eating lower on the food chain, since it would also entail lower exposure to toxic contaminants in the first place (Industrial Pollutants in Vegans). 	I’m still keenly curious to know if these ah receptors benefit from frozen broccoli or if I need to be adding mustard powder to my cruciferous veggies to activate the ah benefit. For a variety of reasons, I’m not able to include fresh veggies in my diet and have to rely on frozen, so I really do need to know if I’m missing out on this ah benefit. (Why don’t I just add the mustard powder anyway, especially for the sulphorophane? Because I can’t tolerate the taste. But if I learn that it’s required for this ah receptor benefit, I guess I’ll just have to make myself enjoy it.)Can you handle any fresh veggies–raw radishes or their leaves? arugula or watercress? You don’t need much. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/anti-cancer-recipes-groundbreaking-news-about-crucifers/I want to know who got a grant to study camel urine and who provided the funding. Sounds like something the Australians would do while drinking way too many beers in the Outback!If you look closely at the study, you will find that all involved were Moslems (Alhaider AA1, El Gendy MA, Korashy HM, El-Kadi AO.). There is a great need for Moslems to support the practice of drinking Camel urine (some times mixed with Camel’s milk) that was prevalent in Arabia and was advocated by the prophet of Islam. I am surprised Dr. Greger did not look closely at this and discard this heavily biased study, but I guess the novelty of it was too much for the good doctor to ignore :)Tom, Google Muhammad and the drinking of camel urine.Reviews on medical marijuana would be great. I feel like it qualifies for nutritionfacts because you ingest it?marijuana known to trigger and/or be directly implicated in causing schizophrenia. I’ve known too many people who have stated very clearly that marijuana use directly made them go crazy. Not everyone can handle this drug, apparently. And there is science published that has raised valid concerns from a causative standpoint for marijuana triggering schizophrenia. I’m not picking a fight (pro-pot vs. anti-pot). No, nothing like that.Uh okay… Just because it’s triggering for some people, doesn’t mean it doesn’t cure cancer or arthritis or whatever. Garlic’s really good for you, but triggering for people with GI issues. Would still love review of clinical literature on it.Arthritis cure…..I’d suggest eliminating all nightshade foods 100%, as well as well as fried foods (corn chips are fried!) and processed grains such as white rice and other high GI grains.re camel urine in the middle east..Traditionally,each locality uses the food stuffs they have at hand for healing. Just as First Nations peoples, Mongolian nomads and the early Egyptians had immense knowledge of local plants and herbs and other organic medical treatments, so did the Arab cultures. You may want to know that the earliest treatise on western medicine was written by an Arab man, Ibn Sinner, in the 800’s. Western medicine gained enormously from his knowledge. Arabs in the 800’s had a highly sophisticated society, immense knowledge of science, mathematics, physics, sound, while Europe was in the dark ages, people weren’t bathing, and were sick and dying. We inherited our numeral system from them, the basics of astrology, and many other intellectual gifts of wonder. I wouldn’t throw out the research on camel urine because the researchers have Arabic names.Sorry, but even when this isn’t on topic I felt it was necessary to reply because a lot of people don’t seem to know, that most of what you mention was originated in India, not the Arabian peninsula. Once they invaded India, as a growing empire, the knowledge reached other places though them.And what was the highly sophisticated society in Arabia at the year 800? They had the Sharia ruling their society.While ancient Middle East cultures were advanced, (pre islamic times) they fell in economic decadence even before the arrival of Islam. No much was left by the time of Mohamed, and what remained was destroyed.Please do your research before you post something so offensive. Pre Islamic time the rich used to own slaves they did unspeakable thing to them and the Islam came and freed all of the slaves. Women were also a property (slaves used for procreational purposes and entertainment). Even worse, new born females used to get boiled or buried alive. All that stopped after Islam. Now I understand why you would think it’s a horrible religion but remember every religion had extremist who made their religion look bad. Most importantly most of the old Arabic medicine was destroyed because of wars that proceeds the Islamic time.I said nothing offensive, unless you consider offensive the fact that Sharia (the Islamic law code) ruled the Arabian peninsula. I asked you to present proof that it was the highly sophisticated society that you claim. Arabia 800 AD, present your data.It was actually you the one with comments like this: “while Europe was in the dark ages, people weren’t bathing, and were sick and dying.”That not only are ignorant myths but clearly there is animosity on your part that I opted not to comment in my previous answer. I only hope that you are not confusing the bubonic plague, which arrived with the Mongol invasions from central Asia.Let’s read real mediaevalist experts to know what went on:Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths http://www.amazon.com/Those-Terrible-Middle-Ages-Debunking/dp/0898707811/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8And the position of women during the period (status that was lost when the Roman customs were brought back with the Renaissance)Women in the Days of the Cathedrals http://www.amazon.com/Women-Days-Cathedrals-R%C3%A9gine-Pernoud/dp/0898706424/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413156097&sr=8-1&keywords=Women+in+the+Age+of+the+CathedralsIf you read those books you won’t need sites explaining this, but since you didn’t here we go:“As for “yearly baths,” the idea that medieval people rarely bathed is a persistent but false one. Most people washed themselves on a regular basis. Going without washing was considered a penance even in the early Middle Ages. Soap, possibly invented by the Gauls sometime before Christ, was in widespread use throughout Europe by the end of the ninth century, and made its first appearance in cake form in the twelfth century.”And never forget that the time you see so “obscure” was really the time when universities were invented and built… in that heinous Europe, nonetheless. :)Now FYI, slavery is perfectly lawful under Sharia law (and still in practice in several Muslim countries). Mohamed had his own share of slaves as it is well know, since this is common knowledge I wont bring details here, but if you still doubt it, I can provide abundant proof.See more about Islam and slavery: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_slave_tradehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_Ottoman_Empirehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_slave_trade Here a book with the details of the last one:http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1403945519/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3L7RZNQK6B6QQ&coliid=I1TUJYYNIFOV6CIn this one was involved US https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_WarAnd here an example of present time slavery in the Muslim world: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_MauritaniaAlso would like to see your data regarding the horrible practices you relate in such vivid detail, in the pre-Islamic Arabian peninsula. Because what it is know, points to a different direction.They had a great pantheon of goddesses and gods, with even a main goddess.See for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DilmunDilmun is also described in the epic story of Enki and Ninhursag as the site at which the Creation occurred. The later Babylonian Enuma Elish, speaks of the creation site as the place where the mixture of salt water, personified as Tiamat met and mingled with the fresh water of Abzu. Bahrein in Arabic means “the twin waters”, where the fresh water of the Arabian aquifer mingles with the salt waters of the Persian Gulf. The promise of Enki to Ninhursag, the Earth Mother:For Dilmun, the land of my lady’s heart, I will create long waterways, rivers and canals, whereby water will flow to quench the thirst of all beings and bring abundance to all that lives.Ninlil, the Sumerian goddess of air and south wind had her home in Dilmun. It is also featured in the Epic of Gilgamesh.See also another main goddess https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AstartePre-Islamic religion in Arabia consisted of indigenous polytheistic beliefs, Nestorian Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Nestorian Christianity was the dominant religion in Eastern Arabia prior to the advent of Islam. In the latter stages of the pre-Islamic era, Christianity gained converts with some unorthodox sects, such as the gnostics having a presence.Notice the polytheist cults were the types I mentioned above, and there the rest of religions in the pre-Islamic Arabian peninsula, none of those has the practices you mentioned, nor were women in worse plight that under Islam, but everything points to the opposite.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Islamic_Arabia#Gerrha(Sorry everyone for being off topic)did you even read the links you attached?Yes, I provided sources disproving what you claimed.While we are still waiting you to back up your claims with *any* data.1 – 800 AD Arabian peninsula, “a highly sophisticated society.” Prove it.2 – Prove your other claim: “Pre Islamic time the rich used to own slaves they did unspeakable thing to them and the Islam came and freed all of the slaves. Women were also a property (slaves used for procreational purposes and entertainment). Even worse, new born females used to get boiled or buried alive. All that stopped after Islam.”Hard data, prove it. Distraction tactics won’t work.Pretty ironic when women are in FACT property in the Islamic world. They are slaves per se in their own societies. Besides, formal slavery is perfectly lawful under Sharia, and practiced today. See Mauritania and Sudan just to begin. (I linked at the very least the situation in Mauritania, around a quarter of the population are slaves)Of course, they might not apply Sharia law to its full extend, and a government might discretionary make it “unlawful” But is is perfectly lawful under Sharia law. And in practice, they do little to end it.Deana, didn’t Mohammed permit raping of captive women in front of their husbands? Didn’t ISIS do exactly that to Yazidi women & THEN make them into sex slaves? Are there Muslim fathers who murder their daughters if they have a relationship outside of marriage? Is that Islamic liberation? Are the European women going to ISIS being used for procreational purposes? WHO would boil or bury new born female infants? Would you be talking about ARABS? Did ANY other people do such things? Can you name ANYTHING POSITIVE about Islam? ANYTHING?Actually the people in the Arabian peninsula were the first victims of Islam. They opposed Mohamed, it took him a long time. Not to mention the Christians, Zoroastrians and Hebrews there, all of them who didn’t convert — once Mohamed managed to get the cult going after many years of trying and had enough people — proceed to kill on the spot everyone of those who didn’t convert. Women and children were taken as slaves for enjoyment.See the beginning of what happened here:Aisha and Muhammad – The MovieThe life of Mohammed found in the Sira (his biography) and the Hadith (his traditions) is a great story – sex, violence, war, assassinations, rape, spies and secret agents. One of the best known features of the story is his marriage to Aisha, aged 6.http://www.islam-watch.org/video.htmlNow I can imagine some would be thinking “but what about the crusades?”Here we go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_To-cV94Bo&feature=youtu.beYet I find the video lacking because only dealt with a small part of what the Islam was doing, we only see the Mediterranean there. What was going on in Asia is not show. I can imagine would be too much work, see the number of battles just in that region.Thule, I appreciate your idea of Arabian peninsula residents being Mohammed’s first victims. I’ve actually already seen this clip on Jihad vs. Crusades!!! It shows Islam as being colonialist conquerors while the Christians “merely” wished to wrest the Holy Land from Muslims. The thing is that Spain, France, the Vikings, the BRITISH, et al made up for lost time later w/their extensive colonies on other people’s land around the world (remember the British attack on the Falkland Islands???). The 22 Arab countries include the Arabization (read “ethnic cleansing,” if you will) of Coptic Egypt, Berber Morocco, Algeria, Tunis (the whole Maghreb), Phonecian Lebanon, Mesopotamian Iraq et al & that’s not including the 44 MUSLIM nations! HOWEVER, in the name of Truth, the primitive European Christian Crusaders who met & battled the more advanced Middle Eastern Muslims (Arabs, Kurds, etc.) returned to Europe with more advanced ideas to pushed Europe into the Renaissance, while the Muslims ironically became fossilized, possibly until today. But if you are getting excited about Europe somehow being more enlightened, the archives & interviews of East European communism are now available & show East Europe communists to not be any less barbaric than Muslims. Even worse, there are strong & direct links between those Eastern European communists (MOSCOW) & SOCIALISTS in WESTERN EUROPE (Mitterand & his ilk who ended up running Western Europe). In reading this data it becomes abundantly clear that concerns with human rights was only a ploy to further the agenda of their crushing system. See Claire Berlinski’s A Hidden History of Evil as well as Louis Menand’s Bloc Heads: Life Behind the Iron Curtain. Humanity has to search for new models.While the Islam empire had access to knowledge (by accessing what was in the conquered areas), au contraire of what is thought didn’t preserve much of it. By the time of the First Crusade Europe wasn’t behind in any way, and what they lacked before was the economics means to face such empire.The Renaissance happened as this site candidly puts it:“As the Middle Ages wound down, Florence’s pockets were bulging thanksto its textile industry. By the 15th century, Florence was like Wall Street before the subprime bubble burst: lots of people getting rich, not by perpetually toiling but simply by moving income around. Merchants and bankerssuddenly possessed the ability to make it rain like only kings, popes, and unhappy druidic weather-gods could before. They also possessed something entirely novel at this point in human history: the leisure time to appreciate things.So they looked around themselves … and found jack-all to appreciate. They needed something to fill the void until we could get the Internet up and running, so they turned to art. Sculptures, paintings, and frescoes found a much wider audience than ever before, and artists were suddenly in high demand. We, as a species, were well aware of much of the knowledge attributed to the Renaissance. It hadn’t necessarily been lost or neglected for thousands of years — we just kind of lump it in as being “rediscovered” at the time because there were a lot of new paintings of robust naked women and sketches of death machines coming out. It must have been an era of enlightenment.”Actually the High Medieval period had two main characteristics that would lead to the Renaissance, money thanks to trade, and cultural splendour. And because of that capacity, the First Crusade was feasible. (Not the other way around)I agree with you fully regarding the European expansionism, and about communism. And yes it is documented how the URRSS worked to indoctrinate the world (subvertly most of the time). The topic is very long. Amazingly, so long after the fall of the Berlin Wall, people is still being captivated. Problem is most people never read history, and keep falling for the same siren’s call. I could recommend a lot of books, but this one stands out (so many people still revere this mass killer) http://www.amazon.com/Mao-Unknown-Story-Jung-Chang/dp/0679746323And for economics and the defence of the individual, The Mises Institute https://mises.org/HELL NO!!!Deana Mohiealdeen, It sounds like ISIS based their raping of married Yezidi women they captured on Mohammed’s personal instructions, do you support Mohammed’s permission to rape married women as stated here? The heading of Chapter 29 of Sahih Muslim, a canonical hadith collection, is “IT IS PERMISSIBLE TO HAVE SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITH A CAPTIVE WOMAN AFTER SHE IS PURIFIED (OF MENSES OR DELIVERY). IN CASE SHE HAS A HUSBAND, HER MARRIAGE IS ABROGATED AFTER SHE BECOMES CAPTIVE” The hadiths in Chapter 29 say that after a victory for the Muslims at the Battle of Hanain, and in response to the fact that Muhammad’s soldiers “seemed to refrain from having intercourse with captive women,” Muhammad produced Qur’an 4:24’s statement about slave girls/captive women, And all married women (are forbidden unto you) save those (captives) whom your right hands possess…Deana Mohiealdeen: Heads up, what do you think is going to happen to Arabs & Islam when all of the oil reserves in Arab countries dry up? Well, notice that the US pays for Arab oil in DOLLARS. Also notice what happened to the two oil-rich nations who insisted that Am pay in gold. One was Hussein’s Iraq, the second was Qadhafi’s Libya. Both were INVADED BY AM!!! Now, why do you think that happened? Hint, paper dollars can lose value, but gold is a lot more stable. When the oil well runs dry, the Arabs will be booted (most likely by themselves) back to the prehistoric age.I would have preferred that the bit on camel urine was omitted. We don’t need to encourage testing on any more animals. Sometimes a bit of humor can do harm.Yeah, great news Doc…just try finding a virgin camel in these partsGuess what day it is!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T9Hv5TJXT4	animal products,apples,beans,beef,breastfeeding,broccoli,cancer,chicken,cruciferous vegetables,dairy,dioxins,fish,fruit,immune function,industrial toxins,meat,onions,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,red wine,seafood,smoking,tea,turkey,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,wine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22036556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20883769,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12929624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22076557,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10913616,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22371237,
PLAIN-80	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/	Our Immune System Uses Plants To Activate Gut Protection	It might seem that our skin is the first line of defense between our insides and the outside world, but our greatest interface with our environment is actually through the lining of our intestines, which covers thousands of square feet. And all that separates our gut from the outer world is a single layer of cells, 50 millionth of a meter thick – less than the thickness of a sheet of paper. Compare that to our skin. In the video, The Broccoli Receptor: Our First Line of Defense, you can see a layer of skin, dozens of protective cells thick, to keep the outside world outside of our bodies. Why don’t we have multiple layers in our gut wall? Because we need to absorb stuff from food into our body. It’s a good idea for our skin to be waterproof, so we don’t start leaking, but the lining of our gut has to allow for the absorption of fluids and nutrients. With such a thin, fragile layer between our sterile core and outer chaos, we better have quite a defense system in place. Indeed, that’s where “intraepithelial lymphocytes” come in. Intraepithelial lymphocytes serve two functions: they condition and repair that thin barrier, and they provide a front-line defense against intestinal pathogens. These critical cells are covered with Ah receptors. Ah receptors are like locks, and for decades researchers have been searching for a natural key to fit in these locks to activate those receptors and sustain our immunity. We recently discovered a key: broccoli. Cruciferous vegetables—broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts—contain a phytonutrient that is transformed by our stomach acid into the key that fits into the Ah receptor, stimulating our intraepithelial lymphocytes. In other words, broccoli leads to the activation of our immune foot soldiers. In an editorial about Ah receptors and diet, researcher Lora V. Hooper from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute noted, “From childhood we learn that vegetables are good for us, and most of us eat our veggies without giving much thought to the evidence behind this accepted wisdom or to the mechanisms underlying the purported health-boosting properties of a vegetable-rich diet.” But now we know that “specific dietary compounds found at high levels in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are essential for sustaining intestinal immune function.” Green vegetables are in fact required to maintain a large population of those protective intraepithelial lymphocytes. Maybe that’s why vegetable intake is associated with lower risk of inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, whereas the more meaty Western diet is associated with higher risk of inflammatory bowel diseases. This may be because the activating receptors on our intestinal immune cells are basically sensors of plant-derived phytochemicals. This raises a broader question: Why did our immune system evolve this requirement for broccoli and other plant foods? Well, when do we need to boost our intestinal defenses the most? When we eat! That’s when we may be ingesting pathogens. Linking heightened intestinal immune activation to food intake could serve to bolster immunity precisely when it is needed. At the same time, this would allow energy to be conserved in times of food scarcity, since maintaining these defenses takes considerable amounts of energy. Why remain at red alert 24 hours a day when we eat only a couple of times a day? We evolved for millions of years eating mostly weeds—wild plants, dark green leafy vegetables (or as they were known back then, leaves). By using veggies as a signal to upkeep our immune system, our bodies may be bolstering our immune defenses when we most need them. Thus, the old recommendation to “eat your veggies” has a strong molecular basis. (Did we really evolve eating that many plant foods? See my video Paleolithic Lessons). This discovery has been all exciting for the drug companies who are looking into Ah receptor active pharmaceuticals. “However,” as one research team at Cambridge concluded, “rather than developing additional anti-inflammatory drugs, changing diets which are currently highly processed and low in vegetable content, may be a more cost effective way towards health and well-being.” As remarkable as this story is, it is just the tip of the cruciferous iceberg! See, for example: How else can we protect our immune function? Exercise (Preserving Immune Function In Athletes With Nutritional Yeast) and sleep (Sleep & Immunity)! Given the variety and flexibility of most mammalian diets, a specific dependence on cruciferous vegetables for optimal intestinal immune function would seem overly restrictive, no? I address that in my video, Counteracting the Effects of Dioxins 	Ok that’s it! I am stocking up on broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Cabbage in my smoothie? Why not?Savory oatmeal is underrated. Steel-cut oats with beans, salsa, flax meal and cilantro is my favorite breakfast. Never tried cauliflower…..And add some turmeric and black pepper during the heating process.KWD: I wanted to thank you for this post! I was pretty skeptical about how much I would like it. I expected to tolerate it at best. But I needed a new breakfast (I tend to get burnt out on food pretty quickly). So, I gave it a try. And to my surprise, I really like it! I ate it all last week and so far this week. And I’ve had fun experimenting with different salsas. That will help keep the interest level up a little longer for me.Just an FYI: I find for myself, that the cilantro is optional in terms of enjoying the dish. But I was able to add ground flaxseed with no problems, making me happy that I was getting flaxseed back in my diet again (at least for now). :-) Yeah!!Just so you know, your idea has helped someone else.Thea, sorry I am just seeing this. I’ve been off of disqus for a bit tending to school and some unexpected life issues, but I’m back now! This makes me so happy you tried it and liked it! Many times people will say, “oh, that sounds good” but never actually give it a try.Regarding the cilantro – yes, I often don’t have it on hand and it’s tasty without it (sometimes I also add frozen corn or, if I have time, some sauteed onions). It’s a great way to break the fast!KWD: Thanks for your reply. I’m still enjoying the dish. I keep playing with it. Here’s what I have been doing lately:> 1/2 (volume of what I want to eat) cooked steel cut oats > 1/2 baked beans – mix it up for interest. I even used Trader Joes’ boxed lentils one week > 1-2 T ground flaxseed > Generous pinch of amla powder > 1/3 or so cups frozen: kale, collards or spinach – whatever I have > Salsa to tasteI am thrilled that I can add the amla powder and not taste it. I hadn’t been eating the amla previously because I had to put in too little in order to not taste it. I just gave up. But I can do a good amount in this dish and because of the salsa’s strong taste, I don’t taste the amla.Also note that I found a commercial salsa with a lot of cilantro already in it. This works great, because I had decided that I didn’t like the texture of the dish with the fresh cilantro. So, I add the frozen greens instead, and it’s really working for me. Which is another great plus, because I have never consistently gotten any leafy greens in me for breakfast before. So, this is a big step. :-)I can totally see how adding some corn or whatever is on hand would just add more great variety.Thanks again!Do the cruciferous veggies need to be precut and/or have mustard powder added to them (as Dr. G’s advocated in previous videos) in order to create the nutrient that becomes the Ah receptor keys? Or do you get the same benefit from, say, eating frozen greens and the like that have been pre-cooked? I rely on frozen foods, so I’m keenly interested to know if I’m missing out on the benefit of the Ah receptor activation.And how long does Dr. G suggest we should let crucifers sit after we’ve cut them in order for the enzyme to do its magic?Dr. Greger has recommended 40 min. of sit time or you can add back the myrosinase. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/Wow, 40 minutes? This link says only 5-6 minutes, and suggests sprinkling a little lemon juice on the sliced broccoli before letting it sit: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=64Please see the video I shared, for maximum production 40 min. may be necessarySo are you saying that if we just cook our veges without letting it sit for the required time we aren’t eating healthy? Dr Greger’s rules about everything just gets too confusing, complicated,to difficult and stressful. Let me just enjoy my whole foods plant based unprocessed way of eating, thank you.Interesting username, I did not say that. I am talking about sulphorophane specifically. Eat broccoli however way you want as long as its not deep fried or dipped in butter.Too Many Rules: re: “So are you saying that if we just cook our veges without letting it sit for the required time we aren’t eating healthy?”Gosh, no one is saying that at all. Here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations. Note how simple they are: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/“Let me just…” It sounds like your current diet would fit in quite nicely with Dr. Greger’s recommendations.What is being discussed here is how to tweak a healthy diet to get even more out of it. Personally, if I’m going to eat broccoli, I want to eat it in a way that will most likely to turn my body into a cancer fighting bio-machine. For some of us, it is interesting and fun to keep making our diets healthier and healthier.But if chopping your broccoli and taking a break before eating it is too complicated for you, it’s still healthy to eat the broccoli without the rest break. As Dr. Greger says, the healthiest way to eat your veggies is the one that gets you to eat the most veggies.Sorry, forgot about the diet tweakers. Should have remembered that since I really like to read the comments. Which are sometimes more interesting than the video or blog. The forgetter or getting sidetracked too easily is what makes 40 minutes difficult.Could you tell us which of the sources he cited recommends 40 minutes? Thanks, Toxins.Should broccoli be crowned “queen” of the crucifers? http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/how-to-prepare-broccoli-to-fight-cancer/On a separate subject….Dr Greger, would you write an article on blood pH? I have thought for several years that blood pH does change and that you can keep it ‘normal’ by what you eat and reducing stress, etc. I recently read an article by a supposedly medically knowledgeable person that blood pH does not change, that the body acts to keep it constant, and that testing urine/saliva are not an indication of blood pH. Also that taking potassium bicarbonate does not do anything, because all food that we eat gets neutralized before it enters the intestines, making the pH of food meaningless. Basically this person is saying that the subject of the books “Alkalize or Die” or “The pH Miracle” is bogus. Can you give us the correct facts to sort this out? Thanks!I would also be interested in Dr. Greger’s take on this. The whole pH thing sounds a little dubious to me, but I’m no doctor.Dr. Greger has covered pH. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/another plausible theory is that brocolli imitate pathogens so they dont get gobble up.when our stomuch mistake them for pathogens , they go on on the defensive and stop absorbing food. A kind of involuntary diet.Plausible theory or Hypothesis? Are you just guessing about this or do you have a study or two to back it up?	broccoli,Brussels sprouts,cabbage,cauliflower,cruciferous vegetables,energy,greens,immune function,inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,kale,medications,phytonutrients,Standard American Diet,ulcerative colitis,vegetables	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20890736,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16048545,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22450895,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22044254,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22036556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22371237,
PLAIN-81	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/02/dr-greger-addresses-gmos-in-new-dvd/	Dr. Greger Addresses GMOs in New DVD	The world’s preeminent scientific journal recently editorialized that we are now swimming in information about genetically modified crops, but that much of that information is wrong—on both sides of the debate. “But a lot of this incorrect information is sophisticated,” they write, “backed by legitimate-sounding research and written with certitude.” When it comes to GMO’s, they quip, “a good gauge of a statement’s fallacy is the conviction with which it is delivered.” With USDA’s approval this month of Dow Chemical’s commercialization of a new round of GMO crops, it’s more important than ever to assess the human health implications of genetically engineered foods. Any time there’s billions of dollars at stake, combined with flaring political ideologies, it’s hard to know who to trust. So as always, best to stick to the science. This is easier said than done, though–more than 41,000 papers have been published on GMOs in the medical literature, totaling a couple hundred million words. But that’s what you have me for! I live in the library so you don’t have to. Reviewing all the primary sources I could find on the public health implications of GMO crops I created four new videos: They are all available right now as a video download as part of my new Latest in Clinical Nutrition volume 21 (all proceeds go to charity). It can also be ordered as a physical DVD. The GMO videos are all scheduled to go up on NutritionFacts.org by mid-November, but you can download and watch them right now. The current batch of videos from volume 20 on NutritionFacts.org just ran out, so starting this month and running through December, I’ll be rolling out the videos from this new DVD, volume 21. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak-preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share them as gifts, but there is nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up free online here at NutritionFacts.org. If you’d like the works–40+ hours of video–you can get the complete DVD collection. Here’s the list of chapters from the new volume 21 DVD — a preview of what’s to come over the next few months on NutritionFacts.org: Order my new DVD at DrGreger.org/dvds or through Amazon. It can also be ordered as a video download at DrGreger.org/downloads. If you were a regular supporter, you’d already be a GMO expert by now, having gotten the new DVD two weeks ago! I now come out with DVDs at an exhausting pace–a new one every 9 weeks. If you’d like to automatically receive them before they’re even available to the public, please consider becoming a monthly donor. Anyone signing up on the donation page to become a $15 monthly contributor will receive the next three DVDs for free (as physical DVDs, downloads, or both–your choice), and anyone signing up as a $25 monthly contributor will get a whole year’s worth of new DVDs. If you’re already signed up and didn’t receive your volume 21 yet, please email Tommasina@NutritionFacts.org and she’ll make everything all better. If you’d rather just watch all the videos online as they launch, but would still like to support my work of cutting through the confusion and educating millions about healthy eating, you can make a tax-deductible donation to NutritionFacts.org using a credit card, a direct PayPal link, or by sending a check to “NutritionFacts.org” P.O. Box 11400 Takoma Park, MD 20913. If you missed it last week, I featured an exclusive guest blog post (a NutritionFacts.org first!) by two of my favorite dietitians,  Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, who argue that plant-based diets may be closer to the actual diets of our paleolithic ancestors than so-called “paleo” diets. Check it out: Will The Real Paleo Diet Please Stand Up? 	If GMO’s are so important to understand why are they so far down on the DVD lineup?	DVD	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/07/dr-greger-addresses-gluten-in-new-dvd/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-82	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/	Are Canned Beans as Healthy as Home Cooked?	Beans are an essential part of any healthful diet. The federal government recommends about half a cup a day of beans, counting them as both a protein and a vegetable since they have the best of both worlds. Beans are excellent sources of fiber, folate, plant protein, plant iron, vitamin B1, and minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and copper, all while being naturally low in sodium. Yet Americans don’t know beans! 96% of Americans don’t even meet the measly minimum recommended intake of beans, chickpeas, split peas or lentils. The same percentage of Americans don’t eat their greens every day. Two of the healthiest foods on the planet are greens and beans, but hardly anyone even consumes the minimum recommended amount. As a team of researchers from the National Cancer Institute noted, this is just another “piece added to the rather disturbing picture that is emerging of a nation’s diet in crisis.” But how should we get our beans? Canned beans are convenient, but are they as nutritious as home-cooked? And if we do used canned, should we drain them or not? A recent study published in Food and Nutrition Sciences spilled the beans. In addition to their health benefits, beans are cheap. The researchers did a little bean counting, and a serving of beans costs between ten cents and, if we want to go crazy, 40 cents. The researchers compiled a table, which you can see in my video, Canned Beans or Cooked Beans?, of the cost per serving of beans, both canned and cooked. Canned beans cost about three times more than dried beans, but dried beans can take hours to cook, so my family splurges on canned beans, paying the extra 20 cents a serving. Nutrition-wise, cooked and canned are about the same, but the sodium content of canned beans can be 100 times that of cooked. Draining and rinsing the canned beans can get rid of about half the sodium, but you’re also draining and rinsing away some of the nutrition.  I recommend, when buying canned beans, to instead get the no-salt added varieties, and to keep and use the bean juice. The bottom line is that beans, regardless of type or form, are a nutrient rich food and should be encouraged as part of an overall healthy diet. Concerned about gas? See my blog post Beans and Gas: Clearing the air. 	Researchers are concerned regarding the BPA-fee cans not being so safe after all, that BPA-free lining has its own bad, harmful properties, possibly compromising human health. The science is obviously starting to raise concerns that this could turn out real bad, that maybe we were worse off with the BPA-free cans? Time for these bean companies to start using glass.http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-replacement-also-alters-hormones/http://www.edf.org/health/four-reasons-bpa-free-wont-protect-you?s_src=ggad&s_subsrc=bpa&gclid=CPz5ws6t_MACFTAQ7AodQBkAOghttp://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/tritan-certichem-eastman-bpa-free-plastic-safehttp://www.medicaldaily.com/bpa-free-plastic-worse-bpa-containing-products-similar-health-risks-identified-across-wide-270649Why not just do what I do and buy beans in a carton instead of a can? For example, Whole Foods sells a variety of organic beans under their 365 (inexpensive) label in 13-ounce cartons. All the convenience of canned without the issues.JP: I did some research on those cartons some time ago and found that they generally have the same chemicals/materials as cans. At least that’s what I remember. I don’t have the research at my fingertips, but you might want to look into it. I think the topic is under something like: septic cartons? Something like that.I would sure like to see any material on this as I have never been able to find anything. But thanks for the motivation; I’ll try again.Aluminum liner inside of the cartons. Checked and verified. Kind of scary.guest: Yes, there is aluminum. But according to the industry, the aluminum does not touch the food. You (assuming it was you/guest below) may be right that the aluminum leaches through in the cooking. The issue that concerns me even more is that the layer they admit is touching the food is plastic. Even if the plastic is BPA-free, there *seems* (I’m no expert or authority on the subject) to be more and more evidence that any plastic leaches into food, even when the food and plastic is cold.I looked and can’t find the detailed description of aseptic packs that I had read before. However, I did find one, very unreliable, page with some other concerns, including environmental ones, which is a big deal to me too. http://www.ehow.com/list_7439437_disadvantages-aseptic-packaging.htmlI don’t think we have a definitive answer on the topic. I just feel we have enough information that it would not be wise to think that the aseptic packages are any safer than cans – and *may* even be less so.When I asked the manufacturer how much aluminum leached through, I was told that it met FDA or whatever government guidelines. They wouldn’t say whether any leached through, and if so how much, just that it was meeting government requirements.re: “meeting government requirements” Well, that *is* scary! I agree, since those government requirements are probably not “zero”, then I would be that the aluminum does leak through. Wow.But then again, is that any worse than cans? I’m not saying cans are healthy either. I’m just putting it into perspective.That’s a great solution to the BPA issue for some people, but keep in mind millions of people don’t have access to a Whole Foods or anything like it. You can find canned beans anywhere, even a dollar store or gas station, and in many different countries. I just buy dried beans in bulk and pressure cook them, but again, not everyone has access to the kinds of stores with bulk bins. Here in Texas the local supermarket has bulk bins, but back in Maryland it was something one could only find in affluent communities. Like beans in cartons. If you’re passionate about issues like these, some good topics to read up on are food justice (access) and environmental racism (packaging waste).BPA-free only removes BPA, it does not remove the alternative chemicals used in these BPA-free cans. I wonder which is worse for the consumer, BPA-free or BPA-rich cans?I think ultimately, dried beans in bulk are the answer, especially given (which was the point I thought I was making in my comment, but I may have rambled a bit) that millions of people are too poor to be able to take things like BPA into consideration, as they may not have different options available to them. And hopefully when dried becomes the norm, people in these food-scarce communities will have that option, too.http://www.foodispower.org/food-deserts/My new pressure cooker has changed my life here in the Whole Foods-free Midwest. I have to allow extra time for soaking (tho’ soaked beans do keep in the fridge if I don’t get to cooking them), but it is so easy and inexpensive for me to cook a few cups of dry beans I buy in bulk. I freeze some in Pyrex dishes and keep some in the fridge for immediate use. We eat a lot more beans now as having them on hand makes me think of ways to use them that never occurred to me when I used cans. Also makes it faster for me to cook during the week. We love bean tacos, grain/bean salads, hummus, chili, guacamole, quick from-scratch Indian dishes (just saute Indian spices, onion, garlic before adding veggies then puree part of the dish in a blender with plain unsweetened soy milk before adding back to pan, then add beans), and we even add beans to soups and stir-frys.Tomatoes leach even more BPA (or alternatives like BPS) so I no longer use canned. This year I bought 15 lbs from a local farmer, cleaned, and froze them. Will see how that works out. I might learn to can in glass next year. My next goal is learning to make soy milk as I like the unsweetened kind in a plastic-lined aseptic package…not sure if I need a maker (which tend to have plastic parts) or if I can make it using a pressure cooker & then straining the milk.moomoo, you should be able to make the soymilk without a dedicated maker, I’ve seen a lot of recipes where people just use a blender. Cheesecloth works but they also sell little bags popular with folks who make almond milk, and I find that easier to wash and re-use than cheesecloth.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BodgAM9E4BU http://www.eatingvibrantly.com/make-no-sew-nut-milk-bag/Good luck! I’ve made nut milk in the past, but soymilk is something I’m interested in trying soon to save money.Some month ago I started doing my own soymilk..soaking, blending, passing through the cheesecloth, boiling…it.s quick and simple. Here, in Europe, store bought soymilk is very expansive, not always fortified and sweet as hell..why are you guys crazy about soymilk. please do some research on soy. it’s not a health food as it is being presented to us. go to dr. mercola’s website (mercola.com). lots of helpful info. cheers!Dr Mercola is not a good resource for information in my opinion. Pushes too much meat, dairy and oils.:D i.m an MD with a phd in nutrition…so pls believe me I know what to eat. 2 portions per day of soy are a wonderful source of protein and other nutrients. Regarding Mercola, just one word : bleah!!!The reason to not eat GMO modified soy is because it’s sprayed with even stronger doses of chemicals than the non-GMO. A family member works promoting soy. He recommends two servings a day too. But that’s his job. Four out of five doctors used to recommend Camel cigarettes. I’m guessing nutritional education on a PhD level coincides with government propaganda and lobbyist demands. I’ll pass on the soy.Larry: You may want to check out the videos on “soy” on this site. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=soyThe point is: There is lots of strong scientific evidence supporting the health benefits of people eating 2-3 servings of traditional soy products a day. If GMO and pesticides are a concern for you, it’s easy to find organic soy in traditional products like tofu and tempeh and soy milk. You certainly don’t have to eat soy to be healthy. But just like say flax seed and other special plant foods, it makes sense to make soy part of one’s diet – or at least not fear it. It definitely does not make sense to imply to others that there is something wrong with traditional soy.Non traditional, heavily processed soy products, like isolated soy protein are a different matter.Thea, I was clear to talk about GMO soy (same applies to any GMO food). And it’s not that GMO and pesticides are a concern for ME. The problem with GMO and pesticides is they cause harm to humans. (you and me). Organic soy does not have the problems identified in GMO pesticide drenched soy. Everyone should fear GMO pesticide drenched soy. That’s mostly what is available in the USA. That’s what my friend promotes. The message is that the purpose for creating GMO soy is because the pesticides aren’t effective any more. the new stronger, more effective pesticides kill bugs but they also kill plants. For that reason pesticide resistant soy was created, hence the name “GMO”. To be clear, GMO soy was created so even stronger chemicals could be sprayed on them. That’s why we all should oppose any GMO plant. Adding to the problem, when farmers grow organic soy and their crop gets infested with GMO grain from the neighboring farm, the organic farmer gets sued for patent infringement. Farmers are forced to grow GMO.Thea, I did a search and got about fifteen (more or less) videos about soy. Without a hint I don’t know what you believe I need to learn. I can’t watch them all right now. I DID see one that suggested in the title that soy can be harmful to thyroids. Organic or not, I don’t want to harm my thyroid consuming soy. Besides, I prefer almond milk on my oatmeal, anyway.It goes without saying, no one should fear organic soy because GMO soy is harmful. However, they might want to view the videos you suggested to see if organic soy might cause problems other than GMO related. The matter never entered my mind until you suggested the videos.here’s your hint: A whole bunch of those videos and articles you saw the titles for talk about soy’s qualities in preventing cancer as well as remission. Only a few entries talk about problems when you over-do traditional soy products.Yes, over-doing traditional soy products or including products like isolated soy protein in your diet causes problems. That’s why your family member’s recommendation of 2 servings of traditional soy foods a day is a good one. And as Dr. Greger shows, 2-3 servings a day is quite in line with the current scientific evidence. Just like flaxseed is very good for fighting cancer, but there is an upper recommended limit. That an upper recommendation exists does not mean that the general person should be worried about the food. Not when the recommended amounts have such positive effects on our health.If you looked at the answer to the question about soy and thyroid, you would have seen that soy is like broccoli and flax seed in that respect. Surely you don’t avoid broccoli and flax seed??? From Dr Greger: “The answer is not to avoid these super healthy foods but to just make sure you get enough iodine.”re: “I can’t watch them all right now.” You don’t have to watch them all. The point was that there is overwhelming evidence about the health benefits of eating traditional soy products. Even looking at the search page shows that. Because so many doctors get it wrong and because there is so much confusion in the public in general and even with plant-based people, Dr. Greger has taken great pains to educate us. That’s why there are so many entries on soy, including so much material showing the positive health benefits.Please note: This is just something to think about and was my reaction to your overall post in general, but especially the unqualified final sentence of, “I’ll pass on the soy.” It sure seems like you are not aware of the positive evidence about soy. If this topic doesn’t interest you, that’s fine. There’s no reason not to enjoy your almond milk. That wasn’t the point I was making.Thea, you posted to me saying some might confuse organic and GMO soy (words to that effect. Rather than lecture me on what videos I should watch and what knowledge I should gleam form them, perhaps you could suggest anyone confused about the two types read what I wrote about “GMO” and maybe watch a video or two or three in the NF video library about organic soy. Personally I’m very clear on the subject and I’m not responsible for anyone you imagine might be confused. I don’t need to watch any more as I’ve watched my fill. To appease you I re-watched two and now you want to take me to task for that. If you want to tell the world about organic soy please do so. I chose GMO soy as my topic, not organic soy or organic corn, or organic anything. I can’t cover it all in one brief post any more than Dr. Greger can. What I accomplished was telling folks why GMO was created. And since I have concerns about my very own and very personal thyroid, I’ll pass on the organic too since YOU brought it up. Why would you think I need any guidance about organic soy from you? Simply because you are a fan of organic soy does not mean I am opposed. Nor do I group organic soy with GMO soy, any more than I group organic corn with GMO corn. Please pick a different battle if you want to make a federal case where none exists. .Thea, I took the time to watch two soy videos. One told me beans are twice as effective as soy at reducing cholesterol. The other video said soy can cause goiter problems if you don’t get enough iodine. No more goose chases. If you want me to see something in a specific video please provide a link, or at least the name or topic. I already know the benefits of soy. My topic was the harm caused by GMO soy. Nothing has changed.An interest in making homemade soymilk is not the same as being “crazy about soymilk.” This is the exactly the kind of sensational nonsense that makes Mercola untrustworthy.Nicole, thanks for sharing that awesome video link! I just recently got a new Vitamix blender and have made really good vanilla almond milk with it. Now I will try soy milk, because it will be cheaper to make. I’ve been following a WFPB diet for about 2 months, and I am feeling so much better now that I’m off all dairy. I love it!Love this video. Thank you!moomoo: Great post.FYI: If you find your freezer running out of tomatoes, you can get tomatoes from a jar/glass with the Eden brand. They sell them on-line too if your local grocery stores don’t carry them. Just an idea in case you want a plan B in the future.Whole foods cartons have an aluminum liner, aluminum materials imbedded inside the carton. The company that makes these cartons so far has refused to provide to the consumer the amount of aluminum that leaches out during the cooking process. Keep in mind, the beans are cooked inside these little cardboard/aluminum cartons. They are not a sturdy cooking pot in themselves. I’m inclined to believe that some aluminum is leaching from the thin liner inside the carton. Same with the cans. All this water should be (IMHO) rinsed out, and never ingested by humans. Hopefully Dr. Greger will see into this logic and suggest to the viewers here to discard all the juices/liquids inside canned products before consuming the actual food.Dr Greger after many years of eating beans and cooking them for 2 hours we finally purchased a pressure cooker. The time is down to 35 minutes!!!Yes, same here. Changed the way we plan and eat meals. Big improvement and convenience…and our electric one’s timer means I can’t burn up another pan letting them go dry.So true! Good to know it’s a common problem.I thought I was the only one burning pans! Once I created pure black carbon spheres from lentils, a whole pan full. I had to throw a couple of pans out even! Pressure cooker is a great idea.Isn’t that just the pits? I work in my little shop so I used to think I could cook and work at the same time. NO WAY…solution: a slow cooker and a fast cooker, both are fool proof…so far. It took us about 20+ years to get past our joint family stories about exploding cookers! So far so good.Thank you for reminding me about using the pressure cooker for beans. I just bought a new electric pressure cooker I m anxious to use more and can t wait to do beans!Karen, word to the wise, the first time I cooked beans in my new pressure cooker I overfilled the pot with beans and under filled with water. The beans cooked and as they softened they plugged the pressure relief vent so the 15 PSI design pressure was exceeded and pressure increased and increased until the lid suddenly exploded off my new pressure cooker. My newly painted kitchen was coated, ceiling, walls, and cabinet doors with a thin paste of beans. Even the ceiling fan blades were bean soaked. We had to scrape the walls before repainting. Don’t over-fill a pressure cooker…but then, maybe that’s a guy thing?I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with your pressure cooker. It’s counter-intuitive, but in many cases modern stovetop pressure-cookers have more safety features than comparably-priced electronic models. I have a Kuhn Rikon stovetop model that I love. It has two backup venting sources in the event that the relief valve were to get clogged. Here’s a link to lots of good info about pressure cooker safety. Including why you should *not* take chances using a pressure cooker you find in your Grandma’s attic! http://missvickie.com/workshop/safety.htmlVL: I have a Kuhn Rikon too. I love it. I like it so much, I ended up getting three total, different sizes. They are terribly spendy, but I think they are very well suited for beginners, like me. Very clear on what to do. And plus, then I ended up with three high-quality pots I can use for regular cooking too. These have become the three pots I use for almost all my cooking, whether I am pressure cooking or not.VL, you might not actually have all that extra protection. In my circumstance I made a mistake overfilling with beans which clogged the pressure vent. Five vents would have clogged just the same. Redundancy in safety features is generally intended as backup in the event the primary wears out or is defective or fails to do its job. It doesn’t protect against my mistake. I solved the problem by purchasing an electronic pressure cooker. It’s much safer. The “manual” type relies on the operator to modulate the heat source so the water does not get too hot and generate excess steam. YOU become part of the close loop system. My electronic pressure cooker modulated the heat based on feedback form thermocouples. It continually updates the temps…too high and the heat is lowered. It also monitors the pressure. The new technology only supplies enough heat to heat the water so make just enough steam to maintain pressure set point. I’m not of the safety system and the electroni8cs is much more reliable. If I were to accidently overfill the pressure would not build like the manual one did.slider1, Ugggh. I had a similar but not as drastic experience with my first pressure cooker, a small Futura…mistakenly tried to cook steel cut oats in it (need a bigger pressure cooker for this). The pressure valve clogged, I panicked and stupidly used the quick release valve to release pressure, in the process spewing a coat of oat paste all over my dog eating his food some four feet away as well as my African Violets and everything in between. User error. I’ve since moved on to a Kuhn Rikon which seems much safer and can handle foamy foods.LOL, you bring back memories! Luckily neither of us were burned or whacked with a flying lid. I’m now very proficient with my electronic pressure cooker…and all it’s safety features are a great backup.Lol. Thx for the advice. Yes, probably a guy thing….hahahaI’ve been making lentil and split pee “soup” in a crock pot (its more a meal than a soup actually), yes it takes longer (about 5-6 hours on the high setting), but it is very convenient way to make batches of soup that you can freeze and eat when you want (all in glass containers of course).Veganrunner: I’m happy for you. I have a pressure cooker too and I love it.FYI: There are several vegan pressure cookbooks on the market. I really like two of them, with Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna Sass (it says vegetarian, but really is vegan) being my favorite. I have made some really delicious dishes following that cookbook. And because of that book, I have seen that the pressure cooker is great for more than just beans and soup – it works great for grains too. Just a friendly tip.Enjoy your new toy!Yes, the Lorna Sass cookbook is great. I have another too, by Jill Nussinow, “The New Fast Food”, it’s vegan and has some delicious recipes.KWD: I have that one too! It is my second favorite, but it is a close second.Thanks Thea for the cookbook recommendation. I am going to order it.Woohoo! The pressure cooker changed the way we eat too.Can a pressure cooker somehow be used to reduce the time it takes to soak dried beans?At present we buy the cheapest canned black beans and thoroughly rinse ‘em through a strainer before eating. But would like to go the pressure cooker route.With a pressure cooker you do not need to soak at all. Put all your ingredients in the pot and that’s it. Make sure to set a timer! 35 minutes for 3 cups dried beans, onion, spices and 4 cups water. Of course the bean/water amounts will depend on the cooker size. Add salt after cooking if you desire. “They” say salt when cooking toughens the bean. So easy because as coacervate mentions I have burned plenty of beans cooked the conventional way.Now someone mentioned less nutrients cooked at higher temperature but I haven’t had time to check into that. Maybe Dr Greger has read something and he can remember it off the top of his head.Yes. Lorna Sass (whose books Recipes from an Ecological Kitchen and Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure are ur-texts for the vegan pressure cooker) calls her method “quick soak”. Bring beans (with a couple inches of water to cover) to pressure, and then immediately turn off the heat, but don’t release the pressure valve. In a little over an hour (closer to 2 for chick peas) the beans will be soaked through, though you can test by cutting one in half to see if there’s any still dry spot in the middle.I soak them overnight and put them in a crock pot in the morning. What I don’t use that night I freeze in the French style working jars, about the size of cans.I wonder if the lining they put into the cans would not be something to avoid. I would have concern about BPA or other products they put into it. So cooked beans would have another advantage. But still I guess it is better to eat canned beans than going for a fast-food :)The fiber in canned beans is less and BPA cans are not safe! I see a guest also commented on BPA free, so the recommendation should be dried beans over canned beans! On days you need a quick meal, no added salt canned beans can be an option as it is definitely better than meat!That’s what I do, only use canned or carton beans as an emergency. Slow cooked beans are my first option, pressure cooked beans second best option, then the canned or carton as a last resort.I just read your “Canned Beans as Healthy as Home Cooked” post and like the previous guest commented I found it incredible that you did not even mention the health risks of eating beans – and everything else – that comes in cans due to BPA leaching out of the lining. I would not trust BPA-free cans either as what has replaced BPA in the lining ? How safe is it? When my wife and I do buy any pre-made foods like tomato sauce, we always opt for the brands packaged in glass jars rather than cans exactly for this reason.Agreed, and the time is now for consumers to demand that EDEN BEANS offer the consumer beans in glass jars. The only way this will occur is if the vegan consumer advocates, raising awareness. Lets just have them cook the beans in a big pot and then pour them into glass jars.I used to buy canned beans for the same reason (cooking time) but as I learned more about BPA, packaging waste, etc. I decided to “splurge” on a pressure cooker. Now they cook in a fraction of the time, with no need for soaking. I just rinse, put it in the pressure cooker, and bam – they’re done. It takes anywhere from 10 minutes (split peas) to 45 (chickpeas) but you don’t have to stand over it like a normal cooking pot, so you can do other things while they cook, like prepare a salad or wash dishes. They are so delicious and cheap. I can never go back to canned. It’s also great because I can get the dried ones in bulk, so I don’t have to take home any garbage. We got an electric cooker instead of the stovetop kind so we can use it anywhere, and because it also has different settings that make it extremely versatile (rice cooker mode, steamer mode, saute mode, slow cooker mode).I have been thinking about getting one of the newer electric pressure cookers that can also be used as a rice cooker and slow cooker. However, every one that I saw had either an aluminum or “non-stick” cooking insert. The convenience of the multipurpose electric models is attractive, but I would rather get a stainless steel stove top model than have a toxic cooking insert. Do you know of any that have a stainless steel (or other non-toxic) cooking insert?sbccvegan: I don’t remember the brand, but I have seen at least one electric/automated pressure cooker that had a plain steel insert. If you look on Chef AJ’s site (if she has one), I’m thinking you can find that brand since I heard about it from her at a talk she gave.I also wanted to comment on the concept of electric models being convenient. In my research, I found definite trade-offs, with stove top models being more convenient in some areas and less in others. The stove top models win in these areas: shorter cooking times, which goes with the ability to quick-release. Also, serves as a regular cooking pot. And is a pot you can do some sauteing in before adding the rest of the ingredients – so you don’t have to dirty two pots/pans. At the end of the process, if what you are cooking isn’t quite done, you can just put it back on the regular stove for a little more regular cooking or even put the lid back on. In general, what I read was that the stove top versions allow for more control and are more flexible, not counting the ability to slow-cook, which some of the electric models have and stove top do not.Just something to think about. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the electric/automatic model at all. I just think that there are trade offs that people are not always aware of. So, I thought I would point a few out in the hopes that would be helpful.I hope you find the electric model you are looking for.Electric cookers also have a quick-release option; the reason stove-top models have faster cook times is because they can be rinsed under cold water in the sink. Electric models also have a sauté option (for the purpose you mentioned). One of the cons of the electric models is that they can take longer to heat up, since you can’t adjust the heating element. Also, since you have to wait for it to get up to heat, it is inconvenient to cook in stages (start cooking beans, wait, add in rice and cook again). I started with a stove-top model and ended with an electric because I liked it better, but it’s definitely slower. Also, it’s not good for camping unless you have some solar generator or something.Nicole: Thanks for your 2 cents! Since I only have experience with the stove top kind, I can only mention what I have read.I tend to go crazy with kitchen gadgets. And I’ve been thinking of trying the electric model myself for comparison. So, it’s really interesting that you started with stove top and like the electric one better. That gives me even more impetus to give the electric one a try.Nicole: I lost your post above in the shuffle. re: “Also, it’s not good for camping unless you have some solar generator or something.” That reminded me that another reason I liked my stove top model is that I can use it for serious emergencies on my Stove Tec Rocket stove. http://stovetecstore.net/So, even if I get an electric model pressure cooker and end up liking it better for normal use, I’ll definitely be keeping my stove top model around. I’m a big believer in preparing for long term power outages.Thanks for those thoughts.Mine is called “Instant Pot” and has a stainless steel insert.Thanks Nicole,Thea and b00mer. I did some further investigating and found that this Instant pot: http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-IP-LUX60-Programmable-1000-Watt/dp/B0073GIN08 was replaced with a newer model: http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-IP-DUO60-Programmable-Generation/dp/B00FLYWNYQ/ref=dp_ob_title_kitchenThe newer model also uses a stainless steel cooking insert, and adds a 7th function – yogurt maker. If that function works for vegan yogurts, it could be a very nice multi-use appliance.I also found two other brands that use stainless steel inserts. Gowise, shown here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KLFU01S?psc=1 and Secura, shown here: http://bestpressurecookerdeals.com/category/pressure-cooker-reviews/So it appears that I have more research to do, to decide which one to purchase, but at least it is possible to find what I want!Thanks again.Thanks for sharing your research! That idea of a yogurt maker has really peaked my interest. Cooool.I second Nicole’s mention of the Instant Pot. It has a stainless steel pot, yet I feel like it may as well be nonstick as I never have any trouble cleaning it. The model I use is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-IP-LUX60-Programmable-1000-Watt/dp/B0073GIN08It includes the ability to saute prior to the actual pressure cooking step. It also allowed me to get rid of my slow cooker and rice cooker which was convenient in terms of cupboard space.The big advantage with the electric in my mind is the brainlessness. Even if the cook time is a bit longer, the ability to press one or two buttons and walk away is worth it to me. I also have an electric range rather than gas which also added to the inconvenience of using a stovetop model.And one more thing which can be quite an enticing factor in the summertime for those without central air is the heat. I’ve used the instant pot quite often to make pasta for pasta salad, without ever having to be in the presence of a heating element. It’s saved me from many would-be sandwich dinners on hot summer nights.I own both an electric and a stovetop and the electric definitely gets used more. The stovetop is actually in storage now. One thing I do miss about the stovetop is that for one of my favorite recipes (Chickpeas and Onions by Lorna Sass, :) introduced to me courtesy of Thea) which includes chickpeas and tomatoes, I just cannot get the chickpeas to cook in the presence of tomatoes in the electric one, no matter the time. I have to cook the entire recipe sans tomatoes, open it up, add tomatoes, and cook for a couple more minutes. So the electric ones are a bit weaker so to speak, but the overall ease of use is still worth it to me.Another disadvantage as mentioned is that it can take longer to get up to temp and pressure than a stove top version, but there are some things you can do to speed the process up:1) If you have a few minutes of chopping to do, load the water first and turn the saute function on to high while you chop and load the ingredients. The last time I did this with a lentil stew, by the time I was done chopping and ready to close it up, the water was already at a light simmer. 2) Use hot water from the tap instead of cold. 3) Fill a water kettle and let it come to a boil while you chop, and pour in right before you close it up.Yes, when I was still new at pressure cooking I made the mistake of putting some type of sugar in what I was cooking (I think it was barley malt syrup?), not realizing that was a big no-no beause sugars caramelize at the bottom. I hate a huge burnt mess at the bottom and it cleaned out fine.b00mer, the tomato issue you mentioned is a pH issue, so I’m not sure how your stovetop pressure cooker bypassed the laws of chemistry! That’s a new one on me. I’ll have to check that out. But as far as I’ve ever learned, no starch will become soft in the presence of an acidic substance like tomato, vinegar, or citrus. They come out cooked but overly hard, kind of like a peanut. Conversely, you can get things to soften up by adding a tiny pinch of baking soda.Hi Nicole, I believe it’s more the logistics and architecture than the actual chemistry. The recipe in question involves putting chickpeas and broth at the bottom, with about 7 to 8 cups of onions layered on top (not stirred in), followed by 1 cup of tomatoes set atop the onions, so that the tomatoes are kept separate from the chickpeas while they cook. My guess is that there’s a difference in the extent to which the chickpeas have cooked before the onion scaffolding cooks down, exposing them to the tomatoes. Perhaps the higher temperature and rate of cooking in the stovetop model also helps overcome their resistance to soften. Either way, tomatoes only take a minute or two so I don’t consider it a huge disadvantage. I was already used to the process of adding tomato at the end whenever I’d cook beans in a regular pot on the stove. Though perhaps I could try cooking it the regular way with tomatoes on top, but with some baking soda in the broth. I might try someday but memories of peanut like chickpeas still haunt me! :)b00mer: Thank you too for jumping in! I’m definitely going to have to give it at try.The Instant Pot brand electric pressure cooker has a stainless steel pot. I have one, and I love it. I have an older model than this one – this appears to be the latest edition: http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-IP-DUO60-Programmable-Generation/dp/B00FLYWNYQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412490290&sr=8-1&keywords=instant+pot+pressure+cookerSince we’re talking about “canned” beans, I’ve noticed lately that so many of the cans I open, regardless of content, have many little, sorta foamy, bubbles at the top, just under the lid. First time I noticed I threw them away…was always taught it was a sign of spoilage. Well, something different is going on now because the food isn’t spoiled. Where’d the bubbles come from?This is my guess.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SaponinNichole, if the plants I buy canned had the foaming properties in them then it seems the foam should have always been noticeable. I just started seeing the bubbles recently. Can’t imagine why they’d start adding it to the food. Something in the canning process has changed. Thanks for the link.It may be something different in their prep process – I have noticed if I don’t rinse my yellow lentils or quinoa good enough before cooking, they will foam up. Or maybe they could be procuring them from a grower whose beans have a different nutrient profile? I’d be interested to see if they respond to you if you e-mail the company. I always think that’s an interesting measure of how much different companies value their customers. Let us know if you find out what caused it!For those who want to speed up cooking dried beans/lentils/legumes, may I suggest this method: Pick out ‘bad’ beans and/or stones, then rinse well under running water. Soak them covered with water and a plate on top the bowl overnight (or at least 8 hours), then transfer to a pot with a lid and cook until tender (keeping an eye on the water level), about 20 minutes or so!There are organically-grown beans/legumes in BPA-free cans that are designated “BPA free lining” on the can label. One such brand is Eden Organic, found in most super market chains.One thing I think nutrition-minded eaters ought to consider is this: agricultural sprays that remain as residue in plant material/fibers/starches.Here is information about toxicity from farming practices sprays, which I hope will be helpful in understanding the health benefits of eating organically.http://www.toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/Effects+of+Pesticides+on+Human+HealthBPA free has its own host of problems. And these BPA free materials heat up to such high temperatures while the can is cooking at that manufacturing plant.Catherine, lentils cook in 20-30 minutes without soaking. Pretty much all beans need to soak overnight before cooking. Otherwise they cook up smaller.What beans are you coking that are edible in 20 minutes. I cook kidney, white, navy, pinto, red, black…and probably a few others I’m not thinking of. Most all take 1 /1/2 to two hours. Even my pressure cooker takes twenty minutes.Am I not understanding?We are huge bean-eaters as we follow Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian vegan food plan. We have found that a slow cooker is an easy solution to time management problems. We have a small inexpensive one( Royal Crock Pot) that is in use a couple of times a week. Soak 3 cups of beans in water overnight. Rinse well. Put soaked beans in cooker and add 9 cups of water. Put is on low. Cook approx 5 hrs. (Larger or other crock pots may have slightly different instructions.) You can save the bean water for soups and the like. I pour mine into ice cube trays and freeze. Then pack them in freezer bags. I do the same thing with the cooked beans. Pack them in 2-cup portions in GLAD Press’n Seal, then into freezer bags. This is an easy convenient way to have beans (and juice) on hand.I like to sprout lentils. I have found lentils to be the easiest bean to sprout. Other beans have a lower rate of sprout generation so that, after a few days the unsprouted beans get slimy and must be picked out, but not so with lentils, which have near %100 germination rate and grow quickly. They cook as fast as veggies, smell really good, and are BPA-free.I use dried beans because the taste is superior to canned. I don’t use my pressure cooker anymore because I think more nutrients are lost with the higher heat. The beans are rinsed then soaked for 2-4 hours or overnight. I then add about half an onion and 2 cloves garlic and some kind of fresh or dried Chile pepper and more water and cook till tender. (Chick peas are better without onions and garlic). Cooking time varies according to soaking time and variety, but they are forgiving and are good anyway but hard. THEN add more onion garlic Chile pepper and lots of salt and cook a little longer or just let them cool. Even my meat dependent husband says they are good. Also if you have to leave when in the midst of cooking you can turn the fire off then finish cooking later. It’s really not much more work than opening a can.My recipe is similar but I add three, cut in the round, carrots. I like the color and the flavor it adds. A small potato or two will thicken the broth.Doc just get a pressure cooker or cook a large amount of beans at one time and freeze them in meal size portions-cannned beans are gross!I see more expensive cans labelled ‘organic’ versus the cheaper ones ! Is buying organic a big consideration ?I really like to know what Dr. Greger thinks about soaking? Do or Don’t. Good or Bad. I heard that the beans leach Phytates into the soaking water which you don’t want to miss out. But on the other hand people talk a lot about those enzyme inhibitors you should get rid of with soaking. What are they? Are they really bad for you? I use the pressure cooker and do not soak anymore. But I am really wondering if soaking has health benefits.I soak beans, but don’t throw the water away. I just add water to keep them barely covered. They seem to taste more bland if you throw the water away and then you keep whatever good things are in the water in addition to flavor!Levon, I wonder the same and have waffled back and forth on soaking and not soaking. I’ve found that I prefer unsoaked beans in the pressure cooker because they are a bit more al dente after cooking and seem to produce less gas (in me) in their digestive journey.Dr. Greger has four videos on phytate research indicating they may play protective roles in human health provided you are eating a diverse range of whole, plant-based foods: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=phytatesThanks for the links. I’ve seen those videos before. But I couldn’t find anything about enzyme disrupters. What are they? Are they good, bad or meaningless? I am really confused about it. I hope Dr. Greger can clear up the soaking/nonsoaking issue. And explain enzyme disrupters.boiled beans half the impact on your blood sugar that pressure cooked (canned) ones do. http://www.glycemicindex.com/index.phpCan you link to the two items you compared? I’m interested in how they stack up in terms of sodium content, glycemic load, etc.http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/nutrition/glycemic-index-vs-glycemic-load/Dr. Greger wrote, “Canned beans cost about three times more than dried beans, but dried beans can take hours to cook, so my family splurges on canned beans, paying the extra 20 cents a serving.”Dried beans do NOT take hours to cook. If you cook them in a pressure cooker, they take no more than about 20 minutes, if that. I’ve used a pressure cooker for the last 30 some years, and have cooked all manner of dried beans in it. Of course, with the exception of lentils and split peas, you have to soak them overnight.I would recommend a Kuhn Rikon Duromatic pressure cooker, which has a safety valve that prevents the pressure cooker from blowing up if the pressure gets too high. You can cook literally anything in this kind of pressure cooker — even brown rice, spaghetti and steel-cut oats. Steel-cut oats are especially easy to cook. You don’t have to stand over the stove and stir them to prevent sticking.I would recommend that anyone following a plant based diet buy a pressure cooker. It’s a real time saver and will cook literally anything in a dramatically reduced amount of time.Two servings of beans per day for a family of four… That extra 20 cents per serving adds up to $580. per year. Sure can buy a lot of bulk beans for that. Slow cooker or pressure cooker either way is easy and simple. “They” may say canned is just as healthy but somehow I can’t quite buy that.$580. per year is figured for 2 servings per day per person.Since lentils are as nutritious as beans, I eat a lot of lentils (Masoor dhal, mung dhal, thor dhal, undue dhal, split peas) but not much beans. Bulk, dry Lentils can be cooked as a curry in 15 minutes on the stove in a regular saucepan without pre-soaking.This is a new topic because I haven’t found it elsewhere on the site. I am interested in making vegan kefir with almond milk. Have any studies been done on vegan kefir and is it safe and effective to make it yourself? see http://blog.probacto.com/exploring-kefir-vegan-alternatives-to-fermented-dairy/Cooking beans: A friend gave me a Wonderbag. We use it often to cook beans (and other foods). Saves energy, doesn’t monopolize the stove top, no exploding lids, etc. Simply boil beans for 15 minutes, place the pot in the bag, set on a counter for a few hours. Available at Amazon, likely other places too. It is just a highly insulated bag that retains heat very well. Works for us!pat dinges: Very interesting idea! Thanks for sharing.Dr Gregor – About a year ago we discovered the pressure cooker. Now we cook almost all of our beans this way. It is very simple. The beans cook in a few minutes. As an example, chick peas soaked overnight cook in 14 minutes. Also the taste is way better than canned beans.what about the PBA in canned foods? Doesnt PBA cause cancer?	beans,chickpeas,cooking methods,copper,cost savings,dietary guidelines,fiber,folate,iron,lentils,magnesium,plant protein,potassium,protein,sodium,Standard American Diet,vegetable protein,vegetables,vitamin B1	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20702750,
PLAIN-83	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/23/will-the-real-paleo-diet-please-stand-up/	Will The Real Paleo Diet Please Stand Up?	Paleolithic diets are currently the rage, attracting athletes, dieters, and health seekers of all stripes. The basic premise of the so-called “paleo” diet is simple—the diet humans ate in preagricultural, Paleolithic times is best suited for human health. Whether or not what these relatively short-lived humans ate is what’s optimal for the health of today’s relatively long-lived humans is a matter of considerable debate. Preagricultural diets—which essentially consisted of wild plants, wild animals, and wild fish—varied considerably, depending on location, season, hunting and gathering skills, available tools, and so on. People didn’t consume oil, sugar, or salt; anything from a box or bag, or the milk of other mammals. Today’s new paleo devotees attempt to copy this diet by eating meat, poultry, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds and avoiding processed foods, grains, legumes, and dairy products. Followers of the new paleo diet naturally assume that their nutrient intakes approximate that of Paleolithic humans, but their actual intakes may be wide of the mark. Nutritional anthropologists have been estimating the nutrient intakes of cavemen for several decades. As it turns out, vegan diets may actually come closer to matching the macro- and micronutrient intakes of Paleolithic diets than new paleo diets. The table below summarizes the results of a comparison among recommended paleo menus, recommended plant-based menus, and a true Paleolithic diet eaten by early humans. The data compare three days of recommended paleo menus from a popular paleo website, three days of recommended plant-based (vegan) menus from Becoming Vegan: Comprehensive Edition, and the estimated average daily intakes of Paleolithic people. The table also provides dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for adult males (M) and adult females (F) who aren’t pregnant or lactating. Nutrients and other dietary factors in the new paleo or vegan diet that are more similar to the true Paleolithic diet are highlighted (pink for the new paleo diet and green for the vegan diet). True Paleolithic, new Paleolithic, and plant-based diets compared  The comparison shows that this recommended new paleo menu supplies protein, vitamin A, and zinc in amounts closer to a true Paleolithic diet than do the vegan menus. However, its fat and saturated fat levels are about double, cholesterol almost triple, and sodium five times as much as that of a true Paleolithic diet. In addition, the new paleo menu contains about a third of the carbohydrates, and half the vitamin C, calcium, and fiber of true Paleolithic diets. Even the 100 percent plant-based menus deliver fiber in amounts at the lowest end of the estimated Paleolithic intake range; clearly our preagricultural ancestors ate plenty of plants (the only source of fiber). The vegan menus do provide intakes of carbohydrate, fat, saturated fat, fiber, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, calcium, sodium, and potassium that are closer to the levels supplied by a true Paleolithic diet than do the new paleo menus. Why are new paleo diets and the true Paleolithic diet so far apart nutritionally? The answer lies in the differences between the meat and vegetables consumed today and those eaten in the Paleolithic era. The wild animals eaten then provided an estimated 6 to 16 percent of calories from fat compared to about 40 to 60 percent in today’s domestic animals—even those that are grass-fed. They were also free of added hormones, antibiotics, and environmental contaminants. All animal organs were consumed, and insects provided significant amounts of protein. In addition, virtually all fruits and vegetables available in supermarkets are more palatable, more digestible, and easier to store and transport than their wild cousins, at the expense of valuable protective dietary components. Wild or uncultivated plants provide about four times the fiber of commercial plants (13.3 grams of fiber per 100 grams versus 4.2 grams of fiber per 100 grams, respectively).4 Certainly, there are some benefits to switching from a standard Western diet to a paleo-type diet—highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates, fried foods, and fast foods are eliminated, and fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are encouraged. On the other hand, today’s paleo eaters tend to include more meat than did early humans, ignoring the impressive evidence linking meat consumption to risk of chronic disease. Grains and legumes are dispensed with, even though these foods have a long and impressive track record as valuable sources of calories and protein for the world’s population. The value of legumes and grains in the human diet is validated by people of the Blue Zones – the longest lived, healthiest populations in the world – all of whom consume legumes and grains as part of their traditional fare. Modern paleo advocates claim that these foods weren’t part of Paleolithic-era diets, but new research challenges that assumption.5 They also argue that lectins naturally present in these starchy foods are harmful to human health. Consuming too many lectins can cause significant gastrointestinal distress. However, because legumes and grains are almost always consumed in a cooked form—and lectins are destroyed during cooking—eating beans and grains doesn’t result in lectin overload. Sprouting also reduces lectin levels in plants, although not as effectively as cooking. Generally, pea sprouts, lentil sprouts, and mung bean sprouts are safe to consume, as are sprouted grains, which are naturally low in lectins. Most larger legumes contain higher amounts and should be cooked. The Bottom Line: With its focus on consuming large quantities of meat, the new paleo diet is a pale imitation of the diet of early humans. Unfortunately, this dietary pattern also ignores the numerous health risks associated with eating meat, the ethical issues associated with an increased demand for food animals, and the looming environmental crisis that makes eating lower on the food chain an ecological imperative. People who want to move closer to a true Paleolithic diet should explore plant-based diets—such diets come as close to true paleo diets as modern day people can hope to achieve. References Brenda Davis (right) is a leader in her field, an esteemed, popular speaker, a member of the Vegetarian Hall of Fame, and a past chairperson of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association). She lives in Kelowna, British Columbia, with her husband, Paul. 	Thought these articles to be somewhat related to this most excellent article:Climate Change: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/22/science/on-the-cusp-of-climate-change.htmlPaleo (?): http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/fashion/the-paleo-lifestyle-the-way-way-way-back.htmlWish the Plant Based proponents were as effective at getting their message disseminated, understood and adopted.The vegan diet will sell fine, it just sucks for profits. That’s why it’s not advertised.It’s all in the marketing. No one is selling the “miracle vegan diet”. I saw an infomercial peddling “free air TV..no cable bills”. Their product was an antenna. Everyone had TV antennas before cable TV. It’s all in the marketing.Hi, I heard you speak at the Engine2 conference in Phoenix earlier this year. Am curious why you chose the plant-based diet you did with almost 30 percent fat as a point of comparison for this article? Thanks!! p.s. I hope to attend the cruise you will be speaking on in 2015!This article wasn’t written by Dr. Greger, it was written by the two women pictured, Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. Their sources are listed in the reference section and they state that they chose their own books for the comparison diet.We were comparing a standard vegan diet to a standard “paleo” diet. The average vegan consumes close to 30% of calories from fat, although their intakes of saturated fat and trans fat tend to be very low.Thank you so much for bringing this into the light!The one fact that is gets ignored in these discussions is that humans have always fasted, either for religious reasons or because of food shortages. The Inuit were (and to some extent still are) meat eaters, yet they would often go for weeks without eating because there was nothing to eat. Cancer rates plummeted in Europe during and after WWI and WWII – how much of that is because of the scarcity of animal protein and how much of it was because of the abundance of hunger? What does the literature say?Endocrinologist Diana Schwarzbein says fasting (skipping even a single meal) wreaks havoc on endocrine system. Stresses body’s hormone systems. I think its more likely that fasting helps people who are eating CRAP or SAD diets because they are no longer eating Calorie Rich and Processed junk. Not because of a fast (nutrient deprivation) inherently being beneficial. If you don’t eat crap, a fast should be of no benefit and likely detrimental.Dan Bernardot also says even calorie intake over the course of the day is best way to eat. His book is awesome for Nutrition for Athletes: Advanced Sports Nutrition-2nd EditionDiana Schwarzbein has a really good talk here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qUSvzUj6joThe Benefits of Caloric Restriction Without the Actual Restricting http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/Fasting, among other things, activates SIRT genes (a great cellular tune-up) and have recently been shown to trigger stem cell regeneration of the immune system. It is a natural process that can be most beneficial, even if it is not without its trade off (like most things in health). A short fasting should be easy for a healthy individual.I fasted for 28 days years ago. Actually fasting gives a different perspective than research or theory. After three days the hunger pangs go away. Ketosis occurs and the only difficult part is getting your appetite back.. Your metabolism slows down, your body rests and heals. I can’t believe the human body is so fragile it’s wrecked by missing a single meal. I suppose a meat eater might have problems with blood sugar and missing one meal. I don’t have an appetite when I work or exercise hard so often miss meals. My hunger returns after a coupe hours. Some of this stuff is researched to death. These days I value my personal experience over much of the research that’s regurgitated. Coming off a fast is critical and could wreak havoc on the endocrine system.You are back . Thanksmartaab, Good to be back. Thanks. I’m not adjusting easily to all the censorship but I’ll keep trying ’til I get it right, unless they permanently delete me. Again, thanks.What also gets ignored is that people did not drive to their local market and then pop food into a microwave to eat. ALL food was foraged – hunted, gathered – requiring massive amounts of physical energy to secure. Preparation itself also often required plenty of physical work as well. So, the effects of any meat eating was quite different then than now.Are you saying that popping stuff in to my microwave is not really foraging?Okay thanksElizabeth, you’re right about health improving during WWII. It’s a sensitive topic but POW’s and those who survived interment camps were in better over-all health than prior to the war. Likewise, folks who lived through the depression saw their health improve. It’s scary to realize starving is better than eating meat and dairy.Elisabeth, Larry, Keep in mind that the Germans didn’t just take the livestock (meat, dairy, eggs), they took EVERYTHING! That included vegetables and grain. Eating less food overall probably did more to reduce cancer rates rather than the absence of any particular food group. Don’t be so quick to blame meat, when bread may have been the culprit (not saying it is). Don’t confuse correlation with causation. Otherwise, someone might pose these 2 questions: The first question – Which nation has the highest percentage of vegetatrians? Next – Which nation has the highest percentage of diabetics? The answer to both questions is India. A wise person will see things as they are and not as they wish them to be.Randall, it’s you who is quick to run interference for meat and dairy. People didn’t overeat during and before WWII like they do today. Meat was eaten less often and in smaller portions so the evidence against them is even more compelling. Sure, if that was the only example, more research would be warranted…but the research has been done many many times. With advanced science and research we know the high protein in meat and dairy triggers cancer cell division. We know 100% of heart disease is caused by meat and diary. We know type II diabetes is caused by the fat in meat and diary. We also know that eating plant food lets the heart heal and the symptoms of diabetes goes away. Eat all the meat and dairy you crave. You can even have my portion.You cite vegetarians as unhealthy. You are correct. Vegetarians are no more healthy than meat and dairy eaters. Again, it demonstrates even smaller amounts of meat and dairy cause illness. Smaller portions is not the answer. It’s like asking your doctor how few cigarettes you can smoke and not got cancer.The Indians you cite in your argument don’t eat cows for religious reasons. Depending on what kind of vegetarian they consider themselves (there are many), some eat lamb, goat, chicken, fish. etc. That’s hardly “meat free”. Zero meat and diary is a good start to a healthy immune system. That’s science, not opinion.29% fat for a plant-based diet?? Whoa! Not sure what plants you’re eating, but fat comprises 10% of my calorie consumption on a whole food / plant-based diet. I know I’m missing something here–would you explain more please? Perhaps the vegan menus you chose from your source include lots of oils and nuts?Very nice analysis, thanks for assembling!He does advocate eating nuts every day. That and whole grains, with maybe just a little avocado could do it.Yeah, not hard to get to 30% fat. I do it on some days. Dr. Fuhrman makes the point that a diet of 15% fat can be a healthy diet, but a diet of 30%+ can also be a healthy diet. But Fuhrman does not think a diet of 10% or lower in fat can be a healthy diet. That’s where Fuhrman breaks with McDougall. I have no idea who is right. I prefer to eat more fat by adding the walnuts to the flax and chia seeds and occasional avocado. Usually that means I am around 18-30% fat.The problem with the 29% fat allowance for vegans is it misleads anyone seeking serious weight loss. It gives them permission to max out at 29%. Their weight loss would be much quicker and easier if, for the time being, fat consumption (even “healthy” fat) was closer to zero than 29%. Likewise, if you are new to healthy eating and your immediate goal is to clean out the old arteries, eating 29% fat isn’t the fastest approach. Lower the fat consumption and result will be fast and the newbie will be motivated by their quick easy success.Once their weight is under control and their arteries get a clean bill of health then adding some fat will reduce and stop the weight loss as they ease into “maintenance mode”.Interesting. So is there evidence that bad arteries won’t clean up when switching to a plant-based diet high in dark green leafies, if there is around 30% fat in the diet rather than lower?“Likewise, if you are new to healthy eating and your immediate goal is to clean out the old arteries, eating 29% fat isn’t the fastest approach.”Notice I said, immediate goal”?Since fat is the culprit, those wanting to clean their arteries asap aren’t served by eating 29% fat. If you’re trying to drain water from a tub, adding water as you drain will only slow the task down. Whether your diet is high in greens or not, the problem is the fat. Besides, short term, fat takes the place of fiber and serve no long term purpose. Oils in nuts and avocados might be “good fats”, but it’s easier to fill full on grains that use up the allowed calories on foods, even healthy foods, which won’t be as filling. If the dieter gets hungry the diet will crash. They’ll fill full on grains, etc. For me, nuts are like potato chips, it’s hard to eat just one. Lose the weight pronto and clean up the arteries by consuming minimal fat. Then re-evaluate and decide how much fat is appropriate for your health and lifestyle..Some people are high risk. They’ve been advised to have heart surgery. If their preference is to avoid the surgery and clean their arteries why do so over a prolonged period of time? One strenuous day might cause a problem. Weight loss sooner is better than later.Is the goal to be skinny or be healthy? Our brains and bodies are comprised of many many fatty acids. How on earth could you recommend going fat free when we need fat to even survive. There are things called ESSENTIAL fatty acids for a reason, and your brain is made up of mostly fat. Maybe you are mistaking the fact that fat clogs the arteries. Where did you get that assumption? Did you make it up out of the ether? Omega-3 fatty acids actually help clear and unclog arteries, and advocating anyone to stop eating fat is dangerous. If someone ate avocados, nuts, and flax, they would be much healthier and likely lose the weight much much faster if they were eating the same amount of calories in rice and beans. Remember, carbs turn to sugar, and unless you’re out running marathons all day, that sugar will store as fat just as much as that avocado will. I suggest you refrain from giving others recommendations when you are basing them on baseless feelings you have about nutrition.The only nuts and seeds that are rich in omega 3 are walnuts, flax and chia. The rest have terrible ratios which do not allow adequate conversion of ALA to DHA and EPA. One can get by on a “fat free” diet, as fat is contained in everything. At the end of the day, if your diet is rich in greens and veggies, omega 3 is usually up there. See for yourself on cronometer.comToxins! I agree with almost everything that you are saying. the only thing that I question is if you already had a look at the walnuts ratio of omega6:omega3 – almost 5:1 it’s not so good.5:1 is really close, and in fact it is one of the nuts Jeff Novick recommends we consume if we choose to consume any. Please see here for more details http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/But it’s not optimal! However, I agree with you, Jeff Novick and with the scientific evidence that tell us that walnuts are very good to us, but I don´t think we can say that it’s because of the omega 3 content of walnuts (it’s much more than that).Definitely, and it is a high antioxidant nut as well. Remember though, 5:1 is is really not that bad, and you would still have anti inflammatory properties out of that ratio.” A ratio of 2-3/1 suppressed inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and a ratio of 5/1 had a beneficial effect on patients with asthma, whereas a ratio of 10/1 had adverse consequences.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18408140Of course I agree, lower is better.http://www.karger.com/Book/Home/229515Nitpicking over 5:1 vs 4:1 will not make it or break it.Always learning! ;)If one is taking 1-2 tablespoons of ground flax daily, then the 5-1 ratio of the walnuts becomes a non-issue as the overall ratio of the diet will be in the optimal range, which is 4-1 to 1.1.Macadamia Nuts are a better bet than walnutsMacadamia also have a bad omega 6:3 ratiohttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3123/2Please see here for more on walnutshttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/Well, this is interesting since the data at nutritiondata does not appear to agree with the Balance Scores for walnuts(-44) compared to macadamia nuts (-2). Can you explain this? I cannot.http://www.fastlearner.org/Omega3-6Balance.htmStephenWell the information i provided is straight from the USDA database. You can do the math yourself to see. Macadamia have a ratio just above 6:1, walnuts have a ratio just above 4:1. Considering this, Macadamia nuts do not seem to be that bad of an offender. I jumped too quickly to conclusions without doing the math. Peanuts are above 5,000:1 and almonds are also in the thousands although not as much as peanuts. Thanks for bringing this upYou are welcome. And while both walnuts and macadamia nuts are pretty close to the same ratio, they certainly are miles apart on price. But what bothers me is the Balance Score concept is supposed to factor in everything to provide a sort of coefficient of desirability. It says that macadamias (-4) are far more desirable than walnuts (-46). And I don’t know why.I don’t know either, no system is perfect when ranking foods. Antioxidant capacity and phytonutrients are usually not included in these results as well.One of my goals is to have minimal visceral fat. I prefer muscle to “skinny”. I prefer skinny to fat. Why choose? We can be thin, muscular, have little visceral fat, and be healthy, all on the same starch based nutrition plan and vigorous exercise.I can’t imagine the effort required to “go fat free”. Fat is available in the amounts needed in our plant food. If all that is required to remove plaque form arteries is omega-3 fatty acids then why be concerned about limiting fat consumption to 29%. The body will clean up the arteries without dozing on omega-3’s. Saying omega-3’s “help” clean arteries isn’t an indication fat, 29% by caloric count is needed to do the job. Omega-3’s are available without 29% fat consumption. The arteries clogged from excess fat…maybe from eating nuts and avocados.“Carbs turn to sugar” is an over-simplification Processed carbs are already “pre-digested” in a sense.. .so are easily processed and do cause a glycogen spike. Complex carbohydrates, however, take time to break down and digest and be absorbed, maintaining a more stable sugar level. They provide slow energy. My reasoning is supported by science. Our problem in the U.S.A. isn’t we lack omega-3’s so much as we eat too much fat stored “as is” and processed carbohydrates which spike our sugar level and leaves us without the slow-burning energy provided by the complex carbohydrates I recommend.I’ve seen a lot of fat runners who obviously consume too many calories. They won’t run it off unless they reduce caloric count to a couple-three hundred less than their body needs. Running, in itself, is no indication of that.It’s a simple task to find this or that “healthy” nutrient in many foods. Arguably, nutrients required for a healthy body and strong immune system. However, that’s not a prescription to indulge in fat calories, for example, when the goal is to lose weight or clean arteries. After all, if one can live on potatoes along for six months without causing health problems, eating less than 29% fat for a month, or two, ot three won’t likely cause the brain to die. Alternately, however, the high fat consumption will likely cause a stroke, heart attack, osteoporosis, cancer…something easily avoided by reducing the fat until the weight is lost.I am a vegan and think that the ideas behind paleo diets are a fantasy. Which is why I am completely stupefied that this article claims to compare modern diets to a “true” paleo diet. The Paleolithic period covers 200,000 years and multiple homo species spreading across the globe. A tiny tiny fraction of those people died under circumstances in which their remains were preserved, and only in regions where environmental factors were favorable. The idea that anyone could have come up with a detailed caloric analysis of a “true” paleo diet is not only ridiculous, it feeds into the ideology of paleo dieters themselves by implying that there is such a thing as a single, correct paleo diet.All good points Cris. The “experts” see an ancient frozen body discovered in the Alps or an Egyptian mummy which the researchers use new techniques on to unravel their “mysteries” and by listening to the PhD hypothesize about “what it must have been like” to be that carcass at that time is amusing. The researcher is so full of himself he invents antidotal stories about “…”and that’s the way it was on October 16th, 300 years B.C.” (It’s uncle Walter’s fault.)I wonder what the story will be in two thousand years when a PhD digs up a moonshiner in Eastern KY from the 1930’s or a 1960’s Mormon buried with his sixteen wives. The brilliant researcher will conclude humans drank liquor because water was unsafe after the last world war and so many warriors died in battle the few remaining ones had the burden of repopulating the world with all those surplus women (It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it!)Good comment. Evidence is thin on the ground. Seems to me that its a bit like going through someone’s bins the day after Christmas, and trying to deduce what they’ve been eating every day for the past 50 years.The so-called paleo diet also fails to note any regional or seasonal differences. I would suspect that tribes by the sea, in jungles, or on the plains would have vastly different diets.What do you consider the optimal ratio of body fat to muscle mass for health and longevity?Stephen, I don’t have any personal knowledge to pass on. My thoughts are we get too tied up in numbers, weight, calories, BP, etc. In this day and age there are so many drugs that can give up “good” numbers and in doing so “hide” the symptoms we must be careful of what we choose as a number target,. My honest believe is that if we eat a starch based diet, our natural “normal” fat amount will be maintained. That is to say, visceral fat will not be a health problem.On the issue of strength, keep in mind you and I could have the same amount of fat, be the same height and one of us have much more muscle…yet not be as strong. In such a scenario, how do we equate body fat with muscle? Strength is more important than muscle mass in my thinking. I’ll qualify that comment by adding, if you train with weights for strength you’ll have much more muscle mass than the average vegan or meat eater, but not as much muscle mass as a body builder. No one has really ever combined the science of weight training (power lifting) with optimal (vegan) nutrition. Individuals may have for their own benefit but not as a “science”. We don’t even have Olympic lifters in this country any more…because we don’t have skilled coaches. We DO have extremely strong power lifters but they advocate lots and lots of meat and protein suppliments.as do most professional athletes and their trainers. I wonder how much better athletes they would be if they didn’t overdose on protein and train too often.Since your question is astutely qualified by adding….”for health and longevity”, I can give my unqualified personal opinion. I think we should do rang-of-motion exercises (or just movements) periodically and log the results. Then at any point we see we are losing rang of motion then we need to implement an exercise to re-establish that range of motion. Likewise, some standard of strength should be maintained, maybe twice the strength of the average Joe, and maintain it. The body will appreciate the work and sweat and you’ll be able to care for yourself as you age. Athletes will tell you their legs go first. they lose half a step…then a step…then they are through. Likewise, we all slow down. If we are slow and weak to begin with, the slope is very steep and very short. Get some strength though power lifting and the muscle mass will automatically be there.. To me, an “ideal” fat-muscle mass ratio is a fool’s game. Eat a vegan diet and exercise and sweat and your body will reveal to you what is optimal for you. Suppose you heard a number and it became your target and you achieved it. Do you then adjust your diet to maintain that ratio? I prefer to get my personal ration from my body, based on a vegan diet and hard work or hard exercise.Why do you ask? What are your thoughts on the optimal ratio between fat and muscle mass for health and longevity?Larry,I appreciate access to your considerable knowledge. I think I can offer a little different spin on the question. But it will benefit from your critique. So, follow me on this.There is an optimal BMI established for health and longevity of 18.5 – 22. But a person could easily be in this range and die from the effects of osteopenia or lack of muscle mass to hold the frame together. It is also fairly well established that muscle-bound individuals do not fair well for longevity. I’ve read the average death age of football players is 47. From this I conclude there must be a sweet spot in the middle that is optimal for health and longevity. The question is, where is it?I’ve read extensively the literature, contacted numerous organizations and talked to a number of experts. So far, no one flaws my logic but no one had an answer either, until recently. Two sources shed some light on the question, a Chinese study and the CR people. Though the picture is still rather fuzzy, the optimal percent body fat for health and longevity appears to be in the range of 11% -17% for males. When you observe that bodybuilders often reduce to 8% body fat, these results indicate that this is not healthy. Further, the average couch potato has a percent body fat around 28%, not healthy either. So targeting 11% – 17%, a fairly broad range, seems to have health and longevity value for average people.If this is right then the entire weight loss industry is short sighted in that weight loss is only half the equation. For dieters with 30, 50 or 100 pounds to lose to get to optimal BMI should be targeting a percent body fat of 11% -17% at the same time to achieve the optimal results.StephenStephen, I didn’t know what the “clinical” ratio was when I answered earlier, but I avoided looking it up since I believe so many other parameters factor in. Especially in an overweight, sickly country such as ours. Today Rachael Ray gave another of her pitches about how she cooks for her husband John, who loves pork chops with white beans and sausage. I suppose had she married a vegan the couple million who watch her would eat healthier. My point being, we have greater problems than missing the mark on fat/muscle ratio. One would think if football players died, on average, at age 47 we’d hear more about it. Even if true, I doubt an incorrect ratio sped up their end of life so drastically. They are super beasts and take drugs and who-knows-what to compete. Body fat to muscle ratio is probably one of the lesser evils. Likewise, bodybuilders are prolific steroid users and overdose on mass quantities of “protein” and other concoctions purported to maximize muscle mass. They don’t fare well in longevity studies either. Either category of “athlete” would skew any research by inducing way too many variables. Athletes, in general, will consume or inject any concoction that will take a tenth of a second off their time. they’re not the best population for a longevity or health study. I would not be surprised if your “optimal” numbers were in the same range as a vegan’s muscle mass to body fat ratio. I bet an athletic vegan’s number would be on the low side. having said that, were the studies done on meat eaters or vegans? That variable alone would cause a huge disparity in ratios. All that you have said makes sense and in my opinion, confirms my “guess” that a vegan would have the “optimal” ratio. How could they not? We didn’t evolve packing excess fat year round or excess muscle mass. On a plant based diet our body’s reach “equilibrium” for optimal ‘everything”, I’d guess. However, your criteria was…”for health and longevity” To that end let’s not look at one parameter (body fat ratio) but at overall factors and determine which, if any, gives the most bang for the buck, longevity-wise.. That answer is already on the books and I believe reliable. To maximize longevity..and seemingly that implies “health”, it’s a simple matter of reducing calories. On what is referred to as a “starvation diet” rats have lived, I believe 50% longer with great endurance. The science behind the fact is that we are here to reproduce and in good years we reproduce prolifically. And in bad years, well, we don’t! What constitutes a good year is when food in abundant. Lots of food consumption triggers an aging gene…to make way for the next generation. In bad times when little food is available, nature wants to keep us around to reproduce at some point when food is finally abundant so the aging process slows. So, trick your body chemistry into thinking it’s ‘starving” by eating less calories and you’ll slow down the aging trigger. I’m sure as a side effect, the fat to muscle mass ratio would be a very low number. Now THAT’s the study I want to see! If we eat a nutritionally dense, but calorically restricted diet, and trained for strength, what would our fat/muscle ratio be? That answer would be more correct, I believe than any study done on obese Americans…or even the Chinese study you referenced.. On a starch based diet we don’t have to target an 11% ratio for it’s the guaranteed result of eating plant food instead of meat and dairy. You see, if 11% is the target then we could achieve that goal eating meat and dairy but we would not have optimized our health. If a starch based diet is the target then one of the benefits is a low body fat, guaranteed.Meant to add..the calorie restriction folks don’t seem to be athletic. Whenever I see their food they seem to eat greens and fruits and little starch. I believe Dr. Greger produced a video that discusses calorie restriction and still getting similar longevity and health benefits from a vegan diet. I bet one could weight train on a restricted diet if it were nutrient packed. I’ve eaten seven hundred calories many times and not been hungry because i was active. You can also reduce weekly calories by fasting a couple days. Scientific strength training takes little time. Most train too lightly and don’t recuperate between training sessions.Larry,I knew your critique would be helpful. As I’ve stressed, the few investigations into optimal body fat percentage have been fairly feeble but still revealing. Researchers told me the reason is lack of funding since no one sees a way to make any money with the results.But, in general, the investigations have been done on near vegan populations. So that should nearly eliminate all other issues. Every subject died of old age, not from a chronic diet or substance abuse.CR people point to research that indicates too much muscle-building reduces longevity while too little results in sarcopenia which also reduces longevity. Hence we are back to my sweet spot idea. Furthermore, my result target is the same as your wish in that it optimises diet and CR first and then looks at body composition on top of that.My personal experience came to the different conclusion which is what really got my dander up. I am somewhat more athletic than most. I run a 5k in 37 minutes. Yet when I did CR to lose weight to get to a BMI of 20 and had my body fat measured by one of the most accurate means, it turned out to be 24% – a fair distance from the middle of optimal of 14%. Had I known that in advance, I could have targeted both at the same time.So here is where we disagree right now. My results indicate that a particular diet like starch based or plant based DOES NOT guarantee anywhere near optimal body fat percentage as suggested by the feeble research. If one wants it, one must plan and work toward it as a specific goal. A great additional argument is that there does not appear to be any down side to doing that even if the idea ultimately turns out to be wrong.StephenStephen, How are you defining “ideal or optimal body fat ratio”? Some arbitrary number research points to? Food in its simplest sense is merely food. Humans contaminate their food for reason other than health. IF you accept a plant or starch based diet as optimal for humans…and the calories consumed equal the calories needed is at equilibrium (for lack of a better word). Therefore, wouldn’t you not recognize the resultant body fat ratio to be optimal too? A couple I know are on high BP meds. He hunts; they eat meat and dairy. A starch based diet is absolutely foreign to them. Any benefits I tout lands on them like wishful thinking. Their meds keep the BP and cholesterol numbers in the “normal” range for Americans who eat meat and dairy. Meanwhile the food they choose to assault their body’s with continue to take it’s toll. They are keeping “good numbers” but unwittingly have induced a false sense of security. Meanwhile the meat and dairy continue to clog arteries and overload the body with protein and chems and hormones and preservatives and whatever else is hidden in those foods. They feel protected by the drugs since they are told their numbers are good. Likewise, when you are considering YOUR ideal fat/lean ratio do you want to achieve the statistical average of all the population or do you want what is optimal for you? Additional, do you think forcing your ratio lower with extra exercise to burn the extra burgers is the same as if you achieve your ideal number by eating your ideal fuel (plants)? Remember we are not peas in a pod. there is no play book. Whatev3er PhD you discuss this with will argue a plausible case. But, they aren’t identical to you. They don’t have equal understanding of nutrition, exercise, and the body of knowledge available to them. Their bias interferes with assimilating their finding. A more direct answer to your question about your body is to measure the body fat after you are on a vegan diet for one year. I always argue one person does not make a statistic but in this case YOU are YOUR statistic. So, do you want to average in the numbers from countless others who eat whatever and aren’t you? If you ask, “How much can you squat” and I answered, the average squat of over 1300 athletes is XXX pounds, you’d think I was nuts. You should be the expert on what your optimal body fat ratio is. My personal concern would be to eliminate visceral fat. That’s done by not eating meat and dairy.Larry,I should have been more clear in my terminology. I did not mean to say “ratio”. I meant to say, optimal body fat percentage. There is a long list of historical ways to measure it starting with underwater weighing. I tried them all and found them to be too inaccurate for practical use. However, several newer technologies do provide clinically accurate results including Pod Pod and DEXA and MRI. They are easy to do and provide beautiful detailed clinically accurate reports.I used the same simple measure that was used in optimizing BMI statistics: life insurance mortality records. In other words, the ages people die as a function of their BMI or body fat percentage. Both these investigations result in J curves that suggest an optimum value without considering anything else.As you correctly have guessed, these values are merely statistical averages over the population being observed. In the case of BMI it was millions of people because the database is huge. But for optimal bodyfat percentage the number was only a few thousand people that records could be kept one over about 15 years. And the participants were essentially vegetarians of average build. So questions of diet or toxins were not addrssed. But the question of fitness is addressed because, to get percent body fat down to an optimal level at an optimal BIM requires increasing muscle mass.StephenStephen, This is just opinion, but I would not decide MY optimal body fat based on ANY statistical data, even information derived from “vegetarians”. Each has his own definition of what the term even means. Some eat eggs and chicken. Some eat lots of nuts and avocados. You seem determined to find a number you are comfortable with. In my opinion you’d be better served to find a nutritional lifestyle that eliminated visceral fat. That would be vegan. People who eat meat and dairy, and the rest aren’t optimal in many areas, So even if you do drive your fat ratio to “optimal” for vegetarians, well, keep in mind vegetarians are about as fat as meat eaters, and just as unhealthy. You don’t appear to seek your personal optimal fat ratio but are looking for a number that is within a range established by others who have not considered all that you are capable of factoring in. Why lower your standard to their limitation? You accept them as the authority even thought you recognize they are not seeing the whole picture. You have my permission to body build, take steroids, and exercise down to an 11% body fat to muscle ratio. However, you won’t be as healthy as you could be otherwise…if for example, you took advantage of the cumulative knowledge in front of you. lived a vegan lifestyle. Eating meat and diary is a choice. You can do so in this country, but exercise won’t erase the damage. You won’t fool mother nature.Larry,Well, from a personal standpoint I’ve thrived on a WFPB diet for over a decade without a sick day. What is difficult for some is easy for me for some reason. And I’ve never had to take any medication or supplements except B12.I’m not motivated to get to the lower range of 11%. But, since the estimated optimal range is quite broad, it seems reasonable to increase my muscle mass to reduce body fat percentage to the upper limit of 17%.What do you think?StephenStephen,I think we are right where we started. You are determined to increase muscle mass to achieve a number. And I don’t understand the underlying motivation, or conceivably, what is accomplished health-wise. Incidentally, how new much muscle need be grown to balance your equation? If you are a bodybuilder then I understand the notion of increasing muscle mass. Since you’ve targeted 17% body fat as your goal please comment on this one curiosity… since you are satisfied your body fat percentage is “too high” presently, is your goal to reduce total body fat or increase your weight so the ratio is “better”? If you choose the ladder then are you saying the extra muscle mass is not a deterrent to longevity? Alternately, body fat is only reduced by dieting or liposuction. What if you achieve your magical number and by adding muscle mass but then lose a leg in a accident? Will you add more muscle mass to get your 17% back? Or carefully construct an artificial limb to the precise weight needed?Larry,I’m only determined to see optimal body metrics for health and longevity as science can discover it.The researchers who study sarcopenia have a rule of thumb that I don’t have readily at hand. So I’ll guess. They say if a person maintains the same weight going forward from age 30, they will lose maybe 1% of their muscle mass per year at the same weight. That means a reduction in muscle mass of 30% in 30 years and 60% at 60 years. At that rate the person muscles will dwindle to the point that they will not support the skeleton and then bones break which often causes premature death at the same weight.That is why active intervention to at least maintain existing muscle mass at the same weight seems appropriate and optimizing muscle mass might be a desirable target.The research you reference is based on meat and dairy eaters and folks who lift weights improperly. I’m not in that population so their numbers don’t concern me. Even doing “conventional” weight training does not stop loss of muscle mass.Using your numbers suggests the study group gained fat as they lost muscle weight. Otherwise their total weight would have dropped instead of remaining constant Loss of muscle mass is more complicated than statistics. It’s treatment is more specific than doing some kind of exercise with the belief it addresses the problem.. “Wisdom” means you survived your mistakes. I guess in a few decades you’ll give yourself some feedback.Larry,That’s exactly right. At the same weight a typical person exchanges muscle mass for fat at about 1% per year. And, of course the vast majority of the population are meat eaters and gain fat tissue on top of that as a result. Then you factor in osteoporosis, particularly in women, and you have shrinking muscle mass, thinning bone density and added adipose tissue – the prescription for disaster called preventable premature death.Actually, my program is being monitored by a local trainer weekly and the Pennington Institute every ninety days and has showed steady progress now for over six months with a target optimization date six months from now. We’ll see.I’m baffled, Stephen. you earned a certificates in nutrition based Dr’s Campbell’s research and have been a vegan for ten years but are now being monitored by a web site “Pennington Institute” which advocates fish and “white meat” (possum?) as good sources of protein. They also promote supplements. I don’t think Dr. Campbell covered that in his research. Seems to me you are mixing evidence based research with something else.Since meat and dairy eaters have the problem of losing muscle mass as they age I don’t know how that info applies to you. If after 30 years it’s learned you didn’t lose muscle mass does your physical training apply to meat eaters to? Since the meat is causing their health issues, who can argue throwing in exercise will stop the loss?What are you “optimizing” that can be evaluated after only six months? We were talking about losing muscle mass at a rate of 1% per year. There is no accurate instrument that can unequivocally ascertain 1/2 of 1% muscle mass loss over six months….or prove none was lost to that measure of resolution/accuracy. Just the expected error range alone is six times greater than what you are trying to monitor…unless you are measuring some other parameter not introduced into our discussion.By “local trainer” I take it you’re speaking of a fitness trainer? Nothing grows muscle mass better than weight training using Russian/Eastern block (old Soviet Union) weight training methods. Not too many coaches have that talent or knowledge in the USA. I’ll be curious to see how you measure success.Larry,I got the name wrong. It’s Pennington Biochemical Research Laboratory, affiliated with LSU.http://www.pbrc.edu/The Pennington Biochemical Laboratory, has “discoveries” to help “obese prone” people control their weight. Seriously, our nation isn’t fat because American’s are obese prone. Their fat because their belief about weight control, and nutrition in general, is dictated by media. Remove Rachael Ray and Dr. Oz from the limelight and stop misleading the public, and Americans can lean what they need to know about healthy eating. Just this week CBS announced “a study” showing three glasses of milk a day caused more hip fractures than one glass (in adults). Finally some honest reporting. But even then one of the news announcers claimed she believed 1% milk is very healthy,,,,adding, “I hope they don’t take my bacon away. Pennington doesn’t advocate a plant based diet. Personally they offer nothing I want.Stephen, What is your notion of a WFPB (whole foods plant based?) diet? After ten years your body fat should be optimal. There ARE “fat vegan’s” who eat nuts and avocados and while technically their diet may be 100% vegan, the excess calories and fat are stored, hence the name fat vegan. Dr. McDougall is pretty adamant about nuts and avocados. Since you are a numbers guy, the simple truth, as you know, is you didn’t store the 24% body fat eating kale. If the bed of your p’up truck had a load of trash would you dump the useless weight or replace the aluminum engine with a cast iron one to improve the trash weight to metal ratio?Larry,The Whole Food Plant Based Diet was developed by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, and his son Dr. Thomas M. Campbell II, a physician. You may read about it here:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_StudyDr. Campbell is a research scientist with hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and a career of mostly NIH funded research to his credit. Dr. McDougall, with a few notable exceptions, is an MD who voraciously reads the literature.I hold a Certificate in plant-Based Nutrition from Ecornell University, a program developed by the Drs. Campbell.Dr. McDougall diets are very similar to the one proposed in “The China Study”.Dr. Campbell agrees with you that an optimal diet should automatically result in optimal body composition. But my experience does not agree. I can literally gain weight eating kale and run myself into the overweight BMI category. It must have something to do with genes. And I’ve checked my percent body fat using the latest credible technologies in a university research setting at the LSU Pennington Institute and it is not optimal either. So, for me, optimizing both BMI and percent body fat takes conscious effort.StephenStephen,I read the Dr’s book, “The China Study” many moons ago…still reference it. Since their work is based on science it’s expected they and Dr. McDougall would share similar views. None of them would advise increasing muscle mass to hide body fat. You own that one.Since I’m a student of their research it’s correct to say I agree with them.Ten days at Dr. McDougall’s retreat, in his “controlled environment” eating his menu would shed the extra fat pounds you are trying to hide. If not you are a biological anomaly indeed. Poor people in poor countries do not have a fat gene. It’s an American scapegoat for glutinous consumption of meat and dairy.. Old movies show thin Americans. When did this fat gene become the problem?Try this reality check…chart all the food you eat for the week….add up the calories. Then reduce by 200 per day the next week. If you lose a pound or more then you are on a fat loss diet. fi no weight is lost then reduce calories another 200 per day and weigh again at the end of the next week. At some point your body will tell you the calories it needs to sustain weight and max calories to lose weight. You won’t find that number on a chart either.Isaac, Here, in part, what Dr. John McDougall says: “The fat you eat is the fat you wear,” and remind them that there is nothing attractive about wearing olive, flaxseed, or corn fat.* For this reason alone, most of your friends and family should steer clear of so-called “healthy oils” derived from plant-foods. Gaining weight can be expected from consuming high-fat whole foods, such as nuts, seeds, avocados and olives, as well as “free oils,” which are usually purchased in bottles. However, the shared propensity for weight gain is where the similarity between unprocessed plant foods and free oils ends.I consider whole foods, even those with high concentrations of fats, to be health-promoting. However, people interested in losing weight should avoid nuts, nut butters, seeds, seed spreads, avocados, and olives, since they all serve as sources of concentrated, easy to consume, calories. When I was growing up we had nuts in their shells as a special treat for Christmas. Now these same nuts come bare-naked, salted, and sometimes roasted in additional oils—and the twist of the lid of the jar brings effortlessly to your lips (and your hips) handfuls of fat-laden, calorie-concentrated rich food. These same foods, however, may be a welcome addition for growing children and active adults. But they should be used sparingly by most of us. END OF CUT N PASTE Isaac, we are so lucky to benefit from the efforts of Dr. Greger, Dr. McDougall, and all the other talented, devoted medical doctors who sift through the sewage to find the gems and put factoids into perspective. It’s easy to conclude erroneously based on one, or another factoid. Like they say, the internet is a vast wasteland where you and I can prove or disprove whatever the other says. I like to personalize the data and relate to it one-on-one. I don’t eat “onega-3’s” I eat food. Some have omega-3’s and some have other important nutrients. Going 28 days without food taught me a few things I don’t believe most doctors know or even thought about. It didn’t kill me and my brain is intact and functioning well having been deprived of “essential” omega-3’s. Oxygen is essential but I can hold my breath for a bunch of seconds and not suffer any consequences. As already alluded to, food is certainly essential to sustain life and I did without that essential for a short month. Afterwards my “brain” memory, etc., was tested and I’m in the top 3% in one category and the to7% in another. All mental scores were high. More recently I was tested again and my memory is most excellent. How can I ignore all that personal, although you might argue “antidotal” data and be steered by some factoid out of contact. I don’t think Dr. Greger would disagree with the above words by Dr. McDougall. Nor does Dr. McDougall’s statement directly differ with the omega-3 factoids you present. He’s saying, as did I, why not lay off the added oil until optimal weight loss is achieved? Py personal experience is doing so will have zero negative effects and the weight will drop off faster (because calories are less). Since I served as the guinea pig why not benefit from my personal experience? I eat flax seed but I don’t rely on it to protect me from meat caused diseases. I prefer to avoid the poison than take a daily antidote that may or may not protect me. I have devoted my time and energy and knowledge and experience to sharing valuable, practical, beneficial health information because you called on me to refrain from sharing, claiming my efforts were baseless. If I take your advise I have lost nothing.Swwweeet response slider1! Totally appreciate you taking the time to write this and share your knowledge!Judy, I’ve witnessed the most “off topic” comments at business meetings imaginable. It’s obvious that one person isn’t familiar with the issues but somehow that unrelated comment often triggers thought and discussion resulting in so much energy and creative thought the prevailing problem is solved. The most innocuous words can be a catalyst to previously unexplored territory.Personally, I feed off such comments. How else do we know what gaps to fill in or point to build on if someone doesn’t first risk expressing their thoughts? What any one of us writes is a culmination of what all of us are willing to share. I thrive on feedback. Thanks for the kind words.My opinion is that I don’t agree with “low carb,” which demonizes whole grains and legumes or “low *whole plant* fat” which eschews nuts and seeds. It is wonderful to completely avoid the saturated, atherogenic fat contained in animal sources. Greger has stated that nuts are not that terribly fattening, but that meat is. The *animal* fat that you eat is the fat that you wear, not necessarily the fat from whole food plant sources. I eat a big serving of oats everyday, but also 4 ounces of nuts, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and two tablespoons of ground flaxseed virtually everyday. I used to weigh 255 and am now close to 150. I lost the last 10 pounds while eating all these nuts, along with the grains and legumes that the Paleo crowd says are fattening. I do exercise every single day and I also count calories. I tend to go by calories, rather than macronutrient percentages. Neither carbs nor fat make me fat, if I am not in a calorie surplus. Counting calories is that way to avoid going into calorie surplus. This study found both whole grains AND nuts as well as fruits and vegetables were inversely related to weight gain, whereas red and processed meats as well as butter were associated with weight gain. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1014296#t=articleTop The problem with this study, however, is that it relates potatoes to weight gain. I would probably concur with french fries and potato chips, but not whole baked potatoes with the skin on them. Okinawans eat sweet potatoes everyday and are not overweight. The way I look at it is that once cannot be “whole food, plant based,” and be low carb at all, but one is not fully plant based if one eschews nuts and seeds to be low fat.Interesting perspective Daniel. Are you in your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s? My mother ate lots of peanut butter and really gained weight as she aged. If you’re 99 I’m impressed. Otherwise get back to me in 50 years. Agreed, calorie count is the primary determinate of weigh. You can lose weight on 100% fat if the calories are low. I guess what I’m curious about is how your arteries are doing…no assumption here, just curious. We all violate the rules in our youth only to pay the price when we are older. I don’t know how much nut oil is too much. I’m just saying weight loss and artery clean up is easier if we don’t add fat tot he fat we want to remove. Thanks for the comments.I am almost 54. When I was in my 40’s, I felt that my metabolism was really slowing down and I found it very difficult to lose weight by just dieting. Of course, I was not plant based at that time. I now exercise absolutely everyday by bicycling and this counters the slow down that comes with age. I lost about 95 pounds by exercising everyday (along with calorie control), but since going into maintenance 4 years ago, I have transitioned to a plant based diet. I actually started eating nuts to stop losing weight, which kind of goes along with what you are saying. But gradually improving my diet over the last 4 years, I have lost 10 more pounds, without ever eating less than 3000 calories a day. I continue to count calories, as well as exercising everyday and am able to consume about 3400 calories a day and maintain this weight. When I was obese, I was taking 40 milligrams of Crestor and my HDL was often below 20. Now I take no Statins and my HDL is from 75-82.. My triglycerides are now 43. My LDL for awhile fell to 95, but now it is 81. So, I think BOTH the whole grains, such as oats AND the nuts (as well as exercise AND losing weight) are good for heart health. Animal foods and processed sweets are NOT good for heart health. I would suggest only to eat nuts INSTEAD of sweets and potato chips, rather than eating them on top of other junk foods. I not only have cut out the meat, but I have also drastically cut down on desserts, such as donuts, cookies, as well as dairy and eggs. Desserts often have very obesigenic and atherogenic trans fats. I think eating lot of sweets contributed to my weight gain. Not exercising very much didn’t help either. There are numerous studies which correlate animal fats with weight gain and cardiovascular disease, but the opposite is true for both nuts AND whole grains as well as legumes. It is quite probable, that if someone didn’t exercise as much as I do, they wouldn’t have lost weight despite eating so many nuts. To answer your last question, it seems like the answer is yes. Vegans are thinner than meat eaters, because no whole plant food is related to weight gain, including nuts (and high carb grains and legumes). Red meat is correlated with weight gain in many different studies.Daniel, some of your routines and mine parallel. I ride my mountain bike 15 miles a day..3-4 times a week in the summer and I walk an indoor track in the winter. Then supplement my aerobic exercise with strength training…weight lifting. I do take one day off each week so the body can mend. One every couple months I take a week off;. I gage my stamina on a mile long hill that’s part of my bike route. Usually after the one-week break I can storm up that hill even fast than normally. You don’t build endurance overextending yourself. Once I climb that hill I am spent. It’s done little to increase my stamina. the result comes form what I do afterwards. By that I mean while still have my oxygen debt form the hill climb I continue to ride at a brisk pace while repaying that oxygen debt…that’s what builds the endurance. Likewise, most 99+++% o all weight lifters (body builders and strength trainers) train too often and wrong. Lifting weights does not make one stronger. In fact, it tears us down, microscopically tearing the muscles. Once that happens 48 hours of no heavy weight exertion is needed for the body to heal and grow back stronger. We get stronger by resting between strenuous exercise.I can’t imagine eating the calories you do. I’ve studied the weight loss charts and was curious about the high to low range in body weight assigned to each caloric level. I found the amount of calories was way too high for me. I gained weight eating the calories recommended on the next lower range. I know the Paleo diet has plenty of calories and with a starch based diet it’s hard to over eat but I don’t want to eat all that just because a chart gives me permission. I listen to my body. It’s like riding my mountain bike. Someday I tear up that hill. Some days I need all 26 gears in my bike just to get to the top. Likewise, one day Imight consume 2,000 calories and the next I eat 700. I know that’s supposedly a starvation died but my body seems to thrive on it.The low calories causes me to reflect on the “life extension” diets from a few years back. they supposedly ate starvation diets and therefore project they’ll live to 120. Frankly, I don’t think it’s a starvation diet! I think the words “starvation diet” were coined before all the science is in.Keep in mind, I’m a 30 year plus vegan. Studies are typically done on vegans to see how a vegan body deals with al that the meat eaters are tested for. There’s no interest in documenting such data. In fact medical doctors seem to see us vegans as irritants. We are contrary to all they believe. A couple yeas back I had some very minor surgery. The two nurses taking history and prepping me were fascinated by blood pressure was so excellent and my pulse was in the fifties. I explained my vegan lifestyle and exercise level. They listened and ask plenty of questions. next scene I’m face down on an operating table, fully awake and the surgeon is removing a cyst from the back of my neck. Scalpel in hand, his first words are, “So, TO WHAT DO YOU OWE YOUR EXCELLENT HEALTH?” The two nurses listened as I spoke. I KNEW he was gunning for me and I wasn’t in any position to debate the topic so I simply said, Gee, doc,I don’t know.” After asking if I had kids at home, a wife, and about my work, he announced loudly and clearly, “YOU ARE HEALTHY BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE ANY STRESS IN YOUR LIFE.” I’m sure he felt he straightened out the minds of those two nurses and removed any nonsense about veganism being beneficial to me. No, I didn’t wimp out…just know not to argue with a man wielding a knife. That’s typical of my experience with doctors, they discredit diet and rationalize their training provides the answer. All too often if I share the good word with some obese person wanting to change his life and recover his health, the person listens to my story and then says, “but if I do that my doctor will yell at me.”Anyway, I’m not ready to eat so many nuts. I recall jack Lalane shared that he put two walnut sin his cereal each morning. that’s about max for me. These day’s, whether we are watching Doc Hollywood (Dr. Oz), or even reading this site, individual foods are credited with being the antidote for what ails us. What’s share here is reliable but Oz is not. Even if the miracle food is indeed that, I can’t include them all in my diet. My belief is if I don’t put the bad stuff in my body I don’t need a miracle, Too many eat the bad stuff rationalizing, “Hey, I watch what I eat… I put broccoli sprouts on both sides of my balony sandwich and it kills al the cooties even before I shove it down.”Another thought is that your mother might have been eating the regular peanut butter that has hydrogenated fat in it. That certainly can lead to weight gain. I eat only natural peanut butter.High fat diets appear to effect people on the metabolic level, as several animal models have indicated. I share this only as a response to “You can lose weight on 100% fat if the calories are low.” which of course is true, but there is more to the story.When mice are obese and they are allowed to eat as much of they want of a high fat diet, they gained twice as much weight as the non obese mice eating the same high fat diet.http://jn.nutrition.org/content/109/7/1143.full.pdfRats were put on a low fat or high fat diet. The high fat rats got fatter and heavier then their low fat counterparts. In addition, rats that were previously fed the high fat diet required less food to maintain their weight when put on the low fat diet. This means that they would eat less, and their weight stayed the same. The high fat rats seemed to have metabolically damaged their system from consuming the high fat diet.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1319966This rat study showed that when rats were put on a high fat diet, mostly from lard, they not only became obese, but they developed a fatty and inflamed liver. When they were switched to the low fat diet, their condition improved but their livers remained damaged.http://libgen.org/scimag/get.php?doi=10.1007/s10620-008-0303-1In this study, older rats were put on a high fat diet, and they developed pre diabetes.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00125-013-2927-8#page-1Another mice study, mice were put on a zero carbohydrate diet and were compared to mice on a regular mice diet. Despite calories being the same, the zero carb mice gained weight and developed fatty livers.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3488544/Now for Humans, people were either fed excess carbs or fat. The fat group gained more fat, and this would seem obvious since fat contains more calories.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/62/1/19.longIn this study on humans, it was found that those who ate the most fat had the strongest correlation with greater accumulated fat.http://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614%2813%2900267-7/abstractToxins, calories count whether we are aware of our numbers or not. The starch based diet emphasizes no need to count calories and it’s true. It’s hard to get fat eating truly vegan. However, why not stop eating when “full”? why eat until really full simply because we can? The body has to digest and process all the unneeded food. My experience is that the best way to discover your body is to count calories and chart foods. You quickly recognize truths for your body…truths different from my truths, for example. You learn nutrition seeing what constitutes 1200, 14000…or 2000 calories. You see what can easily be removed to cut calories, fat, or even cost without any ill-effect on health. You recognize which foods add cost but questionable nutritional a value. Most importantly you are honest with yourself and .see that backsliding isn’t a deal breaker…you simply continue your normal routine and discover why you ate the box of Reese’s cups. Even if you start your diet with an unimaginable100% fat it’s easy to see what substitutions emerge a healthy, filling, tasty, and economical meals. Chart calories a few weeks and you’ll realize YOU are finally in control.Slider, I don’t know how to make sense of your post. What points, if any, are you agreeing with or disagreeing with? The point of my post was to show that fats have a negative impact on the body compared with carbohydrates when consumed in similar amounts. That’s all, I am not sure what your conclusions are or what you are disputing.I did not say we should eat till we are stuffed out of our minds, thus I am not sure what you are trying to say.Don’t disagree with you on the fat topic, Toxins.The rest, well, I was just jabbering.Toxins: This was really helpful! It starts to get at the question: does fat percent matter? I don’t know that we know exactly what percentage is generally too high, but I think your post does a great job of pointing out that the question *is* relevant.I have this on my mind lately, because I read that article by ?David Katz that talked about the gigantic flaws in the latest study that supposedly looked at whether high fat or high carb diets are better (or something like that). I thought there was a lot of value in the article. But one of the points I disagreed with was his assertion that the question itself, how much fat or how many carbs make up a healthy diet is not relevant, and oh so of the past. His opinion made no sense to me, but your list of studies and explanation above puts some science behind my opinion. :-) Thanks!I am glad you found it helpful Thea, I have to credit Plant Positive for bringing to light these animal model studies.How much of anything is “too much” depends on the effect it has. For the millions of obese Americans it’s apparent they are eating too much fat. Your body burns fat as its primary foodou are not overweight there is no reason to add fat to your diet since fat is naturally occurring in plant foods sufficient for optimal health.I guess my point was that if a person is consuming a whole foods plant based diet, it would be next to impossible to get 80% of one’s calories from fat, esp. if one eats legumes and whole grains (both very high carb), as I do. I eat a lot of fruit as well, which also has carbohydrates. Virtually all plant foods have carbohydrates in them, even spinach AND nuts. Even with all the nuts I eat, I don’t think my fat percentage is more than 30%, if that. I also don’t put any oil on my food, which does hold down my fat intake to some degree. One would have to mostly consume a carnivore diet to eat mostly fat diet. I just say, eat from all of the major plant groups (vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes and nuts and seeds) in the right amounts and then a person would not have to worry about eating too much fat. Probably most people could consume about 1 ounce of nuts a day and not gain weight- I wouldn’t recommend eating as many as I do for most people- it would mostly be for very active people, who also should up their carbohydrate consumption.Not gaining weight from eating nuts seems like we’re getting something free. But I’m not so sure. Most nuts are in the 70-90% fat range (by calorie). The more nuts one eats the higher the total caloric intake must be to still get al the nutrients not found in nuts from other plants. To me, that suggests if I want to not burden my body with digesting and processing and eliminating food calories) not needed, I should keep my caloric count down. That means primarily eating highly nutrient low fat/calorie dense plant foods. .Remember, longevity research proves that reducing total caloric count to “starvation” levels, turns off the aging gene. The genetic theory being that in times of famine, nature wants to keep species alive so they are around to reproduce when food supplies are better. Therefore the aging process slows down. In theory we can trigger the slow down process by restricting calories. I’ve mentioned before I’ve skipped meals, had 700 calorie days, and fasted. My body has adjusted nicely and I am NEVER hungry I certainly don’t feel like I’m starving. Each has to choose, do I want to eat lots of nuts that won’t make me fat…and use of my caloric allotment, or eat only what I really need for a healthy life and slow down the aging process? My personal experience caries infinitely more weight that the studies. I’ve seen the 60 Minutes stories about the “starvation diet” It shows a passive guy who eats greens. My experience is I can be really content with my food eating beans, legumes, rice, etc., and sprouts…and all the rest (nuts) in moderation, and not eat all those calories and not “starve” either. The starvation diet scare folks away. they are wrong. starving. Again, a phrase was coined that does not truly describe the experience. Most American’s eat a glutinous diet. Some on junk food. Other glut out on healthy foods. If you don’t eat the poison you don’t need mega doses of the miracle food.My personal approach is not that nuts have “free” calories. I exercise a lot and cut down on other foods to eat the nuts. I portion control them and don’t eat them freely as I budget my calories for them and I am thinner than I was in High School, and I WAS thin in High School. Greger’s video http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/ seems to indicate that nuts have “free” calories. Nuts have more protein than vegetables have. To get the same amount of protein in vegetables that I would get in nuts, I would have to eat bushels of vegetables. I also eat Pumpkin Seeds because they have a lot of zinc in them and I am trying to control an enlarged prostate. Pumpkin seeds and the peanuts I eat are also high in protein. Yes, you can get protein from beans, but I eat at work and it is not always practical to eat beans. I eat them with rice on each off day. I also don’t agree with Isaac that rice and beans make people fat. Animal fat and refined carbs and processed sweets and fried foods make people fat. Not any whole grain, beans OR nuts or fruit esp. make people fat. Also go down and see how I soundly refuted Tom Ballard’s assumption that a high animal fat diet is slimming and good for one’s health. Even Loren Cordain who wrote the Paleo diet admitted here that saturated fat IS atherogenic. http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/2010/03/24/loren-cordain-caution-on-saturated-fats-disaster-with-grains-will-be-public-after-march-25th/ I differentiate between saturated/trans fat and monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. I also differentiate between high fiber carbs and refined carbs. I try to eat only healthy fat and carbs from plant sources without going into a calorie surplus. I don’t personally agree with calorie restriction at all. I do calorie balancing instead, which is to eat the number of calories that maintains my weight. There are some Vegans, such as Durian rider who strongly oppose calorie restriction. On youtube 40below fruity who is Vegan, criticizes this approach, as she states it is unsustainable and didn’t work for her in the past in the long run. That is why most “diets” fail. The low calorie nature of them is not sustainable.Daniel, you’re assuming the extra protein in nuts is desirable. Is it? According to ove Dr. Greger video, cancer cells are triggered to start growing at 20% protein. Most plants are around 5% protein. I like Dr. McDougall’s perspective. He says, “we need the most protein when we are growing the most (1st year of life.” He then asks, “What does nature provide for that rapid growth?” Answer…mother’s milk. Therefore we just need took see the protein content. By calories, protein is 5% of the milk’s content…which closely coincides with most plant food. Eating more of anything than we have evolved to need, to me, is paramount to diagnosing and prescribing food as the treatment. Over 5% overloads the kidneys. Kidneys have such reserve capacity we don’t realize they are impaired until they stop working. argument to not eat meat, “even” free range, non-hormonal meat.At times it seems you eat the quantity of nuts because you enjoy them…since they are free (weight gain wise). Other times it appears you see “medicinal” value in their consumption. Eating nuts because they are free calories (w=eight gain-wise). Does not mean they are free in all aspects free or cheap enough, some would idle their cars instead of shutting them off. is causing the engine to idle and wear out. When you eat extra food and burn it off exercising what is gained? Some exercise keeps us from rusting. More isn’t necessarily beneficial. Running a marathon doesn’t make one healthier than running half a marathon…it just means you have even more endurance for running. Bench press 500 pounds and you are twice as strong as a 250 pound bench press. But all the benefits were realized long ago. In fact, as you become fit it takes less exercise to maintain your level of fitness.Agreed, “good fats” have some health benefits and are required to sustain life. However, I challenge you to reveal how much fat is really NEEDED. I’m guessing it’s minimal.I am in a hurry, but I would say it would be immensely difficult to get 20% of one’s calories from protein on a plant based diet. I just aim for 10%, or 1 gram per kilogram. Exercise DOES offer an extra benefit if running the marathon controls one’s weight more than the half marathon. I exercise just enough to control my weight. Losing weight has enormous health benefits- it got me off of cholesterol medicine, for instance. For pure health, granted, you don’t need to exercise that much. For weight control, it takes a lot of exercise. And, by exercising, weight loss is usually more sustained than taking a pure calorie cutting, no exercise diet. Calorie cutting does not work for most people in the long run for weight loss. I agree with you that it doesn’t take a LOT of fat to be healthy. However, eating as much fat as I do, which is still less than 30% of my calories hasn’t caused any health issues or weight gain. Also, nuts, in my opinion, should not be eaten “ad libitum,” or “freely” or until one is satisfied. One should practice strict portion control and test out on the scale how much one can eat. I discovered I could eat a lot and still be thin. Other people might be different. Your mother probably didn’t practice portion control with peanut butter.The Paleo diet is just a marketing scam. I don’t waste my time dissecting each and every misstatement it makes. Those who follow it want to believe. I’m sure they feast on nuts as well assured their high fat diet is healthy. What you don’t know CAN kill you.Anyone using a marathon, or even half-marathon for weight control is eating too much! I’m as much an exercise advocate as you. But science (or observation) does not support your claim, “For weight control, it takes a lot of exercise.” If so, all quadriplegics would be morbidly obsese, as would all babies, and all sedate people of all ages. Most populations around the world who have not been contaminated with American eating habits are thin and they don’t exercise.You also state, “. I exercise just enough to control my weight.” In my opinion most people don’t realize how important exercise is to good health. As important as it is, it’s not a requirement for weight loss. To over-eat and exercise and over eat and exercise makes as little sense is to keep the lawnmower running between grass cutting chores by keeping the tank full. If yo don’t need the fuel why fill up the tank?Weight control is a simple equation. To maintain weight simply eat enough calories to support body functions. To gain weight add a couple hundred calories. To lose weight reduce your maintenance calories by a couple hundred. Of course if you choose to quantities of high caloric nuts or avocados, you’ll have to exercise to burn the unneeded fuel. If you don’t actually count calories then you are not aware of the surplus calories you are eating.I wouldn’t be so fast to conclude your health status is optimal. Thin runners do drop dead. Ever hear of Jim Fixx? (The Complete Book of Running) It’s common to get a clean bill of health from your doctor and one day after a medical evaluation, drop dead. We think we are healthy until we are proven wrong! Until/unless you get certain parameters measured you don’t really know the actual status of your arteries, etc.. Eating the quantity of fat you profess to enjoy would cause me alarm and I’d have some serious tests done before convincing myself my regimen is a healthy one. The consequences only show up after a long period of abuse.Contrary to your belief, you can easily get off high blood pressure meds and lower your cholesterol and lose weight, all without ANY exercise. That’s the benefit of the starch based diet. On that diet you don’t need all the miracle foods to battle the bad foods. Why set up your body as a battle ground…it’s a one-man science project!The root cause for you to exercise seems to your claim to burn fat, which only exists because you consume more calories than you need. That practice, of course, is contrary to the longevity studies suggesting what’s termed a “starvation diet”. Stating excess calories ages us. The research does not say, Eat excess “good fats” and burn the extra calories running for optimal health. No, it points out we need to reduce the caloric intake to the minimum for life extension. Inversely, to shorten lifespan all that one needs to do is consume extra calories, even “good ones”.I can eat all the kale I want and never gain weight. Unfortunately I don’t care for kale. I always enjoy nuts. Too bad nuts aren’t so calorie dense.I’ve seen no indication quantities of nuts are the only way to get the omega and other nutrients they are so rich in. Kale is rich in certain nutrients too but you don’t claim to eat it in large quantities. You didn’t indicate you tested kale to see how much you could eat. Ditto for all other high nutrient foods. When I eat nuts it’s because I really enjoy the taste. The nutrients are a bonus and the fact they don’t add weight (within reason) is even more incentive to enjoy them more often. But, like I’ve said, my goal is to eat the calories I truly need, including the nutrients and anti-oxidants, and omegas and the rest, and no more…that is, without over-eating so much I need to run to keep the weight off. We sometimes indulge in superfoods” we like, rationalizing “they are sooo good for us, why not?Please show me ONE study which indicates that nuts are bad for heart health. I don’t think you will even find any on Nutritionfacts.org. For instance, here http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/13/cholesterol-lowering-in-a-nut-shell/ Greger states that nuts may be particularly protective for cholesterol levels and heart health. He also touted physical activity and fiber consumption, both of which I do. Paleo folks, on the other hand, would be hard pressed to find studies which indicate that whole grains and legumes are bad for heart health. They might find a few about the harm of gluten for some people, but few people are gluten intolerant. Anyway, not all grains have gluten in them. Of course, Paleo doesn’t eat a lot of NUTS, they eat a lot of MEAT. 65% of their calories comes from animal products. Animal products, esp. red meat and butter RAISE cholesterol. Nuts LOWER cholesterol. 0% of my calories come from animal products. Coconut oil may be one of the few plant products that RAISES blood cholesterol. Greger stated this here,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/ That is why I don’t eat this. Here is a study, http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/24/teenagers-and-weight-loss/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 whose conclusion is, “Teenagers trying to lose weight should engage in an exercise program that includes both aerobic and resistance training, a randomized trial has found. It also found that diet without exercise accomplishes little.” I tried for 25 YEARS to lose weight by a mostly dieting approach. It didn’t work nearly as well as a very consistent exercise program, along with dietary moderation. I never got nearly as thin as I am now by a strict just dieting approach. AND I wasn’t eating that many nuts when I was obese. I was eating a lot of sweets. Maybe at first just eating less might work, but only doing this slows down the metabolism, which makes regain likely. Eating so little protein as you suggest doing can exacerbate the loss of muscle tissue while dieting, which would further slow down metabolism and lead to weight regain. Every study shows that a just dieting approach does not lead to permanent weight loss in 95% of cases. I also did not find a light exercise program that effective for weight control. Consistent exercise, along with dietary moderation is effective. Plant based diets are a very important component of weight loss. However, Barnard’s studies of Vegan diets without exercise resulted in lower HDL. My HDL has been greatly raised by my exercise and my LDL lowered by the plant based diet and weight loss. Of course, Jim Fixx shows the folly of the just exercise, pay no attention to diet approach. I have heard he ate a lot of donuts. I don’t think you can show that he ate a lot of nuts. Also, look up FTO gene. This gene NECESSITATES exercise for weight control. For this gene is down regulated by regular exercise. People with this gene are contrary examples to your assumption that exercise is completely unnecessary for weight loss for anyone. Also, I eat greens everyday. I eat from all the plant food groups, and don’t eliminate any of them as you do. You criticize me for consuming 3400 calories a day. Michael Arnstein and Scott Jurek consume far more calories than I do, but you don’t claim they are unhealthy. Scott Jurek also doesn’t avoid healthy plant based fat. Michael Arnstein probably eats far less starch than you do, but a lot more fruit.Daniel, honestly, would one study change your interpretation of the science? Dr. Greger could find more than one study faulting nuts. He presents a narrow window not examining those things you hold dear, “exercise to burn off extra calories”, “cholesterol reduction”, etc. Those matters are examined in other videos. You exemplify what a plant based diet can accomplish. You set a fine example for those who need a confidence boost. However you keep citing Dr. Greger’s presentations to support your interpretations. What he says and what you believe are two different views. Your body makes ALL the cholesterol it needs. When you stopped eating meat (and dairy I presume) you fixed your cholesterol problem. At that point adding nuts to your diet (cholesterol-wise) wasn’t needed.I can’t say enough about the benefits of exercise. You’re preaching to the choir here (or maybe the pulpit). Lots of people are active enough to keep their metabolisms from dropping while dieting. You didn’t lose weight during 25 years of dieting because you didn’t follow the basic premise of eating less calories than you need. Again, there are thin people all over the world who do not exercise. When you started the plant based diet and exercise you were motivated. Even if you failed to count calories the weight loss would happen because your food is plant based. Plants don’t have enough calories, or fat (in general) to prevent weight loss. Instead of counting calories you limited calories and your method insured your limit was below the weight loss threshold.“Just dieting” weight loss isn’t permanent because calories aren’t limited during the maintenance phase of the diet. They, like you would have to exercise to burn off a few extra hundred calories. However, even you would gain weight if you ate more and tried to exercise it off. exercise does have it’s limitations.The “little” amount of protein you doubt is the exact amount of protein (5%) needed by new born babies who are growing at the fastest rate in their life. Sure muscles will atrophy without nutrition and without exercise. The inverse is true, also. Weight train and gain muscle and your body will require more calories to support the extra muscle. That might be muscle that is never used except to lift heavy weights while training. Show ME one example of someone, in the history of mankind, who died from insufficient protein. If you eat plant food you automatically get enough protein.3400 calories might be two-three times more than you need. I’m not criticizing, just pointing out the folly of over-eating to stuff your body with omega-3’s antioxidants, and other mega nutrients to fight the ills of meat and dairy when you don’t eat meat and dairy. Your body functions as a chemical processing facility.For me, the verdict is still out on these gene studies. The “fat gene” is used to explain why American’s are fat but throughout the world where they can’t afford meat and dairy, folks are this, they don’t seem to have a fat gene…not an active one, anyway. FTO necessitates exercise for weight control, you say? What constitutes “exercise”? Again, most of the world doesn’t do a scheduled exercise routine yet they are very active. American’s substitute exercise to immolate an active lifestyle. In Zimbabwe, Africa I witnessed women gathering fire wood for cooking and keeping warm at night. It’s like that around the world, people labor to exist. I’m sure there’s a gene that enables us to function that way and I suppose if we stop laboring it’s best we exercise.All Dr. Greger’s studies, presentations, and views are great and help me decipher the nonsense dissipated by media and determine what I’m doing right and doing wrong. What I eat differs based on whether I want to maintain weight or clean my arteries. It all evolves around a starch based diet. I can’t possibly eat all the nutrients in every Dr. Greger video so the next best thing is to structure my nutrition towards my personal issues. For example, if I’ve been on a starch based diet a number of years there is no concern for cholesterol so no need to eat lots of foods to reduce cholesterol.Some folks eat too much food when there are actually just thirsty. I think we can agree lots of nuts make us thirsty. frankly, I don’t know what all the plant groups are. I don’t purposely eliminate any plant group…don’t know where you got that notion. It’s not true.Likewise, I never claimed you were unhealthy. My point is it’s pointless to eat extra calories just to exercise to lose the calories. It’s like idling your can when it’s not being used.I doubt anyone living on fruit is eating the quantity of nuts you enjoy. As for the ultrrunner, it’s nothing new. Aborigines, in Australia used to chase rabbits all day long until the rabbits dropped from exhaustion. The aborigines, like your extreme examples, surely ate some additional calories.t the amount of calories needed to perform the work of survival. What’s the point of doing extreme endurance feats so we can consume more calories? The Aborigine runs to survive.Daniel, are you actually viewing the “Teenagers trying to lose weight” study, objectively? It’s ridiculous and a waste of research money. It doesn’t say how much aerobic exercise the teens did daily. Walk for an hour and you’ve pretty much maxed out. Walk for 20 minutes and adding resistance training would provide additional weight loss benefits. More importantly, look at the results after twenty-two weeks. That’s over five months and the best they could do was a 4.8% body fat reduction after dieting, aerobic exercise and resistance weight training. Do you know as much a 3% in these studies is “error”. If I did all that work for over five months and only lost 4.8% body fat I’d be disappointed to the extreme. A teen with 45% body fat would only have lost 2.16 pounds of fat in over FIVE MONTHS. Does that excite you? A starch based diet alone will drop several pounds each and every week. Add an hour of walking and alternate with weight training and that level of weight loss will be maintained even longer and the body will transform with more endurance and strength. The example study you presented is abysmal. A joke. It’s an example of some doctor who needed to publish so did this silly study which only showed his ignorance about diet, exercise, and nutrition. If nothing else, a teen weight training for over five months can easily double their strength. These poor kids learned “diets doesn’t work” and exercise doesn’t work. Meant to ask, do you drink soft drinks (diet or otherwise)?Frankly, you have found what is wrong with most weight loss research. In almost ALL studies using whatever method, the persons hardly lose any weight whatsoever. There is a study on how low carb was supposed to be so much better than low fat, but how much weight did they lose in a year? A whopping 12 pounds!! That is SO impressive, isn’t it? Low carb is supposed to be so great, and if they lose 4 more pounds in a YEAR, than another method, then that supposedly shows how superior low carb is to low fat. Actually, most studies on exercise and weight loss are pure bunk as well. They usually only exercise about 1-3 hours a week at very low intensity, but they still lose SOME weight. When I did that much exercise a week, I would hardly lose any weight. When I exercised at my doctor’s suggestion at least an hour a day, my weight really came off much better than it ever had- I lost a LOT more than 12 pounds in a year. I started out thinking that I had to exercise all the time and eat nothing to lose weight. The doctor actually stated that if I exercised a lot I could consume 5000 calories a day. I kind of balked at that. I didn’t quite get up to that number, but 3400 is something I can live with and therefore I have completely maintained my massive weight loss and even lost more after 4 years. Thinking I had to starve myself to be thin really held me back a lot. It was a discovery that I didn’t have to starve myself to be thin and that is something that insured my success. I did get my cholesterol down before cutting out the meat, by my massive weight loss, but I think cutting out the meat, eventually the eggs and the dairy, as well as eating oats and flax and nuts everyday got it down as well as the weight even further. DIET is all important, I think DIETING isn’t. Exercise is better than DIETING. DIET trumps exercise in the supply of nutrients. It is harder to get nutrients from one’s diet, if one severely limits caloric intake. I drink diet drinks but am trying to cut down on them as much as possible. I have already validated starches in one’s diet. Tubers, whole grains and legumes are all very healthy foods, but they are not very low in calories. Of course that is not an issue for me, but these foods do contradict a calorie restriction philosophy. Do you disagree with Joel Fuhrman, who states that while whole grains are healthy, that nuts and seeds along with legumes may be healthier, because of a lower glycemic index? Here he spoke of consuming about 2.5 ounces of nuts and seeds a day. Seeds, such as flax, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds are all integral parts of his diet. Is he wrong?Last things first, Daniel. Dr. Fuhman is more than wrong, he tells lies! I never heard of him until your mention so I went to his web site. You don’t need the vitamins and other supplements he’s peddling. He’s nobody to me. End of subject. We’re not communicating. I am not an expert on nutrition. I rely on Dr. John McDougall for the application of nutritional science. When I speak in an “authoritarian voice”, I am usually just the messenger quoting or para-phrasing Dr. McDougall. I also cite studies Dr. Greger has written about or presented videos on. I am however, very knowledgeable on exercise. training a week will, if done properly, cause the maximum amount of strength to develop. The exercise is a great supplement for dieting for many reasons we both have spoken of. It does aid weight loss but most anyone can lose tremendous amounts of weight without exercise. You rely on your belief system and I on science. I would advise anyone trying to lose weight to walk an hour six days a week to supplement their starch based diet. After a few weeks I’d alternate walking with weight training. Whether it’s low carb or high protein, the weight will come off nicely if calories are restricted sufficiently. If you exercise two hours each day the weight will still come off nicely but the exercise does not deserve the credit. Again, to confirm this truth you need only look at a table of calories burned vs each exercise to see it’s a long haul with just exercise. It would benefit you to read Dr. McDougall thoroughly. If you have questions you can email him. I guarantee he will answer you personally in a few hours or a day or so. It’s counterproductive for you to treat your enlarged prostate with plant food or medicine and still drink diet colas. Diet cola is a heavy duty diuretic. Break the addiction and you won’t have to get up so often at night.. Diet drinks do not satisfy the body’s need for water like water does. Dieting correctly is very important for obese people. Yes, restricting calories restricts nutrients. To me it makes more sense to restrict calories for a couple-three months and get the weight off than to struggle most of one’s life with a weight problem. If you count calories you learn about food and discover what you actually need to be healthy. I don’t consider that restrictive. The alternative is to eat excess calories force feeding for certain nutrients. In a sense it’s nothing more than self medicating. Again, as I said previously, it’s my opinion “restricting calories” is a poor name for what I advocate…which is eating what is need and nothing more….no hands-full of nuts and flax seeds. BTW, how do you eat the flax seeds?McDougall and Fuhrman know each other very well. I guess Fuhrman doesn’t agree with McDougall in being grain and starch based- he rather is vegetable based. Greger speaks well of Fuhrman. I admit it is a turnoff that he sells supplements and Greger does this website without pay. I would just say that I totally agree on counting calories. I weigh and measure my food STILL after being in maintenance for 4 years. This has really helped to keep the weight OFF. I also think a person can consume *some* plant based non saturated fat IF they count their calories. The main thing is that the portion sizes will be smaller than they are for starches. Non starchy vegetables, of course can have very large portions. Usually one should use spoons to measure fatty foods, but cups to measure starchy foods. To be honest, one can even lose weight consuming junk food if they count their calories. Such as the twinkie diet and there was someone else losing weight eating at McDonalds by counting calories. I lost weight consuming over 2000 calories a day. If I sat on my behind while losing weight, I am sure I would have had to consume fewer than 2000 a day. This is less sustainable. Even if a person just burns an extra 500 to 1000 calories a day by exercise- that eliminates the need for any “crash” diet. Not exercising practically necessitates crash dieting for weight loss. You may not advocate crash diets, but I am just arguing against a dieting, no exercise approach. Exercise can also enable a person to eat BOTH starches and non saturated plant fats. I could only lose about 30 pounds without exercising very much in my 40’s. When I was younger, I could lose more. Also, look at the difference that I am making for the environment by bicycling to work. This cuts down on greenhouse gases in a major metro area of Atlanta. Of course, not eating animals helps the environment as well. I eat flax on my oatmeal. Daily sustained exercise, counting calories and eating only high fiber plants and microorganisms is a great formula for weight loss. I am trying to eliminate diet sodas. Do you have any suggestions for a falling white blood cell count? I know I don’t have AIDS.Most medical doctors are not trained to provide nutritional knowledge ort preventive medicine. They ARE, however, trained to do the blood workup and other lab tests to diagnose and treat a “falling white blood cell count”. I am not!White blood cells fight germs and viruses. One benefit of a plant based diet is to strengthen the immune system. Given the right foods the body is better able to fight off whatever it’s exposed to and heal itself. Not resting between exercise can tax the immune system so it doesn’t do its job. When I rode my mountain bike every day I got weaker. I rested two weeks (no exercise) and afterwards the same bike ride was faster and I felt stronger…like my endurance had grown 30% Exercise tears the body down. It’s the rest between exercise that grows it stronger. (Insufficient recovery period and you grow weaker, not stronger.)If my white blood cell count was of concern I’d have my blood tested today (as a baseline marker) and stop all exercise, and retest in a couple weeks. More importantly, I’d find the right doctor and learn what tests are possible and what each determines. Keep in mind, a true vegan will have several blood markers different from meat eaters. A doctor not versed in a plant based diet might be bewildered by some of the blood numbers. Remember, the “norms” for some tests differ because they are based on a population of meat and dairy eaters. Besides, what is accepted as normal might be on the cusp of being bad. A doctor who practices preventive medicine and advocates a plant based diet is familiar with what your numbers should be.When the body is ill it needs it resources to heal. If you are eating too many calories then energy is expended digesting and eliminating food not really needed for optimal health. There’s a penalty for over eating, even the good stuff. It has to be passed through the body. Your body is like the 911 emergency system, it can’t fully focus on emergencies if resources are diverted to non-emergency issues. Dr. Fuhrman’s expensive vitamins and supplements, for example, have to be eliminated. It’s a waste of money and bodily resources. Besides, your urine should be fairly clear, indicating you are drinking enough water. You can’t even do that simple urine observation because the vitamins color your urine.I think you might be over training and over-eating and you can easily address those concerns if you choose. However, you cannot self-diagnose a medical concern. You’re priority today should be to find the right doctor and determine what’s going on.I found this article about how Vegans often have lower white blood cell counts than omnivores. http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/wbc My doctor said I shouldn’t be too concerned about it. This article also states it usually shouldn’t be of any concern. I hardly ever get any infections or colds anyway. Maybe this can settle our argument. Nuts don’t seem to make me gain fat, as perhaps meat, cheese, fried foods and pastries would. However, eating nuts can prevent or slow down weight loss. When I started eating nuts, I stopped losing weight, but I didn’t gain weight, either. I have lost 10 pounds more over 4 years, so this is very gradual. I am not trying to lose weight, so I can eat more. Fuhrman, who you don’t like suggests not eating more than one ounce if one was trying to lose weight. He said a person could eat more if they were just maintaining their weight. I looked at a review of the Starch Solution and I don’t quarrel with any food that he includes on his diet. Sweet potatoes are a fantastic food to include, for instance. I agree on being against oils, because they are high in empty calories, but he doesn’t completely ban nuts but they are limited, but a person might choose not to eat them at all if they were trying to lose weight. Doing as much exercise as I do, which I do upon my doctor’s recommendation has not hurt me at all and has been immensely helpful to me. Becoming plant based added an additional benefit. If I was overeating, I would be gaining weight and my triglycerides and blood sugar would be high. My blood sugar, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides are trending downwards and are already within normal ranges. I bet the volume of food on the McDougall diet is not any less than my own and therefore my diet isn’t any harder on my digestive system than yours would be. Anyway, it is MEAT that is most detrimental to the digestive system, and neither one of us eat that. Neither my diet nor yours therefore is hard on the digestive system. A dietitian at work state she knew a woman who didn’t eat any plant foods, but only meat and soup and her digestive system shut down. She never said that plant foods were hard on the digestive system.Your article reaffirms blood test numbers for vegans can be different than meat eaters. Their “normal” isn’t really normal for humans. It’s just common for meat eaters.as low (guess I forgot the details until your reminder).So, you think you’ve run our of arguments, eh? One of the rule for debate is to keep repeating the facts.You still aren’t quite on the same page with me on nut consumption. We don’t “eat the same calories, just different foods”, as you suggest. You eat many more calories than me. My thoughts are it’s because you eat so many nuts. Your fat consumption is higher for the same reason. Eat too many beans and you are eating unneeded protein. You have to not eat a lot of rice to make room for the nut fat you eat.There are plenty of folks on a starch based diet who don’t eat nuts and don’t exercise like you and their HDL is good.I’m glad your white blood cell count is not an issue. Mine was low too and my doctor was stumped until I told him I was a vegan. If you want to see your doctor break out in a sweat eat some bets and drink the juice the day before your next physical. When he sees the “blood” in your urine he’ll go into panic mode.Fuhrman’s books are great for people that don’t know anything about diet. A great place to start. I look the other way regarding his vitamin promotion.His vitamin promotion is an integral part of his philosophy. Leaving that out is like picking and choosing which Commandments you want to follow to be a good Christian. It doesn’t work that way. Hmmm, I follow Dr. McDougall, but instead of a starch based diet mine is balony and cheese based. (everything else is the same).I believe he promotes the same supplements that Dr Greger does. Have you by chance looked into that? Granted he sells them but…..“Granted he sells them but…” …what?Not so fast! Dr. Fuhrman sells and advocates a long list of vitamins and supplements.(pills). Are you saying Dr. Greger is on board with all of them? Keep in mind, Dr. Greger “reports the news” and adds commentary. It could be easy to blur the line between what he is reviewing in his videos and articles and what he personally practices in regards to “vitamins”. He has several videos on individual vitamins and just one video labeled “vitamins”. Most of that video talks about the benefits of beans for colon and even breast cancer prevention. He even isolated phytic acid as the secret weapon in beans, nuts, etc., that offers so much protection. Only towards the very end does he even mention vitamins saying the phytons act like vitamins.I’m not going to review all Dr. Greger’s vitamin videos but as I recall he is similar to Dr. McDougall. that is, they are skeptical thinking that we can extract a handful of vitamins and reproduce a chemical version, or even extract the genuine vitamin (or nutrient) and get the same (or full) benefit, as though we ate the whole food and its thousands of component parts. What’s in our food is still a mystery on many levels. And just how our whole foods benefits us is a greater mystery. How arrogant and foolish to think we can bottle it.I was trying to link Dr Gregers recommendations on his list but I can’t find it and off to work. But off the top of my head. Vit D depending on how close to the equator you live, of course Vit B12, algae oil. That might be it. Dr Fuhrman–Vit D, Omega 3, B12,(page 184 Eat For Health) looks about the same. :-) I really don’t want to argue about someone you aren’t familiar with. And I am not going to compare 2 amazing doctors. They each make money in different ways. But they both advocate great eating. As I said before until you know a bit more about Dr Fuhrman this conversation doesn’t really make sense.Dr. Fuhrman’s views are as foreign to me as the Paleo diet. You say, “looks about the same”, comparing Dr. Fuhrman and Dr. Greger but it isn’t even close. Dr. Fuhrman’s web site is full of vitamins and nutrients he recommends you buy. He charges a fee to belong to his insiders group Dr. Greger operates a non-profit. His livelihood isn’t dependent upon swaying you to buy a bottle of his pills. He puts the info out there and YOU decide.Dr. Greger, like Dr. McDougall says “get nutrients from whole foods, then, in some instances take a pill.” (B-12 Dr. for McDougall). You skipped over the huge number of pills Dr. Fuhrman is peddling. He’s a modern day snake oil salesman. maybe instead of taking sunshine supplements in pill form we should get some extra sun in the winter. How many pills equals sunshine?I’m familiar with Dr’s. McDougall, Greger, and Fuhrman. I simply have not read Dr. Fuhrman’s books. I’m very familiar with his position on nutrition topics having listened to his videos and watched him insult Dr. McDougall in a debate. Why fill my head with any more of his nonsense?I’m infinitely more knowledgeable about nutrition than most medical doctors. And most dietitians believe mostly what they are taught in college (the food pyramid). Even given the right knowledge they won’t jeopardize their careers speaking out. Instead, they parrot what the meat and dairy industries have brow beaten and intimidated our government to promote (about how important meat and dairy is for health…and the importance of eating a balanced diet with moderation of all foods).Frankly, it is you who aren’t familiar with the three doctors. You’ve gone from small talk to “I don’t want to argue with the uninformed”. You are mistaken. Believe as you wish but don’t waste time seeking affirmation from me. Fuhrman does not advocate great eating. He advocates you buy his pills. He advocates Dr. McDougall is wrong about a starch based diet. He advocates eating animals. What is the “great” part?I stated Fuhrman’s views based on his words. When you dismiss be as not knowing about Dr. Fuhrman, or claim I am wrong about Dr. McDougall or Dr. Greger, you are in reality dismissing those doctors as I am only parroting their views.Oh, I’m already at work.In the words of John Mcdougall regarding fuhrman, essylsten can campbell, “I would like you to join me in recognizing and commending the efforts of all three men for effectively communicating to the world’s population the importance of eating a primarily plant foods diet. Now it is time for our common goals to be recognized and our differences to be set aside. ” https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl/aug/wars.htmNot even Dr. McDougall is at war with this man, I feel that you are going over the top with your post hating on fuhrman. They have very similar nutrition viewsMcDougall Diet (by John McDougall, MD): Based on starches, vegetables, and fruits. Healthy, trim people can eat some nuts, seeds, and avocados. Animal foods for holidays, at most. Emphasis is on eating starches.Fuhrman Diet (by Joel Fuhrman, MD): Based on green and yellow vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds. Not always low in fat. Small amounts of animal foods allowed. Emphasis is on eating “nutrient-dense” greens.I don’t think these are that wildly different, no where in that description does it say supplements are required to be successful on the diet, because its not.Dr. McDougall is always a gentleman and as you pointed out, respectful of all. That’s why it’s even more perplexing for me to see Dr. Fuhrman attack Dr. McDougall and his starch based diet.“Eating animal food” (Fuhrman)…and “not eating animal food” (McDougall) is not similar. Who in the U.S.A. eats “a little” animal food? How much is a little? Dr. McDougall points out eating a little is a stepping stone to eating a lot.Agreed, supplements are not needed to be healthy. Tell that to Fuhrman. Fuhrman sells unneeded supplements for selfish profit. He even has Doc Hollywood (Dr. Oz) endorse him on his web site.Dr. Oz yesterday “announced” he learned he has a high mercury content in his body from eating fish. (Duh, who’d of guessed.) He claimed he has a world renound chef (aren’t they all by now) on the show to tell us which fish are safe to eat. The guy showed how to prepare sardines with oil and salmon with oil. He never got around to talking about if they were “safe” or the mercury content. It was just another episode of Dr. Oz shamelessly promoting meat and oil. He’s a lot slippery since he got chewed on the behind by Congress. Since his public flogging he’s the “victim” …so many crooks using his name”. Poor Doc Hollywood. His endorsement to a serious nutrition based doctor is the kiss of death.Dr. McDougall is always a gentleman and treats others with respect. That’s why I find it so offensive Dr. Fuhrman insults Dr. McDougall and the starch based diet he’s practiced and shared (for free) all these years. How are these “similar nutrition view” (Fuhrman…”eat meat”) (McDougall…”don’t eat meat or oli or dairy”. You saying Fuhrman’s supplements aren’t needed for health doesn’t stop him from selling them.Fuhrman has limitations on meat but has a plant centered diet, they are really not that different. I am with you on the McDougall diet, but I don’t think its necessary to chop on Fuhrman, his diet is also quite successful in many of the same ways McDougall’s diet is for others.What is Dr. Fuhrman’s “limitation on meat”? Everyone who eats meat has a limitation, by budget, appetite, etc. Unless the dieter satisfies their hunger through plant consumption the limit on meat will be reached when the eater fills full. I did a quick search and several doctors are critical of Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritional promotions. My take is that because Dr. Fuhrman was once a prima donna ice skater before taking up medicine… later than most would, he seeks the attention he once got on the ice by challenging authority figures like Dr. McDougall. Again Toxins, if you understood the starch based nutrition plan Dr. McDougall recommends and practices you would not call it similar to Dr. Fuhrman’s inclusive meat-eating regimin.slider1: re: “What is Dr. Fuhrman’s “limitation on meat”? Just like McDougall has limitations on nut eating and specifies what that limited amount is, Fuhrman does the same thing. I just attended a lecture by Fuhrman where he listed bullet points outlining his diet recommendations. One bullet point said something like “0 to 3 small servings a week of animal products” and another bullet said “no dairy”. In Fuhrman’s Eat to Live book (that I purchased, just like I purchased Dr. McDougall’s several books), the 6 week plan on p 284 of my copy allows no animal products at all.As stated earlier, if you actually read Dr. Fuhrman’s books, you would see that he takes a lot of time explaining to people the problem with animal products and does a lot to discourage people from eating them. You may want Dr. Furhman to go as far as McDougall does to discourage people from eating animal products, but there is a place in this world for Dr. Fuhrman’s approach.The people responding to you all understand McDougall’s plan. And we all endorse it (to my knowledge). And we all see how the similarities between McDougall’s and Fuhrman’s plans/recommendations are far bigger and far more important than the differences. So, you have to ask yourself, is it really that everyone else who studies and understands nutrition is just plain wrong? Or are you the one who is wrong? Are your personal feelings against Dr. Fuhrman (because he offended you the way he talked about Dr. McDougall) affecting your ability to objectively analyze the information he presents? Are you personal feelings preventing you from learning about the many patient success stories Dr. Furhman has had and that sound exactly like the success stories Dr. McDougall has had?I have my own issues against Dr. Fuhrman. He’s not my favorite nutrition doctor by far. But I still went to his lecture and found more good than bad.The world is round I tell you! Not so fast, Christoff Columbo, all the members of the flat earth society can’t be wrong. The nerve of that guy claiming the world was round. Silly man. Fast forward a few hundred years and the same reasoning is still employed “majority rules”. Fact is, several medical doctors disagree with Dr. Fuhrman. For example, Dr. Peter A. Lipson, MD. “Your Disease Your Fault”. Dr. McDougall also disagrees with Dr. Fuhrman, however he is much more respectful to Dr. Fuhrman than Dr. Fuhrman is when he confronts Dr. McDougall. Type in a search for complaints about Dr. Fuhrman and they are diverted to HIS web site under the guise, “Is Dr. Fuhrman a Quack”. He high jacks the search and then sells his story once again. Nope, for y’all who’s keeping score it’s not me against the flat eat=rth society. It’s a number of medical doctors critical of Dr. Fuhrman. I’m not mortally wounded because Dr. Fuhrman is confrontationally critical of Dr. McDougall, he’s protecting his empire, after all. I’m simply asking why the focus is on my observation of Dr. Fuhrman’s behavior instead of his criticism of medical doctors who disagree with his position on eating meat and selling vitamins? How can anyone honestly claim they understand Dr. McDougall’s nutritional views and still ascertain they are similar to Dr. Fuhrmans? The differences are big. the ethics are big. I’m critical of Dr. Fuhrman for peddling vitamins and the retort is “Dr. McDougall sells a n app with 875 vegan recipes for $4.99. My personal feelings do not change the facts. I’ve cited the facts and you reduce them to “personal feeling”. Maybe what is going on is it’s hard to adjust to reality when some are confronted with it. If these two doctors are so similar then Dr. McDougall should just retire, enjoy life knowing Dr. Fuhrman will continue his fine work. If the two agreed so much they wouldn’t be debating. Dr. Fuhrman wouldn’t be challenging Dr. McDougall. And Dr. McDougall wouldn’t appear so frustrated (to me) restating his case for a starch based diet. As stated previously, I don’t need to actually read his books since I have actually viewed his videos, including his debate with Dr. McDougall. those are unedited, off the cuff. they’re REAL! The real acid test isn’t my opinion or the opinion of the flat earth society. The real acid test is a function of time. At the end of our lifetime will our arteries be clean or contaminated with animal fat? We’ve all seen the pretty lady with the milk mustache proclaim, “Milk does a body good”. They don’t show her at ager 98 drinking three glasses a day. I still don’t know the benefits of eating the meat Dr. Fuhrman suggests. Any questions I ask can better be answered by Dr.McDougall. I guess if you want to eat meat Dr.Fuhrman is your guy. He gives permission to violate Dr. McDougall’s teachings. How much meat does he recommend for optimal health? More importantly, how many followers can actually limit themselves to that quality? I guess if your standard is “more good than bad” Dr. Fuhrman fills the bill. But as one respondent said, “I just skip what he says about taking supplements”…well that’s like saying, “I’m catholic but there’s a couple-three Commandments I ignore.” Seriously?Still going strong on this conversation I see. And I see you still aren’t familiar with Dr Fuhrman’s Eat For Health. He would recommend and prefer that people don’t eat meat. But as Toxins states below the small amount that Fuhrman allows will not hurt someone.So this last Christmas I was at a party when I see this beautiful healthy looking woman walking towards me. I finally recognized that she was actually a friend who had lost 225 pounds. She tells me she had been following Eat to Live and Dr Fuhrman. She doesn’t eat meat. If you have never seen The Quack report then I can see why you mentioned that above. Many alternative doctors are listed there. I wouldn’t recommend that for your source of reliable doctors.I have many patients who have made slow changes to less animal. Overtime they have embraced the concepts. This one man in particular was all about The South Beach Diet. I am still having to explain to him why it is ok to have a baked potato. He went from having dairy/cheese and meat daily to now eating primarily vegetables, legumes, fruit, and a small serving of sushi/fish one time per week. This staged approach isn’t unreasonable. I forwarded him Dr Greger’s video from yesterday and I suspect that he will soon be even dropping the fishI’m simply politely answering your, and other posts directed to me. that means YOU are still going strong.One caveat: My posts aren’t displaying to me after I restart my computer so I may be reposting some posts totally unaware. If so, sorry!I have read that Dr. Fuhrman advocates eating fish. Therefore your weight loss example was not following his regimen.What I was trying to say about quackery is that when I type into a search window, “Dr. Fuhrman, quack”, it takes me to a PRO Fuhrman web site, complete with his photo and I am indoctrinated as to why Dr. Fuhrman is not a quack. I didn’t say I thought he was one. I’m not suggesting anything of the sort. He’s a trained medical doctor who is greedy and want’s to be number one. Unfortunately he compromises the science to entice more members to join his pay-as you-go club and sell his supplements like candy. Those who claim to disagree have not explained the long term consequences of supplements.My experience is it’s easier to give up meat and dairy cold turkey. The secret is to never get hungry…easily done eating the McDougall starch based diet. Most (in my opinion) meat eaters reluctant to give up meat (the “I’d rather die” bunch.),is far based. “How do I get my protein.” or how do I live without protein.” or, “I’ll always be hungry.” I explain how little protein they actually need and what the excess meat and dairy protein is doing to their bones and kidneys. Then I tell them to plan on eating all the meat they want 9in theory…but, first eat the starch based meal they prepare. After eating if they are still hungry then hog out on meat. they’re never hungry. Hunger means guaranteed diet failure..Dr. McDougall says “no meat”. I agree. Having said that, he (and I) are not anal…I’m not anyway. He eats a slice of turkey at thanksgiving. I do the same. Otherwise my extended family feels I’m missing out. It makes them uncomfortable if I find fault with their food. So I don’t. I eat turkey on very special holidays. I don’t think I’m a hypocrite. I have not eaten cow parts in thirty years. (unless they were fed to turkeys without my knowledge.)Please stop characterizing me as “unfamiliar with Fuhrman’s books. If he plagiarized dr. McDougall, I’d still fault him for his videos and selling supplements, and getting Dr. Oz to endorse his web site, et al. His book won’t redeem him. If I read his book and didn’t see the other I might be gushing all over him (not). Maybe you’re just trying to prove how two-faced number two can be?Slider you do know that Dr Greger went on Dr Oz right? And actually Dr Fuhrman talks about how polluted fish actually is. I say read the book because you might find McDougall and Fuhrman have more in common than you think. I tend to eat more like what Dr Greger and Fuhman recommends because they both stress nutrient density. I tend to not eat much processed foods like pasta/bread etc. And Fuhrman wouldn’t stress meat because it is so low on the points scale he has come up with. (nutrient per calorie) These guys lecture together on panels you know. I think you have a grudge that McDougall probably doesn’t share.He was in the audience…didn’t quite make it on the stage with Doc Hollywood. Funny segment, Oz flip-flops on one of the supplements he recommends. He went from yea to nay. Turns out his recommendation kills people. Dr. Greger toned down his message on meat to “the three R’s, the first being “reduce” meat. One big Mac instead of two, I guess. I wish Dr. Greger would speak on whether his message was screened or scripted, or modified, or weakened, or limited by the Oz crowd as a condition to be on the show. Or did he just decide to be prudent and not shock the meat lovers with reality? I’d like to see Dr. McDougall on OZ. I’ve wondered why not. I once ask them to contact Dr. McDougall and consider him. He’s most excellent at getting his point in without being so obvious or offensive to meat eaters. Personally I think Oz is afraid to have McDougall on air. Seriously, veganmonster..err, veggiepoo, stop with the nagging. Do you suppose if Dr’s. Fuhrman and McDougall has so much in common they’d be arguing about it? Get real. I SAW Fuhrman in action. He’s not yet over his second place on the ice rink. Got beat by Tonya Harding; he claims she tuned him up a little before his big event. I can’t say Dr. McDougall and I share anything. I accept his perspective on nutrition. I respect his commitment. He’s not wishy-washy. He doesn’t say “meat is bad but if you’re gonna, your’re gonna. but just three times every week for a whole year; or about 156 hamburgers mixed and matched with fish sandwiches, or the equivalent in BBQ chicken wings….and it’s still about the same as a starch based diet.He was in the audience…didn’t quite make it on the stage with Doc Hollywood. Funny segment, Oz flip-flops on one of the supplements he recommends. He went from yea to nay. Who knew his recommendation was killing the audience.Dr. Greger toned down his message on meat to “the three R’s, the first being “reduce” meat. One big Mac instead of two, I guess. I wish Dr. Greger would speak on whether his message was screened or scripted, or modified, or weakened, or limited by the Oz crowd as a condition to be on the show. Or did he just decide to be prudent and not shock the meat lovers with reality?I’d like to see Dr. McDougall on Oz. I’ve wondered why not. I once ask them to contact Dr. McDougall and consider him. He’s most excellent at getting his point in without being so obvious or offensive to meat eaters. Personally I think Oz is afraid to have McDougall on air.Seriously, veganmonster..err, veggiepoo, stop with the nagging. Do you suppose if Dr’s. Fuhrman and McDougall has so much in common they’d be arguing about it? Get real. I SAW Fuhrman in action. He’s not yet over his second place on the ice rink. Got beat by Tonya Harding; he claims she tuned him up a little before his big event.I can’t say Dr. McDougall and I share anything. I accept his perspective on nutrition. I respect his commitment. He’s not wishy-washy. He doesn’t say “meat is bad but if you’re gonna, your’re gonna. but just three times every week for a whole year; or about 156 hamburgers mixed and matched with fish sandwiches, or the equivalent in BBQ chicken wings….but put some broccoli sprouts on it to kill the cooties and it’s still about the same as a starch based diet.Dr. Greger was in the audience…didn’t quite make it on the stage with Doc Hollywood. Funny segment, Oz flip-flops on one of the supplements he recommends. He went from yea to nay. Who knew his recommendation was killing the audience.Dr. Greger toned down his message on meat reducing it to “the three R’s, the first being “reduce” meat. One big Mac instead of two, I guess. I wish Dr. Greger would speak on whether his message was screened or scripted, or modified, or weakened, or limited by the Oz crowd as a condition to be on the show. Or did he just decide to be prudent and not shock the meat lovers with reality?I’d like to see Dr. McDougall on Oz. I’ve wondered why not. I once ask them to contact Dr. McDougall and consider him. He’s most excellent at getting his point in without being so obvious or offensive to meat eaters. Personally I think Oz is afraid to have McDougall on air.Seriously, veganmonster..err, veggiepoo, stop with the nagging. Do you suppose if Dr’s. Fuhrman and McDougall has so much in common they’d be arguing about it? Get real. I SAW Fuhrman in action. He’s not yet over his second place on the ice rink. Got beat by Tonya Harding; he claims she tuned him up a little before his big event.I can’t say Dr. McDougall and I share anything. I accept his perspective on nutrition. I respect his commitment. He’s not wishy-washy. He doesn’t say “meat is bad but if you’re gonna, your’re gonna. but just three times every week for a whole year; or about 156 hamburgers mixed and matched with fish sandwiches, or the equivalent in BBQ chicken wings….but put some broccoli sprouts on it to kill the cooties and it’s still about the same as a starch based diet.veganrunner, you do understand that a vegan who eats meat three times a week is really a vegetarian, at best. Vegetarians don’t fare any better than full blown meat eaters health-wise. Incidentally, from time-to-time when Dr. Greger is doing his video he sometimes says “vegan” and during he same video he says “vegetarian”. I get confused and don’t know if he attributing the results of a particular study to a meat and veggie diet or an all plant diet. That makes it hard for ME to be sure what his views are (sometimes).Oh, Veganrunner, your South Beach Diet convert…concerning his “staged” approach to eating healthy, there is no reason to stage the transition if his belly is full. It will always be on the McDougall starch based plan. The television stations are hitting the “pink” money drive “to cure cancer” this week. Poor Joan Lundon is in treatment. The media folks, the one’s paid to spread the word, are ignorant about what’s causing their diseases. Could it be they are so indoctrinated with reading the 30 second sound bites that they only believe what they say on a cook show? (Rhetorical only).Slider you are assuming everyone thinks like you. Believe me they don’t. Most people, as I am sure you know, hate change and the idea that they have been doing it wrong all along is very difficult for some. I also went cold turkey with the help of my friends on this website. Well I guess that isn’t accurate. I had given up diary many years before. But for the general population suggesting they give up meat is a crazy idea. First you have to believe that everything you were previously taught is wrong. Hard to do for most.That’s possible, veganrunner (not) but it’s more likely you think you can read minds. What am I thinking right now? ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…………………..See, gocha. “People hate change”? Where have I heard that before? Hmmm, I know, Oh, I just wrote it. Did you peek? I’ll give you a little insight and just flat out tell you what I think. I think your “patient” needs an authoritarian figure he has confidence in because when it comes to weight loss he’s in over his head. You made up a plan and he’s following it. If you tell him it’s the “Magic Incremental Segway from Meat” technique developed especially for difficult cases like his and so far…it has worked 100% of the time, he’s not going to disappoint you. You thought it up so it ingenious. On the other had, there’s silly me. what do I know? I can’t even understand how Cain and Able are alike. Yet, it appears I might have been “thinking”. But was I really? Anatomical body functions don’t require my thought. I just breath, for example. Eating can be the same way. Or we can “think” about it. When we think it through we realize we might starve on a vegan diet…not get enough protein, might not even be a “man”; real men DO eat meat. But what if we don’t think about dieting or weight loss or eating to be healthy? “Thinking” when we don’t really have the answers makes us neurotic. We’re controlled by fear. What if…perhaps instead we think of some sneaky way to trick the body into giving up meat we just…oh, I don’t know…maybe, well, for example, just eat starches until we are FULL…That’s it eat low calorie starches and some greens until we are content. Our little bellies are bulging and we couldn’t even think about eating meat. If we die from lack of protein, well, who cares, we’re on a dopamine high so nothing matters…at least we aren’t hungry. After filling up on starches we can take a walk and later a nap and if we don’t die from lack of meat, eventually we’ll get hungry and we can do it again. The only problem I see with the plan is it doesn’t require a lot of thinking. maybe you can jazz it up a little.That’s possible, veganrunner (not) but it’s more likely you think you can read minds. What am I thinking right now? ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…………………..See, gocha.“People hate change”? Where have I heard that before? Hmmm, I know, Oh, I just wrote it. Did you peek?I’ll give you a little insight and just flat out tell you what I think. I think your “patient” needs an authoritarian figure he has confidence in because when it comes to weight loss he’s in over his head. You made up a plan and he’s following it. If you tell him it’s the “Magic Incremental Segway from Meat” technique developed especially for difficult cases like his and so far…it has worked 100% of the time, he’s not going to disappoint you. You thought it up so it ingenious. On the other had, there’s silly me. what do I know? I can’t even understand how Cain and Able are alike. Yet, it appears I might have been “thinking”. But was I really? Anatomical body functions don’t require my thought. I just breath, for example. Eating can be the same way. Or we can “think” about it. When we think it through we realize we might starve on a vegan diet…not get enough protein, might not even be a “man”; real men DO eat meat. But what if we don’t think about dieting or weight loss or eating to be healthy? “Thinking” when we don’t really have the answers makes us neurotic. We’re controlled by fear. What if…perhaps instead we think of some sneaky way to trick the body into giving up meat we just…oh, I don’t know…maybe, well, for example, just eat starches until we were FULL…That’s it eat low calorie starches and some greens until we are content. Our little bellies are bulging and we couldn’t even think about eating meat. If we die from lack of protein, well, who cares, we’re on a dopamine high so nothing matters…at least we aren’t hungry. After filling up on starches we can take a walk and later a nap and if we don’t die from lack of meat, eventually we’ll get hungry and we can do it again.The only problem I see with the plan is it doesn’t require a lot of thinking. maybe you can jazz it up a little.Thea, nuts do not have the contaminants found in meat, nor are nuts as high in harmful protein. Nuts are not raised in cages or have their beaks clipped off so they don’t peck themselves to death when they go crazy from being trapped in a one-foot cage. Nuts aren’t fed the remains of other animals. Nuts wouldn’t even get infected with fecal matter if we didn’t handle animal products. Chicken, for example, is so contaminated with bacteria we are advised to never wash it (for fear of spreading the germs in the kitchen. Instead we are supposed to kill the germs and other contaminants before we eat the meat. I see a difference between nut limitations and meat limitations. When you over eat nuts you’re not over eating contaminated meat. Feeding animals on such a large commercial scale is polluting our water with fertilizers and fecal waste. Most grain is grown to feed livestock.For one tenth the grain it takes to feed animals we could feed ourselves directly with the grain (and avoid the diseases). The conversion factor from grain to meat is very costly to our environment, our wallet, and our health.A leader does not lecture against a nutritional practice and then say, “well then, in that case, , smoke em if ya got em.” Leaders set an example and keeps repeating the message. Eating meat and buying Fuhrman’s supplements is not similar to not eating meat and not taking supplements. Besides, who eats 0 to 3 small servings a week of meat? What is a small serving? Why zero servings? Why not 1 to 3 small servings? Does his plan expect the nutritional plants to offset the bad from the meats? Or is he just submitting to poplar pressure to gain followers?As I stated earlier, I have viewed his videos and his debate with Dr. McDougall. The videos are spontaneous, off-the-cuff and represent his views. The books are highly edited and proofed. What might I learn from the books that undoes his combative nature with Dr. McDougall, for instance?What you consider a “small difference” is paramount. Fuhrman says eat meat. McDougall says, “Don’t eat meat”. If they are so alike then McDougall can retire and Fuhrman can continue his fine work.The sailor spoke, “The world is round.” (Laughter). “Nonsense”, replied the flat earth society, “we all know it’s flat, Chris Cristoffo, next you’ll claim the Earth orbits the Sun.” (Laughter). Maybe the problem is some folks have trouble accepting a different point of view. It’s hard to accept being wrong. It’s hard to accept change. If we all eat zero to three “small” servings of meat each week the national health would surely improve. But isn’t that like asking a two pack a day smokers to limit themselves to between zero and three cigarettes a day? Fuhrman is just giving permission for millions to eat all the meat they want. He’s saying, “Smoke em if you’ve got tem…but try limiting yourself to three.” Or,” keep the heroin to a minimum.”The science says the arteries will clean up if a starch based diet is followed. Has Dr. Fuhrman done his study to show the results if an obese person, one needing heart surgery, who instead eats nuts and avocados and three small servings of meat each week… and reduces starches? Show me Fuhrman’s study. While he’s doing the study be sure and measure the Mercury contamination. Dr. Oz admitted this week his Mercury level is “high”. He advocates fish every week.When I point out Dr. Fuhrman attacks Dr. McDougall’s 35 year long starch based diet I’m accused of personal attacks. I’ve seen the videos. He does indeed attack Dr. McDougall. My observation of his attack isn’t an attack. I’m just reporting what Fuhrman did. Dr. Peter Lipson is highly critical of Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritional views, as are other medical doctors. Dr. McDougall wastes a lot of his time correcting Dr. Fuhrman when they debate. His health conscious peers are critical of him.My take is the former second place ice skater is angry he’s still second place. There are more than enough traditional medical practitioners in the U.S.A. who would deny both Drs. Fuhrman and McDougall. Fuhrman is increasing his piece of the pie by giving permission for folks to sin.Type in the search phrase, “Dr. Fuhrman, quack”, and the links take you to Dr. Fuhrman’s web site where he continues to massage your noggin. I’m always concerned when someone hijacks my “quack” search and takes me to a pro Fuhrman web site to sell me. His “formula” isn’t even a formula. What numbers do I plug into Fuhrman’s silly equation H=N/C? And what are the specific results? It’s just sales hype. They call him a quack for advocating a “healthy” diet. That alone is manipulative. A healthy diet isn’t quackery, therefore does that mean he’s not wrong in his nutritional views on meat and supplements. Not at all. He’s motivated by money and recognition. He wants to be in the center of the ice rink. Maybe his values are skewed but it doesn’t make him a quack, just wrong and manipulative.Slider really needs to familiarize himself with Dr Fuhrman’s views. Yes we would prefer that everyone give up animal products from day one but for many people that is just too much to ask. Many people need to ease into it over time and that is what Eat to Health is all about. It helped with many of my family members who are now vegan.He also needs to tone down his responses to you, a couple have infringed on the posting rules of this website and have been deleted.I think it’s a big difference for our physiology and for our planet in eating small amounts of animal foods or no animal foods. Fuhrman allow animal foods just to appear less radical to the clients (in my opinion).I agree. I also think that a small percentage of calories ~5% from animal products will not hurt people, although I consume nonI should add though, Fuhrman as a character is questionable based on the mcdougall post. The diet itself is not all that terrible though.Well actually Dr Greger and Dr Fuhuman are most closely aligned. They both advocate eating the most nutritious foods. You might be splitting hairs a bit. They all 3 are amazing. Dr McDougall charges 5 dollars for his recipe app. Should I dislike him for not giving it away as Dr Greger does?Lol, and you said you didn’t want to argue with the uninformed. Dr. McDougall’s recipe app comes with 875 vegan recipes and the ability to search them by ingredients. Do you know what one recipe book costs? Most have a handful of recipes (relatively speaking) and I’m guessing McDougall will add more. Imagine the convenience of the app. How can you compare that with a lifelong obligation to buy pills instead of getting nutrients from healthy plant food? I don’t know that any of them are “aligned” or what that even infers. Each stands (or falls) on his own merits. Fuhrman advocates eating meat. Could you explain the “nutritous” aspects of meat?Dr. McDougall’s recipe app includes 875 vegan recipes and the ability to search based on ingredients. Not bad for a one-time cost of $4.95.Unneeded vitamins and supplements are a reoccurring expense for a lifetime. And we really don’t know the long term effects.I see no comparison.You might be nit picking Dr. McDougall for his wonderful recipes and app.I love them all. No problem here.Dr. McDougall’s (actually Anne’s) are free on the website. Who needs an app?Dr. Fuhrman and McDougall are close colleagues, I think it is a far stretch to call Fuhrman wrong and a nobody. They work together and have similar nutrition protocols. As Jeff Novick puts it, we are arguing the 1% difference between these doctors while the 99% similarity is really what is most important.Fuhrman can be somebody important to you (your choice). He’s nobody to me. Novick has his percentile wrong. doctors. Dr. Fuhrman called his “close colleague” “silly” in their debate. He was critical of Dr. McDougall’s “low nutrient foods”, even called the starch based diet “2nd class nutrition”. My take is Dr. Fuhrman promotes what he calls “high nutrients” and then fills the need by selling supplements. His web site promotes some meat consumption. He even claims some people are “naturally heavy”. Maybe so in his sheltered world but I’ve traveled to many third world countries an there are no heavy people except those who work for American companies and eat meat and dairy. Fuhrman is naïve while promoting a belief he cannot support with science. He claims 10% fat is unhealthy. To learn more about his views it appears one must join his inner circle by paying a monthly fee. Dr. McDougall promotes a starch based vegan diet, low in fat (10% for example) and he gives away his twelve day starter program to anyone who wishes to download it. McDougall doesn’t advocate supplements (except B-12). I don’t think Dr. Fuhrman has thought his high nutrient philosophy through. Assume we all take his pills and super charge our bodies with all that he deems important. Doesn’t he understand that, assuming it doesn’t kill us…well, at some point down the line our species will have evolved to do quite nicely on his supplements. In fact, we’ll be so evolved to need the extra nutrients we’ll all die without them. Then what’s next? Extra super duper nutrients? I am so grateful to discover Dr. McDougall twenty-five years before I heard the name Dr. Fuhrman.Hi Slider, Pick up and read one of Dr Fuhrmans books from the library. You might change your mind. Eat For Health is a good one. He has a system set up for beginners to the WFPB diet. It then progresses to stage 4. He actually points out that no animal is best. And limited supplementation. I believe similar to Dr Greger. But I agree his selling of vitamins can be an issue.Time would be better spent if you read one of Dr. McDougall’s books or spent an evening on his web site. He lists actual diseases and how they respond to a starch based diet. Please don’t think me closed minded but one of Dr. Fuhrman’s books won’t correct the misinformation I heard come out of his own mouth when he debated Dr. McDougall. Instead of pointing out that “no animal is best” he should be saying all animals are bad. His sale of supplementation isn’t limited.Suppose we all take his supplements, and each generation afterwards takes his supplements…what happens as we evolved to need his supplements?. Is the dosage doubled? Already, we’ve seen the effects of overusing medications to treat germ and virus infections. the drugs aren’t effective against the super bugs.Will future mankind not be able to make Vitamin E or other essentials because mankind evolved to use the supplements? Have we evolved so poorly that only Dr. Fuhrman can save mankind by selling us chemical supplements?I have read Dr McDougall’s book and visited his website many, many times. I didn’t say anything about Dr McDougall. I said I liked Dr Fuhrman.Agreed, you didn’t say anything about Dr. McDougall. You invited me to read Dr. Fuhrman. I explained reading him would not change his views as spoken by him. I then implied that instead of ME reading Fuhrman YOU should read McDougall. You have more to gain by reading McDougall than I by reading Fuhrman. In fact if I read Dr. Fuhrman I’ll just point out more of his nonsense. My personal opinion is he just panders to customers and sells whatever they will buy.You may have visited Dr. McDougall’s website many times but you don’t know his views. He, unlike Dr. Fuhrman is opposed to vitamins and supplements and fat.Here’s his views on vitamins: https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2010nl/may/vitamins.htmDaniel I have read many of your posts throughout the years and don’t you ride your bike as much as you do to commute to work and back?I usually do, unless the weather is bad. If there is ice on the road, I won’t. Even if I had studded tires, most cars wouldn’t have them and they might slide into me. Atlanta is not prepared for winter conditions. I also ride on my off day, even to the store. I have a back pack to put the groceries in.Good for you Daniel. You heart loves you.Veganrunner, since you are curious about bike riding I’ll share a little oddity about my bike riding experience. I ride a 15 mile route several times a week on my mountain bike. Everyone tells me to buy a lightweight bike and it will be easier. That would defeat my purpose…a sweaty workout.. If it’s 103 degrees I do my ride. One hill a over a mile long. Less often I roller blade, but the trip is twenty miles. I can honestly say the roller blade trip is less grueling than the bike ride. For two reasons, I believe. One is the bike trail I ‘blade on is relatively flat, and two, probably because I coast a bit more on blades.One year I got tired of the racers blowing by me on ‘blades wearing their peculiar bullet shaped helmets, each passing by in precision regimented unison, like those gaud awful synchronized swimmers in the Olympics. To hang with them I purchased some expensive new roller blades with “class seven bearing”…I could fly and coast forever on those things. Used them twice. They have sat in my closed for years collecting dust. I realized my mistake first trip out. One little push off with my legs and I coasted “forever”. I was indeed fast but it wasn’t a workout anymore! The class five bearing give enough resistance that I get my expected workout. The fancy blades are going on eBay, Size 11 1/2 EEE if anyone’s interested.Nice story Slider. Sounds as though you enjoy a good workout. I like to run but my husband cycles. A lot! It sounds as though you have figured out the keys to good health–WFPB and exercise. And Dr Ornish would add no stress and love.Interesting conversation you two are having. I do want to point out that Jim Fixx was fat before he started running. He was probably a heart attack waiting to happen. But he was so instrumental in the fitness craze he gets a gold star.Also, I didn’t want to sound like the Paleo crowd who states that the more fat you eat, the better. I also don’t agree with their argument that low fat diets cause weight gain, unless perhaps a person substitutes refined sugars for the fat in the diet. You probably eat complex carbs instead of fat, and this is perfectly valid. I guess I am saying that people don’t usually gain weight on the McDougall diet, and it is valid to be low fat, as long as one is getting one’s essential fatty acids- omega 3’s and 6’s, and the amount necessary is NOT that high. I also think that it isn’t absolutely necessary to be so low fat, although it is optional. I also reject the Paleo rejection of the lipid hypothesis.You are saying that carbs turn to sugar and will store as fat if not running marathons all day long. What about the people in Japan, China and other Asian countries that eat LOTS of grains and beans.. And the people in these countries are not fat unless they have adobted the SAD diet. Also the people in the blue zones eat lots of grains and beans and they are not fat either.Agreed. Point of interest is that my husband a few years was put on a statin, baby aspirin an and advised to take BP meds which he declined as we both felt it was within normal. He proceed, like many, to suffer from increasing side effects from the these drugs while restricting his intake of some foods he really enjoys like nuts, avocados etc. Last spring while he waited for his first appt. with his new family physician he’d said enough and decided in his case a trial time off the statin and then low dose aspirin was safe and needed. Within a week he felt better then he had in years. His almost daily nose bleeds went with the aspirin. His new family doctor (who specializes in and works closely with a cardiology team) reviewed his old blood work and tests along with new ones (2 months off meds) and couldn’t see why he was put on the drugs he was and given his BP was 110/70 and he’s 63 that was also not a factor. We were thrilled.His doctor gave him the OK to enjoy small handful of nuts (ideally a variety) each day, 1/4 to 1/2 an avocado a few days week and other foods he enjoyed. He has given up boxed cereal and has a bowl of Scottish oatmeal made with almond milk and with alternating toppings like flax (Dr. Greger approved), chia, ground walnuts/ pecans (Dr. Greger video says they’re highest in antioxidants), and rotating fruits. He also has new daily routine that includes going to bed and getting up a bit earlier for some quiet/ me time, and is learning to balance more. Today his BP and blood work are well within normal/ healthy by various accepted standards. He looks and feels younger then most of his friends/ peers. If you ask him a big part was to stop fearing everything he ate and learn to enjoy food and life again and not be on constant red alert. Aware yes. Fearful? No. We all have to find what works best for us.Mine is 15-20% :) Works great for me for many years. Sources are nuts, seeds, avocadoInterestingly, plant-based diets around the world vary considerably in their fat content, but the nice thing is, when it comes to reducing the risk of chronic disease, even higher-fat plant based-diets appear to be vastly superior to diets based on animal foods. And although nuts and seeds have been much-maligned due to their high fat content, research consistently demonstrates that people who regularly eat nuts are thinner, have a smaller waist circumference, healthier biomarkers (lipids, for example), and better overall health. If you are interested in more evidence on this topic, check out Nuts May Help Prevent Death, Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering, Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence, Testing the Dietary Compensation Theory, and Which Nut Fights Cancer Better?.There was a TED talk about the Paleo diet not too long ago, which also seemed to dispel a lot of the more common beliefs and set the record straight in regards to the modern Paleo diet not being the same as the true Paleo diet:http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Debunking-the-Paleo-Diet-ChristI watched the Ted talk and although the content was great and thorough I almost fell asleep (so sorry to say it.. and I am HIGHLY engaged in the topic!) We need more shareable stuff like Ted talks/ info graphics that put complex information in simple to understand & share terms to help spread knowledge like this. Do you know of any other content like that?Judy, I assume we all know about Dr. John McDougall. I’ve relied on his wisdom for over twenty years so take him for granted. https://www.drmcdougall.com/index.phpQuestion: your chart shows plant based fat intake at 29%. But, Doctor Esselstyn’s book and T Colin Campbell set their fat intake at 12%. SAD is 30+% ??Great job oversimplifying for a self satisfying conclusion! I wonder if I could teach nutrition at university too.Someone could reach 65% carbs a day and still be eating “paleo”.Not the Paleo taught by the leading figure head, Loren Cordain. Cordain says a true Paleo diet must consist of 55% animal foods. That does not leave room for 65% carbs.I think that nowaday, most promoters won’t push for a specific macronutrient ratio, but suggest to adapt it to the individual depending on the goal to achieve, lifestyle or personnal tolerence.I have a few friends that started practicing a “Paleo” diet to lose weight. Over the past year, they gained weight—a lot of weight.Good article but NEITHER the new Paleo or Vegan diets are optimal because the sodium intake on the vegan diet is still triple that of the True Paleo and much too high, vitamin B12 levels on a pure vegan diet are zero leading to eventual death from pernicious anemia unless B12 supplements are taken and if you look at the “Blue Zones” all around the world where men and women typically live in high numbers to age 90 or 100, in GOOD HEALTH, none of them are “true paleo or neo paleo” and none of them are vegan.Yes, their diet is overwhelmingly plant based but they do eat seafood and animal products weekly or monthly.So like our true paleo ancestors the best approach in today’s world is likely a plant based diet with small servings of wild seafood and/or grass fed bison or game meat that is very close in composition to the animals that true paleos ate versus the fat and pesticide laden, nutrient-deficient, modern livestock meat and farmed seafood.I agree. While reading “The Blue Zones” it really struck me how all of these health and longevity diets are similar: whole food, plant based, with no sign of the high fat Paleo type diets so popular today. Yes, collectively they eat meat, eggs, poultry, sheep/goat milk/cheese &/or fish SPARINGLY. We’re not talking every meal, or even every day, but each of these blue zone populations (Okinawa, Costa Rica, Sardinia, Seventh Day Adventists) consume small portions of animal foods weekly or monthly.Interesting! To communicate effectively the data table really needs to be updated to a bar graph, a line graph, or some other graphic that will show the comparison at a glance.Another critique of the chart is that it lists both New Paleo and Plant based diets as having 2.6 mg of riboflavin, but only the plant based diet is highlighted as closest to the True Paleo diet.Thank you so much Julie! That was a copy/paste error. The vegan diet comes out to 2.8, so indeed is closer than New Paleo to True Paleo. As is tradition on NutritionFacts.org, anyone finding an error is rewarded with a DVD of their choice (as well as undying appreciation!). Please take a pick (http://www.drgreger.org/dvds) and email Tommasina@NutritionFacts.org with your mailing address and she’ll set you up!So what is ideal? (Well, not necessarily idea, but closest to real paleolithic era diets). Something largely plant based diet with just a little bit of wild/grass fed meat? Sounds good to me. Sounds a bit like the Mediterranean diet.I have a question about the Cholesterol row in the table. If “true paleo” is 480, then “new paleo” is 828 away – while vegan would be 480 away. So, vegan wins again? Is the color on the wrong column? Or am I missing something?Good point Thea (you always have such great points!). Changing now…Congratulations Julie.Wouldn’t any ‘true paleo’ person have spent nearly every waking moment on the move? The modern paleo folks seem to believe that exercising for an hour or so about 4 times a week is sufficient. In my experience, the healthiest diet is the one that supplies what is needed but nothing more, an inactive person can thereby do just fine on a low-cal, plant-based diet; but I’ve worked in vocations which were very demanding physically, and, there simply isn’t enough time in the day to prepare and eat what is required. Accordingly, diets must be as diverse as the lives of those who have varied lifestyles and that is further complicated by varied metabolic factors.It’s interesting that so few of the writers attacking the paleo diet (such as this one and a recent one in The New Yorker) ever go to the source. The source of what you call the “New Paleo” diet is Loren Cordain, a professor at U of Colorado. As he would say, he didn’t make up the paleo diet as is the case of every other pop diet, including vegetarian and veganism, but he discovered it. Using scientific investigation he discovered how our long-ago ancestors ate during the time of the evolution of our genetics.Why do writers not go to the source? Because they’re not doing your homework, not really looking for answers, but instead setting up a straw-man to beat up with their forgone opinion that a vegetarian diet is healthier, even though it is perfectly clear that that is not the diet of our ancestors.Are there merits to eating more vegetables? Certainly. Are there merits to staying away from the standard american diet? Most definitely. Can we learn something by looking at how our genetic ancestors ate? Very much so. Are you as an individual healthier on a vegetarian diet? Maybe so, that’s for you to say. But to distort truth to proselytize vegetarianism for everyone is disingenuous at best and certainly not good science.I’ve been treating patients for 30+ years and have seen a few do very well on a vegetarian diet, but have seen many more do very poorly. We are not all the same. The nutritionist Roger Williams talked about biochemical individuality over 40 years ago. Now we know there is a genetic bases for that individuality.Personally, I think we’d do much better if we stopped creating fights between vegetarians and omnivorous and instead focused our displeasure toward the institutions that are ruining all our food – plant and animal – (and farmland, and planet): agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, processed food industry. Best of health, Tom Ballard, NDWho was it … I think it was Szilard on the Manhattan Project, who said, “Mediocre scientists should be paid not to do science.” Cordain is still waiting for his well-deserved check.You have better science or just quotes from others?What kind of vegeterian diet do you suggest to your patients ?I don’t know you, so please don’t take this as a criticism of you. This is the kind of question the medical-industrial complex has taught us to ask, as if there is one answer for everyone. You wouldn’t call a car mechanic and ask, “What kind of tuneup do you advise?” without knowing the mechanic is going to ask you what kind of car, how many miles, when was the last tuneup, any problems now, etc. So why is it we treat our bodies as if they were simpler than our cars? We are the victims of massive disinformation that undercuts our health and our ability to even ask the right questions. The medical-industrial complex wants us to recite our symptoms and receive drugs that cover up those symptoms. Again with the mechanic, we wouldn’t stand for hearing an answer like: “Your car is making a strange noise? Turn up the radio.” But that’s exactly what the typical MD advice is and their nutritional advice is, essentially, eat less protein and fat and eat more carbs, which has directly lead to an epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Don’t believe me, look up Walter Willit MD from Harvard. Tom Ballard ND SeattleMy answer as a rationale that i think you understand better than me: with the term “vegetarian diet” i could enclose a lot of different nutritional plan, eg i could eat only steamed potatoes everyday and only potatoes, i can call me “vegetarian”, but i do not think this diet is going to be sustainable for a long time. Another example: i could eat fries, refined pasta and rice, iceberg lettuce, vegan snack, a lot of vegetable oil and call me a vegan again, but probably i’m not going to succeed in my effort.And for this quote:But that’s exactly what the typical MD advice is and their nutritional advice is, essentially, eat less protein and fat and eat more carbs, which has directly lead to an epidemic of obesity and diabetes.well, i do not agreee ’cause guidelines were not followed by US citizens and even when the Mc Govern Report was published, overweigth was already a problem:http://nutrevolve.blogspot.it/2014/09/are-dietary-recommendations-wrong.htmlhttp://plantpositive.com/dietary-trends-1-nusi-guys-7/And i think to know who to blame: obsessive marketing, conflict of interests and scarce human nutrition courses in Medical Schools.So you right about disinformation, it’ really widespread and i think that sites listed below are going to help us to find the way:http://healthylongevity.blogspot.it/http://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/http://plantpositive.com/http://www.pcrm.org/https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/Best regardsYes, I agree that marketing is a problem, but my point is that the medical field should be held accountable. They have been charged with taking care of the nations health. They’ve made a great deal of money doing their thing, and yet they have consistently fallen down on their job of educating the public.Even if they had taken a nutrition class, what can you teach in a 10 minute appointment? Their loyalty is clearly elsewhere and the result of that is good people endlessly arguing about what the “best” diet is. Critical thinking is lacking.As for the your mention of the McGovern report, diabetes and obesity rates have skyrocketed since their guidelines were issued.I appreciate your effort to educate me with these websites, but again I refer yo to someone who has nothing to sell, Walter Willet, MD, head of Harvard’s nutrition. I’m not an amateur. I’ve been a professional 24/7 for 32 years. Tom Ballard, ND SeattleI do not want to educate you on nothing (maybe it’s the opposite), but only to told you about my sources and why i think that a whole food plan based diet should be a primary option for therapeutic puroposes, (of course it depends on the context).I will study Doctor Willet publications, but even i know a lot of doctors and RDs that suggests WFPB diets, and probably you know them: Caldwell Esselstyn MD, Dean Ornish MD, Joel Fuhrman MD, John McDougall MD, Neal Barnard Md, Brenda Davis RD, Jack Norris RD, David Katz MD (maybe non entirely plant based, but focused on plants), T. Colin Campbell (PhD, MS).Even they are professionals.The problem is not to sell something, but to sell something that it’s not good and i think that most of them are “selling” many good things.While talking again about the Mc Govern Report, i think you’re implying that Mc Govern guidelines were the cause of the obesity epidemic, but it’s not true ’cause US citizens do NOT followed guidelines.http://nutrevolve.blogspot.it/2014/09/are-dietary-recommendations-wrong.htmlAnd the the Mc Govern report was influenced by the “animal” industries:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/Best RegardsHi Tom, for those who do want to look him up, it is spelled Willett. The vast majority of MDs are not trained in nutrition, its true but this beginning to change and becoming a requirement. At the second annual Plant-based Nutrition Healthcare Conference over 400 MD and clinicians attended, .However, the advice dispensed by MDs as you stated “essentially, eat less protein and fat and eat more carbs, which has directly lead to an epidemic of obesity and diabetes”, is not entirely true. “There is no single, simple answer to explain the obesity patterns” in America, says Walter Willett, who chairs the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.Here is an article which challenges your belief that increases in consumption of saturated animal fat and protein will help quell the obesity epidemic. This article http://www.nutritionj.com/content/11/1/40 talks about how Sweden had previously lowered cholesterol levels by lowering animal fat consumption levels. However, recently the high animal fat Atkins diet you recommend has become a lot more popular in Sweden. Carbohydrate consumption has gone down and fat consumption has gone up in Sweden. It was thought that this diet would lead to weight loss and control of diabetes. However, it has not led to lower BMI’s in Sweden and has reversed the declines in cholesterol levels. This article states, “BMI increased continuously for both sexes, whereas serum cholesterol levels decreased during 1986 – 2004, remained unchanged until 2007 and then began to rise. The increase in serum cholesterol coincided with the increase in fat intake, especially with intake of saturated fat and fats for spreading on bread and cooking.” It concludes by stating, “Men and women in northern Sweden decreased their reported fat intake in the first 7 years (1986–1992) of an intervention program. After 2004 fat intake increased sharply for both genders, which coincided with introduction of a positive media support for low carbohydrate-high-fat (LCHF) diet. The decrease and following increase in cholesterol levels occurred simultaneously with the time trends in food selection, whereas a constant increase in BMI remained unaltered. These changes in risk factors may have important effects on primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD).” It also stated that the evidence for weight loss from low carb, high fat diets is weaker after 6 months, “Notably, the increased fat intake was not associated with any reduction or stagnation of the increasing levels of BMI in the northern Sweden population, even though several studies indicate positive effects of LCHF, i.e. weight loss in a short-term perspective [44,45]. However, evidence for weight loss effects beyond six months is lacking[44,45], and long-term safety is controversial, i.e. some studies report adverse health effects [41,46-49] and others do not [50″ You can look at pictures of Loren Cordain- he is NOT thin. Most Vegan doctors, such as Neal Barnard, Joel Fuhrman, John McDougall and Michael Greger are all thin. Also, this study shows there is a strong relationship between LDL levels and heart disease. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(05)67394-1/fulltextYou make my original point very well – that vegetarians and omnivorous and other factions are using up time and resources fighting each other instead of their real enemies: the medical and food industries.You illustrate this perfectly by challenging me on a position I NEVER MADE. I never made an argument for ANY diet for all people, yet you jump right in defending vegetarianism. I didn’t defend Loren Cordain or the Paleo diet. I just asked why people wrote articles about it without referencing the guy who discovered it.Please people, get it out of your head that everyone needs to be eating one diet and that is _____________ because of this history or that study. I’ve known this for years but know it even better now that I’m doing genetic testing and health reports on my patients. WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT. The nutritionist Roger Williams formulated this 50 years ago with his concept of Biochemical Individuality, now we have the genetic evidence to support this, Tom Ballard, ND SeattleIn this regard i think you’re right even if i do not know well the subject, probably in the future (i hope near) i will examine that field of knowledge.i have to say that Tom Ballard do not state anything about saturated fat and cholesterol at least not in this article.Daniel: I hadn’t been aware of that Sweden information. So, so fascinating. Thanks for sharing!Each brand and model car is different. There are only two basic models of humans, and even they are mostly alike in many areas. True, it wouldn’t be wise to use tune-up specs optimizes for a Chevrolet to tune a Jaguar. But then again we are not discussing tune ups. We are discussing FUEL. Most cars burn the same fuel, gasoline. Some use diesel. Any car designed to burn gasoline will run correctly on the same gas. Likewise, both models of humans burn the same fuels. Fat is the primary fuel. Glycogen is the alternate fuel. All humans, both models, will thrive on a plant based diet. One might presume this or that green vegetable, or certain fruit is indicated (for medicinal reasons) based on individual needs/illnesses. However, regardless of how much someone has caused their health to deteriorate from poor food choices, it’s safe and appropriate to suggest a basic plant based die to get back to health. Doing so eliminates the poisons ingested from eating meat and dairy. The basic plant based diet can then be adjusted to include/exclude certain plants to supplement the body’s healing process. I don’t think ‘Dr. Willit from Harvard” has a basic understanding of nutrition. If, as you claim, the “typical MD advises to eat less protein and fat and more carbs”, the health of most all American’s would be improved to the point health insurance costs would not be an issue. health care would not be an issue. Based on your expressed views, you represent the typical MD., a proponent for meat and dairy. You could benefit by watching the library of videos available to you on this web site.I think it’s possible to do very poorly on a vegetarian or vegan diet, but it’s also possible to do very well. The devil is in the details. A person could be an ethical vegan and eat absolute junk. To me the gold standard of a diet’s healthfulness and suitability is reversibility of existing coronary artery disease (which by logical extension would mean prevention thereof as well). This has been done on a wholly plant-based diet, but no other type to my knowledge.“Doing well” or “doing poorly” is subjective unless you record their cause of death and document illnesses, etc., over the years, People “do well: on a paleo or vegetarian diet if the criteria for doing well is they survive the day, the month, and even the decade. At some point, their health declines. The rate of decline is a function of what fueled their bodies over their lifetime. Vegans who avoid meat and dairy are, overall, healthy even later in life with less illness before the end of life.Larry, I’m sure you’re a good honest person who wants to do right. You’re on a mission to do right, but does it make sense for the the world health guru to broadcast: “Everybody listen, you should all be eating exactly like Larry no matter your race, sex, work, background, genetics, etc. His diet is working for him so it will work for all of us!”? The reason I know you’re on a mission, is that you didn’t respond to my message, but rather jumped in with your life lessons. And that’s what they are, and I’m happy you figured out what works for you, but your life lesson isn’t everyone’s. Tom Ballard, ND Author of Nutrition-1-2-3 and other booksNeal Armstrong had a mission. He traveled to the moon and returned safely. Do you suppose Dr. Greger has a mission? He devotes endless hours researching medical/nutritional studies and creating nutritional videos everyone can use to improve their health and educate their minds…free of bias, deception, and personal agendas. from much that I read here I can only believe the videos are under-used. Even corporations have missions. Management and workers alike are expected to know the company mission. Ford’s mission statement: “Quality is Job 1” has even been part of their advertising campaign over the years but I don’t think “honesty” is part of a mission statement. Frankly, if I have to agree with erroneous nutritional propaganda to be deemed “honest”. then I’ll pass. Rather that attest to my honesty, or someone else’s “dishonesty, I prefer to discuss nutritional facts and beliefs. Leave the girl talk to Rush Limbaugh and Shaun Hannity. I think they are having a contest to see who can say “Obama” the most times in six years.I suppose if I had to declare my mission it would be to create nutritional awareness amongst people who are being deceived by government, educators, medical doctors, authors, nutritionists, dietitians, and big business. If not for all their nutritional misinformation and promoting meat and dairy as “healthy food”, the gullible would not have nearly the health problems experienced. And heart disease would be erased form our species. .I’m flattered, but the vegan lifestyle has been around as long as mankind. I am but one of many messengers.It never crossed my mind y’all write and post here without a purpose. Take you, for example…you chose to confront me about not responding as you expected to one of your posts by posting here instead of simply replying to my post to you. Your message is pretty obvious.Honestly, I didn’t mean to ignore you. I do bore easily or sometimes I simply get so involved in my own thoughts I forget someone might need my input. Had you posted your comment amongst the exchanges you and I made, I might know what you are feeling slighted about. If you want to go back and repost from there I’ll gladly read your concerns and consider if I have any comment. If I don’t, well, no need to worry, Thea sometimes posts reassurances to folks seeking validation. Some life lessons are unique enough they warrant sharing. We all don’t have to fast 28 days to reap the knowledge about the experience.I really don’t know your point. Are you suggesting you believe some humans should eat meat and dairy and some should not? How does “race, sex, work, background, genetics”, determine whether we eat meat and dairy or, instead, eat only plant food? You seem to disagree with me but you haven’t disagreed with the information I share about meat and dairy being harmful, or a starch-based diet being healthy and protective. Do you believe that if everyone ate just plant food and did not eat processed flour, meat, and dairy some would become sickly?Neal Armstrong had a mission. He traveled to the moon and returned safely. Do you suppose Dr. Greger has a mission? He devotes endless hours researching medical/nutritional studies and creating nutritional videos everyone can use to improve their health and educate their minds…free of bias, deception, and personal agendas. Even corporations have missions. Management and workers alike are expected to know the company mission. Ford’s mission statement: “Quality is Job 1” has even been part of their advertising campaign over the years.I suppose if I had to declare my mission it would be to create nutritional awareness amongst people who are being deceived by government, educators, medical doctors, authors, nutritionists, dietitians, and big business. If not for all their nutritional misinformation and promoting meat and dairy as “healthy food”, the gullible would not have nearly the health problems experienced. And heart disease would be erased from mankind. .I’m flattered, but the vegan lifestyle has been around as long as mankind. I am but one of many messengers. It’s not “my” diet. It’s a result of evolution and belongs to all mankind.It never crossed my mind y’all write and post here without a purpose.Honestly, I didn’t mean to ignore you. I do bore easily. Or sometimes I simply get so involved in my own thoughts I forget someone might expect a reply. Some life lessons are unique enough they warrant sharing. We all don’t have to fast 28 days to reap the knowledge about the experience.I really don’t know your point. Are you suggesting you believe some humans should eat meat and dairy and some should not? How does “race, sex, work, background, genetics”, determine whether we eat meat and dairy or, instead, eat only plant food? You seem to disagree with me but you haven’t disagreed with the information I share about meat and dairy being harmful, or a starch-based diet being healthy and protective. Do you believe that if everyone ate just plant food and did not eat processed flour, meat, and dairy some would become sickly?What is your “mission”, Tom? After all, you advocate the palio diet on a web site that routinely publicizes articles and videos exposing the harmful effects of meat and dairy.Tom, my response to you was deleted. I cleaned it up and that response was deleted. I assume this will be too so you get the last (and only) word. I did check out your web site because I didn’t know what a “ND” is or does. Only 17 states recognize ND’s. Do you see that changing?Perhaps if your “patients” were on a vegan eating plan instead of vegetarian meals, their health would improve. Vegetarian can be as harmful as meat and dairy. Interchanging “vegan” and vegetarian” is as misleading as grouping complex carbohydrates (whole grains)with simple carbohydrates (processed flour) and calling them “carbs” and misleading folks claiming they are “bad”. There’s nothing like a good Dr. Greger video to set your mind strait. I’m sure you mean well but it’s important others not be mislead. I know Dr. McDougall, will answer your questions and make sense out the confusion you’ve shared. Ask hi to explain the problems with the palio diet. It’s great for selling books, but does noting to educate about nutrition.Yes, well thanks for your advice for my patients that you don’t know or know the health of or the incredible struggles they’ve been through, often because they followed some “perfect” diet that wasn’t right for them.In reading scientific nutrition articles and textbooks I’ve come away in support of what 30+ years ago we called Biochemical Individuality and now we call genetics or nutragenomics. I’ve done dozens of DNA health analysis and I’ll mention here just one result that questions your belief that it doesn’t matter who we are we should all eat your way:How well does your liver convert carotene into vitamin A?As you maybe know, our body doesn’t use carotene, it uses vitamin A. If our livers are good at converting carotene into vitamin A, all is well. If not, we may have trouble unless we’re eating foods with actual vitamin A in them. Most of the food charts that you’ve probably been exposed to list vitamin A content of foods and list carrots, etc. But vegetables have carotene, not vitamin A. Your diet is working well for you because you have a good carotene>vitamin A pathway, but not everyone does. Genetic studies also reveal great differences in utilization of amino acids, B vitamins, vitamin D, sulfur, choline, etc, etc. Best of health, Tom Ballard, ND SeattleI don’t have a “diet”, Tom. That’s your presumption; not based on facts. Unless you are claiming you cured someone by prescribing meat and dairy you don’t have a point.Hi Tom, “Biochemical Individuality” was published in book form in 1956. I don’t know how present-day established medical knowledge views it. If its’ validity is accepted (somewhere) there must be present-day research published, right? Have you published on it? When you say, “one diet fits all”, that to me is like saying “we all breath air”. which of course Is a basic truism, universally accepted. Likewise, clean water “fits all”, is another safe bet. Similarly, unless different races or sexes have evolved differently, wouldn’t a plant-based nutritional plan fit all? I’ve only compared starch-based vs. meat and dairy based, so any inference otherwise is a false premise. The plant kingdom is full of edible plants many you and I haven’t even heard of. It’s unlikely any two people would eat the exact same plant-based diet (your premise, not mine.) The only issue I have addressed is whether meat and dairy or plant food is healthier for all humans. This web site is replete with videos suggesting meat and dairy lost that race long ago. Agreed, sick people need individualized treatment but does that change the basic truism supporting a plant based diet? If an organ fails does that indicate plant food won’t sustain the sick individual? Saying someone with a poorly functioning liver needs specialized treatment and medication and/or nutritional supplements (vitamins, etc.) is a far cry from declaring their illness requires a meat and diary existence. Regardless of their ailment, they still need to eat. So again, I ask, “Is meat and dairy less damaging to a human liver?” If you have some example of how eating meat and dairy is healthy and eating plant food is not, please share your knowledge. Since eating meat and dairy is like throwing fuel on the fire of a cancer patient I can understand the wisdom of not eating those foods. But I’m not aware of any treatment for Vitamin A deficiency that is remedied by abstaining from all varieties of plant food and instead, eating meat and dairy. Please enlighten me.I am having an extremely difficult time figuring out how much sodium I am getting. I’ve watched all the existing videos on these topics but all I really understand is that too much sodium is bad, 150mg/day of iodine is recommended, and more than ~1100mg/day is bad. Though I don’t know *how much* is too much sodium, nor do I know how much I am eating.I eat 100% plant-based foods, practically nothing from cans (beans cooked in a pressure cooker), and don’t add any salt to my food except for 1-2tsp of hot sauce (85mg/tsp). Am I really eating 2000mg of sodium per day? If so, where is it coming from? I have also heard that 500mg/day is the minimum required, is there a chance that I may not even be getting that much?On a related note, I am also a bit concerned about how to get iodine on a daily basis. For now I have been taking a 360mcg kelp supplement 3x a week which should be ~154.3mcg/day. Are these supplements actually absorbed by the body this way? I realize it works for B-12 so I take that once a week, but I haven’t been able to determine whether this works for iodine. What approach do you use to ensure that you get 150mg/day of iodine?“Is this really an optimal amount of sodium to eat every day?”I don’t think the diet specs provided are to illustrate an “optimal” intake, rather they’re meant to represent an assumed typical intake for either diet, if a layperson collected any number of meal plans or recipes off the internet or from a collection of cookbooks. If you’re eating no sodium added WFPB, then you’re probably consuming about 500 mg sodium, plus whatever you add in the form of hot sauce or table salt. If you’re curious about your intake, you can put a day’s worth of food into cronometer.com, and see for yourself exactly how much you’re consuming prior to your added hot sauce. If you’re happy with the amount of sodium you eat now, I would not deliberately alter it to consume more, it sounds like you have a great diet! Whenever you hear recommendations of 1500-2300 mg, keep in mind those are coming from a perspective where most westerners are eating up to 4000 mg per day! So for most people, a goal of 1500-2300 mg would be a tremendous improvement.Regarding your last question about iodine, Dr. Greger does explicitly recommend 150 ug per day, and I’m not sure what he would say about your 360 ug 3x per week intake, but I personally found some 150 ug iodine kelp-based tablets fairly easily (I believe mine are the “Now” brand, which seems widely available), so you could maybe consider buying that dosage whenever your current bottle runs out. Or you could try posting that question in the “Optimum Nutrition Recommendations” page; maybe one of the volunteers will pick it up and relay it to the “Ask the Doctor” section.http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/There’s a fun new book on this topic, “Paleo Vegan: Plant-Based Primal Recipes”, by Ellen Jaffe Jones http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Vegan-Plant-Based-Primal-Recipes/dp/1570673055Every time they find an ancient skeleton, it seems like that skeleton had 47 different ailments before dying from a tiger attack at age 35. I’m not sure I want to eat what they were eating …. Seriously, though, do we have any reason to think people were healthier back then? The stories I’ve read about skeletons they’ve found indicated to me that they were actually very unhealthy …..The sensible thing to do is not compare an old hunter gatherer to you, but compare it to an old farmer. You will find that average health was indeed much worse after the introduction of agriculture, whether the hunter gatherer was eating a hunting or gathering centered diet. The same probably goes for vegan as I’m sure that vegans basing their diet on beans and nuts will be healthier than those basing their diet on grains.Why would we want to eat like the so called paleo man or the Inuit? Who said their life expectancy was the greatest or of the highest quality, anyway? What is the big deal about? Maybe as a whole foods, plant based, nutrient dense vegan for 20 years, I don’t get it. Maybe I reached the old timer stage of life. Fads come and go. There can be found great and healthy dishes in many cultures, but you won’t find them in the restaurants. My grandparents from Italy thrived on greens and beans like, escarole and bean soup. Many old timer African American’s lived on collard greens and beans. And they didn’t kill a farm animal a day to feed the family. Any meat was a seasoning. Or, on a rare special occasion a small piece would feed the family. Actually, the peasant poor man’s food was the best. Today, most Americans young and old don’t cook at all. My husband and I stayed with one couple that didn’t own a pot or a pan. There is too much convenience and too many are spoiled. They go out to eat at least once a day. I’ll stick to my nutrient dense vegan diet, cook at home and eat my greens and beans.I do not think there was a specific Paleo diet before agricolture and domestication of animals.Probably we ate a lot of different kind of food trying to save the day probably even insects/mushrooms that are ubiquitous in certain climates.Near seas and rivers probably we catch fishes and stuff like that.It depends on the region of the world one decide to study.Anyway i think it’s interesting to listen to Plant Positive view on this subject:http://plantpositive.com/27-ancestral-cholesterol-1/Why are the masses so capable of ignoring the scientific evidence and embracing the incomplete, unsupported paleo concept? Is it the attraction of good news about bad habits or is there another force at work?What scientific evidence could you possibly be referring to? Eating pizza and hamburgers can hardly be considered paleo.Perhaps because this is only something I’ve seen because a zealous vegan animal rights friend told me about, and not something I’ve ever seen on the internet or heard from a doctor or the news.Or perhaps because, let’s face it, none of the diets you think are poisonous are actually killing people acutely. Almost any diet that emphasizes natural ingredients and moderation will be miles ahead of the standard American diet that I’m not even mad anymore that my friends think eating fruits alone is healthy.Regarding the claim that grains were not a (major) part of “the paleo diet”, it has been known for some years now that humans were eating significant quantities of grain over 100,000 years ago: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091217141312.htmWe don’t even KNOW what is happening today. The terms KNOW and 100,000 years don’t even belong in the same sentence.This is a fine point of philosophy but I am not sure that here is the most appropriate place to discuss epistemology. Or are you implying that the archaeologist misinterpreted (or even falsified) his findings?I am saying that archeology is not an exact science. It seems that often non-scientists are more certain then the scientists doing the research. What will the next discover be? And just because one tribe was grinding flour that doesn’t mean the whole world was.The point is that people claim that grains were only a significant part of he human diet after the invention of agriculture, and that claim appears to be disproven by archaeological findings like this. And the whole world doesn;’t grind flour even now. What is your point?When was agriculture invented?I think the paleo people argue that this occurred in the last 10,000 years or so … saying this is too recent for humans to be fully adapted to novel foods like grains. Of course, nobody really knows … Wikipedia says 12,000 years ago but it could have been earlier (rising sea levels may have drowned the earliest evidence of agriculture or ..,,, whatever). You’d have to ask Loren Cordain and other paleo diet promoters what they are saying about this now.Yes, people would have eaten whatever was available to them. Again, we seem to be talking at cross purposes. My post noted that the paleo diet is based on at least one false premise. The post was not about what is a healthy diet.Yes, the article was short but it gave the reference to the original journal article which is free to read (with registration). And no it doesn’t prove your point that archaeology is not an exact science Even if it did, that would be irrelevant since the point is about the actual finds …. unless you are implying that all dating techniques used in archaeology are in error.I know what paleo means … here it is short for paleolithic or old stone age Academics and archaeology have some useful working definitions – conventionally it is used roughly to refer to the period when people primarily used stone tools about 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago. Also, I am not advocating the idea of a paleo diet … I am criticising it. You need to challenge the paleo diet advocates of you have criticisms.I am still not sure what your point is.Tom: I thought you might be interested in this: In addition to archeological evidence based on tools, scientists are also figuring out what early paleo people ate based on analyzing the DNA of material in their teeth! It’s pretty cool. And they are finding that early paleo people ate grains, legumes and tubers – including barley. (No milk of course–past weening.) I think it is fascinating stuff. Here’s where I learned about this if you are interested: http://blog.tedx.com/post/45914179742/debunking-the-paleo-diet-christina-warinnerThanks Thea. Yes, I came across this a few months ago and it is very interesting. Of course, even if the fanciful history promoted by paleo diet advocates were true, it would still not follow logically that the “paleo diet” is optimal for maximising individuals’ health and longevity. Such an assumption can only be made if you don’t understand how evolution actually works.While I love my whole grains including rolled oats and wholemeal bread, I am rethinking my view of wholemeal bread’s place in a healthy diet given this July 2013 article:http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/whole-grain-foods-not-always-healthful/Tom Goff: re: “… even if the fanciful history promoted by paleo diet advocates were true, it would still not follow logically…”I couldn’t agree more!!I just find the topic so interesting because so many people put so much stock in the idea of eating like paleo people. But I fully feel the modern paleo diet is a very misguided notion from it’s very basic premise.Your point about whole grain breads is also well taken. I hadn’t seen that article before, but I have heard plenty of damning thoughts against flour-based foods in general, including “whole grain”. One bit I was exposed to early on in my vegan phase is a slide from one of Brenda Davis’s lectures where she showed how healthy grain product categories are in order of most to least. At the top was sprouted whole grains=most healthy. Then down from that it went to something like (I don’t have the slide in front of me): whole grains, cracked grains, rolled grains, … flour, puffed grains. That slide really stuck in my mind. Thus, I realized early on that bread, even whole grain bread, is not the wisest of choices for filling my belly with a lot of frequency.What I ended up using as my personal guide to healthy eating when it comes to grains is a phrase I got from Jeff Novick. In one of his videos, he talks about “whole, *intact*, grains”. That concept of eating the grain intact, and seeing example of what he considered intact, was really helpful in guiding me.Having said that, if you really love your whole grain bread, I would suggest (as a lay person just giving my opinion) that you still allow yourself to have some of that yummy bread as treats from time to time. It’s hardly a terrible treat! Just maybe not make it part of your regular diet??? Just a thought. (And believe me, I’m not one to judge. I’m often better as knowing what to eat than actually doing such a good job of it myself.)Tom: One more thought on the grain/bread thing: When I want to make say a dessert with whole wheat flour, I use a device in my grocery store that lets me push a button and the machine literally grinds whole, organic hard wheat berries right before my eyes and dumps just what I grind right there into my bag.Why mention this? Because The article you linked to in your post says something similar to what I have heard before: “The common processing of whole grains—which can involve grinding, puffing and flaking them—can also impact their healthfulness. Processing can make whole grains tastier; it can give them a longer shelf life, too, by removing fats from the outer layer of the grain that can turn rancid. But some processing techniques have been shown to degrade natural antioxidants and reduce fiber content. In fact, the AACC International recently proposed modifying its definition of “whole grain” to allow for some nutrient losses during processing.”So, I wonder if the machine I am using to create my own whole grain flour skips some of the badness one would get from buying traditional pre-packaged whole wheat flour. I know that the nutrients in the flour is going to more rapidly decline, but I’m wondering/hoping that it is still a more healthful product relatively.Thanks for your helpful responses, Thea.I live in a small town in Australia and wheat/oat berries and groats are almost impossible to find. Rolled oats and stoneground 100% wheatmeal and ryemeal breads are what is available. However, I can buy sprouted grain bread and pumpernickel so I might confine myself to small amounts of those with the occasional wholemeal fruitloaf for a treat.I probably should try to do without wheat/oat/rye grains altogether but I think McDougall is right about starches being necessary for satiety and I don’t think I can restrict myself to brown/red/black rice and potatoes entirely.Thanks again.Tom: I see your point.One tiny thought for you, re: “… restrict myself to brown/red/black rice and potatoes…” Don’t forget beans/legumes! Those are starches too. :-)Not that that detracts from your main point.Thanks for the reminder, Thea. I usually eat my beans etc with rice but I tend to think of them as meat substitutes, ie protein, rather than as starches which can be eaten alone or as the main part of a meal. So it is good that you have made this point.On whole grains again, Joel Fuhrman offers some useful comments on the best types about 30 minutes into this video although he seems to think beans are better! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt2E9Q7RPPwTom Goff: I *really* enjoyed that interview. It was very well done on Fuhrman’s part. One of the great aspects was that it was given to an audience that is not normally exposed to this information. Thanks for sharing!There is also evidence of a mutation during the nelolithic that seems to have been the trigger to the progressive adoption of agriculture: http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877%2807%2900436-7/abstractPaleo-dieters are always blaming the agricultural livestyle without even loosing a second though about how real life was. They seem to imply that somehow agriculture was imposed by the government (all Obama’s fault, of course) or something the like. None of them has even stopped to think that the (few) millions of people during the Paleolithic/Neolithic transition were NOT subject to any central authority that told them what to do and how, nor were there any hypes back then.In any case: I have yet to see one of these supermarket-cavemen lasting more than 6 months with this “diet”It’s hard to say whether the government was ever in charge but it certainly isn’t today. In any group of people someone will always take charge. Written language is most likely a product of business. Witch doctors and medicine men have been around for a long long time. Have you ever heard the term “Nothing personal, Just business” ? A salesmen will always have a conflict of interest The paleo diet simply sounds like an attempt to take the business out of food. Even in the age of information you still have disinformation.Saw a documentary on ancient Roman Gladiators. Their diet consisted mostly of barley(!). How awesome is that? Everyone assumed they ate mass quantities of meat.jamfhall1: Thanks for your post! I have heard Dr. McDougall talk many times about the gladiators as being known as “barley men”, but I was interested in seeing some sources for that information. When I did some quick initial research, I didn’t find much. Can you tell me which channel you saw the documentary on? When? It’s name?No biggie if you can’t remember. I’m just curious. Thanks.I just looked on Netflix, there’s The True Story of Gladiators produced by the History Channel. That looks like it, since I’m a Netflix junkie. :)Got it! Thanks!!Hi Dr Greger, great article! Have you seen this paper on excess protein consumption entitled Review ArticleAdverse Effects Associated with Protein Intake above the Recommended Dietary Allowance for Adultshttp://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2013/126929/. Keep up the great work!HA! 4000mg of sodium is not average for a paleo diet. Paleo is vegan + a small amount of meat per meal. It’s not a can of corned beef hash 3 times a day.I think this article is kind of biased or I’m missing a point.First I wanna say that I’m vegan primarily for ethical reasons even if I think that the vegan diet is a very good one. Please explain to me how and from where did you get the figures of the “new paleo diet” which states that today paleo diet eaters are having only 15% of their calories intake from carbohydrates? Because in you sources cited I found nothing stating that, and even if it did can we consider that it’s representative of all paleo eaters?	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-84	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/	Can Eating Soy Prevent Breast Cancer?	In my video, Increased Lifespan From Beans, I discuss how beans may be the single most important dietary predictor of a long lifespan. But why do people who eat legumes such as beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils live longer? It may be because men and women who eat legumes have been shown to be lighter, have a slimmer waist, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugars, lower cholesterol, lower triglycerides, and better kidney function. Interestingly, bean intake is a better protector against mortality in women than in men. This may be because cancer—especially breast cancer—was the leading killer of women in the population studied. Breast cancer survivors who eat soy foods, for example, have a significantly lower likelihood of cancer recurrence. A 2012 review looked at the three studies done to date on the link between soy and breast cancer survival. It showed that women who ate the most soy had a 29% lower risk of dying from breast cancer and a 36% lower risk of cancer recurrence. A fourth study has since been published that reaffirms these results. With an average intake of soy phytonutrients above 17 mg/day—the amount found in about a cup of soymilk—the mortality of breast cancer may be reduced by as much as 38%. In my video, BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy, you can see a five-year survival curve for Chinese women with breast cancer. After two years, all of the breast cancer survivors that ate lots of soy were still alive, while only about two-thirds of the women who ate the least amount of soy were alive. After five years, 90% of the tofu lovers were still alive and kicking, whereas half of the tofu haters had kicked the bucket. There is a similar relationship between breast cancer survival and soy protein intake, as opposed to just soy phytonutrient intake. How does soy so dramatically decrease cancer risk and improve survival? Soy may actually help turn back on women’s BRCA genes. BRCA is a so-called “caretaker gene,” an oncosuppressor (cancer-suppressing) gene responsible for DNA repair. Mutations in this gene can cause a rare form of hereditary breast cancer, popularized by Angelina Jolie’s public decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy. But only about 5% of breast cancers run in families; 95% of breast cancer victims have fully functional BRCA genes. So if their DNA repair mechanisms are intact, how did breast cancer form, grow, and spread? It does so by suppressing the expression of the gene through a process called methylation. The gene’s fine, but cancer found a way to turn it down or even off, potentially facilitating the metastatic spread of the tumor. And that’s where soy may come in. The reason soy intake is associated with increased survival and decreased cancer recurrence may be because the phytonutrients in soy turn back on the BRCA protection, removing the methyl straightjacket the tumor tried to place on it. To find out if this is indeed the case, a group of researchers put it to the test. In the video mentioned earlier, BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy, you can see normal cells side-by-side with three different types of human breast cancer cells, specially stained so that the expression of BRCA genes shows up brown. Column 1 (far left) shows what fully functioning DNA repair looks like—what normal breast cells should look like—lots of brown, lots of BRCA expression. Column 2 shows raging breast cancer cells. If you add soy phytonutrients to the cancer (columns 3 and 4), the BRCA genes get turned back on and DNA repair appears to start ramping back up. Although this was at a pretty hefty dose (equivalent to about a cup of soybeans), the results suggest that treatment with soy phytonutrients might reverse DNA hypermethylation and restore the expression of the tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. Soy appears to also help with other breast cancer genes as well, and women at increased genetic risk of breast cancer may especially benefit from high soy intake. No matter what genes we inherit, changes in diet can affect DNA expression at a genetic level. No matter what bad genetic cards we’ve been dealt, we can reshuffle the deck with diet. For examples, see: I’ve previously covered the available science in Breast Cancer Survival and Soy. Other effects detailed in: It may be possible to overdo it, though. See my video How Much Soy Is Too Much? 	I love this information. But every woman I know who has had or has breast cancer is told to avoid all soy. Why is this considering the information that is out there? Another antiquated thought pattern from physicians not up on the latest data?Susan: I think you are correct concerning antiquated thought patterns. Below is “the story of soy research” as I understand it. I don’t know how accurate this is, but it is what I have gathered over time:At some point, there were some initial animal studies that suggested soy *might* be bad for humans. But those studies were not done with traditional soy foods. They were done with highly processed isolated soy protein. That’s like saying that beets are bad for you, while only testing sugar made from beets. There may have also been some very small number of human studies that also showed a negative effect of soy, but then again – those were done with isolated soy protein, not traditional soy foods like: edamame, tofu, tempeh, and soy milk.On the other hand, we have seen many studies on humans based on traditional soy foods that show a very positive health effect of soy. You can learn about some of those studies on this site:nutritionfacts.org/?s=soySo, why all the bad press about soy? I think there are multiple reasons. Here are some of what I guess are the big ones: >>> 1) sensational story telling by the media is fun and profitable for them. They don’t care if they ultimately hurt people’s health with their poor “news” reporting. News is business in America. (I can’t speak for anywhere else.) The media is notorious for spreading misinformation about nutritional studies. >>> 2) Conspiracy theory: I haven’t checked it out myself, but I have read that some of the negative publicity about soy was funded by various meat industries. Whole soy foods could be seen as competition for meat. >>> 3) Non-organic soy in America is almost guaranteed to be GMO. Those people who think most GMO foods (as produced today) are likely to produce negative health outcomes end up equating soy with negative health outcomes. But note that organic soy would not be GMO…What we know is that most doctors get their nutrition information from the media just like most other people. So, it would make sense to me that many doctors still tell women not to eat soy even when the best science contradicts that idea.That’s just my take on it, but it does fit with what seems to be happening. And it’s so sad too. I have two female relatives with breast cancer who I believe were been given all the wrong information : “don’t eat soy” and “eat all the dairy, eggs, and meat you want”. Argh!!! But what can you do? As a lay person, I’m not very comfortable telling people to ignore what their doctor says.100% this! From what I have gathered, this is exactly the reasoning that has led to soy getting sch a bad reputation. Thank you for detailing it all out. I can’t organize well enough to do so. But yes, soy is not at all bad like its made out to be. And watch out for the meat industry, next they’ll try to demonize other plant foods like nuts and berries.@TheaYou are too humble, you are better formed in nutrition than any of those doctors (because as you know they not even study it in their careers) Not to mention you are far more up to date in this field, than everyone out there except for Dr. Greger. :) He keeps all of us up to date, I really think you should talk to your relatives with breast cancer and if possible, point them to this site too.Because if things end up the wrong way, you might be left with the feeling that you should have told them.Thule: Thank you for your kind reply.You are totally right. It is important to try. And I did. I just did so very gently without pushing. I sent some of Dr. Greger’s excellent blog posts about breast cancer and told them that I had a lot more information if they were interested, but if they were not, I wouldn’t send anything else. The response from one was crickets… (Ie, nothing.) The response from the other was the typical: “There’s so much conflicting information out there. No one knows what is true… I just have to do what my doctor says.” As frustrating as it was/is, I felt that I had to let it go or damage my relationship with my relatives.I’ve come across this attitude as well – it’s so frustrating. Like you, Thea, I just leave it. Hopefully I’ve planted a seed of information that might take root, if not, well, at least I know I tried…Sorry, I know the feeling too. :SJust now I sent more information to my mother regarding arthritis, I lost count on how many times I sent information, but despite she says that is going to change things, she only changes a few thing and I am still waiting for her to try turmeric. She cannot check the videos herself, because she doesn’t speak English, so I need to send a translated transcription about each thing.Very unfortunate the situation with your relatives, because they are gambling their lives there. I hope they beat the cancer anyway.Great reply Thea. Regarding the GMO issue, this one drives me insane. There is literally no non-organic/GMO tofu option available for purchase in any grocery store in my area. Even the commercial meat substitute products I’ve seen like pepperoni or sausages seem to always specifically state that they are non-GMO. It appears the GMO soy is being consumed nearly entirely by non-vegans in the form of animals who were fed it, or in [predominantly non-vegan] processed foods.The news bit also drives me crazy! There can be a thousand articles on why and how eggs are bad for you, and not a lick of coverage. Then one poorly designed egg industry funded study comes out and poof, news outlets eat it up because it’s “controversy”, and the public is left with the false notion that one study says this, another says that, it’s all contradictory, no way to know the truth, etc. Same with the recent high fat/low fat “research”. The news will never report on an uncontroversial, overwhelming convergence of evidence because where’s the excitement in that?b00mer: Thank you for your reply. I’m so often impressed with your responses, that praise from you is very meaningful.I so with you on your two points. They are big pet peeves of mine as well – especially the second one.This reminds me of the study released a couple weeks ago showing that a high carb diet was less effective in weight reduction than the low carb diet. http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1900694The media jumped on this, but what was actually happening? Both groups never exceeded 16 grams of fiber. This says that the high carb group displaced their calories to a lot of processed junk food, as whole food carbohydrate sources are very high in fiber. Another problem is that the high carb group still had 28% of their calories from fat. Even more telling of the quality of both diets is that neither group had any significant change in cholesterol numbers. In addition, the participants were obese, and the low carb group ate 200 calories less hen the high carb group. Both groups were unhealthy, and we cannot really extrapolate that a low carb diet is healthier then a high carb diet when the high carb diet is getting most of its calories from processed junk.It was a silling study! But it and the media does such damage. My patients of course all read the news reports. And when I asked them if they thought 28% was low fat they couldn’t tell me. So how are they supposed to understand any of it other than the headlines they read. Travesty!Hi Doctor. Aren’t there certain body types that need meat to actually survive and function properly? I have heard this many times before, and had to finally get an answer! Thank youJason: I have never seen any good science that says that there are “body types” that need meat. I think that idea comes from the infamous pheuso-science presented in the book about eating for your blood type. Dr. Greger has a video about that concept. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/What is true is that there are some people who are born with a genetic defect where their bodies do not produce one of the non-essential amino acids. In other words, while everyone else’s body can produce all the non-essential amino acides, there are some people who need to get one of those amino acids from animal foods or a pill because their body does not create the amino acid. However, this condition is very rare. If I remember correctly, it is estimated that 1 in 400,000 live births have this problem. And it is a genetic defect, not a “body type.” Dr. Greger has a video about this issue too. Dr. Greger show cased a case study on a boy in Israel who got sick when he went vegetarian. (I couldn’t find that video. Hopefully you can if you are interested.)I also saw a video on YouTube, (I can’t remember who it was), where the speaker speculated that some people who have over-eaten animal products for so long may have actually changed their bodies in such a way that the person is addicted to meat. They may experience withdrawals when they stop eating it. I don’t know that this has been studied in any way. I think it was just an idea. But it sparked my imagination. I could totally see how some people would think that they need meat in the same way that a heroine addict thinks they need it. Their bodies kind of do…Just some thoughts for you. Hope that helps.I believe this may be the presentation you’re referring to, Curing Leaky Gut Syndrome – Michael Klaper MD (VIDEO) Here’s the link http://www.vegsource.com/news/2014/01/curing-leaky-gut-syndrome—michael-klaper-md-video.htmlActually it’s this video: Are Failed Vegans Addicts? Michael Klaper MD (VIDEO) http://www.vegsource.com/news/2013/12/are-failed-vegans-addicts-michael-klaper-md-video.htmlThe Dude: YES! Thank you!! That’s the one. (Though the first link was pretty interesting too.)I’ve always avoided soy because I have hypothyroidism and was told to avoid it for that reason. Any advice?Hi Betsy there doesn’t appear to be any research out there to support that belief. But of course after taking your medication you should wait the recommended time before eating and of course before taking any iron or calcium supplement.Thanks for that comment…I will research further and see what I can find. I have just kind of assumed I knew the facts after being told that years ago but realize I should look at the research again.Before going WFPB my husband bought me a wonderful expresso machine and I was enjoying a morning latte’. Now that messed with my TSH. Had to give it up.I used to have soymilk since my 20’s. I’m a vegan, exercise everyday and never go to the doctor for any exam…. I just run far away from the doctors…. but some years ago I realizee my lefth breast was hurting. I stopped the soy milk and the pain went away… i thought was coincidence so I tried 3 more times and each time my left breast would hurt at the same spot… I stopped and I’m fine!! I don’t know what was that because I never consulted a doctor or did mamography… I’m 55 years old now, extremelly health and my % body fat is 8.2… I do compete in paddle board races and do very well. i think is my lifestile but if someone has any idea what was that, please tell me!!!Could it be in your head? There was a recent article about people who thought they were gluten intolerant, and experienced digestion problems. With a double-blind test, the researchers found that regardless of whether the subjects consumed gluten or not, they all reported the same digestion problems.Maybe a better way of wording your question,i.e. less dismissive and minimizing then could it be in your head. Im going to guess if you are resourceful enough to be reading this site then you’re an intelligent adult who knows her body and listened to it. For interests sake my HUSBAND had a fibroid cyst on his BREAST and quite a bit of pain and stopped all soy and reduced dairy and within a few weeks the pain was gone and after about 2 months the cyst or swelling was gone. Ive had a similar experience with soy and flax (a more positive experience) which has phytoestrogens. I was advised by my doctor that caffeine can also aggravate any type of breast swelling or pain from chest muscle constriction (as I found out).In our heads? As I said, always possible as there is always a mind body connection to health. Does this negate the possibility of a soy connection…my friend who is a breast cancer researcher says, no but we’re all entitled to our opinion. Research by nature is always in the process of being reviewed and either supported by new studies or not.thank you for your continued focus on cancer prevention, treatment, nutritional and “alternative” approaches we can take on our own. I will reiterate the questions below about conflicting information about soy – reputable sources in the alternative media has been reporting for years now, about contraindications for soy consumption and hormone-induced cancers. This was the basis for my complete elimination of soy several years ago, so obviously, in response to this article you have put together, I am now questioning this choice.Here’s a great page that discusses the anti-soy myths. http://zenhabits.net/soy/ I came upon it while trying to figure out where all these beliefs come from, and I found that all the anti-soy articles eventually point back to the Weston Price Foundation, if they mention any source at all. All of them! There’s no actual studies that show any of these negative things.What I found particularly odd is that the myth makers keep saying that people in Asia hardly consume any soy, and it’s almost all fermented. Coming from an Asian background, I knew that was clearly not true. Soy milk, tofu, edamame, etc. have been consumed for hundreds, even thousands of years by a huge amount of the world population and has not caused man boobs, etc. Obviously, it doesn’t inhibit fertility.guest: Nice post and link. Thanks.Here is an article (also connected to WP) on the negative effects of soy although it does note that fermented soy can be beneficial which supports much of what I’ve heard in MSM (mainstream media and therefore filtered and skewed for easy assimilation and obviously profits) and in medical studies. As I mentioned above we have a good friend who researches breast cancer and has worked with some very respected and credible colleagues in that area. Her mother died of breast cancer (as did mine) and she has had her own scare (as have I) so she comes from a both a professional calling as well as personal. She practices staying open to wherever new or interesting info comes from and I respect that as many are not able to stay open and or respect others opinions or beliefs if it doesnt match with theirs. One thing we know for sure…there is still ALOT we dont know and we dont know what we dont know so better to stay open.I wish anyone dealing with growths in their breast (a GF currently is) and or breast cancer (man or woman) the very best in their journey and courage to do what THEY believe is right for their health and recovery.Ahh, forgot to include the link to the medical report. Well that’s what severe lack of sleep from prednisone gets you. Apologies, here it is… http://www.cambridgemedscience.org/CAMBSoy%20Fiction.pdf. Read my above email to see context. Here is a good link on this site http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/ about stool size and breast cancer which others including my PCP found interesting and will be looking for future studies to support. In the meantime we all know good bowel/ colon health is REALLY important…right? Good potty habits people. Seriously I ended up with longterm issues including elongated colon/ bowel, diverticulitis, and pre-cancerous polyps in part Im sure from years of chronic constipation. Whatever we can do to prevent breast and other cancers along with being aware of new studies on foods like soy is good. Educate yourself, dont rely on others.Thank you, Dr. Greger and everyone on the team, as well as well-informed commentators who take the time to respond. What a fabulous site!The confusion that seems to pop up again and again about soy leads me to suggest a series of blogs and videos: How about gathering the topics that elicit the greatest confusion, blow-back (cheese and milk proteins), etc. and set the record straight, updating where possible? One we would like to see would be an update on quantities of iodine necessary when drinking daily, say, 30 oz of green drinks with 2 handsful of raw kale, 3 big leaves of raw collards, a ½ or more cup of raw red cabbage (+fruits). Our TSH has doubled in our year drinking these delicious smoothies. We eat some nori, and sprinkles of Dr. Brownstein’s Organic Kelp in the smoothies. But fearing an overdose, as per Dr. Greger’s warning video about Kelp, we seem to have underestimated our iodine needs. Kevin has gone to steaming the raw cruciferous ingredients, I am increasing my Kelp sprinkles instead, because I prefer the raw taste. How to judge?I read recently that the Japanese get an average of 7 mg of iodine a day, mostly from their sea vegetables and they seem not to suffer any harm from it.Gayle, your drink sounds amazing! I admire your commitment. We have a juicer and just got the Nutribullet. You’ve re-inspired me to take a friends advice and get back to my juices and smoothies to help my body. According to my friend who like you worked hard to get her PhD (women like you will rule the world one day), focused on breast cancer research for both personal and academic reasons, it may be hard to set the record straight on soy or get a consensus at this point as even researchers/ academics are divided on their opinion. As always you cant ignore the billion $$$ plus industry around products and supplements including soy so that will also fuel the one side of the argument. Being a high risk for breast cancer and having a friend currently waiting for surgery (fingers crossed benign) to remove a lump after a botched initial diagnosis process and my help to get her to a major medical center for a second opinion, Im taking the everything in moderation road and keeping things as close to nature and least processed as possible. I stay very tuned into my body’s rxn to what I expose it to and open to various sources of information (even ones I may not agree with to see all sides). After that as my husband said, at some point you have just live your life and enjoy it. Period. Speaking of which it’s a beautiful sunny day here so Im off to get some air.Dr. Greger,You oftentimes speak about how soy is a great product, and in the case of this article, how it can be beneficial to women in preventing breast cancer. However, there is much debate going on regarding how a diet high in soy is detrimental to the health of men (increased estrogen levels and other health damages). If you could clear this up for me, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!I enjoy these articles and find the information to be so helpful. However, as a ‘breast cancer survivor’ (diagnosed last year and finished all treatments and ops for now), I found the doctors wording ‘kicked the bucket’ in reference to the women who died to be in such poor taste and quite disrespectful. Please choose your wording more carefully in future, especially when referring to people who unfortunately lost their battle.Sorry Cait but we are all in the same mortality boat. We are all bound to the same end. I applaud the Dr. for giving Mr. Death zero respect. As a survivor you know your fate.At some stage we all “Pop our cloggs, Meet our maker, throw off our mortal coil, push up daisies, go belly up and my personal favourite, Go to room temperature”Live long and prosperThank you, well done.Hi Cait, I agree with what you’ve said. Not having been personally affected by breast cancer as of yet in this life, I didn’t take note of it. But reading it again, and imagining for a moment if I had lost someone I love to breast cancer, or being close to that myself, I can imagine how hurtful that would be. The Dr. has a sense of humor, and I think 99% of the time it’s a great quality that lends an engaging and amusing feel to the videos and articles. But sometimes you do get the odd unintentionally insensitive phrasing. I would imagine if he sees these comments he would take it to heart. Congratulations on your progress thus far, wishing you good health on your journey.Thank God for humor, without it we’d live in an even shittier, shit then I could imagine in this world, except for death would be better. Humor is often our only life boat for the many discriminated people-many of whom can’t even mention their grievances on a board like this one because it’s not PC or accepted like breast cancer is. I do feel for all people whom are harmed, often unnecessarily in many ways yet have no voice-Thank you God for humor I say.I could never believe that Dr. Greger meant any disrespect. The comment did strike a loud note with me upon first reading and my thought then was, Good for Dr. G. not being politically correct nor too respectful of death. Yet, I did imaging that some would feel pain at the comment–those who have not an iconoclastic attitude toward life and death. Given who I am, I liked the normalizing effect of the comment about death. I often talk about sexuality in dreams and waking life and have decided to do my part to de-mystify, de-mythologize, de-shhh it because the worst parts of sexuality (abuse, fear, inhibition, infidelity, and STDs come largely from the fact that we treat it with kid-gloves. Certainly not a position to everyone’s liking. So I am sorry that some feelings were hurt, but suggest that you think of Dr. Greger’s personality and work, and consider his likely effort to embolden readers in facing death.Humor is a wonderful thing in this world. So is empathy, kindness, and the ability to learn something new every day. No need to choose one over the other.I’m sure this is in the discussion below but I read that there was a difference between fermented soy products as the Japanese ingest and non-fermented as we typically intake in north america. The latter being not great for several reasons which unfortunately I can’t recount off the top of my head. In comparison we also take in way more soy than the Japanese diet as it is in many products and drinking soy milk would likely result in over consumption…. just a tidbit some may like to exploreHi Brad, you can see a guest’s post above, the idea that Asians are not consuming tofu or edamame is a myth. Personally I work with almost all Chinese and Indian colleagues, many of whom are not even vegetarian, and tofu as well as dishes made with soy sauce are consumed quite often at lunchtime. Most Asians I have met seem to have an inherent interest in health; they seem to have been raised in cultures that value traditional medicine (which is to a large extent nutritional medicine). With that said, they seem to consider unfermented soy a health food. My one Japanese colleague does use miso, but none of the Chinese seem to. I think the only use of tempeh I recall was by a Malaysian friend way back in school.Also of note, this site promotes a *whole foods* plant based diet, so the “many products” containing soy would for the most part not be included or promoted. The only soy consumed in a WFPB diet would then be the soy milk, tofu, edamame, tempeh, etc that is intentionally consumed; one could include these foods quite often and not be taking in more than the average Asian person.I just want to say that I’ve been loving the pictures lately. Whatever that tofu dish is, it looks delicious. And the baby with the beans was adorable.This is for those wondering if cooking some things is a good idea. Many so-called “anti-nutritional” factors in raw foods are proteins. They derive their biological activity from their 3 dimensional structure. For example trypsin inhibitors are chains of amino acids that have folded into a shape that fits into the active site of the digestive enzyme trypsin. While this site is blocked the enzyme is inactive and can’t digest food.If your raise the temperature of the inhibitor high enough (say during cooking) then it changes shape into a random coil or big big gob of goo and it loses its ability to inhibit trypsin. In fact trypsin can then turn the tables and break down the inhibitor!Without wishing to get too long winded, the same principle applies to many protein-based anti-nutrients. People are cautioned against eating raw egg because it contains a protein called avidin. It binds up the vitamin biotin so strongly it is not bio-available. Cooking unfolds the avidin rendering it harmless…but that is not a reason to eat eggs ever!!There are many examples so if you are hearing some conflicting truths, I would do some googling and try to determine if the thing that concerns you can be “fixed” by a little food processing.Also, I’ve got to add, beware. One person’s poison is another’s medicine. e.g/the medium chain sugars in soy are often listed as anti-nutritional factors. It comes down to whether you think passing gas vs. promoting good intestinal flora is anti-nutritional. Caveat Emptor as always.Coacervate: This was such a great post! Good for a lay person like me. I had not heard this explained before. Thanks!Hi Coacervate, you might find these videos discussing the evidence from cooked vs. raw broccoli [http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/] and [http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/].doctor, please one short video of describing your opinion and research on calorie goals for weightloss, macro ratios and other variables for succesful long term weightloss. I have been following a vegan diet for quite some time. i watch all the videos on here all it says to avoid is meat dairy and eggs. but not really any comprehensive calories, macros and types of foods to eat. thanks if you could do a video.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1476753296/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The Forks Over Knives Plan: How to Transition to the Life-Saving, Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet, Hardcover– September 16, 2014, $14.99 at the moment. Setting out the plan takes perhaps one third of the book, the rest is recipes, mostly by Chef Del Sroufe who did FOK-the Cookbook. I tend to think of chefs’ recipes as more than I want to get into, but those in this book are not too high-falutin’. It would be nice to have the first part of the book (the plan) as a separate booklet (about 150? pages), since there are so many vegan recipes available online now (not all necessarily healthy ones).Also, please see Toxin’s comment of 11 days ago / 9/22/2014 (I would prefer actual dates, as this site used to have), nearly at the end of the postings, to http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/ which is quite in line with the above book’s explication.The FOK Plan book is by Drs. Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman, who were also in the documentary and have been treating patients via whole food, plant-based diet for some years.One can eat nothing but potatoes for weeks upon months, it is reported, and be perfectly healthy. As filling as potatoes can be, it would perhaps be hard to eat enough of them not to lose weight, as they are within the mid-calorie + moderate exercise range mentioned in Toxin’s quote from Jeff Novick cited in my previous comment. Usually the recommendation, though, is to eat a fair variety of foods over, say, a week. The prescription for this sort of lifestyle ‘diet’ might be to eat all you want from the lower calorie per pound foods, and not so much from the the upper calorie per pound foods. And, as well as cutting out all animal products, cutting out all packaged processed foods. In other words haunt the produce aisles and the dried or canned beans and grains and frozen veggies aisles, and carefully scrutinize content labels on anything prepackaged / preassembled. Don’t buy the microwave steamable veggies loaded with butter sauce (animal product) and such.Dr Greger, Would you please revisit the topic of GMO and provide your follows with some facts that can be found in real research. I would also like to know if you personally purchase organic products. Thanks for your time and knowledge over the years.I find your request rather odd, since the whole raison d’etre of this site is to report on real research. Have you tried doing a search here on GMO? That will get you everthing up to now. I’m sure when Dr.G discovers something significant in the forthcoming literature on GMOs, he will report on it in due course.Dr. Greger has some upcoming videos on GMO. Stay tunedDo you think that the women who are eating a lot of soy are not eating meat, or eating very little meat ? Thus the low cancer rates…I am dismayed that no warning was given here related to GMO soy. Most recent stats that I could find show 60% of the world’s soy is now GMO, and 87% of US soy crops are GMO. The only long-term studies of GMO’s on rats was done by Gilles-Eric Seralini of France. The animals developed massive mammary tumors as well as liver and kidney damage. The researchers said 50 percent of males and 70 percent of females died prematurely, compared with only 30 percent and 20 percent in the control group.Soy in the form of tofu or tempeh is very rarely genetically modified. In all of my area grocery stores, all tofu and tempeh are listed as organic, non-gmo certified, or both. Those eating whole foods plant based diets are most likely not going to encounter any GM soy.I was just forwarded this article from a friend. It seems reputable? What do you think of this Dr. Gregor?http://preventdisease.com/news/14/090714_Soy-Accelerates-Breast-Cancer-Rather-Than-Prevent-It.shtmlTake note, they are referring to soy protein isolate, not soy itself. Its a processed form of soy that is essentially pure protein. Soy protein isolate has a strong IGF-1 raising effect.The article I site below says researchers say that soy actually accelerates breast cancer rather than prevents it. It is a new study done I believe by Sloan Kettering and NIH?Is it a good practice to drink fluids with meals?what if the breast cancer was estrogen fed??I really appreciate all this informations, in ways i cant even express, so first of all thank you!!but i have a very important question- in the studies done on woman with breast cancer was there a seperation done between hormone positive and hormone negative cancers? and were the tested woman on tamoxifen during the research?thank youThis article is claiming soy is bad and claiming it is a 100% scientific fact? http://www.truthaboutfatburningfoods.com/special/index-soy.php It is very confusing having complete opposite findings. I lean toward trusting NutritionFacts.org because the other article has something to sell, but would love to hear what you think about their “scientific proof” that soy products are dangerous. Thanks!	abdominal fat,beans,blood pressure,blood sugar,body fat,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,chickpeas,cholesterol,DNA damage,fat,hypertension,kidney function,LDL cholesterol,legumes,lentils,lifespan,metastases,mortality,phytonutrients,plant protein,protein,soy,soy milk,soybeans,tofu,triglycerides,vegetable protein,weight loss,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22339411,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648714,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15228991,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22631686,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22524810,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19258476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22820987,
PLAIN-85	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/	Eat Beans to Live Longer	Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart; the more you eat, the…longer you live? Legumes may be the most important predictor of survival in older people from around the globe. Researchers from different institutions looked at five different cohorts in Japan, Sweden, Greece, and Australia. Of all the food factors they looked at, only one was associated with a longer lifespan across the board: legume intake. Whether it was the Japanese eating their soy, the Swedes eating their brown beans and peas, or those in the Mediterranean eating lentils, chickpeas, and white beans, legume intake was associated with an increased lifespan. In fact, it was the only result that was plausible, consistent, and statistically significant from the data across all the populations combined. We’re talking an 8% reduction in risk of death for every 20 gram increase in daily legume intake. That’s just two tablespoons worth! So if a can of beans is 250 grams, and we get 8% lower mortality for every 20 grams, if we eat a can a day can we live forever? If, however, one wants to decrease their lifespan, studies suggest eating a bean-free diet may increase our risk of death. Having arrived at the one dietary fountain of youth, why aren’t people clamoring for beans? Fear of flatulence. So is that the choice we’re left with: Breaking wind or breaking down? Passing gas or passing on? Turns out that people’s concerns about excessive flatulence from eating beans may be exaggerated. A recent study, profiled in my video Increased Lifespan from Beans, involved adding a half-cup of beans every day to people’s diets for months to see what would happen.  The vast majority of people experienced no symptoms at all. However, a few percent did report increased flatulence, so some individuals may be affected. But most aren’t. Even among those that were affected, 70% or more of the participants felt that flatulence dissipated—no pun intended—by the second or third week of bean consumption.  So we’ve just got to stick with it. And a small percentage reported increased flatulence on the control diet without any beans. People have preconceived notions about beans such that just the expectation of flatulence from eating beans may influence their perceptions of having gas. Researchers didn’t actually measure farts in this study, they just asked participants how much gas they had. We know from previous studies that if someone eats a product that’s labeled to have something that may cause intestinal distress, it causes more intestinal distress—whether it actually contains that ingredient or not! So people thinking beans are going to cause gas may just be more likely to notice the gas they normally have. Either way it tends to go away. After a few weeks of daily bean consumption, people perceive that flatulence occurrence returns to normal levels. In another study, researchers added more than a half a cup of kidney beans to people’s daily diets, and the research subjects reported that the discomfort they initially felt within the first day or two quickly disappeared. We’ve just got to stick with it. The bottom line is that an increasing body of research supports the benefits of a plant-based diet, and legumes specifically, in the reduction of chronic disease risks. In some people, increased bean consumption may result in more flatulence initially, but it will decrease over time if we just keep it up. Doctors should recommend a bean-filled, plant-based diet to their patients, as the nutritional attributes of beans far outweigh the potential for transitory discomfort. The long-term health benefits of bean consumption are great. Eating beans in the long term may make our term on earth even longer. I’ve previously covered intestinal gas in one of my more amusing blog posts, Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air. More on the benefits of beans in: 	Again, very informative and fun to read. How come lentils are mentioned so rarely in your videos and articles? There are so many videos on beans, but lentils are hardly mentioned at all. Why is that? Are beans just that much healthier? What is the major difference between beans and lentils anyway? I’m just a little confused and clearing the mist for me would be much apprechiated.Anyway, thanks for the article. It makes my daily legumes taste even better!The distinction, for the purposes here, is semantic. Lentils and beans are all legumes, and offer very similar benefits.we eat beans every day it does bother us at all we love them.I’ve noticed that, although beans are a bit gassy, mine don’t smell. Tends to make me feel a bit superior. I probably got switched in the hospital with a dukes baby. Toot-toot for now…Is there a correlation between high levels of Carbon Dioxide in blood and intake of legumes? My recent test showed total Carbon Dioxide of 29, the normal is between 19-28.I have also had high carbon dioxide level in my blood since switching to a vegan diet. (My diet as a vegan is much higher in legumes and other plants than before switching). Anyone else?More about gas than living longer. I’ve never personally noticed beans to be a gasser, but I’ve heard the taco bell jokes my whole life. I think any time you mix incompatible food types or eat things that your gut isn’t used to digesting you’re going to get some disruptive results.Dr. G, Have you seen any studies that show how beans influence gut microbiota?To prevent flatulence, soak the bean for 48 hours before cooking them. If you want you can rinse them in between. If not, you’ll see a layer of foam appearing on top – that’s the saponine that in fact causing the flatulence. So soak for a long period of time, rinse thoroughly, and cook in clean water. Works for me.I’ll do that. Thanks.Dr. Greger, I recently experience a water fast at True North. While I had great results, my sugar addiction came back and I have gained half of the weight back. Well enough is enough, I am training for a bikini competition for July 2015 starting at ground zero and all of these trainers are protein protein protein, supplement, supplement, supplement. I want to train plant based with out all the protein powders and weird supplementation (BCAA’s et all) Am I misinformed or are they? The training isn’t as rigorous as people think: 3-5 45 minute weight training episodes a week a 3 20 minute cardio a week. I eat beans and I eat varied (when i am not being an addict) I take a B12 and D3 and that is it. I would love to see a blog post or some sort of information on this! Jodyjosepi: re: ” I want to train plant based with out all the protein powders and weird supplementation…” I think you are more right than they are. Check out the following page about protein. Even though it is long-ish, it is worth your time to assure yourself of your protein needs. Also note that there is a section on athletes. http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlAs for supplements, check out Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/ Dr. Greger is careful to only recommend fairly well studied supplements because we have so many examples of other supplements causing harm.I think your diet sounds excellent. That said, here are some other resources that may be helpful to you be an athlete an stick to your vegan diet:http://www.greatveganathletes.com/ http://www.plantbuilt.com/When Robert Cheeke started VeganBodybuilding.com in 2002, being the only vegan athlete he knew of, he may not have imagined that the website would quickly grow to have thousands of members. Robert says, “We’re discovering new vegan athletes all the time, from professional and elite levels… to weekend warriors and everyone in between.” For More Info: http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/Here’s a book. I can’t speak to it personally. Someone else recommended it: Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier. His book is exclusively about vegan sports nutrition and contains a variety of great tasting recipes along with a 12-week daily meal plan.Hope that helps.	aging,beans,chickpeas,chronic diseases,dietary guidelines,elderly,flatulence,Greece,Japan,legumes,lentils,lifespan,Mediterranean diet,mortality,nutrition myths,peas,soy,soybeans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10068391,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2986447,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22104320,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21899787,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15228991,
PLAIN-86	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/	Overdosing on Poppy Seeds	The opium poppy used to make heroin is the same opium poppy used to make muffins and bagels. Does this mean that poppy seed muffin we may have had for breakfast contained a powerful narcotic? The idea that poppy seeds could serve as the source of appreciable amounts of codeine/morphine was not given much credence despite the existence of an old European custom recommending a poppy-seed-filled pacifier to quiet a noisy baby. It wasn’t given much credence, that is, until a mother tried giving her six-month-old some strained milk she had boiled some poppy seeds in with the very best intentions of helping the child sleep better. It worked a little too well, culminating in respiratory arrest. Now we have governmental warnings that such a practice is not a good idea. The cases aren’t limited to children. Evidently if we eat spaghetti with a half cup of poppy seeds on top, it can make adults a little loopy as well. So what’s the upper limit of poppy seed consumption that’s probably safe? A study profiled in my video, How Many Poppy Seeds is Too Many?, suggests about one teaspoon for every seven pounds of body weight. That means that someone weighing about 150 pounds (70 kilograms) should probably eat no more than seven tablespoons of raw poppy seeds at a time. Cooking may wipe out half of the morphine and codeine, though, so that gives us some more leeway when baking. Soaking the seeds for five minutes first and then discarding the water before adding them to our recipe can eliminate another half if we’re making some poppy seed filled pastry or something for kids. Otherwise, though, there shouldn’t be any risk at usual levels of intake—unless you’re going in for a drug test, in which case you may want to avoid poppy seeds altogether. To learn more about not overdoing healthy foods check out these videos: 	Are epsom salts safe for occasional ingestion to relieve constipation? I’ve heard that taking isolated magnesium, in such high amounts is completely unnatural for humans, and can thus cause great harm. Wondering if espom salts can also harm the GI tract and its overall integrity. Not only is it high in magnesium, but one is ingesting a high dose of sulfur at one time as well.I once tried taking a small amount of epsom salts as a source of magnesium based on a suggestion by Ray Peat. As I recall it made me nauseated. I do take magnesium up to 500mg/day from magnesium citrate. In my experience the only downside is that if you take too much it will loosen your bowels. I add 1 tsp chia seed to my oatmeal cereal which has a high fiber content. I eat a WFPB diet and should get plenty of magnesium from the quantities of greens that I eat. However i do benefit from the magnesium supplementation perhaps due to the high fiber diet making magnesium more difficult to absorb.“…high fiber diet making magnesium more difficult to absorb.” – Fascinating. I had no awareness that this fiber content can be detrimental for magnesium absorption.How can I find a previous post I sent—-about 2 weeks ago—is there a way to search my name or by my email????why can’t I log in to this site—-I don’t belong to Facebook or any of the other choicesProbably because the site doesn’t require that you log in.Question for Dr. Greger: What is the special fiber in nutritional yeast that you mentioned in your post. I searched some and couldn’t find anything. I also don’t understand why the fiber would help with athletic recovery. Thanks.Please remove my question. I must have read your piece on nutritional yeast before I woke up completely. Thanks.I haven’t eaten poppy seeds for decades. And when I did, they had been mixed into a pastry of some kind. Hey, I could use a little “high,” maybe I’ll sleuth me up some. :-)Whomever did the weight calculations must have eaten too many poppie seeds! 150 / 7 = 21.42. I can’t imagine anyone eating 21 teaspoons of poppie seeds, unless the goal was to get buzzed. There is really little chance of an adult realizing any effects from the ordinary ingestion of foods containing poppie seeds.21 teaspoons is equivalent to 7 tablespoons. Some Indian curries call for several tablespoons at a time of poppy seeds, but I agree, people probably will not reach this level unless they really try.mix a teaspoon of (organic non-gmo) corn starch with water, boil, steer. Add 7 tablespoons of ground poppy seed. Add 5 tablespoons of organic whole cane sugar. Mix. When you try this vegan stuffing for e.g. 汤圆 (poppy seeds inside glutenious rice balls) you will see that 7 tablespoons is NOTHING ! :-) yum yumI hv urinary incontinence and frequent urge Will cranbury seed and pumpkin seed drink contain9ng sandlewood help or alternate youe suugestionJust on the funny side reminds me of a ‘Seinfeld ‘ episode years ago when Elaine ate poppy seed muffins and had o have a urine test for something kept showing up positive for narcotics . I thought it was all a joke can see now some truth in itGeorge: I find it very interesting too. I think you will be interested to see what Snopes has to say on the topic. I haven’t seen that episode, but I’m guessing that Seinfeld episode was based on quite a bit of scientific possibility: http://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/poppyseed.aspI’m a 21 year old vegan who does a fair amount of exercise- (judging by what I put into cronometer when I record it) I’m struggling to get as many calories as I think I should aim for. Obviously I don’t want to include much processed rubbish. Should I make up the calories with high fat plant foods like nuts and nut butters? Even if it means I wouldn’t really be eating low fat any more?ThanksI eat about 1-2 oz of nuts daily to keep by weight on. I have the same problem. And I eat avocados. Maybe 1/2 per day. (I have a huge tree) but of course I don’t eat processed rubbish. And of course grains and legumes. Can’t get enough of those!Check out Brendon Braziers books – he’s an endurance runner with some good tips for staying fueled up.I have had similar problems with calorie intake. For me, more calorie dense foods such as fruit, brown rice and potatoes when I’ve been exercising a lot. Fruit has the bonus of lots of water content.What makes you think you are not getting enough? Weight loss? Tiredness?I’m confused about hemp seeds. I hear about the anti-inflammatory properties of the GLA, but they also have more omega-6 than omega-3. So on balance, should I add them to my oat bran? Thanks.Many people say they have just the right ratio of Omega 3 to 6. But because people usually over consume Omega 6 from grains and nuts, flax is sometimes preferred because it can redress the balance. So it depends on the rest of your diet.I agree completelyOh, poppy seeds! I have always loved them, especially chocolate poppy seed cake OMG, that taste sooooo good! BUT, I made a horrible mistake…I made that cake 3 days ago and have put 2 cups of poppy seeds inside it, then, during the day, I simply couldn’t stop eating it, and ate more than half of it, which is more then 1 cup of poppy seeds! For the record: I did NOT have any hallucinations, or weird feelings, I just felt good, very good. I didn’t know ANYTHING about “drug” effect that poppy seeds can cause, until I read this article. I was making this poppy seed cake for more then 15 years, but rarely. I came to this website hoping to find out something about poppy seed relation to hard stool, because that is what happened to me after eating 1 cup of those seeds :( I was not constipated, I just had the hardest stool in my life! This is why I am writing this, PLEASE do not eat a lot of poppy seeds! I believe that 1/3 of cup is already too much. For two days I am bleeding from my anus every time I go to bathroom, and the pain I feel is HORRIBLE. I hope I feel better soon, and that this post (that I would never write with my full name) help someone before it’s too late. God Bless!Mary: Dang, what a pain (literally). I’m sorry you are feeling so bad. As I read your post, I totally related, because eating too much of something, especially something like cake!, is totally something I would do.It took me a couple of days to respond to your post. I hope by now that you are back to normal. And that the poppy seed cake will have a modest role in your life in the future. :-)	alternative medicine,bagels,children,complimentary medicine,cooking methods,drug testing,infants,milk,morphine,poppy seeds,safety limits,seeds,sleep	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19901868,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3979930,
PLAIN-87	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/	The Healthiest Diet for Weight Control	We know that vegetarians tend to be slimmer, but there’s a perception that veg diets may somehow be deficient in nutrients. So how’s this for a simple study, profiled in my video Nutrient-Dense Approach to Weight Management: an analysis of the diets of 13,000 people, comparing the nutrient intake of those eating meat to those eating meat-free. They found that those eating vegetarian were getting higher intakes of nearly every nutrient: more fiber, more vitamin A, more vitamin C, more vitamin E, more of the B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, & folate), more calcium, more magnesium, more iron, and more potassium. At the same time, they were also eating less of the harmful stuff like saturated fat and cholesterol. And yes, they got enough protein. And some of those nutrients are the ones Americans really struggle to get enough of—like fiber, vitamins A, C, and E, calcium, magnesium, potassium—and those eating vegetarian got more of all of them. Even so, just because they did better than the standard American diet isn’t saying much—they still didn’t get as much as they should have. Those eating vegetarian ate significantly more dark green leafy vegetables, but that comes out to just two more teaspoons of greens than meat eaters on average every day. In terms of weight management, the vegetarians were consuming, on average, 363 fewer calories every day. That’s what people do when they go on a diet and restrict their food intake—but it seemed like that is how vegetarians just ate normally. How sustainable are more plant-based diets long term? They are among the only type of diet that has been shown to be sustainable long-term, perhaps because not only do people lose weight but they often feel so much better. And there’s no calorie counting or portion control. In fact, vegetarians may burn more calories in their sleep. Those eating more plant-based diets appear to have an 11% higher resting metabolic rate. Both vegetarians and vegans seem to have a naturally revved up metabolism compared to those eating meat. Having said that, the vegetarians in the first study mentioned were also eating eggs and dairy, so while they were significantly slimmer than those eating meat, they were still, on average, overweight. As profiled in my video, Thousands of Vegans Studied, the only dietary pattern associated on average with an ideal body weight was a strictly plant-based one. But at least the study helps to dispel the myth that meat-free diets are somehow nutrient-deficient. In fact, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association asked, “What could be more nutrient dense than a vegetarian diet?” Anyone can lose weight in the short term on nearly any diet, but diets don’t seem to work in the long-term. That’s because we don’t need a “diet”; we need a new way of eating that we can comfortably stick with throughout our lives. If that’s the case, then we better choose to eat in a way that will most healthfully sustain us. That’s why a plant-based diet may offer the best of both worlds. It’s the only diet, for example, shown to reverse heart disease–our number one killer–in the majority of patients, as described in my video: One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic. 	Sorry, I don’t understand this statement: “Those eating vegetarian ate significantly more dark green leafy vegetables, but that comes out to just two more teaspoons of greens than meat eaters on average every day.” It seems to contradict itself. Is it “significantly more”? Or just two teaspoons? Thanks!“Significant” is just a scientific way to say that the difference between the meat-eaters and vegetarians was likely not due to random chance. Though two teaspoons is not a lot, it was still a “significant” difference between the two groups.Consider if meat eaters on average ate 0 to 1 teaspoons per day (and vegos ate 2 more than that).I just turned 65, had a lumpectomy, IORT and reconstruction surgery June 4 of this year and I have been eating mostly vegan for a little over three months now and was feeling great at first, but in the last month or so I started having major anxiety and some depression – feels like what I hear about menopause (which I went through with flying colors years ago) – sweats, fatigue, stressed, forgetfulness, making crazy mistakes, emotional and my temperature is a little low just around 98. I am taking B12 and flax seed meal. I am trying to eat all the necessary vegan food groups. What could I be missing? Don’t know what it could be besides my diet. I am trying to add back some animal protein to balance me back to be able to start vegan again after doing more research. Help!!!You might try taking a quality B complex rather than just B12 since the B vitamins work in symbiosis. I take one made by Jarrow that I like a lot.Thank you. See my reply above.Sorry, they moved my reply to below.First, I want to offer my support. You have been through a lot and taken control of your destiny. What does your doctor say about the anxiety and other symptoms?One thing that comes to my mind…I have found that getting myself in motion makes all the difference. Just some gardening or whatever you enjoy doing just might kick those blues in the keister. Ruth Heidrich has some good stuff on her site: http://www.ruthheidrich.comYou’ve come to the right place…there are others here with solid nutrition background to help.Best wishes Jeannejo. You will beat this.Thank you. I responded above.Sorry, my reply is now below.Jeannejo, maybe your symptoms are caused by low thyroid. http://www.womentowomen.com/thyroid-health/hypothyroid-symptoms-2/One more thing, have you been eating a lot of soy and/or raw cruciferous veggies since becoming vegan? These and other goitrogenic foods can block the thyroid’s production of thyroid hormone, causing hypothyroid symptoms. http://chriskresser.com/do-raw-vegetables-hurt-your-thyroid-healthThank you. See my reply above.My reply now moved to below – sorry.Cut out all grains (pasta, bagles and breads), and vegetable oils (with the exception of Extra Virgin Olive Oil), and add in healthy fats, in particular from grass-fed butter (10-20g per day), grass-fed full-fat yogurt and cheese, and pastured eggs.And I would also add in Omega3 supplement with direct DHA and EPA from Algae sources, like the Ovega3 based oil (Flax seeds and Flax seeds oils are a waste of time and money), search on Amazon for suitable supplements (pills and oils).Omega3 DHA and EPA fats and the cholesterol (in the eggs) are of paramount importance for the health of your brain.B12 supplementation is fine, but the most effective is the Methylcobalamin, in sub-lingual films. Get the 1000 mcg pills and take one pill every day for a month, then two pills a week for the rest of your life.Iron. It does not matter how much iron you have in your veggies if you cannot absorb it. non-heme iron found in veggies is poorly absorbed, especially if your stomach acidity is low and you are well into your adulthood. Consider Heme-iron supplements, like Proferrin, at 10 mcg per pill, once a day, they really restore iron stores in less than three month. And you do not need to care about whether you have food or liquids with tannins, or the acidity of your stomach (and not an orange juice is not going to cut it). And no GI distress, unlike other non-heme iron junk supplements.You can do all this while sticking to a vegetarian diet (fucking hell, good old vegetarian like we meant it decades ago, not vegan), with the exception of Proferrin, that is derived from the bovine or porcine blood. But for that matter you can start with common non-heme iron and see how you fare (get an iron blood panel, check ferritin levels in particular).Thank you. I will consider all your advice.Butterfat and full fat dairy are “healthy fats?” Sorry, you seem to be on the wrong web page. The Paleo/Wheat Belly/Grain Brain aficionado web pages are elsewhere.I am (lacto-ovo) vegetarian since 1991, so go figure…very confusing statements! did not dr Gereger suggested that grounded flax seed oil is the best source of not only omega but a host of other stuff?Ground Flax Seeds, or flax oil, contains ALA, a kind of Omega3 fat that our body needs to convert to other kinds of Omega3 fats, DHA and EPA. The conversion ratio is very poor in most people and worsens with aging or excessive Omega6 intake (because there is an enzymatic competition on the pathways for conversion of those FATs is forms that usable by our body) . You might take a skeptic stance on this assertion, as I did for a number of years, but they I had my blood levels of DHA and EPA checked and they were not at all good, notwithstanding I had plenty of ALA in my blood, because I was consuming lots of flax ground seeds and oil (first class products by the way, organic and properly produced). Well it turns out that my body does a very poor job at converting ALA to EPA and DHA. My wife as well, while my kids performed a little better. This is in line with research studies indicating a worsening conversion power as we age. Nevertheless I did no want to impair the brain and nervous system development of my three kids, as well as risk a dementia myself in my old age, so I turned to a supplement oil with native DHA and EPA, derived from Algae, so it is also vegan, even though we are not Vegan in our family. Those Algae are the same stuff that fish eat to get their Omega3 fats, so we cut out the fish in the middle and everyone is happy ;)do yourself a favor, check your blood levels, everyone of us is different, and most of us need to get reliable EPA and DHA source. The same goes for the B12.Thank you all below who have responded to me – I am not sure how to reply to each of you all at once, so hope this is clear.I will look into taking a B complex like MV Coffman recommends. :)I haven’t been back to my GP yet due to just getting Medicare ins and not having picked a supplemental ins yet. And I really try to keep in motion like Coacervate recommends cuz not moving feels worse, but I am so emotionally drained, I feel like I need a long vacation – lol.I will mention getting my thyroid checked once I get my ins straightened out. Yes, I do eat lots of raw cruciferous veggies cuz I thought it was a good thing based on some of Dr. Greger’s videos. Thanks Julie and for next para:I have not been eating lots of soy tho based on the fact that I had hormone responsive breast cancer, I know Dr. Greger recommends it, but others do not and I am not sure who is right – sorry Dr. G if you read this – I really think you are da best, but I haven’t done MY homework enough to be sure about soy yet (altho, I really enjoy soy, esp. tofu – I used to eat it all the time a few years back. – did this contribute to having breast cancer like some suggest?)—> COULD USE FEEDBACK: I also don’t want to take the hormone blocker drugs like Femara, Tamoxifen and the others my Dr’s are recommending – I was hoping to avoid them and just medicate via vegan nutrition. :) Just the thought of taking these drugs give me anxiety. :) I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place – ouch!Hi Jeanne, I was going to mention the blocking drugs but I read in the last paragraph you weren’t taking them. Couldn’t it be just your hormones adjusting?I have never seen any research on thyroid and cruciferous vegetables. And just to make sure I did a Pubmed search just now. None-notta-zilch. Let me know if you find anything. I am hypothyroid and have never been affected by them.I am not sure why Nicola is recommending dairy and cheese? I can’t say that makes sense to me. And eggs? Go above and look under health topics and Dr Greger has a bunch of videos that you might find helpful. His year in review are great if you haven’t already watched them.Also before taking iron have it tested. I am sure your doctors are testing these things but either way take a test first.Good luck Jeanne.Hi Veganrunner – hormones adjusting to what – to my surgery or to a vegan diet??? I didn’t know about PubMed, I will go there and look around. Well, I have actually taken it on myself to add some eggs back to my diet cuz I was feeling so bad and thought I might need a little animal protein. Not sure what’s right at the moment, I just want to feel better. I will go get tested soon as I get my insurance straightened out. Thank you for your comments. JeanneHi Jeanne,Have you tracked your micronutrient intake? Cronometer.com is useful for this. There is nothing in animal protein that you can not get from plant protein. The proportions of individual amino acids are different, though it is the animal based amino acid profile that shows deleterious results in inducing cancer promoting growth factors. It may be helpful to find out if you are actually deficient in any specific nutrients before adding in foods known to contain numerous harmful substances without knowing if they contain anything you actually need. If you track your micronutrient intake and you don’t see any deficiencies, then you can at least rule that out. Then perhaps a blood panel with tests for vitamin levels to make sure you’re in fact absorbing what you consume, along with various hormone levels may help shed some light on the problem.Particularly before adding in eggs, you may want to look at the videos regarding arachidonic acid and mood. In addition to cancer promoting methionine content and amino acid profiles, eggs contain inflammatory trans, saturated, and omega 6 fats. Eggs that boast high omega 3 content generally come from hens that have been fed flax, so nothing is gained by going through the middle-hen, other than inflammation, cancer and heart disease promotion, and microbial pathogens.All the best. Hope your insurance issue doesn’t cause too much of a headache, and that you can get some answers and feel better soon.Many studies have found that extremely low fat diets are associated with depression. Eating some olive oil, avocado, walnut oil, or canola oil in your food may help if you are eating an extremely low fat diet. John S PDX ORThank you. I was eating avocados and lots of nuts, so I probably got enough fat, but still…The type of fat also matters, as I said, DHA and EPA are the ones your brain needs the most and those are not in the above foods. Only in oily fish, grass-fed fatty cuts of meats, or grass-fed full-fat diaries, but above all and foremost supplements. And you can find also vegan supplements with DHA and EPA, derived directly from Algae, which is what the fish take it from. So you cut out the man, er, the fish in the middle and go straight to the source, also avoiding possible pollutants (like PCBs and mercury) as well as rancid oils.the only catch is that Algae based supplement tend to cost three times as much. If you are serious about the reasons for being veg*an, then this should not be an obstacle.Here is one such supplement you can get in the UShttp://www.amazon.com/Ovega-3-Vegetarian-Softgels-500-Count/dp/B004LL7AXE/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410356107&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Ovega-3%2C+Omega-3-Fetts%C3%A4uren+DHA+%2B+EPA%2C+60+Veggie+SoftgelsI mentioned above to eat some nuts, but we should not be eating lots of nuts. They can be hard on the digestive system. If you will eat a wide variety of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and grains and make sure you are getting enough calories you should be alright. You did say above that you were eating a lot of raw in the cabbage family. I personally from my experience and from what i read it should not affect your thyroid. But if you eat a lot of raw foods you may need more calories. You cannot get enough calories on a lot of raw food without eating a lot of fat and a lot of fat is not good either. Hard on the liver. If yo uare not getting sufficient calories then you will not be getting sufficient nutrients.Please explain why “lot of fat” is “hard on the liver”.Are you eating enough beans, grains, and nuts and seeds. And maybe you are not eating enough of all the food groups.Are you eating enough? Drinking a couple of litres of water a day? Most people who claim to fail at a plant based diet don’t eat enough. Maybe go get a blood test to see how your B12 levels etc. are. You could also be low in vitamin D.Whatever you do, don’t listen to Nicola! Their just messed up.Hi, have you tried using cronometer.com to see which nutrients might potentially be missing from your diet? Also, I would suggest you eat enough carbohydrates, from whole food sources of course, they are definitely a brain food. They also give you a natural high, which makes you far less dependent on stimulants (coffee, tea, etc.) for a boost. Bananas, dates, potatoes, rice, etc. get enough in, and if you keep your fat intake low, you can really fill up on them without gaining weight. I haven’t read John McDougall’s book, the starch solution, yet, but I imagine it to say something similar, he’s done a lot of research and he’s a physician, whereas I’m not :-) Wish you the best.Dr. Greger, you mentioned that the vegetarians were naturally consuming fewer calories. I would love if you could comment on the success of high-carb low-fat diets such as “Raw Till 4″.As we saw with numerous other high-antioxidant and low-fat foods shown in your videos (i.e. grape juice), an increase of calories doesn’t always equal an increase of bodily fat. I’ve been having great success eating over 3,000 calories a day, mostly coming from fruit, and consuming less than 10% total calories from fat. If there’s any clinical data on this I would love to hear about it.Does anyone know of someone who has beat brain stem cancer? How did they do it?Try Dr. McDougall’s site. I did a brain stem cancer search on the site with no results but got some from brain cancer. https://www.drmcdougall.com/google-search/ This months newsletter (August) even dealt with cancer screening risks and hype.My experience as a vegetarian was that we tended to eat a wider variety of foods because I was forced to think outside the “meat, veggie, potato, salad” box.Still, I was vegetarian for 10 years and never lost a pound, unless I cut calories as well.From Jeff Novick:If you allow people to eat “ad libitum” or all they want till the are comfortably full, from low calorie dense foods, they will lose weight, not be hungry and do not have to count calories.Of course, calories still count, but it becomes almost impossible to over consume calories from the foods you choose if you follow these recommendations.These are averagesFresh Veggies are around 100 cal/lbFresh Fruits around 250-300 cal/lbStarchy Veggies/Intact Whole Grains around 450-500 cal/lbLegumes around 550-600 cal/lbProcessed Grains (even if their Whole grain) around 1200-1500 cal/lbNuts/Seeds around 2800 cal/lbOils around 4000 cal/lbWhat they found is if the calorie density of the food is below 400 calories per pound, not matter how much they eat, they all lost weight.Between 400-800 calories per pound, with some moderate exercise, they all lost weight.Between 800-1200 calories per pound, people gained weight, except for those with very high activity levelsOver 1200 calories per pound, everyone gained weight.Remember, the physical sensation of “fullness” is influenced in a large part by the filling of the stomach and the triggering of the stretch receptors. This would happen regardless of the calorie density of the food, as long as enough food was consumed.However, between 400-800 calories per pound is the range where people either maintained, gained or lost a little. It was the area that I call the “cut-off” zone and the results depending on the person and their activity level.These numbers are also inline with other recommendations.The recent WCF/AICR report on cancer recommends that the average calorie density of our diets be around 550-600 calories per pound, to avoid obesity and weight problems.A starch based diet, made up of starchy vegetables and intact whole grains along with some fruit and veggies, will have a calorie density under 500 calories per pound and maybe even 400 calorie per pound. It would be near impossible to overeat.You can also see the problem with many of the “low fat” diets that focused on processed whole grains, like whole wheat bread, crackers, dry cereals. At 1200-1500 calories per pound, if they become a large part of the diet, they can raise the overall calorie density and make it much easier to overeat on calories and easy to gain weight and/or not lose weight, even with a higher activity level. Hence the principles of the MWL program is to avoid those foods, or really limit them.In regard to how many calories to eat, that is another number, that….1)has no simple answer unless you plan to maintain the exact same physical activity, exercise, stress, temperature, etc etc every day. The concept that everyone needs a certain calorie level that can be determined is wrong.2) i do not think people need to know this number nor do I think there are any great ways to calculate it. All the forumlas have great margins of error in them. So does all estimates of how many calories there are in food. Any calorie estimate you see on any food package can be up to 20% off. Formulas can be over 40% off. Professionals trying to track their calorie intake can be 30% off. Why attempt to measure something that we have such poor ways of measuring.3) calorie density is a much better approach then counting calories as it uses general guidelines and principles to help make healthier choices.We should focus our diets on a variety of healthy foods within the healthy food groups, get enough activity and physical exercise, and not worry about micromanaging our intake.If we need to lose weight, then we can shift our overall calorie density down by focusing on and including more foods lower in calorie density and limiting the higher calorie dense foods. If we need to gain some weight, then we can do the opposite and include more higher calorie dense healthy foods. Of course, we can also adjust activity levels to coincide with our food intake and our goals.To Summarize for simplicity for those interested in weight maintenanceEat Freely:(Foods Low In Calorie Density)Fruits and veggiesEat Relatively Large Portions Without Concern:(Foods Moderate In Calorie Density)Starchy Veggies, Intact Whole Grains and LegumesLimit These Foods(Foods High In Calorie Density)Breads, Bagels, Dry Cereals, Crackers, Tortilla’s, Dried FruitExtremely Limit These Foods:(Foods Very High In Calorie Density)Nuts, Seeds, OIls, Solid Fats, Junk FoodsThe beauty of calorie density is that it frees us from all these numbers and having to count, portion weigh and/or measure anything. So, don’t get caught up in the numbers and for those who do not like numbers, just understand the principle.– Hunger & SatietyWhenever hungry, eat until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve and don’t stuff yourself.– Sequence Your Meals.Start all meals with a salad, soup and/or fruit– Don’t Drink Your CaloriesAvoid liquid calories. Eat/chew your calories, don’t drink or liquify them. Liquids have little if any satiety so they do not fill you up as much as solid foods of equal calories.– Dilution is the Solution: Dilute Out High Calorie Dense Foods/MealsDilute the calorie density of your meals by filling 1/2 your plate (by visual volume) with intact whole grains, starchy vegetables and/or legumes and the other half with vegetables and/or fruit.– Be Aware of the Impact of Vegetables vs Fat/OilVegetables are the lowest in calorie density while fat and oil are the highest. Therefore, adding vegetables to any dish will always lower the overall calorie density of a meal while adding fat and oil will always raise the overall calorie density of a meal– Limit High Calorie Dense FoodsLimit (or avoid) foods that are higher in calorie density (dried fruit, high fat plant foods, processed whole grains, etc). If you use them, incorporate them into meals that are made up of low calorie dense foods and think of them as a condiment to the meal. For example, add a few slices of avocado added to a large salad, or a few walnuts or raisins added in a bowl of oatmeal and fruit.Hi Toxin! Dr Greger did not recommand to limit nuts, as you can see in his video ” Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence” 2 years ago. Has this changed? BTW, thank you very much to all of you, Dr Greger and Team, for that so useful Work! Now, we better know what to eat or not. BrigitteThanks for your post.I personally do not think consuming nuts as a significant portion of calories is the most healthful approach. Heart disease reversal has only been demonstrated on a low fat plant based diet, not one high in nuts. I think the studies Dr. Greger shares in the video are valuable, but I question the applicability they have with a slim “vegan” who does not consume much fat. When you take anyone eating the standard American diet and give them something healthy, positive benefits will almost always be present.Thanks Toxins. OK for a low fat, and good fat, intake. But too many is not healthy. So, how much is enough? I’d like to Know what the latest recommandations are.And, also, how much is too much- what does the science says about that?Adding an ounce or 2 of nuts is fine. I prefer walnuts and flax, as they are the healthiest. If you are generally consuming a starch based diet with lots of veggies, you shouldn’t have any problems.Some vegans use a lot of oil, and way too much of the fatty plants (nuts, nut butters, avocado) and they WILL have trouble losing weight. Eating whole foods, plant based, no added oil, and keeping nuts and avocado in their proper place as special occasional treats, will result in weight loss for sure. Granted there may be fewer calories, but this way of eating requires no portion control or actual calorie counting and hunger is non-existent. Dr. John McDougall outlines a terrific plan for success for both health and weight loss in The Starch Solution.nutrition dense if we look at 100 gr beef it has more vitamins/minerals then 100 gr of blueberries or green veggies like Kale. so you get more nutrition out of beef then veggies or fruit. how can you say then that veggie are more nutrition dense. if beef has more.Don’t forget the thousands of phytonutrients found in whole plant foods, and the effect of baggage that comes with animal based foods.I think you need to look up the most commonly used definition of nutrient density. Grams of a food are not relevant when calculating nutrient density defined as the total nutrient content to total energy content. You should be comparing 100kcal of beef with 100kcal of blueberries or green veggies. I think you will find fruits and vegetables far more nutrient dense.is there any evidence that eating lighter meals in the evening results in weight loss?I have seen studies that claim that biologically we are meant to be vegans, due to the structure of our teeth, the length of our intestine, as well as the fact that most people are unable to digest diary. Is being vegan significantly better for you biologically?Hi Chay. You can always post the study on our website for further discussion. Dr. Greger mentions paleolithic diets! in this great blog post, if interested.I have been vegan for a few months and I can defiantly agree with the statement that you feel better mentally and physically when you go meat(and diary)-free.I am vegan and I obtain the same, if not more calories than meat-eaters. It is just harder to ensure that I get enough protein but that is why I think vegans are healthier, they pay more attention to what they put into their bodies.If looking for additional protein sources let me know! I’ve found many folks who try a vegan diet can get plenty. Dr. Greger mentions protein recommendations in this video, if interested. Thanks, joe!	animal fat,animal products,beef,calcium,calories,chicken,cholesterol,fat,fiber,fish,folate,greens,iron,LDL cholesterol,magnesium,meat,metabolism,plant-based diets,pork,potassium,poultry,protein,riboflavin,saturated fat,seafood,thiamine,turkey,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin A,vitamin B1,vitamin B12,vitamin C,vitamin E,weight loss	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8177051,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21144137,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21616188,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21616193,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21616194,
PLAIN-88	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/	Why Athletes Should Eat Nutritional Yeast	Does powering up at the gym also power up our immune system? Research has shown that moderate exercise improves immunity and decreases illness rates. According to an article in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, “the most important finding that has emerged from exercise immunology studies during the past two decades is that positive changes in our immune system take place during each bout of moderate physical activity. Over time, this translates to fewer days of sickness from, for example, the common cold and other upper respiratory infections.” The best available evidence suggests a 25% to 50% reduction in sick days. Name one drug or supplement that can do that! And it doesn’t take much. Let kids run around for just six minutes and we can boost the number of immune cells circulating in their blood stream by more than a third. At the other end of the life cycle, exercise may help prevent age-related immune decline. Sedentary women in their 70s may have a 50% chance of getting an upper respiratory illness during the fall season every year. But with just a half-hour walk each day, their risk is down to 20%. The runners in the group got it under 10%–five times better! While regular physical activity improves immune function and lowers upper respiratory infection risk, sustained and intense exertion may have the opposite effect, forming a so-called J-shaped curve relationship (you can see this curve diagram in my video, Preserving Immune Function in Athletes With Nutritional Yeast). As we go from inactive to active, our infection risk declines. But if we overtrain, as hardcore athletes do, we may actually put excessive stress on our body and increase our risk of infection. Then we could lose training days, and our performance could suffer. So how can we fight off sickness while continuing to train? Traditional sports medicine doesn’t appear to offer much help, advising athletes to basically not pick their nose, avoid sick people, and get a flu shot. But there may be a natural solution. A new study found that we can better maintain our level of circulating white blood cells after exhaustive exercise by consuming a special type of fiber found in baker’s, brewer’s, and nutritional yeast. (Brewer’s yeast is bitter, but nutritional yeast has a nice cheesy flavor. I use it mostly to sprinkle on popcorn). Normally, two hours after hardcore cycling, there can be a dip in circulating white blood cells, one of our first lines of defense. However, after strenuous exercise, those who ate the equivalent of less than three quarters of a teaspoon a day of nutritional yeast ended up even better than when they started. But does this increase in immune cells translate into fewer illnesses? Researchers studied competitors in the Carlsbad Marathon to find out. In the weeks following the race, a significant number of runners began experiencing upper respiratory tract infection symptoms while taking a placebo. Those runners who were taking the equivalent of a daily spoonful of nutritional yeast cut their rates of infection in half. And they felt better, too. They were asked how they felt on a scale of one to ten. People taking the sugar pills were okay, down around four or five, but those taking identical looking capsules of the fiber found in nutritional yeast were up at six or seven. Elite athletes tend to normally experience deterioration in mood state during intense training periods, and before and after a marathon race. Sprinkle on a little spoonful of nutritional yeast, though, and you may feel less tense, less fatigued, less confused, even less angry (and my personal favorite, they had significantly “increased vigor”). Don’t have time to exercise? Yes you do! See Standing Up for Your Health. Find more on the benefits of exercise in: What else can we do to preserve our immune function? See: Nutritional yeast that’s fortified can also be a convenient source of vitamin B12 (Safest Source of B12). 	Is there a whole food substance, as in a fruit or vegetable or nut or seed, bean or grain, that we can take instead of the the nutritional yeast in order to achieve this same benefit? I’d rather not have to take some over-the-counter processed and packaged product such as nutritional and brewer’s yeast. Surely nature has provided us an alternative to nutritional yeast (other than meat, fish, dairy, egg, etc.) I hope?Yeast is a food. It’s a type of fungi. Remember to “eat outside your kingdom”. Would you consider mushrooms to be a whole food or an over the counter processed and packaged product? I get kalm yeast (a probiotic) in my sauerkraut, just by making it. It’s not a processed and packaged product. If you consume bread, beer, or wine, you are also consuming yeast. Yeast is natural. People have been accidentally or intentionally consuming it for millions of years. John S PDX ORThe yeast you buy at a health food store (from the biggest, most reputable health food stores, to the smallest mom-and-pop organics) is grown with synthetic vitamins. Not all brands “fortify” there nutritional yeast, but all brands that I am aware of (and I have contacted the biggest, most known companies) have all admitted that they “grow” the yeast with synthetic vitamins. I hope this makes sense. And I do not consider some of these synthetic vitamins to be “food”. The yeast on mushrooms….different story, no synthetic vitamins used to increase the “naturally occurring vitamins.”No sense being strictly puritanical about these things. Nature doesn’t intentionally provide us with anything, because it isn’t a conscious, benevolent being. And synthetic does not equal bad. Not at all.Actually, synthetic folate (folic acid) has a real bad track record – Dr. G here seems to agree, as well as the other major vegan doctors in the press. Eating products that were grown with synthetic folate (folic acid) just doesn’t seem prudent. Very few vegans and others are even aware that the un-fortiifed versions are still grown using synthetic vitamins.But Dr. Gregor consumes nutritional yeast (on his popcorn), so he doesn’t seem to concerned about the synthetic vitamin issue. Here is a reputable source on the folic acid issue: http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/the-ups-and-downs-of-folic-acid-fortification.htmIn the context of a healthy plant based diet, synthetic vitamins from nutritional yeast should not be a concern,in my opinion.I doubt Dr. Greger was/is even aware that the non-fortified nutritional yeasts are grown with synthetic vitamins (the fortified versions are both grown with the vitamins as well as added in – -AKA fortified – after the growth of the yeast). Not one single person who consumes nutritional yeast, from the ones I have spoken with, has been aware of this. I never was aware until I asked the companies directly, and I had to have them put it in writing since I feed this to someone who can not have folic acid in any form or amount (folate from food is fine). Even the most knowledgable vegans I know had no idea that this was the case. I just think it is a case that no one ever questioned this issue, because the products said “un-fortified”, but my intuition said that some of the B vitamins were sky high either way in the non-fortified versions, and I highly doubted nature produced all of these vitamins solely.Which companies did you contact? Did you contact Patricia Bragg? Some B vitamins could be sky high if the yeast were grown on a different medium.Would be interested in hearing Dr. Greger and others weigh in on this, too. While I love nutritional yeast and doubt I’d be booting it out of my life entirely, if it does contain synthetic vitamins I’d prefer to limit it. It sounds like the amounts that might bring benefits are small, anyway. I can easily eat a cup of the stuff a day (mixed into creamy, vegan, cheesy sauces, etc.), but if it contains synthetic vitamins (folic acid as opposed to folate, etc.) maybe this isn’t best.Strange: My grandmother never exercised except for back bends, and lived to be 96. My father was a couch potato and lived to be 87; my mother never exercised and lived to be 92. Exercise is not the panacea for long life.Liars- Some people are genetically blessed. You appear to be one of those people. The question is not “Who gets to live a long life?”, but how can someone live a longer life?” In science, we have to be careful about exactly what questions we are asking. Exercise can increase the length of life compared to one’s normal life span, which differs in each individual. John S PDX ORWhat’s more important then how long someone lived is how long someone lived well. Our society (pharmaceutical companies, etc.) today is keeping people alive longer living miserable lives. My four grandparents lived into their 90s but suffered for many years ( a decade if not longer); in and out of the hospital, in wheelchairs, limited mobility, brain fog, etc. It’s been proven time and time again moderate exercise as simple as yoga, Tai Chi, gardening, walking, swimming that can be done in old age or throughout life can certainly assist in warding off some of these issues.I teach tai chi for strength, posture and balance……basically to stop older people from falling over. For most people it improves their independence and ability to live a full life. However this is not running or aerobic exercise and my impression is that all exercise is good and doing what you enjoy is good. We also live a more sedentary life and this is associated with a range of dis-ease. Is our body here to just carry our brain around? Personally I was happy when my mother took up tai chi because it improved her health and she walked till the day she died, Sometimes I’ve taught people who smoke and they are oldish but I wouldn’t then suggest that this is the way to liveYour grandparents led more active lifestyles and ate healthier growing up. Nothing is a panacea for health. It takes a combination of healthy eating, rest, and an adequate level of physical activity. What’s strange is how people who don’t exercise find excuses to attack it. Lazy sh!ts will be lazy sh!ts.No but it sure does help with the quality of one’s life. Better sleep, sex, confidence, body image, skin, circulation, BP, vitality, anxiety, stress, depression, and the list goes on. A long life does not mean a good quality and happy life. My grandfather lived to 94 and my grandmother to 89- can’t say they had good quality at the end of it all. Something to consider and if moderate exercise is good for us- then yay! No need to feel we need to kill ourselves to have a benefit.They had very good quality of life w/o exercise. As did my father and mother who lived into lower 90s and up 80s. Never ever did any exercise and they were never sick.Not good enough for me. I would rather have a great quality of life and that requires exercise. No matter how great your parents quality of life, it could have been even better with exercise.I think that is great but the benefits should not be discounted for others. Namaste.Great article as usual. I hit the “like” button for FB and I don’t think anything happened.Does any of the listed yeast increase “negative” yeast such as Candia?Maybe give nutritional yeast the yellow light?What about the excitotoxin problem of free glutamate or MSG in nutritional yeast.Another option to crank up these white blood cells other than nutritional yeast? Something raw or natural?I normally eat my nutritional yeast with breakfast, before I strenuously train. I wonder when the participants in the study consume the nutritional yeast tablets, was it during the period after the race on a daily basis? Was it two hours after the strenuous exercise? The article refers to a dip in white blood cells 2 hours after strenuous exercise, but does not mention when the nutritional yeast was consumed by the athletes.What about the folic acid added to nutritional yeast?I am confused. Please help me get this right. I thought that multivitamins were a bad idea. The fortified nutritional yeast that I have (I bought it before I read the ingredients) has Niacin and Folic Acid added to it (among others). Aren’t those to be avoided in supplement form? I was actually planning to purchase non-fortified nutritional yeast next time. Does the non-fortified nutritional yeast work the same as the fortified? Or does the fortified yeast help the immune system work because of the added vitamins?Even non-fortified nutritional yeasts are grown using synthetic vitamins. The nutritional yeasts that are fortified have the vitamins added in afterwards. Either way, seems like you are getting synthetics if you eat these products.You didn’t mention what kind of fiber it is! Do you have any information on the specifics?Can individuals that suffer with chronic migraine ingest nutritional yeast?I have chronic migraines and use nutritional yeast daily and cocoa powder. Just because some people can’t tolerate these things doesn’t mean that everyone with migraine can’t. I haven’t found any whole foods plant based non-processed foods that I can’t tolerate.It really depends on what’s causing your migraines. I’ve never heard of people having issues from nutritional yeast. My own migraines were triggered by dairy consumption; I’ve not had a full-blown one since going vegan 4 and a half years ago, and rarely get headaches of any kind now.Does this also apply to Brewers yeast or only Nutritional yeast? Thanks for your time.This article might help understand the difference. http://www.milkandhoneyhealthfoods.com/brewers-yeast-versus-nutritional-yeastare “sugar pills” really sugar? because I don’t think athletes eat much sugar, and adding sugar every day would probably increase your chances of getting sick, don’t you think? I mean, I feel better when idont eat sugar.How do people get the nutritional yeast to stick to their popcorn? It all falls to the bottom of the bowl. What am I missing here?I’m trying to reconcile the advice given here with the content of this video Dr. Greger made.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/It seems that it is possible to get unfortified nutritional yeast, but that most aren’t. Unfortunately the one I use, Bob’s Red Mill, contains added folic acid. According to Toxins (see comments on above video), folic acid consumption was shown to be problematic if exceeding 0.4 mg. This is roughly the amount contained in 1/4 cup of Bob’s Red Mill nutritional yeast, according to their website (see link below). Like many other nooch-lovers out there, I regularly exceed that amount, but now I’m really rethinking my consumption of this stuff.http://blog.bobsredmill.com/recipes/nutritional-yeast-demystified/Can you weigh in on this, Dr. Greger? Thanks!Vote for Yeast here: http://examine.com/faq/potential/Hi Dr. Greger,I have read regarding the storage of VitamineB12 injections should be kept at a certain range of temperature and away from sunlight. I was wondering if this applies to supplements and/or fortified nutritional yeast?On the study that you showcased on athletes vs. nutritional yeast; your article stated that it is due to a specific fiber that helps our immune system. On this study was the nutritional yeast fortified or non-fortified? If so would the vitamin B12 play a role in the results? If so Couldn’t we just take a certain dose of vitamin b12 after excessive exercise and see the same results or equivalent?On a side note, I understand very well that the supplement business is no way regulated and it ends up being on trust without much evidence that the numbers/label are truly what is in the bottle. As in the case of your latest update regarding Red Star product; are there any brands or resources that you would recommend in this ocean filled of brands/manufactures of Fortified Nutritional yeast, B12 supplements and Vitamin D2.For other nutritional yeast fanatics out there here are my top 15 favorite uses for it. Thought I would share :)1. Popcorn. Probably my favorite usage of nutritional yeast. Sprinkle nutritional yeast on top of popcorn and I guarantee by the end of the bowl you will be licking it off your fingers :)2. Potatoes. Add nutritional yeast to your mashed potatoes for added cheesy flavor. Sometime I also sprinkle it on baked potatoes and sweet potatoes (this is a great substitution for butter or sour cream).3. Soups/stews. Stir in some nutritional yeast as a savory flavor adder.4. Kale chips. Lightly mist raw kale with oil. Sprinkle with Mrs. Dash & nutritional yeast & bake until crispy. Yum!5. Pizza. Sprinkle nutritional yeast on top of cheese-less pizza.6. Spaghetti. Ditch the green can of processed Parmesan cheese. Instead use a few sprinkles of nutritional yeast.7. Vegan pesto. Substitute nutritional yeast for Parmesan cheese in pesto recipes – it’s even better than the original cheese-filled version!8. Vegan mac & cheese. Nutritional yeast can be made into a cheese-less sauce, perfect for vegan version of kid’s favorite meal! There are tons of recipes floating around online.9. Vegan nacho cheese dip. Sounds weird, but tastes amazing. I have adapted my personal recipe from one that I originally found in “The Everything Vegan Cookbook” by Jolinda Hackett. It combines nutritional yeast, flour, peanut butter, salsa & a few other ingredients and I swear omnivores can’t even tell the difference!10. Grits. Craving good old fashioned sausage & grits? Simply cook some grits, add some Gimme Lean veggie sausage, a little unsweetened soy milk & vegan butter, + nutritional yeast and you will think you are eating the real thing!11. Roasted veggies. Sprinkle on top of roasted veggies to add cheesiness.12. Bread crumbs. Use nutritional yeast in place of bread crumbs!13. Salad topper. Sprinkle on top of salads to add flavor without all the added fat calories in typical salad dressings.14. Vegan gravy. Nutritional yeast provides a flavor boost to vegan gravies.15. Dog food. Yes, dog food. One client told me that her dog would never eat it’s food until she started adding nutritional yeast to it and now her dog can’t get enough of the stuff!Tara: Nice list! Thanks for sharing!! I use a lot of the stuff myself. I particularly like it in sauces.How much nutritional yeast is too much?? If one consumes more than the recommended dose daily, are there negative effects as a consequence? Me and my friends tend to eat way more of it than the recommended 2 tbsps daily (we sprinkle it on basically everything), and we’re concerned that this might be bad for health, but still have not found an evidence online, nor has anyone said how much of it is the limit for good health! Could you please enlighten us?I don’t know what “sprinkle on a little spoonful” means. What’s a “little spoonful”? A teaspoon? As opposed to a “big spoonful,” aka a tablespoon? You did mention 3/4 teaspoon in one study, but I notice that various brands of nutritional yeast have different serving size suggestions — some as much as a couple of tablespoons. So how much, exactly, should I put in my morning smoothy to keep my immune system revving?To me that means about 1 teaspoon. A spoonful usually means 1 tablespoon. So I think anywhere from 1tsp – 1 TBSP is fine.	aging,children,cognition,common cold,exercise,fatigue,fiber,immune function,mood,nutritional yeast,respiratory infections,stress,yeast	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17021002,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22575076,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21878385,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24149590,
PLAIN-89	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/02/new-features-on-nutritionfacts-org/	New Features on NutritionFacts.org	The new and improved NutritionFacts.org is here! Based on everyone’s comments and the mad skills of our web developer genius Christi Richards, the site has been redesigned for clarity, ease of use, and overall awesomeness. We want to make it as effortless as possible to find, watch, and share the now 900+ videos. New features include a FAQ page. In fact one of the most frequently asked questions was whether we have a frequently asked questions page :). Any questions I failed to answer? Please contact me. Since the new look went up on Saturday I’ve already added a new question someone asked: “Why does NutritionFacts.org seem biased against certain foods?” Read my answer on our new Frequently Asked Questions page. Other new pages include: I’d love your feedback. Please have patience while we iron out any last bugs due to the major overhaul. You can help us get there by letting us know about any and all weird website behavior. And if you have any thoughts on how we could improve the site and make it even more useful, please contact us. No feedback is too small or picky! If you like the new look and functionality (isn’t it so much easier to share videos now?!), please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us to continue to reach even more millions with an evidence-based message of dietary sanity. 	I love the new look and features of the site. Much more user friendly, streamlined, and aesthetically pleasing (as well as informative, as always!) Kudos to you, Ms. Richards and Dr. Greger!You talked about fish oil, which I would (as a vegan and animal lover) never consider taking. But my veterinarian recommended it for my wonderful dog Princey, who is 13 and has arthritis, making it harder for him to climb stairs, etc. He is also on Novox, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, and glucosamine chondroitin, for relief of joint pain and cartilage restoration. Any thoughts or recommendations? (I know you aren’t a veterinarian, but I’m thinking that might not matter.)Carole: I’m not a vet, but I thought I would share that I give my dog ground flaxseed. I let it sit in some water and stir until it gets to a nice paste or pudding texture. I bought a dollar store mug whose only purpose is flaxseed paste for my dog. He *loves* the flaxseed paste. He slurps it up like a great treat. Based on observation, I *believe* that the flaxseed does everything that fish oil is supposed to do. Of course, I have no proof on that.I doubt we have enough actual science to say whether the flaxseed does anything for dogs or not. But fish oil is hardly a natural food for dogs either. And when I had to choose, I chose the safe one (no contaminants in flaxseed). And the one that is not destroying the oceans, making the planet a livable place that much longer for dogs as well as humans and other animals.FYI: My dog is also on glucosamine chondroitin and a an anti-inflamatory, though different from the one your dog is on.Just some thoughts for you. I know how very painful it is to see a dog in pain. Good luck.Thanks so much for this, Thea. I wonder how much ground flax see you give your dog every day. CaroleCarole: My vet said I would have to give him “a lot” to make a difference. However, the vets wasn’t all that clear on what “a lot” would be – once again making me suspect that there isn’t any real science behind it. Just some good guesses on what we know about basic biology. But my vet did suggest something like 1/3 to 1/2 cup. At least I think that’s what he said. But did he mean 1/3 cup dry? Or after the water is added??? I doubt my vet knows what he meant.Also consider: I have a 125 pound dog (giant breed). My vet threw those numbers out with my dog sitting in front of us as the context. Maybe a smaller dog would need less?Since there are so many unknowns, I don’t stress too much about the amount. I grind up a bunch of flax seed and store it in a peanut butter jar in the fridge. Then most days, I poor some of the flaxseed into a cup, eyeballing the amount – aiming for between 1/3 and 1/2 cup. Stir in some water and let sit a few minutes. Stir again. Sometimes I drop in a few kibbles or other treats to keep it interesting, since this is something he gets every day. But he also licks it up plain.I also aim to vary the amount since I don’t know what is really effective and what might be too much. If I’m near the end of the jar, I might give extra just to finish off the jar and give him a bigger boost. Same if his fur is looking a bit less soft or shinny that day. Other days I will give much less or sometimes skip it all together to give his body a break.I have NO IDEA how sound these ideas are. I just know it is working for us. The breed’s normal lifespan would be 8-10 years. He is 10 years old, going on 11 soon. He is doing fantastic! So says the vet, his lab results, and everyone who sees him. (Except for a bad knee, which has a torn ACL from several years ago.) The flax seed is just one part of what I attribute to his health and longevity. The other parts are vegan kibble for his main food (V-dog), mental stimulation (positive training and frequent outings around town), love, and his inherent zest for life.I hope that helps.You’ve been so helpful. Would you email me at carole@bwretailbrokerage.com?That is amazing. My parents still have this old old dog who I grew up with. I will try feeding her some ground flaxseed.How do you respond to those who say humans are frugivores and promote a totally natural diet – that is, food eaten as it comes to us in nature and that doesn’t have to be processed, including cooking, for us to eat it. I know you recommend eating grains and beans, which of course have to be cooked. In addition to having to be processed, aren’t they acidic as opposed to alkaline?Fantastic, i see some immediate A/B testing opportunities :) Love the fixed navigation, this will improve number of pageviews for sure. What is really important now is working on your pagespeed. Check out a waterfall chart or for some detailed advice, or just check out pagespeed insights for basic advice. CDN loading will help too, if you haven’t already. Just let me know and i’ll be happy to give you some free advice. Related videos and content silo’s can be improved too. Generally a very big step forward too, congrats!Huh, that’s weird! I don’t see Big Broccoli on the donor recognition page. (Just kidding!)Love the new web-site – well done! But still no recipes… this would make it so much easier to apply dietary knowledge if you shared some of the dishes you cook!For us older members we’d be better served with a visual “search box” with the name “search box” in it at the top instead of the cryptic spyglass. For probably 50+ % of us we’ll take a look at the front page, see no way to interact, get mad and just leave.Where is the cryptic spyglass? That is what I am looking for and can’t find it.Scroll to the top of this page, notice there is a header across the top where users usually look for a search box on information websites, but now after “ABOUT’ there’s just a spyglass. What am I missing, do you call it a magnifying glass?Very disappointed, those huge photos taking half of the screen make the site look exactly like those B-grade beauty-health-pseudoscience type sites, where visitors are fed with some pictures and 2-3 lines of text about some snake oil, usually numbered or bulleted for easier understanding. Unprofessional and totally not serious – the new design could be in a dictionary for definition of yellow press – “newspapers as having daily multi-column front-page headlines, using bold layouts (with large illustrations and perhaps color), heavy reliance on unnamed sources, and unabashed self-promotion.Mindaugas: try changing your view settings (site size). Once I played around with them, the home screen looks much more like what I was comfortable with….small video in upper left and content all around it. I use Firefox and am able to change font size and overall page size.Marie: If a user has to play around with Internet browser settings just to make the viewing experience bearable – that’s a sure sign of poor site design. And by the way, have you tried to view the page on an Ipad? It looks like a porn site :DWhat do you think about this article that says new research shows that eating fish is healthy? I’ve been trying to convince my 92 year old mother to be vegan, and now this article will make it harder:What Fish Does to Your Brain by James Hamblin, The Atlantichttps://trove.com/me/content/yAXKc?chid=168689The lead paragraph is:“Dr. Cyrus Raji, a resident radiologist at UCLA, appreciates value far beyond the cosmetics of a thick cerebral cortex. He’s the lead researcher in a new study in the current American Journal of Preventive Medicine that found that people who regularly eat fish have more voluminous brains than those who do not—in such a way that should protect them from Alzheimer’s disease.”Well…at least I know I’m not losing my mind….I thought it seemed different, but I hadn’t been here in a while. By the way, I am listening to many of your videos while I’m at work (headphones!) with an occasional peek at the screen ….it’s been great! very informative, as always.It’s Thursday; first thing I do is go to NutritionFacts.org to read the latest article. Can’t find it on the home page…Not liking this new format. Previous video not on home page either; the date the video was posted is also missing. Really miss the old format.I absolutely do not see a search box. Has it gone away or am I missing it? I use it almost daily. Thank you.Cclick on the magnifying-glass symbol at the top of the page and search will open.Let me know if Joevegan’s comments helped, and if not, please email me (tommasina@nutritionfacts.org) with your browser specifications and we can try to fix the issue. Thanks for your feedback!The quality of articles is still remarquable. And the new web site design looks great! Keep on pushing! :-)At 3/4 screen or full screen, there’s plenty of room for the search BOX to be there so we don’t have click on the magnifying glass before we can search.I am subscribed and receive new videos and articles weekly. Recently, I suddenly starting seeing articles and videos when I logged onto Facebook. Is there a way to get rid of that? (I don’t hate it, but neither do I like it. If I want to read ‘back issues’, I can do that via Topics or Search or whatever.) I just don’t want it in my daily FB experience (even though I do fairly frequently share your articles/videos through FB. There’s no indication that what pops up has been shared by a Friend; it seems to come from your website.)As to sharing to FB from your video page, should a window come up after clicking on Facebook? All I got was a twitchy word (Facebook) and nothing else. I clicked again. Same thing. I hope I haven’t posted MRSA Superbugs twice.I think it would be nice if you could remove off topic questions from comment sections to Ask the Doctor. Though it would possibly take more personnel than you have.Congrats for the new website ! At last :D	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-90	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/	How to Boost the Benefits of Exercise	We all know exercise is beneficial to our health. Then why is it that ultramarathon runners may generate so many free radicals during a race that they can damage the DNA of a significant percentage of their cells? Researchers have looked at the exercise-induced increase in free radical production as a paradox: why would an apparently healthy act—exercise—lead to detrimental effects through damage to various molecules and tissues? This arises out of somewhat of a misunderstanding: exercise in and of itself is not necessarily the healthy act—it’s the recovery after exercise that is so healthy, the whole “that-which-doesn’t-kill-us-makes-us-stronger” notion. For example, exercise training has been shown to enhance antioxidant defenses by increasing the activities of our antioxidant enzymes. So, during the race ultra-marathoners may be taking hits to their DNA, but a week later they can experience great benefits, as shown in my video, Enhanced Athletic Recovery Without Undermining Adaptation. In a recent study, researchers from Oregon State University looked at the level of DNA damage in athletes. Six days after a race, athletes didn’t just go back to the baseline level of DNA damage, but had significantly less, presumably because they had revved up their antioxidant defenses. So, maybe exercise-induced oxidative damage is beneficial, similar to vaccination. By freaking out the body a little, we might induce a response that’s favorable in the long run. This concept, that low levels of a damaging entity can up-regulate protective mechanisms, is known as hormesis. For example, herbicides kill plants, but in tiny doses may actually boost plant growth, presumably by stressing the plant into rallying its resources to successfully fight back. Wait a second, though. Could eating anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant rich plant foods undermine this adaptation response? We know that berries may reduce inflammatory muscle damage (See Reducing Muscle Soreness with Berries), and greens may reduce free radical DNA damage (See Preventing Exercise Induced Oxidative Stress with Watercress). Dark chocolate and tomato juice appear to have similar effects. How it works is that flavonoid phytonutrients in fruits, vegetables, and beans seem to inhibit the activity of xanthine oxidase, considered the main contributor of free radicals during exercise. And the carbs in plant foods may also decrease stress hormone levels. So in 1999, a theoretical concern was raised. Maybe all that free radical stress from exercise is a good thing, and increased consumption of some antioxidant nutrients might interfere with these necessary adaptive processes. If we decrease free radical tissue damage, maybe we won’t get that increase in activity of those antioxidant enzymes. A group of researchers who performed a study on tart cherry juice and recovery following a marathon responded to this antioxidant concern by suggesting that, although it is likely that muscle damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress are important factors in the adaptation process, minimizing these factors may improve recovery so we can train more and perform better. So, there are theories on both sides, but what happens when we actually put it to the test? While antioxidant or anti-inflammatory supplements may prevent these adaptive events, researchers found that blackcurrant extract – although packed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties – actually boosted the health benefits of regular exercise. If we take antioxidant pills—vitamin C and vitamin E supplements— we can also reduce the stress levels induced by exercise, but in doing so we block that boost in antioxidant enzyme activity caused by exercise. Now maybe we don’t need that boost if we don’t have as much damage, but vitamin C supplements seem to impair physical performance in the first place. With plant foods, though, we appear to get the best of both worlds. For example, lemon verbena, an antioxidant-rich herbal tea, protects against oxidative damage and decreases the signs of muscular damage and inflammation, without blocking the cellular adaptation to exercise. In a recent study, researchers showed that lemon verbena does not affect the increase of the antioxidant enzyme response promoted by exercise. On the contrary: antioxidant enzyme activity was even higher in the lemon verbena group. In my video, Enhanced Athletic Recovery Without Undermining Adaptation, you can see the level of antioxidant enzyme activity before and after 21 days of intense running exercises in the control group. With all that free radical damage, the body started cranking up its antioxidant defenses. But give a dark green leafy tea, and not only do we put a kabosh on the damage due to all the phytonutrients and antioxidants, but we still get the boost in defenses—in fact, in this case, the boost was even greater. Find out more on enhancing athletic recovery in this three-part video series: 1. Reducing Muscle Fatigue with Citrus 2. Reducing Muscle Soreness with Berries 3. Preventing Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress With Watercress 	I’m curious if this might be more a question of dose than source. So far as I know, the studies which have shown a negative effect from vitamin C supplementation have all used 1000 mg, or well above the RDA. You’d be hard pressed to eat anywhere near that, of course, but if you did, might the results be the same? I think it’s possible, at least, considering studies with 100-200 mg of supplemental vitamin C haven’t shown any detrimental effects. As ever, too much is as bad as too little. The dose makes both the poison and medicine.Another study to this same point: enhanced immune system, and decreased oxidative stress with increased fruit and veggie consumption: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/137/12/2737.full.pdf+htmlExcellent review! Man I love this stuff.or it could be plant is toxic in itself so it become hoemesis substance by itself like exercise.Probably my favorite series of subjects on the website. Demonstrates the absolute perfection of using natural foods as they are, and sticking with whole food plants.A recent study at, I believe the University of TX, suggested that aerobic exercise improves health by increasing autophagy. I’m guessing this might be a prime factor in helping to clean up the damaged dna. Adding the phytonutrients I would suppose reduces the damage to begin with.It’s much easier to run my 6 miles when I know what good it’s doing me. Just had my watermelon so gotta do my run.I found this article confusing. So, do we take the dark green leafy tea right after exercising? What type of tea? I appreciate all the background, but would love a succinct course of action provided at the end that I can skip to when some of the material is beyond my brain capacity or I’m short on time. Thank you!Yes! I was waiting for that too. Isn’t that why we read the “experts” anyway?succinct truths are my quest :)I have found that just being a vegan made recovery from exercise much better. Then when I adopted the raw ’til 4 diet, my recovery went through the roof! I am 55 and I am so amazed at the things my body will now tolerate in terms of being able to do new activities and not suffer the stiff muscles the next day. I have not gone to a gym and done any body building mind you, but I have done plenty of other stuff. I love it!On a related topic I heard about this concept of metabolic efficiency recently for endurance athletes like marathons and beyond. The idea was to encourage the use of fat as fuel rather than glycogen so that glycogen stores would last longer during running/cycling, reducing the need for topping up with so much “sugar” during the exercise. The argument was don’t carbohydrate load pre-race. Carbohydrate produces a spike in sugar in blood, brings insulin, which stops fat burning. Go for protein first like yoghurt and fruit for 2 hours before a big event rather than a bowl of porridge. It was also stated that after a couple of weeks of eating like this you could have an 80% increase in fat burning as opposed to glycogen burning and long slow runs provided the other 20% potential improvement. I was interested in this topic as a way of improving my performance, reducing tiredness in later stages of say a marathon, but this talk was predicated on eating animal products. I am a vegan so essentially live on complex carbohydrates fruit and veggies (and as we know there is plenty of protein). I wondered what Dr Greger thought of this metabolic efficiency idea in terms of fat burning and if there has been work done on it in relation to vegans?Yes, I agree that many of the videos are great, but I am left with not knowing exactly what I should or should not do based on the studies. Please give us clear directions.. ex. “so when you exercise, make sure you do abc and def to minimize the oxidative stress”. thank you.	antioxidants,beans,berries,beverages,cherries,chocolate,currants,DNA damage,exercise,flavonoids,fruit,fruit juice,greens,herbal tea,hormesis,inflammation,juice,lemon verbena,muscle health,muscle inflammation,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,supplements,tea,tomato juice,tomatoes,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin C,vitamin E	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15059637,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2680430/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19403859,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16572599,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22777327,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10671036,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16336008,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14563981,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20845212,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10604201,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20967458,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21465244,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3238154/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22396752,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19883392,
PLAIN-91	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/	Chronic Headaches and Pork Parasites	Neurocysticercosis is the sciencey name for an infection of the human central nervous system by pork tapeworm larvae. The invasion of baby pork tapeworms in the brain “has become an increasingly important emerging infection in the United States,” and is the #1 cause of epilepsy in the world. It is the most common parasitic disease of the human brain and used to be found throughout only the developing world (with the exception of Muslim countries, since less pork is consumed there). That all changed about 30 years ago, and now it’s increasingly found throughout North America. Besides seizures, the pork parasites may actually trigger brain tumors or cause an aneurism or psychiatric manifestation like depression. It can also result in dementia, but with deworming drugs this is often reversible. Only rarely do surgeons have to surgically remove the larvae. I’ve talked about pork tapeworms before (see my videos Pork Tapeworms on the Brain, Avoiding Epilepsy Through Diet, and Not So Delusional Parasitosis). What’s new is that we now know that they may present as chronic headaches—either migraines or so-called “tension-headaches”—even when the worms in our head are dead. What researchers think is happening is that as our body tries to chip away at the worms’ calcified bodies, bits of them may be released into the rest of our brain causing inflammation that could be contributing to headaches. This condition is rare even in endemic areas, but we can avoid getting infested with an adult tapeworm in the first place by cooking pork thoroughly. It’s found in some parts of pig carcasses more than others (see the meat chart here), and the worms can be frozen to death no matter how infested the muscles are by storing pork (cut up into small pieces) for a month at subzero temperatures. Then to ensure the larvae are dead the meat is recommended to be cooked for more than two hours. That’s one well-done pork chop! The New England Journal of Medicine recently featured a case of some guy who must have had thousands of pork tapeworm larvae wriggling through his muscles. In my video, Chronic Headaches and Pork Tapeworms, you can see an x-ray, showing the thousands of little white streaks in this man’s body. Each white streak is a baby tapeworm. That’s why you can get infected by pork, it gets in the muscles. So cannibals might want to cook for two hours too. Not all parasites are associated with meat, though. An anxious but healthy 32-year-old male physician presented to the family medicine clinic with a sample of suspected parasites from his stools, which had been retrieved from the toilet that same day. They looked to be about an inch long. He had previously traveled to India, had Chinese food the night before—who knows what he had. Maybe it was hookworms? The sample was sent to the microbiology laboratory for analysis. Later that day, the microbiology physician called to report positive identification of Vigna radiata (previously known as Phaseolus aureus) in the stool sample. Or in common parlance, a bean sprout. They were bean sprouts! “The patient was called and gently but firmly informed of the diagnosis. Given the nature of the identified specimen, the information was presented in a non-judgmental, respectful manner so as not to offend the sensibilities or sensitivities of the patient.” Their parting advice to fellow physicians in cases of this nature was as follows: “as comical as the findings might seem–try not to laugh!” Other parasites in meat include toxoplasma (Brain Parasites in Meat), sarcosystis (USDA Parasite Game), and Anisakis (Allergenic Fish Worms). There can even be critters in some dairy products (Cheese Mites and Maggots). Eating Outside Our Kingdom describes a brain malady caused not by meat parasites, but by meat proteins themselves. One of the nice things about eating plant-based is that plant parasites, like aphids, don’t affect people. When is the last time you heard of someone coming down with a bad case of Dutch elm disease? If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here. 	Love this video today. Please keep this sort of information coming, as the parasite via meat issue is sure to sway (and rightfully so) more folks over to plant-based eating.Dr Greger, does this mean that some pork epilepsy might be cured with the killing of the parasites?I’ve had an unremitting headache for 7 years. I actually got excited about having worms in my brain this article at first because at least it means I might have an answer!? I’m less excited after reading because I realize this would probably have been a diagnosable condition through one of my many mri s or ct scans. Is that correct?	aneurism,brain disease,brain health,brain parasites,brain surgery,brain tumors,cooking methods,dementia,depression,epilepsy,eye disease,eye health,eye parasites,food poisoning,foodborne illness,headaches,inflammation,meat,migraine,muscle disease,muscle health,neurocysticercosis,parasites,polyphenols,pork seizures,sprouts,surgery,tapeworms	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/usda-parasite-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21915772,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22174352,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22111738,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10880719,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21998230,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9219748,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22292097,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22900769,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16024900,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22547511,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22280984,
PLAIN-92	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/	Why the Egg-Cancer Link?	Two million men in the U.S. are living with prostate cancer — but that’s better than dying from prostate cancer. Catch it when it’s localized and the five-year survival is practically guaranteed, but once it really starts spreading, chances drop to one in three. “Thus, identification of modifiable factors that affect the progression of prostate cancer is something that deserves study,” noted Dr. Erin Richman and colleagues at Harvard. So, they took more than a thousand men with early stage prostate cancer and followed them for a couple years to see if there was anything in their diet associated with a resurgence of the cancer, such as spreading to the bone. Compared to men who hardly ate any eggs, men who ate even less than a single egg a day had a significant 2-fold increased risk of prostate cancer progression. The only thing worse was poultry consumption, with up to four times the risk of progression among high-risk men. They think it might be the cooked meat carcinogens that for some reason build up more in chicken and turkey muscle than in other meats. For more on these so-called heterocyclic amines, see my videos: Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine?, Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens, and PhIP: The Three Strikes Breast Carcinogen. But what about the eggs? Why would less than once-a-day egg consumption double the risk of cancer progression? “A plausible mechanism that may explain the association between eggs and prostate cancer progression is high dietary choline,” the researchers suggested.  Egg consumption is a determinant of how much choline you have in your blood, and higher blood choline has been associated with a greater risk of getting prostate cancer in the first place. So the choline in eggs may both increase one’s risk of getting it and having it spread. Studies have associated choline consumption not just with getting cancer and spreading cancer, but also with significantly increased risk of dying from it. Those who ate the most had a 70% increased risk of lethal prostate cancer. Another recent study found that men who consumed two and a half or more eggs per week — that’s just like one egg every three days — had an 81 percent increased risk of lethal prostate cancer. Maybe that’s why meat, milk, and eggs have all been associated with advanced prostate cancer—because of the choline. Choline is so concentrated in cancer cells that doctors can follow choline uptake to track the spread of cancer throughout the body. But why may dietary choline increase the risk of lethal prostate cancer? Dietary choline is converted in the gut to trimethylamine (see my video Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection), so the Harvard researchers speculated that the TMAO from the high dietary choline intake may increase inflammation, which may promote progression of prostate cancer to a lethal disease. In one of my videos, Eggs and Choline: Something Fishy, I talked about what trimethylamine might do to one’s body odor. In the New England Journal of Medicine, the same Cleveland Clinic research team that did the famous study on carnitine repeated the study, but instead of feeding people a steak, they fed people some hard-boiled eggs. Just as they suspected, a similar spike in that toxic TMAO. So it’s not just red meat. And the link between TMAO levels in the blood and strokes, heart attacks, and death was seen even in low-risk groups like those with low-risk cholesterol levels. Thus, because of the choline, eating eggs may increase our risk regardless of what our cholesterol is. It’s ironic that the choline content of eggs is something the egg industry actually boasts about. And the industry is aware of the cancer data. Through the Freedom of Information Act, I was able to get my hands on an email (which you can view in my video, Eggs, Choline, and Cancer) from the executive director of the industry’s Egg Nutrition Center to an American Egg Board executive talking about how choline may be a culprit in promoting cancer progression. “Certainly worth keeping in mind,” he said, “as we continue to promote choline as another good reason to consume eggs.”   With regard to the prevention of prostate cancer progression, chicken and eggs may be the worst foods to eat, but what might be the best? See my video Prostate Cancer Survival: The A/V Ratio. To prevent prostate cancer in the first place, see videos such as: What about reversing cancer progression? See Dr. Ornish’s work Cancer Reversal Through Diet?, followed up by the Pritikin Foundation: Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay. Flax may help as well (Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer). 	Is there a human or dietary need for choline?Sam, yes. This link provides a good summary: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK114308/KWD: Thanks for that link.Sam: I can provide a little more info on the topic. A good reference book for our nutritional needs is the book, “Becoming Vegan, Express Edition” By Brenda Davis and Vasanto Melina. They did a *ton* of research to write that book, and they have a lot of experience behind them.Here is a quote from the book concerning choline: “Choline has hopped back and forth across the line between vitamin – and therefore essential – and nonvitamin. That’s because the body can produce sufficient choline unless a person’s diet is short on folate, vitamin B12, and the amino acid methionine. People seem to need significantly different amounts depending on genetics and diet.”You can learn more about the topic by reading the book itself. I just wanted to share that really interesting bit. I interpreted the above to mean: As long as you are generally healthy and eating a healthy diet, you don’t have to worry about choline intake.Dr. Greger does not appear to be particularly concerned about focusing on choline intake. Here are Dr. Greger’s nutritional recommendations. Notice the lack of concern about choline for people on a Whole Plant Food Based Diet:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/fish also contain choline. However reports say if u dont eat fish u double the risks of dementia.Maybe that why Previously choline has been touted as brain food !Peter Smith: I know there are articles out there that say that fish is good for the brain. But the overall science does not seem to support this theory. Here is an example report from PCRM:“Fish Oil Supplements No Help to Heart or BrainTwo new studies found that omega-3 supplements, often sold in the form of fish oil, do not improve the health of the brain or heart. After following more than 12,500 type 2 diabetes patients over the age of 50 for an average of 6.2 years, researchers saw no difference in heart health between those taking an omega-3 supplement versus a placebo. Diabetes patients are two to four times more likely to suffer from heart disease or a stroke, compared with people without diabetes. Another recent meta-analysis came to the same conclusion for people with a history of heart problems. Additionally, in a new review looking at omega-3 supplementation for brain health, researchers found no link between omega-3 supplements and the prevention or improvement of dementia. Bosch J, Gerstein HC, Diaz R, et al. n–3 fatty Acids and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with dysglycemia. N Engl J Med. Published online June 11, 2012.Kwak SM, Myung SK, Lee YJ. Efficacy of omega-3 fatty acid supplements (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Arch Intern Med. Published ahead of print, April 9, 2012.Dangour AD, Andreeva VA, Sydenham E, Uauy R. Omega 3 fatty acids and cognitive health in older people. Br J Nutr. 2012;107:S152-S158.”Also, if you read Dr. Barnard’s book, “Power Foods For The Brain”, you can see that he does not recommend eating any fish. (He explains why.) I’ll also refer you to my reply to Sam previously on this page. The Becoming Vegan book mentions that lots of plant foods are also rich in Choline. My take-home message is: there really is no need to eat fish, most especially if you are concerned about your brain.I don’t think one should use data about omega-3 supplements to argue a point about eating fish. Various studies have shown omega-3 supplements do not “track” fish-eating results e.g. as reported in the Berkeley Wellness Letter v30, issue 13, July 2014 in summarizing the findings of the recent meta-analysis on fat intake that’s caused such a stir, fish-eating but neither omega-3 supplements or plant-provided ALA is associated with lower coronary risk. The two studies you cite refer to omega-3 supplements, not fish eating.Choline is the precursor to acetylcholine, one of our primary ‘thinking’ neurotransmitters. There are many individuals who supplement choline in a variety of forms (Alpha-GPC, Citicoline, and phosphatidylcholine) to increase cognition. Acetylcholine deficiency is linked to Alzheimer’s disease.And Choline rich foods increase the risk of CRC (Colorectal) Cancer in post menopausal women as shown in this study: http://www.fasebj.org/content/28/1_Supplement/370.5I’m always suspicious of these correlation studies. Maybe it’s something else in eggs, rather than the choline, that causes prostate cancer.As it turns out, there is: Egg yolks contain a lot of arachidonic acid, of which the body rids itself by producing a dangerous enzyme called 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), and 5-LOX directly stimulates prostate cancer cell proliferation.In addition, arachidonic acid is metabolized by 5-LOX to 5-HETE, which prostate cancer cells use to escape destruction. See: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/feb2007_cover_prostate_01.htmFortunately, there’s an Ayurvedic herb — boswellia serrata — which is sold under various trade names, one of which is “5-Loxin” — that helps to counteract the dangerous effects of 5-LOX. If one has prostate cancer, this particular herb may be worth considering in addition to eliminating egg yolks from one’s diet.Hello,Would anyone be willing to comment on the following article?http://chriskresser.com/choline-and-tmao-eggs-still-dont-cause-heart-diseaseAlthough I recently stopped a Low-Carb Paleo diet, I do still read information from varying sources, in hopes of having a broader view. But, all this seems to do is confuse me even more.Any feedback will be much appreciated.Many thanks, JimSo does this mean that egg whites are okay and egg yolks are to be avoided?Hello Lars,Because egg whites are a rich source of animal protein, we should generally avoid it due to the IGF-1 increasing effects. Please see here for details. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/What about organically raised free-range REAL chickens, not the prisoners of mass chicken producers?Most organic/free range operations use the same breeds, which have been bred to grossly overproduce eggs. “Real” hens live in the jungle and produce about 15 eggs a year. And I don’t know if any of this affects choline amounts.The study sited here (“Choline intake and risk of lethal prostate cancer: incidence and survival”) does not explicitly say how the men with the “highest quintile of choline intake” obtained their choline, although it strongly implies that they got it strictly by eating “Meat, milk, and eggs”. To say that choline is the reason for their being in the ‘highest quintile’ requires a study involving supplemental choline intake alone, rather than getting choline from meat, milk and eggs, which contain a lot more than just choline.For me, it won’t make any difference. I intend to continue taking supplemental choline as it is the only nootropic substance I take that noticeably improves my memory. If doing so increases the risk of prostate cancer, the thing to do is to also supplement with Vitamin D3 and Saw Palmetto and other substances that decrease the risk of prostate cancer. In any case, going around in a choline-deficient stupor for the rest of my life is definitely worse than shortening it by a few years via prostate cancer.	American Egg Board,cancer,cancer survival,carcinogens,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,carnitine,chicken,cholesterol,choline,Cleveland Clinic,dairy,eggs,Freedom of Information Act,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,heterocyclic amines,industry influence,inflammation,lecithin,meat,men's health,metastases,milk,mortality,poultry,prostate cancer,prostate health,red meat,steak,stroke,supplements,TMAO,trimethylamine,turkey	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11325827,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22952174,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20042525,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21930800,
PLAIN-93	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/	How Eggs Can Impact Body Odor	I previously lampooned the egg industry PR campaign that tried to promote eggs as a source of eyesight-saving nutrients such as lutein, by noting that a single spoonful of spinach had as much as nine eggs (see Egg Industry Blind Spot). The reason we’ll only hear that egg industry claim on websites and TV shows, and never in an ad or on an egg carton, is because there are laws against false and misleading advertising that don’t allow the industry to say eggs contain lutein because there’s such an insignificant amount. In an email I retrieved through the Freedom of Information Act (you can see the email in my video Eggs and Choline: Something Fishy), the head of the USDA’s poultry research and promotion programs reminded the egg industry that they can’t mention lutein in an egg ad. They can’t say it helps people with macular degeneration, and can’t even talk about how good lutein is for us since “eggs have such a wee amount, and given eggs’ fat and cholesterol content this is a nonstarter for anything but PR.” So for public relations, companies can lie through your teeth, but there are laws covering truthfulness in ads. The industry can’t say eggs are a source of omega 3s, iron, or folate either. They can’t even honestly call eggs a rich source of protein. The USDA Agriculture Marketing Service suggested that the egg industry instead boast about the choline content of eggs, one of only two nutrients that eggs are actually rich in, besides cholesterol. So the egg industry switched gears. A priority objective of the American Egg Board became “to make choline out to be an urgent problem and eggs the solution.” They outlined how they could partner with a physician’s group and write an “advertorial.” They developed a number of them for nutrition journals. An advertorial is an advertisement parading as an objective editorial. They sent letters out to doctors arguing that “inadequate intake of choline has tremendous public health implications.” So forget about the cholesterol—the “elephant-in-the-room,” as the industry calls it—and focus on this conjured epidemic of choline deficiency. People actually get about twice the choline they need and, in fact, too much choline can be the real problem. For one thing, too much choline can give breath, urine, sweat, saliva, and vaginal secretions an odor resembling rotten fish. Millions of Americans have a genetic defect that causes a fishy body odor and might benefit from a low-choline diet, since choline is converted in our gut into the fishy compound trimethylamine (TMA). Individuals oozing trimethylamine often become vegans because reducing the ingestion of dietary animal products rich in lipids decreases TMA production and the associated noxious odor. The other 99 percent of us, though, can turn the fishy choline compound into trimethylamine oxide, which is 100 times less stinky. We used to think extra choline was harmless for the 99 percent, but not anymore. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found that dietary choline (after it is converted in our gut to trimethylamine and oxidized in our liver to form trimethylamine oxide) may contribute to plaque build-up in people’s arteries. This may set us up for heart disease, stroke, and death. Which foods is choline predominantly found in? Eggs, milk, liver, red meat, poultry and fish. The good news is that this may mean a new approach to prevent or treat heart disease, the most obvious of which would be to limit dietary choline intake. But if that means decreasing egg, meat and dairy consumption, then the new approach sounds an awful lot like the old approach – adopting a plant-based diet. Choline may be one of the reasons people following the Atkins diet are at increased risk of heart disease whereas a more plant-based diet like Ornish’s can instead reverse our number one killer (see Low Carb Diets and Coronary Blood Flow). This new research adds choline to the list of dietary culprits with the potential to increase the risk of heart disease, making eggs a double whammy—the most concentrated common source of both choline and cholesterol. I previously did a more in depth dive into the choline issue in Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection. More on eggs and cholesterol in Egg Cholesterol in the Diet and Avoiding Cholesterol Is a No Brainer. More Freedom of Information Act finds in Eggs and Cholesterol: Patently False and Misleading Claims, Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis, and probably my favorite, Who Says Eggs Aren’t Healthy or Safe? What else might make one smell fishy? See Bacterial Vaginosis and Diet. 	Hello, If the egg industry can’t say eggs are a source of omega 3s, why does Organic Valley state on their eggs that they are a good source of Omega 3’s? Thank you.According to the USDA, one large conventional egg contains about 50 mg total long and short chain omega 3s. Since that is less than 10% of the adequate intake level for omega 3s, it can’t be labelled as a “good” source. (“Good source” = 10% of RDI; “excellent source” = 20% RDI)However, omega 3s are a a big marketing term these days, and many farmers are supplementing their hens’ feed to capitalize on this. If an egg farmer uses feed that has been supplemented with omega-3s (e.g. flaxseed, fish meal, algae) then increased amounts of omega-3s will naturally be found in the animal’s excretions as well. If supplementation increases omega 3 content to 10% of the recommended intake or greater, they can be called a good source.According to various sources, it’s typically stated that hens allowed to forage for grasses, clover, etc, in addition to commercial feed can lay eggs with up to about 2.5 x the omega 3 content as conventional eggs. 2.5 x 50 mg would put you at 125 mg which is between 10% of the adequate intake for adult females and males (1.1 and 1.6 g per day, respectively), so these could also legally be deemed a “good” source.I would imagine that the rulings and restrictions on descriptions used in advertising are based on conventional eggs. However if individual brands/varieties of of pastured or supplemented eggs are tested and found to have at least 10% of the recommended intake for omega 3s, then they can legally be called a “good source”. Legally, this would be similar to selling an enriched box of rice crispies as a “good source” of several vitamins; it doesn’t matter where the nutrients came from, if they’re in the final product then they can be marketed as such.According to the Organic Valley website, the hens are fed a “vegetarian organic diet rich in flax seed”.I used to eat 2 dozen eggs a week, gave it all up cold turkey – can’t stand them anymore. Unbelieveable how ignorant the public is about nutrition, we need no animal products in our diet and are far better off without it, our environment is better off without it, it is good for our bank account because it saves so much and is whole plant foods are delicious and what we were designed by natural selection to eat, problem is so many people are addicted to bad foods, particularly dairy and meat, it is so easy to change with so many benefits but most people will ever know – sad. Thanks again Michael Gregor.Same here. Raised on eggs, milk and meat. Sick all over since 4months old through my childhood and teenage years. Gaining more fat with each pregnancy. Tired of being sick and tired I went vegan at the age 30. Now ..8 years later I look & feel better than ever. My 5 children are never sick unless they jump into some junk food at their dads house. They are learning from their own mistakes in such early age. But all I can do is to feed them what I eat while they are with me and to be good example. Dr.Michael your great information is our best support in our vegan life. Thank you from all my heart!I’m a plant-based devotee, but I’m still interested to know, does choline predominate in the yolk or the white or both. A lot of people separate out the yolk? Jack Lalanne advocated “hard-boiled egg whites.”It’s mostly in the yolk: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/113/2 The white has very little: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/112/2thanks for the links, Big difference I see.A lot of vitamin supplements have choline in them.Hi, I have a question regarding iron absorption from plant sources and I would appreciate your answer a lot. How much of the iron present in plants is actually absorbed and can be biologically functional in our bodies? what does the science say about it? are iron deficiencies/anemia truly more common among vegetarians/vegans? I did some of my own research, but the information out there is pretty confusing to me. I have been vegetarian for 6 years and vegan for 2 years and my iron status is fine, but recently a doctor lectured me how dangerously low the absorption of non-heme iron is and honestly speaking I didn’t have any scientific arguments to prove him wrong. Could you provide me with some reliable knowledge on the subject? Also, I would like to know what are the consequences of consuming too much animal dervied heme-iron and if there are any studies showing that maybe people eating lots of animal products actually provide too much iron for themselvs?Thank you in advance for your time and consideration, Best regards, DariaThere’s a lot on this web site about iron and diet. The bottom line is that a balanced vegan diet is abundant in iron and satisfies most people’s needs with no problem. If you have iron-deficiency anemia, you might need to supplement your diet, but you need to be careful as you do it.Dr. Greger has a good video on the topic at:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/. There’s a good discussion following that video.Heme iron, which you get in meat, is difficult for the body to control or “down regulate”. It may contribute in large part to the problems mentioned in the video.	American Egg Board,animal fat,animal products,animal protein,Atkins diet,bad breath,body odor,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cholesterol,choline,Cleveland Clinic,dairy,Dr. Dean Ornish,eggs,eye disease,eye health,fat,fish,folate,Freedom of Information Act,gut flora,halitosis,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,iron,lutein,macular degeneration,meat,milk,mortality,omega-3 fatty acids,oral health,plant-based diets,poultry,protein,red meat,saliva,saturated fat,seafood,stroke,surgery,trimethylamine,turkey,USDA,vaginal discharge,vaginal health,vegans,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475195,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475185,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20160273,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15556922,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17041178,
PLAIN-94	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/	How to Design a Misleading Study	Imagine working for the now defunct Twinkie division of Hostess and wanting to take the tobacco industry tact of not just downplaying the risk of your product, but actually promoting it as healthy. How would we do that? Our first problem is that each Twinkie has 2.5 grams of saturated fat, which raises cholesterol, the #1 risk factor of our #1 killer, heart disease. How are we going to get around that? Well, what if we designed a study in which we took a bunch of people eating our arch-rival, Little Debbie cloud cakes. Now they only have one gram each, so what if we took a group eating five cloud cakes a day — five grams of saturated fat — and then cut that saturated fat intake in half by switching them to eating one Twinkie a day. What would happen to their cholesterol levels? Their cholesterol would go down due to their decreased saturated fat consumption. So even though they went from eating five cakes down to one, technically, they went from zero Twinkies a day to one Twinkie a day, and their cholesterol went down (we wouldn’t mention the five to one thing). We publish it and crank out a press release, “New research shows that eating a Twinkie a day can be good for heart health by improving cholesterol levels.” The media takes our press release and runs with it: “Consumers can eat a Twinkie every day if they choose, and feel confident that science supports Twinkies’ healthy benefits, which now include cholesterol-lowering effects!” Twinkies, we just proved with science, have cholesterol-lowering effects. Too outlandish a scenario? Amazingly, that’s exactly what the beef industry did (those above quotes are actual quotes–just replace the word beef for Twinkie). In a study bought and paid for by the beef industry, beef was added to people’s diets. At the same time, the subjects removed so much poultry, pork, fish, and cheese from their diet that they halved their saturated fat intake from 12 percent of their diet, down to 6 percent of their diet, causing their cholesterol levels to go down. If our diet goes from 12 percent saturated fat down to 6 percent saturated fat, it doesn’t matter if that 6 percent comes from beef, chicken, lard, or Twinkies. If we cut our total saturated fat in half, our cholesterol will follow, especially if we eat more fiber and vegetable protein as they did in the study. The researchers conclude: “The results of the BOLD study [standing for Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet] provide convincing evidence that lean beef can be included in a heart-healthy diet that meets current dietary recommendations and reduces cardiovascular disease risk.” Crisco could be included. Krispy Crème could be included, as long as we cut our total saturated fat intake. What the researchers fail to mention is that our risk would drop even lower if we dropped the beef, as was pointed out by the chair of nutrition at Harvard in a response to the study. The subjects in this study went from a high risk of dying from heart disease to… a high risk of dying from heart disease. We need to get our LDL (bad) cholesterol down to 50, 60, or 70 to become essentially heart attack proof (see Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death). For most people, that means eliminating saturated animal fat and cholesterol intake completely. This study is really just showing how bad saturated fat is from any animal source. Yes, based on saturated fat levels, lean beef is often better than chicken (and Twinkies), but that’s like touting the health benefits of Coca Cola because it has less sugar than Pepsi. It does—15 spoonfuls of sugar per bottle instead of 16—but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t be better not consuming soda at all. Reminds me of this study: “Cheese Intake Lowers LDL-Cholesterol Compared With Butter Intake….” [emphasis added] In my video, Bold Indeed: Beef Lowers Cholesterol? you can see the beef industry’s release. and how they ended up with the “cholesterol-lowering effects of beef.” If we cut out enough poultry, pork, fish, and cheese from our diet, we could replace this with almost anything (bacon grease, candy, frosting, deep-fried snickers bars, sewer sludge, etc.), and still reduce cholesterol levels. How are Americans exposed to saturated fat? Burgers actually fall well below chicken. See Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. The beef industry is by no means alone in having a corrupting influence on the scientific method. See, for example: 	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16644106Please review this veritable study regarding harmful effects of eating sprouted grains. Do you feel their is validity in this?Maybe un-sprouted grains are actually safer, as far as this study goes?Dr. Greger, correct me if I’m wrong but it appears most of our fruits and veggie are adequate in the form of vitamin E called tocopherols, and lacking in the tocotrienols form of vitamin E, and it is these tooctrienols that interest me (and others). Now, I’d rather not have to ingest red palm oil, but it does this seems to be the only plant-based source that is high in tocotrienols. Any thoughts on this vitamin E issue, or low fat sources of tocotrienls other than red palm?Sunflower seeds are the highest source of vitamin E as far as I know.This should be presented in all the schools on the same day they introduce the Scientific Method. If you would allow…”Greger’s Postulate # 1. The twin forces of politics and greed act equal and opposite to the force of logic and reason.”Clever but nice try Beef Industry,,The word “tact” in the first paragraph should be “tack.” “Tack” is the direction of a boat, and “tact” is not a shortened form of “tactic.” Tact is good manners, reserve.I’d really appreciate your take on this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3917888/ and what exactly is going on with it.“Potential limitations of our results are due to the fact that the survey was based on cross-sectional data. Therefore, no statements can be made whether the poorer health in vegetarians in our study is caused by their dietary habit or if they consume this form of diet due to their poorer health status.”This study was bogus. First, they grouped vegans and all other kinds of vegetarians together. Then, they didn’t even go into detail about dietary habits; “Another limitation concerns the lack of detailed information regarding nutritional components (e.g. the amount of carbohydrates, cholesterol, or fatty acids consumed).” “Unfortunately, food intake was not measured in more detail, e.g. caloric intake was not covered.”Further, “We admit that the large number of participants made it necessary to keep the questions simple, in order to cover the large sample.”This study was a broad and general look into what people say is going on concerning their nutrition, and I would suggest that vegetarians are more health-conscious and likely to notice their health problems more acutely than meat eaters who say things like “I think I eat healthy” and “I have no medical problems” despite taking pain relievers, excessive caffeine, and other behaviors deemed “normal” and/or “healthy” by the rest of society.Hope that helps.Dr. Greger loves cherry-picking and any study that goes contrary to his vegetarian diet is non-existent. He is simply vegetarian biased and nothing will dissuade him from following his path, For instance your indicated link does not exist for him or if it does, he will claim that the study in order to be valid must be repeated ad nauseam.Jack Norris covered this nicely http://jacknorrisrd.com/austrian-vegetarian-study-making-waves/Where can I find the references, sources for this article? Don’t see them. Thanks.Guest: Articles are a little different than the videos. When Dr. Greger introduces a new study in an article, he usually links to it. But if he is talking about subject matter that he covered in previous videos, then the article links to the video and you have to go to the video to get to the references. Just look under the video for the link, “Sources Cited” and then expand that section.	animal fat,animal products,bacon,beef,butter,cake,candy,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,Coca Cola,Crisco,fat,fiber,fish,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,meat,Pepsi,plant protein,pork,poultry,protein,saturated fat,seafood,smoking,soda,sugar,tobacco,turkey,Twinkies,vegetable protein	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22170364,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22030228,
PLAIN-95	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/	How Grapefruit Affects Prescription Drugs	Does grapefruit in particular help people lose weight? If someone eats half of a grapefruit three times a day before each meal for a couple months, they may lose about two pounds — but that’s no more than if they ate three apples or pears a day. In one study, the grapefruit eaters not only saw their weight go down, but their waist got slimmer, and their body fat melted away. If, however, we repeat the experiment and instead ask people to drink a half cup of water before each meal, we get the same result. So this belief that grapefruit has some special fat-burning quality appears to be just a long-held myth. The researchers reported that grapefruit consumers had a drop in weight, a significant drop in cholesterol, and a significant drop in blood pressure. They concluded that consumption of grapefruit daily for six weeks does not significantly decrease body weight, cholesterol, or blood pressure, though. That made me do a little double take, but again, it’s because the grapefruit didn’t do any better than placebo. Other studies have found a legitimate cholesterol-lowering benefit of grapefruit, and even a little dip in triglycerides, especially eating red as opposed to white . For example, one study showed a decrease in cholesterol, but only from one life-threatening cholesterol level to another life-threatening cholesterol level. To prevent heart disease, we really have to get down to a total cholesterol of around 150, which is the average cholesterol of those eating diets composed exclusively of plant foods, not just grapefruits (See, for example, One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic). Even though grapefruits alone don’t do much, the researchers suggest that people might be more likely to stick with them than cholesterol lowering drugs, noting that most people with heart disease stop taking their statin drugs within a couple years because of the adverse side effects (see Statin Muscle Toxicity). While grapefruits alone don’t have any side effects, ironically, combining grapefruits and drugs can make drug side effects even worse. If we eat lots of fruits and vegetables, we hopefully won’t need a lot of drugs (Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants), but certain phytochemicals in plants can affect the metabolism of drugs in the body. Grapefruit is the poster child, described as a “pharmacologist’s nightmare.” Natural phytochemicals in grapefruit suppress the enzymes that help clear more than half of commonly prescribed drugs, and less drug clearance means higher drug levels in the body. This may actually be good if we want a better caffeine buzz from our morning coffee, or our doctors want to help us save thousands of dollars by boosting the effects of expensive drugs instead of just peeing them away. But higher drug levels may mean higher risk of side effects. Women taking the Pill are normally at a higher risk of blood clots, but even more so, perhaps, if they have been consuming grapefruit. Taking the Pill with grapefruit juice may increase blood drug concentrations by 137 percent. If suppressing our drug clearance enzymes with grapefruit juice elevates levels of ingested estrogen, what might it be doing to our own estrogen levels? A study associating grapefruit consumption with breast cancer freaked out the medical community, but subsequent studies on even larger groups of women found no evidence of a link. The Harvard Nurses’ Study even found a decreased risk of the scariest breast cancer type, so it doesn’t look like we have to worry about grapefruit affecting our natural chemistry. For those prescribed unnatural chemistries, it may be a good idea to discontinue grapefruit consumption for 72 hours before use of a drug that may interact with it. If you don’t want to give up your grapefruit, you can ask your doctor about switching from a grapefruit-affected drug like Lipitor to one of the citrus-proof alternatives (the replacement drug chart can be seen in my video, Tell Your Doctor If You Eat Grapefruit). Other videos on citrus include: And another video on the risks associated with taking estrogens: Plant-Based Bioidentical Hormones. Can’t eat grapefruit without sprinkling sugar on top? Try erythritol instead to avoid so many empty calories: Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant. 	Are there any other fruits that have this reduced drug clearance effect? Could this be the reason why so many people who go raw vegan end up developing intolerance to caffeine – in even the smallest amounts?“…grapefruits alone don’t have any side effects…”Except for canker sores.Please consider the fact that the majority of the desired phytochemical compounds in any discussion of plant-based healing and body-tweeking, are typically found in the skin, the layer just under the skin, and the seeds of (for example) citrus, peppers, berries, pomegranates, apples, apricots/peaches, etc. This means there HAS to be a difference in bio-availability (and cost-effectiveness!) of whole food machine preparation made possible with a Vita-Mixer, Bullet, or high-powered blender type machine. This needs to be pointed out and noticed by everyone no matter which stage you are committed to – ;the Cancer Prevention, Cancer Suppression, or the Cancer Cell Apoptosis Diet. For someone like me, in Month 9 of my “Alternative Cancer Treatment” (Protocol #4) of a what is looking like a full calendar year of successfully treating multiple cancers in my body. these details matter due to cost alone. I have accomplished this on an extremely small monthly subsistence income (Social Security), and had zero room for error, waste, or lost opportunity for maximizing benefits whereever feasible. After 4 months of no/extremely low carbs (NO grains or sugars from any source), I have been able to add in a daily Medicine Dessert Salad comprised of: 1-2 Pink Grapefruit cut up, 2-4 thumbs grated/sliced fresh ginger root, 1/2 cup packed minced Cilantro. This anti-parasite, heavy metal detox, cancer cell apoptosis-inducing plateful of deliciousness is only possible if you are not taking any pharmaceuticals, because whatever causes grapefruit to interact with drug clearing in our body is magnified many times when you turn these 3 phytochemicals into a synergistic medicine dish. Oh, and don’t forget to knife off just the barest of the outer flesh, leaving the most “white” possible on the grapefruit – this is giving yourself the highest amounts of hesperin and the other medicine components we want more of everyday. The other method is to take the partially peeled citrus fruit and throw into a blender type machine which will trichurate the bioflavinoids, rutin, hesperin, etc., found in the edible skin and seeds….this is cost-effective, whole food / plant-based alternative chemotherapy.What is the theory behind low carbs for four months?The #1 required food energy source for cancer cells to survive, multiply and grow is sugar; it does not matter the source – fructose, starch, honey, processed HFCS. Sugar feeds cancer cells. This FACT is agreed upon by conventional oncologists as well as alternative oncologists. The standard anti-cancer diet is removing their fuel source (sugar) and when the cancer cells are down, you hit them with the correct known cancer cell killing plant medicines and strategic supplements known to support the action of these cancer cell destroying herbs, roots, mushrooms, barks, flowers (my daily regimen involves up to 14 different ones). Cancer cells can also derive fuel from high-protein animal foods, but it takes much more effort and time for them to convert from this food source; nevertheless, I did remove all animal also. Gluten is involved also in terms of efficiency of your plant medicine diet, even is you are not officially gluten-intolerant. Alkalinizing your body (recognized by outcome not ingoing – lemons for example are acid but produce alkaline reaction) will happen automatically if you have switched to only consuming the correct foods (mostly certain vegetables), are sufficiently hydrated, have sufficient volume (bulk, fiber) going through your system, are resupplying your gut with the broadest spectrum probiotics, and at some point (mine was Protocol #3), you need to address the removal of heavy metals and parasites – this phase of my treatment was/is the most interesting and resulted in the most QOL improvements. The NO carb first few months led to the ability to introduce small amounts of carbs without symptoms returning – once / month I tested with a homemade dessert to prove to myself what I was reading. Cancer cells LOVE sugar and the sensation is similar to relapsing when trying to withdraw from a drug addiction. In fact, many studies show the exact center of the brain is activated in sugar addiction as with drug and alcohol addiction. I will be watching my carbohydrate consumption for the rest of my life and use the sugar craving as my gauge for whether or not I am feeding cancer cells too much – it is now known we are all born with damaged DNA/cancer capable cells in our bodies; they will morph into cancerous cells if the conditions are correct – exposures to carcinogens, malnutritiion, etc. I intend to starve the cancer cells in my body for the rest of my life by not giving them their favorite food.Has this method been studied, tested by scientists/researchers? Interesting stuff you’ve written, curious how it holds up to medical review. Maybe Dr. Greger can offer his knowledge of such matters. Thanks.Leslie: self-designed, self-administered Alternative Cancer Treatment is not for everyone. One must first and foremost have a compelling reason for avoiding standard treatments and it needs to be more than political, i.e. a desire to avoid supporting the “Cancer Industry.” You need to screen yourself for the following: highly developed self-awareness of one’s cognitive bias (which inc understanding of the cancer industry messaging that goes on all around us from our medical service providers to the media to well-meaning friends and family – most people have lost their ability for independent thought and most importantly, have dulled or non-existent self-biofeedback ability (being able to accurately read body trouble lights and to know what to do)….the other thing is you need to have a highly developed research capability and even though I think we have entered The Last Days Of The Internet As We Know It, an astute mind can discern correctly and construct a cancer self-treatment which rivals what will cost you tens of thousands of dollars to purchase at the best Alternative Cancer Treatment Centers in the world. Paying yourself to do this then becomes the practice for prevention of future problems, as well as the only economic means of accomplishing what you will never be able to afford out-of-pocket unless you are the 1% or have a rich daddy, property to liquidate, or inheritance to forfeit (my highly customized program, which has been shown by conventional medicine to be working, costs a tiny fraction of what it would have cost at the best-in-group Alternative Cancer Treatment program I could find. What I have done is to prove is that if I can do this on a SS check, living in a barn, having other co-existent medicals dragging me down (TBI/dementia, lifelong immune damage from experimental prescriptions, kidney/liver failure) – then anyone can do this. But you must first believe in your ability, must be ready to let go of the spin messages around Cancer and you need to reach out and create supportive coaches and teachers and cohorts whereever possible. Again, so long as the Internet exists for us it is the lifeline.Wondering if you feel that a high fruit diet could actually cause cancer?Dear Ariel, I am trying to do what you are trying to do, and really enjoy reading your posts. You are inspirational.Hi Eileen: why don’t you contact me offsite at my regular email address – there are literally thousands of us in NA alone, doing this. We need to increase our interaction and information sharing. My regular email address is my name at yahoo, without the caps or spaces: Ariel Gail MacLeanI,m vegan and not at all intolerant to coffeine..:)I read an article that stated that just the smell of grapefruit can cause a person to suppress their appetite. Could it be that grapefruit may cause weight loss due to this rather than the effect it may have on the metabolism?I am not sure by just smelling grapefruit it would have that effect. Feel free to post the article if you stumble across.People eat grapefruit differently, I know some who add sugar to their grapefruit. The study was not specific in that regard.Good point! Sugar on grapefruit (the way my grandmother made it for me when I was younger) is not the best idea. In the study Dr. Greger references I don’t think they told participants to use sugar.Surely the grapefruit accounts for something? Were the subjects given the same food for the rest of the day? And do all of them have healthy metabolisms? And exercise?Hi Johan. The articles can be found within the links. Researchers usually try to control for factors like exercise and diet. I think grapefruit is a fine fruit to consume and like others it provides an abundance of phytonutrients and vitamins, but the idea of this blog is that 1) it’s not a miracle weight loss fruit, and 2) those taking prescription medication need to be cautious.	abdominal fat,apples,beverages,birth control pills,blood clots,blood pressure,body fat,breast cancer,breast health,caffeine,cancer,cardiac disease,cardiac health,cholesterol,citrus,cost savings,fat,flexitarians,fruit,grapefruit,grapefruit juice,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,LDL cholesterol,Lipitor,lovastatin,medications,mortality,nutrition myths,obesity,pears,placebo,plant-based diets,side effects,statins,triglycerides,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,water,weight loss,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3721883/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17622247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11678492,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21288350,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17635950,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18026192,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8485024,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16506849,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8631189,
PLAIN-96	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/07/dr-greger-addresses-gluten-in-new-dvd/	Dr. Greger Addresses Gluten in New DVD	Until recently, those complaining to their doctors about symptoms associated with the wheat protein gluten were commonly referred to psychiatrists. The medical profession has a tragic history of dismissing genuine diseases as all in peoples’ heads. PTSD, ulcerative colitis, migraines, ulcers, asthma, Parkinson’s and MS were all conditions that were originally rejected by the prevailing medical community as mere psychosomatic hysteria. On the flip side, the internet is rife with unsubstantiated claims like “17 million Americans are gluten sensitive,” which has spilled over into the popular press to make gluten the diet villain du jour. This has led to a multi-billion dollar gluten-free food industry. Any time there’s that much money at stake, it’s hard to trust anyone, so as always, best to stick to the science. This is easier said than done, though–more than 10,000 papers have been published on gluten in the medical literature. But that’s what you have me for! Allow me to spare your summertime beach reading list and do all the work for you. Is gluten sensitivity real? If so, how many does it affect? Should one just err on the side of caution and avoid gluten or are there actual benefits of gluten on which the gluten-free crowd is missing out? I answer these and lots more questions in three new videos on gluten in my new DVD, Latest in Clinical Nutrition volume 20. The gluten videos will all be up in a few weeks on NutritionFacts.org, but you can watch them right now via video download or order them on DVD on my website or through Amazon (all proceeds go to charity). The current batch of videos from volume 19 on NutritionFacts.org just ran out, so starting this month and running through October, I’ll be rolling out the videos from this new DVD, volume 20. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak-preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share them as gifts, but there is nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up free online here at NutritionFacts.org. If you’d like the works–40+ hours of video–I have a new 1-20 set for the complete DVD collection. Here’s the list of chapters from the new volume 20 DVD — a preview of what’s to come over the next few months on NutritionFacts.org: 	Gmo’s uh ? I really want to see what Dr Greger find out about this subject…Dr. McDougall claims that gluten, in some cases of mental illness, is the cause.My dear Dr. Gregor, that first sentence needs some work. “Those complaining … were psychiatrists.” I had to read it twice to figure out what you were saying and I’m sure you didn’t mean for it to be worded like that. But to the point you were making, I too was told to see a psychiatrist when my migraines got progressively worse as I got older. I cried and cried and have since taken any doctor’s advice with a grain of salt. After 17 years of being on numerous medications to treat headaches and stomach problems and not being any better than I was before I started I started, I’m seeing that I can probably treat myself with the right nutrition. I’m at the beginning of the journey and I can already see an improvement. I want to thank you for sharing all your wisdom and I appreciate the effort you put forth in trying to help people. KathyVery interested in the gluten videos as I know many people who are either gluten intolerant or coeliacs. I am all in favour of peope expanding their variety of grains beyond wheat so I’ve never considered the gluten free trend to necessarily be a bad thing.Anyone else have problems with the chapters menu on this DVD?After a month of abstinance, due to a “couscous reaction” am back eating WHOLE UNPROCESSED grains with NO problems. Still eating vegan and feeling great – knees are pain free. Thanks, Dr. Greger, forever in your corner.Cool! Thanks for letting us know. That’s really exciting.	DVD	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/05/dr-gregers-new-nutrition-dvd-now-available/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-97	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/	Test to See If Your Diet is Alkaline or Acid Forming	In my video Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, and Calcium Loss I presented evidence challenging the notion that our body is buffering the acid formed from our diet with calcium from our bones. How then is our body neutralizing the acid? Maybe with our muscles! Our blood gets more acidic as we age and our kidney function declines, and this may be a reason we lose muscle mass as we get older. As a pair of researchers note: “The modern Western diet based on animal products generates an acid load that may cause a lifespan state of unnoticed and growing metabolic acidosis.” This chronic low-level diet-dependent metabolic acidosis might contribute to the progressive shrinking of our muscle mass as we age. Muscle wasting appears to be an adaptive response to acidosis. When our muscles break down, amino acids are released into the bloodstream. Our liver can then take these amino acids and make something called glutamine, which our kidneys can use to get rid of excess acid. And indeed, in a three year study I profile in my video, Testing Your Diet with Pee and Purple Cabbage, those over age 65 eating alkaline diets were better able to preserve their muscle mass, which the researchers think may be because the alkaline-producing fruits and vegetables helped relieve the mild acidosis that occurs with the ingestion of the standard American diet. So what should we think about the latest review’s question, “Does an alkaline diet benefit health?” If the question is “Does a diet low in meat, eggs, and dairy—all acid-producing—and high in fruits and vegetables with lots of dark green leafies benefit health?” then of course the answer is yes, an alkaline diet benefits health. But if the question is “Does it matter what our ‘peeH’ is (whether our urine is acid or alkaline) regardless of what actually goes into our mouth?” then the answer is… still yes, but the accepted benefits of having alkaline urine appear limited to two areas: lower risk of kidney stones and better uric acid clearance. We’ve known about kidney stones and alkalinity for a while, but the uric acid data is new. Researchers have found that alkalization of the urine is effective for removing uric acid from the body. If you remember from my video Flesh and Fructose, uric acid is bad stuff (potentially increasing one’s risk of fatal stroke, heart disease, and death), so clearing more from your system is a good thing. Those eating plant-based diets appear then to have an advantage in this regard. The average vegetarian diet is alkaline producing, and the average meat-eating diet is acid producing. Even though there are some acid-forming meat-substitutes, like some of the Quorn products, they’re not as bad as something like tuna, and they’re typically consumed in smaller quantities than meat consumers consume meat. Since the protein in plants is usually accompanied by much more potassium (which is alkalinizing), there is good reason to try to meet protein needs from plant sources. And when researchers actually measure urine pH, those eating strictly plant-based diets have the greatest advantage, with significantly more alkaline urine than omnivores. How can we tell what our urine pH is? Well we can be all boring and order some pH paper strips to pee on. Or… we can use what everyone should have right now in their crisper, a purple cabbage. Everyone should have a red or purple cabbage in their fridge since it is not only one of the single best nutrition bangs for our buck, but we can also do science with it! First, either boil some purple cabbage until the water turns deep purple or (a quicker and safer way since there’s no hot liquids) blend some raw with water in a blender and strain out the solids. Then what you can do with that royal purple liquid is pour it in the toilet bowl after you urinate. (You can imagine how much fun kids have with this!) If it stays purple, your urine is acidic and you should eat more dark green leafy vegetables. If the toilet bowl turns pink, your urine is really acidic, so you should definitely eat more dark green leafy vegetables. We’re looking for blue. If it turns blue that means your urine is neutral or even basic. If it’s sky blue, you should… continue to eat more dark green leafy vegetables. Now I have a low-flow toilet, so there’s very little water in the bowel to start with. The effect might not be as dramatic if diluted in a larger quantity of water. For a step-by-step tutorial, see my video Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple Cabbage. More bathroom chemistry can be found in Pretty in Pee-nk and Asparagus Pee. How else can we protect our muscles? We can eat healthy enough to avoid statin drugs (see Statin Muscle Toxicity) and the neurotoxins that can cause movement disorders (Muscle Tremors & Diet). Cherries may also help lower uric acid levels: Gout Treatment with a Cherry on Top. Superfood Bargains is the video in which purple cabbage takes the gold, though it was unseated in Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck. Why do I always go on and on about dark green leafy vegetables? Check out my 58 videos on greens and find out! : ) 	My friend, a 65 yr. old women with diabetes, has been eating a mostly a plant based diet for about a year now. She recently had a first-time toe swelling that her doctor diagnosed as gout. She is on Metformin which she rarely takes and rarely takes her BP, thyroid, and Lithium medicines also. Do you have any suggestions to help her avoid gout flare-ups in the future? (I suspect she may have eaten a couple of vegetarian meals with milk in the sauce before the flare-up).Bing cherries – you can buy them frozen year round. Eat 45 every day.Thanks Daniel,  I gave her cherries to eat.  I was hoping there were other things we could do to her diet to prevent any further flare-ups.My father has horrendous diabetes. He had a horrible case of gout. I went over his house armed with a bottle of cranberry pills. When I was facing a chronic kidney infection and was no longer responding to antibiotics, I began to take extremely high doses of cranberry pills (5-6 pills, 3x a day until the symptoms were gone–about 2 weeks and then 2-3 a day for about another 2 weeks and then 1 a day for about a month.) This was the ONLY action that worked and I haven’t had a problem since. So I told my father what worked for me and he copied the approach. The results? An almost immediate reduction in gout and he’s since kept it at bay. Perhaps something like this can work for your friend?I have found that patients following the correct diet will often be able to get off their medications for type two diabetes and high blood pressure. It appears that weight loss and a low fat diet seems to be the best approach for type two diabetes. You can be a “Fat Vegan” however. John McDougall has written newsletter articles on these conditions that you might find of interest. These articles are all available for free on his website. They are: Gout June 2006, Fat Vegan December 2008, Simple Care for Diabetes December 2009, and How I treat Patients with Elevated BP November 2009. I also am a proponent of minimizing psychiatric medications especially after reading Robert Whitaker’s Anatomy of an Epidemic and Peter Breggin’s book on Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal. It is important to work with your physician(s) in adjusting your medications. I would caution against not taking the thyroid medication. We sometimes find that patients have to adjust thyroid medication when they go on a plant based diet. Good luck.A hilarious typo here: “Now I have a low-flow toilet, so there’s very little water in the bowel to start with. ”Thanks, as always, for your insights. So are you saying that the folks claiming that alkaline diets fight cancer are confusing association with cause?With broccoli sprouts being so packed full of antioxidants – are they an acceptable choice as a green leafy or is that a totally separate animal for different benefits?This may explain partly why acid producing stress shortens lifespan. Also I will continue to drink very acidic pomegranate juice because of my long and close family history of alzheimer’s.Although pomegranate juice is acidic by itself, it is not acid, but alkaline, producing in the body. It should in fact help to raise your pH and thereby to preserve bone and muscle.I’m perplexed by studies that find vegans have higher uric acid levels such as this one http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3572016/ whereas “vegetarians” have the lowest uric acid level of vegans, omnivores and vegetarians. A couple years Esselstyn plant based and I still have high uric acid and urine pH=6 and periodic gout attacks (nipped in the bud with colchicine).Interesting study. I hope Dr. Greger will address this sometime. The researchers speculate that the vegans had higher uric acid levels because of the lack of dairy and lower calcium intake in general, compared to the other groups.I had a problem with high levels of uric acid and severe gout but discovered high doses of niacin can cause it. discovered my multivitamin was loaded with niacin. I haven’t had my checked in a year, back then it was 9.0Jack Norris talks about the above study here:http://jacknorrisrd.com/higher-uric-acid-levels-in-vegans/Maybe low b12 could cause higher uric acidYou could probably remedy this by supplementing your diet with potassium bicarbonate. A good one available online is called “Potassium Basics.” You can Google it; there are a couple of sites that carry it.I would recommend two capsules (containing 2.7 grams of potassium bicarbonate) with each meal 3 times a day for a total of 8.1 grams. The mineral compound potassium bicarbonate contains 39% (or 3.16 grams) of elemental potassium. The RDA for elemental potassium is 4.7 grams.This should raise your urine pH up to 7 or higher, especially if you continue with your plant-based diet.You can get the same results taking a potassium bicarbonate supplement as you can eating lots of fruits and vegetables, which are high in potassium citrate, since potassium citrate converts to potassium bicarbonate in the body. Potassium bicarbonate has also been shown to preserve muscle mass (along with preserving bone mineral density, e.g., http://press.endocrine.org/doi… ):Dawson-Hughes B, Castaneda-Sceppa C, Harris SS, Palermo NJ, Cloutier G, Ceglia L, Dallal GE. Impact of supplementation with bicarbonate on lower-extremity muscle performance in older men and women. Osteoporos Int 2009 Sep 1. [Epub ahead of print]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2888724/TREATMENT WITH POTASSIUM BICARBONATE LOWERS CALCIUM EXCRETION AND BONE RESORPTION IN OLDER MEN AND WOMENhttp://press.endocrine.org/doi…What is potassium bicarbonate? Where do you get it, and is it safe? Most potassium supplements limit the amount of potassium in them, or should I say all … down to 99mg … when the recommended daily intake is over 6 grams … 60 times more.What is it with potassium? Is potassium bicarbonate a good safe source of it.I like coconut water, which has about 1/2 gram in it per serving … except that when you look on the labels of different coconut water that amount of potassium is all over the place … leading me to think this is just a made up number?Here is what Wikipedia has to say:According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), potassium bicarbonate is “generally recognized as safe”.[2] There is no evidence of human carcinogenicity, no adverse effects of overexposure, and an undetermined LD50. Physically, potassium bicarbonate occurs as a crystal or a soft white granular powder. Potassium bicarbonate is very rarely found in its natural form, the mineral calledkalicinite.…Potassium bicarbonate is an effective fungicide against powdery mildew and apple scab, allowed for use in organic farming.—Maybe that is where it gets into coconuts from use as an anti-fungal agent, which would explain why some brands have more potassium than others?HiWill the colour of my urine effect this test (if I am more or less hydrated (yellower / clearer ))?Dr. Greger, is your 2011 article on Optimum Nutrition Recommendations up-to-date? If not, a refresher would be awesome, as a reference. http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/dogulas: To my knowledge, Dr. Greger has not formally updated his official optimal nutrition recommendations since 2011. In fact, I just got the latest Volume 20 DVD (excellent!) and it still had the recommendations insert for version 1.3 that I believe match the web page you linked to above.At one point Dr. Greger hinted that he was going to update his recommendations. I do not know what is up with that project (change of mind on needing changes? other priorities?). So, I think the most we can do is continue to pay attention to the blog posts and adapt information from the videos as relevant. At some point, a new set of recommendations may appear.Thanks very much! Do you happen to know if any of the recommendations have in fact changed much? Or dramatically? I don’t want my family to be supplementing something that might be causing harm. There aren’t that many listed on that page. Maybe you wouldn’t mind quickly glancing over the recommended doses?douglas: To my knowledge, nothing has officially changed concerning those specific recommendations. However, from videos on this site, I know we can refine the information. For example, there is at least one NutritionFacts video where Dr. Greger recommend eating 2 Tbl ground flaxseed every day. And if you have specific problems or goals, there can be specific recommendations. For example, suppose you had diabetes? Then I would recommend looking up the videos about diabetes to learn what foods might be especially important for managing that disease.That’s all I know.As a person train in laboratory techniques, this Urine pH test really struck my funny bone. We both did the test today only using jelly jars , not the toilet bowl. My result was very acidic and my husband’s was acidic. I like dark green leafy’s but they do tend to be on our plates more seldom. That is changing!Kathy in MissouriI had a big smile reading your post. I think it is true dedication to science when a lady pees in a jelly jar. ;-)pH test with fruit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhlwWVs3w68Is “alkaline” diet an abbreviated way of saying plant based, since sulfur is mostly (or is it always) in animal based products?What is it about veggies that make them alkaline … simply the lack or sulfur?I have been reading a lot of plant and gardening books lately, and it’s kind of interesting that most point out that most plants benefit from an acidic soil … which seems bit ironic.	anthocyanins,beef,bone health,bone mineral density,cabbage,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cost savings,dairy,eggs,fish,fruit,gout,greens,heart disease,heart health,kidney disease,kidney function,kidney health,kidney stones,lifespan,meat,milk,mortality,muscle health,muscle strength,omnivores,pH,plant protein,plant-based diets,pork,potassium,protein,Quorn,seafood,Standard American Diet,stroke,tuna,uric acid,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetables,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18326605,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22676161,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22013455,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18721741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20054653,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8548506,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21481501,
PLAIN-98	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/	Does Animal Protein Cause Osteoporosis?	For most of the last century, a prevailing theory within the field of nutrition was that by eating acid-forming foods such as meat, we were, in essence, at risk of peeing our bones down the toilet. And no wonder! Experiments dating back to 1920 showed over and over that if we add meat to our diet we get a big spike in the amount of calcium being lost in the urine. And this made total sense. We had known since 1912 that meat was acid-forming within the body, and how do we buffer acid? What are in antacid (anti-acid) pills like Tums? Calcium compounds. Meat and eggs have a lot of sulphur-containing amino acids (two to five times more than grains and beans) that are metabolized into sulphuric acid, which the body buffers with calcium compounds. And where is calcium stored in the body? The skeleton. So the thinking was that every time we ate a steak, our body would pull calcium from our bones, bit by bit, and over time this could lead to osteoporosis. Based on 26 such studies, for every 40 grams of protein we add to our daily diet, we pee out an extra 50 mg of calcium. We only have about two pounds of calcium in our skeleton, so the loss of 50 milligrams a day would mean losing close to 2% of our bone calcium every year. By the end of the 20th century, there was little doubt that acid-forming diets would dissolve our bones away. But if we actually look at the studies done on protein intake and bone health, that’s not what we find. So, where’s the flaw in the logic? Meat leads to acid, which leads to calcium loss, which leads to bone loss, right? Well, it’s uncontroversial that protein results in greater calcium excretion, but we’ve just been assuming it’s coming from the bone—where else could the extra calcium dumped in our urine be coming from but our bones? One study appeared to solve the mystery. An intrepid group of researchers tried feeding a group of volunteers radioactive calcium and then put them on a high protein diet. What happens when we put people on a high protein diet? The amount of calcium in their urine shoots up, and indeed that’s just what happened. But here’s the big question, was that extra calcium in their urine radioactive or not? To everyone’s surprise, it was radioactive. This meant that the excess calcium in their urine was coming from their diet, not from their bones. What seemed to be happening is that the excess protein consumption boosted calcium absorption, from down around 19% up to 26%. All of a sudden there was all this extra calcium in the blood, so presumably the kidneys are like “whoa, what are we going to do with it all?” So they dump it into the urine. 90% of the extra calcium in the urine after eating a steak doesn’t appear to be coming from our bones but from our diet. We’re not sure why protein boosts calcium absorption. Maybe protein increases the solubility of calcium by stimulating stomach acid production? Whatever the reason, there was indeed more calcium lost, but also more calcium gained such that in the end, most of that extra calcium is accounted for. In effect, more calcium is lost in the urine stream, but it may be compensated by less loss of calcium through the fecal stream. This was repeated with even more extreme diets—an acid-forming five-burgers-a-day-worth-of-animal protein diet that limited fruits and vegetables versus an alkaline diet emphasizing fruits and vegetables. More calcium in the urine on burgers, but significantly greater calcium absorption, such that at the end it was pretty much a wash. Other studies have also since supported this interpretation. Here’s an ingenious one: Feed people a high animal protein diet but add in an alkali salt to neutralize the acid. The old thinking would predict that there would be no calcium loss since there is no excess acid to buffer, but no, even though the acid load was neutralized, there was still the excess urinary calcium, consistent with the radioactive isotope study, challenging the “long-standing dogma that animal protein consumption results in a mild acidosis promoting the increased excretion of calcium.” So if our body isn’t buffering the acid formed from our diet with our bones, how is it neutralizing the acid? Maybe with our muscles. Alkaline diets may protect our muscle mass! I cover that in my video Testing Your Diet with Pee and Purple Cabbage. Now the boost in calcium absorption can only compensate if we’re taking enough in. For example, dietary acid load may be associated with lower bone mineral density in those getting under 800mg a day. Plant Protein is Preferable to animal protein for a variety of reasons (tends to have less methionine, is less IGF-1 promoting, etc.), but it’s not clear how much of an advantage it has when it comes to bone health. I previously touched on this topic in my video Is Protein Bad to the Bone? But I promised I’d take a deeper dive, hence my video Alkaline Diets, Meat & Calcium Loss. -Michael Greger, M.D. 	How about the regulation of Ca serum with the hormone PTH and calcitonin? PTH releases calcium from the bone to restore the Ca to a 8.8 – 10.2 mg/dL level, and also increases Ca reabsorbtion from the intestines.Thus, if the blood loses Ca by peeing (from high protein), then PTH leeches it from the bones to restored it back to its normal level.10 years ago I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. My doc told me to read the China Study (!), get off meat and dairy, and go to the gym and lift heavy weights. My next DEXA 3 years later showed reversal of osteoporosis to osteopenia, and 3 years after that my bone density was even better. I have no idea if it was the heavy resistance training/weight bearing exercises or the vegan diet, so I keep doing the same thing.JoAnn: re: the diet or the weight? While I don’t have enough expertise to have a rigorous debate on the topic, I would say: Both! If nothing else, the whole plant food diet keeps you healthy in every other way so that you are healthy enough to lift the weights.Just my thoughts on the matter. Thanks for posting on this topic again. Your story is important.Thanks Thea. I repeat my story because what I did worked so well for me in many areas, and maybe just one person will be helped.Great! You deserve a prize! Hey lets send your Dr an award too! i wish mine thought like that.What were you doing before that you stopped doing later … it could just as well be the stopping of bad habits as the starting of new proposed good habits. This is the problem with non-scientific anecdotal evidence. From your point of view, I think you are right to do what you are doing that has results … why worry about specifically what it is?JoAnn. I am a newby, cannot eat meat anyway as humans torture all living animls people eat. But I don’t know what to eat to fight osteopenia, which I have. As a newby, I’d like some simple things to eat. I’m not a cook, o simple is good. :)Try eating green leafy vegetables such as collards or kale. Limiting sodium will lower calcium balance needs as well. Spinach is not an efficient source of Ca+ due to oxalates. See here for more. http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Laura, apart from avoiding all animal products which results in a more alkaline diet, and eating lots of vegetables, greens like kale and collards & legumes, increasing bone density requires resistance training/weight lifting/weight bearing exercises. We exercise the muscle, the tendon attached to that muscle pulls on the bone, and significant stress on the bone causes bone growth. Squats, which can be weighted, are the best exercise for increasing the bone density of the neck of the femur. Every muscle group needs to be worked – exercising the left leg does nothing for the right leg. The spine, hips and wrists are most vulnerable to fractures. I belong to a gym and use machines and free weights, but walking lunges, pushups, squats etc require no special equipment. Getting a trainer to show you the correct form for all the exercises can be valuable and help prevent injury. You could eat the perfect diet but the exercise is critical. Hope that’s of some help :)Laura: You have gotten two great replies already. I thought I would jump in with my own recommendation, which is to check out the book: “Building Bone Vitality, A Revolutionayry Diet Plan To Prevent Bone Loss and Reverse Osteoporosis”. It’s a very compelling book and may help give you some confidence on which way to go with your diet.Also, the exercise is covered in the book, but they give some really great tips on which exercises help and which do not.http://www.amazon.com/Building-Bone-Vitality-Revolutionary-Osteoporosis–Without/dp/0071600191/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416436068&sr=1-1&keywords=building+bone+vitalityQuestion- ” so the loss of 50 grams a day would mean losing close to 2% of our bone calcium every year.” Does this number incorporate the calcium we normally add? Or is this a stagnant number? I mean, does this mean “if we did nothing to increase our calcium stores”, or does this mean, “the average person consumes X amount o calcium and stores Z amount of calcium, so therefore, we would lose 2% of our bone calcium every year” ? Thanks!Never mind! LOL… I see my answer.After reading that it’s possible the body might take calcium from muscles for buffering, I’m wondering if leg cramps occurring with increasing frequency (and that haven’t decreased in response to a magnesium supplement) could be a possible manifestation of too much protein. I have a friend who has dealt with painful leg cramps for years. The cramps are increasing in frequency and the medical advice he’s been given thus far hasn’t helped.KWD: Interesting thought. Couldn’t hurt your friend to try a whole plant food based diet. Like Dr. Greger is often pointing out when he discusses a study that is just a single study – well, if it doesn’t work, what are the side effects? Increased health in every other area of life. So, it really is worth a shot. You might point this info out to your friend.Most definitely.I THINK cramping in the calves during exercise is a symptom of atherosclerosis too.I hate milk… I truly do. Which it’s hard to discuss with people without bias. However, they have produced a few pretty good studies from respected journals I would like to share. Now, even if milk was food for me, I wouldn’t drink it, but in the name of science I keep and open mind. Can someone help me critique these studies?http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.2008.10719750#.U9d4TpSSxSE shows that protective affect of Milk compared to non drinkers http://jama.jamanetwork.com/Mobile/article.aspx?articleid=194858 IRS associated with milk consumption http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v29/n1/abs/0802838a.html and a nature journal article about prospective weight loss on full cream milk consumption>> I hate milk… I truly do. Which it’s hard to discuss with people without bias.Who has the bias? Let me guess the people who drink milk, right? What is so hard about realizing you do not like milk, you just do not like it, why do you have to rationalize that EVERYONE must dislike it, and seek to cherry pick and interpret studies to agree with you. It’s fine not to like milk! Don’t drink milk, but why lobby people to hate milk too?No no! That’s not what I meant. What I mean is, my bias gets in the way of researching this. I’m not trying to lobby anyone but myself. I want to know the scientific evidence behind consuming dairy products and if its beneficial or not. Now if it is I’m still not going to consume it, but at least I can say honestly whether it’s good or not.And yes people who drink milk have the biggest bias, but they can do what they like. I’ve been off dairy for 10 years and I couldn’t be happier.I don’t think it’s biased to look at the fact, not opinion, that countries with the highest dairy consumption also have the highest rates of osteoporosis, and then make the decision to avoid dairy. I think that’s common sense.Hey I agree! But there are also other factors that may influence osteoporosis rates Ie meat consumption, amount of vegetable consumption, tea consumption and junk consumption.But I agree there is no logic in drinking the excretion of another animal.And perhaps the biggest factor : inactivity, lack of weight-bearing / resistance exercise. That’s my primary motivation for my daily exercise routines.>> other factors that may influence osteoporosis rates Ie meat consumption,Dr. Gregor just published a video that contradicted the idea that eating meat took calcium away from bones.But there are a lot of other things that those countries have in common as well as milk consumption. Correlation does not imply cause, and that is what we still see here over and over. We do not understand all these things, so going around and looking for two graphs that have roughly the same shape and them conflating them together is the order of the day for selling paper and generating views and clicks, and that is the problem – how the economic world works. That is what brings us bad food and bad data.Be careful, because two processes are correlated does not mean one causes the other. But at least it does mean that dairy is not protecting these populations.At this stage Ron, all I personally need to know is that getting off meat and dairy and beginning resistance training actually reversed my osteoporosis and over the last 10 years, my bone density has been improving on this regimen.>> people who drink milk have the biggest bias,:-) … funny, have you done any poll or have you any information as to the biases of people who drink milk or eat dairy products?People have been doing that for thousands of years more or less. Don’t you think it would shake out if people who drank milk got sick or died earlier than others in all that time.If you call doing what everyone else has been doing for ages a bias … but to me your statement seemed biased in such an oblivious way you don’t even see it … such a holier than thou attitude. At least that is how it sounds as I read it.Personally i don’t drink much milk. I used to as a kid, and I don’t seek it out or avoid it. I grew up on it and I have good bones my doctors says.I said I had a bias, but I couldn’t give a hoot what you put in your mouth. I continue to question what goes into my diet. But how about stop attacking and offer something useful.You just see anything that questions of threatened your faith as not useful … it might be the most useful thing you need to consider.Color me unconvinced that animal protein is not the culprit in osteoporosis.From ‘The China Study’, Chart 10.2: Association of Animal vs. Plant Protein Intake and Bone Fracture Rates for Different Countries shows that when Vegetable-to-Animal Protein Intake Ratio drops below 1.0 the hip fracture rate (incidence per 100,000 person-years) zooms up over 75 to 200. When the ratio is 2.0 or greater, the hip fracture rate is for the most part less than 25. Also, the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group at the U. of California at San Francisco published another study of over 1,000 women aged sixty-five and up. Like the multi-country study, researchers characterized women’s diets by the proportions of animal and plant protein. After seven years of observations, the women with the highest ratio of animal protein to plant protein had 3.7 times more bone fractures than the women with the lowest ratio. Also during this time the women with the high ratio lost bone almost four times as fast as the women with the lowest ratio.These are actual epidemiological observations, not theoretical lab results which must then be interpreted to fit the thesis.In the radioactive study, no surprise to find radioactive calcium in the urine. But how could you possibly sort out the non-radioactive calcium as it would be contaminated from the radioactive calcium, especially if it is supposedly a much smaller concentration level.Quoting from Dr. Greger’s report above “90% of the extra calcium in the urine after eating a steak doesn’t appear to be coming from our bones but from our diet.” So where does the other 10% come from…duh, perhaps our bones!I am not sure why Dr. Greger isn’t asking the hard questions about the contradictions between actual population observations and these studies. And why doesn’t he ask the question about the missing 10%?He isn’t saying that meat eaters don’t have more osteoporosis he is saying that the calcium is coming from the meal and is peed out and not the bones. He isn’t questioning the observation from the China Study. The mechanism is just different than we thought.Maybe the mechanism is different, maybe not. It is not unexpected that the more calcium you intake the more you excrete. There is still the matter of the missing 10%. Its possible that the mechanism is analogous to losing water using a diuretic. You lose most of what you intake and a percentage already in the body.Perhaps the dairy industry has gotten to the Dr.Perhaps it’s key to look at the muscle mass / bone density relationship. So if animal protein does not directly affect calcium loss on bones that was once thought, but directly and adversely affects muscle mass, that in turn would affect overall bone health.JoAnn Downey Ivey’s experience is identical to mine–except I eat fish for B12. It unfathomable for me to contemplate returning to dairy and red meat for it would mean a return of flatulence and lower energy. So, color me green. ;)Fascinating … and yet Dr. Neil Barnard and others who gives these vegan lectures and interviews includes the eat eat protein, lose calcium meme in his talks. One of the things that knocked me out of taking these lectures so immediately seriously was the insistence that if you drank milk that because of the protein you would actually lose calcium. That could not be true, and yet some people really bought into this. Now milk is not looking so bad except to fanatics that would eschew milk if it was found to be the the most healthful drink in nature.What looks … untenable …. is the hanging on every study or one single doctor’s interpretation of studies (present company excepted, of course) and trying to engineer one’s diet to optimization. There are a few cases where severe veganism is certainly indicated, such as massive arterial blockage, strokes, etc. I continue to speculate that the chemicals we put in our bodies to such a huge extent and grow plants in a monoculture and animals in factory farms nothing good can come from it.See the following studies showing that the alkaline mineral potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) attenuates bone loss. Potassium citrate, found in abundance in fruits and vegetables, converts to potassium bicarbonate in the body; therefore fruits and vegetables should have the same effect as KHCO3 if they’re consumed in sufficient quantities vis-a-vis acid-forming foods, such as meat, legumes and grains.IMPROVED MINERAL BALANCE AND SKELETAL METABOLISM IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN TREATED WITH POTASSIUM BICARBONATEhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu…TREATMENT WITH POTASSIUM BICARBONATE LOWERS CALCIUM EXCRETION AND BONE RESORPTION IN OLDER MEN AND WOMENhttp://press.endocrine.org/doi…LONG-TERM PERSISTENCE OF THE URINE CALCIUM-LOWERING EFFECT OF POTASSIUM BICARBONATE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMENhttp://press.endocrine.org/doi…I’ve improved my own bone mineral density over a two-year period as demonstrated via dexascan by supplementing my diet with KHCO3 along with ensuring that my urinary pH is kept sufficiently alkaline.Journal of Gerontology 55 (2000) “A high ratio of plant to animal protein was impressively associated with a virtual disappearance of bone fractures (in elderly women)”. Amazing how many so-called osteoporosis specialists don’t read. Also, in a plant-based diet, 500 mg of calcium per day has been shown to be adequate. Of course, weight bearing exercise etc.Why countries with highest consumption of meat and dairy have the highest level of osteoporosis?Parathyroid is responsible for calcium utilization. As you back up your lymph system with meat and (even easier) with dairy (and/or other toxins) the tissue around this blockage will start to collapse. I think this is #1 reason for calcium loss (havent found any others). As you move the lymph (and have working kidneys) toxins flow away and tissues regenerate.Can you cover the studies on whey protein? I’ve seen a great benefit in cancer protection in recent studies.Hi chef. I think any of these isolates and concentrates are unnecessary, as whole foods are preferred. Oncology populations differ, as survivors may not be able to eat by mouth or need additional nutrients to supplement their diet. Some studies suggest whey and leucine-rich foods (meat and milk) stimulate the TOR pathway, which Dr. Greger addresses in this video. Whey protein is a highly concentrated source of animal protein, which can stimulate IGF-1 production. Similarly, concentrated/isolated soy protein supplements can also increase IGF-1. Animal proteins are linked to increased risk of bone degeneration and kidney diseases. It may be that the ratio of animal to plant protein intake is important. In a paper I wrote about cancer prevention, Applying the precautionary principle to nutrition and cancer I reference a study pointed out to me by Dr. David Jenkins about the overabbundance of amino acids (Reference 46). For more studies on whey and cancer.So I’m confused. I was dx with osteoporosis 3 years ago. I have always walked and lifted moderate weights, so I went vegan. No change in the osteoporosis 3 years later. I’m postmenopausal 5 years, and 5ft and 100 lbs. What do I do now?When you say you lift moderate weights, are you really putting significant strain on the muscles which then transfers to the tendon pulling on the bone enough to stimulate bone growth? At 5’2″ and 110lb, I do weighted squats with 50 lb. for example. Walking every day for a half hour, or even better an hour, is something I do in addition to the resistance training, but I use the walking as an extra, not the main exercise for prevention and reversal. I found it was a job in itself to be consistent in the daily exercise.I shall increase the weight, I’m lifting 30 lbs now. Briefly, what weight bearing ex. do you do for hip and back? Agree on the walking, I do 3 miles of hills, tried a weighted vest for a month, but hurt my shoulders too much. Scared people around me, sadly they thought it was an ammo vest!! Thank you for your help.Squats are touted as the #1 exercise for increasing bone density of the neck of the femur. Also do walking lunges, one leg squats holding TRX, sled press, leg extensions, leg curls. For back…cable row, TRX, low back hyperextension, lat pulldown, assisted chin-ups, rear delt flys. Also do pushups, mountain climbers. That is a hoot about the vest – I get a few second glances :)Thank you, I have added those!I am wondering now why there are studies( or at least I’ve seen videos of people saying there are studies) that say the countries/people/cultures that consume the most dairy have the highest rates of osteoporosis and bone fractuires?Dr. Greger,Is Dr. McDougall on board with your analysis? I know he has been (still is?) saying that animal protein increases the acidity of our blood, resulting in calcium being leached out, which leads to osteoporosis. See around minute 36:30, for example:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJvrlwnEqbsHmm. I am not sure Dr. McDougall’s stance on this research. Sorry, Neil. At any rate — I think Dr. McDougall promotes a healthful diet as a physician.“90% of the extra calcium in the urine after eating a steak doesn’t appear to be coming from our bones but from our diet.” There’s enough calcium in steak to significantly increase calcium in the urine?I think it has to do with the protein in the steak apparently increasing calcium absorption rather than the calcium in steak. You’re thinking right, no calcium in steak. Well, about 6mg in a top round steak.Dr Greger / Joseph Gonzalez, are you not concerned that the second radioactive study was funded by the USDA and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. And whilst the first radioactive study was funded by the NIH, most of the lead researcher’s funding in the past has come from the USDA and the meat/dairy industries. It would also be good to get your response to Ernest Mayberry’s questions below, copied herein for your convenience:“From ‘The China Study’, Chart 10.2: Association of Animal vs. Plant Protein Intake and Bone Fracture Rates for Different Countries shows that when Vegetable-to-Animal Protein Intake Ratio drops below 1.0 the hip fracture rate (incidence per 100,000 person-years) zooms up over 75 to 200. When the ratio is 2.0 or greater, the hip fracture rate is for the most part less than 25. Also, the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group at the U. of California at San Francisco published another study of over 1,000 women aged sixty-five and up. Like the multi-country study, researchers characterized women’s diets by the proportions of animal and plant protein. After seven years of observations, the women with the highest ratio of animal protein to plant protein had 3.7 times more bone fractures than the women with the lowest ratio. Also during this time the women with the high ratio lost bone almost four times as fast as the women with the lowest ratio.These are actual epidemiological observations, not theoretical lab results which must then be interpreted to fit the thesis.In the radioactive study, no surprise to find radioactive calcium in the urine. But how could you possibly sort out the non-radioactive calcium as it would be contaminated from the radioactive calcium, especially if it is supposedly a much smaller concentration level.Quoting from Dr. Greger’s report above “90% of the extra calcium in the urine after eating a steak doesn’t appear to be coming from our bones but from our diet.” So where does the other 10% come from…duh, perhaps our bones!I am not sure why Dr. Greger isn’t asking the hard questions about the contradictions between actual population observations and these studies. And why doesn’t he ask the question about the missing 10%?”	acid/base balance,alkaline diet,animal products,animal protein,antacids,beans,beef,bone fractures,bone health,bone mineral density,burgers,calcium,chicken,eggs,fish,fruit,grains,hamburgers,kidney disease,kidney function,kidney health,meat,medications,osteoporosis,pork,poultry,protein,steak,stomach health,Tums,turkey,vegetables	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21976719,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15546911,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18721741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22127335,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23873776,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19864406,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21248199,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19889822,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21481501,
PLAIN-99	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/	Quadrupling Breast Cancer Survival	Half a million Americans are expected to die this year from cancer, equal to five jumbo jets crashing every day. The number of Americans who die from cancer each year is more than all those who have died in all U.S. wars combined. And this happens every single year. After a cancer diagnosis people tend to clean up their diets. About a third to a half of breast cancer patients, for example, make healthy dietary changes following diagnosis, such as increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and decreasing meat, fat, and sugar intakes. Does it actually help that late in the game? Well, the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study was undertaken in a few thousand breast cancer survivors to determine if a plant-based, low-fat, high-fiber diet could influence breast cancer recurrence rates and survival. Previously they famously reported that simple changes — five or more servings of fruits and veggies a day and just walking 30 minutes a day six days a week — were associated with a significant survival advantage, cutting the risk of death nearly in half. Note: it was fruits and veggies and exercise. In the video, Breast Cancer Survival Vegetable, you can see the proportion of women with breast cancer surviving nine years in the study if they had low fruit and vegetable consumption and low physical activity, compared to those high in one and low in the other, compared to the survival curve of those high in both. And it worked just as well in women with estrogen receptor negative tumors, which normally have twice the mortality — unless women eat those few fruits and veggies and take a few strolls. Imagine, for a second, you or a loved one has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Imagine sitting in that chair, in the doctor’s office, as your doctor gives you the news. But, she says, there’s a new experimental treatment that can cut your chances of dying in the next few years from 16 percent down to just 4 percent. To quadruple their survival rate, many women would re-mortgage their homes to fly to some quack clinic in Mexico and would lose all their hair to chemo, but most, apparently, couldn’t stand the thought of eating broccoli. The Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study found that while fruits and vegetables in general may be good, cruciferous vegetables may be better. For women on tamoxifen, for example, women who consumed one of their five daily servings of fruits and veggies as broccoli, cauliflower, collards, cabbage, or kale had their risk of cancer recurrence cut in half. I recommend that all women with breast cancer eat broccoli sprouts. See my 8-part video series: 1. DNA Protection from Broccoli 2. Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast 3. Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells 4. Liver Toxicity Due to Broccoli Juice? 5. How Much Broccoli Is Too Much? 6. The Best Detox 7. Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True 8. Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck They may also help out with other cancers (Lung Cancer Metastases and Broccoli and Raw Broccoli and Bladder Cancer Survival). For more on breast cancer survival, see: What’s even better is preventing breast cancer in the first place. Here are the 10 latest videos, but there are 81 other videos on breast cancer: Some of this video may sound familiar — I included it in my 2013 live presentation, which you can watch here. 	We were fortunate to attend Healthy Taste of Ventura just five months after my wife was diagnosed with triple positive, stage IIb breast cancer in 2012. She had a very simple lumpectomy without lymph node dissection and clear margins but chose not to have chemo, radiation or drugs. Although she was already cancer free just two months after surgery, We immediately switched to a plant based diet after hearing Dr Gregor’s research. She remains cancer free 19 months later.Wonderful news and thanks for posting. Dr. M’s last statement is true: People would rather have chemo, take drugs, et al, than eat vegetables. Strange. My best wishes to you both and your post will be passed on.Great article and information!I so appreciate your website and research, Dr. Gregor. I switched to an entirely vegan, whole food, plant based diet after treatment for breast cancer. It has been nearly 3 years now… My health has been amazing since the change. I feel at least 10 years younger – and have had a bunch of other health issues disappear – psoriatic arthritis, for one. I am told that I look amazing, too:) Thank you again!The study was based on women who take tamoxifen and adopt a plant-based diet. Any research on survival rate for those of us who have not chosen to take tamoxifen, yet have changed to a plant-based diet and exercise daily?Great question! I heard recently they are now suggesting even longer periods of tamoxifen use from 5 years previously to 10 years for most people regardless of vegan or not. I doubt there are any studies on exercising vegans not taking tamoxifen compared to general population taking tamoxifen, although that would be so interesting!I could not locate any info on sugar and cancer. Some say sugar feeds cancer, do the studies show this to be ? Are there differences for the different types of sugars?	animal fat,beef,breast cancer,broccoli,cabbage,cancer,cancer survival,cauliflower,chemotherapy,chicken,collard greens,cruciferous vegetables,exercise,fat,fiber,fruit,kale,low-fat diets,meat,Mexico,mortality,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,side effects,sugar,Tamoxifen,turkey,vegetables,women's health,Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17557943,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21784951,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20607600,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21221774,
PLAIN-100	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/	Cancer and the Animal-to-Plant Protein Ratio	It is now eight years since the famous Ornish study was published, suggesting that 12 months on a strictly plant-based diet could reverse the progression of prostate cancer. For those unfamiliar with that landmark Ornish study, see Cancer Reversal Through Diet?, which the Pritikin Foundation followed up on with Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay. Wait a second. How were they able to get a group of older men to go vegan for a year? They home delivered prepared meals to their doors, I guess figuring men are so lazy they’ll just eat whatever is put in front of them. But what about out in the real world? Realizing that we can’t even get most men with cancer to eat a measly five servings of fruits and veggies, in a study profiled in my video, Prostate Cancer Survival: The A/V Ratio, researchers settled on just trying to change their A to V ratio—the ratio of animal to vegetable proteins—and indeed were successful in cutting this ratio by at least half, from about two to one animal to plant, to kind of half vegan, one to one. How’d the men do? Their cancer appeared to slow down. The average PSA doubling time (an estimate of how fast the tumor may be doubling in size) in the “half vegan” group slowed from 21 months to 58 months. So the cancer kept growing, but with a part-time plant-based diet they were able to slow down the tumor’s expansion. What Ornish got, though, was an apparent reversal in cancer growth—the PSA didn’t just rise slower, it trended down, which could be an indication of tumor shrinkage. So the ideal A to V ratio may be closer to zero. If there’s just no way grandpa’s going vegan, and we just have half-measures, which might be the worst A and the best V? Eggs and poultry may be the worst, respectively doubling and potentially quadrupling the risk of cancer progression in a study out of Harvard. Twice the risk eating less than a single egg a day and up to quadruple the risk eating less than a single daily serving of chicken or turkey. And if we could only add one thing to our diet, what would it be? Cruciferous vegetables. Less than a single serving a day of either broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, or kale may cut the risk of cancer progression (defined as the cancer coming back, spreading to the bone, or death) by more than half. The animal to plant ratio might be useful for cancer prevention as well. For example, in the largest study ever performed on diet and bladder cancer, just a 3% increase in the consumption of animal protein was associated with a 15% higher risk of bladder cancer, whereas a 2% increase in plant protein intake was associated with a 23% lower risk. Even little changes in our diets can have significant effects. What else might help men with prostate cancer? See Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer and Saturated Fat & Cancer Progression. What about preventing it in the first place? See: Poultry and eggs may be related to cancer risk in a variety of ways: Crucifers may also help with other cancers. See: Breast cancer is highlighted in my video Breast Cancer Survival Vegetable. 	I dislike being a nitpicker here, because I know what Dr. Greger is saying, but calling someone a “half vegan” is like calling someone a “half racist” or, to be more apropos, a “half slaver”. Being that a vegan is one who stands up against the exploitation of others and thus there is no room for half measures. Now, saying someone is half plant-powered, plant-based, etcetera is much more fitting. :-)WOW. Way to combine the most fanatical components of veganism and political correctness. Get a fucking life.I agree “half-vegan” is probably a bad term. I would go with “half-plant-based”, but that is a mouth-full!I’m assuming that the eggs and poultry mentioned in paragraph 5 were not organic?I wonder if eating eggs from your own chickens and poultry that is free-range with non-soy feed would have the same negative effects?I always look for broccoli with buds that are deep green, not yellowish like in the above photo. That broccoli looks kinda elderly. Oh, right, it was the lighting. :-)Imagine the irony of reading this in your urologist’s office for your very first biopsy 2.5 years after going full on plants because the new PHI test says you might have PCa – here’s hoping Dr. Greger is right and my body just had the good sense to balk at the dimbulb tests!Good luck! Eating healthy is not a guarantee, but it does improve your risks dramatically. I’ll think good thoughts for you.Thanks Thea. Really mixed feelings at this point. In one sense There is no way to avoid embarrassment here – either I undertook this very painful test for no reason (distrusting the program), or went vegan for no apparent health benefit. On the other hand, it will be awesome to learn it was nothing, or a comfort knowing that it probably would have been much worse.any idea how much flax you should take if you have prostate cancer?In the cited study it was 3 tablespoons of ground flax per day. Cruciferous veggies and allium (onion garlic etc) and fenugreek also looked helpful. Orange bell peppers and lutein as in tomatoes and green tea and whole soy (tofu is good isolate is not) and mushrooms and pecans walnuts and peanuts have also been mentioned.Jamaican Allspice vs. PCa ! http://med.miami.edu/news/miller-school-researchers-discover-prostate-cancer-fighting-compound-in-allDr Greger,Please respond to this.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22254011It does not look like the evidence is very strong for flax as prostate cancer inhibitor.Great article, some of the questions I have been interested in were answered, but very explicitly.>> the PSA didn’t just rise slower, it trended down, which could be an indication of tumor shrinkage. So the ideal A to V ratio may be closer to zero.What is “PSA”, I don’t see it defined anywhere in the article?Are there any studies that qualify how many veggies of what sort OR how little animal products of what sort to eat to get this effect?The cruciferous veggies are specifically mentioned, but at what dose. For a regular diet it seems really odd to mention eating 3 tablespoons of flax and things like that for an otherwise healthy person, I don’t think many will do that, and it is expensive and time consuming.One other thing is why are only certain cancers mentioned of studies … are we expected to eat some new kind of weird stuff to reduce the chances of getting every different kind of cancer is there an “anti-Cancer diet” that will help with all cancers?PSA stands for prostate specific antigen which is produced by both normal and cancerous prostate cells. Although the cancerous cells produce twice as much per cell… hence the stated “usefulness” in using the test to screen for the disease. Unfortunately inflammation and infection in the prostate can cause elevation and the % of men with the disease is quite high. I would suggest you read Dr. Greger’s post… http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/and more specifically to answer your question about vegetable selection see video: #1 Anticancer Vegetable… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/ or http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/.At this point it seems that the best “anticancer” diet would be a whole food vegan diet with adequate intake of Vitamin B12. You should consume a variety of vegetables.The risk of cancer with consumption of animal products seems to be linear such that less is always better. Of course most of our exposure to carcinogens especially dioxin like compounds comes from meat, dairy and fish. By going to browse all topics you can view any of the 58 video’s on carcinogens. You need to keep tuned in to NutritionFacts as the science keeps coming. Good luck.Ornish is OK with egg whites, dairy, fish oil, and fish consumption.When I have heard Dr. Ornish speak in the last 2 years he seems to be sticking with fish oil despite the lack of science supporting its use. I am not aware of any studies which support the use of egg whites, dairy and fish for improving your odds of avoiding early death or disability.I highly doubt Dr. Ornish would make a recommendation to consume fish oil, egg whites, or some dairy without referencing studies and science supporting the benefits.As far as avoiding early death….How do you explain this from Dr. Greger himself? He admits vegans don’t live longer than meat eaters.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04There are always exceptions. One reported case was a patient born with abnormalities in their coronary arteries which predisposed him to an early heart attack. By consuming the correct diet you improve the odds for delaying death and avoiding chronic diseases. The original studies by Ornish and Esselstyn were done in the early 1990’s and we have learned alot since those studies. The best results have now been shown by Dr. Esselstyn in his recent report on long term follow up of almost 200 patients. If you view the videos on this website re: fish oil, dairy and eggs and come to the conclusion that they are healthy foods then we will just be in disagreement. That said if you can find good scientific studies that show the benefits of fish oil, dairy, etc. I would be glad to read them. Since the science keeps changing we should be ready to shift our beliefs. So you need to keep tuned to NF.org.I am more focused at the 5:19 mark of Dr. Greger’s video where he referenced the Harvard Study on Vegetarian mortality. 8,000 people over 18 years. Found no difference vs. meat eaters. His jaw dropped as mine did when I first watched this video.Vegetarian is definitely not the same as eating a carefully planned Whole Foods Plant based Diet. Probably even most vegans dont. So it is difficult to conclude on a WFPD from studies where people claim to be vegetarian.Other studies have shown that vegetarians live 7 years longer than meat eaters, and vegans live longer than vegetarians. The minority of studies that show vegetarianism in a negative light are always the ones that gain the most publicity.	A/V ratio,aging,animal products,animal protein,bladder cancer,bladder disease,bladder health,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,cabbage,cance,cauliflower,chicken,cruciferous vegetables,Dr. Dean Ornish,eggs,fruit,Harvard,kale,men's health,metastases,mortality,plant protein,plant-based diets,poultry,prostate cancer,prostate health,protein,PSA,r cancer survival,turkey,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetables,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22618737,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22853988,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20042525,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21823116,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16094059,
PLAIN-101	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	How to Treat Multiple Sclerosis With Diet	Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable and frightening degenerative autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system in which our body attacks our own nerves. It often strikes in the prime of life and can cause symptoms in the brain, such as cognitive impairment; in the eye, such as painful loss of vision; as well as tremors, weakness, loss of bladder control, pain, and fatigue. The most frequently prescribed drug for multiple sclerosis is interferon beta, which can make one feel lousy and cost $30,000 a year. But hey, it might be worthwhile—if it actually worked. We learned recently that it doesn’t seem to prevent or delay long-term disability. That leaves chemo drugs like mitoxantrone that causes irreversible heart damage in one out of every eight people who go on the drug and causes cancer (leukemia) in nearly 1% of people who take it. But MS is no walk in the park either. If only there was a cheap, simple, safe, side-effect free solution that also just so happened to be the most effective treatment for MS ever prescribed… Dr. Roy Swank, who we lost recently at age 99, was a distinguished neurologist whose research culminated in over 170 scientific papers. In the video, Treating Multiple Sclerosis with the Swank MS Diet, I highlight a few. As far back as 1950, we knew there were areas in the world that had a lot of MS—North America, Europe—and other places—Africa and Asia—that hardly had any. And migration studies show that those who move from a high risk area to a low risk area significantly drop their risk, and vice versa. So it seems less genetic and more lifestyle. Dr. Swank had an idea. As he recounts in an interview with Dr. John McDougall at the ripe young age of 84, “it seemed possible to me that this could be a matter of food, because the further north you go the less vegetarian a life is led and the more people are carnivores, you might say—they spend a lot more time eating meat.” After looking at the multiple sclerosis data from World War II in occupied countries where meat and dairy were rationed, along with his famous study in ’52 that found that the frequency of MS related directly to the amount of saturated animal fat consumed daily in different areas of Norway, he concluded that it might be the animal fat that was causing the increased risk. He decided to put it to the test by restricting people’s intake of saturated animal fat, most commonly coming from dairy and chicken in the U.S. (See Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero). In Treating Multiple Sclerosis with the Swank MS Diet, you can see data on his first 47 patients before cutting out about 90% of the saturated fat from their diet and after, showing a decrease in both the frequency and severity of MS attacks. Normally, we’re lucky if we can get people to stick to a diet for six months, and so that’s why most dietary trials last a year at the most. The first study he published reported results from the first three and a half years. Then came the five and a half year follow-up in which he added about another 100 patients. Then the seven year follow-up, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Then the 20 year follow-up, and then the 34 year follow-up. How did his patients do? If we can get to people early in their disease, when they’re only mildly disabled, and restrict their saturated fat intake, Dr. Swank showed he could stop their disease in 95% of cases—no further disability 34 years later. But if they started slacking on their diet—even years in, their disease could become reactivated. They felt so great that some felt that they could cheat a little bit, since they had their disease so well under control. But eating just eight grams of saturated fat more a day was accompanied by a striking increase in disability and a near tripling of their death rate. How about a 50 year follow-up! They were able to track down 15 of the original patients that stuck to the diet, now in their 70s and 80s, with multiple sclerosis for over 50 years, and 13 out of 15 were walking around normal in all respects. Conclusion: “This study indicated that, in all probability, MS is caused largely by consumption of saturated animal fat.” Dr. Swank thought it was the sludging of the blood caused by even a single meal of saturated fats that can clog tiny capillaries that feed our nervous system. Diets rich in saturated fat and cholesterol can thicken the blood and make our red cells sticky. A single meal of sausage and eggs can stick our blood cells together like rolls of quarters. And that kind of hyperaggregation can lead to a reduction of blood flow and oxygenation of our tissues. What’s in sausage and eggs that may cause so much inflammation? See my video series on endotoxins described in my blog How Does Meat Cause Inflammation? If we put someone’s blood through a machine that sucks out about 90% of the cholesterol in their blood, we can demonstrate an immediate improvement in microcirculation in the heart muscle. But what about the brain? The eyes are the windows… to our brain. We can visualize—in real-time—changes in blood vessel function in the retina at the back of the eye, which gives us a sense of what’s happening further back in the brain. And if we lower the cholesterol level in the blood, we can immediately get a significant improvement in vasodilation—the little veins open wider and let the blood flow. So yes, it could be the animal fat leading to clogging of our capillaries, but now we know animal fats can have all sorts of other deleterious effects such as inflammation, so who knows what the actual mechanism may be by which cutting animal fat can cut MS progression. Regardless, patients with MS that follow a diet with no more than 10 or 15 grams of saturated fat can expect to survive and thrive to a ripe old age. Of course, cutting out saturated fat completely might be better, given that heart disease is our number one killer. The bottom line is that the results Dr. Swank published remain “the most effective treatment of multiple sclerosis ever reported in the peer reviewed medical literature.” In patients with early stage MS, 95% were without progression of their disease 34 years later after adopting his low saturated fat dietary program. Even patients with initially advanced disease showed significant benefit. To date, no medication or invasive procedure has ever even come close, to demonstrating such success. Doesn’t cost $30,000 dollars; doesn’t give you leukemia—and works. Better! This all begs one big obvious question: If Dr. Swanks results are “so stunningly impressive, why haven’t other physicians, neurologists, and centers adopted this method of treatment?” One reason may be that MRI machines weren’t invented until the 1970s, decades after Dr. Swank’s study began. MRIs are how we track the progress of MS today. We don’t have to rely on patients’ subjective reports or doctor’s clinical judgments, we can see the disease get better or worse right there in black and white. It’s like in the 1970s when Nathan Pritikin appeared to reverse heart disease by the thousands but no one took him seriously until angiography was invented and the likes of Ornish and Esselstyn (see Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped) could hold up angiographic images, proving conclusively that a plant-based diet could help literally open up arteries. So what we need is someone to repeat Swank’s experiment today with MRI scans every step of the way. And I’m happy to report that exact experiment was just completed by Dr. John McDougall. Dr. Swank was one of Dr. McDougall’s heroes, and Dr. McDougall is one of mine. Study enrollment was completed last year and we should have the full results soon. I touched on this in my live 2013 year-in-review lecture More Than an Apple a Day, but I’m excited to be able to take a deeper dive into this extraordinary story. Those interested in supporting Dr. McDougall’s landmark study (headed by Dr. Dennis Bourdette, M.D. and under the supervision of Dr. Vijayshree Yadav) can donate to his nonprofit McDougall Research & Education Foundation (you can also donate to NutritionFacts.org to help keep us bringing you similarly underreported yet life-saving science). 	This is exciting information for those with MS. I am wondering, however, if there is any recent information that would help those with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. I understand there is currently a study program in place testing a product called Pirfinidone. If you have any information on this or any other study, including, of course, diet, that would benefit those with IPF, it would be greatly appreciated since few people with IPF survive longer than eight years, and someone very near and dear to me is struggling with this condition.Systemic enzymes are fantastic for lysing any type of fibrosis in the body. They are taken on an empty stomach so they can be absorbed. http://www.totalityofbeing.com/FramelessPages/Articles/COPDandPulmonaryFibrosis.htmThank you for this information. I will definitely look into it.The reason for the lack of interest by both the public and medical profession could be that diet is not considered relevant to MS. Outside heartburn and allergies, diet is still a fringe treatment to most medical professionals, who use sound bytes rather than research to determine what to prescribe. The research here is clear and the sound bytes override it, to the detriment of all but the most intelligent public who read Nutritionfacts.org.Someone needs to do a study on Essential Tremor like these MS studies. I’ve been using a whole-food,plant-based diet for years to manage ET and believe it is not progressing. If we can stop the progression of ET with diet, it would help tens of millions of people. Please, some of you clinical nutritionists, put some of your ET patients on a plant-based diet and lets find out if it stops the progression. The typical ET patient gets 10% worse tremor symptoms each year. It should be easy after a few years to tell if the diet is effective.Dr. Terry Wahls cured her severe MS with a Paleo diet. Nine cups of fruits and vegetables per day, no dairy, no gluten and clean living.I was granted my Medical doctorate with honor with the work I did on MS. 1/ the target is oligodendrocyte , the cell producing myeline, and wrapping more than 1 axon, protecting the neuron and the neuro-transmission. It is a disease reversible starting in blood, entering the Blood Brain Barrier through an inflammatory reaction from may different origins , 2/ creating an inflammatory reaction before destroying an oligodendrocyte which is the key point of reversibility . When you understand this first step, you start to eat organic, to have 60 % or more in vegetables to get enough antioxydant, to have good fat as avocados to be sure to maintain a balance without reaction. The Japanese people living japanese style have no MS, it is not genetic, they have MS when in Europe or the US , nutrition looks as the key. The work I did between 1974 to 1985 has inspired more work, all scientific data and lifestyle changes are consistent with a response by the brain cells to an agent brought from the blood from nutriments.Great work, thanks. Is there also a link between diet and motor neuron disease? I’ve read something about a role for the myelin sheath in that disease too.Yes, I did a very extensive work on Japanese diet and neurology. All concerning the myelin look better when having a rich anti oxidant food , virgin cold pressed fat oil, no addition of sugar and twice or more portion of fish a week. to say it in simple word, neuro transmission , moto neurons included needs to have active signal , nothing must interfere, simple and rich food as japanese, or real mediterranean are protecting the neuro transmission bringing the elements needed without shutting down the signals, we need phospholipids , clean onesAre omega 3s from flax seeds ok instead of fish?Just I did not answer your question , excuse me, I was with the nutrition. Oligodendrocytes are the cells making the myelin sheath in a sort of knitting/woven work. I worked on the interaction of the cells to build this sheath around the axon and protect the conduction and the neurotransmission. Each part of axon is wrapped by different pieces coming from different cells as if one is damaged the portion of neuron is protected by an other one coming from another cell, security is in place. The MS is the destruction of this myelin sheath, there are phase of inflammation, that makes neuro signs reversible and phase of destruction and then it is scares, we have less chance to reverse, whatever the plasticity of the brain cells, oligodendrocytes included can do migration to repair the damaged portionI had carbon monoxide poisoning at 1 1/2 years of age which led me with lesions in my brain…at age 69 I have symptoms of MS and veggies and eating well really helps, I had symptoms all along, tiredness, tingling, numbness, incontinence, etc and never made the connection to CO2 poisoning…even though I have these problems I am relieved to know it was probably caused by an accident at an early age…I deal better this way..before it was just fear if unknown.An accident as you had may be responsible of the signs you describe. I was ordering water gym , to my patients having an acute accident to avoid progressive worsening due to pain when moving. at 69 you know how to deal with it and limit the discomfort.And what about Dr. Terry Wahls, who reversed her secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis with a micronutrient-dense diet and Paleo principles? According to her, some meat, some animal saturated fats, eggs are essential for treating MS with diet:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2yA3QPDDLM(Dr. Terry Wahls’ Protocol That Reversed Multiple Sclerosis)I was wondering the same thing… I’m reading Dr Wahls book now and she emphasises the importance of incorporating grass fed meat and wild fish etc in one’s daily diet… so which is best follow? Meat or no meat?Dr. Wahl’s diet as listed below, is incredibly nutrient dense *despite* the inclusion of animal foods.From my limited reading (I have not read her book), she seems to emphasize omega-3s, which is perhaps why she is endorsing “grass-fed” meat or certain fish. Why she doesn’t use plant-based sources for omega-3s is unclear. Perhaps because she was already inclined towards eating a paleo diet (during which she continued to decline) before starting the vegetable-heavy nutrient dense regime described below (as a result of which she improved). Perhaps this paleo inclination has resulted in an aversion to flax or chia seeds, or perhaps she feels she requires long chain omega-3s, though she could of course consume this in the form of algae.I suspect that being off all grains and potatoes, she requires something calorically dense to simply survive and function, and has found that in low micronutrient but high calorie animal foods.In any case, with all of the veggies she eats per day, the room left for animal foods is scant. I can’t imagine her eating a large amount of animal foods on top of all of those veggies.So on one hand, we have multiple, highly reproducible studies showing a high plant food low saturated fat diet works for MS. On the other hand, we have an n=1 anecdotal tale about someone who eats an obviously high plant food diet and has also corrected her MS. Depending on the amount of animal foods she consumes, there may or may not be very much significant disagreement here. It would be interesting to know her saturated fat intake. Perhaps it is lower than people are inferring from her dietary description, or perhaps it is higher than those on the Swank diet, but her 9 cups of veggies per day are also higher than those on the Swank diet, and are providing a therapeutic effect to mitigate the effect of the fats.___________________________Dr. Wahl’s diet:3 cups of cruciferous and dark greens3 cups intensely coloured: 1 cup red vegetables / fruit, 1 cup blue black vegetables / fruits, 1 cup yellow/orange vegetable / fruits3 cups others including: 1 cup mushrooms / onion family (for organic sulphur), and seaweed for iodine and trace minerals.Include spices and herbs.Omega 3 rich foods, green leaves and animals fed green leaves, wild fish and seafood. And you could add fish oil.Eat organ meats once per weekRegular bone brothFermented foods or a probioticb00mer: You hit the points I wanted to make, but you did so a lot more robustly and elegantly than I would have. I was going to compare to the “Mediterranean diet” and quote (to the best of my memory) Jeff Novick: “Were they healthy *because* of the olive oil or *inspite* of it?”Without clinical trials on Dr. Wahl’s diet, we have to use common sense to determine which parts (or all) of her diet were likely the cause of her personal, anecdotal success.Thanks for your post.Thanks Thea. I had Jeff Novick’s quotation in my mind as well. Funny how people love to pick out the single least significant and least healthful food out of an overall healthy diet to glorify e.g. olive oil or goat cheese with the mediterraneans, fish with the Japanese, etc.I could only stand to watch about half of the video as it was achingly unscientific, but the word I heard a million times was micronutrients micronutrients micronutrients. What exactly does micronutrient intake have to do with eating meat? Nothing, unless you’re trying to minimize it.She also flippantly mentions “the essential fats are important too”, specifically mentioning saturated fat, which of course is nonessential. And in the same breath attempts to relate it to plasma membrane fluidity, which is inversely related to saturated fat composition.It is astounding that someone that displays ignorance about such extremely basic biochem and nutrition principles is given a platform to speak about diet and health. Of course, if her message of micronutrients and essential FAs is getting cleverly construed to => eat meat and saturated fat and be healthy, well, I’m sure she’ll sell a lot of books.b00mer: You gave me my laugh for the day. :-)Thanks for that additional analysis/info. Wow. Wow. Wow. Reminds me of Jon Stewart’s responses to certain politicians and our media. Painful, but it’s better to laugh than cry.Dr. Wahls’ experience is not anecdotal or based on one person. She has been doing clinical trials on patients with her diet for the last year. And thousands of people are using her diet plan with amazing success. Just visit her Facebook page. The brain uses fat for fuel, not glucose. I like everything about this site except its obvious vegan fanaticism.ehm… the first fuel for brain is glucose, and if there are problems with glucose supply then body starts to use ketones body from fat catabolism…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_brain#MetabolismIf fat are really primary sources for the brain why does gluconeogenesis exists ?I found a review that could answer some question about the brain preference for glucose instead of atty acids:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23921897In another review the authors talk about the brain areas that regulate glucose homeostasis:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23913677Or this text:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/Or another:http://books.google.it/books?id=bPoEQAsaPLoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=glucose+and+the+brain&hl=it&sa=X&ei=RD73U8_RD-zo7AaylYHYBA&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=falseI think it covers pretty much every brain metabolism…Of course it could be more difficult than that:http://www.nature.com/jcbfm/journal/v23/n6/abs/9591414a.htmlTo me, glucose is of primary importance, then cames the other substrates…There are no articles linked to on her facebook page.On her personal website, she lists only three articles, *none* of which examine the role of fat in treatment of MS:– One article has no dietary intervention component whatsoever.– The other two articles examine up to five other physical, exercise, and lifestyle related interventions in conjuction with dietary interventions including up to 17 supplements and huge amounts of nutrient dense green and sulfur containing vegetables. Again, there is no evidence presented to suggest that her patients are in fact consuming large amounts of saturated fat.Compare these *two* multifactoral, small (literally one was n=1), uncontrolled, short-term studies with the longest running, most successful study on MS in the history of medical literature, which *specifically studies* dietary saturated fat and its effect on MS.There is no comparison between the work of Swank and Wahls.If you or others purchase her books and see personal progress, that is interesting, but anecdotal.If she’s got a study in the works that she can 1) actually get published, that would 2) actually validate what she says about fat, then I’ll be interested to read it.But this website is based on modern science and what that means is peer reviewed literature, not anecdotes and hearsay. You could even say we’re fanatical about that. Until Dr. Wahls actually publishes *any* literature showing that fat is beneficial for MS patients, there really isn’t any valid scientific conversation to be had about it.The articles she lists on her website study the following:1. neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and physical therapy improves gait2. a case study of one woman using physical therapy, home exercise and stretching, NMES, and a diet of 600 grams of cruciferous vegetables, 300 grams of brightly colored fruits or vegetables, 60 to 100 grams of meat, poultry or fish, 4 supplements, and no milk, eggs, or gluten. The patient specifically mentions in her own words that it is when she fails to consume the cruciferous vegetables, she experiences a decline in energy and mental focus.3. the effect of stretching, strength exercise, meditation, massage, electrical stimulation, and a “modified paleolithic” diet (specifically encouraging green and sulfur containing vegetables as well as 17 supplements) on fatigue – in the author’s own words, it was a small, uncontrolled pilot study, and their only conclusions were that it improved fatigue and that people followed the plan relatively well.As far back as the 1980s when I was a practicing natural nutritionist, MDs would recommend their patients see me for nutrition counseling, since dietitians were still interested in processed, packaged, ‘industrial strength’ edibles. Long story short: Numerous MS patients regained health even to the point of getting off disability and going back to work. Diet IS the KEY biochemical factor in health and wellness, which allopathic medicine still cannot seem to accept since it is steeped in chemical medicine, i.e., toxic pharmaceuticals, which, in many diseases, only exacerbates the problem. The human organism was designed to function with high quality nutrients found in plant-based and some animal foods, as humans have ingested since time immemorial. Only within the last century have laboratory-made–mostly petrochemical-based–pharmaceuticals displaced healing foods and modalities. Nutrition was called quackery in the 1980s by those in the medical profession who thought they knew it all. I can remember an MD, who was head of a hospital, asking me, “Don’t you think if there was something to nutrition, we’d know about it?” Dr. Greger’s work is a breath of fresh air and I compliment him and his team to the highest. My only hope is that the medical profession in its entirety expand their collective consciousness so as to include natural nutrition–not food processing industry nutrition–in med schools and throughout ancillary medical professions.You are right, when I reversed MS by diet on few hundreds patients, I heard all stupid arguments from my colleagues, being the only MD in a department of neurology who was not prescribing sleeping pills and having my patients sleeping well. When the tension was too intense I changed my clinical research subject from MS to vascular to explore the BBB and then I was granted American patent for a rescue blood pump I am launching now. I want to be back to nutrition and Neurodegenerative disease because I have enough data to know that something is possible to be done with the younger generation. Eating is the fuel of life, I do not get why so may people are blind about that.Doctors believe that I have 2nd progressive MS. I have been eating as vegan for 6 months. Are you saying that I should eat salmon twice a week?The diet as preventive medicine is a life long diet. Twice wild fish a week as cold water Cod, herring, Salmon, Salmon roe once a week these with a organic vegetarian diet may help you to prevent MS to worsen, I described signs of lymphocytes 1 week before relapse, then the 2nd step was to give antioxydants when these signs started for 3 weeks , I observed relapses 2 weeks after the ending the antioxydant treatment. In progressive MS, it is a mixture of chronic inflammatory response , worsening of scares and reactivation of old lesion. I like turmeric and ginger as anti-inflammatory nutriments, most of my patients with progressive MS felt improved adding that to their diet, Salmon with ginger green tea rice which is a simple recipe, very Japanese looks helping. Gaba rice of course.Can you eat flax or hemp seeds instead of fish to stay vegan?Yes you can and have seaweeds salads and soups tooI like hemp seed but I have no scientific evaluation. I just use it for me when I am very busy , I had a serious chronic disease, my diet works better than prescription.I have taken your advice regarding turmeric, ginger, and last night I made the ginger green tea Gaba rice with a small piece of wild Alaskan salmon with the skin on. I have to admit; I am already walking better, and will continue to have the salmon twice a week for a few months, and see how I do. I am a little concerned about PCB’s though. Thank You!There is nothing special in salmon and other fish that isn’t found in in a better form in plant foods. However, seafood contains iodine, which is deficient in land based foods due to modern intensive farming practices stripping the soil. The abundance of flourine and chlorine in the modern world also displaces iodine from the body, so we need much more of it today. Iodine is essential for the production of a thyroid hormone that is involved in the methylation process, which in in turn creates the methylcobalamin needed to build the myelin sheaths, the fatty protective layer around nerves which break down in people with MS.You would have had better results from consuming kombu/kelp, and would have avoided the cholesterol and saturated fats in the fish. You would have even better results adding drops of Lugol’s iodine into a smoothie while taking a methylselenocysteine supplement (selenium is essential for displacing halogens bound into iodine receptors. Also if you take iodine while selenium deficient it will exacerbate that deficiency and affect your thyroid).Take an algal supplement for omega 3s (which are superior to fish supplements) and/or consume 7g of flax, 20g of hemp or 4 walnuts. Also eat plenty of berries and leafy greens which are high in omega 3s while being low in all other fats.Thanks fruitbat; I am not especially thrilled about eating meat again. It’s just that I have been a strict vegan for the last six months, and have greatly enjoyed eating whole food, but I have continued to loose my ability to walk. Thanks for your suggestions; I have been doing most of them including taking selenium (plus eating beans twice a week), except for the kelp, and iodine. I will try this and see if it makes a difference in my abilities. I have been eating ground flax seeds, walnuts and flax oil for the omega 3’s, but was thinking that there might be something to eating the omega 3’s from a real fatty fish whole food source. I do want to continue to walk.I am so happy to help and hope it works out for you!The Lugol’s comes in different strengths (from 2-15%) and qualities, some contain sodium iodide instead of the superior potassium iodide for example. Don’t be afraid of consuming too much – in Japan the average iodine intake from sea vegetable consumption is 13 milligrams a day, over 86 times higher than the RDA of 150 micrograms recommended in the western world. One twelfth of a teaspoon of 7% Lugol’s contains 12.5 milligrams of iodine. 12.5 to 50 milligrams is considered by doctors who have studied iodine therapy to be a useful dose. It is best to start at the lower level, and consume it in a fruit smoothie as it disguises the taste while providing magnesium, which works with iodine in the body.It is important that the form of selenium is usable – the inorganic form such as selenite can be toxic if too much is consumed, and are difficult for the body to utilise. A good supplement is Life Extension Se-methyl L selenocysteine.Regarding omega 3 fats in fish, you’d have to consume 215g or nearly a whole fillet of salmon every day to provide enough, which would also give you 118 mg of cholesterol. Additionally, it would give you 1.5g of methionine – more than you need in a day in a single piece of food – Dr Greger has a video about excessive methionine feeding cancer cells.Algal supplements naturally contain DHA and EPA in a good 2:1 ratio, are free of mercury, and have not been chemically deodorized to disguise the smell of rotting fish. If your fat intake is low enough, the body can produce EPA and DHA from omega 3’s found in plant foods, but a supplement can’t hurt if you feel you need one.On a personal note, I started the 80/10/10 high calorie raw fruit and leaf based diet several months ago, and while there were some general improvements in my health and appearance, I was disappointed that I didn’t get the incredible benefits claimed by other people, particularly in regard to my ADHD. It is so disheartening and frustrating to be making the effort to do everything right and not see results. Iodine was the missing link for me – sea vegetables are ignored (though not prohibited) on the 80/10/10 so if a person is already iodine deficient (which is common, especially in sufferers of ADHD) this diet will not help to rectify the problem and may even make it worse. The same is true of a general plant based diet, since livestock fodder is fortified with iodine so that animal products provide small amounts, and people on plants based diets generally do not consume sea vegetables to make up for and better it.Good luck to you, hopefully this extra information was helpful, and I really hope that supplementing with iodine will prove beneficial in reversing your MSI am happy iy is working for you, making it part of your routine may help you significantly. Thank you to share it.I’d just like to point out that vegans have always existed. Meat eaters are overly fond of saying that humans have always eaten meat. No other primate habitually eats flesh, the only animal products other primates eat are insects.As someone who has lived with relapsing/remitting MS for about 27 years, this kind of upcoming report is very exciting to me. I own Dr. Swank’s book and have tried to model my diet on his, although I’ve never been 100% faithful to the diet. I did want to correct an impression you gave in the article that interferon beta and chemo drugs are the only treatment options for MS. I’ve been on Copaxone since 2000 and have had only one relapse during that time.I think at this point the best science supports Dr. Swank’s approach. You can read more about this issue on John McDougall’s website which includes an interview with Dr. Swank. Given the nature of the disease it is difficult and expensive to do good studies due to the time frames needed. I would not recommend meats or saturated fats at this time. Hopefully the study that was funded by Dr. McDougall’s foundation will lead to a larger longer study. I can’t think of any downsides to his approach. I do know that if you have one chronic disease you don’t want another such as arterial disease or diabetes or cancer. Good luck.The best science seems to show there is no effect. The study already has been published: http://www.neurology.org/content/82/10_Supplement/P6.152.shortThe study was not expected to show efficacy given the small numbers of participants (30) and limited time frame (1 year) when considered relative to the natural time frame of MS (years). Dr. Bourdette is hoping that this study will open the door to a much larger and longer term study which would be needed to actually show efficacy. So the best science is yet to come. It will most likely be done in Europe as most studies in this country are done to test the use of drugs or procedures. I heard Dr. Bourdette speak at the McDougall Advanced Study Weekend at the time the study was funded. The interesting side note is it took the Ethics Committee at Oregon Health and Science Center a while to decide that a study which put participants on the intervention diet was safe! So for now as I mentioned in my previous post I would recommend this approach to anyone who might have or does have MS. I have one patient who was wheel chair bound who benefited with better control of his type 1 diabetes and his wife says his stool problems have greatly improved. Thanks for taking the time to comment and post the article… Keep tuned to NF.org as the science keeps coming.The Swank Diet appears to include meat, eggs and dairy. It is not a vegan diet. To really benefit one needs to go Vegan Plus and eat a diet of whole organic plants while avoiding salt, sugar and refined carbohydrates. xyzMy sister has had MS for over 35 years. Unfortunately, I do not think anybody shared the info generated by Dr. Swank’s research with her. We did not know it to share with her until the very recent years. She has been in a nursing home for about 13.5 years, unable to roll over in bed, or to move arms and legs. She is barely able to speak at this point, and has had stomach tube for liquid diet for years. She has been in hospice care for over a year. She is 63 years old. The disease has devastated her life.KathyPoppyseed: re: ” Unfortunately, I do not think anybody shared the info generated by Dr. Swank’s research with her.” That’s just so criminal.This type of thing drives me *nuts.* Dr. Greger addresses this point yet again in his latest summary talk (from Table to Able). Our doctors and experts should be telling us what the science says. Let us decide how we want to use that information. But they have no business patronizing us and hiding the information.MS is such a terrible disease, which your sister and you have first hand experience with. I’m sorry to hear about your situation.I switched over to a vegan diet recently and noticed an immediate improvement in terms of more energy and fat loss. I’m in medical school now and I believe that we will find out with more research that autoimmunity is the root cause of many seemingly unrelated diseases. My own theory is that the body gets confused by foreign animal proteins and mounts an autoimmune attack, and that the deleterious effects are only felt eventually over time. Dr. Greger has shown us countless studies on the benefits of a vegan diet. It really is a no-brainer at this point.what kind of food can I eat and could I get a recepie bookkags: I am not a doctor or expert and I do not know your situation. I can not make recommendations from either of those perspectives. However, I have purchased quite a few whole plant food based cookbooks over the last few years. I can recommend some books that based on my limited understanding would meet the needs of someone who is posting on this page.First, you might consider checking out Dr. McDougall’s book, The Starch Solution. The front part of the book contains some great info. And the back part contains some great recipes.While I just got, Happy Herbivore Light and Lean, I think it is going to be one of my favorite books. Check it out!If cost is an issue for you, check out Vegan On The Cheap (and just don’t use oil for those recipes that call for it). For really simple recipes, check out Vegan On $4 A Day.If you have kids, check out Let Them Eat Vegan. (Or even if you don’t have kids, check it out.)You might also want to check out some on-line resources, including PCRM’s site and the free 21 Day Kickstart program. They have a ton of free recipes that are healthy, tasty and easy to make.Hope that helps.Or Appetite For Reduction by Isa Chandra Moshkowitzhttp://www.cpnhelp.org is an antibiotic protocol which has actually cured many many people.I feel like you are overpromising, Dr. Greger. My vegan friend with MS was vegan before her diagnosis ten years ago and has been vegan continuously for at least 3 decades. She is still crippled by her horrible MS symptoms.MS is as variable as humans are, to the extent that I call it “the charlatan’s wet dream”. Whatever you pick, including nothing (exercise, meditation, acupuncture, prayer, etc.), someone can point to it and say “This worked for me!”. Add biochemical individuality to spontaneous remission, the placebo effect, and confirmation bias, and stir in some charisma and scientific jargon, and you have a recipe for malady-based riches.She needs iodine. IODINE. Although being vegans doesn’t automatically mean one is eating a low saturated fat diet.Read Professor George Jelinek’s book “Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis”. He was diagnosed with MS in 1999 and due to his work as a professor of medicine, was in a position to access all the latest research about MS. His protocol is based on Dr Swank’s diet, Vitamin D3 supplementation (5000iu daily), Omega 3 as fish or flax oil daily, execise and meditation (to alleviate stress). He has not had a relapse for about fourteen years. “Recovering from MS”, also by Jelinek, and Law, is the stories of some of the people with MS who have used his protocol very successfully. He also has interviews on you tube.Dr. Greger, I’ll bring to your attention that McDougall and Yadav’s 1 year results have already been presented and published at 2014 American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting. The results show no difference in presence of lesions, from MRI scans. I refer you to: http://www.neurology.org/content/82/10_Supplement/P6.152 And http://www.healthline.com/health-news/low-fat-vegan-diet-may-ward-off-ms-fatigue-050614I do wish you would be equally vocal about studies that show no effect, at least as a reference to those who come to this page with high hopes.Also Bison is your alternative to beef. Fish is also good for you. No beef, sugar or coffee. We are still working on the last 2 with my wifeit seems to me that there are two threads in this conversation, neither of which are recognizing the other. That can change, the recognition part, the conclusions do not need to change, necessarily. Ok, on the one thread we have a description of Doctor Swank’s wor, which spans decades and has follow up results of both long and sort term duration. This thread also brings to the readers a recent controlled study initiated by Dr. John McDougall. the second thread is about the Paleo diet and the results a physician got with that diet on her own case do multiple sclerosis. Also sited is the commonality of large proportions of foods containing antioxidants. The book that woman wrote has been read by the participants in that thread. I have a sister who has had MS for 36 years. The last 13.5 years have been spent in a nursing home. The whole time she has been paralyzed, unable to move her arms or legs, unable to roll over,in bed without assistance. The last 5-7 years she has had a tube for feeding directly into her stomach,because she cannot swallow effectively. I could go on and on. She has been fed some variety of Ensure, a liquid, which has kept her alive. She can also have snacks,of junk food,if someone feeds them to her, likeGuess my reply was too long. I just want to concluded that I. Do not think that my sister ever was told about Dr. Swank’s work. It is way too late for her now, but diet should be an integral,part of health care practices. MS is just one example of where that is so important. So people who understand that diet is so important ought to be getting on the same side in an effort to change established medical practices and establish food cultures. Thanks, I have made my point PoppyseedSomeone pointed out to me years ago that diet is the problem because in a lot of countries MS just don’t exist. I was very thankful for that infoA preliminary, not yet peer reviewed study released today reports no association between diet and MS. Here is a link to a summary. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ECTRIMS/47667I find myself at a loss for what to believe. I suspect the study referenced above simply does not have enough participants following the actually food plan required to achieve the results we’d like to associate with a healthy vegan diet. Anyone else feel like screaming? Oh, and note that in the study cited above, the only statistical correlation to reduced incidence of MS was high adherence to a western diet.Yes, the authors have relationships with companies making MS products.She had amasing results . I don’t know if DR Greger is aware of this ladyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlXXg49vzMUI have 2 friends who have great results with their MS when they started taking Juice Plus+, and my own family has had amazing results as well!Can Juice Plus+ help with multiple sclerosis?Though we cannot promise that JuicePlus+ will cure any illness or health condition, this is what I can say: MS is an autoimmune challenge that Juice Plus+ can make a difference with, in time. It may take double the dosage, however, if the MS is severe.The immune study shows that B-cells become less hyperactive with Juice Plus+, i.e. make fewer antibodies against the body itself, which is the problem with all autoimmune disorders. Autoimmune disorders show up in different ways in different people, manifesting symptoms based on our own unique genetic weaknesses.Instead of focusing on the name of the disease, if we can go back to the cause of all autoimmune diseases – a trigger-happy immune system – then we do better. Juice Plus+ makes the immune system less trigger-happy.“Clean Eating Fitness Junkie” http://www.facebook.com/JenPalBCI invite you…To watch this video that could change your health & the health of your family in numerous ways!http://safeshare.tv/w/ocIsCSVCtHWe have been taking Juice Plus+ capsules and drinking the Complete Shakes for a couple of years now. We’ve all experienced better sleep, healthier hair, nails, skin, teeth & gums, and a HUGE boost in our immune systems, which means we have more energy! NO FLU (and NO, we do not get the flu shot)!! I haven’t even had a cold (knock on wood)! My Husband & Kids have had only 1 cold! My Husband & I compared our yearly physical blood work results from before & after starting Juice Plus+ and ALL of our numbers improved! Our pediatrician was wondering where we’ve been, because the kids haven’t had a single “sick visit” in over 2 years! We show up one a year for “well child” check-ups and that’s it! My son used to catch strep-throat MULTIPLE times a year :(!The most amazing thing of all, and one of the reason I decided to promote this amazing whole food nutrition is my Husband’s miraculous results while taking a double dose of Juice Plus+ before & after his tonsillectomy, and all during & after his 6 weeks of daily radiation therapy. All 4 of his Dr.’s kept asking “How were you able to work so long while going through radiation?” and “What ever you’re doing, keep it up!” “I’ve NEVER seen someone recover so quickly!” “Your health is incredible!” “You are cured!”….on and on and on.Anyway, I just feel really passionate about this product and decided to promote it, in hopes that others can experience the vast improvements in health like we have. It’s also great for those with DIABETES, because you can get all of your fruits & vegetables withOUT any of the sugar! I love that Juice Plus+ is not a supplement….it’s actual REAL FOOD NUTRITION! Please let me know if you have any questions, or want more information. I would love to hear from you! If you’d like to give Juice Plus+ a try, please contact me or you can even go directly to my website and order from there.http://jennifer-palazzolo.juiceplus.com/content/JuicePlus/en/what-is-juice-plus/what-is-juice-plus.html#.VEBcyPldXngOne of the most compelling things about Juice Plus+ is the fact that there have been over 30 research studies conducted in leading hospitals & universities around the world. The studies and results are available on my website: http://jennifer-palazzolo.juiceplus.com/content/JuicePlus/en/clinical-research/clinical-research.htmlHAVE A GREAT DAY!Jeni have MS since 2007. My lifestyle and my nutrition were so bad but i had just one redicive i all my life, at the moment. When I ask the people who have MS as well, the people tell me almost the same, their lifestyle and nutrion are so f… bad. I don´t know if the vegetarian people have better life than people who eat meat but I think that we need some nutrients as Vitamin B and we can´t find in veggies…we need Vitamin D, we need Omega 3… and normally the people who eat the meat don´t have a good lifestyle (because they meet trans-fat, drink sugar ¨liquid” as Coca-Cola, Mcdonalds….) and the vegetarian people are interesting more in their nutrition…but I am totally sure…we need a GOD meat!Dear Dr. Greger, Thank you for this article. The McDougall’s Study on Multiple Sclerosis and Diet has been published and no real difference was seen between the “Diet” and “Control” groups in MRI images; nor was a difference in disability or relapses seen between the diet intervention and control groups. What is your opinion? Thank you.Seriously wondering would fresh meat from a deli cause relapses also?It might. Deli meat still has loads of saturated fat so if high animal fat is one of the culprits then limiting or avoiding meat (deli meat) may be considered.	acute myeloid leukemia,Africa,aging,angiogram,animal fat,animal products,Asia,autoimmune diseases,beef,bladder disease,bladder health,brain disease,brain health,cardiovascular health,chemotherapy,chicken,cholesterol,cognition,dairy,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Dr. Dean Ornish,Dr. John McDougall,Dr. Roy Swank,eggs,Europe,eye disease,eye health,fat,fatigue,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,LDL cholesterol,leukemia,low-fat diets,meat,medications,milk,mortality,multiple sclerosis,nerve health,Norway,pain,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,Pritikin,saturated fat,sausage,side effects,surgery,tremors,turkey,vegans,vegetarians,vision weakness	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22666902,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001747/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15095396,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22797642,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20439849,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12451193,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12591551,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14771073,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12996138,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12591552,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5471652,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14929306,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1973220,
PLAIN-102	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/	Stopping Heart Disease in Childhood	A landmark paper in 1953 radically changed our view about the development of heart disease forever. The study looked at a series of 300 autopsies performed on U.S. battle casualties of the Korean War. The average age was 22 years old, but 77% of the soldiers’ hearts had gross evidence—meaning visible-to-the-eye evidence—of coronary atherosclerosis, hardening of their arteries. Some of them had vessels that were clogged off 90% or more. As an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded, “This widely cited publication dramatically showed that atherosclerotic changes appear in the coronary arteries years and decades before the age at which coronary heart disease (CHD) becomes a clinically recognized problem.” Follow-up studies on the hearts of thousands of more soldiers over the subsequent years confirmed their results. How young does it go? Fatty streaks, the first stage of atherosclerosis, were found in the arteries of 100% of kids by age ten. What’s accounting for this buildup of plaque even in childhood? In the ‘80s we got our first clue in the famous Bogalusa Heart Study. This looked at autopsies of those who died between the ages of 3 to 26 years old, and the #1 risk factor was cholesterol intake. There was a dramatic stepwise increase in the proportion of their arteries covered in fatty streaks as the level of bad cholesterol in the blood increased. As powerful as this was, the study only looked at 30 kids. So they decided to study 3000: three thousand accidental death victims, ages 15 through 34. After thousands of autopsies, they were able to produce a scoring system that could predict the presence of advanced atherosclerotic lesions in the coronary arteries of young people. The higher our score, the higher the likelihood we have these lesions growing in the arteries that pump blood and oxygen to our heart. So if we’re young and we smoke, our risk goes up by one point. If we have high blood pressure at such a young age, that’s four points. If we’re an obese male, that’s six points, but high cholesterol was the worst of all. If our non-HDL cholesterol (meaning the total cholesterol minus the good cholesterol) is above 220 or so, our risk increased eight times more than if we smoked. Let’s say you’re a woman with relatively high cholesterol, but you don’t smoke, you’re not overweight, your blood pressure and blood sugars are OK. At your sweet 16 there’s just about a 1 in 30 (3%) chance you already have an advanced atherosclerotic lesion in your heart, but if you don’t improve your diet, by your 30th birthday, it’s closer to a one in five (20%) chance you have some serious heart disease, and if you have really high cholesterol it could be closer to one in three (33%). In the video, Heart Disease Starts in Childhood, you can see what happens to our risk if we bring our cholesterol down to even just that of a lacto-ovo vegetarian, or if we exercise to boost our HDL, etc. It shows that even in 15 to 19-year-olds, atherosclerosis has begun in a substantial number of individuals, and this observation suggests beginning primary prevention at least by the late teenage years to ameliorate every stage of atherosclerosis and to prevent or retard progression to more advanced lesions. If we start kids out on a low saturated fat diet, we may see a significant improvement in their arterial function by 11 years old. The study concluded, “Exposure to high serum cholesterol concentration even in childhood may accelerate the development of atherosclerosis. Consequently the long-term prevention of atherosclerosis might be most effective when initiated early in life.” And by early in life they meant infancy. Atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, begins in childhood. By age ten nearly all kids have fatty streaks, the first stage of the disease. Then the plaques start forming in our 20s, get worse in our 30s, and can start killing us off in middle age. In our hearts it’s a heart attack, in our brains it’s a stroke, in our extremities it can mean gangrene, and in our aorta, an aneurism. For those of us older than ten years of age, the choice likely isn’t whether or not to eat healthy to prevent heart disease, it’s whether or not we want to reverse the heart disease we likely already have. Drs. Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. proved that we can reverse heart disease with a plant-based diet, but we don’t have to wait until our first heart attack to start unclogging our arteries. We can start reversing our heart disease right now. We can start reversing heart disease in our kids tonight. The bottom line is that we have tremendous control over our medical destinies. How do we go about reversing our heart disease? I address that question in my latest live annual review presentation More Than an Apple a Day. Or, for shorter snippets: Heart disease is a choice. 	Sounds like the saturated fats are the biggest problem here, and so many parents feed their kids cookies and cakes and sweets dense in vegan saturated fats. Please do more (you do a lot already, thanks you!) to highlight to your viewers, most of whom are vegan, it seems, the harm being done (it seems) by the fat-laden vegan junk food, as well as dairy-fat junk food.I look at the Japanese eating their fish, and they don’t seem to have the heart disease issues we have, but I don’t think the culture over in Japan ingests large amounts of dairy fat cookies, cakes, etc. and vegetable-fat-laden cakes and cookies…potato chips, fried corn chips, and other high-vegetable-fat packaged (and baked) goods. USA seems to live on bags of chips and cookies as snack for kids, and many parents think “oh, it’s vegan, it’s OK.” I think getting this vegan message across to your viewers, and future viewers, is where you might provide the most benefit.If family doctors gave this information to new parents taking babies in for the first year of check-ups, think what a difference it might make. Parents might start feeding their babies and toddlers boiled potatoes and steamed broccoli instead of hot dogs and French fries.Thanks BB. I repeatedly clicked the up arrow but it only lets me vote once. Otherwise you’d be up to 100+ “likes”What do you think of the research-based differentiation that many nutrition doctors make about the two kinds of LDL? One particle is large and fluffy and passes through the arteries, and one is small and dense and gets stuck in there, forming plaque. This was on Sanjay Gupta and several other health shows. Also the recent large study that showed that saturated fat intake had no effect on health? It’s hard for me to decide what to do when highly respected doctors disagree among themselves. I don’t have the advanced medical training. Thanks, John S PDX ORJohn S: You are not the first person to ask these questions.B oth Toxins and MacSmiley gave such great answers to the first question that I saved their answers. I copied those answers below for you.Your second question about saturated fats has also been well answered by other people. If you still have that question after reading through the information and links below, let me know, and I will try to find those answers. ****************************************** MacSmiley Re Large and fluffy LDL being benign or even beneficial: ALL ApoB-containing particles (found in LDL of all sizes) are atherogenic. Large, small LDL diameters increased CV mortality risk Grammer TB. Eur Heart J. 2014;doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehu055. http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/cardiometabolic-disorders/news/online/%7Bffe9124d-148d-4f9a-96df-acfaf47b308f%7D/large-small-ldl-diameters-increased-cv-mortality-riskLetter from Columbia University doctors refuting the large LDL fallacy promulgated by Dr. Oz: http://s.doctoroz.com/sites/default/files/dm_uploads/Columbia%20Letter.pdfA nice wrap up of the issue at Plant Positive: 25 Cholesterol Confusion 8 A Large and Fluffy Distraction http://plantpositive.com/25-cholesterol-confusion-8-a-l/******************************************Toxins From the editor in chief of the American Journal of Cardiology.“As shown in Figure 1, most of the risk factors do not in themselves cause atherosclerosis [heart disease]…The atherosclerotic risk factors showing that the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis is cholesterol.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/Particle type is irrelevant when one gets low enough, this is evident here and has been identified several decades ago, that those who have total cholesterol 150 or below essentially do not develop heart disease. http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/30/3/427/F3.expansion.html“If everyone smoked 20 cigarettes a day, then clinical, case-control and cohort studies alike would lead us to conclude that lung cancer was a genetic disease; and in one sense that would be true, since if everyone is exposed to the necessary agent, then the distribution of cases is wholly determined by individual susceptibility…In the case of cigarettes and lung cancer it so happened that the study populations contained about equal numbers of smokers and non-smokers, and in such a situation case/control and cohort studies were able to identify what was also the main determinant of population differences and time trends.”The same can be applied to heart disease, the cholesterol levels of those who get heart disease and those who do not is basically the same for most of the population. “The painful truth is that for such an individual in a Western population the commonest cause of death—by far—is coronary heart disease! Everyone, in fact, is a high-risk individual for this uniquely mass disease.”Again I would encourage you to view the first link I shared in my first post to you.I’ve been reading reviews of “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet” by Nina Teicholz, which seems to refute much of the information found on nutritionfacts.org.Perhaps the book was sponsored in some way by the meat and dairy industries, but maybe not. I’d like to hear Dr. Greger’s and others response to the book.Hi Paul,Here are two very interesting in-depth reviews of the book:http://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/http://carbsanity.blogspot.ca/2014/06/plagerizing-plagiarism-and-plagiarists.htmlThank you, Mike. Very interesting indeed. And helpful, too.The problem is multifactorial: too many carbs and sugars; too many vegetable fats and too high a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids; very poor quality meat having, again, too high a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids; no where nea enough exercise or overall body movement/activities…Unfortunately, trials and studies done on foods are inherently very unreliable. Studying one ingredient is useless because ingredients almost never have health impacts (positive or negative) in isolation to other ingredients. Studies on a particular food are also unreliable as there are too many variables involved (both in the food, as well as in the lives of the people taking part in the study).The more we increase our knowledge about isolated nutrients, the less we seem to know and understand about a particular food(s) as a whole and its impact on our health.Hi lason,Glad to see some additional sanity on this blog! Those stuck in vegan or pale or other isolated this-food-is-bad ideas just cannot see the big picture. Including Dr. Gregor and total paleo promoting physicians as well.Bad foods are processed foods and junk and isolated sugar etc. etc. etc. Real food is good food. Whether it contains cholesterol or saturated fat or not.But yes, modern raised poor quality meat has problems with skewing the essential fat ratios, antibiotics and more. Plus putting children on low fat, low cholesterol vegan diets is dangerous indeed.White bread, not enough veggies, processed foods, chemical contamination in foods and so much more is involved.These blogs, while sometimes providing useful information, just don’t cut the mustard in trying to put together the bigger picture of foods relationship to disease and health.Thanks again for your post! LindaThis is a well written summary of what the pizza, ice cream, and hot dog diet continues to do to our children. One of mine just had a 10th birthday and annual physical which, of revealed nothing about the state of her arteries.Is any effort underway to have cholesterol checks performed as part of a child’s annual physical ? At least we’d have some idea of the damage that has potentially already been done.I assume the pediatricians will do it ?	abdominal fat,adolescence,aging,aneurism,animal fat,aortic aneurysm,blood pressure,body fat,brain disease,brain health,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,children,cholesterol,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Dr. Dean Ornish,fat,flexitarians,gangrene,HDL cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,infants,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,longevity,low-fat diets,men's health,mortality,obesity,plant-based diets,saturated fat,smoking,stroke,tobacco,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3455748,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3534337,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17015535,
PLAIN-103	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/	How Plant-Based Diets May Extend Our Lives	A recent review suggested that plant-based diets may prove to be a useful nutritional strategy for lifespan extension in part because they tend to be naturally low in the amino acid methionine (see my video Starving Cancer with Methionine Restriction). Apparently, the less methionine there is in body tissues, the longer different animals tend to live. But what are the possible implications for humans? See my video Methionine Restriction as a Life Extension Strategy. I’ve talked before about the free radical theory of aging, the concept that aging can be thought of as the oxidation of our bodies just like rust is the oxidation of metal (see Mitochondrial Theory of Aging). Methionine is thought to have a pro-oxidant effect. The thinking is that lowering methionine intake leads to less free radical production, thereby slowing aging. Fewer free radicals would decrease the rate of DNA damage, which would curtail the rate of DNA mutation, slowing the rate of aging and disease and potentially increasing our lifespan. There are three ways to lower methionine intake: The first is caloric restriction. By decreasing our overall intake of food, we would reduce our intake of methionine. Or, because methionine is found protein, we could practice protein restriction, eating a relatively protein deficient diet. The third option is eat enough food, eat enough protein, but just stick to proteins that are relatively low in methionine, which tends to mean plant proteins. Caloric restriction is hard, because we walk around starving all the time. Something like every-other-day eating is described as “never likely to gain much popularity as a pro-longevity strategy for humans, so it may be more feasible to achieve moderate methionine restriction by eating a plant-based diet.” On a population-wide level, folks could benefit from just lowering their protein intake, period. Researchers noted that “the mean intake of proteins [and thus methionine] of Western human populations is much higher than needed. Therefore, decreasing such levels has a great potential to lower tissue oxidative stress and to increase healthy life span in humans while avoiding the possible undesirable effects of caloric restriction.” We’re eating around double the protein we need, so the first thing doctors can recommend is to decrease the intake of protein, but we can also get our methionine even lower by eating a plant-based diet. The fact that beans have comparably low methionine has been classically considered a disadvantage. But, given the capacity of methionine restriction to decrease the rate of free radical generation in internal organs, to lower markers of chronic disease, and to increase maximum longevity, this “disadvantage” may actually be a strong advantage. This fits well with the important role of beans in healthy diets like the traditional Mediterranean diet. Interestingly, soy protein is also especially poor in methionine, which may help explain the healthy effects iof soyfoods. Watch my video Increased Lifespan from Beans. The reason why plant-based diets are so protective is not known. Yes, vegetables contain thousands of phytochemicals, but separately investigating their possible protective roles would be an impossible task. The idea that the protective effect is not due to any of the individual plant food components, but to a synergic “combined effect” is gaining acceptance. However, based on the relationship of excess dietary methionine to vital organ toxicity, as well as its likely mechanism of action through increases in free radical generation, the possibility exists that the protective effects of plant-based diets can be due, at least in part, to their lower methionine content. As one paper concluded, “The low-methionine content of vegan diets may make methionine restriction feasible as a life extension strategy.” Plant-based diets can also mimic other benefits of caloric restriction, such as improving levels of the “fountain of youth” hormone DHEA. See The Benefits of Caloric Restriction Without the Actual Restricting. Americans are living longer but sicker lives. That’s why we need a diet and lifestyle that supports health and longevity. I have a whole presentation on the role diet can play in preventing, arresting, and even reversing many of our top 15 killers: Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. 	I’m a bit confused! Isn’t methionine an essential amino acid?Yes, we can’t make our own methionine so we must get it from food. But that does not mean we need to get more than we need. In fact we need NOT to get more than we need. Also, it gets complicated because cysteine/cystine “spare” methionine in the diet.As others have said about protein, you just don’t see people showing up at the hospital with [methionine] deficiency.Eating a plant-based diet gives you all the protein you need with less methionine.I’m a little worried re. all these life extension strategies. I’m a healthy old vegan, but I’m a little worried that society hasn’t worked out the implications of an aging population (well our society hasn’t worked out much rather than how to aid and abet the most egregious rapists and pillagers). I’m not about to start drinking, smoking, or eating pork sausage but I’m worried about the potential burden I’m placing on my grandkids by sticking around longer.Stay around as a HEALTHY old vegan and you shouldn’t be much of a burden.An “old”, wise man is not a burden. Not to a smart man or nature as a whole.All those human made strategies wont work. Old books talk about people living much longer than we live today. The thing is a huge part of our society will come to an end. Our “job” is to keep a healthy part of it on Earth and continue evolution of our consciousness.It’s not the vegans that are the burden!Hello Dr. Greger! I have a question: Is too much fructose bad for me? In Fruits are approximately 50% Glucose and 50% Fructose. Is this true?Sadly, i can’t find a video to this issue. I hope you can help me regarding the fructose-consum respectively fruit-consum.thanks!sincerlyGamdschieeDon’t think in parts of food, think in whole food. fructose is bad and bananas are good.There is also nothing wrong with cow meat, you just have to eat them whole!I keep asking the same question: EnerG Egg Replacer lists methionine on the ingredient label. I wonder if this product should be avoided because it contains it…?Here’s an excellent egg-replacer:1 egg = 1 Tablespoon flax meal + 3 Tablespoons waterIt works like a charm, is very healthy, stores well, and is inexpensive.Gosh, am I really this cynical? My first thought was all the food science departments breeding up low-methionine-laying hens.	aging,animal products,animal protein,beans,caloric restriction,calories,cancer,cancer survival,DNA damage,flexitarians,legumes,lifespan,longevity,Mediterranean diet,methionine,mortality,oxidative stress,plant protein,plant-based diets,protein,protein powder,soy,soybeans,Standard American Diet,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/americans-are-living-longer-but-sicker-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18789600,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22342103,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18252204,
PLAIN-104	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/	A Low Methionine Diet May Help Starve Cancer Cells	When designing an antibiotic, we can’t create a drug that destroys DNA because that’s something that both humans and bacteria share in common. It would kill bacteria, but it might kill us, too. Instead, many antibiotics work by attacking bacterial cell walls, which is something bacteria have that we don’t. Similarly, antifungals can attack the unique cell walls of fungus. Pesticides can work by attacking the special exoskeleton of insects. But fighting cancer is harder because cancer cells are our own cells. So fighting cancer comes down to trying to find and exploit differences between cancer cells and normal cells. Forty years ago, a landmark paper was published showing for the first time that many human cancers have what’s called “absolute methionine dependency,” meaning that if we try to grow cells in a Petri dish without giving them the amino acid methionine, normal cells thrive, but without methionine, cancer cells die. Normal breast cells grow no matter what, with or without methionine, but cancer cells need that added methionine to grow. What does cancer do with the methionine? Tumors use it to generate gaseous sulfur-containing compounds that, interestingly, can be detected by specially trained diagnostic dogs. There are mole-sniffing dogs that can pick out skin cancer. There are breath-sniffing dogs that can pick out people with lung cancer. Pee-sniffing dogs that can diagnose bladder cancer and–you guessed it–fart-sniffing dogs for colorectal cancer. Doctors can now bring their lab to the lab! It gives a whole new meaning to the term “pet scan.” :) Methionine dependency is not just present in cancer cell lines in a Petri dish. Fresh tumors taken from patients show that many cancers appear to have a biochemical defect that makes them dependent on methionine, including some tumors of the colon, breast, ovary, prostate, and skin. Pharmaceutical companies are fighting to be the first to come out with a drug that decreases methionine levels. But since methionine is sourced mainly from food, a better strategy may be to lower methionine levels by lowering methionine intake, eliminating high methionine foods to control cancer growth as well as improve our lifespan (see Methionine Restriction as a Life-Extension Strategy). Here’s the thinking: smoking cessation, consumption of diets rich in plants, and other lifestyle measures can prevent the majority of cancers. Unfortunately, people don’t do them, and as a result hundreds of thousands of Americans develop metastatic cancer each year. Chemotherapy cures only a few types of metastatic cancer. Unfortunately, the vast majority of common metastatic cancers, such as breast, prostate, colon, and lung, are lethal. We therefore desperately need novel treatment strategies for metastatic cancer, and dietary methionine restriction may be one such strategy. So, where is methionine found? In my video, Starving Cancer with Methionine Restriction, you can see a graph of foods with their respective methionine levels. Chicken and fish have the highest levels. Milk, red meat, and eggs have less, but if we really want to stick with lower methionine foods, fruits, nuts, veggies, grains, and beans are the best. In other words, “In humans, methionine restriction may be achieved using a predominately vegan diet.” There are also compounds in animal products that may actually stimulate tumor growth. See, for example, How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies. Animal protein may also boost levels of the cancer-promoting hormone IGF-1 (The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle). Combined, this could all help explain why plants and plant-based diets have been found effective in potentially reversing some cancer processes. See Cancer Reversal Through Diet?, Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer, and Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer. So why isn’t every oncologist prescribing a low-methionine diet? One researcher notes that “Despite many promising preclinical and clinical studies in recent years, dietary methionine restriction and other dietary approaches to cancer treatment have not yet gained wide clinical application. Most clinicians and investigators are probably unfamiliar with nutritional approaches to cancer.” That’s an understatement! “Many others may consider amino acid restriction as an ‘old idea,’ since it has been examined for several decades. However, many good ideas remain latent for decades if not centuries before they prove valuable in the clinic….With the proper development, dietary methionine restriction, either alone or in combination with other treatments, may prove to have a major impact on patients with cancer.” Why might the medical profession be so resistant to therapies proven to be effective? The Tomato Effect may be partially to blame. In my video, Anti-Angiogenesis: Cutting Off Tumor Supply Lines, researchers come to the same plant-based conclusion from a different perspective, starving cancers of their blood supply. 	So what about S-adenosylmethionine? And TMG. I cannot move or get around without them. Where do they fit in?I would like to know the answer to this as well! Is SAMe equivalent to methionine?related. metabolites. wiki’s good for info. .but here’s more –2014-07-04Plasma Methionine, Choline, Betaine, and Dimethylglycine, in relation to Colorectal Cancer Risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/05/14/annonc.mdu185.shortConclusions Individuals with high plasma concentrations of methionine, choline, and betaine *may be at reduced risk* of colorectal cancer.A growing number of oncologists are prescribing plant based diets. I personally recommend it for nearly everyone as an important adjunct to conventional therapy.It’s quite interesting that exactly sulfur-rich vegetables such as garlic and onion are some of the best anti-cancer foods..Yes, I’ve been wondering about that…While garlic and onions contain other therapeutic sulfurous compounds, both are extremely low in methionine compared to animal foods. Example:1 chicken breast (300 Cal) = 1.57 g methionine 67 garlic cloves (300 Cal) = 0.15 g methionine 4.7 cups onion (300 Cal) = 0.02 g methionineFurther taking into account that while a chicken breast is an average serving size, but 67 garlic cloves or a quart of onion is not, the numbers become even more disparate.With more realistic (and still very generous) serving sizes:1 garlic clove = <0.01 g methionine 1 cup chopped onion = <0.01 g methionineI eat two brazil nuts each morning in order to get my Selen. These nuts also contain a lot oft methionine. Would you say it’s OK to stay with brazil nuts or would you suggest another source of Selen?Brazil nuts, like most plant foods are *very low* in Met compared to animal products. Example:1 chicken breast (300 Calories) = 1.57 g Met 1 brazil nut (31 Calories) = 0.05 g MetEven if you ate 10 brazil nuts to get 300 Calories worth, you would still be consuming less than a third of the methionine that you would get from one chicken breast.Brazil nuts do have the highest content of methionine of all known food: 7% of the amino acids are methionine. The reason that I eat only 2-3 brazil nuts per day is not the methionine, but 1) they contain enough selen and 2) brazil nuts also contain a lot of barium and this is a bit poisonous.Dr. Greger, could you please comment on the methionine link between the discussion above and sufficient levels of vitamin B12. I was just watching this B12 video of yours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgDuKq69DvIwhat happens when a cell transforms into cancer to make it unable to make methionine?What about fish oil pills to get omega 3 FAs, are they OK? If we are told to avoid fish due to methionine, does the same hold true for fish oil?Watch out for the Fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, etc. as they do target DNA! http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/418293_3Some additional information on the new concerns regarding quinolone antibiotics (aka Fluoroquinolones, Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, etc. )…CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50150343n 7/6/2013 (2 minute video)FDA: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm365302.htm 8/15/2013Sept., 2013: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthcare/New-warnings-for-common-antibiotic-class.htmlAnd a documentary…Floxed–‘The new F word’ Certain Adverse Events (Fluoroquinolone Documentary): http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A0CEC6B7479E84E1 5/30/2009Some additional news stories / links…Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2012/09/30/antibiotic-alert-the-drug-the-doctor-ordered-could-cause-deadly-side-effects/ 9/30/2012NY Times: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/popular-antibiotics-may-carry-serious-side-effects/?_r=0 9/10/2012PBS News Hour: http://www..youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OAahaJ4SQcg 7/16/2011http://www.medicationsense.com/articles/jan_mar_04/congress_ltr.htmlhttp://www.levaquinadversesideeffect.com/http://www.saferpills.org/http://www.change.org/petitions/demand-fda-require-black-box-warnings-on-all-fluoroquinolone-drugs-for-risk-of-permanent-central-nervous-system-peripheral-nervous-system-damageResearch / studies:Harvard: http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewpressrelease/117/ 7/3/2013Mayo: http://www.levaquinadversesideeffect.com/wp-content/uploads/Documents/Hall-2011.pdf 2011http://journals.lww.com/em-news/Fulltext/2008/10000/Adverse_Reactions_to_Fluoroquinolones.23.aspx 10/2008I was poisoned by Ciprofloxacin, prescribed for me in December 2012 for an ordinary bladder infection. It caused interstitial cystitis, and I suffer bladder pain intermittently even now. Please help us, by registering for the UCSD Fluoroquinolone Effects Study; and share this on your social media networks.I quote a researcher at the University of Calfornia – San Diego: Have you taken an antibiotic such as Cipro (ciprofloxacin), Levaquin (levofloxacin), or Avelox (moxifloxacin)? Would you be willing to help in a survey-based medical research study?Dr. Beatrice A. Golomb and her colleagues at the University of California, San Diego are conducting a new study to identify and describe side effects and risk factors for good and bad outcomes involving antibiotics in the fluoroquinolone class. Other example fluoroquinolones include Zymar (gatifloxacin), Floxin (ofloxacin), Zagam (sparfloxacin), Trovan (trovafloxacin), Tavanic, and Vigamox.Whether you believe you have experienced side effects or you believe you have tolerated them, you are invited to participate in this voluntary study. Participants possessing English language fluency from all countries are accepted. Information is at http://www.fqstudy.info .Do we need methionine in our diet? According to this article, “…your cells can make cysteine from methionine if necessary; however, if your intake of cysteine is low, you need extra methionine in your diet not only to meet your methionine needs but also to manufacture cysteine.” Source: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/many-amino-acids-body-require-6412.htmlAs a menopausal woman with very dry skin, I recently heard about Collagen Peptides. I am mostly plant based, so this product, made from Brazilian bovine hide, isn’t particularly attractive to me. It contains 108 mg of methionine/serving, among other things. I’m wondering what your thoughts are on this kind of product which claims to benefit joints, bones, immunity and digestive health as well. At a time when my body is adjusting (and not in a fun way) to hormonal fluctuations, would collagen peptides be an option while maintaining health?	animal products,beans,beef,bladder cancer,bladder disease,bladder health,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,chemotherapy,chicken,colon cancer,colon health,dairy,dogs,eggs,fish,fruit,fungicides,grains,insects,leukemia,lung cancer,lung disease,lung health,meat,medications,metastases,methionine,milk,nuts,ovarian cancer,ovary health,pesticides,plant-based diets,poultry,prostate cancer,prostate health,rectal cancer,red meat,skin cancer,skin health,smoking,tobacco,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22342103,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8495409,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11603655,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22345057,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21282130,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15388612,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4524624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21836027,
PLAIN-105	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/	How Animal Proteins May Trigger Autoimmune Disease 	Although slaughterhouse workers with the most poultry exposure appear to suffer the greatest excess mortality (see Poultry Exposure Tied to Liver and Pancreatic Cancer), increased risk of death from cancer is also found in other slaughterplant workers. This research goes back decades and shows higher cancer rates in butchers, slaughterhouse workers, meat cutters, and those working in meat processing plants. The increased risk for meat industry workers in developing and dying from cancer “may be due to animal-to-human viruses or antigenic stimulation through chronic exposure to animal protein.” Cancer-causing virus exposure could also help explain why those who eat meat have higher cancer rates. There’s even a retrovirus associated with cancerous fish tumors, which has been speculated as the cause for increased cancer rates in American seafood workers. Growing up on a livestock farm is associated with higher rates of blood-borne cancer, lymphomas and leukemia. Worst, though, is growing up on a poultry farm, which is consistent with chicken consumption being most closely tied to these cancers. Eating a quarter of a chicken breast daily is associated with a doubling or tripling of risk for these cancers (see EPIC Findings on Lymphoma). Growing up on a farm raising only plant crops, however, is not associated with blood-borne cancers. What about growing up with dogs and cats? See Pets & Human Lymphoma and Are Cats or Dogs More Protective for Children’s Health? You still probably shouldn’t eat them, though (see Foodborne Rabies). Researchers are finally able to start connecting the dots. High levels of antibodies to avian leucosis/sarcoma viruses and reticuloendotheliosis viruses in poultry workers provide evidence of infectious exposure to these cancer-causing poultry viruses. The highest levels were found not in the eviscerators, or gut-pullers, or those that hang the live birds, but among the line workers that just cut up the final product. In an attempt to narrow down which diseases were associated with which meat, researchers tried separating out those in pig slaughtering and pork processing. “One of the primary sources of concern in using pig organs and tissues as transplants in humans is the fear of introducing zoonotic infections” from animals. We’re concerned about what’s called PERV transmission, the pig-to-human transmission of porcine endogenous retroviruses, raising theoretical concerns about cancer, immunological, and neurological disorders. However, we don’t need to get a pig transplant to be exposed. PERVs are also found in blood, so people exposed to pig blood may be exposed to the virus. The main finding unique to the pork study (profiled in my video Eating Outside Our Kingdom), which was not found in beef and sheep processing, was the significant excess of deaths “from senile conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.” It reminds me of all those poor pork brain extraction workers. You think your job is bad? How would you like to work at the “head-table”? Well, that doesn’t sound so bad until you learn it’s where, through the “unbridled use of compressed air in the pursuit of maximum yield of soft tissue,” they remove the brains of severed swine heads. In one study, researchers noted that as the line speeds increased, “the workers reported being unable to place the skulls completely on the brain removal device before triggering the compressed air, causing greater splatter of brain material.” The aerosolized “mist of brain” is suspected to be the cause of dozens of cases of inflammatory neurological disease in workers who started with symptoms as mild as pain, tingling, and difficulty walking, and ended up so bad that doctors had to put them in a coma for six weeks because of unrelenting seizures. At first researchers thought it was a brain parasite, but now it’s known to be an auto-immune attack triggered by the exposure to aerosolized brain. A similar mechanism has been blamed for meat proteins triggering inflammatory arthritis in people eating meat. By eating fellow animals, we are exposed not only to fellow animal diseases, but to animal tissues that our body may mistake as our own. This may be one advantage to eating a more plant-based diet. By eating outside of the animal kingdom—dipping into the plant or mushroom kingdoms for supper—not only do we not have to worry about getting something like Dutch elm disease, but we can be reassured by the fact that never has an “auto-immune polyradiculoneuropathy” been blamed on a head… of lettuce. For more on foodborne illnesses one can contract from fellow animals, see, for example: Probably the strangest example of this whole concept is the Neu5Gc story. A 7-part video series worth checking out: 	Workers in pork facilities also have dreadful exposure. I believe this is in literature as well. Anyone who watches Lynn Margulis’s video/talk at Oxford would come away astonished at the ability of spirochetes to cooperate with each other for survival. The intense controversy around Lyme disease is a related story. If anyone who reads this has not encountered Stephen Harrod Buhner’s work yet, I highly recommend his books and his video with Lynn Margulis. She was visibly moved by his great presentation. He is one of the best speakers I have ever encountered, utterly off the cuff for an entire day at the National College of Natural Medicine, another resource I highly recommend, in particular their Traditional Roots series of workshops/events.I battled -you’ll pardon the expression – fang and claw against giving up animal products in my diet for 50 years. Two years ago the wife convinced to go ‘vegan’. At 70, my health has never been better. Wish I’d quit eating little critters 50 years ago.Michael: Welcome to the other side! Thanks for posting your story. This kind of thing really helps other people.I wish you a long and healthy life!Michael, I’m curious if you cut out ALL meat and animal products of just most of them?Bruxe- It was January of 2012 when my wife decided that we should curtail our diets. (As she pointed out, the only time we got beef with any flavor was when we visited my uncle’s farm. My uncle raised everything without any of the additives that are now so common. )I also harken back to a pediatrician who said if you have an overpowering craving for a specific food, you’re probably allergic to that food. That was me and cheese.I’ve snored since I was a teenager and for the forty years my wife and I have been married. Within five days of eliminating ALL dairy products from my diet, snoring ceased. When then to what I’ve heard called the Genesis 1:29 Diet:“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. Genesis 1:29 KJVWe went completely to a plant-based diet, and although I still sneak an occasional cup of coffee -with cream – that’s the only animal” in our diet. Our health is such that our doctor has taken an interest in how we eat, as have several members of his staff.If you know someone to whom you’d recommend a vegan program, suggest that give up ALL DAIRY PRODUCTS FOR JUST SEVEN DAYS. Most anyone can handle 7 days. See how they feel after that, then see if they want to pursue going “animal-free”.Thanks Michael for being civil and positive. I have given up diary. The only diary thing I really love or an addicted too is chocolate chip or mint chip ice cream and I’m sure as hell not allergic to it … wish I was.I’ve tried vegetarian for a few months, and even vegan for two months in the last year just to see what it was like.I did not have all these startling results that everyone is talking about anecdotally, and I really question all the sweetness and light people talk about.Who knows, maybe it’s psychosomatic? If it works for you, that is fine.Now I do on my own eat many more vegetables and don’t really eat much meat now. Everyone once in a while … maybe once a month I’ll go to the Mediterranean restaurant have have a meat platter or fish platter. I don’t feel bad when I do it, I don’t feel bad the next day.I eat more veggies because I hope it will help me drop some weight. There are a ton of variables in these discussions and a lot of them are opinion and anecdote … so I don’t expect science to figure this stuff out totally for a very long time.Hello Dr Greger, thanks for all your informative articles. Reading today’s article got me thinking…is it possible that there is also exposure to infection or parasites through the use of natural thyroid medicines which are derived from pork thyroid? I would like to get off this medicine anyway but don’t know where to begin..I was under the impression that eating grass fed beef is as healthy as eating fish… Is that true or false?recycleguru: That’s a tough one to answer. The answer *may* be true (I don’t know), but it’s not saying anything of value. In other words: If you follow the great information on this site, you will see that eating fish is not healthy at all. So, if you were to say that eating a certain kind of beef is as healthy as eating fish…I highly recommend you watch some of the videos on this site regarding various forms of meat, including beef and fish. It is quite the eye opener.The resolution of these studies just seem so bad. There is nothing that says if people are unhealthy because they eat meat, eat too much meat, do not eat any veggies, and all you have to go on is what people say about themselves in most cases. This is very shaky science, and yet the tone of comments and the attitudes of people are very arrogant and belligerent. It’s almost overkill. Again, I always ask, what is the representation of vegetarians and vegans in the oldest people in the world. Every few weeks or months we see in the news the oldest person in the world that we know of and then at some point they die. Does anyone ever do any kind of studies about these people’s lives as to their health practices, nutrition, exercise, environment, etc?Hi Bruxe, Have you read or heard mention of The Blue Zones. You might find the book interesting.Hi Veganrunner … Thanks. No, I had not, but I checked Wikipedia just now:” zeroed in on the cluster of villages with the highest longevity, they drew concentric blue circles on the map and began referring to the area inside the circle as the Blue Zone. Dan Buettner identifies longevity hotspots in Okinawa (Japan); Sardinia (Italy); Nicoya (Costa Rica); Icaria(Greece);and among the Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda, California, and offers an explanation, based on empirical data and first hand observations, as to why these populations live healthier and longer lives. … ”I think Malcolm Gladwell wrote about Sardinia in his book “Outliers” … and it makes one realize there is a non-nutritional side to all of this too … stress and community and one’s relationship to the world. I think that is very important.So much of the world now has been driven by war, economic invasion, corporate tyranny and dog-eat-dog competition that the little areas that have managed to avoid that or rise above it may well have a winning formula as well.True but you should pick it up. You might enjoy it.At age 57 10 years ago I cut out meat and dairy. Since then, I’ve reversed osteoporosis, ‘lost’ arthritis in hand and shoulder, ‘lost’ aortic plaque, lowered my blood pressure and feel way younger today. Apart from the diet change I started weight lifting and working out daily. I finally managed an awesome lipid profile when I cut the fat intake to 10% or less of calories. That was hard but after a week or so I didn’t miss the oils at all. My lucky day when I heard about Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. McDougall. I look to the Okinawan centenarians who ate 80-85% plant carbs, very little meat only on special occasions, and have way less heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimers than those eating a standard American diet. Works for me so I quit the debating society. Thank you Dr. Greger for all your work.If you did all these things … how do you know what to attribute what to? If it works, I’m glad you are doing it, but discussing it dispassionately is important to the rest of us who may not have shared your experiences.Bruxe exercise is recommended regardless of your diet. JoAnn just so happens to be doing both.You seem to really be struggling with your diet. If I am not mistaken you are eating very little animal products. Why the conflict? You must know by your decision to reduce animal products that they are not good for you.Do you want to be completely WFPB but are struggling to reach that goal?Honestly, if I had to characterize my problem with food it is no control. Whatever I eat I just eat too much of it. If I exercise I eat even more. I could handle about everything else other than that, but that seems to be really difficult.I have done it about 3 or 4 times before in my life … not sure how, but was able to distract myself long enough to lose the compulsion to eat everything in sight. Then when i get in a groove I am good. Until I (re)lapse and have one coke or apple pie, or whatever, and then it just tastes so incredibly good that I have a real problem stopping it.My brain will mess with me because something tastes so good. Then after a while it doesn’t taste so good or special but I am in a new rut or eating that and it’s hard to break.Honestly too, it does not really matter what I eat … is my perception. I try to eat vegen/tarian because the calorie density is lower, but I don’t really believe it will extend my life or keep from getting diseases that I think are based on overeating.Not wedded to that idea, it just seems to be the most sensible given the data.I am pretty much WFPB, but I do eat meat and do not intend to stop. I try to make small helpings … like for fish a few pieces or sushi or sashimi is good.I grow a lot of veggies in my backyard and try to eat them as much as possible – still working on that.That’s my goal anyway.I still eat stuff like popsicles today because it was hot, or an occasional small apple turnover from Whole Foods, or ice cream.For me, I think the problem is a mental one of just unable to change my habits and work certain things out of my diet.Overeating is so complicated. I understand that you would be more concerned about that especially if you carry extra weight. That becomes a health concern itself.I really enjoy Dr Fuhrman and his book Eat For Health. You might want to pick it up if you haven’t already.I was a vegan for over 3 years. I really thought I would feel better and did not. I ate whole foods, no fake vegan processed foods and I ended up with a autoimmune disorder. I recently switched to a plant based diet with some grass feed meats. Now I can at least make it through the day and exercise some.You know, I had a similar experience. I was fine as a vegan except it was hard to find stuff to eat, and hard to find stuff to eat that I liked as much as regular food, but I could do it. I just did not experience a major turnaround like people are talking about. I did feel better, but that was because I lost some weight which is really hard for me.For me I like a little meat. I try to avoid just meat, or lots of meat like a burger or steak, but maybe once a month I might or might not eat a big helping of meat.The big difference is once I started I became aware that I really need a lot of veggies and that is what I was missing. The fiber really makes me feel fuller and better.I really hate to think this, but I just wonder that anyone who has to make their living off any of this stuff will make up stories of how great it is, almost miracle cures … this is older than the Bible, clearly. There are no miracles.Check out information about “blue zones” where people live to age 100 in god health and beyond. One of my favorites is the book Healthy at 100 by John Robbins. Their diets are described. Those populations some of them have ben well studied. It is worth exploring and much better than just taking somebody else’s word on a web site.We have been eating mostly plants since May of 2006, eight years now. Our health is better than it was. A few month os not enough time to recover form 50+ years of eating the standard American diet.Have you heard of the “Paleo protocol” diet for autoimmune diseases, which suggests that in order to heal these you should avoid certain foods like grains, beans, nuts, nightshade… what do you think of that? Thank you.Hila:Dr. Greger has addressed the paleo diet in a few videos. This should get you to most of them: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=paleoAlso, he has addressed grains, beans and nuts in detail. And the result is: eat them. Eat them every day for optimal health / diesase prevention, including autoimmune diseases. And speaking of autoimmune diseases, NutritionFacts also has some specific videos on just those topics. If you want to learn more about any of these topics: beans, grains, nuts and autoimmune diseases, enter those terms in the search box at the top of the screen.This comment isn’t really related to this article. I just didn’t know where to ask my question.My mother has suffered with Lupus for years (discord and systemic)! Her body hasn’t been responding to the drugs she is on and she isn’t doing so well. The doctors are now talking about putting her on Benlysta (Everything you read about it is followed by “can cause death.”) My question is: Have you found any research that suggests a plant based diet could help Lupus? She is a stubborn woman and I need leverage to make my case. Also, on top of Lupus she has been diagnosed with: Fibromyelgia, Raynauds syndrome, Non alcoholic fatty liver, and IBS.Please please please help me!Andria: I’m so sorry to hear about your mom.Your story is well known here from the perspective of family members desperately wanting to help their sick loved ones, but the loved ones are not so interested in changing their diet.I do not have an answer to your direct question, but I have some thoughts that may be helpful. First, you are right that there does not appear to be any information on this site directly related to lupus. However, Lupus is an autoimmune disease and this site has several pages that address other autoimmune diseases, including MS. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=+autoimmune+diseasesMy thought is: At a minimum, it seems highly likely that a whole food plant based (WFPB) diet could not hurt someone with Lupus. (Not being a doctor or expert, I can’t say that for sure. This is just my conclusion based on the information we have about the other diseases that have been addressed on this site.) And since WFPB is unlikely to hurt and has a good a chance of helping, what is the downside to trying?And here is my second thought for you: Having multiple health problems just makes everything worse. What if your mom could fix those other problems outside of the Lupus? Wouldn’t that be worth while right there? And this site has plenty of pages devoted to topics like Fibromyelgia and blood circulation, etc. showing how WFPB does help. (Note: I know that NutrtionFacts has videos on Reynauds, or at least blood circulation if that isn’t mentioned directly. But a search several different ways didn’t turn up those videos. So, I’m not sure how to find them for you. But they are here somewhere!) http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=fibromyalgia http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=fatty%2Bliver http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=%22Irritable+Bowel+Syndrome%22Good luck with your situation. I hope you are able to help your mom. But I would also suggest that you be kind to yourself and not put too much pressure on yourself. You can’t force people to change. All you can do is provide information, support and be a good example. Best of luck to you.	Alzheimer’s disease,animal products,animal protein,arthritis,auto-immune diseases,avian leukosis/sarcoma,beef,blood,brain disease,brain health,brain parasites brain tumors,brains cancer,cancer,cancer survival,cancer viruses,chicken,coma,epilepsy,farm animals,fish,immune function,inflammation,lettuce,leukemia,lymphoma,meat,mortality,mushrooms,organ meats,pain,parasites,plant-based diets,polyradiculoneuropathy,porcine endogenous retroviruses,pork brains,poultry,poultry viruses,poultry workers,protein,reticuloendotheliosis virus,rheumatoid arthritis,seafood,seafood workers,seizures,sheep,veal brains,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,virus,zoonotic diseases	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20884795,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20130162,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21795741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21724184,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19945916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21497401,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1963317,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21696495,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22225855,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20169641,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20865275,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21467730,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21469007,
PLAIN-106	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/	Handling Poultry Tied to Liver/Pancreatic Cancers	Thousands of Americans continue to die from asbestos exposure decades after many uses were banned since the cancers can take years to show up. We are now in the so-called “third wave” of asbestos-related disease. The first wave was in the asbestos miners, which started in the 1920s. The second phase was in the workers—the ship-builders and construction workers that used the stuff in the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s. Now, as buildings “constructed with asbestos over the past six decades begin to age and deteriorate,” not only are workers at risk, but “potential also exists for serious environmental exposure to asbestos among residents, tenants and users of these buildings, such as school children, office workers, maintenance workers, and the general public.” “The Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have projected that over the next 30 years approximately 1,000 cases of mesothelioma and lung cancer will occur among persons in the United States exposed to asbestos in school buildings as school children.” To see if something is carcinogenic, we study those who have the most exposure. That’s how we learned about the potential cancer-causing dangers of asbestos, and that’s how we’re learning about the potential cancer-causing dangers of poultry viruses. For years I’ve talked about the excess mortality in poultry workers associated with these wart-causing chicken cancer viruses that may be transmitted to those in the general population handling fresh or frozen chicken (See Wart Cancer Viruses in Food). Last year I talked about the largest study at the time “confirming the findings of three other studies to date that workers in poultry slaughtering and processing plants have increased risk of dying from certain cancers,” that also added penis cancer to the risks linked to poultry exposure (See Poultry and Penis Cancer). That was looking at 20,000 poultry workers. Well, we have yet another study, now looking at 30,000. The purpose of the study, profiled in my video, Poultry Tied to Liver and Pancreatic Cancer, was to test the hypothesis that exposure to poultry cancer-causing viruses that widely occurs occupationally in poultry workers—not to mention the general population—may be associated with increased risks of deaths from liver and pancreatic cancers. They found that those who slaughter chickens have about nine times the odds of both pancreatic cancer and liver cancer. Just to put this in context, the most carefully studied risk factor for pancreatic cancer, one of our deadliest cancers, is cigarette smoking. Even if we smoke for more than 50 years, though, we “only” about double our odds of pancreatic cancer. Those who slaughter poultry appear to have nearly nine times the odds. For liver cancer the most well-known and studied cause is alcohol. Those who consume more than four drinks a day have triple the odds of liver cancer. As with pancreatic cancer, poultry slaughtering appears to increase one’s odds of getting liver cancer nine-fold. Thus, the cancer-causing viruses in poultry may explain the increasing risk of death from liver and pancreatic cancers. There are diseases unique to the meat industry like the newly described “salami brusher’s disease” that affects those whose job it is to wire brush off the white mold that naturally grows on salami for eight hours a day, but most diseases suffered by meat workers are more universal. The reason the connection between asbestos and cancer was so easy to nail down is that asbestos caused a particularly unusual cancer, which was virtually unknown until there was widespread asbestos mining and industrial use. The pancreatic cancer one might get from handling chicken, however, is the same pancreatic cancer one might get smoking cigarettes, so it’s more difficult to tease out a cause-and-effect-relationship. Bottom line: despite the extremely high risks of deadly cancers, don’t expect an asbestos-type ban on Kentucky Fried Chicken anytime soon. I’ve addressed this topic before. See: It’s ironic that the meat industry wants to add viruses to meat (Viral Meat Spray) to combat fecal bacterial contamination. I’d take that over their other bright idea any day, though (Maggot Meat Spray). A human wart virus, HPV, can be combated with green tea (Treating Genital Warts with Green Tea), as well as by plant-based diets in general (Why Might Vegetarians Have Less HPV?). Although workers with the most poultry exposure appear to suffer the greatest excess mortality, increased deaths from cancer are also found in other slaughterhouse workers. More on that in Eating Outside Our Kingdom. 	I’ve worked in a soup kitchen for about 3 years. A couple of years ago I noticed a small wart on the palm of my hand. I had just come across this website and began devouring the information here. I now wear gloves when handling raw meats. The wart has gone away, I believe, thanks to my WFPB diet. I frequently print articles from this website to share; since I’m the only vegan I know I get asked a lot of questions. I am having an influence, I’m allowed to prepare a small amount of a vegetarian (often vegan) option. I’m printing this article to share with the other cooks, who don’t wear gloves when handling raw meats. Thank you for the information; I wonder how many cancers you will prevent and lives you save because of the information you distribute.Joevegan: Nice post. Hearing stories like yours keeps me going strong on wanting to support this site. I agree, this information is life saving.Thank you for sharing and thank you for making the world a better place by working in a soup kitchen. Good luck in your efforts to help people eat healthy there.Well, good. People who handle tortured murdered birds deserve it.That’s such an ignorant response. People who work at those poultry plants work well over eight hours a day on fast paced lines and are not given any breaks nor any relief for the pain that comes from the carpal tunnel developed from their work. Maybe instead you could redirect your anger to the commercial poultry companies that abuse both chickens and their workers, such as Tyson or Perdue.They are mostly illegal aliens so who cares.They are human so I care. I am my brothers keeper. I also care about all life. Why is your compassion so limited? A nation (humanity) divided is easily destroyed. The poor, including “illegal aliens”, are at the highest risk of poor nutrition and the inherent health consequences. Love is the greatest gift; we need to show love to all animals including humans, even “illegal aliens”!Obviously a vegan diet did nothing to make you a good person…Let’s just call it Karma well deserved.“They found that those who slaughter chickens have about nine times the odds of both pancreatic cancer and liver cancer.”I suppose the article’s take-away message is to not slaughter chickens at home for eight hours a day for an extended time.Oh dear. I’m vegan but I feed my cats frozen, raw, organic chicken. I have to handle it, though I wash before and after handling. I wonder if they can get ill with this. I really don’t know what else to do as they are carnivores.Why would you feed your cat raw meat? Cats dont thrive on such an imbalanced and potentially toxic diet.It is what ALL of the holistic veterinary doctors recommend. It is actual cat food. USDA Organic. In nature, this is what they eat. You ought to do some research Laguna.Any study showing relationship to type of chicken processing, that is mass production vs small free range farm, daily 8 hour exposure vs 4 hours every 2-4 weeks?As a healthcare worker, I am amazed at how readily available this information is and yet it is not talked about… EVER. Thanks for opening my eyes!Essentially NO ANIMAL PROTEIN is supposed to be handled the way it is being handled in the commonly, regularized commercial world we depend on for our ‘safe’ food. I recently watched a few excerpts from the docu-film, ‘Food Inc.’ and noticed that every legitimate farmer who was invested in their life’s work of providing safe and nourishing food to their purchasers fell far short of the ‘standard’ that the government demanded of them. These farmers were actually farming the way it was supposed to be done and there was no illness among the livestock, complete free range of movement among the livestock, no overcrowding, no massive implementation of antibiotics, no mass implementation of chemicals, herbicides, sprays or anything on the produce AND these farmers were consistently being harassed for following non safety tactics of running their farms. When the matter would arrive at the court hierarchy, NO JUDGE would side with the government!!!!! It did demand a lot of money, time, effort and there was loss of income …………… BUT …………. If no one fights …………. ‘our goose is cooked’!!!!! I fight DAILY by REFUSING to purchase ANYTHING that I cannot verify came from farmers like these!!!!!!!Sick chicken: what you need to know and what the government won’t tell you – video http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/jul/23/sick-chicken-need-to-know-video	alcohol,American Academy of Pediatrics,beverages,cancer,cancer survival,cancer viruses,CDC,chicken,children,EPA,industry influence,liver cancer,liver disease,liver health,lung cancer,lung disease,lung health,mesothelioma,mold,mortality,pancreas health,pancreatic cancer,penis cancer,penis health,poultry,poultry viruses,poultry workers,salami,salami brusher's disease,smoking,tobacco,turkey,virus,wart viruses,warts	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21884967,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17393666,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7740353,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22662646,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15329910,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19561064,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20849338,
PLAIN-107	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/26/improving-attractiveness-in-six-weeks/	Improving Attractiveness in Six Weeks	Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption may kill millions around the globe every year, so the public health community is not beyond “appealing to vanity.” How can we tell if someone’s healthy? You can look for that golden glow that comes from the carotenoids in fruits and vegetables, found to increase the attractiveness of African, Asian, and Caucasian faces. In my video, Eating Better to Look Better, you can see some “before-and-after” shots, before and after increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. Most think the pictures representing the greater fruit and veggie group appear healthier and more attractive. College students who went from three servings a day to the recommended minimum of nine servings a day for just six weeks were able to significantly improve their skin color, though it’s possible smaller dietary changes could help as well. Can’t we just swallow supplements instead of salads? See my video Produce, Not Pills, to Increase Physical Attractiveness. Public health advocates hope that research suggesting healthy eating may “affect mate choice and sexual selection” could provide a powerful message for promoting healthy eating. Their hope is to boost fruit and veggie intake up to 13 servings a day. And while a rosy glow associated with cardiovascular health in the face and lips can also increase one’s appearance of healthfulness and attractiveness, the color red can also reduce junk food intake. People drink less soda from cups with red stickers than from cups with blue stickers, and eat less from red plates than from blue or white plates. How crazy is that? Researchers speculate that it’s because our brains are subconsciously thinking “red traffic lights, stop-signs, red alert,” and therefore give us pause when we see the color red while eating. I previously covered this topic in Golden Glow and Rosy Glow, though I’m so glad we now have data from people of color as well. I’m certainly not above appealing to vanity. Whatever it takes to get people healthy. Hence videos like: 	Is it possible for you to help debunk articles like this (see link)? This creates so much confusion for people.http://www.businessinsider.com/the-truth-about-saturated-fat-2014-6Balance your spiritual energy and get in harmony with your soul by practicing these Radha-Krishna meditations.Sri Gita Govinda-A book written in the 12th century, this is a description of the intimate loving affairs of Radha and Krishnahttp://www.mediafire.com/view/keqr4lqp7wr1rru/Sri_Gita_Govinda.pdfGovinda Lilamrta-An 400 year old book which poetically describes the eternal daily pastimes of Radha and Krishnahttp://www.mediafire.com/view/uhcuigauc6uqiei/Govinda_Lilamrita.pdfAnanda Vrindavan Campu-This is probably the most poetic and intimate portrayal of Sri Krsna’s life in Vrndavana that has ever been written.http://www.mediafire.com/view/k9j3ldwbt17be3b/Ananda_Vmdavana_Campu.pdfPrayers of Service to Radha and Krishna (Sankalpa Kalpadruma)http://www.mediafire.com/view/lvkqsro3sbzm249/Visvanath_Cakravarti_Thakur_Sankalpa_Kalpadruma.pdfPrema Samputa The Treasure Chest of Lovehttp://www.mediafire.com/view/mpbncdyt97nw0x7/Prema_Samputa_The_Treasure_Chest_of_Love.pdfAnd the following four are taken from Visvanath Cakravarti’s Camatkara Candrika, a 300 year old scripture that talks about the love meeting of Radha and Krishna:The Meeting in the Boxhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/c81a7cp43n5v6aj/The_Meeting_in_the_Box.pdfThe Meeting of Sri Krishna Disguised as a Female Doctorhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/hgomrnem7829pda/The_Meeting_of_Sri_Krsna_Disguised_as_a_Female_Doctor.pdfThe Meeting of Sri Krishna Disguised as a Female Singerhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/gyuboduhn8dvdml/The_Meeting_of_Sri_Krsna_Disguised_as_a_Female_Singer.pdfThe Meeting of Sri Krishna Disguised as Abhimanyuhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/911h9qoxn4ca027/The_Meeting_of_Sri_Krsna_Disguised_As_Abhimanyu.pdfAnd lastly, we have a very amazing scripture which describes the 24 hour daily loving affairs of Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan, called Bhavanasara Sangraha. This book is now available on Amazon for Kindle, for only $3.49http://www.amazon.com/Bhavanasara-Sangraha-Mahanidhi-Swami-ebook/dp/B00CW9H4DI/ref=la_B00J2M5LAQ_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402209195&sr=1-15Here is a 41 page sample of Bhavanasara Sangraha:http://www.mediafire.com/view/t4gsse2d4sw0f8p/Sample_of_Bhavanasara_Sangraha.pdfThe above book can also be read on your PC using Amazon Kindle for PC, download here for free:http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311Disclaimer: We are not affiliated with ISKCON in any way whatsoever. ISKCON, or “The Hare Krishna Movement” as it’s popularily known, is a radical and extremist distortion of the original Radha and Krishna dharma from ancient India. The author of the above book Bhavanasara Sangraha is no longer affiliated with ISKCON either, having cut all ties to ISKCON a few years ago.. ., .. .I want to thank you for your amazing website.I was a vegan for about one and a half years about 15 years ago, but returned to vegetarianism after finding it too difficult to maintain a healthy diet while spending 6 months abroad.The reason I became vegan at that time was due to the abuse and cruelty endemic in the meat and dairy industries. Following a vegetarian diet, I thought I was reasonably healthy, but in retrospect I realise that my diet was far short of being truly well-balanced and healthy. Reading and watching the up to date research contained on your website has led me to revolutionise my diet.I have been following a vegan diet for the last two months, and have noticed a great improvement in energy and general feeling of wellbeing. Apart from these changes, I have been amazed by the improvement in the condition of my skin.I am in my late forties and have always had dry skin.About two weeks ago, I suddenly realised that my skin felt wonderful to touch, and people began to make comments on how good my skin looks.My skin is in better condition than it has ever been!Debre: Thanks for sharing your story. I think a lot of people are in the same boat you were in: They think their diet is healthy or healthy enough. But it’s really not.So glad this site has been helpful to you. That bit about your skin was very interesting.	cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,fruit,heart disease,heart health,junk food,mortality,physical attraction,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,sexual selection,skin health,soda,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22390433,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22245725,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20942361,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22412966,
PLAIN-108	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/	Want to be Healthier? Change Your Taste Buds	How can we overcome our built-in hunger drives for salt, sugar, and fat? We now have evidence showing that if we go a few weeks cutting down on junk food and animal products, our tastes start to change. We may actually be able to taste fat—just like we taste sweet, sour, and salty—and people on low fat diets start liking low fat foods more and high fat foods less. Our tongues appear to become more sensitive to fat if we eat less of it. And the more sensitive our tongues become, the less butter, meat, dairy, and eggs study subjects ate. We also get a blunted taste for fat if we eat too much. This diminished fat sensitivity has been linked to eating more calories; more fat; more dairy, meat, and eggs; and becoming fatter ourselves. And this change in sensation, this numbing of our ability to taste fat, can happen within just a few weeks. In my video, Changing Our Taste Buds, you can see when researchers put people on a low-salt diet, over the ensuing weeks, study subjects like the taste of salt-free soup more and more, and the taste of salty soup less and less. Our tastes physically change. If we let them salt their own soup to taste, they add less and less the longer they’re on the diet. By the end, soup tastes just as salty with half the salt. For those who’ve been on sodium restricted diets, regularly salted foods taste too salty and they actually prefer less salty food. That’s why it’s important for doctors to explain to patients that a low-salt diet will gradually become more palatable as their taste for salt diminishes. The longer we eat healthier foods, the better they taste. That’s why I’ve always encouraged my patients to think of healthy eating as an experiment. I ask them to give it three weeks. The hope is by then they feel so much better (not only physically, but in the knowledge that they don’t have to be on medications for chronic diseases the rest of their lives after all!—see Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants) and their taste sensitivity has been boosted such that whole foods-as-grown regain their natural deliciousness. To see how a healthy diet can make you feel, check out the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s 21-Day Kickstart program at http://www.21daykickstart.org/. 	I have found this to be quite true.When I gave up cheese and then tried it after a few months without, it tasted terrible to me…oily and slimey. So our tastes can definitely adjust to a healthy diet.OMG I remember this feeling! Nine years ago now when I was 14, I was struggling to give up cheese and go vegan from vegetarian. I abstained for 8 months (gluten free too) – it was a huge struggle and I missed cheese every day. Finally I caved and had my favourite grilled cheese pitta bread. And you know what? It wasn’t that nice. It’s just salty fat. And I felt so hollow for giving in to my ethics. I’ve never (intentionally) eaten dairy since! The mind tricks of cravings and what you body is telling you is amazing. Did you know the caseo-opioids in cheese are 10% as addictive as morphine? Cooked meat contains opioids too. That’s why animals (including sheep and other grazers) who’ve been fed cooked meat will refuse to eat anything else. That’s why meat and dairy is so hard to give up. The salty lumps of fat that are cheese are not “nice”- your body just associates them with “nice” because it knows it’s about to get its opioid fix. Same with meat – the chewy, fibrous stuff isn’t “nice”, your body perceives it as such because of the opioid association.Aside from opioid addiction and not knowing what to expect, I failed my first attempt at veganism because I didn’t know what to eat – I was eating my previous diet only without the animal stuff. I was cutting things out, instead of adding things in, and of course trying to follow my pre-conceived stereotypical notions of a vegan diet by eating fake soya-derived products, muesli and quinoa. It took me about a year before I learnt what vegans actually eat and my diet became far more varied and pleasurable than ever before :)This is very true. After a month the fatty junk food I loved didn’t taste good anymore. Give fresh blueberries and strawberries; those taste much better than junk food ever did.I like this because it gives me more ammunition for sticking to a healthy diet – realizing that if I “cheat,” I am making it easier to “like” unhealthy food.This is 100% true. been pure plant based diet just over a year, lost 30 lbs. only downside is I love beer and now almost all beers taste way too sweet….:(Since changing over to almost 100% plant based about six months ago, I’ve found that I’m much more sensitive to alcohol than I was before. Only a few drinks will disrupt my sleep and leave me with a headache the next day. I suppose that as you remove some of the toxins from your diet, the effects of the others become more apparent.Plant based diets may extend our lives as long as those plants are not genetically engineered to drink Roundup. Most soy is genetically engineered to drink Roundup and has lower nutritional value and extreme levels of this chronically toxic weed killer which is found in the seeds themselves. In other words, you cannot wash off the herbicide!Since Americans do not have mandatory labeling and the right to know if the soy they are ingesting contains Genetic Modification, I suggest it is better not to eat or drink it. Even organic soy is becoming toxic. See the article in the Ecologist for more./www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2337631/extreme_levels_of_roundup_are_the_norm_in_gmo_soya.htmlCheese now taste very salty to me.	animal fat,animal products,body fat,butter,calories,cheese,dairy,eggs,fat,junk food,low-fat diets,meat,milk,obesity,salt,sodium,soup,sugar,taste buds,weight loss,yogurt	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22384969,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3728360,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12725716,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21757270,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21829156,
PLAIN-109	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/	How to Get Parents to Eat Their Vegetables	Changing the name of healthy foods can have a significant impact on children’s eating habits (See Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at School). Are adults as gullible? Yes. For example, in one study profiled in my video Tricks to Get Adults to Eat Healtier, people reported that “traditional Cajun red beans and rice” tasted better than just “red beans with rice,” even though they were both the exact same dish. (How healthy are those beans and rice, regardless of what you call them? Check out Beans and the Second Meal Effect). Back in World War II, domestic meat was in large part shipped overseas, leaving lots of organ meats behind—”the hearts, kidneys, brains, stomachs, intestines, and even the feet, ears, and heads of cows, hogs, sheep, and chickens.” The challenge was how to encourage people to eat chicken heads and sheep ears. To accomplish this, the Department of Defense evidently enlisted dozens of the brightest, most famous psychologists “to determine how dietary changes could be accomplished.” Taste wasn’t the problem. People would eat brains as long as you didn’t tell them they were eating brains. (What’s wrong with eating brains? See Avoiding Cholesterol Is a No-Brainer and Foodborne Rabies). Their solution was to invent mystery meat. The answer was to just not tell consumers what they’re eating. And the same can apply with healthy foods. As with organ meats in the 1940s, the suggestion that a food contains soy may be so powerful that some people convince themselves they do not like the taste. For instance, if someone is given an energy bar that says it has soy protein in it, people tend to rate it as grainy and tasteless, compared to identical bars with no mention of the word soy. In reality, there was no soy in either of the bars. It’s what you call a “phantom ingredient” taste test. “Simply the suggested presence of soy made people believe they tasted it, and they evaluated it accordingly.” (Does soy deserve its bad rap? See Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, for example. They may be overrated in the cholesterol-lowering department, though: Soy Worth a Hill of Beans?). In general, “a large percentage of consumers taste what they want to taste.” So can we use the same vegetable sneak attack tactic that has been proven so successful in children on adults?  It turns out that covertly adding hidden pureed vegetables to meals works for adults too—and even for vegetables they didn’t like. “It was shown that the adults’ dislike of the vegetables that were incorporated into the entrees did not affect the consumption of the vegetable-enhanced entrees. This indicates that the incorporation of pureed vegetables into entrees increased the intake of vegetables even when the added vegetable was disliked.” And of course, the more vegetables we eat, the less calories we get, so we get the twin benefit. Study subjects were eating up to a pound of vegetables a day and 350 fewer calories. Keep that up and one could lose 30 pounds a year without even trying. Another way to entice men and women to eat healthier is to appeal to their concerns about sexual function (see 50 Shades of Greens) or vanity: For related videos, check out Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at Home and school. 	See Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, for example. They may be overrated in the cholesterol-lowering department, though: Soy Worth a Hill of Beans?). In general, “a large percentage of consumers taste what they want to taste.” http://sn.im/290xdj8This is so true, my husband doesn’t “like” sweet potatoes but really likes chocolate sauce/pudding that is nothing but puréed sweet potato with powdered cocoa mixed in?Oh, I’ll give that one a try. Sounds yummy.My mother didn’t want me fix her a dinner with beans yet loved her hummus. I pointed out to her that the main ingredient of hummus was garbanzo beans.John. Would you be more specific. It sounds good to me too.Try this –> http://www.farmonplate.com/2014/02/13/vegan-desserts-chocolate-mousse/I’m ready to try adding pureed veggies to what I make. Now what? I frequently cook for two people who, together, dislike peppers, lima beans, cauliflower, cabbage, and eggplant (and probably other good things). Does anybody have any recipes?I once got a broccoli hater to like broccoli just by telling him that it’s the country’s most popular vegetable. Boom: broccoli fan.Showing someone the ingredient of ‘Live Active Cultures’ in yogurt will turn off many from the product.Chessie: I meant to reply sooner. I don’t have specific ideas for you, but I wanted to share that I got a real kick out of your last paragraph. :-) Clever!	animal products,beans,beef,beef brains,body fat,brains,calories,chicken,children,cooking methods,fat,meat,obesity,offal,organ meats,plant protein,pork,pork brains,poultry,protein,rice,sheep,soy,soy milk,soybeans,U.S. Department of Defense,veal brains,vegetables,weight loss	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21775554,
PLAIN-110	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	How To Get Our Kids to Eat Their Vegetables	When researchers offered kids broccoli or a chocolate bar, which do you think they picked? Four out of five picked the chocolate (though how proud are the parents of the one in five kids that chose the broccoli?!). But what if we put an Elmo sticker on the broccoli? When an Elmo sticker was placed on the broccoli, it was half and half. Fifty percent chose the broccoli. It works in schools, too. A picture of SpongeBob saying, “Got beans?” and 37% more boys and 17% more girls chose green beans. One little sign and kids were eating significantly more vegetables. We saw how we should cut up (or cut out) cookies to minimize consumption in my video Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at School. How should we cut up vegetables to maximize consumption? Which do you think 9 to 12 year olds ate more of, whole slices, sticks or stars? And do they like them bigger, or smaller? The results were strikingly clear. Turns out “Shape was very influential; children clearly preferred having their vegetables cut.” Stars were liked the most. What about whole slices versus sticks? No difference. It turns out that size only mattered for the whole chunk: the ordinary size was preferred to the miniature versions. If they’re still not biting, we can apply the same trick I use to get our dog to eat stuff she doesn’t like: dip it in peanut butter. “Pairing vegetables with peanut butter may successfully increase intake, even in vegetable-resistant children.” Offering a salad dressing dip may help, too. Then there’s always the hidden vegetables strategy.  In one study, “broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini were covertly added to familiar entrees so that the appearance, flavor, and texture of the original recipes were maintained,” like pureeing vegetables into a pasta sauce, and families weren’t any wiser. Covertly incorporating vegetables into foods can “have a beneficial effect on children’s vegetable intake, but it should not be the only way that vegetables are served to children.”  Since the appetite for an initially unappetizing vegetable can be increased through repeated exposure, it is important to use several strategies to ensure that children experience different forms of vegetables, especially whole vegetables, because they’re not always going to be at home. Worse comes to worst, public health advocates can make a video game. There’s a public/private partnership, “The Quest to Lava Mountain,” where you can apparently harvest kale and gain “knowledge about the health benefits of eating healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods” as well as the detrimental effects of eating junk. Where were the kale video games when I was growing up? What may be the best way, though, to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables? One study, featured in my video Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at Home, looked at all sorts of parenting styles—should we pressure them or should we lay off? What was the most important factor? The most important predictor of children’s fruit consumption was… the parent‘s consumption. That was pretty much the case with vegetables, too. If we want our kids to eat healthy, we have to model healthy behavior. The researchers concluded that in order to try to increase children’s fruit and vegetable consumption, parents should be guided to improve their own diets first. For a smattering of other videos on children’s health, check out: 	Dr. G, the below statement by University of Maryland Medical Center concerns me. They state that taking any one B vitamin can cause imbalance of other B vitamins. As vegans we have to take a B12 supplement, but wouldn’t this supplement create a bit of imbalance amongst the other B vitamins? And, I don’t want to have to take a multi-B vitamin mixture, as B vitamins are synthetic, and folic acid supplements known to be harmful. The B-12 doses we take as vegans tend to be extremely high dose, even though we don’t utilize it all. What does the science say about B12 supplements creating shortages of other B vitamin levels in body? Is the science conclusive, and how credible is it?“Taking any one of the B vitamins for a long period of time can result in an imbalance of other important B vitamins. For this reason, you may want to take a B complex vitamin, which includes all the B vitamins.”Source: Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) | University of Maryland Medical Center http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/vitamin-b12-cobalamin#ixzz34uIWEvzz University of Maryland Medical CenterMany foods are now fortified with B12 including tofu and alternative milks. You can always use nutritional yeast as well.Yes, but most vegans, it seems, use B12 supplements, and this high dose is being claimed to cause other B-vitamin deficits. This person brings up a good point, and the “science”, (we all would hope!) will give clarity. Hopefully the good doctor can speak up on this, at is a very serious issue.I agree that modeling is the best way to produce positive behaviors in children. I didn’t grow up in a home, where vegetables were eaten very much. We did eat canned corn and green beans as well as ice berg lettuce salad. Looking into the future, I knew my children would be healthier if they ENJOYED eating vegetables. I also knew that the type of force my father used whenever my mother occasionally cooked army green broccoli or boiled cabbage would not produce happy veggie eaters. I also decided if they grew up eating them as normal, they wouldn’t reject them. Each of them had green vegetables as a first food. Since veggies gagged me, I ate them with a smile but never chewed them. If I swallowed them whole all the while smiling with faked enjoyment, I didn’t taste or gag. My children all love veggies and I eventually learned to enjoy them as well. Most of my grandchildren were raised with this food philosophy, too. They eat their veggies.	beans,broccoli,cauliflower,children,chocolate,cookies,cooking methods,dressings,fruit,grains,green beans,greens,junk food,kale,pasta,peanut butter,squash,tomatoes,vegetables,zucchini	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21775554,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22796947,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22771184,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20849895,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22027046,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22391143,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22741167,
PLAIN-111	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	How to Get Kids to Eat Their Vegetables	What happens if we give one group of kids a plate of cookies and the other group the same number of cookies, but cut in half, and tell both groups they can eat as many as they want? Researchers reported that decreasing cookie size led to 25% fewer cookie calories eaten. The goal of that study was to help counter obesity-promoting eating behaviors facilitated by the availability of large portions of junk food. The findings “suggest that reducing the size of cookies (without altering the total amount of food) decreases children’s short-term caloric intake,” a dietary strategy for parents to discreetly decrease unhealthy behaviors. But they were using sugar wafers– what’s in those things? Partially hydrogenated oil (trans fats). What’s so bad about trans fats? See Trans Fat in Meat and Dairy, Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero, and Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat. No one should be eating those cookies. In fact, I can think of another “dietary strategy” to decrease kid’s intake—don’t give them any! Admittedly, this is easier said than done. Even in the ‘granola crunchy’ San Francisco Bay Area, a proposed ban on junk food suggested by parents and school administrators sent a faction of teachers into an apoplectic fit. In Texas, there was so much parental outrage that they got lawmakers to pass a Safe Cupcake Amendment. The amendment, known as Lauren’s Law, ensures that parents and grandparents of schoolchildren celebrating a birthday can bring whatever they want to school. Fine. What if we just offered fruit in addition to the cupcakes at classroom celebrations? In a study outlined in my video, Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at School, researchers provided bowls of fresh, cut-up fruit in addition to the party food brought by the parents at two of four kindergarten or preschool celebrations to observe student response. No special effort was made to encourage students to choose the fruit: they just put it out there. Would kids actually eat fruit when there was birthday cake, ice cream, and cheese puffs taking up nearly a whopping third of their daily caloric intake? Yes! On average each kid ate a full fruit serving. Take that, cheesy puffs! There are entire curricula available now for schools, such as “Veggiecation,” where for a whole year classrooms feature a new “veggie of the month,” sprinkled with nutrition mantras like ”Fiber equals a happy tummy.” And they work! “The active engagement of students in tasting and rating vegetable dishes seemed to have contributed to higher consumption of featured vegetables.” One school was able in some cases to double vegetable consumption just by giving them attractive names. Elementary students ate twice the number of carrots if they were called “X-ray Vision Carrots,” compared to when they were just “carrots” or generically named “Food of the Day.” How about “Power Punch Broccoli, Silly Dilly Green Beans, or Tiny Tasty Tree Tops?” Selection of broccoli increased by 109.4%, and green beans by 177%. Conclusion: “these studies demonstrate that using an attractive name to describe a healthy food in a cafeteria is robustly effective, persistent, and scalable with little or no money or experience. These names were not carefully crafted, discussed in focus groups, and then pre-tested.” They just thought them up out of thin air. And kids were suckered into eating healthier for months by putting out silly little signs. In this school, vegetable intake was up nearly 100%, while in the control school without signs, vegetable consumption started low and actually got worse. So why isn’t every single school in the country doing this right now?! Bring it up at your next PTA meeting. And if we want to get really bold, we can join the nutritious school lunch revolution led by pioneering organizations like the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food (check out their website at www.healthyschoolfood.org). Whenever I find myself frustrated by half measures, I am forced to remind myself just how SAD the Standard American Diet is. See Nation‘s Diet in Crisis for a reality check. One of the problems is that parents may not even realize there is a problem (Mothers Overestimate Dietary Quality). For more healthy eating tricks check out: Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at Home and Tricks to Get Adults to Eat Healthier. 	I’d be interested in contacting schools who had this Veggiecation. Anyone know of any schools?Hi June, check out their website and /or locate a Veggiecator: http://www.veggiecation.com/Dr Greger I want you to be more straightforward. Cutting food into smaller pieces, a dietary strategy for parents to decrease “unhealthy behaviors” is really taking advantage of more surface area to decrease “overeating”! I think you must always describe what you mean when by “healthy” or “unhealthy” behavior. Strategies to decrease calorie consumption or to limit overeating just sounds less judgmental and is easier for people to understand. Dr Greger your videos and blogs get better every day. ThanksThe amendment, known as Lauren’s Law, ensures that parents and grandparents of schoolchildren celebrating a birthday can bring whatever they want to school. http://0rz.tw/9BIIYRead kids the Mitch Spinach children’s book series. Learn how to get superpowers from eating fruits and veggies!How about making the vegetables more tasty, not with sugar, but with cooking? My children love broccoli because I stir fry it with minced garlic and a little oil. They love all kinds of green leafy vegetables cooked in this way. Stir fry vegetables are a staple dish in lots of Asian families and many children enjoy eating them.	abdominal fat,broccoli,cake,calories,carrots,cheese puffs,children,cookies,cupcakes,fat,fiber,fruit,green beans,hydrogenated fats,ice cream,junk food,New York Coalition for Healthy School Food,obesity,oils,School Lunch Program,Texas,trans fats,vegetables,Veggiecation	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mothers-overestimate-dietary-quality/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22846502,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22391143,
PLAIN-112	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	Food Dyes and ADHD	There are currently thousands of additives in our food supply. Some are good—like supplementing foods with vitamin B12, for example (See Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health). Other additives involve weighing the risks and benefits. Take nitrites in processed meats. Yes, they may increase our risk of cancer but, as preservatives, they decrease our risk of dying from botulism (See When Nitrates Go Bad and Bacon and Botulism). Then there are additives used for purely cosmetic purposes, like food dyes, used to provide color to colorless and “fun” foods. According to the FDA, “Without color additives, colas wouldn’t be brown, margarine wouldn’t be yellow and mint ice cream wouldn’t be green.” Heavens forbid! Color additives are now recognized as an important part of practically all processed foods we eat. Because we’re eating a lot more processed foods, we’re now getting five times more food dyes in our daily diet than we were 50 years ago. Fifteen million pounds of food dyes are used every year in foods, drugs, and cosmetics in the United States. I always wondered why they called them, for example, Blue #1 instead of their actual chemical name in the list of ingredients. Then, after reading this report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, I realized why. Picture a box of Kraft mac and cheese. It has Yellow #5. Would people be as likely to buy this product if instead of Yellow #5 it listed Trisodium 1-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-4-(4-sulfonatophenylazo)-5-(pyrazolone-3-carboxylate) on the label? The list of food dyes used to be longer (See Artificial Food Colors and ADHD), but different dyes kept getting banned—including Violet #1, which, ironically, was the color used in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s meat inspection stamp, so they may have been actually further cancer-ing up the meat. Years ago I featured a landmark study in my video Are Artificial Colors Bad for You?, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge in perhaps the most prestigious medical journal in the world. It showed that artificial colors increased “inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity among young children.” So what happened? Well, the British government said, OK, there’re no health benefits to these dyes, only health risks, so it’s a no-brainer. They mandated that food manufacturers remove most of the artificial food colors from products. In fact, the whole European Union said that if manufacturers want to keep using the dyes, then they have to put a warning label stating: “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” Many international food companies have taken them out of their products in Europe, but continue to use them in the same products here in the U.S. where similar regulations are not currently in place. Why did the U.S. government take steps to get rid of them as well? The FDA put together a committee that looked at the landmark study and conceded that the food additives may have resulted in changes in behavior, but the “type of treatment effects reported in the study, even though the investigators referred to increases in levels of ‘hyperactivity,’ were not the disruptive excessive hyperactivity behaviors of ADHD but more likely the type of over-activity exhibited occasionally by the general population of preschool and school age children.” A distinguished toxicologist basically responded, “look, low level lead exposure may only shave off a few IQ points off of kids, but just because they’d still fall within a normal range, doesn’t mean it’s OK to expose it to our kids.” And looking back now, the lead in leaded gas may have been causing brain cancer and possibly even urban violence—the aggravated assault rate in cities around the U.S. seemed to closely follow the lead levels in the air. The Center for Science in the Public Interest continues to call on the FDA to ban food dyes and for food companies to voluntarily stop using them. Good luck with that. In the meantime, some researchers recently suggested a way to see which food colors may be damaging our child’s brain, advising parents to test artificial colors by purchasing little bottles of food dyes at the grocery store. Then have their kid do some homework or something and then have them chug down an artificial color and see if it affects their handwriting/reading/math at 30 minutes, at 90 minutes, and 3 hours. They also see if they get irritable later, have problems sleeping, and so on. If that’s OK, they say you should try even more to see if more will mess with their mind. If I may offer an alternate suggestion, maybe we shouldn’t buy our kids processed junk in the first place. This whole saga reminds me of the artificial flavor in my video Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn or Breathing. It’s amazing what the food industry is able to get away with. There’s even sometimes Artificial Coloring in Fish. There is a campaign to get Kraft to remove yellow #5 from their mac & cheese, but even if the stuff didn’t glow in the dark it’s still just a blob of sodium (750 mg), saturated fat (4.5 g), and trans fat (2.8 g). The food movement might better spend its time encouraging healthier fare altogether. 	This whole saga reminds me of the artificial flavor in my video Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn or Breathing. It’s amazing what the food industry is able to get away with. There’s even sometimes Artificial Coloring in Fish. http://0rz.tw/YAAeLWhile scanning the grocery carts of young moms, I will often see colorful boxes and cans of cereal, mac & cheese, spagettio’s, etc and not much real food or produce. It is scary. For all the information out there about nutrition, I sometimes feel we are making no progress at encouraging healthy diets. The youngest kids who need the best nutrition seem to be fed the most processed junk….SAD!Yes SAD SAD SADI was born on a farm almost 90 years ago. My mother and grandmother preserved almost everything the farm produced in glass Mason jars. After I moved to NYC and started shopping for canned fruits and vegetables out of season, their colors were sometimes a surprise. One of my childhood favorites was spiced crabapples. Although the raw fruit was blessed with rosy cheeks the spiced one was almost a caramel color. The jar I bought was a bright red! This was so foreign to the fruit I knew as a child, I couldn’t eat it and would never buy it again. One instance when the store variety was not enhanced with artificial color!The dyes & artificial flavorings will never be removed because these are deliberate acts designed to control the population through food. Have you ever heard of “Codex Alimentarus” ? Go to YouTube & search Dr. Rema Labow (sp?) she explains all of this very clearly. It’s the same deal with adding fluoride to the public water supply, GMO foods created by Monsanto, removing Iodine from the food supply (which plays a vital role in normal growth & development especially with hormones & has given rise to the pseudo “need” for toxic drugs like Cialis & Viagra). Without keeping the masses sick in one way or another Big Pharma & the insurance companies go broke ! Time to wake up folks.	ADHD,artificial colors,attention deficit,botulism,brain health,brain tumors,cancer,Center for Science in the Public Interest,children,Coca Cola,cola,Europe,FDA,food additives,food dyes,heavy metals,hyperactivity,ice cream,Kraft,lead,margarine,nitrite preservatives,processed foods,processed meat,sleep,United Kingdom,USDA,vitamin B12	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3261956/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21821291,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21729092,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17825405,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21127082,
PLAIN-113	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/05/dr-gregers-new-nutrition-dvd-now-available/	Dr. Greger’s New Nutrition DVD Now Available	Exciting news! I just signed a book deal with a new non-fiction division of famed science publisher Macmillan. The book is provisionally entitled How Not to Die: Simple Secrets for Longer Living. The manuscript is due by March 2015, so the 9 month gestation starts this week! That’s the good news. The bad news is that with a new book project taking over my life I may have to scale back on new videos for NutritionFacts.org. I’m already reaching millions through the website, but a smash bestseller could expose this life-changing, life-saving research to millions more. All proceeds from the sales of the book will go to charity, the 501c3 nonprofit organization that keeps NutritionFacts.org up and running, as does all the money I receive for speaking engagements and DVD sales. And speaking of DVDs… the newest volume of my Latest in Clinical Nutrition DVD series is now available. Order on my website or through Amazon (all proceeds go to the 501c3 nonprofit charity that keeps NutritionFacts.org thriving). It can also be ordered as an instant video download. The current batch of videos from volume 18 on NutritionFacts.org just ran out, so starting this month and running through until August, I’ll be rolling out the videos from this new DVD, volume 19. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak-preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share them as gifts, but there is nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up free online here at NutritionFacts.org. If you’d like the works–40+ hours of video–I have a special on my complete DVD collection. Here’s the list of chapters from the new volume 19 DVD — a preview of what’s to come over the next few months on NutritionFacts.org: Order my new DVD at DrGreger.org/dvds or through Amazon. It can also be ordered as a video download at DrGreger.org/downloads. Anyone signing up on the donation page to become a $15 monthly contributor will receive the next three DVDs for free (as physical DVDs, downloads, or both–your choice), and anyone signing up as a $25 monthly contributor will get a whole year’s worth of new DVDs. If you’re already signed up and didn’t receive your volume 19 yet, please email Tommasina at Tommasina@NutritionFacts.org and she’ll make everything all better. 	Good luck with the book Dr. Greger. I hope it is a smash success. We need a high profile book out there that presents the proven research about nutrition and the benefit of vegan diets instead of all this Paleo and Grain Brain nonsense. The book Skinny Bitches helped for a while as has other books, but with your wit and direct style, I see a best seller coming. Can’t wait to buy it for myself and a few for friends.BB – I agree. I’m bummed about a slow down of videos on this site, but I’m very excited about the book. I think it will be really great.Dr. Greger: I have a suggestion regarding your new book. I have no doubt that the book will contain a thorough reference section with all sources cited. What I was thinking was how nice it would be to have that in electronic form like you have here under “sources cited” under each video. And I was thinking how nice it would be to have the book be a gateway to this NutritionFacts website.So, my thought was to take a page from the “Building Bone Vitality” book and let people know in a couple places in your book that they can see the full reference list electronically, with links to the original papers when available, here on NutritionFacts.org/LongLifeReferencePage — or something like that.Just and idea. And you probably already thought of it. I just thought it was worth bringing up.I’m looking forward to reading your latest contribution to the world.that is a thing that make the difference from a good site, and an awesome site… in fact Nutritionfacts.org is awesome… :-)Agreed!great news! i can’t wait to read your book!Great News! ..about the book.. not that we wont see as many videos. Congrats!!I am sure your book will be a success! Your weekly videos have motivated me to change towards a plant based diet. Until your book comes out I plan on reading “The China Study”Linda: Re: “Your weekly videos have motivated me…” Congratulations on your journey!Concerning “The China Study,” I think it is an excellent book and am sure you will be glad you read it. I also think the book is a great compliment to the video/documentary Forks Over Knives, which you might also want to check out.Also thought I would mention Dr. Greger’s two summary videos since you only mentioned his weekly videos. The longer summary videos are a lot of fun to watch and also quite motivational:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/Good luck.Talented experts don’t need so much luck! Thank you so much for all the good work you do and best of luck with the book. Please let us know how/when it can be pre-ordered. I’m currently reading “Disease Proof” by David L. Katz. The more the message gets out about what *science* tells us about our wellness the less the public will feel the need to listen to self-appointment gurus and health advice-dispensing actors and Playboy models. So on you go fighting the good fight Michael! Your site’s video library should keep us busy enough for the next 9 months!Dr. Greger, Congratulations on your book deal! I want you to know how much your nutritional advice and science has meant for my health. I drink Hibiscus eat, eat my greens, beans, and exercise. You have provided a wonderful service by creating a supportive, well-educated community, where members can share their experience and knowledge about nutrition. Make sure you use us to do surveys, vote on ideas, rank order suggestions, etc. Best of luck!	DVD	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-114	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/03/how-to-treat-adhd-without-drugs/	How to Treat ADHD Without Drugs	Every year in the United States, doctors write 20 million prescriptions for stimulants like Ritalin for kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Every year the number of prescriptions rises, more so than any other drug class—another 800,000 added every year to that 20 million. That’s a lot of amphetamines for a lot of kids. These drugs are thought to act by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain. Guess what else can increase dopamine and norepinephrine levels? Exercise. And it happens within minutes of getting on a bike—dopamine and norepinephrine levels shoot up. Medications take an hour to work; physical activity works almost immediately. But does it work for ADHD? According to the latest review, outlined in my video Treating ADHD Without Stimulants, there isn’t a lot of research out there. But the current evidence suggests that both acute and chronic physical activity can mitigate ADHD symptoms. So while medications and exercise “both work to more adequately regulate dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain,” some of the new long-acting formulations of drugs can work for up to 12 hours, whereas the therapeutic effect of exercise may last for only an hour or so. But the drugs produce unwanted side effects and have the potential for abuse. Exercise has been shown to be effective in controlling ADHD symptoms and has essentially no side effects. However, the authors of the review conclude, that’s not really the full story, as “it should be noted that a major difference in the two treatment modalities is that medications have a defined effect on ADHD symptoms alone, whereas exercise produces physical, mental, and emotional advantages that are far-reaching.” Exercise can strengthen cancer defenses (Exercise & Breast Cancer and Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both?), improve cognition (Reversing Cognitive Decline), and lengthen one’s lifespan (What Women Should Eat to Live Longer). So exercise does have side effects, but they’re all good. 	Exercise is also extremely effective for treating depression; it’s as good as antidepressant medications and can be synergistic with them. There are various excuses that people use not to exercise but unless you are essentially bedbound with no use of your arms or legs for 24 hours per day, most of them remain that: excuses. I know full well because I’ve employed all of those excuses in the past! Off to the gym, now, for a date with my trainer…You mean a play date! :-)So, how do we use exercice to treat ADHD in school or work? Exercice at every break? Use a walking desk for a few minutes every hour? And sweat is annoying at school or home.My husband will take walks on his break at work. For kids it usually recess. But the “free time” kids get in schools keeps getting cut back. We also walk after dinner and our kids ride bikes. The time is there if you look for it.A question and a comment… Q: Is it possible (testable?) that lack of exercise is a/the cause of ADHD? C: The drug companies may be guilty of largess but the real problem is not the dreaded profit motive. Rather it is the cultivation of ignorance around all things nutritional that we self-inflict. Like a smoker who says “this single ciggie is not the one that will give me cancer” so goes the logic of the SAD eaters. What are we teaching in public schools? WFPB?Lack of exercise causing adhd is the funniest thing I have heard in ages. People with adhd tend to never sit still and exercise way more than average. You know the H is for hyperactive……We found this article very interesting. We, as parents, made the decision not to medicate our son and found an alternative neurofeedback brain training program called Play Attention. We are over the moon with the results we are seeing. This program was part of a randomized clinically controlled study completed by Tufts School of Medicine in the Boston Public Schools published in the Journal of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics earlier this year. The results were impressive, to say the least and was confirmation of our decision. We do wish that this type of research and information (such as this article) would be more accessible to the public.We’re big proponents of “Activating the Brain” to manage ADHD — exercise, sleep, water, brain training are all part of it. You might be interested in a great article that Kelly Dorfman wrote on the benefits of “Vitamin M” — Movement — in managing ADHD. http://parentingadhd.net/best-kept-secret-for-treating-adhd-vitamin-m/I am a neuropsychologist who works in pediatrics. I have diagnosed and assisted in treating hundreds of children and adolescents who present with ADHD symptoms. Let me begin by stating the importance of making a correct diagnosis of ADHD. Many children today are treated without being evaluated, simply by asking teachers and parents if the child manifests behaviors that are consequent with having ADHD. Doctors today do not always take into consideration that these symptoms may be linked to other causes and prescribe medication to children who do not need it, thus the side effects associated with the drug and the potential fo abuse. If a child, or adult for that matter, goes through a rigourous evaluation process to make sure of a correct ADHD diagnosis, I very rarely see persistent side effects in children taking medication and almost never see addiction. It’s like someone who has an accident and takes morphine for the pain. Rarely will the have the hallucinatory effect of morphine and very rarely will they develop addiction if they are closely monitored to stop taking the drug when they no longer feel the pain. The same goes for stimulants. To say that they are all bad and should not be considered is the same as stating that glasses are not useful for people who have myopia. mind you, I am vegan, interested in suggesting my clients start by lifestyle changes before considering drugs, but it some cases I consider it necessary and very useful. It can give a child’s life back to him and boost self-esteem because for once they succeed, for once the teacher is not always on their back and they can learn just as easily as all their peers. This is my opinion, based on hundreds and even thousands of children and adolescents that I have helped….Thank you for reading.Thanks for a useful reminder about the value of exercise in rebalancing body and mind.What I did not expect find here, though, was the usual emphasis on ADHD in children. You’re reinforcing the assumption that it affects only children, which as you know is far from true. ADHD does not just go away when one turns 18 or 21.Because this assumption has persisted among the general population (and not a few physicians), millions of adults have only in the past decade or two come to the awareness that their ADHD did not fade away. Understanding how it has affected their work, temperament, relationships, family life, and especially (as more and more researchers are concluding) motivation has changed untold numbers of lives.What about doing a parallel piece that specifically addresses the adult ADHD population and any differential recommendations for treatment with exercise that may apply to that cohort?Oops. Forgot to congratulate you on the book deal!No doubt all your regular readers join me in those congratulations, while wondering how the devil you’ll fit writing a book in with already heavy writing, research and speaking schedules.If you were to do a post giving some of the strategies you’ve developed (or will develop in the coming months!) for integrating such a project, I’m sure I wouldn’t be the only one to find it interesting and useful. Sane time management, after all, also has health implications for vegans/vegetarians.Thanks.What if a person has EHLERS-DANLOS? It’s hard to work out because of loose joints, fatigue and pain.Did you know that over half of those diagnosed with ADD/ADHD have sensory processing disorders impacting learning, attention and behavior? Did you know that they have a visual sensory processing disorder that is caused by detected or undetected light sensitivity esp to artificial or fluorescent lighting and a drug free remedy are Irlen spectral filters worn like glasses with either RX or no RX plano lenses or contacts? See http://www.irlenvlcmd.com for more info on this technology which is remedied in one or two testing session in most cases.Brain Gym exercises and breathing exercises are very helpful to increase focus and attention and self regulation. Creating a sensory smart environment can also help many symptoms of ADD/HD. See http://www.aotss.com for more info in the links section on Brain Gym and other sensory processing interventions that are drug free.I have ADHD. Exercise helps, but it isn’t enough by itself. For me the medication has made a big difference to my life. I haven’t had problems with side effects. I’m in the UK and there is no monetary reason for doctors here to prescribe drugs that are not needed, quite the opposite, the NHS still thinks that stimulants should be the appropriate treatment. They work. Somehow its ok to suggest we shouldn’t need them. I have no idea why people think this. I don’t abuse my medication, it helps me, why is everyone so judgemental?	addiction,ADHD,alternative medicine,amphetamines,attention deficit,brain health,children,complementary medicine,dopamine,exercise,hyperactivity,medications,mental health,Ritalin,side effects	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21281664,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/502747,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22711728,
PLAIN-115	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/	Avoid Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn	What does chemical warfare and microwave popcorn have in common? The poison gas phosgene, first used extensively as a chemical warfare agent during World War I, can cause a horrific lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans. Bronchiolitis obliterans causes our small airways (bronchioles) to become obliterated, a generally irreversible and fatal condition that may also be caused by butter-flavored microwave popcorn. I’ve warned previously about diacetyl, the artificial butter flavoring being linked to a condition known as “popcorn lung,” where workers who had been exposed to diacetyl started dying. It turns out that the industry knew about the dangers for decades, but covered it up. Even when the industry admitted workers were dying, they swore the chemical was safe for consumers—that it was only an occupational health hazard.  Orville Redenbacher continued to have ads telling consumers to breathe deeply. I quipped in my video Is Artificial Butter Flavor Harmful? that any ingredient requiring the use of a gas mask is probably not something we want to feed our family. I wanted to err on the side of caution and I’m glad I did. In my video, Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn or Breathing, I profile a series of cases of butter-flavored microwave popcorn consumers developing bronchiolitis obliterans: The chemical is found in real butter, too, but it’s heavily concentrated when added as a flavoring. Tragically, it remains on store shelves and legal to this day. The regulation of health hazards from food additives has simply “fallen between the regulatory and health surveillance cracks,” the authors of the case series lament. They recommend a series of steps to protect consumers, such as allowing the bag to cool completely before opening (but who wants cold popcorn?) and then opening in a well-ventilated area away from the face. One solution they didn’t mention that would also eliminate the risk of lung disease? Don’t buy it. To understand how this could have happened you have to see my video Who Determines if Food Additives are Safe? What else can we do to protect our lungs? Meat safety is another example of regulatory breakdown. See, for example, Drug Residues in Meat, Deadly But Not Illegal and Past the Age of Miracles. What about food dyes? See Are Artificial Colors Bad for You? and Treating ADHD Without Stimulants. 	Microwave popcorn is convenient and people are not aware of the high price they pay with their health for that convenience. It should be sold with a warning label. Popcorn is my favorite snack. I air-pop and used to spritz with olive oil and salt, but now I am using lemon juice and nutritional yeast or spices.I avoid every word in ” Butter Favoured microwave popcorn”Popcorn isn’t so bad by itself :-)Not only would I never use a microwave oven, I wouldn’t eat a product with the word “microwave” associated with it. If it’s popcorn you want, crank it out the old-fashioned way. That’s how I used to do it — and then I’d drizzle lots of (real!) melted butter all over it. Too much, most of the time, but it smelled and tasted so good. :-)Microwave saves more nutrients: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/The ” Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn or Breathing” link above goes to a nut video for me.Just registered; love the site and been reading for two years … The link for the “Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn or Breathing” goes to the wrong video.I was wondering. Having gone vegan at age 38, are there any particular techniques or tips to reverse the damage of 38 years of eating the meat-rich SAD diet? I try to eat as whole foods based as possible, although I still consume some processed foods which I consider relatively benign (tahini, hummus, the occasional tofu sausage or burger).We need a strong regulatory system which should punish severely any industry that sell products that harms consumers. It seems our government is not much concerned about public health. We need to elect people who protect the public from abusive industries….In some countries they hang people who willfully harm the public. In the US, they are deemed job creators and can literally get away with murder. WHY?In my video, Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn or Breathing, I profile a series of cases of butter-flavored microwave popcorn consumers developing bronchiolitis obliterans:links tohttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/This is the correct video linkhttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathingIs it safe to go to the movies?Could you provide your sources for the information in this article?Please see here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/and here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/and click the “sources cited” under the video.Is air-popped popcorn a “super snack?”Air-popped (no oil) popcorn contains only 31 calories per cup. A cup of popcorn also contains 1.2 grams of fiber and less than 1 gram of fat. Popcorn is gluten-free and contains higher levels of antioxidant polyphenols than other whole-grain foods, fruits or vegetables. Also, popcorn is a 100 percent unprocessed whole grain. Any reasons why we shouldn’t eat air-popped popcorn with a healthful spice topping?	artificial flavors,bronchiolitis obliterans,butter,butter flavor,diacetyl,FDA,food additives,industry influence,lung disease,lung health,microwaving,mortality,Orville Redenbacher,phosgene,popcorn,popcorn lung,safety limits,smoking	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17427353,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12151475,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22550695,
PLAIN-116	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/	Pistachios May Help Erectile Dysfunction	Erectile dysfunction is a major cause of decreased quality of life in men—so much so that one early theory suggested that this may explain the link between impotence and heart attacks. Depression is a risk factor for coronary heart disease, and the thought was that men who couldn’t get it up become so depressed that they die of a broken heart. Now we know that erectile dysfunction and heart disease can be two different manifestations of the exact same root problem, diseased arteries—inflamed, oxidized, cholesterol-clogged blood vessels (See Survival of the Firmest: Erectile Dysfunction and Death). So it’s no wonder that a diet chock-full of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering plant foods would improve sexual functioning in both men and women, as well as reduce the risk of heart disease (See 50 Shades of Green). A completely plant-based diet can even stop and reverse our number one killer (See One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic). Of all the plant foods individually examined so far, nuts appear most tied to longevity. Just two handfuls a week may extend a woman’s life as much as jogging four hours a week (see What Women Should Eat to Live Longer). So, if nuts reduce the risk of heart disease, might they also help with sexual dysfunction? In my video, Pistachio Nuts for Erectile Dysfunction I outline a study where men eating three to four handfuls of pistachios a day for just three weeks experienced both significant improvement in blood flow through the penis and significantly firmer erections. This is not surprising. Antioxidant-rich foods have a Viagra-like effect of boosting nitric oxide production. (See The Power of NO). Also, the citruline in watermelons helped with erection firmness by boosting arginine, (See Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction), which is what our body makes nitric oxide out of.Pistachios have a bunch of both antioxidants and arginine, which may help explain the improvement in blood flow. We also know that cholesterol is an important predictor of sexual dysfunction in both men and women (See Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction), and after just three weeks, those eating pistachios had significant improvements in cholesterol. And like other studies that piled on hundreds of calories of nuts a day, there was no weight gain. (For more on this remarkable effect, see my videos Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence, Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories, and Testing the Pistachio Principle). Conclusion: “Just three weeks of pistachios resulted in a significant improvement in erectile function with additional improvement in cholesterol without any side effects.” Note the two important differences between diet and drugs. Drugs like Viagra just cover up the symptoms of the underlying problem–unhealthy arteries. Eating whole healthy plant foods like nuts actually helps attack the root cause—cholesterol, oxidation, and inflammation—and has only good side effects. The enzyme that Viagra-like drugs inhibit is found primarily in two places in the body: the erectile tissue of the penis and the retina of the eye. That’s why the FDA encourages people to stop taking drugs like Viagra, and “call a doctor right away if you experience sudden loss of vision.” (Assuming you can still find your phone.) Though the harms (such as cyanopsia in which everything in our vision suddenly becomes tinted blue) tend to be self-limited and reversible, why risk side-effects at all when the problem can be reversed and cured in the first place, improving the quality and quantity of our lives? I discuss the epidemic of adverse prescription drug side-effects in my 2012-13 annual review Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death and my new 2013-14 live presentation More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases. In addition to improving penile blood flow, nuts may also help prevent breast cancer (Tree Nuts or Peanuts for Breast Cancer Prevention?), inflammatory diseases (Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell), sudden death (How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?), and lengthen one’s lifespan (Nuts May Help Prevent Death). 	There are other causes for erectile disfunction than cardiovascular disease and a lousy diet, aren’t there? Can’t an enlarged prostate have something to do with it?Do the pistachios have to be raw, or can they be the regular roasted (and probably salted) variety found everywhere?Health aside, I’ve always been suspicious that erectile dysfunction, at least in healthy, married males, might just be from lack of an appealing mate, either aesthetically, or what I wonder may be more prevalent, a lack of perceiving the mate as an inspiringly attractive person. . . . Over time a woman’s uninspiring personality traits and qualities, (while still able to put on a winning smile), may not be a character that, at home behind closed doors, promotes or inspires warm and friendly feelings that translate to physical attraction, and. . . the lower parts know it deep down, and says, “I think I’ll pass. Thanks anyway”. . . . Interesting how many vids on this subject of late.Most women nag too much. Also, many let themselves go with respect to appearance and matters like weight and hair and make-up at some point. Since the man is already snared and captive it’s a lot of work for the female to keep up the game for find a mate.Maybe if they lay the game down and just become appealing people with a warm heart. Kind. Older men are not interested in their own age group for a hot time. They want a companion for the rest of the ride. That’s why they stay with their wives while they play around – planning for old age companionship, (if she’s a good woman). I think those that stay with unappealing women, hoping for things to change, lose interest and then get out, and look for those essentials (not a hot bod) in a good, kind hearted woman.Yes, and most men see “Tom Cruise” while standing in front of a mirror that reveals a huge beer belly, and a lack of muscle tone. Not to mention the lack of grooming, bad breath, bad smell, and bad attitude! But they want and think they deserve that hot young babe in the bed! Yuck!Yes, it’s called the ‘egg on legs’ look and let’s not forget the wrinkly butt syndrome many older men get and what you see walking away from you …yup that’s attractive. While agree it’s good for BOTH partners to make an effort if your relationship is a good one the attraction deepens and mellows over time. BOTH sexes have fantasies. Healthy. BUT reality a healthy intimate life takes work and understanding if issues such as health come into play. What if there is a car accident or a soldier (male or female) who comes home wounded?My husband and I have been together almost 20 yrs and we’re still attracted to each other…less toned body parts, grey hair and all. We make a point of having date night, saying I love you every day and that we love each other just as we are AND support efforts to look and feel well.This contradicts the past video you made on keeping an Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio of 4 to 1 or less. Pistachios have high levels of Omega 6 and almost no Omega 3. How does your comments of eating more nuts equate with your video of eating less Omega 6?Hi Chris, keeping a 4:1 ratio, even with nuts and seeds included, is not difficult at all in the context of a healthy diet with an abundance of fruits and vegetables, some flax or chia seeds, and without added oils or processed food products which contain them.For example,If you ate a tbsp of chia (easy to do in the context of oatmeal, granola bars, muffins, smoothies, etc), you could eat about a third of a cup of pistachios and have a perfect 4:1 omega 6:3 ratio between the two. Have a tbsp each of flax and chia and you could have about 0.7 cups of pistachios and still maintain the 4:1 ratio.As for the rest of the diet, if you are eating an abundance of fruits and vegetables (particular green vegetables and berries) and beans, the ratio for the remainder of your food will most likely be much less than 4:1.Of course you don’t have to eat all those pistachios – you can eat fewer and enjoy an even better ratio. Or, if you don’t want to eat any flax or chia, you can still eat a smaller amount of nuts and balance them out with copious vegetables and fruits.I just threw my food from yesterday into cronometer. Yesterday I had about a tbsp each of pumpkin seeds and peanut butter, as well as a brazil nut. From my perspective that seems like quite a bit of high omega-6 foods. Yet at the end of the day I still had a ratio of only 2:1. I had a tbsp each of flax and chia, as well as a lot of dark leafy greens, blueberries, mixed frozen veggies, and other fruits, veggies, and beans here and there that all added up.If you haven’t tried cronometer before, I highly recommend it. I remember being quite surprised by how many omega-3s I was consuming in the form of produce the first time I made an entry for a day when I didn’t eat any flax/chia. There are quite a bit more omega-3s in produce than most people realize. Hope this helps.True enough about the 4:1 ratio, but does that magic number actually apply to plant-derived ALA as the omega-3 in question? There are lots of data to suggest that ALA converts very poorly to DHA, which is a key omega-3 used in the calculation of the original 4:1 ratio for optimal health. And the more omega-6 you eat, the less DHA you will produce (although even at baseline, DHA is very sparsely produced from ALA).The ratio applies to ALA, because the ratio is irrelevant in terms of DHA and EPA. The 4:1 ratio is so that we can convert ALA to DHA and EPA.Jeff Novick has discussed this issue as well regarding the conversion rate.“Comparison of the PLLC n23 PUFAs:DALA ratio between dietary-habit groups showed that it was 209% higher in vegan men and 184% higher in vegan women than in fish-eaters, was 14% higher in vegetarian men and 6% higher in vegetarian women than in fish-eaters, and was 17% and 18% higher in male and female meat-eaters, respectively, than in fish-eaters This suggests that the statistically estimated conversion may be higher in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20861171In addition, another study showed that despite this “theoretical” low conversion rate, there is no evidence of any harm so, the problem may not be in the conversion rate, but in the assumption that it is low.“There is no evidence of adverse effects on health or cognitive function with lower DHA intake in vegetarians”“In the absence of convincing evidence for the deleterious effects resulting from the lack of DHA from the diet of vegetarians, it must be concluded that needs for omega-3 fatty acids can be met by dietary ALA. ”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500961Sorry, but I have read every study of DHA/EPA status in vegans and vegetarians that I can get my hands on, and the data you cite from EPIC-Norfolk appear to be an outlier. This is discussed on Jack Norris’s website at: http://veganhealth.org/articles/omega3#n3intakeVirtually all other studies show that vegans have very low levels of DHA in particular. The question is whether or not this means anything to cardiovascular or neurological health and I doubt we will ever know the answer to this. However, just saying that if you take enough ALA you will produce enough DHA is grossly incorrect, as Norris discusses on his site (including citations to all the major studies, one of which was just published very recently: http://jacknorrisrd.com/clinical-trial-of-dha-supplementation-in-vegans/For me the science comes together when you understand the underlying science. Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s are metabolized through same enzyme to get to what the body needs both anti-inflammatory/anti-clotting substances like EPA/DHA and inflammatory/clotting substances such as Arachidonic Acid. It is possible to elevate the amount of DHA/EPA via supplementation but this doesn’t lower the amount of AA. It is also understandable why some vegans have such high 6/3 ratio’s when they consume foods very high in omega 6’s such as some plant oils especially corn oil. As Boomer pointed out in the previous post it is easy to maintain the proper ratio by eating whole plant foods.In the context of a vegan diet, I am not all that concerned about maintaining an optimal omega 6/3 ratio, as there is very little data from randomized trials suggesting it is beneficial to do so. A vegan diet is healthy enough without complicating it by forcing on a paradigm of having to maintain 4:1 or less. However, for those who wish to maintain adequate DHA levels, the majority of reports suggest that vegans and vegetarians (unless they eat fish) will require supplemental DHA. The question is whether it’s necessary to do so, or whether DHA is an epiphenomenon of something else (ie just a healthy dietary marker but not causal). Obviously those who adhere rigorously to a whole foods plant-based diet will happen to have the best omega 6-3 ratios, so perhaps that is just a marker of overall dietary quality and lack of processing.Incidentally I should add that I just checked this out with my food application and my omega 6-3 ratio turns out to be 4.1:1, and this is despite eating nuts, seeds, tahini, and hummus on a daily basis. It will go up if I eat restaurant food (e.g. a veggie burger or pasta sauce). At home I don’t find it necessary to use any vegetable oils, nor actually heat anything that I eat.I would disagree, I think the evidence is quite clear regarding the ratio. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2656504/ http://ebm.sagepub.com/content/233/6/674.abstract http://www.karger.com/Book/Home/229515Google book link the the last one for viewing http://books.google.com/books?id=_0PWAie_YIkC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=falseGreat post Boomer!Thanks for sharing this information. I just went and signed up at Cronometer.com and it is indeed a useful tool. Very helpful when trying to make sure you are getting enough essential nutrients. You are also correct about it being pretty easy to control your Omega 6:3 ratio even while consuming nuts. I eat a small handful of walnuts every morning with my breakfast cereal and I am still achieving about a 4:1 ratio. My breakfast alone is about 4.6:1, and then as I eat my veggies throughout the day it improves to around 4:1. Great tool, thanks again!Another good use of Cronometer is to calculate calorie density or calories per pound for those interested in losing fat. If you enter “454” under serving and select “g” you will be the calories per pound as there are 454 grams/pound.Wow!!!! what an experience Dr.Malaa is a wonderful spell caster, he has made my life complete again by helping me cast a spell to get erections anytime i want to.. i was living a miserable life before,i was embarrassed,disgraced by several women because i could not get an erection,i even married and my marriage was a catastrophe because i could not get my wife pregdnant.. but now my life is back,my wife and i are now living happily with 3kids and she is also pregnant.. i am so happy.. I was skeptical at first, but what a believer I am now, his spell really worked! he can cast so many other spells and solve many problems so if you are also seeking for any help to get your lover back? call +2348159645271 or email bestspellhome@gmail.comI will eat Pistachios to treat me erectile dysfunction.Buy Generic viagra OnlineThere are many food have anti ED capacities that we can use it along with your daily diet.Kamagra	antioxidants,arginine,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,citruline,cyanopsia,depression,erectile dysfunction,exercise,eye health,FDA,heart disease,heart health,impotence,inflammation,LDL cholesterol,longevity,medications,men's health,mortality,nitric oxide,nuts,oxidative stress,penis health,phytosterols,pistachios,plant-based diets,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,side effects,vegans,vegetarians,viagra,watermelon,weight loss,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21624550,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21798391,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16395320,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21920268,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21135028,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19592078,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21771280,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21228801,
PLAIN-117	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/	Foods for a Long Life and Love Life	Motivating patients to change poor lifestyle habits can be extremely difficult. Preventing cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or strokes is a relatively distant benefit, whereas barbecued ribs, cheesecake, or sitting on our butts promises almost instant gratification. Public health experts are now hoping that prevention or improvement of erectile dysfunction could be a more immediate motivator that physicians can use to improve their patients’ lifestyles and in turn their overall cardiovascular health. That’s how doctors can save a life during a clinic visit for erectile dysfunction. (See Survival of the Firmest: Erectile Dysfunction and Death). We used to think of erectile dysfunction in young men in their 20s and 30s as psychogenic in origin, meaning it’s all in their heads. But now we’re realizing it’s more likely an early sign of vascular disease. But even when the penis heads in the wrong direction, the heart need not follow. Atherosclerosis in both organs can be reversed with lifestyle changes. We know that “a substantial body of knowledge demonstrates that the abundant consumption of vegetables, fruit, and whole grain, and the dietary patterns rich in these foods, convey a markedly lower risk of coronary disease.” In a study profiled in my video, 50 Shades of Green, a group of researchers tried putting impotent men on a Mediterranean diet, which includes an abundance of plant-based foods. After two years on the Mediterranean diet, 37% of the men regained normal sexual function. What is it about the diet that appeared to do it? Improvements in erectile function were tied to five things: increased intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and essentially the ratio of plant fats to animal fats. Similar benefits were found for women. The same kind of diet significantly improved sexual function, together with a significant reduction of systemic inflammation. As a whole, these findings “suggest that a Mediterranean-style diet may be a safe strategy for amelioration of sexual function” in women with pre-diabetes or diabetes, who found significant improvement in sexual satisfaction on the healthier diet. For more on preventing sexual dysfunction in women in the first place, see Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction. The improvement in sexual functioning is thought to be because of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits of plant-based diet. Check out my related video: Pistachio Nuts for Erectile Dysfunction. Other benefits of increased fiber intake may include improved bowel function (Bristol Stool Scale) and frequency (Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet), lower colorectal cancer risk (Stool Size Matters), lower breast cancer risk (Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen and Fiber vs. Breast Cancer), lower blood pressure (Whole Grains May Work as Well as Drugs), lower blood cholesterol (How Fiber Lowers Cholesterol), weight loss (Beans and the Second Meal Effect) and a longer lifespan (What Women Should Eat to Live Longer). 	Hi Dr. Greger, My husband is 55 and has had erectile dysfunction for about fifteen years. However, he is fit and trim, plays soccer, and we follow a near-vegan diet. (I’m totally vegan and he’s close and has been for years.) So I’m alarmed about this heart-penis connection and am hoping there might be other reasons for his erectile dysfunction (hee hee, just realized it would be easy for someone to insert a joke here.) But seriously, might there be other causes? Thank you and I LOVE your blog.There are theories that male circumcision can also play a role. If he was circumcised I would research that aspect. I do not believe there is any solid science on it though, as this country loves to cut babies and doesn’t want to stop.Although there is often an atherosclerosis connection with ED, it does not follow that it is the cause in every case. I suggest you have a look atEarly onset erectile dysfunction is usually not associated with abnormal cavernosal arterial Inflow International Journal of Impotence Research (2013) 25, 217–220This is an extract from the conclusions in the paper: “The observation that venous leakage may be the major cause of ED in both young and old men begs the question as to why this occurs. Our theory is that this decrease in the smooth muscle content that leads to venous leakage is simply an aging-related issue, which will ultimately occur in every man if they live long enough. However, the initiation of the decrease and the rapidity to which this decrease in corporal smooth muscle content occurs is most likely genetically predetermined for each individual. From both animal and human studies, it has been suggested that it only takes about a 15% decrease in the function of the smooth muscle content within the corpora before clinically significant venous leakage occurs. As an erection is a dynamic balance between arterial inflow and venous outflow, the individual with perfect arterial inflow will only become symptomatic from venous leakage if and when the content of the corporal smooth muscle reaches that 15% decline. On the other hand, the individual who develops a risk factor for arterial disease, for example, diabetes mellitus or hypertension, where there may now be a diminution in arterial inflow, the onset of clinically symptomatic venous leakage that is, the inability to maintain an erection, may occur earlier than before that 15% decrease in corporal smooth content is reached. This may be one of a possible number of reasons why men with certain risk factors for arterial disease, such as diabetes may develop symptomatic ED earlier than age- matched controls.”Just found a study which shows that “Vegetarian diet is associated with poorer health (higher incidences of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders), a higher need for health care, and poorer quality of life.” Dammit, I knew I must go paleo instead of vegan :(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3917888/Yes but a vegetarian diet includes dairy and eggs – completely different diet to vegan….This study seems not quite ready for prime-time. It had the potential to be a very interesting study. But, even the study’s authors seem to have reservations…“Potential limitations of our results are due to the fact that the survey was based on cross-sectional data. Therefore, no statements can be made whether the poorer health in vegetarians in our study is caused by their dietary habit or if they consume this form of diet due to their poorer health status. We cannot state whether a causal relationship exists, but describe ascertained associations. Moreover, we cannot give any information regarding the long-term consequences of consuming a special diet nor concerning mortality rates. Thus, further longitudinal studies will be required to substantiate our results. Further limitations include the measurement of dietary habits as a self-reported variable and the fact that subjects were asked how they would describe their eating behavior, without giving them a clear definition of the various dietary habit groups. However, a significant association between the dietary habit of individuals and their weight and drinking behavior is indicative for the validity of the variable. Another limitation concerns the lack of detailed information regarding nutritional components (e.g. the amount of carbohydrates, cholesterol, or fatty acids consumed).”The problem with this sort of case control study is that many people adopt health oriented veg*n diets after their cancer or CVD (etc) diagnosis. To really get at the health effects one must look at prospective studies that examine initially healthy cohorts. And there, the evidence is pretty much all in favor of a whole plant food based diet: Reduced cancer risk in vegetarians: an analysis of recent reports (2011) Cardiovascular disease mortality and cancer incidence in vegetarians a meta-analysis and systematic review (2012) Vegetarian dietary patterns and mortality in Adventist Health Study 2 (2013) Vegetarian diets and the incidence of cancer in a low-risk population (2013) Risk of hospitalization or death from ischemic heart disease among British vegetarians and nonvegetarians – results from the EPIC-Oxford cohort study (2013)These studies often underestimate the benefits, as they statistically adjust for risk factors like BMI that mediate some of the benefits of plant-based diets.That’s not to say there isn’t a higher incidence of eating disorders and mental illness among those who choose a presently unusual diet. However, the evidence suggests that these disorders precede the adoption of vegetarian diets:Vegetarian diet and mental disorders: results from a representative community survey (2012)The population of vegans (not vegetarians – there are many issues with dairy and eggs) small, still smaller is the population of health-oriented ones, and the population of those who’ve practiced a whole plant foods based diet for a substantial fraction of their life is miniscule. Hopefully sites like NutritionFacts will help get out the word so that future prospective studies will show benefits in line with or even better than those seen in the Blue Zones.Very interesting studies, thank you![posting in a new location, not sure where this belongs among topics] I have been able to find studies of Chloroform extract of Papaya Seed being used as a MALE CONTRACEPTIVE conducted on animals but was intrigued to know if there were any further studies that have been conducted on actual humans. A male contraceptive with no adverse side effects derived from a Whole food, what a concept!!I would like to know if there is a connection between vascetomy and erectile dysfunction?Are there any videos or posts about meal frequency? I generally try to eat 3 meals a day but sometimes I eat 4. What does Dr. Greger recommend? Most doctors I’ve talked to recommend 3.	animal fat,animal products,antioxidants,beans,cake,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,dairy,diabetes,erectile dysfunction,fat,fiber,fruit,grains,greens,heart disease,heart health,impotence,inflammation,meat,Mediterranean diet,men's health,mental health,nuts,penis health,plant-based diets,prediabetes,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,stroke,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16395320,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20214715,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19693019,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22519624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21624550,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21911624,
PLAIN-118	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/20/pills-vs-diet-for-erectile-dysfunction/	Pills vs. Diet For Erectile Dysfunction	Erectile dysfunction is the recurrent or persistent inability to attain and/or maintain an erection in order for satisfactory sexual performance. It is present in up to 30 million men in the U.S. and approximately 100 million men worldwide. The U.S. has less than 8% of the world’s population, yet up to 30% of the impotence? We’re #1! But hey, we’ve got red, white, and blue pills like Viagra. The problem is that the pills just cover up the symptoms of vascular disease and don’t do anything for the underlying pathology. Erectile dysfunction and our #1 killer, coronary artery disease, are just two manifestations of the same disease: inflamed, clogged, and crippled arteries, regardless of which organ it affects (See Survival of the Firmest: Erectile Dysfunction and Death). Atherosclerosis is considered a systemic disorder that uniformly affects all major blood vessels in the body. Hardening of the arteries can lead to softening of the penis because stiffened arteries can’t relax, open wide, and let the blood flow. Thus erectile dysfunction may just be the flaccid “tip of an iceberg” in terms of a systemic disorder. For two-thirds of men showing up to emergency rooms for the first time with crushing chest pain, their penis had been trying to warn them for years that something was wrong with their circulation. Why does it hit the penis first? Because the penile arteries in the penis are half the size of the coronary artery in our heart. So the amount of plaque we wouldn’t even feel in the heart could clog half the penile artery, causing symptomatic restriction in blood flow. That’s why erectile dysfunction has been called “penile angina.” In fact, by measuring blood flow in a man’s penis we can predict the results of his cardiac stress test with an accuracy of 80%. Male sexual function is like a penile stress test, a “window into the hearts of men.” Forty percent of men over age forty have erectile dysfunction. 40 over 40. Men with erection difficulties in their 40s have a 50-fold increased risk of having a cardiac event (like sudden death). I said before that various things increase heart disease risk by 20% or 30%. That’s nearly 5000%, leading the latest review to ask, “is there any risk greater?” That’s because it’s not so much a risk factor for atherosclerosis as atherosclerosis itself. A man “with erectile dysfunction (even if he doesn’t have cardiac symptoms) should be considered a cardiac patient until proven otherwise.” Erectile dysfunction is considered to be a cardiac equivalent; it’s a marker of the coronary artery one likely already has. Thus, there’s more to treating ED than establishing an erect penis; it offers an opportunity for reducing cardiovascular risk. The reason even young men should care about their cholesterol is because it predicts erectile dysfunction later in life, which in turn predicts heart attacks, strokes, and a shortened lifespan. Thankfully, Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped. Check out my video on Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death. More background can be found in Arterial Acne and Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease. Related videos include: 50 Shades of Green and Pistachio Nuts for Erectile Dysfunction. Previous videos on the subject include: 	Could Alzheimer’s and dementia partially be just a form of heart disease in the brain? I’ve often wondered if high omega 6 fats as well as cooked and heated fats might partially be a cause. All this stuff seems related as far as heart disease, ED, and brain issues, no?There’s quite a bit of research out regarding saturated fat/trans fat/cholesterol and Alzheimer’s disease. Different studies have come to different conclusions. To me it seems intuitive that better blood flow would lead to improved healing capabilities. Add in higher levels of micronutrients in the blood, and the changes in blood composition/immune function as a result of micronutrient intake, and it seems difficult to imagine that these dietary components wouldn’t be making any difference.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3393525/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3575940/Great article. Is there a similar “early warning marker” for women?I believe the protein powders that health-conscienous-working-out men take do the most harm in clogging up their systems.Interesting. Why the protein powders?US has less than 5% of world population much less 8%it seems that even too much soy could cause impotence (reversible): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21353476It’s only a case study and of a single patient that eat a lot of soy, but i think it’s interesting to know this.	aging,angina,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,erectile dysfunction,heart disease,heart health,impotence,inflammation,lifespan,medications,men's health,mortality,penis health,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,stress test,stroke,viagra	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19693019,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18783349,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12932935,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15093875,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21624550,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16387561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12932937,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22503513,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19181643,
PLAIN-119	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/	Which Seaweed to Help Prevent Breast Cancer?	Sushi lovers, rejoice. Nori seaweed may favorably alter estrogen metabolism by modulating women’s gut flora, resulting in decreased breast cancer risk. As traditional East Asian diets have westernized, breast cancer rates have risen. Some researchers have linked this to a quadrupling of animal product consumption. In my video Which Seaweed Is Most Protective Against Breast Cancer, you can see the breast cancer rate of Japanese women living in Japan. Within 10 years of immigrating to the United States, their risk increases, and if they hang around long enough, their risk goes up even more, although it is still somewhat lower than the U.S. national average. This may be because of some of the dietary habits they carry with them—soy and green tea consumption, perhaps eating more mushrooms and seaweed. We’ve known for over a decade that in vitro (in a Petri dish) seaweed broth is effective at clearing cancer cells. In the video, you can see three different types of human breast cancer exposed to either a widely used chemotherapy drug or a sea vegetable. The seaweed worked better. And unlike the chemo, it didn’t hurt normal, non-cancerous breast cells. What about outside of the test tube, in people? Well, a population study comparing women with breast cancer to women without found that consuming a single sheet of nori a day may cut a woman’s odds of breast cancer in half. We think it’s because seaweed favorably alters estrogen metabolism, likely due to modulating women’s gut bacteria. The more seaweed we eat, the less estrogen we have in our system, which may lower breast cancer risk. The breast cancer protection may be because of all the fiber in sea vegetables, or because seaweed may block the enzyme that undermines our body’s attempt to flush out excess hormones. Or seaweed may somehow interfere with estrogen binding to estrogen receptors. Whatever the cause, to effectively lower their estrogen levels, Asian women may be able to get away with about one sheet of nori a day, but American women are physically so much larger that it may take closer to two. There are lots of yummy seaweed snacks out there to make it a tasty experience—just try to get some low-fat, low-sodium ones. They’re just like kale chips, munchies made out of dark green leafy vegetables—can’t beat that! For more on lowering breast cancer through diet: The seaweed used fresh in seaweed salads, wakame, unfortunately did not appear to reduce breast cancer risk. Wakame consumption has, however, been found to lower blood pressure in hypertensives (people with high blood pressure). Just two teaspoons of seaweed salad a day for a month dropped people’s blood pressure 14 points, and two months of wakame was associated with up to a two inch skinnier waistline. As I’ve mentioned before, I’d recommend avoiding hijike, which tends to have too much arsenic (see Avoiding Iodine Deficiency), and kelp, which tends to have too much iodine (see Too Much Iodine Can Be as Bad as Too Little). In fact, too much seaweed of any type may actually increase our risk for thyroid cancer because of the amount of iodine we’d be taking in, but there does not appear to be any increased risk at the levels of consumption I’m talking about, like a sheet of nori every day. And a study of seaweed eaters in California actually found decreased risk, but, again, we’re talking a modest level of intake. I’ve frequently talked about the benefits of dietary diversity, eating different families of fruits and vegetables, eating different parts of individual plants—such as beets and beet greens. If we just stick to land plants, though, we’re missing out on all the plants from the other 70% of planet earth. Sea vegetables have phytonutrients found nowhere else, special types of fiber, and unique carotenoids and polysaccharides, and various polyphenol defense compounds, each of which may have anti-cancer properties. I encourage everyone to try experimenting until you find a sea vegetable you like, even if that means just sprinkling some powdered dulse on your food. More on the importance of dietary diversity in Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation, Apples and Oranges: Dietary Diversity, and Constructing a Cognitive Portfolio. For more on some of the other protective dietary components in the diets of Japanese women, check out Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer? and Breast Cancer Survival and Soy. 	I am wondering about fat-free organic plain yogurt. Since it has all the fat removed, this form of dairy has very little toxins – PCBs – hormones and other pollutants since, I have read, most of this junk is in the fats, not the proteins. Are there any compelling reasons why just the yogurt protein would be harmful for humans? Even if one does not have any allergy?Yes, Dairy in general should be avoided for the xenoestrogens. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/I had considered the same thing, but I thought that these xenoestrogens were only present in the fat, not in the protein, thus making fat-free yogurt void of xenoestrogens, no?I cannot speak directly to knowing if xenoestrogen is only present when fat is. I doubt this, but will have to do a more in depth search to be certain.Thank you.Dairy protein, casein, is probably the worst for increasing IGF-1 in the body, a significant cancer risk increase. Full fat or fat free makes no difference.Thank you.Nevo: To expand a tiny bit on the other good replies you have already gotten: Diary protein is animal protein. Animal protein has been linked to harmful levels of IGF-1 increases, which is linked to getting cancer.As Geoffrey pointed out, there are some compelling studies showing that one of the dairy proteins is particularly good at feeding cancer. You can read The China Studies and/or watch Forks Over Knives to learn more about those studies.I also recommend finding the series of videos on this NutritionFacts website about IGF-1. After watching the series, I think you will understand why/how animal proteins, even with the fat removed and even if there were guaranteed to be no contaminants, are (all else being equal) a problem.Dr. Greger, any concerns about potential for radioactive contamination?I used to eat a lot of seaweed for the reasons stated above, but now I’m a bit skeptical because of the radioactivity in a lot of the seaweed from the nuclear leak in Japan after the tsunami. Any updates or news on this?I have some nori at home ever since Dr. G’s video on the subject, but I have a hard time stomaching its “fishy” flavor. Still trying little bits of it from time to time.MacSmiley: It may not work, but like you, I too try to make myself eat various foods from time to time in order to build up a taste for them. It does work.But if you are having a tough time, I have some ideas that might help:1) don’t eat it separately. Crumple it up into little bits and put it in your soup or casseroles, etc. I find when I do this that the nori seems to add to the dish without really affecting flavor2) deliberately add nori to foods that you want to taste “fishy”. For example, lots of people make a ‘tuna salad’ out of tofu and/or beans. And while the nori would give the dish an un-authentic color, it would add an authentic taste.3) go against Dr. Greger’s recommendation and put a *tiny* pinch of dried kelp in your oatmeal. This is something that I have actually started doing because my favorite nori sheets come in those packages with oil and salt. I don’t dislike the plain nori sheets terribly, but they are hard for me to get excited about and remember to eat daily. So, I take a chance that a granule or two or three of kelp once or twice a week will work out in a way that provides a healthy amount of iodine for me. I have to caution that Dr. Greger has a video about how kelp has too much iodine and another video about how too much iodine is bad for you. So, use this method with a big, “buyer beware” note in your head.Hope that helps! (and thanks again for all your great participation on this site. I really enjoy reading your comments.)I am concerned about MSG in seaweed as most of the dried stuff contains it. Do you see this as a problem?Lawrence: Interesting question as I had not known that dried nori contains MSG. (Are you sure? I don’t remember seeing it listed on the package I buy. But maybe my brand is different.)Anyway, here are some NutritionFacts videos on the topic of MSG: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=msgHope that helps.There are two types of Nori as food sold in grocery store. One is greasy and salty (probably has other chemicals); the other is plain. The plain one is for making sushi while the flavored one is usually cut into palm size or smaller, as snacks. I always buy the plain one. You can use it to wrap lettuce if you can’t eat it by itself.Does seaweed lower estrogen in men too? Maybe this could assist men in losing weight…What about radiation and nori. I read an article about the unbelievably high level of radiation found in nori in W. Los Angeles. Many people have stopped eating seaweed altogether because of this issue.Isn’t there mercury in nori?My questions is how can seaweed be good for you when we hear about the sea being polluted and fish being contaminated?Dr Greger, I recently had a rotary scar removed from my breast. The surgeon/oncologist wants me to take Evista (along with MRIs and mammograms at 6 month rotations). I read up on the Evista. It looks a bit scary in terms of stroke, etc. Is the drug referenced in your article an anti- estrogen drug like Evista? If so, I am relieved to see that the seaweed won out. However, do you know if the seaweed is relatively free of toxins–given the polluted state of our oceans?Great article as always! Question – is seaweed vegan? I know that it is a sea vegetable, however, there’s this notion going around that seaweed is produced and packed along with seafood and that a lot of residue from the sea food gets stuck to the seaweed that we buy on stores nowadays… Is there any truth in this concept? Or is it bogus? Thank you in advance! And thank you for the work you do! Sincerely, CBI love noi but am very concerned about radiation from fukishima…any thoughts???	abdominal fat,animal fat,animal products,arsenic,Asia,beet greens,beets,blood pressure,breast cancer,breast health,California,cancer,chemotherapy,dulse,estrogen,fat,fiber,fruit,gut flora,hijiki,hormones,hypertension,iodine,Japan,kelp,low-fat diets,medications,nori,phytonutrients,salt,sea vegetables,sodium,Standard American Diet,thyroid disease,thyroid health,vegetables,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19713172,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11535551,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22054936,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2102295,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19321575,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19968892,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11376555,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22414981,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19686228,
PLAIN-120	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/	Preloading With Watercress Before Exercise	Could exercise be creating harmful free radicals? Oxidizing glucose to produce energy for our bodies is messy, creating free radicals the way cars burning their fuel produce combustion by-products out the exhaust. This happens even if we’re just idling, living our day-to-day lives. What if we rev our bodies up and start exercising and really start burning fuel? Then we create more free radicals, more oxidative stress, and so, need to eat even more antioxidant-rich foods. Why do we care about oxidative stress? Well, it’s “implicated in virtually every known human disease and there is an increasing body of evidence linking free radical production to the process of aging.” Why? Because free radicals can damage DNA, our very genetic code. Well, if free radicals damage DNA, and exercise creates free radicals, does exercise damage our DNA if we don’t have enough antioxidants in our system to douse the radicals? Yes, in fact, ultra-marathoners show evidence of DNA damage in about 10% of their cells tested during a race, which may last for up to two weeks after a marathon. But what about just short bouts of exercise? We didn’t know until recently. After just five minutes of moderate or intense cycling we can get an uptick in DNA damage. We think it’s the oxidative stress, but “regardless of the mechanism of exercise-induced DNA damage” the fact that a very short bout of high-intensity exercise can cause an increase in damage to DNA is a cause for concern. But we can block oxidative damage with antioxidant-rich foods. Of course, when drug and supplement companies hear “antioxidant-rich foods” they think, pills! We can’t make billions on broccoli, so “Pharmacological antioxidant vitamins have been investigated for a prophylactic effect against exercise-induced oxidative stress.” However, large doses are often required and in pill form may ironically lead to a state of pro-oxidation and even more oxidative damage. For example, guys doing arm curls taking 500 mg of vitamin C appeared to have more muscle damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress. So, instead of vitamin supplementation, how about supplementation with watercress, the badass of the broccoli family? What if, two hours before exercise, we eat a serving of raw watercress, then get thrown on a treadmill whose slope gets cranked up until we basically collapse? Athletes who didn’t preload with watercress before working out developed a certain amount of free radicals in their blood stream at rest and after exhaustive exercise (See Preventing Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress with Watercress), which is what we’d expect. If we eat a super-healthy antioxidant-packed plant food like watercress before we exercise can we blunt this effect? We actually end up better than we started! At rest, after the watercress, we may start out with fewer free radicals, but only when we stress our body to exhaustion can we see the watercress really flex its antioxidant muscle. What happens to DNA damage? Well, in a test tube, if we take some human blood cells bathed in free radicals, we can reduce the DNA damage it causes by 70% within minutes of dripping some watercress on them. But does that happen within the human body if we just eat it? If we exercise without watercress in our system, DNA damage shoots up, but if we’ve been eating a single serving a day for two months our body’s so juiced up on green leafy goodness that we get no significant damage after punishing ourself on the treadmill. So with a healthy diet, can we get all the benefits of strenuous exercise without the potential risks? Regular physical exercise is a key component of a healthy lifestyle, but it can elicit oxidative stress. To reduce that stress, some have suggested pills to improve one’s antioxidant defense system, but “those eating more plant-based diets may naturally have an enhanced antioxidant defense system” without eating pills to counter exercise-induced oxidative stress. Plant foods average 64 times more antioxidants than meat, fish, eggs, and dairy (See Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods). And on top of that, the animal protein itself can have pro-oxidant effects. Anyone eating sufficient quantities of whole healthy plant foods could plausibly reach an antioxidant status similar to vegetarians. It’s not just about what we’re eating less of – saturated fat and cholesterol – but what we’re eating more of, the phytonutrients. Whether it’s about training longer or living longer, we’ve got to eat more plants. I should do more videos on watercress! The only other one I think I have is Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True. Check out my other videos on enhancing athletic recovery times: Reducing Muscle Soreness With Berries and Reducing Muscle Fatigue With Citrus. For more on the free radical theory of disease, see Mitochondrial Theory of Aging. Why else is it important to eat antioxidant rich diets? See, for example, The Power of NO and Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants. And why else is it important to eat broccoli family (cruciferous) vegetables? Check out: 	Any data on the legitimacy of moringa leaf extract as a supplement? I see it says it contains ample B12, but have concerns that this is an inactive B12 analogue form of the B12. Also curious if the science suggests in any way that moringa can cause or make worse any autoimmune issues.Watercress is one of the few crucifers that doesn’t produce nitriles, which makes it best to eat raw instead of lightly cooked. To what degree does watercress affect the thyroid? http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/anti-cancer-foods-which-crucifers-are-best-rawIs watercress known to be a better antioxidant than other leafy greens?I’m using arugula since watercress is hard to find. Arugula seems very similar. Both greens are very spicy.Whole foods used to have (I have not checked recently and will check soon) the best Watercress though conventionally grown you can see the quality in their product.For those living in the southeast, Publix’s is a great source of watercress.I workout first thing in the morning. Waking at 4 so I can eat watercress for a 6 am workout isn’t going to happen. But I do try to eat lots of plants throughout the day. I hope those antioxidants are still around the next morning.I tried to post early. Now, I think that I am actually registered. If watercress is blended into a “green smoothie”, will it still be as effective? Thanks, VicIf watercress were blended (as in a “green smoothie”, would it still be effective. ThanksI’m wondering if there are any studies showing that we may actually inhibit muscle growth (often the goal of those working-out) while shutting down free radicals/inflammation “too much”? I remember reports on studies saying that NSAIDs taken regularly may substantially prevent muscle from growing. Same regarding natural anti-inflammatories such as ginger (in this case I would bet it’s the case if we go on it heavy enough).A high antioxidant diet would not inhibit muscle growth. This video addresses your concerns of antioxidants and exercise. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/Thank you for your reply Toxins! Cited video and sources say such diet reduced signs of muscle damage and inflammation, while boosting antioxidant activity of cells. It doesn’t indicate muscle growth is not undermined, more likely on contrary (since inflammation is the very process of muscle repair/super-compensation). Less importantly those studies examined runners, so the mode of exercise is quite different from strength training. I would be glad if I’m wrong but that’s how I understood it. If there isn’t much more of research on this topic I guess the best is to feel if your muscles are sore for a day or two after working-out, although even this would not guarantee the progress isn’t much too slow etc.My doctor has me taking dindolyl methane (DIN) even though I am vegan. SHe doesn’t believe you can eat enough broccoli to protect against prostate and other cancers. You mention Vitamin C supplements. What about DIN?Although this does not directly address your question, doctors are not necessarily nutrition gurus, so they may not be aware of the power of diet. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/Yes, thanks. I know most doctors are ill-trained in nutrition. I chose this new Doctor who studies nutrition and supplements. I told her about nutritionfacts.org and she wrote it down. Very interested. I haven’t been back since that visit though. dindolyl methane DIM (my type) she says is naturally occurring in cruciferous veggies but even a vegan diet doesn’t provide enough to protect against prostate cancer or regulate estrogen.What about a cup of coffee before exercising as a means of “preloading” anti-oxidants?Watercress can be easily grown in a window garden. A lot of people think you have to have flowing water to go it, but just moist soil that drains well does the trick. I try to keep a crop constantly growing and throw it in my green smoothies or just snack on it when I walk by the window.Really interesting article that adds to the mantra that with health, nutrition is king and exercise is queen. I would love to see some more studies comparing different types of exercise with regards to the oxidative stress they create. For example, would resistance training or short interval sprints create as much oxidative stress as distance running? My guess is that they create less DNA damage and are healthier for the body.Since most of the damage occurs when you are exercising anaerobically, you could choose to exercise aerobically rather than getting to the point where your heart rate is very high and you are feeling pain. The aerobic zone is from 70% to 80% of the maximum heart rate which is calculated by subtracting your age from 220.There has been published a ranking of nutrient dense fruits and vegetables (called powerhouse fruits and vegetables): http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2014/13_0390.htm The top of the ranking is held by watercress. Maybe you can make a video out of that communication cited above. :-)Some beautiful watercress and lettuces are grown hydroponically. Are these as high in nutrition?	aging,animal fat,animal products,animal protein,antioxidants,athletes,beef,broccoli,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,cruciferous vegetables,dairy,DNA damage,eggs,exercise,fat,fish,inflammation,lifespan,meat,medications,milk,muscle health,muscle inflammation,muscle strength,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,protein,red meat,saturated fat,seafood,supplements,turkey,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin C,watercress,yogurt	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15059637,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20839226,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22475430,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10755825,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21442676,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16336008,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11728819,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7934967,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20845212,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11557312,
PLAIN-121	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/	Berries to Prevent Muscle Soreness	The burning sensation during strenuous exercise may be related to the build-up of lactic acid in our muscles (see Reducing Muscle Fatigue with Citrus), but that’s different than the delayed onset muscle soreness that occurs in the days following a bout of extreme physical activity. This post-exercise soreness is thought to be due to inflammation caused by muscle cell damage (little micro-tears in the muscle). If it’s an inflammatory reaction, then might anti-inflammatory phytonutrients help? The bioflavonoids in citrus might help with the lactic acid buildup, but we may need to ramp up to the anthocyanin flavonoids in berries to deal with the inflammation. We know, for example, that if we eat about 45 cherries a day we can significantly reduce the levels of inflammatory markers like c-reactive protein in our bloodstream. Mushrooms (Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation), nuts (Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell), and purple potatoes (Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes) may also reduce inflammation (along with plant foods in general, see Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants and Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods) so much so that plant-based diets can be used to treat inflammatory conditions. See, for example, Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease, Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Potassium and Autoimmune Disease. Animal products on the other hand, may increase inflammation through a variety of mechanisms, including endotoxins (How Does Meat Cause Inflammation?), arachidonic acid (Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation), and Neu5Gc (The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc). But what about reducing muscle soreness? Researchers took some guys and made them flex their biceps against way too much weight over and over and over again, the next day the strength in their arms is way down—about a 30% drop—and they suffered serous soreness (See Reducing Muscle Soreness with Berries). But if they were drinking some cherry juice, their arms ended up hurting less and they were able to better preserve their strength. Why not just feed them cherries? Because we can’t do a placebo group since we can’t really create a convincing fake cherry, but we can make fake cherry juice in the form of cherry Kool-Aid. This was “the first study to examine the effect of the consumption of any cherry product on the symptoms of exercise induced muscle damage,” and it seemed to work. Follow-up studies show it also works on reducing muscle pain in long-distance runners, speeding recovery after a marathon, considered “the holy grail of exercise science.” A similar study showing anti-inflammatory effects of eating blueberries took it a step further and actually paid athletes to take a muscle biopsy so they could see what’s happening to their muscles on a microscopic level. It’s like another study which showed how massage could decrease inflammation. At first I was like: “ooh, I wouldn’t mind being part of that study—free relaxing massage!” until I read the protocol: subjects got to rest a few minutes, then the scalpels come out and cut out some muscle samples. No thanks. And of course there are drugs—there are always drugs—but with drugs there are side effects. So the cherry study, as noted in an editorial comment, “may provide more of a sensible and realistic treatment option for those suffering from sore and damaged muscles. The scientific question of how to treat the damaged muscle is an important one, and these researchers should be applauded for finding a potential treatment that is not only practical, but one that can be enjoyed.” How about improving athletic performance more directly? See my video series on performance-enhancing vegetables described in my blog Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance. 	This seems to match up with anecdotal evidence provided by prominent fruitarians who say that once they made the switch they experienced severely less muscle soreness (or none at all). I included the link from NMA below as my reference.http://www.nomeatathlete.com/fruitarian-experiment/You always come up with the most interesting things. Now I have an excuse to buy more blueberries, doctor’s orders.Hi how I increase my penis size is it any plant that can help thanksWonder if it translates to soothing fibrobialgia. I know I am much better being on the McDougall Starch Centered diet than I ever have. I saw some salmonberries popping out on some bushes yesterday. Might be too early, but I’m taking my basket on the road tomorrow. Soon we will have blackberries. Just walk and pick and eat. Great way to spend an afternoon. Thanks for the great info.	alternative medicine,anthocyanins,athletes,berries,blueberries,C-reactive protein,cherries,citrus,complementary medicine,exercise,flavonoids,fruit,fruit juice,inflammation,juice,lactic acid,medications,muscle health,muscle inflammation,muscle soreness,muscle strength,pain,phytonutrients,side effects,sports drinks,sports medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16790484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16549461,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22301554,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22111516,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2072832,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19883392,
PLAIN-122	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/	Citrus to Reduce Muscle Fatigue	The lactic acid that makes yogurt tangy is the same lactic acid that builds up in our muscles when we exercise strenuously. Instead of bacteria fermenting the sugar in milk to make energy for themselves, our muscles ferment sugar in our diet to produce energy to contract. If, like when we’re sprinting, lactic acid builds up in our muscles faster than it can be removed we can end up with a burning sensation in our muscles, forcing us to stop. Now if we train, we can increase the number of blood vessels in our muscles and clear out the lactate faster. For example, when researchers took some overweight sedentary women and started them on an aerobic training program of running and walking, at the end of three months, their lactate levels during exercise dropped 17%. But those on the same program who drank two cups of orange juice a day dropped their levels 27%. They did the same exercise program, but the citrus group experienced a significant decrease in blood lactate concentration, indicating an improvement in physical performance with less muscle fatigue. I don’t recommend drinking juice, though, because we’re losing all that wonderful fiber that slows the rate of fruit sugar absorption into our system. In my video, Reducing Muscle Fatigue with Citrus, we can see the blood sugar spike one might expect after drinking Coca-Cola. Compare that to the spike we see with orange juice? No difference. However, if we eat the same quantity of sugar in the form of orange slices we experience a significantly smaller spike in blood sugar. So the whole fruit is nearly always better than fruit juice. Now this is not to say OJ isn’t better than coke. OJ has those citrus phytonutrients like hesperidin, which may be why the women’s triglycerides didn’t go up even though they were drinking two cups of fruit juice every day. Hesperidin may actually help lower our digestion of fats, but once we get up to three cups a day, we really can start bumping our triglycerides. The burning sensation during strenuous exercise may be related to the build-up of lactic acid in our muscles, but that’s different than the delayed onset muscle soreness that occurs in the days following a bout of extreme physical activity. That’s thought to be due to inflammation caused by muscle cell damage, little micro-tears in the muscle. If it’s an inflammatory reaction then might anti-inflammatory phytonutrients help? Find out in my video Reducing Muscle Soreness with Berries. For more about what citrus phytonutrients can do can be found in my video, Keeping Your Hands Warm with Citrus. 	What’s a good way the add citrus when oranges aren’t in season (or you don’t like the mess of peeling fruit)?Try cutting it into slices!! Faster & not quite as messy :)Organic lemon juiceHi,Off topic: Is there any clinical study about Mastic gum (HP treatment)? thanksOff topic: I’m curious about the healthiness of fermented foods such as sauerkraut. I have had to take antibiotics many times, and I make my own sauerkraut to boost my intestinal flora. Should I continue with eating it regularly?	athletes,blood sugar,body fat,citrus,Coca Cola,dairy,exercise,fat,fatigue,fruit,grapefruit,hesperidin,lactic acid,lemons,limes,milk,muscle health,oranges,phytonutrients,sugar,triglycerides,yogurt	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20729016,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2049981,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17933690,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11063434,
PLAIN-123	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	How Citrus Might Help Keep Your Hands Warm	In 1936, Albert Szent-Györgyi, who won the Nobel Prize for discovering vitamin C, described a vitamin “P,” which we now know encompasses a class of thousands of phytonutrients called flavonoids. Some, like quercitin, are widespread in plant-based foods. We can tell something is widespread in the plant kingdom when one can even find it in iceberg lettuce! Others, however, are only found in specific plant families. For example, hesperidin is found primarily in citrus fruits. This may be one of the reasons that, out of all the different types of fruit that have been looked at, citrus may cut our risk of stroke the most. The citrus phytonutrient hesperidin increases blood flow. Using a machine called a Doppler fluximeter (sounds like something from Back to the Future) one can measure blood flow through the skin using a laser beam. When researchers give people the amount of hesperidin found in two cups of orange juice, blood flow goes up. It works even better when they gave them the orange juice itself, so there’s other beneficial stuff besides just the hesperidin in citrus. For example, if we measure the changes in genetic expression, orange juice consumption induces changes in the expression of 3000 of our genes, whereas hesperidin alone only modulated the expression of about 2000. Still, the fact that nearly 2000 stretches of our DNA expressed differently because we consumed just one of the thousands of phytonutrients in plants is pretty mind-blowing. These changes in blood flow are not just in theory. Researchers took volunteers with cold sensitivity (cold hands and feet), put them in an air-conditioned room and measured the temperature of their fingertips after drinking a placebo drink (like orange Kool-Aid) versus drinks with two doses of actual citrus phytonutrients. In the Kool-Aid group, their fingers got colder and colder, dropping nearly nine degrees Fahrenheit. The fingers of those consuming low or high doses of citrus didn’t get nearly as cold because their blood flow remained steady. In my video, Keeping Your Hands Warm with Citrus, we can see the laser test of the subject’s blood flow. When we’re exposed to cold temperatures our body starts to clamp off peripheral blood flow to keep our core warm, but if we eat a bunch of oranges before we go skiing our risk of frostbite may go down since we’re keeping up our blood flow to our fingers and toes. They even took these poor women and plunged their hands into some chilly water, and their finger temperature rebounded faster towards normal in the citrus group, demonstrating that citrus phytonutrients not only keep our extremities warmer but may also warm us back up faster. But don’t forget, don’t brush your teeth immediately after consuming citrus. We have to make sure to rinse our mouth with water and wait 30 minutes before brushing to protect our tooth enamel (see Plant-Based Diets: Dental Health). Because different families of fruits and vegetables can have entirely different phytonutrient profiles, variety is important. See, for example: Eating oranges is always better than drinking orange juice, as seen in my video Reducing Muscle Fatigue with Citrus. 	I remember the study by Dean Ornish where putting patients on a plant-based diet (men with early laboratory indications of prostate cancer) actually modulated hundreds of genes (and prolonged telomeres). This reminds me of that. Impressive! Please keep up the good work!Do the reported antibiotic properties of lemon kill any of the good bacteria inside of us? What is the longterm effect of lemon-juice ingestion and our beneficial microbiome? I ask this because I use two whole lemons everyday, and am wondering what beneficial bacteria that has maybe suppressed in my mouth, and all the way down and through my entire GI tract and body. I hear so much that lemons are a good antibiotic, but does the consistent use of citrus somehow compromise the POTENTIAL AND VIABILITY of our microbiome? This possibility is one of the reason that some people avoid honey, because of the thinking that it will eventually kill and or weaken the good bacteria as well. Any research studies you’ve come across show that lemon, limes, and other very sour citrus fruits won’t do this?Love citrus and citrus juices…but now that I’m over 60 I find them very irritating to the urinary tract. Dr. has told me not to drink oj, etc. How can I reduce the irritation to allow me to benefit from citrus?In what way are they irritating? Do you pee more or less when including citrus?“…two cups of orange juice, blood flow goes up. It works even better when they gave them the orange juice itself.”orange juice itself -> orange itself ?EDIT: As solo points out below, the preceding words that I elided supply crucial context.confused as well.No, it said “…the amount of hesperidin found in two cups of orange juice…”When I eat citrus (antioxidant) foods my body temperature goes down, and if I eat a lot I will feel cold and my hands may turn white.I think there may be an error in this sentence, it doesn’t make sense. “When researchers give people the amount of hesperidin found in two cups of orange juice, blood flow goes up. It works even better when they gave them the orange juice itself…” Was is supposed to be when given “the orange itself”???He has it rightCitrus is in season during winter and melons, which are cooling, in summer. Eating in season seems like a good way to go.	cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,citrus,cold hands,flavonoids,fruit,fruit juice,grapefruit,heart disease,heart health,hesperidin,juice,lemons,lettuce,limes,orange juice,oranges,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,quercitin,stroke,vitamin C	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10517425,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22307524,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22110589,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22888839,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22741166,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21068346,
PLAIN-124	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/	Toxin Contamination of Spirulina Supplements	On his first day of life, an infant was hospitalized with seizures. Researchers concluded that his mother’s daily spirulina use starting in the fourth month of pregnancy was likely to blame. I’ve talked previously about the liver and nerve toxins present in many spirulina supplements, but the supplement companies swear up and down that spirulina doesn’t produce those toxins, and they may be right (See my video Infant Seizures Linked to Mother’s Spirulina Use). But if spirulina doesn’t produce toxins, how is it that toxins are found in spirulina supplements on store shelves? It appears to be contamination of spirulina with toxin-producing blue-green algae. For example, if we look at the new U.S. Pharmacopeia safety evaluation of spirulina, researchers conclude that “the available evidence does not indicate a serious risk to health or other public health concern when spirulina is properly identified, formulated, and used.” Ah, but that’s the catch. Spirulina is often grown and collected in open lakes and we have no idea what other algae are going to crop up. The researchers reported a range of adverse reactions of people taking spirulina products, ­­but they attribute these issues to non-spirulina algae toxin contaminants within spirulina supplements. So unless there’s third-party testing of each batch (which no company could presumably afford to do), I continue to encourage people to avoid spirulina (and blue-green algae) products. If one still wants something green to sprinkle on their popcorn, I’d recommend chlorella instead (Is Chlorella Good for You?). I’ve previously addressed green powders in: Pregnancy is a very vulnerable time and requires an even higher level of dietary vigilance: Some supplements may be risky for everyone though. See, for example Safety of Noni and Mangosteen Juice. 	Dr. Greger, I really appreciate you taking on this topic for a blog post. I have spoken to several people who swear by their spirulina usage. I have tried to refer them to the videos, but I doubt anyone clicked the link. They say, “But my brand says that it is pure…” This blog post is a really nice summary that I can now use to e-mail to someone. I think this will be more effective and the recipient of the info can follow the video links if they want more info. Thanks!!!Lots of vegan protein powders have this stuff in it, as well as some multivitamins.Yet one more reason to skip protein powders and multivitamins. :-) Thanks.One serving of NOW pea protein contains 24g of 100% pure non-gmo pea protein. I tried VegLife Peaceful Planet Pea Protein and had a severe allergic reaction to the gm maltodextrin in it. Lips and back of throat swelled up. Scary!Mindy: re: swelling. Yikes! That is definitely scary.I’m glad you got through it OK!But in your study of chlorella you said that it was unsafe so why would you recommend it instead of spirulena ? It sounds like both are unsafe…My heart almost stopped beating after taking chlorella. If you have autoimmune issues – and even if you don’t! – I’d be wary of using chlorella. And I used arguably the most reputable brand out there.Just wanted to share my experience with chlorella; I have eaten chlorella on and off now for about two years and it has really helped me with my menstrual pain. As soon as I stop taking it the pms returns so I always make sure I have some chlorella in my cupboard now :-)What brand?I have been taking Hawaiian Spirulina from Nutrex for the past few years and I have every confidence that it is a clean product, free of toxins. I sent them Dr. G’s post and here is their response:Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica® is not collected from natural blooms in open lakes. Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica is grown under carefully controlled culture conditions that are monitored daily. Each lot of Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica passes 15 different quality assurance tests, including complete microbiological testing, before being released for sale. In addition, Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica is regularly tested for toxins by independent third party laboratories. In over 30 years of testing no toxins have ever been found present in Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica. Quite to the contrary, many health benefits have been and continue to be reported as a result of consumption of Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica.Cyanotech Corporation produces Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica® at its facility in Kona, Hawaii, USA under US Food and Drug Administration laws as certified by the Natural Products Association. Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica is certified as Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) by US-Food and Drug Administration and may be used in any food, beverage, or supplement.———————What percent of the B12 in this product is a false/analogue version of B12, and what percent is real B12? They put “B12″ on the label, but spirulina might not contain much absorbable/usable B12 for humans.From Nutrex:In regards to Vitamin B-12, the nutritional analysis is more complicated than with other nutrients. There are two different kinds of Vitamin B-12: Human-active B-12 that the body can absorb and utilize, as well as analogue B-12 that is not absorbed by the human body. Both human active and analogue B-12 are found in Spirulina, but the relative amount of human active and analogue B-12 is currently in dispute The remarkably high quantity of human active plus analogue B-12 found in a 3 gram suggested daily serving of Hawaiian Spirulina totals 9 mcg. This figure can be broken down as a minimum of 36% human active (or 3.24 mcg per 3 gram serving), and 64% analogue (or 5.76 mcg per 3 gram serving). The analogue B-12 in Spirulina in no way interferes with absorption of human active B-12 and has no other known side effect or contraindication. It is not, however, absorbed by the human body. Thus, the absorbable fraction of Vitamin B-12 in a 3 gram daily serving of Hawaiian Spirulina represents 54% of the Daily Value as recommended by the US FDA.I can’t thank you enough for digging for this information and passing it on. Many thanks!I always try to go directly to the source of origin when I have a question about a product. There is simply too much misinformation on the net.Did nutrex provide a study and or proof that the analogue B12 in no way interferes with the absorption of human active B12? Maybe the active form is “absorbed”, but can it then actually be utilized by the human body? I think the burden of proof is on nutrex to show this.You can direct your question to Julia Linhart, sales rep jlinhart@nutrex-hawaii.comWhat did Julia provide to you as far as an answer on this question? I think it would serve the viewership here to have knowledge of the question you were previously asked. You posted other stuff from Nutrex, hopefully you can do the same on this front, as this issue I have raised is vital to the integrity of the B12 status of vegans (as well as some non-vegans) who use spirulina.I think Dr. G’s raising awareness of the potential problems with Spirulina or BGA sources is good. I am very careful to avoid lake sourced BGA for the points mentioned. Like Mindy, I consume a product with Spirulina Pacifica in it which is manufactured by Nutrex and am confident it doesn’t present the contamination risk of Spirulina sourced from lakes. I don’t believe a general statement that all Spirulina is bad or potentially dangerous because we don’t know the source is the answer. If one is using a reputable manufacturer and they aren’t involved in making or selling open lake sourced Spirulina I feel confident enough it is doesn’t present the same concerns.Spirulina is healthful, and quite safe. Just make sure you purchase it from the better brand names, or grow it yourself. This particular infant just had an allergy to it. Infants show up in the E.R. all the time with reactions to all kinds of foods. This is an example of cherry picking to discredit Spirulina.Read the previous threads on Spirulina .Dr Greger negative comments on Spirulina are not backed up by any scientific evidence.	algae,blue-green algae,cancer,infants,liver disease,liver failure,liver health,natural toxins,nerve health,pregnancy,safety limits,seizures,side effects,spirulina,supplements	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21842336,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21793723,
PLAIN-125	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	Is Noni or Mangosteen Juice Safe?	There is now another case report of acute toxicity linked to noni juice ingestion, this time in a 14 year old. At least his liver didn’t fail completely like in two of the earlier cases. What do we expect from a product also known as “vomit fruit”? The multi-level marketing company that sells noni products blamed the aloe vera juice that the boy had also consumed, which is indeed something else I’d encourage folks not to drink. But what about all the scientific studies promoting these types of products bandied about on commercial websites? Recently, a public health researcher published a review on the “Science in Liquid Dietary Supplement Promotion,” evidently a $23 billion dollar market. The review describes how “Central to the marketing of many such products is the citation of ’scientific studies’ supporting the product’s health claims. While these studies seem deliberately created for marketing purposes, their findings and quality are generally presented in a manner that appears designed to mislead potential consumers.” The researcher uses the case of mangosteen juice—another product I’ve warned about in the past—as an “example of how widely marketed and consumed liquid dietary supplements use exaggeration and pseudoscience to bolster their web promotions of product effectiveness and safety.” The multilevel marketing company that sells mangosteen cited a study they paid for to support its assertion that their product is “shown to be safe at all dosages tested” and indeed “safe for everyone.” The study, profiled in my video, Safety of Noni and Mangosteen Juice, involved exposing just 30 people to their product, with another ten given placebo. With so few people exposed, the stuff could kill 1 or 2% of people and you’d never even know. For more on these two liquid supplements, check out my videos Is Noni Juice Good for You? and Is Mangosteen Juice Good for You? Noni and mangosteen juice aren’t the only supplements “proven safe” by dubious research. A study of the multi-level marketing supplement Metabolife had 35 people on the stuff and they seemed to do just fine.  Later, though, it had to be withdrawn from the market after being linked to 18 heart attacks, 26 strokes, 43 seizures and five deaths. Oops. Hydroxycut was studied on 40 people. No serious adverse effects in the study, but later the same thing: withdrawn after dozens of cases of organ damage including massive hepatic necrosis requiring liver transplants and death. And often times, in the multilevel marketing study researchers don’t disclose their funding sources, pretending to be objective scientists, but a little detective work exposed a whole web of financial conflicts of interest, “at best reducing the face-validity of findings, and at worst [they] represent deception.” Other beverages that might be good to avoid include alcohol (Breast Cancer and Alcohol: How Much Is Safe?), soft drinks (Is Sodium Benzoate Harmful?), yerba maté (Update on Yerba Maté), and kombucha (Is Kombucha Tea Good for You?). I prefer water (Does a Drink of Water Make Children Smarter?), white tea (Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea), and hibiscus tea (Better Than Green Tea?). Other cautionary tales about supplements can be found in: 	I cringe every time I hear of someone else buying into the whole Shakeology and supplement scheme. Today on facebook I even saw someone who was giving it to their child who had a stomach flu, and who really knows what’s in it? What’s wrong with just eating regular, whole foods?Doctor, Can you please explain why you keep knocking natural health-oriented products as rabidly as you do, whereas you don’t come down on the toxic chemicals that the ‘theology’ of allopathic medicine promotes with a vigor, e.g., Rx drugs and vaccines with all their neurotoxic ingredients, which is nothing compared to the money spent by Big Pharma doing its own testing and writing of skewed tests results and papers to get their products approved; promoting, advertising, and buying federal agency and congressional support via lobbyists for their totally toxic products. How many class action lawsuits against Rxs have proven they are harmful to humans, only after being on the market for years harming people’s health but making jillions of dollars for Big Pharma? I wish allopathic medicine and its acolytes could be a little more upright about its tactics rather than slam alternatives, which help people, especially after allopathic modalities either have harmed or failed.Hi Catherine,You might enjoy listening to Dr. Greger’s talk found here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/Excerpt: “You can take one drug to treat cholesterol every day for the rest of your life, another drug for blood sugars, a couple different pills for high blood pressure.The same diet, though, does it all! It’s not like one diet for this; a different diet for that. One diet to rule them all.And what about drug side-effects? I’m not talking a little rash or something. Prescription drugs kill… more than a hundred thousand Americans every year. And that’s not medication errors, not abuse, not overdose; that’s just deaths from side-effects, ADRs, adverse drug reactions to prescription drugs.Wait a second, 106,000 deaths a year? That means, that the six leading cause of death—is actually doctors!The sixth leading cause of death… is me!Thankfully, I can be prevented, with a plant based diet …Seriously, though. Seriously, compared to 15,000 American vegetarians, meateaters had about twice the odds of being on aspirin, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, antacids, pain-killers, blood pressure medications, laxatives and insulin. So plant-based diets are great for those that don’t like taking drugs, or paying for drugs, or risking adverse effects.”…Dr. Greger, I love how you add a bit of extra/updated information in the blogs in addition to putting all the older/existing video information into perspective. It makes it worth my while to read the blogs and I have a fun time trying to pick out which information is new. Thanks!Is mangosteen the fruit safe to eat?yes mangosteen is safe to eat. I guess i can speak for myself, not all fruits agree everyone that eats it. I am from the caribbean and i am a heath care professional. I cannot speak for every developed nation but i can say this I have never seen a nation so hell bent on destroying the health of its citizens as the US is. I have seen strokes, heart attack, vascular disease, juvenile diabetes and the list goes on and on and i can assure you not all but most of the illnesses derive from the US food supply. Eating more fruit and vegetable all day everyday will have a positive effect on your health conversely doing the opposite will not. Mangosteen is a wonder tasting fruit.neilfards: re, “I have seen strokes, heart attack, vascular disease, juvenile diabetes and the list goes on and on and i can assure you not all but most of the illnesses derive from the US food supply.”I don’t think you will get an argument from anyone on this site. I would say that the videos on NutritionFacts generally support your observation.While I can’t speak to the specific mangosteen issue, I like hearing from doctors from different countries. Thanks for participating.Why do you encourage people to not drink aloe juice? Do you differentiate between inner leaf and outer leaf? The NIH research was done using the outer leaf components (where the anti-nutrients are) http://www.aloe1.com/is-aloe-vera-safe-to-drink/ which would be like saying “don’t eat oranges” because the peel is bad for you. Maybe, Dr. Greger, you can expound on your recommendations?	aloe vera,beverages,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,children,fruit,fruit juice,heart disease,heart health,hepatotoxins,Hydroxycut,industry influence,juice,liver disease,liver failure,liver health,mangosteen,Metabolife,mortality,natural toxins,noni,safety limits,seizures,side effects,stroke,supplements	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-yerba-mate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15056124,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20939120,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21119544,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20191055,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319627,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22454810,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20104221,
PLAIN-126	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/	Should Carrageenan Be Avoided?	Six hundred years ago, people living along the coast of Carragheen County Ireland started using a red algae, which came to be known as Irish moss, to make a jellied dessert. This moss is now the source of carrageenan, a fat substitute (perhaps most famously used in the failed McLean Deluxe) and a food additive used as a thickener in dairy and nondairy products. In 2008 I raised a concern about carrageenan. We had known for decades that it had harmful effects on laboratory animals, but in 2008 the first study on human cells to “suggest that carrageenan exposure may have a role in development of human intestinal pathology” was conducted. This was all five years ago, though. What’s the update? (See Is Carrageenan Safe?) After the activation of inflammatory pathways was demonstrated in actual human colon tissue samples, Europe pulled it from infant formula, concerned that infants might be getting too much at such a vulnerable age. The latest suggests carrageenan consumption could possibly lead to a leaky gut by disrupting the integrity of the tight junctions that form around the cells lining our intestine—the barrier between our bloodstream and the outside world. This was just an in vitro study, though, done in a Petri dish. We still don’t know what effects, if any, occur in whole human beings. Some researchers advise consumers to select food products without carrageenan, accusing the FDA of “ignoring [its] harmful potential.” Personally, after having reviewed the available evidence, I continue to view carrageenan the way I view acrylamide, another potential, but unproven hazard. Acrylamide is a chemical formed by cooking carbohydrates at high temperatures. So should we avoid eating such foods, like the EPA suggests? Well, “Food safety concerns must also be considered [in the context of dietary] consequences.” Where’s it found the most? Foods that are already unhealthy. So sure, we can use our concern about the probable carcinogen,acrylamide as yet another reason to avoid potato chips and French fries, but until we know more I wouldn’t cut out healthful foods like whole grain bread. (For more on Acrylamide, see my video Acrylamide in French Fries). Similarly, I’d use potential concerns about carrageenan as additional motivation to avoid unhealthy foods like cream cheese, but I wouldn’t cut out healthful foods until we know more. I would, however, suggest that those with inflammatory bowel syndrome or other gastrointestinal problems try cutting out carrageenan at least temporarily to see if symptoms improve. Titanium dioxide is another additive used in nondairy substitutes. See Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease for the latest on its safety. Other videos on food additives include: 	So I can keep drinking Almond Milk?Silk Almond Milk does not have carrageenan.It’s extremely difficult to find milk alternatives that don’t have this chemical additive- even some almond milk brands that once did not use this additive now do. Frustrating.Pacific Naturals Oat milk and seven grain milk do not have it in them. So Delicious cashew milks also do not have it in them. Here is a good website to keep in mind: http://www.cornucopia.org/shopping-guide-to-avoiding-organic-foods-with-carrageenan/It’s easy to make almond milk at home. Here are 2 ways. 1. Just throw a small handful of almonds into the high speed blender with 2-3 c. water and a few ice cubes. Or grind the almonds in a coffee mill first and then blend. Occasionally we’ll strain it using a $2 nylon paint strainer bag from Home Depot – they’re easy to clean.Sometimes we’ll add a couple drops of stevia.2. Slightly more time consuming, but some say it reduces bitterness: Cover the almonds with boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes. The skins will peel right off. Then blend with water.If you want to make a lot, 1/2 c of almonds + 1/2 gallon of water.Kristin: Nice! Thanks for the tips!Thank you.I love Westsoy brand soy milk. Only 2 ingredients in their original unsweetened milk: water and soy beans. Also, Eden has a good one with 2 ingredients :)Ditto here regarding Westsoy unsweetened soy milk. Every once in a while I’m tempted to get their fortified version, but then when I see tricalcium phosphate as one of the ingredients, I hesitate — yet again. Am sure it’s perfectly fine, but IMO, the fewer the added ingredients, the better.“Filtered water, organic soymilk (filtered water, whole organic soybeans), organic dehydrated cane juice, tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2″I have colitis ulcerosa and I use products that include carrageenan, no problems here. No flare ups. Vegan diet is the answer. I only get flare ups when very very stressed and when I haven’t been sleeping well.Purely circumstantial evidence, but it seems that if I drink almond milk with carrageenan several days in a row, fairly sudden, unexplained diarrhea will happen – usually once only and then I’m fine. The carrageenan is the only thing in my diet that looks like it could be the culprit. Same thing happens with gellan gum.Does this go for carrageenan as an additive only, or as part of an whole food like Irish Moss? Have these studies been done with whole foods like Irish Moss. or just with isolated carrageenan or carrageenan additives in processed foods. I think the issues would be with the later.I guess it is time to make our own soy/almond milks.Not sure if you can buy this in the US (it’s processed in Quebec), but I buy Natura brand soy milk in aseptic cartons . It’s unsweetened (among other flavours), organic, and whole-bean—and no carrageenan. All the soy beans are sourced from local farmers within a 150K radius of the plant, which I like as well.D’oh! I forgot, it’s non-GMO too.What about an old person who use thickener in their drinks due to them having a problem with their swallow (due to stroke etc). Is this a problem?Vitasoy calci plus has no CarrageenanWoow your post answered several questions I had for a while. Is Acrylamide only in fries and chips or are there other foods I should avoid or minimize?You can find out more along with a list of foods with acrylamides in Dr. Greger’s video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/.Joann Tobacman, M.D. (College of Medicine, Univ. of Illinois/Chicago), has been studying the effects of carrageenan on the gut for many years. She feels it should not be in our food supply. A response to an email I sent: “I have been studying the effects of carrageenan on human cells for the past decade. We are continuing to study the mechanisms by which it causes inflammation and damages human cells, and appreciate your interest. Most of the recent work is in scientific journals that are listed through PubMed.”p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px ‘Devanagari MT’}Dr. Greger, as a chemist I am very concerned about exposure to acrylamide. Acrylamide is a powerful alkylating agent, ironically enough by Michael addition. Since genes can be turned on and off by alkylation, any alkylating agent, such as acrylamide, should be avoided whenever possible.If you have an issue with carrageenan watch out for similar seaweed additives in foods and medicine such as agar or alginates/alginic acids/sodium or calcium alginate. These and MSG cause me symptoms identical to my issues with accidental gluten ingestion. Whenever I meet a celiac who has not healed I tell them to eliminate foods eith these additives. I have not met anyone for which this advice had not helped.I know for an absolute indisputable fact that if I eat carrageenan, my abdomen blows up to a massive size within about 15 minutes, I get painful cramps, and then diarrhoea. One teaspoon (maybe less) of cream thickened with 407 is enough to cause the reaction. I’m just so glad I finally figured out what I was reacting to. Everything’s ‘safe’ until it’s not. Have we not already learned that the hard way? If this stuff can have such severe immediate reaction in some people, what of its potential long term effects? Yes, I’m just another person on the internet telling her story, but I’ll go with my personal experience over your ‘facts’ (which simply don’t hold true for me).What algae-based EPA/DHA supplement does not contain carrageenan? I have a hard time finding one. ThanksIn vitro ≠ in vivo Physicians can be biased. But numerous national food safety agencies are far more careful in their conclusions. http://www3.uakron.edu/chima/text/Concerns%20about%20Additives.pdf	acrylamide,algae,bread,carrageenan,cheese,colon health,cooking temperature,dairy,EPA,Europe,fat,FDA,food additives,french fries,grains,infant formula,infants,inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,Ireland,leaky gut theory,McDonald's,milk,potato chips,safety limits,yogurt	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11940442,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22444664,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17095757,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22561171,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22519244,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18719267,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1242073/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18287351,
PLAIN-127	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/	Treating Menstrual Pain With Diet	Almost half of menstruating women experience painful, crampy periods, also known as dysmenorrhea. According to Dr. Linda French from Michigan State University College of Medicine, “despite the substantial effect on quality of life and general well-being, few women seek treatment, thinking it won’t help.” Treatments are available, though–modern medicine to the rescue! There are surgical options such as neuroablation, where surgeons go in and attempt to cut or destroy the nerves leading to the uterus, or doctors can just take out the uterus completely. There are of course a bunch of hormones in pills and shots that can suppress the menstrual cycle as well. Since the pain is caused by inflammation, anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen are the most commonly used, achieving symptomatic pain relief in about two thirds of women. While effective, women using them need to be aware of the significant risk as they may cause adverse side effects. Though there are a bunch of non-drug, non-surgical treatments like acupuncture, “the evidence for the effectiveness of these treatments is generally weak.” One of the latest advances in treatment involves the use of a single high dose of vitamin D. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study the placebo did nothing–in fact, most women got worse. But the women who got the vitamin D all felt better. For more on vitamin D, see my series justifying my vitamin D recommendations, starting with Vitamin D Recommendations Changed and ending with Resolving the Vitamin D-Bate. But wait a second. If it’s pain caused by inflammation, how about putting women on an anti-inflammatory diet? A study outlined in my video, Dietary Treatment for Painful Menstrual Periods, placed 33 women suffering from painful periods on a plant-based diet for two cycles. They experienced significant reductions in menstrual pain duration from four days down to three days and a significant reduction in pain intensity. Women also experienced improvement of PMS symptoms such as bloating. This was a crossover study, so after two months eating vegan, the women were supposed to go back to their regular diets to see if the pain would return. But the women felt so much better that when the researchers asked them to go back to their regular diet to test before and after, several women refused, even though they were required to by the study.  Doctors too often patronizingly think that patients simply won’t adhere to therapeutic diets, but when the women were surveyed, they reported having fewer cramps and were losing weight. They also reported increased energy, better digestion, and better sleep. This showed that we don’t have to be in some Ornish or Esselstyn study facing certain death after a heart attack to stick to a plant-based diet. It’s well accepted that even when testing more benign conditions. (For those unfamiliar with the work of Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn, see, for example, my video Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped or my blog post Heart Disease: There Is A Cure). I’ve touched on this body of work briefly in Plant-Based Diets for Breast Pain. Plants that may be especially helpful include flax seeds (Flax Seeds for Breast Pain) and the spice saffron (Saffron for the Treatment of PMS and Wake Up and Smell the Saffron). 	Why do all “plant-based diets”studies exclude meat? I eat a “plant-based diet” with small portions of healthy animal protein I buy exclusively from my local farmers market and have gotten rid of my menstrual pain, am in menopause and am not experiencing any hot flashes. I find it annoying that so many studies are done with extreme vegan diets that I don’t think are so healthy in the long run. Paleo blogs are filled with recovering vegans. I wish researchers weren’t so entrenched in their biases – vegans out to vilify meat for example.Vitamin B12 which is lacking in the vegan diet is helpful for PMS – so no cramps but PMS?Anyone with even a minimum amount of education regarding a plant based diet would be taking a B12 supplement, so this would be a non-issue. If someone on a vegan diet decides not to take B12, they’re going to have bigger problems to deal with than PMS.I think the answer is obvious – other people don’t consider a vegan diet extreme.Take your diet, remove the small portions of meat, add in some beans and lentils and a weekly B12 supplement – how extreme could that be?Using entirely vegan diets is useful in research because it helps in reducing the number of variables. If it can be shown that the presence of a certain animal product has some effect, then people can either omit the offending food entirely, or like you, they can choose to simply limit it. If you have determined your own limit of detection, that’s great, but for others they can use an entirely vegan diet as a benchmark and either stay there (which is quite enjoyable and not extreme in the least), or add back in small amounts as is tolerable. The interpretation and implementation of the research is up to you, but the clearer and simpler the structure of the research, the better.” I eat a “plant-based diet” with small portions of healthy animal protein I buy exclusively from my local farmers market and have gotten rid of my menstrual pain”It’s quite possible that you have gotten rid of your menstrual pain as a result of cutting down on meat and increasing your plant intake. That is what the data Dr Greger cites would suggest. I don’t see how going that one next step towards eliminating “healthy animal protein” would make your diet extreme. I consume diverse whole protein sources at each meal, all of which are plant-based. I exercise religiously and have no problem building muscle. And there are other reasons to go vegan beyond better health.Plant based diets as a description is usually used to designate a diet that excludes meat including fish, dairy and eggs. It might be more accurate to state an “All plant based diet” to avoid confusion. Having been involved prescribing plant based diets for 8 years along with giving science based educational presentations to physicians it is clear to me at this time that an “all plant based diet” is the healthiest approach for homo sapiens as we are best described as “hind gut fermenting herbivores”. The science supports that animal protein is not healthy. If you view the 65 videos and associated studies that Dr. Greger has done I believe you will see some of the problems associated with animal protein. In fact it is probably not possible to consume adequate calories and not get the required essential amino acids your body needs. You mention “recovering” vegans. It is true that you can be a “sick” or “fat” vegan. Dr. John McDougall who has arguably the most clinical experience and success in reversing and preventing chronic disease with proper nutrition writes monthly newsletters which are available free on his website. You might read his articles, Sick Vegan, and Fat Vegan in the 10/2002 & 12/2008 newsletters respectively. I also prefer to think of vegan diets as in the minority and not extreme. Of course the science keeps coming so you need to stay tuned to science based non commercial websites such as NutritionFacts.org. I am open to the possibility that there will be studies to support the consumption of certain animal foods but I am aware of none at this time. I’m glad your current dietary approaches have resulted in being free of menstrual pain and hot flashes. Of course beyond health there are environmental, social justice and ethical arguments against consuming animal products.Beautiful, eloquent and factual post, Doctor!The Vegan diet isn’t extreme, I’ve been healthier than I ever have. There are always going to be people following different food lifestyles that are unhealthy. I follow a wholefoods plant based diet. The healthier non-processed one. I’ve been studying nutrition at University and everything that I’ve learnt about Paleo’s is pretty grim. They always feel great at first, then the High Protein, Low Carb effect kicks in over the longer term. Risks of Liver Disease and heart disease are significantly higher from any meat source. The body is designed for High Carbohydrate diet. We can live without meat, but not without fruit and vegetables. The phytochemicals are body need prove that our body strives towards a plant based diet. Not just what the industry wants. Paleo diets lead to constipation, bad breathe, low nutrition, bowel cancers so forth. I had a room mate who was paleo too. He went to the gym three hours a day and was still overweight and feeling sick.Thanks for this.I follow a healthy vegan diet but still have terrible menstrual pain. I will try to increase my Vit D and see what happens though.I do want to point out that the reason women use anti inflammatory drugs is because they restrict the production of prostaglandins an excess of which is the cause of strong cramps so not for the same reasons they are generally prescribed for.I had an accident and I’m not able to exercise much. I am sure that it would help if I could get more excercise but my diet is really good today. In spite of this the duration of pain has increased and the intensity is the same. As I no longer want children I am opting for a hysterectomy.I totally support a healthy vegan diet but it is not a magic bullet that on its own will solve everything for everyone.trish, try to reduce the consumption of nuts and every other high source of fats, and even the little sugar you may be using. Be carful with soy products. When I did it, I saw a big difference. I’m also investigating about the role of allergies on mentrual pain: high levels of histamine raise extrogens ad prostaglandins, that are responsible for the pain. Good luck!trish: I think your last point is a valid one and worth everyone keeping in mind. Soemtimes the whole plant food diet seems like magic because it does so much for so many people. But the diet does not come with a 100% guarantee of preventing or reversing every problem.While you may be able to tweak your diet further as Saraa suggests to have a good effect, I totally see your point of view too. Good luck to you.Raw ginger root will also restrict the production of prostaglandins When I feel the cramps coming on, I take a one inch piece and blend it with one 12 ounce glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. (Obviously, put it in whatever you want to get it down). In 30 minutes the pain is gone and doesn’t return. Anyone can Google the study on raw ginger and these cramps. I am SO grateful I found it. It has never not worked for me.PS… I went through most of my life PMS and cramp Free until a few months ago. (Had exam and ultrasound to rule out other things). My sister, who is 12 yrs older, said she had terrible pain that worsened at night for the 5 yrs prior to menopause. When her period stopped the pain stopped. I experienced that torture just one time and knew I could and HAD to find a solution.I’ve been low fat, whole food, plant based for 7 yrs. I am 45 and the timing seems very similar to my sister. She used OTC pain meds that did not help; she suffered.It’s good to learn from those who went before us. I hope my positive experience with raw ginger root will help someone else.Thanks Deitra for posting this. Could you give the approximate dose of raw ginger you used in grams?Sure, Sara. I just cut a chunk the size of my thumb and weighed it. It’s 10 grams. That was sufficient for 2 of my experiences. One other time that amount decreased my pain substantially but did not eliminate it so I used another piece, same size, and that totally eliminated the pain. I’m 5’9 and 118lbs so I’m not sure how variations in weight may or may not be a factor in the amount necessary for results.Thank you! I will try that :)Thanks Deitre. Worth a try. I already have fresh ginger in my green smoothies every day but I’ll try stepping it up and see what happens.I’m 46 but have had bad period pain since soon after getting my first period.Hi Trish, I used to suffer tremendously from pms. It’s improved a lot since becoming wfpb-vegan, and it seems to continue to get better, the longer I eat this way. I do have at least two tbsp of ground flaxseed every day, which I believe is the best way to keep any pms and menstrual cramps at bay. That’s what my experience is. Also, I believe I read about the flax seed thing somewhere, perhaps on this site, I can’t remember. Worth a try though. Good luck.I used to have SEVERE cramping with my periods, with hours of vomiting, diarrhea, and eventually passing out from the pain. This went on for years (actually decades) with almost every period. I finally figured out, just by trial and error, that during the months when I ate whole foods and NO PROCESSED SUGAR my periods became much easier and without pain. It got to the point that I wouldn’t even be able to tell when I was getting my period, as I didn’t even have any PMS symptoms of bloating, depression or the cravings for fatty, sugary foods that accompany it.lorilou: That’s a dramatic story. I’m so glad you figured it out!Dramatic in the worst way. Makes me sad to even think about. It was scary. I am a true believer that diet makes a huge difference with dysmenorrhea.Glad this worked for you. I gave up gluten in 2006 and it did wonders for my arthritis pain but had no effect pn my period pain.I gave up added sugar and processed carbs in 2009 for reactive hypoglycaemia. It had an amazing effect on my energy levels but unfortunately had no effect on my period pain.Following a low carb, gluten free vegan diet was very restrictive and I couldn’t even eat bananas because it would cause a hypoglycemic event.I went raw vegan a few months ago and feel best on this diet. I am able to eat fruit again and so long as I don’t go silly on deserts or dried fruit I have no hypoglycemic episodes. It is wonderful BUT it still has had no effect ony period pain :(Have you tried raw ginger root? See my post above for details. Good luck.A carb-restrictive diet is so unhealthy. Glad to hear you’re eating raw but have you heard of Raw Till 4?Ilana: If your blood level is less than 60ng/ml you can take more than 2000IU daily. Anyone who is heavier than average needs double at least 5000IU daily according to http://drholick.com and endocrine society. Anyone with high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, chronic infections 5-10000iU daily is necessary according to my experience. For the flu you can take 50000IU daily for a couple of weeks.I’ve been on a healthy low fat plant based diet for 4 moths to treat my dysmenorrhea and I’m 50% better. I’m still suffering a lot, and since I want to heal completely, I’m investigating the role of histamine for this issue: high histamine levels can lead to dysmenorrhea by raising estrogens levels and it can also give other symptoms all around the body. See this link form the ajcn http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/5/1185.full May this be the reason why women with endometriosis seem to improve on a gluten free diet? May dysmenorrhea be a sign of an allergy or intolerance? At his point I will try to reduce my consumption of histamine from food. Dr. Greger, Have you got any other info about this?Thanks for the link Sarah. For anyone else interested, scroll down to title Histamine and Sexual Hormones for the most pertinent points.My estrogen levels are actually low but I guess there could be a spike just before my periods.I’ll look into histamine in my diet (and any meds or supplements I take, take a big load of Vitamin D and increase my raw ginger intake. Those things and my improved vegan diet has gotta give me the best fighting chance to avoid a hysterectomy.I would love to be able to call up and cancel the op. I am on a waiting list so don’t have a date but apparently the list is presently fairly short.Thanks everyone for your suggestions and advice :)I’m wondering if you have any comments on the Maca Plant for hormone fluctuations? For some of us who are near 50, following a WFPB lifestyle for years, oil-free, taking vitamin D supplements, exercising, etc and still having huge hormonal swings, there has to be something else. Any suggestions or comments on Maca?	bloating,energy,hormones,Ibuprofen,inflammation,medications,menstruation,pain,plant-based diets,premenstrual syndrome,side effects,sleep,surgery,uterine health,vegans,vegetarians,vitamin D,weight loss,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/14/heart-disease-there-is-a-cure/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14583938,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17230282,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10674588,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22586231,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15686299,
PLAIN-128	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	Cayenne for Irritable Bowel	Nearly 50 million Americans come down with food poisoning every year. Over a hundred thousand are hospitalized and thousands die every year just because of something they ate. If they had ordered something different on the menu or chosen something else at the grocery store, they or their loved one might be alive today. But in the vast majority of cases, food poisoning manifests itself as little more than a case of “stomach flu”—a few days of pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and then it’s gone. So what’s the big deal? Well, as described in this recent editorial in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, in many cases, that acute infection can trigger a chronic “postinfectious functional gastrointestinal disorder” that can last for years or even forever. The two most common of which are irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia (chronic indigestion). Up to 10% of people stricken with Salmonella, E. coli, or Campylobacter are left with irritable bowel syndrome. The thought is that the “transitory inflammation during the infection leads to subtle but permanent changes in the structure and function of the digestive system,” causing the lining of the gut to become hyper-sensitized. How do they determine if someone’s rectum is hypersensitive? Innovative Japanese researchers developed a device to deliver “repetitive painful rectal distention.” Basically, the researchers hooked up a half-quart balloon to a fancy bicycle pump that was lubricated with olive oil, inserted it into the rectum and inflated it until the patients couldn’t stand the pain anymore. As you can see in my video, Cayenne Pepper for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Chronic Indigestion, those with IBS had a significantly lower pain threshold, significantly less “rectal compliance.” Healthy people felt the pain where we’d expect to feel the pain with, effectively, a balloon animal up their tush. But many with IBS also experienced abdominal pain, indicating a hypersensitivity of the entire gut wall. Well, if that’s the problem, how can we desensitize the gut? In my video, Hot Sauce in the Nose for Cluster Headaches?, we learned about the ability of hot pepper compounds to deplete pain fibers of substance P, a neurotransmitter used for transmitting pain. It’s bad enough to have to rub hot peppers up our nose, where do we have to stick them for irritable bowel? Thankfully researchers chose the oral route. The researchers concluded that “the chronic administration of red pepper powder in IBS patients with enteric-coated pills was significantly more effective than placebo in decreasing the intensity of abdominal pain and bloating, and was considered by the patients more effective than placebo,” suggesting a “novel way of dealing with this frequent and distressing functional disease.” After 48 million cases of annual food poisoning, 10% may end up with IBS. Even more may end up with chronic indigestion. How do peppers work against that? We can’t use whole peppers because then we couldn’t blind a placebo, but if we give capsules of red pepper powder to folks suffering from chronic indigestion—about one and a half teaspoons a day worth—and compare that to an identical-looking sugar pill, within a month their overall symptoms improved, including their stomach pain and their feelings of being bloated. They had less nausea, too. The frequently prescribed drug, Propulsid (cisapride), worked almost as well as the red pepper powder, and was considered generally well tolerated… that is, until it killed people. Propulsid was pulled from the market after causing dozens of deaths. I explore another natural treatment for IBS in Kiwi Fruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I’ve covered some of the long-term consequences of food poisoning in videos such as Poultry and Paralysis, Fecal Bacteria Survey, and Amnesic Seafood Poisoning. The meat industry is all over it, though: Check out my videos  Viral Meat Spray and Maggot Meat Spray. Why is it legal to sell meat tainted with our leading foodborne killer? Find out in Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal and 	Dr. Greger, this is really great info. I’m 25 and I’ve had chronic bloating for years now. I don’t know what started it but I read that an infection can trigger IBS. I have a gastro doc whose tested me for everything and wants to do the pill cam test to see if I have delayed gastric emptying, he said ibds is a last resort/after everything else is ruled out diagnosis. I heard someone refer to that as a trashcan diagnosis. Anyways, my eczema has become more hyper sensitive since then and I can only imagine it has something to do with it since gut/flora health are so intertwined. I wonder if you have any info on gut lining health/intestinal permeability/leaky gut/gut tight junctions in relation to flora, gut issues and other health issues like allergies or auto immune conditions. Maybe something to look into. I’ll stay tuned! ☺OBS is often related too leaky gut and poor villi function. This is often the result of our being poisoned. Peopple (docs included) forget that our billi is strongly effected by our lymphatic system, and lymph carries everything that the liver cannot remove (like all those human chemical inventions that we did not evolve around).I wonder how the chronic bloating/distention is related to probably leaky gut. I don’t seem to have any other symptoms besides the chronic distention/bloat and sometimes often belching. There just seems to be a lot of air, either it’s a normal amount being trapped by a spastic intestine/colon or it’s an abnormal larger amount being trapped. Idk. You’re right about how all these things are connected though I’m not too familiar with the lymphatic system in relation to our health.I still don’t understand this. Most people with IBS have a lot of trouble tolerating spicy food…. so how is it supposed to help?I believe folks think they cannot tolerate CHILE, when in fact, they can’t’ tolerate “greasie.” Get the fat out then see how great capsacins (chiles) are!It is possible to have bad reactions to plants in the nightshade family (chilies, capsicums, potatoes). Some people do not tolerate them. | Other people cannot handle spicy food well, even with no fat in the meal at all. In some people it simply very rapidly through the gut, causing belly issues.Also, given the high antioxidant level of chilies and how toxic most western people are, some people could *EASILY* be having a herxheimer reaction (they are producing far too many free radical metabolites at once).We live in a very polluted world. In very toxic people (including people with CFS, FMS, MCS, parkinson’s, IBS, etc) it is not uncommon to lose the ability to eat foods that detox : cabbage, onions, garlic, broccoli and cauliflower… at least until a person has detoxed enough to not be poisoned by the results of the sudden veggie detox. Some people must take detoxing VERY VERY slowly.My wife (who has FMS/CFS/MCS and other issues) had to start on a 1/16th teaspoon dose of MSM per day and a 1/4 teaspoon dose of Noni juice. Any more and she became very ill (muscle pain, spasms, gut craps, headaches) – and now after many years of daily detox, she takes both of those by the teaspoon. She also had to start her nebulized glutathion (part of the wonderful protocol of Dr Pall, for Fibromyalgia) at very low amounts too (herx reaction again).As for me – both of us lost the ability to safely eat : cabbage, onions, garlic, broccoli and cauliflower. These are all natural detox foods.I got all mine back (yay) in the last year, and she has only manged to handle eating garlic and small amounts of spring onion.Be wary of noni juice, it attacks the liver: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/Would like to try cayenne and see if it helps my IBS. Would much prefer just using the powder, than capsules…….do we think that would work well enough? Or is it important that the powder get to the colon before being released? Thx,That’s awesome. And hahaha I know you had a lot of fun writing this one!! ;) cracking up – a balloon animal up their tush ;) ha!I might be cayenne’s high content of vitamin C that helps reduce IBS, not the heat (see burning) of the pepper.Thanks for the link to that blog, I haven’t come across this, looks like a lot of great info right in my direction; I’ll be sure to read up on this.I did see that video, that’s where I first heard of quercetin helping a leaky gut and recently decided to try some. I previously only knew of vitamin d and l-glutamine for tightening those tight junctions in the gut. I wonder if Klaper has any other info on this.how much should you take every day?I’ve recently been diagnosed with SIBO. There seems to be a lot of contradictory information about what I should and shouldn’t eat. If I take out what everyone said, I’m basically left with meat, eggs, and squash. I don’t want to eat meat though, so I’ve been pretty much starving. Can you shed some light on this topic? Thanks.How many capsules is this? He never gives out dosage on these types of videos.	abdominal pain,bloating,campylobacter,capsaicin,Cayenne pepper,chronic diseases,dyspepsia,e. coli,food poisoning,foodborne illness,indigestion,inflammation,irritable bowel kiwi fruit,medications,mortality,nausea,pain,peppers,Propulcid,salmonella,side effects,spices,spicy food,stomach health,substance P,syndrome	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21666422,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22664848,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8527013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21573941,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19925683,
PLAIN-129	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/10/natural-treatment-for-cluster-headaches/	Natural Treatment for Cluster Headaches	In a study “Secretion, Pain and Sneezing Induced by the Application of Capsaicin to the Nasal Mucosa in Man,” researchers found that if we cut a hot pepper and rub it inside our nostrils, our nose will start running, hurting, and we’ll start sneezing (capsaicin is the burning component of hot peppers). Why would anyone do this experiment? Anyone who’s handled hot peppers knows if it gets up your nose it causes an intense burning sensation. However, the researchers noted, “this phenomenon has not been formally investigated.” So they decided it “appeared worthwhile to study the effects produced by the topical application of capsaicin in the human [nose].” It appeared worthwhile because… it had never been done before. So they took some medical students, dripped some in their nose and the poor students started sneezing, burning, and snotting — describing the pain at about eight or nine on a scale of one to ten. No surprise, but here’s the interesting part: What happened when they repeated the experiment the next day? You’d think they might be sensitized to it, still all irritated, so it might hurt even worse, but no–it hurt less. Then they did it again the next day and the next. By day five it hardly hurt at all, they didn’t even get a runny nose. Day ten, and still nothing. Were they permanently numbed? No. After a month or so the desensitization wore off and they were back in agony whenever they tried rubbing it in their nose. What the researchers think is happening is that the pain fibers, the nerves that carry pain sensation, dumped so much of the pain neurotransmitter (called substance P) that they ran out. Day after day of this, the nerves had exhausted their stores and could no longer transmit pain messages until they made more from scratch, which took a couple weeks. This gave researchers an idea. There’s a rare headache syndrome called cluster headache. It has been described as one of the worst pains humans experience. Few, if any, medical disorders are more painful. It’s nicknamed the “suicide headache” because patients often consider taking or have taken their lives over it. It’s thought to be caused by arterial dilation putting pressure on the trigeminal nerve in the face. Treatments involve everything from nerve blocks to Botox to surgery. But that same nerve goes down to the nose. What if we cause the whole nerve to dump all its substance P? Same as before, daily capsaicin was applied in the nose and by day five, they could hardly feel it any more. As seen in my video, Hot Sauce in the Nose for Cluster Headaches?, what the wimpy medical students rated as an eight or nine on the pain scale, those used to the violence of the cluster headache attacks rated a three or four. So, after having achieved desensitization, what happened to their headaches? Cluster headaches are one-sided headaches; there’s only pain on one side of the head. Those who rubbed capsaicin in the nostril on the opposite side of the head had nothing happen. They started out having around 40 attacks a day, and a month later the headaches were still going strong. Those that rubbed capsaicin in the nostril on the side of the head where the headaches were, cut the average number of attacks in half, and in fact half the patients were cured–the cluster headaches were gone completely. All in all, 80% responded, which is at least equal to if not better than all the current therapies out there. This extraordinary effect reminds me of the findings in Lavender for Migraine Headaches. Headache sufferers may additionally want to experiment with avoiding potential triggers such as aspartame (see my video Diet Soda and Preterm Birth). Saffron may also help with headaches (Saffron for the Treatment of PMS), and so might avoiding certain parasites (Pork Tapeworms on the Brain and Avoiding Epilepsy Through Diet). A note of caution, though: Pregnant migraine sufferers seeking natural remedies should be wary of advice they may get (Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees). Those eating healthy diets are less likely to be on pain medications in general (Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants). See, for example: Might the consumption of hot peppers also successfully desensitize the gut? Find out in my video, Cayenne Pepper for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Chronic Indigestion. 	That is so crazy, but also awesome :)Hi Dr. Greger I helped my brother stop his cluster headaches (he had contemplated suicide previous they were so bad). Since I knew that herpes had been found to be involved in arteriosclerosis and I knew what aggravated my own fever blister outbreaks (I can only eat high arginine nuts if I stay away from dairy). I believe the milk products stimulate some kind of autoimmune overreaction; certainly in myself dairy causes some kind of blister forming overreaction – perhaps related to the mucus they.produce. So I surmised that herpes in his arteries could be causing swelling and pressure. Be that as it may I told him to stop smoking and give up dairy (and animal foods in general) and the cluster headaches he usually had a couple times a month, lasting in 3-6 months cycles, went away permanently until he died over 5 years later from a heart attack (he had gone back to animal foods as a result of the influence of a relationship with someone who liked to go out to eat fast foods a lot) sigh. I think they will eventually find the connection; anyway I think you are a nutritional genius thank you so much for all your efforts.Martha: Great job figuring that out. I’m sorry you lost your brother. You made a significant difference in his life. I’m sure he appreciated you greatly.Thanks for sharing your story!I used to suffer from migraine headaches. Several years ago, I was in a NYU headache study, hospitalized for a week. All the medications I had to take, including one that was a pen injection, had side effects. My son, was into vitamin supplements, and who go to the India store to get spices that he used as medicine. He brought me Turmeric Extract and Magnesium from Vitamin Shop. I took them and my headache lifted, it went away, and I did not feel woozy, or lightheaded, like I did with the medications. That was over a decade ago, I am still taking Turmeric Extract and Magnesium and have never had another migraine headache. The migraines lasted for days and I seriously thought that death was better than the pain.Fungi might help, too. https://www.neurology.org/content/66/12/1920.abstractRe: ‘ “suicide headache” ‘…caused by arterial dilation putting pressure on the trigeminal nerve in the face.’ FYI- our dog died& that’s when the TMJ began…being hit by a car/falling out of a tree was nothing compared to the kaleidoscope of pain that ensued…after a month, the mechanic’s part of my brain kicked in: it takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile…turned that dead dog eared frown upsidedown…hasta la vista TMJ. Those 43 muscles not only bear down on the hefty tmj , but on the fragile nerves as well…what came first, the chicken or the egg,eh?Stress and other mental related disorders affect people, due to the hectic lifestyle that we lead nowadays. Kratom Capsules products also make one feel calmer and ensure that one is more alert. At Purkratom.com we supply our customers Pure Quality Kratom Capsules to relieve with this type of problem.My grand mother of 83 years old have got Herpes zoster few weeks ago and she have for 3 days the terrible postherpetic neuralgia. a chronic pain for few seconds many times a day. it was very intense each time. normally when is that bad , Doctors give Opiate drugs, but she can not take for other reasons.and what they give to her dint work at all . So i tried (after read hear about it) putting cayenne with olive oil in her skin in all the area of pain. 4 times a day. in one day the attacks reduce in intensity and quantity more than 80 % she just have pain in little area that i didn’t put the spicy oil . so i did there. and the next day and next 6 days (until now) there is no pain at all. (more than the strange feeling that the virus give you)(now i’m putting the oil 2 times a day and there is no irritation,) (note that i put the oil on top of the already cure skin) and she didn’t have any bad sensation during that, not burn not pain,and she was careful that she dont touch eyes or nous with the oil.ps:my aunt has that a year ago, and the postherpetic neuralgia remain for a month when she was taking very strong opiate drugs. and thats the time that you expect to have this pain.. so im looking foward to know more about this natural pain killer :) thank you!2ps: by the way she now is on plant based diet (it is in my hands), with all the best i could do with anti inflammatory food and surprised her memory and attention came back. and her doc have to minimize high pressure pill to half. in two weeks.and since a week she is eating high lysine low arginine foods for the virus	alternative medicine,chili peppers,cluster headaches,complementary medicine,headaches,pain,peppers,suicide,surgery	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22496300,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19272284,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3370386,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7708405,
PLAIN-130	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	Foods With Natural Melatonin	We know that inadequate sleeping is associated with changes in diet—people tend to eat worse—but what about the opposite question: Can food affect sleep? In a study on kiwifruit, this seemed possible (see Kiwifruit For Insomnia), but the mechanism the researchers suggested for the effect—the serotonin levels in kiwifruit—doesn’t make any sense, since serotonin can’t cross the blood-brain barrier. We can eat all the serotonin we want and it shouldn’t affect our brain chemistry. A different brain chemical, though, melatonin, can get from our gut to our brain. Melatonin is a hormone secreted at night by the pineal gland in the center of our brain to help regulate our circadian rhythm. Supplements of the stuff are used to prevent and reduce jet lag, and about 20 years ago MIT got the patent to use melatonin to help people sleep. But melatonin “is not only produced in the pineal gland—it is also naturally present in edible plants.” That might explain the results of a study, “Effects of a Tart Cherry Juice Beverage on the Sleep of Older Adults with Insomnia” (See Tart Cherries for Insomnia). The research group had been doing an earlier study on tart cherry juice as a sports recovery drink. There’s a phytonutrient in cherries with anti-inflammatory effects on par with drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen, so the researchers were trying to see whether tart cherry juice could reduce muscle soreness after exercise. During the study, some of the participants anecdotally noted that they were sleeping better on the cherries. That was unexpected, but the researchers realized that cherries were a source of melatonin so they put them to the test. The reason they chose older subjects is that melatonin production tends to drop as we age, which may be one reason why there’s a higher insomnia rates among the elderly. So, they took a group of older men and women suffering from chronic insomnia and put half on cherries and half on placebo. They couldn’t use whole cherries for the study—how could you fool people with a placebo cherry? So they used cherry juice versus cherry Kool-Aid. They found that participants did in fact sleep a little better on the cherry juice. The effect was modest, but significant. Some, for example, fell to sleep a few minutes faster and had 17 fewer minutes of waking after sleep onset (waking up in the middle of the night). It was no insomnia cure, but it helped—without side effects. How do we know it was the melatonin, though? They repeated the study, this time measuring the melatonin levels, and indeed saw a boost in circulating melatonin levels after the cherry juice, but not after the Kool-Aid. Similar results were found in people eating the actual cherries—seven different varieties boosted melatonin levels and actual sleep times. The effects of all the other phytonutrients in cherries can’t be precluded—maybe they helped too—but if it is the melatonin, there are more potent sources than cherries. Orange bell peppers have a lot, as do walnuts—and a tablespoon of flaxseeds has about as much as a tomato. See the chart in my video Tart Cherries for Insomnia. The melatonin content of tomatoes was suggested as one of the reasons traditional Mediterranean diets were so healthy. They have less melatonin than the tart cherries, but people may eat a lot more tomatoes than cherries. Sweet cherries have 50 times less melatonin than tart ones; dried cherries appear to have none. A few spices are pretty potent: just a teaspoon of fenugreek or mustard seeds has as much as a few tomatoes.  The bronze and silver go to almonds and raspberries, though. And the gold goes to gojis. Goji berries were just off the charts. Aren’t goji berries really expensive, though? Not if you buy them as lycium berries. Check out my video Are Goji Berries Good for You? I’ve previously explored Human Neurotransmitters in Plants in the context of boosting serotonin levels in the brain to improve mood. See: Melatonin may also play a role in cancer prevention. See Melatonin & Breast Cancer. 	Thanks for this. Until recently I never had trouble sleeping anywhere, any time. After I creeped over 50, that all changed. I’ll buy sour cherry juice and kiwi. I already eat gogi berries. Thanks for the other video explaining how to save on cost. I also ordered three plants so I can grow my own in my house. Gogi’s are delicious!I’m now very wary of imported food. The testing of these foods is not adequate. As far as I know, the USDA does not test for heavy metals. So the USDA Organic certification doesn’t mean that these foods are free of heavy metals.Recently Organic India, a large company that represented itself as having the very highest standards paid a large settlement for having lead levels that violated CA prop. 65. Most of Organic India’s many products now have stickers in California warning about possible toxicity. You can google Organic India and “lead” for documents.I think the beneficial nutrients in these imported products and foods is worth ingesting lead or other toxins.But what quantity of the goji berries (or lyceum) have that sleep impact. I watch my weight and don’t like to eat too much fruit. I’d rather eat veggies.I’ve been to several Asian food stores and the cheapest Goji Berries were $15 1 pound. Better than Whole Foods but still pricey. Same goes for on line. Guess the lycium berry vendors have caught up with the goji berry vendors.Is there any real difference between Chinese Wolfberries and Tibetan/Mongolian goji berries?BobGoji berries grow like weeds, even here in the UK. In fact, you can often find them out in the countryside, or along canal towpaths or railway sidings. If you live somewhere you can do a bit of gardening, check them out – just chuck the seeds on the ground, sprinkle a little mulch over them, and totally ignore them. They thrive on neglect, weirdly enough, and produce quite a lot of berries per bush.Karen: I can’t thank you enough for this tip. I just bought some giant planters to put outside in my backyard and was trying to figure out what to grow in them. I wanted to put food, but wasn’t sure what. I love the idea of growing my own goji berries. But where you really got me was, “totally ignore them. They thrive on neglect…” I’m in LOVE!!!! That’s totally the only kind of plant I can grow. I’m going to give it a try! Thanks a bunch.Correction—I *don’t* think the beneficial nutrients in these imported products and foods is worth ingesting lead or other toxins.Do dried goji berries have melatonin? Fresh are hard to find and pricey.I think that can be answered by finding the deterioration point of melatonin temperature wise. Just as water boils at 212°F so do the nutrients and minerals die AKA dead water.I’m not sure that temperature is the culprit. Commercial cherry juice is pasteurized yet is used in these studies. That’s why I’m mystified that dried cherries have no melatonin. The temperatures used for dehydration is much lower than that used for pasteurization. I wonder if the melatonin-less dried cherries mentioned in the article are sour cherries, which have significantly more melatonin than sweet cherries.The effects of all the other phytonutrients in cherries can’t be precluded—maybe they helped too—but if it is the melatonin, there are more potent sources than cherries. http://qr.net/sqr6These articles seem to contradict each other on the efficacy of kiwi. I guess it’s the more affordable option, but I wonder if the small Anna kiwis work as well. I have those growing in my yard.Dr Greger, this is a serious question and I expect an answer. Flaxseeds/Linseeds are often included in Breakfast Cereals and Granola recipes and consumed for Bowel regularity and Omega-3 content. If Flaxseed increases circulating Melatonin levels, it is likely to make you sleepy and tired. So, is breakfast (ie: morning time) the wrong time to consume Flaxseed?Goji are a member of the nightshade group of plants. Nightshades have history of causing serious pain and discomfort for some of us with arthritis and other physical ailments. My experience has been that all nightshade fruits and veggies should be abstained from if one suffers physical pain, and if one has history or genes that suggest possibility of any future neurological diseases.Dr. Greger, Years ago I heard that green tea was a good source of melatonin. Do you know if there is anything to that claim?Hello Dr Greger, I’m a bit confused by this sentence: “We can eat all the serotonin we want and it shouldn’t affect our brain chemistry.” In the video series The Wrong, A better and The best way to boost serotonin levels it is suggested that certain foods do affect the amount of serotonin in our brain. For example by eating seeds. Or did I misunderstood these video’s? Thank youHere is a recipe I came up with to help my wife sleep. Alisa’s Nightime Sleepy Cereal: Mix of dried goji berries (I hope they are still effective dried), walnuts, and sesame/chia seed honey clusters; with soy milk.Melatonin + Tryptophan (to cross blood brain barrier) + Calcium (for melatonin production from tryptophan) + B6 (for manufacture of melatonin & serotonin from typtophan) + Magnesium (to stay asleep) + small blood sugar spike for tryptophan uptakeCould the doc let us know what he thinks of melatonin supplements and dose? Is the supplement safe? Since it is a harmone could this be another vitamin A type situation (harmful)? All the info out there says it is GRAS…but no studies?Hi Rootman, thanks for reposting. Whenever we can obtain the natural chemicals found in plants it’s preferred. Supplements typically come with risks and they are often, if not always, poorly controlled/tested for quality. Have you seen Dr. Greger’s video on melatonin and breast cancer? He lists more foods that appear to boost melatonin levels. One study concludes “​Long term enteral melatonin supplementation may result in a decreased need for sedation, with improved neurological indicators and cost reduction. Further multicenter evaluations are required to confirm these results with different sedation protocols.” Keep in mind these were ICU patients. Another study looked at the safety of multiple herbal supplements in lactating women stating “These herbals include black cohosh, cranberry, echinacea, evening primrose, garlic, ginseng, melatonin, milk thistle, and St John’s wort. Studies varied greatly with regard to study design, herbal intervention, and outcome measures. Findings suggested that dietary/herbal supplements have not been evaluated in high-quality clinical trials, and there is limited evidence supporting safety of use, particularly among lactating women.” We have more videos on melatonin that may help, but I cannot say with certainty the safety of taking melatonin supplements or their dosage. I suggest asking your doctor for clarification if that type of supplement is right for you.Thank you for your reply. I doubt if an MD knows anything about it… We need some real studies..Here is one relating to a subject that Dr Gregor may be interested in….Protective effects of melatonin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester against retinal oxidative stress in long-term use of mobile phone: a comparative study. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16317515…are cell phones bad? “Is radiating your head good, bad or neutral”https://www.academia.edu/5611299/MELATONIN_EFFECTS_AND_BENEFITS_IN_THE_HUMAN_BODY-_RSH_copyhttp://www.vws.org/documents/Cell-Project-Documents/7Dr.CherryEvidence.pdfHi, just wondering if you can provide a source for the levels of melatonin in raspberries. I did a quick google and could only find blogs and such providing the info.	aging,almonds,aspirin,bell peppers,berries,breast cancer,breast health,cancer,cherries,dried fruit,elderly,exercise,fenugreek,flax seeds,fruit,fruit juice,goji berries,hormones,Ibuprofen,inflammation,insomnia,juice,kiwi fruit,medications,Mediterranean diet,melatonin,muscle health,mustard seeds,nuts,phytonutrients,pineal gland,raspberries,seeds,serotonin,side effects,sleep,spices,sports drinks,tart cherries,tomatoes,walnuts	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20536683,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22038497,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21432696,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20438325,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22652369,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12076414,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21669584,
PLAIN-131	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/	Two Kiwifruit an Hour Before Bedtime	The number one question in sleep research is “Why do we sleep?” followed by the question,“How much sleep do we need?” After literally hundreds of studies, we still don’t know the best answer to either question. A few years ago, I featured a large, 100,000-person study which suggested that both short and long sleep duration were associated with increased mortality, with people getting around seven hours of sleep living longest (See Optimal Sleep Duration). Since then, a meta-analysis that included over a million people was published, and found the same thing. We still don’t know, however, whether “sleep duration is a cause or simply a marker of ill health.” Maybe sleeping too little or too long does make us unhealthy—or maybe we see the associated shortened lifespan because being unhealthy causes us to sleep shorter or longer. Similar work has now been published on cognitive function. After controlling for a long list of factors, men and women in their 50s and 60s getting seven or eight hours appeared to have the best short-term memory compared to those that got much more or much less. The same thing was just demonstrated with immune function where “both reduced and prolonged habitual sleep durations were associated with an increased risk of pneumonia.” It’s easy to not get too much sleep—just set an alarm. But what if we’re having problems getting enough? What if we’re one of the one in three adults that suffer symptoms of insomnia? There are sleeping pills like Valium that we can take in the short term, but they have a number of adverse side effects. Non-pharmacological approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy are often difficult, time-consuming, and not always effective. Wouldn’t it be great to have “natural treatments that can improve both sleep onset and help patients improve the quality of sleep while improving next-day symptoms over the long term?” What about a study on kiwifruit, featured in my video, Kiwifruit for Insomnia? Participants were given two kiwifruit an hour before bed every night for four weeks. Why kiwifruits? Well, people with sleep disorders tend to have high levels of oxidative stress, so maybe antioxidant rich foods might help? But all fruits and vegetables have antioxidants. Kiwifruits contain twice the serotonin of tomatoes—but it shouldn’t cross the blood-brain barrier. Kiwifruit has folate, and a deficiency might cause insomnia—but there’s a lot more folate in some other plant foods. The reason they studied kiwifruits is because they got grant money from a kiwifruit company. And I’m glad they did because they found some really remarkable results: significantly improved sleep onset, duration, and efficiency using both subjective and objective measurements. Participants went from sleeping an average of six hours a night to seven—by just eating a few kiwifruits. More on the power of kiwis in my videos Kiwifruit and DNA Repair and Kiwifruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and more on sleep in Sleep & Immunity. Videos on other natural remedies for various conditions include: 	Ah, so they got some grant $$ from a kiwifruit company, huh? Other than the fact that I have no trouble sleeping at night (am even able to take a short nap during the afternoon), I’d never eat anything an hour before bedtime, anyway. Heck, I’d have brushed/flossed my teeth hours earlier, soon after I had my last meal of the day — am not about to sully them up with yet more food.I’m thinking a lot of those folks who have problems with insomnia just don’t get enough physical exercise during the daytime hours. Too much butt sitting is not healthy.I hear that kiwi is a kin to banana. I can’t eat banana, so I haven’t wanted to pursue the kiwi. Maybe someone can tell me what the relationship is. I can see it in the cross section a bit.Also, about eating before bed, I learned that eating an apple before bed, eliminated that GERD action at night. Guess what? IT WORKS! Not the topic, but thought I’d pass that along!I also concur that an apple before bed will calm down digestive problems like GERD.I like to take days of ‘forced sleep’ where I sleep longer than per regular schedule. I often find 10-12 hours refreshing and energizing. My mind is clearer, appetite reduced, attitude much calmer after one of these bouts of sleep. Whether I am deeply asleep or not, just being rested is wonderful for me. I think for me the purpose of sleep is to remove stress and allow the body to function without need of constant reaction and departure from homeostasis. In that state, renewals, readjustments, restorations can happen I didn’t know I needed.Bananas are better. Two bannas before bed timeAs much as I’d love to believe that two kiwis are all you need for a good night’s sleep….I’d have to see a better study to be convinced. Participants knew they were eating kiwi and that their sleep was being monitored—could be the placebo effect. Would have liked a comparison—-kiwi versus eating an ounce of walnuts or an apple, for example. I’m not sure this research is up to Dr. G’s usual standards…Yes, double blind studies are very hard to near impossible with whole foods.While you’re waiting for an independent study to confirm this, have you got anything to lose by trying a couple of kiwis?I’m 9 months in a vegan pregnancy, never had any problems at all, just now i start to find sleeping a bit difficult. Yesterday night i couldn’t sleep, i got up ad ate 6-7 kiwis, just cause i crave them. Slept soundlyApril fools!	aging,alternative medicine,antioxidants,cognition,complementary medicine,folate,fruit,immune function,industry influence,insomnia,kiwi fruit,lifespan,longevity,medications,memory,mortality,oxidative stress,pneumonia,serotonin,sleep,sleeping pills,tomatoes,Valium,vegetables	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12531146,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21532950,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21669584,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647783/,
PLAIN-132	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/	Can We Fight the Blues With Greens?	Why does frequent consumption of vegetables appear to cut one’s odds of depression by more than half? And “frequent” was defined as eating vegetables not 3 or more times a day, but just 3 or more times a week. A 2012 study was found that eliminating animal products improved mood within two weeks. The researchers blamed arachidonic acid, found primarily in chicken and eggs, which might adversely impact mental health via a cascade of brain inflammation. More on this inflammatory omega-6 fatty acid in: But better moods on plant-based diets could also be from the good stuff in plants—a class of phytonutrients that cross the blood brain barrier into our heads. A recent review in the journal, Nutritional Neuroscience, suggests that eating lots of fruits and vegetables “may present a noninvasive natural and inexpensive therapeutic means to support a healthy brain.” But how? To understand the latest research, we need to understand the underlying biology of depression—the so-called monoamine theory of depression. It’s the idea that depression may arise out of a chemical imbalance in the brain. In my video Fighting the Blues with Greens? I run through an oversimplified version. One of the ways the billions of nerves in our brain communicate with one another is through chemical signals called neurotransmitters. Two nerve cells don’t actually touch—there’s a physical gap between them. To bridge that gap, when one nerve wants to tap the other on the shoulder it releases chemicals into that gap, including three monoamines: serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. These neurotransmitters then float over to the other nerve to get its attention. The first nerve then sucks them back in to be reused the next time it wants to talk. It’s also constantly manufacturing more monoamines, and an enzyme, monoamine oxidase, is constantly chewing them up to maintain just the right amount. The way cocaine works is by acting as a monoamine re-uptake inhibitor. It blocks the first nerve from sucking back up these three chemicals and so there’s a constant tapping on the shoulder—constant signaling—to the next cell. Amphetamines work in the same way but also increase the release of monoamines. Ecstasy works like speed, but just causes comparatively more serotonin release. After awhile, the next nerve may say “enough already!” and down-regulate its receptors to turn down the volume. It puts in earplugs. So we need more and more of the drug to get the same effect, and then when we’re not on the drug we may feel crappy because normal volume transmission just isn’t getting through. Antidepressants are thought to work along similar mechanisms. People who are depressed appear to have elevated levels of monoamine oxidase in their brain. That’s the enzyme that breaks down those neurotransmitters. In the video mentioned previously, I show the levels of monoamine oxidase in the brains of depressed individuals versus healthy individuals. If the levels of our neurotransmitter-eating enzyme is elevated, then our levels of neurotransmitters drops, and we become depressed (or so the theory goes). So a number of different classes of drugs have been developed. The tricyclic antidepressants, named because they have three rings like a tricycle, appear to block norepinephrine and dopamine re-uptake, and so even though our enzymes may be eating these up at an accelerated rate, what gets released sticks around longer. Then there were the SSRIs (the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) like Prozac. Now we know what that means—they just block the re-uptake of serotonin. Then there are drugs that just block the re-uptake of norepinephrine, or block dopamine re-uptake, or a combination. But if the problem is too high levels of monoamine oxidase, why not just block the enzyme? Make a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. They did, but monoamine oxidase inhibitors are considered drugs of last resort because of serious side effects—not the least of which is the dreaded “cheese effect,” where eating certain foods while on the drug can have potentially fatal consequences. If only there was a way to dampen the activity of this enzyme without the whole bleed-into-our-brain-and-die thing. Now we can finally talk about the latest theory as to why fruits and vegetables may improve our mood. There are inhibitors of the depression-associated enzyme in various plants. There are phytonutrients in spices, such as clove, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg, that inhibit monoamine oxidase, but people don’t eat enough spices to get enough into the brain. A certain dark green leafy has a lot, but its name is tobacco, which may actually be one of the reasons cigarettes make smokers feel so good. OK, but what if we don’t want brain bleeds or lung cancer? Well, there is a phytonutrient found in apples, berries, grapes, kale, onions, and green tea that may indeed affect our brain biology enough to improve our mood, which may help explain why those eating plant-based diets tend to have superior mental health. For other natural treatments for mental illness, check out: 	This is fascinating. Once again a one minute eduction improves my resolves to eat the right things (plants) and eschew the wrong things (animals). Thank you!I live in Seattle so there’s a constant fight with weather-related mood issues to add to whatever you bring. The lowering or stopping of meat eating does seem to make mood less solidly grey. I am wondering if some of it is chemistry (you need lots of acid to digest it). And possibly some is also blood flow reduction (the saturated fat). There can be good effects on mood from taking nitric oxide supplements such as Arginine-citrulline formulas, and Neo40 lozenges. I’m over 40 so have to take both of these to get an effect. But comparing these supplements to antidepressants, these supplements affected a larger area of energy in the body than just the brain–they pour the life back into everything, it seems to me. So if you examine spinach and beets, two outstanding sources of nitrates, there’s strong direct chemical creation of nitric oxide from plant-derived nitrates. Nitrates become nitrites from action of bacteria in saliva, then pass on to the acidic stomach and become nitric oxide right there. But nitrates also are recycled from gut back to the saliva in an endless loop. This is the backup mechanism for older people whose arterial linings are shot and can’t make nitric oxide from arginine as would younger people. The use of both arginine and sodium nitrite supplements like Neo40 (neogenis.com) effectively raises my nitric oxide levels to a good high target range in just a day or two, with great effect on mood and energy levels. It’s really quite amazing. But…I also include beets and greens in fairly steady amounts through the week, higher than the average American by far would probably eat. I juice them and blend them, etc. The turmeric supplement can elevate mood for me, also, but not provide much energy release in the body. It’s got some benefits so I add that too! :)KaniwaPlease post info about Kaniwa or Chenopodium pallidicaule, this was featured on Dr. Oz. How much phytates does it have?Thanks. :)Thanks for the info.This could explain why the Atkins-people are so grumpy….. :-)What about these findings: “Vegetarians displayed elevated prevalence rates for depressive disorders, anxiety disorders and somatoform disorders. Due to the matching procedure, the findings cannot be explained by socio-demographic characteristics of vegetarians (e.g. higher rates of females, predominant residency in urban areas, high proportion of singles). The analysis of the respective ages at adoption of a vegetarian diet and onset of a mental disorder showed that the adoption of the vegetarian diet tends to follow the onset of mental disorders. Conclusion: vegetarian diet is associated with an elevated risk of mental disorders”.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22676203“there was no evidence for a causal role of vegetarian diet in the etiology of mental disorders.”The community sample does not represent the population. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=moodToxins, I value your opinion, could you please also comment on the following?http://authoritynutrition.com/7-ways-the-low-fat-diet-destroys-your-health/It is based on several studies.Why I’m asking, 4 weeks ago I switched to a low fat vegan diet (whole foods, plenty of flax seeds, nuts, green veggies, fruits, lentils, peas, etc.) and feel like crap – weakness, fatigue, brain fog, sleepiness, very low mood, etc. My doctor insists that I should switch to high fat paleo-like diet instead…I commented here on this http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/#comment-1410011224Toxins, or somebody else from the NF Team, please, what is you opinion about deficiency in a vegan diet of:1. Creatine. Studies show that vegetarians have a deficiency in creatine that leads to adverse effects on muscle and brain function.”2. Carnosine. Found strictly in animal tissues. Many researchers have speculated that animal foods may protect the brain and body against aging due to their large amount of carnosine.3. Taurine. Amino acid found only in animal foods, and it plays an important role in brain development, maintaining healthy blood pressure, controlling blood glucose, reducing oxidative stress, and preventing damage to your retinas. Although your body can synthesize some taurine most individuals can’t produce enough of it to satisfy their needs without a direct dietary source, and at least one study has shown that vegan men have much lower levels of plasma taurine than nonvegetarians.4. DHA. Critical for proper function of the brain. Many people who avoid animal products, supplement with flax seed instead, which is a great source of ALA… a plant form of Omega-3. However, ALA needs to be converted to DHA. Studies show that this conversion process is notoriously ineffective in humans. For this reason, vegans and vegetarians are deficient in this very important fatty acid.5. Vitamin K2. Critical for a healthy heart and skeletal system. Among other things, it helps shuttle calcium out of your arteries (where it contributes to plaque formation) and into your bones and teeth. Unlike vitamin K1, which is abundant in some vegan foods like dark leafy greens, vitamin K2 is only found in certain bacteria and animal products such as dairy, organ meats, and eggs.And that’s without mentioning B12 and D). How can be a whole plants vegan diet be sustainable if you need to take at least 7 supplements daily??? (B12, D, DHA, creatine, carnosine, taurine, K2), not mentioning calcium, iodine, iron and selenium. Help!	alternative medicine,amphetamines,aneurism,animal products,apples,arachidonic acid,berries,brain disease,brain health,cheese effect,chicken,cinnamon,cloves,cocaine,complementary medicine,depression,dopamine,ecstasy,eggs,fruit,grapes,Green tea,inflammation,kale,lung cancer,lung health,MAO Inhibitors,medications,mental health,mood,nutmeg,onions,oregano,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,prozac,serotonin,side effects,smoking,spices,tobacco,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22333737,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3355196/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22176686,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17088501,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8255365,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21190052,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22947380,
PLAIN-133	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/	Starving Tumors of Their Blood Supply 	About a third of common cancers may be prevented by eating a healthy, plant-based diet; being physically active; and maintaining a healthy weight. One of the ways plants may help is by cutting off the supply lines to cancerous tumors. A tumor cannot grow without a blood supply. Currently, it is believed that a tumor mass cannot exist in a volume greater than about the size of the ball at the tip of a ballpoint pen without a proper blood supply. This indicates that angiogenesis, the creation of new blood vessels, is critical to tumor growth. Each one of us has cancer cells in us right now. One study describes how “by age 70, microscopic cancers are detected in the thyroid glands of virtually everyone. Most of these tumors never cause problems or become clinically significant, leading to the concept of ‘cancer without disease’ as a normal state during aging.” Cancer cells are commonly present in the body, but they can’t grow into tumors any bigger than that tiny dot size–no more than 10 million cancer cells–before needing to get hooked up to a blood supply. One way cancer turns on the tap is silencing certain tumor suppressor genes. How do we turn them back on? See, for example, Apple Skin: Peeling Back Cancer. Another way tumors commandeer a blood supply is by diabolically releasing angiogenic factors, chemicals that cause new blood vessels to sprout into the tumor. The most important one is called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). But we may be able to suppress VEGF with veggies. Many of the phytonutrients we know and love in tea, spices, fruit, berries, broccoli, and beans can block cancer’s stimulation of new blood vessels. They’re ideal for prophylactic long-term use against breast cancer because of their reliability, availability, safety, and affordable price. A recent review concluded that we now have “convincing evidence that dietary plant constituents possess the unique ability to affect tumor angiogenesis, which may be deemed advantageous in the prevention and treatment of human breast cancer and other tumors.” Most of these studies have only been done in a petri dish, though. Researchers stimulate human blood vessel cells and they start forming tubular structures trying to make new capillaries to feed the tumor. This tube formation can be substantially blocked by adding add plant compounds such as apigen or luteolin, found throughout the plant kingdom in foods such as citrus, celery, and peppers. In a study outlined in my video, Anti-Angiogensis: Cutting Off Tumor Supply Lines, you can see the effect of fisitin, a phytonutrient found in strawberries, shrinking the beginnings of new blood vessel formation. How else can strawberries smack on the cancer kibosh? See Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer and Cancer Fighting Berries. Where do researchers get their hands on human blood vessels? They get them from discarded umbilical cords or, more controversially, from the eyes of aborted fetuses. Either way, we can stimulate blood vessel formation with the tumor compound VEGF and then abolish that effect with plant compounds. Therefore, “the daily consumption of natural foods containing adequate flavonoids could be beneficial for the prevention of cancer metastasis or could improve cancer prognosis.” Given the power of plants, one might speculate that the foundation of an anti-angiogenic approach to cancer might be a whole food vegan diet. Because we all likely have cancer cells inside us, Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing. To die with cancer rather than from cancer, we need to slow down cancer doubling time. Check out one of my oldie-but-goodie video Slowing the Growth of Cancer. The cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1 is another angiogenic factor, helping tumors turn on the gravy train. This may be another reason plant-based diets protect against cancer, since as few as two weeks on a healthy diet can lower IGF-1 levels. If you’re interested, check out my video series on the elegant experiments that discovered this: 	I wonder if this holds true for dogs and other non-human animals?I had three wonderful boxer dogs in a row over 21 years (two were rescues). They all died of cancer between ages 8-10. I suspect they would have lived longer if I had resisted their begging for human treats. My cats get only quality pet food and white albacore tuna as a rare treat.Thanks for your reply, Joan! Food must be very important to other animals too…and I think people food that’s healthy for humans is also healthy for our non-human animal family (with exceptions, of course!) You sound like a very loving companion to your boxers and cats!!!Your online name says it all…must be a pet heaven around your place!For sure, Joan…I totally love animals!!! (Human and Non-Human both! :)White albacore tuna would not be my first choice for a pet treat. Tuna is known for having higher than average amounts of mercury. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, albacore tuna has mercury levels almost three times higher than the smaller skipjack, used in most canned light tuna.Thank you…they get only a small amount occasionally.They may only get a small amount, but cats are very small animals.My dog, who died of bone cancer, ate certified organic carrots, broccoli, potatoes, berries, apples and other vegetables and fruits. And, for a couple years, I made all my own pet food from organic grains, some organic meats, and lots of organic veggies. It was very expensive, but she loved it. The veterinarian was aghast that I was not purchasing “balanced” commercial pet food. I was following recipes of holistic Vets. Other than her stools, the dog did very well health-wise.There is a really good pet food –Orijen that is said to containfruits and vegetables as well as local small farmed (meats and wild fish in Canada).http://www.chewy.com/cat/orijen-cat-kitten-grain-free-dry-cat/dp/29728Certain animals need to have meat and don’t do as well eating vegetarian, although more and more plant based proteins are being added to their diets.Could these hormones or chemicals possible interfere with things other than growing blood supply, such as the birth of new neurons or something like that. How do we know that by inhibiting one bad thing we don’t inhibit good things as well?maybe this could be helpful…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9bDZ5-zPtYVery interesting, but did you even read what I asked?sorry, i forget about my message in this topic… well, your question is intriguing but not simple to answer because biochemistry is such a complex matter of science… e.g. the citokines family of TGF beta is so important in cell metabolism and got so many effects that one of my Cellular Pathology Professors told as a joke that if he would pose a question, any question about cell metabolism and me or one of my colleagues answers with “It’s TGF beta” he could not tell us that we’re wrong because that class of compounds is involved pratically in everything… from my point of view and clically speaking (focusing on human patient) we could test the “diet”, or “compounds” with a very very very good follow up of patients and searching for all biochemical markers of inflammation and organ damage… if the clinical picture point to a sustained improvement we could say that that therapy is more good than bad in a general way… but a molecular level you could only make suppositions… maybe inflammatory molecules are still present, but a level that do not bother cells… i expect in future to see more exams like these:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_microarrayIn particular i would be more interested in trascriptional data, but even DNA data are useful…I wonder if this would hold true to cutting off the blood supply to aspergilloma?Dr. Greger, would you please weigh in on the meta-analysis published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on saturated fat? Is it true that most of the studies that found that sat fat is not linked to heart disease were either dairy industry-funded or observational studies? Does the best science still support a diet with little-to-no sat fat for heart health? Many thanks!Hi Jessica: response to your question was previously asked and posted here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/But I will re-post here for your convenience. The bottom line = errors in the research.1. Dr. David Katz: http://huff.to/1qX5ZTQ2. “Scientists Fix Errors in Controversial Paper About Saturated Fats”Willett says correcting the paper isn’t enough. “It is good that they fixed it for the record, but it has caused massive confusion and the public hasn’t heard about the correction.” The paper should be withdrawn, he argues.” “It’s dangerous.”http://bit.ly/1jxyIJv3. Lastly: Dr McDougall http://on.fb.me/1iOfvEZThank you!My dogs all died of cancer, with some cancers worse than others. Fraulein, a German Shorthair Pointer died at age 13 of a cancer that lined the cells of the blood vessels. It was all over her body. The holistic veterinarian I spoke with on the telephone said it was because I gave her liver, which made her coat glow –it was soft and naturally shiny, perhaps because of all the B vitamins. But, organ meats are amongst the most toxic on the planet. This was my introduction into becoming an environmentalist.Vandermint, our second German Shorthair Pointer died at age 10 of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Food was not the problem, but breathing moth balls under the bed where she loved to nap, was the culprit. The mothballs were enclosed in plastic bags with woolen clothing, and all was enclosed within heavy corrugated boxes. It was a lesson hard learned, and I never bought mothballs again and changed the way I stored woolen clothing.Becca, our third German Shorthair Pointer also died at age 10. Again, food was not the problem. My husband imported some “free” soil into her backyard. The give-away soil was contaminated with radionuclides from production waters of the oil and gas industry. Becca tasted some after receiving a clean bill of health from our veterinarian, and 3 months later was dead of bone cancer in her shoulder. I had urged my “geologist” husband not to get this free soil to fill the holes of tree roots left by hurricane Lili, but he ignored me. I had been appointed to a board on municipal and “non-hazardous” oilfield wastes and learned at the time, that oil field wastes including production waters were being mixed with top soil and given away to naïve consumers like my husband. I had also attended seminars on oil field waste and what it does to human and animal health at Tulane Environmental Law Clinic. There are lots of poisons in the environment, in our soil (even though our garden had been grown organically for decades), from drift from agricultural fields that are poisoning the air, soils, waters, and tapped waters, and are in the food that both people and our pets consume that will or is giving us all cancers. Even if pets only eat “pet” food — the first foods to contain genetically modified organisms that were herbicide resistant, they would still develop cancers. We are all being poisoned for corporate greed.The following is an excerpt from The International Journal of Cardiology, Oct.3, 2013. What is fascinating is the fact that DRUGS that inhibit VEGF do indeed exacerbate cardiovascular disease. The answer, according to the article, is to develop new drugs and novel drug delivery systems. I wonder if inhibiting VEGF through DIET would result in similar side effects. I have a sneaking suspicion the answer is no:“In conclusion, the current study strengthens the rising concern for potentially life-threatening systemic cardiovascular side effects of current anti-angiogenic therapies both in oncology and ophthalmology. A disruption of endothelial homeostasis with subsequently accelerated atherogenesis may be one of the mechanisms underlying these cardiovascular adverse effects.Given the increased cardiovascular risk of elderly patients – representing the typical target population receiving anti-angiogenic therapies – and the increasing number of patients treated, the cardiovascular safety profile of all current anti-angiogenic regimens should be precisely determined. The identification of biomarkers for cardiovascular side effects, as exemplified by Scappaticci and colleagues in their meta-analyses including a total of 1745 patients with metastatic colorectal-, breast or non-small cell lung cancer [16x[16]Scappaticci, F.A., Skillings, J.R., Holden, S.N. et al. Arterial thromboembolic events in patients with metastatic carcinoma treated with chemotherapy and bevacizumab. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007; 99: 1232–1239CrossRef | PubMed | Scopus (480)See all References][16], may ease patient selection for therapy and close monitoring of those at increased cardiovascular risk. Further subgroup analyses of existing randomized controlled trials and reporting of careful cardiac assessment of patients at baseline in future trials will guide the respective cardiovascular prevention in future. The development of alternative drug delivery strategies such as local gene delivery, specifically in the context of neovascular ocular diseases may reduce systemic adverse effects [47x[47]Kinnunen, K. and Ylä-Herttuala, S. Gene therapy in age related macular degeneration and hereditary macular disorders. Front Biosci (Elite Ed). 2012; 44: 2546–2557CrossRefSee all References][47]. The cardiovascular adverse effects of currently applied VEGF-inhibiting approaches highlight the need for clinicians of different subspecialties to team up for an improved clinical outcome in an increasingly complex medical environment.”	aging,angiogenesis,antiangiogenesis,apigen,beans,berries,breast cancer,breast health,broccoli,cancer,cancer survival,celery,citrus,exercise,fisitin,flavonoids,fruit,luteolin,metastases,peppers,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,rice,spices,strawberries,tea,vegans,vegetarians,VEGF,weight loss,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22139440,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21977033,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22125182,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12781633,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22878362,
PLAIN-134	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/	Breast Cancer and Wine	After diagnosis, women with breast cancer may cut their risk of dying nearly in half by just instituting simple, modest lifestyle changes—5 or more servings of fruits and veggies a day and walking 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week. But what about preventing breast cancer in the first place? If we follow the advice of the official dietary guidelines for cancer prevention, does it actually reduce our risk of cancer? If we manage our weight, eat more plant foods, less animal foods, less alcohol and breastfeed, based on the largest prospective study on diet and cancer in history, we may significantly lower our risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, stomach cancer, oral cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, and all cancers combined. Of all the recommendations, the “eat mostly foods of plant origin” appeared the most powerful. For example, a study in the UK found that in just one year in Britain there were 14,902 excess cases of cancer caused by something participants were exposed to 10 years earlier. What was that something that ended up causing thousands of cancers?   Deficient intake of fruit and vegetables. If that was instead, some chemical spill causing 14,000 cancers, people would be up in arms to ban it—but instead when that killer carcinogen is not eating their “fruit and veg” (as the Brits would say), it hardly gets anyone’s attention. What if we throw in smoking, too? Researchers created a healthy lifestyle index, defined by four things: 1) exercise;  2) a dietary shift away from the standard American diet high in meat, dairy, fat, and sugar towards a more prudent dietary pattern—for instance more green and yellow vegetables, beans, and fruits;  3) avoidance of tobacco; and 4) avoidance of alcohol. Young women scoring higher on those four things cut their odds of getting breast cancer in half, older women cut their odds of breast cancer by 80%! We’ve covered how even light drinking can increase breast cancer risk (see my video Breast Cancer and Alcohol: How Much is Safe?), but for women who refuse to eliminate alcohol, which is less carcinogenic: red wine or white? Some studies, outlined in my four minute video, Breast Cancer Risk: Red Wine vs. White Wine, actually suggest less or even no risk from red wine, and we may have just figured out why. Remember how mushrooms were the vegetable best able to suppress the activity of aromatase, the enzyme used by breast tumors to produce its own estrogen? (from my video Vegetables Versus Breast Cancer). Well, if we run the same human placenta experiments with fruit, strawberries get the silver, but grapes get the gold. For more on the aromatase story, see: But what kind of grapes? The wimpy green grapes used to make white wine barely worked compared to those used for making red.  Bottom line: “red wine may serve as a nutritional aromatase inhibitor, which may ameliorate the elevated breast cancer risk associated with alcohol intake.” But why accept any elevated risk? Just eat whole grapes! And if you do, choose ones with seeds if you can, as they may work even better. More on grapes in Fat Burning Via Flavonoids and Best Fruit Juice. Wasn’t there a study that found that fruits and vegetables weren’t protective against cancer, though? See my video on the EPIC Study. What if you already have breast cancer? Well, Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing, but I do have a few studies on breast cancer survival and diet: 	I am a fan of cooking with wine, white or red, especially with mushrooms or in spaghetti sauce. I like cooking with wine much better than drinking it, frankly. Does cooking off the alcohol reduce the harmfulness of wine, or does the cancer danger come from something in addition to the alcohol?Chessie, my guess is the cancer risk associated with alcohol is related to, at least in part, the relatively poor nutritional content per calorie of an alcoholic drink. After all, alcohol is a processed “food” that likely doesn’t have anywhere close to the nutritional content of the original food, not to mention the lack of fiber.Yes, wine is a lousy deal, nutritionally speaking, but so is soy sauce, or vegetable broth, or vanilla extract, or fruit juice, or any of a number of things we use as flavoring. So if I throw a cup of red wine into a tomato sauce, is that any worse than adding a cup or two of vegetable broth to a stew I’m making? (Sodium aside, of course.) I don’t foresee wine ever being more than a trivial part of my calorie intake.It would be a good choice to opt for Organic wine wherever possible:To be considered certified organic wine, the winery cannot use harmful pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. Also, the wine must be all of that AND not have any sulfites. Unlike the USDA’s rules for all other organic products, wines must be 100% organic – not 70%.are you saying eat the seeds in seeded grapes or just the grapesAlways opt for the Whole food if possible. In this case, Organic Whole Red Seeded Grapes. The darker the skin, the better. Chew well.Long ago, I heard there was some indication that daily wearing of underwire bras increased chance of developing breast cancer. It sounded plausible enough so I determined to skip that risk and only choose wireless from then on. Whereas at one time there were few, now there are many wireless options to choose from when bra shopping.Not advocating the use of alcohol but for those who are uber interested in all things vegan check out this app: http://vegaholic.com/ or if you don’t have Apple products go to http://www.barnivore.com/. There may be others but I know of this one.Also, while on the subject: I am trying out a new app: “Is It Vegan?”. Kinda fun as you can scan a product, you can “treat sugar as vegan” or not as well. They don’t have every product in there but I think they are adding to their database regularly.Full disclosure: I have ties to either of this apps or website.But if its a whole food – no need for apps!I know this isn’t the right place for this question, but there are only a handful of videos that even mention the placenta and this is one. Is there any research for against ingesting your placenta after you give birth? It seems to be an increasingly popular thing to do. Those for it make it seem like my baby is going to miss out on key nutrients if I don’t do it, but it seems weird to me. Does science have anything to say about this?	alcohol,animal products,aromatase,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,breast feeding,breast health,cancer,colon cancer,dairy,endometrial cancer,EPIC study,esophageal cancer,estrogen,fruit,fruit juice,grapes,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,kidney cancer,liver cancer,meat,mushrooms,oral cancer,plant-based diets,red wine,smoking,Standard American Diet,strawberries,United Kingdom,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,weight loss,white wine,wine	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22158313,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21335508,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17557947,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22592101,
PLAIN-135	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	Why Do Vegan Women Have Fewer Female Cancers?	Cervical cancer is now considered a sexually transmitted disease. It was originally suspected as such, but now we have DNA fingerprinting proof that virtually all cervical cancer is caused by a sexually transmitted virus, human papilloma virus, which also causes cancers of the penis, vagina, vulva and throat. HPV is considered a necessary, but not sufficient cause of cancer. I profile a study in my four minute video, Why Might Vegetarians Have Less HPV?, that shows that while most young women contract HPV,  most don’t get cervical cancer because their immune systems are able to clear out the virus. Within one year, 70 percent of women clear the infection, and more than 90 percent clear it within two years — before the virus can cause cancer. Might those with particularly strong immune systems clear the virus even faster? That’s what may be behind a new study that found vegetarian women had significantly lower infection rates with HPV, one of many studies reporting lower risk of HPV infection among those eating plant-based diets. When researchers took a bunch of women with cancer-causing strains of HPV infecting their cervix and followed them out and retested at three months and nine months while analyzing their diets, what did they find? Higher levels of vegetable consumption appeared to cut their risk of HPV persistence in half, doubling one’s likelihood of clearing this potentially cancer-causing infection. And “higher” levels just meant about two or more servings a day. Antioxidants appear to suppress the activation of critical segments of the virus’ DNA. Maybe that’s why smearing green tea on genital warts—also caused by HPV—has been found so effective in clearing them (See my video, Treating Genital Warts with Green Tea). In terms of preventing cervical cancer, phytonutrients like lutein (found in dark green leafy vegetables) and lycopene (the red pigment in tomatoes) may decrease viral load, thereby decreasing persistence and progression to disease. Bottom line: higher consumption of vegetables may decrease the risk of HPV persistence, which may help explain why a 2013 study found vegan women have significantly lower rates of all female cancers combined, including cancer of the cervix. Vegetarians also have lower rates (see Vegetarians Versus Healthy Omnivores), but the Adventist Health Study 2 is the first study of cancer rates among thousands of North American vegans. There are other reasons that help explain these results, from lower levels of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1 (The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle), the foreign meat molecule Neu5Gc (How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies), and heterocyclines in cooked meat (Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens) to more of the good stuff (#1 Anticancer Vegetable and Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better?). Other viruses may actually be found in the food. See, for example: More on improving immune function with improved nutrition can be found in Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation and Boosting Immunity Through Diet. 	Gardasil versus Dark green leafy vegetables? I think the choice is clear :-)There is a study this reminds me of by Dean Ornish where they tested the blood of vegans on cancer cells and found that the immune function was about 8x higher than non-vegans.I find it difficult to understand how “vegans” unqualified have the health benefits you mention, since I think a vegan eating nothing but potato chips and drinking cola is not going to have these health benefits. Isn’t there someway you can qualify your use of “vegan” perhaps by using “whole food vegans” so that these studies make sense?I think this is an important issue. I know some vegetarían who eat mostly junk. How do they fit in those studies?While on the surface, your questions may seem obvious, but I think it is worth asking. Is it the absence of meat which provides the benefit, or the assumption that vegans consume healthier foods? I find that younger vegans/vegetarians often refrain from meat as a moral consciousness and nutritionally their diets are quite poor. They could be more clear if wanting their research to be disseminated and considered.Hi Hadley and Esther, I had the same concerns and infact have meet an overweight vegan who was proud of his size. In response, I have coined the term Vegan Plus who is someone who eats a wide variety of whole organic plants while avoiding added salt and sugar. Personally I also avoid caffeine and alcohol as they both raise my blood pressure. I have come to view that alcohol is a slow poison which has become socially acceptable for its mood altering effects. You can read more about it here http://lwghpd.blogspot.com.au/.Hi Lawrence,I am a medical doctor and I am interested in your link that alcohol is a slow poison, but I couldn’t find it on the URL you shared above (http://lwghpd.blogspot.com.au/). In the interests of full disclosure, I should state I have a slight bias of my own on this issue, since I don’t drink alcohol. But I would enjoy if you could point me to your link on alcohol. Hello from up top! (Canada). DanVegan would revolve around eating non processed whole foods. When you hear Dr. Greger or others talk about benefits of a vegan diet they are talking about a non processed whole food plant based diet. Vegetarian is a muddied topic though because there are different classifications of vegetarian, but they would also revolve around non processed whole foods, which may include eggs, or dairy, or both.Hadley V. Baxendale, I am a long time vegetarian (mainly cheese pizza was my downfall) and strict vegan for about 6 years. I consumed junk food as well as a tremendous amount of healthy food. Now I am dealing with breast cancer. So I am proof that all vegan women are not protected from these illnesses. As a vegan/vegetarian I consumed too much sugar and had a low Vitamin D3 level which might have contributed to my diagnosis. However, it is difficult to know.hello to you all, my name is Wendy Brimm , i am from Vegas here in united state, i wish to tell you all, how i find a doctor that cure me from SKIN CANCER, which i had for three years with his natural herbal medicine he gave to me , it all went this way, i was internet that very day when i saw a comment of a woman called MARIA KATRINA from united kingdom sharing her testimony about how this very doctor cured her of HIV, and he also cured AIDS too, but i never really believed but i just decided to give it a try and i contacted DOCTOR HAKIM, so he told me everything i needed to know and what to do to get cured and free from my cancer issue, so i went straight and make provisions for the herbs which he used to prepare medicine for me,i applied the medicine and just to see that the exact day which doctor harkim said i we be cured i was felling good and healthy at once, my strength was regained i went for check up in the hospital and my family doctor told me i am free from cancer my skin can back to normal, this was the greatest miracle that has happened to me in my life, and i promise doctor hakim that i we share his good work to the world, these are few i can say about this DOCTOR HAKIM, i went with my family to thank him for his great work and solution in my life, wish i never expected this was possible, I we like you to contact him ADDRESS:dr.hakimherbalspellworld@gmail.com if you have any health issue i believe this doctor can help you out as well.	Adventist Health Studies,cancer,cervical cancer,cervix health,chicken,fruit,genital health,Green tea,growth promoters,hepatitis,hepatitis E,heterocyclic amines,human papilloma virus,IGF-1,immune function,inflammation,lutein,lycopene,lymphoma,meat,Neu5Gc,obesity,oxidative stress,penis cancer,penis health,pets,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,sexual health,sexual transmission,throat cancer,throat health,turkey,vaginal cancer,vaginal health,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vulva cancer	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22357204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23169929,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12223432,
PLAIN-136	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/13/when-a-scraped-knee-may-kill-again/	When a Scraped Knee May Once Again Kill 	In a keynote address last year, the Director-General of the World Health Organization warned that we may be facing a future in which many of our miracle drugs no longer work. “A post-antibiotic era means, in effect, an end to modern medicine as we know it,” she said. “Things as common as strep throat or a child’s scratched knee could once again kill.” The Director-General’s prescription to avoid this catastrophe included a global call to “Restrict the use of antibiotics in food production to therapeutic purposes.” In other words, only use antibiotics in agriculture to treat sick animals. In the United States, meat producers feed literally millions of pounds of antibiotics to farm animals who aren’t sick just to promote growth or prevent disease in the often cramped, stressful, unhygienic conditions of industrial animal agriculture. The FDA estimates that 80% of the antimicrobial drugs sold in the U.S. every year now go to the meat industry. The discoverer of penicillin warned us back in the ’40s that misuse could lead to resistance, but the meat industry didn’t listen and started feeding it to chickens by the ton. The Food and Drug Administration finally wised up to the threat in 1977 and proposed stopping the feeding of penicillin and tetracycline to farm animals. That was 37 years ago. Since then, the combined political power of the factory farming and pharmaceutical industries has effectively thwarted any legislative or regulatory action. This stranglehold shows no sign of breaking. We realized this reckless practice was a public health threat decades ago, and yet what’s been done about it? “Present [farm animal] production is concentrated in high-volume, crowded, stressful environments, made possible in part by the routine use of antibacterial [drugs] in [the] feed,” the U.S. Congressional Office of Technology Assessment wrote in 1979. “Thus the current dependency on low-level use of antibiotics to increase or maintain production, while of immediate benefit, also could be the Achilles’ heel of present production methods.” Industrial operations use antibiotics as a crutch to compensate for the squalid conditions that now characterize much of modern agribusiness. The unnatural crowding of animals and their waste creates such a strain on the animals’ immune systems that normal body processes like growth may be impaired. That’s why a constant influx of antibiotics is thought to accelerate weight gain by reducing this infectious load. The problem is that “Each animal feeding on an antibiotic becomes a ‘factory’ for the production and subsequent dispersion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” offering a whole new meaning to the term “factory farm” (see my 3-min video Past the Age of Miracles: Facing a Post-Antibiotic Age for details). What else do they feed farm animals? Check out: This issue, perhaps more than any other, lays to bare the power of moneyed interests to undermine public health. Look at the long list of endorsers of legislation to reform this practice. Sadly, though, the sway of nearly every single medical organization in the United States is no match for the combined might of Big Ag and Big Pharma. For more on this issue, see: 	This does not pertain to this post, but I have a pressing question (for me) that has not been answered elsewhere. The web site says to post questions under “any video or blog”. (The most recent may get an answer?) Does the oxalate in spinach prevent/reduce the absorption of calcium from other green leafy vegetables when eaten together?My understanding is that the oxalic acid in spinach is already bound to the calcium in spinach, thus it cannot bind to the calcium in other foods.I don’t think it’s actually bound in the spinach, but the net effect is the same. The amount of calcium is spinach is more than sufficient to bind the oxalic acid (as calcium oxalate), leaving a small amount of calcium behind for you to absorb. The same is true for swiss chard and beet greens, though they have somewhat less oxalic acid. Cooking reduces the oxalic acid.You should look into how your body uses and distributes calcium. Research done in my country by Dr Cees Vermeer shows Vitamin K2 will strip calcium from tissues where it doesn’t belong (blood vessels and other soft tissue) and resettle it in bones building them back up with femur neck actually thickening as a result.You will need 360 mgr a day for this. An amount only realistically attainable by eating natto (40-50+ gr/d). Probably best to combine it with a already solid K1 intake through consumption of kale.You could go the cheese way but that would require eating half a kilogram of cheese a day. Better to just stick with the fermented beans., We all know the benefits of beans.I think its a great package deal natto, clean circulatory system, good bones, and dampenend insulin spike all in a 50 gr portion.I appreciate this information. This is the kind of information that I show my patient and that really pushes them (especially the pregnant and nursing ones but also the parents who cook for their kids) away from eating these foods because of their toxicity! Parents are getting more educated and now are even asking not only me but other providers I work with are there other ways to treat (rather than medications) anxiety, ADD, ADHD in their children and keep them the healthiest? “And yes Virginia, there really is. . . “They aren’t going to do anything about antibiotic abuse on factory farms. The meat industry paid out politicians well.Surely, some of us will not build a tolerance to antibiotics, as some of us don’t expose ourselves to them.It is not about us, as individuals, building up a tolerance to antibiotics. It is about the bacteria themselves becoming resistant to the antibiotics. Your previous exposure or lack of exposure will not affect how well the antibiotic works if you get sick with a bacteria that is resistant.Then I guess it’s ‘cook all my meals at home with organic plant foods and limit my exposure to large public gatherings’ routine I’ve had for years. Must be why I haven’t had a cold or flue in decades.Don’t get your self so down. Look at the old times when they used Copper door handles at hospitals. germs can’t live on it and can’t become resistant to it either. Just like Colloidal silver the bacteria can’t adapt to that either. It may be one of that few heavy hitters in a antibiotic resistant world. there are other like Garlic etc.My daughter has been in the hospital (ICU) since the middle of January due to an infection through an open wound (true, she had other health problems also). She was so sick, that we thought she would die and had that conversation with her. Slowly she is improving and still in ICU!In Denmark 25.000 pigs dies every day before the age of 4 weeks in production facilities – 9.000.000 pigs per year. And the human population is 5.000.000. And Denmark is one of the most civilized countries in the world…..really sad… imagine a tomb for every animal slaughter in the recent human history… it’s an holocaust difficult to figure out…Denmark is the same country that thought it was perfectly acceptable to kill a healthy young giraffe by putting a bolt through his head & then butcher him in front of children. Denmark does not strike me as particularly civilized.Mmmm.. I’m not so happy reading/seeing this. The shift toward animal suffering that is shown through pictures like the one topping this article I mean.The tremendous strength of this site is staying away from moralising about animal rights and living conditions. And just offering the advice toward better health through better food choices.In a world where a bum on the side of the road is worth no more then the rubbish that surrounds him, talking animal rights is futile anyway. High octane homeless Louie CK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbR8A27sxg8America is clearly a very very sick nation on a path 15 years ahead of us europeans obesity wise and way way less government protection again corporate greed. This should provide a big enough slice of the population to cater too.Moving over to morality, catering to the less than 1 percent vegans, will only lose Nutritionfacts readers instead of gaining them.Please Dr. Greger stay away from morality.I understand it must be difficult with probably thronges of vegans crowding up your email pleading to go the moral high road. But it scares away all the main stream people who need your help most desperately.RegardsThis seems worthy of a YouTube video for sharing purposes. Very important information here and a quick search of YouTube didn’t turn up a good video.	agriculture,animal products,animal welfare,antibiotics,antimicrobial drugs,bacteria,beef,chicken,children,factory farming practices,farm animals,FDA,Food and Drug Administration,growth promoters,immune function,industry influence,meat,medications,mortality,penicillin,pork,poultry,superbugs,tetracycline,turkey,World Health Organization	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21976606,
PLAIN-137	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/	Why We Should Eat More Beans	We’ve known for decades that beans have an exceptionally low glycemic index. You give someone cooked beans, peas, or lentils and they don’t even get half the blood sugar spike that they would get with the same amount of carbs in the form of bread, pasta, or potatoes. So if you’re going to eat some high glycemic food like white rice, consider having some beans with it, and the more beans the better. If you check out my 3-min video Beans and the Second Meal Effect, you can see that as the subjects’ bean to rice ratio increases, cardiometabolic risk factors continually improve. Substituting one serving of beans for one serving of white rice was associated with a 35 percent lower risk of metabolic syndrome (pre-diabetes). Why do beans have such a low glycemic index? Maybe it’s because they’ve got so much fiber that absorption is just slower or something? It was this study that blew everyone’s minds. It started about as expected. Give people bread for breakfast, and they get big spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels, but give the same amount of carbs in lentil form and you blunt the effect. (Lentils for breakfast? Well, the Brits like baked beans on their toast, but I’ve started using a handful of sprouted lentils in my breakfast smoothie. See A Better Breakfast and Antioxidants Sprouting Up). What they did different, though, was follow through to lunch. For lunch both groups got the same meal; they both got bread. Those that had lentils for breakfast, though, had less of a glycemic reaction to the bread. At the time they called it the “lentil effect,” but subsequent studies found chickpeas appear to work just as well. It has since been dubbed the “second meal effect.” Eat lentils for dinner, and then for breakfast, even if forced to drink sugar water, we have better glycemic control. Beans moderate your blood sugar not just at the meal we eat them, but even hours later or the next day. How is that even possible? The mystery has since been solved. Remember what our gazillions of gut bacteria do with fiber? They produce compounds like propionate with it (see Fawning Over Flora and Boosting Good Bacteria in the Colon Without Probiotics) that get absorbed into our system and slow down gastric emptying—the rate at which food leaves our stomach—so we don’t get as much of a sugar rush. It’s like symbiosis. We feed our good bacteria and they feed us back. So, we have a bean burrito for supper and by the next morning it’s time for our gut bacteria to eat that same burrito and the by-products they create may affect how our breakfast is digested. Researchers figured this out by giving people rectal infusions of the amount of propionate your good bacteria might make from a good burrito, and the stomach relaxes within minutes. I guess if you forgot to eat any kind of beans for supper and need to blunt the effect of your breakfast doughnut, it’s theoretically not too late—but in general I encourage people to administer their food orally. What about the gas? Check out my blog post Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air. Which beans are most antioxidant packed? See The Best Bean and The Healthiest Lentil (hint: skip the jelly variety). Which lower cholesterol the most? See Soy Worth a Hill of Beans? What other superpowers do beans posses? They are packed with potassium (Preventing Strokes with Diet), mad with magnesium (Mineral of the Year—Magnesium), and a preferred source of protein (Plant Protein Preferable). They improve breast cancer survival (Breast Cancer Survival and Soy), reduce hot flashes (Soy Foods & Menopause), delay premature puberty (The Effect of Soy on Precocious Puberty), and they’re a great bargain to boot (Eating Healthy on a Budget). 	They are also an excellent source of resistant starch with the fiber and promote satiety. I like bean milks made with just whole beans soaked and cooked 1/2 soy and 1/2 either black, adzuki, kidney… pick your bean and filtered through a nut milk bag. Add the pulp or fiber to soups or smoothies as a thickener. The bean milks are wonderful. Getting a soymilk maker is about $100.How about bean sprouts?Absolutely, beans are great, but people who have cancer should watch the amounts they eat due to high copper (also in certain nuts and seeds and dried vegetables) and low zinc. Copper drives angiogenesis. Leafy greens will help bind copper, and as Dr. G points out, onions and garlic will help you absorb zinc. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/anti-cancer-diets-and-the-pitfalls-of-plants-part-1-copper-and-zinc/#more-2822The only downside to beans is the phytic acid content, which can block mineral absorption. Just make sure that the beans are properly soaked or better still, sprouted to reduce the phytic acid.Our thoughts about phytic acid are actually changing. See for example my video Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis.I saw that video and I’m still wondering: Doesn’t phytic acid interfere with absorption of amino acids? To what degree are bean proteins bioavailable?Eating more beans is not the solution–don’t need the extra calories or extra copper.My problem with vegan diets is that of absorption of iron from beans and other vegetables such as spinach. I’ve suffered from iron deficiency anemia most of my life and the only solution is to consume heme iron from any available source. I’m very sure that my condition is not rare; anemia affects about 25% of the population over 65 years. I eat plenty of beans and spinach, but I need heme iron for survival. The problem is that I must eat the required amount of heme iron without elevating cholesterol and copper levels in my blood.Are you also consuming enough vitamin C which helps the body absorb the iron?The link below is a fairly comprehensive review of the literature on iron deficiency anemia in vegetarians and vegans by Jack Norris, RD. You may have read this already but if not you may find it helpful:http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/ironI found this excerpt particularly noteworthy:“If your iron stores are too low, your doctor might suggest eating meat or taking an iron supplement. Anemia in meat-eaters is normally treated with large doses of supplemental iron, not with eating more meat. Similarly, vegetarians with anemia do not need to start eating meat but can also be treated with supplemental iron and vitamin C. If your doctor insists that you eat meat, you might want to show him or her this article.”As a personal anecdote, my Hbg levels increased from about 11.8 g/dL (borderline anemic for premenopausal female) to 13.7 g/dL after adopting a vegan diet. My daily iron intake is nearly always 18 mg or higher. It may be important to note that my vitamin C intake is also typically 300-500% of my rda. However, from the way you describe it, it sounds like you have some other underlying chronic disease state affecting your iron levels? Do you believe it is the absorption rate on a vegan diet that is the problem, or do you find it difficult to consume enough?Lentils for breakfast? I say absolutely. We eat lentils for breakfast frequently. We often blend local oranges w/ greens & flax first, then have lentil soup or lentils cooked w/ more veggies after as our first meal. It has made a huge difference for me in staying satiated, maintaining blood sugar, and healthy elimination. Beans rule!Does soy milk count as “beans?”I’m guessing no, Michael. There’s not a lot of fibre in soy milk.I LOVE BEANS!!!!! :) yayI used 1/3 cup of chickpea flour in a recipe for pizza bread. The recipe was 2 c flour, so I subbed for one third of a cup. The result was not only really tasty and with an excellent texture, but highly digestible compared to unbleached white flour. So a person can have their cake and eat it too!!!!Dr. Greger, Does donating blood lower blood sugar levels like it does with iron?If you have a partner be sure that both of you eat them together.How much lentils/beans/peas must one consume to experience the second meal effect. Is there a threshold value/amount?	beans,blood sugar,bread,carbohydrates,chickpeas,diabetes,fiber,garbanzo beans,gastric emptying,glycemic index,gut bacteria,gut flora,insulin,lentil effect,lentils,metabolic syndrome,pasta,peas,potatoes,pre-diabetes,propionate,rice,second meal effect,sugar	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-foods-menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1713902/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21813808,
PLAIN-138	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/	Egg Industry Caught Making False Claims	On the basis of concerns from the American Heart Association and consumer groups, the Federal Trade Commission carried out successful legal action—upheld by the Supreme Court—to compel the egg industry to cease and desist from false and misleading advertising that eggs had no harmful effects on health. Over the years, cholesterol concerns resulted in severe economic loss through a reduction in egg consumption, so the egg industry created a “National Commission on Egg Nutrition” to combat the public health warnings with ads that said things like “There is no scientific evidence whatsoever that eating eggs in any way increases the risk of heart attack.” The U.S. Court of Appeals found such outright deception patently false and misleading. Even the tobacco industry wasn’t that brazen, trying only to introduce the element of doubt, arguing that the relationship between smoking and health remains an open question. In contrast, the egg ads made seven claims, each of which was determined by the courts to be blatantly false. The Court determined the egg industry ads were “false, misleading, and deceptive.” Legal scholars note that, like Big Tobacco, the egg industry did more than just espouse one side of a genuine controversy, but flatly denied the existence of scientific evidence. Over the last 36 years, the American Egg Board has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to convince people eggs are not going to kill them—and it’s working. From one of their internal strategy documents that I was able to get a hold of: “In combination with aggressive nutrition science and public relations efforts, research shows that the advertising has been effective in decreasing consumers concerns over eggs and cholesterol/heart health.” Currently, they’re targeting moms. Their approach is to “surround moms wherever they are.” They pay integration fees for egg product placement in TV shows. To integrate eggs into The Biggest Loser, for example, could be a million dollars, according to their internal documents. Getting some kids storytime reading program to integrate eggs may only take half a million, though. The American Egg Board keeps track of who is, and is not, a “friend-of-eggs.” They even pay scientists $1500 to sit and answer questions like, “What studies can help disassociate eggs from cardiovascular disease?” From the beginning, their arch nemesis was the American Heart Association, with whom they fought a major battle over cholesterol. In documents retrieved through the Freedom of Information Act featured in my 6-min video Eggs and Cholesterol: Patently False and Misleading Claims, you can see even the USDA repeatedly chastises the egg industry for misrepresenting the American Heart Association position. In a draft letter to magazine editors, the egg industry tried to say that the “American Heart Association changed its recommendations to approve an egg a day in 2000 and eventually eliminated its number restrictions on eggs in 2002,” to which the head of USDA’s poultry research and promotion programs had to explain that the “change” in 2000 wasn’t a change at all. Nothing in the guidelines or recommendations was changed. What happened was that in response to a question posed by someone planted in the audience, Heart Association reps acknowledged that even though eggs are among the most concentrated source of cholesterol in the diet, an individual egg has under 300mg of cholesterol and could technically fit under the 300 mg daily limit. In 2002, they eliminated the specific mention of eggs for consistency sake, but the American Heart Association insists that they haven’t changed their position and continue to warn consumers about eggs. The guidelines on the AHA website at the time explained that since one egg has 213 and the limit for people with normal cholesterol is 300 you could fit an egg in if you cut down on all other animal products. If you have an egg for breakfast, for example, and some coffee, some skinless turkey breast for lunch, etc., you could end up at over 500 by the end of the day, nearly twice the recommended limit. So if you are going to eat an egg, the Heart Association instructed, we would need to “substitute vegetables for some of the meat, drink our coffee black, and watch for hidden eggs in baked goods.” Furthermore, the limit for folks with high cholesterol is 200mg a day, which may not even allow a single egg a day. This is how the senior director of nutrition education at the American Egg Board’s Egg Nutrition Center characterized the American Heart Association guidelines: “Maybe I’m being overly sensitive, but this reads like: ‘If you insist on having those deadly high cholesterol eggs your penalty will be to eat vegetables and you can’t even have the yummy steak and creamy coffee you love. Really it’s not worth eating eggs. Oh, and if you think you’ll be able to enjoy some delicious baked goods, forget it, the deadly eggs are there too!’” I shared some of my other Freedom of Information Act finds in my other egg videos, Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis, and my personal favorite, Who Says Eggs Aren’t Healthy or Safe? I’ve also explored the presence of carcinogenic chemicals in eggs (Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine?), carcinogenic viruses (Carcinogenic Retrovirus Found in Eggs), industrial pollutants (Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals and Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants), the egg-borne annual epidemic of Salmonella (Total Recall), arachidonic acid (Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation), misleading claims about eyesight nutrients (Egg Industry Blind Spot), and, of course, cholesterol (Egg Cholesterol in the Diet and What Women Should Eat to Live Longer). To my surprise, though, eggs are actually not the most concentrated dietary source of cholesterol. See Avoiding Cholesterol Is a No Brainer. 	Dr G, I love it when you cover industry-speak and debunk their nonsensical claims! I’d like to see even more of this from you. Keep up the GREAT work!Eggs nor Cholesterol is BAD – the problem is peoples lifestyles and the lack of fresh vegetables juices and the inclusion of processed foods. People lack the vitamins, minerals, fats, and enzymes in their diets to remain healthy – we need cholesterol to live, saying it’s bad is like saying oxygen is detrimental to you – what we need is a holistic approach to health working to keep the BODY in balance – with that then health is assured.What science are you following?would love to see the rebuttal here. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538567/It is blatantly obvious that those who claim that elevated cholesterol is healthy on the basis that the body requires some cholesterol in order to maintain bodily function are trolls. This is as ridiculous as claiming that being morbidly obese is healthy because the body requires some body fat, or that there is no such thing as iron-overdose, because iron is an essential nutrient. There is no dietary requirement for dietary cholesterol, the human body an make all the necessary cholesterol.How is it obvious?This study seems to cast doubt on the strength of your claim it is such an open and shut case.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538567/“…evidence indicates that dietary cholesterol (at current intakes) does not increase the risk of heart disease in healthy individuals”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3648753/I agree. It has been known for several years now that the dietary cholesterol has little to do with the blood cholesterol levels. Instead, it is the excess intake of saturated fats that might increase bad cholesterol, among other factors. We call this a storm in a teaspoon of water – pointless storm about things that are irrelevant. All this is just pro-vegan egg anti-propaganda. Come on!Dagmar: If you are interested in what the actual science has to say on the subject, I will repeat for you the excellent post from AM95. The Plant Positive video (first link below) shows something like 19 very convincing studies on linking dietary cholesterol to blood cholesterol levels or other heart-attack predictor factors. Plant Positive even covers the study that people like to use when they say that eating dietary cholesterol just means your body makes less.“This one in particular is pretty good at demonstrating how dietary cholesterol impacts serum cholesterol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWP-JDgAnvg&feature=youtu.beHealthy-longevity, who posted earlier in this thread, has a couple good writes up related to eggs and cholesterol as well: http://healthylongevity.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/cracking-down-on-eggs-and-cholesterol_7.htmlhttp://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/2013/04/cracking-down-on-eggs-and-cholesterol.html” from AM95Well, I have started to watch this video. In order to make my opinion, I will have to examine the individual studies myself and then to make a conclusion. Some one-sided opinion, especially from vegan/vegetarian enthusiast is not authoritative to me, especially when his consensus is based on 30 years old studies. Meanwhile, at the minute 7:11 the speaker says, that according one doctor the ApoB is the primary driver of atherosclerosis – I DO NOT AGREE with this statement. ApoB is one of the risk factors and indicator of the direction of lipoprotein formation – towards LDL instead of HDL, for which the ApoA is characteristic. There are also more ApoB forms than only one. For atherosclerosis to occur, the bad lipoproteins are needed, but only these will not cause atherosclerosis. For atherosclerosis to develop, the endothelium has to be damaged, whether by inflammation or hypertension, oxidation of lipoproteins and their calcification must occur. Just having a little elevated LDL or ApoB, is not enough. When you send a child to school and the child will get hit by car, you cannot make yourself a driving factor in having your child harmed.Meanwhile I have recalled from other studies examining fructose and metabolic syndrome: those from 1980s announced that the average fat consumption that time was 42% of total daily calories. Today we have it about 30-35, according to the surveys. So if the old studies listed in that video talk about normal diet of people PLUS the eggs, it might be the effect of surplus fat calories, not just cholesterol alone.So a vegan promoting a plant based diet is “propaganda” and lacks credibility to you, but necrotarians promoting animal products is totally credible. What a bigot you are.For the record, stating that the egg industry has been forced to stop claimed that eggs are NOT a health risk is merely stating a fact, not “propaganda”.You are apparently having a problem understanding the context, aren’t you? Check the definition and explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda Particularly this section is relevant to my statement: “Propaganda is information that is not impartial and used primarily to influence an audience and further an agenda, often by presenting facts selectively”. I did not comment on which propaganda is better as you have tried to put into my mouth. That is all. Have a nice day.Hey fruitbat and Dagmar, I appreciate your enthusiasm for each of your points, but let’s keep it friendly, okay? Name calling (i.e. “bigot”) is not allowed on this site. Thank you!No it’s a fact and arguing with the ignorant who refuse to believe anything other than told is fruitlessOur bodies make all the cholesterol that we need. Just more proof that we do not need to consume any cholesterol at all.We make all the cholesterol we need. Animals that have evolved to eat meat, such as dogs and cats, will never develop cholesterol problems no matter how much cholesterol you feed them.There is NO evolved animal – evolution – Yahweh Spoke Creation into existence.Proverbs 11.1 A false balance is abomination to יהוה: but a just weight is his delight.I understood that the link between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels and indeed coronary heart disease had not been conclusively demonstrated — except in the case of certain higher risk groups such as diabetics.see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538567/Which study suggests, as this article asserts, that the cholesterol you eat directly impacts your blood cholesterol and more importantly, that blood cholesterol is a reliable indicator of potential cardiovascular disease risk?I have seen studies that appear to suggest that the correlation is quite unclear, and possibly very misleading.Andy: I highly recommend checking out the video series by Plant Positive (on YouTube and his own site). He goes into the topic in depth, including addressing cholesterol denial-ism, Atkins, Eskimos, etc. Great info for understanding this topic.This one in particular is pretty good at demonstrating how dietary cholesterol impacts serum cholesterol: http://youtu.be/oWP-JDgAnvgHealthy-longevity, who posted earlier in this thread, has a couple good writes up related to eggs and cholesterol as well: http://healthylongevity.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/cracking-down-on-eggs-and-cholesterol_7.htmlhttp://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/2013/04/cracking-down-on-eggs-and-cholesterol.htmlAM95 – Great post. Thanks for adding on.Are egg whites also a health hazard?How do you explain that the liver can make far more cholesterol than a person could eat on a daily basis then? High cholesterol means unhealthiness. Cholesterol acts as a bandaid to protect the body from damage.I’m willing to bet a person who eats no processed foods, wheat, dairy and high amounts of fruits and vegetables, exercises regularly, but eats organic eggs is FAR better off the person who eats processed crap, GMO and pesticide ridden fruits and vegetables and sits on their couch watching TV instead of exercising.Besides, the yolk contains the cholesterol, egg whites are pretty much pure protein.Matt: There is overwhelming evidence that dietary cholesterol (the cholesterol you eat as opposed to the cholesterol your body makes naturally) does us harm. If you want to hear a detailed explanation including a large series of studies that show again and again and again how this true, check out the following video (thanks AM95):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWP-JDgAnvg&feature=youtu.beAs for egg whites, it is indeed protein, but kicker is that it is pure *animal* protein. We have great evidence, with new studies coming out all the time, that animal protein causes harm, especially encouraging cancer growth. For a good explanation of how animal protein affects cancer growth, you might check out the IGF-1 video series on this site: • IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop • Cancer-Proofing Mutation • The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle • Protein Intake & IGF-1 Production • Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk • Animalistic Plant Proteins • Too Much Soy May Neutralize Benefits • How Much Soy Is Too Much? • Plant-Based Bodybuilding (Thanks Darryl for putting together the list)Hope that helps.Our liver can make all the cholesterol it needs because we don’t need to eat it. Unlike carnivores, who can consume infinite amounts of cholesterol without developing cholesterol problems.A whole egg weighing 50g contains just 6.3g of protein. So I’m not sure how egg whites can be “pretty much pure protein”.And of course nobody bothers to note that eggs are high in lecithin, natures defense against cholesterol which binds to it and flushes it out of the system, rendering this argument invalid.Metin: In the following video, Plant Positive shows the results of a study that fed eggs to people. In the study, the effect you are talking about did not exist. The eggs caused significant elevated cholesterol in the study participants. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWP-JDgAnvg&feature=youtu.beActually it is easy to disassociate eggs from cardiovascular disease – dont eat them….Hey Dear Folks, since egg whites are good protien, why not do what we have been doing for years and throw away the yolks? It is wasteful, conscience pang! But we find it is cheaper than buying the prepared product where someone has taken out the yolks for you and put the whites all together in a little carton. I don´t want to open that many at a time anyway. Talk about no-brainers.Mr. and Mrs. M.Egg whites: They are indeed protein, but kicker is that it is pure *animal* protein. We have great evidence, with new studies coming out all the time, that animal protein causes harm, especially encouraging cancer growth. For a good explanation of how animal protein affects cancer growth, you might check out the IGF-1 video series on this site: • IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop • Cancer-Proofing Mutation • The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle • Protein Intake & IGF-1 Production • Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk • Animalistic Plant Proteins • Too Much Soy May Neutralize Benefits • How Much Soy Is Too Much? • Plant-Based Bodybuilding (Thanks Darryl for putting together the list)Why not get your protein the safe and healthy way? – Eat whole plant foods.Good luck.Well, that is certainly and eye opener. Thanks so much. I will look at all the above. Hope I can find some complete plant proteins I can use as I developed an allergy to quinoa. Mrs. M.You all should check out Hampton Creek foods. They are building a plant based egg, one formula for scrambled and one for recipes that require eggs, they also make an amazing vegan “mayonnaise”. Aside from the nutrition of eggs look at how the chickens are kept and what they are being fed, the entire industry is terrible.99% of them in the UK are fed partially or fully on soya grown in (what used to be) the Amazon rainforest.Hold on folks… Did anyone bother to read the conclusion of the meta analysis cited below? It reads, “Higher consumption of eggs (up to one egg per day) is not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke.” Here’s more, “…epidemiologic studies have found weak or little association between dietary cholesterol intake and cardiovascular disease risk…Moreover, several studies have shown that egg consumption favors the formation of larger LDL and HDL particles, which might enhance protection against atherosclerosis.” Personally I would much rather read the study than listen to some quack on YouTube with an ax to grind. I eat organic vegetables, fruit, eggs (from my own chickens), grass-fed meat and dairy and NO Carbs and my cholesterol readings are excellent. There’s a lot of new research in the last 5 years debunking the junk science that came out in the 60’s and 70’s regarding cholesterol and fats.Hi FarmerinNH,I think it is great that you actually read the study! Too often people rely on interpretation over facts.That being said, meta-analysis can be a rather weak form of research. It relies only on pre-existing studies, so you can form a good meta-analysis from several small and poorly designed studies. This leaves much room for agenda driven bias.In meta-analysis, researchers can pick and choose what to include in their analysis and label unfavorable research as “not credible” or ignore it all together. A meta-analysis of poorly designed studies can still produce bad statistics.So… In a way, a meta-analysis is just an interpretation with room for bias (same as a YouTube video)And you are eating carbs – fruits and vegetables are carbs :)-SarahI agree with Sarah–that’s great that you checked out the study! But even the USDA is telling the egg industry that they can’t market eggs as healthy or safe. Did you watch Dr. Greger’s video on their correspondence? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/Also did you notice what the American Heart Association pointed out above?From Dr. Greger’s above blog post: “The guidelines on the AHA website at the time explained that since one egg has 213 and the limit for people with normal cholesterol is 300 you could fit an egg in if you cut down on all other animal products. If you have an egg for breakfast, for example, and some coffee, some skinless turkey breast for lunch, etc., you could end up at over 500 by the end of the day, nearly twice the recommended limit. So if you are going to eat an egg, the Heart Association instructed, we would need to “substitute vegetables for some of the meat, drink our coffee black, and watch for hidden eggs in baked goods.” Furthermore, the limit for folks with high cholesterol is 200mg a day, which may not even allow a single egg a day.”What do you mean “no carbs”? What do you think fruit and veggies are?You just called an MD a “quack”. What are your qualifications? Not much if you think fruit and vegetables aren’t carbs. What makes you think he has an “axe to grind” as opposed to yourself, clearly an anti-carb fanatic?One egg per day is not particularly “high consumption”. The “research” you are referring to are a very small number of studies funded by the dairy industry and Atkins foundation.Please, no ad hominem attacks fruitbat.The egg substitute Ener-G Egg Replacer lists methionine on the ingredient label, which Dr. Gregor says is linked to cancer. So how much methionine is safe? Should we vegans avoid this egg replacer entirely?Try using the Vegg for replacing of eggs. Its mostly nutritional yeast. It tastes great even plain and dipping toast in. It contains nutritional yeast flakes, kala namak (black sea salt) and beta-carotene and contains sodium alginate (made from brown seaweed).Yes, avoid, there is no need for it and is artificial. Ener-G can only act as a binder, and freshly ground flaxseeds (or chia seeds) can have exactly the same effect, while remaining a wholefood and providing nutrients such as omega 3 fats. Not to mention cheaperBlood cholesterol, what it is? Why not calling things their valid names, such as lipoproteins? There is much more than just cholesterol molecules in blood lipids profile. How about elevated triglycerides as a risk factor of cardiovascular diseases? What does cholesterol have to do with them? How about esterifying power of excess fructose in cases of high intake of fats overall? Fatty acids I mean, not cholesterol. How about remodelling of VLDLs to sd-VLDL by fructose or oxidation of VLDLs to ox-VLDLs by high glucose levels? If egg supplies cholesterol to blood and there is high total cholesterol – do they examine what type of ‘cholesterol’ is high? Because the true cholesterol can be found in HDL as well as in LDL. Can someone answer this for me?I am sorry but when you have experts flip-flopping every so often as to the safety of a food, wouldn’t you just drop the food to be on the safe side. I know I do. They do the same with a lot of foods. Coconut oil is another one. I won’t use it – they have changed on these topics so many times, for me, its enough to say “If they are not sure, I’m not using it.” I’ve seen the egg industry lie and cover up enough crap to make me worry, what’s wrong with the rest of you? I would think anyone with a brain would stay away from anything that could not be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was safe. If there was a 1% chance I could die from eating eggs, I’ll quit eating the eggs (which I already do seeing that I am a vegan). I love my life and my family and will try to stay around as long as possible and if that means not eating some foods and opting for others, I’m doing it without a problem.More egg lies and the lying liars who lie about them: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/rotten-eggs-yield-6-8-million-fine-iowa-company-n120296 if the cholesterol don’t get you their little pets will	American Egg Board,American Heart Association,animal products,arachidonic acid,cake,carcinogens,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,dairy,dietary guidelines,eggs,false advertising,Federal Trade Commission,Freedom of Information Act,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,meat,milk,National Commission on Egg Nutrition,poultry,safety limits,salmonella,smoking,steak,tobacco,turkey,USDA,vegetables	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-139	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/	Male Fertility and Dietary Pollutants	Infertility affects 10–15 percent of couples attempting to conceive, and in about half the cases the problem is in the man. A recent Harvard study found that increasing saturated fat intake just 5 percent was associated with a 38 percent lower sperm count, but why? It may be because of endocrine-disrupting industrial pollutants that build up in animal fat, particularly fish, as I describe in my video Xenoestrogens & Sperm Counts, but male fertility is not just about the number of sperm, but also how well they work. A recent study, featured in my 5-min video Male Fertility and Diet, found that successful pregnancy and fertilized egg implantation outcomes are decreased in patients reporting a more frequent intake of meat. The researchers blame industrial pollutants and steroids present in animal products. They conclude that couples having trouble conceiving must be advised about the dramatic effects diet may play on treatment success for both men and women, consistent with previous findings that “frequent intake of fat-laden foods like meat products or milk may negatively affect semen quality in humans, whereas some fruits or vegetables may maintain or improve semen quality.” Vegetable consumption was also found protective in this new study, which may be because of the antioxidant and nutrient content. The reason why maternal beef consumption may alter a man’s testicular development and adversely affect his future reproductive capacity is thought to be due to the anabolic steroids implanted into the animals. However, as an accompanying editorial to a study exploring this phenomenon pointed out, the steroids could also be interacting with other xenobiotics—industrial chemicals present in meat—such as pesticides and dioxin-like pollutants, and even chemicals that may be present in the plastic wrap (see Dioxins in the Food Supply). For more on the hormones used in meat production, see my video Anabolic Steroids in Meat. Heavy metals may also play a role. Lead and cadmium exposure, as measured by levels in the bloodstream, were associated with a significantly longer time to conceive. Where might exposure be coming from? Common types of seafood from fish markets and supermarkets were sampled. The highest cadmium levels were found in tuna; highest lead levels in scallops and shrimp. The greatest risk from different metals resided in different fish. Thus, the risk information given to the public (mainly about mercury) does not present a complete picture. There are other toxic metals in fish as well. For more on heavy metal exposure (dietary as opposed to auditory), see: The only beverage associated with infertility in women was soft drinks, though this may be from an indirect route, since soda is linked to obesity and obesity is then linked to reduced fertilization rates. However, Harvard researchers conducted a study on one really direct route: “The Effectiveness of Coca Cola As a Spermicidal Agent in Vaginal Douching.” Diet coke apparently had the strongest effect. What about Coke versus Pepsi? Tax-payer money hard at work for this head-to-head test. Neither of them really worked—Coke nor Pepsi—though they explain their methods for preparing the “sperm-cola mixtures” differed from the Harvard group. Bottom line: soda probably isn’t good for you going into any orifice. For more on both male and female infertility, see my videos Soy Hormones & Male Infertility and Meat Hormones & Female Infertility. 	In the late 60s in France, the annual medical surveys highlighted anomalies in male hormonal profile changes then a strict food regulation was set to avoid male infertility and breast cancers and other serious male impairments.Toxins, including heavy metals, lodge in fatty tissues in plants, animals, and humans. In plants, its in their seeds or nuts which are expressed for cooking oils, therefore the need for ecologically safe agriculture, i.e., organic farming; in animals, their meat, e.g., marbleized meats, chicken fat and skin, which can harbor all kinds of antibiotics or toxins from animal feeds and other growth enhancements; in humans, in vital organs (heavy metals) and in fat (adipose) tissue, including fat surrounding vital organs called visceral fats, which are derived from the normal western diet which is filled with food processing chemicals along with herbicides, pesticides, fertilizer chemicals, etc. Therefore, the importance of detoxification programs, especially for couples who cannot conceive. As a natural nutritionist who consulted with couples about the problem using only detox and diet, I assure you that it works, especially if both the male and female work the program together, which I usually suggested start a minimum of six months before considering a pregnancy. A pregnant woman should not want to ‘feed’ her fetus toxic wastes via a detoxification program. She should be cleared out long before ‘building’ a baby.Ok, why in the world would they even be testing SODA in womens’ vaginas?!? Totally creepy and stupid! Thanks for your continued humor, Doc. ;)	anabolic steroids,animal fat,beef,cadium,cheese,chicken,cola,dairy,fish,heavy metal,hormones,industrial pollutants,infertility,lead,male infertility,meat,milk,pesticides,plant-based diet,saturated fat,scallops,shrimp,soda,soft drinks,sperm count,steroids,tuna,vegan,vegetarian,xenobiotics,xenoestrogens	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4058526,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17392289,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3679247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22416013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16307983,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22971403,
PLAIN-140	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/	Trans Fat in Animal Fat	Trans fats are bad. They may increase one’s risks of heart disease, sudden death, diabetes—and perhaps even aggression. Trans fat intake has been associated with overt aggressive behavior, impatience, and irritability. Trans fats are basically found in only one place in nature: animal fat. The food industry, however, found a way to synthetically create these toxic fats by hardening vegetable oil in a process called hydrogenation, which rearranges their atoms to make them behave more like animal fats. Although most of America’s trans fat intake has traditionally come from processed foods containing partially-hydrogenated oils, a fifth of the trans fats in the American diet used to come from animal products—1.2 grams out of the 5.8 total consumed daily. Now that trans fat labeling has been mandated, however, and places like New York City have banned the use of partially hydrogenated oils, the intake of industrial-produced trans fat is down to about 1.3, so about 50 percent of America’s trans fats come now from animal products. Which foods naturally have significant amounts of trans fat? According to the official USDA nutrient database, cheese, milk, yogurt, burgers, chicken fat, turkey meat, bologna, and hot dogs contain about 1 to 5 percent trans fats (see the USDA chart in Trans Fat In Meat And Dairy). There are also tiny amounts of trans fats in non-hydrogenated vegetable oils due to steam deodorization or stripping during the refining process. Is getting a few percent trans fats a problem, though? The most prestigious scientific body in the United States, the National Academies of Science (NAS), concluded that the only safe intake of trans fats is zero. In their report condemning trans fats, they couldn’t even assign a Tolerable Upper Daily Limit of intake because “any incremental increase in trans fatty acid intake increases coronary heart disease risk.” There may also be no safe intake of dietary cholesterol, which underscores the importance of reducing animal product consumption. See my video Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. There’s been controversy, though, as to whether the trans fats naturally found in animal products are as bad as the synthetic fats in partially hydrogenated junk food. The latest study supports the notion that trans fat intake, irrespective of source—animal or industrial—increases cardiovascular disease risk, especially, it appears, in women. “Because trans fats are unavoidable on ordinary, non-vegan diets, getting down to zero percent trans fats would require significant changes in patterns of dietary intake,” reads the NAS report. One of the authors, the Director of Harvard’s Cardiovascular Epidemiology Program, famously explained why—despite this—they didn’t recommend a vegan diet: “We can’t tell people to stop eating all meat and all dairy products,” he said. “Well, we could tell people to become vegetarians,” he added. “If we were truly basing this only on science, we would, but it is a bit extreme.”   Wouldn’t want scientists basing anything on science now would we? “Nevertheless,” the report concludes, “it is recommended that trans fatty acid consumption be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.” Even if you eat vegan, though, there’s a loophole in labeling regulations that allows foods with a trans fats content of less than 0.5 grams per serving to be listed as having—you guessed it—zero grams of trans fat. This labeling is misguiding the public by allowing foods to be labeled as ”trans fat free” when they are, in fact, not. So to avoid all trans fats, avoid meat and dairy, refined oils, and anything that says partially hydrogenated in the ingredients list, regardless of what it says on the Nutrition Facts label. More on trans fat can be found in my videos Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease and Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat. While unrefined oils such as extra virgin olive should not contain trans fats, to boost the absorption of carotenoids in your salad why not add olives themselves or whole food sources of fat such as nuts or seeds? Other videos on oils include: 	Dr Greger,Would tahini be considered a “whole food source of fat such as nuts or seeds”? It is crushed roasted sesame seeds (as you likely already know).DGHHow about roasted nuts and seeds? Any chance the roasting process creates some trans-fats? And what about the steaming and roasting of certain veggies, even if they contain small amounts of natural fats? This trans-fat issue makes me wonder if we should ALL being eating raw food only.Although quite delicious, the roasting can oxidize some of the nut and seed fats, making them less desirable. Also, depending upon the temperature, the roasting process can increase the food’s acrylamide content.Does sushi – (raw fish) contain trans-fats? How about cooked fish?Something is really concerning me here: I am thrilled to be vegan and a big fan of it but you mention that the NAS determined that the safe limit of trans fats is zero….and that “There may also be no safe intake of dietary cholesterol”But the best science out there has shown that the Okinawans did in fact consume meat, fish, and animal products, – in limited amounts, but they did exceed this “zero” threshold level…..and arguable (ironically, most vegans agree on the science that the Okinawans of past had great health. This goes for other cultures that established and respected science has shown did in fact consume limited amounts of cholesterol and rank in the best of the class in health and longevity.It really seems like something is missing here….is there some “fine print” that has been left out of the NAS report? I mean, the Okinawans clearly violated the advice of the the NAS, as well as your suggestion that “There may also be no safe intake of dietary cholesterol”.Okinawans did eat fish but very little meat. In addition, they had a wonderful social structure with intercommunal family living (multigenerational), that we in the west lack. That and genetics. For that reason comparisons between cultures (Okinawa, North America, Europe) are highly suspect.Well, according to the NAS report, they are not saying “only North Americans and Europeans need to avoid trans-fats”. I am curious, is Doctor Greger saying that for all people on Earth “there may also be no safe intake of dietary cholesterol.”? Is he really claiming that the Okinawans need to stop consuming their pig products and fish, even in limited amounts, or else!? And the Greeks on the island of Ikaria that have been studied have to stop their limited amounts of dairy…I can go on and on.Nevo, this is how I look at it. Something that may be quite toxic to westerners in our current lifestyle with our stressful cultural, our feelings of alienation and separation from each other, our lack of physical activity, regular sunlight etc, may have minimal to no effect in small amounts to a culture that is doing everything else right (like the Okinawans). Similarly, while cigarette smoking even at a very low level is highly toxic in many western societies, as shown in epidemiological cohorts, there are many indigenous cultures that smoke a lot – but they are doing everything else right. So just because something like trans fat is safe to an Okinawan of the early to mid 20th century, does not mean it is safe to an American, Canadian, European or Australian in the early 21st century. As Boby Dylan sang, “The times they are a-changing”. There are many things that are toxic about our culture that just were not seen in Okinawa. To dissect out one single factor in Okinawa such as trans fat intake in fish, without considering the entire cultural and material milieu, is very risky. Are there actual studies done on trans fat intake and disease in Okinawa? Perhaps those who had the most trans fat intake there had the higher rates of cardiovascular events … we just don’t know. For now, I will minimize my intake of exogenous toxins, because the rest of my lifestyle, and the society in which I live, is a fairly toxic milieu, and I can’t afford to live like a hunter-gatherer or Okinawan fisherman.There are lots of people on Earth today who are able to eat some cholesterol and still boast some of the best health on Earth. Telling these people that “there may also be no safe intake of dietary cholesterol” is like telling the students at the top of the class at MIT and CAL TECH that they should spend more time on their studies, that they aren’t doing enough, that if they don’t become “even smarter” and “better than everyone else” then they are doing something “unsafe” and might flunk out.Yes, I do feel there are people whose health might mean “there may also be no safe intake of dietary cholesterol.” – But not for all current, living people and cultures on Earth.Hopefully Dr. Greger can specify in the future who his audience is, who his opinions are targeted at. Surely he knows he has readers and viewers of many different backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems…..varied lifestyle environments that should be taken into consideration. We don’t all live in the western civilization that you have described.Ecological fallacy. If you want to live like an Okinawan, you need to have a 100% Okinawan experience, which is impossible. Diet, communal structure, language, psychology, patterns of physical activity, alcohol, tobacco, work life, social life, politics, climate, latitude, altitude, genetics, spirituality, customs and traditions — can we really extract one variable, e.g. trans fat, from this entire mix? Clearly that whole mix is, or was, deeply protective to the Okinawans who lived in Okinawa, and to say that trans fat intake simply becomes irrelevant in another context because it was irrelevant to the Okinawans at their level of intake is fallacious. My thinking is that modern post-industrialized society is highly vasculotoxic (and toxic in terms of other chronic degenerative epidemic diseases), and we need to work to reduce the toxin load in the diet and other factors to as minimal a level as possible, to prevent chronic disease. That is the basis of a whole foods plant based diet. It doesn’t include fish.Not everyone lives in the toxic post-industrialized society. And, there are some who do live in this toxic dump but appear to be OK on small/limited amounts of cholesterol.“And, there are some who do live in this toxic dump but appear to be OK on small/limited amounts of cholesterol.”Do you have data to support this? My understanding from autopsy studies is that across the general US population (the ‘toxic dump’), atherosclerosis becomes highly prevalent by one’s teens, even in non-smokers. Maybe this is not the case in a south pacific island like Tahiti, but it seems to be the norm in post-industrial countries, where the leading causes of death remain non-communicable diseases such as coronary disease, stroke, congestive heart failure and cancers….Something to consider is the bags of potato chips, fried corn chips, high fat cookies (vegan ones) and other sugar and fat saturated products as a society North Americans have been indulging in for the past 50 or so years. I have no interest in eating meat based products, but something tells me one is better off ingesting a a couple ounces of wild caught salmon a week than indulging in these “vegan” junk foods. The cumulative effect of this junk I think is far worse, creating a lot of the harm. I am willing to bet that the NAS would vote in favor of someone ingesting a few ounces of, say, organic yogurt per week than a bag of potato chips. (And with this the person would be consuming trans fats as well as cholesterol.It is not like people who are consuming minimal amounts of certain fish and animal products – (and I do mean small, minimal, occasional) are playing russian roulette. Maybe for some folks this is a danger zone – I believe it is – but for many it is not as as they are rolling the dice like seems to be suggested in some circles.On second thought I am open to the possibility that eating meat based products – even in small amounts – might be the cause of lot of mysterious cancers and illnesses. Yes, the toxins today are a bit different than in times past – a lot different. And this stuff tends to accumulate in meat based products. This is not the reason I avoid meat based products, but it is a main reason why I don’t go back to eating meat based products. This is my personal choice. Yes, it might contradict earlier statements of mine. But something that really concerns me is the processed vegan junk food – fried snacks, chips, cookies, candy, chemicals in processed food, cooking methods that are bizarre – I think this, in the long run, will turn out to be far worse in the big picture.We don’t know what the effects are for some of these substances, because they are so new and many have not been studied with statistical techniques such as cohort epidemiology. We know that salt, refined sugar, trans fatty acids, saturated fat and, at least for diabetics, cholesterol, are somewhat pathogenic, but for each individual the dose-response curve is going to be different. Some people have protective genes that can detoxify or otherwise protect their tissues from some of these substances. But it’s a “black box”. We don’t know in any given individual whether that person has protective gene X for substance Y – it gets too reductionistic to think that way, anyway, because there is so much complexity “in the model”. By the way, I am a vegan first and foremost for ethical issues, but I think it is quite healthy. From a health standpoint, do I think that a small amount of wild caught salmon per week is going to harm me? It probably wouldn’t, compared to some of the other things I do (not exercising daily, not getting adequate sunlight, spending too much time sitting, stewing over my problems, etc). My original point about Okinawans is that just because something does not harm, or even protects their health, does not mean it can be transported to some other group. I don’t know where you are but I live in Canada. I would love to replicate an Okinawan lifestyle but that is not possible. Where I am coming from, it seems best to adopt a whole foods plant-based approach (even though I do eat some processed foods – e.g. commercially bought hummus). Let’s not also forget how important psychological approaches are in enhancing and maintaining good health and happiness.Nevo: This is my take on the advice: the traditional Okinawans are rather healthy as a people and we believe that a great deal of that is attributable to the very low animal products that they ate combined with high whole plant food eating. But could they have done even better if they hadn’t eaten any animal products at all? I think that’s what the above advice is talking about.In other words, there is added risk with trans fats of any amount. In very small amounts, those risks would be pretty small. But still, why take that risk?I’m not an expert. I’m just sharing a perspective with you that might help with your understanding of all the variables.Good question.Thea, please see my response to NEVO above. This might help you understand this a little better.Thank you, Thea. This is the obvious answer to the question that no one above had mentioned.Dr. Greger, please could you elaborate on the difference between trans and saturated fat? I study clinical nutrition and have heard from my professors that there is no real difference between the two when it comes to affecting our health. Are they the same? Many thanks for you continued work, I love this website!!!It’s both irresponsible and disingenuous to unjustifiably conflate the effects of natural and synthetic trans fats.Query “Harvard Health Letter” and “‘Natural’ trans fat less harmful than artificial version” to find the following:“Two dairy industry–funded studies published in the March 2008 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the effects of artificial and natural trans fat. One study found that eating artificial trans fat lowered HDL in the women studied, while natural trans fat increased HDL. There was no difference in how the two different types of trans fat affected men.”Please don’t invoke a Genetic Fallacy if attacking the studies’ results, i.e., the results cannot be validly impugned by citing the dairy industry as funding those studies.“the results cannot be validly impugned by citing the dairy industry as funding those studies.”That depends upon the design and methodology of the studies, which I’ll leave to someone more qualified than I to examine.Got PubMed links to those two studies?“That depends upon the design and methodology of the studies…”No, it doesn’t. Impugning via Genetic Fallacy is an a priori attack which is entirely ineffective (it’s a species of Red Herring), whereas addressing the “design and methodology” is a posteriori and may actually disclose inherent flaws.The claim that the source of funding for a study is irrelevant is naive, no matter how philosophically sophisticated one’s vocabulary. The article itself mentions results from industry-funded studies warrant a healthy skepticism.Thus the question of study design and methodology is a valid line of inquiry. An open-ended question is not an attack; nor is a request for PubMed references.Here’s the link to the article:http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/natural-trans-fat-less-harmful-than-artificial-versionUnfortunately, the references page does not furnish any citations for this article.http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Health_Letter/2008/July/references_for_july_2008_harvard_health_letter_It goes without saying, the phrase “less harmful” and harmless are not synonymous.What about trans-​Vaccenic acid? trans-Vaccenic acid is a naturally occurring trans-fatty acid found in the fat of ruminants as well as in the meat and dairy products produced from these animals. In mammals, trans-vaccenic acid is converted to 9(Z),11(E)-conjugated linoleic acid, which has been shown to have beneficial antioxidant and antitumor activities that have been attributed to competitive inhibition of Delta6-desaturase and/or PPAR gamma activation. Additionally, a trans-vaccenic acid-rich diet has been reported to reduce serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels when fed to LDL receptor deficient mice representing an animal model of atherosclerosis.This is a general health question not related to the article. I’m a 26 yr old guy, always been in good health, lots of fruits and vegetables but ate plenty of meat and dairy. I recently went whole foods plant based but still kept drinking away like usual. Apart from losing 13lbs in 1.5 months and hitting my target weight…suddenly no hangovers!!! No matter how much I drink, little to no hangovers.What is the scientific mechanism that causes me to not have hangovers after going almost entirely whole foods plant based? I realize this is laughable and there are people out there with real health problems, I’m just crazy curious.-Neal, MaineIf you eat a lot of artichokes, they might contain silymarin such as in milk thistle extract. Silymarin helps purify the liver and reduce hangovers.Synchronous article today, from– http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/10666532/Pill-could-help-humans-live-longer.htmlPrevious research has found that eating barbecued, grilled or fried meat could increase the risk of being struck down by dementia.US experts found that compounds called advanced glycation end products, or Ages, suppress the anti-ageing enzyme known as Sirt1.Protein-rich foods that are cooked at very high temperatures raise the level of these harmful Ages in blood.Dr. Greger,I would like to know more about the possibility of curing tooth decay through diet. This website suggests that the only way to achieve this tooth decay reversal is with an optimum diet. The basis of which is animal foods, particularly animal fats. After watching so many of your scientifically supported videos this claim seems asinine to me. However, I was wondering your thoughts about this. Is it possible to cure my tooth decay with a vegan diet? Am I doomed to having a great deal of my teeth removed at the age of 21?http://www.westonaprice.org/about-the-foundation/vegetarian-tourAvoid all un-sprouted grains. Avoid wheat, even sprouted wheat. Try sprouted rye, if you want to eat grains.Avoid white rice, brown rice, etc.Eat leafy greens, fresh fruits. (make sure fruit is ripe. Never eat un-ripe pineapple.No sugar, no sweeteners, no dried fruit.That’s my advice.I have not read the link but do know that going vegan seemed to help my teeth pain/decay. I also had to eliminate wheat, kamut, spelt – all the wheat grains. These two things really seemed to have made all the difference.a trans-vaccenic acid-rich diet has been reported to reduce serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels when fed to LDL receptor deficient mice representing an animal model of atherosclerosis.If you eat a lot of artichokes, they might contain silymarin such as in milk thistle extract. Silymarin helps purify the liver and reduce hangovers.Protein-rich foods that are cooked at very high temperatures raise the level of these harmful Ages in blood.I recently went whole foods plant based but still kept drinking away like usual. Apart from losing 13lbs in 1.5 months and hitting my target weight.No matter how much I drink, little to no hangovers.http://www.dietkart.com/health-and-nutrition/weight-management/fat-burnerI think a lot of society’s illnesses in the modern world are due to forgetting the ways of our ancestors who ate pretty simple foods unlike what can be found in stores today. Mary DinonThere must be something wrong with all the research concerning natural trans fats. A human being has always consumed meat and dairy products but only for the last say 100 years the heart-related illnesses have increased drastically. Perhaps natural trans fats are OK as long as we lead healthy lifestyles (physical exercise and maintaining healthy relationships all that must be inter-related, we should not consider our diet only). Natural trans fats if not metabolized properly should have given unhealthy symptoms hundreds of years ago and the problems should have started in those remote times. Scientists, I suppose, oughtn’t to look at data as pure numbers regardless of human life experience. Medicine and nutrition science are not pure maths. Human component is vital. Let’s put on our running shoes and .get moving on regular basis and let’s care more for healthy relationships and natural trans fat will never be risky for us. If it is not true, are we all condemned to become vegans?The quantity of meat consumed currently is absurd, and humans are the only mammals that consume the milk of another species. Besides these points, the evidence is clear and abundant clearly linking trans fat and increased CVD. The majority of trans fat currently in the American diet are from processed foods. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/I was not talking about astronomical quantities of meat. Are the humans the only mammals that…. What about diomesticated cats? That was a joke, but I have heard that cliché phrase lots of times. What sort of argument is it? but even if it is true what you say, what’s wrong with that – the human being is very original and inventive and we should appreciate that, at least he does not ape other species. Trans fats and CVD – these are only pure numbers completely isolated. Add other features I mentioned. I didn’t write a word on processed foods, ie on hydrogenated fats.It looks like the astronomical quantities of meat/over-consumption of calories play a larger role in our obesity than our lack of exercise: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/ .I am sorry, but I wouldn’t be so sure. Dr Mercola is not alone in his statement. Sugar is far more dangerous than fat.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/16/ketogenic-diet-benefits.aspxCompare also Dr Hyman’s books Why not choose the middle of the road?Your sources are faulty. Both of those doctors mix with sound advice with fiction. Dr. Mercola, in particular, is a cholesterol confusionist. Isolated sugar is no superfood, but in no way can it compete with the damage caused by saturated fats, especially lauric, myristic, and palmitic fatty acids.Cholesterol is a myth, Dr William Douglass – “the maverick” the most notorious myth buster started the whole cholesterol-myth campaign some 20 years ago. And all the rest of it. Is he also incompetent? http://douglassreport.com/Dr Stephen Sinatra – is he also wrong? And Dr.Majid Ali please have a look what he says – absolutely astonishing http://aliacademy.org/more_coronary_plaques.htm . He also must be mad.And Dr Rath – another incompetent physician telling us that bears have cholesterol, over 500 and they don’t die of heart attacks.True all fats are bad for our blood, because they cause its viscosity but fats are needed by our organism. Dr Lair Ribeiro, a Brazilian cardiologist and nutriologist educated in the States, puts lauric acid (there is 45% of it in coconut oil) as the third food after human milk and eggs (he eats 4-5 every day). According to him in human milk there is 19% of lauric acid and we all know about a huge importance of breast-feeding for the development of a childWhy do we exaggerate saying that saturated fat is bad, obviously we should not consume it in kilograms every day but it is necessary. Complex carbs are also necessary for our health, but vegetarianism or veganism contradicts the basic food habits of a man, who has always been omnivorous.What puzzles me is that there are so drastically opposite views among specialists concerning the basics. Differences in opinions are healthy but not to that extent. Someone must have done improperly their homework.Hello, it is definitely challenging to sort through information especially if MD or PhD behind the name. But we need to be good consumers and do our own research. That is why Dr. Greger cites research so if we have any questions we could go to the paper itself. To that end can you send me links to the research articles that has you so puzzled.I did go to Douglass Report but didn’t see any references or research cited.Also on Aliacademy site, Dr.Alia only lists 2 research articles that don’t see to pertain to your concerns (yes plaques that lead to acute coronary syndromes often occur at sites of angiographically…).Both of these are selling lots of things so that can just be something to think about.I didn’t see where Dr. Rath is saying high cholesterol is ok but that he is testing cellular nutrients for heart health? So as you can see I would like to help but need more.Hello, Let me share these general observations because it is not only the heart disease which is at stake.I guess I came across a hard-core mainstream scientist who does not hear any other arguments than those contained in scientific publications.Rupert Sheldrake,himself a PhD holder calls that science a belief. It is the same as saying you are not a Christian, because what you say there is nothing in the Bible.Do you think that science is larger than life? Or is it the other way round? I would have thought that there is much to life than science (stewing in its own juice) can offer. Haven’t you noticed yet that a new scientific paradigm is in the offing?Joseph Campbell would have never reached his greatness, had he followed the bloody scientific method, which is stiflying the real knowledge.. The same refers to Bruce Lipton or Gregg Braden to name only a few. Science in the traditional sence is in disarray, because it is unable to answer questions of life. No wonder that a parallel alternative knowledge is on the rise.But returning to our muttons, do you really think that Mercola, Douglass, Sinatra, Ali and many many others would have risked being publicly ridiculed by spreading their knowlege? Don’t you know that science is not innocent in itself? How many would-be publications are not accepted because their bosses must toe the line and this line is not merely a scientific line and even on those grounds it is obsolete, a 17th century Cartesian and Newtonian ”science”. A propos, isn’t it funny to know today that Newton himself was more an alchemist than a physicist? Contradictio in adjecto.Sorry, your arguments are not valid any more. Even Dr Grenger does breast-beating for his meagre contribution to 190,000 deaths in America every year (in other words doctors blindly following the ”science”) but he keeps citing snatches of the ”medical bible” continuously updated. And do you think that it is a good support to defend his arguments? We must not limit ourselves and our knowledge only to all those bloody scientific papers but go beyond them.On the basis of my experience and my readings. I will never advise anyone to avoid cholesterol. I am carnivorous and vegetarian at the same time. I like fish and eggs, fruits and veggies,legumes and pasta made from full grain. I am more cautious of sugars than fats. Unfortunately the main challenge is stress and a lack of physical exercise.This is not a diatribe against science as such. I myself have a PhD (not in the field) but I am sick and tired of seeing this injustice being practised in the name of outdated science that needs some refurbishment. The sooner the better, because if the hardliners in science do not buckle under, a coming revolution may sweep valid scientific knowledge and we might end up in the Middle Ages.That is just about the ugliest piece of western meat I have ever seen. Photos of what passes for meat in Asian and African cultures are in a whole different league. After three years on a whole plant based vegan diet, I have become adverse to the allure of animal product as food so I even find what may be considered attractive marketing photos of raw and cooked meats repugnant.That being said, I approve. As I transitioned to a vegan diet, I found it useful to steel my resolve by understanding the cruel and unhygienic processes currently employed to produce meat, dairy and eggs. Before that, I didn’t want to think about it.I eat a whole foods plant based diet, and rarely eat procesed foods. I regularly track my dietary macronutrient composition with a phone ap. I still end up getting about 4-6 grams of saturated fat per day because there is some in the plant foods that I eat. Much of the food composition data I entered myself from NutritionData.comShould I be more diligent about reducing my saturated fat consumption further?Joe: I’m not an expert, and do not know if 4-6 grams is a lot or not. But it sure sounds to me like you have a pretty darn good diet. If it was me, I wouldn’t worry about it. Here’s why:You need some fat in your diet–mainly fat that comes from whole plant foods. And if I properly remember Jeff Novick’s From Oil To Nuts lecture (available on DVD), all whole fats are made up some combination of the three types of fat: mono, poly, and saturated. Thus, there is no way to truly have zero saturated fat in your diet–because you need/get some fat from the plants and thus you will have to get some saturated fat.The idea is just to keep your exposure to saturated fat or fat in general to whole plant foods as best you can. (Recognizing the tropical foods like coconuts have a lot of saturated fat compared to many other plants.) If you are doing that, I think you are golden.What do you think?Thank you for your response Thea. Yes, the studies seem fairly universal on the health benefits of nut and seed consumption. One of my guilty pleasures is eating walnuts with dates or dried figs. I love the juxtaposition of the bitterness of the walnuts and the sweetness of the fruit.The impact of fat consumption on health seems a nuanced one that goes well beyond macronutrients ratios. One can’t help to improve ones omega 3 to omega 6 ratio by eliminating refined oils from ones diet. Eliminating refined oils greatly reduces oxidative stress because refined oils oxidize and ingesting them increase ones free radical burden.It has been drilled into our consciousness for so long that saturated fats are bad, that it is difficult not to view saturated fats with some suspicion regardless of how healthy the source. When I do indulge in my guilty pleasure, how many walnuts are too many? Are there bad synergies between the fat composition of the walnuts and the sugar composition of the fruit. It taste good. It even feels good.Joe: My appologies! Somehow your reply got lost in my pile of e-mails. I would normally have replied sooner.I think you make some great points and have good questions and reasonable concerns. My take is: Dr. Greger and others recommend 1 to 2 ounces of nuts a day. Me: Your question of how much walnuts would be too many for you in particular would depend on your calorie needs. If you are at a healthy, stable weight and eating 1 to 2 ounces of walnuts a day, then I reason that you are getting a healthy amount. That’s just my lay person opinion.As for your question about bad synergies between the nuts and fruits, I’ve never heard of anything like that. The question of synergy is a very good one, I just haven’t heard of any problems with eating nuts and dried fruit together.Not that you needed my opinion. I just didn’t want to leave the conversation hanging. :-)Good luck.I’m not holding my breath waiting for Dr Greger to cite the study discussed in a recent New York Times article. The study analyzed many studies of saturated fat and found NO connection between intake of saturated fat and heart disease, and in addition no benefit from eating higher amounts of unsaturated fats. It was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, one of the most reputable journals around.It’s so obvious that Dr Greger cherry picks his studies to support his extreme veganism agenda.http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/study-questions-fat-and-heart-disease-link/?_php=true&_type=blogs&action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%23%2Fsaturated%2520fat%2F&_r=0I hadn’t seen the article. Thank you for posting it. It would seem that that the impact dietary fats have on health is a nuanced one, and to be sure, ones beliefs and working assumptions do filter and affect one’s perceptions, but I do not see evidence that Dr. Greger is cherry picking his studies. A more likely explanation for the failure to respond to any one blog posting is that there are only 24 hours in a day. If Dr. Greger is guilty of harboring an extreme agenda, it would be for the promotion of health though means of lifestyle modification.We’ll see if Dr Greger or any vegan advocate, comments in detail on the study referenced above, or indeed on any of the many studies which have shown no harm from saturated fats. I’ve yet to see any mention of studies – and there are a multitude – that cast doubt on vegan dogmatism on this site, and I’ve been following the site for close to a year.DOGMATISM 1 positiveness in assertion of opinion especially when unwarranted or arrogant 2 a viewpoint or system of ideas based on insufficiently examined premisesTroll (Internet) In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a forum, chat room, or blog), either accidentally or with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.Is Saturated Fat (Dairy, Meat, and Eggs)For you consideration: http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1846638Note : “Limitation: Potential biases from preferential publication and selective reporting.”Comments on the National Headlines about the March 18, 2014 “Annals of Internal Medicine” Article Suggesting Saturated Fat (Dairy, Meat, and Eggs) Is OK to Eat by Dr. McDougall: http://on.fb.me/1iOfvEZ.1) I agree with the conclusion that polyunsaturated fats (fish oil) and monounsaturated fat (olive oil) are not going to prevent heart disease. They are at least fattening and most likely promote cancer.http://www.techtimes.com/articles/4520/20140318/omega-3-fatty-acids-with-minimal-benefits-in-lowering-risks-of-heart-disease-study.htm2) However, I know that one of their main conclusions is wrong: That it is OK to eat animals. Dairy, meat, and eggs are bad for people and the planet.http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/study-questions-fat-and-heart-disease-link/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=health&_r=1&amp;“This March 18, 2014 Annals of Internal Medicine article will become a feeding frenzy for the animal-food-industries: a “nugget of proof” that their saturated fat-laden foods can be eaten guiltlessly. Millions of people worldwide, especially those who are looking to hear good news about their bad habits, will die of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity, and if left unchallenged, resulting increases in livestock production will accelerate global warming even faster.”Please read on if you are an interested in the details:1) The main scientific study they used showing the safety of saturated fat(reference 12), was a study supported by the National Dairy Council.(Siri-Tarino PW, Sun Q, Hu FB, Krauss RM. Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91:535-46.) This is the single study used to promote eating animals by the low-carb movement and the animal food industries.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/535.full.pdfJeremiah Stamler, MD wrote an editorial in this same issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition criticizing this flawed paper that has received so much attention in the lay press.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/497.full.pdfLetters to the editor that followed were also highly critical of this advertisement for meat and dairy (saturated fat).http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/92/2/458.full.pdfAnd more Letters.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/92/2/459.2.full.pdf2) In the results section of the Annals of Internal Medicine (March 18, 2014) article they wrote: “Seventy-two unique studies were identified (Figure 1 of Supplement1 and theTable). Nineteen were based in North America, 42 inEurope, and 9 in the Asia-Pacific region; 2 were multinational.”I would like to look at the 9 in the Asia-Pacific region and the 2 that were multinational, independently. This would show the effect of different diets on health (and coronary heart disease).In the nineteen that were based in North America and 42 in Europe, people all ate the same diet (full of saturated fat, ie. Dairy, meat, and eggs) – how could you possibly see any difference in health?3) This is an incorrect statement in the discussion of the Annals of Internal Medicine (March 18, 2014) paper:“For example, the influence of metabolism seems particularly relevant for the denovo synthesis of even-numbered saturated fatty acids in the body, compositions of which are largely determined by dietary factors, including carbohydrate and alcohol consumption (33–35), and other metabolic pathways (36, 37) rather than direct dietary intake.”Excess Starch (and even Sugar) Does Not Turn to Body Fat (Easily)http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/mar/passionate.htmA widely held belief is that the sugars in starches are readily converted into fat and then stored unattractively in the abdomen, hips, and buttock. Incorrect! And there is no disagreement about the truth among scientists or their published scientific research.(5-13). After eating, the complex carbohydrates found in starches, such as rice, are digested into simple sugars in the intestine and then absorbed into the bloodstream where they are transported to trillions of cells in the body in order to provide for energy. Carbohydrates (sugars) consumed in excess of the body’s daily needs can be stored (invisibly) as glycogen in the muscles and liver. The total storage capacity for glycogen is about two pounds. Carbohydrates consumed in excess of our need and beyond our limited storage capacity are not readily stored as body fat. Instead, these excess carbohydrate calories are burned off as heat (a process known as facultative dietary thermogenesis) or used in physical movements not associated with exercise.(9,13)The process of turning sugars into fats is known as de novo lipogenesis. Some animals, such as pigs and cows, can efficiently convert the low-energy, inexpensive carbohydrates found in grains and grasses into calorie-dense fats.5 This metabolic efficiency makes pigs and cows ideal “food animals.” Bees also perform de novo lipogenesis; converting honey (simple carbohydrates) into wax (fats). However,human beings are very inefficient at this process and as a result de novo lipogenesis does not occur under usual living conditions in people.(5-13) When, during extreme conditions, de novo lipogenesis does occur the metabolic cost is about 30% of the calories consumed—a very wasteful process.(11)Under experimental laboratory conditions overfeeding of large amounts of simple sugars to subjects will result in a little bit of de novo lipogenesis. For example, trim and obese women were overfed 50% more total calories than they usually ate in a day, along with an extra 3.5 ounces (135 grams) of refined sugar. From this overfeeding the women produced less than 4 grams (36 calories)of fat daily, which means a person would have to be overfed by this amount of extra calories and sugar every day for nearly 4 months in order to gain one extra pound of body fat. (10) Obviously, even overeating substantial quantities of refined and processed carbohydrates is a relatively unimportant source of body fat. So where does all that belly fat come from? The fat you eat is the fat you wear.5) Hellerstein MK. De novo lipogenesis in humans: metabolic and regulatory aspects. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999 Apr;53 Suppl 1:S53-65.6) Acheson KJ, Schutz Y, Bessard T, Anantharaman K, Flatt JP, Jequier E. Glycogen storage capacity and de novo lipogenesis during massive carbohydrate overfeeding in man.Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Aug;48(2):240-7.7) Minehira K, Bettschart V, Vidal H, Vega N, Di Vetta V, Rey V, Schneiter P, Tappy L.Effect of carbohydrate overfeeding on whole body and adipose tissue metabolism in humans. Obes Res. 2003 Sep;11(9):1096-103.8) McDevitt RM, Bott SJ, Harding M, Coward WA, Bluck LJ, Prentice AM. De novo lipogenesis during controlled overfeeding with sucrose or glucose in lean and obese women. AmJ Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):737-469) Dirlewanger M, di Vetta V, Guenat E, Battilana P, Seematter G, Schneiter P,J Çquier E, Tappy L. Effects of short-term carbohydrate or fat overfeeding one nergy expenditure and plasma leptin concentrations in healthy female subjects.Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord.2000 Nov;24(11):1413-8.)10) McDevitt RM, Bott SJ, Harding M, Coward WA, Bluck LJ, Prentice AM. De novo lipogenesis during controlled overfeeding with sucrose or glucose in lean and obese women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):737-4611) Danforth E Jr. Diet and obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 1985 May;41(5 Suppl):1132-45.12) Hellerstein MK. No common energy currency: de novo lipogenesis as the road less traveled. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):707-8.13) Tappy L.Metabolic consequences of overfeeding in humans. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2004 Nov;7(6):623-8.I have always been wary about high fat content of nuts, and I usually end up tracking my nut consumption to see its effect of my macro nutrient mix and saturated fat intake. I usually eat them as a desert with fruit at the end of the day as a reward for eating well prior. I stumbled on this article on vegsource.com (http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/08/nuts-weight-gain-its-worse-than-we-thought.html) that reviews 22 nut studies and calls into question the idea that nuts do not cause weight gain. The article in question sites studies that seem to have been funded by the nut industry, and the main criticism of the studies in question is that the researchers managed caloric intake during the studies. This article seems in to stand in contrast to the 20 nuts studies sited in Dr. Greger’s video Milk Protein vs. Soy Protein (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/)I eat nuts, and my weight has been holding steady, but I am a meticulous calorie counter, and I manage my caloric intake.Does anyone care to compare, contrast and comment?BTW, I would post on the nuts page (http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/), but there is no discussion there.It appears as if the urls are being truncated. The name of the vegsouce.com article is (Nuts & Weight Gain: It’s Worse Than We Thought) http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/08/nuts-weight-gain-its-worse-than-we-thought.htmlCould you please provide the citation for the quote about “if we were basing this only on science”? I cannot find this text in the NAS report itself.	aggression,animal products,bologna,breast cancer,burgers,cardiovascular disease,cheese,chicken fat,cholesterol,coronary heart disease,dairy,diabetes,heart disease,heart health,hot dogs,hydrogenated fats,impatience,irritability,junk food,meat,milk,National Academies of Science,olive oil,plant-based diet,refined oil,stroke,sudden death,trans fat,turkey meat,vegan,vegetarian,yogurt	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22059639,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22403632,
PLAIN-141	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/25/ginger-lemon-balm-for-radiation-exposure/	Ginger & Lemon Balm for Radiation Exposure	The German Medical Association has finally apologized for the profession’s role in the Nazi atrocities, 65 years after 20 physicians stood trial in Nuremberg. During the trial, the Nazi doctors argued that their experiments were not unlike previous studies by researchers in the United States, such as Dr. Strong’s injection of prisoners with the plague. Nazi Docs were hanged; Dr. Strong went on to Harvard. We were just getting started. The few examples the Nazis cited were nothing compared to what the American medical establishment started doing after Nuremburg. After all, researchers noted, prisoners are cheaper than chimpanzees. Much attention has focused on our cold war radiation experiments, which remained classified for decades. Declassification, the American Energy Commission warned, would have a “very poor effect on the public” because they were performed on human subjects. Subjects like Mr. Cade, a 53 “colored male” who got in a car accident and ended up in the hospital, where was was injected with plutonium. Who is even more powerless than patients? At the Fernald School in Waltham, Massachusetts children with developmental disabilities were fed radioactive isotopes in their breakfast cereal. Despite the Pentagon’s insistence that these were the “only feasible means” of developing ways to protect people from radiation, researchers have since come up with a few ways that don’t violate the Nuremburg code, which states that doctors are only allowed to do experiments that may kill or disable people if they themselves are willing to sign up as experimental subjects. For those interested in the Nuremburg narrative, I touch on other cases of medical mistreatment in: One way is to study cells in a petri dish. For example a study I profile in my video Reducing Radiation Damage With Ginger & Lemon Balm entitled “The Protective Effect of Zingerone Against Radiation-Induced Genetic Damage and Cell Death in Human White Blood Cells.” What is zingerone? It’s a phytonutrient found in cooked ginger root. Researchers blasted cells with gamma rays and found less DNA damage and fewer free radicals when they added ginger phytonutrients. They even compared zingerone to the leading drug injected into people to protect them from radiation sickness, and found the ginger compound to be 150 times more powerful—and without the serious side effects of the drug. The researchers concluded that ginger is an “inexpensive natural product that may protect against radiation-induced damage.” So know that as you’re sucking on some crystallized ginger to prevent travel sickness on an airplane, you may be protecting yourself from the cosmic radiation at that altitude as well. What else can ginger do? See: Lots of different plant-products have been found to be protective in vitro against radiation damage by a variety of mechanisms. After all, plants have been utilized since time immemorial for curing diseases, so researchers started screening plants and  found radiation-protective benefits from other plants one can find at the grocery store such as garlic, turmeric, goji berries, and mint leaves (I now add ginger to my pink juice and hibiscus punch recipes). But this was all just on cells in a test tube. None had actually been tested in actual people—until now. How are you going to find people exposed to radiation whom you can test stuff on? Oe group that suffers inordinate radiation exposure is the hospital workers that run the X-ray machines. They have been found to suffer chromosomal damage and higher levels of oxidative stress on their bodies compared to other hospital staff (although X-rays can damage DNA directly, much of the damage is caused by the free radicals generated by the radiation). So, the researchers asked radiology staff to drink two cups a day of lemon balm tea for a month, an herbal tea known to have high levels of antioxidants (as I showed in one of my favorite videos, Antioxidants in a Pinch). The level of antioxidant enzyme activity in their bloodstream went up and the level of free radical damage went down, leading to the conclusion that oral administration of lemon balm tea may be helpful for the protection of radiology staff against radiation-induced oxidative stress. This is the final installment of a five-part video series on preventing and treating radiation damage. I started with Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood on avoiding radiation exposure in one’s diet and then moved to diagnostic medical and dental radiation in Cancer Risk from CT Scan Radiation and Do Dental X-Rays Cause Brain Tumors?. In the last video, Mediating Radiation Exposure from Air Travel, I reviewed population studies of airline pilots and Chernobyl victims that looked at which dietary components may decrease radiation-induced DNA damage and cancer risk. 	How about our vitamin supplements that get passed through the airport scanners, x-ray machines, etc.? Is there a way we can protect them from possibly being damaged? Or should we never fly with our vitamins and supplements? It seems that even if we put them in our check-in luggage, those bags are still individually “zapped” by an x-ray machine. Could we possibly put some ginger in our bags? Doubtful, but just a thought. Are you comfortable having your vitamin B12 “zapped”, when you fly, and then later ingesting this now-zapped product? Wouldn’t this change the integrity of the product? Any studies done on this?I dont think any evidence exists that vitamin b12 will become radioactive after going through an airport scanner. It is really a non issue I would not worry about.http://www.packaging-gateway.com/features/feature16/also, radiation gets absorbed by anything of “matter”, with maybe a few exceptions. Whatever goes through the X-ray machines at airports (everything!) is effected. To then put this food, vitamins, supplements into our bodies absolutely raises concerns. Radiation gets absorbed whether we like it or not. And this is some pretty hire powered light zapping through tiny little vitamin pills. Most of the science, from what I can tell, has been done on large bodies (humans). If there are people who are concerned about harming themselves by going through the X-ray at the airport, it makes sense that they should be even more concerned about their tiny little pills. Think about, what defense do these little pills (and most food) have against this radiation? At least humans have living and innate defense/protective mechanisms (regardless of antioxidant ingestion) going on.You had better stop breathing the air and eating bananas if you truly subscribe to that notion, since the background radiation level is easily detected in these items (and any foods with high potassium levels)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_equivalent_doseBRAVO Excellent thinking!!! We DON’T need “science-based evidence”, studies or “”Experts””. What we URGENTLY need is a CLEAR Mind with natural instinct and common sense knowledge.We get all the answers we need the closer to Nature and very very FAR from Human influence which has ALWAYS been shown very negative, evil & destructive, complicated, over pretentious and forever wrong !I wouldn’t take any supplements. You can have a break and if possible eat locally fresh organic raw vegetables & citrus fruits insteadI didn’t see this link in your post and I think it is fantastic!This is the recipe link for the Ginger lozenges that Dr. Greger makes and uses for not only motion sickness and nausea but also to protect from the hazards of daily radiation exposure. http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/Feeding disabled children radioactive isotopes? Didn’t hear about that one. That is unreal.Here in Boise, we have had 140 times the legal limit of radioactive iodine 131 and cesium 137 in our crops and drinking water, thanks to Fukushima. As good citizens, we make sure to drink plenty of fluids, as the doctor recommends. Our cows have been affected, due to their drinking the water as well. It’s unbelievable here… in total darkness, you can see a faint greenish glow from the MacDonald’s burgers.http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/update-fukushima-radiation-in-idaho-rain-water/Content?oid=2182164Yikes. That sucks. My sympathies.It just so happened that I had my yearly dental exam…I asked what is your x ray policy: full set every year. Everything went icy cold when i asked why … like from cousins in love to call your next witness courtroom drama. I had to get out of there. we dont have that many dentists in New zealand…you cant just throw them away…but i did anyway. Funny thing,,,i pay a lot more attention to flossing and brushing now. heh . thanks for the headsup. I am so lucky that i crave ginger all the time. even chew up the slices in our chickpea curry…cant resist. someday we will all be bionic imortals…till then eat ginger…stick it to the Man.Does ginger powder work or it has to be fresh root?. How much should I take before x-ray at the dentist? Thanks.I put the root through a juicer. The resultant ginger juice is POTENT; a pound of root nets a cup or so of juice. As a liquid it is quickly assimilated but do not drink it straight !! A moderate dose is 1 teaspoon (put it in tea, w/honey or anything else).	children,DNA damage,free radicals,garlic,ginger,goji berries,lemon balm,lemon balm tea,mint leaves,Nuremburg,oxidative stress,Pentagon,phytonutrients,radiation,radioactive isotopes,The Cold War,The German Medical Association,The Holocaust,turmeric,X-rays,zingerone	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11644626,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21335001,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20858648,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22893146,
PLAIN-142	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/	Dealing With Air Travel Radiation Exposure	Doctors appear to be causing tens of thousands of cancers with CT scans and dentists may be causing a few brain tumors with dental X-rays (see my two videos Cancer Risk from CT Scan Radiation and Do Dental X-Rays Cause Brain Tumors?), but what about these new-fangled airport full-body scanners that use so-called backscatter technology to reduce X-ray exposure? A thousand times less radiation exposure than a chest X-ray, though they’re still being phased out. In fact, flight passengers may get 100 times more radiation during the flight every hour, because they’re so high up in the atmosphere and exposed to more cosmic rays. Does that mean a round-trip cross-country flight is almost like getting a chest X-ray? Yes. Anyone who’s seen my speaking schedule knows I’m totally screwed. But what can you do? As is the answer to so many health questions, you can eat healthily. High dietary antioxidant intakes are associated with decreased DNA damage in airline pilots. Note the word “dietary.” Antioxidant supplements didn’t work. No benefit was found for those taking multivitamins, vitamin C pills, or vitamin E pills. But those getting the most vitamin C from food, B carotene from food, cryptoxanthin from food, and lutein/zeaxanthin from food, saw a significant decrease in DNA damage. The USDA keeps a nice list of phytonutrient resources. Cryptoxanthin sources listed here (Healthy Pumpkin Pie anyone?). Lutein and zeaxanthin can help us Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther and may present a Dietary Prevention of Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Are these eyesight-saving phytonutrients also found in eggs? You might be surprised. See Egg Industry Blind Spot. For more on why produce is generally preferable to pills, check out: These are all phytonutrients, of course, so when they say food, they really mean plants.  And because antioxidants can have synergistic effects, the greatest protection was found when they were eating a combination of phytonutrients, so the greatest protection was found in those eating the citrus and broccoli and nuts and seeds and pumpkins and peppers and dark green leafy vegetables. Though if one had to pick, greens may be the best. All this time I’ve been packing kale chips on planes as a snack just because they’re so lightweight, but now I know their dual purpose. The researchers conclude that a diet consisting of a variety of fruits and vegetables provides a natural source of these antioxidants as well as other potential protective factors, which may offer the best protection against cumulative DNA damage associated with ionizing radiation exposure. The results are especially relevant to flight crews, astronauts, and frequent flyers. The same thing was found following Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors for decades. Models based on the available data suggest that the cancer risk in exposed persons may have been knocked down by daily green and yellow vegetable consumption from about 50% increased cancer risk to only about 30% increased risk. Similar results were found for fruit consumption. So fruit and vegetable consumption can diminish, but not eliminate the risks of radiation. Same thing was found following children after Chernobyl. I profile a study in my video Mediating Radiation Exposure From Airline Travel in which consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits was found to afford protection to the immune systems of exposed children, whereas egg and fish consumption was associated with significantly increased risk of chromosome damage within their bodies. Researchers were unsure whether the damage attributed to fish and eggs was because the eggs and fish carried radioactivity, or whether it was just from the animal fat intake alone. Why might eggs be harmful even if not radioactive? See Who Says Eggs Aren’t Healthy or Safe? or my other 58 videos on eggs. I cover natural and artificial radioactivity in fish in Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood and explore concerns about other pollutants in my 89 fish videos. 	Does food absorb radiation up that high in the sky? In-flight eating maybe not good idea? …..maybe prior to flight, post flight eating only?The type of radiation we’re exposed to in an airplane is not radioactive particles that things absorb, it’s electromagnetic waves, aka radiation. So, sure, the food gets hit by radiation, and sure, that radiation can cause “damage” to the cells in the food. But the food isn’t contaminated with radiation, it’s merely been hit by it. Only by hanging around fission reactions can actual radioactive particles be absorbed.Seems to me that we should not be bringing any food (kale chips included) onto the plane. Same goes with supplements. If our bodies absorb radiation, why would these “small little bodies” of food. And then we eat ‘this’ food? Does seem prudent. I’m going to indulge in antioxidant rich foods pre-flight and when I land. Same might go for water.The type of radiation we’re exposed to in an airplane is not radioactive particles that things absorb, it’s electromagnetic waves, aka radiation. So, sure, the food gets hit by radiation, and sure, that radiation can cause “damage” to the cells in the food. But the food isn’t contaminated with radiation, it’s merely been hit by it. Only by hanging around fission reactions can actual radioactive particles be absorbedDr G Good idea on Kale Chips … I think? I just looked in Whole Foods and the only Brand I could find, Name starts with a “R”, is about 40 % fat. What brand did you select? where did you buy? ThanksYou should just make your own :-). It’s pretty easy if you have an oven or dehydrator. Tastes better too.I too am concerned about bringing food onto a plane. It does make sense that if the human body absorbs radiation, then the avocado, the baby food, the breast milk,….all the goodies I bring with me up in the air…..all this stuff absorbs the radiation as well. Makes me think the first things I should do when the plane lands is throw it all in the trash.Interesting!Has anyone done a study on pilots and stewards/stewardess and their risk of cancer?Fascinating. I’ve taken four flights between the east and west coasts in the past six months, and I’m about to take two more. Will be sure to load up on berries and cacao prior.	air travel,antioxidants,B carotene,cancer,Chernobyl,cosmic rays,cryptoxanthin,dentists,DNA damage,doctors,eggs,fish,fruits,full-body scanners,iatrogenic harm,lutein,nuts,phytonutrients,radiation,seeds,synergistic effects,vegetables,vitamin C,X-rays,zeaxanthin	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12729509,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19793852,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15225589,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11572275,
PLAIN-143	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/18/are-dental-x-rays-safe/	Are Dental X-Rays Safe?	Every year, doctors cause an estimated 29,000 cancers a year dosing patients with X-rays during CAT scans (see Cancer Risk from CT Scan Radiation). What about dentists? 100 million Americans are exposed to dental X-rays every year, but don’t the lead apron and thyroid shield protect our vital organs? All our vital organs except one, our brain! A study entitled “Dental X-Rays and Risk of Meningioma,” was recently published. The objective was to explore the association between dental X-rays—the most common artificial source of high-energy radiation—and the risk of intracranial meningioma, the most common type of brain tumor. The researchers found that those who report ever having a bitewing X-ray had twice the odds of a brain tumor, and those that got a panoramic series—the full mouth X-rays—before age 10 had nearly 5 times the odds (see my 3-min video Do Dental X-Rays Cause Brain Tumors? for details). While more research is needed, the bottom line is the benefits and risks of radiation exposure must always be carefully weighed. Dentists should consider the justification for every exposure. Furthermore, dentists should not prescribe routine dental X-rays at preset intervals for all patients (such as every 6 months or year, etc.). Says who? Says the official recommendations of the American Dental Association. There is little evidence to support irradiating people looking at all the teeth in search of hidden problems in asymptomatic patients. Accordingly, dentists should select patients wisely—only take X-rays when there is patient-specific reason to believe there is a reasonable expectation the X-rays will offer unique information influencing diagnosis or treatment. The last time I was at at the dentist for my check-up I was again offered a set of full mouth X-rays (because I was “due”). Normally when I refuse routine dental X-rays I’ve just explained that I try to minimize my radiation exposure, but this time I was able to refuse “as per the official recommendation of the American Dental Association!” I just got a blank stare. More on avoiding brain tumors in: This is the third in a five part video series on preventing and mediating the adverse effects of radiation exposure. The first, Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood, described the natural and artificial sources of radioactive isotopes in our diet. The previous video, Cancer Risk from CT Scan Radiation detailed the estimated 29,000 cancers that doctors cause with CAT scans every year. I also have videos on Mediating Radiation Exposure from Air Travel, in which I talk about those full-body scanners in airports. And I close out with ways to mediate all these risks with Reducing Radiation Damage With Ginger And Lemon Balm. 	Speaking of reducing exposure to potentially harmful things in our lives (yeah, dental ex-rays on high on my list of things to avoid), what does your experience suggest about the possibility that vegans are potentially ingesting too high amounts of copper in relation to zinc? I find that my diet, when high in beans, grains, and nuts contains too much copper… RDA amounts well in excess of 200 percent. Is there an accumulation of this heavy metal, and could it contribute to alzheimers and maybe even poor zinc status? Do vegan sources of copper get flushed out of the body quicker than the copper contained in meat, shellfish, and other animal-based products?The ADA recommendation this links to is from 2006. My dentist says that this caveat has been removed from the latest ADA recommendations. Given that I have a dental checkup in less than a week and after three or four years of refusing X-rays I am being STRONGLY advised to get some as they’re “the only way to find dental decay between the teeth or beneath the gum line before it causes significant problems or tooth loss,” I am in a quandary. Is there nothing more recent you can point to than an 8-year old recommendation?Grains = tooth pain for me,…tooth degradation. citrus seems to not help either.I have no problem with non-citrus fruits.I have the same problem as Laloofah. Every time I go to the dentist, they push me to get x-rays. And I mean, they really push. It got to the point where I considered going elsewhere because they pressured me to do it, I suspect because they have these very expensive machines sitting there in the exam room and they only make their money back on them if they use them. In recent years I have been to several different dentists, and it’s the same thing with each of them, warning me of dire consequences that could possibly result if I don’t get the x-rays. I really dislike the pressure tactics. Well, for many years I did get x-rays and I’m now in my my 50s and not one x-rays has revealed anything out of the ordinary.Here’s a link to the guidelines; updated in 2012. http://www.ada.org/sections/professionalResources/pdfs/Dental_Radiographic_Examinations_2012.pdfI would like to adjust my earlier comment because I didn’t know the meaning of the word “partially edentulous.” When I looked it up just now, I realized it refers to someone who has lost some of their teeth.Assuming that most of those reading this will not be toothless, I want to point out another section of the 2012 ADA paper that refers to the frequency of recommended x-rays for patients WITH teeth:“Adult (Dentate, Partially Edentulous and Edentulous)In the absence of any clinical signs or symptoms suggesting abnormalities of growth and development in adults, no radiographic examinations are indicated for this purpose. Therefore, in the absence of clinical signs and symptoms, no radiographic examination is recommended. So Laloofah, I’d suggest you go the 2012 document, print it out and highlight the relevant sections to show your dentist. They’re probably counting on your not bothering to look at the recommendation yourself. Good luck!I had just located and finished reading that document myself and returned here to post it, so thank you, Kristin and Dawn! I remember finding it after my last exam and debate with my dentist, not long after Dr. Greger posted the video on this. I have no symptoms or problems – but it does seem I read something else that backed up the dentist’s argument and resulted in a stalemate. If I locate it, I’ll post it.I found the bit the dentist used to bolster her recommendation, in one of the charts in the document Kristin linked to. For an adult recall patient with no cavities or risk of cavities, and with all or most of their teeth (which would be me), the ADA recommends dental X-rays at 24-36 month intervals. My exam next Monday will mark the 36 month interval. I was confused last time I read this, since the recommendation in the chart contradicts the recommendation you quoted in your comment, Dawn, though both appear in the same document! I’ll print them both and take them with me, but I agree about the pressure that is brought to bear and the challenge it presents to patients trying to make the right decision. Frustrating!My parents refused to let me have these procedures done on a routine basis as a child but in adulthood, I started getting dental X-rays annually. They did pick up one asymptomatic cavity which was repaired. I now get them every 10-12 months. I am going to stop, having read this article. I have also had a number of panoramex films done to check for keratocyst, which runs in my family, and for wisdom teeth extraction. So, all the more reason to stop the annual X-rays. Thanks Dr Greger.Great article. Well over a year ago, a friend of mine sent me a brief referencing x-rays from the ADA. My bride and I now ask our Dentist to “justify” his request for x-rays. I often wonder about Paul Newman and Senator Kennedy if maybe their brain cancer – white teeth and all – had anything to do with dental x-rays. Don and WE CAN! :-))Hi, I have some questions not directly related to this topic.I recently began to cook using a cast iron skillet, and I saw on a video a person explaining how to proper use it. While he was explaining he mentioned that cast iron is good because it enhances your iron absortion by providing it to the food you are cooking. Also he said that a little rust may be actually good for you, when explaining how to re use an old unseasoned one. He didn’t said to eat the rust, but that it wouldn’t hurt you if you missed a spot. That last thing kind of creeped me a little bit.I saw some more videos, because I was actually just looking up how to mantaince mine, but I found that the fact, or rumor, about the iron from the skillet could be healthy, repeated by the people on the videos.I haven’t look that up, but I thought on checking your site for some info. I didn’t find a post about that yet. So I thought on asking.I choose to buy cast iron because health reasons and I know that other equipment that is not stainless steel and cast iron can leave a chemical trace in your food.So the questions:1- Do you know if this fact about the iron is true? 2- Is there any scientific evidence about it? 3- Is the rust harmful, harmless or healthy? 4- Do you recommend using cast iron skillets and pots?Hope this topic interests you, thanks for your time and sorry for my grammar, I don’t have much practice writing in english.My understanding from reading some of the literature is that you must cook acidic solutions such as tomato sauce or orange juice or lemon juice in cast iron cookware to get the benefit of the iron for preventing iron-deficiency anemia in veganism. There is one study suggesting this from Brazil and there may be more. I don’t know anything about the toxicity. Rust is simply iron oxide. Darryl would know whether that’s absorbable or not.Thanks a lot :)if you read Dr. Neal Barnard’s book Power Foods for the Brain, he advises against the use of cast iron skillets (unless they are enamel-line) as iron is among the metals found in the amyloid plaques of people with Alzheimer’s Disease. Excess quantities the body is unable to get rid of seems to accumulate in the brain.“There appears to be an association between exposure to bitewing radiographs and meningioma according to results of their study. However, the authors found no dose-response relationship, and found annual visits to the dentist to be protective. Of the radiographs studied, bitewings expose patients to the least amount of ionizing radiation, yet exposure to full mouth series (an effective dose about 5 times higher than that for bitewings)4 was not significantly associated with meningioma at any age or frequency. It also seems contradictory that control patients were significantly more likely to have visited a dentist than case patients. Finally, the magnitudes of the odds ratios are small, and their respective confidence intervals are borderline significant in many cases. It is important to be very careful when interpreting these numbers and their clinical relevance. One must be diligent when drawing conclusions from statistics, and especially cautious when reporting on a topic that can potentially alarm the general public.” http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.27812/fullWhile I applaud Dr. Greger’s efforts to help us understand these studies, he has developed a reputation for taking these individual studies out of context, similar to how the media tends to report them. I would hope that he and his readers remain attentive to how the results of individual studies should always be presented in the context of the overall evidence, for those results to be meaningful to the bigger picture. Otherwise, we are simply bouncing from one piece of “breaking health news” to the next, without coming to meaningful conclusions:“The impact of isolated foods in isolated feeding studies has little to no meaning to the impact of what such foods have as part of an overall lifestyle.For instance, think about the latest DVD by Dr Greger and the section on cancer. In the first study he showed that there was triple the rates of cancer for every 50 grams of poultry consumed. And then he said that for 1/4 of a chicken breast (50 grams), tripled the risk.However, in the next 3-4 studies, he showed how powerful a plant-based diet was in slowing the growth and even in killing cancer cells. Yet, the diet he showed including chicken at 100 grams up to 3x a week.So, did chicken triple the risk/rate or did chicken help to slow the growth and kill cancer cells?This is why everything has to be put into proper context and properly applied to the situation at hand.”from: http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=418940#p418940I hope you find the information at least as worthwhile as I have. Please have a wonderful day.Thanks for reminding me and giving me more hefty ammunition the next time the dentist ‘suggests’ xrays. It floors me the way doctors and dentists harass patients/customers with dire consequences when we go agains costly protocol.The article failed to mention the biggest factor in radiation level, which is digital vs traditional xrays.Could you clarify if both are bad or just the traditional xraysDr Greger–I found this more recent PDF from the ADA about patient selection guidelines for dental radiographs–I would recommend adding this resource to your page, particularly to replace and/or supplement your “official recommendations” link in the article text: http://www.ada.org/sections/professionalResources/pdfs/Dental_Radiographic_Examinations_2012.pdfI changed dentist because he refused to not ex ray me every 6 months. He obviously needed the money . Instead of arguing with him I found another dentist. The new dentist is very good except for the pro advocacy about fluoridation in the city drinking water which I and others are fighting against.I am staggered to read that so many dentists routinely x-ray their patients. This is not common practice in Belgium, and I doubt on most of the European continent. X-rays are used very sparingly overall.I usually only allow dental xrays every 2 years and that is only to shut my dentist up. I think I will widen that interval after reading this. they really are pushy about it. I don’t have a single cavity and I’m 47 years old, that’s a lot of years of unnecessary xrays. sad dentists are doing this to make a buck.Ahh this scares me. I’m 20 and I had to get two panoramics last year because they screwed the first one up and recently they pushed me to get 8 individual xrays on specific teeth. How long does it take for my brain cells to regenerate? or have i done permanent damage?Of course they want you to get x-rays every time you come in. It’s insurance money, right? Cha-ching. I know a guy who never goes to the dentist. He doesn’t have insurance. He doesn’t have much money. He doesn’t have a job. He doesn’t take the best care of his teeth either so they are slowly rotting out on him. But for a guy his age (51), who never goes to a dentist, he’s doing pretty well.My dentist goes almost ballistic if I mention the subject of X-rays. She has just about kicked me out of her office and behind her fake smile I perceive she is actually quite rude about how she handles this. I looked this up because yesterday I had my yearly dental exam and they took 4 X-rays. Of course it had been many years since I have been to the dentist, so I’m probably ahead of the game compared to most.I read a book called “Physics For Future Presidents” where they talked about radiation exposure, and it definitely said that below a certain threshold the studies just are getting noise and that low levels of radiation cannot be accurately measured. (these are my words) It was plausible, but I don’t know, and with all the other source of physical “insult” to our bodies these days, I’d prefer to minimize my exposure to X-rays (no pun intended).What can I do to make my dentist stop these X-rays, or how can I know for sure when an X-ray is really necessary?I expressed radiation concerns to my dentist and was told they use digital x-rays which “expose you to less radiation than being in the sun.” I was also told if I refuse to get x-rays I would be released as a patient and because that’s the only way they can tell what’s happening between the teeth. I asked if I could sign something saying I choose to have no x-rays if I have no symptoms of problems. They said no. What recourse do I have?Deb: It’s my understanding (though I’m not an authoritative voice on the topic) that medical professionals have a right to refuse service to anyone they want. So, I think your only short-term options are to give in or find a better dentist. It sucks, but you may look on this as an opportunity to find a much better dentist…Good luck.Thanks for replying. Yes it does suck. I’ve liked them except for this. Is it true that digital x-rays are better? I know nothing about that. It stinks when you aren’t allowed to be responsible for your own health care. I’ve fought battles like this with regard to other health issues!Deb: I have heard that digital x-rays use less radiation. If true, then to the degree that they use less radiation and still provide clear results (do not require re-takes as much), then yes, I think that digital x-rays would be better.My personal policy is: If I need the x-ray, then I will get it regardless of what kind is available right then. If I do not need the x-ray, then I will not get it, regardless of what kind is available.But that’s easy for me to say right now. I’m not facing the need to find another dentist right now.My dentist has been pretty cool. While I haven’t refused bit-wings, I did refuse the full-mouth panarama one. Both the dentist and hygenist put on a little pressure, but they ultimately respected my wishes and did not resort to threats. I respect them a lot for that given stories like the one you are telling.Good luck.Digital x-rays are 50-75% LESS radiation than for film (depends on the brand/age of the sensors). And if your dentist doesn’t have digital, then you SHOULD be going somewhere else, since if they haven’t gone digital then you don’t know what else they are behind the times on….I recently had a full-mouth x-ray (for no good reason) and they said I might have to have my 2 top wisdom teeth pulled (I’m 16). Should I continue and go to an oral specialist? Or is it not worth it? I really don’t want to undergo surgery for their removal, but I also don’t want oral pain for the rest of my life. The teeth aren’t in yet, but they “might” cause problems, as they don’t have much room to move in.I have been suspecting that Dental X-rays is a cause of eye and brain disease for a long time. I recently decided to research into it. So far I found evidence that X-ray can cause cataract and that Dental X-rays can cause meningioma and is the main source of ionic radiation for most people. Have you got any suggestions what you can do yourself for protection? There should be something to protect the eyes and the brain. And there are companies selling such things but I have never seen them in a clinic (here in Sweden). It appears like it is up to the patient to protect themselves. There are lead glasses but will they help? Any other suggestions?	American Dental Association,brain tumour,cancer,dental X-rays,dentists,doctors,iatrogenic harm,intracranial meningioma,meningioma,oral health,radiation,X-rays	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16946440,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22492363,
PLAIN-144	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/13/how-risky-are-ct-scans/	How Risky are CT Scans?	The greatest radiation exposure risk comes not from the Fukushima fallout or the polonium naturally found in all seafood (see my last video, Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood), but from doctors. This was the study that originally shook things up: “Estimated Risks of Radiation-Induced Fatal Cancer from Pediatric CAT scans.” Researchers concluded that the best available risk estimates suggest that pediatric CAT scans (also known as CT scans) will result in significantly increased lifetime radiation risk. How increased? In the United States, of the approximately 600,000 abdominal and head CT scans annually performed in children under the age of fifteen, 500 of these individuals might ultimately not just get cancer but die from cancer attributable to the CAT scan radiation. In response to this revelation, the editor-in-chief of the leading radiology journal admitted that radiologists have not been watching out for children. The cancer estimates were based on data from Japanese atomic bomb survivors, in terms of how many deaths one can expect from what kind of radiation dose. However, there’s never been a study able to actually document the excess cancers—until now. It turns out that the X-rays released by CAT scanners may be twice as carcinogenic as the higher energy gamma rays released from atomic bombs. Just a few CT scans may triple the risk of brain tumors and leukemia in children. Other studies are being performed around the world to quantify the risk and should be out in the next few years. Until then, what can we do? First of all, we should get X-rays only when absolutely necessary. Good evidence suggests that between a fifth and a half of CAT scans aren’t necessary at all—they could be replaced with another type of imaging or not performed at all. That’s a lot of added cancer risk for no added benefit. If you check out my 4-min video Cancer Risk From CT Scan Radiation, you can see the risk of developing cancer for different groups after getting one CT scan. The risk of developing cancer after a single CT scan may be as high as 1 in a 100 for a baby girl. It can take years for cancer to develop, though, which is why the risk is lower in the elderly since they have fewer years left to live. The diagnostic medical radiation dealt out in one year is estimated to cause 2,800 breast cancers among women in the United States, and 25,000 other cancers. That’s doctors causing a lot of cancer. One chest CT scan is like getting 400 chest X-rays, and a stress test heart scan can be like getting over a thousand X-rays. Doctors need to communicate the risks of these procedures, using relatable analogies. For example, the risk of a chest CT is like the risk of having a car crash during 2500 miles of highway driving or of smoking 700 cigarettes. You pick up a pack of cigarettes and there’s a warning label, but then you go in for thallium heart scan, and no one minds telling you that the risk corresponds to smoking 1400 cigarettes. One in every 270 middle-aged women that get an angiogram may get cancer because of that one test. The risk associated with the thallium heart scans shocked me. By eating healthy, we may not only eliminate the death and disability associated with heart disease and its treatment (such as open heart surgery), but the risks associated with heart disease diagnosis as well. See these videos for my advice on preventing heart disease: As I explain in my full-length live presentation on preventing, arresting, and reversing the 15 top killers (Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death), adverse drug reactions from prescription drugs are estimated to cause more than 100,000 deaths in the United States every year, making doctors the sixth leading cause of death. And that’s not counting other “iatrogenic” (physician-caused) harm, such as these radiation risks or medication errors or infections acquired in hospitals. My profession needs to do a better job of offering fully informed consent, clearly and comprehensively explaining the risks and benefits of each alternate course of action. What about getting X-rays at the dentist? I’ve got a video about that too: Do Dental X-Rays Cause Brain Tumors?. And cell phone radiation? See my video Do Cell Phones Cause Cancer? 	Thanks very much for the informative posts! But you keep referring to eliminating death from heart disease and the like–but, of course, even if everyone ate a maximally healthy diet we would still not live forever and we wouldn’t all die solely from accidents, but also of disease. I assume that you’re talking just about premature, preventable deaths from diseases like this–but this literally false way of putting it still undermines the appearance of credibility. When I’ve tried to persuade disbelieving friends that a vegan diet is healthy by suggesting they look at your posts, this is a criticism that often comes up.My experience has been that people listen when the spear hits another. If it hits them, they tend to fall towards the one throwing it. In other words they take on more damaging load from drugs, surgeries, super-supplements, chicken soup, stand on their heads, bow three times to Chicago, etc. ineffective things or accelerants that won’t work and importantly won’t interfere with pleasure, since they are in pain. But if it hits someone else nearby or famous, like Bill Clinton, there’s a rustle in the survivor brain. I mention I’m on Clinton’s diet, seems to get favorable attention.No you don’t have to die of diseases. Many elderly just have their ‘parts’ slow down and wear out. Sometimes the heart just stops…healthier people do often die peacefully–closing their eyes and passing. This has become much less common in our time. But even when diseases or disorder takes us, it should be very late in life.Doctor, what about metal detectors? For work (a PT job I don’t “need”), coming and going, I have to walk through a metal detecting machine and go through a full body scan with a wand. Are there negative consequences to that? Thanks,Monty you are on a thankless mission. You can only help people that want help or are open to improving their health. I have found that trying to persuade people, in general does not work. They must have a reason in their minds to give them a willingness to change or help themselves. This could be due to some health problems that they have, from obesity or diabetes to high blood pressure or vascular problems. Think about it, people that are in trouble (of any kind) seek help (pretty much from anybody) but people that (in their minds don’t have any problems) don’t seek help and usually resent advice, even it is helpful. Trust me I have been through this , help people that need it ( and know that they need it) they will be open and grateful. Good luck. Keep helping people it’s a good thing to do.The statistics you presented are rather frightening. My daughter had a head CT for a fall when she was just 15mos. To think this may put her at significant risk of cancer is unsettling. Now that we know this risk what if anything can be done to reduce her risk?I’m not sure, but it seems like once the exposure happens it’s too late to undo the changes. However, the plant-based diet is shown on this site to fight both the growth of new cancer cells, and to encourage the death of existing cancer cells. Thus the cancer could remain sub-clinical or even gone from the anti-cancer effects of diet, probably the sooner the better.What about MRI’s of the brain? Any adverse consequences or damage as a result of having this procedure done?Unlike CAT scans which use x-rays, MRIs use lower energy radiowaves that will not produce damaging ions in the body. Nevertheless, MRI radiowaves have the potential to cause damage due to heating effects (for further reading look up Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)) or due to peripheral nerve stimulation; however, the specific MRI pulse sequences that are used in clinical practice have been designed with safety in mind and should not produce these adverse effects. The strong magnetic fields (1.5T to 7T, i.e. tens of thousand times stronger than the earth’s magnetic field) required by MRI to give good image quality, is not at present thought to be associated with any harm.I have been a CT tech for over 30 years and a lot of what has been posted is very true. No X-rays are good xrays. With that in mind it’s risk vs reward. If your child fell and hit his or her head and presents with symptoms of brain injury, of course, do the CT scan. If your child has a sinus condition with a head ache, then what do you do? In my experience doctors will do anything to cover their butt so they over use the CT scan to “rule out” anything so they don’t get sued.. In the last few years the program of “scan gently” has greatly reduced the amount of scans ordered on children.Do ECG tests present any danger?ECG’s and MRI’s don’t do any damage as we know it today.. ECG’s just read the electrical activity of the heart, like listening to the radio. MRI’s don’t use ionizing radiation like Xrays or CT scans (A CT is just a big computerized x-ray machine). So in a nut shell X-ray bad, all others not so bad.. MRI’s use a huge ass magnet and then pulse many thousands of watts of Radiofrequency through your body. If you have had a MRI, that’s the bang bang bang you hear.Just as an aside, I worked on one of the first MRI’s in the country. Our control/operator area was where the magnetic field was still prevelent. Pens and paper clips on the desk would align with the magnet. Every one of us had short term memory loss. We HAD to write down everything or we forgot it. Post-it notes all over the place!! Go on Vacation for a week and you were fine. Back to work= Forgetful. Thankfully there is more RF shielding in the MRI units today.Thanks mitch. I just had an ECG and I’ve been avoiding x rays of all types.Welcome to the world of defensive medicine.I agree with the comment that doctors should ensure that their patients are thoroughly informed about the risks of ionizing radiation from CAT scans, though I have some doubt that there is widespread neglect by doctors in this area. I think most doctors do their best to inform patients, given the time constraints of their career and education level of their patients.Doctors who recommend CAT scans likely base their decision on a trade-off between the benefit of getting life-saving information from CAT scans versus the harms associated with them. For example, an oncologist who recommends a CAT scan for a patient showing indications of cancer will likely be gaining extremely relevant information that may save a person’s life. If it turns out that the CAT scan was non-informative, even though lifetime risk of cancer went up, the oncologist would not be to blame since they may have had no better way of making their diagnosis.I feel their is considerable edge in this article directed toward doctors, i.e. “doctors causing a lot of cancer.”. I think it is downright impossible for a typical patient who is a non-expert to decide what CAT scans are absolutely necessary when they don’t know what their symptoms are associated with…thus it is the role of the experienced doctor to help guide the patient on these topics.I earned my Ph.D. in biochemistry looking at the effect of free radicals – also produced by radiation, and their involvement in the aging process. Aside from increasing cancer risk, high amounts of radiation greatly accelerates processes that simulate aging in many ways.So, just as a thought experiment I assumed that damage caused by background radiation accounts for somewhere between 1% and 10% of the aging process. After seeing the research of Dr. John Gofman, who convincingly demonstrated that even the smallest amount of radiation can cause harm, I chose the higher number of 10% as the one to use as a cautionary rule of thumb. I expect – hope! – that the actual contribution of background radiation with respect to aging seems much, much lower,So in this thought experiment, an X-Ray dose that gives a patient the equivalent of 10 days of background radiation, has aged the patient the equivalent of about 1 day – insignificant. But a lumbar spinal x-ray – equivalent to 158 days of background radiation, ups that to over two weeks of avoidable aging. And an abdominal CT scan – equivalent to 3.3 years of background radiation begins to get rather worrisome – 4 months of avoidable aging in an instant.Unfortunately, the effects seem cumulative. In our society, someone could easily get 10 to 100 times the abdominal CT scan dose from a series of visits to an x-ray trigger-happy doctor or hospital, just from diagnostic x-rays, resulting in 3.3 to 33 years! of avoidable premature aging. And getting years worth of radiation IN A FEW SECONDS from an x-ray machine, probably seems much more damaging than getting exposed slowly over over days, months, or years from natural background radiation, where the body has time to make repairs to minor damage before it becomes major.Furthermore these dosages assume X-rays machines in proper working order, and technicians who calibrate them correctly, and do not overdose.Finally, the dosages I refer to above compare x-ray exposures to whole body exposure from background radiation, but in fact some localized areas will get far higher relative dosages. An average brain weighs about 1 pound, about 1/150 of the mass of a 150 lb man. So if the brain gets selectively exposed to the same dose, say in a head CT that would cause the equivalent of 25 days of additional aging for a evenly distributed whole body exposure, this figure becomes greatly magnified for the brain when looking at a selective exposure to the head only, in what may amount to years of additional brain aging in a few short minutes. And hot spot areas might have even greater effects.So from my point of view, three things seem obvious from the Hippocratic oath’s “Do no harm . . . ” point of view.1. Only take x-rays – other than those that have a very low aging cost (like digital dental x-rays) – when necessary for diagnostic purposes, and when doing so, take the fewest x-rays at the lowest exposure levels.2. Effectively and routinely shield any areas of the body (especially the brain!) from unnecessary exposures – even from lower-dose x-rays – when taking diagnostic x-rays of other areas. At least make lead caps, blankets, etc. readily available for any patients that might want to make use of them.3. If at all possible provide the patient with known radioprotective supplements, or at least with a recommended list and protocol – like A, C, E , NAC, polyphenols like resveratrol, etc. or advise them to eat radioprotective foods, to take well before as well as after they receive any significant X-ray dosages, at least from CAT scans.4. Lower x-ray exposures from better machines obviously seem preferred to higher dosages given by older machines. I would gladly pay 10X the going rate or more to get an X-Ray from a newer model machine that provides the same information at a fraction of the radiation dose. For me, the monetary cost of an x-ray seems trivial when compared to the physiological costs in accelerated damage and aging as well as other, increased risks.My point of view.Wow, Alef1, thanks so much for sharing your research on here. What valuable information!what do you consider to be “radioprotective foods”? Thank you.Hi Nevo – As far as radioprotective foods go, check out “Radioprotective Potential of Plants and Herbs against the Effects of Ionizing Radiation” ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2127223/ ) for a review of many such foods.“The results obtained from in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that several botanicals such as Gingko biloba, Centella asiatica,Hippophae rhamnoides, Ocimum sanctum, Panax ginseng, Podophyllum hexandrum, Amaranthus paniculatus, Emblica officinalis, Phyllanthus amarus, Piper longum, Tinospora cordifoila, Mentha arvensis, Mentha piperita, Syzygium cumini, Zingiber officinale, Ageratum conyzoides, Aegle marmelos and Aphanamixis polystachya protect against radiation-induced lethality, lipid peroxidation and DNA damage.”Turmeric, just highlighted in some videos here, as expected has radioprotective effects:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3453134/ , http://phcogcommn.org/2012/171I also like this overview article from LEF: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/aug2010_Protect-Your-DNA-from-CT-Scans-X-rays_01.htm that includes 111 references. Caveat emptor though – LEF sells supplements, and has a monetary interest in selling their supplements, and biases their papers to feature supplements, rather than foods. And while I’ve never caught them misquoting a paper, they select their quotes to support their point of view. They also routinely neglect to refer to research that contradicts their POV. I find their articles best used as a source for relevant references.I hope this helps!See also:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/and http://www.gabrielcousens.com/DRCOUSENS/DRCOUSENSBLOG/tabid/364/PostID/151/language/en-US/A-Comprehensive-Holistic-Approach-to-the-Plague-of-Radiation-and-What-To-Do.aspx(Caveat emptor – many references not provided):“The fourth protection principle is that there are certain foods and herbs that specifically protect against the overall effects of radiation or radiation treatments. Foods containing chlorophyll have long been known to protect against radiation. Research has found that cabbage, leafy green vegetables, spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass, any sprouts, and blue-green algae all reduce the effects of radiation. Additional foods that protect against radiation include:Soy miso according to post-Hiroshima research, was shown to increase resistance to radiation amongst laboratory mice by five times.Beets protect against the uptake of plutonium-238, -239, iron-55, and -59. J. Wolsieffer reported in the Journal of Dental Research, in 1973, that rats fed a diet of 20% beet pulp had 97-100% less cesium-137 absorption than rats exposed to the same radiation but not given the beet pulp. Beet juice is particularly high in a specific anthocyan, which is active against cancer and leukemia.Bee pollen is another potent antiradiation food. . . .Garlic, onions, and ginseng are also protective against radiation due to antioxidants and factor X. . . . Siberian ginseng is an outstanding protective herb as an adaptogenic to double post-radiation lifespan of rats. . . .Chaparral contains a potent anti-oxidant known as NGRA. It was one of the few plants to survive atomic testing in Nevada.Herbs including astragalus, echinacea, panax ginseng have all been shown to counteract radiation toxicity to some extent.. . .After 55 years of being listed as classified, research has released showing that 20 cups of green tea a day gave 97% or more protection against exposure to the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For this reason alone green tea should be in the number one category for protection against radiation exposure.I think i would ask you more information about this topic… gimme the time to earn my degree in Biotechnology… even if i studied this topic (not deeply) my professors do not talk about this issue…Thanks so much for your information.Thinking about the technique of detection of breast cancer (mammography) in which the procedure is very uncomfortable for women and because there is no new technical about it, what is your opinion?Richard: You may be interested in this:“”McDougall Breaking News – The Cochrane Committee now recommends against mammograms for women of all ages. Screening for Breast Cancer with Mammography – Published by the Nordic Cochrane Center 2012. What are the benefits and harms? How many will benefit and how many will be harmed? What is the scientific evidence?” – Source Dr. John McDougall http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012other/news/jun/mammogram.htmI found the above document to be extremely compelling and helpful.Hope that helps you.For those interested in the details behind the recommendations in the pamphlet by the Nordic Cochrane Center Peter Gotzsche’s book on Mammography Screening: Truths, Lies and Consequences is thorough. As a Family Medicine physician given the current science it is difficult to recommend mammograms as screening. This doesn’t apply to the use of mammography as a diagnostic test for masses and certain abnormalities. I find the pamphlet to be well written and should be read by any women who is considering screening mammography.Dr. Forrester: Thanks for this additional information! I hadn’t known that there was a book behind the pamphlet I referenced above. In looking for the book you mention, I came across Dr. McDougall’s full article on this topic and that was another great find. Thanks!!For anyone interested: http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl/may/mammography.htmHello Doc I am extremely frightened by this news, I have had 4 or 5 CT Scans in the abdominal area since I was 16 or so. Now I am 19 years old and I am extremely worried of my own well being. I read in another post that the CT scans were only a small percent of getting Cancer. But with all this news I keep hearing a cannot bare to hear this anymore. I feel depressed and hopeless at times. What can I do. Im a type of person who is very paranoid when it comes to this issue.. Any advice????Edward: I am not a doctor, but I hope I have some thoughts that may bring you some peace.I think the CT Scan information concerning cancer is just like “gene” information concerning cancer. For example, just because a person has the “breast cancer gene”, does not mean that the person will actually get breast cancer. While I would guess that you are now in a higher risk bracket, you are not destined to get cancer.While there are some things you can do nothing about, such as past CT Scans, there are plenty of things you can control which affect whether or not any bad cells in your body reproduce enough to give you any troubles. I highly recommend that you spend some time looking at the (many) videos on this site which discuss how diet affects cancer. You can figure out which foods to avoid and which to focus on. While such a step is not a guarantee, adopting a healthy diet will give you a lot of control over your health and go a long way to reducing your risk of actually developing cancer. Just to get you started, here are Dr. Greger’s nutritional recommendations, though you will want to research the cancer videos specifically to tweak the diet for your concerns:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=cancerIn addition to diet, you might consider doing some research on other factors you can control. For example, I understand that a lot of cleaning other household products are toxic. So, maybe you could look into cleaning up your living environment.Etc. I wouldn’t get yourself overwhelmed with changes. Maybe focus on diet today and when you are good, start to focus on other things. It certainly can’t hurt and maybe it will help alleviate not only your risk, but your concern and fear.Best of luck to you. I hope this helps.How long does it take for the damage to take effect. I read in a post it usually occurs later in life, the estimation was about 15-20 yrs. Is this any true for my own sake?? Thank YouEdward: I’m not a doctor and have no way of knowing. But this is where understanding how cancer growth rates are so important to this question and how you may be able to slow the growth so that it is a problem for maybe 80 years. Who knows, but the science seems to back up the possibility of having such an effect.I highly recommend that you check out the videos on this site around cancer. Here is a video concerning growth rates.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/I think this is a very encouraging and empowering bit of information. If you started now, there is the potential to have a big effect.Hope that helps.	angiograms,brain tumors,breast cancer,cancer,CAT scan,children,CT scan,heart disease,iatrogenic harm,leukemia,pediatrics,prescription drugs,radiation,thallium heart scans,X-ray computer tomography,X-rays	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11159059,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC521582/,
PLAIN-145	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	Fukushima Radiation and Seafood	With prevailing westerly winds over Japan, radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear power plant tragedy was detected throughout North America at levels comparable to those seen 25 years earlier from Chernobyl, the only other category 7 nuclear event in history. The highest levels of radioactive iodine in rain water were found in Boise, Idaho, and the highest levels in milk were found in San Francisco at levels ten times higher than the federal maximum allowed in drinking water. This is below that which would be expected to pose a direct threat to U.S. public health, but a controversial paper in the International Journal of Health Sciences suggested the radioactive plume from the nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima may be responsible for the subsequent bump in U.S. mortality — similar to what we saw after Chernobyl (see my 4-min video Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood for details). However, the authors themselves underscore that their research shows merely a correlation, and potential evidence of a causal link. They stress that more research is necessary. Of all the radiation released, only a tiny fraction of the fallout reached U.S. shores—most was absorbed by the Pacific Ocean. What does that mean for seafood safety? Researchers report unequivocal evidence that Pacific Bluefin tuna have transported Fukushima-derived radioactive fallout across the entire North Pacific Ocean. Tuna migrate from Japan to California and appear to have taken some radioactivity with them. Unfortunately, more than just radiation from nuclear disasters enters our oceans. Our oceans have become humanity’s sewers; everything eventually flows down into the sea. This has implications for other aspects of seafood safety: Even though there was a 10-fold spike in radioactive cesium levels in tuna, the researchers put it in context by noting that there were baseline levels of radioactivity in fish even before Fukushima, due to everything from thermonuclear weapons tests and sunken nuclear submarines to the radioactive elements found naturally in the earth’s crust. The levels in seawater of radioactive polonium (the element used in the horrific assassination of Russian dissident Litvinenko) are miniscule, but it strongly bioaccumulates up the food chain into fish. Polonium is a by-product of uranium decay and is frequently cited as one of the reasons that tobacco is so carcinogenic. That was something the tobacco industry was well aware of and could have easily removed, but the process that could have removed the polonium affected the absorbability of nicotine. The loss of the nicotine “kick” sensation was found unacceptable by industry executives. So they kept the polonium in. Cigarette manufacturers’ protection of stockholders over the public is not unique to that sector. More industry hijinks in: The radioactive polonium in cigarettes has been speculatively blamed for the link between smoking and male infertility, but most of human exposure comes from diet—mainly fish and shellfish. And this was before Fukushima. So what happens if we eat seafood? Researchers measured the increase in radioactive polonium levels in semen after a single seafood meal. It caused a 300 percent spike in radioactivity levels. Probably not enough to cause infertility—but that was just one meal. Whether the kind of dose you can get from eating seafood is high enough to damage sperm cells still needs to be established. Researchers calculate that may have to eat as much as a pound of seafood a month before we might realize the harmful effects of the radiation. More on infertility in: Interestingly, there’s 8 times more polonium in cooked shrimp than in raw. Researchers think it’s because most of the polonium is in the shrimps’ internal organs, which is released in to the boiling water and contaminates the muscle. Gutting crustaceans before cooking may therefore decrease radiation exposure. The greatest radiation exposure risk, however, comes not from Fukushima fallout or the polonium naturally found in seafood, but from doctors. See my video, Cancer Risk from CT Scan Radiation. This was touched on in a recent New York Times op ed. 	I am a bit confused……does the Polonium occur naturally in tobacco leaf/plant or has the industry somehow bred tobacco over the years to have this?Radioactive Polonium comes from the fertilizer and then the plants uptake the Polonium.Good Question and here is an interesting read on Philip Morris and how they were trying to deal with the Polonium.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2509609/Interesting. It seems likely that organic tobacco/cigarettes would be exempt from this polonium issue (but not that from other tobacco health issues). Is man-made/grown tobacco the real problem, as far as the cancer goes? I’m not promoting organic tobacco but it does raise an interesting question and possibility.Any smoke inhalation is damaging to the respiratory tissue regardless of it’s makeup of being “natural” or “adulterated” (eg. damage to lungs of forest fire firefighters).That’s why there are known second-hand smoke (others smoke you inhale) and third hand smoke (the particles of smoke you smell on others) warnings. If you can smell it you have a smoke particle up your nose.Polonium is added to tobacco through fertilizers because it gives smokers that initial “zing” after lighting up. Polonium is also approximately 250,000 times more toxic than cyanide.Any cautionary signs that swimmers who spend considerable amounts of time in the California Pacific Ocean are exposing themselves – through the skin, or even from radiation airborne coming off the surface waters?Surfers spend upwards of 30 + hours a week, some more, out in the radiation containing Pacific.Where does the groundwater that you drink in California come from? Aren’t underground aquifers essentially filtered ocean water?I don’t know but you raise an interesting possibility.At what point, I wonder, are people going to opt to stay out of the ocean in USA? I wonder if that is the future.Couldn’t help but read this and immediately think of this cartoon I saw recently…great cartoonThe link to the video is not working: Fukushima and Radioactivity in SeafoodThank you SO much for catching that! I just fixed it. Please email me at mhg1@cornell.edu or call my cell phone (240) 252-8078 if you or anyone sees any problem with the website in the future so I can get it fixed asap! I’ve fixed the link but here it is: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/Wow! Your Cell phone?! That is dedication, and to that level I bow. (Just like the movie Wayne’s World–“I’m not worthy”) ;-)There is such a multitude of other health hazards and environmental problems with shrimp. Instead of trying to make it a smidgen less hazardous, why not opt instead for vegan seafood options (including shrimp), which are better for the animals, for our health, and for the environment? Recipes, products and more can be found on the Vegan Seafood Resources page of Fish Feel dot org.Another meatless, zero fat dinner consumed tonight.I have a patient who ingests 35 g of non-hydrolyzed whey protein powder with his breakfast, and I have not been able to answer whether this is harmful or beneficial for his health. He is otherwise on a strict plant-based diet. He uses this quantity of whey for intense resistance training and to increase the satiety of his breakfast. Would this much whey cause an IGF-1 spike? Would it be bad for his arterial health?Thanks for anyone who knows.DanDoes anyone have any information about seaweed contamination?My take on seaweed is…..don’t eat it.I suggest getting your leafy greens from land instead. If iodine is what you are after, indulge in pineapple and medjool dates and a mix of fresh veggies, and on a consistent basis.Think of all the junk that gets dumped in the ocean…and they can’t test for EVERYTHING.It pleases me to see that you recommend hair testing [once considered ‘quackery’] for mercury before females contemplate pregnancy. Considering mercury content in dietary fish as a Hg source is noteworthy. However, what your information about mercury does not take into consideration, and should, is this:1) Mercury from dental amalgams, which can keep depositing Hg into a female’s body, regardless of the type of or how little fish a female eats; and2) Mercury content in vaccines, especially in the current flu vaccination program that is recommended for pregnant women.from the blog post: “Researchers calculate that may have to eat as much as a pound of seafood a month before we might realize the harmful effects of the radiation.”I think that amount would be easily reached by many people. After all, haven’t popular/media “experts” been advising people to eat fish at least once a week. I think it would be easy for people to eat a quarter of a pound of fish a week – getting them easily to that pound a month.This is another a great example of how “moderation” kills. Who wouldn’t consider a single fish meal a week to be moderate? (Where “who” = anyone not educated by NutritionFacts and similar sources. :-) )But imagine how much seaweed it would take to realize harmful effects of radiation? I think we are ok consuming a little seaweed.I think this conversation is going down the wrong track with the cigarette discussion or CT scans. Radiation accumulates up the food chain and people are at the top. Polonium doesn’t go away the day after you eat it. Otherwise Alexander Litvenenko would still be with us. What is the half life of Polonium? And eating a pound of seafood in a month isn’t unusual for many people. It seems to me that human beings eating seafood from the Northern Hemisphere Pacific Ocean are accumulating dangersous radiation in their bodies. According to an artile in The Guardian in November 2013, polonium once injested doesn’t leave the body. A dose of a few milligrams can be fatal. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/06/polonium-210-poison-alexander-litvinenkoAt first I thought “I don’t eat seafood”. (Which is the specific focus of this specific article, rather than the entire ecological disaster.) Then I realized that I do: seaweed. Dr. Greger, what is the danger in seaweed?A couple of us have asked about seaweed. That done, I don’t suppose ingesting Polonium would help us neither a borrower nor a lender be.To seaweed or not to seaweed, that is the question I’ll pass on to Dr. Greger. ;)Until then, if you’re thinking about eating seaweed for iodine, Dr. Greger has already recommended against hijike/hiziki in http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/ and kelp in http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/Hope that’s helpful!Thank you. Yes, I had seen those videos and have been avoiding both hijiki and kelp.The problem for me (and any concerned eater!) is that many of the seaweed snacks are just labeled “seaweed”. (!) I have actually gotten on websites and corresponded with several companies, about *what* kind of seaweed they use.Stash teriyaki seaweed, so they say, is something like organic and conscientiously farmed in the ocean near Korea. Similar answers from others, I think Trader Joe’s. Big help there.What about nori? It seems that it is testing “hot” post-Fukushima. Should I stop eating my one or two sheets a day?	bioaccumulation,Chernobyl,cigarettes,dairy,dioxins,fish,Fukushima,infertility,male infertility,milk,mortality,nuclear fallout,nuclear power plant,oceans,Pacific Bluefin tuna,Pacific Ocean,pollution,polonium,radioactive fallout,radioactivity,salmon,shrimp,tobacco,tuna,uranium	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21296469,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22403909,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22645346,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21956761,
PLAIN-146	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/	Tea and Fluoride Risk	If cranberries are so good at keeping bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder (see my video Can Cranberry Juice Treat Bladder Infections?), what about keeping bacteria from sticking to other places? There is in vitro research suggesting cranberry phytonutrients may reduce adhesion of H. pylori bacteria in the wall of the stomach, so maybe cranberries should be given along with antibiotics to help eradicate the ulcer-causing bacteria. But hey, what about our teeth? Dental plaque is bacteria sticking to our teeth, particularly Streptococcus mutans. We’ve known that those with different drinking habits—be they coffee, tea, barley coffee, or wine—have about 10 times less of these plaque bacteria. Since those are all beverages from plants, maybe phytonutrients are fighting back at plaque. If bacteria cause plaque and cavities, why not just swish with some antibiotic solution? There are downsides to just indiscriminately wiping out bacteria both good and bad, as I detailed in my Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash video. So maybe it would be better if we just stop the bad bugs from sticking to our teeth. There is some evidence that cranberries might affect the adhesion of bacteria to fake teeth in a petri dish, but nothing yet definitive. Green tea also appears to help prevent cavities, but that may be because of its natural fluoride content in the tea plant. I have a video about a woman who developed fluoride toxicity drinking up to the equivalent of about five dozen cups a day, but what about just regular consumption? During the tooth development years, up to about age 9, children exposed to too much fluoride can develop dental fluorosis, a mottled discoloration of the teeth. It’s just a cosmetic issue and usually just manifests as faint white spots, but it’s the main reason the EPA is reconsidering current tap water fluoridation levels. If you watch my 3-min video Childhood Tea Drinking May Increase Fluorosis Risk, you’ll see that herbal teas are fine–about 100 fold under the limit–but caffeinated teas exceed the suggested limit, and decaf teas exceed the mandatory limit. Those limits are for tap water, though, so tea drinking would only pose much of a risk if drank all day long as one’s primary beverage. Kids who primarily drink non-herbal tea as a source of hydration would be at risk for dental fluorosis. What may be the best source of hydration for kids? Might tea also cause dehydration? Find the answers to these beverage-related questions in my videos Does a Drink of Water Make Children Smarter? and Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating? What about all those folks that say fluoride is a poison to be avoided at all costs? I offer my brief two cents in the Q&A The Dangers of Fluoride? There are elements for which there is no safe level of exposure, though. I explore a few in my video Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood. Beyond cosmetic issues, what should we eat and drink to keep our mouth healthy? See my videos Plant-Based Diets: Oral Health and Plant-Based Diets: Dental Health. 	Immunity is strange. For instance–http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23888213 “[…] We concluded that patients with HP infection had lower incidence of multiple sclerosis and MS patients with HP infection showed lower neurologic complications, which can demonstrate that HP infection may have a protective influence on MS pathogenesis.”The idea of normal flora — probiotics — seems awfully wise. Allostasis. On every level, we’re all of a piece, and never separate from our environment. Symbiosis is the principle of what endures.I must have genetically bad teeth because no matter how well I care for my teeth (electric brush twice a day & floss every night) I always have atleast two 5’s when I visit my hygenist. My parents weren’t consistant with our oral health and I had braces for nearly two years in my teens which didn’t help. I have been on a plant-based diet for almost a year now and I feel great, I’m healthy, but my tooth health hasn’t changed much yet. I switched from Earthpaste toothpaste just recently because my teeth were becoming too stained. I now use Jason brand which is better at removing stains. What can I do/eat to encourage better oral health and what can I do to help whiten them, naturally?do oil pullingstop eating grains — ALL GRAINS — for two months, and see if that helps. It made all the difference for me.I noticed that when I went plantbased RAW my teeth changed, less plaque, less cavities, and they are whiter	antibiotics,barley coffee,cavities,children’s health,coffee,cranberries,decaf,decaffeinated tea,dehydration,dental,dental disease,dental fluorosis,dental health,dental plaque,fluoride,fluoride toxicity,fluorosis,gastrointestinal health,Green tea,H. Pylori,herbal tea,oral health,phytonutrients,plaque,stomach health,Streptococcus mutans,tea,teeth,ulcers,wine	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-dangers-of-fluoride/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17201096,
PLAIN-147	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/04/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/	Does Cranberry Juice Work Against Bladder Infections?	How could any bacteria cause a bladder infection without just getting flushed away—literally? Bladder infections may make sense if we’re not drinking enough or if we leave behind a stagnant pool because we can’t empty completely (as in men with enlarged prostates).  However, in most people there should be a constant flow of water. The way bladder infection-causing E. coli hold on is that they evolved  finger-like projections (fimbrae) they can use to stick to the walls of the bladder so they don’t get washed away. Almost 30 years ago, it was demonstrated that if you drip cranberry juice on E. coli, their fimbrae aren’t able to stick as well. Grape juice doesn’t work, nor does orange or apple juice. Even white cranberry juice made from unripened berries doesn’t work, suggesting that it’s one of the red phytonutrients that’s the active ingredient. For more on these natural plant compounds, see Phytochemicals: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label and for those doubting the power of plants, Power Plants. Even if it works in a petri dish, though, we don’t pee cranberry juice. How do we know that the anti-adherence phytonutrients are even absorbed through the gut and make it into the bladder? Subsequent studies have shown that if you drip the urine of someone who drank cranberry juice onto E. coli, they don’t stick as well either. Now we’re getting somewhere. If you check out my 4-min video Can Cranberry Juice Treat Bladder Infections?, you can see the stickiness of strains of E. coli wading in urine from someone drinking water, and the stickiness in the urine of someone drinking cranberry juice. Within hours of consumption there’s a drop in E. coli adherence that appears to last throughout much of the day. So might cranberries really help prevent bladder infections? The best way to prevent infections is to not get infected in the first place, which may involve the avoidance of chicken so you’re not constantly re-infecting yourself (see my last video Avoiding Chicken to Avoid Bladder Infections). If that doesn’t work, however—if your gut remains stubbornly colonized with these bad bladder bugs—various tested cranberry products appear to reduce the recurrence of bladder infections by about 35 percent. Not as effective as antibiotics, but cranberry juice doesn’t foster antibiotic resistance and has fewer side effects. There’s no good evidence to suggest cranberries are an effective treatment, though, which makes sense. Cranberries prevent the initial adherence, but that occurs at the start of the infection. When the infection is present and already stuck, there’s no clinical data to suggest that cranberries are effective in the treatment of urinary tract infections, meaning it doesn’t work better than placebo—but placebos work! For example, ibuprofen seems to work just as well as antibiotics for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Some people really do need antibiotics—pregnant women, children, men, those with kidney infections, and systemic symptoms like nausea and vomiting. For most healthy women, though, bladder infections just go away on their own without antibiotics. Women who drink cranberry juice and have their symptoms disappear may falsely attribute their recovery to the juice. However, when it comes to most UTIs, nothing works–as in nothing, a sugar pill, actually works! I discuss the controversy around doctors giving placebos in The Lie That Heals: Should Doctors Give Placebos? What else can cranberries do? Check out my recent videos Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better? and Cranberries Versus Cancer. How can you consume cranberries palatably? Check out my recipe for Pink Juice with Green Foam. If cranberries are so good at keeping bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder, what about keeping bacteria from sticking to other places like our teeth? I touch on that in my video Childhood Tea Drinking May Increase Fluorosis Risk. 	It would be interesting to see what your research is regarding D-Mannose. I’ve read that it has much clinical success with naturopaths in the treatment of active UTIs. http://www.tahomaclinicblog.com/d-mannose-for-bladder-and-kidney-infections/ Unlike cranberry juice, it is able to cling to the bacteria and flush it out with the urine. It’s safe and does not harm beneficial gut flora.I have switched to d-mannose from Nitrofurantoin as a preventative treatment for uti’s with success. I’m glad to be off antibiotics, though I don’t love using such an unknown product. Here’s a study my quick googling produced: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00345-013-1091-6What about cranberries in interstitial cystitis?What about taking cranberry pills (supplements) daily for prevention? Does it help? What dosage would you advise?That’s my question too. The concentrated juice is really hard to take, but I can do it if it really helps.I don’t know about the cranberry juice being a placebo. I have had many, many, uti’s and suffered greatly at first. Then I was told to drink some cranberry juice. Silly me drank what I could find in the middle of the night which was cranberry juice cocktail (loaded with sugar). Maybe it was the gallon of juice and water that flushed out my urinary tract. Then I switched to 100% cranberry juice (no sugar, just the berries). I would drink about a half a gallon of the juice with water over a 2 hour period. Added to this I would eat asparagus (canned, frozen, whatever I had). Ah, stinky pee and no more urge to go. I never had an infection get to my bladder (lucky or I just learned fast) and I never saw a doctor for it. So, should I ever get an infection again (not in my plan) I will consume the juice and the wonderful asparagus. It works for me, placebo or not.Parsley tea works. I know you just said that even placebos work, so you may think that’s what going on. But I swear! Water steeped in parsley has cured every UTI I’ve ever had, within a day. And I’ll go further. I’ve never known anyone for whom parsley tea didn’t work on their UTI. And I bet no one will ever know anyone for whom this doesn’t work. How’s that for confidence? :-)Fresh parsley…or dried..to make the tea?Fresh parsley. Let a big handful of it steep in a cup of hot water, then drink the water. You’ll feel a little better within minutes after the first cup (maybe 15 minutes.) And with each cup, you’ll keep feeling better. For me, a full blown UTI will be gone within 24 hours with the parsley tea — maybe 6 to 8 cups drunk within that 24 hours.I have been through the UTI wars…and have also been diagnosed with interstitial cystitis….and have had a serious round of kidney infection. I have passed menopause (never having these prior to perimenopause)…and have been WFPB (whole food plant based) for several years. I have tried the cranberry track…. but doesn’t seem to work. I will try the parsley next…as I read in the column. I still have chicken in the house as I make my dog’s food (usually 1x per month and then freeze the rest). This time I put gloves on when I handled/cooked the chicken. I use a crock pot…and only use it for the dog food. But that video was a wake up call!!Of recent, I have been researching focusing on pH…and keeping your urine between 7.2 – 7.4. I shifted what I had been eating (WFPB…no processed foods) to include more leafy greens….avocados….of course fruits and vegetables…and my urine has been slightly above this range (7.6-8.2…I take the pH of first morning urine…and if home, throughout the day..this is based on a pH meter that I purchased…ok not as much fun as peeing on the cabbage…but a lot easier…and a bit more precise). The theory being that bacteria can not live in a basic environment. Not only did I get a bladder infection accompanied by fever this time… but was told by my doctor…that there are several bacteria that live in an alkaline environment. {sigh}. So I am on another round of antibiotics.My doctor…once I am well…wants to do some radioactive testing (which I am NOT thrilled about…and want no part of) to see if there are some issues with the kidney (kidney stones? are her thought). But being on a WFPB diet I thought my risk of getting kidney stones was low?I have a couple of questions….1) can your urine be too basic?2) What are some possible health risks from too high a pH. (In the video about the cabbage, nothing was mentioned).3) can someone eating a WFPB diet get kidney stones?4) If so, wouldn’t there other evidence to indicate this is happening (blood work?)5) If so, are there foods to avoid on WFPB diet that would help stop the formation of kidney stones?6) What else can I do to help stop UTI?	antibiotics,bacteria,bladder disease,bladder health,bladder infection,cranberries,cranberry juice,e. coli,Escherichia coli,phytochemicals,phytonutrients,urinary tract infection,UTI,white cranberry juice	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21480803,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18253990,
PLAIN-148	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/28/how-avoiding-chicken-could-prevent-bladder-infections/	How Avoiding Chicken Could Prevent Bladder Infections	Where do bladder infections come from? Back in the ’70s, longitudinal studies of women over time showed that the movement of rectal bacteria into the vaginal area preceded the appearance of the same types of bacteria in the urethra before they were able to infect the bladder. However, it would be another 25 years before genetic fingerprinting techniques were able to confirm this so-called fecal-perineal-urethral theory, indicating that E. coli strains residing in the rectal flora serve as a reservoir for urinary tract infections. And it would be another 15 years still before we tracked it back another step and figured out where that rectal reservoir of bladder infecting E. coli was coming from—chicken. Researchers were able to capture these extraintestinal (meaning outside of the gut), pathogenic, disease-causing E. coli straight from the slaughterhouse, to the meat, to the urine specimens obtained from infected women. We now have “proof of a direct link between farm animals, meat, and bladder infections,” solid evidence that urinary tract infections can be a zoonosis (an animal-to-human disease). Millions of women are infected with bladder infections every year, at a cost of more than a billion dollars. Even worse, researchers have detected multidrug resistant strains of E. coli in chicken meat resistant to some of our most powerful antibiotics. The best way to prevent bladder infections is the same way we can prevent all types of infections, by not getting infected in the first place. It’s not in all meat equally—beef and pork, for example, appear significantly less likely to harbor bladder-infecting strains than chicken. Can’t one just use a meat thermometer and cook the chicken thoroughly? We’ve known for 36 years that it’s not always the meat, but the cross-contamination, that causes the infection. If you give people frozen chickens naturally contaminated with antibiotic resistant E. coli and let people prepare and cook it in their own kitchen as they normally would, the bacteria ends up in their rectum even if they don’t actually consume the meat. That’s how they know it was cross-contamination, because the jump happened after the animal was prepared but before it was eaten. In one study five different strains of antibiotic resistant E. coli jumped from the chicken to the volunteer. So not only did it not matter how well the chicken was cooked, it didn’t even matter if one eats any! It was the bringing of the contaminated carcass into the home and handling it. Within days, the drug resistant chicken bacteria had multiplied to the point of becoming a major part of the person’s fecal flora. If you check out my 6-min video Avoiding Chicken To Avoid Bladder Infections, you can see all this drug resistant bacteria colonizing this person’s colon, yet the person hadn’t taken any antibiotics—it’s the chickens who were given the drugs. That’s why the industry shouldn’t be routinely feeding chickens antibiotics by the millions of pounds a year. It can end up selecting for and amplifying superbugs that may end up in our bodies. More on the threat of feeding antibiotics to farm animals by the ton in: What if we’re really careful in the kitchen, though? The pivotal study in this area was entitled “The Effectiveness of Hygiene Procedures for Prevention of Cross-Contamination from Chicken Carcasses in the Domestic Kitchen.” Researchers went into five dozen homes, gave each family a chicken, and asked them to cook it. I expected to read that they inoculated the carcass with a specific number of bacteria to ensure everyone got a contaminated bird, but no. They realized that fecal contamination of chicken carcasses was so common that they just went to the store and bought any random chicken. After the participants were done cooking it, there was bacteria from chicken feces (Salmonella and Campylobacter–both serious human pathogens) all over the kitchen—on the cutting board, the utensils, on their hands, on the fridge handle, on the cupboard,  the oven handle doorknob. Obviously people don’t know what proper handling and disinfection protocols entail. So the researchers took another group of people and gave them specific instructions. After they cooked the chicken they had to wash everything with hot water and detergent. They were told specifically to wash the cutting board, knobs on the sink, the faucet, the fridge, the doorknobs—everything. And the researchers still found pathogenic fecal bacteria all over. Fine. Last group. This time they were going to insist that people bleach everything. The dishcloth used to wipe up was to be immersed in bleach disinfectant. Then they sprayed the bleach on all kitchen surfaces and let it sit there for 5 minutes. And… they still found Campylobacter and Salmonella on some utensils, a dishcloth, the counter around the sink, and the cupboard. Definitely better, but unless our kitchen is like some biohazard lab, the only way to guarantee we’re not going to leave infection around the kitchen is to not bring it into the house in the first place. The good news is that if we eat chicken once, we’re not colonized for life. In the study I profile in Avoiding Chicken To Avoid Bladder Infections, the chicken bacteria only seemed to last about 10 days in peoples’ guts before our good bacteria could muscle it out of the way. The problem is that people tend to eat chicken more than once every ten days, so they may be constantly re-introducing these chicken pathogens into their system. For example, a study found that if people are fed only sterilized meat that’s been boiled for an hour, within 3 weeks there’s a 500 fold drop in the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria passing through their bodies. I originally explored this topic in Chicken Out of UTIs, but decided I needed to take a much deeper dive, especially in light of the cross-contamination issue, which I also  touched on in Food Poisoning Bacteria Cross-Contamination and Fecal Contamination of Sushi. Other videos about diseases that one might not initially associate with food include: More on urinary tract health in: What if you already have a urinary tract infection? See Can Cranberry Juice Treat Bladder Infections? 	The idea of spreading food pathogens all over the home by bringing a chicken into the home are convincing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they cause disease.Can we really say that by bringing a dead chicken into the home you are putting your family and yourself at risk even if you don’t eat it? It would be nice to compare the UTI/ food poisoning incidence in vegans who live with vegans, versus vegans who live with omnivores.Yes, any person is at risk. cross-contamination is important… touch there here there…I was wondering the same thing as the last poster. Are vegans who visit omnivores at risk for UTIs after touching things in the kitchen within 10 days of the omnivore handling a dead chicken?Steph M. : I can’t answer your direction question (because I don’t know), but I have some “food for thought” for you: I believe we have another video on NutritionFacts where we learned that there were some Orthodox Jews (who never ate pork and never brought it into their homes) got personally contaminated with ___ (I can’t remember what they got sick with.) The people who looked into this problem found out that while the family did not eat pork, the person that they hired to clean house and cook their food DID eat pork and was the source of their contamination.This doesn’t directly answer your question about chicken, but it does seem to me an reasonable assumption that the risk is there given the story I relayed above.(Sorry, I don’t have a link to that particular video at hand. Maybe someone can find it for me.)NOTE: I’m not an expert. I’m just sharing my opinion/thoughts.My gosh Thea this is terrifying! My room mate is an omnivore. The thought of inadvertently coming in contact with all those drug resistant bacteria is stomach turning! I usually wipe the counter and refrigerator handles with an antibacterial spray (that claims to be effective on E Coli). There’s nothing I can do about it now! I’ll have to wait for a year to move out. SighAna: I understand your feelings as I share them to a degree. It is depressing to work hard to try to make oneself healthy just to know that there is so much that others can do to sabotage us.That said, here’s what I tell myself in order to maintain perspective: Most of us cannot fully avoid this kind of cross contamination without becoming hermits. (Is there a vegan commune around somewhere?) In America, literally 95% of the people surrounding us eat meat. While it may not be healthy to hang out with those people in terms of bladder infections, etc, it is also not healthy for us to focus on this this issue to the point of losing social contacts and becoming obsessed. The risk of hanging out with such people and living in the real world needs to be put into perspective.Plus, if you invite such people into your home and get out there into restaurants that may not be all vegan, etc, you are acting as a role model, working to change people’s future opinions and behavior. VRG (Vegetarian Resource Group) has been conducting careful, statistically valid polls for years. One of the questions VRG asks is how many people in America are vegetarian or vegan. (Which is defined for them rather than letting people self-label.) The numbers just keep going up and up! What you get by not letting this information get to you too much is knowing that you help change the world for the better.I know, sounds like delusions of grandeur, but I think it is a good perspective. Change can starts small, with just one person.Just some thoughts for you. I hope you will get a better living situation when the year is out! Despite what I wrote above, I do also believe in the helpfulness of hanging out with (living with) people who “get it” when it comes to eating animals. Good luck.Thanks Thea :)“cross-contamination” and not eating any carcass. It is really obvious. A person takes out the dead raw carcass out of the bag, their liquids drips on to table. Person’s hand is contaminated, they touch the faucet’s knob to wash hands, knob is contaminated, they turn off the knob, their hands are contaminated again… and then they rub their face or touch other surfaces. They are contaminated… and the list goes on.“cross-contamination” is main.Apparently, you don’t need to bring a chicken into your own house to get infected.After reading this, I’m reluctant to eat at an omnivore’s house, I hesitate to even invite them over to our house. They may have contaminated their clothes, shoes, body, etc., or are just shedding E. Coli.And as if there weren’t enough reasons to not eat at restaurants, here’s another. So if a restaurant has chicken on their menu, it looks like it’s a sure bet they’ll be serving us Campylobacter and Salmonella.And maybe the chef or waitress/waiter will contribute a free side of E. Coli?Jack: Please see my reply to “Ana” above. I understand your reaction, but I think the cons outweigh the benefits when we cut ourselves off from family and friends. That’s just my 2 cents. You may weigh the pros and cons differently. I just wanted to share my thoughts.re: chef or waitress… Hee, hee. I wonder how much that would continue if there was a fine every time it was caught. They could pay *us* to eat their food.To the women/girls: How about asking how women “wipe” themselves after going to the toilet? My mother taught me 84 years ago and her mother and so on. Girls NEVER wipe themselves back to front. ALWAYS front to back. I even told a fellow employee this because she had one infection after another and when I mentioned it she was astounded. She never heard of it and after clearing up the last infection she did not missing work again. Might not this simple old fashioned advice have a lot to do with transferring gut germs to the vagina? Simple to try.This is fascinating, but not an argument to stop eating chicken. It’s an argument to stop eating factory-farm chicken, and to stop routinely feeding antibiotics to chickens. I keep chickens, and I handle them, and their poop, daily. I have only had a UTI once in my life, and it was close to 20 years ago, long before I started keeping chickens. I am healthy as can be at 56, never get sick and would never take antibiotics unless it were a matter of life and death. I took tetracycline for years as a teenager to combat acne, and it gave me health problems for years. Well, no more. I eat pastured meats and eggs, animal fat, vegetables, lots of fermented veggies, fruits, nuts, white rice, chocolate, and, as I said, I never get sick anymore. I won’t be taking your advice to stay away from chickens.I quit eating beef and pork two decades ago. the reason was severe bladder infections. From the day I stopped eating these two types of meat i became bladder infection free. I eat chicken often and have never had a bladder infection from poultry. This sounds to me like the beef and pork industry trying to discredit the poultry industry and steal their sales. So if I was fighting bladder infections since I was a teenager then in my forties stopped eating the said meat and became bladder infection free then why is it your report tells me that I am wrong? The proof is in the meat and my bladder.	antibiotic resistance,antibiotics,bladder infection,campylobacter,chicken,cooking,cross-contamination,e. coli,Escherichia coli,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,gut flora,meat,pathogens,preparation,rectal bacteria,rectal flora,salmonella,superbugs,urinary tract health,urinary tract infection,UTI,zoonoses,zoonotic diseases	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9072556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10664978,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21658865,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22377351,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/342480,
PLAIN-149	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/23/preventing-bacterial-vaginosis-with-diet/	Preventing Bacterial Vaginosis With Diet	In the same way fermented pickles, kimchi, and sauerkraut foster the growth of good bacteria by maintaining an acidic environment, so does the human vagina. The normal pH of one’s vagina is that of tomato juice. However, once it starts creeping up to that of coffee, an overgrowth of bad bacteria can take hold and cause bacterial vaginosis, which affects an astounding 29 percent of American women, nearly 1 in 3. That makes it the most frequent cause of vaginal complaints among younger women. It’s commonly diagnosed with the so-called “Whiff Test,” where the doctor takes a whiff of the vaginal discharge, sniffing for the characteristic fishy odor. The fishy odor is a consequence of a compound of decay called putrescine, which is also found in certain foods. More about these “biogenic amines” in: Traditional risk factors for bacterial vaginosis include douching, which has also been associated with a wide range of problems. With no demonstrable benefits and considerable evidence of harm, douching should be strongly discouraged. Medical professionals need to clearly explain to women that the vagina is naturally self-cleaning. Nasal douching, though, is another matter entirely. See The Risks and Benefits of Neti Pot Nasal Irrigation and my answer about the “brain-eating amoeba.” Recently, poor nutrition has been added to the list of risk factors for bacterial vaginosis. Women appear more likely to get bacterial vaginosis if they have lower circulating levels of phytonutrients like vitamin C and beta carotene in your bloodstream—indicating a lower intake of fruits and vegetables. In recent years, though, the field of nutrition has shifted toward examining overall dietary scores as opposed to single nutrients, because it has become recognized that nutrients are not consumed in isolation. To help consumers eat healthier foods, nutrient-rich food indices have been devised. Using these indices, researchers have found that the more nutrient rich one’s diet, the lower one’s apparent risk for bacterial vaginosis. Why might a healthier diet improve vaginal health? Researchers suggest that high fat intake, particularly saturated fat may increase vaginal pH, thereby increasing the risk of bacterial vaginosis. As you can see in the associated video Bacterial Vaginosis and Diet, most saturated fat in the American diet comes from dairy, desserts, and chicken. The researchers conclude: “The next steps ahead include sharing these findings with gynecologists, obstetricians, and general practitioners, as well as increasing the awareness of the general community to the importance of optimal nutrition… to prevent infections of the genital tract, reduce associated disease, and maintain reproductive health.” More on the detrimental effects of saturated fat in videos such as: More on vaginal health in Treating Genital Warts With Green Tea and more on achieving maximum nutrient density in Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score. What about male reproductive health? See Male Fertility and Diet. 	This is an excellent presentation to help people how eating impact more than just weight. As a clinical researcher in France, my patients were following my nutrition advices to treat infections from urinary and gynecological tracts. My peers did not enjoyed to use nutrition as a support to be healthier. It is time to understad the importance of eatingAny more recent research on this topic? I am vegan but still a chronic sufferer. Any updates would be really appreciated! Love the website. ThanksMost info I’ve seen indicates that acidic bodies, low pH, are unhealthy and alkaline ones are more healthy. I know my urine as a whole food vegan is much more alkaline than omnivore urine. This post seems to be opposite of what one might expect from more alkaline urine?Off topic but why can most sites be resized by my iPad and this one can’t? I can hardly read your entries and yet they seem so interesting. Can you fix it so iPads and tablets can resize your pages? Please,,, If so thanks a bunch. Terry.Terry: Thanks for your post. FYI: I forwarded your post to the NF staff and they are working on it. It is possible that this issue will be fixed when a new version of the NF site is rolled out. I do not believe there is a deadline for the roll out yet, but I thought you would want to know that your post was taken seriously and there is hope for the future. :-)Adding coconut oil to your diet helps fight off the infection as well. Great post.	bacterial vaginosis,beta carotene,biogenic amines,chicken,dairy,desserts,douching,fat,fishy odor,fruits,pH,phytonutrients,putrescine,reproductive health,saturated fat,vagina,vaginal health,vegetables,vitamin C,Whiff Test	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/should-i-sterilize-my-neti-pot/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21734062,
PLAIN-150	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/	Treating Migraines With Lavender	Lavender has been studied recently for several purposes, including treatment of mood and anxiety disorders (see, for example, the video I profiled in my last post, Lavender for Generalized Anxiety Disorder). Though it’s better known for its analgesic (pain-killing) properties, there hasn’t been a single documented clinical trial on lavender for the treatment of migraine headaches, which affect tens of millions of Americans every year. That is, until now: “Lavender Essential Oil in the Treatment of Migraine Headache: A Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.” Migraine sufferers were asked—at the early signs of headache—to rub two to three drops of lavender essential oil onto their upper lip and inhale its vapor for a 15-min period, then score the severity of their headache for the next two hours. In the control group they did the same thing, but with drops of unscented liquid wax instead. Neither group was allowed to use any painkillers. In the lavender group 74 percent of patients had an improvement in their symptoms—significantly better than placebo. Although lavender wasn’t directly compared to more conventional treatments and outcome measures differed, as you can see in the associated video Lavender for Migraine Headaches, lavender appears to stack up pretty well against typical migraine drugs. Lavender helped about three quarters of the time; high dose Tylenol may only work about half the time; and Ibuprofen 57% of the time. The top prescription drug, generic Imitrex, is effective 59% of the time, and the hardcore treatment they use in emergency rooms where they inject you under the skin works 70% of the time. Fortunately all of these work better than the original migraine therapy, known as trepanning, where doctors drilled holes in our head to let the evil spirits escape! The lavender researchers concluded that the results of the study suggest that inhalation of lavender essential oil may be an effective and safe treatment modality in acute management of migraine headaches. Migraine sufferers may also want to experiment with avoiding potential triggers such as aspartame (see my video Diet Soda and Preterm Birth). Saffron may also help with headaches (Saffron for the Treatment of PMS) as well may the avoidance of certain parasites (Pork Tapeworms on the Brain and Avoiding Epilepsy Through Diet). A note of caution, though: Pregnant migraine sufferers seeking natural remedies should be wary of advice they may get (Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees). What’s better than treating your pain with natural remedies? Not having pain in the first place! Those eating healthy diets are less likely to be on pain medications in general (Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants). See, for example: 	.I’m glad research backs up my anecdotal evidence. Thanks for sharing.This might be unrelated to the above topic but i have a ASK THE DOCTOR QUESTION; I became a vegan in March of last year as a committed act of improving my health. Over the course of last summer into the fall my hair started to turn grey fast and noticeably to the point that my barber asked me what was happening???. i had noticed it myself and searched your website for clues. I saw that i was not taking the supplements B12 as well as D and started doing it -however- that said, I had been taking a multivitamin which i know you are not in favor of. I always think of hair as being a representative of the fitness of the body so i am questioning if i am getting the nutritional fortitude needed. I use to eat chicken and fish and was mindful of their organic sources but am now questioning what i am doing? I try to keep the carbohydrates low and have the variety of foods you suggest but something seems amiss. I was thinking of getting a hair analysis but the truth is it is visible. Can you give me any clues here that i might be missing???david: I am sorry to hear about your troubles. That has to be immensely frustrating.I am not a doctor and cannot comment or speculate specifically on your situation, but I thought I would share a bit with you.My personal and family experience with going vegan has been improvements in the hair category. My mom had severe hair thinning *before* going vegan. Surprisingly, after going vegan, her hair started to thicken up. For myself: I had a weird spot in the back of my head (about 2 inches in diameter) that started to go gray before going vegan. After going vegan, all new hair that grew in in that spot was back to my normal color. My hairdresser said she had never seen anything like that. And the spot has been good for several years. (Note I’m not saying that eating vegan will prevent anyone from going gray – just may help with unusual situations.)I’m sharing these stories with you so that you understand why I think that your situation is not normal/not what one would expect. I don’t know if you have a nutritional problem per-say or some other problem that coincidentally started showing up after your diet change (coincidences happen all the time!). But I do agree with you that this seems like an indication of ill health. In my opinion, it would definitely be worth a trip to see a doctor that you can trust. (One who understands that going vegan in general is healthy / ie, who will not instantly assume that vegan is the root of all evils, but who might consider diet along with other factors.)That’s just a thought for you. I hope you are able to solve your problem!thanks for your feed back. I definitely have to look into something and will talk to a doctor that can do a nutritional profile. I did go to my primary doctor in June for a physical and he said all my blood work was fine -however- Standard physical blood work only goes so far in analysis and usually does not address nutritional depletions in the body thanks againThe smell of Lavendar oil would just start making my migraine worse.	anesthetic,anxiety,aromatherapy,aspartame,headaches,Ibuprofen,Imitrex,lavender,lavender essential oil,mental health,mental illness,migraine headaches,migraines,mood,pain,pain management,parasites,pregnancy,saffron,Tylenol	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22517298,
PLAIN-151	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/14/using-lavender-to-treat-anxiety/	Using Lavender to Treat Anxiety	Lavender oil, which is distilled from lavender flowers, is often used in aromatherapy and massage. Despite its popularity, only recently have scientific investigations been undertaken into its biological activity. While there have been small-scale studies suggesting benefit from lavender oil massage, we didn’t know if the benefit was coming from the lavender, the massage, or both. In an attempt to separate these two variables, a study was conducted in which patients in intensive care were given massages with either odorless oil or lavender oil. While patients massaged with lavender oil did say they felt less anxious and more positive, there were no objective differences found in terms of blood pressure, breathing, or heart rate. Perhaps the lavender was just covering up the nasty hospital smells. Subsequent studies using more sensitive tests did find physiological changes, though. We now know the scent of lavender can actually change brain wave patterns, but we didn’t know what the implications were until recently. Studies have shown the scent of lavender makes people feel better as well as perform math faster and more accurately (whereas the smell of rosemary, for example, seemed only to enable folks to do the math faster, but not necessarily with greater accuracy). How else might one use natural means to improve cognitive performance? Check out my video Does a Drink Of Water Make Children Smarter? and for more brain hacking tips, Dietary Brain Wave Alteration. But what if we actually eat lavender flowers? Or in the case of the study I profile in my 3-min video Lavender for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, take capsules of lavender-infused oil so as to perform a double-blind study to compare lavender head-to-head to lorazepam (Ativan). Generalized and persistent anxiety is a frequent problem and is treated with benzodiazepines (also known as benzos or downers) like Ativan and Valium. Unfortunately, these substances can not only make one feel hungover, but they have a high potential for drug abuse and addiction. So researchers decided to give lavender a try. Ativan certainly reduced anxiety, but so did the lavender. By the end of the study you couldn’t tell which group was which, and among those that responded to either, the lavender actually seemed to work better. The spice saffron may be aromatherapeutic as well. See Wake Up and Smell the Saffron for its role in treating PMS, above and beyond its other effects on the brain (Saffron vs. Prozac, Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s, and Saffron Versus Aricept). Since lavender oil has no potential for drug abuse and no sedating side-effects, it appeared to be an effective and well-tolerated alternative to benzodiazepine drugs for amelioration of generalized anxiety.   One cautionary note, however: There was a case series published in the New England Journal of Medicine entitled “Prepubertal Gynecomastia Linked to Lavender and Tea Tree Oils.” They reported cases of young boys exposed to lavender-containing lotions, soaps, hair gels, and shampoos starting to develop breasts. These effects disappeared after the products were discontinued, suggesting that lavender oil may possess hormone-disrupting activity. Indeed, when dripped on estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells, lavender does show estrogenic effects and a decline in male hormone activity. It’s unknown, however, if similar reactions occur inside the body when lavender flowers or lavender oil is ingested. There are some dietary components known to affect with the hormonal balance of young boys. Check out Dairy & Sexual Precocity. More on lavender in Lavender for Migraine Headaches. And more on dietary interventions for anxiety can be found in: For more flower power see my blog and videos on hibiscus tea (Better Than Green Tea) and chamomile tea (Red Tea, Honeybush, & Chamomile and Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy). And hey, broccoli florets are just clusters of flower buds. See The Best Detox, Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells, and dozens of my other broccoli videos. 	Have been using lavender oil on cotton pads in a small bowl behind (intake) my bedroom air purifier for several months now. I like to believe that it helps me sleep. Don and I CAN! :-))Hmmm, wondering if the lavendar could negatively affect chemo treatments with the hormone disruptive info? I have some lavendar tea and hope that doesn’t interrupt the chemo progress I’ve been making. Thank you.Dr. Greger seems to be attracted to purple-colored plants. Anthocyanins, which are purple-colored flavonoid polyphenols and not tannins, are not any more beneficial to our health than many other flavonoid polyphenols. Anthocyanins usually – but not always – come together in nature together with tannins, which are the most poweful antioxidants (have the highest ORAC scores) in the human diet. This is why all berries and all cherries have higher ORAC antioxidant scores than the most common supermarket fruits. All berries and all cherries contain moderate to high amounts of tannins.Tannins are not perfect. Some high-tannin foods such as green tea, sorghum, and betel nuts have been shown to cause esophageal cancer in real populations of real people. Hibiscus tea contains even higher amounts of protocatechuic acid than green tea.Another problem with tannins is that they inhibit both the good bacteria and the bad bacteria in our intestines. This is in sharp contrast to non-tannin polyphenols, which protect the good bacteria and help them to multiply and inhibit the bad bacteria. Hydroxytyrosol (in extra virgin olive oil and olive leaf tea) is the strongest antioxidant that is not a tannin. Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria thrive on olive fruits and olive leaves. Meanwhile, triphala, which contains powerful tannins, can be used for disinfecting wounds or as a mouthwash, killing 80% of the lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the mouth.The big picture with tannins, however, is that the benefits greatly exceed the harm, especially if precautions are taken to prevent irritating the mouth, throat, and esophagus. It’s quite safe to eat most common berries and cherries because their tannin levels are just moderate – not extremely high. I swallow 4,000mg of triphala tablets every day. Triphala contains extremely powerful tannins such as gallic acid (amalaki), chebulinic acid (haritaki), chebulagic acid (haritaki), and belleric acid (bibhitaki).Because eggplants contain high amounts of anthocyanins without any tannins, eggplants make an excellent test of the benefits of the purple color without the help of powerful tannin antioxidants: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15207376 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10962130Do you think that the risk of prepubertal gynecomastia from lavender would be limited to topical use (or ingestion) – so that it would be OK for a mother to use lavender for aromatherapy without any risk to her young boys?I’ve actually read the “study” performed on Lavender and gynecomastia that was published in the NEJM and Pubmed, but I found the person’s research to be inappropriately assuming. The study stated (as did this article by Dr. Greger) that the Lavender found in hair gel, lotions, shampoos, etc. was probably causing the gynecomastia. However, having researched this topic extensively, almost all the “Lavender oil” in these products is synthetically made, just as the “butter” from the movie theater is synthetic and made to taste like butter in a lab, and is not real butter. They usually hide this fact by calling it “Natural Fragrance,” “Fragrance,” “Natural Flavoring,” etc. Even the term “Made with Lavender Oil” can be quite misleadingWe found via the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) that “as of 2011, 3,059 materials that have been reported as used in fragrance compounds” can legally be hidden under the verbiage “Fragrance,” among which some are admittedly “not researched” in regard to their effects on people. This was actually a backdoor reference provided by the company Clorox (and their Pinesol product) when they say “want to see more of our ingredients? click here!” when we were trying to purge our home of chemicals and processed foods.Thus, I have learned that is safer to assert the gynecomastia comes from the random assortment of nasty chemicals (including the synthetic lavender oil) in each of these products and lifestyle decisions. Additionally, it is too assuming to selectively choose synthetic lavender oil to be the culprit out of a horde of other synthetic chemicals. Rather, true certified pure therapeutic grade lavender essential oil, which is actually extremely difficult to find even in expensive “health-nut” products, has many therapeutic and medicinal effects.Are they any studies on the safety of ingested lavender for girls? Thanks.Hi LW. It is hard to tell from the abstract how many women were enrolled in the study Dr. Greger mentions from this blog and his video on lavender. There appears to be some concern with estrogenic activity in young boys. If I find out more I’ll post here. Thanks for your question.	anxiety,aromatherapy,Ativan,benzodiazepines,brain waves,downers,hormone-disruptors,hormones,lavender,lavender oil,lorazepam,massage,saffron,sedatives,side effects	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/%5Bhttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22612017,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7897075,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17267908,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19962288,
PLAIN-152	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/	How Probiotics Affect Mental Health	Before Thorazine was invented in 1950, mental illness was often treated surgically. In fact, in 1949 the inventor of the lobotomy was awarded the Nobel Prize. Before tens of thousands were lobotomized, however, colectomy was all the rage. There was a theory that bad bacteria in the gut­ was the cause of mental illness. So the cure was to surgically remove the colon. Yes, the surgery killed about one in three–but when they didn’t die, surgeons claimed positive results. Some, for example, bragged that when they resected the colons of schoolchildren as a preventive measure there was a cessation of “abnormal sex practices” like masturbation (which was viewed at the time as a precursor for mental illness later in life). Reminds me of the mastectomies they used to perform for menstrual breast pain (Plant-Based Diets For Breast Pain). Others, though, suggested a less drastic approach, proposing that one could instead treat this “intestinal putrefaction” by changing the intestinal flora. Indeed, over a century ago there were reports of successfully treating psychiatric illnesses like depression with a dietary regimen that included probiotics. Doctors perceived a connection between depression and “feces deficient in quantity and moisture and very offensive in odor.” Reportedly, after the probiotic regimen not only did people feel better psychologically, but they had their “feces increase in quantity, become softer, and of regular consistency, and the offensive smell diminish….” Concurrent with the probiotics, however, all patients were started on a vegetarian diet—so it may not have been the probiotics at all. Why might the vegetarian diet alone have improved mood? Check out my videos Plant-Based Diet & Mood and the follow-up Improving Mood Through Diet as well as my serotonin series starting with Human Neurotransmitters in Plants. This entire field of inquiry remained dormant for about a hundred years, but a new discipline has recently emerged known as enteric (meaning intestinal) neuroscience. Our enteric nervous system—the collection of nerves in our gut—has been referred to as a “second brain” given its size, complexity, and similarity. We have as many nerves in our gut as we do in our spinal cord! The size and complexity of our gut brain is not surprising when considering the challenges posed by the interface. We have a hundred times more contact with the outside world through our gut than through our skin. We also have to deal with our 100 trillion little friends down there. That takes a lot of processing power. Anyone who’s had butterflies in their stomach knows that our mental state can affect our gut. Studies show that every day stresses can actually affect gut flora populations. An innovative study out of Australia looked at feces scraped from toilet paper used by undergrads during exam week. If you check out my 5-min video Gut Feelings: Probiotics and Mental Health, you can see how many bacteria the undergrads had in their feces before and after the exam. You’ll notice the effect lasted the whole week. Their findings show that our mental state can indeed affect our gut, but can our gut affect our mental state? We didn’t know until recently. Many suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome complain of gut dysfunction, so researchers tried giving sufferers probiotics to see if their mental and emotional state could be improved and it did appear to help. You can learn more about treating chronic fatigue syndrome in: What about for healthy people, though? A study entitled “Assessment of the Psychotropic Properties of Probiotics” marked a turning point in our thinking. Researchers found that one month of probiotics appeared to significantly decrease symptoms of anxiety, depression, anger and hostility. Until that study was published, the idea that probiotic bacteria administered to the intestine could influence the brain seemed almost surreal–like science-fiction. Well, science yes, but maybe not fiction.  Might people suffering from certain forms of mental health problems benefit from a fecal transplant from someone with more happy-go-lucky bacteria? We don’t know, but this apparent ability of probiotics to affect brain processes is one of the most exciting recent developments in probiotic research. Gut Feelings: Probiotics and Mental Health closes out my 4-part video series on the latest in probiotic science. I started with the two most established indications for their use in Preventing and Treating Diarrhea with Probiotics, then moved onto a more speculative use in Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics?, and then offered practical advice on how to best take probiotic supplements in Should Probiotics Be Taken Before, During, or After Meals? What else might our good bacteria be doing for us? They may help with weight control (Fawning Over Flora and Gut Flora & Obesity) and serve up anti-cancer compounds! (Flax and Fecal Flora and Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True). 	Is it possible that certain plant-based foods are causing certain mental health issues? Dr. Greger, your good friend Dr. McDougall claims on his website that dairy and gluten-grains have been found to cause schizophrenia. He states this very clearly.Could these gluten-grains be altering the gastrointestinal tract, compromising the integrity of the proper bacteria…..thus allowing the problem in the first place?My mental health changed for the better when I eliminated 100 percent of gluten grains, dairy, and eggs…with grains (in all forms, actually) being the worst offender.….getting rid of red meat, poultry, and most fish helped as well. A simple diet of raw and cooked vegetables, raw fruit, raw nuts, some beans, occasional shellfish…..has changed things for the better.Do you have a vegan probiotic that you recommend?JJV2: Lots of people swear by water kafir. You can read about it on-line, buy the crystals and grow it yourself. If taken care of, it lasts indefinitely. I can’t attest to its effectiveness myself. But it sounds better than anything else out there that I have seen.Another option is rejuvalac. I have made rejuvalac myself several times. It’s not all that tasty by itself, but it makes great nut cheese. And I understand that it is also a natural probiotic. Just something else for you to consider/research.Good luck.Dr. Greger – wondering if you have any research supporting the use of probiotics to help children with spectrum disorders?http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/magazine/can-the-bacteria-in-your-gut-explain-your-mood.html?action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&region=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article has more details of current research.	anger,anxiety,bacteria,bowel movements,colectomy,colon,constipation,depression,emotional health,enteric nervous system,enteric neuroscience,fecal transplant,fibromyalgia,gut dysfunction,gut flora,intestinal flora,intestinal putrefaction,lobotomy,mastectomy,mental health,mental illness,mood,plant-based diet,probiotics,psychiatric illness,Thorazine,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18023961,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20974015,
PLAIN-153	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/	How Should I Take Probiotics?	Foods appear to be better carriers for probiotics than supplements, but if one chooses to go with the supplement route, should they be taken before, during, or after meals? The package labeling on probiotic supplements is often confusing. Sometimes the consumer is instructed to take the probiotics with meals, sometimes before or after meals, and occasionally on an empty stomach. I was surprised to find so few actual data in the scientific literature concerning this topic, but that is par for the course for most dietary supplement advice. See, for example, my video series about how little pharmacists and natural food store employees know: The lack of information on how to take probiotics has led to serious confusion, both for the industry and the consumer. Surprisingly it doesn’t appear as if any studies had ever examined this question–until now. Researchers hoped to be able to measure probiotic concentrations throughout the entire process after taking a probiotic supplement minute-by-minute.  To do this, they had to build a fake digestive track with a fake stomach and intestines, but complete with real saliva and digestive enzymes, acid, bile, and other digestive fluids. What did they find? If you check out my 2-min video Should Probiotics Be Taken Before, During, or After Meals?, you can see the survival of three different types of probiotics before, during, and after meals. You can also see how the probiotics fared when taken in oatmeal and milk, milk alone, apple juice, or water. What did they find? Like vitamin D supplements, which should also probably be taken with meals for maximum efficacy (Take Vitamin D Supplements With Meals), probiotic bacterial survival was best when provided within 30 minutes before or simultaneously with a meal or beverage that contained some fat content. This study didn’t shed light on what dose we should take and under what circumstances, however. To see what the best available science says, see the first video in this series, Preventing and Treating Diarrhea with Probiotics. Then I compared probiotics to prebiotics in Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics? and moved to the effect of your gut flora on your mood in Gut Feelings: Probiotics and Mental Health. 	I know milk and its products according to you block the absorption of antioxidants. Does that apply to yogurt as well? I have read many times that the best probiotic is yogurt. Your thoughts?N. AllenYogurt only carries one or two probiotics and they have been mostly killed so they don’t reproduce and blow the lid off the container. Probiotics grow fast in the presence of sugar including the sugar in milk.Norman123: Yo might consider checking out “water kefir” and maybe rejuvalac. Both can be made a home and are supposed to provide a great deal of helpful probiotics. And neither come with all the harmful effects one gets from consuming dairy.(For more on the harm caused by dairy: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/ )Something to think about.It seems like earlier Dr. Greger was saying to just eat fruits and vegetables because they have some lactic acid, but doesn’t the amount of lactic acids and probiotics multiply when you make sauerkraut? Some people are saying probiotics are expensive. Making sauerkraut is very easy and incredibly cheap! Want to get your veggies in? Make sauerkraut. Does having different species in the sauerkraut give you a broader portfolio of probiotics? I often put in daikon radish, onion, carrot, cabbage, red cabbage (antioxidants), napa cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, etc. It makes a wonderful dressing for my nightly salad. John S PDX ORI disagree with Dr. Greger and the conventional wisdom (the majority of probiotic supplement makers) that it’s better to make an effort to increase the survival of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria through the highly acidic human stomach.People who agree with this strategy should either (1)swallow enteric-coated probiotic capsules, which will not melt open until after they have moved beyond the human stomach or (2)swallow their nonenteric-coated probiotic capsules during large meals, when the contents of the human stomach will be less acidic (have a higher pH).My belief is that it’s better to chew all probiotic capsules in our mouth. The reasons are: (1)Lactobacillus rhamnosus has been shown to easily survive inside the human stomach and to colonize it. People who have Lactobacillus rhamnosus thriving on the inner lining of their stomach will have a very dramatically lower risk of developing gastric cancer and other stomach diseases, according to scientific studies. (2)When probiotic bacteria colonize our mouth, we will very dramatically lower our risk of developing gum disease, bleeding gums, tartar (calculus), and dental cavities in addition to having a constant breeding ground of probiotic bacteria to supply our lower digestive tract: http://www.prohealth.com/library/showArticle.cfm?libid=13030&site=research http://www.cpmedical.net/articles/lactobacillus-gg-supports-gastric-healthMost people in the USA do not have an adequate supply of probiotics in their intestines, mostly due to the chlorine in the water, stress, and antibiotics in the meat they eat. It would be wise to take probiotics supplements (100 billion/day), or consume sauerkraut if you can stand the taste (yuck), or drink Kefir Water, not the store bought, but home made contains 40-50 strains of probiotics at around 500 billion in a 1/4 cup.Eating at Cafe Gratitude in Venice. They have a 1 trillion CFU packet. The Super Bowl of good bugs. Bottoms upI was wondering if the PREbiotic condition of the vegan “gut” or digestive track isn’t more productive than the PRObiotic effects of eating yogurt or taking pills? It would seem that it might be easier for nutrients (esp. vitamins in food) to be assimilated by the body, thereby having a greater effect on inflammation and chronic diseases. What does everyone think?If taking Ceylon cinnamon AND taking probiotic almond-milk yoghurt in the diet, how far apart should they be taken given that cinnamon has antibiotic properties?	apple juice,dosage,fat,health food stores,milk,natural food stores,oatmeal,pharmacists,prebiotics,probiotics,supplements,vitamin D,water	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22146689,
PLAIN-154	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/	Probiotics During Cold Season?	Babies delivered via caesarean section appear to be at increased risk for various allergic diseases. The thought is that vaginal delivery leads to the first colonization of the baby’s gut with maternal vaginal bacteria. C-section babies are deprived of this natural exposure and have been found to exhibit a different gut flora. This concept is supported by research noting that a disturbance in maternal vaginal flora during pregnancy may be associated with early asthma in their children. This all suggests our natural gut flora can affect the development of our immune system (for better or for worse). In adulthood, two studies published back in 2001 suggested that probiotics could have systemic immunity-enhancing effects. Subjects given a probiotic regimen saw a significant boost in the ability of their white blood cells to chomp down on potential invaders. (You can watch a video of white blood cells doing their thing in my video Clinical Studies on Acai Berries. A must-see for biology geeks :). And even after the probiotics were stopped, there was still enhanced immune function a few weeks later compared to baseline (check out my 4-min video Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics? to see the graph). A similar boost was found in the ability of their natural killer cells to kill cancer cells. Improving immune cell function in a petri dish is nice, but does this actually translate into people having fewer infections? For that, we had to wait another 10 years, but now we have randomized double-blind placebo controlled studies showing that those taking probiotics may have significantly fewer colds, fewer sick days, and fewer symptoms. The latest review of the best studies to date found that probiotics, such as those in yogurt, soy yogurt, or supplements, may indeed reduce one’s risk of upper respiratory tract infection, but the totality of evidence is still considered weak, so it’s probably too early to make a blanket recommendation. Unless one has suffered a major disruption of gut flora by antibiotics or an intestinal infection—in other words unless one is symptomatic with diarrhea or bloating—I would suggest focusing on feeding the good bacteria we already have, by eating so-called prebiotics, such as fiber. After all, as I noted in Preventing and Treating Diarrhea with Probiotics, who knows what you’re getting when you buy probiotics. They may not even be alive by the time we buy them. Then they have to survive the journey down to the large intestine (Should Probiotics Be Taken Before, During, or After Meals?). Altogether, this suggests that the advantages of prebiotics—found in plant foods—outweigh those of probiotics. And by eating raw fruits and vegetables we may be getting both! Fruits and vegetables are covered with millions of lactic acid bacteria, some of which are the same type used as probiotics. So when studies show eating more fruits and vegetables boosts immunity, prebiotics and probiotics may be playing a role. How else might we reduce our risk of getting an upper respiratory infection? See: The immune boosting fruit and vegetable video I reference in Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics? is Boosting Immunity Through Diet. See also Kale and the Immune System and the subject of my post last week, Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation. 	Another victory for fruits and vegetables…I was gluten free and vegan for 4 1/2 yrs. I even got diet advice directly from one of the most prominent vegan/vegetarian doctors in the nation, but I only became sicker while eating this way. Hypothyroid worsened, developed PCOS, energy became very low, and worst of all chronic constipation (as in every single day) and bloating worsened. A couple yrs ago I was diagnosed with Small intestine bacteria overgrowth. The above mentioned doctor said to try Xifaxan and reduce high FODMAP (=Fermentable Oligo-Di-Monosaccharides and Polyols) foods. This did not help. I had to go a step further and eliminate all fruits and veggies except well cooked carrots and zucchini, all legumes, all grains and potatoes, all dairy except raw goat cheese, in order to get rid of the bloating and get some energy, constipation has improved but only very slightly. I’ve been using dextrose as a carb source to avoid ketosis. There are others in my same predicament. Do you have any advise for us??When reading your comment this came to mind: 1) Small intestine parasite infestation that has not been eliminated; and 2) A need for special high colonic therapy and gut re-colonization techniques and nutrients. Perhaps you may want to engage a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) MD or DO who understands the above and can guide you. Just a thought with good wishes for relief.Thanks for the reply! I have already worked with and continue to work with several different CAM, holistic, and conventional practitioners. The majority of them do suspect parasites in addition to the bacteria overgrowth, and although they have different suggestions as to meds and supp’s, they do all suggest to avoid all foods that exacerbate gastric distress. Through various elimination diets I have determined that in addition to gluten and junk food, fresh fruits and vegetables, and anything high fiber or starchy are the worst offenders. As a staunch natural foods proponent it was hard for me to give up on salads, green smoothies, and veggie soups, but it has provided some relief. As for colonics they only seem to provide relief for a few days afterwards then back to normal. I’ve tried many different probiotics in order to repopulate with good bacteria (VSL#3, Align, soil-based, etc.), none have helped at all. I have not tried Fecal transplant but from what I’ve read it only helps with C-diff and disorders centralized in the lower intestine, not so much for disorders higher up in the small intestine and not for motility disorders. Thing is, via forums and other social media, I have found I am not alone! Many others who have yeast or bacteria overgrowth and/or parasites have had to eliminate many healthy foods in order to get relief from their symptoms. What do we do if we cannot digest these wonderful healthy foods?Just choose 1 gastroenterologist to make a colonoscopy and a fibroscopy to determine from the 2 ends of your digestive tube what is right and what is wrong, Ask him to prescrive simple blood tests to evaluate a possible parasite, infection or allergy, then with these results start to design a nutrition plan with a professional with a specific treatment if necessary.Stop fashionable diet, the best MD do not need ad and fantasy, they know what to do face to a patient. Each patient is unique and do not waste time with advice that will not work for you.I have had the colonoscopy and fibroscopy. The results show twisted colon, hiatal hernia, she also gave a breath test and that was how I was diagnosed with small intestine bacteria overgrowth. My gastro doc, the one who gave me those tests, said I should go on the low FODMAP diet. She explained to me the molecular research behind it. I then consulted with one of the top vegan nutritionists (he is also a M.D.) in the country, he also said to eliminate high FODMAP foods, he also said to take VSL#3, but it did not help. He said eventually I would be able to digest better but after 4 1/2 yrs, I was only worse. I asked about allergy testing, he said the IgE antibodies test is not entirely reliable, and that I need to do an elimination diet to find out for sure. The Xifaxan the GI doc gave me did not work, I’ve also tried antifungals. She says she is sorry that she does not have any more answers for me aside from avoiding foods that make my gastro symptoms worse. There is another thing that she suggests and that is to take more and higher strength of antibiotics but that it will likely only be a temporary solution. I do not do any “fashionable diet”. I just try to avoid the things that cause gastro issues for me specifically. It just so happens that others find that fresh veggies/fruits and starches cause digestion issues as well. Thank you kindly for your suggestions though.My website is http://www.starknakedhealth.com you can register for free and I will answer. You have different issues and you have to take care of each one by one to be OK in minimum few months. The hiatal Hernia is simple to treat and important as it is a painful handicap. Starting with it you may improve your general digestion. Digestion is kind of cascade of reactions with signals, when you start to quiet the first issue, the tolerance for many nutriments improves and after a while you are surprise to feel better and have an easier”normal” life.Is there a fruit or vegetable that can help with candida overgrowth? Or do you have to take a probiotic?	allergies,antibiotics,asthma,babies,bloating,c-section,caesarean section,cancer,cold,common cold,diarrhea,fiber,fruit,gastroenteritis,gut flora,immune function,immune system,infants,infections,intestinal infections,lactic acid bacteria,prebiotics,probiotics,respiratory infections,soy,soy yogurt,supplements,vaginal delivery,vaginal flora,vegetables,white blood cells,yogurt	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21901706,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11349938,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18266879,
PLAIN-155	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/	Probiotics and Diarrhea	Probiotics have slowly moved from the field of alternative medicine into the mainstream, particularly for the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and the treatment of gastroenteritis. After taking antibiotics, up to 40 percent of people experience diarrhea. Administering probiotics along with the antibiotics, though, may cut this risk in half. Which kinds and how much? Lactobacillus rhamnosis and Saccharomyces boulardii appeared to be the most effective strains, and studies using more than 5 billion live organisms appeared to achieve better results than those using smaller doses. For example, taking 100 billion organisms seemed to work nearly twice as well as 50 billion in preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Of course the best way to avoid antibiotic-associated diarrhea is to avoid getting an infection in the first place. See, for example: We can also try to avoid consuming antibiotics in our diet: Lowering Dietary Antibiotic Intake and More Antibiotics In White Meat or Dark Meat? The second well-established indication for the use of probiotics is in the treatment of acute infectious diarrhea, shortening the duration of symptoms by about a day. We still don’t know the best probiotic doses and strains. Studies have used between 20 million organisms a day to 3 trillion, and there are thousands of different strains to choose from. Then, even if we wanted a particular strain, odds are the label is lying to us anyway. Less than a third of commercial probiotic products tested actually contained what the label claimed. About half had fewer viable organisms than stated, and half contained contaminant organisms–including potentially pathogenic ones–as well as mold. The mislabeling of probiotic supplements will come as no surprise to those who’ve been following my work. For example: Ideally, we’d repopulate our gut with the whole range of natural gut flora, not just one or two hand-picked strains. This has been attempted for serious infections, starting back in 1958. Patients were given a fecal enema. Gut bacteria was taken from a healthy colon and inserted into someone else’s unhealthy colon. Or we can go the other route and administer the donor stool through the nose. Evidently, this route of administration saves time, is cheaper, and less inconvenient for the patient. Preferred stool donors (in order of preference) were spouses or significant others, family members, and then anyone else they could find (including medical staff). Doctors picked a nice soft specimen, whipped it up in a household blender until smooth, put it through a coffee filter and then just squirted it up the patient’s nose through a tube and into their stomach. Don’t try this at home! How receptive were the patients to this rather unusual smoothie recipe? None of the patients in this series raised objections to the proposed stool transplantation procedure on the basis that it “lacked aesthetic appeal.”  However, since production of fresh material on demand is not always practical, researchers up in Minnesota recently introduced frozen donor material as another treatment option.  All described in great detail in the latest review on the subject out of Yale entitled, “The Power of Poop.” Another mention of frozen “poopsicles” can be found in my video Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen. Preventing and Treating Diarrhea with Probiotics is the first of a four-part series on the current state of probiotic science. See also: 	Aloha Dr. Greger,How is it that fecal matter can be taken through the nose and travel into our stomachs without causing us to get sick?Mahalo.Poopsicles. Lovely.This is just gross! I shake my head at silly SADs, when they say, ‘I could never do that.’ However, I would rather die than eat…..fecal matter.Even if it could save your life? Gut bacteria can get so out of balance that this could actually save you. Just a thought, tho I agree that it would be “hard to swallow” hahaha.I share your view, though it is interesting to note that many animal species do not regard this subject the same way and, in fact, regularly practice coprophagia.Quoting Wikipedia, “Human perception of the odor is a subjective matter; an animal that eats feces may be attracted to their odor.”Still…I say no way.My fish-eating friends say that selenium binds to mercury and therefore if you eat seafood with selenium rich foods then mercury is not an issue. Is this true? I show them your videos and they are not convinced. What does the science suggest?Dr. Greger spelled “Lactobacillus rhamnosus” incorrectly as “Lactobacillus rhamnosis.”The human microbiome is plays a crucial role in health and is tightly linked with diet and genetics as a health determinants.Building on this article by Dr. Greger is the National Academies Press book on The Human Microbiome, Diet and Health. In particular, starting from page 92 there is an extensive discussion on probiotics and prebiotics.This is a must read book for anyone interested in obtaining the latest understanding of how gut microbiota affect health. I learned so much from this book, including such topics as:– the connection between the microbiome and obesity as well as nutrient metabolism; – the difference between prebiotics and probiotics, – why breast milk is safer than infant formula; – risks associated with Caesarean sections; – how bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics through horizontal gene transfer; – dangers associated with antibiotic use and unsanitary conditions in factory farming.Interesting how some people claim to be horrified at the thought of eating animal “secretions” (eggs, milk products) , yet would not hesitate to scarf down human…um, sheeeyet.Kitsy: I know you are trying to be funny, so I don’t know if you were deliberately misunderstanding the post in order to make a joke (in which case you can stop reading here), or if you really missed the content of what the post is saying.For you or anyone who might have missed the point of the post: Those people who are getting fecal transplants are not vegans per say, but people with severe gut problems who desperately need help. And as the above post points out, you are far, far more likely to avoid being in such a situation in the first place if you avoid eating those animal secretions and flesh. Thus, you can hopefully avoid having to “scrarf down human…um, sheeeyet” by eating whole plant foods!Hope that helps.Thanks for responding, Thea. I admit my little “joke” was pretty yucky. :-) But as far as recommending a whole plant foods diet, you’re pretty much preaching to the choir here. I don’t eat animal “secretions” either — I just find it hilarious for such foods to be referred to in that way.Yup, a healthy diet is very important — it’s too bad so many folks have to learn things hard way.:-) Ah. Now I see where you were coming from.I agree with your last sentiment too. But since I’m one who often takes the hard way on about any topic, I can hardly judge.	alternative medicine,antibiotics,diarrhea,fecal enema,fecal transplant,gastroenteritis,gut flora,infection,Lactobacillus rhamnosis,mold,probiotics,Saccharomyces boulardii	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=13592638&dopt=abstractplus,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21303743,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19114770,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12594638,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22874805,
PLAIN-156	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/	Mushrooms and Immunity	There’re lots of products that promise to boost your immune system—who wouldn’t want that? Well, millions of people suffer from autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, and allergies.  Their immune systems may already be a bit too active. I try to make sufferers of seasonal allergies feel better by explaining that having an overactive immune system is not all bad. Individuals with allergies have a decreased risk for cancer (compared with the general population). Yes, your immune system may be in such overdrive it’s attacking things left and right (like tree pollen), but that heightened state of alertness might also help bring down any budding tumors in the body. So it’s tricky; we want to boost the part of the immune system that fights infection, while down-regulating the part that results in chronic inflammation. And mushrooms may fit the bill. There are thousands of edible mushrooms, though only 100 are cultivated commercially, and only 10 of those on an industrial scale.  And I do mean industrial, rising to over 20 million metric tons a year, and for good reason. They accelerate immunoglobulin A secretion. Let me explain. Though skin is considered our largest organ, we actually interface with the outside world more through our mucous membranes, which occupy our largest body surface area. These include the lining of our mouth, our entire digestive tract, our reproductive and urinary systems, inside the breast glands, and on our eyeballs. Our gut alone covers more area than a tennis court and much of it is only one cell thick.  One microscopic layer is all that separates us from all the toxins, viruses, and bacteria out there, and so we need one heck of a first-line defense. That defense is called IgA, immunoglobulin A, our type A antibodies. Dietary intake of certain foods may improve mucosal immunity by accelerating IgA secretion, but no studies have ever been conducted on mushrooms, until now. In the study “Dietary Intake of…White Button Mushroom Accelerates Salivary Immunoglobulin A Secretion in Healthy Volunteers,” people were split into two groups. Half ate their normal diet; half ate their normal diet with cooked white button mushrooms every day for a week. Then using the “passive dribble method” for collecting saliva, scientists just measured the amount of IgA they were pumping out. If you check out my 5-min video Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation you’ll see the graph. There was no change in the control group, but after a week of mushrooms, IgA secretion jumped 50% and even stayed up there for a week after they stopped the shrooms, before falling back to baseline. But if you continue to churn out 50% more antibodies, might that contribute to chronic inflammation, which is implicated in the development of a variety of diseases? No, in fact mushrooms appear to have an “anti-inflammatory capacity in vitro, suggesting that they could be regarded as a potential source of natural anti-inflammatory agents.” I show in the video a comparison of the anti-inflammatory properties of a variety of different varieties of mushrooms. Researchers think it might be the phytonutrient pyrogallol, found in mushrooms as well as in our old friend amla (Indian gooseberries), that similarly appears to reduce inflammation while at the same time boosting immune and anticancer function. See how else we can improve our immune function in Boosting Immunity Through Diet, Kale and the Immune System, and Sleep & Immunity. The balance between immune function and cancer is not always as straightforward as I noted. See my video series that starts with Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease. More about mushroom magic in: Probably best to eat cooked, though (Toxins in Raw Mushrooms?). How else to decrease inflammation? See: What can we do about allergic diseases? See: And if amla is not your old friend, become acquainted: 	I read an article about mushrooms anti cancer properties that Michael Gregor presented July of 2013 and started eating more mushrooms. I started my back pack season and spent 12 days in the Wilderness, on the last day I found some curious yellow orange mushrooms with a sweet taste and pleasant aroma and sampled them, no ill effect so two hours tried more and it ‘knocked’ me out for 12 hours, I was convulsive and had muscle spasms, had to be extracted by Black Hawk Helicopter by 101st Airborne division out of Boise Idaho, spent 2 days in the hospital. I had many strange dreams, was delirious, hallucinating, saw devils, talked to God and sat on Jesus lap, visited by Satan and his 6 ‘agents’ who were there to kill me but was rescued by Muhammad Ali, Smoking Joe Frazer and George Foreman at the last second. Took nine days for the drug effect to watched out. It was a mushroom of the Genus Aminita, full of Muscarine and Isobetic acid. I still eat wild mushrooms, but just the few I know well!Apparently you didn’t see the film “Into the Wild” before that trip. (Trip bring used both ways.)Yes I saw it, I thought by testing (with 2 small bites) before I hate 2 big handfuls I would be alright, but was mistaken. It was quite an experience, I was euphoric for 9 days after I woke up, took a month to get my strength in upper body back, had about 9000 dollars in medical bills, my insurance covered 6,500 of it. Got to ride on a black hawk helicopter, but my long time friend Bill Hickey died of a heart attack recovering my backpack gear in the Frank Church Wilderness 2 days later, that was what really hurt….Brian R Gard: When I saw your first post, my eyes got big and I read it with a big grin on my face as it read like a cautionary, but amusing tale.This second post though, shows a real, tragic cost. I’m sorry to hear that you went through all that. It is kind of you to share it with [us].I wish you future health and more successful experiments.Thanks Thea, my friend Bill Hickey had an obvious medical condition but was too stubborn to deal with it, he had Pernicious Anemia and had medicine for it, He was really a tough fellow and a modern day mountain man, he was really mad at me when we talked on the phone in the hospital, but set out to recover my gear, I was cautioning him not to do it in one day, just getting there in that rough terrain was a full day, but he had reputation of over doing things and would of likely died the same way eventually, his family told me that. I just miss him…How does one equate immune enhancers with illness like MS where immune suppression is the treatment of choice ?Dietary intake of certain foods may improve mucosal immunity by accelerating IgA secretion, but no studies have ever been conducted on mushrooms, until now.http://www.dietkart.comDr. Greger, is it possible to eat too many mushrooms? I absolutely love sauteed mushrooms (with no oil) and could easily go through one conventional carton a day. I regularly include mushrooms as a part of my nutritarian/ immune supportive diet, but am just wondering if there is a limit I should abide by.	allergies,amla,autoimmune diseases,breast glands,cancer,chronic inflammation,digestive tract,eyeballs,immune function,immune system,immunoglobulin A,Indian gooseberries,infection,inflammation,inflammatory diseases,mouth,mucosal immunity,mucous membrane,mushrooms,phytonutrients,pyrogallol,reproductive system,skin,type A antibodies,urinary system,white button mushrooms,white mushrooms	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22113068,
PLAIN-157	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/20/employment/	Employment Opportunities at NutritionFacts.org	Interested in dedicating yourself to advancing a lifesaving cause? Assuming we reach our end-of-year donation drive goals, I am hoping to bring on two full-time salaried staff for 2014. One position is based here in the DC area, but the other can be done remotely from home anywhere. Send your resumé and a cover letter that includes which position(s) you’re interested in, your salary requirement, and a specific explanation of your interest in a career with NutritionFacts.org to employment@NutritionFacts.org. Role Logistics, DVD fulfillment, development, and volunteer coordination. Requirements •    Ability to work weekends, evenings, and holidays as needed •    Proficiency with Macintosh computers •    An aptitude for learning new software and social media platforms quickly •    Familiarity with web-based applications (like WordPress) a plus but not required •    Willing to relocate to the Washington DC metropolitan area with access to a car •    Excellent written and verbal communication skills •    Willingness and aptitude for managing interns and volunteers •    Exquisite organizational skills, work ethic, professionalism, and attention to detail Responsibilities 1.  Videos and Blogs          • Publish videos/blogs every weekday morning (including holidays)          • Check and export videos to iTunes, Vimeo, and YouTube          • Simple video editing using YouTube editor          • Format and load text to NutritionFacts.org, YouTube, and sites such as Care2          • Find and format appropriate featured images for video and blog pages 2.   DVD Fulfillment          • Burn, package, and ship DVD orders and giveaways          • Pick up signed postcards for DVD mailings at least once a week          • Maintain Amazon’s supply of DVDs          • Keep sufficient DVD and packing supplies stocked          • Coordinate shipping of materials for Dr. Greger’s speaking engagements 3.   Social Media          • Create and post text and images multiple times each day          • Work with individuals who wish to share their testimonials          • Continually work to improve NutritionFacts.org’s social media outreach 4.   General          • Maintain NutritionFacts.org’s annual state-by-state non-profit registration status          • Coordinate, manage, and support interns and volunteers          • National Library of Medicine article retrieval and scanning          • Prepare quarterly reports for our Board of Directors          • Research and develop new ways to increase our visibility, reach, and impact   Role Creation of the Keynote (v. 5.3) slides on which NutritionFacts.org videos are based. Requirements •    Ability to work from home •    Proficiency with Macintosh computers •    Prior familiarity with Keynote a plus, but not required •    Exquisite organizational skills, work ethic, professionalism, and attention to detail Responsibilities •     Create new Keynote presentations from annotated scripts using provided step-by-step instructions •     Rework and replace old (pre-volume 5) Keynote presentations •     Find and format appropriate Creative Commons images for presentations Nutritionfacts.org strives to offer competitive nonprofit salaries and health benefits (beyond just the kale health plan :). Unfortunately, NutritionFacts.org is not able to sponsor work visa applications, so applicants have to be U.S. citizens or otherwise legally authorized to work in the United States. NutritionFacts.org is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to a policy of nondiscrimination on any basis including race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, the presence of mental, physical, or sensory disability, sexual orientation, or any other basis prohibited by federal or state law. 	How do I apply?There are instructions on how to apply above the job descriptions. Hint from someone who does a lot of hiring: read the job descriptions and company information…helps to show you’re actually interested.Is there a range when these positions would need to be filled by?I wish to be the top resume of your applicants… Yours and my directions and Very in-line… Ken Crawford, MDServing on your NutritionFacts.org team as Keynote Specialist would be awesome!!!I would love to help your cause as a Keynote Specialist. I own several Macintosh computers, plus Keynote. I’m retired and just want to help others by getting your good word out. I’ll be sending a resume and cover letter.I would really like to apply as well, but I live just North of the border.Working with you and what I assume is your wonderful progressive team seems to be too good to be true, but I don’t have the computer skills… I’m just a digital immigrant (the digital natives were born after 1974). However I’m a good artist, I’d love to do your art work! How can I be the one that does all the art work when you’re not using photography? Please consider this as I have a background in ethical vegetarianism and grew up with an RN that is a health nut and knows more then a lot of A.M.A. Drs. about nutrition from listening and reading from the likes of you and other famed vegan doctors. I grew up with Dr. Michael Klapper staying at our house as well as Howard Lyman – both serious AR folks as well as other A.R. physicians that were house guests. Decades ago I wrote on ecologically safe ways to do farming/gardening. I’ve read a lot about A.R. and veganism, and other related things like how veganism affects other areas in our lives. Am contemplating writing a book on this new green religion that we all believe in spreading the word about.N. Pekala This is in answer to Dr. Greger who’s looking to hire new people, I’m interested in his art dept. Sorry if it looks like I was answering the Canadian S. Tristan!I have emailed your organization my resume, cover letter, transcripts, and a detailed email. I am applying for the position titled Keynote Specialist. I would relish the opportunity to work with your team and look forward to speaking with your soon!You look gorgeous and probably slim, if you’re vegan you’ll go a long way with the likes of this Dr. but ya left a typo in it! That’s no good. Ah well, no one’s perfect. Good luck.If it was PC based I would love to apply, but since you’re using the “better” computers, I’ll have to forgo the opportunity. My hat is off to you Doctor Greger! The work you’re doing here is going to make a real difference in people’s lives.They have a ton of applicants folks. And you have to come up with a Mac with Keynote to submit a test task. Good luck finding a publicly available Mac with Keynote installed; the few I found were all running MS Office for Mac and Powerpoint. And publicly available computers generally don’t allow users to load app software. Of course, you could buy a Mac-if you’ve got $800 bucks or so laying around.Wow. Got a Mac but couldn’t figure my way out of a paper bag when it comes to all that!If you have a Mac, you just download Keynote for $20 bucks and knock it out.	jobs	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-158	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/	Raspberries Reverse Precancerous Lesions	More berried treasure! A story similar to the strawberries and esophageal cancer revelation I documented in Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer has emerged with black raspberries and oral cancer. Oral cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers in the US with a flip-of-the-coin death rate. We can reduce our risk of oral cancer by avoiding all forms of tobacco, restricting alcohol consumption, avoiding obesity, and eating at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day. Other risk factors include having more than 5 lifetime oral sex partners and prolonged (more than 20 years) marijuana use. But what if we already have precancerous changes in your mouth? Black raspberries appear to selectively inhibit the growth of both malignant and premalignant cells in a petri dish while leaving normal cells alone, but what about in an actual person? Researchers at Ohio State University took some folks with precancerous growths in their mouths (so called oral “intraepithelial neoplasia”) and had them apply a black raspberry gel for 6 weeks. Like the esophageal study with strawberries, most of the patients’ lesions improved, including cases of complete clinical regression. If you click to watch my 4-min video Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer you can see the disease disappear–thanks to just berries! They were able to follow a reversal of genetic changes that had led to the silencing of tumor suppressor genes. If you aren’t near a pick-your-own farm, black raspberries can be ordered online frozen but they’re about 20 bucks a pound with shipping. Black raspberry freeze-dried powder is comparatively cheaper, but I’ve always wondered about how much nutrition is lost. Well, there’s finally been a study. The antioxidant concentration was measured in fresh, frozen, and freeze-dried strawberries and strawberry jam, with the intent of measuring antioxidant content of foods typically available to consumers in grocery stores. On a consumed weight basis, the freeze-dried do shine, but just because an ounce of dried is equivalent to about a cup and a half of fresh. Jam, though, presumably because of the heat processing, really takes a hit (chart in my video Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer). For more on what berries can do, see my videos Cranberries versus Cancer and Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better? I’ve previously covered the clinical trials of black raspberries (though in a different orifice) in Best Fruits For Cancer Prevention. I also touched on the adverse effects of breathing smoke from any source in Cannabis Receptors & Food. Berries in general are the healthiest fruits and I encourage everyone to try to fit them into their daily diet. Here are a few of my 37 other videos on berries: 	Thank you for bringing these articles to my attention. I think it important to differentiate dysplastic lesions from cancer. The articles you cite remind me of the use of myo-inositol to treat precancerous lung lesions http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19336734 . I was wondering if inositol might be a common factor involved in the effectiveness of the berries.	alcohol,black raspberries,cancer,esophageal cancer,freeze-dried,fruits,intraepithelial neoplasia,jam,marijuana,obesity,oral cancer,oral lesions,precancerous changes,precancerous growths,precancerous lesions,raspberries,smoking,strawberries,tobacco,vegetables	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20528581,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15860443,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18559542,
PLAIN-159	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/17/strawberries-can-reverse-precancerous-progression/	Strawberries Can Reverse Precancerous Progression	In my last two posts, Which Fruit is Best at Fighting Cancer? and Anti-Cancer Nutrient Synergy in Cranberries I described what various common fruits could do to human cancer cells in a petri dish.  Studies showing which foods can best suppress the growth of cancer in a test tube are all well and good, but we need to know if they can do the same thing within the human body. It’s considered unethical to withhold conventional cancer therapies to test out some fruit or vegetable, so what do you do? One direction researchers have taken is to use so-called “combinatorial strategies,” for example adding phytonutrients from the spice turmeric and green tea along with chemotherapy to see if that works better than chemo alone, but this gets complicated because chemo and radiation often work by killing cancer cells with free radicals and so though antioxidants may certainly reduce the toxicity of the treatment there’s a theoretical concern it could reduce the efficacy as well. Another way you can study the effects of plants on cancer is by testing dietary interventions on slow growing cancers like prostate, which is how Ornish and colleagues were able to show his apparent reversal in cancer growth with a plant-based diet (see Cancer Reversal Through Diet?). They could get away with treating cancer with a vegan diet alone (no chemo/surgery/radiation) because prostate can be such a slow growing cancer that patients with early disease can be placed in a holding pattern. So if you’re not going to do anything but watch and wait, you might as well test out a dietary intervention. Are there other cancers like that we can try plants on? Esophageal cancer is not the cancer to get. Five-year survival is only about 13 percent, with most people dying within the first year of diagnosis, but the development of esophageal cancer is a multistage process. We start out with a normal esophagus (the tube that connects you mouth to your stomach), then precancerous changes start to take place, then localized cancer starts to grow, then eventually it spreads and we most likely die. Because of the well-defined, stepwise progression of esophageal, researchers jumped on it as a way to test the ability of berries—the healthiest fruits—to reverse the progression of cancer. A randomized phase 2 clinical trial of strawberries for patients with precancerous lesions of the esophagus was undertaken. Six months of eating the equivalent of over a pound of fresh strawberries a day, and the progression of disease was reversed in 80 percent of the high dose strawberry treatment. At the beginning of the study, no subjects had a normal esophagus. They either had mild or moderate precancerous disease. But by the end of the study most lesions either regressed from moderate to mild, or disappeared completely. If you watch my 5-min video Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer you can see some representative before and after pictures of the lesions literally disappearing. By the end of the study half of those on the high dose of strawberries walked away disease free. This landmark study is one of the most important papers I’ve seen recently. Why isn’t this headline news? If there was instead some new drug that reversed cancer progression, you can bet it would be all over the place. But who’s going to profit from revelations about berries? Other than, of course, the millions of people at risk for this devastating cancer. The findings were heralded as groundbreaking in an editorial in the journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Given that it was written by a pair of pharmacy professors, though, they of course concluded “that the active components and molecular targets responsible for the efficacy of strawberries must be identified.” Instead of just eating strawberries they suggested that Big Pharma should try to make a strawberry-derived drug. Recent population studies suggest that other plant foods may be protective against esophageal cancer as well. Diets with lots of meat and fat appear to double the odds of cancer; and lots of fruits and vegetables may cut one’s odds of esophageal cancer in half. Studies have shown diets rich in foods from animal origin and poor in plant foods appear to increase esophageal cancer risk. And now we know at least one plant that may even reverse the course of disease if caught early enough. I touched previously on esophageal cancer in Bacon and Botulism and Poultry and Penis Cancer. More on strawberries in Cancer Fighting Berries and Maxing Out on Antioxidants. My favorite way to eat them? My chocolate ice cream recipe. Ornish’s line of anti-cancer work was continued by the Pritikin Foundation in an elegant series of experiments that I describe starting with Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay (along with the “prequel” Engineering a Cure). For more berried treasure, see Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer. 	Here’s a question for Dr. Greger, or anyone else who knows: Am I better off eating conventionally grown strawberries if that’s all I can find at this time of year, or is it better to eat organic strawberries only when they are available? I’ve always thought that berries should be organic whenever possible because they are likely to carry pesticides and other nasty things. How about fresh versus frozen (whole, unsweetened) berries? Apologies if these questions are answered elsewhere on this site.Dr. Greger has a great blog post where he puts pesticide consumption into perspective. : “A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.”from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/ I translate this bit of info into: Eat organic when you can, but don’t stress about it when you can’t. Happily, there is a way to take this advice a step further to minimize your risks without completely depleting the pocketbook. Every year, the Environmental Working Group actually measures pesticide levels in fruits and veggies–after those fruits and veggies have been prepared in the way people would normally eat them. (For example, peeling a banana or washing first.) If you scroll down on the following page, you will see a list for the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean Fifteen”.http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.phpI bring your attention to these lists because I think they are very helpful for people who can’t afford to eat organic for everything. You could use these lists to help you decide when it is worth putting down money for organic and when it might be safer to buy non-organic.One more thought for you: You mentioned “this time of year”. I would say that eating in the season is a good idea. So if you want to eat berries year-round (also a good idea), I personally would eat frozen berries rather than the fresh that is available in the middle of winter. Why? Because it is my understanding that frozen berries are picked when they are grown naturally and still have most of their nutrients and then are flash frozen, retaining those nutrients. Fresh this time of year I would think would have to travel long distances…I hope this helps!Living in Santa Cruz County which is one of the major strawberry growing regions in the country I can tell you that you might want to take a look at some of the environmental issues surrounding their cultivation. Prior to planting the fields are covered in plastic and methyl bromide is pumped into the ground to fumigate the soil. So your conventional strawberries are essentially grown in dead soil. Methyl bromide is also more damaging to the ozone layer than chlorofluorocarbons which are banned for this reason. It is acutely toxic thus dangerous for the farm workers who have to work around it and at times for their children who go to schools near the fields. We only buy organic strawberries from local farmers and there is no comparison in flavor.Robert: You also raise some good points. Like you, I care about the environment and farm workers. Just more things to consider when one is making purchasing choices.Thanks for sharing.Thanks for the information… the more you find out about conventional crops the more you tend to go organic. Buying organic is a way to vote for more production of organic non GMO crops.Thank you so much for your response! Strawberries are on the EWG “dirty dozen” list, which is why I asked about it. I try to follow this as much as possible (celery = always organic; onions = meh, whatever’s cheapest, etc.) when shopping.What you say makes good sense. Thanks again.I would tend to avoid conventional and go organic when you can. Tending to eat more seasonally can help as well. Frozen berries and fruits are usually available that are organic are an excellent way to go. Since many of the berries and fruits that are frozen at the fields they tend to sometimes be better than the non frozen organic which can take some time to get to the stores.There has been some great advice given already. I thought this video would be another useful piece of advice concerning pesticides in produce.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/Always best to eat organic whenever possible!jrandall588@q.comThis video is a berried treasure! JOhn S PDX ORWhen fresh are not available, are powdered organic strawberries helpful?Dr Greger’s video on this topic discusses exactly that! The research was actually done *using* powdered strawberries – eating 1 to 2 ounces a day of freeze dried strawberries is like eating over a pound of fresh strawberries in a day! So I would take that to mean that yes, powdered strawberries would absolutely be helpful. Check it out: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/:)	American Association for Cancer Research,antioxidants,berries,cancer,cancer progression,cancer reversal,cancer survival,combinatorial strategies,dietary intervention,esophageal cancer,esophagus,fat,free radicals,fruit,meat,metastases,phytonutrients,plant-based diet,precancerous lesions,precancerous progression,prostate cancer,strawberries,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21455992,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22219164,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22135048,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21653682,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21899799,
PLAIN-160	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/	Anti-Cancer Nutrient Synergy in Cranberries	In research I profiled in my video Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better?, cranberries were found to suppress the growth of human liver cancer cells in vitro. Other studies have found similar effects against human breast, colon, brain tumor, oral, and ovarian cancer cells. In my 4-min video Cranberries versus Cancer I profile the latest looking at prostate cancer cell growth. The United States has the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world, so let’s try a native American fruit! Researchers started out with about 50,000 human prostate cancer cells in a petri dish and if you do nothing, within a day you’re closer to 100,000, then 200,000 and then nearly 400,000 within 72 hours. But by adding just a tiny amount of cranberries, that exponential cancer growth can be blocked. The reason they tested such tiny concentrations is that we only absorb a small fraction of the cranberry phytonutrients we eat into our bloodstream. Still, cranberries are cheap. If drug companies and supplement manufacturers are going to capitalize on this they needed to find cranberry’s active ingredient. In my video Cranberries versus Cancer I show a graph with some of the various phytonutrients in cranberries. Different fractions were tested against various types of cancer to find the magic bullet. Various fractions of phytonutrients inhibited colon cancer cell proliferation about 15 percent, but nothing compared to the total extract of the whole fruit. There seems to be additive or synergistic anti-proliferative effects resulting from the combination of the various components compared to individual purified phytochemicals. So it’s always better to eat the whole fruit. How do you do that with cranberries, though? Although five percent of cranberries are sold fresh, the vast majority are consumed as processed products. To get the same amount of anthocyanin phytonutrients in a cup of fresh or frozen cranberries, you’d have to drink 16 cups of cranberry juice cocktail, eat seven cups of dried cranberries, or 26 cans of cranberry sauce! The problem is that raw cranberries are so tart that folks may opt for the 7 cups of dried. In a taste test survey, consumers said they wouldn’t mind eating dried cranberries every day, but the preference for raw cranberries sloped down toward maybe once a year. The problem is dried cranberries tend to come sweetened. Raw cranberries don’t affect your blood sugar, but sweetened dried cranberries do—even the low sugar varieties. What about cranberry “juice”? Cranberry cocktail is usually only about a quarter cranberry juice. The ruby red phytonutrients in cranberries and pure cranberry juice are powerful antioxidants, increasing the antioxidant capacity of our bloodstream within hours of consumption. But the high fructose corn syrup acts as a pro-oxidant, even with added vitamin C, canceling out some of the cranberry benefit. So how do you get the upsides without the down? Check out my Pink Juice with Green Foam video, where I offer a recipe for making no added sugar whole fruit cranberry cocktail. And for another reason to avoid high fructose corn syrup: Mercury in Corn Syrup? More on nutrient synergy in: Suppressing cancer growth in a petri dish is nice, but what about within the human body? Check out my videos Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer and Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer. 	This is a great time to get cranberries–fresh in bags. When the season is over, you can only find them at Whole Foods where they are about twice the price they are now at other markets. I bought a lot of bags and froze them. We have our cranberries in a big Vita Mix smoothie every day with other fruits to cancel their bitter taste, and lots of greens.Thanks for this information on cranberries. I’ve started adding them to my smoothie with an apple to help with the tartness.The problem with cranberries it the taste indeed. Our website may be partially helpful in finding substitutes:http://www.dietscalc.com.. add free. If the number of users increases we will consider also adding the 3100 antioxidant list, mentioned in other videos by Dr GregerThe Knudsen company makes a drink called, “Just Cranberry” it’s 100% pure cranberry juice and is NOT a cocktail but it is very sour and hard to drink straight. We mix it with OJ or other juices.where do you get this?Whole Foods or your local natural foods store. Expensive though, about $6 a small bottle.Trader Joe’s has it too, Not sure of the price, but probably less than Whole Paycheck. ;-)“…we only absorb a small fraction of the cranberry phytonutrients we eat into our bloodstream.”Does it follow from this that eating a few throughout the day would maximize their anti-cancer effect? Also, what sort of proportions would have maximal effect? Is eating over the cup a day that you mention counter-productive, or a waste?I like frozen cranberries with steel-cut oats, a few walnuts, and some unsweetened soy milk (and it looks purty too). I don’t really notice any objectionable tartness, but then I like really sour fruits.I just really like cranberries and you can pretty much only find fresh cranberries around thanksgiving. So every year in November, I buy 12 bags of fresh cranberries from Costco and stuff them in my freezer. Every morning, I have oatmeal with unsweetened soy milk and I put a large handful of cranberries in. My friends laugh when they open the freezer because why the hell are there so many cranberries?! Cuz it lasts me a whole year! Now I can tell them because Doctor Greger says so! :-PI’ve created a really tasty dessert with cranberries. Simply throw some fresh frozen cranberries in a Cuisinart style food processor and chop into small pieces and put in a mix bowl. Do these same with a black plumb. Same with honeydew melon (or any other really sweet melon) but mix more thoroughly, to a near liquid. Mix all three together thoroughly, add a bit of erythritol if it’s not sweet enough for you. Served this recently and both people really liked it.Tobias: I’m trying to imagine the consistency of this treat. Did you serve it like a pudding with a spoon? Or a smoothie?Just curious. It sounds very good!It’s a rough chop except for the melon which is more liquidy. This serves to coat the sour cranberries in sweetness. Also, there’s something about the black plumb skin that gives a nice texture. I just serve it in a small bowl with a spoon and maybe sprinkle some erythritol on top, or I’ll eat a large bowl myself. If you let it set a couple of minutes the melon juice begins to accumulate in the bottom of the bowl in red from the cranberries which are themselves close at the end of their thaw. Because the cranberries are cold, it give the whole dish a refreshingly cool aspect. Maybe some spice could even kick it up a notch. Never tried cinnamon but that would be my first test.Nice! Thanks for the reply.I began adding cranberries to my vitamix smoothies 5+ years ago while going through chemo for advanced ovarian cancer and I add a handful to oatmeal in the last 3 minutes of cooking. A book I read by some Canadian cancer researchers called, Foods that Fight Cancer, listed them along with berries in general. I think this is one of the food inhibitors making a difference–been told I am a statistical outlier, and now just discovered I am BRCA1, which means a 20-30% chance of even being here in the flesh to comment. Best time to buy them is after Thanksgiving when they go on sale, wash them and freeze them. They cost ~$2/bag then, otherwise, during the year they are $3-$5 frozen. I am thrilled to get your videos every week. As an MCB, I have done my own research into food healing and your presentations rock. Thank you.Fresh cranberries are great minced in a salad of red cabbage, celery, apple, a bit of olive oil and a few chopped walnuts.Sounds great! I myself would skip the olive oil and add some balsamic or fruit vinegar. I don’t know if brand names should be mentioned here but I love Cuisine Perel vinegars that my grocery store carries.Sue: For whatever it’s worth, I think it’s fine to share our favorite brands with each other. It’s a nice tip.I remember hearing a talk some time ago from ?Esselstyne? (I think) where he talked about getting a “really nice” vinegar. I wanted some recommendations so that I didn’t have to spend a lot of time trying find the “good stuff.” I’m not really a vinegar fan and wanted to skip the experimentation if possible.So, I particularly appreciate your vinegar recommendation. I’m going to check it out. Thanks for sharing!Hey, Thea, thanks–I like that brand of vinegar because they have a potent delicious flavor but aren’t bitingly sharp like most vinegars. They’re expensive but I find a little goes a long way. You can add one of the vinegars to berries and/or cashews/hemp seeds, blend it all in a powerful blender like a Vitamix and use that as your dressing. Mmmm. :)Thanks for the follow up!Please clarify why the 1 cup of fresh cranberries has the antioxidant potency 7 cups of dried cranberries. Is it totally the pro-oxidative effect of the sweetener? Or is it the process of drying/heating the fruit? Something else? Since dried fruit is more concentrated than fresh, you’d think it would take 8 or nine (or more?) cups of fresh cranberries to make the 7 cups of dried cranberries. One reason I ask is the suggestions below of cooking the berries with oatmeal (sounds luscious!). Would that destroy any of the desirable properties?For anyone interested: At the moment, Trader Joes is carrying bags of freeze-dried cranberries.I take a 300 mg cranberry capsule, mainly to prevent urinary infections. Is this a reasonable substitute for the actual berries?	active ingredients,anthocyanin phytonutrients,antioxidants,blood sugar,brain cancer,breast cancer,cancer,cancer cell proliferation,cancer cells,cheap,colon cancer,cost-effective,cranberries,cranberry cocktail,cranberry juice,cranberry sauce,dried cranberries,fruit,high fructose corn syrup,liver cancer,nutrient absorption,oral cancer,ovarian cancer,phytochemicals,phytonutrients,pro-oxidants,prostate cancer,whole foods	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21910124,
PLAIN-161	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/	Which Common Fruit Fights Cancer Better?	Recently, researchers compared the ability of eleven common fruits to suppress cancer cell growth in vitro. Which do you think was most effective—apples, bananas, cranberries, grapefruits, grapes, lemons, oranges, peaches, pears, pineapples, or strawberries? There are many ways to compare the healthfulness of different foods. For example, if you were interested in antioxidants you might compare vitamin C content. If you compared vitamin C content between our two most popular fruits, apples and bananas, then bananas would appear twice as healthy (10 mg in a banana compared to only 5mg in an apple). But vitamin C is just one of thousands of different phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables. It turns out the vitamin C in apples accounts for less than 1 percent of an apple’s total antioxidant activity. In my 5-min video Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better? I show a graph of the total antioxidant content of a red delicious apple. The amount contributed to the vitamin C is so tiny you can hardly see it. Even though there are only about 5mg of vitamin C in a small apple, it has the antioxidant equivalent of 1500 mg of vitamin C! I’ve reviewed before how taking that much vitamin C straight in a supplement may actually have a pro-oxidant effect and cause DNA damage (in my video Preventing Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress With Watercress), but you can get three times that antioxidant power eating an apple, without the adverse effects. Of course there’s more than just vitamin C in bananas too. I was surprised to see a study out of Harvard suggesting that bananas were a significant source of anthocyanins, the red/blue/violet phytonutrients found in berries. Maybe I underestimated bananas? They are, after all, technically berries. Anthocyanins have been found in blue, purple, orange-red, red-purple, and pink-purple wild bananas, but none in domesticated yellow. In the Harvard researchers’ defense, they just took values from the USDA, and it turns out USDA apparently made a mistake. There are no anthocyanins in store-bought bananas, and despite twice the vitamin C, bananas are beat out by apples in terms of overall antioxidant power. But that’s just measuring the ability of these fruits to quench an oxidation reaction in a test tube. It would be nice to measure actual biological activity. In the red delicious apple study, researchers also measured the ability of apple extracts, from both peeled and unpeeled apples, to suppress the growth of human cancer cells growing in a petri dish compared to control. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to compare that kind of superpower between different fruits? Well, now we can! In my video Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better? I show a graph of cancer cell proliferation versus increasing concentrations of the 11 most common fruits eaten in the United States. If you drip water on these cancer cells as a control, nothing happens. They start out powering away at 100 percent growth and they keep powering away at 100 percent growth. And pineapples, pears, and oranges don’t do much better. Peaches start pulling away from the pack. At high peach concentrations, cancer cell proliferation drops about 10 percent, but bananas and grapefruits appear to work four times better, dropping cancer growth rates by about 40 percent. Red grapes, strawberries and apples do even better, cutting cancer cell growth up to half at only half the dose, but the two fruits that won, causing a dramatic drop in cancer proliferation at just tiny doses, were lemons and cranberries. So if you look at the effective dose required to suppress liver cancer cell proliferation, apples are more powerful than bananas, but cranberries win the day. And there was no effective dose listed for orange, pear, and pineapple since they didn’t appear to affect the cancer cell growth at all. This study reminded me of my #1 Anticancer Vegetable video (along with its “prequel,” Veggies vs. Cancer). Other videos in which I rank various foods include: How can you consume cranberries palatably, though? Check out my recipe for Pink Juice with Green Foam and my video Cranberries versus Cancer. More berried treasure in Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer and Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer. 	Dr greger…thank you…I blend fresh cranberries in my smoothie…they are delicious…no sugar added…Do dried cranberries have the same properties as fresh?Aloha Dr.In this blog you sayI’ve reviewed before how taking that much vitamin C straight in a supplement may actually have apro-oxidant effect and cause DNA damage (in my video Are Vitamin C Pills Good For You?), but you can get three times that antioxidant power eating an apple, without the adverse effects.However, when we went to the link there was no mention of how “Vitamin C supplements can have a pro-oxidant effect and cause DNA damage”. Did you link to the wrong video or?Jeff and Karen HayThanks so much for pointing that out! Wrong link. Changed it. I appreciate your taking the time to write in.While there is a lot great information around fruits and veggies fighting cancers, I’d be interested in looking at which fruits and veggies fight Lupus the best.Not a lot of information out there around nutrition’s effect on Lupus.Johns Hopkins Lupus Center, maybe the most respected in the world, suggests that all people with Lupus avoid garlic. They also suggest to avoid alfalfa sprouts and echinacea as well.Please don’t take this lightly. So many people think “oh, it’s natural, it must be good for my autoimmune system/issue. Apparently this is not so in those with lupus, as well as other autoimmune issues.http://www.hopkinslupus.org/lu…Johns Hopkins Lupus Center, maybe the most respected in the world, suggests that all people with Lupus avoid garlic. They also suggest to avoid alfalfa sprouts and echinacea as well.Please don’t take this lightly. So many people think “oh, it’s natural, it must be good for my autoimmune system/issue. Apparently this is not so in those with lupus, as well as other autoimmune issues.http://www.hopkinslupus.org/lupus-info/lifestyle-additional-information/avoid/Dr. Greger,In your medical practice, have you come across individuals who developed problems with fruit? I have been following Dr. Fuhrman’s health regimen for about two years, with great results. However, a bit more than a year ago I started having a strange skin reaction to fruit. The reaction resembles tinea pedis, but comes back even after treatment with topical antifungal agents. Over time, I made the connection that on high fruit days, especially after making something with dates, mango, or banana (like frozen fruit desserts), the areas on my feet that are affected would have a very unpleasant itching and burning sensation at night time. I did not want to believe that it was the fruit, but an elimination diet clearly showed that it is. Beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, and even suboptimal foodstuffs like sugar do not have an effect, but fruit and muscobado sugar do. At this point, I am sticking to Dr. Fuhrman’s plan, but only eating one serving or less of fruit per day, which is hard sledding because I do like fruit and it is a shame to miss out on all the fantastic nutrients you are teaching us about, though I realize that there are a few populations in the world that traditionally ate very little fruit (notably Okinawa), but still have favorable health outcomes. Does anything about this condition sound familiar to you? Could you advise?Medicine becomes fairly straight forward when you have the correct diagnosis and can render an effective treatment. I have not come across a similar case to the one you describe. You have taken the correct approach by working through the elimination diet. Regardless of your formal “diagnosis” it appears that you have a skin reaction to certain foods. Sounds like a sensible approach is to avoid the fruits and emphasize other plant foods like vegetables if you want to eat a variety of phytonutrients. By consuming starches (e.g. potatoes, rice, whole grains) you can make sure you consume enough calories. Good luck.Dr. Forrester, thank you very much for your advice. I will keep my focus on vegetables, as you suggest.Dear Dr Greger,I’m surprised to know that lemons are actually very powerful and that oranges do not do much in controlling cancer cell growth. Thank you so much for the information. I should have known that earlier as I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast CA last year. I’m done with treatments and doing my best now to eat healthy.I have a question regarding grapes and strawberries. I am hesitant to juice them because I’ve been reading a lot after my surgery that they have lots of chemicals. I wonder what your stance is. I did peel off the strawberries that I juiced 2 days ago, but it would be hard to peel off each grape.Thank you so much.DollyHi Dr Greger, my daddy has Nasopharynx (behind nose) cancer, may I have your advice or any recipe on fruits and vegetables which can mix as juice. Looking forward for your advice.Mr.kwwong@gmail.com	anthocyanins,antioxidants,apples,bananas,berries,cancer,cancer cell growth,cancer cell proliferation,cancer growth,cranberries,fruit,grapefruits,grapes,lemons,metastases,oranges,peaches,pears,phytonutrients,pineapples,strawberries,vegetables,vitamin C,wild bananas	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21106916,
PLAIN-162	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/05/all-of-dr-gregers-dvds-now-downloadable/	All of Dr. Greger's DVDs Now Downloadable	The newest volume of my Latest in Clinical Nutrition DVD series is now out. Order on my website or through Amazon (all proceeds go to the 501c3 nonprofit charity that keeps NutritionFacts.org up and running). It can also now be ordered as a video download. The last batch of videos from volume 15 just ran out, so running through February I’ll be rolling out the videos from this new DVD, volume 16. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak-preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share them as gifts, but there is nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up free online at NutritionFacts.org. If you’d like the works–more than 30 hours of video–I have a special on my complete DVD collection (also via download). Here’s the list of chapters from the new volume 16 DVD — a preview of what’s to come over the next few months on NutritionFacts.org: Order my new DVD at DrGreger.org/dvds or as video downloads at DrGreger.org/downloads All of My DVDs Now Available for Digital Download The download of my last DVD was so popular that I decided to make them all available as downloadable videos. They’re cheaper, you don’t have to wait for them to be shipped, and you can watch them on the go. You can watch the new one right now for $20, or get the entire 16 volume collection–32 hours worth!–for only $160 at DrGreger.org/downloads (new design thanks to our resident web genius Christi Richards). All the proceeds from DVD, download, and book sales go to the 501c3 nonprofit charity that keeps NutritionFacts.org alive and kicking. Please Consider NutritionFacts.org in Your Year-End Giving If you were a regular supporter, you’d be watching the new DVD right now! Anyone signing up on the donation page to become a $15 monthly contributor will receive the next three DVDs for free (as physical DVDs, downloads, or both–your choice), and anyone signing up as a $25 monthly contributor will get a whole year’s worth of new DVDs. Monthly supporters already got their new volume 16 DVD weeks ago. But the best part of donating to support this work is helping to spread this life-saving information. I’ve been speaking at medical conferences a lot lately and have been touched by how many physicians are using my work in their offices. There are doctors that are playing my DVDs on a loop in their waiting rooms. Others have my short videos downloaded on their iPad and play them for patients during visits–showing them a tablet instead of giving them tablets! :) NutritionFacts.org is a free resource for medical students, health professionals, and everybody else. In the last year alone, NutritionFacts.org pages have been viewed more than 10 million times by people around the world, all for free. And with your support, the sky’s the limit. 	Awesome news!I usually buy the DVD. Now I have a giant stack of DVDs and am thinking there might be some value to saving space and doing the download. However, I have questions about the downloads:What format is the downloadable file(s) in?Would I only be able to play them on my computer or would they be playable on my DVD player/TV?Are there any benefits to the downloads over the DVD – For example: Are the videos searchable? does it include the transcripts? The links to the original research? ??Thanks.They are zip files to maximize download times. The disadvantage is that you can’t skip around to chapters like the DVD. The benefit is that you can get immediate gratification, and may be easier to share with others, more portable if you have a tablet or laptop, better for environment. Any other pros/cons from anyone’s who’s experienced both?Dr. Greger: Thanks for the reply!I’d like to become a subscription donator, but not necessarily forever. Is there a way to donate say the $25/month, but specify that it is only for a year? Or after a year, is there a way I can stop the payments if I need to?ThanksYou can stop any time!Dr. Greger:Per your November 27 e-mail: “Anyone signing up on the donation page to become a $15 monthly contributor will receive the next three DVDs for free (as physical DVDs, downloads, or both–your choice), and anyone signing up as a $25 monthly contributor will get a whole year’s worth of new DVDs. Monthly supporters already got their new volume 16 DVD weeks ago.”Yesterday, I signed up for $25 per month. But there wasn’t a way to mark whether I would like to download the DVDs or have them mailed. (I’d like to have them mailed.) How do I let you know this info???Also, will I get volume 16 in this deal or is it too late for that?Thanks!I’d be happy to send you a 16. And you can have either or both download and physical copy. Thank you SO much for your support!	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/26/dr-gregers-new-dvd-available-for-download/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-163	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/03/half-of-doctors-give-placebos/	Half of Doctors Give Placebos	About half of doctors admit to intentionally deceiving patients by prescribing placebos, but might the ends justify the means? A controversial paper was published in the American Journal of Bioethics arguing that it’s not only OK for doctors to lie to patients, but that we have a “duty to deceive.” Unlike what you see on television, roughly half the time a patient walks into a doctor’s office, a firm diagnosis cannot be made. Half the time the doctor doesn’t know what’s going on. So why not give the patient a sugar pill, such as a homeopathic remedy—which is often just that, an actual sugar pill—or something like a Bach flower remedy? Just because they don’t work better than placebo, doesn’t mean they don’t work (see my video Is Homeopathy Just Placebo?). Placebos are certainly safer than prescribing an actual drug. As I document in my Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death video, prescription drugs kill an estimated 106,000 Americans a year, effectively making doctors the 6th leading cause of death. Even just offering a made-up diagnosis and false reassurance seems to work. In one landmark study, two hundred patients for whom no definite diagnosis could be made were randomized into two groups. The honesty group was told “I don’t know what’s wrong with you,” and the dishonesty group was given some fake but firm diagnosis and told confidently they’d get better in a few days—and guess what, they did! They were 90 percent more likely to be cured. A “Deception Flowchart” has even been devised to help us doctors decide, for example, if we should consider a “lying” versus a “non-lying deception” to meet objectives. Those on the pro-truth side of the fence argue that first of all, placebos aren’t necessarily always safe. The sugar in the sugar pills is typically lactose (milk sugar), for which most of humanity is intolerant after infancy. There was a famous cancer drug trial in which the chemotherapy caused a surprising reduction in nausea and vomiting compared to placebo, but that may have been because it was compared to a placebo made out of lactose. See my video Infant Nearly Killed by Homeopathy for an extreme example of this. Pro-truth advocates accuse doctors of disease-mongering. By defining vague symptoms as an entity requiring a treatment, healthy people are converted into patients. “They need explanation and reassurance that promote autonomy,” reads one editorial, “not to be given faith in a non-existent disease and crackpot medicine.” If all one cares about is beneficial medical consequences, “might not doctors also have a duty to prescribe things like chanting, crystals, and séances?” Deception advocates reply: “Doctors have a duty to do the best they can to relieve a patient’s symptoms. If that means they prescribe a placebo, or even conduct a séance…then there is a duty to do these things. If a doctor can really convince a patient that a chant will cure his headache, then it very likely will, and she should ululate it at the top of her lungs.” In fact, “It is a type of deception that patients ought to be thankful for, just as we are thankful when we receive a mendacious compliment from a friend.” Of course you don’t look fat in that dress! So how many doctors lie to their patients? About half of surveyed internal medicine doctors and rheumatologists in the United States report prescribing placebo treatments on a regular basis. Similar numbers have been found in Canada, Europe, Israel, and New Zealand. See my video The Lie That Heals: Should Doctors Give Placebos? to see the studies themselves. Surveys show that prescribing placebo treatments seems to be common and is viewed as ethically permissible by physicians. I personally find it ironic that physicians often condemn alternative medicine quacks for giving useless remedies when they themselves do the same thing. As one physician commented, “The vow we take is the Hippocratic oath—not the hypocritic one.” 	Nope, wouldn’t want anything but the truth, even if it means telling me, “I have no idea what is wrong with you.” I believe the body heals itself for the most part, anyway, if we can just get out of the way and let it heal itself.I think prescribing placebos is despicable. If I look fat, I want my friends to tell me the truth, not tell me a lie and allow me to parade around thinking I look great while my non-friends criticize me behind my back. That analogy just shows how hurtful the practice of prescribing placebos really is. If someone is imagining illness, what they need is psychological support and stress relief, and maybe more exercise, light, hobbies, and fun in their lives, not a pill that makes them dependent on a snake-oil guru.Ugh, this is disheartening in this day and age. I think that our culture of immediacy puts pressure on medial professionals to come up with a quick fix answer to often vague, non-specific ailments, driving this “duty to deceive”. I am a nurse practitioner and see it all the time. People need to hear the hard truth once in a while. Non-specific stomach pains and drinking 4 or 5 diet sodas a day. frequent colds and smoking a pack a day? Yeah. I’ve been there. The answer however is not to give these patients a Tic Tac and tell them it’s the magic pill. If anything, we should be giving them broccoli and telling them IT’S the magic pill.True that, but to my surprise many patients are interested when I share my vegan ideas.Highland, re: “we should be giving them broccoli and telling them IT’S the magic pill.”That made me smile!so you’re saying pharmacies stock “placebo”? and the doctor, when writing a prescription writes ‘placebo’ on the prescription sheet? I have a hard time believing that.My observation is that the placebo can take many more costly forms. For my now deceased parents it was MRI’s and antibiotics, etc. Homeopathy might have put less strain on our health care systemYes, pharmacies do stock “sugar pills.” And yes, we do write prescriptions for placebo for patients on occasion. In my case as a prescriber it’s very rare, but in our American culture, unfortunately many patients expect and demand a pill for every little thing, and often there is little you can do to educate them, especially in the face of pharmaceutical companies spending billions of dollars to market unnecessary pills directly to the public.I’ve been a pharmacist for nearly 20 years. I personally have never had a physician write for “placebo” and I have never ever heard of a placebo being stocked in the retail pharmacies that I have worked over the years. However, this type of practice (prescribing meds that aren’t that effective) is done all of the time. This is also done in various capacities. When an ER doc used to think the patient was faking pain we would get a prescription for #8 Darvocet N-100. That was an unspoken rule that the prescriber didn’t really think the pain was legit but since it is a very, very weak narcotic it got the physician off the hook. I am appalled at the number of drugs that I dispense that are essentially worthless. From many antidepressants to fibromyalgia drugs to cholesterol drugs…the list goes on. Truth is, we (western culture) are a bunch of whiners and we want things fixed quickly (note: finger occasionally points back to me). We emotionally want things to be OK. So physicians often feel the need to make us feel ok. Physicians also, unfortunately often fall prey to protocol. “A diabetic should have a statin”. Then I ring up the statin along with the pound cake, saltines, Wonderbread, 5 bags of sugar, the case of Dr. Pepper and 3 Tony’s pizzas. OK. My short ramble is done! haha. Seriously though. Many many people don’t want to be healthy. They have NO IDEA what it is like to feel great. They have NO IDEA that there are better ways to life. And in the same breath, I have no idea what it is like to be in a third world country and smile because I have running water. Somethings are relative. And if this doesn’t make sense it may be because I just woke up from a nap. :)Since placebo works 90% of the time, there’s nothing wrong in a little lie!That depends entirely on what they are using as the “placebo”. I am of the mind that the less things you ingest for imagined illness or vague, nonspecific troubles, the better.“Half of Doctors Give Placebos”None of the cited studies’ abstracts substantiate this claim–and at least one would, as it’s a remarkable claim. Where does this come from?“Would you want to be lied to by your doctor if it would help make you better?”I realize that the context of this question is the ‘western’ medical system. Such a practice, however, is typical in Japan.The problem is that patients show up with all sorts of vague complaints. People want a pill to fix every little thing. If I can tell a patient to take a pill for two weeks that I know does nothing, and won’t hurt them, then I can be done with them. If I say nothing is wrong, I might end up debating vague symptoms with what seems like a psych patient. We don’t have time for that.“…then I can be done with them.” Are all your pts an annoyance to you, to be gotten out of your exam room as quickly as possible? What awaits? Golf?Perhaps rather than avoiding what you fear may be a discussion with someone you perceive to be a psych patient, you should figure out ways to address their issues, including what may be a psych referral. Seems more reasonable than dismissing people outright.In defense of Will, the primary care provider quickly learns that there are many personalities that are very difficult and often don’t seem to want to be made better. Worse they don’t recognize their condition and wod be offended by a psych referral. I understand Will’s reluctance to enter into fruitless conversations. I only came to realize how difficult it is to address these issues in the day to day grind of primary care.I agree. There is also the very practical element of time. There is just simply not enough time in your average doctor’s visit to have a conversation like that with a difficult patient who wants a quick fix.Then fire your patient, doctor! Just like your patient should fire *you* if you are perceived to be little more than a pill-dispenser.Of course you know your patients, many are fine with hearing there is nothing wrong with them, case by case basisWhen your 10 yr. old child asks if Santa is real, do you lie to him? In this day and age of search engines… how on earth can a health care provider prescribe a placebo without the patient knowing? If I were so prescribed and found out on my own that it was a placebo… (Maybe I asked the pharmacist and/or searched for the medication or made-up diagnosis on line…) I would then feel very deceived by my provider. How could I then trust her for anything in the future? And part of healing is the trust/relationship btwn pt and provider. How could I not feel condescended to or not feel patronized? I want my doctor to partner with me in the care of my body, tell my why he thinks it is not a problem, or invite me to come back in X number of days if symptoms persist. How much more helpful it is to know that my stomach ache is more than likely nerves… Ruling out a medical issue and knowing that it is likely nerves I can address my problem. If I cannot on my own address the stress that is causing the symptoms and if I return again and again to the doctor, is a psych issue so shameful that it cannot be discussed? No time? No time to gently and compassionately make a psych referral? There was a time… 50 yrs ago… when we routinely lied to the terminally ill about their prognosis. How much more helpful it is today to know the truth about terminal disease… so that one can get affairs in order. Truth may hurt, but it is ever so much better than ruining the trust btwn pt and provider.Doc, I’ve begun to show your recent video on coronaries or cavities to my patients. I think the effect has been dramatic. They are definitely willing to give a plant-based diet a try. I also recommend the supplements that help to support plant-based nutrition, as per the common recommendations. I just wanted to thank you for making these videos, as they are really making a difference. If I am sharing them in my practice, it is probably fairly common – see Will’s comment below.I’m okay with it. Perhaps by prescribing placebos what the docs are doing is enlisting the help of the power of the mind. Negativity and stress have detrimental effects on your health and immune function, so we all want and need to hear good news. My doc is Chinese, and if he wants to try something outside the box, I’m game.So if you have a copay of $20 it is the same for sugar as a real drug? Highway robbery. How is this reported to the insurance company and do they know you only got sugar? Can you list the “code” words that are used so we can be made aware? Guess I need to ask my next door neighbor how she dispenses it. One more reason to not go to the Dr.This is my first post and I did not mean it for Mike Quinoa but as a general post. Sorry.You make a good point, Doug. I’m in Ontario, Canada, where we have OHIP “paying” for most of our health costs (and we therefore don’t always pay as much attention as we should). For this practice to have any acceptability, one would have to assume doctors always had their patients’ best interests in mind. Also, if the problem is life-threatening, one would hope the doc would lay it on the line. There may be some patients who demand medication or proactive treatment for their problem—a doctor’s admonition to “Think Positive” may not be enough. If a placebo helps people get into a healing frame of mind and provides reassurance maybe it’s worth the cost???It’s only to the benefit of the patient if the doc gets the differential diagnosis of “nothing wrong with this patient” right. What placebo takes away from your average patient is the thought that something may still be untreated. If they think they are receiving treatment, they would be less likely to go for a second opinion. With some very insidious diseases that have vague symptoms, this is potentially harmful.Perhaps “prescribing” placebos is a bad idea because if the patient discovers they were lied to the trust they had with their doctor would be destroyed. I certainly wouldn’t trust a doctor that lied to me.Complex question. The fact is that much more than half of all physicians prescribe medicines that are either placebos, or meds where the placebo effect is the most important therapeutic effect. Believing that a pill will help you is a very powerful force and has definite bio-physiologic effects. The Rx is almost sacramental . In other words, the intended effect is offered in material form. It also completes the patient physician transaction. You can move on to the next patient. I’m not endorsing it, but it is universal.The headline above is deceiving. If you follow the link to the paper that is cited, it is clear that the author is advocating for the use of placebos, although they are not currently permitted by ethical rules of medical practice. The abstract states: “Among medical researchers and clinicians the dominant view is that it is unethical to deceive patients by prescribing a placebo. This opinion is formalized in a recent policy issued by the American Medical Association (AMA [Chicago, IL]). Although placebos can be shown to be always safe, often effective, and sometimes necessary, doctors are now effectively prohibited from using them in clinical practice. I argue that the deceptive administration of placebos is not subject to the same moral objections that face other forms of deception in clinical practice and medical research. Although deception is normally objectionable on the grounds that it limits autonomy and breaches trust, these grounds do not apply to placebos when they are prescribed within appropriate ethical limits. Patients have reason to prefer that doctors can prescribe placebos in ethically responsible ways. Hence, the AMA has an obligation to endorse and to promote the responsible use of deceptive placebos in clinical practice.”I’m on the side of truth, as I believe most of us are. I think it’s fine for a doc to say “I don’t know what’s wrong with you but I suspect it will go away on its own”, for example. Or just “I have no idea what is wrong with you. Shall we wait and see what happens?” In any case, if a doctor gave a name to my condition I would look it up on the web and find out soon enough that my symptoms did not match or the name was invented.This kind of thing makes me crazy. A doctors first responsibility is to “DO NO HARM.” How can anyone imagine that lying to patient who comes to you for help with symptoms doesn’t harm them? Just because you don’t know what’s wrong doesn’t mean that there isn’t something that you’ve missed. i find a lot of doctors aren’t really interested in getting to the root causes of diseases. They want a quick and easy fix and then on to the next patient. Both doctors and patients need to move away from this mentality that they (doctors) know everything and that it can be fixed with a pill.Thankfully we have wonderful websites like this one, where people can take control of their own health, and hopefully bypass the doctors visits all together!I am a practicing physician and my approach to nonspecific complaints is to do a reasonable initial evaluation with history taking, examination and appropriate testing. If eveything appears normal – I simply say “your exam and tests are all normal. I don’t think your symptoms are a sign of anything serious, but if they don’t go away or get worse, let me know.” And then, with a slightly kidding tone to my voice, I say “As you know, there is no end to the number of tests I can order”. This is my ‘placebo’. The patient is reassured, and usually the symptom goes away if there is no serious underlying disease – because people don’t want a bunch of expensive tests unless they are really necessary. But, people also want to be taken seriously, and knowing that further tests are available to them, if needed, is also very reassuring. I personally don’t like the idea of being deceitful and prescribing ‘placebos’. It seems disrespectful to me.That is the approach I would hope for if I came in as a patient.Your patients must love and respect you… just as you show them and their complaints respect.Ughh, No lying, no placebos! To me this is a paternalistic attitude of someone who thinks they have rights over their patients, that they know better, and can do anything they want.There are two types of placebos. The bulk of doctors only use the second type. See this article for reference. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/235269691) The sugar pill, termed ‘pure placebo’ which are used in clinical trials as controls.2) ‘Impure placebos’ are treatments which provide benefit for one indication but are being prescribed for a different indication for which there is, at most, biological plausibility and usually no evidence that they are better than ‘pure placebo’. An example of an impure placebo is an antibiotic like azithromycin when given for what is most likely a common viral illness. Because the illness is likely viral it will provide no benefit other than placebo effect.As referenced above, there is evidence that prescribing the ‘impure placebo’ is more effective than telling the patient they will have to wait and get better on there own. I understand why providers do this but it can lead to problems.1) Impure placebos have significant side effects, cost money, and in the case of antibiotics contribute to resistance in the individual patient and in the society as a whole.2) When the patient does get better, they may be convinced the placebo worked. They may request the same drug the next time they have similar symptoms. Doctors also see that patient’s get better and that prescribing the ‘impure’ placebo satisfies them. These doctors are more likely to prescribe the same drug to other patients in the future. You see the vicious cycle. Pretty soon the doctor is deceived and he is no longer lying to his patients.If any placebos are given they should be harmless and cheap and doctors should not be deceived that they are actually working. If you want your doctor to be honest, my suggestion is to always voice that you want the truth and only evidence-based treatments, especially if offered a potentially harmful or expensive drug. It doesn’t hurt to say what’s a reasonable alternative.As doctors we have a lot of room for improvement. According to last week’s Journal of the AMA we still prescribe antibiotics for 75% of patients presenting with acute bronchitis for which almost none will benefit more than if they were given a sugar pill. See: Kuehn BM. Excessive Antibiotic Prescribing for Sore Throat and Acute Bronchitis Remains Common. JAMA. 2013;310(20):2135-2136.What am I as a physician in an urgent care center to do then, when I explain to my patient that they most likely have a viral bronchitis that takes 2-3 weeks to go away and they then complain on their Press-Gainey survey that I am a horrible doctor because I “didn’t treat them” by not giving them an antibiotic? These surveys determine whether or not I stay hired. This is illustrated by the fact that in a study done last year, patients think the average cough illness should be gone by 7 days when in fact, it takes an average of 18 days to resolve. I usually tell people if I think it’s viral and encourage them to “wait it out.” Sometimes when the patient gets irate, I end up giving a written prescription for antibiotic that I tell them to hold on to and only fil if they aren’t improving in another couple of days, only to have them immediately fill it at my checkout desk because they couldn’t care less what I tell them – They just want their “cure-all.” If I don’t give it, I get bad survey scores and I get disciplined. We’ve had doctors be fired for refusing to budge on this and only giving antibiotics where it’s really necessary. This problem is about more than just doctors. It is also about our current business model in American medicine (“the customer is always right”) and people wanting something to make every little thing go away in a day. While I do have patients who respect it when I tell them that i think something is viral (and I always offer symptomatic treatment to all patients, like cough syrup), the majority get angry and roll their eyes at me. So it boils down to this, do I provide “good customer service” (according to my employer) by giving people what they want and stay hired or do I do the right thing and refuse to give it? I agree we prescribe too many antibiotics, but most patients, even with education and honesty from their doctors, still want them. It’s not always as simple as saying no. (I’d like to keep my job!) I try to walk this fine line by using the “written prescription method” above but it doesn’t always work.Megan: You are in a really tough place. I for one, as a patient, would love to have you as a doctor! The last thing I want is to ever take an unnecessary medication.Thank you for trying to do the right thing even if the practicality of your situation doesn’t always allow it.—-And actually, in thinking about your story, that is the perfect place for a placebo. I wish doctors could prescribe “antibeeotics” (sugar pill with fancy name) for just such situations. It would the patients and the world the least amount of harm and may actually help the patient.Thanks for sharing your story.Tim MD: I thought this explanation of the two types of placebos was a helpful contribution to the discussion. Personally, if a doctor prescribes a placebo, I would think the most ethical one would be the “pure placebo” that you discuss above.Thanks for your thoughts.I think I would rather do something I knew would work as oppose to hoping a placebo worked.Going back to the video on homeopathy where you seem to agree that homeopathy is ” witchcraft”, but achieves as good a clinical result as a placebo, one would think the medical profession would be very willing to promote homeopathy. How many deaths has homeopathy been linked to?Interesting article. Thoughts:* Placebo has been demonstrated to work (i.e., facilitate the human body’s healing itself of true, not “pretend” or otherwise unreal, ailments).* Psychosomatic illness is not “pretend” or otherwise unreal illness, but rather an actual, measurable state of disease caused or aggravated by stress or other mental state.* Sugar pills are not identical to homeopathic remedies. Homeopathic remedies are created by a well-documented and consistent (albeit highly controversial) method of successive dilution in water followed by succussion (vigorous mixing), whereas sugar pills are presumably just pressed together and dehydrated chunks of sugar.* Placebo is not identical to homeopathy. Homeopathic remedies have been demonstrated to work several times more effectively than placebo. Homeopathic remedies have been demonstrated to work in farm animals (cows, pigs, etc.) and in plants. These results cannot be rigorously explained away as “psychosomatic” or insignificant.We do not well-understand placebo or homeopathy, but that doesn’t mean we can, with complete scientific honesty, ignore their observed efficacy combined with relatively low levels of negative side effects. Both deserve further research.What seems to be neglected in this discussion is the fact that human beings are not just bodies. We have minds and emotions. Sometimes we need solace or sympathy or reassurance. There may be ways to fill these needs without prescribing a pill, but our society is generally not set up that way. Many people are lonely or do not have sympathetic friends. The physician may be the only one who can offer some kind of hope. This is not a question of to lie or not to lie – it is a question of how do we live without a supportive community? It is not about doctors; it is about our society.It is unethical, period. This is being done for the convenience of the doctor, not the well being of the patient. And it’s just more evidence of the arrogance and paternalism of the medical profession. I now regard most doctors (not all) as worse than ambulance-chasing lawyers.you are by far the most uninformed ass i have ever come across you speak of things you really know nothing about , and that makes you look laughable . seriously for starters there is zero chemicals in sugar pellets there are different kinds most are made from milk sugar . I can go on and on but your type is a waste of my time and a detriment to the masses you are way too pedantic for yourself mon cher ,” un vrai petit con” i study both sides of the spectrum and drugs sometimes will save someones life not without risk of course considering the side effects . but no one dies from homeopathy and the most famous scientist in the WORLD (you are i can see not one of them) are looking into homeopathy for answers because it’s works like quantum physics ( going right over your little pedantic head i’m sure) i was raise to learn to shut up if i’m ignorant of a subject and listen to the ones who know , i suggest you do the same.Paddy: This is a civilized site, not a place for playground name-calling. It is one thing to disagree. It is another to personally attack. Thus, I am taking it upon myself to try to delete your comment.If you would like to have a civil, adult discussion, feel free to try again.This shows that there is something wrong with the patients. Maybe lots of people have hypochondria and placebos are a cure for hypochondria. I do not have health problems and do not go to doctors. Also a placebo is nicknamed a sugar pill but is supposed to be something inert. I know a guy that was having problems and he went to doctors and they did not know what was wrong with him, but they put him on lots of drugs. A year later he died and an autopsy showed that he had heart failure a year ago. I told him that he was in bad health since he had a horrible diet with almost no fruits or vegetables. He owned a pizza place that opened early in morning and closed late at night and that is where he got his food.Here is an interesting study… Ibuprofen may extend healthspan and lifespan! I’m CERTAIN there are natural “substitutes”, but is is interesting nonetheless.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141218141004.htm	dairy,deception,deception flow chart,doctors,false diagnosis,homeopathy,lactose,lactose intolerance,lies,lying,medicine,milk,physicians,placebos,prescription drugs	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-nearly-killed-by-homeopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20013498,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20013497,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20013484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2193166,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20013482,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3109581,
PLAIN-164	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/01/down-but-not-out/	Down But Not Out	Nearly all of NutritionFacts.org videos are currently down. With your help, though, not only will we be back up and running again soon but stronger than ever! Yesterday, YouTube terminated our account for supposedly “violating Community Standards.” Unnamed persons flagged one or more NutritionFacts.org videos as inappropriate, something that’s supposed to be reserved for things like graphic violence or hate speech. Evidently whatever mechanism YouTube has in place to prevent misuse of this flagging system failed. By terminating our account, YouTube removed each of the 791 videos on NutritionFacts.org, making them inaccessible to users. We assume that as soon as YouTube realizes their mistake they will reinstate our account, but that could take weeks. In the interim, we’ve started migrating the videos over to another video hosting site called Vimeo. So this past week’s videos are now back up, as well as my two live presentations, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death and More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases. Only 786 to go! Tomorrow’s new video will go up as scheduled and we’re working as hard as we can to get the site back up to its former glory. If you’d like to express your support for NutritionFacts.org, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the 501c3 nonprofit charity that keeps it going. Switching over the videos to a paid service will only add to our budget shortfall this year. So far, we’ve raised about $12,000 towards our $50,000 year-end goal. With help from enough supporters, we will surely fill up the carrot! What would you miss most about NutritionFacts.org? I have done videos about studies that make the headlines, but I think my most important role is to showcase studies that would otherwise never see the light of day. The reason we don’t see ads on TV for broccoli is the same reason we don’t hear about the vast majority of published research–there’s no profit motive. It may not make anyone money, but what if our lives would profit? NutritionFacts.org was set up as a grand experiment. Can a nutrition website remain independent and not bow to pressure to accept ad revenue or product endorsements or sell some Dr. Greger’s Brand SnakeOilWonderSupplement? :) We set up the website on faith. The generous seed funding from the Jesse and Julie Rasch Foundation that launched NutritionFacts.org ran out this summer. Now it’s completely up to viewers like you to keep the site up and running.  To make a contribution to NutritionFacts.org you can use a credit card, use a direct Paypal link, or send a check to “NutritionFacts.org” c/o Michael Greger, 700 Professional Dr., Gaithersburg, MD 20879. Join me in sending this message to whoever is responsible for the YouTube sabotage attempt: your efforts to keep people in the dark will just strengthen our resolve to bring the latest research to light. -Michael Greger, M.D. 	Youtube’s bots are ridiculous this way. They always side with the complainer with no human thought involved.Just donated, and happy to do so.Absolutely done, please keep this going. Dr Greger is truly an asset to humanity.Donated! I hope you guys can get back online soon this is ridiculous!!Are you sure it was “inappropriate” flag? It may have been a DCMA take-down request if a video inappropriately referenced third-party product or other protected / copyrighted material. At any rate, it should have just been the one video, so the whole-account shutdown smacks of something related to “Terms of Service” violation.It could also have been related to anything related to discussing farts, stools, or sexual function (ED), or other “graphic medical material”, which to some people is emotionally inseparable from porn.Might want to read through it and see if there is anything in your videos that could be interpreted as violating the native terms of service.Citing published research in a video you offer for free to the public does not violate DMCA by any stretch of the imagination.So sorry for the trouble you tube has given you. You certainly don’t deserve it. Happy to help what I can to keep this going strong.Wholly ridiculous. Possibly “weeks” to get turned around? Good grief, YouTube…Hmmm, smells like dirty rotten tricks to me. I hope the party or parties submitting these “complaints” to YouTube are identified. Now I’m guessing that would be some baaaaaad PR.I just sent feedback to YouTube asking for reinstatement of NutritionFacts.org and I will continue to do so every day until it’s restored. YouTube users if you want to do the same, click this link to get to the YouTube page and click “send feedback” at the bottom of the page. http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCddn8dUxYdgJz3Qr5mjADtADoneDone!!!Done. Ridiculous.Donation complete. This site has done a lot of good for a lot of people. Don’t let this lone (of course, along with a few notable others) voice in the wilderness be silenced!Youtube is a tricky beast. I decoupled my Youtube account from my Google identity and now I can’t create playlists, comment, vote up comments, add to existing playlists (except watch later). Google is trying to exert complete control – reminds me of Monsanto and their seeds that blow into neighboring fields!DONATING ASAP. DON”T WORRY DR!Keep it going!! Other doctors like myself use you as a resource for patients! Just donated.finally donated. with the absurd amount of nutritional misinformation out there, this site is just too important to lose.Donated! I am happy to do so considering the incredible wealth of nutritional information provided here!! I review the daily videos, and love how you can search on almost any topic and get scientific answers for various common nutritional questions! If everybody does a little, nobody has to do a lot…I just posted on YouTube’s Facebook page. Would you do the same or post on YouTube’s Twitter?Maybe it’s the egg or meat lobby or junk food manufacturers. [Insert conspiracy theory.]The loss of video content is very disappointing. Fortunately, the NF team has provided a transcript below each video, which makes the comments interpretable.Just donated. So happy with Dr. Gregers work. ThanksKale donations are my favorite! :)Come to the Netherlands to our restaurant Veggies On Fire The Haque: pure plant based, and you get raw kale chips before dinner. https://www.facebook.com/VeggiesOnFireDonated. Stupid YouTube.It’s when these things disappear that we realise the enormous amount of time, effort and skill that you have put into these videos and the site in general.So for all your hard work I say thank you.How about starting a campaign with one of the online petition sites to get it reinstated? I remember that happening with another channel, and it worked well – but I can’t remember how it was done…Donating $5 a month :-)Hope that helps. You do great work.I know I accidentally click an X to block for inappropriate content on Facebook when I only mean to close a post. Perhaps that was part of the problem. I don’t know if that translates over to YouTube or not. Just a thought.LOL, sorry for your lotsRight.“Oops. Sorry for taking down your account, rendering your website semi-functional, and causing you serious distress over the weekend while your emails to us were flushed down black holes of internet space.”Sincerely,The YouTube intern who would rather be home watching football than dealing with all these pesky internet usersEven though youtube has reinstated the account, I’ve donated. Thank you Dr. Greger, you’re truly an inspiration!Better than paying a company to host the videos and another to host the website … SERIOUSLY consider going with a provider that will house your own server(s).You’re UP & RUNNING again! Mazel Tov!WHAT ABOUT THE RIGHT TO FACE YOUR ACCUSER? COULD IT HAVE BEEN AMA OR BIG PHARMA THAT FLAGGED YOU ??i know! details would be satisfying.Dr. Greger you are the BEST!!!! I look forward to your emails every day and they fuel my motivation to continue on this plant-loving journey. I have immense respect and admiration for you and can’t thank you enough for distributing this essential information. You are truly a life saver.Dr. Greger, just want to thank you for all the great info you put up here. I continually refer to it on my website, FB page and I also tweet it. I try to get as many people as I can to go to your site. Keep up the great work.Just donated Would hate to ever see an end to this site, I would never find this info myself!	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-165	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/	Breast Cancer & Alcohol: How Much is Safe?	Nearly 5,000 breast cancer deaths a year may be attributable to just light drinking (up to one drink a day). The International Agency for Research on Cancer, the World Health Organization body tasked with collating the totality of evidence as to whether or not something causes cancer, has now concluded that alcoholic beverages—all alcoholic beverages—are to be considered carcinogenic to humans. There has been convincing evidence that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer, but most of the data were derived from studies that focused on the effect of moderate or high alcohol intakes, while little was known about light alcohol drinking (up to 1 drink/day). A recent meta-analysis of studies that compared light drinkers to non-drinkers found a moderate but significant association with breast cancer, based on the results of more than 100 studies. The researchers estimate that about 5,000 breast cancer deaths a year are attributable to light drinking, meaning nearly 5,000 women that died of breast cancer maybe wouldn’t have if they had stayed away from alcohol completely, leading to an editorial in the medical journal Breast that concluded “women who consume alcohol chronically have an increased risk for breast cancer that is dose dependent but without threshold.” No threshold means there’s apparently no level of alcohol consumption that doesn’t raise breast cancer risk at least a little. Any level of alcohol consumption appears to increase the risk of developing an alcohol-related cancer. For example, the Harvard Nurses’ Study found that even consumption of less than a single drink per day may be associated with a modest increase in risk. Most recent research has focused on acetaldehyde, the first and most toxic alcohol metabolite, as the primary cancer-causing agent. The bacteria in our mouths appear to oxidize alcohol into this acetaldehyde carcinogen, which we then swallow. So even a single sip of alcohol may be harmful. A new study found that just holding a teaspoon of hard liquor in our mouth for 5 seconds results in carcinogenic concentrations of acetaldehyde—even if we don’t swallow. The exposure continues for at least 10 min after spitting it out. No surprise then alcohol-containing mouthwash can offer a carcinogenic spike as well. Researchers conclude: “All in all, there is a rather low margin of safety in the use of alcohol-containing mouthwash. Typical use will reach the concentration range above which adverse effects are to be expected. Until the establishment of a more solid scientific basis for a threshold level of acetaldehyde in saliva, prudent public health policy would recommend generally refraining from using alcohol in such products.” So why isn’t the same recommendation made for alcoholic beverages? Well, as the Harvard paper concludes, “individuals will need to weigh the risks of light to moderate alcohol use on breast cancer development against the benefits for heart disease prevention to make the best personal choice regarding alcohol consumption.” They’re talking about the famous J shaped curve (watch my 4-min video Breast Cancer and Alcohol: How Much is Safe? to check it out). While smoking is bad and more smoking is worse, and in general exercising is good and more exercise is better, for alcohol there appears to be a beneficial effect of small doses. A six-pack a day raises overall mortality, but so does teetotalling. The #1 killer of women isn’t breast cancer, but heart disease, and a drink a day reduces the risk of heart disease. Why just reduce the risk of heart disease, though, when you may nearly eliminate the risk of heart disease with a healthy enough diet? See, for example, my video Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death. A plant-based diet that excludes certain plant-based (alcoholic) beverages may therefore be the best for overall longevity. For more on this topic, please see my follow-up video Breast Cancer Risk: Red Wine vs. White Wine. I’ve also previously addressed the pros and cons in Alcohol Risks vs. Benefits. The other mouthwash video I refer to in the above video is Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash, part of a video series on improving athletic performance with nitrate-containing vegetables (if interested, start here: Doping With Beet Juice). How else might one reduce breast cancer risk? Please feel free to check out: 	Dr. Gregor, This is an invaluably illuminating observation. It seems to implicate not only mouthwash, but also alcohol-based herbal tinctures–even those that purport to combat cancer or improve immunity. Do you have any observations about the “cost-benefit analysis” of such tinctures that may offer beneficial, alcohol-soluable compounds, but do so in a medium that is potentially cancer-inducing? Does this study suggest that we should avoid putting any alcohol in our mouths? Many thanks.wait a minute! I thought we all understood that the only reason alcohol showed anything positive for heart disease was due to the resveratrol?? And of course, what came next was the fact that there are many other plant foods which offer us even higher levels of resveratrol (above that found in red wine), therefore, there is no reason to listen to the wine industry’s selective studies on benefits of wine?? I sure get tired of this endless discussion which never mentions the tired myths, especially when: 1.) right now, in America, we have the highest uptick in alcohol abuse that has occurred in a century; 2.) the drinking habit which progresses into end-stage alcoholism during late life (alcoholism is a progressive illness – the definition of disease is that it progresses!) is manifesting at a phenomenal rate among the oldest Boomers – those who are about 60-70, who of course have other precipitating factors destroying their livers already inc past drug abuse history, Agent Orange exposure, and multiple prescribed maintenance and interventional pharmaceuticals which we are now finding destroy our heart, brain, immune systems, livers, kidneys, etc. Being a 67 year old former substance abuse counselor currently surrounded by relatives and friends who are dying of their daily medicine drink + pills, I cannot wait for the Rest of The Story to catch up with us all.Actually, moderate alcohol appears to have positive effects in heart disease quite independent from resveratrol (which is absorbed in near negligible quantities). Here’s a curent review of epidemiological evidence and proposed mechanisms:Krenz, Maike, and Ronald J. Korthuis. “Moderate ethanol ingestion and cardiovascular protection: From epidemiologic associations to cellular mechanisms.” Journal of molecular and cellular cardiology 52.1 (2012): 93-104.Some effect of moderate alcohol include: • increased HDL cholesterol • decreased fibrinogen (a blood clotting factor) • reduced oxidative stress • improved insulin sensitivity • lowered blood pressure • vasodilation via increased eNOS expression • increased tolerance to ischemia/reperfusionThe most interesting cellular mechanism for me is induction of ALDH2, which both clears acetaldehyde, the initial metabolite of alcohol, and also other reactive carbonyls resulting from oxidative stress, including lipid peroxidation and early glycation products. This mechanistic work is important, as it offers potential for obtaining the vascular and (overall) cancer preventative effects associated with moderate alcohol use without the associated acetaldehyde damage (especially at higher intakes) and sociobehavioral consequences. So far, there are only a couple of novel compounds that appear to activate ALDH2 directly, but a least one dietary compound does indirectly. If it does so via Nrf2, then that both clarifies how Nrf2 activation prevents ischemia/reperfusion injury and offers a mechanism of mimicking the effect of alcohol throug the many known dietary Nrf2 activators.In these studies, teatotallers (alcohol abstainers) are invariably the referent group. But they are a pretty odd group, going against social norms, and represent, what?, 10-15% of the general population? They represent a collection of different groups – some for religious reasons (e.g. Muslims), some for health reasons (e.g. people on extremely healthy diets), some for other personal reasons (e.g. a remote history of alcoholism, successfully treated by abstention). Thus these people are probably quite different than those who consume up to 1 glass of alcohol per day.What is weird about this hypothesis of mine is that confounding does not adequately explain why there is a J curve for cardiovascular disease but no J curve, actually a linear relationship, with breast cancer. You would expect the confounding to go in the same general direction, even though CVD and breast cancer are two different entities. They tend to share common antecedents like obesity, smoking, sedentarism and dysglycemia.Hence while we will never get a randomized trial to sort this issue out, we can look to observational studies and the dichotomy they present between CVD outcomes on the one hand, and cancer outcomes on the other. This actually suggests specificity for cancer, thereby fulfilling one of Bradford-Hill’s strongest criteria for causality. Very interesting, indeed! Thanks Dr G!There is a J-curve for alcohol and all-cancer mortality. Low-dose alcohol appears to induce antioxidant response element and heat shock response proteins (so like cruciferous vegetables, alcohol may be a hormetin). But breast cancer is different – aside from breast being one of few tissues that in health cyclically proliferates, and is hence epigenetically primed for cancer initiation, I’m not sure why the dose response to alcohol differs from other tissues.Good kibbitzing with you; your knowledge base is phenomenal.I wasn’t aware that low amounts of alcohol was actually chemopreventive in terms of cancer health for most non-breast cancer tissues. It is unusual for a substance, perhaps even one as complex as an alcoholic beverage, to have a bimodal effect on malignancy such that it retards cancer in one organ system/tissue type but promotes it in another. More likely either the breast cancer studies are wrong or the meta-analysis is wrong and the findings in nature are probably more aligned. Then again, cigarette smoking only affects certain body tissues and does not uniformly cause cancer in every tissue bed exposed to its carcinogenic constituents – unlike, say, ionizing radiation or many types of chemotherapy.Genetic variations in alcohol metabolism probably confound attempts to establish risk curves. There was an interesting study that compared alcohol dehydrogenase genotypes with alcohol induced breast cancer risk. Those who metabolized alcohol to acetaldehyde quickly were at much higher risk. I haven’t found similar studies on aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (which clears acetaldehyde) and breast cancer, but heavy drinkers with less active ALDH2 are at much higher risk of stomach cancer. If the acetaldehyde, which forms DNA adducts, is the main carcinogenic agent, then those expressing fast ADH/slow ALDH2 would be a much higher risk from a given alcohol intake than those with slow ADH/fast ALDH2 genotypes.Incidentally, more active forms of ALDH2 (which reduce the severity of hangovers and flushing) are strongly associated with alcoholism. Still, the morning-after may be a useful gauge of how much genetic damage one is doing.Fascinating! But your previous link is not directing to a known website and I would love to read it — viz. “This meta-analysis found a J-curve for alcohol and all-cancer mortality.”Fixed. Figure 4 was the interesting bit: http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/10/25/annonc.mds508/F4.medium.gifDarryl, I had a few more questions about aspirin dosing for chemoprevention. 1) Would it work with ultra-low dosing – i.e. half of an 81 mg enteric coated tablet per day (I believe there is one trial – Dutch TIA – which compared 30 mg with 300 mg and found a non-significant but large (if it had been better powered) risk reduction with the higher dose; this is in Rothwell’s meta-analysis); 2) would a diet rich in fruits and vegetables be sufficient for chemoprevention – i.e. it is likely that ASA’s benefit in all those trials was on top of a very poor diet, since most of the patients had already demonstrated a tendency to fall into vascular disease.If I had to do it, I would consider taking half an enteric coated ASA 81 mg tablet.I don’t consider myself an egotistical person. But in this case I’m allowing myself an increase in my smugness coefficient since I’ve always been deeply suspicious of the effects of alcohol consumption. Maybe watching my grandfather die of liver cirrhosis – essentially starving to death – had something to do with it. Beyond that, considering alcohol not a food but either a chemical or drug also helps. Then realizing it is one of two consumables of zero nutrient density: alcohol and sugar really helps. Confusion factors like resveratrol and heart disease protection never dissuaded me. To me, the record is clear: there is no benefit to consuming alcohol and considerable risk.The article states, “The bacteria in our mouths appear to oxidize alcohol into this acetaldehyde carcinogen, which we then swallow”.So if you use (non-alcoholic) antiseptic mouthwash before consuming an alcoholic beverage, will the amount of carcinogen produced and therefore swallowed be significantly reduced?Question: Have there been studies on moderate to heavy alcohol consumption among very healthy people? Just curious if healthy eating (plant based) and moderate exercise would lesson or counteract the negative effects. Thanks!	acetaldehyde,alcohol,alcohol metabolites,alcoholic beverages,antiseptic mouthwash,beer,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,carcinogens,heart disease,heart disease prevention,light drinking,liquor,Listerine,mouthwash,red wine,Scope,white wine,wine,women's health,World Health Organization	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22045766,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21641957,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22513359,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19444911,
PLAIN-166	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/26/best-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/	Best Nutrition Bang for Your Buck	When measured on a cost per serving, cost per weight, or cost per nutrition basis, fruits and vegetables beat out meat and junk food: Most Americans don’t even meet the watered down Federal dietary recommendations. Some have suggested this is because healthy foods are more expensive, but is that true? It depends on how you measure the price. For over a century the value of food has been measured cost per calorie. If you were a brickmaker in Massachusetts in 1894, you may have needed more than 8000 calories a day. The emphasis was therefore on cheap calories. So while beans and sugar both cost the same back then–5 cents a pound–table sugar beat out beans for fuel value. Of course food offers much more than just calories, but they can be excused for their ignorance, since vitamins and minerals hadn’t even been discovered yet. Even to this day, though, when the cost of foods are related to their nutritive value, the value they’re talking about is cheap calories. When you rank foods like that, then indeed junk food and meat is cheaper per calorie than fruits and vegetables, but that doesn’t take serving size into account. If you measure foods in cost per serving or cost per pound fruits and vegetables are actually cheaper (see the graphs in my 3-min video Eating Healthy on a Budget). For all metrics except the price of food calories, the USDA researchers found that healthy foods cost less than less healthy foods. Most importantly, though, which is going to have the most nutrition? In the graphs in Eating Healthy on a Budget I show the average nutrient density of fruits, vegetables, refined grains, meats, milk, and empty calorie foods. Turns out that while junk food may be 4 times cheaper than vegetables, there’s 20 times less nutrition. For meat, we’d be spending 3 times more to get 16 times less. Conclusion: “Educational messages focusing on a complete diet should consider the role of food costs and provide specific recommendations for increasing nutrient-dense foods by replacing some of the meat with lower-cost nutrient-dense foods…Modifying traditional mixed dishes to incorporate more beans/legumes and less meat may be a cost-effective way to improve diet quality.” That’s good advice for everyone, not just low-income populations. In my video, Eating Healthy on a Budget, I also show what 100 calories of cheese, candy, chicken, chips, bread, oil, fruits or vegetables looks like.  Which hundred calories do you think would fill you up more? I explore the calorie density of other foods in my video Diet vs. Exercise for Weight Loss. I have some other videos along the same vein: 	And what about the price of health care? Heart disease, diabetes, and cancer go hand-in-hand with meat-based diets. By eating vegan, we greatly reduce our health care costs.You got a good point! Think we should pass a law or two? I mean… if they’re not gonna do it on there own, the prison industry is booming in this country, and it’s not like we don’t know what to do with people who don’t get in line.I posed this elsewhere, but wanted to put it on the most current feed.Each day for breakfast I eat a ton of raw veggies and on the side I make a smoothie mixed with following items: -1/4 cup frozen blueberries -1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk -4-5 heaping tablespoons of nuts & seeds (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds) -2 brazil nuts (selenium!) -2 tbsp. of wheat bran -1 tbsp. of wheat germ -1 tbsp. of hempseed -2 tbsp. of flaxseed (whole) -1 tbsp. of raw cacao nibsDoes anyone think this contains too much fat? If so, what substitute would you recommend for all the nuts and seeds?(A small modification I am going to make is to change from raw nibs to cacao powder, but this won’t drop the fat all that much – perhaps by 1-1.5 g only)THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!that’s a lot of nuts and seeds to take every day. if you don’t do more than 4hrs/wk of cardio exercise, or work in a heavy manual job, I’d suggest you halve it.thanks to MM for this focus on energy vs nutrient density, and dietary cost/benefit. It’s one of the most compelling reasons to eat more like a vegan. And somethng govt bodies will presumably not wake up to for another 30 years.Bruce, I do 7 hrs/wk of cardio exercise involving high interval vs moderate interval on an exercise bike. What would you put in place of the half of nuts and seeds I should take out — I was thinking, perhaps, using a neutral flavored bean like black kabuli chickpeas or frozen green soybeans. I mix all this up in a ‘magic bullet’ – the size is not overly large, maybe 2 cups’ worth at most.Legumes in that smoothie would give me far less fat, probably less calories, equal or more fiber, definitely more carbs (which could be good or bad, depending on your perspective), and a different spectrum of nutrients, especially B vitamins. I eat a couple leguminous servings per day. On the other hand, I am not sure how this is going to taste….only one way to know, of course!THANKS FOR KINDLY REPLYING!!What else are u beating during the day? Please post ur total cals and macronutrientsHi Stacy, please see my detailed response to Bruce above. With thanks, DHkudos for having the patience to spend 7hrs/wk on a stationery bike. I am a keen cyclist in a club of 450 members and I av 200-500km/wk on the road. No one I know has the patience to do 7hrs on a trainer! As alluded by Stacy, consideration of your breakfast meal to the detail you are asking requires consideration of your total diet. By my calculations, your smoothie is somewhere between 800 and 1000 Calories. As a guide, if you weigh 75kg, have an office job, and the bulk of your cardio is trainer, you will average around 2400 Cals a day. Hence, you might ideally split that as 800Cal in AM, 900 in PM, 700 in evening. Personally, I’d suggest you include two cups of mixed berries, and 2 cups of greens (kale, arugula, mint, asian greens, broccoli). Other ideas – 2-3 times a week half a beetroot, several tablespoons of raw whole ginger. search this site for respective health benefits.Thanks Bruce for all this input.Stats are – 59 kg (around 125-128 lbs) and while I used to consume around 2200 kCal/d, my diet has changed a fair bit and I no longer clock the kCal because there are many items I could not find in calorie counting software. But here’s the breakdown:For breakfast, I eat the shake in question and raw cruciferous veggies plus a carrot. For lunch, I eat a lemon whole grain orzo pasta dish (with a lot less pasta than beans), soybeans, walnuts, lemon juice, black pepper, and on the side steamed cruciferae plus carrot. For dinner, I take a salad with black kabuli chickpeas, tomato, green onions, mixed leafy vegetables, nutritional yeast and I use a dressing Michael Lederer posted on this site that consists of pureed tofu, soymilk, shallots, garlic, lemon juice, fresh basil, flaxseed — this replaced recently a tahini-based dressing.I try to reduce my carbs a fair bit because I run a real tendency towards metabolic syndrome and the whole bit. 2 cups of mixed berries might be difficult, carb-wise for me. I could do all the greens (except kale – I am allergic) but one of the ways I reduce portion size at breakfast is that I make everything in a small magic bullet (it’s probably around 2.5 cups max content), rather than use a large vitamix or even nutri-bullet. Would be difficult to stuff all those vegetables and beetroot into the shake and of course greens and beetroot might not give me a lot of energy to get my day going (?).The way I do the bike is run a TV or kindle at the same time.So you wouldn’t replace half the nuts/seeds with something like soy flour or chickpea flour? Actually the latter is high in carbs, but the former not so much.if you have blood sugar issues, i’d steer away from flour, which would spike your blood sugar more so. Until you stabilize, I’d say eat whole berries and make the shake a green smoothie as discussed but with only the 1/4 cup berries for taste. You want to get to the bottom of what’s causing Met Syndrome .Late nights, poor sleep, overactive mind, psychoemotional stress….can all contribute.Hi Bruce,Last I checked, my metabolic syndrome had completely abated with ~40 lbs of weight loss. I have a family history of this condition, but all my markers have now normalized. Since I achieved this weight loss through carb restriction, and plan to maintain it with a plant-based diet, I’d still like to stay away from carbs.You are right about flour, although I believe legume flours are denser with protein and fiber than are grain flours.Today I dumped half the nuts and used some kabuli black chickpeas (which are substantially lower in starch than regular white chickpeas). I found no difference in taste and still enjoyed the “smoothie” (in quotations because it looks more like a sundae that you eat with a spoon). Vis a vis greens, they won’t fit into my magic bullet system unless I pre-chop them very fine. I could certainly do this instead of legumes. I find it hard to keep up with all the foods one has to eat, even on a whole foods plant-based diet. The greens would be easier if I moved to a larger volume mixer like a Vitamix, but I know I’ll run into portion control issues there, since I’ll always be able to mix up bigger batches for breakfast.Last I checked, the overall calorie content of what I was making was about 1100-1200 kCal (not including the raw cruciferous veggies and carrot consumed on the side), but now that I am dumping half the nuts/seeds, this will likely go down.I’m allergic to kale and have not tried “mint, asian greens” – hopefully not in the same family or genus as kale.i’d say eat this on the days you workout and dont use any of it on the days u dont workout coz your body needs a rest from anything you do! Add some black sesame seeds , purple sweet potato, tumeric, garlic ,fenugreek ,celery(organic) and crenberries too in substitute for some of the aboveThanks for the advice. What do black sesame seeds add?We love our fruit and vegetables, but here in South Africa we are finding that fruit and vegetables are getting more and more expensive. To put it in perspective: 500g if grapes costs R35. 500g of mince is around R20. Recently we found watermelon to be R60 which is ridiculous!Here in UK, 500g grapes costs £2 or more… which is about 200R.Good morning, Dr Greger. Belated thanks for this article. I was hoping you might be able to comment on how your advice changes for those who do not have fair access to food facilities. How does the balance change if you don’t have good shops in your neighbourhood, plus secure and suitable food storage plus cooking skills & facilities? What can we be doing to support those tackling such challenges? Many thanks.	beans,beef,calorie dense,cheap,chicken,cost per calorie,cost per nutrition,cost per serving,cost per weight,dairy,empty calorie foods,fruits,grains,health food,healthy food,junk food,legumes,meat,milk,minerals,nutrient density,plant-based diet,saving money,thrifty,vegan,vegetables,vegetarian,vitamins,weight loss,weight management	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/crop-nutrient-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/	-
PLAIN-167	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/	Schoolchildren Should Drink More Water	Most children arrive at school in a state of mild dehydration that may negatively affect scholastic performance. Preventing cellular dehydration is integral to hormonal, immune, neurological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, muscle and skeletal function. So researchers recently set out to determine the hydration status of healthy children in the United States. Urine samples were obtained from groups of 9 to 11 year olds in Los Angeles and Manhattan on their way to school to see how they were doing. The study was motivated by recent studies in Israel showing children did not seem to be hydrated enough. But Israel’s in a desert, so they wanted to repeat the study under cooler and less arid conditions. It turns out the U.S. kids did just as bad as the Israelis. As I show in my video Does a Drink Of Water Make Children Smarter?, urine from nearly two-thirds of the U.S. kids studied was considered too concentrated, an indicator that they were dehydrated. Why? They weren’t drinking enough water. Three-quarters of the kids did not drink water between the time they woke up and when they went off to school. But most ate breakfast, so they must have been drinking something. The problem is that other beverages are not as hydrating. The levels of sodium, sugars, and amino acids in milk and juice can shrink cells and trigger the release of the hormone that spurs dehydration. So what, though? Is there any actual negative impact of mild dehydration on one’s ability to function at school? Historically, most of the studies on hydration and mental functioning were done on adults under extreme conditions, like having people exercise in 113 degree heat, or giving people powerful diuretics like Lasix and putting them on a treadmill. Most of the studies on hydration and cognitive performance have been performed on military personnel to evaluate soldiers’ ability to function in extreme circumstances. It is easy to imagine that a soldier fighting in the desert with a heavy rucksack and a protective suit must be physically and cognitively at his best. It is, however, very difficult to translate this knowledge to normal real-life circumstances. Three new studies changed that. They were simple studies. Researchers took a group of schoolchildren, randomly allocated them to drink a cup of water or not, and then gave them all a test to see who did better. And the winner was… the cup-of-water group. Conclusion: “The results of the present study suggest that even children in a state of mild dehydration, not induced by intentional water deprivation or by heat stress and living in a cold climate, can benefit from drinking more water and improve their cognitive performance.” So water worked for 2nd and 3rd graders, what about 1st grade? Same experimental design but this time instead of forcing kids in the water group to drink a cup, the water group was just given some water and told to drink as much they wanted, and again found significant improvement in the performance of various tasks, leading to the same conclusion: “[E]ven under conditions of mild dehydration…children’s cognitive performance can be improved by having a drink of water.” The latest study that just came out is the largest to date.  It too found a remarkable proportion of children were in a state of mild, voluntary dehydration at the beginning of the school day and a significant negative correlation between dehydration and, for example, the ability to remember numbers. The researchers offered a randomized group some water, and those kids on average felt better and performed better. “To conclude…[mild dehydration] is an adverse state that might render the school day more challenging for children.” Even doctors often apparently fail to realize the connection. A recent survey found that healthcare professionals under-recognized the importance of proper hydration for mental health. Who would care enough about the importance of human hydration to even do a survey? A “Hydration Institute” founded in part by…The Coca-Cola company. These three new studies found drinking resulted in a significant improvement in cognitive performance, but not with Coke. And not with Ritalin or some new drug, either. Just plain water. Think how much drug companies could make if they could sell sugar pills but just tell kids to take the fake pill with… a glass of water. This is one of those groundbreaking findings (like my gargling video) that will likely never see the light of day because there’s no profit motive for promotion. We’re guaranteed to be assailed about all the new drugs and surgical advances because there’s big business behind getting the word out. But who profits from tap water? Or even broccoli for that matter? That’s one of the reasons I created NutritionFacts.org, to bring to light all the findings that would otherwise just get buried in medical library basements (or, increasingly, vast private databases). The water content of plant foods may help explain why those eating plant-based diets are, on average, so slim. Like fiber, water is a source of Nutrition Without Calories. See Dietary Guidelines: It’s All Greek to the USDA for a country with the guts to suggest water might be preferable to drinking soda. Juice and milk may not be as hydrating as water. What about tea? See my video Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating? What about Bottled Water vs. Tap? More on children’s health in videos such as: 	Encouraging children to drink more water is admirable, however, industrial-waste-produced fluoride added to municipal water systems is not conducive to health of teeth [dental fluorosis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_fluorosis ], body, and brain. Developmental fluoride toxicity was addressed in a Harvard University meta study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22820538that concluded, in part, “Thus, children in high-fluoride areas had significantly lower IQ scores than those who lived in low-fluoride areas.”Furthermore, “Fluorides are general protoplasmic poisons.” http://www.fluoridation.com/quotes.htm These are scientific facts that are ignored and ought to be addressed if we want our children to be healthy. It would seem that municipal water fluoridation is a failed ‘public health policy’ that needs to be revisited and removed from practice.We are all “eating” fluoridated” water, especially vegans (that’s the bulk of what we eat. So many of our plants/crops are grown with fluoridated water (irrigation). The huge salad I’m having right now, the apples later, the raspberries tonight, etc. I doubt that all farms are running off a well, that many of them are tapped into the municipal water system. I heard a theory once that if you eat an abundance and variety of greens and fruit, you are ingesting way more fluoride than you would had you been drinking fluoridated tap water. I hope it is not correct but this makes me pause to consider….the logic is there.Do keep in mind, if you’re eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet focusing on high-nutrient fruits and veggies, you’re body can handle a few molecules of fluoride and pesticide residues. It’s rather frustrating that people worry so much about the crap in water and on vegetables, and instead would rather go eat an “organic, grass-fed” steak that probably has way more chemicals than those released from my car in a day. Focus on the big picture, not the reductionist chemical.Actually, feel my concern is valid as well as part of the big picture – 100 percent of my diet comes from plants, and a whole lot of those plants are irrigated – I have been led to believe – with fluoridated water. I think long-term this does not bode well for the soil, nor for human health. It is my hope that the day will come when farms are required to install water filtration systems. If I thought that the big picture was just “don’t eat meat and don’t drink milk ” I’d be eating mass handfuls of potato chips and other junk of the kind. But no thanks on the chips. Thanks for the reply.Oh, no, I was more so talking to Catherine. Sorry for the misconception. But, yes, I agree, that’s why I emphasized WHOLE food, plant based, b/c that excludes potato chips.Dr. Greger covers this here. http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-dangers-of-fluoride/I love todays blog for many reasons but I love it the most that you said this: “This is one of those groundbreaking findings (like my gargling video) that will likely never see the light of day because there’s no profit motive for promotion. We’re guaranteed to be assailed about all the new drugs and surgical advances because there’s big business behind getting the word out. But who profits from tap water? Or even broccoli for that matter? That’s one of the reasons I created NutritionFacts.org, to bring to light all the findings that would otherwise just get buried in medical library basements (or, increasingly, vast private databases).”Reminds me of a wonderful quote by Gandhi: “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.” ― Mahatma GandhiKeep up the great work!!!HemoDynamic, while I like the quote from Gandhi, I think he is incorrect. Look around at the modern dictatorships and failed states that currently abound in the world – from Zimbabwe to modern-day Russia. “The way of truth and love has always won.” Sure, Hitler and Stalin are dead but for the latter (Stalin) was not because truth and love won, but because he had a hemorrhagic stroke! The fall of communism was replaced by the rise of kleptocracy and mafia-style Putinism. When I look at the world today, I see more suffering than ever before (and I don’t even own a TV). Dr Greger shines a light on an important part of the world and provides goodness in that way, but overall, the world is a wretched place and always has been.I am so glad you have focused on this extremely important overlooked health issue with kids; in my case, the pattern of dehydration as a baseline default state was established early and unknowingly continued into and throughout my adult life. It has taken me a half century to connect this issue which contributes to and manifests as numerous health issues across multiple systems. One problem not addressed here is the fact that public drinking fountains (the only feasible solution for kids already shackled with heavy backpacks) are notoriously contaminated in a variety of ways ranging from mouths on the spigot to the leaching of corrosive or chemically imbedded pipes. Because of this, I taught my children to never use public fountains unless it was an emergency. Wouldn’t this be a great use of our federal health resources and infrastructure, to get a clean drinking water delivery system up and running at every school, which children lined up to partake in as they walked in the door.I am so glad that I never have a problem drinking water. I drink waaaaayyyy more than other people.We should all drink more water, as my grandma said Water is the drink of the gods, that’s why people don’t drink it (enough).The fluoride is a scary thing though: my mom was prescribed a fluoride mouth wash by a dentist, that made her so ill! Fluoride attacks 2 disparate things – hips and ears / hearing. She’d broken a hip even though as a health nut, veg*n for 60 some years her calcium levels were fine, and no one in her family had hearing problems, but the fluoride very suddenly left her almost deaf! No idea what was making her ill, but a dr. in Sweden (she was there on vacation) told her she was poisoned by way too much fluoride. How could a fertilizer by-product like fluoride be good?!? Well the fertilizer folks are snake-oil sales people! They needed to get rid of it, so why dump it if you can SELL it? Even if it keeps cavities at bay, why cut off your nose to spite your face? Just cut back on that other poison, sugar! Even though we Americans think we’re all that, Europe is way ahead of us in the fluoride dept. it’s outlawed there!!Question on absorption of nutrients: You very interestingly mention that for the nutrients from vegetables to be well absorbed, one must eat the vegetables with some oil. Is this valid also for fruits and legumes?Thanks doctor. Could you expkain how amino acids and sodium can cause dehydration in someone who has normally functioning kidneys? As a RD I’m concerned some may misinterpret and pass up nutrient dense (vitamin D and calcium) milk for water.Amino acids that are not used by the body are eliminated via the liver and kidney. Any solutes going out of the kidney bring water with them contributing to relative dehydration. However our kidneys are “smart” and are designed to help maintain a proper level of hydration. It is when our body is subjected to foods that we were not designed to eat that things get thrown out of balance. Since we are designed as hind-gut fermenting herbivores any processed foods including oils and animal foods especially dairy (i.e. designed for calfs) that we eat are more difficult for our body to handle than a whole plant food based diet. Sodium doesn’t necessary contribute to dehydration but excess leads the body to retain fluid. I disagree that milk is nutrient dense. There are much better ways to get Vit D and calcium than dairy. I would recommend you watch some of the 106 videos on dairy and there attached abstracts/full articles under each video. Another good resource is the book, Whitewash, by Joseph Keon which is thorough and has cited references.	amino acids,cardiovascular function,cellular dehydration,children,children’s health,cognitive performance,dehydration,gastrointestinal function,hormonal function,hydration,immune function,juice,memory,mental health,milk,muscle function,neurological function,scholastic performance,skeletal function,sodium,sugar,tea,water,weight loss,weight management,youth	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22281298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19501780,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22841529,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19835921,
PLAIN-168	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/19/why-are-eggs-linked-to-cancer-progression/	Why Are Eggs Linked to Cancer Progression?	About two million men in the U.S. are living with prostate cancer, but that’s better than dying from prostate cancer. Catch it when it’s localized and our 5-year survival is practically guaranteed, but once it really starts spreading our chances drop to 1 in 3. So Harvard researchers took more than a thousand men with early stage prostate cancer and followed them for a couple years to see if there was anything in their diet associated with a resurgence of the cancer, such as spread to the bone. Compared to men who hardly ate any eggs, men who ate even less than a single egg a day had a significant 2-fold increased risk of prostate cancer progression. The only thing worse was poultry (with skin) consumption, which showed up to 4 times the risk of progression among high-risk men. Researchers believe the higher risk might be caused by the cooked meat carcinogens (heterocyclic amines) that build up more in chicken and turkey muscle than in other meats. But what about the eggs? Why would less than once a day egg consumption double the risk of cancer progression? The Harvard paper suggests that the choline in eggs may increase inflammation. As I explained in my video Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection, eggs are the most concentrated common source of choline in the American diet, which may increase the risk of cancer emergence, spread, and lethality. Another Harvard study, entitled Choline Intake and the Risk of Lethal Prostate Cancer, found that those with the highest choline intake had a 70% increased risk of fatal prostate cancer. Another recent study found that men who consumed 2 and a half or more eggs per week—that’s just like one egg every three days—had an 81% increased risk of lethal prostate cancer. In the New England Journal of Medicine the same Cleveland Clinic research team that performed the famous study on carnitine (see my last post Avoid Carnitine and Lethicin Supplements), tried feeding people hard-boiled eggs instead of steak. As they suspected, the egg-eaters experienced a spike of the same TMAO compound associated with red meat consumption (and strokes, heart attack, and death). It’s ironic that the choline content of eggs is something the egg industry actually boasts about. And they are aware of the cancer connection. Through the Freedom of Information Act I was able to get my hands on an email (displayed in my 9-min video Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection) from the executive director of the industry’s Egg Nutrition Center to an American Egg Board executive talking about how choline may be a culprit in promoting cancer progression: “Certainly worth keeping in mind as we continue to promote choline as another good reason to consume eggs.” For another behind-the-curtain peek at the egg industry, see Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis and Egg Industry Blind Spot. 	Are traditional corn chips unhealhty? You know, the fried yellow corn chips we use for dipping salsa and guacamole. Do small amounts of vegan fried foods have a place in a healthy vegan diet? Eating something that has been fried seems so bizarre, but who knows.Cooking carbohydrates at a high temperature can produce acrylamides, which are associated with a greater cancer risk. See “Reduce cancer risk by limiting fried foods” at http://www.health24.com/Diet-and-nutrition/News/Reduce-cancer-risk-by-limiting-fried-foods-20131118I avoid oil based on what I’ve read from Esselstyn, Novick, etc. If you haven’t read a lot on why some people choose to eat a specifically *low fat* plant based diet, those would be two good authorities to start with.But really what I wanted to share with you was my corn chip recipe: place corn tortillas on a pan in the oven at 375 F for about 12-15 minutes. I usually squeeze a lime wedge over them and spread out the juice with my fingers before putting in the oven. Once cooled they will be perfect and crispy. I throw them in the freezer to expedite the process :) Corn chips were maybe the only thing I “missed” when going no oil. I don’t eat them too often, but with some meals you just need that crunch factor.You avoid oil??! All oil? I can undertand avoiding pro-inflammatory omega-6s and their ilk, but avoiding oil wholesale is not a good idea–imo… I mean what about the magnificent MCTs in coconut oil or the mouth-watering monounsaturated goodness of olive oil or the omnipresent omega-3s in hemp oil or. So it’s “No!” to nuts, too???! Have you gone avocados???! :)Dikaiosyne: With this statement: “So it’s “No!” to nuts, too???”, I think you are confusing the concepts of fat and oil. Oil is fat, but other foods like say nuts have fat in them. Nuts are not oil.As Toxins and Jeff Novick say, oil is the ultimate junk food, empty calories. To understand this statement, check out this great, short video (which talks specifically about olive oil):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbALgjmZUekHope that helps.No, it doesn’t help–especially your statement, “Nuts are not oil.” Well, of course, they’re not oil–but they *contain* oil. Just google “nut fat” vs. “nut oil.” The latter wins (ah, blessed descriptive linguistics… :) An operational difference between fats and oils is that an oil is liquid “at room temperature.” If a person’s body was room temperature, that person would be dead. And coconut ‘oil’ is typically solid at room temperature and is very healthy.Olive oil in the Mediterranean diet–empirically one of the healthiest (e.g., see “Mediterranean diet linked to longer lifespan and better health” at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/268294.php )–can contribute as much as 50% of the daily calories. Yeah, olive is certainly a bad one. Just think how long people would live if they followed the Mediterranean diet w/o olive oil… ;) There’s just way too much empirical evidence that supports the health benefits of olive oil. For example, “Molecular mechanisms of inflammation. Anti-inflammatory benefits of virgin olive oil and the phenolic compound oleocanthal.” at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21443487Also, it seems Mr. Jeff eschews consuming saturated fat. Why? Hasn’t he read “Saturated fats not linked to heart disease: Meta-analysis” at http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Saturated-fats-not-linked-to-heart-disease-Meta-analysis ?And what in the world is “…oil is the ultimate junk food, empty calories…” suppose to mean? Our body needs oils/fats. Actually, the claim is the ultimate junk science. Don’t lump all oils together.“Contrary to part of our hypothesis, our study found that omega-9 (oleic acid)-rich olive oil impairs endothelieum function postprandially.” They also make note that “In terms of their postprandial effect on endothelieum function, the beneficial components of the Mediterranean and Lyon Diet Heart Study diets appear to be antioxidant-rich foods, including vegetables [and] fruits”So basically, fruits and vegetables are really makes our arteries healthy, not oil. The fact that olive oil caused arterial impairment speaks volumes. The benifits seen with olive oil are with people who already consume an extremely unhealthy diet. Someone consuming a low fat, whole foods plant based diet would not benifit.http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/36/5/1455”In regards to the saturated fat study, Jeff Novick has acknowledged this.One major problem with this study is they did not look at any studies where the saturated fat intake was less than 7%, which is the level recommended by the American Heart Association. Most of the diets had saturated fat intakes in the range of 10-15% (or more).So, just like the studies that criticize “low fat” diets, but never analyze any diet that is truly low fat and based on the principles of low fat, high fiber, whole plant foods, this study criticizes the impact of lowering saturated fat, but never looked at any diet that truly lowered saturated fat to the level recommended.Another problem with the study is what the subjects replaced the saturated fat with when comparing the 2. For many, if not most, it was with either (or products containing) hydrogenated/trans fat, white flour, white sugar and/or mono fats.Saturated fat is not negligible.“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions; they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither an AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids. There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acid intake increases CHD risk”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422“The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al., 1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432“The fact that olive oil caused arterial impairment speaks volumes.”It certainly does speak volumes, especially in light of the recent research on its benefits on endothelial function:“The addition of a small amount of olive oil to the diet appears to improve endothelial function according to a new study by U.S. and Italian researchers.”Source: “Adding just two tablespoons of olive oil each day can improve blood vessel function.” at http://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/ianandspain/11726/Adding-just-two-tablespoons-of-olive-oil-each-day-can-improve-blood-vessel-function.aspxOr how about this one: ”Adding this Oil to Your Diet Could Reduce Blood Pressure” at http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/food-and-nutrition-articles/adding-this-oil-to-your-diet-could-reduce-blood-pressureFrom the article:“The researchers concluded that the consumption of a diet containing polyphenol-rich olive oil can decrease blood pressure and improve endothelial function in people with hypertension.”Sorry, no olive oil induced endothelieum function impairment here…If I may butt in. Ornish and Esselstyn have actually published wonderful results in patients on very low fat diets – Ornish as a randomized trial with HARD endpoints (2.5 times fewer events in the experimental group) and Esselstyn as a longitudinal cohort study from his center (Cleveland). The diets typically restrict nuts and strongly advocate zero oil be added. Calorically, oil is a concern because it occupies very little space in the stomach (so minimal gastric distention, if any) and yet is so rich in calories for its volume, that our gastric calorie receptors have a very difficult time estimating its caloric burden. A wonderful experiment done in Pittsburgh comparing women instructed to eat the exact same dish – pasta and vegetables – but one group also had 3 tbsp. of olive oil on top found that the olive oil group, predictably, ate more calories when instructed to eat to satiety. Thus those women could not properly estimate the additional caloric burden of the olive oil.The saturated fat meta-analysis by Siri-Tarino had multiple issues – see the follow-up letter by cardiologist Jeremiah Stamler, which was persuasive:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20130097I find people just want to justify their dietary habits by citing evidence that supports their way of eating, but often ignore contradictory our countervailing evidence which would support a healthier pattern of eating. I do this myself, I cherry-pick. But I am honest about it. I realize olive oil is a slippery slope towards calorie overnutrition and a worsening omega-6:omega-3 ratio (if that is relevant). I am better off without any processed food that our ancestors wouldn’t have ready access to – including industrially pressed olive oil – which our calorie receptor genes obviously are oblivious to in terms of sensing its caloric load.I find many people, including doctors, like to justify their dietary patterns with misleading study titles and abstracts without even considering the data under the hood contradicts even the authors.The devil is in the details.It is difficult to asses these 2 studies without the original article. Were there any confounding dietary factors, as seen with the Mediterranean diet studies? It is unclear based on the quick summaries. Please find the full study and share so that we may properly asses them. Limitations such as these “The olive oil may have interacted with other dietary components, participants’ dietary intake was self-reported, and the intervention periods were short.” are common. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16954359Studies examining the effects of the brachial artery test are telling, as is the one I posted. Immediate arterial impairment after ingesting is important and cannot be simply ignored. It is noted that “In a clinical study, olive oil was shown to activate coagulation factor VII to the same extent as does butter. Thus, olive oil does not have a clearly beneficial effect on vascular function.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/94092743 tablespoons of olive, soybean and palm oil do not appear protective “All the vegetable oils, fresh and deep-fried, produced an increase in the triglyceride plasma levels in healthy subjects.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305002139I again ask, why insist on something that is empty calories when we can consume the whole food?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20130097Thanks for the additional commentsYou are very stubborn so have it your way, drink all the oil you want but it still is not the same as consuming a fruit or plant that has oil in it. In refining oil it is taken away from the natural whole plant-based concept….the fiber and other goodies that were in the whole package are now only 100% fat oil. If you can not understand the difference do what you want…Interesting discussion that ensues. I would like to add a point about a problem with isolated nutrients, in fact, most processed foods, including isolated fats: They are more easily adulterated or contaminated. What you see is not always what you get.Losing ‘Virginity': Olive Oil’s ‘Scandalous’ Fraudhttp://www.npr.org/2011/12/12/143154180/losing-virginity-olive-oils-scandalous-industryThis is much more difficult, if not impossible, with whole, fat-containing plant foods. Intact fats are healthier fats.No it doesn’t. Nuts contain oil, since, by definition, an oil is liquid at room temperature. Google “nut fat” vs. “nut oil” and the latter wins (ah, blessed descriptive linguistics… :)Olive oil is remarkable good for a person. Not only does it contain a powerful anti-inflammatory (“Molecular mechanisms of inflammation. Anti-inflammatory benefits of virgin olive oil and the phenolic compound oleocanthal.” at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21443487 ), it can comprise up to 50% of the daily calories in the Mediterranean diet–empirically, one of the healthiest diets (“Mediterranean diet linked to longer lifespan and better health” at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/268294.php )And while Mr. Jeff evidently eschews consuming saturated fats, he should read “Saturated Fat Is Not Associated With Cardiovascular Disease” at http://anthonycolpo.com/saturated-fat-is-not-associated-with-cardiovascular-disease/ and “Low saturated fat intake associated with higher stroke mortality” at http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Low-saturated-fat-intake-associated-with-higher-stroke-mortalityNo, neither your statements nor the video are at all helpful.Oil and nuts are completely different substances. Lets examine walnut oil and walnuts, gram for gram.I am not recommending that anyone eat this many walnuts in one day, but just for the sake of demonstration. Lets look at a 100 gram sample.100 grams of walnuts contain: 654 calories 7 grams of fiber 15 grams of protein Plenty of minerals Plenty of vitamins Plenty of antioxidants.100 grams of walnut oil has: 884 calories 0 grams of fiber 0 grams of protein 0 minerals A tiny amount of vitamin k and barely any vitamin e, so essentially no significant vitamins. Barren of antioxidantsDo you see the issue? One is far more calorie dense, not nearly as satiating, and provides extremely little nutrition. A food that is extremely high in calories, fat, sugar or salt and has very little nutritive value at all is considered a junk food. Whats stopping you from consuming the whole food? Also, coconut medium saturated chain fatty acids are nothing magical. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/589/2 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3138/2“Oil and nuts are completely different substances.”I certainly hope you’re not serious with this Straw Man claim. Who in the world argues they’re the same? Nuts contain oil. The nut oil, in itself, in beneficial. For example, it’s nut oil that contains gamma tocopherol–another powerful anti-inflammatory and a wonderful vitamin E fraction (see http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-012106000000000000000-w.html?maxCount=25 ).You’re also forgetting that many individuals are allergic to nut proteins, so extracting the oil for consumption–sans the offending protein–is beneficial for this population.As I have shared, it is completely ridiculous to argue that nuts as a whole are not as beneficial as an extract of their fat. Isolating components of foods has never proved to be healthful. It is not something to be ignored that oil is pure fat, lacks fiber, vitamins, minerals, is not satiating and can easily lead to weight gain. Lets be fair in our comparison between oils and nuts and not exaggerate.In regards to your link, all of the top sources of gamma tocopherol were whole nuts. I am confused how this supports your position.You will notice that the antioxidant quality of olives compared with olive oil is quite dramatic. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2356?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=Full&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=olive http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/631?fg=&man=&lfacet=&count=&max=&sort=&qlookup=&offset=&format=Full&new=&measureby=Please let us not pretend that the oil of an olive is a health food. I find it to be a poor excuse to continue eating an unhealthy food.Hi Dikaiosyne,First it seems you are interpreting me “avoiding oils” as avoiding oils within whole foods, so let me clarify: I do not eat processed, isolated oils (or refined sugar or protein powders). I prefer to eat the whole food. Oatmeal and romaine lettuce are both around 15% fat, so obviously a whole-foods *oil-free* diet is not necessarily fat free.Rest assured, my intake of omega-3’s is through the roof on a daily basis – from whole foods. And from those whole foods I gain thousands upon thousands of other phytonutrients as well. Were I to consume isolated oils instead of their whole food versions, the overall nutrient density of my diet would decrease significantly.I will eat nuts, avocados, coconuts, or any other plant food. But why would I eat one isolated macronutrient and throw the rest of the food away? Though I do use these particular foods sparingly in the diet due to their relatively high fat content; if you would like to understand why, I would recommend that you investigate what Novick, Esselstyn, and other experts in the field have to say. There is much more information that you will obtain in a comments thread. We have already seen that omega-3s are a non-issue; you will see the other topics you bring up addressed in detail: MCTs, MUFAs, etc. If you would like specific links let me know, I can try to find some good ones to start with if you would like.Your clarification helps. I think it’s folly, however, to deprecate oil consumption, wholesale. I eat raw nuts galore–especially cashews–but also consume olive oil. I note that Novick speaks against olive oil, but the empirical evidence overwhelmingly supports its benefits. Olive oil improves endothelial function (Source: http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/food-and-nutrition-articles/adding-this-oil-to-your-diet-could-reduce-blood-pressure ) and is a powerful anti-inflammatory (Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21443487 ). Additionally, olive oil in the Mediterranean diet–one of the healthiest (Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/268294.php )–can contribute as much as 50% of the daily caloric intake.Hi Dikaiosyne,Again, you can find very detailed rebuttals to the concept of olive oil as “anti-inflammatory” and the “healthfulness” of the Medi diet. More detailed than I could give you here, but just trust me that there are very strong rebuttals to these concepts, mainly in terms of context or poor study design.I have not seen any responses to what you have posted in terms of improving endothelial function, but if you find the actual study (not a lay article) and post it to the McDougall forums I would bet Novick would respond. Every study I have seen him respond to he basically tears to shreds. Give it a try! In fact you might want to search first to make sure he hasn’t already addressed it. You can view the forums with no membership.From a simpler perspective, again, nothing you could say about the fats/oils *within* a food would make me want to process that food to extract the oils and throw the rest away. I would still just eat the whole food. :)First of all there is no such thing as a Mediterranean diet and if you go to Greece today you will learn how unhealthy they are…getting fat too. The original concept of the diet came about in the 1950s and focused on the diet in Crete. The whole area was in economical trouble and the diet included very little fish and even less meat. The diet was healthy because of the large amount of fruits and vegetables despite the olive oil, not because of the olive oil!MCTs are probably harmless (other than being empty calories). Unfortunately coconut oil is 15% MCTs (8% caprylic, 7% capric), and 73% C12-16 SFAs that increase LDL (48% lauric, 16% myristic, 9% palmitic), of which myristic has the strongest effect on hepatic LDL receptors. It seems recent interest has turned from the lipid hypothesis towards the systemic inflammation hypothesis, and there, too there are concerns with coconut oil fatty acids. The myristic acid and 2% stearic acid result in inflammatory ceramides, while its unclear which among the SFAs in coconut oil is most responsible for increased endotoxin import. There’s a reason 9-20% coconut oil diets, sometimes with 0.1-0.5% cholesterol, are commonly used to induce atherosclerosis in animal models. But then, monounsaturated fatty acids may not be much better.There seems to be a scientific consensus on a harm ranking for fatty acids: EPA,DHA < n-3 PUFA < n-6 PUFA < MUFA < SFA < trans (for CVD) and EPA/DHA < n-3 PUFA < MUFA,trans < n-6 PUFA < SFA (for inflammation/cancer). An unresolved question is whether n-6 PUFA or MUFA fall on the slightly positive or slightly negative side for overall health, when compared to proteins and complex carbs (both seem are better than sugars). There are rather few mostly n-3 oils (flax, walnuts, cold water fish), and perhaps all other oils are suspect. Nuts vary widely between high n-3 walnuts to high SFA macadamias and a past NutritionFacts video shares the hypothesis that its their magnesium content, rather than fat content per se, that accounts for their well established cardiac health benefits.Thank you Darryl for the concise responseGet with it man, avoiding oil means refined oils whether coconut, olive or any other kind. If you think you are not getting enough fat from whole plants, which in reality you are, try eating olives, nuts, seeds and avocados…TO EVERYONE: My apologies, I really have opened up a can of worms/bottle of oil here! I merely wanted to share an idea for tasty corn chips! :DPlease let’s not forget the real message of this thread: that corn chips baked in the oven with lime juice are extremely delicious!I rather enjoy these discussions ;)And what about the studies on eggs and ovarian cancer? MIght the problem be the fats in the yolks or the concentration of pesticides in eggs?http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/anti-cancer-recipes-can-eggs-cause-ovarian-cancer/Does this also hold true for the Egg-Beater type of egg substitution, which supposedly eliminates the yolk?The choline is associated with with the yolk, but egg whites have the highest methionine content of any food, per calorie. And while there’s no strong association of TMAO from choline metabolism with cancer progression (yet), methionine has attracted considerable interest as a limiting nutrient for cancers and inducer of excess IGF-I growth signalling.Interestingly, though, the 2012 article ”Dietary intake of B vitamins and methionine and prostate cancer incidence and mortality.” concludes that they, “…found little evidence of association between dietary intakes of B vitamins or methionine and prostate cancer risk.” Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22527163In fact, “Serum levels of vitamin B6 and methionine were inversely associated with risk for lung cancer…” Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/724698This suggests a selective methionine-dependence with some cancer cell lines.You’re correct, most studies show no significant association between methionine intake and cancer risk. Whether that’s because there is no association, a non-linear association that appears inside one of the quantiles (eg, in the U.S., >99% achieve the EAR for Met+Cys for a 70kg adult, 90% exceed it by 55%, on average they exceed it by 164%; see 1 2 3), a U-shaped association (seems likely to me from animal studies), or complex interactions with genotypes or other nutrients (also seems likely), I can’t say.My interest largely stems from a number of animal studies demonstrating methionine restriction is responsible for about half of the lifespan & healthspan increases from caloric restriction (a review). Whether we will see much fruit from ongoing studies integrating methionine restriction into cancer treatment (another review) will be rather interesting.I did find a few studies (we can all cherry pick) that suggest interesting avenues: This rather large prospective cohort study found lowest colorectal risk in those with low methionine and high folate consumption. Meanwhile this study found much higher prostate cancer risk (OR = 6.7) with high methionine consumption, but only in carriers of the common MTHFR A1298C allele. Its possible that dietary methionine is not the place to look, as bioavailable methionine, 5-MTHF levels, or regulation of folate between homocysteine methylation and DNA/RNA synthesis pathways has a much stronger role. There’s a lot of interest in MTHFR polymorphisms and cancer, this survey demonstrates just how many studies have found diametrically opposite significant conclusions.Adding to the complexity of this situation is the rather recent discovery that a single tumor may actually host many separate cancers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24957089Darryl, is the methionine in egg whites a problem for vegans who do not consume the huge methionine burden of omnivores in all other animal products?I don’t know. I consider my diet a n=1 experiment to achieve some of the benefits of calorie restriction life-extension protocols, and perhaps retard growth of any microscopic cancers I might harbor, without eye-clawing hunger.I aim for the estimated average requirement (15 mg Met+Cys / kg / day), which in the context of Western diets, is a low methionine intake. Its easy to achieve in vegan diets if the major dietary protein is from legumes, especially lentils & peas. The amino acid requirement of most concern to vegans is lysine, so I looked at the lysine/methionine ratio, and legumes have a considerably higher ratio (avg 4.3) than grains (avg 1.5).In comparison, whole eggs have a lysine/methionine ratio of 2.4, and egg whites 2.0. Ie legumes are better for achieving adequate lysine (and hence protein) without excess methionine than eggs are. As I’m sure you’re aware, the commercial egg industry is probably the cruelest animal product industry.that’s fascinating and again I learn from you. The NAC is interesting too. I avoid supplements but at least for NAC, one trial in dialysis patients by Tepel et al showed marked cardiovascular benefits (published in Circulation about a decade ago). I don’t know if it’s ever been replicated. Certainly we give NAC to tylenol overdose patients to regenerate hepatic glutathione stores, so given that fact and the NAC trial by Tepel et al, it should be safe to consume.The conclusion of this 2010 single-study, “Intakes of meat, fish, poultry, and eggs and risk of prostate cancer progression.” cited in this article states that the “consumption of eggs and poultry with skin may increase the risk [of prostate cancer recurrence or progression]”. Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20042525However, a 2012 meta-analysis titled, “No association between egg intake and prostate cancer risk: a meta-analysis.” indicates that their “analyses provided no evidence of a significant influence of egg consumption on prostate cancer incidence and mortality.” Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23167401A meta-analysis is a more reliable methodology for evidencing a ‘trend’ association between egg consumption and prostate cancer risk. Thus, I think it’s prudent to be careful with the results of the single study cited in this article–especially when suggesting any prescriptive value to it.Michael i’m a follower and a fan of yours. your dedication and agenda are things i much relate to. it does strike me that in your posts (as far as i can tell) numbers are usually relative and not as much absolute. surely it would be just as useful to know for example whether “50% more chance to XYZ” refers to 3 vs 2 in a 100 subjects’ test or 3 vs 2 in a 10000 subjects’ test. knowing the risk and not just the relative (change in) risk is something your readers might wish to know as well and sure fill find useful. Keep on the good work :) RonRon- If you click on the highlighted area when studies are mentioned, or on the video when it is mentioned, you can see the actual study which will tell how many actual participants and the results. You’re right, though, the real numbers are much more meaningful.I’ve asked this before on prior NF egg/choline posts but haven’t seen your answer. There are numerous vegetable sources of choline as well, so it animal-based choline that is at issue, choline itself, or the dosing?Other trusted health-info sources proffer studies that seem to indicate choline to be helpful and necessary for a healthy diet: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=50 and http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/choline. Any further thoughts as to how this seemingly conflict of info can be resolved greatly appreciated.Thanks-Avicholine in moderation is fine. Too little choline (50 mg/d) is not good and leads to fatty liver disease. Too much choline appears to stimulate prostate cancer and turns on TMAO synthesis. I think the perfect place to be is around 200-300 mg/d, which is where most vegans naturally seem to ‘sit’. This is from my reading of the choline studies that have been performed. I certainly wouldn’t supplement with choline, given the TMAO issue.Dan,Thanks for the reply. I’d be curious to get Dr Gregers thoughts, as he clearly implies, and even states, that Choline itself is an issue. He didn’t specifically talk to safe amounts in the video, but rather that the element itself appears problematic.Heh Avi, sure let’s see what the good doctor says. I should also point out that choline is found in low but moderate amounts in plant foods, and it is probably the excessive amount in yolks, meat and pills that is the problem (those are the three that have been tested in terms of TMAO risk and their prediction of coronary events). From estimates I have seen, the average vegan will take in between 80 and 300 mg per day. The RDA for choline was set on the basis of a single 23-year-old study comparing 50 mg with 550 mg, with no intermediate threshold. The endpoint was not the vasculature but liver enzymes indicative of fatty liver disease. I just don’t believe that the relatively modest amounts of choline in plant foods, which are well below the RDA for this nutrient, would actually cause vascular problems (versus the huge amounts in eggs, meat and pills).Yes, that was my original question: plants had choline as well, so there must be some aspect of either animal-derived choline, or the amount/concentration of choline that would be the additional risk factor.Either way, I would like to get more precision on the information rather than simply throw the baby out with bath water.In my discussions with experts in this area, it appears to be the dose and concentration that makes the poison. For example, 500 mg of choline bitartrate in a pill-based supplement, or eating a couple egg yolks, is enough to severely elevate TMAO levels, and those levels directly predict CV risk. Conversely, on a plant-based diet, only ‘bits and pieces’ of choline throughout the day are scattered in low doses in plant foods (e.g. the 25 mg found in a tablespoon of wheat germ – and that’s considered a pretty rich source, yet it’s going to be 1/20th of the dose mentioned above). I learned this when I counted up my own choline intake, which at the time was around 200 mg per day. I was concerned, and considering a supplement, until I delved into the literature, read the studies and talked with several experts. The RDA is likely far too high, based on what we now know about TMAO.PS, in the Physicians Health Study, choline independent of egg intake predicted aggressive prostate cancer, but only at high levels, which is what one would expect to consume on an omnivore diet. So we are partially protected by eating a plant-based diet in that our habitual choline intake tends to be a lot less (for some, as low as 80 mg/day, but probably for most in the 200-300 mg/d range, from what I have seen).PS, in the Physicians Health Study, choline independent of egg intake predicted aggressive prostate cancer, but only at high levels, which is what one would expect to consume on an omnivore diet. So we are partially protected by eating a plant-based diet in that our habitual choline intake tends to be a lot less (for some, as low as 80 mg/day, but probably for most in the 200-300 mg/d range, from what I have seen).Someone already alluded to this but what about differentiating between those who eat the egg yolk vs. only those who eat the egg whites?I just listened to the Ben Greenfield podcast with guest Durianrider. Ben has some wacky notions about fat & animal consumption and seems to be preaching their benefits. Scary stuff.If I don’t eat lecithin I have alot of pain in my right sideWhat about women? Any studies done?There have been studies on eggs and ovarian cancer in women–and results are mixed. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/anti-cancer-recipes-can-eggs-cause-ovarian-cancer/There were non-linear trends between egg consumption and breast cancer in the huge 2009 EPIC study. Here are the median egg intakes and breast cancer hazard ratios of the 5 quintiles (7 g/d = 1 egg/week):g/d hazard ratio & 95% confidence interval 3.3 1 8.5 1.09 (1.00, 1.18) 14.4 1.07 (0.98, 1.16) 21.6 1.08 (1.00, 1.17) 36.7 1.07 (0.98, 1.16)The increased hazard was significant in the 2nd and 4th quintiles, and it appears that combining the 2-5th quintiles there would also be a significant result that eating one or more eggs per week increases breast cancer risk by about 8%, with no greater risk for higher intakes.The Life Extension Foundation has published a rebuttal to the Nature Medicine study implicating carnitine in cardiovascular disease. The rebuttal can be found here: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2013/aug2013_Rebuttal-to-Attack-Against-Carnitine_01.htmThe rebuttal, which is worth reading, cites a meta-analysis by the Mayo Clinic that looked at 3,600 patients and found huge cardiac benefits in those who supplemented with L-carnitine. This meta-analysis represents the largest, most powerful scientific review of carnitine’s cardiovascular benefits to date. By contrast, the study blaming TMAO included only 10 people and ignored contrary evidence which would have cast doubt on its findings. Yet the media publicized the Nature Medicine study while ignoring the Mayo Clinic’s far more reliable meta-analysis.If eggs are a risk factor for cancer, it is not the choline, which is an important and beneficial nutrient, but something else that’s responsible for it. Correlation is not causation.In 4007 patients followed for 3 years, the quartile with highest fasting plasma TMAO had 2 ½ times the CVD events as the lowest TMAO quartile.Tang, WH Wilson, et al. “Intestinal microbial metabolism of phosphatidylcholine and cardiovascular risk.” New England Journal of Medicine 368.17 (2013): 1575-1584.I have issues with the idea that carnitiine/TMAO is the primary inflammatory compound in meat, but in the context of Western diets, it does seem like a useful marker for exposure to the full range meat compounds and metabolites implicated in CVD (C12-18 saturated fats, ceramides, endotoxins, AGEs, Neu5gc, and yes, free choline and carnitine).Please elaborate on the statement “C12-18 saturated fats, ceramides, endotoxins, AGEs, Neu5gc, cholesterol, and yes, free choline and carnitine.”AGEs = advanced glycosylation endproducts — which is the sine qua non of diabetic microvascular disease — are these present in meat cooked at high temperatures?What are ceramides? Do you meant substances like acrylamide?What is Neu5gc?And finally, what about trans fatty acids found in animal products?Thanks very much.C12-18 saturated fats: lauric acid 12:0, myristic acid 14:0, palmitic acid 16:0, stearic acid 18:0 All (esp myristic acid) increase plaque building LDL cholesterol through downregulating hepatic LDL-R expression. All directly activate Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and TLR2 proinflammatory signalling. Palmitic and stearic acids are metabolized to proinflammatory ceramides. Saturated fat rafts increase import of endotoxins (gram negative bacterial cell walls) from the intestine. All this inflammatory signalling is suspected in the endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance following high saturated fat meals.AGEs are present in any food with both protein and sugar exposed to high temperatures. Grilled meat, but also bread crusts. These activate a receptor for AGE, which induces all sorts of inflammatory and prooxidative activity (NADPH oxidase activity etc). It seems well-cooked protein looks like aged protein (we also produce endogenous AGEs) which our immune system would houseclean. Exogenous AGEs put staff on overtime,Neu5gc is a cell-surface molecule found in beef, pork and veal, which is taken up and presented on our own cell surfaces, and causes autoimmune activation.In populations that eat few animal products or refined fats (eg, the Tarahumara, ~11% fat, ~3% saturated fat) cardiovascular disease is rare. Within typical American ranges (interdecile range is 26-40% fat, 7-18% saturated fat), dietary interventions have limited impact: perhaps 26% fat, 7% saturated is sufficient for the inflammatory cascades.This is fascinating. Thank you for all that!By eliminating animal products, it almost seems to me that a vegan diet could be a panacea by definition for many different diseases.I was wondering if you take aspirin as there is also a tremendous amount of evidence supporting daily aspirin use for preventing a wide variety of malignancies, particularly (but not at all exclusively) colorectal adenocarcinoma – also, lymphoma, prostate cancer, brain cancer and others. Rothwell et al x repeated posts in The Lancet.I plan to start taking low dose aspirin soon, perhaps by my 45th birthday, which is when authorities begin to recommend it. One needs at least 5 years of therapy to begin to see an effect, which then persists up to 20 years. But I would like to continue it long-term. Of course it also prevents myocardial infarction but increases the risk of GI and CNS bleeding.I’ve started taking low dose aspirin at age 38. Turns out that while aspirin is merely okay at reducing vascular events (it reduces non-fatal MI, but has little effect on fatal MI or strokes), its terrific for cancer prevention, reducing cancer mortality with long-term use by about a third.Much of that benefit is from aspirin’s well understood non-specific COX inhibition, but it was other mechanisms like AMPK activation as well as autophagy induction that caught my eye. Autophagy is cellular housecleaning, induction of which may has preventative/therapeutic potential in protein aggregation diseases like Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s. To date, all dietary and pharmaceutical and interventions that increase mice lifespan also increase autophagy, leading some to speculate that increased autophagy is necessary for mammalian longevity. Aspirin is one of very few compounds found to extend mice lifespan.Another possible mechanism is the fact that aspirin very commonly causes subclinical heme iron depletion from the GI tract. A trial that randomized peripheral arterial disease patients to phlebotomy (bloodletting) versus control showed a 50% reduction in incident cancer.I was also wondering if you steam your cruciferae and whether you were concerned about goitrogens in raw cruciferous vegetables (brassicaceae), which ones have the most goitrogenic compounds, and how long you steam them for (assuming you do).Mostly raw broccoli, baby kale and red cabbage in gargantuan salads. I was unaware of the goitrogen concern, but to date my thyroid doesn’t feel enlarged. I might start adding iodine to the supplement routine, as I’ve cut down on salt considerably.Endocrinologists love guesstimating the size of their patients’ thyroids on physical examination to within 5 grams and I am sure some study somewhere has shown how realistic (unrealistic) this is, versus doing ultrasound imaging. Of course the most sensitive earliest marker of hypothyroidism is a rising TSH level (4th-generation assay). I only ask about cruciferae because I have started consuming them with every meal, mostly raw, and Dr Greger has a video on the risk of goitre with excessive amounts of bok choy (case report in N. Engl. J. Med.). Steaming them apparently inactivates myrosinase(?) which hydrolyzes the goitrogenic glucosinolates — hence far fewer goitrogenic compounds are present for uptake in steamed brassicaceae. I don’t know how much of a big deal this if but if a raw foods vegan finds themselves slowing down over time, getting colder, duller, more constipated, rougher skin, hair falling out, depressed, slower heart rate, slower overall metabolically, they need to pay attention to this issue.I don’t know what steaming does to the anti-cancer properties of these vegetables however.The ancient generic rheumatic arthritis drug salsalate likely offers the anti-cancer benefits of aspirin (as an NF-kB inhibitor and AMPK inducer) without the gastric injury or clotting inhibition. The same mechanisms are believed responsible for salsalate’s recently discovered benefits in glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in diabetics and pre-diabetics.The major downside would appear to be the requirement for a prescription and the much higher cost due to industry consolidation / limited competition (the chemical itself is no more expensive to produce than aspirin). Should the epidemic of metabolic syndrome be added to salsalate’s indications, then I’d expect costs will plummet as more manufacturers enter the field.Given how well-researched you are, you have probably read the 2007 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation against low dose aspirin for prevention of colorectal cancer:http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=658984Side effects seem to be part of their argument. What do you think of this?Also, some studies have suggested that the observed benefits of aspirin are mostly associated with a genetic subset of the population that have the PIK3 mutation:http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1207756http://www.nature.com/onc/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/onc2013244a.htmlWhat do you think?The more recent 2011 Rothwell pooled analysis found significant reductions for other cancers, a 12% reduction in non-vascular deaths, and that the known increased risk of major bleeding (ulcers, etc) with aspirin only occurred in during the first 3 years of followup (or so this editorial notes). Combined, these results change the risk/benefit balance, though benefits don’t clearly win out until 3 to 5 years on aspirin.A study last year found a 55% increased risk of major bleeding with aspirin. Some advocate adding Pepcid to prevent ulcers, but intracranial bleeding is another matter. Clearly those with other risk factors like hypertension, alcoholism or a family history of hemmorrhagic strokes will have a very different risk/benefit from aspirin than someone like me (40s, bp 110/70, no family history).PIK3CA refers to a common mutation in many cancers, not an inherited genetic predisposition. Unfortunately, by the time the cancer is diagnosed, biopsied and genotyped its a bit late to see if aspirin would slow its progression.Do you think halving an enteric coated 81 mg ASA would work, while reducing the hemorrhage risk (“the dose makes the poison”)? I personally don’t think so. In my investigation of Dutch TIA, a trial that compared 30 mg with 283 mg of ASA, there was a statistically significant benefit on colorectal cancer death at the higher dose, and for all cancers, a strong non-significant trend (RR 0.71, p=0.14). Quoting these numbers from memory, so they may be off slightly. So I wouldn’t halve an ASA tablet.On the other hand, the >300 mg dose range seems to exert faster benefit including significant reduction in cancers well within the first three years of follow-up. What I worry about at this dose is GI bleeding risk. Yes it can be abolished by adding pepcid but then you are losing your gastric acid production which may have many unanticipated effects (calcium, magnesium, B12, iron malabsorption).Thanks for providing a detailed response to my question. The research that you cite on the benefits of low dose aspirin are very intriguing.As you may know, Dr. Greger previously presented a video suggesting that vegetarian diets inherently provide substantial quantities of aspirin. I don’t know if aspirin supplements would benefit people like you and I who already eat a pure whole foods plant-based diet and probably get have inherently high levels. I guess there aren’t studies focussing on our group specifically, are there?From the paper Dr. Greger cited, serum salicylic acid in µmol/L: median min max omnivore 0.07 0.02 0.20 vegetarian 0.11 0.04 2.47 75mg ASA/d 10.03 0.23 25.40 The median serum salicylate level for those taking low-dose aspirin was 90 times greater than in vegetarians. Even the vegetarian outlier with maximum salicylate only absorbed only 1/4th as much.True, regarding the large difference between the medians, though quoting this paper (pg.2, results para 1): “Eight of the 37 vegetarians had serum SA concentrations above the lowest serum SA concentration found in the aspirin group and six of the 14 patients in the aspirin group had serum SA concentrations below the highest vegetarian value.” So it looks like 43% of the aspirin users had blood levels of SA that were theoretically achievable on a vegetarian diet. What blood level of SA could a person following a whole foods plant based diet achieve?I suspect the major part of variation among both groups was the timing of blood draws; from 3 to 20 hours after aspirin ingestion, and who knows how long after meals. There’s a lot of salicylate in curry powder, hot paprika, and thyme, and as with aspirin, those levels would decline with time.What you say seems like a logical explanation for the results of that paper. Interestingly, this editorial entertains the possibility that dietary salicylates may contribute to the beneficial effects of a vegetarian diet.DH: I think you will be interested in the following Nutrition Facts blog post:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/Including the following sentence and video:My video “Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods” suggests that the low levels of salicylic acid in fruits (particularly nectarines), vegetables (particularly asparagus), and herbs and spices (especially mint, cumin, thyme, and paprika) may provide the best of both worlds.Thank you very much, Thea. I will check that blog post out.What about egg whites (as opposed to the whole egg)?What about this?http://chriskresser.com/choline-and-tmao-eggs-still-dont-cause-heart-diseaseI am continually amazed that studies single out one item and write a theory about it rather than looking at the whole person, their environment, emotional pathology, health history, Every person comes with their own particular set of challenges. One minute salt is bad, then eggs, then the revelation that we were wrong. the truth is if your body systems aren’t working look at the whole body and then the environment don’t just stop eating eggs, it may help with inflamation to stop eating eggs but not if you are living in an unhealthy emotional world, or in a toxic environment, or you consume far too much sugar and your body is damp and yeasty.I have only read that Choline is an anti-inflammatory. I am confused as to why this article says Choline increases inflammation.Hi , what’s the limit of egg whites per day. I am doing workout in Gym.apparently everything we eat, drink and breath cause cancer there is no way out eat and get cancer then die or stop eating and starve to die.danar dev: Welcome to the NutritionFacts.re: “apparently everything we eat..cause cancer” Happily, that’s not true. If you spend some more time on this site, you will see that there are a huge number of foods that not only do not cause or promote cancer, but help prevent and fight cancer! You can learn which foods help and which foods hurt.Let me know if you are seriously interested in learning more and I will give you some specific references to investigate.Couldn´t methionine be the culprit just as well? And how should I get enough choline for a. acetylcholine production b. to keep the homeocysteine in check?Hey Pet Rat. Dr. Greger has some video’s on methionine restriction. Here is a sheet about dietary choline sources see if these links help? Thanks!Find out everything about cancer https://www.evaidya.com/Health-Articles/category/cancer/	American Egg Board,beef,cancer progression,carcinogens,carnitine,chicken,choline,cooked meat,early detection,Egg Nutrition Center,eggs,heart attack,heterocyclic amines,inflammation,meat,men's health,metastases,mortality,plant-based,poultry,prostate cancer,prostate disease,prostate health,steak,stroke,TMAO,turkey,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21930800,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22952174,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20042525,
PLAIN-169	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/14/avoid-carnitine-and-lethicin-supplements/	Avoid Carnitine and Lethicin Supplements	A landmark study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that choline in eggs, poultry, dairy and fish produces the same toxic TMAO as carnitine in red meat, which may help explain plant-based protection from heart disease. Earlier this year, a research team at the Cleveland Clinic offered another explanation as to why meat intake may be related to mortality (see, for example, Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies). They noted that “Numerous studies have suggested a decrease in atherosclerotic disease risk  [our  number 1 killer] in vegan and vegetarian individuals compared to omnivores,” but reduced intake of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat may not be the full story.  The researchers found that within 24 hours of carnitine consumption—eating a sirloin steak, taking a carnitine supplement—certain gut bacteria metabolize the carnitine to a toxic substance called trimethylamine, which then gets oxidized in our liver to TMAO, trimethylamine-n-oxide, which then circulates throughout our bloodstream. There’s a diagram in my 9-min video Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection. The way we know it’s the gut bacteria is that if you give people antibiotics to wipe out their friendly flora, you can apparently eat all the steak you want without making any TMAO, but then if you wait a couple weeks until your gut bacteria grows back, you’re back to the same problem. What’s so bad about this TMAO stuff? It appears to increase the buildup of cholesterol in the inflammatory cells in the atherosclerotic plaques in our arteries, increasing our risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. The role of these inflammatory “foam” cells (so-called because they’re so packed with cholesterol they look foamy under a microscope) is explained in my video series that starts with Arterial Acne and Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease. What does carnitine do? It’s involved in energy production in the mitochondria (“power plants”) in our cells. The enzyme that uses carnitine to help us burn fat, carnitine palmitoyl transferase, is actually upregulated by about 60 percent in those eating meat-free diets, which may help explain why those eating plant-based diets tend to be slimmer. More details in my video How to Upregulate Metabolism. How do we keep carnitine away from our gut bacteria? Well there’s zero dietary requirement; our body normally makes all that we need. The problem is that the bodies of other animals also make all that they need so when we eat them, their carnitine can end up in our gut for those bacteria to feast upon, resulting in TMAO. Some animals make more carnitine than others. Carnitine is concentrated in red meat, and so this new body of research has led to recommendations to decrease red meat consumption as well as avoid carnitine-containing supplements and energy drinks. What most media reports missed, though, is that gut bacteria can turn the choline found in eggs, poultry, fish, dairy, and lecithin supplements into TMAO too. So it’s not just a problem with red meat. The good news is that this may mean a new approach to prevent or treat heart disease: “The most obvious is to limit dietary choline intake.” But if that just means decreasing egg, meat and dairy consumption, the “new” approach sounds just like the old approach. Unlike carnitine, we do need to take in some choline, so should vegans be worried about the modest amounts of choline they’re getting from beans, veggies, grains, and fruit? And same question with carnitine. There’s a small amount of carnitine found in fruits, veggies, and grains as well. Of course it’s not the carnitine itself we’re worried about, but the toxic TMAO, and you can feed a vegan a steak without getting a TMAO spike. Literally. The researchers convinced a long-time vegan to eat an 8-ounce sirloin, in the name of science. The vegan got the whopping carnitine load, but hardly any TMAO was produced. Apparently, the vegans don’t develop those TMAO-producing bacteria in their gut, and why would they? It’s like the whole prebiotic story I detail in videos like Boosting Good Bacteria in the Colon Without Probiotics. When we eat a lot of fiber, we select for fiber-munching bacteria, and some of the compounds they make with fiber are beneficial, like the propionate that appears to have an anti-obesity effect I explored in Fawning Over Flora. It seems that if we eat a lot of animal products we may instead be selecting for animal-munching bacteria, and some of those waste products—like the trimethylamine—may be harmful. 	Is it safe for vegans to take lecithin granuiles?Mindy, I would most definitely avoid this. Since lecithin is essentially phosphatidylcholine, you are giving yourself a very high dose of the choline found mainly in eggs and red meat (and in much lower quantities in other plant foods). This is what happens when you take a whole food like soybeans and concentrate certain small portions of it like soy lecithin.Would the same issues be associated with Acetyl-L-Carnitine, which is combined with alpha lipoic acid in supplements that are claimed to improve mitochondrial health? Thanks Dr. G.The following may be helpful: “Carnitine Study: A Response, April 2013″ at http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/news/CarnitineStudyResponse.htmlFrom the article:“Right now, we have a large body of work that has accumulated over decades that acetyl-l-carnitine and lipoic acid are safe to use at appropriate doses. Acetyl-l-carnitine alone has been given clinically at very high doses (as much as 8 grams per day) with no observed side effects, including those suggested by this study.”Thanks, very relevant and helpful.I’ve had tests done that show I’m very low in choline and carnitine… What does someone in my situation do?Your article –Avoid Carnitine and Lethicin Supplements I don’t see anything in this article regarding LethicinQuestion– Is Phosphatidylserine,— enriched sunflower Lecithin.the same thing? I take this supplement for memory enhancement. I have checked your web site and there is nothing shown about Lecithin.I would imagine that it may depend on where the lecithin is sourced. It is my understanding that it can be either Soy or Egg derived. This article refers to choline found in eggs.Perhaps structurally or chemically the body may metabolise choline derived soy differently? I would love to hear other opinions on this, as I frequently recommend Lecithin granules (soy derived) to my patients. Interesting article, thank you for posting.Do you know if Lecithin and Lethicin are the same thing? The Lecithin I use is from Sunflower OilLethicin is somebody’s misspelling.You are a health practitioner with “patients”? Advising any of them to consume GMO-soy derived products contradicts your claim. You should assume all soy is GM unless proven otherwise and avoid it in all forms and derivatives, let alone NOT recommending it to others!some soy derived Lecithin products now list GMO-free on label. They are harder to find, but I’ve seem them at health stores & some holistic doctors sell pharmaceutical brands GMO-free. if the patient is not soy sensitive or have the COMT gene mutation or estrogen dominate, i would only recommend GMO free soy lecithin. Otherwise there is Sunflower lecithin i just learned.great question. i ran out of my phosphatidylserine (by Jarrow) is sourced from sunflower seeds) and not sure if i should replace. High choline, carnitine foods give me body odor. It seems this gene was triggered recently by heavy metals & addressing Mthfr and other methylation pathways. So, not sure if this is related or separate detox issue. I had to stop L-carnitine capsules my Doc recommended because of fishy body odor. She told me some people can’t tolerate carnitine at next visit, after i told her i suffered with that for a WEEK not knowing what caused it. I will hold off buying Phosphatidyl-S again, until further research.I’m vegan and have suffered with anxiety/panic disorder since my childhood and was told by my psychiatrist to take choline and inositol. It’s been a huge help!I thought that the bad lecithin was from GMO soy and in all of the over processed foods like ice cream, desserts, frosting etc. My understanding is that non gmo lecithin is ok and that our brains have a minimum of 30% lecithin. Don’t we need it as we age and lose fat around our nerves? Dr. G, can you please weigh in?The only dietary fat we need is omega 3 and omega 6. All other fats are synthesized by our body.I know this is a late reply, but I hope you’ll answer. To be clear, are you suggesting that all our necessary choline is synthesized, and that the RDA of choline does not apply? The RDA for pregnant and breastfeeding women is 450 and 550 mg, respectively, and those amounts appear difficult to get through (vegan) diet alone. Would you recommend supplementing, or should we trust that all the necessary choline is being synthesized, even during crucial times like pregnancy and lactation? Thank you.Please see here for choline. There is no need to seek choline rich foods. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/Hey Toxins, I replied to a comment elsewhere you made forever ago, perhaps using a different account that you don’t get notifications for anymore. It’s about low white blood cell count. Mind responding? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/#comment-1812421529I am Vegan but have gall bladder attacks (low ejection fraction) and have been prescribed Lecithin in large quantities. How problematic is this?Lecithin is generally regarded as safe but it does contain alot of fat. Fat stimulates gallbladder contraction and may contribute to attacks. It has been shown in combination with other substances to help reduce the size of gallstones. Of more concern as Dr. Greger points out is the possible connection with increased heart and arterial disease. For most of my patients with gall stones I recommend low fat plant based whole food diets. If you can avoid attacks it doesn’t matter if you have gall stones. Unfortunately once you have them they sometimes need to be removed. Work with your physicians and keep tuned in to NutritionFacts… you never know what scientific studies will reveal next.A little confused…. if elevated TMAO, which is harmful, is a function of carnitine intake in combination specific gut microbes, which are in turn a function of routinely eating animal protein, then – Is there an issue with taking supplements of carnitine (or choline) if one is a 100% plant based and thereby has a different makeup of gut microbes ?Is your advice about carnitine the same for L-Carnitine?I would avoid both. Throwing into the human body concentrated singe nutrients is in my opinion not a good idea.Melatonin?I would avoid lecithin supplements, L-carnitine, choline, phosphatidylcholine, etc, even for vegans and vegetarians. The reason is excessive TMAO elevations, even in vegans. Dr Hazen has demonstrated a great “proof of principle”:When you take a whole foodstuff like soybeans and extract one of tens of thousands of molecules in that food (such as soy lecithin), purify that one molecule to extremely high quantities, and then ingest that one molecule in those extreme quantities every day into the body, you are messing with nature’s way and our body’s way of protecting us against excessive toxicity from individual molecules consumed in great amounts.This is why micronutrient supplement trials are nearly always negative for hard endpoints like death, stroke, heart attack, etc. But when you take in the whole food, you get the cofactors and coenzymes that mitigate or modulate absorption – nutrition is overwhelmingly complex with many interactions at the molecular and cellular level.As another example, given by T Colin Campbell in his book “Whole”, eating a vitamin C tablet is entirely different than eating an apple, because with the latter you get rafts upon rafts of antioxidants and phytochemicals, whereas with the former you get immense quantities of a single antioxidant, the quantity of which may be entirely inappropriate to your internal milieu. Same thing goes with beta carotene and retinoic acid.Nice post… add Vitamin A and E to the list. Caution should also be used for “vitamin” D which is also fat soluble and is easily stored.Also one could add inorganic calcium supplements, folic acid, magnesium, beta carotene, retinol, tocopherol … all have shown harms in large randomized trials.I don’t think that magnesium has ever shown any harm (other than diarrhea) in randomized trials. There are some concerns about folic acid, but the most recent and comprehensive meta-analysis haven’t shown any increased risk of cancer from high dose folic acid.Of course, if you eat a plant-based diet including nuts and legumes, you’ll probably get plenty of magnesium and folate from food and don’t need supplements.Aside from B12, vitamin D is the only one I think I should supplement. I go on and off it, taking it for a few weeks (in line with Dr. G’s recommended amounts), then not, kind of wary of it due to the risks seen with the other fat-soluble vit supplements. Getting enough sunlight is not an option where I live, any time of year, and frankly I try to minimize exposure anyway with my cornucopia of skin cancer risk factors. So I’m wondering, at the end of the day do you still recommend supplements if sunshine is not an option? Do you advise the higher amounts Dr. Greger has recommended compared to the standard rda? Jeff Novick wrote on the connection between obesity and vitamin D deficiencies which has me wondering about the higher recommendations.I think supplemental Vitamin D is a good option for folks who don’t have access to sunlight. There are other considerations like a history of skin cancer. So the recommendations have to be individualized. As far as levels go I err on the conservative side. I have been practicing for over 35 years and have seen fads, drugs, over-treatment recommendations come and go. Given my additional training in statistics and knowledge about complex systems I believe it would be nice to have some baseline information to help establish what is normal for each individual. Given the typical bell shaped curve in most populations there is variability in what is normal from person to person. One study Dr. Greger reviewed mentioned lifeguards in Hawaii with Vitamin D levels in the mid 20’s. I certainly wouldn’t recommend Vitamin D for that population. So I don’t think there are right or wrong answers but working with your regular doctors and keeping up with the science will help you make the best decision. Good luck.The example of vitamin C being better consumed with foods may not apply here. Most animals have the ability to make their own vitamin C, ascorbic acid, in their liver or kidneys. Humans of course, have given up this ability many thousands of years ago. When a 150 pound goat makes 13 grams of ascorbic acid a day (on an average day), it makes 13,000 mg of ascorbic acid. No rutin. No hesperidin. No bioflavanioids. When getting ascorbic acid from foods (instead of from our liver), the associated factors are helpful in their own right, but not necessary to the overall function of the ascorbic acid. Indeed getting vitamin C intravenously may be the most “natural” way to get vitamin C in the sense that that is the way our body is programmed to receive it – in the blood stream directly. This intravenous vitamin C use has proven to be the most effective anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal treatment known to man (but apparently “unknown” to profit-making, pharmaceutically driven “modern” medicine)…Massive IV (drip, not injection) vitamin C is mighty because most all infections rapidly deplete vit C and other nutrients, leaving the host with a far weaker immune system just when you need it to rally. [Although] “There is no direct placebo-controlled “evidence” that massive doses of vitamin C will work on Ebola, and nobody would volunteer to take part in that study. But massive doses are reported to have helped against every virus it has been pitched against. This includes Polio, Dengue and AIDS, and it even makes vaccination work better.” The protocol for vitamin C is very well explained where this statement originated : http://orthomolecular.org/reso…This is a very helpful article – thanks Michael -especially interesting for avoiding heart disease! http://reachfornutrition.co.ukWhat about UDO oil? What is your recommendation on UDO Oil?Udo’s is a brand name with several oil variations.What is the name of the TMAO producing bacteria?The species Acinetobacter have been identified as TMAO producing bacteria.Given the number of different bacterial species in the colon (e.g. one article mentioned almost 300) I would posit that there will be more found. Of course talking about single bacteria in the setting of complex or adaptive ecosystems reflects a reductionistic approach… not good or bad… just something to keep in mind.Correlation does equal causation!True, however, until the science is worked out, it is better to err on the side of caution.Oops, wrong placeI have a couple of problems as a scientist, No references to the studies. I have found sometime reading the abstract of the study i formed a different opinion as to the results. The type of study, was it double blind crossover study? Who funded the research? Who funded the author? Do the authors have any vested interest in the results?Louis,Dr. Greger cites his sources in a tab under the video that is directly addressed in the blog post. This is merely a transcript of the video Carnitine, Choline, Cancer, and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection. (Link in text above)(Sorry, Disqus is flaky sometimes on my iPhone. Won’t let me copy & paste in this thread so can’t post the link in this comment.)Then what DOES it mean? Nothing? If there is a hypothesis about an association, then correlation = positive evidence, that is, CONFIRMATORY. The rise in the amount of genetically modified food products on the market is correlated with epidemic obesity, epidemic gluten intolerance and other IBDs and epidemic autism. But that means nothing you imply. If Spock had Alzheimers Disease he might point out that the rise in the organic food market also correlates with these dysfunctions, therefore … Read Blink. There is much myopathy in allopathy.Jazzfeed, I see you have interest in GMO. Please stay tuned for upcoming videos on GMO. A hint: its not the gmo itself that is potentially harmful, but the pesticides used.Thanks, can’t wait. I’m not convinced of that though. There are multiple issues, of which many individual ones in themself justify shutting it down,Dr. Geger’s message leaves me confused. It is my understanding that l-carnitine can be deficient in vegans, as is B12. If this is so, and if the culprit is bacteria creating TMOA, why put the blame on l-carnitine? Intravenous l-carnitine clearly does not experience the gut environment. Maybe a more sparse used of l-carnitine would allow increased build up in a vegan’s bloodstream and tissue but be infrequent enough to not allow the culprit bacteria to take hold.“They noted that “Numerous studies have suggested a decrease in atherosclerotic disease risk [our number 1 killer] in vegan and vegetarian individuals compared to omnivores”This doesn’t factor in how much veggies a meat eater consumes. I find the meat eater vs vegetarian argument vague. I would say perhaps most meat eaters just don’t eat enough veggies.To me the question is how much veggies do your meat eaters eat? –and what else do they eat? So can this be studied somehow? Maybe this would answer what is really going on health-wise.I think the evidence points towards a *mostly* plant based diet, comprising small amounts of healthy animal products (i.e. fish and cheese) as being the best diet for optimum health. This is what corresponds best to our evolutionary defined nutritional needs and what epidemiological studies have shown to be most strongly associated with longevity.See this very thoroughly done German study on the mortality risk of long-term vegetarians and health-conscious non-vergeterians: http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/14/4/963.long Those poeple who fared best where not strict vegetarians but those who ate small quantities of animal products.That may be, as Dr. Greger suggests, because of the vitamin D, B12 and long chain omega-3 fatty acids in animal food, so you theoretically could obtain the same benefits by eating a strictly vegeterian diet supplemented with those nutrient. However, I have to object that it may as well be because of other lesser known nutritional factors in animal products.It is like Michael Pollan put it: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants”. It’s the “mostly” that is key here – you don’t need to make an “exclusively” out of it.Timar – May or may not be true that “small amounts of “fish and cheese” may be optimal – in an ideal world. But the dangers of toxins present in fish are real and there is no valid data on prehistoric humans or any compelling reasons to classify animal-derived food as anything more than an option for survival. Since we now understand the importance of B-12, the need to get it derived from gut-based bacteria in animals is no longer relevant. Given that folks who live solely on plant-based diets do so much better than omnivores, other than habit and cravings, why bother to eat animal products?I am a Hepatologist (Liver Specialist), but the fact that 65% of all liver disease in the USA is due to “fatty liver” related to our diet has transformed my practice and most of my study into an obesity and nutrition clinic. I refer all my patients to this link and have the utmost respect for Dr. Gregor, but in this case have to disagree. Almost simultaneous with the NEJM report he cites, the Mayo Clinic Proceedings published a meta-analysis (summary of several studies) showing the taking an L-carnitine supplement reduced death rate by 27% in patients who ALREADY HAD HEART DISEASE.(http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196%2813%2900127-4/fulltext ). 3 months later an excellent review in the same journal ((http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196%2813%2900462-X/fulltext) very convincingly refuted the conclusions of the NEJM article cited by Dr. Gregor. Among many impelling facts cited in that refutation, is that fish, which no one disagrees is beneficial for the heart, contains over 5 times the TMAO (the putative heart toxin produced from choline and carnitine) as red meat generates. For the record, and relevant to some of the questions below, I am a 71 year old fit healthy vegan who has taken L carnitine and lipoic acid and small doses of choline for years.. My last cholesterol was 150, 60 of which was HDL (“good”), my blood pressure is 110, and I take no medications other than supplements.Thank you for the links. The meta analysis and the enlightening comment by Mark McCarty provide definitive evidence against the TMAO hypothesis. I think this is an instructive example of how researchers more or less knowingly practise selective perception and ignore facts which contradict their hypothesis. In this case I think Koeth at al. knowingly chose to ignore everything they should know about fish consumption in order to publish a headline-grabbing paper in a prestige journal. Of course Dr. Gregor and other advocates of a strictly plant-based diet would claim that fish is an unhealthy food too, but to be perfectly honest, as much as I respect Dr. Gregors work, don’t expect any objectivity from him when is comes to animal foods. There is an overt ideological bias here against those foods which doesn’t allow for any objectivity (however, such kind kind of bias seems much more honorable to me than th calculated bias shown by researchers like Koeth). I think nutritionfacts.org is a great source to learn more about the health benefits of plant foods and just ignore the obvious vegan propaganda.Well see the conclusion of the article cited above by Stephen SeveranceHealth experts generally acknowledge that the negative health impacts of diets rich in red meats are largely attributable to high intakes of saturated fat, heme iron, bioavailable phosphate, and carcinogens induced by cooking or interaction with nitrite preservatives. Ironically, in seeking to incriminate red meat’s carnitine content, Koeth et al may have pointed the finger at one of red meat’s few saving graces.So even if the jury is still out regarding carnitine as an isolated *suplement* that doesn’t save the day for meat and fish (fish is loaded with problems as well, besides the contamination levels) Get informed.Regarding the German study, let’s remember that we are facing here of a new paradigm, people who go vegan are still learning how to manage their diet, most don’t supplement with B12, even more have no clue about omega 3 intakes.Now we know many of the factors that make the typical diet so prejudicial — while the experts are trying to learn about the huge amount of nutrients still unknown to science, the hundred of thousands of phytochemicals in plants, and how our health depends on them.People in “flexitarians” diets aren’t relatively healthy because of adding know problematic or downright dangerous foods, but despite of it.As much as I respect his efforts, there is myopathy in his allopathy. I’d speculate that if one was otherwise uneducated and this was the only health site one read it would induce the same myopathy in the reader.So you would also have to avoid choline due to TMAO, right?Among the food with the highest intake is not only meat and egg yolk but also wheat germ, broccoli, sunflower lecithin or amaranth:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choline#Food_sources_of_cholineperhaps one should do the TMAo test with those foods, too. Preferrably with n>1 this time ;o)As I have written in another post, which, curiously enough, didn’t made it through the moderation, trimethylglycine aka betaine is a compound closely related to choline and carnitine and is metabolized to TMAO by gut bacteria in the same way. So if you really believe Koeth’s hypothesis, spinach and quinoa are much worse offenders than red meat, as both contain about 600mg/100g – which is about six times as much as the carnitine content of red meat.If you think about it, it is incredible how such a shaky concoction of inadequate studies, glued together by a half-baked, counterfactual hypothesis, made in into a journal like Nature Medicine. It really throws a bad light on the standards of medical publishing. It seems you just have to work in a prestigious instituttion, come up with a headline-grabbing hypothesis, lump together a paper in the way described above (while persistently ignoring the vast amount of research that contradicts your thesis) and voila – you have your high-impact publication and make headlines in the mass media.It’s a sad joke, really.Hi Tmar,could it perhaps be that the study’s author or the lector are vegans?Myself I’m taking 2gr Carninite (ALCAR) as supplement daily, I do have trust into Dr Bruce Ames who is still dancing the Macarena with his 85 years :o)I don’t think so. They just follow the prevailing paradigm that red meat causes artherosclerosis, which, by the way has been called into question by the largest and most recent epidemiological study on meat consumption and mortality risk, which found *no* association: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3599112/I wrote a lengthy reply to Thule’s post above, mentioning that study but, alas, it went into moderation. I’d by surprised if they publish it. Quite frustrating if you take time to write a factual, polite and comprehensive reply and then it gets cens0red…TImar: As far as I know, none of us at NuritionFacts censor anything but the most offensive of posts (those with bad language, etc.). What I have personally noticed is that Discus, the software/company which runs the comment section, does not always display all of the comments. I don’t know why, and it drives me nuts. But if I keep the original post in my e-mail, I’m often able to find posts again on the NutritionFacts page. You have to force Discus to display what you want.Just wanted to let you know that respectful, differing opinions are very welcome at NutritionFacts as far I have seen. (Posts don’t even have to make sense or be accurate. I’m not saying anything about your posts. I’m just saying that if we actually monitored this site for content, we would have deleted a great many comments.)Hope that helps.I guess I’m missing something. I thought the thrust of the journal article in question was to show the link between gut bacteria, carnitine and TMAO. I think that’s a pretty amazing discovery. The “conclusions” and conjectures regarding the risks of red meat may or may not be valid in this case – but the science seems to be pretty solid.As a reminder , we are noy going to get out of this alive . Enjoy the moment , abraco!By studying nutrition and applying it to my individual biochemistry, I expect to have MORE moments of enjoyment. The number of moments in your life is not predetermined. Get up on your research and read about epigenetics.This is interesting. A vegan has defenses against a spike in TMAO. I wonder what would happen if someone who eats a variety of meats, but also consumes abundant antiinflammatory veggies ( like spinach, kale ) were given the same test. In other words, a healthy and varied diet. Perhaps this points to everything in moderation and to eat a variety of high quality, nutritious foods, and avoid highly inflammatory foods like white flour, wheat and sugar.so then, if you require extra carnitine as a vegan it is safe to supplement acetyl-l-catnitine? But not if you are a meat eater?this is an especially helpful article fir those who suspect they have a gene. “mutation” of TMAU pathway. 23andme is aware if this gene , but does not yet test for it. If you ordered your 23andme genetic test & follow their updates, ask them if they will test for it. If enough people take interest, maybe they will add it. Thank you for a great article!	atherosclerosis,beans,beef,carnitine,carnitine palmitoyl transferase,chicken,cholesterol,choline,dairy,death,dietary cholesterol,eggs,energy drinks,fish,foam cells,fruit,grains,gut bacteria,gut flota,heart attack,heart disease,inflammatory cells,lethicin,meat,metabolism,milk,mortality,plant-based diet,plaque,pork,poultry,red meat,saturated fat,stroke,TMAO,trimethylamine-n-oxide,vegan,vegetables,vegetarian,weight loss	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23563705,
PLAIN-170	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/	Treating Breast Pain with Flax Seeds	A tablespoon a day of ground flax seeds appears to improve ovarian function and is considered a first-line therapy for breast pain associated with one’s period (cyclical mastalgia). A study I profile in my video Flax Seeds For Breast Pain on the effect of flax seed ingestion on the menstrual cycle found a tablespoon a day lengthened the luteal phase (latter half of the cycle), effectively delaying one’s next period by about a day. Flax seeds also resulted in fewer anovulatory cycles (months in which you fail to ovulate). These are the same kind of improvements in ovarian function that have been found in women eating plant-based diets. In fact, women eating vegan never failed to ovulate in a study comparing meateaters, vegetarians, and vegans, which is similar to what was found in women eating flax daily. Since the same hormonal changes associated with eating more plant-based diets seemed to improve premenstrual and menstrual symptoms such as breast pain (see my video Plant-Based Diets For Breast Pain), researchers decided to test whether flax seeds would help as well. Although hormone treatments can be helpful, they often cause unpleasant side effects and there may be risks associated with long-term hormonal therapy.  Dietary flaxseed is therefore an attractive alternative for controlling these symptoms. So, 116 young women with severe menstrual breast pain were randomized in a double-blind study and given either a muffin containing about 3 and a half tablespoons of flax seed or a placebo muffin with no flax, and then followed for a few cycles. There was some placebo muffin effect, but there was a significantly greater reduction in reported breast pain, breast swelling, and breast lumpiness in the flax seed group. The study concluded that “flax seed is effective in relieving symptoms of cyclical mastalgia without significant side effects and might be considered as an alternative treatment for cyclical mastalgia.” But if flaxseed works, and there are only good side effects, why is it an alternative treatment? Why isn’t it the primary, first-line therapy? Well, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has not issued treatment guidelines, but the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada has. In their official guidelines they dispel the myth that caffeine is to blame or that vitamin E supplements are helpful. Instead, they prescribe dietary flaxseed “as a first-line therapy for cyclical breast pain.” Drugs are to be considered only if the flax doesn’t work. So nice to see a professional medical association prioritize safe, natural therapies! See my video series that includes Medical Associations Oppose Bill to Mandate Nutrition Training to see the mentality here in the States. Do Doctors Make the Grade? Unfortunately, Doctors Know Less Than They Think About Nutrition. This is largely due to the lack of Medical School Nutrition Education, though there also may be The Tomato Effect. I’ve previously hailed the power of flax in videos such as: 	does freshly grounded roasted flax seeds work the same?How to eat a spoon of Flax seeds? all at once? in salats? in smothies?sela: I like mine sprinkled on my (steal cut) oatmeal. I poor almond milk on top of the mixture and then heat. That way the ground flaxseed has time to get soft. When I get the ratios right, I don’t even know the flaxseed is there.Other people like flaxseed in their smoothies.I’ve not heard of people putting it on salad, but if that works for you, go for it! My guess is that doing so would just increase the nutritional value of the salad.ThanksPreferably 2 tablespoons ground and in oatmeal, smoothies, anyway you want! More on flax here. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/I add it to my glass of soymilk. And I use a spoon for the final part. Maybe a bit on top of spaghetti?Would flax seed potentially help someone who has been diagnosed with PCOS?Yes, or with functional cysts? I see that flax consumption may help prevent anovular cycles, which is often the result of unruptured follicles (cysts). Could flax help regulate hormones and prevent follicular cysts as a result?The article referenced regarding better ovulation patterns seemed to define vegetarian as in fact vegetarian (including dairy and eggs), not vegan.Am I missing something? Dr. Greger, how did you interpret the women as being vegan rather than vegetarian in that paper?i was actually researching how to reduce my PMS breast pain last year and never came across flax seeds but found a lot of sources that mentioned evening primrose oil. Now i already used EPO as a booster to my facial moisturizer and tried it and it did work very well. it took 2 cycles though for me to see significant drop in pain level to no pain at all. Any research for this?? I am a recent convert to the lifestyle you promote here and just introduced flax into my diet. thank you!is it ok to eat flax seed as a estrogen/progesterone positive Breast Cancer survivor ?	anovulatory cycles,breast lumpiness,breast pain,breast swelling,caffeine,cyclical mastalgia,flax seeds,ground flax,hormonal changes,hormone therapy,hormone treatment,menstruation,nutrition education,ovarian function,period,plant-based diet,premenstrual symptoms,premenstrual syndrome,vegan,vegetarian,vitamin E	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8077314,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7985629,
PLAIN-171	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	Treating Breast Pain With Diet	As I explore in my video Plant-Based Diets For Breast Pain, eating healthy appears to offer relief from a variety of menstrual symptoms, including cramping, bloating, and breast pain. Breast pain accompanying one’s period, called cyclical mastalgia, was dismissed in the 70s as ”merely an expression of psychoneurosis.” Women with breast pain were labeled “frustrated unhappy nulliparae,” meaning they were just upset that they hadn’t given their husbands children yet. Now we know what women always knew, breast pain is all too common, and its effect on quality of life is underestimated. Approximately 60 to 70 percent of women experience some type of breast pain at some stage of their lives, and in 10 to 20 percent of cases it is severe. Some breast tenderness during one’s cycle is normal, but breast pain is not. In many cases, surgery was prescribed. Thankfully by the 21st century the medical community had switched course. “We live in an era of evidence-based surgery,” read a 1999 review, “which behooves us all to justify the surgery we undertake.” What a concept! So the profession stopped cutting off the breasts of women in pain. The hormone prolactin is considered to be a central factor, as women with cyclical breast pain have elevated levels, and a prolactin inhibitor drug was found to be an effective treatment. The side effects of the drug are so bad, though, that some women are unable to stay on it. There had to be better way. Well, while up to two-thirds of Western women suffer from breast pain in their lifetimes, it apparently may affect as few as 1 in 6 women in Asian countries. Researchers suspected it might have to do with their lower fat diet. For example, women eating traditional plant-based diets all their lives, like rural Bantu African women, have lower prolactin levels. Their extraordinarily low rates of chronic disease in general were actually one of the inspirations for Nathan Pritikin’s work (see the series of videos that starts with Engineering a Cure). How do we know these differences between countries aren’t just genetic? Well, when researchers fed Bantu women a Western diet—meat, butter, milk, eggs, bread and sugar—for a few weeks, they experienced a significant rise in prolactin. Their hormonal changes on a Westernized diet were comparable to those found in Western women with menstrual irregularities. What part of the Western diet was responsible, though—maybe it was the bread and sugar? To see if it was the meat, researchers took some New Yorkers and put them on a vegetarian diet for two weeks, and that alone brought their prolactin levels down, suggesting that meat was the culprit. So researchers decided to give it a try for breast pain. The first pilot study involved ten women with severe cyclical mastalgia. They were put on a more plant-based low fat diet for three months and all ten women got better. There was no control group, though, so part of their improvement may have just been the placebo effect. Thus a randomized controlled trial was undertaken. A Canadian research group had been carrying out a clinical trial of dietary fat reduction in patients with precancerous breast changes, and they noted that that patients with cyclical breast problems frequently experienced striking relief of symptoms after reduction of dietary fat, so they randomized half the women into a lower fat group. Again, a significant improvement in symptoms was found. Since then, we learned that vegetarian women have fewer menstrual disturbances than nonvegetarian women. Only about five percent of the cycles of vegetarian women were found to be anovulatory (meaning they failed to release an egg) compared to 15 percent of nonvegetarian menstrual cycles.  Those eating more plant-based low fat diets may also experience significantly less bloating compared to placebo, and women with painful menstrual cramps placed on a vegan diet experienced significant relief. Researchers designed a “crossover” study where they put meat-eating women on a plant-based diet for two cycles, and then switched them back to their regular diet with some placebo supplement to show changes before and after dietary improvement, and then back at baseline. The problem the researchers discovered, though, is that several participants felt so much better that they refused to go back to their regular diet, violating the study protocols. Bottom line, the researchers concluded that a plant-based diet may offer relief from breast pain, as well as “significant reductions in menstrual pain duration, pain intensity, and duration of premenstrual symptoms related to concentration, behavioral change, and water retention [bloating].” Some plants may work better than others. See Saffron for the Treatment of PMS and Wake Up and Smell the Saffron, as well as the follow-up video Flax Seeds For Breast Pain. Another reason meat consumption may interfere with ovulatory function is explained in my video Meat Hormones & Female Infertility. 	When I eat celery my mouth and throat experience low-grade numbness. It is noticeable and worrisome and others have reported it as well. I am not allergic to celery. Am concerned that it is causing numbness in GI tract – how would one know?, and overtime will damage the GI tract. I hear that eugenol is the chemical in celery that does this. Has anyone researched this?Coffee is also a main cause of breast painDoes anyone know if raisins sold in US stores comes from green or red grapes? I have read that thompson raisins, the most traditional type, come from green and just turn dark as they are dried. I am curious for several reasons, one of which is i’d like to boost my resveratrol consumption but it seems that that is in red grapes and not green grapes, hence, I’d like to find a source of raisins derived from red grapes.Regular raisins do indeed come from green grapes. Please see this video on raisins http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/I’ve read conflicting evidence that “flame” raisins actually come from red grapes. I hope someone, maybe Dr. G, can set the record straight since red grapes seem to pack a bigger bang for the buck, in regards to resveratol, and flame raisins would fill the gap when red grapes are out of season.Dear Dr Greger, Are you aware of the view that Cholesterol is not the cause of Atherosclerosis?http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/heartofthematter/This documentary is in 2 parts.This is a myth. Saturated fat and cholesterol are indeed the perpetrators in heart disease. From the National Academy of Science:“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions; they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither an AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids. There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acid intake increases CHD risk”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422“The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al., 1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432From the editor in chief of the American Journal of Cardiology.“As shown in Figure 1, most of the risk factors do not in themselves cause atherosclerosis [heart disease]…The atherosclerotic risk factors showing that the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis is cholesterol.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/I am currently vegan … so is Bill Clinton. In a video interview of him he says he eats salmon once a week to keep muscle mass. Good idea or no?No scientific bases for this. All whole plant foods contain the essential amino acids.keith: I would be hard pressed to call someone who eats salmon once a week a vegan. But I understand what you are saying.Toxins gave you the short and sweet answer. In case you need a little more info, here is something to consider: Not only do we know that you can get all the essential amino acids (i.e., protein) you need from plant foods, but some of the most impressive body builders and athletes are (real) vegans who do just that. In other words, they not only “keep muscle mass”, but they gain just fine on a vegan diet. If you are interested in learning more about those people, I included additional info below. So, as you can see, poor Clinton, who has come so far!, still has a ways to go before he understands basic nutrition.Before I give the info on vegan athletes, I also wanted to point you to the following page which explains protein needs in wonderful detail. After reading this page, I suspect you will feel very comfortable about your vegan diet and your muscles:http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.html—————– (from meatout mondays) Vegan Bodybuilders Dominate Texas CompetitionThe Plant Built (PlantBuilt.com) team rolled into this year’s drug-free, steroid-free Naturally Fit Super Show competition in Austin, TX, and walked away with more trophies than even they could carry.The Plant Built team of 15 vegan bodybuilders competed in seven divisions, taking first place in all but two. They also took several 2nd and 3rd place wins.For More Info: http://www.plantbuilt.com/——————— When Robert Cheeke started VeganBodybuilding.com in 2002, being the only vegan athlete he knew of, he may not have imagined that the website would quickly grow to have thousands of members. Robert says, “We’re discovering new vegan athletes all the time, from professional and elite levels… to weekend warriors and everyone in between.”For More Info: http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/ —————– There was that other guy who just did a world record in weight lifting. “Congratulations to Strongman Patrik Baboumian who yesterday took a ten metre walk carrying more than half a tonne on his shoulders, more than anyone has ever done before. After smashing the world record the Strongman let out a roar of ‘Vegan Power’…” For more info: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/vegan-strongman-patrik-babaoumain-breaks-world-record/—————– Here’s another site that I like: http://www.greatveganathletes.com/I found this story on the above site: “Pat Reeves has set a new world powerlifting record at the WDFPA World Single Lift Championships. The 66 year old lifter, who has been vegan for 46 years, lifted 94 kg to set a record for the under 50.5kg weight class while competing in France in June 2012. The lift was more than 1.85 times her bodyweight, which is exceptional for her division. Pat is now officially the oldest competing weightlifter in Europe.”Hope you find this helpful.	anovulatory,Asia,Asian women,bloating,bread,breast pain,breast sensitivity,breast tenderness,butter,cramping,cyclical mastalgia,eggs,fat,hormone therapy,hormones,low fat diet,mastectomy,meat,menstrual pain,menstrual symptoms,menstruation,milk,Nathan Pritikin,period,plant-based diet,PMS,premenstrual syndrome,prolactin,sugar,surgery,vegan,vegetarian,Western diet,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/61480,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2899188,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10674588,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14965747,
PLAIN-172	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/05/tarragon-toxicity/	Tarragon Toxicity?	Decades ago, concern was raised about some of the components of the herb tarragon. The European Union’s Health & Consumer Protection Scientific Committee on Food concluded that one of the constituents may act as a carcinogen and damage DNA, and so recommended its use be restricted. But they were talking about an isolated chemical from tarragon being used as a flavoring agent in items like alcoholic beverages, canned fish, and fats and oils. As recently as 2011, reviews concluded that consumption of the tarragon leaves themselves should present little or no risk, but that was based on studies done on rats. A 2012 study made me feel better, suggesting that while the isolated tarragon chemical was toxic to human liver cells, full extracts of the leaves were not, so the whole food may contain compounds that counteract the toxic effects. I was going to leave it at that and not even do a video about it, but a 2013 study on human white blood cells reopened the question, finding that whole leaf tarragon extracts may have DNA damaging properties after all. I show the results of the comet test in my 3-min video The Safety of Tarragon.  For those scratching their heads over the significance of that red smudge, see my explanation of the comet tail test in Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids. The researchers postulate that tarragon does indeed appear to be mutagenic, however the current data is “not comprehensive enough to draw definitive conclusions regarding its potential risk to human health with sustained use.” “Nevertheless,” they warn, “future use of tarragon… should be undertaken with an awareness of the… potential toxicity.” So what have I taken away from all this? Well my family eats tarragon so rarely that it’s probably not going to change our intake at all, but if you’re a tarragon fanatic, I’d suggest moderating your intake and substituting another herb like a dash of fennel or anise seed, or chervil, all of which have a similar licorice-like tarragon taste. The only caveat I could find for chervil is that you probably shouldn’t pick it wild, as it bears a resemblance to an herb known all too well to Socrates (poison hemlock). For those that missed my last two videos on the safety of common spices, see Update on Cinnamon for Blood Sugar Control and Don’t Eat Too Much Nutmeg. This new tarragon finding reminds me a bit about the in vitro data raising questions about the safety of avocados (Are Avocados Bad for You?) that thankfully appeared to not translate out in a population study. I’ll keep an eye out for new data and post to the NutritionFacts.org Facebook page if I find anything. Meanwhile, there are a bunch of other reasons to avoid canned fish beyond just the potential tarragon extract toxicity: 	I was told by a family member that saw the Dr.Oz show today 12/3/13 that Tarragon can be used to treat ADHD- I didn’t get to see it so I don’t know how much to use. However I just happened to find your website and read that from what I understood from your site that tarragon can cause damage to DNA- can you tell me what the scoop is on the DR.OZ show. I have a 5 year old grand daughter that has ADHD and is on medicine but it isn’t strong enough, would like however to have her taking something that is all natural. ThanksLISA: You may find the following two videos to be of help:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/Personally, I haven’t had much luck with Dr. Oz. I know there is good information on that show at times, but the good stuff is so little and so mixed in with garbage (my personal opinion) and under-researched topics that I stopped watching long ago, even for entertainment value. It’s just so hard to watch knowing that people take the entertainment as medical advice.In the 2nd to last paragraph above, Dr. Greger wrote, “…if you’re a tarragon fanatic, I’d suggest moderating your intake and substituting another herb like a dash of fennel or anise seed….” What Dr. Greger might not know is that fennel seeds and anise seeds contain substantial amounts of the same cancer-causing phytochemical that tarragon leaves contain, namely, estragole: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EstragoleEstragole is similar to safrole, which also has been shown to cause cancer and is plentiful in black pepper and cinnamon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SafroleChavicol is similar to both estragole and safrole. Although chavicol has not been shown to cause cancer, chavicol is plentiful in betel nuts, which have definitely been shown to cause cancer in real populations of real people: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chavicol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betel_nuts	alcoholic beverages,anise seed,avocado,canned fish,carcinogens,chervil,comet tail test,Consumer Protection Scientific Committee on Food,DNA damage,fats,fennel,flavoring,mutagens,oils,spices,tarragon,The European Union’s Health,toxins,whole foods	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/any-update-on-the-scary-in-vitro-avocado-data/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21942448,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23010670,
PLAIN-173	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/31/nutmeg-toxicity/	Nutmeg Toxicity	The spice nutmeg appears to have a relatively narrow margin of safety. In my research on cinnamon I ran across a peculiar paper entitled “Christmas Gingerbread and Christmas Cheer: Review of the Potential Role of Mood Elevating Amphetamine-like Compounds.” The author suggested that certain natural constituents of spices such as nutmeg may form amphetamine compounds within the body “sufficient to elevate the mood and help provide some added Christmas cheer” during the holiday season. This hypothetical risk was raised as far back as the Sixties in the New England Journal of Medicine in an article called “Nutmeg Intoxication.” The paper pondered whether the age-old custom of adding nutmeg to eggnog arose from the psychopharmacological effects described in cases of nutmeg intoxication. Such cases evidently go back to the 1500s, when it was used as an abortifacient to induce a miscarriage and in the 1960s as a psychotropic drug. Mental health professionals from the ’60s concluded that while nutmeg “is much cheaper for use and probably less dangerous than the habit-forming heroin, it must be stated that it is not free from danger and may cause death.” The toxic dose of nutmeg is two to three teaspoons. I assumed no one would ever come close to that amount unintentionally until I saw report in which a couple ate some pasta, collapsed, and were subsequently hospitalized. It was a big mystery until “On close questioning, the husband revealed that he had accidentally added one third of a 30g spice jar of nutmeg to the meal whilst cooking it.” That’s about 4 teaspoons–I don’t know how they could have eaten it! I imagine the poor wife just trying to be polite. There are also potentially toxic compounds in certain types of cinnamon. See my video Update on Cinnamon for Blood Sugar Control. We can also overdo other healthful plant foods if we consume too much of the yellow curry spice turmeric, drink too much tea, or eat too much soy, too much seaweed, too many broccoli sprouts, and even too many raw cruciferous vegetables. The final video in this three part series on the latest on spice safety is The Safety of Tarragon. 	How do you feel about vinegar, both distilled or fermented. Is it harmful to the GI tract? It seems like a substance that was not “meant” to be ingested. Something about it seems so harsh, like it should be reserved for cleaning kitchen floors and toilets. Does anyone have any research or thoughts on this? I’ve seen the vinegar video but it doesn’t seem to address the science of whether or not vinegar causes harm to internal tissue. And it seems so man-made and industrial … not that that is always a bad thing.We both produce acetic acid endogenously and our ancestors have encountered it from fermented fruit for millions of years. Dilute acetic acid, in the form of vinegar, appears harmless, and it seems to have intriguing benefits for glycemic control:Östman, E., et al. “Vinegar supplementation lowers glucose and insulin responses and increases satiety after a bread meal in healthy subjects.”European journal of clinical nutrition 59.9 (2005): 983-988.Johnston, Carol S., et al. “Examination of the antiglycemic properties of vinegar in healthy adults.” Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 56.1 (2010): 74-79.Dr Greger has covered vinegar in a past video.Thank you for this info.Vinegar appears to be a perfectly healthy food. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/Is it OK to combine raw fruit with beans? I like to add pineapple chunks to my bowl of black beans but have read that fruit should always be consumed alone. Is there science to back this up? Also would like to know if it is proper to eat fruit with nuts. So many people online say food combining is important, and fruit and fat should be separated.Most “food combining” regimens don’t stand up to scientific scrutiny. As far as I can tell, the one that has some evidential basis is weight-loss diets where starches and proteins are eaten in separate meals, as protein – particularly animal protein – potentiates the insulin response to carbohydrate (1, 2, 3). Obviously, this wouldn’t apply to beans, which are already one-stop shops for protein, low-glycemic starch, fiber, and some useful phytochemicals. Nor would it apply to fruit & nuts (as fats have little immediate effect on insulin and fructose has a low glycemic index).Not to be too nit-picky, but a cup of black beans has a glycemic load of 19, and 20 is considered “high”. So that’s the high end of moderate and not low glycemic by any stretch.Processing has a big impact here. Canned beans have glycemic indices around 71, while slow-cooked dried beans have glycemic indices around 47 (source), not particularly high compared to bread (~85), baked potatoes (~98), or white rice (~75).The question for me is that, given the impracticallity of eating only green vegetables and fruit (too low in calorie density), my understanding that starch is the macronutrient category with the least adverse effects when consumed in excess of 10-15% of diet, what’s the most attractive form of starch from a disease-prevention/longevity standpoint. Beans, particularly lentils, are pretty attractive compared to other starch alternatives as staple fare, and their more moderate glycemic indices contribute to my opinion here.To be honest, glycemic indices are less interesting to me than insulin response and its crosstalk with IGF-I in cancer promotion. Lentils fare well here, too. Baked beans, not so much.I have mo argument with your interests in glycemic response, sometimes you may want a rapid response (recovery after a workout) and sometimes you may want a slow response. But glycemic index is only part of the equation, the glycemic load is more important. So while carrots are high glycemic index foods, the typical servings make for low glycemic loads. And though beams have a moderate glycemic index, the typical servings make for a relatively high glycemic load. Regardless of which you favor, if you believe it’s worth mentioning, than it clearly matters to you, and it makes sense to be accurate. FWIW, the same size serving of brown rice has a load of 21 which is only 2 points higher than the beans– and white rice is only 2 points higher than the brown.Darryl: Your comment about canned beans having a GI around 71 caught my attention. I like to use the “Self Nutrition Data” website to get nutrition information. Here’s a page showing canned beans having an estimated GI of 22:http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4295/2That’s a big difference from what you have seen for canned beans.I’m not saying your source is wrong. That’s a very interesting study. Just noting the size of the difference.One thing that Dr. Barnard pointed out in his book is that effects on blood sugar on healthy people are often very different than the effects on say people with diabetes. And I noticed that your study looked at people with type 2 diabetes. Their GI for dried beans was averaging 47, quite a bit higher than what we see for healthy people. So, maybe that explains some of the difference.Just talking here. Not arguing. I find it interesting.Thea, respectfully, glycemic index and glycemic load are different things. Please do a little more checking into that. It is the LOAD that self lists, not the index. The index is only one part of the formula, the serving size is the other. The index alone isn’t relevant, and the experts are not conflicted about the ratings at all, you are merely not educated about the difference between the two.You are right that I didn’t look closely at the words used. Thank you for the clarification.But my main points are still valid: 1) someone reading your original post might be scared off eating a cup of beans. 2) From what I can tell, one of the leading experts in this area has no problem with people eating a cup of beans. That’s the take-home point I want to make sure gets across.There are many leading experts that would advise against it as well, and there ate many people who SHOULD avoid foods that raise their blood sugar that much, especially considering that cup of beans usually sits beside a pile of grain or other food even higher glycemic load. But I’m not going to argue whether a ton of starch is a good thing or not, we all have to make our own choices. The point is that beans are high glycemic foods, and interestingly, canned beans are more nutritious because pressure cooking eliminates most traces of phytate and lectins, so unless you soak and pressure cook your own beans, the canned beans are more nutritious than home cooked, dried beans. Bottom line, accuracy matters in such things. It’s disingenuous to tell people that beans are low glycemic, some may have issues that require they stick to low glycemic foods, and it’s better to arm them with the facts and let THEM decide what’s right for their own bodies.Look closely, that’s a figure for glycemic load, which will vary by serving size.That cup of canned great northern beans has 55.1 g carbs, so NutritionData is using a glycemic index of 40 (a bit on the high side for beans using Harvard’s page).Glycemic indices should be higher in diabetics, but that was the best source I could find for the difference canning makes.Good point.While perhaps technically correct, I’m concerned that people reading Paleo’s comment will be misled. In the strictest sense, there are no doubt people who would “consider” a Glycemic Index (GI) level of 19 to be high. But such people are the Paleo/Atkins/Wheat Belly/Eat For Your Blood Type people who want to set up rules in such a way that whole plant food based eating is unhealthy by definition.To my knowledge there is no universally recognized system for defining what counts as low, medium and high GI levels. Humans are still trying to figure out how much GI even matters as a factor. Sure, it matters. But it is by no means the sole determining factor of a food’s health. The consideration of GI for health should be taking into context with other factors. (How much fat does the food have? What do we know about the health effects of the whole food? etc.)For the moment, we have to go by expert opinion on what counts as low, medium and high. Choose your experts carefully. On this topic, I can’t think of a better expert than Dr. Bernard who was in charge of a study that successfully, clinically reversed Type 2 diabetes in the study participants. In his book, “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes”, Dr. Barnard suggests the following general guidelines for interpreting the GI index of a food: 55 and below = low. 56 to 69 = medium. 70 and above = high.(But remember that Dr. Barnard also treats the GI index with the perspective that it deserves. Dr. Barnard would not recommend a food solely because it has a low GI. Nor would he tell people to shun carbohydrates just because such foods can push up blood sugar. Instead, Dr. Barnard lays out a range of dietary factors to consider and encourages people to work to reduce their body’s insulin resistance. Dr. Barnard tells us how in his book.)Dr. Barnard’s book has a lot more information about the GI index. There are several details you need to understand if you want to use the GI as even a partial indicator of healthy eating. I encourage everyone who is concerned about this topic to check out the book. What I can easily quote for anyone concerned about beans, “Beans and their relatives (lentils, peas) are always low GI.”According to Harvard Health Publications, a serving of black beans (150 grams) has a glycemic load of 7, which is low.http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htmHarvard’s table (which isn’t calculated by Harvard, but rather Fiona S. Atkinson, Kaye Foster-Powell, and Jennie C. Brand-Miller) measured DRAINED beans. The measure I gave includes the cooking water (which is typically how folks eat beans). So yes, if you cook the beans and you throw away the water that contains a good amount of the original starch content, you’ll have lower glycemic load beans. As further evidence of this, RAW black beans have a glycemic load of 19-28. (1/3 cup to 1/2 cup) Black beans expand 2-3 times their raw volume when soaked and cooked. So if you’re truly about the “whole food” (WFPB) then you need to include the cooking water (that contains part of the food) in your analysis as well.No, it is not based on sound science. Food combining is a myth. Mix and match all that you please! You can intensify the antioxidants of certain foods with combining, such as turmeric with black pepper. Other then that, it will never harm you.When it comes to vinegar I can tell you first hand that it is pretty much safe. I received 5 QTS of Braggs from a tractor trailer accident and No kidding drank a quart in 5 days. Every morning a had a couple of big gulps of it. Before heading out. When the weekend hit, I was mowing the lawn and was sweating and no joke. I smelled like vinegar, as far as weight loss. Did not lose a pound from drinking it.You drank 5 quarts, or 1 quart in 5 days?1 quart in 5 days.I took enough nutmeg to trip. You don’t die from it unless its too much for your kidneys. Which is more than what this article suggests. I had two to three tablespoons. I am alive. Erowid.org if you don’t know about substances little ones.its a wonder the nanny state has neglected the poison label on my nutmeg jar!back in 1984, after reading in ‘the autobiography of malcom x” of prisoners taking nutmeg to get high, i tried it a # of times.the first time i tried it, my eyes became two red slits—not bloodshot, but red slits.last time was in 2006, with a visit to hospital for possible gallbladder attack, though i also ate a whole pizza by myself that same day.Interesting!A friend of mine ate 3-5 Nutmeg seeds (You buy them in a supermarket, small round tube.)… Anyway, he ate them around 12:30am and went to bed, when he woke up he had a rapid heart beat,felt extremely extremely sick, headache to the fullest, etc. He managed to get up to go the toilet and his eyes were puffed out of his head, white face,etc. He found it hard to walk,and was extremely dizzy and felt ate poison. He drank water and went back to bed and tried to get to sleep (it was also very hard to get to sleep but it was the only thing he could do) This went on for 3 FULL DAYS, 3 days of being like this. Around the 2nd day he drank apple juice and puked up, he felt about 20% better but still extremely awful. He slept/staid in bed for the 3 days. He was unable to read or do anything. Awful awful stuff.Again: Nutmeg is NO way a fun experience, it has nothing good to it. Even months after and still having the sick and weird feeling even thinking about nutmeg.	abortifacient,amphetamine,Christmas,holidays,margin of safety,mood elevating compounds,mortality,nutmeg,nutmeg intoxication,psychopharmacological effects,psychotropic drugs,toxins	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13942169,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16007907,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=search&term=nutmeg%20unusual%20overdose,
PLAIN-174	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/	Cinnamon for Diabetes	The use of cinnamon to help treat diabetes remains controversial. We know that cinnamon is so good at controlling one’s blood sugar that you can cheat on a diabetes test by consuming two teaspoons of cinnamon the night before your glucose tolerance test. That’s where they make you drink some sugar water to see how well your body can keep your blood sugar levels under control, and if you eat those two teaspoons right when the test starts or 12 hours before you can significantly blunt the spike. Even a teaspoon a day appears to make a significant difference. A review of the best studies done to date found that the intake of cinnamon by type 2 diabetics or prediabetics does lower their blood glucose significantly. So what’s the controversy? Well, as I described in my video The Safer Cinnamon, cassia cinnamon, also known as Chinese cinnamon (probably what you’re getting at the store if it just says “cinnamon”) contains a compound called coumarin which may be toxic to the liver at high doses. Originally the concern was mainly for kids during Christmas-time where they might get an above average exposure, but more recently some researchers suggest that kids just sprinkling some cassia cinnamon on their oatmeal a few times a week might exceed the recommended safety limit. As you can see in my 5-min video Update on Cinnamon for Blood Sugar Control just a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon a few times a week may be too much for little kids, and if they’re eating that cinnamon-sprinkled oatmeal more like every day they can bump up against the limit for adults. So a teaspoon a day of cassia cinnamon might be too much for anyone, but can’t we just switch from cassia cinnamon to Ceylon cinnamon and get the benefits without the potential risks? Without the risks, yes, but we’re no longer so sure about the benefits. Nearly all of the studies showing blood sugar benefits of cinnamon have been done on cassia. We’ve just assumed that the same would apply for the safer cinnamon, Ceylon, but only recently was it put to the test. That nice blunting of blood sugars we saw in response to cassia cinnamon disappeared when the researchers tried Ceylon cinnamon instead.  In fact, it may actually be the potentially toxic coumarin that was the active ingredient in the cassia cinnamon all along. Thus, sidestepping the toxin by switching may sidestep the benefit. So should we just give up on going out of our way to add cinnamon to our diet? No, I think it’s still a good idea to shoot for a teaspoon a day of Ceylon cinnamon since there are a bunch of other benefits linked to cinnamon besides blood sugar control, not the least of which is it’s potent antioxidant content (as I show in my one of my favorite videos Antioxidants in a Pinch). In my Superfood Bargains video, where I rank foods in terms of antioxidants per unit cost, cinnamon comes out as one of the cheapest food sources of antioxidants, beating out cloves and coming in just under purple cabbage. What about the Oxalates in Cinnamon? Not a problem, but the oxalates in too much turmeric may be a concern. As you’re making a Healthy Pumpkin Pie with all that cinnamon, don’t accidentally add too much nutmeg, though, the subject of my follow-up video Don’t Eat Too Much Nutmeg. Ultimately cinnamon can no longer be considered a safe and effective treatment for diabetes. Either you’re using cassia cinnamon, and it’s effective, but may not be safe, or you’re using Ceylon cinnamon, which is safe, but does not appear effective. Note that even the cassia cinnamon only brought down blood sugars modestly (in other words, only as good as the leading diabetes drug in the world, metformin, sold as Glucophage). So yes, it may work as good as the leading drug, but that’s not saying much. The best way to treat diabetes is to attempt to cure it completely, reversing diabetes with a healthy diet.  Books I would recommend (in order of publication) are Defeating Diabetes, Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes, and The End of Diabetes. I talk more about the potential potency of plants in general in Power Plants and more about spices in particular in videos such as: Amla Versus Diabetes explores the use of Indian gooseberries as a way to help control blood sugar, though, again, the best way to deal with diabetes is to prevent and treat it with a healthy diet. 	Nice article Doc. Reminds me of other natural elements like arsenic that are toxic or therapudic depending on dosageDear Doctor G. Love you dude, don’t ever stop. One suggestion, please label your postings, like this one, as re-post (unchanged), revised (updated), or new. This way I will know that I’m not having a seizure (deja vu), but rather just reading something important, again.It seems like he may be intentionally trying to have each “blog” as a video and as an article. I think it’s nice to reiterate some older points.I understand that cinnamon can cause your platelet count to go down. If you have a low platelet count, this could be dangerous.Thank you for this life-transforming and energizing site, Dr. Gregger! Our friends and we use Cost Co’s Saigon Cinnamon and cannot find any called Ceylon. Any new tests to see if Saigon is OK? Any tips for online or Marin County CA sources?Hey Gayle,If you would like to purchase locally, Whole Foods sells Organic Ceylon (a.k.a. “True” or Sweet) Cinnamon for $22.99-24.99/lb in the bulk section where all the herbs and spices are located. If you would like to purchase online, Vitacost, MountainRoseHerbs, and Amazon may be a few options to check out.Thank you, Minh! I had been told Whole Foods did not have Ceylon! I should have looked to verify. Thank you for your help!Hi Dr Greger, Do you have a way to donate directly through Paypal without logging into Google? The donation setup makes me a little nervous.Hey Phil,Click “Donate” at the top of the NutritionFacts.org homepage. Then, click where it says “click here” under the Donations & Tax Receipts on the right side. From this webpage, you have the choice of either logging into your PayPal account or using a credit card to donate (at the bottom left where it says “Don’t have a PayPal account?”). Hope this helps!going vegan a year ago got rid of my diabetes, so i know your massage is correct, thanks for all your hard work.I have seen studies saying that it is only the cassia that has the blood sugar lowering ability and not the other!Exactly! But cassia is the one that is harmful. Cons outweigh the pros for Cassia. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/Please note that coumarin, the toxic component in cassia cinnamon, is oil soluable. Simply preparing cassia cinnamon as a tea (hot water infusion) will leave the bad stuff behind, and preserve the benefits. Just use a mini-coffe maker, with a non-bleached paper filter, put a teaspoon of cassia right in the filter section, and enjoy. Sometimes simple solutions (pun!) can be best.Good article. I like the angle of the discussion focusing on the two kinds of cinnamon which is seldom discussed in other posts	antioxidants,blood sugar,cassia cinnamon,Ceylon cinnamon,children’s health,Chinese cinnamon,cinnamon,coumarin,diabetes,Glucophage,glucose tolerance,Indian gooseberries,liver,liver disease,liver health,metformin,nutmeg,oxalates,plant-based diet,toxins,vegan,vegetarian,youth health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=search&term=cinnamon+intake+lowers+meta,
PLAIN-175	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	Diet and Cellulite	Two theories about the build-up of subcutaneous fat, involving the chemical spermine and the hormone adiponectin, suggest a plant-based diet may help with cellulite. Gynoid lipodystrophy, known colloquially as cellulite, is the orange peel-type or cottage cheese-like dimpling of the skin on the thighs and tushes of the majority of women. Since it basically results from excess fat storage, attention has turned to spermine and spermidine as potential culprits, since a study found that rubbing a spermine-trapping molecule on one’s thighs apparently results in a significant drop in thigh volume, circumference, and cellulite scores. Spermine was first discovered in human semen back in the 1600s, but only recently quantified in food. The top sources in the American diet were found to be ground meat and lunch meat such as ham, turkey, bologna and salami; green peas, which are also the primary source of spermidine; and cheese such as American and cheddar. So would eating some cheesey peesey meat casserole make cellulite worse? It’s never been tested, but if it did, that could be one of the mechanisms. The reason the food study was funded by the National Cancer Institute is because of a concern that this whole class of compounds may increase cancer risk. For example, polyamine intake was recently associated with increased risk of colorectal polyps. For more on the adverse health effects associated with the intake of “biogenic amines” (chemical compounds of decay such as spermine and cadaverine) see my videos New Corpse Smell and Carcinogenic Putrescine. The other cellulite theory has to do with the hormone adiponectin. If you biopsy the fat in the gluteal region of women with and without cellulite, there seems to be less adiponectin expression in the cellulitic butt fat, so maybe adiponectin is protective. How do you keep adiponectin levels from dropping? Don’t eat a sausage and egg breakfast, which a study showed can lead to a drop in levels within hours (compared to a vegetarian meal). Additionally, switching to a vegetarian diet appears to increase adiponectin levels 19 percent. A meat-free, egg-free diet of vegetables, grains, beans, fruits, and nuts with animal products limited to a maximum of one portion of low fat yogurt a day was compared to the conventional diabetic diet. Though all study participants in both groups were made to eat the same number of calories, the vegetable-heavy group lost more weight, lost more waist, lost more cholesterol, more subQ fat, and more belly fat. The subcutaneous fat is what makes up cellulite, so a plant-based diet could potentially decrease cellulite, but we won’t know for sure until it’s experimentally tested directly. Watch my 3-min video Can Cellulite Be Treated With Diet? to see the graphs. Ideally, you want to keep your Waist Circumference Less Than Half Your Height. If you’re having trouble with abdominal fat, check out my videos: 	I would have to agree I’m a Nutritionist and I have put a few of my clients on a lower animal product eating plan and they have had great results of cellulite showing less.I developed some cellulite around my ass area, although it goes away when I pull on my skin a little , so maybe it are more stretchmarks? Anyway, you only see it in certain lighting and it came about when I was an omnivore. But even after 10 years of being a vegan with the diet described on this website which is healthiest, its still the same.Hi Ann are you on a low fat vegan diet? 10% or less of your diet?I used to be but that diet made me sicker and sicker, it also fucked up my blood. My total protein became too high and my glucose too low. I normally never had any problems like that. So I lowered fruit intake, upped healthy fat intake to about 15-20%, more vegetables and cooked food, and I cured all my complaints, even my eczema.If you are referring to the 80/10/10 diet I am very curious how your total protein became too high and your glucose too low, when the diet is a low protein and high carb diet. If anything it should have lowered your protein levels and increased your glucose levels. Strange? Any how I am glad you are OK and I wonder if your higher fat intake is what stops you from being able to get rid of the cellulite.Yes 80/10/10 specifically the fruitarian one. I am also curious how that could happen :S. Never in my life had I experienced that, and after I stopped the fruit diet my blood returned to normal. It happened both the times I went to take a bloodtest while on fruitarian diet.I know someone who eats quite some fat and has 0 cellulite so I don’t think it has anything to do with the fat, maybe more of a hormonal thing. It however doesnt botter me since its not really visible anyway, just in certain shades. But I dont mind.I wonder if your case has anything to do with the hormone adiponectin referred to in this post?Speaking of hormones, I have had elevated androgen levels since being about 15 and also my testosterone is quite high. It remains high no matter what I do with my diet, even on the fruitarian diet. I was tested for PCOS and I don’t have it.The fruitarian diet is not the healthiest approach. Dr. McDougall’s starch based diet is highly satiating and is base on sound science. It is also very low fat.I eat a higher carb diet, with lots of starch but I do eat abit higher fat which I seem to do better with. I think everyone has to experiment and find out for themselves.Very good advice! I tried it already and it works!I have been a vegetarian for 35 years and I have plenty of cellulite. While I love promoting plant-based diets for many important reasons, I don’t think reducing cellulite will be one of them.Hi Denise are you on a low fat vegan diet? 10% or less of your diet?Denise I have to say that I agree with you their. I’ve been plant-based now for 6 years and my cellulite is no different than when I started! Boy I wish it was that easy to get rid of it! lolLosing fat… common goal for many of my patients and most of the physicians I know. If you have been following NutritionFacts.org you know there are many factors and of course the media and diet industry adds new found layers of confusion on a regular basis. I have found two resources to be valuable for long term success. First, Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density: Eat More, Weigh Less and Live longer. Can be ordered off his website. The second is Doug Lisle’s presentation, How to Lose Weight without losing your mind.. which can be ordered off John McDougall’s website or one version is available for free on YouTube. It is a journey and by keeping calorie density low enough given relative activity and exercise you can achieve your goals.Yes I agree. I have started to be much more careful. If I eat out and have a large meal, next day I eat much less. I also take the stairs wherever I go and park in the furthest possible parking space to walk to a store. Every single calorie counts. If I exercise, I do not use it as an excuse to load more calories – that would be overcompensation and defeat one of the purposes of exercise. We tend to store fat in certain areas of the body, which differs greatly between individuals, but the calorie in calorie out model works very well. Also, avoiding very caloric foods helps too.I’m sure this article was fascinating but I couldn’t get past the third paragraph without vomiting. Shame.It would be great to do a video or article on spider/varicose vein treatment/prevention through diet and lifestyle, since most women and some men have them later in life and they can also be considered a lifestyle disease. I would say it is an even more ”important” (and visible) esthetic problem than cellulite, because it is more visible and can be associated with other vascular disease.It would be great to do a video or article on spider/varicose vein treatment/prevention through diet and lifestyle, since most women and some men have them later in life and they can also be considered a lifestyle disease. I would say it is an even more ”important” (and visible) esthetic problem than cellulite, because it can be associated with other vascular disease.	abdominal fat,adiponectin,belly fat,biogenic amines,bologna,cellulite,cheese,cholesterol,colorectal polyps,fat storage,ground meat,gynoid lipodystrophy,ham,healthy weight,meat,nutrient-dense,pease,plant-based diet,polyamine,salami,spermidine,spermine,subcutaneous fat,turkey,vegan,vegetarian,waistline,weight loss,weight management	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21480966,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20807262,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14668275,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17524725,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648715,
PLAIN-176	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/22/big-food-wants-final-say-over-health-reports/	Industry Influence on Our Dietary Guidelines	The story behind the first U.S. dietary guidelines explains why, to this day, the decades of science supporting a more plant-based diet have yet to fully translate into public policy. George McGovern, who died last year at age 90, was best known for his presidential defeat to Richard Nixon, but he also chaired a committee that released the first dietary guidelines in January 1977. From the press conference of their release: The simple fact is our diets have changed radically in the last 50 years with very harmful effects on our health. These dietary changes represent as great a threat to public health as smoking. The diet of the American people has become increasingly rich –rich in meat and other sources of saturated fat and cholesterol and sugar. Most all of the health problems underlying the leading causes of death in the United States could be modified by improvements in diet…. Ischemic heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension are the diseases that kill us. They are epidemic in our population. We cannot afford to temporize. The public wants some guidance, wants to know the truth, and hopefully today we can lay the cornerstone for the building of better health for all Americans through better nutrition. Dr. Hegsted, a founding member of Harvard’s nutrition department that spoke at the press conference, later recounted in an interview, “The meat, milk and egg producers were very upset.” And they weren’t the only ones. The president of the International Sugar Research Foundation called the report “unfortunate and ill-advised,” all evidently part of an “emotional anti-sucrose [table sugar] tidal wave.”  From the official record: “Simply stated, people like sweet things, and apparently the McGovern Committee believes that people should be deprived of what they like. There is a puritanical streak in certain Americans that leads them to become ‘do-gooders.’” You can see all the quotes in my video The McGovern Report. The president of the Salt Institute felt that there was “definitely” no need for a dietary goal that called for the reduction of salt consumption. In fact, the assertion that “improved nutrition may cut the nation’s health bill by one third” was challenged. He tried to explain that healthcare expenditures increase if the lifespan is prolonged. If people live longer because they eat healthier it could be more expensive. As one researcher pointed out, “If tobacco were banned the increase in the expected lifespan would simultaneously increase the cost of care of old people which comes under the category of healthcare expenditures.” If people eat healthier we might have more old people to take care of! The National Dairy Council likewise recommended the dietary goals be withdrawn and reformulated to have the “endorsement of the food industry.” So as soon as Häagen-Dazs says they’re okay? The two industries that went the most ballistic, though, were the meat and egg producers who demanded additional hearings be held. The president of the American National Cattlemen’s Association described why the industry “reacted rather violently,” complaining that meat is never mentioned in a positive way in the guidelines. The only mentions of meat were those associating meat consumption with various degenerative diseases. “If these dietary goals are moved forward and promoted in the present form…entire sectors of the food industry (meat, dairy, sugar, and others) may be so severely damaged that when it is realized that the dietary guidelines are ill-advised, as surely will be the discovery, recovery may be out of reach.” “Thus guided by my conscience,” said the president of the National Livestock and Meat Board, “I am certain that actions of the animal industries to ensure Americans are properly fed with abundant meat and other animal foods is an honorable and morally correct diet course.” The meat industry recommended the committee withdraw the dietary guidelines and issue a corrected report. They especially didn’t like guideline #2 to decrease meat consumption to lower saturated fat intake. Senator Dole—Kansas Senator Dole— offered to have that amended from decrease consumption of meat to instead “Increase consumption of lean meat.” “Would that taste better to you?” he asked the president of the cattlemen’s association, who replied, “Decrease is a bad word, senator.” By the end of the year, a revised version was released. Guideline #2 was changed to “Choose meats, poultry, and fish which will reduce saturated fat intake.” That wasn’t enough for the meat industry. They wanted the whole committee on nutrition eliminated completely and its functions turned over to the agriculture committee. The New York Times, noting that the Agriculture Committee looks after the producers of food, editorialized that this would be like “sending the chickens off to live with the foxes.” And that’s what happened. The Senate Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs got disbanded. McGovern never gave up the fight, though. When an interviewer confronted him with the Serenity Prayer’s “grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,” McGovern rejected the notion, saying: “I keep trying to change them.” This story of the first dietary guidelines gets at a fundamental issue that I raised previously in another of my favorite videos, The Tomato Effect. If the data are so strong and consistent that a plant-based diet can not only prevent and treat but cure our number one killer (not to mention play a role in helping with 14 of our other top 15 leading causes of death), why isn’t it not only the treatment of choice but also incorporated into the official federal dietary guidelines (as is the case to a small but wildly successful degree in countries like Finland)? 	The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Corporate Sponsors, as if The USDA misleading us isn’t enough http://www.eatright.org/corporatesponsors/the only point I don’t get is the claim that Americans’ meat consumption has gone up. I don’t think that is the case at all. Most Americans eat a whole-grain, carb-heavy breakfast. Maybe they get some meat on a sandwich with a side of chips for lunch. Then some meat at dinner after snacking on more carbs, then more carbs after dinner in the form of sugar/snacks. The only people eating bacon and eggs for breakfast are the Paleos, and they are in good health (so far). Just saying the “fact” of meat consumption going up per person never made sense to me because I don’t see it overall.Ever hear of Atkins. Although the last few years, meat consumption has started to fall off after reaching an all time high in 2005.The decline to 224 pounds per person, retail weight, marks the fourth decline in a row and fifth in the past six years. Total meat, poultry and fish consumption peaked in 2004 at 237.5 pounds. That year, of course, was the high-water mark for high protein diets such as the Atkins diet and was within two years of the 60th birthdays of the first of the Baby Boomer generation.http://www.dailylivestockreport.com/documents/dlr%202-2-2011.pdfIf Atkins or Paleo were such great diet plans, you would think that Americans would be healthier than the rest of the world since we eat more animal meat per capita than any other country in the world. The reality is that while Atkins may work as a short term weight loss program, it is unsustainable in the long run because the body normally runs on glucose and cannot stay in a state of ketosis permanently. Therefore, all Atkins adherents eventually go back to eating carbs along with their heart attack incuding, cancer causing, diabetes prone animal consumption. I know from personal experience having eaten Atkins until I got so sick I “regressed” back to being a carb eater.Now I eat a whole foods, plant based diet. And I feel better than I have ever felt in my life with my energy levels going through the roof and the fat coming off and staying off my body.I have never gone on Atkins but from what I have heard and read staying in a state of ketosis permanently isn’t the goal.Atkins is one of the worst diets to put your body through. Diets comparing low carb with higher carb diets all show negative outcomes with the low carb.Low-Fat Versus Low-Carbohydrate Weight Reduction DietsEffects on Weight Loss, Insulin Resistance, and Cardiovascular Risk: A Randomized Control TrialThis study looked at 24 people who were overweight/obese and divided them into 2 groups. One group was low carb, high fat and the other high carb, low fat.High carb group: 20% calories from fat/60% calories from carbsLow carb group: 60% calories from fat/20% calories from carbsIn addition, the study was designed so that participants would lose 1 pound per week, so calories were reduced by 500 per day.Volunteers were given pre weighed foods given as daily portions and were assessed by a dietician to make sure that they were adhering to the diet. After 8 weeks, this is what was found to be significant between the two groups. The low carb, high fat group experienced arterial stiffness which basically means impaired arterial function. What this means is that the people on this diet experienced low grade inflammation which can lead to the growth of atherosclerotic lesions and can become heart disease. “It is possible that the high fat content of a low-carbohydrate diet exerts detrimental effects on endothelial function, which raises concerns regarding the long-term safety and efficacy of low-carbohydrate diets…Currently, supported by evidence from long-term trials, we believe that a low-fat diet should remain the preferred diet for diabetes prevention.”http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/58/12/2741.longBenefit of Low-Fat Over Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Endothelial Health in Obesity20 subjects participated in this study. “The [low carb] diet provided 20 g of carbohydrates daily, supplemented with protein and fat content according to the Atkins’ diet recommendation.19 The [low fat] diet provided 30% of the calories as fat, modeled after an American Heart Association diet.” I wouldn’t exactly call the low fat diet “low fat”, but regardless, its far less fat then the low carb diet. Both groups were given 750 calories less with pre made meals so they would stick with the protocol.After 6 weeks, there were significant differences between the low carb and the low fat group. The researchers performed a brachial artery test which basically tests to see if arterial function is impaired or not. Typically, the arm is cut off from circulation for about 5 min., then they release the arm, and measure how dilated the blood vessels are. If the blood vessels are constricted, it represents arterial impairment whereas dilation indicates good arterial health.On week 2 of the diet, both low carb and low fat groups had poor arterial health and were not significantly different, but by week 6, those on the low carb diet had far worse arterial health then before, and those eating low fat had far better.This again shows that this type of diet is promoting heart disease risk.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702133/Low-carbohydrate diets and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: Two cohort StudiesThis study group gathered a larger segment of the population and included “85,168 women (aged 34-59 years at baseline) and 44,548 men (aged 40-75 years at baseline) without heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.”The researchers look at both low carb diets that were plant based and low carb diets that were animal based. Here is what they found.Low carb/animal based:Higher all cause mortality risk Higher risk of heart disease Higher cancer riskWeaker associations were found with the low carb/plant based diets.“In our two cohorts of U.S. men and women with up to 20-26 years of follow-up, we observed that the overall low-carbohydrate diet score was only weakly associated with all-cause mortality. However, a higher animal low-carbohydrate diet score was associated with higher all-cause and cancer mortality, while a higher vegetable low-carbohydrate score was associated with lower mortality, particularly CVD mortality.”“These results suggest that the health effects of a low-carbohydrate diet may depend on the type of protein and fat, and that a diet including mostly vegetable sources of protein and fat is preferable to a diet with mostly animal sources of protein and fat.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989112/Low carbohydrate-high protein diet and incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Swedish women: prospective cohort studyAnother study performed in Europe examined another large population.Participants From a random population sample, 43396 Swedish women, aged 30-49 years at baseline, completed an extensive dietary questionnaire and were followed-up for an average of 15.7 years.Its interesting to note that like many other studies, “several well known patterns are evident, including the reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases with increasing level of education and physical activity and the increased risk with tobacco smoking and history of hypertension.”The authors also point out that “Although low carbohydrate-high protein diets may be nutritionally acceptable if the protein is mainly of plant origin and the reduction of carbohydrates applies mainly to simple and refined ones, the general public do not always recognise and act on these qualifications.” Which is basically saying that complex carbohydrates from plant sources or even simple sugars from fruits are not comparable with processed carbohydrates such as white flour, added sugars and other processed carbohydrate based foods such as deserts.The aim of the study was to look at the relationship with heart disease risk and low carb diets. They used a scoring system based on how much protein and carbohydrates were consumed. The scores ranged from 2-20. A score of 2 indicated high carbohydrate and low protein whereas a score of 20 indicates low carbohydrate and high protein.What the researchers found was that as the score increased, there was an increased rate of heart disease as demonstrated by table 3.“In practical terms, and taking into account the rough correspondence in the ranking of energy adjusted and crude tenths of intake, a 20 g decrease in daily carbohydrate intake and a 5 g increase in daily protein intake would correspond to a 5% increase in the overall risk of cardiovascular disease.”“With respect to the biomedical plausibility of our findings, vegetables, fruits, cereals, and legumes, which have been found in several studies to be core components of healthy dietary patterns,34 35 are important sources of carbohydrates, so that reduced intake of these food groups is likely to have adverse effects on cardiovascular health. Moreover, several studies have reported that meat consumption or high intake of protein from animal sources may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3383863/Low-carbohydrate–high-protein diet and long-term survival in a general population cohortAnother European cohort study examined data from 2,944 Greeks. The aim of the study was to see whether low carb diets had a strong relationship with all cause mortality. The study notes that low carb diets are popular for weight loss, but they also note that other diets such as zone, weight watchers and the Ornish diet as well as the Atkins diet all produced similar weight loss after 1 year. “It is, thus, of considerable interest, to examine whether prolonged consumption of LC/HP diets is compatible with long-term health.”Here is what the study classified as low carbohydrate: 20% carbs, 25% protein, 55% fatHere is what is classified as high carbohydrate: 50% carbohydrate, 10% protein and 40% fat.Although both diets are very high fat when compared to a healthier, lower fat diet, we are examining the effect of reducing carbohydrate consumption. It is also important to note that we also don’t know what the majority of the carbohydrate sources were, as they could be highly processed. Nonetheless, here are the results.In all model tests performed in the study, low carbohydrate/high protein diets had a strong positive relationship with mortality. Models 1 and 2 did not control for calories.Model 1: “increasing protein intake was significantly associated with total mortality, whereas increasing carbohydrate intake was associated with nonsignificant reduction of this mortality.”Model 2: “the [low carb, high protein] score (absolute values) was positively associated with mortality, although the association did not reach statistical significance”Models 3 and 4 controlled for calories, but model 3 did not control for complimentary changes in calories when either protein or carbohydrates are reducedModel 3: “mortality was significantly associated with reduction of energy-adjusted carbohydrate intake and nonsignificantly with increasing protein intake.”Model 4 shows the most compelling results as it accounted for calories and changes in the low carb, high protein score were unrelated to caloric intake.Model 4: “In this model, increasing LC/HP score was significantly associated with mortality… It is worth noting that in all these models mortality tends to be inversely associated with intake of unsaturated lipids and positively, although not always significantly, with saturated lipids.What they find from this data is that “an increase of protein intake by about 15 g/day and a decrease of carbohydrate intake by about 50 g/day) was associated with a 22% increase in overall mortality”“In conclusion, we have found evidence that dietary patterns that indiscriminate focus on low intake of carbohydrates in general and high intake of proteins in general, and reflect diets that have been frequently recommended for weight reduction, may be associated with increased total mortality if they are pursued for extended periods.”http://folk.ntnu.no/lyngbakk/artikler/trichopoulou.pdfLow carbohydrate, high fat diet increases C-reactive protein during weight loss.Unfortunately, I was unable to find the full text of this study so it is difficult for me to view the details and all I can do is base my conclusions of the study based on the abstract which is not something I like to do. Regardless, the study revealed a very interesting finding. It showed that when subjects of the study went on a low carb, high protein diet for 4 weeks, they had a 25% increase in C-reactive protein. C-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation which basically means that this group of people were promoting the development of a chronic disease. In contrast, the high carbohydrate subjects decreased their levels of C-reactive protein by 48%.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17536128Low carbohydrate–high protein diet and mortality in a cohort of Swedish womenWe go back to the Swedish cohort study and examine overall mortality as opposed to just cardiovascular risk. The study looked at 42,237 women for 12 years. What they found was this, the higher the protein intake, the higher the mortality and inversely with carbohydrate intake. The higher the fat, both saturated and unsaturated, the higher the mortality rate. And most importantly, the authors note, higher mortality was not correlated with energy intake. The authors note “Increased protein intake and decreased carbohydrate intake appear to be equally unfavourable for cardiovascular mortality”The data shows that both heart disease and cancer rates increase when consuming a lower carb, high protein diet.“After fine controlling for all assessed mortality risk factors that could act as confounding variables, as well as for total energy and saturated fat intake, women with lower intake of total carbohydrates and higher intake of total proteins, in comparison to those with higher intake of total carbohydrates and lower intake of total proteins, had significantly higher total mortality and, in particular, cardiovascular mortality.”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2796.2007.01774.x/fullComparative Effects of Three Popular Diets on Lipids, Endothelial Function, and C-Reactive Protein during Weight MaintenanceThis study is quite interesting. It examined 18 adults aged 20 or over for 6 months. The aim of the study was to examine their health when on 3 diets, the Atkins diet (high fat, low carb), the South beach diet (Mediterranean) and the Ornish diet (low fat, high carb). They found no significant differences between the 3 diets in terms of calories consumed.They found higher LDL in the Atkins diet and lower LDL in the low fat Ornish diet. They also found significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein in the atkins diet as opposed to the Ornish diet. What was also found was that the atkins diet had poor results for the Brachial Artery test which again shows impaired arterial function. “High saturated fat intake may adversely impact lipids and endothelial function during weight maintenance. As such, popular diets such as Atkins may be less advantageous for CHD risk reduction when compared to the Ornish and South Beach diets”http://engine2diet.com/usrfiles/files/publishedstudies/obesity/comparative-effects-of-3-diets.pdfIt is interesting to note that TOTAL cholesterol decreased on an ornish diet including HDL, and that the triglycerides increased on an Ornish diet.A review examining 108 randomized control trials found this.“This systematic review and meta-regression analysis of 108 randomised controlled trials using lipid modifying interventions did not show an association between treatment mediated change in high density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths whenever change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol was taken into account. We found a statistically significant, substantial association between change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths”“Our findings contribute to accumulating evidence that simply increasing the amount of circulating high density lipoprotein cholesterol does not necessarily confer cardiovascular benefits”They also note that HDL that is dysfunctional and pro inflammatory may be produced under certain dietary conditions, “recent data suggest that a low fat, high fibre diet, in combination with exercise, converts high density lipoprotein cholesterol from a pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory state.”Conclusion: “Available data suggest that simply increasing the amount of circulating high density lipoprotein cholesterol does not reduce the risk of coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths. The results support reduction in low density lipoprotein cholesterol as the primary goal for lipid modifying interventions.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2645847/Another study examining the effects the different lipids in terms of heart disease risk found that “triglyceride concentration was not independently related with CHD risk after controlling for HDL-C, non–HDL-C, and other standard risk factors, including null findings in women and under nonfasting conditions.21,22 Hence, for population-wide assessment of vascular risk, triglyceride measurement provides no additional information about vascular risk given knowledge of HDL-C and total cholesterol levels, although there may be separate reasons to measure triglyceride concentration (eg, prevention of pancreatitis).”http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=184863It may not be the goal, but that is inevitably the state our body goes into when deprived of carbs, and ketosis is the very state that causes people on Atkins to lose weight.The typical American diet is not based on whole grains, but refined grains. The bare minimum requirements for Americans is to consume 50% of the grains from whole grain sources, and they typically do not reach this. Eggs, meat, and dairy are central to the standard American diet. The paleo diet is an excuse to continue eating animal based foods, guilt free. http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/changing_american_diet_13.pdfInteresting. Look at all that cheese we eat. Yikes!2 slices of wheat bread have a higher glycemic load than a comparable serving of a Snickers candy bar. Changing to whole wheat doesn’t change the result much.http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htmGrains also contain phytates which are anti-nutrients as well as proteins like gluten among others.I wouldn’t trust CSPi either. They get on the latest food fad creating a scare which gives them self-serving relevance. They campaigned against coconut oil with baseless scare-mongering causing people to shift to truly horrendous trans fat margarines. With health advocates like that who needs junk food purveyors?Phytates double as antioxidants, and are also eliminated with cooking. I fail to see the issue.Lets put Glycaemic load into context, “The associations of dietary GI and GL with diabetes risk should be interpreted by considering nutritional correlates, as foods may have different properties that affect risk.” Eating health promoting foods will not lead to chronic disease. Whole wheat bread has strong associations with disease, and you will never find a study linking whole grains to chronic disease. http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251Coconut oil is not a health food, it is pure fat. It lacks any appreciable amounts of vitamins and minerals. It does not contain fiber, and is 91% saturated fat. Stick with the whole coconut, not the oil. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2012/highlights25Meat consumption per capita in the US peaked a few years ago at 1.8x the rate in the early 1900’s, according to this link (EPI citing USDA).Emm our portions of meat has gone up as a country. Americans also eat a ton of carbs. Instead of having a 3 oz steaks Americans eat a 8-16 oz steak with a meal along with the heavy carb load. This is how they calculate the increased meat consumption.Dr Greger! You and me both. I am speaker no. 28 in front of the DGAC. I am waiting for the rescheduled date.Angry and fired up by what you read? Being vegan is so much easier than you think, esp. when you have a personal veggie coach showing you the moves! Check it: http://www.veryvegelicious.comI have seen various articles over the last year or so that imply or state that saturated fats are not so bad for us. The latest one is from a british cardiologist saying that butter is not so bad http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/top-heart-doctor-unprocessed-fatty-foods-may-actually-be-good-for-you-8897707.html Is butter bad, good or somewhere in-between?This would have to overthrow nearly a hundred years of research linking saturated fat and cholesterol with heart disease.Studies can be misconstrued by even seemingly well informed doctors for their own gains.Studies such as this one are constantly promoted within this community of saturated fat deniers.“Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the associationof saturated fat with cardiovascular disease”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/535.full.pdf+htmlThis Meta-analysis looked at 21 different studies, and came to the conclusion that “there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD [heart disease].”Shared by Jeff Novick:One major problem with this study is they did not look at any studies where the saturated fat intake was less than 7%, which is the level recommended by the American Heart Association. Most of the diets had saturated fat intakes in the range of 10-15% (or more).So, just like the studies that criticize “low fat” diets, but never analyze any diet that is truly low fat and based on the principles of low fat, high fiber, whole plant foods, this study criticizes the impact of lowering saturated fat, but never looked at any diet that truly lowered saturated fat to the level recommended.Another problem with the study is what the subjects replaced the saturated fat with when comparing the 2. For many, if not most, it was with either (or products containing) hydrogenated/trans fat, while flour, white sugar and/or mono fats.People who replaced saturated fat in their diet with polyunsaturated fat (omega 3/6) reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by 19 percent, compared with control groups of people who do not.http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000252Lastly, studies on all-cause mortality trumps findings for subsets such as CHD and CVD. Most all-cause studies demonstrate a direct relation between saturated fat intake and all-cause mortality and the lower the better. Here is a list of studies showing just this.“the results of this study support earlier observations that dietary intakes low in SF or high in FV [fruits and vegetables] each offer protection against CHD mortality. In addition, however, our data suggest that the combination of both high FV with relatively low SF intake offers greater protection against both total and CHD mortality than either practice alone.”http://jn.nutrition.org/content/135/3/556.long“The major finding of the present study is that the average population intake of saturated fat and vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers are major determinants of all-cause mortality rates. Saturated fat and smoking are detrimental, but vitamin C seems to be protective in relation to the health of populations…The potential effect of changes in saturated fat, vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers can be illustrated as follows. A change in saturated fat of 5% of energy is associated with a 4.7% change in age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate (Table 3).”http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/2/260.long“A high RRR pattern score, which was associated with high intake of fat and protein and low intake of carbohydrates, increased the risk of death. Subjects with a pattern score belonging to the highest quintile obtained on average 37·2 % of their energy from fat and 37·6 % from carbohydrates and thus did not meet current dietary recommendations (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2002). Food groups that contributed to this unfavourable pattern of energy sources were red meat, poultry, processed meat, butter, sauces and eggs, whereas a high intake of bread and fruits decreased the pattern score.”http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FBJN%2FBJN93_05%2FS000711450500111Xa.pdf&code=6fbdbd311fb43ee23a840b894cced959From the National Academy of Science:“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions; they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither an AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids. There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acid intake increases CHD risk”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422“The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al., 1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432From the editor in chief of the American Journal of Cardiology.“As shown in Figure 1, most of the risk factors do not in themselves cause atherosclerosis [heart disease]…The atherosclerotic risk factors showing that the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis is cholesterol.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/Thanks for that comprehensive reply. Conflicting headlines can be very confusing.So you show 7 older studies to counter a recent meta-analysis that represents 21 studies?One of the studies you give show improved outcome with substitution of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). But that doesn’t mean saturated fats are bad, it may just mean that PUFA is good. That would explain for example why there are studies showing the Mediterranean diet outperforms low-fat diets despite being higher in fat content.Another is based on the cherry-picked and severely flawed 7-Countries Study. It even had to combine smoking and saturated fat conclusions together to come up with its findings. Seems like a similar tactic to how saturated fats are often combined with trans fats in the same discussion despite having essentially different characteristics. Trans fats are clearly bad. Smoking is clearly bad. Not the case with saturated fats. Why cannot these studies simply address saturated fats on their own? Maybe because in such cases the link is too weak to be worth writing about.In the last study you give an opinion from one doctor that cholesterol is the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis. However it is serum blood cholesterol that is the issue and it is clearly stated that that isn’t induced in omnivores through dietary cholesterol intake. Dietary cholesterol is a negligible contributor to serum blood cholesterol. Indeed refined carbohydrates may well be the cause. Further it is now well-known that total cholesterol is a poor measure. HDL to LDL ratio is superior and the size of the cholesterol particles need to be taken into account.Too many holes in the arguments you present.As said above, “One major problem with this study is they did not look at any studies where the saturated fat intake was less than 7%, which is the level recommended by the American Heart Association. Most of the diets had saturated fat intakes in the range of 10-15% (or more).So, just like the studies that criticize “low fat” diets, but never analyze any diet that is truly low fat and based on the principles of low fat, high fiber, whole plant foods, this study criticizes the impact of lowering saturated fat, but never looked at any diet that truly lowered saturated fat to the level recommended.Another problem with the study is what the subjects replaced the saturated fat with when comparing the 2. For many, if not most, it was with either (or products containing) hydrogenated/trans fat, while flour, white sugar and/or mono fats.”In regards to omega 6, “Advice to substitute polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats is a key component of worldwide dietary guidelines for coronary heart disease risk reduction. However, clinical benefits of the most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid, omega 6 linoleic acid, have not been established. In this cohort, substituting dietary linoleic acid in place of saturated fats increased the rates of death from all causes, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease. An updated meta-analysis of linoleic acid intervention trials showed no evidence of cardiovascular benefit. These findings could have important implications for worldwide dietary advice to substitute omega 6 linoleic acid, or polyunsaturated fats in general, for saturated fats.”http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8707I have no interest in debating with you Ancel Keys’ data, as you are not an educated researcher, nor am I. Lets not pretend you understand the data.Actually yes, dietary cholesterol does impact blood cholesterol.“Serum cholesterol concentration is clearly increased by added dietary cholesterol but the magnitude of predicted change is modulated by baseline dietary cholesterol. The greatest response is expected when baseline dietary cholesterol is near zero, while little, if any, measurable change would be expected once baseline dietary cholesterol was >400-500 mg/d. People desiring maximal reduction of serum cholesterol by dietary means may have to reduce their dietary cholesterol to minimal levels (<100-150 mg/d) to observe modest serum cholesterol reductions while persons eating a diet relatively rich in cholesterol would be expected to experience little change in serum cholesterol after adding even large amounts of cholesterol to their diet." http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.full.pdfSaturated fats aren’t bad, despite what Toxins may imply with his response. It revolves around the question of what do you replace saturated fat with?There aren’t many alternatives. You will end up substituting another fat, carbohydrate, or protein.If you substituted beef with salmon which has omega 3 polyunsaturated fat, that might be healthier.If you replace a full-fat yogurt with a low-fat yogurt that has substituted the fat with sugar you have made a worse choice.In short saturated fats in general seem to be neutral. Saturated fats differ from one another though so there are probably some that are better/worse than others.As for no one having really compared with a low-fat diet well something the proponents of such diets fail to inform you is that such diets are notoriously difficult to stick with and studies find it difficult to keep volunteers on such a diet, thus the lack of studies. So as a “real world” diet plan that many people can adhere to, the very low fat diet has drawbacks and its effects largely unassessed.Saturated fats being negligible is simply untrue and has no foundation. I know of no evidence showing that a low fat diet is hard to stick with either. If you have studies to share other then opinions then please do.Dear Dr Michael,Thank you so much for taking care of us ! Love all your emails.I would like to submit to you that the reason eggs areon the bad list is because we cook them and therefore change their makeup! This was brought to my attention by my accupunturist Dr S. Shyu , Toronto CAn. He believes in eggs!!!!! so do ILaminine the new product for health also uses eggs 9 days old fertilized . Any comment????’ ClaudetteAjijic , Jalisco , Mx.Claudette: There are lots of reasons eggs are on the bad list, but I don’t think that cooking has anything to do with it. If you watch Dr. Greger’s videos, you will see that he has nothing against cooked food. (He does recognize that some methods of cooking are better than others.)You can learn a whole lot about the problems with eggs by watching those videos on this site. You might consider starting your research with this video:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/Good luck.The issues with eggs have nothing to do whether the protein is denatured or we lose some b vitamins, its about the cholesterol, saturated fat, Arachidonic acid and elevated IGF-1. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/Yes a politician is behind the dietary recommendations. It was rammed through despite the science still being sketchy. 40 years later the obesity and diabetes epidemic is much worse. Prudent people will take a hint and ignore the recommendations. Of course the establishment cannot admit they are wrong and suffer the humiliation so will double down on their faulty advice. If you wish to follow such chicanery though that’s up to you.	beef,cancer,cholesterol,dairy,degenerative disease,diabetes,dietary guidelines,eggs,fat,fish,George McGovern,Harvard,hypertension,International Sugar Research Foundation,ischemic heart disease,lamb,meat,milk,National Livestock and Meat Board,plant-based diet,poultry,public health,public policy,salt,Salt Institute,saturated fat,sugar,The National Dairy Council,The Senate Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	-
PLAIN-177	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/	Flax and Breast Cancer Survival	 A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of flaxseeds in breast cancer patients found that flaxseeds appear to have the potential to reduce tumor growth in just a matter of weeks. Scientists believe this is due to a class of phytonutrients known as lignans, which are present in flaxseeds at levels up to 800 times other plant foods. Lignans can be thought of as the Western equivalent of the isoflavone phytoestrogens found in soy foods popular in traditional Asian diets, as they share many purported anti-cancer mechanisms. Since soy food consumption is associated with both preventing breast cancer and prolonging breast cancer survival, one might expect the same to be found for lignans. In Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Prevention I covered the population-based, in-vitro, and clinical evidence supporting prevention, but what about for women already diagnosed with the dreaded disease? Three studies were recently published that followed a total of thousands of women diagnosed with breast cancer. The first study from New York reported substantially reduced risks of overall mortality and especially breast cancer mortality associated with higher lignan intakes in postmenopausal women. The next population study was out of Italy. At surgery, when the women were getting their primary breast tumors removed, they had some blood drawn; within 5 years those who had lower circulating levels of lignans were significantly more likely to die from their cancer coming back than those with more lignans in their bloodstream. The researchers concluded “Lignans might play an important role in reducing all-cause and cancer-specific mortality of the patients operated on for breast cancer.” The latest and largest study to date was performed in Germany. Postmenopausal patients with breast cancer who had high blood lignan levels appeared to have better survival, and the higher the better. You can see the survival curve in my 3-min video Flaxseeds and Breast Cancer Survival: Epidemiological Evidence. Those who had the most lignans in their blood lived the longest and tended to live the longest disease free. The population data looked so promising that researchers decided to put lignans to the test by feeding women flaxseeds, the most concentrated source of lignans, to see what would happen. One of the ways the chemotherapy drug tamoxifen works is by boosting the levels of angiogenesis inhibitors like endostatin, which is a protein the body makes to try to starve tumors of their blood supply. Using a technique called microdialysis, you can stick a catheter into a woman’s breast and suck out some of the fluid bathing the breast cells. If you give women tamoxifen for 6 weeks, the levels of endostatin within the breast tend to go up, and the same thing happens when you instead add three and a half tablespoons of ground flaxseeds to their daily diet. As you can see in my video Flaxseeds and Breast Cancer Survival: Epidemiological Evidence, the flaxseed doesn’t seem as powerful as the chemo, but the results were so exciting that researchers undertook a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of flaxseeds in breast cancer patients. Breast cancer patients were randomized into either the treatment or the placebo group; either a flaxseed-containing muffin or a control placebo muffin every day between the time of their first biopsy and surgery. Researchers then had tumor samples before and after about a month of flaxseeds or no flaxseeds. Those lucky enough to be randomized into the flax group saw, on average, their tumor cell proliferation go down, cancer cell death go up, and their c-erbB2 score go down (a marker of cancer aggressiveness and potential for forming metastases and spreading). The researchers concluded: “Dietary flaxseed has the potential to reduce tumor growth in patients with breast cancer. If the therapeutic index seen in this short-term study can be sustained over a long-term period, flaxseed, which is inexpensive and readily available, may be a potential dietary alternative or adjunct to currently used breast cancer drugs.” For more on breast cancer survival, see: What about the role of flaxseeds in preventing breast cancer in the first place? See my video Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Prevention. A study similar to this was also carried out in prostate cancer patients: Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer. See Anti-Angiogenesis: Cutting Off Tumor Supply Lines for more on the role diet plays in angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels to enable tumors to grow. I also have touched on briefly in Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease and How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies. This is the final installment of my latest video series on flax. Feel free to check out the role flaxseeds may play in helping diabetes and sensitive skin. -Michael Greger, M.D. 	Yes, Flax. It seems to work wonders for some women. I just wish (be careful what you wish for) my body didn’t react so poorly/adversely to flax. But speaking of cancer,food, and women, do you have any thoughts on whether or not it is safe to eat olives? Most olives are soaked in salt/brine. There have been issues raised about olives in regards to acrylamide content, as well as olives that have been salted/brined sharing some of negatives of smoked food products and certain fermented veggies (kimchi). Anyone have any thoughts on olives being OK or NOT in a health vegan diet?Olives are ok, the acrylamide content should not be a concern. Acrylamides may be a concern for someone who eats a lot of fried foods or processed foods but for a healthful, whole foods plant based vegan, acrylamide is not an issue.Olives can be good in moderation, but they are quite high in sodium so moderation is key. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/7338/2Cool. Thank you.I eat flax seeds daily, but hiding 3 1/2 tablespoons of it in a muffin would be hard to do. That’s a lot of flax!Are flax seeds beneficial If the breast cancer is estrogen, progesterone and HER2/neu negative, which means the tumor cells are aggressive?I just realized this question was address by Toxins and Darryl in great detail and expertise about a month ago. The links were very informative. Please forgive the repetition–and again, “thanks”.I would love to know what adverse affects Nelsie blanche has to fresly ground flax seeds. I have used it for years and avised others to its use and have never received an adverse report. JB teacherThis is another Testimony on how Dr EHOHO cured My Lung cancer Disease Do you need cure to your HIV disease? Do you want to be cure from your cancer disease? Or you want to be free from any type of disease you have kindly contact Dr. EHOHO on drehohospiritualtemple@gmail.com, he just cured my breast cancer disease and I’m very grateful to him, he is the only herbalist that can cure you. Or you can contact me on drehohospiritualtemple@gmail.com or call +2381040033845 so that I can put you through on how he did it. Thank you all for reading, God bless”Hello let me share this testimony to the world to hear about him too this man really exit I was Breast Cancer over 9year I have being in medication and I try to look for cure to my problem and I go through internet doctor and I found a tradition doctor named dr.ehoho contacted him for help he give me all his laws and rule that if I get cured I should write about him and that is what am doing now, this man ask for some information about me, which I give him this man cure me from Breast Cancer what a great man thank for your help when he get the information he told me that he is about to work on it 20 to 30 minute this man email me and told me what to do for the curing which I did after all the things needed for the cure is provide the man call me in 45mins later and tell me to go for test what a great day to me I was negative thanks dr.ehoho you can contact him now drehohospiritualtemple@gmail.com or call +2381040033845how did he cure you? is it a long process or something easy to use the method? did you go to the dr.’s to check his methods and how did they work for you?	angiogenesis inhibitors,biopsy,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,c-erbB2,cancer,cell proliferation,chemotherapy,endostatin,flaxseeds,isoflavone phytoestrogen,lignans,longevity,metastases,microdialysis,mortality,phytonutrients,post-menopause,postmenopausal,prostate cancer,Tamoxifen,tumors,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2883619/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21900115,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22094938,
PLAIN-178	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/15/flaxseeds-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	Flax and Breast Cancer Prevention 	Just a teaspoon of ground flaxseeds a day may help protect against breast cancer. In 1980 a new compound was discovered in human urine. Researchers called it “compound X.” Originally it was thought to be a new human hormone, but it was soon identified as part of a large group of fiber-associated compounds widely distributed in edible plants known as lignans. Vegetarians have about twice the level of lignans circulating within their bodies given their greater intake of plant foods. Since population studies suggested that high intake of lignans reduces breast cancer risk, perhaps lignans are one of the reasons those eating plant-based diets have lower cancer rates. Where are lignans found most in the diet? Seeds, whole grains, vegetables, fruits and berries. Since these are all really healthy foods in their own right, maybe lignan intake is just acting as a surrogate marker for whole plant food intake? (Like the fiber story I detail in Fiber vs. Breast Cancer). Well, in a petri dish lignans do directly suppress the proliferation of breast cancer cells but only after the plant lignans are converted into human lignans by the bacteria in our gut. (More detail in Flax and Fecal Flora). That’s why we want to use antibiotics judiciously. A few days on antibiotics dramatically drops our body’s ability to make these anticancer compounds from the plants that we eat, and it can take weeks for our gut bacteria to recover. That may be why women with urinary tract infections have been found to be at higher risk for breast cancer. Every time they took a course of antibiotics they may have been stymying their good bacteria’s ability to take full advantage of all the plants they were eating. In my 4-min video Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Prevention I profile the National Cancer Institute study that provides the strongest evidence to date that there might indeed be something special about this class of phytonutrients for breast cancer prevention. They took a bunch of young women at high risk for breast cancer (meaning they had a suspicious breast biopsy showing either atypical hyperplasia or carcinoma in situ, or already had breast cancer in the other breast) and gave them a teaspoon of ground flaxseeds every day for a year before getting a repeat needle biopsy to see if there was any change. Yes, there are lignans in sesame seeds, nuts, whole grains, legumes, certain fruits, and veggies, but they’re most concentrated in flax seeds. They could have instead asked women to eat ten cups of strawberries a day for a year to get the equivalent amount, but they’d probably get better compliance with just a teaspoon of flax :) So what happened by the end of the year? The primary end point was the expression of a proliferation biomarker associated with cancer called ki-67. In 9 of the 45 women it went up, pictured in red in the video, but in the other 80% of the women it went down. And, indeed, on average they found less cellular proliferation in their breast tissue and fewer precancerous changes. For those that don’t like the taste of flaxseeds, sesame seeds are also high in lignans. Even though flaxseeds have significantly more lignans than sesame, you appear to produce about the same amount of lignans from them. This was, however, comparing them whole. When people are fed whole flaxseeds, some may not be chewed up and can pass right through you. So ground flaxseed may be best overall. As I note in the Flaxseeds For Sensitive Skin video, ground flax stays fresh even at room temperature for at least a month. What if you or a loved one has already been diagnosed with breast cancer? See my follow-up videos: -Michael Greger, M.D. 	Interesting article! But what about flax seed oil? Is that just as good?Flax seed oil, unlike flaxseed, is quite barren in nutrients. While the flaxseed themselves have an array of vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber and antioxidants. Flaxseed oil is lacking in all such areas. It would be best to avoid the oil version of foods as these are not health promoting. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3163/2 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/7554/2Don’t ground flaxseeds contain HCN?i encourgae you to look at the research at camelinaGold.com on camelinaGold oil and camaelinaGold seeds… it has a 2-1 ratio on the omega 3 and 6…. that is better than flax…in comparison flax has a 3-1 ratio and once you open the flax oil you only have a month to use it… with camelinaGold you have a 2 year shelf life…and camelinaGold oils have also been used for pediatric skin care and treatment of sclerosis… it gives you 101% of daily vitamin E…doctors at OHSU are recommending it to post cancer treatment patients … my doctor told me i should switch to camelinaGold oils and seeds instead of using flax..i use camelinaGold everywhere i would us flax or chia …it is worth comparing,,, and it is much more economical.. about half the cost…don’t take my word for it… look at the studies… :) good health to you all…Please share the studies. Oil is generally not advocated here as it is not a whole plant food.Another great report that validates the many dietary changes I’ve made over the years. When I make my own granola, I always add a third of a cup or so of ground flaxseed.I had breast cancer 12 years ago at age 53- caused, in part, by 2 years on bio-identical hormones. I had a lumpectomy and then chose not to do any other therapy- no chemo, radiation, etc. I am doing great! Flax seed, (ground fresh daily and eaten cool) nettle tea, St. John’s tea and turmeric are all helpful. Plus less stress, more sleep, moderate exercise, lots of vegetables, etc. NO MORE chemicals or drugs! Danielle PS Started skiing Taos mountain at age 57! Still going strong. I am a breast cancer ALUMNI!Dani: That’s so awesome that you are doing so well! Thanks for sharing.am following your publication. Best Desktop Computers on the Market	antibiotics,atypical hyperplasia,berries,biopsy,breast cancer,cancer,carcinoma in situ,compound X,fecal flora,fiber,flax,flaxseeds,fruits,ground flax,gut bacteria,ki-67,lignans,nuts,phytonutrients,plant-based diet,precancerous,prevention,seeds,sesame seeds,urinary tract infection,UTI,vegan,vegetables,vegetarian,whole grains,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20724470,
PLAIN-179	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/	Treating Sensitive Skin From the Inside Out	 Instead of treating sensitive skin topically, with lotions and creams, why not treat it from the inside out with diet? About half of the American population says they have sensitive skin, defined loosely as tingling, chafing, burning, itching sensations when exposed to various environmental factors. A similar high prevalence has been reported throughout Japan and Europe, and it appears especially prevalent among women. Often there are no obvious signs, so it was dismissed as a “princess and the pea” phenomenon by the medical community. Now it’s largely recognized as a genuine physiological phenomenon, thought to arise from a breakdown of the skin barrier that allows potentially irritating substances to penetrate the skin and generate an inflammatory reaction. So what can we do about it? In 2011, a paper was published entitled “Supplementation of Flaxseed Oil Diminishes Skin Sensitivity and Improves Skin Barrier Function and Condition.” In a randomized double-blind 12-week study, researchers gave women about a half teaspoon of flaxseed oil a day versus safflower oil as a control. That’s the amount of oil found in about a teaspoon and a half of flax seeds. To measure skin sensitivity they painted an irritant chemical on their forearms, and after three months there was significant decrease in skin reddening in the flax group compared to the safflower group. Their skin ended up significantly better hydrated, had significantly better barrier function, was less rough, less scaly, and was smoother. If you watch my 3-min video Flaxseeds For Sensitive Skin you can actually see the changes in a close-up view of the skin. Their skin looked just as dry and scaly before and after the safflower oil intervention, but significantly improved after flaxseed oil. The best source of flaxseed oil is within the flaxseed itself.  Then you get all the nutrition of the whole food, and it’s cheaper and more stable than the oil. Make sure to grind them up to maximize nutrient absorption. Unlike flaxseed oil, you can bake flaxseeds without destroying the omega 3s, and you can even store ground flaxseed for a month at room temperature without spoilage or oxidation. For more on eating your way towards healthier skin, see my other videos: For more on flax, see: 	Need help. I’m a I year old woman who has been plant-based since February 2013. I have lost 35 pounds and am at my lowest why since high school and feel amazing. My arthritis is at bay after sufferingsomepretty hard days. Do glad that is behind me. However, I have suffered from acne my whole life and while it has improved it isn’t gone. I can’t tell you how frustrated I am. I watch my fast intact and sweets in take. Still nothing seems to improve. In fact it is worst note than for a long time. I do have flax seed meal with my oatmeal every morning. Please! I’m desperate. Can you give me any other clues.My skin was defatted with Minwax floor stripper as I was wearing the wrong gloves which allowed the xylenes to permeate through and wet my hands.With all the health problems I had with the chemical, I no longer strip nor wax my floors and do not use any cleaning or pest control products with petrochemicals.I now use Nitrile gloves whenever a container says irritant, or do without.At the time, the only thing that worked for me was Shea butter emolient made by Mode De Vie. I constantly covered my skin with the product and eventually when the new skin grew back it was softer and more moist than the damaged skin.The organic solvent I was exposed to wax mixed xylene isomers and the side effects are nasty. Nothing, absolutely nothing is worth destroying one’s health over. I now wash my floors with vinegar and water or Shaklee Basic H2 trademark an Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate if they are really filthy. No more solvents for me!For my health, I’ve been eating certified organic fruits and vegetables, and did eat organic meat for decades. Now, I eat vegan to reduce pain and inflammation in my body. And am carefully about the consequences of being near organic solvents, which I could but won’t write a book on.Hi, try getting some nutritious seaweed/kelp…it contains good nutrients such as iodine which could be missing from your normal food. Also try minimizing fluoride and chlorine in water and toothpaste.I am not sure what your basing your recommendations on. Kelp is TOO high in iodine and there is nothing wrong with a bit of fluoride in the drinking water.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-dangers-of-fluoride/Another thing to try is go for safe cookware such as ceramic. Minimize stainless steel exposure.Good grief! Dumb smart phone. *51 year old *fat intake Please ignore other typos. :/I suffered terribly for 35 years with dermatitis/eczema on my hands. Even with daily flax seed consumption, my hands still were a mess. I had a particularly bad flare up this year and neither Cortisone ointment nor Eucerin cream did anything to help . I finally discovered the solution, thanks to reading “The People’s Pharmacy” column in my newspaper: Noxzema cream. Yup, the blue jar that’s been around 100 years. I did as recommended, just rub it in a couple times a day like hand cream. Within a week my hands were nearly healed and they continued to improve. I am still using it once or twice a day and now my skin is healthy enough to tolerate exposure to irritants that previously would have caused a break-out. It turns out that Noxzema was originally created as a cure for eczema, hence its name: No-xzema. I never would have believed it could help this much, but it has. Too bad it took 35 years to find out. All that needless suffering…	burning,chafing,flax,flax seed powder,flaxseed oil,flaxseeds,inflammation,itching,omega 3,safflower oil,sensitive skin,skin barrier,skin disease,skin health,tingling	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21088453,
PLAIN-180	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/08/flaxseeds-for-diabetes/	Flaxseeds for Diabetes	Drug companies hope to capitalize on the fact that the consumption of certain plants appears to lower the risk of diabetes by isolating these plants’ active components for use and sale as pharmacological agents. Though not as profitable, why don’t we just eat the plants themselves? One plant in particular that’s now been tested is flax. We’ve known for 20 years that having ground flax in your stomach can blunt the blood sugar spike from a meal, but it’s never been tested in diabetics–until now. World Health Organization researchers published an open-label study on the effect of flax seed powder supplementation in the management of diabetes. Diabetic subjects took a tablespoon of ground flax seeds every day for a month, and, compared to the control group, experienced a significant drop in fasting blood sugars, triglycerides, and cholesterol, as well as the most important thing, a drop in A1C level. If one’s sugars are already well controlled, though, there may be no additional benefit. How does flax help control blood sugars? Flaxseeds may improve insulin sensitivity in glucose intolerant people. After 12 weeks of flax, researchers found a small but significant drop in insulin resistance, perhaps related to the drop in oxidant stress due to the antioxidant qualities of flaxseeds. The study profiled in my 3-min video Flaxseed vs. Diabetes showing a tablespoon of daily ground flax seeds for a month appears to improve fasting blood sugars, triglycerides, cholesterol, and hemoglobin A1c levels in diabetics was a non-blinded, non-randomized small study. If it was some drug they were testing, I’d never prescribe it based on this one study, but this isn’t a drug. It’s just flaxseeds. There are just good side effects, so even if this study was a fluke or fraud, flaxseeds have other benefits. In the worst case scenario the seed would still end up benefiting patients who aren’t quite ready or able to reverse their diabetes completely with a plant-based diet. Flaxseeds are calorically dense, but even adding a half cup of ground flax a day may not lead to weight gain. When 4 tablespoons a day were tested for 3 months the flax group ended up with a slimmer waist than the flaxseed oil or control group. Because of the potential of raw flax seeds to interfere with thyroid function at high doses, though, I would only recommend 2 tablespoons a day. And I would not recommend flaxseed supplementation during pregnancy. The flaxseed study reminds me of the Prunes vs. Metamucil for Constipation one, or any of those talking about various foods that may control blood sugar (Amla Versus Diabetes), weight (Fat Burning Via Flavonoids), cholesterol (Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol), or sexual dysfunction (Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction). Yes, these foods may help, but why not get at the root of the problem and try to reverse the condition altogether with a healthier diet overall? The three best books on reversing type 2 diabetes with diet are Defeating Diabetes, co-authored by my favorite dietician, Brenda Davis, and from two of my medical mentors: Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program To Reverse Diabetes Now and Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s The End of Diabetes. -Michael Greger, M.D. 	Thank YOU, Dr. Greger, for making important dietary and nutritional information known to the general public. That is a great service to humankind, I truly feel, since most MDs don’t know about the nutritional values in food, especially organically-grown plantfoods sans toxic chemicals. I wish there were more allopathic physicians who followed your parsing of the research. But then, as you point out, pharmaceutical companies wouldn’t be happy, now would they? As a “natural nutritionist” since the early 1980s, not an RD who normally would disseminate processed food industry information, I truly appreciate your take on the science about foods. Holistic health practitioners have been saying this type of information since the early 1900s. Thank goodness, it’s finally becoming mainstream. Again, thank you!Hi, Dr. Gregor! Thanks for this info! Is there any data on whether it matters if you take a whole tablespoon in the AM or should it be taken in portions before each meal? Very best, FrankFrank, It is perfectly OK to have the entire tablespoon at one time. Here is another video on this same topic that might help: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/ It explains how flaxseeds improve insulin resistance.Hi Dr. Greger, I had the pleasure of seeing you speak in Indianapolis a couple weeks ago. Wondering if you might share anything at all about the best research re: nutrition for type 1 diabetes?This should be helpful.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/Dara: You might be interested to know that the book, Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program For Reversing Diabetes” has a chapter called, “A Revolution In Type 1 Diabetes”. It’s not a big chapter, but I think people with type 1 would benefit from reading it – and then reading the rest of the book. :-)Good luck.Thank you!Dear Dr. Greger, What kind of success might the following patient experience upon implementing a whole food, plant-based diet: an adult onset, yet, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, hypertension (moderate to severe) and ischemic limb disease in a 53 year old male….all the usual lipid abnormalities, fasting blood sugar between 145-175? ILD is severe enough that 4 stents have already been surgically implanted. Previous MI as well. In short, this patient says he’s highly committed to do what I prescribe…interestingly, it wasn’t primarily the fear of losing his lower extremities, but rather, the loss of function of other extremity that has made him willing to go all the way now.DocHello Dr. Greger,Thank you for your work, it is one of the most impressive I’ve seen in my life. I have been looking at almost a third of your videos in the past 2 years, consulting the sources cited, and I LOVE it!I am surprised by the affirmation : “And I would not recommend flaxseed supplementation during pregnancy.”I searched in vain for an explanation. Being a type MODY 3 diabetic, living off insulin for 6 years now, eating vegan, without refined sugars, and drinking lots of medicinal herbal teas, it is still a challenge for me to keep my blood glucose below 7mmolL all the time. Flaxseeds is one of the many plants that help me in this challenge.I am pregnant today, and many of my usual hypoglycaemic plants are nocive for the development of my baby, which is even more challenging as I wish, if possible, to keep off insulin during my pregnancy. My question : why don’t you recommand flaxseeds during pregnancy, and is there a safe upper limit? For example, a tablespoon every two days?Thank you very much, have a nice day!Have you read any of the studies on black seed (nigella sativa), also called black cumin seed and its oil? It seems like another useful seed, and I’ve read some of the studies which make it sound very promising for increasing one’s health. However, as I am no expert, could you and/or your assistants do the research in order to help us know what is credible and reputable? Thank you! ♥I see one study on blood pressure and black cumin seed oil and the results seem promising. Another study looked at ever more biomarkers related to CVD health, but did not find statistical significance due to small sample size. I recommend incorporating of a plant-based diet, as there are protective compounds found in plant foods, not just black cumin seeds. I have never had a black cumin seed.	A1C,antioxidants,blood sugar,cholesterol,diabetes,fasting blood sugars,flax,flax seed powder,flaxseeds,insulin,insulin resistance,oxidant stress,plant-based diet,sexual dysfunction,supplements,triglycerides,vegan,vegetarian,weight gain,weight loss,World Health Organization	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3112403/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22432725,
PLAIN-181	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/	Flaxseeds for Prostate Cancer	 Why is there such a huge disparity in prostate cancer rates around the world? The incidence of malignant prostate cancer is highest in African Americans, some 30 times greater than in Japanese men, and 120 times greater than in Chinese men. The conventional thinking is that this may be due to the higher intake of animal fat and protein in the Western diet, but it could also be the protective phytoestrogens found in plant foods. There are two major types of phytoestrogens: soy isoflavones and lignans. Researchers have found higher levels of lignans in the prostate fluids of men in countries with relatively low rates of prostate cancer and in vitro studies show lignans can slow the growth of prostate cancer cells in a petri dish, so a pilot study was performed on flaxseed supplementation in men with prostate cancer. Why flaxseeds? Because while lignans are found throughout the plant kingdom, flax has up to 800 times more than any other food. The research team took a bunch of men with prostate cancer, about a month before they were scheduled for surgery to get their prostates removed, and put them on a relatively low fat diet with three tablespoons a day of ground flax. Though the scientists were skeptical that they would observe any differences in tumor biology in the diet-treated patients in such a short time span, they found significantly lower cancer proliferation rates and significantly higher rates of cancer cell death. That was compared to so-called “historical controls,” meaning compared to the kind of growth one typically sees in their situation, not to an actual randomized control group. A few years later, though, a controlled study was published. Researchers enrolled men who recently had their prostates biopsied and were scheduled to have repeat biopsies in six months. Then they did the same thing as the previous study: they reduced the fat in their diet and put them on ground flaxseeds to see if it made their repeat biopsy look any different. These were men with what’s called PIN (prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia), which is like the prostate equivalent of ductal carcinoma in situ in the breast. That’s why they were getting repeat biopsies–to make sure it wasn’t spreading. There hadn’t been much research on this kind of prostatic hyperplasia, with only four epidemiologic studies reported at the time. They yielded varying findings, with increased risk associated with higher energy, protein, and animal product intake, and decreased risk related to the consumption of alcohol, fruit, and green and yellow vegetables—in sum, a low-fat, plant-based diet, high in phytoestrogens. The researchers wanted to know if that kind of diet could be used to treat it too. Watch my 4-min video Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer to see what they found. Study subjects experienced a significant drop in PSA levels (a biomarker of prostate cell growth), a drop in cholesterol (what one would expect with a lower fat diet with extra fiber), and most importantly, a significant decrease in the cellular proliferation rate. In fact in two of the men, their PSA levels dropped so much they didn’t even have to go through with the second biopsy! Slowing the Growth of Cancer is good, but how about Cancer Reversal Through Diet? In other words, if one plant could do that, what about a whole diet full of plants? See my video series that goes from Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay (actually Engineering a Cure) to The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle. For benign prostate gland enlargement see Prostate vs. Plants, and Prostate vs. a Plant-Based Diet (with background in Some Prostates Are Larger than Others). What about for breast cancer? See Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake. More on these wonderful seeds in Flax and Fecal Flora, my smoothies (A Better Breakfast), and the oldie but goodie Just the Flax, Ma’am. What about chia? Find out which is better in Flaxseeds vs. Chia Seeds. Since the dietary intervention involved both reducing fat intake and flaxseed consumption, how do we know the flax had anything to do with it? Given the composite nature of the intervention—both a lower fat diet and flaxseeds, it was unknown whether the effects could be attributed to flaxseed supplementation, a fat-restricted diet, or both factors working together.  To figure that out you’d have to do a study where you split men into four groups, a control group, a flaxseed only group, a lower-fat only group, and then a flaxseed and lower fat group. And that’s exactly what they did. Find out the results in my follow-up video Was It the Flaxseed, Fat Restriction, or Both?. That reminds me of the experiment described in Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? in which researchers try to tease out the individual effects of a similar composite treatment—a plant-based diet and walking—on the growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro. They both appeared to help, but diet appeared to be more powerfully protective. 	I’ve been eating 2 tbsp of gound flax seed every morning since I saw your video. Before thinking about cancer, it seems to help my chronic pain a lot. (It’s quite a relief, because I’m only 26 and I want to avoid as much as possible drugs!)My Prostate adventure (I dug out my med records) 8/2007 PSA = 2.7 borderline OK (at age 57) 12/2008 = 4.5 rapid rise is considered troublesome 1/2009 Prostate biopsy Results no cancer 08/2011 DISCOVER PLANT BASED WHOLE FOOD UNDERGROUND Going Vegan was surprisingly easy maintaining whole foods more difficult 09/2011 PSA = 6.5 Steadily rising PSA but I Refuse another biopsy – watchful waiting 11/2012 PSA = 5.2 lower PSA after 15 months on a plant based diet Now in my 60s a semi-retired engineer I have cancer paranoia so… I am 99% vegan, 90% whole food (I lapsed into being a junk-food vegan earlier this year but am now on the path.) I eat 2 tbspns flax, 1/2 tspn Amla and a handful of broccoli sprouts daily. Also white mushrooms several times a week. (The same for my wife.) FYI those prostate biopsies have truly miserable after effects even if you do not have cancer or get a staff infection like a friend of mine who had both. For “treatment” after intravenous antibiotics they used the latest and greatest hooking up his tail to a cyclotron, shooting Protons into his prostate leaving him in diapers. But unlike me he still enjoys his barbeques. Personally I just say no. Please pass the Kale. [Note for engineers and physical scientists: Cancer is an entropy increasing bio-process. The irony is the standard treatments increase the entropy even more. Fighting fire with fire as it were.]isntropic: I expect your story to be truly inspiring to others on this site. Thanks for taking the time to share all of that information!Thanks for sharing! I am in a similar situation with an increasing PSA (3.8 – 4.7) and a diagnoses of PIN2 following my biopsy. Unfortunately after 6 months of a 3 tbspns of ground flaxseed daily, I saw my PSA increase from 4.1 to 4.7 so I am a bit discouraged, especially since I am already 99% vegan. However I will continue since the alternative is taking Avodart (dutasteride) which along with many side effects has “a slight” risk of high-grade prostate cancer.Is there a history of human dietary use of flax seed before current times?Thanks for all your valuable work on nutrition and getting it out to the public. I look forward to your summaries each week.A low-fat, plant-based diet with Flaxseeds seems to fight, reduce and even reverse prostate cancer. Is there any evidence that this diet would also reverse BHP?Thanks, GaryIs there a nutritional difference between flaxseed and oil?There is significant difference.The oil is essentially empty calories lacking all vitamins and minerals and fiber and lacking in antioxidants. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/7554/2Definitely stick with the far healthier whole plant food http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3163/2Should all men take 3 tbsp ground flax every day as a preventive measure? Or would that only be advised for men who already demonstrate prostate problems?Also, I’ve heard that there are some studies that suggest that high doses of plant ALA sources can damage the eyes. Is there any truth to that? I ask that here because it does make me worry about taking such a high dose of ground flax if there is a risk of eye damage associated.	African Americans,alcohol,animal fat,animal protein,biopsy,breast cancer,cancer,Chinese,cholesterol,ductal carcinoma,ethnicity,exercise,fat,fat-restricted diet,flax,flaxseeds,fruit,isoflavones,Japanese,lignans,low fat diet,phytoestrogen,PIN,plan-based diet,prostate cancer,prostate disease,prostate gland enlargement,prostate health,prostate-specific antigen,prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia,PSA,tumors,vegan,vegetables,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11911282,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9215400,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15134976,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11445478,
PLAIN-182	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/01/why-is-selling-salmonella-tainted-chicken-still-legal/	Why Is Selling Salmonella-Tainted Chicken Legal?	When researchers last year at the Emerging Pathogens Institute ranked foodborne pathogens to figure out which was the worst, Salmonella was number one on their list. Salmonella was ranked the food poisoning bacteria with the greatest public health burden on our country, the leading cause of food poisoning hospitalization, and the number one cause of food-related death. Where do you get it from? In my video Total Recall I talked about the threat of eggs. According to the FDA, 142,000 Americans are sickened every year by eggs contaminated with Salmonella. That’s an egg-borne epidemic every year. But Salmonella in eggs was only ranked the tenth worst pathogen-food combination. Salmonella in poultry ranks even worse, the fourth worst contaminated food in the United States in terms of both cost and quality-adjusted years of life lost.  In terms of getting Salmonella poisoning from various U.S. foods, eating chicken may be eight times riskier than eating eggs. Due to strengthening of food safety regulations under the Clinton administration, the number of Americans poisoned by chicken dropped every year from about 390,000 to 200,000. This was rightly hailed as a significant accomplishment. So now eating chicken only sickens 200,000 people in the U.S. every year. Isn’t that a bit like some toy company boasting that they’ve reduced the amount of lead in their toys and they’re now poisoning 40 percent fewer kids? Hundreds of thousands sickened isn’t exactly something to boast about, and the numbers have since rebounded upwards. Since the late ’90s human Salmonella cases have increased by 44 percent. The rebound in incidence of Salmonella infection is likely a result of several factors, but one important risk factor singled out is eating chicken, since the proportion of chicken carrying infection has increased.  When people think manure in meat they typically think ground beef, but when you look at E. coli levels there’s fecal matter in about 65 percent of American beef, yet in more than 80 percent in poultry (chicken and turkey). Why have we seen a decrease in the Jack-in-the-box E. coli O157 but not chicken-borne Salmonella? In the last decade or so, E. coli infected beef and children has dropped by about 30 percent. Salmonella, on the other hand, has actually increased over the last 15 years. One reason for the difference is that the O157:H7 was declared an “adulterant,” defined as any poisonous or deleterious substance that may render meat injurious to health. So selling E. coli laden beef is illegal. Why is beef laced with E. coli contaminated fecal matter considered adulterated, but chicken laced with Salmonella contaminated fecal matter okay? Salmonella certainly kills more people than the banned E.coli. It all goes back to a famous case I detail in my video Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal, when the American Public Health Association sued the USDA for putting its stamp of approval on meat contaminated with Salmonella. What could the USDA possibly say in meat’s defense? They pointed out that there have been Salmonella outbreaks linked to dairy and eggs, for example, too, so since “there are numerous sources of contamination which might contribute to the overall problem.” It would be “unjustified to single out the meat industry and ask that the Department require it to identify its raw products as being hazardous to health.” That’s like the tuna industry arguing there’s no need to label cans of tuna with mercury levels because you can also get exposed eating a thermometer. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the meat industry position, arguing you can allow potentially deadly Salmonella in meat because, “American housewives are…normally are not ignorant or stupid and their methods of preparing and cooking of food do not ordinarily result in salmonellosis.” What?! That’s like saying oh, minivans don’t need seatbelts because soccer moms don’t ordinarily crash into things. I’ve talked about this travesty before in my blog post Why is it Legal to Sell Unsafe Meat? and video Unsafe at Any Feed. Don’t worry, though, the meat industry is on it! See my videos Viral Meat Spray and Maggot Meat Spray (if you dare! :) My video Food Poisoning Bacteria Cross-Contamination explains that raw meat can be dangerous no matter how long you cook it and Fecal Bacteria Survey features an industry trade journal explaining the difference between the attitude in Europe and The United States. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has petitioned the USDA to bar the sale of Salmonella-contaminated meat, but so far to no avail. 	I have a solution: Don’t eat chicken.Better solution. Don’t eat factory farmed fish, meat or eggs because manure from egg layers is fed to other livestock, and if that manure has salmonella, the other animals may also be infected. And, if the manure from those animals makes it’s way to water ways, melons, spinach and other veggies are also tainted.It is NOT that organic farmers do not know how to kill the bacteria in the compost, by bringing it up to temperature before using it on the fields. It’s because that waste is dumped into public waters, which has become a sewer for factory farming.After all, the DEAD ZONE in the Gulf of Mexico is increasing because of this waste ending up in the Mississippi River and being dumped off the continental shelf into the Gulf. Without enough oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico, it cannot sustain life. And this occurred before the BP oil spill.Our food supply is all contaminated due to corporation owning and running these farms. This didn’t exist when family farmers produced our food.Our food supply is contaminated due to factory farming, but also the disinformation put out there by the herbicide industry and the USDA (who has muffled their own scientists for those in favor of herbicide resistant soy and corn).Retired Professor of microbiology, soil and plant pathogens at Purdue University and a sought after consultant to farm and livestock producers, In an interview, Dr. Huber said: “Monsanto has patents. There are several other patents on glyphosate and glyphosate-related products as potent ‘antibiotics’. The problem is that they’re potent antibiotics for the good guys both in the soil as well as in our intestines or the intestines of our animals. As a consequence of that, when you take out Lactobacillus, Bifido bacterium, Enterococcus faecalis, and those organisms… Those are what keep us healthy either by providing accessibility to the minerals in our food or producing many of the vitamins that we need for our life. ..But they’re also the natural biological controls to keep Clostridium, Salmonella, and E.coli from developing in our system.”[Transcript page 3 http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/ExpertInterviewTranscripts/Interview-DrHuber.pdfThe video interview is at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/06/dr-huber-gmo-foods.aspxYou may want to fix the typo, “In the last decade or so, E. coli infected beef and children has dropped by about 30 percent. Made me laugh, but sadly, not far from the truth.Thanks for posting, I was surprised to read that the cantaloupe farmers were thrown in jail, yet literally every piece of chicken is contaminated with salmonella.Perhaps the reason that conventional and especially factory farmed chicken may be contaminated with salmonella is due to the animals’ living conditions being confined in animal feeding operations and forced to eat GMO corn and GMO soy. It is literally poured down their throats. Herbicide resistant corn and soy contain genetically modified bacterium that allow the plant to basically drink the herbicides and not die. But, the herbicides are destroying the gut of the animals, and the people who eat the animals. The manure and urine of the livestock runoff into waterways that feed drought stricken farmers fields. Hence the reason cantaloupe and other produce may also be contaminated with these antibiotic resistant bacteria, compliments of vested interests at the USDA and US FDA.More and more GMO corn (maize) and soy are being deregulated. They were never regulated for safety studies, but so they could not move across state and federal lines, until all avenues were rubber stamped by the U.S. FDA, and USDA. Then, the chemical companies petitioned the government agencies to de-regulate them to allow these crops and others like alfalfa (fed to sustainable and organic livestock) into the marketplace.See other genetically engineered crops that are being deregulated for the marketplace and allowed to travel across state and federal lines: http://tinyurl.com/mos2qckAnd at: http://tinyurl.com/mos2qck Remember, even if you don’t eat meat and fish as vegans, we may all be eating herbicides that are also antibiotics for the bad guy in our gut, increasing the risk of salmonella, E-coli and other nasty bacteria in our gut. These chemicals are in the air, in precipitation, surface and groundwaters, Consider getting a whole house carbon water filter for Christmas, to reduce the potential for these herbicides in your bathing waters, and those that may enter your produce when they are washed. Or better still, have your tapwater tested for glyphosate, 2,4-D, dicamba, glufosinate especially if you live near agriculture. These are the herbicides used with GMO crops!I agree with the USDA that we should not single out the meat industry. We should require the same standards for eggs and dairy too!When livestock are fed poultry manure, which is laced with Monsanto’s neotame to make it taste better, there is little wonder why livestock have salmonella poisoning.After all, poultry in factory farming operations have significant levels of salmonella in their bodies because of the conditions in which they live. Cramped together in cages next to each other, above and below each other. Flies in their fecal material, which also land of their feed. And the fecal matter recycled into feed to cattle and other livestock.The whole problem is factory farming which is wanted by Monsanto because factory farmed livestock eat more gmo corn and soy, than animals, including egg layers that forage to live. Salmonella is a political football caused by factory farming agriculture, which blames wild birds as the cause of the problem rather than looking into the mirror and seeing themselves as the cause. And, the USDA/FDA only too willing to bring organic birds who forage outside with a lower salmonella rate, into the fray, and then looking for studies that benefit the USDA/FDA’s bottom line, which is to take out small and medium size organic farmers with burdensome regulations, when they were not the cause in the first place.Free range livestock, whether organic or sustainable have long grazed outside, for thousands of years and have not killed off the American public. It is only since the factor farming and the significant levels of animal manures contaminated soils, waterways, irrigation waters that have led to increased levels of salmonella in everything.This is a political situation, especially when the USDA/FDA do not do sound science but rely on cigarette science by vested interests that results that are wanted in the first place to find themselves innocent of the problem while eliminating healthy agriculture.So what shall we do to correct this unhealthy disgusting way of corporate farming? Now we know the reason let’s take some action.Hi Dr Greger. While your videos point to chicken being possibly dangerous, can you tell me if you think there is downside from a diet point of view only in using organic chicken broth that has 0% saturated fats and 0% cholesterol and 2g of protein per serving …but a heck of a lot of flavoring that his missing in vegetable broth?Dr. Greger, Thanks for having breakfast with me every morning! I love the news you bring – or sometimes hate it! Do you recommend shingles vaccine for all seniors that have had chicken pox?	adulterant,adulterated,American Public Health Association,bacteria,beef,cheese,chicken,contamination,dairy,e. coli,eggs,fecal contamination,fish,food poisoning,foodborne pathogens,maggots,meat,milk,pathogens,poultry,public health,salmonella,U.S. Food and Drug Association,viruses,yogurt	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22980012,
PLAIN-183	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/26/dr-gregers-new-dvd-available-for-download/	Latest in Clinical Nutrition Volume 14 Now on DVD	The newest volume of my Latest in Clinical Nutrition DVD series is now out. Order on my website or through Amazon (all proceeds go to the 501c3 nonprofit charity that keeps NutritionFacts.org up and running). It can also now be ordered as a video download. The current batch of videos from volume 14 on NutritionFacts.org is set to run out soon, so starting this month and running through November I’ll be rolling out the videos from this new DVD, volume 15. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak-preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share them as gifts, but there is nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up free online at NutritionFacts.org. If you’d like the works–more than 30 hours of video(!)–I have a special on my complete DVD collection. Here’s the list of chapters from the new volume 15 DVD — a preview of what’s to come over the next few months here on NutritionFacts.org: As usual, I’m honored to feature some of the most groundbreaking research (as in BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy and Treating Multiple Sclerosis With Diet) and practical tips (Canned Beans or Cooked Beans? and How to Avoid Phosphate Additives–hint: they’re often not labeled) along with some mythbusting (BOLD Indeed: Beef Lowers Cholesterol? and Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, and Calcium Loss) and life-changers (Cavities and Coronaries: Our Choice and Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic) thrown in for good measure. And of course there are the fun ones (with a name like Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple Cabbage you know it’s got to be good!). Order at DrGreger.org/DVDs or through Amazon. All the money from DVD sales goes to keep NutritionFacts.org alive and kicking. Because NutritionFacts.org’s financial situation remains precarious, the price of new DVDs has been raised to $25. However, you can still get the new DVD for $20 as a video download. That way you can watch these two hours of new material instantly rather than waiting on snail mail. To encourage everyone to become a regular supporter, anyone signing up on the donation page to become a $15 monthly contributor will receive the next three DVDs for free (as physical DVDs, downloads, or both–your choice), and anyone signing up as a $25 monthly contributor will get a whole year’s worth of new DVDs. I have been writing, researching, and speaking about nutrition for more than a decade. In that time, every penny I received from the sales of all my books went to charity, as did every penny from the sales of every DVD and every penny from every speaking engagement. In retrospect, instead of giving the money away, maybe I should have saved it so that should I ever start a website to give all my work away for free, I’d have enough to keep it going! 	Hope everyone can spare a little to keep this jewel of a site afloat. NutritionFacts is an amazing resource for us all. Dr. Greger welcomes all viewpoints, whether in agreement or in opposition. The bandwidth costs for just the videos alone are enormous. So, please let’s help Dr. Greger carry on his critical work. As Joni sang, “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.”This is a uniquely amazing website with the potential to positively change the lives of millions of people, which is why I continue to provide financial support. Please listen to Mike and let’s all contribute.Dr. Gerger’s site has been an eye-opening inspiration for me and my family – garnering so many decades of nutritional research into easily digested nuggets. Like other commentators I wish I could donate more, but will happily give what I can to keep this excellent resource running. Thank you Dr. Greger.Dr. David BrowneI’m in Australia, and found out about Dr Greger through Dr McDougall, whom I have been following for years, having had Heart Failure, now controlled at the age of 76. It is amazing the work that goes into this series, as being a doctor, I know how much time would go into the research. I particularly like the fact that all the studies are from peer reviewed papers, that nobody can dispute. Certainly, becoming a Vegan has changed my life and I hope to have many more years left to enjoy it and my family.Surfers Paradise, Queensland, AustraliaDr. David Browne: Your story shows that it is never too late to start to live a healthy life! Thanks for taking the time to share.Great, thanks!Hi Dr Greger Living in an area of low speed internet, we are not able to benefit from your ground breaking work in nutrition. More than half the world is in my situation, means being in majority is a disadvantage. Is there text and slides version also available on your site to reduce bandwidth and to reach more people.I constantly get “server refused connection”. Is this something speed related OR has it been noticed earlier and perhaps resolved. regards fshahfshah48: Maybe this will help? Under each video is a section called “transcript”. You can see most of the text from the video in the transcript section. This does not include the visuals/charts, etc., but I think it is still pretty good information.Also, while I understand that the following may not be practical/possible/too expensive for some people: If you purchase the DVD(s), you can play the videos locally without having to worry about internet speed. Maybe your local library could acquire the DVDs?Just some ideas to hold you over for the time being. I’m sure Dr. Greger will keep your request in mind for when he has the resources to follow through on your suggestion. Good luck to you.Hello Thanks a ton. After browsing an hour or so and using a webproxy (youtube is banned in this country) I figured out the “transcript”. It is helpful but lacks graphs. Something is better than nothing.regards fshah48	DVD	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/11/new-dvd-on-the-latest-in-nutrition-all-proceeds-to-charity/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-184	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/	Raisins vs. Energy Gels for Athletic Performance	After about an hour of strenuous exercise, long-distance athletes can really start to deplete their glycogen stores, the body’s source of quick energy. Studies dating back to the ’30s found that by hooking athletes on a treadmill up to an IV drip of sugar water, you could delay fatigue, and that drinking sugar water could help as well.  So the sports supplement industry has come up with an array of energy shots, gels, bars, and chews—even sports jelly beans, used (what a coincidence) by the Jelly Belly Cycling Team. In fact the Jelly Belly Candy Company paid for a study that found that said jellybeans could shave 4 or 5 seconds off of a 10km cycling trial compared to sports drinks or gels. But what about compared to a natural, nutrient-rich source of energy such as raisins? As I explain in my 3-min video Raisins vs. Jelly Beans for Athletic Performance, athletes are so heavily marketed to that they may be left with the impression that specially designed supplements are essential for optimal performance. Yet cheaper, healthier alternatives may be overlooked. A research team at Louisiana State University tested low-cost, natural food products rich in carbs such as sun-dried raisins to see if they had the potential to improve performance to a similar degree. Raisins are described as a nutritious, convenient, palatable, cost-effective source of concentrated carbohydrates. But do they work as well? The researchers found they work just as well. Trained cyclists and triathletes put raisins to the test against sports jelly beans and arrived at the same competitive times and achieved the same power output. San Diego State University researchers stacked raisins up against commercial sports gels and arrived at the same conclusion: same respiratory exchange, carb and fat oxidation, and energy expenditure. In fact the only significant difference was in “hedonic scores.” In scoring the pleasantness of the contenders, raisins beat out the jelly beans. Compared to jelly beans with flavors like “extreme watermelon” there was a greater preference for just plain raisin-flavored raisins. Beans, Beans, Good for Your Heart—but only the non-jelly variety! Other sports supplements may be worse than just a waste of money. See, for example my videos Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine? and Heavy Metals in Protein Powder Supplements. Compare the antioxidant content of raisins to other dried fruits in my videos Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol and Better Than Goji Berries. For more on the latest science surrounding on dried fruit, check out: 	Correct. I received some energy gels with my last Half Marathon goody bag. I thought, “Why not give this little pack a try?” especially since they are free. I have never once had explosive diarrhea with high fiber raisins and water but these energy gels “are the bomb”, the bomb in my intestines. Had to detour to the bathroom twice during my run. Definitely ADDED time to my finish. Nasty stuff.Agreed! I use dried fruit for cycling. if I use the sports “nutrition” products I’m guaranteed GI distress!!!Raisins, dates, lots of energy for me. But dates I prefer.I have a question regarding vegan DHA supplement. I decided to give one a try, vegan DHA, and have taken it a few times. My concern is that it contains vitamin E as an added ingredient. Every DHA product at Whole Foods, and other places I have checked, has vegan DHA’s with the added E. Should this be a concern of mine? I seem to remember you saying vitamin E supplements are a no-no. And I’ve read that it doesn’t matter if it is the natural or synthetic form, they both shouldn’t be supplemented. But I’d like to give this DHA thing a trial period to see how it goes. Any advice on the E? Are you personally concerned about the vitamin E in your DHA supplement (if your supplement does in fact have the E)? Thanks, Dr. Greger.How much percent does it contribute to your total intake? it should say on the labelIt does not list a vitamin E percentage. On the ingredient label it lists: natural mixed tocopherols, d-alpha tocopherols.I will have to call the company for a %. This is the vegan “Algae Omega” by Nordic Naturals. If the majority of the vitamin E in my diet comes from real food, and if the % in this DHA supplement is small, is this vitamin E added to the supplement still a concern, according to the science out there?If is small, I do not think its a major cause for concern. I think the issue with vitamin E supplements is that people take them in 100% or more doses.What about a Ketogenic diet (see eatingacademy.org)? Dr. Peter Attia has a lot of research that shows you can last longer when the body is using fat instead of glycogen? Just curious what your thoughts on this are…thanks :)Ketogenic diets have shown to be effective in the short term for people with epilepsy but long term on ketosis entails far more ill effects. Here is an E book by Dr. Greger http://atkinsexposed.org/Sorry, the correct site is eatingacademy.com…IF you are using pure carbohydrates alone, this may be true. But if you want to maximize your performance, add a little protein (and raisins lose on that one).http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14669937What about sodium loss through sweat?I like dried tart cherries, dried mangos, dried bananas, or dried pears. I like to mix them up- they’re my rocket fuel!AS SOON AS YOU HEAR OR READ THAT NATURAL VITAMIN E IS BAD, COMMON SENSE SHOULD TELL YOU THAT THIS PERSON IS A DISINFORMATION SPECIALISTHi jimmy, Natural Vitamin E? What are you talking about? In supplement form or in the foods we eat? Are you saying you take a Vit E supplement? And if Dr Greger doesn’t go along with supplements he is a disinformation specialist?Not sure if raisins or dates are so good for your teeth, however.	antioxidants,athletes,athletics,carbohydrate oxidation,dried fruit,energy bars,energy chews,energy expenditure,energy gels,energy shots,fat oxidation,glycogen,jelly beans,natural supplements,raisins,respiratory exchange,sports,sports drinks,sports gels,sports supplements,supplements	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3325488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21881533,
PLAIN-185	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/19/choosing-the-best-nutrition-bar/	The Best Nutrition Bar	There are a variety of healthier fruit and nut bars on the market now that boast dried fruit as a primary ingredient. Dried fruit is calorically dense, though. Should we be concerned that eating such bars may make us fat? You may have noticed in the conclusion of the fig study I covered in Best Dried Fruit for Cholesterol that adding 14 figs to people’s daily diets did not lead to significant weight gain. Wait a second. That’s 300 calories of figs a day. Over 5 weeks that’s 10,000 calories. How did 10,000 calories disappear into thin air? Figs are so satiating and packed with fiber that even without trying people just end up eating less of other foods throughout the day. I get full just thinking about eating 14 figs! Was that study just a fluke? Let’s look at the other new studies I covered. What about adding three quarters of a cup of dried apples to our diet every day for a year? Two hundred extra calories a day, but no significant change in weight. Two hundred extra calories of prunes a day for a year? No significant change in weight and same thing with a month of a daily 300 calorie load of dates. In general, the 5-10% of Americans that average a tablespoon or more of dried fruit a day tend to be less overweight, less obese, and have a slimmer waist with less abdominal obesity. They tended to eat more, but weighed less.  Similar findings were found for those that eat nuts and nut butters, lower body mass index, slimmer waist, and significantly less excess weight and obesity. See my video Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence. The various mechanisms are summarized in Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories and explored further in a four-video series: What if you put dried fruit and nuts together? What would be the effect of adding daily fruit and nut bars on top of one’s regular diet for two months? Researchers took about a hundred folks who were overweight and randomized them into two groups. Half ate their regular diet, and the other half ate their regular diet plus two fruit and nut bars a day, totaling an extra 340 calories. But these weren’t candy calories; these were largely whole plant food calories, dried fruits and nuts. Two daily fruit and nut bars for two months did not cause weight gain. And they had additional sugar in them (they were KIND brand bars). Maybe that may be why the participants’ cholesterol didn’t get better despite the nuts, which should have helped. I highlight some brands in my 3-min video Do Fruit & Nut Bars Cause Weight Gain? with no added sugar, but it’s even cheaper to just concoct one’s own trail mix and eat dried fruits and nuts on their own. 	I’m hoping prominent nutritional biochemist Bruce Ames releases his nutrient dense CHORI-bar in a vegan formulation. The CHORI-bar was designed by the Ames lab and USDA food scientists to ameliorate nutritional deficiencies in children at risk, and has some novel innovations, but alas the current formulations use whey protein as a binding agent.The story of the CHORI-bar The research The patentAnother great article, but I have an editing suggestion on this sentence: ” Maybe that may be why the …” Instead try, “That could be the reason why the…”:)Try “That could be why…”	abdominal obesity,almond butter,caloric density,cholesterol,dried apples,dried fruit,figs,fruit,nut bar,nut butter,nutrition bar,nuts,obesity,peanut butter,satiety,weight gain,weight loss	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-186	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/	Best Treatment for Constipation	Constipation is a common problem that affects up to 20 percent of the world’s population. Nearly 60 million Americans suffer from chronic constipation, which is particularly a problem in women and the elderly. It is a pathological condition that is often severe enough to disrupt daily activities and derange quality of life. It responds poorly to available medical remedies and may prompt sophisticated and potentially harmful surgical procedures. Despite all this, it is still frequently considered a trivial issue and affected individuals tend to self-medicate either using over-the-counter laxatives or ‘natural’ remedies, none of which had been adequately investigated. Until now. Fiber supplements can be inconvenient, taste nasty, and cause bloating—even choking. Prunes could present a natural, convenient, tasty alternative, but do they work? A randomized clinical trial of prunes vs. Metamucil was recently published. I present the results in my 4-min video Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet. Each dot on the graph represents a complete spontaneous bowel movement. You’ll notice when you watch the video how many had zero a week. Study participants went from an average of 1.7 a week up to 3.5 on prunes (at least one every other day), then back to baseline when prunes were removed. On Metamucil they got up to 2.8  a week. Not as good as the prunes, and a significantly better stool consistency was also noted when using the prunes, as measured by the famous Bristol Stool Scale. The researchers concluded that treatment with dried plums resulted in a greater improvement in constipation symptoms than the commonly used fiber supplement. Given their palatability, tolerability, and availability, dried plums should be “considered as a first line therapy for chronic constipation.” If that’s what adding one plant can do, though, what if all you ate was plants? Vegans are off the charts, averaging 10.9! For more on optimizing bowel function, see: 	Ahh, you’ve been holding this one in for a while. Thanks for letting it go.Please consider doing a post or video on the harmful aspects of senna. It seems a lot of people use this stuff (according to the herbalists and health food store supplement employees.) I’ve been told by herbalists that people should not take sennna (then why is it on your retail shelf?) and GI doctors have said to avoid this herb. Apparently there is some bad data on it out there.Ripe kiwis.Having seen many patients over the years who have become reliant on stimulant cathartics like Senna it is nice to see that some research that shows a more natural approach to avoiding this common problem. Our understanding of the science of the GI tract is also getting better so you need to stay tuned as the science just keeps coming. With the exception of certain rare conditions patients should be able to avoid needing to take medications or over the counter supplements.Dates help too. The problem is that the sorbitol in prunes and apricots can be really painful for sensitive individuals…. The cramps and bloat are beyond painful. What would a person do whom is fodmaps sensitive, yet very constipated, as well as dealing with severe dysbiosis of yeast/fungus/mold/bacteria?Lastly, thoughts on coffee enemas?The trouble with these complex systems is that there is usually not a single correct answer and identifying the “upstream” cause is often difficult. I favor a starch centered approach as advocated by Dr. McDougall. This eliminates alot of the issues with FODMAPS such as sorbitol, galatose and fructose. Starches are just long chain glucose molecules. For complex issues not responsive to fairly straightforward changing of diet to whole plant based starch centered I recommend the “Diet for the Desperate” see McDougall newsletter in Dec 2002. In my experience what works varies from individual to individual and you need to adopt a plan that works for you. In my experience alot of the issues associated with “dysbiosis” resolve as well. Additionally, more recently I have been persuaded by Jeff Smith and his references to recommend non GMO foods… see website, Institute for Responsible Technology. I have no experience with coffee enema’s I would tend to avoid. It is important to work with your physician or other health care professional.I think prunes are great for constipation, but the gas can be annoying. What about acrylamide in prunes? Because I wasn’t sure about the safety of that, I’ve been using dried apricots. They are more expensive but seem to work ok and with less gas.Constipation is also business. First the industry removes the fiber so you get a piece of white bread. The lack of fiber makes you constipated, and then the industry will sell you the fiber, that was in the grains to begin with. I would suggest to skip the constipation, and eat the whole grain from the beginning.Has anyone ever looked into the position we take while evacuating our bowels? Most of the world squats while people using toilets sit; how natural is that? Obviously diet and water intake are the big factors, but I suspect this might also play a role.I find that 3-5 cups of warm water is better than any Laxatives out there.I have found as a vegan who had the ol’ gas problem that Dr. Weil’s suggestion of Triphala to work quite well – both for the gas and regularity! I get the 2,000 mg tabs from vitacost.com at a very reasonable price. If you go there and order ‘em, I would appreciate a reference, as I get some sort of recognition. Thanks Ted “Teddy” Rodosovich teddyrodo@hotmail.comTriphala is advised against http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/I am surprised no one is recommending good old fashion greens. Drop a handful of kale, one whole lime, and ice water in the Vitamix first thing in the morning. Hey it works for me.Best remedy for constipation is a plant based diet of healthy dark leafy greens and beans, or other plants from the garden rather than processed foods from a box.Also drinking a good supply of cleaner, purified water using a carbon filter and if necessary reverse osmosis. My minerals come from plants rather than from the water supply.	bowel movements,bowel regularity,Bristol Stool Scale,California Prune Board,constipation,dried plums,finer supplements,home remedies,International Prune Association,laxatives,Metamucil,natural remedies,over-the-counter drugs,plant-based diet,plums,prunes,U.S. Food and Drug Administration,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-187	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/	Best Dried Fruit For Cholesterol	When I saw there was a paper entitled “Daily Dried Apples Versus Daily Dried Plums: Impact on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Postmenopausal Women,” the first thing I thought was well, was the study funded by the U.S. Apple Association or the International Prune Association? Turns out neither. Just our taxpayer dollars hard at work. Great! So what did they find? One hundred and sixty older women were randomly assigned to a dried apple group or a dried plum group and followed for a year. A dozen dried apple rings a day or about 8 prunes. As you can see in my 3-min video Dried Apples, Dates, Figs or Prunes for Cholesterol?, within 3 months the apple group experienced a significant drop in cholesterol that stayed down throughout the rest of the study, but no cholesterol benefit in the prune group. Both dried fruit regimens lowered c-reactive protein levels about the same, though dried plums may cause a quicker decrease in inflammation, whereas dried apples may result in a greater decrease overall. Prunes may not help our cholesterol, but they may improve the health of our skin—see Beauty Is More Than Skin Deep. That’s of course in addition to their customary regularity role, something I address in Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet. Twelve apple rings is equivalent to eating about 2 apples a day. They think that the cholesterol-lowering properties of apples may be due to their unique pectin fiber composition, which may increase fecal excretion of bile. Or there may be cholesterol-lowering phytonutrients unique to the apples. Either way, this supports the extraordinary findings detailed in my previous video Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol. What about dried figs? The California Fig Board did not want to be left out. They put people on 14 figs a day (that’s a lot of figs!) for 5 weeks and… nothing. Daily consumption of figs did not appear to reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol. Finally, what about dates? Another recent study tested 4 or 5 dates a day for a month and again nothing. The dates did tend to bring down triglyceride levels, though, which is surprising given their sugar content. Studies of the glycemic index of dates found them to have a surprisingly mild effect on blood sugar levels. In Dried Apples, Dates, Figs or Prunes for Cholesterol? I show graphs comparing the blood sugar effects of straight sugar water versus that same amount of sugar in date form. More on the sugar content of dates in Are Dates Good For You?, a recipe in Healthy Pumpkin Pie, and my favorite source for dates here (the season just started!). Dates beat out other common fruits in terms of containing more vitamins and minerals. They’ve even been touted as the “richest source of dietary minerals,” but because they’re dried they have about 5 times more calories than fresh fruits. Thus, in terms of nutrient density, they’re really quite comparable to other fruits. Apples, however, clearly have others beat when it comes to lowering cholesterol. More on dried fruit can be found in: Those with asthma may want to choose dried fruits without the preservative sulfur dioxide. -Michael Greger, M.D. 	Shouldn’t fresh apples and/or my homemade Rosh Hoshanna spiced applesauce have the same effect as dried apples if it is the fiber? Did the dried apples include the peels in this study?That is pretty much the same question I had, are fresh just as good?Of course! Fresh is almost always better.But I think only slightly so. From watching the other NF vids and reviewing the lit sources, the benefits come from the fiber and the poly phenols. The fiber is in the flesh – my applesauce is good – but the poly phenols are more in the peel. My takeaway is that the whole apple is important more so than drying or cooking or fresh. FYI I was in Whole Foods River Oaks location today and could not find any dried apples with or without the peel -was told they had been out for a year.Question: I am a heart attack survivor and trying to manage my cholesterol without statin. A recent test showed that my overall cholesterol was good but I need to raise my HDL (0.9) and lower my LDL (2.4). I eat fruit every day including apples. Any suggestions?Have you eliminated free oils? Do you regularly exercise? What nuts ,if any, do you eat most often?Hi Toxins – I only use a small amount of Rice Bran Oil to brown the garlic and Onions and that is only when I cook stir fry or a soup. Once the browning is done i use Vegie Stock to make a water based sauce. I eat Macro Organic Mixed raw Nuts (brazil, hazel, almond, cashewwith sunflower, pine and pumpkin seeds. I also add pistachio. All raw & unsalted. I go to the Gym for 45 mins brisk treadmill walking plus light weights and standing/sitting. When not at the gym I brisk walk outside in the sunshine for 45 mins. I try to do this everyday but usually mis one day a week.Perhaps you should try to eliminate all nut and seed products and restrict yourself to no more than an ounce of walnuts or flaxseed. I am not sure how much nuts you are eating but eating too much saturated fat can raise blood cholesterol levels. Furthermore, these nuts you are eating are very high in omega 6 and very low in omega 3. This poor ratio will not allow sufficient conversion of ALA to DHA and EPA. A ratio of omega 6:3 for good conversion would be 4:1. Brazil nuts, for example, have a ratio of 500:1. Nuts are healthy but they should be eaten in moderation, especially if you have already suffered from a cardiac event.Eating plenty of beans and greens will also help lower blood cholesterol levels. I am in no way a medical doctor, and offer to you only my opinion based on the research.Thanks for your considered reply Toxins. I love my nuts and seeds and know they have a lot of health benefits. Prior to my heart attack I was not eating many nuts and seeds but I have significantly increased my consumption since. I am reluctant to give them up so I will try other things first. Thanks again.Sometimes it can take a while for cholesterol to drop post-Atkins, you might want to check your carotid intima thickness -it is an ultrasound type test your doctor can do -find a plant based doctor – this may be okay and you may just need some patience for the lipids to stabilize. But Esselstyn does say no refined oils or oily veggies if you have heart disease.Hi DanielFaster – I am not post Atkins and I know from the angiogram that I have badly diseased arteries so I am not sure how the test will help me. See reply above re the olis.All I’m saying is that cholesterol numbers don’t tell the whole picture especially during the healing process. The cimt would show whether the arteries are healing, by comparing later measurements to your baseline.. If your cholesterol is ok and arterial thickness decreasing or holding steady then the hdl ratio may be nothing to worry aboutAgreed I will try to convince my GP to sign me up for this test. I saw my cardiologist today and he is happy with my progress. He has taken me off Metoprolol (Betaloc) and his happy I stopped my Statin.As DanielFaster mentioned, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn does state to avoid all oils but also to avoid all nuts as well. If you’re not familiar with his work, I highly suggest checking out his lectures that are easily accessible online.I realize the benefits of nut consumption, however I would err on the side of caution and heed Toxins’ advice with your stated condition.Further, I certainly hope by ‘Vegan Plus’ you are a WFPB practitioner. If not, you’d better double and triple check the nutritional labels.Much Aloha and Good LuckNuts have health benefits but I certainly believe that the health benefits of nuts have a greater impact on someone following a standard American diet. Someone following a low fat, plant based diet would not gain as much benefit from consuming nuts, especially since nuts are such concentrated sources of omega 6 and calories. Consuming nuts in moderation is fine, but a staple of ones diet is not something I view as healthful. I personally eat an ounce of walnuts and a couple tablespoons of ground flaxseed in my oatmeal every morning, but these 2 nut groups are of the healthiest variety and provide plenty of ALA and have strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.Thanks again Toxins for taking the time to write such a considered piece. I saw my cardiologist today and he is happy with my progress. He has taken me off Metoprolol (Betaloc) and his happy I stopped my Statin. I consume flaxseed meal in my oatmeal and also my smoothie lunch. My mixed nuts/seeds is my main source of calories and if I stop taking them I will lose too much weight (LOL). Anyway I will consider your suggestion and agree that Omega 3 to Omega 6 is important.An excellent source of calories can come from whole food, complex carbohydrate sources. Examples of these are brown rice, beans, potatoes, whole wheat pasta, etc. This is my primary calorie source. You will not have to worry about losing too much weight, as long as you are eating sufficient quantities of whole plant foods when your hungry, til your full, you will stabilize at a healthy weight.I am familiar with Dr Esselstyn and his suggestions. I will revisit him and review my diet. Vegan Plus is a term I coined to describe myself. What is a WFPB practitioner? You must be in Hawaii to say Aloha? I am in Sydney.I’m so glad to hear that you are doing better. I wonder how things are going now. I have been living in Indonesia since 2001 but lived in Hawaii in the 1990s. WFPB = Whole Food Plant-Based. Sorry about the definition-less acronym. Any updates?Lawrence: Both Toxins and DanielFaster’s replies were great. I also would suggest that you take a look at Dr. Greger’s series on amla. If memory serves, I think that hidden in one of the videos, he addresses amla’s ability to affect cholesterol.Best of luck to you.Hi Thea. Yes, you are right I found a couple of videos that mention Alma as a cure for diabetes. A side effect was that it significantly lowered LDLs. Dried (fresh?) apple also looks good. So, I will add alma to my diet as I already eat 1 apple per day and see what happens. Now how do I raise my HDL? My thanks to everyone who responded to my question. I see my cardiologist on Monday and he will not be happy that I am off statin. Oh well, it is my choice because it is my life.Lawrence: I would not encourage someone to go against doctor’s recommendations, but I also agree that it is your choice and doctors don’t always know best. Good for you for taking your health into your own hands.You may want to do some additional researching on this site for other foods that focus on lowering bad cholesterol. And also, you may want to focus on changing the ration of Omega 6 to 3 in your diet. Dr. Greger has a good video on youtube that talks to the importance of this step in order for even vegans to avoid heart attacks. I’m not a doctor or an expert, but after watching that youtube video, I would suggest you consider adding 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed to your diet.Good luck!I saw my cardiologist today and he is happy with my progress. He has taken me off Metoprolol (Betaloc) and is happy I stopped my Statin. Seems he is not a bad bloke. If you have the link to the video, I would appreciate it. Yep I do take flaxseed meal every day. I went shopping for Amla today but only found the stuff to put in your hair! I will keep looking. i will also consider my Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio as well. Thanks for taking the time to comment.Congratulations not only for your success but sharing with your physician. Hopefully s/he will learn from your success and recommend primary and secondary preventive measures for other patients and maybe incorporate some changes in his/her diet.Thanks Don. We can only hope that more doctors wake up to the very viable alternatives that exist to pharmacy medicine. I have been pushing my GP in this direction for some time now and having some success.Good to hear about your health progress, by the way.Thanks Toxins. It really a matter of do or die so I have a good incentive, LOL.Lawrence: re: “If you have the link to the video, I would appreciate it.” I’m sorry I did not reply sooner. I’ve been overwhelmed lately and your post got lost in my “pile”. Here is a link to the video I was talking about:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04I think it is so helpful in understanding fats and the importance of the ratios between omega 3 and 6. However, keep in mind that the video is pretty old. Some of the research discussed in the very beginning is no longer accurate. For example, we *do* have studies showing that vegetarians live longer. That kind of thing.re: Purchasing Amla I know what you mean about the hair care products! I think a good source for buying food grade Amla is Mountain Rose Herbs. Though you could probably get it cheaper elsewhere if you don’t care about getting organic.Hope this helps and best of luck to you.Thank you for the video. I have just watched it again and it reinforces what I have been doing. There are some changes I will make and so far I have not had another heart attack or any heart related pain. I have found an Indian Shop nearby which sells frozen Alma very cheaply. So, I add one to my daily smoothie.Where is your favorite place to buy organic unpeeled apples? A brief web search didn’t turn up much.Where do you live?New Jersey but whole foods doesn’t have these in bulk. Can I order?Sorry mate, I cannot help as I live in Sydney, Australia. We have some suppliers who deliver to the door. Even our main supermarkets and greengrocers have organic sections. Can anyone from New Jersey help?I love fresh organic apples and eat them all Fall/Winter. But the dried ones would be awesome to carry in my pocket at work.Sounds like a good idea. I am not working at the moment so I can eat whatever I like when I like!Interesting article. What	apples,asthma,bile,blood sugar,c-reactive proteins,cholesterol,constipation,dates,digestion,dried fruit,figs,fruit,glycemic index,heart health,inflammation,LDL,minerals,pectin,plums,prunes,skin,sulfur dioxide,triglyceride levels,vitamins,women's health	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/where-can-i-find-a-good-variety-of-dates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/sulfite-sensitivity-from-dried-fruits/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-188	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/10/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/	Eggs, Cigarettes, and Atherosclerosis	A study in the journal Atherosclerosis found that eating just 3 eggs or more a week was associated with a significant increase in artery-clogging plaque buildup in people’s carotid arteries going to their brain, a strong predictor of stroke, heart attack, and death.  If you check out my 3-min video Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis you’ll see they found an exponential increase in arterial plaque buildup for smokers and egg-eaters. Those that ate the most eggs had as much as two-thirds the risk of those that smoked the most, the equivalent of a pack-a-day habit for 40 years or more. This did not go over easy with the egg industry. As revealed in a series of internal memos about this group of researchers retrieved through the Freedom of Information Act, the American Egg Board discussed the “wisdom of making industry responses when the public knows there is a vested interest…” So the Executive Director of the Egg Board’s “Egg Nutrition Center” proposed they contact “some of our ‘friends’ in the science community” to have an “objective, external source author the response.” “If you do so,” the Egg Board wrote to one of their “friends” at Yale, “we’ll certainly compensate you…” But the prominent Yale physician refused to “participate in an overtly antagonistic letter” given his friendship with one of the co-authors of the eggs and atherosclerosis review. If you can’t find someone with credentials to counter the science, why not just make one up? Check out Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis to see this story’s bizarre twist involving an attempt to discredit the egg & smoking study with a hacked email account. This is the same prestigious research team that wrote the landmark review upon which I based my videos Egg Cholesterol in the Diet and Avoiding Cholesterol Is a No Brainer. More on eggs in: 	I’d really appreciate your thoughts on why the ancestral health/paleo crowd is so in love with eggs. The conflicting opinions in this are so absolutely polarized that we lowly lay-people are having a hard time finding something to hang out hats on. And as you know the argument there is that heart disease is first and foremost a disease of inflammation. Thanks! Really appreciate your work!I would ignore most of what the paleo people say.. Its mainly misconstrued data. The most compelling reasons to avoid eggs are indeed the marked levels of arachidonic acid found in eggs which is highly inflammatory as well as increased IGF-1 levels when eggs are consumed. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/ http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1The study mentioned above is not very reliable since it was based on questionnaires.If a study isn’t randomized, double blind, or placebo-controlled, its results might not be as dependable. In observational studies such as this one, it’s vital to ensure that different variables are controlled for.I wish respectable doctors such as Dr. Greger wouldn’t mislead people by referring to such poorly conducted studies.Not sure if I can agree totally with this study but I guess it all depends on a person’s gentic profile. I am in my mid 60’s and consumed for most all my life 1 or 2 eggs (for breakfast (non meat/fish eater), I choose organic for the love of animals. My blood pressure is generally around 110/70. In spite of a few minor pains, I am in great shape, walk (never had a car) but do not excercise specifically; sleep like a baby, never had hot flashes, never took hormones of any kind, never took supplements. My question is: with low blood pressure can one still have clogged arteries? Thank you.Liz, Sounds like you are in great health. Eggs are just a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but that doesnt mean that you will become sick, if you eat them, but only that you have a higher risk – like eating meat, dairy, fish and processed oils, there are no guarantee that you will die early from stroke, heart attack or cancer, only that you have a significantly higher risk. You can eat a WFPB diet and still die young, but your risk is much lower. Then there are a lot of other factors wich also play a role, stress, genetics, environment etc. Back to your question – you can have massive clogged arteries with a normal or low blood pressure, but your risk is lower, but not zero. Dont think at it as a water hose – it is more complicated than that. Eggs contributes to inflammation in the body, not only to high cholesterol and plaque build up. Inflammation is also a risk factor for CVD.Until I fractured my spine from osteoporosis, and began eating only foods that fight pain and inflammation, my blood pressure was totally in the normal range, yet my blood cholesterol was extremely high. And while I ate organic poultry and wild salmon fish, I rarely ate eggs.When my spine fractured, I found that even eating a small portion of wild salmon hurt my body. Whether it was my arteries or my blood vessels I know not, my body simply screamed with pain.I’ve since learned that ALL animal protein increases blood cholesterol.Unlike you, I swam 1.5 miles a day, walked 3 miles with my dog prior to her death, but did not do other weight bearing exercises until 2006 as part of rehab.My body, not my genes, told me to avoid eggs, and other animal proteins. I knew the diet my mother pushed on her family when we were small, and I knew of the heart disease my father had because of his lifestyle. All lifestyles were bad during the 1960’s in my world.Eating vegan and not eating any animal protein makes my body thank me because I feel better.BTW, when I was 60, I had high cholesterol but had not had a heart attack. I think my spinal fracture was a wake up call that helped me to take immediate action to eat healthier. Again, it was not a genetic decision, I was simply listening to my body.Sorry, one very questionable study versus a meta-analysis, gotta go where the meta-analysis:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538567/This study you cited was seriously flawed to begin with. Correlation most certainly doesn’t equal causation, but especially when you can’t even control very well other mitigating factors:http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/08/16/egg-study-not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/http://www.vancouversun.com/health/McKnight+Study+comparing+eating+yolks+smoking+face/7142481/story.htmlLastly, the authors of the Atherosclerosis study you cited have a major conflict of interest themselves: ” Dr Spence and Dr Davignon have received honoraria and speaker’s fees from several pharmaceutical companies manufacturing lipid-lowering drugs, and Dr Davignon has received support from Pfizer Canada for an annual atherosclerosis symposium; his research has been funded in part by Pfizer Canada, AstraZeneca Canada Inc and Merck Frosst Canada Ltd.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/#__fn-groupid3507264titleGosh, that wouldn’t influence THEIR conclusions on things any, would it?The meta analysis you mention does not find an association with ‘higher’ egg consumption with CHD/stroke – unless you are a diabetic, perhaps… And ‘higher’ consumption is up to one egg a day. Hmmm. That begs the question – What about more than one egg a day? Do they give reasons for not asking that obvious question?And if those mitigating factors are potentially so bad: it’s either them or them and the eggs… better not to eat them at the very least. Why risk any of them? Didn’t vegan Seventh Day Adventists (typically health conscious, non-smoking, teetotal & caffeine free) have the lowest rate of CHD?” That begs the question – What about more than one egg a day? Do they give reasons for not asking that obvious question?”A reasonable question, and the answer is likely seen in the study selection and exclusion criteria in their methodology. Are you aware of any other well-controlled, prospective studies to which consumption was > 1 egg/day where investigators “reported relative risks with 95% confidence intervals for at least three quantitative categories of egg intake,” and those studies were not reviews, editorials, non-human studies, and letters without sufficient data, and additionally did not examine exposures and other diseases except for CAD and stroke, to which the authors seemingly overlooked? Otherwise, I think their methodology involving their exclusion criteria is reasonable and sound.Seventh Day Adventists are not vegan, but vegetarian, and they eat non-flesh animal foods including both dairy and eggs.SOME of them are vegan/plant-based. Some eat meat (they have the same basic freedoms like everyone else). They’re quite a mix, 7th dayers – that’s why they are studied. Their lifestyle generally excludes many confounders but there is a range of diets followed (meat-eaters had the highest rate of CHD, if memory serves). BTW, I’m not even vegan, either (no vegan bias here). Although I could consider myself a ‘Catholic Vegan’ – I follow the teaching but lapse and sin regularly – sometimes daily – and definitely on my birthday – but I’m still of the ‘faith’.OK, eivann, fair enough. Any population could contain people who are also vegan. Would you mind sharing your source for the data on vegan Seventh Day Adventists? I’ve never seen any that separated out the vegan segment from the vegetarians, but would be interested to see how the two compare side by side. Generally, the data on SDAs is considered pretty soft as the pressure from the community to abstain from drugs, alcohol, smoking and extra-marital sex is pretty intense in the community. The confounders are so great that it’s impossible to draw many conclusions- but the exception to that would be if people in BOTH diet groups were SDAs.Was it a blessing that I fractured my spine, and then went looking for a diet to reduce pain and inflammation and found Neal Barnard, M.D.?Now I’ve found that if I have any animal protein, my body screams with pain. Perhaps, my change in diet will reduce my chances of high cholesterol causing plaque to build up in my arteries, which my father had and my brother now has.I am not “pro-egg,” but I must point out that with all due respect, unless otherwise specified (and they would specify if they could), these studies are conducted with C-R-A-P eggs, raised by feeding hens GMO corn, too much wheat, and of course, drugs. Laying hens need to be free-range-fed (or at least grass-raised) or fed flaxseed and plant mixtures (all fairly cheap, just not government subsidized) in order to produce eggs that don’t contribute to chronic disease.Agreed. Not only that, but it’s another observational study that can’t conclude anything. What were the eggs eaten with? An Egg McMuffin? A bagel and processed American cheese? Pancakes or waffles? Sodaruit juice coctail? Margarine? Who knows.Wheat was four times better correlated with disease than animal food in Campbell’s 40+ years of research. It’s probably time to look at that.If this is the result of “scouring” the research, it’s not very impressive, Dr. Greger.Please share your source for the wheat correlation. I used to be a low-carb sucker, too. Please tell me it’s not DM or some ‘skeptic’ who has been sucked into the blogosphere (guess who they read?) Please – it’s respected peer reviewed journal, your source. Right? BTW, my layperson’s understanding is Campbell discovered nothing particularly new to science. The previous evidence was pointing that way. His advocating a plant-based diet – now that annoyed some people. And some people in the science community disagreed but they published in proper journals – not the blogosphere. And I don;t remember mentioning a correlation with wheat causing heart disease (although refined wheat is part of the SAD). How come eating wholegrain wheat was part of those diets used as part of REVERSING heart disease – y’know the studies have only been published in the Lancet and similar respected journals. Of course I’m sure there are studies of people eating eggs and grass-fed meat that reverse heart disease.What does being “a low carb sucker” have to do with wheat?This is the source. Diet, Lifestyle and Mortality in ChinaThe reason we see whole grain wheat in the so-called “healing diets” is because it’s better than processed wheat. But this doesn’t mean it’s better than no wheat. It’s the filtered/light cigarette thinking.I realize you’re not vegan, but consider this. Campbell looked at total wheat consumption and total animal food consumption among many other things. Considering we know that there is a significant difference between pastured beef and bologna, for example, we would expect a similar situation. So you hear the wf-omnis pointing out that the study included lots of processed meat… and so it did. And even so, the wheat was 4 times worse.It would be cool if we could break it down further by whole and processed foods. I’m sure that that is where the key lies and not in plant versus animal.The source I remember for the vegans having least Heart disease is not made itself apparent in my history/files altough I unearthed this (quoted from a secondary source but on 2nd looks, the page was not so great – could be post a reference thing – anyway, the abstract gives littleaway http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/31/10/191S.abstract but a quick glance at a more recent study puts them behind vegetarians but whether that is B12 denial/ignorance, time will tell (meat eaters still came last). That’s enough trawling. There’s plenty on the SDA study site searching ‘vegan http://www.llu.edu/central/Search-Results.page?query=vegan&databaseSelection=lluniversity&MaxResults=20&currentPage=2&amp;– and that study (thanks) – just correlation – not an intervention study is it? Like those … ‘So called “Healing diets”‘ – I am lost for words. But you are welcome to your interpretation. Bye and good luck – my input on this topic is over, as I have other things to do.Thank you for the link. For what it’s worth, I did write that wheat was “associated” and “correlated”, two phrases that specifically apply to observational data.The point was that if you’re going to depend on observational data for your meat-eating education, you can’t leave out the observational data on wheat. Either you think observational data is important to pay attention to or you don’t. Otherwise you’re just picking and choosing what suits your ideal at the moment.Campbell was also quoted saying this about his actual controlled studies looking at wheat– “Wheat protein, unlike casein for example, did not stimulate cancer development, but when its limiting amino acid, lysine, was restored, it acted just like casein. There have been literally thousands of studies going back many decades showing a similar effect on body growth and other events associated with body growth—all resulting from differences in amino acid composition of different proteins.” So unless you have a way to eat your wheat without any other foods that will fill in the missing aminos, it had the same properties as isolated casein. (which is not a whole animal food either.)Good luck to you as well.Levels of IGF-1 in vegans is lower regardless of whether they mixed foods. The HIGH content of essential aminos in the diet is what determines the levels of this hormone, and not whether foods are combined to make a “complete” protein. ” IGF-I concentration is lower among women who adopt a vegan diet. In addition, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 concentrations are substantially higher in vegan women compared with meat-eaters and vegetarians, suggesting that the amount of bioavailable IGF-I may be lower in vegan women. The nutritional characteristics of the vegan diet that account for these differences are not clear but may be related to vegans’ lower intake of protein high in essential amino acids.” http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/11/11/1441.full.pdfWhere is the evidence that whole wheat is linked to chronic disease? And please, no ridiculous biased papers from cordain.See the comment you just replied to for the citation. It is a study spanning many years and conducted by a plant-based advocate. You can’t get any less biased than that.Cordain’s papers are published and peer-reviewed. You have claimed they are “ridiculous” several times but have failed to say how. The fact that you don’t like the conclusions doesn’t make something ridiculous. If you are going to convince anyone that that’s true, you’re going to have to do a little work, try a little investigating of your OWN, point out the specifics you take issue with and provide COUNTER evidence.A link to another Nutritionafacts blogpost isn’t going to cut it.I am sure you know this already but if you are linked to a video by someone you simply open the link and read the research that was conducted and Dr Greger referenced to make the video.You obviously do not have a family history of heart disease or you wouldn’t be so flippant with your health– willing to follow the latest fad of high fat and high animal protein.But I must admit, you have definitly bought into the theory.Obviously? Until 6 years ago when I went Paleo, I was diabetic and hypertensive with cholesterol over 300. My mother had 2 heart attacks and a quadruple bypass in her 40s and eventually died when her liver was destroyed by the fructose her endo told her was “perfectly safe” for diabetics. She was insulin dependent by then. My little sister recently died at 40 of a heart attack and my older brother had his first heart attack at 39. My remaining sister is obese and both diabetic and hypertensive and all of my maternal and paternal aunts and uncles are or were diabetic. (Though both of my grandmothers lived well into their 90s) My younger brother had elevated cholesterol and was gaining some weight and I convinced him to give this a shot and his cholesterol came back down and he dropped 20+ lbs.There isn’t a flippant bone in my body where it comes to nutrition. I am educated by both the data and empiricism. My heart and arteries resemble those of a teenager whereas as a vegan that was definitely not the case- and my serum cholesterol is below 150 and I am no longer diabetic or hypertensive (like I was as a wf-vegan). My inflammation markers are so low that they don’t register on the blood work.Regarding a link to a blog post- I’m pretty good at finding the data. My husband’s an educator and I have access to most of the medical journals online for free. The reason I insist that someone share the actual data is because this shows that THEY know what the data means. It’s easy to throw a blog-post at someone and pretend it’s an actual response. But that isn’t discussion-worthy, that’s you [not you specifically] being a repeater. If you can actually discuss the data fluidly, you probably have a working understanding and could be worth having a discussion with. If not, why would anyone take the time to argue with what amounts to a human search engine?You are right about one thing, I bought into the theory.Theory- “a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on knowledge that has been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experimentation. Scientists create scientific theories from hypotheses that have been corroborated through the scientific method, then gather evidence to test their accuracy.Just curious–how do you know your heart and arteries resemble those of a teenager now and that they didn’t as a vegan?It sounds as though you have a family history of obesity? That is definitely a risk factor.My father and his brothers were ideal weight. But, as with many in their generation meat guys. And of course this was before the processed frankenfoods of today. So..I can only go with what I consider to be an accumulation of reliable research. The alternative is too risky.Dr. Greger, you base your opinion on this one study?? Hmmmm…was impressed with your site up until now.There is a mass of data on eggs that Dr. Greger has found and more videos released in the future will continue to reflect the message. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/The “study” was a poor one. Here is one that say the opposite. http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8539 Don’t give into diets. Live style is what matters. Something you can stick to.	American Egg Board,arterial plaque,atherosclerosis,carotid arteries,cholesterol,cigarettes,clogged arteries,eggs,heart attack,smoking,stroke,Yale	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22882905,
PLAIN-189	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/	Rooibos & Nettle Tea	Rooibos, or red tea, is anecdotally reported to aid stress-related symptoms, but it has none of the mood-altering phytonutrients thought responsible for the increased calm and decreased stress after drinking green tea (see Dietary Brain Wave Alteration). So why do some people feel less stressed drinking red tea? Researchers recently found that human adrenal gland cells in a petri dish produce about 4 times less steroid hormones in the presence of red tea. This could certainly result in lower stress hormone levels if it happened within the body, but the effect was so dramatic the researchers were concerned it might adversely effect the production of sex steroid hormones as well. Thankfully, that’s not what they found when they tested it in human subjects. The same, however, may not be true of nettle tea. Nettle is used to relieve the symptoms of prostate enlargement by boosting estrogen levels, but case reports show men drinking too much may grow breasts and women may actually start lactating. Nettle tea is safe as long as you 1) don’t drink too much, 2) don’t mistake it for deadly nightshade if you forage it, and 3) don’t put the leaves in your mouth fresh–they don’t call them stinging nettles for nothing! In my 3-min video Herbal Tea Update: Rooibos & Nettle I show a close-up of the impalement of a nettle spicule in the skin. My go-to herbal tea is hibiscus (see my last article Hibiscus Tea: The Best Beverage?). But nettle tea is touted for being packed with minerals. That always seemed a bit strange to me. Yes, if you boil dark green leafy vegetables long enough, you do lose minerals into the cooking water, but how many minerals could we be getting if you just steep some tea? We never knew because it hadn’t been tested, until now. Researchers compared the mineral content of nettle tea to chamomile tea, mint tea, St. John’s Wort, and sage. If you watch the video you’ll see that nettle tea didn’t seem to have much more than any of the others, but maybe they’re all really high? One cup of nettle tea has the same amount of iron as dried apricot, the zinc found in a single pumpkin seed, one-twentieth of a mushroom’s worth of copper, and 4 peanuts’ worth of magnesium and a fig’s worth of calcium. I agree with the researchers that a cup of herbal tea may not be an important source of minerals, but it’s not negligible. Greens are so packed with nutrition that we can benefit by just drinking some hot water they’ve been soaking in for a few minutes. The fact that so much nutrition leaches into the water in nettle tea is a reason we don’t want to boil greens unless we’re making soup or otherwise consuming the cooking water. See Best Cooking Method for more tips on preserving nutrients. 	Is there a scientific basis for us to be concerned about antinutrients in any of these teas that you describe?Thanks for these most interesting articles. I do appreciate getting them in article form as I don’t always have time to listen to a video.My favorite biological pathway (Keap1-Nrf2-ARE) is stimulated by the xenobiotics in both rooibos and hibiscus tea:Awoniyi, Dolapo Olaitan. The role of rooibos (Aspalathus Linearis), green tea (Camellia Sinensis) and commercially available rooibos and green tea antioxidant supplements on rat testicular and epididymal function. Diss. 2012.Liu, Shu-Ling, et al. “Involvement of heme oxygenase-1 participates in anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of aqueous extract of Hibiscus taiwanensis.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2012 (2012).Would it be a good idea to have both, hibiscus and rooibos, at the same time?There is no study suggesting synergy, though other studies have found synergies from other Nrf2 inducing food compounds. I was just pointing out that when one understands the mechanism of how plant xenobiotic compounds activate endogenous stress responses, often through Nrf2-ARE, one sees it everywhere. There’s probably a Nobel Prize for Kaymin Chan or Jed Fahey for discovering Nrf2 and its modulation by phytochemicals.Any more updates on yerba mate, anyone?What about dandelion tea?Forgive me if this has already been asked, but would we receive any additional benefits (other than fiber) if we were to eat the tea leaves after steeping them? Is there a reason why tea leaves are typically not consumed after they are steeped?David: You may want to research “matcha”, which if I understand correctly is a green tea prepared in such a way that the tea leaves themselves *are* consumed.For normal green tea, I believe that the tea leaves are not usually consumed due to texture issues. However, in one of Dr. Greger’s videos, he describes throwing a handful of white tea leaves into his morning smoothie. So, people (at least our Dr Greger anyway) do consume the tea leaves, though not always part of the drink.As to, additional benefits: I would guess that the following is true: While a lot of nutrients seep out of the leaves while soaking in water, you don’t necessarily get all of the nutrients. So, yes, if you eat the entire leaf, then you get even more benefit than from just drinking filtered tea water. (not counting stinging nettle of course if it is going to sting one’s tongue)For my own opinion, eating those leaves by themselves would not be appetizing. So, if I were going to do it, I’d want to put them into a smoothie, muffin, or oatmeal or something. Just an idea.That’s my 2 cents. Hope that helps.For green tea, some of the “antioxidant” polyphenols like EGCG with ample benefits don’t elute into the liquid. And while tea leaves are high in polyamines (which may have intriguing anti-antinflammatory, cardiovascular-health, bone-health and anti-aging properties), almost none of them enter solution.Darryl: Thanks for supplying the specifics.Dear Dr. Greger,Your comments about Rooibos tea are are very interesting! I have just one question: As you say that there’s a risk of fluoride-poisoning from over-dosing on green tea, I’d like to know what is the limit on Rooibos tea as well, since I’ve read that it’s rich in fluoride, maybe more than true tea! Do you have any information about it?Thanks!	calcium,chamomile tea,copper,estrogen,Green tea,hibiscus,iron,magnesium,minerals,mint tea,nettle tea,phytonutrients,prostate enlargement,red tea,rooibos,sage,St. John’s Wort,steroid hormones,steroids,zinc	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	-
PLAIN-190	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	Hibiscus Tea: The Best Beverage?	A landmark investigation of the Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods put all previous rankings to shame. That’s where I got the data to create my videos Best Berries, which compares hundreds of berries to common fruits, and Better Than Goji Berries, which highlights the dried fruit most packed with anti-aging, anti-cancer antioxidants. Antioxidants in a Pinch and A Better Breakfast can help one visualize the effects of adding just tiny amounts of antioxidant-packed foods to our daily diets. The international team of researchers also compared hundreds of different beverages. They tested everything from Red Bull to crowberry liqueur. I could never imagine any beverage more antioxidant-packed than matcha, which is a drink made out of powdered green tea leaves (so you’re actually eating green tea). But as I showed in Better Than Green Tea?, matcha may have met its match. Hibiscus tea, made from the dried petals of hibiscus flowers, topped the rankings. It’s known as flor de Jamaica in Mexico, sorrel in the Caribbean, and roselle in many parts of the world. It’s what gives the “zing” to red zinger tea. My family’s recipe is to soak a handful of bulk dried organic hibiscus flowers overnight and then blend with a knuckle of fresh ginger, a teaspoon of amla, three tablespoons of erythritol, and a handful of fresh mint leaves to make the half-gallon we drink throughout the day. By blending in the mint, you’re adding dark green leafies to what may be the highest antioxidant beverage in the world, and it tastes like fruit punch! Your kids will love it. You can overdo it though. The impressive manganese content of hibiscus tea may exceed recommended limits at high intakes, though, so we probably shouldn’t drink more than a quart a day (for someone that weighs about 150 pounds; a kid weighing 75 pounds wouldn’t want to regularly drink more than 2 cups a day). Just because something has antioxidant power in the test tube, though, doesn’t mean it has antioxidant flower power in the body. Maybe the phytonutrients aren’t even absorbed. A human investigation of hibiscus tea has finally been published, though. If you take people and have them drink only water for 10 hours the antioxidant level of their bloodstream drops throughout the day. The antioxidants we’ve accumulated eating healthy foods get slowly used up throughout the day fighting off all those free radicals unless we replenish our antioxidant stores. For a primer on the fluctuating levels of oxidant stress, see Antioxidant Level Dynamics. It’s hard to get people to fast for 10 hours, though. So, in addition to water, researchers gave the study subjects something they knew wouldn’t mess up their antioxidant measurements: white bread and cheese. What if at the beginning of the experiment you instead gave people a single cup of hibiscus tea? As you can see in my 2-min Herbal Tea Update: Hibiscus, within an hour there’s a nice spike in the antioxidant level in the blood stream. The effect disappears, however, unless you sip hibiscus throughout the day (or eat something other than Wonderbread cheese sandwiches). Where are antioxidants concentrated the most? Whole plant foods. See the remarkable contrast in Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. What’s so great about antioxidants? See The Power of NO and Mitochondrial Theory of Aging. How do we know more is necessarily better? See, for example, Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants. For more flower power, check out what the saffron crocus can do against depression (Saffron vs. Prozac), PMS (Saffron for the Treatment of PMS), stress (Wake Up and Smell the Saffron), and dementia (Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s). There are also chamomile flowers (Red Tea, Honeybush, & Chamomile), though Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy, and the rose bush: Dietary Osteoarthritis Treatment. More comparisons of herbal teas here: The Healthiest Herbal Tea. I should note that there are unique phytonutrients found in the tea plant missing from all herbal teas, so one would not expect Dietary Brain Wave Alteration from drinking hibiscus. And hibiscus tea is sour, so make sure not to brush your teeth immediately after consumption (see my video Plant-Based Diets: Dental Health). 	Dr. Greger, I have tried drinking hibiscus tea (specifically, Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger) after watching your various videos about it, but eventually stopped because it seemed to be causing constipation! It happened too many times to be a coincidence. Does this happen to anyone else? Could it be caused by something else in Red Zinger? The other ingredients listed are: rosehips, peppermint, West Indian lemongrass, orange peel, natural flavors, lemon verbena, licorice and wild cherry bark. Thanks for any insight you can offer!I’ve also been drinking hibiscus tea regularly since seeing your video. I add lemon juice and stevia, and I haven’t noticed any constipation.Hmm maybe I’ll try just getting the pure hibiscus and see if that’s better. It tastes good and is so good for you, so I’d hate to miss out if I don’t have to!I have been drinking hibiscus tea for a year and a half, I just discovered it in the bulk bin at a local market. I soak the dried flowers for an hour or longer in a mason jar, I don’t add anything and love the tart flavor. Sometimes I will make Yerba Mate tea and make a sport drink by mixing the two, YUM!I started to drink it to help cool me down and refresh me on a hot day, intuitive guess, it works! In Mexico they say it is good for the blood, (pressure). I feel it has lots of Vitamin C. Good to know about the antioxidants! Luckily, last July mom & I were in Mexico and I bought the entire two bags the local tiny health food store had, so much fresher…Michael: This is clearly a good way to boost the antioxidant in your blood but isn’t this hibiskus very low in PH? Im abit concerned about exposing my teeth to this constant exposure to low PH. Any ideas here?High pH is much more of a concern than low pH for your teeth. If anything, low pH would help offset the acidity that causes cavities and enamel erosion (wearing away).oh whoops, that was an embarassing mistake! please disregard my previous reply about low pH not being a concern. acidity IS the concern (got my low/high pH switched) however, tea tends to cause cavities/erosion less than stronger acids like that found in citrus, but tends to stain teeth and cause esthetic issues. if you don’t want stained teeth, rinse with water after drinking tea.I had been drinking rosehip-hibiscus tea for a few weeks instead of water. Now my front teeth became transparent. I am now back to just water and will never drink that much tea again. My teeth are irreversibly damaged.Dr. Greger,We have been drinking hibiscus tea since your video came out, Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger to be specific. I have two concerns: 1) it’s not organic and 2) although hibiscus is the first ingredient I wonder how much is actually in it. We’ve found a 100% hibiscus tea at a Middle Eastern store (it’s from Lebanon) but not organic. Since we drink so much of it I feel concerned about these not being organic. I looked online and saw 1 lb organic hibiscus at more than $20.What is your recommendation regarding the organic issue? And without necessarily promoting a particular brand how can I get the biggest bang for my buck?My family loves you and follows you faithfully. :-)I live in El Paso (US-Mexico border) and can find dried hibiscus at my nearby supermarket. It is also found at some Mexican restaurants as a sweetened drink. Viva for the health benefits of jamaica!Dear Dr. Greger… Thanks for all our effort in health education for all of us. Unfortunately I was not able to find Hibiscus in the antioxidant references you cite; I was able to find a Tang,Jamaica beverage but was about 6 .. is that number the one you refer to? Thanks again… HectorWhen you say “blend” do you mean to use say a hand blender and blend everything including the whole flower heads? Or just stir but and don’t consume the flowers?Dear Dr. Greger, you cold brew the tea over night in the fridge. This must be nice in summer time or in warm countries. In winter time in Germany it would be nice to have a warm drink. Would brewing the hibiscus tea with hot water destroy the anti-oxidant effect? Thank you for your wonderful website.Is Hibiscus tea good for weight loss?I read the following on another website and wonder if it’s factual or not.“Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) can be found naturally in Hibiscus tea. This is the same acid that was manufactured chemically in labs to create Hydroxycut, but the natural source is safe, healthy and a million times more beneficial to the body.Hibiscus tea affects how we absorb fats and carbohydrates because it contains phaseolamin, a powerful enzyme inhibitor that blocks amylase, the enzyme responsible for breaking down fats and carbohydrates. Hibiscus tea acts in the same way as the drugstore-pill versions, but remains in its natural, unadulterated form and is much safer and more beneficial for the body than laboratory-produced concoctions.”Doc, you need to clarify something. From the pics you posted in your vid (e.g. of the red zinger box), and your stating that your family uses bulk dried “petals” to make tea, it appears that what you are referring to is the usually bright red or pink flower with the long stamen stereotypically worn behind the ear of island women. But then you also mention that hibiscus is commonly called sorrel in the Caribbean. I am Jamaican, and the hibiscus flower (which I described earlier) is different from sorrel which is a very deep red bud, slightly prickly in texture, that surrounds a seed. We use it to make a drink that is traditionally consumed most at Christmas. Recently we have also begun to use it for tea (powdered in tea bags). It appears hibiscus rosa sinensis is the pretty flower, and hibiscus sabdariffa is the scientific name of the very different “sorrel”. Please clarify which is being referred to.WHY IS IT THAT DR GREGER NEVER ANSWERS ANYONE’S QUESTION?Phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological aspects of Hibiscus sabdariffa L.: a review.“A single report has suggested that excessive doses for relatively long periods could have a deleterious effect on the testes of rats”Twinnings Fruit Selected tea is actually a Hisbiscus punch. Hibiscus is listed as the first ingredient (largest) on all the teas.To heck with the tea. I cooked 4.5 cups dried beans with 2 cups dried hibiscus flowers. After swelling the beans and leaching to prevent gas, I cooked them with sauce. The sauce in the blender was 2 cups hibiscus, 1 small can tomato paste, heaping tablespoon tumeric, heaping tablespoon red pepper. The beans are delightfully sour. I notice I am producing more saliva. Could be the magnesium.Cooking whole grains and beans with homogenized high antioxidant plants is the way to go. Nothing goes to waste. I make a great barbecue sauce from red beats, red sweet pepper, red hot pepper powder, tomato paste, pomegranite, kabocha pumpkin, nori seaweed, tumeric, and green leaves duJour.Spaghetti sauce is another venue for homogenized veggies. Tomatoes are just the start of a good sauce.Seems to be a strong diuretic! You’ll be peeing all day :-/	amla,antioxidants,berries,chamomile,dementia,depression,erythritol,flor de Jamaica,flowers,goji,Green tea,herbal,hibiscus,matcha,mint,oxidant stress,phytonutrients,plant-based diet,PMS,rose bush,roselle,saffron crocus,sorrel,stress,tea,vegan,vegetarian,zinger tea	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	-
PLAIN-191	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/	Treating Parkinson’s Disease With Diet	Caffeine consumption appears to help prevent Parkinson’s, but what if you already have the condition? A recent study found that giving folks the equivalent of about two cups of coffee a day worth of caffeine significantly improved symptoms of the disease. Of course, there’s only so much you can charge for coffee, so drug companies took caffeine and added a few side groups so they could patent it into new drugs (Preladenant and Istradefylline). These drugs appear to work no better than plain caffeine, which is dramatically cheaper and probably safer. You can see more of the risks and benefits of coffee and caffeine in Coffee and Cancer and What About the Caffeine? Similarly, certain plants, such as berries, and plant-based diets in general may help prevent Parkinson’s. See my last post Avoiding Dairy to Prevent Parkinson’s. This may be partially because of pollutants that magnify up the food chain into the meat and dairy supply, but it could also be from the protective phytonutrients in healthy plant foods. For example, as you can see in my 3-min video Treating Parkinson’s Disease With Diet, I profile a case report in which a dietician struck with Parkinson’s was able to successfully clear most of her symptoms with a plant-based diet rich in strawberries, whole wheat, and brown rice. These are rich sources of two particular phytonutrients, N-hexacosanol and fisetin, but there hadn’t been a formal interventional trial published, until now. At its root, Parkinson’s is a dopamine deficiency disease due to a die-off of dopamine-generating cells in the brain. These cells make dopamine from L-dopa derived from an amino acid in our diet. Just like we saw with the serotonin story I described in my three-part series The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin, A Better Way to Boost Serotonin, and The Best Way to Boost Serotonin, the consumption of animal products blocks the transport of L-dopa into the brain, crowding it out.  With this knowledge, researchers first tried what’s called a “protein redistribution diet.” This is where people could only eat meat for supper so the patients would hopefully be sleeping by the time the negative effects of the animal protein hit. The researchers didn’t consider cutting out all animal products altogether until it was discovered that fiber consumption naturally boosts L-dopa levels. Thus, a plant-based diet would be expected to raise levodopa bioavailability and bring some advantages in the management of the disease through two mechanisms: reduced animal protein intake and an increased fiber intake. That’s why plant protein is superior, because that’s where fiber is found. So researchers put folks on a strictly vegan diet, saving beans for the end of the day, and indeed found a significant improvement in symptoms. More on what fiber can do for us in videos such as: 	Cool, but why did they “save beans for the end of the day” as you wrote in the last paragraph? Is there anything about eating beans earlier in the day that would prevent boosting l-dopa levels?Because beans have protein and one would want any negative effects to come when patient is sleeping.What negative effect would a plant based protein have on sleeping? I don’t see how a bean such as black beans would produce the negative effects. Dr. Greger mentions in this blog here that animal based proteins were causing the negative effects.Well this is specifically about Parkinson’s, protein and sleep. I am assuming the only reason you would limit beans at night has to do with the study about protein. Does anything else make sense?I watched the video. It makes no mention of negative effects of plant protein (beans). It only mentions animal protein. Therefore, I don’t see why it would matter if someone had beans earlier in the day (they are eating a plant based protein and this is not what was found to cause the problem). And they also mentioned that plant proteins work best and are a significant source of fiber. They’ve seem to have left out any reason why any plant protein would cause the same problems as the animal proteins. In fact, they seem to imply the opposite.Your question prompted me to do a search. Apparently, PD meds (typically Levadopamine) and protein don’t get along. If a patient takes the meds to soon before or after eating protein, the drug and protein compete to get taken up into the bloodstream; the protein always wins. The patient doesn’t then get what they need from the meds. It doesn’t matter if the protein is animal or plant based. Patients are urged to have their protein meals in the evening. Source article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/website-helps-parkinsons-patients-avoid-protein-medication-interaction/article12601255/Do you have any citations for the studies referenced?Omar: While Dr. Greger doesn’t repeat the sources sited in the blog section of this website, all citations are included underneath each relevant video and each blog links to the videos.It can be a bit of work going from a blog to finding what you are looking for, but it is possible. Just look for and expand the section, “Sources Sited” under the relevant video that talks about the study you are interested in.Hope that helps.Great articleFisetin, a flavonol found in strawberries and the Japanese wax tree, is becoming a candidate for the most valuable phytochemical (MVP) award. Fairly bioavailable, readily crosses the blood-brain barrier, reduces symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in humans, a neurotrophin that facilitates long-term memory in animal models, anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic in cancer, and lowers methylglyoxal production and protein glycation in diabetic complications. Of particular interest to me, fisetin about as potent as sulforaphane in inducing Nrf2-ARE mediated cytoprotective responses, but does so with switch-like kinetics – in high-throughput screening its the only low-toxicity phytochemical with with this attribute.PNAS 103.44 (2006): 16568-16573 Free radical research 40.10 (2006): 1105-1111. Molecular pharmacology 71.6 (2007): 1703-1714. Genes & nutrition 4.4 (2009): 297-307. PloS one 6.6 (2011): e21226. Chemistry & biology 18.6 (2011): 752-765. International Journal of Cancer. 130.7 (2012): 1695. Carcinogenesis 33.2 (2012): 385-393. Journal of Medicinal Food 15.8 (2012): 758-761.One case where black tea might be better than green: drinking >3 cups of black tea daily delayed onset of Parkinson’s disease motor symptoms by 7.7 years in this study.A noteworthy point from the study you cited was:“Smoking ≥10 pack-years delayed age of PD onset by 3.2 years”Nicotine has been known to lower risk of Parkinson’s for decades. As lung cancer, alone, is responsible for 7.2 times as many deaths as PD in the U.S., its not really worth considering smoking as a preventative. Perhaps a low-TSNA smokeless tobacco, which lowered PD risk by 78% in this study, might be worthwhile for those with incipient PD.Besides caffeine and nicotine, these phytochemicals have have demonstrated protective effects in both neuron tissue culture and animal models of Parkinson’s and neurodegenerative disease:• sulforaphane (broccoli, cabbage, kale and other cruciferous vegetables) • curcumin (tumeric) • epigallocatechin gallate (green tea) • resveratrol (grape skins) • allicin (garlic) • hypericin (St. John’s wort) • carnosic acid (rosemary, sage) • luteolin (thyme, oregano, rosemary, pepperment, chamomile, olive oil, and others)Thank you once again Professor! I have learned a lot from your posts about PD, including the surprisingly protective role of higher blood levels of uric acid.I highly recommend e-cigs and monster rehab black tea caffeine for anyone with PD. My boyfriend has the kind that hits in your early twenties and these really helped him feel better even though it’s still progressing.Be aware of the tin (from solder used in vaporizer wires) in inhaled ecig smoke. Swedish snus may be a better option.I think I will wait for more studies instead of just testing on one brand e-cig. If anyone ever tries them out, they’ll notice there is a huge difference between the cheap ones at Walmart and gas stations that just taste like burning cartridges and bitter liquid, and those that are better quality that don’t have the “burn” taste and organic nicotine. The low quality ones initially made him think he would never be able to use an E-cig.If more brands get tested and all show that kind of lead content, he would quit.He also switched to organic tea bags since I made that post.I thought snus was linked to cancer?Snus isn’t safe, but it does appear safer than other tobacco products. I’ve seen estimates that place health risks with snus (notablly increased pancreatic cancer risk) at about 8-9% those for continued smoking, and it appears more successful in risk reduction than medical nicotine replacement. Some current brands place considerable emphasis on reducing tobacco specific nitrosamines, which may not be reflected in the historical cohorts.Fisetin, a flavonol found in strawberries and the Japanese wax tree, is becoming a candidate for the most valuable phytochemical (MVP) award. Fisetin is fairly bioavailable, readily crosses the blood-brain barrier, reduces symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in humans, is a neurotrophin that facilitates long-term memory in animal models, is anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic as well as an angiogenesis inhibitor in cancer, and lowers methylglyoxal production and protein glycation responsible for the accelerated aging of diabetic complications. Fisetin is about as potent as sulforaphane in inducing Nrf2-ARE mediated cytoprotective responses, uniquely among food phytochemicals, but does so with switch-like kinetics in high-throughput screening.Lol. Parkinson is the opposite eating healthy. Increase your intake of high fructose cornsyrup increases uric acid. Higher your cholesterol and start smoking	animal protein,beef,berries,bioaccumulation,brown rice,caffeine,cancer,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,coffee,dairy,dopamine,fisetin,fish,Istradefylline,L-dopa,levodopa,meat,milk,N-hexacosanol,Parkinson’s,phytonutrients,plant-based diet,pollutants,Preladenant,protein redistribution diet,serotonin,strawberries,vegan,vegetarian,whole wheat,yogurt	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/	-
PLAIN-192	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/	Avoiding Dairy to Prevent Parkinson's	There are four things that may reduce our risk of developing Parkinson’s disease: increase exercise, and avoid dairy products, pesticides, and head trauma (please  wear your seatbelt and bike helmet!). What about avoiding pesticides and other industrial pollutants? A recent autopsy study found higher levels in the brains of Parkinson’s victims of certain PCBs found in Monsanto’s Aroclor, which was banned in 1979. The more PCBs found in the brain, the worse the brain damage. The worst three appeared to be PCBs 138, 153, and 180, all of which are significantly lower in the bodies of those eating plant-based diets (see Industrial Pollutants in Vegans). So, does a vegan diet reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease? If you watch my 3-min video Preventing Parkinson’s Disease With Diet you’ll see that every prospective study looking at dairy products and Parkinson’s disease found an increased risk associated with consumption. This may be because dairy products in the United States are contaminated with neurotoxic chemicals. Autopsy studies consistently find higher levels of pollutants in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients, and some of these toxins are present at low levels in dairy products. Tetrahydroisoquinoline is one such parkinsonism-related toxin found predominantly in cheese. Although the amounts of this neurotoxin—even in cheese—are not very high, the concern is that the chemical may accumulate in the brain over long periods of consumption resulting in the brain damage associated with Parkinson’s diease. I also touch on Parkinson’s in: Avoiding dairy may have other benefits. See, for example: What if it’s too late and you or a friend or family member already have Parkinson’s? Please check out my video Treating Parkinson’s Disease With Diet. 	Today’s blog doesn’t even scratch the surface of what toxins lie in milk! If anyone is interested and you want even more information and proof of the contaminants in milk and the problems associated with drinking it, please read “White Wash” by Joseph Keon. Eye opening for sure!Chock full of over 1000 references for your corroborating pleasure.For those busy folks who don’t have time to read the full book and 1000 references, what would you say are the key points?Don’t drink milk! ;-)A snappy answer to my stupid question. Mad magazine would be proud.I am also curious how ‘organic’ or pastured cows milk stacks up against factory farmed milk. There’s still going to be pcb and dioxin in it because those are everywhere, and still going to be bovine hormones in it to get a calf to pack on 600 pounds, of course, but just wondering if there are any studies addressing this you are aware of?Sure the toxins would be less but you cannot change the fact that the main protein casein (87% of the protein in milk) is known to turn on gene’s that promote cancer. Cow milk is for baby cows!Avoid dairy, prevent cancer.There are 17 cancers associated with a lack of Vitamin D.(including prostate and colon). So this is quite a dilema for people living in the Northern U.S. and Canada, those working indoors, using sunscreen etc.who do not get enough sunlight and can not absorb through supplements.Don’t understand how supp D added to milk is any different than taking a D supp per se? There are natural foods with D in them like sun grown mushrooms, still it is a good idea to take a supp.Mushrooms are jam packed with vitamin D and it’s easy to fill your daily need with vitamin D fortified soy milk and orange juice.Vitamin D supplements may be necessary to reach levels recommended here at 2,000 IU’s per dayhttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/Are there any studies to show vitamin D supplements work?If you follow the link above, it leads to a series of videos regarding vitamin D. This one indeed shows its absorption.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/I take a supplement as well. Mushrooms are the only veggie were Vitamin D is found naturally. How many would one have to eat? How many people eat mushrooms everyday? How does it compare to fish or fortified milk, soy milk, juice, fish, etc? I think this is the issue. People won’t or can’t eat enough fish and mushrooms to make up for what they would get in fortified milk, which is much more available and affordable considering the amount of vit D per serving.I would like to see the publications before I make any life changesThere are many more that can be found here regarding other issues with dairy consumption.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/Michelle, does this mean avoid all cheeses? Are there any cheeses where the toxins were not found?Artisan nut cheeses, yum! All protein and tons of nutrients!The “Treating Parkinson’s with Diet” link does not work.Are there any similar studies on dairy or meat consumption, brain toxin accumulation and MS? I would love to know.Also, avoiding aspartame.You may also wish to check http://www.milkdocumentary.comDoes spraying food help get rid of some of pesticides? I use vinegar and water since I can’t afford all organic.Derrek: I don’t have an answer to your exact question, but I think I have some thoughts that may help.Dr. Greger has a great blog post where he puts pesticide consumption into perspective. : “A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.”from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/I translate this bit of info into: Eat organic when you can, but don’t stress about it when you can’t.Happily, there is a way to take this advice a step further to minimize your risks without completely depleting the pocketbook. Every year, the Environmental Working Group actually measures pesticide levels in fruits and veggies–after those fruits and veggies have been prepared in the way people would normally eat them. (For example, peeling a banana or washing first.) If you scroll down on the following page, you will see a list for the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean Fifteen”.http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.phpI bring your attention to these lists because I think they are very helpful for people who can’t afford to eat organic for everything. You could use these lists to help you decide when it is worth putting down money for organic and when it might be safer to buy non-organic.I hope this helps!bad science ain’t science. debunking the debunkers. http://thatsnotscience.blogspot.com/2013/02/debunking-debunking.htmlThe person being “debunked” by your link is not Dr. Greger, nor are the quoted studies that are listed with each of his videos being debunked either. If Dr. Greger made any claims similar to the ones made by Vivian Goldschmidt MA, they would be backed up by hard science.Keep in mind that correlation and association is not causation.Is organic and/or nonfat dairy (esp yogurt) any safer?I have heard about the benefits of avoiding dairy from my vegan friends. there is also no way to really tell what happened to the cow before that cheese or milk reached your fridge. until now, though, i never knew about the link to Parkinson’s. I want to learn more.I remember a few years ago I met an old man who had Parkinson’s. He was an elite athlete back in his youth and I remember reading an old newspaper article with an interview with in it. One question was about his diet and he said he drank a gallon of milk everyday to have the energy to run all those miles.I remember later reading about research into the relationship between dairy consumption and Parkinson’s risk. Then it clicked why this man had probably developed the disease.My father is a milk lover… almost a liter of milk everyday, and plenty of cottage cheese for years and years. And he’s got Parkinson’s, now I wonder if that’s a coincidence or not.Using the link for the video on Parkinson’s Disease and Diet, i get the message no longer available. Any other way to access it?Seems to work okay:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/Psuedoscience at its best.Why do you say that?	brain damage,cheese,chemicals,concussions,dairy,exercise,head damage,hormones,industrial carcinogens,industrial pollutants,milk,Monsanto,neurotoxic chemicals,Parkinson’s,PCBs,pesticides,plant-based diet,pollutants,Polychlorinated biphenyl,Tetrahydroisoquinoline,vegan,vegetarian,yogurt	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-193	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/	The Science on Acai Berries	An independent review of the effects of açaí berries was recently published, which included studies on immune function, arthritis, and metabolic parameters. The “Evidence-Based Systematic Review of Acai” was issued by the Natural Standards Research Collaboration (NSRC), an impartial scientific body that refuses to take support from product manufacturers. They are cited by the World Health Organization as one of the most authoritative sources on such matters. What did the NSRC find? Whenever a new purported superfood hits the market, the first thing researchers tend to look at its chemistry such as antioxidant capacity, which was done back in 2006. Based on one measure of antioxidants, it had “the highest of any food reported to date,” — a remarkable finding I reported at the time in my video Antioxidant Content of 300 Foods. I’ve since unveiled Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods, and while acai’s title has been stripped, it’s still high in the list. Despite its cost, as I noted in Superfood Bargains, frozen acai pulp represents one of the best antioxidant bangs for our buck. We still didn’t know what it did outside of a test tube, though. The next step is to go from test tube to petri dish and try it out on some human cells. They dripped the concentration of acai berry phytonutrients expected in one’s bloodstream after consumption on some cancer cells taken from a 36-year-old woman with leukemia. They saw a dramatic rise in cancer cell mortality–about twice that found previously using similar concentrations of hibiscus tea on the same cancer. Acai was also found to boost immune cell function at extremely low doses. If you watch my 5-min video Clinical Studies on Acai Berries you can see actual footage of a human white blood cell gobbling up some invading yeast cells. Sprinkle some acai berry powder on them and they gobble more. With no acai for breakfast, white blood cells were able to engulf about 140 yeast, but in the presence of tiny amounts of acai they engulfed closer to 200. Slowly but surely researchers began piecing together the mechanism by which acai affected cellular function. Still, no human studies had yet appeared. Researchers moved from cells to animal models. Who can forget the paper “Addition of Açaí to Cigarettes has a Protective Effect Against Emphysema in Mice” from my video Treating COPD With Diet? Instead of adding berries to their cigarettes, though, maybe mice shouldn’t be smoking. Then, finally, starting in 2011, studies on actual people. The first paper, “Pain Reduction and Improvement in Range of Motion After Daily Consumption of an Acai,” studied about a dozen folks with painful conditions like osteoarthritis.  After 3 months, antioxidant levels went up, and pain levels went down. However, since there was no blinded control group drinking some kind of artificially acai-flavored Kool-Aid, placebo effects cannot be excluded. The only other clinical study investigated the effects of açaí berries on metabolic parameters. Ten overweight folks were given two packs of frozen acai pulp every day for a month. Even though they were allowed to take it with sugar, their fasting blood sugars dropped, as well as their insulin levels and cholesterol. It appeared to significantly blunt the sugar spike caused by a standardized meal–all without any obvious adverse effects. In fact the only theoretical concern cited in the NSRC review was that it may work too well. If you’re on diabetic blood sugar lowering medications it could potentially drop your blood sugar too low, or if you have an autoimmune disease or are on immunosuppressants it could stimulate your immune system too much. Caution: there was a case report of a guy whose muscles started dissolving after using an acai berry supplement. But it turns out there were no acai berries in it at all! That’s the problem with taking supplements; the industry is so poorly regulated you never know what you’re getting. A study was done on 27 supplements of another purported superfruit, pomegranate.  Of the 27 tested only 5 appeared to be what the labels actually said. Fine, you say, no pills—you’ll just stick to the juice. Another study looked at 45 commercial pomegranate juice samples from 23 different manufacturers in the United States.  They each said 100% pomegranate juice on the label, but most of them lied. Only 6 out of 23 were what they said they were. The only source where you can be guaranteed to get authentic pomegranate juice has no label at all—the fruit itself! I also have a video about pomegranate juice claims: Is Pomegranate Juice That Wonderful? And what’s true of pomegranate juice is true of other juices (Best Fruit Juice) with one exception (The Fruit Whose Juice Is Healthier). Even if supplements contain what they say, they may not be useful (Dietary Supplement Snake Oil) and sometimes it’s what’s added rather than what’s missing that’s the problem (Some Ayurvedic Medicine Worse Than Lead Paint Exposure). The beneficial effects of açaí berries do not appear to be unique. Indian gooseberries may also help control blood sugar (Amla Versus Diabetes) and rose hips may also help with arthritis (Dietary Osteoarthritis Treatment). In fact, plant-based diets in general may help metabolic parameters (Metabolic Syndrome and Plant-Based Diets) and arthritis (Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis). 	Your antioxidant levels can be measured with a BioPhotonic Scanner. It measures your carotenoid levels in your skin. When adding supplements, or super foods, to your diet, you should check your levels as a “baseline” score first, and then re-scan after 60 days, the time it takes to see changes in your antioxidant levels. Then you will be able to identify if the antioxidant levels in your body increased. It is a tool I wish all doctors would offer in the practices!!Which Biophotonic scanner are you referring to? Because I have one with the latest technological improvements.Hi Nathan!I have the Biophotonic scanner from Pharmanex. It measures the Carotenoid levels in your skin and is a marker for all antioxidants.Hi there Kjell. I am familiar with that! It was featured on the Dr . OZ SHOW. The technology was developed by Dr. Gellerman. The scanner which was more recently developed measures carotenoids and flavonoids.Sounds like you are using the VIEW scanner which uses reflection spectroscopy compared to ours which uses Raman spectroscopy. I am just exited that you have the right tools so you can educate people about their antioxidant levels. It is one of the most important tests you can do with regards to your health and unfortunately most doctors are not aware of this. My GP calls herself a nutritionists but I had to educate her about antioxidants. She is now one of my customers!! Keep up the good work and never give up on educating the masses!“In fact the only theoretical concern cited in the NSRC review was that it (acai berries) may work too well…. if you have an autoimmune disease or are on immunosuppressants it could stimulate your immune system too much.”Are you and/or this review suggesting that those with autoimmune diseases avoid acai berries? It sure sounds like it.Great question! I am curious about the same thing.Please ask Dr. Greger. He hasn’t gotten back to me on this but maybe if you and others ask he will respond.This is a serious issue as many with autoimmune diseases take acai berries, thinking it is good for them, when it might actually be causing harm. I really hope you do try to reach out to him. He left the ending of the video with a loaded statement that acai could stimulate your immune system too much – and I think that alone deserves its own video and bold headline. And please, share this statement in the video with those you know who have autoimmune disease.I *loved* this summary. Great overview of not just acai, but tying it in with info on supplements and juice. Nice.“Instead of adding berries to their cigarettes, though, maybe mice shouldn’t be smoking.” Haha that cracked me up!!! :)Any recommendations of which acai berry pulp to purchase? And where? I want the good stuff! Thanks!Any answers to Natalie’s questions? Any recommended daily amount?Can anyone find the source for the study of most supposed 100% pomegranate juices being other than what they claimed? Curious which brands were honest.Foodfraud.org released info on pomegranate juice and other food frauds.http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/food-fraud-alert-juices-oils-seafood-aren-article-1.1245843Thanks for the lead, nice to know about foodfraud.orgSpending a little time trying to google up the relevant articles, the clearest answer I could find was Pom Wonderful being pure and 3 other juices (unnamed in the abstract) being adulterated. Guess I’ll be sticking with the expensive stuff for nowacai berry in the bottle order on line http://uk.monavie.com/rep/agamI have a question. My mother is diagnosed with glioma in the brain. She is now a little bit weak. Can acai berries helps to fight cancer cells? Will my mother be able to regain her strength back? And we have no money for surgery. ThanksEmzaGold’s All natural Liquid vitamin / mineral supplement with 74 trace minerals, also has acai berry as one of its ingredients among many others. Very awesome product, and at a affordable price that does not break the bank. http://www.emzagold.com/aarongold	acai berries,acai berry powder,and metabolic parameters,antioxidant content,antioxidants,arthritis,cancer,cholesterol,immune cell function,immune function,immune system,Indian gooseberries,insulin,metabolic parameters,metabolism,Natural Standards Research Collaboration,NSRC,obesity,osteoarthritis,pain,phytonutrients,plant-based diet,pomegranate,pomegranate juice,rose hips,superfood,supplements,vegan,vegetarian,World Health Organization	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/	-
PLAIN-194	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/20/the-first-nutritionfacts-org-video-to-hit-a-million-views/	NutritionFacts.org Video Hits a Million Views	I’m so excited to share that my newest live presentation, More Than an Apple a Day: Preventing Our Most Common Diseases, has reached over a million views on YouTube, breaking my previous record for last year’s Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. If you have not yet shared my new video with everyone you know (and even a few people you don’t! :) please do. If they find it useful, tell them they can subscribe to NutritionFacts.org for free and receive emails daily, weekly, or monthly highlighting all the new content. New content like yesterday’s video-of-the-day, Survival of the Firmest: Erectile Dysfunction and Death, one of the topics I cover in the live video. If you have already shared it–thanks a million! If you’d like to hand out copies of the new talk on DVD, I continue to offer a five for $40 special (all proceeds go to the nonprofit organization that keeps NutritionFacts.org afloat). Normally, going “viral” is not something a doctor wants to see, but in this case I’ll take it! In other NF news, I’ve just completed my annual review of the medical and scientific nutrition literature. Throughout the year, I collect all the most interesting, practical, and groundbreaking new studies. I accomplish this through PubMed alerts, browsing through every issue of every English-language nutrition journal, and living near the largest medical library in the world. Then I get to scale up this mountain of science in search for hidden treasure. Normally this may mean sifting through a few thousand papers. To my shock, however, as I eagerly pulled up this year’s batch, I discovered that I had chosen and downloaded over 8,000 new articles. There’s no way I can get through all those on my own. We do have a wonderful team of volunteers tirelessly donating hours whenever they can, but I knew such a monumental task would require someone’s full-time attention. So I’m happy to report we’ve hired our first full-time employee (all of my time is donated). To help me handle this next batch of research I’ve brought on Jeff Thomas (welcome Jeff!) on a three-month contract, hoping that end-of-year donations will get us back in the black. Though given this new overhead, mid-year donations would be much appreciated too! Please consider making a special contribution to our 501c3 nonprofit charity with a credit card, through a direct Paypal link, or by sending a check to: “NutritionFacts.org,” c/o Michael Greger, 700 Professional Dr., Gaithersburg, MD 20879. NutritionFacts.org continues to struggle financially to be self-sustaining, a consequence of our principled refusal to run ads or sell products on the site. NutritionFacts.org will always remain free for all, for all time, even if the day should come when I can no longer afford to add new content. 	Doctor please add caption to this video and to uprooting the causes of dead video, PLEASE! So we can use translation and people in other languages can see it. Mexico, the fattest country in the world seriously need this PLEASE.I agree with Veaney, we need to spread the word globally. If you’re interested, I would be very happy to provide Portuguese subtitles. I could also help with English captions to make it easier for people to translate. Just let me know.Congratulations Dr. Greger! This is great news.I find this site is well worth supporting. I hope others feel the same way. Thanks again for all you do.Heartfelt congratulations! What an inspiring contribution to the world.I am sooo happy for you!!!! Congrats!!!I am Brazilian and live in NJ. It would be so helpful with the growing vegan community in Brazil to share your videos with them. We need the caption in Portuguese though. Your videos and explanations are essential for our education to help us out with the conflicting nutrition information out there. Please, help us to help other! Thanks Dr. Greger.I simply don’t have the time to go through that amount of current research and I’m very gratiful to Michael and the team at Nutrition Facts for their amazing work, getting online now to make a fanancial contribution and encourage everyone to do the same. I hope a few dollars from everyone will add up to enough to keep this project progressing well, thanks heaps from Australia	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/?term=%28%22nutritional%20status%22[MeSH%20Terms]%20OR%20%28%22nutritional%22[All%20Fields]%20AND%20%22status%22[All%20Fields]%29%20OR%20%22nutritional%20status%22[All%20Fields]%20OR%20%22nutrition%22[All%20Fields]%20OR%20%22nutritional%20sciences%22[MeSH%20Terms]%20OR%20%28%22nutritional%22[All%20Fields]%20AND%20%22sciences%22[All%20Fields]%29%20OR%20%22nutritional%20sciences%22[All%20Fields]%20OR%20%28%22nutritional%20status%22[MeSH%20Terms]%20OR%20%28%22nutritional%22[All%20Fields]%20AND%20%22status%22[All%20Fields]%29%20OR%20%22nutritional%20status%22[All%20Fields]%20OR%20%22nutrition%22[All%20Fields]%20OR%20%22nutritional%20sciences%22[MeSH%20Terms]%20OR%20%28%22nutritional%22[All%20Fields]%20AND%20%22sciences%22[All%20Fields]%29%20OR%20%22nutritional%20sciences%22[All%20Fields]%20OR%20%28%22nutritional%20status%22[MeSH%20Terms]%20OR%20%28%22nutritional%22[All%20Fields]%20AND%20%22status%22[All%20Fields]%29%20OR%20%22nutritional%20status%22[All%20Fields]%20OR%20%22nutrition%22[All%20Fields]%20OR%20%22nutritional%20sciences%22[MeSH%20Terms]%20OR%20%28%22nutritional%22[All%20Fields]%20AND%20%22sciences%22[All%20Fields]%29%20OR%20%22nutritional%20sciences%22[All%20Fields]%20OR%20nutrition[All%20Fields]%29%29%29%20AND%20%28ncbijournals[All%20Fields]%20AND%20English[lang]%29%20AND%20English[lang]%20AND%20English[lang]&cmd=DetailsSearch,
PLAIN-195	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/15/why-are-children-starting-puberty-earlier/	Why are Children Starting Puberty Earlier?	Early onset of puberty is considered a risk factor for a number of diseases in adulthood, including hormone-related cancers, a shorter lifespan, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. The conventional thinking has been that the age of puberty has been getting earlier and earlier because our children have been getting fatter and fatter. However, European kids are also getting heavier, yet there has not been a steady decline in puberty onset (see graphs here). So it may be less about how much kids are eating and more about what they’re eating. The most consistent link between diet and premature puberty has been found to be animal protein consumption. Every gram of daily animal protein intake—that’s just like the weight of a paperclip—has been associated with a 17% increase in the risk of girls starting their periods earlier than age 12. Why this link between animal protein and premature puberty? We know meat increases the level of IGF-1 and that alone is associated with early onset puberty. If you’re not familiar with insulin-like growth factor 1, I have a series of videos about the growth hormone (though mostly in relation to cancer risk). See, for example, The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle and Cancer-Proofing Mutation. The early onset of puberty in girls associated with animal protein consumption may also be due to endocrine disrupting chemical pollutants in the meat supply. Watch my 4-min video Protein, Puberty, and Pollutants. For more videos on premature puberty see: I talk more about endocrine disrupting chemicals in particular in: 	It is said that besides the above mentioned consequences of early onset of puberty another big problem would be that maids won’t grow in length more than one more year after menarche. Afterwards they wouldn’t grow any more. If this happens when being for instance only 11 years old, it could lead to a pretty short body length. Is there any science behind this? I’d regard this point as very important as maids soon become women and if they will have health problems in the distant future it is bad indeed, but if they don’t even enjoy a happy life until they get sick it is even worse – their love life and happiness would be affected.yes it is true that menarche permanently stunts the growth. which one of the worst reasons why artificially early menarche is so bad.At the time of the Revolutionary War, the average of menarche (when a girl gets her first period) was about 17. Around the 1900’s, in America, the average age was about 14 to 15. Currently it is about 11-14, but girls as young as 9 can get their periods now. Moreover, we are seeing signs of the start of puberty….hair under the arms, pubic hair, etc in girls as young as 6. It is due to the increased saturated fat in their diet. The more periods a girl has in her lifetime, the higher her risk of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer. Plus, early menarche robs girls of their childhood.I am now 72, but my peers and I entered puberty at age 11. Today, many physicians are seeing signs of puberty in little girls age 3 and 4.There is zero evidence to support this. In fact, there is no evidence to support that saturated fat is harmful at all. The biggest heart study in the world found saturated fat and cholesterol to be protective!There is however, substantial evidence that all the soy, growth hormones and xenoestrogens in everything all around us are huge factors in our health. I’d start there.Actually, I agree with Padma, being another person that ACTUALLY WORKS with patients, I have helped deliver babies from 12 yr olds. We are seeing children as young as 8 yrs old in puberty. this was not common in the 70’s when I began practice. And BTW, There is no legitimate study I have ever seen that says saturated fat is protective, it is EB knowledge that saturated fat is very inflammatory and destructive to the inner lining of our arteries, that includes brain, heart, kidneys…I don’t think either saturated fat OR soy are the problem. There are societies that eat tons of saturated fat (Mongolians, Turkish herding peoples, the arctic peoples, herding peoples in Africa, and traditionally some native americans) who never had early puberty problems. On the other side of the coin, you have Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other east Asian peoples who ate a ton of soy and rarely consumed animal protein (they called soy “the meat without a bone”) and they also did not have problems with early puberty. what is causing early puberty is the massive influx of petrochemicals into everyday life of so many, from the food made out of oil (the fertilizer and pesticide both being made out of oil, you are literally eating oil when you eat these plants) to the buildings made out of oil (vinyl and polyester carpet floors, plastic counter tops, vinyl chair seats, mattresses stuffed with polyfill and saturated in fire retardants) cars made out of oil (the dash, seats, etc all made from oil) and running on oil, the same at school and home, and eating out of plastic and cans that have xenoestrogenic effects on the health. oil is not good for us and every oil-based product has a xenoestrogenic response in the body and unfortunately our entire lifestyles are saturated with petroleum now, from our food to our environments, the clothes on our back, the soap, food containers, building materials, etc its all oil based unless you make a concerted effort to avoid itWouldn’t all the hormones they feed cows have something to do with it?If you are consuming dairy products that have had added female and male hormones that would be a contributing factor. However, most of the female hormones in milk are there naturally due to the pregnancy. Most of today’s “improved” dairy cows are kept pregnant over 300 days of the year. So they are usually milked while pregnant. Pregnancy is a very high estrogenic state. Dr. Garvey would be more qualified as a gynecologist to comment further. Being nursed and pregnant at the same time is not a prescription for long and productive life. Most dairy cows are sent off to slaughter after only about 4 years. Of course they live longer then the male dairy cows who are diverted to veal production and live for about 6 months before slaughter.Not all cows receive rBGH,Remember, recombinant bovine growth hormone which was injecting into cows to force them to give more milk. This was implicated early on during the 1990’s. And came onto the market with Michael Taylor, now food czar for the U.S. FDA, but in the 1980’s, a lobbyist with Monsanto worked to get it widespread into dairy.This was the reason I began buying certified organic Organic Valley and Stonybrook Farms dairy milks and yogurt, and I was not alone.However, now with an injured spine, my calcium comes from beans, certain fruits, and mostly dark leafy greens. They don’t make my body hurt the way dairy did.the average menarche of the maasai is almost 14 years. considering their diets are almost entirely animal foods [high protein and high saturated fat] shouldnt their menache be somewhere around age…4?I couldn’t find any references on age of menarche for the Maasai but assuming 14 is accurate there are many reasons why it should be higher then folks on the standard american diet but not as high as those on a WFPD. The two that come to my mind are activity and calorie intake based on food availability. Photo’s of the Maasai show them to be very lean. Since fat cells produce estrogen women who have higher per cent of body fat will have higher estrogen levels. As Jeff Novick points out so well in his Calorie Density DVD you can eat higher calorie dense foods if your physical activity level is high enough. Like any complex system there are many factors contributing to the outcome.The Massai consume about 3500 calories per day and though “active” in the sense that they walk a lot, they aren’t as active as American athletes. The Massai are lean while eating crazy levels of saturated fat.This article sadly conflates modern, industrially produced, hormone-laden animal foods with ALL animal foods. It’s not like humans haven’t been eating meat, dairy, fish and eggs for, oh, thousands and thousands of years now. Mongolians, Maasai, and other heavy meat eaters don’t have early puberty, so this theory, without qualification, is bunk.And the author hasn’t even factored in the fact that almost everything processed contains some form of SOY now–a known source of phytoestrogens. Nor considered all the industrial chemicals used in the U.S. in everything from furniture to clothing that are known xenoestrogens! We can’t just lay it all on animal protein, it doesn’t make good sense or science.It is totally possible to get wholesome meat, dairy, fish and eggs that haven’t been tainted by industrial chemicals, hormones and soy additives. Just ask your local family farmer.Ignoring the fact that you did not cite any evidence for your claims, the issues primarily discussed here do not have too much to do with contamination. The most convincing evidence to cut out animal products is ubiquitous among factory farmed meats and organic grass fed meats. That issue being endotoxemia and elevated IGF-1. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/In addition, human evidence shows that soy phytoestregons do not function like xenoestrogens and are beneficial to ones health and negligible in terms of negatively effecting hormonal balances. This remains true as long as one is below the 3-5 serving per day mark. After this point, one can expect raised IGF-1 levels which in turn may affect early onset of puberty in children and promote tumor growth. This is true due to its protein quality, not necessarily the phytoestrogens. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/In addition, poultry is a highly concentrated source of arachidonic acid which is highly inflammatory. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/Meat eating is only in recent human history, there are only scant findings before a few hundred years ago. Not too many humans can run down a deer or even a rabbit, the muscles in our legs are not designed to do such a thing, but our hands are perfectly designed to grab those apples off a tree, or our teeth to chew on a handful of grass seeds. Our intestines, gastric juices, pancreatic enzymes, and bacterial flora are perfect to digest fiber in plants and fruits, not decayed meat. Only a carnivore can eat an animal carcass that has sat in the sun for a week, guess what would happen to you!Another possibility is that the Europeans are getting a smaller dose of the super-estrogen steroid Bisphenol A (BPA).It certainly could be a contributory factor along with many others. Since it has been introduced into the food chain relatively recently compared to the declining rates of puberty it most likely isn’t a major one. That said I advise patients to avoid it applying the precautionary principle.I don’t know how widespread but BPA has been in use since the 1950s http://www.enhs.umn.edu/current/2008studentwebsites/pubh6101/bpa/history.htmlI did not see this early puberty in vegan children, mostly overweight flesheating children. Everyone was exposed to BPA without realizing it back then, even the veggie kids. 30 yrs ago when I worked at a city hospital we were helping pregnant 12-13 yr olds deliver babies. In MHO, believing meat is ok to feed young girls is living in a fool’s paradise. Recently, I saw a little girl that was months from puberty at 8 years old, we see that more and more at 9 and up, but 8 really throws you. I hate to say this, but this information has been out for decades, meat eaters are foolsI would add those who eat dairy and eggs to your list as well. I think they are only fools once they learn about the dangers and continue to consume them. Unfortunately many health care professionals are missing the opportunity to point out the way to eat as well as its importance.Dr.s suspected my 12yr old of having underlying chronic illness because she had not yet reached menarche. 13 1/2 now and signs are there but she is hoping not to deal with it til after 14 like her mother and grandmother. Both her and I are vegan, grandmother not but in postwar Germany everyone virtually so.i don’t think it is milk and meat in general that are causing early puberty. there are societies that consume almost nothing but milk and meat (Mongolian, African herders, native americans who ate so little starch that today they are high risk for diabetes, and inuit almost purely meat and fish) and I don’t think these traditional societies ever had a problem with menstruating 9 year olds. The reason we are seeing precocious puberty is due to modern pollutants that mess with the endocrine system. Petrochemicals mimic estrogens, are xenoestrogens. Also we feed kids foods that make them obese and body fat actually makes some of its own estrogen. Kids don’t walk to school or play outside like they used to because of fear of molestors and parents getting charged with neglect and their kids being put in CPS if they walk or play by themselves in their neighborhoods. So, we are making kids fat and putting them into early puberty by our lifestyles and dependence on petroleum products in our entire lifestyle, most parents don’t even understand what xenoestrogens they are exposing their kids to with a plastic baby bottle filled with warm formula made from a factory farmed cow or soy. the moms rub petroleum based lotion on their bellies when pregnant and use chemical air fresheners in the house. these are all xenoestrogenic. we cant go raising humans in a soup of xenoestrogens and also make them obese through too much sugar and not enough activity (and not enough vitamin D due to being inside all day) and not expect bad results, in this case, a drastically lowered age of puberty has proven to be the result.	animal protein,beef,cancer,cheese,chicken,children,dairy,diet,early onset puberty,endocrine disrupting chemicals,fish,IGF-1,insulin-like growth factor 1,kids,meat,menstruation,obesity,plant-based diet,premature puberty,puberty,vegan,vegetarian,yogurt	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-196	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/	Should We Avoid Titanium Dioxide?	Two potential risk factors that may increase the risk of inflammatory bowel diseases (such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease) are animal protein and nanoparticles such as titanium dioxide. Of all dietary factors, animal protein from meat and fish is most associated with a higher risk of inflammatory bowel disease. As you can see in my 6-min video Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease, the researchers think it may be the blood in meat which is degraded to carbon monoxide, or some of the toxins created by cooking muscle or added to processed meats, or the pro-inflammatory omega-6  arachidonic acid. Meat may also contain certain bacteria that have been linked to inflammation, but then again maybe it’s the antibiotics in meat mucking with people’s intestinal flora. Whatever the reason, the study concluded that a diet high in animal protein may not only be associated with increased risk of getting inflammatory bowel disease in the first place, but also a higher relapse rate if you already have it. This is consistent with the data I presented last year that even a semi-vegetarian diet was highly effective in preventing flares in Crohn’s disease (see my video Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease). One potential risk factor that I had never heard of, though, was micro- or nanoparticles. Foodstuffs in developed countries contain increasing quantities of microscopic particles such as titanium dioxide. Titanium dioxide is used by the millions of tons as a whitening or brightening pigment to make white-colored paint, but also as an additive to make white-colored food. It’s added to food so much so that people eating conventional diets may be ingesting a trillion particles of titanium dioxide every day! Who cares, though? Well a few years ago researchers found evidence of micro and nanoparticles in all 18 out of 18 samples of diseased colons they looked at—either colon cancer or inflammatory bowel, but none in the 3 healthy colons they looked at from folks who died in a car accident or from a heart attack. That’s a tiny sample but it got people thinking, and more importantly, inspired scientists to put it to the test. Researchers took intestinal biopsies from people and added some titanium dioxide to see if it would cause inflammation. Watch my video Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease to see the results, but basically they concluded that titanium dioxide may transport inflammatory substances like endotoxin into the gut wall via a ‘Trojan horse’-type mechanism. What happens in a petri dish, however, may not happen in a person. How are you going to test the theory in people, though? You can’t go around trying to give people inflammation, but you can take a bunch of people actively suffering from Crohn’s and take microparticles out of their diet to see if they get better.  A study was performed in which of 18 patients with active Crohn’s, 9 were kept on their regular diet and 9 were placed on a low microparticle diet. Within a month, those on the low microparticle diet had a significant decrease in disease severity, and by the end of the study 7 of the 9 were in remission, whereas none were in remission in the regular diet group. In addition to removing things they expected to contain titanium dioxide–coffee whitener, white cheese, powdered sugar–they also removed processed meats and fish, fearing that there were microparticles in them too. This complicates things, though. Just cutting down on meat alone is one of the most powerful Crohn’s interventions, so maybe that’s why they got better and perhaps the titanium dioxide had nothing to do with it. Indeed a larger trial in which both groups were told to cut down on processed meat and seafood found no benefit to also cutting microparticles. This is consistent with another study that did not find that Crohn’s patients were eating significantly more white foods—like crispy shell chewing gums, marshmallows, and powdered doughnuts. So where are we now? Well, high concentrations of dietary microparticles should not be completely ruled out as potential contributors to intestinal inflammation, but there’s little evidence at this point suggesting they’re harmful. Note, though, that the most concentrated sources (out of nearly 100 products tested that I feature in the video) aren’t any good for you anyway, so if you want another excuse to avoid Hostess donuts, there you go! For more on that list of concerning compounds they noted in animal products, see Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens for the heterocyclic amines, Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation for arachidonic acid, Meat Additives to Diminish Toxicity for heme iron, Yersinia in Pork for the inflammation-linked bacteria, and Lowering Dietary Antibiotic Intake on some of the drugs fed to animals. I’d also add to that list The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc and Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxins. Some of my other videos on food additives include: 	Thank you Michelle for a most informative, and to say the least, scary article. George Mateljan of WH Foods, gives fish (salmon, sardines etc) with high Omega 3 content the thumbs up. I drank coffee creamer for years. And plenty of pasteurized milk all my life.Due to high cholesterol and very high triglycerides (from pork fat no doubt) I have been on a meatless diet for four months, with plenty of fruits, vegies, seeds (ground fresh flax, pumpkin and sunflower) nuts, fish, eggs, yogurt and first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, with occasional broiled chicken; and I have not felt so well in years.After six weeks my global cholesterol dropped from 9 to 5.5 (South African) and soon I am going for a thorough pathological investigation, for a full report.My parents ate home-laid eggs, meat and plenty of home-grown vegies all their lives, and lived into their nineties – my Dad to 93, and my Mom to 99; and they ate home free range chickens raised by my Dad. Meat they bought from butcheries.So what about fish and free-range eggs? Must I give them up too? I seldom ate processed meats anyway. I am now 76 and have always eaten fatty butchery meat in the past.Your parents had longevity genes. And if they were healthy in their 90’s …maybe that is long enough to live…for some. But for me, IF I was lucky enough to have your great genetic substratum, I would do everything possible to target a healthy 130! You are practically a spring chicken. You might wish to go for less than 4 mmolar cholesterol by following Dr G and the advice of this crowd. You might try eating a plant-based, whole foods diet. You should be studied! What are the chances you would volunteer to be my lab rat? :)Hi Coacervate, Thank you for your reply.My point is that I love fatty meat, but look what it did to my blood fats. The fatty biltong (jerky?) I ate all my life, salt-cured, was not a good choice. I changed to exactly what you recommend “eating a plant-based whole food diet”.My Dad was a great gardener, and we ate organic vegetables from his garden and fruit of all sorts picked from the orchard in the yard – no pesticides. Not many city dwellers have this opportunity, sadly.But you are right: longevity thrived on both sides of my family. And they all died with their minds in brilliant condition.Sure I’ll be your lab rat. I live in hole # 34 in the Western Cape, South Africa.By the way, I have no idea what “4 mmolar cholesterol”means.Dr. Greggory is definitely a national treasure, if ever the words, this world is a better place because of an individual, they can be applied to this man.Okay, so all the diseased people had titanium in their bowels while the healthy people didn’t. So what? That doesn’t prove the titanium causes any negative effects. Maybe both healthy and unhealthy people were eating the same amount of titanium, but the unhealthy people weren’t able to excrete it. Or maybe the unhealthy people did eat more titanium, as they were eating more fast food… Doesn’t mean it was the titanium causing the problems, it could have been the animal proteins or anything else in the fast food. There are many possibilities, just being scientific here.Low partical group: 7/9 with a positive result. Maybe enough of a sample size.Rule of Thumb for small samples: 95% Sample Error Estimate.sqrt(5/(n-3))/2 estimates the 95% confidence interval for worst case random noise caused by binomial or “dice” effects.9 people in the low partical group.sqrt(5/(9-3))/2 = 45.6% Confidence Interval due to dice.Expected variation due to dice. n * sqrt(5/(n-3))/2 = 4So 7 of 9 got better but 4 of 9 is the 95% confidence edge for random dice effects. Thus, I am preparted to be better than 95% sure that random chance did not cause either result.But, after statistical significance is met, that is when one must turn on the thinking cap.Here is an article talking about “Exomes”… Good nanoparticles.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24842810/	animal products,animal protein,antibiotics,arachidonic acid,bacteria,beef,carbon monoxide,chewing gums,chicken,Crohn’s disease,endotoxin,estrogen,fish,heterocyclic amines,inflammatory bowel disease,intenstinal flora,intestinal inflammation,marshmallows,meat,microparticles,nanoparticles,plant-based diet,powdered sugar,processed meat,titanium dioxide,toxins,ulcerative colitis,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	-
PLAIN-197	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	The Best Way to Prevent the Common Cold?	Gargling is one of the best things to do to treat a sore throat. As one of my medical mentors Dr. Klaper instructs: Take a glass of warm water, add a pinch of salt, hold the glass of salt water in your hand, open your mouth, and take a deep breath. Tilt your head back, slide a generous mouthful to the back of your throat, and, with your mouth still open, gently breathe out through the water. Continue until the end of the breath, and then spit it into the sink. Repeat until the full glass of salt water is used. This technique works wonders to soothe a sore throat when you have a cold. But I had never heard of gargling to prevent a cold. Though not popular in the Western world, gargling has been strongly recommended in Japan to prevent upper respiratory tract infections such as the common cold. However, there have been no controlled trials, and it remained unresolved as to whether gargling was really effective, until the first study was published in 2005. As you can see in my video Can Gargling Prevent The Common Cold?, they found a significant drop in the incidence of the common cold, suggesting that simple salt water gargling is effective in preventing respiratory infections among healthy people. They concluded: “This virtually cost-free modality would appreciably benefit people both physically and economically around the world.” What do they mean economically? Well most Americans, for example, report about two and a half colds a year. Between medical costs and work absenteeism, we’re talking nearly $40 billion a year. So even if you take into account the 71 seconds it took on average to walk to and from the sink and gargle, and multiply that by the average wage to calculate the “cost of gargling” in wasted time, it’s still considered a cost-effective strategy. This is one of the landmark findings that I’m afraid no one will ever hear about because no one profits (other than all those who don’t get sick!). The latest study was performed to see if it works in kids. A total of nearly 20,000 preschoolers were observed for 20 days, and just like the study in adults, gargling appears to lower the odds of illness by about a third. Gargling with green tea appeared to work even better. Note they speculate that the fact that tap water is chlorinated may have played a role, so gargling with filtered water may be less effective. Also, I would stay away from iodine solutions such as betadine since one can run into the same kind of iodine overload thyroid dysfunction caused by eating too much kelp or thyroid-gland-containing sausages (see my video Too Much Iodine Can Be as Bad as Too Little). If you liked Can Gargling Prevent The Common Cold? you may also like The Risks and Benefits of Neti Pot Nasal Irrigation, (along with my brain-eating amoeba answer), Sleep & Immunity, Antioxidant Level Dynamics, and Zinc Gel for Colds? 	Dr Greger, right on again! This time, however, I have something to add from my 25 years of clinical dental practice: If you really want this technique to work, the type of salt used is quite critical to your success. In our clinic, we found that using Himalayan Salt instead of chemically processed salt vastly improved the %age of success. In fact, it heals inflammation and surgical site trauma much more quickly than any of the chemical washes. Highly recommended!I avoid people and stress, get lots of sleep and naps – work at home and rarely go out. I used to get very sick in the city almost every year, taking public transit, working in an office. Notice how kids (and parents) get sick all the time and spread it like wildfire? Also i’m on well water so it wouldn’t be chlorinated.I recommend extending the tongue while gargling; it allows the solution to reach more throat area. I’m a 69-yr-old lifetime gargler, having learned from my father, although I’m the only one of 4 children to adopt his excellent practice. I can’t remember the last time I had a cold or flu.Try a neti pot to rinse out the sinuses with a saline solution. That also works wonders in precenting colds.	betadine,children,cold,common cold,cost-effective treatment,economic treatment,gargling,Green tea,iodine,kelp,kids,nasal irrigation,neti pot,prevention,respiratory infections,salt water,sausages,upper respiratory tract infection	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/should-i-sterilize-my-neti-pot/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zinc-gel-for-colds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-198	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/	Which Pets Improve Children’s Health?	To my surprise, studies of the effects of pets on human health and well-being have actually produced a mishmash of conflicting results. For example, some studies show pets lower your blood pressure—in some cases more than drugs do—but other studies found no effect, or even that pet owners have higher blood pressure! One area where there’s a bit more consistency is children’s health. The presence of pets in the home appears to significantly decrease the risk of infectious diseases in children, including ear infections, respiratory illnesses, and gastroenteritis. But which pets work better–cats or dogs? Find out by watching my 3-min video Are Cats or Dogs More Protective For Children’s Health? (starring members of my furry family!) Protection from respiratory infections and tummy ailments is one thing, but what about cancer? See my video Pets & Human Lymphoma. 	My nephew has recently been diagnosed with bipolar. In researching the disease, found this, which makes me rethink my affection for cats: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/?single_page=true#commentsSoooo intetesting…and frightening. I want to dismiss the evidence but it certainly seems like there is a case to answer there. :0 (May everyone who eats dog or cat get rabies.Yet some studies show because of parasites ect they should be kept away from newborns and infants	blood pressure,cancer,cats,children,children’s health,dogs,ear infections,foodborne pathogens,foodborne rabies,gastroenteritis,infectious diseases,lymphoma,pets,rabies,respiratory illnesses,respiratory infections	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-199	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/	Vitamin D from Mushrooms, Sun, or Supplements?	Years ago, it was shown that vitamin D isn’t just the sunshine vitamin for us, but for mushrooms as well. You take some mushrooms, put them under a sun lamp for an hour, and they’ll make vitamin D just like we do lounging at the pool. Unfortunately most mushrooms you buy at the store don’t have any vitamin D because they’re grown in the dark, but now there are sun-bathed varieties on the market that boast significant levels. Some mushrooms grown out in the wild have vitamin D as well, but only about 12% of one’s recommended daily allowance per cup. Is the vitamin D in mushrooms bioavailable? In 2008 there was a case report of a dark skinned individual living in England in the winter who–like the other 9 out of 10 South Asians living in the UK–was vitamin D deficient. His physician prescribed a vitamin D supplement, but after doing his own research this patient decided to self-treat. He bought a UV bulb from a local hardware shop and proceeded to shine it directly onto 2 cups of regular mushrooms a day before stir-frying and consuming them. He repeated this on a daily basis for 3 months, and indeed his vitamin D levels shot up and he was cured.  So it’s reasonable to assume that such mushrooms may be able to provide a source of vitamin D for those at risk for deficiency. This was just one person though, so further studies were necessary, and finally those studies have been done. In my 5-min video Is Vitamin D3 Better Than D2? I profile a study entitled Bioavailability of Vitamin D from Ultraviolet Light Irradiated Button Mushrooms in Healthy Adults Deficient in Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The mushrooms were compared to vitamin D supplements and placebo, and both the mushrooms and the supplements were equally effective in raising vitamin D levels compared to the placebo. The type of D made by mushrooms is vitamin D2, which is typically derived from yeast and is the form traditionally prescribed by doctors to cure D deficiency. Most supplements, though, are D3, which is the type found in plants and animals, typically derived from sheep’s wool. Back in 2008 it was established that vitamin D2 was as effective as D3 in maintaining one’s vitamin D levels at standard daily dosing levels. As you can see in the video, whether folks were given D3, D2, or a combo of half D3 and D2, it didn’t seem to matter much in terms of improving vitamin D levels in the bloodstream. But that was 5 years ago–what’s the update? Is vitamin D2 better than vitamin D3? It depends how you take it and what your starting levels are. Watch my video Is Vitamin D3 Better Than D2? for the latest details. Here are my vitamin D recommendations for those in the northern hemisphere: That’s not what the Institute of Medicine says though. I justify my recommendation in this video series: What about tanning beds? See Vitamin D Pills vs. Tanning Beds. I also recommend to Take Vitamin D Supplements With Meals. I still think people should eat mushrooms though! For starters, see: 	What would be your recommendations for children ?Hi Doc,For those of us with Sarcoidosis and that have Vitamin D dysregulation, supplementing could be a big problem – as I am now finding out. Symptoms get worse.Stevewhat about those of us who have had skin cancers – do you think we should still be in the sun every day?Literature and clinical experience demonstrate that vitamins D2 and D3 raise serum levels equally well. However, with D2 levels quickly drop once supplementation ceases. Levels raised with Vitamin D3 supplementation remain in the normal range longer. In addition vitamins D2 and D3 have *slightly* different metabolic pathway end points and D2 binds less well to vitamin D receptors. On balance, I recommend D3 to my patients. If they must use D2 (for financial reasons — it’s covered by insurance since it’s a drug) I switch them to lower dose D3 after the D2 course and emphasize the need for them to keep taking it with their largest meal of the day to facilitate absorption (see Cleveland Clinic osteoarthritis clinic study published ~2 years ago). During the sunny season I recommend limb exposure to sunlight (hat/sunscreen for more chronically exposed face and shoulders).Midday sun is the strongest/most dangerous. Wouldn’t it be safer to get exposure earlier/later in the day, maybe for longer then, or is the sun not producing the required spectrum at those times? You did not specify how many days/week or did you mean daily?You can only make vitamin D when your shadow is shorter than you are. This has to do with the ultraviolet spectrum. PLMHi Doc,What percentage of the skin should be exposed to sun in these recommendations? Is short sleeves enough? Thanks!Can you please write an article justifying your recommendation that we take DHA oil? Please.I second this! I share Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations with lots of people. I understand all of them except the DHA oil one. It just doesn’t seem like there is enough evidence to support such a recommendation. I was taken by a talk I saw not too long ago by (I think) Dr. McDougall who said something like: it is true that our bodies don’t convert much omega 3 from flaxseed and other plant sources, but it does make all that we need. *If* that is so, then I don’t understand Dr. Greger’s recommendation.Thanks BPCveg for being the first to voice my interest too.Dr. Gregor’s recommendation to my knowledge is, take DHA as an insurance policy if you have the means, and if one is pregnant he then highly recommends supplementation. A lot of it depends on how good one’s diet is. If one is consuming a lot of Omega 6 rich foods, like peanut butter and nuts and such, then they would most likely benefit from DHA oil in their diet. But if one had an ideal diet, with a 1 -1 ratio of 6 and 3 omegas, then DHA oil would probably be unnecessary. But in the case of pregnancy, probably best to err on the side of caution and take the oil no matter how good your diet is.I was just reading an article on diatomaceous earth and it seems too good to be true, and wondered what your views were on this?http://www.naturalnews.com/039326_diatomaceous_earth_detox_mercury.htmlHi Tony, Reading the article..interesting..Hey just stumbled on something so interesting i made a website: http://www.joynewearth.com jpHi! I live in France and I’d like to know if you could recommend me a website where I can purchase safe, good Vitamin D supplements? Thanks in advance, DanielI don’t like to get midday sun, but morning and evening because the sun is too burning during the midday in summer, you don’t really say how long for non-midday sun exposure.The midday sun is recommended because the atmosphere at other times will block the rays that we need to make Vit D. The sunburn rays will get through though so morning and evening sun will only burn not make D for us.Unfortunately most mushrooms you buy at the store don’t have any vitamin D Some mushrooms grown out in the wild have vitamin D as well, but only about 12% of one’s recommended daily allowance per cup. i am unable to understand the fact that —-You can only make vitamin D when your shadow is shorter than you are…is it true ?Thanks, http://www.dietkart.comDietKart: “i am unable to understand the fact that —-You can only make vitamin D when your shadow is shorter than you are…is it true ?”I am guessing that this bit of advice came from the issue that you can only make enough vitamin D to satisfy your needs in say 20 minutes of time if you are in the noon day sun. (At which point you would have a shorter shadow.)There are several videos on this site about vitamin D. Dr. Greger also addresses how much sun and at what time of day for creating vitamin D by where you live in the world on the following page:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/15-30 min/ Day of sun exposure. The important question is what area of the skin? Is it enough just the hands and lower limbs?I think regularly exposed areas are not as sensitive. So hands and face absorb vitamin D but perhaps not as much as bare back and chest. Surface area matters.Do you think that Vitamin D3 containing 1000Iu COLECALCIFEROL is toxic or not . shall i take it or not thanks zouhair najjar {FIORINO}.do you think Doctor that medicine DEPO-PROVERA 150mg Medroxyprogesterone Acetate has any negative side effect on Vitamin D3 and may cause deficciency	bioavailability,Institute of Medicine,mushrooms,sun,vitamin D,vitamin D2,vitamin D3,vitamin deficiency,vitamin recommendations,vitamin requirements,wool	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-200	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/	Is Coconut Oil Bad For You?	Some who profit from coconut oil claim it has miraculous powers, curing everything from cancer to jock itch. The boldest claim may be that it is a potential cure for Alzheimer’s, based on a series of anecdotes and one study I profile in my 3-min video Does Coconut Oil Cure Alzheimer’s? Long story short, as the Alzheimer’s Association put it, “there is no scientific evidence that coconut oil helps with Alzheimer’s. The coconut oil promise has been around for more than three years. If the administration of coconut oil was, indeed, beneficial, it would presumably be shouted from every mountaintop.” I don’t find that argument entirely convincing. For example, we’ve known for decades that our leading cause of death is preventable and reversible (see Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped), yet the medical community continues to rely more on drugs and surgery. Why? Well they likely weren’t taught clinical nutrition in medical school (Medical School Nutrition Education), or after medical school (Medical Associations Oppose Bill to Mandate Nutrition Training), and the medical establishment has shown a disturbing inertia even when presented with convincing evidence (The Tomato Effect). The difference is that coconut oil doesn’t have the data to back it up. What’s the potential downside of giving coconut oil a try? I cover that in my 5-min. video Does Coconut Oil Clog Arteries? Unlike other natural remedies, such as the spice saffron that was able to beat out placebo (Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s) and seemed to work as well as a leading drug without the side effects (Saffron Versus Aricept), coconut oil is one of the rare plant sources of saturated fat. Primarily found in animal-derived foods, saturated fat tends to increase LDL (“bad” cholesterol), the leading risk factor for our leading killer, heart disease. So hey, if you want to try it on someone with Alzheimer’s for a few days to see if it makes a difference, fine. I’d try almost anything! But if, as expected, you don’t see an improvement, I would be hesitant to keep anyone on it long-term. Those selling coconut oil say one needn’t worry because coconut oil contains a type of saturated fat that doesn’t raise cholesterol. That’s a page straight out of the beef industry playbook: The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is always going on about how beef contains a saturated fat called stearic acid.  Unlike the cholesterol-elevating saturated fats (palmitic, myristic, and lauric acids), stearic acid has been shown to have a neutral effect on blood cholesterol. That’s true, and beef does have stearic acid, but it has twice as much of the palmitic and myristic, which they admit does raise cholesterol. That’s like coca cola saying they know for a fact that soda doesn’t make you gain weight because it contains water and water has a neutral effect on weight gain (which they actually did say!). Yeah, but that’s not the only thing in it, and the same with beef, and the same with coconut oil. Watch the video to see the saturated fat breakdown of coconut oil. Years ago I profiled a study that found that cholesterol levels were significantly lower during a coconut oil diet—but only when compared to a butter diet. You know you have a bad product when the only way you can make it look good is to compare it to diets rich in butter. Yes, coconut oil made bad cholesterol go up, but not as bad as butter. But how much is that really saying? (Reminds me of the “compared to pork” study in Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering). That was all the science we had for ten years, but four new studies have recently come out: a population study and three clinical trials, all of which I detail in Does Coconut Oil Clog Arteries? The bottom line is that the best available evidence is that coconut oil significantly worsens our bad cholesterol levels. What about those that say the cholesterol-heart disease connection is a myth? Allow me to quote from a medical journal editorial entitled “Cholesterol Myth Club on Par with Flat Earth Society,” which reads “as mixed up as Flat Earth Society members obviously are, at least you can laugh their dumb idea off, and if you want to believe the Earth is flat, this view is not going to cause serious problems like…coronary artery disease.” More in my book Carbophobia, now available free, full-text online. 	How about a butter/margarine comparison article?Simple: butter is better.Margarine is one molecule away from plastic. How is this good for you? Butter is better. If people ate real food instead of all this low-fat processed fat free crap and vegetable oil, people wouldn’t have all these health and weight problems.No, actually, margarine is not one molecule away from butter. Everything else you said is pretty spot on. :)Margarine is one molecule away from PLASTIC, not butter. Just like the OP originally stated.Actually, I meant to say margarine is not one molecule away from PLASTIC. It’s not. It’s horrible stuff, no argument, but chemically, it’s not one molecule away from plastic. It’s just not. That’s a myth.It’s a figure of speech Margaret. To say it’s essentially almost (represented by “one molecule away from”) as bad as eating plastic.Perhaps, but…This is a meme that continues to be passed around and I’m not sure everyone who passes it on knows it’s a figure of speech.It said one molecule away from PLASTIC not butter.Water is one atom away from being hydrogen peroxide, but that doesn’t make water bad for you. The ‘one molecule away’ argument is honestly meaningless.It honestly is meaningless. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are completely different from one another. Carbon dioxide being the waste product of cellular respiration, while carbon monoxide is a waste product as well, but toxic to humans and can bind to the hemoglobin. You should worry about the fatty acid structure of trans fats and how they cause inflammation and plaque.Not only is that not right, that’s not even wrong. It’s a meaningless statement. Saying something is “one molecule away” from plastic is like saying a farm is one letter away from a fart. Water is “one molecule away” from being explosive hydrogen gas.hmmm well this is a blast from the past! Just to clarify I was kind of being a smart a$$. But I see your point. However I still think it tastes like plastic hahahahahahaha.You have to stop eating plastic son.What would you recommend as the ‘best’ kind of oil for cooking. A friend told me that coconut is better than olive oil for high heat. Being Italian, my go-to is always olive oil. Though I have found coconut manna to be the most tasty replacement for butter in recipes and on toast around!Your friend is right. Coconut oil is excellent for cooking. It has a high smoke point and the fact that it is highly (not completely) saturated makes it stable and unlikely to oxidize at higher temps.Canola oil is a good for cooking. It has a medium-high smoke point and a neutral flavor so it won’t overpower your intended flavors. It’s also a great source of heart healthy monounsaturated fats. If you are concerned about GMO’s in your canola, buy organic versions.I avoid baking or cooking with coconut oil because of the saturated fat, but have miraculous results when I apply coconut oil to my daughter’s persistent skin irritations. (They may be eczema, but have never been definitively diagnosed as such.) We slather some on her elbows and knees before bed, loosely wrap in plastic wrap, and put cut-up socks over to keep it all in place. Maybe any rich cream or oil would work, but I’m not willing to jinx it. :)cut dairy products out of her diet and watch the eczema go away!She’s been dairy-free for life. Then again, I don’t know that it’s eczema.We had to cut out potatoes and oats for our daughters terrible eczema to go away. Weird, but it worked (oh we don’t eat dairy so I don’t know if that affects it or not). She has dry skin now, but otherwise is normal.I would like to suggest trying a gluten free diet (you can get gluten free oats) and cutting out white bread in favour of wholemeal spelt or rye bread for a change if not gluten free bread.Gluten intolerance has been scientifically proven to be a myth, and its not debatable. unless you have celiac disease , no reason to avoid gluten at all !how the gluten is processed in industrial bakeries is the problem: gmo enzymes, extreme rpm kneading and other additives create a molecule diabolical to our guts. Remember prion proteins? It’s all in the structure rather than the chemistry…There is no scientific proof that gmo’s are harmful as a matter of fact it’s quite the opposite, people have been eating gmo crops since the 1940’s . Eat bananas ? There all gmo even the organic ones . Every thing you mentioned about gluten is sudo science at best . This gluten free nonsense is nothing more than another fad diet that will blow over just like all the rest of the bad fad diets !There is no scientific proof that gmo’s are harmful as a matter of fact it’s quite the opposite, people have been eating gmo crops since the 1940’s . Eat bananas ? There all gmo even the organic ones . Every thing you mentioned about gluten is sudo science at best . This gluten free nonsense is nothing more than another fad diet that will blow over just like all the rest of the bad fad diets !Hello :=)_ I’d like to comment on “people have been eating gmo crops since the 1940’s.” This is inaccurate. Agriculturally we have been eating hybridized fruits and vegetables since the 1940. This is different from gmo crops. Hybridization is pairing different or similar strains of the same species to select for a certain outcome. The outcome is a result that could potentially happen in nature. We just help it along to get the result we (the grower) wants. GMO, genetically modified organism, is splicing in (or out) a gene that would not normally be found in the natural breeding of the plant or animal. It is inserting a gene from a completely different species that would not normally be able to mate. For example, splicing in the gene from the lightening bug that causes the glow into a sheep resulting in a sheep that glows. Ridiculous you might say? It has been done. A lightening bug and a sheep would not be able to mate naturally. GMO corn, for example, can have a gene spliced into it that makes a poison toxic to insects that eat the corn thus killing the insects that try to feed on the corn when growing in the field. We, then, eat the corn. The question is, what does this toxic substance then do to our human gut? Given that our gut needs all of its probiotics, it is unclear what this poison does to us. This is what all of the hoopla is all about. There are other examples, this is just one. So, no, we have not been eating GMO products since the 1940’s. But yes, we have been eating hybridized products. It’s important to recognize the difference.so not true. Gluten can be horrible for some non-celiac folks. Same with soy.Please see here for gluten http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=glutenYou may want to check this out http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/avoid all nightshades. and goji berries are a nightshade also.Goji good http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/There is some evidence that a gluten sensitivity can also cause skin problems. You might try eliminating wheat (in all it’s forms) from her diet for 30 days and see if it makes a difference. Read Wheat Belly, by Dr. Wm DavisNo need to fear the saturated fat in coconut oil. It’s good for you. Getting some good fat from the inside might help your daughter’s skin condition, too.My dad is allergic to anything coconut and milk. He gets horrible bumps in minutes and it takes a day to go away. We substitute almonds in place of coconuts in any recipe.The latest attack on coconut oil (2009 article)The Weston A Price Foundation is non profit and very reliable and accurate.http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/land-of-oz-attack-on-coconut-oil?qh=YTo4OntpOjA7czo5OiJzYXR1cmF0ZWQiO2k6MTtzOjk6InNhdHVyYXRlcyI7aToyO3M6MTA6InNhdHVyYXRpb24iO2k6MztzOjg6InNhdHVyYXRlIjtpOjQ7czo0OiJmYXRzIjtpOjU7czozOiJmYXQiO2k6NjtzOjU6ImZhdHMnIjtpOjc7czoxNDoic2F0dXJhdGVkIGZhdHMiO30%3DThe Weston A Price Foundation has been spreading hoaxes and baseless so-called “studies” for a very long time now, so NO, THANKS.http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htmOh please.And how is Dr. Ravnskov any less qualified than the author of his page? Actually, Dr. Ravnskov is also a PhD and has studied the scientific literature extensively. The conclusions he came up with years ago are now starting to be confirmed by more mainstream professionals, such Sylvan Weinberg of the American College of Cardiology and others, many of whom are cardiologists. You might want to update your information instead of rolling your eyes.Re: the points laid out on his site:1. Cholesterol is vital. It is not essential. Two different things.2. People with “low” cholesterol levels (<200) as defined by mainstream medical organizations, are indeed at risk for heart disease. This is why plant based docs have always recommended a level <150.3. Consumption of saturated fat induces cholesterol production.4. Plant based docs generally do not consider consumption of large quantities of non-essential plant-based fats, especially oils, as being healthy.5. "The only effective way to lower cholesterol is with drugs". Unequivocally false. Any mainstream cardiology journal article discussing the topic will tell you the two choices are drugs or a pure vegetarian diet. This is such a huge glaring error that while I do not doubt his intellectual capacity, he is being intentionally dishonest here, and perhaps that is related to selling books with the kind of dietary advice that people who want to keep eating lots of eggs and meat want to hear.6. This site does not promote statin use. Far from it. No plant based docs do.So there really are no meaningful conflicts here.Well said, boomer.1. Yes, I know the difference between vital and essential. 2. Studies also show that cholesterol higher than 200 is not a risk factor for women (at all) and men older than 65. Studies also show that low cholesterol is a risk factor for cancer All cause mortality is higher at both very low levels of cholesterol and very high levels (higher than 250 or 300.) . 3. True, but the idea that that is a bad thing is predicated on the assumption that higher cholesterol is dangerous. It isn’t always.I had a heart attack at age 69 after years of eating the “healthy” mediterranian diet and maintaing a cholesterol level between 215 and 240 (which my doctor at that time did not find alarming).And your point is? About half the people that have a heat attack have “normal” or even “low” cholesterol. Your cholesterol level at the time of your heart attack says nothing about whether it was a contributing factor or not. Current thinking by lipidologists is that it is the LDL-P (particle number) is the most predictive of development of CVD. The smaller your particles are, the more of them you are likely to have and the higher your risk. TC is pretty meaningless for assessing risk. A good proxy for LDL-P (and almost as good indication of risk) is the triglyceride/HDL ratio. Ideally, it should be under 2 and the lower, the less risk, the higher the greater the risk. How does one decrease trigs and raise HDL (which would lower the ratio)? One limits sugars and starches (which generate trigs) and eats saturated fats like coconut oil (which raise HDL.)heart attack, not heat attack, LOL.5. Where does Dr. Ravnskov say that the only way to reduce cholesterol is with drugs? I have read many of his works and have never ever read that. I checked the link provided and it wasn’t there. He doesn’t promote statins, either. Neither do I. Quite the opposite, in fact. And there are mainstream cardiology articles that add a third choice to the two you mentioned: A low carb diet. A pure vegetarian diet is not the only way (besides drugs) to lower cholesterol. A low carb high fat diet also has been shown to do that. Of course, whether or not one considers that a good thing depends on whether or not one thinks higher TC inherently causes heart disease. The evidence more and more implicates certain kinds of cholesterol carriers–the patter b LDL to be specific, the ones raised by a diet high in sugar and processed grains. 6. That’s one thing we can agree on., for sure. MmI really don’t understand why you’re even on this site. Is it that you’re just argumentative? Living a frustratingly unfulfilled life? It’s easy to see why there’s so much domestic violence around. It’s quite obvious that your lacking in self reflection and introspection which is so common amongst carcass eaters.Wow, Just wow. Way to further the discussion by bringing nothing to the table but insults. Hmmm. Not sure what I did to you to elicit such a virulent response, but whatever. I’m not frustrated, unfulfilled, or lacking in self reflection. Quite the opposite, in fact. Actually, I’m here because I’ve made it my mission to dispell the myth that saturated fat, in and of itself, whether from plant or animal, is harmful to one’s health. It’s that simple. People have been misled into avoiding something that’s been part of the human diet for as long as we’ve been human–and longer. I just want them to know that science doesn’t support that.Thanks for your comments Margaret. I see many women with cholesterol under 150 having trouble making sufficient steroid hormones, most notably progesterone (throw stress, and living in a world full of xenoestrogens and its a big deal). The issue is not total cholesterol, but small dense oxidized LDL, which inflames the immune system and causes arterial damage. You can have all the cholesterol you want (within reason) as long as your diet is also high in phytonutrients, as well as good old antioxidants, (especially mixed natural forms of vit E), many of which protect LDL from being oxidized and triggering the cascade that leads to arterial plaque. Ask your doctor to go further than simply testing TC or HDL, LDL. LDL particle size after testing triglycerides and inflammatory markers are extremely important. You can have your cholesterol (and serum cholesterol lol ) but make sure its protected! The issue is most people with high cholesterol, have high cholesterol because they are eating an unhealthy diet or are under considerable stress (both of which are strong independent risk factors for heart dz and strongly contribute to oxidative stress). I personally am 100% plant based in my own diet and treat many other veg, patients but this low cholesterol and the ol’ suboptimal B12 status (which can increase the inflammatory marker homocysteine associated with heart dz ) do cause many issues in the undereducated but extremely well meaning person. I encourage vegans to also test Methymalonic acid as an accurate marker of B12 status (ie vs just doing a CBC).Another type of anti inflammatory diet is a low carbohydrate high fat ketogenic diet. It can include plenty of phytonutrients/antioxidants in the form of non starchy vegetables and leafy greens. Just saying…And let’s not forget that cholesterol and saturated fat are themselves both anti oxidants. Not saying not to eat a plant based diet, as long as it is heavy on the whole foods, light on processed foods like flour, veg. oils, and sugar. Saying it’s not the only way to get healthy. Remaining healthy on a 100% plant diet is possible, with supplementation, as you say, but difficult for most people to sustain. A low carb, high fat ketogenic diet is at least as healthy and, perhaps, alittle easier to sustain. To each his own, I say. Just don’t say that sat fat and cholesterol are not healthy. (and you didn’t.)A high fat ketogenic diet is a recipe for premature death and cardiovascular disease. Please provide some references to back up your dangerous claims. You’re providing information as if you have some qualifications – do you? You claim it’s difficult for most people to sustain a healthy plant based diet, but I think this is merely your excuse for justifying your current diet. Perhaps if you watched Dr Greger’s videos and made sure that you include everything in your diet that is required you’d find it easy to remain healthy as many people currently are……what is the point in asking a stranger on the net if they have qualifications? even the experts disagree and these are highly qualified peeps so why bash over something like that?im vegan and i happen to agree with margaret. lets turn that around and insist that you provide the references that ketogenic diets are ‘recipes for premature death and disease’. most people i know on them reversed metabolic and cardiovascular disease but im going to assume that since you called her out for not having evidence, that you must have your own evidence shows that adults following a ketogenic diet (and ketogenic isnt defined as merely high fat) are heading down the fast lane to disease.please dont piece-meal it. its easy to take isolated elements and try to apply them universally but what you need to show is evidence that people eating an actual whole food, ketogenic diet [low carbohydrate] have worsening risk factors for disease. this isnt the kind of thing you can prove with the micky d meal study.As reported in the International Journal of Obesity article “Cognitive Effects of Ketogenic Weight-Reducing Diets,” researchers randomized people to either a ketogenic or a nonketogenic weight loss diet. Although both groups lost the same amount of weight, those on the ketogenic diet suffered a significant drop in cognitive performance.After one week in ketosis, higher order mental processing and mental flexibility significantly worsened into what the researcher called a “modest neuropsychological impairment.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8589783seriously dude?the study lasted 28 days- 4 weeks. and it takes at least 3 weeks to become fat-adapted so an average that includes those first 3 weeks is going to be particularly inaccurate. if they’d waited until the 28 day point and then started measuring the results would be something to look at. plus, it was a liquid diet made of fractured foods and we have no idea what the fat was.show us a study of real people eating a real whole food keto diet where they had poor results.This was a short term study indeed, but I don’t believe that it is up to me to prove that a diet that is based on fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates is a healthful one. Ketosis is commonly seen with people in starvation or with severe illness so forgive me if I am not whole heartedly embracing the idea that surviving off of ketones which also severely strains the kidneys is a healthful way to live. You can read more about the short term and long term harms seen with a low carbohydrate diets here. It is up to you to indeed prove your radical idea and not for me to disprove it, as I have already shared harms with these types of diets.http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/12/4/396.pdfit is up to you to back your claims. if you cant, then dont make them. and FFS be honest, people on ketogenic diets arent starving or ill. this argument would be like me pointing to type i diabetics to prove all glucose is bad.ketogenic diets do not strain the kidneys and the citation to another opinion piece[?!] neither makes that claim or offers evidence of it.i think you are confused about where the burden of proof lies. it isnt in disproof but rather proof. no one is asking you to prove ketogenic diets are safe, youre being asked to prove ketogenic diets are not. you havent accomplished that so far. there are several cultures around the world that ate what is effectively a ketogenic diet for thousands of years. that alone proves the diet is far from radical.As shared by Jeff NovickKetogenic diets have shown some benefit in certain diseases, like epilepsy, but because of their high fat, high saturated fat intake, they are only used short term and those on them have increased risks for heart disease, stroke, etcThe consequences of a ketogenic diet on risk factors for heart disease are detailed in this study. This was in children with epilepsy who use this diet to control seizures so compliance was high. Though it reduces seizures, it increases their risk of dying young from heart disease a well known consequence of this diet therapy in children.http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=197131Conclusions A high-fat ketogenic diet produced significant increases in the atherogenic apoB–containing lipoproteins and a decrease in the antiatherogenic HDL cholesterol. Further studies are necessary to determine if such a diet adversely affects endothelial vascular function and promotes inflammation and formation of atherosclerotic lesions.At 6 Months Cholesterol went up 58 points LDL went up 50 points VLDL went up 8 points non-HDL cholesterol went up 63 points Triglycerides went up 58 points apoB went up 49 points apoA-I increased 4 points HDL cholesterol decreased significantlydude, really?! even after pointing out that this is a therapeutic diet for treating seizure disorders and that its more than 80% fat, you still insist it represents a typical whole food keto diet? how many whole foods do you know of that contain more than 80% fat? those kids are eating heavy cream for breakfast.keep it real.Threw all my research and listening to all the doctors so on. I have come to the conclusion science is full of it. One minute something is good for you . The next minute it is bad for you. Nature has given us every thing we need to live. If you follow a natural diet of every thing in moderation. You will find you will just start becoming healthier and loose weight . Eat organic non gmo foods. Bake your own foods. Nature gave us these things for a reason. Every persons body is different and needs different things. Listen to what your body is craving. After several months of husband on different meds for blood pressure being just one. With no help. I told him to get off of them. That the whole family was going to eat like I was. All his lab work came back perfect after 3 months. Daughter has no more skin problems and even lost weight. I bake brownies, cookies crackers, eat meat, eat carbs and all kinds of veggies. I use coconut oil, olive oil. Which I drink and eat both every day. Has kept my psoriasis away for over 15 yrs. used to be on 6 meds from doc. So stay away from boxed meals. Eat what nature has given us in moderation and you will be fine. I would also like to ad my blood work has been perfect all my life. I did show years ago low in some vitamins but ate more of them foods and blood work is great now. Unless you have something like a gluten intolerance you should eat a little of all natural foods.excellent testimonial for whole foods.Science is not full of it. It is the most objective system we have for testing models. And the model of nutritional science, which describes the general features of a diet that is healthiest for the majority of people (i.e a fruit and vegetable based-diet), has been firmly in place for decades and is unlikely to undergo more than minor editing in future.Might I add, not to denounce your argument, that all science is not full of it, but rather people? Scientific method is what it is, but manipulation of statistical analysis as well as the motives of those patrons funding the research have a large affect on what knowledge and policies make it to the public knowledge as well as the scientific cannon. So far the discrepancies that I’ve seen come to light have been over the methods, time periods, sample size, etc. of the various studies. We are not only able to lie with “‘statistics”, but actually humans are very good at this sort of bias (a.k.a. systematic error). [Need sources? Sure, let me look at the books I’ve read on this, as they list their peer-reviewed sources of research in the back.]Science is a highly adaptive field and this can be frustrating, but kudos to all who are still finding the intricate wonder on this planet.did you read this line?‘The worsening in performance was observed primarily between baseline and week one of the ketogenic diet.’so in the very 1st week of the diet where the body is still used to using glucose as fuel and hasnt adapted to using fat to any degree at all, this is where the decline was seen.you really gotta be more honest in your claims dude.My qualifications are irrelevant, though I do have an advanced degree in Biochemistry (M.S.) My evidence includes studies (peer reviewed and published) by the likes of Drs. Phinney and Volek. Just search for them in Pub Med for numerous studies. They have spent their careers studying low carb, high fat ketogenic diets and have a couple of well referenced books out describing it as, among other things, anti inflammatory. You say a low carb high fat ketogenic diet is “a recipe for premature death and cardiovascular disease.” The onus is on you to provide evidence for that statement. I and many more qualified than I have scoured the studies to date and found none, so good luck.There is no point in debating this group of people here, their fingers are in their ears whenever evidence contrary to their ideology is shared.Who has fingers in ears? It’s not an ideology and we’re not the ones ignoring contrary evidence. We’re still looking for evidence that sat fat, in the context of a whole foods moderate to low carb diet, is harmful. I’ll ask again: how is it the French, who eat a diet high in sat fat, have the lowest rate of heart disease/cardiac death of any of the western nations?Here is a peer reviewed article that discusses various therapeutic uses for ketogenic diets. Note that they discuss cardiovascular disease and the fact that, not only does it not cause it, it consistently improves blood lipid profiles. http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v67/n8/full/ejcn2013116a.htmlWhy shouldn’t we hear other opinions here? I am a supporter of Dr. Greger and I appreciate this discussion.Ridiculous response to an intelligent and informative discussion!The man was ahead of his time. I have his Cholesterol Myths book and have leant it out several times. It always reverses the unfounded fears in people who read it who’ve been brainwashed into believing that a food that human beings have eaten for hundreds of thousands of years is somehow dangerous.I was always told any fat that is solid at room temperature is bad to eat. It is great to use on skin and hair. It had been used topically for hundreds of years in India and eastern cultures.And did the coconut oil go solid on your hair and skin Meera? No, and it doesn’t do that on the inside of your body either, as is being claimed here. This is just a beat-up to discredit coconut oil and people should do their own research on it. I know several people who consume it on a daily basis and they are in peak physical condition. Also, model Miranda Kerr takes a couple of tablespoons a day – do you think she looks unwell?I think its safe to say Miranda Kerr won the genetics lottery. Plenty of people look healthy on the outside but their insides tell a different story. I’d be more inclined to go with the science rather than a person’s appearance. But yes I agree that people should definitely do their own research, as long as that research comes from credible sources.And there is no science that proves coconut oil is bad for us and much that indicates it is good for us.Hi Frida, no one is claiming that the oil will actually solidify once in the bloodstream. It is more complicated than that. Using the solid/liquid rule is simply a convenient rule of thumb for people who wish to avoid saturated fat, which happens to be solid at RT.I know several people who don’t consume it on a daily basis and are in peak physical condition. So now what? I think this is what they call broscience. Let’s stick with studies, not supermodels.And there are no studies showing that coconut oil is bad for you. None.I don’t know about you, but coconut oil melts above 76* and my body is a tad warmer than 76*The physical state of a substance is a result of its molecular structure. No one is claiming that coconut oil or butter actually solidifies in the body. The structure is the issue. Its physical state at room temperature is obviously not relevant. But it is a very convenient indicator of its structure.Ice is a solid at 0C. But aha, our bodies are warmer than 0C, so it must be good for us. Does this line of logic make sense to you? Its physical state at any particular temperature is not the issue, its structural identity and its observable effects in the body are.Well, the structural identities of neither butter nor coconut oil is bad for us.If you say so! This isn’t a discussion. This is like a geologist debating with a flat-earther.Sure. I’m the flat–earther. Because I refuse to (any longer–I did once) buy into the anti sat fat propaganda. Sure. But people like you who hang on to a hypothesis that has been disproven over and over again aren’t. Okay.I don’t hang on to a hypothesis. I’m a scientist. I accept the way the scientific process works and when there is an overwhelming consensus, I accept it. People these days tend to accept science when they want and call it propaganda when they don’t. It doesn’t matter if you call it propaganda, it doesn’t matter if you accept it, it’s still the overwhelming consensus.I didn’t refer to flat-earthers because we disagree. If a colleague of mine disagreed with me and we actually discussed the chemistry of the statement, that would be a real discussion.“People these days tend to accept science when they want and call it propaganda when they don’t.”So true. Sadly, this seems to be happening not only in the science realm, but also in any realm where debates and discussions occur. People seem to becoming more polarized about science, politics, religion, food, etc.I try to have hope that reason, compassion, and real discussions will prevail but sometimes I am not so sure.Sorry, but the anti sat fat campaign is propaganda. It was begun by a politician, is based on epidemiological studies, only some of which show a weak positive correlation (there are studies which show no correlation or even a negative correlation with disease). and it’s proponents refuse to accept any evidence to the contrary. How is that NOT propaganda? Whether natural sat fat is bad for us or not depends very much on the context of the diet as a whole. It isn’t inherently bad for us and I dare any of you to provide one single study showing that it is. I can and have provided links to many studies showing that it is not (inherently bad for us.) whereas the many studies those of you against sat fat have linked to do not show that is is inherently bad for us. Because there isn’t such a study. Those studies only show that it may be bad for us in certain contexts and I don’t deny that.Well I have an advanced degree in chemistry. I can discuss the chemistry of butter and coconut oil all you want. What is it in the structure of butter and coconut oil (and other natural sat fats) that make them inherently bad for us? Because if it is something structural, then about half the fats that our bodies manufacture from our food are also bad for us. When we make triglycerides for storage in our adipose cells, they a mix of saturated and mono unsaturated fats. And that’s true no matter what you eat. When they are released, saturated fats enter the blood stream. If that were bad for us, evolution (and yes, I believe evolution, as well) has made a mighty serious error...they are a mixture…Well, there was an overwhelming consensus that the Earth was the center of the universe in Galileo and Copernicus’ times. But they chose to follow the evidence even though it went against the consensus. Now THEY were scientists. I don’t accept consensus because it’s consensus. You claim to be a scientists. As a scientist, you should know that, if evidence that is contrary to what one expects based on a hypothesis shows up, the hypothesis has to be discarded because it’s been falsified. now that is how science works. The hypothesis that consuming sat fat leads to heart disease has been falsified–by the French Paradox, for just one of many examples–yet you and others like you continue to cling to it. LHahaha I was surprised no one brought this up yet and I was about to, but I’m glad you said it.Even the idea of germs that were too small for the human eye to see was laughed at by the general population back in the day. Heck, the doctor who made his midwives wash their hands with a lye solution between birthings was even laughed at at first despite the resulting lowered rates of death-by-childbirth in his patients.(I’m not going to bother googling any of these statements for anyone crying about sources because this info is so common it’s in textbooks. The sources are in the back of your book, you can look them up.)(p.s. Not to cause confusion, this was not meant as an afront towards you, Margaret)I’d be interested in seeing ice at body temperature so I don’t see that analogy as a line of logic at all.ha ha ha! good point. my coconut oil has been liquid since june and i imagine that in the areas of the world where coconut is native its always liquid at room temp too.You imagine right. Tropical oils are called oils because in the regions of the world where they occur naturally, they are indeed liquid at room temp. And they are mostly saturated because, at those temps, any mono or polyunsaturated oil would go rancid mighty quickly. And cultures that include them in their diets are relatively free of heart disease and other chronic, western diseases. Go figure. :)I wanted to mention that too. Darn, Margaret you beat me to it!Can I also mention that when my uncle and his family moved to America (they lived in India before) and partook in all of the highly processed foods of the western world, they ballooned in an almost comical but mainly sad way? They didn’t have this problem with their Indian diet. Some of it is portion control, some of it is content (like an exuberant amount of unsaturated fat and highly processed starches and sugars), and most of all EXERCISE. Since humans were humans they were bodies in motion – not something that’s very big in the western lifestyle. Somehow everything other than exercise is important in this lifestyle and I’m sorry to see it.I, too, moved here from India, where I grew up. But I didn’t “balloon up” until I started buying into the low fat paradigm and cut fat out and increased my carbohydrate intake, mostly from processed foods high in sugar and starch. I’ve always been very active, so lack of exercise had nothing to do with it and I don’t believe lack of exercise has much to do with the rise in obesity and chronic disease. Yes, some Americans are too sedentary, but the plethora of thriving exercise joints would indicate that the vast majority aren’t and studies have compared our activity levels with those of healthy hunter gatherer populations and found them quite comparable. It’s mostly about switching out natural fats for man made ones, eating less fat and more sugar and starch,. Sadly, the Indian diet is changing and Met syndrome is on the rise there. They have one of the highest rates of T2 diabetes in the world. Since they have always been vegetarian, I blame vegetable oils PUFA) and increases in quantity of sugar and starch as the population grows more and more able to afford food a plenty.Well, some populations in India have always been vegetarian and it is those regions that are suffering the most now.It has also been ingested for hundreds of years in India and other eastern cultures. In fact, I didn’t see such terribly rising rates of heart disease in Indians until our switch to hydrogenated oils. (This also coincided with our switch to high fructose corn syrups and rises in diabetes rates, so the issues present do require further inspection, especially of the mutually exclusive variety.)I realize this response is an anecdote. Take it as you will. The records are graphs are out there for you although we need more empirical evidence before anyone feels comfortable changing the low-fat/high-carb paradigm.Is there anything to be said for the high smoke point of coconut oil when used in cooking? Also since people on a plant based diet tend to have lower cholesterol levels would it be that bad to use a few times a week for cooking?Yes, its high smoke point makes it ideal for cooking. And it is not unhealthy. Use it every day, if you choose. I’d be more worried about getting too much sugar and starch than about coconut oil and including coconut oil in your diet will help ensure that you eat less of them. It’s very satiating.You have failed to answer the question in your article. Is Coconut Oil Bad For You?The bottom line is that the best available evidence is that coconut oil significantly worsens our bad cholesterol levels. <—unless that's what you're aiming for, I would consider this a bad thing.“the best available evidence is that coconut oil significantly worsens our bad cholesterol levels.” Simply not true.You’re right, it failed to convince me of anything. However, it was a good reminder that I need to add coconut oil to my shopping list when I go to Trader Joe’s later today!Article did say “…four new studies have come out..bottom line is that the best available evidence is that coconut oil significantly worsens our bad cholesterol levels.” I’m not supporting crappy article, just pointing out what it said, supporting its claim that C.O. is bad for you.while it is true that after a year eating 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in my oatmeal, my bad cholesterol (LDL)went up from 80 something to 90 something(still optimal). However, my good cholesterol (HDL)went sky high to 80 something. I can think clearly now and that means the most to me. Has the author ever heard of type 3 diabetes? Ketones? Dr.Mary Newport?i use ghee (clarified butter) as my go-to fat … do you have medical/scientific opinions on that?animal fats concentrate pollution like radiation, and plastics.Yes. By my calculations, I have concluded that your food is likely delicious.Ghee is a great fat to a use. Better if it’s from pastured cows, but..it’s good stuff.I’m curious if this sort of concern is mitigated by a vegetarian diet that it also light on animal products. I’ve been taking about 2 teaspoons of coconut oil per day for my skin. I do like the result. But, obviously don’t want high bad cholesterol. Last time my cholesterol was checked both my good and bad were very low. So I wonder if the effect on someone like me is negligible.If your vegetarian diet is high in sugar and starch, that is much more likely to lead to heart disease than consuming coconut oil.The healthiest, longest living populations on the planet have had diets based on starch. Science goes like this: observation –> hypothesis. Not the other way around.Yes, I’m aware of how science works, thank you. I should have been more specific. When I said starch I meant refined grains.This only seems to apply to cultures that have been eating it right along and not to those of us who grew up eating processed and fractured foods and who may be metabolically broken.So therefore eliminate all fruits and vegetables including leafy greens from our diet.Please be so kind as to show me where I said that.You are surely at a lower risk than someone supplementing a much more unhealthy diet with coconut oil. But if you’re interested you could also look into flaxseed for skin benefits. Flaxseed can be beneficial for sensitive skin:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/And rather than consuming an oil, which has had all of the nutritive portions of the plant removed, by switching to flaxseed you would be getting fiber, protein, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, and B6, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. On the other hand consuming whole coconut meat would get you about half of the iron compared to flaxseed but not much else.In addition to vitamins, minerals, and fiber, flaxseeds also contain omega-3 fatty acids to *improve* heart health and lower cholesterol (coconut oil has none) and powerful anti-cancer phytonutrients that have been shown to reduce cancer proliferation rates in both breast and prostate cancer in a matter of weeks:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/None of this can be said for coconut oil.Jojoba oil is great for skin as well. I love the stuff. You should check it out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jojoba_oilhummm so slathering it on my skin everyday as body lotion would be a bad thing then? Would it not get absorbed and cause the same damage?no it would not get absorbed into your blood system just into your skin–no harm doneThis is absolutely not true. What gets absorbed through our skin does get into our bloodstream. It’s as if you know nothing about the largest organ in our body.Parts of it may indeed be absorbed, but, since it isn’t going to cause damage even when eaten, it won’t cause damage when absorbed through the skin either.I’ve been using coconut oil on my face at night as a cleanser and nothing else for 3 years. It’s called the oil cleansing method. Guess what! I haven’t had cystic acne since. I don’t know about consuming it but it sure has made my skin beautiful.Is this about all versions of coconut oil? I’ll assume it is, though there are several. I have a giant tub of organic, cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil. I absolutely love it. I use it on my normally sensitive, dry skin, the ends of my hair, I cook with it, I bake with it, I feed it to my family several times a week, and since its introduction we have not seen higher levels of cholesterol. Maybe we’re magic.You are better off cooking with the refined, medium to high heat coconut oil. Use the cold-pressed, unrefined for everything else though :)Thanks, but better off how? I haven’t had any issues with it.The refined, medium to high heat oil has a high smoke point, so it does not create any carcinogens at the higher temps when used to cook with.How about comparing coconut oil to other oils and not butter? It’s definitely more healthy than olive oil, vegetable oil, or anything other non stick spray you may cook with.We cut out grains an switched to coconut oil and DROPPED my husband’s cholesterol over 50 points as a result. Mine did not drop (it didn’t need to) but my HDL went up quite a bit. This is not cut and dried, folks. Look at the inflammation caused by sugars (grains) and how that impacts cholesterol levels before you make a decision.You’re on to it! Everyone else – eating any saturated fats as well as grains will raise your cholesterol – BUT if you cut out grains and sugar, you can eat a lot of saturated fats (good ones like organic coconut oil and organic butter with no bad side effects.) GRAINS and SUGAR do the damage..not fat…. :)I read that grains raise HDL (good cholesterol) which is good thing and lowers LDL..Not true. Grains raise triglycerides, a bad thing for the heart.Processed grains, yes. Lets not confuse white flour with whole wheat, or white rice with brown. As described by Dr. Greger, Whole grains are more then just white grains with a fiber coat. The coat stripped from a whole grain provides the following benefit include increased satiety, reduced glycemic response, faster intestinal transit time, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants (like carotenoids and polyphenols responsible for cell signalling and gene regulation), methionine, betaine, choline, inositol, folates (which are all involved in heart and liver protection and fat metabolism), phenolic acid (aids the colon), B vitamins, oligosaccharides (which is a prebiotic), alpha-linolenic acid, policosanol, melatonin, phytosterols and para-aminobenzoic acid. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20565994http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/I’d like to see studies on low fat vegan diets vs vegan diets with moderate amounts of “quality” plant derived fats on premenopausal – middle aged women and thyroid/hormone health. I think plant based doctors tend to be older men and so overlook this group when making low fat/no fat diet recommendations. As an athletic vegan woman in her 40s I have gone through thyroid issues, sudden large weight fluctuation, and mood disorder. I’ve noticed this is not all that uncommon in people like me (ie. female, vegan, 35-55, physically active/health conscious). Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t there a connection between healthy hormone health and fat intake? Does fat intake make a difference in middle age women endurance athletes with super low cholesterol levels?There is, indeed. You need fats (good ones like coconut oil) and cholesterol to make hormones and for many other reasons. Whether you’re middle aged or not, athletic or not, you need fat!Cholesterol is made by a liver – fact. Coconuts do not have a liver! So I would like to see the studies to prove that coconut oil raises cholesterol. Because it is a saturated fat, it is a better oil for frying or heating, as it doesn’t change it’s chemical state. Olive oil and other oils do change when heated and potentially become carcinogenic forming substances. The best is to learn to dry fry, or water fry!Saturated fat intake can promote production of LDL cholesterol, this is well established knowledge and it is the reason why saturated fat is viewed as unhealthful, rightfully so.SFA also raises LDLa, not LDLb, and also raises HDL.If high cholesterol was a problem, you mean. (It isn’t)According to the AHA data collected between 2000 and 2006, over 70% of heart attack victims had LDL-C levels below the recommended level, so why do we keep insisting that increased LDL-C is a precursor to CHD?And anecdotally, coconut oil and butter have been staples in my diet for two years and my LDL calcs have gone from 121 to 98, so SFA intake at high levels does not absolutely raise LDL.Dr. Greger has acknowledged this point regarding cholesterol levels.The current standard for the optimal level of cholesterol may not be low enough; 75% of heart attack patients were in the “optimal range”http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/Oh sure… that makes perfect sense! Cholesterol is vital for our overall health and well being… and in fact, the higher our cholesterol is, the lower our chance of death from heart disease. But let’s lower the recommended levels again, so that we can make people take more drugs, have poorer health overall and fear the natural foods that got us to this point in our evolution.Yup, makes perfect sense. How low do you want to go? People with a total cholesterol of 161 have heart attacks. Should we lower it to 150? 100? 50? How much lower does it have to go before you realize that heart disease is NOT caused by cholesterol?Damn, Dion, you beat me to it!From what I have read, you are likely to be safe below 150. For those who care about a healthy heart, check out Dr. Esselstyn’s book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.Actually, there are a number of studies (I know of 101) that show that low cholesterol is linked with early death. Now, linked does not mean caused, I’ll be first to say that. Heart disease isn’t the only thing that kills. Cancer does, too, as do infections. Low cholesterol is linked to these. Perhaps it doesn’t cause it, but the same reasoning that has led us (falsely, I think) to the conclusion that high cholesterol leads to heart disease should also lead at least some to the conclusion that too low cholesterol is not necessarily a good thing! But that never seems to enter their minds. You may be safe from heart disease below 150, Thea, maybe, but are you safe from cancer? infection? Just a thought. Personally, I don’t mess with my cholesterol. It is what it is and I don’t worry about it.Yes, that is exactly right. The current LDL target is under 70, which means about a total cholesterol under 150. Good job!You can learn more about that here:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/The sources cited are included in theri for your reference and reading pleasure as well.You got it right on your first guess. 150 is the accepted number based on epidemiological studies. This number is not hypothetical, it is based on observation.Your comment makes it sound as though it is the same party making an initial guess of 250 being the magic number, then when that doesn’t work, lowering the recommendation to 200, then to 150, etc. This is not the case. There are the mainstream recommendations, which are not based on the observable data but rather on pandering to the culinary preferences of our population, and thus are continually shown to be ineffective in preventing heart disease. And then there is a separate group of researchers who have based the level of 150 on observable and consistent data, and this recommendation has not wavered.Perhaps you are not aware of this study which shows that, for women, the higher the cholesterol, the lower the risk of death from all causes, including heart disease, while for men,, death rate increases at both low and very high levels. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2011.01767.x/asset/j.1365-2753.2011.01767.x.pdf;jsessionid=5E527E029108E594887F2069BCFFA5A9.d04t01?v=1&t=hl14b1yq&s=5d9c2a332eecfeb6dd368fa2a099d0ad53901856 I also so this study on NCBI, so it’s peer reviewed. When evidence crops up that contradicts a hypothesis or theory, it doesn’t make sense to hold on to the hypothesis/theory. Choesterol, whether in the blood or in the diet, does not cause heart disease–or any other disease. Cholesterol is vital to life. No, it’s not essential–the liver can make it–but vital.I read the article, and read all of the comments, I am so confused..I know that butter is pretty evil, Margarine is even worse, But is coconut oil better than say… olive, grapeseed, vegetable, or corn oils?..Or are all oils bad?Coconut oil must be organic, extra virgin. Any other kind of CO is bad.Lightly refined, with low heat and no chemicals, is fine too. I use expeller pressed whenever I don’t want the taste of coconut in the food or beverage.All oils in general are unhealthful. Look up any oil on the USDA database and you can quickly see that oil fits quite accurately the definition of junk foodshttp://nutritiondata.self.com/One of themost concentrated sources of calories while adding no nutritional quality to ones diet.You are quite mis informed. Not all oils are unhealthful/junk, regardless of what the USDA data base says. We need fats–to absorb fat soluble vitamins and minerals, to provide raw materials for many structures, and for energy. The best fats and oils are the ones that require minimal processing to produce and are stable and resistant to oxidation, such as all those high in saturated and mono unsaturated fatty acids, like Olive, coconut and butter. Vegetable and seed oils like grapeseed, corn and vegetable oils, are highly processed, as is margarine, and are bad news for health.There is enough fat found in whole plant foods to absorb soluble vitamins and I know of no evidence of a health epidemic among low fat plant based diets in which they are not absorbing enough vitamins or phytonutrients. In fact, we are absorbing plenty.Again, from Jeff Novick“Absorbing more doesn’t automatically equate to better health outcomes.Speaking of health outcomes, which is what really matters, lets put all of this into proper perspective.From “‘Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids’, Food and Nutrition Board. Institute of Medicine. National Academy Press, Washington D.C. Pp. 343-344 (2000)”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9810&page=353“These data, although in varying populations, suggest that 3 to 6 mg/day of β-carotene from food sources is prudent to maintain plasma β-carotene concentrations in the range associated with a lower risk of various chronic disease outcomes (see Table 3).”Table 3:http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9810&page=341As just detailed, plasma and tissue concentrations of carotenoids have been associated with a variety of health outcomes; that is, higher concentrations are associated with a lower risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality. This could be used as a possible indicator for establishing requirements for carotenoids. However, the limitation of this approach is that it is not clear whether observed health benefits are due to carotenoids per se or to other substances found in carotenoid-rich foods.Thus, these data are suggestive of prudent intake levels, not required levels of intake. Recommendations have been made by a number of federal agencies and other organizations with regard to fruit and vegetable intake. Nutrient analysis of menus adhering to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines and the National Cancer Institute’s Five-a-Day for Better Health Program, for example, indicates that persons following these diets would be consuming approximately 5.2 to 6.0 mg/day provitamin A carotenes on average if a variety of fruits and vegetables were consumed (Lachance, 1997). Similar levels would be obtained by following Canada’s Food Guide for Healthy Eating which specifies a minimum of five servings of vegetables and fruit (Health Canada, 1997). Other food-based dietary patterns recommended for the prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases would provide approximately 9 to 18 mg/day of carotenoids (WCRF/AICR, 1997).NOTE: this is 3-6x the amount recognized as being enough to lower disease riskIt is also based on the WCRF/AICR report from 1997. In many other discussions here, I have quoted the WCRF/AICR newest report from 2007 saying that they now more than ever, recommend dietary “patterns” over recommending specific “individual foods”.So, in other words, if Americans would just get in the recommended amounts of fruits and veggies, it would not only provide carotenoids, but more than enough of all of them to produce the beneficial health outcomes, including reduced risks of cancer. And anyone following a Whole Food plant based diet, as recommended here, would already be consuming WAY more than enough.Of course, the real issue is why do you have to increase the absorption of raw veggies (which are very low) when you can just eat tubers, which have almost the highest absorption rate, as is.http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9810&page=354Lol Toxins, you are getting quite a few down votes today! Quit with the references and data, it makes people uncomfortable!Toxins is indefatigable! :)The truth makes a lot of people uncomfortable!Hi Margaret, No one is saying that fats are unnecessary. However some people prefer to get fats in the form of the whole food: olives instead of olive oil, flax instead of flaxseed oil, etc. Even kale has 12% fat, so perhaps you imagine that people that do not advocate consumption of coconut or other oils are advocating a fat-free diet, but this is not the case. In response to a comment below, while certain nutrients may in fact be found in a particular food in trace amounts, that doesn’t necessarily make it a good source. “Good” is a quantitative term and requires 10% of the RDA to qualify. Comparing calorically equal amounts of flax to grass-fed beef, the nutrition data for grass-fed beef shows only 1% of the recommended Adequate Intake of omega-3 content, while flax countains 145%.This is why someone may refer to grass fed beef as being nutrient deficient in terms of the omega-3 content.The omega 3 in flax has to undergo a conversion process to be usable and it’s not very efficient. Whereas the omega 3 in GF beef is usable as is. And a lot of times “calorically equal” doesn’t mean one could actually consume the amounts. I don’t know what serving sizes you are comparing, which is more relevant than caloric ally equal portions. Flax is mostly fiber, so I imagine one would have to eat a lot of it compared to beef to get calorically equal amounts. And it’s my understanding that whole flax seeds go through the digestive tract unchanged, yielding none of their nutrients anyway. I know that was just an example, but still…sure, I have no problem with the concept of getting your fats from whole foods. I have a problem with a blanket statement that all fats and oils re unhealthy. Most cultures traditionally include natural fats and oils in their foods and they are not unhealthy.Hi Margaret, yes there is indeed some debate about the conversion rates, with one plant based doc (Furhman) recommending algae-based supplementation in addition to flax, though most seem to agree that with the proper ratio of 3:6 in the diet, there is sufficient conversion.In regards to caloric comparisons, they can often be very useful. Based on the servings I used, you could consume 1 tbsp of ground flax (37 calories) to get the 147% of the daily value or about 5400 calories of grass-fed beef. Even accounting for possible differences in conversion rates, I think it is still obvious that grass-fed beef is a relatively poor source of omega-3. The best option of course if one were looking for a *good* source of *long-chain* omega-3s without the need for conversion would be to get them from from algae.Regarding oils, there is clinical data to support the premise that they are unhealthy, and the nutrition data itself does not support the claim that oils are a good source of nutrients. However, epidemiological evidence is incredibly important, and while certainly many healthy populations include oils in their diet, that still leaves the question of whether they’re healthy because of the oils or in spite of them.Personally I think if someone has an otherwise healthy diet and really enjoys oil, then go for it. For someone like me though, I find the balance of evidence suggests that my diet is healthier without the oil. When I first went no-oil I actually went through a period of fatigue and realized I wasn’t getting enough calories. So I had to up my intake of whole foods to compensate, and my micronutrient intake is much higher as a result. Also after I adjusted to not eating it, frankly it tastes kind of icky :PCheers!butter is not evil, do not believe the liesman-made trans-fats and veggie oils are http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8707https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=654513314561467&set=a.410479288964872.102488.402627326416735&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nfhttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=654513314561467&set=a.410479288964872.102488.402627326416735&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nfM O D E R A T I O NIn a country where the base of diet are foods that should be eaten in moderation, we need to drastically rethink this dietary approach of eating things in moderation. Lets rid ourselves of lifestyle diseases that are strongly influenced and dictated by nutrition before we discuss moderation.I find the idea of moderation psychologically messy. I like to eat whatever I want, whenever I want, and as much as I want, which I can do on a low fat whole foods plant based diet.If the word moderation were used in the context of say, once in a while at a special event, you eat something rather unhealthful that you wouldn’t normally make yourself, that seems normal to me.But to plan to intentionally include unhealthful, high-fat, high-salt, high-sugar, etc hyper-stimulating foods in your diet on a regular basis, knowing you’ll have to limit how much of them you eat, to me sounds unpleasant. And I think that’s how the word moderation is typically used.Well said Boomer! You hit the nail on the head.I also like to eat whatever I want, whenever I want, and as much as I want, which I can do on a low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet…and in so doing, I’ve also lost 30 pounds in the last 90 days, plus decreased my blood pressure and improved my cholesterol. I have a jar of coconut oil at my desk which I eat by the spoonful. And I feel better than I have in years!High fat, “moderate” protein diet which I am assuming translates to a paleolithic diet?Actually, I follow the Atkins plan.It would be well worth it to read this short ebook by Dr. Greger examining the atkins diet and see both short term and long term health affects seen with this type of diet. Plenty of studies here.http://www.atkinsexposed.org/If there is a similar book regarding the paleolithic diet (Paleo Exposed! haha) I would like to see that as well.(That wasn’t meant confrontationaly – I actually really would like to read it and I’ve been scouring my library system for more information, much to my disappointment.)Jackie_Chanly: re: “Is there is a similar book regarding the Paleo diet?”It’s not a book per-say, but I highly recommend taking a look at the work done by Plant Positive: http://www.PlantPositive.com (It’s on YouTube too.)He has 3 video series with translations. So, you can read the translations if you want, but the video shows sources and tables, etc. So, you might want to actually watch.Plant Positive covers paleo diet, cholesterol denialism, Ancel Keys, Gary Taubes, Weston Price etc. He also covers populations like Eskimos and Masai and what the mummies really tell us.It’s hours worth of material that delve pretty deeply into the science. But he chose to make this work free to the public. It’s impressive, and I’m thinking it will answer your questions about the “paleo” diet.Hope that helps.Ketogenic diet, Atkins diet = same same. Good luck with that!No, it’s a ketogenic diet, which isn’t necessarily paleo.Exactly how much is high, moderate, and low anymore nowadays? Is it grams? Is it portion size?I ask because I LOVE filling my plate with colorful and dark green vegetables with about a palm-sized amount of protein usually. I feel generally satisfied.Throughout my fitness endeavors, I’ve had to keep extensive food logs and I have to say… the amounts and portions of carbs/proteins/fats needed are typically already in your (whole natural) food without needing supplementation… (Although I do enjoy a small dollop of coconut oil with my baked squash.)p.s. exercise has been the most important thing I’ve noticed in improving my overall healthYuck, that sounds rather disgusting. Eating spoonfuls of coconut oil as a snack?When I eat processed oils now they have a strong taste and have a really gross mouth feel. Like really bad greasy Chinese restaurant food that makes you want to use some mouthwash and brush your teeth.I know what you mean, while I don’t get that with oils… yet. I do find that I am super sensitive to salty and sweet foods. Kinda the same phenomenon I think.I agree! I can even taste the oils mainly when I burp later and it just irritates me! (I don’t usually experience this issue with tropical oils though, mainly with canola oil or corn oil. To each his own, I suppose.)Happily Satiated: My comment was in response to someone advocating moderation as a desirable practice. You are listing results of a particular diet. Sounds like you’re doing well, that’s great, but these are separate discussions.You are right, that IS unpleasant and I tried it for too long before my willpower broke and I eventually gave up. (And I tried this stupid approach more than once!)However, you also said that you can eat as much as you want on your low fat whole foods plant based diet. I noticed this very same thing when I made that switch! (I didn’t sustain the low-fat switch, though. It made me depressed and very irritable and I was acting mean towards my family. I added back the fat but cut down on the sugar/starch sources – yes even the whole grains and pulses – and found that I was nicer, my mind-fog cleared, and my muscle/joint pains in the mornings also subsided, as did inches around my midsection, thighs, and arms.)Isn’t that the point, though? In eating this diet you’re consuming far more fibers which have been shown to lower cholesterol/lipoprotein/triglyceride issues as well as keep you satiated for longer, and (maybe this is from personal experience) release endorphins and generally make you feel happier and accomplished. You’re also getting these vitamins and minerals from whole foods that you can’t easily get from those processed foods even when the foods have been enriched. That was something that I didn’t understand while I was in college even though I made a concerted effort to eat mainly plants, less starch, and stay vegetarian – college dorm food often comes out of a can, even the vegetables! I was having strep throat infections and colds left and right until I realized this.Evolutionarily speaking, we are prone to seeking out high-salt, high-fat, and high-sugar (and even high-protein) foods and get a great endorphin release from consuming them. Everyone here knows why – these are the macronutrients needed for survival and likewise we are rewarded for having found them and consumed them. This was also back before grocery markets existed where you could just drive your car and buy food any day of the week. (That’s another thing – inactivity. Yeah cavemen hunted… and their women and children gathered. Everyone was moving.)I think you and Margaret Cihocki are both making pretty much the same point with the only MAJOR discrepancy being the amount of oil. Both of you have been supporting whole and naturally derived foods throughout the majority of this debate. (Yes she points to research on other types of diets, like that ketogenic diet, I think as a way to prove a different point that she was trying to make.)This discrepancy is ok – everyone and every culture is different. I’ve tried your diet and it has worked for me (save for the low-fat being really depressive after a long time). I tried her coconut oil-philic diet and it has also worked for me (and still does). Maybe it’s because I’m of Indian descent and have a propensity to handle tropical oils very well. Maybe this is the same reason why my German-descended boyfriend can handle beer and bagels far better than I can.p.s. No, I don’t think that’s how the word “moderation” is typically used – at least not to my understanding or any curriculum that I’ve learned/reviewed/taught to other students. My understanding of the word “moderation” (and what is typically taught in schools) is exactly what you said: Once in a while at a special event. I also want to add that “moderation” defined as a limited amount of these terrible foods is pushed and perpetuated by and to people who simply do not want to give up the potato chips/twix bars. Having a whole bag of potato chips and only limiting myself to eating 17 chips at a time? That would (DID in the past) DRIVE ME NUTS!Hmmm, sounds like something we can all agree on. Well, that’s promising.I can’t stand it when I see the moderation argument, I look at it like this, crack cocaine is not OK in moderation, neither is GM veg oils or man made fats, stick with Coconut oil, grass feed butter or some good ol (real) lard. People need to learn the truths about animal fats and stop listening to the people who have been brain washed by the food pyramid.Exactly.Exactly. Even doctors nowadays are writing books on nutrition with their own custom (well-informed) food pyramids that look NOTHING like the one our government recommends. However, they also develop a plan to change your nutrition to eventually look a little more like our current pyramid with the right choices (whole foods) instead of the mistaken choices (processed carbs). This sounds like a win-win to me as it is hard to live the no-grain lifestyle in a country that just can’t get over its obsession with grains. Besides, we know how to make those grains taste really really good, even as a whole food, so I sympathize further with the inability to get over carbs.I prefer to eat the right kinds of foods (including coconut oil and other natural fats) and let my body and my appetite moderate for me.A very wise man once said, “moderation works for … people with “moderate” personalities”. We do not live in a moderate culture, and I do not see the moderation mantra as an effective way to get people to eat healthier and change their habits.I primarily use coconut oil as a flavor additive when making a marinade. My go-to oil is extra virgin olive oil.All oils in general should be viewed as unhealthful and diminish the quality of ones diet.Wrong, wrong, wrong. You don’t want to eat fats and oils, that’s your choice. It’s probably wise, considering you eat a lot of carbohydrates. But there is no scientific basis for your argument and much against it.How am I wrong, there is little evidence to conclude that consuming one of the most calorie dense and nutrient poor foods on the planet is beneficial at all. The only fat you need are essential fats found in abundance in the plant kingdom.In the words of Jeff Novick, world renowned nutritionist:“Due to very effective marketing and advertising, we have become convinced that oil is not only food, but a health food. This is crazy. To be a food, something must be able to support healthy life and be of some benefit.Oil is a highly refined processed and extracted food “product”. It has no protein or essential amino acids (which we need), it has no carbohydrates, or sugars (which we need), it has no fiber (which we need), it has no minerals (which we need) and has virtually no vitamins (which we need) except for a small amount of Vit E and some phytosterols.But, on the other hand, it is pure fat and the most calorie dense food on the planet. While all oils have a mixture of mono, poly and saturated fat, most oils are very low in the essential fat omega 3 (which some of us may need more of), very high in the omega 6 (which most of us need to lower) and most oils also have high ratios of omega 6 to omega 3 (which most all of us need to lower).So, basically you are getting lots of calories (oils has almost 2.5 x more calorie per TB than sugar). lots of omega 6s, some saturated fat (depending on the oil) and virtually no nutrients.The definition of a junk food is a food that is high in calories (and/or fat, sugar, salt) and has little if any nutrient value at all. Oil, is more of a junk food than sugar. And, I hope that in a few years, we will all come to understand it and see it, as such.”Dr. Vogel conducted a study that compared different fats and oils (olive oil, canola oil, and salmon) and how they impaired our endothelieum cells. Our endothelieum cells are within our blood vessels lining their walls. They keep clots from forming and keep our blood running smoothly. It also helps our blood vessels dilate and contract when needed. The participants of the study ate a meal containing 3.5 tablespoons of olive oil and the examiners measured their arterial damage after 3 hours. “Contrary to part of our hypothesis, our study found that omega-9 (oleic acid)-rich olive oil impairs endothelieum function postprandially.” They also make note that “In terms of their postprandial effect of endothelieum function, the beneficial components of the Mediterranean and Lyon Diet Heart Study diets appear to be antioxidant-rich foods, including vegetables [and] fruits” http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/36/5/1455It was even noted that “In a clinical study, olive oil was shown to activate coagulation factor VII to the same extent as does butter. Thus, olive oil does not have a clearly beneficial effect on vascular function.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9409274Another study looked at different oils (olive, soybean and palm oils). They had their patients eat a potato soup. The soup either had 3 tablespoons of each oil OR they fried the potatoes in the oil. They too examined the extent of damage on the volunteers’ arteries. this is what they found “All the vegetable oils, fresh and deep-fried, produced an increase in the triglyceride plasma levels in healthy subjects.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17174226This 2 year study looked at coronary artery lesions of the heart after consuming different types of fat. Polyunsaturated fat (omega 3 type of fat) Monounsaturated fat (75% of which makes up olive oil) and Saturated fat (the kind found in mostly animal products). They looked at angiograms a year apart after intervening with increasing one type of fat in each group. All 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing.http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/263/12/1646.abstract?sid=47d1d016-3c15-43f4-a013-0d10144ef8e3Calorie dense? Yes. Nutrient poor? Hardly. It would take up far too much room to list all the nutrients found in natural fats like olive oil, butter and coconut oil, so I’ll pick one example: butter. Real butter from grass fed cows is rich in vitamin A, CLA, n-3 omega fatty acids, just to name a few. Can you get those nutrients elsewhere? Sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are in butter. And butter, like other fats and oils in the diet are satiating, thus reducing the chances of eating too much of anything, including fat. Butter does indeed “support healthy life” and is of great benefit. You don’t want to eat delicious natural fats and oils, that’s your choice. But that doesn’t make them unhealthy for those of us that do.Really? Far too much room to list the nutrients found in oils? Name one in coconut oil http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2A similair nutrient profile can be found in every other oil. Grass fed butter is also quite empty.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/2244512/2There is not a list of nutrient in this food, hardly any at all really.The fatty acids in the foods themselves are essential nutrients…The omega 3 found in butter is not an appreciable source of this nutrient. At the risk of consuming unhealthy animal based saturated fats, the cost/benefit is not worth it.You still haven’t proven that animal based saturated fat is unhealthy. Posting more links to more misinformation doesn’t count. Saturated fat has never been the problem.. it’s our thinking and believing the information that we’re so carefully spoonfed.The links i posted above is clear evidence, I am not sure what more you want. You can’t put your fingers in your ears and shade your eyes just because it goes against your doctrine. I am open to studies showing that saturated fat is healthful, but none exist. There are plenty showing the opposite, and a sample of these studies are shown above.I’ve read a lot of studies already… and every study I’ve read that concludes “saturated fat = bad” is flawed: based on observation and food surveys. Show me an RCT that proves your position.How are the above studies flawed? I have shown you the evidence, it is not up to me to continually prove my point, it is up to you to disprove it. This is not a philosophical debate, peer reviewed studies are required when debating such a topic.Don’t even get me started on the peer review process. Just because a study is “peer reviewed” doesn’t mean a damn thing.I stated how the studies are flawed: they are based on observation and at best only prove correlation. As you should know, correlation does NOT equal causation. Studies relying on data from food surveys are even more deeply flawed and shouldn’t even be put forth as evidence of anything.When a number of studies show the same correlation, we begin making educated decisions based on this evidence. If I was arguing for a single study your point is valid, but we are talking about a mass of studies, the few I posted were a small piece of the many. This is how science is conducted, and the scientific method is the best system in place currently. Here are a few causative studies with saturated fathttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2281930http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/95/9/4455.longhttp://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/35/2/375.fulland Dr. Greger has many more regarding endotoxemia with animal products.“When a number of studies show the same correlation…” True, but the problem with sat fat in the diet is the correlations, when present, are weak, and they’re not always present. Consistency and reproduciblitiy are important, too. With smoking, there is always a strong correlation, so it’s reasonable to argue that smoking can cause lung cancer, especially since very few who don’t smoke get it. But that’s not the case with sat fat. There are lots of people who get heart disease and die of it who do not eat a lot of sat fat and, conversely, people who eat a lot and don’t get heart disease, nor die of it. So when a correlation does show up, one needs to look at other possibilties to explain it. When A and B are linked, it can mean A causes B, B causes A, or something else causes both. The fact that, in some studies, sat fat and heart disease are (weakly) linked doesn’t say in any way shape or form that sat fat causes heart disease. If it did, everyone who ate sat fat would get it, and there would be a dose response curve–people who eat more would get worse CVD and die sooner. That doesn’t happen. Exhibit A: the “French Paradox” A high sat fat diet, not a high rate of heart disease or death from it. There are many other “paradoxes’ that aren’t paradoxes at all if you realize sat fat doesn’t cause heart disease.The first study doesn’t show anything except what happens to blood lipids when one eats a high percentage of calories as fat. Doesn’t show that those consequences are harmful in any way. and the study subjects dideat other things, so how much of the effect is due to the fat and how much to anything else they ate is unknown.Oh, and the first study–at least in the abstract–doesn’t even say what kind of fat the subjects ate, so how do you know it was sat fat?In the second study, the meal included a considerable amount of carbohydrates as well as the fat. You have to control for one variable or you can’t know which variable(s) caused the observed changes. You also have no idea what the long term effects of those changes in blood lipids are.The third study was looking at the rise in endotoxins from gut bacteria in T2 diabetics following a high SFA meal. Of course, nowhere in the study could I find what the subjects actually ate. Since at one time SFA and trans fats were considered equally bad, color me skeptical. And how are changes in endotoxin levels in diabetics relevant to anyone who is not diabetic? Just curious.No scientist will state that peer-review is perfect, but it certainly is the best method we have to put forth quality research. Vague generalizations from a non-scientist that supposedly negate thousands of studies on the other hand…“[A peer-reviewed study] doesn’t mean a damn thing?” That is a perplexing statement, indeed.I am curious then, what are you basing your beliefs and opinions on? How are you coming to your conclusions? What are the standards you use the assess the credibility and veracity of the studies that you and those of your ilk have cited?There must be some better method his research group uses that the entire scientific community has not discovered yet. I eagerly await finding out what this might be.You quoted me out of context and YOU are the one perplexed?If you’re going to argue with what I said, then at least be honest about what I said and don’t put words in my mouth.I look for randomized controlled trials for actual evidence of causation, not observational studies most frequently quoted here and then passed off as “proof”. As for the peer-review process… it’s not much more than a rubber stamp in most cases… which is why the fact that a study is peer-reviewed doesn’t lend that much more credibility to the study. I’m more interested in how the study is conducted rather than whether or not it got the rubber stamp of approval.No, peer review isn’t perfect. But yes, it is the best method we have to put forth quality research. But sometimes less than quality research slips through and that is the case when it comes to the study that began the war on sat fat–Ancel Key’s cherry picked 7 countries study so nicely demolished by @Real World Vegan in a different comment–and by Zoe Harcombe in a peer reviewed article linked in blog entitled “Saturated Fat causes heart disease, and the Earth is Flat” that I provided a link to in one of my comments. That fraudulent study, which somehow survived the peer review process, is the foundation on which all subsequent research on this matter has been built.So far you’re the only one I’ve seen consistently bring up phrases regarding fingers-in-ears and shades-over-eyes… Methinks, thou doth protest too much.Coconut oil is almost 50% Lauric acid, a medium chain triglyceride that, as I already said, breaks down to mono-Laurin, which has anti. Bacterial, anti viral and anti fungal properties. All the fats in coconut oil supply a good deal of energy and fatty acids for structural maintenance. Just because something doesn’t have a ton of micronutrients in it doesn’t mean it’s not nutritious. Nutrition is both micronutrients and macronutrients. Fats and oils, including coconut oil, a good source of the latter. Seriously, people you need to be less fat phobic. Fats are tasty, satiating, and nutritious.The fact that you keep mentioning that coconut oil is anti fungal and anti microbial shows that you have little understanding of how our immune system works. This is irrelevant information. A food that is a single macronutrient does not make it nutritious, quite the opposite. I would say the same for a pure carbohydrate source and a pure protein source.Actually, I understand very well how the immune system works. And I’m not saying coconut oil is anti fungal, etc. I’m saying that, mono laurin, a fatty acid derived from Lauric acid, a major component of coconut oil but also found in butter, mother’s milk, and some other (animal) foods, has antibacterial etc. properties. Search for mono laurin in WebMD. It is not irrelevant. And no fat or oil is a single macronutrient. All are made of many different types of fatty acids which perform various functions. But again, as I said above, I’m not arguing that any oil or fat is a better source of anything than the whole food from which it comes. I’m merely saying if someone chooses to include them in the diet, it is not harmful or wrong to do so. you all seem to (mistakenly) think I’m saying people should eat coconut oil to be healthy.Margaret: “Nutrition is both micronutrients and macronutrients.”All whole plant foods are a mixture of carbs, fat, and protein.Macronutrients are not something you have to try to consume. If you eat enough food, you will automatically consume enough of all of them.Micronutrients on the other hand, are not found to a significant degree in animal products or processed/refined foods. Hence the focus on these in discussion. You can not simply eat food and get a reliably sufficient intake.Whole food plant based eaters are not fat phobic. We get plenty of fat in our diet, we just don’t eat refined, isolated fat.Actually, I would argue that animal products like eggs, liver, bone broth, and dairy are quite rich in micronutrients. But plants are rich in them, as well. The micronutrients in animal foods, however, are more easily extracted by the body. Not saying not to eat plant foods, not saying that if you eat a variety of whole foods you don’t get enough fat. Not saying you have to eat refined fat products. Just saying they’re not bad for us. They are sources of energy and, yes, micronutrients–vitamin E in olive oil, n-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, CLA, vitamin K, and others in butter, and so on. You don’t want to eat them, I’m fine with that. I’m just not fine with people saying we shouldn’t be eating them if we want to. Natural fats and oils have been a part of traditional diets all over the worldThere is plenty of evidence that does suggest they are bad for us. You may not agree with this evidence, but it still exists.Just because there are trace amounts of a micronutrient in a food, does not mean they are rich in them. When compared to the amounts in whole plant foods they are negligible.Sure, a culture can use oils and be healthy despite them, provided the rest of their diet is very healthy and based heavily on plants. Based on the incredible medicinal qualities of plant foods, I could probably add in a couple cigarettes a day to my extremely nutrient-rich diet and still enjoy good and lasting health. But that wouldn’t tell us whether cigarettes are bad for us or not.“Suggest” is a far cry from proving they are bad for us. Context is everything. Virtually all the studies that suggest natural saturated fats are bad for us are epidemiological,, often lump trans fats (truly bad for us) with natural sat fats, and look at populations/people whose diet is also high in sugar and refined grains. If you know of any other kind, I’d be interested in seeing it. In the context of a low carbohydrate, real food diet, no such harm has been demonstrated anywhere. In fact, both anecdotally and in studies, people who eat a low carb high fat (including sat fat) diet consistently improve their CVD risk. Please check out the A to Z diet study out of Stanford for just one example of such a study. And for the record, I don’t agree or disagree with evidence. I agree or disagree with conclusions based on the evidence. There was a time when I, too, swallowed whole the conclusion that sat fat is bad for us in any context. I’ve since learned better. And also for the record, I know the Earth is round and I have an advanced degree in science–Biochemistry, to be exact. I have no problem with what anyone chooses to eat and I believe there are more than one healthy ways for people to eat. In fact I think any diet based on real food that is minimally processed is far better than the highly processed diet high in sugar and refined grains that most Americans eat.Let me rephrase that. I know the Earth is not flat. It’s not exactly round, either, more like ovoid…don’t want anyone thinking I think the Earth is a perfect sphere, LOL.“I would argue that animal products like eggs, liver, bone broth, and dairy are quite rich in micronutrients.”How “rich” in micronutrients are they? And, “rich” in which micronutirents?Rich enough to supply all the micronutrients one needs as much as one needs. People who live on almost/exclusively animal products suffer no deficiencies or I’ll health. There are many examples of cultures past and present who eat almost no plant foods and remain healthy. The Maasai in Africa, Plains Indians, Inuit….re: “There are many examples of cultures past and present who eat almost no plant foods and remain healthy. The Maasai in Africa, Plains Indians, Inuit….”Again, I would refer people to Primitive Nutrition on YouTube for information about the health of these cultures. Primitive Nutrition even looks at the health indicators in at least one ancient mummy, prior to any possible corruption of diet by modern societies.You Tube is not my go to source for information. However, perhaps I’ll check it out some time. But if their diet were unhealthy, why would they continue to follow it generation after generation? The Inuit kind of have to–plants are scarce most of the year where they live. But the Maasai? Plants are plentiful where they live in Africa, yet they (men especially) eat no plants. Just the blood, meat (probably including organ meat) and blood of the cattle they herd. And those who survive infectious diseases and other such threats live just as long and healthy as we do and are relatively free of the chronic diseases of our society–re: “But if their diet were unhealthy, why would they continue to follow it generation after generation?”Humans are stupid and often follow tradition whether it makes sense or not. After all, look at what Americans have been eating for a couple of generations.re: “You Tube is not my go to source for information.” Makes sense. However, this particular set of videos is no different than Dr. Greger’s videos on this site. Primitive Nutrition also includes source scientific information/referenced (in the video, though, not in links like here). The biggest difference is that Primitive Nutrition doesn’t have his own website the way Dr. Greger does. I don’t hold it against him that he has to share on YouTube. It’s free. And his work is such a high quality that I considered it worth my time. Especially so that I had answers to the questions that people raise about societies like the Inuit and others.This is SO outside the scope of this discussion and even this site. Still when I read, “Humans are stupid and often follow tradition whether it makes sense or not. After all, look at what Americans have been eating for a couple of generations.”First, I laughed. And, then the thought of clitordectomies came to mind. (Told you WAY outside the scope of this discussion.) Talk about a nonsensical tradition that persists despite its horrific consequences.You certainly put a chill in my spine. Wow. Yes, a very clear example. Don’t get me started!!! ;-)Tradition can be a beautiful thing and it can be a unyielding and deadly thing.Oh, great! Now, I can’t get the Fiddler on the Roof “Tradition” song out of my head.I’m not defending all traditions. There are certainly some horrific ones. HOwever, humans and all other organisms have a deep seated survival instinct and that undoubtedly shaped ideas about foods that became part of the traditional diet–or didn’t. Just saying…Just to be clear, Dr. Gregor’s videos aren’t my go to sources, either. Yes, humans can be stupid. I’m not by any stretch defending all traditional practices. But lets’ be clear, Americans eat the way they do now not because of tradition, but because of a misguided acceptance of faulty science and dietary guidelines based on it. They have only been eating this way for a couple of generations at most and are already paying the price in terms of decreased life expectancy and chronic disease. I don’t expect that to continue for too many generations more. At least I hope not. Traditional diets evolved in the absence of scientific guidance and depended on observations of the effects of various foods on over all health and well being.re: Margaret: I respect your posts on this site in that you keep it civil and mostly stay on topic. So, while we disagree on so much, I wanted to express my appreciation of you.To respond to the particular post above: re: “But lets’ be clear, Americans eat the way they do now not because of tradition, but because of a misguided acceptance of faulty science and dietary guidelines based on it.”I have to strongly disagree with this. As an example: I have a co-worker who is a nurse (smart, educated, etc). She eats at fast food places at least 4 to 5 times a week. She brings her grandkids to one fast food joint or another *at least* once a week (when she watches them on weekends). She knows perfectly well that fast food is bad for her. I’m not aware of any body of science or diet telling people that eating at McDonnalds is good for them (whether whole plant based or even paleo). But people like my co-worker do eat those things in large quantities that they know/believe themselves to be bad for them. Their parents ate this way some. They eat this way more. They feed this food to their kids who feed it to their kids.To take this real life example one step further: After years of talking to me and then doing her own research, this co-worker (a good *THREE* years ago) came right out and said that she is thoroughly convinced that eating a whole plant based food diet is beyond doubt the healthiest diet to have. (This shocked me given what I know about her eating habits.) And yet this obese person has since made almost no changes in her diet or in what she feeds her obese children and grandchildren. Her family members are dieing of diet-related diseases. Yet, she still brings the traditional ham to extended family gatherings, believing that the ham is bad for them, but it’s tradition… (Whether you personally believe that ham is harmful or not is irrelevant. The point here is that my co-worker believes the ham is harmful based on her understanding of the science and still not only consumes it herself (along with chicken, bacon, etc.), but feeds it to her loved ones because it is tradition and it is what she knows how to prepare and she doesn’t want to change.)Most people know that eating sugar is bad, but we do it anyway. This has absolutely nothing to do with, “…faulty science and dietary guidelines based on it.”The examples go on. Bottom line: What many people eat often has little to do with our understanding of the science, whether that science is accurate or not.———————————— re: “…depended on observations of the effects of various foods on over all health and well being.”This would only apply to immediate effects, like: Ooops, ate that berry and got a tummy ache. In that case, I agree that observation plays a big role.Your theory does not apply, however, to diseases that appear after decades. How would a traditional society prior to scientific exposure relate a heart attack at 40 years old to 40 years of bad diet? They wouldn’t be able to. If everyone around them were dieing of the same general issues at the same time – after raising families – then a pre-modern society would have no reason to ever suspect diet. The diseases would just look like the natural process of aging or “bad blood”.This is much like heart attacks look to Americans in the recent past. For decades we had thought that getting heart disease was a natural part of aging. I remember being taught that in school. So, no wonder so many Americans eat their traditional diets (even knowing now that it isn’t so good for them).Note: I don’t believe that tradition is the only explanation. It’s just one of many good ones. Other people have posted other reasons. I can’t remember if it was on the list or not, but dairy (and meat too I think) are believed to have addictive effects. So, there’s another reason for you on why a traditional society would eat foods that are bad for them.Here here! Finally some civility!First of all, thanks for the compliment. I do not see any reason to be nasty. It doesn’t further the discussion in any way. When I said people in America and the west eat this way because of faulty guidelines, I was not talking about the people like your co worker who eat a lot of fast food. that is, of course, not good, but the USDA guidelines do not tell people to eat at McDonalds. It tells them to eat a low fat grain based diet and many people have done that. We’ve lowered our consumption of fat, particularly sat fat and increased our grain consumption. We’ve also increased our consumption of low fat high sugar and starch, high veg oil and trans fat processed foods that industry has only been too happy to supply us with based on our desire to follow the misguided USDA guidelines. And look where that has gotten us–fatter and sicker than ever before. I will most happily concede that a whole foods plant based diet is far better than a diet of McDonalds and/or processed foods. I submit, however that it isn’t the only diet that is healthier. As I already said, I believe any diet based on whole, minimally processed foods is healthy, whether or not it includes meat–at least healthier than the diet currently followed by the majority of Americans.I would also point out that diseases that take decades to develop are a relatively new phenomenon. Primitive cultures that eat a traditional diet are comparatively free of them, so do not have to make a connection. Heart disease, for example, was quite rare until recently and is most common in countries and people where the traditional diet has been abandoned in favor of modern processed foods high in sugar, refined industrial oils and refined grains.I’ll concede that many factors were probably involved in the development of various traditional diets–probably all the ones you’ve mentioned. However, I submit that to say that the health and well being of the people had nothing to do with it kind flies in the face of logic, no? Just as we are beginning to figure out after only a generation or two that the current diet of fast food, processed food, highly refined vegetable oils and trans fats is detrimental to our health (so that many are returning to a diet of real foods prepared in more traditional ways). Again, I highly recommend the book: “Deep Nutrition: why your genes need traditional foods” to understand that there are common threads among many traditional diets and how these foods are linked to robust health.Oops. …blood, meat, and milk of the animals they herd.re: “But if their diet were unhealthy, why would they continue to follow it generation after generation?”There are many answers. I believe that that the three most prevalent reasons are:1- taste addiction; 2- fear of change; and, 3. social conformity (i.e. the “tomato effect”).Some other reasons are:4. faith in the supernatural; 5. the propensity to take risks; 6. optimism when making wagers; 7. apathy, and 8. denial.@BPCveg, @Thea listed another reason why folks continue to do what they have always been doing elsewhere on this discussion board. Similar to you #3, @Thea mentioned “tradition” as another factor that prevents people from changing their habits.So: 9. TraditionI’d also like to add a #10: Cultural identitySocial conformity, tradition, and cultural identity are perhaps a variation on the same theme, still I think they are different enough to deserve there own bullet point here.Food defines who we are in more ways than one; it’s not just our taste buds that are at play, psychology and sociology are powerful forces that sway our decision making as well.@WholeFoodChomper:disqus , thanks for adding some very good points to our list. I agree that cultural identity is actually quite different from social conformity and deserves its own point.@WholeFoodChomper, I have combined our ideas to create a second draft of our list of why people resist dietary change:Personal factors, including: – taste addictions – fear of change – apathy – the propensity to take risks – optimism when making wagers – lack of timeBelief systems, including: – denial of relationship between diet and health – faith in the supernaturalSocial factors, including: – social conformity (i.e. the “tomato effect”) – tradition – cultural identityHave I missed/misclassified anything?BPCveg, looks great to me!I think “motivation” could be listed under “personal factors,” as well.I’ll “chomp” some more on the topic for a bit to see if anything else that we can add to the list comes to mind.Nicely done.Again, I ask, why would a traditional diet that was less than optimal evolve in the first place? Cultural identity doesn’t precede the evolution of a traditional diet, it probably evolves side by side with it. I simply cannot accept that a culture would stick with an element of diet that showed itself to be unhealthy within a few generations. Traditional diets evolved over the course of thousands of years, shaped by many factors, including food availability, There’s actually a very good book about traditional diets the world over: “Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Foods” by Cate Shanahan, M.D.“Again, I ask, why would a traditional diet that was less than optimal evolve in the first place?”Hi Margaret, from what i have read (mainly Dawkins books), evolution doesn’t work that way. Evolution doesn’t care about “optimal”. It only cares about “good enough”, i.e. living long enough to have kids and protect them until they’re old enough to protect themselves. In my view, if a certain dietary practice has longevity in a healthy group of people, then we can form a hypothesis and run the tests, rather than just conclude that it is healthy BECAUSE of the longevity. In other words, it should be the beginning of a conversation rather than the end of one.I’d like to know your opinion.Cheers, Shane.You are right about evolution of species (I read a lot of Dawkins as well:)) for sure. But I am talking about the evolution of traditional diets, not people. It’s more and more apparent that diet can affect the epigenomes of individuals and (I’m speculating), but if a diet or component thereof conferred poor health, the effects would tend to show up earlier and earlier in succeeding generations and would, I would think, be abandoned sooner rather than later. Just for example the prohibition against pork in some cultures. I suspect it has it’s roots in th fact that eating less than completely cooked Pork could have had some nasty consequences. There are, indeed, multiple factors influencing the evolution of traditional diets–religion certainly plays it’s part–but I can’t help but think that a truly unhealthy diet would not last in any culture. I’m not saying every traditional diet confers optimal health, just that if any dietary practices that showed themselves to be unhealthy would be abandoned and not perpetuated generation after generation. IMHO that’s why more and more people are ditching the low fat paradigm that our government has convinced us to eat–to our detriment–and with it processed foods that are clearly not good for us, reverting back to more traditional real foods.Ok Margaret, now you’re stretching, I’m sorry to say. You make some valid points when it comes to chemistry or genomics or biochem, but you clearly aren’t understanding the gravity of the anthropology that Guest brings up and the evolutionary short cuts that Shane mentions here. There are island cultures that could and would benefit from fish as a food source – but they won’t eat it. Fish-shaped effigies all facing north suggest a sort of holy reverence towards fish in these cultures. There are cultures that show wealth through overabundance, including food. In these cultures, traditional unhealthy food practices are sustained in order to show and retain their social capital. Furthermore there are cultures in which asceticism was the defining factor of wealth, and thus social capital. In these cultures, the unhealthy practice of malnutrition was valued and upheld traditionally. People do not typically care about what is “best” (hunter-gatherer men would probably save most of the meat for their pregnant wives if this was the case – but they don’t. They eat a lot of it on the walk back to the village.) People care about what they care about. Evolution doesn’t care about what is optimal. Evolution distills out what is optimal, anatomically, for us. Evolution does only care about what’s “good enough” when it comes to outer resources.Anthropology is my bread and butter, and I just had to stop you right there before you made a lot more, although systematically rational, ultimately flawed claims.I did say I was speculating. I also said truly unhealthy practices would be weeded out, not every somewhat unhealthy practice. I can understand that a traditional diet may or may not be optimal. It depends on availability of food as well as many other purely cultural aspects, as you point out. Not every population on earth is known for its longevity. But in the end, there has to be health robust enough to promote reproduction enough for the group (and their diet) not to disappear. That has to be at least a factor in the development of traditional diets. Anthropology may be your bread and butter, but Biology is mine. Natural fats and oils have been part of healthy traditional diets throughout our history. The saying goes, it doesn’t make sense to blame something that’s been part of our diet for millenia for relatively new chronic diseases. And there are certain elements that are common to those traditional diets that are truly healthy (as evidenced by the health and longevity of the population) and natural fats and animal foods are among them.II seriously doubt ill health as a population over repeated generations would be overridden by taste addictions, fear of change, social conformity, or any of the other reasons you have listed. Traditional diets evolve and no doubt elements of the diet that compromised health would be ultimately, for the most part, weeded out. Faith in supernatural is generally used to explain observations, not the other way around.The ill health that we are referring to is insidious. For this reason, I believe that historically most people did not make the connection between diet and health. People are waking up now. There are two senses to the word evolution that should not be confused. One sense refers to patterns of behavioural change. The other sense refers to genetic evolution. When you speak of weeded out and I feel that you may be mixing the two senses of the word. For natural selection to operate, there has to be a significant reproductive advantage. Effects of diet are insidious and typically operate on a much longer time scale than needed to hinder a person’s chances of passing on their genes. By listing “faith in the supernatural”, I meant that I think that people who strongly believe that there is a supernatural force that entirely controls their destiny would probably not believe that they themselves could control when they die by changing their eating patterns. I’m sure you have come across people who argue it is all decided by the guy upstairs.I am aware of the distinction and I wasn’t talking about genetic evolution. I know exactly how that works. It’s kind of my field. I am talking about the evolution of the myriad traditional diets that exist worldwide. People who stick to the traditional diets of their culture are by and large free of chronic “western” diseases, no matter what their diet. That’s why scientists love to study them to find out what it is in tradtional diets that keeps them free of the diseases that plague us. I’m not a sociologist or anthropologist, so I don’t pretend to understand all the factors involved in the evolution of any traditional diet and I do understand that it’s not just about health. But I find it difficult to believe that, somehow, knowledge of the effect of different foods on health and well being didn’t play some part–as did food availability, religious beliefs, and others. The fact is they did evolve and they are, for the most part healthy.it is possible that the inuit caught and fermented sea birds in seal blubber for the tantalizing[!] scent and flavor, or that the swiss pulled the livers from cod and fermented them in a barrel to later squeeze out the oil for the same, but prolly not. most of these cultures had medicine men and healers who were knowledgable about the impact of herbs, etc. these people believed in a higher power and appear to have known how diet impacted health.I’m aware of the discovery of signs of heart disease in one or more mummies. However, the diet of said mummies probably (based on study of ancient Egyptian culture) included processed grains and honey, so pretty difficult to say that it was the meat or sat fat in his/their diet. Heart disease–or at least death from it worldwide was pretty rare until the advent of highly processed vegetable oils, refined sugar, and refined flour in our diets. Likewise, other “diseases of modern civilization.” Butter and other natural saturated fats have been consumed since long before heart disease was on anyone’s radar. And they still are in many healthy cultures.He’s not talking about Egyptian mummies.Those are the only mummies I’ve read showed signs of heart disease.And archaeology has shown (by human remains) that farmers were malnourished compared to hunter-gatherers.Bone broth = WAPF. That explains a lot.What? No one does bone broth except WAPF? Try again. No, I’m not WAPF. Not a member, not a fan.What? No one besides WAPF do bone broth? Bone broth is a component of many healthy traditional cuisines! Not especially a fan of WAPF. Huge fan of bone broth.You have already taken up a lot of space on this discussion board trying to make your points. So, I hardly think anyone would mind if you listed “all the nutrients found in natural fats”. In fact, you have our interest piqued and we are eager to see the evidence, so please do share.B/c despite what you may think about butter, it seems like the scientific nutrient analysis and data indicate there is not much there, there. See for yourself:http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter#Nutritional_informationhttp://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/131?qlookup=01145&max=25&man=&lfacet=&new=1There’s also no evidence that consuming natural, minimally processed fats and oils like coconut oil, is harmful or “unhealthful”. I don’t consume fats and oils because of real or perceived benefits over and above the whole foods they are found in. I consume them because they make food taste good (a benefit) and there is no evidence of harm from doing so. You said “All oils in general should be viewed as unhealthful and diminish the quality of one’s diet.” I’m simply saying that is not correct. If you think it is, you need to provide evidence that it is. Coconut oil and other natural fats and oils do ” support healthy life” and are of “some benefit.” Not necessarily more or even equal benefit than the whole foods they are found in, but of some benefit.Oh really?0_0 Now you’re starting to sound like the flat-earther. If cell membranes are made of lipids, our brain being one of the organs needing a large amount of such, how in the world is oil not necessary? (You didn’t say that in this comment, you said it in others.) It’s in the nuts, seeds, grains, plants, fish you eat because it is NECESSARY FOR LIFE.There is no dietary requirement to consume free oils.The only 2 fats we require are omega 6 and 3 which can be had through plant sources. The tissue of our body is capable of synthesizing all of the fat it needs. Please research the national academy of science fat requirements for details. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422Why does this article fail to mention that coconut fat is medium chain fatty acids that are used differently by our body and has many benifits? Or body needs fat for proper brain function and to protect our vital organs.Jen: re: “Why does this article fail to mention that coconut fat is medium chain fatty acids…”Partly because coconut fat also contains long chains. You don’t just eat the medium chains. As the article *does* mention, you have to take the entire food into account. For example, you can’t say that coca cola is healthy because it has water in it.re: “…body needs fat for proper brain function and to protect our vital organs.” That is irrelevant. You can get all the fat your body/brain needs from whole plant foods. You don’t need to get any from oils – coconut or olive or whatever. So, the only reason to eat oils would be if they provided some special health benefit or are at least neutral. They are not even neutral.Don’t need to, sure. But I’m not afraid of the long chain sat fat in CO so I will continue to consume it. Because I like the taste of things that are cooked in fat.I am a Filipina and I’ve lived around coconuts my whole life. Bicol, a province here, has the lowest rate of heart disease and it is also the province with the highest consumption of coconut milk and oil. My grandparents who ate, used and slathered on coconut oil died healthy at ages 92 and 104. I myself, have higher HDL and I am taking 2 to 3 tablespoons of VCO each day. The late Dr. Conrado Dayrit, a former Secretary of Health, conducted a study in which was shown that coconut oil lowered the viral count of HIV patients. I respectfully ask for a review on your facts.Exactly, @michwave. Thank you for your input. If you notice in one of my comments, I also brought up the fact that cultures like yours eat a lot of coconut (including the oil) and have low rates of heart disease.True, Margaret. Coconut is all-natural too. It is naturally pest-resistant and does not need chemical fertilizers to grow. It is also non-GMO. Lipidologists know how good it is. Medical doctors lack in-depth education on nutrition.Well, you got one thing right. “Medical doctors [do] lack in-depth education on nutrition.” Check out Dr. G’s videos on that very topic on this site.there is no room for facts for those that have an agenda based upon either A. outdated science B. improper brain functionYou know what science is also outdated? This obsession with the need for grains.There are a lot of things that are good and bad. There are studies in progress regarding coconut oils. If there are any ads out there that is stating CURE run from it. There are testimonies that claim a cure but it is false. Let the research speak for itself. Make sure you look at the benefits as well as the potential side effects. If coconut oil raise sarotoinin levels thenwhat milligram strength should we say enough is enough. To much coconut oils can cause mental impairment, confusions, and as in homeopathy calcium deposits on the nerves which causes Alzheimer’s. Take care and be in good health.calcium deposits on the nerves and caues Alz? reference please? Alz is likely in part due to cell death and/or insulin resistance in the brain“To much coconut oils can cause mental impairment, confusions, and as in homeopathy calcium deposits on the nerves which causes Alzheimer’s.” Seriously? Evidence, please.Ha! You crack me up. Now you call for evidence? Oy vey!I don’t have to provide evidence to prove a negative. It’s up to the people claiming sat fat is unhealthy to provide evidence to back up their claims, none the less, I have cited numerous studies in comments noting the lack of evidence as to the dangers of natural sat fat. Here I’m asking for evidence of a rather outlandish claim that too much coconut oil causes mental impairment, confusions, and causes Alzheimer’s. I guess all those people in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, not to mention Kerala in India, where coconut oil is a big part of the diet must be confused all the time and have a high incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease. Oh, wait…I would be curious to see your references and where you are getting your information from. Show me the conclusive studies that show that saturated fats and cholesterol contribute to heart disease. Better yet, the conclusive studies that show that PUFA’s, by lowering your cholesterol, have reduced heart disease. If this were the case, then the incidence of heart disease should be going down (with all the increases in consumption of Canola Oil, margarines and Oilve Oil and the progressive decreases in consumption of lard and butter, and reduced red meat intake that have taken place over the past century). A recent meta-analysis revealed that the effects of saturated fats on heart disease was neutral, with no clear link. I am not interested in any references that tow the party line, and have manipulated numbers to reach a pre-conceived conclusion. I, as a physician myself, take issue with the use of a forum like this being used by a physician that claims to have some special knowledge, and chooses to spew misinformation. There will never be a randomly controlled trial on the uses of coconut oil (or any other nutrient, for that matter) for the treatment of Alzheimer’s or any other condition, because there is no money in it for the pharmaceutical industry to entice them to pay for such a study. You and I could probably agree on one thing, that our nutritional choices and lifestyles lead to the diseases that we then subsequently identify and treat (with drugs and toxins that are mostly ineffective anyway). As traditional physicians, we often create greater harm than good with our advice and treatment.As for the coconut oil and Alzheimer’s Disease… maybe it works in some way, maybe it doesn’t. Case reports will be anecdotal or in small individual trials, and it may show greater benefit in some than others. You can’t reverse decades of damage to the brain. It is not a curable condition. Any improvement in cognitive function would be gladly accepted by any family member of people with this horrific disorder. I don’t think Aricept can claim that it truly performs any better. Anyone look at the Side Effects of Aricept recently? The continuation of this anti-saturated fat campaign, and choosing to recommend that it should not be attempted for longer than a few days (as if that is some magic number for a neurodegenerative disorder) because of the risks associated with saturated fats is outrageous. Maybe you should rely less on your lack of nutritional training and focus more on history of disease (or lack thereof) and history of food consumption by native peoples throughout history rather than using a cross-section of a fast-food eating, sugar-intoxicated nation that is disease-ridden from modern day foods (HFCS, vegetable oils, synthetic hormones, artificial dyes and flavors, and genetically modified staple foods).This is your playground, and you have the right to misinform at will.Dr. Gomes, I don’t know where you practice, but I would LOVE to be one of your patients! I agree with everything you said. If only there were more doctors like you!Thank you, Dr. Gomes! Well said. He has a right to misinform, but you have done a great job of showing it for what it is. I hope his readers pay attention. What @Just Me said…Read my comments above near the top of this page regarding the study you mention regarding saturated fats.“I would be curious to see your references and where you are getting your information from” -You do realize that this website has hundreds of videos with thousands of sources?“I am not interested in any references that tow the party line” -Then what exactly are you requesting? Basically you don’t want any references he has that disagree with your opinion?” I, as a physician myself, take issue with the use of a forum like this being used by a physician that claims to have some special knowledge, and chooses to spew misinformation” -You take issue with a doctor who uses a forum with the most comprehensive detailing of the latest peer-reviewed journal articles that basically promotes eating more vegetables?You claim to be a professional, and yet your tone is quite unprofessional, disrespectful, and your argument is full of antagonistic straw-man tactics. This is generally not the tone one uses to elicit genuine discussion.If you allow a dissenting point of view, I found that since I have switched to coconut oil, ghee, and olive oil as my primary sources of fat (in that order) that my triglycerides are below 100, my HDL is above 75. I have lost weight and feel great. A recent heart scan showed no blockages. No, I am not a doctor so I can only speak from my personal experience and what I have observed. I also am not a believer in the pseudo science of the lipid hypothesis. Heart disease/attack happens all across the spectrum of cholesterol levels. Studies also show that people with ‘elevated’ cholesterol levels tend to live longer, considering all cause mortality rates. Naturally occurring fats will always be healthier than those produced in a laboratory. As to the the biggest risk factor for heart disease, hopefully your readers will consider this before buying off on your opinion as gospel. http://dietheartnews.com/2013/06/triglycerides-not-cholesterol-is-the-bona-fide-risk-factor-for-coronary-heart-disease/Yes, coconut oil raises LDL. but it also raises HDL. And there are now known to be at least two types of LDL: large (pattern B?*) fluffy, which is not atherogenic and small (pattern A?*), which is. Guess which kind saturated fats in the diet like coconut oil raise–that’s right, the large non atherogenic kind. If coconut oil is something that raises risk of heart disease, how is it that cultures that have been eating it for a long time have low rates of heart disease–like the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, etc. Silly to blame an ancient food for a modern disease. Seriously. Perhaps coconut oil doesn’t reverse or prevent Alzheimer’s Disease–IDK, a lot of research needs to be done on that. However, science has done a lot of work with MCT and the treatment of another brain disorder, Epilepsy. Coconut oil is high in MCT (medium chain triglycerides.) Finally, Lauric acid, which coconut oil has a lot of, breaks down to Monolaurin, which science has shown to have antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity. Mother’s milk is also high in Lauric acid–higher even than coconut oil–and it is one of the things that helps nursing babies resist infection.* I can never remember which is pattern A and which is pattern B, but both exist.think of ‘b’ like small bb’s ;)Thanks, Mark. I will. :)A = awesome. B = bad.Thanks, that’s good, too.Alcohol is also anti viral, anti fungal and the latter, should we begin consuming more alcohol for this reason?Straw man. The question posed isn’t “should we consume lots of coconut oil for health.?” The question posed is “is coconut oil bad for you?” It’s not, and my facts show that. Actually, neither is it unhealthy to consume alcohol in moderation.Consuming alcohol in moderation may have benefits for someone who is unhealthy but for someone who is already healthful then consuming alcohol is only harmful, even in moderation. Also, you have not posted any facts, id like to see some studies.Um, are the people in, say France, unhealthy? Italy? They consume alcohol as part of their traditional diets. Japanese, too. They also have low rates of heart disease despite a fairly high intake of sat fat, at least in France. There are plenty of studies extolling the heart healthy benefits of alchol in moderation, but I don’t really care whether or not you believe that. That’s not what this is about. So I’m not going to waste my time finding them again and linking them.No they are not healthy. They are also dying of heart disease and cancer, our rates in the US are just higher because we eat more processed foods.They have one of the lowest rates of heart disease in the western world. The Mediterranean diet, touted for it’s healthfulness and ability to prevent heart disease, relies heavily on olive oil.This is false, if you looked through the European report which you supposedly looked thorough, France and Italy have one of the highest rates of coronary heart disease in europe.I did look through it and France has the lowest rate of death from heart disease in both men and women of all the European countries studied. Italy wasn’t as low as France, but it was lower than more than half the other countries. I don’t know where you are getting the idea that “France and Italy have one of the highest rates of coronary heart disease in Europe. That is patently false. Ever heard of the French paradox? That’s such common knowledge, it has a name. It’s stumped the lipid hypothesis proponents from the beginning. They eat a high sat fat diet yet have low rates of heart disease. Of course, there are no paradoxes in science, just hypotheses that are incorrect.I finally found the information about saturated fat in the report, my apologies, it was there. It seems as though that those with the most saturated fat intake compared with other European countries also had the highest mortality as well as the highest rates of heart disease compared with the other countries. Therefore, I am not sure what the graph is citing.I’ve since deleted the 110 page download, but you are likely not looking at the same publication I was. The only info I found on sat fat consumption was as % of energy. Even so, unless the people in those countries highest in rate of death from heart disease (who also had the lowest percent of calories as sat fat) were eating an astronomically higher number of total calories than countries like France that had the highest % sat fat intake and the lowest rate of heart disease, there is no way mathematically for what you say to be true. Assuming overall calories to be not that different across countries (and I doubt they were) those who ate the highest highest % of calories as sat fat most likely also ate the most sat fat and, yet, had much lower rates of death from heart disease than countries consuming a lot less.Just to be clear, I only looked at deaths from heart disease, by the way, because it’s generally heart disease that sat fat is always linked to.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpmIBJ_MKas&feature=youtu.beNot sure if my one post went through.There is nothing wrong with coconut oil, it’s not miracle food, but it is food and can be part of a healthy diet.It raises LDLa and HDL, this is a win…My dog even loves it.Just because someone in the medical community, a doctor, doesn’t agree that anything natural works, and heals, and is perhaps better in many ways than traditional medicine, doesn’t mean it isn’t true. I mean what do they even study, in the way of herbal medicine, supplementation, vitamins and minerals, eating healthy, exercising, during their stint in medical school? Oh, that’s right, NOTHING!Never trust a doctor that puts a link to the McGovern report on his site. He obviously doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about if he needs to quote anything a politician says.Plenty of studies showing health benefits of coconut oil. I’d be interested in your take on these studies, Dr. Greger.http://authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/Just because something contains saturated fat, that doesn’t automatically make it harmful. Saturated fats primarily raise Large LDL particles, which are not atherogenic.In this study here, coconut oil raised HDL cholesterol and improved the LDL:HDL ratio, while also reducing waist circumference:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19437058“It appears that dietetic supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity.”Overall, there’s no proof that coconut oil or other saturated fat cause harm.Did you even read the study you posted or did you just copy and paste this from an appealing author?Your study shows this:Forty obese women cut their food intake by 200 calories a day and exercised four days a week. Half of them used two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 240 calories’ worth) every day in their cooking and the other half used soybean oil.After three months, both groups had lost the same amount of weight, about two pounds. To me this is not at all significant, and it could very well be attributed to the loss of calories as well as the exercise, not the oil.http://www.missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Coconuts/oil%20and%20obesity.pdfI have seen this study as well as others which are similar in value promoted as evidence for the use of coconut oil when it is not, this tells us nothing.But according to the study, it does not cause dyslipidemia, so it supports the statement that it isn’t bad for us, at least.People, let alone a doctor, are still afraid of saturated fat? Yikes…Evidence please?http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract?papetocMy comment above addresses the studyHow about all the cultures that eat a high sat fat diet and don’t have a high rate of heart disease? That’s evidence enough for me. It’s not the sat fat. It’s the vegetable and seed oils, combined with sugar and refined starch.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20354806This study shows the saturated fat is not healthful. It pretty much says what I have been saying, in that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat is better. The carbohydrate source compared with saturated fat is non specific, and can related to free sugars and processed grains.“Based on consistent evidence from human studies, replacing SFA with polyunsaturated fat modestly lowers coronary heart disease risk, with ~10% risk reduction for a 5% energy substitution”“Public health emphasis on reducing SFA consumption without considering the replacement nutrient or, more importantly, the many other food-based risk factors for cardiometabolic disease is unlikely to produce substantial intended benefits.”You only read the part you thought would support your stance and ignored the rest, didn’t you? A MODEST reduction in risk is not a significant reduction in risk. And considering most risk percentages are stated in relative risk, I’d say that the ACTUAL risk reduction is miniscule.It’s time to stop demonizing saturated fat and look for other factors… because clearly if it’s only a 10% reduction, then there are other factors involved.I already discussed this earlier, it was never ignored. One of the few reasons the meta-analyses was not portrayed accurately is that when comparing saturated fat with another source, the other source was usually highly processed or contained trans fat. Read the studies I post.http://blog.photocalorie.com/data-driven-dining/saturated-fats/a blog post of an authors opinions is not evidenceYou saw the word “blog” and immediately ignored anything presented there, didn’t you? You demand that I have an open mind reading your links (most of which I have already read)… yet you completely dismiss this out of hand? How utterly open-minded of you.Besides, is this not a “blog”? That is essentially what this page is, and yet you gobble it up as if it were gospel.Of course I did, because blogs are the opinions of someone else regardless of what they are saying. I have no interest in reading the fluff, I want the hard studies.Which were linked to in the article you so thoughtfully ignored in your complete open mindedness.Please read Good Calories, Bad Calories and get back to me. I don’t have time for this frivolity.A book written by an author who can easily misconstrue scientific data is a second hand resource and does not count as evidence. I am not planning on reading any books on this subject. Studies are requiredClearly you haven’t read the book.I have not, I thought I made that clear. I also made it clear I have no interest in reading books regarding nutrition.Well then. That explains why you fear Saturated fat. Carry on.You represent what is currently a major problem, in that people blindly trust author’s of books and articles without self checking the facts from actual studies themselves. I urge you to raise your standard of evidence.You can feel free to refute all of his references if you want, as they are actual studies themselves. I was just trying to make it easier on you.Studies you have actually seen and read or second hand accounts? That’s the problem.You’re making it terribly clear why you still fear Saturated Fat. Careful, yet arbitrary, data selection.Pot calling the kettle black syndrome going on here perhaps?Toxins doesn’t read the books. Toxins reads the primary sources. That is why we <3 Toxins!Like wise, please watch and read the videos and evidence (direct primary sources) presented on this site. Then we can all be spared the frivolity.I could barely get through this article. A whole “article” on coconut oil and no mention on the anti-microbial effects of lauric acid. Not to mention he’s still stuck in the cholesterol count dogma. LDL-C as a risk factor? What is this the stone age?I have carefully studied Gary Taubes’ magnum opus titled “Good calories, Bad calories”. It is a deeply flawed book for the following reasons:1- Taubes’ starts off as an arm chair critic poking holes into nearly every human trial that attempted to link cholesterol and saturated fat intake to heart disease. While he does an effective job in pointing out limitations of these studies, he totally misses the point. These human studies grew out of highly controlled trails performed on rabbits (followed by various other herbivores) that clearly showed the precise mechanism by which cholesterol intake leads to plaque formation. It was even shown that carnivores with suppressed thyroid function develop plaques in the same way as herbivores. The goal of the human studies (which are too expensive to conduct thoroughly) was simply to provide an argument for showing correspondence with the animal studies. Taubes persuades his readers by glossing over all that foundational animal research!2- after shooting down the cholesterol argument, Taubes then persuasively argues that refined carbohydrate intake can lead to insulin resistance. So far so good. But then, he astonishingly (and with almost no good data to support him) speculates that ALL carbohydrates are the cause of the main diseases of affluence. He uses this belief as a launching pad to argue in favour of the Atkins diet. Taubes’ like Pollan is a writer and not a scientist. The basic problem with Taubes is that he doesn’t apply the same standard of criticism to his own point of view as he does to the mainstream perspective on nutrition. He is guilty of oversimplying a complex subject and of using sophistry to persuade others to buy his books.BPCVeg, you are back! :)Thanks, WholeFoodChomper! I’m glad to see you actively engaged in debate on NutritionFacts.One of the highlights of my day! I love this community! So good to see you commenting and contributing again.I agree with your points. He completely oversimplifies insulin and carbohydrates in general. My point was only to show that saturated fat intake in HUMANS is not bad. Which you admit he has successfully done, unless you mean something else by, “While he does an effective job in pointing out limitations of these studies…”Though other animals may generally be good test subjects for finding out human data, it didn’t work in this case, which is illustrated by the failure of the human data.Again, we’re only talking Saturated Fat here, I’m not backing the insulin hypothesis.True- you read me correctly that I am skeptical about claims that saturated fat is harmful to humans. I am actually undecided on the subject and feel that we need to understand the mechanisms better in humans before taking sides. Just to be clear on my overall position, I am still a supporter of a whole-foods plant-based diet for three main reasons: 1- nutrient density is far higher in plant than animal foods; 2- toxin density is far lower in plant than animal foods; 3- all required nutrients can be obtained from plants (with the exceptions of vit. B12 and D that can be safely obtained through supplementation).That is a much more realistic position, however I have never heard of #2 being the case. What toxins are you referring to?As for #1, I would have to disagree in a sense for two reasons. 1)Organ meats are higher in nutrient density than plants unless you count dried herbs and spices. With muscle meats, I would agree. 2)The bioavailability of animal nutrients is much higher than in plants, especially plants consumed raw. So while there may be more nutrient matter in the plants, less of it is being used by your body.By toxins, I am referring to industrial toxins (e.g. PCBs) that bio-accumulate in organisms that are higher up on the food chain. As for nutrient density, we should move beyond considering only nutrients listed on food packages and look at the vast array of antioxidants that are health-promoting. These antioxidants are on average 50-100 times more concentrated in plant products than animal products. Bioavailability seems to depend on multiple factors, though in some cases (e.g. iron) you may be correct. My argument #1 assumes that it is better to get too many nutrients than too few…this is based mostly on the fact that the normally functioning human body likely flushes out excesses better than it deals with deficits.I’m thinking animals raised on pastures in a manner consistent with their evolutionary origins will have less toxic build up and more nutrients. But that’s just me.Anything is possible, but I don’t see why that would be the case. You may wish to review the principle of biomagnification: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BiomagnificationBiomagnification can’t magnify something that’s not there. Cattle that spend their lives roving protected grasslands are not likely to accumulate toxins as there is no reason for toxins to be there. PCBs are found in fish and sea food–mostly farmed ones, no? Just saying…You make a pretty interesting argument! Certainly it is a possibility that cattle eating off of protected organic grasslands might have lower toxin concentration that ordinary cattle, though I haven’t seen any numbers to support it. Dr. Greger has presented data comparing PCBs in different types of meat with plant products: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/ I guess your argument hinges on the diet of the cattle being free of contamination. If the protected grassland was a truly isolated system, then that would probably be the case, but in practice we know that no biological system on earth is perfectly isolated (even rain transmits pollution to plants).The leading source of dioxins in the environment is the burning of plastics. Burning in back yard barrels is the leading source. So without testing the products directly you don’t know what you consuming. It is true that dioxins are slowly decreasing in our environment but flame retardants are increasing. Of course even without man made chemicals in meat meat contains many harmful ingredients. Other considerations are the environmental impacts of raising and bringing meat products to market plus the risk of food borne illnesses. For me it gets down to risk reward. An article in our local Coop pointed to a website that showed which fish had low mercury. I certainly would rather eat low mercury fish then fish with higher mercury but those aren’t my only choices. I know that mercury is cleared by my body but why expose it to a neurotoxin when it can be avoided. Likewise I could also recommend that pregnant women restrict their weekly tuna intake as recommended but why eat any tuna at all when you are pregnant. I appreciated VegatHeart’s comments but would mention that Vitamin D is best derived from sun light and not supplementation. Isolated nutrients especially fat soluble ones have been demonstrated to be correlated to increased morbidity/mortality ( see videos on Vit E/Vitamins).regarding mercury, the current data shows that the fish highest in mercury are also highest in selenium, which binds mercury and prevents it from being assimilated by the body. previous studies didn’t look at the mercury levels of fish eaters, only the levels found in the fish itself. turns out that we dont absorb the mercury we eat with fish.Regarding the environmental impacts of raising and bringing meat products to the market, how detrimental it is depends very much on how the animals are raised. I am no proponent of industrial farming that wastes fossil fuels, fills the animal with antibiotics and other toxins, and causes intense cruelty to the animals, including feeding them with food they are not evolutionarily designed to eat. However, if you google Joel Salatin, Allan Savary, and Africa Holistic Project or AfricaHolistic Center, you will learn that there are ways to raise animals for food that has a positive impact on the environment–and on the food supply.the mere fact that we must consume so much plant food as vegans is evidence that they are not more nutrient dense than animal foods. they dont even come close. if youre trying to lose weight, we vegans are the first to point out that the extra bulk of a pb diet will make you feel fuller, but bulk isnt nutritious, thats why its called bulk.Weight change is not a valid indicator of total nutrient density consumed since it only reflects macromolecules that contribute calories to the diet (i.e. energy coming from carbohydrates, fat, protein and alcohol). Total nutrient density refers to all compounds that are beneficial to health including vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.nutrient density is determined by looking at the ratios of essential nutrients to the energy contained in a food. you can see the breakdown done by Harvard PhD’s Matt Lalonde using the USDA’s nutrient content information. meat is more nutrient dense.In terms of phytonutrients which meat has none of, it does not hold a finger in comparison with plant foods. That is why fortified breakfast cereal containing all of the vitamins and minerals is still not a health food, yet it can be considered nutrient dense.nobody considers breakfast cereal nutrient dense.animals foods do contain phytonutrients. in 2008 a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry analyzed 115 animal foods and every single one contained phytonutrients. that makes sense when you consider that the animals are eating plants. tho that isnt really the point.we call certain nutrients ‘essential’ because we need them. there is no established requirement for the group of nutrients you are referencing. i believe that many are quite good for us, and many are toxic or at the very least, anti-nutritious. but you cant insist on rigorous science and then use something so nebulous as your yard stick. animal foods are the most essentially nutrient-dense food source whether we like it or not.This argument is weak, as we both know that the animals get these antioxidants from the plants they eat.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/No we have no dietary requirement for antioxidants but does that not mean they are essential for longevity? I would disagree that they are not. Phytonutrients have many known roles in preventing chronic disease. You can read about many of the functional roles that antioxidants and phytonutrients play in one of your favorite foods, whole grains.http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251Are we talking about phytonutrients or anti oxidants? many animal foods have excellent anti-oxidants components all on their own.where the nutrients originate is moot. plants get their water and minerals from the earth. but plant foods are praised for both so we are able to see that there is value in the middle man.animals foods contain phytonutrients too. but like i said, that isnt the point. a few weeks ago you chucked an argument over animal based omega 3 saying,‘The National Academy of Sciences does not recognize EPA and DHA as essential.’now either essential matters or it doesnt, dude. i cant be the only vegan in this community that is able to see how your definition of valid seems to change depending on the point you are trying to prove.im not interested in a hypothesis opinion piece on grains from a publication without peer-review. the author is a french agro-food industry engineer [http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anthony_Fardet2/] and he has significant financial interests in selling grain. its stinks that you dont produce any peer reviewed whole food data. every bit of junky or irrelevant science gives fresh intelligent eyes another opportunity to see the wfpb as a bunch of voodoo.you keep getting patted on the back by your fans, but i think you make us look bad. there is a lot to love about pb diets, if we’d stop making sh*t up about them people might actually trust us.Your misunderstanding several of the points.1. Animal foods contain significantly less antioxidants then when compared with nearly every other plant food. Even grass fed beef is oxidative in part to its heme iron content so I don’t know why you are arguing this point.2. The national Academy of science recognizes that one can get adequate DHA and EPA through ALA alone. There were no changes in what I said.3. It would be best if you actually READ the study instead of finding ways to needlessly poke holes in every argument you come across. I know of no study showing the ill effects of whole grains.And I know of no study that shows that whole grains have any benefit over other, more nutrient dense plant foods or animal foods, for that matter. All the studies that show benefits of whole grains compare them to refined grains. That’s like comparing filtered cigarettes to unfiltered cigarettes and concluding filtered cigarettes are good for us.you are correct. every single study done that shows a benefit to eating whole grains, looks at replacing processed grain with it and not at how it compares to a grain-free diet.I agree, Margaret… and I’m also fond of the filtered cigarette analogy.there are no misunderstandings.1. you wrote that animal foods dont contain phytonutrients. they do. im not arguing for eating animal foods just pointing out the false statement and keeping it honest.2. im not disputing what the NAS wrote at all. im pointing out that you dismissed DHA and EPA as non-essential but insist that plant foods are more nutrient dense even tho those specific nutrients are also non-essential. is that only important when it boosts your argument dude?3. ive read all of the studies. but youll have to be more specific if there is one in particular youre referring to.your claims dont hold water as it is, dude, so there is no need to poke holes. i dont know what whole grains have to do with this thread, but id prefer to stay on topic. if i missed how grains tie in i trust youll clear it up.“nobody considers breakfast cereal nutrient dense.”I wish that were really true. I have been in so many forums where someone was talking about the nutritious bowl of steel cut oats or bran cereal they had for breakfast, but the only nutrient they can claim to be rich in is manganese; which can be found in richer concentrations in other far more nutritionally-dense foods (like pecans for example).We have all fallen prey to the light cigarette argument at one time or another I think.Regarding nutrient density, I think the answer that one arrives at depends on what exactly one includes in the calculation. I am following Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Aggregate Nutrient Density Index. For an unofficial description see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregate_Nutrient_Density_Indexim quite familiar with the ANDI rating system and tho i think there are a number of important phytonutrients, his scoring excludes the following extremely important and essential nutrients-preformed vitamin A vitamin D vitamin B5 & 12 vitamin K1 & 2 biotin taurine iodide sodium chloride potassium sulfur phosforus copper manganese boron molybdenum chromiumall essential fatty acids all essential amino acidsthese are fuhrmans only criteria- pigments including carotenes, glucosinolates, fiber and something known as ORAC… times 2.ask a biologist or a chemist why these compounds are important and they’ll tell you that there is no evidence that they are and that current science has no evidence of their role in any working mechanisms.lalondes analysis is based on the essential nutrients found in foods as measured and reported by the USDA.which of the above two analyses is scientifically sound, dude?Different metrics will lead to different interpretations. Instead of all of your needless obfuscation, you could have simply asked which metric I was referring to.my mistake mr. vegatheart, and my apologies. yesterday you wrote, ‘Science is not full of it. It is the most objective system we have for testing models.’ so i was under the impression that what science has determined is essential was the metric you were referring to. please forgive the misunderstanding and the needless obfuscation.That’s the spirit! Apology accepted! :)http://audioroundtable.com/images/Big_Wink.jpg-I started watching Lalonde’s presentation (btw: neither a research faculty at Harvard nor does he have a PhD on nutrition; he is, in fact, a chemist) and I made it to 14:22 of the video before losing interest. His line or argument is as follows:1. Several metrics (including ANDI, NRF9 and NUVAL) to describe nutrient density have been devised by plant-based advocates (who unlike him can be dismissed as biased) because they leave out various important nutrients from their calculation.2. Therefore, Lalonde will do his own calculation and only leave out only the following unimportant nutrients from the USDA excel spreadsheet [see 14:22 of movie]:sodium, fibre, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, cholesterol, fatty acids, lipid total, water, protein, ash, carbohydrates and sugar.My reaction: Different metrics for nutrient density have been devised. Depending on what nutrients are included and what plant versus animal products are compared in final analysis, one will obviously arrive at a different final answer. I highly doubt that this video disproves my statement that “nutrient density is far higher in plant than animal foods”. All Lalonde has argued is that there are limitations in metrics like ANDI, NRF9 and NUVAL. Ironically, Lalonde’s own metric has essentially the same type of limitation.mr. vegatheart,‘btw: neither a research faculty at Harvard nor does he have a PhD on nutrition; he is, in fact, a chemist’you seem to be challenging the dudes qualifications which is valid enuf i guess. he is on staff at Harvard where he both trains and teaches. both of his degrees including his Phd in organic chemistry come from harvard which makes him a ‘Harvard Phd’. Organic chemistry overlaps both medicinal chemistry and biochemistry. tho even if it didnt, as an organic and inorganic chemist he is certainly qualified to graph the nutrient content of specific foods. [the content was determined by scientists at the USDA.] dr. greger doesnt have a degree in nutrition or a degree from harvard. [mcdougall, campbell and fuhrman arent harvard graduates either] and you havent called them out for it. it isnt clear to me what offends you.lalonde states that he used essential nutrients for the analysis. the analysis is titled “Sticking to the Essentials”. essentials are the nutrients that -science- has determined are necessary for life and that we cant make ourselves. we could debate the reasons why lalonde left out -un-essentials like fiber and lycopene but since theyre -un-essential, its sorta moot. the real head-scratcher is, why do the other ‘metrics’ leave out the essentials?im proof, mr vegatheart, that you can love wfpb without believing its perfect or magical. i swear the universe wont implode if you admit that animal foods are superior in some areas. that doesnt mean you have to eat them, you can just let them be loved while they nourish someone elses, while you enjoy the diet you love. so true that vegatheart, there are different metrics being used here. the scientifically accepted, standard metric that includes the essential nutrients, and the rest. where the scientifically accepted, standard metric is concerned, animal foods are more nutrient dense than plant foods. i dont know what the foods are that are densest in -un-essential nutrients [and im really trying to understand why that should be important to me] but since i dont know and cant challenge it, ill give it to you.he has a newer, more detailed and comprehensive analysis publishing soon. mayhaps we will revisit the subject then..1. There’s a good reason to gloss over studies done on animals that either don’t normally eat any cholesterol as part of their diets or b) have a pathology that normal humans don’t. I don’t see the problem there. And if you look at the rabbit studies closely, you realize that a) they used hydrogenated coconut oil, so that doesn’t correlate to a use of coconut oil in its natural state and b) even though the rabbits developed plaques, they didn’t have heart attacks. 2. Like many of his detractors, you missed the part in GCBC where a) he clearly said he was proposing a hypothesis and suggested it be studied and provided tons of evidence to support it and b) no, he didn’t indict all carbohydrates, only sugar and refined flour.If you haven’t done so already, I highly recommend that you read “The Cholesterol Wars : The Skeptics versus the Preponderance of Evidence” by Daniel Steinberg.#1: In Chapter 2 of this book, Steinberg provides Table 2.1 listing species (and references to studies) for which atherosclerosis has been experimentally induced through dietary experimentations including: Baboon, Cat, Chicken, Chimpanzee, Dog, Goat, Guinea pig, Hamster, Monkey, Mouse, Parrot, Pig, Pigeon, Rabbit and Rat. Of course, the relevance of any one study to humans is debatable, but this is a consistent finding.#2: I didn’t miss the part where Taubes said he was proposing a hypothesis. I just followed the rest of his book where he argues as his points with the absence of doubt. The main problem is that he doesn’t apply the same standard of criticism to the studies that he cites as he does to those that scientists doing cholesterol research cite. This point was articulated clearly by Dean Ornish in his debate with Taubes:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCgTlC8PE0QAnd studies in humans, like the famous Framingham study, have found, if anything, a negative association between cholesterol intake (and sat fat intake) and atherosclerosis. Associations need to be consistent and strong before one can even begin to conclude any kind of causative relationship. They are neither, when it comes to cholesterol (and sat fat) intake and atherosclerosis. And atherosclerosis is a common and normal consequence of aging, no matter what the diet. Whether it leads to a heart attack or not is an entirely different matter, dependent on many things, a key one of which seems to be chronic inflammation–and the size and number of LDL particles. Both the size and number of LDL particles have an inverse relationship to the amount of sat fat in the diet and a direct relationship to the level of triglycerides, which in turn have a direct relationship to the amount of sugar and starch in one’s diet. And, since saturated fatsand cholesterol are anti-inflammatory, why is it I should believe they cause heart attacks again? It defies logic.It does not defy logic. It is the consensus opinion of millions of scientific experts and medical practitioners who, in many cases, have spent their entire careers immersed in this subject that intake of cholesterol and saturated fat are two of the major culprits in the progression of atherosclerosis. Just because YOU don’t understand their arguments, does NOT mean that it defies logic.most of those whove spent their entire carreers immersed in the subject also have a significant financial investment in their original conclusions. people are fallible and even the best scientists get caught up in making the results say what they want them to say.forget about consensus and look at the data, and stop assuming that just because someone comes to a different conclusion than you do that they dont understand.even amongst the experts there is little agreement. compare fallon to cordain- both embrace pastured animal food but are at complete odds over the remainder of the diet. or campbell, mcdougall and cousens. all vegan and all with very different ideas about what makes a person healthy. high carb, low fat- low carb, high fat. all raw, part raw, all cooked, etc.where is the evidence that a whole food diet that is high in saturated fat and cholesterol causes disease? if there is as much of it as the ‘general consensus’ here claims there is, why cant anyone produce any of it?I haven’t assumed that just because she came to a different conclusion than me that she doesn’t understand. You have made a strawman argument out of my discussion with her.I am simply challenging her notion that just because she pounds out a series of arguments that run counter to mainstream opinion, that the mainstream opinion “defies logic”. Healthy skepticism includes questioning authority. But it is an act of hubris to say that just because one doesn’t understand something that “it defies logic”!!dude, i think you just accused me of a strawman while building one of your own. it defies logic because the claims being made aren’t backed by the data. it isnt the claims she doesnt understand, its the ‘act of hubris’ it takes to claim a study shows something it doesnt. that it what defies logic.You and I are clearly not on the same wavelength at all. I also find it rude that you address me as “dude” on a regular basis.i dont mean for ‘dude’ to be insulting, its the ‘Universal Prounoun’. but since you asked so nicely, im cool with not using it. before you get set off on a series of insults in the future tho just try telling people something bothers you rather than expecting them to read your mind. i wont apologize for jumping into the debate tho. ive read in this very forum that this is what the point of a public forum is.we are definitely not on the same page. but thats ok, we dont need to be. i like that there are other arguments presented here that offer evidence more solid than ‘the general consensus’. as i said, scientists are just people and they are swayed by many things including ideals, money and ego. im sure this doesnt apply to you, but to everyone else it definitely does.I have no problem with you having a different point of view then us, but I really think that you should consider changing your alias. To advertise the fact that you are vegan…oh, NOT just ANY vegan, but the “REAL” vegan and then to spend countless hours promoting meat eating on a website devoted to plant-based diets makes you sound like a BIG Loser.‘you’ and ‘us’? mr. vegatheart, there is no you and us, there is only we and you seen hell bent on polarizing everyone. I am BIG, no doubt. [i work hard to be] but I can still tell the diff between honesty and promotion. if you think calling out a myth or a lie is the same as promoting its opposite, theres the root of your confusion. ill take being a loser over being a liar in a heartbeat.my user id seems to be a real bug up your butt so maybe this will help. It isnt “real” world vegan, mr. vegatheart, its “real world” vegan. id love for you to join me in the real world where its ok to be honest about the pros and cons of our choices and where veganism is just one good choice among many. carrying on about my id makes you sound like a small whining child.I believe that you are misleading people by labeling yourself as vegan while attacking veganism in the most shrill manner possible. Your behaviour on this forum has been contemptible.‘I believe that you are misleading people by labeling yourself as vegan while attacking veganism in the most shrill manner possible. Your behaviour on this forum has been contemptible.’ mr. vegatheartlike i said before, posting abusive comments and then deleting them is lame and far more worthy of our contempt than an inconvenient insistence on truth.FFS get over your infatuation mr. vegatheart. i love veganism but it isnt divine. for the peeps its ideal for, it doesnt need the lies. its you who does it a disservice by believing it needs embellishment for people to investigate it. if the vegan side of the dialogue here was actually honest there wouldnt be so many errors to counter.it is the lies that make veganism look bad. so if youre as concerned about dr. gregers message as you claim to be, ask your board mates to quit making sh*t up and no one will have the opp to point out that it was a lie.Hahaha…okay, I will work on getting over my infatuation and maybe (in a cooler state of mind) you can consider my request that you change your alias. Thank you. :)Okay, thanks for making it clear that you are not against veganism. I am pleased to hear that you are not trying to persuade people to eat animal products.I understand mainstream opinion very well, actually. There was a time when I agreed with it. However, it actually does defy logic because it blames substances that we as humans have been eating for most of our existence for some relatively recent health issues. It also does not explain (except with terms like “paradox” of which there are none in science) how cultures that consume a large portion of their diet as sat fat and cholesterol consistently have low rates of heart disease, while there are cultures that consume very little sat fat and cholesterol that have high rates. So logic demands that I be skeptical of mainstream opinion. Call it an act of hubris all you want, but don’t assume that I don’t understand something just because I call it into question using logic.sunshine and food are two of the major culprits in skin cancer. we should stop eating and going outside. or not?they aren’t culprits, theyre factors. if we dont get in a car we wont be in a car accident, but we wont get anywhere quickly either. the bodys inflammatory response is the primary ‘culprit’ but the answer isnt something that suppresses the response, its something that eliminates the inflammation.saturated fat and cholesterol do not cause inflammation. cholesterol rises when the body is inflamed. it is supposed to.Science is not decided by consensus opinion. It’s decided by evidence. Just because millions of scientific experts and medical practitioners have somehow, despite the lack of evidence, convinced themselves that cholesterol and sat fat are two of the major culprits in the progression of atherosclerosis (which doesn’t necessarily mean death by heart attack, by the way) doesn’t make it true. A lot of that “expert opinion” is based on faulty studies which lump trans fats in with sat fats, incorrectly define things like biscuits and donuts that contain other things besides sat fat in them–and more of those things–and further muddy the waters, drawing conclusions re causation from weak correlations, and much more. They are a minority, but there are scientific experts and medical professionals who are beginning to reveal the holes in the “evidence” that your millions have based their careers and opinions on, some of them cardiologists like Dr. Sylvan Weinberg, once president of The American College of Cardiology. While your assumption that I don’t understand their arguments (your millions) may or may not be true, I think it’s safe to say he does. And he, like I, disagrees.I am a scientist myself with a PhD in biophysics and with several publications over the last few years. I think science today is a lot more sensible than you and he make it sound.With all due respect, if it were, there would not be so many experts continuing to claim that sat fat and cholesterol in the diet cause heart disease and heart attacks. “Just because science doesn’t say what you want it to say, doesn’t mean it’s not true.” Exactly my point. I have no desire for science to say any particular thing. Science is what it is and says what it says. It does not say that cholesterol or sat fat in the diet cause heart disease. It does say that humans have been eating both since long before heart disease became the problem that it is now and has been for the last few decades–while consumption of sat fat and cholesterol consumption has been declining. Sorry, but it’s not about what either you, with your many qualifications and peer reviewed publications, or I with my M.S. in Biochemistry and no publications, wants. It’s about what the evidence says–or doesn’t say.Veg, your efforts are admirable, but there is really no point in debating this group of people. Any contrary evidence will simply be ignored by them. It is best to save yourself of the frustration and be content with the fact that any neutral party that would see this debate would find your points more sound and solid.Thanks, I really appreciate your positive feedback. The main worry that I have is that Dr. Greger’s very important health messages may be getting diluted by all the rhetoric in this discussion.Indeed, but there will always be people who vehemently disagree with his recommendations, and it is up to us to share what science we can without getting caught up in circular arguments or with people who have no interest in listening.I enjoy these discussions as well because I learn more for myself. especially when people can listen and share. But when they get rude and have only the intention of butting heads, as we have seen with paleo huntress and real world vegan, it becomes pointless to continue debating.The one discussion we had regarding iron toxicity and you sharing sound evidence of how improbable it would be was quite intriguing to me as I had open ears. On the other hand, this discussion is filed with people who do not want to listen, they just try to argue every small point that is made without providing evidence for the main discussion at hand.Yes, I agree with you that there is far more value in having quality discussions rather than just butting heads. I think I am going to retire from arguing about cholesterol. I will let my detractors have the last word.By the way, as a serious rock climbing athlete who obviously has very high energy expenditure, you probably have come up with some creative ideas on how to meet your energy needs while eating healthy plant-based foods. I guess you must always keep trail mix, energy bars and smoothies close at hand? I am fairly active myself and would be very interested in getting some suggestions on good snack or small-meal ideas.Ah yes, I did have to craft how best to do this. I I have taken many multi day trips since going whole foods plant based and I believe I have devised the perfect diet for maximum performance. When I first changed my diet, I had little understanding of how best to maximize my energy while on trips. A trip I took 2 years ago I went to Rifle, Colorado and it was my first multi day trip being “vegan”. I pretty much ate nuts all day and bars with trail mix for breakfast and dinner. That was a big mistake I learned, I was terribly weak. I was falling all over the place on routes I should be able to get through more easily. I had little strength and endurance. I returned 2 months later with a completely new dietary plan for the trip. I had oatmeal for breakfast with raisins in it, my day food was pretty much fruits and a denser carbohydrate source for more caloric and nutrient density. I ate these bags of groats from the company Go Raw. http://www.goraw.com/p/70/live-granolaThey are very sweet and rich in nutrients. If I were to eat an entire bag it would provide 2,000 calories so the bag usually lasted me 3 days. For dinner I would get uncle bens boil in bag brown rice and I would rehydrate green peas in boiling water.It was incredible how much energy and strength I retained during that trip and how much endurance I had on routes compared with 2 months earlier, as Rifle Mountain Park is over 7,000 feet above elevation which should hurt my endurance. So yes, fruits and those groats are my day food.In terms of day to day training in gyms for a few hours, I will usually do raisins. If I am spending a single day climbing outdoors at my nearest crag, I do fruits, and I get the “orchard harvest” bread from my local whole foods bakery which has lots of dried fruit in it and is 100% whole wheat.Thanks for sharing…these sound like great ideas.No one has gotten rude. Clearly, your definition of rude is disagreement with you. I have seen no one attacking anything but the evidence you’ve presented. If that is being rude, then you clearly have no interest in any viewpoint but your own. So be it.There are discussions outside of this page that paleo huntress has given him/herself a bad reputation.Here’s how anonymous vegan apostasy is known to blog: http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2013/05/toxic.htmlI see paleo huntress down in there. Such venom in that person’s post. How can one NOT dislike that kind of attitude. Similarly to this website, when asked to provide studies, the proposal is avoided and he/she continues to attack. I have YET to see any real evidence from actual studies proving any of these paleo folk’s claims. Its philosophy more then anything.She – respecting her blogger id gender choice – did say she was an obese former vegan. An apostate may have a lot of vitriol for her former belief system, much like a religious convert has a lot of animosity toward her former faith lest her new congregation doubt her sincerity. (Consider Ahmadinedjad had jewish parents.) And there is a lot of cognitive dissonance to patch up with anger over having been previously ‘duped’. I would also suspect even some dishonesty in relaying after the fact compliance with a whole food or other aspects of her vegan phase. So there is no reasoning it out with a vegan apostate.mr lundeen,paleo huntress’ last comment in this forum was almost 3 weeks ago and you have the stones to start bashing her again? you even go out to find something else to bash for and then take it a step further and amateur head-shrink her and accuse her of lying? you guys are pettier than i thought. i just put your id into google, and considering what comes up, you and jeffy are living in one giant a** glass house.the two of you are two of the reasons most people find vegans so intolerable.Excellent point!those in favor of coconut oil have presented some great information. the claim being made by dr. greger et al is that coconut oil and saturated fats in general are unhealthy. he has failed to show that. those who believe it is NOT unhealthy have been pretty successful in providing evidence of that.give people honest information and let them make up their own minds. use data that looks at whole food instead of fractions of it and from studies done with integrity. the only reason one would have to be afraid is if they thought their position was too weak to hold up to scrutiny.I disagree, I have not seen a shred of evidence yet. If there is some I am waiting for it to be presented.thats ok. imo, [and maybe a few others] you suffer from selective blindness, but i think thats to be expected. you obviously love your diet and loving something makes it tough to see it honestly. im cool with you not seeing it as long as it is here where others can see it.??????? Your point?I’m not even a low carber, but I thought Gary Taubes was the only person who made any sense in this discussion and was actually able to speak calmly.Oh, I see this is a video. That didn’t show clearly. I’ll be listening to that, but I’ve heard him speak many times and he makes eminent sense.I am shocked how many people commenting here deny the evidence against high saturated fat diets. A brain wash has taken place.what evidence?you mean this evidence?http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract?papetocThis is one carefully picked meta analyses. From the National Academy of Science: http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422When the anti sat fat people can explain to me why a food that the human species has been eating for most of its existence and which is the primary form in which animals, including humans, store excess energy within themselves, is suddenly responsible for a disease that has only been epidemic for the last 50 years or so, perhaps I’ll listen. Until then, I’m more inclined to blame the relatively recent entry into the diet of highly reactive PUFA in vegetable and seed oils. And they also need to explain how it is that cultures that traditionally eat a high sat fat diet don’t have high rates of heart disease–like the French. And they are only one of many examples. Open your eyes, @toxins. The true toxins are vegetable and seed oilsSome comments: Humans have never lived as long as they have in the 21st century so comparing the health of a paleolithic human who lived till the age of 30 is not something to idolize.Lets look at your study closer and go down this road.One major problem with this study is they did not look at any studies where the saturated fat intake was less than 7%, which is the level recommended by the American Heart Association. Most of the diets had saturated fat intakes in the range of 10-15% (or more).So, just like the studies that criticize “low fat” diets, but never analyze any diet that is truly low fat and based on the principles of low fat, high fiber, whole plant foods, this study criticizes the impact of lowering saturated fat, but never looked at any diet that truly lowered saturated fat to the level recommended.Another problem with the study is what the subjects replaced the saturated fat with when comparing the 2. For many, if not most, it was with either (or products containing) hydrogenated/trans fat, while flour, white sugar and/or mono fats.People who replaced saturated fat in their diet with polyunsaturated fat (omega 3/6) reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by 19 percent, compared with control groups of people who do not.http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000252Side Note: Be cautious as replacing saturated fat with the polyunsaturated fat is not what is being advised. We should strive to not add any fat in the form of oil to our diet. The point was just to show that indeed saturated fat is worse than polyunsaturated fat. Eating high omega 6 foods though is not healthful, and we should really be eating more omega 3 “Advice to substitute polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats is a key component of worldwide dietary guidelines for coronary heart disease risk reduction. However, clinical benefits of the most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid, omega 6 linoleic acid, have not been established. In this cohort, substituting dietary linoleic acid in place of saturated fats increased the rates of death from all causes, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease. An updated meta-analysis of linoleic acid intervention trials showed no evidence of cardiovascular benefit. These findings could have important implications for worldwide dietary advice to substitute omega 6 linoleic acid, or polyunsaturated fats in general, for saturated fats.”http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8707Lastly, studies on all-cause mortality trumps findings for subsets such as CHD and CVD. Most all-cause studies demonstrate a direct relation between saturated fat intake and all-cause mortality and the lower the better.Here is a list of studies showing just this.“the results of this study support earlier observations that dietary intakes low in SF or high in FV [fruits and vegetables] each offer protection against CHD mortality. In addition, however, our data suggest that the combination of both high FV with relatively low SF intake offers greater protection against both total and CHD mortality than either practice alone.”http://jn.nutrition.org/content/135/3/556.long“The major finding of the present study is that the average population intake of saturated fat and vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers are major determinants of all-cause mortality rates. Saturated fat and smoking are detrimental, but vitamin C seems to be protective in relation to the health of populations…The potential effect of changes in saturated fat, vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers can be illustrated as follows. A change in saturated fat of 5% of energy is associated with a 4.7% change in age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate (Table 3).”http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/2/260.long“A high RRR pattern score, which was associated with high intake of fat and protein and low intake of carbohydrates, increased the risk of death. Subjects with a pattern score belonging to the highest quintile obtained on average 37·2 % of their energy from fat and 37·6 % from carbohydrates and thus did not meet current dietary recommendations (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2002). Food groups that contributed to this unfavourable pattern of energy sources were red meat, poultry, processed meat, butter, sauces and eggs, whereas a high intake of bread and fruits decreased the pattern score.”http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FBJN%2FBJN93_05%2FS000711450500111Xa.pdf&code=6fbdbd311fb43ee23a840b894cced959From the National Academy of Science:“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions; they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither an AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids. There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acid intake increases CHD risk”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422Ahh… the old “30 year lifespan” myth again. The reason the AVERAGE lifespan of paleolithic humans was low is because of high infant / juvenile mortality. There is no way we’d be where we are today if most of our ancestors died around age 30 or younger.Indeed, we can add 20 more years to that. Life expectancy was in the mid 50’s after the age of 15.http://www.unm.edu/~jlancas/KaplanHillLancasterHurtado_2000_LHEvolution.pdfStill quite undesirable honestly. It is clear we are living much longer then this today.Because of our ability to better deal with infectious disease… not because we cut our saturated fat intake.In fact, saturated fat consumption was steadily going down after the McGovern report… but the rates of heart disease kept going up. Perhaps saturated fat isn’t the demon you’re making it out to be?We are dying from chronic illness not infectious diseases right now, and saturated fat is a part of picture.Yes, clearly. We’ve been cutting saturated fat consumption, and chronic illness has been increasing, not decreasing. Logic alone dictates that all the studies you link to are obviously flawed and not worth the paper on which they’re written.YOU are the one that is entrenched. Just because I don’t agree with you doesn’t make me less open minded. I have heard it all before. I cut my fat consumption in the mistaken belief it would improved my health. No more… and my health has improved… and not just my health, but the health of many that have embraced saturated fat as part of a natural, healthy diet.we really arent dying from chronic disease, modern medicine is keeping people very much alive, just as its keeping us from developing infectious disease. saturated fat intake is down significantly from the the first part of the last century. your arguments do not follow.This is awesome. You are awesome, @Real World Vegan.The top 10 causes of death in the united states do not agree with your assertions. Saturated fat is a contributing factor, not a primary cause of chronic disease. Processed foods, too much meats, poor omega 3:6 ratios, too much trans fat and too much saturated fat all contribute to chronic disease as well as being sedative.where is the evidence? you didnt offer a source for that claim.http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htmhttp://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422its like a sickness with you dude. the first link doesnt even mention saturated fat and the second is an opinion piece [that doesnt cite its sources either] which i already covered when you cited it in your SF rubber stamp.The conversation we are having is clearly losing value and it is obvious you do not have a clear understanding of the subject at hand and have no interest in hearing or looking into any argument against yours. This is a good stopping point, I will allow neutral visitors to decide which argument they feel is more persuasive and is based on more sound science.i was poking around mcdougalls site just now and i came across a comment from someone i thought was you.http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=15506he wrote-‘In addition, one major problem with this study is they did not look at any studies where the saturated fat intake was less than 7%, which is the level recommended by the AHA, let alone less than 5%, which is the level I recommend and the level one would achieve if following these recommendations. Most of the diets had saturated fat intakes in the range of 10-15% (or more).So, just like the studies that criticize “low fat” diets, but never analyze any diet that is truly low fat and based on the principles recommended here (very low fat, high fiber, whole plant foods), this study criticizes the impact of lowering saturated fat, but never looked at any diet that truly lowered saturated fat to the level recommended here and through the methods recommended here (very low fat, high fiber, whole plant foods).looks like your comment above right dude? so i came back here to check it and turns out that word for word, what you posted here [at the top] was authored by dr. jeff novick, not you. [unless youre jeff novick and youre quoting yourself as an expert here, and that would be creepy]. the writing styles dont match anyway so i doubt it, but you are taking credit for what he has written.you said that you write this stuff up and store it privately so you dont have to rewrite it, but it isnt even yours to begin with. huntress was right about you and it makes much more sense now that youve been trying to discredit her, shes the only one who noticed.wow dude. that is just really ugly.I have quoted Jeff Novick before, as I start several of my posts “as shared by Jeff Novick”. I apologize you are offended that in this instance I did not state the source. Regardless of this, the facts have not changed and the message is the same.the first time it was pointed out im sure it was an oversight on your part, no big. and the 2nd time was prolly a fluke too. the part of your post written -after- the 2nd link tho, the part that was edited and embellished by you, ‘Lastly, studies on all-cause mortality trumps findings for subsets such as CHD and CVD., and also a direct quote from Novick [all the other c&ps have quotes except these 2] could easily be misconstrued as a pattern. so im glad you cleared that up dude.you should be more careful, we lose credibility when we lie, even if the lie is a mistake.I agree, and again, I will be more careful to state sources when cited.Margaret, it’s astounding how someone can completely ignore logic in the face of “scientific” evidence. If a scientist told you it was raining and produced a study to prove it while he was pissing on your leg, would you believe him?If saturated fat is bad for you, then please explain one thing:If saturated fat is harmful, why does the body store excess energy in the form of saturated fat, rather than any other form that you consider “healthy”?Please, don’t just post links to more studies telling us the evils of saturated fat. I want you to state in your own words why something that is completely natural and used as a fuel source by our bodies is suddenly considered harmful.Our body stores fat in the form of triglycerides. Triglycerides can be formed from fat, protein or carbohydrates. Our body produces its own saturated fat for physiological and structural needs, consuming excess, as shown in the studies above, is not healthful. You can read all about the functions of the fats for free here.http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422Yes, and those triglycerides are composed of mono-unsaturated and saturated fats. So anyone on a diet and losing weight is dumping sat fat into their blood stream. I never heard that going on a diet and losing weight is bad for the heart–have you?Yes I have. those on ketogenic diets tend to lose water weight at first. Also, once that person does does begin to lose weight (from reduced calories and nothing more), it does not identify them as healthy. You can be slim and still get heart disease, cancer and other of the killers. You are ill informed on this subject and have not viewed any scientific data to back up your claims.A. I didn’t specify that the people losing weight were doing so on a ketogenic diet. That is only one of many ways to lose weight. B. I’m not making claims. You are. It’s up to the person making the claim to back them up with evidence. C. How do you know what I’ve viewed or not viewed? D. You completely missed the point of what I was saying, so I’ll rephrase. When people lose fat on a diet, the adipose tissue dumps triglycerides into the blood, much of it saturated. I’ve never heard anyone admonished not to go on a diet and lose weight for fear the saturated fats that will, as a result, be circulating in the blood.As i did belowHopefully you are not accusing me of ignoring logic in the face of “Scientific” evidence, Dion. I’m on your side. Just saying…That part wasn’t directed at you… just stating that others here cherry pick statements from studies that agree with their stance while totally ignoring the overall conclusion of the study… IE: Toxins pouncing on one statement saying that reducing saturated fat had a modest (10%) positive effect on heart disease. Totally ignored the word “modest” and tried to use this statement to support his hypothesis. The study concluded that the minimal reduction in risk did not warrant reducing saturated fat intake… which he also totally ignored. I posted a meta-analysis of RCTs, not observational studies that most here seem to rely on.I thought as much. Just wanted to be clear,more for other readers than for me. ThanksA brain wash, indeed! Really it is quite disturbing.I suppose some folks have a hard time with facts, peer-reviewed research, empirical findings, and reproducible scientific data. True there is a lot of information out there, and to top it off, there is A LOT of bad science out there. Sadly, most people are not skilled at how to critically read and understand scientific papers. (And, that says a lot about the current state of the American educational system, but I digress.)Facts are facts. And, evidence is evidence. Informed scholarly debate is most certainly allowed on this site and folks are welcome to their own opinions, but not to their own facts.That said, it is clear that the balance of scientific evidence indicates that a plant-based diet is the way to go for all around health. I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty of it here, as this site does a fantastic job of it (so just keep watching and reading, folks) as have many of the educated and eloquent contributors to the commentary section (e.g. @DrDons, Toxins , and @Thea).Really, please just open your mind and keep watching and reading this site!I don’t have a hard time with facts, peer reviewed research, empirical findings, and reproducible scientific data at all. There just isn’t any that says saturated fat causes heart disease. None. And I have an advanced degree in science, so I have no problem critically reading and understanding scientific papers. I have read many and i disagree that “the balance of scientific evidence indicates that a plant-based diet is the way to go for all around health.” It is certainly better than the standard American diet of processed foods and beverages loaded with sugar and starch, but so is any diet based on real food. Humans are very adaptable and can thrive on a huge variety of traditional diets (none of which is vegan, by the way) based on real food. Saturated fat from coconut (including the oil) is a big part of many of those traditional diets and is not bad for us at all.“Intervention A ketogenic diet consisting of a high ratio of fat to carbohydrate and protein combined (4:1 [n = 102], 3.5:1 [n = 7], or 3:1 [n = 32]). After diet initiation, the calories and ratio were adjusted to maintain ideal body weight for height and maximal urinary ketosis for seizure control.”At 6 MonthsCholesterol went up 58 points LDL went up 50 points VLDL went up 8 points non-HDL cholesterol went up 63 points Triglycerides went up 58 points apoB went up 49 points apoA-I increased 4 points HDL cholesterol decreased significantlyhttp://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=197131Furthermore, nearly ever study looking at saturated fat and heart disease shows a positive linear relationship. When a large number of studies point to this conclusion then we can make recommendations to reduce the risk.In addition, my responses above looking at all cause mortality examined saturated fat intake and its relationship with mortality and the studies all showed an increase in mortality rates when saturated fat was increased.If you can find some studies showing that saturated fat intake was associated with good health and low mortality then please share, but to my knowledge none exist.Here’s one that shows that replacing sat fat with n-6 PUFA (net result is decrease in sat fat) leads to increased all cause mortality, including cardiac death. http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8707 “In this cohort, substituting dietary linoleic acid in place of saturated fats increased the rates of death from all causes, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease.” The study you cited was in children and it used what are called soft end points. There’s no proof that the increases in the proxies measured actually lead to heart disease. Now I am not arguing that a diet high in both sat fat and carbohydrates is safe and will not lead to heart disease. My guess is that the studies you have looked at do not control for CHO. But Drs. Steven Phinney and Jeff Volek have done studies (multiple ones) showing that in the context of a low carbohydrate diet, saturated fat in the diet leads to improved lipid profiles all around. The A to Z diet study done at Stanford by Gardner et al showed that those who followed the Atkins diet had the greatest improvement in lipid profiles. My tenet, based on the studies I’ve seen, is that in the context of a normal diet of real food that is not high in sugar, especially, but refined CHO in general, saturated fat is not to be feared, as long as it is natural sat fat. Another thing to keep in mind–sat fat is often lumped together with trans fats in studies. Trans fats, of course, other than the natural ones occurring in small amounts in butter and other animal fats, are definitely bad news for the heart and health in general. Recent meta analyses already linked by others show no link between sat fat and heart disease. This comment is getting long. Will link more in next.I already posted this above, this is not new information. Arachidonic acid from omega 6 is highly inflammatory. This is well established common nutrition knowledge.Speaking of children, there’s this: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/jpem.2012.25.issue-7-8/jpem-2012-0131/jpem-2012-0131.xml “The ketogenic diet revealed more pronounced improvements in weight loss and metabolic parameters than the hypocaloric diet and may be a feasible and safe alternative for children’s weight loss.”Ketosis impairs cognitive ability. As reported in the International Journal of Obesity article “Cognitive Effects of Ketogenic Weight-Reducing Diets,” researchers randomized people to either a ketogenic or a nonketogenic weight loss diet. Although both groups lost the same amount of weight, those on the ketogenic diet suffered a significant drop in cognitive performance.After one week in ketosis, higher order mental processing and mental flexibility significantly worsened into what the researcher called a “modest neuropsychological impairment.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8589783A review over low carb diets revealed that “Complications such as heart arrhythmias, cardiac contractile function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, impairment of physical activity and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbohydrates in the diet.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14672862Researchers from the university of Texas and Chicago published a study concluding that “Consumption of an LCHP [low carb high protein] diet for 6 weeks delivers a marked acid load to the kidney, increases the risk for stone formation, decreases estimated calcium balance, and may increase the risk for bone loss.” After just two weeks on this type of diet, the subjects were already losing 258mg of calcium in their urine every day.http://www.ajkd.org/article/S0272-6386%2802%2900039-2/abstractThe studies showing the ill health effects of ketogenic diets goes on and on.What’s the number one recommendation of the American Institute for Cancer Research? Plant based diets. The number one recommendation of the World Cancer Research Fund? Plant-based diets. The number one recommendation of the National Cancer Institute, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations? More fruits and vegetables. The number one recommendation of the American Cancer Society? More plants, less meat. In fact the American Cancer Society has officially condemned diets high in animal products.After 1 week, I’m not surprised. If they had done the tests after a month, the results would have been quite different. It takes the body at least two weeks to adapt to using fat and ketones for energy so at the one week mark, the brain is struggling for energy with no glucose or ketones. However, once adapted, the brain functions superbly on ketones.Our conversation, as with Dion Kerfont, ends here. You have not shared any reliable evidence with me and clearly do not understand the subject at hand. I will leave it to the neutral people who visit this site to see these comments and decide which argument is more sound and is based on REAL science.I’m fine with that. There is no REAL science that says sat fat causes heart disease, correlation does not equal causation, and logic says we can’t blame something for causing a disease when people eating more of it die of the disease less often than those who eat less of it. If you don’t want to accept those facts, then I’d say you are the one who doesn’t understand the subject at hand and I imagine thinking people will have no problem discerning that.Seeing that you haven’t presented any real evidence for your claims makes your position null and void.wow dude… you have some serious gall.Toxins: I’m not a neutral party. But I wanted to let you know that I really appreciated this debate and am in awe of your skills. If I hadn’t already been convinced, I would be now. Thanks.Much thanks!ToxinsWhen you have time, we could use your paleobusting skills elsewhere….see:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/#comment-993289384Why are they so caustic in their replies? Its quite intense, but yes, I will bring my 2 cents.Real “troll-esque” on their part. Well, at least this last one, “Paleo Huntress” is anyhow. I don’t mind dissent, but I sure don’t like aggressiveness.I’m not engaging her anymore. I refuse to interact with people who feel that they need to “yell” and belittle someone to make their point.I agree with you on her behavior. She writes with too much sarcasm and with great arrogance, only to get a rise out of the responders. She is arguing meaningless points, such as verbage of the comments and how the diet affected her. I find it hard to believe that she gained 65 pounds eating to the degree and standard of whole foods plant based. I can only assume that she was doing it wrong, perhaps eating too much oil, or still consuming white breads and flours. We will never know what exactly her diet was, either way, I am sure that she was not eating healthfully.Interestingly, enough I learned the other day that the etymology of “sarcasm” literally has its origins in an Ancient Greek word that means “to strip off the flesh.” Seems apt in the case of the so-called discussion taking place over you know where.Didn’t Dr. G have a video about how PBD make people kinder, less irritable, and/or moody. She could use a whole lot of that.You did a great job over there as usual. I’m not as good with all the science talk and referencing. But I do know, that what I have read and heard about the topic has not swayed me from a primarily PBD.It does make me wonder why the low-carb/Paleo folks get so angry when making their points, though. This is not the first time where I have seen such exchanges become so disrespectful.Is it all that meat and oil?I have finished dealing with this paleo huntress. Her responses are so derogatory and immature its hard to keep as professional as possible. I gave my last response to her, she has not presented any new or transforming evidence that changes the conversation or adds to it and resorts to name calling and “wittyness” as the base of her argument.In Canada, people like this are known as “shit disturbers”. They don’t care about the issues, they only get a kick out of pissing off people.‘shit disturber’, awesome term! people lay down bullsh*t and someone comes along to stir things up and make sure those reading it know it isnt settled at all. thats quite the compliment. i hope huntress sees it that way too. my sil is canadian, im gonna ask her what she knows of the term.Ooooooh, I like it! BS should never be left alone- it should be kicked up and disturbed at every opportunity.I saw no evidence of @Paleo Huntress “yelling” or “Belittling” anyone in any of the postsI saw.Thank you for your help. I like how you shut them down with your long series of articles.thea,why wouldnt you insist on the same rigor that toxins says he insist on? are you so easily swayed by arguments that support your ideals? the supporting evidence is the evidence we should look most closely at to be sure our biases arent clouding our judgment.you and toxins are patting each other on the backs for what amounts to agreeing, but is that something to give kudos for? which part of toxins argument did you find the most persuasive? which study do you believe demonstrates the detriment of saturated fat in a whole food diet?as i posted above….People who replaced saturated fat in their diet with polyunsaturated fat (omega 3/6) reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by 19 percent, compared with control groups of people who do not.http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000252Side Note: Be cautious as replacing saturated fat with the polyunsaturated fat is not what is being advised. We should strive to not add any fat in the form of oil to our diet. The point was just to show that indeed saturated fat is worse than polyunsaturated fat. Eating high omega 6 foods though is not healthful, and we should really be eating more omega 3 “Advice to substitute polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats is a key component of worldwide dietary guidelines for coronary heart disease risk reduction. However, clinical benefits of the most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid, omega 6 linoleic acid, have not been established. In this cohort, substituting dietary linoleic acid in place of saturated fats increased the rates of death from all causes, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease. An updated meta-analysis of linoleic acid intervention trials showed no evidence of cardiovascular benefit. These findings could have important implications for worldwide dietary advice to substitute omega 6 linoleic acid, or polyunsaturated fats in general, for saturated fats.”http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8707Lastly, studies on all-cause mortality trumps findings for subsets such as CHD and CVD. Most all-cause studies demonstrate a direct relation between saturated fat intake and all-cause mortality and the lower the better.Here is a list of studies showing just this.“the results of this study support earlier observations that dietary intakes low in SF or high in FV [fruits and vegetables] each offer protection against CHD mortality. In addition, however, our data suggest that the combination of both high FV with relatively low SF intake offers greater protection against both total and CHD mortality than either practice alone.”http://jn.nutrition.org/content/135/3/556.long“The major finding of the present study is that the average population intake of saturated fat and vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers are major determinants of all-cause mortality rates. Saturated fat and smoking are detrimental, but vitamin C seems to be protective in relation to the health of populations…The potential effect of changes in saturated fat, vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers can be illustrated as follows. A change in saturated fat of 5% of energy is associated with a 4.7% change in age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate (Table 3).”http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/2/260.long“A high RRR pattern score, which was associated with high intake of fat and protein and low intake of carbohydrates, increased the risk of death. Subjects with a pattern score belonging to the highest quintile obtained on average 37·2 % of their energy from fat and 37·6 % from carbohydrates and thus did not meet current dietary recommendations (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2002). Food groups that contributed to this unfavourable pattern of energy sources were red meat, poultry, processed meat, butter, sauces and eggs, whereas a high intake of bread and fruits decreased the pattern score.”http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FBJN%2FBJN93_05%2FS000711450500111Xa.pdf&code=6fbdbd311fb43ee23a840b894cced959From the National Academy of Science:“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions; they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither an AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids. There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acid intake increases CHD risk”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422i read this list of citations before but i thought you meant you had some good data. there is certainly nothing here that supports the claims you made.first and foremost tho, when you were trying to prove that fish was unhealthy, you cited research that studied isolated poly fats from fish that found that they were inflammatory when used in supplement form. however, in the first meta-analysis you cited above, the data says just the opposite. you have repeatedly charged that those that oppose your views are cherry-picking their data but dude, you are guilty of cherry picking throughout your posts.moving on.the fats in the first analysis you cited were not sourced from whole foods and more importantly, the diets were not specifically whole food diets either. people ate whatever they wanted with regard to the remainder of their diet. we have no idea what the specific fatty acid ratio is either. perhaps they were taking an omega-3 supplement instead of using corn oil. perhaps the removal of saturated fat from their diets also eliminated foods like milk, french fires, ice cream, donuts, pancakes and other processed, high glycemic foods foods we know to be inflammatory. but the data doesnt say, so we cant conclude that replacing saturated fat with poly fat is the factor that made the difference, because nothing(!) but fat eaten was controlled for.many of the people participating in the interventions were involved specifically because they had disease so the confounders involved when a person is trying to “get healthy’ come into play. did they start a new fitness plan? cut out junk food? were they on a weight loss diet? did they quit smoking butts? we dont know.its also mui importante to pay attention to this nuggetito-“RCTs were identified by systematic searches of multiple online databases”—” hand-searching related articles and citations, and direct contacts with experts to identify potentially unpublished trials.”the analysis pooled data from unpublished(!) trials too. trials that because they were never published, were not subject to peer review, and the data went into the analysis without review or challenge.this is not what good science looks like.this is your second citation- http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8707you can see that the trial lumped artificially saturated fats [trans fats] into the saturated fat category.“Replacement of dietary saturated fats (from animal fats, common margarines, and shortenings…”margarines and shortening(?!). it is not just the general consensus but is universally held by the scientific community that removing trans fat from the diet improves health.this trial doesn’t demonstrate that replacing saturated fat with poly fat improves health.this is not what good science looks like either, dude.dude, i dont even need to read the data for the 3rd citation to identify the primary issue, the problem is right in the trial title.“The Combination of High Fruit and Vegetable and Low Saturated Fat Intakes Is More Protective against Mortality in Aging Men than Is Either Alone: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging”the combination(?!). if you dont control for other factors and single out the factors youre trying to study you cant possibly know which part of the intervention is responsible.and the usual issues are found here too. participants arent eating a whole food dietanother citation that doesnt represent good science.i gotta get a workout in before work but ill finish when im done crashing.to continue-#4 http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content 29/2/260.longthe Seven Countries Study is an example of one of the most blatant cases of cherry picking ever published. when reviewed, his peers had this to say-“Since no information is given by Keys on how or why the six countries were selected [for his graph], it is necessary to investigate the association between dietary fat and heart disease mortality in all countries for which information is available.”N Y State J Med. 1957 Jul 15;57(14):2343-54. Fat in the diet and mortality from heart disease; a methodologic note.Turns out it was available for 22 countries. and when it was reanalyzed looking at all of the data including a sh*t ton of heart disease deaths that were not reported as heart disease, the connection between saturated fat and heart disease becomes statistically insignificant. even cooler tho was that for all other diseases graphed, saturated fat was negatively correlated. and saturated fat intake was associated with greater life expectancy.http://rawfoodsos.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/fat_life_expectancy_men_1950.jpg?w=408&h=363but after all this, the real take away is that this study is still merely observational and cannot establish causation of any kind.this citation is a 180° from good science.#5 citation- http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FBJN%2FBJN93_05%2FS000711450500111Xa.pdf&code=6fbdbd311fb43ee23a840b894cced959appears to be broken. the message reads, “File not available. [S000711450500111Xa.pdf] time=1375398749 [eopocc=1377596965]/app/cjo/content/BJN/BJN93_05/”could you provide a straight up citation. it looks like the link you provided was to an automatic download, in which case im good with it not working. [you prolly want to be sure your rubber stamp gets updated too]#6 http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422this is an opinion piece and while its evidence of the author’s opinion, it isnt evidence for your argument, dude.0 for 6the requirement for the burden of proof is simple, provide causal evidence that saturated fat in a whole food diet causes disease. you haven’t provided any data proving cause and you havent provided any data looking at whole food diets.you did not meet the burden of proof.Well done @Real World Vegan.thank you, margaret. i wish all pb peeps would check the sources for the claims made by our own community. it sux to lose credibility cuz an overzealous member chooses to embellish the data with woo.I hear you, @Real World Vegan, and appreciate what you are doing.This armchair strategy of poking holes in every study without bringing about research is ineffective. Reading the abstracts or titles of the studies posted does not do them justice. Many points raised in these studies as well as the research within them point to the conclusions I am making. If you have any references then please share.i think youre the guy who rubber stamps pre-composed arguments into many different forums. youre making it sound like youre doing the research yourself rather than reporting it from your own armchair. if you want to cite the data, im ready to debate it with you. but c&p-ing discussion fragments from the articles isnt proof. i suspect you havent read the articles and rather are rewording [or as was previously pointed out, sometimes actually plagiarizing] someone elses theories.i get that you dont like me shining a light on the flaws but you cant change that none of your citations look at saturated fat in context of a whole food diet. we can keep arguing if you like but that would only distract from that very real truth.if saturated fat in a whole food diet causes disease, it should be simple enuf to cite a trial showing it. why not just do that, dude?margaret, im at least one vegan with my eyes open. i applaud your insistence on truth and very much appreciate the bare bones way you present your argument with no magical claims attached.even after you pointed out the need for an adaptive phase, he is still citing the same study in the same thread. he cant see it. he can tell you that you need several weeks to adjust to veganism but he cannot see the same for other diets.And I appreciate the fact that you have an open mind. The real enemy of health is the standard American/western diet and I sincerely believe that any diet that is based on whole foods, limits sugar, starch, and processed foods, and gets sufficient protein and fat that is not highly processed PUFFA, is a possible path back to health. We low carbers, Paleo, Primal, Vegan and vegetarians should all be sticking together, not sniping at each other in a whose diet is best campaign. And we need to keep it evidence based. There is no evidence, epidemiological or otherwise, that natural fats, including primarily saturated ones like coconut oil, are harmful in and of themselves. It very much depends on the context of the rest of the diet. There is evidence that, in the right context, saturated fats can be beneficial to health and coconut oil is one of the most beneficial of all! And it fits well in any healthy diet, be it vegan, vegetarian, low carb, Paleo, or Primal. I am not advocating for any particular diet. I am advocating for an end to the misguided war on saturated fat that brought us truly bad fats like vegetable oils and trans fats.i agree. the evidence for the damage that grain, legume and seed oils has done is overwhelming. even Campbell made this observation during his research and said he found no correlation whatsoever between saturated fats [animal and vegetable] and disease, only with liquid plant fats.the obsession with mono fats from seeds seems unfounded too. its difficult to keep them from going rancid [which appears to be another plus seen w/saturated animal fats like lard, that the sfa protect the o3s from oxidation]. still tho, the jury is out on whether chronically suppressing all inflammation is really a good thing. inflammatory mechanisms are important for immunity and there is evidence that our immunity suffers when we overdo anti-inflammatory foods.and dont even get me started on blue green algae. no one should consume that stuff every day.I agree that inflammation is a double edged sword and suppressing it all together is not good. I’mcurrently healing from surgery and inflammation is very much part of that process! I’m more interested in avoiding chronic inflammation–from high blood sugar and toxic vegetable oils and trans fats, than I am in suppressing all inflammation. Overdoing any one kind of “functional” food is probably not a good thing. I’m more about real food, minimally processed, and in the case of animal foods, raised as far from CAFO as possible. People eat blue green algae? huh.Because it’s not very clear to whom I was directing this reply, (I’m not sure why–I hit the reply button following the post I wanted to reply to) I want to clarify that it is directed towards @Real World Vegan. Just want to make that clear. You deserve and have my respect.“Ketosis impairs cognitive ability”.Well, that explains some of the comments posted here. :-oOh, I jest.“A review over low carb diets revealed that “Complications such as heart arrhythmias, cardiac contractile function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, impairment of physical activity and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbohydrates in the diet.”Didn’t Atkins himself die overweight and from a heart attack?No, Atkins did not die of a heart attack. He slipped and fell on an icy sidewalk and hit his head. He did have heart issues a couple of years before that, but they were because of an infection, not his diet.Mea culpa; it does seem that Dr. Atkins did indeed die of severe head trauma (and not a heart attack, as I mis-recalled) and that he suffered from cardiomyopathy allegedly brought on by an infection.He was not “overweight most of his life.” Stocky, perhaps, but not overweight. The Drugs he was on in the hospital after his fall caused him to puff with (mostly) water weight before he died. I believe he was checked into the hospital at a normal (for his height) weight.You quote, but don’t cite the source of your quote. None of the scientists and doctors who study carbohydrate restricted diets and have published studies in peer reviewed journals identify any of those problems you listed. I know lots of people on low carbohydrate diets and none of them complain of any of those symptoms. None of the studies I’ve read name them, either. At least not after the first couple of weeks.She is citing the source that I posted above, you only read a single description of one of the many studies I posted.Have read the rest and find them less than compelling.That abstract of the review was written in 2003. Since then there have been many more studies and, recently, a long term one that showed no detrimental effect. I’ll have to look to find it, will post when I do.im glad we cleared this one up.A ketogenic diet by definition is not high protein. It’s high fat. Too much protein throws one out of ketosis. I’ve seen studies and discussions to the effect that a high protein diet does not cause kidney damage to healthy kidneys, but I don’t recommend a high protein diet. I follow a high fat low carb minimal processed food diet and have for over two years. I’m fine and yes, that’s n= 1 anecdotal evidence, but I know an awful lot of people like me. That said, I’m not here to recommend any particular diet, just here to make sure readers know there is no evidence that sat fat, in and of itself, whether from coconut oil or any other source, is not bad for anyone.Oops. That last sentence should read “there is no evidence that sat fat in and of itself, whether from coconut oil or any other [natural] source, IS (not “is not”) bad for us.” Should have proofread that better.Dr. Sylvan Weinberg, once president of the American College of Cardiology Published this in 2004: http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1133027&issueno=5 ” The low-fat “diet–heart hypothesis” has been controversial for nearly 100 years. The low-fat–high-carbohydrate diet, promulgated vigorously by the National Cholesterol Education Program, National Institutes of Health, and American Heart Association since the Lipid Research Clinics-Primary Prevention Program in 1984, and earlier by the U.S. Department of Agriculture food pyramid, may well have played an unintended role in the current epidemics of obesity, lipid abnormalities, type II diabetes, and metabolic syndromes. This diet can no longer be defended by appeal to the authority of prestigious medical organizations or by rejecting clinical experience and a growing medical literature suggesting that the much-maligned low-carbohydrate–high-protein diet may have a salutary effect on the epidemics in question.”This quote does not count as evidence, there is not a single referenced study. It would be best to post hard facts, not quotes or links to blogs and books.I’m not trying to provide evidence. I don’t have to. I’m not the one making claims as to the harmful effects of sat fat. I’m merely highlighting the LACK of evidence for such a claim.Thats the thing, there is not a lack of evidence, as I have already shared. There is an abundance of it, so its not up to me to continually prove my point. I have already posted a sampling of the studies showing the strong link with saturated fat and all cause mortality.Well there are plenty of experts–cardiologists, doctors, and scientists–who disagree with you as to the amount and quality of the evidence. And just a reminder, “link” says nothing about causality. Sugar and starch are much more strongly linked to CVD than sat fat. In fact, in many of the epidemiological studies used to show a link between sat fat and CVD also show a link between sugar and starch and CVD. Heck, having a TV is linked to CVD. You want to argue that TVs cause heart disease?Saying that experts believe in your ideology does nothing to bolster your claim. You need to share some evidence, which you have failed to do. Processed carbohydrates are well established to be harmful so this is not new nutritional information.It’s not an ideology. It’s simply recognition of the fact that the evidence against saturated fat is far from conclusive. The highly respected Cochraine Collaboration published a meta analysis and concluded that there was no link between saturated fat and heart disease. Dr. Weinberg is basing his statements on similar reviews.‘You need to share some evidence, which you have failed to do. ‘i have been through every post on this page and i didnt find any evidence for your claims. have you deleted it?I have indeed shared the evidence showing the link with saturated fat and mortality. You will have to look harder because I wrote it up already wthin these threads.Links are not evidence of causality. All the studies I’ve seen linking sat fat and mortality have many significant confounding factors, such as combining sat fat with sugar and flour, calling trans fats saturated (which they are not), and such. There simply is no evidence that sat fat causes heart disease or kills. In fact, in the absence of sugar and starch, it improves risk factors for heart disease consistently. Show me an RCT that compares a low carb high fat/sat fat diet with other diets where the low carb high fat/sat fat diet leads to a greater incidence CVD/mortality and I’ll consider the idea that sat fat may be harmful. Duch studies have been done, but the loops, wasn’t finished. Was tryingg to edit. Such studies have been done, but the low carb high fat/sat fat diet always turns out to be better for the heart.There is no evidence that saturated fat CAUSES heart disease. What evidence there is (and it’s shaky and there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary) is just associations derived from epidemiological studies. Again, correlation does not prove causation.Oh, and David Evans has published a book listing 101 scientific studies (All peer reviewed and published in peer reviewed journals) showing that “Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Prevent Heart Disease”. He has published another book that similarly lists 101 scientific studies that show that “Low Cholesterol Leads to Early Death.” He has a blog at http://healthydietsandscience.blogspot.com/Feel free to check it out and expand your knowledge.Did you read through the studies yourself to confirm that the findings were relevant and valid or did you just take his word for it? I am assuming the latter.I don’t take anyone’s word for anything any more.all of the subjects in this study were children under the age of 10, and they were consuming more than 80% of their calories in the form of fat. This study is looking at a therapeutic diet for seizure control. children are the only group who seem to not benefit from ketogenic diets, which makes sense when you consider the natural weaning age is estimated to have been somewhere between 6 and 9, meaning a child would have been ingesting significant lactose from mothers milk during that period in their lives.do you have anything with adults that applies to how traditional high fat cultures really eat? my diet is relatively ketogenic and i don’t get over 30%.ketogenic doesnt have to mean your fat is coming from the diet. it can also mean the body is utilizing body fat. and most of us will benefit from that.Well, I guess we just have to agree to disagree on some things (like your assertion that vegan cannot thrive on a vegan diet…that one was funny and clearly contrary to what the data, anecdotal evidence, and my own personal experience indicate… the data being the most convincing of the 3 forms of evidence).I will agree with you on one thing, “real food” IS where it is at. If people simply chose real food over processed foods we’d be a much healthier nation. Heck, if people simply cooked their own meals at home we’d be a healthier nation.Good luck to you, madam!Wishing you good health and peace.Whether or not humans can thrive for more than one generation on a vegan diet has yet to be proven. Vegan diets have not been around for multiple generations. As I said, there is no traditional vegan diet anywhere on earth.I suppose before we can have that debate some definitions are in order.What do you mean by “thrive” and “traditional”?A “traditional” diet is one that has been followed by some subset of the human species for many generations and is part of their culture. Example: The traditional diet of the Inuit–mostly meat, sea food, and fat, of which a lot is saturated fat, and very little in the way of food from plants. “Thrive” means to live (on average) long,healhty lives free of chronic diseases without supplementation.How “many” generations? Using your definition of traditional, I believe it could be argued that at this point in human history there are plenty of multi-generational vegans who have and continue to thrive on a vegan diet. Indeed, humans are very adaptable and can thrive on many diets. Including the vegan diet.Personally, I will continue to eat in a way that makes sense nutritionally, environmentally, economically, ethically, and, yes, scientifically, as best and as often as I can. For me that is a PBD (for the record, I am not a vegan per se, but the majority of my diet is plant based).And where are these multigenerational vegans who continue to thrive on a vegan diet (without supplementation)? As far as I’m concerned, if you need to take a supplement to supply key nutrients, that isn’t “thriving.” Humans can, indeed thrive on a huge variety of both plant based and animal based diets, but not vegan, because there are certain essential nutrients that are only available from animal sources and must be supplemented on a vegan diet. But whatever. That’s not what this thread is about and I’m not here to tell anyone what to eat. I’m simply here to point out that coconut oil is not bad for us.“Primitive Nutrition” on YouTube has some great videos on nutrition, at least one of which covers the Inuit. Primitive Nutrition presents some persuasive information showing that the traditional Inuit and people other similar societies are not so very healthy are certainly aren’t free of heart disease. I’m not suggesting that you, Margaret, check it out. I’m just letting other people know that your statements are not backed by the evidence.If someone wants to base their food intake on the Inuits, you might want to think twice about that.Although I’ve never seen anything that shows that Inuits that eat their traditional diet are unhealthy (a man called Viljammer Stefannson lived with them for 10 years and studied their diet and reported that they were, in fact, very healthy. He then checked himself into a hospital and followed their diet for a year and suffered no ill effects, but that is beside the point.) I’m only using their diet as an example of a traditional diet that has been part of a culture for multiple generations. I’m not recommending thier diet here, though I know a lot of people who follow a similar diet and have reversed symptoms of diabetes. Inuit that are unhealthy are generally those have strayed from the traditional diet to eat starch and sugar.Viljammer Stefanson, who lived with the Inuit for 10 years and studied them would beg to differ. He noted how strong and healthy they were on their diet of almost exclusively animal products. He wrote about his studies in a book called “The Fat of the Land” and even agreed, under medical supervision, to spend a year eating exclusively animal products–as he did while living with the Inuit. At the end of the year, he had suffered no health consequences (of the negative kind, any way) despite not having eaten a single morsel of food from plants. I’m not recommending a diet like that, though I know many who have brought about remarkable improvements in health by eliminating plants from their diet. I’m simply saying there is no evidence that such a diet is harmful, your you tube videos notwithstanding.oops. sorry for the duplicate post. Oh well, bears repeating, I guess.Here is a beautiful graph “based on WHO and FAO statistics over the average intake of saturated fat in 41 European countries in 1998 (the latest available data), and the age-adjusted risk of dying from heart disease” As you can see, the countries with the highest SFA consumption also have the lowest death rate from CVD. If that doesn’t disprove that saturated fat in the diet causes heart disease, I don’t know what does. http://www.jiujitsuforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=179889 If you don’t like his graph, you can get the data from the British Heart Foundation and construct it yourself: http://www.bhf.org.uk/publications/view-publication.aspx?ps=1001443This graph is meaningless, how much saturated fat were they taking? The original data does not even share the results on the graph. “Risk of CVD is directly related to blood cholesterol levels. Blood cholesterol levels can be reduced by physical activity and by dietary changes – in particular a reduction in the consumption of saturated fat”There is no data on saturated fat intake so we can assume that your prized blog poster invented this “fact”.The graph is meaningless?Really? Countries that consume the highest percent of their diet as saturated fat have the lowest rate of death from heart disease, while those that consume the lowest percent of their diet as sat fat have the highest rate of death from heart disease. What that means is that sat fat can’t possibly be implicated in heart disease, because if it were, the trend would be exactly the opposite. And since people die of heart attacks who have serum cholesterol levels both low and high and in between, it’s difficult to see how risk of CVD is “directly related to blood cholesterol levels.”I’ve seen the data represented in the same or similar graphs on multiple sites, so it’s not invented. And he’s not my prized blogger. I’ve actually never been to his site before. I just happened choose the site as one of several presenting the same set of data in the same way.Well in your own words, you don’t take anyones words for anything. You just showed me that you do, since you did not look at the actual data itself, which does not show what the graph shows.Actually, I did and it does. It took me a while to download it and go through it, but the data for % of diet from sat fat for the year 1998 (the last available before the report) and deaths (men) per 100000 for the same year do indeed match the points on the graph. Deaths for women were even less.I am curious where are the studies that indicate that a saturated fat diet can reverse heart disease in humans?Who said a saturated fat diet reverses heart disease? The graph says it doesn’t cause it. I never said anything about reversing it, though a low carb high fat diet (including sat fat) does more often than not improve the lipid profile. But I’m not arguing that sat fat reverses heart disease, only that it doesn’t cause heart disease. Big difference.Perhaps this was not the best place for me to ask the question. However, this commentary section has gotten so long that I figured this was a good enough place to ask my question.I did not say that anyone has made the claim that “saturated fat diet can reverse heart disease in humans”. True, my comment was poorly worded (I fixed that), but I asked it b/c I’m genuinely curious to know if there are any scientific studies that show that a saturated fat diet is capable of reversing heart disease.Since heart disease still is one of the most common causes of death in the U.S., reversing heart disease (not just preventing it) is an important consideration for me when discussing diets, nutrition, and health.I have not been able to find any studies indicating that a sat fat diet can reverse heart disease. However, scientific evidence has shown that a PBD (specifically, a low-fat, vegetarian diet) can do so.As far as I know, the only evidence that sat fat reverses heart disease is anecdotal. People who go on a low carb high fat diet have reversed their heart disease. However, there are studies–many and they are RCT, not epidemiological–that demonstrate that a low carb high fat diet improves one’s lipid profile toward one which is lower in risk for heart disease. The A to Z diet trial out of Stanford by Gardner et al found that, of four diets (including a low fat plant based diet) the people who followed Atkins diet ended up with the best results re CVD parameters. Drs. Phinney and Volek have also published studies showing that a low carb high fat diet improves CVD profile. . So over time, would a low carb high fat diet reverse heart disease? Probably, but there is no data on that yet. Sat fat in addition to sugar and refined starch can be more problematic. No one is recommending that–at least I’m not. And virtually all the studies showing a low fat plant based diet reversing heart disease have been done on people who developed CVD on a poor SAD diet high in sugar and refined starches. Except for the A to Z diet study, I know of none comparing a low carb high fat whole foods t diet to a low fat whole foods plant based diet.Thus, I would say that any diet that is based on real whole foods, be it animal or plant or both, is better for the heart than a diet based on sugar and processed grains. I would not say that sat fat in and of itself reverses heart disease, no, just as I say that sat fat, in and of itself, is not bad for the heart. Because, like any other nutrient, how it affects the body is very much dependent on the context of all the food one eats. Would I recommend that someone eating a lot of sugar and refined grains also load up on sat fat? No, absolutely not. But is sat fat harmful in the context of a diet of real, whole foods? No and no one has been able to prove that it is.What is a “saturated fat diet”? Is that one where people just eat lard all day? FWIW, whole food diets that remove grains and are high in fat have also been proven to reverse heart disease. (Dr. Gabriel Cousens is doing it with vegan diets and coconut oil too.) Considering that CVD is a relatively new “common cause” of death, one has to wonder how the people living in the first part of the last century and earlier managed long lives without heart disease. Their diets were quite high in saturated fat.I love coconut oil and see it as a natural, healthy, plant based alternative to other fats when needed in moderation just line anything else. As a clean foods, plant based eater, everything is used in balance. Coconut oil is always kept on my shelf and used for a variety of things Thanks to its versatility. I use it for cooking occasionally as well as skin care. Sometimes even for cleaning. Can’t do all of that with butter.Wow! Quite the commentary down below. It seems like some folks are simply cuckoo for coconut oil. So be it.I’ll admit, I have tried the stuff and simply did not like it. So, it will not be making its way into my shopping cart or in my body any time soon (On my body, maybe. It does provide some great moisturizing when out in the sun.)If people want to guzzle gallons (woman in commentary section says she eats the stuff by the spoonful at her desk! What!?) of coconut oil for so-called health benefits, let them. Personally, I will continue to eat in a way that makes sense nutritionally, environmentally, ethically, and, yes, scientifically, as best and as often as I can.Good luck and good eatin’ to you all!read the book.. miracle of coconut oil.. http://www.amazon.ca/The-Coconut-Miracle-Bruce-Fife/dp/1583332049Wowwwwwwwwwww……. people sure looooooove their oils and fats!I personally love beer. Especially really strong India Pale Ales.However, I would never try to pretend it’s good for me. I personally like to live in reality, even if it’s a bit of a downer sometimes :(Reality CAN be a real downer sometimes. I hear that beer can help. ;-)Well, unlike beer, coconut oil is actually good for you.yes, coconut oil is good for you…Wow. Who would have guessed. People are as passionate about their coconut oil as they are their eggs.This is a researched based nutrition site so we tend to be driven by supporting studies. Oils are processed and because of that the good stuff has been thrown down the drain. Eat your olives (being mindful of the high salt) but oils? Probably not.These folks are cuckoo for coconut (oil).http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMw3d3ohx_sBecause I was accused of being a flat earther because I don’t think natural sat fats are harmful, I can’t resist posting this. Link is in the article to the original, peer reviewed article. http://www.docsopinion.com/2013/08/13/saturated-fats-cause-heart-disease-and-the-earth-is-flat/That link is a blog post not a peer reviewed article; don’t waste our time.You’ve nrver heard of a blog post providing links? This one contains a link to the peer reviewed article it discusses. I would have linked the article directly, but I found the title of the blog post apprpriate.toxins posts a buttload of opinion pieces that arent subject to peer review. i havent seen you post any objections to wasting your time on those.should we discount everything dr. greger writes in this blog too?Huh? Because you assert the ad hominem T does B in impolite terms, and its not true anyway, we should not believe G? And this makes the easy expose of the dishonesty of your fellow paleo blogger evil. Wow, you’re absolutely brilliant you know! Brilliant! So stunningly so there’s no point in even arguing with you.i have no idea what your first line means dude. you wrote ‘That link is a blog post not a peer reviewed article’. and that was what my comment was addressing. if thats actually your criteria, it should also include this blog. its obvio that you find value here so its hella obvio that you dont dismiss all bloggers in favor of the medical journals, just non-pb bloggers. [& after goggling you last night your love of pb bloggers is conspicuous].i also prefer the data, but then i dont consider dr. greger a reliable source nor do i post links to his blog entries all over the intrawebs [cough]. when i reference something i foound in a blog, i use thenoticing someones ‘stunning’ double standards isnt brilliant dude, wed have to be blind to miss them.you claim theres no point in arguing when you realize you cant win the argument. but i think theres is always something to learn in an argument so its always a win.It’s unfortunate that our biases cloud our ability to read what is written or to consider what is offered, but I’m not sure any of us can truly escape that part of our natures. I think the best thing we can do is to try and keep those biases in mind so that we are at least a little less closed to different points of view.To benefit the mentally challenged, I am providing a key to explain your first sentence: T= Toxins (alias of undefeated contributor to NutritionFacts); B=Bullshit; G=Greger.To benefit the mentally challenged, I am providing a key to explain your first sentence: T= Toxins (alias of undefeated contributor to NutritionFacts); B=Bullshit; G=Greger.you said it wasnt really in your character to be ugly, mr vegatheart, but you keep posting insulting comments and then later deleting them. if you dont want us to see you being ugly, the best course of action is not post ‘the ugly’ to begin with.Your insistence on forum justice is to be admired; however, your double standard is not. The following are selected abusive comments (there was just too much to choose from!) from you and Paleo Huntress:Real World Vegan abusing Toxins to Dan Lundeen:Real World Vegan abusing Dan Lundeen:Paleo Huntress abusing Dr. Greger:Paleo Huntress abusing a Guest:Real World Vegan abusing Toxinsto Dan Lundeen: “toxins posts a buttload of opinion pieces”is english your first language? i ask because it seems you may be unfamiliar with some american slang, which is something i see with a few of my colleagues who speak another language first. definition of buttload-> http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=buttloadnot abusive, mr. vegatheart.Real World Vegan abusing Dan Lundeen:“you and jeffy are living in one giant a** glass house. the two of you are two of the reasons most people find vegans so intolerable.”when you add the rest of my words in and give it context, it sounds a lot diff. “paleo huntress’ last comment in this forum was almost 3 weeks ago and you have the stones to start bashing her again? you even go out to find something else to bash for and then take it a step further and amateur head-shrink her and accuse her of lying?”mayhaps calling a couple of dudes out for their intolerable behavior when theyre being abusive could be distorted into the appearance of being abusive itself, but thats gonna be a tuff sell.not abusive, mr. vegatheart.paleo huntress isnt me, mr. vegatheart, so youll have to take up any issues you have w/her directly. its bad form to try to excuse bad behavior by saying its common, as you seem to be doing here. its also bad form to trash 2 different peeps when they arent part of the conversation already. in the comment you quoted, both of the dudes being addressed were co-trashing.ffs, huntress commented a couple of days ago that shes “back with a fresh perspective and a positive attitude and will do my best to be civil. =)”.why not just let her do it?fwiw,sneerverb (used without object)2. to speak or write in a manner expressive of derision or scorn.this does exactly describe the tone of voice in most of dr. gregers videospointing this out? not abusive, mr. vegatheart.[many thanks to my tech savvy wife for the formatting]My apologies, I assumed that you were using definition #17 of buttload.~eyes roll~ good job absolving yourself of using any offensive language. All miscommunications were clearly all my fault.apology accepted, no worries.my advice to you and to anyone participating in a forum that isnt in their native language is this- when you find yourself deeply hurt by the tone of something you read, whether its meant for you or you are feeling deeply hurt for someone else, spend a few secs figuring out whether your deep hurt is legit or if some colloquial slang went over your head.hang on to that link, itll come in handy in the future. some of the definitions are snarky and rude but youll get the gist if you read over the whole page.Your recommended link is fascinating. I just looked up “Atkins diet” and received the following definition:Atkins Diet: (n) a lame excuse for obese pigs to claim they are on a “diet” while they gorge themselves with excessive amounts of fatty meat, cheese, butter, and lard (aka Fatkins Diet)My American is really going to improve now.ah ha ha! too cool! now youre gettin it. you just need someone on atkins to share it with!check out the def for NaziVegan-“militant type of vegan who isn’t content to merely live with a vegan lifestyle and feels a moral compulsion to enforce his/her own ideals on other people.”Um, I follow a more or less Atkins protocol, though it is more Primal than Atkins as I stick to real food. However, I am not obese (not even overweight, really) and I don’t gorge myself on anything. The beauty of the Atkins/Paleo/primal way of eating is the food you do eat is so satiating, it’s nigh impossible to gorge oneself. But I’ll take your comment in the lighthearted way I hope you mean it and not take offense.Every credible health organization condemns atkins style diets, for good reasons as well. Eating all of the meat and butter you want is appealing to the average consumer, yes. But the ill effects of eating this way far outweigh any weight loss, which is calorie restriction at best.“Consumption of an LCHP [low carb high protein] diet for 6 weeks delivers a marked acid load to the kidney, increases the risk for stone formation, decreases estimated calcium balance, and may increase the risk for bone loss.” After just two weeks on this type of diet, the subjects were already losing 258mg of calcium in their urine every day.http://www.ajkd.org/article/S0272-6386%2802%2900039-2/abstract“heart arrhythmias, cardiac contractile function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, impairment of physical activity and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbohydrates in the diet.” The review details these issues http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/12/4/396.pdfPlease share evidence showing that this type of diet will prevent chronic disease.Every credible health organization? Not the American College of Cardiology. I’ve already linked Dr. Weinberg’s article (peer reviewed and all) in that journal endorsing low carb diets. So unless you are going to label them as not credible, your statement is incorrect.I’m sure there are others.Atkins and similar low carb diets are not high protein. They are high fat, moderate protein, so the argument about lots of protein and kidneys is moot, though there is good evidence that healthy kidneys can take quite a load of protein without harm. I’ll be back after I’ve checked out your second link, but I can tell you right now that scientists who study it and doctors who prescribe it regularly for their diabetic and/or obese patients show none of those effects after a short period of adjustment or, in some cases, ever. Sudden death? really?You cannot base your diet on animal based foods and expect protein levels to be moderate, so no, it is not moot.I tried finding recommendations by the ACC and could not, but the American Heart Association, American Cancer society, and world health organization all recommend limiting fat intake, limiting animal product consumption and consuming more fruits, veggies and whole grains.“You cannot base your diet on animal foods and expect protein levels to be moderate…” Actually, you can if you eat a lot of fat–from coconut oil, butter, olive oil and cream–and a lot of non starchy vegetables (the best kind of veggies to eat if you believe the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, etc.) I’ll find that article from the ACC and link it–again.“The categoric rejection of experience and an increasingly favorable medical literature, though still not conclusive, which suggests that the much-maligned LCarb-HP diet may have a favorable impact on obesity, lipid patterns, type II diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome, is also no longer tenable.” http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1133027&issueno=5i dont eat low carb myself but ive seen it help a lot of people. there is definitely evidence that it can and does improve health in some people.Ya, I’m not on a mission to change the way anyone eats. I’m just on a mission to end the war on sat fat (and LCHF) and I appreciate all the help you have given. I eat low carb most of the time because I did some damage to my metabolism eating low fat high carb for many years. (I’m not diabetic or pre, but the only way I have been able to lose the weight I gained is with LCHF.) But I’m not fanatic about it–I’m going out for Indian food this weekend. :) I, too, know many who have improved their health following a whole foods LCHF way of eating. My son is T1 and has much better control over his insulin needs and BG by sticking to a whole foods LCHF/Primal way of eating. So it is a good thing for many and I hate to see people bashing it without any real scientific basis.Toxins,Would you mind defining a plant based diet for us, please?source?From your second link:“Studies examining the long-term safety of ketogenic diets are few in number with most of the available data coming from the application of ketogenic diets in thetreatment of paediatric epilepsy.18″ That article is 10 years old, by the way, and contained a lot of conjecture and supposition. A lot of progress has been made since then and many studies done which show that a low carb ketogenc diet is both safe and effective for many things. I get that you don’t want or need to do a low carb ketogenic diet and I’m fine with that. But please don’t throw bad or outdated science out there that might discourage others, who may really need to, for any one of a number of reasons, follow it. Here’s amore recent (2013) take: http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v67/in8/full/ejcn2013116a.html Hope this link works–I copied it from another device. It is linked elsewhere in another of my comments.So because an article is 10 years old we should ignore it? Also, many citations are made backing up the points. Should these be ignored as well?Did you check the citations? Just wondering, because you are always asking me if I did. But no, we don’t ignore it because it’s 10 years old. We ignore it because there is not much other than conjecture and supposition and there are more recent studies which have much more definitive informationdude, you keep saying this sh*t is an accident, but the more often it happens, the more deliberate it appears.you copied and pasted this segment from claiming it was from the study you cited:“Consumption of an LCHP [low carb high protein] diet for 6 weeks delivers a marked acid load to the kidney”but it isn’t. the study is available in full text and that text isn’t located anywhere in that study. once again, you are misquoting and mis-citing data.whats interesting tho is that in the 2nd article you cited [not a study, but a discussion piece] we find this quote-“[there was] a decrease in carbohydrate consumption by 90% while the actual amounts of fat and protein eaten changed little compared to the habitual intake of the participants prior to the commencement of the diet.in other words, they cut carbs but didn’t eat more fat and protein. how then, would their “acid load” rise so dramatically? the answer is, it wouldn’t.consider this, low carbers eat more fresh produce, fruit and veggies than typical SADers and most high carb vegans. What they don’t eat is grains, beans, potatoes and sugar. the acid load of whole grains and sugars is pretty high, so by removing grains from the diet, the low-carber is actually reducing their net acid load.a serving of whole wheat based food has an acid load of 8.2 while a serving of fresh beef has a load of 7.3. removing grains will make a significant dent in net acid balance.check out this cool study on the acid the load of ancestral diets [Estimation of the net acid load of the diet of ancestral preagricultural Homo sapiens and their hominid ancestors] http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/76/6/1308.full“The mean NEAP for 159 retrojected preagricultural diets were net base-producing.”“The historical shift from negative to positive NEAP was accounted for by the displacement of high-bicarbonate-yielding plant foods in the ancestral diet by cereal grains and energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods in the contemporary diet—neither of which are net base-producing.”so again dude, the papers you’re citing aren’t studies but discussions- and the quotes you’re c&ping aren’t data, but conjecture.This was the study I was quoting above, I put the wrong link.http://www.vivalis.si/uploads/datoteke/2a02.pdfThe potential renal acid load [PRAL] can be calculated with this formula PRAL = 0.49(Protein) + 0.037(Phosphorus) – 0.021(Potassium) – 0.026(Magnesium) – 0.013(Calcium).Based on this formula, grains are mildly acidic, beans are mildly alkaline, and potatoes are very alkaline. while animal products are highly acidic.Cereals, oats, regular cooked with water, w/o salt/ 2.18Bananas, raw/ -6.93Blueberries, raw/ -1.04Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked/ 2.18Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt/ -3.57Cauliflower, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt / -1.33Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt/ -4.10Peaches, raw/ -3.11Beans, kidney, cooked, boiled, w/o salt/ -0.69Kale, raw/ -8.34Potato, baked, flesh and skin, without salt/ -8.098Animal FoodsChicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted/ 17.30Egg, whole, raw, fresh/ 9.43Fish, salmon, Atlantic, wild, cooked, dry heat/ 7.57Beef, bottom sirloin, tri-tip, separable lean only, trimmed to 0″ fat, choice, cooked, roasted/ 12.79Cheese, cheddar/ 19.00http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822395002197the researchers in the citation you provided, specifically state that low-carbers did -not- eat more animal food and since they also cut out grains and most beans, their acid load will have -dropped- not increased.this is kewl list, but w/out measurements, it isn’t worth much. would you share the source dude? your link takes us to an abstract citation.Dr. Lynda Frassetto is a renal expert and researcher at the UCSF med center, looking at the impact of diet on disease factors. when she put people on paleo diets, their risk factors for renal disease plummeted. she writes that, as a nephrologist-“she initially became interested in the Paleolithic diet because of its low acidity. Aging and kidney failure are both associated with increasing blood acidity.”Fruits and vegetables help buffer acid-producing foods, which include dairy products and grains.“[T]he study subjects who were the most insulin-resistant improved the most. Those early results led to another study — this one focused on people with type 2 diabetes. The researchers control calorie intake in their studies so that participants maintain their pre-study weights. They do not want to measure the impacts of weight loss, only the effects of the different food content in the diets. The study is run more like a take-out restaurant — one without daily specials. Participants pick up food every few days and do their best to eat it all and nothing else.”“Participants scored significantly better on almost all measures of health risk used in the experiment. For instance, the average reduction in the best-known “bad” cholesterol — low-density lipoprotein (LDL) — was roughly 22 percent. That compares favorably to what can be expected from six months of treatment with a cholesterol-lowering statin drug. Eight of nine participants had lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL at the conclusion of the study. All nine had lower levels of another “bad” cholesterol, called very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). All nine also had lower levels of triglycerides.”“The research team also found that participants could exercise just as hard on a treadmill as at the beginning of the study, maintaining the same cardiac blood-pumping output – but they could do so at a lower heart rate and at a lower blood pressure.”heres the citation, almost forgot-Metabolic and physiologic improvements from consuming a Paleolithic, hunter-gatherer type diet | European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (August 2009)the article discussing it is here- http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2010/05/5986/type-2-diabetes-cholesterol-heart-disease-kidney-risks-paleolithic-dietThey were on the diet for only 10 days, how can one make generalized assertions about the healthfulness of the diet in such a short time period.first dude, you shared this- “After just two weeks on this type of diet, the subjects were already losing 258mg of calcium in their urine every day.”if you count the week participants spent ramping up to the paleo diet in this study, i think we are safe looking at it as 2 weeks.tru that, it isnt comprehensive by a long shot, but if 2 weeks is long enuf for you to claim proof of harm, why then isnt is long enough to show proof of benefit? the researcher is a renal expert and you are claiming the diets cause renal stress that can be seen in two weeks. she didnt find that.thats why the ongoing study shes a part of now will be interesting to see unfold. you keep harping that there is no evidence at all ‘not a shred’, but that isnt true dude. there is evidence, and its growing.another quote from the researcher,“The Paleolithic meals also are a bit bulky with all that fiber from fruits and vegetables.” “What most people complain about is that it is just too much food.”this doesnt add any credence to your claim that paleo diets are meat based.“Please share evidence showing that this type of diet will prevent chronic disease.” Well, here you go (again): http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v67/n8/full/ejcn2013116a.htmlhttp://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=endotoxemiadude, the results from a search for “endotoxemia’ in this blog just dont count as evidence. just share a study where participants ate a whole-food, low carb/primitive/high-fat diet and suffered ill health for it. there are tons of them right?“there are tons of them right?” Love it.nutritionfacts.org is not a blog, its a database collecting studies supporting a plant based diet. The search for endotoxemia reveals videos which share studies linking animal based foods and saturated fat. This is the most compelling evidence.sorry dude, its a blog. linking to the results of a search engine is no diff than telling someone to look it up themselves. you have been shown real data and you continue to link to blogs and other opinion pieces. if you have data, just share the data. no one cares about the rest.lots of high fat cultures that are dropping like flies from endotoxemia.I’m not interested in listening to videos and taking notes to find the studies shared, and then finding the studies. I haven’t made you do that. Share the studies themselves–preferably RCT, not epidemiological–or forget it. I’m not interested.The studies are attached in the sources cited section below the video, there is a mass of information which is easily explained through the videos. If you have no interest in understanding the subject and are not interested in seeing how saturated fat plays a vital role in endotoxemia, then so be it. The whole point of this website is for just that.So the first and third studies have to do with T2 diabetics, while the middle one is an in vitro study. How does that apply to normal people who eat grass fed meat and sat fat as part of a whole foods diet? How does that apply to vegans who eat coconut oil? And it’s news to me that even diabetics might have issues with endotoxemia from a high sat fat diet (as long as they are restricting carbs, especially high glycemic ones). Sorry, I don’t buy it. Studies I have seen (and linked above) show no such problems when an LCHF diet is used to treat T2 diabetes. I’m not trying to get you to eat meat or sat fat. You don’t want to, I get that. But you need better science than that to convince me that something humans have been eating for as long as we’ve been humans is suddenly a problem–in and of itself–for humans. It’s all about context. Show me data from a study that compares a whole foods paleo omnivore diet with a whole foods Paleo vegan diet that shows the meat eaters have a problem with endotoxemia and you’ll have my attention. Otherwise, you need to stop singling out one factor out of the many possible causes.Clearly you are missing the point, and your dogma has limited your outlook on information. I encourage you to explore this site as to be fully educated on the matter. I will leave you to this because responding to your endless comments has not been effective and you are stuck in your train of thought because you want to be.dude, you appear to think that greger is some sort of god. and it is -you- saying that she could be ‘fully educated’ by a single source. she isnt the one stuck in a train of thought because she wants to be.you should get out [of this website] more.Sure. MY dogma has limited MY outlook. Well here’s another article that calls your dogma into question: http://www.theheart.org/article/1541231. Sorry, I’ve seen some of the videos Dr. McGregor puts out on this site and I find the science in them less than compelling.How do you define a plant based diet, Toxins? You’ve been asked at least three times now, and given your passion for the site, one would expect you to be eager to answer. It’s not like you’re being asked to provide data on whole food diets, you’re just being asked for YOUR definition.What @Real World Vegan said.This is further, and the most compelling evidence linked saturated fat and animal products together with chronic disease. It is in depth and detailed. If you are not pleased with this then it is pure blindness. The issue of endotoxemia is ubiquitous under whole foods eating as to SAD eating.Yes, my comment about Atkins was meant in a lighthearted way. I think laughter is a good way to end a petty argument. Best of luck to all of you with your dietary research and experimentation!I thought you might be interested to know that I may have cracked the case with paleo huntress and real world vegan.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/#comment-1044409931They are the same personI had suspected as much. Her/its sole purpose is to disrupt meaningful discussion on this forum board so I’ve pretty much given up on non anonymous posting. Surely NF can do something about such abusers, and at least delete or edit posts with personal information in them.You are making the very same point that RWV was making but you seem to not know it. The fact that someone blogs cannot universally credit or discredit them as valid sources. So you pointing to Margaret’s link and automatically dismissing it because it’s a blog would be the same as dismissing Dr. Greger, as this is also a blog.It seems you just missed the analogy.I didn’t realize studies found in the national library of medicine which collects papers from peer reviewed journals was untrustworthy and in fact not peer reviewed. Thank you for your enlightening comment.youre welcome.they do include opinion pieces, unpublished data and unreviewed data. just because you find a citation there doesnt mean its peer-reviewed and gold standard, dude. its just a library. you still have to read it yourself before you can know if its valid.Thank you, @Real World Vegan. I was going to point out that this is a blog post, too, but you beat me to it. :)Butter is a health food also. Cholesterol IS GOOD for us even the so called bad cholesterol .Lard, beef tallow, coconut oil, butter are real food and the best to cook with!!!! But with pasture fed animals not conventional animals.Hear, hear!Don’t forget that almost all satfats also contain transfats even though not hydrogenated, see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/.very true. still, if we look at CLA [conjugated linoleic acid] the natural trans fat, it appears to be a very healthy fat. the human gut makes it from plant fats too.“There is one trans-fat that is actually a healthy fat. We rarely mention this when dealing with the public because it is too confusing–since 99.99 percent of trans fats (man-made) are bad, we just say no trans fats. We should technically say no “man made” trans fats, because these are the hydrogenated oils that everyone knows about and are really, really bad stuff.However there is ONE naturally occurring trans-fatty acid made in the bodies of ruminants. It’s found in GRASS FED beef and products made from grass-fed animals (like grass-fed butter). The fat is called CLA (conjugated linolenic acid) it has been found to have significant ANTI-cancer properties and in some studies an anti-obesity effect (reduces abdominal fat). It is a GOOD fat. That’s the trans-fat they’re referring to on the label your reader saw–you want that to be there! Unfortunately, with all the public proclamations about the dangers of trans-fat, this one exception gets lost in the shuffle.” -Dr. Jonny Bowden, PhD, C.N.S., nationally known expert on weight loss and nutrition, MA in psychology, PhD in nutrition, board certified by the American College of Nutrition, holds 6 national certifications in personal trainingif we had to look at credentials, this guy is about as expert as they come.Indeed. Again, well done.Concerned person: Don’t drink that hemlock tea! It’s chock full of toxins!Paleo troll: but it’s pasture raised using grass-fed manure and has water and vitamin c in it, those are actually good for you in pure form or when applied topically to mongolian hampsters with cancer. Here are all the peer reviewed articles to prove it. Besides I hate the vegans who visit this site and maybe they will drink it and all die!CP: Sorry PT, not buying it. Hope no one else does either.What are you playing at Dan? You are calling me a troll but then “following” me here. I got this message three times tonight,“Hi Paleo Huntress. You have a new follower on Disqus.Dan Lundeen”The only reason someone would follow someone they disagree so vehemently with would be to specifically troll them. What’s your game?huntress, i think he was addressing me, but it is weird that he keeps following you when he claims to despise us pro-paleos. when i googled him last week, there was even a post where he was bashing another vegan he disagreed with, and was inciting contempt from others in trashing the default icon the site assigned to her. it seems like mr lundeen isnt a very nice guy if he disagrees with you. but the peeps in this forum dont see the real dan because he agrees with most of them.WARNING – PALEOZOMBIE ALERT – Vast swaths of the comment board below (or above if you are viewing oldest first) appear to have been overrun! Dr. Greger literally wrote the book on paleo, or I should say the unscientific basis for it, see http://www.atkinsexposed.org and http://www.amazon.com/Carbophobia-Scary-Truth-Americas-Low-Carb/dp/1590560868, so he’s not going to address any of the foolish comments made on each and every one of the 1500+ videos by those attempting, and failing miserably with obvious logical errors of both formal and informal nature, replete with ad hominems, to impugn his fine work and that of his full-time research staff, for which I and nearly all of this site’s visitors here are rather appreciative (!!!) and fully support with generous financial and other contributions to spread the word.He’s already killed the low carb conversation many times over, yet the paleowoo, e.g., the ridiculous claims that cholesterol and saturated fats are good for you and grains, seeds and legumes are universally bad, keeps showing up like a B movie. And he’s posted 1500+ videos on this site and provided them in a searchable database, so if one of the paleosnarks mentions some hairball idea that Dr. Greger has already debunked on multiple occasions, it’s fair game to refer the poster to other places in this site where the topic might be more appropriately discussed. The videos (other than the hour-long annual presentations) will include a tab where you can see the transcript if you find Dr. Greger’s entertaining productions personally offensive, and a tab with links to the scientific articles.Sometimes, the paleoposters may have or may at least appear to have some common ground with the nutritionfacts.org defenders on things like food additives, GMOs, organic veggies, milk, refined oils/carbs and maybe even the outsized nature of the gut microbiota that makes even identical twins with their own enterotypes much different people that respond quite differently to the same nutritional inputs. After all there can be no disagreement that we are NOT ‘evolved to’ take supplements, eat chemical-laced foodstuffs or stay indoors most of the time.Perhaps it is also the case that such common ground is a reason for celebration and joint action. Nevertheless, sometimes civilly and other times not so much, the low-carbers, fresh from the argument clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQFKtI6gn9Y, will express disagreement on things, usually taking issue with any mention of cholesterol, saturated fats or another one of the plethora of known meat baddies (for one, see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/ and http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12931&page=105), and they are absolutely horrified by any mention of one of the many well-established benefits of whole grains and legumes for the vast majority of the population, see e.g., http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/. Other times, when overwhelmed with facts and logic, the low-carber(s), with the cowardice of anonymity and/or multiple web aliases, will launch into ad hominems – vicious personal attacks on Dr. Greger, his staff or more commonly one of the valiant defenders of this site (including not-so-veiled threats that hopefully are reported to the appropriate authorities).That is not to say that there are not some good comments and worthwhile discussion below/above – there are! – or that you should be fearful of posting a question or wading into discourse; however, the casual visitor should be alert to the presence of avowed vegan-haters posting impolite comments, lies and disinformation.Meanwhile, the tide is rising for folks adopting a whole-food, plant-based, healthy, ethically uplifting, and environmentally aware lifestyle, even as the unfortunate consumers of animal products and processed foods suffer ever worsening health and sadly, a premature diminishment of their ranks.you got some mad c&ping skills there too dude. doesnt your firm give you a secretary for that stuff?paleo and low carb are not the same. just like the plant based SAD of the typical american and the plant based whole food diet are not the same. what is the point of continuing to go on about it? i think you are trying to look clever but it just makes you look like you cant learn anything new.http://youtu.be/k2JbTtJ3AeoI’m really working at being polite, but you don’t make it easy, Dan. Considering this comment you left for Margaret last week,“That link is a blog post not a peer reviewed article; don’t waste our time.-the idea that you’d post an entire list of links to blog posts and other pieces that are not “peer reviewed” is just so utterly duplicitous and deceitful.Please don’t waste out time.Dan,You know your argument is powerful and truthful when the opposing argument is so threatened that it renames itself as your nemesis and pastes the same diatribe into several threads you’ve commented in. That is what fear looks like, Dan.This can’t be what they taught you in law school.In response to:~PaleoZombieSlayer, formerly known as Dan LundeenAww w Laurie I didn’t know you cared! Or should I say your Pale Huntress blog personality. Much better than your bodybuilder Real World Vegan blogposts, he keeps calling me “dude”! You really had me going thinking the forum was overrun and now we know who you really are, just one paleotroll giving your other blog post personalities all those up votes. There can’t really be that many people with brains who are taken in by all those lean-not diet gurus, Courdain, Taubes, Rivera, Wheatbelly, Atkins ((may his soul at least be lean and free of heart disease), etc. Anyhow I’d love to chat but there’s just no meaning in it for me anymore. Maybe you can try a new alias, but I’m not going to feed the LR, PH or RWV trolls anymore. Have a nice life.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23674795/ Ah, perhaps SFA aren’t so bad after all. Note the mention of coconut oil.And a review: http://www.nutrition-clinic.com/resources/Adv%20Nutr-2013-Lawrence-294-302.pdf Conclusion, first paragraph:“Saturated fats are benign with regard to inflammatory ef- fects, as are the MUFAs. The meager effect that saturated fats have on serum cholesterol levels when modest but ade- quate amounts of polyunsaturated oils are included in the diet, and the lack of any clear evidence that saturated fats are promoting any of the conditions that can be attributed to PUFA makes one wonder how saturated fats got such a bad reputation in the health literature. Thei nfluence of di- etary fats on serum cholesterol has been overstated, and a physiological mechanism for saturated fats causing heart disease is still missing.”this is one of the reviews that convinced us to give coconut oil a try. so far so good.I know that coconut oil is bad for one’s cholesterol and heart health, but can it help us lose weight? I read ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18326600 ) that medium-chain triglycerides, such as are found in coconut oil, generate more weight loss than the triglycerides found in olive oil, for instance. Even if lifetime consumption of coconut oil is unwise, can it be used safely and in moderation to burn off unwanted body fat?The comparison between the 2 is really not substantial because both of these foods are not considered healthful and should not be consumed. Even so, after 16 weeks the the results are not breathtaking. The olive oil group lost 1.4 kg and the coconut oil group lost about 3.2 kg.Even worse, “As part of the weight-loss program, the subjects were counseled to reduce their caloric intakes to 1500 kcal/d for women and 1800 kcal/d for men.” So it makes it even more difficult to assert that it was indeed the oils that caused the weight loss.On top of all that, they were counseled on how to eat healthier. “The counseling sessions followed the EatRight Weight Management program developed at UAB. Briefly, the EatRight program is a 12-wk program that teaches good nutrition habits and provides tips for better weight control and weight loss. Four lessons were added to the basic program to account for the longer duration of this weight-loss study.”Based on this, I think its difficult to make the sound assertion that coconut oil or even the olive oil contributed to the weight loss with the calories being cut and the newer, healthier eating habits.This reminds me of a similar study that concluded the same results yet the design is questionable. Forty obese women cut their food intake by 200 calories a day and exercised four days a week. Half of them used two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 240 calories’ worth) every day in their cooking and the other half used soybean oil.After three months, both groups had lost the same amount of weight, about two pounds. To me this is not at all significant, and it could very well be attributed to the loss of calories as well as the exercise, not the oil.http://www.meltbutteryspread.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Effects-of-Dietary-Coconut-Oil-on-the-Biochemical-and-Anthropometric-Profiles-of-Women-Presenting-Abdominal-Obesity.pdfI suggest you buy the coconut itself. It’s the fibre that counts. The oil and liquids together with the fibre represents optimum the benefits from coconut. Like all natural foods, the body knows what to do with thr whole and not with the part. Eg orange juiice is fructose (an alcohol poison) and the fibre and H2O is the anecdote – together you have huge benfits because the body recvognises the parts and is designed to deal with the whole.You are calling fruit juice the “whole”? Fiber’s benefit where it comes to citrus fruits is in it ability to encapsulate the “poisonous” fructose and slow down its passage into the blood stream. Once juiced or blended, the fructose is free and the fiber is pretty useless. I’m this family though, we eat the fresh meat AND cool with the flour (fiber) and the milk, and the oil. We snack on creamed coconut too (not the sugar-filled stuff in a can)ROFL. I have used coconut oil for years and years and am in excellent health. I use it for my face and body, in cooking, for tinctures, medicine.Trust me, organic coconut oil is amazing. We need fats, our brains need it, our bodies need it. People are dying and sick because they are not getting anything they need because the medical industry that profits on sickness is telling them to avoid the sun and things like coconut oil! DUH.The only 2 fats we need are omega 6 and 3. Unfortunately, people already get too much omega 6 and coconut oil does not even have omega 3. Coconut oil has the fat that we absolutely do not need, and is not healthful, that being saturated fat. Health can be objective. From the National Academy of Science:“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions; they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither an AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids. There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acid intake increases CHD risk”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422It is quite healthful and we have plenty of data supporting this. Regarding whether we “need” it or not, that’s rather moot. It provides an energy source that is almost instant, that bypasses the need for bile too, so people with gallbladder issues and/or diabetes gain tremendous benefit from eating it. Regarding things we “absolutely do not need”, shall we look at whether or not the body has any “need” for carbohydrate? It isn’t essential in ANY way. Health can be objective.Present the data, lets see how saturated fat improves health.The body uses carbohydrates most efficiently for energy, and I do not know of long term evidence showing that carbohydrate restriction promotes health. Please demonstrate how whole grains are the scourge of modern society, please do share your pseudo science. Maybe you can create a couple other user accounts as you have done in the past and have fake allies to help you back your claims. I am sure you can resurrect yourself as “real world vegan”, you and yourself, and perhaps another you can handle this appropriately. I expect a prompt, highly caustic and scathing reply from you, as this is how you always react when threatened. I also expect denial, denial, denial. Please do continue as you do, pretending to be an unbiased, educated “researcher” of nutritional science. Clearly you are.This page is covered in citations supporting the benefits. I’ll not repost every time your low fat brain forgets.The data has been presented by me and others throughout this thread. That your low-fat brain can’t retain it, is your own problem to deal with. Click the magical “Load more comments” button for a refresher.Also, cite some data rather than a nutrition textbook. The entire nutrition education industry was created and is funded by cereal agriculture.I have been eating some cocoanut oil so found this post interesting. As of last year we started eating only grass fed beef when we eat beef. That is about once a week. We eat mostly olive, peanut or walnut oils and butter from grass fed cows. Anyhow, I just got my cholesterol tested and it has lowered since switching to the grass fed beef by 30 points. That was my only change and I was happy with the change since I had thought it might be higher. I had been ill a lot this past year and didn’t exercise as much as usual.Is virgin coconut oil better than canola oil?yes every oil is very best for our natural skin carehttp://dailyhealthpost.com/8-medically-based-reasons-to-consume-coconut-oil-every-day/Dr. Greger hasn’t been keeping current on dietary lipid research. Coconut oil contains primarily laric acid, which raises both HDL and LDL, but lowers the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL. A study also looked at Pacific Islanders who switched from a diet high in coconut fat to one low in fat: their incidence of CVD went up when they discontinued the coconut oil.The total cholesterol : HDL ratio is a better predictor than total cholesterol alone, and there is a wealth of recent research indicating that all saturated fats do not equally affect the plasma lipid profile. Dr. Greger is correct that beef is best avoided, but there are other components to beef besides saturated fats that may explain it’s cardiac toxicity.It’s just not so simple as “saturated fats = bad,” which those who follow the research have known since the late 90s.Postgrad Med. 1990 Jan;87(1):13, 16. Cholesterol myth club on par with flat earth society. Griffin GC. Are you serious in citing this? It’s from 1990! No new insights in 24 years? A plant based diet does not lead to clogging of arteries is what was discoverd in the last 24 years. So why would coconut oil be bad for your arteries? LDL is just a part of the whole story: we do not know enough about all the interdependecies to be sure that under any circumstance LDL is the only thing that matters!Hi, I have been rubbing coconut oil into my skin daily and have started to feel pretty sick with low back pain. with blood works my potassium has come back high. Could this be the coconut?I just read through most of this thread, and even though it’s a year old, I feel compelled to comment. Lots of really interesting points, and all very thought provoking, so not that this is necessary, or even valid, but just another thought.I’m about to turn 62 and have battled obesity, and all that goes along with it, all of my adult life, eventually “dieting” my way to over 300 lbs. Not surprisingly, around 5 years ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes, and upon quickly gaining even more weight after starting the meds and realizing they were as bad as the disease itself, I finally woke up! I went on a mission to improve my health, instead of just weight loss, and did a whole lot of research. The path I chose not only eliminated diabetes in less than a month, but also allowed me to drop about 150 lbs and rid myself of all the negative health issues and finally find equilibrium! I’ve refined what I learned to the best fit for me, but the why is as important as the what. I initially went with what seemed to get the best results the quickest, and for me that was a whole foods, low fat, plant based diet. I tried varying the C/P/F ratios and through the experience came to some “obvious” realizations that are perhaps too simplistic and not very factual, but make sense to me and help guide me in the choices I continue to make.I choose to be vegan for various reasons, but I believe our bodies have evolved to utilize the foods that were available to us in nature, and all the controversy over whether we are vegetarian, omnivore, or something in between is just silly. We are, and have always been, opportunists…the flagrant success of our species attests to the fact that our *natural diets* can be widely varied, and we have adapted over time to whatever we found available to eat, that didn’t kill or sicken us. To decide my personal food choices, I like to imagine being plucked out of our modern lives, and randomly plopped down in the wilds somewhere… depending on where, of course, there would be different choices available. It just makes sense to me that the foods that are the easiest to procure would make up the greatest portion of this diet. Of course we would also learn to seek out, as a harder to get treat, what tastes the most amazing…we are hardwired to prefer certain tastes (That used to be an exception, though today it’s the rule, and I personally think it is all these man-made foods and their processing that are the cause of all our epidemic ill health.)I’m sure our ancient “grazing” included all kinds of things we might not even recognize today, or even “food” we might scoff at, like insects, and carrion left behind by real carnivores (which might even be how and why we learned to hunt). Green plants, tubers, fruits, seeds, including nuts, legumes & grains, whatever we could get our hands on, became our food! In this scenario, however, assuming no prior knowledge, I see no reason or advantage to taking the trouble to squeeze the oil out of anything and carry it around with me, rather than just eating the food it belongs to, nor do I envision exploiting the mammaries of other species! What we learn or observe later, notwithstanding, I doubt either practice made any sense in context of how we actually evolved, so I see either as unnecessary. This just seems like common sense to me, and I realize these are assumptions, but it is still how I decide what to base the majority of my diet on. I am interested in all the science behind diet, but I don’t stress over it because the basics seem simple to me… If I can’t find it in nature, I should probably avoid it. If it has been altered by man, likewise! We need to get back to basics and realize that we truly are what we eat, and our health focus needs to be prevention, not rescue via drugs! I believe it is the manipulation of our food that is killing us, compounded by trying to remedy that with pharmaceuticals!!!So I guess maybe diabetes was the best thing that could have happened to me! I was forced to rethink a whole lot, including my definition of FOOD, and redefine my relationship with it. I know I don’t have all the answers, but the debate about which fat is good or bad falls on it’s face in my world, because it doesn’t exist in isolation from the food it is part of. And just because I can eat living creatures and the products they can provide, doesn’t mean I think I should. Maybe I’m wrong, but it feels right to me, and my body and my mind are at peace with my food choices. For the first time ever, I feel balance and harmony, which may be nearly as important as what I actually eat? Well, better late than never, in any event. May you all find the same, and the best of health, whatever your guiding principles!What do you think about fresh coconut meat? And coconut milk. I moved to Thailand this year and i am surrounded by coconut! Is the meat healthier? Is the hand made milk better than the canned coconut milk?I have been using coconut oil as a supplement for 2 years. My most recent cholesterol showed an hdl of 101 and ldl of 64. Full disclosure, I have also been eating a fair amount of buffalo during that time. For me coconut oil is good. For anyone butter is much better than margarine.Dr. Gregger, I am mostly convinced about refined oils being a health hazard but I would love to hear what you have to say about science such as this?http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11745-010-3418-z?no-access=trueButter vs MargarineThis is an article comparing butter and margarine! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10337856Personally don’t get this – how there are still some people who don’t seem to have looked at the myriad of studies on coconut oil that show it’s countless benefits – this guy is looking only at cholesterol for God’s sake and everyone still goes crazy around cholesterol whilst forgetting that there are good and bad anyway. To me this sounds more like the sort of stuff put out by the margarine industry in the 70’s trying to stop people eating coconut oil – at the same time as the studies, for instance, on cattle at the time were showing ‘ll the animals getting leaner, smarter and healthier from coconut oil – don’t buy the whole cholesterol – plus using buyer is generally a bad comparison anyway as butter itself is already one of the healthiest there is – check out some studies on grass fed butterThanks Harry. I intend to update the research on coconut oil so stay tuned! If you ever have any citation feel free to post them here. If you want to see any of my posts on this topic just let me know. Sorry for the delay.Best regards, Joseph	Alzheimer's,Alzheimer’s Association,atherosclerosis,bad cholesterol,clinical nutrition,clogged artereris,coconut oil,heart disease,LDL,medical community,medical school,saffron,saturated fat,stearic acid	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2296560,
PLAIN-201	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/	Do Vegans Get More Cavities?	A diet high in saturated fat, which can clog our arteries and lead to inflammation, is  considered a key underlying causal factor for periodontal diseases like gingivitis. This may explain why chronic gum disease is associated with sexual dysfunction. By looking in your mouth your dentist may find out more about you than you realize! We know impotence can be reversed with a more plant-based diet; what about periodontal disease? A new study I feature in my 2-min video Plant-Based Diets: Oral Health found that higher intake of high-fiber foods, especially fruits, may at least slow periodontal disease progression. A healthy diet may also protect the sexual function of women. So what is a safe intake for cholesterol and saturated fat? See my video Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. For oral cancer it’s a no-brainer. According to the latest review in the journal of the American Dental Association highlighted in my video, “Evidence supports a recommendation of a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables as part of a whole-foods, plant-based diet.” The foods found most protective include raw and green/leafy vegetables, tomatoes, citrus, and carrots. Citrus fruits are acidic, though. Fine, less oral cancer, but what about the health of the teeth themselves? Might eating lots of sour fruit erode our enamel? Early case reports that raised red flags involved unusual circumstances like sucking on lemon wedges. See my video Plant-Based Diets: Dental Health for pictures of what happens when you give your preschool child a banana to suck on as a pacifier or juice 18 oranges a day for over a decade (if you dare!). The conventional wisdom has been that fruit juice may be bad for our teeth, but whole fruit is fine. This was challenged recently. The ability of fruits and their juices to erode enamel appears to be similar. For the chart that compares grapes to grape juice, carrots to carrot juice, oranges to orange juice, apples to apple juice, and tomatoes to tomato juice, click here. Now fruits and fruit juices weren’t as bad as soda—Diet Coke takes the title for softening teeth the quickest. But it was a surprise that fruits and their juices had comparable effects. The Dental Association put an interesting spin on it: If eating fruits and vegetables whole has the same demineralizing effect as juice, they argued, then hey, maybe fruit juice is not so bad at all! Of course the glass-half-empty interpretation of fruit being as erosive as juice may be that fruit is worse than we thought for our enamel. Indeed, the latest research on whether the consumption of fruit is cavity-causing found that the frequency of fruit consumption was associated with higher odds of cavities, though they acknowledge that the role of fruit sugars in initiating dental cavities in humans has long been a subject of debate. Those eating plant-based diets may have less disease of the tissues surrounding the teeth, but if people who eat a lot of fruit get more cavities, then what about the health of the teeth themselves? Though vegetarians and vegans don’t have more cavities than those eating more conventional diets, they may have greater signs of acid erosion on their teeth (as documented in two studies I run through in my dental health video). So what should people do? There are a number of foods and drinks that have the potential to cause dental erosion, both unhealthy foods like soda and sour candy, as well as healthy foods like fresh fruit and certain herbal teas. In the biggest study to date, consuming citrus fruits more than twice a day was associated with 37 times greater odds of dental erosion compared to those who consumed citrus fruits less often. It also appears risky to consume apple cider vinegar or sports drinks once a week or more and soft drinks daily. These habits resulted in the odds of erosion being ten, four, and four times greater, respectively, than when the habit did not exist. How can we get the benefits of healthy foods like citrus while minimizing the risks of dental erosion? The most important thing is that we should never brush right after we eat sour fruit. We should wait at least 30 minutes. Acid softens our enamel such that if we brush right away we can actually brush away some of our teeth! I profile a study where they had some folks swish an acidic solution (Diet Sprite) and then brush immediately after, or 10, 20, 30 or 60 minutes after. Drinking soda without brushing at all can lead to some enamel loss, but we may double or triple that damage if we brush our teeth when they’re in the acidified softened state. The researchers suggest we should wait at least 30 minutes and probably a whole hour afterwards to be safe. The simple solution is that after eating anything sour we should rinse our mouth with water to help neutralize the acid. So should we avoid healthy foods like citrus? No! We just need to rinse. What’s so great about citrus? See for example: More on oral health in: Anything else people eating healthy diets should be aware of? The most important consideration is vitamin B12. See my blog posts Vitamin B12: how much, how often? and Vegan B12 deficiency: putting it into perspective. 	#Smiling :-) at your Pearly White information!I’ve been on plant-based since June last year but I’ve got gum disease and my bones have been shrinking from my front teeth on my mandible causing loose teeth. What causes this? And what can help, Dr. Greger?Are you eating plenty of green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, arugula for plant based calcium? Maybe add some whole sesame seeds too, which contain tons of calcium. Add Natto or MK-7 supplements to your diet to make sure all that calcium gets to your bones and teeth.Also, watch out for vinegar as it can make your mouth acidic and cause tooth decay. Always rinse your mouth out thoroughly after eating and brush an hour later. Too much fruit can also cause your mouth to lose the proper PH. Rinse, rinse, rinse…I still have cavities. But I think its because of me eating corn crackers with organic peanut butter every day, like 6 a day (at tops 1 tablespoon peanut butter a day). All the rest is plant based, high raw (85%)Hi Ann, Corn crackers may have a double whammy since both corn and crackers are carbohydrates and break down into sugars in our body. http://tinyurl.com/m9rraznMy cavities ceased when I made choices like eating a serving of organic rice, quinoa, or frozen (and heated) organic corn with my beans instead of snacking on chips or crackers with nut butters. Corn, btw, is genetically modified with organisms of other species or kingdoms in order to resist more herbicides as well as to be an insecticide in the body of the insect or animal who eats it. And Roundup, the herbicide made by Monsanto, is corrosive to metal. No telling what it can do to our teeth when it builds up in food and into water supplies.I’ve changed my way of eating since learning about the politics of food in North America.Occasionally I eat almond butter smeared on a banana. After devouring this, I swish my mouth out with carbon filtered water, This has me eliminate cavities… thus far.I think it’s the choices we make whether or not we eat vegan.I have been on a whole food plant based diet for 4 years and have noticed that I have better oral health now than I did before. The PH of my saliva is more basic than that of my non-plant based children. And the PH recovery after eating citrus food is surprising. My saliva PH is actually higher right after eating oranges than before eating oranges.I think the whole oral health issue is correlated with bone loss in non-plant based people. Teeth are like bones and if your diet is making your body acidic – there are more things than your bones that are de-calcifying…. it might be your teeth too! Anyone want to do a study on that?Hats off to you, Dr. Greger, for an excellent article. Thanks for the very useful information.I’ve been avoiding sucking on fruit and drinking sugary or diet soft drinking for 50 years, but that did not stop me from getting cavities until I changed my diet to vegan to reduce pain and inflammation from osteoporosis. I have used fluoride toothpastes when brushing all along. But that did not alter the cavities received prior to going vegan.For me, eating dark leafy green veggies instead of consuming dairy seems to have reduced my cavities from one or two per visit to zero, which was noticed by both my dentist and periodontist. I’ve had no increased dental health issues from eating vegan, as well.I find that very interesting, I have a son who is only four years old and he has nine cavities. At his last visit at about eight or nine months ago, he had no visible cavities. Everything I have read so far has led me to believe that to heal cavities one has to consume meat, dairy, etc. I find your comment encouraging and would like to ask if you would mind sharing your diet tips with me.Drinking a glass of water with fruit can help wash away some of that citric acid.As a paleo template advocate, I’m not a supporter of the WAPF. But frankly, when the man found that the cultures eating diets containing SIGNIFICANT levels of animal protein and saturated fat were the ones with the least dental disease, it’s really hard to make an argument that saturated fat causes it- otherwise in those cultures eating more than 3/4 animal foods , we’d expect to find them toothless.Sorry Doc, this one doesn’t even get off the ground.Too funny: Just read the comments and look for her:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/That was funny. It just shows that she was hunted down and called out for no reason–or, in other words, simply because she disagreed with others. That’s a shame but it seems that monotone policy is the way this works here.I’ve been on a plant based diet for nearly 4 years. I’ve been able to go from a 6 month dental check up to a yearly check up. I think I could scale it back even more. The hygienist says my teeth look great, very little plaque. I think I’ve had one small cavity in that time. I don’t eat a lot of citrus though.After 3 years on a plants only diet my husband’s chronic gingivitis has magically disappeared.This is something we were not expecting. Plants are curing inflammation in the gums which tells me that inflammation elsewhere in the body that we are not aware of is also being healed.I love stories like this! Thanks for taking the time to post. And your conclusion sure makes sense to me!It took an entire three years? Forgive the criticism, its really awesome that the inflammation is gone, but the fact that it took three years is not exactly a ringing endorsement for pb diets.Oh dear I should have been more careful in my wording! I should have said we have been eating a plant based diet for 3 years and my husband has just told me that his gingivitis has disappeared. He has recently been to the dentist and this brought to his attention that it was better. Sometimes when people have a condition that is intermittent they don’t immediately notice when it goes away.~nods~ I know just what you mean. Has it been three years since your husband last saw the dentist too?Why are you so aggressive? Are you the Richard Dawkins of paleo food? I am simply posting an interesting anecdote on a site where there are people who may be interested.I am not trying to prove anything!GoingVeganUK,I once suffered a foot injury and ended up with plantar fasciitis that was pretty debilitating. I know that for months it was really obviously uncomfortable, but it faded away so gradually that I can’t say when it was actually healed. This is what I referred to when I said I know just what you mean.You said your husband had recently been to the dentist, and in thinking about how most people go once or twice a year, it occurred to me to ask if he’d been to see him prior to this last visit. This kind of stuff fascinates me and I like to try and suss out possible cause. I wasn’t trying to be aggressive, and I’m sorry if it sounded that way. I hope you’ll accept my apology.What helps me is brushing my teeth with a xylitol-based tooth paste like Tooth Builder or Squiggle Enamel Saver *before* eating sour fruit. Or simply rinsing my mouth with with a xylitol solution (xylitol plus water) after eating fruit, since brushing right away would destroy the enamel. There is a book on this topic called Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye, written by a dentist, if anyone’s interested.	acid erosion,American Dental Association,apples,beef,carrots,cavities,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,chronic gum disease,citrus,citrus fruit,dairy,dentist,enamel erosion,fiber,fruit,fruit juice,gingivitis,grapes,high-fiber food,impotence,leafy vegetables,meat,oral cancer,oral care,oral disease,oral health,periodontal disease,plant-based diet,raw,saturated fat,sexual dysfunction,soda,tomatoes,vegan,vegetables,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-202	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/	Head Shrinking from Grilling Meat	A year ago I posted a two minute video entitled Carcinogens in the Smell of Frying Bacon, in which I described the ability of the fumes generated by frying meat to mutate DNA. This helped explain both the increased risk of respiratory tract cancer among cooks as well as the lower proportion of deaths from respiratory diseases and lung cancer among vegetarians. If you are going to cook something like bacon and eggs, the barbeque people have the right idea—do it outdoors in the fresh air. Up to 10 times the amount of particles are deposited deep into the lung of individuals cooking indoors compared to outdoors. Pregnant women, newborns, and young children may be at particular risk. In my 4-min video Meat Fumes: Dietary Secondhand Smoke I show that the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the vapors released from cooking meat may not only increase the risk of cancer, but also be hazardous for fetal development. Pregnant women exposed to the grilling of meat—even if they don’t eat it—appear to give birth to babies with a weight deficit and a smaller head circumference. Even just living next door to a restaurant preparing meat may pose a hazard. Researchers estimated the excess cancer cases expected among neighbors of various types of restaurants—Chinese, American-style, and barbeque joints. Guess which was type of restaurant was the riskiest? See my video Meat Fumes: Dietary Secondhand Smoke to find out—you may be surprised! How else can we protect our lungs? See Preventing COPD With Diet and Treating COPD With Diet. And how else can we protect the next generation? Feel free to check out: 	Good to knowwould a pregnant woman want to avoid being in a kitchen where meat was being grilled, even once or twice during the length of the pregnancy?The 2012 Kracow, Poland study was really more about prenatal exposure to industrial / transport originated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs):Kracow seems a fairly polluted place (prenatal PAH exposures are 10 times greater than in NYC). The Kracow mother’s PAH exposure, mostly from not-kitchen sources and measured by air sampling backpacks, could account for 1.3% of birthweight variation.There’s a stronger case with respect to PAH exposure and cancer incidence. A few Chinese studies (1, 2, 3, 4) found higher risk of lung-cancer and markers of DNA damage for those exposed to cooking fumes, but you’ll note that much of elevated risk is attributed to cooking oil fumes rather than just the meat.Very interesting point about cooking oil fumes. Thanks again for taking the time to provide in depth responses to people’s questions. We are lucky to have you as a contributor!Isn’t air pollution, particulate matter, higher in cities?Thanks a lotDr Greger, Greetings. Truly appreciate the great material on the site. I had one simple question about Grilling – specially with the advent of spring season. Do you feel that Grilling is absolutely hazardous for health and should not be done in any case (to avoid any cancerous implications) or is there a safe side to grilling (for example if we can keep the temperature below 350 degree F or keep the grilling time brief or so on). I love grilling however, I am seriously considering junking my grill based on what I have read/seen in some of the material on this site :-). Kind Regards SJI don’t think you need to throw away the grill. Although the smoke can be harmful depending on what you’re grilling can make a big difference. If you grill I would do it on special occasions and avoid exposing pregnant women and children to excess smoke. See more of Dr. Greger’s videos in this blog for his take, especially his video on meat fumes and smoke.	bacon,barbeque,BBQ,birth weight,carcinogens,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,cooking meat,COPD,DNA,fetal development,frying meat,lung cancer,lung disease,lung health,meat fumes,mutations,newborns,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,pregnant women,respiratory tract cancer,restaurants,young children	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-203	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/18/broccoli-boosts-liver-detox-enzymes/	Broccoli Boosts Liver Detox Enzymes	Researchers just found out that the boost in detoxifying enzymes triggered by cruciferous vegetable consumption may last for weeks! Last spring in my post The Best Detox I described this amazing phenomenon in which a phytonutrient produced by broccoli can enhance the function of our so-called phase II enzyme system that aids in the excretion of foreign molecules. For example if you feed people broccoli and Brussels sprouts, they clear caffeine quicker as you can see in my 3-min video Prolonged Liver Function Enhancement From Broccoli. This means that if you eat a lot of these healthy vegetables you’d actually have to drink more coffee to get the same buzz because your liver is so revved up. What about the carcinogens that I wrote about in my last three posts, Estrogens in Cooked Meat, Avoiding Cooked Meat Carcinogens, and Foods That May Block Cancer Formation? In the studies on Long Island, women that established increased breast cancer risk in those eating grilled meats found that the risk appeared greatest in women with the low fruit and vegetable consumption. Maybe having a side of broccoli can help your body deal with the carcinogen load? Researchers decided to put it to the test. In my video Prolonged Liver Function Enhancement video I detail a study in which subjects were fed cooked meat meals with and without broccoli and Brussels sprouts. In the video you can see how dramatically the levels of these carcinogenic compounds circulating in their bodies drops. Now this wasn’t a surprise; that’s what cruciferous vegetables do—boost our liver’s ability to clear chemicals from our body. What blew the researchers away was the fact that when the veggies were taken away liver function remained enhanced–even two weeks later. So there appears to be a prolonged beneficial effect of cruciferous vegetable consumption. You can eat broccoli days or even weeks before the big barbeque and still retain some protection. Of course if you grill veggie burgers instead it would be a non-issue. Since heterocyclic amines are byproducts of muscle tissue reacting to high heat, you can even deep-fry plant foods and still none of these carcinogens are formed. For more on broccoli’s superpowers see my video Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True. You can overdo it, but apparently only at extremely high doses (see Liver Toxicity Due to Broccoli Juice, Overdosing on Greens, and How Much Broccoli Is Too Much?). 	But what about the polyunsaturated fats in veggie burgers? Would that be a problem if you fried or barbecued them?Why are you using that product if it has such additives? And “fried them”? Since when is a refined oil healthy cold or heated?Yes, any of the refined fats are a problem!Leave them out by using either a better product, or making bean burgers or mushroom burgers sans the additional refined fats and additives.What are the implications of this if you are on a medication that is processed through your liver?Before I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer I was on something called DIM for a while which said it detoxed and enhanced the elimination of estrogen. I didn’t take much as I was scared. In hindsight if I had eaten my brassica family raw I wouldn’t be diagnosed. The supplement is made from one of the metabolites of broccoli. Luckily for a year before diagnosis I was on natural progesterone. I am five years out natirally and call myself furious curious cancer survivor on google.Does it make a difference if the broccoli is cooked or eaten raw? Also, do you get the same effect by including broccoli in a blended concoction?Hopefully this will help…“Nitrate and nitrite levels in fresh and frozen broccoli. Effect of freezing and cooking;J.C. Huarte-Mendicoa,I. Astiasarán, J. BelloDepartamentode Bromatología, Toxicología y Tecnología de Alimentos, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Navarra, Irunlarrea, s/n, 31008, Pamplona, Spain”“Abstract:Nitrite and nitrate levels in broccolis coming from different cultures from the south of Navarra (Spain) were analyzed. Fresh products had only traces of nitrites and low levels of nitrates (48–97 ppm KNO3). Industrial freezing gave rise to an increase in the nitrate levels (127–232 ppm KNO3), probably as a consequence of high levels in the processing water. Cooking decreased nitrate levels (between 22 and 79%), there being no differences in the levels of reduction between fresh and frozen vegetables. Nitrite levels were scarcely affected either by freezing or by cooking.”And since the levels of nitrites/nitrates are so low, the value in chewing this particular veggie in order to ‘prime the proton pump’ facilitating nitric oxide production is minimal, it would seem that raw is best (especially broccoli sprouts – see the video Brocoli Sprouts here at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/) , but if cooking will increase one’s eating, steam it and minimize vitamin loss.Will broccoli intake mitigate the higher than average cadmium levels that vegans ingest? http://jacknorrisrd.com/cadmium-levels-in-vegans-zinc-supplements-and-alzheimers-disease/We can boost broccoli’s anti-cancer effects even more by eating it with mustard or horseradish. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913091559.htmI particularly appreciate your information on ‘the dangers of a vegan diet’ such as “overdosing on greens”. I am interested in fertilisers such as may be used on herbs for example. Can they be over-fertilised, as sometimes, even at farmers markets, they can look too green and have too strong a flavour. Perhaps they are erroniously grown out of season?	breast cancer,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,caffeine,carcinogens,cruciferous vegetables,detox,detoxifying enzymes,enzymes,fruits,heterocyclic amines,liver,liver health,phase II enzyme system,phytonutrients,plant-based diet,vegan,vegetables,vegetarian	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-204	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/16/dr-gregers-new-annual-year-in-review-presentation/	Dr. Greger's New Year-in-Review Presentation	Watch my new live presentation online at More Than an Apple a Day or order it on DVD (all proceeds to charity). Every year I scour the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition, pulling together what I find to be the most interesting, practical, and groundbreaking science on how to best feed ourselves and our families. I start with the 12,000 or so papers published annually on human nutrition and, thanks to a crack team of volunteers, I’m able to whittle those down to about 3,000 studies, which are downloaded, categorized, read, analyzed, and churned into a few hundred short videos. This allows me to post new videos and articles every day, year-round, to NutritionFacts.org. This certainly makes the site unique. There’s no other science-based source for free daily updates on the latest discoveries in nutrition. The problem is that the amount of information can be overwhelming. Currently I have videos covering 1,664 nutrition topics. Where do you even begin? Many have expressed their appreciation for the breadth of material presented, but asked that I try to condense this body of work into a coherent summary on how best to use diet to prevent and treat chronic disease. I took this feedback to heart and developed Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, which I’ve been presenting around the country over the past year. Thankfully, Aaron Wissner kindly volunteered to videotape it so now everyone can watch it. Not only did it rise to become one of the Top 10 Most Popular Videos of the Year, it remains my single most viewed video to date, watched by hundreds of thousands of people (NutritionFacts.org is now up to nearly a million hits a month!). Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death explored the role diet may play in preventing, arresting, and even reversing our top 15 killers. Or actually, if you recall, the top 16. Since side effects from prescription drugs kill an estimated 106,000 Americans a year, the sixth leading cause of death may actually be (*gulp*) doctors. And that’s just from adverse drug reactions. Add in medical mistakes (which the U.S. Institute of Medicine estimates kills at least 44,000) and that brings “healthcare” up to our country’s third leading cause of death. Throw in hospital-acquired infections, and we’re talking maybe 187,000 Americans dead every year (and millions injured) by medical care. The best way to avoid the adverse effects of medical and surgical treatments and tests is not to avoid doctors, but to avoid getting sick in the first place. So for my annual presentation this year I thought I’d run through the top dozen reasons people visit their doctors to highlight some of the latest research in hopes of moving me and my colleagues lower down the list of common killers. Thanks again to Aaron, More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases is now available online for free (as is all my work). To more easily navigate through the menu of diseases I cover in this new presentation, it is also available on DVD through my website or Amazon. If you want to share copies with others I have a five for $40 special. All proceeds from the sales of all my books, DVDs, and presentations go to the 501(c)3 nonprofit charity that keeps NutritionFacts.org free for all, for all time. If you want to support this initiative, please consider making a donation. 	I follow all you do Michael. Am a PhD biochemist and eat a whole foods plant based diet. Thank you for all you do.	DVD	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-205	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/11/new-dvd-on-the-latest-in-nutrition-all-proceeds-to-charity/	Latest in Clinical Nutrition Volume 14 Now on DVD	The newest volume of my Latest in Clinical Nutrition DVD series launches today. Order on my website or through Amazon (all proceeds go to keeping NutritionFacts.org up and running). The current batch of videos from volume 13 on NutritionFacts.org are set to run out soon, so starting mid-month and running through September I’ll be rolling out the videos from this new DVD, volume 14. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak-preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share them as gifts. However, there is nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up online free at NutritionFacts.org. If you’d like the whole (kale-filled) enchilada, I have a special on my complete DVD collection. Here’s the list of chapters from the new volume 14 DVD — a preview of what’s to come on NutritionFacts.org: If it looks appetizing, you can order the new DVD on my website or through Amazon In the last two DVDs I cut the chapter menus so I could pack in more content, but folks missed the ability to navigate around to each individual topic. So although this DVD is only 113 minutes long, the chapter menus are back by popular demand! Fundraising Update At NutritionFacts.org, every day is Independence Day. Independence from advertisers, from sponsors, from paid subscriptions, and from commercial influence. Please help me keep the site free for all, for all time. The DVDs bring in money to help keep NutritionFacts.org afloat. If you’re just going to wait to watch all the videos online individually — great! But please consider making a donation. Hundreds of viewers like you have already stepped up and helped out. Between 2012 end-of-year giving and what I’ve been able to raise so far this year, I have funds sufficient to pay total operating expenses through to mid-September. At this point I was really hoping to be set through the remainder of the year, so I can spend less time worrying about fundraising and more time focusing on the research at hand. To make your contribution to NutritionFacts.org Inc. (the 501(c)3 nonprofit charity set up to support the site) you can use a credit card, use a direct Paypal link, or send a check to “NutritionFacts.org” P.O. Box 11400 Takoma Park, MD 20913. Hundreds of thousands of people like you benefit every month from the free nutrition education they can get every day at NutritionFacts.org. Did you see the latest testimonial I posted last week? Read Fred’s inspiring story here. I hope you’ll consider chipping in. On the donate page you have the option to sign up for monthly donations, which really help us budget for the future. Anyone signing up to make at least a $10 monthly donation will receive complimentary sneak preview copies of my next two DVDs before they’re released to the public. Upcoming Conferences This month join me at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s International Conference on Nutrition and the Brain, where I’ll be speaking alongside two of my medical mentors, Drs. Neal Barnard and John McDougall. Then this fall I’m excited to also join Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn at Lifestyle Medicine 2013. 	-	DVD	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-206	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	Foods That May Block Cancer Formation	More than 85% of breast cancers are sporadic and attributable to long-term exposure to environmental carcinogens, such as those in the diet, through a multistep disease process progressing from non-cancerous to pre-cancerous to malignant stages. How can we interrupt this process? The chemical carcinogens formed in chicken, fish and other meats during cooking that I profiled in my last two posts Estrogens in Cooked Meat and Avoiding Cooked Meat Carcinogens are so effective at transforming normal human breast cells into breast cancer cells that researchers have used it as a model of cancer formation to test out various plant-based interventions. Visualize the Jekyll to Hyde breast cancer transformation here. For example, three recent meta-analyses (compilations of individual studies) reviewing all the epidemiological (population-based) evidence concerning green tea consumption and breast cancer risk concluded that green tea consumption may be protective. Well, now researchers can put it to the test. See my 3-min. video Cancer, Interrupted: Green Tea to see what green tea can do to block the transition towards breast cancer caused by the cooked meat carcinogens. More on the chemicals formed by exposing mammal/fish/bird muscles to high temperatures: Any other feats green tea can pull off? See Treating Genital Warts With Green Tea and Treating Gorlin Syndrome With Green Tea. Might white tea work even better? See Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea. Any other plants that might be able to smack on the cancer kibosh (besides broccoli of course: DNA Protection from Broccoli and Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells)? What about garlic? Watch my 4-min video Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids to find out. Should garlic be raw or cooked? See How can I preserve the anti-cancer effects of cooked garlic? I’ve previously profiled garlic in #1 Anticancer Vegetable (make sure to also watch its “prequel” Veggies vs. Cancer).  Other foods that may protect DNA include kiwifruit (Kiwifruit and DNA Repair), cruciferous vegetables (DNA Protection from Broccoli), leafy vegetables (Eating Green to Prevent Cancer), and plants in general (Repairing DNA Damage). What other dietary changes should we consider after a cancer diagnosis? See: 	Dr. Gerger’s posts on the adverse health effects of cooking meat seem to focus on cooking “muscles,” but I wonder if the same problems arise cooking other animal parts, i.e., liver, organs, etc. Might there be something different about cooking muscle tissue that other organ meats do/do not have? Could low heat cooking of a 100% grass fed, no hormone cow’s liver, say, be ok? Or say boiling bones from a similarly well-raised animal to make a stock?We do so pray that he is wrong about our favorite foods, do we not?Got that right, Patricia.Not really. I don’t enjoy meat and have no taste for liver, trust me on that; I’m just curious what the science would say since the term “muscles” was all that was specifically mentioned in Dr. Gerger’s videos summarizing the several research papers.Yep, another “inconvenient truth”.Liver for example, is the store house for toxic metals in the body. I learned this when I gave my first German Shorthair Pointer liver because it made her coat glow, her hair was soft and silky. Soft and silky fur is not something that German Shorthair Pointers are know for, but I attributed it to her diet. However, the downside of that liver, was she died of a cancer of the cells that line the blood vessels..whatever it was called. This was the first and last time I had ever fed liver to my pets. And, to think, my mother forced my brother and I to eat liver as children.oh but the magic of “grassfed” turns everything unhealthy into a health food! It’s magical!Umm… Sorry to have to mention this, but have you looked ^up^ recently? Even grass is being polluted by aluminum, barium, etc from chemtrails. See “What in the World are They Spraying?” on youtube. I still would eat LOW on the food chain, rather than eat animal organs that filter toxins. This poor planet.In the book,”The China Study” by T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M. Campbell II, MD, their research found that if a person eats 4 oz. of animal proteins, cancer will grow at a slower rate than if someone at 8 oz. of animal proteins. Another study was done with 2 oz.. of animal proteins and the cancer slowly disappeared. One more was done on an all plant based proteins and the cancer disappeared at a much faster rate. It’s important to detox, then you have to go to a 100% Holistic/Alkaline diet. No sugar. Sugar feeds infections and feeds cancer.I’m always annoyed when I read a headline that says “This (insert favorite food name here) MAY prevent (insert favorite disease here)” or “Eating so & so MAY cure cancer”, etc.	beef,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,broccoli,cancer,chemical carcinogens,chicken,cooked meat,cruciferous vegetables,environmental carcinogens,estrogen,fish,flavonoids,garlic,Green tea,kiwifruit,leafy vegetables,meat,plant-based diet,soy,tea,vegan,vegetarian,white tea	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-are-the-anti-cancer-effects-of-garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-207	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/	Avoiding Cooked Meat Carcinogens	When the muscles of mammals, fish, or birds are cooked at high temperatures carcinogenic chemicals called heterocyclic amines are created that may increase the risk of breast, colon, lung, pancreatic, and prostate cancer (see my last post Estrogens in Cooked Meat). Risky cooking methods don’t just include barbequing, frying, and grilling. Even just baking chicken at around 350o F for 15 minutes leads to significant production of these cancer-causing compounds. In my video Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens I showed that these cooked meat carcinogens may stimulate breast cancer cell growth nearly as much as pure estrogen. In PhIP: The Three Strikes Breast Carcinogen I showed that these chemicals may promote breast cancer invasiveness even more than estrogen. How do you decrease your exposure to these chemicals? As you can see in my 3-min. video Reducing Cancer Risk in Meateaters, fried bacon and fish are the worst, though skinless chicken breast might lead to the greatest exposure given its popularity.  Those eating out may find my video Fast Food Tested for Carcinogens useful, where chicken items from seven restaurant chains were tested to see which was worse—the answer may surprise you. And if there are carcinogens in roasted chicken, what about roasted coffee? See Carcinogens in Roasted Coffee? and Coffee and Cancer. Women who consume meat very well done, appear to be at nearly 5 times higher risk for breast cancer compared to women who consumed their meats rare or medium done. This, however, raises the so-called “paradox” of preparing meat noted by the Harvard Health Letter. Well-cooked and you risk cancer; undercooked and you risk E. coli food poisoning (a point I also make in Carcinogens in Roasted Chicken?). Eating boiled meat—not broiled, but boiled in water—is probably the safest. Studies show if you eat meat that never goes above 212 degrees Fahrenheit, both your urine and feces damage DNA significantly less than if you eat meat dry cooked at higher temperatures.  A similar study where they compared the excretion of carcinogens formed in processed meats can be found in Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat. PhIP is also found in cigarette smoke, diesel fumes, and incinerator ash, but because the highest levels in food are found in common meats, toxicologists lament “Exposure to PhIP is difficult to avoid because of its presence in many commonly consumed cooked meats, particularly chicken, beef and fish.”  But if you’re able to somehow dodge those meats (and don’t suck on a cigarette, tailpipe, or incinerator smokestack) maybe it’s not so difficult to avoid after all. The levels of heterocyclic amines flowing through one’s body may drop to zero after refraining from eating meat for just 24 hours. If you practice Meatless Mondays, by Tuesday, morning urine levels of PhIP and MeIQx—one the most potent mutagens ever tested—become undetectable. There are, however, ways even vegetarians may be exposed: cigarette smoke, eggs, cheese, and the popular sports supplement creatine. See my 4-min video Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine? for details. Caution may also be necessary with athletic protein supplementation. See Heavy Metals in Protein Powder Supplements. In general, Some Dietary Supplements May Be More Than a Waste of Money. Heterocyclic amines are not the only class of meat carcinogens also found in cigarette smoke. See my video When Nitrites Go Bad. While the body can detox itself of both nitrosamines and these cooked meat chemicals within hours or days, some pollutants found in meat can persist in the body. See Industrial Pollutants in Vegans, Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination, and How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs? 	I use my slow cooker alot…heat is low and cooked slow typically in liquid….any thoughts?If you’ve seen his video Uprooting The Leading Causes of Death, you’d know that even if you avoid these carcinogens by slow cooking, you still have a lot of problems to deal with. Animal protein isn’t healthy for your body. It’s responsible for the large spike in the “diseases of affluence” never seen before on such a massive scale until people started consuming animal products. Watch the video I mentioned (that he links in his PS paragraph) and you’ll see that your precautions don’t protect you completely from the health dangers of meat. Veganism is much healthier. Not to mention, if you can survive off a vegan diet and be healthy, why would you want to support needless cruelty to animals?If animal protein was so unhealthy for humans, why would it be the only way to get vitamin B12?Joxer the Mighty: That’s a common question and understandable given all the misinformation out there. But the truth is, meat is not the only way to get B12. Mammals do not make B12. Bacteria does. You can get B12 from natural (ie, dirty) water and even from unwashed veggies when grown in natural soil. You can get a whole lot of B12 from eating feces. (I have to wonder how much of the B12 modern meat eaters are getting really comes from feces soaked meat.) Of course, these are not safe sources of B12, any more than meat in general and animal protein in particular is.Here is a helpful article from Dr. Greger on B12 that explains a bit more. And there is some great videos on this site that also explain more about B12: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/25/vegan-b12-deficiency-putting-it-into-perspective/Do we know whether the same is true of cooking and eating insects?THE PERFECT DIETN.B: FAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MACRONUTRIENTIf you are overweight, pre-diabetic or diabetic, or not running on eight cylinders, you may be a victim of carbohydrate poisoning! The most killing diseases facing us today – including obesity – are a result of the overemphasis on carbohydrates. This can be corrected by grading and restricting carbohydrates – and emphasizing natural dietary fat and complete animal protein.Food is our fuel. Much depends on what we choose to eat. How long and how well we live depends on how we “fuel” our brain, heart, hormones, kidneys, liver, lungs, skin and bones. Human cells, tissues, and organs function optimally if they are provided what they need when they need it.It’s easy to argue that fat is the most important macronutrient. Our 70 trillion cells are protected by two layers of fat: lipid bilayers. Along with protein and water, fat – much of it saturated – is what our bodies are made of. Though included in our diets, carbohydrates should be chosen carefully and restricted in order to keep blood sugar in a narrow healthy range.For most people, carbohydrates should be restricted to about 60 grams daily, depending on any illness that may be present, or a consideration for a person’s environmental conditions. (A lumberjack will eat more than a tailor.) The body will more easily maintain itself and regenerate health if carbohydrates do not overwhelm hormone systems that keep blood sugar under tight optimum control.Carbohydrates (carbs) are sugars by another name. Carbohydrates are abundant in fruits, vegetables and grains – in boxed cereals – and in all floury or sweet packaged products. Remember, in the gut, even healthy-sounding broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini turn into glucose (blood sugar). Our biological requirement for carbohydrates is: Zero.Some foods are a combination of the three macronutrients. As an example, milk contains fat, protein, and carbohydrate. There is protein in many foods (beans, corn, grains, mushrooms, peas, seeds and nuts) but only animal foods (chicken, cheese, eggs, fish, organ meat, pork, and red meat) provide complete high value protein. (Egg white is pure protein.)The Perfect Diet emphasizes complete animal protein for the maintenance and regeneration of the body and high octane fats to provide energy for – among other things – the digestion and assimilation of protein. The Perfect Diet is not a high protein diet; it’s a high fat diet that offers strength and energy and it’s simple to follow.The first meal of the day should include fat and protein – about 30 grams of protein before noon. Good quality eggs – 7 grams of protein each – provide high value protein and many other key nutrients (choline). If you eat a 3 or 4 egg omelet before noon, you may not be hungry until dinner. If you eat high value foods, you may not need to eat as much.As our main fuel, we must choose between fats and carbohydrates. Emphasizing two fuels is a mistake. Our bodies react adversely to “mixing fuels.” Since fats are energy and nutrient dense – and don’t raise blood sugar – they will more fully provide satiety and satisfy the energy needs of the body.(In the Perfect Diet, there is no need for routine snacking or eating more than two meals a day. Eating many small meals a day will result in the digestive organs getting no rest which can lead to a variety of digestive tract ailments.)On the Perfect Diet, we will cut carbs – not calories. Depending on your circumstances, you can eat up to 3,000 or more calories a day but you will still burn fat. You can pretty much live on steak, chicken, and green salads. For breakfast you can eat as many eggs as you like – and bacon too. You can put full fat dressing on your salads and butter on your steak.Our bodies evolved to run optimally on a diet emphasizing protein and natural fat, eggs, fish, and meat. We are suffering today because we are eating a diet dominated by carbohydrates; and a high percentage have been milled and refined. The basis of the Perfect Diet is restricting the macronutrient (carbohydrate) associated with a metabolic disturbance that causes weight gain, hunger, diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, and heart disease.This diet can work for you. It’s easy to follow and you can eat as much as you want; you’ll never go hungry. Dietary abundance goes hand-in-hand with feeling on top of the world. If you need to, you’ll lose inches as well as pounds. When you burn fat as a fuel you are moving in the direction of health, stabilized blood sugar, lower triglycerides, increased HDL, and energy throughout the day.Here are the Paleo Principles:1. Eat foods that sustained human beings before we wrecked our health by becoming settled, citified farmers. Eat meat, fish, eggs, avocados, leafy vegetables, preferably fermented (sauerkraut) or steamed and berries, nuts, wild seeds.2. Eat foods raised in accordance with their own natural environment. The animals you eat should eat grass if they have four stomachs. The birds you eat should eat worms, bugs and weeds. The plants you eat should be grown in soil that does not require pesticides and herbicides.3. Eat foods that are like a stick of nutritional dynamite, instead of like a wimpy little firecracker. Everything you eat should provide your body with a concentrated source of nutrients for maintaining, building, repairing and fueling your body. A bowl of rice is a wimpy firecracker. A piece of grass-raised beef is dynamite.4. Eat your carbohydrate in accordance with your energy expenditure. Carbohydrate only has one function in the human body: to provide energy. If you are primarily sedentary at work or at your computer, then don’t eat carbohydrates. All they do is give you a SUGAR spike.5. Prepare your foods the way that humans have traditionally prepared foods. Certain foods require specific handling methods in order to make their limited nutrients bioavailable to the human body.6. Don’t eat things that aren’t food. Food should be easily identifiable. Soy milk, protein bars and sports drinks are a far cry from any food that exists in the natural world. Better nutrition through chemistry is A BAD IDEA.7. Eat a wide range of traditional, life-giving FATS that have not been damaged by processing. Your body can use FATS to make nearly all that it needs to survive, along with water.8. Eat foods that are rich in lacto-bacteria to replenish the micro-organisms of our gut.9. Eat some of your foods raw including animal foods or slightly cooked i.e., liver. Nutrient content and bioavailability of food is affected by preservation and cooking method.10. Do not partition your food wastefully. If you are eating an egg, eat the whole egg. If you are eating an animal, eat the organs, muscles and bones.11. Get to know your food supply. Know your hunters, your butchers, your gatherers, your storekeepers and your farmers. Know what foods are produced in your own geographic environment.12. Know yourself. How do you feel, perform and look? If the way you feel, perform or look isn’t top level, change something about the way you eat, move and care for yourself!!!The Low DownThe human body is a metabolic marvel comprised of dozens of little systems connecting to create one complex system. Food is the fuel, the input, for the systems. Our metabolic machinery evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to function optimally on select fuels. These fuels were the original, Primal foods of the human organism. Over these hundreds of thousands of years our Big Game Hunting, small prey capturing, scavenging, foraging, gathering, opportunistic ancestors accumulated experience and wisdom about nourishing themselves. They learned to preserve and predigest foods to maximize the quality of their metabolic fuel. Eventually they learned to cook foods without destroying the important nourishing properties of the food, and then they learned to heal the human body with food.Only recently in the human evolutionary experience, have we abandoned all these hundreds of thousands of years of accumulated epicurean genius.Today we fuel our marvelous, complex metabolic machinery with crap invented to create profits for agribusiness.We have become dumb eaters.As we regain our eating intelligence it doesn’t make sense to move back to the savannah and put out our fires or climb into our cave and pretend there is a glacier next door. It makes sense to fuel our bodies with all the primal human foodstuffs, prepared and preserved with accumulated ancestral wisdom and served up for the undeniable desires of the human taste buds. Primal, paleolithic food choices, handled according to ancient food ways resulting in outrageously good food.Human beings do not have a biological requirement for carbohydrate.We can survive just fine without carbohydrate. Many people have done it, entire cultures have done it, and you could too if you wanted. You probably don’t, so it makes sense to learn how to eat carbohydrates in a way that they will help you instead of harming you.Carbohydrate is a one-trick pony in terms of your metabolic requirements. It is solely used to produce energy for you. When you eat carbohydrate in excess of what you need for energy production you will store it as body fat because there is NOTHING else for your body to do with it!! Your body can’t use it to grow your bones or repair your muscles or produce hormones. The best thing you can get from your carbohydrates, since our modern life really doesn’t require all that much physical energy, are their associated micronutrients.Give your carbohydrates a long hard look and be ruthless in your assessment of what good they do you. Are they packed with minerals? Are they loaded with phytonutrients? Are they brimming with antioxidants? Are they dripping with water-soluble vitamins? Use the carbohydrates in your diet to flood your body with real, whole food sources of critical nutrients.It is easy to line up your carbohydrates and pick the very best ones. If you pour a cup of water onto your carbohydrate will it be cleaner? Or will it turn into mush? If you pour water on fruits or vegetables they are more ready to eat!!! If you pour water onto flour, cereal, crackers, bread, desserts and candy it will be disgusting!You can use the color test. Are your carbohydrates white, beige, tan, or brown? Then they are lifeless. They have very little to offer you.Are they all shades of green, orange, red, yellow, blue, purple, pink? Then they have abundant nutrients for you.You can also use the raw/cooked test. Would you be able to eat a handful of your carbohydrate raw? Would you eat a handful of raw rice, raw corn or raw black beans? Only if you wanted a few less teeth and a vicious stomachache!! You might not enjoy raw vegetables, but they are certainly fine (and some are more nutritious) to consume uncooked.As carbohydrates go, grains and beans possess the fewest nutrients and the most energy (calories). You need less calories and more nutrition so choose vegetables as your carbohydrates. Many people panic at the idea of not stuffing themselves each day with bread, crackers, bagels, pasta, rice, beans, cereal, and tortillas. “But what will I eat?!?!?!?!” they wail. Below is a very long list of excellent carbohydrate choices.When choosing fruits and vegetables, choose those grown in the most sustainable manner in the healthiest soil. They will have the most nutrition. Choose fruits in season, rotating your choices throughout the year just as our ancestors did before refrigerated warehouses and cross-global food transport. Choose varieties labeled “heirloom” if possible in order to ensure a diverse, safe food supply. Often older varieties of fruits, especially apples, contain less simple sugars and more nutrientsYes, heck yes! I feel like crap when I have low fat, low protein and high carb. Total crap. My face is puffy and I get terrible acne and pains all over. Reading this article just makes me think I should stop eating altogether and just drink water. Oh, that causes cancer, too! Maybe we should just not eat or drink anything at all. Coconut oil is awesome.What about roasted veggies when the outer edges get burned? Does the burned part contain cacinogens?Its the animal protein that leads to carcinogen production, so no.Yes all burned food meat or veggies contain carcinogens! :) Don’t eat black friend food. It cause higher risk of cancer. I never eat the burned part of food. I always cut it out and throw it. Google it! I’m not lying! ;)Is microwaving meats any safer than the other methods?Heating in oven or cooking in water is the most healthy I guess. I found some links about microwaving. Please take a look! :)http://www.naturalnews.com/030651_microwave_cooking_cancer.html http://chetday.com/microwave.html http://www.relfe.com/microwave.html http://www.mindfully.org/Food/Irradiate-Microwave-Effects-FoodMay96.htmDavid: I didn’t analyze all the points in the links you provided, but I did glance at a couple. Those pages are filled with myths/urban legends/inaccurate understanding of science as far as I can tell. If you are interested in the “other side of the story”, check out this page:http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmJust something to think about.I like the smokey flavor from my previous meat-eating days. My spice purveyor makes a very tasty Mesquite Smoke Powder that I like to add to savory dishes. Is there any health information on this kind of thing, or even Liquid Smoke?Good question. I asked Dr. Greger the same question because my wife and I use a small amount of liquid hickory smoke in a split pea recipe we make regularly. Dr. Greger said that he knew of no studies and since then I haven’t seen any. However, he would guess and I would agree that continuous exposure of cells to it might reveal damage. However occasional use should not be a problem.I didn’t know which was the best place to ask, so what’s better: a low chicken based diet or a low bovine meat based diet?Since each approach is not healthy for you it would depend on what you are trying to accomplish. They both have cholesterol, saturated fats, trans-fats, hormones, antibiotics, dioxins, etc. I would say for weight loss I would go with the lean chicken less calorie dense… of course then you have the arsenic to contend with. If you are trying to build muscle strength you can “dope” by eating steaks which have added male hormones. I would review all the video’s and references on this website and choose your path. While you are at it I would also research the value of a low fat whole plant food diet with Vitamin B12 and consider a third option.Isn’t it the incomplete digestion of protein that contributes to disease and cancer, as well, rather than just consuming animal protein? I thought complete sources of protein were essential for growth and survival. Beans are not going to cut it for a growing child or pregnant woman–look at the Brewer Diet and its incredible results in maternal and infant health. There is something missing from all of this information–maybe that it’s bad to eat cooked animal protein and we should eat it raw or very lightly cooked or maybe that our digestion is so poor and lacking enzymes that we cannot properly digest proteins, hence causing cancer. How about raw pastured milk and raw pastured eggs, or raw fish? What kind of studies have been done on these?As I have posted on NF before from Jeff Novick…“Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal ”http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdfAs Jeff Novick puts it..Many say that plants foods are incompleteIf “incomplete” means not containing all the essential amino acids then…. (the incomplete protein theory)1) All plant foods are complete as they contain all the essential amino acids.2) the only food that is not a complete protein is an animal food, gelatin.If “incomplete” means lacking in sufficient quantity of one or more amino acids…(the limiting amino acid theory)1) Getting all the amino acids in at once at the same meal, or even in the same day, as some may suggest, is not necessary due to the amino acid pool, which is a circulating level of amino acids in the blood, that the body can draw from if needed. As long as one follows a whole foods plant based diet, the amino acid pool will maintain a sufficient stock of any potentially needed (or limiting) amino acids.2) However, as long as one consumes enough calories, eats a variety of food, and limits junk foods and refined foods, and is not an all fruit diet, then they will get in enough protein and enough amino acids in sufficient quantity. There will be no limiting amino acids3) there is some evidence that the amino acids that are slightly lower (but adequate) in plant foods, may actually be a benefit to health and longevity and not a concern. This evidence stems from the fact that eating foods that resemble the protein structure of humans causes the liver to release excess amounts of the growth hormone, IGF-1, which accelerates aging and promotes tumor growth.Most every major health organization including the NAS, the WHO and the ADA all recognize these statements to be true.Certainly, the products lean, complete or dietetic have a calorie intake lower than the other, but that does not mean that we can eat at will. These products alone cannot provide a full contribution in indispensable nutrients for the body. Check their composition will allow you to compose menus really balanced. So be careful. http://www.dietfoods7.com/	bacon,baking,barbecuing,beef,birds,boiled,breast cancer,carcinogens,cheese,chicken,cigarettes,coffee,cooked meat,creatine,diesel fumes,e. coli,eggs,estrogen,fast food,fish,frying,grilling,heterocyclic amines,incinerator ash,lung cancer,mammals,meat,nitrosamines,pancreatic cancer,PCBs,PhIP,prostate cancer,protein supplements,roasted,smoking,well cooked	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-208	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/	Estrogenic Chemicals in Meat	We’ve known since 1939 that there were “cancer-producing substances” in roasted meat. Scientists have since identified these compounds as heterocyclic amines, described by the National Cancer Institute as “chemicals formed when muscle meat, including beef, pork, fish, and poultry, is cooked using high-temperature methods, such as pan frying or grilling….” As I describe in my 2-min. video Carcinogens in Roasted Chicken, studies on rodents have historically downplayed the risk, suggesting 99% of these chemicals can be removed by the liver. Humans, it turns out, are 50 times less able to detoxify these carcinogens, though. This may explain why studies done on Long Island and around the world have shown women eating more broiled, grilled, fried, barbequed, and smoked meats appear to have up to five times the risk of developing breast cancer (see also Muscle Tremors & Diet and Fast Food Tested for Carcinogens). More than 85% of breast cancers are sporadic and attributable to long-term exposure to environmental carcinogens, such as those in the diet, through a multistep disease process progressing from non-cancerous to premalignant and malignant stages. Most cancer-causing agents are involved in either the initiation stage of cancer, triggering the initial DNA mutation (like radiation), or the promotion stage of cancer, promoting the growth of the tumor (certain hormones like IGF-1). But heterocyclic amines in cooked meat like PhIP are considered “three strikes” carcinogens because they are not only DNA-damaging mutagens and promote cancer growth, but also increase its metastatic potential by increasing tumor invasiveness. Strike 1: By asking women undergoing breast reduction surgery about their meat cooking methods, researchers were able to directly correlate the number of DNA mutations found in breast tissue with the estimated dietary intake of these cooked meat carcinogens. Strike 2: In my 4-min. video Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens I show that not only may these meat chemicals trigger the original cancer-causing mutation, they may also then promote the growth of the tumor. PhIP for example activates estrogen receptors on human breast cancer cells almost as powerfully as pure estrogen. Even at very low doses, the cooked meat chemical PhIP appears to drive the growth of breast cancer. Strike 3: Check out my 3-min video PhIP: The Three Strikes Breast Carcinogen to see what affect these cooked meat carcinogens may have on the invasiveness and metastatic potential of human breast cancer. The growth hormone IGF-1 may also promote tumor progression and invasion (see IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop). IGF-1 is released by our liver in response to animal protein consumption regardless of how it’s cooked (why? See Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk.) On the other hand, broccoli and Indian gooseberries may have both anti-proliferative and anti-invasive properties: Lung Cancer Metastases and Broccoli and Amla Versus Cancer Cell Invasion. Most of the experiments on the cancer-causing effects of cooked meat chemicals were done on breast cells in a petri dish, though. How do we know these carcinogens make it not only into the breast after you eat cooked meat, but into the breast ducts where most breast cancers arise—so-called ductal carcinoma.  Researchers didn’t know for sure, until a study out of Canada measured the levels of PhIP in the breast milk formed in those ducts of nonsmoking women. The average concentration of the “three strikes carcinogen” found in the breast milk of meat-eating women corresponded to significant cancer growth activation. One of the women was vegetarian, though, and none was detected in her breast milk. -Michael Greger, M.D. 	Dr. Greger, this is a really generalized question, but do you have any overall theory or idea of why animal products are so harmful and plants the opposite? The animal part isn’t too difficult. I can think of plenty of plausible reasons for animal consumption to be unhealthy. But what about the opposite? Why are so many plants health promoting? If it was just the absence of harm from animal products that would be easy to understand, but I have trouble coming up with a plausible evolutionary reason for so many plants being health promoting and disease fighting.I think this is a matter of context.We live in an era of overly hyped plant “superfoods”. No disrespect to Dr. Greger, I love the profiles on amazing plant foods he provides, but I think he does a good job of rounding out the subject to basically show that ALL plant foods are superfoods. And I love the caveat he routinely adds that “the best vegetable/fruit is the one you eat”. The same can’t be said for the general media, who tend to fixate on goji and acai berries and the like and ignore all the boring foods like apples, pears, romaine lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, etc who are super in their own right but not nearly as exotic or sexy.We live in a place and era where to not die of a heart attack or cancer means you must be in a state of exceptional health!Let’s take a step back. What if our diet is supposed to be made up entirely of these superfoods? And having excellent health is just the normal and expected result of that. It shouldn’t be considered extraordinary to be in good health. It shouldn’t be considered extraordinary to not succumb to completely avoidable diseases and to have a long healthy life as a result of eating the foods we’re physiologically designed to.A lion doesn’t get atherosclerosis from the meat it eats; it doesn’t promote carcinogen formation by cooking its meat; it has a shorter digestive tract so even the carcinogenic substances present in the raw meat are ushered out of its system faster. And its life span is so much shorter than ours that cancer cell proliferation is perhaps not so much of an issue compared to humans or other long-lived herbivores. It eats meat, as it’s physiologically designed to, and enjoys better health than if it were to eat grass. A diet of leafy greens, mushrooms, and berries would certainly not be health promoting for the lion. It’s just a matter of eating the right diet for whatever type of animal you are.Honestly the ‘evolutionary reason” seems so clear to me that I can’t even put it into words. Basically, I think excellent health should be the baseline for what we consider normal health. Unfortunately we have a confused relationship between what is “average” and what is “normal”.Definitely a lot of the benefit of plants seems to be that you’re simply eating less animals. Then again, I guess there are plenty of poisonous plants… so perhaps we’ve just learned to cultivate the good ones. But then we’ve learned to cultivate animals too and they’re not good at all. It just seems rather convenient that there aren’t more unexpected side effects to plant food consumption.There is. If you eat the wrong plants… are allergic or generally eat badly. There is lot of evidence that shows humans grow up more like primates eating high amounts of greens, a lot like gorillas. So the reason plants are so good for us… is well because we have got very good at absorbing thr nutrients in them. When there isn’t much around but leaves so you eat them like crazy… you kind of get good at digesting and abosrbing nutrients from them. In other words it’s because we have evolved primaraly on a plant based diet… and it is a modern thing to eat high amounts of meat or fish and animal products in general. What I mean is. Humans would have eat a high plant based diet in the tropical regains originally. Even in winter areas we learned to cultivate starch based foods as they lasted well through the winter. And generally animals took time to grow feed get them to mate… and so people in general eat a lot less meat. So it’s simple a case in my opinion that we haven’t evolved enough to be able to deal with meats and animal products. And to be honest I hope we never do. It’s a bad idea to become dependent on animals, they’re very unpredictable.Dave T – Simply put, plants produce chemicals to protect them from external threats. They produce antioxidants to protect their cells from sunlight damage, and nasty tastes / poisons to protect from being eaten. We have adapted to learn which to eat and which not to eat, as we face many of the same challenges – eg oxidation damage from sunlight.The main reason is that we are not carnivores – for 60 million years our primate ancestors have been largely fruit, leaf and occasional insect eaters, while animals have only been a substantial fraction of the diet for about 2 million. Most of the health damaging effects of high animal product diets occur after our fertile years, so we haven’t experienced enough selective pressures to adapt. True carnivores don’t suffer cardiovascular disease.Another big part of it is that animal chemistry is so similar to our own. Their hormones are often identical, their proteins are similar enough to provoke immune responses against our own proteins, and their high levels of saturated fats and methionine heavy protein are superfluous to our needs.Meanwhile plants, unable to flee or find shade, have used chemical defenses against sunlight and predation for 500 million years. We animals evolved to neutralize some of the insecticidal toxins plants produce, which in food sized doses stimulate our own cellular detoxification apparatus. Indeed, in their absence (as on an animal product heavy or highly processed diet), perhaps our cells aren’t getting the chemical cues to mount a defense against stressors that they used to.While the title may seem tangental, I thought this was a pretty insightful article that touches on your question:Mattson, Mark P., and Aiwu Cheng. “Neurohormetic phytochemicals: Low-dose toxins that induce adaptive neuronal stress responses.” Trends in neurosciences 29.11 (2006): 632-639.I noticed you said the woman who was vegetarian didn’t have them in her breast? What was the cause of her breast cancer then? And this obviously means there are other factors that affect breast cancer? Why did the woman who was vegetarian get breast cancer?Great article.I think, it would important to address what types of meats, the amounts, and at what temperature? Does slow cooking in a crock pot have the same effect?God commanded the Jewish people to eat sacrificial meat which is cooked over the fire. Not only that, but the priests and their families ate this grilled meat daily as payment for their work and as part of the atonement process it was crucial that they eat the meat. Was meat once so very different?One major source of harm from consuming meat appears to be endotoxemia.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/Freshly killed animals which are cooked and eaten immediately should be much safer by this theory (even if there are other avenues by which they can cause harm).	animal protein,breast cancer,broccoli,cancer,cancer-producing substances,carcinogens,cooked meat,ductal carcinoma,estrogen,heterocyclic amines,IGF-1,Indian gooseberries,meat,metastatic potential,mutagens,National Cancer Institute,PhIP,tumor,tumor growth,“three strikes” carcinogens	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-209	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/	Plant-Based Diets for Fibromyalgia	Millions suffer from fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by months of widespread pain, often accompanied by fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, cognitive difficulties, headaches, low back pain, and other problems. Its cause is unknown and there is no known cure. In terms of reducing pain and other fibromyalgia symptoms, according to the latest review,  “Vegetarian diets could have some beneficial effects.” Based on what kind of evidence? In my 5-min video Fibromyalgia vs. Vegetarian & Raw Vegan Diets I review the 20 years of science we have so far, in which vegetarian and raw vegan diets were put to the test. Both vegetarian and raw vegan diets led to significant improvements in fibromyalgia symptoms, but what about just mostly vegetarian diets or mostly raw vegan diets? That was the subject of my 4-min. follow-up video Fibromyalgia vs. Mostly Raw & Mostly Vegetarian Diets. How plant-based does one’s diet need to be to effectively treat fibromyalgia? The vegan “Hallelujah diet” appeared to perform the best. When the study was reviewed in the journal Current Rheumatology Reports, the editor noted that it had the most impressive results of any recent fibromyalgia treatment study—three times the improvement that the Mayo Clinic was reporting for their fibromyalgia program. True, it was not a double-blind placebo controlled study, but it’s difficult to design such a study when it comes to diet, since people tend to notice when they’ve been switched to a vegan diet! Raw vegan diets seemed to help; mostly raw vegan diets seemed to help. Eating vegetarian worked; but what about just eating mostly vegetarian? That was the most recent trial. Fourteen fibromyalgia sufferers were  put on a mostly vegetarian Mediterranean diet for two weeks and unfortunately did not see significant improvement.  Maybe the researchers didn’t give it enough time? Other inflammatory conditions have been successfully treated with semi-vegetarian “flexitarian” diets, though, for example, Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease. Cutting down on meat may also help reduce the risk of cataracts (Preventing Cataracts with Diet), obesity (Thousands of Vegans Studied), hypertension (Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death), metabolic syndrome (Metabolic Syndrome and Plant-Based Diets), and diabetes (How to Prevent Diabetes), though there does appear to be a stepwise drop in risk as one’s diet gets more and more centered around plant foods. The bottom line is that the best science to date suggests a plant-based diet in its many forms, may help people with fibromyalgia. Just because it’s the best science we have, though, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily very good science. These were all small, poorly controlled, relatively short-term studies—but what’s the downside to giving it a try? Dietary surveys show that people with chronic widespread pain syndromes tend to eat pretty crappy diets, which helps explain their higher rates of other chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Even if a healthy diet doesn’t help their fibromyalgia symptoms, at least it may prevent them from falling ill with something else. The last thing someone who feels miserable all day needs is another disease. Why do plant-based diets help with chronic pain conditions? There may be a number of reasons why vegetarians only have about half the odds of being on painkiller drugs (see Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants). Potentially inflammatory compounds in animal products include Neu5Gc (The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc), endotoxins (The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory), and animal proteins (Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis). 	Just one problem with this… fibromyalgia is NOT an inflammatory disease.Though not traditionally recognized as such (since anti-inflammatory drugs don’t seem to help), new data (like the correlation of fibromyalgia pain with cytokine levels) do indeed suggest an inflammatory component.Thanks for leaving a comment Jessica!I deal with Lupus and Fibromyalgia. For a year and a half I adhere to the Hallelujah Diet and I can say without a doubt it was the best I felt in the last ten years. I am still a vegetarian, but processed foods are back to being a daily part of my diet. I am working hard to get back to no processed foods because I realize it is one of the keys to feeling better.I think medicine needs to question the role and involvement of microwave frequencies in inflammatory disease and syndromes, since microwaves interact with human body tissue in various physiological ways.Thank you Dr. Greger for the continued information. I am a 50 year old with Ehler Danlos Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. Over the last 15 years my health was on a downward spiral and despite years of specialists and medicines I was basically disabled. I did not work, I could not do any basic household chores , or garden, in fact I could barely stand to sit or stand for more than 30 minutes at a time. Sleep, what was that. The pain was so intense I had heart palpitations that I was told was a response to intense chronic pain. My liver developed issues as my weight went up and I used bottle after bottle of pain meds, advil, tylonel etc. Then I was told I was depressed because I showed my frustration and actually shed tears. I was angry that this was my life.. I started watching things like Forks over Knives, I found your website and others and then made a decision. I became my own specialist and slowly started switching to a plant based existence. I figured it was free to try, had no adverse side effects and was extremely more cost effective. I am now two months meat free, I use an occasional advil but am off all other meds except for a BP pill. for the past 6 months I have removed 90 % off the dairy from my life.. ( working on giving up that morning latte.) I have also removed the manufactured food items. The results 50 % of my pain is gone!!! I have returned to work!!!!! I have hope!!!! I did not think I was going to be alive in two more years now I think I will maybe be able to live again.While it is hard to learn to eat , cook , shop, change your life completely. And while I still have weight to lose and a liver to improve, high cortisol and many other damages I did to my body to reverse, I have hope. My daughter said to me, “Mom we went to the movie and you could walk and you were not crying from pain when we left,” a small thing to many but huge to someone who has lived with this pain.So thank you for all the information and know you are changing peoples futures. Anyone in pain please try getting off meat and dairy and learning what healthy foods to replace them with… you may just get your life back. Patricia ThompsonPatricia, you brought tears to my eyes with your story of how you are healing you. If only more people with chronic issues would just try a plant based diet. Have you read “The China Study”? Blessings.Kathi, I have recently started to read it. I have family members who still do not believe this, even though they watched what I described as my death inch by inch. My eldest had been a vegetarian for several years and I did not listen to her so I understand it is a personal journey for everyone. My youngest and I are now together on the journey as I passed my EDS on to both of my children. I believe they will have a better life than I had. There is nothing to lose by trying it, people just have to be willing to accept that what we grew up believing was wrong. I think if more people tried this most of us could obtain health and not be dependent on “medication”. Thank you for the kind words and better health to all.Congratulations on your success and thank you for sharing your story. I am sure it will encourage many to try a plant based diet. So, you have only helped yourself but helped others as well.Lawrence , That would be a wonderful outcome. It is so hard to even think, let alone try and gather the right information when you are in pain or ill. My family lost so much while trying to get answers both financially and to our quality of life, I pray that others will find the information and just approach it with an open mind as I feel so many could be healed so easily.After a lifetime of all over body pain, and all that comes with it, I am getting some relief by cleaning up my “vegetarian” diet and adopting the McDougall way of eating….except, I am abstaining from the nightshades and gluten, for now. I have to find some answers. I’ve taken a lot of meds and had periods of a couple years at a time mostly in bed. It’s miserable for sure. Having said that, the ordinary veg diet which included all the good whole foods, but some refined and processed foods, prepackaged meals, chips, and dairy….I just couldn’t get better. Coffee is also a problem and so once again, I am weaning off coffee. Not only is the pain of the Fibromyalgia better, but all the other things that go along with it are better and the depression is lifted. I have been able to get off all meds except a single dose of Armour thyroid. I don’t know what it takes for any of us to get IT, but I hope and pray that I never go back to my old eating habits. Love my whole foods. Mostly I love that I can be in so much less pain.I am a massage therapist and nutritionist. I have worked with many people with fibromyalgia. I used to have it and my sisters each have autoimmune diseases. One has rheumatoid arthritis and one has lupus. Obviously there is some kind of inherited tendency toward inflammatory conditions. I was actually vegetarian when I had the worse symptoms of fibromyalgia. I don’t think the vegetarian diet caused the problem but I do think that eating grains played a role. I went on a raw vegetarian diet starting with a month long juice fast that included some soy protein powder from Shaklee. I also started taking food based supplements, including lots of garlic.. This saved my life since doctors thought I was crazy at first and then diagnosed me with FMS only to prescribe anti-depressants. I only took one pill and decided I needed to find a more natural way to regain my health since their approach disconnected me from my body and did not solve the problem.This was over 20 years ago and I now understand better what happened. I had Lyme disease all along that was missed the three times that I was tested. This challenged my immune system that would normally destroy bacteria that should not be in my gut. I developed small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. (I would say that about 90% or more of my clients who have FMS have SIBO). Going vegetarian improves the gut biome and takes away the possibility of undigested meat protein that feeds bad gut bacteria. Going raw vegan takes away wheat that also often feeds the bad bacteria and the foods that cause inflammatory responses due to leaky gut (grains and dairy). Raw fruits and vegetables add much needed antioxidants while not promoting inflammation. Live foods have so many benefits that I won’t elaborate upon here. I have found the fastest treatments to include reducing inflammation, eating mostly raw and vegan (I test for food sensitivities), and treating dysbiosis with herbs, fermented food, probiotics and proteolytic enzymes. I also often find heavy metal toxicity and so I give nutrients to increase glutathione and metallothionein production. Some clients eat a very small amount of pasture raised meats and wild caught fish after a number of months of the vegan diet and they still keep the pain at bay. The founders of the Hallelujah diet are massage clients of mine and are doing a great service for improving people’s health. I am part of a raw food movement that started over 30 years ago following the teachings of Adi Da based on the books, “The eating Gorilla Comes in Peace,” and the “Green Gorilla.”Currently, I am helping my sister with RA to treat it with a raw vegan diet. She did not listen to me years ago and has been on the usual drugs for RA. Enbrel and Methotrexate landed her in the hospital for a month with a severe lung infection and congestive heart failure that nearly killed her. Instead of drugs, she now has a vita mix blender and is making her green smoothies.I forgot to mention that I also treat for mitochondrial dysfunction with Co-enzyme Q10, and methylated B-vitamins. I do not supplement with L-carnitine but some people need more for their mitochondria, which is the reason for some red meat and salmon in the diet.Just on my own I have noticed less pain since I quit eating meat about 3 months ago. Not taking my pain pill nearly as often altho I’m still dealing with the headaches (generic med on that)all natural LIMU made from sewaweedall natural LIMU made from seaweed. http://www.ralphbailey.iamlimu.com	anxiety,chronic pain,cognitive difficulties,depression,fatigue,fibromyalgia,flexitarian diet,generalized pain,Hallelujah diet,headaches,inflammatory molecule,low back pain,Neu5Gc,pain,painkillers,plant-based diet,potassium,raw vegan,sleep disorders,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-210	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/	Apple Peels Turn On Anticancer Genes	A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks. Having said that, why risk any bump at all? That’s one of the reasons I encourage everyone to choose organic whenever one can, but we should never let concern about pesticides lower our fruit and vegetable consumption. Washing fruits and vegetables can decrease pesticide residues (see my video Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off?), and peeling even more so, but the skin is often where the nutrition is most concentrated. As you can see in my 3-min. video Apple Skin: Peeling Back Cancer, within the last year half a dozen studies have touted the benefits of apple peels. We’ve known the more apples we eat, the lower our apparent risk of several cancers and scientists are just starting to unravel why. In the video I profile a study from the University of Wisconsin, where researchers pitted two lines of human prostate cancer and two of human breast cancer against the peels of organic gala apples. The cancer was not very happy about that (see the before and after here). To figure out the mechanism by which apple peels cleaned cancer’s clock, the researchers measured the effect of apple peels on the tumor suppressor protein maspin inside the cancer cells. Maspin is a tumor suppressor gene that has been shown to have cancer suppressing, anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic properties in both breast and prostate cancer cells. The tumor cells found a way to turn this gene off. Amazingly, the apple peels turned it back on. For the first time, the researchers showed an upregulation of this tumor suppression gene as they added more and more of the blended apple peels to each of the cancer types. They concluded that apple peels “possess strong antiproliferative effects against cancer cells, and apple peels should not be discarded from the diet.” If that’s what one plant can do, what might a whole diet full of plant foods do to prostate and breast cancer cell growth? See Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay and The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle, respectively. More on the wonders of apples in Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol and Apples & Breast Cancer. Apple juice, on the other hand, may not be health-promoting for reasons I explained in my last post Uric Acid Caused by Meat and Sugar. See my 3-min video Apple Juice May Be Worse Than Sugar Water to learn more. Conventional apple juice may also contain contaminants (Fungal Toxins in Apples), though there is actually a fruit that’s healthier in juice form. See The Fruit Whose Juice is Healthier. The antioxidant comparison in the Apple Skin: Peeling Back Cancer video is taken from Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. The comparison among juices is from Best Fruit Juice.  More on pesticides in: -Michael Greger, M.D. 	Many phytochemicals can reactivate tumor suppressor genes silenced by epigenetic modifications.The best review I’ve found is: Gerhauser, Clarissa. “Cancer chemoprevention and nutri-epigenetics: State of the art and future challenges.” Natural Products in Cancer Prevention and Therapy. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2013. 73-132.I have been peeling my organic apples to avoid the shellac they put on them. Would it be healthier to eat the shellac and the peel? Is there another way to get the shellac off?Found apples from an abandoned tree on the ground because of yesterday storm. Gathered and blended into juice with some water. Turned brown in the Vitamix but tastes good. Could find nothing to eat at the market. So I eat apples and bread I make from wheat just before and some potatoes beans and brown rice.Excellent…This is very inspiring post especially I like video section apple juice is good for skin especially in summers and also good for stomach thanks for sharing for us I am waiting for your next post. My friend she also suggested me a site http://www.defensesoap.com/ good skin care tips.	anticancer genes,antioxidants,apple juice,apple peel,apple peels,apples,breast cancer,cancer,fruits,genetics,juice,maspin,pesticides,plant-based diet,prostate cancer,tumor suppression,tumor suppression gene,vegan,vegetables,vegetarian,whole foods	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	-
PLAIN-211	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/	Uric Acid From Meat and Sugar	Human beings lost the ability to detoxify uric acid millions of years ago. What implications does this have for our health today? Our story starts about 15 million years ago. It was the Miocene epoch. Things seemed to be going pretty good until, it seems, two flaming meteorites smashed into what’s now Germany with an estimated power of a couple million Hiroshimas. As you can see in my 3-min. video Miocene Meteorites and Uric Acid, the crater looks quaint now, but at the time, there was a mass extinction event, wiping many animals out. Thankfully, the common ancestor of human beings and other great apes developed a mutation that may have helped them survive. We lost the ability to detoxify uric acid. Why was that a good thing? Uric acid is naturally produced by the body and may help us hold onto fat, which is good when there’s not a lot of food around thanks to pesky asteroids. Uric acid also helps us retain sodium, which is good if there aren’t a lot of salt shakers out on the savannah, and it also acts chemically as an antioxidant, which is good since green tea hadn’t been invented yet. Fast-forward 15 million years. When salt and calories abound, the last thing we need is more sodium and fat retention. But the antioxidant part we like. Unfortunately, not all antioxidant compounds are necessarily good for us. For example, the preservative chemical BHA works by preventing the oxidation of foods, but is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. Similarly, uric acid is chemically an antioxidant, but when you have too much in your blood it can crystallize in your joints, causing a painful disease called gout. High uric acid levels may also put us at risk for high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and death. So keeping one’s uric acid levels low is an important dietary goal. How do we do that? By avoiding meat and sugar (see my 2-min video Flesh and Fructose). No surprise that the meat and sugar industries both got upset with the latest round of dietary guidance from the federal government. See Dietary Guidelines: Pushback From Sugar, Salt and Meat Industries and Dietary Guidelines: Corporate Guidance. Gout is one of the diseases of royalty that used to only affect the “1%,” the tiny minority eating rich diets. Now we can all dine like kings and queens three times a day and suffer from the same diseases. The “peasant food” choices, the cheapest plant foods, are often the healthiest. See Eating Healthy on the Cheap and Biggest Nutrition Bang For Your Buck. For more on the dangers of excess sodium consumption see Dietary Guidelines With a Grain of Big Salt and Salt OK if Blood Pressure is OK?. For more on eating based on our evolutionary heritage, see Paleolithic Lessons. -Michael Greger, M.D. 	thanksLove your prescriptions for good health – served up with a good dose of humor. Thank Dr. Greger, for keeping us informed and grinning!Yes, hyperuricemia or high level uric acid in urine are meaning concentratiom of uric acid higher than normal level with symptoms in joint pain as arthritis, better be DIET low purine in meat or anotherUnfortunately, uric acid is one of few serum antioxidants that readily pass the blood-brain barrier in physiologically meaningful quantities. The supplement inosine is metabolized to uric acid, and is presently in phase II trials for MS and Parkinson’s treatment.I summarized some of my literature search for non-gouty alternatives in comments on this video on Parkinson’s.VERY didactic and simple but strong and to the point!!Snacks to avoid gout?Yes sugar is a major culprit to us gout sufferers especially HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) a good article explaining the dangers of this type of sugar is http://goutandyou.com/sugar-fructose-high-fructose-corn-syrup-and-gout/ it’ll change the way you think about sugary foods especially soft drinks. As for meat, your kidneys takes more energy to break it down then carbs which burn clean and easily not raising uric acid levels.I suffer from gout and I am a vegan. I do eat a lot of fruit but find it does not give me gout. The main source seems to be from mushrooms. I eat one button mushroom and I pay for it the next day. Measurements of my Uric Acid levels show them to be paradoxically low. I am also a heart attack survivor. Does any one have any suggestions on how I might be able to avoid Gout when eating mushrooms?Lawrence: I’m not a doctor and don’t have any experience or knowledge of gout myself. But in reading your post, I wondered if you have been accurately diagnosed? You say that your uric acid levels are low where I thought that high uric acid levels went hand in hand with gout. Perhaps a second opinion would be good???That’s the only thought I have. I hope you are able to find a way to eat mushrooms since they are just so yummy.Good luck.I got terrible gout attacks from Spinach……. I’m lucky I don’t like mushrooms – which are high in purines also.Does uric acid also impair endothelial function / flow-mediated dialtion (FMD)? I’ve heard there’s maybe some correlation, though it’s hard to suss out cause from effect? Might explain why “sugar” (one assumes fructose-containing sugars like sucrose or HFCS) may impair FMD / endothelial function (difference between ‘cocoa powder’ & ‘chocolate’ in arterial function)?Just thinking out loud…	antioxidants,BHA,Butylated hydroxyanisole,carcinogens,crystal deposits,diabetes,evolutionary heritage,fat retention,Germany,gout,heart disease,high blood pressure,meat,plant-based diet,preservatives,salt retention,sodium,stroke,sugar,uric acid,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-212	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/18/go-nuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	Go Nuts for Breast Cancer Prevention	The Black Women’s Health Study I profiled in my last blog Prevent Breast Cancer by Any Greens Necessary was out of Boston University. Across the Charles River, the Harvard Nurse’s Health Study also tried to determine which plants may be particularly protective in reducing breast cancer risk. They looked at intake of fiber and nuts during adolescence and the incidence of fibrocystic breast disease. Fibroadenomas are noncancerous breast lumps, but are considered a marker for increased breast cancer risk. Depending on what lumpectomy biopsies show, benign lumps can indicate anywhere from 30% to 1,300% greater risk of women with fibrocystic breasts going on to develop cancer later in life. Breast cancer can take decades to develop, so the researchers wanted to start early, asking women what their diets were like in high school. We’ve known in adulthood that consuming more fiber is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer, and this new research suggests the same when you’re younger. Women who had the most fiber intake during adolescence have a 25% lower risk of developing potentially precancerous breast disease. But there’s fiber in all whole plant foods—fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Did any class of plant foods stick out? Nut consumption was found to be particularly protective. Just two servings a week was associated with a 36% lower risk. That raises the question, though. Which type of nuts? Do peanut butter and jelly sandwiches count or do you have to eat true nuts, like almonds or pecans? See my 3-min video Tree Nuts or Peanuts for Breast Cancer Prevention? to find out. Harvard researchers also found that fiber and nut consumption was associated with a significantly longer lifespan in women. See my 2-min. video What Women Should Eat to Live Longer, one of my top ten most popular videos of 2012. Soy food consumption during adolescence also seems particularly protective. See my 3-min. video Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer?. What effect might even just a few days on a diet full of plants have on breast cancer cell growth? See my 4-min. video Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle. Don’t nuts make you fat, though? You’d be surprised—check out Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence. 	Question for Dr. Greger: For people eating a diet in which they keep added oils (in their cooking and processed food together) to a low number (say <5 grams per day, or you tell me what is a good low number?):IS there any known or recommendable upper limit on oil/fat content in the human diet if the oils and fats are coming from whole plant sources (organic nuts and seeds, maybe avocado if it becomes clear whether it's healthy or not)?I ask because I try to eat a diverse diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, legumes and seeds, and ever since your video about salad nutrient absorption and my own thinking about the applicability of its principles beyond salad, I have been trying to make sure I eat a handful of nuts or seeds either in or with every meal or snack to make sure I am taking in the oils necessary to absorb all the healthy components of what I am eating. While the jury is out on avocado, my oils are coming from a variety of (not rank ordered): sunflower seeds, tahini, pumpkin seeds, pecans, walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, peanut butter.Thank you very much for the important work you are doing through nutritionfacts.orgDr. McDougall (DrMcdougall.com) and Dr. Esselystyn (heartattackproof.com) both recommend a low fat diet around 10% of calories from fat for weight control and heart disease reversal respectively. Dr. T. Colin Campbell has a related suggestion in this commentary: http://nutritionstudies.org/fat-plant-based-diets/This video is actually related to the above video suggesting that a low fat diet helps relieve monthly breast swelling http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/ Flax seeds have also been recommended as a treatment for breast pain – check out http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/Without giving a specific fat recommendation, a whole foods, plant-based diet full of nuts is shown to be most protective against heart disease – see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/ Also, as Dr. Greger noted above, check out: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/	African-American,almond,Asian,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,breast lumps,fiber,fibroadenomas,fibrocystic breast disease,lifespan Tree Nuts or Peanuts for Breast Cancer Prevention?,longer life expectancy,lumpectomy,nuts,peanut,pecan,plant-based diet,precancerous,soy,That Black Women’s Health Study,true nut,vegan,vegetarian,women	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-213	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/	Prevent Breast Cancer by Any Greens Necessary	Recently a study of 50,000 African-American women was published, a sadly neglected demographic when it comes to nutritional science and, in fact, medical research generally. Certain African populations were among the healthiest on earth, inspiring one of America’s lifestyle medicine pioneers Nathan Pritikin (see my 2-min. video Engineering a Cure). Sadly, African-Americans currently suffer disproportionately from chronic diseases. The good news is that many of the diseases—such as high blood pressure and diabetes—can be prevented, stopped, and even reversed with a healthy plant-based diet. The Black Women’s Health Study investigated fruit and vegetable intake in relation to risk of breast cancer. Those who listened to mom and ate their veggies had a significantly lower risk of the most difficult type of breast cancer to treat (estrogen-receptor negative). Were any plants found particularly protective? Which was associated with lowest breast cancer risk in African-American women? Apples, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, collard greens, grapefruit, oranges, spinach, tomatoes, or sweet potatoes? Check out my 3-min. video Preventing Breast Cancer By Any Greens Necessary to find out the answer. For more on breast cancer prevention and diet, see my posts from last week Mushrooms For Breast Cancer Prevention and Why Less Breast Cancer in Asia? More on broccoli and breast cancer: More on carrots in: More on collards in: 	Hi Dr. Greger,I’ve watched your excellent presentation “Stop Cancer Before It Starts”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYxpgwFip2MAt the end of the lecture you mentioned that there was a PDF that summarized the lecture’s main points. Is this PDF still available?Many thanks.	African,African-American,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,broccoli,carrots,collard greens,collards,diabetes,fruits,high blood pressure,Nathan Pritikin,plant-based diet,That Black Women’s Health Study,vegan,vegetables,vegetarian,women	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-214	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/	Why Less Breast Cancer in Asia?	Though breast cancer is the most common cancer among women around the world, the rate in some areas of the world, such as Asia, is up to six-fold lower than in North America. Maybe it’s the green tea and soy? As I show in my 3-min. video Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer?, if anything, green tea may only drop risk by about a third. Soy works better, but only, it appears, if you start young. Soy intake throughout the lifecycle is associated with decreased breast cancer risk, but the strongest, most consistent effect is for childhood intake, cutting the risk of later breast cancer by as much as half. If you don’t start consuming soy until your teens or adulthood, though, then soy is only associated with about a 25% drop in breast cancer risk. I have another video on Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, though it may be possible to overdo it. Combined, green tea and soy consumption would only account for maybe for a two-fold difference in breast cancer risk—not 6-fold, so researchers looked into what else Asian women were eating. In my last post Mushrooms For Breast Cancer Prevention I presented evidence that plain, cheap, widely available white mushrooms appear able to outsmart breast cancer cells that try to make their own estrogen. That was based on placental tissue samples, though. Check out my 2-min video Breast Cancer vs. Mushrooms to see mushrooms stacked up against the real thing. Given the intriguing mushroom experiments, researchers asked a thousand breast cancer patients how many mushrooms they ate. Then they asked the same question to a thousand healthy women who they tried to match to the cancer patients as closely as possible—same age, height, weight, exercise, smoking status, etc. Based on those answers they calculated that women who averaged at least a certain daily serving size of mushrooms appeared to drop their odds of getting breast cancer 64%! What was that average serving size? Half of a mushroom a day. Who eats half a mushroom? Well, that was averaged over a month. So compared to women who didn’t regularly eat any mushrooms, those who ate just 15 a month appeared to dramatically lower their risk of breast cancer. Similar protection was found for dried mushrooms. Combining mushroom consumption with green tea—sipping a half teabag’s worth of green tea every day along with eating that half a mushroom—was associated with nearly a 90% drop in breast cancer odds. 	How about iodine consumption through sea vegetables as a factor?White mushrooms and green tea. Been on to it for a long time now. Thanks!This is very interesting. However, could a significant reduction in the consumption of meat and dairy products perhaps be having an even greater effect than these. T.Colin Campbell’s major research project “The China Study” would certainly be consistent with this view- i.e. incidence of all cancers were far lower among populations in the poorer areas of rural china, than in western populations. The diets of populations in those poor rural Chinese areas were predominantly plant based. Interesting to note too that these rates were also lower than rates in the more westernised parts of china where animal products were consumed more frequently.I have some concern about this reference to Soy, because it is fermented Soy not raw Soy that us consumed in Asia and there is a massive difference in its effect on the body. Un-fermented soy is not digestible.Thanks Bobm! Huge difference there and here with the addition of GMO’s here.Let’s not forget – they don’t eat hormone impregnated animals and dairy. BPA in the cans. Parabens in the makeup. Monsanto… But they do have bad pollution and their water is not clean. There is so much more to this, I don’t think we will ever figure it out.What about the carcinogen in white mushrooms???Could you please provide us with sources of the data about mushrooms decreasing the odds of getting breast cancer by 64% and the association between mushrooms + tea and the 90% decrease?Dr. Have researchers taken into account the genetic factors associated with less breast cancer in Asian women vs American women.Asians have less breast cancer until they move to the U.S. and eat the U.S. diet. For why this is refer to “The No Dairy Breast Cancer Prevention Program” book by prof. Jane Plant, CBE. There is solid proof why the dairy countries – U.S., northern Europe, etc. have the highest breast (and prostate) cancer rates.I’m surprised to see that no other risk factors for breast cancer than diet is discussed here since it is not commonly perceived as the strongest risk factor by no means. Couldn’t other factors such as number of pregnancies, age of first pregnancy, nulliparity, life-time exposure to hormones etc be largely contributing to the lower risk of breast cancer for women in Asia?	Asia,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cold steeping,dried mushrooms,estrogen,Green tea,mushrooms,soy,soy milk,white mushrooms,white tea	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-215	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	Mushrooms For Breast Cancer Prevention	Breast cancer can take decades to develop, so “early” detection via mammogram may be too late. The breast cancer you may feel one day as a lump in the shower, may have started 20 years ago.  We now suspect that all the epithelial cancers: breast, colon, lung, pancreas, prostate, ovarian—the ones that cause the vast majority of cancer deaths—take up to 20 years or more to manifest. By the time it’s picked up it may have already been growing, maturing, scheming for years, acquiring hundreds of new survival-of-the-fittest mutations to grow even quicker and better undermine our immune system. Early detection may in effect be really, really late detection. People are considered “healthy” until they show symptoms, so if we’ve been harboring a malignancy for 20 years we may feel all right, but we haven’t been. Thus, many people who do the right thing and improve their diet in hopes of preventing cancer may, at that very moment, be treating it as well. In this way, cancer prevention and treatment may sometimes be the same thing. What new developments are there are in the battle against breast cancer? Well, most breast tumors are estrogen receptor positive, meaning they respond to estrogen; estrogen makes them grow. The problem for tumors in postmenopausal women is that there isn’t much estrogen around—unless of course you take it in a drug like Premarin (so-named because it’s made from pregnant mare urine). Premarin appears to increase the risk of breast cancer (as well as strokes, heart attacks, and blood clots). Unfortunately, the plant-based bioidentical hormone replacement therapies don’t appear any safer (see my 4-min. video Plant-Based Bioidentical Hormones). Thankfully millions of women stopped taking Premarin in 2002, and we saw a nice dip in breast cancer rates. Unfortunately, those rates have since stagnated. Hundreds of thousands of American women continue to get the dreaded diagnosis every year. So what next? Well, with no estrogen around, many breast tumors devise a nefarious plan—they’ll just make their own! Seventy percent of breast cancer cells synthesize estrogen themselves using an enzyme called aromatase. In response, drug companies have produced a number of aromatase inhibitor drugs that are used as chemotherapy agents. Of course by the time you’re on chemo it can be too late, so researchers started screening hundreds of natural dietary components in hopes of finding something that targets this enzyme. To do this you need a lot of human tissue. Where are you going to get it from? To study skin, for example, researchers use discarded human foreskins from circumcision. They’re just being thrown away–might as well use them! Where are you going to get discarded female tissue? Placentas. They got a bunch of women to donate their placentas after giving birth to further this critical line of research. After years of searching, they found seven vegetables with significant anti-aromatase activity. You can see the graph in my video Vegetables Versus Breast Cancer. Bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, celery, green onions, and spinach dropped aromatase activity by about 20%, but mushrooms forced down the estrogen-producing enzyme more than 60%. Which mushroom worked best? Woodear, crimini, oyster, Italian brown, enoki, button, stuffing, shiitake, chanterelle, or Portobello mushrooms? Don’t even try to guess—you won’t get it! Check out my 2-min video Breast Cancer Prevention: Which Mushroom Is Best? for the answer. More on the magic of mushrooms in Making Our Arteries Less Sticky and Constructing a Cognitive Portfolio. Probably a good idea to cook them, though: Toxins in Raw Mushrooms. 	Thanks for another excellent summary of an important health topic, Dr. Greger!Screening spells trouble. False positive, unnecessary medical tests and procedures, false negative, false reassurance – a lot of cancer patients seems to live longer because of advanced treatment, but in many cases it is probably due to early detection instead. Blissful ignorance in 4 years and then cancer in one year is probably better than cancer in 5 years. This site empowerments the individual, your health destiny is not in your DNA, your life will not be saved by screening programs and early detection, the choice is yours. The right diet can significantly reduce your risk of getting cancer. Go plantstrong!empowers !So you eat broccoli and the right kind of mushrooms and your cancer produces less of it’s own estrogen. What about the estrogen your body is trying to produce for its intended purpose?	anti-aromatase,aromatase,aromatase inhibitors,bell peppers,bioidentical hormones,breast cancer,broccoli,cancer detection,cancer prevention,cancer treatment,carrots,celery,chemotherapy,colon cancer,estrogen,green onions,lung cancer,mushrooms,ovarian cancer,postmenopause,prostate cancer,spinach,tumors	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-216	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/	Plant-Based Diets for Metabolic Syndrome	Metabolic syndrome, also known as syndrome X, is a medical disorder characterized by the so-called “deadly quartet”: abdominal obesity, high fasting blood sugars, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure. Metabolic syndrome can set people up for liver disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. It’s been estimated to afflict about a quarter of the American population. How do we stop it and how can we prevent it? Well, if it has to do with obesity, the level of fat in the blood, and high blood pressure then that would seem like a job for plant-based nutrition. In my 2012-2013 year-in-review presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death I address the role diet may play in preventing, arresting, and reversing our top 15 killers, including many related conditions. We didn’t have data on metabolic syndrome specifically, though, until now. The results can be seen in my 2-min. video Metabolic Syndrome and Plant-Based Diets. Even after controlling for lifestyle factors such as smoking and exercise, risk was highest in those eating non-vegetarian, intermediate for those eating semi-vegetarian, and lowest in those eating vegetarian, cutting the odds of having metabolic syndrome by more than half. We see that same step-wise progression towards lower disease risk the more plant-based one’s diet gets with high blood pressure, cataracts, diabetes, and obesity. To maximize benefits it appears we have to move towards maximizing the proportion of plants in our diet, but it’s not all or nothing. Just adding more healthy plant foods to crowd out some of the animal and junk foods in the diet may offer significant protection. For example, consumption of three portions of whole grains a day appears as powerful as high blood pressure medications in alleviating hypertension. An analysis of a bunch of randomized drug trials suggests that taking blood pressure lowering drugs may reduce the risk of getting a heart attack by 15% and the risk of getting a stroke by about 25%, the same benefits attributed to three daily servings of whole grains. Some grains appear to be more protective than others, though. Watch my 2-min. video Whole Grains May Work As Well As Drugs to find out which may work better. More on refined versus whole grains can be found in Great Grain Robbery and Is White Bread Good For You? Whole grains may in fact extend our lifespan (What Women Should Eat to Live Longer), but what about the phytates in whole grains? See New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found. And see Antioxidants in a Pinch for how to make your morning oatmeal even healthier. 	Plant-based diets provide an excellent defense against the diseases triggered by metabolic syndrome primarily since these healthy diets provide the essential antioxidants lacking in a typical western diet. The healthiest plant-based diets contain little or no meat. And when such diets contain limited meat (particularly red or processed meat), less potentially harmful heme iron is absorbed. When too much iron builds up in anyone having impaired antioxidant defenses (i.e., in those not eating enough plant-based foods), excessive oxidative stress will occur which can accelerate cell, tissue and DNA damage. Excessive oxidative stress can initiate the development of the disease associated with metabolic syndrome. Most affected individuals harbor significant central obesity, which provides abundant lipids for harmful lipid peroxidation and more severe adverse consequences. Those who already have two or more risk factors for metabolic syndrome will generally reduce their risk by increasing their intake of nutrient-dense, plant-based foods, and if their iron stores are elevated, reducing their intake of meat and/or by donating blood.Since red meat is not good and fish is toxic and chicken has bacteria, is it okay to eat canned chicken?Donna, all meat naturally contains chemicals that damage the arterial endothelial cells, resulting in coronary disease. I wish it were otherwise, as the smell of broiling meat still makes me salivate, but unfortunately there’s no eating meat of any kind if you want to protect your heart. The issues about fish toxins and chicken bacteria are secondary. Chicken and fish contribute equally with red meat to coronary disease because they are meat, not because of the secondary problems with them.Is canned chicken safe to eat?	abdominal obesity,antioxidants,cancer,cataracts,diabetes,heart disease,high blood pressure,high blood sugar,high triglycerides,hypertension,liver disease,metabolic syndrome,obesity,phytates,plant-based diet,refined grain,stroke,syndrome x,vegan,vegetarian,white bread,whole grain,whole grains	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-217	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/	Plant-Based Diets for Psoriasis	Plant-based diets appear to decrease inflammation via a variety of mechanisms, including boosting our adrenal gland function. Glucocorticoids are circulating steroid hormones produced by our adrenal glands that suppress inflammation and also help our kidneys excrete potassium. When we eat a lot of potassium-rich foods our adrenal glands secrete more glucocorticoids to keep our potassium levels in check, which may have the side effect of decreasing the level of inflammation in the body. See my 3-min video Potassium and Autoimmune Disease for the effect this may have on autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis. Where is potassium found? See my post last week, 98% of American Diets Potassium Deficient. Hint: bananas don’t even make the top 50 sources! What about autoimmune arthritis? See my previous post Plant-Based Diets for Rheumatoid Arthritis and my videos Preventing Arthritis and Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis. Eating healthier doesn’t improve everyone’s joint pain, but as with all nontoxic treatment modalities, they should always be tried first. Plant-based diets may help with other pain syndromes: as well as other hypersensitivity diseases: -Michael Greger, M.D. 	Medscape, NEJM etc. For the scientific truth in healing my patients, you and NF.org is my favorite and “go-to” read! Thanks, as always!What do you call a fat, marijuana smoking, fast food junky?“Pot-Ass”-ium Deficient. |:^oGroan!I know!	allergies,arthritis,autoimmune arthritis,fibromyalgia,glucocorticoids,inflammation,pain,plant-based diet,potassium,psoriasis,rheumatoid arthritis,steroid hormones,steroids,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-218	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/	Dr. Greger's Natural Nausea Remedy Recipe	I travel a lot. When I was on the road full time, there were months I’d give over 40 presentations in 30 days across dozens of cities. My speaking schedule is still fuller than I’d like (especially now that I can save lives online in my jammies!), but I do love meeting folks face to face. One problem I’ve always had, though, is motion sickness. Whether in planes, trains, or automobiles I’ve struggled my whole life getting nauseated in moving vehicles As a physician I can prescribe myself an array of powerful anti-nausea drugs, but I’ve always strived to find natural remedies for myself and my patients to avert the risks of side-effects (which take the lives of more than 100,000 Americans every year). As I noted in my video Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees, ginger has been found to be an effective remedy for nausea. Though used for thousands of years in traditional healing systems (in India it’s known as maha aushadhi, meaning “the great medicine”), ginger wasn’t proven to reduce nausea until 1982 when it beat out Dramamine in a head-to-head test in volunteers spun blindfolded in a tilted rotating chair. Ginger is now considered a nontoxic broad-spectrum antiemetic (anti-vomiting agent) effective in countering nausea during motion sickness, pregnancy, chemo, radiation, and after surgery. I’ve tried nearly every ginger candy, chew, syrup, tea, ale and gum on the market and found them to be uniformly wimpy. At the other end of spectrum I’ve cringed on an eye-watering variety of fresh ginger extracts and glycerites. I needed to find something that packed a punch without actually burning my mouth. That’s how this recipe was born: Lemon-Ginger Apple Chews Liquify the lemon, ginger, and turmeric in a high speed blender. Coat the apple slices with the blended mixture and place in a dehydrater until desired chewiness. I like them a little moist, but they can be also be dehydrated further into crispy apple chips for longer storage. For me, a few pieces eaten about 20 minutes before travel works wonders.  I imagine mangoes would work well too. Please let me know in the comment section below if you come up with any yummy variations. Ginger is generally considered safe during pregnancy, but the maximum recommended daily dose of fresh ginger during pregnancy is 20 grams (about 4 teaspoons of freshly grated). More than that may have uterine-stimulating effects. So those using these to combat morning sickness should spread this recipe out over several days. There is insufficient safety data regarding the use of turmeric during pregnancy, and so the turmeric should be omitted from the recipe for use for morning sickness. And because of the soluble oxalates in turmeric, even if not pregnant I wouldn’t recommend eating more than a half a batch a day. Ginger also has all sorts of other wonderful properties. See for example Plants vs. Pesticides and Amyloid and Apple Juice. Reducing Radiation Damage With Ginger And Lemon Balm from my volume 13 DVD should be up on NutritionFacts.org in a month or so. 	I must tell you as a Michigander, my Mom used the best ever anti nausea drink when we were children: Vernor’s Gingerale. In the midst of childhood stomache flus and upsets in the 1950s, she would warm some Vernors over the stove to be sipped by us….the warmed Gingerale still somewhat effervescent and quite gingery settled our tummies many a time.Mine, too.When are you coming to Rio de Janeiro??Ooh, I’d love to! If you know of any groups interested in bringing me down, please have them fill this out and I’ll check my calendar: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SNZ9SDTThanks for your interest in my work, MichaelThanks for posting this! I had a 13 yo come to my office the other day that has pretty bad car (motion) sickness and I told them the same thing about the typical medicines and their side effects. This recipe is fantastic! I wonder if it would work before going to amusement parks and riding the roller coasters? ””””’~~~~ |:^()I wonder about the effectiveness of the ginger served with Sushi? It’s not overpowering at all (to me). I no longer eat sushi but I still like the ginger when I can get it.Curious. What constitutes a “batch” of turmeric?he used whole turmeric root, and used one “finger”. When you look at the whole root, you will see that the turmeric root looks like a human finger. .After years of car sickness I realized all I have to do is eat. It’s counterintuitive when you’re nauseous, but it works for me. Works best if it’s something absorbent like pretzels, cracker or O’s cereal. If I eat it before travel it’s preventative. If I eat a lot it’s better than just a little.Glad to hear that’s turmeric root. I thought from the picture that you threw in a caterpillar!Ew! :)Can you be a little more specific on the quantities? How much is a hand of ginger? A finger of turmeric root?That’s why I included the picture!ah got it, thanks for the reply!Where does one purchase turmeric root?? Also, do you peel your ginger first? Or just throw it in the blender as is?Dear Dr. Greger,I just want to let you know how much we appreciate your emails. We often discuss the topics with our children, 7 and 4 years old. They too say things like: ” Dr. Greger says…” or ” Dr. Greger would approve (or not) of this meal…”I would like to ask you if you could give us an exemple of weekly menu or grocery list.Thank you very much.I blend 1 tsp. ginger powder and 1 tbsp. lecithin granules in 1.5 c. plain soy milk. The lecithin totally mellows out the ginger, and it doesn’t burn at all.Dr. Greger – although there is no scientific evidence (since randomized, double blind studies are impossible) for the efficacy of CranioSacral Therapy, I wonder if you have ever or would ever consider trying some sessions of CST to address your motion sickness. Does it not stand to reason that some restriction in the meninges just may be creating restriction in brain, spinal cord and/or nerves to send signals? LOVE your reports- repost them often. Thank you thank you.I have found that few thin slices of pickled ginger – as is served with many Japanese dishes – works well and does not irritate the mouth.“Especially now that I can save lives online in my jammies!”Yes you’re my kind of doc and I’m happy that you’re are setting a streamlined standard.Wouldn’t you like to have Dr. Greger for your physician ?? You often hear the phrase “nobody’s perfect”, but he’s probably so close you couldn’t tell the difference…..I sincerely thank you for your generosity, Dr. Greger, for sharing your time, energy and all of this knowledge – as well as your common sense. We all may not be so fortunate in our choice of physicians, but we can always read your recommendations and make informed decisions.Actually NF helps keeping me on track. I have absolutely no colleagues sharing my belief – well a few a little interested, but thats it. One day I was watching a video with Dr. Greger, and my wife (nurse) looked at it and said: “He actually looks quite healthy!” The point is that your lifestyle will even reflect in your appearance. You can tell if people smoke, drink too much, eat to much grease but you can also tell if they have a healthy lifestyle.Dr. Greger, in your mini-bio above you mention that you “appeared on The Dr. Oz Show and The Colbert Report”. Could you share those links with us somehow on this site? I for one, would love to see you on each show. I tried to search the internet for them without much success. Much thanks in advance!Dr. Greger, I make natural ginger ale in my vitamix: blend a hunk of organic ginger [peeled] with about a half cup of filtered water. I keep it in the fridge in a glass jar and pour off through a strainer as I want it-mixed with a sparkling mineral water like Pelligrino and an ice cube it is a refreshing, settling drink. Friends who need it sweet have been satisfied if I add some raw honey in their drink.I love Reed’s Crystalized Ginger [significant bite]. Ingredients: diced baby ginger root, raw cane sugar, period…chunks @ 3/4″Wish you well…countless childhood road trips with a sick stomach and headache (no vomiting). I seem to have grown out of it…Drink it on the way to the airport. Carry on Reeds chunks…it is worth a try.Has anyone tried Dr. Greger’s recipe in an oven? (in case you don’t have a dehydrator)I could probably figure something out, but if someone else already has…ThanksI don’t know if this will help with your car sickness but during the winter I make ginger tea almost daily. My blend, which was inspired by your videos consists of ginger and cloves. All you have to do is slice up the ginger, maybe a 1 inch piece (cut more if you are planning to make a lot) and boil a small pot of water. Once the water starts boiling, through in a small handful of cloves. Let this boil for a half hour and let it cool down. Add sweetener if you please although I personally like the taste without it. This may help with your motion sickness. I will tell you that this does warm your body up during a cold winter day :-)I take powdered ginger and put it into empty (non-gelatin, of course) capsules.I take it to prevent seasickness when I go scuba diving.Could powdered turmeric be a substitute? If yes, how much?I was so excited when my daughter Stephanie shared with me your video on animal protein and its effect on health. I have been googling information on health a nutrition extensively this past year. You are my hero, and my new health guru. I also happened upon information on Dr. Pottenger’s cats earlier this year and their diet on raw milk from grass fed cows. I assume raw milk would be in the same category of having an ill-effect on health, although other reports seem so positive. What are your feelings or studies on raw milk and raw whey concentrate from grass fed cows? And when will you be coming back to Taylor to teach us!? :). Love from the old Goodman Clan. :)Dr. Gregor, you are doing such a great job! I love coming home from work, going right to my computer and seeing what you have posted for the day! Thank you so much! Ann – Milton, Ontario…CanadaDo you peel the ginger and turmeric before putting them in the blender? And do you seed the peeled lemon?It’s easier to just cut a half inch of ginger root and chew it!Do you peel the ginger?Dangerous maximum ginger recommendation? Does this recipe recommend 25 to 30 times too much daily ginger intake?Dr. Greger: “the maximum recommended daily dose of fresh ginger during pregnancy is 20 grams” This implies to me that for a non-pregnant adult more than 20 grams intake per day is fine.Furthermore, when I made up samples of “a hand of ginger” of the same scale in relation to the adjacent apples shown in the above website photo I got variations of between 100 to 120 grams. Apparently this is a permissible daily intake of ginger according to this recipe.However, I recently discovered several other nutrition sites that are consistent in recommending a maximum daily intake of ONLY FOUR GRAMS of ginger root.This huge discrepancy in recommended ginger intake concerns me. For over a year I have consumed around 60 grams of ginger root per day. This is split to have with 2 meals, diluted in slurry form with a few tablespoons of unsweetened apple juice then poured onto diced apple and pear plus other bits of other fruit. Confession: I also add about 300 grams of 0 fat yogurt.Could my health have been compromised by my (too high?) ginger intake? Should I drastically cut back my ginger intake to 4 grams per day as recommended by other sites? Or could I continue my 60 grams per day intake and even feel free to up it to 100 grams per day (the lowest amount that I estimated that the “hand of ginger” roughly weighs)? (Note: If it makes any difference, I’m 73 years old, in reasonable health and 5 years clear of stage 3 base of tongue cancer.)PS Except for this puzzle, I have found this to be a wonderful and informative site. For the past 3 years, it’s helped me to eliminate or greatly reduce my meat, fish, poultry and saturated fat intake and to focus on WFPB foods. Strangely, friends to whom I recommend this site haven’t taken me up on it. Still, I’ll keep recommending it. So… KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK DR. GREGER AND TEAM!NOTE TO THE ADMINISTRATOR: I’ve made 2 requests through the contact portion of this site to find out if my Canadian donation would be tax deductible. I’ve waited roughly a month now but still… no reply. I’d like to help financially but want this info before deciding on just how much to donate. Thank you.The recipe is for motion sickness. I don’t get motion sickness, but what about the above as just a healthy/tasty snack?	after-surgery,anti-vomiting agent,antiemetic,apple,chemo,Dramamine,ginger,lemon,lemon-ginger apple chews,mangoes,motion sickness,natural remedies,nausea,nauseous,oxalates,post-surgery,pregnanacy,radiation,traditional healing systems,travel,turmeric	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/11/new-dvd-to-help-spring-clean-your-diet-all-proceeds-to-charity/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-apple/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23638927,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=search&term=MOTION%20SICKNESS%2C%20GINGER%2C%20AND%20PSYCHOPHYSICS,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22951628,
PLAIN-219	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/21/plant-based-diets-for-multiple-sclerosis/	Plant-Based Diets for Multiple Sclerosis	The distinguished neurologist Roy Swank‘s low saturated fat diet remains the “most effective treatment of multiple sclerosis ever reported in the peer review literature.” In patients with early stage MS, 95% were without progression of their disease 34 years after adopting his meat and dairy-restricted diet. Even patients with initially advanced disease showed significant benefit. To date, no medication or invasive procedure has ever come close to demonstrating such success. To understand one reason why a plant-based diet may be so successful in treating the disabling auto-immune disease, one has to first understand how the immune system works. This was one of the greatest mysteries in all of biology—solved by a brilliant scientist who won the Nobel in 1960 for figuring it out. As I illustrate in my 3-min. video Clonal Selection Theory of Immunity, each one of our antibody-producing immune cells, called B-cells, produces only one type of antibody. Antibodies are one of the main weapons our immune system uses to attack foreign invaders. And they’re specific. It’s not just like we have one B-cell that covers grass pollen and another that covers bacteria, we have a B-cell in our body whose only job is to make antibodies against the pollen of purple Siberian oniongrass! (whether or not we ever come in contact with it). Another whose only job is to make antibodies against the tail proteins of bacteria that live only in the thermal vents at the bottom of the ocean… Wait a second. There must be a billion different things in the world. If each of our B cells produces only one type of antibody, then we’d need to have a billion different types of B cells. And we do! So, let’s suppose one day you’re walking along and get attacked by a platypus (they have poison spurs on their heels you know). And so for your whole life up until that point the B-cell in your body that produces antibodies against duck-billed platypus venom was just hanging around, twiddling its thumbs, until that very moment. As soon as the venom is detected that specific B-cell starts dividing like crazy, making copies of itself, and soon you have a whole swarm of clones specialized for platypus poison protection. Fending off the toxin, you live happily ever after. That is how the immune system works. Aren’t our bodies spectacular? If we have a billion different types of antibody-producing B cells, each capable of recognizing a different molecular signature, why then do we tend not to attack ourselves? And how can what we eat sometimes undermine this inherent protection from autoimmune disease? As I describe in my 3-min video Clonal Deletion Theory of Immunity, the reason that we don’t often fall prey to friendly fire is because before we’re even born we  kill off each and every B cell that recognizes us. That’s what our thymus gland is for. When we’re still a fetus, our body lines up all our immune cells, holds up a picture of our self and asks them one by one: “do you recognize this person?” And if any of our immune cells says yes, they’re killed on the spot, death by apopotosis (programmed cell death) and good riddance. Turns out this process of ridding our bodies of self-recognizing immune cells happens throughout our lives, mostly in our bone marrow. If you remember, though, in my video series on IGF-1 (starting with The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle) animal protein consumption increases the level of a cancer-promoting growth hormone that prevents apoptosis, prevents our body’s killing of cells it wants to get rid—that’s why IGF-1 levels are linked to cancer. So IGF-1 might contribute to the inappropriate survival of self-reactive white blood cells in autoimmune or inflammatory conditions. Maybe that’s why people who eat plant-based diets appear protected from autoimmune diseases, explaining, for example, the extraordinary rarity of most autoimmune diseases among sub-Saharan rural blacks following a traditional plant-based diet.   Before they changed their diets, evidently not a single case of MS had been diagnosed among a population of 15 million. 	Thank you for this! There seems to be so much they don’t know about MS, yet the connection between it and diet has always seemed so undeniable to me.I was diagnosed with MS in 1994, learned about and adopted the Swank Diet (only took it a step further, finding it simpler to eliminate most meat and all dairy fat) within a month, became fully vegan in 2000, and adopted the McDougall diet (Dr. Swank was his mentor) in 2007. Going vegan reduced my symptoms greatly, eliminating added fats has left me completely symptom-free for nearly six years.I was finally badgered into submission by multiple (no pun intended) neurologists to take Avonex a few months before going vegan, and I took it for 2-3 years until I could stand it no more, it made me feel so awful. I figured anything that made me feel that bad couldn’t be doing me much good, and indeed I’ve done SO much better using food as my medicine! I don’t even bother with neurologists anymore, devoting time I would have spent in their office, waiting room and MRI machine for more pleasant and productive things – like watching your videos! :-)Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story Laloofah!My pleasure, Dr. Greger – thank you for all the valuable info you share!I devoted few years of my life in clinical research in MS, I was honored by the then president of the American MS society. I did my thesis of medicine with honors about a longitudinal ob servation of genotyped MS patients. I demonstrated with epidemiological studies how diet was the main concern, I opposed the said new treatment because I knew enough to know they will hurt more than than help. I had to stop neuro sciences and I switched in cardiovascular diseases where diet is also a main concern. I am glad to see today the growing trust in eating right to be healthyClaude, thank you for your interesting reply! It had to be frustrating to know what you do about diet and MS, but have to bump up against the Big Pharma juggernaut and mainstream medicine idea that there’s a drug for everything (and lots of money to be made for every drug). But it must be gratifying now to have more and more voices joining yours.I have experienced frustration too, since I’ve been approached by so many people with MS, some newly diagnosed and some not, who hear about me through a mutual acquaintance and are intrigued with how well I’m doing, especially after so many years since being diagnosed, and without “benefit” of drugs. But as soon they hear they’ll have to give up their cheese, their Dairy Queen, their fill-in-whatever-animal-product-or-over-processed-food they think they can’t live without (despite my telling them about all the delicious plant-based alternatives, and all the other benefits they’ll derive from transitioning to this way of eating), the excuses start and I never hear from them again. It’s happened every time and it baffles me no end. I felt so empowered when I learned there was something I could do that was safe, easy, cost-effective, kind, and had only beneficial side effects, that even extend far beyond my own health. But, I’ll keep sharing my story and my example with anyone who wants to hear it! :-)Good for you! I am amazed that so many people are unwilling to question an authority figure even if the treatments they offer are not helping, and in some cases make a person’s health even worse. Ultimately our health is up to us. The doctor is not there every time we put food in our mouths.I find it really sad when a person with any chronic illness is unwilling to try something (like diet) that has no real downside. What have they got to lose?Thank you, Ellen! I couldn’t agree more with everything you said. As for the “what have they got to lose” question, I’ve asked myself that a lot, and have come up with a few (perhaps lame) theories, but honestly it’s just too hard for me to figure out because my own response was so very different.Several years ago I had a friend who was a counselor/therapist, and at the end of every orientation visit with a prospective new client she would ask them, “Are you ready to be healed?” I figured that was just a rhetorical question – who wouldn’t say yes to that? She said it was amazing how many people thought about it and then said, “No,” at which point she took no further appointments with them unless/until that answer changed. Maybe something similar is at work here – perhaps being unwell seems to serve some people in some way. And perhaps taking responsibility for our own well-being seems too intimidating for many, who would prefer to “outsource” the job!Laloofah, thank you for sharing. May I ask, is there any certain food that you realized was essential when going Vegan? I’ve been Vegitairian for a couple years and just went vegan 40 days ago. Giving up dairy, especially cheese made my body feel better, at first. But the past 2weeks I have struggled with the MS overwhelming fatigue issues and cognitive issues. The timing of this flare-up makes me wonder if I am missing something in my vegan diet….I have not had a flare-up in several years…can’t even remember the last one. (Diagnosed in 1992) I too take no MS drugs…they all made me feel sick. When I started eating a more healthy diet about 10 years ago I noticed a immediate improvement in my MS health, gradually giving up all meats. I am surprised by this flare-up…any advise on eating Vegan and MS is greatly appreciated. Thank you and BlessingsHi Gayle! Congratulations on going vegan, and for having the wisdom and courage to “just say no to drugs” and manage your MS with this healthy and holistic approach! I’m sorry to hear about your recent exacerbation and have no explanation for it, except to say that I too had a couple of exacerbations in the seven years between going vegan in 2000 and eliminating added fats (oils, margarine) from my diet in 2007 when I attended Dr. McDougall’s live-in clinic. Since that time I have had no MS issues at all. I was a skeptic that simply eliminating oils (I used a lot of olive oil especially) would make such a difference, but it sure has. Like many new vegans, I started out eating a lot of processed “transition foods” like meat and cheese analogs, but now the vast majority of our diet is whole foods, and that probably made a big difference too, as has better self-care to handle stress (like yoga and massage).I’m surprised that you are experiencing fatigue issues, because the first noticeable change when I went vegan, which I experienced quite quickly, was the return of my normal energy levels.As for there being any foods I found essential when going vegan, not really. We eat a lovely variety of plant foods – especially lots of green leafies and cruciferous veggies, beans and legumes, potatoes and rice and sweet potatoes, and fruit (esp. apples and berries), etc… all organic as much as possible. We also very little sugar, caffeine or liquor , make sure to supplement B-12, and thanks to Dr. Greger we’ve added things like hibiscus tea, alma powder, and plenty of ground flax and turmeric into our diet.I hope that’s helpful! Maybe you’ve come down with a bug, or are de-toxing – I didn’t experience anything like that myself, but know that many people have said they feel worse for a time after changing their diet for the better. If it persists, you might want to consult with a healthcare practitioner (preferably one who practices lifestyle medicine!) to make sure there isn’t some underlying cause. I don’t know if 40 days is long enough to experience any nutritional deficit that would cause your symptoms, but someone can be eating a vegan diet of oreos, potato chips and Smarties, so I suppose it’s possible (doubt they’d be on this site, though, asking intelligent and well-informed questions!) :-)Best of luck to you, Gayle, and do keep me posted if you wish to! I hope you experience profound healing!I scratch my head at why physicians don’t recommend this to all their MS patients? They might prescribe their medications too but what would it hurt them to prescribe the Swank or McDougall diets?Good point. A combination wont hurt.why would you bite the hand that feeds?For the last 7 years I have given educational presentations to physicians on the prevention and reversal of chronic diseases. I believe the main reason physicians don’t recommend this approach is because they don’t know the studies showing the benefit. We also aren’t exactly sure of the mechanism. For some it would involve adopting approaches that would require them to change their practices and start talking about an areas (e.g. nutrition) that they are unfamiliar with. To adopt they would also have to consider personally changing their habits. The resistance to change is high. I have a close personal friend who is also a neurologist. I asked him about the Swank studies… he said that Dr. Swank “dealt with a healthier population”. I and others are anxiously waiting to see the results of the Oregon Study funded by Dr. McDougall. The investigators understand that the numbers involved may not be large enough to show a big effect. However if a significant difference is shown they will move toward a larger study. If significant results are shown I share Dr. McDougall’s belief that if will go a long way to persuading patients and physicians to adopt the recommended diet.The connection to drug companies cannot be underestimated. The idea, in my opinion, is to treat any chronic illness rather than to cure it. Treatment can go on indefinitely and is very profitable to the entire medical system. Doctors are part of this system.Please watch for Dr. Yadav’s upcoming article on her study out of Oregon State University using the McDougall diet for MS – should be very helpful up-to-date information for MS treatment.Any info when it is out? Any accessible preliminary data?I’m wondering the same thing, as I’ve never heard of Dr. Yadav. Is she working with Dr. McDougall’s MS/diet study? (I volunteered to participate in that study while at Dr. McDougall’s 10-Day Live-In Program, but he told me I was “too healthy!” I guess if you’re going to be rejected, there are worse reasons!) :-)Dr. Greger,what do you think about a vascula etiology for MS?I reviewed the two abstracts cited by Alessio Giorgio in the post below. The research has not apparently been replicated re: venous insufficiency. I also would be very skeptical about applying the recommended approaches of stenting to the venous system when clearly the bulk of evidence doesn’t support the use of stenting in the arterial system. It is clear that adopting a “Swank” diet or the McDougall diet (whole plant food based starch centered) which was used in the Oregon study (results due out later this year) would benefit arterial disease… see the McDougall website, research by Drs. Ornish & Esselstyn, and numerous studies cited in video’s on NutritionFacts.org. I think the best explanation at this time is that MS is an autoimmune disorder. That doesn’t mean that vascular impairment doesn’t contribute to the disease. The science keeps mounting that the best nutritional approaches will prevent most chronic diseases. Further adopting the proper approach will allow us to slow, stabilize, reverse and/or cure many chronic conditions… of course it is always best to start earlier before damage occurs which can’t be reversed.Dr. Greger, what do you think about a vascular etiology for MS?Dr. Greger, what do you think about a vascular etiology for MS? Look at these studies: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21059535 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22012819According to Wikipedia and it’s cited sources (Cochrane Database etc.), there is insufficient or weak evidence for diet as a treatment for MS.“overall evidence is insufficient to indicate any potential benefit from diet interventions in MS”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swank_diet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treatment_of_multiple_sclerosis#Alternative_treatments http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_sclerosis#Alternative_treatmentsWhat makes you disagree with that assessment? Are you making an optimistic/biased interpretation of the data or are they overly pessimistic/biased?What makes you agree with an open source informational website that is edited by the public?I’m not sure what you mean by “agree”? I trust in the scientific method and try to believe only in things with sufficient evidential support.I am a vegan and I also know someone who has been diagnosed with MS, so really want Greger’s claim about MS to be true. But I only want to recommend a lifelong MS-specific diet change if the science behind it is sound. At the very least I would like to know if the criticism made towards Swan’s study is well founded or not.Secondly, Wikipedia is one of the most reliable and comprehensive encyclopedias in existence. It is self-correcting and requires reliable sources for everything; which makes it relatively easy to verify any claims that are made.I specifically did not reference Wikipedia as an authoritative source, but as a stepping-stone to a number of primary sources (The Cochrane database’s meta analyses on diet’s effect on MS, for example).I guess I’m jaded because I’ve lost my legs to lyme disease and had to accept a mainstream diagnosis of MS for insurance purposes. It doesn’t get any more evidence based than my test results and yet it’s simply dismissed by “great” institutions like Mayo and J Hopkins.And definitely, Wikipedia has my disease completely inaccurate in almost every paragraph. It may be a great encyclopedia but it’s a work in progress as is all human endeavors, especially medicine.I don’t know about MS, but this diet saved my dad’s life and reversed stage 3 prostate cancer in 6 months and no dr’s would buy into it. We watched it happen as did his dr’s yet no acknowledgement of diet, just that it’s a miracle. You are smarter than the average dr in the sense that you are seeking evidence.I agree that the published science is not all that impressive but the past work and experience by Dr. Swank and the recent study by the Neurology Department at the Oregon Health Science University in Portland should help our understanding. The size and duration of the recent study are such that the investigators are not expected a large effect. They are hoping to see enough of an effect to use as the basis for a larger study. But I have no reservations recommending the McDougall diet to patients with MS… I can see no downside as it has been shown to prevent or delay a large variety of chronic conditions. MS is bad but it would be worse to have that and another chronic condition. The other issue is that once the disease has progressed the damage probably can’t be reversed. It is always better to start earlier. I would at a minimum give your friend the information so s/he can decide.This is an excellent article to help people with MS. I was the first in the world to publish in the Lancet (december 1980) about the inbalance of lymphocytes in blood of MS patients, then in cerebro spinal fluid then in signs before relapse damage the myelin etc. My thesis let me set as a fact that eating right was a major part of the treatment in MS. Strong on the conclusions on my work I opposed most of the treatments proposed these last 30 years, As a consequence I switched to vascular clinical research and did a patent for cardiac assist device for babies. I am back working on nutrition because science has demonstrated my theories, more MD are considering the eating problem we have to face urgently today.A much updated version of Dr. Swank’s work is “Overcoming MS” by Dr. George Jelinek in Australia. Results in his web site show average 20% improvement in MS symptoms in 5 years so far on the ongoing study. Now some patients got worse anyway, and some are nearly symptom free, average 20% better. See http://www.overcomingmultiplesclerosis.org/ also book on Amazon and other bookstores.Our son was mis-diagnosed with MS. He likely has “Brikerstaffs Encephalitus” whatever that is, and has been improving steadily with following the Overcoming MS regimen. Do note that both Dr. Swank and Dr. Jelinek add omega 3 oil, in Jelinek’s case to a vegan diet. With typical Omega 6, the nerve cell walls are hard and sticky while with Omega 3 they are soft and not sticky which helps on the immune reactions. Far more in Jelinek’s book. Why isn’t this well publicized? Simple, big Pharma won’t make money from this treatment, neither will Fee for Service….I was diagnosed with MS four years ago, learned about the Swank and McDougall diets, and began eating as Dr McDougall suggests. My mindset at first was to use all tools available, so I also began Rebif (interferon beta-1a) injections, and used Ampyra (dalfampridine) and a NESS L300 functional electrical stimulation device to help with walking. My mindset changed as I learned about the minimal effect these medications provide, and became confident that diet was more powerful in slowing, and had a chance to reverse, the disease’s progression.Today, and for the past two years, I no longer take these drugs or use the device. With the addition of yoga, my strength, balance, and stamina are far greater than they were four years ago. I work full-time as a radiologist, travel, bike ride, and kayak. I feel that the diet has stopped the progression of my disease, and allowed me to exercise without excessive fatigue. I too recommend “Overcoming MS”, by Dr Jelinek. For those who hesitate to recommend a dietary approach, Dr Jelinek has done the literature search for you, and has published his own research showing the benefits of diet, exercise, sunlight, and meditation. In support of Dr Swank, his long term studies should not be dismissed because they do not meet the highest level of scientific investigation. We do not criticize the validity of the work of Edward Jenner, the discoverer of the smallpox vaccine, because he did not run a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized study. Dr Swank’s work is strong evidence that diet plays a role in the development and treatment of MS.And what is the downside of eating a low-fat vegan, plant-strong, whole-food diet? In practical terms, it is the social implications. Humans are conformists, whether we like to admit it or not. So the thought of being different, of having to explain your diet to friends and family, and to admit that you were ruining your health because you failed to learn about the importance of nutrition, all run through the mind of the patient hesitant to change.Even if my change to a low-fat vegan diet did not alter my MS, I am by far healthier and happier because of my decision. I have decreased my risk of developing cardiovascular disease, dementia, and many cancers, strengthened my immune system, stopped contributing to the torture and death of hundreds of food animals, and in the process am living a greener life on planet Earth.Do not be discouraged if others do not see the answer as you have. I needed a chronic disease to open my eyes. Live by example, be compassionate, and sleep well at night.Thank you so much for sharing!I second Dr. Greger’s thanks! :-)Hi,I hope this finds you well. I represent Healthline Networks, and we were wondering if you could include Healthline’s Multiple Sclerosis Center (http://www.healthline.com/health/multiple-sclerosis) as a resource on your page: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/21/plant-based-diets-for-multiple-sclerosis/Healthline provides a very comprehensive overview of Multiple Sclerosis as a critical starting point for individuals and/or their loved ones.Why you should include Healthline as a resource:-An educational tutorial on understanding, diagnosing, and treatment for MS -Breaking news (ex. http://www.healthline.com/health-news/ms-new-3D-scanning-technique-helps-diagnose-ms-fast-100913) and in-depth, doctor-reviewed contentFor more information about our rigorous editorial process, to view our board of directors and more visit the Healthline about page: http://www.healthline.com/health/about-healthline.Please let me know if you are open to adding Healthline’s MS center as a resource. Thank you in advance for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing back from you.Warm Regards, Maggie Danhakl- Assistant Marketing Manager p: 415-281-3124 f: 415-281-3199Healthline Networks, Inc. • Connect to Better Health 660 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 http://www.healthline.comHi,Healthline just launched a video campaign for MS called “You’ve Got This” where individuals living with MS can record a short video to give hope and inspiration those recently diagnosed with MS.You can visit the homepage and check out videos from the campaign here: http://www.healthline.com/health/multiple-sclerosis/youve-got-thisWe will be donating $10 for every submitted campaign to the National MS Society, so the more exposure the campaign gets the more the videos we’ll receive and the more Healthline can donate to MS research, support groups, treatment programs, and more.We would appreciate if you could help spread the word about this by sharing the You’ve Got This with friends and followers or include the campaign as a resource on your page: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/21/plant-based-diets-for-multiple-sclerosis/Please let me know if this is possible and if you have any questions. And, if you know anyone that would be interested in submitting a video, please encourage them to do so.Best,Maggie Danhakl • Assistant Marketing Managerp: 415-281-3124 f: 415-281-3199Healthline • The Power of Intelligent Health660 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107http://www.healthline.com | @Healthline | @HealthlineCorpAbout Us: corp.healthline.comMy mother has been eating plant based for over 6 months now and has not had ONE flare up!!I’m another person who saw their primary progressive MS go into complete remission after beginning a vegan diet. It’s been 6 years or so now, and even though I had gotten about 25 lesions and 5 major areas of impairment in the 5 years before going vegan, since I did it I have led a normal life and had zero disease progression. My old lesions still act up when I get sick with something else (false exacerbations), and I am still on baclofen, but I’ve never gone on any disease-modifying therapy. And I have never been happier, or enjoyed my food as much, as I do as a vegan.	antibodies,auto-immune disease,B-cells,cancer,growth hormone,IGF-1,immune system,multiple sclerosis,plant-based diet,prostate,prostate gland growth,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-selection-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22666902,
PLAIN-220	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/	Plant-Based Diets for Rheumatoid Arthritis	Plant-based diets may help rheumatoid arthritis by decreasing exposure to an inflammatory “Trojan horse” compound found in animal products called Neu5Gc. In How Tumors Use Meat to Grow I talked about the inflammatory role Neu5Gc may play in stimulating breast cancer growth, but what about inflammation in our joints? For those of you who have been following my work since the beginning, you’ll remember back in 2003 I covered a landmark paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences entitled “Human intake and incorporation of an immunogenic nonhuman dietary sialic acid.” They took autopsy samples and discovered proof of Neu5Gc in human tumors. In my video The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc you can see it stained brown in human breast cancer, melanoma, brain tumors, and ovarian cancer. The presence of Neu5Gc in human tumors mystified researchers, because human beings are genetically unable to produce this substance. But other animals can. Maybe, the researchers proposed, human beings absorbed it from eating these other animals? So they put it to the test. Because Neu5Gc is found in animals and animal products, the researchers had to first eat vegan for a few days to clear their system (including no animal-derived ingredients in foods or drugs or shampoo), and then they basically drank a glass of diluted pig mucous. Within days this invading meat molecule could be found oozing from their bodies, in their saliva, urine—even their hair clippings. They concluded: “Because NeuGc-type compounds are not found in plants, and Neu5Gc is not synthesized by microbes, the dietary source of Neu5Gc must be foods of animal origin.” They proposed that the metabolic incorporation of this molecular “Trojan horse” from animal products may be contributing to the higher rates of cancer and heart disease in those that eat meat and dairy. Why heart disease too? If you check out my 3-min video Nonhuman Molecules Lining Our Arteries, you’ll see that this foreign meat molecule tends to accumulate not only in the lining of hollow organs (where carcinomas like breast cancer develop inside your glands), but also in the lining of blood vessels. This may be contributing to the hardening of our arteries, the #1 killer of men and women in the United States. Inflammation is one of the three steps en route to fatal heart disease. See: Antioxidants found predominantly in plants may also decrease inflammation within the body. Nuts may be particularly useful in this regard. The absorption of the inflammatory molecule Neu5Gc from animal foods may also explain why vegetarian diets seem to improve rheumatoid arthritis. Maybe the incorporation of this reactive alien molecule into inflamed tissue such as arthritic joints could be aggravating arthritis. That could explain why rheumatoid arthritis is not present in most other great apes. What we do know is that if you take animal products away, rheumatoid sufferers can feel better within weeks–see Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis and Preventing Arthritis. Bacterial endotoxins are another reason animal products may trigger an inflammatory immune reaction. See: Beyond the putative role of nonhuman Neu5GC as a potential molecular link between diet, autoreactive antibodies, and the progression of human cancer and heart disease, I close out the Neu5Gc story with a 3-min. video entitled Meat May Exceed Daily Allowance of Irony. It turns out that consuming Neu5GC may set children up for life-threatening reactions to E. coli toxins originating in the same animal products. The researchers ask if this is “poetic justice” for meat eaters. Not when it’s a major cause of acute life-threatening kidney failure in children. For more on E. coli, see Fecal Bacteria Survey and Chicken Out of UTIs. My exploration into Neu5GC spanned a seven video series (starting with Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease). If you’d rather these more extensive probes than my one-off videos, I’ve done similar in-depth series on reversing cancer cell growth, why animal products cause inflammation, changing vitamin D recommendations, arugula athleticism, why nuts don’t appear to cause expected weight gain, as well as the latest dietary guidelines. 	Why does the research you present discourage meat consumption yet there are numerous advocates for eating meat backed by research? It’s very confusing for me as I try to better my diet. (Btw I do enjoy your video they’re excellent).What HemoDynamic said :)1. Granted it can be really tough to look at sources of funding. Even if you can get access to the primary journal article, and it appears that it came out of a university, you still have to check affiliations of all authors. Plenty of university researchers get funding from big beef, big dairy, etc. You always want to get research from people who research for the sake of research, NOT for pleasing their industry benefactors.On the other hand for someone to have gotten funding from NIH or NSF for example, a) they would have had to prove that their research will benefit the public, and b) they will not have to deal with any bias from the funding source. NIH and NSF want good science, and they want results, whatever they may be. Not so with industry funding sources.Dr. Greger does occasionally present research funded by some group like The New Zealand Kiwi Association for example, but he always discloses it. Also it’s important to note that the funding source does not automatically dictate whether it’s good or bad science. But let’s say we have hundreds and hundreds of studies detailing the harmful effects of beef and then a few saying it’s beneficial, and those few studies are funded by the beef industry, well, you make that judgement call as to the quality and integrity of those studies. A thorough reading of the actual study will typically reveal its flaws.2. Context and balance of evidence are key. If someone can produce even a dozen sources that they claim imply that a meat based diet is beneficial, that is nothing, NOTHING, compared to the mountain of evidence in favor of a plant based diet. And of course that is assuming their sources are valid. Often bloggers will use a legitimate journal article to try to make a point, even though the source does not in fact support it. They count on people not reading the original literature themselves. They also count on people not being able to. Frankly, it takes someone with a scientific-journal-article-reading background to read scientific journal articles and most bloggers are not equipped. Heck a scientist from one field will have trouble reading an article from another field. Biochemistry journal article is basically my second language. But can I read a computational chemistry journal article? Heck no. Should I go forming grand opinions on the field of computational chemistry based on my interpretation and present them as fact? Definitely no.There are two questions that should always be asked in the scientific world when reading or listening to the results of research: 1. Who funded the study? 2. What do they have to gain from the study? I know it’s tough to mire through the details to get that information but that is where http://www.NutritionFacts.org comes in: Dr. Greger scours the details to bring you the most unbiased information possible. Why, because he truly cares about the human population and wants you to have the most unbiased information so you can make the best choice for keeping yourself healthy.I have treated thousands of patients and never have I seen one patient prevent, arrest or reverse their chronic diseases (eg. Coronary disease, Vascular disease, Diabetes, Hypertension, Autoimmune disorders like, Lupus, RA, Crohns, Ulcerative colitis, Thyroiditis) on a meat based lifestyle. The only ones that can change the coarse of their chronic diseases are those that change their lifestyle to a Whole food, plant based lifestyle rich in complex carbohydrates (eg Potatoes, Rice, Beans, Corn etc) and beautifully colored vegetables.It is difficult to know who to trust especially when you have a limited understanding of health and diet matters. I talk to my family about this sites information and they think its absolute BS…we’ve always had meat eaters in this family/ extended family. I have cut back meat consumption considerably because of this site but going vegan I don’t think I could ever do.Simon, if you think you can’t then you won’t. Start out small, slowly. A day or two a week. I live with a meat eater. I won’t change him and he won’t change my vegan ways.I have personal trainer and that whole industry seems to push paleo diets and this is where a lot of my confusion is coming from (as well as the fact my natruropath and doctor recommend eating meat)I need to read more and watch more of these videos.Good for you for thinking critically and deciding to watch more videos!If you haven’t already, I suggest checking out: Forks Over Knives. That one, in addition to Dr. Gregers, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death (available free on this site) should be of great help.Simon, if you don’t think you can you won’t. Try eating a plant based diet one or two days a week. It really is a personal choice. Have fun on your journey.Simon: Best of luck to you. I can imagine how hard it would be to be surrounded by such a culture and try to do something different.I have two thoughts for you which you might find helpful:1) You can find all sorts of stories of world class athletes and body builders who eat vegan. Most report improved performance after going vegan. I would think that reading about such athletes and how they got where they are would both be inspirational to you and would provide something for you to say to personal trainers, etc. I found a site the other day that is dedicated to famous vegan athletes. I also get the Meatless Monday e-mails. I’ve seen several stories about people getting in shape and running marathons as seniors because they switched to a plant based diet. I think there was one such story in the last issue. So, Meatless Mondays might be another source of inspiration for you.2) You would be surprised how your views of what is possible will change over time – especially as you educate yourself more and more. I personally thought I would never go vegan. But here I am. Both of my parents told me that while they support my decisions, they would never go vegan. Then they started eating some vegan meals. Then they ate vegan only at home, but not necessarily when out of the house. Then, as they saw more and more concrete, measurable health benefits, they eventually decided to go all the way.Here’s my point: for some people, going cold turkey is the right approach. For other people, it is something that they gradually find themselves doing. Even though you can not see yourself as going all the way at this moment, maybe you could continually ask yourself: Now that I’m comfortable with what I am doing, what is the next baby step I could take to improve my diet? Walk enough baby steps and you may find you have traveled quite far.Hope these ideas are helpful to you.Simon, I was just wondering if you have looked into all the new vegan products on the market today. While I am not advocating veganism is about diet, it’s not, I do think that for many non-vegans interested in learning more about veganism, it may be beneficial to consider trying these products. Many of the comfort foods you enjoyed a non-vegan have been recreated by many vegan food companies. And they are available at many major grocery store and online. You want chicken, beef, fish, try http://gardein.com/. Then there, http://beyondmeat.com/products. And http://www.bocaburger.com/. Man I could go on all day. The point is, your transition into veganism can be easy. And while your trying some of these delicious choices I would suggest reading, The World Peace Diet by Dr Will Tuttle. It will amaze you. Google anything you want to know about veganism. And don’t let people you know sway you from wanting to change your life style; it’s your life. And I think they will see a new you and become curious and you can help them understand. I would take the advice you got from these other post seriously. They have no reason to lie. Vegans have nothing personally to gain from being vegan. That’s what makes it altruistic. I wish today you where looking back at this moment as if it happened many years ago. You will smile and know you did the right thing. We’re all here to help. Just ask. Namaste.I was diagnosed with hallux limitus, a type of degenerative arthritis of the big toe. Since going plant based a couple months ago, my range of motion and pain has improved greatly. Thank you for all the work you do in providing these videos.Great info, again. Grateful I am vegan and have been for 13 years. I do wonder how those researchers were able to drink pig mucous. Beer back?I want to know how the researchers drank the diluted pig mucous. Beer chaser?? Thank you again Dr, G for the awesome info.hmm… very good. i knew a young woman once who had this crippling of her extremities. she was addicted to butter. once she stopped, her hands and feet started to return to normal.I was vegetarian for 20 years and had to start eating meat again. My energy really improved. Now, I have a very healthy diet of mostly raw vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and sprouts. I also occasionally eat my own hen’s eggs and organic meat. Once I figure out how to replicate how I feel when I eat some meat as a vegan, I will try it again. My iron and B12 status fine. so it is something else. My sister has RA and I have done a lot of research on it. It is not just a vegetarian diet that helps but a grain-free raw vegan diet that helps. Wheat can cause SIBO, just as undigested meat can. Leaky gut and dysbiosis are really prominent in folks with autoimmune diseases. In the study with Neu5GC, did they control for already existing pro-inflammatory cytokines? What about omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids?Hello Brenda. My dad has severe RA – has had it for 13 years…he was on humira untli they found he developed b-cell lymphoma. At this point, we don’t know if the drug caused it, or the inflammation itself. We have been juicing for him every day….as well as try to get him as gluten/meat/dairy free as possible. But he’s just in so much pain all the time….and sometimes will have chicken or fish. I see you said “grain-free raw vegan diet” but does your sister ENJOY it? My dad LOVES food and gets very depressed in the thought of not eating what he wants…..this diet is hard enough for him. There’s just no relief for him. If you could give me ANY information that could possibly help….I’d so appreciate it. Thank you!McDougall’s study from 2002 is hardly impressive. Non significant changes in inflammatory markers, and only signficant improvement in subjective findings of pain, and joint scores. And it lacked a control group.A 2009 Cochrane review examined 15 randomized control trials of dietary interventions for rheumatoid arthritis – 4 of which used vegan diets: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/23808863_Dietary_interventions_for_rheumatoid_arthritis/file/9fcfd50d172c96ad7a.pdfThere are some really marked results, but unfortunately many of the studies were rather small. Relying on subjective outcome markers is ubitquitous.Rather than read the whole 56 pages of that Cochrane Review, the author’s conclusions sum it up “The effects of dietary manipulation, including vegetarian, Mediterranean, elemental and elimination diets, on rheumatoid arthritis are still uncertain due to the included studies being small, single trials with moderate to high risk of bias. Higher drop-out rates and weight loss in the groups with dietary manipulation indicate that potential adverse effects should not be ignored.”No mention of oxalates and other anti-nutrients in plant foods especially nuts, which contribute to pain associated with arthritis. Lots of plants including nuts are toxic and shouldn’t be in our diets because of these antinutrients. Check out Susan Owens Low Oxalate website and try the low oxalate diet if you are suffering.There is zero scientific evidence showing that oxalates demote health. Yes they are antinutrients but this is really a non issue and does not cause trouble in a normal healthy person. If someone is having severe kidney issues then in this case oxalates would be advised by a doctor to be restricted.Could that contribute to pain though in people with RA?Hi! I have so called chronic Lyme disease. I didn´t know until recently so I didn´t get treatment for a long time. Do you have advice, on this? Research on what foods can be helpful, anything. My going very very vegan, even raw for a while, and paying a lot of attention to nutrition. I know there is this controversy about the late stages of Lyme. All I know is that neuroboreolosis certainly does exist, unfortunately. Well, I´m interested to know any and every piece of info n advice that you would be able to share… Thank you for inspiration and tons of useful info.Hi Dr Greger, I recently came across someone who took cherry juice concentrate for Gout. When I looked up the benefits of tart cherry juice, it is touted as a. powerful antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory. What are your thought on it? It seems an ounce of this a day could be meaningful for many inflammatory conditions.Thanks!Dr Gregor, Thanx for all the great videos!I was diagnosed with RA in July of 2012. I had been a lacto/ovo vegetarian for 35 years. After reading that animal proteins might be a cause, I began eating Vegan, 6 months ago. It doesn’t seem to be helping. Nodules continue to appear all over my bones and my fingers are all getting swan necks. I am also on an anti-inflammatory diet:NO gluten, corn, peanuts, sweeteners, condiments, chocolate, oranges, eggs, dairy, meat. Any ideas or input would be most appreciated. Thank you!RA is likely more than one disease. There are many who significantly improve on a plant-based diet but as a physician I have also met suffers of RA who have not improved adequately on a plant-based diet. Nevertheless, it is still a much healthier way to live. I would encourage you to keep searching for the cause. Something is irritating your joints.Thank for your kind reply. I am doing much better. I’ve add many anti-inflammatory herbs and I believe they are making a difference.	antioxidants,arthritis,atherosclerosis,autoreactive antibodies,cardiac disease,e. coli,hardening of the arteries,heart disease,immune system,inflammatory meat particle,joint inflammation,Neu5Gc,rheumatoid arthritis,tumors,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-221	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/	How Tumors Use Meat to Grow	Certain cancers—like breast cancer—can be thought of in part as an autoimmune disease. When people get heart or kidney transplants, they must be given immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection of the new organ. What do you suppose happens to cancer rates in those individuals who have their immune systems suppressed? Well, for some types of cancer, like skin cancer, the risk goes up. This supports the so-called immune surveillance theory—the idea that our immune system acts as a natural defense system for keeping cancer under control (see a cool video of immune cells taking on a cancer cell here). This could explain why, as we age and our immune function declines, our risk of cancer goes up. The problem with the immune surveillance concept is that for some cancers, suppressing immune function decreases risk. After a kidney transplant, though your skin cancer risk may go up, your breast cancer and rectal cancer risk goes down. Why would people with depressed immune systems have less cancer? This led to a new theory of cancer I explore in my 4-min. video Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease. The only reason the immune system is even able to pick out cancerous cells from noncancerous cells is because tumors express foreign looking molecules that stimulate our immune system. Why would tumors do that? Why would cancer cells go out of their way to wave a red flag around saying, “Hey, come get me!”? We think it’s because cancer tends to thrive in a setting of low level inflammation. In the video I show a number of examples of chronic inflammation leading to cancer–ulcerative colitis to colon cancer, chronic pancreatitis to pancreatic cancer, chronic hepatitis to liver cancer, and stomach inflammation to stomach cancer. Oftentimes the body’s inflammatory immune response can further cancer’s agenda. By inciting an immune response, cancer creates its own inflammation, which may stimulate angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels to bring blood to the tumor and help it grow. This may explain the mystery surrounding Kaposi’s sarcoma, a cancer affecting those with AIDS. When you start treating AIDS and the immune system starts to recover you can actually see a flare in the cancer. So what are the dietary implications of this new autoimmune theory of cancer? See my 3-min. video How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies. In short, there’s a molecule called Neu5Gc found in nonhuman animals but not made by the human species. Cancerous breast tumors appear to incorporate this molecule that women consume in meat and dairy to trick their immune systems into creating the environment of low-grade inflammation that breast cancer thrives in. Our own cancer may use what we feed on to get what it feeds on. For more on Neu5Gc, one of the most fascinating topics of modern day nutrition, see my 4-min. video The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc. Why else might those eating plant-based diets have lower risk of all cancers combined? Kathy Freston wrote a good summary. It could be due to diminished exposure to IGF-1, heme iron, inflammation, viruses, antibiotics, saturated fat, nitrosamines, and arachidonic acid associated with animal product consumption. Or it could be the DNA repair,cellular stress defenses, anti-inflammatory properties, soy, lignans, phytonutrients, and fiber associated with healthy plant food consumption. It’s probably both, so it may not be enough to just eat vegan—we need to eat our veggies too. 	A fantastic recap of how dietary lifestyles engender cancers.I haven’t posted in awhile but that doesn’t mean I’m not out there reading your great work! Keep it up!So happy you are back!Thank you! I never left, I was just invisible.Very interesting, indeed.Inflammation and autoimmune conditions both can be extremely debilitating. I have been struggling with chronic inflammation/lupus in my head area for the past few years. I’ve been a vegan for the past few years, and it has definitely helped the flare ups. But the inflammation is still there, even if not as pronounced all the time. Does anyone know of ways that I can get some relief or maybe even remedy the condition? Are there particular foods or treatments I should focus on?Usually if you eat the foods that our body is evolved with, in the long term at least, these conditions tend to diminish or vanish.Our body will tell you what IT has evolved with via the gustatory sensors. If you like it RAW, that’s it. If you don’t, masquerading it with cooking, spices, fermentation and so forth won’t help.In your specific case though, in the short term, you could have a look at those foods that are anti-inflammatory (e.g. generally greens, pineapple, guava, kiwis) as opposed to the inflammatory ones (e.g. dates, bananas, oranges, potatoes, grains, squash, pumpking etc.) which you could try to avoid.Hope it helps.Thanks, Gio! I’ll definitely give those suggestions a shot.Dr. Joel Fuhrman has had considerable success with reversing autoimmune disease through supervised fasts. The body seems to forget its self-conflicts in the process. Don’t remember the name of his book re this. Google his books. Eat to Live is a great book, too.Thanks! I’ll Google it and check out the book.Dr. Greger First you are a god among men second as a new subscriber I want to thank you for providing us long standing vegheads with data that substantiates what we knew or suspected all along. That chronic diseases are exacerbated by meathead diets incompatible with our original (plant consuming) biological makeup. I always recommend your Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death video to anyone open minded enough to look at the evidence. Many thanks, Martha Helene JonesSo in short. Obesity causes your body to have inflammation thus giving an immune response and perhaps raising your risk for cancer. Makes sense.	breast cancer,cancer,immune system,immunosuppressive drugs,inflammation,inflammatory meat particle,inflammatory response,Neu5Gc,tumors,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-222	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/09/how-to-gain-weight-on-diet-soda/	How to Gain Weight on Diet Soda	Erythritol, the too-good-to-be-true nontoxic, low-calorie, tooth friendly sweetener that I profiled in my last blog post “Is There a Safe, Low-Calorie Sweetener?” may even act as an antioxidant. So what’s the catch? Well, there are three ways that all low-caloric sweeteners could theoretically be harmful independent of their specific chemistry. As I report in my 2-min. video How Diet Soda Could Make Us Gain Weight, several large studies have found an association between artificial sweetener use and weight gain, meaning the people that drank the most diet soda, for example, gained the most weight. The most common explanation for this counterintuitive finding is what’s called reverse causation. People aren’t fat because they drink diet soda; they drink diet soda because they’re fat! But there are at least three less benign alternative explanations. The first is called “overcompensation for expected caloric reduction.” If you covertly switch someone’s soda for diet soda without him or her knowing it, his or her caloric intake drops. Obviously, right? They’re not drinking all that sugar anymore. But what if you tell them what you did? People who knowingly are consuming artificial sweeteners may actually end up eating more calories. Why? Because they’re like hey, I’m drinking diet soda, so I can have two pieces of cake. One of the studies I profile involved giving people an artificially sweetened cereal for breakfast, but only half were told. When it came to lunchtime, the group that knew they had eaten an artificially sweetened cereal ate significantly more than those that didn’t know any different. Basically, it’s the diet-soda-with-a-fast-food-meal syndrome. One may only lose weight on diet soda if you don’t realize it’s calorie-free. The second reason even the most harmless noncaloric sweetener could still be harmful if we’re not careful has to do with how our brain is wired. Watch my 2-min. video Neurobiology of Artificial Sweeteners to learn how the disconnect between sweetness sensations coming from our tongue and the lack of a caloric feedback loop in the gut may result in overeating. Finally, all sweeteners–natural and artificial, caloric and non-caloric—help maintain cravings for intensely sweet foods. As I explain in my 2-min. video Unsweetening the Diet, if you go on a low salt diet, for the first few weeks everything tastes like cardboard until your taste buds have a chance to adapt to the new norm. After that, natural low sodium foods taste perfectly fine and adding table salt tastes gross because it’s way too salty. Same thing with the sweeteners. At home maybe you use a harmless sweetener like erythritol—that’s great, but then what if you go on vacation and forget it at home? You still take your preference for severely sweet food with you and that may end up translating into the increased consumption of less than healthy foods. So those are the caveats for even nontoxic sweeteners. They are only safe if you don’t use them as an excuse to eat more junk food. 	I bought erythritol and saw that it came from corn, but did not say organic or non GMO. Is there an organic variety of this?The erythritol sold by NOW Foods, which I buy, claims to be non-GMO, but doesn’t claim to be organic.Most of the production expense arises from fermenting the yeast Moniliella tomentosa var. pollinis on corn glucose and refining and crystalizing the erythritol from the fermentation vat. The cost advantage from using glucose from common GMO #2 feed corn rather than sweet corn varieties (none of which to date are GMO) is probably negligible. Corn syrup solids are cheap (< $1/lb), even when made from sweet corn that doesn't make it to the produce or frozen aisle.I personally wouldn't mind GMO erythritol, but this isn't the forum for that discussion.I would avoid unless it can be verified to be Non-GMO, such as the Non-GMO Project. Why not write NOW foods and ask if it is verified to be Non-GMO (Project). Lots of companies that are non-GMO are signing up.One of my biggest resentments is that I was never protected by the medical profession as a child.My personal estimate is that most overweight people are carrying a large trauma load and use food to moderate the pain. I do.It behooves us all to be careful about labels that are really propaganda.Very best regards,FrankI had the opposite happen to me. As a child I was very underweight. I could finish my meal and finish everyone else’s and not gain an ounce…until I left for college. Then, everything changed. And for the first time in my life, I had a weight problem having gained 20 pounds first semester.It was a combination of my growth cycle stopping, and being free from am overbearing mother so as to eating anything I wanted. Eating the wrong foods quickly added weight to my then, 5’9″, 118 pound frame.Now, with a constant weight problem and my constantly trying to weigh less while at the same time get the nutrition I need to counter osteoporosis in my bones, I find myself confused at best and trying to figure out how to jump start my weight loss again. But most doctors don’t know nutrition and are pill pushers, and most big labels are not truthful. One needs to understand the barely visible fine print. And, remember, it’s what is not said, can be most important!Beccadoggie10, the best way to regain proper health is to give your body what it needs and craves… Fruits and Vegetables and nuts and seeds and beans!!! It can be hard giving up the foods that we know and think we love, I am personally well aware of this myself, but know that you always have support here and science to back that support up!!!!Remember, sweetners are not just to sweeten. They are also to balance against tart, bitter, sour, and salty flavors. It’s only when they are dominant (either alone or in greater quantity) that they promote a sweetness preference. Nothing wrong with adding a little erythritol to hibiscus tea for example. hibiscus is tart. The z-sweet will just reduce the tartness of the tea, not make it sweet unless you overdo it.The sweet taste of diet soda will cause the secretion of insulin which then lowers blood sugar to leading to hunger.How is that physiologically possible since insulin isn’t released until glucose levels are elevated in the circulatory system? Have some studies been conducted to indicate that this does happen? thanks	diet soda,erythritol,junk food,sugar,weight gain	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/	-
PLAIN-223	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/07/is-there-a-safe-low-calorie-sweetener/	Is There a Safe, Low-Calorie Sweetener?	The natural sweetener erythritol does not appear to carry the adverse effects associated with other low and non-caloric natural and artificial sweeteners and may actually have antioxidant potential. For a while it was only available in Japan but now it’s becoming more accessible. It’s found naturally in pears and grapes, but industrially we have yeast make it for us. It doesn’t cause cavities and hasn’t been implicated in some of the disorders tied to other sweeteners such as fibromyalgia (see my video Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia), preterm birth (Diet Soda and Preterm Birth), headaches, hypertension, brain disorders, and platelet disorders (see A Harmless Artificial Sweetener). What about stevia? The jury is finally in. The reason it’s been such a long time coming is that research out of Japan in the ’90s found that steviosides, the active ingredient in stevia, appeared totally harmless, but in the guts of rats intestinal bacteria transformed steviosides into something called steviol, which is toxic, causing a big spike in mutagenic DNA damage (see the graph in Is Stevia Good For You?). So the question was do we have those same rat bacteria in our guts, and it turns out we do. So we now know that when we eat stevia, mutagenic compounds are produced in our colons and absorbed into our bloodstream. The only remaining question was how much. In the World Health Organization’s evaluation of food additives, they consider up to 4 mg/kg of body weight safe. So that’s 1.8 mg per pound. If you multiply your ideal weight in pounds by 1.8, that’s about how many milligrams of stevia compounds you should stay under on an average daily basis. As long as one consumes less than, say, two stevia-sweetened beverages a day, stevia can be considered harmless. Erythritol may be even better than harmless, though, as you can see in my 2-min. video Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant. There are two caloric sweeteners that are health-promoting—can you guess which ones? Check out The Healthiest Sweetener for a comparison of agave nectar, blackstrap molasses, brown rice syrup, corn syrup, brown sugar, date sugar, honey, maple syrup, raw cane sugar, and turbinado sugar. 	So, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should consume no more than 270 mg of stevia per day.A small serving-sized packet of “Wholesome Organic Stevia” from Wholesome Sweeteners is 1 gram, or 100 mg.That means one can only consume roughly 1/4 (1/3.7 more precisely) of a small packet a day, if I’m figuring this correctly.That’s not a lot. It seem like the best thing to do is just not use the stuff.Most of what’s in that packet is inulin as a filler (since stevia is so incredibly sweet a bulking agent is added). So I imagine you could get away with about 5 packets a day.Thank you for the clarification and correction of my flawed assumption. And thank you for providing a wealth of important information on nutrition that can really impact our lives.These blog posts are incredibly helpful in synthesizing the information you have in your videos — thank you!One thing I’ve been mulling over is the relationship between inflammation, antioxidants, and cancer. I have a vague sense that antioxidants are anti-inflammatory, as well as being anti-carcinogenic. Are the best cancer-fighting agents also the best inflammation-fighting agents, or are there some compounds that are better at reducing inflammation than inhibiting cancer growth? Have you explained this on your site, or would you in a future blog post? Many thanks.What about xylitol ?Yeah, what ABOUT Xylitol? I rarely see Xylitol even mentioned in these kinds of comparisons. As a chronic yeast sufferer, it’s the only sweetener I’ll use. I’ve tried Stevia in its various forms, and can never get it right in a recipe .. and it always leaves a weird aftertaste. Teaspoon for teaspoon, Xylitol can be used exactly like regular table sugar, it’s all natural, fights bacteria and is low on the glycemic index (perfect for diabetics). The only thing it won’t do is caramelize. I always purchase an organic birch sourced type. NOW brand uses corn for theirs, and no where on the bag does it claim to be organic. People complain that it’s poisonous to dogs. But I would never think of giving my dog the sugary sorts of things I use it to make anyway. In fact, we avoid sugar like the plague around here. I rarely use Xylitol, but when I get a sugary itch, it’s the only sweetener I like that I’m certain isn’t going to poison ME in some way.As always, thank you Dr. Greger for timely information. I beg to differ with the number of servings or stevia sweetened drinks mentioned. I typically use 1 of the little spoons that come in KAL brand stevia, which is 42 mg. At 210#, I can eat 378 mg per day which is exactly 9 servings. I don’t drink 9 servings of anything but water per day, so I’m safe, but I can see where a 40# 5 year old could be at risk. Then again I don’t know of many 5 year olds eating stevia, so maybe this is moot.Dr. Greger, I know you have many people asking questions concerning the healthfulness of many different obscure foods and ingredients but can you please try and get the straight dope on coconut palm sugar? It is the hottest sweetener on the natural food scene these days and the sellers are making many health claims as usual. I’d love to find out if it is really low glycemic and nutritious as claimed when you can find some info. Thanks in advance!The healthiest sugar would be date sugar as this is simply ground up dates so it is still considered a whole plant food. I cannot say the same for coconut palm sugar as I am assuming this is more processed.would fenugreek help a sphincter strength? How much do I take?What about stevia plants? Like the plant itself? I keep reading about stevia this, stevia that, but it’s always in regards to the processed, crystalized fake sugar form of itself. I want to know how bad it is to make sun tea with a few leaves of stevia in it to give it some sweetness?I plan on getting one, and I keep reading research that begs to differ if it’s bad or not. It’s like 50/50 from what I’ve read. Honestly I know not all plants are good for you, but the plant doesn’t seem THAT bad so long as you don’t go and chow down the whole thing like a salad lol.If some one knows, please let me know :3Is this just about processed stevia? or does this study also apply to using the raw stevia plant?Regarding caloric sweeteners, I would still like you to report on raw honey, which has a significantly lower glycemic index score. And there are many websites that suggest it reduces allergies if you consume local raw honey. So, can you gather some research about raw unprocessed honey and its benefits and detractions?SPLENDA…made from sugar but not recognized by the body and so not ingested… works for me on everything.Do vegans have the bacteria load to create the toxin. Or just omnivores?With the information about Stevia, I would expect there might be some evidence, in the populations who have used Stevia as a basic sweetener for many years, of ailments and morbidity rates related to higher levels of Stevia use. Is there such data? How do members of these groups use Stevia? Within the levels identified above?Thank you for the helpful information in this article. I don’t see many responses to questions, but will check back a couple of times in the next two weeks.I’ve seen others asking as well, so, in the event you just need a big enough audience asking….I would be so grateful if you were able to post on Coconut Nectar. There are a few forms out there, the nectar (sap) crystals and they even make coconut aminos and vinegar. I don’t use a ton of added sweeteners but I do use some and would love to know if all (or anything) I’ve read about this product is actually true- especially if it really contains all the beneficial amino acids it claims. Thank you for doing what you do!!! https://www.coconutsecret.com/Tappingthesap2.htmlDr. Greger, I am eternally indebted to you for the swath of information you have supplied via your website. I read from it everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. Thank you. I have a question about Erythritol and Monk fruit. I watched your video on erythritol and told my mom about it, who has lost 90lbs through eating a more plant-based diet and is getting her diabetes under control. You said your preferred sweetener was erythritol. What are your thoughts on Monk fruit? Is Monk fruit better, worse, more or less processed? Also, many brands of erythritol are made from corn, not fruits, unfortunately, and may be GM. What brand do you use? Thank you for the information.Congratulations on your families improving health. Weight loss is primarily about calorie density and exercise. Resources such as Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density: How to Eat More…, and Doug Lisle’s presentation available on YouTube, How to Lose Weight without losing your mind, are excellent places to start. For type two diabetes, Neal Barnard’s book on reversing diabetes is excellent. Remember the “upstream” cause of type two diabetes is the fats in the diet which cause insulin resistance and cellular mitochondrial dysfunction. Insulin helps the glucose get into the cell and the mitochondria burn the glucose. Sugar in limited quantities is not as much a problem except for the fructose which the liver converts to fats among other things. So I use vegan sugar/brown sugar and erythritol on the rare occasions that I use it. I would avoid all artificial sweeteners for the reasons that you have seen in Dr. Greger’s videos. All natural sweetness comes from glucose, fructose or sucrose aka table sugar. Jeff Novick’s DVD ties exercise into calorie density. Exercise is helpful for a variety of reasons but the key is less fats… no animal products and avoid processed oils.http://www.naturalnews.com/045450_Truvia_erythritol_natural_pesticide.htmlWhat about this?? http://www.getholistichealth.com/39964/scientists-shocked-as-fruit-flies-die-in-less-than-a-week-from-eating-gmo-derived-erythritol/Was surprised to find a new date syrup in the store recently. See ilovedatelady.comCool! Thanks for the tip.	agave,date sugar,erythritol,headaches,hypertension,maple syrup,stevia,steviol,sweetener	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/	-
PLAIN-224	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/02/are-microgreens-healthier/	Are Microgreens Healthier?	USDA researchers recently published a study assessing the nutrition content of 25 commercially available microgreens, seedlings of vegetables and herbs that have gained popularity in upscale markets and restaurants. Just a few inches tall, they boast intense flavors and vivid colors, but what about their nutritional content? No one knew until now. We’ve known that baby spinach leaves, for example, have higher levels of phytonutrients than mature spinach leaves, but what about really baby spinach–just a week or two old? Microgreens won hands down (leaves down?), possessing significantly higher nutrient densities than mature leaves. For example, red cabbage microgreens have a 6-fold higher vitamin C concentration than mature red cabbage and 69 times the vitamin K. Microgreens are definitively more nutrient dense, but are often eaten in small quantities. Even the healthiest garnish isn’t going to make much of a difference to one’s health, and microgreens may go for $30 a pound! But BYOM—birth your own! You can have rotating trays of salad that you can snip off with scissors. It’s like gardening for the impatient—fully-grown in just 7 to 14 days! If that’s too long, what about sprouting? See my 1-min. video Antioxidants Sprouting Up to see what happens to the antioxidant content of seeds, grains, and beans when you sprout them. Homemade sprouts are probably the most nutrition-per-unit-cost we can get for our money. See Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck, where they beat out the previous champ, purple cabbage (Superfood Bargains). Broccoli sprouts are probably the best—see for example The Best Detox and Sulforaphane From Broccoli to Breast. I would recommend against alfalfa sprouts (even when home sprouted) as fecal bacteria from manure can hide in the seed’s nooks and crannies and cause illness: Don’t Eat Raw Alfalfa Sprouts. 	Dr Greger the seeds you sent with my donation are absolutely wonderful and my favorite kale. I need to pick them sooner when just one week old. So delicious!Oh I’m so so glad!RE: the study you’re citing for the proposition that baby spinach has more phytonutrientsPardon my ignorance, but I can only see the abstract–and the abstract indicates the study is about irradiating baby spinach. Could you clarify?How i wished i could read the full text of this study !When Pubmed fails, a visit to http://scholar.google.com/ sometimes yields fruit:Xiao, Zhenlei, et al. “Assessment of Vitamin and Carotenoid Concentrations of Emerging Food Products: Edible Microgreens.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 60.31 (2012): 7644-7651. http://www.sunshinecovefarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2012-Xiao-Assessment-of-Vitamin-and-Carotenoid-Concentrations-of-Emerging-Food-Products-Edible-Microgreens.pdfDarryl Roy, i am very thankful to You !!!Darryl, Could you or another on the fabulous NF team answer this:RE: the study Dr. Greger’s citing for the proposition that baby spinach has more phytonutrientsPardon my ignorance, but I can only see the abstract–and the abstract indicates the study is about irradiating baby spinach. Could you clarify?Hi, I sprout at home and you have to do 8-12 soak and rinse, then rinse every 12 hours for 2-6 days, at end remove most hulls, don’t you think that would wash out the microbes?If I make a donation, you think maybe you could send me some of those kale seeds?Sure! Just click on the donate button above: https://nutritionfacts.org/donate/I have no argument that sprouts are nutritious. As noted, they can be a bacterial minefield. Be sure you know how to handle the seeds, to decontaminate before sprouting, and the sprouts themselves. Bacterial foodborne disease outbreaks have been associated with other than alfalfa sprouts: clover, radish, mung bean.Sprouting is really easy, and I do it more often in the winter when fresh produce isn’t available. If we could only get our alfalfa sprouts from a trusted veganic farm, then we wouldn’t have to worry so much about e.coli.A warning for new people who want to sprout: chia, flax, and cress are mucalaginous (sp?) so require a different method.I didn’t have much success with mason jars, although many people do. When I bought a snakpik (3-level self draining tray system, with a water collector tray on the bottom), I had more success. A local commercial organic sprout seed vendor was not impressed, due to concerns over possible cross-contamination, but it works for me and no food poisoning. I usually put my kale sprouts at the top, hoping at least the water off the kale might have some protective effect! Right now, that is superstition not science, but someday soon, we’ll see research on kale sprout water, mark my words.There is such a thing as popcorn shoots? Does the stuff sold for actual popping sprout, or is a special kind needed to be still alive?Instructions for popcorn sprouting: http://www.sproutpeople.com/seed/popcorn.htmlIs pea protein a safe additive to smoothies	alfalfa sprouts,antioxidants,microgreens,red cabbage	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20329797,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22812633,
PLAIN-225	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/30/aspartame-fibromyalgia-preterm-birth/	Aspartame: Fibromyalgia & Preterm Birth	When we learned how bad butter was, the food industry responded by giving us margarine, which turned out to be even worse. When dietary guidelines told us to lower our fat intake in hopes that we’d pick up an apple, the food industry gave us fudge drizzled Snackwell cookies. Similar reasoning led to the billion-dollar diet soda industry. A recent study profiled in my 2-min.video Diet Soda and Preterm Birth entitled “Intake of Artificially Sweetened Soft Drinks and Risk of Preterm Delivery: A Prospective Cohort Study in 59,334 Pregnant Danes” concluded that the daily intake of diet soda may increase the risk of preterm delivery. It probably wasn’t the caffeine or preservatives, since sweetened versions of the same sodas didn’t result in the same problem. So what is it? They think it’s the toxic aspartame (Nutrasweet) breakdown products either affecting the mother’s uterus or directly affecting the baby’s developing nervous system. These are the same toxins (wood alcohol and formaldehyde) blamed for headaches associated with aspartame. If you watch my 2-min. video Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia, I profile case reports of fibromyalgia chronic pain sufferers cured by removing the artificial sweetener from their diets. As far as I’m concerned, nontoxic treatments should always get precedence, and you can’t get much more nontoxic than removing processed foods from your diet! Alternately, many folks suffering with fibromyalgia symptoms may have been misdiagnosed and are actually suffering from an easily treated vitamin D deficiency. What’s the best way to treat that? See Vitamin D Pills vs. Tanning Beds, one of my dozen videos on vitamin D. I’ve got a bunch of previous videos on sweeteners including Is Nutrasweet Bad For You?  Erythritol is probably A Harmless Artificial Sweetener. Of course regular soda isn’t good for us either. High fructose corn syrup may contain mercury and have adverse effect on our children (Diet & Hyperactivity). See Food Industry Funding Effect for a discussion of how studies funded by soft drink (and dairy) corporations may be biased. 	does this include sucralose?I have no need for sweet anything from any product I can buy. I get 9 servings of fruits and vegetables from a smoothie of green leaves of most any edible plant with tomato, orange, apple, etc. for taste and sweet.I learned diet sode gives me the worst migraines. I stopped drinking diet soda or sweeting my drinks artificially. I prefer half a teaspoon of sugar if I can’t drink it unsweetened, and it doesn’t happen very often.I have never had an artificial sweetener. Something intuitively tells me eat whole foods, combined with the science supporting same. Sodas don’t tempt me, thank goodness. :)Never eat or drink anything that have been altered from its natural condition. If you want to use some additional fat, use olive oil. It tasts like butter on the bread. http://www.abicana.com/health_information.htmKnut Holt: Consider this: it is a contradiction to say, “Never eat or drink anything that have been altered from its natural condition.” and then in the very next sentence encourage people to use olive oil. That stuff doesn’t grow on trees. :-)I would certainly use olive oil over butter. But I try to use no oils at all when I can. Because, like your first sentence implies, I’m trying to mostly eat whole foods – those that aren’t altered from their natural condition in a significant way. Olives grow in nature. Olive oil not so much. Peanuts grow in nature. Peanut oil not so much. Etc.I can’t figure out what your link has to do with the topic, but I hope I gave you something to think about.	aspartame,diet soda,erythritol,fibromyalgia,Nutrasweet,preterm birth,soda,vitamin D	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-nutrasweet%c2%ae-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-226	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/25/bugs-drugs-in-pork-yersinia-and-ractopamine/	Bugs & Drugs in Pork: Yersinia and Ractopamine	Consumer Reports recently released a study in which they analyzed U.S. retail pork and found trace levels of an adrenaline-like drug called ractopamine in about 20 percent of the samples and a foodborne bacteria that sickens nearly 100,000 Americans every year called Yersina in two-thirds of pork samples. Ractopamine safety analysis The National Pork Producers Council tried to address concerns about ractopamine by noting that the levels in meat of this muscle growth promoter, which is fed to pigs in the form of Paylean™ and turkeys in the form of Topmax™, were below the limit set by the UN Codex Commission last summer. What they didn’t mention was that due to outstanding safety concerns, the Commission’s drug residue limit only passed by a single vote out of 143 ballots cast. The Codex Commission based this drug residue limit in meat on the only human data available, a study of just six people that wasn’t designed to establish safety. At higher doses, the study subjects reported their hearts racing and pounding—so much so that one subject had to be withdrawn from the study. At a lower dose, though, no cardiac changes were noted. So that’s the dose the Codex Commission used to calculate the maximum allowable meat residue and acceptable human daily intake levels. Just because a certain dose doesn’t cause a problem in six people is no certainty that the dose is safe for everyone. The European Food Safety Authority—Europe’s equivalent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—calculated that a study of six people wouldn’t even have the statistical power to pick up a 40 percent change in cardiac output, a key measured endpoint. To detect as statistically significant a clinically relevant change, the study would have required at least 60 people. Also, the study only looked at the cardiovascular effects of ractopamine. Given its adrenaline-like effects, the drug could also cause metabolic effects in people such as an increase in blood sugar levels or behavioral effects such as restlessness or anxiety. Finally, all six study subjects were healthy young men. What about particularly vulnerable populations such as children or people with heart disease? The European Food Safety Authority panel concluded that the Codex limit did not sufficiently take these higher risk populations into account. They concluded that the single small human study “can not be taken as a basis to derive an acceptable daily intake…and consequently no proposal for maximum [meat] residue levels could be made.” In other words, we simply don’t have enough data to determine a safe level of drug exposure from meat. Ractopamine – animal health and welfare The Council of the European Union recently joined China in reaffirming the ban on ractopamine, citing both human health and animal welfare concerns. Studies over the last decade have shown that pigs on ractopamine may have chronically elevated heart rates, increased stress reactions, and difficulty walking. In fact the warning label reads: ‘‘Caution: Pigs fed PAYLEAN are at an increased risk for exhibiting the downer pig syndrome,” a condition in which pigs are too sick, injured, or exhausted to stand and may be dragged to slaughter. The pork industry uses an ironic pretext to defend its use of gestation crates – restrictive cages that virtually immobilize breeding pigs for nearly their entire lives. The industry claims this is to keep them from fighting, but at the same time pork producers feed millions of fattening pigs a drug shown to increases aggressiveness and attacks. Given the human and animal welfare concerns, why does the U.S. pork industry continue to feed this drug to their animals every year? A meta-analysis was recently published in the Journal of Animal Science. Based on all the studies done to date, pigs fed ractopamine “had an overall carcass cutability advantage of 1.01 percentage units when compared to control pigs.” All this for a 1 percent greater yield. For more on this drug in the meat supply, see my 6-min. video Ractopamine in Pork. For more on the drug use by the livestock industry see: Yersinia – the gift that can keep on giving The discovery of Yersinia in pork is no surprise. Pigs are considered to be to be the main reservoir for Yersinia enterocolitica and pork products the main source of human infection. While most foodborne pathogens come from a variety of sources, 100 percent of the attributable Yersinia outbreaks reported in the United States from 1999 through 2008 were caused by pork. What was a surprise is the level of contamination of the U.S. pork supply—69 percent of samples tested positive—and the level of antibiotic resistance. Ninety percent of the Yersinia bacteria found contaminating the pork was resistant to one or more antibiotics. In most cases, Yersinia food poisoning causes an acute “stomach flu” characterized by fever, abdominal pain, and often bloody diarrhea. Severe cases are frequently confused with appendicitis, leading to unnecessary emergency surgery. Long-term complications of infection include chronic inflammation of the eyes, kidneys, heart, and joints. Within a year of a bout of Yersinia food poisoning, victims appear to have a 47-fold higher risk of coming down with autoimmune arthritis. The bacteria may also play a role in triggering an autoimmune thyroid condition known as Graves’ disease. Yersinia – the role of factory farming The new findings, published in the January 2013 issue of Consumer Reports, are not surprising given how widespread the infection is in the national herd. The increasing emergence of human infections over the last century has been blamed on the industrialization of the pork industry and higher stocking densities. Inside swine confinement buildings, researchers have been able to culture Yersinia bacteria right out of the air. The pork industry acknowledges overcrowding pigs is associated with increased health risks, but the trade journal National Hog Farmer cites research showing that when “space was dropped to 6 sq. ft./pig, the building produced 26% more pounds of pork at the same fixed cost.” That entails cramming a 200-pound pig in a space equivalent to about 2 feet by 3 feet. Sometimes, the article concludes, “crowding grow-finish pigs a little tighter will make you more money.” With so many Americans falling ill from contaminated pork, why are there no industry-wide Yersinia monitoring and control programs in the United States? Perhaps this is because Yersinia enterocolitica doesn’t cause clinical disease in pigs and therefore doesn’t directly affect the industry’s bottom-line. The costs of crowded confinement may instead be passed on to the tens of thousands of Americans who continue to be sickened every year at an annual estimated cost of a quarter billion dollars. Research from Europe suggests pigs raised using organic methods – which in Europe means more than just what animals are fed – may have 50 times lower odds of harboring Yersinia enterocolitica infection compared to pigs raised on conventional factory farms. After studying a variety of factors, the researchers ended up attributing the low rates of Yersinia infection on organic farms to lower levels of stress among the animals. If stress is indeed a contributing factor, things may be looking up in Europe. On Jan. 1, 2013 gestation crates for pregnant pigs were banned across all 27 nations of the European Union. Crated sows have been shown to have impaired immunity, thought to be a result of elevated stress hormone levels related to being virtually immobilized for years on end. Pregnant sows in the U.S., where the majority are still crated, have been shown to have among the highest rates of Yersinia enterocolitica infection. Since infected piglets have been shown to carry the infection through to slaughter, the impact of stress levels on disease resistance of breeding pigs can have human health consequences. Thankfully, major U.S. retailers, restaurant chains, and leaders in the pork industry have started phasing out gestation crates, which may end up benefiting both animal welfare and the safety of the meat supply. For more on this pork-borne bacteria check out my 7-min. video Yersinia in Pork. For more videos on fecal matter contamination of the meat supply, see: The Campylobacter in chicken that I end the Yersinia video on is the Poultry and Paralysis bacteria. 	if you are eating organic and constains statement that no steroids or antibiotics are used can they still contain ractopamine or yersinia?No ractopamine, but“When production types and capacities were compared, the prevalence of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was HIGHER in organic production than in conventional production”Laukkanen, Riikka, et al. “Transmission of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in the pork production chain from farm to slaughterhouse.” Applied and environmental microbiology 74.17 (2008): 5444-5450. http://aem.asm.org/content/74/17/5444.fullAre humans more susceptible to pathogens from pigs than from other animals (e.g., cows)? I’m thinking of how heart valves from pigs are used in humans, so we must be generally more biologically compatible.Some actual facts: Pigs can get human diseases, and yes, some diseases go the other way. I’ve been subscribed to PRO-MED since about 1999, and I’ve yet to see a report of ‘Yersinia enterocolitis’ as far as I can recall, much less one associated with pigs.In the Consumer Reports ‘study’, only 128 samples were taken and evaluated–but they also cite that they took ‘148 pork chops and 50 ground pork samples from around the US’. Discrepancies like that give science a bad name! A tiny study like that is as silly as the study cited under the ractopamine portion of the article which used only six people! There is no way that 128 samples is representative of all pork sold in the US, and without links to reputable studies, I can’t give that much credence at all.A much better study, of the pigs themselves, is available at http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/29507/PDF and indicated that 3.8% of 2793 swine carried 106 different isolates of this bacteria which *may* be capable of causing human disease. And, of those, all were susceptible to 13 out of 16 antimicrobial drugs tested–which is pretty typical for any bacteria.Again, a relatively small sample, perhaps, in comparison to the millions of pigs sent for slaughter each year in the US, but far better done than the one by Consumer Reports! Cook your food well, and choose your science with care–you’ll do a better job of protecting yourself that way, and be a lot calmer to boot. :)	adrenaline,Consumer Reports,foodborne bacteria,gestation crates,National Pork Producers Council,pork,ractopamine,yersinia	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-227	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/	Increasing Muscle Strength with Fenugreek	The spice fenugreek appears to significantly improve muscle strength and weight lifting power output while possessing anti-cancer properties in vitro. In my 2-min video Benefits of Fenugreek Seeds I profile a study entitled “The effects of a commercially available botanical supplement on strength, body composition, power output, and hormonal profiles in resistance-trained males.” Something had a “significant impact on both upper- and lower-body strength and body composition in comparison to placebo in a double blind controlled trial. These changes were obtained with no clinical side effects.” Something allowed these men to leg press an extra hundred pounds compared to placebo. And the magical substance? Powdered fenugreek–a spice that may even double as an anti-cancer agent. In the video I show human prostate cancer cells in a petri dish before and after being exposed to various concentrations of fenugreek compared to the effect of the spice on normal prostate cells. The effect was striking. The study concluded: “In summary, fenugreek seeds may possess potent anti-cancer properties.” So what’s the downside? Well, there is a side effect of fenugreek seed consumption—it makes your armpits smell like maple syrup! See my 2-min. video Side-Effect of Fenugreek Seed Consumption for more. What happens to the armpit odor of those embracing entire diets full of plants? See Body Odor Diet. Then check out Asparagus Pee for another funky odor video. Fenugreek may be to strength training what beets and arugula are to cardio. My ten video series on improving athletic performance with vegetables starts with Doping With Beet Juice and ends with So Should We Drink Beet Juice or Not?. Other plants with apparently remarkable benefits include amla (see, for example, Amla Versus Diabetes), saffron (Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimers), the tea plant (Dietary Brain Wave Alteration), and humble broccoli (Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells). More on the power of plants in general in Power Plants and spices like fenugreek in particular in Antioxidants in a Pinch. See what a whole diet of plants can do to prostate cancer cell growth in Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay. Fenugreek is certainly something I’ve been trying to incorporate more into my family’s diet based on all this amazing new data. It’s strong stuff though! I’d be interested to hear any tips on how folks have been able to sneak it into their diets. I make these mean chia seed-encrusted dried mangoes that I sprinkle with fenugreek powder using the mix-a-yummy-with-yucky technique for adding less-than-delicious things to one’s diet (like putting amla in smoothies). I find home-dried mangos so yummy I figure I could rub them with just about anything! 	You can make a tasty tea from fenugreek and water.You can buy ground fenugreek as a supplement, something I have been trying for a few weeks as I am weight training. I have definitely noticed the maple syrup odor! Pretty funny… Not sure if I’ve noticed an increase in my strength yet but it’s only been a couple weeks yet. Also read online that it helps lower your blood sugar (and thus is helpful as a supplement with those with low appetite) and I have noticed this too, anecdotally, so I take mine with food.We buy whole fenugreek seeds and grind them to powder in our vitamix. Then we add a tablespoon to our smoothies everyday. Our armpits do smell like maple syrup! It’s so weird but we are used to it now:)Michael what are your thoughts on Fenugreek pills versus Fenugreek powder? Will that have the same effect on athletic performance?In the study in question they were using ground fenugreek in pill formWe sprinkle on top of our sprouted muffin and crunchy almond butter. Yummy!Here’s a wonderful recipe using fenugreek: http://www.ivu.org/recipes/african/ethiopian-style.html Enjoy!For adding more fenugreek into the diet:1. Mix equal parts of fenugreek, cumin and paprika into the coffee grinder and process. Use this as herb mix por adding to veggies. Some of my favorite options: -Roasted cauliflower florets: cut a medium cauliflower into florets, rub some olive oil and lemon juice, sprinkle spices and bake until crispy. -Zucchini sticks: same procedure as with cauliflower. 2. Make some pesto/hummus: add herbs mixture to 1/2 cup of soaked nuts, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and blend in the Vitamix. 3. Also may add powder fenugreek+flax meal to oatmeal.Any idea how to grind whole fenugreek seed to produce powder? I have a spice and herb grinder and the grinder can t handle fenugreek seeds -they are too hard.I wonder if the nutritional value of the sprouts is comparable to eating the ground seeds.Sprout them!! It only takes two to three days in a glass jar depending on ambient temperatures. Sprouting seeds–ANY seeds–“wakes them up” and increases Vitamin C content. It’s also renders them even easier to digest than it would be for the body to extract nutrients in dried powder form. Besides all of that, it’s fun!!Clifford Santa MonicaGood point. And Fenugreek seeds are very easy to sprout.Amla is yucky? I recently had the opportunity to travel to India, where I bought some organic dried amla. It tasted like dried strawberries!That sure wasn’t my experience. I think of amla as one of the most bitter substances I’ve ever tried. Perhaps if you get it fresh from the source, it taste better as you say.I went out and purchased the ground fenugreek yesterday and this morning i had toast with Black Strap Molasses and a generous sprinkling of the fenugreek. What I would like to know is how much of this spice do we need to match the requirements used in the experiment? Thanks!I soak a teaspoon of seeds in water overnight then chew them or add to smoothie. Not yummy, but It works for me.Dr. Gregor, Please let us know if any data is published about *women* and fenugreek. If I recall correctly, it was only in men that it showed the benefits you mentioned.In the meantime, my husband and I just toss a spoonful of whole fenugreek seeds into our smoothie batch and don’t notice a different taste at all. Our smoothie recipe is fluid, but always contains flax seeds, kale, spinach, broccoli, pineapple (canned) for taste, mixed frozen berries, and maybe an apple or citrus fruit or two, and molasses. Sometimes we toss in a hibiscus flower, since we have a bush in our yard. It can’t taste too bad, since my 6 and 8 year olds will drink it! We tried adding amla powder….no way, made the whole thing too bitter!What is the recommended amount per day for strength training?Hi Dr. Greger, Love watching your videos and reading blogs. Fenugreek is very popular in India. I sprout the fenugreek seeds, ready in 3 to 5 days ,easy to sprout.it an get sticky if u add too much water. Sprouted fenugreek seeds used in soups, salads specially sprouted moong bean salad. I use it in detox broths. I remember my mom and my grandmother eating a tsf or two of fenugreek seeds raw,just swallowing,not chewing. It is easier to swallow if soaked for few hours. They said it was good for” joint pains”. The most popular Ayurvedic food,Khichari which has rice and lentils also has fenugreek seeds for health. When sown in the ground, fenugreek seeds produce slightly bitter greens called methi leaves,used in making Indian Roti or corn breads.Dried methi leaves are available inhttp://www.tarladalal.com/recipes-using-fenugreek-seeds-991Fenugreek seeds are easily sprouted. I bought seeds claiming to be for that purpose. They are organic and have a very high germination rate. I don’t know if the seeds at your local ethnic market would work just as well but probably worth a try. Once sprouted they are very mild and agreeable. I eat them raw in salads or my homemade sauerkraut. (Also very easy to make!) Presumably they have the same benefits as unsprouted fenugreek and may be more bioavailable. Or maybe not but they sure are easy to eat this way.The title of this article is totally misleading.The study was done on Torabolic, paid by its manufacturer (Indus Biotech), Torabolic is extracted from Fenugreek. and it consists of 70 percent of galactomannan and who knows what else. You could consume pounds and pounds of Fenugreek and yet not see any of the benefits of Torabolic. Worse yet, it seems Torabolic causes muscle mass to grow the, but researchers have no idea how, so the long term effects are unknown. To imply that just taking fenugreek is going to induce strength and muscle growth is misleading and irresponsible. It is sad that this website is resorting to the same misinformation tactics used by the meat and dairy industry.ahaVery valid points. Your comment has shaken my confidence in Dr. Greger’s reports, which are supposed to save us time and be expertly reviewed.I see a lot of articles about increasing muscle strength, or building more muscle, but are there any dietary adjustments that can increase muscle flexibility?Do you really mean tendons?Will my breast reduce to its original size if I stop taking fenugreekRecently started taking fenugreek seeds, really cheap here where I’m at.. I usually take it at night before bed, boil some water and put in teaspoon of this stuff.This study seems to indicate there was no difference between those who consumed fenugreek vs a placebo – http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1550-2783-7-34.pdfWas this study independently done? I read that the lab who conducted the study is a supplier of metrx.Sprout them! I learned to do this at the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego. Take a handful, put them in a sprouting bag or jar (follow sprouting instructions) and in 3-4 days you have a powerhouse of fenugreek sprouts. Way more effective and nutritious than the grounded seeds alone. The taste? Not my personal favorite but combined with other foods like chicken, beef, avocado or cheese the sprout flavor transforms into pure deliciousness and enhances the flavor of the entire dish!Soaking & sprouting it is a wonderful way of consuming it. No bitterness & more nutritionThe best way to consume large quantities of the sprouts is not in salads although they do enhance any salad. To eat one pound of sprouts puree the sprouts by blending with 1 cup of water or, better, 1 cup of rejuvalec. Add the puree to the batter of any flax cracker mix.For rejuvelac, see http://www.helynskitchen.com/2013/11/cultured-cashew-pimento-cheddar-cheese.html?m=1For cracker recipies, see ( http://www.livway.org/dehydratedfoods.htm)Thomas: Nice tip! Thanks for sharing both the idea and the links!Hello All, am from India. We use fenugreek seeds in almost all dishes, very moderately since the seeds are little bitter. The best method is you can buy fenugreek leaves called ” Methi leaves” in any Indian grocery store. Clean them and saute as you do with spinach. I usually heat 1 tsp olive oil in a pan, add cumin, mustard seeds, minced ginger, garlic and add these methi leaves. add salt and turmeric, cover pan for 5 mins and its ready. Or, you can buy split lentils, pressure cook lentils till t hey become mushy. add the before mentioned sauteed to this cooked lentil, add salt, chilli powder. its taste yummy and healthy. Thanks and let me know if anyone interested in more interesting recipes.	beet juice,botanical supplements,cancer,fenugreek,maple syrup,muscles,prostate cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/body-odor-diet-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	-
PLAIN-228	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	The Anti-Wrinkle Diet	The skin is the largest organ in the body—about 20 square feet—and the most vulnerable organ in the body. It’s exposed to both the oxidizing effects of UV radiation from the sun and the oxidizing effects of oxygen in the air, and years of oxidant stress can take a toll. As we age, our skin becomes thinner, more easily damaged, loses volume and elasticity, and can sag and wrinkle. So what can we do about it? Three things contribute to the aging of skin: 1) Oxidative stress induced by sun-damage, 2) inflammation, and 3) ischemia or lack of adequate blood flow. Oxidative stress means we need antioxidants so one might predict plant foods would help (see Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods). Similarly saturated fat and cholesterol intake may contribute to inflammation and ischemia (see The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation and Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease). Let’s see if our predictions hold up. In my 3-min. video Beauty is More than Skin Deep I profile a study that concluded “In particular, a high intake of vegetables, legumes [beans, peas, lentils, and soy] and olive oil appeared to be protective against skin wrinkling, whereas a high intake of meat, dairy and butter appeared to have an adverse effect. Prunes, apples and tea appeared especially protective.” For more on the power of prunes see Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol and To Snack or Not to Snack?. Another recent study found that green tea phytonutrients were able to protect skin against harmful UV radiation and help improve women’s skin quality. After a few months on green tea there was a 16% reduction in skin roughness and a 25% reduction in scaling. See the video for micrographs that track the changes. For an extraordinary report on green tea and skin health, check out: Treating Gorlin Syndrome With Green Tea. Eating healthier can produce healthier skin, but who cares about microscopic changes? What about overt visible-to-the-naked eye changes? See my 2-min. video Preventing Wrinkles with Diet to see what dietary intervention may significantly protect against wrinkles in the crow’s foot area around the eyes. For other videos on appealing to vanity to get people to eat healthier, see: Want to know what else green vegetables can do? I’ve got 45 videos on greens. Here are a few of my favorites: 	I remember a study several years back, which examined the effect of different food components on specific cellular changes in the skin that usually heralds the onset of wrinkles.Two distinct factors were found: sugar and milk fat.What brand of green tea do you recommend?	antioxidants,apples,cholesterol,Green tea,inflammation,ischemia,oxidation,oxidative stress,prunes,saturated fat,skin,tea,wrinkles	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	-
PLAIN-229	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/16/treadmill-desks-stand-up-for-health/	Treadmill Desks: Stand Up For Health	A few months ago the New York Times ran a piece reiterating the hazards of prolonged sitting, which is associated with a shorter lifespan–even in those who exercise regularly. Our bodies were built to move. My 2-min. video Standing Up For Your Health is my contribution to the subject. In fact, I’m walking on the treadmill desk I feature in the video as I speak! (well, write). I’m now up to 17 miles a day! (though at only 2.5 mph). More on the benefits of physical activity can be found in my videos Exercise & Breast Cancer and Reversing Cognitive Decline. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that what we eat may be even more important. See: 	Need a better picture of your desk. This could be the answer to my sedentary life as a teacher, writer, and artist.I have the Trek Desk that I ordered from Amazon. Its an inexpensive solution if you already have a treadmill.My husband has had a ‘stand at’ desk for 29 years. He can’t imagine sitting down all day. He has a sit down desk also but his phone and computer are at his tall desk and spends most of the day there. I think it was a very positive decision all those years ago. I don’t know if he would do the treadmill desk. He gets a good workout at his home gym most afternoon which is a great de-stresser.I`m very interested in the facts related to health. Pls continue in the world wide program that you have already started. Thank you again for your important health related committment. with regards kahsay g/medhin from Ethiopia, Adds AbabaI bought a treadmill desk about 2 years ago – the one that adjusts height automatically. As the article notes – our bodies are built for movement, I have found it to be tremendous for things like writing emails, and I spend about 4 hours on average per day on the treadmill desk.In the last 2 years I have walked over 5000KM whilst working – and I feel better then before my treadmill desk years.Walk and work is the future and I expect more employers will outfit their offices with treadmill desks as it both benefits the employer and employee.http://walkandwork.co.za	exercise,lifespan,physical activity,treadmill desk,treadmills	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	-
PLAIN-230	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/11/new-dvd-to-help-spring-clean-your-diet-all-proceeds-to-charity/	Latest in Clinical Nutrition Volume 13 Now on DVD	I’m excited to announce that last month the NutritionFacts.org podcast reached #1 on the iTunes health video podcast charts (subscribe here). What perfect timing to announce a new DVD! The newest volume of my Latest in Clinical Nutrition DVD series launches today. Order on my website or through Amazon (all proceeds go to keeping NutritionFacts.org alive and kicking). The current batch of videos from volume 12 on NutritionFacts.org are set to run out soon, so starting mid-month and running through July I’ll be rolling out the videos from this new DVD, volume 13. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak-preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share them as gifts. However, there is nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up online free at NutritionFacts.org. If you’re in need of catching up, I’ve packaged the first ten volumes into a 12-disc DVD set. Here’s the list of chapters from the new volume 13 DVD — a preview of what’s to come on NutritionFacts.org: Order the new DVD on my website or through Amazon The DVDs also function as a fundraiser for the operation of NutritionFacts.org. If you’re just going to wait to watch all the videos here online individually — great! But please consider making a donation. Between end-of-year giving and what I’ve been able to raise so far this year, we have funds sufficient to pay total operating expenses through to mid-August. I’m really hoping to achieve at least a six month buffer, so I can spend less time worrying about fundraising and more time focusing on the research at hand. To make your contribution to NutritionFacts.org Inc. (the 501(c)3 nonprofit charity set up to support the site) you can use a credit card, use a direct Paypal link, or send a check to “NutritionFacts.org” P.O. Box 11400 Takoma Park, MD 20913. Hundreds of thousands of people like you benefit every month from the free nutrition education they can get every day at NutritionFacts.org. Have you seen some of the testimonials I’ve been posting on the NutritionFacts.org Facebook page? Read Devin’s story and David’s story. I hope you’ll consider chipping in. On the donate page you have the option to sign up for monthly donations, which really help us budget for the future. Anyone signing up to make at least a $10 monthly donation will receive complimentary sneak preview copies of my next two DVDs before they’re released to the public. 	Hi Dr. Greger, just purchased the DVD from Amazon as a way to say thank you for everything you do. Please keep it up!Great–enjoy!Hi Dr. Gregor,I promote a plant based diet in all aspects of my business, including rehabilitation for clients recovering from soft tissue and joint injury / dysfunction. I explain that decreased inflammation in the body (due to plant based nutrition) can help with decreasing the inflammatory condition of an injury, allowing a more efficient nutrient exchange at the cellular level. This is of course my theory; (we know PB nutrition improves recovery with athletic performance) the problem is, I don’t have any science to back this up….but I am hoping you do! Please let me know if I am on the right track and if you have any science I can share with clients to support this. Thanks!Margothttp://www.taigawholehealth.comJust finished Vol. 13 last night! Am looking forward to the “reruns” as you make your daily posts . . . There’s so much information that the repeats – given in small daily doses – will help me absorb it more fully.I ordered from your website hoping that the website purchase would go 100% to NF; Amazon is convenient, but usually has a carrying fee for the seller (although I don’t know if this holds true for non-profits).Thank you so much for all you work!Hey, i just wanted to say Thank you! i was looking for good articles on nutrition, and yours helped!I loved “Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death.” I was a vegetarian when I watched your video, and I came away a complete vegan. From the moment I saw”Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death,”I have not eaten a single animal product. I have lost inches, and what is so impressive is, the growth that was on my arm was large and black in color, and only after eating vegan for three days the tumor like growth shrank, it lightened up and today, which is only a few days into eating strictly vegan, it has almost completely disappeared. I have experienced healing very quickly and I am thrilled and excited to continue this diet. I am convinced, after experiencing such a quick healing, that this diet can cure anything and everything! I am grateful to you for a lovely presentation on your speech. I am a student who gives a lot of speeches and you are a great speaker. My son is even becoming a vegan. I would like to visit your clinic for further nutritional guidance, as you seem to have all of the answers. It is clear to me that you are guided by the Lord! Thank you for my new diet and contributing to my health.The vegan diet is miraculous!I love you,Gaia Y.	DVD	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/07/new-nutrition-dvd-to-help-make-your-resolutions-more-resolutee-proceeds-to-charity/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-231	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/09/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/	Gerson Therapy for Cancer?	Gerson Therapy is a largely diet-based alternative treatment for cancer invented by the late Dr. Max Gerson. What has 65 years of medical research concluded about its efficacy and safety? According to a recent review out of Sloan-Kettering in the journal Oncology, for about $16,000 you can fly to a clinic in Mexico and spend three weeks “consuming fresh raw fruit and vegetable juices” and “eliminating salt from the diet.” Sounds pretty benign. Patients are also given a number of supplements including pancreatic enzymes as well as coffee enemas to “stimulate metabolism.” I do not deny that coffee enemas would be stimulating, but I don’t recommend them given the case reports I note in my 2-min. video Gerson Therapy For Cancer in which they’ve killed people. Is oral coffee okay? See my video Coffee and Cancer. To their credit, modern Gerson practitioners have moved away from the original tenets of the plan, which included feeding people raw calf liver smoothies, after too many people died from systemic blood infections. (These infections were from the same fecal bacteria in chicken I cover in my video Poultry and Paralysis). After learning of the outbreak, staff at the Gerson Institute decided the policy of drinking blended liver was to be altered and they apparently started injecting raw liver instead. But hey, conventional cancer treatments are no walk in the park either! The reason people choose them is in hopes that they work. How does the Gerson therapy compare? The first formal investigation into the treatment was back in 1947, and in the 65 years since there’s been over a dozen studies published. Most came to the same conclusion: Gerson therapy is useless or worse. These negative reviews of Gerson Therapy were written before a head-to-head trial was published of a Gerson-style (Gonzalez) regime versus chemotherapy in terms of survival and quality of life for pancreatic cancer patients. That’s the study I profile in my 3-min. video Gerson-style Therapy vs. Chemotherapy. You can read the study for yourself here (you’ll note that I always list links to all of the papers I cover in my videos in the “Sources Cited” section beneath each video). How do you prevent pancreatic cancer in the first place? See my video Largest Study Ever. Dietary strategies associated with prolonged cancer survival can be found in my videos: I’ve got 48 other videos on Alternative Medicine in which I do my best to relay the balance of evidence. Just because it may be the best available science, though, doesn’t mean the science is particularly good (as the Gerson-style vs. chemo trial demonstrated). But how else can we make decisions except with the best evidence available? 	Would love for you to read and review the book Cancer Healing Odyssey by Sarto Schickel. His uncle was one of the gerson stage iv vancer cases of healing that lived until his late 90’s in Max Gerson’s 50 cases of documented cancer healing. His wife healed from Stage IV ovarian cancer. She did do surgery and 6 months of chemo-but they attribute the recovery to the combo of what she did and especially gerson since Sarto ( Cornell, university penn graduate) could find no cases as advanced was his wife with ascites that had healed with conventional treatment alone.I love Dr Greger’s Videos. He is one of the reasons I am a plant based Vegan… In saying that I can not support his belief that properly administered coffee enemas are harmful. I was diagnosed with colitas in 2009 and had a cancerous pollup removed durring that time via endoscopy exploration of my colon. I have done 1 coffee enema every morning for years now. And it has literally changed my life for the better. My health is the best its ever been, all my blood numbers are better then optimal and my colon and digestion is the best its ever been. Coffee enemas when done properly with the proper organic light roast coffee (Wilson enema coffee) are benificial. There are many, many people who do daily morning coffee enemas that would agree with me. I beleive modern medical establishments will never review Dr. Gersons office medical records or ever give coffee enemas a true test. Sadly we get these types of reviews that highlight improper administration and mega dosing electrolight imbalances. Heaven forbid someone does a real clinical trial dealing with “only” properly administered light roast coffee enemas without muddying the results with combined treatmens meant to scew the pure results of the enema. Very disapointing…REGARDING COFFEE ENEMAS-Folks need to understand the potential therapeutic efficacy behind this alternative treatment. And not abuse it for secondary gain like quick energy fix or weight loss or chronic constipation. I would gladly do this and hyper nutrition over poisoning my body and hoping to survive my chemo or radiation anyday. Chemo may give you 5 years but at what cost? People can LIVE with cancer if the body is provided the best environment and natural FOOD as MEDICINE for healing itself.I use green, un-roasted, organic coffee beans that I soak several days in filtered water, then place in a dehydrator on 108 degrees.Detoxification Mechanism of the Coffee Enema-The Gerson Therapy explains that caffeine and palmitates (chemicals in coffee) work synergistically to stimulate and cleanse the liver and blood. Without entering the digestive tract the caffeine is absorbed through the bowel wall, via blood vessels, and makes its way directly to the liver.The caffeine exposure causes the liver’s portal veins and the bile ducts to expand which increases the release of diluted toxic bile. The enema fluid triggers peristalsis (intestinal muscle contractions) and the efficient removal of wastes from the body.Palmitates in the coffee stimulate and increase the production of a liver enzyme called glutathione-S-transferase (GST), which removes free radicals and cancer cells from the bloodstream and facilitates detoxification of the liver. As a result of the enema the liver becomes less congested with debris, which makes room for the filtering process of yet more bodily toxins.Ideally, the coffee enema should be retained for twelve to fifteen minutes during which time the body’s blood supply circulates and passes through the liver approximately five times (Every three minutes). Since the blood serum is detoxified as it flows through the caffeinated liver, the enema is essentially a form of blood dialysis (filtering) across the colon wall. Drinking coffee has no such therapeutic benefits and is in fact counter-productive.Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/022905_coffee_body_water.html#ixzz2RGc5rynXI recently spoke with the daughter of one of Gerson’s Miracle recoveries. Taken by her husband from Mt. Sinai Hospital, NYC unconscious and dying from a brain tumor over 60 years ago, was literally raised from the dead as they say. She was in her forties when she was dying, but thanks to Gerson lived healthfully until she passed in her 90’s of old age! Gerson works for many. Orthodox medicine’s toxic crap cannot restore health. Watch the documentaries on Gerson at http://www.topdocumentaryfilms.com. I’d bet my life on Gerson’s therapies.The only people that I can find saying negative things about the Gerson Therapy are those getting kick backs from pharmaceutical companies!! Thanks Dr. for your sad advice! No matter what how can taking all the chemicals out of our diet be bad, and what were the long list of side effects again?? Oh, yeah that’s right there weren’t any!The authors’ description of proteolytic enzyme treatment is interesting and maybe was a good idea but it does not seem to parallel the procedure of Gerson. Yes it had coffee enemas, but the procedure did not include the frequent juicing that is another hallmark of the Gerson protocol. Only 70% was raw or minimally cooked instead of–I believe–100% only raw. The food was supposed to be organic, but was it all plant based? I assume not or that would have been stated. Further I don’t recognize the administration of supplements and enzymes and Papaya Plus or magnesium citrate as part of Gerson therapy either. So it appears that this study is very valuable in demonstrating that one particular allopathic treatment was inferior to standard drug treatment, but it seems rather irrelevant to the issue of Gerson therapy specifically.AMA brownie points for Dr. Gregor. If you are regretably, the one with cancer, watch the full length documentary, “Dying To Have Known,” free on line. You do not need a post doctoral degree in medical research nor should you blindly trust anyone with one (in America.)Im so sick of our medical system. Ppl are becoming aware of what the fda has done. People know they have ran off at least two and probably more people by suing them repeatedly (and losing), but finally making them go bankrupt, leave the country and try to discredit them. Its all about money. If theres no money to be made then get out. Not interested. And how long has it been since we have had a CURE for ANYTHING? ppl used to find cures. Now we have multi millions put into research for what…medicines that treat symptoms.so we keep the disease and you make money off of us all til we die. I know most in the medical field blindly believe what they are taught but you ppl at the FDA and drug companies know better. We know why there arent cures anymore and we know what your doing. Some day yoy will pay for all the ppl you have let die whether its here or in the next world.My wife has been suffering from thyroid cancer which was confirmed to be stage four, the doctor told me there was little he could do since she wasn’t responding to treatment but a friend of mine came to our rescue by ordering this hemp oil from RICK which he said has been helping some patient fight against cancer of various types so we decided to give it a chance, so far my wife is improving perfectly very well and presently she can walk around the house all by herself. I felt its necessary i let others who are suffering from this acute disease that once you have a good hemp oil it can really give one a sound second chance of living. by chance if you happen to be in need of this hemp oil you can contact RICK who supplied I and my wife with this email: ricksimpsonhempfoundation@gmail.commy wife has been suffering from thyroid cancer which was confirmed to be stage four, the doctor told me there was little she could do since she wasn’t responding to treatment but my brother in law came to our rescue by ordering this hemp oil from rick Simpson foundation which he said has been helping some patient fight against cancer of various types so we decided to give it a chance, so far my wife is improving perfectly very well and presently she can walk around the house all by herself. I felt its necessary i let others who are suffering from this acute disease that once you have a good hemp oil it can really give one a sound second chance of living. if you happen to be in need of this hemp oil you can contact the foundation who supplied my brother in law with this email: ricksimpsonhempfoundation@gmail.comall that I can say is that the hippocrates health institutes diet and gersons diet and Dr. Lorraine Days diet took me from bed ridden to alive. I kept falling off the diet and would have to nurse myself back to health. It works very well although with any cancer patient you must not eat to much food and go big on juices.I think that it is very important to speak with an oncology trained naturopath before beginning any “natural” treatment. There are some forms of cancer that this diet would be a death sentence for. One is ovarian cancer (I’m stage 4) which feeds on sugars. The amount of naturally occurring sugars in juiced carrots is TOO MUCH for us, even when blended with other vegetables. You might as well have a big piece of cake. I don’t discount this diet, but I believe working with an oncology naturopath is imperative if you are really trying to save your life.I will also add that every type of cancer is different and none of them respond to the exact same treatments. Some people who have been “cured” by some natural treatments, may have had a very minimal chance of reoccurrence after initial traditional treatment or surgery.Please do your research. There is way too much false information on many “cure(d) cancer” type of websites and blogs, and that includes natural and holistic sites.	alternative therapies,cancer,chemotherapy,coffee enemas,Dr. Max Gerson,Gerson Therapy,health,oncology,pancreatic cancer	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-232	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/04/are-bioidentical-hormones-safe/	Are Bioidentical Hormones Safe?	Hormone replacement therapy for menopause grew to prominence in the 1990s when millions of women were sold hormones made from horse urine. Premarin (from the words pregnant mare urine) was promised to prevent age-related diseases. When the truth got out in 2002 that the opposite was true—it actually increased risk of heart disease, stroke, pulmonary embolism, and invasive breast cancer—the number of prescriptions dropped and so did the rates of breast cancer. Thanks to some high-profile celebrity endorsements interest then switched to so-called “compounded bio-identical hormones,” from plant rather than equine sources, which were said to work the same without carrying the same risks. But what does the science say? In my 4-min. video Plant-Based Bioidentical Hormones, I note there’s been several new reviews on the subject from the American College of OB/GYNs, Mayo Clinic, and the editors-in-chief of the journal of the International Menopause Society. They all concluded that bio-identical hormones—being bio-identical!—carried the same risks, benefits, and side effects, which we now know is not a good thing. Even worse, when the FDA actually analyzed bio-identical hormone batches to see if the contents matched the label, nearly a third failed the analysis. Even in the same bottle, the dose of hormones could be all over the place. How do we know all these medical authorities condemning bio-identical hormones aren’t just in the pockets of drug companies that don’t want the competition? After all, there are literally billions of dollars at stake. Whenever I’m skeptical I turn to The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics, considered one of the least biased sources in medicine. It’s kind of like the Consumer Reports of the drug world—and, in fact, was actually co-founded by the co-founder of the publisher of Consumer Reports more than 50 years ago. As The Medical Letter likes to brag on their website, they do not accept grants (from any source), donations (from anyone), or funding (from any entity). They won’t let their work be used for promotional purposes and they don’t accept any advertising. The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics recently reviewed bio-identical hormones and came to the same conclusion: “There is no acceptable evidence that bio-identical hormones are safe or effective. Patients should be discouraged from taking them.” Another way to rid oneself of excess estrogen is in the way nature intended. See my video: Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen. We can also stop consuming steroid hormones. See my videos Anabolic Steroids in Meat and Acne & Cancer Connection. For other ways to decrease breast cancer risk see: 	Does anyone have information about the benefits and risks of the alpiste milk in human?On hormones, what does The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics have to say about testosterone replacement in men?I’ve been on the Combipatch (“bioidentical” estradiol but synthetic progesterone) for about a year and a half. It’s a low dose and the when taken via skin (i.e., patch) it seems to be much safer. It’s been a miracle for me and several other friends who are going through or have gone through menopause. I am a vegan who eats a healthy whole food, balanced diet. I could not have survived this process of peri-menopause (which I am still going through) without the help of hormones. I’ve also had to cut soy out of my diet completely–soy oils, soy sauce, soy lecithin, everything–because it throws off the balance between the estrogen and progesterone and causes problems. Many women I know have told me that they have felt the HRT has been a “God-send” to them. I feel the same way.What hormones are we taking about here? Any of the estrogens? Progsterone? Testosterone or any of the other androgens?Someone is trying to use logic to say “there is no evidence” that bio identical hormones are safe. If no one has really studied it, how can same conclusion be drawn for synthetic hormones (such as Premarin and Provera) verses hormones that are bio-identical? Taking Bio-identical hormones helps with sleep, mood swings, depression, hot flashes, BUT if one decides not to take hormones, one could take an antidepressant and sleeping pills to help with symptoms of hot flashes, mood swings, depression and sleep. I’d rather take bio identical hormones, something identical to what my body made, than something synthetic and have quality of life. I am not careless about my health, I am vegan, gluten free, non GMO and eat lots of fruits and vegetables. I exercise regular, do not smoke or drink or use caffeine. Doing my best to live healthfully. I feel so much better taking bio identical hormones that I’m willing to go against the statement “avoid bio-identical hormones” and enjoy the quality of life that is worth it for me.I guess I just believe in letting nature do what it does. No additives here. I’m a vegan, and have been for 13 years. Hot flashes are mild, sleep is off (I have 3 dogs and a husband on the bed with me), moods are always changing (thank goodness or I wouldn’t know happy from sad). HRT is not for me, but then again neither is processed food or supplements of any kind. Why put anything that is processed/artificial into my body that I try to take good care of.Good for you but I agree with Lynn. I eat healthy, very healthy, exercise regularly and have been completely miserable with perimenopause since last December when I was 39, I’m not 40. My first doctor put me on Provera to start my cycle again and I hadn’t done enough research to know that it was a synthetic hormone at the time. No thank you. I’m most certainly not myself in the temper dept. or any other aspect of my life. I would rather try something that’s made from nature that makes me feel like me again by putting back in my body what’s missing. I have struggled with a hormone imbalance for almost 20 years and have no kids as part of that. If you can handle all the changes, kudos to you, not everybody can, me being one of them. I also don’t eat processed foods and hate taking any kind of meds to make me feel better.	bio-identical hormones,breast cancer,heart disease,hormones,horse urine,International Menopause Society,menopause,premarin,stroke	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/	-
PLAIN-233	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/	Ergothioneine: A New Vitamin?	Ergothioneine was discovered a century ago but ignored until recently when researchers found that we have a transporter protein in our bodies specifically designed to pull it out of our diets and into our tissues. This suggests that it plays some important physiological role, but what does it do? Well our first clue was the tissue distribution. Ergothioneine concentrates in parts of our body where there’s lots of oxidative stress—the lens of our eye and the liver, as well as  sensitive areas such as bone marrow and seminal fluid. Researchers guessed that it might function as a so-called “cytoprotectant,” a cell protector, and that’s indeed what was subsequently found. Not only does ergothioneine get into the nucleus of our cells to protect our DNA, it can get into our mitochondria, the power plants of the cell. Ergothioneine appears to function as a potent intra-mitochondrial antioxidant. Why is that important?  In my 5-min. video Mitochondrial Theory of Aging I quote one of the greatest biochemists of all time: “Aging is a disease. The human lifespan simply reflects the level of free radical damage that accumulates in cells. When enough damage accumulates, cells can’t survive properly anymore and they just simply give up.” First proposed in 1972, the Mitochondrial Theory of Aging suggests that it’s free radical damage to our cells’ power source that leads to a loss of cellular energy and function over time. It’s a little like charging your iPod battery over and over again; every time you charge it the capacity gets less and less. In my Stopping Cancer Before it Starts DVD, I go into detail about the quantum biology of oxidative phosphorylation, but in a nutshell the oxygen we breathe may get ahold of an electron we ate that was pumped with energy by plants (thanks to photosynthesis). The oxygen molecule is thereby transformed into what’s called superoxide, which can damage (oxidize) our delicate cellular machinery. Basically we’re rusting—that’s what rust is, the oxidation of metal. Scientifically, aging has been considered the slow oxidation of our bodies. Like those brown age spots on the back of your hands? That’s just oxidized fat under the skin. Oxidant stress is why we get wrinkles, it’s why we lose some of our memory, and it’s why our organ systems break down as we get older. How do we slow down oxidation? By eating foods containing anti-oxidants. If you want to know if a food has a lot of antioxidants in it simply slice it open, expose it to air—expose it to oxygen–and see what happens. Does it oxidize? Does it turn brown? Think about our two most popular fruits: apples and bananas. They turn brown right away; not a lot of antioxidants inside there. How do you keep your fruit salad from turning brown though? Add lemon juice, which has vitamin C in it, an antioxidant, that can keep your food from oxidizing and may do the same thing inside our bodies. For an introduction on where antioxidants can be found in our diet, see Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods and Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. Here’s the catch: many antioxidants can’t penetrate through the mitochondrial membrane into the mitochondria. They can protect the rest of the cell including our DNA, but they can’t get access into the power plants of our cells and therefore may be helpless to slow down the aging process. Ergothioneine, however, is allowed access into our mitochondria. Where is it found in the diet? Mushrooms! Check out my 3-min. video Ergothioneine: A New Vitamin?. Other examples of the magic of mushrooms can be found in: Probably best to cook them though, see Toxins in Raw Mushrooms? 	Love it! What’s the best way to cook, say, Maitake mushrooms? Or is raw better?Rob: I don’t know about the best way to cook mushrooms (in terms of from a health perspective), but I can offer you two thoughts:1) Dr. Greger definitely recommends that you cook mushrooms before eating them. He has a link to the relevant video in the post above where you can learn why cooked is healthier.2) On a tip for how to cook: I like to cook mushrooms in the microwave. It is super-fast and the mushrooms come out great. You can put them in “naked”. I find that the mushrooms cook just fine without water or anything added.Hope that helps.I totally forgot about this video (re: Ergothioneine)! Thanks a bunch for bringing this to my attention again. Something about this posting helped me to absorb the information much better this time.This idea is so, so cool. I’ve been happily eating more mushrooms because of your various videos about the health of mushrooms (plus I just like them). But to understand this potential mechanism for how mushrooms might help us fight cancer, that’s really neat.I am allergic to mushrooms :( any suggestions?!?Hi Kristin, Unfortunately some folks have allergies or insensitivities to certain plants. The best path is to avoid the offending agent. Good luck.Is the ergothioneine content higher in wild mushrooms than in commercially grown mushrooms? Dr. Greger said that ergothioneine was produced by an organism present in the soil. Are mushrooms that arise from mycelial mats in the soil higher in ergothioneine than mushrooms that grow from mycelia that infect trees? Or are mushrooms grown from commercially used sterilized non-soil mediums less potent than either of those? Thanks.	aging,antioxidants,bone marrow,cytoprotectant,DNA,ergothioneine,free radicals,liver,mitochondria,oxidation,seminal fluid,vitamin C,vitamins	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/	-
PLAIN-234	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/	How To Reduce Dietary Antibiotic Intake	Recently the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention commemorated “Get Smart About Antibiotics Week,” which aimed to raise awareness about growing antibiotic resistance as one of the world’s most pressing public health threats. One way to combat this problem is avoid putting antibiotic-laden foods in our shopping carts and our families’ mouths. Though persistent organic pollutants like dioxins and PCBs can persist for years in our bodies (see my 2-min video How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs?), other dietary contaminants such as antibiotic residues may be more of a matter of constant re-exposure on a day-to-day basis. As you can see in my 2-min. video Lowering Dietary Antibiotic Intake, a study last year measured changes in the levels of antibiotics before and after a 5 day vacation from meat. They tested participants’ urine for the presence of a number of clinically important human antibiotics. Though none of the study participants were actually taking these drugs, antibiotics were found flowing through their bodies.  Within just five days of eating vegetarian, though, the study “demonstrated clearly that even short-term dietary changes could reduce the frequency of detection and levels of major antibiotics.” A follow-up study testing antibiotic levels in meat directly found that “Consumption levels of beef, pork, chicken, and dairy products could explain the daily excretion amount of several antibiotics in urine.” Which has more though, chicken thigh or breast? Find out in my 1-min video More Antibiotics in White Meat or Dark Meat? This year, the Consumers Union—the publishers of Consumer Reports—launched a Meat Without Drugs campaign to pressure retailers to demand meat producers stop gobbling up 80% of the antibiotics sold in the United States to help fatten animals faster and prevent disease in such stressful, crowded, unhygienic environments (see for example, recent undercover footage at a Butterball turkey plant). Our exposure to drugs given to turkeys and chickens may be one reason poultry consumption has been associated with significantly higher lymphoma and leukemia risk. See my videos EPIC Findings on Lymphoma and Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics? For more on antibiotics in meat, see Drug Residues in Meat. Drug residues may also end up in the flesh of fish (see A Fine Kettle of Fluoxetine). Vegetarians may also have lower exposure to carcinogenic nitrosamines (see Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat) as well as some of the more persistent pollutants (see Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination and Industrial Pollutants in Vegans). 	This is why this data about “natural” vs “organic” matters: http://www.tailorednews.com/tmsubscribe.net/viewbcast.aspx?T=1&l=127971&sn=1&u=jNOVFkfhiEZf0Ahhhh…so it’s the “perception” that matters and drives beliefs…not the facts! So simple.Question(s): Does the label “organic” definitely mean the antibiotics in these meats and fish are not present? And if not, how much different are “organic” antibiotic levels from the regular meats and fish levels? Thanks.Antibiotics are not suppose to be added to certified organic livestock including fish. But, this administration and specifically, the USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack does not always adhere to the law as passed by Congress. He may skirt the law by appointing people to the National Organic Standards Board who may do the bidding of big agriculture or livestock farmers. The NOSB votes on substances added to organic agriculture.However, you can be assured that antibiotics are very likely in NON-ORGANIC meats and fish.The only way to better avoid them is to not eat meat and fish is also meat! And, if the antibiotics are in your groundwater (water is not regulated for antiobiotics) is to move to a country that enforces their laws. The USA only enforces some laws and consumers generally lose.Here is another interesting article on this topichttp://www.meatcuisine.co.nz/Nutrition/New+Zealand+Meat.html	antibiotics,beef,Center for Disease Control and Prevention,chicken,Consumers Union,dairy,dietary antibiotics,dioxins,meat,nitrosamines,organic pollutants,PCBs,pork,poultry,public health,vegans,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-235	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/	Countering Dietary Pollutants & Pesticides	We have so polluted our planet that eight different pesticides were recently found contaminating the snow-capped tips of the Rocky Mountains. If they’re contaminated, then everywhere is contaminated. The best we can do is just try to eat as low on the food chain as possible–plant foods, preferably organic. Click on my 2-min. video Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals to see where a variety of industrial pollutants tend to concentrate in our food supply. Not only do plant foods tend to have significantly lower levels of industrial pollutants, they may have phytonutrients that combat the effects of some of these toxicants. In my 2-min. video Plants vs. Pesticides I profile an experiment where scientists dripped dioxin and DDT on some human white blood cells with and without a variety of phytonutrients to see if they would have a protective effect. The two most effective agents in protecting human blood cells appeared to be zerumbone, a compound naturally found in ginger, and auraptene, a natural component of citrus. These are very preliminary findings, as this was only done in a test tube and the researchers surveyed only a tiny fraction of the tens of thousands of known phytonutrients. It does, however, open up the possibility that plant-based diets may play a dual role in protecting us against industrial pollutants by reducing our exposure and, potentially, reducing some of the damage these chemicals can cause. Get more information on ginger in Amyloid and Apple Juice and Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees. See how we can incorporate it in our diet in Healthy Pumpkin Pie and The Healthiest Beverage. 	Dr Greger, Have you read about the toxins in vitamins and green tea? http://m.naturalnews.com/news/039638_toxins_ingredients_nutritional_supplements.htmlCan anyone expand on Dr. Greger’s posting on thyroid and red bush tea. I cannot find anything to support his findings – in fact no information at all. I drink a lot of this tea and have a thyroid issue, so I would like to know if the tea really does have an effect on the thyroid.	auraptene,DDT,dietary pollutants,ginger,industrial pollutants,organic foods,perfluorochemicals,pesticides,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,pollutants,toxicants,zerumbone	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	-
PLAIN-236	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/	Protecting Our Babies From Pollutants	For those of us starting new families, one of the myriad concerns that come up is how we are ever going to get our children to eat their veggies. One answer that I profile in my 3-min. video The Best Baby Formula is to exclusively breast feed as long as possible. Apparently this doubles the likelihood that our children will end up eating twice as many vegetables when they grow older. How could that be? The researchers suggest that “breastfed babies, whose mothers regularly eat a variety of foods, are exposed to a diversity of flavors that are absent from formula milk and this early exposure augments the acceptance of various flavors.” So when they eventually eat some bitter broccoli, instead of spitting it out, they’re subconsciously like, “Hey, I remember this!” Perhaps this helps explain the evidence suggesting that the longer babies are breast fed, the lower their risk of developing inflammatory diseases such as asthma, cancer, and diabetes. The new Surgeon General’s report agrees with the official World Health Organization recommendation, which agrees with the best available science that all women in the world should exclusively breastfeed for a full 6 months. Whether your own milk, a wet nurse, or a milk bank, there is simply no good substitute. It’s the only “formula” for optimum health. Other tips on raising healthy children can be found in videos such as: Unfortunately parents tend to overestimate the quality of their children’s diets. For advice on how to best raise our children, one can’t beat the advice offered by the most esteemed pediatrician of all time, Dr. Benjamin Spock. Check out Dr. Spock’s advice in Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance. In my 2-min. video Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue, I showed the extent to which our bodies may become contaminated with industrial pollutants. Should we be worried that we might be passing toxins onto our children? See my 2-min. video The Wrong Way to Detox for an answer to that question. If that doesn’t motivate expectant mothers to eat healthier, I don’t know what will. Note, though, that the level of industrial pollutants mothers have in their fat tissue doesn’t necessarily reflect what they’re passing on to their child. Researchers last year decided to measure pesticide levels right out of the umbilical cord blood. At delivery, as soon as the cord was cut, a little blood was squirted into a vial before it was tied off. As I document in my 2 min. video DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood, even now, decades after DDT was banned, “almost all umbilical cord blood samples, 95%, showed detectable DDT residues.” It’s not exactly the first thing we want to be passing along to our newborns. Pesticide residue levels were most closely associated with the mother’s consumption of three types of foods: fish, other meat, and dairy products. Dozens of chemicals are found in the bodies of pregnant Americans according to the latest CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure. Even with these data, breast is still always best. If someone was eating the Standard American diet when they were pregnant and ended up passing along a certain amount of toxic waste to their child, is it too late? If after the birth and weaning they decided to start a fresh page in their lives and feed their new child only the best, how long might it take our children to shed the industrial toxins they may have gotten from us in the womb or from the breast? In my 2-min. video How Fast Can Children Detoxify From PCBs? I profile a recent study that followed a cohort of children exposed at birth to PCBs from their mothers. They were tested at age 8 and then again at age 12 to get a sense of the half-life of these toxins within their bodies. Depending on the chemical pollutant, the estimated half-lives ranged from about 4 years to 9 years. Therefore, if our children eat a healthy diet and don’t play around in any toxic waste dumps, by the time they’re between 20 and 45 years of age they will have eliminated more than 95% of the PCB inheritance we gave them at birth. A problem they found in doing the study, though, is that they had to throw out a lot of data and exclude children who had obvious PCB reuptakes because their levels were even higher at age 12 than 8, meaning they were getting re-exposed. Where are some of these pollutants found? See my videos Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals and Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals. Regardless of what kind of start our children get, it’s never too late to improve our families’ diets to prevent additional intake of these pollutants into their bodies. 	Excellent recap Dr. Greger! Lots of valuabe information here. I shall pass along this link to people who are starting or thinking of starting a family.I agree with Jeff, this article is worth reading. I will share these information with my pregnant friends.	asthma,babies,baby formula,breast feed,cancer,children,dairy,DDT,detox,diabetes,Dr. Benjamin Spock,milk,PCBs,pesticides,pollutants,pregnant,umbilical cord blood,vegetables,World Health Organization	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%EF%BB%BFcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mothers-overestimate-dietary-quality/	-
PLAIN-237	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue	Americans are walking chemical cocktails according to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Organochlorine pesticides tend to build up in animal fat (see for example, Cannibalistic Feed Biomagnification, Avoiding Other Banned Pesticides, and Industrial Carcinogens in Animal Fat) so we tend to think of meat, eggs, and dairy as being the most heavily contaminated, but there are concerning levels found in some plant foods too. See, for example, my 1-min video Pesticides in Chinese Bamboo Shoots. I don’t know which is worse, the fact that researchers found nine different pesticide residues in cans of bamboo shoots imported from China, or that they described it as “only” nine. Nearly all canned foods contain the chemical BPA, which has recently been linked to erectile dysfunction in men. In my 2-min. video BPA Plastic and Male Sexual Dysfunction I profile a study that concluded: “Increasing urine BPA level was associated with decreased sexual desire, more difficulty having an erection, lower ejaculation strength, and lower level of overall satisfaction with sex life.” The only fresh, non-canned food found contaminated with BPA was sliced turkey. I’ve previously covered BPA in Which Plastics Are Harmful?, where I detail which “numbers” of plastic are probably safest. My other video on plastics chemicals similarly found particularly high levels in poultry. Eden Foods is one of the few manufacturers that doesn’t use BPA. See my blog about their canned beans: Do Eden Beans Have Too Much Iodine? For more on male sexual health see: Measuring urine levels of industrial toxins is more useful than measuring food levels, since it indicates how much of the pollutants are actually absorbed into the body. In one sense it tells you what kind of levels are circulating in your body but at the same time it tells you how much your body is able to successfully get rid of. Ideally we’d like to measure levels in human tissues to see, for example, how much is actually lodged in one’s breast tissue. Well, people get breast surgery all the time–why not test surgical samples of removed tissue? Women get fibroids removed; we can test those. We could get data from fresh autopsy samples from accident victims, and hey, what about liposuction? In my 2-min. video Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue I compare the levels of fire retardant chemicals (polybromated diphenyl ethers) in the breast tissue of California women to various tissue samples taken from women in Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, France,  Hong Kong,  Japan,  New York City,  Singapore, and Spain. Do we wish they could all be California?  No. The breast tissue of California women had nearly 10 times more than women in any other country, and compared to the lowest levels—autopsy samples of Japanese women—New Yorker liposuction had a hundred times higher levels. Sounds like they’re eating more than just big apples. Other than pet food and fish, which may be most contaminated, where do flame retardant chemicals (PBDE) and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCN) concentrate in the American food supply? Find out in my 3-min. video Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals. 	Hello Doctor, Just concerned now about the effects of BPA free water bottles. Is there any current research that indicates whether all BPA free bottles should be avoided? I have recently purchased a few water bottles for home and work use that I fill up with my own water and drink from each day. Wondering whether really, glass bottles would be preferable over any of them.	animal fat,bamboo shoots,BPA,canned food,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,China,dairy,Eden Foods,eggs,erectile dysfunction,industrial toxins,meat,pesticides,poultry	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pesticides-in-chinese-bamboo-shoots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%EF%BB%BFcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/	-
PLAIN-238	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/	How Chemically Contaminated Are We?	Every few years the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measures the levels of chemical pollutants in the bodies of thousands of Americans from across the country. What did the latest report tell us about our toxic burden? Find out in my 2-min. video CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure.  The official U.S. Presidential Cancer Panel report from the National Cancer Institute on reducing environmental cancer risk was also released recently. Quoting from the report: “With the growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer, the public is becoming increasingly aware of the unacceptable burden of cancer resulting from environmental and occupational exposures that could have been prevented through appropriate national action.” Every year in the United States there are one and a half million new cases of cancer a year striking men, women, and children. Unfortunately, the report concludes: “the grievous harm from this group of carcinogens has not been addressed adequately by the National Cancer Program. The American people—even before they are born—are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures. The Panel urges you, Mr. President, most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.” Strong words, but what can we do? They don’t give much dietary guidance. Basically they just say choose organic and free-range: “Exposure to pesticides can be decreased by choosing, to the extent possible, food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers and washing conventionally grown produce to remove residues. Similarly, exposure to antibiotics, growth hormones, and toxic run-off from livestock feed lots can be minimized by eating free-range meat raised without these medications if it is available. Avoiding or minimizing consumption of processed, charred, and well-done meats will reduce exposure to carcinogenic heterocyclic amines and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.” Of course even without industrial pollutants, the saturated animal fat and cholesterol may still contribute to heart disease (as evidenced by atherosclerosis in mummies of Egyptian rulers who likely ate rich diets). For a more detailed account of which foods are most contaminated, see Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants and Dioxins in the Food Supply. My previous videos on organic foods include Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off? and Cancer Fighting Berries. I also have videos on livestock growth hormones and feed additives. For more on processed meat, check out any of my 25 videos on the subject including When Nitrites Go Bad, Bacon and Botulism, and Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat. 	-	Americans,carcinogens,chemical pollutants,environmental cancer,feed additives,growth hormones,meats,National Cancer Institute,pesticides,toxins,U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%EF%BB%BFcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	-
PLAIN-239	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/	Saffron vs. Prozac for Depression	Millions of Americans suffer from depression every year, a disabling disease that can end up fatal (due to suicide).  In my last blog post, Treating PMS with Saffron, I noted remarkable benefits of the spice saffron on the emotional and physical symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. The researchers noticed a significant drop in symptoms of depression as well, and so decided to put saffron to the test. See my 2-min. video Saffron vs. Prozac for the head-to-head test of the simple spice versus the drug Prozac for the treatment of clinical depression. Remember saffron from my videos Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s and Saffron Versus Aricept? See my blog Natural Alzheimer’s Treatment for some context and my post on other natural remedies: Amla: Indian Gooseberries vs. Cancer, Diabetes, and Cholesterol. If one little flower can do that, what might a diet full of plants achieve? Studies have found less depression among vegetarians, but maybe people who are happier go on to eat healthier rather than the other way around. One can’t prove cause and effect unless you put that to the test too, which was done last year. Researchers found that by removing all meat, fish, poultry, and eggs from people’s diets they could significantly improve mood scores after just two weeks! It can take drugs like Prozac a month or more to take effect. The way drugs like Prozac work is by elevating levels of serotonin, the so-called happiness hormone.  Did you know there’s serotonin in plants? I certainly didn’t, but there’s serotonin, melatonin, dopamine, and all sorts of human neurotransmitters in plants. So much so that there’s been a call to start treating depression with “high-content sources of serotonin” such as pineapples, bananas, kiwis, plums, and tomatoes. And what are the side effects–maybe you’ll get a tomato seed stuck in your teeth or something? For more, check out my videos on the wrong way to boost serotonin by taking potentially dangerous tryptophan supplements, better ways to boost serotonin to fight disorders like premenstrual depression, and perhaps the best way exemplified by findings from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the successful use of butternut squash seeds to treat social anxiety disorder. 	Can you please tell us where to find Saffron that isn’t an extract or an extract that doesn’t throw away the best parts? Is a Saffron extract for weight loss likely to be better or worse than a Saffron extract for depression?Is Cymbalta considered to be in the same category of anti-depressants as Prozac?They are both antidepressants, but Prozac acts via serotonergic pathways, while Cymbalta acts via both serotonergic and norephinephrine pathways.I agree with KT. Relating to the prescribing of antidepressants which I did a fair amount in my career you might be interested in viewing an interview with Robert Whitaker, the author of the book, Anatomy of an Epidemic, at the McDougall Advanced Study Weekend earlier this month. If you go to the McDougall website under Important Links, Watch McDougall Medical Experts you can view his brief interview. It is clear that we need to develop other ways to treat mental illness which guarantees the appropriate use of medications based on both short term and long term studies. Currently I don’t write as many of these prescriptions and mainly for short term use. Of course you need to work closely with your physicians as everyone has a unique situation. Good luck.just not to forget about St John wort as an effective natural antidepressant which is as efficient as common SSRI drugs with way less side effects – for mild and medium cases of depressionI can’t find an exact relelvant blog related to my issue, but wanted to find out if you have any helpful information. I am trying to wean off Cymbalta and it has been the most difficult, traumatic process-physically and emotionally. My questions are 1) Do you have any reccommendations on how to reduce the symptoms naturally? 2) Do you plan to look at the efftects of these pharmaceuticals-the benefits vs long-term effects and the lack of education in the industry to properly educate doctors and patients on the risks and provide a meaningful ‘detox’ plan. Thanks you, any help would be greatly appreciated.Once patients are on anti-anxiety or anti depressant meds for greater then 6 weeks it is difficult to get off. The best option is to find a good psychiatrist who uses cognitive behavior techniques and is committed to getting patients off medications. It might be helpful for you to read Robert Whitaker’s book, The Anatomy of an Epidemic. Good luck.I think the right way is to use only supplements for weight loss in your daily meal.	Alzheimer's,amla,bananas,depression,dopamine,eggs,fish,kiwis,meat,melatonin,mood,neurotransmitters,pinapples,plums,poultry,premenstrual syndrome,prozac,saffron,serotonin,suicide,tomatoes,tryptophan,vegans,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/06/natural-alzheimers-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/	-
PLAIN-240	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/	Treating PMS with Saffron	Premenstrual Syndrome is among the most common health problems reported by women, affecting approximately 1 in 3, and there’s not much modern medicine has to offer. Ancient traditional medicine, though, in Asia and Persia used a spice called saffron to treat menstrual disorders. But what did they know–that was 3,500 years ago (in fact the earliest recorded use of any medicinal plant). Didn’t they realize you can’t really know anything unless it’s put through a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial? Well it took 3,500 years, but now we finally have it. Watch my 2-min. video Saffron for the Treatment of PMS to see the results. The spice saffron is composed of the female reproductive organs of the flower of the saffron crocus. Each flower just produces a few threads, such that you need 50,000 flowers to make a single pound of spice–enough flowers to fill a football field. No wonder it’s the most expensive spice in the world. Thankfully, the PMS study found benefits using a tiny amount. What if you could get away with using even less, though? In my 2-min. follow-up video Wake Up and Smell the Saffron I profile one of the wildest studies I saw published last year that documents psychological benefits from even just the scent of saffron. How’s that for the power of plants? The study concludes:  “Smelling saffron… is simple and easy, and it seems there is little side effect.” For more flower power see my blog and videos on hibiscus tea (Better Than Green Tea) and chamomile tea (Red Tea, Honeybush, & Chamomile and Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy). And hey, broccoli florets are just clusters of flower buds; see The Best Detox, Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells, and 26 other broccoli videos. Don’t like broccoli? Well, I have hundreds of videos on more than a thousand other topics. 	Do you recommend a specific amount? Is it something to mix into tea? a smoothie? Also, is there a particular source you recommend. I looked at several options on Amazon and found Persian, Spanish, etc., along with claims about their purity/lack of purity. I guess what I’m looking for from you is something like, “I buy it from _______” and take this much: ___, this way: ______. Thanks! :)Also, thank you so much for your work! I’ve learned so much from you. PMS has been a life long burden, so I was thrilled to see you address it today.If you look at the page of the study Dr. Greger incorporates into the “http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms” video, it states that participants took 15 mg. twice a day for at total of 30 mg.I’m in the same boat as you … I look forward to menopause because PMS and menstruation is a killer. Still hope to knock out a kid before that happens though.Also, I purchased saffron capsules from a very established brand that also makes goji berry and acai berry juices you can buy at Wally World, although I ordered the capsules from that online South American river and jungle company.Too, I shelled out $20 for saffron pistils found at my upscale local supermarket.What is your opinion of the February 2013 article in Scientific American: The Myth About Antioxidants?You can read it Here?http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucbtdag/Wenner_2013.pdfNutritarian: I didn’t read the whole article. I just glanced at it. I thought I would mention one thing that caught my eye: One of the studies that the article mentions is a study that compared people who took limited type, but high dose antioxidant supplements (ex: beta carotene, which is only one of thousands? of antioxidants) to those people who do not take pills for single or limited types of antioxidants. One of issues that Dr. Greger and others have mentioned multiple times is that taking vitamins is probably *not* the healthiest way to get antioxidants and that there are plenty of studies showing that taking those pills cause problems. Dr. Greger has at least one blog and a couple vidoes on this very topic.My point is: Knowing that taking a pill can cause problems is not the same as saying that a whole plant food based diet with B12 supplement would have detrimental effects. In fact, based on the studies highlighted on this site, such a diet produces superior health.Just some thoughts for you. As I said, I did not read the article. Just scanned it.My wife suffered from terrible PMS throughout her life and about 14 years ago I researched various herbal treatments and she tried them out. There was only one that really helped and almost eliminated her PMS…it’s called Vitex or Chasteberry. I purchased the standardized dose (extract not raw herb) and it is fairly inexpensive. I’ve never looked for clinical research or testing of it, just a personal trial. Over the years we mentioned it to female friends and clients…most reported some level of relief. Again, this is anecdotal, but may be worth exploring!	broccoli,broccoli florets,chamomile tea,hibiscus tea,menstrual disorders,PMS,premenstrual syndrome,saffron	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	-
PLAIN-241	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/	Eating Green to Prevent Cancer	Why do people who eat more plants get less cancer? The largest prospective study of diet and cancer in history, for example, found that vegetarians had lower levels of all cancers combined. This could be due to what they eat less of: There are also components of plant foods they are getting more of that can help eliminate excess estrogen; extinguish free radicals; and boost our antioxidant, detoxification, and DNA repair enzymes. What we do eat may be as important as what we don’t eat. The healthiest food is dark green leafy vegetables, which we should ideally eat every day. Greens can improve our eyesight, immune function, athletic performance, and even our physical appearance. The green pigment itself—chlorophyll—may even intercept carcinogens. See my 2-min. video Eating Green to Prevent Cancer, where which I profile a study entitled  “Effects of Chlorophyll on Low-Dose Aflatoxin in Human Volunteers.” Researchers had people drink a solution of radioactive aflatoxin, the carcinogen that used to be a problem in peanut butter, with or without spinach chlorophyll. Check out the video to see the amazing results. For more on protective compounds in plants, check out my 2-min. video Phytochemicals: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label. Green pigments are just one sliver of the rainbow though. There are benefits to the yellow ones, orange ones, red ones, and blue ones. Sounds like a Dr. Seuss book! 	Thanks Dr. G.! My boyfriend is going in for his second cystoscopy post TURBT this weekend. Convincing him to go totally vegan hasn’t worked yet, but he has incorporated more of a vegan and vegetarian diet into his lifestyle — he even makes vegan carrot cake, quiche and pesto for me, which in turn is for him as well. You are a part of this change.Wish us luck!Jumping in here: Your story is inspiring! I wish you both all the luck!!Sweet, thanks. Enjoyed meeting you on Sunday in Torrance. Your lecture was powerful and a lot of fun!Where was he in Torrance? I live in Torrance.. Thx!great info, enjoyed hearing you a few weeks ago in Clakrsville MD. Love your sense of humor :)	animal protein,arachidonic acid,cancer,carcinogens,chlorophyll,DNA,endotoxins,estrogen,free radicals,heme iron,heterocyclic amines,industrial pollutants,nitrosamines,plants,poultry viruses,saturated fat,steroid hormones	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	-
PLAIN-242	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/	What Is the Healthiest Meat?	Thanks to the Chinese space program, scientists in Beijing recently published a formal nutritional analysis of what may be one of the least harmful animals to eat, silkworm caterpillars. As I profile in my 2-min video Good Grub, they appear to have more arginine than soybeans, more zinc than pumpkin seeds, and more protein than snail meat. One pound of powdered worms gets you all the vitamin B12 you need for the day. The big nutritional selling point, though, is their low saturated fat content. Farming insects is also less wasteful than farming other animals. Whereas we waste about 90% of nutrients when we feed grains to cows, less than half the nutrition of edible plants is wasted when we route them through bugs. Okay, but how do they taste? Like octopus, one technical review notes. What’s the downside? See my 2-min. video Bug Appétit: Barriers to Entomophagy. The American space program is going in a different direction. NASA decided on a vegan menu for Mars, realizing, perhaps, that there are safer and cheaper sources of vitamin B12 than a daily pound of powdered worms. What about arginine? Worms, whale meat, pork rinds, and what else? See my 2-min. video Fat Burning Via Arginine. Though sourcing protein from plants is preferable, maggots have been tapped for their potential to improve the safety of the food supply, see my 2-min. video Maggot Meat Spray. 	Again, I do not understand why you are promoting meat?What’s to understand? Bugs can/do provide a form of nutrition. Let the facts speak for themselves maybe?The best scientists are those who present all the facts, regardless of personal bias.Personally, I think this subject is the opposite of promoting meat. My thoughts (if I were still eating animals) would be something like: If eating bugs is the best I can do in terms of health and eating animals, then maybe I’ll just skip the animals.Well, the heading captured my attention, though I have no interest in eating bugs! I’ve been plant-based for 5 years and love it…lots of health improvements! However, I have many friends who are in poor health who just won’t try the plant-based diet, despite my well intentioned and probably annoying evidence-based comments and references. They call me “the food nazi” hahaha! I don’t dislike meat at all and my mouth waters when i smell bacon and barbeque…for me it’s all about the health. I also do health & wellness coaching and would like to have more information on what really are the safest meats to eat, in terms of toxins, other than those generated by cooking at high temperatures. Many clients would still follow a primarily plant-based diet, but want to add smaller amounts of “clean” meats as in The China Study and diets followed by other healthy populations. This wouldn’t be about necessarily reversing heart disease…just losing weight, improving lab results, and generally improving health.. Please direct me to any data on tested toxin levels in various meats; “natural” or organic meats, clean farm raised fish, etc. Think I’ll go grill a nice filet of seitan now ;)If they’re so high in protein, what makes them better than other animal protein, which is apparently so detrimental?Hello, I know your posted that 1 year ago but may I point out that this website is about nutrition and medicine which are scientific fields? This means that religion hasn’t got anything to do with this website. I could point countless of evidences to show that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all nonsense, starting with the false translations of Hebrew and Greek texts. But I won’t, since this isn’t the point of this website. Believe what you won’t, I personally don’t care, as long as you don’t do harm to anybody. By the way, I hope you get yourself educated and informed about nutrition and I wish a good day to you sir.	arginine,bugs,grains,insects,maggots,octopus,protein,saturated fat,silkworm caterpillars,snail meat,vegan,vitamin B12,zinc	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bug-appetit-barriers-to-entomophagy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	-
PLAIN-243	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/	Lead Poisoning Risk From Venison	The reason animal products trigger inflammation in the body within hours of consumption is thought to be due to the residual bacterial toxins that survive the cooking process (as l detailed in my blog post How Does Meat Cause Inflammation). The saturated animal fat then helps ferry these endotoxins across the gut wall into our bloodstream. The research team concluded “while the most obvious solution to metabolic endotoxemia appears to be to reduce saturated fat intake, the Western diet is not conducive to this mode of action, and it is difficult for patients to comply with this request.” Thus, researchers have looked to wild animals for less inflammatory meat options. Wild pheasants, for example, have been found to have significantly less saturated fat than farmed pheasants, so one would assume wild pheasant meat would trigger less inflammation. This concept wasn’t put to the test until recently, though. In my 3-min. video Modern Meat Not Ahead of the Game I profile a study performed by a group of Australian researchers that compared the amount of inflammation triggered by domesticated animal meat to wild kangaroo meat. They found that eating kangaroos did trigger an inflammatory response, but not as much as the store-brought meat. This would suggest that venison, for example, would cause less inflammation than chicken, but the way in which the deer is killed makes a difference. See my 2-min. video Filled Full of Lead for the results of a study that raised food safety concerns about conventional ammunition. Note, lead has also been found in protein powder supplements, ayervedic medicine supplements, and other animal products. Like mercury in tuna, no level of lead consumption can be considered safe. For more depth, the inflammatory effects of animal foods are explored in my 3-part video series: Most whole plant foods are anti-inflammatory. See, for example: 	Dr. Greger. I love this blog post, because 1) it reminds me of information I had before and had mostly forgotten, and 2) helps make sense of the information. The individual videos are great, but these blog posts help pull it all together and provide an even higher level of understanding for the big picture and even for the points of the individual videos. Much appreciated. Thanks!	animal products,chicken,deer,endotoxins,inflammation,kangaroos,lead,lead poisoning,pheasants,protein powder supplements,saturated animal fat,toxins,venison,Western diet	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/filled-full-of-lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	-
PLAIN-244	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/	The Real Paleo Diet	We evolved eating huge amounts of plants. It’s estimated that 200,000 years ago we got 600mg of vitamin C a day. That’s the amount of vitamin C found in 10 oranges. Every day we appear to have consumed the amount of vitamin E found in 2 cups of nuts, the amount of fiber found in 12 bowls of oatmeal, and the amount of calcium found in 5 cups of collard greens. They weren’t milking mammoths–that came in part from all the wild greens they foraged. As I note in my 2-min. video Paleolithic Lessons, we were exposed to such a quantity of whole healthy plant foods that we, as a species, lost our ability to make vitamin C. We still actually have the vitamin C gene in our DNA, but our bodies presumably just junked it because we were getting such massive daily doses that it wasn’t worth maintaining it. The problems occur when you take our evolutionary heritage, fine-tuned over the millennia, and plop it down into meat and potato chip country. Advocates of the so-called Paleo diet are certainly right in railing against refined and processed junk, but may just use it as an excuse to eat loads of meat that bears little resemblance to flesh of prehistoric wild animals. The contaminant issue alone is compelling reason to eat as low as possible on the food chain. As I show in the video, the journal of the American Meat Science Association recently published a review cataloging the laundry list: arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, preservatives, and veterinary drugs such as antibiotic residues. Given what’s now in fish, for example, “it would be impossible to follow the Paleolithic diet while avoiding the risks associated with consuming mercury in amounts in excess of the suggested EPA threshold.” The “paleo” diet patients I saw in my practice weren’t consuming weeds and eating in excess of 100 grams of fiber a day. They were eating burgers, not bugs. As concluded in a review I profile in the video, “Sufficient scientific evidence exists for public health policy to promote a plant-rich diet for health promotion.” For those interested in digging deeper, there was an interesting Scientific American blog this summer entitled “Human Ancestors Were Nearly All Vegetarians” and there’s an in-depth video series on YouTube debunking the paleo diet fad. I wrote a whole book on the Atkins incarnation, Carbophobia, now available free online. I also have two videos on low carb diets: Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up and Plant-Based Atkins Diet. 	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn2L-aWtw-I My “why Paleo stinks video….Thanks for the video. People need to know the science vs. the fads.Its not about what to eat or what not. Its about maintaining a balance. Not only in nutrition, but in everything really. You talk of a health epidemic while the average life span of humans especially in developed counries is rising. 50 years ago a person in their mid50’s -60’s was considered old, and now he/she doesn’t even get pension by that age. That brings the question of who long & how much will be enough? Would you like to live for ever? How many years is enough? How long before our bodies start to decay and die? well the answer is that even if we could live for a 1000 years that probably wouldn’t be enough. Humanity is greedy. Nothing will ever be enough unless we change our problematic perception of death. If one spends their entire life trying to live, what’s the point? Life will be over before we know it. Death is part of life, the last act and no matter how far we try to run from it we can’t escape it.Personally I’m sceptical about passionate people, as their passion often blinds the logic and analytical thinking. From my subjected point of view (and perception) you don’t look healthy Randy, neither does the little girl next to you. You are both too thin. Can you donate blood? probably not. While it is an undeniable fact that we have been disinformed in the worst way about our nutrition (based solely on standards of consumerism and capitalism which are completely irrelevant either with health or nutrition) how sure are you that this is not yet another hype? As sure as our parents were when they fed us “junk”? Is it a sign of health to be well in a sick society? probably not..Oh, look…a personal opinion. How helpful.That was a pretty discouraging comment, Rocko. We try to keep this a safe place for discussion by everyone so let’s keep it friendly, okay? Thanks. :)Very good review. Thank you. It’s good to have another view to the popular, but poorly supported by science, paleo diet.True story. So I was at a business lunch when one of my clients sitting next to me took a look at my plate and said “Oh you must be a vegetarian.” I said yes and we engaged in a short dialogue about eating healthy.Then she goes on to tell me that she has always been healthy but after having a baby she wanted to get her healthy body back so she went on the Paleo diet. At her yearly checkup, she was surprised to learn that she all of a sudden had high cholesterol. In my mind I was saying, “Well of course you do!!” After reading Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Fuhrman, and Dr. Greger, it is so obvious that eating a ton of meat is going to make your cholesterol jump and set her up to have other negative health outcomes.I couldn’t really cross the social norms that day, but I wanted to educate her so badly… especially since her ideas of health were dripping with irony- just like her lunch plate was dripping with animal fat!Nigel: People who understand healthy eating have to bite their tongues so much, it is a wonder that we don’t have an epidemic of otherwise healthy people experiencing severe “tongue holes”. Serious problem as I understand it. ;-)Can you please share any science that supports the idea that cholesterol is bad for you? It’s widely accepted now that myth and the link between cholesterol and heart disease or other heart/ blood related issues are due to cholesterol. Without that, your point is just dripping with silly and factually inaccurate conventional wisdomBryan,Where’s the evidence that cholesterol-containing foods can reverse heart disease? Disease-reversal has occurred when patients have followed a low-fat, plant-based diet (as per the works of Drs. Esselstyn and Ornish). These diets contained miniscule amounts of cholesterol.I would like to see a study where patients have reversed arterial blockages by pursuing a high-cholesterol diet. Where is that study?Here’s a little mini-review to get you started. In addition to the studies outlined there, there are more studies published since concerned with cardiovascular risk factors, and there are also more documenting improvements in fasting glucose, insulin response, acne, gut flora, etc. It is, of course, underresearched compared to conventional highcarb/lowfat or highfat/lowcarb. Hopefully more studies are in the work.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2787021/#__sec5titleAnd of course there are many studies of Paleolithic and older diets, which suggest that most humans were not in fact vegetarians and the increase of meat in our diet was very important in our divergence from other hominid and monkey species. Scientific American is infotainment.http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0032452Janet, the Jonsson Paleo/T2DM study was very small (13 people), and there was no indication that any of the Paleo/T2DM patients on oral medication were able to discontinue their medications. Dr. Neil Barnard and Dr. John McDougall, et al, have accomplished reversal of T2DM with a low-fat plant-based diet. Their patients were able to discontinue all oral medications.Heart disease being our number one killer, I would still like to find a study where reversal of atherosclerotic plaques has occured as a result of consuming a Paleo-type diet. This reversal has taken place because of a low-fat, plant-based diet.There are many “ancient” cultures that have thrived on a whole-foods, predominantly plant-based diet (Abkasians, Vilcabamba, Hunza, Papua Highlanders, and the Tarahumara). These societies suffer vary rarely from the lifestyle diseases that plague most North Americans.http://www.dietdoctor.com/category/health-problems/cholesterol http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/doctors-who-say-everything-you-know-about-cholesterol-wrong http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/06/omega-6-fats-linked-to-increased-risk-of-heart-disease/About sugar: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0057873http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/feb/27/sugar-obesity-type-2-diabetesTidsoptimist,Thanks for your reply, but what point are you trying to make?I watched the Doc Oz episode you linked to with the two gents promoting their book, but most of us already know that cholesterol is essential. Our liver makes all we need, and there is no need to supplement with dietary-based sources.I still would really like to see a study where a high dietary intake of cholesterol is shown to reverse heart disease.I’m sorry, was having a bad day and didn’t really think it through enough.Yeah I would like to see a lot of well-done studies that probably never will get the fundings needed or be deemed not good enough, the ones done always fails (in my eyes) on some small parameters making them less useful in trying to prove anything.. =/Found a really nice experiment today. What do you think about it? http://live.smashthefat.com/the-21-day-5000-calorie-challenge/Looks interesting. 40% protein seems way too high though—poor kidneys. Hope there is a before-and-after comparison of all the blood work.Ye that was my first thoughts as well. I know muscle builders often recommend around 2g protein/kg but as you say 40% is way over that line, more like 4g/kg for this guy and I wouldn’t eat it for longer periods of time. I hope that as well, it’s a isolated case but one I hope to see some buzz around =)Bryan: First, I was hardly making grand points. I was commiserating with Nigel. It’s odd that you felt a need to address your comment to me.Second, to address your point: I’m quite comfortable that I have seen a ton of credible science that supports the link between added dietary cholesterol and heart disease. There’s so much easily found support/science for this understanding, that I can only conclude that you consider the information a myth because you have decided to dismiss the science. I can’t imagine that it would matter what I tried to present to you.In other words, there isn’t any more I can say to you than I could say to a climate-change denier or a person who thinks that American President Obama was born in Kenya. At some point, it’s just not worth having that conversation. You can believe whatever you want to believe. Heck, you can find studies that show that smoking does *not* cause cancer. If that’s what someone wants to believe, there’s nothing I can do about it.That said, you can also always find stories of so and so who lived in so and so and who smoked a pack of cigarettes every day until he died healthy at 100. In that spirit, I wish you a long healthy life and fantastic luck with your diet.Curious as to your evidence for “We evolved eating huge amounts of plants.” Also the 100 grams of fiber requirement.Not saying it can’t exist, but where is it?Furthermore, you seem to ignore any potential “contaminants” that may be lurking in vegetable matter, whether organic or not.Finally the conclusion that thanks to “contaminants” we ought to eat as low on the food chain as possible is a significant leap, attempting in no way to rationalize the potential harms from eschewing one food source for another, compared to said contaminants. That logic could lead me to avoid many good things — for instance, who knows what “contaminants” are in the bugs you suggest your paleo patients should have been eating. Or what’s in my water??John,I have a couple of answers for you.re: “…thanks to “contaminants” we ought to eat as low on the food chain as possible is a significant leap…” Dr. Greger has a video (I can’t remember which one – hopefully someone will jump in with the link) where he shows how contaminates get concentrated/stronger the higher you go up the food chain. It’s not that fruits and veggies don’t have any contaminants. It’s that animals which eat the fruits and veggies tend to have higher concentrations of those contaminants. Under each video is a section where sources are sited where you can learn where Dr. Greger gets his information.As for water, if you stay away from bottled water and stick with city water, you should know exactly what contaminants are in it and add additional fitlers if you wish to avoid those.Note: I do agree with you that the statement is a big leap in regards to the blog piece being self-sufficient. I’m just letting you know that there IS evidence to support Dr Greger’s claim even if it is not discussed here.re: “Not saying it can’t exist, but where is it?”Again, look under the videos for “sources sited” One of the videos linked to above has a site for the information about what our paleolithic ancestors ate. The blog is just a summary of Dr. Greger’s work. For the details and data that backs up the information in the blog, you have to go to the specific videos and then look further at the studies if you doubt the videos.Good luck.I don’t know the specific video you are talking about but I can say that the biological principle is called bio-magnification. Its a pretty basic principle in biology where certain substances like pesticides and heavy metal move up the food chain and concentrate within the tissue of the animals higher up on the food chain.Wes: Thanks for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated.John,The contaminant issue and eating lower on the food chain is not a significant leap it is related to the biological principle called bio-magnification. Its a pretty basic principle in biology where certain substances like pesticides and heavy metal move up the food chain and concentrate within the tissue of the animals higher up on the food chain. That is not to say that there aren’t risks with vegetable matter having contaminates, but the prevalence and risk is lower. There are risks with all choices we make in like the goal is to minimize those risks. Your water likely has contaminants in it as well, thanks to our liberal use of industrial chemicals, nutrient pollution from animal and human manure and the burning of coal for over 100 years all bodies of water are contaminated and unsafe for drinking without treatment. At least one can filter and buy clean water you cannot filter the contaminants that are concentrated in the flesh of animals higher up on the food chain.Dr. Greger FYI. The YouTUBE Video series; as well as at least one other link sited in the beginning paragraphs need updating or don’t seem to be working.YouTube has changed it’s layout. Home pages start off with a display of Featured videos. To display videos in upload order, select the Videos link instead.Hope that solves the issue.Find any introductory Toxicology text, and you can read all about the concentration of toxins in the food chain. This is a very well established principle. Dr. Greger is not responsible for this “leap” in logic.Everyone seems to accept this when it comes to mercury and the aquatic food chain, but for some reason people don’t want to believe it when it comes to land animals. Very strange.There is a leap. We are not eating top level land predators. We do eat top level sea predators. Tuna funnels all the mercury contamination from the huge pyramid base below it into its tissues, which we then consume. Unless you are eating lions or wolves, you are not eating high enough up on the food chain to get this level of concentration of toxins in land animals.I made a friendly suggestion to read a toxicology textbook (just an introductory one), and instead of educating yourself and replying intelligently, you have simply responded with assumptions and nonsense pulled out of thin air.You still ignorantly claim that Dr. Greger is “making a leap”. In how many different ways does it need to be explained to you that Dr. Greger did not come up with this idea! I don’t know if it’s more hilarious or sad that you keep attributing this to him.Now since you seem to have an aversion to educational literature, try to follow me here:Toxins are ubiquitous, and as such, even plants will inevitably absorb some. Now, if I have a choice between eating a point of plants, or a a pound of meat which has had16 lbs of these same plants filtered through it, which do you think will contain more of the toxins?You seem to want to draw some arbitrary line on the food chain where everything below it is completely toxin-free. Doesn’t work that way. Even Dr. Greger refers to eating plants as a way to “minimize” exposure, not eliminate. If I eat nothing but organically grown plants from my own garden, I’ll still be exposed. But if a lion or a wolf were to eat me, they’d be getting quite a bit more.You also seem to be missing the point that the “top level” predator has a bunch of toxins accumulated in it! Do you really think that it’s only eating that predator that will affect you? That the predator itself doesn’t experience any effects from this vast accumulation of toxic compounds?Thanks b00mer, but you’re actually responding to two different “leap” accusers. :)Dr. Greger gets the 100 grams of fiber reference from this study which he shares in his video http://www.faculty.sfasu.edu/burtdonal/evolution/jewetal2009.pdfWhat would you say to someone who counters every bit of evidence for a plant-based diet with the argument that grass-fed, hormone-free, etc. animal foods are beneficial to our health? Are there legitimate studies that shed light on this?Dee, first, who is that “someone”?I am living with three guys who say the same thing. We have two refrigerators; mine contains no animal products, and theirs contains almost no plants. Evan says it’s good for his digestion (including his ulcerative colitis). Brian and Chris are pretty slim. I wonder what it will do for/to them in the long term.It will probably give them colon cancer and/or heart disease. I would have thought that having colitis, possibly caused by a gluten allergy, that the one guy would have had a doctor make better recommendations, but our docs come from the same culture we all do.It seems that Dr. Greger has posted many, many videos/blog entries about the harmful effects of animal protein on our bodies and health already. And all based on evidence in studies.Most of the videos on nutritionfacts.org have to do with inherent compounds found in animal products that are separate from the organic vs conventional issue. Endotoxins and increased IGF-1 levels being two examples.Many studies are out there but the most profound I have found is T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study. Any animal protein above 5% turns on genes that promote cancer and above 10% (the amount needed for normal body growth) becomes nearly exponential in your risk of disease. It’s kinda like smoking–if you smoke one cigarette once a week, although not good for you, probably won’t cause any statistically significant increased rates in disease (eg. cancer, COPD, etc–I know someone will pull up a study to show I’m wrong and that’s OK) but when you start smoking that cigarette everyday you will definitely increase your risk of disease (aka Morbidity and mortality). Imaging when you get to 3 packs of cigs a day (60 cigs), just walking becomes a chore. Just like having large amounts of animal proteins daily you will get sick (and will have a hard time taking a crap –defecating) regardless of whether its Grass fed, Massaged and Beer fed (Kobe beef), or Crossfed (grass and corn). Dean Ornish, MD has shown that not eating meat turned off genes that promote cancer and the patients have better outcomes. So if you want to eat your meat, sure eat hormone free, grass fed beef that was killed humanely (oxymoron there) but do it rarely.Many studies are out there but the most profound I have found is T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study. Any animal protein above 5% turns on genes that promote cancer and above 10% (the amount needed for normal body growth) becomes nearly exponential in your risk of disease. It’s kinda like smoking–if you smoke one cigarette once a week, although not good for you, probably won’t cause any statistically significant increased rates in disease (eg. cancer, COPD, etc–I know someone will pull up a study to show I’m wrong and that’s OK) but when you start smoking that cigarette everyday you will definitely increase your risk of disease (aka Morbidity and mortality). Imaging when you get to 3 packs of cigs a day (60 cigs), just walking becomes a chore. Just like having large amounts of animal proteins daily you will get sick (and will have a hard time taking a crap –defecating) regardless of whether its Grass fed, Massaged and Beer fed (Kobe beef), or Crossfed (grass and corn). Dean Ornish, MD has shown that not eating meat turned off genes that promote cancer and the patients have better outcomes. So if you want to eat your meat, sure eat hormone free, grass fed beef that was killed humanely (oxymoron there) but do it rarely.Anyone who believes that our paleolithic ancestors ate mostly meat needs to do some studying. Meat is hard to catch and put into edible form, whereas plants are (were) available for the taking. They did far more gathering than hunting. Women did the gathering, men did the hunting. There is your bias.Not to interrupt your vegan circle jerk but I was vegan for 10 years plus and was never sicker in my life. Added a bit of healthy animal proteins and fats and _all_ of my health problems disappeared – I’m now _healthier_ than I’ve ever been. But, I have vegan friends that are very healthy and have virtually no health problems. So, I conclude that everyone needs to eat what they need to eat and quit worrying about what the guy next door is doing. By the way, my “bad cholesterol” and triglycerides went down and my “good cholesterol” went up after adding animal protein. So worry about your own diet and go eat dirt if you don’t like what I eat.This. A thousand times this.When saturated fat and cholesterol increase in a person’s diet, the body will try to compensate by producing more HDL cholesterol. If a person improves the quality of their diet, they will often see a decrease in HDL, since there’s less of the bad cholesterol that needs to be processed and excreted. Some people are better at producing more HDL when it becomes necessary, so you must be one of them.You must have been eating a pretty poor diet to make yourself so sick during your vegan days.Peter, the only way to be sick as a vegan due to the diet itself is due to a lack of a seriously nutritious diet (unless you have a metabolic disorder). I once knew a vegan who tried to live on peanut butter and lettuce. That’s vegan, but it will also kill you. Did you study the amounts of protein, carbs, fats, and vitamins in foods before or during your stint as a vegan? Because missing just one important nutrient can really mess you up. While one does not need to become a food scholar, when moving form one’s family diet to a new tradition within which one was not raised, one *must* learn about it. My cousin also tried going vegan, and had muscle wasting because she was not getting enough protein. Well, duh, if one does not eat enough protein-rich foods, one will be deficient. I just wonder if your situation was similar, where you just missed something important. Since there are around a billion vegans, doing relatively well, while those eating the Standard American Diet are having dietary cancers and heart disease, the choice becomes obvious. There are other things that affect metabolism, including your viral burden (chronic viruses like those in the herpes family and HIV cause cholesterol and related hormonal issues). There are also other reasons to go back to eating meat, including the psychological one of not being able to handle all of the social pressures of others telling one that one is not manly, or even family turning on one, as if one had turned on the family first.Well said1 billion vegans ? Could you please post sources as the ones I have mention around only 0.5% of world population…May be you mean vegetarians, but still, it is a high number.Herne Webber, I know your comments are well-meaning, but reading between the lines, I see “Dog-gone it, Peter the Average! If you only you had found THE MISSING VEGAN NUTRIENT during your 10 years of veganism, you would have been a HEALTHY VEGAN. Geez, why did you give up? Oh, how I wish you had been smart enough or determined enough to figure it out. ARGH!!!”Is that right? I know you didn’t say anything like that in your message, but that’s the feeling I get from reading your response. :)My thought is, if Peter the Average was vegan for 10 years, he certainly did try. Whatever he was missing, obviously it wasn’t something easy, because if it was, he would have done it, sometime during those 10 years. Apparently eating “a bit of healthy animal proteins and fats” was Peter the Average’s fastest and most effective path to feeling healthy again. So I agree with what “Peter the Average” says, with regards to how each individual needs to eat what they need to feel good.I’ve been vegan for 8 years now … and I feel fine. I don’t feel “healthier than I ever did” … my “healthiest” feeling years were when I was about 20-21 and about 26-27 … and I didn’t go vegan until I was 30. But I’ve doing well on a vegan diet, and I’m happy with it.Meanwhile, for people who have TRIED a vegan diet but couldn’t thrive on it, for whatever reason … well, I don’t want to fault them for eating meat, if that’s what it took to make them feel better. Being in charge of our personal health is one of the most important things we can do as human beings.Yes, it’s true, the animal cruelty involved with the production of meat and eggs is absolutely awful. But if you had to choose between your own health vs. some animals that you’ll never ever see, being tortured and killed somewhere “out there,” well, probably you’d choose your own health. I know, folks would say “But you don’t have to choose! A vegan diet is healthy!”Well, yes, so far it’s been healthy for me, and lots of other people, too, but it didn’t work out for Peter the Average. If he was vegan for 10 years, I’m sure he is very well informed and compassionate and knows all about the benefits of plant-based diets (especially with regards to the suffering of the animals). So … I think there is some level of acceptance and understanding that needs to go into this reality and the real decision that someone like Peter the Average has to make.Some of my tone comes from the original poster’s line, “Not to interrupt your vegan circle jerk..” Since he was being rude, I felt no compunction to be nice. And given his general tone, he did not strike me as “very well informed and compassionate.” If he was compassionate (and mature), he would not talk about compassionate people as having a circle jerk when we are talking about a mature, adult subject. I gave him a couple of outs by mentioning that he could have had some kind of special metabolic need, and/or felt too much peer pressure (which he is now doling out) to stop being against the grain. That’s as charitable as I get.Nobody asked you anything, including for you to stop eating meat. This is here to educate people to make their own choices.Since you were next door, why did you have to come all the way here and type your rubbish ? Hurry…hurry, you still have a lot of vegan sites waiting to publish your idiotic comments…The way you begin your statement is offensive and clearly hostile, and throws doubt upon the already questionable and entirely anecdotal story that follows. There is more to the story than cholesterol. Homocysteine is another problem, just for example, only one more among many.Michael Greger does meta-analyses of all the nutritional research, and cites his references in his materials. If you want more authoritative material I suggest you start there. What happened to you or somebody’s neice’s cousin’s best friend’s roomate just has no place in a discussion of the larger trends in research. `:-)I agree with your post (I follow a vegan diet) different diets work for different people, genetics and environmental factors probably come into the equation as to whether someone will become sick or improve on whatever diet they follow.Anecdotes are interesting, but studies with statistical significance are what matters most. For example, considerCancer incidence in British vegetarians“In conclusion, this study suggests that the incidence of all malignant neoplasms combined may be lower among both fish eaters and vegetarians than among meat eaters. The most striking finding was the relatively low risk for cancers of the lymphatic and haematopoietic tissues among vegetarians.”http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v101/n1/pdf/6605098a.pdfI don’t know about you, but the circle jerk I’d like to be in is the one that science favours.Yes, be he’s saying that he was vegan for 10 years, and it didn’t work for him. So he tried. Someone who is vegan for 10 years is likely very knowledgeable about all the reasons for a plant-based diet … therefore, for him to go back to eating meat, surely required a lot of soul searching on his part. Clearly he knows about all of the suffering that goes into animal products, but he had decided that he feels better eating animal products, and his health is more important than the suffering of those animals. Decisions about one’s own health are very personal, don’t you think? We can’t very well make the decision for him. Also: if Peter the Average felt better eating meat, after 10 years on a vegan diet, all the statistical studies in the world don’t amount to a hill of beans. His only reality is his own experience.You’ve made a lot of assumptions about Peter’s “soul searching” and such.His health and his feelings aren’t necessarily related. Of course if you want to eat meat, nothing will stop you, and anyone’s own reality is their own, but does one have the science to prove that you NEED to eat meat to thrive? The science right now points in the direction that it’s a lot more social and psychological than physiological.Peter’s comments would have been more acceptable and credible if he didn’t come in all hostile. That’s a flag for bias and with an agenda.However, I agree with everything you said starting from “Decisions”.We accept your conclusions; we were upset not by his choice of diet, nor his choice to come here to talk about it, but rather, about his choice to describe those of use conversing politely as performing a mutual sexual act. He is not respectfully accepting of *our* choices (even though he claims to still have vegan friends), thus we feel no reason to treat his comment with respect.I like this article! Coming from a vegetarian perspective (with Anth and Bio college minors), I have two ‘beefs’ on this topic that just keep coming back.First, even if the Paleo Diet people were 100% right about our ancestors, given the proofs we have today that a low-fat vegetarian diet (or the richer Mediterranean Diet) rich in vegetal variety is the key to good health, why stick with their diet? And why do they ignore muscle attachment, tooth wear, and spectrographic enamel studies? Just scientifically illiterate? But health aside, there are tons of *other* reasons, from environmental, to resource use and waste, to human hunger to go veg.Second, given the coprolite studies that prove what paleolithic people ate, BECAUSE IT WAS STUDYING THEIR *ACTUAL* POOP, how is it that there is still so much debate? I can only conclude it’s because people don’t like changes. People like their foods, and fear that vegetarian or vegan choices will be less mouth-watering. They picture meat substitutes as cardboard-like or tasteless, like unflavoured tofu. Once people start thinking about it, their opinions become concrete, so if anyone wants to change anything, better start with the hide-bound rule-followers we call grade-schoolers. Too bad they quit publishing National Scholastic, because that would be a good place for an article like the above, written for children’s grasp.Oops, forgot my third ‘beef’, that phrase about eating lower or higher on “the food chain.” It’s not a chain, but a web, thus there is no “higher”. The idea of considering primary consumers (i.e., cows and other animals likely to be hunted) to be “lower” than carnivores is actually backwards. We need to eat “closer to the sun,” which is, in fact, “higher” than carnivores. Higher, lower, it’s all psychological bullshit wrapped around dietary choices that people don’t want futzed with.” Too bad they quit publishing National Scholastic, because that would be a good place for an article like the above, written for children’s grasp.”Amen to that!Hi, I would like to suggest a video on the topic of hormonal acne. I know dairy is a major culprit but I stopped drinking dairy a year ago and I still have the same problem, together with hirsutism. I don’t have PCOS.Hi sirios, I don’t know if you’ll get any more videos on the topic but from what I’ve researched myself it seems the most well established dietary connections to acne are milk and refined sugars/grains. I’ve also read about low Zn and various food allergies but these don’t seem to be as conclusive.I just wanted to throw in my two cents about my own experiences here in case they might help you out. I started getting adult onset acne a few years ago. After going vegan and trying all the “natural” skincare products in the last year or so, I was really disappointed that it wasn’t going away (it was still getting worse over time in fact). Anyway, long story short I discovered the world of “chemical exfoliation”, and in the last two months or so, my skin has completely cleared up. I had what’s usually described as the “hormonal” type of acne, on the sides of my chin and in those parentheses around the lips mostly, and also a bunch of milia around my forehead and temples. I don’t want to sound like an infomercial here, but I’d suggest Beautypedia to get reviews on the best products to use (I am using the brand that is sold directly on that site). For a long time I wanted to believe that it was something in my diet that I could fix, but turns out I just had too many dead skin cells clogging up my face. :) I didn’t want to have to use special “products”, but it’s worked out so well for me I’ve changed my tune. Hope this may help you. All the best.Certainly cats do get acne in response to food allergies. Perhaps a soy allergy or mustard allergy could be the cause. Or sesame. Those are amongst the top ten most common allergies, although a person can develop an allergy to anything in their diet.It’s definitely a possibility and I’ve read plenty of anecdotal evidence indicating that a certain food allergy was the source of someone’s acne. I tried a godawful elimination diet for several weeks to try to determine if I had one, and it just wasn’t the case for me. But it’s certainly worth a shot for someone who has exhausted other options.The Stanford A to Z diet comparison study, (conducted by 25 year vegetarian, Dr. Christopher Gardner) found that Atkins was superior to Ornish diet, especially for people who have metabolic syndrome. Since there are 100 million people in US who are diabetic or pre-diabetec, recommending a high-carb plant based diet that spikes blood sugar is not helpful.Out of the 1,500 videos here, it doesn’t look like there is anything on metabolic syndrome are how the Ornish diet doesn’t work for many people who are insulin resistant.The Stanford study did show that compliance is the most important factor and that people who are metabolically healthy can do well on either diet.It’s just that one out of three people many not be able to do well on a the diet Greger reccomends as a panacea for everyone.Weight loss is a horrible indication of overall health. In the conclusions of the mentioned A to Z Weight Loss Study, it is mentioned that:“While questions remain about the long-term effects and mechanisms, a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet may be considered a feasible alternative recommendation for weight loss.”I would be much more concerned about long term effects and not weight loss.Dr. Greger, you are amazing! I’m so glad I found this website to read all about food (plants in particular because I’m a vegan too). My grandmother was messing around with Paleo Diet for a few months and had one kidney surgically removed. I’ve read that it’s hell on your kidneys. Thank you SO MUCH for all of the fantastic videos and articles you post often!Thought I’d share some of my favorite papers on paleolithic plant eating.I think the first paper should be better known in both the vegan and feminist communities, as it lays out a compelling hypothesis of how our ancestors adapted to climate change ~1.9 mya, and how they persisted for longer than any prior or subsequent hominid species: digging for the underground storage organs of plants. Subsequent evidence has been fairly supportive, and this list is by no means comprehensive:Hawkes, K., and J. F. O’Connell. “Grandmothering and the evolution of Homo erectus.” J Hum Evol (1999) http://www.radicalanthropologygroup.org/old/class_text_069.pdfLaden, Greg, and Richard Wrangham. “The rise of the hominids as an adaptive shift in fallback foods: plant underground storage organs (USOs) and australopith origins.” J Hum Evol (2005) http://gregladen.com/wordpress/wp-content/pdf/Laden_Wrangham_Roots.pdfPerry, George H., et al. “Diet and the evolution of human amylase gene copy number variation.” Nat Genet (2007) http://sws.bu.edu/MSOREN/Perry.pdfHernandez-Aguilar, R. Adriana, Jim Moore, and Travis Rayne Pickering. “Savanna chimpanzees use tools to harvest the underground storage organs of plants.” (2007) http://sociology.ucsd.edu/~jmoore/publications/HernandezEtAlPNAS07.pdfOnce we get to the last 50,000 years, we can start looking at starch grains between teeth.Piperno, Dolores R., and Tom D. Dillehay. “Starch grains on human teeth reveal early broad crop diet in northern Peru.” PNAS (2008) http://diyhpl.us/~bryan/papers2/agriculture/Starch%20grains%20on%20human%20teeth%20reveal%20early%20broad%20crop%20diet%20in%20northern%20Peru.pdfRevedin, Anna, et al. “Thirty thousand-year-old evidence of plant food processing.” PNAS (2010) http://www.foodlog.nl/files/achtergrond/pnas.201006993.pdfHenry, Amanda G., Alison S. Brooks, and Dolores R. Piperno. “Microfossils in calculus demonstrate consumption of plants and cooked foods in Neanderthal diets (Shanidar III, Iraq; Spy I and II, Belgium).” PNAS (2011) http://www.gwu.edu/~anth/docs/Microfossils_in_calculus.pdfQuite recently, in the past 100k years some of us moved (or were forced) into marginal habitats where wild tubers and grains weren’t the dietary mainstays – judging by heart disease rates our physiology hasn’t quite adapted yet.Wow. Awesome info Darryl! And so timely. Thanks for taking the time to share it!!Interesting, except that people following Paleo are in it to be part of the “cool” fad. They only use “science” afterward to support their decision to be in the cool crowd.I agree it’s partly the exclusive “cool crowd” effect (especially in those crossfit circles), but I also think it’s a case of people like to hear good things about their bad habits.Across the internet we now have people singing the praises of “good fats” like lard and bacon and butter (oh, only grass-fed of course). Isn’t that just the ultimate fantasy that anyone could have hoped to hear since evidence about diet and heart disease first came out forty years ago?But give it another couple decades and (unfortunately for all the paleo followers) we’ll have the epidemiological data to put the nail in the paleo coffin. Though even then will they listen? Or will they just keep coming up with more and more question-based rebuttals (they never rebut with information, always with questions about an infinite number of variables that should have been tested) to keep eating their bacon? We will see.Yep, I would think that the hucksters would be doing CIMT scans to try and demonstrate safety, but they don’t. There is a blog http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/ that discusses evidence based rebuttals to the Paleos and to LC opportunists like Taubes.Great info! Thanks for taking the time to write it all up. I’ll be referring back to this post to read up on the sources you provided. Thanks!This should really be the basis for a whole separate nutritionfacts blog post!Excellent review, thank you very much!I liked the Tedx presentation by the anthropologist Dr. Warinner. She said anthropologists have found microfossils on neanderthals that showed they ate lentils, barley, and tubers. So the paleolithic diet is based on pure myth. http://blog.tedx.com/post/45914179742/debunking-the-paleo-diet-christina-warinnerAccording to me that is the finest diet because i have personally tried it and results are always very good for that. What you have wrote is correct.http://www.nitin360.comWhy do people always think their vision is the truth, both vegans and meat eaters alike; You cannot overgeneralize your own experiences; I have been a vegan for three years and a vegetarian for almost my entire life (for animal right reasons) but will probably not continue a plant based diet because I encounter lot of health problems; I started to do some research reading up on both sides (those promoting veganism and those promoting grass fedd meat and hunting) about health, ethical and environmental aspects; Now a vegan diet can definitely be a healthy diet and I know lots of vegans who are healthy but apparently there are also lot of people who do not do so well on a vegan diet despise the best efforts and intentions, like me and many others (most paleo dieters are ex vegans who did not do well on the vegan diet) why is that ? I have no idea I eat a very healthy vegan diet (lots and lots of fruits vegetables, healthy grains and legumes almost no processed foods and sugar or fat) and still I experience all those health problems (acne, loss of eye sight, insomnia, serious digestive problems, thinning hair,…) Maybe some people’s body are not good at converting the nutritions that is already found converted in meat (like vitamin a, iron, …) or maybe some people need more zinc (which is very hard to obtain in the right ratio on a vegan diet) maybe some people functions better with fewer carbs I don’t know I just know I do not feel healthy on a vegetarian/vegan diet and I want to be healthy because I have been experiencing health problems my whole life and I am really sick of it (I am not going paleo or anything but maybe will start eating some meat for time to time see if I feel better) Just please stop blaming people (like they are doing it wrong) who don’t do well on the diet and stop overgeneralizing your own experience; you have both healthy meat eaters as you have vegans (most centenarians were meat eaters so meat cannot be as poisonous as is claimed, can it ? )(a very interesting book about the ethical aspects is the mindful carnivore)There are many folks who are following a plant based diet that are both “sick” and/or “fat”. i have the opportunity to occasionally work in supportive systems of care such as Meals for Health and the McDougall Whole Foods program. It is clear to me that a varied whole food plant based diet with adequate B-12 intake is the basis for good health. You are correct that there can be individual conditions which require “tweaking” beyond that starting point. The autoimmune disorders come to mind. I have patients who have plant triggers for their conditions and have to avoid specific plant foods. You might find some useful information on the McDougall website. I am thinking of two newsletter articles specifically… The Sic Vegan(10/02) and The Diet for the Desperate(12/02) and another if you are interested in losing fat… The Fat Vegan(12/08). Good luck in your journey.Hi Dr. Greger. I would appreciate if you can do a video/article on lectins. The Paleo side of things, say they avoid plant food because of the lectins. And beans and grains have more lectins than other plants, and we should avoid lectins because they are toxic. I tried doing my research and so far, yes they are toxic. But our bodies must have a way of getting rid of it so it doesn’t hurt us? Or else we wouldn’t live so long on beans? Can you debunk this myth. Thanks!I think the problem here is ignorance of the Paleo Diet which IS plant based with meat. It is NOT about eating an abundance of meat. Those that don’t do the research and jump in the Paleo diet with that assumption are dead wrong. The Paleo Diet promotes very high amounts of vegetables, juicing, fruits nuts and seeds, raw, healthy fats, clean organic non processed foods. When any diet is done wrong its going to go bad and your blood work will prove it every time. I have friends who were Vegan, over weight depressed and not healthy. I believe that’s because they were doing processed Vegan foods rather then healthy whole foods. My husband and I have done Paleo for 3 years. We lost 120lbs. between the two of us with amazing blood results. Our good Cholesterol is through the roof! That’s Paleo done right, the way its supposed to be done. And it drives me nuts when people do it wrong and wonder why they get bad results along with people who write articles who aren’t really aware of what it means to be Paleo.	antibiotic residues,arsenic,bugs,burgers,cadmium,calcium,collard greens,contaminants,DNA,fiber,junk food,lead,meat,mercury,nuts,oatmeal,oranges,paleo diet,plants,preservatives,vitamin C,vitamin E	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	-
PLAIN-245	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/	How Much Soy Is Too Much?	If animal proteins promote cancer because they boost our blood levels of the growth hormone IGF-1, what about the few plant proteins that have amino acid ratios similar to animal proteins such soy foods? One of soy’s selling points is that it has “high quality” protein, but as I explored in my video Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk, higher quality protein may mean a higher risk of cancer. In my 2-min. video Animalistic Plant Proteins, I show that animal protein consumption is associated with significantly higher levels of the cancer promoter IGF-1 and non-soy plant protein is associated with significantly lower levels. There was no significant association with soy protein, though. This suggests that if all we do is replace animal protein with soy protein, we may not see as dramatic a drop in IGF-1 as that enjoyed by those replacing meat, eggs, and dairy with a variety of plant proteins. You can see what lower IGF-1 levels can mean for prostate and breast cancer growth in my videos Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay and The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle. In my 3-min. video Too Much Soy May Neutralize Benefits I show that vegans consuming the equivalent of 7-18 servings of soy foods per day may end up with circulating IGF-1 levels comparable to those who eat meat. For more on the cancer reversal study mentioned in the video, see Cancer Reversal Through Diet. It’s important to remember in this discussion that soy food consumption is associated with an array of health benefits. See, for example The Effect of Soy On Precocious Puberty and Soy Foods & Menopause. But how much may be too much? It seems that 7 to 18 servings of soy a day may neutralize some of the beneficial effects of avoiding animal protein. At the same time, studies have repeatedly found that women who eat a lot of soy appear to have a lower risk of getting breast cancer and a better chance of surviving breast cancer than those who don’t (see Breast Cancer Survival and Soy). So is there some magic number of soyfood servings we should shoot for? In my 2-min. video, How Much Soy Is Too Much, I run through all the studies to date that have measured the effects of varying levels of soy consumption on IGF-1 levels. Five to ten servings per day increased IGF-1 levels, but two to three servings did not. The bottom-line is that legumes are one of the healthiest things we can eat and should be a part of everyone’s daily diet. This means lentils, peas, and/or beans every day—in fact, ideally every meal! Soy is an excellent choice, but we should probably stick to no more than 3-5 servings a day. 	Timely! I just finished reading ‘Vegan For Life’ at your suggestion and was planning to radically step up my soy consumption, from seldom to ~3 servings per day. This further eases my concerns about the 3 servings per day level.There are several things I’d like to mention with regard to vegetable protein that were not included in this article:1. Soy is a high allergen food. See http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/health-risks/articles-about-risks-by-jeffrey-smith/Genetically-Engineered-Foods-May-Cause-Rising-Food-Allergies-Genetically-Engineered-Soybeans-May-20072. Most (85-90%) USA-grown soy is genetically engineered (GE) and the long-term ramifications of eating GE foods have not been studied long enough in either animals or humans. Several animal studies indicate serious health anomalies can arise.3. If switching to high vegetable proteins, consider eating non-GE/GMO, i.e., organically grown, for various reasons. See this http://www.globalresearch.ca/potential-health-hazards-of-genetically-engineered-foods/8148I’ve known a LOT of people who are allergic to poultry and dairy products.Very good points, indeed.Catherine,I’m in Toronto, and I buy soy milk made by a company called Natur-a. I buy the unsweetened variety. All their soy milk is made from whole soybeans, and certified organic and non-GMO, so I have no qualms about enjoying it.Too much of anything is not a good thing. Too much protein is actually something vegans must watch out for. Cut tofu in small pieces. Soy is pure protein. I seen SOY BREAD made of soy flour – one single slice has a whopping 5 grams of protein the same as a huge hunk of steak! Yet the soy bread tastes just like regular white bread.Steak has 5 grams of protein? More like50 grams for a 6 ounce steak.Dear Doctor Greger: Thank you for all you do and I sure wish I had known of your important service throughout my long life experimenting with food-as-medicine. Ironically, I started my professional life out as a Product Developer & Home Economist for an industry-founding soy “health food” company in the late 1960’s. Fast forward to today and after a lifetime of high-protein plant-based eating which included soy and other legumes (and high-phosphorus seeds and vegetables), I am now in mid-stage CKD, along with millions of other older Americans who can no longer consume our beloved high-phosphorus foods such as soy. My contribution to this subject today is this: kidney disease in its many forms, is one of the fastest rising medical issues in the world; the standard medical dietary advice is pathetic and needs help. They are telling us to eat what has essentially been the last foods we would ever eat – processed grains and the least nutritious vegetables! I wish someone like you would take up this subject and help us figure out how to manage deteriorating kidneys without removing legumes and the mostly high-phosphorus vegetables.Who on earth could consume 7-8 servings of soy in one day?Seven to eight servings is quite easily done; but, seven to eighteen as Dr. Greger stated, would probably be easy for a vegan bodybuilder.One pack of 14 oz. tofu contains five servings of soy at lunch and dinner with veggies. Then add the cup of soy milk you use in you morning cereal, the cup you use in your two cups of coffee and voila … you’re at seven servings of soy.Seven to eight is quite easily done, but seven to eighteen as Dr. Greger stated, would probably apply to a vegan bodybuilder.A 14 oz. box of tofu contains five servings of soy in one’s lunch and dinner. Then add the cup of soy milk used in a morning cereal, a cup used in two cups of daily coffee, and voila … seven servings of soy a day.When you say animal protein does this include fish as a protein source? Many people think that fish is in another category and is therefore a healthy protein.Yes, @Fran , this includes fish. You can learn more about why fish is not a health food by looking up “fish” or “seafood” on this web-site’s search engine or under the “Heath Topics” section.Yes, fish are living beings and are animals. Watch Earthlings and you will see that our waters are so contaminated that fish are no longer the safer meat. Plus, fish go through as much pain when pulled from their home as humans do when drowning.What about other “high quality” plant proteins, such as quinoa and hemp?How is “serving” defined. I have no way to understand 2-3 “servings” could be 2-3 grams, could be 2-3 kilograms. I am sure it is neither of those, but how do I measure a “serving”?Paul, I’m taking a guess, but I would think a single serving would be 6-8 oz. of soy milk, 1/4 of a block of tofu, one soy patty, or one soy hot dog.An answer to this question copied verbatim from the how much soy is to much thread:“If 3-5 servings a day (http://nutritionfacts.org/vide… then multiply the amount of grams used in this study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… which was 5-22 grams soy per serving, then you end up with 15 to 110 grams per day of soy which is in the safe range.Personally I would look at about 50-60 grams per day for a nice middle ground.”where do soy beans fit into this discussion?I realize that consuming soy has many health benefits -especially lowering cancer risk due to its phytoestrogens. But do these benefits hold true for post-menopausal women? Wouldn’t adding ANY estrogen in under those circumstances be a negative? Thanks.Except that soy does not have real estrogens. I’m not an expert, but I can’t see why having some soy pre- or post- menopause would be any problem. If you look at populations which consume soy in traditional diets, it is my understanding that the post menopausal women do very well. Just some thoughts for you.Soy contain phytoestrogens that behave like estrogens. When I went through menopause, I had one serving (one slice) of Mori Nu Organic silken tofu per day in a fruit –berry–and banana smoothie, which greatly reduced my hot flashes as long as I did not ingest other foods like coffee, or sugar, or animal foods, which increased the the hot flashes. It worked great!After watching lots of your videos, six weeks ago I embarked on a Vegan diet to lower my blood pressure. It was starting to climb (138/87) and since I was not thrilled about going on medication I thought I would take your advice and reverse it with a plant-based diet. After the first couple of weeks of eating vegan I found my blood pressure had risen a bit (140/90) but I continued on being careful to not exceed 1200 sodium. The only new food I was eating were soy protein items such as soy cheese, soy milk, soy protein powder and soy burgers. By the 4th week my blood pressure had jumped to 156/97. I had no idea what was happening, but three days later I ended up in the ER in a hypertensive crisis with my blood pressure soaring to 200/115. I was given IV medications to lower it and went home with a couple of high blood pressure drugs which helped to bring it down to 144/96. I began researching hypertensive crisis and discovered a case report that involved soy and hypertensive crisis. It appeared that in some people soy produced a what is commonly referred to as the “cheese effect”. Essentially, a tyramine overdose which acts as a vasoconstrictor and increases blood pressure. When you combine the soy with all the other vegan ‘tyramine’ containing foods over an extended period of time you end up with the ‘cheese effect’. I don’t know what the odds are of people with this type of sensitivity, but it’s important to let your readers know that if they ever get the opposite result (higher blood pressure vs. lower) after following a plant-based diet that they need to ask their doctor what may be the cause or follow an elimination diet to determine the cause. I did both and found that three days following my crisis I ate soy protein and within an hour my blood pressure had jumped considerably. Currently, I am following a low Tyramine Diet and taking Metoprolo 100 mg a day and my blood pressure has returned to 133/83. I hope to be off the medication soon.A plant based diet means eating mostly plants, fruits, and whole grains. A bit of soy is fine but most people who quit meat immediately switch to fake meat replacements which can be just as highly processed as the burgers they are leaving behind. And they contain high levels of sodium.Is there a list of all animalistic plant proteins? I’m a 24-year vegan with high IGF-1 (197). I eat a few slices of tofu most days, no soy milk. I have a serving (3T) of hemp seeds in my daily green smoothie. What other proteins might elevate IGF-1?What is your opinion regarding fermented vs unfermented soy. There is so much contradicting advice out there. We eat a decent amount of tempeh, which I know is a very healthy soy option. But I’m nervous about my young kids eating edamame, soy milk, yogurt and ice cream, even if they are all organic. Is there any validity in my concerns?The only contradicting information comes from the unscientific Weston Price foundation and their lackeys.“Some people who write about soy suggest that fermented soy foods are the most healthy, and that isolated soy proteins are the most unhealthy. Fermented soy foods are tempeh, miso, and natto. As will be discussed below, for the most part, the evidence does not suggest that fermented soy foods are healthier than traditional non-fermented soy foods (such as tofu and soymilk). And much of the research on soy showing benefits has been performed on isolated soy protein.”http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/soy_wthHow about soy for men? I’m sure its fine, but I’m also sure you heard these arguments before, that soy spikes your estrogene levels and its bad for men, etc etc.obviously, i know its phytoestrogene. but i would love to see the best studies on the subject showing that it isn’t bad for men.thanksJust read the wikipedia article on phytoestrogens; current consensus is that they have an array of benefits and they have no effect on men.You can also watch Dr. G’s videos on phytoestrogens here: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/Thanks for this informative article. I’m left with one question: What quantity constitutes “a serving”? Thank you.A serving is based on what folks typically eat but the FDA is considering changing it. For soy I believe it is 1/2 cup of soy beans.So, 3-5 servings is probably good. But how much is 3-5 servings?I found a reference:“A rough guide is that one serving of soy equals 1 cup of soymilk, or 1/2 cup of tofu, tempeh, soybeans, or soy meats.”http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/soy_wthI don’t eat a lot of soy, but I eat a lot of lentils and beans, which I assume are similar… If you take a serving = 1/2 cup, then the amounts you mention, 7-15 servings, sound suspiciously like the entire daily solid diet. One wonders whether the problem is the soy or the lack of non-soy that’s really the problem.But seriously. Would it be possible to get a recommendation in cups?Each type of soy varies. One serving could mean 1 cup of soymilk, 1/2 cup cooked soy bean, 1/3 cup or 1 oz. soy nuts, 1/2 cup of tofu. I wrote a post about soy here.Thanks. Staying under 1.5-2.5 cups of tofu a day won’t be a problem. This is good to know.Is an elevated IGF-1 risk widely accepted? I noticed that The Mayo Clinic website states, “IGF-1 or IGFBP-3 IGF-1 cannot be reliably used as risk indicators or prognostic markers in breast, colon, prostate, or lung cancer.”Can you post any links to their claim? Thanks!Oh yes, sorry about that. That statement is buried on this page (close to the bottom):http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/35100Thanks for sharing. I read the article because I thought IFG-1 could be a good predictor, or at least show trends. For example, those with more IGF-I tend to have greater risk of cancer. I would still argue this to be true, unless others have research to set me straight? I surely do not mind being wrong or changing my stance. From the mayo article it’s hard to see exactly what citation they are basing the claim and at any rate they use the words “may not be reliable”. Sure, it is not 100% reliable that’s fine. We know simply having more IGF-I doesn’t mean we’re due to develop cancer for certain, however it may mean our risk is higher? Plenty of studies like this one show High levels of IFG-I increase cancer risk. My review on applying the precautionary principle to nutrition and cancer shows “Putative mechanisms by which milk contributes to increased prostate cancer risk include the ability of a large oral calcium dose to suppress vitamin D activation [7, 10] and the tendency of milk to increase serum IGF-I concentrations [11, 12].” Hopefully this sheds some light on the subject. Thanks again!Is soy the only protein-dense vegan food for which the IGF-1 consequence was studied? How about the trendy vegan protein powders, such as rice protein, hemp protein, pea protein, etc.? Would one expect the effect here to differ significantly from soy protein isolate or whey protein powders?Great questions. Perhaps soy has just been more readily studied? Here are a few studies on pea protein, but nothing on IFG-I I could find. I couldn’t find anything on rice or hemp. Maybe others can jump in? I did conduct some research on whey let me know if that may help?Best, JosephDoes consuming plenty of vegetables with your (soy) protein source moderate IGF-1? This study seems to indicate that may be so:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2377147/“High intakes of vegetables and tomatoes or tomato-containing products were associated with lower levels of IGF-I or its molar ratio.” This same study also found that a high intake of polyunsaturated vegetable oils appears to *raise* IGF-1.Could someone elaborate the exact amounts of soy milk/ tofu which are considered one serving?	amino acid,animal proteins,breast cancer,cancer,dairy,eggs,high quality protein,IGF-1,legumes,meat,Nathan Pritikin,plant proteins,prostate cancer,soy,soy protein,vegans	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-foods-menopause/	-
PLAIN-246	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/	Vegan Men: More Testosterone But Less Cancer	Just a few days of walking and eating healthy plant foods can lower the level of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1 enough to reverse cancer cell growth in a Petri dish. This is detailed in my last three blog posts Cancer-Proofing Your Body, Treating an Enlarged Prostate With Diet, and How do Plant-Based Diets Fight Cancer? We know decreasing animal product consumption decreases our IGF-1 levels, but how low do we have to go? How plant-based does our diet need to get? In my 2-min. video How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1? the IGF-1 levels are compared between men and women eating conventional, vegetarian, and vegan diets. Vegan men tended to have significantly higher testosterone levels than both vegetarians and meateaters (see graph here), which can be a risk factor for prostate cancer, the reason plant-based diets appear to reverse the progression of prostate cancer may be due to how low their IGF-1 drops (see Cancer Reversal Through Diet?). Boosting cancer defenses within just days of eating healthy is a remarkable finding. For those interested in the whole story, I started out introducing Nathan Pritikin and the elegant series of experiments that became part of his legacy. Researchers were able to demonstrate the mechanism by which a plant-based diet and exercise could suppress the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells and protect against prostate enlargement (more on prostate problems in Some Prostates are Larger Than Others and Prostate Versus Plants). I also asked and answered Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? Finally, for those interested in whether lower levels of growth hormones in vegans might interfere with the accumulation of muscle mass, see my 3-min. video Plant-Based Bodybuilding. 	Thank you so much for posting this, I’ve been wanting to share my personal experience and do a blog post about this forever! http://vegandinnerparties.com/are-omnivore-men-more-manly-than-vegans/Nearly all of your posts and videos relate to the impact of whole plant foods on the physical body. Are you finding anything on the impact of diet on mental health, intelligence, personality and mental disease? This subject are really interests me. The closest thing I am aware of is your material on Alzhiemer’s. What about bipolar disorder? Schizophrenia? What about sleep, dreaming? Apnea is related to weight and hence is impacted by diet. What are you seeing in the literature?“Vegan men tended to have significantly higher testosterone levels than both vegetarians and meateaters (see graph here), which can be a risk factor for prostate cancer,”I am confused doctor, it basically says that Vegans men are more likely to get prostate cancer?No. Lower IGF-1 counters that.That’s poorly articulated in the article.The article says, “the reason plant-based diets appear to reverse the progression of prostate cancer may be due to how low their IGF-1 drops.” Notice first the “may,” then the fact that the linked video claiming “cancer reversal through diet” cites studies that all use comprehensive lifestyle interventions, not diet alone. Nothing here speaks directly to prostate cancer risk among vegans per se, nor definitively to IGF-1’s role in it.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/The problem there—as is often the case in reporting on this topic—is that the author sees benefits from removal of poor-quality animal foods (including dairy and eggs, which are common inflammatory triggers/allergens), and then (fallaciously) concludes that all animal foods are bad. This kind of thinking puts one at risk of “throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”reccomendations for diet for chd and chronic heart disease?Vegan men are also whiny liberal P U S S IES. I rather eat steak and be a real man.I am a 33-year-old male, recently turned vegan (from vegetarianism). I suffer from low testosterone levels, and I have not seen them improve as a result of transitioning to veganism. (Stress and a one-time testosterone injection may have been a factor at some point in suppressing my own production of the hormone, but I am currently happy, low-stress and vegan and still have below norm levels.) Before I decide to take hormones for the rest of my life – I might not have a choice – I was wondering what vegan foods in particular could help me to boost my testosterone, so that I could try them over the next few months. I have also been avoiding soy recently due to the possibility that plant-based estrogens come into play. I am quite struck that your website says that on average vegan men are doing better with testosterone.Jo: Sorry to hear about your hormone troubles.I don’t know the answer to your specific question, but thought I would point out that Dr. Greger does have a video or an article about how licorice can lower testosterone levels. So, that would be one food/tea to definitely stay away from.Good luck.What constitutes your vegan diet? Are you avoiding processed foods? Do you eat plenty of greens, whole grains, and fruits?Thanks for your prompt responses. I didn’t realize that they came so fast. I do eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Should I be consuming more fat? Anything in particular? Any key nutrient that I might be missing?p.s. I do not consume much processed food.I am not an expert in the area of raising testosterone. You can try including ground flaxseed in your diet to see if it helps. If your diet is made of whole unrefined plant foods then I am unsure what specifically there is I can recommend. Perhap others may respond to this issue.Thanks for letting me know. By the way, if there is any clarification needed, I am not sharing my story in order to discourage anyone from becoming vegan or anything. The internet is full of stuff about veganism not being good for one’s testosterone levels, but I have no idea if that’s credible at all. It might well be the case that I have a diagnosable condition that’s unrelated to my diet. If anyone else on your team can chime in with more ideas, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your ideas!google PES Erase + DAA for test. Legal and safe just check it out, I’m not selling you anything here.Hi Jo, this page might be helpful.http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2013/01/facing-failing-health-on-a-vegan-diet/She says “Cholesterol is a type of fat found only in animal foods. Vegans do not intake ANY dietary cholesterol. Human bodies do produce cholesterol, however, that’s only if the body is healthy. Cholesterol is produced in the liver. My liver had been abused by many years of drinking, smoking, caffeine, and then eventually, pregnancy.Cholesterol is the precursor to all sex hormones (like estrogen, progesterone, etc). Without adequate cholesterol, the body cannot make hormones.”Then she goes on to describe the dietary changes she made to improve her health “Eating as much saturated fat (coconut products, cacao butter) as possible because saturated fat stimulates cholesterol production. Also, eating plenty of other healthy fats, like olive oil, nuts, and avocados.” but adds ” I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that although I believe a low-fat vegan diet is excellent for reversing and curing many chronic diseases, that does NOT mean that it’s the right diet for everyone. A diet for healing is different than a diet for maintenance,”you must consume cholesterol, hormones are made of of thatOne study I read, mentioned vinegar is one step from being testosterone. I would drink it diluted, with and after meals daily. Remember, B 12 comes from animal products (eggs milk cheese), and without you have no stomach acid, which will negatively affect all systems, even causing bone spurs, and soft tissue calcium deposits. Without stomach acid, you will not produce enough niacin, which is needed to produce sex hormones. I suggest this supplement in doses of 50 mg. with each meal. Also, fermented, and sprouted soy presents a lowering of toxins, not an increase. Vegetarians have 50% less cancer causing toxins in their plasma. So, I suggest eating plant based diet, including fermented soy, and eggs milk and cheese and lots of pickles and vinegar products. Good health to you.You say that vegan men have HIGHER testosterone… yet nowhere do you cite this. You link to an irrelevant graph (one also produced by you). Where is the research that shows vegan men have higher testosterone?Hi Alexander, did you check out the Sources Cited section under the video – links to the research/studies?For instance: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2374537/pdf/83-6691152a.pdfWhy does the photo only show mannequins? Is it that hard to find a muscular vegan male?Just switching it up! Not hard at all…http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Mac-Danzig-3396This guy is crazy huge: http://on.thestar.com/1hww4Xfhttp://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=newsHow about a google image search – not bad!JacquieRN: Nice!Here’s some more serious vegan muscle: This guy recently broke a world record in weight lifting. “Congratulations to Strongman Patrik Baboumian who yesterday took a ten metre walk carrying more than half a tonne on his shoulders, more than anyone has ever done before. After smashing the world record the Strongman let out a roar of ‘Vegan Power’…” For more info: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/vegan-strongman-patrik-babaoumain-breaks-world-record/Other vegan muscle of interest:(article from meatout mondays) Vegan Bodybuilders Dominate Texas CompetitionThe Plant Built (PlantBuilt.com) team rolled into this year’s drug-free, steroid-free Naturally Fit Super Show competition in Austin, TX, and walked away with more trophies than even they could carry.The Plant Built team of 15 vegan bodybuilders competed in seven divisions, taking first place in all but two. They also took several 2nd and 3rd place wins.For More Info: http://www.plantbuilt.com/OOps. I see you already linked to the weight lifter guy. Oh well, it’s fun to see him twice.Patrik did not build that body with a vegan diet. Getting jacked eating an omnivorous, meaty diet and then switching to veganism is not the same as building up from scratch. Bill Pearl who is also always brought up, falls into this category, though he was lacto-ovo, I believe.At least Patrik is big, badass, and strong though. Some of the guys you vegs like to cite are skinny (by musclehead/bodybuilding standards) and unimpressive. Absolutely not taking away from these guys, but the only problem I have with vegans is the widespread disingenuousness, and sometimes outright falsehoods.The meat and dairy industry must make you crazy!These are not falsehoods at all…. High testosterone does not necessarily mean “big” or “beefy” or anything like that. It usually — note: usually — means more muscular (which does not necessarily mean bigger muscles), less fat around the breasts, less body percent fat, high energy, etc.A former Mr. Universe is now vegan — granted, he was not vegan when he was Mr. Universe, HOWEVER, he still IS muscular, even in his 70s! Google “openly gay black vegan former mr universe” or something like that.Found him: JIM MORRIS. This guy is AMAZING! In his 70s, he is more ripped than most jocks I know! And he has been vegan for quite some time.Hi. I’m a 28 year old female vegan bodybuilder. How much protein do I need if I were to weight train six days a week for a hour.Jo, and anyone else who wants to raise testosterone:-1) I’m also in your shoes. As a male, I want to reduce my breast size. I have slightly done that, gradually, by fasting over 12 consecutive hours a day AND drinking a TON of water. -2) I understand that these two lifestyle changes are easier said than done, and also, they take TIME — expect it to take at least 3- weeks before seeing any definite results. -3) Another idea is to go on walks outside for just 25 minutes a day. 12 and a half minutes one day, and the same on the way back. You can even pace around your own apartment/house/dwelling 25 minutes a day. -4) Finally, as noted, please stay away from processed foods — the fewer the ingredients, the better!I have a couple of questions on the role of cholesterol and how it impacts testosterone:1.) Does the human body produce its own cholesterol and if so, is there a need to supplement out bodies with more cholesterol through foods or do we manufacture enough?2.) I’ve heard that to boost testosterone we do need high levels of cholesterol. Many people I’ve come across says the best source are eggs? How can vegan boost their testosterone via cholesterol without any animal products?3.) I have learned that HDL are good fats, will HDL help boost testosterone?Ron: Happily, your body makes all of the cholesterol that it needs. So, you don’t need to supplement. You really don’t want to supplement since adding more cholesterol is generally associated with higher risk of heart attacks.I’m not sure how to answer you second two question except to point out this sentence from the post above: “Vegan men tended to have significantly higher testosterone levels than both vegetarians and meateaters…” So, being vegan looks to be a safe way to have higher testosterone levels naturally. You wouldn’t want more of any type of hormone than what is safe and correct for your body, would you???Good questions, Ron. Have you seen Dr. Greger’s video on IGF-I? I replied to someone who was also discussing testosterone. Please see our correspondences, if interested.	animal products,cancer,IGF-1,prostate cancer,testosterone,vegan men,vegans,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/31/cancer-proofing-your-body/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	-
PLAIN-247	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/	How Do Plant-Based Diets Fight Cancer?	Why do centenarians—those who live to be over a hundred years old—escape cancer? As you can see in my 3-min. video IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop, as we get older our risk of getting and dying from cancer grows year by year until we hit about 85 or 90, and then cancer risk starts to drop. It seems that centenarians are endowed with a particular resistance to cancer. So what’s their secret? Every day, 50 billion of our cells die, and every day, 50 billion new ones are born. There’s a balance. Otherwise your body would shrink or get too crowded. Sometimes we need grow, like when we’re a baby or for that growth spurt around puberty. Our cells don’t get larger when we grow up; they increase in number. A child’s hand may only be made up of about 50 billion cells and may have to add half trillion or so while growing up. Once we’re all grown up, though, we don’t want a lot of extra cells hanging around. We still need our cells to grow and divide, but out with the old and in with the new. We don’t want to be making more cells than we’re putting out to pasture. When you’re a kid, extra growth can be good; when you’re an adult, extra growth can mean a tumor. How do our cells know when to tip the scale in favor of more dividing with less dying and when to come back into balance? A key signal is IGF-1, a growth hormone called insulin-like growth factor number one. IGF-1 levels go up when you’re a kid so you grow and then come back down when you’re done growing. Should your levels stay a bit too high as an adult, though, there’s a constant message sent to your cells to grow, grow, grow, divide, don’t die, keep going, keep growing. Not surprisingly, the more IGF-1 we have in our bloodstream, the higher our risk for many types of cancer. When you’re a kid, growth is good, but too much growth when we’re all grown up can mean cancer. In my 90-second video, Cancer-Proofing Mutation, I describe Laron Syndrome, a type of dwarfism caused by congenital IGF-1 deficiency. Those affected don’t have that IGF-1 spurt in childhood so they grow up short-statured, but not having an excess of IGF-1 in their systems as an adult makes them nearly cancer-proof. This raises the question of whether one can achieve the best of both worlds by ensuring adequate IGF-1 levels during childhood and then suppressing excess growth promotion in adulthood. This can be done with a plant-based diet as I described in my last blog posts Cancer-Proofing Your Body and Treating an Enlarged Prostate With Diet, as well as in my 4-min. video The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle. Who is Pritikin? See Engineering a Cure. What’s the puzzle? See Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay. The binding protein findings I describe in the video may explain the findings in Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? For more on IGF-1, I’ve touched on it before in Dairy Hormonal Interference and Meat Hormones & Female Infertility. 	Pingback: How Do Plant-Based Diets Fight Cancer? | NutritionFacts.org | Plant Based Nutrition | Scoop.it()Great article!Good information. Several types of plants can help prevent cancer. But I think the diet also should contain fish, and especially fat fish to be optimal, because you then get a lot of omega-3 of the best type.	cancer,centenarians,dwarfism,IGF-1,insulin,Nathan Pritikin,tumor	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/31/cancer-proofing-your-body/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-248	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/	Treating an Enlarged Prostate With Diet	The majority of American men will develop a pathologically enlarged prostate gland (also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH). The good news, though, is that like many other epidemics of chronic disease plaguing the Western world, it can be prevented and treated with a plant-based diet. The prostate gland surrounds the urethra as it exits the bladder. If the gland gets too big it can constrict the normal flow of urine. Men can be left with a hesitant, weak urine stream, dribbling, irritation, and inadequate emptying of the bladder requiring multiple nightly trips to the bathroom. In the United States, it affects about 50% of men in their 50′s and 80% of men in their 80′s, but as I note in my 3-min. video Some Prostates Are Larger than Others it’s extremely rare in certain populations and diet may be to blame for our BPH epidemic. What if you already have it though? According to a recent review I profile in my 3-min. video, Prostate Versus Plants, the most notable development in the epidemic of prostate enlargement and lower urinary tract symptoms is the recognition that modifiable lifestyle factors such as diet can substantially influence the progression of the disease. All men should consider eating a prostate-healthy diet that includes legumes (beans, peas, lentils, soy); certain vegetables (like garlic and onions); and certain seeds (flax seeds); and avoids refined grains, eggs, and poultry. If individual plant foods reduce the risk of prostate enlargement, what about an entire diet composed of plant foods? In my last blog post, Cancer-Proofing Your Body, I showed how a healthy diet can slow down the abnormal growth of prostate cancer cells, but what about the abnormal growth of normal prostate cells? In a similar series of experiments researchers took a bunch of men and put them on a plant-based diet for 2 weeks. Then they dripped the mens’ blood on prostate cells growing in a petri dish and saw, as with the cancer, a significant drop in growth. As I detail in my video Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet not only do prostate cell growth rates drop almost immediately upon adopting a healthier diet, but follow-up studies on men eating plant-based diets for up to 28 years straight show that as long as one continues to eat healthy, prostate cell growth rates go down and they stay down. For more on the health benefits of garlic and onions see: More on flax in: And more on the concerns about poultry: 	Hello Dr. Greger – I’m 53, and have been on a 100% whole food vegan diet for 2 years. The only remaining issue (and I consider this an inconvenience rather than a medical problem) I have from when I was an omnivore is exactly what you describe above, in terms of having to get up several times each night to urinate and sometimes urgently needing to urinate, especially after drinking coffee. I am now a long distance runner, and the biggest inconvenience involves having to stop to urinate during marathons, it costs me a few minutes from my time. I now only drink water and green tea, with a cup of coffee every other day or so. I don’t use any medications, not even Advil, and would not take any medications unless needed to save my life. I had always assumed my frequent and urgent urination issue would become lessened over time on my vegan diet, but it hasn’t. Is there anything I can consume to help with this that doesn’t involve medication?Mr. Eric,As a retired natural nutritionist who was in practice for many years, I came to realize that the one thing men were overlooking in dealing with prostate issues from a holistic approach was NOT drinking chemically treated water, especially fluoridated water which most municipal water supplies are. You may be interested to know that there is an under-the-kitchen-sink reverse osmosis water filter [r.o. is the most efficient for removing pollutants] that costs around $200.00 plus installation. You then use that water for drinking, cooking, food prep, and all beverages, including ice making. That just may be the missing link you are looking for. That suggestion used to help other men. Good luck!Hi Catherine, thank you for your response! What you suggest is the one thing I haven’t tried. I installed a ceramic based filter a while back, which I use for all my drinking water. But there are issues with my municipal water here, not just flouridation but also polutants such as hexavalent chromium that I know are not removed by a ceramic filter. My company makes water filtration systems and I really have no excuse for not installing a reverse osmosis system. Thank you again for your suggestion.Hi Eric. What is the progress 11 months later after you fitted the reverse osmosis filter?Coffee unfortunately does the same thing to me. Don’t forget as well that you take in a lot of fluid from the numerous fruits and veggies I’m sure you eat, even apart from water consumed on its own.Pingback: Dr. Greger: Treating an Enlarged Prostate With Diet()Could you write an article on how not only to prevent the recurrence of crohn’s and ulcerative colitis symptoms but to treat these intestinal disease with diet. I have noticed that even though I am eating a very healthy vegan diet my symptoms came back. They are much less than before I was vegan, but I want to heal my inflamed intestines.Are any studies out there on liquid or fasting diets to treat that?Lauritz, you must read Inflammatory Bowel Disease by Prof John Hunter. And Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall.I developed BPH while on a whole plant based diet. It is supposedely very common in older menI went vegetarian at age 45, ten years ago, and have been eating a low fat whole food vegan diet high in whole food starches (but eating a lot of fruits and vegetables) for most of the 10 years. I was diagnosed with BPH approx. 3 years ago and have the symptom of a sudden and frequent need to urinate, but do not have the symptom of feeling an incomplete emptying of the bladder. I have heard BPH does NOT increase the odds of prostate cancer. I sometime think the frequent peeing is due to all the liquid I eat in my food, but the doc did say the prostate was enlarged. I also wonder if it is related to the bedwetting problem I had when I was a child. According to Dr. McDougall, bedwetting has been linked to dairy consumption.I have a request of you. You obviously know your stuff and can help a lot of people. The one request, or perhaps suggestion might be a better word, would be to team up with a nutritionist/author that could complement your knowledge with a cook book that shows us how to prepare the best food ingredient options, to get the most benefit from the food suggestions you make. I would buy it in a heartbeat! Most articles I read (not yours of course) only tell what NOT to eat or drink, (which is usually everything we currently consume) but there is no REAL alternatives given. In other words a lot of don’t but very, very few dos! If there are already recepe books that you know of, please suggest them. Buy the way, what do you eat? My e-mail address is hlindseyjr@aol.com. I would buy the book in a heartbeat! Thank you for your work! Harold.Forks over knives provides excellent recipes up to the standards of Dr. Greger.http://shop.forksoverknives.com/Forks_Over_Knives_The_Cookbook_Over_300_Recipes_p/3018.htm http://www.forksoverknives.com/category/recipes/Nice overlook of BPH! Prostate health is really big issue for men, Besides your listing foods, add Saw Palmetto Extract to diet will help manage enzymes. Find my suggestion http://www.homehealthplanet.com/single.php?id=219Maybe you need eyeglasses! BPH is covered in the article and who is paying you to advertise Saw Palmetto when there is no evidence that it helps BPH? Given today’s evidence I do not see any better solution for BPH than your diet…Saw palmetto plus flax and plant based diet helped my bph dramatically. Saw palmetto is the most important factor after testing each piece.I remember reading a study on coagulation and lignins, and recall lentils can increase platelet aggregation in humans? SO one needs to be careful if are prone to hypercoagulable state such as those with lipid abnormalities.Lignans, along with other antinutrients, are eliminated with cooking. So its not a concern unless you are eating raw lentils. Soaking and sprouting also significantly reduces lignan content.Thanks Toxins, good to know;)Thanks? That is bad information! Lignans are good for the gut and fight some cancers. Additionally, cooking does not destroy them… If your problem is really lignans you are especially going to have to avoid flax, cooked or otherwise. Sprouting flax seeds increases the lignans so the comment you are addressing is just garbage.Flax seeds is linhac(ss sound)a in Portugues? Here the golden one is considered the best one.Is magnetotherapy could be efficient , for example Androspok device? TnxMy husband has been taking Saw Palmetto for prostate health, but just learned at least one study showed no positive impact. Could you share the latest clinical studies? Thank You!Hi Gale. Best to discuss supplement options with your husband’s doctor. Some clinical trials found reduced inflammation of the prostate when taking saw palmetto, lycopene, and selenium (aka: Serenoa repens). Another study did not find any benefit from saw palmetto alone. I don’t think there is enough evidence to support it’s use for prostate health. However, if there are not major side effects (which it does not appear there are) and it will not not cause further harm, then I see no concerns trying it with doctor consent. Hope this help. I think addressing diet is far more important. I know we’ve been in touch about that via FaceBook. I appreciate your patience. Thanks, JosephHello, I am having good luck with 80% vegetarian and some fish, usually just some Salmon and a bit of tuna, wild. I feel my symptoms are getting lighter. I did want to give a shout out for egg whites though. I stopped eating the yolk about two years ago and find the protein a great one. You mentioned not eating eggs? Are there studies that show such risks for cooked egg whites?	beans,benign prostatic hyperplasia,BPH,flax seeds,garlic,legumes,onions,plant-based diet,poultry,prostate,prostate gland,urethra,urine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/31/cancer-proofing-your-body/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	-
PLAIN-249	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/31/cancer-proofing-your-body/	Cancer-Proofing Your Body	Lifestyle medicine pioneer Nathan Pritikin was an unlikely candidate to spark a nutrition revolution. He wasn’t a doctor or dietician but an engineer. As featured in my 2-min. NutritionFacts.org video Engineering a Cure, he reversed his own heart disease with a plant-based diet and went on to help millions of others. He even saved the life of my own grandmother, which is what inspired me to go into medicine. Pritikin’s work has continued though his research foundation. Once Dean Ornish proved that Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped, the focus shifted from heart disease to cancer. In my 3-min. video Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay, I describe an elegant series of experiments in which people were placed on different diets and their blood was then dripped on cancer cells in a petri dish to see which diet was more effective at suppressing cancer growth. As you can see in the video, even the blood of those on a standard American diet (S.A.D.) fights cancer, but the blood of those on vegan diets fights about 8 times better. The blood circulating within the bodies of vegans appears to have nearly 8 times the stopping power when it comes to cancer cell growth. That was after maintaining a plant-based diet for a year though. Subsequent studies against breast cancer showed the power of eating plants for just two weeks. Watch The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle to see the remarkable results. This dramatic strengthening of cancer defenses was after 14 days of a plant-based diet and exercise—they were out walking 30 to 60 minutes a day. Although Pritikin started out reversing chronic disease through diet alone, later—to his credit—he added an exercise component as well. That’s great for the patients, but scientifically it makes it hard to tease out which intervention is doing what. Maybe the only reason their blood started becoming so effective at suppressing cancer growth was because of the exercise—maybe the diet component had nothing to do with it. This had to be put to the test. In my 4-min. video Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? I describe the experiment. Three groups were compared: a plant-based diet and exercise group, an exercise only group, and a control group that did neither. The diet and exercise group had been on a plant-based diet for 14 years along with moderate exercise as simple as walking every day. The second group was exercise and hardcore exercise at that: 14 years of daily, strenuous, hour-long exercise like calisthenics, but they ate the standard American diet. Which group was better at fighting cancer? The researchers took petri dishes brimming full of human prostate cancer cells and dripped blood from each of the three groups on different dishes to see whose blood killed off more cancer. Watch the diet vs. exercise video to see actual photomicrographs of the effects on cancer cells. Basically they found that strenuous exercise helped, but nothing appeared to kick more cancer butt than a healthy diet. Even though diet appears more powerful than exercise in terms of rallying one’s cancer defenses it doesn’t mean we can’t do both. In fact eating certain plants may even improve athletic performance—check out my video series that starts with Doping With Beet Juice and ends with So Should We Drink Beet Juice Or Not?. 	Pingback: Dr. Greger: Cancer-Proofing Your Body()I found out about Nathan Pritikin in the 80’s. My in-laws went to the Pritikin center when it was in Santa Monica. He was a pioneer and his books are still relevant today. We owe him so much. Because he was an engineer, he never got credits for his research but to me, he is my favorite hero. He has been proven right over and over again.Compared to the Standard American Diet, pretty much anything will come out on top. I’d like to see a comparison between vegan blood and that of someone eating a proper Paleo diet. (Paleo folks do eat a lot of meat and fat, but because they avoid grains and legumes, they end up often eating more vegetables than their vegan counterparts). Food for thought! ;-)That would be interesting to see if a Paleo diet could reverse heart disease as a plant-based diet has proven to do. On what basis do you say Paleo people eat more veggies than vegans?I wouldnt say “often”. I personally dont have vegan friends that arent mostly raw. The only vegans online I know that eat grains are in transition from eating meat. I think most people consider grains a meat-alternative at first, because its something they were already eating before (like pasta). So this is not the typical vegan by any stretch.Paleo diets tend to be low carb because such a high number of total calories come from meat. Harvard found of over 12,000 deaths that “A low-carbohydrate diet based on animal sources was associated with higher all-cause mortality in both men and women, whereas a vegetable-based low-carbohydrate diet was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality rates.” See the “Plant-Based Atkins Diet” video where Dr. Greger reviews this study.I found Pritikin’s book in the 80s and it’s what helped me begin a very low fat, vegetarian/mostly-vegan, diet. I know he died of cancer, but staved it off in remission for decades with his diet and exercise, truly amazing. But Dr. G, my question is this, in a recent video you discuss the need to consume fats with veggies in order to get almost any benefit from them. But clearly Pritikin, Dr. McDougall, and their followers did pretty good long term–as did I–by keeping the fats and oils out of the diet. Do you have anything to add to clarify this. I now sometimes worry if I’m not having some fats with my veggies. Thanks.Dr. Greger extolls the virtues of nuts (I assume he means basically raw, or dry roasted). Why not have a few nuts with your veggies?I do now try to always eat some nuts or avocado with my veggies, ever since watching Dr G’s video about it. I’m just trying to understand it better since for so many years I followed a diet of as little fats and oils as possible.Dr. Greger, do you have a statistical graph showing the correlation between processed foods and disease?You might wish to correct two references to 14 YEARS of exercise etc. in the third-from-bottom paragraph. Otherwise, fascinating.Those were two different studies. One lasted two weeks, the other averaged 14 years of follow-up.	beet juice,cancer,Dean Ornish,exercise,heart disease,Nathan Pritikin,Standard American Diet,vegan diets	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-250	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/29/vegan-workplace-intervention/	Plant-Based Workplace Intervention	A billion people in the world are now overweight. That’s great news for the $13 billion weight loss supplement industry, but as I detailed in my 2-min. video Diet Pills Do a Fat Lot of Good, a recent review of common slimming supplements versus placebo concluded that none of them worked any better than the sugar pills. Unfortunately this lack of efficacy is not just limited to weight loss supplements despite what one might be told in a natural food store. See my videos: Recently a similar conclusion about diet pills was reached by the Weight Management Center at Johns Hopkins concluding, “it is fitting to highlight that perhaps the most general and safest ‘alternative’ approach to weight control is to substitute low-energy density foods for high-energy density and processed foods, thereby reducing total energy intake.” In other words, more whole plant foods and fewer animals and junk. The Hopkins paper continues: “By taking advantage of the low-energy density and health-promoting effects of plant-based foods, one may be able to achieve weight loss, or at least assist weight maintenance without cutting down on the volume of food consumed or compromising its nutrient value.” The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine decided to put this idea to work in a workplace dietary intervention study at GEICO corporate headquarters. Compared to a control worksite where employees were kept in the dark, employees were educated about the wonders of a plant-based diet for a couple months along with a few healthier options in the cafeteria without changes in exercise. Check out my 2-min. video Slimming the Gecko for the results! I’ve previously mentioned Dr. Barnard’s landmark work with PCRM in: 	That’s a great study!Here’s a great video by VegSource that shows our pill pushers and Fake Obesity Experts in action. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I02aVkdi_M&feature=youtu.beDr Hemo I dont like that video. Just goes to show you how complicated obesity is. These are people that should know better and they are still addicted to food.Why is it that they have an addiction? The science is clear–a Plant Based Diet prevents, stops and reverses nearly all the chronic diseases! So why do you say that their addiction keeps them from seeing the insurmountable published research about the health promoting aspects of plant based eating and not reporting it to the people? Does their addiction decrease their IQ and their ability to assimilate data? Or is it those who may be supporting their research that cloud their vision and thought? Plant-based food for thought. ;-)I think you answered your question in the first paragraph. The doctors in the video know this and continue to the point of being obese. Dr Weils has high cholesterol and would rather take a pill than lose weight and give up meat and dairy. Kind of sounds like an addition to me.I am sure you have patients that you educate on proper nutrition and they still are obese. They want to lose weight but are unable to follow your suggestions.I think the video is odd. IMHO.Agreed, addiction (and human nature) is much more complicated than just knowing the facts. People come to conclusions based on facts, they make decisions based on emotions. Addiction cannot be overcome with reasoning and facts alone. It’s a start, yes, but not enough to elicit behavioral change.I find the style of these videos a bit over the top, but I still love them. Thanks for sharing!Wow. I absolutely love this video. I think it is powerful and delivers a relevant message. Thanks for sharing it!it states: “…to substitute low-energy density foods for high-energy density and processed foods…”. Seems to me that should be the other way around.no, it was stated correctly.Replace energy with the word calorie? Does that help?Substituting gmo, pesticide, herbicide, pseudohormone-filled, petrochemical fertilizer-free foods for processed and industrial raised foods, would be my re-statement“Substituting gmo, pesticide, herbicide, pseudohormone-filled, petrochemicals” are not synonyms for the word energy, be it high or low density. Calories is the correct substitution.”If I may, I’d like to add another dimension to the weight problem. It is the constant ingestion of petro-chemicals and food additives that are un-natural constituents in human physiology, which prompt human tissue to protect itself from chemical damage first by retaining more water and when chemical insult continues, i.e., eating chemicals over years from cradle to grave, the body reverts to adding more ‘insulation’ to protect itself, and that is, it adds fat cells.No one in medicine wants to accept that because medicine is steeped in chemicals–pharmaceuticals. How many times have people who took antibiotics gained ten or more pounds after a course of antibiotics?The reasons a plant based diet works for weight loss and maintenance are numerous: 1) plant foods, unlike animal foods, do not contain chemically-produced hormones that pack on weight just not in the animals for slaughter as meat since those hormones remain in the meat, but in people who eat that meat; 2) plant foods, especially organically grown, contain fewer agricultural or animal husbandry chemicals thereby lessening the body’s toxic burden(s); 3) plant foods contain fiber and roughage that sweep the intestinal tract better than starches and proteins thereby pulling a lot of toxins out of the body into fecal matter with less tissue damage and inflammation; 4) plant foods are eaten mostly raw or cooked a la dente, which provides more vitamins and minerals thereby sparking enzyme systems to function more efficiently than eaters who ingest processed foods because heat and processing destroy nutritional values that keep a body fit.That’s why a natural foods and nutrition type diet, which espouses non-chemicalized foods, works better than the food industry’s spin regarding chemically enriched, enhanced, ‘synthetic’, and genetically modified foods, in my opinion.	diet pills,GEICO,health food store,natural food store,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,supplement industry,supplements,weight control,weight loss	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-251	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/24/biblical-daniel-fast-tested/	Biblical Daniel Fast Tested	Researchers recently set out to replicate the “Daniel Fast,” the biblical nutrition trial outlined in Daniel 1:8-16. In my last blog post Poultry Paunch, I featured results from the EPIC study, one of the largest studies ever performed. The gold standard, however, is an interventional study where you put people on a certain diet and track what happens. It’s easy to get people to make little changes, but increasingly we’re seeing evidence that to see big changes in our health, we need to make big changes in our diet. Moderation kills: check out my videos Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Dying Under Normal Circumstances and Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. People who want to lower their risk can certainly tweak their diet, but those who want to eliminate their risk or reverse disease really have to take healthy eating seriously. How are public health professionals going to get folks to commit to a healthy diet? Maybe by telling them the bible told them so. In Daniel, Chapter 1, verses 8-16, the prophet best known for his lion’s den rather than his budding role as nutritional scientist resolved not to defile himself with the king’s meat. When this was met with resistance, Daniel proposed a test: round up some test subjects, put them on a plant-based diet, and see how they do. And what do you know! They ended up looking healthier and better nourished, so Daniel got to stick to his veggies. As I note in my 2-min. video Tightening the Bible Belt, though the King James version uses the word “vegetables,” the original Hebrew version can translate into a broader definition. 2700 years later, researchers at the University of Memphis decided it was time to try to replicate the study. Watch my 2-min. video Biblical Daniel Fast Put to the Test to find out the results. Can the drop in biomarkers of inflammation they found in the study actually translate into an improvement in inflammatory disease progression though? See Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease and Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis. The decrease in inflammation is likely a combination of the anti-inflammatory effects of many plant foods (Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell) and the pro-inflammatory effects of animal foods (see the 3-video series ending with Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia). The improvement in antioxidant capacity is also not unexpected given the different Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. 	Pingback: Biblical Daniel Fast Tested()“How are public health professionals going to get folks to commit to a healthy diet? Maybe by telling them the bible told them so.”Sounds like you might be onto an effective motivational approach for those of the evangelical christian persuasion, which is the predominant tribe in my neck of the woods (Texas).The heaviest lift in public health isn’t having the information and behavior modifications we know will lead to better health outcomes (leading the horse to water), but getting people to internalize it and fully incorporate it (getting them to drink the water).This may be a way of presenting the water hole so it seems more of a spiritual oasis to those who value the christian spiritual ethic above straight-forward science. And that is a very large cohort in these times, in more ways than one.Hi I love your articles. However the print is too small to read for an oldie. Normally i cud spread the page to make the print bigger and readable on my samsung tablet but not for your articles. Hope you cud kindly do something to help seniors reading your articles as it is very tiring for my eyes. Tq. Best regards.And then there’s Genesis 1:29, where God tells Adam and Eve what He’s given them to eat – and it doesn’t include any meat or animal products. It’s strictly plant based. Somehow this is conveniently ignored by most.Of course veganism is at the very heart and soul of Judaism, and animal products are to be consumed only when absolutely necessary: http://www.jewishveg.com/jv.html http://www.bmv.org.il/v/vegan.html	antioxidants,Bible,Daniel,diet,disease,EPIC study,inflammation,plant-based diet,poultry,University of Memphis	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tightening-the-bible-belt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	-
PLAIN-252	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/22/poultry-paunch-meat-weight-gain/	Poultry Paunch: Meat & Weight Gain	Meat is considered fattening due to its caloric density and fat content, but nuts are also packed with calories and fat. As I noted in a previous post, Nuts Don’t Cause Expected Weight Gain, so maybe we shouldn’t presume. As you can see in my 3-min. video Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study, one of the largest nutrition studies ever performed put the question of meat and weight gain to the test. Not only was meat consumption significantly associated with weight gain in both men and women, the link remained even after controlling for calories. That means if you have two people eating the same amount of calories, the person eating the most meat would gain more weight. The researchers even calculated how much more and which meat was associated with the most weight gain above and beyond the caloric content. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association was not happy about these findings. As I detail in my 2-min. video Cattlemen’s Association Has Beef With EPIC Study, a meat industry representative argued that the pounds that the meat-eaters packed on may have been muscle mass, not fat. Maybe they were becoming beefier, not fatter. Fine, the researcher responded, they’d rerun the numbers to not just measure obesity, but abdominal obesity–the worst kind. They took a small sample out of the study, a sample of 91,214 people (that’s how big the study was!) and found the exact same thing. Even when eating the same number of calories, the more meat we eat the more our belly grows. They could even calculate how much our waistline would be expected to expand based on our daily meat consumption. Now folks can plan ahead for the new pants they’ll need to buy! Although nothing comes close to the EPIC study in scale, other recent studies I feature in the video found the same thing. For more findings from the EPIC study see any of the following videos: For more on abdominal fat, see: And check out my last blog post Diet vs. Exercise: What’s More Important? for what may be the best way to measure abdominal obesity–the waist-to-height ratio. 	Pingback: Poultry Paunch: Meat & Weight Gain()Thank again for a wonderful blog. I was following some of the links to why soy might be bad and it was what was added to the soy, not the tofu itself. Anymore it’s hard to find tofu that doesn’t have gypsum added. I do believe Ca Sulfate is bad for the heart if I remember right from some other information on this site?Waist-Height Ratio: the best way to measure abdominal obesity. Hi, Dr. Greger. I am 70 y/o and I have shrunk. I still have all the bones and “stuff” that I had at age 30, but now they are all compacted. Can I use the height I enjoyed at age 30 to measure my W-H Ratio and BMI. And if not, why not?Of course you can use your height at 30 but it will underestimate your BMI by increasing the Height in the formula Weight/Height squared. The question is why use the BMI… invented by Adolphe Quetelet in 1832 and popularized by an article by Ancel Keys in 1972. In Keys article he warned that it should be only used for populations not individuals. An article by Romero-Corral et al in 2008 demonstrated that using BMI misses over 50% of adult obesity misclassifying 30% of men and 12% of women. Per cent body fat would be a better way to help determine where you ought to be. “Fit” men tend to be in the 14-17% range and “fit” women tend to be in the 21-24% range. You need to keep eating well as alot of the “shrinkage” in folks as they get older is due to narrowed discs in their spine. Since the nutrition for our disc spaces is derived from the blood supply to our vertebral bodies it is important to keep the them healthy. Narrowed disc spaces is a marker for arterial disease see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/ to see some visuals to drive this point home. So I wouldn’t worry or measure your BMI… eat a whole plant food based diet with a variety of foods that are non-GMO products… see website for Institute for Responsible Technology for a shopping guide.First line from Wikipedia. “Michael Greger, M.D., is an American physician, author, vegan and professional speaker.” Glad to see you don’t have an agenda doc.well, it’s an observational study. The conclusion that high meat intake *causes* obesity is pulled out of thin air. Plenty of societies eat a high meat high fat diet and are very slim.Sorry, but I don’t believe that because of the studies we can say that the meat will always be bad for a few reasons.Americans tend to eat grilled meat, that due to its high temperatures, it’s responsible for the formation of toxic compounds. Meat with blood contains the heme group of hemoglobins, which produces the N-nitrous compound, potencially toxic and carcinogenic. The quality of beef, compared to a french beef, is low. It’s more caloric, fat, contain more cholesterol and less proteins. So, the main problem doesn’t seem to be the meat itself, but it’s quality, prepare and food you serve combined, like french potatoes. You don’t flavor with rosemaries or basil, which would make it better or eat with vegetables or oranges together, so I think that could be another reasons.I read these informations in Dr. David Khayat’s book, “The Real Anticancer Diet” which compares the french and american meat. I’m not american, then you should know more about the american meat than me. But I eat meat all week, my family too and we are all thin, but in few quantities, which I don’t believe most americans do.I think each one should take make it’s own ideas, don’t create dogmas saying “meat isn’t good”. I think it depends in a lot of factors and the research doesn’t have the truth, they just help us to build it better. Beef has it positive points, like good quantities of zinc, vitamin B12, only found in red meats in good quantities and is important for the body, iron, A, D, E, K vitamins and monosaturated fats. that we need also.Is it bad? Think for yourselves.	calories,EPIC study,meat,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,nuts,weight gain	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-253	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/17/diet-vs-exercise-whats-more-important/	Diet vs. Exercise: What’s More Important?	When trying to lose weight, which is most important: diet or exercise? The vast majority of those surveyed believe that both monitoring food and beverage consumption and physical activity are equally important in weight maintenance and weight loss. After equally important, people go with exercise, and then diet. As you can see in my 2-min. video Diet vs. Exercise for Weight Loss, most people get it wrong. Note the caloric expenditure equivalencies I present in the video are assuming no dietary compensation–something seen quite dramatically, for example, with nut consumption. Given how hard it is to work off food, let’s make our calories count by choosing the most nutrient dense foods, as detailed in my 4-min. video Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score. Another misconception is that weight alone is a good predictor of disease risk. Body mass index is better since it takes height into account, but it doesn’t describe what or where that mass is. Body-builders can have huge BMIs (especially since muscle is heavier than fat), but that doesn’t mean they’re obese. As I document in my 2-min. video Keep Your Waist Circumference to Less Than Half Your Height, it is now accepted that health risks can be determined as much by the relative distribution of the excess fat as by its total amount. It’s not so much body fat, but visceral fat–abdominal fat, the fat around our internal organs–that most increases our risk of dying prematurely. Waist circumference takes care of both the “what” and “where” of the weight, so the best metric may be waist-to-height ratio. Move over BMI; we now have WHR. The target is to keep our waist circumference to less than half our height. Take a cloth measuring tape and measure halfway between the top of your hipbones and the bottom of your ribcage. Stand up straight, breathe deep, exhale, let it all hang out and that measurement should be half our height. If it’s not, we should consider cutting down on our consumption of meat, as I cover in my video Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study. It may also help to cut back on refined plant foods, such as white flour products. Three servings a day of whole grains, however, was recently associated with a slimmer waist in the Framingham Heart Study. 	Check out “saggital abdominal diameter” as a measure of diabetes risk.I know you don’t mean it this way, but the phrase “muscle is heavier than fat” causes confusion. Muscle is NOT heavier than fat, it is more dense than fat. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same…. 1 pound! But the muscle takes up less space. Love your blog though! As a health coach I visit your site multiple times a day and refer everyone I know to this resource!!!Well, its an expression. When people say it, they mean that muscle weigh more than fat per volumetric unit.Thanks for making that correction. I don’t know why people still promote this fallacy and I was disappointed to see a doctor stating this hooey.Based on my own experience, and I realize it’s only anecdotal, cutting my whole grain consumption to one serving per day caused me to lose 7-8 pounds. I replaced the whole grains, however, with more vegetables, legumes and fruits, not with refined grains, meats or oils.Sounds similar to the fuhrman diet!Off course you did. You exchanged calorie dense grains for lower dense calorie foods like vegetables, legumes and fruits, hence you ate less calories and got in a negative calorie balance that made you lose weight.My waist is a bit wider than my height and I have been vegan for 13 years. Where do I go wrong? Not enough exercise and eating while I am driving, and I drive a lot. I have started to change my snacking habits to carrots and raisins. We shall see what this year brings.The exercise is an important component but the nutritional is much more important. The important concepts are explained well by Dr. Doug Lisle in his video, How to Lose Weight Without Losing your Mind, view for free at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ. For a more in-depth explanation you should order and view Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density Eat More Weigh Less and Live Longer. Order off his or Dr. McDougall’s website. So you want to eat foods that are lower in calorie density. To check out calorie density you can log onto the website, CRON-O-METER, find a food and enter 454 grams(the number of grams in a pound) and check out the calories. You will see that the carrots are 186 kcal/pound and raisins are 1357 kcal/pound. Take home message more vegetables… generally around 100 cal/pound and be very cautious with dried fruit. However avoiding things with labels is a good idea since processed foods often contain alot of sugars and fats. For help reading labels you might enjoy Jeff Novicks DVD, Should I Eat This. You will be more successful if you understand the important concepts and their application. Good luck.Now that we’ve figured this out, I’d like to know just *how much* more risk a person like me has, who is two inches off of her ideal waist measurement, but eating healthy and exercising often. I mean, surely there are some biological outliers where someone’s waist is normal and healthy without it being less than half their height?I’m new to your blog. So far, I like the information, but I do not like being referred to videos. I’d much more like to see the information in print.Dr., I recently started to become vegan and am wondering what to eat for breakfast. I was eating a bowl of oatmeal with rolled oats, and bran, but then heard about the benefits of not eating grains. Can you please point me in the right direction for a tasty breakfast that’s filling? BTW, I am now training for a marathon. thank you so much, you’re my “go to site” for health!	BMI,body mass index,exercise,weight loss,WHR	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/	-
PLAIN-254	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/15/the-ice-diet/	The Ice Diet	Other than fiber, what else do plants make that animals don’t that could help account for how dramatically slimmer those who eat plant-based diets tend to be? In my last post Boosting Gut Flora Without Probiotics I covered fiber. In my 2-min. video Tipping Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes I cover phytonutrients and why it’s sometimes better to not absorb them. If phytonutrients can alter gut flora in a way that helps people lose weight, then you’d think people eating diets based on plants would have significantly different colon populations. Indeed, that’s something that’s been known for four decades, and may help explain why those eating such diets tend to be slimmer. Another reason plant-based diets have been tied to better weight management may be the water content of plant foods. Fruits and vegetables average 80 to 90 percent water. Just as fiber can bulk up the volume of foods without adding calories, so can water. Cognitive experiments have shown that people tend to eat a certain volume of food, and when that volume is mostly water they don’t end up gaining as much weight. Even if you take out the visual component and instead stick a tube down people’s throats to feed them whatever volumes of food you want, if you add more water to their stomach they tend to eat less. Perhaps this is due to the stretch receptors in their stomachs sending signals to their brains saying we’ve had enough. If water is so helpful, why can’t you just eat that steak and drink a glass of water? As you can see in my 3-min. video The Ice Diet, it doesn’t work. You feel more full during the meal, but you end up eating the same number of calories throughout the day, unless, they’ve found, you preload. Drinking water with the meal doesn’t seem to help control calories, but drinking a big glass of water a half hour before a meal might. Ice water may be even better–or just ice. Water has zero calories, but ice has less than zero since our bodies have to warm it up. The Annals of Internal Medicine published a letter called “The Ice Diet.” Using simple thermodynamic calculations of how much heat our body would have to generate to take an ice cube up to body temperature, the authors concluded that eating a quart of ice–like a really, really big snow cone with no syrup–could rob our body of more than 150 calories. That’s the “same amount of energy as the calorie expenditure in running 1 mile.” Sound too good to be true? It is actually, as Ray Cronice talks about in his body hacking work with thermogenics, you may just be diverting some of the body’s waste heat. If you really want to use chronic mild cold stress to lose weight, turning down one’s thermostat or wearing fewer layers outside may be more effective in the long-run than drinking slushies of slush. 	-	colon,fiber,firmicutes,fruits,gut flora,phytonutrients,vegan,vegetables,vegetarian	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5566425,
PLAIN-255	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	Boosting Gut Flora Without Probiotics	Obesity is so rare among those eating plant-based diets (see my video Thousands of Vegans Studied), nutrition researchers have been desperate to uncover their secret. Yes, they tend to eat fewer calories, but not that many fewer. In the past I’ve made videos about a couple of the theories that have emerged. Maybe because people eating plant-strong diets express more of the fat shoveling enzyme inside the power plants—the mitochondria–within our cells (How to Upregulate Metabolism). Maybe it’s because they grow different populations of good bacteria in their gut (Gut Flora & Obesity). Maybe it’s because they’re avoiding the endocrine disrupting industrial pollutants in the meat supply. An Obesity-Causing Chicken Virus may even be contributing. We’re still not sure, but the theories keep coming. Maybe it’s the propionate, an anti-obesity compound made by our gut bacteria when we feed them fiber. Watch my 2-min. video Fawning Over Flora for details. Our friendly flora’s digestion of fiber also yields another short chain fatty acid called butyrate, which appears to protect against colon cancer. Butyrate may also explain why fiber-filled plant-based diets are so anti-inflammatory. A recent review concluded that “butyrate seems to exert broad anti-inflammatory activities and might be [a] good candidate to evaluate in the fight against obesity-associated and systemic inflammation in general.” See my coverage of that review in my 1-min. video Boosting Good Bacteria in the Colon Without Probiotics. Since butyrate is a byproduct of fiber digestion, we can boost its production by eating more plant foods, and we can boost the number of butyrate-producing bacteria in our colon by really eating more plant foods–those eating vegetarian harbor more butyrate-producing bacteria. For more on fabulous fiber, see What Women Should Eat to Live Longer and Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen. For a sampling of my other videos on keeping your colon happy, see Kiwifruit For Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Flax and Fecal Flora, and Bristol Stool Scale. 	Dear Dr. Greger, but what if one’s flora is already damaged by intake of antibiotics f.i.?Probiotics can be beneficial when taking antibiotics and after stopping them as they help balance the intestinal flora. Different strains of probiotics do different things but it appears that the 2 most important strains are lactobacillus acidophilus and L. bulgaricus. (S. S. Biradar, S. T. Bahagvati, Baburao Shegunshi, Probiotics And Antibiotics: A Brief Overview, The Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness ISSN: 1937-8297 2005). To colonize the intestinal area with probiotics, it is recommended to take more than 5 billion colony forming units (CFU) daily 2 to 4 hours after the antibiotic dose and from 1 to 3 weeks after finishing antibiotic treatment. Probiotics should be taken with or immediately after food as the food dilutes out the acid and raises the pH thereby helping the good bacteria survive its transit to the intestinal tract. (Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2012;10(4):407-409)Do you know why so many probiotics are emphasizing Lactobacillus over Bacteriodetes? I don’t want my gut able to process milk better. I want it to process veggies better!My understanding is that probiotics cannot take hold in the gut until the overgrowth of “bad” flora is under control. Until that point, probiotics may merely control symptoms without addressing the root of the problem.I am nearly finished with a 16-week cleanse for my own intestinal dysbiosis and I have so far achieved favorable results. If you’re interested in hearing more, please feel free to contact me! I am merely a satisfied customer of the creator of the cleanse and am in no other way affiliated.Probiotics have been used not only in the prevention of disease but treatment of various intestinal disease as written in the article: “A Meta-Analysis of Probiotic Efficacy for Gastrointestinal Diseases.” Here is the link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3329544/Im interested in the cleanse and ur diet…can u tell me more? What were u tying to heal?I am very interested, Emily! How can I contact you?I wonder what your take is on Water Kefir (aka tibicos) and other fermented beverages such as Kombucha, Kvaas, etc. Helpful? Useless? Or Harmful?Hi Meir,I’m not sure what Dr. G would say the research says about tibicos or other fermented beverages, but he does have a video on Kombucha. And, it seems that it is best to avoid it.Thanks for that info, but I knew Kombucha has some controversy, but based on what I am seeing or not seeing) Water Kefir aka Tibicos, looks very safe.Good to know. ;-)I don’t understand how “good” bacteria are growing better than “bad” bacteria in a high fiber colon environment. If I look at humans in general – if there are enough natural resources – the “bad” humans tend to take and destroy it all. How are bacteria different ?	anti-inflammation,bacteria,butyrate,colon cancer,fiber,flora,obesity,probiotics	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	-
PLAIN-256	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/07/new-nutrition-dvd-to-help-make-your-resolutions-more-resolutee-proceeds-to-charity/	Latest in Clinical Nutrition Volume 12 Now on DVD	The current batch of videos from volume 11 on are set to run out soon here on NutritionFacts.org, so starting mid-month and running through April I’ll be rolling out the videos from this new DVD, volume 12. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak-preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share as gifts, but there’s nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up online free here at NutritionFacts.org. The Latest in Clinical Nutrition volume 12 DVD is available now with all proceeds going to keep NutritionFacts.org operational. If you’re in need of catching up, I’ve packaged the first ten volumes into a 12-disc DVD set. Here’s the list of chapters off the new volume 12 DVD — a preview of what’s to come here on NutritionFacts.org: Order the new DVD on my website or through Amazon. January 1st marked the 500th day of his website’s existence. My heartfelt gratitude to all those who joined in the outpouring of support to keep NutritionFacts.org up and running. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to raise enough to keep the site going at full capacity, which is why this is the first day since NutritionFacts.org started that there is no video-of-the-day. In 2013, new videos will only appear every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday — but I’m going to start writing two blog posts a week, on Tuesday and Thursday, so if you’re subscribed to daily video and news updates you’ll still be able to enjoy new content every day. 	What is the amount that you need to continue at the previous frequency of videos? How many subscribers do you you have.Excited to report we have 25,000 subscribers now! As you can see about 1% have made a donation to keep the site going at full capacity.We’ve never done any active promotion, but are going to experiment with some facebook advertising this year in hopes of interesting more folks in this body of work.Assuming future subscribers are as generous, we should be able to make the site self-sustaining at around 100,000. Then I don’t have to scrimp so much with funds and get back to a full daily schedule. Keep your fingers crossed!Just 1%! Come on guys. I am sure more than 1% can afford to chip in a little. This is such a valuable website. I use this information daily with my patients.Another awesome DVD. I love how some of these clips catch us up on the history, and then tell us the latest research. Really helps to absorb the info and put it into perspective.Though I must say that I miss having more videos be in the format where we get to guess something before you give us the answer. There may be some of that in this DVD. I’m only half-way through.I also wanted to thank you for the extras you throw in. And I like the variety. It is like finding a surprise at the bottom of the cracker jack box. This DVD’s extra, the packet of organic kale seeds is my absolute favorite. They have some interesting information on the package and I like the idea of trying to grow my own. Thanks!!!I’m so glad you liked it! That’s funny about the quizshow bit. The reason I stopped doing it is because folks complained they didn’t like it. If I get enough feedback like yours I’ll put it back in!	DVD	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-257	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/03/burning-fat-with-flavonoids/	Burning Fat With Flavonoids 	Nuts appear to boost one’s metabolism, such that when we eat nuts we burn more of our own fat to compensate. In my 2-min. video, Testing the Fat Burning Theory, I show that people who don’t eat nuts tend to burn off around 20 grams of fat a day–about 5 pats worth of butter, but those eating walnuts averaged more like 31 grams–7 or 8 pats of butter. In Fat Burning Via Arginine, I explore one theory as to why this may happen (and where arginine can be found in our diet). It may also be the flavonoids, phytonutrients found in nuts as well as citrus, berries, red onions, beans, green tea, grapes, and cocoa, that may boost our metabolism enough to significantly slim our waistline. Based on what kind of evidence? I showcase a study done on purple grape juice in my video Fat Burning Via Flavonoids. Just like nuts are calorically dense yet don’t seem to cause much weight gain, Welch’s was hoping that the same would be found for their grape juice. They had people guzzle down 2 cups a day for three months. Keep in mind that Welch’s grape juice has more sugar than Coca Cola. Two cups of purple grape juice contain the equivalent of 20 spoonfuls of sugar. The control group was basically given grape Kool-Aid instead, with the same number of calories and same amount of sugar, but no detectable phytonutrients. At two cups a day study subjects were getting hundreds of extra calories a day. Surely after 3 months they’d gain a couple pounds. Indeed that’s what happened in the grape-flavored sugar water group—how could they not with all that extra sugar in their diet? The grape juice group, on the other hand, did not. In fact, their waist circumference shrunk significantly. Drinking grape juice appeared to burn away significantly more tummy fat. So maybe there is something to the theory put forth by the nut and green tea researchers that flavonoid phytonutrients are capable of helping the body burn fat. If true, then it’s just one more reason to eat nuts and drink green tea—not grape juice. Instead of the juice, I’d recommend eating concord grapes, the source of purple grape juice that you may be able to find at a farmer’s market near you. 	That’s interesting and good to know but nuts always put weight on my husband and I. Could it be once you’ve hit age 50 plus the metabolism is low and hopeless! We live on beans and greens and a handful of nuts plus exercise and still have to fight the weight.How many nuts you eat may be the factor in weight gain vs weight loss. Your daily intake of nuts should be the amount that you can put on the palm of your hand. The nuts should be flat on your palm and the nuts should not touch your fingers.I can’t control myself when it comes to nuts. I’ll eat half the can and then the weight starts to come on and my cholesterol goes up do to the saturated fats. I now avoid them per Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s advice.Hey Peppy, do you do weight training? Gaining and preserving lean muscle tissue is absolutely key for weight management as you age. This is because muscle has a tendency to break down as we age. If you do cardio but no weight training you are wasting your time. Get the weights out or go to a pump class at the gym 2 times a week.Pingback: Nutrition and Exercise()What about RAW vs ROASTED. Put the raw one in the ground and it may grow into a new plant. Put the roasted one in the ground in all it will do is decay back into the earth.Perhaps it is the Roasted nuts that make people gain weight. I know people think of nuts they think salt or sugar, oil, and roasted.On another note; It could indeed be a synergistic effect with they other important compounds found in these fat fighting foods.Great Article, Loved it. Thank you Dr..G for posting!What about red wine in place of grape juice?Following these holiday trends will be really enjoying. I celebrate my holidays with family and exchanging gifts is my way of celebrating it.I would be very interested to know which foods have the highest concentrations of flavonoids. How much does green tea have compared to fresh whole grapes?I cant tolerate nuts but my husband has eaten about a quarter cup (easier to control amount) of rotating ones most days for snack for over a year and his HDL has gone up (modestly but still) and his LDL is well within health per Mayo/ Cleveland Clinic/ Heart & Stroke etc. He also enjoys about a quarter of an avocado many days with his veggies. Here’s the interesting point…based on side effects he stopped his statin and baby aspirin (terrible nose bleeds and stomach issues) over 4 months ago before the blood work was done and while the LDL is higher, it’s actually lower then it was before going on it and still well within healthy. He also changed family doctors who is not sure why he was ever put on these drugs or why he sees a caridologist once a year. As his new physician said…you’re healthy as an ox! At 64 he’s healthier then he’s ever been. Granted he could exercise more and tweek his diet a bit more but he has slowly converted over to a mostly plant based whole foods based diet. He ever gave up his fave boxed cereal he’s eaten for years for oatmeal with a rotation of healthy ground seeds and unsweetened almond milk. Turns out the boxed cereal had molasses in it so when we added the good stuff (black strap unsulphured organic) to his oatmeal he LOVED it! Bonus it’s a good source of B6 which is good for his ADHD.My point is he avoided nuts, avocados etc for years based on warnings from his then docs. Now that he’s been back to enjoying them and mov(ing) away from animal protein sources including dairy (bad, bad for ADHD in many) he feels and looks better then in years. His new doc is going repeat blood tests every year to monitor but says there is no need for a statin or aspirin and encouraged his healthy nut snacking (non or dry roasted, organic etc.), avocado and so forth with room for indulgence. Im not saying this works for everyone and I avoid preaching. We all have to do what works for us. I do hope if there are others who were scared off enjoying nuts in there healthy form even on occasion they will reconsider. Life is short and you need to enjoy your food too. ; )BTW I realize the comment from Peppy is quite old but agree with the comment about weight training/ bearing below. It’s really important for the 50 over group. Some form twice a week would be great. Even some yoga poses build muscle. You can buy easy to follow DVDs if you’re not a gym/ class person (I’m really not). Do some internet surfing and you’ll find what grabs your interest. Just make sure you pick something you can actually enjoy (or learn to) so you’ll commit to it and you feel good about. Good luck.	arginine,flavonoids,grape juice,metabolism,nuts,sugar,walnuts	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-258	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/	Nuts Don't Cause Expected Weight Gain	Nuts are packed with nutrition, but they are also packed with calories. Why, then, don’t nuts seem to make people fat?  In my video Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence, I profile a review published back in 2007 looking at about 20 clinical trials that had been done on nuts and weight. Not a single one showed the weight gain one would expect. All of the studies either showed less weight gain than predicted, no weight gain at all, or actual weight loss—even after study subjects added a handful or two of nuts per day to their diet. However, the studies lasted just a few weeks or months. What about long-term? Maybe in the short run nuts don’t lead to weight gain as much as other foods, but what about after years of eating nuts? Well that’s been examined six different ways in studies lasting up to eight years. One found no significant change and the other five out of six measures found significantly less weight gain and risk of abdominal obesity in those eating more nuts. Since that review is now 5 years old, in my Weight of Evidence video I update it to include all of the studies published since, including a number published this year. For example, in 2012 there was study in which people added over a hundred pistachios to their daily diets for three months and didn’t gain a pound. How did 30,000 calories disappear? What happened to the missing calories? The mystery has been solved. In my video series that started with Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories, I presented the “pistachio principle” and the fecal excretion theory.  In my next video these theories were put to the test.  I then explored the Dietary Compensation Theory, and by the final video in the series we had figured it out. Part of the trick seemed to be that nuts boost fat burning within the body. But how? It could have something to do with the amino acid arginine (see my 2-min. video Fat Burning via Arginine) or the phytonutrients found in nuts and green tea (Fat Burning via Flavonoids). Since nut consumption has been associated with lower rates of heart disease and living a longer life we should include them in our regular diet without worrying that they’re going to make us fat. 	Does it matter what type of nut and were the nuts raw?Yes, does it matter whether the nuts are raw or roasted? And what about salt? My dad eats packaged “mixed nuts” every day and my mom is convinced that they’re contributing to his weight gain.If you count calories, how can you explain that you will gain 50 gram of weight when you eat 10 gram of sugar candy? Conservation of mass in physics should exist. Counting calories is a myth. What do you think?The laws of physics do apply but “weight” loss or gain is complicated by a variety of factors. Calories are important but more important is calorie density. We tend to eat to satisfy our hunger which is calmed by stretch and fat receptors in stomach plus nutrients absorbed into body. Weight loss or gain can be due to changes in muscle mass, water, fecal material and/or fat. In working with patients at the McDougall clinic who are eating a low fat starch based diet I observe weight loss during their stay based on fat loss(less calories consumed while satisfying their hunger), water loss(less sodium intake) and faecal loss(due to increase in transit time). The best introduction to the concept of calorie density is the DVD by Jeff Novick, Calorie Density: Eat More, Weigh less and Live Longer. Doug Lisle’s presentation, How to lose weight without losing your mind” seen on you tube.. The laws of physics do apply but “weight” loss or gain is complicated by a variety of factors. Calories are important but more important is calorie density. We tend to eat to satisfy our hunger which is calmed by stretch and fat receptors in stomach plus nutrients absorbed into body. Weight loss or gain can be due to changes in muscle mass, water, fecal material and/or fat. In working with patients at the McDougall clinic who are eating a low fat starch based diet I observe weight loss during their stay based on fat loss(less calories consumed while satisfying their hunger), water loss(less sodium intake) and faecal loss(due to increase in transit time). Of course after leaving the program weight loss continues at about 1/2 to 2 pounds per week depending on exercise, where the patient started and how well they follow recommendations. The best introduction to the concept of calorie density is the DVD by Jeff Novick, Calorie Density: Eat More, Weigh less and Live Longer. Doug Lisle does an excellent job exploring the psychology and biology of losing weight in his two You Tube video’s, “How to Lose Weight without losing your Mind” and “The Pleasure Trap”(he coauthored a book by the same title)… both also available as DVD’s. The complexity of the nutritional science can be appreciated by viewing the 56 videos relating to obesity on Dr. Greger’s website. I would explain a weight gain of 50 grams with only the consumption of 10 grams of sugar as being related to some other factor and not violation of the laws of thermodynamics. Happy New Year.but what about fried nuts found most everywhere?Fantastic source of knowledge. Thank you so much!I am still confused about nuts and omega acid profiles. I read that almonds are preferable to peanuts, but their profiles seem similar.Pingback: Using the Motivational Triad to Eat Healthier, Part 4: Energy Efficiency | Leading Effectively: Official Blog of the Center for Creative Leadership()How do i reconcile Esselstyn’s recommendations for no nuts or avocado for people with heart disease with the info on nut consumption.I love eating raw non gmo cashew butter. But seriusly, I don’t understand paleo guys saying ohhh nooo, it’ll cause leptin resistance. Must be those lectins messing with our hormones. What a joke. Arnold Schwarzenegger even ate cashew butter to gain muscle mass. Cashews have a high dense protein amino content. (protein keeps you sated longer right?) Same goes for pistachios and walnuts(added benefit of higher omega 3 ratio)plz tell me if Im doing something wrong in my diet. Im a college student who relies on my tasty unsweetened natural nut butters. Their easy on the pockets too along with sprouted breads I useNb : I’m getting a lot of misinformation about nuts, legumes, beans and sprouts causing leptin resistance. Especially the the talk of lectins bears in mind. And for the record I have a shitty metabolism and am super skinny now thanks to good protein dense carbs, nuts, legumes and cooking with virgin cocnut oilAmazing research! I really appreciate your dedication to make these incredibly interesting videos! I always use them to educate myself more and more about my plant-based-whole-food lifestyle! Thanks for your work Dr. Greger :)	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/08/magnesium-to-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-259	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/20/best-phytosterol-dose-and-source/	Optimal Phytosterol Dose and Source	Fiber bulks, speeds, and dilutes the intestinal waste stream to facilitate the removal of excess cholesterol from our bodies, as described in my video Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering. This mechanism is similar to how “normal” levels of fiber consumption (huge by modern standards) relieve the body of excess estrogen . Fiber also helps improve intestinal transit time (Stool Size Matters!) and protects against diverticulosis. Fiber is one of the reasons why nut consumption is associated with lower cholesterol levels (see my last post Cholesterol Lowering in a Nut Shell). Another reason may be phytosterols. The ability of phytosterols in plant foods to reduce cholesterol levels was first reported more than 80 years ago. The same trash-picker analogy used to explain the effects of fiber on cholesterol in the video above can help us understand how phytosterols work. Just as phytoestrogens in plants can have an anti-estrogenic effect by fooling your body into trying to use them instead of your own estrogen–which is a thousand times stronger, phytosterols are plant-based cholesterol look-alikes found predominantly in nuts and seeds. See my 2-min. video How Phytosterols Lower Cholesterol for an illustration comparing the two. When we eat nuts and seeds, phytosterols progress through our ever-flowing waste stream where the trash-picking cells lining our gut throw them into their bins along with the actual cholesterol molecules. Their bins can only hold so much, though, before they have to go empty it into the body before coming back to the banks of our fecal flow. Thus, if there’s just cholesterol in the waste stream, that’s what fills up the bin, but if there’s phytosterols too then half the bin may be filled with cholesterol and half with phytosterols. This leaves the other half’s worth of cholesterol to flush out to sea. It’s only once the phytosterols are absorbed that our body realizes the mistake it’s made and dumps them back down the trash chute. Trash pickers further down the line may accidently pick them back up again and repeat the process. In the end (or out the end!), because we swallowed all those phytosterols into our gut, less excess cholesterol gets reabsorbed and, instead, ends up getting dumped. In my 2-min. video Optimal Phytosterol Dose I show that there’s a plateau effect, though. The cholesterol-blocking effects of phytosterols max out at around 2000 mg, but most people have a long way to go to reach that. The standard American diet may provide as few as 78mg per day. Plant-based diets provide the most phytosterols; nonetheless, there’s still room to improve. Those who have bettered their diet so much that they’re no longer eating any cholesterol should be acing their cholesterol tests, but, in rare cases in which your body might not be able to get rid of enough self-made cholesterol, what is the best source of phytosterols? In my 2-min. video Optimal Phytosterol Source I note the irony that phytosterols are typically prescribed in butter-form, fortified spreads such as Benecol. Studies show that smaller more frequent doses may be more effective than one big dose in a spread or pill. This makes sense given the trash-picker analogy. We want to have phytosterols constantly flowing through our gut throughout the day so they‘ll continue to keep stuffing the bins of our intestinal lining cells, causing excess cholesterol to pass. Another reason that phytosterol supplements may not work as well is that we need fat to optimally absorb phytosterols. That’s why they package them into margarine spreads, yet nature put phytosterols right where we need them–in nuts and seeds that have more than enough fat. There now exists phytosterol-fortified orange juice and lemonade, but like the pills, we would not expect phytosterols to be as effectively absorbed due to the lack of fat. The best source of phytosterols is whole plant foods: seeds provide the most—especially sesame (see the chart here), then nuts—especially pistachio, then legumes such as peanuts. 	-	cholesterol,estrogen,fiber,nuts,phytosterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/13/cholesterol-lowering-in-a-nut-shell/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	-
PLAIN-260	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/13/cholesterol-lowering-in-a-nut-shell/	Cholesterol Lowering in a Nut Shell	Though official recommendations are to first treat high cholesterol with dietary change, many physicians jump right to cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins like Lipitor that can have an array of side effects. As described in my 1-min. video Diet Versus Drugs for High Cholesterol, up to a third of patients prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs experience adverse reactions. Side effects include liver, muscle, and kidney dysfunction, skin disorders, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, dizziness, flushing, neurological disorders, and cognitive impairment. Dietary and lifestyle changes, on the other hand, tend to carry positive side effects. That’s why they are the cornerstones of the American Heart Association guidelines. Recommendations include reduced intake of saturated fat and cholesterol with increased physical activity and intake of dietary fiber. Basically we need to eat fewer animal foods, the only source of cholesterol, and more plants, the only source of fiber. One plant food that may be particularly protective is nuts. See Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering for a pooled analysis of studies on nut consumption, cholesterol levels, and risk of death from heart disease. For more on reducing cholesterol, the #1 risk factor for our #1 cause of death, see:  For preventing our other top killers, see Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. For more on nuts, see: 	I was wondering if an historical source of fibre for man has been dirt on food. most animals eat some soil with food, this acts to help digestion with birds. For example if you don’t give budgies shell grit to eat with seeds they will often die of blockages in their digestion. grain would usually have had some dirt mixed with it along with some remaining chaff. As food became cleaner maybe this missed dirt in food led to problems with a lack of fibre like with birds. Also dirt would have some minerals to absorb, maybe bacteria or some source of B12 for vegetarians.Dirt has no fiber unless there is plant material in it. It can as you mention be a source of Vit B12 from the bacteria in the dirt. It is important to make sure you have an adequate Vit B12 intake. Deficiencies are more common in vegans see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-epidemic/. Read more about the history see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/. It is relatively easy to get adequate minerals from plants see additional videos on iodine while also avoiding excess exposure to minerals such as iron and aluminum.While nuts don’t seem to contain any trans-fats or cholesterol, many do seem to be high in saturated fat. Should this be a concern if one eats a good deal of different nuts, or is the saturated fats in nuts not problematic for some reason? Thanks.Great question totally depends! How are you cholesterol numbers and how many do you eat? ​Here is a great video by Dr. Greger that explains the research between nut intake and body weight. Make sure to checkout the bottom of the video’s “Doctors Note” to see more links and information. Lastly, a follow-up to that video is solving the mystery of the missing calories, so it seems nuts are super healthful but if folks have high cholesterol and it’s not coming down I would limit nuts and seeds (1 ounce per day). If still a problem, maybe avoid and see if it helps?	cholesterol,Lipitor,nuts,saturated fat,statins	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/	-
PLAIN-261	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/06/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	The True Shelf Life of Cooking Oils	Cooking oil manufacturer “best-by” dates were recently put to the test by comparing the development of rancidity between almond oil, avocado oil, hazelnut oil, macadamia oil, grape seed oil, rice bran oil, toasted sesame oil, and walnut oil. Find out which oil starts going rancid within just a few weeks in my video The True Shelf-Life of Cooking Oils. The best way to keep and consume walnut oil is, of course, within the walnut itself. In my video What Women Should Eat to Live Longer I noted that the Harvard Nurses Health Study found that eating just two handfuls of nuts per week may extend a woman’s lifespan as much as four hours of weekly jogging. No reason you can’t do both though! :) Which kinds of walnuts are best? Black walnuts or English—also known as common—walnuts? I would have guessed black just based on their rich flavor and color, but I would have been wrong. In a study I profile in my 2-min. video Black Versus English Walnuts, when subjects were given a salami and cheese sandwich on white bread smeared with 2 spoonfuls of butter and then a big handful of either black or English walnuts, something very different happened. When we whack our arteries with that kind of load of saturated animal fat, within hours our blood vessels become inflamed and stiff. Eating English—but not black—walnuts with the salami sandwich appeared to diminish the damage, which perhaps relates to the finding that English walnuts have nearly 10 times the antioxidant capacity of black walnuts. The anti-inflammatory power of certain nuts is really quite astonishing. See my video Fighting Inflammation in a Nutshell as well as Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease for other anti-inflammatory strategies. I explore why animal foods may be so inflammatory in my three part video series: I also give an abbreviated summary of it in my full-length “live” presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. 	Aren’t all cooking oils go pretty much rancid when COOKED? I heard it from some source and I jusr can’t find more info about this stuff. Once and for all, is it healthy or not to cook with oil? even if it is olive oil.thanksIftahiftah: The best, most fun, and comprehensive information I have seen about oils and fats is a lecture from Jeff Novick called From Oil To Nuts.http://www.amazon.com/Oil-Nuts-Essential-Facts-Oils/dp/B003UYAQIY/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1404678379&sr=1-1&keywords=from+oil+to+nutsIf you want to really understand the issue and not get just another opinion, I highly recommend watching that lecture. Good luck.Is using Sesame oil in cooking considered unhealthy? That is , a drop or two just to add the fragrance.Why wasn’t olive oil included as it is the oil that most people use rather than only include oils that nobody uses.Can you access this study gg.gg/rice-arsenic and share the levels of arsenic detected in the rice bran oils tested? Thanks.	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-
PLAIN-262	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/29/ractopamine-and-yersinia-drugs-and-bugs-in-pork/	Ractopamine and Yersinia in U.S. Pork	Earlier this year, China rejected 200,000 pounds of pork from the United States after discovering residues in the meat of an adrenaline-like drug called ractopamine, which is fed to U.S. pigs (Paylean™) and turkeys (Topmax™) as a growth promoter to improve muscle yields. What about the domestic U.S. meat supply? Last year’s report from the USDA National Residue program claimed 310 pigs were tested (out of about 10 million slaughtered). The 2012 report listed the number of tested pigs at zero. That’s why it’s so important to have public interest organizations such as Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, to fill the gaps. This week Consumers Union released a report in which they analyzed 240 U.S. pork products and found trace levels of ractopamine in about 20% of retail pork sampled. In response, the National Pork Producers Council tried to allay concerns by noting that the levels found in U.S. pork chops were below the ractopamine residue limit set by the UN Codex Commission this summer. What they didn’t mention was that out of 143 ballots cast, the Commission came within a single vote of setting any safe levels in pork given “outstanding safety concerns” raised by Europe. The National Pork Producers Council also failed to mention the residue limit was based on a single human study that only had six people in it. That six person study was exhibit #1 in the European Food Safety Authority’s analysis of the questionable safety of the drug. EFSA is Europe’s equivalent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The experiment in question was a preliminary study designed not to establish a safety level, but to find a suitable test dose for a larger study that never happened. (Ractopamine was originally developed as an asthma medication but it didn’t appear to work). The study involved giving these six men between 5 to 40mg of ractopamine. At the higher levels, the subjects reported their hearts racing and pounding—in fact one of the six subjects was withdrawn from the study because he apparently couldn’t take it. At 5mg, though, no cardiac changes were noted. So that’s the dose the UN Codex Commission used to calculate the maximum allowable meat residue and acceptable human daily intake levels. Just because that dose didn’t cause a problem in six people, though, doesn’t necessarily mean that level is safe. The EFSA panel calculated that a study of 6 people wouldn’t even have the statistical power to pick up a 40% change in cardiac output, a key measured endpoint. To detect as statistically significant a 10% change in blood pumping the study would have required at least about 60 people. In addition, the study only looked at the cardiovascular effects of ractopamine. Given the adrenaline-like effects could expect metabolic effects such as an increase in blood sugar levels, muscle tremors, or behavioral effects such as restlessness, apprehension, or anxiety. Also, all six study subjects were healthy young men. What about particularly vulnerable populations such as children, those with heart disease, or those on certain medications? The panel concluded that the UN limits did not sufficiently take these higher risk populations into account. The European Food Safety Authority concluded that the single small human study “can not be taken as a basis to derive an acceptable daily intake…and consequently no proposal for maximum [meat] residue levels could be made.” In other words, we simply don’t have enough human data to determine what the safe level in meat may be. Last month the Council of the European Union joined China in reaffirming the ban on ractopamine, “[s]tressing that the policy…is based on persisting scientific uncertainty about the safety of products derived from animals treated with this substance…and also takes into account concerns on animal health and animal welfare….” Studies over the last decade have shown that pigs on ractopamine may have chronically elevated heart rates, increased stress reactions, and difficulty walking. In fact the warning label reads: ‘‘Caution: Pigs fed PAYLEAN are at an increased risk for exhibiting the downer pig syndrome,” a condition in which pigs are too sick, injured, or exhausted to stand and may be dragged to slaughter in chains. It’s ironic that pork industry continues to defend the use of gestation crates for pregnant pigs on the pretext of preventing aggression between the sows. Mother pigs are confined for nearly their entire lives in crates so restrictive they can’t even turn around. The industry claims this is to keep them from fighting while at the same time feeding millions of growing pigs a drug shown to increases aggressiveness and attacks. Given the human and animal welfare concerns, why does the U.S. pork industry continue to feed this drug to millions of pigs every year? This month a meta-analysis was published in the Journal of Animal Science. Based on all the studies done to date, pigs fed ractopamine “had an overall carcass cutability advantage of 1.01 percentage units when compared to control pigs” (74.70% vs. 73.69%). All this for a 1% greater yield. Watch my video Ractopamine in Pork for more. Another public health breach filled this week by Consumers Union was testing for Yersinia enterocolitica in pork. Every year the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tests thousands of retail meat samples for the presence of a few types of antibiotic resistant bacteria, but Yersinia is not among them despite the fact that nearly 100,000 Americans are sickened by foodborne Yersinia every year. Pigs are considered to be the main reservoir for Yersinia enterocolitica and pork products the main source of human infection. While most foodborne pathogens tend to come from a variety of sources, 100% of the attributable Yersinia outbreaks reported in the United States from 1999 through 2008 were caused by pork. How contaminated is the U.S. pork supply? Consumers Union tested nearly 200 pork samples from cities across the country and found more than two thirds contaminated with Yersinia, 90% of which were resistant to one or more antibiotics. In most cases Yersinia food poisoning just causes acute gastroenteritis characterized by fever, abdominal pain, and often bloody diarrhea. Severe cases are frequently confused with appendicitis, leading to unnecessary emergency surgery. Long-term sequelae of infection include chronic inflammation of the eyes, kidneys, heart, and joints. Within a year of a bout of Yersinia food poisoning, victims may be at 47 times the risk of coming down with autoimmune arthritis. The bacteria may also play a role in triggering an autoimmune thyroid condition known as Graves’ disease. Yersinia enterocolitica is widespread in U.S. pigs. A national USDA survey of fecal samples found about half of American herds are now infected with strains pathogenic to humans. The increasing emergence of human infection over last century has been blamed on the industrialization of the pork industry. Higher stocking densities of pigs on factory farms is one of the factors that has been specifically associated with increased Yersinia enterocolitica prevalence in herds. Inside some swine confinement buildings researchers have been able to culture the bacteria straight out of the air, as well as from inside the nostrils of CAFO workers. The pork industry acknowledges overcrowding pigs is associated with increased health risks, but the trade journal National Hog Farmer reports research showing that when “space was dropped to 6 sq. ft./pig, the building produced 26% more pounds of pork at the same fixed cost.” That’s cramming a 200 pound pig into the equivalent of about a 2 by 3 foot space. Sometimes, the article concludes, “crowding grow-finish pigs a little tighter will make you more money.” The equation for industrial pork producers is even simpler when it comes to Yersinia enterocolitica since the bacteria doesn’t cause clinical disease in pigs. The fact that the industry bottomline isn’t directly affected no matter how high infection rates climb may explain why there are no industry-wide Yersinia monitoring and control programs in place in the United States. Such costs can be passed on to the tens of thousands of Americans who continue to be sickened every year at an annual estimated cost of a quarter billion dollars. Research from Europe suggests pigs raised using organic methods may 50 times lower odds of harboring Yersinia enterocolitica infection compared to pigs raised conventionally. It is unlikely these results can be extrapolated to the United States, though, since organic production in the U.S. focuses more on what animals are fed rather than how they are treated. For example in Europe, organic pigs are allowed outside. After studying a variety of factors, the researchers ended up attributing the low rates of Yersinia infection on organic farms to lower levels of stress among the animals. If stress is indeed a contributing factor, things may be looking up in Europe. On January 1st, 2013, gestation crates for pregnant pigs are going to be banned across all 27 nations of the European Union. In the U.S. where crating continues to be a predominant practice, pregnant sows have been shown to have among the highest prevalence of Yersinia enterocolitica. Though consumers don’t directly eat as many of the moms, the sows can be a source of infection for piglets who can carry the infection through slaughter. Crated sows have been shown to have impaired immunity, thought to be a result of elevated stress hormone levels related to the frustration of normal maternal behaviors like nest building. Yersinia enterocolitica is one of the reasons why the disease resistance of mother pigs matters when it comes to public health. Thankfully, major retailers, restaurant chains, and leaders in the pork industry have started phasing out gestation crates, which may end up improving the welfare of both animals and humans. Another proposal to help break the Yersinia cycle from farm to fork is to pay producers a premium for animals maintained in Yersinia-free herds. Since 1996 some in the agriculture policy arena have even proposed that fresh meat should only be allowed from infection-free herds, diverting pork from infected herds to just making pre-cooked products. “Although such a two-way splitting of pig-meat production would pose a logistical problem,” researchers acknowledge, “it should actually be possible…[if] enough emphasis were to be placed on cost/benefit for public health.” There are also measures effective at reducing Yersinia contamination of the meat in the slaughterplant. Studies from Europe have shown that “bagging the rectum” by sealing off the excised rectum with a plastic bag during evisceration may result in a 10-fold drop in carcass contamination. According to data from the Norwegian National Institute of Public Health, human Yersinia infection rates dropped about 25% after the introduction of the plastic bag technique across about 90% of the pig slaughterhouses in Norway. Earlier this year, the National Pork Board officially changed their quarter-century old slogan from Pork: The Other White Meat,” to “Pork: Be Inspired.” Given the new Consumer Reports findings, maybe it should it be changed to “Pork: Be Expired.” To put the new data in perspective, though, Yersinia in pork ranks 16th in terms of greatest foodborne disease burden in the United States. The worst in terms of societal cost and quality-adjusted years of life lost is poultry-borne Campylobacter bacteria, found contaminating 38% of chicken breasts in the latest CDC retail meat survey released this year. Then comes the Toxoplasma brain parasite in pork, Listeria in deli meats, and Salmonella in, again, poultry. So as concerning as this new report may be, we are probably still more likely to get sick eating the original white meat. 	test	food poisoning,pigs,pork,ractopamine,yersinia	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/	-
PLAIN-263	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/22/new-features-and-black-friday-sale/	New Features and Black Friday Sale	The new and improved NutritionFacts.org has arrived! Thanks to the Jesse & Julie Rasch Foundation and our brilliant web developer Christi Richards, we launched the renovated site this month with a new design and functionality. Here are some of the new features:   Transcripts Adding written transcripts to each of the videos was one of the most popular requests and that capacity has just been added. Now beneath each video, in addition to the Sources Cited section that has links to all the papers cited in the video (full-text PDFs whenever possible!), you’ll notice the new transcript section. We’ve been trying to populate these as quickly as possible but could really use your help if you have any time to volunteer. Even a few hours a week would be a huge help. Please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org to help with this or any of the multitude of tasks that keep the website alive and kicking on a shoestring budget.   Health Topics When new visitors went to the old home page they only saw the last few days of videos and had no hint of the depth of material covered. Now on the home page you can easily navigate to any of the 1,500+ nutrition subjects from A to Z. (If you liked the old layout better, you can bookmark the Video page which just offers the last two weeks of videos.) The Topics page itself has also been revamped from the Hurricane Sandy-sized word cloud to a more manageable layout. Ooh, and try the new search function out! Health Bites On the NutritionFacts.org facebook page, every day we post newsworthy bits of nutrition info taken from the headlines or from the flood of new science on healthy eating. Now these bite-sized morsels will also be scrolled on the lower left corner of the NutritionFacts.org homepage.   Ask The Doctor My favorite blogs to write are the Q&A posts. I get to delve through comments left by the NutritionFacts.org community (you!) on all the video and blog pages and pick some questions to highlight and answer to the best of my ability. Best place to buy Adderall online to use it? Have look at this website to buy Adderall online. The blog posts quickly got buried, though, and the same questions popped up over and over. We’ve upgraded to a new Ask the Doctor section where you can more easily browse and search through all the Q&A’s. I’ll answer more every week so please be sure to leave questions in any of the comments sections beneath each video.   Donate Page Has NutritionFacts.org helped you and your family eat healthier? Please consider giving thanks by making a contribution on our new Donate page to keep the site up and running. NutritionFacts.org has been incorporated as a 501c3 nonprofit charity so U.S. donations are tax-deductible.   Black Friday Sale To help spread some holiday cheer of dietary sanity, I’m offering a stocking stuffer sale on my Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death DVDs, in which I explore the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers. For a limited time, buy five Uprooting DVDs for $40 so you can spread them far and wide. As a gift to yourself, if you have yet to collect my entire set of Latest in Nutrition DVDs, you can also get all 11 volumes (13 disks in all) for $120. All proceeds from this sale will go straight back into supporting the site.   Wishing everyone a hearty healthy holiday from my family to yours, -Michael Greger, M.D. Image credit: Flickr / stevendepolo 	Hey, Dr. Greger, I’ve been obsessed with your videos over the past few months due to their diet-improving potential. I’ve taken some notes and I was wondering what you think of my summary (am I missing anything big?):Supplements/Herbs: Saffron Cinnamon B12 Fenugreek DHAEat More: Veggies (esp. greens, sea vegetables, carrots, mushroom, sweet potato, broccoli, garlic, onion, artichoke) Fruits (esp. berries, acai, goji, apple, pear, plum, kiwi, pomegranate, date) Nuts (esp. walnuts, pecans) Seeds (esp. pumpkin, squash, flax) Beans (esp. black, pinto, red lentil, soy in moderation) Vinegar Hibiscus Tea and/or Green Tea CocoaOkay to Eat: Whole Coconut Flakes Purple Potatoes Oil with salad (boosts absorption) Olive Oil (neither harmful nor beneficial)Avoid: Animal Products Processed Sweeteners (pretty much everything but dates) Processed Grains Potatoes (except purple and sweet) Deep fried food Processed coconut products (coconut oil, coconut milk) Canned bamboo shoots Red food dye	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-264	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/	How To Boost Serotonin Naturally	A strange letter was recently published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience suggesting fruit as a treatment for depression. It starts out detailing how bad the disease can be; how abnormally low levels of neurotransmitters like the “happiness hormone” serotonin in the brain may be responsible; and that we now have SSRI drugs like Prozac that appear to work by boosting serotonin levels. However, these medications can carry significant side effects, so the researchers suggested a novel strategy: How about using “high-content sources of serotonin to provide our body with these substances,” such as “plantains, pineapples, bananas, kiwis, plums, and tomatoes.” Since when do plants have animal neurotransmitters? Since forever, I was surprised to learn. In my 2-min NutritionFacts.org video Human Neurotransmitters in Plants I show how plants may contain levels of dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin at concentrations high enough to actually alter levels in our bloodstream. We don’t need serotonin in our blood, though; we need it in our brain. Serotonin can’t cross the blood-brain barrier, but the precursor to serotonin can. This precursor is an amino acid called tryptophan that we get from our diet. Back in the 70’s experiments showed that when people were given specially concocted tryptophan deficient diets, their mood suffered. They became irritable, annoyed, angry, and depressed. Likewise, you can give people tryptophan pills to improve their mood, and, not surprisingly, it became a popular dietary supplement… until people started dying from something called eosinophilia–myalgia syndrome (EMS). As I note in my 2-min video The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin, EMS is an incurable, debilitating, and sometimes fatal flu-like neurological condition that can be caused by the ingestion of tryptophan supplements. It may have been due to some unknown impurity, but better safe than sorry. Instead of supplements, there are dietary strategies one can use to improve mood. When people think tryptophan, they think Thanksgiving turkey, but researchers at MIT dispelled those myths about a decade ago. Tryptophan is one amino acid among many found in proteins, and they compete with one another for transport across the blood-brain barrier into the brain. Since tryptophan is present in most animal proteins in relatively small quantities it gets muscled out of the way. When we eat plant foods, though, the carbohydrates trigger a release of insulin that causes our muscles to take up many of the non-tryptophan amino acids as fuel, potentially leaving our tryptophan first in line for brain access. Animal foods can even make things worse. In the experiment I describe in my 2-min video A Better Way to Boost Serotonin, those given a turkey/egg/cheese breakfast experienced a drop in tryptophan levels, whereas those given a waffle/orange juice breakfast saw their levels rise. This may actually explain the carbohydrate cravings one sees in PMS—your brain may be trying to get you to boost tryptophan levels to feel better. One study I cite concluded “Consumption of a carbohydrate-rich, protein-poor evening test meal during the premenstrual period improved depression, tension, anger, confusion, sadness, fatigue, alertness, and calmness scores among patients with premenstrual syndrome.” Ideally, though, it would be more than just carbs. Since the main determinant of brain tryptophan and serotonin concentrations appears to be the ratio of this amino acid with others that compete with it for uptake into the brain, to maximize the mood elevating benefits of diet, one would ideally choose a snack with a high tryptophan to total protein ratio, which would mean primarily seeds, such as sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin. Check out the final video The Best Way to Boost Serotonin in this four-part series for more detail. 	Another great post with great info :-)Makes me happy just reading that plants make me happy!This is interesting and could work for some people but it is not based on psychiatry research.I is not as simple as increase tryptophan (which could also be toxic do to inflammatory processes, see Michael. Maes) but serotonin, so this needs good transporters. Also, it is not just an increase in serotonin but stabilization in certain brain areas (see Peter Kramer)Dr. Gregor, would you be able to provide the link for the letter in the Journal? Thanks.Unfortunately it’s not legal for me to post links to copyrighted materials, but check out some tips here for tracking down articles I can’t provide links to full-text PDFs for (which I do whenever I can in the Sources Cited section beneath each video!): How Can I Access Medical Journal Articles Online?You can, however, provide the full reference so that people can search for the abstract, at a bare minimum, which probably should be included with rhis article. My apologies if it’s already here but I am using an iPhone and I don’t see even the issue, year, or author mentioned.what can you say about 5-htp that cross brain-blood barrier and icnrease serotonin without inhibiotion of somthingPingback: Your Questions About [get Your Dog To Eat]()Pingback: Your Questions About [get Your Dog To Eat]()Pingback: Your Questions About [get Your Dog To Eat]()I cannot get butternut squash seeds in Ireland, will pumpkin seeds do. Dermot dffd@eircom.netI read somewhere that tryptophan made people sick because it was a genetically engineered version from Japan…also organic pumpkin seeds should be consumed since I heard from a lecture by Jefferey Smith that pumpkin is now GM.I am reading a book by Dr Julia Ross, about treating mood disorders with Nutritional Therapy. She recommends eating lots of protein (preferably animal), fish oil (omega 3) and saturated fats, and also using amino acid supplements. Is this wrong?Yes, it is. I would return the book. This is another fad diet trend. Here are some helpful places for more information on this subject here on this website.The link below is part of a series, click “next video” in the right hand panel once you have watched it. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/The links below are a variety of videos on the subject of fish oil and saturated fat http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=fish+oil http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=saturated+fatArticle about how to boost serotonin naturally and no mention of St. John’s Wort? I realize that you’re trying to advocate a whole foods’, plant-based diet, but I find it disingenuous not to report the efficacy of St. John’s Wort.	depression,dopamine,prozac,serotonin,tryptophan	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin//,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/	-
PLAIN-265	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/08/magnesium-to-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/	Magnesium-Rich Foods to Prevent Sudden Death	Most men and women who succumb to heart disease die suddenly without any known history of heart problems. As I note in my 3-min. NutritionFacts.org video How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?, up to 55% of men and 68% of women have no clinically recognized heart disease before sudden death. They obviously had rampant heart disease, it just wasn’t recognized until they were lying in the morgue. So if there was ever a case to be made for primary prevention—starting to eat healthier right now, tonight—before symptoms arise, sudden cardiac death is it. Especially since our first symptom is often our last. OK, so how do we do it? Our story begins 43 years ago with a fascinating paper in the New England Journal of Medicine entitled “Sudden Death and Ischemic Heart Disease: Correlation With Hardness of the Local Water Supply.” There appeared to be “an increased susceptibility to lethal arrhythmias [fatal heart rhythms] among residents of soft-water areas.” So maybe one of the minerals found in hard water is protective, but which one? Well, researchers decided to cut some hearts open and find out. On autopsy the hearts of sudden cardiac death victims had significantly lower magnesium concentrations compared to people that just got hit by a bus or something. They thought there might be a connection, but it wasn’t put to the test until recently. Why the decades-long delay in testing a potentially cheap simple way to help prevent our number one killer? That’s exactly the problem: cheap. Where’s magnesium found? Whole grains, greens, beans, nuts, and seeds. Who’s going to fund the study? The pumpkin seed lobby? Big spinach? If magnesium was found to be protective, who’s going to profit? Who’s going to benefit? Other than, of course, the hundreds of thousands of Americans that keel over dead every year without even being able to say goodbye to their families. Watch my video Mineral of the Year–Magnesium to see what the new studies discovered. 	your the best!Yippee! Health nuts ain’t so nutty!Thank you, THANK YOU!Your WELCOME JBall!i’m learning and sharing so much from you! thanks so much for your wonderful wonderful blog/newsletter!!I’m so glad. Thank you for your interest in my work.	arrhythmias,cardiac death,heart disease,magnesium,nuts	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/	-
PLAIN-266	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/	How to Enhance Mineral Absorption	Iron is a double-edged sword. If we don’t absorb enough we risk anemia, but if we absorb too much we may be increasing our risk of colorectal cancer, heart disease, infection, neurodegenerative disorders, and inflammatory conditions. See my 3-min. NutritionFacts.org video Risk Associated With Iron Supplements. Other conditions that have been associated with high iron intake include Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, arthritis, and diabetes. Because the human body has no mechanism to rid itself of excess iron, we evolved to tightly regulate the absorption of it. If our iron stores are low our intestines boost the absorption of iron, and if our iron stores are topped off our intestines block the absorption of iron to maintain us at the sweet spot. However, this only works with the primary source of iron in the human diet, the iron found in plant foods. Our digestive system can’t regulate the iron in ingested blood (“heme” iron) as effectively. The iron in animal foods can just zip right through our intestinal barrier, even if we already have too much. We just don’t have as much control. For more on iron, see my videos Iron During Pregnancy and Are Iron Pills Good For You? Iron overload may be one of the reasons meat consumption has been tied to breast cancer risk. Iron is a pro-oxidant and can induce oxidative stress and DNA damage. Quoting from one of the studies I feature in the video, “A high intake of iron in developed societies may, over time, lead to a physiologic state of iron overload in postmenopausal women, who are no longer losing blood every month. Iron overload favors the production of free radicals, fat oxidation, DNA damage, and may contribute to breast carcinogenesis independently or by potentiating the effects of other carcinogens.” For more on breast cancer, some good videos to start with include Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen, Flax and Fecal Flora, and Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells. Only people with a confirmed diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia should consider supplementing their iron intake, and even then it can be risky.  Another recent study I explore found a significant increase in oxidative stress within the bodies of women on iron supplements. Therefore, before going on iron supplements I would suggest talking to your physician about first trying to treat it through diet alone. This means eating lots of healthy iron-rich foods like chickpeas and pumpkin seeds while consuming vitamin C-rich foods, such as citrus, tropical fruits, broccoli, and bell peppers. The vitamin C-rich foods improve plant iron absorption, which is why they should be consumed at the same meal. Tea and coffee drinking, on the other hand, should be avoided with your meals since that can impair iron absorption. For more on nutrient bioavailability, see my videos Take Vitamin D Supplements With Meals, Calcium Absorption: Soy Milk Versus Cow Milk, Raw Food Nutrient Absorption, and Forgo Fat-Free Dressings? The whole grain phytonutrient, phytic acid (phytate), partially inhibits mineral absorption, but has a wide range of health-promoting properties such as anti-cancer activity. By concurrently eating mineral absorption enhancers, such as garlic and onions, one can get the best of both worlds by improving the bioavailability of iron and zinc in plant foods. Watch New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found. Another example of nutrient synergy is the reaction between black pepper and the spice turmeric as described in Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation. 	Funny you should post this as I was just researching how to get iron from plant sources. I had bariatric surgery in the past & my iron levels nose-dived so I’ve been on supplements for a while. It has been about a year and a half since I’ve had my iron levels checked so I do need to get this done but I did stop taking the supplements. Great post :-)Are there solutions for iron overload? My cousin was recently told by her doctor that there is too much iron in her blood and to reduce her intake of dark leafy greens. She is not vegan or vegetarian but I wonder if there are there other plants that she can eat to balance out iron overload?Reducing heme iron would make much more sense to me as the body has no mechanism to block heme iron, which is only from animals. The body can block noneheme, iron, which is from plants. This doctor of yours needs a basic nutrition class!Dr. Greger: do you know if vegan’s tend to have lower iron stores? I am a vegan and have had my iron stores checked a couple times, and they are on the low end of the spectrum. I am not anemic, and my stores have been pretty consistent for the last couple years. I also eat a lot of iron-rich foods on a regular basis. Are low iron stores something to worry about?Vegans do tend to have lower iron stores and “the requirement for iron is 1.8 times higher for vegetarians.” due to reduced absorption. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10026&page=351Those that do have lower iron stores absorb iron 20% more efficiently. If you are consuming lots of whole grains and leafy greens you should be ok.Iron deficiency is quite widespread, although not in its most severe forms, but not especially among vegans. I’m vegan, my hemoglobin – last test – is 15.9 and I am a blood donor.I wonder if you can comment on this study about sulfur dioxide, used to preserve color of apricots, golden raisins and other dried fruits:“Genotoxic effects of sulfur dioxide in human lymphocytes”Here is the abstract from Pubmed:Sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), which is used as food preservative in apricot sulfurization and several fabricated foods, is a common air pollutant. The aim of this study was to reveal the possible genotoxic effects of SO(2) using in vitro human lymphocytes. The different endpoints of genotoxicity: sister chromatid exchange (SCE), micronuclei (MN) tests and cell growth kinetics such as mitotic index (MI) and replication index (RI) were studied. The cells were treated with 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 ppm concentrations of SO(2). It was shown that SO(2) caused significant increases in the frequency of SCE and MN in the middle and high dosage groups and also induced mitotic delays and decreased MI and RI. In conclusion, the results have confirmed that SO(2) has potent mutagenicity and it can cause genetic damage leading to a malignancy  Regarding Dr. Greger’s statement: “The iron in animal foods can just zip right through our intestinal barrier, even if we already have too much. We just don’t have as much control.”Try looking for evidence for this statement in the sources cited by an earlier  video that made the same claim, namely:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/In the comments section under that video, you can see that several of us vigorously discussed this issue two months ago and found that the articles almost stated the exact opposite of what Dr. Greger claimed. Dissapointingly, Dr. Greger has not responded to the criticisms and is now pushing the same claim once again. Try this article: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/5/1461S.longIt indicates a much higher absorption of heme iron than non-heme iron.Stoaty: Thank you for sending this article, though I believe that your article is still arguing the opposite of what Dr. Greger is claiming.Dr. Greger is insinuating that the average meat eater should worry about getting toxic levels of blood iron due to poor control over heme iron absorption. The article you sent doesn’t say that at all. What it says is that iron absorption is a problem for many people with low iron and that heme iron (from meat), has higher absorption than non-heme iron (from plants) and is, thus, beneficial for those people with low iron.The only case where iron absorption becomes an issue for meat eaters is the rare genetic condition called heriditary hemochromatosis, where the control mechanisms do not work. I have yet to see any evidence supporting iron overload due to normal dietary consumption of meat in the general population. It is widely accepted in the scientific community that vegetarians and vegans who do not consume heme iron need to take precautions to avoid iron deficiency! That is the real issue and not what Dr. Greger is discussing. I worry that the average person reading Dr. Greger’s page’s will just believe what he says without confirming with original sources.“Humans do not have the ability to remove excess iron and therefore iron homeostasis is maintained by regulating the amount of iron entering the body from the diet.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21462105“In the U.S., a tolerable upper intake level (UL—the Tolerable Upper Intake Level represents the highest level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects for almost all individuals in the general population) for total iron intake (from all sources) of 45 mg/day was set for adults…It has been proposed that high iron intakes or high body iron burden may increase the risk of colorectal cancer [95], cardiovascular disease (CVD) [96,97], infection [97], neurodegenerative disorders [98], and inflammatory conditions [99]. The SACN report focused on the link between iron intakes/systemic iron, with colorectal cancer and CVD as these were considered to be the main issues of public health concern in the U.K. The report also considered effects of high exposures to iron on growth in iron replete children. Other conditions that have been associated with high iron intake/systemic iron, e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, and diabetes mellitus, were only briefly considered.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257743/pdf/nutrients-03-00283.pdfThis 45 upper limit can be achieved by consuming several sausages, and I would not doubt that people get to this upper limit easily if people are consuming iron supplements in addition to this. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sausages-and-luncheon-meats/1495/2Approximately 21 to 25 percent of women and 16 percent of men were reported to consume a supplement that contains iron. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10026&page=356I would agree though that getting too much iron is not an epidemic, but it is a possible concern from some who consume many processed meats and such. I agree that avoiding iron deficiency is a bigger concern in vegans and vegetarians although those consuming well rounded plant based diets do not need to worry about this issue.Toxins: Please see my detailed response to you below.I have personal experience in support of what Dr Greger is saying. I used to eat meat within an otherwise very healthy diet, and have recently learned that I had iron overload for many years all through my meat-eating period (iron levels way, way above the normal range, but I don’t have hemochromatosis). I now have early onset age-related macular degeneration, presumably as a result of this. Since switching to a vegan diet, despite quite a substantial iron intake from plant foods, my iron levels have come down into the normal rangeThe national academies of science agrees with Dr. Greger’s statement: “Heme iron is highly bioavailable and little affected by dietary factors.” http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10026&page=292I’ve been pondering the issue of blood letting (donating blood) and it’s possible use to reduce iron load…and also to force the body to make new blood cells as a rejuvinating method.  Any known info on this issue?If one is vegan, I would not be concerned as the body can block nonheme iron, but has  no mechanism to block blood iron from animals.A few years ago, I was one point away from needing a blood transfusion due to low iron. It was eight-point something; apparently, doctors recommend transfusions if your iron level falls to seven.Had none of the classic signs. No lethargy, not sluggish, was running races during this time. Got my iron up to the lower end in the normal range (twelve-point something), and donated blood — just for the heck of it, to help strangers. My iron fell to nine-point something, checked two weeks later.During a regular check-up last week, I was told my white blood cells were small, and that I had anemia — iron levels weren’t tested. Am doubling up on iron again, and I don’t plan on donating blood until I’m in menopause and am not menstruating … just my experience as physically active vegan female (vegetarian since 1994, vegan since 2000).Toxins: Thanks for engaging in debate on this topic. Let’s take a closer look at your source article: “Iron, Meat and Health” to learn the truth. Article available full text below:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257743/pdf/nutrients-03-00283.pdfPg. 286, paragraph 1: “Body iron content is approximately 4.0 g in men and 3.5 g in women.”Pg. 286, paragraph 2: “The body has no means of excreting excess iron. The only way in which iron is lost from the body is from desquamated skin cells and sweat (0.2–0.3 mg/day), urine (<0.1 mg/day), gastrointestinal secretions and hair and, in premenopausal women, from menses."My interpretation: When they say there is no means of excreting excess iron, they are referring to active removal of iron from body stores. But, a person with the typical 4.0 grams of iron stores, who stops consuming any iron will lose iron at a rate of about 0.4 mg/day, so it will take about 4000mg/(0.4mg/day) = 10000 days = 27 years to lose it all. As also explained in the article, the main way that iron build up is prevented, is by control over absorption into the body.Pg. 294, paragraph 1: "Iron is present in foods as heme or non-heme iron. Heme iron is found almost exclusively in foods of animal origin as hemoglobin and myoglobin. Non-heme iron is found in animal and plant tissues, fortified foods, and supplements. The most important determinant of dietary iron absorption is systemic iron need: more iron is absorbed from the diet in a state of iron deficiency and less is absorbed when iron depots are replete."My interpretation: There is, in fact, control over absorption of iron from heme or non-heme origin. It doesn't just build up indefinitely!Pg. 299, paragraph 1: "Acute high doses of iron can cause intestinal mucosal damage and systemic toxicity [91]. Lower exposures may interfere with the intestinal uptake, transfer, and systemic use of copper and zinc [92,93]."My interpretation: This means that the intestinal absorption mechanisms may stop working properly if someone consumes an extreme amount of iron, whatever the source (plant, animal or supplemental).Pg. 299, paragraph 4 (& continued on page 300): "In the U.S., a tolerable upper intake level (UL—the Tolerable Upper Intake Level represents the highest level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects for almost all individuals in the general population) for total iron intake (from all sources) of 45 mg/day was set for adults, which was also based on gastrointestinal effects. A UL for iron has not been set in Europe as adverse gastrointestinal effects were not considered a suitable basis to establish a UL for iron from all sources and there were insufficient data regarding other risks."My interpretation: Note the words "from all sources" = plant, animal, supplements. Also note the how the upper limit of 45 mg/day can be interpreted. Since every 100 grams of ground beef has 2 mg of iron: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/10526/2 Therefore, to reach the 45 mg /day US limit from ground beef alone, one would have to consume 100grams x (45 mg/2mg) = 2250 grams = 2.25 kg = 5 pounds of ground beef in one day. Therefore, they recommend that people try to eat less than the equivalent of 5 pounds of ground beef worth of iron per day.In conclusion, developing iron excess from meat consumption is a non-issue for all practical purposes! People who play around will iron supplements can, of course, hurt themselves by exceeding guidelines.I think your making some leaps and bounds with your summary, especially claiming that heme iron will not be absorbed by the body if the body has had enough. This is false as every medical journal points out “Heme iron is highly bioavailable and little affected by dietary factors…Heme is soluble in an alkaline environment and is less affected by intraluminal factors that influence nonheme iron uptake.” The control over iron absorption is primarily with nonheme iron, and this is well established.http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10026&page=292As i stated, one could easily reach the upper limit for heme iron eating PROCESSED meats, such as turkey sausage in this example.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sausages-and-luncheon-meats/1495/2Toxins: If non-heme iron was “less affected” in the sense that you are taking it to mean, then the guidelines would clearly state 45 mg/day applied to heme iron and not to non-heme iron. I read your article carefully and it was clearly indicating that 45 mg/day applied to both forms of iron. In fact, the majority of dietary iron comes from non-heme sources (as stated in your own reference). Therefore, if it were true that non-heme iron could be consumed without limit, then this would be a huge omission in the upper limit guidelines of the USA!As you probably know, the upper limit guidelines are always very conservative (i.e. in this case, meant to apply to those who are most sensitive to gastrointenstinal problems). But, let’s look at your sausage example…according to the link you sent, one italian sausage is 56 grams and contains 5.4 mg of iron. So you would have to eat more than 8.3 sausages in one day to exceed the upper limit for iron. By the same logic, though, one cup of cooked lentils contains 6.6 mg of iron. So according to the guidelines, one who consumes more than 6.8 cups of lentils in one day would also exceed guidelines. I personally find both of these cases to be equally ridiculous, so I don’t know why Dr. Greger would even bother to suggest that meat eaters are more at risk of iron overload than vegans.I think you must put it into perspective. The national academy of science does not assume everyone is consuming a vegan diet. You can read in the paper from the national academy of science the method in which nonheme iron is absorbed. Our gut has great control over the absorption of nonheme sources and therefore CAN block excess iron if needed. For the average American consuming an average omnivorous diet, these upper limits must be lumped together as nonheme and heme sources.Toxins: I have put this all in perspective.If you want proof that heme iron will not lead to toxicity in healthy individuals, I suggest that you check out the article titled “Iron absorption from the whole diet in men: how effective is the regulation of iron absorption?”….full text available by the link below:http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/66/2/347.longPlease note that this article is published in the most prestigious journal on nutrition, namely, ‘The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition’ and would thus have undergone a rigorous peer review.If you look at the graphs in this article closely, you will see that heme iron absorption is tightly regulated and toxicity will not occur.Quoting the authors directly, on page 8 they state:“When we directly compared the absorption from nonheme and heme iron, there was a rather steep decrease in heme iron absorption with decreasing nonheme-iron absorption (Figure 5). This means that the control of heme-iron absorption is also very effective. Thus these findings do not support a hypothesis that a high meat intake might lead to an accumulation of iron stores in normal men by bypassing the strong regulation of iron absorption.”The Article you present indeed proves your point quite well and it was the type of evidence I was looking for. So now we can make the assertion that one cannot achieve iron overload. Now I wonder why is it that heme iron has many associations with colon cancers and other cancers as well as certain mechanisms seen with heme iron promoting tumor growth, if we cannot achieve iron overload.Studies such as these present the risk: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17045417 http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/15/11/2274.long http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/16/6/1306.long http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2359661/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702301/ http://carcin.oxfordjournals.org/content/30/4/645.longPerhaps the issue is not whether we can overload on iron or not, but if we exclusively get iron from heme sources, an issue may arise.Toxins: I think that you are correct that one of the leading hypotheses for the well-known association between colon cancer and red meat consumption is that heme (which is a pro-oxidant) is causing damage to the intenstinal wall, leading to the cancer. I have the impression that there is not yet a scientific consensus that this is the actual cause of those cases of colon cancer, though, as you point out, there is certainly some evidence to support it.Dr. Gregor, I have a question regarding iron absorption. My girlfriend is anemic, and her doctor has recommended her to take iron supplements, which she doesn’t out of conviction. She asked me for some tips on how to boost her iron levels through diet, and this is the recommendations I made to her for now:You obviously don’t want to over-do it. Don’t make it a life purpose of eating a crazy amount of food rich in iron for now, but instead, make it a purpose to absorb better the iron you ingest. If this fixes the issue, good. If not, we can explore foods rich in iron. Also, don’t change your habits (as in: keep drinking coffee in the morning and tea as well). Ergo:1) Have a glass of orange juice in the morning2) Add red onions in your salad3) Add lemon juice (1/2 of a lemon is more than enough) in your tea4) Add garlic and onions in most of your meal, especially when eating pasta (due to Pectin)5) Eat a kiwi, orange or any other fruit rich in vitamin C after a mealThank you!P.S. I was at your conference in Montreal this Sunday, loved it!Am worried about my recently diagnosed low hemoglobin. I eat lots of beans and lentils as well as greens. And do eat onions and garlic and broccoli and peppers in my meals. I would hate to have my doctor point a finger at my plant-based diet. Would love suggestions.Arun – Hope you receive an answer. Was just diagnosed low hemoglobin also but am thinking am missing the C so just increased my rosehip intake with meals and will be more vigilant with other sources but don’t do citrus well. Am not sure what I’m missing but do not intend to go on Feosol as advised. Since this is an old video we probably won’t get the answer here.Thanks for sharing. I do mix citrus with my greens etc. Dr. now wants to test for internal bleeding. Let us see what transpires.Lately this has been on my mind quite a bit. more often than not, plant foods that are high in iron are also high in calcium, such as chia seeds, blackstrap molasses and sesame seeds. from what i’ve read, calcium seems to inhibit iron absorption, so does the high calcium content of foods such as chia seeds block the iron from being absorbed? or would one simply have to eat something high in vitamin C to negate the calcium’s effect?Yes. It could for foods that are super high in calcium and low in iron. This is why toddlers drinking too much milk (high in calcium) can have higher risk of iron-deficient anemia. Although foods like chia have both iron and calcium I don’t think it has the same concern as seen milk. Those minerals may compete for absorption, but with high amounts of both iron and calcium I suppose the body (being a very efficient biochemist) knows how to control for proper absorption. If concerned about mineral levels I suggest asking your doctor about the right testing. Hope that is semi-helpful.Do onions and garlic enhance absorption of other minerals such as calcium, or only iron and zinc?From what I see only iron and zinc.Dr Greger: Any guess on how the same action that improves iron and zinc absorption may also affect the absorption of magnesium and calcium? Could it inhibit the action of phytates in the traditional understanding of phytates as chelators? Or the contrary and prevent make iron and zinc more available at the cost of making magnesium or calcium less available?Complex question, Youcef! I am not entirely sure. I don’t think vitamin C helps the absorption of calcium and magnesium like it has been shown to do with iron. My understanding is that phytates will only affect those with nutritional deficiencies (think third world countries). For the majority of folks phytates in foods can be extremely healthful, as Dr. Greger explains. It seems garlic and onions enhance absorption. Some research shows consuming too much calcium may lower Vitamin D levels. I think all micronutrients work together and as you mentioned tend to compete with each other for absorption. I found some info on magnesium from NIH. My view is a well-rounded diet rich in whole-plant foods can provide all the nutrients needed without worrying about mineral absorption, unless of course your doctor has concerns or some levels appear low.Well, I used to share the same belief as you @disqus_wnYOIlS4ks:disqus until I started being interested in soil science and independently, nutrient variations in the same foods. I’ve only covered Selenium and Iodine so far, but it appears very clearly that at least trace elements vary a lot in foods. Selenium : http://www.youcefbanouni.com/1004/selenium-content-in-brazil-nuts-varies-greatly/ Catechins in tea (only as further evidence of concept): http://www.youcefbanouni.com/988/science-based-recipe-for-green-tea-and-white-tea-mouthwash/ Iodine: yet to be published.Based on variations in soils, and additionally variations in uptakes and plant synthesis, I was forced to reconsider my assumptions that a “well-rounded diet rich in whole-plant foods, unless of course your doctor has concerns or some levels appear low.” I may agree with you if doctors tested all the minerals but they don’t. The minerals looked at only a few minerals, analysis is only blood-based (which doesn’t always represent reserves) and even then often indirect metrics…I could go on :) I’d be glad if basic nutrient tests were done with a pinch of blood (or other) and did either direct or highly reliable indirect measurements.Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I like your site, and wow, I see some of Dr. Greger’s information how neat! I am interested in healthful soil and nutrient availability. Please help keep us informed here and continue to post.	Alzheimer's,anemia,arthritis,breast cancer,colorectal cancer,heart disease,infection,inflammation,iron,iron supplements	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iron-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-267	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	Eating To Extend Our Lifespan	Why can’t we live forever? Some animals do, and I don’t mean some 200 year old whale–I’m talking immortal. There are actually species of animals that don’t age and could technically go on living forever–and why not? In a sense, humans are immortal in that a few of our cells live on as sperm or egg cells lucky enough to find each other. Each of our kids grow out of one of our cells, and that alone (the fact that a single cell can grow into an entire person!) should make, in comparison, the notion of keeping our bodies going indefinitely seem trivial. Human longevity is certainly a hot research topic. Much of the research has focused on the role of DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), the most abundant steroid hormone in the human body. DHEA may help counteract the effects of stress, preserve female fertility, and it appears to be a strong predictor of longevity. Caloric restriction is thought to extend the lifespan of many animals by upregulating DHEA, which normally declines as we age. DHEA is sold as a “fountain of youth” over-the-counter dietary supplement, but concerns have been raised about safety, side effects, and quality control. There is, however, a natural way to boost DHEA levels. As I note in my 3-min. video The Benefits of Caloric Restriction Without The Actual Restricting, after just 5 days on an egg-free vegetarian diet blood levels of DHEA rise about 20%. Upon further testing, it seems that the bodies of those eating vegetarian weren’t necessarily producing more of it, but just losing less, something one normally only sees in fasting. Thus, by eating vegetarian one may be able to mimic the effects of caloric restriction, but without walking around starving all the time. For more on diet and life expectancy see Research Into Reversing Aging and Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies plus my 30 other videos on lifespan. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here. Recently, the risk factors for mortality were published for the Harvard Nurse’s Health Study, which is currently the most definitive long-term study ever on older women’s health. It is the subject of my 2-min. video What Women Should Eat to Live Longer. Since the leading cause of death was heart disease, it is no surprise that dietary cholesterol consumption was significant risk factor for death. The second leading cause was smoking-related cancer deaths. Comparing the two, consuming the amount of cholesterol found in just a single egg a day appears to cut a woman’s life short as much as smoking 5 cigarettes a day for 15 years. The most protective behavior they found was fiber consumption. Eating just a cup of oatmeal’s worth of fiber a day appears to extend a woman’s life as much as 4 hours of jogging a week–though there’s no reason we can’t do both! The one specific food most tied to longevity was nuts. Women appear to get 4 hours of weekly jogging benefit eating just two handfuls of nuts a week as well. Taking a step back, though, it’s worth noting that the intake of cholesterol, only found in animal foods, was associated with living a shorter life and the intake of fiber, only found in plant foods, was associated with living a longer life. 	Dr Gregor I would like to thank you for your commitment to the health and welfare of the lives that you touch through your research, this web site, you lectures etc.  I am an RN, I work in a Wellness Center in a Mental Health clinic. The average mental health patient can live up to 25 years less than the population at large. One of my jobs is to teach healthy nutrition. I use your information. It is a fantastic resource.  They are resistant, but I have been at it for four years and I can tell I have made some headway!  Dr Gregor,this is the best set of advice and videos that I have ever encountered! Thank you so much for sharing all of that — I am a real fan!warm regards, Stefanos Papanikolaou Department of Materials Science Yale UniversityI’ve never heard of an animal that lives forever.  How about an example?I found the answer in your video  The Benefits of Caloric Restriction Without The Actual Restricting,  Thanks!!Here is a link that discusses this in detail: http://www.epinions.com/content_4076773508?sb=1I have been following your videos for several months now and on the basis of the information therein, have shifted from a casual vegetarian diet toward a vegan diet. One request I have for your undoubtedly overworked staff — could you please post links to the references you cite in your videos? Usually I go to Google Scholar and copy the titles by hand. Having links would be a great help, especially if I am going to prostelytize the vegan gospel to others. :)Thanks for all you do!P.S. I don’t know why the website requires me to enter a name and e-mail address after I’ve already logged in?I post the links to all the papers under every video! Click on the Sources Cited link under any video. And there are two log-ins, one for the site and one for this comment section. I’m so glad you found the site useful!Dear Dr Greger,Upon reviewing your videos and blog posts on longevity I find an issue you have not yet addressed: optimal weight for longevity. There is a demonstrable correlation between longevity and weight as demonstrated by the life insurance mortality tables well-known “BMI J curve”. Since many dieters are doing so for longevity reasons it would be helpful to review the latest findings on optimal BMI for longevity.Sincerely,StephenIs it possible via diet and no smoking to overcome smoking a pack a day for 25 years?What if I practice CRON while also being a vegan and fast every other day? What would that do for lifespan?	caloric restriction,dehydroepiandrosterone,DHEA,egg-free,fertility,human longevity,processed meat,smoking,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	-
PLAIN-268	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/	Kiwi Fruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome	An estimated 10-20% of the general population suffers from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which accounts for about 4 million doctors’ visits a year. What can we do for these tens of millions of sufferers? In my video Kiwi Fruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome I profile a “kiwifruit intervention.” Researchers found that eating 2 kiwifruit a day for a month significantly “shortens colon transit time, increases defecation frequency, and improves bowel function” in those with constipation-type IBS. Furthermore, “No deleterious effects of kiwifruit consumption on psychological functioning or adverse events were found in these studies.” I would hope not! The reason the researchers put that in there, though, is to contrast kiwi fruit to tegaserod, the most frequently prescribed drug for IBS. Well, at least it was before it was pulled from the market out of concern that it was killing people by increasing their risk of heart attack and stroke. Thus, I’d suggest trying the kiwis first. The role of fruit, fiber, and antioxidants may help explain why people eating plant-based diets have improved bowel function in general. See my videos Bristol Stool Scale, Bulking Up on Antioxidants, Bowels of the Earth, Food Mass Transit, and Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants. What else can kiwis do? We’ve known that fruits, vegetables, and other whole plant foods rich in antioxidants can decrease oxidative damage to our DNA, but only recently has there been work done on dietary interventions to boost DNA repair, our second line of defense against cancer. We’re going to get some DNA damage in this polluted world no matter how healthy our diets and lifestyles are, so its critical to find ways to upregulate our DNA repair enzymes to better assist with stitching our DNA back together. What would happen if people were given some kiwifruits on and off for a few weeks? Find out in my video Kiwifruit and DNA Repair. The video ends with a question about trying to break through the kiwi plateau effect with other fruits and vegetables. Find out whether this was possible in the follow-up 3-min. video Plant-Based Diets and Cellular Stress Defenses. The results support the previous work on the importance of dietary diversity that I profiled in Apples and Oranges and Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation. The study of thousands of foods I mention is referring to Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods and Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. Note the study was measuring so-called “epigenetic” changes, meaning differential gene expression. Just because we have a certain set of genes doesn’t mean we can’t turn them on and off with changes in our diet (see Mitochondrial Theory of Aging and Convergence of Evidence). 	Should we eat the skin, or is most of the ebenfit from the fruit itself?I keep seeing videos by vegans claiming there was a  Japanese study that found that bananas contain a substance once they get black-spots that is found to slow cancer. Is there any truth to this?Dear Dr. Greger, thank you so much for your work!Though a vegan since 7 months, I avoid eating all fruits, onions and often legumes due to my fructose malabsorption.Nevertheless, the symptoms remain: bloating and flatulence. Nevermind what I am eating, I go to sleep and wake up with a bloated belly. No elimination diet helps. I am slim and petit, so it really shows and makes me feel very uncomfotable.In sum, I have this symptom since 6 years, though it got worse on a vegan diet.Do you have any idea, what I could do?I would be very thankful for your answer.Greetings from GermanyI am hoping he does something on fructose malabsorption. I have it too and discovered that avoiding onions, garlic, beans in large quantity, fruits, wheat, and breads has helped enormously. I eat a vegan gluten free diet and only get symptoms if I eat a food high in fructose or fructans. Check out the fodmaps diet. Good luckwhat do you do if you have IBS-D & a lot of food intolerances that are on the FOSDMAPS diet making the diet extremely restrictive,what do you do then? How do you stay vegan & get all the nutrition you need in an affordable way when beans are a big no-no?	antioxidants,cancer,DNA,fiber,fruit,heart attack,IBS,irritable bowel syndrome,kiwifruit,stroke,tegaserod	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	-
PLAIN-269	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/	Preventing and Treating Kidney Failure With Diet	Our kidneys are highly vascular organs. That’s why when you see kidneys in the meat case they look so red. After all, our two little kidneys have to filter through our entire blood supply and as such receive about 20% of our cardiac output every time our heart beats. So if the standard American diet can be so toxic to the blood vessels in our heart, back, abdomen, and pelvis, contributing to heart attacks (Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet), spinal disc degeneration (Cholesterol and Lower Back Pain), aneurisms (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Ticking Time Balloons), and sexual dysfunction (Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction), what might it be doing to our kidneys? In my 2-min. video, Preventing Kidney Failure Through Diet, I profile a recent Harvard study putting that question to the test. Thousands of women, their diets, and their kidney function were followed for a decade. The researchers found three significant risk factors for declining kidney function in these women; none of which come as a surprise given that we’re talking about clogged and inflamed blood vessels: animal protein, animal fat, and cholesterol. All three of these risk factors are only found in animal-based foods. No such association was found for plant protein or plant fat. Failing kidneys can be a canary in a coal mine, informing us about the health of our blood vessels. Quoting from the Harvard study, “modest decrements in kidney function are powerfully associated with subsequent overt kidney disease, cardiovascular risk, and all-cause mortality,” meaning a shortened lifespan. “In summary, diets lower in animal protein, animal fat, and cholesterol may be protective” against this kind of kidney damage. What if the damage has already been done, and you’re already suffering from chronic renal failure? That’s the subject of my video Treating Kidney Failure Through Diet. One of the important functions of our kidneys is to filter out excess phosphorus from our bloodstream, and so when our kidney function declines, phosphorus can build up in our bodies and cause something called metastatic calcification, where your heart valves and muscles and other parts of your body can buildup calcium deposits and eventually result in skin necrosis, gangrene, and amputations. So, if a person has diminished kidney function their doctor will likely put them on a low phosphate diet, which is tough, because basically everything with protein has phosphorus. So both plant foods and animal foods have phosphorus. But vegans have been shown to have significantly better kidney function, on average, compared to omnivores. So while researchers concluded that “These results can confirm the usefulness of vegetarianism here and support the use of a vegan diet for the patients with kidney failure,” maybe it was just because the omnivores were getting a higher protein load. We know that lower protein diets appear to delay the progression of kidney failure, so did the plant based diet help because they were eating less protein or because the body somehow is able to handle plant protein better than animal protein? To do that you’d have to split people into two groups, half on a vegetarian diet, half not, with the critical caveat to make sure both groups eat the exact same amount of protein and the exact same amount of phosphorus. And that’s exactly what researchers did. Published recently in the journal of the American Society of Nephrology, they took vegetarians and put them on a meat diet, and then took meat-eaters and put them on a vegetarian diet. Even though  phosphorus and protein intake were kept the same in both diet groups, in the video you can see an illustration of the level of phosphorus stuck in the bloodstream of those on the meat diet, compared to those on the veg diet. Something about plant foods appears to enable our bodies to better handle their phosphorus content. Plant phosphorus appears easier to cleanse away. Positive results have been seen with even semi-vegetarian diets, but the reason the new study  “observed more dramatic differences after only 1 week, was perhaps because of the pure vegetarian diets used in our study. Taken together, vegetarian-based diets may be beneficial for the control of phosphorus balance in patients with chronic kidney disease.” 	If we need another reason to eat a plant-based diet this would be a good one to add to the exhaustive list.Thank you for great information presented in in easily digestible fashion. Love the videos too!A good video, but my compputer had you speaking over yourself about a different topic.  I’m not sure if everyone has this problem, but I did, and it’s under no other e-mail I have ever read.Hi Michael, I am a great fan of the extraordinary work you do.  I have 4 questions for you: 1- in the Spanish study, Crossover study of diets enriched with virgin olive oil, walnuts or almonds. Effects on lipids and other cardiovascular risk markers, how significant are the results of this study considering the fact that the groups went from a baseline intake of cholesterol of 231 mg/d to about 130 mg/d when they change from their regular diet to the experimental diet with olive oil or nuts?2- When you attended McDougall Adavance Weekend last February you were going to ask a question following Fuhrman’s and McDougall’s debate. I am curious to know what you were going to ask? I am assuming that you are not a great supporter of McDougall’s high CHO diet. 3- Contrary to McDougall Dr. Willett from Harvard substantiates well the need for PUFA and MUFA in the diet. What is your take on Willett position? 4- What is the risk for vegans who eat the way you suggest to become deficinet in DHA, as reported by Fuhrman? Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, André SaineDr. Greger, thank you for all that you do.Is there any risk in worsening chronic kidney disease with a vegan diet, due to the increased potassium in plant foods? If someone has diminished GFR, would the extra potassium from plants overwhelm there glomeruli or would it bring their kidney function back?Thank you.I still don’t understand if a diabetic with kidney problems can still eat plant-based protein or should plant-based proteins be eliminated as well? When one reads about a renal diet, which is low protein, are nutritional guidelines including plant-based proteins or not? Can’t figure this out! ICarole: I can’t comment on your specific condition of diabetes *and* kidney problems. (what a bummer). But I did want to respond to this part of your comment: “can still eat plant-based protein or should plant-based proteins be eliminated as well?”I don’t think the question fully makes sense since all plant foods have protein. You might be surprised at how much protein even veggies have. So, unless you were planning on never eating plants, you can’t eliminate plant based proteins. You could try to eat plants that only have less proteins, but then you would be missing out on some super-healthy foods – foods that in general are less in protein than animal foods I believe. So, I don’t see how you could go wrong eating them??? (I’m not a doctor and don’t know about advising you for your specific condition.)For a really great tutorial in understanding proteins and our need for it and how much plants of all types have, check out this awesome page: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlI hope this helped at least a little. Good luck.	animal fat,animal protein,cholesterol,Harvard study,heart attacks,kidney,meat,plant fat,plant protein,Standard American Diet	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/	-
PLAIN-270	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	Is Caffeinated Tea Really Dehydrating?	Phytonutrients exclusive to the tea plant appear so powerful that they can reverse disease even when just applied to the skin. Now officially incorporated into the Centers for Disease Control STD Treatment Guidelines, the topical application of green tea extracts on external genital warts results in an astounding 100% clearance in more than half the patients tested (see my 2-min. video Treating Genital Warts With Green Tea). Green tea may even stop skin cancer. In Treating Gorlin Syndrome With Green Tea, I describe a remarkable case report of a woman with basal cell nevus syndrome, a rare genetic condition in which one’s body becomes covered in skin cancers. Her cancer was apparently reversed with topical green tea body wraps. This builds on research into the dietary reversal of other cancers (see Cancer Reversal Through Diet?). These examples are a testament to the Power of Plants. It’s in line with research on cinnamon (The Safer Cinnamon), saffron (Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s), watermelon (Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction), flaxseeds (Just the Flax, Ma’am), and Indian gooseberries (Amla Versus Diabetes). Since there are few or no downsides to plant food remedies–if anything, lots of positive side effects!–I have rarely hesitated to prescribe such natural products in my own medical practice. Which type of tea is best to consume internally? The same leaves of the same plant are used to make white, green, oolong, and black tea. The primary difference is how they are processed; white being the least processed and black being the most. In Green Tea vs. White, I showed that green tea has the most antioxidant power–unless you added lemon, in which case white tea pulls ahead. New research has taken this a step further and tested their respective abilities to prevent DNA damage. In my 2-min. video Antimutagenic Activity of Green vs. White Tea, green is pitted against white in a head-to-head test against a potent carcinogen found in grilled chicken. White won, and the longer it was brewed, the more protective it became. The longer-the-better brewing time didn’t surprise me, but this did: Cold Steeping Green Tea. Another way to maximize the phytonutrient absorption from tea is to eat it; see Is Matcha Good for You? and A Better Breakfast. One can overdo it though (see Overdosing on Tea). Other ways to protect one’s DNA include eating broccoli, avoiding bacon, not overdoing stevia, as well as eating a plant-based diet in general (see Repairing DNA Damage and Research Into Reversing Aging). Isn’t caffeinated tea dehydrating though? Comparing up to 6 cups of caffeinated black tea a day to water, researchers studied the common assertion that tea acts as a diuretic and is not as hydrating as plain water. Find out the results in my short video Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating? The nutrition without calories concept in the video refers, not surprisingly, to my video Nutrition Without Calories. 	I really love Hibiscus tea. Tastes great. I think my DNA likes it too.Can atrial fib. patients safely drink caffeinated teas in moderation? I love tea but have avoided caffeinated teas in recent years since my diagnosis. Do decaf teas also provide the same health benefits?Dr. Greger, does drinking nut/seed-based milks, like hemp or almond, interfere with absorption of antioxidants in tea (particularly green tea)?  I saw the study on this with soy and cow’s milk that said they did interfere and wondering whether the same is true of nut milks.  Thanks!Dear Dr. do you have an opinion on Yerba Mate?yes, see his video here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-yerba-mate-tea-bad-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-yerba-mate/ Thanks but millions of people drink mate all day and there are not more cases of cancer.What your stating is not factually based with evidence that millions of people who drink mate do not get cancer. We should strive to avoid as many carcinogens as possible. The evidence is people are alive in heavy drinking countries and not getting more cancer due to mate. Where is your evidence that mate causes cancer? carcinogenic and mutagenic properties of yerba mate.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18483349 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19733686And? Where is the proof of a CAUSAL relation? Any epidemiological study? If you search you can also find anti cancer properties https://www.google.com.ar/search?q=anti+cancer+yerba+mate Also you can find carcinogenics in tea https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2611137/?page=1 You need a study to show that these potent carcinogens specifically from yerba mate cause cancer? This is what carcinogens tend to do. You can find anything on the internet. I am more interested in the science.In the science of what? Yes in science we need studies and you do not have any to prove a causal relation between mate consumption and cancer.I have already shared with you the studies	amla,antioxidants,bacon,broccoli,cancer,cinnamon,flaxseeds,genital warts,gorlin syndrome,Green tea,phytonutrients,saffron,skin cancer,stevia,tea,watermelon	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/	-
PLAIN-271	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/how-much-arsenic-in-rice-came-from-chickens/	How Much Arsenic In Rice Came From Chickens?	It may be no coincidence that the rice found most contaminated with arsenic originated from some of the top poultry producing states such as Arkansas, Texas, and Missouri. Earlier this year, researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health found levels of arsenic in chicken feather meal up to 100 times that found in apple juice by Dr. Oz last year and 10 times that just found in rice. Feather meal is made from the billion pounds of feathers plucked from chicken carcasses annually (sometimes with heads, guts, manure, and feet thrown in to increase protein and mineral content) and is fed to farmed fish, pigs, poultry, and cattle as well as used to fertilize both conventional and organic crops. Chicken manure is also used directly as feed and fertilizer and has been found to significantly increase arsenic levels in the soil. Some of the arsenic in apple juice and rice may from the use of arsenic-containing pesticides, but how did arsenic get into the chickens? The poultry industry fed it to them. Two million pounds of arsenic-containing chemicals have been fed to chickens annually in the United States. Why would the industry do such a thing? When tens of thousands of birds are crammed into filthy football field-sized sheds to lie beak-to-beak in their own waste they can become so heavily infested with internal parasites that adding arsenic to the feed to poison the bugs can result in a dramatic increase in growth rates. Arsenic can also give the carcass a pinkish tinge, which consumers prefer. Though arsenic-based feed additives have been banned in Europe for over a decade, they continue to be legal in the United States. One drug company did announce last summer, that it has suspended sales to domestic poultry companies after the FDA found concerning levels of a particularly toxic form of arsenic in edible tissues of chickens eating feed laced with their arsenic-containing drug. Unfortunately, the drug company continues to manufacture and export the feed additive and another arsenic-containing poultry drug remains on the U.S. market. 	Hi,Huge fan of your site and your work. Saw this article today and in it the expert states there are myriad scientific studies supporting meat and dairy being good for you. Do you know what she is referring to and if so why don’t they appear on your site?http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444184704577587174077811182.html?KEYWORDS=colin+campbell&utm_source=Master+List&utm_campaign=b40238e54a-Newsletter_Sept_2012_tracking&utm_medium=email#articleTabs%3DarticleKind regards,Gary There is not a myraid of studies showing meat to be “healthy”. The opposite is true. The article provides no sources of evidence.Hi Gary,I followed your link, and also read the comments following the two opposing viewpoints. Seems the pro-meat lady has a few conflicts of interest, as a few astute commenters pointed out:http://www.cag.uconn.edu/nutsci/nutsci/hpg/nrr.htmlA lot of her grant money comes from Big Beef / Dairy. It’s hard to bite the hand that feeds.Pingback: How Much Arsenic in Rice Came From Chickens Just to Pinken Their Flesh? « plantcentric()It always leads back to the same place. Follow the meat trail.I notice that the uncle Ben’s brown rice had levels of arsenic higher then what was recommended in the consumer reports. I tend to eat several servings of this rice nearly everyday. Is this a cause for concern? Hey, Toxins, thanks ;^)I am not sure why, but your welcome! I would be concerned with the consumption of arsenic in any amounts. I also consume brown rice regularly and take steps to minimize the amount of arsenic by using organic brands. I enjoy your posts keep up the great work. Best wishes.Is it true that organic rice has less arsenic?  I was looking at the FDA’s results from their testing and it seemed that organic rice had just as much, sometimes more, inorganic arsenic as conventional rice:http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/Metals/ucm319916.htm#Good work!  All heavy metals have common problems in that they do not go away (dissapate,”break down” etc.)  and once dispersed in the environment will continue to be a problem.   In addition, they all carry a heavy toxic burden and accumulate in any creature consuming them by whatever means.  It would be interesting to find out how much of this is ending up in sewage, lakes, rivers etc.It is troubling that lead could be eliminated from gasoline because of environmental effects but arsenic cannot be eliminated from chicken feed because of health effects. Richard Pendarvis (Ph.D. Chemistry)Is this a problem with just domestic rice or also imported rice – India, China, SE Asia etc? Good question.  I am also interested because ever since I saw Dr. Gerger’s video on the anti-oxidants in red rice, I have been eating red rice whenever I eat rice.  The rice I get is from an Asian market.  I don’t know it’s source, but I wonder if it is actually has less arsenic because maybe they do not have arsenic fed chickens near their rice paddies?  Just speculation on my part…more of the same:http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/09/waiter-theres-arsenic-my-riceQuestion for Dr. Greger – I have been showing videos in my classes and students have asked about the “safety” of consuming “organic” and “grass-fed” meat (chicken, beef), etc., since they are not necessarily fed other animals (Cannibalistic Feed Biomagnification). I respond by telling them that they will still be ingesting hormones (naturally occuring in the animals), saturated fat, cholesterol and bacteria… Anything else that I can add?Yes, you can talk about endotoxins, xenoestrogens, increases in igf-1 and arachidonic acid. All are inherent components of meat whether organic or conventional.http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=endotoxin http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=IGF-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=xenoestrogen http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=arachidonic+acidPingback: What happened to our food? | VItal Health and Nutrition()Arsenic compounds have been used to promote growth in poultry and pigs for years, perhaps, even decades. The US FDA is one of its biggest promoters, as is big pharma. Furthermore, it is in the litter of poultry and appears to be allowed to be used by organic agricultural producers. http://www.scribd.com/doc/40823928/Arsenic-in-Poultry-Litter-Organic-Regulations I recall that lead arsenate was once allowed in orange groves in Florida and perhaps, also in California. The practice I think was eventually halted when the arsenic-lead combo built up enormously in the soil. Although, I must say, I have not revisited this issue in decades. No wonder so many of Americans have arsenic in our tap water. Where I live in South Louisiana, arsenic is at 3 ppb, but in Western Texas, it’s really high –in the alert levels. My fingers are often numb, and I’ve thought about putting in a R.O filter, so I don’t consume arsenic in my tap water. But, couldn’t it be in foods we eat as well other than poultry and pigs? Cadmium accumulates in certain vegetables according to the California Air Resources Board. What is to stop arsenic from accumulating in other crops as well?	apple juice,arsenic,chicken,Dr. Oz,FDA,poultry,rice	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-rice/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21916049,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22244353,
PLAIN-272	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/	How Does Meat Cause Inflammation?	The anti-inflammatory effect of plant-based diets is about more than just the power of plants. It’s also the avoidance of animal foods. In my blog last week, Treating Crohn’s Disease With Diet, I profiled the extraordinary power of even a semi-vegetarian diet to calm inflammatory bowel disease. We’ve known for 14 years that a single meal of meat, dairy, and eggs triggers an inflammatory reaction inside the body within hours of consumption. This results in a stiffening of our arteries (you can see the arterial response curve in my 4-min. video The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation). Within 5 or 6 hours, the inflammation starts to cool down, but then what happens? Lunchtime! At that point we can whack our arteries with another load of animal products for lunch. In this routine, we may be stuck in a chronic low-grade inflammation danger zone for most of our lives. This can set us up for inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers one meal at a time. What exactly is causing the meat-induced inflammation? Inflammation is an immune response to a perceived threat, but what’s the body attacking? At first, scientists thought it might be the animal protein, which is thought to be the culprit in certain types of arthritis. However, similar inflammatory reactions were triggered by whipped cream, which is mostly just animal fat. After digging deeper, investigators discovered that after a meal of animal products one’s bloodstream becomes soiled with bacterial toxins known as endotoxins. No wonder there’s so much inflammation! But where are the endotoxins coming from? Endotoxins come from bacteria. Where are there lots of bacteria? In our gut. Thus, researchers figured that maybe the saturated animal fat was causing our gut lining to become leaky, allowing our own bacteria to slip into our blood stream. Experiments on mice showed that indeed saturated fat made their guts leaky, so for years this was the prevailing theory as to why animal products caused inflammation within hours of consumption. Only recently did researchers realize this didn’t make any sense. In my 2-min. video The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory, I illustrate the critical flaw to the leaky gut theory: the time scale. The rise in inflammation after a meal of meat, dairy, and eggs starts within just an hour of ingestion, but our gut flora aren’t in our small intestine–rather, twenty feet farther down in our large intestine. It can take food hours to get down there, so what was going on? If the bacterial endotoxins were not coming from our gut, maybe they were coming from the food. For the first time ever, 27 common foodstuffs were tested and they found endotoxin equivalents in foods such as pork, poultry, dairy, and egg products, as well as certain fermented foods. Can endotoxins be cooked out of the meat? Find out in the final wrap-up video in the series, Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia. 	I love how these blogs pull information together in such a way that add so much value to the videos.In this case, I have a question about the saturated fat paragraph.  It seems like every time someone mentions the problems with saturated fat, someone else starts talking about medium vs long chains, etc.  They throw out a lot of technical jargon for which I am not familiar.  What I want to know is, what is the response to someone who says that some saturated fats (for example, maybe from coconut oil) has been shown to be good for one? I would guess that the response might be: “you can throw out all the jargon and theories that you want, but when tested, all saturated fats come out having the same effects on the body when it comes to negative health impacts.”  But is that true?  Or did I just make that up?  I can’t tell from Dr. Greger’s videos whether he is addressing the issue of medium vs long chains in fats. I’ll just add in response to my own comment: “…some saturated fats (for example, maybe from coconut oil) has been shown to be good for one? ”  I have read Toxin’s reply specifically about studies on coconut oil.  If I understood Toxin’s reply, he (she?) is saying that the studies really do not support coconut oil as being good for one.  But is that a direct answer to when people start talking about length of fat chains?  I just want to know if there is really an answer to this or not.Toxins, why classify coconut oil as a junk food. Then you would have to classify most if not all oils as junk food. People are not normally eating oil as a food, but are using it to cook food. Comparing it to other oils and not food, it is head and shoulders above other oils. Its lauric acid is antiviral, antifungal and aids the immune system. Its medium chains fatty acids are better than the long chain fatty acids of other oils because it is metabolized much more quickly and are used for quick energy, rather than being stored as triglycerides in fat cells as do much of the oil from other veggie oils do.All oils are junk food based on the definition of a junk food. Why would you consume something on the basis that it is antiviral and fungal? should we begin consuming alcohol based on this presumption? Where is your evidence for your claims or do you follow the bandwagon and recite what an appealing article has stated?Yes you can classify coconut oil as having empty calories but I wouldn’t classify it as a junk food. Being realistic about coconut oil consumption, it is not consumed as a food like hotdogs and hamburgers, that replace meals that are healthier and are higher in nutritional value. Coconut oil is an additive used to either cook are season foods, and most people are not drinking a gallon of coconut oil in a sitting to satisfy their food needs. I study everything I write about and you can look at my articles on http://www.naturallifeenergy.com. I would tell people to stay away from junk foods, but I wouldn’t tell people to stay away from coconut oil, because it has many health/nutrition benefits. If you are really interested in finding out about the benefits of coconut oil you can easily find scholarly articles on the web.I believe you are missing the point entirely, the evidence used for coconut oil is quite scant and I have not seen any concrete studies that have supported coconut oil to the degree of making the claim that it is a healthful “condiment”, in ones diet.The link you posted to natural life energy leads me to this article http://www.naturallifeenergy.com/lower-cholesterol-ratio-with-coconut-oil/ which is purely anecdotal, and I am missing the studies. Anecdotal evidence is the least reliable form of evidence.Here are some of the most common studies I have seen used to support the use of coconut oil.Forty obese women cut their food intake by 200 calories a day and exercised four days a week. Half of them used two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 240 calories’ worth) every day in their cooking and the other half used soybean oil.After three months, both groups had lost the same amount of weight, about two pounds. To me this is not at all significant, and it could very well be attributed to the loss of calories as well as the exercise, not the oil.http://www.missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Coconuts/oil%20and%20obesity.pdfPlacebo and coconut fat takers scored no different on a cognitive impairment test when the subjects were randomized. If they weren’t randomized (which could represent stacking up the placebo group with very sick patients) then the coconut fat consumers scored slightly better after 45 days. After 90 days though everyone pretty much evened out. This is not something I would use as evidence to support the notion that coconut oil can help with Alzheimers.http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/6/1/31In the only study done in people in the last 17 years, Malaysian researchers last year found that when they fed young men and women 20 percent of their calories from coconut oil for five weeks, LDL cholesterol was 8 percent higher and HDL cholesterol was 7 percent higher than when the participants were fed 20 percent of their calories from olive oil.Just because both bad cholesterol and good cholesterol went up does not mean that coconut oil is protective against heart disease. This doesn’t make good sense.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2011/10/26/ajcn.111.020107.full.pdfEven using coconut oil as a condiment in the fashion that you are claiming, a mere tablespoon has 120 empty calories and 12 grams of saturated fat. 8 grams of this saturated fat is medium chain fatty acids which we have very limited evidence to claim is completely negligible as well as 3.7 grams of saturated fat for which to which we know to be unhealthful. A tablespoon is easy to add to food and people likely add much more throughout the day leading to excess calories and saturated fat, needlessly. The national academy of science notes that any incremental increase in saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease incrementally. Using this advise, we should consume whole plant foods and if we choose to include nuts in our diet, choose the healthiest variety with the best omega 6:3 ratios.So I ask you again to show me the evidence for your claims.That is a nice plant based website AqiylHenry btw, thanks. Esselstyn says if you have heart disease stay away from all refined oils and oily plants; Campbell in his new book Whole says that isolated nutrients are rarely as healthy as the whole plant source (unless you are treating a deficiency) and often less healthy. So I don’t try to micromanage my nutrient levels anymore, I just eat a varied diet and stay away from anything refined (like oils), extracted or isolated and stick with whole foods – no supps other than B12. Coconut oil is quite good topically btw !Thanks Dan. I totally understand about eating “a varied diet and stay away from anything refined (like oils), extracted or isolated and stick with whole foods.” As you can see I eat a plant based diet, which consists mostly of wholefoods, and mostly raw. I use coconut oil and olive oil minimally. I oil pull with coconut oil which has greatly helped my oral hygiene and I used to drink a tablespoon of coconut oil before strenuous workouts like my 50 mile bicycle, for quick energy. I am moving towards more carbs, lots of fruits, for energy while reducing my fat intake, so I have cut down on the coconut oil, but it has been good for quick energy. I also ate lot of nuts, but I am going the way of carbs, (fruits). Coconut oil does indeed contain medium chain fatty acids and this may be metabolized differently but there are very few studies to make the conclusion that coconut oil is “ok” or that medium chain saturated fats are negligible. A tablespoon of coconut oil has about 11.7 grams of saturated fat. about 8 grams of this is medium chain saturated fat and about 3.7 grams of this is long chain saturated fat. We have an abundance of evidence concluding that that long chain saturated fats are harmful so we cannot consider this oil a healthy option based on that alone.As far as minerals and vitamins go, there is not one significant vitamin or mineral in coconut oil. The only vitamin present in a tablespoon of coconut oil is .1 micrograms of vitamin k which does not even register as a percentage of daily value. Its also absent of any omega 3 fats. Just looking at coconut oils nutritional profile we see that it is clearly a junk food. Junk food is by definition empty calories. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2 Thank you Toxins!  That is a clear and extremely helpful answer.  Now I know what to say to people.nonsense coconut oil is nbo junk food seriously why are u even promoting this bogus science GO LOOK AT THE MOVIE FAT HEAD U F**KING MORONcoz seriously people like u make me sickPlus: only 50% of the saturated fats are medium chain – the rest is normal longchain…I think Dr. Gregor deserves the Nobel prize in medicinein my opinion no he dosen’t that’s just my opinion don’t have to agree with meNianbo, I saw your rather unprofessional and quite ridiculous comment in my email that you deleted below and I urge you to raise your standard for evidence. Using a movie as the base of your argument is simply bad science.hey dude it’s my opinionhello mr lowfat now lot’s of expert’s disagree with the lipid hypothesis coz when the expert’s did studys to prove saturated fat causes heart disease they found there is no link between sat fats and disease not only that u have to look at the kind of study coz almost all observational studys don’t prove anything coz they don’t find a link but a clinical study actually is well controlled and does find a link i’m doneThats a dilema. By seperating the observed objekt in Clinical studys you construkt a unnatural envirement. And by just looking at oberservational studys you dont get to the detail. We are stuck :(Thanks for this excellent explanation!  Could you please start listing references to your posts so those of who are interested in learning where you get your information can also review the sources?I do! Below each video there’s a Sources Cited section with all the papers–with links!Thanks Dr. GregerThis doesn’t appear to be a video and I don’t find any sources cited. Can you point me to them please.Dr. Greger — This is really informative.  Thank you.  Can you please share where we may find the 27 foods that were tested, which include fermented foods?  We aren’t talking tempeh or sauerkraut here, are we?  Gulp.  :-/I obtained a shower gel containing coconut oil. It appears to cause jock itch which came after using the gel, failed to respond to doctor prescribed treatments and almost completely departed when gel use was discontinued. Was the condition feeding on the coconut oil?probraby other factorsthis article is total BULLSHIT IT’S JUST BULLSHIT michael greger u just don’t try to post ur propaganda on us it’s totally unscientific geddit and btw it’s refined carbs that cause inflammation and also carbs increase insulin and make u store fat just look at weson a price and the movie fat head they will tear apart this shitty propagandawhoever wrote this i’m betting he is either a paid liar or a quack. coz saturated fat dosen’t oxidize if at all and talk about oxidized fats and omega 6 they are even more pro inflammatory saturated fats are’nt inflammatory coz they are heat stablewhich were the fermented foods that had endotoxins–I eat a lot of them for the health benefits–so I guess these endotoxins mean not to eat the particular fermented foods carrying them–therefore, important to know which ones to eliminate. thank youoh, just realized that endotoxins can have beneficial effect, so clearly the fermented foods are beneficial, no need to eliminate.Has anyone tested the reaction in organic grass fed meat in comparison to factory farm meat?Those academics think they are smart. They can´t blame seafood to be bad because it contains DHA, DPA, and EPA in a good ratio to ARA. All this crap meat they sell is not healthy, poultry, and pig is the worst. Grassfed beef contains at least a decent amount of DHA, DPA and EPA and less ARA than this crap. Less fat, a lot of CLA AND VA can´t be that bad. Fowl is also bad. So if you eat meat eat grass fed beef and wild meat except fowl is a good choice. Don´t be afraid of dairy, soured milk, youghurt, medium fat cheese is a good choice. Many people say milk is not natural it is for babies or calves but they eat a lot of high fat dairies like butter, fat french cheese and cream. Enjoy your grass fed steak and treat it gently. Eat some seafood sometimes and a lot of fruit and vegitables and let the suckers eat poultry and pig. I am a former ovo lacto vegitarian and now I am a pescetarian.	animal fat,animal protein,anti-inflammatory,arteries,bacteria,breast cancer,crohn's disease,dairy,diabetes,eggs,endotoxin,gut,heart disease,inflammation,meat,pork	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	-
PLAIN-273	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/	Treating Crohn’s Disease With Diet	Inflammation has recently emerged as an important player in the development of age-related disability and many of our major chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Now that laboratory tests such as C-reactive protein have been developed, we can measure the effects different foods and diets have on inflammatory markers. Most plant-based foods decrease inflammation. Processing destroys the anti-inflammatory effects of some (garlic decreases inflammation but garlic powder does not), but improves these effects in others (tomato juice decreases inflammation but whole tomatoes do not). For a review of which plants have been found to be most anti-inflammatory, check out my 3-min. video Anti-inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes. Do these anti-inflammatory plant foods actually have an impact on inflammatory disease mortality though? In my 2-min. video Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell I profile a new study out of Australia, which followed about 2,500 older adults and their diets for 15 years. In that time, about 200 participants died of inflammatory diseases, allowing the scientists to calculate the specific aspect of the survivors’ diets that seemed to help the most. It was nuts! The equivalent of half a walnut a day appeared to cut the risk of dying from inflammatory disease in nearly half. Fish consumption, to their surprise, didn’t seem to help, which may be due to pro-inflammatory industrial pollutants that build up the food chain. This may help explain why most studies done to date on those eating vegetarian or vegan have found lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers in their bodies. However, just because plant-based diets decrease markers of inflammation doesn’t necessarily mean that plant-based diets can successfully be used to fight inflammatory disease. To find that out, you’ve got to put it to the test. The gold standard for evidence in nutritional science is an interventional trial. You split people into two groups and ask half to go on one diet, half to go on another, and then stand back and see what happens. That’s just what researchers recently did for the  inflammatory bowel condition known as Crohn’s disease, profiled in my 4-min. video Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease. Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune condition where your immune system attacks your own intestines. There is no cure; all you can do is try to keep it in remission as long as possible between attacks. Sufferers are often put in anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs and may find themselves in and out of the hospital getting segments of their intestines surgically removed. Since it’s the intestine itself that’s inflamed, it would seem a good condition to test out the anti-inflammatory power of plant-based diets. We’ve known that meat, cheese, fish, and animal protein in general has been found to increase risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease but what about plants to to not just prevent, but treat it? Japanese researchers took a group of Crohn’s patients in remission, either because they just came out of surgery or because they were able to beat it back with steroids. And for two years asked half of them to eat a semi-vegetarian diet, meaning in this case vegetarian except for half a serving of fish a week, and half a serving of other meat once every two weeks, so less than one serving of meat per week. Now this wasn’t a prison study or anything, these were free-living adults, so the results are not what necessarily happens when Crohn’s sufferers actually go on a plant-based diet, but what happens when people they are just told to eat a more plant based diet and how much they comply is up to them, which makes the results even more astounding. You can see the graph in the video, but basically 200 days into the study all of the patients told to eat more of a plant-based diet were still in remission, but about 20% of the group not told to eat anything different relapsed. After a year 100% of the semi-veg group still symptom free, but the disease re-emerged in half of the standard diet group. And at the end of two years, 92% of the patients told to eat a more plant-based diet remained without disease, whereas the majority of those not given that advise relapsed back in the cycles of drugs, hospitalizations and surgery. And that horrible relapse rate is typical on typical diets. Most Crohn’s sufferers relapse within a a year or two–unless, it seems, they start eating healthier. Remission rate, meaning disease-free status, with the semi-vegetarian diet was 100% at 1 year and 92% at 2 years. To the best of the researcher’s knowledge this is the best result in relapse prevention ever reported. 	I put my severe Crohn’s disease into remission by following a vegan, high-nutrient diet.  Not only did my symptoms disappear; four of the five blood markers (IBD serology panel) normalized as well!  My gastroenterologist had told me that those blood markers are regularly tested to see whether various medications are effectively treating a person’s IBD; he said it was pointless to test when ‘just’ changing diet, because it would not make a difference.  It feels wonderful to prove him wrong!  I have been in remission for two years now. Linda:  Thank you so much for sharing your story. That’s so inspiring!  Congratulations on taking your health into your own hands.Linda, I’m SO happy for u!  Im struggling immensely with Crohn’s/colitits.  May I ask u to post a typical day’s food log?  I’d love to see exactly what u are eating, for it may help me out in terms of healing my own IBD.Are u taking any supplements?  If so, which?How is your digestion with certain foods?  Do u avoid any in particular or have any that u just have major difficulty digesting?Thanks for the help!  I pray things continue to go so well!Gee, Chrohn’s sounds like a terrible disease :(. How wonderful there is a way to treat it through diet. We’ve just gone so extreme in our ways that the simple act of eating is something we have to re-learn. We’re a suicidal bunch!I think it’s interesting that foods have different effects based on even the most simple processing, such as drying as with the garlic.I love this post, Dr. Greger.  You did such a great job of explaining this story.  These blog posts are very important support for the videos.  The videos are great.  But the way they get put together with the little blog posts makes it all incredibly awesome.I got rid of my Crohns completely following a raw vegan diet. Literally no symptoms and no medication anymore. I used to be on 30g prednisolone a day and it was making me miserable.You mention arachidonic acid in your article as being implicated in IBD, an inflammatory condition. Arachidonic acid is present in peanuts, does this mean we should avoid eating peanuts and peanut butter?Thanks so much for all your amazing videos and blog entries! Shanah Tovah!Arachadonic acid is processed down from omega 6. Large amounts of pre formed arachadonic acid is found in eggs and chicken. Similarly, flax contains omega 3 which processes down to DHA and EPA. Preformed DHA and EPA can be found in algae oil supplements (although not necessary).So the point is we should try to consume the right amount of omega 3 and omega 6. An adequate ration of omega 6 to omega 3 is 4:1.This ratio is an overall ratio for a day. Now peanuts have a ratio of 4400:1 and almonds have a ratio of 1800:1. So we should limit the amounts of these nuts we consume. Omega 3 and omega 6 share the same enzymes for processing and the enzymes go where the higher concentration is. So if you consume too much omega 6, the omega 3 will be left out and you end up with unprocessed omega 3, which is not good. So peanuts do not contain arachadonic acid, but the high omega 6 content can create it in your body.The nuts/seeds with the best ratios are flax and chia seeds as well as walnuts.Hi Toxins, Thanks so much for the explanation. I love peanut butter but this is very good incentive to stay out of the stuff. I’ll stick with the flaxseed, chia seed and walnuts. Hi Toxins, Thanks for the great explanation. I guess I’ll cut out the PB and stick with the chia seed and walnuts.In answer to ‘Linda’ below: Any doctor (especially a GI doc!) who would state that diet couldn’t affect a disease like Crohn’s is an idiot.  Although I’ve been in remission for years, there’s still foods I wouldn’t dare eat because of the residual damage and strictures. I work as a medical transcriptionist and in over half a million dictations, I have yet to have a doctor state that they questioned a patient about their diet, which could be anything from Twinkies every day to OCD dietary choices like one food and one food only…  when a raw vegan diet can cure diabetes in less than a week, any doc who is ignoring the implications of diet just simply isn’t paying attention to new information, or has been taught to scoff at it, which is even worse. My own addition to this discussion is that I find it useful to have a very high intake of Vitamin C; I use supplements, vitamin C powder in my daily water intake, but a high fruit and vegetable diet would probably also help a lot; I just can’t eat that much fiber myself. I think the high levels of C are necessary anti-inflammatories and for healing. Sorry this question is off topic, but I don’t see a topic about dangers of flax seeds.  I’ve believed, and taught, that ground flax seeds are a great way to get our Omega 3 fatty acids.     Today I received an email questioning that. Apparently, Wayne Coates, co-author of a book entitled “Chia” is saying that flax contains toxins and shouldn’t be consumed unless it has been detoxified, a process that requires solvents. Another source, U. of Maryland Medical Cetner, says “do not eat raw or unripe flax seeds — they may be poisonous.”     I’ve never heard anything bad about flax seeds before, and I figured if there were any studies out there with this information, the person to ask is Dr. Michael Gregor!Thanks so much for all your research, and for sharing it with us!Delisa RenideoMany plants contain naturally occurring toxins and while it is true that flaxseeds contain tiny amounts of cyanide-containing substances, this has not been shown to be a problem. The concern arises from the writings in a popular book or two and has not been confirmed in any published studies that I know of.If you think it is a concern, heating the flaxseeds has been shown to eliminate any detectable amounts of this chemicalSo, while it may be theoretically possible that eating huge amounts of raw or unprocessed flaxseeds or flaxseed meal could potentially pose a problem, this massive load of flax seed is not probable is normal consumption levels.Hey Linda!I dont have the money to join his site….$150 is a huge committment. Did he give u personal advice and what did he say?What probiotics were u on and are u still on them? Does he recommend fermented foods and if so, which?How long have u been healing ur gut?Does he recommend digestive enzymes? and do u take them?What do u mean by “Some foods are not food for me, because they are food for my disease. I do not eat foods which feed disease; I only eat foods which feed health and life!”?How long did it take u to be able to tolerate sweet potatoes? I cannot eat them either….and all grains bother me, except for brown rice tortillas, lol. Are u able to handle greens and veggies? Those are tough on me too. Right now, I do a lot of green smoothies and am trying to incorporate a raw/vegan protein powder at the end of the day to fix my low protein/albumin levels.How many are on the site? How active are the doctors in answering questions?Thanks for the help!Stacy, I read his books at my local library for FREE! He’s got very similar dietary recommendations to Dr. Gregor here.I have all his books too, but I am not able to digest legumes, starches, nuts/seeds and most veggies…thus, my diet is primarily fruit-based. How are u able to digest all these foods with IBD? Do u take digestive enzymes, probiotics…??How long did it take ur gut to heal? What specifically did u do?What is a daily diet log specifically like for u? See how u structure ur meals would really help me out a lot!Is there a reason my question from yesterday was deleted? Will someone help me to find more details about how to find a way to having an outstanding Flaxseed oil vegetable with omega nutrition dishes ?i want to create a awesome “more than reasonable” foods to my gust, in most circumstances they not much like natural foods to say the record , so please it require your support make me persuade  them that health and fitness food can go with the phrase “wonderfully enchanting fulfill diner”flax seed benefits I would keep away from flaxseed oil, or any oil for that matter, as all of these oils lack any vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients found in the original food. Omega 3 is only one aspect of the health benefits of flaxseed. I’ve also been symptom free since I changed my diet. I’ve been on a whole foods,gluten-free, and lactose-free diet since June 2010. I also only use honey and maple syrup as sweeteners. This means, no processed foods or foods containing artificial and refined ingredients either. It’s been 2 years and 5 months total that I’ve been on this more wholesome diet. I went med free in May 2011, so it’s been a year and a half that I’ve been without symptoms and without the use of medication. The book that changed my life was Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gotschall. Please check it out if you have Crohn’s or other digestive problems.Pingback: Substantial Flax Seed And Omega-3 Into Your Weight Loss()There is NOTHING in a McDonalds hamburger or smoked oysters that your body “needs”. Read “The Pleasure Trap”. And watch “Earthlings”. vegan is better for you and the planet!What recommendations do you have for someone in Crohn’s who was vegan for several years before getting it? I’m already vegan, but it’s hereditary and my dad had it (and Ashkenazi), so what else can I do? I’ve been in remission for 2 years on Remicade but my doctors don’t want me to go off. Let me know. :-( thanks!	Alzheimer’s disease,anti-inflammatory,cancer,crohn's disease,diabetes,garlic,heart disease,inflammation,tomato juice,walnut	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/	-
PLAIN-274	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	Antioxidants in a Pinch: Dried Herbs and Spices	In the Washington, DC area we are blessed with more than a dozen farmers’ markets. One local farm I frequent has a hydroponic greenhouse, so I can get fresh basil all year long. I’ve always been curious, though, how hydroponic basil—grown in water—compared nutritionally to basil grown in soil. Finally, a study was published comparing the two, which I feature in my 1-min. video Is Hydroponic Basil as Healthy? The hydroponic basil won hands down! It had more antioxidant power and more key vitamins and phytonutrients. Why? Because the basil doesn’t like being grown in water. It’s the same reason many organic greens are healthier. Organic plants get bitten by bugs and, in defense, cruciferous greens such as kale and collards manufacture more of those wonderful glucosinolate compounds I featured in my videos, Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli and The Best Detox. Likewise, under the environmental stress of drowning hydroponically, basil releases more phenolic antioxidant phytonutrients like rosmarinic acid to protect itself, and we can reap the benefits. For more on these compounds, see my 2-min. video Phytochemicals: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label. If you’re not lucky enough to live near a farm stand and too busy to grow your own, dried herbs and spices are surprisingly healthful. In fact, in a comparison of the Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods, ounce for ounce dried herbs and spices average the greatest antioxidant punch of all! Now even though herbs and spices may have 10 times the antioxidant power of nuts and seeds for example, it’s easy to eat a few ounces of nuts in one sitting, but not so easy to eat a few ounces of nutmeg. However, some herbs and spices are so off-the-charts amazing that just a small pinch can go a long way. Check out my video Antioxidants in a Pinch. It’s one of my all-time favorite NutritionFacts.org videos (I like the ones where I’m able to offer practical advice). 	Really?  I’ve been so intrigued by those so-called “tower gardens” (see e.g., https://www.towergarden.com/) in which plants are basically grown in water plus added liquid nutrients.  I never got one because I assumed the foods grown there would not be as nutritious as food receiving natural nutrients grown in regular soil.  Surely plants eating nothing but man-made plant-food couldn’t compare to plants grown in natural soils, just as humans do better on fruits and vegetables versus fast food drive-thrus.  But it sounds like I’m wrong?  Do you speculate these tower gardens are healthful options?The article does’t seem to be available at the link given . . . would love to have a copy.Hi, I really like this video, but I’m striving to get these two papers:Cellular antioxidant activity of common vegetables (http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf9035832) and Cellular antioxidant activity of common fruits (http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf801381y)for whose they’re charging $$ so I can’t translate and divulgate this potentially life-saving information on my blog (perladieta.blogspot.it).Please Dr.Greger, help me out! Thanks and best regards Here is the one on fruits http://missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Previous%20years/Antioxidants/Celloular%20assay.pdfI cant find the one on vegetables for free. Sorry!Thank you Toxins! (not really… :D) Very useful, at least we can see the on about fruits, and we’ll wait confidently to get our hands on that on vegetables at some time…Pingback: Growing evidence internal basil | INFO-BLOGGER.NET()What about the importance of buying non-irradiated, organic herbs and spices?	antioxidant,basil,Care2,dried herbs,hydroponic basil,hydroponic greenhouse,minerals,nuts,organic,organic greens,organic plants,seeds,spices,vitamins	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	-
PLAIN-275	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/	The Most Anti-Inflammatory Mushroom	Atherosclerotic plaques may be more aptly described as pimples. These inflamed pockets of pus building up in the lining of our arteries can rupture, cut off our hearts’ blood supply, and kill us. In my 2-min. video Arterial Acne, I profile a New England Journal of Medicine review that describes the process. Death from heart disease starts with cholesterol infiltrating the lining of the coronary arteries crowning our heart. This triggers an inflammatory response. The inner lining of our artery produces adhesion molecules to snag white blood cells, called monocytes, that zoom past in the blood stream to try to repair some of the havoc cholesterol had wreaked inside the artery wall. Other inflammatory cells are called into action, more pus builds up, and it can end up like a big whitehead sticking out into the blood flow inside the artery. The blood pulsating past can rip off the cap and clot off the entire width of the artery, which can result in a fatal heart attack. The best way to stop this life-threatening cascade is to prevent it in the first place.  As I describe in my 2-min. video Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease, we can block the buildup of cholesterol by increasing our intake of fiber-containing plant foods and decreasing our intake of trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol found in junk food and animal products. Cholesterol-induced zits in the lining of our coronary arteries can also occur in other blood vessels. In our head they can cause a stroke (which I cover in my Uprooting video), in our back they can cause degenerative disk disease (Cholesterol and Lower Back Pain), in our abdomen they can cause an aneurysm (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Ticking Time Balloons), and in our pelvis they can cause sexual dysfunction in both men (Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up) and women (Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction). Thankfully, Avoiding Cholesterol Is A No Brainer. It’s Purely a Question Of Diet. Trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol should be kept to a minimum. What about blocking the inflammation stage that follows the buildup of cholesterol? Researchers at Arizona State studied the ability of various mushrooms to do just that. They took the lining of a human artery, soaked it overnight with either nothing—the control group—or shitake mushrooms, crimini mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, or plain white button mushrooms. Which mushroom worked best to decrease the expression of adhesion molecules? As I show in my 2-min. video Making Our Arteries Less Sticky the answer is that plain white mushrooms worked the best! The cheapest, most convenient to find mushroom appeared to suppress inflammation the best. For more magic from mushrooms, see Vegetables Versus Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Prevention: Which Mushroom is Best? Just make sure to cook them (Toxins in Raw Mushrooms?). In terms of anti-inflammatory foods in general, check out Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants, Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation, Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods, and Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol. In terms of pro-inflammatory foods, see the 4-part series Improving Mood Through Diet, Inflammatory Remarks About Arachidonic Acid, Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation, and Chicken’s Fate is Sealed. 	Is hx of facial acne associated with the risk of sudden cardiac death? Is there information on the safety of other anti-inflammatory herbs, spices, or foods during pregnancy? It’s after all one of my favorite aspects of the plant-based diet!Yes bOOmer, there is information offering a warning on herbs used during pregnancy. See: The use of botanicals during pregnancy and lactation at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19161049I think that the key is to discuss your finding with your physician, mid-wife, or nurse prior to using the botanical, because even if it does not affect you, it can affect your baby or fetus.Most physicians have asked me if I take herbal supplements before they prescribe medication and I’m not pregnant. When I was in 1972, there were not enough studies on the side effects of herbs. Fortunately, at that time, I had very few allergies, so the outcome may have been different than it would be today.However, there still have not been enough studies done on the fetus of the pregnant woman who ingests herbal remedies or in what form the remedies are taken. But, the good news is that more and more studies are done all the time. The bad news is that the biotechnology industry wants to get in there and alter the DNA of safe herbs, just as they have done with food or pharms, which can create new side effects that were unknown previously.I am wondering if it is possible to overconsume anti-inflammatory foods to the point that the normal healing process of the body (i.e. acute inflammation) is compromised?It’s good to know since we eat primarily button mushrooms.Dr. Greger,Question – a guest on NPR’s People’s Pharmacy (show #868 aired Aug. 11, 2012) mentioned the anti-inflammatory benefits of curcumin which you have discussed before. He said the research was done on curcumin “BCM-95″, a very potent form, which eliminated diabetes in the test subjects. Do you know anything about this?Thank you for what you do, Ingrid,Curcumin is the principal curcuminoid of the popular Indian spice turmeric, which is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae).I don’t have diabetes. Therefore, it is not my prime interest. But, I do have had significant inflammation in my legs and feet since having a total knee replacement due to injury. And, despite following an anti-inflammation diet, nothing seemed to work until I tried both making a tea with fresh tumeric root, fresh ginger root, and a few cloves of garlic. The roots were peeled and diced or smashed before dropping into boiling water and steeping.I consumed this though out the day, and the next morning, I feet shrank from my size 10 gardening shoe, to my normal size 8 shoe. Amazing!The side effects experienced from prescribed diuretics did nothing to reduce the inflammation in my feet and legs, and made my skin extremely dry and itchy. But, the tumeric, ginger, and garlic worked!.I now add these three roots of my calcium rich-vegetables whenever inflammation of any sort is a problem for me. Not only does it flavor my food, but the inflammation in my fingers and hands also subsides.The research study soaked the artery with various mushrooms.  But if we eat mushrooms does the white mushroom have the same protective effect as if the arteries were soaked?What quantity of white mushrooms are useful in preventing breast tumors/estrogen production?I think you might be surprised: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/	-
PLAIN-276	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/	Why is it Legal to Sell Unsafe Meat?	Most of the U.S. population suffers an acute diarrheal illness every year. According to a recent survey, most people correctly identified food as the most common source of infection, but fewer than half (45%) believed it legal for grocery stores to sell meat with food-poisoning bacteria on it. You can’t sell unsafe cars; you can’t sell unsafe toys; how could they possibly sell unsafe meat? They do it by blaming the consumer. I quote one USDA poultry microbiologist in my 2-min. video Unsafe at Any Feed: “I think the consumer has the most responsibility but refuses to accept it,” he said. “Raw meats are not idiot-proof. They can be mishandled and when they are, it’s like handling a hand grenade. If you pull the pin, somebody’s going to get hurt.” So it’s our fault if we get sick. That’s like a car company knowingly selling cars with faulty brakes and then blaming tragedies on parents for not putting their kids in rear-facing car seats. For more on the risks of handling fresh meat, see my 3-min. video Food Poisoning Bacteria Cross-Contamination. Patricia Griffin, director of Epidemiological Research at the Centers for Disease Control responded famously to this kind of blame-the-victim attitude. “Is it reasonable,” she asked, ‘“that if a consumer under cooks a hamburger…their three-year-old dies?” Some may question the wisdom of selling hand grenades in the supermarket in the first place. In Sweden, for example, it’s illegal to sell chicken contaminated with Salmonella, the leading cause of food poisoning deaths in the United States. It’s illegal to sell a product that could kill or cripple our children—what a concept! In my 4 min. video Fecal Bacteria Survey I feature an article in a meat industry trade publication that quotes an Alabama poultry science professor saying banning infected poultry is a “hard-handed” policy. He said: “The fact is that it’s too expensive not to sell salmonella-positive chicken….” Can you imagine a toy manufacturer saying, “Sorry, we’d love to pull unsafe toys off the market but such a large percentage of our toys are hazardous that it would cost us too much”? For other surveys on how much of the American meat supply is contaminated with fecal matter and foodborne pathogens see Fecal Contamination of Sushi, Fecal Residues on Chicken, Chicken Out of UTIs, U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph, and MRSA in U.S. Retail Meat. Salmonella-infected eggs also sicken more than 100,000 Americans every year (see Total Recall). 	I find the cavalier attitude of the USDA very distressing. Blaming the consumer for the results of consuming contaminated meat products is extremely irresponsible. The fixes that the USDA is considering aren’t very comforting either. This fecal contamination is a dangerous situation, and another very good reason to switch to a plant-strong diet along with all the positive ramifications for our health.I was watching a re-air of  a Charlie Rose Brain Series program last night and they were talking about Creutzfeldt-Jakob / Alzheimer’s/ Parkinsons / Huntington’s disease.  They were talking about PRIONS, with no mention of meat or Mad Cow Disease.  Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t that a huge omission of information? Paula:  I’m no expert, but it sure sounds like a whopping omission to me!  Very interesting. Hi Thea :).   Hopefully Dr. Greger can chime in on this one?an intentional omission no doubt. Could you post link to that particular Brain Series program please. I saw it on tv but I do see it is available online here:  http://www.charlierose.com/view/collection/10702.It’s the 3rd one, Episode 8.And apparently, Texas is feeding pet food to prisoners.   http://www.justice.gov/usao/txe/News/2012/edtx-john-soules-foods-081712.htmlIt’s all so disgusting.I read the article. It does not say what you claim it does.I’m vegan for ethical reasons so I tend to be apathetic towards what happens to people who eat meat.  They’ve made an irresponsible choice to eat meat in the first place for their health, the environment and the animals, so they should be prepared for consequences. My name is Dr. Lester Castro Friedlander,BA,DVM. I am a Former USDA FSIS Veterinarian and USDA Veterinary Trainer of The Year. Last week USDA FSIS shut down Central Valley Meat Company in Hanford,California for violations of The Humane Slaughter Act.. Compassion Over Killing sent me this undercover video to comment on the Abuse and Suffering of the cows at this Federal Slaughter Plant. I have been a Veterinarian for  close to 32 years and I have reviewed undercover videos from many Animal Rghts and Welfare Organizations. This undercover video was the most horrific one that I have ever seen. Not only were these cows inhumanely treated but the video showed cows that were Sick,Debilitated and their udders were almost touching the ground. USDA Policy and Regulations states that only animals that are Healthy,have Nutritional Value and Disease Free should be slaughtered for Human Consumption.  When a USDA Veterinarian makes the decision to slaughter the animal for Human Consumption, He or She, should ask themselves, “Does this meet the Consumers Expectation.” These cows looked like they just came back from a war,can barely walk,lame,multiple swollen knee joints and udders barely touching the ground. According to Federal Regulations,Mastitis Elimination Cows have to be segregated in a USDA Suspect Pen,properly silver tagged in their ear,”USDA Suspect,” and the Veterinarian has to examine each cow,palpate the udders for heat,infection and temperature them. This was not done and these cows were sent into the slaughter facility for HUMAN CONSUMPTION. USDA downplayed this and said they would not recall the meat that was produced from these sick cows. This is the conflict that USADA is in; on one hand they are protecting Americas Agriculture and on the other hand they are protecting the American Consumer. USDA can not do both. the consumer looses out all the time. USDA should get out of the Meat and Poultry Inspection and it should be under a separate Consumer Agency without any ties to the Meat and Poultry Industry..Before I was a vegan, I had such an aversion for handling meat such as washing the meat, bleaching the sink and counters and scrubbing my hands in hot soapy water was a determining factor in me not wanting anything to do with animal products in my food.  I can only hope that people will consider the hazards of this industry for their own health and as Dr. Friedlander points out, the abuses to the animals and the lack of care in the meat industry should be enough for people to realize it is not worth paying people to raise animals and slaughter and package up these products for human consumption. Dr. Greger’s work should definitely open peoples eyes to the dangers of consuming animals. Foods refused in upscale stores are finding there way into the $1 stores across the country.  Chicken, steak, eggs, lunch meats, MSG-laden plastic particles blithely renamed cheese flavored product are foisted upon the pocket poor who see it as a way to “feed” their families; especially now that the $1 stores take Food Stamps.  It is horrifying the treachery being played on the American consumer.  RETRIBUTION COMES.So what about meat that is organic, grass-fed, and pasture-raised? Are those animals contaminated as well? I suppose I’m trying to isolate variables here. Basically, is meat *inherently* bacterial, or does it become so because of the horrible and disgusting conditions that animals are raised in for slaughter? I’d really like to see some scientific studies that compare the two.Can anyone chime in on this?Thanks!Bacteria inherently grows on meat and endotoxins found in meat is an inherent trait. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=endotoxin	CDC,chicken,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,foodborne illness,hamburger,industry influence,meat,poultry,salmonella	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/	-
PLAIN-277	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/	Health Food Store Advice: Often Worthless or Worst	How many times has this happened to you? You’re in a natural food store walking near the supplement section and an employee graciously asks if you need any help, and proceeds to offer advice on healing what ails you. You’ll notice it’s illegal for food and supplement companies to claim they can prevent or cure disease. That’s why you’ll just see so-called structure and function claims on labels like “supports immunity.” Federal law also basically prohibits people from diagnosing and prescribing without a medical license, yet you can probably walk into any health food store and get all the claims, diagnosing, and prescribing you could ever want. The question is: How good is that advice? I was delighted to learn that this very question was the subject of multiple studies spanning a decade. In my 2-min. Health Food Store Supplement Advice I profile a study in which a researcher posing as a daughter of a breast cancer patient went into 40 health food stores asking for their recommendations on cancer care. Ninety percent of the stores tried to sell her something—understandable, that’s their job. Ninety-five percent didn’t even ask a single question about her mom or the diagnosis, though, before recommending 38 different types of products at an annual cost of between $300 and $3000 ($18,000 in a similar study performed up in Canada). The most common recommendation was shark cartilage, a supplement studies have found effective only at causing side effects such as nausea, fever, dizziness, and even cases of life-threatening hypercalcemia and liver failure, but seemingly little else. (See my 2-min. video Dietary Supplement Snake Oil also). What should breast cancer patients do instead? See some of my videos on extending survival in survivors including Raw Broccoli and Bladder Cancer Survival; Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken; Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat; Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake; and Flax and Fecal Flora. Employees in natural food stores have been caught giving worse-than-useless advice that is not only scientifically baseless, but also risky and downright dangerous. In a study I cover in Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees, 26 stores recommended 36 different products to researchers claiming to have HIV/AIDS. They included some like garlic that can critically interfere with certain HIV medications. When the FDA and Health Canada issued advisory warnings to stop taking the herb kava kava due to one too many cases of fatal liver toxicity, this did not seem to affect health food store employee behavior. Would health food store employees recommend supplements contraindicated in pregnancy that could cause “significant harm to the mother and/or fetus”? You betcha. What kills me is that there are indeed pregnancy-safe, effective natural remedies for nausea like ginger, yet the women were instead advised to take herbs like feverfew and black cohosh, which can cause uterine contractions and possible miscarriage. What kind of training do health food store employees get? As I detail in my 2-min. video Bad Advice From Health Food Store Employees, most got absolutely none or in-store training only. It is no secret that I’ve been very critical of drug companies biasing medical training—that was much of what my first book on medical education was about, but what do we think stores are teaching their employees to say? Do pharmacists do any better? What is the accuracy of medical advice given by staff at natural food stores compared to that by staff at community pharmacies based on the balance of available scientific evidence? Find out in my 2-min. video Pharmacists Versus Health Food Store Employees: Who Gives Better Advice? 	Thank you for the post, Dr. Greger. I am forwarding it to the owners of the natural food store where I get my organic produce.DearDr. Greger, i need your suggestion of diet or certain food to woman that have multiple breast cyst and renal cyst. do you have any study about relevant disease and diet that must be avoided and must be taken to reduce and eliminate the cysts. thank you for your suggestion Dr. Greger.Dr Gregory, You stated in your vol 6 DVD that America published its first food guide in the 70s, but my research has shown that food guides have existed in the USA since the end of the 19th century. Can you verify this information? I am a student studying nutrition and would appreciate a response.Many thanks in advanceLorenMy niece got the best advice once at GNC. Use burdock for her husband’s poison ivy, which he kept getting in his job (outdoors). It worked great!	breast cancer,disease,doctors,supplements	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/	-
PLAIN-278	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/	Adding FDA-Approved Viruses to Meat	Bacteria-eating viruses (bacteriophages) have been approved as meat additives to reduce the food safety risks associated with processed meat and poultry products. There is a concern, however, that viruses fed to chickens could spread toxin genes between bacteria, the subject of my 3-min. video Viral Meat Spray (and noted in my full-length 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death). In my book Bird Flu I have a chapter about more of these creative meat industry “technofixes.” Rectal poultry superglue anyone? In the video I talk about Listeria, the third leading cause of food poisoning related death. For more about leading causes #1 and #2 see my videos Total Recall and Brain Parasites in Meat, and for what Campylobacter can do, Poultry and Paralysis. For videos on other risks associated with processed meat consumption, see Preventing COPD with Diet, Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat, and Hot Dogs & Leukemia. Additional feed additives of questionable safety in chicken are depicted in my videos Arsenic in Chicken and Drug Residues in Meat. The meat industry is concerned that consumers might be wary of the meat sprayed with bacteria-eating viruses: “[C]onsumer acceptance of bacteriophage usage may present something of a challenge to the food industry.” If they think they’re going to have consumer acceptance issues with spreading viruses on meat, that’s nothing compared to an even more novel technique to preserve meat I profile in my video Maggot Meat Spray. Think about it. Maggots thrive on rotting meat, yet there have been no reports that housefly larvae have any serious diseases, indicating that they may have a strong immune system. They must be packed with some sort of antibacterial properties—otherwise they’d presumably get infected and die themselves. So… researchers took 3-day-old maggots, blended them up, and voilà’—good grub! Or shall I say grubs? 	Pingback: Fast Food Nutrition Facts Adding FDA-Approved Viruses to Meat | NutritionFacts.org | Fast Food Nutrition Facts()One day insects will probably be used as a common animal protein source in this country. They are abundant, and are not fed with antibiotics, and hormones. People may think it is disgusting now, however some countries already eat insects. If insects are cheap, and supposedly organic people may buy them??One day I predict insects will probably be used as a common animal protein source in this country. They are abundant, and are not fed with antibiotics, and hormones. People may think it is disgusting now, however some countries already eat insects. If insects are cheap, and supposedly organic people may buy them??Golly gee, spray on virus to kill bacteria than eat everything that’s left.  Sounds so reasonable, looks so good on paper. What could possibly go wrong… Bwa-ha-haCheese bugs! And now Viral Meat Spray! Sounds like a good name for a rock band.  These FDA-approved buggy processes that the meat industry is considering using on meat products are indicative of the disdain they have for consumers. Hey, people will eat anything, even virus-coated meat! The best way for consumers to fight back against this to switch to a plant-strong, vegan diet. if the meat folks can sell pink slime, why not blended maggots?	arsenic,bacteria,bacteria-eating virus,bacteriophage,bird flu,brain parasites,campylobacter,chickens,food industry,Listeria,maggots,meat,meat industry,poultry,processed meat,toxin genes,viruses	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/31/new-latest-nutrition-dvd-now-available-proceeds-to-charity/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nontoxic-head-lice-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bug-appetit-barriers-to-entomophagy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	-
PLAIN-279	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/31/new-latest-nutrition-dvd-now-available-proceeds-to-charity/	Latest in Clinical Nutrition Volume 10 Now on DVD	The current batch of videos from volume 9 are about to run out, so starting this week and running through October I’ll be rolling out the videos off my new Latest in Clinical Nutrition DVD, volume 10. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak preview videos months ahead of time, watch them all straight through, and share as gifts, but there’s nothing on the DVDs that won’t eventually end up online free at NutritionFacts.org. The Latest in Clinical Nutrition volume 10 DVD is available for purchase now (also on Amazon). In addition, to commemorate my tenth volume, I’ve packaged all ten into a complete 12-disc DVD set that is also available (and on Amazon too). Here’s the list of chapters off the new volume 10 DVD — a preview of what’s to come here on NutritionFacts.org: 	Is there a download version ( for those living outside the USA)? I would love to buy the serie but I am concerned that import taxes to France might be high and I couldn’t find it on Amazon France or UK.Not sure this is the correct forum….I have switched to vegetarian and now am vegan/with fish.  Through your site, I find that I have to quit eating dark fish (AFib).  What about crab and prawns? I expect the answer is drop all food of animal origin.  But I do love crabs…..and white cod meat.  Not so concerned about chemistry.  We live on pristine sea water – north BC.	DVD	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/09/uprooting-dvd-now-available-proceeds-to-charity/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	-
PLAIN-280	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/	Mercury Testing Recommended Before Pregnancy	Recent testing of mercury concentrations in three national brands of canned tuna found that “55% of all tuna examined was above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s safety level for human consumption.” And the problem appears to be getting worse. Previous studies on canned tuna, in 1993 and 2004, showed concerning levels of mercury contamination, but not as bad as it is now. See my profile of the paper in my 2-min. video Which brand of tuna has the most mercury? Given the average level of mercury pollution found in canned tuna, researchers suggest that your average 9 year old would exceed the EPA limit even if they only ate a can of tuna every 6 weeks! They conclude: “These results indicate that stricter regulation of the canned tuna industry is necessary to ensure the safety of sensitive populations such as pregnant women, infants, and children.” Some question whether the federal safety limits are even sufficiently protective. A recent review from researchers at Harvard and elsewhere on the adverse effects of mercury in fish proposed that the exposure limits set in the United States should be cut in half. Already, current regulations in the United States allow up to 10 times as much mercury in fish as the EPA limit allows, and so our fish is allowed to have 20 times more mercury than may be considered safe. Because the EPA safety limit on mercury in fish may not sufficiently protect pregnant women in the United States, a recommendation has been put forth that fish-eating women may want to get tested for mercury before considering getting pregnant. It’s a simple test. Since mercury basically contaminates our whole body, all they need is a hair sample. See more details in my 2-min. video Hair Testing for Mercury Before Consider Pregnancy. Studies on children of the neurobehavioral toxicity of mercury suggest that no level of mercury exposure can truly be considered safe, but pressure from the fish industry may be preventing safety limits from dropping further. In my video Nerves of Mercury I profile a famous study published in the Journal of Pediatrics showing brain damage in adolescents at below the mercury limits placed on fish in this country. As one former EPA toxicologist told the Wall Street Journal, “They really consider the fish industry to be their clients, rather than the U.S. public.” Mercury is not just a problem for children. Mercury and other toxic pollutants in fish is thought to be why the consumption of dark fish (such as salmon, swordfish, bluefish, mackerel, and sardines) may increase one’s risk of atrial fibrillation, an irregularity of heart beat rhythm associated with stroke, dementia, heart failure, and a shortened lifespan. See my 2-min. video Red Fish, White Fish; Dark Fish, Atrial Fibrillation. Also check out Fish Fog, which discusses the link between fish consumption and neurobehavioral abnormalities in adults. For more information on industrial pollutants in fish, see Xenoestrogens & Sperm Counts and Fish Intake Biomarker. There are also natural toxins that can bioaccumulate up the aquatic food chain. See my 2-min. video Amnesic Seafood Poisoning about a rare toxin called domoic acid. It can turn up in tuna and other seafood and can cause anterograde amnesia, the loss of short-term memory popularized in the movie Memento. Even drugs can build up in fish. In my 1-min. video A Fine Kettle of Fluoxetine, I follow up on my earlier video Prozac Residues in Fish about the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in fish fillets. For more on canned tuna specifically, see Carcinogenic Putrescine, The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages, Amalgam Fillings vs. Canned Tuna, and Mercury in Vaccinations vs. Tuna. 	Pingback: Fast Food Nutrition Facts Mercury Testing Recommended Before Pregnancy | NutritionFacts.org | Fast Food Nutrition Facts()I had always read that the mercury levels in Sardines is very low.  Has this changed??Lest we forget, Dr G: Cesium – 134 and cesium – 137 isotopes  http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/5629/radioactive-fish-migrate-fukushima http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/28/low-levels-of-fukushima-cesium-found-in-west-coast-tuna/“No level of mercury exposure can truly be considered safe”, yet dentists still put it in the mouths of people everyday (amalgam fillings), it is still put in vaccines, and our air is filled with more and more of it by coal-powered electricity plants.  The answer is eat veganic foods, reject toxins being put in your body “for your own good”, detox yourself regularly, and ultimately, attempt to live in the most sustainable, natural & non-toxic way possible, i.e. on a veganic homestead.Good point … planet earth is a chemical soup.  Health-conscious people will soon need to buy their own encapsulated island. ;)Dentists gave up using amalgam fillings with mercury decades ago. I agree with the rest.Pingback: Mercury Testing Recommended Before Pregnancy « Michelvoss's Blog()	amnesia,atrial fibrillation,bluefish,brain damage,children,dementia,EPA,fish,hair testing,Harvard,heart failure,high fructose corn syrup,infants,mackerel,mercury,pregant women,prozac,salmon,sardines,stroke,swordfish,tuna,xenoestrogens	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/	-
PLAIN-281	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/	Preserving Vision Through Diet	More than a million Americans are blind. The good news is that all four of the most common causes of vision loss may be prevented with a healthy plant-based diet—age-related macular degeneration, diabetes, glaucoma, and cataracts. See my 2-min. video Preventing Macular Degeneration with Diet for a discussion of the relationship between vision loss and Harvard’s Alternative Healthy Eating Index (Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score offers an alternative to the alternative). Diabetes is not only a leading cause of blindness, but also of amputations and kidney failure. Thankfully diabetes can be prevented and even reversed. Glaucoma is a deterioration of our optic nerve, the nerve that connects our eyes to our brain, and is second only to cataracts as the world’s leading cause of blindness. Surprisingly, we still don’t know what causes it, so there’s been a desperate search for environmental and dietary influences. As I show in my 2-min. video Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther, the most protective dietary component—decreasing the odds of glaucoma by 69%!—was found to be the consumption of at least one serving of collard greens or kale per month. Just once a month or more. The silver and bronze medals for most protective food went to weekly carrot and peach consumption, respectively. We think it may be the lutein and zeaxanthin, two yellow plant pigments in greens that seem to know right where to go. When we eat them, they hone right into our retinas and appear to protect against degenerative eye disease. This is not a unique phenomenon. Lycopene is the red pigment in tomatoes found protective against prostate cancer.  Guess where it goes when a man eats a tomato? Straight to the prostate. Beta carotene in foods may prevent ovarian cancer and happens to build up in one’s ovaries. These phytonutrients not only protect, but also may improve our vision. Their peak light absorbance just so happens to be the wavelength of the color of our planet’s sky. According to a recent study, by filtering out that blue haze, “individuals with high macular pigment [lutein and zeaxanthin phytonutrients from greens]” standing atop a mountain on a clear day “may be able to distinguish distant mountain ridges up to 27 miles further than individuals with little or no pigment.” Don’t eggs also have significant amounts of these critical eyesight-saving nutrients? That’s the egg industry scrambling the truth—see my 2-min. video Egg Industry Blind Spot. I’d also encourage folks to stay away from lutein pills (and beta-carotene supplements). Finally, the leading cause of blindness and vision loss: cataracts. In my 2-min. video Preventing Cataracts with Diet I profile a study of 27,670 people with a wide range of diets. The study included so-called “high” meateaters, moderate meateaters, “low” meateaters, and fish-only eaters, versus those eating vegetarian and those eating vegan. The researchers went out of their way to choose health-conscious subjects to help factor out smoking, exercise, and other nondiet variables, and so the “high” meat consuming group? Only 100 grams a day–that’s just like 1 serving in one meal a day. In the U.S. we average more than 300 grams a day, so this is like reverse Starbucks labeling. You know how their “tall” is the small? Well here their “high” is really quite low by American standards.  Yet even compared to health-conscious light meat-eaters, those cutting back on meat even further could drop their associated cataract risk 15%. Those cutting all meat other than fish had 21% lower risk. Those cutting all meat—the vegetarians—appeared to drop their risk 30% and those going a step further and eliminating eggs and dairy had 40% less risk than the healthy one-serving-a-day meateaters. 	Given stepwise drop in risk as one’s diet gets more and more centered around plants, it is suprising that life expectancy of vegetarians has not been shown to be much greater than omnivores.Studies show in general omnivores are living longer sicker lives. I agree, it would be great to get an extra twenty or more years but I would settle for more healthy years.  I guess being propped up by drugs allows them to live longer ? For some reason I got a picture of “Weekend at Bernie’s”. Ugh. So sad. I’d rather expire earlier than live an extra 10 years in a “facility,” in pain, or as a burden. I wonder if life-long healthy-eating vegans live longer? The key being “healthy-eating”!! I bet there aren’t many (so many are eating junk, and other semi-healthful, like Adventists also include fake meats and processed foods, salt and sugars). Apparently the Okinawans are the longest lived, but they are only near vegan. BUT they don’t consume dairy. So I wonder if dairy is the culprit here. Healthwise for humans, dairy has always seemed the most insidious and dangerous to me. I don’t know.Why do you think dairy is th most dangerous?  Would your statement also apply to skim dairy? I guess, it’s just in everything in so many ways and although parts of “meat” are used as well, it’s just not as “offensive” to people’s senses — their eyes maybe. Dairy looks nice and its various forms (as additives and go by undetected) can be in so many things, seemingly harmless. Meat is a very specific thing that people would notice they are consuming. Not sure I’m making sense! I just think people in general, and vegetarians, specifically, give a pass to dairy as harmless or less harming…I think, healthwise the fat-free are just as bad if not worse: They take away some of the bad fat, sure,but then now you’ve got a chunk of concentrated protein! Not to mention concentrations of pesticides… Bad news.Thanks, Strix, for explaining your perspective. ‘The China Study’ by T. Collin Campbell makes a case against milk protein. Yet, the dieticians of USA and Canada are still promoting milk and fish as important health foods. Yes, China Study is a great book! It’s going to be a while before dieticians, doctors, nutritionists and especially governments change. Individuals have to first. :^(All Dairy products, because they are basically a “growth promoting food” for young animals has Growth Hormone in it. For a cow I believe it is something like 20-30X that of human breast milk growth hormone. So, you see, you are getting an “OVER Abundance” of Bovine Growth Hormone from a totally different species of animal which grows to be 20-30X larger than a human being….WAY TOO MUCH HORMONES!!! This same hormone also PROMOTES the GROWTH OF MALIGNANT tumors you may have festering inside you something like putting “gasoline on your cancer wildfire” , i.e. it grows wildly out of control so that even your own immune cells can’t keep up with its growth…..NO MILK PRODUCTS AT ALL FOR ME!!! I drink Soy milk-Vanilla flavored variety…..on my cereal and as a beverage post workouts…..Masters level Triathlete ( Marathon PR of 2hrs 56mins)….respectfully yours. Length of life is not nearly as important as quality of life. I grew up in the midwest on steak and potatoes. As my diet transitioned from heavily red meat based to plant based with occasional seafood and chicken, I have noticed a lot of positive changes in my physique as well as my energy, eyesight and more. I’ll take quality over quantity any day. Since my two grandmothers lived to 91 ad 92 and my mother turned 89 today, I’m not too worried about length of life either.in these open-minded debates, it would be best to describe human “omnivores” correctly as carnists, thusly as one who chooses to eat meat and dairy. That one eats a certain way does not imply their correct physiology to eat that way, only a *choice* to eat that way, regardless of the correctness of nutrition absorption. Simply by only eating grass, i would never correctly be called a ruminant.Eating meat and dairy is a choice, not a biological requirement or adaptation. Humans are herbivorous, as easily shown by multiple indicators and generally by our ill-health.This is an important point. Misuse of the term “omnivore” likely contributes to the continuance of the myth that eating meat is a biological requirement or adaptation when, in fact, it is a choice.Except scientifically we are in fact Omnivores. Meat is not a choice. Eating no meat for purely philosophical reasons is a choice.Even the Japanese eat fish. They are not meatless.Scientific Squirrel: It think it’s great that you care about the science when it comes to classifying where human fit in the animal world. Some people prefer to look at cultures to define where humans fit. But I agree with you that looking at biology makes more sense.However, I don’t think the evidence supports your belief that humans are omnivores. The following page includes *some* of the biological evidence showing that humans are far more herbivores than we are omnivores. http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.htmlIt’s a great read.This is a better read.http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0032452Nice article Thea especially the table which is a nice overview of the differences between biologic systems. He leaves out Nathaniel Dominy’s work showing that we have more amylase genes to improve our ability to digest starches than the great apes and Katherine Milton’s work showing increase in volume of small intestine to absorb digested starches which are long chains of glucose molecules… our primary fuel. The choice to eat meat aka carnism (see Melanie Joy’s fine presentation, Carnism: The Psychology of Eating Meat) is different from our biologic system which is a hind-gut fermenting herbivore. The fact that we can consume meat products without immediate effects on our health doesn’t make it the best decision if one wants to delay death, avoid disability and improve quality of life. I appreciated the article by Scientific Squirrel as I have come across many “arguments” for eating meat but this one was a new one for me. It was an interesting hypothesis and use of statistics but for me not particularly persuasive. I hold to my belief that until we invented hunting tools we were actually “hunted gatherers”. Our urge to eat meat can be explained by two of the three principles of “The Pleasure Trap” (increase pleasure and conserve energy) and the fact that eating meat releases narcotic like substances in our brain. Of course given individual population variability it is possible that some individuals might do better with some animal products but as a recommendation for the general population given considerations for health, environment and animal suffering I would stick with whole food plant based diet centered on starches to maintain adequate caloric intake and supplemental Vitamin B12.Dr. Forrester: Great post! Thank you for your reply!!This issue comes up a lot. I knew that the page I referenced did not have all of the arguments, but it is very well written. It is easy for a a lay person to digest and has a lot of information. So, I like to refer people to it.I really like your phrase, “hunted gatherers”. It reminds me of yet another point I have heard about using biology to determine if humans are more at herbivore end of the spectrum or omnivore. The point was: There is no species on the face of the planet where the pregnant female isn’t able to provide for herself. (I don’t know if that’s true. It’s just what I heard.) Carnivores like say lions can hunt while pregnant. They have to be able to hunt in order to feed themselves. Imagine an 8.5 month pregnant human running after a rabbit to kill one. We are definitely prey, not predators.And I’m proud of it.Scientific Squirrel: I have to wonder if you actually read the page I referenced? I don’t see how one study on weaning time, with sentences like the following: “The independent contrast analysis did not suggest dependency of the brain mass and weaning time characters with the animals’ evolutionary history.” come anywhere close to countering the many, many scientific points raised in the page I sent you.I get that this is the conclusion: “Our findings highlight therefore the emergence of carnivory as a process fundamentally determining human life history and evolution.” But I’ve seen several arguments about what had to have happened for humans to develop the way we did. This one is not all that compelling to me. Especially not compared to all of the points in the reference I gave you.I understand that you find weaning time compelling evidence. I’m just saying that I don’t see it myself. To each her/his own.This Blog is like Kale and Red Cabbage–so much useful nutritional information stuffed into such a small column! Pingback: BRINGIN IT…NEWS: PDX Fruit and Veg news and links, week of Aug 13 « Banana Nick's()Pingback: Preservare una buona vista con la dieta « dariavegan()	beta carotene,blind,carrots,cataracts,collard greens,diabetes,eggs,eye,glaucoma,Harvard's Alternative Healthy Eating Index,kale,kidneys,lutein,macular degeneration,peach,phytonutrients,plant-based diet,prostate,prostate cancer,tomatoes,vision,zeaxanthin	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20492192,
PLAIN-282	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/12/skim-milk-and-acne/	Skim Milk and Acne	The National Dairy Council denies that milk intake causes acne, but a study they supported—the Harvard Nurse’s Health Study—found otherwise, as I show in my 3-min. video National Dairy Council on Acne and Milk. The conclusion reads: “We found a positive association with acne for intake of total milk and skim milk. We hypothesize that the association with milk may be because of the presence of hormones and bioactive molecules in milk.” Association does not necessarily mean causation, though. From the accompanying editorial in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology: “The papers…from the Harvard School of Public Health establish an association between milk consumption and acne. But how could milk cause acne? Because, drinking milk and consuming dairy products from pregnant cows exposes us to the hormones produced by the cows’ pregnancy, hormones that we were not designed to consume during our teenage and adult years. It is no secret that teenagers’ acne closely parallels hormonal activity…So what happens if exogenous hormones are added to the normal endogenous load? And what exactly is the source of these hormones? Consider that, in nature, milk is consumed from a mother, whether human or bovine, until weaning occurs. Normally, the mother then ceases lactation before the next pregnancy occurs—so that consuming milk from a mother pregnant with her next offspring is not a common occurrence. We’ve all seen nature films of animals chasing their offspring away to encourage weaning at the appropriate time. Further, in nature the offspring consumes only the milk of its own species—but both of these natural rules are broken by humans. Viewed objectively, human consumption of large volumes of another species’ milk, especially when that milk comes mainly from pregnant cows during the human’s normally post-weaned years, is essentially unnatural.” The Harvard Nurse’s Health Study found that the association between milk intake and severe physician-diagnosed teenage acne was even more marked for skim milk.  This may be because there is so much more estrogen in skim milk. Researchers found 15 steroid sex hormones in commercial milk right off the shelves, and the highest levels were found in skim milk, compared to 2% and whole (see my 4-min. video Hormones in Skim vs. Whole Milk). Milk—organic or conventional—is naturally a hormone cocktail. This is not a consequence of bovine growth hormone injections or added steroids. As a commentary in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology noted: “It should surprise no one that milk contains such a heavy complement of growth-enhancing hormones. Milk is, after all, specifically designed to make things grow.” As detailed in my 2-min. video Skim Milk and Acne, further studies of both adolescent girls and boys found a similar link between milk intake and acne, but pimples may be the least of our worries. The latest published update suggests that the restriction of cow’s milk consumption could have a beneficial effect on more serious epidemic diseases. Quoting from the review (in my 2-min. video Acne-Promoting Effects of Milk): “By million years of evolution the growth signaling system of mammalian milk is exclusively and physiologically provided to the newborn only during the nursing period. The chronic ‘abuse’ of this mammalian postnatal signaling system by widespread cow milk and dairy consumption in humans of industrialized societies has been proposed to be the major cause of the acne epidemic and the more serious chronic western diseases.” 	Your comment about the estrogen levels in skim milk seems to be contradicted by the following research: http://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302%2812%2900135-X/abstractI’d love your comments on this paper. Is the methodology reasonably sound?Codayon, perhaps…but look at who sponsored the research most likely.  The Dairy Industry sends schools the most beautiful free posters for teachers to use in schools touting the amazing benefits of dairy.  I thought this was so nice of them until I realized how promotional the material really was and many of us get sick from excess dairy.  Lots of green snotty noses stop runny when dairy is stopped.Pingback: SOME NEWS: PDX Fruit and Veg news and links, week of July 17 « Banana Nick's()Anybody know are USA and europe similar or entirely different when it comes to dairy farming etc. I feel the USA may be a lot more extreme? Hard to know if these studies are fully relevant. It shouldn’t matter either way. The substances discussed here that are found in dairy milk are inherent of milk. Primarily, xenostrogens are the culprit. Xenoestrogens and milk go hand in hand.It was hard for me to understand why a hydrophobic molecule like a hormone would be found in a greater amount in skim milk. Hydrophobic hormones would associate withmilk fat and be removed with milk fat. So I looked around and found research done by Sonia Hartman that shows a decrease in hormone amount in milk after the fat has been removed. Which makes sense to me.Hormone simply means signaling molecule, it does not refer to a molecule of a specific structure. You may be thinking specifically of steroidal hormones, which do have a high degree of hydrophobicity as you said. However there are several classes of hormones, many of which are indeed water soluble.Ive been vegetarian for 4 years, raw vegan for 2 and vegan half cooked half raw for 3. I have had these small pimples on my skin and holes in a certain light, like half-shaded light, see picture: http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/annemesis/DSC02540_zps6f527ed8.jpgWhat can cause this? I do everything that is supposedly “healthy” My androgen hormones have always been elevated thoughHi Amanda,I can only speak to my own experience, though I know the frustration when you feel like you are doing everything right and still dealing with these problems. For me the issue was a need for chemical exfoliation. I started using glycolic acid and salicylic acid based products and within a couple months my skin was clear (I also had those little bumps). I don’t mean to advertise, but there is a company called paula’s choice whose products I use. She also provides reviews for and recommends other brands as well. She’s kind of like the Dr. Greger for cosmetics :) I had tried salicylic acid before and it had never worked for me, but her products are at the correct pH to function properly and do not contain irritants, fragrance, or alcohol, and have worked wonders for me.All the best!A friend’s 2 sons had bad acne for years, and doctors prescribed antibiotics. After doing a lit review I suggested they do the following: replace refined carbs inc sugar with low glycemic whole carbs, drink more water from early morning, replace dairy products with soy, reduce fat and meat intake and replace with legumes, >=7 cups of vege and 2 cups fruit /day, cardio exercise daily, sleep by 930pm, continue with facial scrubs…..what do you know? for the 3 weeks they complied before going back to their slacker ways, their skin cleared up dramatically.I absolutely agree those are good starting points. Though if someone already eats a whole foods plant based diet with no refined sugar or grains and still has acne, as I did, then it gets more complicated. I do think most people out there (that don’t already follow the advice from this website) would benefit greatly from the type of dietary advice you gave. It’s too bad they went back to their old ways! Maybe you can convince the parents on the merits of the diet health-wise, so it’d be easier for the sons to stick with it?Also I would reiterate to Amanda that after using an alcohol/irritant/fragrance/color-free salicylic acid with a fragrance/color/irritant-free benzoyl peroxide, my skin is still completely clear. In fact it’s now quite beautiful, smooth, and glowing. I feel like all the kale and berries I eat now actually get a chance to show on my skin. Amanda, if you would like the exact products I can put the links but I don’t want to feel like a spammer :)My mom bought my a topical cream from Eminence that has yogurt in it and it says it is for acne prone skin. How does applying a yogurt topically affect acne?HI Gabrielle. Researchers are studying the bacteria found in our pores and found that not all strains cause acne. Feb 2013 study, UCLA researchers found there are “bad” strains associated with pimples and “good” strains that may protect the skin. Research is ongoing but in the words of the researchers: “This P. acnes strain may protect the skin, much like yogurt’s live bacteria help defend the gut from harmful bugs,” Li said. “Our next step will be to investigate whether a probiotic cream can block bad bacteria from invading the skin and prevent pimples before they start.”Yes. I have read about that before. I should ask instead. Can yogurt help skin flora just as it helps gut flora?Hi Gabrielle, that is what this research is saying – that yogurt with its probiotic properties may (repeat may) also be effective for the skin. Try it and see – your own personal study!I read the ingredients: cucumber juice, zea mays (corn) germ oil, salix alba (willow bark) extract, yogurt, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter) , lactic acid, vegetable glycerin, calendula officinalis (calendula) oil, melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil, panthenol (vitamin b5), zea mays (corn) starch, vegetable squalene, ubiquinone (coenzyme q 10), tocopheryl acetate (vitamin e), ascorbyl palmitate (vitamin c ester), xanthan gum, salicylic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and menthol.I know yogurt has good bacteria, but I also know that tea tree oil combats bacteria. I’m not sure if the two ingredients would affect each other and the tea tree oil kill bacteria of the yogurt, while doing nothing to kill bad bacteria on the skin.So far it has not made my acne worse or better. I will keep using it though.I am a vegan. I have acne. I eat Ezekiel bread, and I am wondering if wheat can cause acne?Hi Gabrielle, I’m not sure about that but what we eat does affect how our skin looks and feels. Have you seen Dr. Greger’s video on eating more veggies to improve skin condition? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/ . His Update on Gluten video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/ also points out that only 1% of the population has celiac disease, so if you’re concerned about having a gluten sensitivity it may be worth confirming it with a test. Hope that helps! :)I had acne in my face for a long time, and i was so angry about it, days after, i was surfing in the internet, i just found some useful products one of them is Coconut oil for acne, i tried it , and i can proudly say, that i don’t have acne in my face anymore, i want to help other people to try it. Thank youSource: http://www.coconut-oil-acne-guide.com	acne,bioactive molecules,cancer,dairy,dairy cows,diabetes,disease,estrogen,hormones,milk,National Dairy Council,obesity,sex hormones,skim milk,teenagers,whole milk	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15692488,
PLAIN-283	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/09/uprooting-dvd-now-available-proceeds-to-charity/	Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death Now on DVD	Every year I scour the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition pulling together what I find to be the most interesting, practical, and groundbreaking science on how best to feed ourselves and our families. I start with the 12,000 or so papers published annually on human nutrition and, thanks to a crack team of volunteers, am able to whittle those down to about 3,000 studies, which are downloaded, read, analyzed, and churned into a few hundred short videos so I can post a new video every day, year-round, to NutritionFacts.org. This certainly makes the site unique. There’s no other science-based source for free daily video updates on the latest discoveries in nutrition. The problem is that the amount of information can be overwhelming. 	Dr Greger –What do you think about Beneforte Broccoli [http://skepticalvegan.com/2012/07/06/beneforte-broccoli/]? Would it be a good alternative to broccoli sprouts for someone concerned about foodborne illness (even though I understand that broccoli sprouts are safer than most sprouts)?Thanks!Beneforte Broccoli is produced by Monsanto. I’m not excited about supporting their GM efforts. Perhaps some of the heirloom varieties would be just as nutritious.Could you put up a preview?Someone just showed me a link to a grain called freekeh. http://www.greenwheatfreekeh.com.au/index.phpIt highlights a small study of 17 individuals on the site. I haven’t seen anything in this site so I am wondering how good it really is. It may be fantastic, but just doesn’t have enough data to support the claims.Dr. Greger – Your new DVD talk is the best ever by you! I’ll recommend that J. Morris Hicks publicize it in his daily Healthy Eating — Healthy World blog.  I’ll tell my on-line contacts, too, plus play it at my next Healthy Lifestyle Education meeting. Thank you so much William! !Thank you so much for the “Uprooting” DVD you sent me.  If you were the only speaker at the Vegetarian Summerfest at Pitt-Johnstown, PA it would have been worth attending.  I transitioned from a vegetarian to a vegan mostly because of your presentation!  Thank you again!Fantastic video!  Best I’ve ever seen.  Should be required viewing in every medical college and to as wide an audience as possible. The Science is overwhelming.  Thanks, Dr Greger!….MikeMy video just arrived today! Can I show it to my group “Sungine Coast Vegans” and advertise the free screening publicly? I held a free screening for “Vegucated” and 50 people came! I would be honored–please do!Pingback: Fast Food Nutrition Facts “Uprooting” DVD Now Available – Videos | NutritionFacts.org | Fast Food Nutrition Facts()Pingback: Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death | Leading Edge Health()Thanks. From a grateful Seventh-day Adventist physician and advisor of (too many) patients with ‘metabolopathy’ in our Hispanic community in ChicagoManuel AlvaDoes anyone know where I can find the sources that Dr. Greger used for this presentation? I’m a nutrition student and would like to learn more about this subject.Hello Emilio, the sources cited are scattered through out this website in different videos. The individual videos have the sources pasted below. Here are some videos to start with. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=endotoxemiaHello Benjamin The presentations are available digitally: http://www.drgreger.org/downloadsWhere can the studies be found on which you base your presentation on?Nadja: Underneath each of the “Videos Of The Day” have a “Sources Cited” section which can be expanded. From there, Dr. Greger lists the sources and even links to them when possible.The annual summary talks, such as this “Uprooting…” one do not have a giant list of sources. Instead, you have to find the Video Of The Day which relates to the subject you are interested in – and then you can go to the Sources Cited section.	DVD	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-284	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/	Do Eden Beans Have Too Much Iodine?	I love canned beans. Legumes in general—beans, peas, and lentils—are among the healthiest foods on the planet, and canned beans make it easy to boost the nutrition of nearly any dish. They are packed with potassium, fiber, and folate, and are a preferred source of protein. Worried about gas? Check out my blog Clearing the Air. Just as I encourage folks to keep a purple cabbage in their crisper to slice off shreds into whatever they may be eating (one of the best dietary bangs for our bucks), I’ve always recommended my patients keep an open can of beans in the fridge to spoon into whatever they happen to be eating throughout the day. Though we haven’t yet brought ourselves up to the British ideal (beans for breakfast!), I’m always trying to think of creative ways to sneak more into my family’s diet (black bean brownies anyone?). Eden Foods, the oldest organic food company in North America, deserves credit for being the first to remove the chemical bisphenol-A from the lining of their cans (see my video Which Plastics are Harmful?). They also add kombu (a sea vegetable also known as kelp) to their beans to improve flavor, digestibility, and nutrition. Sea vegetables represent the most concentrated dietary source of iodine (see Avoiding Iodine Deficiency), a nutrient that can be low in people eating otherwise healthy diets (see Pregnant Vegans at Risk for Iodine Deficiency). For those who don’t like the taste of seaweed and—for good reason—don’t use table salt, Eden brand beans can provide a healthy source of iodine. However, kombu is such a good source of iodine, it can actually provide too much. In my 2-min. video Too Much Iodine Can Be as Bad as Too Little I document a peculiar case in Australia of police raiding cafés to seize kombu-containing soymilk banned for containing too much iodine. Hoping to keep the SWAT team out of my pantry, I contacted Eden Foods to inquire about the iodine content of their beans. They claimed their beans had “1.17 mg iodine per 100 mg.” That’s obviously an error—there’s no way 1% of the can is iodine. I assumed they meant 1.17 mcg, since iodine is typically measured in millionths of a gram, not thousandths of a gram (for example, the recommended daily intake is 150 micrograms). Alternately, maybe they meant per 100 grams, which is a typical serving size. Either way, there still might be concerns about toxicity, as the tolerable upper limit is 1.1 mg a day, but I really wanted to get at the truth. I gently explained to them that the numbers they were quoting me couldn’t possibly be correct. If they were, then a can of their beans would exceed the potentially toxic daily dose of iodine set by the Institute of Medicine by more than 450,000%. In other words, a single can a year would put someone over the tolerable upper daily limit of intake! Incredibly, they insisted their numbers were accurate. I asked to speak to the lab. No response. I’ve talked to other nutrition professionals who contacted them and were told the same thing. Jeff Novick–one of my favorite dieticians–even got Whole Foods to inquire and still got nowhere. It’s so ironic. Normally when I challenge food companies, they make outrageous claims to try to paint their products in a more positive light; in this case, a company is insisting their food is much more toxic than it could possibly be. I’d welcome any other attempts to solve this mystery. Their facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/edenfoods, toll free customer service number (888) 424-EDEN and email info@edenfoods.com. If anyone has better luck at unearthing the truth, please post below in the comments section. We’ll figure this out yet! 	We could have an independent lab test their product for iodine content.I posted a comment on Edens Facebook page, asking them to please respond to you. They immediately deleted my post!It’s still there. It is on the right side with several more comments under “Recent Posts By Others”Great idea to post to the question to their facebook page! Maybe if they get enough polite inquiries they’ll respond: http://www.facebook.com/edenfoods Hello My name is Kim. I had went to their facebook and asked for an answer and they stated that they will have an answer shortly. This is def, a concern in that I eat this brand on occasion. great eye Dr. Greger :)I buy their beans dry rather than canned. And then prepare batches in my slow cooker after soaking overnight. I probably don’t get enough iodine in my diet as I don’t add salt to our food when cooking. My husband literally pours the salt onto his food at the table.Hi There,Good post. I looked into this very question last summer.The front line telephone answering folks at Eden clearly didn’t know what they were talking about and after insisting I talk to somebody more knowledgable I did get to speak to someone in the know.From our mutually informed discussion I calculated that a 130 gm serving of Eden beans would typically have about 25 % of the RDI for iodine ( 150 ug ). But there is a very large variation in this due to the naturally large variation in iodine content of sea vegetables and the uneven distribution of the iodine from seaweed in the batch itself (seaweed strips being cooked with a large vat of beans and not stirred to evenly distribute).So regularly consuming Eden beans is safe and does contribute to daily iodine intake in a useful way.Mike My post on Eden Foods Facebook page:“Come on Eden Foods. You’re getting a bad rep unnecessarily from the lack of a response to credible dietetic inquiries about iodine levels on your products.“Address this issue head-on in order to head-off a quickly snowballing concern by health-conscious consumers, or risk losing us as customers. It really is as simple as that!”And Eden Foods’ response less than an hour later:“John, I agree! We will have an answer for you very shortly!”The power of social networking? We’ll see. Anxiously awaiting a definitive response to this issue.Thank you all for being an actively involved food buyers! We can confirm that EDEN Beans do NOT, in fact, contain toxic levels of iodine! Please see the following note from Eden’s President: July 5, 2012 Today I have confirmed from previous laboratory analysis that there is Not too much iodine in Eden beans! From all of today’s data, the 1.17 mg and the 1.17 mcg quantities mentioned in the Nutrition Facts article are erroneous. Today we commissioned iodine tests on our current items, these results will be available in two weeks. The iodine scare is a result of fraudulent use of a very high iodine, flavor enhancer by overseas manufacturers falsely claiming it to be kombu or kombu extract. The kombu leaf used by Eden Foods has nothing to do with this, and only delivers healthful, appropriate levels of iodine, minerals, and trace minerals. Michael Potter, PresidentFolks can check out the whole thread here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/eden-foods/re-iodine/10151036878149933Note Jeff’s response to President Potter:Jeff Novick: “To be accurate, the information you are calling erroneous is based on information that was received from your own company from several communications from several people over the course of a year.   So, I am  glad you are going to straighten this out, by the “scare” you are talking about it is only a legitimate health concern raised by several health professionals in responses to the information they have received from your own company over the year.”Jeff then goes on to document this by posting a long back-and-forth he had with the company, which got Eden Foods to relent:“Jeff, you are correct. There was definite miscommunication, and we are working to fix both the line of communication, and the information in question.”So it looks like in two weeks we’ll have our answer–three cheers for social media! (and Jeff Novick… and beans! :) Well Done!Looks like it worked. Great job! -Mark”July 5, 2012  Today I have confirmed from previous laboratory analysis that there is Not too much iodine in Eden beans!   From all of today’s data, the 1.17 mg and the 1.17 mcg quantities mentioned in the Nutrition Facts article are erroneous.   Today we commissioned iodine tests on our current items, these results will be available in two weeks.   The iodine scare is a result of fraudulent use of a very high iodine, flavor enhancer by overseas manufacturers falsely claiming it to be kombu or kombu extract.   The kombu leaf used by Eden Foods has nothing to do with this, and only delivers healthful, appropriate levels of iodine, minerals, and trace minerals.  Michael Potter, President”I don’t get it.  If the results were confirmed from previous lab results that there is “Not too much iodine in Eden Beans!”  Then show us the numbers that confirmed your conclusion.  Why does there have to be a reanalysis of the already “Confirmed” data?And why does it also take two weeks?  In my undergrad College at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO we had an NMR that would be able to confirm iodine in a product in a matter of minutes.This all still stinks like fish to me!-{July 5, 2012   Today I have confirmed from previous laboratory analysis that there is Not too much iodine in Eden beans!   From all of today’s data, the 1.17 mg and the 1.17 mcg quantities mentioned in the Nutrition Facts article are erroneous.   Today we commissioned iodine tests on our current items, these results will be available in two weeks.   The iodine scare is a result of fraudulent use of a very high iodine, flavor enhancer by overseas manufacturers falsely claiming it to be kombu or kombu extract.   The kombu leaf used by Eden Foods has nothing to do with this, and only delivers healthful, appropriate levels of iodine, minerals, and trace minerals.   Michael Potter, Presidenthttps://www.facebook.com/notes/eden-foods/re-iodine/10151036878149933Check out the whole thread here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/eden-foods/re-iodine/10151036878149933Note Jeff’s response to President Potter:Jeff Novick: To be accurate, the information you are calling erroneous is based on information that was received from your own company from several communications from several people over the course of a year. So, I am glad you are going to straighten this out, by the “scare” you are talking about it is only a legitimate health concern raised by several health professionals in responses to the information they have received from your own company over the year. Here is a copy of one such communication dated over 1 year ago. Begin forwarded message: From: Sandra Baker Subject: Re: Question on Kombu & Beans Date: June 9, 2011 9:22:39 AM EDT To: Jeff Novick Dear Jeff, Thank you for contacting Eden Foods and your interest in Eden products. Below is the amount of iodine from the kombu per serving of Eden beans. We do not have any information as to how much kombu there is per serving only the amount of iodine. Serving size of the beans is 1/2 cup. Organic beans w/ brine (blended contents of a can of beans): 1.17 mg iodine per 100 mg Organic beans w/out brine (brine drained) : .65 mg iodine per 100 mg If you should have any further questions, please let us know. Sincerely, Sandra K. Baker Sales Administrator Eden Foods, Inc. 701 Tecumseh Rd. Clinton, MI 49236 PH: (517) 456-7424 Fax: (517) 456-7205 http://www.edenfoods.com I respect Eden as a brand, but in this case, I am rather disappointed. I did not try to go to the Facebook thread, but it seems the President (Mr. Potter) did not reveal the data from their previous laboratory analysis. Why not report this data now?? Why spend money on a second analysis? A second analysis may be helpful in confirming the ranges found in the beans, and I’d be curious about their methodology (e.g. they go into a store and buy a random can, or they use beans in-house that are just about to be canned). I really appreciate and respect that Eden did post a response here, which shows courage and a willingness to engage. I understand that they believe the Australian soymilk fiasca was due to a non-kombu ingredient being represented as Kombu. I look forward to the hard data, whether it is from previous analysis or in 2 weeks or both. As a consumer, I don’t eat these beans on a daily basis, and the RDA is a minimum recommended daily amount. Being a low-salt user, I don’t mind overshooting the RDA from time to time. Also, RDA’s are usually minimum amounts, so it is best to overshoot (although slightly, but I have a hard time believing a bit of seaweed to season beans would be thousands of percent over the RDA). So, I will continue eating my Eden beans in my cupboard, from time to time, and see what the data shows when it is presented. And if the iodine is far too high, then I’m sure Eden would modify its recipe. In my area, I don’t get baked beans by Eden (maybe they don’t make them?), but I love eating two spoonfuls of these with egg-style or toast-based breakfasts, stirring in a small amount it in my spaghetti sauce, or spooning it over lettuce. I used to think beans were weird and my pre-conceptions told me they tasted bad, but after introducing them into my diet over a few years, I have come to enjoy and appreciate the different levels of heartiness, flavor and texture they offer.I didn’t even read your post and I just posted the same thing.I agree 200%.  Oh, hold on one second, I am going to have to reanalyze my data.  I’ll get back to you in a YEAR!!!!  WT. . . . You two make a good point about “why don’t they show us the original data?” sounds like maybe they fear that while their *usual?8 supplier is ok, that they might have had a (they think/hope) “one time” exception with a particular batch?But there’s another concern when he wrote “The iodine scare is a result of fraudulent use of a very high iodine, flavor enhancer by overseas manufacturers falsely claiming it to be kombu or kombu extract. The kombu leaf used by Eden Foods has nothing to do with this, and only delivers healthful,”And this other, second concern is: doesn’t what he says imply that there *are*  some/otherr products/manufacturers “out there” to worry about with too much iodine, those that get the “very high iodine, flavor enhancer” as an ingredient?I eat VERY few processed foods but for the very rare times I do and for friends who eat such foods more often, I’d love to see a top-10 offenders list with Company/Manufacturer and Product names..from what I understand, we’re talking serious health risk here after all, folks…As usual, your reasonable apporach is great. I learned about this issue elsewhere in a sort of fear-monger way (eg “Eden beans are toxic!”) so I’m glad to see you’re behaving rationally.There are many third party companies who routinely check for nutritional analysis. Not sure who might have the funds but getting cans with multiple date codes tested can prove this out.Personally, I know that Eden beans contain too much iodine.  I am one of those who are sensitive to iodine and will break out with pimples when there is an excess.  I couldn’t quite figure out what was causing my breakouts until I looked at the ingredients on the can.  After I stopped using this particular brand, the breakouts stopped. I started using them again, and the breakouts recurred.  Enough evidence for me.      They seem to be the only company adding seaweed to their beans. Unless someone were consuming a can every day you would think there would not be an overdose issue. I use icelandic kelp in my smoothies, 1 t. every morning.      Realted to BEANS…..beans, grains, nuts and seeds have PHYTIC ACID in them. This binds minerals so they are not absorbed. Could this be a major reason many vegetarians become deficient in IRON among other minerals?. To lessen/remove this problem ALWAYS SOAK THOSE FOODS FOR SEVERAL HOURS/OVERNIGHT BEFORE CONSUMING OR COOKING THEM and throw away the soak water. I did not find this information on any vegetarian site. i have been a vegetarian or vegan for 25 years and am VERY VERY surprised this information is not widely shared among us so we all learn and benefit. best wishes, rachel Phytic acid is found in oats, certain grains and most beans. It is quite easy to eliminate phytic acid. Cooking them does the trick, you don’t have to go through great lengths to eliminate phytic acid.Rachel, it appears that not just ‘vegetarian websites’ but even adajournal.org does not have one single mention (that google can find with the site: restricted to their website) about ‘phytic acid’ so Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics doesn’t know about it either…do you have a trust-worthy source(s)? If so, could you please post the url here? Here are some sources regarding phytic acid and other antinutrients. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20001762 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20715598It doesn’t matter though, cooking deactivates most of these anti-nutrients which include lectins, phytic acid, trypsin and α-amylase inhibitors. This is fairly well established common nutritional knowledge and most beans, from peas and lentils to kidney beans have these antinutrients unless cooked. Many anti plant based dieters often try and cite antinutrients, yet always leave out the fact that most are deactivated with cooking.Aren’t there other issues with eating seaweed? I thought they often contain arsenic and other heavy metals.  Check out this video delving into detail on seaweed http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/Thanks for the July 18 update. I would like some clarification on the findings/numbers.  Are those levels the amount one would get from just *rinsed* beans?  Or do they include the liquid?  Or do they exclude the liquid, but refrain from rinsing?I typically eat canned beans by rinsing the beans first.  I almost never consume the liquid in the cans.  Knowing the answer to the above questions would allow me to know better how much iodine I am actually getting from those yummy Eden beans.Thanks.The test results for EDEN beans are all based on full cans of beans that were puréed with the water/kombu flake brine. If beans had been drained, and just the beans had been tested, the iodine levels would be greatly reduced.  Happy Eating! :) Eden Foods:  Thanks for your prompt response!Dr. Greger and Eden Foods. Thank you all for keeping at this issue till we could get some definitive info. Maybe there is still more, but I feel ok about continuing to use this awesome product. I have been a fan for over 30 yrs. JeffN advised that I could find this info.here and am so glad to have all of your and his/Dr McDougall’s help. You have given me so much help in many areas. Forever grateful. LynnAre these beans safe to eat during pregnancy?Yes, the iodine levels in these beans are below recommended intake and getting enough iodine while pregnant can be a problem. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iodine/Tolerable upper limit of 1.1mg per day? Um, not really…That may be the official number, but that certainly isn’t even close to being what we need for good health. The thyroid isn’t the only part of our body that needs iodine. Our whole body depends on iodine and iodide. The RDA only covers goiter, and most people don’t even get that much because everyone avoids table salt now (with good reason if it’s the white processed stuff). The Japanese consume about 13mg per day through their diet and their incidence of breast cancer and thyroid disease is much lower than ours.It’s estimated that a large majority of Americans are iodine deficient, so I don’t think you all have anything to worry about. To the person who broke out in acne when having iodine: unless you have a true allergy to iodine (which is rare), you were probably purging bromide from your system. Iodine displaces bromide (which we don’t need and which took the place of iodine in bread production years ago and is in brominated vegetable oil–which is in processed foods and some soft drinks).When first starting to supplement with iodine or if you have a large amount of it, you may very well break out all over your upper body for a couple months. I know I did. Your skin is one of the major pathways of elimination. Fluoride may also be displaced, which is a good thing. The trick to avoiding too much detox side effect is to slowly build up to a higher dose. This helps to avoid the Herxheimer Reaction, as does drinking plenty of filtered and non-fluoridated water.A supplement that contains both KI and iodine is beneficial over just KI because there are parts of our bodies that need the iodine form, such as the breasts and ovaries (for women). Lugol’s Solution and Iodoral both contain iodine and iodide in varying amounts.There is much information available about iodine deficiency. Check the work of Drs. Brownstein, Abraham, Kelly, Flechas, Miller, etc. A simple search for “iodine deficiency” along with the doctor’s name(s) will bring up the information. It’s important information, too, since iodine is so critical to our bodies. Deficiency can lead to several diseases, including cystic diseases and (eventually) cancer. Unfortunately, most doctors in Western Medicine are afraid of iodine, so a lot of people are needlessly suffering from deficiency symptoms.For sure, I wouldn’t worry about the amount of iodine in Eden’s canned beans since that amount is miniscule compared to the amounts needed by our bodies.The UL of iodine is based on observed evidence, what is your evidence from a peer reviewed journal that we need more iodine that this? http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10026&page=258As I stated, there is plenty of information written by iodine-literate doctors that shows the RDA is inadequate for *whole-body* iodine sufficiency. I listed the doctor’s names so that people can find the information themselves.Dr. Sherry Tenpenny can be added to the list of doctors that have spoken about iodine deficiency; one of her presentations can be found on youtube. Dr. Brownstein and Dr. Derry have written books about the topic; you can find a presentation by Brownstein on youtube, also. Dr. Flechas has dozens of papers referenced on his website alone, with more being found at the Iodine Research website.I am interested in the studies, not doctors interpretations of the studies. The reason this is important is that a doctor like atkins or D’Adamo (blood type diet) can say anything and use poor sources to make their conclusions.This isn’t a matter of one lone doctor suggesting that the RDA for iodine is too low for whole-body sufficiency. There are several iodine-literate doctors out there and I’ve listed a few of the main ones. That should be enough to get you headed in the right direction when looking for information. I’m sorry that I don’t have time to sit here and post dozens of links. Anyone who is really interested will be able to find the information themselves.As I said, Dr. Flechas has a website with many references, as does the Iodine Research website. There are presentations on youtube by Tenpenny and Brownstein. Drs. Derry and Brownstein have both written books on the topic. Dr. Sircus speaks about iodine deficiency on his site and in his books.I’m sorry if the information they present isn’t enough for you to consider that many people might be deficient. It’s enough for me. Ever since I started supplementing, my goiter has gone down, my fibrocystic breast disease got better, and I have had more energy.I live in the “Goiter Belt” (aka the Bible Belt) where iodine levels are low in the soil. Not everyone is deficient, of course, but it’s estimated that many people are. Nobody is forcing anyone to supplement with iodine or even get their levels checked. It’s worth reading the available information, though, IMO.Toxins, nap.edu is certainly a “respected” source, but I notice it’s a 2001 publication. That’s 12 years ago. Some views change in 12 years or even in less (I’m thinking of Vit D where they used to recommend much less) It’s ironic i’m asking since I’m not 100% sure that even trust the *Vit D* rec’s (I wonder if they are recommending too much) but I’ve had extremely low so am taking D suppl, while trying to keep sharp eye open for any adjustments down …well somewhat similar question for iodine, is there no difference at all between 2013 (almost 2014) thinking and this 2001 publication (which come to think of it is based at least partly on even pre-2001 research)? Just wondering. ThanksI agree that new information may have come to light between these years. But the issue is it is quite easy to overdose on iodine as best described here in Dr. Greger’s video.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/None of the vitamin-D literate doctors would tell people to take some standard dose. They are strong advocates of vitamin D testing since too much D can be a bad thing. Iodine-literate doctors also advocate pre-supplementation testing in order to get a baseline.Eden foods needs to demonstrate far more responsibility not only in the beans but in labeling products like the dried strips of Kombu. There is no NO MENTION of the IODINE content on the label, which is beyond ridiculous.After calling them, I was told that a 1/2 piece of a strip contains a whopping 9,570 mcg of iodine. Kombu generally and traditionally on an average is the highest iodine containing sea weed. Having a high iodine content in a sea weed is a good thing, because it wins over the bromine. Unfortunately, Eden foods has no idea what the bromine content of their Kombu product is, nor do they provide a mineral or heavy metal analysis of the product. Knowing how much Bromine (bad) is in a product, whether sea weed or other is critical because Bromine and its combinations are ubiquitous and detrimental to health. I have eaten Kombu (can’t remember the brand), quite a bit of it per meal and had no ill effects, in-fact, I cured myself of an illness eating Kombu, drinking Miso soup and eating Umbeoushi pickled plums. So its all good, in moderation. :) But please Eden foods, tell us how much bromine this product has!PS. How much iodine remains after boiling the Kombu is another question I would like to have answered. No one seems to know. One NCBI/Pub med said 99% of the iodine was lost but a different one said that 99% remained and caused a case of transient Thyrotoxicosis in two women in Japan.Go figure.Dear Dr Greger and friends,The journal Thyroid Research contains a refereed paper which estimates iodine consumption in Japan to be 1-3 mg per day.http://www.thyroidresearchjournal.com/content/4/1/14This amount may be quite a bit safer than that consumed by the Americans. Japanese women and men have much less breast and prostate cancer than American women and men, respectively. This is from the same paper.Hello!Is it true that Kombu seaweed can help the digestibility of the legumes? I cannot find any realiable source that confirm that this is true…Thanks!It’s mid July 2014. Could somebody summarize where we are on this issue today? How much iodine is in Eden canned beans today– and are the amounts potentially problematic? Thanks, all.Sorry to introduce a divisive topic, but Eden’s food CEO “Potter went to court more than a year ago after learning the Affordable Care Act required Clinton-based Eden Foods to begin including contraceptives in its health insurance plan. He stated it violated his beliefs as a practicing Catholic.” (wikepedia listing for Eden’s Food, currently citation 18). I’m going back to freezing my beans, and using my instant, electric pressure cooker. It requires no oversight while cooking, unlike the scarier older pressure cookers.Good to know. I was avoiding their beans because of the kombu they add. Now, I’ll start buying their products again.	beans,canned beans,Eden Foods,folate,iodine,kombu,lentils,peas,potassium,sea vegetables,table salt	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	-
PLAIN-285	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/	Fighting Inflammation With Food Synergy	One of the reasons some studies haven’t shown more impressive results tying disease reduction to the quantity of fruit and vegetable consumption (see EPIC Study) may be because of quality of fruit and vegetable consumption. People are more likely to eat bananas than blueberries; cucumbers instead of kale. Berries are the healthiest fruits (see Best Berries) and greens are The Healthiest Vegetables. Variety is also important. We know, for example, spinach is healthier than lettuce (see #1 Anticancer Vegetable for a comparison of salad greens), and a big salad is better than small, but is it better to get the spring greens mesclun mix than even the straight spinach? Is it healthier to eat one apple and one orange than it is to eat three apples or three oranges? Though there are generic plant compounds like vitamin C that are found scattered throughout the plant kingdom, there are also specific phytonutrients produced by specific plants to perform specific functions—both in their organs and ours. We miss out on these if we’re stuck in a fruit and vegetable rut, even if we’re eating many servings a day. There are tens of thousands of these phytonutrients (see my 2-min. Phytochemicals: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label), but they’re not evenly distributed throughout the plant kingdom. Those wonderful glucosinolates I discuss in The Best Detox, Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells, and Lung Cancer Metastases and Broccoli, for example, are found almost exclusively in the cabbage family. Likewise, you won’t get lemonoids like lemonin and limonol or tangeretin in apples. Comparing apples and oranges is like, well, comparing apples and oranges. At the same time, all fruits are just fruits, whereas vegetables can be any other part of the plant. As I lay out in my 2-min. video Apples and Oranges: Dietary Diversity, roots harbor different nutrients than shoots. Carrots are roots, celery and rhubarb are stems, dark green leafies are leaves of course, peas are pods, and cauliflower is true to it’s name as a collection of flower buds, but all fruits are just fruits. The available evidence suggests it may be most important to get in a variety of vegetables so you can benefit from all the different parts of the plant. We know that whole foods are better than eating individual nutrients, for example a carrot is better than a beta carotene pill, because of what’s been called nutrient synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, as many of the nutrients interact, work together, and complement one another. The same can be said of various food combinations. For example, I’ve talked about the wonders of the spice turmeric (Oxalates in Cinnamon), but the key component has very poor bioavailability. Just a tiny bit gets into your bloodstream after eating a nice curry—unless, you add some black pepper. The phytonutrient in black pepper boosts the absorption of the turmeric phytonutrient 2000%! That’s why dietary diversity is so important. In Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation I detail some recent studies that looked at disease risk and the variety of fruit and vegetable consumption. Researchers found no difference in inflammation between those eating 6 servings of vegetables a day and those eating 2 servings, but those eating the more variety—even if they didn’t necessarily eat greater overall quantities—ended up with significantly less inflammation in their bodies. This supports the American Heart Association’s latest dietary guidelines, which, for the first time, added a recommendation for also eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. 	I am glad you wrote this post – it is a really important message. It is very unfortunate that people like Timothy Key, one of the lead researchers in the EPIC diet and cancer study, has been writing commentaries saying that fruit and vegetables don’t protect against cancer. That kind of message hits the general media headlines and the general public thinks “OK, so why bother with the broccoli then”. Dominique Boivin and Richard Beliveau did a study pointing out that the most cancer protective vegetables (the cabbage/kale and onion/leek families) make up only a tiny proportion of the average person’s vegetable intake – reinforcing the point you make the beginning of the post about quality of fruit and veg being important, as well as variety. Also, eating organic fruit/veggies is better than conventional. I’ve read studies/articles (maybe yours?) that show a big difference in nutrient content. Also with organic, there’s no pesticide/herbicide residue or GMOS for bodies to have to detox, which takes away from the benefits of good wholesome vegan food! Dr. Michael, I would like to invite you to REAL SCIENCE and cutting edge Technology……. Please call me to discuss the possibility of us partnering on an Incredible Health Journey…… univerascience.com We have 177 patents and 50 Scientists working in our Unigen Laboratories and own 40% of the World’s market of Aloe….. I have personally seen “miraculous” results with their amazing products….. Univera is Full Circle Relationship Marketing Company with Dr. Stephen Cherniske as their Chief Scientific Officer and Bill Lee as their President and CEO…… Please take a look and Call me to discuss the possibility of you joining our Awesome TEAM!!!! Thank you, Marty Goldberg Magic 4 Maintenance807 Parkview Ave Rockford, IL   61107Cell- 815-519-1491 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting FREE 815-519-1491 end_of_the_skype_highlighting “Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil……it has no point.”  Billy Graham Marty, you are just peddling another over-priced MLM company! Message *: I went on a close to vegan diet after reading stuff from Dr. Mercola, Dr. McDougal, Dr Ornish and Dr Campbell. The change in my lipid panel was amazing. For example my triglycerides went from 190 to 60. I am retired now and want to join in helping people understand nutrition. The purpose of this message is to ask advice on how to pursue an education on this subject. I live in Boise, Idaho. I will make a contribution but first need to significantly improve my nutrition knowledge. Thanks Rick KartesGoing Vegan was the best decision I have ever made. I just found out I need a low oxalate diet to avoid more kidney stones. I will need to avoid some vegetables. Any low oxalate diet tips?Oxalic acid occurs naturally in many plant foods. Spinach, rhubarb, Swiss chard, cocoa powder, chocolate, beets, beet greens, peppers, strawberries, tea (both black and green), okra, peanuts, pecans and wheat germ and bran contain sufficient oxalic acid to increase urinary oxalate excretion. Increased oxalic acid in the urine raises the TSI and presumably increases the risk of calcium oxalate-rich kidney stones. One study showed that most of the above mentioned oxalic acid-containing foods do significantly increase urinary oxalate excretion. It seems reasonable to limit the intake of these oxalic acid rich foods [Spinach, rhubarb, Swiss chard, cocoa powder, chocolate, beets, beet greens, peppers, strawberries, tea (both black and green), okra, peanuts, pecans and wheat germ and bran] in people with recurrent calcium oxalate kidney stones. Calcium oxalate is poorly absorbed so foods with as much or more calcium as oxalic acid would probably have little impact on urinary oxalate excretion. However, plant foods are not the only source of urinary oxalic acid so even if all plant foods are avoided calcium oxalate stones may still form. Oxalic acid can be derived from the breakdown of dietary protein as well as from high doses of vitamin C.Table 2 below lists foods with the most oxalic acid and high ratios of oxalic acid to calcium. If calcium rich foods are consumed with these foods it is likely that the absorption of oxalic acid from the gut would be reduced.Table 2. Foods to Avoid for People with Recurring Kidney StonesFoodBeet greens, cookedRhubarb, stewed, no sugarSpinach, cookedBeets, cookedSwiss Chard, cookedSpinach, frozenCocoa, dryOkra, cookedSweet potatoes, cookedPeanutsTeaPecans, halvesWheat germ@Lee, I had a co-worker who was advised to stop all consumption of SOFT drinks to help his kidney stone situation. Just gently offering this; you CAN be vegan but also drink junk like soft drinks, after all. Not sure this is your situation, though. Pingback: Fast Food Nutrition Facts Fighting Inflammation With Food Synergy | NutritionFacts.org | Fast Food Nutrition Facts()Would love for you to do a video about maca. Supposed to be good for regulating hormones, gives an energy boost, and increases libido as well… curious what the research says though.It is my understanding that plants make antinutrients as part of their evolutionary defense mechanism. How should we include this factor in choosing which plants to eat. The dramatic case of the Bok Choy coma being an example. Comas aside, at what level does the bad stuff in Bok Choy set an upper bound for optimal health?Many antinutrients such as lectins, phytic acid, trypsin and α-amylase inhibitors.are deactivated with cooking. And most foods we eat (such as grains and beans) that contain these antinutrients must be cooked anyway before consuming.As dental hygienist and a recent convert to plant-based eating, I am very interested exploring any effects this may have on periodontal disease.  I have seen organizational websites attributing plant-based diets as contributory or causative to the development of PD.  If there is an overall reduction in inflammatory issues including heart disease, diabetes, etc., how does that play out in PD?  I am also a grad student looking for a thesis topic – this is very intriguing.  Would really appreciate your opinion/position on this topic!  What is your opinion of carrageenan? It’s in everything and I see lots of posts/studies that it causes inflammation, allergies, etc. And is there a difference between degraded and undegraded? Thanks!Great question! There’s been so much new work on the stuff that I’ve decided to do a video about it-stay tuned! To make sure you don’t miss it make sure you’re subscribed to my videos (http://bit.ly/nutritionfactsupdates).Great! I’m trying to make te cheeses from Artisan Vegan Cheeses (highly recommend!) and it includes a lot of carrageenan. Can’t wait!I did a brief pub med search and at this point it seems like the jury is out. I would use the precautionary approach and avoid or use it in a limited fashion. I and I’m sure you are looking forward to Dr. Greger’s upcoming video… so stay tuned.If you’ve come across this page, you must be a nutrition/nutritionfacts.org junky like myself :)Check out this site on lunasin and email me at nancyhelmold@gmail.com so I can share how you can experience optimal health with lunasin in its most concentrated (non-GMO) form…as well as complete and balanced nutrition! It’s amazing what nutrition in the perfect form can do.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091202153946.htm	American Heart Association,apple,beta carotene,black pepper,blueberries,broccoli,cabbage,carrots,disease,fruit,glucosinolates,kale,lemonin,lemonoids,limonol,mesclun,orange,phytonutrient,roots,spinach,tangeretin,turmeric,variety,vegetables,vitamin C	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9619120,
PLAIN-286	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/21/cows-milk-casomorphin-crib-death-and-autism/	Cow’s Milk Casomorphin, Crib Death, and Autism	Evolution devised an ingenious way to bond infant to mother: proteins in milk that break down into peptides that have opiate-like drug effects. But what if a breastfeeding mother is herself effectively suckling by still drinking milk into adulthood? Evolution never counted on that, which may explain a recent case report entitled “Cow’s Milk-Induced Infant Apnea With Increased Serum Content Of Bovine Beta Casomorphin 5″ published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Casomorphin is one of the opioid compounds formed in our stomachs when we drink milk. Infant apnea refers to when a baby stops breathing. The researchers “report a case of a breast-fed infant with recurrent apnea episodes, which have always been preceded by his mother’s consumption of fresh cow’s milk.” Lab tests revealed a high level of casomorphin in the child’s blood, leading researchers to speculate that it was the “opioid activity that may have a depressive effect on the respiratory center in the central nervous system and induce a phenomenon called milk apnea.” “The aim of the present report,” the paper concludes, “is to draw researchers’ attention to the possibility of occurrence of a systemic reaction with an apnea seizure on the infant’s exposure to the proteins in cow’s milk. We are convinced that such a clinical situation occurs rarely; however, it is accompanied by a real threat to the infant’s life that can be avoided when applying a simple and not costly dietetic intervention…[a dairy-free diet]”. You can see more about the report in my 3-min. video Cow’s Milk-Induced Infant Apnea. The reason this is so concerning is that as many as 1 in 10 infants with recurrent apneic episodes cannot be saved and die of SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome (also known as crib death). SIDS is the leading cause of death for healthy infants after one month of age. One in every two thousand American babies dies this way. Every day six babies stop crying and twelve parents start. The suggestion that the opiate-like effects of a protein in cow’s milk could cause an infant to stop breathing was so provocative that researchers have started testing other high-risk kids. In my 2-min. video, Cow’s Milk Casomorphin and Crib Death, I detail a study in which the blood levels of the morphine-like peptides from cow milk averaged three times higher in infants with acute life-threatening episodes than those in healthy infants. It turns out there is an enzyme that gets rid of casomorphins, but the activity of that enzyme in the affected group was only half that of the healthy kids. Thus, some babies may just not be able to clear it out of their systems fast enough and are placed at risk for SIDS. The researchers conclude: “Penetration of beta-casomorphins into the infant’s immature central nervous system may inhibit the respiratory center in the brainstem leading to abnormal ventilatory responses, hypercapnia [too much carbon dioxide], hypoxia [not enough oxygen], apnea, and death.” The opiate-like casomorphins liberated from the cow’s milk protein, casein, are also accused of participating in the cause of other conditions including type I diabetes, postpartum psychosis, circulatory disorders, food allergies, and autism–the subject of my 2-min. video Cow’s Milk Casomorphin and Autism. 	I didn’t think I could be surprised by anything related to the effects of consuming animal foods, but this made me tear up. SIDS? How tragic. I’m almost speechless. If people want to read more about this topic, I would strongly recommend the book Devil in the Milk by Keith Woodford. It covers a wide range of research and health problems associated with the bovine beta casomorphin and is written with meticulous scientific standards. The book is quite a rivetting read because it is all about the politics of the dairy industry and what they have done to try to cover this issue up. Woodford is a New Zealand Professor of Agribusiness, so he has great credibility to write this. The book is not however anti dairy milk consumption per se, it is anti the particular type of milk (A1) that is the standard cows milk available and which produces these problems because of the casomorphin component. There is another genetic strain of cows that produce a different type of milk (A2: available on a very small scale in New Zealand where I live), that has a different molecular structure so it does not produce the same problems. But most people can’t get A2 milk, so if you are looking for further reasons to give up cows milk, this book will provide it.Such information is very vital for new parents to know!! This should be printed out in guides and given to parents. It could prevent so many deaths and so many tears.Pingback: All about home safety and your baby()Pingback: All about home safety and your baby()Thanks Dr. Greger for this important info. But “evolution devised”? Only intelligence can create information. Only intelligence can devise. :-)So Wedi, don’t you think that “evolution” is intelligence (or maybe more appropriately “Intelligence”) in motion/action?Unless I miss your point, or you just want to play with word definitions, my answer is No. “Evolution” normally implies the involvement of no intelligence in any meaningful sense. Motion is irrelevant. Yet evolution requires increase in, that is, creation of, information. And there is no scientific basis to suppose that can happen without some intelligent being thinking it up and making it happen. Therefore in the paradigm of our current scientific understanding of how the universe works, naturalistic evolution is impossible. Thus I believe it was God who devised the “ingenious way to bond infant to mother.” If you are suggesting that God used evolutionary processes to create, well, that’s another discussion.You are playing with words if you think “intelligent design” as somehow separate from the process itself is somehow par of our current scientific paradigm. It in no way requires a somehow mystically separate from the act intelligence to make the act itself intelligent. The entire Universe is of a piece and that is inherently intelligent, creative; no need for outside agency. We are it and it is us.Cool. If you want to ascribe intelligence to a mystical personless concept of “Universe,” that’s fine with me. But if the 2nd law is true, “Universe” couldn’t have always existed. And so I wonder how it created itself. I believe a theistic view squares with the facts best, as I understand them.I agree in a sense. Universe is the Theos; Universe is the divine person, not a separate old dude w/ a long white beard somehow outside of creation. And Universe likely not created but always has been; creative process unfolding eternally forever and ever, ahmen. Ahwomen.Well said Wedi yatok.Good article, very intereststing, very one sided thou – would like to read an article on the million reasons why you SHOULD have dairy products in your diet!I think Dr. Greger would reply that whatever nutritional benefits you can get from dairy are available in plant foods, without the dangers, which are proven by multiplied scientific studies. The reasons why you SHOULD consume dairy products include the good taste, and perhaps a desire to support those in the industry. The important thing is to learn about the pros and cons, weigh the known dangers and benefits, and then make an informed choice which is right for you.eka: There are a million articles about aliens at “Area 51″, but that doesn’t sway me into believing that they are or were there. :-)An article is only one sided if there are really two sides to report. I would encourage you to do a lot more research on dairy if you are still eating it. Good luck.Dr. Greger covers dairy extensively.There is no dietary need to consume dairy and the harms outweigh any good. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/	apnea,baby,breastfeeding,casomorphin,cow's milk,crib death,death,enzymes,evolution,hypercapnia,hypoxia,infants,milk,mothers,opiate,peptides,protein,SIDS,stomach	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21478761,
PLAIN-287	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/07/treating-copd-with-diet/	Treating COPD With Diet	The three top killers in the United States are no longer heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Stroke just moved down to number four. Number three is now COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, meaning respiratory disorders such as emphysema. We know we can prevent and even help treat the other top killers with diet (see, for example, Heart Disease: There Is a Cure and my 4-min. video Cancer Reversal Through Diet?), but what about COPD? Though most COPD is caused by tobacco, up to a third of COPD sufferers never smoked. The title of an editorial in this month’s issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition describes where some of the remainder of risk is coming from: “More Evidence for the Importance of Nutritional Factors in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.” As I explore in my 2-min. video Preventing COPD with Diet, data dating back 50 years found that high intake of fruits and vegetables was positively associated with lung function in general, but does that mean it could prevent COPD? There’s been a burst of new research over the last ten years to answer just that question. In 2002 we learned that every extra serving of fruit we add to our daily diet may reduce our risk of getting and then eventually dying from COPD. In 2006 we could add tea drinking to fruits and vegetables for COPD prevention. In 2007 a twin pair of studies emerged, one from Columbia and another from Harvard, implicating cured meats such as bacon, bologna, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and salami as a risk factor for developing COPD. They thought the nitrite preservatives in the meat might be mimicking the damage incurred by the nitrites from cigarette smoke (see my 2-min. video When Nitrites Go Bad for more). In 2008 Harvard decided to study women as well and came to the same conclusions. We know now what to go out of our way to eat and what to try to avoid. In 2009 soy was added to the good list; both tofu and soy milk were found to be protective agents against breathlessness. A 2010 article racked up the benefits of fiber, especially from whole grains, but “Impact of Dietary Shift to Higher-Antioxidant Foods in COPD: A Randomized Trial” was the study we’ve all been waiting for. Sure the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects of plant foods can help prevent COPD, but what if you already have the disease? One hundred and twenty COPD patients were randomized into two groups.  Half were told to eat at least one extra serving of fruits or vegetables per day, and the other half stayed on their regular diet. The lung function of the control group that wasn’t given any dietary advice slowly, but surely, got worse. That’s what tends to happen in diseases like emphysema–you get worse and worse and then you die. The lung function of the half eating an extra serving of fruits and vegetables every day started out the same, but did not get worse. In fact, if anything, it appeared that their lung function got progressively improved a little over the three years. That’s not supposed to happen; you’re supposed to get worse. View the graph accompanying my video Treating COPD with Diet. The researchers speculated it could be the antioxidant effects of fruits and vegetables or the anti-inflammatory properties, but recognized it may not be directly related to the plant foods at all. When you eat more of one thing, you tend to eat less of another. “For example,” the researchers noted, “the addition of fruit and vegetables resulted in a decreased consumption of meat, which is known to be a pro-oxidant.” Either way, though, there is now hope. The paper concludes: “These findings suggest that a dietary shift to higher-antioxidant food intake may be associated with improvement in lung function, and, in this respect, dietary interventions might be considered in COPD management.” The tobacco industry viewed these landmark findings a little differently. Instead of adding fruits and vegetables to ones diet to prevent emphysema, wouldn’t it be simpler to just add them to the cigarettes?  And indeed, a study was published on the addition of acai berries to cigarettes attempting to show a protective effect against emphysema in smoking mice. The meat industry quickly followed suit. Blackberries “literally dyed burger patties…distinct purplish color,” experimenters lamented, though infusing lamb carcasses with kiwifruit juice before rigor mortis set in did, evidently, improve tenderness. An experiment to improve the nutritional profile of hot dogs with powdered grape seeds flopped. There were complaints that the grape seed particles were visible in the final product, and if there’s one thing we know about hot dog eaters, it’s that they’re picky about what goes in their food :) -Michael Greger, M.D. 	The last line about hotdog eaters still tickles my funny bone.Awesome summary!  What a GREAT way to show what helps and what doesn’t help against disease by being able to put it all together next to each other like this.A very interesting, and thorough look at the research. It is amazing what big companies will do to create a health halo. Dr Gregor, I sent a previous message similar to this but not sure that it didn’t just go into cyberspace. I changed to a fairly close to vegan diet. All numbers in my lipid panel moved in the right direction (triglycerides from 190 to 60). Also Dr McDougall sent me a video on the horrendous treatment of factory farmed animals. I want to learn more so that I can help educate people on the values of a plant based diet. I have the time to do whatever it takes. Please advise, if you will. Also, your site is incredible. When I read something elsewhere that I question, I look here to see if the subject is addressed. I hope you are finding great satisfaction in your work and that you continue doing it forever or at least about 100 years. Thank You. These journal articles are exactly what I need for my uni assignment! Thank you so much for providing links to all of the different studies!A better way to infuse lamb meat with antioxidants would be to feed them with plants high in antioxidants.I have COPD and have been on the McDougall Plan for two years. I’ve had it for 15 years and had 20% of my lung function back then. I have been trying to “eat healthy” although not as much as now, but it seems to have kept it at bay pretty well. Glad to hear some positive news – doesn’t happen often with this disease.	acai berries,antioxidants,cancer,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,COPD,cured meats,diet,emphysema,fiber,fruit,heart disease,nitrites,soy,stroke,tea,tobacco,tofu,vegetables	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21147193,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20150206,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16782241,
PLAIN-288	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/31/watermelon-for-erectile-dysfunction/	Watermelon For Erectile Dysfunction	A disturbing analysis of mortality and morbidity was recently published in the Journal of Gerontology. Americans are living longer but sicker lives. We’re now living fewer healthy years. Compared to a decade ago, we live about a year longer, but come down with a serious disease like a stroke, cancer, or diabetes two years earlier. It’s like one step forward, two steps back. The UCLA researchers also tracked one’s capacity to function—for example, the ability to walk up 10 steps or kneel without using special equipment—and found a similar trend. In just a decade’s time, we now live more years with a serious illness and more years disabled, meaning we’re living longer in sickness, not in health; a longer lifespan, but shorter health span. The three leading causes of disability in the United States are arthritis, heart disease, and lower back pain, which all may be prevented, treated and in some cases even reversed with a healthy plant-based diet. For arthritis, see my 3-min. video Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis; for cardiac disability, Heart Disease: There Is a Cure; and for degenerative disc disease, my 1-min. video Cholesterol and Lower Back Pain. Every part of the body needs sufficient blood to function properly. Cholesterol can clog arteries in our inner and outer organs, causing aneurisms, heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, spinal degeneration and sexual dysfunction. As noted in a recent article in the Harvard Health Letter, up to three­ quarters of men with cholesterol-­narrowed coronary arteries have some degree of erectile dysfunction. There are drugs like Viagra, but they’re considered temporary, expensive, stop-gap measures that may have a number of hazardous side-effects and don’t get to the root of the problem—the artery clogging atherosclerosis that threatens one’s life along with one’s love life. Not only may plant-based diets help preserve both, but as I feature in my 2-min. video Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction, one plant in particular may be able to play an interim role. The way drugs like Viagra work is by inhibiting an enzyme that inactivates something called cGMP, which would otherwise dilates penile blood vessels. Thus, enzyme inhibition means less inactivation, which means more cGMP, which means more blood flow. Another way to boost cGMP levels, though, is by going to the other side of the equation and stimulating the enzyme that makes it, which is a role played by nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is made from arginine, arginine can be produced by citrulline, and so researchers tested men to see what would happen if they ate more citrulline. Their results were published in the journal Urology: “Oral Citrulline Supplementation Improves Erection Hardness in Men With Mild Erectile Dysfunction.” The consumption of citrulline allowed for a 68% increase in monthly intercourse frequency. The men were given supplements, but citrulline can be found naturally in watermelon. How much might one have to eat to match the dose they used in the study? Three and a half servings a day, but yellow water melon has about 4 times as much, so just a serving a day—one wedge, one sixteenth of a modest melon should work just as well. Although watermelon may indeed help treat the symptoms of pelvic atherosclerosis, it’s better to get to the root of the problem and clear out the arterial plaque. Just as Indian gooseberries may help treat diabetes (see Amla Versus Diabetes), it’s better to reverse the disease (How To Treat Diabetes). Please see my 2-min. video Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped and the 10 other videos on reversing chronic disease. 	Pingback: YUMMY NEWS: PDX Fruit and Veg news and links, week of June 4 « Banana Nick's()What about winter melon? Does it have the same health effects as water melon? The Chinese make the most delicious dishes with winter melon and tofu bamboo-tofu skin that looks like bamboo has the most wonderful texture.Do we actually need to consume the watermelon, or is just purchasing and keeping it at home good enough?Very funny. And I’m guilty as charged — in fact I have one sitting in my frig right now. Maybe I would be less likely to ignore it if I took it out of the bag that’s hiding it!I will try to eat watermelon to treat my erectile dysfunction.Buy Generic Viagra	aneurysm,arthritis,cancer,cGMP,cholesterol,citrulline,diabetes,heart disease,lower back pain,mortality,sexual dysfunction,stroke,viagra,watermelon	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21649979,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21195829,
PLAIN-289	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/	Poultry and Penis Cancer	One of the reasons it’s so difficult to study the relationship between diet and cancer is because many dietary behaviors are associated with non-dietary behaviors. For example, one of the reasons we used to think coffee-drinking caused cancer was because people who drink coffee are more likely to have a cigarette in the other hand, which led to spurious conclusions. When you factor in those considerations, we find that coffee consumption may actually decrease cancer risk, as I detailed in Coffee and Cancer. The reason it was so difficult to study cancer among coffee-drinkers is the same reason it’s so difficult to study cancer among meateaters. Historically, those eating vegetarian have been noted to have lower cancer rates, but maybe it’s just because they exercise more, or smoke less, or inhale less diesel fumes because they all own a Prius :) In my 3 min. video Vegetarians Versus Healthy Omnivores I profiled new data that attempts to control for non-dietary factors by effectively comparing vegetarians only to meateaters who are as slim as vegetarians, exercise as much, smoke as little, and even eat roughly the same amount of fruits and vegetables. After all, maybe the reason vegetarians have been shown to be healthier is less about eating less meat, and more about eating more plants. Though these rigorous controls undercut key vegetarian advantages, such as lower obesity rates, even when vegetarians were compared in effect only to healthy meateaters with healthier diets, researchers still found “the incidence of all cancers combined was lower among vegetarians.” The most striking difference between the dietary groups was in the risk for cancers of the blood and bone marrow, such as non-Hodgkins lymphoma, various leukemias, and myeloma (more details in my 2 min. video EPIC Findings on Lymphoma). Chicken consumption appeared the most hazardous, associated with up to triple the cancer rates for every 50 grams of daily poultry consumption—that’s just a quarter of a chicken breast worth! Why was there so much more lymphoma and leukemia risk among those eating just a small serving of chicken a day? As detailed in my 2 min. video Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics?, the association between poultry and cancer may be explained by the presence in chickens’ and turkeys’ flesh of drugs that were fed to the birds, industrial carcinogens such as dioxins, and/or the presence of oncogenic (cancer-causing) viruses. In Poultry and Penis Cancer I present the largest study to date on poultry workers and cancer mortality, which found a whopping 8-fold increased risk of dying from penile cancer compared to controls, a finding thought due to chicken virus exposure, raising broader food safety concerns. If chickens can be infected with viruses linked to cancer in consumers, then what about eggs? Find out in Carcinogenic Retrovirus Found in Eggs. 	The trial seems to imply that people eating chicken in it got cancer more often. However the evidence with poultry workers seems to imply handling raw meat or live birds transmits viruses that causes the problem. Then you say though that cooking chicken and eggs properly kills all the viruses. Doesn’t this imply then either that the chicken in the trial was typically not cooked enough (surely unlikely) or that the antibiotics that the poultry workers are exposed to might be making them more susceptible to antibiotic resistant infections? There are two common links here, both the people in the trial and the poultry workers are exposed to the antibiotics and possibly also to raw meat (less likely). For example the antibiotics might be regularly killing off the bacteria in their stomachs allowing more dangerous bacteria from poultry to infect them more often. This might then also apply to antibiotic residues in chicken in the trial.That in turn implies antibiotic free chicken cooked well would not cause additional cancers, are there any studies on that?Greg.What about organic chicken?Wow!! Handling raw chicken, then handling your raw… ah…”member”, is bad for your health!!!!	antibiotics,cancer,chicken,cigarettes,coffee,eggs,exercise,food safety,fruit,leukemia,lymphoma,myeloma,obesity,penis cancer,plants,poultry,raw poultry,vegetarian,viruses	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-290	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/10/coffee-caveats/	Coffee Caveats	Last month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, an editorial entitled “Coffee consumption and risk of chronic diseases: changing our views” reviewed the growing evidence that for most people, the benefits of drinking coffee likely outweigh the risks. For example, a recent analysis of the best studies published to date suggests coffee consumption may lead to a modest reduction in overall cancer incidence, as detailed in my 1-min. video Coffee and Cancer. Each daily cup o’ joe was associated with about a 3% reduced risk of cancers, especially bladder, breast, mouth, colorectal, endometrial, esophageal, liver, leukemic, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. What about the caffeine, though? Glad you asked! Check out What About the Caffeine? There are a few caveats. Some health conditions may be worsened by coffee, such as insomnia, anxiety, gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn), high blood pressure, and certain heartbeat rhythm irregularities. There are also compounds in coffee that increase cholesterol levels, but are effectively removed when filtered through paper, so drip coffee is preferable to boiled, French press and espresso. Pregnant women should restrict caffeine consumption to less than two cups of coffee a day. Despite the growing evidence of health benefits associated with coffee consumption, I still don’t recommend people drink it—not because it’s not healthy, but because there are even healthier choices. In this way, coffee is like a banana, another common convenient plant product. If you have a choice, I’d encourage you to make healthier fruit choices (apples are better, berries are best). Similarly, when it comes to beverages, I’d encourage you to choose an even healthier one, like green tea. 	is there any current information linking caffeine to migraines? off to eat my morning banana… errr… apple!! Headaches(ha) are common. It is important to correctly diagnose the type of headache you have. In my experience many patients who say they have migraines may be suffering from musculo-skeletal ha’s (most common ms ha’s  originate in upper neck and are felt along the back of the head or from temporal mandibular jt and felt on the side of the head). Caffeine withdrawal ha’s are another type of ha. Assuming the correct diagnosis of migraines… they are often associated with food triggers. In my experience avoiding foods that are high in tyramines( a naturally occurring compound which is also a breakdown product of the amino acid tyramine) is particularly helpful. It is particularly high in processed foods and increases in leftovers. The challenge is that it occurs in both animal products such as cheeses, processed and most meats and plant products such as nuts and snow peas. The best approach is to go on a plant based diet and when you get a migraine to list everything that you ate or drank within previous 24 hours. It does get tricky because it is the amount consumed that seems to be critical not stress. When under stress people tend to eat out, skip meals(thereby eating more when they eat) or eat leftovers. My patients always preferred avoiding migraines as opposed to treating them although they would occasionally “push the envelope a little for foods like chocolate”. Caffeine which is actually added to some old migraine treatments like “cafergot” seems to be able to trigger migraines but it can depend on the amount, type and brewing characteristics. Good luck.Lowrie, if you’re addicted to caffeine, for sure you’re going to get a migraine if you don’t have your coffee and you won’t be able to function until you get your fix. It’s not a nice situation and so, I wouldn’t start drinking coffee if you don’t now. I don’t see anything wrong with a banana. It’s a good source of vitamin B6 which neither apples nor berries have, manganese which apples don’t have and has equivalent amounts of dietary fiber and vitamin C to an apple or berries.   What about cholesterol in instant coffee?Coffee as with all plants don’t contain cholesterol. I don’t drink instant coffee but unless they add some animal product to it it should contain no cholesterol.it seems to me that any food or beverage that is habit forming and causes withdrawal symptoms when removed from the diet should never be considered as health promoting.Abstention from such products seems like a “no brainer’ to me.Hello Mr. Greger, Are you going to post any video on the possible reason for the higher incidence of colorectal cancer among vegetarians in the EPIC-Oxford study? Thank you!— CarloGreen Tea should be avoided when receiving treatment with Velcade for MM Cancer – it is proven to reduce the positive results. Pingback: Quick Collard Wraps & Blogging Schedule()I’ve reviewed Ray Kurzweil’s Fantastic-Voyage.net health guide.  Kurzweil is a very smart guy and very science literate, so in my mind there is, at least, a presumption of credibility.  He recommends an alkaline diet, and specifically recommends drinking alkalyzed water and avoiding coffee because of its high acidity.  Are you aware of any peer-reviewed studies supporting or opposing this recommendation?  Thanks very much, and thank you for your extremely credible and purely science-based recommendations.  Dr. Greger covers alkalized water here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/as for alkalinity,Almost all plant foods will produce a potential renal acid load (PRAL) that is negative (alkaline) because of the amino acid makeup. Grains are very slightly acidic but most animal products are several times times more acidic. The PRAL can be calculated with this formula PRAL = 0.49(Protein) + 0.037(Phosphorus) – 0.021(Potassium) – 0.026(Magnesium) – 0.013(Calcium). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7797810 You can go to the USDA nutrition database and calculate the alkalinity or acidity of certain foods this way using a 100 gram serving sample.http://nutritiondata.self.com/ Here are a list of common plant foods. A negative number indicates alkalinity whereas positive means acidity. Cereals, oats, regular cooked with water, w/o salt/ 2.18Bananas, raw/ -6.93Blueberries, raw/ -1.04Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked/ 2.18Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt/ -3.57Cauliflower, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt / -1.33Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt/ -4.10Peaches, raw/ -3.11Beans, kidney, cooked, boiled, w/o salt/ -0.69Kale, raw/ -8.34 Animal Foods Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted/ 17.30Egg, whole, raw, fresh/ 9.43Fish, salmon, Atlantic, wild, cooked, dry heat/ 7.57Beef, bottom sirloin, tri-tip, separable lean only, trimmed to 0″ fat, choice, cooked, roasted/ 12.79Cheese, cheddar/ 19.00 As you can see, all animal foods are acidic. This acidity is bad for our bones as explained by this study. “In response to chronic acid stress such as is imposed by an acid-ash diet, cellular responses mobilize bone and calcium as a buffer.”http://jn.nutrition.org/content/128/6/1051.full This acidic environment increases the production of cortisol which further diminishes bone density.http://ajprenal.physiology.org/content/284/1/F32.full.pdf This chronic acid load people put on their body causes bone loss leading to osteoporosis later on in life. If coffee has some health benefits, it’s probably due to its high content of  chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant which in the amounts in coffee may hinder iron absorption. Foods with more reasonable amounts of chlorogenic acid include green tea, sunflower seeds, artichokes, blueberries, cilantro, carrots, tomatoes and peanuts. Coffee also has its downside. I agree with Jaxon ” that any food or beverage that is habit forming and causes withdrawal symptoms when removed from the diet should never be considered as health promoting. Abstention from such products seems like a “no brainer’ ” There are many foods and beverages, such as those above which are better to eat and drinkI realize that this may be WAY too much information, but I find that drinking a cup of coffee makes me regular. :-oI am little conflicted your other video seems to imply you have no problem with coffee but here you say drink green tea instead? Maybe it would be good to write in the description of the video that you think that while coffee isn’t that dangerous that there are better choices. As the video implies coffee is healthy. Maybe do a more recent video saying which drink is the healthiest to drink… or the top selection of drinks that are best. And to remind people balance is key. Drinking multiple drinks.Hi Dr. Greger,I noticed your articles about coffee: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-greger-md/coffee-health-benefits-live-longer_b_1523477.html http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/10/coffee-caveats/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/However you are missing an elementary factor that could explain why people would live longer while consuming coffee despite it being bad for you: Those who consume the most coffee tend to have higher incomes. These population studies are biased because comparatively wealthier professionals drink more coffee. For example, lower tier jobs often don’t have break rooms or areas with a coffee maker available and you cannot just make a cup and drink it anyway even if you have an on-site coffee maker. It is well known that having more wealth and higher job autonomy leads to better health outcomes because such people have more control over their lives, they have more optimism, stronger self-belief and also much less stress, but the poor have everything against them in those regards. See Susan Rosenthal’s free e-book “Power and Powerlessness”: http://susanrosenthal.com/power-and-powerlessness for more detail about how economic factors and workplace autonomy impact health.Here is evidence of the income disparity involved in coffee consumption: “Demographic and Preferences of Coffee Drinkers in America” http://www.experian.com/blogs/marketing-forward/2009/12/01/demographic-and-preferences-of-coffee-drinkers-in-america/ …“Coffee Use Increases with Household Income “Seventy percent of Americans who report annual household incomes of $150,000+ drink coffee compared with 54% of those with household income less than $25,000.”…You make some fantastic and very important points. Thanks for bringing the economy of health to this forum’s attention. I, for one, appreciate it.The largest study on coffee drinking and mortality to date found that 4-5 cups daily is the “sweet spot”: http://extremelongevity.net/wp-content/uploads/coffee-longer.pdf More important to me, as a past Alzheimer’s caretaker, is caffeine’s ability, as a A2A adenosine receptor antagonist, to reduce neural inflammation (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2905864/), block β-amyloid neurotoxicity (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1573785/), and prevent dementia progression in both animal studies (http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/16938404, http://iospress.metapress.com/content/k3133175764267p5/fulltext.pdf) and human studies (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1468-1331.2002.00421.x/abstract, http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/maney/nres/2007/00000029/00000001/art00016, http://www.neurology.org/content/69/6/536.short, http://iospress.metapress.com/content/d885346618q57103/fulltext.pdf, http://iospress.metapress.com/content/p6l12303x7787885/fulltext.pdf, http://iospress.metapress.com/content/48k542x112694762/fulltext.pdf, http://iospress.metapress.com/content/a423p6m256u26742/fulltext.pdf)Dr. Greger, What can you tell us about acrylamide in coffee? The American Cancer Society says acrylamide can be found in “potato products, grain products, and coffee.” Thank you.What about the coffee substitutes often based on roasted chicory roots?Please respond to the points in this recent article:http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Caffeine-dependence-tied-to-physical-emotional-5288887.php?cmpid=twitterCaffeine dependence tied to physical, emotional problemsby Erin Allday March 5, 2014Please respond to this regarding coffee:Coffee: more addictive than pot – and more toxicCoffee is a strong psychoactive drug; its direct pharmacological effects are more powerful than those of cannabis. Dependence on it has a marked physiological component. In objective terms, coffee is a stronger drug than pot, with a greater potential for toxicity.Coffee is a powerful stimulant drug, causing dependence (even 1 cup/day) and illness – bladder irritation, stomach upset, headaches, anxiety, restlessness, heart palpitations, insomnia, elevated serum cholesterol, hypertension, prostate problems, etc.Coffee contains 39 alkaloids, decaf coffee 38. And these are not inert, producing the same health problems as regular coffee.Coffee’s true identity as a drug has been defined out of existence – socially and legally – but it is a powerful drug with serious health consequences.–Dr. Andrew Weil From ‘Natural Health, Natural Medicine’ (1995)You are asking us to respond to many questions about article written on coffee. I feel you are concerned with coffee but I am not sure what kind of response you are looking for Dr. Greger clearly references the studies in the “sources cited” if you have issue with a specific one please let me know I’ll do my best to clarify. I do appreciate your posts!Please respond to this article:http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20021119/ai_n12665507Decaf gives the same kick as regular coffeeJeremy Laurance Health Editor November 19, 2002It may be a decaf but it still carries a kick. Scientists studying coffee have found that a triple espresso has a marked effect, regardless of whether it contains caffeine.The beverage caused an increase in the activity of the nervous system in both occasional and regular coffee drinkers, and the blood pressure of occasional drinkers rose.Roberto Corti, a cardiologist at the University of Zurich who led the study of 15 volunteers, said it was the first time such disparities had been reported. He said the results, published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, suggest an unknown ingredient in coffee other than caffeine stimulates the heart. Coffee contains hundreds of different substances.“Until now we have attributed the cardiovascular effects of coffee to caffeine, but we found non-coffee drinkers given decaffeinated coffee also display these effects,” he said. “This demonstrates how little we know about the effects of one of our most popular beverages.”One implication of the findings is that the potentially adverse effects of coffee on the heart could be less hazardous in regular drinkers with normal blood pressure. Whether people with high blood pressure should avoid decaffeinated coffee remains unclear.The link does not appear to work. Can you find the actual studies and post here? I’ll be sure to investigate. Thanks, BortogAlthough coffee is brewed and filtered, there is still this probelm:http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/Crisps-and-coffee-highest-acrylamide-levels-warns-UNCrisps and coffee highest acrylamide levels, warns U.N.07/03/2005- A global risk analysis of nearly 7000 food items finds French fries, potato crisps and coffee recording the highest contamination levels of the carcinogen acrylamide, warns UN committee, writes Lindsey Partos.Scientists from 15 countries meeting under the aegis of JECFA, the UN’s committee on food additives, caution that the harmful contaminant acrylamide in certain foods may be of public heath concern since it has been shown to cause cancer in animals.In April 2002, acrylamide came to the attention of the food industry when scientists at the Swedish Food Administration first reported unexpectedly high levels in fried, baked, grilled, toasted or microwaved carbohydrate-rich foods, for example chips, roast potatoes, crisps and bread.Since then, an international effort of more than 200 research projects has been initiated around the world with their findings co-ordinated by national governments, the European Union and the United Nations.In the absence of any health-based guidance values (tolerable intake levels) for acrylamide, and a bid to construe a way forward to slicing this potential carcinogen out of the food chain, scientists meeting in Rome last month assessed national dietary intake data for 17 countries.“The major contributing foods to total exposure for most countries were potato chips (16-30 per cent), potato crisps (6-46 per cent), coffee (13-39 per cent), pastry and sweet biscuits (10-20 per cent) and bread and rolls/toasts (10-30 per cent). Others foods items contributed less than 10 per cent of the total exposure,” the committee reports.Tackling this figure, the UN group urged national food safety authorities to work towards improving food preparation technologies that “lower significantly the acrylamide content in critical foods.”Acrylamide appears to form when dietary items, typically plant commodities high in carbohydrates and low in protein, are subjected to high temperatures during cooking or other thermal processing.Scientists now know that the most important precursor is the free amino acid asparagine which reacts with reducing sugars in the Maillard reactions that also form colour and flavour.Since 2002 research has shown that although trace amounts of acrylamide can be formed by boiling, significant formation generally requires a processing temperature of 120 C degrees or higher.Most acrylamide is accumulated during the final stages of baking, grilling or frying processes as the moisture content of the food falls and the surface temperature rises, with the exception of coffee where levels fall considerably at later stages of the roasting process.Acrylamide seems to be stable in the large majority of the affected foods, again with the exception of ground coffee for which levels can decline during storage over months. Since formation is dependent on the exact conditions of time and temperature used to cook or heat-process a food, there can be large variations between brands of the same product and between batches of the same brand. Large variations are also to be expected during cooking although this aspect has been less well documented.The composition of the food also has an influence, crucially the content of free asparagine and reducing sugars. Varietal, storage and seasonal variations can occur. Within ranges of natural variation, the limiting precursor in cereals is asparagine while fructose and glucose are more important in potatoes. Other important factors are pH and water content.In a review submitted to the UN group by Europe’s €600 billion food and drink industry (CIAA) apparently recent investigations have achieved a 30 to 40 per cent reduction in acrylamide levels of potato crisps by introducing several adjustments in the existing production procedures.But the UN committee states: “The detailed data behind this calculation were not reported and it is not known to what extent it has been applied by crisp producers.”Significant reduction was also reported from process-optimisation for non-fermented crispbread, while little progress was obtained so far in reducing levels in various other important intake sources, for example, roasted coffee and breakfast cereals.According to findings from the additive group the most efficient reduction has been achieved by using the enzyme asparaginase to selectively remove asparagine prior to heating.“Although tested both in cereal and potato models, the use is probably limited to specific food products manufactured from liquidised or slurried materials,” says the group.Several other means of lowering the precursor levels can be applied at various stages of the food chain, for instance, by variety selection and plant breeding, controlling growth and storage factors affecting sugar concentrations in potatoes, pre-treatment of potato pieces by soaking or blanching, and prolonged yeast fermentation time in breadmaking.Other mitigation possibilities include alteration of the product composition: addition of competing amino acids or acidic compounds, and alteration of process conditions – lowering the frying temperature.But a key obstacle to this progress is the fact that the feasibility of adapting these methods to large-scale food processing has not been ‘completely studied’ in most cases.Furthermore, any major changes would need to be checked for consumer acceptability, nutritional quality, and the possible increased formation of other undesirable substances.In its final recommendations, the committee urged: continued efforts to cut acrylamide concentrations in food; and continued work on using PBPK modelling to better link human biomarker data with exposure assessments and toxicological effects in experimental animals.In addition, the committee highlighted the need for more occurrence data on acrylamide in foods consumed developing countries.Thanks for the information! Feel free to share any studies on coffee and acrylamide here. We’ll look into!	apples,bananas,berries,bladder,breast cancer,caffeine,cancer,cholesterol,chronic disease,coffee,colorectal cancer,Green tea,heartburn,high blood pressure,insomnia,liver cancer,prostate cancer	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22397855,
PLAIN-291	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk	Women eating plant-based diets may have lower breast cancer rates because they have larger bowel movements. In The Best Detox, I described the role of the liver in removing toxins from the blood stream, which can then be jettisoned through the bile into the digestive tract, and eliminated. Our gut is our body’s disposal system; anything it wants to get rid of, it throws down the trash chute. One can imagine our enterocytes, the cells lining our intestinal wall, as a vast array of trash pickers, resource recovery workers. They’re sifting through the river of garbage flowing past and picking up anything of use—a vitamin here, a mineral there, such that by the end there isn’t much left that’s desirable—and what’s left truly gets, ahem, dumped. The digestive tract is also how we get rid of excess hormones and cholesterol. Our body expects there to be an ever-flowing torrent of intestinal contents to flush this stuff out to sea. We did, after all, evolve over millions of years on a diet centered on unrefined plant foods. We aren’t designed for burgers and milkshakes; we are designed for fiber, and lots of it.  Anthropologists estimate we evolved eating 100 grams of fiber a day or more! So our body is counting on a massive, quick-flowing stream of contents through our digestive tract, and when there’s excess estrogen in the trash, our body expects it to just zip right out. But what if we don’t consume an adequate amount of fiber to soften and bulk up that intestinal flow? What if that river dries up into just a slow trickle of sludge? We still have the same number of trash pickers, but the volume and speed of the flow is way down, so they’re finding all sorts of stuff that otherwise would have been lost. Uh oh—that means they’re picking back up the estrogen that your body intentionally dumped, and thrusting it right back into the system. Fiber, on the contrary, dilutes, speeds, and bulks up the flow, so lots of stuff never even makes it to banks of the river to be picked at and inappropriately saved. My 4-min video Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen explains that this may be why women who eat lots of plants (the only place fiber is found) have lower estrogen levels and a lower risk of breast cancer. As I show in my 1-min video Food Mass Transit, meat-eating women average a four-day mouth-to-anus transit time, likely too long to meet the target 200 gram (half pound) minimum fecal output for cancer prevention. People don’t realize you can have daily bowel movements and still be effectively constipated. You can be regular, but four days late. In other words, what you’re flushing today you may have eaten last week. If you want to test it for yourself, all you need to do is eat a big bowl of beets and see when things turn pretty in pink. Ideally, to reach that half-pound target, your intestinal transit time should be down in the 24 to 36 hour range. 	Thank you Dr. Greger. I want to share a product that helps with the topics you wrote about. Please take a look. http://myshakeology.com/1PositivelyFit	beets,bowel movements,breast cancer,cholesterol,colon health,constipation,estrogen,fiber,stool size,transit time,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	-
PLAIN-292	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/	Breast Cancer Survival and Soy	In my two recent posts The Best Detox and Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli, I documented ways to 1) boost our liver’s ability to clear carcinogens, 2) make our DNA more resistant to toxins that make it past our first line of defense, and 3) then ramp up immune surveillance of any budding tumors—all in hopes of preventing cancer. But what about for those who already have it? Though small consolation, one consequence of the fact that breast cancer is now the #1 cancer killer of young women is that breast cancer survival is a very active area of research. For example, a major study was recently published that followed 4,000 women with breast cancer for 7 years. Not all of them made it to the end. The researchers tried to figure out if there was anything about the diets of the non-survivors that may have played a role in their deaths. Two dietary components in particular were associated with an early death: saturated fat and trans fat. Breast cancer survivors may decrease their risk of dying by 41% simply by avoiding saturated fat, found primarily in the American diet in cheese, chicken, and junk food (see my 3-minute video Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken). And breast cancer survivors may improve their survival 78% by avoiding trans fat, found primarily in junk food and animal products (see my 1-minute video Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat). Ideally, everyone should try to minimize the intake of both, as explained in Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. On the other hand, the two foods expected to improve breast cancer survival are flax seeds and soy products. Breast cancer is initially so slow-growing that women may have tumors for years or even decades before they’re diagnosed (see my 1-minute video Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing). So one might expect that the same dietary factors that helped grow the tumor in the first place would keep goading it on after diagnosis. This may not always be the case, though. Alcohol, for example, is strongly associated with breast cancer risk, but the data has been mixed as to whether once you already have a full-blown tumor, it makes a difference if you continue to drink or not. Still, in general, the diet that helps prevent breast cancer is the same diet that’s going to help prolong survival. And that certainly seems to be the case for the phytonutrients found in flax and soy. Flax seeds are the most concentrated source of lignans, a class of cancer-fighting compounds that may cut breast cancer mortality risk in half (see my 3-minute video Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake). Interestingly, there are no lignans actually found in the seeds, just precursors that the good bacteria in our gut turn into lignans. This may explain why women who have frequent urinary tract infections have higher breast cancer rates—the courses of antibiotics wipe out the gut flora critical to the production of these anti-cancer compounds (see my 2-minute Flax and Fecal Flora). 	Pingback: Breast Cancer Prevention and Survival with Healthy Nutrition »()This article is misleading…I cannot believe this article has recommended women to consume soy milk as a preventative for breast cancer. Truth is – soy INCREASES estrogen in a woman’s body, and it has been proven that excess estrogen unbalances a woman’s estrogen/progesterone and EXCESS estrogen is the harbinger of breast cancer. Stay away from the soy milk and soy products (which is in almost every food product on the market today). This is what I learned from being estrogen dominant myself. AND natural progesterone (NOT Depo-Provera, the synthetic progesterone crap) does a woman any good. Too many young women are using too many synthetic hormones prescribed by their ignorant doctors…Nonsense. The so-called “phyto-oestrogens” in soy are actually phytoSERM, i.e. modulators of oestrogenic activity. The bind to estrogen receptors instead of oestrogens and thus they reduce the exposure to endogenous oestrogens and protect against breast cancer.	alcohol,animal products,breast cancer,cancer,cheese,chicken,DNA,flax seeds,junk food,lignans,liver,phytonutrients,saturated fat,soy,trans fat	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/	-
PLAIN-293	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/25/mad-cow-california-is-the-milk-supply-safe/	Mad Cow California: Is the Milk Supply Safe?	In announcing the detection of a new case of mad cow disease in California, the USDA emphasized that her carcass never made it into the food supply. The fact that the infected animal was a dairy cow, though, raises the question about the disposition of her milk. There’s currently no direct evidence that cow’s milk poses any mad cow risk, but when it comes to this mysterious class of diseases, we’ve learned time and time again that absence of evidence of risk, does not equal evidence of absence of risk. The USDA flatly declared that milk doesn’t transmit mad cow disease, but that’s what we used to think about scrapie, the parallel disease in sheep, before research in the last 5 years unequivocally demonstrated that milk could indeed become contaminated with prions, the infectious proteins that cause these transmissible sponge-like (spongiform) brain diseases (encephalopathies). Similar experiments have not detected infectivity in mad cow milk, but this may be a function of the limited sensitivity of testing methods. And we have no such data on the atypical strain of mad cow disease found in California, which research suggests is more “lymphotrophic,” meaning more likely to invade the lymph system, which could mean mean milk is more likely to become infected. If prions are present at low levels in bovine milk, then this could present a particular problem in the United States, since inflammation has been shown to dramatically boost the infectivity of prion-infected milk and there is an epidemic of mastitis in the U.S. dairy herd. Last year researchers demonstrated that the ingestion of as little as 1 to 2 quarts of milk from scrapie-infected sheep stricken with mastitis could cause prion infection in lambs at an attack rate of 86%. This is thought to be because the prions may concentrate in the blood and pus cells sloughed into milk from inflamed udders. Today’s dairy cows endure annual cycles of artificial insemination, pregnancy and birth, and mechanized milking for 10 out of 12 months (including 7 months of their 9-month pregnancies). This excessive metabolic drain overburdens the cows, who are considered “productive” for only two years and are slaughtered for hamburger when their profitability drops, typically around their fourth birthday, a small fraction of their natural lifespan. Turning dairy cows into milk machines has led to epidemics of so-called “production-related diseases,” such as lameness and mastitis, the two leading causes of dairy cow pre-slaughter mortality in the United States. 	It sickens me to read a post like this. I hate knowing what we do to cows. And as this post points out, even if someone happened to have a pathological desire to see cows suffer, there is also self-interest to point out. What is bad for the cows is also bad for the humans. (sigh)Thank you for putting these paragraphs together. I love having the little videos put into perspective like this. It not only helps me, but it is something I can share with others.Here’s more information about prions and milk: http://www.examiner.com/article/is-mad-cow-milk-really-safeI am going to link this Blog in tomorrows Video to get the word out! People should have to see and read this info weekly so they don’t forget and make better food choices that not only help themselves but help the abused animals and expose the dairy industry practices.	bovine spongiform encephalopathy,bse,mad cow disease,milk,pus	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/08/how-much-pus-is-there-in-milk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16270061,
PLAIN-294	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/	Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli	In my post The Best Detox last week, I detailed how a phytonutrient in broccoli boosts the detoxifying enzymes in the liver, but helping to clear carcinogens isn’t the only way greens protect our DNA. A study of the DNA of broccoli-eaters found that eating broccoli appears to make DNA more resistant to damage, as I explore in my 1-minute video DNA Protection from Broccoli. That was just one of several extraordinary studies published lately on cruciferous vegetables. Kale and the Immune System compares the immune system-boosting effect of cooked versus raw kale, a follow-up on my Best Cooking Method video. Smoking Versus Kale Juice looks at the Japanese health fad of doing shots of kale juice. Seems kale can boost our good cholesterol, like amla and cocoa. Is there anything kale can’t do? Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells documents the most important study of the lot, though, exploring the role phytonutrients in certain greens play in a new theory of cancer biology, cancer stem cells, which explains why breast cancer can relapse 25 years after you thought it went away. Sure, cruciferous vegetables produce a compound that appears to target breast cancer cells, but that’s in a test tube. How do we even know we absorb broccoli phytonutrients into our bloodstream? And even if we do, how much do we have to eat to arrive at the test tube concentrations featured in the studies where it counts—in breast tissue itself? An innovative group at Johns Hopkins figured it out. They found women scheduled for breast reduction surgery, and an hour before they went into the operating room, had them drink some broccoli sprout juice. Check out my 2-minute video Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast to see what they found. Breast cancer is the leading cancer killer of young women, but lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer of women overall. In my 3-minute Lung Cancer Metastases and Broccoli I talk about some fascinating new research on the effects of broccoli on cancer cell migration, suggesting that broccoli and broccoli sprouts may decrease the metastatic potential of lung cancer. Worried about the safety of raw sprouts? You’re probably thinking about alfalfa (Don’t Eat Raw Alfalfa Sprouts and Update on Alfalfa Sprouts). Broccoli sprouts appear much safer in terms of the risk of food poisoning (as noted in Broccoli Sprouts). We know this family of vegetables helps prevent cancer, but once you already have cancer, what dietary changes can one make to improve survival? Raw Broccoli and Bladder Cancer Survival completed my 13-video series on the latest research on cruciferous vegetables. I previously covered a bit of the prevention side of the story in The Healthiest Vegetables. Wasn’t there some report downplaying the role of fruits and vegetables in cancer prevention, though? Watch my 2-minute take on it in EPIC Study. 	Dear Dr. Greger, I am a long time vegetarian who recently became vegan due to the wealth of information on your website. I am also a movement disorder neurologist who is trying to get more of my Parkinson’s disease patients (and any other friends, family and patients I can convince!) to consider a vegan diet. I am sorry to hear that your father has PD. My question is regarding a patient who was reluctant to try a vegan diet because of concerns regarding soy isoflavones and her synthroid-treated hypothroidism. I would love to get your take on this issue.Joel Fuhrman has a good article on this topic http://www.drfuhrman.com/faq/question.aspx?sid=16&qindex=5Dr. Greger covers soy in several of his videos. Check out this video showing that soy phytoestrogens have no effect increasing estrogen. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-sexual-precocity/There are lots of vegans who eat absolutely no soy products. Being vegan does not imply that one must eat soy to thrive. The majority of vegans I know avoid soy products in all shapes and forms, even in small quantities. Suggest to your patient black beans, chickpeas, lentils…..certain raw nuts and seeds. Oh my, there are tons of soy alternatives out there for vegans to indulge in, thrive on, and enjoy! You also might want to suggest to your patient to be mindful of some of the veggies that can compromise the thyroid. I think Dr. Greger has some information on this. Cooking methods can, supposedly make a difference, as can portion size. Google “foods harmful to the thyroid” as a start, and try to work up to the “truth” from there. But please, vegans are not dependent on soy.Pingback: JUICY NEWS: Portland Fruit and Veggie World, Week of April 22 « Banana Nick's()Pingback: breast cancer positive receptors()	alfalfa,amla,bladder cancer,breast cancer,broccoli,cancer,carcinogen,cholesterol,cocoa,DNA,enzymes,EPIC,greens,kale,liver,lung cancer,phytonutrient,raw,sprouts	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/	-
PLAIN-295	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/	The Best Detox	As detailed in my 3-minute video The Best Detox, there’s lots of talk these days about detoxing, but talk is cheap—our liver is actually doing it, all day, every day. If we want to detoxify our bodies, the best thing we can do is to boost our liver’s own detoxifying enzymes, and one of the most potent such inducer is a phytonutrient called sulforaphane. So where do we find this stuff?  Broccoli, which produces more than any other known plant (with the silver going to kohlrabi and bronze to cauliflower; broccoli raab, on the other hand, produces about 500 times less than broccoli). Broccoli is an exceptional source of sulforaphane, but the surprising thing is that there’s none actually in the vegetable—until you bite it. You know those chemical flares, or glow sticks, where you snap them and chemicals in two different compartments mix and set off a reaction? Broccoli does the same thing. In one part of the cell it keeps the enzyme myrosinase, and in another part it keeps something called glucoraphanin. There is no sulforaphane, which is what we want, anywhere in broccoli—not until some herbivore starts chewing on it. At that point, plant cells get crushed, the enzyme mixes with the glucoraphanin and sulforaphane is born.  And the herbivore is like, “Ew, this tastes like broccoli!” and runs away. The plant uses this as a defense against nibblers and noshers. Little did broccoli count on a little lemon juice and some garlic—maybe a little tahini dressing? It’s our counterattack. A similar enzymatic “glow stick” reaction happens in garlic. Both the enzymes in both these cases are inactivated by cooking, so there’s a secret to preserving the benefits. See Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True for my “hack & hold” strategy (or maybe I should call it whack & wait?) 	Very interesting. Thanks for the post.Thanks for the post. http://www.coastalchiropractichealth.comWhat is your opinion on water fluoridation or drinking unfiltered tap water in general?Here is Dr. Greger’s position on water fluoridation.“The proposed (http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/3881d73f4d4aaa0b85257359003f5348/86964af577c37ab285257811005a8417!OpenDocument) EPA changes to water fluoridation have sparked a resurgence of many of the old anti-fluoridation arguments, which as far as I can tell were successfully debunked (http://www.dentalwatch.org/fl/classification_of_objections.pdf) over 50 years ago. According to the CDC, fluoridation of drinking water joins vaccination (another unjustly vilified practice) as one of the greatest public health achievements (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056796.htm) in the last last century.”To get the ” sulforaphane” from broccoli… does it have to be raw?  Would steaming it take away the effect?   Cooked broccoli also can produce sulphoraphane. Eat it raw or cooked, your choice! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/A comment I left on the broccoli juice video:More is not always better. Some phytochemicals work (at normal consumption levels) by stressing our cells slightly, causing a protective response.There’s a whopper of a series of videos one could do on hormesis and the hormetic effects (low-dose good, high dose toxic) of phytonutrients. Many of the protective plants noted by Dr. Greger so far seem to activate the cellular Nrf2 signalling pathway, causing production of hundreds of protective and repair enzymes. Just from this somewhat dated but excellent review:https://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0028-1088302Sulforaphane (cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kale), curcumin (tumeric), EGCG (green but not black tea), diallyl sulfide, diallyl trisulfide, s-allylcysteine (garlic), resveratrol (grapes & wine), lycopene (tomatoes), capsaicin (hot pepper), piperine (black pepper), carnosol (rosemary), cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon), cafestol, kahweol (coffee), chalcone (citrus, apples, tomatoes, shallots, bean sprouts), xanthohumol (hops), eupatilin (terragon), isoorientin (acai) & quercetin (red onions, watercress, kale, berries, sweet potatoes),,,all induce activation of the Nrf2 antioxidant response/repair axis, and are hence “sensed” by the cells as stressors. A number of them (curcumin from tumeric, tea catechins) are known to be hormetic: toxins at very large (concentrated supplement) doses. It may well be these phytochemicals’ stressor effect rather than their in vitro antioxidant capacity that accounts for their health benefits.In line with a common refrain of Dr. Greger’s, its likely better to get them in food rather than pills – its one way to keep dosing in the hormetic range.There are presently 29,000 articles on scholar.google referencing Nrf2, 16,000 in just the past five years. But while the subject is a very deep one, it also, brings a bit of simplicity and order to the question of why so many plant foods have protective and theraputic effects at normal food doses.Why I keep getting UTI INFECTIONS….the last one I had had E. coli in it……I AM A VERY CLEAN PERSON…I hate to take antibioticsMost UTIs are caused by E. coli and have nothing to do with cleanliness. We all harbor E. coli in our systems (different fro the strain that causes serious illness) and sometimes the bacteria can “win,” if you will, and cause an infection. Unfortunately, antibiotics are the best treatment. Preventive measures include drinking cranberry juice and wiping from front to back after using the toilet. If you don’t have one already, find a good MD with whom you can discuss this issue. S/he may be able to help you find out why you keep getting them and help you reduce the incidence.Is drinking pure lemon juice several times a week good for the liver?	broccoli,broccoli sprouts,cauliflower,coffee,cooking,detox,enzymes,garlic,glow stick,glucoraphanin,goji berries,herbivore,kelp,liver,plants,sulforaphane,tea,turmeric	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/	-
PLAIN-296	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/	Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance	Earlier this month I completed a 17-part video series on the performance-enhancing effects of certain vegetables. It started with Doping with Beet Juice, which described how beets were the first to be found to significantly improve athletic performance while reducing oxygen needs, upsetting a fundamental tenet of sports physiology. How is that possible? Check out Priming the Proton Pump to nerd out on a bit of biochemistry. Next up was Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash, which describes the role the natural good bacteria flora on our tongue plays in the performance-boosting effect of high nitrate vegetables, and Out of the Lab onto the Track, which documented the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover studies that convinced the scientific establishment of the real-world effect. Asparagus Pee and Pretty in Pee-nk go off on a tangent to delve into the phenomenon of “beeturia,” the chief side effect of beet consumption–though not all are affected, akin to the malodorous urine that sometimes results from asparagus consumption. If our bodies can turn the nitrate in vegetables into the vasodilator nitric oxide, then performance enhancement may be just the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, as I explain in Hearts Shouldn’t Skip a Beet, this may help explain the role dark green leafy vegetables play in the prevention and treatment of hypertension and heart disease. So which vegetables have the mostest? Find out in Vegetables Rate by Nitrate. If the nitrates in vegetables such as greens are health-promoting because they can be turned into nitrites and then nitric oxide inside our bodies, what about the nitrites added to cured meats such as bacon, ham, and hot dogs? This is the apparent conundrum I present in Is Bacon Good or Is Spinach Bad? and then solve in Are Nitrates Pollutants or Nutrients? but not before laundry-listing the health concerns associated with processed meats. In When Nitrites Go Bad I describe how nitrites added to processed meat form nitrosamines, a class of potent cancer-causing agents found in cigarette smoke that may explain why hot dog consumption has been associated with the two leading pediatric cancers, brain tumors and childhood leukemia. So which meat has the highest level of these carcinogens? In Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat the levels of nitrosamines are compared across an array of processed meats including chicken, turkey, and pork. And finally, bacon. Carcinogens in the smell of frying bacon is pretty self-explanatory. In Bacon and Botulism I talk about the incredible story of regulators forced to strike a balance between the risk that consumers will get cancer, and the risk that they’ll get a deadly form of food poisoning. Part of that balance is the legal mandate to add certain antioxidants to processed meats, though I explore the irony in Vitamin C-Enriched Bacon that this may make the meat even more carcinogenic. Finally, in Meat Additives to Diminish Toxicity, I feature an article published in the journal Meat Science revealing how meat scientists continue to justify promoting foods associated with promoting cancer. 	I’d love to see you do videos on both elderberry extract (anti-viral properties, fact or fiction?) and food combining (the latest craze that just seems so complex to me that I can’t really wrap my head around it). Should we all be paying attention to what foods we eat together or in what order?Food combining has validity to it. If you combine Turmeric and black pepper for example, the bioavilibility of the turmeric antioxidants increases by 2,000% http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9619120Excellent info!I just read your link to carcinogens in the smelling of/fumes from frying foods, and am stunned at the finding that it can affect dna. Wow. Just, Wow.Thank you so much for highlighting these issues for health.Changing the subject. Can anyone tell me something about the importance of Glutathione. is it recommended? What do you think about it Dr. Michael greger? John from MaltaI just remembered what I forgot to buy at the market yesterday-Beets!	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/	-
PLAIN-297	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/	Harvard's Meat and Mortality Studies	On Monday, the results of two major Harvard studies were published, following more than 100,000 men and women—and their diets—for up to 22 years. They found that red meat consumption was associated with living a significantly shorter life—increased cancer mortality, increased heart disease mortality, and increased overall mortality. The studies were featured in the NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day yesterday, Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies. The American Meat Institute immediately sent out a press release: “A new study in today’s Archives of Internal Medicine tries to predict the future risk of death from cancer or cardiovascular disease by relying on notoriously unreliable self-reporting about what was eaten and obtuse methods to apply statistical analysis to the data.” Alas, yes, the Harvard researchers were not telepathic and did indeed have to ask people what they were eating. The Meat Institute criticized the esteemed researchers for using “survey data – not test tubes, microscopes or lab measurements….” No beakers either, I bet! Nor sizzling electric arcs, nor panels with pretty flashing lights. No, just cutting edge epidemiological science, however “obtuse” this may be to the American Meat Institute. The Meat Institute asserted that “nutrition decisions should be based on the total body of evidence, not on single studies….” If two prospective cohort studies—the gold standard of observational studies—following more than 100,000 people for two decades published by one of the most prestigious institutions in the world isn’t good enough for the Meat Institute, how about the largest such study ever—the NIH-AARP study, “Meat Intake and Mortality: A Prospective Study of Over Half a Million People.” What does the largest forward-looking study on diet and disease in human history have to say on the subject? Watch Meat & Mortality for a distinct sense of déjà vu. 	Pingback: Harvard Study – - lemons. life. love.lemons. life. love.()Pingback: The Red Meat Question Answered? | Essentials of Nutrition()How about added phosphates and bisphenol-A in processed meat? Plastic wraps of processed meat might be a source of BPA.When you eat meat you miss a fish meal. This might be a question of trade off. More you meat, less you eat fish (or seafood or vegetable dishes).Fish is the most contaminated food in the meat industry. Pesticides like DDT, drug residues, heavy metals and other pollutants have all been found in fish. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/prozac-residues-in-fish/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/Processed meats are pretty bad too, the nitrosamines that are formed are highly carcinogenic. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/when-nitrites-go-bad/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/research-into-reversing-aging/We should avoid these foods entirely, there is no nutrient we need from these foods that we can’t get from plants (except vitamin b12 which we should supplement).Then, the processed part should be blamed, not the meat itself. Remove all contaminants, feed the beasts correctly, avoid additives, avoid cooking methods that generates carcinogens, and then, redo the study. My suggestion.I came across this article and study and thought the good Doctor would have some thoughts on this. It sounds plausible the further humans moved away from the equator or to higher altitudes, but not sure eating meat gave or took life expectancy at the cost of enabling exploration.Eating meat helped early humans reproduce, spread around the globe http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-meat-eating-reproduction-20120420,0,2388092.story http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0032452This is one of the several theories of the evolutionary development of the human brain. The other theory which is also plausible is that humans were able to digest complex carbohydrates (unlike our primate cousins). Carbohydrates are pure energy and our brain requires 20% of total body energy to process. The starch theory is more plausible to me than the meat theory, since we process protein to energy much more inefficiently. The other theory which is also plausible is that we discovered cooking and were able to eat larger amounts of food since cooked food is basically predigested food. No one theory has been proven the victor, and there is still much debate on these topics. As of right now, we have no dietary need for animal products and since we have an epidemic of chronic diseases, it is best to avoid these products.” As of right now, we have no dietary need for animal products.” This is untrue. Please provide your evidence that humans live BEST without any animal products. What humans don’t need is carbohydrate: http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=275“The lower limit of dietary carbohydrate compatible with life apparently is zero, provided that adequate amounts of protein and fat are consumed.”And yet another idea“How Honey Made Us Human” Honey and bee larvae were foods vital to human evolution and the development of early man’s large brain – a notable characteristic of the human species – according to a new study by UNLV anthropologist Alyssa Crittenden. http://news.unlv.edu/release/how-honey-made-us-humanVery interesting article. Thanks for sharing!Association is not causation. Let’s not forget that people. Eating meat does not cause cancer. It is not the meat itself and the Harvard papers absolutely do not indicate such. And saturated fat is NOT a known cause of disease – please read this paper:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20071648 “A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD.”This is a good one too:http://www.ajcn.org/content/91/3/502.full.pdf+html What about grass-fed organic meat? Does it contain the same cancer causing agents?The specific agents in meat are not necessarily the pesticides or added componenets, but the inherent compounds found in meat itself. Please see some videos here for extra information. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/Dr. Greger, if someone was to have a plant-based diet with only limited amounts of meat (dominantly lean fish, chicken, wild game), do you think that it’s possible to see greater health and longevity compared to vegans/vegetarians? I work in geriatrics and see how valuable muscle tissue becomes in those later years which leads me to believe that accretion and maintenance of the most muscle tissue we can throughout life should help with both health, longevity, and functional capacity later in life.In my opinion it is all about risk. Eating small amounts of meat is better then eating larger amounts. Given current science relating to health there is no good reason to consume animal products as long as you can get adequate calories from a varied whole plant diet. The science supports that it is the best way to eat… along with maintaining adequate Vitamin B12 intake… see video series running from 2/3/12 to 2/912… to delay death and avoid disability thereby leading a quality life. Fiber is especially important in our diets at all ages and there is non in animal products. Maintaining muscle mass is best done by exercise. Fitness aka aerobic, flexibility, strength, balance and stability are important at all ages.“as long as you can get adequate calories from a varied whole plant diet.”That is the key point. In geriatrics, sometimes it’s hard enough to get them to eat anything. For them, meat appears to get the most ‘bang for buck’.I’m not a believer in total meat avoidance in the diet but focusing on a plant-based diet is definitely something I promote! And ideally the meat is either raised on a small farm and grass fed or wild game.	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-298	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/02/02/atkins-diet-and-erectile-dysfunction/	Atkins Diet and Erectile Dysfunction 	Yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day, Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up, discusses a case report of a man who went on a low carb diet, lost his ability to have an erection, and nearly lost his life. That was just one person, though. Researchers at Harvard recently looked at one hundred thousand people and concluded that low carb diets were “associated with higher all-cause mortality, higher cardiovascular disease mortality, and higher cancer mortality.” But what about the so-called “Eco-Atkins” diet? Find out in today’s video, Plant-Based Atkins Diet. And for more on erectile dysfunction as an early warning sign for heart disease, check out my video Rosy Glow. Cholesterol builds up not only inside the arteries that feed our heart muscle, but inside all of our blood vessels. In the heart, atherosclerosis can cause a heart attack. In the brain, it can cause a stroke. In our legs, it can cause peripheral vascular disease and result in debilitating cramping; in our vertebral arteries, it can cause disc degeneration and lower back pain. And clogs in our pelvic arteries can lead to sexual dysfunction—and not just in men. A landmark study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine entitled “Hyperlipidemia and sexual function in premenopausal women” found that “Atherosclerosis of the arterial bed supplying female pelvic anatomy can lead to decreased vaginal engorgement and clitoral erectile insufficiency syndrome, similar to erectile problems in men, resulting in vasculogenic female sexual dysfunction,” an important factor of which may be “failure to achieve clitoral tumescence, or engorgement.” They found that women with high cholesterol reported significantly lower arousal, orgasm, lubrication, and satisfaction. 	Finally a blog that seems to post interesting articles. Can you please check out mine as well. We are writing about the same items. http://www.drugstorediary.comThank a lot, Janet!We are talking about curing erectile dysfunction with diet, not masking the symptoms with a drug!“..eating healthier can extend not just one’s life, but also one’s love life.” -Michael Greger, M.D. I can say this is 100% true.This article really helps to educate people who suffer from erectile dysfunction curing this in a very natural way and it is really interesting. Try to visit this site for additional information on how to deal with erectile dysfunction. http://www.bio-identical-testosterone.comThe animal’s revenge don’t you think? A bit Darwin, the meat eater’s produce less, less pain on the environment, brilliant!A couple of suggestions.Erection problems can be mainly physical, mainly psychological, or a mambo combo. You say that you are unable to maintain an erection during intercourse. Can you keep an erection when she touches your penis with her hands or mouth, or when you masturbate? Some men have problems keeping erections at the beginning of a relationship. Then, after they become more comfortable with their new partners, their erections become more reliable. Pay attention to your erection patterns to help you decide if you need to see a urologist or a sex therapist. If you have erections when you wake up or through masturbation, but not with a partner, that’s important information that says your body is working correctly, physically. For the time being, why not receive pleasure and not worry about erections? These kinds of difficulties are common and transient. You can view them as part of life rather than as problems. Or, if it is a problem for you, sex therapy may make a difference You could be experiencing “desensitization” from your masturbation, or “performance anxiety” due to your lack of actual experience with a partner.To overcome either of these the most effective “technique” is for you and your partner to:1. Go into your bedroom and get as comfortable as possible. You both need to be very relaxed (not via alcohol, or drugs). Try soft lights, soft music. Remove your clothing and continue to relax together.2. Slowly begin to lovingly touch each other with NO goal to engage in sex. As your level of excitement rises relax and enjoy the feelings. Again you are NOT going to have sex (tonight), only pleasure.3. If you feel yourself nearing “the point of no return” back off, and/or have your wife apply the Semans procedure, aka “squeeze”, “pinch” procedure. A firm (not painful) “pinch” to the head of your penis. Then when you are able continue “pleasuring” each other. This will allow you to experience having erections for longer and longer periods.For LOTS MORE information you can go here Well, this is a very strange conclusion given that diabetics have erectile dysfunction as a result of high carb diets and have when reducing their carb intake to about 30 gms per day, as Dr. Richard K Bernstein suggests, been able to regain their health, among other things, their erectile capabilities. This blog is tendentious. You expect a certain conclusion and you arrive at it. Experience in the real world teaches something else.Hello Peter :)) Thank you for your thoughtul comment. I have a lot of respect for Dr. Bernstein…anyone who goes to medical school at 45 has my admiration (wow!) :)) Interestingly, the Bernstein diet has some overlap with a plant-based diet. Both advocate no added sugars and weight loss for type 2 diabetics. Yes, Bernstein allows animal products, but both Bernstein and PB (plant based) diet eliminate most all “junk/processed” and fast-food, which sadly constitute the majority of the SAD (Standard American Diet). Possibly the similar improvements are due to the overlap of the good habits? If you are interested, Dr. Greger wrote a highly footnoted and engaging book about this topic. He has made it available for free online http://www.atkinsexposed.org/ Be well :))“anyone who goes to medical school at 45 has my admiration (wow!)”fuck u, evil bitch. trying to discredit him by mentioning that… how much has doctor who-dafuk is-he-never-heard-of-him Greger payed u to discredit anyone saying anything bad about his bullshit claims lool.. how pathetic :)u people can be such corrupt evil cunts its really sad.. even when u damn well know how important fats are in producing hormones and regulating 1000 other things too.. sadly mainstream public is easily brainwashed by twats like u and Greger.. fuck u both :)to other people reading, dont listen to greger and this bitch, rather listen to what peter d wunn has said above my post.. fats have been viewed as something bad for so many years now (in no small part due to big companies pushing their SAD food ahead).. but as the more intelligent among u know, this is the highest of bullshit.. and the ones who actually believe these cunts.. go ahead and go on this Greger diet, i pity what will become of your health.. and in a way u actually deserve it for giving assholes like greger your money..Nobody questions simple, refined carbohydrates as unhealthful, but fruit and complex carbohydrate whole plant foods are quite healthful. More info on diabetes here http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/	atherosclerosis,Atkins,carbs,cholesterol,eco-Atkins,erectile dysfunction,Harvard,heart attack,heart disease,low carb,stroke	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-299	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/	Acai to Zucchini: antioxidant food rankings	In honor of Chinese New Year (of the dragon), today’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Dragon’s Blood wraps up a ten-part series based on a groundbreaking study that measured the total Antioxidant Content of 3,139 foods, beverages, herbs, and spices. Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods presents the best bird’s eye view. Researchers separated out plant from animal products to help deal with the overwhelming volume of data (138 pages worth) and see what this amazing body of work has to say about what we should eat in general. For more specifics, see Best Berries, which compares hundreds of berries to common fruits, and Better Than Green Tea?, which contrasts the antioxidant power of popular rival beverages. Better Than Goji Berries and Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol pick out the best dried fruits and Antioxidants in a Pinch and A Better Breakfast can help one visualize the effects of adding just tiny amounts of antioxidant-packed foods to our daily diets. For some background on the role of antioxidants in disease prevention, Mitochondrial Theory of Aging offers a quick primer. Some questions, however, may remain: 	Once again, another awesome summary. I love taking these paragraphs/types of blog posts and giving them to people. This way I don’t have to try to combine all the videos of a theme myself – and probably end up missing some.Your teaser about upcoming videos is a killer. I can’t wait!Dr Greger, great job. Well summarized, short enough to be shared with lay people. Cheers. FilThanks a lot for the very informative summary. Antioxidant rich foods are very important in our body for the defense against sickness as it strengthen our defense system. You may also check our health info here:http://eatrightamerica.comHow about for foods especially only available in Japan- I have only one pay-walled study such as horenso, gobo? Japan is poor for availability of a lot of foods listed in the study.Dr Greger, great job. Thanks for this great blogs..Dear Dr. Greger, Why do plants have these antioxidants and other phyto chemicals that help us? Do plants use these to fight their own nemeses, defects and diseases? What does science know and not know about their functions in the plants that we eat and don’t eat and how similar are these to our own bodies?Today I saw a new product on the shelf at my local health food store: lucuma powder. It is being promoted as having many healthful benefits: http://www.livestrong.com/article/479259-benefits-of-lucuma-powder/, but I am wondering if the hype around it is justified by any research.Could be just hype. I found 4 studies conducted on animals, which cannot translate to humans. Looks like it contains essential fats, so to me so long as you cover essential fatty acids in the diet no one “needs” this product.	aging,animal foods,animal products,antioxidants,apples,argon laser,berries,boiling,breakfast,cholesterol,cooking,Dragon's blood,fruit,goji berries,Green tea,lutein,lycopene,microwaving,mitochondria,oxidation,pills,plant foods,produce,raw,selenium,steaming,stress,supplements,vegetables,vitamin D,vitamin E	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841576/bin/1475-2891-9-3-S1.PDF,
PLAIN-300	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/	Paula Deen: diabetes drug spokesperson 	The year before he died of lung cancer, actor Yul Brynner taped a commercial for the American Cancer Society. “Now that I’m gone,” he pleaded into the camera, “I tell you: Don’t smoke, whatever you do, just don’t smoke.” He didn’t want anyone else to end up like him. Celebrity chef Paula Deen, known for using doughnuts to bun her bacon-and-egg burgers, could have used her diabetes diagnosis in the same way, in hopes that others wouldn’t make the same mistakes. Instead, she announced yesterday, she is partnering “with a reputable pharmaceutical company” as spokesperson for a $500-a-month diabetes drug (with side-effects that may include pancreatitis and thyroid cancer). Instead of withdrawing her endorsements for Smithfield ham and Philadelphia cream cheese, Paula Deen just added another to the list. It would be as if Yul Brynner’s last breaths were instead spent hawking chemo. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, nontraumatic amputations, and new cases of blindness. Currently it’s the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. The good news Paula could have given to the millions of diabetics and prediabetics is that type 2 diabetes can be prevented, managed, treated, and even cured with a plant-based diet. A prospective study of nearly 20,000 vegetarians and vegans published recently found that even after controlling for obesity (and exercise, age, gender, education, income, television watching, sleep, alcohol use, and smoking), those that ate plant-based diets had just a fraction of the diabetes risk. See How to Prevent Diabetes, How to Treat Diabetes, and my other 20 videos on diabetes. Good books on the subject include Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes and Defeating Diabetes. 	this is really well-written. sums up my thoughts perfectly. such a shame.It is a shame. Although tragic at the time, being diagnosed as type I diabetic (not quite the same) was the trigger for my ever-growing interest in nutrition – probably a blessing in disguise. It used to amuse me how people would avoid sugar, and then slather their lunch in ketchup :) “Why can’t I lose weight?” It didn’t take long for me to learn that, and Deen was diagnosed more than two years ago. Deen supposedly promotes ‘moderation’ but there is nothing really moderate about deep fried stuffing on a stick! Can’t help but see the money motive here.Dr. G.,I was furious when I heard she received the diagnosis 3 years ago and continued to push her unhealthy cooking. She missed a wonderful opportunity to show Americans what can be done with real dietary change. But no….she had to get an endorsement deal out of this. It is hard to imagine that she doesn’t realize that her cooking contributed to her problem. The entire situation is disgusting IMO.AliciaIt never ceases to amaze me how hypocritical people can be when it comes to getting a payoff.What a wasted opportunity to reach people in a positive healthy way and show them that they can turn their health around.She could use a raw-food for 30 days dose herself.Oxygen-rich living whole plant-based foods cure. Didn’t she get the memo on that one?I have no respect for Paula Deen. It’s not just a missed opportunity. It is a complete lack of moral character. Thanks for writing this and giving like minded people a forum for voicing our frustration.I know several people where I work who have diabetes. One woman said she would rather be sick than change her diet. But at least my co-worker knows what the options are. Paula Deen, on the other hand, is pushing the myth of moderation. Paula is doing the opposite of educating people.I will send this blog post to anyone who is interested. Hopefully they will follow the links and read Dr. Barnard’s book.Very topical blog. I shook my head when I read the newspaper article. What a lost opportunity. She could have embraced a plant-based diet and cured herself, thus shining the light for many similarly afflicted people.As usual Michael is right on top of things. But, never having seen her or read her books, I must admit I was astounded to read what some of her recipes are. Why wasn’t she just laughed off the stage?I can’t believe she has a recipe for a gooey butter cake. Watching her make that was just horrible. And her fried egg, bacon burger in a Krispy Kreme donut…really!!! What in the hell was she thinking? And she used 1 and 1/2 pounds of ground beef for 3 people. I use to think watching her was entertaining, now I just think it’s scary because some fans DON’T use better judgement. They don’t know what in moderation means!!Paula Deen is exactly the kind of person Big Pharma loves; one who keeps the deadly cycle going. If I ever meet her in person, I’m going to tell her how much she digusts me- from her deep frying to immoral choices.Agreed: A lost opportunity. What galls me the most is that Deen has no desire to change her lifestyle. She believes it’s as simple as taking a pill/injection. Wait until she loses a limb, her eyesight, her kidney function, or suffers another consequence of diabetes. Perhaps then she will be open to changing her lifestyle.Another side affect of the Paula Deen diet is stupidity! She must need the money very badly… poor thing.It is a poor commentary on human nature and how “fixed” folks become in their beliefs of what is good for them. PCRM recently rated the 5 worse cookbooks and she again made the list along with authors Jamie Oliver, Guy Fieri, and the Neelys plus the Cooks Illustrated Cookbook. It is interesting that these books cost much more than the plant based options. Just like a plant based diet generally costs less then the standard american diet. Cost… Dr. Greger mentions the cost of the drug which is only the tip of the iceberg of the total cost of diabetes. The total cost of diabetes to society is very high. I’m sure Paula Deene has health insurance although I’m sure she has enough money to pay out of pocket if she wants. In any event by “choosing” to continue eating in the same fashion that resulted in her disease she contributes to the total health care costs of the country. Health care costs are significant burdens for businesses(the recent Post Office difficulties stem in no small part from their having to fund the health care costs of their retired employees), communities and government not to mention individuals. By changing her diet to a low fat plant based diet she could help reduce her costs and avoid future suffering like blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, stroke and amputation to name a few… plus reduce the costs of health care in her community. Sad that she continues to contribute to the “Tragedy of our health care Commons” and that individuals support her by buying her books and watching her on TV. Keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org and spread the word to your friends, family and coworkers about the best nutrition as supported by current science.I was a big fan of Paula’s. I loved watching her show, watching her interviews and reading up on her. She is very entertaining and I love her southern drawl. I never cooked anything she made though I have watched her for about six years. I have lost all respect for what she has done, or should I say her lack of responsibility. We choose whether or not to follow her recipes, especially us adults. That is our choice, she didn’t twist our arms!! BUT she should have disclosed her findings when she found out, just as a warning to all her fans. I feel she let down a lot of people in hiding that fact. She made it obvious that not only does she gorge on fatty foods, she is greedy as well. She could still make a lot of money if she thought it through and would choose to eat healthier and teach that to others as well.I’ll second the above comments, what a shame. In some related Diabetes/Animal fat news, I found an article recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which found a significant association between higher animal fat and cholesterol intakes with increased Gestational diabetes risk the abstract, and full text of the study can be found at: http://www.ajcn.org/content/95/2/446needless to say, it is upsetting to say the least, to think about how many pregnant mothers who watch those kinds of cooking shows and end up preparing/eating what is shown.Thanks a lot. I could have helped my mother if I have read this before when she diet of kidney failure due to diabetes. Guys this is very important. Prevention is better than cure.. Diabetes can be managed if detected early stages. You can check other health info here: http://eatrightamericacafe.comI don’t deny that the nutritional choices Paula Deen has made contributed to her development of diabetes, nor do I agree with her hiding it and then endorsing a drug to “treat” it, when treatment can be found in the foods she could be making. However, I do see a bit of an issue with people being afraid of certain foods that she uses regularly in her recipes. It’s the breads, the cakes, the fudge, the sugar and carb loaded dishes that have created such a huge epidemic of diabetes, cholesterol and heart health issues in this country.Her use of butter has been scrutinized in a big way, which isn’t really the big issue. Butter, in NO WAY contributes to raising blood sugar levels as it contains no sugars or carbohydrates, but does contains heart healthy fats. Used correctly, butter adds flavor without being unhealthy.People are also upset about her use of mayo, as it is “loaded with fat”. I’ll say it again. Healthy fats (mono and polyunsaturated) are GOOD FOR YOU! They help raise healthy HDL cholesterol which in turn helps to lower bad LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Not only that, FULL-FAT mayo contains an abundance of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which aid in reducing triglycerides, lowering blood pressure, and also speed up metabolism. I’ll clarify that full fat foods are a healthier option than “low-fat” or “non-fat” because these “reduced fat” options replace healthy fats with sugars, carbs and sodium.Lastly, the subject of bacon. While bacon can be high in sodium, it is also full of healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Most of its calories come from healthy fats and protein. When added as a topping to a nice veggie salad (non-starchy vegetables) with a mayo or oil based dressing, this adds up to a healthy meal which is IDEAL for diabetics, and those who are looking to treat things like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or are trying to lose weight.So, in conclusion, while I may not agree with Paula Deen’s actions in their entirety, and a little moderation in portions wouldn’t hurt, it must be said that people are worried about the wrong foods for the wrong reasons. If you are going to scrutinize her, let’s talk about her famous breads, cakes and baked goods which are full of sugar and carbohydrates. THESE are the foods that led her to become a diabetic.If you want to learn more, visit http://www.baselinedietsolution.comI think the saturated fats, cholesterol, omega 6’s, sodium, nitrates, trans fats, preservatives among others and lack of antioxidants in the products you mention aren’t buffered by a little omega 3’s in the products you mention.This 2 year study looked at coronary artery lesions of the heart after consuming different types of fat. Polyunsaturated fat, Monounsaturated fat, and Saturated fat. They looked at angiograms a year apart after intervening with increasing one type of fat in each group. All 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing. http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/263/12/1646.abstract?sid=47d1d016-3c15-43f4-a013-0d10144ef8e3Fascinating!!! This is another one of your posts that I will be saving in a special folder. Thanks!Thanks Thea, this is a cutout from my previous olive oil post.Pingback: A Carnival of Vegans (Volume 1) « anunrefinedvegan()While there are some of the things you mentioned above in these products, the benefits of the mono and polyunsaturated fats are so high, that they should not be feared or scrutinized the way they have been. I’m not saying you should eat an entire package of bacon in one sitting. But her use of mayonnaise, in my opinion, is probably the best product in her recipes. As I said before, M&P fats are healthy, and can help in the fight against heart disease, by reducing bad cholesterol and raising the good HDL. I’d also like to add that full fat butter, mayo and bacon contain no trans fats.ScottF: I do not think the science supports your belief about the benefits of fats. For just one example, take Dr. Bernard’s work on diabetes patients(especially relevant for this thread). Dr. Greger references Dr. Bernard’s book in his blog post above. Dr. Bernard posits that fats are responsible for causing type 2 diabetes in the first place. He put his theories to a clinical test and found that his diet is 3 times more effective than the ADA (American Diabetic Association?) diet. Dr. Bernard’s patients were able to reverse diabetes, many (most) even able to drop their medications – all by making a diet change to one that does not include the fatty foods you are promoting.Even if you were right that deliberately eating certain fats can have benefits, I am not aware of any science that actually weighs the full cost and benefits of say bacon or butter or mayo. So the statement, “…the benefits of the mono and polyunsaturated fats are so high, that they should not be feared or scrutinized the way they have been.” is suspect.On the other hand, there is plenty of science that shows the serious negative health consequences of these foods. Mayo, a food you say is good for you, is made with a lot of egg. And yet, if you look on this site, you will see that there is scientific evidence that even a single egg a day leads to early death (higher all cause mortaility). That’s a pretty serious drawback. Check out this other blog post from Dr. Greger for other bad news about eggs: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/08/31/bad-egg/The solution: Why not just eat the foods that don’t have the large negative consequences? That way you don’t have to worry about whether the benefits outweigh the costs. You can just enjoy benefits.Ok……… first thing, the only fats you really need, that is, you must get from foods are omega 3 and 6. The products you mention contain more of one of those, usually omega 6 and when the balance is skewed the outcome is negative. That is… inflammation, then there’s the arachidonic acid that also contributes and more things that i get bored even mentioning (i’m a medical doctor…… where do animals get this fats… from plants. Then there’s monounsaturated, which may be good for you but you don’t need….and to make the story short, there’s 2 things about cancer cells that are constant 1)lack of oxygen, 2) fat in droplets inside the cell… made from, saturated fats….. which also interfere with the signals in and out the cell making…. diabetes adn when in your blood vessels they get oxidized…. because animals don’t have very many antioxidants and make heart attacks………. and the list goes on.I encourage you to visit my website. All of the information compiled on the website is based on proven medical science. These statements are not based on my opinion, but on actual findings that I have uncovered through more than 15 years of research. I’m not a physician, so I want anyone who is interested in following the diet, or who is, to consult with their physician, but the proof of these statements can be found in my blood test results, and the results of clients and friends who have followed my diet. In March of 2008, my Hemoglobin A1C was at 8.2, which is considered a high risk level. One year later, my levels were at 5.7, which are in the ideal range. These results, as well as lowered triglycerides, lowered LDL, and increased HDL were easily attained by following a diet that is high in M&P fats, lowered protein, and low in carbohydrates. Another client, who is at an ideal weight, and from all physical appearance, seemed healthy, was admitted to the hospital and was on the verge of kidney failure due to a Hemoglobin A1C level of 15.8! In only 9 weeks of following the Baseline Diet, he went from 14.1 to 7.7! He lowered his total cholesterol from 308 to 180, lowered his LDL from 217 to 108, and lowered his triglycerides from 108 to 64.Cutting out the main sources of carbohydrates and sugars, and understanding portion sizes of the beneficial fats, and proteins are necessary for anyone to attain good health and weight control.The scientific “findings” from Dr. Gregor, in my opinion, may be lacking. What other foods were these people consuming? I highly doubt that they only ate one egg a day for 20 years as their only source of nutrition. I would like to know what their diets consisted of on a daily basis, and then we can pin-point the culprits of their decreased life-span and health problems associated with it. Look at the Inuit cultures, whose diets consist of 75% fat and 25% protein (0% carbohydrates). They lived long, healthy, energetic lives until government subsidized, high-carbohydrate foods were introduced to their diets. A perfect example of how a high fat diet should not be considered a “bad thing”.Understanding the different types of cholesterol is also very important. Our bodies naturally create cholesterol (serum), so those who naturally have higher cholesterol may want to avoid foods with added dietary cholesterol. On that point, cholesterol-free mayonnaise is available, but still contains all of the healthy M&P fats which are beneficial for decreasing LDL and triglycerides, and also contain no carbohydrates, which allow people to control blood sugar levels. Please visit my website for more information. http://www.baselinedietsolution.comAlthough i agree with you in some things, i think it’s simple…….. animals resemble you, when you eat them some things are good for you but a lot of them are bad, because their bodies are detoxifying and oxidizing just as yours is right now. Not so with plants which are actually high in antoxidants (they have to be tough… endure sun all day and cold nights) and some are medicinal, just don’t eat the toxic ones. About the benefits to your health… the same ones or better could have been accomplished by a plant based diet as has been proved in entire populations (China, Marshall Islands, etc) About cultures there’s a lot of diets and it’s success commonly depends on the environment they’re living in…. for example, giving a high omega diet to african natives is actually detrimental to their health but Inuit need them to endure cold weathers. Even so research points out Inuit had a lot of degenerative diseases mainly from bones and joints. Now i DON’T want to eat less, most people feel the same way too… I EAT A LOT! sometimes 6 or 7 times a day……. i’m not fat, no matter how much i eat and i feel 10 times better than when i ate differently, much less and WAS FAT. Everybody is entitled to an opinion… this one works for me… Oh, check the diet of the Tarahumara, high endurance athletes, that one is interesting.If you want mono and polyunsaturated fats get them from plants, that’s where the animals got them in the first place because they can’t just a you can’t synthesize them themselves and this way you don’t get all the other junk that is supposed to be buffered by such fats. But really isn’t.As I said, my diet consists of mainly M&P fats, protein and low-carbohydrates. I eat a lot of non-starchy vegetables, seeds, nuts and legumes, some fruits, healthy oils, mayonnaise, poultry and fish. Most of my fat intake (M&P fats) is to give me a baseline level of energy which lasts and maintains itself throughout the day. I eat small meals and snacks throughout the day and then eat a larger portion at night, on an average day. On days that I’m active, I eat more of course, because my body will burn those extra calories. If I want to eat a scoop of ice cream, or have a steak and potatoes, then I do. I just know that increased level of activity is required to burn those extra calories and use them as sources of energy rather than letting them turn into body fat. I was still obese when I was 6 weeks into my Baseline Diet, but I felt energetic, my blood sugar levels were more under control, and I felt better all around. When I say, eating less, I don’t mean eating a small amount of any food, just to limit caloric intake. I say eating less, but eating the right foods which will give health benefits and DECREASE HUNGER. Eating a sub sandwich, which is LOADED with carbs will not satisfy you as much as a non-starchy veggie salad with some chicken cooked in healthy M&P fat oil, and topped with sunflower seeds and a nice high quality, full fat dressing. This meal will satisfy hunger, give you energy and at the same time, provide your body with valued nutrients and the necessary ingredients to burn off unwanted fat, or sustain healthy weight. It isn’t about denying yourself food, it’s about giving your body the foods it needs. I really encourage you to take a look at my website to get the full scope of what I’m talking about.I do agree, that everyone has their own opinions. I just want to share what worked and is working for me. 4 years ago, I was in terrible health, and my doctor said I probably wouldn’t live for another 10 years. Now, I’m at an ideal weight and my heart health is ideal. I am Type 1 diabetic, and my physicians are astonished by my Hemoglobin levels. They have even been a little skeptical on my diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, because all tests show that I’ve achieved such ideal levels that they believe my pancreas really does produce insulin. However, test after test proves that I am indeed a Type 1 diabetic. My diet is just helping me to maintain such good baseline levels in all areas of health. I am reserved to say it, but maybe certain people want us to believe a certain way because our ill health benefits them.ScottF: I am not impressed with the logic of this post, so I won’t be checking out your website. However, I can see that you are sincere in your beliefs. I wish you all the luck with your health.I wish the best for you too, Scott. As i said everyone should do what works best for them.I wish you the best as well. If you’ve found what works for you, then that is great! I hope you share it with others so that they may benefit from your knowledge. That is my only goal here, to share what I know, so that others may benefit from the information, and use what works for them.The diabetic people i’ve known are very well informed and like to share it…. i mean their lives revolve around these issues. Although i can see there’s some truth in what you’ve shared i still think vegetarian is better BUT……. i’m really glad it’s been working for you, i mean that’s the whole point of it.Shame on her. She has a lot of blood on her hands, human as well as animal.Shame, shame.  As a physician, you know type-2 diabetes is not caused by “ham & cream cheese.”  Exercise and judicious use of carbohydrates are Paula’s answer.  “Moderation in all things” would solve a lot of health problems.Pingback: Vegan Workplace Intervention | Care2 Healthy Living()	blindness,burgers,butter balls,diabetes,doughnuts,Dr. Neal Barnard,drugs,Graham Kerr,kidney failure,pancreatitis,Paula Deen,pharmaceuticals,Philadelphia cream cheese,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,plant-based diet,Smithfield ham,The Galloping Gourmet,thyroid cancer,United States,Yul Brynner	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21952951,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21983060,
PLAIN-301	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/	Amla: Indian gooseberries vs. cancer, diabetes, and cholesterol 	I’m out on the road speaking so much that I’m always on the lookout for handy, healthy snacks. Trail mix has been my standby, a homespun mix of nuts and dried fruit that has evolved as I’ve learned more over the years.  When USDA released new antioxidant data in 2007 I switched to pecans (see The Best Nut) and golden raisins (see The Healthiest Raisin). Then I found out that goji berries had five times more antioxidants than raisins (see Antioxidant Content of 300 Foods), making them one of the best Superfood Bargains. And that was before I figured out how to buy them even cheaper than raisins! (see Are Goji Berries Good for You?). That was all before the landmark paper “The Total Antioxidant Content of More Than 3100 Foods…” was published, though. I added dried apple rings to the mix, given the preliminary anti-inflammatory data reported in last Tuesday’s video-of-the-day Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol and started exploring the newest front-runners, as detailed in Wednesday’s Better Than Goji Berries. Leading the pack by a whopping margin (200 times the antioxidant content of blueberries!) were Indian gooseberries, also known as amla or amalika. 	I’m certainly going to check this out. There are tons of South Asian stores in Toronto, so I should be able to score a good deal :)OK, hooray, I finally got some dried Amla (gooseberries), but how do I eat them? Soak for a few hours first maybe? boil water & leave until it turns to room temp.  while this process is on wash the Indian gooseberry in normal water. Add 2 teaspoon of turmeric powder in the boiled & cooled water along with the gooseberry in a tight container & leave for 10 days (occasionally shake the container for mixing.After 10 days take 2 spoons of the water from the container first thing in the morning when you wake up, (know your glucose readings before starting this treatment) check after 10-12 days & be surprised at the result  Hi david.It will be more benificial if you just cut them and eat them along with honey. Honey alond with Amla will cretae wonders for your body.Dr. Greger – this is really exciting news, especially the finding that amla can kill breast cancer cells. As someone who is currently on the chemo drug Taxol, which you note is a plant-based anti-cancer drug in a previous video, I can inform you that it has painful side effects. So, does amla really have no short-term or long-term side effects? And, could you please enlighten us as to what form of this thing would be the healthiest to consume – the powder format (which seems the most readily available), and if so, how does one consume the powder?Amla has no side effects…short term or long term…u can use it throughout ur life..Hey, maybe Paula Deen should be a rep for an Indian Gooseberry producing company!!You read my mind! Paula Deen: diabetes drug spokespersonDear Dr.. my family history is non diabetic.. but from last 2 years my father aged 65yrs is suffering from Diabetics.. once it was controlled but again goes to 239 level, he is now taking zyde-mf half twice a day. please suggest how much Amla he needs in a day to control the sugar level. please also mention how to consume the amla. rgds: c b sHi Dr. Greger;I googled on “amla powder”. Almost all of the ads I found for it sell it as a hair care product which sounds kind of scary.Where do you get yours?Can I buy it in the Montgomery County, Maryland area? My Organic Market?ThanksThere’s an Indian store in Gaithersburg in the Grand Market plaza on Muddy Branch and then there’s another in Rockville off Randolph near where it hits the pike.Dr. Greger; Is this the place you refer to in Rockville?http://www.yelp.com/biz/dana-bazaar-rockville-2#query:Indian%20Grocery%20StoreYeah! Tell them “Dr. Michael” sent you (they know me for my gratuitous mango purchases :)I stirred 1 teaspoon of powdered amla into my daily glass of V8 juice, along with a sprinkle of black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon tumeric – tasted OK.That’s an even better idea than you might know! I’m working on a new video on food synergy, documenting evidence that when certain foods are eaten together the sum of nutritive value may be greater than the parts. And there is indeed an amazing reaction that takes place between the phytonutrients in black pepper and turmeric. Eating black pepper at the same time as turmeric boosts the bioavailability of curcumin–the chief purported cancer fighter in turmeric–by (you sitting down?) 2000%! My only suggestion would be to choose the low-salt V8, as there is new evidence on just how bad sodium may be for the heart. See also my video Salt OK if Blood Pressure is OK?whoah, 2000%! I cant wait to see that video!Soupy..thanks for your “recipe”…I’m going to try it in the morning and also add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper to spike it up a bit.Good link for getting dried Amla: http://tinyurl.com/84vter3I didn’t have to much luck getting dried amla yet. The Indian store I tried was out and even on the internet, most places are selling it as a hair tonic — which makes it scary for me to think of eating it.I haven’t used the link above yet, but it was the only one I found where it is sold as food/-not a cosmetic…and the price is reasonable.Try ZNaturalfoods.com, that’s where I ordered it.The very same day I watched your videos on amla I ordered it. Not only will I put it in my daily smoothies, I will put it in my son’s smoothies as well. What he doesn’t know………, anyway he is a high school senior with no interest in changing his eating habits. So I will continue to make him two smoothies daily and add in some “good”ies as well. Ground flax seed, amla and pecans. Shhh, don’t tell him.Given the other videos about lead in ayurvedic products I wonder how safe amla powder is. I know China has poor safety standards. I have to wonder about India as well.Thanks for sharing this info on how to fight cancer, diabetes, and cholesterol by having this kind of fruit. I am going certainly to check this kind of fruit. Other info that I have read about health can also be found here: http://day3cafe.comYou might want to wait on that. Dr. Greger has more recent videos that reveal that many brands of Amla (triphala too, as well as other folk medicine supplements ) contain lead.Amla is clean Georgel–just the triphala was contaminated. Phew!Dr. Greger, my apologies for possibly spreading misinformation. In one of your latest videos I thought you said that some brands of Amla test were free of lead, but that other brands were not.Does anybody know how many grams of amla powder is in a teaspoon?Thanks.I haven’t calibrated my old school, non-electronic scale for a while. I also don’t know if there are different grades of amla powder. Having said that I just threw a teaspoon full on my scale and got about 10 grams. HTHThanks George. I was taking 3 teaspoons a day when I should have been taking 3 grams. Based on your calculations, that’s 30 grams a day. I didn’t notice any adverse events but I’ve cut my amla down to 1/3 teaspoon a day.Pingback: Amla « Before Wisdom()Does anyone know of Amla being sold in Vancouver BC as a powder, pickled or frozen? I am from India and can attest to the widespread recommendations by Ayurvedic Doctors, Elders and other well meaning gurus but I never took them seriously.They say a prophet is never accepted in his own land so Dr. M. Greger I have some great news for you…are you sitting down? lol…. find a way to get this information out to Indians in India that have one of the highest rates of diabetes and you will have the reverse of a prophet is not accepted in his own land…..:)I wish you the best and now back to watching your videos…you are an amazing and awesome human being!DataI just bought Golden Berries but realized they are not Indian Goose Berries…or are they? I see conflicting info on the internet.  Golden berries are completely different from Indian gooseberries. Indian gooseberires can be found as a powder in Indian store. Also, if you tried to eat dried Indian gooseberry it would be extremely bitter and quite terrible tasting. Its best to mix them with smoothies.i cant seem to find the right topic ummm cholesterol?? why do they say its bad? ITS VITAL AND LDL IS NOT CHOLESTEROL please reply………….“Given the capability of all tissues to synthesize sufficient cholesterol for their metabolic and structural needs, there is no evidence for a biological requirement for dietary cholesterol.” http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=546Check out this video as well as others for details on cholesterol http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/LDL is vital aswell to recycle cholesterolPingback: Increasing Muscle Strength with Fenugreek | Zero To Hero TV Health & Fitness()Pingback: List of Top Superfoods()Can I add powdered amla to coffee or yogurt as part of breakfast?I want to ask can I eat dry amla,or amla powder for diabetieswhere can i buy Indian gooseberry powder or supplement?As a practitioner of Ayurveda it is so affirming to see the potency one of our most important herbs, the mighty Amalaki (amla) verified by western medical research. Thank you for your wonderful website!Cheaper than raisins….source?Current Trail Mix Combination?Thanks you Dr. Greger!This is a great paragraph:I’m out on the road speaking so much that I’m always on the lookout for handy, healthy snacks. Trail mix has been my standby, a homespun mix of nuts and dried fruit that has evolved as I’ve learned more over the years. When USDA released new antioxidant data in 2007 I switched to pecans (see The Best Nut) and golden raisins (see The Healthiest Raisin). Then I found out that goji berries had five times more antioxidants than raisins (see Antioxidant Content of 300 Foods), making them one of the best Superfood Bargains. And that was before I figured out how to buy them even cheaper than raisins! (see Are Goji Berries Good for You?).Beginning in 2005 with Dr. Jill Crandall’s human clinical trial using Transmax resveratrol, the form of this natural compound used in clinical trials and available as a dietary supplement at the Albert Einstein Med. College, in which this type of resveratrol was shown to lower blood glucose and insulin sensitivity in pre diabetics; through to the 2012 study at the JSS Pharmacy College using Biotivia Bioforte, and a large body of in-vitro evidence, amounting to over 5,000 published studies, solid scientific proof of resveratrol’s potential benefits to Type 2 Diabetics and Obese persons is now well established. A recently published NIH study further confirmed the beneficial effect of Transmax Resveratrol on insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance and LDL cholesterol.Is it true that more antioxidants is always better? Is it possible to get too much?	amalika,amla,antioxidants,apple,Ayurveda,dried fruit,goji berries,Green tea,Indian gooseberries,nuts,pecans,plant foods,raisins,saffron,snacks,trail mix	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21317655,
PLAIN-302	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/10/plant-based-benefits-extend-beyond-the-top-killers/	Plant-based Benefits Extend Beyond the Top Killers	The Adventist Health Studies offer some of the best science on the impacts of plant-based diets on health and longevity. Based in California, they include both the longest running study of vegetarians in history as well as the largest contingent of vegans. While most of the attention on the benefits of plant-based eating have focused on reduced rates of many of the top killers, such as heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure, the Adventist Health Study—started back in 1974—offered insight into how broadly the potential health benefits may extend. My video-of-the-day Preventing Allergies in Adulthood (a follow-up to Preventing Childhood Allergies last week), presented findings from the Adventist Health Study showing that women eating plant-based diets were found to have a 30% lower chance of reporting chemical allergies, 24% less asthma, 17% less drug and bee-sting allergies, and 15% less hay fever, though men eating plant-based appeared to have lower risk only of chemical and drug allergies. This was cross-sectional data, meaning it was just a slice in time, so we don’t necessarily know which came first. Still, after adjusting for other factors such as smoking, the findings do suggest a favorable effect of a plant-based diet on the prevalence of allergies. 	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Please consider sharing this short piece with loved ones! And don’t forget, there are 1,500 subjects covered in my videos–please feel free to explore them!I discovered in the mid ,70,s that I was vulnerable, based on my mother’s heart attract. The surgeon told me that I was a wild card, regarding heart problems. Sure enough I found that my cholesterol was elevated. Going on a near vegan diet was not sufficient to lower my numbers. This was all before the statin revolution. I was reasonably successful with niacin, soluble fiber, and reduced saturated fats. In 1987 I went on Lipitor. 13 years later I experienced myothophopy,leg pain and weakness. My doctor brushed it off. Wrong. Statin is a dangerous drug whose serious side effects are underreported. I am now 70, with 30+ years of deprivation and obsessive eating behavior which kept my lipid numbers in a good range. I now cannot tolerate statin My options are to go vegan, although I have familial hypercholestremia, or to go the rest of the distance, having done my best for the last 30 years Will my next 15 years or so left matter whatever I do? What I do know is that the meds will make my life miserable.I became very weak/tired after three weeks on the plant based diet. I added a steak and in two days I felt better. My partner does not have this trouble ( we ate the same). I want to get back to the diet. Are some people not able to do plant-based diet?Be sure to have the base of your meals complex carbohydrate based (brown rice, whole wheat, sweet potatoes, beans, quinoa, oats, etc.) for adequate satiety and to keep you from grazing all day. The first few days on a plant based diet may make you feel off, but after a week of eating this way your body will have gotten used to it and you will feel much better. I cite this from personal experience.Perhaps, you need Vitamin B-12. It makes a world of difference. I followed a book by Neal Barnard, M.D., Foods That Fight Pain. Used his 3 week diet and the pain just disappeared, which kept me on the diet after fracturing my spine.Still have not eaten meat or dairy, although I’m still new at this. It’s been almost a year. Vitamin B-12 should be taken with a B-complex at the same time and eaten with vitamin C and B-Complex foods for better absorption. In order to sleep at night, take the Vitamin B-12 with breakfast.I was raised in a Seventh Day Adventist family and as such I am familiar with a healthy plant-based diet and lifestyle. I also believe that the natural substances found in nature are by far more beneficial for health that processed food. My frustration is the unavailability of good quality plant-based food at affordable prices. Most vegetables and fruits in the supermarket are often so stale by the time they are purchased that they have lost a large proportion of their nutrients; these include the organic alternative, which are also a lot more expensive. Trying to maintain a vegetarian diet is difficult, as I have also been corrupted by the highly processed non-meat products that are widely available on a limited budget. I really enjoy your DVDs and the information this new site offers. Thank you!Are you an Adventist Dr. Greger , curious :-)Ashkenazi Jewok. wow, I have maternal Adventist Heritage . Thanks for all the vital information you’ve been sharing! I’ve lost three members of the maternal side of my family to carcinogenic diseases within 10 months starting with my mother who fought merciless pancreatic cancer from February to June 27th 2011 , then my aunt to cervical cancer in January 29th 2012, followed by my cousin who fought Leukemia up to April 24th. So you can bet I’ve been paying attention to all your Anti-Carcinogenic info (despite the fact that I’m not yet vegan but trying to make the transition. 3 years till I’m 40 so I should look out for prostate , colon and whatever may come , indeed .Gesundheit	Adventist Health Study,allergies,antacids,aspirin,asthma,blood pressure,blood pressure medications,cancer,diabetes,heart disease,insulin,laxatives,obesity,pain-killers,sleeping pills,stroke,tranquilizers	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-303	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/	Hibiscus tea: flower power	In Friday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Better Than Green Tea? I compare the antioxidant content of a number of common beverages. This is part of a series based on the landmark study “The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide,” available full-text, free online. Previous video installments include Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods and Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. Most people eat only a few discrete times a day. Sipping a healthful beverage throughout the day allows you to bathe your organs in antioxidants all day long, potentially adding Nutrition Without Calories to our daily diet. Previously my family’s go-to beverage was cold-brewed matcha white tea with lemon, based on the science I covered in The Healthiest Beverage, Cold Steeping Green Tea, Is Matcha Good for You? and Green Tea vs. White. But that was before 283 different beverages were tested in this new study. I had previously covered more than a dozen herbal teas in The Healthiest Herbal Tea, but nothing prepared me for the new king of the hill, hibiscus. When it comes to antioxidant content, hibiscus beats out green tea, but hibiscus still lacks the weight of clinical evidence. There are only a few hundred studies published on hibiscus, compared to thousands on green tea, but hibiscus does appear to have anti-inflammatory properties, help lower high blood pressure, help lower uric acid levels in gout sufferers, and improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels in pre-diabetics and diabetics. Like chamomile (see Red Tea, Honeybush, & Chamomile), hibiscus tea also appears to inhibit the growth of human cancer cells in a petri dish. You know there’s something to it when the meat industry tries adding hibiscus to their burgers to make them less carcinogenic. Rats forced to drink the human equivalent of about a 150 cups a day for three months had lowered sperm counts, but no adverse effects on humans have been reported with regular consumption. My only cautions would be that like a number of fruit, vegetable, and herbal beverages, hibiscus may affect drug levels, so you should always let your prescribing physicians know what you’re taking, and the impressive manganese content of hibiscus tea may exceed recommended limits at high intakes, so we probably shouldn’t drink more than a quart a day. 	In Central America, it is a popular beverage. Recipe as follows: Ingredients: A handful of hibiscus flowers Gallon of water Two cinnamon sticks Preparation: Bring the water to boil with the cinnamon sticks and separate from heat. Add the flowers and let it cool.OK, that sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it–thank you for sharing.hibiscus makes a delicious soda as well… make a strong tea first (i use 4 cups water and a cup of dried hibiscus).. strain, then add to heat and dissolve equal amount of cane sugar.. to make soda, pour 1 to 2 oz over ice, add carbonated waterThanks for the info. Off course you know this means I’ll be making major plans of planting hibiscus :-)My daily tea (now) = 1 bag of berry zinger (hibsicus etc), organic green tea leaves, whole, & 1 bag brocco-sprout green tea (made by http://www.broccosprouts.com and some lemon juice. I’m looking for a good source of white tea to replace the green though. I use 1 C hot water to steep then mix up to 1 Liter with cold water for a diluted daily drink.This is the direct link to the Brassica Tea http://www.brassicatea.com/Thanks for the link DSIkes. I’m always a bit skeptical about phytonutrient extracts. Just like green tea extract can be harmful (can anyone find the video I did about that? I lost track!), I’d prefer people eat the sprouts or broccoli itself to get their sulphurophane. Otherwise the drink looks great!I know it’s not recommended in Pregnancy but am finding it very hard to find any evidence as to why? Why would it be an issue if you took it in late pregnancy eg: from 34 weeks. I only ask as it’s very hard to find any herbal teas without it in there in some concentration or another.Here’s a link to your video about the harm that green tea extract caused: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/the-healthiest-beverage/Thanks Karen!Pingback: Hibiscus Tea: Better Than Green Tea? « Manu's Alternative Medicine Blog()I’m 10 weeks pregnant. Is hibiscus safe during pregnancy? I tried looking this up with a google search, and got totally conflicting opinions. Do you have some facts?Hibiscus is not safe during pregnancy–in fact it is even being studied as an abortifacient. Herbs, supplements, and medications are guilty until proven innocent when it comes to pregnancy.A very common drink in central Mexico. It’s called agua de jamaica. Steep a cup and 1/3 of dried hibiscus flowers (flor de jamaica) with about 2 inches of peeled and thinly sliced ginger in 3 cups of boiled water for a couple of hours. Stain the liquid from the solids. Add sweetener of choice to taste, mixing well. Then add another 8 cups of cold water. Keep refrigerated and serve whenever. We live in central Mexico 6 months of the year and this drink can be found in most eating establishment, both large and small. Dr. Greger, thank you very much for the always informative info on your site and videos.  One thing though:  I’ve downloaded the report of 3,193 antioxidants and I’m trying to find the exact reference to hibiscus tea.  I can’t find it.  Can you provide the precise page so I can look at the original reference?  I’ve added amla powder to my morning green smoothie based on your recommendation, by the way.Ok thanks to you I’m going to have to look up alma powder :-)I’m practising kung fu for two years and the term had many meanings, but essentially it means “time and sweat”… because you need “time” and “sweat” to learn a particular exercise, or using a weapon… maybe even the term “study” is correct but reflect a high level on concentration and skill… it’s difficult to translate this term… if you look on wikipedia the relative page, you should frame the issue… anyway even your translation in not incorrect… :-)I’m having this same problemIn the same line as Dennis Woo’s message, I too am having trouble finding the information of hibiscus antioxidants of all beverages. I have looked through the full antioxidant food table document by Carlsen et al., 2010 ( http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/supplementary/1475-2891-9-3-S1.PDF; pages 17-19), and although I have found Flor de Jamaica (which according to wikipedia is another name for hibiscus tea; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_tea), the Flor de Jamaica prepare tea has 6.99 mmol/100g of antioxidant content. Hibiscus tea / Flor de Jamaica, in comparison to other other teas, such as combe tea, dried (57.57 mmol/100g of antioxidant content), green tea, (pink) powder (1347.83 mmol/100g of antioxidant content), and instant tea, dry powder, unsweetened (165.86 mmol/100g of antioxidant content), has a much lower content of antioxidants it appears. Perhaps I misunderstood something, but it would be great to get some help explaining this confusion.I got excited about hearing that hibiscus tea has such high levels of antioxidants, and so I went to read a bit about it on wikipedia and it said nothing about its high content of antioxidants. Hence, I was in the process of editing the wikipedia page (I’ve never done this before but felt that such information should be known), until I couldn’t find the information from the original source, thus demystification would be appreciated!Note this is per unit weight. So a serving of prepared tea weighs 245 grams, but a serving of tea powder is 0.7 grams, a 350 fold difference!Although I had been drinking hibiscus tea these days, I didn’t know it has a lot of benefits. Thanks for sharing, Michael! :) Can anyone show me where Hibiscus Tea is in that long list of 3100 foods/drinks? I can’t find it under any name, thanks!Pingback: Hibiscus Tea – Health Benefits | Business44.Com – Business Site | Health Clubs - healthylifestylereview.info()The Hibiscus or Flor de Jamaica can be found at the bottom of page 17 of 138 in the Antioxidant Food Table pdf.It’s level is 6.99mmol/100g which is actually low compared to many other beverages on offer. For example fresh tea leaves have 26.55mmol/100g!Why then, do you rate it so highly Michael? leaves are lighter than tea! Be sure to note whether they’re talking about 100g of prepared tea or 100g of the leaves themselves.More on side effects? http://www.ehow.com/about_5200207_side-effects-hibiscus-tea.htmlI’m here in Grenada going to Medical School and they have a Christmas Drink here called Sorrel using a flower related to the hibiscus. It’s wonderful and the recipe is similar to the one posted below, but they add in addition to the cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, fresh ginger, cardamom, and even a little nutmeg. They serve it cold, but it is nice hot as well. Thanks for the video!Sounds delicious!It is delicious! Not sure if you can get “gracekennedy ” or “tru juice “products in your neck of the woods , but they have sorrel drinks , capitalizing on the health news surrounding it . Of course nothing beats homemade, unless we’re talking about those elements inside the aloe Vera which are better extracted via processing for fear of carcinogenic content ? ( another big topic re recent research on why aloe Vera may be bad for you)that’s similar to how we prepare sorrel ( L. hibiscus Sabdariffa ) in Jamaica too , except its super tasty when you also blend the petals and not just “draw” the essence of it like in teas. it would be interesting if a study were done to compare the nutrition content in the tea vs the drink , ie plus or minus what may be lost or not due to the heat .I like to add Hemp Milk to my Hibiscus flavored Green Tea. Will this impact the nutritional value of my beverage? Thank You!Hibiscus tea is a good all round tea for helping with many ailments. I drink it a least twice a day and it keeps me in shape!http://www.hibiscusteabenefits1.comCut up a few lemons squeeze into a jug of water then put the cut up lemons in the water too. Add splenda to taste put in two or three dried hibicus tea flowers and put in frig. Makes the best lemonaide and so good for you. Great on a hot day. Lemons also fight cancer.Hibicus tea is also very good for your liver.Does anyone know if hibiscus tea loses its antioxidant power if heated? For example if i prepare my tea using hot water(near 90 °C) it will lose its beneficial properties?I was wondering the same thing. I couldn’t find anything specific about heating it being bad, but it seems like cold brewing (as long as it’s done long enough), can extract the same quantity of antioxidants as hot brewing. See final paragraph:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/20/dining/cold-brewing-coffee-and-tea-the-curious-cook.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0Interesting… i think you’re right… this summer i drank a lot of hibiscus tea cold brewed… it was really good…There is a video on this site about the antioxidant value of hibiscus tea being much greater if brewed in cold(er) water. On the video Dr. Greger mentions he now ‘brews’ his hibiscus tea mix in the fridge and sips on it all day cold. Just search this site for hibiscus tea and Im sure you’ll find it. If not search brewing hibiscus tea cold and antioxidant level both here on the internet in general and you’ll find the info. Cheers!BTW thanks for the NYT link on the topic. Always like to have more multiple sources of info.Hi Dr. Greger! I checked the “landmark” study you linked to and hibiscus isn’t mentioned at all, FYI.It’s “Flor de Jamaica”Do you have any studies on its cousin which is also popular in Jamaica : Hibiscus ? (Aka Sorrel. The scientific research council of Jamaica (SRCJ I think) and the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) have discovered anti carcinogenic properties in extracts from the seeds. Sorrel is a popular red drink especially at Christmas time in Jamaica :-)* hibiscus SabdariffaDo you have any studies on its cousin — Hibiscus Sabdariffa– which is also popular in Jamaica? (Aka Sorrel. The scientific research council of Jamaica (SRCJ I think) and the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) have discovered anti carcinogenic properties in extracts from the seeds. Sorrel is a popular red drink especially at Christmas time in Jamaica :-) if you haven’t tasted it, your missing out. It’s especially nice when the petals of the flower are blended and not just “drawn” (soaked) . Wonder what the comparison is for antioxidant content midst th others :-)– http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20020325/cleisure/cleisure1.htmlI am a teal lover and haven’t tried hibiscus tea just yet, but I heard that it has many health benefits including, lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, improving your mood…just to name a few. You can check out the article at: http://health-and-beauty-nut.com/2013/07/hibiscus-tea-health-benefits/I use hibiscus cut and sifted flowers, thinking not only are they much cheaper, but they should have more–or at least the same nutritional value. Also, does one have to add them to hot water ? I use the flowers in my smoothies, or grind em up with my flaxseeds in a coffee grinder, and put em over my breakfast, whether it be fruit or oatmeal–does it supply the same nutrition than if i added to boiling water?I purchase this hibiscus tea (below) and then powder it as I need it (if you buy the already powdered version – then as soon as they powder it it will begin to oxidize. Buying the whole plant and then powdering it as needed yourself, is fresher. Also, buying it dehydrated reduces chances of mold.) I put it into a glass bottle of course, and cold brew it overnight. I don’t filter the ground hibsicus flower – I just add it ground into the cold water and drink it all. https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/bulkherb/h.php#h_h_hib_w Hibiscus Flowers, wholeTo this I add some organic Amla for even more antioxidant power (See Dr. Greger’s video on Amla/Fruits highest in antioxidants) and to sweeten it – (again, I buy the whole plant and powder it)-1 lb Amla Whole https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search/search.php?refine=y&keywords=amla&x=0&y=0Finally I add a high quality organic sulfur powder, which research shows is healing on many levels, and missing from modern day foods.Regards, John MurrayThere is so much in the news today about supplements being not what they say they are or actually bad or completely missing. How can one find a good supply of hibiscus. What part of the hibiscus do we need to get, and how do we know if it is good or not? I got some hibiscus tea in bottles … $2.50 a pop (no pun intended), but I have no idea if it really has hibiscus in it, or how much.I also got some matcha tea … relatively expensive … like $20 for a 5.5 ounce jar at Whole Foods. Is there some less expensive way to get green tea into one’s diet. Why are all these things so darned expensive? Thanks for the videos, and the scientific rigor … no other place to really get this in a mass popular format, at least that I trust!I know it’s not recommended in Pregnancy but am finding it very hard to find any evidence as to why? Why would it be an issue if you took it in late pregnancy eg: from 34 weeksNow you can buy Essence Water with 66 MG of Hibiscus in every Liter! http://www.essencewaterinc.com – thank you Dr. Greger for this article!Here’s my favorite recipe. Simmer diced ginger root for half an hour. Into the cooled ginger juice add hibiscus, rose hips, and stevia herb (not the processed stuff you buy in the market, but the real herb you buy from the herb store, which has many nutritional benefits). Let steep over night to make a cold infusion This does not kill the vitamin C in the hibiscus or rose hips. The next day strain out the herbs and ginger. Now add kefir culture and let sit overnight. If you desire to make a fizzy drink, you can sweeten it with sugar or honey rather than stevia before adding the kefir culture. If you place this in a tightly sealed jar and let it sit for a week on your counter, the tea will become a probiotic-rich fizzy drink in about a week.Doc, you really need to clarify whether the hibiscus in these studies is the pretty hibiscus flower seen in this video, stereotypically tucked behind the ears of girls on tropical islands, OR the plant that’s called “sorrel” in the Caribbean, roselle in Australia, bissap in some West African countries, etc. If you look up hibiscus sabdariffa, it is sorrel/roselle, not the pretty hibiscus flower seen on the boxes of hibiscus tea on supermarket shelves and in this video. Please research and clarify.The study abstracts in the hyperlinks provided mention the type of hibiscus used. From what I can tell the studies used extracts of Hibiscus sabdariffa and Hibiscus sabdariffa — so it appears the latter.If so, don’t you want to update the flower photo at the top of this page?Is the photo super misleading? We will consider replacing if so. If you find one on creative commons feel free post a link. Thanks, Joshua.Hey Joshua Dr. Greger is so glad you brought this up we’ll change it asap!Ah thanks. Much better. Yeah, the photo was very misleading. Since I’m not a botanist, I puzzled over this for an hour yesterday.When you say “the latter” – do you mean “sorrel or roselle”? If so, the video should be changed to remove the pretty flower.Changing now! Thanks so much for pointing this out!I’ve been drinking hibiscus tea for many years, brewed from dried hibiscus flowers bought at the Hispanic market. Just from tasting the brew I got the impression it might have astringent and perhaps antibacterial qualities. I didn’t see those mentioned in your article. If a concentrated liquid extract of the dried flower is applied to a sore on the skin, will it prevent infection? If this extract is applied as a moist mask to the face will it close the pores? Who knows – worth a try.Dear Doctor,Your explanation of different terms between wet and dry weights makes sense and I thank you for clearing it up. But I have certain doubts.Flor de Jaimica, (Hibiscus) prepared has a rating of 6,99 mmol/100 gr as a tea p. 17 of tableTea, Green, Emperors Garden, prepared has a rating of 1,36 mmol/100 gr as a tea p. 18 of tableMore than 5 times difference in favor of Hibiscus in liquid form when compared to Green tea in liquid form.Unfortunately there is no matcha tea in its prepared form in the table and only the dried powder, p.18. of 1347.83 mmol/100 gr. And also unfortunate is the fact there is no dry weight given for the making of the Flor de Jamaica so as to make an equivalent comparison, although I would assume we are talking about a tea bag form of the product which may weight in its dry form roughly 1 gr. to prepare 245 gr. liquid as you say is a cup of tea. Therefore if the dry weight of 1 gr is divided by 2.45, then approx. 0.41 of dry product of Hibiscus is needed for 100 gr of liquid tea.If we were to divide 100 gr by 0.41 the result would be 244. To compare it to the Green tea powder (Matcha) in an equivalent dry weight form to make a comparison of mmol per 100 gr, then we would multiple 244 X 6,99 and the result would be 1706 mmol/100 gr dry weight of Hibiscus, which in this case would outweigh the matcha tea gram for gram, favoring it by 27%This is only assuming the above mentioned factors are taken into consideration. If the original Flor de Jamaica tea weighed more, then the difference would be less, although on the over hand if it were less, the difference would be greater. Do I make any sense at all?If the good doctor has any other information that is not mentioned in the above to substantiate his claims, it would be sincerely appreciate by all the rest of us by your contribution.Thank you very much.Hibiscus tea is very popular in Egypt. The word there is that warm tea in fact alters bloodpressure, but cold tea will lower it. They say to drink it warm when you have problems starting up and feel tired. But drink it cold if you’re stressed! Common Egyptian knowledge, heard it 5 or 6 times from totally different persons in totally different area’s!The photo is misleading. This is Chukoir (Eastern India) – Very sour flowers, we dont call them Hibiscus (Joba). We make chutney (paste or sauce ) of the flower.I like to eat the dried Hibiscus flowers after tea has brewed and the flowers have rehydrated. I like the texture. Does anyone know the nutrition facts for unsweetened hibiscus flowers? I’ve searched multiple terms and I keep finding nutrition data for food or beverages made with sweetened hibiscus flowers. Thanks!	antioxidants,beverage,calories,chamomile,dates,erythritol,Green tea,herbal tea,hibiscus,matcha,white tea	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19678781,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19765963,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18423919,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20418021,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15019726,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10404421,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19962289,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21291361,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17094172,
PLAIN-304	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/	EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared "unfit for consumption"	Dioxin, industrial pollutant of Agent Orange infamy, has been called “the most toxic compound synthesized by man.” Not only is dioxin considered a known human carcinogen, adverse health effects may include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, endometriosis, early menopause, reduced testosterone and thyroid hormones, altered metabolism and immune responses, and skin, tooth, and nail abnormalities. Exposure during pregnancy can result in altered thyroid, brain, immune system, and reproductive organ development. The Environmental Protection Agency start testing Americans’ tissues for dioxin levels back in 1982, and after 3 decades of delay is releasing new guidelines this month that would set limits on the safe exposure of U.S. consumers to this class of toxic chemicals. In response, the National Chicken Council, American Meat Institute, and other industry groups complained to the White House that their products “could arbitrarily be classified as unfit for consumption.” But the classification wouldn’t be arbitrary at all; it would be based on the level of dioxin contamination in the food. Warning consumers about the risk could “scare the crap out of people,” the industry groups contend, and “have a significant negative economic impact on all U.S. food producers.” But that’s not true either. According to the Food and Drug Administration, “over 95% [of dioxin exposure is] coming through dietary intake of animal fats.” The only reason “nearly every American – particularly young children – could easily exceed the daily RfD [reference dose exposure limit] after consuming a single meal” is because Americans currently eat so much meat, eggs, and dairy. Consumer food safety champion Caroline Smith DeWaal praised the EPA’s decision to set a dioxin safety limit but stressed the agency needs to take it a step further: “Having a limit is always a good thing, but consumers will need to know how to translate it into their daily diet.” Eating low on the food chain is the best strategy to reduce one’s risk, but does not eliminate exposure (see Industrial Pollutants in Vegans). In my Dioxins in the Food Supply video I run through the latest USDA and EPA survey data of the level of dioxins and dioxin-like pollutants in the American food supply. 	Pingback: Big Food Says EPA’s Dioxin Limits Will “Scare the Crap out of People”Appetite for Profit | Appetite for Profit()Pingback: Michele Simon: Food Lobby Says EPA’s Dioxin Limits Will "Scare the Crap Out of People" | Screw Cable()Pingback: Michele Simon: Food Lobby Says EPA’s Dioxin Limits Will "Scare the Crap Out of People" | TubeShaker()Pingback: Live and let dioxin: Big Ag is worried about scaring us off meat and milk | Grist()Pingback: Food Lobby Says EPA’s Dioxin Limits Will “Scare the Crap Out of People” | Organic Connections()So great to see all these mentions. Thank you, Michele, for linking from your fantastic blog Appetite for Profit.Time for an update? So what is the current state of the Rule on dioxin limits?Dioxin is a manufactured product that our bodies only can eliminate very slowly. The half life is considered to be about 6-7 years but these estimates are based on industrial exposures and may not be accurate for other situations. For me as a clinician and concerned with health I advise all my patients to minimize dioxin intake… the idea that there are limits for non natural substances such as dioxin is not in the best interests for consumers in my opinion.Dr. Greger. I am wondering about endometriosis. My 21 year old daughter was diagnosed two years ago with stage 2 endometriosis after two years in pain. Her presentation wasn’t typical; periods started at 14 and were very irregular (only a few a year),light and no pain. At 17 she started getting pain at all times and severe constipation. Diagnosed with PCOS at 18 and put on birth control but pain continued. She just went off syneral after 1 year and is not responding to birth control. She has severe headaches and nausesa. She is off Linzess after almost two years by eating 2 kiwi a day. Are there any food or “natural treatments” to stop or slow the endometriosis? This cocktail of hormones is making her life very difficult and it is scary. She is now eating almost completely plant based diet, other than the occasional college slip up but I am afraid diet alone can’t stop this.	American Meat Institute,cardiovascular disease,chicken,diabetes,dioxins,endometriosis,Environmental Protection Agency,EPA,fish,fish oil,Food and Drug Administration,International Ice Cream Association,menopause,mercury,metabolism,National Cheese Institute,National Chicken Council,PCB,pregnancy,salmon,testosterone,thyroid	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/	-
PLAIN-305	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/27/aortic-aneurysm-prevention-jeff-green-and-his-aorta/	Aortic aneurysm prevention: Jeff Green and his aorta	Last week the Boston Celtics announced that forward Jeff Green will miss the 2012 season due to an aortic aneurysm, set to be operated on next month. Jeff is lucky. An estimated million other Americans have aortic aneurysms, but most don’t know it, and their first symptom may be their last. In yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Ticking Time Balloons, I describe the development of the most common form of the condition, a ballooning of the thumb-width main artery that runs down through our trunk. Rupture is usually the first and only clinical manifestation, excruciating pain typically accompanying death within minutes as you bleed out into your abdominal cavity. 	Check out both videos at Ticking Time Balloons and How To Help Prevent Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms. Please also feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions below in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And in addition to abdominal aortic aneurysms, there are 1,449 subjects covered in other videos here at NutritionFacts.org–please feel free to explore them!Although your post is very informative regarding abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), Jeff Green has an ascending aortic aneurysm, eminating in the first part of the aorta is it exits the heart. A very differnt entity from a AAA, although just as dangerous. He will need open heart surgery with a prosthetic replacement of his ascending aorta and possibly a valve replacement. These generally are genetic, and have nothing to do with lifestyle.Oh the poor guy! I was going off the ESPN report, which suggested it was a AAA, but indeed aneurisms of the thoracic aorta are indeed an entirely different entity. I pray his surgery goes well.I’m sorry to say that Jeff just joined a growing community of people dealing with aortic aneurysms (I’m a recovered AAA case, with stent, continuing to do Ironman training at age 70). The good news is that he is not alone, and there are a number of people he could talk to, especially with respect to getting back on with his life, for instance, Jerry a marathoner post-surgery for ascending aortic dissection http://goo.gl/dmQ8OT, Alan a golfer living with a 4.2 ascending AA, and Benjamin, author of Barefoot in November http://goo.gl/Ao3x6u, survivor of an ascending AA. Great book. Jeff will need people to talk to and advisors beyond medical professionals. Wishing him all the luck with getting his life back on track, and hoping he will encourage all genetically linked family members to have a scan for aortic disease. Cheers, Kevin aka FitOldDog first in the world to complete an Ironman with an AAA stent graft http://www.viddler.com/v/63c0c9b9I just want to say thank you. I am 17 and have found I have an enlarged aorta which I think is causing my anxiety. Planning on eating less meat and exercise more often. I already eat healthy	abdominal aortic aneurysm,aneurysm,aorta,Boston Celtics,cardiovascular disease,diet,fruit,Jeff Green,meat,Mt. Sinai,plant-based diet,prevention,risk,screening,smoking,symptoms,treatment,vegetables	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-306	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/23/generic-lipitor-is-not-the-answer-to-our-heart-disease-epidemic/	Generic Lipitor is not the answer to our heart disease epidemic	The cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin) is the best-selling drug on the planet. Nearly a million Americans filled their prescriptions the first week after it went generic this month. Over the past 25 years, this one drug raked in $100 billion in sales. Although as a class, the statin drugs are remarkably safe, there is concerning new evidence I reviewed in my video Statin Muscle Toxicity that even people who don’t experience pain or weakness on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may be suffering muscle damage, which may increase the risk of falls in older men and women. This is nothing, though, compared to the risk of elevated cholesterol, the primary risk factor for our primary cause of death, heart disease. Is that our choice, though? Taking drugs for the rest of our lives to reduce the risk of damage to our heart muscle at the risk of damaging our skeletal muscles? No, according to the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Cardiology, Dr. William Clifford Roberts. In my video-of-the-day on Wednesday, Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet, I profile his new editorial “It’s the Cholesterol, Stupid!”. “For the build-up of plaque in our arteries to cease,” Dr. Roberts writes, “it appears that the serum total cholesterol needs to be lowered to the 150 area. In other words the serum total cholesterol must be lowered to that of the average pure vegetarian. Because relatively few persons are willing to abide by the vegetarian lifestyle, lipid-lowering drugs are required in most to reach the 150 level.” He concludes: “Whether or not we are willing to alter our diet sufficiently and/or to spend the money necessary to obtain the lipid-lowering drugs, and then take them religiously to achieve this goal is up to us.” In my Heart Attacks and Cholesterol videos on Monday and Tuesday, Dying Under Normal Circumstances and Agribusiness Sees It Differently, I cover new data from hundreds of hospitals on people admitted for heart attacks, suggesting that the current cholesterol guidelines are too lax. The average LDL (“bad cholesterol”) of those hospitalized was under 130, in the official normal range, but well above the LDL limit recommended by Dr. Roberts (under 60). Having a “normal” cholesterol in a society where it’s normal to die of heart disease is not necessarily a good thing. In Convergence of Evidence, Dr. Dean Ornish talks about the advantages of choosing diet over drugs to reach cholesterol goals. Unlike statins, a plant-based diet can prevent and treat other chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity at the same time. His research shows that living and eating healthy can actually change us on a genetic level, up-regulating disease-preventing genes and down-regulating genes that promote breast cancer, prostate cancer, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Drugs can’t do that, but diet can. Cardiologists are realistic, though. They know not everyone is going to shift to a more plant-based diet, which brings us to yesterday’s video-of-the-day, Fast food: Do You Want Fries With That? Lipitor? “We envisage a future in which fast food restaurants encourage a holistic approach to healthy living,” wrote a group of prominent cardiologists. “On ordering an unhealthy meal, the food will arrive labeled with a warning message similar to those found on cigarette packets (‘This meal increases your risk for heart disease and death’), and on the tray, next to the ketchup, will be a new and protective packet, ‘McStatin,’ which could be sprinkled onto a Quarter Pounder or into a milkshake. This could easily be provided at no extra charge, just as sugar and salt.” That’s modern medicine’s idea of a “holistic” approach, drugs with every Happy Meal. Others advocate for a more aggressive approach: the “polypill,” 5 drugs wrapped into one, a statin, three blood pressure medications—a thiazide, beta blocker, and an ACE inhibitor—and some aspirin. The balance of benefits versus risks of life-threatening side-effects continues to be hotly debated within the medical community. I’m sympathetic to the drug-pushers’ arguments. Look, we have filters on cigarettes for people who continue to smoke, why not have drugs for people who continue to eat unhealthfully? Though the ideal, of course, is for people to quit their bad habits. In this morning’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day, Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero, I detail how to prevent heart disease naturally by avoiding the three things that increase bad cholesterol: 1) trans fats, which come mostly from junk food and animal products, 2) saturated fat, mostly from dairy products and chicken, and 3) dietary cholesterol, the leading sources being eggs and poultry. Any intake above zero appears to increase LDL cholesterol, so consumption of meat, eggs, dairy, and junk food should be as low as possible. 	Please be sure to leave any questions or comments you have below, and check out all the videos on cholesterol, heart disease, and statins.I have been on a vegan diet for 9 months and my cholesterol is still over 200. I am not overweight, exercise everyday and do not eat junk food. So what can I do to bring it down?Keep your saturated fat intake to 5 grams or less, this would mean to watch your nut intake. Also, do not consume any oils. Even olive or canola oil. A low fat, whole foods plant based diet with exercise will successfully lower your cholesterol.marjorie, you may also want to get your thyroid checked out. I recently learned that hypothyroidism can lead to an elevated blood cholesterol level.Hi Marjorie, Check out http://lunasin.com. If you like what you see and want to learn more about patented nutrition that’s been clinically proven to lower cholesterol (!), shoot me an email at nancyhelmold@gmail.com.Thank you for your posts. I look forward to attending one of your presentations during your Florida tour.Dr. Greger – what would you recommend for a patient whose cholesterol went UP, not down, on a vegan diet? Since I cut out essentially all animal products, my cholesterol has risen to 210 from the mid-180s, though my weight has gone down (to the low range of healthy for my height) and my blood pressure is normal. Am I consigned to 60-70 years on statins, even though by all accounts I am healthy (ran a marathon this year) and have no family history of heart disease, though I have a family history of high cholesterol?Hi hrhnyc, check out http://lunasin.com. If you like what you see and want to learn more about patented nutrition that’s been clinically proven to lower cholesterol (!), shoot me an email at nancyhelmold@gmail.com. People have avoided getting on statins taking these products!!Generally when people cut out animal products their cholesterol’s drop. Total cholesterol = LDL + HDL + 1/5 Triglycerides. You didn’t note your LDL, HDL and Triglycerides which might help explain what is going on. Given that it is important to cut out all animal products… dairy, eggs and fish as I have had some patients continue those but assuming you are avoiding those some comments. Certain foods and fiber are important in holding cholesterol down so you should make sure your fiber intake is good see: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart is possible that you are consuming processed foods with high fructose corn syrup in many products including fruit juices(these can drive up Triglycerides which can elevate total cholesterol. I would make sure you eliminate those and carefully check the labels of any processed foods that you are consuming. There are patients who need to be on treatment for high lipids so you need to work with your physician(s). There are alternatives to statins for treating lipid disorders as statins have side effects not well appreciated by many physicians see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/statin-muscle-toxicity/. For information which might be useful for you in working with your physician you might want to check out Dr. McDougall’s website, click on “Hot Topics read more” link and read his newsletters on Cholesterol and Triglycerides. Good luck on your journey to improved health… sounds like you are making progress.Dr Greger – what does your great aunt Pearl eat? And I’d really like to hear what sort of food she ate in her early and middle years too! Thank you.I am 55 and have been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for over 30 years.  I have no risk factors such as hereditary, cholestrol, diabetes that are associated with heart illness yet I had a myocardial infarcation earlier this year.  Based on his research and knowledge the cardiologist put me on Lipitor to get my cholestrol below 70.  This is a value I don’t think is achievable even on a vegan diet.  What would you recommend?   What are the alternatives?I went from an LDL of 195 to 100 on plant-based and then down to 70 with 10mg of lipitor. Hoping to reverse my heart disease.Hi Eitan, I am a plant based MD who is helping Dr. Greger with questions like yours. I’m really sorry to hear about your heart attack – and, unfortunately, your story is common.  Check out this video:  http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/ Most people understand that red meat is associated with heart disease – but, don’t realize that dairy is ‘liquid red meat’ – very high in saturated fat. It is possible to get LDL cholesterol levels down to your goal of <70 with a plant based diet – but, be very careful not to jump off your statin too quickly. Since you have already had a heart attack, chances are you have other arteries that are also near critical blockage or prone to plaque rupture. Read Dr. Esselstyn's book "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease", or anything by Dr. Dean Ornish, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/Because it’s just to hard to admit you should stop eating animals? …lol…Go Vegan! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=380442105309219&set=a.357285750958188.81468.100000302987530&type=1&theaterInteresting that Dr. Joseph Mercola emphasizes the “paleo diet” which is high in animal protein, fats, vegetables and “paleo-carbs” and low in “neo-carbs” like grains and their products cultivated these past 10,000 years. […] There is now substantial empirical and clinical evidence to indicate that many of these deleterious changes are directly related to the predominately cereal-based diets of these early farmers. Since 99.99% of our genes were formed before the development of agriculture, from a biological perspective, we are still hunter-gathers.Thus, our diet should reflect the sensibilities of this nutritional niche: lean meats; fish; seafood; low glycemic vegetables and fruit, (modern agriculture has significantly increased the sugar and starch content of vegetables and fruits over their Paleolithic counterparts), nuts and seeds – the evolutionary diet. […] http://www.mercola.com/article/carbohydrates/scientific_evidence_low_grains.htmThis has been totally discredited. See the site http://www.plantpositive.com. Look for his videos on paleo and what primitive cultures really ate.Plant positive is excellentHello, I am currently taking a fibrate to lower cholesterol. Does this have the same effect as a statin? If different, is one treatment method considered better than the other (i.e. statin vs fibrate)?I have heard many people say that cholesterol is not the cause of heart attacks, etc as commented by Boris earlier. what’s upwiththat? have you addressed this somewhere before? Could you direct me or plan something for the future? I really appreciate all the education you do. thank you so much!People will think and say a lot of things to rationalize unhealthy habits. But one doesn’t get much stronger epidemiological evidence for the correlation of cholesterol and cardiovascular mortality than this:Prospective Studies Collaboration, et al. “Blood cholesterol and vascular mortality by age, sex, and blood pressure: a meta-analysis of individual data from 61 prospective studies with 55,000 vascular deaths.” Lancet (London, England) 370.9602 (2007): 1829-1839.GOOGLE: Black Seed oil: Nigella Sativa Also go organic. takes 3-6 weeks to see if it helps. no drug interactions.Nathan Pritikin and Dr. Ornish could reduce total cholesterol in heart patients to about 170 mg/dl using only low-fat vegan or near-vegan diet. Dr. Esselstyn added lovastatin (and sometimes cholestyramine) to push cholesterol below 150 mg/dl, the magic number conferring virtual immunity to heart attack in the Framingham study, and his outcomes are better.I monitor TC bimonthly after blood donations, and for 3 years after adopting a low-fat vegan diet it remained stubbornly around 165 mg. Since, supplemental niacin (as immediate release nicotinic acid) has helped, and I’m almost at the threshold. I’m hoping further body fat reduction will help.I haven’t heard anything from Dr. Greger on CoQ10 which is thought to counter some of the muscle-related issues with statins. Statins prevent the production of this important enzyme. The studies are sporadic but the theory seem pretty solid. Why no mention???	American Journal of Cardiology,cancer,cholesterol,cigarettes,diabetes,dietary cholesterol,Dr. Dean Ornish,Dr. William Clifford Roberts,eggs,fast food,Happy Meal,heart attack,heart disease,LDL,Lipitor,meat,muscle damage,obesity,plant-based diet,polypill,poultry,saturated fat,statins,trans fat	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-307	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/15/vitamin-d-shedding-some-light-on-the-new-recommendations/	Vitamin D: Shedding some light on the new recommendations	Earlier this year, the U.S. Institute of Medicine upped their official vitamin D recommendation for most adults from 200 to 600 IU a day. Where did they get the original number, why did they triple it, and why are there those who recommend people take thousands a day rather than hundreds? Though the IOM report has been considered “the most comprehensive document on vitamin D nutrition to date,” it raised intense controversy in the scientific community, culminating with the publication of conflicting guidelines recommending 1,500-2,000 IU a day from the American Endocrine Society, the world’s oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to hormone research (“vitamin” D is a misnomer; it’s actually a hormone). When even the consensus committee expert panels disagree, where can you turn? Ideally, the answer is the primary source literature, but this is no small task given that more than 3,000 new journal articles were published on vitamin D in the last year alone. This last week of NutritionFacts.org videos has been my attempt to provide justification for my own vitamin D recommendation based on my understanding of the best available science. In Vitamin D Recommendations Changed, I start out by explaining the rationale behind the Institute of Medicine’s change of heart. In Evolutionary Argument For Optimal Vitamin D Level the IOM’s target blood level of vitamin D is questioned (given the fact that we evolved running around naked in equatorial Africa). The Institute of Medicine’s conservative position on vitamin D is understandable, though, given the history of hyped vitamin supplements that turned out worthless or worse, as I review in Is Vitamin D the New Vitamin E? The official vitamin D recommendation is based on bone health, as the IOM considers the extraskeletal benefits unproven. Others cite evidence that taking 2,000 IU a day may reduce “risk for autoimmune diseases; deadly cancers including prostate, colon, and breast cancer; type II diabetes; heart disease; cognitive dysfunction; and infectious disease.” I jump straight to overall mortality in Vitamin D and Mortality May Be a U-Shaped Curve, suggesting that both too little and too much may adversely affect longevity. Why not just rely on the sun? Vitamin D Supplements May Be Necessary sheds light on the fact that even under optimal sun exposure, many people will not reach circulating D levels associated with the lowest overall mortality. Everyone responds differently to supplements, though, making it challenging to formulate one-size-fits-all guidelines, as shown in The Difficulty of Arriving at a Vitamin D Recommendation. How the Institute of Medicine Arrived at Their Vitamin D Recommendation shows how they used the body’s own reaction to protect bone health to come up with their guidelines, whereas yesterday’s video-of-the-day, Resolving the Vitamin D-bate, extends that logic to tap into the entire body’s innate wisdom. This morning, the series concludes with Take Vitamin D Supplements With Meals, suggesting a cost-effective strategy to achieve optimum levels. 	Please be sure to leave any questions or comments you have below, and check out all the videos on vitamin D!Dr. Greger, Thank you for all the great information on Vitamin D. I am now taking 2000 IU a day with a large meal. Can you tell me if there is any research evidence on absorption if I take the supplement once a day or twice a day at 1000 IU each time. Thank you again!SusanIs it better to take D2 or D3? Thank youThank you for your question. Please see my answer here: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/comment-page-1/#comment-4418I recently purchased a vitamin D supplement from Whole Foods that is vegan (I don’t remember the exact brand and am away from home presently). It is a form of vitamin D called ergocalciferol (D2), which can be vegan if other non-vegan ingredients are not added. I just wanted to point out that the most common vitamin D supplement is of the D3 variety, cholecalciferol, which is of animal origin. Also, you are absolutely correct in your observation that 400 international units per day is not enough. I have seen too many people supplementing at that level who continue to be deficient. As far as whether or not one form of vitamin D is superior to another, I am not personally convinced at this point, for all practical purposes.Dr. Greger — I use Global Health Trax vegan D3. Each little capsule contains 5,000 IU. I have been taking 1 per day, but is this too much? Should I instead take 1 capsule every other day — would that be the better way to take this amount? Thank you!	American Endocrine Society,bone health,Institute of Medicine,vitamin D	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22017772,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21646368,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21415774,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22vitamin%20d%22%5BMeSH%20Terms%5D%20OR%20%22vitamin%20d%22%5BAll%20Fields%5D%20OR%20%22ergocalciferols%22%5BMeSH%20Terms%5D%20OR%20%22ergocalciferols%22%5BAll%20Fields%5D&cmd=DetailsSearch,
PLAIN-308	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	Beans and Gas: Clearing the air 	More than a decade ago, the Quarterly Journal of Medicine published a review entitled: “Vegetarian Diet: Panacea for modern lifestyle disease?” The answer was in the affirmative, noting those eating vegetarian appear to have less obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, cancers, kidney disease, maybe less stroke, less age-related vision loss, less diverticulosis, fewer gallstone and of course, less constipation. But after going through the laundry list of benefits, the researchers did identify two drawbacks of a plant-based diet: 1) the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, which I’ve covered previously, and 2) increased intestinal gas production. So on one hand, we have half of the top 10 causes of death in the United States, and on the other, flatulence. Let me start off by saying that intestinal gas is normal and healthy. When patients present to physicians complaining of too much gas, they are typically instructed to go home and keep track for a week. “Although this may sound complicated,” wrote researchers in a gastroenterology journal, “we have found that patients rather enjoy keeping such a record.” Americans report passing gas an average of 14 times a day, with the normal range extending up to a frequency of 22 times daily. Many people who think they have too much gas fall well within the normal range, concludes famed flatologist Michael Levitt, M.D., “and they simply have to be informed of their ‘normality.'” Wondering who funded this research? You may be surprised that the real ground-breaking work in this area was done by NASA in the 1950s—our grandparents’ tax dollars hard at work. NASA was genuinely concerned that astronauts might suffocate, or some spark would ignite the methane. So papers with names like “Recent Advances in Flatology” represent space age research! As one NASA research scientist recommended, “it may prove advantageous to select astronauts…who do not normally produce large quantities of flatus.” I’ll never forget the first time I lectured on the subject. I asked if anyone in the auditorium cared to venture a guess as to how many times a day the average person passes gas. I was expecting the students would posit maybe 5 or 10 and then I could wow them with the fact that no, the norm is more like once every waking hour, up to 22 times a day. But the first guess? 200. OK, so maybe some people do have too much gas! For those wanting to cut down on emissions, here are some tips (I’ll try not to be too long-winded :). Flatulence come from two places: swallowed air, and fermentation in the bowel. Things that can cause you to swallow extra air include gum chewing, ill-fitting dentures, sucking on hard candies, drinking through a straw, eating too fast, talking while you eat, and cigarette smoking. So if the fear of lung cancer doesn’t get you to quit smoking, maybe fear of flatulence will. The main source of gas, though, is the normal bacterial fermentation in our colon of undigested sugars. Dairy products are a leading cause of excessive flatulence, due to poor digestion of the milk sugar lactose, though even people who are lactose tolerant may suffer from dairy. One of the most flatulent patients ever reported in the medical literature was effectively cured once dairy products were removed from his diet. The case, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine and submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records, involved a guy who, after consuming dairy, experienced “70 passages in one four-hour period.” Cutting the cheese, indeed. Other poorly digested sugars include sorbitol and xylitol in sugar-free candies. The fizziness in soda is carbon dioxide, which gets absorbed by our gut, but the high fructose in the soda’s corn syrup may be another culprit. Cruciferous vegetables may also contribute (kale-force winds?). Some grains can do it—the word pumpernickel stems from Middle German and means, roughly, “goblin that breaks wind.” Beans have been christened the musical fruit, but could it just be a lot of hot air? A randomized controlled crossover study published last week, “Perceptions of flatulence from bean consumption among adults in 3 feeding studies,” concluded “People’s concerns about excessive flatulence from eating beans may be exaggerated.” Noting that “An increasing body of research and the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans supports the benefits of a plant-based diet, and legumes specifically, in the reduction of chronic disease risks,” they started people on pinto beans, black-eyed peas, or vegetarian baked (navy) beans. During the first week, 35% reported increased flatulence but that fell to 15% by week three, 5% by week five, and 3% by week eight. Much of the bad rap for beans grew out of short-term studies in the 60’s that didn’t account for our body’s ability to adapt. Long-term, most people bulking up on high-fiber foods do not appear to have significantly increased problems with gas. In the beginning, though, “A little bit of extra flatulence,” reads the Harvard Health Letter, “could be an indication that you’re eating the way you should!” The buoyancy of floating stools from trapped gasses can in fact be seen as a sign of adequate fiber intake. The indigestible sugars in beans that make it down to our colon may even function as prebiotics to feed our good bacteria and make for a healthier colon. Even if at first they make us gassy, beans are so health-promoting that we should experiment with ways to keep them in our diet at all costs. Lentils, split peas and canned beans tend to be less gas-producing. Tofu usually isn’t an offender. Repeated soakings of dried beans and tossing the cooking water may help if you boil your own. Worse comes to worst, there are cheap supplements that contain alpha-galactosidase, an enzyme shown to break up the bean sugars and take the sail out of your wind. Odor is a separate issue. The smell appears to come primarily from the digestion of sulfur-rich foods, so to cut down on the stench, experts have recommended cutting back on foods such as meat and eggs (hydrogen sulfide is called “rotten egg gas” for a reason). In “Contribution of Dietary Protein to Sulfide Production in the Large Intestine” researchers found that meat-eaters generated as much as 15 times the sulfides as those eating vegetarian. There are healthy sulfur-rich foods, such as garlic and cauliflower. If you’re about to embark on a long trip in a confined space after a big meal of aloo gobi, Pepto-Bismol® and generic equivalents can act as a windbreaker by binding up the sulfur in your gut to eliminate odors, but should be used only as a short term solution due to the potential for bismuth toxicity with chronic use. Then there are the high tech solutions, such as carbon fiber odor-eating underwear (cost: $65),  which were put to the test in an American Journal of Gastroenterology study that included such gems as “Utilising gas-tight Mylar pantaloons, the ability of a charcoal lined cushion to adsorb sulphur-containing gases instilled at the anus of eight subjects was assessed.” Assessed, that is, by a panel of fart-sniffing judges. And the name of the charcoal lined cushion? The “Toot Trapper.” To reiterate, though, intestinal gas is normal and healthy. No less than Hippocrates himself was quoted as saying “passing gas is necessary to well-being.” As one chair of gastroenterology wrote in a review of degassing drugs and devices (and yes, Dr. Fardy is a real name), “Perhaps increased tolerance of flatus would be a better solution, for we tamper with harmless natural phenomena at our peril.” 	Please be sure to leave any questions or comments you have below, and check out all the videos on beans!Hello Dr. Greger – I recently discovered your site and LOVE the information you provide. I wasn’t sure where else to post this, I do realize this thread is a bit dated. I’ve read many conflicting articles on beans – one camp seems to believe them to be a superfood, while the other condemns them as a food not fit for human consumption due to their high lectin content. If indeed beans must be cooked to reduce their toxicity to tolerable levels, are they really as healthy as they are claimed to be? I’m a bean lover, but have given them up because a nagging voice in my head makes me tend to agree that any food that must be cooked and/or processed before it can be consumed by humans is perhaps not the best food for me to be eating. Do you have any thoughts or insight on this? Your response is much appreciated!Dr Fardy! Bwahaaahaaaaahaha!…..I think I have been hanging out with my 4 sons too long.I laughed my way through this one. You have a fun way of presenting science.Kale-force winds—I love it. Lately I’ve been getting lazy and just eating my kale raw, much like you would a stalk of celery. Dr Greger, I believe you advocate making a green smoothie out of the kale for maximum nutrient absorption. Is my laziness costing me nutrapoints?Hi Mike, You probably would get a bit more nutrients with proper cooking of the Kale. However you don’t loose much and the important thing is to eat your greens. Doing smoothies is a convenient way to get nutrients. You can view previous videos for more information.. Raw Food Nutrients and Best Cooking Methods.Mike: I remember one of Dr. Greger’s videos that talked about needing to get some fat with your greens in order to get certain nutrition. In other words, if you eat it raw without say nuts or rubbing a little oil in, then you are missing out on some good nutrition.Ah, I found the video if you want to check it out for yourself: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/forego-fat-free-dressings/Thanks DrDons and JJ for your informative replies :)Dr. G,I recently heard that the reason humans produce gas after eating beans is because they contain raffinose which is a starch that is poorly digested due to a lack of the enzyme galactosidase. The MD claimed that adding baking soda to the soaking liquid reduced the raffinose. Have you heard anything about this?thanks! AliciaYes indeed, research dating back more than 25 years (“Effect of Processing on Flatus-Producing Factors in Legumes“) found that adding baking soda to the soak water of dried beans before cooking (about 1/16 teaspoon per quart) significantly decreases the content of the raffinose family of sugars. The study I profile here in Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air that concluded “People’s concerns about excessive flatulence from eating beans may be exaggerated” used canned beans, though, which I find to be much more convenient. If you have the time, though, it’s hard to imagine a better nutritional bargain than dried beans, peas, and lentils.Don’t forget to rinse the beans after soaking in baking soda… it isn’t supposed to be included in the final product. Also, adding carrots to your cooking the beans is another old fashioned way of reducing gas when cooking beans.Thanks Dr. G. for the quick reply and the links. You are the best! I knew you would know and would be happy to share. :-)AliciaPingback: Tootie Foodie? Oh REALLY… | BEANSMASH!()Pingback: Making Vegan Easy Week 13 Round-Up « It's easy being vegan™()I’m a vegan who eats mostly plant based whole foods(some processed) diet and I still have foul smelling farts. I think I surpass the normative 22 farts per person per day as well. Since I was a child I’ve always had an excess of gas and even taking medications has never helped. I’m sure shifting from a carnivorous diet to a plant based diet has helped my overall health but I’ve never been able to decrease the odor or consistency of this natural(but embarrassing) bodily function. There basically 5 common causes for excessive flatulence:1.   Consuming too many carbs2.   Consuming indigestible foods, this is an individual issue i.e. lactose intolerance is a common problem3.   Excessive enzymes: again an individual issue two people can eat the same meal and only one of them will develop gas, simply because his intestinal tract contains more enzymes. It all depends on the amount and type of bacteria in the large intestine.4.   Chewing food and swallowing air: chewing food properly alleviates the work the intestinal tract has to do i.e. less gas. Swallowing more air than normal ie. chewing gum will do just the opposite.5.   Intestinal infections: eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water will cause intestinal tract problems; I assume this is not the problem.Cutting the amount of carbohydrates and avoiding foods that you know cause you problems can be very helpful and again I assume you have tried this to some extent.  Chamomile, peppermint, sage and marjoram are the common herbs that help alleviate flatulence.  Hot pepper and ginger can also be helpful.  Over-the counter Bean-O is touted to work but I’m always wary of over-the counter products.I have a similar problem and have found that consuming more fiber (in the form of a supplement) and using magnesium supplements for a kind of laxative effect is really helpful. The problem appears to be transit time. I calculated that it took about three days from the time I had a meal until it left my body, and that gave the food a lot of time to go rotten in my gut, causing really uncomfortable stuff to happen. Someone else on this website recommended a book called “Cure Constipation Now” which is where I got the idea to consume more fiber and use non-irritating laxatives to speed things along.I know vegans who say that they don’t think they can eat legumes at all because of bloat, and they worry about not consuming their essential aminoacids. I know soaking the legumes before cooking is usually recomended, but could sprouting have an even better effect on their diggestion?Oh, definitely, sprouting helps a lot. IT makes everything easier on the gut, and nutrients are more readily absorbed. I love my sprouted stuff!Aloe may help.  It is easy to find the juice in health food stores these days.Also, James Duke recommends carminative herbs:  allspice, cloves, cornmint, caraway, dill, fennel, horsebalm, peppermint, sage, and thyme.May I suggest fart absorbing pads …if you have a problem. http://www.shopinprivate.com/subtle-butt.html. My sister sent me this link one day and I nearly died laughing. Read the comments and ratings. Hillarious.I try to wash beans.. Dr. Klaper suggest that has comes from the hemi-cellulose (sp?) coating.. I find canned beans don’t cause problems but in an effort to decrease sodium I starting soaking and boiling.. I fart more now..   however, I did mix in some kale and mushrooms.Soak and rinse dried beans several times before cooking and eating rice with beans resolves the tooting.Love your posts Dr. Greger… well written, and humorous!I found this interesting and hilarious! I read portions of it to my kids, and they were laughing so hard. My son is now an aspiring flatologist.Not only are you adorable but you make me laugh out loud!! Thanks for the realization that I am normal! :)Dr. Greger, your puns in this article had me laughing so hard that I was crying! Thanks for the good info and for a great laugh as well!It is common knowledge to cook beans and lentils with a spoonful of cummin (in Turkey) to get rid of the gas..You REALLY make learning and reading about health a fabulously fun experience with lots of belly laughs Doc. If you’ve seen my many posts now since I found this site, you know I don’t agree with all and I am a bit of a wordy gurdy, but I want you to know my “professional” ;) disagreement/parrying detracts naught from my general appreciation and respect of your work and my recognition of magnanomy of this site. Yur awesome.This is the funniest essay ever. My sister’s doctor told her not to eat fiber. Sad.70 farts in a 4 hour period? Yep, I could do that. My family and I have not eating animal products in over 3 years now and although the rest of my family is not afflicted, I am plagued with emission of the most offensive olfactory insults. I love legumes and cruciferous vegetables. I don’t drink soda and don’t eat garlic very often. Bean-O did nothing to help. I tried the vegan equivalent to Bean-O and it also did nothing to help. Thankfully my family accepts me as “Farty Pants”, but I work indoors and find this gas problem to be cruel and unusual punishment for those around me. I easily pass 5 toots an hour during waking hours. I love the foods I eat and eat a very healthful whole food plant-based diet. Is it possible that I have some abnormal gut bacteria? Putting “toot trappers” aside, what else might I try to help? Three years should have been enough time for my gut to adjust. (According to my nutritional journal I am consuming about 40 or more grams of fiber a day.) Any ideas?Dear Sir, I don’t know if you are familiar with the Natural Hygiene phenomenon in your country, synthetized by the late Dr. Herbert M. Shelton (1895-1985), one of the few divine Americans I know. The Man taught about the importance of proper food combining for the digestion and asymilation of our food. Talking of legumes, some of which, like soy, are almost 50% carbohydrates and 50% protein, the compounds that cannot digest at the same time at the same place, the timing in digestion here being of very high concern, the Man advised only green salad with legumes, a very simple meal, in order to allow this complex food to digest properly. He explained the process of digestion of beans like this: It needs to be thoroughly chewed and mixed with salivary enzyme ptyalin, the first phase of digestion of starches. He explained that our stomach glands will “wait” for a while for the salivary action in digesting the starch of the beans to take place, “knowing” that the ptyalin will be destroyed in a highly acid environment, and after a while, excretes the highly acid juice in order to digest the bean protein content. So, eating many other things, like bread, starchy vegetables, vinegar and who knows what else with beans, will surely produce digestive problems. And let me repeat Dr. Shelton’s words that if properly combined, our food will not produce fowl gas, and can eliminate even the need for toilet paper, if anyone still uses it. That I could witness myself in my own experimenting with food combining. Thank you for your good work and contribution to a healthier society.Dear Dokter Greger, Would you know if there is any science behind the idea of ‘proper’ food combining for optimal digestion? The basic idea put forward is that different foods require different pH levels to digest properly, and they all have different transit times in de gastrointestinal tract. The belief is that eating certain food combinations – specifically protein-rich foods combined with carbohydrate-rich foods – are harder to digest, which decreases nutrient absorption and promotes gas, bloating and the buildup of toxins. Is there any scientific truth in those assumptions? Thank you so much!Good question. I think some people feel different (more or less energetic, bloated, or satisfied, etc) when they eat certain foods or combinations of foods, but there is no research I am aware of to suggest a protein-carb combo for optimal digestion. Dr. Greger has shown research on animal protein and carbohydrates leading to increased risk of diabetes, so perhaps the digestive process is subpar in that environment? We know certain food combos like antioxidants/vitamins and fat sources, iron and vitamin C, pepper and turmeric, can influence each another However, I am not sure about pH levels I would think stomach acids tears through any protein and denatures it and packages it as needed for use. Dr. Greger mentions stool pH and colon cancer and how fiber creates butyrate and other health promoting short chain fatty acids. So I feel optimal digestion stars with optimal fiber, like 40 grams, and we have plenty of research on fiber.	beans,bismuth,cauliflower,colon,corn syrup,cruciferous vegetables,dairy,fiber,flatulence,garlic,gas,lactose,Pepto-Bismol,sorbitol,sulfur,xylitol	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16183355,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=18246621,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=8554251,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3068547,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17151807,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2199292,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11985415,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10998670,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15667499,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=3068547,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?db=pubmed&cmd=search&term=Recent+Advances+in+Flatology,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=7433379,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/947086,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5238614,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?db=pubmed&cmd=search&term=18128419,
PLAIN-309	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/	Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable	November was proclaimed National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, in recognition of the five million Americans stricken with the devastating terminal illness, now the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. A new analysis suggests that up to half of these millions of cases may have been preventable through lifestyle changes. We’ve known for almost 20 years that compared to long-time vegetarians, those eating meat (including poultry and fish) appear to have three times the risk of developing dementia. Since studies show “even moderately elevated cholesterol increased dementia risk,” the cognitive impairment more often seen in those eating meat may be due to atherosclerotic plaque building in the brain’s blood vessels, which can cause micro-infarctions or “ministrokes” that can kill off little parts of the brain the way clogged coronary arteries can kill off parts of the heart during a heart attack. A new autopsy study found that those with cholesterol levels over 224 had up to 25 times the odds of having Alzheimer’s pathology (neuritic plaques) in their brains compared to those with cholesterol under 224. New evidence presented in a series of NutritionFacts.org videos this week suggests that this may be only part of the puzzle. Maybe it’s not just what vegetarians don’t eat, but what they do; the phytonutrients found in plant-based diets have been shown to have a wide range of beneficial effects. Last Thursday’s video-of-the-day Amyloid and Apple Juice featured new research suggesting there are components in apples and ginger root that may protect human nerve cells (in a test-tube at least) from the neurotoxic Alzheimer’s plaque protein amyloid Beta. It’s one thing to show benefits in a petri dish, though; it’s quite another to show benefit in a human population. That came in Friday’s video-of-the-day The Nutrition Facts Missing from the Label, in which I profile the class of phytonutrients thought to be responsible for cutting Alzheimer’s risk more than 75%. Yesterday’s video-of-the-day, Best Fruit Juice, ranked ten common fruit juices for these phenolic phytonutrients (with surprising results!) and today’s video Constructing a Cognitive Portfolio suggests that different fruits and vegetables support different cognitive domains of the brain, so both quantity and variety of plant foods may be important for the prevention of dementia. What if you or a loved one already has Alzheimer’s? Tomorrow, in Alzheimer’s and Apple Juice I’ll feature a pilot study suggesting apple juice can affect the cognitive performance, day-to-day functioning, mood, and behavior of Alzheimer’s patients. Thursday in Is Pomegranate Juice That Wonderful? I’ll show how food companies (such as POM Wonderful) invoke the First Amendment to defend false and unsubstantiated health claims, and I’ll close out the week with Pink Juice with Green Foam, a recipe for DIY whole food cranberry cocktail with 25 times fewer calories and at least 8 times the phytonutrient content of the retail corn syrup concoction. I think this week does a good job highlighting the three criteria I use to choose among the thousands of articles I sift through annually to create the hundreds of videos I post every year: interesting, groundbreaking, practical. If you find NutritionFacts.org useful, please help me spread the word by sharing this resource with others. 	Please post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and feel free to pass this important information onto loved ones!Thank you for making this valuable information understandable and easy to share!I posted this earlier as a comment to your most recent video regarding weight loss, but this seems like a more appropriate spot, so I’m re-posting here: Dear Dr. Greger, I’m a fellow physician and a vegan. I saw a segment on the Oz show a couple of days ago with Dr. David Perlmutter, author of “Grain Brain”. Dr. Perlmutter says all carbs are bad for our brain health and the worst are the ones that come from grains (including whole grains) and veggies that grow under the ground like potatoes, sweet potatoes and beets. Perlmutter also says grapes, bananas, and pineapple are also very bad for us. He advocates for a diet high in fat, including saturated fat. His theory seems to be the opposite of Dr. Neal Barnard’s Power Foods For The Brain. Is there science to support a causal relationship between (healthy complex) carb intake and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, as Perlmutter suggests? Should I eat the beets I roasted last night?Please view my response to you here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/#comment-1093761147This is a great article, and jam-packed with so much good information. I clicked on the graph at the top and got a larger, easier-to-read image—now that’s attention to detail, and user-friendliness!I did find a full-text link to the “analysis” link in the first paragraph:http://wnit.org/braingames/pdf/risk.pdfLink updated–thanks so much, Mike!Pingback: Alzheimer’s Disease Can Be Prevented With Nutrition »()Have you heard about the study that suggests carbs cause Alzheimer’s? This study suggests that more protein and fat could prevent it. I couldn’t believe my ears! What gives with this study? http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/17/carb-diet-alzheimers/1637481/ This study goes against many others that say otherwise, and this was based on a questionnaire. Not any mechanisms were discussed. I would like to see the primary study itself rather then the interpretation from the author of the article.I see so many problems in the article it is hard to know where to start. When journalists start quoting folks from Atkins Nutritionals they lose all credibility. So much confusion in lay and professional literature around carbohydrates and simple sugar(?table,glucose,fructose). I agree with Toxins comments… go to the original research. In my opinion complex carbohydrates are great. Glucose is our primary fuel and no good scientific evidence linking it to Alzheimers. Fructose can be a problem. The balance of literature comes down in favor of minimizing fats especially saturated fat and cholesterol and minimizing protein intake. The best reference is Neal Barnard’s recent book, Power Foods for the Brain. Another book is the Starch Solution by John McDougall.I have read about Huperzine A being a possible treatment for Alzheimer’s – do you have any thoughts on this? Thank you!There is no good treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease. The best approach would be to follow recommendations from Neal Barnard’s new book, Power Foods for the Brain(see above post for my summary of key points). Very important to start early and not wait until symptoms become apparent.Would be interesting to know what’s your take on coffee’s potential in prevention of Alzheimer’s. There are many articles on this subject, saying something about prevention of amyloid formation and/or bringing down an inflammation. Would be very nice to justify coffee consumption this way! :) (although I suspect you are a strong tea devotee :))Is it possible to defeat Alzheimer’s disease and dementia? This information may help.It is possible to significantly alleviate the symptoms on a plant based diet. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=alzheimersMany factors associated with Alzhemier’s Disease. The best reference is Neal Barnard’s recent book, Power Foods for the Brain. In my opinion the bottom line to minimize risk of dementia( both multi stroke and Alzheimers) is avoid cholesterol and saturated fats along with Aluminum, Zinc, Copper and Iron plus adding in exercise, sleep and cognitive activities.I’ve been eating a cup of organic blueberries with my oatmeal every morning since reading Dr. Barnard’s book, Power Foods for the Brain, and I’m seriously considering getting a Reverse Osmosis filter to reduce both the background levels of Fluoride and Aluminum sulfate in our tap water, as also mentioned by Dr. Barnard.I wonder if the latter is too late. We are already age 72.It is never too late to make changes to improve your health. It is always better to start earlier. The first step is to test your water to see what is in it. We get reports from our water district but the water passes through alot of pipes before it comes out of our spigot. I am constantly amazed at the bodies ability to heal itself given the proper approach.I don’t know what all is in our water. The city says no arsenic, but I had arsenic tested and .5 ppt were found; there is background fluoride, but since it’s a poison and can affect both my thyroid levels and my bones I believe that it’s worth removing. And the city admits there is aluminum sulfate used as a clearing agent. They poo-poo its harmful affects. But, I’ve read in the HSDB at TOXNET that all salts of aluminum have been linked to dementia.The State of Louisiana cannot be trusted for what it claims, not with the petrochemical industry controlling the legislature and university system.Is there a study which shows that adding a Reverse Osmosis water filter alters the thyroid levels in the body?I read one study that I read said that fluoride was once used to adjust the parameters of thyroid levels in the body. And as near as I can see, the report at the National Academies Press, Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards (2006) may speak on this issue in chapter 8, Effects on the Endocrine System.http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11571&page=228How do we reconcile this study about Alzheimer’s with Dr. Perlmutter’s studies? The conclusions are in direct contradiction!We can reconcile the contradiction by recognizing the lack of real evidence-basis for Perlmutter’s claims.More on the weakness of Perlmutter’s analysis can be found here: http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jan/smoke.htmPlease have a wonderful day.	Alzheimer's,amyloid,apple juice,cholesterol,cognition,cranberry,dementia,fruit,fruit juice,ginger,meat,phytonutrients,plant-based diet,pomegranate	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/04/15/welcome-to-nutritionfacts-org/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8327020,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21911734,
PLAIN-310	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/14/nutrition-education-in-medicine-a-doctor-a-day-keeps-the-apples-away/	Nutrition Education in Medicine: a Doctor a Day Keeps the Apples Away 	This month in the journal Academic Medicine yet another editorial was published decrying the sorry state of nutrition knowledge in medical education, a problem diagnosed yet untreated for the last 50 years. What is the profession doing about it? This morning’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Medical Associations Oppose Bill to Mandate Nutrition Training exposes the fact that many mainstream medical organizations are actively opposing and lobbying against mandating more nutrition for doctors. This, despite the fact that most medical schools in the United States fail to provide even a bare minimum of nutrition training. Thirty years ago, only about a third of medical schools required a single course on nutrition. That number has since dropped to only 1 in 4, as I showed in Wednesday’s Medical School Nutrition Education. No wonder doctors get failing grades in tests of basic nutrition knowledge about diet and heart disease, our #1 killer. More disturbing, the percentage of medical instructors that think this deficiency is a problem has also dropped over the last decade. In Thursday’s Doctors Know Less Than They Think About Nutrition, I profile a study that suggests arrogant overconfidence may play a role, concluding: “Simply put, doctors say they are knowledgeable but the majority of them are not.” According to a review published last month in Nutrition in Clinical Practice, “virtually every published study about physicians and nutrition counseling showed that primary care physicians…were not delivering nutrition services to their patients.” There was one study of thousands of patient visits to more a hundred family physicians that measured how much nutrition advice they were offering. The average per visit? Less than 10 seconds. 	Please be sure to leave any questions or comments you have below, and check out all the videos on the medical education and the medical profession.When I was diagnosed with pre-hypertension at twenty four years old (I am 5 foot 6, 135 pounds, semi-athletic), the doctor suggested that I buy an at-home blood pressure testing kit, monitor my rates at home (we both thought it may be white-coat anxiety), and if nothing changes, head back to the office and pick up some blood pressure pills. Although they did print out a tiny slip of paper telling me to avoid canned foods, to not smoke or drink, and to regularly work out, the doctor himself mentioned nothing nutrition-related; he simply suggested that I may need to get medicated. Well, I don’t have health insurance, and I can’t afford meds, so I decided to do some research. My starting points were a few books, and then FOOD Inc., Food Matters, and Forks over Knives (documentaries), which led me to a world entirely unexplored. Since giving up meat, canned food, fried food, and changing to a mainly plant-based vegetarian diet (though I still succumb to fish now and again), the blood pressure has dropped, and I need no medication. Go figure!As I am very concerned with the pervasive influence of corporations in our lives (I was initially just concerned with the corporate influence in politics), my research has led me directly to the world of food, big agriculture, nutrition, and pharmaceutical companies, and I just want to say your website is informative and thoroughly accessible. Thank you!Your experience of lowered blood pressure is not unusual after going on a low fat whole food plant based diet. We aren’t sure whether it is the reduced sodium(less processed foods) or increased potassium, magnesium, phytonutrients, soy or other factors in a plant based diet.. see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/fill-in-the-blank/ but it clearly works.. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/. If you want to view two testimonials to the power of a plant based diet go to the EarthSave.org website and view the testimonials of 5 of the 20 patients I had the pleasure of treating as part of the Meals for Health program. Don’t forget to stay tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps changing. Congratulations on your success!It’s sad. I’ve never seen a doctor or even a dentist concerned with diet. Both my husband and I have tried to tell our doctor about our low-fat, plant-based, whole foods diet. He just shrugs and says, well, keep doing what you’re doing. Your numbers are great. End of conversation.The doctor is part of a big HMO — Kaiser. It’s my sense that they take their marching orders from the powers that be in the organization and the mucky-mucks are very tepid about dietary recommendations, despite the fact that Kaiser San Francisco has big photos of vegetables all over the place.But you go in their sort of cafeteria/restaurant and it’s a nutritional disaster in my opinion, a feast of chips, candy, soda, white bread, white rice, greasy meat dishes, cheesy dishes, sugary yogurt. The fruit selection is a basket of green bananas and apples so waxy you could use them as candles. And you can’t get vegetables without the grease and meat thrown in.It’s infuriating — our monthly premium went up to over $1,000 a month! I feel like we’re paying for Kaiser’s incompetence and well, malfeasance. They could be doing so much more to get people healthy. We’re all paying for a lot of unnecessary illness and unnecessary suffering. A terrible shame.Thank you Dr. Gregger for your wonderful work!Hi Shintido Leslie, Your point is well taken and I believe can be generalized to all large medical groups that I am aware of. I worked for the Permanente Medical Group(the P in KP in northern california). I worked as a Family Medicine physician for 30 years and retired in 2008. In the last 2 years I had alot of success with my patients who were diabetic. I have additional training in medical management and quality improvement. For the last 5 years I have given talks to health care professionals. I have spoken to Kaiser hospitals in the Sacramento and Richmond. Most of the physicians are unaware of the science around the prevention and reversal of chronic disease. Dr.Greger reviews over 6000+ articles a year and there are over 10000 articles added to the medical literature weekly. Very difficult for physicians to keep up. There are many reasons for the state of the medical industry. I think we both would agree that KP is missing a big opportunity both in their medical care and the food that is served. I know their are a few and hopefully a growing number of physicians who are interested in working with patients who are on plant based diet. I encourage KP physicians to post that information on their websites. I also believe the rates are too high and there is alot of unnecessary illness and suffering. I advise individuals to become informed by finding trusted sources of information… for me the big three are Nutritionfacts.org, John McDougall MD, and PCRM. Be well.I’m a 4th year medical student at Tufts (your alma mater), and I guess we were one of the lucky ones to actually get a nutrition class in our first year. You know what though? It was AWFUL! I basically learned about states of malnutrition, what not to feed a baby and bariatric surgery. Useless.I’m going into Family Medicine, and I have gotten more teaching from your videos than anything I experienced in medical school. I’m seriously considering writing to my school administration to ask them to invite you to be a guest speaker in our course. If you talked about the “Tomato Effect,” American diet and heart disease, I think you’d make the best nutrition lecturer ever. Would you consider speaking for medical students?I would be honored!Liz, PLEASE write to your school administration! I am an RN who recently asked a busy cardiologist if he prescribes plant based nutrition for his patients, especially since I understand CMS “Medicare” will now pay for patient education. His response, I don’t believe in it and it is so out of mainstream! This mindset needs changing.I have first hand knowledge of the power of plant based nutrition in my own health issues. Props to Dr. Greger for this forum. I frequently pass on his postings to my friends. Happily they are starting to pay attention.I’m a Family Medicine physician and thoroughly enjoyed my 30 years of practice. In “semi” retirement I have spoken with the residents in Family Medicine programs in Sacramento CA(Davis, Sutter Health) on nutrition relating to chronic diseases such as diabetes, arterial disease, obesity, etc. . From what I can see based on my interactions with residents and their instructors they don’t get much training in nutrition. Keep tuned to Nutritionfacts.org and as you progress through your training maybe you can begin giving presentations or bring up key articles for journal club. Good luck.Please discuss gmos and decreased nutrition in our foods.For a discussion on how much has the nutrient content of food crops have declined over the last 50 years please see my video Crop Nutrient Decline. In terns of GMOs, I’ve published a few papers on the inclusion of genetically modified animals in the food supply (for example here, here, and here), but the relative risks and benefits of genetic engineering in crop agriculture is less clear. Unfortunately, the latest review on the safety of plant GMOs is not freely available, but an earlier review is. If one is interested in the two extremes of the debate I’d suggest Health Risks of Genetically Modified Foods on the “anti” side and Why Genetically Modified Crops? on the pro.WFPB Vegan, what to ask for in Medical Tests? It’s a pleasure to find, watch and read the commentary and videos on this site. I’m a long term WFPB vegan. I’ve been vegetarian for thirty years, a vegan for twenty years and following the low-fat whole-food diet/lifestyle — eliminating refined oils, salt and sugar — for the past five or six years. I’m slender, have normal BP and blood sugar, can work all day in the garden (grow and eat tons of leafy greens) and run three or four miles a day, no health problems, all at edging up on 60 years old, taking no meds beyond the usual supplements of multivitamin for B12 and flaxseed for omega 3s, with a calcium tab and vitamin D for insurance. On an annual basis I don’t usually see any doctors, but still am curious if I’m missing something. I’d like to know specifically what tests I should ask for, and which results I should pay most attention to. Given the non-nutrition orientation of typical physicians, it would seem that I would need to be in the driver’s seat to find out the most useful information. Could the thoughtful nutrition-oriented doctors here put together and post a check list of important blood (and other) tests for all of us long-term lifestylers who are following the plan to help ourselves and the environment? –All the best.The biggest disconnect there is…..the connection between what we eat and our health!  How can we let this continue on?  All of our technology and intelligence, and we can’t master the connection between our fork and our bodies.  Sad, and ignorant and frustrating that we have been directed and controlled and literally brainwashed by big businesses into going to our physicians for drugs, when the real healing take place on our plates.Try it…..eat a plant based diet full of whole grains and foods that are alive for 2 months, and watch your weight lighten naturally, and your pill intake disappear.  It is magic, it’s nature.This is why I’m doing a nutrition major now. I want to go into medicine, but not before I know a little bit more about the food we eat!Pingback: a Doctor a Day Keeps the Apples Away « Michelvoss's Blog()	doctors,Dr. John McDougall,medical education,medical profession,medical school,nutrition,nutrition education,physicians	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9597995,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20962310,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22030639,
PLAIN-311	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/	Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to My Plate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM's Power Plate	In last week’s New England Journal of Medicine, Walter Willett, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard, and David Ludwig, founding director of the childhood obesity program at Children’s Hospital, published a commentary on the latest dietary guidelines. They echo much of what I’ve featured in my three-week video series on the subject. Their first recommendation to reform the process is to “Move primary responsibility for guideline development to the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] or IOM [National Academy of Science Institute of Medicine], to avoid conflicts of interest at the USDA arising from its institutional mission to promote commodities.” I explore this twin USDA mandate to both promote agribusiness and protect our nation’s health in my video USDA Conflicts of Interest. I then profile the dietary guidelines of Greece, a country that has taken this recommendation to heart, in It’s All Greek To The USDA.  The success story in Finland, highlighted in From Dairies to Berries, shows that dietary guidelines based on science rather than corporate influence could save millions of lives. Drs. Willet and Ludwig also recommend, “Write guidelines that explicitly state which foods should be consumed less by Americans to reduce risk for chronic disease.” When the federal guidelines issue “eat-more” recommendations, the messaging is clear—for example, “Increase vegetable and fruit intake.” But when it comes to “eat-less” messaging, recommendations resort to speaking in cryptic biochemical components, such as “Reduce intake of solid fats (major sources of saturated and trans fatty acids).” In Dietary guidelines: Just Say No I crack the code to translate what that means in terms of actual foods to avoid. Making the message clearer, explain the two prominent Harvard docs, would have “offended powerful industries.” In Advisory Committee Conflicts of Interest I document how the USDA Dietary Guidelines Committee has been made of up individuals funded by McDonald’s, Coca Cola, the Sugar Association, the American Meat Institute, candy bar companies, and the egg and dairy boards. It is no wonder the dietary guidelines don’t explicitly say to avoid unhealthy foods. In Science Versus Corporate Interests I feature an Arlo and Janis cartoon that I think best sums up the situation. In Dietary guidelines: The First 25 Years I show how the dietary guidelines have gotten progressively weaker even as Americans have gotten sicker. The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans are a definite improvement, though. From the New England Journal commentary: “The guidelines appropriately emphasize eating more vegetables, beans, fruits, whole grains, and nuts and highlight healthful plant-based eating patterns, including vegetarian and vegan diets.” In Plant Protein Preferable a recent review of Dr. Willet’s is showcased, explaining the emphasis on plant rather than animal sources of protein. 	Please leave any questions you may have below and don’t miss a single video on dietary guidelines and industry influence!Is that you in the photograph in front of the White house? And, great job at the Conference to End Factory Farming! LouiseGood eye! (you must be eating your carrots :). I’m the doc on the far left.Hi Dr. Greger,From watching your videos, it looks like you are not a big fan of “white stuff” such as sugar, white bread, white potatoes, white rice, etc. I understand that eating sugar is not healthy, but what is the problem with the other white stuff? Since wheat, potatoes, and rice are all vegetables, shouldn’t they be healthy foods to eat?Signed, ConfusedHello nssman!There are reasons for Dr. Greger disliking “white” foods. Lets go through a few!White rice is high in arsenic and has been stripped of most of the nutrients. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/arsenic-in-rice/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/the-tomato-effect/Milling whole wheat into white flour may cause as much as a 300-fold decrease in phytonutrient content. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/great-grain-robbery/White potatoes cause a 50% increased risk in developing kidney cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-white-bread-good-for-you/Simply go for whole wheat, brown rice, or red/purple/sweet potatoes over white.Now what about cauliflower? Its white. Well cauliflower is really good at….stopping breast cancer proliferation as well as other cancers from forming, so cauliflower is a mega plus! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/1-anticancer-vegetable/Here is Jeff Novick’s advice on how to cook brown rice to reduce the arsenic in it: How To Cook Perfect Brown RicePingback: Vegan Workplace Intervention | Care2 Healthy Living()Dr G – are you aware of any action to move the food guidelines work to a more objective entity like the CDC? Something we in the health conscious community can put our voices and votes behind?That is FANTASTIC!!! You on the left and is that Dr. Barnard on the far right? All in front of the White House! Where is President Obama? President Clinton should be there as well.All of you are doing landmark work in Washington and I whole-heartily applaud you!Now I have the unique opportunity to take the Plant Based Lifestyle and message to corporate America because of the vision and backing by John Mackey at Whole Foods Market. We’ll be starting a new test market to teach and support Whole Food Team Members with Plant Based lifestyles and prudent medicine. If it works (I do not see how it cannot) we will take it to all the way throughout Corporate America, hopefully changing the USA for the better!I would never of had this chance without the work of so many like yourselves!From the bottom of my heart, Thank You!Keep up the fantastic work.You’re an inspiration HemoD!Dr. Greger you were incredible at the first North American Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference. We appreciate and enjoy your style of education. Thank you Dale & Elaine WestThank you–wasn’t that amazing? The next one is going to be in LA.There is a lot of discussion about ketogenic diet that cures the hyperhilsulinemia I am curious about the lipidemic profile	agribusiness,American Meat Institute,beans,berries,candy,CDC,Coca Cola,dairy,dietary guidelines,disease,egg,Finland,fruit,Greece,Harvard,McDonald's,nuts,obesity,PCRM,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,plant-based diet,protein,saturated fat,trans fat,USDA,vegan,vegetables,vegetarian,whole grains	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-312	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/	The Best Foods: test your nutrition knowledge	Today I’m highlighting twenty questions from twenty NutritionFacts.org “best of” videos ranking different classes of foods. Ultimately, the “best” apple, bean, vegetable, etc. is whichever one you actually eat (in the same way that the “best” exercise is the exercise you actually do), but if you’re in a position to choose, then why not shoot for the best of the best? The first 20 people to email me all 20 correct answers will win my latest nutrition DVD. Watch the videos for the answers and email me at nutritioncontest@gmail.com—and good luck! 1. The best apple: a. Braeburn b. Cortland c. Empire d. Fuji e. Gala f. Golden delicious g. Golden nugget h. Granny Smith i. Honeycrisp j. Idared k. Red delicious 2. The best bean: a. Black b. Chickpea c. Green split pea d. Kidney e. Lentil f. Pinto g. Yellow split pea 3. Best anticancer vegetable: a. Acorn squash b. Asparagus c. Beets d. Bok choi e. Boston lettuce f. Broccoli g. Brussels sprouts h. Carrot i. Cauliflower j. Celery k. Cucumber l. Curly cabbage m. Eggplant n. Endive o. Fennel p. Fiddlehead ferns q. Garlic r. Green bean s. Green cabbage t. Green onion u. Jalapeno v. Kale w. Leek x. Orange bell pepper y. Potato z. Radicchio aa. Radish bb. Red cabbage cc. Romaine lettuce dd. Rutabaga ee. Spinach ff. Tomato gg. Yellow onion 4. The best cooking method: a. Baking b. Boiling c. Frying d. Griddling e. Microwaving f. Pressure cooking 5. The best mushroom (based on antioxidant content): a. Button b. Chanterelles c. Morels d. Oyster e. Porcini f. Shiitake 6. The best mushroom for breast cancer prevention: a. Button b. Chanterelle c. Crimini d. Enoki e. Italian brown f. Oyster g. Portobello h. Shiitake i. Stuffing j. Woodear 7. The best rice: a. Black rice b. Brown rice c. Red rice d. White rice 8. The best nut: a. Almond b. Brazil nut c. Cashew d. Macadamia e. Pecan f. Peanut g. Pine Nut h. Pistachio i. Walnut 9. The best airplane beverage: a. Apple juice from concentrate b. Cranberry juice cocktail c. Hot coffee d. Hot tea e. Orange juice from concentrate f. Tomato juice from concentrate g. Water 10. The best onion: a. Red b. White c. Yellow 11. The best lentil: a. Red b. Green c. French green 12. The healthiest sweetener: a. Agave nectar b. Blackstrap molasses c. Brown rice syrup d. Corn syrup e. Dark brown sugar f. Date sugar g. Honey h. Light brown sugar i. Maple syrup j. Raw cane sugar k. Sugar l. Turbinado sugar 13. The best low-calorie sweetener: a. Acesulfame-K b. Aspartame c. Cyclamate d. Erythritol e. Saccharin f. Stevia g. Sucralose h. Xylitol 14. Healthiest chocolate fix: a. Baking chocolate b. Chocolate syrup c. Cocoa powder d. Dark chocolate e. Milk chocolate f. Semi-sweet chocolate 15. The best tea: a. Black b. Green c. White d. Depends on whether you add lemon 16. Which is the healthiest soy food? a. Edamame b. Soy milk c. Tempeh d. Tofu 17. The best microscopic green: a. Blue-green algae b. Chlorella c. Spirulina d. None of the above 18. The better seed: a. Chia b. Flax 19. Most antioxidants per serving: a. A half cup of acai berries b. A half cup of blueberries c. A half cup of cranberries d. A half cup of goji berries e. A handful of pecans f. A pomegranate g. A tablespoon of cocoa powder h. A teaspoon of cinnamon i. An apple j. An artichoke k. One black plum l. One pear 20. Best antioxidant bargain: a. Acai b. Apples c. Artichokes d. Cinnamon e. Cloves f. Cranberries g. Goji Berries h. Pecans i. Purple Cabbage 	Can you please post the answers?  Thank you!Have you gotten your 20 winners yet? Sorry, yes. We do pick one of our subscribers every week for a free DVD, though, so make sure to sign up (for free) at http://bit.ly/nutritionfactsupdatesWill the answers be posted?We are not posting the answers but rather encouraging people to watch each video to find the answers. New people visit the site daily so prefer to keep the questions posted without the answers listed. Happy Watching and Learning!Dr. Greger, please, where can I find the answers to these questions?In the videos…Am also wondering which apples are best, since the “best of” video did not include Honey Crisps.Just came across this post. Great job in teaching because I only missed two! And I only knew the answers because of your hard work! Keep it fun! Thanks!I’d love to see a “Best Oil” for cooking, etc.The best oil is NO OIL. 100% fat. Cook with water, veg broth, vinegar…. anything but oilthe best oil is cold-pressed sesame oil :)In case it isn’t clear, you can click the question (in green) and it will take you to the video that will explain the answer to the question.	algae,antioxidants,apple,apple juice,beans,breast cancer,cancer,chia,chlorella,chocolate,cocoa,coffee,cooking method,cranberries,edamame,flax,lemon,lentils,mushrooms,nuts,onions,orange juice,rice,soy,spirulina,sweetener,tea,tempeh,tofu,tomato juice,vegetables,water	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tofu-vs-tempeh-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/	-
PLAIN-313	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/	Supreme Court case: meat industry sues to keep downed animals in food supply 	This week I participated in a press briefing to discuss National Meat Association v. Harris, a case appearing before the Supreme Court next week. The meat industry is trying to overturn a California law meant to keep “downed” animals—those too sick and disabled to walk to slaughter—out of the American food supply. In 2008, an undercover investigation of a dairy cow slaughterplant in California showed that downers were being dragged to slaughter for hamburger meat distributed to the Federal School Lunch Program. The Humane Society of the United States investigators documented workers dragging downed cows with chains, ramming them with forklifts, shocking cows repeatedly in the face and eyes, beating them, and even shooting high-pressure hoses up their nostrils—anything to squeeze every last bit of profit from these animals. The investigation triggered the largest meat recall in U.S. history—143 million pounds of beef—for violations of food safety regulations meant to protect the public from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“mad cow disease”). The investigation prompted California to strengthen its laws to keep downer livestock out of the food supply.  The meat industry—represented by the National Meat Association and the American Meat Institute—responded by suing the State of California to block the enforcement of the law on the grounds that only USDA had the authority to determine which animals are turned into meat. The California Attorney General argued that states should have the right to protect their citizens from the risks and abuses inherent in slaughtering downed animals. In response to the meat industry lawsuit, a federal judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of the downer ban, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision and reinstated the law. So the National Meat Association took it to the Supreme Court. The handling of downers is not just an animal welfare issue. Inability to stand can be a symptom of disease that could threaten public health. Compared to those able to walk, downed cows were found to have 3 times the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7, the strain that kills dozens of Americans a year. The researchers concluded “downer dairy cattle harboring E. coli O157:H7 at slaughter may be an important source of contamination and may contribute to the health risk associated with ground beef.” A single downed cow infected with such a pathogen could theoretically contaminate more than 100,000 hamburgers with an infectious dose. Downer pigs and sheep may also present a food safety risk. Downed pigs have been found to have 16 times the odds of antibiotic resistant Campylobacter infection, the most common cause of bacterial food poisoning in the United States. Allowing downer pigs in the food supply, concluded one team of researchers, “potentially endangers public health.” Even if one doesn’t eat meat, more than half of downer pigs tested in the Midwest were found to be actively infected with swine flu, both the classic swine flu virus and the triple hybrid mutant that led to the 2009 human pandemic that killed more than ten thousand Americans. Other human pathogens linked to downed farm animals include anthrax, Salmonella, and mad cow disease.  At least two-thirds of the 22 mad cows so far discovered in North America have been downer cows. Though the riskiest tissues—the brains, eyes, and spinal cords—of most cattle are now excluded from most food items in the United States, there may be contamination of muscle meat via aerosolization of the spinal cord during carcass splitting. Significant amounts of central nervous system debris found accumulating in the splitting saws used to halve the carcasses may have the potential to then transfer contagion from one carcass to the next. Although, technically, processors are instructed to knife-trim “material grossly identifiable as brain material, spinal cord, or fluid from punctured eyes,” researchers have reported finding nervous tissue contaminating muscle in a commercial slaughter plant. Contamination of meat derived from cattle cheeks with brain tissue can also occur if the cheek meat is not removed before the skull is fragmented or split. Finally, captive bolt stunning, the predominant method used to render farm animals insensible before being bled to death, may blow a shower of embolic brain tissue into the animals’ bloodstream. Texas A&M University researchers found bodily brain fragments as large as 14 cm. The researchers concluded that mad cow pathogens could potentially be “found throughout the bodies of animals stunned for slaughter.” 	Please leave any questions you may have below and be sure to check out my recent post Foie gras ban in California: Human health implications.How about if we just put a stop to the torture and killing of all these poor, helpless and innocent creatures? You, better than anyone Dr Greger, has shown us that meat is not even meant for human consumption.A book that I found very interesting that’s related to this topic is “Dying For A Hamburger,” by city of Toronto coroner Murray Waldman, MD. It’s easy to read, and well worth a read.We were discussing the sorry state of pet food in this country, and how euthanized pets are rendered down and added to new batches of pet food. It made me wonder … if the downed animal is euthanized, what would happen to it? Would it be salvaged and used as food? For humans, livestock, or pets?I would imagine if the animal was not allowed to enter the human food chain that the industry would come up with some other use such as using it in pet food or back into the livestock.Pingback: Perfect Health Diet » Around the Web; Wise Traditions & CrossFit NYC Pre-Talk Edition()Just another reason to be vegan! This also shows the importance of vegan education – we have to reduce demand for these products of death.This is just so ridiculous to me. I’ve been following this case for a few weeks, and I am still so shocked by how far the national meat association is willing to go in order to make a minimal profit from ONE sick animal. It’s not like they need the extra money, it’s senseless and inhumane. Crossing my fingers that this is dismissed and/or not overturned.Unfortunately, the meat industry may win this round. They seem really intent on continuing to force downers into the American food supply. This is not just a food safety and public health issue. Here’s what the president of the Humane Society of the United States report from the Supreme Court.Guys, if you have a minute in your day, PLEASE go over and sign my petition regarding the use of downed animals in our meat supply. It is not likely that a decision will be made before 2012, so there is still time for change! Thank you for supporting, and please feel free to share. The more signitures, the better. http://www.change.org/petitions/help-stop-use-of-downed-meat-in-our-meat-supplyI signed it!Pingback: Meat Industry Fights To Keep ‘Downer’ Animals In The Food Supply()Pingback: Supreme Court Likely to Overturn California Animal Protection law | One Green Planet()Thank you for covering this case, Dr. Greger. What’s the latest?I can’t beleive how ignorant these people are. It must be true….EUGENICS….how could they falsly represent their meat as clean. WE NEED MANDATORY LABELING OF CLONED MEAT AND DOWNER ANIMALS.Pingback: McDonald’s drops U.S. egg supplier over ‘disturbing’ animal-cruelty video « Did You Know()Pingback: Supreme Court Rules Against Animals « Vegan News Now()Pingback: ‘Downed’ Animals In The Food Supply()Dr Greger: This may not be directly relevant to this video, but I can’t find a specific place in your videos to ask this. I recently read about food disparagement laws (in 13 states, including almost the whole sough from TX to FL) and cases, which I find extremely upsetting. Anyone who has visibility – I’m a professor – is a risk of lawsuit for saying something the cattlemen’s association or Monsanto dislikes. Have you ever encountered any trouble over these issues? Have any of these organizations ever raised an issue with you? Do you have advice for how to avoid this risk?	American Meat Institute,anthrax,campylobacter,cows,dairy,downed animals,downers,e. coli,Federal School Lunch Program,ground beef,hamburger,Humane Society of the United States,livestock,mad cow disease,meat,meat industry,National Meat Association,pigs,public health,salmonella,sheep,swine flu,USDA	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15453582,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15907569,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16442628,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14725425,
PLAIN-314	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/01/foie-gras-ban-in-california-human-health-implications/	Foie gras ban in California: human health implications 	Originally featured on One Green Planet. The New York Times recently ran a story on the upcoming foie gras ban in California. July 1, 2012, the Golden State will join over a dozen nations that have prohibited the production of foie gras, the enlarged liver of a duck or goose produced through force-feeding. Arguments against the production practice have focused on animal welfare concerns, but have largely ignored the human health implications. As I detail in my International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health paper, microscopic infectious protein fibers in foie gras may trigger and accelerate a variety of serious human diseases in susceptible individuals via a “mad cow disease”-like mechanism. Amyloidosis is a group of potentially fatal diseases in which accumulated misshapen proteins (amyloid) damage body tissues and disrupt organ function. In their paper “Amyloidogenic Potential of Foie Gras,” published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a collaboration of researchers found amyloid deposits in commercially available foie gras and discovered that they could orally induce amyloidosis in a laboratory setting. The principal investigator concluded: “Perhaps people with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or other amyloid-associated diseases should avoid consuming foie gras and other foods that may be contaminated.” What other meat may be contaminated? While ducks under stress deposit amyloid throughout their internal organs, chickens tend to localize amyloid deposits in their joints. The way laying hens are processed, however, means that amyloid deposits found in joints could still end up in certain chicken products. When laying hens are killed at the end of their productive lives, approximately half are slaughtered for human consumption. In the past, “spent” hens were mainly used for soup (Campbell’s™ and Stouffer’s™ were the major buyers), but to reduce the risk of skeletal splinters from the laying hens’ brittle bones, soup manufacturers now tend to use broiler chickens instead. Today’s spent hens are likely to be extruded into“mechanically separated meat,” a substance used in products such as Slim Jims and McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets. It is this homogenization of birds into products such as broths, meat pastes, and flavorings that may result in joint amyloid finding its way into the food supply. The chief investigator of the Proceedings paper is quoted as saying “It is not known if there is an increase of Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes or other amyloid-related disease in people who have eaten foie gras.” Indeed, though undercooked duck liver may harbor the brain parasites toxocara or toxoplasma, foie gras consumption and disease has never been studied on a population scale, nor have there been many studies on dietary risk factors for amyloidoses. A striking contrast has been noted, though, between the rates of amyloidosis triggered by leprosy in the United States compared to India. Whereas historically approximately half of autopsied U.S. leprosy victims have shown evidence of amyloidosis, one study of over a thousand leprosy patients in India found not a single case. The researchers conclude: “Consumption of a mainly vegetarian diet in our population and that of meat in Western population has been suggested to be the probable cause of the difference of amyloidosis observed in the two groups of people.” Based on the leprosy studies blaming animal product consumption, contemporary researchers have suggested “dietary modification [to avoid amyloid containing foods] may be of therapeutic potential in preventing [amyloidosis triggering] amyloid fibril formation.” 	Please leave any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and be sure not to miss my other blog posts on poultry.Hi Dr. Greger, my friend’s mother just recently got diagnosed with Primary amyloidosis. I love your website and went here for some information as soon as I found out about her mother, but I don’t see a lot of info about this particular disease. Any help or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you, Lynda	Alzheimer's,amyloid,amyloidosis,chicken,diabetes,duck,foie gras,goose,leprosy,liver,mad cow disease,New York Times,poultry,protein,rheumatoid arthritis,soup,toxocara,toxoplasma	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14283377,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10427631,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15276981,
PLAIN-315	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/24/wisconsin-milk-marketing-board-accused-of-making-illegally-deceptive-claims/	Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of making illegally deceptive claims 	A two-part investigation (1 & 2) released last week by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism revealed that the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board was making claims that may violate state laws prohibiting agricultural marketing boards from false advertising. The Milk Board spends nearly a million dollars a year marketing dairy to Wisconsin school children–for example telling parents “Muscles fueled with chocolate milk are muscles fueled with nutritious energy…” in a state in which more than a quarter of its kids are overweight or obese. In 2003, the dairy industry launched a multimillion dollar campaign to convince Americans that eating dairy products could help with weight loss. In response, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filed a 2005 petition with the Federal Trade Commission to stop the milk industry from making such false and misleading claims. As a result, national milk boards retracted the claims and ended the ad campaign in 2007. Four years later, though, the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board was still at it, making what experts have called “ridiculously misleading” claims that have been “totally discredited by research not funded by the National Dairy Council.” The only studies to suggest a link between dairy consumption and weight loss were evidently performed by a researcher who received millions of dollars from the National Dairy Council. Today’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Food Industry Funding Effect profiles an analysis of more than 200 studies to see just how biased industry-sponsored studies are. In their paper “Relationship Between Funding Source and Conclusion Among Nutrition-Related Scientific Articles,” researchers at Children’s Hospital in Boston and the Center for Science in the Public Interest found that studies sponsored by the soda and dairy industries may be even more influenced by funding source than drug studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry. 	Please leave any questions you may have below and be sure to check out my regular ‘Ask the Doctor’ feature! Find the most recent one here. Also, don’t forget to peruse my other blog posts that discuss dairy.Pingback: Vegan Workplace Intervention | Care2 Healthy Living()	children,dairy,milk,obesity,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,salt,sodium,weight loss,Wisconsin	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/	-
PLAIN-316	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/14/heart-disease-there-is-a-cure/	Heart disease: there is a cure	It was proven decades ago that heart disease could be reversed with a plant-based diet. And yet hundreds of thousands of Americans continue to needlessly die. Why the disconnect? That’s the subject of this morning’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day The Tomato Effect. On Tuesday, in Resuscitating Medicare, I celebrated the news that Medicare was finally reimbursing plant-based diet programs for heart disease reversal, and shared a personal story of how my grandmother’s miraculous recovery from terminal heart disease inspired my own career in lifestyle medicine. On Wednesday, in Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped, I featured Dr. Dean Ornish’s landmark 1990 study proving that heart disease can be reversed without drugs and surgery, and yesterday, China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death explained that there is nothing natural about getting heart disease or dying from it. If a plant-based diet can prevent, stop, and reverse heart disease, why are millions still condemned to die? In The Tomato Effect I feature Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s landmark Preventive Cardiology editorial, “Resolving the coronary artery disease epidemic through plant-based nutrition.” Dr. Esselstyn, whose book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease inspired President Clinton’s dietary shift, details the “several mutually reinforcing institutional and commercial interests [that] oppose this lifestyle intervention,” from the billions raked in by the drug companies and stent manufacturers, to agribusiness influence resulting in USDA dietary recommendations “laden with foods that predispose millions of Americans to perish from cardiovascular disease.” Financial interests and influence help explain institutional biases in government and among, say, cardiothoracic surgeons and interventional cardiologists, but why does the medical profession in general appear so resistant to embracing plant-based diets, the proven cure? The “Tomato Effect” describes a slavish devotion to orthodoxy within the medical establishment that has led to a long history of rejecting highly efficacious therapies because they happen to go against the prevailing conventional wisdom. Eventually, the truth wins out, but until then, how many more people have to die? Dr. Esselstyn concludes an editorial he published in the American Journal of Cardiology last year with these words: 	Please leave any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and be sure to check out all the videos on heart disease.Hi I am Curtis Ruben New York (USA). I am 57 years of age I got married before 27 years. 11 years my wife die and I was alone. I am running a software company so in my office there was a Divorcee woman approx 35 years old, after my wife death she came closer to me and slowly we started an affair she is very pretty and beautiful and I really love her as I used to love my wife she also loves me as her husband we were living together at my home from last six months everything was going on very good I was very happy but before two months she started ignoring me and she left my home and whenever I call her she gives me an excuse and finally before 25 days she said to me that she can’t do it further she does not love me I was shocked what happened my heart was broken and literally I cried too much on that day I was mad nothing was right I tried to convinced her a lot but everything was useless, I can’t describe my situation but by chance I got the help of dr.Trust, on internet as I have told you I am owner on a software company so I didn’t believe at starting but I did not have any option so I talked to Dr.Trust he gave me 48 Days time to complete my work and he said that she will come back herself.it happened as he claimed I am very grateful to Dr.Trust we are now happy as ever before,dr.trust make her know how much we are meet to be together. If you are there having any problems in your relationship…you have to hurry up and get it touch with Dr.Trust is there to help you(ultimatespellcast@yahoo.com or ultimatespellcast@gmail.com tel: +2348156885231) i am so happy to share these my testimony with you. ..Great work again Dr. Greger. Please continue to highlight the great work by the other pioneers of this movement including but not limited to Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. and Rip Esselstyn, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Neal Barnard and PCRM, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Jeff Novick, Dr. John McDougall, etc.Great list, Scott. I also like Dr. Michael Klaper, and (it goes without saying), Dr. Michael Greger. All these doctors provide a mountain of readily accessible, quality information for anyone seeking illumination. I find Dr. Greger’s site both elegant and entertaining, and the linked studies make this site a dream come true.my name is Lisa castellie from usa.DR.Trust is the only Dr who could ever get your HIV-AIDS cured with his healing spell, i have tried almost everything but i couldn’t find any solution on my disease, despite all these happening to me, i always spend alot to buy a HIV drugs from hospital and taking some several medications but no relieve, until one day i was just browsing on the internet when i come across a great post of !Michelle! who truly testify and said that she was been diagnose with HIV and was healed through the help of these great powerful healing spell doctor, sometime i really wonder why people called him Dr.Trust, i never knew it was all because of the great and perfect work that he has been doing that is causing all this. so i quickly contacted him, and he ask me some few questions and he said a thing i will never forget that anyone who contacted him is ! always getting his or her healing in just 2 days after doing all he ask you, so i was amazed all the time i heard that from him, so i did all things only to see that at the very day which he said i will be healed, all the strength that has left me before rush back and i becomes very strong and healthy, this disease almost kills my life all because of me, so i went to hospital to give the final test to the disease and the doctor said i am HIV negative, i am very amazed and happy about the healing DR.Trust gave to me from the ancient part Africa, you can email him now for your own healing too at: Ultimatespellcast@yahoo.com or Ultimatespellcast@gmail.com, or call him on his cell phone number on :+2348156885231,…..I have a question, my husband had a triple by pass in April of 2010, 4 months later had 2 stents put in. He was told he has ischemic heart disease. He is tired all the time, sleeps a lot, and thinks this is his lot in life and that he can never get better. He suffers from deep anxiety and depression this past year. I wish I could get him into a program to help him but just can’t afford it. Living with someone with depression and anxiety is so hard, he takes at least two Lortabs a day for his back problems. Sorry for rambling. Thank you, JudyJudy, get a copy of Dr. Esselstyn’s book. Check out his website heartattackproof.com and also the website of Dr. John McDougall mcdougall.comA lowfat plant-based diet can reverse heart disease. Many people with depression report huge improvements from eating a plant-based diet.Also, there is a free video on youtube that maybe your husband can watch with you. (The title is “Make Yourself Heart Attack Proof” in case my link doesn’t post properly, go to youtube.com and search for that title.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYTf0z_zVs0Dr. McDougall’s website is actually http://www.drmcdougall.com/Beautifully written summary of the whole issue. The link to Dr. Esselstyn’s editorial takes you to PubMed (I’m not sure how to access the article there). This link gives you the complete(I believe) enchilada: http://www.heartattackproof.com/Esselstyn_Caldwell_Article.pdfMike–you’re a genius! Thank you so much. I’m always trying to find full-text links. I’m changing the link right now…No problem, Dr. Greger—glad to help in a little way.Judy54 get him to watch “forks over knives” DVD for health info. If that is not enough get him to watch “Earthlings” (available free online). He will never want to touch animal products again! If you are the shopper and cook in your house just start making healthy vegan versions of your favourite meals – see http://www.fatfreevegan.com.Why does Dr. Oz still push fish, chicken and “moderate” red meat consumption? It is because of the sponsors to his show or does he really not believe the China Study?This also baffles me, as Dr. Oz has actually had the china study on his show before and advocated a plant based diet. http://www.doctoroz.com/book/china-studyPerhaps its the old tomato effect? http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/the-tomato-effect/Dr. Oz is not consistent about his messages. It is too bad because he has a overwhelming following with his TV show. He could reach so many people with the message about plant-based nutrition and it’s miraculous effects on our health.Pingback: Treating COPD With Diet | Nutrition Facts | Michael Greger, M.D. | nursetalksite.com()Dr G…..I had a recent ultrasound that confirmed I have atherosclerosis. I’ve since gone vegan. It has also been suggested i take 2,000 mg of niacin daily to help reduce the existing arterial plaque. Have you any resources that support or poo poo the recommendation? Is niacin safe, helpful,dangerous, harmful? Thank you forCould you comment on Linus Paulings research on Vitamin C and heart disease?“Why the disconnect? ”One reason is that medical education continues to teach that there is not cure to heart disease. My Pathophysiology just stated, unequivocally that there was no cure, that it was a continuously progressive disease that can only be managed. He stated this confidently to a room full of students who have no idea that this is false. A change needs to be made in the education spectrum!Nebulandancer: Wow. That’s a powerful comment. It so well demonstrates (first hand!) that even 3 years after Dr. Greger’s post, the Tomato Effect is still alive and well. Thanks for sharing your story.Hey guys,am from USA I’m writing this testimony in regards of DrAKIM he is a great man who help me from my illness I was very sick in 4year but I know the doctor try to cure the sick but it still come back every 2month and I always spend a lot of money in drug and treatment thanks to my doctor who help me out am sound and okay for good 2year, known sense of the sickness again…… am very happy doctor………………….well if you have any sickness like HIV/AID, Ebola, Rotavirus, Smallpox ,Hepatitis B contact him now (UNIQUELOVESPELLCENTER@YAHOO.COM) (UNIQUELOVESPELLCENTER@YAHOO.COM)My name is Bela Smith, from United States. I wish to share my testimony with the general public about A great spell caster called (Dr John) have done for me, this temple have just brought back my lost ex lover to me with their great spell work, I was dating this man called Steven we were together for a long time and we loved our self’s but when I was unable to give him a male child for 5 years he left me and told me he can’t continue anymore then I was now looking for ways to get him back and also get pregnant, until a friend of mine told me about this temple and gave me their contact email, then you won’t believe this when I contacted them on my problems they prepared the items and cast the spell for me and bring my lost husband back, and after a month I missed my monthly flow and go for a test and the result stated that i was pregnant, am happy today am a mother of a set of twins a boy and a girl, i thank the temple once again for what they have done for me, if you are out there passing through any of this problems you can contact this great Dr for help listed below:Contact them… prophetbaz34@yahoo.com(1) If you want your ex back (2) if you always have bad dreams. (3) You want to be promoted in your office. (4) You want women/men to run after you. (5) If you want a child. (6) You want to be rich. (7) You want to tie your husband/wife to be yours forever. (8) If you need financial assistance. (9) Herbal care (10) If you can’t be able to satisfy your wife sex desire due or low err action. (11) if your menstruation refuse to come out the day it suppose or over flows. (12) if your work refuse to pay you, people owing you?. (13) solve a land issue and get it back. (14) Did your family Denny you of your right? (15) Let people obey my words and do my wish (16) Do you have a low sperm count? (17) Case solve (18)Do you need help to win a lottery? E.T.CContact them on their email onprophetbaz34@yahoo.comAnd get all your problems solvedThank you.I want to use this opportunity to testify of how i got cured from HIV AIDS. I contacted HIV from my husband, still yet my husband died 3 years ago from this disease, my life was gradually coming to an end living with this deadly disease daily, i did all i could to get cured from this disease but all to no avail, until i saw a post on health forum about a spell caster who cure all kind of diseases including HIV AIDS, when i contact this healing spell doctor he helped me cast a healing spell and i got cured within 72hours (3days), I am back on my feet again. Contact this spell caster for any kind of disease via this email (Healingtemple2@gmail.com) or call his hot line +2348106058254I want to use this opportunity to testify of how i got cured from HIV AIDS. I contacted HIV from my husband, still yet my husband died 3 years ago from this disease, my life was gradually coming to an end living with this deadly disease daily, i did all i could to get cured from this disease but all to no avail, until i saw a post on health forum about a spell caster who cure all kind of diseases including HIV AIDS, when i contact this healing spell doctor he helped me cast a healing spell and i got cured within 72hours (3days), I am back on my feet again. Contact this spell caster for any kind of disease via this email (Healingtemple2@gmail.com) or call his hot line +2348106058254….Hello……… my name is Mrs lawrenta pedro,i am from Manchester united,i am happily married and blessed with kids,i am a business woman and my husband is business man too we both operating provision store, on October 1st 2010 me and my husband embank on a trip to South Africa,on our way back,we had a terrible accident,that took my husband’s life,while i was rushed to the hospital,by god grace,i was still living,after a year and seven month,when my husband were passed away,a man came to my house,and ask me to get married to him, unknown, that he was HIV positive and i never bordered to conduct a check up test with him,before,i accepted him into my life,why,because,he was so cute,gentle and handsome young man,he was so caring.i never look at him,like one that would be hiv positive.after two year of our marriage,my body system began to weak up,all day i feel dizzy and lazy,and i began to lose weight as well, so i went for a check up test ,for [fever,hiv/aid,malaria],the result, show me that, i am HIV positive.so i was afraid,that,i would die,so, i were running from hospitals,churches and native doctors,searching for cure, because i didn’t want to die.one day i went to a pastor’s house,i told him my problem;as i was telling the pastor my problem, there was one man which was with us,which i never look at his face,the pastor prayed for me,on my way out , this same man,who was siting with us,called me,i was like asking myself why this man was calling me, so i just manage to wait to hear out what he will say,he told me that,he will like to introduce me to this spell caster man, his name is HIOYA,SO i JUST SAID thanks and leaved,i never wanted to go and see this man called HIOYA,but a mind,ask me to go for a try,so i went there,i meant him and i explain everything to him,he cast a spell on me and he told me,after two weeks,i should go for a hiv check up test again,after two weeks,i went for the hiv test,which the result shows me that i am now HIV NEGATIVE,whaoooooooo. i was like mad at the hospital,very happy…..if you have any problem you are facing now…..HE IS SPECIALIZING IN THE FOLLOWING SPELL. love spell marriage spell divorce spell (1) If you want your ex back. (2) If you always have bad dreams. (3) If you want to be promoted in your office. (4) If you want women/men to run after you. (5) If you want a child. (6) If you want to be rich. (7) If you want to tie your husband/wife to be yours forever. (8) If you need financial assistance. (9) How you been scammed and you want to recover you lost money. (10) If you want to stop your divorce. (11) If you want to divorce your husband. (12) If you want your wishes to be granted. (13) Pregnancy spells to conceive baby (14) Guarantee you win the troubling court cases & divorce no matter how what stage (15) Stop your marriage or relationship from breaking apart. (16) If you have any sickness like (H I V), (CANCER) or any sickness. (17) If you need prayers for deliverance for your child or yourself. (18)are having legs or joint pain,that is making you not to walk well Once again make sure you contact him if you have any problem he will help you. contact him immediately via[ greathioyatemple@gmail.com]OR CONTACT +2348063140585ALL THE VIEWERS AND READERS PLEASE FIND IT IN YOUR HEART TO FORGIVE ME,I KNOW I HAD DONE SO MANY WRONG THINGS AT PAST TIMES,I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START WITH MY TESTIMONY.. I AM VANESSA, i got married to a man [JEROME],who had a wife [JOSEPHINE] already,then i was made the second wife,and this JOSEPHINE has a daughter for my husband,called CHRISTABEL,JOSEPHINE was suffering from leg pain,that later took her life. so Christabel was left to live with me,and my two kids,PATIENCE AND GLORY,Christabel was the eldest of them, so i was misusing CHRISTABEL,SHE is the only one doing all the house work,anytime she dose some thing wrong,i wouldn’t give her food to eat all through the day,and beat her up with anything close to me,but she never worry,or insult me.or report to my husband.because i told her if she did i will kill her,i did this to some extent that,one day,she was on her menstruation period, she was afraid to tell me, she was not having enough cloth,so the only cloth she had she put it into her pant,so that, the cloth would soak the bleeding,and the cloth,i was the one that brought it for her,that the only cloth i ever brought for her,then the following morning i saw her cloth on the ground,with blood stain,i called her,and ask her what is this, she told me every thing, but i beat her up, and force the blood in the cloth into her mouth,i over heard her,as she was crying,cursing me,but never bother to listen to the word she was using,but now my two daughters and my son are yet to give birth,PATIENCE,GLORY AND EXCEL,AT their age[37,34 and 31]but they are married no children,i had gone to many places to know the cause of the problem,and CHRISTABEL WAS LIVING HAPPILY with her husband and four kids, three boys and a girl.i don’t know how my children,came to know about this HIOYA TEMPLE,when they got there, they told them i was the curse of their, problem,so one morning they all came home,and ask me what have i done to disturb their lives,the question sound,funny.i told them i had done nothing to hold their lives back,they cried me,down to this Hioya temple,i saw the man.he ask me what,did i do to some one,over 19 year ago,i forgot everything.i said nothing,HE EXPLAIN WHAT I DID TO ME,and this CHRISTABEL was helping my children with their needs and always come and pay me a visit and she always called me mummy,so this MAN HIOYA told me to go and apologize to her,once she accept the apology,then he will cast a pregnancy spell on my children,we all went to CHRISTABEL’S house and apologize,she forgives me,so they went back to the spell caster, for the pregnancy spell,TODAY PATIENCE CALL ME AND TOLD ME SHE IS PREGNANT,but I haven’t heard anything from the others,maybe they are still angry.with me that’s why they haven’t called me,..THANKS TO DOCTOR HIOYA FOR EVERY THING, IF YOU ARE FACINGS ANY PROBLEM,VISIT THIS GREAT HIOYA VIA [GREATHIOYATEMPLE@GMAIL.COM]]my name is Lisa castellie from usa.DR.Trust is the only Dr who could ever get your HIV-AIDS cured with his healing spell, i have tried almost everything but i couldn’t find any solution on my disease, despite all these happening to me, i always spend alot to buy a HIV drugs from hospital and taking some several medications but no relieve, until one day i was just browsing on the internet when i come across a great post of !Michelle! who truly testify and said that she was been diagnose with HIV and was healed through the help of these great powerful healing spell doctor, sometime i really wonder why people called him Dr.Trust, i never knew it was all because of the great and perfect work that he has been doing that is causing all this. so i quickly contacted him, and he ask me some few questions and he said a thing i will never forget that anyone who contacted him is ! always getting his or her healing in just 2 days after doing all he ask you, so i was amazed all the time i heard that from him, so i did all things only to see that at the very day which he said i will be healed, all the strength that has left me before rush back and i becomes very strong and healthy, this disease almost kills my life all because of me, so i went to hospital to give the final test to the disease and the doctor said i am HIV negative, i am very amazed and happy about the healing DR.Trust gave to me from the ancient part Africa, you can email him now for your own healing too at: Ultimatespellcast@yahoo.com or Ultimatespellcast@gmail.com, or call him on his cell phone number on :+2348156885231my name is Lisa castellie from usa.DR.Trust is the only Dr who could ever get your HIV-AIDS cured with his healing spell, i have tried almost everything but i couldn’t find any solution on my disease, despite all these happening to me, i always spend alot to buy a HIV drugs from hospital and taking some several medications but no relieve, until one day i was just browsing on the internet when i come across a great post of !Michelle! who truly testify and said that she was been diagnose with HIV and was healed through the help of these great powerful healing spell doctor, sometime i really wonder why people called him Dr.Trust, i never knew it was all because of the great and perfect work that he has been doing that is causing all this. so i quickly contacted him, and he ask me some few questions and he said a thing i will never forget that anyone who contacted him is ! always getting his or her healing in just 2 days after doing all he ask you, so i was amazed all the time i heard that from him, so i did all things only to see that at the very day which he said i will be healed, all the strength that has left me before rush back and i becomes very strong and healthy, this disease almost kills my life all because of me, so i went to hospital to give the final test to the disease and the doctor said i am HIV negative, i am very amazed and happy about the healing DR.Trust gave to me from the ancient part Africa, you can email him now for your own healing too at: Ultimatespellcast@yahoo.com or Ultimatespellcast@gmail.com, or call him on his cell phone number on :+2348156885231,…just want to share my experience and testimony here..my name is Louis from UK i was married for 6 years to my husband and all of a sudden,another woman came into the picture.. he started hailing me and he was abusive..but i still loved him with all my heart and wanted him at all cost?then he filed for divorce..my whole life was turning apart and i didn’t know what to do..he moved out of the house and abandoned the kids.. so someone told me about trying spiritual means to get my husband back and introduced me to a spell caster?so i decided to try it reluctantly..although i didn’t believe in all those things? then when he did the special prayers and spell, after two days, my husband came back and was pleading..he had realized his mistakes..i just couldn’t believe it.. any ways we are back together now and we are happy..in case anyone needs this man, his email address dr extremlovespell5@yahoo.com, or coll +2347061583960 his spells is for a better life.WELCOME TO THE GREAT TEMPLE OF ILLUMINATI:are you a business man, politician, musical. Student and you want to be rich and famous in life. You can achieve your dreams come’s through by been a member of Illuminati. With these all dreams and heart desire can be fully accomplish. If you really want to be a member of Illuminati then you can contact Mr mike Steven on these email Address illuminatiurgentmoney@gmail.comHELLO i have read testimonies about this great man called Dr. Sambo how he helped people to get pregnant and also help people to cure HIV with his herbal medicine, so i decided to give him a try, i am here today to give my own testimony on how this great man helped me to cure my HIV disease and also helped my sister to get pregnant, i just told him and he said he was going to work on it miraculously and in a short period of time i was lifted from these terrible disease. And it took my sister just a week to get pregnant after he was done. Contact this great man and He will help you no matter the the problem you are facing. Email him at sambolaherbalcurecentre@gmail.comMy name is Brown Mark and am from USA,let me share this testimony to the world to hear about him too this man really exit I was HIV positive over 6year I have being in medication and I try to look for cure to my problem and I go through internet doctor and I found a tradition named DR. CAFAI i contacted cafaispiritualtemple@yahoo.com for help he give me all his laws and rule that if I get cured I should write about him and that is what am doing now, this man ask for some information about me, which I give him this man cure me from HIV what a great man thank for your help when he get the information he told me that he is about to work on it 20 to 30 minute this man email me and told me what to do for the curing which I did after all the things needed for the cure is provide the man call me in 45mins later and tell me to go for test what a great day to me I was negative thanks Dr CAFAi you can through his email address,cafaispiritualtemple@yahoo.com or his phone number +234 7067607073How can I explain this to the world that there is a man who can cure HIV/aids I was HIV over since 5year I have being into HIV drug I can’t anymore I decide to look for help then I found this woman post write about this great man DR. molleye telling people about how this man have cured he HIV I don’t believe that, because all I have in mind is HIV had no cure, thank god for my life today am HIV negative through the power of DR. molleye I contacted this man for help because who write about him drop an email of the man I pick the email and emailed him for the cure this man told me what to do about the cure well, am from Australia this man cast a curing spell on me and he told me that he will call me after the cure is done truly he did I was cured for 45mins spell what a wonderful man this DR. molleye if you need his cured just Email him now (drmolleyespelltemple@gmail.com) thank you once again the great DR. molleye for what you have done for me,How can I explain this to the world that there is a man who can cure HIV/aids I was HIV over since 5year I have being into HIV drug I can’t anymore I decide to look for help then I found this woman post write about this great man DR. molleye telling people about how this man have cured he HIV I don’t believe that, because all I have in mind is HIV had no cure, thank god for my life today am HIV negative through the power of DR. molleye I contacted this man for help because who write about him drop an email of the man I pick the email and emailed him for the cure this man told me what to do about the cure well, am from Australia this man cast a curing spell on me and he told me that he will call me after the cure is done truly he did I was cured for 45mins spell what a wonderful man this DR. molleye if you need his cured just Email him now (drmolleyespelltemple@gmail.com) thank you once again the great DR. molleye for what you have done for me, if you are out there, since passing through any of this problems listed below:1) If you want your ex back. (2) if you always have bad dreams. (3) You want to be promoted in your office. (4) You want women/men to run after you. (5) If you want a child. (6) You want to be rich. (7) You want to tie your husband/wife to be yours forever. (8) If you need financial assistance. (9) Herbal care (10) if you want to cure your HIV contact how now with this Email address (drmolleyespelltemple@gmail.com)I am out here to testify about the good work Dr peter has done in my life with his healing spell. I have be suffering from HIV diseases for the past 2yeares now before I came across Dr peter who healed me with his powerful healing spell. I never believe that Dr peter could ever get my HIV-AIDS cured with his healing spell, i have tried almost everything but i couldn’t find any solution to my disease, despite all these happening to me, i always spend a lot to buy a HIV drugs from hospital and taking some several medications but no relieve, until one day i was just browsing on the internet when i come across a great post of a lady who was tstifying about how she get cured of her HIV disease with the help of these great powerful healing spell caster called Dr peter. So i have to contact him, and he ask me some few questions and he said a thing i will never forget that anyone who contacted him is always getting his or her healing in just 3 days after doing all he ask from me, so i was happy all the time i heard that from him, so i did all things only to see that at the very day which he said i will be healed,I regain all the strength that has left me before back and i becomes very strong and healthy,this disease almost end my life, so i went to the hospital to give the final test to the disease and the doctor said i am HIV negative, i am very happy and grateful to Dr peter about the healing he have given to me with his healing spell. You can also email him for any kind of help via email ayokospellcaster@gmail.com . or call his mobile number +2347055620537 . thank you once again Dr peter . ,,,,,,I am out here to testify about the good work Dr peter has done in my life with his healing spell. I have be suffering from HIV diseases for the past 2yeares now before I came across Dr peter who healed me with his powerful healing spell. I never believe that Dr peter could ever get my HIV-AIDS cured with his healing spell, i have tried almost everything but i couldn’t find any solution to my disease, despite all these happening to me, i always spend a lot to buy a HIV drugs from hospital and taking some several medications but no relieve, until one day i was just browsing on the internet when i come across a great post of a lady who was tstifying about how she get cured of her HIV disease with the help of these great powerful healing spell caster called Dr peter. So i have to contact him, and he ask me some few questions and he said a thing i will never forget that anyone who contacted him is always getting his or her healing in just 3 days after doing all he ask from me, so i was happy all the time i heard that from him, so i did all things only to see that at the very day which he said i will be healed,I regain all the strength that has left me before back and i becomes very strong and healthy,this disease almost end my life, so i went to the hospital to give the final test to the disease and the doctor said i am HIV negative, i am very happy and grateful to Dr peter about the healing he have given to me with his healing spell. You can also email him for any kind of help via email ayokospellcaster@gmail.com . or call his mobile number +2347055620537 . thank you once again Dr peter .Join me celebrate for these great and perfect day which my lord god has done for using these great and powerful healing doctor called prophet okosun to heal my sickness HIV/AIDS which has been chocking me up for over 6years now without solutions, i have seek for solutions online, and through hospital, they keep on giving me orientations about drugs that can expand my years.now since prophet ridicule has helped me to erased my disease out of my life, i we owe you greatly for healing me truly and to again, contact prophet dr.okosun for hiv cure today at: dr.okosun1spelltemple@gmail.com:Email Him Now: Or Call Him Now +2348151840926I am Ella James From USA You must be very careful here,I have lost over $11,000 dollars to different people hoping my hiv illness will be gone,I try and try but they all fail me,I got affected with this sickness 2 years ago when I went to Uganda and since then life has mean nothing to me I have taken thousands of drugs but my situation still remain positive,Until I saw on a site how Dr Ohehe Help cure HIV for one south Africa lady so I decide to give the last try.When I contact this man Dr Ohehe he told me all i will do is pay $620 so he can arrange me a native cream and liquid substance which for 3 days,But at first I was scared because of my past experience.Then the next day I have a feelings that I should give her a try and I actually send her the money and I got the package and did as she said then the 4th day i went to check my status and the doctor said I am negative I was short of joy and could not believe it..i did the same text again and still negative Now I am free from HIV please if you are out there looking for real HIV cure then Dr Ohehe is the one because many here are nothing but scam her email contact is…..(ohehenemenspelltemple001@gmail.com)…Ella JamesAm really happy for what Dr Ariba has done for me and my Husband i was married for 5 years with no issue no sigh of a baby until one day i was on the Internet and i saw what Dr Ariba has done for someone. He cured her of HIV and also help her take in so i was so happy to read about such man on the Internet so i took his email and then contacted him luckily for me he did mine too he helped me get pregnant and now a a proud mother so my advice is if you are out there looking for a baby just contact Him on draribaspelltemple@gmail.com or dr.aribaspelltemple@outlook.com and he will help you just the way he did mine okay.Am really happy for what Dr Ariba has done for me and my Husband i was married for 5 years with no issue no sigh of a baby until one day i was on the Internet and i saw what Dr Ariba has done for someone. He cured her of HIV and also help her take in so i was so happy to read about such man on the Internet so i took his email and then contacted him luckily for me he did mine too he helped me get pregnant and now a a proud mother so my advice is if you are out there looking for a baby just contact Him on draribaspelltemple@gmail.com or dr.aribaspelltemple@outlook.com and he will help you just the way he did mine okay……..The best way to be a real member of illuminati.Do you want to be a member of Illuminati as a brotherhood that can make you rich for ever it can also make your name famous and power control people in high places in the worldwide contact us now join Illuminati now are you a man or woman business man or business woman or an artist,Politicians and you want to become big, Powerful and famous in the world, join us to become one of our official member today in the great illuminati.you shall be given an ideal chance to visit the illuminati and his representative after registrations is completed by you, no sacrifice or human life needed, Illuminati brotherhood brings along wealth and famous in life, you have a full access to eradicate poverty away from your life now. it only a member who is been initiated into the church of illuminati have the authority to bring any member to the church, so before you contact any body you must be link by who is already a member, Join us today and realize your dreams. we also help out our member in protection of drugs pushing email: churchofdevililluminati@gmail.com or you contact our phone number +2347056024545,you will be rich and famous for the rest of your life and your family and any body close to you, illuminati make there member happy so i will want you all to also be a new member of the illuminati if you are interested, urgently reply us back now, we are ready to make you a member of the illuminati.The best way to be a real member of illuminati.Do you want to be a member of Illuminati as a brotherhood that can make you rich for ever it can also make your name famous and power control people in high places in the worldwide contact us now join Illuminati now are you a man or woman business man or business woman or an artist,Politicians and you want to become big, Powerful and famous in the world, join us to become one of our official member today in the great illuminati.you shall be given an ideal chance to visit the illuminati and his representative after registrations is completed by you, no sacrifice or human life needed, Illuminati brotherhood brings along wealth and famous in life, you have a full access to eradicate poverty away from your life now. it only a member who is been initiated into the church of illuminati have the authority to bring any member to the church, so before you contact any body you must be link by who is already a member, Join us today and realize your dreams. we also help out our member in protection of drugs pushing email: churchofdevililluminati@gmail.com or you contact our phone number +2347056024545,you will be rich and famous for the rest of your life and your family and any body close to you, illuminati make there member happy so i will want you all to also be a new member of the illuminati if you are interested, urgently reply us back now, we are ready to make you a member of the illuminati..The best way to be a real member of illuminati.Do you want to be a member of Illuminati as a brotherhood that can make you rich for ever it can also make your name famous and power control people in high places in the worldwide contact us now join Illuminati now are you a man or woman business man or business woman or an artist,Politicians and you want to become big, Powerful and famous in the world, join us to become one of our official member today in the great illuminati.you shall be given an ideal chance to visit the illuminati and his representative after registrations is completed by you, no sacrifice or human life needed, Illuminati brotherhood brings along wealth and famous in life, you have a full access to eradicate poverty away from your life now. it only a member who is been initiated into the church of illuminati have the authority to bring any member to the church, so before you contact any body you must be link by who is already a member, Join us today and realize your dreams. we also help out our member in protection of drugs pushing email: churchofdevililluminati@gmail.com or you contact our phone number +2347056024545,you will be rich and famous for the rest of your life and your family and any body close to you, illuminati make there member happy so i will want you all to also be a new member of the illuminati if you are interested, urgently reply us back now, we are ready to make you a member of the illuminati…I am from USA.I have been HIV positive for 3 years now,and i have wait long for the day to be free of this disease. I would love to be part of any trial that helped find the cure, i have an undetectable viral load and CD4 count of around 1100.I have tried almost everything but I couldn’t find any solution on my disease, despite all these happening to me, i always spend a lot to buy a HIV drugs from hospital and taking some several medications but no relieve, until one day i was just browsing on the internet when i came across a great post of !sarah! who truly said that she was been diagnose with HIV and was healed that very week through the help of this great powerful healing herbal doctor ,I wonder why he is called the great Dr, OOSA, i never knew it was all because of the great and perfect work that he has been doing that is causing all this. so I quickly contacted him, and he ask me some few questions and so i did all the things he asked me to do,He ask me to buy some herbs materials,and which I did for my cure.after some days he call me that he has prepare the medication that i should send him my address.after sending him my address he send the medication to me via DHL .and i start using the medicine.three day i discover that i start regaining my strength. and few week after i went for Hiv test i found out that i am now Hiv negative.this disease almost kills me,i am very amazed and happy about the healing that doctor OOSA gave to me, since i am cure from this virus and i know that million of people are living with Hiv /Aids,and i want to use this opportunity to tell them that there is a great herbalist who can cure them and set them free from this deadly disease called HIV/AIDS.you can email him now for your own healing too via this email… Doctoroosaherbalhome@gmail.comI am Nathalie Beniot from Germany, I can’t stop thanking DR AGBADI for this Great thing that he has just done in my life, I am so so greatful to him, i was suffering from HIV seizures and kidney failure when i contacted DR AGBADI after reading the wonderful testimony that people has been sharing about him, when i contacted him, he assure me that he will cure me with his herbal medicine and now he really did so, and i am now completely cured from my HIV seizures and kidney failure. What will i say rather than thanking him for rescue my life, Anybody looking this wonderful testimony, should please contact DR AGBADI if you have any problem, here is his email: dragbadilaguspelltemple@gmail.com . His herbal medicine is fast in active and powerful once i used it, in three days, i was cured again.DR AGBADI is the only Dr who could ever get my HIV-AIDS cured with his healing spell, i have tried almost everything but i couldn’t find any solution on my disease, despite all these happening to me, i always spend alot to buy a HIV drugs from hospital and taking some several medications but no relieve, until one day i was just browsing on the internet when i come across a great post of !Michelle! who truly said that she was been diagnose with HIV and was healed that very week through the help of these great powerful healing spell doctor, sometime i really wonder why people called him Dr AGBADI, i never knew it was all because of the great and perfect work that he has been doing that is causing all this. so i quickly contacted him, and he ask me some few questions and he said a thing i will never forget that anyone who contacted him is ! always getting his or her healing in just 6 hours after doing all he ask you, so i was amazed all the time i heard that from him, so i did all things only to see that at the very day which he said i will be healed, all the strength that has left me before rush back and i becomes very strong and healthy, this disease almost kills my life all because of me, so i will to hospital to give the final test to the disease and the doctor said i am HIV negative, i am very amazed and happy about the healing DR AGBADI gave to me from the ancient part of Africa, you can email him now for your own healing too at: Dragbadilaguspelltemple@gmail.comI Am Mrs vera, i live in Texas (USA). [READ MY STORY. ON HOW I GOT MY AIDS CURED]. Truthfully, i was tested HIV + positive last 3years. I keep on managing the drugs i usually purchase from the health care agency to keep me healthy and strenghtful, i tried all i can too make this disease leave me alone, but unfortunately, it keep on eating up my life, this is what i caused myself, for allowing my fiance make sex to me unsecurely without protection, although i never knew he is HIV positive. So last few 4days i came in contact with a lively article on the internet on how this Powerful Herbal Healer get her well and healed. So as a patient i knew this will took my life 1 day, and i need to live with other friends and relatives too. So i copied out the Dr agbadil the traditional healer’s email id: dragbadilaguspelltemple@gmail.com, and I mailed him immediately, in a little while he mail me back that i was welcome to his temple home wereby all what i seek for are granted. I was please at that time. And i continue with him, he took some few details from me and told me that he shall get back to me as soon as he is through with my work. I was very happy as heard that from him. So Yesterday, as i was just coming from my friends house, Dr agbadi called me to go for checkup in the hospital and see his marvelous work that it is now HIV negative, i was very glad to hear that from him, so i quickly rush down to the nearest hospital to found out, only to hear from my hospital doctor called Browning Lewis that i am now HIV NEGATIVE. I jump up at him with the test note, he ask me how does it happen and i recide to him all i went through with Dr agbadil. I am now glad, so i am a gentle type of person that need to share this testimonies to everyone who seek for healings, because once you get calm and quiet, so the disease get to finish your life off. So i will advice you contact him today for your healing at the above details: Email ID: dragbadilaguspelltemple@gmail.com CONTACT HIM NOW TO SAVE YOUR LIFE:dragbadilaguspelltemple@gmail.com AS HE IS SO POWERFUL AND HELPFUL TO ALL THAT HAVE THIS SICKNESS… or visit his website at http://dr-agbadi-home-of-solution.webs.com/hello everyone, i don’t just know the reason why some people is finding it difficult to believe that there is a cure for HIV, i have been HIV+ since last three years with my girlfriend but today i am happy that i am HIV_ with herbal medicine of Dr AGBADI the great healer,i was browsing the internet searching for help when i came across a testimony shared by someone on how Dr AGBADI cure his HIV i was so much in need of getting his treatment but after all Dr AGBADI brought a smile to my face with his herbal medicine. i am so much happy today that we have someone like this great healer out there, so my people out there kindly contact this great heal;er on his email address: Dragbadilaguspelltemple@gmail.com please sir keep your good work cause there are people out there who is in need of your healing medicine.once more contact him now: Dragbadilaguspelltemple@gmail.comHello let me share this testimony to the world to hear about him too this man really exit I was hiv positive over 9year I have being in medication and I try to look for cure to my problem and I go through internet doctor and I found a tradition doctor named DR.AGBADI I contacted him for help he give me all his laws and rule that if I get cured I should write about him and that is what am doing now, this man ask for some information about me, which I give him this man cure me from HIV what a great man thank for your help when he get the information he told me that he is about to work on it 20 to 30 minute this man email me and told me what to do for the curing which I did after all the things needed for the cure is provide the man call me in 45mins later and tell me to go for test what a great day to me I was negative thanks dr.AGBADI you can contact him now at Dragbadilaguspelltemple@gmail.comMy name is Smith Brandy from United State, I have been suffering from (CORONARY ARTERY) heart disease for the last two years and had constant pain, especially in my heart. During the first year,I had faith in God that i would be healed someday.This disease started reducing my physical abilities and strength, I have been taking treatment from my doctor. Few weeks ago I was searching onthe internet if I could get any information concerning the prevention or the cure for this disease, on my search I saw a testimony of someone who has been healed from CORONARY ARTERYDISEASE by this Man Dr Agbaka and she also gave the email address of this man and advise we should contact him for any sickness that he would be of help, so I wrote to Dr Agbaka telling himabout my (CORONARY DISEASE) he told me not to worry that I was going to be cured!! hmm I never believed him, well after all the procedures and remedy given to me by this man few weeks laterI started experiencing changes all over my boby and regained my strength as the Dr assured me that I been have cured, after some time I went to my doctor to confirmed if I have be finally healedbehold it was TRUE, So friends my advise is if you have such sickness or any other at all you can email Dr Agbaka on : agbakaherbalhome@gmail.com.You can also contact him on his cell phone:+2349038002051. Sir I am indeed grateful for the help, I will forever recommend you to my friends!!!	Bill Clinton,China Study,Dr. Esselstyn,Dr. Ornish,heart disease,Medicare,plant-based diet,Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease,Tomato Effect,USDA	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	-
PLAIN-317	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/	Inflammation, Diet, and "Vitamin S"	Last month an update was published on the intriguing suggestion that low levels of salicylic acid—the active component in aspirin—naturally found in plant foods may in part explain the health benefits of a plant-based diet. Some scientists go as far as to suggest those who don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables may be suffering from “salicylic acid deficiency,” a condition with “important public health implications.” Others even propose reclassifying it as an essential micronutrient, “Vitamin S.” Many chronic disease processes involve inflammation, including our top three killers—heart disease, cancer, and stroke—so doctors prescribe a daily aspirin to those for whom the benefits are thought to outweigh the risks. About 1 in 10 people on chronic low-dose aspirin develop stomach or intestinal ulcers, which in rare cases can perforate the gut and cause life-threatening bleeding. My video Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods suggests that the low levels of salicylic acid in fruits (particularly nectarines), vegetables (particularly asparagus), and herbs and spices (especially mint, cumin, thyme, and paprika) may provide the best of both worlds. The way aspirin and salicylic acid work is by helping our body keep inflammation in check by reducing the assembly of the enzyme responsible for producing inflammatory compounds from something called arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid that both we and other animals make. In my video-of-the-day yesterday, Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation, I explain that arachidonic acid is like cholesterol, in that our bodies make all we need for optimal function. The problem is that so do the bodies of birds and mammals, and so when we consume those other animals the level of arachidonic acid in our blood may climb too high. For example, inflammation in our brain caused by dietary arachidonic acid may explain why those eating plant-based diets appear less stressed and depressed (see my video Plant-Based Diet & Mood) and why eliminating chicken, fish, and eggs may improve symptoms of mood disturbance, depression, and anxiety within two weeks (see Thursday’s Improving Mood Through Diet). Arachidonic acid may also play a role in cancer, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune disorders (see Friday’s Inflammatory Remarks about Arachidonic Acid). This morning’s video-of-the-day Chicken’s Fate is Sealed documents the meat industry’s attempts to lower the arachidonic acid level in chicken muscles through genetic manipulation and the egg industry’s attempts to lower arachidonic acid levels in hens by feeding hens blubber from baby harp seal pups clubbed to death in the Canadian seal hunt. But any arachidonic acid from chicken and eggs is in excess of what our body needs. 	Please feel free to leave any questions you may have below and be sure to check out all the videos on inflammation.Here’s an interesting little blurb about salsalate and fasting BGs in type 2 diabetes. It appears that the decrease in inflammation from salsalate improves beta cell function, but it didn’t decrease insulin resistance. http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11545-salsalate-improves-glycemic-control-in-newly-diagnosed-type-2s&catid=1&Itemid=8Thanks for the reference. Interesting. My recommended clinical approach to type two diabetes is a low fat whole food plant based diet. The fats in the diet not only interfere with insulin but also seems to adversely effect the genes that drive our mitochondria which burn the sugars. Type 2 diabetes is a sugar “processing” problem caused by fats in the diet. Fats in both animals and plants although by far the greatest amount of fats consumed is in animal products. Of course this is based on current science so you have to keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science is always changing.dr. dons, do you feel that vegetarian based interfere with insulin and adversely effect the genes that drive our mitochondria which burn the sugars? or are you only referring to meat fish egg and dairy fats? lots of vegans consume large amounts of nuts and avocados ( i am one of them)to the tune of 50 percent of my daily calories. think this is enough to cause type two diabetes? thanks .oops. it seems i left out the word “fats”. i meant to write “…do you feel that vegetarian based fats interfere….”Pingback: Perfect Health Diet » Around the Web; Steve Jobs Memorial Edition()Pingback: Estudos apontam os benefícios da "vitamina S" | De olho no seu prato()Be careful promoting such a diet, those with asthma and aspirin sensitivities need to avoid foods high in salicylic acid to prevent elevation in leukotriene levels  Would a prescribed daily baby aspirin and a plant-based diet be overkill then? I have wondered if the studies done regarding the various negative effect of animal products- chicken, eggs, dairy, beef – were done using animals raised naturally, if the end results might be different. I would venture that these studies were all done using commercially raised animals. Might some of the results be different if they tested, for example, beef that was organic and pasture raised? We know that these products are healthier versions than their commercially raised counterparts, but would it be enough of a difference to change the outcome of the studies, or to mitigate some of the health risks?@Deb, I think you asked a great question and was disappointed to see that no one addressed it.Deb and Lynn: “Toxins” is a knowledgeable and frequent commenter on NutritionFacts. I like his short, but clear answer to this common question. So, I’ll plagiarize the answer for you:“endotoxins, xenoestrogens, increases in igf-1 and arachidonic acid. All are inherent components of meat whether organic or conventional.http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=endotoxin http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=IGF-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=xenoestrogen http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=arachidonic+acid ” I would add saturated fat and cholesterol to the list of problems.The bottom line is: There may be *marginal* health advantages to an animal product raised “naturally”, but in the end, the main problems are inherent with the product themselves regardless of how the animal was treated.I hope that helps.Ah, I also found an old posting from Dr. Forrester, another awesome poster on NutritionFacts. Dr. Forrester wrote in response to a similar question to add onto what Toxins wrote:“[humans] are designed as “hind gut fermenting herbivores” a lot of data to support the anatomy and physiology of this hypothesis. Beyond that meat from grass fed animals also contains saturated fat which is metabolized to cholesterol and dioxins… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/ which are in the air as a product of burning plastics. It is true that grass fed animal meat is healthier then animals via CAFO’s but that doesn’t make it healthy.” … “[Some people may have] a similar argument about fish which is even easier to address see video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/ ”Hope this helps too.Thanks for the answers… I had just not seen studies based on naturally raised animals..Please check this out http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21120025 before you decide to start taking aspirin.	anxiety,arachidonic acid,aspirin,asthma,autoimmune disorders,Canadian seal hunt,cancer,chicken,cholesterol,cumin,depression,eggs,fish,fruit,heart disease,herbs,inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,mint,mood disturbance,omega 6,paprika,plant-based diet,rheumatoid arthritis,salicylic acid,seals,spices,stroke,thyme,ulcers,vegetables,Vitamin 'S'	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16225488,
PLAIN-318	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/03/call-for-dietitians-nutrition-students-and-other-healthcare-trainees-and-practitioners/	Call for dietitians, nutrition students, and other healthcare trainees and practitioners 	The response to NutritionFacts.org has been overwhelming. Though only about 1% of visitors leave a question or comment, that still means more than a thousand questions/comments a month. My dreams of answering every one personally were swiftly dashed. I’m having a hard time just keeping up with my new-video-a-day promise! That’s why I need help. I’ll continue to answer as many queries as I possibly can on the site (especially those specific to the data I present), but many are just general nutrition questions that could be answered by most anyone with a nutrition background. So, if you’re a registered dietitian or licensed practitioner with a few hours to spare, I’m in desperate need of your help. Nutrition students and dietetics interns are welcome to contact me, too. Please email me directly at mhg1@cornell.edu. My goal is to make NutritionFacts.org the go-to source for advice about healthy eating. There are already hundreds of videos on more than 1,000 topics, but I’d love to take it to the next level and see this site become a place where people can come and get all their questions answered directly. For those without specific nutrition expertise or training there are still lots of ways to help out—email NutritionFactsInterns@gmail.com to get looped in. Even if you just have a few hours a week, we have a variety of critical site-building and outreach tasks for any experience level. Thank you to all of those already helping out! 	Please feel free to leave any questions you may have about this opportunity below!I am a nurse practitioner (family practice) who completed the Plant Based Nutrition Course thru T. Colin Campbell foundation. I would enjoy being part of your team.Nina KeeganFantastic! I’ll email you right now–thank you so much for your kind offer to help..	dietitians,healthcare professionals,interns,nutrition students,volunteer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/16/internships-available-at-nutritionfacts-org/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-319	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/29/bowel-movements-the-scoop-on-poop/	Bowel movements: the scoop on poop	Years ago we learned that those eating plant-based diets are just “regular” people. In a study comparing omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans profiled in my Bowel Movement Frequency video, researchers found a “very clear trend towards an increasing number of bowel movements with a more rigorous degree of vegetarianism.” For example, even meat-eating women who piled on the fruits and veggies and ate the same amount of fiber had only a quarter the odds of having a daily bowel movement compared to women eating vegan. But does this translate to decreased disease risk?  This year marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of Painter and Burkitt’s landmark paper “Diverticular Disease of the Colon: A Deficiency Disease of Western Civilization” (PDF here). Just as scurvy is a vitamin C deficiency disease, they argued, diverticulosis is a fiber deficiency disease, the result of not eating whole plant foods. No surprise, then, that the majority of older Americans are afflicted with this condition. As I explain in my diverticulosis video, a lifetime of straining to pass stools that aren’t softened and bulked up by fiber can eventually balloon pockets out through the weakest points in the wall of our colons. These bulging outpouchings can get inflamed, infected, and even lead to a life-threatening rupture of our intestines. More than 100,000 Americans are hospitalized every year for this preventable condition. This summer, a team of scientists at Oxford released the results of a study (PDF here) in which 15,000 vegetarians and vegans were followed for nearly a dozen years. Compared to meat eaters, vegetarians had 35% less risk of being hospitalized or dying from diverticulitis, and those eating vegan appeared to eliminate 78% of the risk. What’s most surprising is that even after controlling for fiber intake, those on plant-based diets still had significantly lower risk, leading the researchers to suggest that meat itself may increase the risk of diverticular disease “by altering the metabolism of bacteria in the colon, which could lead to a weakening of the colon wall….” In addition to enhanced regularity, vegetarians and vegans also get points for achieving the preferred stool size and shape. The bigger the better. For example, one reason why women eating vegetarian may have lower breast cancer rates is because they have larger bowel movements, the topic explored in last Friday’s video, Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen. On Monday, Stool Size Matters offered a tip on how to use beets to measure one’s intestinal transit time, and Tuesday’s Food Mass Transit revealed that it may take an average of four days for food to get from one end to the other in women eating a standard American diet, too slow to meet the target half-pound-minimum fecal output for optimal cancer prevention. Yesterday’s Bowels of the Earth contest revealed which country has the largest average stool size (i.e. who’s #1 at number 2), and which population has the smallest (New Yorkers!). 	Please feel free to leave any questions you may have about this entry below, and feel free to check out all the videos on fiber as wellI’m a retired physician who has heard you speak a couple of times and enjoy your material and approach but I’m a fast reader and would like to read your material. How can I do this.Hi Dr. Gregor, I suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction (I think) and have no issue with transit time as per a recent Sitz marker test. What I do experience though is an intense pain over my right eye when I cannot have a bowel movement. Also, I have virtually no sensation in my rectum. Might you know what is causing my difficulties or what I can do to help? I am vegan and have been for over 3 years.Off topic I know Doctor, but I wanted to know if you can help offer direction on getting off of my Blood pressure medicine. I only take a low dose, but when I stop, my blood pressure does go up into a borderline range. I am Vegan, and do regularly eat red lentils. Thanks in advance!Bananas, 20 a day, blended with berries and flax (ground) seeds, dates as snacks and any other whole fruit or veggie. Every night eat a handful of pecans with a one-pound salad consisting of purple cabbage, kale, broccoli and spinach. Eat more if you can. Use a fat-free dressing like catalina. Give it a month and you’ll be off your meds. See your doctor before stopping your prescription. Get off slowly; lots of that stuff can have serious withdrawals.Hi David, I’d have to know a little more about your diet and exercise habits to give you a more detailed answer, but off the top of my head: are you watching your sodium intake http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok Processed foods are one of the worst offenders as far as sneaking sodium into your diet. Vegan cheeses and meat substitutes are loaded with the stuff. Regular exercise is also one of your best weapons against high blood pressure.Any opinions on aloe vera juice?A recent randomized, cross-over, placebo-controlled study failed to find any benefit of aloe vera over placebo in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. There is, however, evidence that peppermint oil may help. In general, the available science suggests that the purported benefits of aloe are overblown, and given recent reports of aloe-induced hepatitis, I would recommend against ingesting it. Applied topically, though, to second degree (blistering) burns, aloe vera does seem to accelerate healing. Thank you so much for your question–I’m always happy to look things up for folks.This is all very interesting!  What about personal “experience” of the TMI kind?  My personal experiences differ from the results of these studies.Ready for a little TMI?  Ok, a lot of TMI?  :)A few years ago, I decided to head toward vegetarianism.  I also started eating very healthy–organic, local, fresh, homemade, etc.– and quit smoking.  I took up a “flexitarian” diet, consisting of no meat on most days and small amounts of meat once or twice a week.At some point during that time, I also developed a rectocele (unbeknownst to me until a few months ago).  The last year and a half, I was  feeling increasingly constipated, stools were difficult to pass and yet rather thin.  Of course, cancer was my fear. Then I discovered the rectocele.  I decided to up the fiber even more, via grains, veg and inulin.  Things became even more difficult.  I was having the urge to defaecate every day, several times a day, but it was far from easy.This past month, I had two house guests back to back.  They are both meatetarians, To keep them happy, I cooked meat, just like back in my olden days when it was a slab of meat as the main and the rest as sides.And wouldn’t you know it, regular bowel movements ever since.  No splinting, no straining.  They are the right color, larger in size, etc.I really hate to cave to this and leave my dreams of being a vegetarian in the dust, but…. if I can avoid surgery for the rectocele I will. Incidentally, wasn’t there a study recently revealed about the rather marked increase in colon cancer risk among vegetarians, perhaps due to the large amount of fiber and therefore the scraping of the intestines (scraping releasing mucous, thus requiring healing followed by possible DNA replication mistakes ergo cancer)? Sorry to hear about the rectocele. There are many factors that go into the development of a rectocele as I’m sure you are aware. It is not unusual for the symptoms to be made worse by the increase in fiber and bulk of the stool. Given your history it appears that you have two choices. The first to continue what you are doing to minimize the problems caused by the rectocele or to have the rectocele surgically repaired and to resume a whole food plant based diet. Given the risks of the standard american diet as it relates to arterial disease, cancer, autoimmune disorders, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis and neurological disorders it would be easy to argue for the surgical repair with improved nutrition. I haven’t seen the study that you are referring to but all the studies I have seen and the current best hypothesis is that fiber reduces the risk of colon cancer when all the other variables are taken into consideration. As each case is unique it is important to work with your physician(s) to help you make the right decision for yourself. Good luck.About 6 months ago, I switched to a plant-based diet but am having terrible diarrhea. I cannot eat anything “healthy” (especially legumes, green leafy vegetables and berries) without almost immediate diarrhea. I sometimes go on a bread/cheese/meat diet for a day or two, just to obtain relief of the diarrhea! Is this something normal, in your experience? Even after eating essentially plant-based for 6 months, the diarrhea does not seem to want to disappear. I have had stool tests and blood tests, all of which are normal. I’m so sad and confused… it seems like the world’s best diet, is turning out to be my worst nigthmare! If you have any thoughts, I woudl be thrilled to read them. Many, many thanks for your blog and videos which are truly fantastic, and very much appreciated.Hey MarilouGarson, Sorry to read about your diarrhea aka “mudd butt”. I know it sucks, literally. Thanks for sharing with all of us. Sounds like you might me getting too much fiber. I would be interested to know what your diet was on a typical plant-based day. Also try consuming some probiotics (no yogurt) to boost your healthy gut bacteria. I’ve used GOL (Garden Of Life) Raw Probiotics and they did a fantastic job with regulating my digesting and relieving diarrhea constipation after a round of antibiotics or stomach bugGreat article!!!! I’ve been vegan 3 weeks and notice the difference in many aspects of my health.Dear Dr Greger,I have been vegetarian for about 25+ years and virtually vegan for about 5 years. I contracted prostate cancer some years ago (I think) although it was diagnosed Dec 2012 (Gleason 3+4). I have had a prostatectomy in March and am about to have radiation therapy BUT the medics have had me on the CT scanner four different times (4 hour round trip) to set up the scanner and mark my pelvis area, but my bowel is never correct – too much gas or faeces. I used a de-gas pill and now they gave me laxatives (2 x 2 times a day) which I took 1 x 2 times a day. I think the problem is timing because my bowel is very efficient and healthy, 1-2 movements every day, but they think I need laxatives.Is a vegan bowel more likely than the average one to move waste in a continuing kind of process? I had an enema last trip but they waited an hour before I went on the CT again. They told me the scan was fine on the day but now they rang to say there was too much faeces in it. I just want to get the scan right but I’m not sure laxatives are going to make any difference. Any suggestions?What about frequency? I only go once a day and I would say it is large. Just wondering if what people say about going after every meal is correct.Hi dr. Greger. I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer metastatic to the liver. I am on a vegan diet and I go very often (about 3-5) on bad days. My bowel is loose and sometimes I don’t feel complete evacuation. What can I do? I have lost a lot of pounds and can’t gain weight on a vegan diet (is that possible, I’m pooping more than I need to?Adirel: I’m so sorry to hear about your cancer. Not only your cancer, but your other problems too.I’m not a doctor nor an expert, but I have seen some articles that address people who want to gain weight on a vegan diet. These articles suggested eating lots of calorie-dense, whole foods such as: nuts, seeds, avocados and maybe even olives. You can make all sorts of sauces and dips out of these foods. Or even just load up on nut butters like peanut and almond butter. Whether or not something counts as calorie dense or not might depend on a lot on your existing diet. If you are eating a lot of low-fat or fat-free salads and raw veggies, then just about anything would be higher calorie density – including say tofu.While you may not be a teen and/or an athlete, the following page may interest you. Not all of the recommendations on the page are whole foods, but there are some good ideas that may help and it is a site (Vegetarian Resource Group) that I trust. http://www.vrg.org/teen/veg_athlete_weight_gain.phpSince I am not a doctor, I do not know if these suggestions are a good idea for your situation. I just thought you might find these ideas helpful.Good luck.Interesting. I thought it would be a no-brainer because of the fiber for plant-based dieters but even with plenty of that + eating protein slows it down. No wonder every time I turn my plant-based diet into a flexitarian diet I end up with smaller, more infrequent poo. I knew it was the protein but I don’t really eat that much. But it sure makes a difference. –Good to know.Hello Dr.Greger,When eating a plant based diet my increased bowel movements cause me to have to wipe so much that I begin to bleed, or there is already blood in my stool. I am a young male who does exercise and has been an athlete most of my life. How do I fix this, either through changing diet or through a certain type of bath tissue or etc. ? I dont think I can eat a plant based diet if I keep having to go to the bathroom 2-3 times a day ( #2)ThanksGhee ButtersnapsSorry to read about your problem. Going on a plant based diet does change the frequency and size of the stool… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/. This requires some adjustments and 2-3 stools is typical for those on higher fiber diets. Based on current science benefits far outweigh problems. That said, bleeding can be caused by local irritation, hemorrhoids and other conditions some serious so it is important to have the correct diagnosis before embarking on fixing the problem. Having your regular provider check would be a good idea. If the problem is found to be due to local irritation you can look at changing the texture of tissue, avoiding tissue with chemicals, gently cleaning with plain water and soft cloths, and protecting the area with creams/ointments which help while avoiding making the problem worse. Based on a proper diagnosis you and your provider should be able to come up with an approach that works for you and your circumstances. Good luck.	beets,bowel movements,breast cancer,colon,diverticulosis,fiber,meat,omnivores,Painter and Burkitt,stool shape,stool size,vegan,vegetarian	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21876861,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14972075,
PLAIN-320	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	Breast Cancer and Diet	October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a concept invented more than 25 years ago by Imperial Chemical Industries with the curious mantra “Early Detection Is Your Best Prevention.” Of course early detection (by definition) doesn’t prevent breast cancer at all; it just attempts to mediate the impact of the cancer once it’s already there. As one of the largest producers of petrochemicals and pesticides in the world, the multi-billion dollar chemical company may not have been particularly interested in getting at the root causes, especially after having subsequently developed the leading breast cancer chemotherapy drug. Breast cancer remains the leading cancer killer of young women in the United States. In recognition of this epidemic, NutritionFacts.org spent last week releasing five new videos highlighting some of the latest research on preventing the disease in the first place. Monday’s video Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing underscored the fact that since breast tumors can take decades to grow, “early” detection is actually very late, and in some cases too late. Tuesday’s Vegetables Versus Breast Cancer video, though, points to exciting new research that mushroom consumption may be beneficial for prevention, with Wednesday’s Breast Cancer Prevention: Which Mushroom Is Best? comparing the potential anti-cancer activity of a dozen different types leading to a surprising result. Thursday’s Multivitamin Supplements and Breast Cancer highlighted new research suggesting that multivitamin use may significantly increase the risk of breast (and prostate) cancer, while Friday’s video, Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen, offered a natural strategy to reduce one’s risk. NutritionFacts.org has five dozen videos on women’s health, including many others on breast cancer, suggesting that a plant-based diet may be beneficial in preventing, slowing, and treating breast cancer, despite flawed or deceptive studies to the contrary. Diets containing less meat may reduce the risk of breast cancer by lowering one’s exposure to anabolic steroids, heterocyclic amines, and industrial pollutants. Dairy contains hormones that may increase breast cancer risk directly, or indirectly by contributing to premature puberty.  Melatonin suppression by meat and dairy may also play a role. Eating a half an egg a day has been associated with nearly three times the odds of breast cancer. There are also some plant foods, though, that one may want to avoid. Kimchi, acrylamide in crispy carbs, and alcohol may increase one’s risk, and from a breast cancer perspective, folate in beans and greens may be preferable to folic acid in pills. The good news is that numerous vegetables may be protective against breast cancer. The most useful are likely cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, kale, and cabbage) and allium family vegetables (such as garlic, onions and leeks). Among fruits, organic strawberries appear to preferably block cancer cell growth and, like other berries, may block breast-cell DNA damage. Apples also appear to reduce breast cancer risk. Soy foods have the distinction of both helping prevent breast cancer (in part by supporting normal pubertal development) and improving survival, even for women on Tamoxifen. To further decrease risk of breast cancer, look to daily tea consumption (including a few herbal varieties) flax seeds, black beans, the spice turmeric, and an hour of exercise every day. 	Please feel free to leave any questions you may have about this entry below, and be sure to check out all the videos on breast cancer and women’s health.I love this blog post because it is such a good summary of the information and videos available on a topic that I keep coming up against all the time. Instead of trying to pick the best links to send to someone and have links be out of context, I can send this blog post. It’s great!Thanks!I’m so glad you appreciate it, JJ. What we’re actually working on right now (with your help if you have time!) is coming up with link-dense narrative paragraphs for all the topic pages (http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/) to help folks navigate –stay tuned!Pingback: Breast Cancer and Diet | NutritionFacts.org | The Angelove()Very interesting article! Funny how we just think ‘hmm thats nice “Early Detection Is Your Best Prevention.” without really thinking about the point made that detection is NOT prevention.. #thingsthatmakeyougohmmmPingback: Bacon Linked to Higher Cancer Risk (Again) « Maxim Fetissenko()Pingback: Unit 2 Compilation – Chapter 18 | imsandradee2()Pingback: Breast Cancer Prevention and Survival with Healthy Nutrition »()As a breast cancer survivor, I am in need of clear information on nutrition.  I have listened to vegans and meat-eaters.  I followed raw/raw vegan.  Then I read literature on macrobiotics and other oriental advice which say vegetables must be cooked/steamed because we do not have the enzymes to digest raw plants.  OK, fine. Then I read what Dr. Mercola says about the necessity of meat and eggs in one’s diet; I read “The Vegetarian Myth”; and read a lot about Paleo eating. They ALL make perfect sense. Now I read about meat and inflammation and I am thoroughly confused. I do not know what to do.  It seems that starving is the best option.  Please help.  Hi Victoria,When you are evaluating nutrition advice, look closely at the credentials of the person who is giving it (as well as whether or not they might have any particular bias, including those who publish research for organizations that are interested in making money, which may be difficult to discern in some cases).  Did they study nutrition professionally?  As long as I have been a registered dietitian, I have been reading study after study about the various anticancer benefits of plant foods, largely by virtue of their variety of phytonutrients.  These phytonutrients (phyto=plant) are most often very powerful antioxidants that inhibit or reduce the chronic inflammation that can lead to cancers and other diseases.  More and more studies are published every day that show a definite and inarguable link to these phytonutrients and cancer prevention.  Animal foods, however, do not contain phytonutrients.  Instead, they contain injected (and naturally occurring) hormones that have ill effects in the human body, antibiotic and pesticide residues, toxins of all kinds, cholesterol and saturated fat.  When we consume animal foods, we are getting substances that we don’t want, and at the same time we are missing out on the substances we do want, simply by displacement!  The moral of the story is this:  No matter whose advice you choose to follow, a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes is the foundation of disease prevention, and organic plant foods are especially potent for fighting cancer, another fact that is rapidly gaining recognition in the literature!since I was diagnosed with breast cancer last Nov 2011, I have been on a plant base diet(life-style)…my tumors are gone, some shrunk and no signs of growth. I choose not to have chemo or radiation. After I read the book China Study, Dr Campbell said…Drs dont give women the 4th choice for treatment which is plant base diet…but I did and never looking back. I also want to thank Dr Greger on his web site..lots of great info on everyday health.Psvwyderka, I would love to hear how you are doing now. I have recently chosen to treat breast cancer w/o surgery, chemo and radiation.Very relieve to read that all of my favorite veggies and fruit are helping to protect me from the cancer I’m genetically most in risk of getting. Strawberry is my favorite fruit and broccoli is my favorite veggie. Yeey!i love your we site. have been learning from it daily ever since i found it!I have heard from several sources that 30% of 30 year old women have breast microtumors. but I have been unable to find the source. could you share with us where this figure came from and how you were able to find the source?Do breast cancer cells recognize “sugar alcohols” the same as sugar, and as such use them as fuel?	acrylamide,alcohol,anabolic steroids,apples,beans,black beans,breast cancer,broccoli,cabbage,cancer,dairy,estrogen,exercise,flax seeds,folic acid,garlic,heterocyclic amines,hormones,industrial pollutants,kale,Kimchi,leeks,meat,melatonin,multivitamins,mushrooms,onions,plant-based diet,prostate,puberty,soy foods,strawberries,Tamoxifen,tea,turmeric,vegetables,women's health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leeks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/	-
PLAIN-321	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/	NutritionFacts.org: the first month	NutritionFacts.org is the first non-commercial, science-based website to provide daily updates on the latest in nutrition research, presented in short, easy-to-understand video segments. A labor of love brought to life by the Jesse & Julie Rasch Foundation, NutritionFacts.org reached nearly 100,000 people in its first month, thanks in no small part to Kathy Freston’s glowing review on Huffington Post, and favorable mentions from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Forks Over Knives, the must-see documentary I had the honor of co-hosting at the D.C. premiere. So far, the most popular new videos were Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score, Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods, Pork Tapeworms on the Brain, and Chicken Consumption and the Feminization of Male Genitalia, along with the accompanying blog entry Eating Chicken May Lead to a Smaller Penis. The two other most popular posts were Dr. Oz, Apple Juice, and Arsenic: Chicken May Have 10 Times More and Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting it into Perspective. Though a new video is added every day, the site launched with hundreds of videos covering more than a thousand topics taken from my annual Latest in Nutrition DVD series (all proceeds to charity). Of the older ones, the #1 Anti-cancer Vegetable video consistently ranks as the most popular (prequel here) followed closely by the Bristol Stool Scale, classifying the fecal form of omnivores versus vegetarians and vegans. Thousands of Vegans Studied made a similar comparative analysis of obesity rates. Videos from my 50-part Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful? series also continue to rank highly, such as Is Vinegar Good For You? Peanut butter? Kombucha tea? So do the ones with practical tips, such as a cheap way to buy goji berries and Cold Steeping Green Tea, highlighting surprising new data on what may be the healthiest way to prepare tea. 	Congrats to Dr. Greger! His summaries provide an accurate distillation of the science in the many, convoluted, and voluminous nutrition studies that are coming at us at a relentless pace. I just love the colourful, and somewhat whimsical, graphics in the “Fact or Fiction,” and the “Helpful, Harmless, Harmful” episodes. This is a first-rate, quality site, and we should all take advantage of this valuable resource.You are doing great work! Keep it up and I will keep spreading the word and sending people to your site!Way to go Dr. Greger! You are changing lives. LouiseThank you so much for everyone’s kind words!I am so hooked – I bought all your videos. Thanks so much for this amazing resource.Thank you for posting your articles. I read every one. Have you heard of Boku “Superfood”? Do you have an opinion about it?“Boku” is just a brand name for a line of supplements that include concerning ingredients such as spirulina and blue-green algae (see my videos on both subjects by clicking on their links here: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics. Whole foods are cheaper and healthier.Pingback: Vegans Poop Better « George and Julia's Vegan Underground()Why is this statement in the above article? “Need to buy Adderall online to use it? Have look at this website to buy Adderallonline.” Is it just an ad?I don’t see that statement? It sounds like you might need to use an ad-blocker. NF has absolutely no advertising on the website. It’s run completely on donations.I also see the same odd statement. It is written within the text of Dr. Gregor’s posting, and is the last sentence of the paragraph that that begins “Though a new video is added everyday…”Hmm, that’s so odd! What browser are you using? Can you take a screenshot and email it to me at tommasina [at]nutritionfacts.org ? Thanks for your help with this!	antioxidants,apple juice,Bristol Stool Scale,cancer,chicken,Dr. Oz,Forks Over Knives,goji berries,Green tea,Kombucha tea,PCRM,peanut butter,pork,vegetables,vinegar,vitamin B12	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/28/soymilk-shake-it-up/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/	-
PLAIN-322	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/16/internships-available-at-nutritionfacts-org/	Internships available at NutritionFacts.org 	Reposted from my Latest in Nutrition e-newsletter (sign up for free here): CNN’s recent documentary “The Last Heart Attack” featured Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn successfully preventing, stopping, and even reversing our number one killer—heart disease—with a plant-based diet. Though billed as the latest cutting-edge treatment, both doctors have been publishing on reversing the heart disease epidemic through diet and lifestyle changes for more than 20 years. Multibillion dollar industries ensure we know about the latest cholesterol-lowering drugs and surgeries, but who’s going to tell us about the latest advances in nutrition?  What else lies buried in medical journals with the potential to save millions of lives that just hasn’t yet seen the light of day? On Monday I celebrate the one-month anniversary of the launch of NutritionFacts.org. Time flies when you’re having fun (or at least when you’re too overwhelmed to even know what day it is! :) Thankfully the site has attracted a dedicated cadre of volunteers and interns to keep the site afloat and I’d love to bring others aboard to join the NutritionFacts.org dream team. So far, our efforts have paid off. In our first month, NutritionFacts.org has drawn 100,000 visitors, exposing more people to my work than probably my entire last decade of speaking. But that’s still less than 0.01% of the world’s Internet users. Tens of millions die every year from chronic diseases, 17 million deaths from cardiovascular disease alone. We’ve got to do better. I need to focus on the science, developing fresh compelling content to keep my promise of delivering a new video featuring new research every day throughout the year. So I am hoping to delegate as many of the site maintenance, building, and outreach tasks as I can. Unfortunately, as a nonprofit, noncommercial site that doesn’t accept advertising we can offer only unpaid internships, but if you can commit to 10 hours a week for at least 10 weeks I would love your help. The hours are flexible; you can work from home. We need everything from data entry and online research to grant writing and food photography. Basically, whatever skills you have (or don’t have just yet!), I want to put to good use. Please email NutritionFactsInterns@gmail.com if you’re interested in helping out. Together, we can reduce a tremendous amount of suffering. If you haven’t already, please get connected and stay in touch so you don’t miss a day: And please help me spread the word by passing these links along. 	Please leave any questions below if I can clarify anything about these positions.I am available to help out and sent an email to the address above. I also posted the internship on my blog’s Facebook page.Looking forward to lending a hand, AliciaThank you so much Alicia!What do chickens eat, corn, Genetically Engineered corn by Monsanto. 91% of the corn in the USA is GM. The corn is modified so it will not reproduce itself, the farmeer has to buy seed every year whereas before they held back part of their crop for seed.As a cat breeder, I was having productive problems in my cattery. I switched to 100% grain free kibble and it took care of all of the problems. The most startling change was that I had two sterile males that I used to bring my queens out of heat when I didn’t want to breed them. After about 8 month of grain free diets, at four years of age, both boys fathered litters! The litters were born within a week of each other.Farmers and ranchers are seeing reproductive problems in their cattle, hogs etc. When will you “scientists” start telling America the truth. It’s not the Chickens it’s what they are fed!Russia, the EU and Austraila have banned the import of the strain of GM fed to Americans based on their own research. Our FDA used Monsanto’s test data for approval and did none of their own.My time is limited, but the information you provide is extremely important and your presentation methods are excellent. I would like very much to make a monetary donation to support your endeavors. Please let me know if there is a way I might do this via paypal or mailing you a check. I believe my email address is available to you through my log in formation for your web site.You are so incredibly sweet! You can make a tax-deductible donation to support my work here.fyi the twitter link isn’t good. it routes to an outlook link… i cut it down to the twitter page, but you may want to adjust :) LOVE the blog! hopefully in the future i can volunteer to help out!Thank you so so much greenetedjacket! I fixed all those links!Any chance of you posting your videos on iTunes as a podcast??	Esselstyn,heart disease,internship,last heart attack,nutrition,Ornish	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-323	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/15/eating-chicken-may-lead-to-a-smaller-penis/	Eating chicken may lead to a smaller penis 	According to the best available science, three quarters of women find both penis length and girth “somewhat important” or “very important.” What does this have to do with diet? Phthalates. Phthalates are chemical compounds used in a wide range of consumer products, including pesticides, paints, and PVC plastic. The contribution of dietary intake to phthalate exposure, however, was not well defined until a landmark study was published last year in the journal of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Phthalates had been known to affect the genital development of lab rats, but recent human studies have also shown adverse effects on sexual health and development. The most important findings to date have come from the Study for Future Families, a multicenter study of prenatal clinics in California, Minnesota, and Missouri. It was a simple study. Researchers measured the levels of phthalates flowing through the bodies of pregnant women, and then later measured the size and characteristics of their infant sons’ genitalia between ages 2 months to 3 years. There was one phthalate particularly associated with a smaller penis, mono 2-ethylhexyl phthalate, MEHP. The team of researchers conclude: “These changes in male infants, associated with prenatal exposure to some of the same phthalate metabolites that cause similar alterations in male rodents, suggest that commonly used phthalates may undervirilize humans as well….” So what foods should pregnant women stay away from to avoid the “phthalate-related syndrome of incomplete virilization” in their sons? In the study published last year, the urine phthalate levels of thousands of Americans all across the country were measured, along with their diets, to find out which food was most significantly associated with phthalate body burden. They looked at dairy, eggs, fish, fruit, poultry, potatoes, tomatoes, vegetables in general, and red meat. The most statistically significant finding in their analysis was the link between poultry consumption and MEHP. Those that reported on the Study for Future Families data implied that having a small penis size made boys “less masculine” (see video), but the link between masculine behavior and the types of phthalates found in chicken wasn’t established until last year. Researchers found that boys who were exposed did indeed exhibit less male-typical play (such as preferring trucks over dolls). In the video I also show the studies associated the contaminants found in chicken to increased odds of cesarean section, diminished child intelligence, male breast growth, and  attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder symptoms. Maybe the phthalates were just leaching into the meat from the plastic wrap packaging? Probably not, conclude the researchers: “the finding that egg consumption is significantly associated with levels of MEHP too, suggests that chickens themselves may be contaminated with phthalates and that food is not being contaminated just through packaging and processing.” 	Please feel free to leave any questions you may have about this entry below, and be sure to check out today’s video-of-the-day, Chicken consumption and the feminization of male genitalia. I am indebted to Stephen Walsh (author of the fabulous Plant Based Nutrition and Health), for his time, effort, and patience working with me to improve this blog and the associated video.OMG. Will you please marry by beautiful Vegan Persian Girlfriend?? I am slightly pissing my pants at this one. FUNNY!! Surely a “Selling Point” of vegan men, well, if their mum’s were vegan!!I don’t think it’s funny at all! My guess is that you don’t have children. My son had to have an operation for an undescended testical. I ate pretty healthy during my pregnancy, or at least I thought I was. This site is certainly opening my eyes, but don’t make judgements about other people. Most people just don’t know any better. Everyone always tries to blame the mothers but you should be blaming KFC and other chicken sellers.Pingback: Eating chicken may lead to a smaller ....()Please don’t post items like this..it discredits your reliablity and factual solid scienceI don’t understand, mainlinebooker. Did you read the papers? They were both published in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and available free, full-text linked under “Sources” beneath the video (Chicken consumption and the feminization of male genitalia).I just had to share this one on twitter and Facebook! A few readers are asking whether the chicken was organic or not–I couldn’t find any mention of that. Do you happen to know? Thanks!Excellent question Ricki. And if it is something in the feed, that might indeed make a difference. Unfortunately the researchers lumped conventional chicken and organic poultry together so we can’t differentiate the two. I’ll make sure to update everyone if there is follow-up work done in this area, so stay tuned! You can subscribe to the combined blog and video feed by clicking this link: http://nutritionfacts.org/feed/blended/ and follow the conversation on facebook (http://facebook.com/NutritionFacts.org) or twitter (http://twitter.com/nutrition_facts). Thank you for helping me to get this important information out there. Pregnancy is a vulnerable time for toxicant exposures and we need to protect the next generation the best we can.Hi Dr. Greger,Thanks for providing the links to the pertinent studies in all your blogs. It really allows all of your readers to study the quoted research themselves. But, one question. When I click on the “three quarters” link in the article it takes me to PubMed. I’m not very familiar with the PubMed site. Is it necessary to click on a link there to get more info? Thanks.Unfortunately, many academic publishers refuse to allow open public access to their journals, but one of fans posted a link to that particular article on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/NutritionFacts.org for your reading pleasure.I have found that journal articles such as this can be accessed at a public library using a library card! I can access these articles through my university’s library web page with my alumni login too. It’s a bit of a work-around, but sure beats paying.Pingback: Ist Mama schuld an kleinem Penis? | VeganBlog()Hi there Dr. Greger. I was wondering, in the Colacino study it says, “Vegetable consumption was also significantly associated with MEP levels, which was one of the strongest effects measured.”I don’t mean to detract from your message about poultry, which I think is an important one. I do wonder though about the presence of phthalate metabolites in vegetables, and how much of an impact they have. The study said they were lower molecular weight metabolites and are more water soluble. But I don’t understand the implication of that. Can you shed some light? Thank you.Bix–I love you! Thank you so much actually taking the time to read the primary sources. Always linking to the primary sources is one of the many things I’m proud to say sets NutritionFacts.org apart from other nutrition sites on the web.As you noted, it you look at the breakdown (here’s the direct link to the table) you can see that like other industrial pollutants (dioxins, PCBs, etc) there can be widespread contamination of the food supply. For example this year there were studies published measuring phthalate concentrations in both wastewater and dust. The best consumers can do is try to minimize their exposure (see for example my Industrial Pollutants in Vegans and Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination videos). And so although there are fewer such toxins in the bloodstream, fatty tissues, and breast milk of, for example, vegetarians and vegans, it doesn’t mean they’re not exposed at all. Just like there can be trace pesticide residues even on organic produce, the reason one might choose organic is to reduce one’s risk. Similarly, if one wanted to stay away from the most concentrated sources of the riskiest phthalates one would be wise to stay away from the most contaminated foods, such as chicken. I’ll address the monoethyl phthalate versus diethylhexyl phthalate issue below in Dan’s question.And just as a sidenote, the study didn’t actually measure what was in the foods; it went the step further and measured urine levels in people eating various foods (just because something is in a food doesn’t mean it’s absorbed, so that’s one of the reasons this was such a great study–the fact that it found its way to the kidneys means it was necessarily absorbed into the human bloodstream). And the most statistically significant association between food intake and the most concerning phthalate levels in the urine was with poultry (but as I noted in the video it’s possible this could result from the chicken plastic wrap packaging or something, but that wouldn’t explain the extraordinarily high level associated with eggs). The “p“-value <0.0001 means that the association between poultry consumption and mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate was found to be so strong that there’s less than a 1 in 10,000 chance that it could have happened just by coincidence.Thank you for response, Dr. Greger. It does make sense to me that fat-soluble chemicals would be found in higher quantities in the fatty tissue of livestock where they bioaccumulate. I was concerned about their findings on vegetables. But, right now, I’m looking at non-animal products as, if not a non-contaminated food, at least a less-contaminated food.People I mention this to don’t believe it. I can’t help but think … Why wouldn’t chemicals that act as endocrine disruptors result in poor endocrine function? And that 10-fold increase in risk isn’t something to sneeze at. Smoking increases the risk for lung cancer by that much, although I know there are those who still say smoking doesn’t cause lung cancer.Bix, I see where you are coming from.I also had a look at the study results, as I find it important to be critical of interpretations by people who aren’t the authors of the study.Looking at table 6, I don’t see poultry singled out as being more strongly associated with phthalates, in general, than any of the other foods listed. The strongest correlations are for vegetables (particularly tomatoes and potatoes…too bad other veggies aren’t listed separately) and eggs.This article, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116085040.htm, mentions DEHP and DBP specifically as the ones being associated with demasculinization. DBP is not listed in the table, and increased DEHP metabolite levels are associated only with poultry.However, MEP, which is associated strongly with several food categories (meat, tomatoes, and potatoes…you know, the “all-american” foods), is associated with increased breast cancer risk.The only food category in the study which seems to have any positive effect is fruit, which is correlated with a decrease in DEHP metabolites (the demasculinizing ones).Dan, you are the man! Thank you for taking the time to dive into the subject. In a 4 minute video there’s only so much depth I can cover, which is why I always link to the primary literature so folks can dig as deeply as they’d like. And if you or anyone else has any questions trying to translate the technobabble please don’t hesitate to ask. For example, the alphabet soup of pthalate metabolite acronyms!Indeed the most concerning phthalates in terms of anti-androgen (countering male hormone) effects appear to be the DEHP metabolites (such as MECPP, MEHHP, MEHP, MEOHP) associated with poultry consumption. For example, maternal levels of DEHP metabolites were found to be most significantly associated with undermining free testerosterone levels in the umbilical cord blood of their infants. The Swan, et al. study noted by the Science Daily article “Prenatal Phthalate Exposure and Reduced Masculine Play in Boys” can be found here. Again the DEHP metabolites I talked about in the chicken and eggs/penis size video were most significantly associated with a reduction of male-typical play (for example choosing to play with Barbie rather than with toy trucks).nice study! but i wonder if turkey and birds are included in poultry, and whether this study has been replicated elsewhere around the world, and finally, which foods contain substances that can inhibit and reveres the action and symptoms of MEP.Smaller sausages???? NO, BALONEY.This problem will popup in a lot of male animals from time to time. I have found it in ponies, cattle, hogs and goats–especially hogs and goats. None of those animals ate chicken nor feeds that contained animal by-products. Neither were the animals fed feeds that were packaged with toxic material wrappings. Again, BALONEY!!!!!It shouldn’t happen as often as it does and we have causal link.Pingback: iRead « Unabashed Thoughtcrime()wooow no wonder men are not holding their own anymore..i mean this meat is eaten everyday by the blinded publicyep who will never ever be vegan… go vegan! your gurl loves it.This is plain old stupid. Im sure there are studies out there that will tell you if you eat cow dung your penis will grow ten times. there is a study out there for everything and results are what they want them to be.If you examine the methodology and what the stats were you can come to your own conclusions. There is the classic example of the egg industry concluding that eggs do not negatively affect cholesterol. Taking a look at the study the methodology was improper. Here is a link to the video discussing it. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/Pingback: Nutrition Facts for New Vegans | Vegan Mainstream()Wait until the conspiracy theorists get a hold of this one. We will be seeing blogs about how the government is adding Phthalates to our food as a means of controlling population through reduced breeding capabilities.I’d like to see the stats on the penis size. Are we talking poultry leading to a micropenis, or women (God forbid) having to force themselves to make love to a man with an average or slightly less than average penis size?What other environmental or social factors were looked at during the study? Was the lifestyle of the participants scrutinized?I am 2 months late for this discussion however;I was the GM for one of the first Embryo Transplant, Artificial Insemination operations in the USA, back in the 1980s. Even though it was cattle, we were first, long before it was done on humans. We wrote the book on hormone impact on adult mammals as well as the impact those hormones had on offspring. We saw, first hand, the amount of deviation from normalcy that occurs when you add extemporaneous hormones into mammalian development.Today, our data still predicts what occurs in not just hormone-mimicking scenarios, like phthalates, but with actual hormone usage in humans. Having experience with in vitro with humans, IVF, we can predict, with perfection, exactly what the children will develop into.Having 2 cancer clinical trials running, dealing with hormonally driven cancers, we are trying to use the information we have to help those who have been affected by environmental hormones the most. However: the amount of hormone-mimicking compounds in our environment is staggering and explains, perfectly, the increases in hormone-driven cancers and gender-bending in children.Well I’m too late for the discussion, though I would like to know your point Dr. Michael Greger. Does penis size really matter to ladies? I read a post here http://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/male-sexual-health/does-penis-size-really-matter.html saying that big penis can be really appealing for ladies.Awww, man are you serious? Chicken decreases your penis size now? WTF?No wonder I have a small penis.	chicken,eggs,genitalia,phthalates,poultry,pregnancy,sexual health	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19748073,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16502148,
PLAIN-324	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/08/how-much-pus-is-there-in-milk/	How much pus is there in milk? 	In the new NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day, I note that the antiseptics used to disinfect cow teats can provide a source of iodine, but have been found to boost the level of pus in the milk of cows with staph-infected udders. Today’s dairy cows endure annual cycles of artificial insemination, pregnancy and birth, and mechanized milking for 10 out of 12 months (including 7 months of their 9-month pregnancies). This excessive metabolic drain overburdens the cows, who are considered “productive” for only two years and are slaughtered for hamburger when their profitability drops, typically around their fourth birthday, a small fraction of their natural lifespan. Turning dairy cows into milk machines has led to epidemics of so-called “production-related diseases,” such as lameness and mastitis (udder infections), the two leading causes of dairy cow mortality in the United States. We all remember the Humane Society of the United States investigation showing sick and crippled dairy cows being beaten and dragged into the California dairy cow slaughter plant en route to the national school lunch program, triggering the largest meat recall in history. That loss of body condition is a result of the extreme genetic manipulation for unnaturally high milk yields. Because of the mastitis epidemic in the U.S. dairy herd, the dairy industry continues to demand that American milk retain the highest allowable “somatic cell” concentration in the world. Somatic cell count, according to the industry’s own National Mastitis Council, “reflects the levels of infection and resultant inflammation in the mammary gland of dairy cows,” but somatic cells are not synonymous with pus cells, as has sometimes been misleadingly suggested. Somatic just means “body.” Just as normal human breast milk has somatic cells—mostly non-inflammatory white blood cells and epithelial cells sloughed off from the mammary gland ducts—so does milk from healthy cows. The problem is that many of our cows are not healthy. According to the USDA, 1 in 6 dairy cows in the United States suffers from clinical mastitis, which is responsible for 1 in 6 dairy cow deaths on U.S. dairy farms. This level of disease is reflected in the concentration of somatic cells in the American milk supply. Somatic cell counts greater than a million per teaspoon are abnormal and “almost always” caused by mastitis. When a cow is infected, greater than 90% of the somatic cells in her milk are neutrophils, the inflammatory immune cells that form pus. The average somatic cell count in U.S. milk per spoonful is 1,120,000. So how much pus is there in a glass of milk? Not much. A million cells per spoonful sounds like a lot, but pus is really concentrated. According to my calculations* based on USDA data released last month, the average cup of milk in the United States would not be expected to contain more than a single drop of pus. As the dairy industry points out, the accumulation of pus is a natural part of an animal’s defense system. So pus itself isn’t a bad thing, we just may not want to have it in our mouth. And you can taste the difference. A study published in the Journal of Dairy Science found that cheese made from high somatic cell count milk had both texture and flavor defects as well as increased clotting time compared to milk conforming to the much more stringent European standards. The U.S. dairy industry, however, insists that there is no food safety risk. If the udders of our factory-farmed dairy cows are inflamed and infected, industry folks say, it doesn’t matter, because we pasteurize—the pus gets cooked. But just as parents may not want to feed their children fecal matter in meat even if it’s irradiated fecal matter, they might not want to feed their children pasteurized pus. -Michael Greger, M.D. 	For pus-free sources of iodine, please see Avoiding Iodine Deficiency and Too much iodine can be as bad as too little. There are also more videos on dairy. And as always, feel free to leave questions or comments below.Only a drop, doc? Looks more like a BUCKET of pus to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqqSeO4vqcwYikes! The poor thing. Towards the end it looks like soft-serve ice-cream coming out :(. Definitely not for the squeamish. Even though milk is pooled together at a herd level and loaded into tanker trucks, a cow with such an advanced case of mastitis would be excluded from the human milk supply.JUst another reason I am vegan!Right onAnother reason why I dont drink milk!Pingback: Sit Next to a Vegan, PCRM? Okay! | In-A-Gadda-Da-Vegan()Pingback: Handstand | How To Reduce Weight Easily()FUD FUD FUD DUH.Looking at the original USDA report it looks like the 1 in 6 number is the percentage of cows that died from mastitis not the number of cows in the herd with mastitis. However subclinical mastitis also raises the somatic cell counts and as the Merck Veterinary Manual says: “All dairy herds have cows with subclinical mastitis; however, the prevalence of infected cows varies from 15–75%” (http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/reproductive_system/mastitis_in_large_animals/mastitis_in_cattle.html)Has there ever been a test or comparison of the amount of pus in pasteurized milk compared with the amount of pus in Raw un-pateurized milk, and if so, was the comparison equal amounts of milk and taken at the same time and from the same utter area. I would like to see the results of that test if there has been one done.Our SCC averages around 70, 000 for the year but we’ve had test as low as 16, 000 and a monthly average as low as 26, 000! We use iodine dip, antiseptic wipes, soap with a small amount of bleach so your whole argument that this will increase SCC levels is complete bullshit! Clearly you don’t milk cows for a living and haven’t a clue like most people how ultra low SCC levels are achieved.As for altering taste …. again bullshit … usually nasty dairies that have SCC problems also have bacteria issues to boot and when the milk is pasteurized, it’s the killed bacterica along with an enzyme that gives the milk an off favor which also shortens shelf life!Feeding corn silage is what truely alters the taste …. sours the milk so to speak hence the reason for the great demand for grass feed only milk.If I were you I’d refrain from giving advice on dairy farming … lol … you clearly don’t have a freaking clue. Better yet, buy a dairy farm and see how little you really know …. put your money where your mouth is and see how long it takes you before you go bakrupt =)Just The Facts, I’m all for sharing information, but I’d appreciate if this could be a safe forum for everyone. Please no insults. Thanks!Dairy farmers tend to lie through their teeth. And I wouldn’t trust anyone who rapes cows and takes their young and steals their milk for a living.Let’s play nice here, children…So let’s look at some basic science here. What is a “pus cell”? Pus is made up of dead white blood cells, bacteria and dead skin cells. Gross right? That’s what the anti milk people want you to think about when they spout their bologna. So, there really isn’t a single “pus cell” like this charming infographic would like you to believe, instead pus is a combination of things. A white blood cell is a normal part of blood. White blood cells are not pus. There are white blood cells in milk, In the dairy industry we closely monitor what we call the somatic cell count (SCC) of our cows and our milk. Somatic cell count (SCC) is a measurement of how many white blood cells are present in the milk. White blood cells are the infection fighters in our body and so an elevated white blood cell presence or on a dairy farm an elevated SCC is a signal that there may be an infection that the cow is fighting.Dairy farmers are paid more money for milk that has a low SCC, if our cell count raises above normal levels they will dock the amount we get paid for our milk, if it raises even higher they stop taking our milk and we can’t sell it. So not only do we not want our cows to be sick, it would cost us a lot of money and could cost us our farms if we were to ignore a high SCC. Recently the dairy industry lowered the acceptable SCC level from 750 to 400. Most dairy farms aim for a SCC under 200. So does this mean that we are allowing some pus into your milk? No. All milk is going to have some white blood cells in it, that’s the nature of a product that comes from an animal, cells happen. It does’t matter if it’s organic milk or regular milk. The presence of some white blood cells in milk certainly doesn’t mean that the animal is sick or the milk is of poor quality. Again, white blood cells are normal. Additionally when you buy milk from the store it has been pasteurized which kills off any white blood cells or bacteria that are present in the raw milk.So the anti milk folks want to you to be grossed out by milk, but think about this… A steak has white blood cells in it, because it has blood and white blood cells are a part of that. The anti milk people aren’t going around saying that your steak has pus in it because we can see with our own eyes that it doesn’t. However, since we can’t see into our milk like we can see a steak, anti milk activists use bad science to scare you into believing their view point and that’s just not right!Instead of using facts to persuade people to not drink milk they are literally trying to make you terrified to eat or drink anything beyond what they feel you should be eating and drinking. It’s time to take back our food from the activists and let them know that it is not ok to use false information to slander a food they don’t agree with. My cows are mad and so am I!Nicely said.Nice plagiarism.In other words, there’s no reason to be alarmed about it, but it’s still only fair to sound an alarm so that people who are alarmed by things there’s no good reason to be alarmed about have the opportunity to be unduly alarmed anyway and avoid the thing there’s no reason for them to avoid. Because it’s very important to avoid that one drop of harmless liquid when one is drinking one’s glass of sweat. Oh, gosh, yes, why not warn all current and future nursing mothers that their breast milk is, after all *sweat*. Then they can fear that too.	dairy,dairy cows,hamburger,iodine,lameness,mastitis,pus	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11724172,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18922193,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18420604,
PLAIN-325	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/06/natural-alzheimers-treatment/	Natural Alzheimer's Treatment 	September is World Alzheimer’s Month, in recognition of those stricken with the devastating disease, now the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. We’ve known for almost 20 years that compared to long-time vegetarians, those eating meat (including poultry and fish) appear to have three times the risk of developing dementia. Since studies show “even moderately elevated cholesterol increased dementia risk,” the cognitive impairment more often seen in those eating meat may be due to atherosclerotic plaque building in the brain’s blood vessels, which can cause micro-infarctions or “ministrokes” that can kill off little parts of the brain the way clogged coronary arteries can kill off parts of the heart during a heart attack. New evidence presented in today’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day suggests that this may be only part of the puzzle. Maybe it’s not just what vegetarians don’t eat, but what they do; the phytonutrients found in plant-based diets have been shown to have a wide range of beneficial effects. In a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial (the so-called “gold standard” of modern medicine), the spice saffron was found to significantly beat out out the control “sugar pill” in helping to prevent further cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients. Saffron has been used as a folk remedy for more than 90 diseases since the Bronze Age over 3,000 years ago. We currently have preliminary science supporting its role for erectile dysfunction, depression, premenstrual syndrome, and now, Alzheimer’s disease. The study used a daily dose of 30mg of saffron a day. According to the World Health Organization, up to 1.5 grams a day may be safe, but 5 grams can be toxic, and 20 grams fatal. Saffron is contraindicated (meaning should not be used) for those with bleeding disorders and for pregnant women (since it may induce uterine contractions). In tomorrow’s video-of-the-day saffron is put to a head-to-head challenge against a leading Alzheimer’s drug. 	Please leave a comment and let me know if you’d like me to do more videos on the latest science on alternative/complementary medicine.Fantastic. All of this information paints a beautiful picture of hope. ♥Interesting! I was wondering also if it was the copper content in the Spriulina that made it bad? In Brenda’s Becoming Raw book, it looks like it has very high copper. Oh, and what if your cholesterol is low, below 150 and all your regular cholesterol tests are great. But in the VAP test, the VLDLc is high? (And you are already vegan and already eating whole grains and now sugar, etc…) It seems that there is a genetic component, but is there a way to lower that number?? And does this number also have something to do with Alzheimer’s?? The VLDLc is an independent risk for heart disease, correct? Just wondering because my grandfather died at 42 from heart disease and I am making my folks get the VAP done as well. And, can you change your LDL particle size? If you have smaller particles, can you change the size of the ldl particles with diet?My concerns about spirulina (and chlorella) center around toxin production, not copper.VLDL is not considered an accepted risk factor. Getting your LDL cholesterol under 70 is probably the most important target to shoot for (versus size or the other fractions). And any possible link between the VLDL receptor and Alzheimer’s remains an open question.Thank you for all your questions Lachicavegana!re: “…let me know if you’d like me to do more videos…”If you are talking about more videos like this one on saffron and alzheimers, YES, YES, YES! I like to know which foods seem to fight diseases particularly well – especially when the proof is done by a double-blind study. To me, that is mainstream science. Which leads me to the next thought:What I am confused about is the part where you write: “…on the latest science on alternative/complementary medicine.”. How does this video counts as alternative medicine? Isn’t this whole site about how diet can improve our health: both fight and reverse disease? As well as keep us healthy? If so, then either this entire site is alternative medicine or there is nothing special about this video to put it into an ‘alternate’ category. That’s the way it appears to me. I’d be interested to know how I am wrong. Thanks.I also wanted to thank you for this blog post where you put upper limits on what is safe for saffron. Without reading that, I would have thought that the more the better – sort of like you mentioning stuffing a pumpkin pie with as much cloves and cinnamon as you could stand. It’s helpful to know that a little bit of saffron can be great and too much is bad. That’s the kind of thing that you could put into your videos if you allowed them to be longer than 2 minutes. :-) Thanks.I understand what you mean, JJ. Seems these days anything other than drugs and surgery is considered “alternative.” But those drugs kill 100,000 Americans a year (making doctors one of the leading causes of death). Modern medicine can be miraculous, but I only wish that my fellow physicians would try to stay on top of the exciting science out there that isn’t ever going to be presented to them in a drug lunch.This is very interesting. We should talk. I have completed the book The Dynamite Story of Alzheimer’s Recoveries and your information coincides with what I have found! Thank you for coming forth with this information!Amazing article Dr. Greger!. I would like to know what do you think about brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) as an herbal supplement/tea. I had read few articles about this plant and benefits for the brain, specially for anxiety and memory; but I am not sure about the safety for other organs, such as the liver, heart and kidneys. Thank you for this amazing site!Have followup studies been done on the saffron study done in the dictatorial number 1 saffron producing country in the world? I would like to see the results confirmed by second studies outside of Iran.This might be interesting too http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24174977 : The Aqueous Extract of Rhizome of Gastrodia elata Protected Drosophila and PC12 Cells against Beta-Amyloid-Induced Neurotoxicity. In conclusion, our current data presented the first evidence that the aqueous extract of GE was capable of reducing the A β -induced neurodegeneration in Drosophila, possibly through inhibition of apoptosis and reduction of oxidative stress. GE aqueous extract could be developed as a promising herbal agent for neuroprotection and novel adjuvant therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.	Alzheimer's,cholesterol,dementia,phytonutrients,saffron,World Health Organization	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spirulina/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20831681,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8327020,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21438645,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15259204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11377113,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19427775,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18271889,
PLAIN-326	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/04/real-life-contagion/	Contagion: bad timing for CDC report of new swine flu strain	A week before the premiere of Contagion, a star-studded thriller about (spoiler alert!) a pork-borne pandemic, is unfortunate timing for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to announce the identification of a new strain of swine flu in two young American children, a boy and a girl. The girl had visited an agricultural fair in Pennsylvania and had contact with pigs, but the boy who was hospitalized only had contact with someone who themself had contact with pigs two weeks prior, which “suggests the possibility that limited human-to-human transmission of this influenza virus occurred.” The newly identified virus is a hybrid mutant combining a gene from the 2009 pandemic virus with genes from the swine flu virus that emerged and spread throughout factory farms in the United States a dozen years ago. The 2009 influenza pandemic was mild, hospitalizing a quarter million Americans, but killing only about a thousand children. The CDC is on alert for additional cases of the new strain. Forty of my videos on the threat of swine flu can be found at “Flu Factories: Tracing the Origins of the Swine Flu Epidemic.” I’m honored to be presenting at the International Conference on Virology this week and I’ll report back on the latest from the trenches. Today’s and tomorrow’s new NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day speaks to another pig-borne epidemic called neurocysticercosis, pork tapeworms infesting people’s brains. 	Want to know more about the origins of deadly flu pandemics? My book Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching is available free at BirdFluBook.org.Do you get a flu vaccine every year?. Greed got the best of many people. Not a lot of people are paying the price. One really nasty result is someone going to the closing table and finding out that their source of money dried up overnight.All of a sudden, certain markets stabilized. Then they went backwardsGiven the recent transmission of H7N9 to humans in China, what can we expect from this virus?	CDC,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,children,Contagion,epidemic,flu,influenza,neurocysticercosis,pandemic,pigs,pork,swine flu,tapeworms,viruses	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-327	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/03/physician-assisted-suicide-when-doctors-give-nutrition-advice/	Physician-assisted suicide? When doctors give nutrition advice	In our society, we physicians are afforded extraordinary power. “In the case of the United States,” noted an article in the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, “the question of how a profession held in low esteem and mired in a complex and unwieldy competitive system, managed to create a degree of professional sovereignty and social authority unprecedented anywhere else in the world, is a fascinating one.” In surveys over the years doctors have held on to first place in ratings of public regard for 17 occupations (and for some labor day weekend irony, union leaders were held among the lowest). Quoting from the book Women and Doctors: “No other professional in America enjoys the degree of authority that physicians have managed to secure. Almost unquestioned in their judgments, they have been given the authority to exercise power in areas that extend beyond their medical area of competence.” Case in point: nutrition. Physicians have been considered by the public to be the best, most reliable, most credible source of information about nutrition. One survey of consumers found that they preferred the advice about healthy eating habits from their physician over 10 other potential sources including dietitians, the government, and consumer organizations. The sad reality, though, is that most doctors are taught next to nothing on the subject. In the 1950s, “A Survey of the Teaching of Nutrition in Medical Schools” was published: “In most medical schools, organized instruction in nutrition is sadly neglected, despite ‘lip service’ to the contrary.” According to an update published last month, “Unfortunately, this statement is still as true today as it was over 60 years ago.” A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition even tried pitting doctors against patients head-to-head in a test of nutrition knowledge. More than half the patients scored higher than the some of the physicians! In today’s video-of-the-day—”Do Doctors Make the Grade?“—I offer an update on the state of nutrition education in medical school covered in my previous video, “Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance.” 	My grandmother was a victim of the nutritional ignorance of medical profession, as is nearly everyone who develops a chronic disease such as heart disease under the care of a physician. If your own doctor displays signs of nutrition deficiency, they may need prescription from you. Have them take a book like The China Study and call you in the morning.Thanks Dr. Greger for being straight forward and honest about your fellow colleagues. As a medical professional myself (hospital pharmacist) I’m embarrassed by my own profession. I was lucky enough to be exposed to the benefits of plant-based nutrition through reading The China Study myself and have since spent the last 2 1/2 years doing everything I can to educate others on this topic. My goal is to help others get onto a healthy lifestyle and off their medications if at all possible. That’s why I entered the medical profession in the first place – to help people by using the most effective means possible even if it goes against my own profession.Most awesome post Dr. Greger and an excellent response from Mr. Rudolph to which I applaud both of you for your integrity, for keeping an open mind, and for having the courage to advocate publicly for truth in health and healing. I have twin daughters who are currently pursuing medical careers and are in their sophomore year of undergraduate college. They have become acutely aware of nutrition and the pains and losses suffered as a result of a lack thereof.We need more people like you who stand up against the powerful lobbies and corrupt politicians who are ruining our society through their ignorance, greed, and lack of personal integrity.Thank you again!Hi Dr. Gregor, We have a mutual friend, Eric Z. (I know you’ll know who) and found this wonderful resource when I forwarded the web address for The Bird Flu book to some friends. There’s a new movie coming out about a flu pandemic and people are getting scared all over again.Two questions, if I may; Have you seen the movie, ‘Fat Sick and Nearly Dead’ which is available free on Netflix; it chronicles 2 men on a juice fast for 60 days and is creating quite a stir among other people trying it, any comments would be welcome.2: I have Crohn’s disease and have lost my ileum to surgery. Should I adjust my B12 supplements to a higher dose or is what you recommend in your B12 video sufficient?Oh, and if you could offer any suggestions with regards to fibromyalgia, my son suffers from this greatly and we’re stymied as to what to do to help him. In case you run across anything in your research…I am going to get a copy of The China Study now from Amazon. Thank you for this :)Right now I’m honestly torn between two professions. I want to become a dietitian so I can hold a fine education in disease prevention through good nutrition. However, this country is so dumbstruck by the nutritional advice of doctors I am almost considering taking the long road to medical school just to get my voice heard. Any thoughts Greger?As a Registered Dietitian @Eric Needs, I can tell you that while the profession is rewarding, it’s also fraught with challenges and fairly disappointing pay and not much recognition as a “nutrition expert” despite our best efforts. As someone who also went on to get my doctorate in nutrition, I can tell you it was well worth the extra work and I am very thankful I’m no longer “just an RD”. That being said, I would also never give back my 10 years of clinical/patient experiences!While the China Study is very interesting, it is also a source of great controversy for those on the opposite end of the nutrition spectrum. Be on the lookout for those folks to visit your site and proclaim the China study as nonsense (not my personal take on the study). There are many “trolls” who love to stir controversy on a multitude of nutrition/health blogs, as I’m sure you are aware, so hopefully you are prepared for their tactics (typically based on utter nonsense and groups like the Weston A. Price Foundation etc.)Dr. Greger, I appreciate your efforts here. I wish you all the best in maintaining a neutral and balanced voice in the world of pay-to-say nutrition advice.Pingback: Vegan Workplace Intervention | Care2 Healthy Living()Pingback: Vegan Workplace Intervention | Diets-and-Dieting.info()	physicians,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13588298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8899540,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21597916,
PLAIN-328	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/31/bad-egg/	Bad Egg	In 2008, the Harvard Physician’s Health Study, which followed about about 20,000 physicians for 20 years, found that those eating just a single egg a day or more had significantly higher total mortality risk, meaning eating just one egg a day was significantly associated with living, on average, a shorter life. Later that year, that same single serving of egg was significantly associated with death and hospitalization from heart failure. In 2009, it was diabetes. We’d known how bad eggs were for people with diabetes (doubling their risk of death), but it wasn’t until “Egg Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Men and Women”—another Harvard study—that we learned how much eating eggs increases our risk of getting the dreaded disease in the first place. Compared to those eating less than an egg a week, men eating just one a day appear to raise their risk of developing type 2 diabetes 58%, and women, 77% more risk. That’s all old news I’ve covered before (here and here). What’s the latest? Well, whereas the twin Harvard death and diabetes studies followed mostly middle-aged men and women in their early 50s, the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study, published this summer, found that the risk associated with eggs extends well into one’s seventies. And if eggs raise one’s risk of type 2 diabetes so much, what about gestational diabetes, the loss of blood sugar control affecting up to 1 in 10 pregnancies? It was apparently never researched until this year, when a new study found that women eating one egg a day or more doubled their odds. “In conclusion,” the researchers write, “high egg and cholesterol intakes before and during pregnancy are associated with increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus.” 	Not to mention the 100,000+ Americans poisoned by Salmonella-tainted eggs every year. See the Des Moines Register investigation this week on what our government continues to hide from us about last year’s recall of more than a half billion eggs.I have recently read that there is a difference between commercial eggs and farm eggs — I have six chickens that roam freely, and I use the eggs for cooking, for the occasional breakfast, and even for a dinner at least once a week. Am I wrong to think my eggs are healthier? Thanks!I will let Dr. Greger comment on your question, but in my view, the answer is no, you are not wrong.Not all eggs are created equal.I had bookmarked from when I used to eat eggs this very interesting article on Mother Earth News:http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs.aspx“Our testing has found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:• 1⁄3 less cholesterol• 1⁄4 less saturated fat• 2⁄3 more vitamin A• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids• 3 times more vitamin E• 7 times more beta carotene ”Also, I found a link to full research document on the benefits of pastured eggs:Vitamins A, E and fatty acid composition of the eggs of caged hens http://www.windyridgepoultry.com/docs1/eggstudy.pdfMy reaction to “1⁄3 less cholesterol” was: “That means that it still has 2/3 the cholesterol of an abused hen’s egg! and isn’t 2/3 amount of cholesterol still quite significant?” Or not?Similarly at: “2 times more omega-3 fatty acids• 3 times more vitamin E• 7 times more beta carotene” I think those numbers would only be significant if battery eggs had enough say omega-3’s worth talking about. In other words, 2 times almost zero is still almost zero. I don’t know how much omega-3s battery eggs have. I’m just saying that “better” (pasture egg vs battery egg) is not same thing as “good”/healthy.That may be true of pasture-raised birds, but a new study published this summer found no significant difference between cholesterol levels in “free-range” compared to conventional eggs (over 200mg per jumbo egg in each case). Free-range eggs are certainly better from an animal welfare standpoint, and also less likely to be contaminated with Salmonella (the leading cause of food-borne illness related death in the United States), but don’t appear to have less cholesterol, the most important health reason to minimize one’s egg intake.Thanks for clarifying Dr. Greger, I just wanted to jump in and point out that “free-range” eggs are not better in terms of animal welfare. If you have chickens as pets and harvest their eggs, that’s one thing, but “free-range” simply means they’re tortured in a barn before being slaughtered instead of being kept small cages. It’s still disgusting exploitation and none of it is morally acceptable. A topic many don’t want to think about, but I feel it really drives the nail into the coffin for the egg argument. Veg on.Very helpful blog, Dr. Greger. I would find it helpful if the increased risk were put into context against a quantified baseline risk (“baseline risk” being my own non-scientific term). For example, if one egg per day raises “risk of [men] developing type 2 diabetes 58%, and women, 77% more risk,” what are the risks of type 2 with an egg-free diet? Thank you!If you look at the study (available free, full text), you’ll see that diabetes risk depends on a number of factors, including your age, weight, smoking status, alcohol consumption, exercise, meat intake, fruit and vegetable intake, saturated fat intake, trans fat intake, polyunsatarated fat intake, your family history of diabetes, and a medical history of high cholesterol or high blood pressure. So there’s no “one” level of risk. However, even after all those factors were taken into account and controlled for there was still a significant increase in risk for those eating eggs. So whatever other risk factors you have, reducing your consumption of eggs would be expected to further reduce your risk.Thank you sincerely for your response.I had read the article in Mother Earth, I think. I’ll check out the other one. And I do hope to get a response from Dr. Greger as well!Please see my reply to Benjamin above–thanks for your interest in this important topic. More tomorrow!Your information about eggs is very clear to me. However, I was discussing eggs with my mother the other day and she told me that the news said that they have discovered that eggs do not really have all that much cholesterol after all. What do I say to that? Is she referring to a flawed study? An idea to think about: Could you do a video that shows the recent headlines about eggs being healthier than previously thought and then address that? I saw today’s video of the day and it wasn’t clear to me whether or not you were addressing this particular issue. You mention lobbies by the egg industry, but it wasn’t clear to me that you were addressing the new latest study that supposedly showed that eggs do not have as much cholesterol as previously thought.A question: suppose I am able to get an egg from a humane source and from a chicken that eats a natural diet. Then, I make a meringue cookie – using only the egg whites. From a health stand point, do we know if there are problems with the egg while, or is it only the yolk?Thanks!It is true that the latest USDA Nutrient survey found that eggs appear to have less cholesterol (by 14%), but that’s like all these junk food companies bragging “Now with 20% less sugar.” Junk food with 20% less sugar is still junk food (check out the gall of this). For more on misleading food practices, check out this recent editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association co-written by one of my heroes, Marion Nestle.Thank you so much for your reply. That REALLY puts it into perspective. I will be sharing this with my mother.It helped me too. I hadn’t realized that it was only 14% less cholesterol. That’s nothing when the original number was so very high.Yes, it’s important in so many cases to qualify the information we’re gleaning, especially from “news” sources who may be throwing a story out there as prompted by the very industry who wishes to misinform (eg.; the egg-producing industry). As was stated earlier in another response here, one jumbo egg has 200mg of cholesterol. So, doing the math, 14% less would put that same jumbo egg (provided the figure of 14% was derived from the same size egg….see what I mean by qualifying?) at 172mg of cholesterol -still a significant amount from just one source (egg), in my estimation.. tosses yolk instead of whites has it backwards; trust the Dr.Mercola and Perfect Health Diets.I am not a scientist. Reading this article, the first question that sprung to my mind was: How do you know it was the egg that was respondible for increased mortality/risk of diabetes, etc? There could be so many other factors, eg genetics. I keep pet chickens. They are free range, have names and lay wonderful eggs which do not compare in any way to the supermarket egg from a battery chicken. I really feel that the eggs I use are healthy and think it is a case of all things in moderation. I am sure I read a while ago that the type of cholesterol in eggs is good cholesterol. Every new scientific paper seems to cancel out what was stated emphatically in the previous one. I think the only thing we can do is apply common sense. :)You are absolutely right that there are lots of other risk facts (see my reply to jcchavez above). They are able to control for all those listed factors, though, and focus in on the egg consumption. Did they control for everything? No, but Harvard has an excellent record of doing some of the best epidemiology (population-based) research in the world.In terms of the free-range issue and health (yours, not your darling pets!), please see my response above to Benjamin.And there is no “good” or “bad” cholesterol in foods; it’s all bad (i.e. all in excess of what your body needs). When you hear doctors talk about good and bad cholesterol, they’re talking about protein complexes in your blood. The one that deposits cholesterol in your arteries is understandably called bad (LDL) and the one that removes the gunk is called good (HDL) and eating eggs not only increases your LDL (bad), but unfortunately does all sorts of other nasty things as mentioned in the video today.For more on cholesterol, see all the other two dozen or so videos here.Thank you for taking the trouble to reply. That is very interesting and informative.Something for the people with “pet egg laying chickens” to think about: Where are the roosters? Baby male chicks are killed at birth because they are do not lay eggs, and when you buy chicks the hatcheries have already disposed of the male chicks. Also, do you intend to let the chickens live out their full natural lifespan? Did you realise that in the wild, chickens will eat their non fertilized eggs to regain the protein in them? Did you ever stop to think about how weird it is to eat what is essentially a chicken’s “period”? Why not try mixing ground flaxseed in a little water and using that as an egg replacer in baking instead?I find that a tablespoon of ground flax seeds to 3 tablespoons of water is a great cholesterol-free egg substitute. The secret though is that you whip it up together before you use it so it gets all gooey and “egg-like.” Then I’ve found it works great. Anyone else have any favorite egg replacers?Thanks for calling attention to the missing roosters. Many municipalities which allow folks to have have chickens don’t extend that invitation to the roosters, citing noise concerns.Heidi, our chickens are not pets; the only one we have named is the rooster, because he is so gorgeous: Black Beauty. He takes very good care of his hens. When he finds something good to eat, he calls them over, and lets them have it first. Our chickens, dogs, and cats all get along. Why on earth would I make an egg replacer when I have these delicious eggs?I wish this site would allow you to upload pictures! Have any links of the gorgeous boy?Let’s not forget that eggs can be consumed with or without the cholesterol rich yolk. Eggs can provide a very important and inexpensive source of highly bio-available protein, especially to those choosing a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet.Page 2 of the paper describes the survey question asked: Participants were asked to report how often, on average, they have eaten eggs (one) during the past year”. Possible response categories included “rarely/never”, “1-3/month”, “1/week”, “2-4/week”, “5-6/week”, “daily”, and “2+/day”. This information was obtained at baseline, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 months after randomization.There was no option for “I only eat egg whites” or “I do not eat egg yolks or whole eggs.”The authors go on to say: “…infrequent egg consumption up to 6 eggs per week was NOT [my emphasis] associated with MI, stroke, or total mortality in healthy US male physicians. In addition, consumption of 7 or more eggs per week was associated with a modest but significant increased risk of total mortality in this population.”I would argue there are very few Americans eating more than 6 eggs per week, on average, although I have yet to confirm this with the NHANES data. Please correct me if you know those stats.Also, the authors reported “the lack of detailed dietary questionnaire prevent us from controlling for energy and other major nutrients…” Energy intake, obviously, is a huge factor to consider.Lastly, they conclude their article with: “…our data suggest that egg consumption up to 6/week has no major effect on the risk of CVD and mortality and that consumption of 7+/week is associated with a modest increased risk of total mortality in US male physicians.”I am not paid by the egg or poultry folks, or anyone from the food industry, for that fact. I just wanted to point out that some readers may mistake your summary as “avoid eggs at all costs” when in reality, that is not what the research indicates. Egg WHITES from free-range and/or small-farm poultry farms are a reasonable, healthy and socially responsible choice — certainly much more so than eating factory farmed eggs, poultry, beef, pork, or fish — which is the main method of protein intake for the largest majority of Americans.Did you see my coverage of the latest review on the subject (part 1 and part 2), concluding that no one (that isn’t dying from a terminal illness or something) should be regularly eating eggs. It’s true the Physician’s Health Study did not have the statistical power to pick up a significant elevation in risk for eaten less than one egg a day, but from what we know about the effects of dietary cholesterol the ideal upper daily limit of intake is zero (same with trans fats). Having said that, you are absolutely right that there is no cholesterol whatsoever in egg whites.I also often hear about Salmonella infections from vegetables. The FDA estimates that only 1 in 20,000 eggs is infected. Dr. Greger, have you ever studied the history of the hypotheses that dietary saturated fat and LDL are heart health risks? These hypotheses are unproven. No study has shown that reducing LDL levels reduces the risk of heart disease (and I’m including the statin studies).5 meta-analysis of randomized trials as well as cohort studies. Do these not show the positive effects of lowering LDL on CHD risk?http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(05)67394-1/abstracthttp://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61350-5/abstracthttp://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS014067360860104X/abstracthttp://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)60310-8/abstracthttp://www.bmj.com/content/326/7404/1423.fullNo, they don’t is the short answer.Statin drugs were a dream come true for drug makers: they reduce LDL and they reduce the incidence of cardiac events/death. But that doesn’t prove statins work by reducing cholesterol.This is not nit-picking. It is accepted that statins have a “pleiotropic” effect, i.e. they have benefits that are not due to LDL reduction. If you go to a hospital ER complaining of chest pain they will probably immediately give you a statin (Lipitor?) because it has been shown it reduces the risk of plaque rupture. This has nothing to do with LDL reduction: statins take weeks to achieve this. Is it possible that this mechanism explains the benefit in the long term reduction of the incidence of cardiac events/death?It is generally claimed that the more one reduces the LDL the greater the benefit. The A to Z study disproved this for simvastatin, see http://www.thincs.org/Malcolm3.htm#winter2005. It showed that the degree of LDL lowering has no impact on CHD.The benefits claimed for statins are always expressed as relative reductions. The absolute reductions are always small. This invariably means that the “Number Needed To Treat” is a very large number, ~100, which is very poor efficacy for a drug. It means most people taking it will get no benefit. Say for example a study shows that for every 100 people there will be 3 deaths without statin treatment in 5 years but with statins there will be 2 deaths. That is a 33% reduction. One of 100 will survive the 5 years with statins but would have died without. How long will he last after the 5 years. In terms of life expectancy statins add just a few days.As far as actually living longer, I think that has only been proved for men with a history of heart attack or unstable angina. There is little benefit from statins for women and none for women without a CHD history.The issue of cholesterol and lipoprotein fractions as an indicator of CHD risk if far from cut-and-dry: Please see: The Great Fat Debate: Taking the Focus Off of Saturated Fat Journal of the American Dietetic Association – Volume 111, Issue 5 (May 2011) Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH Here is an excerpt: “The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently released a systematic review on the use of biomarkers as intermediate outcomes to infer effects on disease risk. For LDL cholesterol, they concluded that the “data supports the use of LDL as a surrogate end point for some cardiovascular outcomes for statin drug interventions,”—that is, if one is evaluating a statin, one can consider effects on LDL as sufficient to infer effects on some cardiovascular endpoints—“but not for all cardiovascular outcomes or other cardiovascular interventions, foods or supplements.” Thus, the IOM concluded that effects of foods on LDL cholesterol alone were not valid for use as a biomarker to determine effects on disease risk. The IOM report recommended that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) use the same degree of scientific rigor for evaluation of biomarkers across regulatory areas, including for foods. Based on this recommendation, it should no longer be sufficient to show that a food changes one biomarker—eg, cholesterol levels—and then use these data for a health claim. One really must also show evidence for effects on disease outcomes, in a similar manner as we now recognize we must do for drugs.The IOM report also concluded that we must take into account a nutrient’s food source and overall dietary patterns when determining health effects. Thus, focus on a single nutrient such as total fat or saturated fat and its effects on biomarkers, without considering the foods and dietary patterns consumed, can produce misleading conclusions.”Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Apr;93(4):684-8. Epub 2011 Jan 26. The role of reducing intakes of saturated fat in the prevention of cardiovascular disease: where does the evidence stand in 2010? Astrup A, Dyerberg J, Elwood P, Hermansen K, Hu FB, Jakobsen MU, Kok FJ, Krauss RM, Lecerf JM, LeGrand P, Nestel P, Risérus U, Sanders T, Sinclair A, Stender S, Tholstrup T, Willett WC. Free Full Text: http://www.ajcn.org/content/93/4/684.long“The effect of diet on a single biomarker is insufficient evidence to assess CHD risk. The combination of multiple biomarkers and the use of clinical endpoints could help substantiate the effects on CHD. Furthermore, the effect of particular foods on CHD cannot be predicted solely by their content of total SFAs because individual SFAs may have different cardiovascular effects and major SFA food sources contain other constituents that could influence CHD risk. Research is needed to clarify the role of SFAs compared with specific forms of carbohydrates in CHD risk and to compare specific foods with appropriate alternatives.”I think its interesting that it’s acceptable for a statin to lower LDL to be considered as a surrogate endpoint. Where has it ever been shown that the positive effects of a statin on heart disease are a result of LDL reduction. In fact‘Munich, Germany – The Z phase of the Aggrastat to Zocor (A to Z) study has shown disappointing results…Treatment with high-dose simvastatin (Zocor®, Merck) failed to show a significant reduction in the primary composite end point of cardiovascular death, MI, readmission for ACS , or stroke. In addition, the high-dose statin regimen was associated with a higher rate of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis.’That contradicts the hypothesis because LDL was lowered more with the high dose without benefit!It is widely accepted that statins have ‘pleiotropic’ effects, i.e. benefits that have nothing to do with LDL reduction. So it’s nonsense to claim that LDL reduction is an acceptable surrogate endpoint.From the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/food/newsevents/whatsnewinfood/ucm222684.htm“an average of some 50 reports of SE to the CDC each week over the past five years.”That’s 2500/year, not 100,000.Dr.: 142,000 cases of eggborne salmonella every year in the United States according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm170640.htm. I believe you may be mixing up reported cases and actual cases.It would have helped if you had included a citation originally. The link also refers to regulation to reduce the incidence, so that number may now be out of date.From the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6022a5.htm?s_cid=mm6022a5_w“Salmonella causes an estimated 1.2 million U.S. illnesses annually, approximately 1 million of which are transmitted by food consumed in the United States (2). Salmonella can contaminate a wide range of foods …”So the incidence from eggs is <10%. I wonder what percentage is from non-animal sources. You give me the impression of quoting numbers out of context to advance your agenda.Also, the studies about eggs you refer to only established a statistical correlation with eggs, certainly not proof of cause and effect. The studies were controlled for egg consumption and the Harvard Physicians study appears not to have any information about the diets in general. It's a big leap to blame it on eggs.Pingback: Perfect Health Diet » Around the Web; Return of the Carbs Edition()Pingback: Make it a Memorable Mother’s Day for All » FARM Blog()Well, what are you to make of this “little” meta-analysis (263,932 participants) from the BMJ (1/7/13)?:“Higher consumption of eggs (up to one egg per day) is not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke. The increased risk of coronary heart disease among diabetic patients and reduced risk of hemorrhagic stroke associated with higher egg consumption in subgroup analyses warrant further studies.”http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8539“Reduced risk of hemorrhagic stroke associated with higher egg consumption in subgroup”! This is a significant finding and it contradicts many of your videos and posts. You can’t only post articles that reinforce your beliefs, doing so smacks of fanaticism not science. I’m not saying eggs are some panacea food but I am saying this site too often conveniently overlooks other valuable information. If you’re simply touting an ideology because you prefer it, than just be more transparent about it. We all have preferences. But don’t hide your preferences in “science.” That’s deceiving.This aside, I do enjoy this site-even if I don’t always agree with its content.I just read this BMJ study, too, and it contradicts much of what Dr. Greger has established regarding the impact of eggs on heart disease, based on the science he has presented. I would love to see Dr. Greger and other knowledgeable people respond to this huge study. I’m not about to go back to eggs just yet because of the other risks posed by eggs such as increased risk of type 2 diabetes, increased IGF-1 levels, and heterocyclic amines. I look forward to the thoughtful responses of this community.So what do you make of this new study on egg consumption? http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130719083908.htm“The conclusions, published in the journal Nutrición Hospitalaria, confirm recent studies in healthy adults that suggest that an intake of up to seven eggs a week is not associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases,” notes Soriano.Is an egg a day now ok?	cholesterol,diabetes,eggs,gestational diabetes,Harvard,heart failure,mortality,Physician's Health Study	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21324948,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20338738,
PLAIN-329	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/29/soy-and-breast-cancer-an-update/	Soy and breast cancer: an update	We’ve known that regular soy consumption appears to both prevent breast cancer—the number one cancer killer of young women—and prolong survival in women battling the dreaded disease, but we haven’t understood why. Soybeans naturally contain weakly estrogenic compounds called phytoestrogens (derived from phyton, the Greek word for “plant”). So the original theory was that the regular presence of the estrogen look-alikes in our bloodstream might trick our body into ramping down actual estrogen production as part of a negative feedback loop, like a thermostat that shuts off the heat when it senses it’s getting too warm. This theory gained empirical support in 2006 when a group of British researchers showed that indeed the presence of phytoestrogens could effectively down-regulate the enzyme that human cells use to make estrogen (at least in a test tube). The theory fell into disfavor, however, when researchers subsequently failed to show that women who consumed soy ended up with less estrogen circulating in their bloodstream. From a breast cancer standpoint, though, we don’t care how much is in the blood, but how much is in the breast. A new study just published this month measured estrogen levels inside the breasts themselves of women placed on a high versus low soy diet. This was accomplished by aspirating ductal fluid from the nipple, which is what bathes the very cells most likely to turn cancerous. After 6 months, the researchers found a trend towards lower estrogen levels inside the breasts of women eating two servings of soy foods a day. Not only does this aid our understanding of why soy may shield us from cancer, but can help explain the findings presented in today’s new video-of-the-day, which documents new research suggesting young girls drinking soymilk just twice a week may be protected against premature puberty. -Michael Greger, M.D. 	There are also a dozen more videos on soy if folks are interested, including: – Does Tofu Cause Dementia? – Milk Protein vs. Soy Protein – Soy Foods & Menopause – Soy Hormones & Male Infertility – Tofu vs. Tempeh – Waistline Slimming FoodWhy is there so much negative press out there about soy?Heidi,In my opinion, part of it is backlash from the meat and dairy industries who perceive it (rightly) as a threat to their sales. If you quit drinking cow’s milk and start consuming soy milk (the dairy industry doesn’t even want you to use the dreaded term “soy milk”), they’ve just lost a customer. Soy is also widely considered a key, pivotal food (though it doesn’t necessarily have to be) in any vegetarian’s or vegan’s diet. This belief seems to be held by both veg-heads and meat-eaters. If the meat industry can sow the seeds of doubt and fear about soy in the minds of potential vegetarians and thus deter them, they can hold onto a meat-eating customer.There is also the issue that some soy foods are in fact probably over-processed, and as famous health icon Jack LaLanne said, “If man made it, don’t eat it.” That’s a good guideline. Anyhow, personally I enjoy my tofu and my unsweetened, organic soy milk without fear.I sent this blog post to my step sister who is 42 and just out of surgery, radiation and chemo for breast cancer. Here was her reply:“On the article – I generally don’t put much weight on articles about what to eat / not eat as there are so many conflicting views. I’ve seen articles and had nutritionists tell me to avoid soy as ‘studies have found it can cause breast cancer’. So I think it just depends on the person (as in some people may have a different reaction to soy / dairy / etc than others). My personal take on it is there is no prescription for what you should eat (assuming you have a healthy diet to start with, which I think I do) or what you should do other than not internalizing stress. Many of the people I’ve met who’ve had cancer were thin, athletic, vegetarian, etc before they were diagnosed – have yet to meet a fat, alcoholic hamburger guzzling person who smokes 5 packs a day who has cancer, so maybe I should start reconsidering my healthy options ;-)”This reply kills me. I really like my step sister. As much as I want to reduce the human population, I’d really like my step sister to make it. How does one reply to something like this? Or maybe there is no reply? She has already made up her mind and facts are not going to change it, because she believes that she has already been given plenty of contradictory facts. What to do???As something of an aside question, ARE there really any studies that show that soy *causes* breast cancer?Thanks for anyone’s thoughts on this.I want to share another response that I got when I tried to tell a co-worker that eating soy was healthy. The response was that too many brands of soy/tofu have hexane in them.I did some research on hexane and while some websites seem to imply that hexane is only used in soybean oil production, other websites say that hexane can be found in products like tofu. Do you know how prevailant the problem of hexane is? How bad is hexane? How can it be avoided and still get one’s soy?I’d also like to ask about soy and genetically modified food. I get organic soy which I understand to mean that it can’t be a GMO. But my parents are asking about how important it is to avoid GMO food. Cost is an issue for them. I’ve seen websites that say that GMO foods have been shown to cause lots of problems. Are there any studies that link GMO food, especially soy/tofu, to health problems?Thanks for any thoughts you may have!Two more responses. I sent this blog post to an older cousin who had breast cancer a couple of years ago. She is not a doctor, but she works at a hospital and considers herself well-informed. This was her response:“Completely opposite from what I’ve heard but may have to do with the type of breast cancer. I’ll review and let you know what I think.”I also sent this blog post to a co-worker who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She went through her first chemo treatment recently and it turns out that it completely wiped out her immune system. This is my co-worker’s response:“Chemo, unfortunately, does not distinguish between normal fast-growing cells, and cancer cells. White blood cells are among those, and the chemo knocked my white cell count almost to nothing and I got very, very sick. An immune system is a beautiful thing, I have discovered. I ended up in the hospital on Friday, but was well enough to be at home by Sunday, but am under a quarrantine of sorts through Wednesday. I have lots of time on my hands here, so appreciate the reading material. Soy is one of those products that absolutely has a lot of medical people divided over its safety and effectiveness related to breast health.”Her story puts things in perspective, but it is the last sentence that I want to point out. All of these responses seem to show that spreading the word about healthy eating is a HUGE uphill battle. People are very confused and are getting lots of conflicting information – or are not getting conflicting info and are simply told flat out (as yet another co-worker was told): “Do not eat soy period.”What to say to people like this? Nothing? Is it worth spreading this information at all? I’m feeling rather depressed about it after only a few interactions. I can only imagine what you have gone through. What would it take to educate the doctors and nutritionists?JJ, in response to people who have responded to you, I recommend you go through all the other videos Dr. Greger posted about breast cancer and show them the studies. Even I am skeptical when someone shows me an article but a study is more scientific. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=breast+cancerThanks Toxins. I’ve seen them all several times. I’m not the one that needs the education. :-)I posted this not to educate you, but for you to show your friendsI think one of the reasons there is so much division amongst healthcare (sickcare) professionals about nutritional issues is that they have no grounding in the concept of holistic thinking on health (nor nutritional education in the first place).GPs get told by an industry dairy contains high calcium so to their fragmented way of thinking more dairy = more calcium = stronger bones and less osteo. They don’t consider the other acid forming effects of dairy consumption and what effect that may have on bone health, or health in general.Besides MDs are there to treat symptoms and disease not cure it. Hence the rejection of the work on heart disease by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. M.D, a former heart surgeon who embarked on a quest to cure heart disease which he was became aware surgery was not doing. The very hospital where he was head of surgery for years was the slightest bit interested in a cheaper and more effective control over heart disease which effectively cut out the high-rollers club of heart surgeons.I tweeted today that I really enjoy the taste of my Organic Soy Milk and got several responses. One said that Soy is bad for me. The other told me that only fermented soy should be eaten.I am confused.Dear Jana: Hope you are doing well. Regarding your question, I encourage you to watch this videos currently available at the site: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/, http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/soymilk-suppression/, http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/waistline-slimming-food/ They will give you a great amount information regarding the benefits associated with soy milk consumption.I read your info on soy and women with breast cancer. As a women fighting the illness i have to say your not really giving us any real information here. What studies are you referring to so we can research them ourselves? I myself am on estrigen lowering shots once a month. I have already used tamoxifin and femara for 5 years each with positive results. So why would i want to eat any estrogen plant or otherwise? I am interested in what facts you have to share with us. I understand that eating soy before bc is a good thing as the gentler plant estrogen blocks the bodies harshier estrogen and thereby protecing the body from the estrogen. Althogh not all bc’s are estrogen receptive making this issue for some a non issue, but for me my bc is estrogen receptive. So you can understand why i am interested in what you have to say. But am a little flustrated in what little your really telling us in this blog and in your 2 min video. Thanks in advanceKelleymac, I recommend viewing the other videos Dr. Greger posted about breast cancer because they will give you a full profile of soy and other foods to eat. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=breast+cancerKelleymac: Sorry for all the health problems you are dealing with.You wrote: “What studies are you referring to so we can research them ourselves?” Check out the “Sources Cited” block under each specific video. He usually lists the specific stud(ies) and where possible, even provides links to the study. The trick is, you have to click the “sources cites” text in order to make the sources appear. (It’s true.)I’m not sure if you’ve seen the following video, but I think this is the one that talks about soy and tamoxifin (I didn’t re-listen to it). If so, then there are definitely sources cited and you can then look at the original study to see if you think it applies to you or not. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/soy-breast-cancer-survival/Hope this helps. Good luck.I AM CONCERNED ABOUT SOY AFTER READING CHAPTER 11 ISOFLAVONES AND HUMAN ESTROGEN RECEPTOR: WHEN PLANTS SYNTHESIZE MAMMALIAN HORMONE MIMETICS. PATRICIA DE CREMOUX AND YVES JACQUOT @ UNIV. PIERRE & MARIE CURIE – 2 MOST ACTIVE GENISTEIN METABOLITES ARE EQUOL AND O-DMA AND THAT O-DMA PRODUCED BY 80% OF POPULATION AND EQUOL BY 30-40% OF THE POPULATION SUGGESTING INTER INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. – IT IS GUT BACTERIA DEPENDENT. – GLUCURONID > 80% OF ELIMINATED FORM OR SULFATE CONJUGATED AGLYCONES ELIMINATED URINE AND BILE. HOWEVER, BACTERIA CAN CATALYZE DECONJUGATION LEADING TO RE-ABSORPTION THROUGH ENTEROHEPATIC RECYCLING. ACCORDINGLY, A SECOND PLASMA PEAK THAT CORRESPONDS TO RE-ABSORPTION IN BILE IS USUALLY OBSERVED. FINALLY, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT ISOFLAVONOID AGLYCONES DISTRIBUTE EASILY IN FAT TISSUE, SUGGESTING THAT RETENTION CAN OCCUR IN WOMAN WITH HIGH BODY MASS INDEX. THIS IS FROM CHAPTER 11. CHAPTER 10 BY AN ITALIAN GROUP STATED OK GENISTEIN PRE-MENOPAUSAL WHEN THERE IS MORE ESTROGEN BINDING TO ER-ALPHA IT PREFERS ER-BETA. POST MENOPAUSAL IT WILL OCCUPY ER-ALPHA. I AM POST MENOPAUSAL SO NATURALLY I AM CONCERNED. IT COULD BE THAT JAPANESE ARE PROTECTED FROM OTHER DIETARY HABITS LIKE HIGH OMEGA 3 & LOW OMEGA 6 DIET ALONG WITH GREATER VEGETABLE INTAKE. I AM A RECENT CONVERT OF YOURS TO VEGAN. CAN YOU OR YOUR TEAM GIVE ME FEEDBACK? THE BOOK IS ISOFLAVONES: CHEMISTRY, ANALYSIS, FUNCTION AND EFFECT EDITED BY VICTOR R. PREEDY 2013. YOU CAN READ MOST OF IT ON GOOGLE SCHOLAR.Can lunasin really lower cholesterol and help prevent some cancers? And is it necessary/helpful to take a pure lunasin supplement to get the full benefits?My mom was diagnosed with HER positive breast cancer and received chemotherapy and a double mastectomy. Would phytoestrogens reduce or increase her risk for getting the cancer again? She worries about consuming soy products.Hi Elizabeth. I wrote about soy foods in a new post. I think a few servings of whole soy foods are perfectly safe and healthful to consume, and it may even be helpful for cancer survivors. See if my post helps, but in short, to help answer your question, there would be no increased risk. Let me know if I can offer more suggestions? Thanks for your comments.Sincerely, Joseph	breast cancer,estrogen,phytoestrogens,puberty,soy,soy milk,soya milk	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16965912,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21742946,
PLAIN-330	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/28/soymilk-shake-it-up/	Soymilk: shake it up!	When I treasure hunt through the medical literature every year, there are three qualities I find myself using most often to sift the year’s nutritional nuggets into video form. Is it groundbreaking? Is it interesting? Is it practical? In this week’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, for example, one of the most respected nutrition researchers in the world showed once again a plant-based diet could effectively replace cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor. No doubt interesting and useful information, but been there, done that. New studies on aluminum contamination in dairy and scombroid poisoning from canned tuna? Yawn. Covered both back in my volume 3 DVD. Then there are the study results that may be interesting and innovative (dog rose berries have five times more antioxidants than blueberries?), but not practical to put into daily practice (what the heck are dog rose berries?). I’m always on the lookout for papers that have real-world implications, data with the potential to affect life’s day-to-day decisions. That’s the reasoning behind my HHH series, presenting the latest data on whether various foods and substances are bad for you, neither good nor bad, or good for you: Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful? – Acrylamide – Airborne® Supplements – alfalfa sprouts – artificial butter flavor – artificial colors – artificial sweeteners – betel nuts – black pepper – carob – chili peppers – chocolate – citric acid – cocoa powder – coconut oil – cod liver oil – coffee – dates – dragon fruit – fish oil supplements – folic acid supplements – gluten – glyconutrient supplements – goji berries – gum arabic – Herbalife® supplements – hibiscus tea – iron pills – kimchi – kombucha tea – licorice – lutein supplements – lycopene supplements – mangosteen juice – matcha tea – MSG – multivitamin supplements – noni juice – osmanthus tea – Nutrasweet® – peanut butter – plastics – red tea – selenium supplements – sodium benzoate – soy with breast cancer – spirulina supplements – star fruit – stevia – sweet potatoes – tea – tulsi tea – vaseline – vinegar – vitamin C supplements – vitamin D supplements – vitamin E supplements – white potatoes – yerba maté – zinc gel for colds. Today’s new video-of-the-day is in this “hands-on tips for daily living” category. My goal is for NutritionFacts.org to provide not just the latest in nutrition, but the latest in applied nutrition. 	To navigate to other popular topics, check out our Tropical Storm Irene sized tag cloudHoly miracle, that’s a fantastic list! ♥Pingback: Nutrition Facts for New Vegans | Vegan Mainstream()Can u do a harmful, harmless, helpful video on Nutritional Yeast?  (Does it affect gut flora? MSG reaction? digestive distress, candida? etc)what is the best substitute for milk that i can use on my kids smoothies etc , using organic obviously would it be soy milk , rice milk , almond milk , coconut milk ? would love some adviceVery confused, Soy good or bad? http://jjvirgin.com/3449/dark-side-americas-favorite-health-food-2/Dirk: I recommend looking at the videos on this site that talk about soy. All of these videos have a section under them for “Sources Cited”. Plus, these videos are presented by someone (Dr. Greger) who has done extensive nutritional research for years and years.After watching those videos, I think you might come to the conclusions that 2-3 servings a day of traditional soy products (like tofu, tempeh, soy milk) is very good for you. It’s not necessary to eat soy, but there are some benefits – especially if you start young and/or have or want to prevent breast or prostate cancer.You may want to stick to organic soy foods.One thing your link got right – the junk food products out there with some soy in it (ice cream, fake meats etc.), those are not healthy. But that doesn’t mean all soy is bad for you. That would be like saying that beets are bad for you because beet sugar is bad for you. Silly argument.Hope that helps.Many of the issues raised in the link are either not relevant to soy, or are completely false. Soy does not have a negative hormonal affect, it can help prevent many types of cancers.Nobody is saying that soy ice cream and soy meat substitutes are healthful, these are highly processed foods and the author tends to condemn all of soy for this processed food group. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/Thanks for the replies. Moderation good, excess bad as with most things in life. Stay away from the processed food.Dog rose are rose hips! They are in most herbal teas. I think they are even in your Berry Zinger tea. They are on par with alma in antioxidant activity I doubt that they are as effective though, because so little is said about them. They could be used as a medicine and I feel that they have their own suite of health benefits left to be discovered, perhaps with regards to infection and sickness, not chronic heart health.	aluminum,blueberries,cholesterol,dairy,dog rose berries,Dr. Jenkins,JAMA,Lipitor,scombroid poisoning,soy milk,tuna	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21679842,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21862744,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21535864,
PLAIN-331	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/24/how-to-live-longer-in-four-easy-steps/	How to live longer in four easy steps	The CDC published a paper this week in the American Journal of Public Health suggesting that eating healthy, exercising regularly, and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol intake can add more than a decade to our lives. And the criteria were not very strict. One could meet the “regular exercise” definition by exercising just 3 times a week, and even “never smoked” allowed smoking up to 100 cigarettes. Having a “healthy diet” just meant meeting the outdated and wishy-washy USDA food pyramid guidelines. Still, though, despite the lax definitions, fewer than 5% of Americans achieved all four minimal healthy behaviors. In my video-of-the-day today I detail just how SAD the Standard American Diet is. Previous studies looking at the impact of healthy lifestyles on extending one’s lifespan used different dietary criteria. The ARC study, for example, in their paper “Turning Back the Clock,” just rewarded fruit and vegetable intake (indeed, last week another study was published showing that vegetable consumption may reduce telomere erosion). The Healthy Aging (HALE) study likewise gave points for plant foods but also penalized for meat or dairy, while EPIC measured the levels of vitamin C in people’s blood, a decent proxy for healthy eating since it’s a nutrient found almost exclusively in plants. Today’s video-of-the-day details an elegant healthy eating index based on phytonutrient density. Find out what most people score, and how to turn your own diet into a “perfect 10.” 	Brilliant. The resources continue to amaze me. The video pie chart made such a statement about our common SAD diets. Shocking. But it *is* easy and possible to change. Often, thinking about it is the hard part. But simply doing it, in small steps, really does work. ♥I agree with the “just do it” sentiment. I suggest folks check out Dr. Barnard’s 21 Day Kickstart for that kind of action-oriented approach.I wanted to thank you for posting this great info for free, I am hoping my non vegan friends and family will finally listen to your life saving information!I hope your vegan friends will too! In the age of vegan doughnuts most everyone can work on improving their diets :)Dr Greger, Is there something that can be done to reverse the amount of telomeres already shortened?Elizabeth–Dr. Gregor discusses the possibility of reversing the shortening of telomeres by stimulating telomerase with a vegan diet: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/I recently heard a reference to this article published over a year ago. I am somewhat new to this site, so I am not sure if this study has been discussed before. An article in The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (Vol 62, Issue 3, March 2014) states that animal protein is beneficial to older men. This study was conducted in Japan and indicated that daily intake of animal protein may help prevent functional decline in elderly men. This study sites 2 others (Protein intake and incident frailty in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, J Am Geriatric Society 2010 and Dietar protein intake and subsequent falls in older men and women: The Framingham Study, J Nutriton Health and Aging 2011) as supporting correlation (not causation) between animal protein consumption and functionality in the elderly. On p. 423, the article does state that “Men with the lowest intake of animal protein tended to have greater intake of energy, carbohydrates, and carbohydrate-containing food (rice, bread, noodles) and lower intake of potassium, vegetable, and fruits than men who had the highest intake of animal protein.” It goes on to state that men with lower animal protein intake have a tendency to eat a less-healthy diet. So is it the increase in animal protein or the overall, healthier diet, that includes more fruits and vegetables?	alcohol,CDC,diet score,exercise,food pyramid,healthy eating index,lifespan,longevity,phytochemicals,phytonutrients,smoking,Standard American Diet,telomeres,vitamin C	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=21857007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=17602933,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21852630,
PLAIN-332	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/23/can-antioxidant-rich-spices-counteract-the-effects-of-a-high-fat-meal/	Can antioxidant-rich spices counteract the effects of a high-fat meal?	In this month’s Journal of Nutrition, researchers at Penn State report on their experiment in which overweight men were fed a high-fat (chicken) meal with or without a healthy dose of herbs and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and oregano. This was to see what effect they might have on antioxidant status and metabolism. The reason they chose spices is because they’re among the most concentrated sources of antioxidants, as I’ve covered in previous videos (though it probably didn’t hurt that the study was funded by the McCormick® spice company). Not surprisingly, the spice group experienced a doubling of the antioxidant power in their bloodstream compared to those eating an otherwise identical meal without spices. Remarkably, though, the spice group experienced a reduction in postprandial (after a meal) lipidemia (fat levels in the blood)–30% lower triglyceride levels (click here for a larger view). Over time, this could decrease heart disease risk. The researchers conclude with the sentence: “Therefore, the incorporation of spices into the daily diet may help normalize postprandial disturbances in glucose [sugar] and lipid [fat] homeostasis [control] while enhancing antioxidant defense.” Why experience such disturbances in the first place, though? Yes, another new study found, it’s particularly important for those who smoke to eat lots of greens to reduce cancer risk, but it needn’t be one or the other. An antioxidant-rich plant-based diet offers the best of both worlds. To exaggerate the effects of the spices in the study, the researchers instructed the control group to eat a diet especially low in antioxidants. So they could eat all the meat, dairy, and eggs they wanted, white bread and pasta too, as long as it was “not whole grain,” and rice as long as it was “not…brown.” They could have soup, as long as they “avoid[ed] listed veggies.” The only vegetables that were allowed in unlimited quantities were iceberg lettuce and cucumbers. In my new video-of-the-day today, I pit iceberg lettuce against the best animal foods have to offer, with some surprising results. For example, which has more antioxidants: eggs or Coca Cola®? There is a meat that can beat out iceberg lettuce, but even ox livers–the wild blueberry of the animal kingdom–pale in comparison to the antioxidant content of a candy bar. 	I think this may explain how East Indians can eat so much ghee, white flour naan and white rice and maintain slender, healthy bodies (in general). I do love tumeric.Tragically, the chronic disease burden in India is rapidly increasing thank in part to the Westernization of their diets, but you’re absolutely right that spices are one of the components of their traditional diets thought to be protective.Hi Dr. Greger,Many thanks for this truly amazing and groundbreaking website.I was wondering if you could discuss fiber. People on a good veg diet normally take in lots of the stuff, but I was wondering if you can have too much of a good thing, with possible negative impacts on the effectiveness of your digestion and nutrient assimilation?Got one of your DVD’s recently and have watched and enjoyed it numerous times. Please keep up your extremely important work.I do have a few videos on fiber, but given its importance I should do more. Thanks for your suggestion–keep an eye on the site and I’ll post some fiber videos soon.Thank you!Love your last name :)Thanks. I had my name for breakfast this morning, along with blueberries, almonds, and unsweetened organic soy milk (lol).Wow–power breakfast! Sounds delish.Michael, Have you heard of “The Indian Slow Cooker” book by Anupy Singla?? It is NEARLY vegan and You don’t need oil. She uses dried beans in the recipes and all the super, healing spices. The recipes are SIMPLE and tasty and cheap. I have blogged through many of them. I actually had kind of given up cooking, leaning more toward raw foods, until her book came out and then I cooked slow cooker food everyday. But it is like a miracle book for people who don’t want to spend a lot, as you can buy organic dried beans, and the veggies for next to nothing. PLUS she is coming out with an ALL vegan book next year, as she eats mostly vegan anyway. But her current book is so perfect for busy people who say they have no time to eat anything healthy and who have no money. And she is getting into health, as many peeps she knows do have troubles from the dairy laden Indian food.Sounds delicious–thanks so much for the tip! Anyone else have any favorite cookbooks they want to share?Oh my…back when I was eating SAD, I poo-poo’d spices!To help me prepare food that is as fresh/full of nutrients as possible, I reference Dr. Gabriel Cousens’ recipes in his book: Rainbow Green, Live-Food Cuisine♥Not familiar with that one, but I added a library link to it. Indeed, in some ways the more colorful and flavorful one’s diet is the healthier it may be!Cookbooks! Started out with the recipes in Esselstyn‘s Prevent or Reverse Heart Disease, then added The New McDougall Cookbook. These were wonderful teachers for a beginner. More recently I am really enjoying Veganomicon by Moskowitz & Romero, 2 vegan chefs — Appetite for Reduction, also by Isa Chandra Moskowitz — and Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau . These latter 3 do have some fats for sauteeing and some salt, but it’s easy to adjust for it.Can’t wait to hit the library–thanks!★ As a big fan, I just learned that there is no concrete scientific evidence that antioxidants positively effect human health. Is this true?	antioxidants,chicken,cinnamon,cloves,Coca Cola,eggs,ginger,greens,lettuce,oregano,Penn State,plant-based diet,spices,triglycerides	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cloves/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21092390,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21697300,
PLAIN-333	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/22/the-last-heart-attack-perfect-timing-for-the-launch/	The Last Heart Attack: Perfect timing for the launch of NutritionFacts.org	Though bumped last night due to developments in Libya, the new CNN documentary The Last Heart Attack features Bill Clinton’s attempts to reverse his heart disease with a plant-based diet. In From omnivore to vegan: The dietary education of Bill Clinton CNN details Dr. Dean Ornish’s tough love but not-so-tough dietary plan. Having “believe it or not, more energy,” the former President describes, “I like the vegetables, the fruits, the beans, the stuff I eat now.” Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., director of the Cleveland Clinic’s cardiovascular prevention and reversal program is quoted as saying heart disease is a “completely preventable foodborne illness,” arguing that an optimal diet could eliminate our number one killer. What greater testament to the power of eating healthy could there be? This program and others are helping to bring this understanding into the mainstream. The purpose of NutritionFacts.org is to help people take control of their health, to translate the best available new science into practical steps people can take in their day-to-day lives to improve the well-being of themselves and their families. Our first video-of-the-day today documents how plant foods average 64 times more antioxidants than meat, fish, eggs, and dairy–reason enough to transition towards a more plant-based diet. Despite the convergence of evidence, there continues to be resistance within the medical community. CNN’s The ‘heart attack proof’ diet? quotes Michele Simon suggesting that the conventional diets of many physicians may disincline them towards pushing their patients to eat healthier. Indeed there is evidence that smoking physicians are less likely to ask their patients to quit, for example, and doctors who eat more fat are less likely to counsel their patients about the dangers of cholesterol. NPR’s health blog conceded that studies show a plant-based diet can lower the risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “But many of those studies,” dismissed NPR’s Nancy Chute, “though peer-reviewed, were conducted by researchers who are advocates of diets free of animal products.” That’s like the tobacco industry rejecting lung cancer research done by those advocating smoking cessation. Maybe they’re advocates because such diets can… lower the risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. 	Please let us know if you experience any glitches on the site, if any of the Sources Cited links don’t work, or there is anything at all you can suggest to make the site even more helpful and user-friendly.Congratulations on the new website ! I’ve invited everyone I know to the launch and plan to post the videos on Facebook as well. See you at the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival in October !I’m looking forward to it! My speaking schedule can be found at DrGreger.org/dates.htmlCongratulations! Looking forward to experiencing this project for a long, long time! Thank you!You are absolutely welcome! That is definitely the intent, to become a regular reliable source of daily dietary inspiration. Let me know if there are any topics you’d like me to cover in particular.What a perfect blog post. Thank you SO MUCH. We need you more than ever!(All links opened. Some links opened in the same tab as your blog post, so I’d click the back button to get back to, and continue reading, your blog post. Some links opened in their own new tab, which I love, so I can also keep reading your blog post.)You are going to be a daily read and watch for me–and I plan on sharing you with many others! ♥Thanks to you I went back and made sure all of the links were set to open in new tabs/windows. Don’t want you suffering whiplash from having to go back and forth! :)my first visit.i like what i see so far,and will be checking this sight a lot more oftenThanks for leaving a comment–I’m glad you’re finding it useful.It will be revealing to hear what the President has to say about his diet. Last he spoke of it, it was pesco-vegan if I recall. Strict no-fat vegan with occasional fish. Conceptually this seems like it may be ideal for many health issues, if one is careful to source fish low in the food chain (minimal heavy metal contamination), rich in n3, B12, D, etc.What did everyone think of the documentary?!I thought it was really important that this issue was aired mainstream.However.They featured The South Beach Diet physician/author, which touts an animal-based diet.This perpetuates ongoing confusion, I think, as to what to do about ones health.Gah.Great message for everyone to hear. I personally adhere more to the Seventh Day Adventist variant of a plant based diet – I like nuts, and think they are health promoting. That being said, I do see the merit in this strict fat-free “reversal” diet for those where clinically indicated, but it is not practical or required for the general population.Dr. Ornish thankfully messaged this when talking of the “spectrum” approach. If our fellow Americans do not get some fat in their diet (from the veg kingdom of course) they will not stick with this in my opinion. I’ll go one step further to say it is probably more healthy for the majority of individuals to eat plant based diet with good fat sources than no fat.I would have liked that to have been made a little bit more clear.I saw “The Last Heart Attack” and I was wondering what you thought about what Dr. Arthur Agatston said in the show, as he’s the inventor of the South Beach Diet, I’m wondering how credible his idea that the size of cholesterol particles and your cholesterol number doesn’t matter.	animal products,Caldwell Esselstyn,Dean Ornish,diabetes,heart disease,last heart attack,Michele Simon,Nancy Chute,obesity,plant-based diet,Sanjay Gupta,vegan	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1983933,
PLAIN-334	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/05/nutritionfacts-org-still-in-beta-testing-mode/	NutritionFacts.org still in Beta testing mode	We’re still working out some kinks on the site but expect to launch officially within the next few weeks (when I’ll start uploading new videos daily). You can help by giving the site a spin! Please report any glitches you find and offer any suggestions you might have on how we can improve the site on our facebook page. 	Thank you for this. I’m getting all the info I need for my medical practice. This is better than the last 2 DVD’s. And easier to access. Thank you so much for making the role of diet so clear in PREVENTION.So nice to hear from another prevention oriented doc. Please let me know if you come across anything in your practice you’d like me to share.Been losing too much weight on vegan, high fiber, no oil diet. What hi carb but low sugar diets (to reduce tryglycerides) would be worthwhile?Try eating a starch based diet. The primary meal would be composed of complex cabohydrates and other vegetables.	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-335	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/04/15/welcome-to-nutritionfacts-org/	Welcome to NutritionFacts.org!	Twenty years ago I changed my diet. It was the year Dr. Dean Ornish published his landmark study showing that our number one killer could be reversed with simple lifestyle changes. Every year since, another 100,000 Americans have dropped dead from heart disease—needlessly. I wanted to help change that. So I went to study at Cornell, home of nutrition pioneer T. Colin Campbell. Then on to study medicine at Tufts, the medical school boasting the most nutrition training in the nation (a measly 22 hours out of hundreds of days of preclinical instruction). Ten years ago, after I completed my postgraduate medical training, I started traveling around the country speaking at community centers, hospitals, and medical schools about the power of healthy eating to prevent, treat, and even cure many of the chronic diseases plaguing the Western world. Five years ago I wrote my first book on nutrition and started a monthly newsletter that morphed into an annual DVD series, in which I review the latest science in the field of nutrition. And now, thanks to the Jesse and Julie Rasch Foundation, I’m able to bring it all online. All the proceeds I have ever received from my books, DVDs, and speaking engagements have always gone to charity and always will. For me, it’s always just been about getting this potentially life-changing, life-saving information into as many people’s hands as possible, and NutritionFacts.org allows me to do that like never before. For years now, I’ve scanned through practically every issue of every (English-language) nutrition journal in the world. More than 5,000 papers are published on human nutrition in the scientific literature every year. Of those, I end up saving, sorting, and scrutinizing at least a thousand of the most groundbreaking, interesting, practical papers and then translate their findings into hundreds of new topical videos every year to document the most recent advances in evidence-based clinical nutrition. 	What a great new site Dr. Greger! I rarely, if ever, read blogs, but since I am interested in everything you have to say, I must say I enjoyed it and getting to know a little more about you and how your work came about. Thanks for all I have learned from you!There will be a lot more where that came from! :)I have enjoyed the nutrition DVD’s for a number of years. I have tried to share this with friends. Now I can forward this site to others. We have a health care crisis. It does not matter what system, private or national, if we do not make changes we will be in greater trouble. The Forks over Knives film will help. So will this. It is great to see solutions coming. Thanks for the dedication and commitment to all of us. Now I’ll go eat my broccoli (for Bush).That was definitely a key impetus behind the creation of NutritionFacts.org–to facilitating the sharing of this critical information. It’s not enough to just scour the journals and dig this stuff out. We need to get it out into the world.Aren’t you afraid of the animal (cow, chicken, fish, milk, egg, oils) industry? If people live and eat on your recommedations, they are in jeopardy of losing their shirts and everything else. Ditto for the USA economy.olhg1: Personally, I would say the USA economy is facing a far greater challenge from sick people than it would face from loosing factory farms. We are also in danger from climate change, which would be helped greatly if we could make factory farms disappear…I heard that the health industry is one-sixth of the US economoy. The “Food” industry has to be at least 75% of the economy.Yay! I very much welcome this site as a reliable and readily accessible source of information. Just finished watching this year’s DVD and so appreciate the countless hours you spend sifting through the material I would never begin to fathom! This site will be even more accessible. Thanks to all involved in bringing it to us!Accessibility is certainly another component. Subscriptions to top nutrition journals each cost literally hundreds of dollars a year. And most libraries don’t carry them. Even if the journals were accessible, though, the language they’re written in isn’t. The overuse of technical jargon in scientific journals perpetuates this professional monopoly on information—which may be fine if you’re talking about theoretical physics, but medical information, nutrition information can be life-or-death—it should be available and accessible to everybody.This is a fabulous resource for the public! Thank you so much, Dr. Greger and the Jesse & Julie Rasch Foundation, for making it available, at no cost, in this format. I am a healthcare practitioner and will certainly spread the good news to my patients.Thanks for leaving a comment. I know how challenging it can be to have a clinical practice and keep up with the literature. This site was designed for both patients and practitioners–though primarily I guess for those who don’t want to become patients in the first place! :)This is a wonderful site! Thank you.MaryI’m so glad you like it!yes, a BIG thank you for all the work that you put into this. The information that you have provided in your DVDs has been very helpful in the work that I do (invaluable in fact). This site has just taken it a step further!You are absolutely welcome. What kind of work do you do?Michael, my job’s getting easier, thanks to you! Today I received your DVD, Latest in Clinical Nutrition Volume 5, however this resource eclipses the DVD’s by making the information accessible, right in the consultation. My doubting patients have nowhere left to hide! Thanks for your tremendous efforts. Dr Andrew MorrisI’m so glad you’ve found it useful. Getting all my nutrition work online has long been a dream of mine and I can’t believe it’s finally come true!What a great initiative. You not only give the information, but also the references to back it up. That is what I was looking for, because people in general want to see ‘prove’. Thank you and the Jesse & Julie Rasch Foundation very much for making this possible. HeleenThe field of nutritional science is not immune to commercial influence and bias, but science is the best tool we have to get to the truth of the matter. Unfortunately due to copyright issues I can’t post the full-text of all the sources, but I’ve got a blog topic queued up as to how to track them down. I’m so glad you appreciate what we’ve done here.Busy worthwhile goal, Dr. Greger! To boost your wellness throughout as you do it, I’ll e-send you the 6 daily, newest fundamentals I’ve compiled: you might want to see how you measure up :)Lauren Bateman MS,RN,CNSOoh, why don’t you post them here so everyone can benefit!Great idea, Dr. Greger! As a Nurse Consultant, I’ve figured out most of the illnesses are unnecessary and can get fixed, doing these 6 daily lifestyle basics! : 1) drink enough: take half your weight and that’s how many ounces to drink of preferably quality spring water. Spread it throughout your awake hours. 2) breathe right: long exhales now and then throughout the day. check out http://www.drweil.com for breathing exercises to do that takes no extra time since you breathe anyway! :) 3) think positive and modestly, enjoy simple things, appreciate what is rather than what isn’t or shouldn’t be, and be realistic with expectations… 4) exercise: this is time consuming, but feels sooo good! work up to 60 minutes a day of brisk walking, dancing, active yoga, or your choice: as long as it works your heart and lungs and muscles. 5) eat the rainbow: variety, colors, in season, local, garden…you get the picture. Let’s all eat just plants from the land to see how healthy we get quickly, stop cruelty to animals, and feed the world/end famine…true peace on earth 6 and the end): sleep: darkness, quiet or white noise, sleep long … whenever we can. Questions, comments? lb.swic@gmail.comYou have some lucky patients given this kind of good common-sense guidance! I would certainly reiterate the hour-a-day seven days a week minimum exercise prescription and plant-based diet, though I’d suggest folks drink green (or white) tea instead. Has all the water of water, but is also packed with antioxidant goodies (after all in a sense it’s just dark green vegetables steeped in water! :).Ooh, and I must add: let’s do, say, consume and think in moderation, and get laughter and love in life as much as we can…and how can I forget: check back labels so you can avoid high fructose corn syrup (even in some Gatorade!), and partially hydrogenated oils (in lots of packaged crackers and cookies and stuff)! lb.swic@gmail.comAvoiding all added sugars and trans fats is certainly good advice–thanks so much for sharing your tips!Absolutely, Dr. Greger! Best yet, to get all the antioxidants, let’s all steep white or green tea in room temperature spring water! By the way, just made a mushroom, onion, quinoa, walnuts and parsley dish that was easy, quick and delicious!Whoa–that sounds delicious! Care to post the recipe? You’re making me hungry :)Congratulations, Dr. Greger! I just received the 5 Clinical Nutrition dvds and I’m so happy to have all the knowledgeable information that you provide! I already had volumes 1-4 but gave them to my daughter so she shows them to her friends ;-) I commend you for your fine efforts with the new site to cut through the misinformation put out there by media and industry. I have a veg group with almost 1300 users and they all know about the new site now! Thanks a million!Thank you so much for helping us spread the word!I am thrilled that this site is launched. I also have all your previous DVDs and find the information invaluable. So glad you’re now available everyday, I’ll share the news! Wishing you great success.Thank you so much for your support!Your given me a new perception of food and how to consume safely in the modern world. Your upped my intake of green tea/garlic/beets and blueberries ever since :) I’ve now recently change the green tea to having it cold too! If you can post details of your personal regular diet details sometimes would be good to see it. thankyou again doc.Fantastic–I’m so glad you’ve been making some healthy additions to your diet. That’s the whole point of the site, to help people make real-life practical day-to-day decisions about how to best feed themselves and their families. And great idea about the dietary record–I’m going to definitely add that to list of blog topics in my queue,I am thrilled to have a science-based site to refer my clients to. Thank you so much for all the great info you have to offer. As a Nutritional Health Coach, I strongly advocate food as a source of healing and strength!Isn’t it amazing how much garbage there is out there on nutrition? I’m so glad you appreciate a little scholarship. Keep it up coach!Michael…I am very excited to find your work online. I am working my way through the very entertaining and accessible videos! I have been full-on vegan for over 2 years now and have never felt better in my 62 years!Frankly, I didn’t know just how poorly I felt until all the good effects of the lifestyle change kicked in. I look forward to your postings. Thank you so much for your hard work and energy devoted to this topic!Isn’t that amazing? On their first visit to me most patients have described themselves as feeling “fine,” or “OK,” but they have no idea what’s in store if they put their minds (and bodies!) to it. It’s never too late to start eating healthier, stop smoking, and start taking better care of ourselves. At 62 you SHOULD be feeling vital and alive and energetic. I am so glad you got a taste of what it’s like. And in my experience that’s all it takes. As Dr. John McDougall likes to say, nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.Dr. Greger, I’m surprised to see no or very limited mention of actual foods in your nutrition recommendations (linked above in your post). What’s the deal?Love Dr Gregor and nutritionfacts.org…I hope he lives forever and can “keep up the pace”! Thanks to him I took Vit D in the winter, take B12 weekly, add amla to my green smoothies, drink white or green tea, …. I quote him often and recommend his site to everyone.Great site! How about the fat of palm oil (rain forest proof). Good or bad? It appears in so many supposively “healthy” products.Looking at the nutrition facts of palm kernel oil, despite any supposed benefits, this food is complete junk food. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/575/2It is 100% fat lacking any minerals and contains a scant amount of vitamins. 1 tbsp has 11 grams of saturated fat, this is very unhealthy.You’re amazing!!!!You’re invaluable.	Cornell,Dr. Ornish,nutrition,T. Colin Campbell,Tufts	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%28%22nutritional%20sciences%22%5BMeSH%20Terms%5D%20OR%20%28%22nutritional%22%5BAll%20Fields%5D%20AND%20%22sciences%22%5BAll%20Fields%5D%29%20OR%20%22nutritional%20sciences%22%5BAll%20Fields%5D%20OR%20%22nutrition%22%5BAll%20Fields%5D%29%20AND%20%28%22humans%22%5BMeSH%20Terms%5D%20AND%20%222010/04/15%22%5BPDat%5D%20%3A%20%222011/04/14%22%5BPDat%5D%29&cmd=DetailsSearch,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1973470,
PLAIN-336	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/08/27/hives-from-tick-bite-induced-meat-allergies/	Hives from Tick Bite-Induced Meat Allergies	In a previous video Alpha Gal and the Lone Star Tick, I started talking about a tick bite-induced meat allergy, called Alpha-Gal, that is unlike any other food allergy we know. The most interesting feature of the reactions may be that first symptoms can occur hours after eating meat. Normally, an allergic reaction to a bee sting, for example, happens within minutes. With this meat allergy, we could have a piece of bacon for breakfast and our throat wouldn’t start closing off until the afternoon. Because the cause and effect are temporarily separated, we often blame other factors, such as what we ate for lunch, or we just call it “spontaneous” or “idiopathic” anaphylaxis, which is just doctor-speak for “we have no idea what the cause is.” The delay likely occurs because the alpha-gal is probably absorbed along with the fat in meat, given that the allergic reaction occurring four to five hours after meat ingestion corresponds to the peak absorption time of fatty acids from the intestinal tract. What makes the allergy even more difficult to diagnose is that the majority of victims experience only occasional overt reactions, despite regular meat consumption. Fattier meats, like pork rinds, may provoke episodes more consistently and severely, but still don’t trigger a reaction every time. Tick bite-induced meat allergy is on the rise. Ten years ago we didn’t even know this thing existed, but now in tick-ridden states as many as 20% of the population have these anti-meat allergic antibodies (See Tick Bites, Meat Allergies, and Chronic Urticaria). And more and more people are coming in affected, though probably no more than 10% who test positive go on to experience hives or serious allergic reaction to meat. We’re also seeing it more and more in kids. Researchers in Virginia have found that it is not uncommon, though identification of the allergy may not be straightforward. Unlike in adults, who frequently present with systemic reactions, the majority of children with this syndrome present with just skin manifestations, such as hives. However, this doesn’t mean it’s not serious. In fact, nearly half the kids ended up in the ER, and about 1 in 12 needed to be hospitalized. Up to a quarter of the population breaks out in hives at some time in their lives, but some children can be affected for weeks or months. It can be triggered by infections, foods, drugs, parasites, or be autoimmune, but in a large subset of cases we don’t know what the trigger is, and so, call it chronic “idiopathic” urticaria. It’s a common thing pediatricians see. The only cure is avoiding and eliminating whatever is triggering it, but in three quarters of cases we have no clue. We now know that many children who had been diagnosed with mysterious hives or allergic reactions and may have been specifically told that the reactions were not a result of a food allergy, may have actually been suffering from anti-gal meat allergies. The serious nature of the reactions and the rising frequency of allergic swelling and hives across all age groups underscore the importance of identifying what’s going on, and physicians should keep this new diagnosis in mind. Allergies to meat might be more common than previously thought, as much as 2% of the population (which would mean millions of people). But to put this in context, Americans are much more likely to suffer an anaphylactic reaction due to seafood, tick bite or not, no matter where they live. A national survey of emergency rooms found shellfish was by far the most frequently implicated food, and unlike many other allergies, kids don’t tend to outgrow fish and shellfish allergies. Some fish allergies are actually allergies not to the fish, but to worms in the fish, like anisakis, which are found particularly in cod, anchovies, and squid. Exposure to these parasites in fish, living or dead, is a widespread problem. In fact, we can even have an allergic reaction to the parasitic fish worm when we eat chickens that were fed on fishmeal. This is one of the ways someone who’s allergic to fish could get triggered by chicken. Because of these worms, researchers recommend that people stop eating seafood and sushi altogether, because besides inducing allergenic reactions, the worms may cause a leaky gut syndrome, which often is unrecognized and can predispose someone to other, more important pathologies than just being itchy all over. I previously covered anisakis in Allergenic Fish Worms and other allergenic parasite reactions in Chronic Headaches and Pork Tapeworms. The worms might not be the only thing increasing allergies in fish. See: I also did a 4-part series on allergies in general if anyone’s interested: 	“we just call it “spontaneous” or “idiopathic” anaphylaxis, which is just doctor-speak for “we have no idea what the cause is.”Thanks, Dr. G, for giving me my first laugh of the day!My son had to go to the ER with an anaphylactic hive outbreak that occurred 3 weeks after a reaction to a deer tick bite. In the past he also has had lone star ticks burrow into him as well. Urticaria is debilitating as it doesn’t just involve itchy bumps (My son described it as being itchy on the inside of his body), but stomach aches and headaches, nausea and sometimes vomtting. The ER doc told us a big allergic reaction keeps going on in the body for about 3 weeks even if the physical evidence of hives is gone.I find it interesting that only eight foods account for 90% of all food allergy reactions in the US: Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Milk, Eggs, Wheat, Soy, Fish, Shellfish. http://www.foodallergy.org/allergensReading this “we have no idea what the cause is,” brought to mind that vaccines could possibly be implicated since many of them have numerous animal tissues/products as part of their ingredients, e.g., bovine extract, gelatin, bovine albumin, calf serum, hydrolyzed porcine gelatin, bovine muscle tissue, monkey lung and kidney, bovine protein, chick embryo, mouse brain, and human diploid cells from aborted fetal cell lines.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vaccine_ingredientsI’ve had urticaria for 15 years now, 8 years as a vegetarian and now progressing onto a vegan diet. Doesn’t show any signs of improvement. Interestingly there are links between urticaria and a vitamin D deficoency.can Seafood extracts in flavoring cause a reaction like this ? I had it twice but without my throat closing up. The welts and itching disappeared in about 1 – 1 & 1/2 hours. It’s never been a problem since going Whole food plant based, and never using ready made paste in jars and other pre-made ingredients.Very good support group for all of us that have or supporting those that have AG. https://www.facebook.com/groups/alphagal/	allergies,alpha-gal,anchovies,anisakis,autoimmune diseases,bacon,cats,chicken,children,fat,fish,hives,insects,leaky gut theory,meat,medications,parasites,pork,pork rinds,poultry,red meat,seafood,skin health,sushi,tick bites,turkey,urticaria	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23569097,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16889284,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16213925,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18206508,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21453959,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22554093,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22697019,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21967048,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400801,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20367330,
PLAIN-337	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/08/25/how-a-tick-bite-can-lead-to-food-allergies/	How a Tick Bite Can Lead to Food Allergies	In the beginning, Aristotle defined two forms of life on planet Earth: plants and animals. Two thousand years later, the light microscope was invented and we discovered tiny, single-celled organisms like amoebas. Then, the electron microscope was invented and we discovered better characterized bacteria. Finally, in 1969, biologists recognized fungi as a separate category, and we’ve had at least five kingdoms of life ever since. In my video, Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk, I talk about the potential downsides of consuming proteins from within our own kingdom, such as the impact our fellow animal proteins can have on boosting our liver’s production of a cancer-promoting hormone called IGF-1. In Eating Outside Our Kingdom, I talked about other potential advantages of preferably dipping into the plant and mushroom kingdoms for dinner, not only from a food safety perspective (we’re more likely to get infected by animal pathogens than Dutch Elm Disease), but because of the potential for cross-reactivity between animal and human proteins. Our immune system is more likely to get confused between a chicken leg and our own legs than it is with a banana, so there may be less potential to trigger an autoimmune reaction, like degenerative brain diseases or inflammatory arthritis (See Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis). In attacking some foreign animal meat protein, some of our own similarly composed tissues may get caught in the crossfire. It’s not just proteins. If you remember the Neu5Gc story (see Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5GC), sialic acid in other animals may cause inflammation in our arteries (see  Nonhuman Molecules Lining Our Arteries) and help breast tumors and other human cancers to grow (see How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies). Now a new twist has been added to the story. The reason Neu5Gc triggers inflammation is because humans lost the ability to make it two million years ago, and so when our body is exposed to it through animal products, it’s treated as a foreign molecule, causing inflammation. But there’s also another oligosaccharide called alpha-gal that humans, chimps, and apes lost the ability to make 2 million years ago, but is still made by a variety of animals, including many animals we eat. Anti-gal antibodies may be involved in a number of detrimental processes that may result in allergic, autoimmune, and autoimmune-like diseases, such as auto-immune thyroid disorders. We see higher levels of anti-gal antibodies in Crohn’s disease victims. These antibodies even react against about half of human breast tumors, and we can find them in atherosclerotic plaques in people’s necks. However, those are all mostly speculative risks. We do know that alpha-gal is a major obstacle to transplanting pig organs, like kidneys, into people, because our bodies reject alpha-gal as foreign. In fact, alpha-gal is thought to be the major target for human anti-pig antibodies. It’s interesting that if we look at those that abstain from pork for whatever reason, they have fewer swine-specific immune cells in their bloodstream. Researchers speculate that oral intake of pork could ferry swine molecules into the bloodstream via gut-infiltrating lymphocytes to prime the immune response. So we can have an allergic reaction to eating pig kidneys too, but such severe meat allergies were considered rare, until an unusual report surfaced. First described in 2009, the report included details on 24 cases of meat allergies triggered by tick bites. Within a year, it was obvious that the cases should be counted in hundreds rather than dozens. By 2012, there were thousands of cases across a large area of the southern and eastern U.S., and new cases are now popping up in several countries around the world. The culprit, the lone star tick, so-called because females have a white spot on their back, are famous for causing Masters’ disease, a disease similar to Lyme syndrome, also known as STARI (southern tick associated rash illness). But thanks to the lone star tick steadily expanding its range (even as far as Long Island, NY), it’s not necessarily just so Southern any more. What is the relevance of tick bites to the production of allergy-causing anti-meat antibodies to alpha-gal? Good question. What we know is that if you get bitten by one of these ticks, you can develop an allergy to meat (See Alpha Gal and the Lone Star Tick). This appears to be the first example of a response to an external parasite giving rise to an important form of food allergy. We don’t know the exact mechanism, but it may be because there’s something in the tick saliva that’s cross-reacting with alpha-gal, or because the tick is injecting you with animal allergens from its last meal. What role may these tick-bite induced allergies play in the development of chronic hives and other allergic skin reactions in children? See Tick Bites, Meat Allergies, and Chronic Urticaria. Here’s some videos unearthing the IGF-1 story: Neu5Gc is what opened up this whole can of worms: I wonder if alpha gal is playing a role in the improvements in arthritis and Crohn’s on plant-based diets: Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease and Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis. 	Theanine supplements from green tea safe to take? Effective? Can someone please tell me Dr. Gr. feels this is harmful or harmless. Thank you so much. I hear good stuff about this green tea extract, but also concerns of its safety. Even minuscule amounts of caffeine I am intolerant to, so green tea drink out of question. Maybe decaf, but from what I have been told, one would have to drink a lot of decaf tea to get theanine benefits.I don’t know about thenine specifically as a supplement but Dr Greger addresses theanine in green tea in this video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/ and notes that “the side effect of green tea consumption include things like less breast cancer risk, and living a significantly longer life. Additionally, drinking tea from the tea plant halves your risk of getting ovarian cancer. Halves your risk of getting endometrial cancer. Can lower our cholesterol, our blood sugars, and our weight. Protect our liver. And protect our brain and finally drink green tea every day.”Thanks. I know some people who avoid green tea due to aluminum and fluoride contents. Not sure if this is valid, but people swear by it, that green and black tea contain too much of this stuff.I also do not do well with drinking caffeine. For the past few months, I have been drinking a cup of hibiscus tea in the morning and really enjoy the taste. Dr Greger has has several videos on the subject and you might consider giving it a try. He said that hibiscus tea had the highest antioxidant content of the 282 beverages he tested last year. And did I mention that it is delicious!Hi Leslie. I would agree with siriusfarm’s comments and check out their provided links. Supplements are highly unregulated (I learned more about this when conducting our yeast testing.The only major supplements that most people need to consider are vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Here are Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations.We always try to encourage a “Whole Foods First” attitude, however, some folks may have certain conditions where additional supplements or herbal therapies can help. Of course, it’s best to discuss this type of information with your health care team, but I am happy to look into anything and give suggestive advice. For example, this study L-theanine, a natural constituent in tea, and its effect on mental state found “that L-theanine, at realistic dietary levels, has a significant effect on the general state of mental alertness or arousal.” Researchers did indicate more research is needed.Regarding safety it seems legitimate. Read more about L-theanine from Sloan KetteringLet me know if any of this helps?Best, JosephJoseph,Thanks for this. I will reach out to you with any revelations re: theanine if I end up trying it out. Also wondering how you and or Dr. G feels about milk thistle, as a tea or in powdered form of the ground up herb, ingested.Milk Thistle has many uses. Some research found it may help with ulcerative colitis. Study abstracts can be found here and here. It’s more commonly used for liver detoxification. The University of Maryland Medical Center has more basic information about it’s uses.I always take the stance that if a plant can help the symptoms of a disease, so long as it does not cause additional harm, there is no harm in trying.I have had the alpha-gal allergy for a few years now which makes me allergic to meat from any mammal. The reaction from most people when I explain it to them is they think it is the worst thing that could happen to someone. The allergy prompted my wife and I to explore plant based food and eventually become vegans. Based on how that has changed our health, I would say the tick bite that caused the allergy was more of a blessing than a curse.Please let all omnis be bitten!For factual accuracy, it should be noted that bacteria were first observed in the 1600’s, well before development of the electron microscope.Thanks so much for letting us know we are fixing for accuracy now.Considering the large number of people with severe reactions to nuts/peanutes and mushrooms/molds/yeast and the various sensitivities to wheat/soy proteins – this is one of those cases where the claim that ” Our immune system is more likely to get confused between a chicken leg and our own legs than it is with a banana,” may require a lot more evidence to actually make sense …Nice blog, but a little off on the history. Van Leeuwenhoek observed and drew bacteria he saw through his microscope in 1676. Koch and Pasteur linked bacteria to disease in the mid-19th century. The first electron microscope was prototyped in 1931.Thanks for catching that goof! Fixing now.It says “..we discovered better characterized bacteria.” Is that how it’s supposed to read?My husband is a hunter and, consequently, he has had many tick bites over the years. For quite a long while (a year?) he has had problems with his digestive system. He has nausea, lack of appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, and stomach discomfort. He says the food that he chooses to eat is whatever he thinks sounds good or won’t cause him to gag. His diet consists of a banana and dry bagel every morning and then lunch and dinner is a lot of cheese, crackers, beef jerky, pizza, nuts, Snicker bars. One would think his stomach problems are from a poor choice of foods but he insists anything else (like a simple bowl of rice or pasta or some good plant foods containing fiber!) makes him want to vomit. The article “How a Tick Bite Can Lead to Food Allergies” has made me wonder if a tick bite might have caused food allergies that have led to food aversions for my husband. Are there any tests to determine such tick-bite-induced allergies or does one simply need the blood tests that check for Erlichia, Borellis, and Rickettsia (as his doctor suggested)?Since your husband is having digestive symptoms being evaluated by his physician is great. The tests you mention will help sort things out and if positive will help “rule in” a diagnosis. The problem is that a negative test may not “rule out” the problem. Tests have sensitivities and our immune systems has a long memory. It can react to perceived threats even with negative blood tests. However, many times our evaluations don’t identify a specific condition that is readily treatable. Given the complexity of the situation I often recommend to my patients a trial of dietary change. The one I am most familiar with is Dr. McDougall’s Diet for the Desperate. See his article by that name in his December 2002 newsletter available free on his website. As he mentions based on his experience many symptoms improve on a low fat plant diet with exercise. For those patients with continuing symptoms after that trial he often recommends his “diet for the desperate”. If you have been following NutritionFacts.org you have a good understanding of how incredibly complex issues can be… and we continue to learn more all the time. Hopefully this information will help you and your husband working with his physicians to chart a path back to improved health.I find the theory that substances that are more similar to those in our own bodies will more likely cause all sorts of autoimmune responses, quite intuitive to understand. It explains why moderating one’s consumption of meat and dairy might not necessarily be enough to see any significant progress in some health issues such as arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases and neurodegenerative conditions. It makes me wonder though: suppose someone, for some reason, just doesn’t want to give up eating meat completely. Would it be healthier for them to have a full-on meat-grill feast once in a month, than to have a small piece of meat every day, or even better than a ‘normal’ portion of meat once a week? Let’s assume they are not at the edge of having a stroke or heat-attack, so they won’t drop dead instantly by flooding their body with bad cholesterol and anti-bodies. Is it maybe better to be flooded with inflammatory substances once a month, than to have them flowing through your blood continuously by spreading out meat consumption over the entire month?Translated to Portuguese, here: http://nf.focoempatico.net/como-uma-picada-de-carrapato-pode-levar-a-alergias-alimentares/	allergies,alpha-gal,animal products,animal protein,arthritis,autoimmune diseases,brain disease,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,Crohn’s disease,evolution,farm animals,hormones,IGF-1,immune function,inflammation,insects,kidney disease,kidney health,kingdom,liver disease,liver health,lyme disease,meat,mushrooms,Neu5Gc,parasites,plant protein,pork,protein,saliva,STARI,thyroid disease,thyroid health,tick bites	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7513518,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8027563,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22494361,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19243561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23578170,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6491603,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21453959,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20130162,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19017806,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19945916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22172880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18452807,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21940418,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8996545,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10679122,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20031610,
PLAIN-338	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/08/20/what-do-eggs-do-to-our-arteries/	What Do Eggs Do To Our Arteries?	In reaction to the study that found a similar exponential increase in artery clogging plaque in both smokers and egg eaters, one critic countered that eggs have beneficial effects on vascular endothelium, the inner lining of our arteries, citing a 2005 study on egg consumption and endothelial function, funded by the American Egg Board (highlighted in my video, Eggs and Arterial Function). The study was done on a group of men and women eating the standard American diet, were overweight, had “normal” cholesterol, (which is to say extremely high cholesterol–LDL levels twice as high as could be considered optimal). As the authors of a paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology note, it’s often not appreciated “that the average blood cholesterol level in the United States, the so-called normal level, was actually too high,” accelerating heart disease and “putting a large fraction of the so-called normal population at a higher risk” for coronary heart disease, our number one killer. If we threw a lit match into a flaming pool of gasoline and saw no real difference in the height of the flames, we can’t conclude that throwing lit matches into gasoline is not a fire hazard. But that is exactly what the Egg Board study concluded. When the addition of eggs didn’t make the arterial function worse than it already was, they concluded that “short-term egg consumption does not adversely affect endothelial function in healthy adults.” The egg board paid for a follow-up study using folks who were even worse off, with a mean total cholesterol of 244. They reported that egg consumption had no effect on endothelial function… as compared to sausage and cheese. Yet instead of sounding the alarm that eating eggs is as bad for arterial function as a McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin (!), the researchers concluded that egg consumption was found to be non-detrimental to endothelial function and cholesterol levels. The subjects started out with life-threatening cholesterol, and ended up with life-threatening cholesterol. Why don’t endothelial function and cholesterol levels get even worse? Because there’s a plateau effect. We can basically max out on our cholesterol absorption. After a certain level of intake, it’s just another match to the fire. If we’re already consuming the standard American diet averaging 400mg of cholesterol daily, even adding two jumbo eggs to our diet may not have a sizeable impact. But to people trying to eat healthy, those two eggs could shoot their cholesterol up 20 points. However, a fat-free, cholesterol-free egg substitute was found to be beneficial. That is, not eating eggs lowers cholesterol levels and improves endothelial function—and that’s what these people needed. Their arteries were already hurting, they needed something to bring the fire down, not more matches. The subjects were apparently eating so unhealthily that adding eggs couldn’t make things much worse, but eating oatmeal instead of eggs made things better, helping to quench the fire. So even the Egg Board-funded studies said that not eating eggs is better for our arteries, yet these are the same studies that pro-egg folks cite to claim beneficial vascular effects. More on the reaction to the Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis study in my video, Debunking Egg Industry Myths, as well as further discussion of the effects of the cholesterol in eggs on the cholesterol levels in the blood of egg consumers. More on that in: I previously featured a food that actually does benefit vascular function. See Walnuts and Artery Function. Though the nut industry did try a similar tactic, see my video Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering. The beef, soda, and dairy industries may also be guilty of experimental manipulation. See BOLD Indeed: Beef Lowers Cholesterol and Food Industry “Funding Effect”. 	Translated to Portuguese, here: http://nf.focoempatico.net/o-que-faz-o-ovo-as-nossas-arterias/So – ANY study that’s supported by the egg industry is AUTOMATICALLY not to be believed?SO – this study is by that definition not valid?http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Haq_Nawaz6/publication/8010967_Egg_consumption_and_endothelial_function_a_randomized_controlled_crossover_trial/links/53cff56e0cf2fd75bc5a89ae.pdfEgg consumption and endothelial function: a randomized controlled crossover trial David L. Katz*, Marian A. Evans, Haq Nawaz, Valentine Yanchou Njike, Wendy Chan, Beth Patton Comerford, Martha L. Hoxley Yale Prevention Research Center, 130 Division Street, Derby, CT 06418, USA Received 14 August 2003; accepted 16 November 2003 Available online 19 July 2004In conclusion, short-term, sustained ingestion of two eggs daily did not adversely affect endothelial function or cholesterol levels in healthy adults. Our findings are consistent with the view that dietary cholesterol may be less detrimental to cardiovascular health than previously thought. Investigation of the differences between saturated (and trans) fat and dietary cholesterol effects on diverse measures of cardiac risk is warranted, as is further study of the health effects of habitual egg ingestion in diverse populations. In the interim, there appears to be no clear reason to exclude moderate intake of eggs from the dietary patterns of healthy adults.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/cholesterol-unscrambled_b_6692940.html Cholesterol, Unscrambled David Katz, M.D.Yale Prevention Research CenterWhile studies suggest adding cholesterol to vegan diets raises blood cholesterol, there are no studies — to my knowledge — to show that doing so, in the absence of other changes to the diet — raises rates of heart disease or other ills. That’s really what matters.As for whether adding eggs to the diet is a good or bad idea, the obvious answer is, I think, the correct one: it depends.If eggs replace deli meats, for instance, as a source of protein minus the many adulterations, it is trading up. If eggs replace donuts or Danish or muffins for breakfast, that is trading up as well. But should eggs replace, for example, a breakfast of steel cut oats, mixed berries, and walnuts? Hell no!*For those who care to know, my personal bias has always run against eggs, not for them. The son of a cardiologist who respected the apparent consensus of my senior colleagues, I believed we knew dietary cholesterol to be a bad actor, and banished eggs entirely from my own diet for more than 20 years. I only added them back when the weight of evidence clearly tipped the other way. I added them back very selectively, however. I eat them occasionally, and when I do, they are organic, locally sourced, and from hens treated kindly — eggsclusively! Nor have eggs replaced my standard breakfast of mixed berries and other fruits in season; walnuts; whole grains; and non-fat, plain Greek yogurt.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/eggs-health_b_1818209.htmlThe study most recently in the headlines — just published in the journalAtherosclerosis — suggests not only that egg ingestion increases the risk of heart disease, but also that the association is as strong as that for cigarettes. I don’t believe either is true.SO – agian I do not believe the evidence is as clear cut as you wish it to be.Comes down to who’s bias you are going to favor. Dr Greger is extremely biased in favor of veganism – he does not perform any clinical trials and his research is mainly just hunting down those papers to defend his cause of veganism. Demonizing one food source – wheat/gluten/fat/cholesterol /grains/sugar/eggs/beef is generally by people who have an agenda. Eating any one food in excessive qualities probably does hurt – be it beef, nuts, kale or water – but in small amounts in a otherwise clean diet, likely does not, and may even be healthy in a holistic way.At least Katz was honest to discuss the bias conundrum, not something I ever seem to see Greger doing.Totally agreeAgain – I recently took an EndoPat test – my score was 3.56 – so my endothelium is functioning optomally++http://arterialhealth.net/physicians/physician-information/ Green Zone. Score between 2.1 and 3. Your endothelium is functioning optimally, and you have maximum protection. Keep up whatever it is that you are doing, because the foods that you have been eating and the physical activity you have been performing regularly have affected a number of risk factors implicated in vascular health and longevity, particularly blood cholesterol levels, hypertension, and obesity.Your endo is working properly because you are eating plant foods ot because of the animal ones. If you want to test this theory, then stop eating plant based foods, eat exclusively animal and then report back how your endo is doing.If the green zone is 2.1-3.0, how is 3.56 optimal?It’s above 3.0 – in fact the tech who performed the test said it was the best score she’d ever seen.First off, I am very glad to hear that you have a healthy endothelium! I believe that there is a requirement for the patient to fast 3-8 hours prior to an EndoPat test. I would be very interested to see your results immediately after, and again over the few hours after a meal consisting of eggs, meat, dairy or fish. Dr Esselstyn and others such as Vogel, Corretti and Plotnick have demonstrated that even a single high fat meal will cause damage to the endothelium.My concern is that people who eat a traditional Western diet will continue to hammer away repetitively at the lining of their blood vessels until they ultimately become diseased.All of the studies use meals that I would NEVER eat -so what do it really proove?For example http://www.nutritionj.com/content/12/1/93 Postprandial effect of dietary fat quantity and quality on arterial stiffness and wave reflection: a randomised controlled trialBoth isoenergetic test-meals comprised of a high-fat (3 MJ, 56 ± 2 g fat) strawberry flavoured milkshake and 400 ml water which subjects were asked to consume in entirety within 15 minutes. The MUFA-meal contained whole milk, skimmed milk powder, Nesquik® (strawberry flavour), water and olive oil. The SFA-meal contained whole milk, skimmed milk powder, Nesquik® (strawberry flavour), water, double cream and sunflower oil. The MUFA-meal was rich in oleic acid which came from olive oil. The SFA-meal was rich in palmitic acid, myristic acid and stearic acid which came from the dairy cream. The two milk-shakes were freshly prepared on the morning of each visit and were identical in volume, taste and appearance and in macronutrient composition, other than a difference in the MUFA and SFA content (Table 2)http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/25/2/406.full.pdf Acute Effect of High-Fat Meal on Endothelial Function in Moderately Dyslipidemic SubjectsIn all subjects, the protocol was repeated on the same day, 6 hours after they had consumed an OFL consisting of 680 kcal/m2 of body surface with 83% fat, 5% proteins, 12% carbohydrates, and 600 mg cholesterol over a 20-minute time interval.The study doesn’t say what exactly was consumed only the ratios are givenhttps://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=14&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDIQFjADOApqFQoTCM745IGnyscCFYZ5Pgod9jkHrQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcontent.onlinejacc.org%2Fpdfaccess.ashx%3FResourceID%3D2863324%26PDFSource%3D13&ei=Po7fVc7hHobz-QH285zoCg&usg=AFQjCNEjyhZDtC8yDQauLmleAtX9cOVnkwImpaired Endothelial Function Following a Meal Rich in Used Cooking FatThe low fat meal contained ice cream (100 g), trim milk (200 ml), evaporated milk (50 ml), yogurt (10 g), tinned apricots without syrup (50 g), egg yolk (12 g), egg white (30 g) and a chocolate flavor, presented as a milkshake. The used fat meal contained the same ingredients with the addition of 46 g of cooking fat that had been used for deep frying during a week in a commercial fast food restaurant. The cooking fat was stored in the dark at 220°C and used within 1 to 4 days. The quantity of fat in this meal approximated that which is found in an average “fast food” meal. The unused fat meal was prepared by adding 46 g of the corresponding unused cooking fat to the low fat meal. The composition of the high fat meals (used and unused fat) was: energy (3,754 kJ), fat (64.4 g), saturated fat (30 g), polyunsaturated fat (4 g), carbohydrate (62.5 g) and protein (20.5 g). The composition of the low fat meal was: energy (2,022 kJ), fat (18.4 g), saturated fat (8 g), polyunsaturated fat (2 g), carbohydrate (62.5 g) and protein (20.5 g). The peroxide value was 1.9 mmol/g, and the acid value was 117 mmol/g in the used cooking fat and 0.5 mmol/g and 7 mmol/g respectively in the unused cooking fat.ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! Who eats this CRAP??First off, I am very glad to hear that you have a healthy endothelium! I believe that there is a requirement for the patient to fast 3-8 hours prior to an EndoPat test. I would be very interested to see your results immediately after, and again over the few hours after a meal consisting of eggs, meat, dairy or fish. Dr Esselstyn and others such as Vogel, Corretti and Plotnick have demonstrated that even a single high fat meal will cause damage to the endothelium.My concern is that people who eat a traditional Western diet will continue to hammer away repetitively at the lining of their blood vessels until they ultimately become diseased.Charles,I think it goes well beyond just ‘eggs’.My own personal studies over the years and now conclusions demonstrate that consumption of ‘all animal products’ are detrimental to the endothelial lining of the arteries, and therefore overall health of any individual.“Demonizing one food source – wheat/gluten/fat/cholesterol /grains/sugar/eggs/beef is generally by people who have an agenda”how is non-violence and compassion considered an “agenda”? veganism is in fact a moral and ethical imperative which is based on the Golden Rule and doing the least harm possible. to consume the flesh, milk and eggs of non-human animals supports the unfathomable suffering, abuse and death of countless BILLIONS of sentient beings each year-all in the name of a momentary taste sensation.“There are no magical slaughterhouses where animals are fed their favorite meal, make a last phone call to a loved one and voluntarily hold their breath until they die. The act of slaughter is violent, vicious, bloody and hellish. The animals do not sacrifice themselves for your pleasure, tradition or greed. They are dragged in, kicking and screaming until their last breath. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can eat meat, dairy and eggs and remain disconnected from this violence. The only way out is VEGAN.”Sparrow – I don’t see how you can deny the evidence that supports WFPB eating… Not only does doctor Greger champion it, but you have docs like Caldwell Esselstyn jr. , Neal Barnard, Dean Ornish, Joel Furhman, and T. Colin Campbell just to name a few. These are doctors that have an OVERWHELMING arsenal of objective fact based evidence that aim the individual towards WFPB vegan eating. These doctors ( although many / all of them may highlight here and there on the obvious ethical reasons not to consume Meat,Cheese, Milk, and Eggs ) are DEDICATED to helping people rid their body of cancer causing, plaque promoting, and heart disease ridden foods, in order to promote a healthy body for life.T. Colin Campbell – by the way did many a study on rats for his book “The China Study” . You cannot say that he had a vegan agenda being that he did in fact cause suffering to those rats for his material( and many vegans critisize him for it )….but he did conduct the largest comprehensive geographical study on the effects of meat, milk , cheese, and eggs ever conducted.You need to wake up and look at the factsHe never said such a thing and you obviously didnt actually take time to read the study nor the dozens of other studies that all conclude eggs are very bad for human health. He merely said it was funded by the Egg Board and if you are as honest and as objective as you want people to beleive, then logcially, the body that funds the studies wants conclusions that support it’s product. Commonsense. They are known for buying scientists and just because the results are not to your dead animal eating senses, doesn’t mean the results are incorrect.I do note with interest he cites actual scientific peer-reviews journals and papers while you’re resorting to quoting newspapers.You seemed to have stopped reading the article after you saw him point out the funding of the egg industry. Dr. Greger goes on to say:“The study was done on a group of men and women eating the standard American diet, were overweight, had “normal” cholesterol, (which is to say extremely high cholesterol–LDL levels twice as high as could be considered optimal).” “Why don’t endothelial function and cholesterol levels get even worse? Because there’s a plateau effect. We can basically max out on our cholesterol absorption. After a certain level of intake, it’s just another match to the fire. If we’re already consuming the standard American diet averaging 400mg of cholesterol daily, even adding two jumbo eggs to our diet may not have a sizeable impact. But to people trying to eat healthy, those two eggs could shoot their cholesterol up 20 points”which makes the comment by Dr. Katz sound strange. “While studies suggest adding cholesterol to vegan diets raises blood cholesterol, there are no studies — to my knowledge — to show that doing so, in the absence of other changes to the diet — raises rates of heart disease or other ills. That’s really what matters.”Since vegans are known to have lower cholesterol levels than other diet groups, and adding dietary cholesterol to their diet raises cholesterol, how is that not what really matters? Why would the already high cholesterol of other diet groups not being raised significantly higher by eggs be more important than actually bringing the cholesterol to a healthy level in the first place, like that of people eating vegan diets? You wouldn’t have to worry about the specific effects of eggs on your heart disease risk if you weren’t at risk of heart disease to begin withThey always measure these sick people’s cholesterol after fasting in these Egg Board studies. That’s long after the meal’s arterial damage has occurred.Thank you for respectfully showing an opposing viewpoint, so we can weigh the balance of the evidence.I checked the actual results of that study, and if I was still consuming eggs and was warried about my cholesterol levels I would stop or at least cut down egg consumption. While there may not be statistically significant differences between the egg and the oat treatments, there’s a clear trend of LDL-Chol increasing in those under egg treatment and decreasing under oatmeal treatment, and a trend of HDL-Chol decreasing under egg treatment and decreasing under oatmeal treatment. The treatments were only applied for 6 weeks, longer periods may have rendered stronger differences, and as Dr. Greger stated, at the beginning of the trial all groups had LDL-Chol levels higher than optimal, verging the borderline high, and HDL-Chol levels lower than optimal. Table: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/summer12/articles/summer12pg6-7.htmlIn addition, their arterial blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic) was also higher than the optimal upper limit (around 110/60 mm Hg for adult males). So clearly, the sample used in the study weren’t as healthy adults as it was claimed to be (if I had those shitty numbers I would be worried for my health). The only excuse for this is that the study was accepted for publication in 2003. Back then the parameter thresholds that were considered healthy were probably then more relaxed that they are now.I attended an online webinar for dietitians that showed thirty years of research on eggs showing no risk to heart disease in healthy people. I think eggs need to be put into context. First off, fat and sugar act synergistically on inflammation and the studies showing people eating standard American Diets are diets that are, literally SAD: high in sugar and trans fat which are a problem in and of themselves. Since 50% of people have a heart attack with high cholesterol that’s not the most convincing marker for me that cholesterol is the best marker to predict heart disease. There are far better markets than that out there unfortunately underutilized in practice. Also how were the eggs sourced and prepared? I would imagine that a chicken running around eating worms will produce eggs with different fatty acid levels and nutrients than a chicken stuffed with antiobiotics, GMO corn and cramped in a cage with other dirty sick and miserable birds whose cortisol is through the roof. A simple visual check shows you the details: a healthy hen will produce egg yolks that are rich in color almost orange while an unhealthy hen produces eggs with yolks that are pale yellow and lacking flavor. Unfortunately people on SAD are usually eating the latter, compounding the problem. Finally a fried egg (typically found in SAD) would be different than the soft boiled egg that is gently cooked I presume. Comparing the McDonalds egg mc muffin is like comparing food to garbage. I doubt that meal is the same as the meal I prepare at home. Is there even any real food in that product to begin with? And let’s not forget the nutrients found in the egg (choline, B12…) that contribute to good mood and brain health. As with anything, all in moderation. There is no disputing the fact that a diet high in plant foods is healthy for us. But there is also a place for eggs in the diet that is supported by research. As with anything, too much of a good thing is never a good thing. Even water can kill you at the right dose.Margaret: I’m curious what you are thinking for this statement: “Since 50% of people have a heart attack with high cholesterol that’s not the most convincing marker for me that cholesterol is the best marker to predict heart disease.”Here’s my thinking: You are exactly right that people with *high* cholesterol get heart attacks, though not all of them. To me that is just like saying that X% of people who smoke get lung cancer. It doesn’t mean that everyone who smokes will get lung cancer. But smoking is a pretty good indication of higher risk. And without that smoking, your risk goes waaaay down. Just because the link between smoking and lung cancer is not 100%, does that mean we should ignore smoking’s connection to bad health outcomes?In my mind, avoiding risk factors is what healthy living is all about.If all we knew were the above information, I might agree that you have a point. But here’s the kicker: While people with high cholesterol get heart attacks, we know that people with human-normal (as opposed to western-world normal) levels of cholesterol do *not* get heart attacks. In other words, you have to have high levels of cholesterol in your blood to get heart attacks (baring a rare genetic heart problem). There are other risk factors on top of cholesterol that might increase risk of heart attacks even more. But without the high cholesterol in someone’s blood, those other risk factors are–not ones.With that in mind, can you be specific about what you mean when you say, “There are far better markets than [cholesterol].” (I assume you meant, ‘marker’.)Also, you wrote, “But there is also a place for eggs in the diet that is supported by research.” Unless you are talking eating eggs only once a year or so as what you mean by moderation, the research does not support having eggs in the diet. That’s what Dr. Greger’s many, many videos and articles about eggs show. Even small numbers of eggs a week increase a person’s risk of disease.Finally, you indicate that the nutrients in eggs make up for the disease promoting factors of eggs. But Dr. Greger has addressed these arguments as well. For example: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/ “Choline may be the reason egg consumption is associated with prostate cancer progression and death.” That’s not really a selling point. Check out all of the info on choline. And B12.The more I think about the points of your post, the less sense it makes to me.Very nicely said!It seems that many continue to hold to the ‘single bullet’ theory – and look for the silver bullet cure. As Campbell illustrates so well in his book “Whole”, nutrition & physiology just don’t work that way. It is an interrelated web.Hello Margaret!I am curious as to who organized this webinar, and who the presenters were.Anyhow, Dr. Greger has addressed the egg industry’s misleading claims of the nutrient-content of their products.Here is one short video where he concisely addresses some of the key points: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/And the claims that “cholesterol is not strongly associated with heart disease” is simply a magic-hat trick. Virtually ALL victims of degenerative have unnaturally elevated cholesterol levels. Their trick is that they use the cholesterol levels of the “average American” as the baseline. The fact is, the average serum cholesterol in the western world (where practically speaking everyone eats a rich western diet) is dangerously high, which means that almost everyone is at risk for heart disease (As long as another degenerative disease likely caused by the western diet doesn’t kill them first)B-12 is an empty issue- 70% of people are b-12 deficient, which means that EVERYONE should be supplementing with vitamin b-12 (at the cost of about $5 a year) making the nutritional content of the nutrient essentially a non-starter.I do look forward to hearing some more about the webinar you attended!Regards, MarkI recently saw a study that indicated that the egg yoke contained HDL cholesterol, if not exposed to oxygen, remained in tact, not exposed to oxygen prior to consumption. So I began a daily routine of eating a 4 min boiled egg in an attempt to raise HDL. I was surprised that in a 3 mo period my LDL dropped 61 points from 101 to 40 while the HDL dropped from 32 to 31. So I’m confused .i expected the HDL to rise, as it turns out my LDL to HDL ratios came in line to the desired range, I feel we still have a lot to learn about the egg and cholesterol .any wisdom to help me understand?Something that needs pointing out, I offer: Doctor makes it known that the egg board PAID for the study; whereas Big Pharma studies, either bought or produced or published by their sham journals, regarding drugs and vaccines ‘benefits’ NEVER seem to be made a specific point of interest in how things work to prove outcomes for vested interests. How come?[cough] [cough] D. L. Katz, MD [cough]Harvard’s Walter Willett, whose work Dr. Greger has cited many times, has this to say: “The important point is to have the best possible evidence, and we shouldn’t be basing dietary guidance on just guesses or beliefs. In the case of both the egg issue and the total fat issue we were basically starting with virtually no direct evidence. When the evidence did start to come in – and there were different lines of evidence from our studies based on large cohorts and also short term studies investigating metabolic changes – it showed that people who consume more eggs did not have a higher risk of heart disease even after adjusting for any other factors, and that total fat in the diet was not related to heart disease risk or cancer risk. So it took those long term studies to show that those were not important factors, and that allowed us to modify the recommendations. We were really in a state 35 years ago in which we had very little direct evidence and we were basing guidelines on guesses and indirect evidence from very small, short term studies.”Eggs are the only food, that provide the complete range of nutrients required by homo sapiens, with the exception of vitamin C. They are a little low on C. Now I am not sure, if this applies to cooked eggs or just raw eggs. Fifty years ago I went on a ‘vegan’ diet consisting of salad, fruit and raw eggs. I ate 12 raw eggs a day. I was on an intense exercise program, weights and running. I have never felt so fit in my life. Cooking any food destroys the enzymes needed to digest the food. Enzymes need to be manufactured by the pancreas to replace them. Fine when one is still young, but as one ages enzyme production decreases and undigested food passes through the intestine into the colon. In particular undigested protein is carcinogenic, and can cause cancer. This will apply to cooked eggs as well. After middle age It is advised to take supplemental ‘protease’, (protein digesting enzymes) with cooked protein. Personally I am trying to restrict myself to raw eggs, raw oysters and pickled herrings as a source of protein. I am sure that all the studies to which Dr G refers, were done with cooked eggs. I wonder if the results would be the same with raw eggs.Question . Why do you keep referring to “life threatening cholesterol”? I refer you to Dr. Stephen Sinatra’s book The great Cholesterol Myth. Are you at odds with his conclusions?I´ve been vegetarian, almost macrobiotic for years, then rawish and, now in crisis after ¨the vegetarian myth¨and now ¨grain brain¨, both suggest interesting approaches…. anyone read them…? I´m just worn out of polarized, apparently internally coherent theories and, to add more to it, now we´ve got to search for hidden agendas behind papers and dietary theory!!!! should i just settle for a death cause and a linked diet?I’ve been reading, studying and trying different approaches too, and my conclusion is to go with science. And science is in favor of whole food plant-based diet. Can you find a single study that showed that well planned whole food plant-based diet with proper supplementation increases risks of any disease, increases mortality rates or impairs overall well-being in comparison with any other diet? I can’t.Also look at the older ( 90/100 years old) healthy people and blueZone communities. They all mostly eat simple plant base food. None are animal product eaters.angela: I sympathize with your frustration and confusion and find it perfectly understandable. Of course, you will end up having to make up your own mind in the end. But I will offer you some thoughts.1) I think that Leonid and jmlenoir gave some very helpful replies. I appreciated what they wrote and think their answers are worth thinking about.2) At the same time, the whole reason you are confused is that the different sources of information that you are reviewing are all claiming that they have science to back up their statements. So, telling you to stick to science may not help you if you can’t figure out what that is. Leonid’s question helps to put it all into perspective. I would also offer this:While I’m not familiar with the details of “the vegetarian myth”, I am very familiar with the Grain Brain and it’s brother book, Wheat Belly. The research these books point to often does not really back up their claims. It is all a bunch of pseudo-science. Here are some articles where you can learn about the flaws in those books: http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/06/problem-with-the-grain-brain-doctor.html http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.html http://drmirkin.com/nutrition/forget-grain-brain-and-wheat-belly-eat-whole-grains.html https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jan/smoke.htmThus my answer is: It’s not easy, but there are ways to figure out whether a source is giving you valid information or not, even if it has “apparently internally coherent theories”.Good luck!Sinatra is denying widespread scientific consensus on foundational ideas in diet-heart, is he not? That makes him inherently less plausible, in addition to the supplement peddling. Have you exposed him to even a modicum of skeptical inquiry to check how reliable his reasoning is?Does anyone else wonder, if HDL is ‘good’, why its number is added to the ‘bad’ LDL and triglyceride numbers to compute one’s total cholesterol? The calculation doesn’t make sense. My total cholesterol is over 200 because my HDL is 100. Why aren’t we using a more accurate reporting measure?HDL could be proinflammatory too. High levels of HDL don’t counteract high LDL. You’d better have low total cholesterol. Non-HDL cholesterol is a strong marker of higher risk, while high HDL is potentially too. I wouldn’t call HDL ‘good’, but ‘not as bad as LDL’. I won’t throw articles and studies here, because I don’t know which are reputable, so it would be better if more educated people answered to you.Because it is more expensive to perform.Emily: When I got tested, I was shown both the total cholesterol number AND the LDL. It is my understanding that both of those numbers are important for determining your risk. Ideally you want total cholesterol to be under 150 and LDL to be under 70. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/ So, I’m thinking your question should not be, “Why did they tell me the total number?” but instead should be, “Why didn’t they report both the total *and* LDL?”As Leonid said, my understanding that the reason the total cholesterol number matters is that while “HDL” is often stated as being “good”, the real story is more complicated than that. Saying HDL is “good” is a big simplification (if I understand correctly) and that’s why knowing the total number in addition to the LDL number is important. I’m not an expert in this and can’t give more details. I just thought it was important to give you the 150 and 70 numbers in case you didn’t already have them.Total cholesterol is easiest to measure, and was all clinicians had to work with until the 1970s. HDL came next, and while LDL can be assayed directly, direct LDL testing would require time consuming (ie: expensive) ultracentrifugation. Hence, the LDL on your lipid profile is usually calculated from the formula [LDL-C] = [Total C] – [HDL-C] – [Triglycerides]/5.Darryl: Thanks for that clarification.Now I wonder why Esselstyn always seems to make a very big point out of saying that the total number should be below 150 and LDL below 70? It seems to me that by making a point of specifying both of those numbers, I would guess that Esselstyn thinks that the total cholesterol number maters (ie, not just the LDL number). If the LDL number is typically a number calculated from Total, HDL and Triglyercide numbers, and if LDL is really the only number to focus on, why not just tell people to get their LDL below 70? What am I missing? Is it because the total number includes Triglycerides too? (Not something I was aware of.)Thanks for any more thoughts you want to provide.You may find this interestinghttp://www.nature.com/nutd/journal/v5/n7/full/nutd201523a.html Extra virgin olive oil use is associated with improved post-prandial blood glucose and LDL cholesterol in healthy subjectsSubjects: Post-prandial glycemic and lipid profile were investigated in 25 healthy subjects who were randomly allocated in a cross-over design to a Mediterranean-type meal added with or without 10 g EVOO (first study), or Mediterranean-type meal with EVOO (10 g) or corn oil (10 g; second study). Glycemic profile, which included glucose, insulin, dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 (DPP-4) protein and activity, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), and lipid profile, which included, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (LDL-C), oxidized LDL (ox-LDL), triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (HDL-C), were analyzed before and 2 h after the meal.Results: In the first study, 2 h after meal, subjects who assumed a meal with EVOO had significantly lower blood glucose (P<0.001), DPP-4 protein (P<0.001) and activity (P<0.001), LDL-C (P<0.001) and ox-LDL (P<0.001) and higher insulin (P<0.05), GLP-1 (P<0.001) and GIP (P<0.05) compared with those without EVOO. The second study showed that compared with corn oil, EVOO improved both glycemic and lipid profile. Thus, a significantly smaller increase of glucose (P<0.05), DPP4 protein (P<0.001) and activity (P<0.05) and higher increase of insulin (P<0.001) and GLP-1 (P<0.001) were observed. Furthermore, compared with corn oil, EVOO showed a significantly less increase of LDL-C (P<0.05) and ox-LDL (P<0.001).Conclusions: We report for the first time that EVOO improves post-prandial glucose and LDL-C, an effect that may account for the antiatherosclerotic effect of the Mediterranean diet.along with the health aspects, people who choose to consume animal products such as flesh, milk and eggs need to educate themselves about the moral and ethical aspects of using other sentient beings as economic commodities and the inherent violence, suffering and death which it supports on an unimaginable scale: http://www.upc-online.org/freerange.htmlAnd what is the impact of eating just egg whites?Probably an increase of cancer promoting hormone IGF-1.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/To summarize, those that are already on a healthy diet eating eggs poses an eggsistential threat to our health. :-)As some of you may be aware, this summer’s egg prices have skyrocketed 140% due to an outbreak of several H5 highly pathogenic avian influenzas, as tens of millions of laying hens are “culled” in attempts to prevent further spread.This undoubtedly has had an influence on consumption habits, and I hope someone at CDC has considered comparing Autumn 2015 cardiovascular fatalities against Autumn 2014 and 2016, as a large natural experiment.Darryl: Great point! From your fingertips to the CDC’s ears! Let’s hope someone is paying attention.Well that was unexpected.I’m listening to the audiobook of Michael Tenneson’s The Next Species: the Future of Evolution in the Aftermath of Man (2014), and Dr. Greger’s Bird Flu: A virus of our own hatching (2006) is cited all over chapter 6.Just looking at previous Dr. Greger’s lecture today, his book on bird flu is fascinating.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G20cooZOiYEhttp://www.birdflubook.org/	American Egg Board,breakfast,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cheese,cholesterol,eggs,fast food,fat,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,McDonald's,oatmeal,obesity,sausage,smoking,Standard American Diet	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20598142,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23182841,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15721501,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22882905,
PLAIN-339	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/08/18/dietary-cholesterol-affects-blood-cholesterol-levels/	Dietary Cholesterol Affects Blood Cholesterol Levels	In my video, Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis, I profiled a study showing that both smoking and eating eggs can harm our arteries. But even egg yolks alone were associated with artery-clogging plaque buildup nearly two thirds as bad as smoking. This certainly ruffled some feathers. Yes, eggs are by far the number one source of cholesterol in the American diet, but some letters to the editor protested that dietary cholesterol may have very little impact on blood cholesterol levels, citing a study published in 1971 performed on eight people. But if one looks at dozens of studies together, covering hundreds of study subjects, we find that blood cholesterol concentration is “clearly increased by added dietary cholesterol.” In my video, Debunking Egg Industry Myths, there is an extreme example just to illustrate: a year in the life of a study subject taken on and off eggs. First, the researchers take him off eggs, putting him on a cholesterol-free diet, and his blood cholesterol plummets within just three weeks. Then they give him lots of eggs, and his cholesterol shoots back up, stays high until they take the eggs away and put him back on the cholesterol free diet, and so on and so forth. The researchers were essentially turning his high blood cholesterol on and off like a light switch (made out of eggs). Of course the only reason we care about our cholesterol levels or how much plaque is building up inside our arteries is because we want to avoid the consequences, like a heart attack. So do eggs increase our risk of cardiovascular disease? The latest meta-analysis, the latest compilation of all the best studies on egg consumption and risk of heart disease going back to 1930, found that, overall, those who ate the most eggs had a 19% increased risk of cardiovascular disease, a 68% increased risk of diabetes, and, once you have diabetes, an even greater 85% increased risk of heart disease. It didn’t take much; less than a single egg a day was associated with a significantly increased risk of heart disease. Just over half an egg a day may increase heart disease risk 6% (40% in separated diabetes patients), and the risk of diabetes by 29%. The researchers conclude that their findings support the American Heart Association dietary guidelines, which advise restricted egg consumption in adults for preventing cardiometabolic disease, like diabetes, our seventh leading cause of death, and heart disease, our number one killer. More on the diabetes connection in Eggs and Diabetes and Bacon, Eggs, and Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy. More on eggs and the egg industry in general: There’s more to heart disease than just cholesterol buildup. In my video, Eggs and Arterial Function, I explore what effect egg consumption has on endothelial function, the ability of our arteries to relax normally. 	I have been plant based in my diet now for 18 months and although I didn’t have a baseline cholesterol blood test done prior, I had one done (among others) in June 2014 and again in July 2015. I was thoroughly disappointed to find that my cholesterol (total) was 171 the first time and then 170 a year later. I have not had any food item that would contain cholesterol and I’m wondering if that is just my physiology?? Any ideas??It is LDL level that matters. Go 100% whole food, if you aren’t already, eat nuts and seeds every day, especially ground flaxseeds, decrease body fat percentage as possible, and see if anything changes.Are you still using oils (olive oil, any type of oil to cook)? If so, eliminate them. See Caldwell Esselstyn’s research. Google “Caldwell Esselstyn and no oil”I like the other suggestions here. I tackle this question in this comment. Let me know if that is useful?Best in Health,JosephFor high Cholesterol, this site recommends:nuts (particularly almonds), whole grains (like oatmeal), flax seed meal, kiwi, grapefruit, red yeast rice (not recommended now, the source of medicine), dried apples, amla, and beans like chickpeas. the vegan dietNiacin, in doses of 2 grams a day, can lower LDL by 25 percent. My improvement was more substantial. This is the exact same benefit of “One gooseberry a day” (amla,), which “cut their bad cholesterol in half in three weeks. Boosted their good cholesterol, and cut their triglycerides in half!” This makes Niacin one of two substances that can have this effect.It appears, that your liver is actively producing cholesterol to supply the cells in your body the needed cholesterol. Cholesterol is an essential nutrient necessary for many functions, including: Repairing cell membranes Manufacturing vitamin D on the skin’s surface Producing hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone Possibly helping cell connections in the brain that are important for learning and memorySome studies show that plaque buildup is due to “repair work” done on the arterial wall. Atrial scarring and inflammation contribute to the plaque buildup. Avoiding foods that can contribute to inflammation and managing stress levels will greatly help lower your risk for heart disease. http://www.empoweredmind.com/proof-stress-really-cause-heart-attacks/. Other factors that contribute to arterial scarring are high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking etc. These again have a close connection to psychosocial factors.Actually blood cholesterol responds more strongly to the amount of saturated fat in the diet than to the amount of cholesterol. So you could be eating zero dietary cholesterol and still have higher blood cholesterol if you are eating significant amounts of saturated fat. And note that even plant oils contain saturated fat to varying degrees, so it isn’t just in animal fat. “heart-healthy” olive oil is 14% saturated fat. In fact the highest percentages of saturated fat are actually in things like coconut oil (86%) and palm kernel oil (81%) rather than beef (50%) or chicken (30%).So if you want to get your cholesterol below 150 then you have to pay attention to how much saturated fat is in your diet. The easiest way to do that is just eat whole plant foods without adding refined oil and be somewhat mindful of the amount of nuts and oily seeds you eat.If the thyroid is not working properly it could lead to high cholesterol levels. Many, if not most, are deficient in iodine because of the industrial halogens in the environment. There is some information at iodineresearch.comIn these studies… how were the eggs eaten? Is it the same to eat them raw, fried or poached?You’d have to click on the hyperlinks, or go the videos and find the “sources cited” section to see exactly how the eggs were prepared. I can tell you cooking style may not matter, as cholesterol is stuck in the egg. Hard-boiling may be the safest method because that type of cooking can kill bacteria, as leaving the eggs runny or raw presents risk of food borne illness.As far as I know, LDL cholesterol is not a problem for our health. The problem is oxidized LDL cholesterol. So the cooking method should impact. Fried eggs must have a lot of oxidized cholesterol. In raw eggs I would not expect to find oxidized cholesterol. Of course, I would be taking the risk of the food borne illness.What about egg whites in chickens who truly range free and find their own food? Would the yolks be better also? In Costa Rica, my neighbours chickens wander all over, including my yard, and have remarkably reduced all ticks including those containing Ehrlichiosis which sickens and kills a many dogs.Well, that sure sounds like more of a symbiotic relationship than what we do here in the U.S. So much better for the health of the animal to be out of a battery cage. However, it may be the cholesterol. Egg whites don’t have cholesterol. They still have protein, but lack fiber and antioxidants. Not sure exactly how their protein relates to increased risk of IGF-I, but animal protein may increase IGF-I production. There is lots of controversy about eggs. Look if you’re going to eat them I’d suggest minimizing their consumption and adding plenty of fiber-rich veggies to the high-fat meal, as we learned from yesterday’s video on high-fat meals leading to endothelial impairment. Don’t fall for any label that says “cage-fee” and consider finding egg alternatives (tofu, tempeh, black beans, pinto beans, faux meats that contain protein, avocado, lentils) For more on ways to substitute eggs in meals check out this substitution chart. Thanks for your questions!Best in Health, JosephYou would eat eggs from a chicken who roams around eating whatever it finds and eats ticks that carry some crazy disease? You must be joking… I will stick to plants…How many people died of Listeria in the last two years or E. Coli from plants that grow in soil? Where does Tetanus come from? Soil. I do not eat eggs at all, but was just asking the question.What about Free Range organic eggs? Does the body respond the same way?It may be the cholesterol itself, however, free range and organic eggs would be a much better choice than factory farmed caged hens in regards to animal welfare. It’s been my experience that these cage-free labels are often misleading consumers, as if I raised hens for eggs and wanted to call them “cage-free” all I have to do is give them access to a door and shove the birds in a open warehouse. The laws have no protection for assuring chickens have room to more around or realistic access to the outdoors (plus what chicken would go outside in Minnasota in the dead of winter?).Dr. Greger has an article on this, of course. See if it’s helpful?Thanks, Cessna. Joseph” free range and organic eggs would be a much better choice than factory farmed caged hens in regards to animal welfare.”please see this for the truth about “free range”, “cage free” and “grass fed” labels:http://www.humanemyth.orgThanks! Notice how I also said “It’s been my experience that these cage-free labels are often misleading consumers”But I have not see that link before thanks for sharing.How many times has this been addressed in the numerous videos on eggs? Watch the videos and you will learn…Currently the studies show that to eliminate risk of heart disease, LDL cholesterol levels should be under 70. Total cholesterol is not as important since it includes the “good” HDL cholesterol. So 170 might be a terrific number if your LDL is low.There is so much information here and on the web regarding cholesterol levels and heart disease risk. Please Google around and don’t expect to get an answer on a forum such as this. There is a lot of misinformation as well – for instance, Paleo Diet promoters are, for the most part, not concerned with heart disease – take that into consideration when you see their recommendations to eat meat and eggs.Good comments about cholesterol, but I disagree with the fact you could find more on google than on our website in regards to a specific question. We have many moderators with credentials who read the comments. Our site users are very equipped and familiar with how the site operates, and often point to relevant videos or citations. I try to help everyone by answering questions as a dietitian. Certainly search engines like Google have their place, I use it all the time, but I still encourage folks to ask questions here in hopes we can give some suggestive advice.Ah, I was referring to the forum, not the Nutritionfacts.org website. Not that there isn’t valuable info on the forum but they are just opinions. People should learn to read some of the studies themselves (Google Scholar is one way) and just rely on someones interpretation (especially mine!)I take 20mgs of Atorvastaton QED + several supplements that lower cholesterol on different pathways than statins. I eat meat, dairy, eggs, fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, etc.Last blood work – 5/11/15TC – 129 HDL – 54 TG – 36 Direct LDL – 67 LDL-P 873Oh, how nice looking eggs you have presented! I cannot resist. Right after this comment I am going to prepare 4 soft-boiled eggs for my supper. I eat some 12 eggs a week but I lag far behind Dr Ribeiro – some 20-30 – a week and Mr Zieba around 30-40. I would love to have higher cholesterol level – I have only 210 and in spite of eating only 12 eggs a week I am unable to to raise it to 250. But I also consume meat – twice a week and fish 3-4 times a week and once or twice poultry. Besides I use coconut oil and olive oil. I have been doing so for decades except for coconut oil, which I have consumed for the last 2 years only. According to your predictions, I should have suffered from atherosclerosis for decades not to speak of Dr Ribeiro, a cardiologist and nutritionist, whose arteries should have been blocked completely by now. He declared in 2012 that he would tear up his MD diploma – (there are still his words on youtube – I could find you the link) if someone unequivocally proves that cholesterol is the root of a heart disease. Well, why not take up a challenge and make him destroy his diploma?I am really sick and tired of hearing over and over again about this cholesterol’s pernicious role. The other day I saw in your blog some tragic consequences of using olive oil. I guess, you are in the same boat with Dr Esselstyn.Dr Greger, you seem to consider health holistically. Hasn’t it occurred to you yet that fat (especially healthy fats – omega 3 – DHA and EPA are ESSENTIAL for human brain? The consequences of not putting such fat into your diet are pretty nasty. You haven’t read at least the last two books by Dr Perlmutter and not only his, have you?I love reading / watching your blogs and I begin to worry about what could happen to you if you carry on with no fat consumption. I am afraid I cannot see who could substitute you presenting blogs of at least the same quality even though they are biased. So look after your brain, Dr Greger. It is high time.Do you think your anectodal example is a good proof against all scientific evidence that shows effects of dietary saturated fats and cholesterol on progression of atherosclerosis? High LDL levels cause atherosclerosis. You may not get it, but most people will. A single person like you won’t change statistics. You are your own worst enemy here. Another cholesterol denier. Good luck with your slow suicide.Nothing anecdotal (only hard-core scientiists usually dismiss reality calling it anecdotes) but real fac ts of life that so-called science is unable to answer. Why? Read Sheldrake and Chopra – they are also scientists who a long time ago decided to leave this stinking dungeon science of the Newtonian mechanics and Cartesian reason. There’s more to that. That 17th science needs updating – if not something more dangerous may occur – a return to the Dark Middle Ages.There’s dozens of books talking about the cholesterol myth; update your knowledge. You are still living in the 1970s. 45 years have passed. Wakey, wakey!Even LDL is nothing bad -it must be split into large particles and small particles. And the latter ones only if oxidized are dangerous.PS Ya blagodaryu Vas za otvet, no tak nel’zya, ne polutchitsya. Vy govorite o moyom samoubijstve? I Vy zhelaete mne stchastlivoy puti k etomu? Eta put’ prodolzhaet uzhe 30 let. Stchastlivo.People can write as much books as they want, offer arguments and theories, but if they don’t work and if they can’t be proven by experiments, they are distracted from reality. They don’t work.I prefer updating my knowledge with conclusions of carefully designed and repeatable experiments and researches. All non-HDL cholesterol particles that contain ApoB are atherogenic. You don’t need inflammation to make them sticking to your arteries, they are doing it on their own, just because they are flowing in your blood. They don’t need to be oxidized. Non-HDL cholesterol particles cause inflammation. Inflammation is measurable, and when you lower your non-HDL cholesterol level, it goes down.If you want my anecdotal example, there is. My grandmother was diagnosed with high LDL and atherosclerosis and died of heart attack at the age of 57. She was a meat-lover. She didn’t change anything after diagnosis. Just like you.Gospodin Kalichkin, izvinite, no mne kazhetsya, tschto u Vas problema v angliyskom yazyke. Tschto? Oni ne rabotayut? O tschiom Vy govorite? Tschto Vy znaete o Tschopre i Sheldreiku? Oni tol’ko pishut knigi???Znaete, ya bojus’, potomu tschto esli lyudi nauki budut postupat’ tak dal’she, priydiot revolyutsya i unitschtozhit wsjo: samye bol’shye pobedy nauki i vozvratimsja v tschornye veka X-XIV. Nauka dolzhna ponyat’, tschto tol’ko Dekart (?) i Nyuton eto tschistaya glupota, potomu tschto samaya zhizn’ stoit vyzhshe tschem nauka i poetomu nauka Dekarta i Nyutona nikogda ne poymyot v tschiom delo. Eto vidim naprimer zdes’. Kak mozhet byt’ tozhe samaya nauka nazyvaet beloe tschornym i na oborot, tschornoe belym. Ona dolzhna “upgrade”.Are you presenting your ”anecdote” as a real proof of life sciences’ wisdom and as a warning directed at me? OK, Mr Science, I will return a compliment telling you mine. Will you listen?My father has always eaten meat, not only lean tender meat, but also fatty pieces full of saturated fats. On top of that he also has been eating a lot of sugar – he carries candies and chocalates in every pocket of his clothes and you can find such things in every nook and cranny at home. He consume tons of this stuff.According to your science he ought to have been dead and gone not even should have reached your groundmother’s age. But you see he is 91. It is true he suffered a heart attack when he was 88. The doctors told him to stop running around (he always does it even though using crutches – he has been suffering from knee arthritis for some 10 years now). So what is your scientific comment?All in all, is my anecdote not valid, only yours? I will mention another one told by Dr Greger himself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFFWstlfDRkIf the same story had been told by Dr Perlmutter – it would have been dismissed as anecdote.Didn’t you know that more or less 50% of the people with high cholesterol suffer heart attacks? So what the heck of statistics are you talking about? Excuse me, do you belong to those die-hard scientists who are not even swayed by those statistics who go against their ideas?Only what is measurable is scientific? And consciousness? As it is not measurable, the science comfortably weashes its hands. It belongs to metaphysics – it says. And it is the centre of human life, well, not only human, actually, isn’t it?A study of one isn’t much use to anyone, but you certainly seem to be proving that cholesterol will rise with consumption of animal products. Judging by your picture, you don’t look that old, and since heart disease can take decades to manifest itself through an event, I wouldn’t exactly proclaim victory just yet. You also seem to have a lipid profile that’s fairly typical for a large number of Americans. Since we are one of the sickest countries in the world, that’s not something I’d call a major predictor of continued health.I am not American but European through and through. I am 62 and the photo was taken a year ago. As you see I have been prospering on cholesterol, I eat 12 eggs a week, quite a lot of fish some meat and tons of vegetables and fruits. I have not proclaimed victory but I simply study a lot. Perhaps I am not a human being but perhaps I am a reptilian … :-))) And I am not the only example and not going to repeat names. Mainstream medicine commits genocide every year. Dr Greger himself talks about it and this medicine is part and parcel of the scientific Establishment.Did you actually read the article? The connection between eggs and cholesterol was demonstrated by the most demanding study mode – a crossover study – no confounding variables. The same individual could watch his cholesterol rise and fall with diet. Don’t see any shreds of Dr. Ribeiro’s diploma floating in the air. Cholesterol production varies from individual to individual. Some people have exceeding low levels no matter what they eat (the impetus for the new blockbuster PCSK-9 inhibitor drugs). And despite having cholesterol levels around 30 or 40, live healthy lives. The liver generates all the cholesterol that’s needed for the brain and other needs, so loading up with cholesterol is at best a total waste and at worst, will kill you.What’s the problem? Present it to Dr Ribeiro and you will see his diploma floating in the air.RicardoRichard: If you really believe that Dr. Greger, “…carr[ies] on with no fat consumption”, then I invite you to spend just a wee bit of time investigating the information on this site. This site extols the virtues of nuts, seeds, tofu/traditional soy products, broccoli, etc. All healthy foods containing fat. And all the types of foods that one needs for a healthy brain.By no means does this site promote a diet with “no fat consumption”. Instead, this site helps people to understand that some foods which have fat in them are simply not healthy (while others are). The gigantic number of scientific studies listed for you on this site show how risky it is to include significant amounts of eggs, meat, dairy and yes even highly processed plant foods like oils in your diet.You are free to ignore this information. But be very careful about making claims about the content of this site. We do not want to spread misinformation.I’ve been reading a lot on healthy fats like coconut oil, avocado, and I use them in my morning smoothies. Fifteen years ago I had triple bypass surgery, never had a heart attack had high tryclycerides and cholesterol. I now have cholesterol of 110 but eating much healthier. I am 81. I have severe osteoarthritis and some pagets.I feel good but have low tolerance for exercise and walking too long. I also had 2 hip replacements 13 and 14 years ago. Healthy eating is my focus now.rob: re” Healthy eating is my focus now.” Good for you! It sounds like you are doing much better now.I don’t know anything about pagets, but of course, I have heard of osteoarthritis. Just in case you weren’t aware, I thought I would let you know that Dr. Greger has some videos on that topic: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=osteoarthritisGood luck!Thea, I could be ignorant but I think no vegetarian food contains DHA unless it is sea algea difficult to get and rather expensive – an indispensable fat needed for the brain (Perlmutter, Kruse, Ribeiro).Are you accusing me or warning me? I have never made a claim that this site spreads misinformation. I know it is a serious site and Dr Greger is serious as well but he is so prejudiced against non-vegetarian diet so he resorts to cherry-picking. Dr Kruse and Dr Perlmutter and Dr Ribeiro also present scientific data to support their views.A human being has always consumed meat and there are people who still do that and live over 100 years. And this is human experience that Greger’s view makes an effort to mine.Besides soy is DANGEROUS unless it is fermented. It combats testosterone in men and boosts estrogen in women producing hormonal imbalance.As a PhD holder, albeit not in this field, I will never accept that white is black and the vice-versa. It is not science unless we are entering or have just entered a new paradigm that will make science relative in the sense that something is true for Dick but is false for Hurry (impossibility to replicate the experiment that will bring the same results), because there is no other explanation that a cardiologist/nutritionist risks tearing up his MD diploma if he is proven wrong (an important supplement to his statement concerns boiled eggs not fried -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTUU1OGMqLQ 48:15.). And how could it be otherwise if he eats some 35 eggs a week (for him an egg is the second best food, after human milk), the third is coconut oil! That awful saturated fat – Dr Greger will say). And look at him – he looks at most 55 but he is 70!!! He puts into practice what he “preaches”. He does not wear glasses nor contact lenses. He teaches people how to grow old without becoming old. And he is the epitome of good health whereas in Western world people give examples of longevity, but what is the point of living a long life if the last 15-20 years you in fact have to struggle against various complicated illnesses?Having a Ph.D. does not make one immune from bias or prejudice. For instance, your statements regarding soy do not bear out and you site the same physicians (Dr Perlmutter and Dr Ribeiro) as though their message trumps the thousands of studies that may differ. What does contact lens wearing have to do with anything? I began wearing glasses at the age of 6 – ate eggs several times a week, so….And by the way, “70!!!” is no longer considered ancient these days. My mother began succumbing to the devastation of a life on high fat foods when she turned 80. At at time in her life when she should be enjoying her grandchildren and socializing with fellow seniors, she instead spends her time hooked up to a dialysis machine and poking herself with needles and downing countless drugs with side effects that require other drugs.From what I see of your messages, you just can’t bear the thought of life without eating animal products and want to post-justify your decision. Just say, ‘I know meat and eggs may be bad for me but I chose to take the risk’ – I have a lot of respect for that approach.I am not justifying anything. I have always been an omnivore. It is not that I “can’t bear the thought of life without eating…”And in fact I am not very fond of eating but a rational thought tells me to eat everything that is edible. I never liked sugar and pastries but at least once a month I have a craving for a piece of cake. I stopped eating artificially hydrogenated products in processed foods some 10 years ago. I don’t like pizzas but I do like omletes and pancakes which I must have at least once every 2 weeks. I like having a hamburger once every 6 months.Those studies you mention are either written by die-hards who are losing ground or by newbies who in order to be in medicine must toe the line. I know what it looks like.There are other names. Dr Osborne, Dr Hyman, Dr Brogan, Dr Axe, Dr Kresser, etc , etc except the second one they are in their 30s or early 40s. And they do not lie. And they are linked to the Integrative and Functional Medicine, which to my mind is the future of Medicine. I suppose one must have an open mind and never get stucked in one circle however much scientific it may look like.Richard – Why do you lump the hundreds of nutrition researchers together as “die-hards” and liars? If you have a Ph.D. in science you know one of the most satisfying things for a researcher is to prove conventional wisdom wrong not confirm something that is already proven. Chris Kresser is a nice guy but he is not a Dr. Kresser. (Not that one needs a Ph.D. to do research but you seem to be very impressed with the title.) If you are a scientist, you of all people should be able to dig up the actual studies and look at the statistics and decide for yourself. As far as your choice of food, that’s fine. And if animal products are so critical as you claim, from your description of your habits, it doesn’t sound like you’re eating enough to get any of their ‘unique’ nutritional value at all, such as Vitamin B12 (You probably should be taking supplements as well). Yes you look very youthful for your age, but I want to feel youthful when I’m 80 and not be a burden upon relatives and require constant visits to hospitals and clinics. I’m a little older than you. Check back with me in 20 years or so and we can compare hospital bills :-) (Although european health care is certainly better than here in the US)It could be added that a couple of the other people mentioned are apparently chiropractors. (It has seemed to me that many of the people providing questionable health advice/products are chiropractors.)I wonder if RicardoRichard accords any weight to, say, Dr. Roberts (editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Cardiology) or Dr. Williams (president of the American College of Cardiology) …Yes. I’ve gone to some of these websites and watched and heard interviews with them. They have charismatic, likable, persuasive and “believable” personas that are very attractive to some people. They also sell books and programs. Unfortunately they do a lot of harm to so many of those “believers”. Human nature…There are people and people everywhere. If you gain practice you will be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Read and watch here and there and draw your own conclusions.Yes. I’ve gone to some of these websites and watched and heard interviews with them. They have charismatic, likable, persuasive and “believable” personas that are very attractive to some people. They also sell books and programs. Unfortunately they do a lot of harm to so many of those “believers”. Human nature…As long as Medicine sees a “fragmented” person, we will never go any further. What’s the point of having clean arteries – no fat, no oil consumption – if you end up with Alzheimer and you will not be able to recognize your children/friends? The future is in Integrative Functional Medicine. This mainstream medicine is excellent at saving lives in desperate situations even through drugs or operations but at the same time it shouldn’t be authorized to treat diseases. Read or listen to Mark Hyman for instance.I am not impressed by titles. I simply like talking to open-minded people. Millions of studies you talk about are simply outdated. Today human race advances at an estonishing speed. Look at microbiome. Only for the last 5 years have we learnt fantastic things. Doctors usually do not updaste their knowledge unless they are researchers. So tell them about the microbiome in your gut as your second brain and you will be laughed at, because they usually feel superior, for they are MD. But what do they know about “may food be your medicine and your medicine your food”? B12 is too little. One must take also B6 and Folate. There will be nothing to compare, because in general here in Europe all is paid for unless you want something extra. But the other side of the coin is that if you earn say 3k every month, you bring home actually 2k – 1 is taken away from you for all those expenses.Some good points. But, think about it, just because a nutritional study is not current doesn’t mean the conclusions are invalid. If a study protocol is first-class, its conclusions should stand forever.While its off-topic, remember, here in the US we fool ourselves into thinking we are getting away with something due to our lower taxes, but in the end we pay dearly through extremely expensive treatments for chronic disease, outrageous drug prices and inflated hospital costs to make up for the care for the poor and uninsured. Here in the US, mainly the lives and health of the wealthy count. If that’s the way you want to view your fellow humans, come on over!“…a rational thought tells me to eat everything that is edible.”Hopefully it’s just a slip of dogmatic (and not the delusional) mindset, but this sort of statement, beside being simply amusing, gets to the heart of your problem. You are identifying irrational beliefs as rational and holding to them vigorously, or holding to them vigorously and then insisting that they are rational in order to quiet the dissonance of your irrational belief patterns. But either way, the outcome is similar.You construct a straw man for the claims that science can make about the connection between diet and mortality in any one person, then hem and haw about how you aren’t dead yet, as if this were even unlikely from the scientific point of view, given the information that you’ve supplied and the information about you that is as yet unspecified. You have very little respect for how little potential there is for the unsystematically studied experience of a few people to falsify a statistical theory about populations. It’s simply unsightly in someone who claims to be highly educated in a scientific discipline that shares some of the same sort of statistical thinking in its theories.Anyway, you eat a number of eggs per day (approx 3) and you have high cholesterol, but not as high a cholesterol level as some other people. Why does this shatter what you sneer at as the “so-called” scientific view? Mainstream science predicts that there will be interindividual variation in the response due to genetics and other factors, and that at high cholesterol intake, the rate of response to additional cholesterol in the diet is marginally decreasing. For example, see Hopkins’ meta-analysis and review of metabolic ward studies that Greger references in this blog article.Also you claimed in your discussion with me that you had only been engaging in the intensively eggy part of your diet for 12 years, not “decades”. Which is it?RicardoRichard: re: “I could be ignorant but I think no vegetarian food contains DHA unless it is sea algea…” You are indeed ignorant about this point. You could learn more from the talk given by Jeff Novick called From Oil to Nuts if you really want to know more.I would normally address your post with more information, but all of your points come from a place of ignorance, AND I have yet to see any indication that you are interested in any way of rectifying that condition. The purpose of my post was to stop *you* from spreading misinformation about the NutritionFacts site (by claiming that Dr. Greger promotes a diet with no fat). That’s all.re: “…there is no other explanation that a cardiologist/nutritionist risks tearing up his MD diploma if he is proven wrong…” If he had any integrity at all, he would have already torn up his diploma. The information in this article (along with many other studies) proves beyond doubt that dietary cholesterol affects blood cholesterol (as another poster already explained to you).Thanks, that name rings a bell, but I will check it once again. Anyway it does not solve the whole problem – how many kgs of nuts a day do you have to eat in order to satisfy the minimum necessities of DHA?Besides a human being has always been an omnivore, hasn’t he? Up till mid-20th century heart attacks were not so rife and people ate meat and cholesterol and the rest of it that Dr Greger considers wrong. Why? On what grounds? The fact is that people in Western world started to consume more and more meat and thus causing imbalance in the diet. I think it will be sufficient to restore that balance instead of telling people that eating meat causes them health issues. This is not a scientific argument. No “mono-solutions” could rationally support your argument. The human being is much more complex.I don’t understand – if you have found the proof – just demand from Dr Ribeiro that he should tear up his diploma. If you are so convinced, why is he still alive consuming so much cholesterol? What does your science tell us about it? A freak of nature? He is not the only one.I still can’t understand the whole fuss about cholesterol. It is a myth – cholesterol causing a heart disease?. Dr Sinatra and many before him are also pseudoscientists? What the heck is going on? No cholesterol, no possibilities of producing vit D and hormones, it is indispensable in the membrane of cells and in the neurons. Who established the “normality” of 250 and then lowered it to 200? Why 200 and not 202? What is this hoax all about? About statins! Let them establish the correct number to 100 and then there will be some 4 billion new candidates for statins.You remind me of people who say, what’s this nonsense about carbon dioxide and global warming? Carbon dioxide is necessary for life!Just for your information, true omnivores NEVER gets atherosclerosis, no matter how much cholesterol and saturated fat they would ingest. While herbivores, like rabbits gets heart disease just like humans when you feed them a conventional Western diet, that’s the reason they are used for experimentation, they react exactly as the other herbivores.. including of course humans.It seems that despite your high cholesterol you want it even higher, looks like you think that a medication like statins, might be some huge scam don’t you? Well — is keeping people’s cholesterol level in check, and fewer people are dying of atherosclerosis thanks to it, despite all its secondary effects.BTW, when the doctors you mention, are able to REVERSE arteriosclerosis in terminal patients, JUTS by using that suicidal diet they sponsor, please present them here. I am aware that you must know that Dr Esselstyn does that, every day. And remember, just because some doctor with no prestige out there, who is paid by certain lobbies to claim their diet is such and such, doesn’t mean they do so.. they are just selling the product they are paid to sell.Every day a lot of idiots are born, and for them.. there are always the scammers who sell them bridges. Sad to see some of them here. Unless of course, they are also well paid to disseminate confusion in this site, wouldn’t be surprising. They profit from the confusion… but they are wasting their efforts in this site (the average reader is more than well informed) So their misinformation only cause hilarity, but we tend to clarify just for the sake of casual visitors.Well, well well – I see you are a great specialist in DHA… You call me ignorant but who is ignorant is you. At the same time you love throwing your weight around. I was not wrong – that there’s no DHA in walnuts. Your ex-cathedra discourse a posteriori looks nothing but pathetic. Go back to research and then open up your mouth to speak.Walnuts like flaxseed have no DHA, only ALA (if you know what it is) Obviously it may be converted to DHA but the rate of conversion is 4% sic! http://www.dhaomega3.org/Overview/Conversion-Efficiency-of-ALA-to-DHA-in-HumansSo how many kgs of nuts should you eat? I am asking the same question again to have the same amount of DHA as in fish? I am shooting at random – 2 kgs of walnuts/flaxseed?Please don’t pretend to be an expert – more humility, please. I see I have come across another blind supporter of your circle. Yes, it is very comfy to repeat like a parrot what your leader is saying… But I really doubt that Dr Greger has ever said such nonsense. He is too serious, too knowlegeable and too cautious although he knows perfectly how to manouvre in his research to be on his safe side.Concerning Novick, he is a carbon copy of Esselstyn. First and foremost he is totally wrong considering calories as indication of junk foods. It was OK until the end of the 20th century. By the same token omega 3 in walnuts you defend is also junk food and it makes you put on weight – according to Novick himself.In 2011 or 2012 a study from Harvard School appeared telling us that calories are not made equal. Dr Mercola wrote about it extensively and Dr Perlmutter’s own experience with his patience confirms the idea.Apart from that, have you heard of ketogenic diet? Perhaps you will need it yourself one day if you carry on like that.So where did you take your knowledge from? From your dreams or from your own publications on the Internet? Read Dr Perlmutter’s last two books, “The peddler” can teach you something because your knowledge is below that of peddlers. You will learn something useful and practical. The other option is to stay with your blinkers on and with your like-minded people stew in your own unbalanced and real true juice, because the truth undoubtedly belongs to your circle – you are the only scientific gods who hold the truth and the golden key to human health.In future I will know how to read your comments.Have a nice day.RicardoRichard: re: “I was not wrong – that there’s no DHA in walnuts.” I never said I was talking about walnuts. I never said I was talking about nuts at all. You made that assumption.I stopped reading your post after your statement about walnuts. If you watch Novick’s talk and see the hard numbers and then want to continue the conversation, you know where I am.I did not make any assumptoions. The context was more than obvious. Read the whole thing once again and you will see; even a junior school student will understand that I was talking about walnuts. And you are trying to wonder from the point now just not to show your gaffe.Read Chris Kresser and Perlmutter and they will show you different hard numbers. But if your circle is the only scientific god – so stay healthy because there’s nothing to talk about a person with a closed mind. Attention, you may continue to have clean arteries but your brain will not allow you to show your writing qualities. Listen to Perlmutter. Open your mindHere’s what everyone needs to know about Perlmutter: http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/06/problem-with-the-grain-brain-doctor.html No real science there…A drowning man catches at a straw. The mainstream medicine counter-attacks. The die-hard’s days are counted. So they try to organize witch-hunting. Perlmutter, Mercola. Who will be next? Chopra? Hyman? Brogan? Osborne? Only because they have refused to toe the line, therefore they must be professionally destroyed.Or perhaps pure envy is at stake…What are you actually defending? On the one hand you are in this circle defending your guru and on the other you are telling me about the hard numbers chosen by Novick (another guru?) He is showing us that olive oil is just a sh- but Dr Greger in his lecture is telling us that olive oil is good. Where do you stand, actually? A divided loyalty usually does not last long.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFFWstlfDRk In order to spare you some time – you don’t have to watch everything – just see 37:23.what happend if you just eat the whites it will be better?Egg whites don’t have cholesterol. They still have protein, but lack fiber and antioxidants. Not sure exactly how their protein relates to increased risk of IGF-I, but animal protein may increase IGF-I production.Dear Dr Greger, Thanks so much for your effort to bring nutrition to the general public and to doctors! For some 30 years I have been instructing my patients and groups about good nutrition. Honestly I started when I read the book from Rudolph Ballentine: Diet and nutrition [somewhere around 1980 ] which i consider still one of the most balanced [and even with quite a bit of humor, the last issue i also appreciate so much in your talks!] books i read, even if it may not be “up to date” by now. A later book from him is: Radical healing. Transition to Vegetarianism from him may be your fist choice! I am writing you for one reason and i hope you may receive my remark[s] with good intentions. When I saw your video about eggs i was a bit disturbed by the myopic sight on this subject. I have “lived” through the incredible non-sense, sponsored by the “parve”/ margarine etc industry of the Western food giants for so many decades.[Unilever and other big giants don’t care to much about ethics] Eggs was one of the biggest lies in my eyes but with a happy ending: it was shown to be a scam and every doctor in “natural medicine” knew this for all the years. Therefore it surprised me that you choose a few articles to prove your point. You don’t differentiate between eggs which comes from chickens fed with rubbish food [ and the product may then be equal to “margarine”] or those of chickens that are free-roaming. On top of that scrambled eggs [even from good eggs] maybe harming in the long run,this in contrast to [soft] boiled eggs. The same is true for chicken meat and any product we eat [where does it come from ?] , just like Alaskan salmon is for sure worth eating and all other salmon NOT [as you rightly showed in a video i remember] I highly appreciate all your important work and may the Almighty bless you with the strength to continue for many, many years!Thanks for such nice words about Dr. Greger’s work! The good thing is we supply all citations so folks can dig thru and find exactly what the researchers were studying. His post regarding free-range vs. conventional eggs and cholesterol is super helpful. He mentions animal welfare and this article, Nutritional Benefits of Higher Welfare Animal Products. The main point here is the the Egg Industry is misleading the public.If you scroll further down you’ll see Robert’s comment about chickens in Costa Rica.http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/805580 Correlation Between Oxysterol Consumption and Heart DiseaseAncel Keys, who some consider the father of the cholesterol–heart disease hypothesis said in 1997: “There’s no connection whatsoever between the cholesterol in food and cholesterol in the blood. And we’ve known all along. Cholesterol in the diet doesn’t matter at all unless you happen to be a chicken or a rabbit”http://jn.nutrition.org/content/59/1/39.full.pdf DIET AND SERUM CHOLESTEEOL IN MAN: LACK OF EFFECT OF DIETARY CHOLESTEROL ANCEL KEYS, J. T. ANDERSON, OLAF MICKELSEN, SADYE F. ADELSON AND FLAMINIO FIDANZASUMMARY1. Two cross sectional surveys in Minnesota on young men and 4 on older men showed no relationship between dietary cholesterol and the total serum cholesterol concentration over most of the ordinary intake range characteristic of American diets.2. Two surveys on the Island of Sardinia failed to show any difference in the serum cholesterol concentrations of men of the same age, physical activity, relative body weight and general dietary pattern but differing markedly in cholesterol intake.3. Careful study during 4 years of 33 men whose diets were consistently very low in cholesterol showed that their serum values did not differ from 35 men of the same age and economic status whose diets were very high in cholesterol.4. Comparisons made of 23 men before and after they had voluntarily doubled their cholesterol intakes and of 41 men who halved theirs failed to show any response in the serum cholesterol level in 4 to 12 months while the rest of the diet was more or less constant.5. A detailed study of the complete dietary intakes of 119 Minnesota businessmen failed to show any significant in crease of serum cholesterol with increasing dietary cholesterol intake.6. In 4 completely controlled experiments on men the addition to or removal from the diet of 500 to 600 mg of cholesterol daily had no effect on the serum cholesterol fall produced by a rice-fruit diet or on the rise in changing from a rice-fruit diet to an ordinary American diet.7. In a completely controlled experiment on 5 physically healthy men the change from a rice-fruit diet containing 500mg of cholesterol daily to the same diet devoid of cholesterol had no effect on the serum level.8. In a similar experiment with 13 men receiving 66 gm of fat daily there was no significant effect in changing from a cholesterol intake of 374 mg/day to one of 1369 mg/day. In another 12 men the reverse change was likewise without effect on the blood serum.9. It is concluded that in adult men the serum cholesterol level is essentially independent of the cholesterol intake over the whole range of natural human diets. It is probable that infants, children and women are similar.Charles I would think that what matters is the baseline cholesterol level. If someone starts with a healthy LDL cholesterol under 70 and add dietary cholesterol, you will see an increase in the cholesterol level. If you start with a high LDL over 90, there may be no effect. I liken it to the effect of lit matches on the temperature. Once things are already on fire, added matches make a trivial difference.Just to begin, could go for dozens of entries here:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/For decades, “on the basis of concerns from the American Heart Association and consumer groups, the Federal Trade Commission carried out successful legal action – upheld by the Supreme Court-to compel the egg industry to cease and desist from false and misleading advertising that eggs had no harmful effects on health.”See “anti-cholesterol attacks on eggs resulted in severe economic loss through a reduction in egg consumption,” so the egg industry created a “National Commission on Egg Nutrition” to combat the anti-cholesterol, anti-egg publicity with ads like this, exclaiming there is no scientific evidence whatsoever that eating eggs in any way increases the risk of heart attack,” which the U.S. Court of Appeals found patently false and misleading.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/When were the cholesterol levels measured for each of these studies?See:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/Unless you can demonstrate that the systematic error introduced by measuring fasting blood levels was accounted for, the articles you site don’t support your bias.I’m still eating eggs, ice cream and meat. My total cholesterol has dropped from 210 to 160 with a large drop in LDL. The only thing I have done is increase my vegetable intake.It seems Brian, that you’ve made the point.“only thing I have done is increase my vegetable intake”Do you still eat exactly the same amount of eggs, ice cream and meat? Or is it that your increased vegetable intake has displaced some of those other foods from your diet? In addition to vegetables, have you made other changes to your diet like switching to whole grains from refined grains, eating leaner cuts of meat, switching to fresh meat as opposed to cured meats?If you are keeping calories the same, diet is a zero sum game. If you have been losing weight during this time AND increasing your plant-food consumption, then your animal food consumption would have had to be even further reduced. So your reduction in cholesterol could still be more a result of a reduction in animal food intake even though, as you say, you haven’t stopped eating them entirely. BTW, 210 -> 160 is great! Keep it up.“Dietary cholesterol doesn’t raise blood cholesterol” is all over in german media. “Eggs are a healthy part of our diet” was the message of a tv show I saw a few days ago. So happy you touched this topic once again Dr. G, Everyone here loves eggs, so everybody wants them to be healthy. I’m sure it will take many more years till the public will recognise that eggs are not as healthy as people think.And that statement does have some truth in it, as far as it goes. If those making the statement were trying to be fully truthful they would say “Dietary cholesterol doesn’t raise blood cholesterol much but only if you already have high cholesterol. If you have truly healthy cholesterol levels of under 150, which we all should be working diligently to obtain, then dietary cholesterol can have a much more significant effect on blood cholesterol”. But that is a nuanced answer that doesn’t do anything to sell more eggs, so why tell all the truth when telling just a selected portion is so much more profitable.http://www.turnx.info/Maximum_Nutrition_on_Internet/Greger.pdf Maximum Nutrition: Transitioning Toward a Plant-Based Diet With Michael Greger, M.D.Specific Grocery Substitution Products Mentioned by Dr. Greger:Does the good doctor still recommend ALL of this processed food??The key word here is “Transitioning”. These are usually transition foods for a lot of people moving to a plant-based diet to give them foods that have similar taste and texture profiles to the animal based foods they are coming from. Food can be a very emotional subject as you have demonstrated and trying to get people to completely change their diet in one enormous step is a mostly futile endeavor. In addition not all packaged foods are equally bad. That is why YOU MUST ALWAYS READ THE LABEL! For example Shedded Wheat cereal is certainly a processed food, yet only has one ingredient, 100% whole wheat.And my guess is that you didn’t read the list of recipes that Dr. Greger also provided, which don’t use these foods. Dr Greger is definitely trying to move people first off of very unhealthy animal foods to less unhealthy plant-based processed foods (if they need that intermediate step) and then onto a whole-food plant-based diet with only a few minimally processed foods. And even after you have moved to a WFPB diet, there is room for a few occasional luxuries like some of the highly processed foods on this list. We aren’t trying to be acetic monks here.But honest inquiry wasn’t really your actual motivation was it. You were just looking for a “gotcha” to use to put down Dr. Greger and by extension an entire way of eating that seems to upset you a lot.people who are only aware of the health aspects of eggs should check out this article in order to increase their awareness about the ethical issues:http://freefromharm.org/eggfacts/i checked the refs for this article and found another meta study in 2013. AM J Clin Nuttr. 2013 Jul 98(1):146-159, which concluded there was no association between eggs and CVD, although it did point out that most of the population has high cholesterol anyway so maybe increasing it more with eggs doesnt impact CVD risk. Could you comment on why you didn’t discuss this study? also I noticed that all Dr Gregers comments on pubmed on around 21 papers have been removed by moderators, but interestingly there were no other comments on those papers. i’m a big fan of your work but would appreciate some understanding of what’s going on here. Thanks.Peoples’ come-back to this is that they eat organic eggs with more lecithin.The nutrients of concern are the animal protein, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, all of which are present in the same amount in organic eggs. Lecithin might have some positive effect and so an increased amount might be slightly off-setting. But difference is likely the difference between having your foot run over by a Prius or an SUV. Your foot might not be as badly mangled by the environmentally friendly Prius than if it were run over by the gas guzzling SUV, but at the end of the day all that really matters is that your foot was run over.WebMD claims eggs do not contribute to diabetes. What is wrong with their sources?Because most of it is from studies sponsored by the egg industry or by the USDA, which is captive to the animal food industry, and then is conducted by tame researchers in academia. The food industry is taking not just a page, but the entire play book from the tobacco industry on how to muddy the science so the public and policy makers don’t get a clear look unbiased science. And then they spend million of not billions of dollar promoting that skewed science by underwriting group like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics who have aggregated to themselves the power to certify registered dieticians as well as more direct methods like lobbying congress. Not that it takes a lot. Most doctors and dieticians are eating the same sorry standard American diet as everybody else, and so welcome science giving them permission to continue to eat the foods they like.Another article on WebMD claims that saturated fats are not really bad for you.> Aug. 13, 2015 — Saturated fats, like those found in red meat and high-fat ice cream, may not be so bad for your heart health after all. They aren’t linked to heart disease, according to a new report in BMJ.http://www.webmd.com/diet/20150813/saturated-fats-faqBefore you try to hash this out in this comment section, read the articles on this website that answer your question. It all here. If you need to challenge one of the articles, fine, but first read them. Why do you think WebMD is so sacrosanct and credible? The articles are written by individuals with there own biases.> Why do you think WebMD is so sacrosanct and credible?I don’t. I am just trying to make sense of very mixed messages.My wife is a type 2 diabetic and she loves, I sent her Dr. Gregers video about eggs and diabetes. She sent me the webMD article. Now my wife thinks Dr. Greger is totally biased, and not worth listening to.I think both sides need to be considered, to make a convincing case. If there is a verifiable reason to discredit one side, I am entirely willing to do so.If there is a widely trusted source that a view that is contrary to the view that you are presenting, I think that needs to be addressed.Is some respects, I agree with you and share your frustration. No doubt Dr. Greger has a bias toward veganism but the difference is, he is honest with no financial conflicts of interest. If eating eggs were healthy I believe he would admit that and, at the same time, argue on ethical grounds. Your wife is experiencing the massive assault of a huge industry that is threatened. As Oprah discovered when she was sued by the meat industry, these vested interests play the hardest of hardballs. If she is really concerned about her health, as opposed to hearing good news about her favorite foods, she will go through Dr. Greger’s thorough and meticulous videos and articles on this site and make up her own mind. Its easy to get spoon-fed false information from the media.Is there any way to find out, for sure, if the webMD is industry propaganda?Has anybody specifically discredited the study, on which the article was based?First of all, WebMD is just a magazine. The article is written by a “science writer” who interviews a couple of experts and then distills the info based on her take. Second, if you read that article it doesn’t conclude what you claim it does, that saturated fat isn’t bad. Please take a closer look. Third, the experts she spoke with are department heads with lots on their plate besides addressing the saturated fats debate. Please, look at the journal articles that Dr. Greger presents here. These are the hands-on researchers not managers. Fourth, propaganda is promulgated consciously and unconsciously. The most effective propaganda mixes truth with unproven conclusions and sometimes outright lies. Its very difficult for people to parse that out. Fifth, 2nd hand information is filtered through the biases of the person giving that information. If the reporter, in this case Kathleen Doheny, loves ice cream, don’t you think she might explore just enough resources to confirm her bias? There is a website, Plantpositive.com where the author, through dozens of videos, meticulously goes through the literature and teaches you how to interpret the studies. He also exposes some of the well-know purveyors of doubt and misinformation regarding plant-based nutrition. Its pretty intensive but its up to us to become educated for ourselves and not rely on spoon-fed info.I went back and looked that the webMD study, and noticed something strange (IMO).The title of the article is: “Egg-Rich Diet Not Harmful in Type 2 Diabetes” but the entire article, and study, was about cholesterol, and nothing else.It seems to me that if you are claim “Egg-Rich Diet Not Harmful in Type 2 Diabetes” the study would be more focused on A1C, and blood sugar, than cholesterol.Another thing that I found interesting: there is no mention of how much dietary cholesterol was consumed by the control group.The control ate less eggs, and an equal amount of protein, but no mention of how the control group got that protein. Maybe the control group made up the amount of protein by eating bacon?Could that be significant?From the article:> A total of 140 overweight people were recruited to one of two groups: > a low-egg group that would eat less than two eggs a week > a high-egg group that would eat two eggs per day at breakfast for 6 days per week > Those in the low-egg group were told to eat enough protein to match that of the high-egg group. Cholesterol was tested in both groups.Now you see why its important not to take the watered-down conclusions at face value. Nutritional studies are very difficult to conduct. Not that its impossible to come up with meaningful results – statistics really do matter – but unless one sees the details, its easy to come up with unfounded conclusions. For instance, people fill out diet questionnaires and these are often used as data inputs for the studies. There actually are studies that investigate the validity of these questionnaires and how accurate they are. That is a major source of uncertainty that sometimes researchers account for and sometimes they don’t. Its hard to determine what the affect of temperature is on something if the thermometer is unreliable.walterbyrd: I think the following book is very compelling for fighting Type 2 diabetes: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440100607&sr=8-1&keywords=Dr.+Neal+Barnard%27s+Program+for+Reversing+DiabetesDr. Barnard’s diet is 3 times more effective at stopping and reversing T2 diabetes than the normal diet recommended to people with diabetes. 3 times! And this is not based on anecdotal evidence. It is based on clinical trials and research published in peer reviewed journals.If you don’t think you will be able to get your wife to read the book (and try some of the recipes from the back of the book), maybe you could get her to listen to one of Dr. Barnard’s talks as a starting place. I believe there are some free ones on YouTube.You are in a very tough position. People throw out competing studies and think that is a meaningful way to get at the truth. There may be nothing you can do, but hopefully some of these ideas will help.> Dr. Barnard’s diet is 3 times more effective at stopping and reversing T2 diabetes than the normal diet recommended to people with diabetes. 3 times!Can you provide a source for that?walterbyrd: It’s written on the cover of his book and provided with more detail inside. But you would have to look at the references in the back the book yourself (there’s a bunch) to find the specific reference/study he is referring to. I’ve read the book, but it’s been a long time/many years.Hopefully you could get a copy of the book from your library if you didn’t want to purchase the book yourself.Here’s something for you! I checked the PCRM website (headed by Dr. Barnard) and found this quote and link for you:“The program is based on a series of research studies Dr. Barnard and his colleagues have conducted over the years, the latest funded by the National Institutes of Health. Published in the August 2006 issue of Diabetes Care, that study found Dr. Barnard’s program to be three times more effective than the American Diabetes Association dietary guidelines at controlling blood sugar.”http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/29/8/1777.fullHope that helps.I followed the link you provided.I found the study, but could not find that quote, or anything like it.walterbyrd: Sorry, I thought you wanted a link to the study itself. Here is a link to the page containing the quote I copied above. This page is also nice because it includes a video of the TED talk that Dr. Barnard has given on the subject: http://www.pcrm.org/media/experts/neal-barnard-diabetes-bookYou might be able to find other more detailed talks that he has given on youtube. Not sure since I haven’t listened to the TED version of the talk.Regarding that BMJ study, you might find it of some interest to look at the “rapid responses,” where among others Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn (prominent plant-based-diet advocates) have weighed in. http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h3978/rapid-responseswhat can we make of the studies that seem to hint at eggs reducing some markers of inflammation?Look at who funded the study. It would be a near certainty that it directly funded by the egg industry, through the check-off program managed by the USDA, but funded by “dues” collected from the egg industry or through back door channels like funding research chairs at universities whose holders then go on to do studies favorable to the egg industry. And take a close look at those studies and my bet is that you will see that they are try to narrow down the focus so tight that they can ignore the much larger negative effects of eggs as a whole. Or they the study doesn’t actually say that they reduce markers. Rather in the study they will replace with eggs something else that causes even more inflammation than eggs and then say that eggs reduce inflammation. You can spot this scam by comparing the abstract language to the language in the body of the paper. The abstract will use the word “reduce” by itself without qualification and only in the body of the paper say that it is relative to the higher level of inflammation caused by the baseline food. And even there don’t count on them acknowledging that on an absolute scale, eggs are still inflammatory.My favorite for this comes from the dairy industry that sponsors studies that showed that study participants drank milk and lost weight. It is all over the news. And that sound great. Milk does a body good right. But we know it has fat and that might be bad. But now there are studies that says not to worry. It actually will help you lose weight (or at least that is the inference). So I can keep eating cheese. Yay! But when you dig a little deeper you find that the language in a lot of the news stores came slightly paraphrased or even straight from the press releases issued by the dairy council which was helpfully emailed directly to all the new organizations (who are under staffed and so welcome these “pre-written” news stories). Worse is that in at least one of the studies those in the study who consumed dairy didn’t actually lose weight. Rather they just didn’t gain it as fast as the other arm of the study, the people who drank sugared soda. Findings from this and other similar studies are reflected through the fun-house mirror of the dairy industry and it came out that dairy can be part of a weight loss diet. Notice the inference but not explicit statement that dairy causes weight loss. A weight loss diet is a diet with fewer calories. Any food can be part of that diet just as long as calories are sufficiently reduced. As humorously pointed out elsewhere you could lose weight on an all-twinkie diet just as long as it had fewer calories.Jim, thank you for your comment. It is helpful up to a point. Of course, it is necessary to be aware of the source of funding and the increased risk of bias and the stratgegies that may have been used to streamline results. However, unfortunately, a standard statement ‘it is funded by industry so it can’t be true’ may remain insufficient to advance knowledge and promote healthier eating. ıt is still necessary in my view to specifically demonstrate the strong and the weak points of each recearch article. Regarding the topic of inflammation and eggs for example to look at the choice of inflammation markers and if they are relevant or not and how do the results fit or not fit with other research ( that hopefully is not industry- funded). For example what does it mean that C reactive protein did not change but some other markers changed. ı am not an immunologist so I just wondered if someone has the bigger picture…The animal food industry is completely about making a profit. They are not philanthropic organizations dedicated to the advancement of scientific understanding or the promotion of human health. So why would I assume that any study they fund is anything but self-serving? Not that there is anything wrong, per say, about making a profit, but I see no reason to assume anything other than that studies underwritten in any form by an animal food or processed food company or industry would do anything other than serve as a marketing tool to allow them to sell more product.But I would never make a blanket statement that just because it had industry involvement that the results of this study CAN’T be true. Frankly I would welcome strong, well designed, well executed studies from the food industry that look like they are truly trying to get to the larger truths and understanding of human nutrition. But most of the studies I have reviewed directly or seen reviewed here are weak to very weak. As a group studies funded by the animal and processed food industry often include few subjects who range of consumption of the specific nutrient being studies is very narrow and with a study duration that is for periods of time too short to see the difference they are looking for. Adding to the obfuscation the results of the study often are over controlled resulting in suppression of the very results that they are looking for. And they mostly retain editorial control and the right to withdraw the paper so that negative results that can’t be spun into some positive light never see the light of day.I would welcome large scale strongly designed and executed studies funded by the animal and processed food industries without any prejudicial influence coming from the company or industry group. Do you have any examples of such studies that you could share?Vegan RD Ginny Messina writes“it’s been clear for a long time that the relationship between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels is weak.” http://www.theveganrd.com/2015/02/the-2015-dietary-guidelines-what-will-they-mean-for-vegans-2.html#sthash.jICS0QUb.dpufWho is to be believed? Why the differences?Ginny is an excellent RD and extremely knowledgeable. She offers health solutions and dietary suggestions for those who wish to live a more compassionate life, not harming and exploiting animals, and assures nutrient needs are met. I did not hear her say that it’s “okay to eat eggs” because of this. She is just saying that dietary cholesterol is not as harmful as saturated fat for boosting LDL. We would agree! It’s always been known that saturated fat boost cholesterol more than dietary cholesterol alone.I agree with Marco’s concern. Her quote directly contradicts Dr. Greger’s conclusions. She did not qualify her statement by saying the relationship between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels is weak in people who already consume large amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat. So it appears she is guilty of contributing to the confusion as well. I wonder if the plant-based nutritionist community even talks to one another.I know Ginny. She has a comment’s section on her website. I suggest asking her.And the relationship is weak only in populations that already have high cholesterol. After a certain point the flames don’t get hotter just because there is more fuel. It is different in people with healthy levels of cholesterol. They respond quite strongly.And with respect to eggs, this ignores the fact that they are a significant source of saturated fat and the response in blood cholesterol is strong to saturated fat even if the starting level is already high.I think that if you have a normal life and your not alien to exercises, the cholesterol increase from eggs consumption is negligible (even if eating 1-2 eggs per day). I come from a farming family where eggs consumption is something as common as breathing. In our medical history we do not have hart deceases incidents or diabetes. A balanced diet and plenty of exercise is more important than caring for the cholesterol in eggs.What does your farming family die of?That might be true if your LDL is under 70. If not, then eggs and other foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol are keeping you from better health. And to second largelytrue’s question and expand on it, what is the lifespan of people in your family and how many health issues do they have in say the last 20 years of their lives.I come from a farm family too and I can say that while my grandparents and great aunts and uncles had long lifespans, they all had significant health issues (heart disease, autoimmune diseases, diverticulitis, high blood pressure) that greatly reduced the quality of life for the decade or two of their lives. All were extremely active people. And for the younger generation, 4 of my 5 aunts had breast cancer in their 50s. One aunt died from it. And my mother died of cancer at age 66.“Just over half an egg a day may increase heart disease risk 6% (40% in separated diabetes patients),” What’s meant by ” ‘separated’ diabetes patients”?http://nf.focoempatico.net/colesterol-dietetico-afeta-niveis-colesterol-no-sangue/It says that patients with diabetes are at greater risk of heart disease when consuming over half an egg a day than general population.Analyzing that subgroup (diabetes patients) separately; trying to get a number for diabetes patients that is informed only by the data on diabetes patients. ‘Separate’ and ‘pooled’ analyses are jargon in epidemiology and probably other statistical applications that touch on a demographic subject.I find this article especially interesting because I have always been convinced that dietary cholesterol effects blood cholesterol as these studies indicate. Recently I was watching an interview on PBS evening “news” [of all places] with the head of the Tufts University School of Nutrition in Boston state just the opposite, that dietary cholesterol has not been shown to have any effect on blood cholesterol and I was wondering where she was getting her information from. Coming from the school of Nutrition at Tufts I can only suspect that there may be some industry funding for the school involved here or perhaps government funding at stake for her to make such a statement on our supposedly unbiased system of public television of all places. Or, is there really such confusion still present in our media and even in institutions of higher learning?Where do people think cholesterol goes once it enters your stomach? Most likely into your bloodstream, no? (Other suggestions?) How fast do you think you liver can process that cholesterol? Instantly? Doesn’t it make sense to believe that it does take time ( unless you have some super efficient liver) and that while the cholesterol is there is can do damage? Everyone has different efficiencies at removing cholesterol from the bloodstream and after a night’s sleep the baseline level is different for different people. In the interim, the dietary cholesterol is sitting in your arteries doing what cholesterol does.So reduce it to zero. And be happy. Read Dr Perlmutter – he will explain to you everything. See Dr Hyman, Dr Osborne and hosts of others. Open your mind and don’t get stuck.Richard – you are beginning to sound like a fortune cookie:-)Egg yolks = inflammation. Inflammation = damaged arteries. Damaged arteries = cholesterol plugs in the damage. Egg whites = no problem.Also I think some of us are more susceptible to inflammation than others…..perhaps depends on the rest of our dietCarl: Your line of “Egg whites = no problem” does not reflect the evidence I am aware of. Egg whites = higher risk of big problems. It is true that egg whites do not have cholesterol. But egg whites are essentially all animal protein. Here’s what we know about animal protein in general and egg whites in particular:Dr. Barnard links potential kidney problems to animal protein (though I don’t have the details on that).Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/Darryl at one point reminded me of the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092Dr. Greger recently posted some videos on how animal protein can raise insulin levels. The first of the following videos even specifically addresses egg whites. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/#comment-1978464793 http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/In summary: there are at least two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer: the IGF-1 and methionine. And there is some good evidence that egg white consumption contributes to heart disease and potential problems with T2 diabetes by raising insulin levels in a bad way.With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? IE: Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?	American Heart Association,animal products,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,diabetes,eggs,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,longevity,metabolic syndrome,mortality,nutrition myths,prediabetes,smoking,Standard American Diet	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23182841,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23643053,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22882905,
PLAIN-340	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/08/13/how-walnuts-can-improve-artery-function/	Do Walnuts Really Improve Artery Function?	Good news for nut lovers: Eating at least one serving of walnuts per week may drop our chances of a cardiovascular-related death by 50%. However, walnut consumption may only drop our cholesterol levels about 5%. How could we get a 50% drop in cardiac mortality from just a 5% drop in cholesterol? Walnuts must have some other heart-protecting benefits besides lowering cholesterol. The ability of blood vessels to relax and open normally is considered an excellent barometer of underlying vascular health. For example, even after controlling for other risk factors, 80% of those with better than average arterial function survived cardiac event-free over the years, whereas 80% of those with below average dilation didn’t. So what effect do nuts have? A 2011 review in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases found five clinical trials analyzing the effect of nut consumption on arterial function, and all three studies on walnuts showed an improvement in endothelial function measured in the arm. The study on pistachios also found a positive effect, but the study on hazelnuts was a wash. A subsequent study on hazelnuts, however, did find a significant improvement in arterial function, so the data for hazelnuts is mixed, whereas two subsequent walnut studies (highlighted in my video, Walnuts and Artery Function) confirmed walnuts’ benefits. Therefore, eight studies to date have investigated the effect of nuts on brachial artery function; seven out of eight showed a significant improvement in arterial function, one showed a negligible effect, and none found nuts made things worse. Half the studies, though, used the added nuts to replace foods in the diet known to have a negative effect on endothelial function. For example, in one study, walnuts replaced meat and dairy, which have been shown to be detrimental, so no wonder arterial function got better. When we do a study like that, we can’t tell if the benefits are because of the addition of the good stuff or the removal of the bad. In three of the other studies, nuts replaced olive oil, which tends to lead to a worsening of endothelial function. Therefore, in these four studies, the beneficial effects of the walnuts may have been exaggerated. However, the other four studies just added nuts as a snack or with a meal, without replacing any specific foods, and found that nuts significantly improved arterial functioning. Given their association with longevity (see Nuts May Help Prevent Death), I encourage everyone to eat an ounce of nuts a day (unless of course you’re allergic). Only about 1% of people report nut allergies, but still, that eliminates nut consumption for millions of Americans. What else can nuts do? See, for example: Don’t nuts make us fat, though? You may be surprised—see Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence. Which type of walnut is better? Black Versus English Walnuts. 	Macadamia nuts….to high in saturated fat, in your opinion?Can abundance of both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in the diet (from excess nuts by some many of us vegans!) suppress immune system, or compromise liver health?Thanks.Macadamia nuts are fine, but like all nuts and seeds their fat content is pretty high. Interestingly, a great video by Dr. Greger explains the research between nut intake and body weight. Make sure to checkout the bottom of the video’s “Doctors Note” to see more links and info. Lastly, a follow-up to that video is solving the mystery of the missing calories, which may also help.​Of all nuts. macademia nuts have the lowest amount of linoleic acid. So, overloading with linoleic acid is an issue, macadamia nuts are the way to go. Macadamia nuts have more oleic acid than olives. So getting a lot of oleic acid without getting a lot of linoleic acid is important, macadamia nuts are a great choice. The downside is it’s the most expensive nuts.We purchase organic nuts directly from the farmers. This way the nuts are fresher, the consumer price is cheaper, and the farmer gets a larger profit. A google search will come up with US farms that ship directly to consumers. Since today’s article highlights walnuts: http://www.fillmorefarms.com/Their prices are quite a bit higher than the walnuts I purchase at Costco. Plus, I’d have to buy too large a quantity to easily store in the fridge. What advantage would there be for me as the consumer in buying from this place?After shelling each nutmeat piece is individually handled — without gloves? (!) http://www.fillmorefarms.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/P1010513.jpgGood grief.Hi Joseph, would walnuts help migraine sufferers?Irene, I don’t know of walnuts having an affect on migraines unless you find they are a trigger but they do contribute to your over all health. And that is a good thing. The healthier the body the more able to deal with the migraine.Irene: Dr. Greger has a video on the remarkable effect of ginger on migraine.I recall a vid where the good Dr. mentioned flax seed as a potent anti hypertensive…have there been any studies with flax seeds instead of walnuts or others nuts to measure the same cardio protective benefits?Also, how long would one have to be consuming walnuts to get the full impact of this?Thankswhich type of walnuts are best?ALERT: when I clicked on the letters in green above: Nuts May Help Prevent Death it took me to a commercial website: http://www.nutrtionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death which is not affiliated with Dr. Greger or this site. It didn’t take me to the correct nutritionfacts video. It seems that someone has found a way to divert web traffic to certain bogus health websites selling products such as fish and other non-vegan foods.Ron: Wow, that’s amazing. I forwarded your post onto the NutritionFacts staff in order to bring it to their attention right away. Thanks for telling us about this!quite subtle, but note the spelling differences!I’m allergic to raw walnuts, once roasted they are fine. Does anyone know if the benefit remains?I remember seeing a video on this site in which Dr. Greger says that roasted nuts are better for you than the raw ones, but I can’t remember if that applies to all nuts.Well that’s encouraging, Not much else I can do, so I’ll try them.I clicked on the hyperlinked word, lead, in the past and read the study abstract. It talked about the results relative to a very high fat meal, not as absolute results in and of themselves. What does this mean about the results as a practical matter?Perhaps this benefit of walnuts (and nuts in general) is due to magnesium? I’d love to see Dr Greger do some videos/articles on Magnesium and Dr Carolyn Dean’s book “The Magnesium Miracle” . Incredible book and information. I found my answer to most of my health issues in her book. One differnce between her and Dr Greger is that she says studies show that it is ‘oxidized’ cholesterol that does harm, not unoxidized cholesterol. So if dietary cholesterol is not damaged through heat, is it still important to keep cholesterol levels down to 135 total or lower as Dr Greger suggests or is it possible that unoxidized cholesterol does not accumulate in the arteries?My cardiologist was very concerned about my cholesterol level being 280, even though I have been a vegan for over two years. I am one of the lucky ‘high cholesterol from genes’ recipients. Every one of my siblings have stents and take statins, which is why I became a vegan. I recently had the dye catheter test done because it looked like the stress/echo test showed problems. My arteries are clean as a whistle!! Left the doctor speechless. She said I still need to take statins to keep the vessels from hardening. I informed her the walnuts do the same thing, and her response was still take the statins. No thank you, I’ll just keep eating vegan!Sharon you had an Angiogram and the results were all clear with 280? That is wonderful. And that is what we hear again and again. Some people can’t get cholesterol down ever though they are diligent with the diet. I would think your testimonial will give others in the same situation hope that the WFPB diet is still the right way to go even if the numbers are off!Great story!!! I love these! And the walnut answer to your MD is priceless!Good for you, Sharon! It’s hard to stand up to some docs – they sometimes forget that we each own the bodies in which our souls reside!My husband and I became vegans partly because of two movies (“Forks Over Knives” and “Vegucated”) and partly because I read “The Truth About Statins” by Barbara Roberts. Like you, we have no interest in going down the pharmaceutical path.We’ve gotten out of the habit of eating walnuts, but after reading this article as well as your story, I’ll be putting the nut bowl back out!The first paragraph is a complete non-sequitur. A 5% reduction in cholesterol in no way corresponds to a 5% reduction in mortality, unless you assume some linear relationship, which is perverse. Maybe a 5% reduction in cholesterol would lead to an 80% reduction in mortality, or maybe to a 0% reduction in mortality. Or maybe reducing cholesterol would like to an increase in mortality. There’s no logical basis to assume 5% reduction in cholesterol corresponds to 5% reduction in mortality.Hi Lazer. I am reading the first paragraph differently. He’s not saying a 5% reduction in cholesterol led to a 5% reduction in mortality, I think Dr. Greger is saying he’s not sure why walnuts only seem to drop cholesterol by 5% when other studies have found walnuts may drop our chances of a cardiovascular-related death by 50%. They are two different studies. The point was that other factors besides lowering cholesterol seem to play a role in arterial health. Let me know if that makes sense and if I’m thinking right?To share with your Portuguese speaking friends: http://nf.focoempatico.net/nozes-melhoram-a-funcao-arterial/Hi Dr. Greger, I started in a plant based diet about two months ago. The first month was a really good start with no changes in weight or any other measures, but I started noticing changes in the second month. During the second month I started to gain weight and I noticed this because of my 2 inch increase around my waist. I was wondering if changing the percentage of fats consumed in my diet could help me, let’s say like a vegan ketogenic diet. I consume now approximately 2500-2600 calories every day with a 80/10/10 (carbohydrates, protein, fats) percentage aproximately, I am also a very active person. My excircising routines consist of 1 hour of weightlifting and 20 minutes of cardio for days a week, 1 hour of power yoga two days a week and 30-40 minutes of cardiovascular activity 1 day a week. My current weight is 186 at 5 feet and 8.5 inches of height. I don’t know if I should return to a non vegan diet, since it provided me with better results, please help me the last thing I want to do is return to a non vegan diet, but it is seriously concerning the amount of fat that I am gaining. I thank you in advance for any help that you can bring me.since your above your desired weight, i’m no doctor, but what I do is replace one high carb meal with a super veggie salad mix or something. If your gaining weight you are consuming over your required maintenance calories. If normally you eat 2500-2600Cal try and aim for 2200. It takes a while but I’ve been working out and on a plant based diet for a year now and starting to get amazing results.. takes some tweaking and getting to know your own body more then you ever thought possible!Omar, have you increased the amount of wheat products since going vegan? Modern wheat has been so hybridized that it is now radically different from ancient wheat. This major difference has many negative implications for our bodies, weight gain and appetite stimulation being two of them (The book “Wheat Belly” does a great job of explaining this). Also listen to your body for the amount of carb, fat, protein that it wants at each meal. You may have been unwittingly forcing the wrong nutrient mix.Julie: Wheat Belly is not a source I would consider reputable. Here is some more info about the book if you are interested. The following website is anti-gluten and even they see problems in the “science” behind Wheat Belly: http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.htm Or check out: https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jan/smoke.htmI do agree that increases in wheat “products” can be a problem regarding weight gain. But only in the sense that you are likely talking about highly processed products like say crackers. In that case, we are talking about calorie dense foods and thus the issue is about calorie density and lost of nutrients, not that the food happens to have some wheat in it. If you were talking about wheat berries as a part of whole plant food diet, then I’d have to disagree with you that the wheat has anything to do with weight gain.What do you actually eat and how is this different from before? What was your weight two months ago? Have you checked that your adiposity has been increasing through some other independent and hopefully more reliable means? An increase in gut content and glycogen storage can account for pretty significant weight change as one changes macronutrient ratios independent of any change in fat/lean tissue as such.One thought is that you may be eating at a very high calorie density. I think this is so is because 1 cup of cooked brown rice is about 220 calories. 2200 calories of brown rice would be 10 cups, or more than 2 liters. Eating something like brown rice, you’d be getting in more than a 2 liter soda bottle full of brown rice every day, which is a lot of bulk to work through, before considering the additional 300-400 calories to make up the rest of your estimated total, and the possibility that you may be underestimating calorie intake or the calorie contribution of additional colonic fermentation. I find it a little unlikely that you are eating only to the point of satiety if we’re considering brown rice as the approximate calorie density of your diet.omar: I had a response similar to largelytrue in content. If you are really gaining fat, then you are getting too many calories. But that does NOT mean that you have to go hungry! You should be able to eat your whole food plant diet until you are full and get the exact right amount of calories. The key to getting to this sweet spot is to understand and utilize the concept of calorie density (not to worry about your nutrient percentages).In the following free youtube video, you can learn about the concept of calorie density and something about human biology and get some useful tips on how to apply it. This speaker is one of the main experts who appears in the Forks Over Knives video. He is well respected and also often works in the McDougall programs. This video is well worth your time (and it is amusing): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQJeff Novick has an excellent complementary talk, which I highly recommend for greater understanding of the topic and more tips: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1439583407&sr=8-2&keywords=calorie+densityHope that helps.Hi Omar, Have you been eating a lot of tofu? When I first went vegan I thought I was supposed to eat tofu and tempi (neither of which I particularly love). If you look at the label you will see that a serving size is rather small. If you eat 1/2 of a package you are consuming a lot of calories. Now I rarely eat those food products. But I do love edamame.Omar I just came across this Q and A. Excellent. Really good advice about oil, tofu amounts etc. http://youtu.be/sR09A_eDsiMIs the weight gain actually fat or is it muscle?How are you even getting to 2500 calories with a plant based diet…? Where do the calories come from? What are you using for carbs, since that must be the main source of calories for you?I read that it is not good to eat walnutrs if you take Synthroid. Can I eat walnuts in the evening if I take Synthroid in the morning?	allergies,animal products,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,dairy,hazelnuts,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,longevity,meat,mortality,nuts,olive oil,walnuts	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24169007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23866098,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21677123,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23756586,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21546229,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16140880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20462634,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23415431,
PLAIN-341	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/08/11/salmon-may-be-the-greatest-source-of-dietary-pollutants/	Salmon May Be the Greatest Source of Dietary Pollutants	In my video Diabetes and Dioxins, I explored a nationwide study that found a strong dose-response relationship between industrial toxins and diabetes. Since then, Harvard researchers have reported a link between persistent pollutants like hexachlorobenzene and diabetes in their Nurse’s Health Study (See Food Sources of Perfluerochemicals). This is supported by an analysis they did of six other studies published since 2006 that showed the same thing. The Harvard researchers conclude that “past accumulation and continued exposure to these persistent pollutants may be a potent risk factor for developing diabetes.” Where is hexachlorobenzene found? In a U.S. supermarket survey, salmon and sardines were most heavily tainted with hexachlorobenzene, with salmon “the most contaminated food of all.” Farmed salmon specifically is perhaps the greatest source of dietary pollutants, averaging nearly ten times the PCB load of wild-caught salmon. Wait, isn’t there a flaw in this argument? Since many of these chemicals were banned in the 70’s, the levels inside people have been going down, whereas the rates of diabetes have been shooting straight up. Therefore, how could pollutant exposure be causing diabetes? This puzzle may be explained by our epidemic of obesity. The nationwide study found that the association between these toxins and diabetes was much stronger among obese subjects than among lean subjects. As people get fatter, the retention and toxicity of pollutants related to the risk of diabetes may increase. So we’re not just exposed by eating the fat of other animals; our own fat can be a continuous source of internal exposure because these persistent pollutants are slowly but continuously released from our fat stores into our circulation. They don’t call them “persistent pollutants” for nothing. These chemicals have such a long half-life that people consuming regular (even just monthly) meals of farmed salmon might end up retaining these chemicals in their bodies for 50 to 75 years. Hexachlorobenzene in fish has been tied to diabetes; what about the mercury? A 1995 study highlighted in my video, Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat, out of Japan found that diabetics do seem to have higher mercury levels in their body. Mercury alone does not seem to increase diabetes risk, though. It may be the simultaneous exposure to both dioxins and mercury that increases risk, so the safety limits for dioxins and mercury individually may underestimate the risk when they’re consumed together in seafood. So while the pharmaceutical industry works on coming up with drugs to help mediate the impact of these pollutants, a better strategy might be to not get so polluted in the first place. Unfortunately, because we’ve so contaminated our world, we can’t escape exposure completely. You have to eat something. Some foods are more contaminated than others, though. Exposure to these pollutants comes primarily from the consumption of animal fat, with the highest levels found in fatty fish like salmon. Farmed Atlantic salmon may be the single largest source of these pollutants, and that’s the kind of salmon we most commonly find in supermarkets and restaurants. We hear about advisories warning pregnant women to avoid the consumption of food containing elevated levels of pollutants and mercury, but as a public health journal article points out, since these toxins bio-accumulate in the body for many years “restricting the exposure to these pollutants only during pregnancy would not protect the fetus or future generations against the harmful effects of these hazardous chemicals.” For the existing links between seafood and diabetes risk, see Fish and Diabetes and I explored this concept of our own body fat as a reservoir for disease-causing pollutants in Diabetes and Dioxins. More on hexachlorobenzene in my video Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals. Our body has a tougher time getting rid of some toxins than others: The best way to detox is to stop toxing in the first place. 	Not arguing for eating salmon. But you need to ditinguish between wild caught Alaskian salmon and farm raised, the latter being much more contaminated than the formerThat’s clearly referenced in the article.That’s not made clear in the title. It says salmon. Not farm raised salmonNot really.Not reallyHere’s a quote from the article: “Farmed salmon specifically is perhaps the greatest source of dietary pollutants, averaging nearly ten times the PCB load of wild-caught salmon.”What do you feel is missing?well thanks Thea! I really don’t get people in comments sections… Somehow I usually refrain from commenting because of that. So, thanks for the quoting :)whateverThea, do you personally eat seaweed, and do you think it holds ocean pollution risks that some of the seafood does? Logical as possibility, huh?guest: Yes, I personally eat seaweed. I’m a fan of nori. And just this last weekend, I threw of handful of arame (sp?) into my cooking beans. When I drained the water, I didn’t try to pick out the arame. I just ate the seaweed with the beans. Yummy!pollution risks: Any food grown anywhere is going to be contaminated to one degree or another because we have polluted our world just that badly. It’s not just the ocean we have to worry about. The question is, do we need to worry more about plants grown in the ocean than those grown on the land? I think there is a whole lot of ‘it depends’ in the answer. There’s no simple rule of thumb would be my guess.My eating philosophy is to stick to the lowest contaminated foods as much as possible while also keeping in mind that food is a package deal. (Meaning that all of the bad stuff, including contaminants, have to be weighted against all the good stuff to decide whether or not to eat a food.)There is a well known, well accepted, uncontroversial phenomenon where the higher up the food chain you go, the more contamination you get.So, putting all that together: Yes, our oceans are polluted, but I expect that eating seaweed would *generally* (I understand that there are exceptions) be the least polluted way to eat seafood as it is the lowest place you can get on the food chain. And *generally* plant foods from the oceans seem to have more value on the plus side than the negative. That’s my opinion, not based on a particular scientific paper.That’s my take right now anyway. I think this is an evolving story as we continue to pollute and kill our oceans more and more. So, I could see my answer changing in the future due to changing conditions or simply more education on my part.Whew. You ask a simple question and get an essay answer. What’s up with that?The title says “salmon” not farmed raised salmon creating an impression that it applies to all salmon for one who either reads the title but not the article or doesn’t read the article carefully.me, Voting your self up is a no go :-)Oh yeah! Sez u!! :PIt’s worth noting that many of the salmon caught and labeled “wild” was actually raised in the hatcheries for up to one year, then released. Also, alot of farmed salmon is mislabeld and sold as wild, so it’s hard to know what you’re eating. So I think the title is not misleading. But also, it’s not feasible to put every detail in the title, that’s what the article is for.That’s what I wondered about too!I’m curious about how farmed salmon gets more PCB concentration than wild salmon?It is in the food. They are fed other fish usually ground up as pellets. Dr. Richard Oppenlander’s book, Food Choice and Sustainability, has a chapter entitled, Our Oceans and Aquaculture, which is very enlightening. The environmental impact of “concentrated raising of fish” aka farmed fish is very under reported and under appreciated in my experience.Do you eat seaweed? Safe?Thanks.This is what I think: Farmed salmon is raised closed to the shore in populous areas, whereas wild salmon comes from the deep waters in isolated places like Alaska.It isn’t always the location, but rather where on the food chain the fish are feeding. Pennsylvania had to put a consumption advisory on fingerling (Rainbow Trout, I think) that it raised in hatcheries to stock in Lake Erie. Once in the lake, the advisories were eventually lifted as the fish grew consuming a variety of wild invertebrate and other foods. (In hatchery, the state fish, like most Rainbow Trout sold in stores, were fed fish meal from deep isolated ocean waters.)Likewise, wild Sockeye Salmon feed on invertebrates among other things–like flamingos, that’s where they get their pink color. Farmed Atlantic Salmon are fed fish meal and their white flesh must be dyed to meet expectations of the consumer. So, not only do farmed salmon tend to be more contaminated (fed fish meal), they are dyed, and some, like those farmed in Chile, can only be raised with high doses of antibiotics. (Raised in net pens, it’s difficult to avoid disease as one might in a land-based facility by UV-ing incoming water, etc., and Chile’s netpens have especially big disease problems. Salmon from farms in Norway are reported to use ~1/10th the antibiotics.)And farmed salmon have much more total fat than wild salmon, who actually get some exercise. Pollutants concentrate in fat. http://eatandbeatcancer.com/2012/03/16/salmon-says-an-anti-cancer-investigation-what-kind-is-healthiest-part-1/A little off-topic here but I wanted to share an experience related to skin cancer risk. I am a pale-faced redhead and I live in Arizona where most days are quite sunny. Today I had my annual dermatology visit to check for precancerous lesions. In past years the doctor has had to burn off a handful of such lesions from my face. Today I got a clean bill of skin health–no lesions at all. I’ve been doing WFPB for about three years and I usually (but not always) put sunscreen on my face when I go out. I like to think my lifestyle is helping me out here.Hi Kay. Thanks for sharing the good news! A wholesome diet is important for skin health so there may be a connection. Let’s hope next year is just as good! Please don’t hesitate to ask more questions (off topic ones are fine) if any come to mind.Best, JosephYou’re so right about skin health. I work in a wound clinic now and unfortunately see many cases that I would consider to be lifestyle related–diabetic foot ulcers, leg ulcers, poorly healing surgical wounds, maybe even some of the autoimmune issues. The only dietary recommendation the doctors and NPs give is to “eat more protein” because it promotes healing. I always tell them to eat legumes and vegetables. People are so surprised to learn that protein doesn’t have to come from an animal source.That is wonderful Kay! I too believe on a WFPB WOE (way of eating).Great news Kay. I had some stuff growing out of my face and it went away when topically applied turmeric paste in oil. Also wash daily with turmeric soap. FWIW…good luck.Rhombopterix: I have to ask, “turmeric soap”? I can’t get anywhere near turmeric without staining everything yellow. How does it work for you? Do you make it yourself, or is it a product you buy? Just curious.I’m so proud of my soap. We started making it on a lark and it is so much nicer than the chemical goop sold, we just could not go back. After I learned about turmeric’s anti-tumor properties and my success with it I was determined to try this out. If you are interested I am more than happy to send a block to you. It really works.FYI, soap has an alkaline pH that tones down the blazing yellow to a pleasant brown yellow. An the hydrophobic character of curcumin allows it to easily integrate into a homemade soap.I have seen a fantastic improvement to my own skin since making this small change.Rhombopterix: That’s really cool! I use liquid soap rather than bar soap. So, I’ll pass on your very generous offer. I love how you made your own. Maybe some day in the future you will go into business with the stuff and make it big!!I suggest that you try a ratio of 1 part turmeric to 9 parts liquid soap and see what happens. Although after looking into the composition of commercial “soap” I would think twice about using at all.In my case the only part that turned yellow was the tumor itself…there is no staining of the skin (as I also had feared). Actually one of my other personalities posted the photo record here some years ago. There are several “people” living inside my head but I am the only one you should listen to : ) Turmeric reduced the growth to a pin-head in 3 days and was completely gone after a course of 2 months daily application. I really don’t know if it was cancer or what..but it was a new and rapidly growing, weaping thing.Rhombopterix: That’s really fascinating stuff. And I appreciate the 1 to 9 parts info. It is a very intriguing idea.re: thinking twice Well, I do use a brand called Castile, that I think it supposed to relatively safe. I know I’m not up to creating my own soap at the moment. But it’s something to think about. I do like the idea of it.Thanks again.Actual Castile soap is made with olive oil. If that is way you have it is good. I just meant that if you have skin problems and want to try turmeric I would recommend that mix. Best wishes TheaKay, I had the same experience with facial skin lesions after going predominately vegan in 2011. This may be an indication of what is going on internally as well.Yes, congratulations on your good results. I like to think that my insides are very happy when I serve up nutritious vegetables.Canadian scientists have found that the cleanest wild salmon are the pinks. They live a relatively short time and feed low on the food chain. Chum are also quite clean, they say, but contain few omega 3s. Sockeye also feed fairly low on the food chain and migrate farthest out to sea, but live a bit longer than pinks, thus accumulating more pollutants. Chinook and coho feed highest, and some kinds feed close to shore, where there’s more pollution. Bottom line: If you’re going to splurge, choose pink or sockeye.Sources here: http://eatandbeatcancer.com/2012/06/06/salmon-says-an-anti-cancer-investigation-what-kind-is-healthiest-summary/What surprises me are the sardines, which were the last fish I gave up eating on a regular basis, because of their supposed high nutritional benefits with minimal toxins (see http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=147). Unlike salmon, they’re plankton feeders (lowest on the food chain) and caught when still relatively tiny—so how to they manage to bioaccumulate so much hexachlorobenzene in their short, vegetarian lifetimes? More than even tuna, shark, swordfish, bluefish, and other carnivorous species? Something fishy here….Hey KnowBeans,Could you post the link to the paper indicating hexachlorobenzene contamination in sardines?The paper was highlighted in the article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898856/Thanks, Rami. It’s interesting that the canned tuna they tested in that study were so much cleaner than the salmon and sardines. Any thoughts? Is canned tuna fatty?My hunch on sardines–and it’s only a hunch, but let’s have a discussion–is that Europe’s waters, where many sardines come from, are filthy due to its long history of industrialization. More on that here http://eatandbeatcancer.com/2012/04/13/salmon-says-an-anti-cancer-investigation-part-4-how-healthy-is-farmed-atlantic-organic/And now, for the first time, we’re starting to see Fukushima’s footprint off our Alaskan shores.http://fukushimainform.ca/category/blog-2/Actually European waters here in the south, where sardines come from mostly, is really clean. The north is where heavy industries exist.Which waters in the south are you referring to? Where are the sardines from?Portuguese Atlantic waters, the biggest oceaninc economic region in the world. You’ve got sardines in the north of Spain (Atlantic) and Morocco too.I am not sure why in this study canned tuna was cleaner, but in other studies it is clear that tuna is not a low pollutant food.http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=tunaYou are back! :-)Im trying to check back more, life is getting busier!What about rice, as bacteria in rice fields convert inorganic mercury into organic mercury absorbed by rice plants? I have been avoiding brown rice sweetener and making my own almond milk with natural vanilla only. I am also worried about downstream runoff and wind drift of toxic pesticides, herbicides etc. to organic farms. What is not contaminated now?Cod and Tilapia looked quite clean on the chart.In regards to farmed vs wild, the article says wild has, on average, 10x less of the pollutant than farmed, how does that put wild into perspective though?Is it 10x less but still much higher than we should be eating? Or is the 10x less enough of a reduction that occasional consumption is ok, especially considering the relative healthiness of fish compared to other animal protein (afaik).Been trying to cut down on animal protein but sometimes I need SOMETHING and wild sockeye salmon has been my go-to for the last few weeks..S Slavin: I haven’t checked myself, but the source cited in the following video may answer your question: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/I was focusing in the part: “Like getting thyroid disruption from the flame-retardant chemicals, which literally just settle out of the atmosphere such that even fish who only swim in Antarctica are contaminated.”But I understand I didn’t answer your actual question. I just hope I’m giving you another avenue of research. I understand that the psychological aspects of giving up meat can be hard. It might be worth it to get over that hump though…Good luck.Thanks – there is indeed some useful information in there as well the comments, will look through it in more detail.I feel like we’ve polluted the planet so badly that there is no hope for fish…maybe I should just get some pet salmon although I’ll probably not want to eat them after bonding :-).I read from the Environmental Working Group that researches all things for toxins etc. that wild salmon, rainbow trout and Atlantic Mackerel were the safest fish as far as mercury and also had very high omega-3’s. I am a vegan for the most part but like to fall off the wagon every now and then and have fish. Has anyone done more research as to the safest fish to eat considering the toxins and mercury? I know the smaller the better I’ve read as the big fish eat little fish etc.Let’s face it the oceans today are polluted swamps. After all the cr@p we humans have been steadily pouring into them for nearly a century how could they not be! Now it all comes back to bite us through the food chain. These days, if it crawls, flies or swims I won’t eat it. Period. Only what grows out of the ground. In other words WFPBD. I ultimately have to thank Dr. Greger and this site for my enlightenment.Seaweed consumption?I have mentioned this before , but this is very interesting because I used to get a splitting headache for about 1 ~ 2 days every time after consuming salmon. I did not miss the migraines after going WFPB vegan. The wild, smaller variety was fine.I would like you, Dr Greger to discuss this issue publicly with Dr Kruse. He says that it is better to consume full of toxins but at the cost of getting substantial amounts of DHA than not to consume sea cold water fish at all. Dr Greger, you continuue constantly to pick holes in non-vegetarian food. Please sum up some courage to find holes in mono-vegetarian foods. Such serious researchers like you should first and foremost expose something negative concerning the food you are blindly defending. Only then can you talk about the advantages of vegetarian diet. Please, don’t get me wrong, I am NOT against consuming veggies. I love them and consume them in industrial quantities but food is not only fruits and veggies. A human being has always eaten meat and will continue to do so in spite of warnings of the researchers like you, Dr Greger. And it does not mean that more than the half of the population of the Earth is stupid because they are meat-eaters. Yes, it is true that we overconsume meat and we have caused imbalance in our diet and therefore we should consume less but it does not mean that we must stop eating meat altogether.How is summarizing the latest scientific research “blindly defending”. You have a very interesting definition of “blindly defending”. And if you don’t think Dr. Greger doesn’t find negative aspects as well as positive aspects of foods, then you can’t have viewed very many of the thousands of videos on this website. Dr. Greger regularly reports on the pluses and minuses of many common whole plant foods and has no compunction against saying that a given food has more negatives than positives.I did a little research on Dr. Kruse and he is a neurosurgeon. I am sure that he is eminently qualified to do brain surgery, but the simple fact that he has completed medical school and training doesn’t mean that he has any training in nutrition. Fewer than a quarter of medical school require students to take any classes in nutrition, and of those that do it is just a few hours of class time usually embedded in other classes. Now that doesn’t say that Dr. Kruse didn’t pursue education in human nutrition outside of his medical education, but his being a doctor does not by itself qualify him to speak authoritatively on the subject of human nutrition. So maybe he has done this outside education, but I see from his website on “achieving optimal health” that he advocates a Paleo diet, which does not fill me with confidence that his viewpoints are well rooted in science or logic. The entire Paleo hypothesis rest on arguments that are riddled with bad science and flaws in logic. For a complete, some might say excruciating, review of the flaws in the Paleo argument I recommend the Primitive Nutrition series of videos at plantpositive.com. So please sum up some courage to find holes in your mono-meat foods and view these videos rather than blindly defending the views of Dr. Kruse.By stating that I am a mono-meat eater you are showing that you don’t understand a simple text in English. If you have difficulties I can write the same in 4 different languages. Perhaps it will be easier for you.I have never heard anything positive in Dr Greger’s videos or articles concerning non-vegetarian diet.Besides I am not defending Dr Kruse, let alone blindly. Why are you explaining to me that Dr Kruse did not study Nutrition at a medical school. Does anyone have to take an official course in Nutrition to know a thing or two or even more about nutrition?You have given away your prejudice against the Paleo diet – so what shall we discuss if you see nothing but veggies as food? Everything is flawed with all ideas concerning food save for a vegetarian approach or even vegan. You did not even have willingness to see some extraordinary ideas coming from Dr Kruse, because you disqualify him from the very beginning – you must have a very closed mind. Paleo acts on you like a red rug acts on a bull.You are picking on some lack of scientific logic among your opponents, but tell me – has a human being always consumed meat?Or is it only a recent craze? And the rest of the discussion is the waste of time. Open up your eyes – stop wearing your blinkers. If Dr Kruse is difficult (I mean his ideas) read Dr Hyman or Dr Perlmutter or dip into the ideas of Dr Osborn and last but not least Dr Kresser – read especially his article you will adore… http://chriskresser.com/why-you-should-think-twice-about-vegetarian-and-vegan-diets/Very relevant for the Portuguese population, where almost everyone still sees fish as a healthy food. http://nf.focoempatico.net/salmao-maior-fonte-poluentes-alimentares/It depends. Enter a valid email address… http://labs.naturalnews.com/heavy-metals-chart-Superfoods-Sea-Vegetables.html Then scroll down the page to see heavy metals test results of various seaweed brands.Great article! I love my salmon. :)	animal fat,biomagnification,diabetes,dioxins,fat,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,hexachlorobenzene,hypertension,industrial toxins,mercury,obesity,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,prediabetes,pregnancy,restaurants,salmon,supermarkets	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22472455,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7874464,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24026556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16801591,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21087821,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23131992,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20146964,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22214250,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22520265,
PLAIN-342	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/08/06/dr-greger-takes-on-smoothies-in-new-dvd/	Dr. Greger Takes on Smoothies in New DVD	 They are available right now as a video download as part of my new Latest in Clinical Nutrition volume 26 (all proceeds go to this charity). It can also be ordered as a physical DVD. The smoothie videos are all scheduled to go up on NutritionFacts.org in September, but you can download and watch them right now. Wait a second. Why spend five videos sifting through the science, profiling all the original experiments, and turning it into one big detective story when I could have just cut to the chase and did a five second video and basically said “Drink them” or “Don’t drink them”? Because I don’t want you to ever do anything just because I or anyone else “said so.” That’s one of the problems with the field of nutrition. Everyone seems to have their respective gurus who too often make pronouncements without explaining their reasoning and citing their sources. Can you imagine that flying in any other field of science? It’s not what he said or she said; it’s that the best available balance of evidence bears out. Two plus two equals four no matter what your favorite mathematician says. Order my new DVD at DrGreger.org/dvds or through Amazon. It can also be ordered as a video download at DrGreger.org/downloads. If you were a regular supporter, you’d already be a smoothie expert by now, having already received the new DVD. I now come out with new DVDs every 9 weeks. If you’d like to automatically receive them before they’re even available to the public, please consider becoming a monthly donor. Anyone signing up on the donation page to become a $15 monthly contributor will receive the next three DVDs for free (as physical DVDs, downloads, or both–your choice), and anyone signing up as a $25 monthly contributor will get a whole year’s worth of new DVDs. If you’re already signed up and didn’t receive your volume 26 yet, please email Tommasina@NutritionFacts.org and she’ll make everything all better. If you’d rather just watch all the videos online as they launch, but would still like to support my work of helping to educate millions about healthy eating, you can make a tax-deductible donation to my 501c3 nonprofit organization NutritionFacts.org using a credit card, a direct PayPal link, or by sending a check to “NutritionFacts.org” PO Box 11400, Takoma Park, MD 20913. Thanks to everyone who donated to the NutritionFacts.org Research Fund, we were able to test eight brands of nutritional yeast for the presence of the toxic heavy metal lead. The good news is that we couldn’t find any in most brands, but a few did have detectable levels. The lead contamination was so low that all brands complied with the exceedingly (and justifiably) strict California Prop 65 standards, but I do I advise pregnant women who eat more than a third of a cup a day on a regular basis choose one of the brands that tested free from detectable lead until we know more. Joseph includes details and direct links to all the testing reports in this morning’s blog post Three Brands of Nutritional Yeast Contain Detectable Lead Levels But the Risk is Minimal. What should we test next? Please post your suggestions to the Research Fund page. If you would like to participate in a research study yourself, you’re in luck! Scientists at Tufts University are currently recruiting adults ages 18+ for an important study on diet and disease. Take the recruitment survey here: http://bit.ly/tuftsresearch 	The new videos coming along, sound very “delicious” as has come to be expected. I have been a ail/7:00 AM Central Time reader/listener for a number of years now. While I have “studied” health for decades, with this information, I have never been in better health, tons of oxygen, feeling great. Every meal – you have me thinking….?add Turmeric?with Black Pepper?/Cinnamon?, Best Apple, Best Nut?, to eat nuts or not? Seeds?/What to drink and when. And love your extended videos/especially the YouTube sensation/two hour overview of Vegan Nutrition. That one is VERY special. I highly recommend it. The incredible amount of time and effort you and your team expend on our behalves is truly a “gift from GOD!!!”/see definition of enthusiasm…. Thanks so very much, Dr. Greger, and all who are involved and contribute time and treasure.David: can you please post the link to the Youtube video you’ve mentioned? I’ve seen many a video of Dr. Greger on Youtube but have never found one two hours long. Thank you.Amen David, couldn’t have said it better! Nutritionfacts.org/Dr Greger and volunteers provide invaluable evidenced based advice about health and wellbeing. With all the hype and nonsense that’s published its no wonder that those sincerely wanting to adopt healthier eating habits are often misled and discouraged.A couple cliffhangers in this one that will create a lot of angst. ;-) Glad I have a copy of the DVD! Really awesome volume. I particularly like it because it does a great job of addressing some of the common questions that come up again and again in the discussions.2+2 Doesen’t always equal 4. Check out Kurt Godels Incompleatness Theorems.http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/goedel-incompleteness/This seems like a total non sequitur. What statement are you responding toward and what do the incompleteness theorems have to do with it?Dr. Greger says in his video synopsis “Two plus two equals four no matter what your favorite mathematician says.”… just pointing out that in godels papers from my understanding he mathematically proved basically 2+2=4 is just a strong tendency of 2+2, not a mathematical absolute.I suspect you are misunderstanding the implications of Godel’s theorems, especially for society. If you accept logic and arithmetic, 2+2=4. That equality can be derived from the axioms in any formal logic system which represents the natural numbers with finite applications of the addition operation. It’s not one of the statements in these systems that makes the system incomplete by not being provable or disprovable; it is simply proven. The first theorem doesn’t impact the formally correct proofs that 2+2=4 in every system that deserves to be called an adequate representation of basic logic and arithmetic.As for the second theorem, we only know that we cannot show that a system of axioms for logic and arithmetic is sound, in that it does not derive a contradiction ever. In other words, we cannot necessarily prove that there isn’t a proof that 2+2!=4. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t accept arithmetic as sound, though, or treat it as anything other than a mathematical absolute. If you want to dispute this obviously useful system for drawing conclusions about the world, then produce the contradiction, or demonstrate that one of the axioms leads to unreasonable conclusions in practical applications. Until then, let’s treat it as absolute (and not just “a strong tendency”), just as we always have. Formally, we have always simply assumed that some basic axioms of logic are true even prior to Godel, so he isn’t really the one to yank the rug out from under our feet here.2+2=4 is valid only in base 10, like 1+1 = 0 in base 2, and in base 4, 2 + 2 = 0You are showing modular arithmetic, not the representation of numbers in a base different from ten. ‘1+1=10′ in base two, and ‘2+2=10′ in base four, but in base four ’10’ means the same thing as ‘four’, so two plus two still is equal to four. You are kind of equivocating between the way that we use symbols to represent numbers, and the logical-arithmetic structure that determines the numerical result of a particular sequence of arithmetic operations.I mean, we could go further and define a completely silly system for ascribing meaning to the symbols ‘2’, ‘+’, ‘=’, ’10’, ‘5’, and ‘4’, then derive that “2+2=4″, “2+2=5″, “2+2=10″ are true propositions while “5+5=10″ is false, but this would be entirely irrelevant to what we mean when we talk about the sum of two and two.Wow, I never thought I would see this kind of discussion on NutritionFacts,org! I had a suspicion that most followers of NutritionFacts.org were intelligent, but this just adds more evidence!Regarding Dr Greger’s comment about 2 + 2 = 4 being an unarguable “fact”, and the criricism being that the results of Godel’s theorem show otherwise, let me just add a few related ideas.First, I believe, as “Largelytrue” below states, that within the standard axioms and logic system of the Integers, 2 + 2 = 4 is an unarguable valid statement. My interpretation of Godels theorems is that they were meant to show that the mathematical systems that were trying to be created by Hilbert were either going to be inconsistent or incomplete, because he was treating infinite sets as completed objects rather than using the other definition of infinity as a “never ending sequence”. The argument between which definition of infinity is “correct” dates back at least to Leopold Kronecker (mid 1800’s) who said “God created the Integers, all else [in mathematics] was created by man” :-)So the bottom line is that I think Dr Greger used a very acceptable analogy when when trying to point out that there are some statements that are not just some experts opinion!It would be really helpful if your donation page had a category for the $15/monthly you’re asking for. This is the second time I’ve tried to donate to you and couldn’t get your donation page to work. The site won’t accept my indication of “Other $15.00.” Suggestions?What does it say when it rejects your attempt? Did you enter the captcha correctly? Do you get to the second page where you enter payment, or do you fail to pass through the first?It doesn’t take me to the second page. It says something like “amount entered incorrect.” Yes, I entered the captcha correctly. I tried several different captchas.Provided that all your info is correct, it sounds like you just need to try with a different browser/OS until you get it to work. I have no problems getting to the second page with Firefox.So… are green smoothies good for you? Yes or no?Any plans to offer Blu-ray as a purchase option? For such text-heavy presentations, 1920 x 1080 pixels would be much crisper and easier to read than the 720 x 480 of DVD.very helpful information..thank you for nice sharing! Wavepad Sound Editor keygenHi,I’m a monthly donor – how do I download this video?Thanks.	DVD	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	-
PLAIN-343	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/07/30/three-brands-of-nutritional-yeast-contain-detectable-lead-levels-but-the-risk-is-minimal/	Three Brands of Nutritional Yeast Contain Detectable Lead Levels But the Risk is Minimal	Note from Dr. Greger: In short, we found detectable amounts of lead in samples of Frontier, KAL, and Whole Foods brand nutritional yeast, but the lead levels were so low that they all comply with the exceedingly (and justifiably) strict California Prop 65 standards. Still, I advise pregnant women who eat more than a third of a cup a day on a regular basis choose a different brand. No detectable lead levels were found in Bob’s Red Mill, Bragg, Dr. Fuhrman, Red Star, or NOW Foods brand nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast has grown in popularity and is being introduced into many new dishes and recipes. It has a nice “cheesy” flavor and texture that can be used in sauces and soups or sprinkled over salads and popcorn. Dr. Greger recently covered how the beta glucan fiber in nutritional yeast can modulate our immune system and help to maintain our body’s defense against pathogens (See Dr. Greger’s video on Nutritional Yeast to Prevent the Common Cold). It seems beta glucans can be found in many foods, including mushrooms, which have been shown to boost immunity as well. A safety concern arose when Dr. Greger was notified that California’s prop 65 warning stickers were found on packages of nutritional yeast, suggesting there’s something in it exceeding cancer or reproductive safety limits. It turns out the problem was lead. There are many contaminants in the environment and in our food supply, even found in our children, which is probably why California has such strict guidelines on contamination. For example, California considers candies with lead levels in excess of 0.10 parts per million (ppm) to be excessively contaminated. State law requires products that contain more than half of a microgram of lead per daily serving to carry a label warning consumers. Could nutritional yeast carry lead levels this high? We reached out to some of the companies who produce nutritional yeast in hopes to better understand the situation. We asked if they perform lead testing and if they could share any information. The results of Dr. Greger’s inquiries can be found in his video here. He was frustrated by the lack of responsiveness and so decided we should take it upon ourselves to do our own testing. The NutritionFacts Research Fund was created and thanks to generous donor support we tested samples from 8 companies for the presence of lead in hopes to spur them to do their own testing. We hired an independent lab to conduct our tests for lead. I shipped out 8 samples of nutritional yeast in their original package. The lab used standard practices for lead testing known as Official Methods of Analysis set by AOAC International. Lab technicians determined the lead values based on California Prop 65 standards. Here are the results from the brands we tested: Bob’s Red Mill  - Test report shows no detectable lead (<0.01 ppm). Bragg – Test report shows no detectable lead (< 0.01 ppm). Dr. Fuhrman -  Test report shows no detectable lead (< 0.01 ppm). Frontier Coop – Test report shows lead levels at 0.021 ppm. It would take six tablespoons a day (based on the manufacture’s listed density) to exceed the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment Maximum Allowable Dose Level (MADL) for chemicals causing reproductive toxicity.* KAL – Test report shows lead levels at 0.011 ppm. It would take seven tablespoons a day to exceed the MADL.* NOW Foods – Test report shows no detectable lead (< 0.01 ppm). Red Star – Test report shows no detectable lead (< 0.01 ppm). Whole Foods - Test report shows lead levels at 0.012 ppm. It would take six tablespoons a day to exceed the MADL.* 	Joseph, are you comfortable with the fact that nutritional yeast is grown using synthetic vitamins? Even when a company states on the package “un-fortified/not fortified nutritional yeast”, that just means the product has not been fortified after the product (yeast) has been grown. But to my direct knowledge, any nutritional yeast you buy in Whole Foods or other health food store (all the big brands of nutritional yeast, are actually grown using synthetic vitamins. If they don’t then add the vitamins in post-growth, well, they are allowed to label it un-fortified. End result, one is still ingesting synthetic, artificial vitamins.How does this sit with your nutritional path on this journey.? Are you at peace ingesting these non-food based vitamins in your diet, as a result of ingesting nutritional yeast? How about you Dr. Greger? Synthetic thiamin, niacin, minerals, etc.? Does this really resonate with a plant-based diet?Joseph: Reading the article, I was thinking about the same thing. The members of the vitamin B family in the nutritional yeast products I’ve seen are added (either before or after the fermentation, I don’t know) to the product, not directly from the yeast in the product itself. I might as well take B-complex pills, which are cheaper and more convenient if my objective is to get vitamin B. To the guest: There’s a product, made in Switzerland, called Bio-Strath. From what I can gather from the manufacturer’s website, the B vitamins in it are not added. However, there’s no way of knowing how much vitamin B it has because the manufacturer doesn’t publish the information. And I’ve never used it, so I don’t know how effective it is.More than B-vitamins nutritional yeast offers beta-glucans. I think another unfortified brand is Dr. Fuhrman if you’re trying to avoid added vitamins.Yeah, but are you comfortable eating nutritional yeast that has been fortified with synthetic B vitamins? Is this a reason not to, for you, or according to the science?Nothing about vegan eating says supplements are bad. I think the main goal of this website is to be healthy, rather than a religious adherence to popular definitions of purity. I think it’s up to personal choice whether someone eats nutritional yeast, as it’s mostly used for flavor (we still need B12 supplements), unless research comes out saying it’s not healthful.I agree with you supplements are not bad. I take several supplements. The problem with nutritional yeast is twofold: 1. Nutritional yeast is a supplement masquerading as food. 2. Dr. Greger usually recommends supplements only if they are truly necessary (examples: B12, D), so I’m intrigued as to why he recommends nutritional yeast. If it’s for beta-glucans, there’re other, whole foods that naturally contains them.Supplements can be made by natural means, ingredients. B vitamins in supplements are synthetic, chemical based, totally not-natural, not plant-based, and have been ingested by humans for very little time, maybe a billionth of our existence. Something does not seem natural as far as ingesting a chemical to get vitamins that humans are supposed to get from food. No? Do the research on how B vitamins are made, petroleum, etc. These things seem like drugs as much as drugs seem like drugs. Why? Cause they are. It is semantics here. And nutritional yeast seems to be a supplement, chemical supplement, not a food. But hey, maybe these synthetic vitamins help some people. I am open to it.Please test the lead levels in sunflower seeds and other other raw nuts and seeds that are commonly bought by vegans. Sunflower seeds are known to pull lead out of the soil. I can not help but wonder about daily ingestion of nuts and seeds as far as heavy metals, current testing 2015.Please also test lead levels in leafy greens, organic, grown in CALIFORNIA. I read that current-day leafy greens absorb lead and cadmium, maybe no big deal, but hey, if you guys are testing, let’s go for it! I’d rather not be taking in so much lead and cadmium, if this is the case.Good points! I just wrote about thallium and kale. Perhaps this could be another NutritionFacts Research Fund project if we obtain enough donations and interest?Great suggestion! Chocolate is another plant that traps environmental heavy metals. Worth looking into if you’re a cocoa lover.Fantastic job guys in pulling this test together! And in so fully explaining what the results actually mean for us as consumers. I’m so glad I don’t have to throw out my jar of Red Star in the pantry…Does the whole foods brand include the one in the bulk bin or was it something else?It was their private label Whole Foods brand nutritional yeast, not from the bulk bin (which I think is Red Star brand at least at the Whole Foods near me).There must be a typo in there somewhere, because you sayFrontier Coop – Test report shows lead levels at 0.021 ppm Whole Foods – Test report shows lead levels at 0.012 ppmbut for both you say “It would take six tablespoons a day to exceed the MADL” although the first product shows nearly twice the value of the second.Good point, but keep in mind the manufacturer’s differs per brand. If you look at the lab report on Frontier, 16 grams of yeast is about 1/4 cup. So it’s lighter than Whole Foods. The main thing is no lead was found anywhere in dangerous levels and you’d have to eat a boat load of nutritional yeast daily for any potential concerns.If you look at the reports Whole Foods is nearly twice as heavy as the Frontier yeast (15 per 2T serving versus 8g per 2T serving). That’s how Frontier can have nearly twice the lead concentration but about the same amount per serving. Does that make sense Bruce?this is great to see. some cheese sauce recipes require 6 tbsp of this so i really need to watch for the brand. I was buying Natural Grocers in house brand but will def switch to one of the recommended ones. Thanks a lot.I still think any brand is fine. Even for cheese sauce, I doubt 6 Tablespoons of the yeast is consumed, unless the dish is not shared. Regardless, what I find interesting is the huge amount of buffer room when Maximum Allowable Dose Levels are calculated. It may be worthy to point out regulations on herbal supplements are far less strict and lead can be found in products up to like 10 micrograms per serving!What about interactions with Blood Thinners?Ask your doctor if there seems to be any, but I have not heard of nutritional yeast causing drug-nutrients interactions.I am Joesph just read somewhere about it…maybe just the old thinners(Warfarin) and not the new ones.Aha. If you find the article or study you read feel free to post it here and we can investigate more. Thanks, vince.I’ll look for it Joe…ThanksNo! Very different stuff, as Red Yeast rice is not recommended. Glad we tackled this thanks for providing the link.Ok Bud and thanks. :)so challenging to know what is being “offered” to us consumers. We are seeking a reliable source of organic nutritional yeast, and preferably one that does not kill us. Knowing more about Nutritional Yeast (NY) is helpful, frustrating and concerning. Rather know than not. We have been discussing eliminating NY from our lives period. Thus aiming for good health, seek only organic produce, actually seeking TRUE VEGANIC produce as well. We care about what it is we provide our bodies with, and what we share with others. Organic celery and other veggies can be dehydrated and made into powders in place of salty flavours … maybe together we can brain flow and find a replacement of this fraudulent nutritional yeast as well? Do not trust anything from Bragg’s since we learnt about its deeply hidden and yes, dark secrets. Shame on them as well. Let us all rise and start refusing to be toxic wasteland filtration units by becoming community aware (that means sharing and informing one another for the benefit of all and the planet). Do we sound extreme?What are Bragg’s deeply hidden dark secrets. Give creditable sources please.let us start here, contains a lot of the information one could seek out by googling the product of Bragg’s itself. Keep in mind just because Bragg’s response feel low key does not remove the toxic end product results. Ultimately we each decide what it is we allow in lives to nourish us, we feel it is wise to back away from the questionable things. We feel this is such the case with Bragg’s, and we do not feel we have seen any accountability from Bragg’s itself, from the mislabelling misleading its consumers saying it contained no MSG, to the fact is is not a low sodium option; One teaspoon of soy sauce contains 177 mg of sodium, and the same amount of Bragg Liquid Aminos contains 280 mg. soooo much not right with it at all. Here is a link that combines a lot of the information you are welcome to verify as credible to yourself, and please feel free to share what you find out. Lots of love to you and thanks for asking.http://theashbulletin.blogspot.ca/2011/02/danger-of-bragg-liquid-aminos.htmlThe link you shared is just a blog with peoples opinions and fear mongering. Not a credible source. Even the ex-Bragg employee says there is nothing unhealthy about the liquid aminos.Lulu, I appreciate the link but I have always avoided Braggs Liquid Amino since it clearly prints the very high sodium level that you point out is much higher that traditional soy sauce, itself a very high sodium source. I would hope any well intentioned vegan would avoid high sodium products and thanks again for pointing this out. Since I see it every year at Vegetarian SummerFest, some people clearly do not know.Bragg does not claim health benefits from the liquid aminos. Bragg Liquid Aminos is a healthy alternative to Soy and Tamari sauce. No table salt or preservatives are added.Kikkoman Soy Sauce has 307mg sodium per teaspoon, the less sodium version has 192mg sodium per teaspoon. Ingredients WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT, SODIUM BENZOATE; LESS THAN 1/10 OF 1% AS A PRESERVATIVE.Bragg Liquid Aminos contains 320mg of sodium per teaspoon serving. If less sodium is desired, use the 6oz.Bragg Liquid Aminos spray bottle and dilute it (2/3 Bragg Liquid Aminos to 1/3 distilled water) before using or spraying on food. Ingredients: Bragg Liquid Aminos is not fermented, is Gluten-Free and made from non-GMO soybeans and purified water. It is an excellent alternative for Tamari and Soy Sauce.Bragg does not add any MSG to its liquid amino products. However, MSG is found naturally occurring in many foods, such as mushrooms, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and soybeans. Since Bragg Liquid Aminos is made from soybeans, there can be some very small amounts of naturally occurring MSG. Patricia Bragg is personally very opposed to adding MSG as a food ingredient to foods, and she is very sensitive to MSG. Many of our customers who are very sensitive to MSG have never had any adverse reactions to Bragg Liquid Aminos.in deep gratitude of your Divine presencelots of love Lulu Love Rose wild@seagrass.caIf Bragg’s is so bad, why wouldn’t you provide links to show what you are saying is true? Sounds like a bunch of malarkey.Helpful would be information on who up the distribution chain actually manufactures the nutritional yeast that is then labeled by those that were tested. I doubt all are manufacturers themselves. This company make the one I’m told that is sold in bulk at my local Sprouts: LeSaffre. I couldn’t find any relevant information on their website. Bummer.LeSaffre is the corporation that owns Red Star, in which we found no detectable lead.does RED STAR offer any organic nutritional yeast options? Thank you for bringing this awareness forward. Lots of love luluI am not aware of any organic brand of nutritional yeast.There are several brands of organic nutritional yeast. Starwest Botanicals, From the Fields, Raw Vegan Source, Bioreal, are some sold on Amazon.Thanks for that clarification, Dr. G. Googling the two confirms it (it’s just not prominently stated on LaSaffre’s website).Thank you so much for doing this. So happy to see these tests and setting up the testing fund. Wonderful stuff NF team. Keep up the excellent work.I am wondering and I think I already know the answer to this question, but this kind of regards nutritional yeast. Some nutritional yeasts have quite a bit of vitamin B12, and there are other fortified products like non dairy milks than can provide quite a bit of B12 per serving ( my almond milk has I think over 100 percent) yet it is recommended to still take a supplement. I guess I was just wondering why that is? I have a mathylcobalamin that I take every 2-3 weeks or so, and I always kind of worry that I am not getting enough I guess? We also garden and I try to eat some soil… I guess I want some closure as to if the fortified food B12 is absorbed or not?Hi Alexis. The B12 in nutritional yeast should count toward the daily value, however, in some cases it might not be enough and a supplement may be needed. I just wrote all about this in a recent comment on B12. Let me know if that helps answer your question?Thanks, JosephYes! Thank you so much, that totally answers my questions! =) It is reassuring to have the knowledge and act according to it!AlexisThis is great, fun information. Thanks for doing this!Do we know what the next project is going to be for the NutritionFacts Research Fund? If there is a big announcement on what the next project is going to be, maybe that will spur a bunch of new donations…Thanks, Thea! We hope to know soon. We’re looking into future projects for the NutritionFacts Research Fund. Stay tuned for more information everyone…Just a comment/suggestion: You use ppm, micrograms, and tablespoons in your article which is a common problem in nutritional discussions. These measurements do not translate well. I appreciate that you used the tablespoon to help relate the amounts to my diet. Perhaps a note on the relationships between the measurements would help? Going from micrograms to tablespoons via the 1,000/fold safety net firmly placed me in the “just-trust-his-math” state. I’d rather be in the “that-makes-clear-sense-to-me” state…if you get what I mean. Thank you for all your articles and videos. My comment pales compared to the good work you do.Thanks for the great suggestion. Perhaps we could have kept the values in micrograms. Everyone has access to the laboratory reports and they can see the Limit used for Detection, the results, and the micrograms of lead found per serving. Thanks for your nice comment and please continue to suggest ways to improve our website.On a related note, Consumer Labs found what they consider significant levels of lead and/or cadmium in the majority of the 21 cocoa and chocolate products they tested. I had been using unsweetened baking cocoa liberally, based in large part on info presented here, but their report certainly has given me pause. Might it be time to update your cocoa info?CAN ANYONE REFUTE THESE? (I’d love to still eat nutritional yeast on occasion, but it was one of the last highly processed substances that I gave up when I made the switch to a whole-food, plant-based diet years ago.)Here are at least three potential issues with nutritional yeast of which I am aware:1 – FOLIC ACID: Most brands of nutritional yeast (incuding Bragg) contain synthetic folic acid, which is BAD NEWS for health. (Folate, which you can get in whole plants, is just fine). You can buy Dr. Fuhrman’s (PRICEY) nutritional yeast if you want to avoid this issue. Read about it here: http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/folic_acid_dangers_and_prenatal_vitamins.aspx2 – NEUROTOXIC MSG: Anything with that “umami” flavor is bound to be excitotoxic, almost by definition. * See here: http://www.daystarbotanicals.com/nutritionalyeast.html · 3 – GENETICALLY MODIFIED: The preferred source of carbohydrate for yeast is molasses from sugar beets or sugarcane. If it’s made using beet molasses, I would wager that the beets are genetically modified. Does anyone have good information on this?* Here’s an excerpt from #2:“I really didn’t want to believe what I had heard … I had enjoyed nutritional yeast on pop corn, in many vegetarian/vegan caseroles and menu items, and sprinkled on all manner of foods—and of course, in my “green drink”. This stuff is absolutely wonderful and delicious! But now I had to come to terms with what we had learned. Would I put my head in the sand and cling to my beloved nutritional yeast, or would I be an honest health reformer? First, I would try to disprove Dr. Blaylock’s findings, as best I could, so that I might, in good conscience, continue using this delicious taste enhancer that doubles as a nutrition supplement …”It doesn’t seem there are many studies to confirm any of these claims other than some EPA regulations for manufacturers. The GMO question is a good one. I would simply ask the companies themselves if that is a huge issue. I can help look into more if you insist. This was a big topic of discussion on the previous yeast video. I also suggest reading thru the comments as other user left some valuable comments. I think there are far more worrisome products on the market than nutritional yeast. The good news is at least our results didn’t find any lead at dangerous levels.Thanks, Joseph. According to Fuhrman, folic acid is clearly health-damaging … that’s enough (for me) to rule out all nutritional yeast products except Fuhrman’s, which costs $36/lb. And unless I’m mistaken, free glutamic acid is petty much as health damaging as MSG … so that’s two strikes. I don’t base my eating decisions on the fact that other food choices are more worrisome!That’s a good point “I don’t base my eating decisions on the fact that other food choices are more worrisome!” however I still have yet to see any research about the harmful affects of free glutamic acid and nutritional yeast. The whole reason we tested for lead was because the yeast has been found to contain beneficial immune modulating properties. Certainly you can avoid it if you’d like :-) or go for Fuhrman’s brand if more comfortable. Furthermore, MSG doesn’t appear harmful. Feel free to post research studies on here and we can look into the glutamic acid concerns more. Thanks, Laurie.Joseph- Many ingredients are labeled as excitotoxins because of Dr. Blaylock’s findings. His findings have been regurgitated by many BUT where is the science? When will we ever know?Exactly! Would love to learn more about this topic from published research studies.Excellent article and thank you for the test result and detailed explanation. Keep up the great work!Thanks Johnny! If you have not already, please consider keeping up with the new videos posted every weekday and subscribe to the daily video feed!Best wishes, JosephI tried eating Nutritional yeast for a while. I did not feel good while eating eat and i did not eat a lot of it at a time. I no longer eat it and do not miss it and do not feel that it is necessary in mine or anyone elses diet. But each get to choose for themselves.How about any other products with yeast? Wine, ferments, soy sauce, bread, kefir, kombucha? How do they make you feel?The only product you mentioned that i use is bread, and i do not eat that often. For grains i eat mostly brown rice, millet and oats. As far as how the bread makes me fell – i do not have a problem with it, but do not eat it very often.With the proliferation of coal-fired plants in China, the probability of heavy metal contamination in exported produce has dramatically increased. China burns 4 billion tons of coal in power plants, homes & factories every year. Yet there are no checks for this even for ‘Organic’ labeled produce. A farm exporting produce that is adjacent to a coal plant, or even a smog choked city, is not a pretty picture. Yet who would know? I eat several ounces of ‘organic’ pumpkin seeds daily that I’ve learned were grown in China. Are there any home testing kits that you would recommend that can at least check for the presence of lead, mercury and cadmium? If you can’t answer this directly, could you post such information on your web site?Thanks for the suggestion! We used a lab to test for lead. I am sure you could do the same with food samples, but it may be more expensive. I honestly don’t know the efficacy of home test kits. Good Ol’ google helped. I found this Consumer Reports article on lead test kits. Maybe that’s a start? I’m not even sure these test for food and the levels of detection are much higher (like 2,000 parts per million) than ours (0.01 ppm). Of course, not buying foods from China eliminates the concern. Let me know if you find other test kits? Hopefully others here can give us suggestions.	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-344	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/07/28/dioxins-stored-in-our-own-fat-may-increase-diabetes-risk/	Dioxins Stored in Our Own Fat May Increase Diabetes Risk	Finding higher diabetes rates among those heavily exposed to toxic pollutants—such as those exposed to Agent Orange, chemical plant explosions, toxic waste dumps, or heavy metals in fish from the Great Lakes—is one thing. Would the same link be found in a random sampling of the general population? Yes. A strong dose-dependent relationship was found between the levels of these pollutants circulating in people’s blood and diabetes. Those with the highest levels of pollutants in their blood stream had 38 times the odds of diabetes. Interestingly, there was “no association between obesity and diabetes among subjects with non-detectable levels of pollutants.” In other words, “obesity was a risk factor for diabetes only if people had blood concentrations of these pollutants above a certain level.” We know obesity predisposes us to diabetes, but according to this study, highlighted in my video, Diabetes and Dioxins, this is perhaps true only if our bodies are contaminated with industrial pollutants. This finding implies that virtually all the risk of diabetes conferred by obesity is attributable to these pollutants, and that obesity might only be a vehicle for such chemicals. Could we be carrying around our own little toxic waste dump on our hips? Now it’s entirely possible that the six pollutants they looked at were not themselves causally related to diabetes. Rather, they could just be surrogates of exposure to a mixture of chemicals. After all, 90% of these pollutants in our diet come from animal foods. Except for individuals living or working around industrial sites where these chemicals were used or dumped, the most common source of exposure to PCBs is from diet, from foods of animal origin, especially seafood. The strong relationship the researchers found between certain pollutants and diabetes may just be pointing to other contaminants in animal products. If these pollutants are particularly found in seafood, are people who eat fish at higher risk for diabetes? See my videos Fish and Diabetes, and Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat. For more on dioxins, see: For more on PCBs, see: These pollutants may also play a role in our rising epidemic of allergic diseases. See Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies and Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors. 	What about if one is very skinny, low percentage body fat, ultra-low? Do these dioxins have no place to attach to, and therefore continue to circulate in system, harming body/brain somehow? I am assuming tissue fat also serves a protective function. Both good and bad features of tissue fat, are there?Great question. From the last video in the blog on salmon and our own fat, Dr. Greger mentions “So we’re not just exposed by eating the fat of other animals, our own fat can be a continuous source of internal exposure because these persistent pollutants are slowly but continuously released from our fat stores into our circulation. And they don’t call them persistent pollutants for nothing. These chemicals have such a long half-life that people consuming regular (even just monthly) meals of farmed salmon might not only consume high concentrations of pollutants, but some of these chemicals might take between 50 and 75 years to clear from the body.”So having a healthy body weight is better (in general), but it does not excuse someone’s risk of accumulating pollutants if they are still eating sources directly.Good point. Now consider this. Because of its ubiquity, the vast majority of stored body fat is OMEGA 6. It supplies a continuous excess amount to the blood stream which overwhelms cell receptors. This is the reason that standard dietary platitudes for supplementing with Omega 3 foods will not optimize fatty acid metabolism. Optimizing Omega 3s mandates optimizing BMI to get rid of excess Omega 6 fat.I was under the impression the most body fat stores are saturated/monosaturated and that excess n6 is burned off.Not sure if you understood my question but is being too skinny actually a bad thing, in regard to ingestion of fish, since the dioxins have nothing to attach to and might therefore circulate throughout body unbounded, adversely affecting body? Being too skinny could be bad, in this regard?Being underweight (classified by a BMI under 18.5) is unhealthy regardless of fish consumption. I am not sure the course of dioxins or other pollutants in skinnier folks. You may be onto something, as they may have less space to be “stored” therefore will circulate throughout the body. I am not entirely sure though. At any rate the less toxins the better, and maintaining a healthy body weight is important for reducing the risk of a host of diet-related diseases.I thought BMI was not considered a good parameter anymore…?“Exposing body to algae and heavy metals in ocean from swimming, bathing in ocean? Does the skin absorb this stuff? Who knows, but I think it is pertinent for Dr. Gregor to address this considering he spends enormous amounts space on this website claiming that ocean fish consumption is harmful and to be avoided. It just makes sense.”Joseph, the above I posted on another day (July 29/2015 video) , but wanted you to see it as you might be able to suggest to Dr. Gregor to address this question, being that he raises a serious alarm to fish consumption, to the point where it seems toxic in any amount. At least that is how I perceive his view. Thanks for feedback or efforts. • EditI’ve never seen anything about our skin’s ability to absorb heavy metals. If anyone does please let me know!Published in Portuguese, here: http://nf.focoempatico.net/dioxinas-armazenadas-na-nossa-propria-gordura-podem-aumentar-risco-diabetes/Diabetes in those heavily exposed to toxic pollution such as … heavy metals in fish from the Great Lakes links to a study about GL fish contaminated with organochlorines–an entirely different problem than heavy metals such as mercury in terms of how and where and when and what is contaminated.Perhaps the good doctor could prepare a video for those who choose to eat fish so they can minimize or avoid exposure to contaminants? e.g., light not white tuna, wild not farmed salmonids, http://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/guide-eating-ontario-fish.I suspect I was exposed to more PCBs using microscope immersion oil (1970s) than ever I was from fish… :-(Eh? Perhaps the good doctor could prepare a video for those who chose to smoke so that they can minimize or avoid exposure to contaminants?No comparison, but I can see how you might be confused.I see a comparison. As Dr McDougall says – People like to hear good news about their bad habits. Dr Gregor has shown us enough studies to realize that we would be better off with no or very little of any kind of fish. i choose none. The people that smoked when the studies started coming out showing the harms of tobacco wanted more studies until they died of cancer from smoking. Lets let the fish go while we still can !!!Is this toxin:diabetes connection relevant for Type 1 diabetes as well or just Type 2?Mainly type 2 diabetes, however, some research exist on pollutant exposure and type 1 diabetes. If looking for more information on type 1 diabetes, PCRM has a fact sheet on type 1 diabetes. And one study found a connection between risk of type 1 DM and cow’s milk protein in infants. Also, Dr. Forrester’s thoughts on diabetes.As a diabetic I also worry about pollutants.What about Sjogren’s syndrome which often accompanies other immune system disorders, such as diabetes?Michael,I could not find a reference for this statement: “90% of these pollutants in our diet come from animal foods”I did find a reference of dioxin, but to no other pollutants. Do you have a reference?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistent_organic_pollutant Controlling persistent organic pollutants – what next? Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 6, 143–175. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1382668998000362Thanks,Don	Agent Orange,animal fat,animal products,blood sugar,diabetes,dioxins,fat,fish,Great Lakes,industrial toxins,obesity,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,prediabetes,seafood	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17107852,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16801591,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19654916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17366823,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12916742,
PLAIN-345	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/07/23/why-would-eating-fish-increase-diabetes-risk/	Why Would Eating Fish Increase Diabetes Risk?	In the past two years, six separate meta-analyses have been published on the relationship between fish consumption and type 2 diabetes. The whole point of a meta-analysis is to compile the best studies done to date and see what the overall balance of evidence shows. The fact that there are six different ones published recently highlights how open the question remains. One thread of consistency, though, was that fish consumers in the United States tended to be at greater risk for diabetes. If we include Europe, then fish eaters appeared to have a 38% increased risk of diabetes. On a per serving basis, that comes out to be about a 5% increase in risk for every serving of fish one has per week. To put that into perspective, a serving of red meat per day is associated with 19% increase in risk. Just one serving per day of fish would be equivalent to a 35% increase in risk. But why might fish be worse than red meat? Fish intake may increase type 2 diabetes risk by increasing blood sugar levels, as a review of the evidence commissioned by the U.S. government found. The review found that blood sugars increase in diabetics given fish oil. Another possible cause is that omega 3’s appear to cause oxidative stress. A recent study, highlighted in my video, Fish and Diabetes, found that the insulin producing cells in the pancreas don’t appear to work as well in people who eat two or more servings of fish a week. Or it may not be related to omega 3’s at all but rather the environmental contaminants that build up in fish. It all started with Agent Orange. We sprayed 20 million gallons of the stuff on Vietnam, and some of it was contaminated with trace amounts of dioxins. Though the Red Cross estimates that a million Vietnamese were adversely affected, what about all the servicemen who were exposed spraying it across the countryside? Reports started showing up that veterans exposed to Agent Orange appeared to have higher diabetes rates than unexposed veterans, a link that’s now officially recognized. These so-called “persistent organic pollutants” are mainly man-made industrial chemicals and are among the most hazardous compounds ever synthesized. They include dioxins, PCBs, and certain chlorine-containing pesticides, all of which are highly resistant to breakdown in the environment. Initially condemned for their deleterious effect on reproductive function and their ability to cause cancer, there is now a growing body of evidence showing that exposure to these pollutants leads to metabolic diseases such as diabetes. This is a breakthrough that “should require our greatest attention.” For more on the role industrial pollutants may play in our diabetes epidemic, see Diabetes and Dioxins and Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat. More on the changing views surrounding fish oil supplements in Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil? Other foods associated with diabetes risk include processed meat and eggs. See Bacon, Eggs, and Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy and Eggs and Diabetes, while Indian gooseberries and flaxseeds may help (Amla Versus Diabetes and Flaxseed vs. Diabetes). Other videos on how polluted our oceans now are include: 	I appreciate this but I’m still going to eat my 3 oz of salmon twice a week.Many very large and recent studies (100,000’s of subjects) have ranked eating styles – they all came up with the same profile: healthiest and longest lived are vegans, then come various types of near “vegetarians” like lacto-ovos (milk and egg eaters) and pescetarians (fish eaters), and finally omnivores, who generally have the worst health as represented by the health statistics in the US today. I know of many tobacco and alcohol users who said the exact same thing you just did and finally came to a messy, painful, and regretful end. Science can be a useful tool – if we listen. Why not put the odds in your favor? Of course, it is possible that God or nature will make an exception in your case. It can happen. Best of luck.Are vegans the healthiest and longest lived because of their diet or their lifestyle or a combination of both?? How much does exercise, no use of tobacco, etc. contribute?Charles, given the size of these large, self-described populations, the vegan diet habits no doubt varied widely. They were mostly European, so there was some smoking, some alcohol use, and quite a bit of vegan junk food. Exercise habits also varied widely in the vegan group. However, when people are put in metabolic wards where complete dietary control can be exercised, we see even more impressive results for veganism. As Dr Ornish says, “the more you do, the more you get.” However, if you only do a little, you will only slow disease progression. It seems that disease reversal is only possible for most people with a very low fat (10% or less of calories), whole foods vegan diet, as Drs Esselstyn, McDougall, and Ornish have shown. There are also many studies that show that diet is much more important than exercise (see Dr G’s videos on this). The guy who started the running craze in America, Mr Jim Fixx, was an ardent jogger with a low BMI – he was found dead by the side of a rural highway in the NE in his running shorts. He died of a heart attack in his 50s. His left anterior descending coronary artery (the “widow maker”) was 100% blocked. He ate the standard American diet. 25% of adults in America still smoke, but I do not recall any studies that look at vegans who do/do not smoke. I suspect that those who smoke are not attracted to a vegan diet, and vegans are not drawn to smoking. Alcohol use, especially wine, is another matter.http://www.engine2diet.com/~engine2/usrfiles/files/publishedstudies/heartdisease/intensive-lifestyle-changes-for-reversal-of-coronary-heart-disease.pdfIntensive Lifestyle Changes for Reversal of Coronary Heart Disease Dean Ornish, MD; Larry W. Scherwitz, PhD; James H. Billings, PhD, MPH; K. Lance Gould, MD; Terri A. Merritt, MS; Stephen Sparler, MA; William T. Armstrong, MD; Thomas A. Ports, MD; Richard L. Kirkeeide, PhD; Charissa Hogeboom, PhD; Richard J. Brand, PhDProgram Intervention Experimental group patients were prescribed an intensive lifestyle program that included a 10%-fat vegetarian diet, moderate aerobic exercise, stress management training, smoking cessation, and group psycho social support previously described in detail. Patients were encouraged to avoid simple sugars and to emphasize the intake of complex carbohydrates and other whole foods.Only 1 patient in the experimental group was actively smoking at baseline, and she quit at entry. Control group patients were asked to follow the advice of their personal physicians regarding lifestyle changes.SO – was it the diet, the exercise, the stress management training, the smoking cessation, or the group psycho social support?In the famous 15 year Esselstyn study EVERY patient in that study was on a statin drug. SO, how much of the results were due to the diet and how much was due to the statin?Charles: re: “In the famous 15 year Esselstyn study EVERY patient in that study was on a statin drug.” I’m not sure which one is the 15 year study. I can say that in the book, “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”, Dr. Esselstyn says that he starts patients on drugs in addition to diet in order to get the cholesterol down ASAP, because these are the super-sick patients. But once cholesterol gets to a healthy level, the drugs can be stopped. (I don’t know if those patients got to that point or not.)More importantly, the control group, the people who dropped out of the study presumably were on the drugs, but not doing the diet. Those people went on to have more heart attacks and death. The patients who stayed in the study did not. The difference between the two groups was the diet, not the drugs. At least that’s my understanding.Hi Thea…Is it not true that Dr Nathan Pritikin arteries were clear as a bell (And was diagnosed with heart disease in his 40’s)and he ate some healthy animal protein…His diet talks about him eating fish,turkey,chicken and lean meat like grass feed Bison and Elk along with vegetables, fruit,complex carbs and beans.Just not over indulging in the animal protein.So could we not say he reversed the disease with animal protein in it? Just asking cause again people just can say one way is the only way cause we all know so far we haven’t had a 300 million people(US population) trial on every type of diet for years to see what’s best for everybody. Yea I know I’m stretching it…lol :)Hey Vince. NOTHING is a cure-all. Ofcourse you can reach healthy goals in many ways with a diet that includes animal protein. Like you can improve your stamina by going from 30 to 10 cigarets pr. day and so on. By I gues it is fair to say that there are more than enough evidens out there to show that it is a damn good idea to replace meat with plantfood. At least in my opinion. And also it is with out any doubt the most human diet in relative to mother nature and all the beautiful and sentient animals out there :).That’s all I’m saying Marco what works for u might not work for me I might be able to reverse heart disease like Pritikin did with some healthy fat and somebody else might die from eating it….There are so many variables that have to be taken into context with each person.If u read what I said high carbs drove up my ldl-p and small ldl-p way high and there are a better marker for the risk for heart disease then the standard ldl-c and cholesterol level lot of people die from heart attacks having normal lipids but never had particle counts done and they were sky high…I just dont believe that one way is the only way to live a healthy life thats all.God bless u.vince: I don’t know details about Dr. Pritikin. But what I do know is that from scientific perspective, there is no such thing as “healthy animal protein”. Someone may be able to have *tiny* amounts of animal protein in a diet and do OK. But they are doing OK in spite of the animal protein, not because of it. Also, some rare people consume a lot of meat and seem to do OK on it–just like the occasional anecdotal person who smokes may make it to 100 and in great health. That doesn’t mean that smoking, or eating animal protein, from scientific perspective is healthy. The evidence is pretty clear on that point. Plant Positive goes into great depth about this topic, animal fats, etc. Well worth checking out: http://www.plantpositive.comOk I’ll check it out Thea thanks.And when u get a chance check out Dr Pritckin diet.that is not true. Links to thouse studiesHi Will – I suggest that you take DrDave’s advice. For why would you invite Diabetes and other health problems when you can avoid them???Probably because it tastes so good. Since I went vegan (alright, Seagan now) everyone has to tell me that joke – vegans don’t actually live longer, it just feels like it. 87)There is a local fish here in So Cal that doesn’t seem to live/breed anywhere else, the white sea bass (not a true bass either). Though my diet is otherwise vegan and I use FOK and Engine 2 recipes the most (very little oil or salt added), when I find the local shop got some of this fish I will buy some and have a portion a week, maxing out at two/month. Now I hear the toxins in it put me at higher risk for diabetes? And the fresh caught salmon I will have next month when I visit my stepdad who caught it is maybe even more dangerous? Scary, but I know I’ll succumb and have some.I also appreciate but I also will still occasionally eat meat (epecially organ meats that are high in nutrients), small fish like sardines that are best omega 3 sources of course with a lot of plant based foods, grass fed milk from farm and low fat yogurt, fresh vegetable and fruit juices made by myself. Only a bit himalayan salt, no white flour, no sugar, no fastfood. I was straight vegan for 3+ years and I just didn’t feel well, developed depression and low testosterone, now I finally feel well and really like my diet. When I was on vegan I was just starving for some yogurt, a bit of meat or cheese. But even I’m not vegan I still like your videos and all the knowledge I gained throught years of watching it daily as I’m incorporating it into my ‘flexi’ diet.I’ve been a vegan for a little longer than a year. Since I exercise a lot, I take a vegan protein supplement. Physically, i’m doing well but not mentally. The problems are lack of concentration (especially while reading), not full-blown depression but somewhat down, low confidence, and memory. I don’t know if these problems are naturally due to aging or due to vegan diet. I’d been eating coconut products all my life but when I became a vegan, I stopped them. But very recently, as an experiment, I reintroduced them. Just as we humans look different and have different personalities, we have different bodies, and ultimately each of us has to find the diet that is right for us. But, just like you flexitarian, I’m grateful to Greger et. al. for all the information they provide. I just don’t have time to search for and read all these papers.guest, I would hazard a guess that something is amiss with your current diet if you have noticed some problems mentally. Lack of concentration, feeling down, memory issues are not normal signs of aging. Are you taking Vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) supplements? Vitamin D, essential fatty acids like DHA and EPA, iron, zinc can be low in vegans. Some lab tests can help confirm deficiencies and (re)reading a good book on vegan nutrition like Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis may help you pin point what you may be missing.Julie: Thanks for responding to my posting. I take as supplement every nutrient you’ve mentioned except EPA and iron. About two months after turning vegan, I had a blood test done and there was nothing amiss. Soon after I turned vegan, I bought Becoming Vegan and use it as reference. One nutrient I’m concerned about is choline, which is a B vitamin, and I’m not sure I get enough of it everyday, given that the body can’t store B vitamins except B12.guest: re: ” One nutrient I’m concerned about is choline, which is a B vitamin…” You might want to look into a website called cronometer. You plug in the food you eat and the website will tell you a lot of details about the nutrients you are getting. It might tell you exactly what your choline intake is and thus whether or not you will want to supplement or tweak your diet somehow. Just an idea.guest, you may be on to something with the choline! Choline is a precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Symptoms of low acetylcholine include loss of visual or verbal memory, memory lapses, impaired creativity, diminished comprehension, difficulty calculating numbers, slowness of mental responsiveness. From aninteresting interview with Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, I learned that sunflower lecithin contains phosphatidyl choline, providing the phospholipids needed to surround nerve axons and nourish the brain, increasing memory and speed of thought. http://undergroundwellness.com/tag/dr-ritamarie-loscalzo/Now for the other nutrients. Today your lab values may be different than they were 2 months after turning vegan. Iron, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, niacin, folic acid and magnesium are necessary for serotonin production. Deficiencies of serotonin include loss of pleasure in hobbies and interests, feelings of depression, depression when it is cloudy, difficulty finding joy from life pleasures, unable to fall into deep restful sleep, not enjoying favorite activities and friendships. A good multivitamin/mineral supplement with the methyl forms of the B vitamins may perk you right up. I like the Paradise Herbs Earth’s Blend Multivitamin as it has the correct forms of the nutrients and is really inexpensive. Probably wouldn’t hurt to give it a try for a few weeks and see if you don’t notice an improvement. (Reference: “Why Isn’t My Brain Working” by Dr. Datis Kharrazian)Thea and Julie: Thank you so much for taking time to make suggestions. I’ll explore them all. Nutrition, like everything else in life, is a journey, not a destination.Perhaps it’s the protein supplementation that could be an issue? I’ve read in many places that we don’t need extra protein and even know of vegan weight trainers who don’t supplement and do very well. Personally, I’m in my 50’s and been vegan now for about a year (vegetarian for 10 yrs) and I feel brilliant! Never felt better since I finally shook off the dreadful dairy. I don’t take supplements but eat lots and lots of fruit all day, with lots of salads and then a cooked meal evenings, such as beans, rice, sweet potatoes, etc. I do occasionally take some B12, but not often. I just don’t see why a good vegan diet of wholesome food would cause a problem as long as it encompasses a good source of fresh nutrients. Anyway, good luck and please do try to stick to the vegan diet – think of the poor suffering animals too, it’s not just about us!Vegans need to supplement with vitamin B 12. Start supplementing with B12 and you will see a marked increase in your energy level and thought processes.Agreed. It sounds to me like all these sick vegans on here are a result of no B 12 and possibly little or no iodine. I used to buy iodized table salt, until I read how they made it. Now I just chew on a little sea kelp from time to time to make sure I get enough.Hi guest – I doubt that you need the extra protein if you are eating an adequate vegan diet. Fruits, veggies – plenty of greens, nuts in limited quantities, Grains and legumes. I used to use vegan protein powders also and feel much better without them. I use some nuts and seeds, but no added oils. I do not remember the last time i was sick – cold, flu or anything else. Here is a link from an article i just got today from “Forks over Knives”. It is about a professional vegan Bodybuilder who does NOT use any bodybuilding supplementsSorry – I hit the wrong button. Here is the link. http://www.forksoverknives.com/vegan-bodybuilder-plant-based-diet/?mc_cid=b8b1865825&mc_eid=09aaf03269 I want to add that mentally i am doing just fine !!!!!!!!!Organ meats are very hard for people to digest, Chia Seeds are a better source of Omega 3’s than sardines. Milk and low fat yogurt cause over 60 different kinds of cancer because they contain casein, low fat means HIGH sugar in most cases. Himalayan salt contains lead and mercury and will kill you. You don’t have to be vegan, but what you listed for your diet is unfortunately all bad. Vegans are often VERY unhealthy as they don’t get enough iodine or pre-biotics and pro-biotics. They’re also overly skinny because they’re afraid of even the fat from an avocado or walnut which is absolutely ridiculous. Fat is NOT a killer. Animal protein is. Also you listed fruit juice. You have to know how bad that is for you. When fruit is turned into juice, it separates the fiber molecules from the sugar molecules, which are supposed to be attached. The result is this makes the juice like drinking straight sugar. Medical studies have shown horrible blood sugar spikes when a person drinks juice. If you want apple, you just need to eat sliced apple. If you want grape, it’s best to just eat grapes, or you could squash, but not blend some grapes into your water for some natural grape flavor. Good luck, and lose the Himalayan mercury salt. Also, sea salt has no iodine. We need iodine to live. You can get great iodine from kelp or seaweed. All you need is a 1/4 teaspoon of kelp every 3 days to get all the iodine you need.>>> Chia Seeds are a better source of Omega 3’s than sardines. Could you please clarify why do you said this. Are you saying this because chia does not have the pollutants that can be in fish? On the other hand, sardines provide a lot of DHA/EPA, and it is not clear that vegans typically convert enough ALA to DHA/EPA for optimal health, particularly brain health over the long haul. That’s why Fuhrman recommends supplementing with algal DHA/EPA.I’m not sure what I was thinking when I said that. I should have said, “if you refuse to eat fish, chia seeds are a pretty good alternative”. You are right about all the ALA stuff, and for the life of me I can not find the link, but I read a serious medical journal article a few months ago that said vegans only get short-chain molecules for their brain health, but fish was the only thing researchers could find that gave the brain some kind of long-chain molecules, which are absolutely necessary for brain health and memory.I’m a vegan who thinks supplementation of DHA/EPA is necessary for long term brain/neurological health, and so rely on algal-based DHA/EPA. I don’t have references handy but I’ve seen at least one study that showed algal-based DHA/EPA is as effective as fish-based in raising blood serum levels.Apparently coffee/tea with cow’s milk and or even Green Tea can lower your ability to absorb iron , so that might be worth looking into… I would be interested too, to find out if there are certain people who are prone to the kind of difficulties (that you mentioned) with being Vegan.I think this is just some degree of fear-mongering.I like and respect Dr Greger and follow his posts, but sometimes I believe he resorts to fear-mongering to justify his vegan diet bias, just like others do with their particular “One True Diet” – (Paleo, low-carb, etc). And Dr Greger has been caught cherry-picking (see sciencebasedmedicine.org).I also will continue to eat seafood a few times a week – but I ensure I buy sustainable wild-caught seafood as per Seafoodwatch.org.And isn’t your opinion a constructed justification to keep eating fish? People smoking could come up with similar arguments that attack the messenger instead of the message.The video confirmed what I already knew from evaluating the published evidence: it is healthier to eat more plant-based foods and less red meat. It didn’t convince me that we should categorically eliminate all animal products. The vegan diet can be a healthy one, and I wouldn’t discourage anyone from following it; but the evidence for health benefits is nowhere near as impressive or definitive as the true believers think. Death is not “a foodborne illness” and eliminating all animal products is not a cure-all. Harriet HallThis is the conclusion that was in the opinion piece on sciencebasedmedicine.org . I don’t think that informing people about the information that is out there is fear-mongering, it is just one way to show someone where to start. You have made informed choices based on this site and others, hopefully they will continue to give you valuable information to make your choices. The third sentence is very telling; the use of true believers is dismissive to those who make rational choices to adopt healthier diet patterns.Harriet Hall is a shill for the low-carb movement. She’s been bought and paid for and is not someone to be trusted with sound nutritional advice. She is anti-vegan and has in the past bashed many plant based Drs like Essy and Ornish. Same can be said for sciencebasedmedicine.org. It’s a sham site setup to denounce Veganism and push high fat diets. Not a friend of this site.Guest: re: “Not a friend of this site.” I think I would word that as, “Not a friend of people who care about science-based medicine.” :-)agreed. =)“Harriet Hall is a shill for the low-carb movement” – Exactly :)NOTHING is a cure all. But seen in a higher perspective, which diet is proven to be more effecive to good health than the vegan/vegetarian diet? And by the way… I know this site is all about health conserns but also, which diet do at the same time benefit natures health and the life of other living and sentient beings as much as the vegan/vegetarian diet? So no, nothing is cure-all. But some things are for sure better than others :).Einstein saw this long before us when he said“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet”.Nutrition research is impossible to do accurately, which opens the door to two problems: 1. A researcher can design a study to prove anything he/she wants. 2. An advocate of any specific diet can find published research to support his/her diet (cherry picking). Dr. Greger is unique though because he has no financial interest whatsoever in what he does. He apparently truly believes in vegan diet. The question, however is, is the diet that is right for one person, or some people, or most people right for everybody?I went to the website you mention, and searched for greger and found 1 post from Feb 2013:https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/death-as-a-foodborne-illness-curable-by-veganism/It was critical of Dr. Greger’s yearly summary: “Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death” from July 2012. Unlike his individual videos (3x/wk), the summary does not provide the extensive links to the medical research that Dr. Greger uses. Any routine user of this site knows that one can click on one of the 1500 or so topics, get a list of videos/blog-posts, and then click on sources cited on each video to find the links to the peer-reviewed medical research used in the video.Apparently, the author of the blog post had not bothered to look into the rest of this site.Please don’t post false negative things about Dr. Greger like your cherry picking accusation and then site a low-carb shill website like sciencebasedmedicine.org as your source. That site is not a credible source of information and is certainly not real science based. It’s low-carb science and we know all about the shady low-carb crowd like Harriet Hall.Hello my friends. I am writing as a guest cause I cant log in to my account. It is sure “funny” to see how people react as soon as the subject is something that “hits them”. Your reaction is exactly the same as we see every time something bad is said about pork og beef :). To me it seems prety clear that any creator of a comment like this one is behind one of three statements:1. You are a partner of seaffodwatch.org 2. You are somehow involved in sciencebasedmedicine.org 3. You are simply just a meat eater who is pissed about this page :).Why? Well because NONE of your arguments actually atttacks Michael´s work or this video in a sober way og with good arguments. Look at it, you hit us with two links. One is to a site that sells / recommends fish the other one is to maybe one of the most unserious sites on the net. Michael Greger is absolutly no cherry-picking. We are here talking about a man who hires several persons only to research hes statements in his upcomming book!If people want to criticze Dr. Gregers work, then please do it with sciense, good arguments or questions that is open minded :).To the whole “what is right for me” died… Personally I think that the world os not only about “what is right for me”. The fact that other living and sentient beings are killed just to justify our endless needs, is just as important :).Thanks to all of you for all the useful informations on this site.Barking Sparrow: I read the article that you are probably referring to on the sciencebasedmedicine site back when it came out. That article is *full* of logic holes and shows a lack of understanding of the science that was available even at that time. I don’t see that the author of that article refers to cherry-picking, but if that is how you interpret the points made on that page, then I don’t think you understand what cherry picking means.I hope that this explanation might put things into perspective for you: Would you be surprised to learn that there are over 100 studies showing that smoking is either neutral or helpful for our health? Given those studies supporting smoking as a healthful activity, would you accuse a me of cherry picking if I made the claim, “smoking causes or promotes lung cancer”, and then cited some studies to back up my claim?Of course not. That would not be cherry picking because life is messy. There are always contradictory studies. The existence of a contradictory study does not mean that someone is cherry picking or biased just because one doesn’t point out all the contradictions–not when there is a massive body of evidence supporting the original claim. In other words, there is a massive body of evidence supporting the claim that smoking causes cancer. So, we can keep an eye on the science to see if the evidence shifts, but at this point, we have enough evidence to claim that smoking causes cancer without having to point out contradictory studies which are probably fatally flawed in one way or another.It’s the same situation for nutrition and this site. Sometimes Dr. Greger discusses studies which contradict the main themes of this site. (And then he explains why those studies are invalid.) But most of the time Dr. Greger doesn’t waste our time. (Thank goodness.) Dr. Greger instead focuses on teaching us what the body of evidence says. Since Dr. Greger really has reviewed the vast body of evidence and has the skill to review it, Dr. Greger is one of a select few people on this planet who are qualified to actually share appropriate studies without cherry picking. It’s not cherry picking. It’s called educating.As for sustainable seafood, my understanding is that there is no such thing. There is just bad practices and worst. Our oceans (on the only planet we have) have dead zones that are growing rapidly. (Look up “dead zones”.) Experts are expecting the oceans to be completely dead in a few decades if we keep eating fish – *any* wild caught fish. Sites like Seafoodwatch are there just to make you feel good about eating fish. Something to think about.Hi Thea. Thank you very much for this respons :).Now can you please tell me how to “follow” someone here? I am new to this forum and I cant seem to figure it our :) Thanks..Marco: I’m honored you think I would be worth following. I’m afraid I don’t know how to do that. That’s not something I have looked into before as I don’t do the social media thing. But you can’t help seeing me around on this site. I’ve probably commented on a majority of the pages. So, it’s easy to find me. :-)Have a great day!There are SO many compelling reasons to not eat fish. In addition to the increased risk of diabetes, there is also bioaccumulated concentrations of mercury, dioxins, PCBs and other toxins, pathogens, parasites, cholesterol, saturated fat, etc. Farmed fish are doused with antibiotics, parasiticides, and other chemicals. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has found seafood to be by far the most hazardous food.Fish are caught or farmed in cruel ways, and inhumanely killed. Wild-caught fish are quickly being depleted and with them the food of animals who genuinely depend on them for it. Countless other animals (whales -yes, whales- dolphins, seals, turtles, birds, etc., are also caught and killed by fishing gear. Slave labor is rampant in the fishing industry, including slave-caught seafood that is sold in the U.S.All of the nutrients we need to thrive can be obtained more healthfully, humanely, and environmentally responsibly from plant sources. If you eat seafood, there are many marvelous vegan versions of pretty much every type of seafood imaginable: http://fishfeel.org/seafoodresources.php It’s better for us, for the other animals, and for the environment. There is no good reason to eat fish or any other animals/animal products, and so many great reasons to not eat them.well I’ve eaten fish (mainly haddock) about 5 times a week for the last 45 years and i am ok . there you go.And what is to be OK? People on medications feel OK too. People with lots of inflammation think they are OK for their age because they don’t know. There you go.Dennis: No one says that smoking will cause lung cancer. They just say that smoking increases one’s risk of lung cancer–in addition to increasing risk for several other serious problems. Similarly, the studies cited indicate that eating fish increases one’s risk for diabetes (and FYI: in addition to increasing risk for several other serious problems).With that understanding, what would you think if someone wrote the following?: “well I’ve smoked (mainly a pack a day) about five times a week for the last 45 years and i am ok. there you go.”I agree according to the good Doc if we don’t eat just grass were all dead.(And I respect him as well but think he cherry picks some info as well)I personally know a Doctor who has shown regression in her patients with some healthy animal protein in the diet with healthy vegetables and greens.I said this before what might work for some people might not work for others so u cant just say if you don’t eat this way you cant live a healthy life or regress some diseases.I mean there are so many contributing factors…Heck you can be a vegan and suffer from chronic stress and die of a heart attack…..Tim Russert the news anchor had a ldl of 60 and a low cholesterol count and suffered a heart attack and died.And now the new food guidelines are coming out changing there stance on saturated fat and dietary cholesterol..I also tried the vegan diet for a year and like the others said I felt weak and just felt like something was missing and my ldl-p and small ldl went sky high due to the excessive carbs, and I ate ALL complex carbs too.The same could be said for Paleo diets, I tried it and it made me feel foggy headed and sick and I got depressed. It’s an experiment of one. A WFPBVegan diet is a powerful tool to regain your health and reverse chronic disease if you do it right. The key is to study up and do Vegan properly to gain the benefits.I understand what u are saying and believe me I did the vegan diet to a T…just did not work for me thats all. if it worked for u or others great all Im saying is one size does not fit all.I think we can agree on at least that?As we all know there are 300 million people in the US and there are probably millions in there 80’s, 90’s and 100’s that eat according to alot of people on this site as bad,but yet lived and are living a great life,just like there are millions that die early eating the same way.So who’s right on what we should eat and not eat,cause for every trial u show me that fish is bad I can show u trials that say it’s not.Be happy, smile,love and enjoy life as much as u can and get off the internet and go for a hike(Not u just in general)…lolOh my. Not to rag on Tim Russert but he was overweight (probably obese). Yes one can be a vegan and fat and not exercise. It isn’t usual for people to feel “tired?” Meat makes me feel tired!Well I am not fat weigh 160 pounds 5′ 11″ and I work out 5 days a week for almost a hr, which includes cardio,weights,stretching and meditation and because I am soooo active I had to eat like 4 people and still was having a hard time maintaining weight and just didn’t feel good.Latest blood work TC 134 TG 54 LDL 76 HDL 41 not bad but like I said my LDL-P and SMALL LDL-P went up to the high risk levels all when eating a 100% plant based diet.Was told by a well known lipidologist who treats patients with heart disease for the last 20 years told me that I was eating way to many carbs and no they were not refined(I do know about eating and diet) and I am not insulin resistant either.So now I switched to a modified Mediterranean style diet and will have another NMR lipid profile test done at the end of August. So we will see.This guy is wrong. Go to the study he cites for omega-3 increasing diabetes and these are the actual results:Consumption of fish and/or seafood was not significantly associated with DM (n = 13 studies; RR per 100 g/d = 1·12, 95 % CI = 0·94, 1·34); nor were consumption of EPA+DHA (n = 16 cohorts; RR per 250 mg/d = 1·04, 95 % CI = 0·97, 1·10) nor circulating levels of EPA+DHA biomarkers (n = 5 cohorts; RR per 3 % of total fatty acids = 0·94, 95 % CI = 0·75, 1·17). Both dietary ALA (n = 7 studies; RR per 0·5 g/d = 0·93, 95 % CI = 0·83, 1·04) and circulating ALA biomarker levels (n = 6 studies; RR per 0·1 % of total fatty acid = 0·90, 95 % CI = 0·80, 1·00, P = 0·06) were associated with non-significant trend towards lower risk of DM.Etc.Clay, you are partially right, but so is Dr. Greger. Suggest you look at figure 3 in the article, and here is the link to just that figure: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3744862/figure/F3/And, here is an excerpt from the article, about that figure: “fish/seafood was associated with lower DM risk in Asia cohorts (RR per 100g/d=0.89, 95% CI=0.81, 0.98), and higher risk in North America/Europe cohorts (RR per 100g/d=1.38, 95% CI=1.13, 1.70).”From the text of the article, it appears that BMI was a major confounder.In general, I don’t like epidemiological meta-analysis. In my view, they tend to obfuscate, but that’s a long discussion.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1312295/ Twenty questions on atherosclerosis“Of the various atherosclerotic risk factors, which one is an absolute prerequisite for development of atherosclerosis?The answer is hypercholesterolemia. What level of total cholesterol and specifically LDL cholesterol is required for atherosclerotic plaques to develop? Symptomatic and fatal atherosclerosis is extremely uncommon in societies where serum total cholesterol levels are <150 mg/dL and serum LDL cholesterol levels are <100 mg/dL (8). If the LDL cholesterol level is <100— and possibly it needs to be 150 mg/dL and the LDL cholesterol is >100 mg/dL, the other risk factors clearly accelerate atherosclerosis.”My question is does it matter how one gets their cholesterol down to this level?I e-mailed Dr William C Roberts and asked him this question Do it matter if one gets their LDL <70 via diet alone or a combination of diet + statins?His answer I think that it does not matter. That are no studies specifically trying to answer this question, at least I am aware of none. My best, WCRNeat study on atherosclerosis! Thanks, Charles. I think it does matter, as statins have been shown to increase breast cancer risk, diabetes, and muscle toxicity. Due to their potential risks it would seem much better if LDL reductions could be met by diet and lifestyle. Obviously if diet and lifestyle are not enough to lower LDL then the benefits of taking a statin may outweigh their risk.https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEIQFjAFahUKEwjpscTqj_LGAhWKnoAKHVVyAIw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcirculation.or.kr%2Fworkshop%2F2002fall%2Ffiles%2Fspon_pfizerRoberts.doc&ei=xlKxVem2LYq9ggTV5IHgCA&usg=AFQjCNHwitdtAEsPRWKn8D-jjyrH9gBF3g&bvm=bv.98476267,d.eXY Getting More People on Statins William C Roberts MDhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1849886/ “If it is useful for the LDL cholesterol to be <100 mg/dL after a heart attack, surely it must be useful for the LDL cholesterol to be <100 mg/dL before a heart attack! Therefore, in my view, the goal for all populations—not just those with heart or brain attacks or diabetes mellitus or noncoronary atherosclerotic events—needs to be LDL cholesterol <100 mg/dL and ideally 100 million Americans—rather than the present 13 million—would need to be on a statin drug with or without ezetimibe or be pure vegetation-fruit eaters.Thus, although it is not clearly established at this time, to prevent atherosclerotic plaques, the serum LDL cholesterol needs to be <70 mg/dL, the serum total cholesterol certainly 20 mg/dL. The latter—surely a surprise to most readers—is in patients with a serum total cholesterol level of about 130 mg/ dL and an LDL cholesterol level about 60 mg/dL. Exactly what HDL cholesterol level is required to prevent plaques is unclear at this time, but clearly if the LDL cholesterol is very low (e.g., 50 mg/dL) then a low HDL cholesterol—as long as it is >20 mg/dL—appears not to be dangerous. Ideal may be equal serum HDL and LDL cholesterol levels or an HDL cholesterol greater than LDL cholesterol. In summary, the recommended guideline numbers—particularly those for primary prevention—are those for decreasing the risk of atherosclerotic events, not for preventing formation of atherosclerotic plaques.The rule of 5 and the rule of 7 in lipid-lowering therapy and the goal for all The statin drugs, in my view, are the best cardiovascular drugs ever created, in that they have the greatest potential to prevent atherosclerotic plaques and their complications, and they also have the greatest potential to arrest plaque formation and therefore to prevent additional atherosclerotic events. The statin drugs are to atherosclerosis what penicillin was to infectious diseases. Despite their being truly miracle drugs, they are terribly underutilized and underdosed.The average serum LDL cholesterol level in American adults is about 130 mg/dL. Therefore, if we want to prevent plaque formation in the USA, most of us will need a 50% LDL cholesterol reduction! As shown in the Table, that goal can be achieved by three doses of statin monotherapy (rosuvastatin 20 and 40 mg daily or atorvastatin 80 mg daily) or by adding ezetimibe 10 mg to all statin doses except the lowest level of recommended statin doses. Because titration is often neglected, starting the dose from the beginning that achieves the preventive goal (LDL cholesterol <70 mg/dL) appears reasonable. When a statin dose is doubled, the total cholesterol on average falls an additional 5% and the LDL cholesterol, 7%. These percent falls with doubling of the doses constitute the rule of 5 and the rule of 7."High dose Niacin therapy would achieve your goals. Taking two to three grams of Niacin a day could lower LDL and raise HDL to desired levels. Niacin is stripped from grains and an ideal diet for Niacin levels is hard to design. Niacin is a key component of the mitochondrial theory of aging as it greatly adds to the efficiency of mitochondria. On a near Vegan diet and high dose Niacin therapy my LDL fell to 28. Niacin was once considered superior to many statins and although now is falling out of favor because it is impossible to make a profit on, it is the only substance that can raise HDL as well, something that is causing doctors and pharmacy companies to say HDL is not important. I had always heard HDL was one of the most important factors measured, after of course blood pressure. I think nutrients stripped from grain is still a factor in what is sickening us. Idealy, no one would need a supplement, but the problems described in the video “The Tomato Effect” may still be with us. A life time of Niacin deficient wonder bread is still leading to heart disease as happened in China when the mill was first brought.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/Niacin, in orthomolecular doses, can raise HDL by 25 percent, lower LDL by 30 percent, and lower triglycerides by half.I take 20 mgs Atorvastatin QED, 97.5 mgs WP Thyroid ED – latest blood work 5/11/15 ApoA1 – 137 ApoB – 56 ApoB/A1 Ratio – .41 Omega 6/Omega 3 Ratio – 3.3 LP(a) <10 A1C – 5.6 hs-CRP – 0.5 HDL – 54 TC – 129 TG – 36 LDL, Direct – 67 LDL-P 870 Small LDL-P 160Congratulations on your excellent health and good luck in your mission to lower LDL, for which niacin may be an ideal substance compared to the costs and risks of statins. There is no substitute for lifestyle medicine, and it is sad that people can develop so many deficiencies on modern (packaged, not whole foods) diets.So far no side effects from the atorvastatin and I’ll be starting year threeCharles, It is great that a statin is working well for you. Before going on LF-WFPB diet 6+ years ago, I tried statins. After a couple of months on a statin (1st Vytorin, and then Crestor 5mg), I had calf pain, but only after running for 10min and had to stop. When statin was stopped, in 3-5 days, I could run again without calf pain. Blood tests were fine. Since being on a LF-WFPB diet, I’m not on any drugs. Latest blood work from 06Mar2015: TC 128, LDL 65, HDL 50, TG 65, Glucose 83.Joseph, inadvertently, I am sure, left out another risk factor with statins: diabetes, which the FDA now recognizes that people on statins have an increased risk of developing.Also, you may find this review article of interest: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3463373/ “Effect of Statins on Skeletal Muscle: Exercise, Myopathy, and Muscle Outcomes”Fish eating taxes the environment. It disrupts the ecosystem by the huge demands of society and advertising. The glorified fish oil is marketed product that is contributing to the destruction of sea life. It is irresponsible to consume fish products while there are equivalent or better plant products like for example dha epa from algae. That is where fish get their omega 3s, plants.With algae omega 3’s now widely available, I see no reason whatsoever for anyone to take fish oil.I am tired of researchers changing their viewpoints seemingly every year. They get paid big bucks to find answers that people need. Maybe they are afraid that if they find definite answers they will put themselves out of business. Also, I have friends that are vegetarians that are having health problems because of their diet, and having to be diligent on complete nutrition with a vegetarian diet—and now their bodies cannot handle meat because they have not eaten it in such a long time. It is very frustrating to feel that George Orwellian 1984 double talk and double think have become pervasive in our culture. Just what in the heck are people to believe. My primary care physician and cardiologist say that they are now (the system) not individual doctors—but the system as a whole—not sure that cholesterol is the villain it once was supposed to be because there are people who have clear arteries and been overweight for a long time that have overly high cholesterol readings.Bill Hamlinbut vegans are not the longest lifespan. Vegans with fish are proven to have the longest life span.The title of this article catches one’s eye, but it seems very clear to me once again, that FISH are not a problem. It’s the poison we contaminate the oceans with that is the problem. We radiate the ocean with nuclear leaks, we mine gold and coal and the runoff from mining operations gets mercury into the air and water and fish accidentally ingest it. They have an island west of Hawaii where the government disposes of nuclear waste. They figured the island is so isolated that no one would notice gallons of radiation being poured into the ocean. We get man-made DDT in the oceans and then ya know what we do… We blame the fish. Without all the man-made contaminants. Fish would be a fine meal.Randy: I do not think you have captured/noticed the point of this article at all. After all, even if fish were squeaky clean contaminant wise, fish would still be full of animal protein, saturated fat, cholesterol, etc. Here is an important part of the article I would like to draw your attention to (with links included above):“Fish intake may increase type 2 diabetes risk by increasing blood sugar levels, as a review of the evidence commissioned by the U.S. government found. The review found that blood sugars increase in diabetics given fish oil. Another possible cause is that omega 3’s appear to cause oxidative stress. A recent study, highlighted in my video, Fish and Diabetes, found that the insulin producing cells in the pancreas don’t appear to work as well in people who eat two or more servings of fish a week. Or it may not be related to omega 3’s at all but rather the environmental contaminants that build up in fish.”Contaminants are certainly a huge problem with fish. But that is by far not the only problem. Dr. Greger uses the word, “Or” in the paragraph above to identify a cause on why fish increases risk for type 2 diabetes. But it is also quite possible that all of those reason work together.I’m glad there are so many people talking about health. I feel this is the way that we can truly progress as a society. Allow me to reply to what you’ve stated. First, people who are on a “Mediterranean Diet/Lifestyle” have almost 30% less chance of getting diabetes. Here’s the link to that study that reviewed 19 other studies in multiple countries and involved over 100,000 people. So, it’s highly unlikely that fish have anything to do with diabetes. Here’s the link: http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20140327/take-heart-mediterranean-diet-combats-diabetes-study-says . Additionally, diabetes rates have DOUBLED over the past 30 years. It is now at epidemic levels. What has changed in our diets over the past 50 years (30 yrs +20 or more years to develop diabetes) equals rates have doubled over the past 30 years. What’s different? Are we eating that much more fish? Probably not when it’s $10 a pound at the store, and people have less time to personally fish. We have however changed our wheat. We have also piled aspartame, sucralose and sweet-n-low in to every coffee house in the country. We are giving hormones to cows and chickens, and only a fool would think those hormones are not getting directly into use once we eat ‘em. We’re mining for gold and coal which releases mercury into the atmosphere. The mercury gets in the clouds and comes down in rain. So, it’s not only poisoning fish in the ocean, there’s probably mercury on your driveway right now. We also have an island west of Hawaii where the government dumps radiation in to the sea. They say they ‘clean it’, but I don’t believe them on that much. One thing we do know for a fact is that obese people (in the U.S.) get a very high share of diabetes, but it’s most likely not because their fat, but rather what’s making them fat. The one thing that intrigues the heck out of me is that there is a rural section of India, where the eating is mostly healthy rice, where the people have a very high rate of diabetes. To this day no one knows why. If I were a researcher, I would consider that region ground zero.It would be more useful to see the absolute risk numbers rather than the percent increase. Percent changes can be very misleading, for example if the risk increases from 1 in 1000 to 1.35 in 1000. Wow, 35% increase.Sure would, but it’s also useful if the viewers who want to investigate this stuff try opening up the article. Not everything about research can get to you faithfully in a few colorful words. In this case, the meta-analysis focuses on relative risk as the outcome measure to aggregate, so an aggregated measure of the absolute risk effect is not directly available. But you can get a feel for the rates of DMT2 in the studies in table 1: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3744862/table/T1/Just skimming through, and speaking very roughly, it seems that the typical age is ~50, typical exposure ~10 years, and incidence around ~1 in 200. But if you know anything about the epidemic proportions of diabetes in the world, a credible way to reduce the number of cases by anything near 35% would of course be huge. According to the American Diabetes Association, for example, around 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 65 have DMT2, and 8.9% of the population overall: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/Are there any studies on the relationship between short-chain omega 3s (e.g., from flaxseeds, whole, ground or oil) and pancreas performance/insulin sensitivity?Does anyone know why there is “fish powder” in my Trader Joe’s Women’s vitamin? Mostly it has good stuff but I near the gelatin, on the list, is fish powder, sounds kinda of creepy to me.Very clarifying! Can’t wait to put some family and friends scratching their heads on this subject and substituting fish for vegetables. Portuguese translation done: http://nf.focoempatico.net/porque-e-que-comer-peixe-pode-aumentar-o-risco-de-diabetes/I have a question.When they say Reversal of heart disease what does that mean exactly?Does the plaque melt away? Or does a new lining of endothelium cells form over the plaque and make it stable and the green and veggies just open or dilate the artery more?Perhaps what matters most is how you cook fish. Omega 3 fats oxidize easily when exposed to heat or light. By using low heat and wet cooking cooking methods along with marinades containing anti-oxidant compounds (lemon, rosemary, other herbs and spices), you can help protect the fats from doing harm.I’d love to see a study that takes into account cooking methods–or controls for rancidity in fish oil. Perhaps the study showing fish associated with lower diabetes levels in Asia (see Fred Pollack comment below) has something to do with Asians often eating fish raw.That’s how I cook my fish low oven heat and lemon juice.Disagree. What causes type 2 diabetes is high carbs and sugar. I went on a gluten free, no sugar low carb diet and my blood pressure went down, my migraines lessened by half and I eat meats, butter, olive oIL and coconut products. I was a normal weight when I started, and I lost a couple of pounds anyway. Being vegan for humanitarian reasons is one thing, but to bad mouth naturally grown meats, fish and eggs is doing a disserviceHere’s another view of fish & diet. Our family history no diabetes however some incidence of cancers: A vegetarian diet may reduce your risk of certain kinds of cancer by 22 percent, according to a new analysis from the Adventist Health Study-2. The least at risk of the vegetarian groups were the pescovegetarians, or vegetarians who eat fish. They were 43 percent less likely to develop cancer. No details on how much fish or what type. Also note Omega 3 can help MS see “Overcoming MS” by Dr. George Jelenik http://news.adventist.org/all-news/news/go/2015-03-16/vegetarian-diet-cuts-risk-of-certain-cancer-adventist-study-finds/One thing I’d like to throw into this thread is that, while medical studies have shown that animal protein causes a lot of very serious illnesses and sickness, the world ‘animal’ is a very broad term. cows and chickens are mammals. Fish are not mammals. Reptiles are all together different. While the China study did show that when people in the Netherlands and surrounding areas had their meat (beef and chicken) taken away from them by the Nazis, and these people started eating a lot more vegetables and became healthy, the study does not mention that many of these people were able to get fish from the seaside or lakes. So, they didn’t go 100% vegan if you read your history. Still, I believe very seriously that sweet potatoes are underrated, and we should be getting full on them rather than fried chicken. Sweet potatoes are a vegetable, NOT a potato, and they are going to rule the world one day.Also from the book the China Study was the statement by Dr. Campbell about the results of his study in China that while no population studied were completely plant-based, the range of animal food consumption was quite broad and when examined, there the risks for various chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer were the lowest in the group that consumed the lowest amount of animal food. Plus an extrapolation of the trend lines through all the groups didn’t flatten out in the lower consuming groups, indicating that there was every reason to suspect that the lowest risk would come at zero consumption.Also remember that the populations studied in China as a whole ate much lower amounts of animal foods and much higher amounts of whole plant foods than western diets and yet the trend towards zero animal food consumption for lowest risk was still visible.The converse lesson can also be drawn in that the health risk from animal foods is not binary. Adding a little to your diet only does a little harm. So we shouldn’t let perfect be the enemy of good and encourage people to eat as little animal foods as they can and more importantly celebrate with them when they make any progress towards getting more of their calories from whole plant foods while still helping them to understand that they can protect their health even further by continue to move away from animal foods. So if somebody can’t imagine fixing a pot of beans without at least a little ham or bacon in it, I am going to say “yay beans!” since the benefit from a lot of beans still outweighs the harms from a strip of bacon used to flavor the whole pot.I think it’s quite interesting that if you go to PubMed and search for fish and diabetes, all the articles that associate fish consumption with diabetes concluded either that fish consumption protects us from getting diabetes, or that there is no significant association. However, fish consumption has been proven to have cardioprotective effects, among other positive effects. All I’m saying is that I don’t think we should be radical about things. One day this is great for our health, and then it’s terrible. I think the key is really to balance things and not to overdo anything.I looked only among PubMed citations that included fish and diabetes in the title, but would this count as a counterexample? Total fish consumption had a statistically significant positive association with diabetes risk in this prospective study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19675200At any rate, there is such a thing as a balance fallacy, and the appeal to a vague idea of ‘moderation’ amounts to very little in the way of advice; indeed the ease by which people often assume that they have an appropriate ‘balance’ in their diet is probably part of why the idea is so popularly endorsed.It’s great to be skeptical, to investigate things carefully, and to turn away from simplistic stories in the world of nutrition. If you do this more I think you will be less inclined to sit on your hands and complain about volatile swings in the healthfulness of a particular food (a large part of that is hype from low-tier sources). Healthfulness is a plural and contextual concept, so we shouldn’t be too averse to theories in which a food is healthful in some situations but not others. Sources that aren’t open to the idea should be regarded as suspicious on some level.Dear Dr. Greger, there is nothing on ADAPTOGENS on your site. Those are foods which are considered to help the body when dealing with all kinds of STRESS – a very importaint topic those days i would say. And also a major factor for any dis-ease. Please add adaptogens on your list for the future videos! Thank you!“If we include Europe, then fish eaters appeared to have a 38% increased risk of diabetes.” According to the paper, there was no overall effect on diabetes? where does this 38% number come from?The meta-analysis showed heterogeneity of effects between Asia and the North America/Europe. This was discussed a bit earlier on: http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/07/23/why-would-eating-fish-increase-diabetes-risk/#comment-2153409121	Agent Orange,animal products,antioxidants,blood sugar,cancer,diabetes,dioxins,Europe,fish,fish oil,industrial toxins,insulin,meat,metabolic syndrome,omega-3 fatty acids,oxidative stress,pancreas health,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,prediabetes,red meat,reproductive health,seafood,toxins,Vietnam	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18557598,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22472455,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22835984,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15133890,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22591895,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22520265,
PLAIN-346	http://nutritionfacts.org/rdquestions/what-does-the-research-say-about-dietary-interventions-on-women-with-pcos/	What does the research say about dietary interventions on women with PCOS?	Is there anything that can lower DHEA? Also, is there any information about the cause of PCOS? I keep hearing it is Insulin Resistance, but my Insulin/Glucose were only midly resistant, but my DHEA is three times too high. I don’t see Insulin as preceeding the high DHEA due to DHEA being so high and Insulin/Glucose not as bad. I have read about Spearmint Tea being able to lessen hirsutism in PCOS women, but by what mechanism? Does it lower a particular androgen or all of them? I also read both Spearmint and Peppermint tea are unsafe, is this true and what is the safe amount? Also, what about Saw Palmetto? I read it can cause sterility/impotence/permanent loss of libido. Is this true and were any of these effects reported by women? Does it lower all or a particular androgen? Can you please give me information about Maca Root and how it effects the body? Is it healthy? Is it safe? Is it actually good for hormones/fertility? What about PCOS, would it have a positive effect? I have PCOS, Insulin Resistance & High DHEA are my only known imbalances. I have read Maca will make me more masculine & I have also read it can cause heart palpitations & is a stimulant. I also read gelatinized is best, but concentrated. Please help. Ava/ Originally posted in Enhancing Athletic Performance With Peppermint Answer: These are certainly good questions! First, it’s important to know exactly what polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is and how diet may have an impact.  Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common ovarian disease, associated with excess androgen in women. The cause is unknown affecting roughly 6-20% women (depending on diagnostic criteria). Common signs are hirsutism (excess hair growth), anovulation, and obesity, with signs of the disease likely generating in adolescence. Some women may not be obese  and present only with anovulation and high levels of angrogens. Affected women generally have multiple ovarian cysts and may be infertile. PCOS is tightly related to metabolic issues like insulin resistance/glucose intolerance, and obesity. Women are more likely to develop earlier than expected glucose intolerance states boosting the risk type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It is hypothesized that excess levels of circulating insulin may decrease the concentration of sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG – a beneficial hormone that helps removes excess dangerous hormones from the body), thereby increasing the amount of unbound free testosterone. Modifying sex hormones may be a useful to improve symptoms and risk factors associated with PCOS. Inflammation also seems to play a role, as C-reactive protein (CRP) levels appear to be elevated in young women with PCOS. Adopting a healthful diet in adolescence may lower risk of developing metabolic complications associated with PCOS. One study found young women with PCOS tended to have lower fiber intake, poorer eating pattens (eating late at night) and over-consumed calories. This type of eating pattern can lead to weight gain, which unfortunately is one of the largest problems surrounding PCOS. The good news is if we know some of the factors helpful for weight loss PCOS can be better managed.  Obesity tends to exacerbate almost all diseases and PCOS is no exception. Obese women with PCOS tend to have increased free testosterone (a common type of androgen hormone) and more insulin resistance.  The obesity and PCOS connection is so strong research  suggests prevention and treatment of obesity is important for the management of PCOS. This might be why we see so many studies conducted on weight loss.  Dietary interventions for women with PCOS: A study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at the difference between a high-protein diet (>40% of calories coming from protein; 30% fat; 30% carbohydrate) and a standard protein diet consisting of (<15% protein; 30% fat; 55% carbohydrate). There were 57 women with PCOS enrolled in the study, but only 27 women completed the study after the 6 month period. The women were not asked to limit calories, but were told to exercise 30 minutes a day. The high-protein diet resulted in greater weight loss, waist circumference and decreases in blood glucose than the standard protein diet. Women eating the standard protein group still lost weight (-7 lbs.) just not as much as the high protein group (-17 lbs.), but interestingly they had significantly lower testosterone levels than the high protein group (after adjusting for weight loss). When you look at the diets recommended and actual intake of nutrients there were no differences in saturated fat or fiber intake. In fact, as you’ll see from many of these studies researches are trying to keep total fat constant so they can measure the differences in biomarkers from different diets and see what works. Anyway, the high-protein groups were asked to avoid sugar and starchy carbohydrates and replace those foods with vegetables, fruit, nuts, and more protein from meat, eggs, fish, and dairy products. Beans and legumes were discouraged as protein sources because of their higher carbohydrate content. This is true, but beans still have a low-glycemic index so it was interesting the diet was designed as such. Just shows they really wanted to make sure folks were eating high protein and low carb. Both groups were advised to limit intakes of sweets, cakes and soft drinks and consume 6 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Although this study found a higher protein diet was better for weight loss and glucose control versus the standard protein diet perhaps the lower levels of testosterone seen in women eating a standard protein diet are relevant.  When we look at a similar study with the same type of design comparing high protein diets (HP: 30% protein, 40% carbohydrate, and 30% fat) with high carbohydrate diets (HC: 15% protein, 55% carbohydrate, and 30% fat) researchers found similar results. This time women were asked to restrict their calories by 1,000 kcals. After one month weight loss occurred in both groups, but there were no differences between the groups (about -4.0 kg ) . There and there were no statistical differences between the groups in circulating androgens or glucose levels, but when both groups were studied together circulating androgens and insulin sensitivity measurements did improve. There was no increased benefit to a high-protein diet. A dietary intervention on obese women with PCOS compared two different diets on weight loss. Women were randomized to either a low-glycemic vegan diet or a low-calorie weight loss diet for 6 months. The vegan group lost significantly more weight at 3 months, but not at 6 months. Interesting the vegan group consumed even less calories (almost 300 kcal’s less) than the low-calorie dieters after 6 months.  Meta-analyses take into account several intervention studies at once, which can be very helpful.  This meta-analysis tracked diet and exercise interventions on different sex hormones. Both interventions were found to offer significant improvements in hirsutism, and improved levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), total testosterone, androstenedione, and free androgen index (FAI) – a useful measure of the testosterone/SHBG ratio. All of these hormones play a role in PCOS. It is unclear exactly what foods were eaten in the dietary interventions, but in general the groups reduced daily caloric intake by roughly 500  calories and shot for macronutrient percentages of 50% carbohydrate, 30% fat, 20% protein.  Exercise programs varied per study group as well , but in general 30 minutes of moderate exercise (walking, biking, aerobics) daily was recommended, but not always monitored. I think it is important to list the lifestyle methods performed as they do not seem drastic, however, the results were significant and note worthy.  Lastly, different diets were compared in this review. The most impactful was a low-glycemic diet, improving menstrual regularity and reducing insulin resistance, fibrinogen (a clotting factor), and cholesterol, while also improving quality of life. A low-carb diet seemed to help for some of these factors as well, including weight loss. A high-carbohydrate diet appeared to increased the free androgen index (which is a different conclusion than we saw before). The review concludes that all diets were helpful for weight loss and therefore should be a focus for all overweight women through reducing calories but making sure adequate nutrient intake and healthy foods are being consumed regardless of diet composition.  So what does this tell us? Well, it seems like diets for diabetes and heart disease prevention may also help women with PCOS. If controlling hormones and losing weight are some of the largest factors associated with PCOS, let’s look at some data comparing sex hormones and metabolic profiles between omnivores and vegetarians in pre- and post-menopausal women. Note that these women did not have PCOS, but this may help understand potential changes in sex hormones from certain dietary patterns. There were 62 women in the study. The vegetarians reported  higher levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), bowel movements, and total fiber intake as well as lower levels of free estradiol, free testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-s) and BMI. After controlling for BMI (to make sure weight was not a factor on other variables) these changes were still significant. Researches concluded the rise in SHBG could be explained by the higher fiber intake and may explain the lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  Another study that looked at the ability of diet to reduce bioavailable sex hormones included 104 healthy postmenopausal women with high testosterone levels. Researchers tracked changes in testosterone, estradiol, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) over 4.5 months. Intense dietary counseling was performed. These women even had specially prepared group meals twice a week! The diet was designed to reduce insulin resistance: low in animal fat and refined carbohydrates and rich in low-glycemic-index foods, monounsaturated and omega-3 (polyunsaturated) fatty acids, and phytoestrogens. Women in the intervention group significantly boosted levels of SHBG while decreasing serum testosterone, compared to women who made no dietary changes. Furthermore, the intervention group significantly decreased body weight, waist:hip ratio, total cholesterol, fasting glucose level, and insulin resistance. The authors concluded that increased phytoestrogen intake decreases the bioavailability of serum sex hormones in hyperandrogenic postmenopausal women.  About DHEA and PCOS: It is not clear the role of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on PCOS risk, however, since 20-30% of women experience excess androgen production it seems super important to research! DHEA serves as a good biomarker for androgen production.  Therefore, DHEA may help researchers as they explore how certain foods or dietary patterns may help lower DHEA. One study found DHEA could be lowered by exercise and diet. Women with PCOS either followed a calorie restricted diet (35% protein, 45% carbohydrate and 20% fat), or an exercise program for 24 weeks. At the end of the study both interventions seems to help lower DHEA.  Reminder about medication and PCOS: Check with your doctor about medications like metformin, as it has been studied extensively for the treatment of PCOS with positive results. Since medications come with side-effects it is important to weight the risks vs. benefits with your healthcare team. Often with PCOS you’ll find both medication and lifestyle intervention(diet and exercise) can be most effective. Perhaps if lifestyle is going so well that you are seeing improvements than tapering off the medication can be achieved?  Interestingly, a few studies give hope that dietary changes may control PCOS as well as metformin. (Please keep in mind this may not always be the case and a few published studies does not justify avoiding potentially needed medications). Regardless, this study randomized 46 overweight women with PCOS to either a diet consisting of 1200-1400 kcal/day diet (25% proteins, 25% fat, and 50% carbohydrates plus 25-30 gm of fiber per week) or to take metformin for 6 months. Both groups had significant improvements in menstrual cycles, reductions in BMI, and luteinizing hormone levels and androgen (testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate) concentrations. One method did not seem to be better than the other. Clinical outcomes such as menstrual cycle patterns, ovulation, and pregnancy rates were also similar in both groups. This suggests high insulin and androgen hormone levels may be improved by diet or metformin. A second study looked at women with PCOS either eating a similar low calorie diet vs taking metformin for 12 weeks. Weight loss was seen in both treatments, but the diet group in this case was more effective in improving insulin resistance in the overweight and obese women. This study also looked at CRP levels and found both groups significantly lowered levels. This may be proof that diet works like metformin, which gives hope there is options for PCOS treatment. Still we need longer term follow up studies to see how these women are doing years after the experiment. Have the stuck to their diets? Did they end up needing medication? And what exactly were the participants eating and how could their diets improve? Lastly, Dr. Greger has a video presenting a study where lifestyle intervention reduced diabetes incidence by 58 percent, compared to only 31 percent with the drug. The lifestyle intervention was significantly more effective than the drug, and had fewer side-effects. What about exercise and PCOS? Many of the studies recommended about 30 minutes of exercise a day so perhaps the combination of diet and exercise has better results. That said, some studies did isolate diet alone (or rather did not tell participants to change exercise patterns) and exercise alone has been shown to help women with PCOS. My advice would be do both! Why perform one without the other as it would seem together diet and exercise can be more powerful. Obviously if limited in either capacity do what you can. I believe when dealing with any disorder mindfulness is important as well as social support and stress reduction techniques.  Dietary supplements and herbs for PCOS: Marjoram is an herb that has been found to reduce DHEA and insulin levels in women with PCOS. Dr. Greger mentions this study on spearmint in women with PCOS showing in just 5 days women were able to drop their free and total testosterone levels by about 30% drinking two cups of tea a day.  I am unsure about mint and safety, check with your doctor if on medications with specific food interactions. To my knowledge mint should be safe for women with PCOS. Maca root may be used to improve sexual function.  In a petri dish there appears to be antioxidant activity. ​There seems to be limited data on concerns with psychological symptoms from taking maca. ​In other research, men taking maca had better health scores and significantly lowered an inflammatory marker, IL-6, known to increase cancer risk. It’s been traditionally consumed for nutritional and medicinal properties, but I am unsure how much is deemed unsafe. I did not see any research on maca and masculinity or heart palpitations. (If anyone find’s any or has more to add please add the research citation in the comments section). Again, I would speak with your doctor about their recommendations for usage. Visit our site on women’s health for more information that correlates with metabolic syndrome. Lastly, there is some research that suggests supplements like magnesium, n-acetylcysteine, cinnamon, alpha-lipoic acid and/or omega-3 fatty acids may modulate factors associated with insulin sensitivity, thereby helping women with PCOS. One article in Today’s Dietitian mentions these supplements and other research on PCOS.   Comments about PCOS and diet: Dr. Forrester is an esteemed member and volunteer with NutritionFacts. He elaborates on his findings 2 years ago and gives suggestions about the best diet for PCOS. In Summary: Weight loss is an important factor for PCOS as we see in study after study. I think overweight women need to find the best route of weight loss that works for them. I do not think calorie restriction is needed to loss weight.  A high fiber diet low in the glycemic index seems to offer the best solutions. You would think with all this research an optimal diet could be recommended. I mean even this study titled “The optimal diet for women with PCOS?” fails to confirm the best approach. What is helpful about this study (and all the others referenced here) is that it provides awareness about dietary trends. Since women with PCOS are at greater risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease any diet that promotes weight loss and glycemic control may be beneficial. One interesting note is that most studies are performed on calorie restriction rather than dietary composition. The authors conclude a diet low in saturated fats and high in fiber from low-gycemic index foods are recommended. My dietary suggestions for women with PCOS: - Boost fiber intake to help modulate hormones and lower circulating testosterone - Promote weight loss in overweight women - Improve glycemic control and avoid developing diabetes - Help manage symptoms like acne and hirsutism - Focus on foods that help reduce inflammation Of course, discuss these parameters with your healthcare team as dietary treatments are individualized. I highly recommend utilizing a registered dietitian for personal dietary advice.  For more information to help achieve these dietary suggestions:  FIBER  DIABETES AND INSULIN RESISTANCE  WEIGHT LOSS  DIABETES  	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23114091%20,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20211044,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23934543,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23279603,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25662759,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25026923,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16034717,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23420000,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25025070),http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17965792%20,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22158730,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24849517,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25430596%20,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20691074,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18850379,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25037390,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25008465,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18158291,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20148739,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24488490,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11205485,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16115348,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15037413,
PLAIN-347	http://nutritionfacts.org/rdquestions/do-algae-based-omega-3-supplements-contain-beta-n-methylamino-l-alanine-bmaa-that-has-been-found-in-blue-green-algae/	Do algae-based omega-3 supplements contain beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) that has been found in blue-green algae?	I am taking an algae supplement for Omegas ( per Dr Greger’s advice a couple months ago) – should I stop since he said blue green algae was a source? How can I find out the BMAA risk?  Alexandra / Originally posted in Diet and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)  Golden algae used to make algae-based omega 3 supplements do not appear to contain BMAA. I think the omega-3 is made from Crypthecodinium cohnii (although I have heard of other types), which is an entirely different kingdom than the blue-green algae Dr. Greger addresses this in his Q&A/video: “Are neurotoxins only present in blue-green algae?” and “Is blue-green algae good for you?”  I will update this information as it is available, but from my search I only found 8 studies on Crypthecodinium cohnii and toxins, with zero relating to BMAA. It may be worth mentioning that because of the potential risks from fish oil (toxins, PBC’s, mercury) researchers have been exploring the efficacy and safety of algae-based DHA/EPA oils. In this study, researchers said “safety issues have been raised repeatedly about contamination of toxins in fish oil that makes it no longer a clean and safe source of the fatty acid found the DHA”. They found the DHA in cultured microalga Crypthecodinium cohnii to be effective in controlling cancer growth. Another study found the efficacy of algae-based EPA/DHA oils similar to that of fish oil. In other words – all of the benefits of DHA and EPA without the potential risks of contamination.  It makes sense we’d want to know DHA from golden algae are free of all contaminants like BMAA, but I am afraid we don’t have the research. There is no literature I could find on BMAA and Crypthecodinium cohnii. Furthermore, I didn’t see anything on BMAA and other algae (Crypthecodinium, Thraustochytrium, Ulkenia, Schizochytrium, Phaeodactylum, Chlorella, Monodus, or Nannochloropsis ) potentially used to make algae-based DHA/EPA supplements, according to some manufacturers. What about chlorella is it safe? Well, it does not appear to have the toxins which may be present in blue-green algae supplements and spirulina, and it’s been shown to boost immune function even helping treat Hepatitis C, but one case study found it may cause psychosis. Now maybe it wasn’t the chlorella itself, but some toxic impurity or adulteration that caused psychosis, the researchers don’t know. While chlorella is marketed to promote mental health, this case underscores the importance of educating the public about the potential adverse effects and the need for more research in herbal products being marketed in the United States.  Lastly,  yeast-based DHA may be on the rise, as food industry is catching wind of cheap ways to source DHA from Schizochytrium sp. This may provide another route to help avoid BMAA. I suggest contacting the companies who sell algae-based or yeast-based omega-3 supplements and ask if they ever test for BMAA or other contaminates. (Gold stars for anyone who can find more literature on this topic or writes to a company!). Perhaps our research fund will have the finances necessary to run such tests. I sure would like to know more!   	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-neurotoxins-only-present-in-blue-green-algae/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pbcs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blue-green-algae/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15659818,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18220672,
PLAIN-348	http://nutritionfacts.org/rdquestions/what-are-some-ways-to-help-reduce-the-risk-of-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	What are some ways to help reduce the risk of food poisoning from pesticides?	The article (Viral Food Poisoning from Pesticides?) raises issues, but what do you recommend we do as a response? e.g. I noted in the comments below one reader suggests a 10% vinegar solution. I myself do a vigorous wash of my veg before consumption. I think many would appreciate and benefit from what you regard as best practices for handling fresh veg to be consumed raw.  James/ Originally posted in Viral Food Poisoning from Pesticides? Answer: Dr. Greger’s video on Norovirus explains possible ways to reduce risk and how the contamination occurs in the first place. From his “Doctor’s Note” under the video: “When you hear of people getting infected with a stomach bug from something like spinach, it’s important to realize that the pathogen didn’t originate from the spinach. Intestinal bugs come from intestines. Greens don’t have guts; plants don’t poop. So the Salmonella in alfalfa sprout seeds (Don’t Eat Raw Alfalfa Sprouts) likely came from manure run-off or contaminated irrigation water. But this pesticide angle adds a whole new route for fecal pathogens to pollute produce. Broccoli Sprouts are safer, and organic sprouts may therefore be safer still. Organic foods may also be healthier (Cancer Fighting Berries) and don’t carry the potential chemical hazards associated with pesticides.” I think the best we can do is wash our fruits and veggies well and try to eat organic when possible. There doesn’t seem to be a difference rinsing or soaking with cold water vs. vinegar. What about salt-water? Check out Dr. Greger’s video on “How to Make Your Own Fruit and Vegetable Wash.”  I understand this won’t solve outbreak concerns 100%, but it may be a step in the right direction regarding a solution. If folks have the ability to grow a few indoor/outdoor house crops, or find the time to raise some veggies in a Community Garden, that could provide a healthful and beneficial way to know exactly what’s your soil and water. This may reduce contamination risks even further. 	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16496573,
PLAIN-349	http://nutritionfacts.org/rdquestions/should-i-stay-away-from-soy-if-i-have-breast-cancer/	Should I stay away from soy if I have breast cancer?	I am now confused. I was told by my oncologist and internist to stay away from soy after I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My tumor was estrogen positive and I was told that soy mimics (or something to that affect) estrogen. It is very upsetting to have such contradictory information. Kleuna/Originally Posted in BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy Answer: Sorry to hear you are facing such contradictory statements, let alone dealing with breast cancer, how frustrating! I believe the best evidence we have to date shows whole soy foods like tempeh, edamame, and even tofu are safe, even for women with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, according to two recent studies. Dr. Greger has so much great info about soy. It is important to listen to your doctor and follow her or his advice. I suggest relaying any information you receive about soy with your health care team. Lastly, I wanted to point out that large cancer organizations like the American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research also have a position on soy. These organizations say, 2-3 servings of whole soy foods are safe, and even healthful. Whole-soy sources include: tofu, tempeh, miso, and edamame. Please let me know if there’s anything else I or Dr. Greger can do to help you through this difficult time! 	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20571498,
PLAIN-350	http://nutritionfacts.org/rdquestions/should-we-take-iodine-supplements/	Should we take iodine supplements?	I’ve had a question regarding iodine for some time. As far as I know there are few options: - iodised salt - seaweeds - supplement I believe sodium-intake should be minimized, so that’s a no. I’ve also read about many pollutants in seaweeds these days. Is supplementing currently the best way to go? VinceGreen/Originally Posted in Introducing Joseph Gonzales, R.D. Answer: Iodine intake will depend on your overall diet. Healthy adults need 150 micrograms a day. Iodine is also found in vegetables grown near costal areas but actual amounts of iodine are of course not listed on whole vegetables. I would not rely on coastal veggies as a complete iodine source, however, they do contain some. You are spot on with other sources of iodine coming from iodized salt, seaweed, and supplements. A majority of folks get their iodine from iodized salt. A 1/4 tsp of iodized salt gives about 45% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iodine, however, it does have 590mg of sodium, making it not the best choice as the only source of iodine. Sea vegetables such as nori, dulse, and alaria are excellent sources of iodine and do not appear to be polluted. In fact, some research suggests sea vegetables may be beneficial for preventing breast cancer. It is also worthy to note that too MUCH iodine may be as bad as too little. Not a seaweed lover? Don’t enjoy (or cautious) of iodized salt? No problem, a supplement is just fine. You may also be interested to learn about the iodine content in beans! That’s right, Eden brand beans offers a healthy way to get iodine, adding kombu to their cans. Vegans, especially pregnant vegans, are at risk for iodine deficiency and should consider taking supplements or including iodine rich foods in their diets. Lastly, overconsumption of raw cruciferous vegetables may block the thyroid’s absorption of iodine. As a note of caution: always best to consult with your doctor about supplements right for you. See Dr. Greger’s optimal nutrition recommendations for more info. 	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/03/introducing-joseph-gonzales-r-d/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-351	http://nutritionfacts.org/rdquestions/have-you-seen-the-very-recent-web-blitz-on-heavy-metals-particularly-thallium-in-cruciferous-vegetables-particularly-kale/	Have you seen the very recent web blitz on heavy metals (particularly thallium) in cruciferous vegetables (particularly kale)...?	jack p/ Originally posted in Diverticulosis: When Our Most Common Gut Disorder Hardly Existed Answer: A new Care2 post has surfaced about thallium poisoning and kale. A great article in VOX lays out the background. The claims that kale has high loads of thallium stem from this 2006 study, where kale was grown in soil contaminated with thallium. Apparently the author of this study was asked about its findings and he responded to the author of the VOX article stating “To get even close to toxic levels, you’d need to plant the kale in soils with high levels of the heavy metal. (Most soils only have very low levels of thallium, he told me.) Then they’d need to accumulate a lot of it in their leaves — which doesn’t always happen. Thallium is differently bound in different soils and therefore from different soils with the same thallium content, different availability of thallium was reported”  Furthermore, one of our site users, Darryl, always finds great studies on various topics. His comment and study links on heavy metals in soils from different countries have been super helpful! Now, someone can eat too much raw kale due to goitrogenic compounds, but cooked doesn’t seem to be a problem. Find out how many cups of kale may be too much? It does seem that the cruciferous vegetable family is better at accumulating thallium than other vegetables, as evident by this paper and others. However, to say that all soil is contaminated and we must worry about thallium poisoning before eating our kale and cabbage seems far fetched.  	“However, to say that all soil is contaminated and we must worry about thallium poisoning before eating our kale and cabbage seems far fetched.” True, but this is not what I read Hubbard (however reputable, or not) as having said, nor what I was tempted to apply to thinking about my own or my partner’s case. That was more a matter of observing that some few whole-food-plant-based eaters (devoted, like many such, to their crucifers) were not thriving as expected. Hubbard went on (perhaps only through his lab-shopping) to find at least some of those few non-thrivers to show high thallium levels. Darryl’s references show that cruciferous vegetables can bio-accumulate thallium. Somewhere along the way I read a German reference to low excesses of thallium causing a range of disease (in a broad sense)– which might contradict the VOX writer’s “There’s no published research on low-dose thallium-induced disease.” My own attraction to the thallium hypothesis I have characterized as grasping at straws. a flaw to which I’m prone. That is perhaps not worse than setting up a straw man, as in your quote above. Hubbard is likely to be mistaken, but you might be more careful, perhaps, in your argument against his notions. I would take Hubbard to suggest not that we worry about thallium poisoning before eating our kale and cabbage, only that if we seem to be observing possible effects of poisoning– after eating our kale and cabbage– that we then consider his thallium hypothesis; but perhaps I am the one misreading Hubbard.Thanks for going to work on this so quickly, and especially for directing us to the VOX article and its Hubbard-debunking. I am interested to read the “To get even close to toxic levels…” comment quoted (though again, there could be a difference between levels known to cause acute toxicity (say, in industrial settings) and levels known or suspected of causing a range of milder symptoms and complaints. You and VOX certainly do not strengthen the case for giving Hubbard’s thinking any credence. I don’t see his case as disproved, either (hard to do!)– I guess the argument might be more that it is not well enough supported to be worth proving or disproving, so that we should just move on. And yet… I keep grasping. –JI always scan for Darryl’s comments. Others here are also very good but Darryl is scrupulous about referencing and being accurate. I wish he could have his own blog as adjunct to this one.Is it just me or has Journalism completely slid into the muck? I can just hear Perry White saying “Jimmy, rake up some muck on that plant everyone is raving about. Something really bad….And get me some pictures of Superman!”	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-when-our-most-common-gut-disorder-hardly-existed/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26067081,
PLAIN-352	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/rouxbe-live-year-in-nutritional-research/	Rouxbe's Live Presentation with Dr. Greger	-	Excellent, as always. Thank you!!!!!I had some belly fat which i was ignoring.. its kind a very hard fat.. i did some research & i think its Visceral fat… can you Dr. Greger please show some light on what food i can avoid gaining it further developed inside my belly.. well just for information i am also a vegetarian..Vikas: the following link takes you to a page which lists Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/I would think that following Dr. Greger’s recommended diet would help you with your problem. If you want to really focus on losing that belly fat, you might also take a look at these these resources:1) Consider going through the free 21 Day Kickstart program by PCRM. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)2) Dr. Forrester recommends Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density; Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer. Also check out Jeff’s DVDs in the Fast Food series. Great, affordable food that is easy to make. All of these are available on Amazon. Here is the first one: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392424210&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density%3B+eat+more3) It might also help to check out a free lecture available on line by Dr. Lisle. It will really help you get your head straight: “How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ4) Consider getting some good, beginner whole plant food based cookbooks. Just leave out the oil if a recipe calls for it. Here are a couple ideas to get you started: Let Them Eat Vegan Vegan On The CheapAnd/or get some books that start with good education information and then have recipes in the back part of the book. I would recommend: The Starch Solution (Dr. McDougall) Breaking The Food Seduction (Dr. Barnard) Eat To Live by Joel FurhmanHope that helps!Dear Dr. Greger,I’m doing a roundup of weight loss and nutrition experts to find out how to avoid the yo-yo effect after a weight loss diet.As one of my favorite nutrition gurus, I thought you may want to be involved.If so, please replay with the answer to this question:What Nutrition and Weight Loss Experts Have to Say about How to avoid the Yo-Yo Effect?I know you’re busy so a very brief response is more than enough.Best Regards, AdrijanaIs it possible to get a list of what is on the volumes 1 – 10 “Latest in Clinical Nutrition”Hi Betty! You can look at the DVD listings on drgreger.org/dvds to see a list of the videos on each DVD. For example, for volume 10 check out this: http://www.drgreger.org/dvds/latest-in-clinical-nutrition-volume-10. Hope that helps! ☺Doctor Greger I got a question. With ebola just around the corner what can average people such as ourselves do to improve our chances if we DO unfortunately get infected by the virus?Hello everybody, I’ve been a vegan fore a month now, and all of a sudden my urine has like white dots in it, and i pee allot, and my intestines work so bad. Almost everything i eat i get constipation with allot of nasty burbs. Can anyone help ??? (Sorry 4 my bad english, english is not my mother tongue and i speak also other languages so i sometimes get confused)Soeleejmen: I’m sorry you are going through such terrible troubles. I’m not a doctor, so I can’t guess what might be going on. What I can say is that I’ve never heard of those symptoms being associated with going vegan. Maybe something unrelated to your diet is happening? Do you have access to a doctor? A doctor who has some basic nutritional knowledge? If so, I would strongly encourage you to find such a doctor to see what might be happening to you. I wish you well and hope you get this resolved very quickly.How can I start a plant based diet and how to prepare the foodgilbertnicholson: Here are some resources you might find helpful.1) Consider going through the free 21 Day Kickstart program by PCRM. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)2) Pick some good cookbooks and start making recipes. You don’t have to go cold-turkey and expect that you aren’t going to like every recipe you try. So, just keep trying dishes until you build up a set that you really like and are easy enough for you to make. Then you can just make those recipes and stop making your old ones. Some cookbooks that I recommend are: Let Them Eat Vegan Vegan On The Cheap Vegan Casseroles Everyday Happy Herbivore (or any book in that series)Or if you have a specific condition you want to work on, there are some great books that have recipes in the back for those conditions. Let me know if you want some suggestions for diabetes, heart disease, memory/dimentia or one that is good for athletes, etc. Actually, the main diet is the same for all of these conditions. But it is nice to get the specific books and recommended recipes when you are first starting out so that you start to get a handle on what you are looking for in terms of what is healthy.3) Check out some good recipe blogs. These sites have free recipes as well as some emotional support as you can read about the lives of others. Here are some sites people really like: http://mouthwateringvegan.com/ http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/ http://vegan-magic.blogspot.com/ There are A LOT more out there! So, keep looking until you find one or two that you like.4) Get a copy of Jeff Novick’s Fast Food DVD series. Jeff does a great job of giving simple, tasty, extremely healthy recipes, all in a mini cooking show format. Here’s one to get you started: http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Novicks-Fast-Food-1/dp/B00466DP42/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1418772380&sr=1-1&keywords=fast+food+jeff+novick The burgers and fries DVD is a good one too!5) Don’t forget your B12 supplement. Here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations. This will give you a very general, overall game plan along with some advice on specific nutrients to make sure you have all your bases covered: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Hope that helps.Can you provide me any suggestion what to do with general muscle stiffness? Usually 250mg magnesium+1,6mg Vitamin B6 for a month helps for few months, but stiffness is always coming back. General blood tests values were normal except Vitamin D deficiancy. Thank you for any food/test suggestion.Hello, my grand father will be 89 years old this summer, he is not veg, I was wonder if he goes on a healthy vegan diet made of whole food would that give a too big shock to his system or it is better to do step by step.if you have ibs and acid reflux ..how to keep it under control? I lost my job because of my ibs ..I spent more time in the bathroom then working or I couldn’t go to work because of it….I really need some help!Hi Dr Greger,My wife and I are huge fans and just wanted to ask about the diet for our newborn daughter. My wife is still pregnant and is concerned about the effects of a vegan diet on the baby. She is planning to continue being vegan herself, and if breastfeeding is successful, the baby would also be vegan. If she is unable to breastfeed then we were planning on using soy formula for the baby. Her concern is that later on, if/when our daughter is exposed to meat/dairy/animal products would she be likely to have an allergic reaction to these products because her body has never been exposed to those types of foods before? She has heard conflicting information about this and is hesitant to seek a gp’s opinion, as her experience has them unwilling to support the vegan lifestyle.My instagram page is @fruits.n.veg,ThanksMichael RileyMichael: I’ve never heard of someone getting an alergic reaction to animal products just because someone is raised vegan. (On the other hand, I have heard of people getting reactions to animal products when they are introducted at a young age – such as a potential link between dairy and Type 1 diabetes.) But I’m not an expert. When it comes to issues around kids, I like to refer people to a group/website called Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG). Their information seems to be very well researched/evidence-based. And they have a good section on raising vegan kids.The first link is the overall list of links. The second link shown here is one of my favorite articles that they have. You may want to start there. http://www.vrg.org/family/kidsindex.htm http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.phpSo, if you can’t find the answers to your question in their materials, maybe you could ask them directly?I hope this helps and good luck with the kid!	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-353	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/american-college-of-preventive-medicines-nutrition-webinar/	American College of Preventive Medicine's Nutrition Webinar	-	Preventing leading causes of disability? Is that available now?Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!!David: I believe that this is the video you are looking for: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/Also, you may want to check out Dr. Greger’s previous summary videos: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/Enjoy!You mentioned pdfs that may be available about plant based cultures. I would love to hear more about those. Thank you. Information about prescribing exercise?There is mention of other webinars, this being perhaps the first of a series. What other webinars did they come up with, and are they generally available or only to members/or at a cost?There are also webinars on exercise, mindfulness, and sleep. See: http://www.acpm.org/?LMCurriculumArchived I imagine one will be added on smoking.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-354	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/hangouts-on-air-live-qa-with-michael-greger-m-d/	Hangouts on Air: Live Q&A with Michael Greger, M.D.	-	hemp hearts growers claim they’re great. any research on benefits of hemp hearts?How old were you when you turned Vegan? I was interested in the brief comment about dairy being particularly bad for adolescence contributing more highly to hormonal affected tumor tissues?I see things like this posted all the time… I wish there was some way for people to debunk stuff so people would understand this stuff is not correct… help >>> http://newrisingmedia.com/all/2013/9/30/study-shows-eating-bacon-will-make-you-live-longerMichael, I’ve been reading more about flax being bad for men. What are your latest thoughts. I can only comment I’ve not been ‘feeling like it’ and thats one of the things I’ve been taking FT for the past 4 months…..I’m concerned.http://www.marksdailyapple.com/flax-prostate-cancer-risk/#axzz2rudAdAwXHi Ross, Dr. Greger addresses this issue here: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/flax-seeds-and-prostate-cancer-risk/. Hope that helps! :)flax exhausts me. Shuts down my immune system.If cancer has spread outside the prostrate will a plant base diet reverse the growth of the cancer . garyHaving trouble deciding the right cooking oil. I don’t fry food , but some recipes require a light coating of oil to make make ingrediants not stick and lightly brown. For years I used canola oil believing it was the healthiest. Now there’s evidence everywhere that these oils (oilive , canola ,other PUFAs)are inherently unstable when exposed to heat an form a harmful compound called HNE. Canola being the worst due to the processing it undergoes not to mention it being banned for use in infant formula by the FDA . Lately digging everywhere on the internet points to Coconut oil as being the most stable and healthy for cooking. Why , it’s saturated fat is more stable and resistant to heat damage ( not to mention containing Lauric acid, which has cholesterol benefits as well as having anti-bacterial properties). Seems all the oils that are good for you, you cannot cook with.. Any advice this issue is driving me nutty.A suggestion – don’t use any oil. A few ideas for you: Apple sauce may be used in cakes, cookies, and other sweet baked goods to replace oil or margarine. Prune Puree may be used to replace the oil. To make it, puree in blender 6 ounces prunes, 1 cup water, and 2 tsp. vanilla. Mashed or pureed tofu can replace oil in other (non-sweet) baked goods. Flax meal. Chia seedsThere are certain cooking styles that require a little. Some herbs etc that need fat to bring out their flavor. Not a big baker. Not sure how flax or chia seeds replace oil in cooking ???Hi Evan, I hear your concern! I just started cooking without oil by using water as the cooking lubricant. Even if I’m making an Indian style dish, I first sweat the spices in little water. If the veggies start getting stuck to the pan, I just add a splash of water. I hope that might work for you. :)You mix with water and see they gel up like an egg and it’s all good fat. And flax can be used in baking like eggs, to hold stuff together.Hi Evan,I agree that if you’re absolutely set on using an oil for certain high-temperature applications, coconut will be more stable and *less bad* for you, but I wouldn’t confuse that with *good for you*. Dr. Greger has a video on the healthfulness of coconut oil here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/If you’re interesting in incorporating some alternative cooking methods, here are a few I can think of:-Including some amount of ground nuts into veggie burger batter allows them to brown nicely, even when baked.-Many people have good luck with the scanpan, which allows you to brown without oil, though I haven’t tried it personally. Would love one, but it’s a little bit of an investment-When it comes to sauteeing veggies, it was a revelation to me that oil wasn’t required. Most everything I cook starts with sauteeing onion, and for that I first get my ceramic coated cast iron pot nice and hot on med-high, then add the onions (the order is important here), and stir continuously for at least the first couple minutes. After they’ve browned nicely (a few minutes), I add just a small splash of water to the pot, which deglazes all the beautiful brown bits at the bottom. A pinch of baking soda also makes them caramelize within only a few minutes. As long as the veggies are of a higher-water content (e.g. onions, carrots, celery, etc), and the pan is hot prior to adding them, they will let out their juices and sautee up just fine. If they have a lower water content (e.g. garlic), a splash of water from time to time is needed.-As far as herbs needing oil to bring out flavor, I guess I can’t say I’ve really experienced that. Other than making sure to add dried herbs at the beginning of cooking, and fresh at the end, I don’t really feel the need to do anything to get more flavor out of them. Maybe try increasing the amount? Otherwise I know Darryl says that he does use a bit of oil to temper spices in certain dishes, maybe he’ll see this and can chime in here for you.I would just experiment, and see what works for you. I was intimidated when I first considered going oil-free, but each time you make something without oil and it turns out well, it’ll increase your confidence. Hope some of this has been helpful.I have foud coconut oil to be the only oil I actually use daily, on my skin, and at times in soup, after cooking. Coconuts fresh from the tree make my body shiver with some kind of bliss. It’s truely amazing and know Dr G thinks against it for it’s satration but I’ve read that certain enzymatic functions need saturated fats to work at all, so. . . It cured staph that would not go away for years – as soon as I put it on my skin, never had trouble again. I also use virginolive oil when I need a loose oil like for hummus, but . . . .well in the Vietnam war cocowater was used when blood ran out and it works in the body just like blood. I heard of a doctor that ran all a sick patient’s blood out and replaced it with cocowater and the patient leaped up after and ran down the street happy and healed. It’s antibacterial so I use it as deodorant (try it on stinky pits and see!) and on cuts. I say it’s a fabuous choice for cooking too but the hotter it gets the more of the essentials you lose so be aware. and I like the comment below about using water to steam instead no reall nutritional value is browning a veg, but if it’s the flavor you like then, have at it, but maybe just ad oil after and stem and get the flavor without damaging the nutrients of the food. . . . since the point of the food is just that. ;) Cheers!Thanks everyone for such great advice. I especially need oil for really sticky applications, like making my own flax crackers ( which are like glue ) , or browning falafels without them falling apart. Seems to be a hot topic regarding coconut oil some medical professionals site many studies on the benefits of some saturated fats and others have the complete opposite view. I use it for skin and hair and it’s amazingly moisturizing aid with no reaction and I have very sensitive skin. I have switched to steam and water for other applications. I guess the small amount I use shouldn’t really be of much concern and it’s better than oxidizing other oils like Olive.Evan: I like your nice, balanced outlook. Good luck.Hello, Dr. Greger. Is it true that for healthier digestion of nuts and seeds and better absorption of nutrients it’s better to put them (nuts/seeds) into water for a few hours before consuming, or there’s no significant difference? Or maybe it can make them even worse? What can you say?Dr G you rec 11000 units a day min of anti oxidants for men, which list do we use and how do we use it to build a diet by the numbers?I have been put on the FODMAP regimen for a possible solution to IBS which I have had for 5 years now. I am 70 yrs. old. This “diet” was studied at Monash University in Australia. Do you have any comments about it?Do you eat animal food at all? Is your core diet veggies? Beans? Nuts? Lots of greens? Algaes? Kelp would help with ibs but you know what?? I bet mega doses of magnesium and long Epsome salts baths. I have ibs trouble to and long baths several times a week or even daily are a godsend. Plus kelp and all the rest too. Good luck!Dr.Greger, can fruits and berries increase levels of glucose in blood with time and have harmful effects if one eats plenty of them? Or do they have safe sugars that don’t cause drastic changes of insulin levels? And what is the maximum dose of fruits and berries one can eat per day not to cause harm (say in grams)?I am black and how to become white ?Is there a vegetarian version of Thera Omega-3 nutrition supplement- The Thera product contains fish oil. Could you recommend a specific vegetarian product or brand? A Google product search indicated that the FDA does not evaluate these products. Thank you!Dr. Greger recommends algae oil supplementation, although one can achieve totally adequate omega 3 intake by dietary means alone. Flaxseeds, walnuts and leafy greens are especially rich in omega 3.It’s my understanding that the negative effects of eating meat and dairy products are due to the animal fats present. If fat-free yoghurt and egg whites are fat free, are they then safe to eat?Jonathan: As you said, animal fats are definitely a problem. But animal protein is also a problem. For example, your risk of cancer goes up eating animal protein, such as those found in dairy and egg whites. Check out the video series on this site for IGF-1.And when it comes to dairy, there is also the problem of lactose intolerance which the majority humans suffer from in a variety of ways, whether they know it or not.And then there are the contaminants in both dairy and eggs…PCRM has a nice summary of the problems with dairy products. http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vegdiets/health-concerns-about-dairy-productsFor more details on these topics, check out the great videos on NutritionFacts: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/Dr Greger you are my go to source for all things nutrition because of your non bias clinical research and observations of the constantly changing world of health, my question is, I understand its best to get minerals from organic whole plant foods but in a case where one might not be eating various foods for the most balanced nutrition, would a liquid mineral supplement help at all in aiding health? And if so, would ionic minerals be unsafe as its derived from the sea? Im guessing that a plant derived liquid mineral supplent would be best but can also be more expensive long term, what would be the pros and cons of the two different sources? Thank you do much for your work and living your passion. You’re truly inspiringI found myself poisoned with these “ionic” minerals(tried different kinds over years and am convinced they are poison when not in real food. Devestating. I use sea salt(centic hawaian, Utah red etc, all kinds – after cooking always so not to kill it), and a 1/2tsp in a gallon of water I drink. I take alges which are high, like kelp (huge mineral content, in balanced amounts) and also flavor my daily coffee with molassas which tatses GREAT and is chock full of mineras and potassium to get your day started. Hope that’s helpful.I do appreciate the reply very much. I have stopped using the ionic trace liquid minerals and have switched to just investing into more diverse organic seasonal foods and will try molasses and kelp soon as they sound more effective and safe. My research and experimenting will continue and I will update with the progress here. Thanks again.I have gout and started toward vegan lifestyle. Since we were told that legumes are high in uric acid and not so good for gout patients. Is it true? and if it is, what is the alternative?Hi Abe! I’m not sure about your legumes question, but it sounds like you’re on the right path with a vegan lifestyle according to Dr. Greger’s video on gout: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/ . You might find more information on Dr. G’s related blog post Uric Acid Caused by Meat and Sugar: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/ Hope that helps! :)does undigested meat really rot in the colon, or is it always broken down by bactaria?Why should I not eat dairy and meat in the same meal? It is my understanding there is a nutritional reason for this, but when I tried to get an answer the only thing that came up was because of religious reasons. I want to know if there really is a true medical reason for not doing this. I eat meat and dairy all the time. I eat a lot of dairy products. Thank you!Lisa: I may have missed it in the video above, but I don’t remember Dr. Greger talking about this topic. What I guess Dr. Greger would say to your question is : if you want the best chance at being healthy, you would not eat any dairy or meat at all – since each one is unhealthy completely by themselves.For more information about dairy: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/For the tip of the ice burg on meat: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/For Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations (notice how it does not include meat or dairy or eggs): http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Good luck.Lisa the basic standard view of this doctor and those here is that eating animals or their excretions at all, ever, causes nothing but ill health, disease, low energy and a sick life. If you want an opinion on which poison to eat when, you might try asking elsewhere dear. Good luck.What about MSM (sulfur)? Is it healthy? Can it actually help cure cancer?I finally got around to watching this. It was so much fun! I’m really glad you did this Dr. Greger and hope you will do it again.———————–For anyone who missed it in one of Dr. Greger’s previous videos: Dr. Greger is moving around on the screen because he is walking on a treadmill. (Can’t remember if this was announced at the beginning of the video or not.) I think it was cool/fun to watch you walk and talk. I sure wish I could get one of those things for my office!—————————One of the things that was so neat about this question and answer session is that I picked up some little gems that I hadn’t gotten from previous videos. For example, the part about how the unhealthy Atkins diet could (temporarily) lower someones LDL (bad cholesterol) before killing them. (Those last 3 words being my own.)Another gem: Oil is to fat as table sugar is to carbs. LOVE IT! And helped to clarify for me where you stand on oil. Also, thanks for telling us what you eat. I think you should make that part of every one of these talks. It was fun.I’m late but VERY curious what you would say about magnesium. I eat a core of magnesium foods (lb of chlorella a month, plus dark leafy greens daily – no joke – I also eat pumpkin seeds and other nuts, locally grown and raw which I crack myself, and potatoes etc – it’s almost as if my entire diet is rife with magnesium so I am STUMPED as to why I have to have baths and take Epsome salts internally daily or else. . . I notice my bms are less productive and my let go as a rule seems quite hampered – ie nervous and stressed and hyper and spastic, both emotinally and physically. I have a neurolofgical disease as well, so this may be some reason adding to my need for it? Very interested in what you might say. Thanks and Aloha, RubyGood afternoon, Mr. Michael Greger. My name is Alexander Potramansky. ‘m Following you and I fully support you. I live in Russia, I use Google translator, therefore it is possible translation errors.My grandfather is sick atherosclerosis of the lower extremities, that you can advise? what diet? It is waiting for your help.Sincerely, AlexanderAlexandr, I am sorry to hear about your grandfather.I’m not a doctor or expert, but I thought it might help you to see Dr. Greger’s nutritional recommendations, which I understand would likely be great advice to follow for someone with atherosclerosis.http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Hope that helps.I’ve got a stumper for ya doc. I’m relatively vegan but grain free(no dairy ever but occasional meats like in soups, though as infrequently as possible, not even monthly). I’m BIG on green algaes, omegas, and make the core of my diet an effort to focus on dark leafy greens, including juicing them. So here’s the thing, I have a neurological disease (CMT) and while my diet might be arguably described as rife with magnesium foods, unless I have a soak in a bath of Epsom salts a couple times a week at least, and take a teaspoon internally, nightly, my bm’s are compromised(slight and difficult). I also enjoy coffee and understand the constricting affects and I hear that genetic diseases afftect magnesium levels, but it’s astounding to me that I could need so much magnesium just to poo. I’m 47, lean, been doing yoga for 15yrs, and ride a bike instead of drive. I still spaz and have energy issues as well. I eat a lot of Brazil nuts, black walnut powder, and chlorella (lb a month, no joke) and ferments like miso, home made pickles and krout. . . I just found you yesterday and as poo poo as I am about everyone with an asshole/opinion, you rock out, covering all the issues I have seen with vegans and all the other diets and to me you rule. I’ll be absolutely rivvited to anything you have to say. . . waiting with great anticipation! (rubifyit@gmail.com)Ruby, You might want to check out the effects of salt. The excretion of sodium promotes loss of other minerals. I think Doc Greger has info on that concerning calcium. Haven’t heard of magnesium specifically. Good luck!I am quite aware that urination results in loss of minerals. What is your point? “The excretion of sodium”?? What are you talking about? Just curious. Please be clear, as my question was for Dr G specifically, and had nothing to do with sodium loss or intake, so if you are going to chime in, it’d be nice if you made your unsolicited idea make some sense and your words relate in some way to the post you are responding to. You know? Thanks. Cheers.I noticed salt in your list of eating habits. There is a link between sodium excretion and excretion of calcium (see link below). There might also be one to magnesium considering the chemical similarity of calcium and magnesium. I got impression that Doc G does not recommend extra salt in any form. You might want to check his website for that.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120724131604.htmOk. You noticed bath salts dear. It’s basically pure magnesium. It’s a mineral. It absorbes into the skin. Thus the baths. I am absorbing minerals in my baths, not depleting them. Goof grief. Ok? Please, I am not open to a disgussion on your views/ideas about salt, as you seem very confused. Also, unless you direct me to Dr G’s info, I am not inviting unsolicited (and half baked, please forgive my saying) contrary ideas. Please respect that. But since you’re here let me informe you: FYI, all urination lets go of minerals and various things we do not need. That’s a good thing. Constant repleation with food is. . . . a daily thing. Magnesium is depleted with certain diseases, especially neurological. Thus my question to Dr G concerning why and my very high need of it. FYI salt is NOT bad. It is needed and Dr G has some vids that are contrary to your contensions about him being against adding it at all. In addition, calcium and mag are not similar, they work in tandum – one exctes, the other alows rest and let down. FYI again, folks who seem quite healthy die of hheart attack, dead, out of nowhere, dude to lakc of magnesium in diets (search magnesium and heart on this site for the vid). . . . Again, m question was for the trained profession directly. I am a life time health care practitioner and your uninvited misinformation is just fodder for argument I won’t further indulge. Please educate yourself via this web site and do not write me again on this or other topics. Thank you. Good luck on your blossoming education on health. Good day.BTW, I don’t agree with everything purported here, yet there is no misinformation I have yet detected. Hoever there is slanted info based on the view of the “standard american diet” REALLY HIGH in crap, way over salted foods – foods salted for preserving. That’s HIGH salt. It’s not salting your bean soup. Dr G’s SALT vid is about che cheese and corporate polocies on salting foods, and cautioning against that, which is nothing but prudent, and I stand behind it wholly. . . except I do not eat those foods, EVER. Again, the audience spoken to and the contaxt of all i nfo needs to be taken i nto consideration when discerning, and digesting info. I might suggest, in your own study and quest for understanding, rather than take in all info and ideas as correct, you instead take in infomation with a . . . . pinch of salt. Wink. Toodles Karoline.I am wondering if Dr. Greger could comment on Functional Medicine. I’m all for a holistic approach, but when it gets to things like coconut oil, bone broths and other saturated fat claims, I can’t support it. There are several “celebrity” docs out there getting a lot of press, i.e. Amy Myers and Mark Hyman who all proclaim they can help many chronic conditions. I was referred to a dietitian who was a functional medicine practitioner, for help with food sensitivities. The first thing whe wanted me to do was add fat to my diet with bone broths, pasture-fed animal meat and butter, despite my total cholesteral at over 250. I paid a huge amount out-of-pocket for a consultation and never went back. I lean towards a plant-based diet with only good oils from nuts and avocados. What science are they following that says these saturated fats are helpful? Thanks for your time.Sandy DeFord, I’m sorry to hear you went through all that with the consultation. It sounds to me like you have a good head on your shoulders. You handled that well.I’m not an expert in these things, but I have an opinion about your last question. Life is so messy and scientific experiments so imperfect that you can find “science” to support any position you want to take. So, I’m sure those “experts” could point to studies that (may or may not) back up their claims.But that does not mean that the “body of evidence” (the majority/the convincing studies/the whole) supports those claims. I believe that Dr. Greger’s work on this site is well representative of the body of evidence that we have about nutrition science. You might also want to take a look at Plant Positive’s video series. (He has both a YouTube channel and his own site.) Plant Positive does an amazing job of busting the cholesterol deniers, etc.That’s just my 2 cents. Good luck to you.My friend says “that free range fresh wild (no longer that 3 to 5 days old) organic fertilized eggs do not cause TMAO to be formed and are actually good for you. His only research is how he feels after eating the egg. I say ” they are the most Acid forming animal product you can eat (see on the Max-Planck Institutes Acid/Alkaline Chart) and are toxic. Are Fetilized non-factory farm eggs and exception to the research condemning eggs? I personally am a 37 year raw foodist and consume no animal products whatsoever. Also, does taking Phosphydial Choline Supplements cause TMAO to be formed? Thanks, Blessings, Len aka. the Maui Bush DoctorEven local organic eggs cause me inflamation so I abstain, period, but lots of folks around here have their own chickens and also swear by the eggs. I’ll ask someone. One lady I can tell has lung issues, the other is a friend and I know she has health issues and loves dairy and I wouldn’t trust her judgement on her own body cuz i don’t think she’s quite aware. The other is a woman who works at my health food store – she’s older, but I know has some health issues, though I am pretty sure she’s at least vegetairan and may well be dairy free, though she eats eggs..I use a pound of chlorella month and have always used some form of blue green algae. It’s a staple. It’s nothing short of necessary. I also need magnesium at the same time because the algaes help dump metals which create contractions in the organs dumping (all of them) and only chlorella holdds the metals and brings them out. Both together are miraculous. I’ve also heard weight falls off eating it. . . I say never mind to all those words above – no disrespect, but I go on what works not what others say. Try it and see what it feels like and what it does. If you’ve never taken a green algae you WILL experience detox symptoms and magnesium would be highly indicated if you ask me. Good luck.I loved listening to you, Dr. G, but have to admit that I had to avert my eyes. I’m one of those rare folks who get dizzy when watching moving cameras. (Think Blair Witch Project–or worse than that, Rachel Getting Married.) Maybe you could nix the treadmill next time? Or maybe I’ll just keep looking the other way. Thanks for all your important work.Hello Dr Greger,Can you please elaborate on whether or not it is good idea for new parents to be following guidelines for introducing Probiotics into an infant’s diet? We are 90 vegetarian in my house ( 10% traditional dishes, fish) and have a 8month old only on breastmilk.. but I keep hearing remarks on the importance of Probiotics, we have a lactate free home so now i am trying to get more answers..Can you reverse arteriosclerosis especially if one has poor circulation in the feet especially if there is evidence that the poor circulation is affecting the rest of your body and organsThis post is in reference this:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140311163101.htm“Men in the highest quartile of animal protein intake had a 39 percent decreased chance of experiencing higher-level functional decline than those in the lowest quartile. These associations were not seen in women. No consistent association was observed between plant protein intake and future higher-level functional decline in either sex.” So maybe lower protein intake for older men is not so great? Since I fit in this category…I’m interested.Is there any research/recommendations re: the necessity of washing (and drying) organically grown whole grains before grinding them at home?My friend says Whey protein causes Breast cancer…whats is the truth about whey proteink: I’m not an expert, but I have some thoughts that may help you.My understanding is that whey is a by-product of the diary cheese making industry. Whey contains a fair amount of animal protein. We have some pretty good evidence that animal protein promotes cancer growth. Does this mean that whey *causes* breast cancer? I suppose that depends on what you mean by causes. I don’t know whether or not whey would start the first cancer cell – but you aren’t considered to have cancer until you have something like a billion cells. So, if whey were to promote cancer growth, then you could say that it causes cancer since it would more quickly take you to that cancer diagnosis.If you are interested in learning more, I suggest looking up the IGF-1 series of videos on this site to learn how animal protein can promote cancer growth. (The series starts with the title “IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop”.) Other videos on this site also draw a link between animal products and cancer, but they are not necessarily about whey in particular.Hope that helps.What is the best natural solution for scalp psoriasis? I have a mild-moderate case, but I’ve noticed lately that my hair is thinning, so I am really freaking out…HELP! My dermatologist says the “only” thing I can do is use this Ketoconazole shampoo every day, but it seems to make it worse and it damages my hair! Are you familiar with the Indian herb bhringaraja (false daisy)? Thank you SO MUCH for all you do!!Robin, After using tea tree products for years, I got an allergy against it. My skin turned red and itchy. (I had used tea tree oil straight on athletes foot and after starting allergy couldn’t tolerate the tea tree deodorant neither.) You might want to try another shampoo. For a while I used a coarse clay (not the fine one for facial/skin application) to wash my hair. It takes excess grease out but also distributes some over the whole length of hair as “conditioner”. It took me a bit to get the hang of it but it is certainly the least chemical of all means. Now I’m using the Shea butter shampoo by Alaffia. I wish you complete recovery and enjoyment of your beautiful hair!When is your next “Live Q&A” session? I love the fact that you’re getting your exercise (on the treadmill) while answering questions live! Very cool.I am curious that I see nothing on your site about eating hemp seeds. I at first thought they may not be legal in the United States but I have since seen them in a U.S. nutrition store. I am Canadian and they are available in bulk food stores, Costco’s, and many other stores. I am a new Vegan and have been eating 1/2 cup a day added to my morning oatmeal mixture for primarily the high protein and omega 3 levels. I have been basing this on the nutritional profile on the label but would prefer to have input from you Dr. Gregor as both myself and another friend that is a new Vegan as well have been using your site as our main trusted source for info on nutrition. Thanks, Dr. Steve JohnstonHi, Dr. How would you respond to the vague and misleading study from the Annals of Internal Medicine which is being interpreted by the media as a green light to consume saturated fat?Hi Stacy, could cite the study you are referring to?I have a question for Dr. Greger or any of the experts. My dad was recently diagnosed with systemic lung nodules brought on by chrondrosarcoma in his arm. The chrondrosarcoma was removed by surgery, however the the nodules in his lungs are too spread out and small to be removed by surgery. Furthermore, chemotherapy (I have been told my oncologists) is not normally effective against lung nodules.Are there specific foods (and the amount) that he can eat to help combat this type of cancer? Thank youPlease, can someone help to explain this? I am eating a whole foods, vegan diet. The diet that is advocated by doctors like Ornish, McDougall, Barnard, Fuhrman, and Esselstyn. Steel cut oats made my blood sugar go above 200 today. My LDL is low at 70. My HDL is good at 50. Triglycerrides tested at 70. Why the heck is my blood sugar spiking. Am I becoming diabetic from eating a plant based diet? This makes no sense to me. I am even feeling some tingle in my legs I think. I thought maybe it was from my back. I have spinal stenosis in my low back. Please tell me what I am possibly doing wrong. My weight is good at 150. I eat no junk, no refined carbs. It looks like to me that I am wearing my pancreas out from the complex carbs. This is so crazy and now has me concerned. Please respond someone. Has Dr. Greger ever heard of anything like this? Should I start adding some animal products back into my diet?Hi Tony, for starters – how long after your ate the oats did you get a reading of over 200 and how high over 200? Did you have fruit/sugar/juice on your oats, etc. What is your fasting BS? Have you checked it after other meals? Are you regularly checking your blood sugar? How often are you checking it? I am assuming this was by finger stick, correct?Hi Jacquie…..thanks for responding. It was a finger stick and it was like 220 I think. My fasting is always around 80 so usually normal in the mornings. I read today on a couple of different internet websites that oatmeal does this to most people, even those who are not diabetic…often in the 180 range. I ran out of test strips so I could not test today but I will as soon as I can get some more. Today, I did not put any honey in my oatmeal. I was only using like one teaspoon anyway so not a lot. I also did not add the banana. I had the steel cut oats today, 2 tablespoons of walnuts, and 1/2 of a green apple sliced up in the oatmeal. Do you personally eat oatmeal yourself and have you ever tested yourself just to see? I need to find a way to stop these spikes wouldn’t you say if this happens each time I eat oatmeal even if the levels come back down to fasting normal. 2 hours post-prandial and the levels are down but still not in normal range. I am also going to start exercising right after eating the oatmeal to see if that helps any. Does oatmeal do this to most people? I read posts from a lot of people today who say oatmeal spikes them to 180, even people who have not been DX with type 2 diabetes. According to McDougall, Fuhrman, Ornish, and Barnard, a whole foods PB diet should help cells become more sensitive to insulin and this should not happen I think. I am gonna see my personal doctor in a few more weeks but do you think healthy complex carbs might be bad for some people. I started doing this to try and stay healthy as I get older. I am in my mid 50’s now. I have checked after a meal of beans, veg salad, collard greens, and eggplant and that did not cause a spike like the oatmeal I think. I really need to experiment on myself a little more and then I can answer your questions more precisely. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me.Hi Tony, thank you for sharing your personal experiment. I think you are on the right track to work with your body and try different things. Are you on meds, which ones? Can I assume type 2….more questions…so probably not good to post your life online! Working with an RD/RN Diabetes Educator that is supportive is often helpful too.Lastly, this might be interesting for you since you are doing such a great job of seeking out information. Although this says for health professionals, you could take it to learn – its free! http://www.nutritioncme.org/programs.cfm?cat=4Have fun learning!Very disturbing report from the Annals of Internal Medicine promoting saturated fats over polyunsaturated fats… http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1846638 . I know the Dr. gets tons of questions , how can this be possible ? Like I said very disturbing. While I don’t have access to the entire article I saw a review of it by Dr. McDougall. He’s quoted “I agree with the conclusion that polyunsaturated fats (fish oil) and monounsaturated fat (olive oil) are not going to prevent heart disease. They are at least fattening and most likely promote cancer” … Promote cancer ??? I hope Dr. Gregor can shed some light on this.Which is better: blood type or whoe food plant based eating and whyHi Kyle, as far as I know there is not evidence that the blood-type of a person impacts nutrition: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/98/1/99. Whole plants have an abundance of research and clinical documented impacts.Kyle: I’m not aware of any good science backing up the blood type diet. Here is just one example source showing that the diet is not based on anything scientific: http://www.medicaldaily.com/blood-type-diet-debunked-after-book-eat-right-your-type-sells-7-million-copies-267391On the other hand, there is a TON of good science backing up the health benefits of a whole plant food diet. All of the information here on NutritionFacts shows this. Keep watching videos on this site and you will start to see why yourself.Hope that helps.Hi Kyle, I’m happy you asked this because Dr. Greger is releasing a new video on blood type diets in just a week! I’ll post it here again when it comes out. (Hint: it appears that the blood type diet was mostly hype by one doctor.)have you come across any study on ghee? Indian Ayurvedic physicians swear by ghee and its medicinal properties. In my opinion it contains saturated fats.This may be helpful: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/yes, it did help. thanks JacquieRN.Hello, I would like to ask if it is possible to drink young dried barley/wheatgrass ground into powder and if that would have more significant benefits than for example spinach (kale is not readily available where I live.)sooSOOOO WHY ISNT THERE ANYTHING FROM YOU POSTED SPECIFIcALLY about gmo food and the quality of drinking water from the tap filled with various stuff like heavy metals and fluoride?? do u have any research re these issues??Hi TL these seem pertinent:http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/gmos-and-decreased-nutrition-in-our-foods/http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=waterAnyone see this study claiming worse health outcomes for vegetarians? “Nutrition and Health – The Association between Eating Behavior and Various Health Parameters: A Matched Sample Study” 2/14 in the Journal PLOS ONEHi, what is your take on calorie restriction?Is Dr Gregor still going to be hosting another Live Q&A? I posted a question over two weeks ago, but have not had ANY response nor seen anything posted about another upcoming Q&A session. I really NEED some help with my situation/question, so I hope to get some feedback soon! I am at my wits end and need some suggestions ASAP. Thanks so much for all you do!Robin: I’m not a doctor, but this sounds like the kind of thing that would be hard to assist with over a website. Here’s my suggestion after seeing, “My dermatologist says the “only” thing I can do is…”I would suggest that you get a second opinion. Find another dermatologist. If your current dermatologist has only one suggestion that makes you worse, then it is time to find another doctor. That’s all I can think of to try.While this doesn’t help you much, I thought I would mention that your situation struck me as unusual (and thus really requiring some expert help). When one of my older female family members went vegan, her hair started to come back in thicker — after having spent years getting thinner. You mentioned that you already eat vegan (hopefully whole plant food based vegan). So, your situation doesn’t sound like it would have an easy fix. (But who knows? Maybe another doctor will know what is really going on and what to do about it.)Good luck. I hope you are able to figure this out!I don’t understand these studies just out:Vegetarians are ‘less healthy’ and have a poorer quality of life than meat-eatersVegetarians visit their doctors more often and are more prone to allergiesThey also have ‘a 50% increased risk of both heart attacks and cancer’They are also more likely to develop depression and anxiety disordersBut vegetarians tend to be more active and less likely to drink and smokeBy Emma InnesPublished: 07:56 EST, 3 April 2014 | Updated: 09:27 EST, 3 April 2014Vegetarians are usually confident about the health benefits of their meat-free diets.But new research suggests vegetarian diets are associated with poorer health and quality of life.The study also showed that vegetarians visit their doctors more than meat eaters and that they are more prone to allergies, cancer and mental health problems.EnlargeVegetarians are less healthy and have a lower quality of life than meat-eaters, researchers claim. Table shows the chances of suffering from different illnesses depending on dietIt showed that non-meat eaters have double the risk of allergies and a 50 per cent increased risk of heart attacks and cancer, CBS Atlanta reports.They are also significantly more likely to experience depression and anxiety.However, the research from the Medical University of Graz, Austria, did reveal that vegetarians tend to be healthier in some ways.It showed that they are usually more active and that they consume less alcohol.They are also less likely to smoke and tend to have lower BMIs.The research also revealed that people of high socioeconomic status are more likely to be vegetarian.Vegetarians are 50 per cent more likely to get cancer and to have heart attacks. They are also more likely to have allergies and to suffer from anxiety and depressionThe research contradicts previous studies that have suggested red meat is linked to a range of health problems, including bowel cancer.As a result, the researchers say more studies are needed to confirm their findings.The researchers say: ‘Our study has shown that Austrian adults who consume a vegetarian diet are less healthy (in terms of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders), have a lower quality of life, and also require more medical treatment.‘Therefore, a continued strong public health programme for Austria is required in order to reduce the health risk due to nutritional factors.’http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2596012/Vegetarians-healthy-poorer-quality-life-meat-eaters.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490What is a good way to relieve constant and nagging lower back pain?Would it be possible to address the issue of thyroid hormone replacement? Is there any plant-based research or diet related research in the area of hypothyroidism?must curcumin or turmeric be cooked for its benefits?? thanks.hi this is sunny.i am 20 years old.2 years ago a cricket ball hit badly at my penis.since then it is quite abnormal.now i have feelings of sexual problem especially erectile.i also have urinary problemIs it ok to eat 5 bananas a day?Hi Dr. Greger, I have been exploring the field of health and nutrition and am interested in going back to school to get a Masters in Nutrition. What would you recommend as the best schools for this? I unfortunately live outside of the US and am bound geographically but I was wondering if there were any distance learning masters programs that you might be able to recommend?Hi. Wondering if you have information on morgellons disease? I was diagnosed at UofM a year ago – been doing many natural protocols. Interestingly white vinegar topically and red apple vinegar orally daily seem to be helping, but the fibers are still coming out and painful joints..Is it true that Omega 3-acids suppress the immune system?I have Systemic Amyloidosis (AL) and heard the Green Tea includes a chemical that can help remove Amyloid from the body (EGCG). Is there good data to support the use of Green Tea to help remove Amyloidosis and could this be a cure?It has been established that the progression some cancers can be turned on by the presence of dietary animal protein and turned off by the absence of dietary animal protein (2006 The China Study by T. Colin Campbell). Since most everyone has a burger or some other animal based protein sandwich with their French Fries and potato chips, I am wondering what the cancer risk is for vegans (plant based diets that are rich in Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, Seeds and nuts) that occasionally consume French Fries and Potato Chips. Did any of the studies cited in your latest nutrition video (April 30, 2014 Cancer Risk of French Fries) consider the risk of caner to vegans that consume French Fries and Potato Chips?I just listened to the video on mushrooms and breast cancer. Does it make a difference if the mushrooms are raw or cooked?I’m curious. What do you eat in a day ? :)I am switching potentially cancer causing cosmetics for natural butters and oils. However, I am concerned with the added cholesterol that might be absorbed into the bloodstream from almond oil, coconut oil, shea butter, etc. Are there any studies and findings on this? Many thanks!What a wonderful format Dr. Greger! You are a mine of useful and positive information!One suggestion is to add a table of contents where each listed question is linked to the point in the video where it is answered. This might help people locate the question that interests them.Thanks for considering this feedback.Do you complete research on Alopecia Areata?Seems to be a lack of research revealing the effect and interactions from taking COMBINATIONS of vitamins and supplements. Especially when taking a variety of pills at the same time. Any news you can share?I would be interested to read about fruits/vegetables with least pesticides. I heard kiwi have no (or have minimum of pesticides). I did quick google search, and it doesnt look like thats correct. On one site I quickly ready supposedly that kiwis are sprayed early and when ready for harvesting, then there is little of the pesticides left. Anyway, it doesnt matter kiwi or not. My point is that I would like to focus on those groups of veg/fruits which have the least chemicals, if any :)Thanks Mr. GregerAnd thank you for all your effort!Have you heard of the supplement: Protandim? If so, what is your view of it’s health value.I was wondering if there was any cross sectional research study consensus on testicular health, antioxidants, anti-cancer, etc??? ThanksDr. Greger looks healthy, and healthier than in older videos. He is doing something very right. Perhaps I should work at a treadmill.hi, my name is Nadia i am from Moldova. can you tell what you think about vacination of people. if optimal diet can prevent many disease why then we need vacination?Vaccinations do not prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, etc.. Diet will not protect us from infectious diseases, which Vaccines directly address.Dr Gregor, Could you do a video on Kefir? After being hospitalized as end Stage-4 metastatic breast cancer, intubated, induced coma for 8 days, taking three rounds of antibiotics and having diarrhea for 4 months, I started making my own Kefir and taking Kefir made from goats milk, and it stopped the diarrhea in its tracks. Except for the Kefir, I have been a Vegan since my return from the hospital. There are some real ncbi studies that have confirmed Kefir’s benefits on cancer. Could you elaborate on the benefits of Kefir? Or is it so non-vegan that you can’t? Thanks, MiaMia: I’m sorry to hear about your medical problems. Ouch.One thing about your post that caught my attention was that you are making your own kefir. So, then I wondered if you could make it non-diary and get the benefits of kefir without the drawbacks. I would think that the benefits of kefir would be from the pro-biotics rather than from the dairy or a combination fo the two. So, I would expect a non-dairy kefir to be just as beneficial. I know that there are commercial brands of non-dairy kefir. I can’t remember if the one I tried was soy or coconut based, but I believe it was one of those. This makes me think that you really could make your own non-dairy kefir if that is something you wanted to do.That’s just something to think about.Good luck. I am thinking good thoughts for you to have a complete recovery.Can you get enought calcium by drinking soy milkMaya: Consider checking out this video from NutritionFacts.org:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/Underneath the above video, Dr. Greger also wrote:“My calcium recommendation is to get least 600 mg daily via calcium-­rich plant foods—preferably low-­oxalate dark green leafy vegetables, which includes all greens except spinach, chard, and beet greens (all very healthy foods, but not good calcium sources due to their oxalate content). Check out the video Plant vs. Cow Calcium for more.And for more from a practical perspective, check out my accompanying blog post Soy milk: shake it up. As well as my associated blog post, How to Enhance Mineral Absorption.”If you find that text, you can click links that will take you to more relevant videos.Good luck.Check here Maya:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=calciumYes, but you can also get enough calcium eating green leafy vegetables, such as kale, arugula and collards. Calcium is littered through out other plant foods as well.I seem to have thyroid concerns, and was wondering whether any of your material has recommendations as far as thyroid detox goes? Now that I read about it this little gland is doing a lot!!!Hello Dr. Grenger, I thank you for all the work that you have done in providing unbiased analysis of what’s happening in the world of nutrition. Your work is phenomenal. Now there are some things that I keep getting asked by people which I am unable to form proper response to. I request you to please take some time out to answer below important questions of mine:1. I would like you to analyze and provide your critic to this study – http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2013/07/31/ajcn.113.062638.short2. There have been a lot of studies about saturated fat and LDL being good for health in the recent past. I would like to know your critical analysis and take on them.Thanks. Sejal http://sejswhirlpool.wordpress.com/Can you add a topic section to cover Lipomas? tkx!I have been a vegan for a few years and in pursuit of some fitness goals I started learning about proper food combining. Any thoughts on Dr. Douglas’ 80-10-10 diet or Freelee The Banana Girl’s modified version of a high carb low fat diet consisting of lots of fruit for breakfast and lunch and cooked dinner consisting of mostly high carb root vegetables? Also thoughts on oil free and/or salt free diets?Amit: I’m not an expert, but most of the time when I hear about “food combining”, it seems to come from questionable sources/questionable science.I’m not talking about the interesting topics on this site that discuss “food synergy” though. You may find that topic interesting.As for oil: Jeff Novick has a really great lecture: From Oil to Nuts. I learned a lot in that talk. One of the things I learned is an understanding of why oil is like sugar, maybe worse depending on your calorie needs. But does that mean my diet should be oil-*free*? The answer is, ‘yes’ if I want an optimal diet, but here is where the comparison to sugar helps me a lot. I still eat sugar even though I know it is bad for me. I just do the best I can to limit sugar to rare, occasional desserts. (At least that is the goal.) So, to me, a lay person’s opinion, if you can work toward limiting oil in your diet to rare treat dishes, that is a reasonable goal – instead of working too hard to be completely oil free.Good luck to you.Hi, my question stems about protein. In your videos it is clear that animal protein is (simply) bad for you. I would like to see if there are studies about protein supplementation. Are the protein Supplements out there just as bad for you?Thanks!Ian unable to find I formation on your site pertaining to the impact, positive or negative, of consuming egg whites vs. the whole egg. I often get asked if one only eats the whites is there less of an impact on cholesterol and heart disease?Egg whites do lack cholesterol, but you are not protected from the effects of elevated IGF-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1does gum arabic, carageenan, cellulose gum/powder contain caffeine naturallyAny information on Celiac Stenosis? My 13yr old has been diagnosed and would like to find treatment besides surgery.Doctors frequently claim that among the ubiquitous causes of women’s hair loss (particularly Hashimoto’s, polycystic ovary syndrome, etc.), the absence of meat in the diet, particularly red meat, is a top factor. I have not come across any legitimate studies endorsing meat as a hairloss prevention aid; why this dogmatic dedication to meat as the holy grail for hair loss? Thank you for any clarification.Doctors frequently claim that among the ubiquitous causes of women’s hair loss (particularly Hashimoto’s, polycystic ovary syndrome, etc.), the absence of meat in the diet, particularly red meat, is a top factor. I have not come across any legitimate studies endorsing meat as a hairloss prevention aid; why this dogmatic dedication to meat as the holy grail for hair loss? Thank you for any clarification.Is there any greens that can help with glioblastoma multiforme?I heard recently that there can be such a thing as too much spinach or swiss chard. Could be a potential problem for osteoporosis, I guess, due to oxalates in the raw form? Can you enlighten me further? Is there any substance to this question?I heard recently that there can be such a thing as too much spinach or swiss chard. Could be a potential problem for osteoporosis, I guess, due to oxalates in the raw form? Can you enlighten me further? Is there any substance to this question?Don: I’m not a doctor, but here is my 2 cents.There is such a thing as too much of anything. But putting that issue aside, is there some special reason to worry about spinach and swiss chard? Here’s my understanding: Those are greens that have a lot of oxalates, which bind up the calcium *in those greens*. The oxalates do not bind up the calcium in other foods. For example, if you ate kale with your spinach, you would still get full benefit of the calcium from the spinach.So, to answer your question: Eating say spinach would only be a problem if you ate so much of it that you didn’t also eat significant amounts of other leafy greens which have more bio-available calcium. And since we have lots of evidence of the health benefits of including spinach in our diet, we don’t want to be afraid of eating spinach. We just do not want to make spinach the only greens we eat.That’s just my understanding. I hope it helps.How do you know which probiotics have the right level of bacteroidetes? I we looking for the lactos and the bifidos, or what?are egg whites Ok?Any research on improving white blood cell count as in neutropenia? I’ve been on a plant-based, whole foods diet for 18 months, but still getting sick a lot. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.can you evaluate the glutathione raising supplements sold by max international? or a video on glutathione production in vegans vs omnivores?New documentary, “Cereal Killers” that supports eating animal products, at least on the premise it won’t make you fat, raise your inflammatory biomarkers, or bad LDL’s. Here’s the link, very interested in your view. I’m a healthcare provider and hesitate to bring this to my patients attention. Would value your opinion here. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/06/28/cereal-killers-movie.aspx?x_cid=20140628_cerealkillersdocumentary_facebookdoc Thanks JimI’ve searched but have been unable to find any information on whey protein concentrate (specifically, from non-rgbh dairy). I’ve read in some places that whey is associated with reduced cancer risk, but I’ve read that it increases IGF-1, which is associated with greater cancer risk. Trying to understand this!Hi-I have recently been diagnosed with a severely herniated c6/c7 disc. This is causing me incredible pain. I had my first epidural steroid injection yesterday. Wondering if you are aware on any research about anti-inflammatory diets & herniated discs?Is it possible to have mass produced food that is healthy? It is my impression that mass produced food is of lower quality and higher additives in them.I have a friend who is a big meat eater and was just diagnosed with a duodenal ulcer. Can dietary habits help protect from ulcers (which I’ve read are now know to be caused by H pylori infection)? Thank you!I apologize if this has been covered already, but in regards to the Swank diet for MS – what about all the new research regarding “good fats”? Coconut oil, avacado, etc.Can you let me know if there is any treatment for herpesvirus please?I have been told it could be a herpyes virus I have got a rash all over my back and it’s starting to effect the rest of my body like my legs and arms and some on my face.i have not come in to contact with anyone for 4 to 5 months but I have had for the first time for six weeks nowI am curious as to if you have at some point found any nutritional treatments for bone cancer. I wish you had the time to do more Q/A sessions but, on the other hand your audiences’ Q might not be worthy of your time and efforts. Thank you for your work.Should you take a “drug” holiday when using spices and herbs as medicine? I take 1 tsp of turmeric with 1/8 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger daily in Golden Milk and it completely eliminates pain in my arthritic thumb. The pain comes back if I stop using it for a few days. I have no health issues, no kidney or gall stones at 63 years of age.I just read an article on ‘cilantro and chlorella’ being used to detox heavy metals with 80% success. Any body know anything about this?Is there any information on restless leg syndrome and nutrition?Not sure if this is the right place to ask questions but I couldnt find anywhere else so I will write my question here for now…Dr. Greger,I have a question about store bought almond milk vs. homemade almond milk. I have read conflicting information about this.One says that store bought almond milk is better as it has vitamin D which assists in calcium absorption as well as other added vitamins which are beneficial for ones health, whereas homemade almond milk does not have these vitamins and on it’s own has very little calcium.The other information which I have read which conflicts with the above says that store bought milk is full of additives like synthetic vitamins and emulsifiers which is damaging to health as it stresses the immune system and contributes to chronic disease.I am somewhat left feeling very confused and want to make the right choice, especially as I have a toddler and I myself am pregnant so need to know what is the best route to getting enough calcium through almond milk.Looking forward to your response.I have a friend that claims when she eats grains, she gets “gut rot” or “leaky gut”. I also happen to know she eats many different animal products. What is your take on this?Which vitamins and minerals should a vegan take and in which amounts? Currently take: Vitamin D(1000IU), Kelp for iodine(325mg), B12, Algae for omega-3 (325mg) plus flaxseed, calcium (600mg).Brian:Here are Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations. If you scroll down, you can see which specific nutrients he focuses on.http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Hi Dr Greger, Iam wondering if juicing with vitamix is bad as far as to much sugar. Iam not a diabetic and weight is ok. I still want to drop 10 lbs. But my mom died from diabeties so I have always watched that. I have been pretty healthy for years but I went completely vegan in May of this year. All my blood work has always been good. I did eat chicken but rarely but not anymore. So I have been watching you and I really could use some advice. I don’t want to go from good to bad because I have made bad choices about eating. I really want to eat a lot of fruit but because of being programmed over the years it scares me. I do believe that plant base diet is the best way of life. Please help. Is to muck fruit bad?What is the best dos a general of potassium for a severe case of psoriasis?What is the best dose of potassium for a severe case of psoriasis? I am also trapped in a windowless office for at least 10 hours a day at work.I have suffered from Psoriasis for the last 2 yrs. I am at a loss for help. Nothing topical helps. We’re you saying to increase potassium intake? Other than juicing green vegetables, what else should I be doing?Doctor, I value what you say very much. You talk a lot about increasing a plant based diet and decreasing animal based foods. I am confused however about whether I should continue eating wild salmon, wild halibut and free range chicken. Can you clear this up for me? ThanksBill: The following link shows you Dr. Greger’s recommendations for optimum nutrition. Notice how he does not recommend eating any fish or chicken. http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/To understand why fish and chicken are not recommended, check out these videos and articles on those topics:http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=fish http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=salmon http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=chicken http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/ ….(On the last link, follow the series by hitting “next video”)You could spend a lot of time on this site learning about fish and chicken. You will notice that many (most?) of the problems with these foods has nothing to do with where/how they were raised/grown.Most people think they need animal flesh for protein. I have some awesome links that will help you understand protein needs if you want them.Most people think they need fish for the omega-3s. I will point out to you that salmon still has a lot of saturated fat and that you can get your omega 3s more safely through other means. For the best presentation in fat, check out Jeff Novick’s video: From Oil To Nuts.I hope that helps.are onions bad for dogsYes. For a good list of what is harmful for dogs, check out the book: Speaking for Spot. http://www.amazon.com/Speaking-Spot-Advocate-Healthy-Longer/dp/1463515464/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406837633&sr=1-1&keywords=speaking+for+spotwhat about garlic?what is the best diet for a dog with cancer of the bone marrow?Madelyn: I *believe* that garlic was also on the list of food poisonous to dogs. I read that book a long time ago and do not remember all of the details. I highly recommend reading that book. I’m not an expert, so I can’t advise you beyond that.I’m sorry to hear about a dog with cancer. That would be heart breaking. Good luck to you and the pooch.Hello Doc. Ive been on your site for more than 15 min now trying to find out where to post my health related question. Cant seem to find an exact spot to, so I will try here. My question is: “Which Immune System boosting foods do you recommend for killing Gonorrhea? thanks!dobutamineHi Michael, Our cardiologist wishes to add this to an Iv for the Stress Echocardiography test scheduled on August 8 here at Straub Clinic & Hospital. tMy instincts say it is not safe and not necessary.  I appreciate your input. Sleepless in Honolulu Judith Driver 808.292.2944Dr. Greger, I am told that vegans have a low HDL level. I have maintained a plant based diet for about 6 years. My lipid panel is great except for my HDL which is 33.What are your thoughts about this issue?thanks,GaryAny peer-reviewed articles on ALS and plant-based diet?Does anyone know if the “From table to able” dvd is the same thing as the latest presentation on Youtube? just wonderingHi AP, it is! All of Dr. Greger’s videos are available online for free. If you want to have your own copy though, you can get the DVD from the website (www.drgreger.org/dvds). Hope that helps!Will you please do a video about the movie “The Perfect Human Diet”? Thank you.Please tell me exactly what is meant by a ‘plant based diet’. I assumed it meant vegan. My friend insists the eating of meat is irrelevant. It means not eating anything that comes in a box (or jar or can,etc.) i.e. anything that has been processed. What – exactly – do you mean by this term?Kathy Deer: It is a good question. And you are more right than your friend, I would say.Most of the time, when people talk about a plant-based diet, they are abbreviating a bit because what they really want to talk about is a “whole food plant based diet” – which is a subset of vegan eating since vegan eating includes junk food like potato chips and cola. Some people just start to say plant based diet. Others abbreviate as WFPB.Some people believe that WFPB diet could include some *tiny* amounts of meat. But primarily, this is a whole food vegan diet.If you want to know what Dr. Greger is talking about more specifically, here are his nutrition recommendations spelled out: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Hope that helps.Thanks. That did clarify – although it almost hurts more than helps. Most of my favorite vegan meals probably don’t qualify. But – time to rethink the whole diet thing – again!;-) I feel your pain!Plant based literally means eating only products from plants. Often folks talk about whole food plant based diet to emphasize eating whole foods that aren’t processed or things without labels. As a physician who prescribes plant based diets to my patients it depends on what your goals are for your health as to the variations within plant based eating. At this point in my career I can’t think of a single reason short of avoiding starvation where eating meat is a healthier alternative to plant based eating. If you have followed Dr. Greger’s work you have a good appreciation for the problems with meat consumption but the beauty of NF.org is that you can always go back and review if needed… so go to browse all topics… select Meat… read the nice topic summary courtesy of Denise which will help direct you to the videos of interest for you or your friend re meat consumption. Alternatively you can thumb through the 216 videos on meat. Remember below each video is the cited reference and clicking on it will give you the abstract or article if available for free.I’m fully convinced that meat, eggs, dairy are bad. I’m just having trouble with the veggies portion. I’ve been vegan for about 1 1/2 yrs now but haven’t lost any weight – which I definitely need to do. I don’t eat chips (very often), sweets, or sodas, but do depend pretty much on frozen vegan meals for dinner, smoothies for breakfast, and salad for lunch.I would recommend reading John McDougall’s newsletter article, The Fat Vegan, published in December 2008. Generally you will consume more calories by drinking smoothies then the separate ingredients before blending. You might also enjoy Doug Lisle’s you tube video… How to Lose Weight without Losing your mind! It is all about calorie density. The best presentation I’ve seen on this concept is Jeff Novick’s Calorie Density: Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer. As you will see from these videos not only do you eliminate animal products but also oils, nuts, sugar and avocadoes. Once you have attained your body weight that you desire you can add back in some nuts/seeds in limited quantities. Breads are calorie dense as well. Good luck.Can eating too much fruit be harmful? I’ve read numerous articles stating Steve Job’s pancreatic cancer may have been caused by his fruitarian lifestyle in early age. Similarly, when Ashton Kutcher’s hospitalization with pancreatic problems when he was preparing for the movie Jobs has been attributed to eating too much fruit. I can eat 9+ servings of fruit a day to satisfy my sweet tooth (afterall, a smoothie alone can have 4 servings). Is there a point at which fruit becomes harmful? If so, how many servings are safe?In my discussion with folks like John McDougall MD and Jeff Novick RD it appears that eating up to 4 fruits a day is generally healthy. The potential problem relates to the fructose in fruit. Fructose is almost exclusively metabolized by the liver as opposed to glucose which is the preferred fuel of virtually every cell in the body. Fruit contains fructose, glucose and sucrose aka table sugar which is one molecule of glucose and fructose bonded together. The products of fructose metabolism include uric acid, triglycerides, inflammatory aldehydes, cholesterol and some glucose. You might start with the video on fructose… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/. Fruits have alot of good benefits and certainly are a better than concentrated sugars. You can delve into the benefits by going to the fruits section… read topic summary by Denise and peruse the 172 videos relating to fruit for those of specific interest. For another opinion on Steve Jobs you might benefit from reading John McDougall’s excellent article which relates his pancreatic cancer to exposure to carcinogens in his teens… it wasn’t the fruit. To read see Dr. McDougall’s newsletter article, Why did Steve Jobs die? in November 2011 the link is: https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2011nl/nov/jobs.htm. Pancreatic problems can be related to very high triglyceride levels but generally are more associated with another plant based liquid… alcohol. Gall stones can sometimes be a cause of pancreatitis (gallstone pancreatitis).Rebecca: To supplement the great answer you already got, I thought I would let you know that Dr. McDouggal also has a great, free video talk on the topic of “Why Did Steve Jobs Die”. I found the information to be extremely compelling and helpful. And as Dr. Mcdouggal says, no one has disputed his math (or his logic as far I know). It’s only 40 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81xnvgOlHaYThe bottom line for me is: Steve Jobs had what is normally an extremely fast growing cancer. Yet he lived with it for decades. I think his healthy, mostly vegan, diet played a huge part in that.Hi ,I have been trying to find actual information on juicing. Whether it does cause diabetes or if the sugar spike is something to worry about. Also I heard that it could cause kidney stones because of the levels of oxalate in the foods.Do you have any information on these things.How about complete proteins? Do we really need our diet to contain them? Is there any research showing we need complete proteins everyday?You don’t need to worry about protein… it is actually the essential amino acids we need (i.e the ones the body can’t make). We get plenty as long as we consume enough calories. I know of no research that shows we need to pay attention to the amino acid content of the food we eat. You digest the proteins into amino acids which are absorbed. Your body then uses what it needs and the rest are metabolized by the liver and excreted by the urine primarily.Since Dr. Greger posted a Turmeric and OA/RA videos I was compelled to share this with my patients. The alternative was to continue encouraging NSAIDS and potential GI problems that come with it. Since my field (PT) deals with mostly subacute and chronic pain, I have been recommending one tea spoon of turmeric and a pinch of black pepper daily or BID to help control joint swelling/pain. Do you think there are any precautions (except for kidney stone med hx) that should be taken (outweighing the alternative–NSAIDS). And are there any better doses that the research or clinical community found?My father in law needs surely for calcified mitral valve, but his arteries are clear. His doctor says that while diet can keep arteries clear, valves are unpredictable , not necessarily helped by diet. Is this true?Quickly, I have been in cardiology for over twenty years and have had very strict plant based patients with valve disorders. Unfortunately, none were able to cure/reverse their calcified valves (aortic or mitral) and ended up with valve replacements which were life saving for them.I wish I could say plant based diets reversed calcific valvular heart disease but in my personal experience that has not been the case. And as far as I know there have been no studies showing vegan diets reverse valvular heart disease.That said, they did reverse their arterial heart disease!Eating plant based can have amazing results with most chronic diseases but some diseases do require modern medicine to extend life.I hope this helps.I am 55 and have been vegetarian for last 23 years but three years ago changed to complete plant based diet, packed with nutrients from fresh fruits and vegetable, while consume no oil in my diet, except occasional avocado in salads. I also go to the gym and perform fast paste cardio exercises at least 4 times a week. However, my cholesterol remains high at 205 (HDL: 46 & LDL: 132). My son has the same diet but his cholesterol is 150. I’d like to know what is not working for me and what modifications I need to make to lower my cholesterol?Plant Man: I’m not a doctor or expert, but I have three thoughts for you: I remember some time ago that I heard one of the big experts (McDougall or maybe it was Esselstyn?) say something like: For people who have had high cholesterol for years, sometimes their bodies just keep making mega doses even after converting to a healthy diet. We are not sure why. So, it could just be that your body is messed up and your son is lucky. ??? That doesn’t mean that your very healthy sounding diet isn’t doing you lots of good in lots of ways. It may just mean that it isn’t going to overcome decades of cholesterol consumption. Or maybe it will take longer than a few years??? (Just a speculation.)My other thought is this: I don’t know what you look like or what the last three years has done for you. For many people, when they go plant-based, they start to loose weight. (Maybe you have no need for that. I’m just saying.) *If* that is the case for you, then maybe your cholesterol will get more under control after you finish losing weight. Again, just speculation.My third thought is: While your diet sounds truly excellent (better than my own) and your exercise is awesome, you might consider ways in which to tweak your diet for maximum cholesterol lowering effect. I recommend searching NutrtionFacts for the videos which specifically address high cholesterol. You will see which specific foods have been shown to have an effect on high cholesterol. And maybe you could tweak your diet to include those foods. (If you do, let us know how it goes!)Hope that some of that helps.Thanks for advice Thea.I forgot to mention that I am 6′ 1″ and weight 178 Lb. Before turning to strict plant base, no oil, no salt diet 3 years ago, I was not consuming any meat or fish but nevertheless, ate cheese & eggs during the prior 20 years when I was vegetarian; After switching to plant based diet, I lost 40 Lb that I had gained during the prior 5 years. My weight has been stable past 3 years and have not gained back the weight that was lost.I would look into your third recommendation. I have also contacted my physician and asked for a re-test to eliminate any potential errors that might have been introduced by the processing Lab. According to my annual checkup results, all my other health metrics are excellent.re: re-testing and other labs looking good. Very cool.Good luck!Dr Greger. Big fan of yours.My name is Roberto Santos from South Florida, 62. I am a vegi for 30 years now. No meat or bi-products. I eat lot of vegis, tofu. Mostly 60-75% raw foods. I exercise every day(run, P90X). I eat Salmon(3oz. four times a week) and Tuna(occasionally but do) for fish. Also on occasions sea food. Why is this “meat” not good for you,or in the category of “meat” according to your lectures. Also I eat boiled egg whites (3/day). Should I be taking eggs out of my diet totally, even if it’s just the whites. I consume substantial amounts of tofu, cooked. I have a history of cancer, and diabetes in both of my parents families. I have tried vigorously to prevent it. I would love to hear what you think, and read your comments. Thanks so much for being you, and sharing your wealth of knowledge with the world. Thanks for your time. Regards, RobertoRoberto: All good questions. Thank you for sharing.Dr. Greger has good reason to group fish flesh with any other type of meat/flesh. Think of all that saturated fat and cholesterol you are getting wit your salmon and occasional tuna. If diabetes is a concern for you, will definitely want to leave out those fatty foods. To learn more about preventing diabetes using science that Dr. Greger backs, check out the book: “Dr. Barnard’s Program for Reversing Disabetes: The scientifically proven system for reservsing diabetes without drugs”. In that book, you will understand why fat = diabetes.Another part of your question is about egg whites. Egg whites are pretty much just animal protein. For that matter, think how much animal protein is in your salmon. Dr. Greger has a wonderful series of videos that explains how animal protein feeds cancer through creating unhealthy amounts of IGF-1. You can start the series by clicking on the link below and then keep going to “Next Video” (link on the right) until you get to the body building video. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/That’s a start on why you would not want to eat animal protein. There are a bazillion other reasons not to eat fish. You can learn about those reason on this site starting here: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/If the reason you eat fish is to get omega 3 fats, you might consider eating Dr. Greger’s recommended diet, including 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed a day. That will get you all of the omega 3s you need in not only safe, but extra healthy packages. That flaxseed stuff even helps with fighting certain types of cancers. Check out these videos: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Dr. Greger also covers diabetes and cancer in general in several videos. You might consider researching those topics on this site.Hope that helps!Last night in the UK, Horizon (tv programme) aired on BBC2 at 9pm, entitled “Should I eat meat?” At 5min and 43 secs into the programme, Dr Michael Mosley (of “Eat, Fast and Live Longer” fame) states that based upon the research, “There is little evidence that chicken and other white meats pose a health risk, so these are off the agenda” for the study in the TV programme. He then goes on to focus on red meat and processed meat. At 32mins and 14secs in, Dr Mosley refers to a 30 year long Harvard study of Dr Walter Willett (The Nurses Study), and also at 35mins and 48secs in, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrution (the EPIC study). The EPIC study shows very little correlation between diet and health.Unfortunately, although the programme was a step in the right direction, the removal of poultry/other white meat from it (as they were seen as not posing a health risk) has now given the message to millions of viewers that poultry is safe to eat, that there is no evidence to say it is carcinogenic. It is too late to influence this episode, and also the second and concluding part tomorrow at 9pm – however, would it be possible for Dr G to contact Michael Mosley at the BBC with a view to a future tv programme that may raise the awareness of the effects of a PBD to the massesThe programme mentioned is available on the BBC iplayer for the next four weeks (unavailable to most outside the UK unless you can find a site that streams it – or use a VPN “virtual private network”).Finally, I know the Doc has referred to the EPIC study in one of his previous videos, can someone remind me of it please – thanks in advance…..Is there anything in particular to look for when buying amla? I haven’t been able to find it at any local health stores and need to order it online. It’s pricey so I want to make sure I get the best kind. Thanks!Our daughter has just found out that she has the BRCA 1 gene. She is 25. Her paternal aunt currently has ovarian cancer and that is the reason our daughter was tested. She is being advised to have a mammogram and an MRI alternately every six months, and at 35-40 have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed, and she can choose to also have a double mastectomy. She has been eating a vegan diet for a few years, but has occasionally cheated (not much, but some). What are your recommendations for her? She has one child and hopes for several more. I have read that mammograms are possibly a bad idea – adding radiation to breasts that are already susceptible to cancer. If she were your child or patient, what would be your advice as to the regimen lifestyle she should live? (How do I see the answer to this question? Do you email me or do I just come to this site often to check? Thanks!!!)I have a more difficult question regarding a post kidney transplant. My boyfriend had kidney disease in which his high blood pressure destroyed his kidneys, leaving them full of scar tissue and unable to do their purpose. Because of this, he went through a year of dialysis and now is functioning on his mother’s donated kidney. He is now on countless drugs to keep his body from rejecting the kidney and blood pressure meds. I believe it’s been 3 years since his transplant, and since he’s met me he is now on a plant based diet :) Is there by any chance a way to reverse the scared kidneys to normal function with nutrition? Do you know of any great doctors who would be able to help us medically yet with the knowledge of how the body can repair its self with nutriton?! THANKS! :DMany people say that range fed, organic eggs are healthier for you. Please could you share your knowledge on this topic?I’m assuming Marmite has MSG in the form of yeast extract in it, like Vegemite? Isn’t moringa leaf a great source of B12?…and, when is the next Google hangout? :) Would love to join!Dr what’s your take on this news, that majority of cancers are matter of bad luck rather than bad lifestyle?http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/02/health/cancer-random-mutation/index.html?c=&page=2George: There is a good discussion of the study you are talking about on the following page. Scroll down to see people’s questions and answers. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-mostI wonder if Dr. Greger has read the Nina Teicholz book, THE BIG FAT SURPRISE, where basically she refutes everything Ive learned on Nutrition Facts. Any comments on this book?You should get the nobel prize for literature. Finally something worth reading. Much like tempah the fermented soy being more nutritious than tofu, I wonder if the fermented (black) garlic is also superior from the similar process. I utilize garlic religiously and would like your take on it.is there any arsenic in organic versus non-organic rice?You use a microwave? Why?Rafaela: Many people find microwaves to be convenient. I do. I also find that the microwave gives superior cooking results for some uses. Also, sometimes a microwave is the healthiest way to cook a food.If using the microwave doesn’t appeal to someone, then there’s no reason to use it. But for those who see the benefits, there’s no reason not to use it. If you are concerned that a microwave might be harmful health-wise, here is a wonderfully clear, well-researched page dispelling the myths around microwaves: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmSuper YASAi, is there any research on this supplement?How can vegans gain more weight?I can find nothing on your website about sepsis. Unfortunately, I suffered this condition after a hot tub exposure where e.coli entered the urinary tract, straight into the kidney and then the blood. Up to 50% of people with this die, and up to 50% more die within 8 years due to immune disorders plus organs affected. Mine are kidney (now with a GFR of 70 = stage 2 kidney disease) and brain damage (can’t remember words and speak the wrong words plus super flaky now). Being in the biz, I take lots of immune boosting supplements, anti-inflammatory, cognitive and probiotics supplements, but I’m not improving as expected plus my digestion is off. I’m nauseated and have no appetite, but get hungry after 12-14 hours of not eating and have great bowel movements and weight gain. Any suggestions?	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-355	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/arent-studies-funded-by-corporations-bias/	Aren't all studies funded by corporations biased?	If they received “grant money from a kiwifruit company”, then why is their study any less biased than those studies you previously referred to that were funded by the salt or dairy or meat companies. Isn’t the whole purpose of science to reach objective explanations by eliminating biases? If so, shouldn’t we disregard all studies that are funded by corporations? BPCveg/Originally Posted in Kiwifruit for Insomnia Just like we should take studies funded by the Salt Institute with a grain of salt, we should take these findings with a grain of kiwi. :) The difference between this and the other examples you cite is what’s the worst that can happen? Even if this data was pulled out of someone’s tush and kiwifruit don’t actually help with sleep, the worst case scenario if someone follows this advice is that they eat a really healthy fruit and only get all its other benefits. That’s the wonderful thing about plant-based research! And industry influence is rarely about outright fraud but about nuanced study design. One just has to be mindful about study sponsors to make sure the study wasn’t constructed in a way to bias the results. That is something for which I am indeed constantly on the lookout. 	I know the same is true for my field, piano technology. The good guys know the track records of the guys who are marginal or lame. Mr. Greger would make an outstanding piano tuner.What can you tell me about this study about bee venom. It seems odd too me… could they not do the same thing in a lab? Why Bee Venom? http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/257437.phpI found this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNPQecZ8SBIDr. Greger, I have a challenge that is contrary to a huge industry. I need to lower my libido and kill the desire. I would like to do this naturally, but how is the question. Can you help? I’m frustrated in this most unusual way.What are some plausible examples of how industry sponsored nutrition studies could be designed so as to bias the results?Dr. Greger’s upcoming video will share just this. Here is an example from the video.“The results of the BOLD study provide convincing evidence that lean beef can be included in a heart-healthy diet that meets current dietary recommendations and reduces CVD risk.”…wait what? This is a study seriously biased by the beef industry as they also funded it.Looking at the data, the high beef group had HALF of the saturated fat (6 instead of 12), also had 8 more grams of fiber (32 instead of 24). When you reduce fiber and increase saturated fat in the diet, it doesn’t matter where the saturated fat is coming from, cholesterol levels will always go up in comparison with a lower sat fat, higher fiber diet. Even so, having a lower LDL in the beef group of 125 compared with 133 is not significant and they are still at significant risk for heart disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3238465/The same example can be seen with the twinkie study that will be shared in the same video.Thanks for the sneak preview. I am looking forward to Dr. Greger’s video on this.How it does happens?Hi doc. I live in Birmingham al I keep getting bad information from doctors. Is there some sort of registerty, to find a plant based doctorI have general question about nutrition facts that I hope you can answer. When not otherwise stated, do the Nutritional Facts on food labels include the nutrition contents of the edible things that come in and with our food, but that most people don’t eat?As examples, do the nutritional facts on fruit and vegetables include the skins and seeds? Or do the nutritional facts on canned beans include the thick starchy liquid that most people drain off? Does salted cod include the salt?The label of canned foods includes the liquid, and it does not assume you would drain the liquid. In terms of fruits, if the peel is eaten such as with apples and pears, then the label includes this. It may specify sometimes whether the fruit or veggie is peeled or not. An example is with cucumbers. Here is the label peeled and unpeeled. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2440/2 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2439/2Thank you for the response.Dear Dr. Greger,first of I would like to thank you for your work! I have learned and am learning so much from your website!I am sure that you are receiving a lot of e-mails and so maybe you won’t be able to answer mine. But I do want to try because it is very important! I am writing on behalf of the husband of a friend of mine who suffers from fabry disease. Do you hapen to know anything about that disease and a vegan diet? If so, do patients benefit from a vegan diet? He is a dad of two little girls and is taking medication. But his wife mentioned that they would love to know if they can improve his condition through diet and if so, how.I sincerely thank you if you find the time to answer my e-mail!!!Kindest regards from Berlin, Germany, NadineI appreciate the source critical work you do. That you’re not selling anything (except maybe DVDs) also gives a plus on the expected bias scales.There is another Dr, Mercola, that has many of the same ideas about finding and sorting information. A lot of your viewpoints I think are similar: standard pharmaceutical practice is hardly optimal and often dangerous, green leafy veggies and nuts are good.Some strongly divergent things, that you both seem to find scientific base for, are about animal food. I am pretty much vegetarian. Dr Mercola is not. I can allow that his premise about different nutritional types might mean that some people might need meat, but I’m not convinced. He supports using free range organic eggs preferably raw. He is strongly critical of the anticolesterol propaganda and cites a lot of sources to question the established guidelines. Could you review his arguments on, for example, http://youtu.be/1hgOHzFb1Xg The colesterol question also divides you guys when it comes to coconut oil, where he surprisingly is for this veg alternative.What can you tell me about Kala Namak?Dave: Just in case Dr. Greger can’t reply to your post, I thought I would try to help out. It’s my (lay person) understanding that kala namak is just salt, but with some natural sulfur in it.I know that Dr. Greger generally recommends limiting salt, but I don’t *think* he says we have to cut it out all together. I’m not aware of any videos that directly address kala namak.Personally, I LOVE the kala namak. I call it “egg salt” or “sulfur salt” and think it does amazing things to beans and tofu to give those foods an authentic egg taste. (Why do people call it “black salt”??? It isn’t actually black…)Have you made any great recipes with kala namak?The latest headlines hitting British newspapers are a case in point. I normally pay little attention to these things, but this latest research from Scientists is on the front page of all newspapers over here in the UK for the past few days and I can already see it’s having a big effect on people’s views. I struggle to argue with my colleagues and family the virtues of a meat and dairy free diet when things like this come up. Reading newspapers articles like this really throws up a lot of confusion. Here is a typical link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2948567/What-irony-scaring-s-butter-ve-fatter-unhealthy-writes-JOHN-NAISH.html	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-356	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-do-i-treat-a-recurrent-yeast-infection/	Boric acid for vaginal yeast infections?	I have [had vaginal yeast infections] for years now (comes and goes). For almost a year I am vegan. My diet is nutrition dense, whole foods and no processed foods, but I still have vaginal discharges, sometimes very heavy. I rarely drink coffee. Please, do you have an information on this. LaGuna/Originally Posted in Bacterial Vaginosis and Diet In my practice I found the best cure for recurrent vaginal yeast infections is vaginal suppositories of boric acid. They are cheap (about 2 cents each) and relatively safe. Though the mechanism is unclear, vaginal boric acid suppositories are effective in curing up to 98% of the patients who had previously failed to respond to the most commonly used antifungal drugs. DO NOT EAT BORIC ACID. Boric acid is toxic if taken orally (if swallowed). Keep away from children and open wounds. Boric Acid should also NOT be used when you are pregnant. To make your own suppositories, fill up large empty capsules with boric acid (like with the tip of a knife and a baggie). Insert one capsule into your vagina before bedtime every day for 2 weeks. You may want to wear a pad as it tends to be runny. It can also be helpful is to take some of the loose powder and spread it on your labia and under your clitoral hood. Stop the treatment if you experience burning or get a bloody discharge. 	I used to have almost constant yeast problems. Cold-pressed organic coconut oil was the trick for me. Kills yeast quickly. Also tee tree and lavender oils.I thought the boric acid had to be compounded…? I have a Rx and it costs waaaaay more than 2 cents a pop. Wow! I had no idea it was safe to use as is. Boric acid and switching to a non-hormonal IUD is what worked for me and I have tried it allI used boric acid from Humco. I did it for two days. While I feel fine. I noticed I had a small abrasion on the outside of my lady parts from the irritation prior to using the boric acid.. Should I be concerned about kidney damage? I called poison control they said I did not need medical attention unless I developed symptoms such as vomiting or skin rash.I put activated charcoal on a tampon…!Thanks for answering this. I assume then that this would be instead of clotrimazole.etc? It’s good to have this option, though it takes 2 weeks instead of less than one? Can you still have intercourse on this treatment?I took 1/8 teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide in a cup of water 3x a day. I haven’t had a yeast infection for 15 years or more since then. You and your partner may be passing it back and forth.Chris, I’m guessing you applied that mixture as a douche? Is that right?What are the pesticides level in fish oil from wild fish?It would vary depending on the fish and where it was caught. However since the rivers and oceans contain wastes and chemicals such as drugs and mercury they end up in fish. Even without the contamination there is nothing we need in fish that we can’t get from plants with the exception of Vitamin B12.I used boric acid to treat a yeast infection. I noticed prior to using it I had a small abrasion on my lady parts. If the boric acid got on the abrasion should I be concerned it got into my blood stream? Should I be concerned about kidney damage? I called poison control and they said I would notice if I had any adverse reaction such as a rash or vomiting and that I did not need to go to the doctor.Topical application with small abrasion shouldn’t be a concern but checking with local poison control always a good strategy as they keep abreast with the latest information. Of course if problems persist checking back with your physician would be important.I also used it as a anal wash my anus gets itchy at times I think maybe due to yeast. I started to worry because I thought about what if some water mixed with boric acid traveled up my anus. I only used the suppositories twice and the anal wash once. I have not used it since then. Do you think I need to go get checked out. I stopped using it altogether. I read a post about someone using it for 60 days and doctors found huge cyst on her kidneys and she said she had an abrasion. But granted I only used it twice.——————————Unfortunately medicine is sometimes a contact profession where you need to be examined and treated. The mucous membranes around the anus are very sensitive to chemicals. Many patients that I would see with this type of problem were going to great lengths to keep the area clean with hot water and soaps which can get you in a vicious circle as once the skin is irritated it is more susceptible to irritants and hot water. If the problem has persisted it is always better to have it checked out by a qualified caring health care professional. Good luck.I think you misunderstand. My anus itched prior to using the boric acid wash. My anus is not a problem I think I suffer from hemrroids. I just fear kidney damage. I heard boric acid could cause kidney damage. I think I may go to the doctor to have an ex ray of my kidneys to check for cyst. I also started my period two days after I used it. This was only a day earlier than I was suppose to so no big deal. I just want to be assured I did not cause damage to my kidneys from using the boric acid. If the two days I used it caused any damage to my kidneys would I know? I do notI concerned about kidney or liver danmage from putting it on my anus. Please respond back.What yeast infection treatment is pregnancy safe that you would recommend? What do you know about bentonite clay? Is there any health benefit?I have used boric acid in capsules I make up myself for the last 2 years. Brilliant! As a diabetic, I was used to at least 2-3 yeast infections a year. No more! Haven’t had a one! I use a capsule two nights each week.Can anyone recommend a reliable website for boric acid?amazon.comI used to get them a lot… then I went off the birth control pill and voila, no more problems :-)I had recurrent ones too until I found that it was caused by gluten and yeast intolerance. I got rid of the gluten and was still having them sometimes, and then removed active yeast from my diet and they were magically gone.Candidiasis video detection treatment and diet would greatly appreciated!I have observed that eating sweets makes me prone to vaginal infections. It doesn’t matter if the sweets are artificial, like candy bars, or natural, like honey. Anything that raises your blood sugar might make you more susceptible. Might be a good subject for research. Or maybe not, since no one would be able to sell an expensive drug….I find your post interesting because I am a fruitarian. Fruitarians never mix fat and sugar because it can cause the yeast in the body to ‘bloom’. Once this occurs, the yeast feeds on the sugar and overgrowth occurs. Although sugar is the trigger, fat is what loads the gun-per fruitarian theory. Fat has a coating quality and prevents insulin from doing it’s job and the body is unable to release sugar from the bloodstream hence the the ‘bloom’ and the unwanted symptoms of yeast.What do you mean…it can cause the yeast to bloom? You can grow yeast in flour and water – you don’t need fat. I think the sugar alone will do the trick.I used boric acid two days in a row. The last day was yesterday. I had a small cut. I feel fine but do I have kidney damage?Dr. Greger, I have read and heard that one can ingest Borax (the cleaning agent) for a boron supplement (these sources say that people deficient in boron) and that it would cure many ongoing ailments including toenail fungus, eczema, candida infection, and yeast infections in ladies. I also read that one can soak one’s foot in Borax to help with athlete’s foot and fungus nail. I did this, and I do believe that it helped more than vinegar because it has not bothered me since. What do you know about this? I also wonder about the truth of candida infections where people must go on extreme dietary treatment plans to eliminate it from their systems. There are some health establishments that do not acknowledge the validity of the candida infection. I have been animal product free, eating whole foods only, for 2.5 years (taking B12 supplements) and have a significantly improved eczema rash that does not completely go away. I wonder about the Borax treatment. I would certainly appreciate an explanation of mold and its relation to health and the body. I don’t mess with mold – I throw food away that has mold unless it is small spot on the outside of a very hard food, in which case I cut off a large portion containing the mold. My next question is about safe cookware. Are we to avoid any cookware with aluminum? Is aluminized steel safe? Are silicon coatings safe? What coatings are safe? Is cast iron safe? Is stainless steel the safest for pots, pans, and trays, as I have heard? If so, what about the different grades of it? This is very confusing, and I need some more cookware but cannot make informed decisions. God’s blessings to you, Dr. Greger. Thank you for your work. I hope to read a response.Dear Sir, I want to know that daily intake of Indian gooseberry juice extracted from 15 odd numbers of gooseberry would cause any wrong and bad effect on health. Please advice me Sir. My e mail id is depramod@gmail.com Thank YouHello, I’ve used boric acid in capsules and I’ve inserted it into my vagina for two nights now. After first night there wasn’t any discharge at all, but after second night there were large amounts of bloody discharge and it got me pretty worried. Did I damage my vagina or something? What does this bloody discharge means?It would be unlikely that two boric acid capsules would cause damage and a bloody discharge. As Dr. Greger mentioned in his post you should stop the treatment. The diagnosis of vaginal discharge is best done by a qualified health care professional as there are several possible causes. There is a difference between having a discharge that is recurrent that has been properly diagnosed with history, physical exam and appropriate tests and new symptoms that haven’t been diagnosed. So the first step would be to see your regular health care provider. Good luck.Vaginal yeast infection can be treated with coconut oil and tea tree oil combination. But for many women who have recurrent yeast infections, it’s wise to look at the diet. Here is a link to the video to the connection between diet and vaginal infections. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/Another thing that can be preventative is yoni steaming. Here is a link on what it is and how to do it.http://mayamoonhealingarts.com/bajos-vaginal-steams/Fruitarian women (myself included) find relief from this by lowering fat intake. Everyone is different though. Some are more sensitive than others and find anything over 10% of daily intake causes yeast flair-ups. Personally, I eat fat a few times a week. Usually unprocessed like avocado or nut butters. I never eat concentrated versions even if they are raw like virgin coconut oil. I also never mix sugar and fat. Fat is always with water rich vegetables. Hope this is helpful :)is it safe to use boric acid capsules analy?A friend has recurrent yeast infections even though her doctor says that the pH in her vagina is perfect. She has been through 7 courses of antibiotics in as many months and eats a very healthy diet, almost vegetarian – lots of whole foods and plants. Finally, her doctor tried putting her on the boric acid douche mentioned here. But she is frustrated because it keeps coming back. Her husband also went through a course of antibiotics and he is fine. Any suggestions? She wonders why it keeps coming back when the pH of her vagina is supposedly optimal every time it is tested.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7282789?dopt=Abstract,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1784796/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1941801,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17320131?dopt=Abstract,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19059942,
PLAIN-357	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/can-diet-be-used-to-treat-kidney-cancer/	Can diet be used to treat kidney cancer?	I’ve been diagnosed as follows: Papilary renal cell carcinoma. The carcinoma is metastatic (Stage IV). Wondering if you have any subscribers know of anyone who have beaten this type / stage of metastatic cancer using diet? Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated. I need to make a decision very soon regarding traditional (western) treatment or a better way. Thank you very much, Jeff J. jeffj / Originally Posted in Preventing Kidney Failure Through Diet The nice thing about dietary interventions is that they can be undertaken in addition to whatever you and your physician agree upon is the right course of action in your case. Unfortunately I’m not aware of any studies on the role of diet in surviving renal cell carcinoma. I do have videos on diet for bladder cancer survival, early stage prostate cancer (in relation to flax seeds, saturated fat, plant-based diets), breast cancer survival (in relation to soy, flax seeds here, here and here, saturated fat, and trans fat) and reversing the progression to esophageal and oral cancer, but none that cover dealing with kidney cancer because it apparently hasn’t been studied. However, because Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing in many cases, I would recommend you consider eating the kind of diet that has been associated with kidney cancer prevention. For example, in the current issue of one of my favorite journals, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this question was put to the test in what may be the largest prospective study ever, the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, which followed nearly half a million people for about a decade. Noting that “Plant-based and fiber-rich diets high in vegetables, fruit, and whole grains are recommended to prevent cancer and chronic conditions associated with renal cell carcinoma,” the study found fiber intake was associated with a significant 15-20% lower risk of renal cell carcinoma and that the most powerfully protective foods included legumes (beans, chickpeas and lentils), whole grains, and cruciferous vegetables. Refined grain intake, however, was associated with increased risk. Last year the same group of researchers found that cooked meat carcinogens may double the risk of papillary renal cell carcinoma. The only other new study I know of found that nitrite from processed meats and other animal sources (but not plant sources) was associated with an increased risk as well. Finally, given that most of the new treatments developed for renal cell carcinoma (Axitiniband, Bevacizumab, Everolimus, Pazopanib, Sorafenib, Sunitinib, Temsirolimus) attempt to block the formation of new blood vessels to the tumor, that would be all the more reason to pack your diet with foods containing anti-angiogenic phytonutrients such as apigen, luteolin, and fisitin found in strawberries, citrus, celery, peppers, and many other fruits and vegetables. In my volume 13 DVD I have a video on this whole concept called Cutting Off Tumor Supply Lines. It should be up on the website in a few weeks, but if you email me your mailing address I’d be happy to send you a copy. 	I am enjoying all your comments and videos, so informative. I have a soon in the fitness industry who pushes the health benefits of whole foodsdear dr, can i ask also for one of your dvd vol 12, cuting off tumor supply line.?i would welcome it very much.It’s available on my website and through Amazon (all proceeds to charity), but if you can’t afford it I’d be happy to send you a copy, just email me your mailing address.THANK YOU doctor for all your unconditional information giving to all without expectation! I wish you long years of life with health, joy and prosperity. I’d like to get more information on borderline kidney failure! Since September 2012 suddenly my eGFR “kidney function” dropped to 14 which is borderline failure, creatinin and BUN at 55 and 3.9 without any specific reason. I have always eaten healthy, since I have juvenile diabetes for over 40 years which has been in control as much as I was able to. I became almost all plant based for the exception of having fish once a week for the past six years since 2007. In 2011 I took two session of chelation to improve my overall health and then this kidney issue happened. Please advice me any information to help me delay and or reverse my kidneys condition. I have nightmares about the “D” word and possible transplant. I thank you and pray for you always. May.16.2013Maybe offtopic: Is there any information on affects of radiation on food?I’m eating a vegan diet. What is your recommendation relative to taking a fish oil supplement for Omega-3s?What are the appropriate dietary recommendations for adults coping with Hashimoto’s disease?Hi Mary, As with many adrenal conditions the key to treatment is to reduce inflammation and create a healthy gut. The attached article is a great resource: http://www.baumancollege.org/community-resources/articles/138-hashimotos-article.Also this video on tea’s link to adrenal function: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/Bilirubin what can you tell me about thisGreetings: I am relatively new to this site but have found it very informative and appreciate the documentation. I am wondering is Dr. Greger against all meat eating? Is he a vegetarian or vegan? I am not but will consider his advice. Thank you. Appreciatively, EdwardEdward. Welcome to the site. I too find it to be extremely helpful.I can’t speak for Dr. Greger, but I have watched every single one of his videos. I’m pretty sure that the answer is: for optimal nutrition, stay away from meat, dairy and eggs. Here is a link to a blog post in which Dr. Greger gives his nutrition recommendations:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Hope that helps.Your website is outstanding and has helped save my life. I am 2-1/2 yrs out from cancer diagnosis and treatment. I found your site and am following vegan diet. I feel great and all tests are clear. My question: I have low thyroid and am taking natural compounded porcine-based thyroid meds twice a day. Am I at risk of a pork-based virus or autoimmune response from these meds? Your pork video has me concerned.Kathryn, I was taking the porcine meds, too, since I had a reaction to one of the binding agents in synthroid. It bothered me that, as a vegan, I was taking animal thyroid, so I asked my doctor for an alternative. I am now on Tirosint and doing well. Tirosint is not vegan. In fact, Tirosint is manufactured with gelatin and glycerin. However, in my humble opinion, Tirosint does represent an improvement over taking pig thyroid. Hope this helps.Eat sea vegetables for iodine and at least an ounce of brazil nuts a day for selenium.You might have gotten hypothyroid because of the high levels of oxilates in raw vegetables (spinach I believe has .94g/kg). 16-30 g/kg I believe is lethal–not an expert!!! I did some googling and I’ve been eating raw spinach for a long time and I have bad heart palpitations… Try more whole grains and try cooking or steaming your vegetables and leafy greens. you are lowering the oxilates in the vegetables and in handing absorption by cooking them as I understand it. Any professionals please correct me if I’m wrong….Good luck.(Ps. I just found this all out yesterday–but already I haven’t had a palpitation this morning.)My main point was try googling oxalates and “the dark side of vegetables” and you’ll see lots of people talking about kidney stone formation and hypothyroid with raw high oxalates diets–especially juicing. And try cooking your Vegetables in 16oz of water with 1/4th a teaspoon of iodized salt mixed in. The Vegies taste great and salty and they don’t need salt to sweeten them up and you get your iodine to balance the oxalates–double win. Diabetics with no/low sodium diets–just cook with water and no or very little salt. Don’t cook or fry with vegetable oils or coconut oil or OLIVE OIL–cooking with vegetable oils I believe creates trans fats–pros correct me if I’m wrong–which is the worst type of fat you can digest… We are lucky in America that most of the Vegies we eat can be eaten raw because there are a ton of vegetables and leafy greens that are poisonous to us–but if they are cooked and the liquid discarded–they are safe!!! I love science!Food for thought. God blessMay I ask your opinion of thermography for breast screening? Thank you.Most likely renal cc…small spots showing at both lung bases…feellike my body is shriveling away before my eyes. Will have partial nephrectomy hopefully sooner rather than later & I was told “not to worry” about the spots on my lungs. Terrified and just don’t know what to think. Would an extreme fast hurt or harm things? ANY help about ANY aspect of this would greatly be appreciated.David10 years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. A year later I heard that a whole-foods vegan diet could improve my odds of survival. I changed my diet 9 years ago … and obviously … I am still here. I can’t say absolutely that it why I survived, but I and my oncologist think so. He said there are studies underway now with women with breast cancer that show 30% improvement of survival by just dropping meat intake to a low level … I would recommend that you read “The China Study”. Oh, and as a side benefit, I love my diet! I won’t ever go back, even if someone assured me I wouldn’t get cancer. It’s that good!Ken, That is *such* and inspiring story. Thank you so much for taking the time to share.I agree with you, The China Study is awesome. I wish they would teach it in schools.Happy eating to you.Dear Dr. Greger, Can diet be used to treat gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) cancer? Gleevec has too many side effects. Every time my sister eats the medicine, she has very low white blood cells so she must stop eating Gleevc. She was operated on but still has high recurrence risk. Many thanks!Hello, Google alkaline water and try to see if your ruin and saliva is acidic or alkaline. ~7.3 is supposedly our constant blood level. Meat, fish, eggs, dairy–cheese milk yogurt– and stress lower pH (increase acid) which is bad–whereas fruits, vegetables, and berries increase pH–good. Dr. Bernardo (older white male veteran naturopath) explains on YouTube how he cures any disease and all cancers with a high vegetable based pH and a positive change in attitude. Sounds like a great American!!!!Good luck and God Bless!Vegan diet does support optimal health and can be considered as a part of cancer management. The causal result relationship between any type of cancer and diet has been shown in many studies. Here is a link to Dr. Greger’s video on diet and Kidney cancer.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/11/new-dvd-to-help-spring-clean-your-diet-all-proceeds-to-charity/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22170360,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23169285,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23515007,
PLAIN-358	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/could-l-carnitine-be-both-beneficial-and-detrimental-to-cardiac-health/	Didn't another study show carnitine was good for the heart?	Please take a look at yet another study (“L-Carnitine in the Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis”) (http://www.medpagetoday.com/upload/2013/4/12/jmcp_ft88_4_2.pdf)…is this a case where the substance (LCar) itself is beneficial, but the by-products of its beakdown by gut flora are not? Or… And if so, how does one balance or even evaluate the balance between the two apparently contradictory effects. Thanks… foxfyr / Originally Posted in Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection Thanks for the question foxfyr! We’ve known for over 20 years that large doses of carnitine given intravenously in people within hours of a heart attack may have an antiarrhythmic effect, presumably by facilitating glucose oxidation in the failing heart muscle. Because it’s given directly into the bloodstream, it enters our body the way our own body creates it (bypassing the gut). Only when carnitine enters the gut could that toxic TMAO be made by the gut bacteria as I detail in the video. 	Thank you very much for he response! So, basically, strategic/therapeutic exogenic application (e.g. intravenous) of carnitine can be very useful and avoid the negative effects of the derivative TMAO – if needed, while endogenic exposure via the normal dietary chain to carnitine, through food or traditional oral supplementation, results in TMAO production and is Not healthy.Thank you very much for the clarification! …Chalk yet another point up in favor of health and the vegan regimen.Dr. Greger, Would you please address the disagreement by the Mayo clinic with the paper on the TMAO mechanism proposed by the Cleveland Clinic.I have glaucoma, and a recent study showed benefits of citicoline (CDP choline) for glaucoma patients. But in your video on the dangers of carnitine and choline, you advise against choline (e.g., in the consumption of eggs). What about CDP choline?isn’t n-acetyl carnitine supposed to be good for the brain	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	-
PLAIN-359	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-does-the-paleo-diet-impact-cholesterol/	What about the "cholesterol myth"?	I would love to see more debate with regard to…cholesterol/saturated fat proponents (Gary Taubes, for example). I don’t know how many times people have recommended I read Taubes books….Just look at the reviews on Amazon for Johnny Bowden’s The Great Cholesterol Myth! Synergy / Originally Posted in Does Coconut Oil Clog Arteries? I wrote about the cholesterol “skeptics” in my book Carbophobia (now available free, full text online). I think the issue was best summarized in a medical journal editorial entitled Cholesterol Myth Club on Par with Flat Earth Society that read: “as mixed up as Flat Earth Society members obviously are, at least you can laugh their dumb idea off, and if you want to believe the Earth is flat, this view is not going to cause serious problems like… coronary artery disease.” 	Thank you for all your amazing contributions to humanity. You are truly admirable Dr. Greger!!Would love to see a video tackling this.. I have so many people ask ‘what about paleo’??I recommend the “Plant Positive” YouTube channel for more evidence-based video rebuttal of Taubes et. al. than most may have patience for.Plant positive is excellentTaubes vs Ornish video was interesting:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCgTlC8PE0QThat was amazing. thank you for sharing. I was not aware that there is not a single peer reviewed, published study for the atkins diet. That explains quite a bit.You may also like:http://www.atkinsexposed.org/ by Dr. Greger (2004)Er, not quite true. http://nutrition.stanford.edu/projects/az.htmlTaubes is so difficult to listen to!Taubes is just too condescending and uneducated to listen to. They are wasting their time with him. It would be more interesting if they had a real conversation with someone who had solid education and held a different vuew… and there is the rub. The people (95%) who are educated and do real research don’t disagree with the Ornish, McDougall, Novick, Gregers of the world.So true. I do find that those who aren’t that much into veganism give half-hearted praise to Dr. Greger and company. You may find this short essay by Dr. Joe Schwarcz to be an interesting example of a Greger critique.For Petar Ceklic – the issue and video links are discussed here: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/i would like to know how to gain weight on a vegan diet.Since 3 months i skipped dairy/meat products,but lost 7 kilo’s,wich i cant afford to lose.My hight is 1.63 cm and my weight went from 52 kilos to 48,wich makes my BMI 18(too little for my seize)Eat more:)Its that easy. Track your calories on http://cronometer.com/ . A good way is to incorporate healthy fats, like for example in a morning green smoothie, add flax seeds. Eat a handful of nuts as a snack etc..;Also try healthful but calorie-dense snacks like Lara bars and date-rolls.Hey, check out vegan bodybuilding sites. veganbodybuilding . com and veganmusleandfitness . com are good places to start. From what I understand when you switch to a nutrient dense whole foods diet, initially everyone will lose weight. The more toxic you are the more weight you will lose, as fat is used by the body to remove and store toxins. So your weight should stabilise to a healthy weight.I have a question for Dr greger:Can you tell more about dark circles under eyes. I have had them since a very long time, from the beginning of my teens actually. Its not like dark dark, but more like a blue , and you can also see a little bit of blue veins.Hi Ann,I see that this is an old comment but I would like to respond anyway. I have always had hereditary dark circles (as opposed to fatigue or illness-induced ones), as it sounds like you do too. I know how incredibly frustrating they are!Over the years I tried all the topical products and nothing worked. I do not believe there are any products in existence that genuinely remedy hereditary dark circles.However, since switching to a nutrient dense WFPB diet, and consequently consuming massive amounts of well, most vitamins, but particularly vitamin K (lots of kale and berries), I do think there has been a very gradual but significant improvement. I still wear undereye concealer every day, but not as much. I used to wear three separate layers, now I wear two (concealer plus setting powder). Might not sound like a huge improvement but I remember in years past when I would try to skip one of the three layers and everyone would be so concerned! “Oh, are you okay?” “Are you sick?” Lol! Now when I don’t have concealer on, there are still circles there, but not to a degree in which I could frighten small children. ;)p.s. the best concealer I’ve found (and I’ve tried them allll) is also the cheapest, is widely available, and is not tested on animals: glamoflauge by hard candy. Six bucks, can get it at walmart. It’s not perfect, but again, it’s the best I’ve tried. Dark circle sufferers unite!What are your thoughts regarding green coffee bean extract for fat metabolism?Yes, Dr. G., would love to have some things to point to when people bring up The Cholesterol Myth. Some of my friends have gently suggested that maybe I’m just seeing the data that confirms my bias. Where do you weigh in on how some are saying that cholesterol is not the problem we once thought it was?The evidence linking cholesterol intake to arterial disease is pretty solid at this point. We all tend to be guilty of confirmatory bias. It is true that as our understanding has progressed that the focus of the research has shifted to other areas such as the nitrous oxide system. This just shows how the old information about cholesterol fits into our new improved model. This is not controversial… people are entitled to their opinions but not their own facts. Unfortunately to understand the studies requires a degree of understanding of statistics which most folks lack. As the saying goes many folks use statistics like a drunk uses a lamp post…more for support than illumination. Keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps changing.Thanks Dr. F. I don’t understand all the science stuff most of the time, so I have to base my opinions on the research/writings of people whom I respect and who don’t seem to have ulterior motives. This gets me in to trouble sometimes. :-) CheersStick with reliable sources as there is no way to keep up. You are correct alot of ulterior motives… pushing supplements and pseudoscience. The most reliable sources free of ulterior motives are Michael Greger MD, John McDougall MD, PCRM(Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine), and Jeff Novick RD. Be well and try and stay out of trouble!I have been vegan for three years and started to see my cholesterol and triglyceride levels start to fall. Still being about 40 pounds overweight, about four months ago I also reduced my fat intake and have lost just over 15 pounds. My blood work just came in and my cholesterol has shot up to its highest level ever. What’s that about?What constitutes your vegan diet? Are you consuming processed white flours? Do you consume free oils? These are important points as one needs to eat minimally processed plant foods to reach optimal health goals.Right now I am using the Happy Herbivore food plans. I will need to look through the site to determine what makes up a free oil. My consumption of oils like olive oil etc. are almost non-existent. I make my own vegetable stock and use that for all sauté and stir fry. She does depend some on canned items, but for the most part I make foods from scratch. Her plans are higher in carbs than I ate previously, but not what I think is a lot of processed flours. There is some use of corn tortillas, or whole wheat tortillas.Happy Herbivore is a good stepping stone, but still tends to be higher in salt and added sugars compared with forks over knives recipes. http://www.forksoverknives.com/category/recipes/If you exercise regularly, eat minimally processed plant foods, get plenty of leefy greens and fruits in your diet and limit your consumption of added sugars, added fat and added salt, you should find that your cholesterol numbers will drop. Do you exercise regularly?I probably do OK on the salt as I don’t add any, and cook some items from scratch. Sugar maybe not so much. Have stuff going at work right now that has meant working very long hours – I’ve actually dropped nearly all exercise since September. I was actually online yesterday trying to find a couple of classes that could be outside of all of the hours I am working. Will stress drive up total cholesterol?Mostly vegan for a year, mostly vegetarian for about 9 years. For the past year no flours at all, no foods with added sugar, fats mostly consist of nuts, chia seeds, flax meal, avocado, and a little avocado oil or olive oil. My triglycerides have gone up and so has my total cholesterol, although HDLs went up and LDLs went down, VLDLs went up. My total cholesterol is the highest it has ever been, although the ratios are very good. I Lost 20 pounds in the past year and am at BMI 18 and trying to hold steady. When I googled triglycerides going up I found reference to active weight loss causing temporary increases in cholesterol and triglycerides as fat is burned away. Could weight loss be causing elevations in cholesterol or triglycerides? I hope it isn’t the fruit . . . :(It proves my point. It’s not about cholesterol, it’s the carbs and grains and sugars.Naturehike, when you burn your own fat, your cholesterol readings can indicate as such. Your body is ‘eating’ the fat stored on it, so naturally it is as if you are eating animal fat, especially if you got fat on animal fat to begin with. This is what can account for cholesterol readings during initial weight loss. The fat you’re burning is the fat you ate initially…Makes sense, eh? After your initial weight loss, the numbers will drop.My guess: your test caught you in a post-loss-bounce combined with less-active/high job-stress period. All it takes is a week or two getting happy for the numbers to show it.“The evidence linking cholesterol intake to arterial disease is pretty solid at this point.”Which study/studies shows that dietary cholesterol contributes to CVD?wtf man u go on here looking for advise from these educated doctors and they cant agree on anything?????? so my question is an answer if one says vagan and another says meat maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle? but if all meat is bad cuz of the studys then all fruit is bad too.. what clots your arteries?? meat or sugar? or both? if i ate meat and sat around on my fat ass i am sure i would get clot same with fruits.. what do u think doc?Most of the physicians who are knowledgable about the role of nutrition in avoiding disease and disability agree 95% of the time. The science does keep changing however it keeps building to support the following paradigm or belief. Anatomically and physiologically we are “hind gut fermenting herbivores”. Eating meat, dairy and eggs even if they do not contain persistent organic pollutants (e.g. dioxin, pesticides) and chemicals such as mercury and arsenic is not healthy unless to avoid starvation. Fruit is fine in limited quantities. We burn glucose as our primary fuel so starches (e.g. potatoes, rice, whole grains) should be our main food. Fructose in fruits or added to sodas is only metabolized in the liver to triglycerides, uric acid, inflammatory aldehydes and cholesterol. Some does get converted to glucose but that the amount and thresholds for these are still being worked out. I would stay tuned to nutritionfacts.org as the science is changing. Other reputable commercial free information can be found on the John McDougall MD website and the PCRM website. You mentioned exercise which is certainly important but nutrition is probably 80%, exercise 15% and 5% other. At any rate.. my opinion based on the current science. I am open to change as the science changes.So, should we cut back on fruit consumption to avoid fructose and all if it’s evils?I think moderate fruit consumption is fine. I would avoid the concentrated processed sugars although used in limited amounts you are most likely okay. There may be certain patients with fructose malabsorption syndrome or elevated cholesterol that would need to decrease consumption of fruits. The current pharmacokinetics of how the body handles fructose suggests that up to four servings a day should be fine but more research would be useful.Dr. Greger, Six months ago I was facing yet another stenting ‘procedure’, after a heart attack, Quad-bypass, two stenting procedures (5 stents total). I was suffering, intensely, from every side effect that comes with statin drugs including dementia and muscle wasting and cramping, popping Nitro like candy just to get through the day, 30 pounds overweight, and, in candor, mentally getting my final business in order.At the same time, I chose to stop statin drugs and become an Uber-Vegan. This decision was after extensive research and information gathering about statin drugs and ways to live without them. Operative word here is LIVE – not exist. The information that you have offered, along with several others, was instrumental for an educated decision to take my sojourn into a new life.My status today, at 64; I am off all medications except for nutraceuticals, my cholesterol is 155, results of my latest Nuclear stress test shows no indications of blockages, 34 pounds lighter – from 192lbs to 158lbs (from a snug 38″ waist to a comfortable 30″), briskly walking 3+ miles a day, mentally sharp, and looking forward to a longer and healthier life.Wishing to share this option to others in my predicament, I am working on a project in which your information would be important to reference.If you would, Doctor, please PM me at ronzet@hotmail.com to let me know if it is possible and if you would be willing to discuss this project with me. At your service, Ron ZWhat an incredible story! Congratulations! p.s. I love your username! I’ve often thought about taking up the cello and as an old dog learning new tricks would no doubt be a “bad cellist”. I think it’s such a beautiful instrument. Cheers.Dear Doctor, is Quaker quick cooking oats good for diabetic patient.?Hi Doctor… I eat 4 egg whites every morning (no yolk at all). Is this still bad for me ? I believe there is no cholesterol at least in egg whites. Is there anything else I should be aware of ? It would be great if you did a video of this, many people have stopped eating yolks and feel safe with the whites, hope we aren’t wrong.ThanksThe issue with animal protein is also the IGF-1 raising effects which promotes tumor growth. The more protein, the greater effect we will see. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1I don’t know if it’s bad for your health but I know it’s not good for the chicken’s health.Chickens are on earth to be eaten.There are lots of problems with eggs in addition to the IGF-1, like the choline. Just go to the top of any page on this site and type, “egg” in the search box. Then watch a few videos for a sense of the problems and risks.Dr. Gregor. Would you be able to comment on the recent article about Saturated Fats that was published in the British Medical Journal on Oct. 22, 2013. I would love to know your perspective on what he says. Thanks. Pete Greider. Here’s the link: “Saturated fat is not the major issue.” BMJ 2013; 347 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f6340 (Published 22 October 2013)Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f6340I will share with you what I have shared elsewhere on this site regarding this myth.“Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/535.full.pdf+htmlThis Meta-analysis looked at 21 different studies, and came to the conclusion that “there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD [heart disease].”Shared by Jeff Novick:One major problem with this study is they did not look at any studies where the saturated fat intake was less than 7%, which is the level recommended by the American Heart Association. Most of the diets had saturated fat intakes in the range of 10-15% (or more).So, just like the studies that criticize “low fat” diets, but never analyze any diet that is truly low fat and based on the principles of low fat, high fiber, whole plant foods, this study criticizes the impact of lowering saturated fat, but never looked at any diet that truly lowered saturated fat to the level recommended.Another problem with the study is what the subjects replaced the saturated fat with when comparing the 2. For many, if not most, it was with either (or products containing) hydrogenated/trans fat, while flour, white sugar and/or mono fats.People who replaced saturated fat in their diet with polyunsaturated fat (omega 3/6) reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by 19 percent, compared with control groups of people who do not.http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000252Lastly, studies on all-cause mortality trumps findings for subsets such as CHD and CVD. Most all-cause studies demonstrate a direct relation between saturated fat intake and all-cause mortality and the lower the better. Here is a list of studies showing just this.“the results of this study support earlier observations that dietary intakes low in SF or high in FV [fruits and vegetables] each offer protection against CHD mortality. In addition, however, our data suggest that the combination of both high FV with relatively low SF intake offers greater protection against both total and CHD mortality than either practice alone.”http://jn.nutrition.org/content/135/3/556.long“The major finding of the present study is that the average population intake of saturated fat and vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers are major determinants of all-cause mortality rates. Saturated fat and smoking are detrimental, but vitamin C seems to be protective in relation to the health of populations…The potential effect of changes in saturated fat, vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers can be illustrated as follows. A change in saturated fat of 5% of energy is associated with a 4.7% change in age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate (Table 3).”http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/2/260.long“A high RRR pattern score, which was associated with high intake of fat and protein and low intake of carbohydrates, increased the risk of death. Subjects with a pattern score belonging to the highest quintile obtained on average 37·2 % of their energy from fat and 37·6 % from carbohydrates and thus did not meet current dietary recommendations (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2002). Food groups that contributed to this unfavourable pattern of energy sources were red meat, poultry, processed meat, butter, sauces and eggs, whereas a high intake of bread and fruits decreased the pattern score.”http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FBJN%2FBJN93_05%2FS000711450500111Xa.pdf&code=6fbdbd311fb43ee23a840b894cced959From the National Academy of Science:“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions; they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither an AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids. There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acid intake increases CHD risk”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422“The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al., 1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432From the editor in chief of the American Journal of Cardiology.“As shown in Figure 1, most of the risk factors do not in themselves cause atherosclerosis [heart disease]…The atherosclerotic risk factors showing that the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis is cholesterol.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/Dr. Greger. Thanks for taking the time to post such a thorough reply. I will read all of this carefully this weekend.I am not Dr. Greger, I am a nutritionfacts team member. But I am glad I could share with you helpful information.ABC Catalyst recent documentary “Hearth of the matter” http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/heartofthematter/ made a strong statement interviewing many doctors who think that the association between high colesterol and hearth disease is uncertain, to say the least. I think you should address this claims with scientific rigor and not just dismiss them as the matter is really important. Thank youMy wife works out 2 hours per day and has been doing wonderfully on the 100% Vegan for about a year and her health has improved along with her blood numbers. With my energy levels low would there be foods you might suggest I get back into to repair what you outlined as missing (heme iron, taurine, CoQ10, not to mention cholesterol, saturated fat, and protein generally) in your email? I would appreciate it. I’m thinking fish(oil) fresh from the sea or sardines? FYI, just for interest sake this is what I eat each day: Anyone else out there having energy issues with Vegan? Remember guys, a damaged ego is better than death!)Everyday starts 1 Quart of Lemon Water (this has appeared to be very helpful to me)Breakfast 6 various fruits per day Oatmeal(real oats) with Chia/Millett/Flax/raisins/drop of MS or Agave/ goji berries, hemp hearts(have this about 3-4X’s per week(weekends flax bread with PB&J)Lunch 3 pounds of salad made up of broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, red pepper, snow peas, carrots, tomatoes, quinoa, red onion and a drop of homemade dressing(olive oil/lemon) or large homemade mushroom or other vege soupSupper Cooked various vegan cookbook fair with lots of vegesDesserts Homemade ginger cookies or banana bread or fruitI figure if you saw what I eat maybe you would have some quick suggestions about ‘what foods’ I’m missing. I sincerely appreciate your thoughts as this is becoming quite frustrating when I have ALWAYS been perfectly healthy and although I only workout 30 minutes per day, have always had stamina!PS: For the past 8 years our meals have been similar except we ate ‘fresh from the sea’ no processed varieties of NS fish 4 nites per week.Happy New Year. RossDear Dr, I am still confused about the cholesterol myth. After reading the book I am convinced that cholesterol does not cause heart disease and it’s more of an inflammatory response which drives the disease. I have read your posts on the Atkins diet as well. If we all ate a low sugar diet (which causes lots of inflammation) ate predominantly vegetables and a little bit of meat and animal products, would that be the best option for optimal health? It’s difficult to get my head around with so much conflicting evidence! Clients always ask me about this and I just wanted to clarify. Thanks so much, I love your website! (you saved me a lot of research whilst I was in uni!) Kind Regards, StaceyDr. Greger, I appreciate your work on this site. It has helped me eat more plant-based.But this post is seriously lacking, especially for anyone who is trying make informed decisions.The premise behind “The Great Cholesterol Myth” is that dietary cholesterol has little to no influence on blood cholesterol, and therefore dietary cholesterol cannot be blamed for CVD.The sources in your “Carbophobia” book, and the medical journal editorial entitled “Cholesterol Myth Club on Par with Flat Earth Society” do not show that dietary cholesterol causes CVD, or raises blood cholesterol to significantly increase CVD.What are your real thoughts on this?Hi Dr. Greger, I’m sure many of us are awaiting your response to the latest study, described here “Study Questions Fat and Heart Disease Link” : http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/study-questions-fat-and-heart-disease-link/?alg=44K8Y. Would love to hear your always cogent thoughts. Many thanks, MelissaI’ve been searching for a study that demonstrates eggs raise LDL cholesterol levels but have not yet found one. Most of what I read indicates eggs only raise cholesterol in “hyper responders,” who make up 30-40% of the population. Can anybody provide insight into this?There are many, many studies showing that consuming dietary cholesterol raises LDL levels. There’s certainly nothing special about eggs to make them an exception to the rule. Try searching “eggs” in the search field, then open the citations under various videos. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of studies that show eggs raise cholesterol.Maybe you should check out “The Questionable Link Between Saturated Fat and Heart Disease – “Saturated fat does not cause heart disease”— concluded a big study published in March in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.The dubious science behind the anti-fat crusade”http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303678404579533760760481486?mod=WSJ_hp_RightTopStories&mg=reno64-wsjWhen I click on the link above “Cholesterol Myth Club on Par with Flat Earth Society” it takes me to the publication but it only shows the title. There is nothing there to read. Any suggestions?Lawrence: Dr. Greger does his best to provide full references and *when possible,* links to the actual studies or editorials. However, many times it is just not possible to link to the full text of the study because those studies/papers are available only to paying subscribers of the related journal.Some ideas: Sometimes local libraries, especially university libraries have subscriptions to those journals. You might try there. If you were really gung-ho to read an article, *I think* some publications have some short-term or single-study access rates. Other than that, I’m not sure what else you could do other than paying for a full subscription to the journal. Other people may have better ideas than me.Personally, I would like to see journal’s supported in some way that makes their content fully available for free to the public. But no one asked me.I am sorry to read about flat earth. Seems like you are not taking science into serious consideration. As a Dane I am aware of the Danish researcher and professor Uffe Ravnskov, ph.D.. He worked on cholesterol myth in more than 20 years. Please See his results on: http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol Also the distinguised double Nobel Prize Winner: Linus Pauling has stated that the cholesterol plays a minor roll. It is the Lp(a) which parcitipates in giving CVD. Refer to his studies also with Dr. Rath and Pauling. But apart from that I honour your very serious and Scientific based results here on this website. Best Regards Michael Frank , Denmark.Can Familial hypercholesterolemia be managed by diet alone or is medication needed?I would like to ask Dr Greger on how to increase testosterone production without(or very low) saturated fat/cholesterol. Everywhere I research it seems to be the general consensus that to increase testosterone production (along with better sleep, more zinc/magnesium/vitamin D and such) it really starts with building the testosterone from cholesterol/saturated fats. Is there any way to increase testosterone levels while limiting/replacing cholesterol(or at least balance its negative effects with something else).Thank you for any clarity/information on the subject !Just read the comments on “the cholesterol myth”. A little clarification please. Studying for my diplomate in clinical nutrition we review the importance of various chemical substrates in the overall production of many essential organic materials. If I try to eliminate cholesterol from my diet how am I suposed to produce vitamin D endogenously?Attacking the intelligence of someone on the other side of an issue rather than addressing the issue is at best unhelpful. If you don’t have a real answer, just say so.I can’t seem to find a copy of “cholesterol myth club on par with flat earth society.” anywhere. PubMed has it but won’t let me even look at it.One of top missions has been to educate people on real cause of heart disease and it’s not a cholesterol issue as we’ve been let to believe for so many years.Coronary inflammation is the major predictor of heart disease. To predict heart disease risk it is necessary to run the tests for markers of inflammation. For a closer look on the truth of cholesterol you can refer to http://www.drsinatra.com/the-great-cholesterol-mythI think that high cholesterol is not the major cause of heart disease. According to research, the true cause of heart disease is inflammation. Chronic inflammation is the major predictor of coronary artery disease and in order to prevent this inflammation Dr. Jonny Bowden, an author of the Great Cholesterol Myth, is an excellent resource on how to debunk this myth. He had developed a 7-Point Program for preventing heart disease. To learn more go here http://jonnybowden.com/my-7-point-program-for-preventing-heart-disease/Enid: The science/evidence explaining what causes heart disease is very strong and very clear. The people who promote cholesterol denialism are very persuasive and often trick for those who are not aware. It is easy to understand why so many people fall victim to it. If you would like to learn about the many flaws behind the arguments proposed by Dr. Jonny Bowden and other cholesterol confusionists, you can start on this site. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=cholesterolIf you want to get at the nitty gritty focusing solely on the holes in cholesterol denialism, check out Plant Positive. Here are some videos that mention Jonny Bowden: http://plantpositive.com/display/Search?moduleId=19496100&searchQuery=Jonny+BowdenHere is a whole series of videos addressing the serious logic flaws and deliberate lies behind cholesterol denialism: http://plantpositive.com/display/Search?moduleId=19496100&searchQuery=denialIt’s a lot to get through. But worth it.http://anh-europe.org/news/saturated-fat-myth-busted-in-british-medical-journal …I thought that most informed nutritionists had realised this many years ago!?!Saturated fat and cholesterol almost exclusively found in animal products is known to increase serum cholesterol. We have known for decades from a plethora of studies that a direct relationship exist with increasing total cholesterol concentration in the blood and increasing risk of coronary heart disease(CHD) and death. In fact, if one reduces consumption of saturated fat and replaces it with healthier polyunsaturated fat that “would significantly reduce rates of CHD”. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2843598/Another observational study followed more than 300,000 subjects for 10 years and the conclusion was similar, replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat helps prevent heart disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19211817When regarding any competing hypothesis, especially one with such drastic potential outcome such as sudden cardiac death, I tell my patients to employ the precautionary principle. Many excellent studies have shown an association between meat consumption and increased heart disease. I have not found one study that shows a link between vegetable consumption and increased heart disease. For me, I’ll take the safest route and eat only plant foods. Furthermore, as Dr. Greger points out, there is only one diet that has shown in scientific peer reviewed literature, to reverse heart disease and that is a plant based diet. For an excellent review on this subject please see this article by a renowned cardiologist. http://dresselstyn.com/JFP_06307_Article1.pdfDr. Gregor:I am having a hard time reconciling your views with this research.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/02/25/new-dietary-guidelines-fat-cholesterol.aspxLimitations for cholesterol will likely be removed from the 2015 edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans; overconsumption of dietary cholesterol is now cited as being of no concern.A recent review of studies investigating the link between dietary fat and causes of death concluded that recommendations to reduce the amount of fat we eat every day should never have been made.When fat was removed from processed foods, sugar was added in. This has led to a massive increase in obesity, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, even among children.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2296560,
PLAIN-360	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/might-too-many-antioxidants-cause-cancer/	Might too many antioxidants cause cancer?	Could you please comment on the recent statement by James Watson (DNA discoverer) that antioxidants can actually cause cancer. pprender / Originally Posted in Maxing Out on Antioxidants The full-text of Jim Watson’s article can be found here. As you can see, he’s talking about “antioxidative nutritional supplements,” something I’ve also warned about in videos such as: Whenever possible we should get our nutrients from produce, not pills. 	Do you think amla powder is worth taking considering this article?Absolutely! Though it may look like a supplement, it’s just whole powdered Indian gooseberries. See all my amla videos starting with Amla Versus Cancer Cell Growth.Supplements have never sat right with me. Mother Nature didn’t make supplement pill trees. She made whole foods. Eat an organic whole diet.In my Morning smoothies I have 2 large kale leaves and then 1 Tb each of ashwaganda, golden berries, goji berry, acai powder, maca, 2 TBS chia, hemp hearts, flax, raw cacoa nibs, 6 dates, 4 dried figs, 1/2 cup each of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries, apple, banana, pineapple, 1/3 cup wheatgrass juice, carrot and a few other fruits…in a vitamix with spring water…this makes 2 days worth of smoothies for my husband and myself. Am I over supplementing us or am I doing a body good?All of the “supplements” you are adding to your smoothie are of plant origin, not synthesized in a lab and therefore will have the benefit of the symbiosis of nutrients. The smoothie sounds delicious! If i were to make a suggestion, I would add more greens and less fruit, as a lot of fruit can increase blood sugar levels. :)Our blender looks the same! Kinda purple and brown. So funny.Guess I’ll hold off on that colloidal silver purchase. However, in all seriousness here’s a question: Would you say that anti oxidants are always anti inflammatory? Or, put another way – if an anti oxidant has a high ORAC score (or whatever it is) is it also a better anti-inflammatory? Or, is there some other common denominator in food that makes it anti-inflammatory (such ginger or tumeric) and others not so much?My heads spinning because I don’t know which supplements to keep and which to discard. Should I continue with vegetable capsules of 500 mg of L -cysteine? Of 250 mg of L -carnitine? Omega 3-6 -9 vegan plant based swirl with flaxseed oil and borage oil? Also my health food store sold me on buying “cardio for life ” supplement. Is it safe?As a general rule the only supplement to recommend to folks on a whole food plant based diet is Vit B12 (see Dr. Greger’s 5 video series in Feb 2012 beginning with http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/ . Beyond that isolated nutrients have a bad track record Vit E, Vit A and Beta carotene supplements increase morbidity and mortality. Follow the links that Dr. Greger recommends above. I haven’t seen any good controlled scientific studies to support other supplements. The best science supports a varied whole plant based diet insuring adequate B12 intake. However each individual is unique and if you are having symptoms you should work with a physician who is knowledgeable in this area.what is your opinion regarding msm supplements. I take a heaped teaspoon of pure powder daily along with my raw vegan diet but have read a lot of conflicting opinions re the sulphur and it slowing the lymphatic system, according to Dr Robert Morse n.d and then the other side David Wolfe says it is a powerful detoxifier etc. Confused!!! your valued opinion please!!!Supplements could be a waste of money since most of them do not cover the antioxidant network and are not absorbed properly. I am an antioxidant scanner operator and most people we scan that take supplements of the store shelf, actually have a low score!! When you take supplements that covers the antioxidant network, and are taken twice a day (water soluble vitamins needs to be replenished since they only last 8-12 hours), and are absorbed properly, only then will your antioxidant score go up and strengthen your immune system. There is a wave of Optometrists around the country now adapting this scanner in their practices since it is the only tool to measure ones immune system and antioxidants in 90 seconds. Just my two cents:-)I have never heard of an antioxidant scanner before. What country are you in? And are these scanners reliable?Are pistachios a healthy snack?What specific nutrients are contained?Is it a lower calorie nut than the others?Pistachios are a fine food to eat moderately. They have a poor omega 6:3 ratio so limiting their consumption to 1 ounce per day would be optimal. Like most whole plant foods, pistachios have a variety of nutrients that can be seen here.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3136/2Dr. Greger, I think you may have misinterpreted Jim Watson. Unlike me, he doesn’t share your view on “produce, not pills”. See for example section 22 on page 8 of his article, where he states:“Blueberries best be eaten because they taste good, not because their consumption will lead to less cancer.”I think the crux of Watson’s position on antioxidants is summed up in the following quotation from that article:“In light of the recent data strongly hinting that much of late-stage cancer’s untreatability may arise from its possession of too many antioxidants, the time has come to seriously ask whether antioxidant use much more likely causes than prevents cancer.”Dear Dr Greger, My wife eats one to one-and-a-half lb of raw radishes each day (sometimes more) and can’t manage for long without a supply at hand – she developed this insatiable appetite for radishes about a year ago for no apparent reason. Are there likely to be any negative health effects associated with this dietary habit? Needless to say a significant portion of my day is now devoted to cutting and washing radishes…Peter: I am not a doctor nor am I an expert on nutrition. So, take this for what it is worth.My thoughts are: based on your description, it sounds like this would be a good problem to bring to a (plant-based) doctor. If your wife is eating 1.5 pounds of radishes, then she is not eating an array of other healthful foods. Any food in excess can be a problem. I don’t know if 1.5 pounds counts as “excess” or not. But when you say, “insatiable appetite” and “can’t manage for long…”, it sounds like it *could* be a medical (or psychological?) problem. Just something to think about.I hope it all works out for you both. And “Yeah!” for you helping with all those radishes!What about probiotics? I just found a Greek Yogurt replacement, So Delicious brand Almond cultured milk (and Coconut cultured milk) which contains active cultures…is eating yogurt or supplementing probiotics a good idea? I started eating vegan last week due to the education I received watching your video clips!! Today is day #6! Thank you!Dr. Greger covers probiotics herehttp://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/What are your thoughts on Glutathione and cancer? as I have Lymphoma.There is a dietary supplement called Cellfood by Lumina Health Products. Is there any research on this supplement?Could you please give your view as to whether the science currently supports the view that antioxidants are actually relevant to maintaining health, Put another way, when we say this food contains antioxidants, are we doing anything of significance.This a question for Dr. Greger, are there any studies about giving Taxol and amla together. What could the advantages or dangers be?Hi, can you please comment on ecklonia cava? This is a type of seaweed. 1) would you consider its market sources to be whole foods (like amla powder) or ‘supplements’ to avoid? Some capsules seem to be whole powdered, and some are “water extracted” 25:1, frond and stipe. 2) It is marketed as having a high ORAC score – do you recommend it as a antioxidant? if so, the extration would seem to be a more concentrated antioxidant, but is it still “whole”? Thanks!Can you please advise how as I vegan I can be worry free about getting my protein intake and any other concerns for nutrition?Hi Beverly, here are the recommendations and a site listing gms of protein in foods: 1. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-protein-recommendations/ You can also use the Search functionality or Alphabetized List on the left side/navigation bar to find more.2. http://www.heartspring.net/list_of_vegetarian_protein_foods.htmlIts not hard to get protein so no need to worry if you are eating a healthy whole-food plants (not junk food vegan like chips, soda, licorice, etc.).Hope this helps get you at peace about protein, JacquieDoes anyone have any information about the JuicePlus supplements? They are whole fruit and veg, dried with limited processing and put in a capsule. On the surface it looks good but I want to find out more before I commit to taking them given the article above. Thanksceri: Dr. Greger has two videos on JuicePlus. See what you think. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=juice+plusBeverly: Here are my two favorite sites for explaining protein needs. If JacquieRN’s info didn’t suit, then if you work through these two articles, I’m sure you will be worry free ever more!http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlhttp://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ (check out December 2003 for McDougall’s site, “A Brief History of Protein: Passion, Social Bigotry, Rats, and Enlightenment”. Also April 2007, “When Friends Ask: Where do you get your protein?”)How does powdered Blue Algae compare to Amla powder in terms of anti-oxy ?Answer me this: my only proveable issue is that im allergic to but must recieve iron supplement iv treatment therapy. Im alergic to it. I havent had any recently, however, ive had a rediculous craving for Kerns Peach Nectar (peach puree) & on advice of my P.C.P. , am feeding my habit & have been since april. Now im as orange as an Oompa Loompa because of too mich vitamin A?! Is nothing good for you?! I have a one ounce stomach &can only drink about 22 oz.s of juice a day, slightly more at absolute maximum! Karotinemia to accompany my severe anemia, inability to produce iron & becoming alergic to synthetic iron within minutes of my first infusion therapy treatment, not to mention my severe reaction to & deficiency of vitamin D. Someone know something please! It was my birthday on the 14th of july & my wish was some kind of answer or assistance with even just the horrible pain this causes me from the waist down mostly, which makes every month even that much more of a struggle.for my husbamd & i. We want chidlren-i just turned 32, i really hope.someone wojld look into improving my lifee jst a bit,this has been my everything since about 2009. KarlyroseI have kidney disease and prone to anemia apperntly the anemia itself was making me yellow. Can you eat leafy dark leafy greens for iron? Have u had your b12 levels… Are u eating enough fats (3,6 and 9)… I’m no doctor but going on personal experience I have found the dark leafy greens and goods fats help me a lot.fats from hemp and chia seeds plus some avocado and olive with ur greens and orange food.But Watson stated “Blueberries best be eaten because they taste good, not because their consumption will lead to less cancer.”Dr. Greger, what effect does drinking a cup of coffee a day have on adult stem cells?I take Grapefruit Seed Extract 125mg capsules when I travel to 3rd world countries where I am worried I will get sick from the water or food. I understand they are antibacterial and antiviral and coat your stomach better than pepto bismo. But I have also heard they are poison to your system. I would love to know more.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/	-
PLAIN-361	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/which-foods-have-the-most-potassium/	Which foods have the most potassium?	can you provide a link to the data on potassium levels of various foods? Charlene / Originally Posted in Potassium and Autoimmune Disease The new USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference is now out! Our tax dollars hard at work to analyze the nutrient content of more than 8,000 foods. I’m so glad you asked this question, Charlene, because I’m surprised more don’t know about this incredible resource. If you’re looking for the most concentrated sources of any particular nutrient in the new 2012 database, click here. Then scroll down to potassium and click on Potassium-Sorted By Nutrient Content and poof! A list of about a thousand foods ranked from the most concentrated source (2,675mg in each cup of concentrated tomato paste) down to zero in “foods” like lard and hard candies. You can also download the list alphabetically to make it easier to look up your favorite foods. And that’s just the beginning! WARNING: browsing the Nutrient Database can be addictive for nutrition geeks–like me! (though if you were a true nutrition geek you’d already be sleeping with the entire database under your pillow :). So the next time you see me do a video on fiber, for example, (like Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen) you can look up to see which foods have the most. See Fat Burning Via Flavonoids and wonder where the heck you can find them? They’ve got the answer. Amazed by Egg Industry Blind Spot or intrigued by Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther and want to know where to find those critical eyesight saving nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin? Look no further. What foods have the most sugar? The most trans fats? The most cholesterol or the most vitamin C? It has it all! A consumer friendly version available in PDF form of some of the most common nutrients in some of the most common foods can be downloaded here. And for more depth you can browse through individual reports on each of the 36 food groups. 	Do pickled beets have the same nutrient value as regular or cooked beets?Beets, Beets they’re good for your heart? And so many other body parts. Should you eat them raw, cooked, juiced, or pickled?In a side by side comparison of pickled beets/boiled/raw the nutrients all remained just about equal however, for pickled beets the sodium content almost quadruples and the sugar content more than doubles.Thanks. Having high blood pressure I completely forgot about the salt/sugar content.Some things that I have been told are very high in potassium are: coconut water, panela or natural cane sugar and molasses, however, I can’t find these on the chart. Any idea where they actually fall? Thank you very much.If you would like to look up foods, or see a list of foods with the highest potassium I would look here. We should strive to get our nutrients from whole plant foods rather than foods that are, more or less, empty calories.http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000122000000000000000.htmlI wonder what happened to the database? It only says “The service is unavailable.”haha oh Dr Greger! I’ll have to try that “database under my pillow” trickDo kale and other leaves retain nutrients when picked from the garden and frozen for smoothies in winter?Freezing food when it is fresh is an excellent way to retain nutrients.Thank you for all the work that you do. My husband and I became Vegans two months ago. Your videos are invaluable to us. Because my husband is a scientist he relies on facts. Whenever he quizzes me I refer him to your website. Thanks again Dr. Greger!!!When I tried to access the research sites, I found the gov closed them for lack of funding.I get a yeast smell and don’t eat hardly any processed food. Just fruits and veggies. Should I lay off the fruit or what else would you recommend as I’m vegan and eat lots of veggies? I also have dandruff. Any advice?Also this is random, but is there any nutritional value difference in the different types of whole wheats like red, white, and etc?Doesn’t this website have all the information on a handy search? http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/nutrient-searchPlease help me understand the 4,700 mg per day standard for Potassium. I eat a whole-food plant-based diet, and log everything on a smartphone app. Potassium is one of the nutrients I have been tracking. I don’t think I have ever hit 4,700 mg of Potassium! It seems like an almost impossible target. It would take two pounds of baked potatoes – or a dozen bananas!Of course I could eat that many potatoes or bananas, but that would dominate my diet.I read up on the Institute of Medicine about the standard, and it seemed like they picked it because there seemed to be benefits to more Potassium and no ill effects to going that high. All well and good, but are we all supposed to actually strive to hit that number? We are told that we should not supplement Potassium, by Dr. Greger, Dr. Weil, and others. Canada has a standard of as I recall 1600mg.How much should I really be trying to get every day?Thanks for you help. I absolutely love the site!Hi wkever, Thanks for reposting your question. Hmmm a dozen bananas? I guess you’re right (I calculated about 11.3) if that is all you ate! What about beans? They are pretty high, 1 cup of black beans = 740mg. I feel like a balanced diet with plenty of plant-foods will give you 4700mg. Check out more of Dr. Greger’s links in the Answer section there is a way to find foods high in potassium if that is what you’re shooting for.Best, JosephI eat a whole can of beans nearly every day – that gives me about 1200mg for the 1.625 cups in the can. I would have to eat 4 whole cans of beans a day to get to the target.Could you provide an example food list for a day that reaches 4700mg of Potassium?I eat beans, greens, broccoli, and bananas every day and rarely come even close to the target.3 cups of raw spinach is 500mg. Sounds good, but it would take 28 cups of spinach to reach the target.It is discouraging when even the very best sources really are not all the dense.I don’t really have a menu, but I’ll try a food list if that is helpful? Did you see the database that shows food with potassium? That is really all I am calculating so I am just throwing out random foods. I think we forgot to mention potatoes. Bananas eat your heart out! The potato is IN :-)one large baked potato with skins = 1650mg 1/4 cup salsa = 200mg (a guess) but a cup of tomatoes is 550mg one cup black beans = 740mgone banana = 500mg whole grain pita = 150mg 1/4 cup hummus = 100mg 2 celery stocks = 300mg 1 orange = 250mg 1 cup wild rice = 200mgThanks, Joseph.You actually only got to 4050mg, and you used a monster potato (2/3 of a pound!), but we can throw another couple of bananas in there or 5 or 6 cups of greens. Dr. Greger is not big on white potatoes, and his preferred sweet potatoes are somewhat lower in potassium. It would take just over a pound of sweet potatoes to get the 1650mg – about 3 medium sweet potatoes.I discovered that the nutrient databases in MyFitnessPal and Cronometer seem to be missing potassium on quite a few foods. Very disappointing. I eat a whole can of beans, which should be well over 1000mg of Potassium, and the app scores it as zero because its database is poor!I dunno, man – it is still very difficult to get to 4700mg even with good data. You really have to work at it, and it is hard to measure as well because the most convenient tools seem to be lacking. This, combined with the fact that no food is extremely potassium-dense, makes it a chore to get to the target.I guess I will go back to not worrying about it. I eat beans, greens, and bananas every day so I know I am getting a fair amount, but knowing if I am hitting the target seems impractical.Thanks again!	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-362	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-dangers-of-fluoride/	The dangers of fluoride (tap water fluoridation)?	Dr. Greger, I have heard some talk about the dangers of fluoride. When I research this all I stumble upon are propagandists websites without scientific backing. Is there any truth to these claims that fluoride in our water supply and toothpaste is damaging our health? Toxins / Originally asked on the NutritionFacts.org facebook page The proposed EPA changes to water fluoridation have sparked a resurgence of many of the old anti-fluoridation arguments, which as far as I can tell were successfully debunked over 50 years ago. According to the CDC, fluoridation of drinking water joins vaccination (another unjustly vilified practice) as one of the greatest public health achievements in the last last century. 	Why do they think that something that has been show to help topically, will cause the same benefit when ingested? It doesn’t make any sense to me!I agree. I drink distilled water (for 14 years) and get my minerals and vitamins from a great vegan diet, supplementing B12 and D. Wht try to be healthy and eat organic clean food, etc., and then 6-8 glasses a day of dirty tap water containing chlorine, floride, arsenic, etc., etc. Those that say tap water is tested and has to meet special requirements… humbug! Just as our meat and fish and chicken and on and on is so carefully inspected. Don’t believe it!If you are used to the taste of distilled, what does tap water taste like to you?it tastes like assbecause they are aiming to calcify your pineal glandDr Doctor, I have just read at a website of a company producing cosmetics for vegetarians, that human body absorbs fluoride only until late teens, therefore we should not take it any later. Is this true? I cannot find any research results supporting this. Regards, Marta, PLAn adult with healthy kidneys retains 50% of the fluoride ingested. When exposed to fluoride in utero or during youth, that means developing teeth and brains absorb fluoride. Dentist like to claim it makes teeth harder by virtue of very mild dental fluorosis…. it may to a certain extent, but it also makes them more brittle. Moderate to severe dental fluorosis which afflicts approximately 10% of youth in fluoridated communities (mostly non-white because of genetics and poor because of nutrition) suffer from disfiguring moderate and severe fluorosis which is very costly to fix with veneers and crowns.There are also 20 years of animal, in vitro, and epidemiological studies showing that during this same period, fluoride causes subtle neurological changes resulting in increased learning disabilities. Additionally, fluoridated communities have more than double the rate of low thyroid disease, as it affects normal hormone functioning. Girls will also experience menarche sooner.Depending on the health of your kidneys and your water intake, arthritic symptoms will begin to manifest somewhere between 2 and 20 or so years of exposure to fluoridated water and food. Those with sensitivities, can expect to experience a worsening of autoimmune diseases like allergies, Celiac or Crohn’s diseases, lupus, etc.Brockovich et al 2015 Letter: http://momsagainstfluoridation.org/sites/default/files/pdf-documents/Brockovich-Letter-to-US-Natl-Acad-Science-Inst-Medicine.pdf2014 Peel Legal Memo & Thiessen affidavit: http://momsagainstfluoridation.org/sites/default/files/Fluoridation-Legal-Opinion-June-24-14.pdfLimeback 2007 Letter: http://www.eidon.com/dr-hardy-limeback.htmlMullenix 1999 Letter: http://www.nofluoride.com/mullenix_bsa.cfmKennedy 1998 Letter: http://www.nofluoride.com/kennedy_letter.cfmColquhoun 1993 Affidavit: http://fluorideinformationaustralia.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/affidavit-of-dr-john-colquhoun.pdfCollection of 23 Affidavits filed in US courts: https://fluorideinformationaustralia.wordpress.com/legal/affidavits/Here is another older study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2199852/pdf/jhyg00202-0056.pdfhttp://www.nteu280.org/Issues/Fluoride/flouridelist.htmDr. Greger, I recently read that the fluoride added to 90% of drinking water is hydrofluoric acid which is a compound of fluorine that is a chemical byproduct of aluminum, steel, cement, phosphate, and nuclear weapons manufacturing. Is this true? If so, common sense dictates that floride might not be worth the benefits…HF, called Hydrogen Flouride is an extremely lethal and acidic compound that will burn through all organic matter and most inorganic matter. I highly doubt that the drinking water contains HF as a sip would burn a hole through the esophagus.Ann didn’t post that water was 90% HFA, but rather, that 90% of the water supplies have HFA added, a -very- small %. No “hole though the esophagus”, but still an unnecessarily-added poisonous by-product of aluminum smelting. How is it that the US National Research Council has taken fluoride off the list of essential nutrients yet still considers it “beneficial” ? Something stinks here.Municipal drinking water is injected with hydro flouricilic. Acid. The government says small amounts are not harmful when ingested in small concentrations in your water. In its purity it will dissolve and corrode metal, it is also a known carcinogen …..It causes cancer.Flouride attaches to the iodine receptors helping to cause iodine deficiency. There have been a few studies since then. Here’s one. http://www.fluoridealert.org/wp-content/uploads/xie-2000.pdfthis page does not put any information about fluoride, no pro no cont, I’m sorry but what’s the use of creating this page?where is the explanation about fuoride be bad or neutral for our health?, I only saw a comment from carol, not any information on the main page, only in the comments? I wanted to know the real scientific facts about fluoride in tap wateremerson berlanda: If you look above, you will see Dr. Greger’s answer to this question. In his answer, he has a link with text “debunked”. If you click this link, you will be able to download an 85 page paper on the topic that should provide the information you thought was missing. Hope that helps.The study was written in 1960Yes. I believe that was Dr. Greger’s point: ie, that this issue has been worked out for decades. Perhaps there’s new information since then? I don’t know. I didn’t have time to read the paper to find out if the conclusions would likely be timeless. I was just responding to the confusion about there being no scientific answer to the question. The answer is there, whether you like it or not. :-)But new information is available. http://www.newsweek.com/water-fluoridation-may-increase-risk-underactive-thyroid-disorder-309173http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/01/22/does-fluoride-really-fight-cavities.aspxRick, Mercola is a quack.Why is he a quack? Is distilled water safe to drink?He advocates for many things that are part of the fad diet sector. He sells tubs of coconut oil and advocates for raw milk amongst other things. He also claims without evidence that we should not shower with soap because we cant absorb vitamin D when we do. He is not the most reliable source, and is geared towards having his consumers buy his products.As for distilled water, I can’t imagine why it would be harmful. Bottled and filtered tap water has some trace minerals in it that are negligible, but other then that, its as H20 as bottled water is H20What kind of water does dr. Greger recommend? There are claims that distilled water takes minerals from body.Dr. Greger does not recommend a specific water, it is not an issue. And I have seen the claim you have made (specifically from Dr. Mercola). You have to read his article with a skeptical eye, he provides zero citations to back up his claim. http://www.mercola.com/article/water/distilled_water.htm Much of the food we eat is full of electrolytes, the majority does not come from water. There are trace minerals found in water that are negligible (Na, K, Mg, Ca) but you can find these in much greater quantities in food. He is simply trying to scare his audience needlessly.Whatever water or other beverage you drink however, it should NOT come out of a plastic bottle or can which may leach bpa, phthalates or other endocrine disruptors or carcinogens into the contents. Distilled or RO water will absorb more from the plastic since it is more corrosive. Bpa-free often just means they have added other untested chemicals that could be worse than bpa. Also just because they tested a brand of bottle or can for endocrine activity does not mean the next one of the same brand wont – because the source can be changed or the supplier may change thrir formulation.My favorite “short” Pro & Con unbiased article; note the references. This is what SHOULD be in wikipedia: http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/oral-care/procedures/fluoride.htmI find that there are many misconceptions about fluoride. Fluoride is not necessarily toxic. It depends on the concentration. The drinking water in Denver, CO, for example, contains naturally-occurring fluoride very close to the levels that are currently recommended for drinking water fluoridation (0.7 mg/L to 0.9 mg/L). The water company (Denver Water) actually removes some fluoride when the naturally-occurring levels exceed the recommended levels. Much of this water comes from the Platte River which is used by many other cities on down the line. This water supply has been used by millions of people over 100’s of years without problems related to fluoride.I find that the public’s perspective is that the government adds all of this fluoride to all of the drinking water. That’s simply not true. The communities that add it are using a target value that’s very close to a natural concentration of fluoride, just not the natural concentration in their particular water supply.ted: Thanks. That’s very helpful.ted it depends on the way the fluoride is complexed. In naturally occuring waters its a different complexed fluoride./ The fluoride they lace our water supplies with is from industrial waste of aluminium production. You need know the history of this scam. There are docos about it., 1000s of patriots spent half their lives trying to get the word out to everyone else.Our city buys industrial flouride from Red China (FOIA your water plant; the workers hate the stuff it is so toxic.Many European countries have ceased fluoridation. One wonders why?Fluoride is in the halogen family along with iodine. Fluoride has been shown to inhibit the ability of the thyroid gland to concentrate iodine. Research has shown that fluoride is much more toxic to the body when there is iodine deficiency present. There have been no studies which prove that long-term ingested fluoride has any positive effect. Many medications that contain fluoride have been pulled from the market due to serious adverse effects. A study in New Zealand found that there was no difference in tooth decay rates between the fluoridated and the non-fluoridated areas. Many European countries have recognized the fallacy of adding fluoride to the water supply and have stopped the practice.Dr. Greger I recently read a paper by Dr. Gerard Judd about fluoridation written in 1997, the footnotes themselves are interesting. http://www.cosmicchannelings.com/cos/non-cac/Good-Teeth-Birth-To-Death-How-To-Remineralize-Teeth-Dr-Gerard-Judd-Img-OCR-nc001.pdf For now I think I’m skipping fluoride. Thank you for all the valuable information you provide.Dr. Greger,is it safe to regularly drink distilled water?Many different answersFor example:Yes: http://chemistry.about.com/od/waterchemistry/f/Can-You-Drink-Distilled-Water.htmNo: http://www.mercola.com/article/water/distilled_water.htmyes, it is actually the best water to drink.http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00581/water-an-essential-part-of-life.htmlhttp://www.infiniteunknown.net/2012/04/15/24-doctors-with-the-courage-to-tell-the-truth-about-distilled-water/http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/distilled-waterThe late Dr John Yiamouyiannis’s book: “Fluoride, The Aging Factor”, convinced me that fluoride is, at best, unnecessarily added to municipal water supplies & not responsible for improved dental health. At worst, it’s a poisonous waste product of aluminum smelting. Have you read the book?What about dr. Paul Connery the case against fluoride?What about The Case against Fluoride: How Hazardous Waste Ended Up in Our Drinking Water and the Bad Science and Powerful Politics That Keep It Therehttp://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/fluoride-childrens-health-grandjean-choi/Hi Mr Jew Greger, a recent Harvard study found that populations who had water-fluoridation around the world had absolutely no correlated improvement in tooth-cavities rates and that in fact they found an astonishing correlation with 15% lowered IQ in teenagers tested in those populations. I think your jew masters at the Mossad are going to have to get you a new ID mate. Your mask has fallen off your face.And PS I could have got a doctorate in any of the BSc (chemistry), BE (Chemical) or the MBS (Business SYstems) but I had no interest in studying in any of the universities all occupied by nepotistic clan of evil jews. I know your game you pervert.Sorry but as soon as you said “According to the CDC…” you lost me.Dr Gregor, i appreciate the info that you put out, BUT you can keep your fluoride and the vaccinations.Michael Greger M.D. has just proven himself to be a completely incompetent moron……DRINKING RAT POISON IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU!So this study is all bunk? http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/fluoride-childrens-health-grandjean-choi/LOL at confident doctors like this who are so breezy with their “debunkings”… science is an ongoing, evolving process, as the recent Harvard fluoride study demonstrates.I think adding any form of fluoride to the water supply and then forcing people to pay for it through water rates, as we do here in the UK, whether the amount be deemed beneficial, harmful or otherwise, is simply dictatorial. I make the choice to apply my fluoride topically via toothpaste, but when it comes to drinking, I desire a liquid as untainted by artificially applied chemicals and heavy metals as is possible to supply safely. It doesn’t matter what the arguments for and against medicating supplies are, but when I know my wife reacts allergically to fluoride toothpaste, we wonder how she, and others, are reacting inside to Birmingham water. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to be concerned by this regardless of the alleged historical safety assurances.There is scientific backing, look at the many countries that do not add fluoride and compare to those that do. Tooth decay has declined at the same rate… Forced medication as a form of repression may be the real danger.I discovered after years of getting sick every time I required antibiotics in a country where flouride is required by law for tap water that all I had to do was find water without flouridation and all of the antibiotic side effects disappeared.http://fluoridealert.org/studies/caries01/ I think this link will convince everyone that their is no benefit to fluoridation of water.What’s dr gregers view on intermittent fasting and fasting?What are your thoughts on fluoride? I’ve read a lot that fluoride is toxic and should not be consumed. This is a site with a lot of interesting information: http://fluoridealert.org/issues/health/. Doesn’t fluoride have a lot of negative health effects, such as what is added to the water supply.Most european countries reject the use of Fluoride in the water supply. http://www.actionpa.org/fluoride/countries.pdf I tend to agree with them.Fluoride is the only drug dispensed without consumer consent.There is no requirement of fluoride in the human body.Most of the western world does not fluoridate. The World Health Organization shows no difference, across the world, in tooth health whether water is fluoride or not.One third of the young in the U.S. have fluorosis from too much fluoride consumption. What happens in the teeth, likely happens in the bones.The ADA has announced that fluoridated water should not be used in baby formula.Mother’s milk has 250 times less fluoride than what we put in drinking water.Fluoride interferes with the pineal and thyroid gland functions.The NRC investigated the neurologic effects of fluoride on the brain. They found evidence of damage to the brain and suggested this area desperately needs more study. Several studies from China indicate that fluoride consumption lowers IQ in children. A Harvard study found the same result.Journal of The AMA – more fluoride consumption equals more bone fractures.In most cases, the fluoride put in drinking water comes from a waste product in the phosphate fertilizer industry.rick: re: “There is no requirement of fluoride in the human body.” Do you have a source for that statement? Here’s why I ask: Our bones have fluoride in them. Are you saying that our bodies make all of the flouride that we need and that’s why we don’t need to get it from dietary means? Or were you not aware that flouride is an important ingredient in bone make up? re, “important ingredient” – I got that from the book, “Building Bone Vitality” by Amy Joy Lanou and Michael CastlemanI’m not saying we have to get fluoride from material added to water. However, it’s my understanding that what they add to the drinking water just brings up water that is deficient in fluoride to levels that occur naturally in other water ways. So, it makes sense to me. I can get fluoride from beans and tea and potatoes and carrots. But it doesn’t scare me to get it from water too.Wow, the Doc really drops the ball here, maybe the subjects are too controversial to talk about. But it seems very flippant to justThere is a more up to date research showing a link between fluoridated water and significantly lowered IQ levels in children: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22820538And when it comes to Europe: “Although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control hails water fluoridation as one of the “top ten public health achievements of the twentieth century,” most of the western world, including the vast majority of western Europe, does not fluoridate its water supply.At present, 97% of the western European population drinks non-fluoridated water. This includes: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, and approximately 90% of both the United Kingdom and Spain. Although some of these countries fluoridate their salt, the majority do not. (The only western European countries that allow salt fluoridation are Austria, France, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland.)Despite foregoing “one of the top ten public health achievements of the twentieth century,” tooth decay rates have declined in Europe as precipitously over the past 50 years as they have in the United States. This raises serious questions about the CDC’s assertion that the decline of tooth decay in the United States since the 1950s is largely attributable to the advent of water fluoridation.” http://fluoridealert.org/content/europe-statements/Can we consider this study:July 25, 2012 — For years health experts have been unable to agree on whether fluoride in the drinking water may be toxic to the developing human brain. Extremely high levels of fluoride are known to cause neurotoxicity in adults, and negative impacts on memory and learning have been reported in rodent studies, but little is known about the substance’s impact on children’s neurodevelopment. In a meta-analysis, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and China Medical University in Shenyang for the first time combined 27 studies and found strong indications that fluoride may adversely affect cognitive development in children. Based on the findings, the authors say that this risk should not be ignored, and that more research on fluoride’s impact on the developing brain is warranted.http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/fluoride-childrens-health-grandjean-choi/Hi Kaimana7,Thanks for your email. We are happy to consider that study and any others. I don’t think there should be anything off the table. The EHP article reviewed studies on IQ scores for children living in areas of China, Mongolia and Iran where the water supplies have unusually high, natural fluoride levels. In many cases, the high-fluoride areas were significantly higher than the levels used to fluoridate public water systems in the U.S. In fact, the high-fluoride areas in these countries reached levels as high as 11.5 mg/L — more than 10 times higher than the optimal level used in the U.S.I assume not bad for you(?): lemongrass tastes like lemon lollipop in iced tea. My recipe is adapted from a recipe for lemongrass ginger soda, i.e.,1/2 cup thinly sliced peeled ginger 4 plump stalks of fresh lemongrass, cut into 2-inch lengths and smashed 6 cups watersweetener to taste (orig. 1 cup sugar, which is way too sweet for me)3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice Bring to boil sliced ginger, smashed lemongrass, and 4 cups of the water. Steep until cool (~ 2h). Add sweetener, if any.Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding ginger and lemongrass.Stir in the lemon juice and remaining 2 cups of water.Refrigerate until chilled. (I chill for a couple days until unappealing greenish brown turns pale pink.)Dr Greger clearly didn’t do his homework on this one… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViNNIwmzTzI&feature=youtu.bePlease share studies to support your youtube video and I will do my best to review them with Dr. Greger to see if we need to update our information. Thanks, Nihi.There are thousands of peer reviewed papers listed at http://fluoridealert.org/. There are a few problems with water fluoridation. Firstly, the dose cannot be controlled accurately. Water intake depends on weather, exercise, etc. Secondly, there is no need to expose your whole body and internal organs to fluoride. The benefit of fluoride is mainly obtained by exposing fluoride to the teeth (i.e. brushing). Embedding fluoride in the bone does not strengthen, but weakens bone. Plus there are lots of studies that show potential health risks of ingested fluoride. I’m not sure about the amount of fluoride and the increase in odd ratio, but why take the risk when brushing is just as good?These articles come out all the time. Here’s a Feb 2015 report, http://www.ehjournal.net/content/14/1/17/abstract “Parents reported higher rates of medically-diagnosed ADHD in their children in states in which a greater proportion of people receive fluoridated water from public water supplies.”Thanks for sharing the links, Joshua!. We’ll review.Here’s another study, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010856.pub2/abstractAnd Newsweek’s write up, http://www.newsweek.com/fluoridation-may-not-prevent-cavities-huge-study-shows-348251Doctor, I’m afraid you’re promoting endorsements rather than science.2015 Cochrane international review of dental studies reveals BIAS, not benefit, i.e. 151 of the 155 dental studies purporting to support fluoridation policy were blatantly biased. Cochrane panelists went on to say the results were inconsistent and did not provide evidence of benefit to poor children or any adult, plus most studies were quite old and not relevant to today:2015 Cochrane review of dental studies: http://www.cochrane.org/CD010856/ORAL_water-fluoridation-to-prevent-tooth-decay 2015 Scientific Opposition: http://www.earthclinic.com/news/why-the-us-should-ban-fluoride-in-drinking-water-by-jason-uttley.html 2014 Legal Analysis: http://works.bepress.com/rita_barnett/3/The fact that fluoridation is more harmful than beneficial doesn’t prevent CDC and the fluoride lobby from contorting the truth. They did so with the 2000 York Review which had the same complaints of low quality studies with conclusions not supported by the evidence. The York panelists actually spoke up against the “spin” the government proponents put on their report.On 2000 York Review: Two main findings were that fluoridation reduced cavities by 15% in young children, which amounts to one or two fewer cavities during childhood and that fluoridation increased dental fluorosis in children by 48 % with 12.5 % of children having severe or moderate fluorosis which is disfiguring and requires costly remediation. Fluoridation proponents (often echoed by the media) claimed that the York Review gave fluoridation a clean bill of health. Professor Trevor Sheldon, Chair of the study committee, had no patience with the spin thus applied to the research findings. He wrote: “It is particularly worrying then that statements which mislead the public about the review’s findings have been made in press releases and briefings by the British Dental Association, the National Alliance for Equity in Dental Health and the British Fluoridation Society. I should like to correct some of these errors:1. Whilst there is evidence that water fluoridation is effective at reducing caries, the quality of the studies was generally moderate and the size of the estimated benefit, only of the order of 15%, is far from “massive”.2. The review found water fluoridation to be significantly associated with high levels of dental fluorosis, which was not characterised as “just a cosmetic issue”.3. The review did not show water fluoridation to be safe. The quality of the research was too poor to establish with confidence whether or not there are potentially important adverse effects in addition to the high levels of fluorosis. The report recommended that more research was needed.4. There was little evidence to show that water fluoridation has reduced social inequalities in dental health”….A highly respected British medical writer, Douglas Carnall, wrote in response to the York Review: “Previously neutral on the issue, I am now persuaded by the arguments that those who wish to take fluoride (like me) had better get it from toothpaste rather than the water supply.”	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-363	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/which-type-of-b12-is-best/	Which type of vitamin B12 is best--cyanocobalamin, methylcobalamin, or hydroxycobalamin?	I have followed you for years and purchase your tapes. Met you in Ann Arbor at the food co- op. Is it true Cyanocobalamin b12 ( which you recommend for us as vegans) turns into cyanide and the best b12 to take is hydroxycobalamin?Per Raymond Francis MIT scientist. That’s what his website shows anyway. His comments were it is man made , not natural, and not well utilized. What is absorbed is turn into cyanide. Could you please clarify, help. David Tunison / Originally asked on Vegan epidemic Let me guess: Mr. Francis sells hydroxycobalamin supplements? It’s like the whole coral calcium scam. Calcium is cheap as chalk–in fact it is chalk! So how are you going to bilk people out of lots of money? You sell some sort of special calcium. Same with B12 supplements. B12 is so cheap to produce that supplement manufacturers try to come up with all sorts of fancy ways to “add value” to products so they can charge $30 a bottle. Unless you’re a smoker, have kidney failure, or base your diet around cassava root, cyanocobalamin should be fine. That’s what I take! 	But, is cyanocobalamin from animal sources? In another video, you mention B12 supplements for ~$2/year, was that a vegan B12 supplement? Methylcobalamin claims to be vegan, are there cheap sources for it? Not asking you to recommend a retailer specifically but I just wanted clarification… Thanks so much for the wonderful source of FACTUAL information! Keep up the great work! :)Here are Dr. Greger’s current b12 recommendations http://www.scribd.com/doc/64850131/Dr-Michael-Greger-s-2011-Optimum-Nutrition-Recommendations-ENGLISHTwin lab offers good, cheap sublingual b12 tablets and thats what I use.This is terrific and concise information to have. Thank you!!!Some 40 years ago, I used to consume Kal brand nutritional yeast for vitamin B-12. But, I wasn’t vegan at the time. I consumed it because it helped me quit smoking — cold turkey; I also fed it to my dog when I was making my her pet food. She did better on homemade pet food with nutrients added than I commercial pet food and that was before they were genetically engineering pet foods! The veterinarian, Richard H. Pitcairn recommended Kal brand, which I bought at a local health food store.I now take Bluebonnet Earth Sweet Chewable Vitamin B-6, B-12 plus Folic Acid. I was looking for a vitamin B-12 that was 1000 mcg. So many have 5,000 or more, which I did not want. I’ve also read in the Nutrition Almanac that vitamins should not be taken alone because they can deplete other vitamins in the body. And, in addition, one of the physicians who subscribe to this list, suggested this Earth Sweet Chewable Vitamin B12 for me, when I went vegan.Thus far, I’ve had no problem and it certainly makes me feel better.Bricker Labs has a liquid B12 with 1000mcg and it tastes great.Does cassava root and derived products such as tapioca offer health benefits?Cassava root is a decent source of vitamin C and manganese. http://tinyurl.com/cxaoycc It is a good source of carbohydrates, but a poor source of protein. A predominantly cassava root diet can cause protein-energy malnutrition. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava A lot more information about Cassava root is at: http://tinyurl.com/bqd94auI would still like to know, leaving prices aside, which is better: cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin?Dr. Greger, you aren’t concerned that people who don’t eat as super-healthy as you might not have the ability to unload the cyanide in cyanocobalamin in order to utilize cobalamin? My concern is that for many, cyanocobalamin is too stable a molecule in which the cyanide is not that easily released. Can you dig up some science on the mechanism by which the body detoxes cyanocobalamin and how involved that process is?The video at http://bit.ly/toxic-b12 says that cyanocobalamin can actually LOWER true b12 levels. Yes, the guy is selling a drink mix with hydroxycobalamin, but i still sense there is some degree of truth in what he’s saying. That is, for some, and more than you might expect, cyanocobalamin might actually be unsatisfactory of even harmful. After all, it is not the way humans have been getting b12 up until very recently in terms of the overall human timeline.“Yes, the guy is selling a drink mix with hydroxycobalamin”That’s really all that needs to be said. I don’t listen to anybody who spouts unproven theories about vitamins, especially if they’re trying to push their lame product on me.There is no evidence suggesting it lowers b12 levels, total scam is my theory. That said the levels of cyanide in this vitamin are so small that as he said, unless your already smoking it would do nothing at all. you would have to eat a smll bottle full to get a single cigarettes worth, and that is not recommended anyways. your body needs an increadibly small amount of b12 size wise, so though it has this toxin it wont effect you.Aren’t we all smoking to some extent? That is, there are poisons in our air from car exhaust, etc. I don’t want a known poison attached to my vitamin on top of that. I have a feeling one of Dr. Greger’s future videos will refer to a study showing why the bio-active forms of B12 are better for us than cyanide-B12.Dr Greger. Thank you for all of your info / sharing. Regarding B12 recommendations, you say that the Cyanocobalamin should be fine. I wanted to double to see if you feel this is true for Vegans..because 2 Vegan sources I have communicated with recommend the methylcobalamin form of B12 b/c it is the natural form. Could you please share your thoughts, advice. (Would there be a negative to taking the Methylcobalamin form over the Cyanocobalamin form)? Thankyou!We don’t have as much data (in terms of proper dosing and efficacy) on preventing/reversing B12 deficiency in vegans with any other form that cyanocobalamin. Until there is I’m less comfortable recommending it.I just read this small paragraph on cyanocobalamin and it does not clarify if cyancobalmin is toxic as reported. Furthermore, it is still unclear how the cyanocobalmin found in nutritional yeast is made.Cyanocobalamin is made almost exclusively outside the animal and plant kingdoms. I would imagine that the cyanocobalamin made in yeast is actually made by yeast.There are many types of b12 though nothing I have read that says that b12 is produced by yeast though red star yeast has added b12 which changes the color to yellow which is my current understanding. In addition, it is unclear where that added b12 is coming from since red star does not reveal the source. Here is an excerpt from wiki ”Cyanocobalamin is commercially prepared by bacterial fermentation. Fermentation by a variety of microorganisms yields a mixture of methyl-, hydroxo-, and adenosylcobalamin. These compounds are converted to cyanocobalamin by addition of potassium cyanide in the presence of sodium nitrite and heat. Since a number of species of Propionibacterium produce no exotoxins or endotoxins and have been granted GRAS status (generally regarded as safe) by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States, they are currently the preferred bacterial fermentation organisms for vitamin B12 production.[5]Historically, a form of vitamin B12 called hydroxocobalamin is often produced by bacteria, and was then changed to cyanocobalamin in the process of being purified in activated charcoal columns after being separated from the bacterial cultures. This change was not immediately realized when vitamin B12 was first being extracted for characterization. Cyanide is naturally present in activated charcoal, and hydroxocobalamin, which has great affinity for cyanide, picks it up, and is changed to cyanocobalamin. Cyanocobalamin is the form in most pharmaceutical preparations because adding cyanide stabilizes the molecule.[1]”Thus cyanocobalamin is a fermented product using propionbacterium ”Propionibacterium is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped genus of bacteria named for their unique metabolism: They are able to synthesize propionic acid by using unusual transcarboxylase enzymes.[3] …Members of the genus Propionibacterium are widely used in the production of vitamin B12, tetrapyrrole compounds, and propionic acid, as well as in the probiotics and cheese industries.[6]France accounts for 80% of world production, and more than 10 tonnes/year of this compound is sold; 55% of sales is destined for animal feed, while the remaining 45% is for human consumption.[6]” wikiOne could assume that the cyanocobalamin is fermented with the yeast but that is only an assumption. The following is a direct quote from Lesaffre the manufacture of red star nutritional yeast“What is Nutritional Yeast?RED STAR Nutritional Yeast is a primary grown pure culture strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is a powdered yeast without leavening power, marketed for its protein and vitamin content. This type of yeast is available in both powder and pill form.Nutritional Yeast is an excellent source of protein, rich in many of the essential amino acids that complement proteins available from other sources such as corn, wheat, and soy. RED STAR Nutritional Yeast contains an average of 50% protein by weight.RED STAR Nutritional Yeast is also a rich source of B-complex vitamins that are important for normal and healthy body functions.How nutritional yeast is madeRED STAR Nutritional Yeast is primary from pure strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown on mixtures of cane and beet molasses. After the fermentation process is completed,”Cream yeast” is heated by means of a heat exchanger and held at pasteurization temperatures for a period long enough to inactivate the yeast. During this holding period, all necessary vitamins are added to meet the requirements of the specific type of nutritional yeast produced.The yeast is then drum dried before it is ground and shipped to consumers. The drying process assures that all the cells are inactivated in order for the full nutritional benefits to be available.Photo Key: A) “Seed yeast” is grown in small flasks B) “Seed yeast” is transferred to 1,000 gallon tanks for fermentation (becomes “stock yeast”). C) Alcohol from fermentation separated from “stock yeast” D) “Stock yeast” moved to refrigerated tanks (“Trade Fermenter”) for fermentation cultivation E) Sterilized molasses, air and nutrients are added to “stock yeast” F) When yeast is ready to be harvested, fermented yeast liquid is passed through a “Separator” to produce “cream yeast”G) “Cream yeast” is heated and pasteurized, ***********necessary vitamins are added*********** stars are my emphasis.H) Vitamin-enhanced “cream yeast” is cooled I) “Cream yeast” is drum dried J) The dried yeast is put through a grinder to produce a fine powder K) Nutritional yeast is packaged and ready for shippingVisit our Nutritional Yeast site at www lesaffre ” Hence my question, where is the cyanocobalimin coming from and is it added or grown on the yeast ? Though no one has been able to answer. I guess I will have to call the company…You are right. Red star yeast specifically says “fortified”. Who knew?Well I specifically looked it up sometime ago including cyanocobalamin to research nutritional yeast . Which is why I question the safety of using it compared to other types of b12 such as hydroxocobalamin though it seems that very little information exists on the subject of different b12 types.Dr Greger, I assume this is true in that B12 cyanocobalamin is NOT made by cyanobacteria but instead by propionbacterium, as mentioned above. I was concerned given the issue of BMAA being produced by cyanobacteria correlating with ALS (volume 23 dvd).Methylcobalamin versus Cyanocobalamin http://www.apiindia.org/medicine_update_2013/chap139.pdfThat article says to take “Cobalimin” and not Methylcobalamin, but Cobalimin is a general term for all forms of Vitamin B12 according to wikipedia. Is it referring to Hydroxocobalimin?Nearly every source I’ve seen that says methylcobalamin is the best is also trying to sell a product.I’ve found it to be better. I’ve felt nothing of of cyanocobalamin, even at high doses taken over a long duration. Methylcobalamin, which is NOT expensive ($4.99 for 60 tabs (2,500 mcg dose per capsule over at Swanson) is a much more bio-available choice.You said that cyanocobalamin b12 was the best unless you are a smoker……..if someone is a smoker, should they not take it?really. for such a broad population you might figure to tell why smoker’s are advised against it…I can’t even believe this is up for debate. Most physicians will tell you that B-12 is poorly absorbed because it’s destroyed by gastric juices. I’ve known several physicians who recommend B-12 injections as the most effective way to make use of B-12. In most cases, I’ve found them to be right. I was sluggish and tired, and my intake of cyanobobalamin was more than the average bear. I felt nothing. About two weeks into a methylcobalamin-containing supplement, I noticed a huge difference that has been sustained. Dr. Greger’s dismissive nature on this matter puts me off.Once you understand the biochemistry involved avoiding Vitamin B12 deficiency and treating Pernicious Anemia(PA) via the oral route becomes straightforward. In my clinical experience I have never had to resort to injections if you use high dose oral medications in the case of PA an autoimmune disorder where the body stops producing intrinsic factor which helps is necessary for the active phase of B12 absorption. See Dr. Greger’s 5 video’s on B12 beginning on February 3 2012. Using injections can be useful in the initial treatment of B12 deficiency. It is important to work with your physicians but there is ample literature to support oral therapy. In addition to PA there are certain inborn errors of metabolism that would require injection. Methylcobalamin may offer a theoretical advantage over cyanocobalamin but it is more expensive… if you go to the website referenced by Toxins it is 14 times more expensive. Cyanide is present in foods so our bodies are equipped to eliminate it. The total amount consumed is important. I am not a physician who believes that “Vit B12″ is destroyed by gastric acid. As a clinical matter the use of acid blocking agents and antacids can contribute to Vitamin B12 deficiency. All this said there are individual differences and if methylcobalamin works better for you then cyanocobolamin I would certainly go that route. You need to work with your physician(s) to work out what works for you.I hold the personal believe that cyanocobalamin is cheap for a reason. It’s synthetic garbage. Even you conceded that its bioavailability can be trivial. Who cares about cost when it’s your health and well-being on the line? It’s like all the people who gripe about the cost of eating healthy. It’s still cheaper than chemotherapy.Right now I’m paying $15.99 to have 60 days worth of a B complex that contains methylcobalamin and also contains medium-chain triglycerides. I can’t imagine that $8 a month is beyond the reach of most health conscious peopleAnd I just checked Swanson Vitamins and found you can by their brand of methylcobalamin for $4.99 for 60 tabs (2,500 mcg dose per capsule). You consider that expensive? You consider that TWELVE times more expensive than the cheap and inferior cyanocobalamin?Hi Dr. don,Something that hasn’t been mentioned is what is in the supplements. I had a hard time finding a B12 that didn’t have sorbitol. I went through a bout of IBS with stomach cramps and diarrhea. Once I eliminated the sorbitol it cleared up. The B12 I finally found was methylcobalamin drops. (thank you Brian) Have you found patients with this issue with the sorbitol?I am personally appalled with the amount of products that now contain sorbitol. It is almost deadly for me, and extremely painful for one of my children who suffered from IBS all his life. It is REALLY INSIDIOUS that it is allowed in INFANT AND CHILDREN products from toothpaste to medicines, not to mention many, many foods. Whoever within the FDA has allowed this is truly wretchedly evil; the only other excuse would be complete ignorance, and I daresay that is a possibility, but would bet MONEY on the fact that it is totally a “money-oriented” decision on the part of those who have promoted this BAD DECISION!! When I think of the many infants and children that must be suffering the pains of sorbitol sensitivity, it makes me sick. Having given birth, naturally, to 5 children, I KNOW pain, and sorbitol sensitivity can be equally painful!!I think the point for not just vegans but for anyone who is health conscious is to choose healthier foods and to remove as many synthetic products from your body as possible. It maybe fine for others to take in Cyanide if they choose, more power to them… but lets not take away all our healthy choices simply because its cheaper…Has everyone gone mad with the money bug….If its not naturally found in my body why put it in there?…… Cyanocobalamin when digested becomes methylcobalamin then leaves the cyanide behind.. although at none toxic levels, but can bioaccumulate…. Methylcobalamin is a very good and benificial source of B-12 although a bit more expensive..but it can be synthisized by chemically processing Cyanocobalamin.. they just mimic human digestion..this way you can get B-12.. still get a good price and not get the cyanide… Hydroxocobalamin is natural.. and is the very best form of b-12 and very expensive… not only do you get the neurological benefits.. there are molecules in it that bond with cyanide in the body and allows it to be removed through urination..so just like all natural products it detoxifies..and does not toxify the bodywhere are your sources?With this in mind, we can check out the various nature made vitamins that could possibly give us the exact vitamins that we may be lacking in. These natural vitamins can boost our immune systems, give us our Daily IU of Vitamins A, C, D plus B complex and other vitamins that we could need.If you have MTHFR which up to 80% of the United States has, you have to take the co-enymated (enzyme activated) methylcobalamincould you please post a reference?If you have the genetic mutation mthfr, any b12 other than methylated turn into cyanide. My son has this ans we give him methylated b shots.My mom’s only got one kidney left that only works for 30% but I got her into taking this form of B12. Should she stop taking it and start using another one?Can someone please answer my question? I´m a bit worried now and I really don’t know who else I can ask this. Thank you :)Hi superape. Since kidney disease can result from several causes, the type and amount of B12 should be closely monitored by her MD. I say that not to dodge your question but since people with kidney disease have limited kidney function, taking high doses might allow unhealthy levels of the vitamins to remain in the blood.Thank you very much for answering my question Jacquie! I told her that maybe she needs to take another type of B12 and she´s going to ask her nephrologist. I will also tell her to ask him about the right amount ’cause I told her to take 1000 mcg a day as she is 66 years of age. Really thought I was doing the right thing for her… Thanks again! It’s much appreciated :)My pleasure!Thank you Dr. Greger ..muah!Hi Dr. Greger,I have been vegan for the last 2,5 years. Two month ago I decided to take a daily dose of B12 (methylcobalamina spray) to supplement my nutrient intake.I noticed that my lips have become chapped and dry and for the last 3 weeks an acne like rash is bothering me.Do you think these could be the result of overdosing with B12? Or that I show an intolerance to the product?Wikipedia says B12 overdose could lead to acne-like rushes:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin#Side-effectsThanks.Hi Ioana,I don’t know how much B-12 you are taking but the body only requires 5 micrograms a day. That’s right micrograms not milligrams. Nobody makes dosages that small. So if you just take one pill a month of any brand you are getting all you need. And that assumes you are a strict vegan and have been for at least three years. If you are eating any meat at all you probably don’t need to supplement your B-12. My source on this is Dr McDougall.What if you are a smoker? Which is best to take then? And does it help?Hola Dr. Greger. I would like to know your thoughts about B12-cyanocobalamin injections (1000mcg). Is it true that it is a better way to make sure you are absorbing the vitamin?I already started taking it. One inyection a day per one week, one a week during one month and one per month to mantein the levels.I didnt find anything about inyections in your videos or webside and really would like to know what you think about it. Thank you for everything. Greetings from Spain!Our unless you strive for an actual healthy lifestyle! Cyancobalamin being the most widely used form dies not make it the safest form. I seek nothing. I am a SAHM mother of two that actually researches what I put in my body and in that of my family. There is plenty of information from various sources, including the encyclopedia, concerning cyancobalamin. It does not occur in nature, and for me that’s the biggest red flag there is. The fact that a medical professional would actually recommend cyancobalamin over other safer, more natural forms disturbs me greatly. Do your research- there’s a reason why ‘side effects’ are listed for cyancobalamin and not for other forms.methyl cobalamin is ‘ready-to-eat’ by the body. Other forms need to be first transported to the liver to have the CH-4 (methyl group) added, then released so it is ‘bio-available’.Actually Hydroxycobalamin is the most bio-available form, as Methylcobalamin gets converted to Hydroxycobalamin in the body, though the Methyl component is needed for multiple reactions within the body anyway (ie: it is good, not a waste product). Also, for those with too much cyanide in the body, Hydroxycobalamin will combine with cyanide molecules, and allow it to be excreted via the kidneys. Thus, it is used in cyanide poisoning cases.Many people with heavy metals in their bodies, and other toxins that over tax the liver, cannot easily convert Cyanocobalamin to Methycobalamin, so the Methyl version is preferred. It is also preferred over Cyanocobalamin if you are wishing to follow studies showing that doses of 10000mcg are required to get the higher energy results desired, as well as for those with low B12. At higher doses, Cyano version would give you significant levels of Cyanide which would further tax your liver, and is poison, period.Hydroxycobalamin is best intravenously (in terms of bio-availability), but needs an anesthetic administered with it, as it “burns.”Overall, from a cost and health perspective, orally, methylcobalamin is probably the ticket, and if sublingual, has been shown in studies to be just as effective as shots of B12. It can be bought at most Sams and Costco’s at the most affordable prices I could find readily available anywhere for high-dose Methylcobalamin. I can also state that it has proven nearly miraculous results for me with seasonal allergy relief. Check out B-12 and how it naturally suppresses immuno-over-response, if you have bad upper-respiratory allergies…not a permanent “cure,” but lowered my spring allergic reactions to nearly nada.I assume you also take the potentially poisonous folic acid instead of a more bioavailable form of folate that won’t potentially build up in your bloodstream like homocysteine, causing the same problems? Cyanocobalamin is about as bioavailable as the iron in nails, since your body has to strip the cyano-complex off and add the methyl to use it. Do us all a favor and chew on some nails…Hi Dr greger, the cheapest b12 supplement I could find already has b1, b2, b3, b6, c and calcium pantothenate in it. Is that okay? It costs around 2 cents per tabletJust wondering where you found them for that price. Very interested….and are they working for you?I think everyone should read the following website that compares the three types of B12 in a succinct, but very informative fashion. My conclusion has been that methylcobalamin is the best choice for many reasons, including that it is a methylating agent, decreases homocysteine, and does not deplete glutathione as both other forms can. But toxicity is also a major concern. Cyanocobalimin is inferior when it comes to absorption, toxicity, GSH depletion, dependence on intrinsic factor, and more. This article is very well referenced.So what’s the websiteIf you get your genome mapped by 23andme and run it through knowyourgenetics.com engine, the proper form of B12 specifically designed for your genetics will be shown on page 16 of the resultant MPA report. So while I was supplementing with MTHF folate for my MTHFR defects and some types of B12 (I think I found a supplement containing all types of B12), once I changed to the two forms recommended for me by that table that takes into consideration your heterozygous and or homozygous mutations of COMT V158M and VDR Taq, my recommended types were hydroxy and adenosyn, and I tell you it made a WORLD of difference to me. Same with husband who had cognitive difficulties (misdiagnosed with Alz, but probably was simply a B12 deficiency). Once I got him on the right types which was basically all types plus more Methyl, it made a WORLD of difference for him.Hi Dr. Greger,What about people who have the MTHFR mutation? Wouldn’t methylcobalamine be the best option? I am just curious because I recently found out that I am heterozygous for one of the MTHFR mutations (SNP). On that subject, I would really enjoy a blog post or video about this mutation because it does have far reaching implications in nutrition, and there are quite a few people that have these SNP in the MTHFR gene and sadly most of our doctors don’t really know what to recommend as far as proper detoxing, supplementation, etc. Just thought it would be an interesting read or watch coming from you!That’s interesting. My wife and I take the same B12 supplement, but my serum levels are much higher than hers. I wondered if it could have been genetic (or if the test was just badly done). Have you had your B12 tested?The different forms of B12 are not alike. Cyancoblamain converts to hydroxyl which converts to methyl and adenosylcobalamin. Adenosyl is the only form stored by the liver. Hydroxy has a longer half life than the other forms. BUT, even more important is there is a combination of B12 that is right for you based on your genes. If you run your 23andme.com genetic results through the engine at knowyourgenetics.com, you will receive a Methylation Pathway Analysis, and in the middle of that (page 16 or so) is a table that recommends the different forms of B12 for you depending on primarily two genetic mutations COMT and VDR Taq. I am a no methyl person, and I could really tell the difference when I started supplementing with just hydroxy and Adenosyl B12 forms. My husband is a methyl person and does better with primarily with half Methylcobalamin and half all the other kinds. Helped him with cognitive problems, memory, energy and me with depression, energy, outlook. So Dr. Gregor’s analogy to the coral calcium scheme is simply dated. Nutrigentics is a new field and any doctor that isn’t getting on board is not your best bet. Encourage your doctor. Info on how to use the 23andme data to generate useful reports to aid your health can be found on the Armchair Genetics blog on mthfrliving.com. Good health and God Bless!Dr Greger recommends cyanocoblamin B12 supplements “unless you’re a smoker, have kidney failure…etc” I have been a vegan for just under a year and I have mild stage 2 kidney disease. Therefore, should I avoid cyanocoblamin and invest in the methylcobalamin or another form of B12?This is the information I have regarding B12.Deficiency can be serious, so its convenient to take a pill.Absorption rates go down on megadoses (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2532799/table/T1/#TF1-4) so, you have to do the math. Cyanocobalamin is a lot more studied than the others (and proven efective). It’s also very stable. It has a little cyanide, but that is no problem for the body unless you have serious disease. Methylcobalamin is theoretically better once in the bloodstream, but is very unstable. There are some studies that prove some benefits (as a methyl donor) unrelated to B12 deficiency. As it is very unstable, doses need to be higher. So, cyano is a safe bet. Methyl seems better but it is unstable (not so reliable) and not so well studied (there are some). What do I do?, I take 500mcg (micrograms) cyano and 1000mcg methyl alternating every two days. If I had any deficiency, I would take cyano. Nowadays, they are both pretty cheap…..Why is the daily recommended amount of B12 250mcg if that is 4,000% of the RDV?What’s the “smoker” and cyanocobalamin problem? Does the smoker need more or less or a different form? I am not a smoker of tobacco but they have asked for clarification below.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6420106,
PLAIN-364	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/nutrition-recommendations-for-acid-reflux-and-barretts-esophagus/	Nutrition recommendations for acid reflux (GERD), heartburn, and Barrett's Esophagus?	Very recently I was diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagus, would you have any recommendations as to nutrition with this problem? Tom Deuley / Originally posted on the NutritionFacts.org Facebook page So sorry to hear that Tom! For those unfamiliar with the condition, it’s a precancerous condition thought to arise from chronic reflux of acid up from the stomach. In terms of dietary interventions, avoiding meat and maximizing fiber (whole plant food) intake is associated with significantly lower esophageal cancer risk overall (especially beans and greens), but adding more fruits and veggies in general to the diets of those already stricken with Barrett’s does not appear to slow the progression of the disease. According to the latest review there are ongoing trials on the use of green tea and black raspberries to prevent progression to cancer, but data isn’t expected from these trials for at least a year. So far data is preliminary (see my video Best Fruits For Cancer Prevention for example). I’ll definitely let you know when I see something though! For those with acid reflux (“heartburn”), before considering proton pump inhibitor drugs I ask my patients to first try decreasing their consumption of dietary components thought to contribute to reflux by decreasing the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter and increasing the number of relaxations of this sphincter, including fat, chocolate, peppermint, onions, and coffee. Obesity, overeating, and straining associated with constipation may also compromise the sphincter’s ability to keep the acid where it belongs in the stomach. Finally, drinking lots of water throughout the day will help keep things going in the right direction, and at night, raising the head of your bed by four to six inches by placing bricks or wood blocks under the head posts can employ gravity to help keep the acid from creeping up. 	I have Barrett’s Esophagus and also gastropareisis, the latter which occurred first. I turned vegan 6 months ago and after some time developed severe acid reflux. I found out that the plant fiber, particularly from salads, was causing the acid due to the gastroparesis. The fiber wasn’t digesting properly. When I lowered my fiber intake, the acid went away. I’m still vegan, however, and get my fiber in smaller amounts and well chewed.From what I understand, Barrett’s is not considered precancerous unless there is dysplasia. Barrett’s develops when the esophagus is exposed to extreme acid over time and not everyone gets Barrett”s even with heavy acid flow. Barrett’s doesn’t go away and therefore must be monitored on a regular basis. Barrett’s cells are more susceptible to cancer however, especially if acid is not controlled.Dr. Greger, I’m a recent convert to veganism – started 4 months ago. The changes in my blood lipids and body weight have been very significant. However, a problem: I have a history of gastric problems and suspect amla is responsible for a recent upset of my upper GI tract. I no longer take acid suppresants (off nexium). Should I go easy on the amla? H DuncanCongratulations on your progress. Going easy on your Amla would be a simple first step. You might get other ideas from the article, “My Stomachs on Fire and I can’t put it Out”, in the February 2002 issue of the McDougall newsletter follow links from his website at… http://www.drmcdougall.com. As you will read there are certain plant foods that can aggravate the problem, simpler medications than drugs like nexium to help with occasional symptoms and measures such as elevating the head of the bed which can help. Good luck.It sounds like you’re on the right track with balancing the substantial health benefits of a vegan diet, while managing gastric acid reflux. One additional thing you can do is to regularly eat dark and brightly colored purple berries. In addition to potentially Boosting Anti-Cancer Immunity, dark purple berries may provide chemo-preventive protection against the development of esophageal cancer. According to the extensive research conducted by Dr. Gary Stoner, in cells, animals, and humans, naturally-occurring components of black raspberries and other purple and red berries may be one way to reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, which is a primary concern for anyone with a history of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).Of course, you should continue to work with your doctor to undergo regular cancer screening and monitoring, particularly if you have a history of Barrett’s esophagus; this condition significantly increases the risk of esophageal cancer. But in addition to this medical care, give berries a try. Aim for at least one to two servings per day, and enjoy both frozen and fresh.Hi Dr. Greger. I have recently heard that rice-especially brown rice, contains some arsenic. Do you think we should refrain from eating it? What is your feeling about eating whole grains? Do you have a favorite?Dr. Greger has addressed the brown rice issue herehttp://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/how-much-arsenic-in-rice-came-from-chickens/Quinoa does not amass arsenic in the crop.The study showing no positive effect of adding “more fruits and vegetables” to the diet of people with Barrett’s were dealing with very low fruit and vegetable intakes — 1.8 and 1.3 servings per day (fruit and vegetables *combined*), +/- .04 servings. With greater intakes of fruits and vegetables, say the recommended nine servings a day, or even half that, would you expect to see a reduction in the disease? Has any study looked at this?Dr. Greger, I was wondering if some of the contributions to acid reflux (GERD), heartburn, and Barrett’s Esophagus could be caused by increased quantities of Monsanto’s Roundup in both surface and groundwaters. Afterall, the U.S. Geological Survey studies found an increase of pesticides in rainwater downwind from where all the spraying had occurred in Iowa and Mississippi.The reason I ask this also, is because of the Taiwan study, which I believe is now at PubMed entitled “Acute Poisoning with a Glyphosate-Surfactant Herbicide (‘Roundup’): A Review of 93 Cases.” The study speaks of two groups, those accidentially exposed to glyphosate (Roundup) and those intentionally exposed, who tried to commit suicide.” Intentional ingestion (80 cases) resulted in erosion of the gastrointestinal tract (66%), seen as sore throat (43%), dysphagia (31%), and gastrointestinal haemorrhage (8%). Other organs were affected less often (non-specific leucocytosis 65%, lung 23%, liver 19%, cardiovascular 18%, kidney 14%, and CNS 12%). There were seven deaths, all of which occurred within hours of ingestion, two before the patient arrived at the hospital. Deaths following ingestion of ‘Roundup’ alone were due to a syndrome that involved hypotension, unresponsive to intravenous fluids or vasopressor drugs, and sometimes pulmonary oedema, in the presence of normal central venous pressure.” Considering that in the USA, Roundup is widely and heavily used on Roundup Ready crops, including soy, corn, cotton, canola, sugar beets, and alfalfa, as well as some vegetables and fruits. And, glyphosate is used not only as the active ingredient in Roundup, but also in other products used by other manufacturers on other crops that lifestock and people eat, and may be in beverages as well as groundwater, would the consumption of foods and beverages contaminated by Roundup or glyphosate mean that more humans as well as pets are getting acid reflux disease be linked to glyphosate/Roundup? I also noticed that Nexium and Prilosec left the U.K. about the same time that the United Kingdom acquired the right to know/mandatory labeling of GMO’s in food, and moved to the USA with the expansion of recombinant DNA in food and pharmaceuticals. And, that amongst the side effects of recombinant DNA pharms, is GERD, including burning esophague and stomach. Is all this coincidental? Or, is it actual. I have never in my life had “heart burn” or GERD, but, I’ve eaten solely food grown by the organic method for 30 years, even though I’ve only been vegan for less than one year.Greetings: I don’t suffer from GERD (thank goodness), but I have noted a pattern with my digestion. Over the years I have noticed that when I eat something that has a lot of sugar in it (like a piece of cake, or candy…..which I hardly ever do anymore, now that I have become vegan) I am more prone to two things: 1. notice more acidity, 2. am more vulnerable to getting a URI (upper respiratory infection). I have some theories on these as follows: (1) Acid stomach: sugar must considerably slow the peristalsis of the gut (giving that full feeling). When it does this, more acid collects. When more acid collects, I am more likely to notice some reflux. (2) Viruses might just propagate more with a higher glucose blood level.I would be very interested in your thoughts about these ideas. Thanks.I asked the Dental Hygienist how I can slow the spread of cavities in my teeth, and she said it depends upon how much acid is in your saliva.We all know or should know that acid is produced by sugars, but also breads (grains), and so forth. But herbicides, especially Roundup are very acidic. And studies have linked both Glyphosate, the labeled active ingredient and Roundup to symptoms of acid reflux disease –GERD.I wonder if the viruses, the bacteria used to change the DNA of seeds are also causing the plants to become more acidic. Or, if it is the incessant use of herbicides.A new study, Field Investigations of Glyphosate in Urine of Danish Dairy Cows shows that the metabolism has been altered. Look at what has been excreted in the urine of the cows! All cows excreted glyphosate but in varying levels.I also received the diagnosis of Barrett’s Esophagus before receiving the news I had already removed so much from my diet, there is not much left, fresh water fish,chicken .eggs. Veg. no problem, bananas, but I am concerned I am not getting enough protein. I am very tiny so weight is not an issue, I do not smoke. I am on 20mg omeprazole morning and 20mg evening, It has made a big difference. I would like to know if kidney beans are alright (high in protein). any suggestions for improving protein intake would be appreciated. There should be a book for us. thank youI have never had acid reflux. Perhaps, because I eat a plant based diet with beans and greens –dark leafy greens for calcium and beans plus whole grain organic brown rice, quinoa, millet or other grains to create complimentary proteins. You can get enough protein without eating TOXIC ANIMAL PROTEIN, which includes chicken, eggs, dairy.Whenever I have a question about food, I come to this web site, or google the food, nutrition facts, Dr. Greger. Important information comes up.We will all have GERD if Monsanto keeps changing the DNA of all seeds, or if pollen from their GMO seed crops contaminates our vegetables and fruits. This is the reason mandatory labeling of genetically modified seeds, foods, fruits and vegetables, grains are needed. Plus, without the right to know, physicians cannot prescribe better remedies. If there is no organic left, who will feed us? I contribute to Yes/ I-522 to give residents of Washington State the right to know. More than 64 other countries have mandatory labeling to allow their citizens choices of what foods to buy and eat.+1 for mentioning Monsanto. Who will feed us? We need to stop expecting someone to “feed” us and start growing our own seed. Buy seed from proven non-GMO stock and store them or grow and spread them around to others. Monsanto will not save us, only we will save each other — at the grass roots level.but I thought that strawberries slowed precancerous changes in the esophagus, so does that not apply to Barretts also?I have had GERD for years. I’ve used all the usual drugs and the one that worked best was Nexium. However, I don’t really like the idea of taking a PPI, though I have written hundreds of prescriptions for them because that is what patients seem to want. I’ve also tried various non-drug remedies, such as d-limonene (Esophaguard) with varying, albeit modest, degrees of success…….until NOW. (I love when Dr. Greger says that). Out of desperation, and the fact that it has a money back guarantee, I bought a bottle of Amish Stops Reflux Now and it works great. It consists of apple cider vinegar, ginger and garlic juice. I’d tried vinegar alone and mixed with honey and it did seem to help somewhat, but this combination is nearly miraculous. Apparently there is some sort of synergistic effect among the three ingredients.so, you practice medicine based on what patients want? shouldn’t you be telling them what the need?I suffered from severe acid reflux for years. Whenever I would go to the Dr. they would simply tell me to continue to take Prilosec…even thought I was in my 20’s at the time, not over weight, active and ate a “healthy” standard american diet etc. Definitely, not something I should have been taking for 8+ years! About 3 years ago I cut gluten out of my diet and was off Prilosec within 2 weeks. I have not dealt with heart burn since. However, if I have the slightest amount of gluten I immediately get heart burn. Soon after I cut out gluten I also adopted a Whole Foods Plant Based diet. These two changes have been extremely important in keeping my heart burn at bay. I just thought I would mention it since it has helped me immensely with heart burn and might help someone else.same here! There is no going back to gluten for me. It was destroying me all these years and I was clueless, always attributing heartburn to other things. All along, it was the gluten.i was on ppi’s for nearly 20 years…i went gluten free for 6 months – nothing changed. i am however, beginning to wonder about glyphosate. here’s why: i had an heirloom tomato anti-pasta salad at my brother’s house – i had it knowing tomatoes are one of my worst triggers – yet i had NO issues that night. i have since purchased heirloom tomatoes myself…had a whole tomato last night…again NO issues.Check list for ph levels in fruits and vegies and cut out thise with higher acid levelsThe same symptoms of acid reflux disease were also of those experienced by people in Taiwan who used glyphosate to commit suicide. A study uncovered that intentional ingestion (80 cases) resulted in erosion of the gastrointestinal tract (66%), seen as sore throat (43%), dysphagia [difficulty swallowing] (31%), and gastrointestinal haemorrhage (8%). Other organs were affected less often (non-specific leucocytosis 65%, lung 23%, liver 19%, cardiovascular 18%, kidney 14%, and CNS 12%).http://het.sagepub.com/content/10/1/1.abstract[Leukocytosis is a white blood cell count (the leukocyte count) above the normal range in the blood. It is frequently a sign of an inflammatory response.]I’m not medically trained. But think about this. Genetically modified crops in the USA have increased the use of herbicides especially glyphosate in waters, in the air, and in food. The air is cleansed by precipitation, which brings the herbicides into everyone’s garden. Plants take up glyphosate just as they take up water. Hence, it is important to wash produce with at least carbon filtered water to remove surface pollutants and bacteria. Glyphosate reduces the micronutrients in crops we put in our bodies.Eating certified organic produce or organic fruits and vegetables you grow yourself without manmade chemicals and GMOs, are the best ways to prevent acid reflux symptoms and of course, eating a healthy plant based diet. Start with certified organic or heirloom seeds. Good books and information is available through the Rodale Institute.Since dropping most of my meat consumption only eating it small amounts on alternate days or weeks (couple of ounces vs pounds per week) GERD has gone. Triggers were meat esp at bedtime, potato chips, few other rich foods. The bed is level again. I think mine was from the body wanting to digest the animal products to get the calories from them, so made lots of acid. I gave it no choice, that or throw up, and I hate to throw up. I still can’t quite kick all meat all the time. But if I go for a ‘test pig out’ and eat a big meat meal I am hungry toward the end of it for fruits and veggies, even if too full to eat any. That is a new thing for me. I can easily keep meat down to couple meals a week, under a pound a week, but removing totally has been much harder than just reducing to low amounts. I used to eat at least half to one pound total of meat per day, sometimes more. I’m grateful to have found first Dr. Fuhrman, then Dr. Esselstyn, and then Dr. Greger. It’s taken all 3 of these great people to help with this. I’m not seduced by what’s around, the meat persistent low, occasional craving seems to come from inside. If anyone knows how to beat that, or if it’s just a need of the body we don’t understand yet, I’m open to ideas.bob luhrs: Congrats on the progress you have made so far. That’s a big leap and I’m glad you are seeing some results.re: “If anyone knows how to beat that…”I don’t know what will work for you, but I do have an idea. Dr. Barnard talks about “transition foods”, a concept that I think has a lot of value. There are vegan foods out there that are not really healthy, but they can help people make the transition to healthier eating. In your case, transition foods would be those meat analogs like Tofurkey sausage. There are many, many choices out there from “deli meats” to hot dogs to breakfast sausages to ground round, etc. Some brands taste better than others. Then you might transition to products like “soy curls” which I think have a texture very much like shredded chicken – and which can be made to taste just like chicken.While these foods are not healthy, I think they are healthIER than eating actual meat, especially if these transition foods help you to eliminate animal products all together. Then at some point, when the time is right, you will find yourself eliminating the transition foods, making the next step as you can.That’s just an idea. I hope it helps.have been vegetarian for almost 31 yrs, vegan for 4. How nutritarian 95% of time. Have had acid reflux some time ago w/Barratt’s. For one yr did not have raw vegetables. All stir-fried or sauteed & gave up tomatoes 95% of time. last endoscopy showed no Barratt’s. Everyone I know who wants to give up meat has to go cold turkey as takes 22 days to cleanse palate, whether it be meat, salt or whatever. Do not understand why anyone would eat meat for many reasons including environmental, chicken (now from China & does not have to be labeled) & fish (Fukishima nuclear fallout has polluted all oceans of the world. Hello vegetables!Hi – So just to clarify your Barratt’s went away? From everything I read you have it forever. Did it go away because of your diet change? Is there anything else you did?I don’t buy into most of the claims by ‘Medical Science’ that some diseases are ‘incurable’. People should be hesitant to ever accept that a diagnosis handed down to them by some dude with an MD is incurable. Once you accept it, you cease trying to seek a cure. And then you enter into the stage of ‘management’ which will only succeed in (1) making you dependent on something you may not need (permanent meds), (2) create a permanent financial relationship where the drug corps receive a constant flow of money from you for the rest of your life.I recently have been diagnosed with Barrett’s Esophagus and Esophagitis. I previously was diagnosed with GERD. The question I have is I have been having Abdominal pain just under my breastbone and have some back pain. I currently take 40mg of Nexium first thing in the morning. The Drs also put me on Ativan and nurontin(not sure of the spelling) and I do take Vicodin at night for pain to get some sleep. I’m waiting on my biopsy results from last week and I’m scared even though the Dr’s said everything looked ok. I’ve cut way back on my diet but I’m having trouble figuring out what to eat/drink. I’m from Vermont and the hospital that is treating me is Dartmouth Hitchcock in New Hampshire, seriously thinking about going to The Mayo Clinic if this pain continues as everyone tells me Barrett’s has no symptoms, could the pain be from esophagitis? Sorry for so many questions. Any help would be appreciated.forgot to mention above that when I gave up Prilosec, Prevacid, etc. I was able to salvage damaged digestive system (from taking them for several yrs). Found out too late that they are to be taken only short term. Remedy that worked for me: 1 T organic blackstrap molasses, followed by 1 T organic apple cider vinegar in small glass of water. Vinegar is too harsh not to coat digestive tract first.yes I have this pain and my doctor sent me to have gall bladder checked that was fine pain is from barrats I get pain in my jaw as well likened to heart attack it is barratts I had endoscopy Saturday as I have grade 3 barratts and vomit twice a month looking at advice on here to change my diet as when I have all nice things sugar cakes butter get acid,have cut out meat only have about 4 ounce a month will do anything to stop vomiting, I take 20-40mg rabebprazol a day and pray biopsy they took Saturday doesn’t get worse hope this helpsHello Dr. Greger,You mention how beneficial certain spices are; however, I notice that whenever I eat spice-rich foods (such as Indian), I suffer from terrible heartburn. This happens even when I cook using almost no oil and vegan Indian dishes like lentils or curried beans. Could it be that these legumes in combination with the Indian spices cause too much acidity in the stomach? Btw, I also eat these with Indian basmati rice and a dash of dehydrated habanero powder.I cannot handle spiced food well too. Read more on the issue here: http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall0202pu1.htmDear Dr. Michael Greger I have watched your post on nutritionalfacts.org regarding the Freezed Dried Strawberries for Esophagus. I have Barrett’s Esophagus and I am willing to try that. I would like to ask you ,If you could provide me with the information whether or not I have to buy organic freezed dried strawberries or can be the regular ones. Perhaps you know what type of strawberries they used on those patients.. Also would it be the same if instead of the freezed dried I can use fresh ones. Is there a reason for that they used freezed dried strawberries on those patients? Would you recommend a place or a good brand of those strawberries is best to buy? Thank you kindly Dr.Greger for your respond , GuestWhat about the consistent use of apple cider vinegar?Is the use of graviola pills or juice a good idea? On the bottle it says not take if you have Parkinson’s or use hypertensive medications. I take a diuretic.I completely eliminated acid reflux after discovering that I am gluten intolerant. I do not eat wheat, barley, rye, oatmeal. Oatmeal gives me instant heartburn. I too have Barrett’s Esophagus. All symptoms have disappeared after changing my diet. I used to avoid acid foods such as coffee and tomato sauce. It is no longer necessary. Changing the gut chemistry surely changes the potential for acid reflux. While gluten may not be everybody’s problem, it is certainly worth a try. If that’s not it, figure out what your own body reacts to. It takes diligence and commitment. But once you figure out what makes you feel better, there is no going back. Just as a precaution I do take Rolaids once a day (even when I do not have heartburn) just to keep my esophagus coated in case I the acid is coating my esophagus without my knowledge. Rolaids contains both magnesium and calcium (unlike Tums which contain only calcium), both essential nutrients that neutralize acid in the stomach.Stopping smoking & dropping grains together with eating massive amounts of vegetables kg+ a day plus more physical exercise makes Omeprazol 40-60 mg a day a thing of the past.I too like elaine notice a sensitivity to oats, the 1 remaining grain.Dunno about Barret’s, if one has it that person will probably be doing him or herself a favour going on a 500 gram strawberries a day diet for half a year. And clear those lesions right up :)Black pepper is not recommended, as well as red pepper: http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/features/11-meal-planning-tips-prevent-heartburnBest Acid Reflux Remedies ———- http://bestacidrefluxremedies.com/Diet For Acid Reflux http://bestacidrefluxremedies.com/diet-for-acid-reflux/Treatment For Acid Reflux http://bestacidrefluxremedies.com/treatment-for-acid-reflux/Natural Acid Reflux Remedies http://bestacidrefluxremedies.com/natural-acid-reflux-remedies/Acid Reflux Home Remedies http://bestacidrefluxremedies.com/acid-reflux-home-remedies/Two things which give rapid relief for acid reflux / heartburn are red delicious apple (peeled is best) or alkaline water pH10 or Ararimu style (neutralises the acid). I learnt about the apple from Barton publishing but don’t understand why this apple is best. If the situation is more serious you can get a very extensive matrix assessment test from Optimal Wellness Laboratories for about $190 US ( Map test ) from urine and saliva samples. Its modelled on the Nasa tests. 11pages of report summary and recommendation plus help if required.I, too have Barrett’s. How can I get involved in one of these studies about the effects of fruit?Question for Dr. Greger, I’ve tried to ‘go vegan’ several times in my life. Yet after a few weeks, without fail, I always seem to get hit with sensations of strong esophagus spasms, and sometimes acid reflux-type pain. The spasms once got so bad they would be triggered even by walking.What’s the connection between plant-based diets, and esophagus or stomach irritation?Thanks in advance. Love the new site design :)Acid Reflux is a health issue that cannot be ignored. Lifestyle and dietary changes can be the first line of defense. It is very important to pursue an alkaline diet and avoid acid-promoting foods. To learn on how to help heal Acid Reflux, this is an excellent, educational video to do just that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufrJoRc7KaYTeam, please remove this paleo-lover’s comment..CarrotBrocante: I’m not seeing anything in the comment that breaks the rules for posting on this site. Do you see something different than I do?I agree that the video leaves a lot to be desired. It is especially lacking in any evidence to back up the claims. However, the way to combat miss-information on this site is with good solid evidence of your own. If you wanted to respond to the points in the video that are incorrect, especially if you had some references to back up your own points, that would be really great.Acid Reflux is a very common issue in the 21st century. Even infants and children face this dilemma. The best doctors can do is place their patients on proton-inhibitors, which contribute to more nasty side affects. In order to address this issue, you need to change your diet and take proper supplementation along with lifestyle changes. A great source of information on this is Dr. Axe. I highly recommend that you view this video, it is very informative and educational. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufrJoRc7KaYFound this shopping list in my basket at Costco last weekend. Ironic final entryThe study showing no positive effect of adding “more fruits and vegetables” to the diet of people with Barrett’s were dealing with very low fruit and vegetable intakes — 1.8 and 1.3 servings per day (fruit and vegetables *combined*), +/- .04 servings. With greater intakes of fruits and vegetables, say the recommended nine servings a day, or even half that, would you expect to see a reduction in the disease? Has any study looked at this? http://www.blitzbrigadehacktools.com/ shadow fight 2 hack: http://www.shadowfight2hackonline.com/ dead trigger 2 hack: http://www.deadtrigger2cheatss.com/I have suffered from reflux for awhile and just stumbled on something that actually provided relief. It is thought that there is a lack of acid in the stomach so the food is not digested in a timely fashion leading to bloating and reflux. I took a tablespoon of raw fermented sauerkraut and then two tablespoons of the juice. The relief was almost immediate. Now I am doing that every morning to increase the stomach acid as well as when I feel it may be starting. Remarkable. The medications were lessening the acid and making it worse.I have suffered from reflux for awhile and just stumbled on something that actually provided relief. It is thought that there is a lack of acid in the stomach so the food is not digested in a timely fashion leading to bloating and reflux. I took a tablespoon of raw fermented sauerkraut and then two tablespoons of the juice. The relief was almost immediate. Now I am doing that every morning to increase the stomach acid as well as when I feel it may be starting. Remarkable. The medications were lessening the acid and making it worse.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17030196,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22122772,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11169948,
PLAIN-365	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-do-you-drink-dr-greger/	What do you drink, Dr. Greger?	Dr. Greger ~ Are you still drinking that yummy Hibiscus Tea? (I did not see it in your “morning mix”!) Kenton R. Mullins  / Originally Posted in A Better Breakfast A half gallon a day Kenton! I no longer do the teabags, though, but the bulk dried hibiscus flowers themselves (why hibiscus? See Better Than Green Tea?). My current recipe is a handful of dried hibiscus petals in 8 cups of water with a penny sized chunk of fresh ginger root (see Plants vs. Pesticides), handful of fresh mint leaves (Antioxidants in a Pinch), teaspoon of amla (Amla: Indian gooseberries vs. cancer, diabetes, and cholesterol), and erythritol to taste (3 tablespoons for me–see A Harmless Artificial Sweetener)–all blended up in a high speed blender and then sipped throughout the day. I’m on the road right now and I sure miss my concoction! Anyone have any suggestions for improving it even further (taste or nutrition-wise)? UPDATE: Due to concerns about the manganese content, I’ve cut back to a quart a day of filtered. 	I keep ginger root in the freezer and use a Cuisipro fine rasp to grate a small amount directly into the water before i brew it over night. This rasp makes very quick work of grating ginger, regardless of what you’re using it in and is a more efficient way to get the ginger into the tea.I do the same using the fantastic Microplane zester/grater. It’s very sharp so it’s quick and easy. Very efficient on turmeric roots too. And the cherry on the sundae (don’t eat the sundae!), no need to peel the roots and no réd fingertips!do you have a research about Distilled water? Thank you so much about all this amazing site!!!Here is something you can try, in a Vitamix, input 1 whole Lemon, 1/4 cup of whole Hibiscus Flowers, 1/2 cup of Cranberries, 1/2 cup of Strawberries, 1/2 cup of Raspberries, 1 teaspoon Amla, 1 Young Coconut (Water & Meat), Watermelon to taste…no need for the processed sugar… I love life!Juice of one whole lemon, or the entire lemon?1 whole lemon with peelThe list sounds pretty good; Adding a bit of ginger would be good as well, while omitting the coconut would improve it substantially.Please see:Is Coconut Oil Good For You? Coconut Milk Good For You? Does Coconut Oil Clog Arteries?I would include lemon zest and white tea for both flavor and nutrition. Especially with your demanding lecture schedule and interaction with sick people. This site is a genuine blessing; thank you.Thanks so much for sharing this. I’m looking for palatable ways to use that amla powder I bought. Maybe I can give this a try.Follow up question: If you are drinking so much of your above potion, do you still have room for green tea? It seems like green tea has so many benefits. But then maybe it is just a matter of hibiscus not being researched enough and it may be as powerful as green tea?? Just curious if you have any thoughts on green tea vs hibiscus. Thanks.Your “potion” is nice & in line with whole-food nutrition / low sugar. I still consume coffee & Silver Needle in the AM. Are you done with the matcha mode?I just called the Celestial Seasonings consumer line on their Red Zinger tea box. I asked if there is a difference in bioavailablilfity of the antioxidants when steeping at different temperature, specifically cold brew vs hot brew. The knowledgable young man I spoke with said that cold brew will taste and look the same as hot brew, but does NOT yield the same antioxidant amounts. He said green tea can be had around 110-120 degrees, but that this tea is optimized at around 160 degrees, and steeped for 4 to 5 mins, a bit longer if you like it stronger.mbglife: Interesting answer you got there. I wonder just how knowledgeable that young man was? More importantly, did he give you any studies to back up his claim?I’ll have to confess that I can’t tell from your post whether the young man was saying that hot brew gives more or less antioxidants. Either way, I think you will be interested in the following Dr. Greger video which shows the results of a study where cold-brew yielded dramatically more antioxidants than hot.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/Interesting, yes?You might also want to familiarize yourself with the recent evaluation of their products.Google:‘Dangerously high pesticide levels’ found in Celestial Seasonings teashttp://www.examiner.com/article/dangerously-high-pesticide-levels-found-celestial-seasonings-teasDoes hibiscus tea interact with inhaled steroids?I am drinking alot of Cinnamon Apple spice herbal tea by Celestial Seasonings, first ingredient cinnamon, second ,hibiscus. Is this tea as good as the hibiscus Red Zinger teas nutritionally?Any idea if hibiscus tea inhibits iron absorption like other teas?You should include in your videos about hibiscus tea (which I love and am happy to have heard about here) that pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant should not drink it. It interferes with implantation.Will you please link to some sources on this?Hello,Thank you very much for your many efforts in helping us to ferret out & separate the science from the belief in nutritional matters!Question 1:Have you had the opportunity to look into the anti-cancer research regarding papaya leaf ( & bark) by Nam Dang, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Florida?From the preliminary findings, it might seem prudent to add papaya leaf to the tea as well.Question 2: In addition, have you had the opportunity to peruse:Common Tea Formulations Modulate In Vitro Digestive Recovery of Green Tea Catechins, by Rodney J. Green, Angus S. Murphy, Burkhard Schulz, Bruce A. Watkins and Mario G. Ferruzziwhich suggests that complementing green tea with either citrus juices or vitamin C likely increases the amount of catechins available for the body to absorb?Thanks…Just got around to making your antioxidant fruit-punch. I liked it and plan to make it regularly. Where can you inexpensively buy these bulk dried hibiscus flowers? I just got a small pack from Whole Foods market for mucho dinero!I just found this place with the tea at $20/lb… I have no idea if that is good or not… I have never bought loose tea. Does that compare to what you paid at whole foods?Oops – here is the link http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/tea_bev/tea_bev.htmlThank you so much for the tip. At Whole Foods, I paid $5.29 for a pack of 50g of Organic Dried Hibiscus Flowers. That translates to $48 a pounds so your web-company provides comparatively very good value. One difference, however, is that what I bought was pure hibiscus whereas the website that you suggested appears to be selling mixes with other ingredients like orange peel.Maybe this is no longer relevant to you, but FYI, Mountain Rose Herbs DOES sell just hibiscus flowers – at this time, it is $8 or $8.50 per pound (depending on whether you buy whole dried flowers or the other kind, which I assume is flower pieces). You can see it on this page (scroll down to hibiscus): https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/bulkherb/h.phpThank you so much Emily! That is super-helpful. Thankfully they also ship to Canada so I can use this service.I realize ideally we should drink hibiscus and green tea, and other teas throughout the day ideally. However, I’m fine with steeping several together, as in 3/4 green tea bags, 2/3 black tea bags, as well as hibiscus all together. Is this ok, first off brew them together? Also, can I use a small volume of water, say a have liter for this combination, or should I use 1 cup of water per tea bag? Finally, is it okay to drink all of that combination at once? literally equivalent to 9 to 12 tea bags at once?I am wondering too, if I could mix hibiscus flowers and green tea together.I brew my own Kombucha tea; after the fermentation is complete, I remove the SCOBY and add 2 TBS of dried hibiscus flower (per gallon of tea) – pretty & yummy.. and I’m getting probiotics and enzymes in my tea.The good doc asked for ideas to make your daily (tea) concoction better. Try adding two or three ounces of high anti-oxidant organic juice like cherry, acai berry, etc., right into your drink! For lower income, this is also a way to slowly squeeze those more expensive among organic juices into your daily immunity building.When Dr Gregor says he puts it all in a high speed blender, does that mean the hibiscus flowers too or water the hibiscus has been steeped in?Yes, hibiscus flowers too!I drink a lot of hibiscus tea, too, so I’m concerned about the manganese content. If you don’t whiz it up, including the flowers, this would lower the manganese content, wouldn’t it? Currently I use 4 of the Zinger tea bags, and a scoop of the dried hibiscus, in 1 gallon water.I’ve read about tea being acidic to the body. How can I mitigate those effects?Tea is not acidic, and is negligible in terms of the renal acid load. Oranges are acidic but metabolize to a net alkalinity. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/If you want to learn more about the possible role of acid-base balance and disease, Dr. Greger has some great videos and articles on the topic, including Alkaline Water: a Scam?, Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, & Calcium Loss, and Does Animal Protein Cause Osteoporosis?I think this topic is very interesting, because there is a significant contingent of the complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine communities which believes keeping the body “alkaline,” or less acidic, is one of the key factors for optimal disease prevention. There also is a belief that an “acidic environment favors cancer.” This belief likely arose from the fact that cancer cells, with their unusual, extremely rapid metabolic activities, tend to make the micro-environment in and around a tumor more acidic. However, this acidic tumor micro-environment does not appear to measurably shift total body pH to be more acidic (unless a person is experiencing an extreme form of malnutrition and altered metabolism, called cancer cachexia). So, the observation that tumors are acidic may have led some people to conclude (mistakenly) that acidic environments cause tumors. In reality, it is tumors that cause acidic environments.Also remember that as Ramiclimber noted, tea is not highly acidic, nor does it contribute much to acidity in the blood and urine. But if you still have concerns about how to mitigate the effects of any of the more acidic foods in your diet, consider this:In general, the more plant-based the diet, the more alkaline the blood and urine tend to be. Overall, animal foods tend to increase acidity, while plant foods tend to decrease it. There are exceptions – cranberries and plums, for example, tend to increase urine acidity – but most vegetables and fruit, even if acidic in nature (think citrus), actually create more alkalinity in the body. Research shows that vegans have the least acidic urine, followed closely by vegetarians, and then by omnivores. The bottom line is that eating more plants will make the urine less acidic, and likely, make the body more alkaline overall.Conveniently, eating more plants also is strongly linked with decreased risk of just about any chronic disease you can think of: heart disease, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, cancer, and obesity.Hi Suzanne, I believe you clicked reply under the wrong person. As Such, they will not be notified of this post.Thanks Ramiclimber! You’re absolutely right. I did accidentally reply to you, when I had intended to reply to Eddie! I’ll do that now. I appreciate the heads up! Have a great day :-)If you want to learn more about the possible role of acid-base balance and disease, Dr. Greger has some great videos and articles on the topic, including Alkaline Water: a Scam?, Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, & Calcium Loss, and Does Animal Protein Cause Osteoporosis?I think this topic is very interesting, because there is a significant contingent of the complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine communities which believes keeping the body “alkaline,” or less acidic, is one of the key factors for optimal disease prevention. There also is a belief that an “acidic environment favors cancer.” This belief likely arose from the fact that cancer cells, with their unusual, extremely rapid metabolic activities, tend to make the micro-environment in and around a tumor more acidic. However, this acidic tumor micro-environment does not appear to measurably shift total body pH to be more acidic (unless a person is experiencing an extreme form of malnutrition and altered metabolism, called cancer cachexia). So, the observation that tumors are acidic may have led some people to conclude (mistakenly) that acidic environments cause tumors. In reality, it is tumors that cause acidic environments.Also remember that as Ramiclimber noted, tea is not highly acidic, nor does it contribute much to acidity in the blood and urine. But if you still have concerns about how to mitigate the effects of any of the more acidic foods in your diet, consider this:In general, the more plant-based the diet, the more alkaline the blood and urine tend to be. Overall, animal foods tend to increase acidity, while plant foods tend to decrease it. There are exceptions – cranberries and plums, for example, tend to increase urine acidity – but most vegetables and fruit, even if acidic in nature (think citrus), actually create more alkalinity in the body. Research shows that vegans have the least acidic urine, followed closely by vegetarians, and then by omnivores. The bottom line is that eating more plants will make the urine less acidic, and likely, make the body more alkaline overall.Conveniently, eating more plants also is strongly linked with decreased risk of just about any chronic disease you can think of: heart disease, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, cancer, and obesity.Is hibiscus tea safe for someone trying to get pregnant? What tea is best for fertility? Thanks for all you do!no…it has an anti fertility effect especially the hibiscus sinensis according to research…I follow your recipe Dr, but instead of erythritol I use cinnamon and a small amount of nutmeg. Erythritol is highly processed, so I can’t see how that can be healthy for you. The ones I have seen are not in natural “monk fruit” state, but in sugar-like granules. Its been put through some serious processing to get it to look like that. I also add a small amount of lemon balm and a tiny amount of all spice – but these last 2 are not added for taste so go easy!I add one green teabag for every hibiscus teabag. It comes out like a nice fruity iced tea and ups the nutrition content quite a bit, since green tea has properties that hibiscus does not. :)This is exactly what I do each morning! 2 cups hot (not boiling) water…1 teabag of organic green tea and 1 teabag of organic hibiscus tea…steep for about 30 minutes…strain into my glass bottle and bring to work. I really like hibiscus and green tea blended!hello Dr. Greger,thank you for your passion in sharing good nutrition with the world :)is it safe to cold brew (bulk hibiscus/jamaica) bought from local latino market, where contamination can occur( where customers touching with dirty hands, that might have touch raw meat or didn’t wash hand coming from toilet), if i boil the hibiscus, will it loose the nutritional value.please advice,thank you so much for all your kind effort, i learn so much from your videos and forwarding your site to friends, and it’s definitely made me a vegan, and helping my family eat betterDr. Greger, how can you get elderly people to eat turmeric?Paul: Wouldn’t the answer be: The same way you get anyone else to eat turmeric? I’m not trying to be sarcastic. I’m trying to figure out what you think is different about seniors consuming turmeric vs younger people.I know one senior citizen who bought the Capsule Machine and fills his own empty capsules with turmeric. He’s really happy with that option. And he is experimenting with adding ground black pepper and amla too. You can buy pills that have turmeric already in it, but they are expensive.Then I know another senior citizen who puts a bunch of turmeric in a giant spoon of humus each day. She is also thinking of trying to mix the turmeric with tomato based salsa.Hope those idea help.Dr. Greger, I’m looking for evidence if coffee would have a negative affect on osteoarthritis. Since going plant based 8 months ago my husband has gone off all his blood pressure and stomach medication (doctor supervised) but the osteoarthritis is still lingering with the occasional bout of gout. He is doing the straight cherries and cherry juice for the gout, but we wonder if coffee is having an effect on his arthritis. Thanks for all you do!! TammyI would add lemon juice/zest to hibiscus tea along with mint and ginger if you can’t get your hands on amla. This is a very inexpensive and healthy drink with no sugar and a lot of anti oxidant properties. Here is a link to a video on whether hibiscus tea is better than green tea.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/Hi,I was wondering: – Does the mixture have to be filtered after being blended, or you just drink as it is after you’ve blended it? – When you say you’ve cut back to a quart liter a day, do you mean that you actually cut half of the hibiscus dosage? I guess (8 cups of water + 1 handful of hibiscus) = (4 cups of water + 1 handful of hibiscus) in terms of the beverage’s manganese content. I’m asking because it be nice to have half a galon instead of just a quarter a day.Thank you in advance for your reply.Dr Greger I love your videos and I try to implement the information into my diet, so far amla has been the easiest to add, working on those antioxidants level sto be as high as possible. Since you have given examples or antioxidant rich meals that you consume on a daily basis, would you care to make a video on your daily diet with all the levels of nutrients counted? I would just love to collect some more food inspiration from you and these videos are highly inspirational for anyone trying to embark on a whole foods diet. I just have one remark, a lot of the information is centered around US. Would you care to elaborate more on European or international standardss when you discuss different regulations, diets, costs and such? And lastly if I were to dry broccoli sprouts and then cook them, would that change their nutrition somehow? Thank you.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-366	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/can-you-take-hydrogen-peroxide-internally/	Can you take hydrogen peroxide internally?	I have a question regarding the use of hydrogen peroxide internally. I’m not finding much information on the subject and I have a family member who’s looking into it based on some (limited) online research. Thoughts and feedback would be appreciated. organicsauce / Originally posted on Glycotoxins Yikes! Hydrogen peroxide should never be taken internally. It can cause irritation of the gastrointestinal tract with nausea, vomiting, and foaming at the mouth (the foam may obstruct the respiratory tract or result in pulmonary aspiration). Within minutes of ingestion, confusion, coma, convulsions, cyanosis and cardiorespiratory arrest may ensue if the concentration is high enough. Oxygen gas embolism in the brain may cause a stroke even after just a few sips. Most problems occur at concentrations >10%, but even dilute solutions can be toxic. If your family member wants to oxygenate their blood they should try exercising! Instead of consuming pro-oxidants like hydrogen peroxide, I recommend eating anti-oxidant rich foods. See, for example: 	I’ve never drank Hydrogen P internally, but i do gargle with it?? Hope that’s not bad? I haven’t had a sore throat since doing it.Same here!From where I should get Hydrogen Peroxide in IndiaIngesting hydrogen peroxide will only give those side effects when taken improperly. Hydrogen peroxide can be ingested and should be researched and discovered for its proper uses….because it is amazing for the immune system, helping to rid teh body of all sorts of diseases, ailments,etc…including cancer, HIV, ETC. Sorry doctor, but maybe you should be our own research and not believe everything that you were taught in med school, because medical research is funded by pharmaceutical companies who dont want people healthy, in turn for themselves to be broke!Truth-I think Dr Greger has proven himself to be a medical graduate who thinks outside the square. I know about hydrogen peroxide claims and even if 100% correct, there are far more safer alternatives …right here on this website in fact!amen to thatHydrogen peroxide is safe as long as it’s food grade. The good doctor is wrong about it being harmful. I would recommend 3% Hydrogen peroxide.There is no such thing as food grade hydrogen peroxide.No. You are wrong crazy Monkey. It is very dangerous. I burned my throat from gargling with a couple drops in a glass of water of 35% Food Grade. I have been through hell and back for four months now and always afraid when It will get inflamed again and swell up if I eat certain foods. I have to have a scope. I am warning people do not ingest Hydrogen Peroxide food grade at all. It puts holes in the stomach and esophagus. I want to try to warn people of the damage, so they don’t suffer like me.You are telling me you burned your mouth with a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide in a cup of water and it put holes in your stomach and damage you for life hahaha. You must be joking or it’s all in your head and you need to seek a therapist because you’re delusional.You realize that 35% is in no way food grade, right? That means that the ratio of peroxide to whatever else is in the liquid is 35%, so it’s 35% hydrogen peroxide. Food grade is waaay less more like 3%. No wonder your throat got burned.Good God! Hydrogen Peroxide will NOT cure aids!!!You should know and try http://www.oxytam.comIs there any food that can redduce Brown spots on the skin?. Skintrearments for dark spots?thetruthabouthydrogenperoxide.com remove the blindfolds and seek the truthI have only used 1/8 of a teaspoon in a cup of water 3x a day to get rid of womanly yeast infections. Since then any time I feel a possible one coming on, I follow this regimen. It keeps it from developing. Thus, I have not had one for 15 years. (My doctor is the one that suggested it after over the counter and prescriptions did not work)I’ve been taking 3% “food grade” hydrogen peroxide in small amounts for the last few weeks. I spray one or two squirts on the back of my throat and then take a drink of water to wash it down. I do this once or twice a day. It completely cleared out my sinuses and I feel that it also helped clear up a fungal infection. The only side effects I have noticed have been positive. Of course, I would never take any that was stronger than the 3%… and only if it is food grade.Dr Greger, Do you have a response for the above claims from the posts about H2O2 consumption? Sure would like to hear something that clears this subject up. I have seen lots of claims from websites about H2O2 but they sure seem like scams but if so many people have drank this then why no postings from these people about the bad effects . Please comment!Ask them to present studies so that we can review it! These things are mostly scams.As hydrogen peroxide can not be patented so no pharmersutical company will fund any research its like all non pharmersutical treatments no profit then no research.No studies then it is a scam is a typical medical responce, yes there are so so many scams on the net but also thousands of reviews on amazon , youtube and others that show them drinking it and no bad effects only good effects for some, some may be fake but all cannot. We need REAL research but this will never happen without funding.I have no idea if this works or not?There are no posts from people like me who believe in peroxide because there are no bad affects. I have even poured 12% straight out of the bottle onto my skin purposely to experience a peroxide burn and this is what ensued. Yes, it burned, but not even real bad. It might have been worse if I plunged my whole hand into peroxide. But who would do that. Anyway, the burn is not like any other chemical that you would associate a burn with. So it burned and bubbled and made the skin white for a few minutes, but the burning does stop on its own once the peroxide has finished killing bacteria. This was a few short minutes and the skin then looked completely normal. Peroxide will not hurt you. Learn how to use it. It’s not hard. The 9% and 12% bottles have dilution ratios on the label. Go by that.I have seen what full strength H2O2 can do to a person. I used to work in the semiconductor industry and they used H2O2 to clean silicon wafers between industrial processes. If you ever got so much as a drop on your skin- or anything else – it would turn that area completely white, like bleach. That is full strength.I will attest to this. I HAD A VERY BAD AFFECT TO GARGLING WITH A COUPLE OF DROPS IN AN EIGHT OUNCE GLASS OF WATER FROM 35% FOOD GRADE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. PLEASE PEOPLE I AM WARNING YOU. DO NOT INJEST THIS STUFF. IT BURNS HOLES IN THE STOMACH AND ESOPHAGUS. I HAVE BEEN SUFFERING FOR FOUR MONTHS AND HOPE TO GOD IT HEALS IN TIME. I HAVE TO HAVE A SCOPE NOW AND SEE THE DAMAGE. I ALWAYS AM TERRIFIED EVERY SINGLE DAY WORRYING HOW MUCH IT WILL SWELL TODAY. I HAVE BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE EMERGENCY ROOM.This advice is SO WRONG. I have been using peroxide for 15 years, both internally and externally. Peroxide does not hurt you. Yes, if you get 12% or higher, they should be diluted. Even the bottles at WalMart and the dollar stores should be diluted. But H202 is an instant cure for first symptoms of anything. When I stumbled upon this 15 years ago, it forever changed the way I treat myself for cold and flu and lots of other things.I never buy drugs. My thought to your warning of nausea, vomiting and foaming at the mouth (all three together) is that you have never learned how to use it. I would encourage you to learn. Dilution is the working element. Dilute, dilute, dilute. But let there be just enough to taste it going down. NEVER drink it full strength, which is how I believe you have learned of. Learn to use it. Peroxide is one of nature’s best friends. I am never without peroxide, not even when I go on vacation. You can catch a cold anywhere, anytime so it is always with me. One dose at first symptoms will kick your symptoms and you won’t get sick. Once dose is 1/8t in a cold liquid. I have used water, tea, orange juice and milk. But don’t use milk. Peroxide goes to killing bacteria in that and it is very uncomfortable in the stomach. They say distilled water is best, but I never got any. Never had to. Your response to this person who is honestly seeking an answer is very ill-informed. Please don’t do that to people. Get the truth yourself.please… any good side effects should be weighed on the -fact- that it ……………..kills good cells and bad alike .yes your right, you have to take a probiotic along with it, to replace the good bacteria.A cure for symptoms is not a cure. Symptoms are indicators, not the illness itself. Go to doctors people ,that’s what Obama care is for!My ex-girlfriend is an NP, 25 years in urgent care, created and ran the Fast Track ER program at University of WA medical center for 12 years. She says yes H202 will kill germs. It will also kill defensive cells so that in the future infections are more likely. They only use it when they have no choice, and they cut the 3% solution down 4:1…and even then it is not benign. I know and respect opinions of doctors and researchers. But in an ER with urgent care on a daily basis, I’d not be arguing with those people who do this every single day and know what happens.The good doctor is reluctant to comment on this issue……wonder why……I’m glad H2O2 works for some. For me, I have been taking food grade 35% (greatly diluted in water) daily for a while, but still came down with a cold that lasted 2 weeks. I have seen no health benefits personally, and the almost nauseating feeling it gives me for a few minutes after consumption makes it not worth continuing. I believe when properly consumed it is at least harmless. If not, you’d see a lot of stories about people suffering the ill effects, because it is used by many.where I will get hydrogen peroxide in India… Can you please provide me the url ????I don’t know what online stores supply H2O2 to India. Shop around.Try to google, by asking the question…..Where can I purchase Hydrogen Peroxide in India? Or Places close by your location.I have heard of some people using hydrogen peroxide intravenously for various health issues, is it safe to do that??I take 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide every day and it works great for me. So why are you saying no?Hi you say it works for me, what are you taking it for?It doesn’t kill him – so – it works! ;-)I have been ingesting food grade H2O2 for over 30 years. For the benefits of ingesting food grade H2O2 read “The One Minute Cure” which was and Amazon best seller.There is a doctor on Utube (can’t think of his name) that says — “when you feel a cold might be coming on–pour a little Hydrogen Peroxide into your ears”. He says he doesn’t know why it works. Anyone tried this?I just heard of that in some documentary … but they said a “dilute solution” but not the exact dilution. I was curious about it because, well certainly full-strength H2O2 would probably hurt a person, but a weak solution might kill germs or something.I do this every night – 3% food-grade h2o2, (the strength is VERY important) via a dripper – leave it in for a minute, then tilt your head & remove the excess with a piece of kitchen roll. The basic science is, most bugs & air-bourne viruses are thought to enter via the ear canal – the sugars present in earwax then enable the virus to multiply, take hold, & wham – you got the bug. The peroxide will kill the bad bacteria, & (usually) prevent the infection. Of course, it doesn’t work 100% of the time, but I’ve noticed enough benefit to continue with it.H202 has been taken medicinally for years, diluted for course maybe 2 or 3 drops for a tall glass of waterHydrogen Peroxide is used to induce vomiting in dogs who have swallowed something such as a sock, underwear, etc. only for items that will not obstruct breathing coming up. the vet can advise the dosage, probably just for large dogs, but it works in about 5 minutes.I found an even faster and more efficient way to get O2 into my blood stream! It’s far more effective than peroxide and gets a massive amount of oxygen into my blood compared to peroxide. And then the oxygen seems to travel all over my body and even deep into the tissues of my nose, throat, eyes, and stomach.Nobody has patented this procedure either and it’s been proven beyond doubt to have no harmful side effects. It uses the principle that 20% of the air around us is pure oxygen and usually freely available.It’s called “breathing”.After posting here that I stopped drinking diluted 35% food grade H2O2 because I didn’t notice any health benefit, I heard it could dissolve warts. I tried it on a hard mole-like thing on my collarbone. (4 drops on a q-tip, then dab the mole with the q-tip.) It 2 weeks it was mostly gone. Same with a few tags I had under my arms. And several persistent crusty patches on an arm. Still visible, but smoothed over and no longer annoying. It is an mild acid, so it stings a bit. But worth it.I heard or someone who used a “dilute” solution of H2O2 to clean out their ears? Would that be safe, or crazy? If you look around you can find someone advocating for almost anything … and some of it could be dangerous. I think they said that H2O2 in their ears diluted would fight a cold? Is that even possible?In the early 1980’s I tried the diluted food grade H202 for maybe 3 months. Saw no benefit and got to where I could not stomach the taste of it. Won’t even brush my teeth with it now. But do use it externally and for cleaning projects. It is a great disinfectant.I’m a fan of Dr. Greger. He is doing a marvelous job with this website, but nobody is right all of the time, and I think he missed this one. It is easy to study up on hydrogen peroxide on the internet. It is a very important issue and will take you a few hours – but if you are concerned about what you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones from the effects of air, water, food and drug pollution, it will be worth the effort.When you do, you will find, as I did, that those who are frightening people away from trying the 0.003% hydrogen peroxide dilution that has been taken internally by millions of people have allowed themselves to be influenced by twisted, scary half-truths.You will find that the ozone in the air is absorbed by rain, creating H2O2 that makes rainwater so healthy and delicious. You will find that every cell in the body – every single cell – is making hydrogen peroxide virtually all of the time, billions, even trillions of times every day. Search peroxisomes and catalase. You will find that H2O2 is vital in many normal physiological functions. You will find that the body is exquisitely designed to safely use H2O2.You will find that one has to be as careful with 29% H2O2 as one is with those toxic drugs and household cleaners in the house. It can kill you if you drink it straight. But diluted and “taken as directed”, there are many, many personal testimonials to its safety, as well as its health benefits – including reversal of cancer. I have mature, intelligent, careful friends who have been taking a few drops with water every day for years, for pennies, and are confident that they have reversed and cured cancer. I am taking 8-10 drops of pure 0.2% food grade H2O2 in a glass of filtered water 3 times daily, and working up to 25 drops per glass until I drop down to the recommended dose of daily rainwater.This naturally occurring, life-giving molecule is safe and inexpensive. Nobody is going to get rich off food-grade H2O2. Who profits by slamming it? Follow the money.Again, THANKS for all you do, Dr. Greger. No offense intended here.10-15 drops of 3% HP. In a cup of clean water Will boost your immune system! Doctors don’t want people to know about it because it would significantly reduce amount of people who are going to doctors. Drink it at least 3 times a day. Do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach first, and later any time a day but not earlier then 1 hour after taking food. Be healthy people!	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21789734,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8667471,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21982964,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18608295,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15298493,
PLAIN-367	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-best-way-to-get-b12/	What is the best way to get vitamin B12?	What would you recommend as far as the best way to get B12 vitamins into our system, supplements? Will any over the counter supplement do? If one were lacto-ovo vegetarian, do they get vitamin B12 from cheese and eggs? Vas Bouras / Originally asked in Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting it Into Perspective I’m so glad you asked! In my opinion, the easiest and cheapest way to get our B12 is to take at least 2,500 mcg (µg) cyanocobalamin once each week, ideally as a chewable, sublingual, or liquid supplement (you can’t take too much–all you get is expensive pee). I have a video about it here: Cheapest Source of Vitamin B12. Or, if you’d rather get into the habit of taking something daily (instead of once-a-week), I recommend at least 250mcg (I know the math doesn’t seem to “add up” but that’s due to the vagaries of the B12 receptor system–see my video Daily Source of Vitamin B12). I also cover B12-fortified foods in that video. Such foods can be as exotic as a certain type of “nutritional yeast” or as simple as a bowl of Cheerios. As I showed in Vegan Epidemic, ovo-lacto vegetarians are also at risk for deficiency. For why fortified foods and supplements are the best sources of B12 see my video Safest Source of B12. Eggs and dairy are not optimal sources of vitamin B12 because foods come as a package deal and eggs and dairy may bring along as baggage saturated fat, cholesterol, and hormones). For more see my blog Vitamin B12: how much, how often? 	“cyanocobalamin” does contain animal substances or tissues???Pretty sure its created by bacteriaHi Dr. Greger,Great site! I was wondering if you could combine Azomite (an edible clay high in the cobalt necessary to produce B12) with some non dairy Kefir (high in natural bacteria) to produce Vit B12 in the gut? I saw this suggestion in an online forum and would like to know if this would work? Thanks.I would stick with Dr. Greger’s recommendations for Vitamin B12 see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/ and avoid Azomite which contains trace minerals. With the increasing evidence that Alzheimer’s disease is associated with Aluminum, Zinc, Copper and Iron (another reason to not take multivitamins) it is best to limit supplements to Vit B12, iodized salt and food to get what we need. Also some non dairy kefir is made from coconut milk which should be avoided see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/. Dr. Neal Barnard’s recent book, Power Foods for the Brain, is a good resource for folks wanting to learn more about avoiding dementia.Thank you, Dr. Forrester! I became a vegan after reading Dr. Barnard’s book Food for Life. The B12 requirement has always been a conundrum for me, as I don’t like taking supplements or eating commercial cereals (I buy my oatmeal in bulk). At least now I know to stay away from Azomite clay! I guess I’ll just take a B12 supplement once a month. Hopefully, that’ll do the trick. You guys are great. Saludos!Hello Dr. Forrester, the question has already been asked but could you tell me if cyanocobalamin comes from animals? Thank you.Dr Forrester what kind of supplements are you talking about here? I have have many good results of people who suffered many conditions and they all get well on alkaline water and supplements,, i would like to know what kind of supplements…i have recommended ph mIRACLE SUPPLEMENTS which are food…of course full of trace minerals and antioxidants …good results even in people with Alzheimers diseaseI’ve been diagnosed homozygous mthfr c677t. I’m taking methyl folate and chomping methyl b 12 and eating vegan, avoiding foods fortified with the form of b12 and folic acid my body can’t use, also avoiding sulphur foods like leafy greens, onion and garlic, since i apparently have problems with SUOX and CBS. Do you have any recommendations for a diet that would encourage b12 absobtion?I’m not familiar with your diagnosis but Dr. Greger’s 5 video series running from 2/3 to 2/9/12 should give you the information that you need to insure adequate B12 intake. Of course you can test to see if you have adequate levels and this is discussed in the last video of the series. Good luck.Why avoid the sulfur foods with this condition? Which leafy greens, if any, do you eat? Thanks for any info. Also, which tests did you run to discover this?2 types of B12 Methylcobalamin and Cyanocobalamin, Methyl B12 far superior – http://www.health101.org/art_methylcobalamin.htmI’ve been told this, too. In Cornell’s Plant Based Nutrition certification program, Dr. Campbell said that methyl B12 is the better source.I may be getting all the Vit B12 from the well water I drink exclusively, mostly from the well here.I would like to know how you think you are getting Vit. B12 from your well water.I too just heard Dr. Greger say that well water was a source (in a video where he is guest). I’m on a well now and wonder how to test this possibility. In the future I’ll be on a rain-water system, so I’m glad to know ahead of time that I may be losing a viable b12 source and need to take steps to replace it.I highly respect Dr Greger, but i would not trust getting my b12 from well water. The b12 supplements are cheap and easy to take and trust worthy !!!!I am not sure Dr. Greger ever said get B-12 from well water. He may have said it “may” be a source, (especially long ago when bacteria in water was not controlled) but there is no way that can be a reliable source! Same for dirt on plants, seaweed, and other mock-B12 sources. You’re thinking right though, take a B-12 supplement!For more info: Adults needs roughly 2.4 micrograms per day. In supplement form it comes in higher doses. Cheapest source of B12.For detailed Optimal Nutrition Recommendations: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Thanks, bigal JosephI want to test my well water. No one knows what it can be relied upon without that part. I did not mean to imply that Dr. Greger suggested relying on any source. He just glosses right over the fact that millions of rural dwellers get their water from non-chlorinated sources. I’m not interested in supplements or fortified foods. I get plenty of “flex” food.I would test the water before I would rely upon it, and really-reliance is not an issue as I’m “flexitarian”. But it still could be a viable source for strict eaters.Hi Wade. Please read my comment below. Thanks! josephDear Dr. Greger/Dr.Toxins :), I have an important practical question. In a place I live the only available form of B12 are 500 mcg shots (dirt cheap). What would you advise to do with them – have those shots intramuscularly (which, I get, provide way more b12 per dosage, yet I’m concerned if, say, weekly – or could those be monthly? – shots is too much for my muscle) or should I just drink – (or take sublingually?) -the contents of five shots every week? (If monthly shots of say 1000 mcg is all I need I’d probably go for that way. I remember reading somewhere, China Study maybe?, some rurally guys in Asia had a custom of monthly b12 shot – seems like an easy way to me). Also I suspect I might be quite b12 deficient based on history of my diet (no test available to me to validate). Would you advise a short course of shots to make sure the deficiency is no more there and, if so, what protocol would seem safe and sufficient?I’d also like to share an idea – unusual one – no problem if you delete this. If you are into myofascial/trigger points topic you probably know in most people calves muscles are usually quite stuffed with trigger points which cause constant pain when walking – easily harming the optimal biomechanics of both everyday and athletic movement – while some specialists even suggest tightness in calves (permanent spasm in some parts of a muscle) might cause restricted blood flow which may increase a load on heart to provide an adequate peripheral circulation, casing extra fatigue overall. So, getting to b12 now, – I found that having shots in my calves (aiming for located tender points – read Travell/Simmons book or just browse some web for more info on trigger points therapy aka dry needling) can release those trigger points quite successfully (some learning curve required to locate exact shot points to get a desired twitch/release result). After a series of shots (yet lacking any timeline so far – see my other post with a question) my calves are WAY loser – which makes a world of difference when moving around. Looks like two birds with one stone to me :)can you compare cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin (or is it methcobalamin) and are the two interchangeable. Also info on dosing b/t the two, please. thanksCyanocobalamin is not a natural substance.Better use cyanocobalamin methylcobalamin or hydroxocobalamin those are the naturally occuring ones. Unless you need your everyday dose of cyanide that comes with the cyanocobalamin ;)Dear Dr. Greger;I know that people need to absorb about 4 to 7 mcg of B12 per day, but because the absorption rate from B12 supplements is so low, we need either 250 mcg a day or 2500 mcg per week.This makes me concerned with the absorption of B12 in fortified foods.The soy milk I drink says it has 50% of daily B12 per cup, and the veggie-sausage in my fridge says each of them have 120% of daily B12.How efficient is the absorption of B12 from fortified foods? I know it’s better than from supplements, but how much better?Will two glasses of soy milk REALLY give me 100% of the B12 I need for the day? Or is it more like 70%? 20%? 5%? I have no idea!Please help! Thank you! :)You can get adequate B12 from fortified foods if you do it correctly. You don’t need to worry too much about meeting daily requirements as you store B12. I would view the series of 5 videos that Dr. Greger posted in February 2012 to understand this important issue in more depth. Personally I take a 2500 mcg sublingual tablet weekly to make sure I have adequate intake but since I also consume some fortified foods like almond milk I don’t worry about the occasional weeks I forget to take the tablet. Since most of us periodically get blood work done it is easy enough to ask your physician to check your B12 level. Of course if you are having symptoms of illness you need to be checked. Good luck.thank you!Do I understand it correctly? The drug companies in my country sell pills/drops with 25µg cyanocobalamin a day and say it’s 1000% of demand. How can I get 250µg a day(it’d be 10 pills)? Please, can you explain it to me?the website iherb sells B12 liquid drops or B12 liquid spray and it’s often 250, 500, 1000, or 2500 in each drop or spray. iherb sells supplements at a discount, no sales tax if you spend more than $20, and if you’re in the usa no shipping.There is a lot of confusion about the proper method for testing B12 levels in the blood. Some say the traditional method is sufficient, others claim that the latter s not accurate and that measuring Methylmalonic acid and/or Homocysteine levels is the way to go. What gives ?Which form of supplementation is better, pills or fortified foods? A pill contain many additional ingredients that might not be of any good to our bodies, what about fortified foods, what kind of stuff is there in those, is it safer than pills?Andrew, you touched on a good point about whether pills or foods are best. In this case, I believe the B12 pills are just the actual cyanocobalamin, usually without additional ingredients. Dr. Greger has a video on the downfalls of multivitamins: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/ but between a straight B12 pill and fortified foods, I think it’s up to you as to what you’ll remember to take/eat.Dr I’m very concer about my allergys can you suggest me some changes in my life styles I was vegetarian all my life and 10 months ago I changed to vegan practicing 70/30, but I can’t eat strawberries mine favorite fruit or any nuts including sprouted, I feel I have no life/fun my face get red pimples and looks like I’m a pre teens and I have 55+ old what can I do, please help. Thank you. AdaBased on Dr. Greger’s recommendation, I have stopped taking spirulana, but I noticed that the DHA I take lists Algal Oil as the main ingredient, and I’m wondering if that is the same as spirulana and/or is just as potentially dangerous. Thanks for your help.Sara: I’m not an expert in this area, but I have a thought for you.I think the algae that the oil comes from is not spirulana. But even if the factories are growing spirulana to make the oil, they are growing that stuff in sterile, fully controlled environments. They are not gathering the algae from wild/open places. Since the spirulana only seems to be a problem when it is *contaminated,* (ie, the spirulana itself is no the problem), then the stuff grown in vats in a factory should not be a problem.Also, I would bet that Dr. Greger keeps an eye out for this kind of information. If there were any evidence at all, even a case study, that someone got sick from the DHA algae pills, I would expect that Dr. Greger would do a video about it and have warned us. He has done so for other substances…Hope that helps.I take Vitamin b 12 sublingual. It’s the easiest way to absorb the b12 into the system as it is directly infused into the body.Michael, in your opinion, is taking spirulina counter-productive when also taking a vitamin B12 supplement? As a relatively new vegan I have been researching supplements and some sources indicate that the B12 in spirulina is in an analogue form which blocks absorption of true B12.Could Dr Greger comment on the comment below stating that B12 Methylcobalamin is superior to B12 Cyanocobalamin?Ben: Dr. Greger already addressed this: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/which-type-of-b12-is-best/>> eggs and dairy may bring along as baggage saturated fat, cholesterol, and hormones >>Do you make much distinction between “factory eggs” and free range eggs, in terms of hormones and overall benefits?Before discovering this site, I’d learned that free range eggs have up to FOUR times the omega 3 fatty acids. In addition, according to “Mother Earth News” (see link below; no idea how solid it is as a source, but I’ve seen simliar info elsewhere), free ranges eggs have: * 1/3 less cholesterol * 1/4 less saturated fat * 2/3 more vitamin A * Three times more vitamin E, and * Seven times more beta caroteneRead more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/free-range-eggs-zmaz09fmzraw.aspx#ixzz3MGpUcFeQSo – is much of the rap on eggs mostly against “factory eggs” or do you attribute all the negative stuff I’ve read here to regular, old-fashioned free range eggs as well?I love my plant-based diet, but kind of miss eggs once in a while.bluesky: 1/3 less cholesterol, etc – that’s still a WHOLE LOT of cholesterol, saturated fat, etc. Plus other problems with eggs that exist regardless of how the mother of the egg was raised…I understand missing eggs every once in a while. I really, really do. I don’t know if you already know about “black salt”, but you may want to research it. It does a great job of making some dishes really taste egg-y. (It is a natural salt that has sulfur in it.) It’s not 100% the same. But it can help to fill that hole.Good luck.Sandy, I know your question is five months old, but I just came upon this article yesterday and thought you might find it very helpful: Incredible Vegan Versions of Every Egg Dish. (The article also has links to more info about what eggs really are and why “backyard chickens” are not an ethical answer, plus it contains more info about kala namak, the “black salt” Thea mentioned that imparts an eggy aroma and flavor to dishes).Laloofah: Just wanted to let you know that I really appreciated your link. That link was cool just by itself, but then it led me to learn about the Gentle Chef and oh boy have I had some fun getting one of his cookbooks and exploring his blog recipes. Very cool. Thank you!That’s great to hear, Thea, thanks! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying it! :-)Are there any studies than compare the efficacy of Methylcobalamin vs Cyanocobalamin?I’ve been vegan for 7 years and never felt better – not even a cold during that time. However I have been on B12 supplements since my mid 20’s due to a lack of intrinsic factor, which pulls B12 into the body from the gastrointestinal tract. I had monthly injections for many years, then discovered that taking a large supplement orally daily/weekly would do as well, since some B12 enters the body directly without the need for intrinsic factor. Of course a lot of the ingested vitamin is wasted – but it’s not an expensive vitamin. I get my bottles of B12 from Costco – the vitamin comany uses a vegan.vegetarian source for their B12 so I am not harming animals.Can you take to much B12 5000mcg sometime I take it twice a day, and also the bottle says take daily..	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/	-
PLAIN-368	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-green-smoothies-better-for-you/	Are green smoothies better for you?	What about green smoothies? I blend apples, bananas, blueberries and spinach. Heidi Woodruff / Originally asked on Best fruit juice I’m a huge green smoothie fan! You’re taking the healthiest thing on the planet (dark green leafy vegetables) and releasing all that nutrition (you could never really chew that well). In fact I just wrote the foreword for the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies, which will be out May 2012. I’m currently compiling all the data in the scientific literature on the health effects of green smoothie consumption (for example there was a promising experimental trial recently performed in the UK). So stay tuned for a smoothie video in the 2013 batch I’m currently working on. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it! 	Thank you for the opinion on green smoothies. Your videos have changed my life for the better.One more comment I’m hoping you’ll address with green smoothies: I went to a talk with Caldwell Esselstyn. He is against smoothies for two reasons. When the fruit is blended, the fructose is separated from the fiber and that fructose is very damaging to the liver. Also, without chewing the greens, saliva is greatly reduced, which greatly reduces the transformation of nitrites to nitrates to nitric oxide, which helps the endothelium.I am also curious to know how Dr. Greger feels about this idea. I love my post-workout smoothies, but is fructose overload something we should be concerned about? Are there any studies out there to back this up?Im curious too about the green smoothies..i just blended kale, oatmeal, almonds, and a banana. it seems healthy to me. And I know its waaaay more healthy in the end that eating a burger right now…woo woo!Hello,I have a question regarding oxalate in green smoothies. I have read a few pros and cons regarding the oxalate in green smoothies and now I’m at a lost. Can you please let me know if green smoothies are a huge negative in a healthy lifestyle? I would greatly appreciate your response. Thank you!Does blending vegetables give you more antioxidants because more (over just chewing) of the cells get broken or do you get less antioxidants because the salivary juices are less blended with the vegetables?You may be exposed to more of the nutrients indeed. I also posted above about the satiation concern. “The fibers are destroyed in a sense that you are no longer satiated as much. for example, a whole apple can fill you up more then a blended apple. This can be an issue for people who are overweight and do not want to consume excess sugar calories. Other than that, the fiber content itself is not diminished and you still get the benefits.”To this, I’do like to add that a smoothie is a food and, as a food, it has to be eaten with a spoon and not drinken with a staw on the go. Sit down and take the time to chew and enjoy it, and it will fill you up. To help, you may want to add some chunks of fruits…… after the blending!heard some “expert” (Dr. Robert Lustig, the sugar guy) say that blending fruits/veggies destroys the fibers so that you do not get the insoluble fiber benefits. that sounded like complete bullsh*t, but what do you think ?The fibers are destroyed in a sense that you are no longer satiated as much. for example, a whole apple can fill you up more then a blended apple. This can be an issue for people who are overweight and do not want to consume excess sugar calories. Other than that, the fiber content itself is not diminished and you still get the benefits.so you still get the fiber benefits in the intestinal track ?i’m not too worried about the satiety issue personnaly. but i do want the intestinal track benefits of fibers.thanksRight, the fiber content is still in tact.As you can see here on the USDA database, the fiber content is still intact in these smoothies.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/foods-from-jamba-juice/9074/2 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/recipe/2344840/2?print=trueDo we know whether the dietary fiber value shown on nutritiondata for the kale smoothie is simply a sum of the ingredients? To be persuaded that the fiber content of the kale smoothie was still “intact,” I would like to know blood sugar levels after consuming the smoothie vs blood sugar levels after consuming the same ingredients as whole food.Fruits are easily digested whether they are blended or not, and berries can have sugar spike blunting effects, even when table sugar is added to themhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21929838.1In terms of whole grains, highly refined whole wheat flour, such as whole wheat pastry flour, will cause a much greater spike in blood sugar as opposed to unrefined wheat berries.I have a question regarding oxalate in green smoothies. I have read a few pros and cons regarding the oxalate in green smoothies and now I’m at a lost. Can you please let me know if green smoothies are a huge negative in a healthy lifestyle? I would greatly appreciate your response. Thank you!Unless you have a severe kidney issues, oxalates in greens are of no issue. Furthermore, not all greens have a high oxalate content. Kale, bok choy, arugala and collards are fairly low oxalate greens.I have the same question as alina – everywhere I look there is contradictory information out there on oxalic acid in food, not only for kidney stones but other issues as well. I have green smoothies every day including lots of these foods – parsley, cabbage, spinach, kale, chard, celery etc. This site brings up a solution – including adding calcium, magnesium and iodine to your smoothie and also cooking your kale (or spinach or whatever) before adding it to a smoothie (ick). http://www.bulletproofexec.com/the-kale-shake-is-awesome-so-upgrade-it/ Would be interested in a critique of the discussion brought up here and a real investigation into this issue. Thank you!Are green smoothies good for you? Yes. But, is the lack of chewing bad for you? There are vegans that do only green smoothies for weeks, or only fruit smoothies for weeks(not saying thats healthy imo). So what about chewing? do we neet it?You can chew a smoothie and it is recommended to drink slowly and take care that every “bite” of smoothie is blended with saliva. ;)I’m still chewing on Brian Clement’s claim that blending is bad because it causes more oxidation than normal. Any thoughts on that? Would high speed blending be even worse than regular blending because of the higher temperatures generated?Nearly my total intake of fruits and vegetables for a year has been green smoothies of vegetables and weeds, mostly the leaves. For example I blend the leaves of broccoli, I seldom eat the flower. Apparently all I need is in the leaves. With the leaves I blend apple, pear, or other fruit for nutrition and taste. I am more healthy now than when I started this experiment.I bring kale, etc. into the house for the winter; and they feed me all winter. This year I will freeze some leaves and use them in the smoothies too in winter. Ground flax seeds and a Vit B12 supplement sometimes go into the smoothie too, because I am vegan.Acid-like burn from too many greens in my green smoothies??For over 10 days My tongue went from VERY deep center furrow and a burned feeling-highly sensitive to all foods as when I have overdosed on Pineapple. I had been drinking DAILY 20-25 ozs. of wonderful green smoothies with mostly collards, kale, and romaine lettuce and spinach with 1/2 banana, some chia seeds or ground flax, and blueberries and/or say, 1/2 cup mangoes on some days. So I cut out the mangoes, then the cruciferous ( the major part of my smoothies) and just used the spinach and banana, then just carrots and almond milk, some seeds and spinach.MIssing the greens a lot! Suspect that I over did the raw cruciferous veggies.(Yes, I saw your “overdosing on smoothies video”) My tongue is much better, but still slightly burned feeling. Has anyone experienced this reaction? I have thought of going on a water fast (ugh)to totally rest the poor thing since any food (esp. citric acid of course) irritates it a little. Any advice or antidote? Thank you for your fabulous site and sweet humanity and reasonable attitude (“Well, if you prefer treated chocolate, just add one more spoonful of the less potent one!”). Your non-religious, secular, non fanatic approach and humor are a delight!Thank you for posting your condition. Yes, I have been experiencing a burning tongue and lips for several months, and only recently did I finally pinpoint the source. Green smoothies. Ugh. I rarely eat meat, so I must substitute foods high in iron, which leafy greens do just that. My nutritionist suggested steaming the greens to neutralize the oxalate acid, which could be the cuplprit. Unfortunately, some nutrients will be destroyed, but others like iron are somewhat heat-resistant. In time I will have my blood tested again to be sure that I am getting enough iron from the steamed greens.Thank you Dannie. You are the first to mention this experience similar to mine. After 10 months, I still have a slight acid tongue, slight numbness on the surface. But I am no longer highly intolerant of citrus fruit. I never gave up green smoothies for longer than 3 days. Perhaps unwisely, I just kept drinking our very green smoothies and the condition is less bothersome. Am I damaging my tongue? Is it contributing to inflammation? I do not know, and am surprised that there is not more buzz about this online. I am not allergic to many things and do not want to give up smoothies. I do think it is the greens (kale, collards, spinach combo), but so far I have not been willing to take them out of my smoothies since nice things have happened to my body since drinking them (nearly complete disappearance of 30-year eczema on feet and sometimes hands).Dr. Greger’s answer above in this “Ask the Dr.” section:I’m currently compiling all the data in the scientific literature on the health effects of green smoothie consumption (for example there was a promising experimental trial recently performed in the UK). So stay tuned for a smoothie video in the 2013 batch I’m currently working on. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it!I guess he did not come across this reaction in the published research. Let us know if steaming the greens helps and if you think your culprit really is oxalic acid! Thanks for your lead! GayleFollow-up on “Acid-like burn from too many green smoothies?” post one month later. My tongue is somewhat better, but still feels like i have a too-hot coffee burn every day. I tried taking this or that out of my smoothies with no luck. Tried going off smoothies for 2 days, no difference. I am now hyper-sensitive to lemons and oranges and won’t get near pineapples. But the greens seem sufficient to irritate my tongue and if I get really tired of this I guess I shall have to try giving them up for a long while. Has no one else had this reaction?Gayle: Sorry to hear about all your green woes. I haven’t heard of this problem myself. Could it be a developing allergy???I just wanted to let you know that your posts were read. And I hope someone will be able to help or that you will find your solution.Thank you, Thea. Yesterday Jun 24, 2013 Danny responded to my 10 mo ago original post on “acid tongue.” I responded to Dannie.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24621394There seems to be a lot of confusion around the benefits of smoothies and juices lately. This particular article conflates commercial fruit juice with smoothies, which are not the same thing at all. Just curious as to what research you’ve come across regarding smoothies and the effect of plasma glucose/insulin?Smoothies may not be as satiating so you would consume more then normal and they are absorbed faster simply because there is more surface area. The fiber content is still intact though. In general, I do not think that smoothies are a health concern. I would be more cautious of juice though. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/Did this 2013 smoothie video ever happen? I like to see it. I like smoothies and regardless of what some of the other Docs say, I think they are of value.As some other commenters here, I am wondering what your take is on Dr Brian Clement’s claim that blending destroys up to 92% of the nutrients in smoothies? Here is the link if you haven’t seen the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwyPfZeVmlADo green smoothies lose their nutrition value if they sit in the refrigerator for a day or so?Throwing a ton of vegetables, fruit, etc. into a Vitamix and pureeing it all is not nearly as good for you as eating the constituent parts as ‘real food’ (whether raw or steamed). As someone commented previously, and as you yourself demonstrated in the http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/ series, chewing (saliva) yields nitrates => nitrites => nitric oxide.Plus, as Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. teaches here http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/faq/ (third from bottom), smoothies destroy the fiber of the component foods (despite what all the Vitamix and Blendtec salesmen say during their demonstrations). I can eat one apple, perhaps two if I try, but I can drink four or five smoothie apples easily, along with a whole bunch of spinach, carrots, berries, etc. Just as animals have bones to keep them up, plants have fiber. Destroy the fiber by pulverizing it and you no longer have fiber—you have liquid. No chewing, much less fiber, and quicker adsorption. Think of the reaction rate experiment you did in high school chemistry with zinc pellets and various molarities of HCl. Whatever the reaction rate is, if you add the same molarity HCl to zinc powder, the reaction goes “explosive” (very fast). This is why grain isn’t explosive but grain dust, if exposed to an ignition source, is explosive. (i.e. grain elevator explosions).The high fiber of eating foods with their fiber intact slows adsorption, which counteracts the effects of fructose in fruit, etc. If you blend your fruit, you’re getting hit with a load of fructose without the benefit of the fiber that accompanies it. See, e.g., http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/making-the-case-for-eating-fruit/ (short), http://www.singjupost.com/bitter-truth-sugar-robert-lustig-full-transcript/ (long).Does an intact baked potato have more fiber than blending the potato in a Vitamix and having a potato smoothie? Absolutely! Does eating two whole carrots have more fiber than blending two carrots in a Blendtec and drinking it down? You bet! And in both cases, chewing a whole baked potato or two whole carrots does not increase the surface area of the food you swallow nearly as much as the Vitamix or Blendtec. Therefore, it takes longer to digest a baked potato or whole carrots than a potato or carrot smoothie. Why? Because you have larger bits with the fiber intact. It’s the difference between a bunch of grain (which won’t explode) and a bunch of grain dust (which will).Please correct this error.I was searching for some info about (green) smoothies and absorption, but I had no luck. I found this article (http://nutritionstudies.org/are-smoothies-good-or-bad/) by T.M.Campbell, talking mostly about high caloric intake (which I don’t find relevant, since I know a lot of people who have difficulties to eat enough calories on a plant-based diet). I also checked your site and found this one and another one (http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-the-nutrients-from-blended-vegetables-absorbed-better-than-raw-vegetables/), but not the answer to my question.So, my question is: do you know of any kind of studies that would show that eating smoothies leads to worse absorption than eating whole fruits and veggies? Is this just a(nother) myth? Or is it true?Thanks for reposting your question, Maya. I think the logic is when we chew our food well we release salivary amylase, the first step in the digestive process, releasing many chemicals to assure stomach acid and all other organs responsible for digestion and absorption are “ready-to-go”. Perhaps when we make smoothies this process is downgraded? I actually can’t seem to link to your sites. Do you mind double checking? What I see from one of Dr. Greger’s link is in regard to a study looking at fruit puree-based drinks and it’s effect on vasodilation and oxidative status (opening up blood vessels and boosting immunity). The smoothies seemed to make a noticeable difference.My personal thoughts are that smoothies are a great way to obtain nutrition for the day for many people. It really depends on what’s in it to make it healthful. You are still obtaining all the fiber versus juicing where all fiber is essentially lost. If a smoothie is going to help someone transition to a healthful diet I am all for it. If others enjoy eating whole foods and have the time to eat individual fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, than also great! Smoothies can be an overload of fruit sugars and calories for severe diabetes or someone trying to lose weight, but again it is how you make the smoothie, right? I also agree with you when you say “a lot of people who have difficulties to eat enough calories on a plant-based diet” therefore smoothies are a solution for folks transitioning to a plant-based diet.I am sure others have more insight than me on this matter. I think Dr, Greger said he was updating something on this topic. I’ll double check. Stay tuned!JosephMaya, I also found this link discussing smoothies! It may help? http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-the-nutrients-from-blended-vegetables-absorbed-better-than-raw-vegetables/Best, JosephYes green smoothies are very healthy–but not every day for some people–they are high in oxalates. Oxalates are linked to kidney stones and hypothyroid disease as I understand it. Spinach has a lot of oxalates raw but they are reduced when heated to 135 degrees I believe. I’m no scientist–two associates degrees in criminal justice lol–but it is something to consider…just don’t be surprised if you have low energy and are peeing out calcium stones…hope not though!!!Correct me if I’m wrong–I know a ton of articles and web sites that tell me I’m right–in just too lazy to compile them all……….zzzzzzz. What? LolI was advised that every time you sip a mouthful of smoothie just put a small chunk of raw carrot/celery etc in your mouth and chew it approx 30 times before swallowing the mouthful of smoothie – that way you sort of get the best of both worlds.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23017441,
PLAIN-369	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/flax-seeds-and-prostate-cancer-risk/	Might flax seeds (ALA) increase prostate cancer risk?	There are a lot discussions and articles online about the supposed connection between flax seeds (ALA) and prostate cancer – suggesting that more flax consumed = increase chance of prostate cancer. I haven’t found this issue addressed on your website (sorry if I missed it). Can you comment? Thanks! DSikes / Originally posted below Just the Flax, Ma’am The latest meta-analysis of prospective studies found that, if anything, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, the omega-3 fat in flax) was protective against prostate cancer. Men consuming more than 1.5 g/day appeared to have significantly lower risk (the amount found in about a tablespoon of ground flax seeds). One of the reasons there’s been so much conflicting data is that ALA is found in great foods (dark green leafies) and less than great foods (meat), and so ALA intake is not necessarily a marker of healthy eating. What you want is a randomized controlled study of men with prostate cancer. Give half of them flax and see what happens. And that was done! (full text here) Researchers at the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center took a bunch of men with prostate cancer about a month before they were to go into surgery. Half were put on a few tablespoons of ground flax a day and after surgery their cancerous prostates were examined. The proliferation rates of the cancer in the flax-eaters were only half that of the controls, confirming the test-tube studies done on prostate cancer cells suggesting that flax can indeed slow prostate tumor growth. For more on the effect of flax nutrients see videos such as: 	Table 11 of veganhealth.org’s Omega-3 article at http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/omega3 says that the Nurse’s Health Study found that more than 1.25 – 1.5 grams per day of ALA can possibly cause eye problems. One tablespoon of flaxseeds contains of 1.6 grams of ALA (see Table 8). So taking just one tablespoon of flaxseed a day could possibly be dangerous to your eyesight, unless flax is exempt from the Nurses Health Study findings. So is flax exempt from those findings?Flaxseed “oil”.Read up on lipid peroxidation. :)I was wondering if anyone knew of anything to help with dandruff. I have a dry flaky scalp, and not sure if it is eczema, seborrhea dermatis or etc.I know people recommend that this suggests a lack of omega 3’s. I have trying to eat 2 tablespoons of flax seed a day and have also been taking two vegan omega 3 supplements. Do I need both EPA and DHA and how much should I be consuming per day?apparently a shampoo with selenium used to be very popular, I wonder if selenium itself has anything to do with the effectiveness. Just a thought…Omega 6 deficiency is the cause of dry skin.Omega 6 fatty acids from whole foods like nuts and seeds though.Avoid oxidized seed oils.Omega 6 deficiency is essentially unknown. This population actually has trouble from getting too much omega 6.Omega 6 deficiency is known in families where extra virgin olive oil is consumed and where seed oils, nuts and seeds aren’t consumed. I grew up like this.Omega 6 fatty acids from whole foods are converted by intestinal bacteria into conjugated linoleic acids which promote the burning of fat as fuel.I get your point though. Its just that Omega 6 fatty acids are superior from whole foods and it is unfortunate that they are slandered just because most people consume them in oxidized form from them oils.I think his problem could be caused by gluten. I’ve noticed now that I haven’t had dandruff since I quit gluten.Actually, Omega 6’s are converted to arachidonic acid once absorbed and competitive enzymes do the rest. Even a high olive oil diet provides more then enough omega 6. All foods are rich sources of omega 6, it isn’t possible, unless undernourished, to not get enough omega 6.Not all the Omega 6 fatty acids that are absorbed are converted right away into arachidonic acid. Excess linoleic acid is stored in adipose tissue and is known to lower cholesterol(lipoprotein) levels however most people consume oxidized lipids from seed oils which cause inflammation in the body. Read up on “Linoleic acid hydroperoxide”. Or they consume arachidonic acid directly from animal foods loaded with toxins that set off inflammation.Olive oil doesn’t provide sufficient quantities of quality Omega 6 fatty acids. The WHO recommendations are WAY underestimated because we have omega 6 alarmists that DON’T understand the science.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocannabinoid_system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotrophin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostaglandins http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014579304002467Omega 6 fatty acids from whole foods are required to increase cranial size and produce our own THC.What you are arguing goes completely against public health concerns. Please research from reputable health resources. From the national academy of science.“Linoleic acid is the only n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid that is an essential fatty acid; it serves as a precursor to eicosanoids. A lack of dietary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids is characterized by rough and scaly skin, dermatitis, and an elevated eicosatrienoic acid:arachidonic acid (triene:tetraene) ratio. The AI for linoleic acid is based on the median intake in the United States where an n-6 fatty acid deficiency is nonexistent in healthy individuals. The AI is 17 g/d for young men and 12 g/d for young women. While intake levels much lower than the AI occur in the United States without the presence of a deficiency, the AI can provide the beneficial health effects associated with the consumption of linoleic acid (see Chapter 11). There is insufficient evidence to set a UL for n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids…Linoleic acid is the precursor to arachidonic acid, which is the substrate for eicosanoid production in tissues”As I have been saying with the conversion rates “Thus, high intakes of n-3 fatty acids or arachidonic and linoleic acids will reduce the efficiency of conversion of linoleic acid to arachidonic acid and α-linolenic acid to its products…n-6 Fatty acids are almost completely absorbed and are either incorporated into tissue lipids, utilized in eicosanoid synthesis, or oxidized to carbon dioxide and water.” http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=423You yourself have fallen into a false idea that omega 6 is rare and a deficiency is rampant. The opposite is true, lets not invent false health issues among Americans.This is what happens when nutritionists try to be biochemists. I am seeing the earth as a sphere and everyone is seeing the earth as flat.The ratio science doesn’t exist because it was done using oxidized seed oils. Therefore it is pure wishful thinking.The deficiency is rampant because the Omega 6’s found in oils have be oxidized during production and serve no purpose other than cause disease. Seed oils give me cystic acne on my forehead while consuming large amounts of nuts and seeds with leafy greens increase my mental processing.Not all seed oils have gone rancid, and I am not talking about seed oils here. I am talking purely about whole foods.Where is your evidence that seed oil omega 6’s function differently in the body from omega 6’s in nuts and other foods? Please use scientific studies, not wikipedia or blog posts.Omega 6http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18293301Omega 3“It is further possible that a large part of the electrophysiological effects attributed to n-3 PUFAs may be dependent on their oxidation. An interesting study led by Sébastien Judé of Nutrition, Croissance et Cancer in France showed that the electrophysiological effects of DHA on the transient outward current in cardiomyocytes were only present when the DHA was oxidized with a small amount of hydrogen peroxide; DHA on its own was much less effective.10 This finding led the authors to speculate that perhaps it is oxidized derivatives of DHA that are responsible for many of the electrophysiological effects of DHA observed to date—primarily in culture dishes, where DHA is exposed to room air and thus likely to be oxidized.” http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/32901/title/Omega-3s–Fishing-for-a-Mechanism/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12813005 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3118035/These papers do nothing to address the question of “Where is your evidence that seed oil omega 6’s function differently in the body from omega 6’s in nuts and other foods?” Namely, where is your data that omega 6’s from oil depends on the omega6:3 ratio while omega 6 from nuts do not depend on the ratio? Yes oxidized oils are carcinogenic, this is not new information.Show me studies that used Omega 3’s and 6’s from WHOLE FOODS. Since the omega ratio studies used oxidized carcinogenic oils, they are automatically invalid. Flawed scientific studies don’t count.Whole foods also contain vitamins and minerals which play a major role in regulating everything regardless of the quantity of whole food consumed.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2555646 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10189072Another reason why most people think that Omega 6 fatty acids are “inflammatory” is because the majority of people breath in air pollution and other airborne toxins like cigarette smoke that cause the inflammation in the first place.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15513908 http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1165/rcmb.2008-0105OC#.UrcW_jzujAQIt is not up to me to prove that a fat from a food extract functions the same as the fat from the food, you are the one with the outlandish claim. There is no evidence or reason to assume that omega 6 from oils does not metabolize to arachidonic acid. It is total nonsense. You clearly have a bias or have invested too much time reading a flawed blog post.To claim that “Since the omega ratio studies used oxidized carcinogenic oils, they are automatically invalid” is totally false. Arachidonic acid is inflammatory, DHA/EPA is anti inflammatory. These are facts, not invented opinions by “flawed scientific studies”. The ratio is still valid because it applies to non pre formed omega 6 and 3. Whether the oil becomes oxidized or not is not important when discussing the ratio. Again, present real EVIDENCE for your claims. Lets not invent reasons without a base.Of course it metabolizes to Arachidonic Acid BUT Arachidonic Acid is NOT inflammatory. You’ve been highly MISINFORMED and are obviously brainwashed.Educate yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=018PxnH702kYour bases for believing omega 6 as anti inflammatory is based on a youtube video? Frankly I find that quite ridiculous. This is not how one should come to conclusions. I am not a paleolithic dieter, I am a whole foods plant based vegan. It is a sound fact the Arachidonic acid is a pro inflammatory and DHA/EPA is an anti inflammatory. They balance each other out, which is why the ratio is important to get a good amount of both.The biochemistry speaks for itself. “Arachidonic acid is a precursor to a number of eicsanoids (e.g.,thromboxane A2, prostacylcin, and leukotriene B4). These eicosanoids have been shown to have beneficial and adverse effects in the onset of platelet aggregation, hemodynamics, and coronary vascular tone. EPA has been shown to compete with the biosynthesis of n-6 eicosanoids and is the precursor of several n-3 eicosanoids (e.g., thromboxane A3, prostaglandin I3, and leukotriene B5), resulting in a less thrombotic and atherogenic state” http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=454As this conversation has gone on it has become more clear you are not interested in the science but have your own philosophy of how things work rather then how they actually do work. It is ok to examine the evidence and come to conclusions based on it rather then continue to debate this non issue that you simply cannot prove because no evidence exists supporting your claim.Correction: Arachidonic acid is a pro(promotes) inflammation and DHA/EPA is an less (promoting) of inflammation.“Arachidonic acid is a precursor to a number of eicosanoids (e.g.,thromboxane A2, prostacylcin, and leukotriene B4). These eicosanoids have been shown to have ***BENEFICIAL*** and adverse effects in the onset of platelet aggregation, hemodynamics, and coronary vascular tone. EPA has been shown to compete with the biosynthesis of n-6 eicosanoids and is the precursor of several n-3 eicosanoids (e.g., thromboxane A3, prostaglandin I3, and leukotriene B5), resulting in a less thrombotic and atherogenic state”When do the cells produce these eicosanoids?You are a blockhead and it is pointless trying to explain to you science that is clearly over your head.You can remain brainwashed by the Paleo pseudoscience because that is where the omega ratio myth originated.Ah, I am the one who is the blockhead. This conversation has made that clear. Especially since the national academy of science are made up of paleo proponents. Yes I am the one who is misunderstanding basic concepts.Again, the ratio science is just that: both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are on the same pathway competing for the same elongase and desaturase enzymes that will convert them to EPA/DHA and AA, respectively. The more omega-3 than omega-6, the more EPA/DHA, the less AA. The more meat and junk in the diet, the more omega-6 and the more AA, consequently less EPA/DHA. Not wishful thinking, just your basic REALITY.The ratio science is just that: both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are on the same pathway competing for the same elongase and desaturase enzymes that will convert them to EPA/DHA and AA, respectively. The more omega-3 than omega-6, the more EPA/DHA, the less AA. The more meat and junk in the diet, the more omega-6 and the more AA, consequently less EPA/DHA. Not wishful thinking, just your basic REALITY.This is what was stated above, indeed.We should also note that because people get so much omega 6 in the diet, the 4:1 ratio of omega 6:3 is disrupted. too much omega 6 and you wont convert ALA to DHA and EPA. One should not strive to get MORE omega 6, one should try to lower omega 6 and raise omega 3. It is unfounded to do the opposite.This ratio nonsense only applies when consuming processed seed oils and animal products loaded with toxins. Both these types of foods initiate inflammation.The desaturase enzymes that convert ALA to EPA and DHA or LA to ARA and DGLA are regulated by Retinoic Acid(Vitamin A metabolite). We should strive to consume more leafy greens rich in Vitamin A and not worry about the consumption of Omega 6 fatty acids from whole foods. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12538081Raising Omega 3 fatty acids and lowering Omega 6 fatty acids from whole foods will lead to a decrease in cranial size, depression, addiction, smaller penis size in male generations, and I can go on and on about how Omega 6 fatty acids from whole foods are extremely beneficial.Again, what you are arguing is not true on a biochemical standpoint and is nonsense. Non preformed omega 6 is part of the ratio unless you bypass it by consuming pre formed arachidonic acid found primarily in eggs and other animal products. As I mentioned in the paper from the national academy of science, the ratio is not negligible and is an important player.The ratio doesn’t apply when consuming nuts and seeds because linoleic acid is also converted to various conjugated linoleic acids by intestinal bacteria and the various CLA’s play a major role in regulating where lipids are stored and promote the utilization of fat as fuel. When someone consumes seed oils, these seed oils cause inflammation in the intestine and kill the bacteria required for this bioconversion.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conjugated_linoleic_acid http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22079992“There is limited evidence to suggest that the trans-10,cis-12 isomer reduces the uptake of lipids by the adipocyte, and that the cis-9,trans-11 isomer is active in inhibiting carcinogenesis. Similarly, there are limited data to show that cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12 isomers inhibit atherogenesis” I would not call this role major, I would not even consider CLA as a major player in disease prevention. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=428You are twisting the real issues at hand and inventing non issues.When did I say anything about disease prevention?I am pointing out that non-oxodized linoleic acid will be converted into various conjugated linoleic acids in a healthy intestine by intestinal bacteria and that CLA’s promote the storage of fats inside muscle tissue instead of adipose tissue. Hence the body works totally different on a whole foods diet.Hello, Dr. Greger. I posted a question on your YouTube site, but another viewer claimed that you were more inclined to answer questions here. I have researched high and low for an answer to whether the phytoestrogens in flax seed improve or worsen gynecomastia (in men obviously), but have not been able to find a conclusive answer. I would love to get the benefits from flax, but am afraid that I will just worsen the condition (aquired during adolecence) which I still have in my mid-30s. I’m asking you because you are so thorough in your research and therefore I trust your response. Please take a moment to detail your findings on this. Thank you.I would not worry about the phytoestrogens. I have never seen any studies associating the two and based on current understanding of human metabolism can see no credible hypothesis. The condition has many causes as I’m sure you are well aware. Given the length of time you have had the condition I’m sure the appropriate tests have been done and medication causes have been excluded. I would suggest maintaining ideal body weight which will lower your estrogen production by your fat cells. Of course it might make your condition a bit more prominent. Plant based diets generally increase the amount of steroid binding protein in the blood so there is less free estrogen and testosterone in the blood. I’m not aware of any long term studies on the course of gynecomastia acquired in adolescence. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.Can Apple Cider Vinegar be used to combat dandruff?I’ve been consuming flax oil stored at room temperature with minimal light for a while now. I just realized that it might be getting oxidized, and the oxidized oil might be harmful. The flax oil that I buy is cold pressed, and nitrogen purged. From now on, I am going to store most of it in the freezer (the stuff that’s still nitrogen purged), and 1 open container in the frige.Stick with the flax seeds, and avoid the oil. The benefits of flax are within the whole food.Not sure where the best place to post this question is…so here goes… Appreciating the value of adding ground flax seeds to one’s diet, one wonders regarding the benefits of sprouting flax seeds in the manner of broccoli seeds…I have read various articles that claim that sprouted flax seeds lack a factor that retards their ability to be digested (assuming they are ground), but the sources seem as much belief based as grounded in actual science.Has anyone conducted a reliable analysis of ground versus sprouted flax seeds?And would adding sprouted flax seeds to sprouted broccoli seeds to our daily regimen be productive as say the addition of broccoli sprouts?And as always, Thanks MUCH for your invaluable service and information!Does anyone have any advice for an obese vegan, please? I have been vegan for over a year and a lifelong vegetarian and yet I am really very large (5,7″, 300lb {just writing this makes me cringe}) and have been told my cholesterol levels are high also. I eat less than 1200 calories a day and take exercise daily too (most days about 20 minutes, but swim for a few hours per week). I am really quite a happy person but being large can cause great social discomfort these days and I would really love to be less conspicuous. Thank you.Dr. Greger, my husband read an article that showed an increase of estrogen in men who consumed Flax, and that it caused breast “growth.” Do you have a video that I can show my husband stating that it is safe for men to consume flax?Healthy fat? I am taking 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed daily to address my omega 3 needs (as suggesting in one of your lectures), while adopting a whole foods plant based diet. However, I do understand that omega 6 is also important (in limited amounts). Given that I am excluding all seed oils from my diet, how do I get the ideal amount of omega 6 needed for optimum health (what sourc(s) do I go to and how much DHA should I be looking for)? Can one ‘over do it’ when it comes to omega 3’s (free radical damage, etc. as well as the omega 3 to omega 6 ratio being skewed the other way too much)? Regarding other ‘healthy’ fats, I understand monounsaturated fats (nuts, avocado, olives) are ‘good’ to include in a diet. Can you please provide some guidance as to roughly how much to include daily (for someone trying to lose weight and reverse metabolic syndrome). I just don’t want to overdo things. Would one ounce of walnuts or almonds, or 15 olives be reasonable? In a non-related question, what is your recommendation for vitamin D. Dr. Furhman recommends 4000 IU – is that too high/risky? Thank you very much, Dr. Greger – I wish “How Not to Die” was out on the bookshelf already! Cheers.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19921446,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11911282,
PLAIN-370	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/do-microgreens-have-more-nutrition/	Do microgreens have more nutrition?	What about microgreens? vetstud  / Originally Posted in Antioxidants Sprouting Up USDA researchers recently published a study assessing the nutrition content of 25 commercially available microgreens, seedlings of vegetables and herbs that have gained popularity in upscale markets and restaurants. Just a few inches tall, they boast intense flavors and vivid colors, but what about their nutritional content? No one knew until this new study came out. We’ve known that baby spinach, for example, have higher levels of phytonutrients than mature spinach leaves, but what about really baby spinach, just a week or two old? Microgreens won hands down (leaves down?), possessing significantly higher nutrient densities than mature leaves. For example, red cabbage microgreens have a 6-fold higher vitamin C concentration than mature red cabbage, and 69 times the vitamin K. Microgreens are definitively more nutrient dense, but are often eaten in small quantities. Even the healthiest garnish isn’t going to make much of a difference to one’s health. And microgreens may go for $30 a pound! But BYOM—birth your own! You can have rotating trays of salad you can snip off with scissors. It’s like gardening for the impatient—fully grown in just 7 to 14 days! If that’s too long, what about sprouting? See my video Antioxidants Sprouting Up. Homemade sprouts are probably the most nutrition-per-unit-cost we can get for our money. See Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck, where they beat out the previous champ, purple cabbage (Superfood Bargains). Broccoli sprouts are probably the best—see for example The Best Detox and Sulforaphane From Broccoli to Breast. I would recommend against alfalfa sprouts (even when home sprouted) as fecal bacteria from manure can hide in the seed’s nooks and crannies and cause illness: Don’t Eat Raw Alfalfa Sprouts. 	I have recently heard both positives and negatives about using Maca powder. Are there really any solid benefits of its use?ThanksI would also like to know your stance on Maca Root powder. Some online sources say it’s a great “adaptogen” and so I’ve been adding it to my morning smoothies. Are there any real studies/research on this? Or is Maca another internet cure-all scam ala coconut oil?Is sprouted wheat healthier than regular ground wheat? That is after the small root begins to appear and when it is no longer than the grain itself,does the wheat grain develop added benefits when sprouted?Sprouting does indeed increase the antioxidant content of foods significantly. Chickpeas can have 10X the antioxidant content when sprouted. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/What is your opinion on juicing?Dr. Greger advises against juicing http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/Dr Greger I hepatitis C so I am trying to decide if eating my vegetables is better then juicing them for the the detox effect of them.Eating the whole vegetable will always be preferable. Juicing throws out the fiber and much of the antioxidants.Is there any link between being vegan and sciatica or nerve issues with a lack of B12?Not as long as you have an adequate intake of Vitamin B12. Check out the series of video’s that Dr. Greger posted in February 2012. There however an indirect connection to lower back issues and diet that goes beyond Vitamin B12. Check out the video on arterial disease and back pain… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/. Since the disc’s between the vertebrae get their nutrition by diffusion any interference with the blood supply to the lower vertebrae will result in more likelihood of disc narrowing and rupture with subsequent sciatica. Arterial disease starts in childhood… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/ and the PDAY study showed aortic disease by age 19 and much worse at age 35. Obviously the earlier you begin the correct diet with adequate vitamin B-12 intake the better.Dr Greger:First of all, love your site and your videos. Your charity to the world is just awesome. Thanks for educating the populous regarding health and nutrition related issues.However, from the many dozens of videos that I have watched in which you talk about foods that are helpful or harmful to the body, the studies are based on single foods of food types (veggies, nuts, fruits, etc). Are there any studies as to the good for you foods offsetting bad for you foods when you combine? I try to be good as often as I can but now and then I run into something like a broccoli slaw with raisins, sunflower seeds, onion, and then of course people have to put bacon in it too. Clearly I could just pick the bacon out BUT the bacon is out numbered 50 to 1 as far as good to bad, so do I just eat the slaw and hope that next time there is a meatless option?Or, sometimes there only good option happens to have dairy in it, i.e. pasta with a nice tomato, basil, garlic, oregano sauce. Do I not eat at all, or is the once and awhile bad thing that happens to come with much goodness ok?Most foods seem to be vegetarian with vegan being sporadic and difficult to run into when going to dinner or to friends homes to eat. Even something as simple as salads – not everyone has all the good stuff such as fats from nuts or avocado when they have salads. Is it better or worse to not eat salad at all, or eat the salad with a little of their vinaigrette and hope that the processed fats, in little amounts of dressing, only serves to help my body take in more of the fat soluble nutrients? Should I race home and power down a nutrient dense cocktail through my juicer?Side note – at home I am very strict so i am also hoping that my strictness inside my own walls is enough to counter the effects of not being militaristic when I am out and about with friends or family.What are your thoughts on the issue of having to sometimes live with combined foods from time to time or are their studies that deal with this?Many thanks in advance!mjs_28s: I can’t answer your direct question, but I have an idea for you: A lot of restaurants will make you a custom dish if you just call ahead and ask for a vegan dish. “Hi, I’ll be coming to your restaurant tomorrow with some friends. While my friends eat anything, I do not eat meat, diary or eggs. I saw your menu and was wondering if you could modify dish ___ to includes lots of bla and bla, but leave out the bla. You could even add bla to make up for the lack of bla. Can you do that?” Not all restaurants will do this, but many will, especially the higher-end ones.It’s just an idea to get you it all: a pleasant time with friends and family, a very tasty meal, etc., without having to compromise on your values (of good health, etc.).	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20329797,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22812633,
PLAIN-371	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/any-update-on-the-scary-in-vitro-avocado-data/	Any update on the scary in vitro avocado data?	any updates on avocados in vivo? Toxins  / Originally Posted in Are Avocados Bad for You? I’m happy to report that a new study this year found avocado consumption associated with significantly reduced prostate cancer risk (a third cup of avocado a day or more associated with 60% decreased odds of prostate cancer compared to men eating less than a daily tablespoon). Holy guacamole! 	Good news. Been avoiding it completely. Good to know I can use it to thicken up some of my salads. :-)I was thinking. The original video you did said that avocado acted like chemo. So it would indeed reduce cancer… but would it not also compromise your immune system. The study said it prevented prostate cancer but did it do this by damaging the immune system like was said in the original video?I mean does this study prove that it is not a danger in other immune system problems, and other cancers?Same here. I remember the video saying that it in-vitro tests showed it blew DNA to pieces. I’d love to start eating it again, especially since I’m at increased risk of prostate cancer.It was because they used the leaves and they have a toxin humans do not cosume th leaves.leaves AND fruit were cited, both causing the same results.Does anyone have any idea why “men with high linolenic acid proportions were at increased likelihood of PCa?” As an omega-3 fatty acid, isn’t linolenic acid a good thing?The “Results” section of the abstract at the “study” link above states: “high linolenic acid proportions were at increased likelihood of PCa [prostate cancer]”. But there are two forms of linolenic acid, a-linolenic which is n-3 (omega 3) and y-linolenic which is n-6 (omega 6). So, wouldn’t it make a difference which subtype is associated. Given the typical American diet, which is low in n-3 and too high in n-6, I’m wondering if these results don’t need further differentiation. But I’m posing this more as a question than an answer. I know very little about this, and I have your same a question, but the n-3, n-6 might be part of it.Ok ! But i am confuse should we eat or not ?!?!Ho did it go? Are there any more studies suggesting avocados are bad for us, or and research proving them to be fine to eat? DNA… All the best!Okay, well that addresses the cancer aspect, but what about during pregnancy? You’ve noted elsewhere pregnant women ought to avoid avocados. I’ve been doing the exact opposite!How’d that turn out? ;)Since I have added a 1/2 avacodo to my smoothies my skin has cleared up and I am getting complaments that my skin looks much better.I have also started to loosing weight as I am comsuming more healthy fatsI’m still confused on this – Dr Greger what conclusion have you come to on this for now please?Just a thought….great news/much appreciated. Would help to have a date associated with the update.Avocado Seeds? http://www.realfarmacy.com/avocado-seeds-superfoods-health/Your thoughts?Thanks!!!!Reading this is 2015…is the present conclusion that avocados may damage healthy dna in vitro, but so far no negative side effects have actually been reported in humans (only positive effects)?How do they know it’s the persin, and not some pesticide in the avocado that’s causing DNA damage? Also, who eats avocado leaves? Why test them?	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21984307,
PLAIN-372	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/average-normal-vitamin-d-levels/	What are "normal" human vitamin D levels?	I assume the lifeguards were caucasian? With a “built in” SPF of 15 what blood level of Vit D does the lifeguard of African descent attain? Perhaps that is a better clue for evolutionary “normal”. CapeBreton / Originally Posted in Evolutionary argument for optimal vitamin D level You’re absolutely right, CapeBreton. Considering the average vitamin D levels of clothed high latitude office workers “normal” for our species doesn’t make much sense and though lifeguards are at least outside all day and half naked, they were still both Caucasian and Missourian. A more representative normal level of the “sunshine vitamin” could be gleaned measuring levels in those with black skin who live scantily clad in equatorial Africa. The problem is that such a study has never been done–until now. This month researchers published results from the Maasai and the Hadzaben and the title says it all: “Traditionally living populations in East Africa have a mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration of 115 nmol/l.” So lower than the pale St. Louisans, but still nearly twice the levels found in most Americans. No change to my recommendations, though, summarized in the culmination of my two week vitamin D series: Resolving the vitamin D-bate. 	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22264449,
PLAIN-373	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/dr-greger-have-you-ever-eaten-a-durian-fruit/	What do you think of durian fruit?	Dr. Greger, have you ever eaten a durian fruit? They are so fascinating, though I’ve never seen a real one. Kevin McCaffrey / Originally posted on the NutritionFacts.org Facebook page Durians have to be the most badass of fruits. Imagine a 5 pound football covered in sharp spikes like some medieval mace. What other fruit can be described in the literature as causing “severe bodily injury” in articles with titles like Penetrating Ocular Injury by Durian Fruit? And we haven’t even gotten to the distinctive quality, the smell! With an odor perhaps best described as “pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock,” durian fruits are banned from many public spaces such as subways and airports in Southeast Asia where it is grown. I just had to get me some. My big break came when I moved to Boston to attend medschool at Tufts, right smack in Chinatown. They were sold frozen. (I would soon realize why.) I hacked off a piece; it tasted like a caramelized onion popsicle. I left the rest in my locker—mistake! I arrived the next day at school to find an entire floor of the medical center (including the dean’s office) cordoned off. They were going locker to locker, cutting off all the locks, searching in vain for the cause of a stench so overpowering you couldn’t even locate it. It was like a fog of stink.  They seriously thought someone was stealing body parts from gross anatomy lab. And then it struck me. Uh oh. The durian had thawed. When I realized it was all my fault, I crawled to the dean and I’ll never forget what he said: “Why am I not surprised you had something to do with this.” More on my medical school trials and tribulations in my book Heart Failure: Diary of a Third Year Medical Student. 	Durian tastes fantastic here in Singapore!I had durian and not only did it smell, it also tasted awful.I found several at the local supermarket in Adelaide and tentatively sniffed it – it ‘smelled like a fruit’.Maybe it wasn’t …erm… ‘ripe’? A friend managed to cause a gas leak scare evacuation of a multi story office building with her lunch however.Great description of the look and smell of Durian lol! And very funny story too.I love durian! That can’t be a true story… I think it smells amazing.Hilarious story! I’m an American with well over a decade of life in Indonesia and still find eating durian a bit difficult. That being said, the rich, creamy and super-soft texture of ripe durian reminds me slightly of ripe avocados, and I can see why it’s so coveted by the Asian public.For those who are stuck with merely the china supermarket frozen variety, there are many different varieties with as many odoriferous qualities. All of which, if ripe and ingested, have left me in a near heaving state. I have, however, over time actually gained an appreciation for its pungent odor; actually smells quite palatable, but that’s where the affair ends. Try and try as I might, to get a fully-ripened ‘bangkok’ variety past my palatoglossal arch is near impossible!Durian is a fruit that you either like it or hate it. It’s to a personal’s taste really. :)Fresh durian off the tree aint so bad; sweet, creamy with a bit of a garlicky tasteWhat about health wise? Is it good, bad or neither?	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20527280,
PLAIN-374	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-neurotoxins-only-present-in-blue-green-algae/	Are neurotoxins only present in blue-green algae?	As you have reported, the effects of animal based omega-3 supplements can prove to be ironically, inflammatory. While you recommend utilizing algae as an alternative, is there concern over the neurotoxins (as you have discussed in other videos as present in spiralina), or are these only present in the blue-green algae? GrantMM77ni / Originally posted in Plant-Based Omega-3 Supplements All the algae-oil omega-3 supplements currently on the market are made from phytoplankton that are in an entirely different biological kingdom than the blue-green algae known to produce toxins (such as spirulina, detailed here:  http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blue-green-algae/). 	Dr. Greger, I had a high reading of mercury last year (36) but the doctors kept reassuring me that it wasn’t a level I should be worried about. A naturopath here in Ontario suggested I do a heavy toxin detox with him that seems like quite the commitment but I’m willing to do it if you think I might benefit from it. What do you recommend. I have been vegan for 4+ months and going strong. Will this be enough to counteract any harmful effects of that previous mercury reading? Thank you so much for telling it like it is!!!! AnnaHi Anna, Mercury is a toxic substance which caused neurologic and renal problems primarily. The first step is to avoid exposure. The most common source is fish. Although some workers are at risk for exposure (e.g. dental work, alkali battery factories). Coal burning is the greatest source of air borne mercury. Your body will cleanse itself of the mercury with a half life generally between 40 and 60 days. If you have no obvious signs of effect you could go that route, avoid exposure and recheck your level in 6 – 12 months to document it is decreasing. Chelation is most often used for sudden large exposures and its use in chronic exposure is less clear. I would also make sure your vaccinations are mercury free which usually means you should insist on in single dose vials. I would review the 20+videos re: mercury on the NutritionFacts.org website and keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as you never know what science will turn up next. Congratulations on your new diet.Thanks for this posting this answer. I had the same question as the post about Vegan DHA after reading on the bottle that it came from algae.Hi!As a chef recently switched to veganism I have been exploring the substitutes used for many ingredients. One commonly used instead if gelatine is Irish moss – who’s active ingredient is kappa carrageenan. I have worked with carrageenan before but there seems to be some negative research on this – if only in animal models from what I could find. What are your views on this vs gelatine – or are there better substitirs I’m unaware of?Regards,Mel	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blue-green-algae/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/	-
PLAIN-375	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/nutrition-advice-to-counter-the-side-effects-of-glaucoma-medications/	Nutrition advice to counter the side-effects of glaucoma medications?	Is there any information that can help with glaucoma. The drops are sight saving. what nutritionally can counter any side effects of glaucoma drugs such as cosopt. Harmony / Originally posted in Algae-Based DHA vs. Flax A review of complementary and alternative treatments for glaucoma was published this year (available here). Unfortunately, as you’ll read, the evidence is scarce. In terms of minimizing side-effects, probably the most important thing is to avoid allowing the tip of the dropper to come in contact with your eye or hands or anything (it can become contaminated with common bacteria that can cause eye infections). If you do experience eye redness, pain, or swelling, discontinue it and call your doc at once. If I find any new information coming out on effective alternatives I will definitely let you know! We do have good data on preventing glaucoma and other causes of vision loss, though. See my videos: 	What about eye pressure? My optometrist always measures it and it is fine but can diet effect eye pressure?	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/	-
PLAIN-376	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-are-the-benefits-of-reishi-mushrooms-ganoderma-lucidum/	What are the benefits of reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum)?	I have just been introduced to a product that is a combination of green tea and ganoderma (a red mushroom). It also comes mixed with coffee. I was wondering if you have seen amy research on ganoderma. Thank you so much for this website. It is wonderful! mpbailey / Originally posted in The Healthiest Beverage I’m so glad you’re finding the website useful! Ganoderma lucidum is more commonly known as the reishi mushroom, one of the oldest known fungi used medicinally. According to the latest review on the subject, there are remarkably few clinical studies on its use despite its popularity throughout East Asia. It does appear to have beneficial immunomodulatory effects in cancer patients but without endpoint data (such as survival and remission rates), case reports with names like Fatal Fulminant Hepatitis Associated With Ganoderma would argue against drinking it in your coffee until we know more. The healthiest thing to drink is likely green tea. We have good evidence of its benefits and, as a bonus, no fatal side-effects! Hibiscus tea is also a good option. See: Better Than Green Tea? 	When have this been posted?The “latest review” link was broken when I tried it just now…Ganoderma Lucidum or Reishi mushroom is a fungus that can be described as “tough” and “woody” with a bitter taste. The above-ground part and filaments connecting a group of mushrooms that are being used in alternative wellness methods.Like you I was recently introduced to ‘ganoderma” through a coffee product. I don’t indulge in that drink but was curious to learn more about ganoderma and the healing effects associated with this newly popular product.My interest at the time of my research lay solely in it’s effects on breast cancer and bleeding issues. The studies I viewed all said there is not enough information to show the long term effects on the body as of this time. It did however show in lab testing ” that an oral administration of GLE (ganoderma lucidum) can inhibit breast-to-lung cancer metastases through the downregulation of genes responsible for cell invasiveness. The anti-metastatic benefits of GLE warrant further clinical studies.” PubMedAs far as the bleeding aspect, “Ingestion of Ganoderma lucidum does not cause impairment of hemostatic function in healthy volunteers, despite earlier in vitro reports that it may cause platelet inhibition and may have other antithrombotic and fibrinolytic activity. The use of Ganoderma lucidum preoperatively is unlikely to increase the risk of surgical bleeding in otherwise healthy patients”. PubMedThe latter test was done over a period of 4 weeks with testing at the 4 and 8 week marks.With phrases and words like “warrants further clinical studies” and “is unlikely to increase the risk”, it is clear the jury is still out on this herbal medicine at least where these issues are concerned.	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17621752,
PLAIN-377	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/gurmar-jamun-bitter-melon-and-fenugreek/	What about gurmar, jamun, bitter melon, and fenugreek?	What is your take on the following substances? Gurmar…jamun… bitter melon…[and] fenugreek?   Lastly, Dr. Greger what do you think of Citruline and L Argenine in their role as helping out in repairing the endothelium cells ( Citruline ) and the later helping in promoting Nitrous Oxide formation if one used the drug versions instead of Citruline absorbed thru Watermelon rind where a large portion of citulline is usually discarded? Data / Originally posted in A Harmless Artificial Sweetener I’ve often wondered about bitter melon myself (Momordica charantia, also known as karela, or bitter gourd). I’ve seen it at the Indian spice stores I frequent (looks kind of like a ridged warty cucumber), but never tried it. I hear it lives up to its name, though. In fact the more ripe it gets, the more inedibly bitter it evidently becomes! But with enough heavy spicing I guess anything can be made palatable (the best way to mask the taste appears to be tomato-based sauces). A study published just a few days ago found that an extract of the fruit appeared to slow the growth of a rare cancer in a petri dish (adrenocortical carcinoma, an aggressive 1-in-a-million cancer of the adrenal gland), something that extracts of blueberries, zucchini, and acorn squash couldn’t do. Similar findings were reported in 2011 with prostate cancer cells and in 2010 with breast cancer cells. Traditionally, bitter melon has been used to lower blood sugars in diabetics, though most of the studies to support this use have been small and methodologically weak. There was a randomized controlled study published in 2007 that found no significant improvement in long-term blood sugar control in diabetics, but there have also been case reports of children having hypoglycemic seizures (and one even sinking into a coma) after drinking bitter melon tea, so presumably there is some blood-sugar-lowering effect there somewhere. If you are going to try it, I would recommend eating the fruit itself, not some extract. For example, there is a published report of a man who started throwing up blood after chugging two cups of bitter melon juice, which apparently ate through the wall of his stomach. I’ll have to look into gurmar and jamun. As for citrulline and watermelon, I cover that in my video Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction. I’ve also got upcoming videos on fenugreek (from my volume 11 Latest in Nutrition DVD), so I leave you in suspense (*spoiler alert*: fenugreek seeds appear to have both muscle-building and anti-cancer properties, but do have an unusual side effect: they may make your armpits smell like maple syrup!). 	Dr. Greger, karela tastes wonderful simply stir fried. It is bitter but so is beer.ArunI agree, and from my vantage am planning to get better at cooking it so that the bitterness is enhanced. It’s a really invigorating bitterness, in a weird way. Like the head-feel that you can get from really spicy food, it is not simply the basic tongue-nose system that seems to ‘taste’ bittermelon.how do you cosume fenugreek? powdered seeds? oil?love your website!I grind it up and use it in oatmeal, along with a tons of berries and cocoa powder.Hello shahar,Fenugreek seeds can be added to any dishes but careful though, add very little as they are very bitter. you can use fenugreek leaves, called Methi which you can find in Indian stores. There are hundreds of recipes you can try with Methi leaves. check this website. http://www.tarladalal.com/recipesearch.aspx?term=methi. Try this link for health benefits. http://www.medindia.net/patients/lifestyleandwellness/fenugreek.htm.ThanksI love your videos thank you for making science & nutrition so understandable, all your information is right on!! very very informative, educational, and factual, and you make it easy to learn,!! thank you Namaste, AngelinaJamun seed powder or fenugreek powder is good for diebetic type to. Take twice a tea spoon jamun powder daily or same qty. as of fenugreek powder. (Fenugreek seeds can be soaked in water at night and take next morning, or boil like tea and have dringk). It affects faster than medicine to lower the blood sugar. Fenugreek is very beneficial in other way also, it circulate blood, lower high blood pressure, lower LDL cholestrol, increase libido, that’s sex power. The one who eats fenugreek daily will never miss night with partner. But one thing I heard and some one saying that American medical didn’t approve fenugreek for lowering blood sugar, can any body explain is it true ?Hello, You have to be careful when using bitter melon as medicine. its harmful when you consume more than a teaspoon. Wash them thoroughly, peel them lightly, grind a small piece in blender and take 1/4-1/2 tsp directly. you know, you can directly put it in your throat instead of on your tongue to avoid bitterness. Slice, rub the slices with lots of salt and keep aside for 30 minutes before cooking. The salt draws out the bitter juices from the slices.Squeeze out the juices, wash under running water and squeeze again. Don’t discard the squeezed out juice – use it in any juices. you can fry the pieces add salt, turmeric and little chilli powder. it tastes good. Thanks.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21911444,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12625217,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20373086,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17493509,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22191569,
PLAIN-378	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-yerba-mate-tea-bad-for-you/	Is yerba maté tea really bad for you?	Whoa! Really?! It seems there must be a lot of problems for the South Americans who consume loads of this daily? I haven’t read anything negative — any other info on how this is affecting people who have been drinking it for years? Poxacuatl / Originally posted in Is Yerba Maté Tea Bad For You? The latest review suggests that the drying method (using firewood) may be to blame for the high levels of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in maté drinks, so a different production method may obviate this problem. That would be great since new evidence suggests that yerba maté may protect bone strength and improve blood sugar and cholesterol control in diabetics. I’ll let you know if I find more research in this evolving area. 	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21920487,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20599603,
PLAIN-379	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/mercury-fillings-and-canned-tuna/	How did you do the mercury fillings and canned tuna calculation?	How did you come up with your calculation about how many mercury-containing dental fillings are equivalent to eating a can of tuna once a week? vetstud / Originally posted in Amalgam Fillings vs. Canned Tuna Three national brands of canned tuna were recently tested for mercury. They averaged 600 ppb of mercury, exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s safety level for human consumption (500 ppb). The drained solids in a can of tuna weigh about 170 grams, so that comes out to be about 100 mcg of mercury per can of tuna. A conservative estimate of the amount of mercury we’re exposed to on a daily basis per amalgam-filled tooth is 0.5 mcg, so eating a single can of tunafish a week is like having 29 teeth filled with mercury-based fillings day in and day out. 	wow! how can we get rid of possible mercury overload?Don Forrester MD has replied to Anna about this issue, you can find it here: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-neurotoxins-only-present-in-blue-green-algae/	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20821440,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21782213,
PLAIN-380	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-benefits-of-coconut-water/	Is coconut water good for you?	I have seen several health experts talk about the benefits of coconut water that comes straight from a young Thai coconut. However, I have read conflicting information about the coconut water one can get in packages (such as Vita CoCo)…These days, coconut water is hugely popular. Is it just another form of unhealthy empty calories marketed as something healthy? scorpiomoon / Originally posted in The Dangers of Broccoli? Vita Coco just settled a $10 million class action lawsuit for claiming its coconut water was “super-hydrating” “nutrient-packed” “mega-electrolyte” “super-water,” yet independent testing showed that the actual electrolyte levels were a small fraction of what the label advertised. Earlier this year a study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition compared coconut water to a manufactured sports drink and found no difference between the two in terms of hydration or exercise performance, and in fact those drinking the coconut water reported feeling more bloated and experienced greater stomach upset–and the study was funded by the Vita Coco! 	Does Kefir has any healthy benefits or is just a sweet fermented water?I hope you do not mind me chiming in on this one, tete1. I’m not sure about the health benefits of Kefir, but I do know that it is more than sweet fermented water. Kefir is a fermented milk drink (see the Wikipedia on it). My guess is that since it is a dairy animal based product, it is best to avoid it like all other dairy products. Although, I have fond memories of drinking it as a kid.I believe tete1 meant Water Kefir, not to be confused with Milk Kefir, they are not the same.It looks like I have learned something new today. Before this post, I have never heard of “water kefir” before. Very interesting. I’d be interested to hear what the scientific research say about it, as well.I’ve learned a lot about it, and brew it nightly. I add hibiscus tea to the secondary fermentation…Well anyway, I would be interested to see what the studies conclude about consuming it.I assume they are talking about coconut water kefir. It is a strain of kefir that grows well in coconut water vs. milk. It lives on the sugars in the coconut water. There is no kefir that grows in plain water.Based on the science surrounding dairy products I would avoid them. There are many better options such as soy and almond milk although. You can view the over 90 video’s on the website which show the wide ranging effects of dairySoy is known to be a hugely GMO food to be avoided. So is corn. People should stay away from those two for sure.I agree that these two need to have special attention paid to them. I advise patients to consume organic soy or organic corn only. There are some others as well and unfortunately the GMO’s are expanding into other foods. The best website I have found is the Institute for Responsible Technology which has a shopping guide which I find helpful at http://nongmoshoppingguide.com. Of course viewing Jeffery Smith’s DVD Genetic Roulette is sobering if not scary. Keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps coming.Anna: In addition to Dr. Forrester’s response, which I thought was quite good, I will also point out that traditional soy products, like non-GMO soy milk, tofu and tempeh in appropriate quantities have been shown to be quite healthful, including in fighting breast cancer. As Dr. Forrester pointed out, there are lots of videos on this site which highlight important studies on soy. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=soyEating organic soy would give you the best of both worlds – avoiding pesticides and GMOs (if that is important to you), while getting the advantages of consuming soy (if soy is something you want to eat). Personally, I have found that there are times that soy milk makes the best sauces and baked goods, because soy milk generally has a bit more fat than other non-dairy milks. And tofu can be made into a wonderful array of super-tasty dishes. So, I would never advise people to stay away from all soy. I would always be specific about what I recommend (and why) regarding soy.Something to think about.How about actually drinking the water that is from the inside of an actual coconut that you opened? I do that from time to time, with the good fortune of being able to spend time in Central America, and I can say that I personally feel very rejuvinated by it but don’t know much of the “why”.what about young thai coconut water that is unpasturized?I recall a video on this site on coconut water where it is compared to blood plasma and could be used in an emergency transfusion. Yet it’s hard (or impossible to find this) in the search. No?This is the vid you’re looking for. There’s a small snippet about coconut water towards end of vid http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/thank you again,for all this info on natural health i live in costa rica, fruit is everywhere and all kinds we have mangosteen… is the fresh friut good for you? also coco palms all over, we call them pipa , orange or green sweet and fresh are they good, for ones health?¿I have read that kefir is like liquid yogurt, and that all fermented milk products made from grass-fed cows on organic farms is quite healthy compared with milk. The colon probiotic colonies are assisted by it.Anna: kefir is a liquid yogurt, but that doesn’t make it a healthful food. Yogurt is just concentrated dairy. And dairy is unhealthy regardless of how the cows were raised or what they eat. You can get healthy probiotics in more safe ways. There are plenty of videos on NutritionFacts on all of these topics if you want to learn more. Good luck.Coconut water is best gotten fresh from the tree, but failing that, it is up to us to find a good boxed source which is not tainted by some process or additive. I have read that the good stuff has about 50-60 calories per 8 ounces and has no more than 6 grams of sugar per 8 oz. It’s so refreshing that I can drink a liter in two hours on a hot day. In Oregon I found the cheapest liter to cost from $2 to $2.50, and it has 8 grams of sugar per cup of natural 100% pure water. I think that is still high sugar.Why not do a video on coconut per se? The flesh?Stay tuned, Christoph! I plan to update the coconut research ASAP. I’ll be posting it to my Ask the RD page. It would be good to see an update or a video by Dr. Greger on the flesh. I think rule a thumb is whole foods are best. If consuming coconut products I would suggest real coconut water (from the actual coconut) or the fresh coconut chucks (with flesh), careful about amount.Thanks, Joseph	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-381	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/best-foods-to-decrease-nasal-allergies/	What are the best foods to decrease seasonal nasal allergies (rhinitis)?	What would you recommend for nasal allergies? Hubby and I are both on a plant based diet and our allergies are better since going vegan, but it’s spring & it’s bad this year already lol. veggiechick / Originally posted in Preventing Allergies in Adulthood Oh, I’m so sorry you’re suffering! There was a new study published last week on diet and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (runny nose/itchy eyes) that confirmed that meat is associated with increased risk (in this case 71% higher), but that’s no help to a couple of vegans! There are four plant foods, however, associated with cutting one’s risk in approximately half: 	What is miso how many days can I keep this miso dressingMiso is fermented soy bean paste. It may also be made from barley or rice malt. It is used widely used Japanese cooking for making soups and sauces. An opened jar of miso may last for up to 1 year refrigerated; however, you may want to use the refrigerated dressing with 3-5 days after you make it.Miso is fermented soy bean paste. It may also be made from barley or rice malt. It is widely used in Japanese cooking for making soups and sauces. An opened jar of miso may last for up to 1 year refrigerated; however, you may want to use the refrigerated dressing within 3-5 days after you make it.What about eye allergy? What foods would you advise? It doesn’t seem to seasonal and dr ruled out eye infectionThe eyes are exposed to alot of things in the environment such as smog and plant allergens. I am glad infection was ruled out. A simple approach is to use artificial tears one drop in each eye to sort of flush them out. Use the drops without chemicals which can sometimes add to the problem. Many of my patients found this helpful. If the problem persists or worsens you should be reevaluated. Good luck.Wow! Miso paste is loaded with salt! 3 Tablespoons white miso has like a thousand milligrams of salt.According to usda data, 3 T miso would have about 1900 mg sodium. By a conservative estimate, the recipe above must make at least a cup. Taking a standard salad dressing size of about two tablespoons, this would amount to 237 mg sodium per serving.The average WFPB diet contains less than 500 mg sodium in the foods themselves, which leaves about 1000 mg left to play with and still adhere to the lowest recommendation of 1500 mg/day, or one could have an additional 1800 mg if going by the tolerable upper limit of 2300 mg/day (from American Heart Association, Institute of Medicine, & National Academy of Sciences). 1000 mg could be added in the form of a half cup of the miso dressing, about 1/2 tsp of table salt, a tablespoon of soy sauce, 1/3 cup of either mustard or ketchup, or obviously some combination of all of them – the point being that one could eat the salad dressing, plus have a fairly generous amount of other salty condiments, and still meet the most conservative recommendations *if* the diet itself is based on whole, unprocessed foods. So in the context of a naturally low in sodium whole foods plant based diet, the 237 mg contributed by this dressing isn’t really something to worry about.Dr. Greger — alfalfa tablets will help with sinus (and arthritis) — also Oil of Oregano is great for all upper respiratory. Living in South Ms – lots of sinus but as long as I eat up 4 alfalfa tablets a day I don’t get sinus problems.also – giving up all dairy items, one will see dramatic reduction in sinus stuff — and if black or Asian — giving up all dairy will see reduction or elimination of sniffly noses. If one thinks about the history of such people, did they have cow milk?? nah — probably camel milk, goat milk or soy milk.Thank you for the wonderful recipe. It’s seasonal allergy time again, and I’ll be happy to include miso in our foods more often. I dressed a warm/cold salad of greens/mushrooms/spring onions/noodles/edamame for dinner last night. Delicious, and soon to be a staple.I have a related question. I am seeing an increase in tonsil stones coming from from my sinuses and throat. I think It causes bad breath. What can i do to stop this? Are there foods which increase or decrease the production of these things?Is it true that consumption of local raw organic honey will help to decrease the incidence of common seasonal (pollen) allergies? His theory was that bee’s carry tiny amount of different kind of pollen’s and then we ingest tiny amounts of the allergen until we become “sensitized”.HI! I would like to know if its true that consumption of local raw organic honey will help to decrease the incidence of common seasonal (pollen) allergies? I heard a theory that bee’s carry tiny amount of different kind of pollen’s and then we ingest tiny amounts of the allergen until we become “sensitized”… ¿.?Hi, Is it true that consumption of local raw organic honey will help to decrease the incidence of common seasonal (pollen) allergies? His theory was that bee’s carry tiny amount of different kind of pollen’s and then we ingest tiny amounts of the allergen until we become “sensitized”.I can’t speak of anything but anecdotally but when I moved to Austin I developed some rather bad nasal season allergies. Bought some locally made raw unfiltered honey that I could see the pollen in quite easily and a couple of weeks later after taking a couple of teaspoons a day 90+% of the symptoms were gone and didn’t return.Do you have an opinion regarding green coffee bean extract, as promoted by Dr. Oz?What helped me controlling and getting almost rid of spring allergy, was coffee, black coffee in the morning as first thing to drink, and a lemon in a glass of water.I just turned 75 . no history of cancer in family. Do I still need such tests as colonoscopy and psa?Miso is magic. So many wonderful effects on heath. I personally love the stronger version. White is a less aged version, but my fave is Ohsawa Hatcho Miso. It is aged more and strong. You don’t need much. I don’t add any salt to my whole food diet, so don’t worry about the amount of sodium. Our muscles, including heart needs salt and potassium for a regular, strong twitch/beat. I use it every day. Doesn’t taste salty. It’s one of those food as medicine items that are a basic need for me. http://shop.goldminenaturalfoods.com/OHSAWA-ORGANIC-GLUTEN-FREE-HATCHO-MISO-12-OZ/productinfo/0418-1000/What to take for hayfever rhinitis?The supplement quercetin as well as nettle tea are great for hayfever :). I would be a bit of a sneezing mess without them.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-382	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-vanilla-sweetened-almond-milk-healthy/	Is vanilla almond milk healthy?	How about Almond Milk? Been drinking as replacement for cow milk, love the taste, etc. However, I do buy the Vanilla sweetened flavor…is that bad? Am I taking away from the good of it all? mercman40 / Originally asked in The Best Nut Almond milk is certainly superior to calf’s milk, if only because of the lack of saturated animal fat, cholesterol, and hormones (see, for example, my videos Acne & Cancer Connection and Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero), but is unflavored, unsweetened almond milk preferable to sweetened vanilla? In general, I’m in favor of cutting down on intake of empty calories whenever possible. We get only about 2,000 in the calorie bank every day–why not try to make them count? So almond milk versus almond milk with added sugar is a no-brainer decision for me, but I guess it depends on what you’re using it for. If the only way you would drink green tea is with the sweetened variety, then overall it would be healthier for you to stick with the added sugar (though your taste buds would probably adapt to the unsweetened variety, or you could try adding a harmless noncaloric sweetener such as erythritol (see A Harmless Artificial Sweetener)). The vanilla question is interesting, though. Given its popularity, I was surprised there wasn’t more science published on the health effects of vanilla orchid fruit phytonutrients. There are two in vitro studies that suggest vanillin, one of the many aromatic compounds in vanilla, may be protective against colorectal and cervical cancer, but no clinical or epidemiological studies have been published to my knowledge. There was also a study showing that vanilla extract may interfere with bacterial communication, concluding vanilla “might promote human health by…preventing bacterial pathogenesis.” The most unusual vanilla study may be one published out of Germany in 1999. Researchers wanted to know if our olfactory memory goes back even further than our verbal memory. Do we subconsciously remember tastes and smells from our infancy before we could even put them into words? They realized that there was a time certain German infant formulas were flavored with vanilla, so they challenged a group of adults with a vanilla-containing food. But they couldn’t just use your typical vanilla flavored confection because it could introduce too many other new variables. They had to choose something that no one would have ever associated with vanilla. So they concocted… vanilla-flavored ketchup! And guess what? Two-thirds of those bottle fed with vanilla as infants preferred the vanilla ketchup, whereas two thirds of the rest were like “blech!” and chose the regular ketchup. The moral of the story is that perhaps if breastfeeding women eat lots of healthy foods, their broccoli-flavored breast milk might get remembered years down the road! And indeed I even have a new video about that: The Best Baby Formula. 	Almond milk comes in 4 varieties in my store, plain unsweetened, vanilla unsweetened (both 40 cal/serving), plain semi-sweet (60 cal/serving) and fully sweetened vanilla (90 cal/serving). We, like mercman40, like the vanilla flavor, but don’t really care for the unsweetened version and the fully sweet version taste like we are drinking melted ice cream (good in a horrific kind a way). The semi-sweet is “just right” on the sweet scale, so we remedy the lack of vanilla by adding a teaspoon of our own vanilla extract to each half gallon. But I might have to try adding some non-calorie sweetener to the unsweetened vanilla and skip the extra teaspoon of sugar.please consider that when you are drinking store bought almond milk, you are most likely consuming added synthetic vitamins. it is high-time the consumer demanded (suggested kindly) to the producer to stop adding synthetic vitamins to our almond milk, as well as tons of other vegan products.Yes! I’ve been thinking this, as well. The only exception I don’t personally mind is B12, and I suppose I can live with D being added to stuff as well. Beyond that, no thank you! It’s frustrating…Dr. Mcdougall has flat out said that vitamin D supplements should be avoided, as in, don’t swallow anything that is either a vitamin D pill or a product that has been fortified with it. Read the info. on his website. He thinks vitamin D supplements actually cause harm. Not “correlation”, but “harm”. He is very clear on this.You mentioned erythritol, what about mannitol as a sweetener- is it safe?One of my Neuro Psychology professors told us that artificial sweeteners aren’t the best because they can cause you to crave more sweetner than if you at regular sugar. I use Stevia, but am sugar free totally, and noticed a new product called “Truvia”. I looked Splenda etc in the FDA book that is really informational about all the additives, the studies done,etc and it says has caused cancer in rats..like what doesn’t right?I urge you to read Dr. Mercola’s research on Splenda. I would not trust Truvia either,nor would I true Nu-stevia, which is made from corn.I have lots of Green Leaf stevia, but no longer use it, because the teas I buy are already sweet, and I’m fine with plain purified water and eating lots of fresh fruit. Hence, I no longer crave extra sweetening agents.I nearly lost my vision from aspartame and don’t trust any artificial sweetener, as a result.Mr. Mercola is not a doctor.Dr. Mercola is an Osteopathic physician. Osteopaths are licensed to practice medicine in all 50 states and are recognized in sixty other countries, including all Canadian provinces.http://www.aacom.org/about/osteomed/Pages/default.aspxYou may not agree with some of his positions, but he is still a doctor.Not everything causes cancer. But Splenda was created to be a pesticide. However the “tester” misunderstood when told to “test” it. He thought he was told to “taste” it. And when tasting Splenda, it was found to be sweet. Hence, instead of being marketed to kill weeds, fungi, bacteria, or insects, it was labeled as an artificial sweetener. This according to research gathered by Dr. Mercola.Not everything solely causes cancer. Something may damage your immune system (which I believe is 70% of your gut), it may cause neurological damage and damage the brain and central or peripheral nervous system before it builds up enough in your body to actually cause cancer.This makes me wonder why you have come to Dr. Greger’s web site if you don’t care about your health in the first place.I don’t have cancer to my knowledge, but I have osteoporosis, which has serious consequences so I’m eating more healthy than ever before and am doing more weight bearing exercise.Given how many artificial sweeteners made their way into the marketplace, I avoid them all together. Splenda was originally created to be a pesticide, but when the tester was told to test it, he misunderstood and tasted it, found it to be sweet, and hence the product which was designed to kill or cause harm to pests, was created as an artificial sweetener.Truvia has an equally sordid history.I have re-educated my taste buds by eating more nutrition fruit and occasionally adding small amounts dried fruit to sweeten beverages.Rats are used as surrogates for humans. For example, and recent study byCRIIGEN Study Links GM Maize and Roundup to Premature Death and Cancer.http://sustainablepulse.com/2012/09/19/criigen-study-links-gm-maize-roundup-premature-death-cancer/#.UlSiKhCL01oThe variety of GMO maize (corn) used in this study has been deregulated and is in the marketplace (grocery stores and supermarkets) in the USA, and around the world. No peer reviewed safety testing has been published in the USA. The FDA and USDA have ignored the studies of this esteemed French research facility and the scientists who meticulously did the studies.For more about CRIIGEN, see: http://criigen.org/SiteEn/I no longer buy corn, since this sweet corn is grown in southeastern and northeastern U.S.A. and GMO corn and soy has been illegally planted in National Wildlife Refuges with the approval of the US government under the Obama-Monsanto administration so that the pollen would contaminate farms, fields, and backyard gardens throughout the country and continent.Get involved. Support the Right to Know about GMO’s in Food. I contributed to the YES on 522 in Washington State. Hurry before there is no safe food to eat anywhere.I regularly use unflavored unsweetened almond milk in recipes. Ideally I’d like to make my own (amygdalate recipes date back to the 14th century Le Viandier de Taillevent, where its the primary “milk”), but most often just use the prepared versions for convenience.For those who don’t care for the chalky taste added by calcium carbonate supplementation in the Silk and Almond Breeze brands, the Whole Foods 360 private label uses tricalcium phosphate, which I find less objectionable in creamy soups.Why not just make your own!. Go to “Straight up foods.com” Cathy Fischer has recipes on her site for all non-dairy milks..I have been making my own rice milk for a few years now…brown rice and H20Silk is one of the companies who contributed to give American citizens NO RIGHT TO KNOW whether or not there food is genetically engineered to resist more toxic herbicides, such as Round-up, Dicamba or 2,4-D –the last know known to be contaminated with dioxins, the most toxic chemical every created by humankind and 2,4-D is an Agent Orange ingredient from the Vietnam war. I drink purified water because don’t trust drinking products made by corporations who want to keep the public controlled and ignorant.All the nondairy milks we have available to us (unless we make our own) have vitamin a palmitate as an ingredient. Shouldn’t we be avoiding vitamin a supplements?I found in Silk, only the unsweetened, original flavor contain no Carrageenan. Wish Dr. Greger would do a piece on this subject.I don’t know if this matters to you. But the corporation which makes Silk, Dean Foods, Inc., contributed to the Right (Not) to Know if Genetically Modified Organisms are in their Food. Dean Foods weighed in financially opposed to both States and the federal government’s labeling GMO’s in food.I take this as they have something to hide!I realize that Silk is sold as both organic and non-GMO, but it is not verified by the Non-GMO Project, to my knowledge.The USDA has allowed some foods to contain some GMO’s, as well as synthetic ingredients. The USDA has ignored the public in favor of big business on this stance as well as claiming Carrageenan is safe because the FDA said it was. They have ignored the health effects that people are experiencing. This to me is not surprising, given the revolving doors at the FDA.Numerous recent studies on GMO soy have uncovered very severe health damage to test animals, livestock, and humans. Look at the severe birth defects as a result of ingesting GMO soy in Danish pigs, and an infant in Argentina at: http://gmoevidence.com/Given the games played at the U.S. FDA with Monsanto’s Michael Taylor as Food Czar, and the coziness of the Secretary of Agriculture to Monsanto, I have chosen to avoid all Silk soy in particular, and all but Eden Organic soy in general.Eden Organic tests their soy beans to make certain they do not contain GMO’s. They are double certified organic, but not certified by the USDA because the USDA has undermined the Rule of the Law, the National Organic Foods and Production Act of 1990.With regards to Carrageenan, the Cornucopia Institute has put out this report, “How a “Natural” Food Additive is Making Us Sick.” http://www.cornucopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Carrageenan-Report1.pdfThey have tried to get the USDA and FDA to take Carrageean out of organic food, but to no avail.Our health is a political football putted back and forth between the USDA and US FDA, regardless of administration in the White House.Could you please do a video on which dairy-free milk is healthiest?What about the carageenan in commercially-prepared almond milk? I have not been able to find any source for almond milk that does not contain this artificially altered seaweed derivative, other than my own kitchen.The wholefoods and traderjoes brand do not contain carageenan, but unfortunately they only sell them at their own stores. The wholefoods one is also organic.Thank you, Jesse_grimes, I’ll have to check it out next time I am at Whole Foods. Unfortunately, the nearest store is almost 2 hours away from me. In the meantime, I make my own almond milk at home and it is pretty tasty.My daughter bought a Vita-Mix blender which has a high speed motor and uses an polyester plastic jar which I find questionable. But, she makes her own almond milk with water that has been purified through RO and carbon filtration and raw “certified organic” almonds. The best almonds are those grown and produced by the organic method under the law, but the USDA often does not follow the rule of the law.I too have a Vita-Mix and it works great for so many things. That’s awesome that you guys make your own too. I also wondered about the plastic container but when looking into it apparently it has too much power that it would crack any glass. Makes sense I guess but would love to see it made of something different.I just looked at the ingredients list on my 2 favorite milk substitutes (Blue Diamond Vanilla Almond Breeze & Pacific Original Hemp) and noticed they both have vitamin a palmitate added to them. In another video Dr. Greger mentioned that vitamin a palmitate added to skim milk is suspected in weakening people’s bones. I wonder if there was any confirmation on that theory?I have a question to ask about my loss of appetite. I have chronic pain from Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. Over the past 10 years I slowly lost my appetite for meat, fish, fast food, restaurant food and frozen foods. I pretty much live on just a few types of foods now. My typical daily meals consist of zero percent fat Greek Yogurt with cut up apples or grapes mixed in a couple times a day. I sometimes will have a bowl of Organic shredded wheat with low fat organic milk with Hemp hearts and Flax on top. I really don’t eat much more then that except for fresh fruit. Do you know what would cause this? Can medication ruin your appetite? I don’t cook anymore because the smell bothers me unless it is apple pie or something I like. I am still about 20 lbs overweight and I’m not dieting. My bloodwork is normal except I am a bit iron deficient and my Vitamin D is low and has been for years. I have never been able to donate blood because of my low iron. I take a vitamin daily. Is what I am eating dangerous? It is the only thing that appeals to me other then sweet things which I try and stay away from.Commercial milk, almond or cow, is pasteurized – no enzymes – basically a non-food with heat-damaged minerals and vitamins, difficult for digestion and acid forming in the body. In fact your body will draw calcium from your bones to neutralise the acid and correct the PH to more alkaline (osteoporosis). Baby cow’s die when fed pasteurized cow’s milk. Research Dr Tim O’Shea / Dr Robert Young for further information and stop drinking commercial milk … and BTW your commercial fruit juice organic or not, freshly squeezed or not is also pasteurized! Squeeze your own oranges at home and make your own nut milk from raw sprouted nuts and drink raw unpasteurized dairy from an organic source.Also, read your labels to avoid the additive carrageenan. Not all companies use the same ingredients. The Silk brand is carrageenan free. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/I couldn’t find vanilla in the ingredient list on the silk Almond Vanilla (unsweented) brand. Just “natural flavors” whatever that means.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19679064,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20668316,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16706905,
PLAIN-383	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/dr-jenkins-and-plant-based-diets/	What do you think of Dr. Jenkins' take on paleolithic diets?	I was surprised to see you reference a paper by Eaton on so called “Paleolithic nutrition.” These folks are part of a group who argues that we (humans) need to eat lots of meat to be healthy because that is built into our genes…..despite the overwhelming evidence that eating less (or no) meat promotes better health and that there are no nutrients except B12 not effectively obtained from a plant based diet. David Jenkins is more convincing in arguing our genetic heritage is more likely rooted in the Miocene, with a diversity of plant foods at the root of our diet. CapeBreton / Originally posted in So Should We Drink Beet Juice Or Not? I have tremendous respect for Dr. Jenkins and his “ape diet” (also known as the Portfolio Diet) that I refer to in Low Fat or Whole Food. He was the guy who came up with the glycemic index concept. He was a co-author of the seminal review I covered in Egg Cholesterol in the Diet and my zombie-themed Avoiding Cholesterol is a No-Brainer. He’s also the one behind the plant-based “Eco-Atkins” diet (Plant-Based Atkins Diet). The full text of the commentary you mention is available at The Garden of Eden: Plant-Based Diets. More in my video Paleolithic Lessons. 	For more information, please also refer to the video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/	-
PLAIN-384	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/improving-health-with-beets/	Do beets fight cancer?	As an endurance athlete I thought that beets/beet juice was my little secret but now you’ve let the cat out of the bag so to speak. I am curious if you had any comments on Dr. Ferenczi’s early Hungarian studies on the use of beets/beet juice to combat cancer? azwildcat76 / Originally posted in So Should We Drink Beet Juice Or Not? I see Dr. Ferenczi has published papers in both Hungarian and German. Anyone out there willing and able to translate them for me if I send you the PDFs? For an overview of my beet videos, see my blog yesterday at One Green Planet: Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance. 	Dr. Rudolph Bruess was a big proponent of healing cancer with juice fasting that included large amounts of beet juice. He published a book summarizing his life’s work called The Bruess Cancer Cure.When applying a large amount of one food, in this case beets, to a clinical condition you change many variables. It is therefore difficult to attribute the effect to the food involved. Fasting has been shown to be beneficial for many conditions but there is a spectrum from water fasting to juice fasting.Fruit juice fasting is not the best option for optimal health. It maybe o.k. to do a juice fast for one meal but eating the whole fruit or vegetable is a healthier option. Furthermore, juicing can lead to hyperglycemia. It was associated with higher rate of DM2 in women http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2453647/For more information on the health benefits of why you should eat the whole food versus the juice is found here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/I’m not sure that is entirely justified: the term juicing refers to juicing fruits and vegetables fresh (mostly vegetables) – whereas it appears that the study was using commercial fruit juices – which I think we can all agree are basically processed junk food.Personally, I’ve had many benefits from doing juice fasts using freshly made vegetable (and a little fruit) juices – but I’ve yet to find any studies that conclusively differentiate between the home made juices and the commercial ones – so you are right to question their validity. Keep an open mind though, as these home made juices are quite different – and they can be wonderful for people with digestive issues. They have a lot more fibre (soluble and insuluble), enzymes and phytochemicals than the dead, filtered commercial juices.Last summer I remember a day in South Italy fasting on carrot / apple / ginger / lemon juice (freshly made)… Spent 3 or 4 hours in the midday sun on the beach without cream and didn’t burn. I didn’t even get very brown, which is crazy considering my fair skin. To me this is anecdotal evidence that the phytonutrients make it into the body. (That and the fact that my skin sometimes goes slightly orange!)I’m late joining in on the conversation, but I’m an American student living (and soon studying Nutrition!) in Vienna, Austria. Your work has been a big inspiration to me, and I would like to try helping out if you still have the German version of the PDFs! I know it will take me a while to get through it, but it would be great practice!I am a commercial pilot and have kept my blood pressure in check with exercise and using the beet juice regimen. Problems is the Designated Medical Examiner (DME) I get my medical with winces at the pink urine. I explain it is normal but doesn’t like it.So my question is are GOLDEN BEETS just as good? Are the nitrate levels the same? Urine effects? Can find nothing on internet search.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13312415,
PLAIN-385	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/diet-and-atrial-fibrillation/	What's the best diet for atrial fibrillation?	I started being plant based after Thanksgiving. The principal reason is for my health and hopes to reduce or eliminate some day all my meds. One area that I’ve never seen any reference to is diet and atrial fibrillation. Is there any connection? Can diet begin to replace cumadin or pradaxa? Duke / Originally posted on the NutritionFacts.org Facebook page Atrial fibrillation is the most common clinical cardiac arrhythmia, an irregularity of our heartbeat rhythm, which can set you up for a stroke, increase your risk of dementia and heart failure, and significantly shorten your lifespan. Previous findings on the effect of diet have been conflicting. Some studies have found alcohol, caffeine and fish consumption to be good in terms of preventing or resolving atrial fibrillation, and other studies have shown them all to be bad. It’s when this kind of situation arises in nutritional science, you pull out the big guns and put it to the test in one of the bigger better studies, like the famous Framingham Heart Study population, which is what was recently done. They found no effect either way in general from the consumption of alcohol, caffeine, or fish, but when they looked closer they observed an association between the consumption of dark fish and atrial fibrillation. A 6-fold higher hazard ratio for those eating a lot of fish like salmon, swordfish, bluefish, mackerel, and sardines. They conclude that their findings may suggest a “true adverse effect of dark fish and fish oil on certain subtypes of atrial fibrillation,” proposing that “potential toxins such as dioxins and methyl mercury accumulated in certain fish may have a negative effect on cardiac arrhythmia.” I profile this study in my video Red Fish, White Fish; Dark Fish, Atrial Fibrillation. There’s less out there about treatment, but a recent study did find that those with atrial fibrillation with higher intakes of antioxidants did have 80% greater odds of spontaneously reverting back to a normal heart rhythm. Until that happens your physician will likely want you to continue to take those two anticoagulants. My video Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods offers an overview on which foods to choose to maximize antioxidant intake, though since you’re already eating a plant-strong diet, check out Antioxidants in a Pinch for a tip on taking it to the next level. Just make sure not to increase your dark green leafy vegetable consumption while on coumadin without your physician helping you titrate your drug dose. 	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21798731,
PLAIN-386	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/causes-of-skin-discoloration/	My skin is turning orange (carotenoderma)--too many carrots?	Not necessarily related to beets, but related to how certain veggies and fruit cause skin colorations. My palms and soles of my feet are orange. I know this is from beta carotene. Is it cause for concern? It got better for awhile, but I noticed they are very orange again :( Amy Freudenberg Dover / Originally posted on the NutritionFacts.org Facebook page Sounds like you have carotenoderma, caused by the buildup of carotenoid phytonutrients in your skin.  The condition itself is harmless, but if you haven’t increased your vegetable intake in the last month or two (juicing carrots is a common cause) and there’s still a significant increase in coloration then you should check with your doctor to make sure you’re not suffering from secondary carotenoderma, in which the high levels in your skin are not because you’re eating a lot, but because there may be an underlying disease state such as hypothyroidism, anorexia, diabetes, or kidney disease that is increasing levels in your blood stream. Carotenoderma can also sometimes be confused with jaundice, a sign of liver dysfunction, but the two can be differentiated by looking at the whites of the eyes; they which remain white in carotenoderma, but turn yellow in jaundice. For more on carotenoid deposition in the skin see my videos Golden Glow and Produce, Not Pills. 	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/	-
PLAIN-387	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/where-to-supplement-nutrition-training/	Where can doctors go to supplement their nutrition knowledge?	I’m afraid I’m one of those guilty docs who never filled in the nutrition knowledge gap that medical school left me with. NutritionFacts.org has been such an eye-opener, and I am already seeing some quasi-miraculous changes in some of my more motivated patients. Where else would you suggest I go to supplement my training in nutrition? JTodd / Originally posted in Medical school nutrition education My favorite source for continuing medical education credit is nutritionCME.org. It’s co-sponsored by the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. In fact they currently have my swine flu presentation up as one of the featured offerings! 	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-388	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/positive-health-benefits-of-caffeine/	Does caffeine impair endothelial function in our arteries?	Hello Dr. Greger. Latest in nutrition Volume 8 was a fantastic DVD. It was very informative and applicable to my lifestyle. I especially liked the healthy ice cream idea, I’m going to try that! I don’t want to pester you with an email, so I thought I’d post it here. In regards to creatine, you mentioned that most creatine supplements are contaminated with heavy metals, yet consuming a creatine supplement as a vegetarian increased cognitive function. Now my question to you is this: Is there any safe creatine supplement and if there was one, would you recommend consuming it?  Also in reference to caffeine, you mentioned it has positive health benefits. This study shows that the caffeine in coffee caused impaired endothelial function: http://www.clinsci.org/cs/109/0055/1090055.pdf Toxins / Originally posted on the NutritionFacts.org Facebook page I’m so glad you liked volume 8! For creatine see my video Creatine Brain Fuel Supplementation. I’m so glad you asked the caffeine question, as I’ve been such an outspoken advocate of green tea consumption (see, for example, The Healthiest Beverage and Dietary Brain Wave Alteration). As I detailed in my video The Power of NO, endothelial dysfunction is the first step towards atherosclerosis–our #1 killer–and so we need to keep the inner lining of our arteries healthy by any means necessary. Last year, a study entitled “Impact of Acute Caffeine Ingestion on Endothelial Function in Subjects With and Without Coronary Artery Disease” was published in the American Journal of Cardiology. They performed the most rigorous investigation to date, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study that found that caffeine significantly improved endothelial function. They concluded “In conclusion, acute caffeine ingestion significantly improved endothelial function assessed by brachial artery FMD in subjects with and without CAD and was associated with lower plasma markers of inflammation.” That was for the amount of caffeine found in about 2 cups of coffee, 4 cups of black tea, or 8 cups of green. Similar benefits were found previously at a higher dose (3, 6, and 12 cups respectively). So why do studies on brewed coffee, espresso, and energy drinks show negative effects? Well, there are a lot of other substances in these beverages besides caffeine, some of which may also be removed in the decaffeination process. Since there appear to be compounds in coffee that both impair and improve endothelial function (whereas in tea, both green and black, it appears to be all improvement), one might turn to epidemiological studies to look at overall risk and benefit of coffee consumption (see, for example, my Update on Coffee and Coffee and Cancer). Though filtered coffee may be good, the evidence supporting the benefits of green tea are much stronger and more consistent. So I continue to recommend people drink tea instead of coffee, not because coffee is bad for you, but because green tea appears to be much better. More on caffeine can be found in my video What About the Caffeine? 	How about the acrylamide in coffee? Is there enough to be concerned about?The coffee and cancer studies show that coffee is indeed beneficial.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/If you look at the FDA’s table of acrylamide content, the content is quite high in grounds, but very low in brewed coffee, which makes me think that it gets filtered out (but I haven’t found any study that confirms that).http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/ChemicalContaminants/ucm053549.htmI had a heart attack in May 2013. Since then I have been focused on my diet and doing more exercise. I am a Vegan Plus, meaning I eat a wide variety of whole, preferably organic plants while avoiding added salt, sugar, unfermented soy, alcohol and caffeine. If you could put together a summary foods to consume and foods to avoid I am sure many people would be grateful. Thank you in advance.Lawrence: I think you might be interested in Dr. Greger’s post on his nutrition recommendations: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Other than that, you kind of have to go through the videos to pick out which foods he particularly recommends and particularly doesn’t recommend. At least, I’m not aware of any other compilation. You may want to search for those videos on NutritionFacts which specifically deal with heart health. He has a series on nuts that might interest you. Also I think the series on amla relates to the heart, though I may not be remembering that correctly.Also, someone recently pointed me to a video lecture by Dr. Greger that is on YouTube. In that video, Dr. Greger specifically recommended 1-2 tablespoons flax ground seeds every day and being sure to get enough B12 in your diet for optimum heart health. He recommended staying away from oils like corn and ___? (can’t remember the list). It’s best to stay away from all oils, but if you are going to have some, he recommended picking olive or canola. All of what I’m talking about in this paragraph is from a speech that is a decade old. So, I’m not sure how much still applies. But I would guess that these parts would still apply today, especially for heart health.Your diet already sounds pretty healthy. Good for you! I hope your efforts help you avoid another heart attack.A question about endothelial health and beta cells. This study shows that improved blood vessel/endothelial health can allow beta cells to grow and distribute insulin. http://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2013/Jun/repair-of-beta-cell-supporting-blood-vessels-key-to-type-1-diabetes-cure-95988085.html Can someone comment about this, and the other potential ways the pancreas’ beta cells can regenerate/heal/reset? If this study proves out, then could coffee help with beta cell healing? DavidI liked that the results of the study showed no negative differences among the tested items. Good effects from all.If a person is on Lipitor and has dramatically improved his TBC to where the numbers look great on paper, but this person has eaten an animal-based diet (and continues to) his whole life (70 yrs), will the damage to his Endothelium still put the person at risk for heart attack?Although I’m a “mostly vegan vegetarian,” and eat a lot of whole plant foods, I am very active and find that green tea lowers my blood sugar and causes stomach pain and nausea. I sometimes feel I’ll pass out. I can only drink it with a large meal. Coffee with soy milk doesn’t, so that’s what I drink. (I have to put soy milk or nut milk in it, or it too hurts my stomach). Do you have comments about that? Thank you for your wonderful website and the selfless work you do.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20103032,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20125186,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21349479,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17126666,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19550428,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18525384,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11447078,
PLAIN-389	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/oxalic-acid-in-beets/	What about the oxalic acid in beets?	What about the oxalic acid in beets? Is it good for you to take in large amounts? veggie4every1 / Originally posted in Priming the proton pump As noted in my video about the oxalates in turmeric versus cinnamon (Oxalates in Cinnamon), it’s not just the amount that matters but also how well particular oxalates are absorbed, and the bioavailability of oxalates in beets is relatively poor (6 times less so than spinach, for example). Cooking the beets could cut levels about 25% but for the rare person with a condition like idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis (a type of kidney stones) that needs a low-oxalate diet, a better high-nitrate vegetable choice would be arugula. 	May you please recommend a plant based “alternative” or treatment to dissolve oxalates in joints. May enchondromas be associated with high absorption of oxalates from food when fat absorption issues are present?How much oxalic acid is safe to eat? According to wikipedia 600mg/kg is lethal, but how much is “just bad”?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid#Toxicity_and_safety	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15826055,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2731814,
PLAIN-390	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-hempseed-oil-beneficial-to-adults-with-eczema/	Is hempseed oil beneficial to adults with eczema?	I’d be interested in your opinion of this study I found online at http://www.finola.com/FinolaOilandAtopy.pdf. This is regarding hempseed oil, not necessarily for children but for adults with eczema. Have you seen other studies looking at hempseed oil and eczema? Is it ok to take so much oil every day for a month? Berryman / Originally posted in Preventing childhood allergies I was surprised to find so few articles published in the human medical literature on hempseeds, but maybe I shouldn’t be given the lack of much of an industry lobby and the stigma attached to the plant. Only 4 popped up in a pubmed search (excluding articles written by a “Dr. Ian D. Hempseed.”). The latest (available full-text) was a double-blind placebo-controlled comparison of fish, flax and hempseed oil supplementation that lasted 3 months and found no significant effects of any of them on lipid profile, LDL oxidation or measures of inflammation. This result is similar to what was found in my video Is Distilled Fish Oil Toxin-Free? Before that a study comparing daily tablespoons of flaxseed to hempseed oil similarly didn’t find much effect. The third was the study you cited, which found that 2 daily tablespoons of hempseed oil improved atopic dermatitis (an itchy skin rash) better than the same amount of olive oil. The researchers suggest it may be because of the gamma linoleic acid content of hempseeds, an omega 6 fatty acid that paradoxically appears to have an overall anti-inflammatory effect. Instead of downing the oil, as always I’d suggest eating the whole food–hempseeds–directly (same with flaxseeds, see my video Just the Flax Ma’am). And the final study, “Anaphylaxis to ingestion of hempseed” soundly debunks the wikipedia claim that “In fact, there are no known allergies to hemp foods.” 	So as of now there is no strong evidence that shows hemp oil is good or bad for people? I heard that hemp oil helped heal skin cancer.Its interesting the things we hear… versus the things that are scientifically proven to be either true or false.Science is often only studied if a profit can be made…..Maybe you head about cannabis oil, which is supposedly very good for treating all cancers.Yes, cannabis oil made with thc/cbn oils from the female plants flowers have been shown over and over to cure skin cancer as well as a full gambit of other illnesses. The answers your going to get from a bunch of medical Dr’s is a bunch of quackery in itself. Since when are medical Dr.’s chemists or real scientists??? All they do is take the words of big pharma companies research and write you a prescription because of what they are ‘TOLD’ .. not even ‘shown’. Some day people will wake up and realize that the number 3 cause of deaths in the united states are because of medical Dr.’s prescribing medicins that kill people and more often than not only put a bandaid on the symptoms and do nothing for the cure. I hope this country wakes up! If you look back in history cannabis used to be on every pharmacy shelf in many different forms. Why don’t you look up ‘WHY’ its off the shelf now and ‘WHO’ got it pulled. William R. Hurst, Harry Anslinger and DuPont.I guess that would be a simpleton way of explaining it, but such conjecture, speculation, and immature name-calling (classifying medical knowledge as “quackery” and blaming everything on “big pharma”) is probably better suited for children than for adults.You erroneously assume that advice dispensed by an MD is “a bunch of quackery in itself,” citing as your supporting premise “since when are MD’s chemists or real scientists?” Of course, one could just as easily ask about your own qualifications to speak on the subject at all, but that would amount to insulting you rather than focusing on the evidence.It is simple enough to verify an MD’s claim by asking if they are stating their opinion or a fact supported by clinical guidelines. With regard to the latter, PubMed can direct you to scholarly sources to verify such claims. In case you’re simply unaware, as opposed to purposefully negligent, most research studies involving drugs or biological changes are conducted with at least one chemist and/or microbiologist on staff.If you want credibility (with me or any other fact-oriented reader), you may want to cite a litany (long compendium) of peer-reviewed reproducible independent studies in support of your claims. That’s the same standard I hold MD’s to. Failing to do so, I’d say your claims amount to pure conjecture and hearsay, with no sound scientific foundation.Unfortunately, Dr. Greger did not read carefully enough (or simply did not understand) the results of our two clinical trial on hempseed oil. So far, these are still the only published clinical trials with this oil. Yes, we did find significant differences in the lipid profiles between the flaxseed oil and hempseed oil, and yes (again) we did find significant benefit in atopic (eczema) patients who took hempseed oil when compared to absolutely no benefit from olive. No, I would not suggest that anyone try to get these oils from eating either whole flaxseed or whole hempseed. Chewing is not a effective way to break open the shell of either seed to obtain the oil.Dr. Greger was not specific enough concerning using the whole seed to get the oil. Time and time again, he suggests grinding the whole (flax) seeds and storing in the fridge until they are eaten as opposed to consuming the oil. I imagine he meant the same in this answer as he has previously said.Also, what you stated about your study is what Dr. Greger stated in his answer, that ” 2 daily tablespoons of hempseed oil improved atopic dermatitis (an itchy skin rash) better than the same amount of olive oil”. I don’t see how that is different from what your study concluded. I just wanted to clarify my take from both your and Dr. Greger’s answers.I have recently started eating hemp seeds for their omega-3, easily digested plant protein and other minerals. My skin seems to benefit from it, it’s less dry now. They tastes like pine nuts to me, very smooth and mild. I like to sprinkle them over bread spread or over cereal, yoghurt, stir-fry etc. Have yet to try hemp oil but will do so soon. I buy organic raw shelled hemp seeds, in fact almost all the natural products my family consume and use at iherb.com. iherb prices are much lower than what the local health stores charge! A bonus is international shipping all the way to downunder is only $4 flat!  New customers can also get $10 off purchase of over $40 when you use discount code EJE156.I’ve searched through pubmed on “vitamin D” and “eczema”, and I thought the evidence was quite conflicting. In particular, one randomized study showed a positive effect of vit. E and vit. D supplementation: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09546630903578566Would anyone like to give a qualified opinion on the balance of the evidence on this topic?I think I found a good general answer to my own question: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22336810 which is a review/meta-analysis article of all the available typical supplements used for atopic eczema.“There is no convincing evidence of the benefit of dietary supplements in eczema, and they cannot be recommended for the public or for clinical practice at present.”So vit. E and vit. D in pill form, not a good idea.Another study which I found interesting was this one: “Prevalence of eczema and food allergy is associated with latitude in Australia.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22305679There seems to be double the risk of eczema for those living furthest from the equator. The authors don’t think there are major confounding factors like with sociocultural status: “yet with similar social gradients” .But yet also, Australia has a high occurence of allergies and eczema overall: “It has among the highest prevalences of challenge-proved food allergy, eczema, and asthma”. So why should a country consisting in large parts of fair-skinned people who overall get more sunshine than many other industrialized nations have such high prevalence, if vitamin D is as important in these chronic conditions as many seem to think.I think your video “Preventing childhood allergies” makes some important connections, and that people shouldn’t totally jump overboard on the ‘vitamin-D hypothesis’.One important caveat that Dr. Greger fails to note, but that he has been cautionary about in other studies: this study was funded by an interested party — in this case the hemp manufacturers. So unfortunately, we must take the results with a grain of… ah… salt… or hemp.I have heard hemp seeds have a better omega 3 to omega 6 ratio than flax seeds … is that worth trying out since I don’t particularly like flax seeds?How do they compare with other foods such a chia? For getting good fats and fatty acids, what is the best thing to eat?	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17103080,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12847507,
PLAIN-391	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-healthiest-potato/	What is the healthiest potato?	What’s the verdict on gold, red & purple potatoes? Ionestamot / Originally posted in Toxins in Cooked Potatoes? The healthiest potatoes are probably sweet potatoes (see my video about sweet potatoes), but if you are going to eat plain potatoes, the varieties with colored flesh (not just skin) do appear healthier. A new study published this month found that the consumption of 6-8 microwaved purple potatoes a day (they’re pretty small) resulted in a boost in antioxidant capacity of the blood (whereas the plain potato starch control acted as a pro-oxidant) and a drop in blood pressure in overweight individuals. “Thus,” they concluded, “purple potatoes are an effective hypotensive agent and lower the risk of heart disease and stroke in hypertensive subjects without weight gain.” Last year a study found that purple potatoes appeared to suppress both early and late stage human colon cancer cells in vitro, but only if they were fresh. After being in storage a few months their anti-cancer properties diminished. Finally, another study published last year (and this one available full-text), found a trend towards lower inflammation in men eating purple potatoes than white, concluding “Pigmented potato consumption reduced inflammation and DNA damage in healthy adult males. This offers consumers an improved nutritional choice in potato consumption.”  See my video Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes. Purple sweet potatoes may offer the best of both worlds, as suggested in an in vitro study last year on human fat cells that suggested anti-obesity, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory benefits. 	What about raw white potatoes? I would not normally eat a raw sweet potatoes but it’s common to munch a raw white potatoes. So, it’s still a harmful food when uncooked, which is your rating on a different video for baked potatoes. (What about steamed?)Raw potatoes contain many antinutrients and these antinutrients are eliminated through cooking.I’m confused about the poor old spud. Dr McDougall, who bases his dietary recommendations around starches and plants claims that the humble potato is great and that we can eat lots of it. In fact he said that people have existed on diets that consist of potato and water and lived .. healthily!http://drmcdougall.com/video/mcdougalls_moments_potato.htmlIs he wrong?Mcdougall is to be commended for pointing out the ill effects of animal foods ,however , his directives do not consider the lastest research. Many of his examples are from his mentor and nearly 80 decades old. The lastest researcher ported by Dr Greger is about UPTIMAL eating for UPTIMAL health. mcDougle’s low nutrient starch based diet may be able to sustain populations but the newest research provides knowledge for UPTIMAL health and longjevity. Take for instance !this new research showing the value of purple potatoes over white.What kinds of potatoes do they eat in potato-originating Peru where they have low rates of heart disease and diabetes?PS. UPTIMAL?If you could only eat one food the rest of your life better make it potatoes. Potatoes contain all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, meaning you could survive on an all potato diet. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1252113/pdf/biochemj01140-0284.pdf The garlic and onions in the recipe add cancer-fighting power http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/, the spices provide antioxidants http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,and the beans contribute molybdenum, folate, fiber (nearly 15 grams per cup) and protein (also 15 grams) in addition to reducing blood pressure, inflammation, and lowering body weight. Make this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner or enjoy as a healthy snack.Hashing It Out– 2-3 large onions, thinly sliced – 3 lbs organic* potatoes, peeled and cubed – 4 cups cooked^ black beans – 3 large tomatoes, chopped – 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced – 1 tbsp thyme – 1 tsp cilantro – 1 tsp basil – 1 tsp marjoram – ¼ tsp black pepper – Sea saltCrush and mince garlic http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-are-the-anti-cancer-effects-of-garlic/ then set aside. Cook onions in a dry, uncovered skillet over medium heat until soft and caramelized, 30-35 minutes. Cook potatoes in a separate, dry and covered skillet over high heat for a couple minutes. Turn heat down to low, add tomatoes and continue cooking, while stirring occasionally, until potatoes tender. Add beans, garlic, spices, and caramelized onions. Season to taste with sea salt.*Potatoes rank 10th (up from 12th last year) in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php^If using canned beans select those packaged in BPA-free cans such as Eden Organic brand. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes.~Complements of lovestobeveganIn the first study you cite, purple potatoes were compared with refined starch as cooked biscuits and not white/yellow potatoes. In the last study, participants consumed a total of 150 g/d of cooked potato for 6 wk. One small potato per day is an inadequate intervention and thus can’t produce reliable results. However, you failed to mention that yellow potatoes were almost equally beneficial. I see a bias against white/yellow potatoes. Don’t let it get in the way. You can do better. Let it go. All potatoes are low in calorie density and high in nutrient density and satiety (actually by far the most filling food). They are an excellent choice for health and longevity.What I learned from these potato vids is to choose purple, don’t store for a long time, and peel them. And of course ,sweet potatoes are a great choice. Buying purple , for me, will be letting the potato industry know to grow less white potatoes.The potato industry grows most of its produce for McDonalds.Is it the peel of the purple potato that is good, the insides, or both?what about pink potatos? is it also better than white?Which potatoes are best to help fat loss(low starch/low carbs)??Fat loss is best accomplished by consuming foods with lower energy density or calorie density. All potatoes unless processed or cooked with higher energy density foods such as oils meet this criteria. Exercise is important component as regular exercise tends to suppress appetite and increase metabolism. I have found “cronometer” to be a useful free website for calculating calorie density. You can search for a specific food in this case potato and select the specific food of interest. By changing the serving size to “454” (i.e the number of grams per pound) and the serving to “g” you will get calories/pound. So you get respectively, sweet potatoes(390), red potatoes(404) and baked potatoes(422). So all potatoes are similar but given these three the sweet potatoes would be the best choice. However if you take the potato and cut into strips and place in a fryer with any oil, that are 4000 calories/pound you get fast food french fries at 1466 or restaurant fries at 1290… no longer a good approach to fat loss. For reference table sugar and protein are at 1800 cal/pound. The lower numbers are achieved by the presence of water and fiber. Starches are not a problem for folks trying to loss weight. Carbs come in many forms. The best presentation I have seen that ties this all together is Jeff Novick’s presentation, Calorie Density: Eat more, weigh less and live longer. Hope this is helpful.Sweet potatoes aren’t potatoes, Doctor…Any updates on this? It seems to be an important and contentious topic. i.e. are cooked white potatoes bad for us?I still think it could be a bit reductionist taking potatoes out because of one compound although agree that sweet potatoes are better. I’d be more inclined to take pasta and bread out before potatoes	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21736387,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21861722,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22224463,
PLAIN-392	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/celery-for-colon-cancer-prevention/	Should we avoid celery to prevent colon cancer?	Class participant heard that celery should be avoided for colon cancer patients. Only thing I’ve read about celery is to consume only ‘organic’ as conventional grown veggie is extremely high in pesticides. Do you know any other reason it should be avoided? Thanks. Joanne Irwin / Originally asked on the NutritionFacts.org facebook page Celery avoidance makes no sense to me. In fact celery may have a “strong protective effect against colorectal cancer.” And in terms of for people already fighting the disease, a study was just published a few weeks ago elucidating the mechanism by which one of the key phytonutrients in celery (luteolin) arrests the growth of human colon cancer cells in vitro. For a comparison of the anti-cancer activity of a variety of vegetables, see my videos Veggies vs. Cancer and the follow-up, #1 Anticancer Vegetable. For some reason the subject of nutrition appears especially wrought with myths, exaggerations, and baseless opinions. That’s in fact one of the reasons NutritionFacts.org was started. When it comes to what we put in our bodies, critical thinking is, well, critical. Any time anyone hears anything like that I would encourage you to ask what their source was for their information. If there really is science backing up their assertions I’d be happy to review it and offer my thoughts. 	Doc, i need your explanation to understand two of this studies, first of all this one http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2009/03/11/ajcn.2009.26736M.full.pdf shows that vegetarian has higher rate of colon cancer, can you help me to explain why vegetarian has higher rate of colon cancer ?i see some testimony from vegan that lost 2 of his vegan friends from colon cancer in 50 and 40 yrs old and 1 friend of my friend a decade being vegetarian got colon cancer. And this one http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/59/5/1143S.full.pdf i hardly conclude anything (may because i didnt put enough time to understand it… my english is not sharp also XD). many thx doc.Does celery root have a sedative property? I seem to fall asleep every time I have it, whereas with most other veggies, I get very energized. It’s a very popular vegetable in my country.where can I find date sugar in Durban, south Africa??Have you tried getting it online? From Amazon for example.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1917235,
PLAIN-393	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/avoiding-canned-tomato-and-non-organic-root-vegetables/	Should we avoid canned tomatoes and non-organic root vegetables?	I’ve seen a number of blog posts about some food scientists stating that if you avoid ANY food, canned tomato products and non-organic root vegetables should be at the top of your list?  Do you know anything about these statements? Is it just the opinion of a few researchers or is there a lot of weight behind the recommendation to avoid those products Georgel / Originally asked on the NutritionFacts.org facebook page Did they offer any rationale? With canned tomato products are they concerned about the BPA? (see my videos Which Plastics are Harmful? and BPA Plastic and Male Sexual Dysfunction). A recent study found that it was canned tuna that had the highest levels, whereas concentrations in canned vegetables was relatively low. And pesticides in root vegetables? Only one even made it into the Environmental Working Group’s top twenty list. If I had to pick a worst food it would probably be Crisco, processed meat, or some of the mentions in my blog post about Paula Deen. 	Could you please revisit this topic?Study Finds High Levels of BPA in Canned Food for Kids, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFGQArAKKAoUploaded on Sep 22, 2011 The industrial chemical BPA has been used to make hard plastic bottles and the lining of food cans for decades. After studies indicated that the chemical could play a role in cancers, heart disease and abnormal brain development in children, its use in baby bottles was curtailed in the U.S. The Breast Cancer Fund has now released a report about BPA in canned foods marketed specifically to children.Perhaps there was a concern about nightshades — tomatoes, white potatoes, eggplant and most peppers (bell, jalapeno, paprika, etc.).	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20537264,
PLAIN-394	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/algae-as-astaxanthin-supplement/	Should we take algae supplements for astaxanthin?	Is any research available on astaxanthin which seems to be touted as a wonderful antioxidant? MarkB / Originally posted below Dragon’s blood Astaxanthin is the reason flamingos are pink (or at least flamingos in the wild; in the zoo they may be fed artificial dyes like farmed salmon–see my video Artificial Coloring in Fish). Astaxanthin is also the reason some crustacean shells turn red when boiled. One need not eat flamingo feathers or lobster exoskeletons, though. You can go right to the source and get it from green algae such as chlorella (I recommend against blue-grean algae and spirulina–see for example my videos Is blue-green algae good for you? and Another Update on Spirulina). A review last month suggests a wide range of beneficial effects, though one should note the author is listed as a dietary supplement industry consultant. With a few exceptions, I recommend against taking supplements as they have been found in some cases to be less effective (see, for example, my Produce Not Pills) or even deleterious (see Is vitamin D the new vitamin E? and my other 60 videos on supplements).  One should take advice from health food store employees with a grain of Himalayan pink salt: Summarized in my blog Health Food Store Advice: Often Worthless or Worst. 	“with a grain of Himalayan pink salt”. Funny! :)I take an astaxanthin supplement and I have noticed the brown age spots on my skin have lightened considerable and I don’t burn nearly as easily as I used to. The astaxanthin I take is an extract from an algae called Haematococcus pluvialis.I’ve been taking astaxanthin for about six months. Unlike the case with other supplements, astaxanthin proponents make a claim that is easily testable: . protection from sunburn. A couple months ago I was at Laguna Seca Raceway watching the Continental Tire Series Challenge. It was a beautiful summer day so I decided to put it to the test. At 11:30 AM I removed my shirt, exposing a 60 year old torso that hadn’t seen the light of day for more than a few minutes at a time for decades. I expected to have to cover up after about 20 minutes but, not seeing any sign of irritation, I kept going. I continued to check myself at frequent intervals. Finally after two topless hours I called it quits. The next day I had no more than a pinkish hue. Normally I’d have been peeling within a few days but it never happened. Suffice to say I have continued taking astaxanthin.Hello. Would you recomend people to change their table salt for himalayan salt if they wanted to use salt? Or do you think normal salt has the same nutritional benefits as table salt.Withc is the “better” option? Lots of loveThink a little further: I’m not an expert, but here is my understanding: Enriched table salt has iodine added. Many Americans do not get enough iodine. So, if you are going to eat salt no matter what and you have a normal American diet, then you might as well eat normal iodine-enriched salt to make sure you get enough iodine.While Himalayan or other specialty/sea salts have a lot of good press, what I have seen suggests that the extra minerals in those salts are a) trivial and b) inconsistent. So, you wouldn’t want to rely on those salts for a specific mineral.Which leads to the real issue, in my opinion, and which I think you already know since you wrote “better” in quotes: neither is really all that good for you. Arguing over which type of salt is better for you is like arguing whether maple syrup or sugar is better for you. Or olive vs canola oil. The answer for all practical purposes is: neither because the differences are so minor in the big picture. With a healthy diet, you don’t need (and you are better off without!) any table salt. Or sugar/syrup. Or oil.Another way of looking at it is like this: Suppose foods were rated on health scale form 0 being it has zero-value-what-so-ever (and likely harms you short or long term) and 100 being the best-food-ever. I don’t know what the actual numbers would be for table salt, sweeteners, and oils, but to argue the difference between different types is like arguing between a 2 and a 3. I suppose you could make a legitimate arguement that one food is a 2 and the other food is a 3. But is that worth the breath?That’s just my 2 cents. I hope it helps.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/	-
PLAIN-395	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/powerful-pepper-tumeric/	What about pepper plus turmeric in V8 juice?	I stirred 1 teaspoon of powdered amla into my daily glass of V8 juice, along with a sprinkle of black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric – tasted OK. soupy / Originally posted below Amla: Indian gooseberries vs. cancer, diabetes, and cholesterol That’s an even better idea than you might know! Check out my video on food synergy Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation and my blog post Fighting Inflammation With Food Synergy, documenting evidence that when certain foods are eaten together the sum of nutritive value may be greater than the parts. And there is indeed an amazing reaction that takes place between the phytonutrients in black pepper and turmeric. Eating black pepper at the same time as turmeric boosts the bioavailability of curcumin–the chief purported cancer fighter in turmeric–by (you sitting down?) 2000%! My only suggestion would be to choose the low-salt V8, as there is new evidence on just how bad sodium may be for the heart. See also my video Salt OK if Blood Pressure is OK? 	Hi Dr. Greger,Most mornings I add 1 table spoon of unfiltered flaxseed oil, mixed with turmeric and pepper. I add the turmeric to the flaxseed oil because turmeric is fat soluble, and because, as I understand it, turmeric does not survive in the upper digestive acids. By mixing turmeric in a healthy fat, I’m hoping the turmeric will make it to my lower digestive system where fats are digested and improve the bioavailability of the curcumin/turmeric. Do you think my theory holds water?Thanks, Matt M of Boston.It is best to avoid including added fats in the form of empty calories into our diet, as most of the benefit from the whole food is lost.This 2 year study looked at coronary artery lesions of the heart after consuming different types of fat. Polyunsaturated fat (what makes up flaxseed oil) Monounsaturated fat (75% of which makes up olive oil) and Saturated fat (the kind found in mostly animal products). They looked at angiograms a year apart after intervening with increasing one type of fat in each group. All 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing.http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/263/12/1646.abstract?sid=47d1d016-3c15-43f4-a013-0d10144ef8e3Dear Toxins,Thank you for the information, however, the addition of flaxseed oil to my breakfast smoothie (forgot to mention I add it to a fruit and veggie smoothie) is not on top of other fats. On any given day, I eat, almost exactly, the FDA recommended daily allowance of fat. I’ve eaten almost exclusively vegan for months now, so my sources of fats have been nuts, seeds, avocados, peanuts, extra virgin olive oil and flax seed oil. Although, I’m not perfect, I hover around the FDA daily limit on fats.Within that fat limit, I add turmeric and pepper to flaxseed oil in order to increase the bioavailability of the turmeric. (Curcumin) Hopefully, my fat intake is healthy. I am certainly concerned about atherosclerosis, but for this question in particular, I am hoping to learn about the bioavailability of turmeric/curcumin. My understanding is that turmeric does not survive in the upper digestive track, so taking a turmeric supplement without an enteric coating is nearly useless. I want the benefits that turmeric has to offer, but I can’t find an enteric coated turmeric pill on the market, so… I began problem solving. Turmeric, pepper and flaxseed oil is what I’ve been experimenting with. Again, my theory is that the flax seed oil/fat will help more of the fat soluble turmeric make it to my lower digestive system where it can be absorbed properly. Do you think this theory holds water?Again, thanks for the info.Regards, Matt M…Look at the USDA Daily values for fats as limits, not as required percentages to achieve. The only fat you need is omega 3 and 6. You only need 1.6 grams of omega 3 and 6. This would register at 4-5% of the USDA DV for total fat. All other fats are produced by your body and eating saturated fats is harmful. I have not heard any science regarding your turmeric theory, nor would i assume that turmeric is destroyed in the upper intestines. If your trying to increase the bioavailibilty of antioxidants, then sprinkling a few seeds or nuts on your food would be more then sufficient.Sorry, but your responses to Matt M’s questions are very poor indeed.I think what your doing by mixing turmeric with black pepper is great, taking it with flaxseed oil is also a good idea.. as to wether the turmeric will make it to the lower GI is debatable, however I wouldn’t worry about that so much when you add black pepper to the mix. Also you don’t want to make the mix too viable as there could be an issue with minor toxicity.. I’d say keep doing what your doingI read a lot of research articles that say curcumin is not very bioavailable. Aren’t we wasting our time on something that does not even get absorbed? Why so many articles?Together with turmeric (curcumin) and Black pepper (piperine) may increase the bioavailability of curcumin up to 2,000% or 20 times.2,000% is very bioavailable.By watching your videos I could learn how important it is to load our body with huge amounts of antioxidants, specially in the morning.However, how much of it is absorbed by the body and how much wind out into the toilet?	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22258268,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9619120,
PLAIN-396	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-much-cinnamon-is-toxic/	How much cinnamon is too much?	Does the anti-oxi value decrease with age of spice (or berry)? If so, how much? Second, how much is “toxic”? I heard taking more than 1-2 tbsns of cinnamon a day could be toxic. Is one hurting oneself if one takes 2 tbs of all the above mentioned spices a day? Evan Brand / Originally posted below Antioxidants in a pinch Please see my videos Oxalates in Cinnamon in terms of dosing and  The Safer Cinnamon, which compares the safety of the four common types of cinnamon: I’m working on a followup video for 2013 to review new evidence that Ceylon cinnamon may not be as effective in lowering blood sugar than the more concerning cassia. 	I just bought cinnamon in a store in France, they say “Cinnamomum zylanicum” and according to wikipedia it’s the Sri Lanka cinnamon, meaning the good Ceylon variety.So like 1-2 tsp how many times per week?	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21929834,
PLAIN-397	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/sulfite-sensitivity-from-dried-fruits/	Sulfite sensitivity from sulphur dioxide in dried fruits?	I eat dried fruits (prunes, raisins, apricots and now apples) daily. Please tell me your thoughts about what may be the cumulative effects on an aging body of sulphur dioxide preservatives used in processing fruits for drying. rosaleah / Originally posted below  Dried apples versus cholesterol 35 years ago studies started implicating sulphur dioxide preservatives in the exacerbation of asthma. This so-called “sulfite-sensitivity” seems to affect only about 1 in 2000 people, but if you have asthma I would recommend avoiding it whenever possible. For more on preservatives, please check out my videos: And for more on asthma: 	Hi Dr. Gregor,I have been searching the web for more information on sulfites. I have been following a vegan diet for the past 4 years, and my boyfriend has been looking into trying out vegetarianism. Unfortunately he is allergic to sulfites, and so is limited in the foods that he can eat. He says that the biggest thing that is holding him back is the fear of not having enough things to eat to be healthy. I’m not too familiar with sulfite allergies, but I realize that some fruits and vegetables, like onions, grapes, and potatoes may contain sulfites.I would really love any guidance or advice on this subject. I have done my best to help my boyfriend, but I’m afraid my knowledge on this subject is pretty limited, and the research seems to be pretty hard to find.Thank you so much! MikaelaHi Mikaela,I have never heard of sulfites in the natural foods you mentioned. When I think sulfites I think processed food and preservatives. Dried apricots that are bright oranges (sulfer dioxide), other dried fruits, wine, maybe some packages foods? I think there are plenty of choices out there. If the allergy is serious don’t go eating those foods saying “Joseph told me so” ;) Just double check with his doctor. Then no more excuses time to add more plants into the diet! haha. joking, completely. I am so glad to hear you two are making changes together that is a healthy way to do it! Some research shows men and women are more likely to make a positive health behavior change if their partner does too!Good luck to you both, Joseph	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/412611,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8586770,
PLAIN-398	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/hibiscus-antioxidants-and-iron-absorption/	Would too much hibiscus tea be toxic due to iron content?	According to the USDA Database, an 8 fl oz (237g) serving of hibiscus tea has 20.48 mg of Iron, while the RDA for a male is 8 mg with an upper limit of 45 mg. Furthermore, apparently the Vitamin C in the drink itself or added to increase the antioxidant content tends to increase the absorption of Iron by the body. Will a few glasses of hibiscus tea a day be a few too many from the perspective of potentially developing an Iron Overdose, and especially in males? patmcneill / Originally posted in Better than green tea? I love the USDA Nutrient Database! (accessible here). That’s where the data for videos like The Best Nut, The Best Bean, and The Best Apple came from. I can see how you could get confused, though. I know it says “fluid ounce” but they’re just multiplying their 100 g portion by 2.37. So what they’re referring to is 237 grams of the dried bulk petals (the ash and fiber content can tip you off). So even if you chew and swallow the hibiscus flowers after you drink your tea (or do what I do: blend them in with a high speed blender), it would take about 400 cups to reach that 20 mg, so no need to worry! The impressive manganese content of hibiscus tea may exceed recommended limits at high intakes, though, so we probably shouldn’t drink more than a quart a day. 	If that is so then how come 100 grammes of what you say is “dried bulk petals” is 90% water?What exactly would be the risk of getting too much manganese? It seems manganese is abundantly present in lots of food that should be on any vegan’s diet (beans, spinach, pineapple, cranberries, turmeric, walnuts, kale, lentils,..). Even a cup of oats already covers 96% of our daily recommended intake.So my guess is every healthy eating vegan largely surpasses the DRI?What is the NDB number for this entry? The only hibiscus listed in SR27 that I can find is 14649 and lists the iron content of 100 g (which would be appx 100 mL) as 0.08, which is 2 orders of magnitude smaller.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-399	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/foods-to-protect-teeth-and-gums/	Are there foods that protect teeth and gums?	Do you have any advice on which plant foods or beverages can help prevent cavities and gum disease? OmarLittle / Originally asked on the NutritionFacts.org facebook page Normally we just hear about things to avoid to protect our teeth and gums (like candy, acidic juices, smoking, etc.) but what about things we should be eating? Last year an Italian review actually looked at the “anti-cariogenic” (cavity-fighting) properties of polyphenol phytonutrients (read full-text here). Polyphenols are found in all flowering plants and have been ascribed anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties. There are thought to be more than 8,000 types. In the plant kingdom they serve a defensive role, including fighting off bacterial infections. Since cavities are primarily caused by bacteria eating away our tooth surfaces, researchers started looking into the potential of polyphenols to protect against cavities. And indeed they found that this class of phytonutrients could directly inhibit the growth of plaque bacteria and their ability to attach to teeth, produce acid, and produce the sticky “biofilm” we call plaque. My only caution is to hold off brushing your teeth for a half hour after eating acidic foods like berries, citrus, and vinegars to cut down on dental erosion. More on classes of phytonutrients in videos such as: 	I was drinking filtered (laxative removed) aloe vera juice for my prediabetes but found out that using it as a mouthwash solved my decades old problem of easy forming plaque. Also solved the black discoloring of my teeth that has been a problem the last few years. I also have organic dried peppermint and spearmint but have not tried them yet bec aloe vera juice is working fine without any more help. Peelu tree (toothbrush tree) products from India are also good I heard but I have not tried them yet. The home page of the san francisco vegetarian society has several videos about gum care by Art Konrad who promotes a product with peppermint oil and spearmint oil.Hi, Could you please name the aloe vera juice that had used for mouth wash for me. Thanks!How many blue berries should be eaten daily for a good memory?I want to know what is this oral issue that I have. On my top row of teeth, one tooth before the farthest back – and on each side (so two total) – has some area of them that is hard (on at least one side) and has some yellowish color to it, maybe some orange. I tried scraping at one of them with my finger and it was apparently ineffective. I do not know if it is something has formed on there and is so hard that scraping and brushing it did not smooth it noticeably, or if it is some form of decay. Do you know what that is?	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-400	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/can-tea-hinder-the-absorption-of-iron/	Can tea with meals hinder iron absorption?	This is a bit unrelated, but I eat a plant-based diet. I’m also a 20-something year old woman of child bearing age who runs, so making sure I’m getting enough iron from plant sources is important to me. I’ve heard that tannins in coffee, tea, and chocolate can hinder the adsorption of iron when consumed together. Is there evidence to support this? Thank you! ksduck / Originally posted below Dried apples versus cholesterol Quoting from “Green tea does not inhibit iron absorption” published 2009 in the International Journal of Cardiology, “The only reference that I could find in the literature about a negative effect of tea drinking on iron absorption came from Tunisia. But the experiment was carried out on rats. Therefore, unless you are a rat and a rat in Tunisia, you should not worry about development of iron deficiency anemia from tea drinking.” In 2008, though, a study in India found that drinking tea with meals could cut iron absorption in half. This is a function of publication delays. The cardiology journal piece was published in 2009 but was written in 2007, before the India study surfaced. The good news, though, is that the study found that vitamin C triples iron absorption, so as long as you’re drinking tea with lemon, or eating vitamin C rich foods at your meals (like citrus, broccoli, tropical fruits, bell peppers, etc.) then this shouldn’t be an issue. If, however, you don’t like lemon (and lemon in coffee? Yuck!) and aren’t eating these kinds of foods, then menstruating women may want to lay off tea and coffee (and cocoa and peppermint tea) during meals and up to an hour before to maximize iron absorption. In men (and nonmenstruating women), the reduction of iron absorption may not necessarily be a bad thing. In fact, the effect of coffee on iron absorption has been used to explain why coffee consumption has been found to be protective against diseases tied with iron overload such as diabetes and gout. For a related phenomenon, see my video New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found and the accompanying blog post How to Enhance Mineral Absorption. 	anything new on the green tea preventing iron absorption ? i went to a nutritionist lately and she recommended that i should not drink green tea 2h before and after meals. so that gives me like a 30 minutes window, twice a day ? that sounded insane to me, but who am i to contradict my nutritionist. so digging a bit since, i found a myriad of contradicting informations. i’d love to have your update on this, if there is any.Thank youSame here! I have received the same information Simon received from his nutritionist. I’m puzzled.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/cont… Here is a research study related to green tea’s antioxidant properties and iron absorption.Although it did decrease absorption, it was not a complete block of nonheme iron, but a partial block. It appears to have a 27% reduction in iron absorption.My friend told me that when he went become a vegetarian, his hematocrit levels were lower. Now they were not life threatening but they were lower around 39%. I am a vegan cyclist and we need a high HT levels to compete. I want and need High like 45-48 HT levels. Can you tape a podcast about vegan athletes and hematocrit levels?I’m in the same boat Jared. I just became anemic over the past 8 months. Thought my multivitamin had iron – wrong. Now what?http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/73/3/607.short Here is a research study related to green tea’s antioxidant properties and iron absorption.just don’t drink anything at least 15 minutes before any meal and wait at least an hour after a meal – drinking anything while eating is bad.Spot on,you shouldn’t have more than a small cup of fluid to wash down a meal.. This is why its important to carry around drinks with you, so you can be hydrated before meals and why hibiscus tea is a good choice, so it doesn’t interfere with mineral absorption..Could we shift the focus to zinc absorption? Getting less iron and less copper could be good because they both fuel oxidation. But zinc acts as an anti-oxidant, right? So how do the tannins in tea affect zinc absorption?And I’ll add this to the discussion: a study suggesting that the tannins may actually enhance our zinc uptake. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20546406Anybody want to join this discussion?nice information!Any updates on this? I’m 23, and was turned down for donating blood because my hemoglobin was at 11.4 (and it needs to be at 12.5). They sent me home with a deferral letter, which had tips on the back for increasing dietary iron (meats, raisins, spinach, apricots, vitamin-C rich foods, etc.), and said “Tea contains tannins, which will decrease the absorption of iron.”Since this came from the Red Cross, I assume that it’s legitimate and well-supported, but I’m starting to second guess that.Thoughts??	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10999016,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21564447,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17242323,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18160146,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14718031,
PLAIN-401	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/best-sources-of-vitamin-k/	What are the best sources of vitamin K?	I have read in a magazine that there are several types of vitamin K. According to the article, Vitamin K1 is found in vegetables. Vitamin K2 mk7 is found in meat, fish and eggs. The article also said that Vitamin K1 is stored in the liver for only one hour, time not enough to perform all its tasks. On the contrary, vitamin k2 mk7 would stay in the liver for the whole day. So my question is: should vegetarians take supplements of vitamin k2 mk7 (created from natto)? vjimener / Originally posted below Better than green tea? Not sure what magazine you were reading, but the scientific consensus is that either one (phylloquinone or menaquinone, formerly K1 and K2) is fine for maintaining human vitamin K status. The recommended intake is about 100 mcg. A half cup of kale? >500. No need for natto; just eat your greens. In fact dark green leafies are so packed with vitamin K that if you’re on the drug coumadin (warfarin), a drug that works by poisoning vitamin K metabolism, you have to closely work with your physician to titrate the dose to your greens intake so as to not undermine the drug’s effectiveness! Learn more about the wonders of greens in my 25 videos (like Eating Green to Prevent Cancer) and kale in particular in videos such as Smoking Versus Kale Juice and Kale and the Immune System. 	Isn’t vitamin K1 distinct from K2. K1 plays an important role in coagulation. K2 plays a role in directing where calcium gets stored. Too much calcium in the blood can cause calcification, K2 helps direct the calcium to the bones. If that is true, don’t we need to satisfy our requirements for K2 specifically? Sounds like we would need to be getting some natto after all.mk4 isn’t same as mk7 either. both are k2, but different formsI like natto bec it is fermented and the vitamin k2 from natto is a nice bonus. I have been able to find low salt natto bec I don’t like any added salt. I have already decided to get rid of miso since I cannot find low salt miso.I was reading K2 and Calcium Paradox and it indicates the only non-animal source of K2 is natto (which I don’t like). It also says K2 is not the same vitamin as K1.. ie. K2 prevents atherosclerosis, diabetes 2, cancer, and osteoporosis, etc, whereas K1 only helps with blood clotting. I tried researching on internet if this is true or quackery.. I don’t believe everything I read.. but so far have not found information on sites I would consider trustworthy.I think the research that Michael cited is out of date (published in 2009). I would suggest people read the review article “The role of menaquinones (vitamin K2) in human health” published in the Cambridge Journal of Nutrition in 2013. It states that Vitamin K2 has an important and distinct role in bone health. It also provides evidence that absorption of K2 produced by intestinal bacteria is very inefficient (because the K2 producing bacteria are located in the colon whereas K2 absorption happens in the small intestine). Therefore it recommends that everyone take a form of K2 every day, either from natto, animal products or supplements. (I’ve been taking a vegan K2 supplement sold by VitaCost.com).http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=8485084EC3B24DE5762B43FB087A1FBF.journals?fromPage=online&aid=8894242Menadione (K2) is a metabolite of oral phylloquinone (K1), though only 5-25% is converted. In rats, at least, this conversion isn’t dependent on gut bacteria.My understanding, so far, is that a couple cups of greens a day is enough for most requirements, but in as yet unproven therapies (like reducing vacular calcification), high, supplemental doses of free K2, preferably in oil emulsion, may be required.I am really surprised to see someone claim that the bacteria in the colon are different species than what you find in the intestines. Doesn’t pass the smell test.I strongly believe that vegan it is only possible to take profit from a vegan diet , rich in many useful nutrients, if we don’t turn a blind eye towards the downsides of not eating meat. Such as Vit D, Vit B12 , possibly Vitamine K(2) and who knows are there more …Vegans seem to have so much benefits , yet , no higher life expectancy proves that we are still missing some pieces of the puzzle, wood you agree to that ? So I am looking beyond what is served to me today. —– Maybe I found something here:I (53) have been taking Natto for a few weeks now and , waaw Before , being a vegan for over a year now, I can solve some of my healthissues but found it hard to make my bloodpressure move just a little bit…..Eating Natto , my bloodpressure 140/90 (150/100without medication ) just dropped to 110/80 (95/60 by moments). Waaw , this is not food , just a table spoon every day does more then medication. I am impressed. Yet it is not a structural solution to my high blood pressure.When I stop eating for a few days my BP goes up again.As for the longterm effects of other components in Natto , they remain to be seen, I am hopeful however to reduce some calcification in my arteries by eating Natto. More and more research from the past 10 years starts to indicate that it might be possible.K1(vegetables) and K2(from Natto) may have the same value in terms of directing calcium form our arteries towards our bones, K2 stays in our blood for days whereas K1 seems to be eliminated after few hours , hence we should eat tonnes of green leaves to keep up a certain level of K1 in our blood, while a tablespoon of Natto every day can do the trick 10 times better.(btw, I am not producer or selling Natto:) )Dr. William Li says one can get high amounts of K2 from Natto but most westerners hate it. He says you can get large amounts of K2 from Gouda, Ementhal cheese,l Jarlsberg and Edam cheese. He says it helps prevent cancer, prevents heart disease, by keeping arteries flexible, helps deposit Calcium in bones instead of blood vessels. I am hoping that Dr. Gregor might comment on this.Same story here, impressive research and results.I throw a chuck of frozen natto through kale/red cabbage/spinach vegetable shakes, as long as there are some peanuts in there and or strawberries it gets to be quite tasty to me. These two ingredients really transform the blend from an atrocity into something much much better ^^.Vitamin K2 is known to lower blood pressure, hense your results with natto!http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15514282Very interesting study, I wonder if there are more studies like this showing that vitamin K2 might have more benefits than regular K vitamin?Dr Greger, I would much appreciate if you would dig further into this whole K2 business. There are a lot of claims out there about this “super vitamin”.Google Cees Vermneer, he has devoted his career researching this vitamin. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Vermeer%20C%5Bauth%5DThis should give a good impression of his involvement withing the studies involving K family of vitamins.I’ll be eating natto till the day I die. ;)This study is probably only applicable to omnivores- they’re already at risk for heart disease, and were no doubt the subjects of the study. Phylloquinone in a vegan diet may be adequate for the low-risk vegan, especially when you factor in the menaquinone produced by bacteria in our small intestines. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1492156Any comment about the fact that natto is also replete with B12?Your assessment of vitamin K2 is wrong. Read Wikipedia on K2 and the “Calcium Paradox”. If you want to go vegan, you must supplement K2, zinc, taurine and B-12. Your vegan bias is making you look ridiculous. I’ve seen you dismissed as a vegan fanatic. I agree with most of your assessments, but not that we get enough K2 from K1 and vegetables. Calcium from any source without K2 can land in our arteries instead of our bones. Its what’s responsible for “hardening of the arteries” and high blood pressure because the walls of the arteries become less elastic. Start posting results from European publications and knock off your America only bias. Read the commentators on this topic.You know what you are talking about.I’m not sure about taurine yet (still doing my own research, I know it is made in our bodies from cysteine which we can get from plant sources like soy, but maybe we don’t get enough or it isn’t converted enough?), but it would explain why a lot of vegans I know go grey early.Add vitamin D to your list and that should be all the supplements you need to take.I believe we should always look at the evolutionary science when it comes to our diets. While we are related to chimps the most, we did come from gorillas (technically it was a gorilla ancestor that no longer exists, but you get the point). Gorillas eat bugs like termites (chimps eat termites too, but they also eat meat).And what do termites have? B12 and K2 in their guts (they have special bacteria to break down wood).And bugs have a high mineral content. For example, mealworms are high in zinc (take that with a grain of salt, finding reliable nutrition information on bugs is hard, even with the internet). And vegans tend to be deficient in minerals like zinc, calcium, and iron. But of the three, I believe zinc is the only one of real concern.And of course we get our vitamin D from being in the sun. And maybe taurine from insects? I’m not sure.So this solves the mystery behind almost all the deficiencies in a vegan diet (if you are wondering about omega-3, I’ve seen some recent studies saying vegans have enough EPA and DHA in their blood from only consuming ALA sources and gorillas eat dark greens, which have some omega-3, throughout the day. We definitely need more research on humans, but gorillas seem to do just fine on ALA. So unless you eat dark greens 24/7, eat your flax at a minimum).So it is either bugs or supplements.Dr. Greger, we’ve seen your videos on bugs. We know you think they are a good source of nutrition. But please do a video on the following topics and let us know of any studies you think we are missing: Vitamin K2 Zinc (please do an update saying if we can get enough from just vegan whole foods, because I don’t see the math working out, at least not for men) TaurineStill, I’m very grateful for all the hard work you’ve done. Thank you Dr. Greger (and his volunteers)!!!I spoke too soon on the zinc issue. It is possible, but you do have to eat a lot (which I do).Per VeganHealth.org, you need 11 mg for a male and 8 for a female. Before you say vegans absorb less, the study cited in the link above showed vegans having pretty much the same levels as meat eaters.Pulling data from Nutritiondata.Self.com, I put my usual meals to the testBreakfast: 4 cups of brown rice (cooked): 4.8 mg 1 cup of black beans (cooked): 1.9 mgLunch: Salad (ignored) Apple with 2 TBS of peanut butter: 0.9 mgDinner: 1 cup Oatmeal (cooked): 2.3 mg 1 cup sweet potatoes: 0.6 mgThat gets me to 10.5 mg. When you add all the other misc stuff I also eat (mostly fruit and nuts), I’m sure I get the other 0.5 mg.AlwaysWorking -> A thought provoking response. What Dr Greger has on vitamin K was the scientific consensus as of 2008. It needs updating. Taurine acts as a calcium channel blocker, which is an important function, since calcium build-up is toxic inside the cell, hence the need for magnesium to keep it in solution in the blood stream. My research shows calcium metabolism to be the determiner of aging. It is used to patch up our organs until the organs can no longer function.My multi-vitamin has 30mg of zinc which is 2X the RDA. As you note, vitamin D3 is extremely important in its role in calcium metabolism. It gets calcium from the gut into the blood stream. K2 takes over from there. More D3 is being added to multi-vitamins. I hope to see more references to Cochrane meta-studies which much more weight than selecting individual studies to highlight. As far as supplements – a multi-vitamin, vitamin D3 in the winter and omega-3s from fish oil or algae should suffice.Blindspots?Why isn’t this being addressed and why is such an outdated take on vitamin K being presented? It is so important to not only point out the strengths of a vegan diet but the weaknesses.It appears that there is more recent info on the CVD impacts of vitamin K2. I’ve been on a very low fat WFPB vegan diet for 2 years yet my CT Calcium Score increased from 152 to 221 event though my LDL is 70, HDL 43. Clearly there are other factors at play. You rarely mention LDL particle size which may be a more important indictor than LDL-C. Vitamin K2 may prove to be as crucial for vegans as B12 since only poorly absorbed K1 is present in the copious leafy greens I eat. Please address these head on.Hello, dear community!In wikipedia, it says that cooked collard greens contain more Vitamin K(1) than raw collard greens. Why is that so?Thank you!Hello everyone! I read more and more articles saying Vitamin K2 is critical for health and that our body is not producing enough of it. Is that true? do I need to supplement with Vitamin K2?Nope. Please see above.	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/	-
PLAIN-402	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/vegan-pregnancy-infancy-and-childhood/	Any resources for vegan pregnancy, infancy, and childhood?	I feel our family has a healthy and complete diet (in no small part thanks to you!) but do you have any specific recommendations or guidelines for those who would like to follow a vegan diet through pregnancy, infancy and childhood? Is the most important thing (apart from healthy, whole foods) kid-friendly B12 and DHA, and probably D? hcdr / Originally posted below American vegans placing babies at risk There are two great new resources for those who want to raise their families on plant-based diets: one by Reed Mengels and one by Jack Norris and Ginny Messina. Ask for them at your local library. 	I adopted a vegan diet about 8 months ago for my holistic cancer-slaying journey. I am not planning to be pregnant again, but I do have young children. Some of my children opted to follow my eating plan and others, including my husband, opted to continue with the meat and potatoes diet. I did so much research and found this website to be most helpful when asking questions, especially where young children and teens are concerned. http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/veganpregnancy.phpThere are plenty of FaceBook groups that will welcome and assist you as well.Judi: Best of luck with your cancer-slaying journey. (I like how you put that!) It’s hard when you know something is healthy and not all of your loved ones follow suit. But you will be a role model for all of them. I agree that VRG is a great resource for learning about how to feed kids in a healthy way.Thanks for your post. I think parents of young children really need this kind of advice. Good luck!	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/	-
PLAIN-403	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/dairy-and-ear-infections/	Dairy and ear infections: is there an association?	Hi doc. Any research studies on dairy consumption and ear infections in children. My friend’s child had numerous ear infections and I recommended soy milk instead of cows milk plus to eliminate cheese, ice cream, etc. She asked a chief pediatric ENT at a big hospital who of course said there is no connection. Of course, if there were he wouldn’t make as much money so I’m sure he wouldn’t push that subject to anybody. This child incidentally was on numerous rounds of antibiotics and may have tubes inserted in her ears. I thought she should give it a try. Thanks Eric. Ericjay / Originally asked on the NutritionFacts.org facebook page The association between cow milk exposure and recurrent ear infections in susceptible children has been documented for 50 years. Though there are rare cases of pathogens in milk causing ear infections directly (then meningitis), the link is thought to be due to milk allergies. In fact there’s a respiratory disease called Heiner Syndrome, a lung disease of infants primarily caused by milk consumption that can cause ear infections. Though milk allergy most often results in respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin symptoms, as many as 1 in 500 may suffer speech delay due to chronic inner ear inflammation. For 40 years there’s been a recommendation to try “a 3 month trial on a strict cow’s milk elimination diet” for children with recurrent ear infections, but Dr. Benjamin Spock, probably the most respected pediatrician of all time, ended up recommending a life-long elimination of cow’s milk. See my video: Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance. 	I am 26 years old and still getting ear infections. When I was younger I had tubes put in multiple times and my ear drums have ruptured several times due to infection. I do not drink cows milk. I have been drinking almond milk for years. Is there anything else I can do to prevent infection? Should I cut dairy out all together?Dairy is dairy Carissa, whether is comes from milk or cheese.I had the same Carissa, after years of fighting with antibiotics off and on as an adult, one instance I even became allergy to one of the antibiotics because they kept putting me on it, I changed docs… An ear specialist then told me to use hydrogen peroxide when ever I get a ‘hint’ that an infection is coming. I do and gratefully I haven’t had an actual full blown ear infection for 10 years. I put a cap full in my ear with my head resting on the sink, wait until it is done bubbling, then turn my head and let it drain, I think have a blue bulb syringe with warm water waiting to wash it out. I was told by an allergy doctor that alot of times there is ‘dampness’ created in the ear due to allergies, this dampness gets the fungus or bacteria growing. He advised to avoid environmental allergens, I didn’t really know I had one but put an air cleaner in my bedroom anyway and it has helped tremendously!Yes, and cut out the dairy, it is a major allergenhave you tryed chiropracTIC?I’m allergic to milk. Which basically means I’m allergic to whey. You will be shocked to discover what all whey is added to. And yes, dairy should be cut out and only ingested moderately on special occasions, and depending on other allergies and current tolerance level you may regret, you may not. I have no trouble with raw milk. I honestly believe it’s the pasteurization process that does something. But anything with whey, sends me over the cliff. Also, you may have other food allergies that are contributing as well. I have chronic allergies and foods that I have to avoid and moderate strictly are dairy, whey, corn, wheat, yeast, talc, msg, corn syrup, strawberries, apples… So pretty much anything processed! But, I have learned to listen to my body. Itchy ears, wet ears, too dry ears, tingly tongue, all these are signs and I stay flushing with water and watch food intake and I use an allergy ear drop. Depending, I may swig a little benadryl before bed just to help everything calm down.I would say that dairy is dairy and yes you better quit it all, at least for a trial period (for 1-2 months for ex)Hi Dr Greger, I am a nutritionist and love your website but I am having trouble articulating what the epidemiological evidence is AGAINST dairy. I understand that saturated animal fat is bad, I understand that allergies are prevalent in some populations and that it contributes to IBS. I know that osteoporosis is the same in vegan and non vegan populations. What I cant explain is why nonfat milk and yoghurt is an unhealthy choice for people who do not have any allergies or intolerances. Can you also please direct me to some papers- I have had lots of trouble researching this myself as finding and independent author is very difficult. KInd regards, and many thanks for your wonderful site.MelHello Mel, it is good to see that a nutritionist such as yourself is trying to advocate a plant based diet. I applaud you as we need much more people like you out there. Now to your primary questionDairy is a rich source of xenoestrogenshttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/and can elevate igf-1 levels due to consuming high protein animal foodshttp://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1for these reasons it is strongly advised by Dr. Greger and others who follow the research to avoid dairy. If you click on the “sources cited” section you will find the papers you are looking for.Watch the movie fork over knives.Try reading The China StudyHere is a write up on dairyA review published in the Journal of Pediatrics focused on the benefits of dairy “the findings of epidemiologic and prospective studies have raised questions about the efficacy of the use of dairy products for the promotion of bone health. ” after a review of the existing literature and finding “A positive relationship between dairy product consumption and measures of bone health in children or young adults was reported in 1 of 4 cross-sectional studies; in 0 of 3 retrospective studies; in 0 of 1 prospective study; and in 2 of 3 randomized, controlled trials. Only 1 of these randomized clinical trials adequately controlled for vitamin D intake, and it showed no significant effect of dairy products on BMD [bone mineral density]” , they concluded, “Scant evidence supports nutrition guidelines focused specifically on increasing milk or other dairy product intake for promoting child and adolescent bone mineralization.”http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/115/3/736.longA meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal found, “The small effect of calcium supplementation on bone mineral density in the upper limb is unlikely to reduce the risk of fracture, either in childhood or later life, to a degree of major public health importance.”and “The authors concluded that the literature did not support recommendations for consumption of dairy products for bone health end points in children and young adults…Our quantitative systematic review confirms this conclusion” The authors also state, “Our results also do not support the premise that any type of calcium supplementation is more effective than another.” Even studies that used intakes of 1400 mg per day of calcium showed no benefit.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1602024/?tool=pubmedAn editorial accompanying this meta-analysis pointed out, “Populations that consume the most cow’s milk and other dairy products have among the highest rates of osteoporosis and hip fracture in later life. Given this fact, it is important to ask whether sufficient evidence exists to continue assuming that consumption of these foods is part of the solution.” They concluded “It is time to revise our calcium recommendations for young people and change our assumptions about the role of calcium, milk, and other dairy products in the bone health of children and adolescents. While the policy experts work on revising recommendations, doctors and other health professionals should encourage children to spend time in active play or sports, and to consume a nutritious diet built from whole foods from plant sources to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and provide an environment conducive to building strong bones.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1602030/A review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of the research on the effects of dairy products on bone health found 57 studies, and of these, 21 studies were considered to have stronger-evidence, worthy of inclusion in this review. “Of 21 stronger-evidence studies, 57% were not significant, 29% were favorable, and 14% were unfavorable.” Keep in mind that the majority of these studies were funded by the dairy industry, and even with this natural bias and influence to produce positive outcomes, no better than 29% of the studies were favorable to bone health. One of the studies that showed unfavorable results that was funded by the dairy industry showed some shocking outcomes. The findings showed post menopause subjects who received the extra milk (three 8 ounce glasses of skimmed milk daily) for a yearlost more bone than those who didn’t drink the extra milk. The authors wrote, “The protein content of the milk supplement may have a negative effect on calcium balance, possibly through an increase in kidney losses of calcium or through a direct effect on bone resorption…this may have been due to the average 30 percent increase in protein intake during milk supplementation.” Skim milk is very high in protein so this is unavoidable unless one is to consume the very fatty whole milk in which 2-5% of the fat content is trans fat and is very high in saturated fat.http://www.ajcn.org/content/72/3/681.longhttp://www.ajcn.org/content/41/2/254.longIts evidence such as this that I am unconvinced calcium should be from cows milk. Long term studies on vegan bone density comparing the omnivores diet showed the same bone density “…although vegans have much lower intakes of dietary calcium and protein than omnivores, veganism does not have an adverse effect on bone mineral density and does not alter body composition.” The vegan participants had been on a vegan diet an average of 33 years.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19350341I find it interesting that modern society believes that the human species is dependent on the milk of another animal species. The primary biologic purpose of cow’s milk is to grow a 60 pound calf to a 600 pound cow in less than 8 months. This is no way natural to humans, as cow’s milk has high concentrations of protein, potassium, sodium, calcium, and other nutrients to sustain rapid growth. In comparison, these nutrients are at a three to four times lower concentration in human milk than cow’s milk. Milk is used to promote growth, so how is this natural as human adults to be consuming milk, let alone another species of animals milk? Dairy products promote the secretion of insulin like growth factor. This spike in IGF-1 is the most likely source of positive bone growth in the studies showing favorable outcomes of dairy on bones, not necessarily the calcium. Elevated IGF-1 does more harm than good in adults, it promotes tumor growth in breast, prostate, lung, and colon cells and accelerates the aging process.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12417786http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0531556505001609The consumption of dairy in children has resulted in earlier puberty. “The effect of animal protein intake, which was associated with an earlier puberty onset, might mainly be due to dairy. “An earlier puberty onset has been related to an increased risk for hormone-related cancers in adulthood. For example, a meta-analysis of 26 epidemiological studies reported a9% risk reduction for breast cancer with every additional year at menarche. Additionally, recent study results demonstrated that a 1-y delay in menarche was associated with a 2.4 to 4.5% lower total mortality.http://jn.nutrition.org/content/140/3/565.longThe concern with dairy and hormone dependent cancer is something to think about as well. It has been shown that consuming dairy significantly increases circulating steroid hormones in woman and that vegetarians have far less of this hormone. “In conclusion, greater consumption of red meat and dairy products might influence circulating concentrations of SHBG and estradiol, respectively. Given the well-established role of steroid hormones in breast cancer etiology for postmenopausal women, these findings may have important health implications” Tumor growth from these hormone imbalances is also evident “A dramatic increase in estrogen-dependent malignant diseases, such as ovarian, corpus uteri, breast, testicular and prostate cancers has been recognized. Ganmaa et al. investigated the incidence and mortality of testicular and prostate cancers in relation to dietary practices. Among various food items, cow’s milk and cheese had the highest correlation with incidence and mortality rate of these cancers” Children are at high risk “Among the exposure of humans, especially prepubertal children, to exogenous estrogens, we are particularly concerned with” These xenoestrogens from lactating preganant cattle (the majority of commercial cattle used for milk) significantly raised estrogen levels in male adults and reduced testosterone levels and did even more so in children. This is significant since these estrogens have mutagenic affects “Toxicological and epidemiological studies have indicated that E2 could be categorized as a carcinogen. Milk is considered to be a rich source of estrogens.” Indeed, E2 concentration is higher in mammary drainage than in the peripheral circulation in high yielding cows.”http://missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Vegetarians/hormonal%20differences.pdfhttp://missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Hormones/dairy%20consumption.pdfhttp://birdflubook.com/resources/Maruyama_2010_PI_52_33.pdfPlease see my comment below this one in accidental response to catbearYou might find the following video informative. You can see four other videos if you click on Category: Life at its Best in the box to the right. thttp://amazingdiscoveries.tv/media/169/304-232K/Dairy is not the only substance that causes ear infections. Ear infections are caused by what are known as mucus forming foods. That is a bit of a misnomer because the foods themselves become the mucus as part of the digestive process. The other major culprit is flour products. In kindergarten we all learned to make paste from flour and water. Any grain will do. Paste made from dairy, flour, rice, soy or red meat is still paste or glue. Once in the body, they slime it up right to the cellular level. One of the places it ends up is in the middle ear where it can build up and fill the mastoid and the inner ear canal. If left too long, infection sets in and eventually the infection dissolves the skull between the middle ear and the brain. Then the brain fluid leaks into the middle ear and then you have meningitis and life may no longer be worth living. Non-mucus forming foods are vegetables and fruit, not including potatoes.Dr. Gregor has stated that medical authorities have known about the link between dairy and ear infections for fifty ears but the reality is that I found a chapter devoted to this in an American Medical textbook at a fleamarket. That book was published in 1938. So as of this writing the medical community has been on record as knowing about this for ninety five years.What the chapter I read was discussing was that the incidence of ear infections has jumped since the introduction of pasteurization.What that really means is that after pasteurization, the milk people were drinking was dead milk as opposed to live milk. Live milk is not mucus forming and is digested more completely than pasteurized milk.Modern humans have existed for 200,000 years. We didn’t start eating grain on a regular basis until about 12,000 years ago and 9,000 years for dairy.What that tells you is that our bodies have not yet evolved sufficiently to digest those materials properly. Some people can, most can’t even though they don’t know they can’t.Archaeologists have determined that after the inclusion of grain in the human diet, life expectancy went down, people were shorter and sicker.My own research on the internet shows that after pasteurization of milk products, life expectancy went up but all high dairy populations have gotten magnificently sicker with a far wider range of illnesses than ever before. The life expectancies in modern times have not been reduced due to other factors. If nothing else had changed – such as medical care, refrigeration, dental care, transportation and safer living circumstances, lives would certainly have shortened.At this point, humans while having become the only species to develop great medical care have become the sickest species by far on the entire planet due to dairy and flour product consumption.Dogs and cats now get the same diseases we do because we feed them foods high in dairy and grain products.Osteoporosis is highest in countries with high dairy consumption. End of story.Fat is an important energy source. Fat is not bad if you burn what you eat. But today most people do less that one eighth the amount of exercise their forebears did. So instead of burning fat we accumulate it.What has not been considered here is the role of constipation in how the body handles dairy, flour, meat and sugar. Not well.Dairy causes constipation as do refined flour and meat because there is no fibre and because of the adhesive properties of dairy and flour. Mix all of those things together in the small intestine and you have a recipe for clogging up the plumbing in your body from head to toe. That over time causes blockages in every organ and cell you have. I call it systemic constipation. Doctors don’t call it anything because they’ve never heard or thought of the concept.Whatever gets clogged first, that creates symptoms. Now you or your children have an ear infection and that is what it’s called, not systemic constipation. You can apply that concept to any degenerative disease known to man and be correct.Asking the main beneficiary of your problem for an alternative solution to the one he is offering is rather silly of course. I wonder if you can sue him for giving bad advice.Hi everybody. I was wondering if somebody can help me with Autoinmune inner ear disease recently diagnosed to me… since last year, may. I have some noises in my left ear. Annoying. And the right one seems to be congested. Some solution to this. I will appreciate some comment or solutionDr. Greger: “as many as 1 in 500 may suffer speech delay due to chronic inner ear inflammation”Speech impairment due to intermittent ear infection can now be be addressed. My oldest son’s time to process sound such as “buh” decreased from 490 ms to normal (10 ms), but it took an intensive, expensive 4-month intervention. Worth every minute and penny, IMHO, to speed his processing of sound so he could develop normal language patterns! (My children spent early years in overseas orphanage where they had insufficient exposure to adult speech, but most/many kids have impaired auditory processing due to intermittent ear infection.)The original research: Michael M. Merzenich, William M. Jenkins, Paul Johnston, Christoph Schreiner, Steven L. Miller, and Paula Tallal. Temporal Processing Deficits of Language-Learning Impaired Children Ameliorated by Training. Science 5 January 1996 271: 77-81 [DOI: 10.1126/science.271.5245.77]Version 2 of the program is described here: http://www.scilearn.com/products/fast-forword/language-series/language .You may have heard of Merzenich’s brain plasticity research: my understanding is that there is no upper age limit for training brain to process sound at normal speed.Dr. Greger, I find no references to tinnitus throughout your work here. Is tinnitus something that can be alleviated nutritionally? I am closer to hypotensive than hypertensive, and damaged the aural system with loud music and gunfire in my youth/young adulthood. I now protect them at every opportunity with the best earplugs I have found.Hi Wade. You’e right, nothing on tinnitus. I searched and found some research that looks into diet, here. It claimed many patients with tinnitus demonstrated abnormalities that could be addressed by dietary management, but of course only a few were followed. Perhaps not enough research to know for sure, but there seems to be a connection with metabolic disorders. Women who went on a lower calorie diet seemed to experience improvements with ear pressure. I would suggest a healthful diet to help prevent or avoid developing diseases like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and other common cardiovascular risk factors (high cholesterol, high triglycerides). That could be helpful. Gosh I hope that helps a bit. Good luck I hope you find some relief. Let me know if I can dig further.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16176405,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19317338,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5068100,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13906070,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8286648,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10728925,
PLAIN-404	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-health-benefits-of-moringa/	Is moringa (Moringa oleifera) good for you?	A booth at our farmers’ market is selling moringa. It is a nutrient based plant, exceptional supplementation. It is touted to be “nature’s perfect food.”. Opinions please. Judy0520 / Originally asked on the NutritionFacts.org facebook page I had to look that one up! I assume they’re talking about Moringa oleifera. There are a few in vitro studies (meaning in a test tube or petri dish outside of the body) showing that leaf extracts may have antiproliferative effects on human cancer cells (as has been shown with cabbage and onion family vegetables–see my #1 anticancer vegetable video). And of course there have been nonhuman animal studies but I was unable to find any clinical studies (meaning done with actual people). Based on nutrition analyses it appears to be quite nutritious, though: in comparison with other foods, various parts of Moringa oleifera have more iron than spinach (5.3-28.2 mg vs 2.7 mg in spinach), more vitamin C than oranges (120-220 mg vs 69.7 mg per orange), and more potassium than bananas (1324 mg  vs 422 mg per banana). The calcium content in the leaves of Moringa oleifera is also really high but I don’t know about the oxalate content. Bottom line: if it’s comparable in price to other healthy vegetables like broccoli I’d give it a try unless you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant, as it has been noted to have antifertility and abortifacient properties. 	Is there any new information on Moringa oleifera? Seem s to be the new miracle plant!Yes there is. I use moringa as my only suppliment to real raw fruits and vegis. If you want to see a Discovery Channel video clip of the moringa plant you can check out my wesite. ryanfalls.myzijastory.com∆Eric Plott Talk About It http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-k4X51Jss8&list=PL12DE247EA5362E1B∆The Perfectional Plant; The Most Nutritional Tree on This Planet IN 3D! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI7fO6Cvvho&list=PL12DE247EA5362E1B∆ICureCancer.Com Interview With Eric Plott On The Anti-Cancer Values Of Moringa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owzwzyQPHfw&list=PL12DE247EA5362E1BEric Plott Talk About It http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-k4X51Jss8&list=PL12DE247EA5362E1BThe Perfectional Plant; The Most Nutritional Tree on This Planet IN 3D! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI7fO6Cvvho&list=PL12DE247EA5362E1BICureCancer.Com Interview With Eric Plott On The Anti-Cancer Values Of Moringa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owzwzyQPHfw&list=PL12DE247EA5362E1BIt Has The ANTIFERTILITY AND ABORTIFACIENT Properties ONLY WHEN THE BARK AND THE ROOTS ARE MIXED…but When Referring To The Leaves, You Can’t Get Enough Of The Stuff, It Is Completely Safe And Effective!30 Amazing benefits Of Moringa Oleifera…………………….http://bit.ly/1knkHQqI’ve been eating it regularly for a few years; the leaves are easy to find frozen at filipino markets, and sometimes fresh (from Hawaii) though have been curious about definitive nutritional info. I found this so far:http://www.edlagman.com/moringa/moringa-fresh-leaf-vs-dried-leaf.pdfOther info:http://www.ayurvedacollege.com/articles/students/MagicalMoringa http://easyayurveda.com/2012/12/06/moringa-benefits-medicinal-usage-complete-ayurveda-details/Rich Roll mentioned that “moringa” was in the smoothie he made Tim Van Orden on the October 5, 2014 podcast (Rich Roll Podcast). He is usually pretty reliable, I believe.What about this study suggesting potential kidney and liver damage from Moringa leaves? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23509212Looks like it was an animal model, which doesn’t translate well into human populations. I do know other research on this tree if interested? Thanks for the post Maryanne!Would love to read new/other research on Moringa from NF! thnxHey Justin, I have some info on it, kinda a lot bear with me.There is an interesting video with clips from researcher Dr. Jed Fahey from Johns Hopkins about moringa treeMoringa is often referenced as the “miracle” tree because it’s known to grow extremely well, withstand erratic weather conditions, and produce leaves that contain many nutrients that children lack around the world. The research so far shows that the leaves are safe to consume and are rich in a variety of nutrients (i.e. iron, vitamin C, calcium, zinc). Though the tree is widely used throughout the world, there unfortunately has not been a lot of human studies done looking at the health benefits of the leaves and any potential components that may inhibit absorption of key micronutrients (i.e. phytic acid and oxalates) (see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3290775/). Since it is safe and there are reported benefits to using it, it definitely won’t hurt to try it! In fact worldwide it could be life saving. A student presented data on the use of the moringa tree for improving iron status in Ugandan children at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health Research Day, winning an award of excellence (will post link journal link when available). Perhaps the recognition of this research may be important for further research so that better methods for utilizing this plant are established with childhood malnutrition concerns in mind? I think the thing about moringa is not that it is some “superfood”, but that it grows like a weed essentially and you can use so many parts of the plant, unlike other leafy greens.The problem is I cannot find it here in the U.S. where I live and and pills and powders are no where near the same as the fresh plant. I would not suggest supplementing it. Hope that helps!Best, JosephWe planted these trees in our villages in subsaharan Africa when I was working with the Peace Corps. I added moringa powder (pounded from dried leaves) to my oatmeal. My neighbors made a “tea” from the powder as you would prepare matcha by whisking until you have a foam (though it is obviously totally different nutritionally and tastes nothing like matcha).I have found moringa powder at Whole Foods and Lazy Acres here in Long Beach, California now that I am back home and I use it in my morning green smoothie.There is a grove in Sherman Oaks, California where you can purchase moringa products and even a tree for yourself!	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16261516,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21385597,
PLAIN-405	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/raw-milk-versus-pasteurized-milk/	Is raw milk healthy?	What about Raw Milk? I know the general arguments against milk as ‘Toxin’ cites above, personally I am a vegan, but what is the actual research on Raw milk vs pasteurized milk. I work in the area of local food and farmers markets and I am exposed to vegetarians and omnivores that are big boosters for raw milk. With so much propaganda and misinformation being flung from both the sides of the raw vs. pasteurized milk its hard to make sense of it all. What does the research say? I find it hard to believe that raw milk is the super food a lot of people claim it is. Image credit: USDAgov /Flickr WKing / Originally posted below Hormones in Skim vs. Whole Milk There was a systematic review published in November that looked at some of the claims of raw milk advocates. The researchers basically concluded that the impact of pasteurization on the nutritive value of milk appears to be minimal. The greater issue is that of infectious disease (the reason it’s illegal in most states). Advocates argue that consuming raw milk is a matter of personal choice, but not when they go on to infect others. For example, in a raw milk outbreak of E.coli O157:H7 that hospitalized a number of children in Connecticut, in one household a kid who consumed raw milk infected a sibling who didn’t, who then infected a third. For those who are interested there are a number of recent commentaries on the dangers (here and here for example). Before pasteurization and the virtual elimination of bovine tuberculosis, hundreds of thousands of Americans died as a result of TB-infected milk. Let’s not go back to that era. 	I have seen your videos on the many negative health impacts of cow’s milk. What is the effect of goat’s milk on the human system?Not alot of studies on goat milk not surprising since not as commonly consumed as cow’s milk. It’s composition is very similar to cow’s milk. There are many health organizations that recommend against feeding to infants for a number of reasons. Given all that I would imagine it has all the adverse effects of cheese made from cow’s milk.Thanks! That was my comment that I posted last spring (I think) Im so glad to see this!My research indicates that there is far more problems associated with homogenization that pasteurization. Just to be clear I do not recommend any type of bovid teat sucretionsI’m curious to know how to fold in the claims made by those milking a cow on a homestead scale, where the cow receives optimal grass/forage nutrition and care in handling. Wondering if the disease risks lessen significantly enough to assess meticulously raised grass-fed raw milk differently. These are often the comeback arguments by those advocating raw milk, along with claims that there are benefits to the soil and farm ecosystem that grazing animals can offer.My coop just started carrying glass bottles of raw almond milk. I prefer glass to plastic bottles or plastic lined cartons, but is contamination is big concern when the milk is not from cows?I grew up in a large rural family. We had our own farm animals and thus consumed raw milk, as did my parents before me. When I had children, I went out of my way to find raw milk, draining it out of a large milk vat into my containers, from a farm whose animals were regularly tested and results were posted. To get around the law, the farmer did not sell it to me. By inquiring and word of mouth, I found the location, left my donation on a shelf and in a sense was pilfering the milk, at my own risk.I did it for 3 reasons: First, I had read a report of the prevalence of young men having heart attacks in their 30’s, following the provision of the advanced school lunch program that provided such treated milk to all children. This was a critical factor to me, as I had 3 little sons at the time (early 60’s).Second, pasteurization kills bacteria natural to milk, which one might only guess might just be essential to human consumption and digestion of milk, after so many moons of mankind’s milk digestion, prior to the decision to increase the ‘shelf life’ of raw cow milk, as well as kill ‘unsavory bacteria’ for whenever the milk inspection might not be adequate.Third, homogenization destroys the size of the cream particle, so that it cannot float to the top, which change also interferes with human’s ability to digest and assimilate the tiny particles that are now undefinable in whole milk.I remain surprised that there have been no major challenges to so called improvement in so large an area of our food supply. Are there connections to certain illnesses? heart attack in young men? allergies? plaque in veins and glands? etc. Has commercialism again been the primary benefactor, after all….while the public has been sold on an inferior product, while made to believe it is superior to nature? The same approving agencies are responsible for the current soy travesty…which is shocking! I refer you to: The Truth About Soy – Food Revolution Network Blog, as well as: Dr Bruce Fife, THE COCONUT OIL MIRACLE.Milk is only digestable by babies. After say the fourth year milk digestibility goes down. That a large part of the Northern European population is not lactose intollerant does not mean milk is healthy. It just means they can tollerate it.Milk is unhealthy for various reasons. I understand you have been brought up with the idea that it’s healthy and it will take more than a few good speeches to convince you of that fact. But you are at the right place. Search for “milk” in the search bar and you’ll find a lot of relevant videos which present the information of various scientific studies in a clear format.Best of luck.I think the real difference between raw and pasteurized milk is highlighted when you leave them around long enough for the curds to separate from the whey. The pasteurized version goes putrid while the raw version never does, even after weeks or even months. It simply evolves into a soft cheese, a bit like cottage cheese, and protein-rich whey, each of which is both delicious and highly nutritious. From a local farmer, we buy raw milk from grass-fed cows to deliberately create these products. I haven’t bought pasteurized milk for over ten years and never will again.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22054181,
PLAIN-406	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/hibiscus-and-coughing/	Can hibiscus tea cause coughing?	An FYI. My mother used to take Lasinopril (sp?) for high blood pressure. It gave her a terrible dry cough and she quit taking it. Then I read hibiscus tea was good for high blood pressure and bought her tea where hibiscus was the 2nd ingredient. Then one day I found one where it was all hibiscus tea and bought that. It made her dry cough come back (so the active ingredient in lasinopril must come from hibiscus). Anyway, if you develop an unknown cough, it could be from the hibiscus tea. cbetter / Originally posted on Better than green tea? The mechanism of action for the blood pressure lowering effect of hibiscus tea does appear to be the same (at least in part) as that very drug. Both hibiscus and lisinopril act to inhibit an enzyme called ACE. When our kidneys detect a drop in blood pressure they release an enzyme called renin into our bloodstream which converts a protein secreted by our liver into something called angiotensin-I which in our lungs is converted into angiotensin-II by our angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). That angiotensin II then acts to constrict our arteries and boost our blood pressure–isn’t our body neat? Anyway, lisinopril (and the anthocyanin phytonutrients that so brilliantly color hibiscus flowers) inhibits ACE, preventing the formation of angiotensin II and subsequent rise in blood pressure. But that’s not all ACE does; it also degrades bradykinins, which can increase cough reflex sensitivity. So that’s the reason ACE inhibiting drugs may cause coughing in up to a third of users and it makes sense that hibiscus could cause a similar reaction. Plants can be powerful! (check out my video Power Plants). So there’s definitely science to back up your intuition cbetter–thanks so much for sharing (and letting me geek out on physiology :).  If she develops a chronic cough on hibiscus, she should stop drinking it. I talk about a diet-based approach to curing hypertension in my 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. 	Thank you Dr. Greger. I have end stage COPD. I went on a plant base diet 1 month ago. Today, I am able to walk around my home. This is huge for me. I have basically been confined to bed for 2 years. I have been amazed as to how long I am able to stand, and move around. There really is something to this plant based program. I am still creating a complete program of cooking interesting foods. I have been able to stay on the program, so far. Saw your article and decided to give it a try. My pulmonary Dr is with UNC Health Care, Chapel Hill, NC. His name is Dr. James Donohue, he knew of work being done, and some of the studies. I can’t wait to share all this with him. He is a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and a member of the American Thoracic Society, and the European Respiratory Society. He is a reviewer and writer for several journals including the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Medicine, The New England Journal of Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, the Southern Medicine Journal, Chest, and the Journal of Respiratory Disease, AnIn addition, Dr Donohue served as a writer and reviewer for the Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program in subspecialty of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine for the American Thoracic Society and the Aerican College of Chest Physicians. This teaching and research interest include Sarcoid, Interstitial Lung Diseases, COPD, Alpha-1 Antitry Deficiency, Asthma. I have been very lucky to have his as a Dr. and I can wait to share all I have been doing, in addition to him seeing me able to walk, stand, and talk without oxygen. To me it is totally amazing. I am hoping to brillant Dr.s may someday talk and share the benefits of a plant based diet for others who are suffering and dying from COPD. Joan, Sanford, NCThank you so much for sharing your story and please never hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything else I can do for you.I am a COPD suffer too. Can you share your diet plan here ? Thanks.This is why nutritional science needs to be taught in schools; From an early age.Well said! :)Should people on Lisinopril limit their hibiscus tea intake?I take Lisinopril, am part of the 1/3 that seems subject to coughing episodes (only occasionally). Can I substitute the hibiscus tea to be my ACE inhibitor and forget the Lisinopril? Thanks so much for this site. Terrific info, am passing it on as often as possible.How does one reduces pain from “Shingles”. My aunt is 91 years of age and suffers from “shingles”. Thanks for any advice. Gerardi drank. i coughed. now i know why. thanks.is the coughing on hibiscus tea an issue other than annoyance?I heard that coughing might be suppressed by eating dark chocolate, supposedly because it contains bromelaine. Don’t know if there is any science to back it up though.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19808084,
PLAIN-407	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-annatto-safe-for-food-coloring/	Is annatto food coloring safe?	I’d like to know if annato is helpful, harmful, or neutral…In general, do you know of natural food dyes? I think you mentioned that in place of using the dye from the cochineal beetle that cherries could be used. I have used spinach and mint for green, and beets for red and raspberries for pink. I think annato is used for the yellow-orange color. I did ruin one dish going for red coloring where the beet flavoring was too strong. I’ll try shaving the vegetables after cooking and then dehydrating and grinding to reduce the flavor. bsmithson / Originally posted on Latest in Nutrition vol. 7 DVD now available (proceeds to charity) Annatto is a food dye derived from the seeds of the achiote tree. Although there have been case reports of severe allergic reactions and irritable bowel syndrome-type symptoms reported, there haven’t been any comprehensive studies done to date on humans. In fact data is so sparse that the World Health Organization just pulled their tentative Acceptable Daily Intake specifications. If I see anything new I’ll let you know. In the meanwhile, I find the WHO expert reports to be trustworthy when it comes to food additives, accessible at: http://www.who.int/foodsafety/chem/jecfa/publications/reports/en/index.html. Bottom line, I’d try to stay away from artificial food colors (see my videos Artificial Coloring in Fish, Are Artificial Colors Harmful?, and Are Artificial Colors Bad for You?). And if you’re looking for a colorful health-promoting spice I’d suggest turmeric (see video here) or saffron: 	There haven’t been any large scale studies on annatto, however there have been cases of reactions in some people with nut allergies or sensitivities including anaphylaxis.Because the status of annatto as a tree nut is uncertain, it is not listed on the FDA list of nuts, food manufacturers are not required to put a nut warning label on foods that contain annatto. They are, however, required to list annatto in the ingredient list. (Jeanette Bradley – Food Allergy Expert)	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19727005,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1994783,
PLAIN-408	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/modifiable-risk-factors-for-heart-attacks/	What about the INTERHEART study on heart attack risk factors?	This study might also be of interest to you and your other readers: http://www.ama-med.org.ar/obesidad/Interheart-LANCET-2004.pdf. As always, your comments and insights would be most welcome. patmcneill / Originally posted on Heart attacks and cholesterol: Purely a question of diet Thank you Pat! The Lancet is one of my favorite journals. Sponsored by the World Health Organization, the INTERHEART study you point out was indeed a monumental undertaking, trying to tease out modifiable risk factors for heart attacks across populations in more than 50 countries on every inhabited continent. They concluded that more than 90% of the risk of our #1 killer is attributed to things we can do something about, like eating fruits and vegetables every day. The most important risk factor by far was cholesterol–twice as important as exercise–followed by smoking. The designated discussant at the European Society of Cardiology Congress, where the results were first reported, lamented “mankind is doing a good job of killing himself.” Their follow-up study, called INTERSTROKE, published in 2010 concluded that 90% of strokes were preventable as well. I talk about preventing strokes in my 2012 summary presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. For more on more on preventing heart attacks see, for example: 	Hi Dr Greger,Can you please clarify this post? I have read several articles saying the Interheart study is strangely silent on the topic of saturated fats and LDL – one from the BMJ here:http://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/10/30/missing-figures-interheart-studyThey certainly seem ambiguous in the summary, referring to ‘Abnormal lipids’, but the full text is not accessible.Cholesterol is such an important topic, because on the one hand it has been used by Statin manufacturers as the evil scapegoat, and on the other hand it is essential for many bodily functions. It is also one of the pivotal nutrients between vegans and meat eaters.I saw the same misinterpretation following the Framingham Study. Then there is the confusion between the good and the bad – HDL and LDL.Any chance of a video series clearing up this mess once and for all?Many thanks, Joe	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20561675,
PLAIN-409	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-the-new-vitamin-d3-spray-a-waste-of-money/	Is the new vitamin D3 spray a waste of money?	Dr. Greger — have you heard about the new vitamin D3 spray? What is your opinion — helpful? Harmful? Waste of money? Thanks! vfayes / Originally posted on Vitamin D supplements may be necessary Based on their current pricing, supplementing with that product would cost hundreds of dollars a year. Given the fact that at the preferred daily dosing D2 and D3 appear to be equivalent, I would suggest choosing a less expensive option (D2 is easily 10 times cheaper and even the same company’s D3 capsules are less expensive). Just think about how much kale you could buy with all the money you save! 	For a study that finds vitamin D3 to be more potent than vitamin D2 (and recommends D3 over D2), see http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/96/3/E447.long	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2729207/?tool=pubmed,
PLAIN-410	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/can-indian-gooseberries-be-used-in-baked-goods-without-sacrificing-the-health-benefits/	Can Indian gooseberries (amla) be cooked without losing the health benefits?	I got volume 7  yesterday and plugged it in. Great stuff. Do you know if Amla be used in baked goods without sacrificing the health benefits? Thanks so much for your efforts! Cherie Perkins / Originally posted on Latest in Nutrition vol. 7 DVD now available (proceeds to charity) Ooh, great question! Indian gooseberries (Phyllanthus emblica, or “amla”) are so astringent (and sour and bitter and fibrous and overall nasty-tasting) that they are typically processed in some way (dried, pickled, or made into jam). So one would expect to find lots of good data on the effects of cooking, but I could find only one single paper. And all they looked at was the decline in vitamin C levels (amla is one of the most concentrated sources–nearly 1% of their weight). After boiling for an hour a 27% drop in vitamin C was noted. As per all the other antioxidant phytonutrients, we simply don’t know. As I detailed in my video Best Cooking Method, the nutrition of some fruits and vegetables declines with cooking, others remain just as healthful, and a few actually become healthier. The way my family gets amla into our diet is adding it to our Pink Juice with Green Foam or putting it into our A Better Breakfast smoothies. 	which herb or fruit (besides blueberry) can be added to a smoothie for a stressful AP student that need some boost in her systemSpecific ayurvedic herbs for “stress” would be gotu kola, bacopa, and jatamamsi.Sir Ayurveda does not work like that one medicine is not prescribed to everybody with similar symptoms. For normal day to day stress I would suggest a high quality multi mineral tablet and 3-4 cups of organic Green tea…If its something serious it would be better to consult an Ayurvedic Doctor ( In india we have 5 year degree courses in Ayurveda which are recognized by the Govt. of India ) , In America a certified Ayurvedic Doctor is difficult to find but please dont go to an Ayurvedic practitioner , these people have second hand knowledge about Ayurveda and that too is very limited. You can however visit a good herbalist , or TCM center.I like the taste of Amla. I just eat it raw :) (Probably because I’m indian) hahaTaking a tea spoon of dried amla powder with Luke warm water at 5.0 am on empty stomach is good for health.I put a TBS of amla powder in my post workout shake with raw cocoa powder, flax powder and a banana… cant even taste the amla. =)Is there a reputable producer/brand of Amla without the heavy metals? I’m a little concerned about this issue and unimpressed by the purposeful inclusion of mercury etc. regardless of Ayurvedic tradition. What gives? If any mercury is too much per the Dr.,whom I have a great deal of respect for, then there surely there must be a reliable source for a dietary addition which comes so highly recommended!Its plain ignorant to believe Indian manufactures purposely add mercury to amla….I agree Makardhwaj ( a compound containing mercury) is used in certain cases in Ayurvedic medicine BUT nobody adds makardhwaj to plain amla powder.Hi all! I thought that gooseberries are bitter too until I saw this video (below). Although they could come on different varieties. Stay healthy.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N40hLFEcaj8A search on Wikipedia for ‘Indian Gooseberry’ is redirected to Phyllanthus emblica http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_gooseberry.At the top of this article is a link for ‘List of plants known as gooseberry’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_plants_known_as_gooseberry , headed by the statement “Gooseberry most often refers to cultivated plants from two species of the genus Ribes:…” (listing 27 species). This latter article then goes on to list Plants [called gooseberry] unrelated to Ribes, citing seven families.The genus Ribes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribes “includes the edible currants (blackcurrant, redcurrant, white currant), gooseberry, and several hybrid varieties.So, Indian gooseberry is from a different genus than the many other plants called gooseberry, not just a different species/variety.In the Phyllanthus emblica / Indian Gooseberry article is this description, “The taste of Indian gooseberry is sour, bitter and astringent, and it is quite fibrous. In India, it is common to eat gooseberries steeped in salt water and turmeric to make the sour fruits palatable[citation needed]. It is also used to straighten hair. :-)Is Amla safe to consume for nursing mothers and breastfeeding infants?	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15545050,
PLAIN-411	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-are-the-anti-cancer-effects-of-garlic/	How can I preserve the anti-cancer effects of cooked garlic?	Awesome video, Dr. Greger! I am left with the question of the anticancer effects of raw vs. cooked garlic and onions. I know cooking reduces some of the nutrients but have raw and cooked alliums been tested in regard to the anti-cancer effects? In other words is it important to try to consume these raw notwithstanding their very strong flavors? Michelle Rowe / Originally posted on #1 Anticancer Vegetable The secret to maintaining the anti-cancer effects of garlic is to either eat it raw (think salsa, homemade dressings, pesto, etc) or crush the garlic first, wait 10 minutes, and then cook it. You know those chemical flares? You bend them, two chemicals mix and a light-emitting reaction takes place? The same kind of thing happens in garlic. Floating around in the cytoplasm of garlic cells is a compound called alliin and packed away in tiny intracellular storage compartments (called vacuoles) is an enzyme called alliinase. When the garlic tissues are crushed, the two mix and alliinase turns alliin into allicin, the phytonutrient thought to be responsible for many of garlic’s health benefits. Cooking destroys the enzyme, though, so even if you crush your garlic, if it’s thrown immediately into the pan, little allicin may be produced. Allicin is relatively heat stable, though, so if you chop your garlic and wait 10 minutes for the allicin to be formed, you can then cook it (the enzyme has already done its work) and presumably maintain many of the benefits. A similar reaction happens in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli! Check out my videos The Best Detox and Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True. 	What do you think of this, is it true?Wow- very interesting….Everyone should read :)ONIONS! I had never heard this!!! PLEASE READ TO THE END: IMPORTANTIn 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people there was this Doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu… Many of the farmers and their families had contracted it and many died.The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home, (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn’t believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser. She said that several years ago, many of her employees were coming down with the flu, and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year and we never got the flu.Now there is a P. S. to this for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions:Thanks for the reminder. I don’t know about the farmer’s story…but, I do know that I contacted pneumonia, and, needless to say, I was very ill… I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion put it into an empty jar, and place the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs…sure enough it happened just like that…the onion was a mess and I began to feel better.Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.This is the other note. Lots of times when we have stomach problems we don’t know what to blame. Maybe it’s the onions that are to blame. Onions absorb bacteria is the reason they are so good at preventing us from getting colds and flu and is the very reason we shouldn’t eat an onion that has been sitting for a time after it has been cut open.LEFT OVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUSI had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, Makers of mayonnaise. Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned from a chemist.Ed, who was our tour guide, is a food chemistry whiz. During the tour, someone asked if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise. People are always worried that mayonnaise will spoil. Ed’s answer will surprise you. Ed said that all commercially-made mayo is completely safe.“It doesn’t even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but it’s not really necessary.” He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at a point that bacteria could not survive in that environment. He then talked about the summer picnic, with the bowl of potato salad sitting on the table, and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.Ed says that, when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials look for is when the ‘victim’ last ate ONIONS and where those onions came from (in the potato salad?). Ed says it’s not the mayonnaise (as long as it’s not homemade mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It’s probably the ONIONS, and if not the onions, it’s the POTATOES.He explained onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion.. He says it’s not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator.It’s already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you put in your hotdogs at the baseball park!). Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you’ll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put on your sandwich, you’re asking for trouble. Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato salad, will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down.Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions.Please remember it is dangerous to cut an onion and try to use it to cook the next day, it becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.This is purely a myth.I’d love to hear what Dr Greger thinks about Alisa Wiegel’s post too! Is any of that true. I’ve always been a big fan of raw onions and eat them daily so I store a large red onion sliced in half and then cut from it for daily salads and sandwiches. Is there harm in this approach?There are plenty of articles online that refute these cut onion claims, such as http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/cutonions.aspSo does Garlic Powder have the same benefits?What about those bottles at most grocery stores of garlic already chopped & marinating in it’s own juices; that should be full of allicin, correct?Similarly, with onions, it appears you have to cut them and then wait about 30 minutes for the enzyme to do its work. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/anti-cancer-recipes-should-you-cook-onions/Seeing the virus in the onion with a 1919 microscope is a big, big hoax! Just read more about viruses, how big they are, and how are they isolated and tested. Flu virus could not be “seen” in 1919. Flu virus could be tested by inoculating fertile chicken eggs.Hi Dr. Greger, Do powdered or granulated alliums have any dietary benefit other than flavor ? Waiting with “baited” breath, Marianne :)I’d like to know about the powdered or granulated alliums also. Wish we’d get an answer.Just found an interesting article that addresses the subject of allicin and garlic.http://www.allicin.com/ Looks like good research but I can be fooled.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17256959,
PLAIN-412	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/should-i-sterilize-my-neti-pot/	Given the “brain-eating amoeba” (Naegleria fowleri) in tap water should I sterilize my neti pot water?	Dr Greger- I love your informative videos. Thanks so much. I have not missed a day of nosewashing since 1995. I rinse out my neti pots and have never had any trouble but perhaps I should clean them in the dishwasher ? I read an article about 2 deaths linked to a “brain-eating amoeba” called Naegleria fowleri in tap water used in a neti pot in the south. The article says that that amoeba is rare and usually found in the WARM fresh water lakes and rivers of the south – Florida and Louisana & around there. I’m in California – should I now boil my nosewashing water & let it cool? shellbelle / Originally posted on The risks and benefits of neti pot nasal irrigation I do recommend you effectively sterilize your neti pots using one of the two methods I describe in my Risks and Benefits of Neti Pot Nasal Irrigation video. In terms of Naegleria fowleri, it’s not really an amoeba but it does appear to eat brains. It apparently invades through the lining of the nose and climbs along the olfactory nerve fibers into the brain, causing a nearly invariably fatal meningoencephalitis (about 99% of reported victims die). Thankfully it’s extremely rare (only about 3 cases a year reported in United States). It is a thermophilic (warmth loving) organism, and indeed most cases are reported in the South, but there was a case up in Minnesota last year, so I agree with the new safety advisory that one should use only distilled or previously boiled (and cooled) water to irrigate one’s nose. Bottled water isn’t recommended since it may be even more biologically contaminated (see my video Bottled Water vs. Tap). 	If it isn’t an amoeba, then what is it?It’s a protist. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProtistIf I rinse my netipot with boiling water before I use it, is plastic okay or should I get a ceramic one?So much plastic these days has BPA which isn t a good thing. Ceramic or glass would be preferable…stay away from products made in China tho.i am new to this site. i am looking for nutrition for parkinsonismis	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20970721,
PLAIN-413	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/does-adding-baking-soda-to-soaking-beans-reduce-raffinose/	Does adding baking soda to soaking beans reduce gas?	I recently heard that the reason humans produce gas after eating beans is because they contain raffinose which is a starch that is poorly digested due to a lack of the enzyme galactosidase. The MD claimed that adding baking soda to the soaking liquid reduced the raffinose. Have you heard anything about this? Vegan Epicurean / Originally posted on Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air Yes indeed, research dating back more than 25 years (“Effect of Processing on Flatus-Producing Factors in Legumes“) found that adding baking soda to the soak water of dried beans before cooking (about 1/16 teaspoon per quart) significantly decreases the content of the raffinose family of sugars. The study I profile here in Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air that concluded “People’s concerns about excessive flatulence from eating beans may be exaggerated” used canned beans, though, which I find to be much more convenient. If you have the time, though, it’s hard to imagine a better nutritional bargain than dried beans, peas, and lentils. For more on the most nutrition you can squeeze out of a dollar see: Image Credit: Grongar / Flickr 	Recently my friend gave me a jar of Asafoetida. Using a very small sprinkling when soaking the beans apparently reduces the flatulence effect of the beans. The local Indian store may have it labeled as Hing.Wikipedia states this: Asafoetida reduces the growth of indigenous microflora in the gut, reducing flatulence. ^ S. K. Garg, A. C. Banerjea, J. Verma and M. J. Abraham, “Effect of Various Treatments of Pulses on in Vitro Gas Production by Selected Intestinal Clostridia”. Journal of Food Science, Volume 45, Issue 6 (p. 1601–1602).There is one catch, This herb is also called Devils Dung for a good reason. It Stinks! hoo man, it stinks. However, using a very small sprinkling and cooking the herb reduces the smell and changes it a bit. I found my self salivating when cooking the beans.I made up a big batch of Humus and it tasted great. No hint of the Devils dung in the flavor, and I must say I’m not as gassy from eating the humus.I love the smell of asafoetida, just be careful not to use too much or it does start to taste nastyI found long ago that taking one Pantothenic Acid vitamins with Vitamin B and C-Complex also removed gas from various sources, including beans. What also works at reducing flatulence is soaking the beans over night and then cooking them in a slow cooker all day for the next meal.But, I’ll also store the baking soda idea in my brain. Thanks.Soak and cook beans in ginger. Takes the farts right out.For those using canned beans, get a pressure cooker. Makes cooking beans sooo much quicker!What pH is best for the soaking solution? ( I have caustic soda, I suppose a very small quantity will do the job )I’ve read that the lectin content in beans and other legumes makes all people intolerant to these foods and that they are inflammatory to the gut. Is this true?Lectin and other antinutrients found in beans are eliminated with cooking. Most people consume cooked beans so this is a non issue.I would be interested to hear Dr. Greger’s opinion on the theory that the lectins in beans/legumes build up in the system and are what is behind the pain and discomfort that some people (including me) have experienced when eating them on a weekly (or even daily) basis.What are your thoughts about using the product Beano?Thank you for the informantion!I find canned beans to be MORE gas producing than my own pressure cooked ones. If you soak them 8-12 hours in water, drain and rinse well, then keep them in covered container so they don’t dry out and rinse twice a day until they grow little tails (about same length as the original bean is good)(couple days depending on bean and temperature) much less gas, much easier to digest, less calories, more nutrients.Okay here is my secret for reduced-gas beans. I soak them in distilled water for 24 hours and then let them drain, covered with a towel in a colander for 2 days, rinsing them in clean water twice a day. After three days of being damp, the beans should be sprouting anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Something about sprouting the beans before cooking them seems to reduce the amount of gas they create after you eat them. Not all distilled waters are created equal. I have found Ozarka distilled water more effective than grocery store brand distilled water. Could be the distilling process that makes a difference?I have just been told that I should absolutely soak my grains, beans, nuts and seeds before cooking and eating them because of the phytic acid issue (and frantic googling has not helped me figuring out if this is a myth or an exaggeration or what). Can you please tell me if I should soak those things? If yes, for how long? Some sites say 24-48 hours? As a vegan, I eat a lot of those things daily. Thank you very much for your help and your great website!Anna: Based on Dr. Greger’s videos and just plain common sense (mine I guess), I don’t think it is necessary to soak before cooking. For one thing, cooking gets rid of the majority of the phytic acid. And for another thing, phytic acid may be very good for you. Check this out:http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=phytatesHope that helps.I’ve spent several decades of cooking and eating many kinds of beans. My method for lessening the gas-producing properties of the beans was to always add 1 tsp. baking soda to the cooking water (after soaking and pouring off the soaking water and rinsing with cold water). To prevent the taste of the soda, I also added 1 tab. granulated sugar. I always preferred to use a 6-quart heavy cast iron Dutch oven and cooked on the stove top. I never liked pressure cooked beans or slow cooked beans.seeingeye: Dr. Greger has an “Ask the Doctor” page on the idea of adding baking soda to soaking beans: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/does-adding-baking-soda-to-soaking-beans-reduce-raffinose/Your idea of adding sugar is a twist I hadn’t heard before. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.I always used canned beans because of the convenience factor until I discovered how freakin’ easy it is to cook them from dried in a slow cooker. You don’t need to pre-soak them, there’s no worrying about the stove being on or anything burning etc. You just load up the slow cooker and leave it alone like a rice cooker (another godsend). AND I find the beans actually taste better, have a better texture and make me feel healthier. Personally, I don’t get gas from beans but I’ve been eating them forever. Anyways in the slow cooker I do include a little piece of ginger, so maybe that’s been helping as people have shared – though I only add it to enhance the flavor of the beans (along with a bay leaf, a halved onion and a whole garlic clove per 1 dried cup with 3 cups of water).I in no way sell or profit from slow cookers, I’m just so so happy that I discovered mine after 20 years of being a vegetarian (and always too lazy to cook beans from scratch)!I eat one cup (dried) yielding 4 cups wet of a variety of beans per day with no gas. I wonder what my microbiome has than accomplishes the task?	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-414	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-much-fruit-is-safe-to-consume/	How much fruit is safe to consume?	Thank you for this fantastic, resourceful website. I’m a bit confused on how much fruit is safe to consume. The study you quote here says it’s healthy but there are other well known Doctors who say one should not consume more than 2 – 3 fruits per day. Apparently it can harm our liver and raise triglycerides? Thanks for clarifying. dave23 / Originally posted on Are Dates Good For You? Answer The only thing I can imagine they’re thinking about is the relationship between rising fructose consumption and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, but the fructose is coming from high fructose corn syrup (mostly from soft drinks) and table sugar, not fruit. See for example this recent article. Fruit may even have beneficial effects, for example this study on prunes and liver function. As far as I can tell, the best available science says that the more fruit the better. The more we study them the more cool things fruit appear able to do! Here’s a few examples: 	Thanks for making me laugh Dr. Greger while you teach me something too!! scottyO-Aspen.I always feel dizzy and funny after having lots of fruit. My teeth feel sensitive too, I prefer starch and salads. Would that advice apply to me too? Why do I feel so crappy after having lots of fruit example: smoothie of berries, strawberry, banana, orange, mango, papaya?I would say improper food combining could cause that maybe?fruit is best on an empty stomach because it is fast digesting.Just my opinion. I eat a ton of fruit, It always makes me feel awesome, I start off morning and lunch large portions, and keep salads and fats for the evening.Try asking dr. Morsend or search archive on rawfigs.com. I have similar problems that you describe. It appears to be an effect of low functioning adrenals which are responsible for proper sodium/potassium balance. They secret a hormone wich helps reabsorb sodium. Another typical effect is craving salt. With boosting their function this effect apparently goes away. I, myself, am still waiting to recive “a booster package”. If you’re interesting i can share the results.I have the same problem with fruit; now I have been cutting out the fat (= a handfull of nuts/seeds per day) and I feel better (doing raw till 4) BUT now I have a (slightly) white and swollen tongue (morning) – I do have a bit of honey in my tea (5x/day) – could that be the issue? Now I am going to try every diet for 2 weeks : raw till 4 – Mc Dougall – 80/10/10 and Raw Food (low carb-high fat) I hope that will give me an answer after 4 years of high raw (low fat)…… I would like your opion :-D you can contact me at ilsemaes@hotmail.com if you know the answer…(subject=raw food) Thanks !Have sent you an email. The key to regeneration is detoxification of old sins (hardened mucus with old waste, hardened protein obsticales in lymph, any parasites). The most effiecient way is fasting. I hope Dr. Greger will have more videos on fasting in the future.But adrenals are not the only organ that can be damaged with modern diets. All endocrine glands and organs must work properly to have good digestion, absorption and utilization. Ofcourse after that good elimination is desired. It is possible to repair the system with herbs, greens, medicinal mushrooms, in extreme cases with glandulars and later with fruit.Unfortunately, if you are having problems with digestive system, fruit can cause some painful symptoms. So it is better to move on slowly.I use myfitnesspal and I ALWAYS manage to get around 60g over what they recommend for sugar intake. I always land within other nutritional targets with ease, but always go waaay beyond the recommended sugar intake. Today the suagr came from a green apple,Beets, mango, and sweet potato (with a few here and there from barley, spinach etc)I usually wouldn’t care much, but 60g seems like a lot to be overshooting. Is this ok?? Is 115g of sugar a day actually alright if it’s coming from whole food sources?Yes.The video If Fructose is Bad, What about Fruit? is helpful because it talks about the difference between the sugars we get from fruit vs. added sugars.I know that fruit is good for you, but would it be unhealthy to get all your carbohydrates from fruit rather than consuming a mix of fruit (simple carbohydrates) and starch (complex carbohydrates)? Some doctors seem to suggest that too much fruit can raise triglycerides, or that we should be relying on low glycemic index starchy foods for our carbohydrates, while there are also some raw food experts that suggest that fruit is our best carbohydrate source. With all the conflicting information out there it can be hard to figure out what is best. I would really appreciate your input!Sarah: Here is a blog post showing Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations. You can see that he recommends eating a variety of foods: not just fruit and not just starch. http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Hope that helps.I work as a registered dietitian and many of my clients consume a ton of fruit, but I always remind them that adding variety is key to a balanced diet. Complex carbohydrates often offer more fiber and B vitamins, as well as a number of micronutrients. I would continue to eat fruit, but make an effort to make half your grains whole. A little after 2 minutes into this video it addresses refined grain versus whole grain consumption and its pretty interesting! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/It really depends if youre consuming the whole fruit or say fruit juice which is worse as it releases sugar a lot faster. theres a big difference between sugar in fruit and also grains [eg corn causes fatty liver cf foie gras so America is in trouble]. Some people eg those with coeliac disease like myself don’t digest disaccharide sugars and others like those present in potatoes very well due to damaged enterocytes from autoimmune gluten damage and so the simple sugars in fruit are easier to processes. But fruit has LOTS of acid and I got worse dental health eating loads of fruit and also for me I developed gluten intolerance and it got a lot worse after eating a high fruit diet [fruitarian] as the root cause is candida. When you consume sugar on its own and not with fat or protein it gets released very fast into bloodstream. Agave and other high fructose sources should be avoided, and you need greens as well if you are eating mostly fruit for the other nutrients and a good source of fat to prevent bile flow problems. eg avocados oil or eggsWhat are your thoughts ( or that of others posting ) as to eating 10 banana smoothies with 100g of coconut sugar for breakfast followed by a 250g medjool date smoothie for lunch? I was having this almost everyday for a year.So, I was looking for an answer for the following question: Is fructose dangerous for diabetics? Or even more cruel, is high fructose consumption causing diabetes? I went to an 801010 livestyle. I am 801010er since almost 6 weeks now an I am a high grade diabetic, wich means, I use to inject insulin 4 times a day in high doses (20 – 30 insulin units per injection) and 2000 mg of Metformin/day. I use to eat 10 to 15 bananas and other fruits (like nectarins, berries) a day and in the evening I eat cooked meals like rice, potatoes, veggies and such things. My HbA1c has reduced from 11.2 to 8.4 since I started 801010. But I am a little concerned how fructose has to do with all that. Everywhere I read “fructose for diabetics are dangerous”. I know that fructose do not need any insulin to be processed. But the blood sugar goes up any way. So what is the truth?videohoersaal: I’m not a doctor and can’t comment specifically on your situation. However, I hope this helps: With these questions, I highly recommend that you read the book, “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes”. That program is clinically proven to be 3 times more effective that other diets. And that information is 100% in line with the information found on NutritionFacts. When you read the book, you will learn what really causes diabetes and what to do about it to prevent diabetes or manage and most likely reverse it if you have it. It even has recipes at the end. (Spoiler alert: some of the recipes include fruit, but not all or most of them.)Here’s the book if you are interested: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408044882&sr=8-1&keywords=barnard+prevent+or+reverse+diabetesDr. Greger, what are your thoughts on the 80/10/10 diet invented by Douglas Graham?I would like to know the same thing……you can contact me at ilsemaes@hotmail.com if you know the answer… Thanks !	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20884464,
PLAIN-415	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/can-restricting-high-glycemic-foods-prevent-macular-degeneration/	Can restricting high glycemic foods help macular degeneration?	Are you familiar with research linking high glycemic foods with incidence of macular degeneration? (NY Times reported on a 7/07 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.) Is there any reason to believe that restricting high glycemic foods, adding in vinegar, or boosting antioxidants by eating lots of leafy greens would help prevent further development of severe macular degeneration? Jessica / Originally posted on Is Vinegar Good For You? I’m so glad you brought this up! Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading threat to eyesight among the elderly and responsible for millions of cases of blindness every year. The study you may be referring to is “Dietary glycemic index and the risk of age-related macular degeneration” available full-text here. As you’ll read, they conclude that “Low-glycemic-index foods such as oatmeal may protect against early AMD.” Eliminating refined carbs may also slow progression. A study published this year (and available full-text here) suggests that three simple lifestyle behaviors (a healthy diet “abundant in plant foods,” daily exercise, and no smoking) can eliminate most of our risk. See my video Egg Industry Blind Spot for a discussion of the best sources of eyesight-sparing nutrients and watch my three videos specific to preventing vision loss: 	So does that mean we should avoid fruits like bananas ? I sometimes have 15 of them in a day.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/	-
PLAIN-416	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/gmos-and-decreased-nutrition-in-our-foods/	Are GMOs safe and are the nutrients in our crops declining?	Please discuss GMOs and decreased nutrition in our foods. Mary Ellen / Originally posted on Nutrition education in medicine: A doctor a day keeps the apples away For a discussion on how much the nutrient content of food crops has declined over the last 50 years please see my video Crop Nutrient Decline. In terms of GMOs, I’ve published a few papers on the inclusion of genetically modified animals in the food supply (for example here, here, and here), but the relative risks and benefits of genetic engineering in crop agriculture is less clear. Unfortunately, the latest review on the safety of plant GMOs is not freely available, but an earlier review is. If one is interested in the two extremes of the debate I’d suggest Health Risks of Genetically Modified Foods on the “anti” side and Why Genetically Modified Crops? on the pro. 	What are your thoughts on the Monsanto Bill that was just passed???We’ve just begun to understand the real power of food(fruits and vegetables) and Monsanto tries already to “enhance” it… i think it’s like to play with fire… There are too many bias with GMO…We’ve been “playing” with it for thousands of years. As long as we keep to cisgenic GM crops for now; there should be no more health risks than from conventional crop production, as has been demonstrated to be the case for over 25 years by hundreds of independent research teams.http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/07388551.2013.823595 http://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/migrate/uploads/AAAS_GM_statement.pdfAs for Monsanto, most of what is being told about them are just plain myths. They’re just like any other corporation out there but they have expressed concern for both environment and health. Dr. Steven Novella has a logical stance on this that I think you should hear out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tc8gtZgGkoAnd of course Dusty does a pretty funny non-professional review:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulq0NW1sTcIAnd of course be sure to avoid the flawed anti-GM studies:http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/the-gm-corn-rat-study/ http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/seralini-gmo-study-retracted/ http://www.marklynas.org/2013/06/gmo-pigs-study-more-junk-science/ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691512005637As for GM animals I would say that’s definitely an ethics question, one that I deeply oppose for several reasons.by GL Woolsey September 13, 2012 Source articleGMO foods are such an embedded part of our food system these days, but it’s not difficult to think back to a time when food was simpler and healthier. How did we get to the point that genetically modified organisms infiltrate so much of what we eat? GMO expert GL Woolsey took a look at the history of GMOs. We present that for you here now.1935 – DNA DiscoveredRussian scientist Andrei Nikolaevitch Belozersky isolates pure DNA.1973 – Recombinant DNA CreatedThe idea for man-made DNA, or rDNA, comes from a grad student at Stanford University Medical School. Professor Herbert Boyer and a few of his biologist colleagues run with it.1975 – Asilomar ConferenceA group of biologists get together with a few lawyers and doctors to create guidelines for the safe use of genetically engineered DNA.1980 – First GMO Patent IssuedA 1980 court case between a genetics engineer at General Electric and the U.S. Patent Office is settled by a 5-to-4 Supreme Court ruling, allowing for the first patent on a living organism. The GMO in question is a bacterium with an appetite for crude oil, ready to gobble up spills.1982 – FDA Approves First GMOHumulin, insulin produced by genetically engineered E. coli bacteria, appears on the market.1994 – GMO Hits Grocery StoresThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the Flavr Savr tomato for sale on grocery store shelves. The delayed-ripening tomato has a longer shelf life than conventional tomatoes.1996 – GMO-Resistant WeedsWeeds resistant to glyphosate, the herbicide used with many GMO crops, are detected in Australia. Research shows that the super weeds are seven to 11 times more resistant to glyphosate than the standard susceptible population.1997 – Mandatory LabelsThe European Union rules in favor of mandatory labeling on all GMO food products, including animal feed.1999 – GMO Food Crops DominateOver 100 million acres worldwide are planted with genetically engineered seeds. The marketplace begins embracing GMO technology at an alarming rate.2003 – GMO-Resistant PestsIn 2003, a Bt-toxin-resistant caterpillar-cum-moth, Helicoverpa zea, is found feasting on GMO Bt cotton crops in the southern United States. In less than a decade, the bugs have adapted to the genetically engineered toxin produced by the modified plants.2011 – Bt Toxin in HumansResearch in eastern Quebec finds Bt toxins in the blood of pregnant women and shows evidence that the toxin is passed to fetuses.2012 – Farmer Wins Court BattleFrench farmer Paul Francois sues Monsanto for chemical poisoning he claims was caused by its pesticide Lasso, part of the Roundup Ready lineof products. Francois wins and sets a new precedent for future cases.2014 – GMO Patent ExpiresMonsanto’s patent on the Roundup Ready line of genetically engineered seeds will end in two years. In 2009, Monsanto introduced Roundup 2 with a new patent set to make the first-generation seed obsolete.Dr. Gregor: I recently ran across an interview of MIT scientist Stephanie Seneff discuss glyphosate in our foods and it’s affect on gut bacteria and amino acids as a possible cause of autism. The interview can be googled using her name, glyphosate and autism. Here are the slides from a talk she gave recently on this subject.http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/WAPF_Slides_2012/offsite_Seneff.pptxI wondered what you think of this as a possible explanation for large increase in autism cases worldwide.Thank you for this excellent site. It’s outstanding.Sandra Pricethe paper actually proposes that glyphosate is cause for a whole myriad of diseases, not just autism–very interesting–some novel re cholesterol– hypotheses in this work–we need to wake up and get all genetic engineering stopped.No researcher can completely assess the potential of harm to those allergic to the protein in a genetic modification since allergies are so specific to the individual but here is a link to an article citing a good deal of research suggesting an association of the extreme rise in allergies with GMOs: http://www.globalresearch.ca/genetically-modified-foods-unsafe-evidence-that-links-gm-foods-to-allergic-responses-mounts/7277Good point. GMO foods should be avoided as a precautionary measure. For those interested in avoiding a good resource is Jeff Smith’s website, Institute for Responsible Technology. The film and book entitled Genetic Roulette do a good job giving an overview of this area. Given the control of research by corporations I don’t anticipate any good studies in the future. I advise all my patients to avoid GMO foods. Thanks for the link.Transgenic GMO’s yes, but definitely not cisgenic as they pose no more threat than any regular crop. In fact the science does demonstrate that no GMO on the market pose any risk.The few researchers who opposed this and posted studies on it actually have had a disingenuous agenda just to oppose GMO’s to begin with. Examples being the maize study, corn study, pigs study, tomato study, potato study, etc. and this all goes against decades of scientific research. Of course all these studies have been severely debunked and it’s sad that anti-GMO people do not focus on the real issues at hand.http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/seralini-gmo-study-retracted/http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/the-gm-corn-rat-study/http://www.marklynas.org/2013/06/gmo-pigs-study-more-junk-science/http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/section-1/1-2-gm-tomatoes-proven-safe/http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/section-1/1-1-pusztais-flawed-claims/http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/section-1/1-6bt-cotton-is-safe-2/http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/section-1/1-7-bt-corn-pollen-is-safe/http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/section-1/1-8-gm-corn-is-safe-for-cows-and-pigs/etc.There is not a single peer reviewed scientific study that concludes GM food as unsafe. After 25 years of research with hundreds upon hundreds of published studies. Not a single one demonstrates that they are unsafe.http://ec.europa.eu/research/biosociety/pdf/a_decade_of_eu-funded_gmo_research.pdfhttp://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10977#tochttp://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/http://www.aaas.org/news/aaas-board-directors-legally-mandating-gm-food-labels-could-%E2%80%9Cmislead-and-falsely-alarmhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2408621/http://www.genetics.org/content/188/1/11.longhttp://gmopundit.blogspot.se/p/450-published-safety-assessments.htmlAnd Monsanto is no different from the average American corporation. They have expressed concern for health and environment but thanks to the anti-GMO crowd we didn’t see these eco-friendly solutions spring into action. People should be more concerned about monoculture in general and perhaps be more skeptic about transgenic GMOs but there’s no reason to oppose cisgenic GM food. Dr. Steven Novella, famous skeptic, makes valid points on this that I would like everyone to hear out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tc8gtZgGkohttp://www.cisgenesis.com/content/view/4/28/lang,englishAnd these are also independent research teams uninfluenced by biotech companies. So you can either respect the science or you don’t, but I hope you keep an open mind and take a closer look. I was also against GMO’s not too long ago but that was mainly caused by cultural indoctrination rather than evidence. As we can observe, the conclusion so far remains that it is no worse than what we already have and the real issue is monocultures in general.How can we avoid them if they are not labeled?? I eat only organic so it’s not me I worry about.. it’s my grandson, school snacks, whatever you can’t control! If the preschool teacher doesn’t feed the kids GMOs by avoiding products with that label but AMERICAN’S DON’T EVEN HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW! It’s insane.. I think Mon’Insane’to although not ‘insane’ they are very calculatingly dominating the food supply with what is probably know but are keeping quiet is toxic.There is no objective scientific reason that genetically modified foods should be harmful. If we take out the issue of pesticides, which may take advantage of the benefits of GMO but shouldn’t be an argument against genetic modification per se, they should theoretically be like any other plants. Species are always genetically modifying themselves naturally at random, so for a scientist to go in and speed up the process, or make it more beneficial to humans, and then let the plants grow naturally without chemicals, does not make the plants less “natural”. Of course, safety assessments should be done on such plants as they are new species and may have different levels of the compounds in them, but any food that evolves on it’s own would be the same. Therefore, to indiscriminately oppose ALL genetic modification of food on the basis of health effects (as opposed to the use of pesticides, the ethical standings of the companies that produce them, effects on the environment, etc) is ridiculous and may be detrimental to all the amazing advancements that could come out of this research.I am still waiting for the science as well. I feel the GMO scare is a bit overblown.How can you take out the issue of herbicides & pesticides when 90+% of the GMO crops are made to be sprayed with glyphosate?I agree that genetic engineering of plants needs safety studies but relying on the companies to do them is foolhardy at best. They have a blatant conflict of interest. 3 month studies on rats that live 2 years is 21 months too little.I think the current approach is nonsense as it randomly changes proteins which your body then sees as foreign. The much better approach is that of companies like Kaiima Bio-Agritech. Natural but accelerated selection. That doesn’t change the DNA or the proteins but still gives you much larger yields.Please don’t reference pseudoscience. Here’s a list of commonly referenced anti-GM (the rat study among them) studies that most people cite despite lack of peer review or the pseudoscientific label:http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/seralini-gmo-study-retracted/http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/the-gm-corn-rat-study/http://www.marklynas.org/2013/06/gmo-pigs-study-more-junk-science/http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/section-1/1-2-gm-tomatoes-proven-safe/http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/section-1/1-1-pusztais-flawed-claims/http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/section-1/1-6bt-cotton-is-safe-2/http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/section-1/1-7-bt-corn-pollen-is-safe/http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/section-1/1-8-gm-corn-is-safe-for-cows-and-pigs/Why would the latest review on GMO plants not be freely available? If it were all good, wouldn’t it be made available immediately? Even if its inconclusive, it could be presented as such, I would think. To be on the safe side, I avoid it as much as possible. It’s labeled here in Europe…That is simply the nature of scientific publishing. Once a study is published, the publishing house (in this case Elsevier) owns the article and can charge for access to it. In fact, if you publish an article while you’re in grad school, and later want to include that material in your dissertation, you have to ask the publisher for permission, since you don’t own it anymore, they do. There is a push towards open access publishing, but unfortunately it is harder on the individual researcher financially, and there is also the issue of the “impact factor” associated with already existing journals. To opt to publish in the newer open access journals, a researcher loses the status and impact factor associated with the traditional journals. Hopefully the situation will improve in the future; personally I find it abominable that publicly funded research is not available to the public.So, while you don’t have access to this article on your own, you may try a local university library, particularly a research-oriented one, and if that library has a subscription to that particular journal (these can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars per year), then you will be able to access it on the library computers freely.I can access this particular review at my work, and what they say basically is that there was only enough new information to genuinely reassess three plants: maize, soybeans, and rice. Among these plants, there are studies showing that they are harmful, and studies showing that they are harmless, and so the debate continues.They also make reference to this summary published by the European Food Safety Authority, which you should have access to: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1700.htmMonsanto and their allies are very aware that Europeans and others who have the right to know will not willing eat or buy their crops. The way they fed the Europeans gmo corn and soy was through the livestock feed shipped from Brazil and Argentina. The EU boycotted the same product from the USA, according to Friends of Earth-Europe.They do not want to lose control of the U.S.A. marketplace. Plus, they are growing food in the USA and through Obama’s trade agreements forcing the entire world to eat this potentially toxic food. Hence, we will all die of the same or similar diseases, and no single herbicide or gmo will be singled out.Monsanto and allies have also BLOCKED anyone from studying their seeds, they have blocked journals from publishing data, and they have appointed one of their approved scientists to the independent CRIIGEN.http://www.criigen.org/SiteEn/They’re just your average american corporation and there are a lot of myths surrounding them as well as they have become the icon of corporate evil. Yet that is hardly the case.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tc8gtZgGkoSeralini has been so severely debunked for not following standard procedures. As an easy wiki reference read will teach you:“The conclusions that Séralini drew from the experiments were widely criticized, as was the design of the experiments.[3][4] Scientists claimed that Séralini’s conclusions were impossible to justify given the small sample size and the known high incidence of tumors in Sprague-Dawley rats. The paper was also refuted by food standards agencies.[5] Other long term studies, which were publicly funded, have uncovered no health issues.[4][5] The release of the book and movie in conjunction with the scientific paper, and the requirement that journalists sign a confidentiality agreement, were also criticized and negatively peer reviewed.[3]”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9ralini_affairAs a lifetime environmental activist, I know what surrounds Monsanto is not a myth.For more about Dr. Seralini, go to:http://www.anh-usa.org/monsanto-goes-organic-and-wins-sustainability-award-right/print/When you eat GMO foods you are eating glyphosate. That poisons you gut bacteria by the same shikimate pathway that kills plants and leads to autoimmune and inflammation based conditions.Do you have any information on what if any the safe level of glyphosate is for human consumption? How to get rid of it if when you are exposed?Thankshow could there be any safe level when it works as you yourself state??That is a very valid question. Along with a few others.1) Why don’t they test Roundup (the finished product) rather than just the single so called active ingredient?2) Is there an additive or synergistic effect with the adjuvant chemicals used with glyphosate?3) Why do they raise the allowable levels when each new generation of GMO crops get released?4) Now that super weeds are resistant to glyphosate what levels of 2-4D are safe for long term consumption? That is the next wave of GMO crops coming.How would one know which of the many ingredients in Roundup may be causing the problem? The active ingredient, glyphosate, is the only ingredient off-patent now.2,4-D, which unintentionally contains 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorinated diobenzo-p-dioxin (the same chemical responsible for severe birth defects/developmental disorders in Vietnam, and major chemical spills or explosions, PVC plastics, and more, is a component of the herbicide, which was sparingly approved on cereal grains, but will now be used on soy and corn that have been genetically engineered to be herbicide resistant.It’s a good reason to eat low on the food chain, low fat foods, and also have a whole house and at least a kitchen carbon filter water purifier.My Multi-Pure 750 sb (below the sink) will reduce both 2,4-D and dioxin from my tap water if it is in there.It has been in the past, but the city changed water sources and last testing showed it was not present. This was confirmed by tests which I also paid for. Have your water tested by a reliable lab. If it contains 2,4-D, by all means, get the best water filter you can afford.But, remember. If spraying is occurring near you, as it is within 15 miles of where I live, nothing can prevent airborne emissions- drift from drifting down on my organic homegrown crops or coming down with the rain.Monsanto says GE broccoli and tomatoes are coming.I buy those grown by the organic method, until I can grow my own.When you are eating gmo foods, you are eating MORE THAN glyphosate. Monsanto also uses 2,4-D (a dioxin contaminated chemical of the worst kind). Roundup may also be contaminated with dioxin, but no one knows for certain because the testing has not been done. As someone who has been poisoned with pesticides, who has found that physicians are taught to treat the symptoms not cure a disease, let me say there are no safe levels. So much can go wrong with your health in addition to cancers…and then, there are synergistic effects. Do you even know a water company that is certified by NSF to reduce glyphosate in your tap water? Or, are there any testing procedures that show glyphosate may be in your tap water? I suggest Monsanto has blocked that pathway, as well..I would say there is no reason to oppose GMO’s based on the supposed health issues because there are none as any complete review of the scientific literature demonstrates:http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/07388551.2013.823595http://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/migrate/uploads/AAAS_GM_statement.pdfIn fact most researchers against GMO’s have routinely had an agenda and misrepresented their studies for selfish gains. Here’s some examples:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691512005637http://www.marklynas.org/2013/06/gmo-pigs-study-more-junk-science/http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/the-gm-corn-rat-study/http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/seralini-gmo-study-retracted/And when it comes to Monsanto they’re no worse than your average corporation and they have just become the icon of corporate evil. Yet most of the claims about them are just outright false:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tc8gtZgGkoAs for environmental concerns, it varies greatly between climates and in some cases GM crops are better for environment and use less hectares, pesticides, etc.The problem is monoculture in general and not GM crops. Although GM crops do pose solutions for this and Monsanto did as well, but… (watch the video)http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/food-how-altered/“It’s all just big agro conspiracy mongering that’s just part of an anti-GMO ideological agenda.”I have severe osteoporosis and keep breaking bones. I have refused to take genetically engineered Boniva or other recombinant DNA pharms which use E-coli bacteria to make the product. Look at the side effects of the bisphosonate drugs at the National Library of Medicine.It’s not only pharms that use organisms from other species, food crops use the same. I intercepted an posting by a major player in the contamination of our food that will be using a Superbug — antibiotic resistant bacteria for its GE corn and soy. No wonder hospitals have so many cases of antibiotic resistant bacteria!The Environmental Working Group using data from the CDC and USDA compiled a report of antibiotic resistant bacteria identified in livestock found in supermarkets throughout the country. http://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/superbugs/ When I had an infection last year, nothing my physician prescribed worked until I suggested that he use an older antibiotic because I’ve eaten vegan for the past 2 years, and only ate certified organic for a decade previous to that. The older drug worked. More recently, another physician who treated me for a pelvic fracture (due to a bad fall). Viewing the x-ray at the time of the injury, and the comparison tone done 3 weeks later, he said he had never seen anyone grow bone so fast. At the next visit, two months from the onset of the injury, he declared my bone totally healed. Perhaps, it was because I only eat certified organic and only from companies I trust and now only eat healthy vegan!When I stop healing quickly, it may be because our food is contaminated with mineral chelators –herbicides. Roundup is patented as a mineral chelator, binding minerals in the soil and keeping them from being assimilated by plants and animals. I DO NOT LOOK FORWARD TO being forced to eat genetically engineered foods, given what has been learned about Roundup from abstracts of scientific studies, and the severe clinical health effects of the process of genetic engineering itself as told go us with genetically engineered “biological” pharmaceuticals.Eskil must work for Monsanto or has another financial concern. My advice: Don’t eat one GMO! It isn’t easy. I buy ONLY organic, eat ONLY vegan since watching Dr. Greger, never EVER go out to eat (and I won’t until they have a GMO-free option on the menu.. not just Vegan as I asked a waiter if the Vegan Portuguese Soup was GMO free but in fact they had used Canola Oil— Big One Not to Eat). So my life has gotten pretty restrictive but my Multiple Sclerosis has not gotten any worse in 5 years and I wonder what would happen if I had been on a GMO/Glycosphate/agent orage/whateverthecrap they want to feed us. I feel totally let down by my government NOT EVEN labeling them. Fortunately the money I save from not eating at restaurants has helped me to afford my organic food. It makes me ashamed to be an American, frankly.Is there any update to the GMO debate? :-(After watching the documentary ‘Genetic Roulette’ like what the good Dr. Don Forrester M.D. suggested. I don’t ever want to eat GMOs products again and I’m not alone in that line of thought. You can see clearly in the movie that there is plenty to be worried about and thus GMOs should be avoided. At the very least labeled like gluten and nuts are. GMOs labeling needs to happen and the fact that Monsanto spent 43Mil in deceptive advertising here in California to defeat labling speaks volumes about the companies deceptive ways. What are they hiding? Scary stuff GMOs… again, just watch ‘Genetic Roulette and make up your own mind. Don’t listen to the paid shills like a few people in this thread defending GMOs. Watch the documentaries and maek up your own mind. Knowledge is power.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB5EBFUwaw0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUd9rRSLY4A&list=PL-oic9lh6-NrpSsJ5s6rG2YseD7yGwXqTI am anxiously awaiting the GMO discussion Dr. Greger promised us. I know it will be informative! Thank you Dr. Greger.. You have become my answer to life. I have never followed or trusted anyone as much. I do not think you can be bought by anyone although I was afraid the GMO industry would contact you because of your up-coming discussion on it. Malia	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21296423,
PLAIN-417	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/does-wild-rice-contain-the-same-levels-of-arsenic-as-white-rice/	Does wild rice contain the same levels of arsenic as brown rice?	I eat rice 2 or 3 times a week. When i go out to eat, I eat brown rice. When I make it at home, it is generally a wild rice blend. Does wild rice contain the same levels of arsenic? Rick / Originally posted on Arsenic in Rice Wild rice appears to have levels of arsenic comparable to regular rice, whether sourced from China, sold in the U.S., or specifically from Wisconsin. For more on the arsenic and rice story, see my blog post How Much Arsenic In Rice Came From Chickens?, which references my video Arsenic in Chicken and prior post about Dr. Oz, Apple Juice, and Arsenic. Recently, Consumer Reports vindicated Dr. Oz’s concerns about the unregulated levels of this toxic element in juice. 	should we eat rice at all if it might contain arsenic? what is Your thoughts on grains in general regarding this article? http://bodyecology.com/articles/risks_consuming_grains.php#.UWHAv1fyxRP	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/how-much-arsenic-in-rice-came-from-chickens/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8641660,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10696727,
PLAIN-418	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/fresh-fruit-versus-frozen-fruit-which-is-better/	Fresh fruit versus frozen--which is better?	Are there published studies providing evidence about the efficacy of frozen fruit (vs fresh)? What are viable sources of acai in the US? Sambozan adds soy lecitihin to their acai product. evanbrand / Originally posted on  Pink juice with green foam I found two good studies comparing fresh to frozen fruit. One on strawberries and one on raspberries. They both found the same thing: “no statistically significant differences between the…[antioxidant levels] for fresh and frozen strawberries” and “It is concluded, therefore, that freshly picked, fresh commercial, and frozen raspberries all contain similar levels of phytochemicals and antioxidants per serving.” In fact, frozen last longer than fresh, are available year-round, and tend to be cheaper and more convenient. If you look in my freezer, normally it’s half frozen greens and half frozen berries (though this time of the year it’s also stuffed with 20 pounds of fresh dates!). In terms of your acai question, I’m not sure what your concern about soy lecithin is. Even people with soy allergies are often able to tolerate lecithin (and soy proteins are more than 100 times less allergenic than other allergens such as eggs and dairy). I love the frozen packs of unsweetened acai pulp (featured in my videos Superfood Bargains and Antioxidant Content of 300 Foods), though if you’re extremely allergic to soy you may just have to stick to less exotic berries. See my video Best Berries. 	What’s your method for freezing greens.A freezer? lolI’ve just wondered if the pesticide concentration is the same or different between the two – fresh fruit vs frozen.Juicing vegetables or fruits can result in abundant amounts of pesticides in the juice IF you don’t grow or purchase (certified) organic. But, freezing the veggies or fruit should not matter.Can diet help with PAH(pulmonary artery hypertension)? Do you know of any natural treatments? Thank-you! Tina@beccadoggie10 thank you for the blanching times, I live in San Diego, California, so I have to problem getting fresh fruits and veggies all year-round, yet I love blanching veggies, but I am not always sure about the times. I also find hard to find organic blueberries, and blackberries in near-by grocery stores, unless they are frozen, I am thankful for this post Dr. Greger, as for many others. Your website has literally saved my life, thank you!Dr Greger,I came across the study where was said that non organic berries have high level of pesticides and herbicides, sounded that it is not worth to consume non organic berries .How unsafe are non organic berriesAlso wanted to hear your opinion on GMO produceThank youVladVlad, Great question. Dr. Greger has two relevant older videos that discuss the benefits of eating organic foods: Can pesticides be rinsed off? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/) and Cancer Fighting Berries (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/). A recent video encouraged us all to rinse even our organic produce since it could be contaminated with fecal bacteria: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/.Regarding GMOs, Dr. Greger answered another reader’s question on the issue here: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/gmos-and-decreased-nutrition-in-our-foods/ .Hope that helps!I fucking hate STRAWBERRIES!!!!!!!!!I’ve seen many studies on how bad whole eggs are -but what about organic egg whites?drew4021: One of the more memorable lines from Dr. Barnard’s book on Preventing and Reversing Diabetes is, “There are just two problems with eggs: the yolk and the white.” So, what’s the problem with the white? Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20528581,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12188629,
PLAIN-419	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-best-sweetner/	What's the best low calorie sweetener?	I was unable to understand the name of the sweetener you suggested in the recipe for homemade cranberry juice in the video of 12/03. I’d be grateful if you could send along the spelling of the product. Don Brix / Originally posted on Pink juice with green foam “Erythritol,” a nearly noncaloric sugar alcohol found naturally in certain fruits. I have a video about it here: A Harmless Artificial Sweetener. My family goes through about a pound a month. See, for example, our Pink Juice with Green Foam and healthy chocolate ice cream recipes. A study published last month adds a cautionary note, though: consuming erythritol with a large load of fructose (as can be found in certain confectionery and soft drinks) could inhibit fructose absorption in the small intestine and result in bloating and discomfort from fructose fermentation in the colon. I don’t imagine people would typically be mixing their diet and regular soda together, but if they did, it could be a bad combo. I have another erythritol video queued up from volume 11 so stay tuned and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it! 	What about Zsweet?Stephen, Zsweet is Erythritol that Dr. Greger uses and recommends. Zsweet also contains “natural flavors” which is very nonspecific.Zsweet includes stevia as one of its “natural botanical extracts”, most likely to increase sweetness to sucrose like levels. http://zsweet.com/htmls/faq/zsweet-ingredients.html There remains debate on the safety of stevia. The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s has a page on stevia: http://www.cspinet.org/stevia/ There are a number of brands of pure erythritol: NOW Foods, Wholesome Sweeteners, Emerald Forest and others.Stevia is available in Canada.sold by ?I bought mine from US Amazon over a year ago, but haven’t used much.I started using glycine (the mildly-sweet simplest amino acid) instead as my beverage sweetener, as it may both clear excess methionine and increase glutathione synthesis.what about stevia?xylitol? coconut sap nectar?I tried it (Erythritol) and it is 70% sweetness of sugar..it was OK. Saw recently about monk fruit …{Lo Han drops}..wondering about this and it’s safety. I love date sugar for cooking as you recommended! Thank you for all your information!I read an article that maple syrup is rich in antioxidant and have equivalent heath benefices than superfood. Is it possible that this sweetener will become the next best sweetener ? If no, what make it less interesting?http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/is-maple-syrup-the-new-super-food/article613045/what is your educated opinion about the Monk Fruit extract, (butanic name of the fruit Siratia Grosvenori Momordica/Mogroside)Yes, I would like to know about Monk fruit as well. It is sold in packets and marketed as Nectresse. It has Erythritol in it, but claims to be mostly made of Monk fruit.Luo han guo is the natural extract from monk fruit. Like stevia, it is extremely sweet and non-caloric. Erythritol is used largely as a filler in this product, because, like pure stevia, luo han guo is super-sweet.What about Yacon syrup?Certainly, natural stevia appears to be safe for human consumption. While stevia is relatively new to the US, it has been consumed in Japan in quantity for over 40 years. Have any detrimental effects of regular stevia consumption by those in Japan been discovered?“fructose fermentation in the colon”And I’m betting there’s a beverage snob out there that would pay top dollar for one to expunge that potent potion into a glass for his consumption!	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22118754,
PLAIN-420	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/can-vitamin-d-supplements-be-helpful-in-preventing-respiratory-disease/	Can Vitamin D supplements help prevent respiratory infections?	Your attention to Vitamin D is very relevant these months, also to the huge discussion about the use of Vitamin D supplementation in Tuberculosis in developing countries. filippodibari / Originally posted on Evolutionary argument for optimal vitamin D level Vitamin D is thought to be why the TB sanatoriums of old proved effective. They used so-called “heliotherapy,” which just meant exposing people to sunlight, 62 years before vitamin D was even discovered. Once vitamin D was identified and purified, it was used therapeutically both before and after antibiotics were introduced. There is evidence that vitamin D supplementation may help prevent other respiratory diseases as well. For example, one study found that those randomized to 2000 IU of vitamin D a day (the amount I recommend) appeared to reduce their incidence of colds and the flu by 90%. I would not recommend tanning beds, though. See my video Vitamin D Pills vs. Tanning Beds. The official vitamin D recommendation recently tripled to 600 IU (see Vitamin D Recommendations Changed), though the Endocrine Society just released guidelines suggesting 1,500-2,000 IU a day is better. To offer some insight into the behind-the-scenes wrangling on this issue, I’m in the process of rolling out a 9-day series of videos on the topic that will finish up this coming week with Resolving the Vitamin D-Bate. I’m always conflicted about the level of depth I should go into on individual topics. I’d love everyone’s feedback on whether they prefer the one-off 2-minute highlight-type videos, or these longer series where I delve deeper into the backstory. 	I’d like the whole story.“I’m always conflicted about the level of depth I should go into on individual topics. I’d love everyone’s feedback on whether they prefer the one-off 2-minute highlight-type videos, or these longer series where I delve deeper into the backstory.” I like and will watch both – the short ones are more easily shared to get people in, and the longer ones are good for proving that there is some genuine research behind it. :)I like both also, it just depends on how much time I have at the moment.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21646368,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/17352842/?tool=pubmed,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17223549,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22123447,
PLAIN-421	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/second-opinion-for-8-year-old-with-anemia/	Second opinion for 8-year-old with anemia?	We recently changed to a vegan diet. We have a daughter who is 8 years old who had been feeling dizzy as well as headaches. So we decided to take her to the doctor where they did blood and urine analysis. The diagnosis was anemia. The doctor told us that animal products are necessary because they have aminoacids and other nutrients that non-animal sources do not have. The doctor gave us vitamins and we are still following our vegan diet. We have also added extra portions of iron-rich foods (beans, lentils, soy, and nuts) for my daughter. I would like to know what is your opinion? pachitorex666 / Originally posted on Constructing a cognitive portfolio Sounds like your doctor needs a refresher in basic nutrition. You may want to share the official American Dietetic Association position statement, stating that vegetarian and vegan diets are suitable for all ages (i.e. animal products are unnecessary). In fact the most esteemed pediatrician of all time, Dr. Benjamin Spock, recommended in his final edition of Baby and Child Care that children be raised without exposure to meat and dairy. I talk about Dr. Spock in my video Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance. In terms of anemia, the iron status of vegetarian children is comparable to that of omnivore children. I am concerned that your physician may have jumped on the dietary explanation out of ignorance without considering other causes. There are multiple reasons for anemia. Is she not making enough blood? Is she losing blood? (At age 8 I wouldn’t expect her to be.) Are her blood cells not living long enough? Are her kidneys not making enough blood-boosting hormone? Your physician can test for all these possibilities. I would be happy to review her lab results and offer a second opinion (can email them directly to me at mgh1@cornell.edu if you don’t want them public). 	Dr. Michael Greger, I have anemia for about 8 yrs. now. It was found just before the doctors found my first cancer. I don’t understand why it doesn’t go away. Is there a reason for this? Recently my numbers went down a little meaning more anemia. What is this problem? Do you have anything I could read about this problem?Thank you.Being on a vegan/vegetarian diet does not mean that one does not get all the nutrients needs. After considering all the factors mentioned by Dr.Greger, you should also make sure that she is eating different colored vegetables, especially a lot of greens, berries and sweet potatoes. They are all rich in iron and also when you cook your beans and lentils, its a good idea to add lemon juice to it at the end as Vitamin C is necessary for the absorption of Iron if it is Iron deficiency anemia. I hope your daughter feels better.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22006487,
PLAIN-422	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-the-gassiness-of-beans-exaggerated/	What about getting gas from beans?	Great except for the anti-social side effect :-D Karen Hyde / Originally posted on Beans, Beans, Good for Your Heart I just wrote a new piece Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air that, amidst the terrible puns, profiles a new study that suggests that people’s concerns about the gassiness of beans may be exaggerated. They are such a bargain and so incredibly healthy that I encourage everyone to eat legumes (beans, peas, lentils, or soy) every day. 	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	-
PLAIN-423	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-a-good-source-of-probiotics/	What is a good source of probiotics?	For vegans who don’t eat yogurt, what is a good source for probiotics? Probably not Kimchi, as you noted its harmful effects in another video! 2RHealth / Originally posted on Gut Flora & Obesity Commercial yogurt of any kind (soy, rice, cow, or coconut) is an insufficient source of the level of probiotic bacteria found effective in treating diarrheal illnesses, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Yeah, kimchi may not be a good idea. A plant-based diet appears to naturally modulate one’s gut flora. See, for example, my videos Boosting Good Bacteria in the Colon Without Probiotics and Tipping Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. If, however, you need to bring out the big guns for therapeutic usage or to repopulate your gut after a round of antibiotics, allow me to refer you to the advice of one of my medical mentors, Dr. Michael Klaper, who has some great probiotic tips and insight. 	I’m a big fan of the Full Spectrum Probiotic from IBS Treatment Center. http://ibstreatmentcenter.com/prodcat/probiotics“Probiotics are best consumed one hour before meals or two hours after eating” – This statement by Dr Klaper is what we once thought. Testing shows that the best time to take probiotics is with meals.Any high dose probiotics that are vegan and that have worked? Someone suggested that I used RAW Probiotics™ 5-Day Max Care but it isn’t vegan. I am flatulating frequently but the main problem is the smell. It could literally kill someone. It’s pretty bad.I am interested in making vegan kefir with almond milk. I don’t find anything on your website concerning kefir. Have any studies been done on vegan kefir and is it safe and effective to make it yourself?I love this site and the information contained. The more I learn, the more I realize that there are many complexities to diet. I’ve been nearly vegan for almost three years. 1% of my calories come from cheese, butter, and eggs which are usually mixed in foods like bread or cake. So I had a wisdom tooth pulled and took antibiotics that wiped out my stomach (cramps, diarrhea, etc). While trying to recover I tried to stay vegan with kimchi, pickles, miso , soy sauce. It didn’t work after 3-4 days. Other recommended products like kefir are hard to find. I don’t care for Sauerkraut. I then tried probiotic yogurt and soft cheese. 2 days things got better. I’m wondering if anyone has had the same experience where they had stomach bacteria wiped out then got it all back without using dairy. I like having a plant based diet but it is very important to understand things like vitamin B supplements. I’m wondering if probiotics are another needed supplement.I have psoriatic arthritis. The Pharmaceutical medicine is MTX , effective but the side effects are awful. After reading research by NYC university, published by NPF , i asked a dietician and herbalist about probiotics. I take a capsule with breakfast, the result excellent. The joint aches have almost gone. When i read your diet, Darrin, I thought poor boy. I eat fruit and vegetables, as much as possible sourced from non- commercial farms. When travelling in countries like Indonesia and stomach bugs cause havoc, i always eat papaya. Indonesians call it old ladies’ food. Perhaps tgat as well as the ubiquity of papaya means it is very cheap. Seriously a good fruit for anyone, papaya contains pectinase. Very soothing for all stomach ailments.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	-
PLAIN-424	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/chai-tea-in-oatmeal/	What about using chai tea in oatmeal?	To make your morning oatmeal even “yummier”, use chai tea instead of water when making it. yummy / Originally posted on The Healthiest Beverage What a fantastic idea! I’m always trying to think of ways to sneak more of those antioxidant-packed spices into my daily diet (that was the inspiration for my Healthy Pumpkin Pie recipe). If anyone else has creative (or at least palatable! :) ways to sneak cloves into one’s diet please do share. Like my new Pink Juice with Green Foam video, this site is all about trying to translate these new findings into practical ways to incorporate the best available science on nutrition into our day-to-day lives. 	I make a cider type drink with my juicer and use clove in it. I juice 4 medium apples, 3 meduim oranges and 1 pomegranate. Then I put 2 drops of clove essential oil and 2 drops of cassia essential oil. I have tried the powder as well and that is also good. I have also juiced the pomegranate and then put the apples, peeled oranges and pomegranate juice in the blender. Also add in the cinnamon and clove. Really tasty! I am making mine for 2 people though, so you could half the recipe. :-)People especially like this drink around the holidays. It is way better than any apple cider you can buy. And it is from organic live fruit, not some sugar and preservative filled bottle at the store.I make a delicious smoothie with 1/2 a frozen banana, 1 peeled orange, a few fresh or frozen pineapple chunks, a whole clove or two, plant milk, a few ice cubes and some flax or hemp seeds.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/	-
PLAIN-425	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/soy-based-versus-mycoprotein-based-fake-chicken-which-is-better/	Soy-based (Gardein) vs. mycoprotein-based (Quorn) veggie chicken: which is better?	Is this a soy-based or mycoprotein-based fake chicken???? I don’t eat any soy, but I do eat some mycoprotein (QUORN). Would love your opinion on it. wickedchicken / Originally posted on Chicken vs. Veggie Chicken Great question wickedchicken (and true to your namesake :). Gardein (from “garden + protein”) is a soy and grain (wheat, amaranth, millet, quinoa)-based product. Quorn is more like (though technically not) mushroom based. Unlike Gardein, most Quorn products have a little saturated fat and cholesterol (has some egg and milk products mixed in), both of which we should try to minimize (please see my video Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero). Quorn has more sodium, less protein, and comparable fiber, but regardless, both are superior to chicken the animal for a variety of reasons (e.g., Chicken vs. Veggie Chicken and my 40 videos on chicken). 	I read recently several websites that says we should avoid soy at all costs: http://fitlife.tv/10-reasons-to-avoid-soy-at-all-costs/ Could you please shed some light on this, as being a vegan I consume a lot of soy products (including Gardein) and now I am worried. Thank you.The healthiest people in the world consume the most tofu per person in the world. The people with the lowest rates of breast, prostate, and colon cancer consume the most soy per person in the world. Soy supplements, along with other processed foods and food supplements are not the same thing as eating real, whole, natural, unprocessed foods. I think that consuming meat substitutes, like Gardein or Quorn are fine in moderation. Like any processed food, we should try to limit them. Eat real food, like tofu and soy beans.	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/	-
PLAIN-426	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-can-i-avoid-the-top-10-leading-causes-of-death/	How can I avoid the top 10 leading causes of death?	Ok, Alzheimer’s is the sixth. I want to know all the top 10. Someone told me no tobacco, no alcohol, no animal products and regular workout is enough to avoid the top 10. Is that true? Meha / Originally asked on Amyloid and apple juice If you click on the Sources Cited section under the video you can read the latest CDC report on top causes of death in the United States. The top 10 are 1) heart disease, 2) cancer, 3) COPD, 4) stroke, 5) accidents, 6) Alzheimer’s, 7) diabetes, 8) pneumonia, 9) kidney disease, and 10) suicide. So being a nonsmoker who exercises and eats a plant based diet would certainly dramatically reduce your risk of the majority of these, but you’d still be advised to wear your seat belt, bike helmet, check your smoke detector, etc. In my 2012 summary presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death I actually go through the top 16 leading causes of death in the United States and discuss the role diet can play in preventing treating and even reversing our top killers. If you find it useful please help me spread the word of dietary sanity by sharing it within your circles. 	Sorry, but this looks like fear-mongering to me.Eggs are good food.http://articles.cnn.com/2010-04-30/health/cl.nutrition.myths_1_nutrition-myths-sugar-cholesterol-levels/2?_s=PM:HEALTHSo, basically, you’re saying that CNN News is a more authoritative source of facts than decades of controlled clinical studies? Personally, I’d rather form my opinion based on decades of factual evidence (peer-reviewed studies). Of course, you are free to base your diet on CNN reports and commercials from its advertisers.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	-
PLAIN-427	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/where-does-the-fat-come-from-in-a-skinless-chicken-breast/	Where does the fat come from in a skinless chicken breast?	There is so little visible fat on chickens e.g. a skinless chicken breast. I don’t see how it’s such a high ratio. wickedchicken / Originally posted on Does eating obesity cause obesity? Much of the fat in chicken is in the muscle (meat) itself, what’s called intramyocellular lipid, where droplets of fat build up inside the muscle cell itself. In fact that’s why chickens are used as experimental models of human obesity, since the buildup of fat inside our own muscles is thought to contribute to the insulin resistance associated with type 2 diabetes, and chickens are one of the few animals fat enough to mirror our obese population. This month in the medical journal Stress, for example, a team of Chinese scientists found that stress hormones may actually facilitate this process of fat accumulation within the muscles of chickens, raising the question of whether the conditions in which most chickens are raised these days may indeed be making their nutritional profile even worse as suggested in the “Modern Organic and Broiler Chickens Sold for Human Consumption Provide More Energy from Fat than Protein” article I profile in the Does Eating Obesity Cause Obesity? video. 	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22085283,
PLAIN-428	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-much-baking-soda-is-too-much/	In making water alkaline, how much baking soda is too much?	http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002749.htm I wish they said what constituted a “large amount”…. yikes. wickedchicken / Originally posted on Alkaline water: a scam? Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) intoxication can be devastating, especially in infants. The 1995 paper “Baking Soda: A Potentially Fatal Home Remedy” in Pediatric Emergency Care led Arm & Hammer to start placing warning labels against use in children under 5 on all their cartons.Too much bicarbonate can overwhelm our kidneys’ ability to excrete it, leading to a metabolic alkalosis, which can lead to seizures or even death. To answer your question, as little as a few pinches can sicken an infant, but based on the series of case reports in adults it appears to take tablespoons for folks with normal kidney function to get into trouble. This is why I encourage anyone trying the three-quarters-of-a-teaspoon-per-quart of water regimen suggested in Alkaline water: a scam? to do it under the supervision of a physician to make sure you don’t have a condition that would preclude such a trial. And there are other ways to lower blood pressure without fear of toxicity: see, for example, my video Fill in the Blank. 	I just confronted a topic about Alkaline Diet.Is there any science on that?Almost all plant foods will produce a potential renal acid load (PRAL) that is negative (alkaline) because of the amino acid makeup. Grains are very slightly acidic but most animal products are several times times more acidic. The PRAL can be calculated with this formula PRAL = 0.49(Protein) + 0.037(Phosphorus) – 0.021(Potassium) – 0.026(Magnesium) – 0.013(Calcium). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7797810You can go to the USDA nutrition database and calculate the alkalinity or acidity of certain foods this way using a 100 gram serving sample. http://nutritiondata.self.com/Here are a list of common plant foods. A negative number indicates alkalinity whereas positive means acidity.Cereals, oats, regular cooked with water, w/o salt/ 2.18Bananas, raw/ -6.93Blueberries, raw/ -1.04Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked/ 2.18Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt/ -3.57Cauliflower, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt / -1.33Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt/ -4.10Peaches, raw/ -3.11Beans, kidney, cooked, boiled, w/o salt/ -0.69Kale, raw/ -8.34Animal FoodsChicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted/ 17.30Egg, whole, raw, fresh/ 9.43Fish, salmon, Atlantic, wild, cooked, dry heat/ 7.57Beef, bottom sirloin, tri-tip, separable lean only, trimmed to 0″ fat, choice, cooked, roasted/ 12.79Cheese, cheddar/ 19.00As you can see, all animal foods are acidic. This acidity is bad for our bones as explained by this study. “In response to chronic acid stress such as is imposed by an acid-ash diet, cellular responses mobilize bone and calcium as a buffer.” http://jn.nutrition.org/content/128/6/1051.fullThis acidic environment increases the production of cortisol which further diminishes bone density. http://ajprenal.physiology.org/content/284/1/F32.full.pdfThis chronic acid load people put on their body causes bone loss leading to osteoporosis later on in life.(amino acids can be acid or basic — I used to be able to tell you by looking at them, but — been a few years. Hell, I used to be able to draw them all. it’s not rocket science. Just the most basic chemistry of functional groups.) Seems to me the important thing is to simply eat a wide variety of whole foods. In truth, we don’t know what we’ll be learning about food, our present misconceptions. Dr. Gregor is always showing us that. But it seems common sense that meat is so calorie dense it’s hard to fit it in without packing on pounds. It’s also so dosed, so processed, so cruel. Why not take all that land we grow feed-corn on (or rather pay farmers not to grow — go figure) and plant beans and veggies on it. Organic, local. It makes more jobs, better food, we’re winners all round. Also builds community.Thank you so much for this information, i had no idea i was SO ignorant of nutrition. Great job!	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?db=pubmed&cmd=search&term=Severe+metabolic+alkalosis+due+to+baking+soda+ingestion%3A+case+reports+of+two+patients+with+unsuspected+antacid+overdose%E2%98%86,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Baking%20Soda:%20A%20Potentially%20Fatal%20Home%20Remedy,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2833137,
PLAIN-429	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/dukan-diet-americas-low-carb-craze/	Is the Dukan Diet safe?	I feel sorry for people’s bodies if they are on the Dukan Diet. Logic is clearly out the window when it comes to weight loss diet desperation.  wickedchicken / Originally posted on Plant protein preferable The Dukan Diet appears to be a European spin-off of the Atkins Diet. The UK National Health Service just highlighted that the Dukan Diet is the fad diet to avoid this holiday season, citing the British Dietetic Association’s conclusion that it is “ineffective and without scientific basis.” I wrote a whole book about these types of diets, Carbophobia: The Scary Truth Behind America’s Low Carb Craze, available free, full-text at AtkinsExposed.org. 	Dear Dr. Greger, I want you to know I’m all on board with your approach.One thing re scientific studies though: What’s the final word?One side says, low carb, high animal proteins and fats, and here are the studies.The other side: Low fat, high carb, and here are MY studies, yours are bad.First side: no, YOUR studies are bad.Well how to get rid of this confusion, once and for all? What’s the final word?Clinical data-wise.Thanks again,MarkBTW, how do I know if you’ve answered my question, do I get a notification? Here is an example of a link someone posted on their blog as “proof” that saturated fats don’t cause heart disease…http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20071648	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-430	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-krill-oil-supplements-better-than-fish-oil-capsules/	Are krill oil supplements better than fish oil capsules?	Just wondering if Krill Oil supplements are any better than fish oil capsules. Do you have any suggestions on the best way to get the benefits of fish without actually eating it? yummy / Originally posted on DDT in Fish Oil Supplements The longest study I could find done on krill oil was only 3 months in duration, so long-term effectiveness and safety is unknown, but recent short-term studies suggest that krill oil would have comparable bioavailability and metabolic effects. Krill are lower on the food chain and would be expected to have lower levels of accumulated pollutants, though an upcoming paper in Environmental Pollution suggests that they do take up DDT metabolites and previous work suggests they bioaccumulate pesticides from the seawater. When it comes to industrial toxins, always seek as low as you can go on the food chain, in this case algae that produce bioequivalent long-chain omega-3′s. Check out videos like Algae-Based DHA vs. Flax and The Problem with Organic Salmon. As an aside, you never know what you’re going to run into in the medical literature. In looking up krill oil for you I stumbled across a paper in the Journal of Plankton Research published this year (with pictures!) entitled: Ocean-bottom krill sex. 	what do you have to say for extra virgin olive oil?Thank you for your work. There is no reason for us humans to continue to remove organisms from the marine food web to feed ourselves when so many other sustainable sources available.What about a vegan source for EPA omega-3? Is it important to take or is DHA sufficient?Although not necessary to supplement omega 3, one can take algae based omega 3 which is bio equivalent to fish oil and toxin free.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/Every microalgae DHA supplement I’ve seen also includes about half as much EPA, as the 20 carbon EPA is an intermediate in 22 carbon DHA biosynthesis.Despite the variety of brands, all consumer microalgal DHA/EPA in the past was ultimately produced by just two companies, DSM Nutritional Products/Martek Biosciences, and Lonza/Nutrinova. The capsules and packaging may differ, but the content is all the same.That might shake up in the near future with a number of startups like AlgaeBIo, Aurora Algae, and Bioprocess Algae, though another interpretation is these represent some of the many short lived algal biodiesel companies from that 2008 bubble.Flax seeds.. that’s all you’ll ever needwe need the ALA, and our body will know how to use it. we should get it from Chia or from Sage or green leavs, not from fish or any other poor marine life. we destroy the balance in the ocean!!!	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15656713,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21854650,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18589030,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19269724,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22035943,
PLAIN-431	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-recommended-child-requirement-for-vitamin-d/	What is the recommended child requirement for vitamin D?	I just watched your newest video and it was fantastic as usual. The segment about the adult requirement of 2000 units/day for Vitamin D was interesting and helpful. Can you please tell me what a child’s requirement is likely to be? We have a three year old. Stacia / Originally posted on Vitamin supplements worth taking I’m so glad you’re finding the videos useful. The official (Institute of Medicine) recommendation for those over 1 year of age is 600 IU a day of vitamin D. In two weeks I’m going to be rolling out a series of eight vitamin D videos from my volume 6 DVD offering justification for my 2000 iu. day recommendation for adults: 	Vitamin D is a highly discussed topic in my life these days. After being completely depleted after a bout with breast cancer,I have become very aware of how little we actually get in our lives in today’s world. I live in the Northeast part of the US so our fall and winter sun exposure is minimal. With children preferring to stay inside and play electronic games instead of tag, jump rope, bicycling and other outdoor activities, I became concerned about my own children’s levels.I started giving them supplements to reach approximately 400-600 ius per day. After much research and talking with my naturopath, this seemed to be the most agreed upon amount for children.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/	-
PLAIN-432	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-definition-of-a-handful-of-nuts/	What is the definition of a "handful" serving of nuts?	Just wondering what was their definition of a “handful” of nuts? 25 grams? 8 nuts? Big difference in opinion from one person to the next as to what is a “handful”. Many thanks.  wickedchicken / Originally posted on Milk Protein vs. Soy Protein “Handful” of nuts typically refers to an ounce. So that’s like 23 almonds, 14 walnut halves, or 21 filberts (hazelnuts). The USDA nutrient database is the go-to place for weight (and nutrient) measurements: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ For more on what just a few nuts can do, see my videos Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell and What Women Should Eat to Live Longer. Wouldn’t eating a handful of nuts make you fat, though? You’d be surprised–see my video Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence. Image Credit: IainBuchanan / Flickr 	Got a nut question for you – I’ve read some things about roasted nuts having damaged oils, etc., so I have tried to go with raw nuts, but I just can’t stomach them! Seriously, they give me a stomach ache. I seem to be able to digest roasted nuts just fine, though. Is there a reason for this? Are roasted nuts still a healthy choice?Because of the level of l-Arginine in some nuts, shouldn’t people who suffer from HSV types 1 and 2 try to limit their intake ? Being as l-Arginine feeds the virus it would make outbreaks more frequent for sufferers.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/	-
PLAIN-433	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-a-low-salt-diet-bad-for-your-heart/	Could a low-salt diet be bad for your heart?	Hello Dr. Greger, I was curious about your take on a new report of a recent study (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45224421/ns/health-heart_health/#.TrrabPSImU8) that appears to demonstrate possible heart health issues with a low-salt diet (increases cholesterol, increases fat, increases hormone levels). It also appears to be adding to previous studies showing similar results. Thanks for any information you can provide. maybush1 / Originally posted on Dietary guidelines: with a grain of Big Salt None of the studies over 4 weeks in length noted in the review cited by that report showed any negative effects on cholesterol and in fact the American Heart Association (AHA) has just gone further and recommended that everyone shoot for 1500 mg a day (not just those at high risk). See my video Salt OK if Blood Pressure is OK? According to the AHA, cutting American sodium intake 1,200 mg per day could lead to as many as 66,000 fewer strokes, almost 100,000 fewer heart attacks, and up to 92,000 fewer deaths despite what the salt industry would have us believe (see Dietary Guidelines: With a Grain of Big Salt and Dietary Guidelines: Pushback From the Sugar, Salt, and Meat Industries). It’s hard to get down to the recommended 1,500mg a day, though, unless one sticks to an unprocessed plant-based diet. 	Hello. Would you be willing to show an example of a meal-by-meal rundown of sodium intake on an unprocessed plant-based diet? I am at that stage of trying to polish my primarily whole-foods vegan diet and would love to see a daily calculation like this. Thank you for considering this!As long as you not consuming added salt in your diet from a salt shaker then you will never get too much sodium on a whole foods plant based diet.Dr. Greger, I am surprised that you would fall back to blind reliance on AHA guidelines and projections without citation to actual medical studies showing the benefits of reduced sodium on overall mortality rates. In addition, among other flaws, the studies you have cited concerning possible benefits in vascular health of reducing sodium intake are in themselves short term studies of 4 weeks or less. Should we simply dismiss them as well as being too short in duration?Maybe you should admit that as of now it is unclear whether reducing sodium will have a significant impact on reducing incidents of cardiovascular disease and more studies need to be conducted.You can read in detail the national academy of sciences recommendation on sodium as well as results that they present from consuming too much. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10925&page=269Based on the available evidence, we cannot dismiss consuming too much sodium as neutral in both the long term and short term. The short term studies, even for 4 weeks, would seem like quite a good time for the body to adapt to the higher sodium diet.Thanks for the link but you have failed to cite a single study that establishes an improvement in either mortality rates or incidents of cardiovascular diseases from reducing sodium intake. It is pureuly conjecture at this point. There is certainly insufficient evidence to indicate that 100,000 fewer heart attacks will occur and 90,000 lives will be saved by reducing sodium consumption. Furthemore, Dr. Greger himself dismisses studies under 4 weeks that indicate an increase in cholesterol from reducing sodium intake yet cites studies of under 4 week duration for purposes of establishing improved vascular function. Looks like cherry picking to me.In addition, a recent study:Normal range of human dietary sodium intake: a perspective based on 24-hour urinary sodium excretion worldwide.now indicates that the human body maintains a consistent and narrow range of sodium in the body over the long term and that attempts to reduce sodium intake may have no impact on these biologically determined sodium levels. Sounds very similar to B12 levels which the body can self-regulate by eliminating any excess it doesn’t need.I needed some time to relocate some forgotten information but I have relocated it thanks to Jeff Novick.“A recent Cochrane Review by Rod Taylor and colleagues, published simultaneously in The Cochrane Library1 and the American Journal of Hypertension2, stated in the plain language summary that “Cutting down on the amount of salt has no clear benefits in terms of likelihood of dying or experiencing cardiovascular disease”.1 The Cochrane Library’s own press release headline included this statement: “Cutting down on salt does not reduce your chance of dying”.3 Both of these statements are incorrect.The study reported in the paper by Taylor and colleagues is a meta-analysis of randomised trials with follow-up for at least 6 months on the effect of reducing dietary salt on total mortality and cardiovascular mortality and events.[1] and [2] There were seven trials with 6250 participants (665 deaths). One of these trials in heart failure,4 in our view, should not have been included because the participants were severely salt and water depleted due to aggressive diuretic therapy (frusemide 250-500 mg twice daily, and spironolactone 25 mg per day) as well as captopril 75-150 mg per day and fluid restriction to 1000 mL per day.4 While on these treatments, participants were randomly assigned to a reduced salt intake or their usual salt intake.4 In view of the fact that the dose of diuretics was not adjusted downwards, a lower salt intake is likely to worsen the salt and water depletion and therefore, unsurprisingly, resulted in worse outcomes.In the remaining six trials, there is a reduction in all clinical outcomes (all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and events) (table), although none of these are statistically significant. This trend of consistent reductions in all clinical outcomes seems to have been overlooked by Taylor and colleagues.1 The non-significant findings are most likely the result of a lack of statistical power, particularly as Taylor and colleagues analysed the trials for hypertensives and normotensives separately. We have reanalysed the data by combining data for hypertensives and normotensives together. Our results show that there is now a significant reduction in cardiovascular events by 20% (p<0·05) (figure) and a non-significant reduction in all-cause mortality (5-7%), despite the small reduction in salt intake of 2·0-2·3 g per day. The results of our reanalysis, contrary to the claims by Taylor and colleagues, support current public health recommendations to reduce salt intake in the whole population.Table. Change in salt intake, blood pressure, and clinical outcomes with results from the meta-analysis by Taylor and colleagues1 (excluding the trial in heart failure) —————————————————– Trials in normotensives (n=3)* Trials in hypertensives (n=3)* —————————————————– Reduction in salt intake at end of trial (g per day [95% CI]); duration 6-36 months 2·0 (1·1 to 2·9) 2·3 (1·8 to 2·8) Fall in blood pressure at end of trial (mm Hg [95%CI]); duration 18-36 months Systolic 1·11 (?0·11 to 2·34) 4·14 (2·43 to 5·84) Diastolic 0·80 (0·23 to 1·37) 3·74 (?0·93 to 8·41) Difference in all-cause mortality at longest follow-up (95%CI); duration 7 months to 12·7 years 10% reduction (RR 0·90, 0·58 to 1·40) 4% reduction (RR 0·96, 0·83 to 1·11) Difference in cardiovascular events at longest follow-up (95%CI); duration 7 months to 11·5 years 29% reduction (RR 0·71, 0·42 to 1·20) 16% reduction (RR 0·84, 0·57 to 1·23) Difference in CVD mortality at longest follow-up (95%CI); duration 7 months to 6 years – 31% reduction (RR 0·69, 0·45 to 1·05) —————————————————– RR=relative risk; CVD=cardiovascular disease. * Not all measurements were made in all trials.Taylor and colleagues call for further large long-term randomised trials of salt reduction on clinical outcomes.[1] and 2 RS Taylor, KE Ashton, T Moxham, L Hooper and S Ebrahim, Reduced dietary salt for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (Cochrane Review), Am J Hypertens 24 (2011), pp. 843-853.[2] According to their own calculations, at least 2500 cardiovascular events need to be obtained to detect a 10% reduction (at 80% power and 5% significance level).2 This would require randomisation of about 28 000 participants to a low or high salt intake and then maintenance of the two separate diets for at least 5 years. Such a trial is impractical because of logistical and financial constraints, and the ethical issues of putting a group of people on a high salt diet for so many years.In our view, Taylor and colleagues' Cochrane review and the accompanying press release reflect poorly on the reputation of The Cochrane Library and the authors. The press release and the paper have seriously misled the press and thereby the public-for example, in the UK the Daily Express front page headline read "Now salt is safe to eat-Health fascists proved wrong after lecturing us all for years"5 and there were similar headlines throughout the world.The totality of evidence, including epidemiological studies, animal studies, randomised trials, and now outcome studies all show the substantial benefits in reducing the average intake of salt.[6], [7], [8] and [9] Most countries have adopted policies to reduce salt intake by persuading the food industry to reformulate food with less salt, as is occurring successfully in the UK,10 and also by encouraging people to use less salt in their own cooking and at the table. WHO has recommended salt reduction as one of the top three priority actions to tackle the global non-communicable disease crisis.11 A reduction in population salt intake will have major beneficial effects on health along with major cost savings in all countries around the world.[6], [12] and [13]http://www.actiononsalt.org.uk/news/Salt%20in%20the%20news/2011/58301.pdfhttp://ruhlman.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ajh2011115a.pdf"This paper is a Position Statement from an ‘ad hoc’ Scientific Review Subcommittee of the PAHO/WHO Regional Expert Group on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention through Dietary Salt Reduction. It is produced in response to requests from representatives of countries of the Pan-American Region of WHO needing clarification on two recent publications casting doubts on the appropriateness of population wide policies to reduce salt intake for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The paper provides a brief background, a critical appraisal of the recent reports and explanations as why the implications have been misinterpreted. The paper concludes that the benefits of salt reduction are clear and consistent, and reinforces the recommendations outlined by PAHO/WHO and other organizations worldwide for a population reduction in salt intake to prevent strokes, heart attacks and other cardiovascular events.Strong and consistent evidence shows that a diet high in salt is harmful to health and that reducing its intake is among the most cost effective possible means to reduce disease risk [1e5]. Excess dietary salt causes an increase in blood pressure, the leading risk for premature death in the developed and developing world. In addition, a high dietary salt intake is strongly associated with stroke and cardiovascular outcomes [6], gastric cancer, loss of calcium in urine and the ensuing risks of calcium-containing kidney stones and osteoporosis [7]. There are also strong associations and a pathophysiological basis for high dietary sodium intake to contribute to obesity [8].Recently two highly publicized reports have been used by public and scientific media to suggest that high dietary sodium intake does not adversely affect health [9,10]. The critical appraisal that follows seeks to put these studies in the broader scientific and methodological context, and shows that these studies do not form a rational basis upon which to make changes to existing public health efforts to reduce population dietary salt intake.The background to these studies is fifty years of intensive animal and human research that has seen a vast array of studies conducted on dietary sodium intake and health [1e5]. The human research program has been particularly extensive including migration studies, cross sectional studies, cohort studies, randomized trials and meta-analyses and has involved hundreds of thousands of individuals. Like most research programs it is comprised of pieces of work of varying quality and significance and the interpretation of any one project requires careful consideration of both its indi- vidual strengths and weaknesses and the broader scientific context. When taken overall, the message is very clear e salt causes high blood pressure and vascular disease. This consensus is widely accepted by national and international governmental, scientific and health organizations.Discovering truth in science is dependent upon two key aspects of research design e precision and validity. Preci- sion describes the capacity of a piece of work to determine exactly what is going on by controlling for random errors (the play of chance) and mostly it relates to the size of the studies done. Small projects provide poor precision and are at high risk of turning up findings just by chance, or missing real effects because the study was unlucky. Even then science compromises because to be absolutely precise is usually impractical. So we settle on the notion that ‘truth’ is defined by studies that have a 90% chance of picking up a real effect if it does exist (90% power) and only a one in 20 change of showing a chance positive finding that isn’t really there (p Z 0.05). It is very important to look at every study in this context and to interpret the reported findings in light of what the study was actually able to show.Validity describes a different concept, that of control- ling for systematic (or non-random) errors and truly understanding the cause and effect relationship. Con- founding of associations is a particular problem in nutri- tional epidemiology and has been a major cause of the debate in the salt field. Caution is required in interpreting the findings reported by cohort studies with very close examination of the mechanisms that the researchers have put in place to control for potential confounding factors and the extent to which these methods are likely to have been successful. In particular, if the observed effects in the observational data do not fit with what the results of the unconfounded randomized trials they need to be treated with extreme caution.Recently JAMA published an article by Stolarz-Skrzypek and colleagues [10]. This cohort study examined urinary sodium excretion in relation to hypertension and fatal and non-fatal outcomes and concluded that low sodium diets increased cardiovascular disease and should not be rec- ommended on a population basis. The key problem with this trial is residual confounding. The data from the Stolarz- Skrzypek’s study show that the group consuming low salt diets were very different from the group consuming high salt in many more ways than just their level of salt consumption. They had higher levels of many known risks for CVD that would be expected to result in a poor outcome regardless of their salt intake e the lowest educational attainment, higher baseline systolic blood pressure, older age and higher total cholesterol. While the investigators sought to adjust for these confounders statistical models mostly fail to achieve full correction for such imbalances. The very large changes produced by statistical adjustment in this study are a cause for concern because this suggests that confounding was substantial and that under-correction may therefore also have been substantial. Similar imbal- ances were a feature of 2 previous cohort studies by Alderman and Cohen et al. and statistical adjustment in that case resulted in the conclusion of no significant rela- tionship between high dietary salt and adverse outcomes [11,12]. In the examples of Alderman and Cohen, the data was from a cohort derived from the NHANES in the United States, and notably two studies by different groups of investigators examining salt consumption using NHANES data refuted their findings, confirming high salt intake was associated with cardiovascular disease [13,14]. The lower sodium excretion group in the Stolarz- Skrzypek study also had lower urinary creatinine, urinary potassium, and urine volumes suggesting concurrent illness or non adherence to the collection of the full 24 h urine sample. In diverse research studies poor adherence, even to placebo, is a strong marker of bad outcomes [15,16]. The Stolarz-Skrzypek data are also unusual in that lower sodium intake is almost always also associated with a higher potassium intake and excretion because the main mecha- nism for reducing dietary sodium is to eat unprocessed foods that are high in potassium (such as vegetables and fruits) [17]. In addition to major concerns about validity, the study had very limited precision. The study population was young with a low cardiovascular disease event rate and the conclusions were based on just a small number of events. Statistical power was negligible and there is a very high risk of this being a spurious finding. When the study of Stolarz- Skrzypek is included in an updated meta analysis of all the prospective cohort studies addressing this question the overall finding is that high dietary sodium is associated with an increased incidence of stroke with a corresponding trend toward higher total cardiovascular events [18].The second, more recent report derives from the Cochrane Collaboration and examined the impact of high dietary salt consumption on death and disability in a meta analysis of randomized controlled trials [9]. The overview found no strong evidence that salt reduction through indi- vidual dietary advice reduced all-cause mortality or CVD morbidity in normotensive persons or hypertensive patients. The media have widely misreported the findings and a false sense of controversy has been broadcast, confusing the public on important health messages. The key issue here was the study power. The overview simply did not have large enough numbers of people studied, long enough trials or large enough reductions in dietary salt to adequately assess the question being addressed. The study also separated trials of people with normal blood pressure and those with high blood pressure further limiting the studies statistical power. Another major limitation of this study is their decision to truncate follow-up in the TOHP studies to just the trial period [19]. Extended follow-up documented a significant reduction in cardiovascular events over the long-term (not evident in the trial phase alone) [19]. In contrast to the media reports, the Cochrane meta analysis results were absolutely consistent with large reductions in death and disability from lower salt diets with clear effects of salt reduction on blood pressure that were exactly in line with what would have been anticipated.A further limitation of the Cochrane overview was the decision to include a trial done in people with severe heart failure on very high doses of diuretic. This is an inappro- priate group in which to study the effects of salt reduction, since the high doses of diuretic will have left many already substantially salt depleted. The adverse findings in this study are therefore not entirely unsurprising and the small size of the study also makes the findings prone to the play of chance. Interestingly, repeating the Cochrane meta analysis and combining the studies of people with normal and high blood pressure together results in an overall estimate of effect showing a substantive reduction in cardiovascular events [20].Perhaps as important as the science which over- whelmingly supports the health and economic benefits of reducing dietary salt is the media attention and controversy it has generated. Many headlines have been generated that confuse the public and health care professionals. The new studies should not deter efforts to reduce dietary salt and do not change our understanding, regarding the adverse impact of salt on health. In conclusion, the benefits of salt reduction are clear and consistent, the recent studies do not indicate that salt does not affect hypertension or CVD, their publication does not change the priorities outlined by PAHO/WHO and worldwide for a population reduction in salt intake to prevent heart attacks and strokes." www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/med/staff/cappuccio/publications/nmcd_2011_salt_position.pdfThanks for providing these comment papers criticizing the methodology utilized in the Cochrane meta-analysis. However, I am not convinced that combining the populations of normal blood pressure patients with high blood pressure patients is a more valid methodology. In which case, the authors of the comment agree that there was no statistically significant reduction in mortality rates or cardiovascular events. What is the basis for the assumption that aggregating data from populations with very different blood pressure levels is more valid than the methodology of separating the studies of these two disparate groups adopted by the Cochrane meta-analysis?I also find it particularly interesting that with respect to increases in cardiovascular disease and mortality rates that decreases in the sodium consumption of the normal blood pressure individuals apparently resulted in a greater reduction in cardiovascular events and mortality rates than reductions in the sodium consumption of high blood pressure individuals. One would assume that the opposite result would be true if sodium intake was a significant causal factor. Unfortunately, there is no discussion in the comments regarding this rather peculiar discrepancy.Finally, no one apparently disputes the fact that there is not a sufficient population sample size (which would require a population size of approximately 25,000 individuals) to make any definitive conclusions regarding reduction of sodium intake and improvement in mortality rates or reduction of cardiovascular events.I would also be interested in hearing Greger’s response to the findings of the recent study entitled Normal range of human dietary sodium intake: a perspective based on 24-hour urinary sodium excretion worldwide authored by the researchers at UC Davis.Finally, there are the conclusions from the study entitled Dietary Sodium Intake and Cardiovascular Mortality: Controversy Resolved? which indicates that a sodium intake significantly above or below a range of sodium intake results in increased cardiovascular events:Sodium intakes above and below the range of 2.5–6.0 g/day are associated with increased cardiovascular risk.If anything, the evidence to date would seem to indicate that recommending a low sodium diet could result in greater cardiovascular events and is, therefore, unwarranted.My question about salt is about quality! now im on a whole foods, vegan diet, my diet has very little added ‘table salt’. There lies my question! when cooking i use Himalayan pink salt, and i mean logically, your cells need sodium to function, so ?I would conclude, bad salt bad, good salt good!?Nobody mentions the difference between table salt (refined and causing mineral imbalance) and sea salt or himalayan pink salt rich in various minerals. I think they are completely different and I agree table salt is bad, but I think real salt may be beneficial.DesLivresALire: I haven’t researched topic this lately, but the last time I did research it, I learned that the “real” salt as you call it, has only trace minerals that we can easily get and in more quantity from other sources. And when all is said an done, it’s still concentrated salt. I didn’t find any sources I would consider credible who thought that “real” salt was any different health-wise than typical white table salt.I’m not an authorative person for this topic. I just thought I would share my take on it. Maybe someone more knowledgable can jump in.Thanks Thea! I am more and more interested in holistic nutrition and so, as a general rule, whole is always best than refined. And the percentage of nutrients removed is less important than the fact of removing them. White rice or brown rice are both mostly rice, but they act totally differently in the body. Why should salt be different? If only white rice was ever studied, the conclusion would have been that rice was unhealthy. And for salt, I wonder if this is what happened. Maybe the studied table salt is bad and the understudied sea salt is beneficial.DesLivresALire: This is a fun discussion. Thanks for your nice reply.To continue the discussion: I agree with you in the larger principles, but I disagree with you in the details for this case.The rice example is a perfect one. In the case of white rice, we know it is bad for you because we know that *significant*, important nutrients are removed. We know the fiber and minerals in whole rice add significantly to health. And we know that when you remove these important pieces of the plant, what is left might be affecting our blood sugar levels in a way that is not so healthy. In the case of refined salt, we know that we are taking out miniscule amounts of minerals which are not known to have any special health benefit. So, there is every reason to believe that salt is different than rice when it comes to refining.I like your general principle of, “I am more and more interested in holistic nutrition and so, as a general rule, whole is always best than refined.” Agreed. However, to me, that statement means that getting our salt from whole plants, as Toxins suggests, is the way to go. Salt, whether sea salt or otherwise, is not really a natural food in my book. How many animals die off from lack of concentrated salt? Sea salt is just concentrated salt with a few trace minerals that we can easily get other ways.If, for the sake of argument, your theory is correct that we *need* some kind of concentrated salt in our diet (ie, assume that we can’t get enough salt from whole plant foods) to supplement what we get from plant foods, then what we would need is the sodium chloride part of the salt. I am not aware of any theory or evidence to suggest that people who get necessary salt from sea salt are better off/healthier than people who get necessary salt from refined salt.That’s just my take on it.I agree with you Thea. It would be better to get enough sodium from plants, but I checked some of them and they range at about 1% of the RDA (25 mg) and even as a vegan, I am not eating 50 or 100 veggies a day. Plants can’t make sodium and it has to come from the soil. So, I assume that produces cultivated on lands previously covered by the ocean are high in sodium but not all are equal.For the rice, we know that we removed important nutrients … and so, we created a unhealthy rice. And getting the missing fibers, the vitamins and minerals from other sources won’t make white rice as healthy than brown rice. So, applying the same principle with salt, I don’t think we can conclude that we don’t need the trace minerals from it because we can get them from another food.I don’t either know any study concluding than sea salt is better than table salt and that was my initial question: to know if there were scientific proofs about the potential need and/or benefits of unrefined salt.I hope you get your answer. :-) Good luck.Many people assume because they are eating sea salt, they are eating healthier. In actuality, sodium chloride has the same effect on our body whether it be from the sea or from the land. We should strive to keep our sodium intake between 1200-1500 milligrams a day or less and we can get by without any added salt as salt occurs naturally in food. The estimated minimum required amount to maintain good health is said to be about 115 mgs per day by the National Academy of Sciences. Sea salt proponents claim that sea salt contains minerals in it. Lets look at the actual mineral content as Jeff Novick has shared.1 tsp of Sea Salt contains12 mgs of calcium7 mgs of potassium27 mgs of magnesiumThe recommended daily values of these nutrients are600 mgs of calcium4700 mgs of potassium400 mgs of magnesiumSo to get just 25% of this daily value, we would need to eatCalcium, we would need to take in 24,600 mgs of sodiumPotassium, we would need to take in 335,000 mgs of sodiumMagnesium, we would need to take in 7,407 mgs of sodiumConsuming sodium in these amounts is extremely unhealthy and most likely toxic.Now looking at iodized table salt, i personally prefer iodized over sea salt because Iodine is a somewhat rare mineral which is why salt is iodized to begin with. It is rarely found in the plant world and animal world. 500 mg of iodized salt would achieve our daily value for iodine from salt alone.Thanks ToxinsOf course I was not talking about getting the RDA of every mineral from salt. They are plenty of wonderful plants for that.But the fact is that we loose sodium everyday, and by working on a hot day, we can lose more than 15 g of salt a day ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2267797/ ). So, a minimum amount of 115 mg a day seems very little to me. And as the best way to get sodium seems to be salt, I think it is essential to get salt. And of course I know table salt is unhealthy. But is it also the case of sea salt?I mean, the other minerals may account for 2% of the salt content but it doesn’t mean they are useless. If you give someone a car without the keys, we are in the same scenario, he gets 99.9% of the car but can’t do anything good with it.And as far as now, every study I saw says the same thing as you said: the sodium content is the same so the effects are the same. But I’m not satisfied by that answer because they never consider the food as a whole but only isolated elements. And the question is not about eating isolated sodium, but whole salt.PS: I get my iodine from see vegetables.I know you are trying to apply the wholistic approach to this, but salt is salt. It is not a “whole food”, it is by definition a mineral. It is difficult to apply the wholistic approach when we are looking at something so simple. Your previous example of brown rice to white rice is not comparable because there are hundreds of phytonutrients at play with these 2 foods. Where as salt does not provide anything…but salt. And of course the miniscule trace minerals found in sea salt that overall have no effect on the quality of the diet.Of course you would need more salt if working outside in the summers heat, but your body adapts to release less sodium on a lower sodium diet.I found my answer in the book Raw Food Controversies: Salts are all about the same and it is not required to add salt in a raw diet (and probably in other diets as well).Toxins: Thanks for this reply. I personally found it helpful.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?db=pubmed&cmd=search&term=The+importance+of+population-wide+sodium+reduction+as+a+means+to+prevent+cardiovascular+disease+and+stroke%3A+A+call+to+action+from+the+American+Heart+Association%22,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?db=pubmed&cmd=search&term=Graudal+American+Journal+of+Hypertension,
PLAIN-434	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-do-you-explain-never-getting-samonella-from-eating-raw-cake-batter/	How do you explain never getting Salmonella from eating raw cake batter?	When I was growing up, I ate raw cake batter and I never got sick from Salmonella. How do you explain that? berensen75 / Originally posted on Total recall Egg-borne Salmonella is relatively new disease. Our grandparents could drink eggnog and eat raw cookie dough without fear of joining the more than a thousand Americans who now die every year from Salmonella poisoning. Before the industrial intensification of egg production, Salmonella Enteritidis was not even found in eggs in the United States. By the beginning of the 21st century, however, Salmonella Enteritidis-contaminated eggs were sickening an estimated 182,000 Americans annually. Factory farming practices such as forced starvation molting, feeding live hens “spent hen meal,” and overcrowding hens into barren “battery” cages so small they can’t even spread their wings have contributed to the epidemic of egg-borne Salmonella poisoning. In fact, just today a story broke on Good Morning America about Sparboe Farms, our country’s fifth largest egg producer and supplier (until today) for McDonald’s Egg McMuffins. An undercover investigation found what the FDA noted were serious violations of federal Salmonella regulations. See my other Factory Farming Practices videos for more on the subject. 	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11358718,
PLAIN-435	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-history-of-handwashing-and-the-spread-of-disease/	What about Semmelweis and medicine's shameful handwashing history?	Another one: The fact that cleaning your hands would prevent the spread of disease was ignored and ridiculed for about 50 years… Jan-Kristian Markiewicz / Originally posted on The Tomato Effect Oh that’s a great Tomato Effect example! Everyone should know about Ignaz Phillip Semmelweis. Quoting from the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine: “Many men have been endowed with clear intellects and hearts full of love for their fellow men, with the enthusiasm of humanity, and they have been enabled to achieve some signal service for the human race in their day and generation; but in the whole history of medicine there is only one Semmelweis in the magnitude of his services to Mankind, and in the depths of his sufferings from contemporary jealous stupidity and ingratitude.” Let me set the scene: The year was 1846. The place, Viennese General Hospital, the largest of its kind in the world. Semmelweis gets a job as obstetrical assistant. He notices that three times as many women are dying at the hands of the medical students than at the hands of the midwifery students from puerperal fever, commonly known at the time as, “the black death of the childbed.” Semmelweis describes: “In the medical school division the mortality from puerperal fever was so terrifying that this division became notorious….There were heart-rending scenes when [pregnant] patients knelt down, wringing their hands, to beg for a transfer [to the midwifery division]….” Why the discrepancy? The food and ventilation was the same in both divisions. If anything, surgical skill was better in the medical school and overcrowding less. The idea at the time was that the excess mortality was due to the emotional strain of being examined by male students, since the midwives were all female. So the elders of the Medical School met in council and proceeded to exclude the foreign students from the hospital on the ground that they were, “rougher in their examination than the Viennese.” Death rates didn’t change. Before Lister, before Pasteur, Semmelweis made the connection between the autopsies the medical students were doing and the “examining finger which introduces the cadaveric particles.” In May 1847 he required every medical student to wash his hands with a chlorine solution before making an examination and the death rate plummeted. For the first time in the history of the Vienna Hospital, the mortality rate at the medical school fell below that of the school of midwives. Knighted, no doubt, for the discovery of the century? Hardly. Historians believe his doctrine was unpalatable to colleagues since it implied that the obstetricians were the cause of death. He shared this knowledge with his superiors. From the Proceedings: “The suggestion was unheard of! Indeed, it was sheer impertinence to suggest that the Accoucheur to the Imperial household should carry contagion upon his hands.” Semmelweis was summarily dismissed. So he lectured, he wrote papers; he continued to be ridiculed. Doctors regarded antisepsis as a poor joke. His successor in Vienna publicly stated that the doctrine was “discredited and universally rejected.” Semmelweis wrote a book, The Cause, Nature, and Prevention of Puerperal Fever, expecting it to save thousands of lives, but it was ignored. So he turned from academics to polemics. He started to publish open letters to midwifery professors: “Your teaching… is based on the dead bodies of… women slaughtered through ignorance. If… you continue to teach your students and midwives that puerperal fever is an ordinary epidemic disease, I proclaim you before God and the world to be an assassin….” By the summer of 1865 he had taken to the streets of Budapest thrusting circulars into the hands of startled pedestrians: “The peril of childbed fever menaces your life! Beware of doctors for they will kill you…. Unless everything that touches you is washed with soap and water and then chlorine solution, you will die and your child with you!” Semmelweis, at the age of 47, the father of three young children, was committed to an insane asylum in Vienna. He attempted to escape, but was forcibly restrained by several guards, secured in a straight jacket, and confined in a darkened cell. The asylum guards beat him severely. Quoting from the Bulletin of the History of Medicine, “He was not in the asylum for long. Thirteen days after admission he was dead.” From the autopsy report: “It is obvious that these horrible injuries were… the consequences of brutal beating, tying down, trampling underfoot.” 	Shortly after Semmelweis’s death, Mahatma Gandhi was born who as an adult is quoted as saying “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”THANKS Dr. Greger for publishing that about Semmelweis. I was not aware of his story before you wrote that — and you’re right, EVERYONE ought to be taught about Semmelweis, because his story has so much to teach us about the tyranny of dogma. Semmelweis’ plight says a lot about the dangers of a “mob mentality” and the potential depravity of human nature (in all fields — not just in medicine). We are raised to believe the Pollyanna notions that “Good will always triumph over evil,” “Everything is God’s will,” and “people get what they deserve” (“you reap what you sow”), but Semmeweis’ life is a cautionary tale — more proof that all too often, good people are forced to suffer cruelty and injustice and persecution. (“No good deed goes unpunished.”) Like you said, he should have been knighted for his efforts, but instead he was ridiculed and shunned. I kept waiting for the Hollywood ending, when you would tell us that he was finally vindicated and praised — but instead the father of three was beaten to death. So sad. That could not have been “God’s will” — men were to blame for that. More proof that we cannot just leave it to God or the Cosmos to “right the wrongs” — more proof that we have to make an effort to fight injustice. I wish I could say THANKS to Dr. Semmelweis — but at least I can thank Dr. Greger for shining a light on his story in 2013.Perhaps we need look at it from a less Western-centric viewpoint. Semmelweis, Ghandi and the woman who is scrubbing your floors, and you, are merely repeat incarnations, pushing us all to greater enlightenment. There will always be evil. Begin with your own mind….and continue to push towards ‘the light’ ‘the truth’ ‘the ultimate’ and just laugh when you are beaten, betrayed and maligned, for truly in the so-called “real” world of materialism, the poor, beaten, betrayed and maligned are the kings. The poor truly shall inherit the earth.I suspect there was a lot more going on. In that era it was the social order and hierarchy was held to be the highest good, I imagine that anyone that stepped out of line like this was apt to be pushed back into place, and suggesting to others’ they’ve been killing people would not only threaten their own social standing and their pride but also make you a pariah. This is more about powerful cultural forces than dogma.I shall bring this up next time someone is explaining how religion repressed Galileo and the way forward was the new ‘enlightened’ world of science. I guess it’s not that simple.Psalms 94. 8.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7613067,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9739981,
PLAIN-436	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/bringing-the-fun-back-into-my-medical-practice/	How can we reach out to doctors with this life-saving information?	Last week I got a yearly visit from a 40 year old patient who had had ulcerative colitis for 20 years. I told him to stop dairy and read your 2001 paper. He thanked me for his colitis stopped forthwith and since he cut all dairy. In chapter 1 of The China Study the ‘error’ with alpha F protein in Philippino kids and the reproduction in rat studies, I interpret as “Cancer cells need animal protein to grow”. If you stop it, they shrink. OK I am not a scientist but I proposed this to 7 advanced cancer patients, 2 of whom were in “palliative stage”.  All 6 are doing VERY WELL, the oncologists do not understand it. I tell them “plant based diet, no cheating”. It has worked for now, and I am flabbergasted. For the record, I got about 4 hours of nutrition in medical school, a whole semester in pharmacology, and 8 lectures on surgery of thyroid cancer. This was 1963-1967. I stopped smoking in 1988, stopped meat and dairy in 2005 (your influence Sir), I do not worry about the future. I hope to live to 80 but take one day at a time. Thank you for bringing the fun back into my medical practice. duchaspa / Originally posted on Slowing the Growth of Cancer I’m so glad you wrote in–you’ve certainly made my day! As much as I love lecturing to medical students and the general public (largely via Rotary), my most fulfilling presentations are grand rounds in hospitals for clinicians. My goal is to reignite that spark we all had when we started medical school to help people, to cure people, to make people better. As you know, too much in medicine these days is just palliation, just covering up symptoms and slowing their downward spiral into disease and disability. When I start going through the case series showing that many of the chronic diseases that make up the bulk of their practices can be reversed, that people can be restored to health, you can see their faces light up. There are powerful tools at their disposal that no one ever taught them about. Please let me know if there is ever anything I can do to help further. In terms of some of your individual points, the latest review on the theory that a farm animal pathogen in meat and dairy may be triggering inflammatory bowel disease is worth the read: Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease: is Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis the common villain? If indeed these diseases are related to diet, then the good news the review concludes with is that “We can end the public health tragedy of Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis, in our lifetimes.” Meanwhile, check out my video Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease. And I continue to be as excited as you at the possibility that certain cancers can be stopped and reversed through diet as well. I’ll keep bringing everyone the latest, building off of the preliminary results presented here in Cancer reversal through diet? I now have a series on the Pritikin experiments that I think you’ll appreciate: 	As a medical student I am already now getting frustrated with the ignorance of diet that most doctors and med-schools present. I was wondering if you have any suggestions as to where can I learn about diet and health once I have graduated.I am currently getting more and more interested in Functional Medicine. Do you have an opinion on this branch of medicine?You could try the PCRM. I think they have continuing education courses focused on nutrition. If not, they will know who does. So glad that you are entering the field of medicine with your eyes open!dr. greger sometimes when i read your articles i am OVERCOME with a feeling i can only identify as love! i love the work you do and i think you must be an amazing man! thank you so much for all of your time and passion. tina stamatakisAh, thank you for your kind words.So glad I can help!In health, MichaelDear Dr. Greger, thank you so much for your good work. I want you to know I’m all on board with your approach. One thing re scientific studies though: What’s the final word?One side says, low carb, high animal proteins and fats, and here are the studies. The other side: Low fat, high carb, and here are MY studies, yours are bad. First side: no, YOUR studies are bad.Well how to get rid of this confusion, once and for all? What’s the final word? Clinical data-wise.Thanks again,Mark	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/	-
PLAIN-437	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-are-the-benefits-of-diet-in-juvenile-arthritis/	What are the benefits of diet in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis?	Why there is no research about drugs vs diet among the arthritic children. Is it because they are the best silent golden goose in the history of the disease? Methotrexate facilitators pronounce to us a life sentence of pain and deformation and say that diet has no meaning in curing this ailment. What segment of society is more vulnerable to such a threat if not that of little girls and their frightened mothers?… Is being an immigrant even better an opportunity to the health care providers to say that we have no other choice but DNA altering drug? Lucyna Jacobs / Originally posted on Diet and Rheumatoid Arthritis Thank you for sharing your story, Lucyna. Methotrexate is indeed a pretty harsh drug, but as you know better than most, juvenile arthritis can be a pretty harsh disease. Though typically reserved as a second-line treatment for those who don’t respond to less toxic drugs, methotrexate may be prescribed right up front if there is serious multiple joint involvement. In both these cases the benefits are expected to outweigh the risks. The nice thing about healthy dietary interventions is that there are no risks–just benefits–and perhaps particularly in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis patients, who tend to suffer from inadequate nutrition. So it’s not either/or. Hopefully you can find a physician who respects your family enough to talk to you about improving your daughter’s diet in addition to other medical interventions they have in mind. Three of the first things I would suggest is cutting out dairy (as there is a report in the medical literature of complete remission of the disease “after the elimination of all cow’s milk protein from her diet.”), eliminating meat (see my blog post How Does Meat Cause Inflammation?), and a gluten-free trial, since (rarely) celiac disease can manifest with strictly joint symptoms (but if that doesn’t help I’d add gluten-containing foods back–see Update on Gluten). 	I would like to ask about arthritis later in 20’s. My mother was diagnosed about 3 years ago with osteoarthritis that she suspects she had for a long time, doctors said it was due to joint hyper-mobility. I have had some similar pains to hers in the last few years, mostly in my hips, shoulders and wrists. I would like to know if you can recommend anything to slow its progression over time and an approach toward doctors to get them to take me seriously. One GP I visited told me it was normal to have some pain and if you have it genetically from your mother there is nothing that can be done and I got no offer of doing tests or monitoring over time. My mother is 44 and I am 26 if that helps any, and I have also inherited IBS and ‘nervous stomach’ (as a GP told me) from my mother as well as a number of other health issues that I think are of smaller concern than these.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10464568,
PLAIN-438	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-best-diet-for-kidney-stone-prevention/	What is the best diet for kidney stone prevention?	I just had a kidney stone and really don’t want to have another one. I looked online and there are conflicting things about what I should eat to prevent a recurrence. What is the best diet? vetstud / Originally posted on Oxalates in cinnamon I’m going to assume you have what’s called idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis (but if you can actually catch a stone and have it analyzed, your physician can make more specific recommendations). ICN–the formation of calcium oxalate stones (sometimes mixed with calcium phosphate)–accounts for about 80% of cases (though you should see your physician to rule out a variety of hereditary and acquired diseases that can cause those in the 20%). The most important thing folks with ICN can do is drink lots of water, at least 2 liters a day, to dilute the concentration of calcium, oxalate, and uric acid in your urine to decrease the likelihood of stone formation and flush away seeding crystals. Water’s probably the best, but if you are going to drink other liquids, OJ is preferable to grapefruit juice, apple juice, and tea. In terms of food, according to the latest review on the subject, the most important thing is to reduce meat consumption (vegetarians may have only half the kidney stone risk). The reasons given why animal proteins are bad is because of hypercalciuria, hyperoxaluria, hyperuricosuria, hypocitraturia, and the acidification of the urine. You should also cut down on salt, and the more fruits and vegetables the better–they tend to have a high water, potassium, and magnesium content; a low sodium chloride content; and a high urine alkalinization power because of the presence of bicarbonate and citrate. I would warn against megadosing with vitamin C (as you’ll see across the internet) as this may exacerbate stone formation. How else can we keep our kidneys healthy? See my videos Preventing Kidney Failure Through Diet and Treating Kidney Failure Through Diet (both summarized in my blog post Preventing and Treating Kidney Failure With Diet). 	Hello Dr. Greger,I have attendees at cooking classes that have kidney stones from uric acid. They are told not to eat foods high in purines and also beans and greens with oxalates and yet they can still eat animal products. What do you recommend? Thanks for your help and inspiration.These 2 videos may assist youhttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/I’m glad you asked this question, because I just found this blog article which I hope is not true. :-( http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/how-green-smoothies-can-devastate-your-health/I have a six year old niece who has hereditary calcium kidney stones. She was told not to eat strawberries or spinach. No mention of fat or meat. Is this the correct solution?Strawberries and spinach are indeed high oxalate foods so someone who has severe kidney issues should be cautious of these foods as well as other high oxalate foods such as chocolate. I would think that reducing overall animal product intake would help create a positive calcium balance as a higher protein, high sodium diet can cause excess excreted calcium.Calcium needs for humans are not as high as the DRI may recommend, and if we consumed a low sodium diet low in animal protein, our calcium needs can be as low as 450 mg per day as discussed more extensively in this article from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. As represented in the figure below, and citing from the article “In a western-style diet, absorbed calcium matches urinary and skin calcium at an intake of 840 mg as in Figure 14. Reducing animal protein intakes by 40 g reduces the intercept [calcium balance] value and requirement to 600 mg. Reducing both sodium and protein reduces the intercept value to 450 mg.”http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y2809E/y2809e0h.htm#bm17According to the Trying Low Oxalates group, 1/2 cup of strawberries are considered low ox. This group has the most current, comprehensive list of foods and their oxalates. It’s free to join and well worth it to get the lsit of over 1600 foods. http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Trying_Low_Oxalates/infoThis is interesting to me. I have had kidney stones since I was about 10 I think. I did not know that’s what it was till I was 18, I had only had a couple when I was younger than that and we thought that it was just bad gas. Doctors did not check to see that there was any blood in my urine before I was 18.Now that I am nearly 40, I have passed more than 40 kidney stones. I actually stopped counting after 30. I have a medicine jar with some in it just to shake and look at, and yes, they continue to grow in that jar. Most recently I found that I had some very large ones back in 2011 and in march of that year I had lithotripsy (blasted them) to get rid of the larger ones. As far as I know I am stone free now for 2 years. I have switched to a vegetarian (aspiring vegan) diet and have not had more.Its important to note that prior to that I had eaten a lot of meat. Loved eating jerky products. Lots of bbq, as well as lots of cheese products. getting to the point… I think that high protein in your diet causes kidney stones. Why, well I thought that I had read or heard that excess protein in your body cannot be absorbed. I don’t know all the science behind it but what I did understand was what I read or heard that followed. Excess protein has to exit your body through your urine, and also needs calcium to do so. I thought… what? Calcium? But that is what the stones are made of… there has to be a link there that is not being directly drawn.Well, its been 2 years now and I have not had a kidney stone. Usually I have at least one every year. To me, that is proof that what the doctors told me was not spot on and that they don’t understand the problem well enough yet.Something else that concerns me… protein is being put in everything, people are being duped into thinking that they need more protein. When I tell people that I am a vegetarian (and try not to eat dairy as well) the first thing I am asked is how I will get enough protein. I think that its simply a crime and is going to cause more problem and more people to experience the pain I have been having for nearly 30 years. Stay away from excess protein! I doubt that the average Joe needs to drink a protein shake. If your a body builder and your using it, that’s different!I also think that its important to note that I was told all sorts of things over the years to help prevent stones. Drink lots of water, don’t drink caffeine, don’t drink milk, eat less dairy. But no one ever told me to eat less protein, NO ONE, I had to figure that out for myself. I know that 2 years is not a lot of time, but its twice as long as I have gone without a stone since the age of 18.I would like to know if there has been a study on this, I think that it would be a good one.There is so much conflicting information about what you can/cannot eat if you are dealing with kidney stones. I consistently test deficient for Vitamin D, but some articles indicate that Vitamin D contributes to stone formation (in the diet, as well as too much sun). I am now also worried about eating kale and spinach. It would be helpful to know once and for all what “fruits and vegetables” are “harmless” to consume when kidney stones are a concern. It seems like spinach and kale would have to be avoided, along with beets and perhaps many other plant-based foods. As a gluten-free vegan, I am running out of things to eat. Help!Dear Dr. Greger,I passed two kidney stones since I became a vegan about a year ago. The second one, which I know was a calcium oxalate stone, came about 4.5 months ago. I’d been drinking 200 ml of Ca-fortified soy milk every morning prior to that second incident, which I stopped immediately afterwards, assuming that that was the cause of my problem. However, I have reason to suspect more stones may be on the way now (although I think it may just be a case of stones loosening up now that were already there 4.5 months ago).In any event, after reading the info at http://www.busy-vegan.com/Calcium-Oxalate-Kidney-Stones.html, I became somewhat confused about what constitutes a balanced Ca diet for vegans like myself who are prone to kidney stones. (Please let me know if there’s anything on this website you strongly disagree with.) The website makes a distinction between digestible and indigestible Ca. But I can’t decide what’s good for me because I don’t know which foods and supplements contain digestible Ca and which foods and supplements contain indigestible Ca. Moreover, some of the foods listed as Ca-rich foods on the internet appear to also be rich in oxalate, which I’m supposed to be avoiding!Solgar has calcium citrate tablets that contain 250 mg Ca per tablet. The strategy I have in mind right now is to take one of these tablets with any meal that I fear may contain too much oxalate, never (or at least rarely) exceeding one tablet per day. Is that a sensible plan? Of course, it’s difficult for me to know (a) how much oxalate I’m consuming, and (b) how much is too much. So, to be on the safe side, should I just take one of these Solgar tablets every day for the rest of my life or would you say that even 250 mg of calcium citrate per day might be too much (or simply unnecessary)?Last but not least, I’d appreciate it if you would point me to reliable online info on the Ca and oxalate contents of various foods.It would be worthy if i mention the ideas of Hippocrates here. 1. Before 2000+ years itself he has mentioned that water is the best medicine for stones. 2. According to him “food is the medicine”. It is 100% true that instead of taking tablets/medicines, one must prefer to take healthy foods which cure the disease.For any health issue, optimizing diet is the best remedy.From Arun KumarVisit us at http://www.passthekidneystone.comtraditionally, water-melon does more than preventing formation of kidney stones. after being sliced into 2 and left overnight in the open, it helps to break up gall bladder stones. of course, it has to be consumed daily for at least 2 weeks…Your description conjured up the image of a magical watermelon, which if split open will sit in the dark of my kitchen through the night, breaking up the gall bladder stones of everyone within a mile radius.I need a list of foods that I can eat an abundance of without getting kidney stones.As mentioned in Dr. Greger’s post above it depends on the type of stone(s) you have or are trying to prevent. The best advice is to start with plant based diet and 2 liters or 2 quarts of water intake per day. Beyond that as many of the above posts point out there are specific foods that can be considered to avoid depending on the type of stone.What is the best diet to prevent any illness or disease? Answer – veganism. Why in the world would anyone listen to this guy?We listen to him because his recommendations are based on the most up to date scientific research.I have had over 40 kidney stones in my life at a rate of once a year on the average. I recently had parathyroid surgery, recommended by my endocrinologist, due to high calcium. This surgery is supposed to reduce or completely eliminate kidney stones, yet I had two stones in 6 days this month, Dec 2014, and this six months after surgery. When I was young, milk products caused my stones. I do not know what to eat now. No berries or nuts that are heart healthy? No red meat or leafy greens? Maybe I will just use Ensure and get my chocolate there.A friend who in on a paleo type diet said that rubarb, kale, and spinach can cause kidney stones. Is that true?Sorry Dr. Greger! I think you are misrepresenting the truth when you say that meat consumption leads to kidney stones when the highest oxalate levels are to be found in fruits, veggies and grains!!! Big spinach salads? Green shakes full of greens?? These are the newest VEGAN trends. All have exceedingly high levels and should be consumed in moderation to avoid kidney stones – and pains in other places of the body where the crystals can form. If you google a list of high oxalate foods, animal products are no where to be found – they are safe foods. There is no one safe ‘diet’ for anyone – being a vegan poses risks, just as being an omnivore/carnivore does. Eating organic clean fruits and veggies in MODERATION and clean (grass fed/pastured) meats and eggs, wild fish in MODERATION where each individual takes responsibility for what goes into his or her body. Low- moderate carb, not too much protein, some healthy fats….too much of anything has a down side.Sorry Dr. Greger! I think you are misrepresenting the truth when you say that meat consumption leads to kidney stones when the highest oxalate levels are to be found in fruits, veggies and grains!!! Big spinach salads? Green shakes full of greens?? These are the newest VEGAN trends. All have exceedingly high levels and should be consumed in moderation to avoid kidney stones – and pains in other places of the body where the crystals can form. If you google a list of high oxalate foods, animal products are no where to be found – they are safe foods. There is no one safe ‘diet’ for anyone – being a vegan poses risks, just as being an omnivore/carnivore does. Eating organic clean fruits and veggies in MODERATION and clean (grass fed/pastured) meats and eggs, wild fish in MODERATION where each individual takes responsibility for what goes into his or her body. Low- moderate carb, not too much protein, some healthy fats….too much of anything has a down side.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7140784,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21798393,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12631089,
PLAIN-439	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-blood-type-diet-fact-or-fiction/	Is the Eat Right For Your Type (blood type) diet fact or fiction?	Some people I know tell me that because they are not a Blood Type A, they need to eat meat or dairy or whatever; and I know people who claim that they were vegan for blah blah years and they almost died, and felt so much better after they started eating the meat or dairy or whatever again. I don’t know what to say to them. Veguyan / Originally posted on Dietary guidelines: pushback from the sugar, salt, and meat industries I was just actually interviewed about D’Adamo’s Blood Type Diet astrology in the Chicago Tribune. Probably best summed up by a quote from a review published in the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association: “The theories of D’Adamo must be viewed as lacking a scientific basis and should not be taken seriously….[H]ad D’Adamo been practicing in Norway, his practice would have been a violation of the so-called quack law….[I]t is difficult not to see the whole thing as a crass fraud.” 	Can you provide some specifics about your opinion of Dr. D’Adamo’s blood type diet?All I know is that I lost 30 pounds by following it. I gave up chicken for turkey and more lamb and fish. I don’t eat corn and especially anything with high fructose corn syrup. I also don’t eat pork or peanuts. I used to have terrible problems with rectal itching that would sometimes drive me crazy and I’ve not had that since I started on the blood type diet. What I have found most amazing is how many people don’t know their blood type and it’s very difficult to get that information (which everyone should know) from a doctor. That’s one reason why I am so convinced that there’s something to this – the fact that the medical community makes it so difficult for the average person to find out what their blood type is. Think about how many industries would go under if disease could be greatly reduced by eating the foods that are perfect for your blood type. No more weight loss industry, no more exercise industry, no more Big Pharma providing pills after pills after pills.Have you thought about the possibility that you remedied your issues, and felt much better, not due to the blood type diet itself, but due to the fact you were eating healthier food in general? I have known a few people who went on the blood type diet, and did feel better! My aunt did this actually. Her diet before was terrible, lots of white bread products, processed food, and a random snack food diet. She went on the blood type diet, and stopped eating processed grains, and cut way down on junk food. She felt much better! So, is it because the blood type diet is true, or is it because she stopped eating terrible food in general? I am glad my aunt found inspiration for changing her lifestyle, but putting all your faith in a diet that can’t be proved by scientific fact could be dangerous in the future, or over a whole lifetime. I hope you stick around this site, because there are a ton of scientifically verified facts here.Could you tell me who wrote the above answer to the question about blood types? Does Dr. Greger stand behind that answer? Could you say more?Today, cognitive function… tomorrow diet! :-)Links found between blood type and risk of cognitive decline:http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-links-blood-cognitive-decline.html	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11242883,
PLAIN-440	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-do-you-dose-saffron/	What's the right dose of saffron?	30 mg transposes into about how many stigmas per day? eileenmcv / Originally posted on Saffron versus Aricept The typical dose used in the studies of saffron versus Alzheimer’s, versus PMS, and versus depression was indeed 30mg. Each flower yields 7mg dried saffron, and I think there are 3 stigmas per flower, so 30mg should be about 13 threads (which is typicallty how it’s sold in the store).  But even less may have a physiological effect (see Wake Up and Smell the Saffron). There’s also research on saffron and infertility, cancer,  obesity, and erectile dysfunction. I’ll be rolling out more videos evaluating the latest science on spices and so make sure you’re subscribed to my videos and stay tuned! 	I was able to find additional info on the uses, side effects, interactions and warnings of saffron use on Web MD.What an interesting and potent spice, indeed!so do you think it would be better to eat 13 threads of the saffron a day or take a 88.25 mg capsule? The capsule seems like it would be easier and cheaper, and I have recently bought a bottle of capsules. But I have been considering dividing the powder in the capsule and taking only 1/3 of what is in it per day. Any advice on that would be awesome! Also just for others who may consider taking saffron instead of prozac, this is my experience. I have been on and off prozac for 20 years. It helps my depression but I get “blah” and lazy with severe decrease in libido. And one of my side effects has been weight gain. It makes me want to just eat and eat and eat some more! So my doctor then put me on wellbutrin xl to combat those side effects, which did work, but then I got migraines and terrible muscle pains, which I then had to take migraine medicine for and have trigger point injections for the neck and back pain. So I have been off the prozac again for about 3 months, but recently got back to low place where I was desperate. I came across Dr. Greger’s youtube video 2 days ago. I immediately went to the health food store and purchased saffron capsules (still worried about the 88.25 mg dose being off from the 30 mg in the video). So far I have only taken them for 2 days and have not yet noticed an improvement in depression, but I hope to. What I did notice was no desire to overeat or cravings. AND so far there is no decrease in libido. AND I seemed to have a little more get up and move than normal. So I am hopeful.Did you have any side effects of feeling nervous or anxious??Hi Angie,Do you care to share any follow up on your experience with Saffron? And are you following the Greger/Fuhrman/or Ornish diets )%-50% to 100%?Angie… It’s been about one month since you posted this comment. Have you continued to take saffron? What do you think?The 30mg quoted in the Akhondzadeh S. et al. (2010) paper is NOT just dried saffron. Yes, they refer to 15mg per capsule, but in the preparation section of the article [please email me (hectoraceves1964@hotmail.com) if you need an actual copy for educational purposes] they indicate that this is an extract they are using; but do not indicate the extract ratio. However, they used 120 grams of dried stigmas to obtain their total (I guess) extract. The study lasted 16 weeks (112 days). There were 23 patients in the control arm, taking 30mg/day. So each person took 3,360 mg in the study, leading to a total of 77.28 grams of extract used (if my math is not wrong!). So to obtain the same amount of active ingredients as in the study, one should take about 50mg of dried saffron per day.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/06/natural-alzheimers-treatment/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20824894,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18790714,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20579522,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20520621,
PLAIN-441	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-apple-cider-vinegar-good-for-you/	Is apple cider vinegar good for you?	I have heard that apple cider vinegar which I know contains potassium, that is can also leach potassium, and can thus contribute to high blood pressure. Do you have any information about this? aeason / Originally posted on Is vinegar good for you? There are a baker’s dozen of articles in the medical literature on apple cider vinegar (as indexed by the National Library of Medicine), and indeed there is a case report “Hypokalemia, Hyperreninemia and Osteoporosis in a Patient Ingesting Large Amounts of Cider Vinegar” that does suggest ingestion may lead to potassium wasting. Acetic acid in vinegar is rapidly metabolized in the liver into bicarbonate, and potassium is used by the kidneys to excrete bicarbonate from the body. So chronic use of high doses could lead to problems–the woman described in the report was drinking more than a cup of vinegar a day! One would not expect any such problems as the doses described in the studies featured in the Is Vinegar Good For You? video (2 teaspoons with meals). I would, however, warn against apple cider vinegar pills. A study published in the Journal of the ADA of 8 such products found some “could be considered poisonous, as indicated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission….” 	The Flesh & Fructose video identified fructose as a culprit to gout attacks, but the discussion and reports only focused on added sugar. Can I expect a daily pure fruit smoothie, without added juice or sugar, to bring back my gout attacks?No way to predict. We in medicine know little about why gout attacks occur. We do know the higher the level of uric acid in the blood the more likely you are to have an attack. I have had patients with low uric acid levels have attacks and patients with high uric acid levels not have attacks. We have told patients to avoid meats for years but now should be cautious about consuming fructose. Fructose is found in all fruits along with glucose and sucrose( i.e. table sugar which is half fructose and half glucose). I would be cautious when consuming fruits. It is a little complex since some fruits contain more than others and the amount of glucose is a factor in whether the fructose is actually absorbed from the intestine. The best recommendation would be to try and keep the level of consumption consistent and if you get an attack cut back. Good luck.Dr. Forrester: I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before or not. But I wanted you to know how much your replies are appreciated. The information you provide people as a kindness is amazing. Thank you for making the world a better place – and doing it here on this site.I have trouble with my gallbladder even though i am on a plant based diet. It might be left over from my meat eating days. I read that apple cider vinegar is very good in the sense that it shrinks the stones?Is it true that those who regularly take acid reducing medications for GERD have low B-12 levels due to reduced absorption caused by the medication? If so, how do we increase our B-12 absorption?Vegetables and fruits contain potassium citrate, which is metabolized into bicarbonate in the body, thereby helping to prevent osteoporosis. Moreover, potassium bicarbonate supplements have been shown in numerous studies to prevent and reverse osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. This is well documented. So I don’t understand how bicarbonate, which helps to buffer an acidic diet, could be a risk factor for osteoporosis.I have bad acne, I read that it can help with acne if applied topically. Is this true?Try avoiding dairy and gluten for a couple weeks. See what happens!What about for your hair? Any word on it’s legitimacy as a conditioner replacement doc?The benefits of juice plus (whole raw fruits and vegetables) have over 32 gold standard studies to show it has major body long term benefits. It is the most widely researched product in the world and harvested in the U.S. The 25 fruits and vegetables (capsules or gummies) are specifically designed to protect designated organs. Gluten free, kosher, non GMO, organicDiane:You maybe interested in the following information NutritionFacts gives us about Juice Plus: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus%C2%AE-supplements/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus%C2%AE/Something to think about…is apple cider vineger can be taken by someone who has excessive iron in his body?	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=cider%5BAll%20Fields%5D%20AND%20%28%22acetic%20acid%22%5BMeSH%20Terms%5D%20OR%20%28%22acetic%22%5BAll%20Fields%5D%20AND%20%22acid%22%5BAll%20Fields%5D%29%20OR%20%22acetic%20acid%22%5BAll%20Fields%5D%20OR%20%22vinegar%22%5BAll%20Fields%5D%29%20AND%20%22humans%22%5BMeSH%20Terms%5D&cmd=DetailsSearch,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15983536,
PLAIN-442	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-best-journal-to-keep-up-with-the-latest-in-nutrition-research/	What is the best journal to keep up with the latest in nutrition research?	If you would recommend one journal for a busy biology student to read to keep up with the latest nutrition research, what would it be? Victor Van Epps / Originally posted on Nation’s diet in crisis My favorite journal is probably the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, but I strive to at least skim through every issue of most every English-language nutrition journal in the world (see my list here). The few you’ll note missing from my list are mostly industry journals (like New Horizons In Nutrition And Health, published by none other than The Butter Council), which are great for comic relief but don’t make my must-read list. 	Based on information from you, Dr. McDougal, Colin T Campbell, Dr. Ornish and Dr. Esseylstein, my blood lipids, weight and energy level have all moved in the right direction. Based on this and the fact that I am now retired, I want to persue an education in nutrition. Could your recommend at college to connect with. I live in Boise, Idaho and would like a on-line program.Link to list doesn’t work.The link works for me. Are you opening it in a new browser tab? I can try emailing it to you if you’d like.It works now, thank you.AJCN “fulfills its mission by fostering and enhancing research in animal and human nutrition”.Are there any journals that only use human research?Good question. I’ll check with Dr. Greger and try to get an answer for you. My feeling is there isn’t a nutrition journal restricted to human research, but the majority of the research itself might only use human subjects.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/	-
PLAIN-443	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-bpa-really-harmful-to-your-health/	Is the plastic chemical BPA really harmful to your health?	I wish you had links to the studies. My dad thinks the whole BPA issue is a hoax (and human-caused climate change, too, if you can believe it). But, he claims to be a scientist, so putting a few good studies in his hands would help. Oh, he also doesn’t think there is an obesity epidemic in America. HereHere / Originally posted on Which plastics are harmful? Not sure if there’s any talking sense to a climate skeptic, but there are more than 1,000 free scientific articles on bisphenol A accessible through PubMed Central (PMC). Unlike straight PubMed, PMC indexes only articles that are free and open to the public (2 million to date!). Probably the most interesting study published this year on the topic was “Most plastic products release estrogenic chemicals: a potential health problem that can be solved,” which found endocrine disrupting chemicals even in “BPA-free” plastics, based on the in-vitro effects on estrogen receptor-positive human breast cancer cells. In some cases, BPA-free products released even more chemicals having estrogenic effects than BPA-containing plastic products. The good news is that a new study found that one could dramatically reduce one’s exposure to these chemicals (both BPA and “penis-shrinking” pthalates) by choosing more fresh, unpackaged foods. There is, however, one non-canned fresh food item found BPA contaminated–see my video BPA Plastic and Male Sexual Dysfunction. 	Links to “Most plastic products release estrogenic chemicals: a potential health problem that can be solved” is broken. Correct link is http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222987/I love your website. At age 62 I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and went vegan shortly after reading The China Study. I lost weight effortlessly and was re-tested with a normal result. Your website has helped educate me on how to boost my energy and balance my vitamins and minerals. Thank you so much!!I’ve seen intimations, but no studies, that BPA is all over the place, such as in cash money and toilet paper. Any information on other products or surfaces with BPA?There are more of those estrogen chemicals in tofu and soy products. Over 6000 studies found zero effect on human health. More people died from eating organic vegetables. BPA has been in use for over 50 years and one of the most studied. There is no scientific basis for not using it. Plus whatever enters the body is completely excreted in 24 hours. It does not accumulate. There have been numerous studies on humans which showed no effects. German Society of Toxiology found no effects. The FDA has declared it safe, but its hard to cure “chemiphobia”.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=bisphenol%5BAll+Fields%5D&cmd=DetailsSearch,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/,
PLAIN-444	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/do-pine-needles-from-a-douglas-fir-or-redwood-provide-a-good-source-of-antioxidants/	Do pine needles from a Douglas Fir or redwood provide a good source of antioxidants?	I noticed that Pine Needles in a tea is a good antioxidant. I am wondering if needles from a Douglas Fir or redwood would have the same properties. I am Raw Vegan and always interested in the options. LynnCS / Originally posted on The Healthiest Vegetables Pine needles have so much vitamin C that pine needle tea has been used with great success historically as a cure for scurvy. On the other hand, there have been toxins found in the needles of some pines, so I would recommend sticking to more conventional dark green leafy leaves. If you want to be more adventurous, though, then the best resource I’m aware of is From Crabgrass Muffins to Pine Needle Tea by Linda Runyon. Ask for it in your local public library. 	I am sorry, but that didn’t actually answer the question.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17752698,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/467079,
PLAIN-445	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-can-i-access-medical-journal-articles-online/	How can I access medical journal articles online?	Is there any way you can provide a pdf link to the articles you are referencing? I would love to read the full article. Drew / Originally posted on Meat Hormones & Female Infertility Whenever available I always try to provide PDF links to the full-text of the papers in the Sources Cited section beneath each video. More and more journal publishers are joining the “open access” movement to provide unrestricted online access (check out this graph to see the trend). Since many studies are taxpayer-funded, it only makes sense that we should have access to the results, right? Unfortunately, there are some holdouts, journals that continue to charge readers exorbitant rates to view papers they publish. In this case, you’re left with a few options: I’m privileged to live biking distance from the National Library of Medicine and so have easy access to just about everything, but unfortunately it’s not legal for me to directly share copyright protected materials. Otherwise I would post all the papers on the site! 	Another hint… enroll as a part-time student at your local university. Most university libraries have electronic subscriptions to medical and research databases, or have “loan” programs by which you may view articles of interest for free.For example, Boise State University spends more than $125,000 in annual publication and database subscriptions. Even though I’m 52, I’ve enrolled as a student, giving me access to the databases at a fraction of the cost. For articles not covered (British Journals), I was able to place a request with the library. They then obtained copyright clearance, and in a few weeks I had a PDF of the article waiting for download!So smart! I best state schools in general should be pretty reasonable.Hello. Thank you for supporting the Open Access Movement. Another possibility is for people to request a copy through their local public library. They can obtain a document through Interlibrary Loan. There may be a fee for this, but generally it will be far less than the cost of paying for the article at the publisher’s website. Most public universities allow “walk-in” use of their public computers, and there are reference staff available to help you figure out how to find and view the article yourself. Usually it will be possible to print a copy (perhaps for a small copying or printing fee.) Some places may allow one to download a copy, so bring a thumb drive with you when you go.Please write your congressional representatives and request that they support open access to government (taxpayer)- funded research. Commercial publishers continually lobby Congress members very hard to rescind even the small amount of access we enjoy today.Here here!While the copyright legality for sharers is murky, http://scholar.google.com/ will often link to full-text copies in both medicine as well as related fields like food/nutrition without PubMed coverage.The public access situation for NIH-funded research has improved dramatically, as manuscript submissions to PubMed Central http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ has been a statuatory requirement since 2008, and as of spring 2013, the NIH has begun delaying continuing grants to researchers who don’t comply.how about PubMed?GreenMed Info reindexes PubMed for your search convenience -excellent.Research Articles on rhubarb nutrition?Your local public library probably has online access to full text for most of the journals you will want. I use the Hawaii Library System – just log onto their site with your library card (you need to get a password at the library), and then look for a link. Here it is called “Databases”, and you get access to among other things, Academic Search Premier, with abstracts for >8000 journals, and full text (PDF) for >4500. I also did this with the King County Library when I lived in Seattle. Libraries are amazing….What would be the best source to review medicines that have been tested on vegans? We are finding that our rarely needed prescription drugs are behaving differently for us with more side affects than desired.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-446	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-titanium-dioxide-harmful-as-a-food-additive/	Is titanium dioxide in Daiya cheese harmful as a food additive?	I can’t believe this preservative is still allowed on store shelves!!! I am glad I refused to buy products with this additive in it, but it sure is ubiquitous. I notice that the vegan cheese by Daiya has titanium dioxide in it, and I’m concerned about how that might act within the body or react with other foods. HereHere / Originally posted on  Is Sodium Benzoate Harmful? Great question! According to the World Health Organization’s IARC, there do not appear to be any problems associated with the consumption of titanium dioxide as a food additive. That said, there are a bunch of new studies out, which I’m currently reviewing, and will include a video on titanium dioxide in my 2013 batch. If you don’t want to miss it be sure to subscribe to my videos. 	At a meeting today on PCB’s it was said that when TiO2 is produced in a chlorination process, and that PCB’s are inadvertently produced. We know this is the case with certain yellow paint and ink pigments, but if this is true about TiO2, it would mean we are ingesting PCB’s in many foods we eat. Have you heard of this? Thanks, Mike Petersen, Spokane, WATitanium Dioxide is the same chemical used in making paints whiter. Knowing that is what it is used for, I choose to avoid it.And water is used to make paint runny… I don’t think there’s any need to fear something simply because they use it in something else. If these newer studies suggest that titanium dioxide is, in fact, harmful, then there will be a need to worry.@EP_2012:disqus Since this question was answered, Dr. Greger has looked at updated research on titanium dioxide. I’d recommend reading his blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/ and watching the related video on titanium dioxide and inflammatory bowel disease http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/ . Hope that’s helpful!Basically, “… there’s little evidence at this point suggesting they’re harmful” according to that blog post.Personally, I try to avoid any foods which contain these unnecessary additives, but the fear that “Substance A is in Bad Thing B, therefore Substance A is also bad” isn’t valid reasoning.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=titanium%20dioxide%20food,
PLAIN-447	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-wheatgrass-superior-to-any-other-green/	Is wheatgrass superior to any other green?	I am a fan of wheatgrass shots. Everything I have read about their benefit points to the high chlorophyll content. So I am wondering, is there any difference between wheatgrass and just plain dark leafy greens? If it is the chlorophyll that we are after, then why not just use dark leafy greens which are more readily available rather than go to the extra trouble of finding wheatgrass (although yes I understand dark leafy greens are good anyway) – but my question specifically is : Is there some added benefit or reason why wheatgrass would be superior to any other green? cuisinegourmet / Originally posted on the NutritionFacts.org Facebook page 	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-448	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/where-can-i-find-a-good-variety-of-dates/	What's the best source of those dates you like? (halawi, bahri, khadrawi)	Despite my best efforts I have never been able to source a halawi date, only medjool. Still looking! Benjamin Stone / Originally posted on Are dates good for you? I never liked dates even though I knew how good they were for me. They were dry, desiccated and tasted, well, datey. But that was before I discovered there were all these heavenly plump, moist varieties that didn’t taste like dates at all! Barhi dates used to be my favorite. I’d freeze them to turn them from wet to chewy (they never get hard) and then eat them with apples (honeycrisp, mmm) as one of my favorite snacks for the caramel apple taste of my youth. Locally, you should be able to find good medjool dates in middle eastern and Indian grocery stores (great place to also get cheap spices and amazing mangoes starting around April), but for the too-moist-to-be-sold-commercially varieties you have to go online. I have tried dates from most of the major online retailers and always go back to the Date People. I am averse to commercial endorsements, but I’ve never tasted better dates from any other source. Their annual harvest comes in around my birthday (October 25!) and last year as a present to myself I splurged and got the 12 variety sampler–and I’m glad I did because I discovered my new favorite–khadrawi dates. They taste like butterscotch! 	Here is where you can purchase Halawi dates. http://www.nuts.com/driedfruit/dates/halawi.html?gclid=CMaW74jVubQCFYtQOgodKhIAnADr. Greger. I understand being reluctant to endorse commercial products. But I sure do appreciate you sharing your good find with us! I’m going to try it!They’re awesome!Dr. greger, what is your stand about Emeri Dates?Thank you, Dr, Greger for all your insight and nutritional information. Question; is Juice Plus, a whole foods concentrate, benefical? Any side affects?If anyone finds this post and is still looking 7HotDates is PHENOMENAL! I didn’t realize how amazing dates are until this past year and finding a great, organic (and family owned and operated) source is tough, especially if you are interested in trying the different varieties. They have 7! I’ve ordered wet pack and firm pack in all the varieties and they are truly divine- i don’t work for them, just browsing around today and landed here so thought I’d share. http://7hotdates.com/faq.html.Thanks for the tip! Anyone else find a good source?Can confirm. Bautista (7HotDates) and The Date People are my favorites!I can also give two big thumbs up for Bautista (7HotDates)!found your article while reading about khadrawi dates. they are supposed to be great for sugar sensitive folks because they have invert sugar (same as barhi dates). also thought i’d give a plug for my awesome local date farm (selling since 1924)… http://www.shieldsdategarden.comI have purchased from The Date People and, not only are their dates the very best, they are the most cordial folks I have met in an online purchase.Good to know! Thanks for sharing! :)2014 harvest Organic dates just arrived at SunOrganic Farm. Have them delivered to your door…www.SunOrganic.com	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/	-
PLAIN-449	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-horse-meat-safe-to-eat/	Is horse meat safe to eat?	Don’t you disagree on feeding people with Horse-Meat!?  Sandra Unrat / Originally posted on Chicken’s fate is sealed Meat originating from U.S. horses may indeed be more likely to contain residues of drugs banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in animals intended for consumption. In their landmark paper “Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter,” Tufts researchers suggest that horsemeat derived from American horses may “pose a serious public health risk.” 	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-450	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-there-any-benefits-of-aloe-vera-concerning-digestion/	Are there benefits to drinking aloe vera juice?	Any opinions on aloe vera juice? earthgypsy / Originally posted on Bowel Movements: the scoop on poop A recent randomized, cross-over, placebo-controlled study failed to find any benefit of aloe vera over placebo in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. There is, however, evidence that peppermint oil may help. In general, the available science suggests that the purported benefits of aloe are overblown, and given recent reports of aloe-induced hepatitis, I would recommend against ingesting it. Applied topically, though, to second degree (blistering) burns, aloe vera does seem to accelerate healing. Thank you so much for your question–I’m always happy to look things up for folks! 	Is this fresh or processed aloe? I eat fresh aloe gel because of its high amino and polysaccharides content. David wolf’s book on superfoods explains the massive benefits of unprocessed aloe for our bodies. Another key is which variety of aloe, the spotted ones we grow in our garden are the weaker variety.Aloe Vera Leaf Miner als I n part s per mi l l i on (ppm) wh en av ai l abl e Cal ci u m 4, 600 Ch l ori n e Ch romi u m Cobal t Copper German i u m I ron 300 Magn esi u m 930 Man gan ese 0. 6 Ph osph oru s 940 Pot assi u m 850 Sel en i u m 2. 3 Si l i con 2. 2 Sodi u m 510 Su l f u r T i n 1 1 Z i n c 770 Vit amins I n part s per mi l l i on (ppm) wh en av ai l abl e Vi t ami n B1: T h i ami n 0. 8 Vi t ami n B2: Ri bof l av i n Vi t ami n B3: Ni aci n 64 Vi t ami n B9: Fol i c Aci d 200 Vi t ami n C 6, 260 Vi t ami n E Ch ol i n e Amino Acids and Amino Acid G r oups I n part s per mi l l i on (ppm) wh en av ai l abl e Al an i n e 15, 769 Argi n i n e 78, 216 Asparagi n e Aspart i c Aci d Creat i n i n e 15 Gl u t ami c Aci d 43, 256 Gl u t ami n e 20, 670 Gl y ci n e 5, 030 Hi st i di n e 2, 327 I sol eu ci n e 8, 526 Leu ci n e 6, 952 L y si n e 7, 748 Ph en y l al an i n e 7, 103 Prol i n e 3, 339 Seri n e 23, 540 T h reon i n e 14, 652 T y rosi n e 5, 073 Val i n e 12, 769 Sugar s and Polysacchar ides I n part s per mi l l i on (ppm) wh en av ai l abl e Arabi n ose Fru ct ose Gl u cose 1, 030 Gal act ose 100 Man n ose Rh amn ose Xy l ose Ant ioxidant s I n part s per mi l l i on (ppm) wh en av ai l abl e Bet a-carot en e 3 Enz ymes I n part s per mi l l i on (ppm) wh en av ai l abl e Amy l ase 20 Cat al ase Li pase 16 O t her Biologically Act ive Component s I n part s per mi l l i on (ppm) wh en av ai l abl e An t h raqu i n on es 300, 000 Al oi n s 300, 000 Pu ri n e 56 Sour ces Dr . Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical DatabasesDavid Wolfe, are you serious? A proper snake oil salesman, selling millions of $$$ in the supplement market.Information is from David Wolf’s book sorry I forgot to add that at the bottom theres no edit button. I really hope you can find some additional info on Aloe I’d love to hear it since I basically rely on google searches and they all seem to say the same thing as Wolf. ThanksThe aloe-induced hepatitis that you mentioned is related to aloe vera tablets. Heres the two links I found of two incidents:http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/11/303.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17726067Maybe Im biased since Im a believer in fresh aloe. Im sorry for cluttering the comment section, I like you am constantly looking up nutrition information I’m unemployed with a lot of time to kill. Wish I could contribute to your website in another form =)So anything with Aloe vera should be put in the file 13 or Not?Dr Greger: I’m curious to know more about the pros and cons of peeling vegetables, particularly carrots, before eating raw or cooked. Any info you can pass along? Thanks,Thanks for all your information!Vegans have no need for the laxatives from aloe vera and the laxative part is the main suspect in most cases of problems from aloe vera. There are many warnings on the long term use of the laxatives from aloe vera. The aloe vera gel part can have small amounts of the laxative and most commercial aloe vera juice are filtered to remove the laxative and are probably safer to consume. Some mouthwash products contain aloe vera and I have found aloe vera effective to kill bacteria in the mouth. Aloe ferox is even stronger and even the gel part has lots of laxative and is very bitter. Might be safer to use aloe ferox as mouthwash.Im new , just signed in..I dont know where to ask you questions? Im diabetic 2..is it risky for me to consume a tsp fenugreek powder drink twice a day and cinnamon drink too?Try Bitter Melon. It has helped me with Diabetes Type II.What diet or anything else, would help with arthritis in a hip?Is drinking Fresh Aloe juice beneficial? By fresh I mean directly from the plant? I enjoy the drink and was told it has a host of vitamins,What about the research results available on: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/The idea of more efficacy in small amounts-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21927741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21833945,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19562446,
PLAIN-451	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-much-cruciferous-is-too-much/	How much cruciferous is too much?	Do you consider 10 cups of cruciferous too much a day? Is there a link between them and inflammation? walfaro / Originally posted on Overdosing on Greens According to this study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 10 cups a day on a regular basis is probably the limit for raw kale–my second favorite vegetable! 	It appears that kale has reached superstar status within the last couple of years and rightly so. However, there are other members of the cruciferous (cabbage) family that also pack a nutritional punch (e.g., Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and bok choy). However, it is interesting to observe that many Americans tend to go overboard on something that is touted as being a “superfood”, so we figure if a little is good then more must better. Cruciferous vegetables contain sulfur compounds called glucosinolates. These compounds have been shown to be powerful disease fight phytonutrients (plant nutrients), reduce inflammation, and help the liver to detoxify harmful substance 1. Nevertheless, too much of a good thing may be harmful when it comes to cruciferous vegetables. In excessive amounts these compounds have been shown to be toxic. One study found that a woman eating 2.2-3.3 pounds/15 cups (1.0-1.5kg) of raw bok choy daily for several weeks went into a hypothyroid coma 2.From the study I cited above I would advise caution against consuming 10 cups of raw cruciferous vegetables daily. 10 cups is equivalent to about 5 pounds. A much healthier dietary approach would be to switch up your greens and consume a wide variety of colorful vegetables. Checkout Dr. Greger’s video on Overdosing on Greens for more information on this topic: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17692044 2. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc0911005	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/	-
PLAIN-452	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-kimchi-and-sauerkraut-harmful/	Are kimchi and sauerkraut harmful?	Is there more information about this? Is this traditionally made kimchee rather than kimchee made in a manner similar to that of making sauerkraut? For that matter what about sauerkraut and other pickles? aeason / Originally posted on Is Kimchi Good For You? This was for traditional kimchi. I can’t find anything in the literature about sauerkraut either way, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out. It is high in sodium, so if you do eat it I would suggest moderating your intake. See, for example, my videos: 	What can you inform us about non-commercially produced laco-fermented vegetables? Also, any information on non-dairy kefir made with probiotic capsules?I’ll second that question. I see little in the literature related to human consumption, especially in terms of unsalted lacto-fermentation products like (homemade) rejuvelac, which is gaining popularity as a component in cultured vegan cheeses.I’m keen on fermented plant-based foods like miso, natto, amazake, kombucha, homebrew beer and lacto-fermented veggies – I think it may be a bit oversimplistic to lump all these together, see http://kimchicancer.blogspot.com/2013/02/does-kimchi-cause-gastric-cancer.html which notes a protective effect for some fermentates and a cancer increased risk with others, e.g. radishes.Forgot to mention rejuvalac, and vegan yogurts and cheeses usually made from lactofermented almonds, quinoa, grains, cashews, soybeans etc., which usually don’t contain much salt.I have already decided to cut out salt to prevent stroke so no more salty fermented food for me. I miss miso the most. I have found low salt natto so will continue with natto which has vitamin k2. I also like tempeh which is a source of l-carnitine.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-453	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-homegrown-alfalfa-sprouts-safe/	Are homegrown alfalfa sprouts safe?	What about alfalfa sprouts that we grow ourselves? Are the seeds contaminated (so sprouts I grow at home will be too), or is just sprouts offered by restaurants that needed to be avoided? tbarron / Originally posted on Update on Alfalfa Sprouts Excellent question! Turns out it appears to be contamination I caution against in Don’t Eat Raw Alfalfa Sprouts and Update on Alfalfa Sprouts if in the sprout seed itself, and so even if we sprout them ourselves we may be putting our family at risk. The answer? Sprout broccoli sprouts instead. They are safer (see my video Broccoli Sprouts)–and healthier too! Check these videos out and be amazed: They are kind of pungent, though. If anyone has found a good way to incorporate broccoli sprouts into their diet please share! 	what about watercress and radish sprouts, are they safe from contamination if grown at home?Buy the seeds from a widely known organic company with a long track record and sprout your own with purified carbon filtered water to reduce the pesticide use.You can sneak them into green smoothies and add them to salads without changing the flavor too much. Anyway they aren’t that bad! BTW/ a typo in your piece. Should be “is” in the seed itself.Why are broccoli sprouts safer? Without looking into it I would assume the broccolu seeds would be subject to the same contamination possibilities during harvest that afflict alfalfa and mung bean seeds.Not certain that all broccoli seeds are as yet genetically modified with bacteria, such as E-coli or other organisms of other species, as yet. But, alfalfa definitely are. Since E-coli is one of the bacteria of choice, the seeds may will be contaminated. If you are not concerned about genetically engineered ingredients, have you read the clinical effects of biologics pharms? They are horrible, and often they use E-coli either to move an organism into the new DNA and will make us sick, or are somehow involved in the process.Both Prolia (denosumab) and bisphosonate biological pharms are made from recombinant dna including E-coli in order to increase bone strength, however they both have very serious side effects, reduce blood calcium, contribute to bone fractures, and have been linked to cancers. For Prolia, see: http://www.drugs.com/sfx/denosumab-side-effects.htmlTwo different neurosurgeons have recommended these. I would rather not go this way. I’m trying to eat healthy organic and quickly grow bone. Why reverse this? And why eat potentially genetically engineered alfalfa or mung bean seeds that may also be altered through genetic engineering? Sounds like you are setting yourself up for more dangerous side effects that won’t easily go away.Most often, contamination of sprouting seeds comes from two sources: 1) Genetic contamination of the seed germ. In this case, you can be as careful as possible, and it doesn’t matter. The seed is genetically flawed. 2) A watering source that is contaminated by animal run-off, or dirty water. Also personal filth from an inconsiderate handler could be a contamination source.There is no documentation of contamination of sprouts when 100% certified organic seed is used. Purchase these seeds from a reputable supplier with a documented long history of business. If planting in a sprouting tray using soil to produce a micro-green, use organic soil, also purchased from a reliable source. Water with filtered water.My personal favorite is sprouting broccoli using a shallow tray with soil to create micro-greens. I cut them for use in a smoothie, juice them, and garnish a yummy raw soup.Hope this is helpful.Phebe Phillips, Certified Raw Vegan Chef, and former caretaker of the Sprout House at The Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona.I grow mixed sprouts and put them in a magic bullet blender with hemp seeds and pineapple juice. tastes pretty good to me.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-alfalfa-sprouts/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19435238,
PLAIN-454	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-licorice-tea-harmful/	Is licorice tea also harmful?	Does this also include the tea that I love to drink if so I will stop. ksk63 / Originally posted on Licorice Good For You? That is a great question. The only study I was able to find looked at a tea which included licorice root and concluded: “One cup of the herbal tea [“Smooth Move”] contains approximately 15 mg of glycyrrhizic acid, which is significantly below the level of concern for known side effects of licorice overdose.” I would still not recommend it for pregnant women, though. 	I seem to have a sensitivity to nightshades (tomatoes, white potatoes, eggplant and many peppers) — they give me arthritis symptoms. If I continue eating a whole, plant-based diet, do you think this sensitivity will lessen? I hate not being able to eat tomatoes and peppers.Just 2-ounces (60g) of licorice per day for 2 weeks can cause you to end up in the ER.1Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) has been used traditionally in Chinese medicine and herbalism for centuries for ailments such as asthma, sore throat, adrenal “burnout”, and heartburn. The root contains a compound known as glycyrrhizin (or glycyrrhizic acid), which in large amounts has associated with high blood pressure, salt and water retention (edema), and may reduce potassium levels to dangerously low levels 2,3.Deglycyrrhized Licorice (DGL) appears to be safe and does not cause the side affects associated with licorice because the glycyrrhizic acid has been removed. DGL is commonly used to treat ulcers and heartburn.The EU (European Union) suggests that one should not consume more than 100mg of glycyrrhizic acid per day. This amount equates to roughly 50 g (5,000mg) licorice sweets. 4Traditional Medicines Licorice Root Tea contains 1500 mg organic licorice root per 1 cup.Check out Dr. Greger’s video on licorice: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/1. http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm277152.htm 2.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22653692 3.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8191541 4. http://www.nutriology.com/glycyrrhizin.html	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17095420,
PLAIN-455	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/can-soy-suppress-the-thyroid/	Can soy suppress thyroid function?	I’ve heard that soy can suppress the thyroid. Is there an upper limit? Eric Needs / Originally posted on Soy Hormones & Male Infertility Excellent question! Soy does indeed have so-called “goitrogenic” compounds (as do broccoli-family vegetables and flax seeds), which can interfere with thyroid function in people with marginal iodine intake. The answer is not to avoid these super healthy foods but to just make sure you get enough iodine. See my videos Avoiding Iodine Deficiency and Pregnant Vegans at Risk for Iodine Deficiency. For another reason, though, restricting one’s soy intake to 3-5 servings a day is probably a good idea. See How Much Soy Is Too Much? and Too Much Soy May Neutralize Benefits. 	Speaking of thyroid I don’t see information on your site about hypothyroidism . I am in my late 60’s and have always led a very active, healthy lifestyle and eat mainly a plant based low glycemic diet with very little if any sweets and moderate unrefined carbs. Have never had an overweight problem and was always skinny as a kid and could eat anything I wanted without gaining an ounce. I put on 20 lbs. during the past 5 years and no matter how much I diet or exercise the scale doesn’t move. Tests show that my thyroid is low and I was put on synthroid which after taking for several months hasn’t shown to be effective . I’ve kept a diet diary and even on a 800-1000 calories a day I still can’t lose weight. I get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day by walking and lifting weights. I have plenty of energy and am in otherwise good health -having never been hospitalized for anything serious other than having 3 children . Any suggestions ?in ur case,the dosage of synthyroid is to be increased depending on ur TSH levels…… and OMG Genetically Modified Organism?I also have hypothyroidism. Should I avoid these foods?Hi Dr Greger, I’m 30 years old, i’m vegan since a long time. Recently my doctor told me that I develop Hypothyroidism, I feel the symptoms for many years before it appears in my test. They don,t know for the moment if it’s an autoimmune problem or other… The doctor propose me to take syntroid, but i’m affraid of taking medication at my age… What do you propose or think about this situation.. I aready see acupuncturist and osteopath for years without long lasting result. Thanks a lot :)Browse the Internet on soy and thyroid function and one is bound to find a great deal of information on how soy foods negatively affect thyroid function. Soy has gotten a bad rap and misinformation abounds. It is true that compounds in soy, such as genistein and daidzein (isoflavones), have been shown to possess goitrogenic properties that may suppress thyroid function and/or inhibit the absorption of thyroid hormone medication. Most of the research wasperformed on animals and not humans. However, studies on Soy isoflavones and human thyroid health provide evidence that soy foods have a negligible impact on thyroid function, or no impact, as long as iodine in the diet is sufficient. You can find out more aboutiodine by viewing Dr. Greger’s video Too Much Iodine Can Be as Bad as Too Little .Browse the Internet on soy and thyroid function and one is bound to find a great deal of information on how soy foods negatively affect thyroid function. Soy has gotten a bad rap and misinformation abounds. It is true that compounds in soy, such as genistein and daidzein (isoflavones), have been shown to possess goitrogenic properties that may suppress thyroid function and/or inhibit the absorption of thyroid hormone medication. However, most of the research was performed on animals and not humans. Human studies on soy isoflavones and human health provide compelling evidence that soy foods have no or negligible impact on thyroid function as long as iodine in the diet is sufficient 1.You can find out more about iodine by viewing Dr. Greger’s video, Too Much Iodine Can Be as Bad as Too Little. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16571087	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/	-
PLAIN-456	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-multivitamin-use-associated-to-a-risk-of-breast-cancer/	Is multivitamin use really associated to an increased risk of breast cancer?	I’m bit disappointed with your presentation, and I’m wondering why you exactly choose this multi vitamin study to underpin your conclusion in this video. The Swedish cohort was from 2010 and in April of this year a meta-analysis, which is scientifically stronger in terms of proof, concluded : “Multivitamin use is likely not associated with a significant increased or decreased risk of breast cancer, but these results highlight the need for more case-control studies or randomized controlled clinical trials to further examine this relationship.” […] Louis / Originally commented on Multivitamin supplements and breast cancer Thank you so much Louis for taking the time to contribute! It is such a relief to see that meta-analysis come out. This video was queued up from my volume 5 DVD, reviewing the peer-reviewed nutritional science published between Spring 2010 to Spring 2011, and so I just missed it (it wasn’t indexed by the National Library of Medicine until August 19, 2011). Of course negative findings don’t automatically “cancel” out positive findings. As one of my research preceptors once quipped: “if two people drill for oil in Texas and one finds oil and the other does not, one can’t conclude that the question of whether or not there is oil in Texas remains undetermined.” Similarly, the conclusion from the 2010 study profiled in the video is not necessarily invalidated: “These results suggest that multivitamin use is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. This observed association is of concern and merits further investigation.” But it’s nice to know that if there is an effect it’s not one that has been replicated! The critical question remains: should women take multivitamins or not? That depends on the risks versus benefits like any other life decision. Since both the risks and the benefits appear equivocal (see for example the National Institutes of Health State-of-the-Science Conference Statement on multivitamins, PDF here) I agree with the Cleveland Clinic Journal article I featured and would recommend women take the money they would have spent on the pills and instead buy some produce with more proven benefits (see my Breast Cancer and Diet post, for example). A similar recommendation can be made for men (as a similar meta-analysis likewise thankfully casts doubt on the multivitamin link there as well). Until we know more, I agree with the conclusion from the meta-analysis you cite: “Until further studies assist in clarifying the association between multivitamin use and increased or decreased risk of breast cancer, health-care professionals should open discussions with their patients regarding multivitamin use and risk of breast cancer.” Addendum: Reported in today’s Archives of Internal Medicine, a study from Iowa Women’s Health Study suggesting that multivitamin use may actually shorten women’s lives. To quote the editor: “Because commonly used vitamin and mineral supplements have no known benefit on mortality rate and have been shown to confer risk….A better investment in health would be eating more fruits and vegetables…” 	My personal philosophy (developed not in a vacuum but informed by the overall “whole” of medical research I’ve read about in the last quarter century) is pretty strongly in favor of what you suggest Dr. Greger – natural whole foods over human supplements (or drugs, etc) I rarely take anything other than B12 and vit D (doctor prescribed) for this reason, and prepare almost all my vegan meals from scratch. That having been said, there is a huge question that seems to be left unaddressed (from what I can tell of the summaries here of both/all studies) which stands out: mainstream vitamins with their large number of questionable ingredients (fillers, coloring etc etc – I’m referring to all ingredients other than the vitamins themselves; and even the vitamins may be a case of “not all are created equal” in quality) versus vitamin pills that are not just vegan, but also have the least iffy ingredients. I’d like to see a study differentiate, or try to, between those two classes. Then there is the issue of possible harmful effects of megadoses. Combine those and ask this question: “mainstream chemicalized vitamins with megadoses, versus, vitamins with saner doses and with the least iffy ingredients (in fillers, coloring, etc) and the most natural sources of the vitamins/minerals” in a well desgined study, on (yet another factor) people who’ve used it long enough to be more likely a difference, say at least several years. I will not predict the latter will do as well or better than whole foods (my guess is whole foods always win, except, when a medical condition specific to the person is such that focused/higher doses have more benefits than negative side effects) but I wouldn’t be surprised if the latter type of vitamins/ingredients/doses do better than, or not as much harm as, the former type (mainstream/lots of chemical additives/fillers/ingredients, some in megadoses, etc). Have any researcher friends you could suggest this study to? ;-)If multivitamins and supplements aren’t regulated and may not even contain the labeled ingredients, how do we know which D3 and B12 vitamin to get?I stay away from multivitamins but eat healthy, non processed foods, and take my favorite supplements, like AMLA, fenugreek. Please do a video on adaptogens like Aswagandha and maca, also my favorites that I recommend to my Yoga students. You are my nutrition guru. Keep it up!	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&cmd=search&term=Multivitamin%20Supplement%20Use%20and%20Risk%20of%20Breast%20Cancer%3A%20A%20Meta-Analysis,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21273283,
PLAIN-457	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-can-you-believe-in-any-study/	How can you believe in any scientific study?	How can we believe in any study? It seems they can always refute each other. Veguyan / Originally asked on Cannabis Receptors & Food Thank you for bringing up this important larger point. What does one do in the face of conflicting evidence? The answer is to look at the balance of evidence and ask yourself before making any decision “What does the best available evidence show right now?” Unfortunately, sometimes the media fails to put new study results in context and so you get this kind of intellectual whiplash back and forth. In terms of the purported link between smoking cannabis and lung cancer, although doubts have been raised, the latest review continues to raise strong concerns, so better to take the dietary approach I suggest in Cannabis Receptors & Food. As I said in The Healthiest Vegetables, it seems smoke inhalation is not good for your lungs, whether from a burning building or bogie. 	http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/09/42-medical-studies-that-prove-cannabis-can-cure-cancer.htmlThe amount of evidence rises..I would appreciate more opinion. After doing our own research and asking ourselves “What does the best available evidence show right now?”, how do we decide what is the best evidence and how much evidence is enough to establish a starting argument? Thanks!	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21132143,
PLAIN-458	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/does-dairy-leach-calcium-from-the-bones/	Does dairy leach calcium from the bones?	I thought dairy leaches calcium from the bones from its acidity? Toxins / Originally asked in Long Term Vegan Bone Health The scientific nutrition community used to believe that the abundance of sulfur-containing amino acids in animal proteins would lead to a negative calcium balance, but that is outdated thinking. See my video Is Protein Bad to the Bone? for one of the later reviews. Since this misconception continues to circulate, though, I’m planning on doing a more in-depth treatment of the subject in the 2013 batch I’m currently working on. Make sure you’re subscribed to my videos so you don’t miss it! 	Please do a follow up to this as soon as you can Michael, this is a discussion I have to have almost daily with those who insist that we need dairy for our bones.Dr. Greger: I hope you check out the Building Bone Vitality book as part of your research for your additional info on the topic. I think the authors covered the topic thoroughly, reviewing something like 1,200 studies. The authors believe that the science supports the theory that protein, particularly animal protein, does leach calcium from the bone. They provide all of the references for free on their website.If you think their theory is particularly wrong, I would be interested in know what theory you think replaces it. How do you explain that countries with more dairy intake have more fractures? How do you explain the studies that do show more calcium output in the urine the more acidic the diet? (If I remember the book correctly. I read it a long time ago.) Etc.Just letting you know my opinion of what needs to be addressed.Thanks.“How do you explain that countries with more dairy intake have more fractures? How do you explain the studies that do show more calcium output in the urine the more acidic the diet?”Good question, Thea. Could it be the sugar in milk? From what I hear, excess sugar may cause calcium to be excreted in the urine. Lactose, which is a milk sugar, is about 40% of whole cow’s milk’s calories. And skim milk is approximately 55% lactose. So it might not be the protein at all. Still avoid animal protein in any form because it is a potent carcinogen.Lyra: Very interesting thoughts. Thanks for sharing.Simple logic,if you drink calcium you are gonna piss calcium.I agree, based on the studies I have read, I currently believe that dairy is the worst thing for our bones! We have been bombarded by marketing BS from the Dairy Council for years… Please do follow up on this important topic! Thanks!Can switching to a vegan diet halt and/or reverse osteoporosis?John: I am very impressed with the book: “Building Bone Vitality” with a subtitle of: “A revolutionary diet plan to prevent bone loss and reverse osteoporosis”. The authors advocate a particular vegan diet (not just any vegan diet), and the science seems sound. You may want to check out the book.That said, I don’t think the diet and particular exercise they recommend is a guarantee. That’s a serious disease, and it is way harder to reverse a health problem than to just avoid it in the first place. If you or someone you know has osteoporosis, I think the book is worth considering, but I wouldn’t bank on having a cure. At the same time, what could it hurt? The diet they recommend (which is basically a whole plant food based diet) could only help one’s health, even if it is not a 100% cure for this particular disease.That’s my 2 cents. Best of luck to you.I highly recommend Amy Lanou’s book, Building Bone Vitality. Weight bearing exercise and plant based diet seem to be the best approach. Beyond the testing, calcium, Vitamin D, exercising issues it is interesting to note that blockage of the arteries that supply the lumbar vertebrae contribute to the problem as well… see videos and references… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/ so another reason to go on a plant based diet.This has confused me. Research discussed in The China Study & Whole from Colin Campbell, found the opposite of what is said here and that cows milk does damage human bones!Tony: I am not an expert, but perhaps this thought will help you:Like you, I have read The China Study. I’ve also read a book called “Building Bone Vitality, A Revolutionary Diet Plan to Prevent Bone Loss and Reverse Osteoporosis”, which agrees with The China Study. The authors of the latter book reviewed over 1,200 studies. They make the argument that while there are studies which support “the calcium theory” of bone health, there are far more studies, by a factor of 2 to 1, which support their theory of bone health – which partially includes what you wrote. Ie, that there is a link between dairy and poor bone health.The authors of the Building Bone Vitality book (which I HIGHLY recommend) makes the point this way also: “Media fixation on the latest study also gives the impression that it’s the only one that matters, that the latest study somehow cancels out all previous research. It doesn’t. … No single study is ever definitive. What counts is the weight of evidence across all trials.” (I believe that Dr. Greger would agree with this last part.) Later somewhere in the book, they freely admit that future studies will not support their theories. But also, future studies *will* support their theories. And at this point, (the authors argue and I tend to think is correct), it is very UNlikely that there will be so many studies that support the calcium theory that there will be a serious upset to the conclusions of the Bone Vitality book.I don’t know enough to say whether or not the study Dr. Greger highlights in the video he references above is so clear and relevant that it overturns what we have learned in other sources such as The China Study and Building Bone Vitality. You will have to decide for yourself. It’s possible that the videos Dr. Greger are preparing will shed additional light on this topic. As of this moment, I am not convinced. Even if the protein/acid mechanism explanation is not correct, I think the link between animal foods and poor bone health is fairly well established. (For whatever my lay-person’s opinion is worth.)Hope that helps.I would advise all of you to stop relying on books, and start to rely on peer-reviewed studies. If you can cite a research that has found a good correlation (at the very least) between milk consumption and osteoporosis / low bone density, I would be glad to read it.Granted, I am against milk consumption, but for different reasons.Daniel.“Excess dietary protein, particularly purified proteins, increases urinary calcium excretion. This calcium loss could potentially cause negative calcium balance, leading to bone loss and osteoporosis. These effects have been attributed to an increased endogenous acid load created by the metabolism of protein, which requires neutralization by alkaline salts of calcium from bone.”11 Dr.McdougallThis is a long held belief that is quite mistaken. Dr. Greger will cover this in a future, upcoming video. The science here is sound.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
PLAIN-459	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-the-nutrients-from-blended-vegetables-absorbed-better-than-raw-vegetables/	Are the nutrients from blended vegetables absorbed better than raw vegetables?	In regards to raw food nutrient absorption – Have there been any studies performed on blended raw vegetables versus raw vegetables (in their natural form) nutrient absorption. I’m advised that blended vegetables are more easily absorbed than eating the whole raw vegetable in its natural form. I suppose a lot has to do with how much blending (chewing) you do before swallowing the mouthful? sapire / Originally asked in Raw Food Nutrient Absorption As you can see here, the heating itself seems to improve the bioavailability of lycopene (the red pigment in tomatoes I talk about in the video). I would not be surprised if the blending helped too, though, by breaking up all those cell walls (we could never really chew that good) so maybe you could blend and heat and have the best of both worlds? I’m currently compiling all the data in the scientific literature on the health effects of “green smoothie” consumption (for example there was a promising experimental trial recently performed in the UK). So stay tuned for a smoothie video in the 2013 batch I’m currently working on. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it! 	What about Dr. Brian Clement’s claim that the blending fruits and vegetables/greens destroys ~90% of the nutrients? It does not sound accurate and he doesn’t seem to cite any studies when he mentions this. Since you, Dr. Greger, both consume smoothies and cite studies I’d be interested to see if you think there could be any potential for the claims of a man with a PhD in biochemistry.Dr. Brian Clement has juicers to sell you. With that in mind, unless he shows us data that proves smoothies lose all their nutrients, it’s hard to believe him.Thank you for your informative, brief videos. I’ve included many of them dealing with cancer on the blog I put together regarding resources we’ve used to manage my wife’s stage 4 cancer (stage4living.wordpress.com). So many people have passionate opinions but the science puts both sides of any debate to the test.Is blending superior to juicing? I give my wife “anticancer” blended smoothies twice a day and yesterday I read something online that says that blended green smoothies are far inferior to juices. The “doctor” said that 80 to 90+ percent of nutrition is destroyed during the blending process. I prefer it because of keeping the fiber and any phytonutrients bound to it.Sorry to read about your wife’s diagnosis. Blending is superior to juicing for the reasons you have cited. I think the science comes down on side of blending. Depending on the type of cancer you may want to check out Dr. Greger’s videos on food and cancer. Good luck.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23017441,
PLAIN-460	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-much-impact-does-the-presence-of-phthalate-metabolites-have-in-our-food/	What about the pollutants like phthalates in plant foods?	Hi there Dr. Greger. I was wondering, in the Colacino study it says, “Vegetable consumption was also significantly associated with MEP levels, which was one of the strongest effects measured.” I don’t mean to detract from your message about poultry, which I think is an important one. I do wonder though about the presence of phthalate metabolites in vegetables, and how much of an impact they have. The study said they were lower molecular weight metabolites and are more water soluble. But I don’t understand the implication of that. Can you shed some light? Thank you. Bix / Originally posted in Eating chicken may lead to a smaller penis Thank you so much for actually taking the time to read the primary sources. Always linking to the primary sources (click on “Sources Cited” under any video) is one of the many things I’m proud to say sets NutritionFacts.org apart from other nutrition sites on the web. As you noted, it you look at the breakdown (here’s the direct link to the table) you can see that like other industrial pollutants (dioxins, PCBs, etc) there can be widespread contamination of the food supply. For example, this year there were studies published measuring phthalate concentrations in both wastewater and dust. The best consumers can do is try to minimize their exposure. See for example my videos: So although there are fewer such toxins in the bloodstream, fatty tissues, and breast milk of those eating plant-based, for example, it doesn’t mean they’re not exposed at all. There can be trace pesticide residues even on organic produce! See my video Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals. Nevertheless, one can reduce one’s risk by choosing organic. Similarly, if one wanted to stay away from the most concentrated sources of the riskiest phthalates one would be wise to stay away from the most contaminated foods, such as chicken. The most concerning phthalates in terms of anti-androgen (countering male hormone) effects appear to be the DEHP metabolites (such as MECPP, MEHHP, MEHP, MEOHP) associated with poultry consumption. For example, maternal levels of DEHP metabolites were found to be most significantly associated with undermining free testosterone levels in the umbilical cord blood of their infants. The Swan, et al. study noted by the Science Daily article mentioned by Dan, “Prenatal Phthalate Exposure and Reduced Masculine Play in Boys,” can be found here. Again, the DEHP metabolites I talked about in the chicken and eggs/penis size video were most significantly associated with a reduction of male-typical play in boys (for example, choosing to play with Barbie rather than with toy trucks). And just as a sidenote, the study didn’t measure levels in various foods; it went one step further and measured levels in the urine of people eating those foods. Just because something is in a food doesn’t mean it’s absorbed, so that’s one of the reasons this was such a great study–the fact that it found its way to the kidneys means it was necessarily absorbed into the human bloodstream (that’s why I did that Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue video). And the most statistically significant association between food intake and the most concerning phthalate levels in the urine was with poultry (but as I noted in the video it’s possible this could result from the chicken plastic wrap packaging or something, but that wouldn’t explain the extraordinarily high level associated with eggs). The “p“-value <0.0001 means that the association between poultry consumption and mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate was found to be so strong that there’s less than a 1 in 10,000 chance that it could have happened just by coincidence. 	Would it be all eggs or even the eggs from your backyard chickens that would be suspect ?I would imagine that eggs produced by backyard chickens would be lower then those from eggs from concentrated industrial operations. Of course it depends on what the chickens are eating. Of course there are other pollutants that are a concern such as dioxins which like all fat soluble chemicals tend to concentrate in animals. Even without chemicals there are the naturally occurring compounds such as cholesterol and saturated fats that are associated with increased health risks of cardiovascular disease and stroke. See video on dioxin… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/ and stroke… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21272909,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21434628,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2920922/table/t6-ehp-118-998/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21885335,
PLAIN-461	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/can-capsaicin-and-hot-peppers-cause-cancer/	Can hot peppers (capsaicin) cause cancer?	In some instances I’ve read about deleterious results (gastric and skin cancers) from capsaicin and hot peppers. See, for example this research: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/139/3/263.short; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100902121057.htm Dr. Greger, can you help in clearing up this confusion and debate?  maybush1 / Originally posted on Are Chili Peppers Good For You? The ScienceDaily piece you mentioned appears to deal just with rodents, so you may not want to share salsa with your pet mouse, but as a physician I have a bias towards human data. Veterinarians like to joke that us doctors are really just inadequate vets as we know only one species—I guess there’s some truth to that! :) The Mexico study you mention did certainly give the medical community pause (when it was performed 20 years ago) but later studies (including data suggesting a cancer-fighting effect) led the most recent reviewers of the subject to conclude chili peppers are safe as I note in Are Chili Peppers Good For You? For a listing of 50 more Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful? videos, click here. 	Taking baking soda daily to increase PH is dangerous or not ?Taking small amounts of baking soda should not be harmful… of course you can overdue anything including water and tea… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/. Your body is designed to maintain the pH in the blood so you won’t have much effect on your pH. However by eating a plant based diet you will be loading your body with alot less acidic foods then the standard American diet. Animal products contain alot more sulfur containing amino acids which are much more acidic from the bodies perspective than plants. However the effect is not intuitive and somewhat complex as the body views citrus as alkaline and grains as mildly acidic. I generally don’t recommend taking baking soda to effect the bodies pH for most patients although there are studies to support this approach to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease see the video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/ for information on doses.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/28/soymilk-shake-it-up/	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17365137,
PLAIN-462	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-cabbage-effective-against-breast-cancer/	Is cabbage effective against breast cancer?	I have read that new research says cabbage can be good against certain cancers but I don’t remember if breast cancer is one. Both of my grandmothers had breast cancer so I am VERY interested in breast health. Thank you for this information. I love mushrooms and my daughter and I will up our consumption. Is there a recommended weekly amount and any particular kind better than others? Raychel83 / Originally posted on Vegetables versus breast cancer I would have guessed broccoli myself! You’re absolutely right about the cancer-fighting effects of the cruciferous (cabbage-family) vegetables. See my video The Healthiest Vegetables, and if you’re interested in cabbage in particular, Superfood Bargains. Given your strong family history (sorry to hear about your grandmothers) please feel free to check out my 30 other videos on breast health. And in terms of which mushrooms are best, check out my video Breast Cancer Prevention: Which Mushroom Is Best? How many mushrooms should one shoot for in one’s weekly diet? I have that video queued up from my volume 11 DVD. It should be up in a few days–make sure you’re subscribed to my videos so you don’t miss it! 	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/	-
PLAIN-463	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-thermography-the-new-early-cancer-detection-method/	Is thermography better than mammograms for early breast cancer detection?	Thermography is the new early detection method. Check it out. Damian / Originally commented on Cancer prevention and treatment may be the same thing Unfortunately thermography alone may have a sensitivity of only about 83% in detecting breast cancer (according to the latest review). A combination of mammography and thermography may bring it as high as 95%, though, so while there may be a role for the technology, thermography alone is condemned as a substitute for mammography by the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Mammograms and all other early detection methods are, by definition of course, too late in that they don’t prevent cancer. And sadly, in many cases, may even be too late to significantly alter the course of the disease. Please see, for example, the latest open access review on the subject, The Benefits and Harms of Screening for Cancer with a Focus on Breast Screening.” As you’ll note even in just the abstract, regular breast self‐exams do not appear to reduce breast cancer mortality, the effects of physician breast examination are unknown, and it’s not even clear that screening for breast cancer with mammography, thermography, ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging does more good than harm on a population level because of the need to balance the cases in which there is benefit with the number of unnecessary biopsies and surgeries. I still encourage women to follow the guidelines of the USPSTF, but ideally the focus would be on primary prevention, meaning preventing the emergence of the tumor in the first place and slowing it’s growth. Please see my blog post Breast Cancer and Diet for a review of my older videos on the subject and some the videos I’ve done since on the subject of breast cancer prevention and survival: 	Now the best thermal imaging cameras are made in Poland. http://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/108228,Mars-%E2%80%98Curiosity-rover-equipped-with-Polish-sensors http://vigo.com.pl/index.php/en/podstrona/kamera_v50/strona_glownaDr Greger, isn’t it true that Mammography can only find existing tomurs and that thermography can identify pre-cancerous up to 10 yrs before it becomes cancerous? Isn’t that a thermography advantage?as a so-called professional physician you must know that thermography is much more sensitive than mammograms and with out the side affects of high risk of cancer that mammograms have,.as for susan g komen, you should be ashamed of your self.this is a fraudulent and misleading organization that takes advantage of American women at a time in their life when they really need truthfull information,you have lost all of your credibility,shame on you,at this point I suspect that you are nothing more than a con artist,or just another shill for the American cancer societyWell, although it is not perfect, an 83% detection rate by thermography is better than mammography’s record and without the harmful effects. True, it is probably best to get both -once, and from then on follow with thermograms for the best we an do at this time. I do agree, prevention is key and women should follow your advise on how to use their diet to optimize their health and reduce their chances for breast cancer.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19223370,
PLAIN-464	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/does-organic-chicken-contain-less-arsenic/	Does “organic” chicken contain less arsenic?	Does “organic” chicken fare any better? Kristen / Originally posted in Dr. Oz, apple juice, and arsenic: chicken may have 10 times more Great question, Kristen! In a survey of arsenic levels in U.S. chicken, while nearly three-quarters of the breasts, thighs and livers from conventional producers carried detectable levels of arsenic, of certified organic or other “premium” chicken parts or whole chickens, just one-third had detectable arsenic. This suggests consumers who continue to eat chicken can lower their arsenic intake by choosing organic. Unfortunately, arsenic-laced chicken manure can still be used to grow organic produce (and rice! See How Much Arsenic In Rice Came From Chickens?). For more videos on chicken, see http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/ and for more on organic versus conventional in general, see http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/ 	Dr. Gregor, have there been any studies that address this claim that paleo people make that if you eat only “organic, grass-pastured” animal meat, that people do not suffer the same negative health effects that people eating “conventional” animal meat do? I really wish you’d make a good, detailed video about any studies about this topic that have been done so that I can link it!The major health issues seen with animal products is independent of whether the meat is organic or conventional. Red meat that is grass fed still contains trans fat http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/, it still causes increased levels of IGF-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ and it still causes endotoxemia http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/. Dr. Greger has covered the paleo diet here on his free ebook.http://atkinsexposed.org/Yeah, but unfortunately, until there has been specific studies health effects in those eating in “conventional” versus “organic” animal’s meat, the paleo people just hold on to this claim. Atkins was not exactly like paleo, although they have many things in common. One of the main things in this new version is promoting eating only non-factory farmed animals, though I’m sure almost no paleo dieter actually follows this restriction. They do this for health reasons, not ethical ones, of course. Also, paleo people eat more veggies, I understand. Atkins was all about getting rid of carbs. Paleo doesn’t reject carbs, I think it promotes eating fruit, for instance. Because of that, I wish there were more studies that looked at these claims about organic animal’s meat not having the same negative health effects as conventional.The videos posted above are, as I said, independent of conventional vs organic, meaning their is no difference. Does organic meat still contain bacteria and saturated fat? IS organic meat still a “complete” protein? Does organic meat still contain trans fat? The answer is yes to all three points which is relevant to the videos above.That does NOT mean there is no difference, though. It means that the studies did not look at this question at all. I mean, I’m not saying paleo people are correct, no need to be defensive. I’m just trying to look at these things in the way that the unconvinced do so that we can more effective in countering their common arguments.Organic and conventional meats are not different at the biological level. It is the same animal just raised in a different way. More weight is put on organic then is really justified.Yes, I agree. I was simply asking if there were any studies about specifically this question. Then you, someone with the screen name “Toxins” who responds to many things on this site, answered with the same unhelpful non-answer repeatedly, even misspelling the word “there” in the process. No offense, but the correct answer to my original question, unfortunately, seems to be that there has not been any studies on this specific question. That is too bad. You don’t need to respond to everything on this site if you do not have an answer for it. I hate it when someone refuses to acknowledge the actual question and instead repeatedly answers unasked questions, and I hate it when someone doing that forces me into the position of seeming like I’m on the other side just for asking the question.I do not know of specific studies comparing organic vs conventional. The answer I gave you above umbrellas organic and conventional animal products. I did not think that you understood this point so I said it in a different way.A good tip is to assume that other people are at least as intelligent as you are and not echo easily-understood information back at them repeatedly instead of addressing the question asked. If you look above, you will see that you responded to MY post originally, in which I asked a specific question of Dr. Greger. Anyway, I also don’t know any such studies, but it seems like paleo advocates have been lead to believe that such studies exist and, furthermore, promote their meat-heavy diet. Hence my question.Have a nice night.You had not acknowledged what I was telling you so forgive me if it seemed on my end that you did not understand what I was saying. I did not assume you were less intelligent, I assumed that you had misunderstood what I was saying. My original post is useful in addressing paleo proponents because it is independent of organic or conventional farm practices. I am sure there are studies out there or in the works comparing these 2 groups so if there is new light on the topic I will post it here.Frankly, I am no longer interested in your input, thanks. If the good doc had a way to ask questions in a private inbox way rather than only publicly by commenting, I would not be stuck having this repetitive conversation with you, but alas, the world is imperfect.I agree with you here. They are just avoiding the issue.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/how-much-arsenic-in-rice-came-from-chickens/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/	-	-
PLAIN-465	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-there-known-risks-of-excess-b12-consumption/	Are there any risks of excess vitamin B12 consumption?	I have just posted some of your recent B12 videos on facebook to try and help my friends who refuse to accept the need to have an intake of B12 on a vegan diet. Most are convinced their ‘friends’ have been told by the doctors they have ‘abnormally high levels’ of B12 and have to avoid Soya milk etc. Can you advise on this? I have read there is no upper recommended limit on B12 set, and surely consuming fortified soy products wont take you to dangerous levels? I have never heard of this before. Can you advise if there are any known risks of excess consumption? Peter /  Originally asked on Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting it into Perspective You cannot take too much B12 orally–your body will just pee out the excess. High serum “B12″ levels (a lousy test–see New Vitamin B12 Test) may be reflective of high levels of inactive B12 analogs (if, for example, they were eating sea vegetables). These B12 “look-alikes” are considered worse than useless and so they may in fact be at particular risk and I would urge them to start consuming B12-fortified foods or supplements with actual B12 in them. See, for example, my video Safest Source of B12 and my blog post Vegan B12 deficiency: putting it into perspective. 	At my urging, my wife, mother and I have been vegan for seven years, during which time we’ve not been taking vitamin B12 supplements. I’m understandably concerned since seeing your videos on the risks of B12 deficiency, and I’ve spent the last week trying to “catch up” by taking 500 micrograms sublingually every 3-4 hours, approximately 3-4 times a day.Your statements above are clear enough, but searching for ‘B12 side effects’, the first result I find is this article – http://www.drugs.com/sfx/vitamin-b12-side-effects.html – warning of doses as high as 5-10 mg/week. At my “catch-up” run rate, I’m probably consuming 10-14 mg/week. Should I be concerned?Is spacing these 500 microgram doses every 3-4 hours throughout the day a good idea for someone who’s neglected the importance of vitamin B12 until now and is likely deficient? Should I get tested or just maintain these higher doses for a while?Thank you for the work you’re doing to educate people on how best to care for themselves and their families through nutrition. After seeing you speak at the ‘New Year New You’ event in Marshall, TX, even my “carnivorous” dad has been eating a purely plant-based diet!80-10-10 Raw Food Diet FAQ says,“At the same time, frozen and ice-cold foods kill the bacteria in the gut that are responsible for the production of vitamin B-12.”Is there any evidence for this?Dunno but i did 80-10-10 a few years back and it was labor-intensive. EAT EAT EAT EAT wait five minutes and then–EAT some more. Lost a lot of weight and quickly, but the eating style did not survive my kicking of the nicotine monkey off my back. Quitting nicotine is such a miserable experience that I used every motivation and reward possible to get through it. GLAD now that the 80-10-10 was abandoned because the WFPB way of eating is much easier with less bulk consumption. Either way might be okay (and either beats the hell out of SAD), but I like this one mucho beuno.strange that you never got a response	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3335826,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21716160,
PLAIN-466	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-would-you-suggest-as-an-ideal-omega-369/	How do you achieve a good omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acid ratio?	What would you suggest as an ideal omega 3,6,9? Eric / Originally asked on Avoiding Cholesterol is a No Brainer I try to think in terms of whole food sources rather than nutrients (have you read The China Study? It has a whole chapter trying to make that point). I’d be happy to talk with you about ratios and percentages, but in terms of practical advice I’d encourage people to minimize their intake of the omega-6 rich oils (such as safflower, sunflower, and cottonseed, and all of the processed garbage manufacturers make with them), and try to eat healthy omega-3 rich whole foods such as walnuts and flax seeds every day (which have their own benefits–see for example my videos Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell, Black Versus English Walnuts, Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake, and Just the Flax, Ma’am). And especially for men as well as women who are expecting, breastfeeding, or even thinking about getting pregnant I would encourage consideration of taking an algae- or yeast-derived long-chain omega-3 supplement. 	I have been told in my nutrition class though that to get the omega-3 fatty acids from flax seeds, they need to be ground. Cereals and breads with added flax seeds usually use whole flax seeds which just come back out intact of your system, no benefits gained.Correct… you can either buy milled flaxseed (which you should keep refrigerated since the protective husk has been compromised), or give ordinary flaxseed a spin in your electric coffee grinder to compromise the husk. I buy Bob’s Red Mill Organic Ground Flax Seed Meal for less than $5 a bag, and keep it refrigerated.I buy my organic flax already milled or ground.Can you specify how many mg of omega 3 and omege 6, plus omega 9 we should be getting and what to eat to get these ratios. As there doesn’t seem to be any solid guidelines. Cheers.Omega 9 is a nonessential fat, meaning your body can make enough of it without ingestion. there are only 2 fats your body needs from nutritional sources, that is omega 3 and omega 6. The ratio of omega 6:3 should be 4:1 or better. Better being more omega 3, less omega 6. Going past the 4:1 ratio is easy if you eat lots of nuts and seeds other then walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds.Peanuts have a ratio of 4400:1 Almonds have a ratio of 1800:1 Brazil nuts have a ratio of 500:1Limiting your intake of nuts in general will prove healthful. Most greens and fruits contain naturally occurring omega 3 and 6 and the ratios are typically 4:1 or better.But the amount of omega 3 in fruits and greens is generally very low so it probably won’t affect the ratio over the day if you also eat nuts and seeds. I think.Greger recommends eating nuts and seeds, right? But there is so much omega 6 and not so much omega 3 in most nuts and seeds with exceptions like flax seeds, walnuts, chia seeds and hemp seeds. They have omega 6 but also omega 3. So eating nuts and seeds will probably result in too high omega 6 levels. I eat ~50g soaked almonds every day and will start with something like 100g hemp and 50g chia seeds a day as soon as I have them at home. And a brazil nut of course. :) But that’s about it when it comes to nuts and seeds.When it comes to the omega 3 in the omega 6 / 3 ratio, is ALA fine or does it have to be the EPA/DHA fatty acids?Requirements are set at 1.1 grams of omega 3 for woman and 1.6 grams for men.A cup of cooked collards has .17 grams. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2411/2A cup of raspberries has .15 grams http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2053/2But.. the proportion of linolenic acid to alpha-linolenic acid is high in nuts. Where did you get this ratio?Almonds have a ratio of 1800:1According to wiki, almonds have 29% linolenic acid. According to wiki, walnuts have more linolenic acid than ALA. I don’t get it.Hi Julien.The ratio is derived from the amount of omega 6 divided by the amount of omega 3. To do this, you have to look at the nutrition profile of the food itself. The ratio of almonds was shared from Jeff Novick, although his numbers are slightly off. If you check out 100 grams of almonds, there are 12065 mg of Omega 6. There are 6 mg of omega 3. Divide these numbers and you get 2010. So the ratio is 2010:1http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3085/2Walnuts have nearly 4:1.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3138/2I like to hear from others on this but evidently the Omega ratio is not important anymore or is not regarded to bes as important as it was.I disagree. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2656504/ http://ebm.sagepub.com/content/233/6/674.long http://www.karger.com/Book/Home/229515It doesn’t seem as simple as substituting plant source for fish or algae. Plants have alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). The conversion to omega 3’s is miserable 1-2% as I remember. If this is to work, one needs to almost stop any omega 6 sources. Or am I missing something here.I would appreciate the doctor view on this, if the conversion is only 1-2% as opposed to fish which is higher, then why bother eating walnuts and flaxseeds?Excellent point. It would be nice to have some insight on this issue. Thanks.Latest study shows conversion at 0.5%-9%, depending on the individual. A male would have to consume between 4 and 10 tablespoons to flaxseed to reach the recommended daily DHA dose.Jones: Two thoughts for you:1) If you truly eat a rounded whole plant food based (WPFB) diet, then you get a fair amount of your omega 3 needs just from the plants. So, you don’t need to get it all from the flaxseed. The flaxseed is just extra insurance.2) I don’t have a link at my fingertips, but I have read time and again that vegan bodies do the conversion a lot more efficiently than vegetarian and omnivore bodies. So, the concern about the low conversion rates doesn’t seem applicable to me for the group of people who follow the advice of this site.I’m confused by this strong support for nuts. McDougall and Esselstyn generally are very against nuts. And it seems that nuts are generally high in omega 6, which we are supposed to reduce. Especially the legume peanuts. I don’t know whose advice to accept here. There’s a big difference in viewpoint, no?After months of outbreaks of hives and three RAST tests apparently I am allergic to tree nuts, coconut and seafood. I am at my wits end trying to figure out to get the right balance of fatty acids in spite of these allergies. You can only eat so many chia and flax seeds.. Not sure if I would be allergic to krill oil but would have to take a lot of those. I have eliminated all vegetable oils from my diet to try to reduce the omega 6 as much as possible but still cannot get near even the 4:1 ratio. Any suggestions would be appreciated.I have been searching this site for over an hour looking for an explanation as to why I should be concerned with omega 3 intake and more specifically why its so important that it be DHA instead of ALA. any links to a straightforward answer would be appreciated.Carl: Here is a link to a (very) old talk from Dr. Greger. I think that some of this information (especially at the beginning) is obsolete, but the that explain about DHA, etc. are still (in my opinion) relevant and quite helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04If you have a library or the funds to get it yourself, I also highly recommend Jeff Novick’s DVD: From Oil To Nuts. He does an awesome job of not only explaining the DHA/omega 3 issue, but a whole bunch of issues around oils. In some ways, I think Jeff’s conclusions are different from Dr. Gregers, but you still come away with a good understanding of the issue/debate.Alright the deal here is that dr. Greger does not state that the ratio isn’t important. instead he seems to say only that the ratio should be 4 to one and not the stricter one to one or two to one ratio often cited. Though he doesn’t say that going lower towards 1 to 1 would be bad for us. From a pragmatic perspective then, a good strategy would be to eat as many nuts as you can while keeping your omega ratio as close to 4 to 1 as possible so work it out from there. He doesn’t seem to say the whole plant food sources of omega-6 are not bad for us in excess. he suggests that we can have both a good ratio and a good amount of nuts.I was confused by this as well. But the truth is, all nuts except walnuts are way too high in omega 6 compared to omega 3. Walnuts have about a 4:1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3, which is acceptable, and really wouldn’t be if the ratio were any higher. 1:1 would be awesome, and can be done, even if you eat other nuts. But you have to counter omega 6 heavily with flaxseed (which has a high amount of omega 3 compared to omega 6.) or microalgae DHA/EPA pills to cheat the whole system and get the good stuff directly :) I have a feeling though that if you asked Dr. Greger what he recommends, he would be a proponent of just getting 2 tablespoons of flax a day, and go ahead and enjoy other nuts without going crazy, but go ahead and have some, because they’re whole foods, which often turn out to be magically alright. Personally, I’m going to up my flaxseed intake if I am going to eat a significant amount of nuts.Dr GregerYou recommend a brazil nut every day for selenium, but I read that their n~3 to n~6 profile is “5.1 vs 5800 (about 1,137 times more omega 6 to 3)”. Given that I live in California, where I enjoy a wide variety of all fruits and veggies, and I eat a whole food, vegan diet, do I need to worry about getting selenium from Brazil nuts or can I skip it and stick with my walnuts, flax seeds and a few occasional treats of other nuts with less beneficial ratios?If you get your food from somewhere outside of Europe, you should be getting enough selenium. The Brazil nut is just recommended for Europeans, since selenium is lacking in the soil I guess.the takeaway point in that video seems to be that if the Omega 6 is from whole plants foods then the ratio doesn’t matter. Maybe it still matters if they come from processed foods.What I’m looking for is just a direct recommendation if possible of X grams omega 3 to Y grams omega 6.The recommendations I’ve seen are relatively unclear; they say get 1:1 or up to 1:4 of Omega 3:Omega 6 but then they recommend 1.6 grams omega 3 to 17 grams and omega 6. So what’s the deal?I have no problem getting 1.6 grams of omegas in general by eating fruits and vegetables exclusively in 3,000 plus calories daily but I’d like to know what the optimal ratio is because it wouldn’t be hard to add in some flax or some other nuts or seeds to increase either omega 3 or 6, but I’ve also heard that there’s an upper limit to omega 3 and there’s just that basic idea of the ratio that seems to have a good amount of research backing it so I want to get it right. Please clarify for me!Hard to say there is no exact requirements, but here are some percent ranges by the Institute of Medicine. They say adults should shoot for a fat intake of 20-35%, and of that 5-10% of those fat calories should come from omega-6 fats and 0.6-1.2% of those fats should come from omega-3 fats. In grams, that is 17 grams of omega-6 fat and 1.6 grams of omega 3 fats based on a 2,000 calorie diet. To me, the ratio could be better as I think many are overdoing omega-6 fat.But why do we see again and again a recommendation of 1:1 Omega 3: Omega 6?Maybe because we are so far off (some research suggests Americans have a 20:1 ratio or even higher) Dr. Greger mentions finding a good ratio and I discuss this issue here. Research suggests the importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids, but I am not not sure 1:1 has been proven to the “best ratio”. For more info on this check out the book AntiCancer by David Servan-Schreiber.My understanding is that The China Study is highly controversial.Walter, if by controversial you mean the animal products industry is trying hard to discredit it because it cuts into their profits, then yeah, it’s controversial. But the science behind the book is still good, and is validated every time yet another study is published showing the benefits of a plant-based diet over animal products. Industry attempts to cloud the issue remind one oh so strongly of the same deception the tobacco industry and the climate deniers are practicing. Beware the prophecies of the profiteers!I tend to get less than the recommended 17g of omega-6 fatty acids in a day, often closer to 10, following a whole food, plant-based diet (based on cronometer data). My omega-3s by comparison are at around 3.9g a day. I’m not really sure how to easily increase my omega-6 count without eating oils or upping my calories; is this an issue, or should I simply worry about the ratio?Are you eating whole foods and some nuts and seeds? It shouldn’t be a problem to get enough omega-6’s. I would hate to recommend added oil because there are such better choices and sources of essential fats. Beans and greens have these fats, but in lower doses. Pumpkin seeds and peanuts have more omega 6’s so maybe an extra ounce of either would do the trick?	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/	-
PLAIN-467	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-regular-cocoa-powder-healthier-than-dutched/	Isn't regular cocoa powder healthier than alkali-processed "dutched" cocoa?	In a previous video, it was stated that “regular” cocoa powder was healthier than the processed “dutched” cocoa powder, but this recipe states dutched. I prefer the unprocessed which I believe to be healthier. Yummy / Originally asked on Healthy Chocolate Milkshakes You are absolutely right that alkali-processed “dutched” cocoa is not as healthy (See Update on Chocolate for the graph and Healthiest Chocolate Fix for some other chocolate comparisons). Dutched cocoa can have as few as half the phytonutrients, but that just means you have to use twice as much! Making things even more chocolatey has never been a problem for me, and I just like the taste so much better that my household uses Dutch (like for our healthy chocolate ice cream recipe), but if the taste of regular cocoa works for you, then go for it–you’re getting even more benefit per spoonful! 	Ok, but why don’t go a step further? What about a post/video about roasted against raw cocoa? Thanks!Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa is not processed and tastes great.Is alkali the same as aniline? If you are allergic to an aniline can you be allergic to alkali?Alkali isn’t a thing; it’s a process. They expose the chocolate to a base (in the chemistry sense), which changes the flavor and nutrient composition.MMM……enjoying some Dutched Cocoa as I have with so many of your recommendations. I don’t think many people really realize the benefits – though you gave us great insights from the Indians. May be time to revisit the subject. ThanksHershey’s Special Dark Cocoa is a blend of natural and dutched (alkalinized) cocoa. Natural is listed first on the ingredients. It is also delicious. I do like that Hershey is very straightforward on the label – they say “Dutch Processed cocoas are typically lower in antioxidant content than natural cocoa, and as a result Hersheys Special Dark cocoa provides few antioxidants than Hershy’s Natural Unsweetened cocoa”.	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	-
PLAIN-468	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-d3-cholecalciferol-a-better-source-of-vitamin-d/	Is vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) preferable to D2 (ergocalciferol)?	Jen Ferdinand / Originally asked in Vitamin Supplements Worth Taking Such a good question! Taken daily in doses under 2000 IU, vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol) appear bioequivalent (meaning they both work just as well in your body). However if your physician suggests you take large intermittent doses (such as 50,000 IU weekly, then D3 is probably superior). There’s so much new research out there that I’m working on a new video to specifically sift through all the evidence (read a recent systematic review here). Make sure you’re subscribed to my videos so you don’t miss it! 	Fibromyalgia and nutrition	-	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21177785,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2729207/?tool=pubmed,
PLAIN-469	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-free-range-eggs-healthier-than-conventional-eggs/	Are free-range eggs healthier than conventional eggs?	cmcauliffe / Originally asked in Bad Egg That may be true of particularly pasture-raised hens, but a new study published this summer found no significant difference between cholesterol levels in “free-range” compared to conventional eggs (over 200mg per jumbo egg in each case). Free-range eggs are certainly better from an animal welfare standpoint, and also less likely to be contaminated with Salmonella (the leading cause of food-borne illness related hospitalization and death in the United States–see my video Total Recall), but don’t appear to have less cholesterol, the most important health reason to minimize one’s egg intake (see for example my videos Egg Cholesterol in the Diet and Avoiding Cholesterol Is a No Brainer). 	I live with a set of three men who each eat 4 to 8 raw eggs (from organic farms) per day, as well as raw organic milk and raw organ meats and muscle meats from pasture-fed cattle. To hear them tell it, pasture-fed cattle have such a different lipid profile that you’d think their meat was as healthy as vegetables. Can you comment on the effects of a diet rich in the wildest, most pasture-fed, least hormone-adulterated beef possible, as opposed to conventionally-raised beef? And how does that compare to the vegan diet that I’ve been eating since I saw your “Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death” video last October? These guys are hard-core; they grind and juice vegetables in a hand-cranked juicer because an electric one would heat the vegetables too much and destroy the enzymes in theme. I think they’re over the top, as well as horribly clogging their arteries. Your input?As you can see here, although the meat cuts are not identical because the USDA does not have a near identical cut, both contain saturated fat, trans fat and significant amounts of cholesterol. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/6191/2 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/10526/2 In regards to juicing http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/ Organic and conventional make tittle difference in regards to increased IGF-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1 as well as endotoxemia http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=endotoxemia. Your friends may be just going off of what they read off of an enticing article or book, but their diets have no scientific base.Hi Kennita. I’ve been in the Valley of Indecision about which diet best serves my body’s needs and which ones undermine it. The regimen followed by your male friends sounds like that of a man I once met (who recently died) named Aajonus Vonderplanitz. Raw organ and muscle meats from grass fed animals, generous helpings of raw fertile eggs hatched from free range hens, raw milk in glass containers, raw butter and cream and rivers of raw green juices daily. To hear him tell it, people who had adverse conditions which were unresponsive to conventional treatments turned around dramatically after the diet described above was followed.I did it for awhile, and felt strong, but was a bit queasy about my rising cholesterol and triglyceride levels. I was told by other proponents of this diet that there’s no correlation between lipid intake and blood cholesterol levels, but all of the members of my family with elevated blood fat readings either currently have cardiac issues or have already dropped dead from them..With that in mind I’ve begun growing my own food (sprouting a wide variety of seeds, legumes and grains like rye and quinoa…) I feel weaker, but could that be a cleansing reaction? Just curious.Please let me know what you think. Since brothers seem to have more problems with the effects of animal protein and fat consumption than others do I’d really appreciate your perspective.Smiles,Clifford nimaste@verizon.netHi Clifford — I don’t really know unusually much about nutrition, but my intuition is that if you continue feeling weak after six weeks, you’re probably past any cleansing phase and you may want to check your macronutrient profile, to make sure you’re getting sufficient protein. If you’re losing a lot of weight, up your fats (probably with nuts). If you’re not taking a multivitamin, you may want to (I take one, with extra omega-3, B12, and D3).Live long and prosper, KennitaTime Magazine cites some studies that agree with Dr Greger’s answer:http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2002334,00.htmlI’m a vegan 80/20 life style life the my husband and I got into 5 month ago but my last blood test still show my liver’s inflation still is higher. What else can I do to help my liver, for once I can’t eat walnuts I get pin pull in my face but I can drink almond milk. It’s nuts affect my liver? Pls advise. Thank uThis is helpful information about free-range eggs. Do you know of any studies that analyze whether pasture-raised meat (such as grass-fed beef) is healthier than conventionally raised (factory-farmed) meat? I have some close family that eat pasture-raised meat whenever possible and disregard studies published against meat that don’t take into consideration whether the meat was conventionally grown or pasture-raised. Thank you for your help!The “new” study cited by Dr Greger (Andersen, 2011, Poultry Science) refers to laying hens with “access to the range.”But what does this mean? Lacking access to the full study, and seeing where the study was published (a poultry industry publication) I would guess that this is probably a typical poultry barn with holes cut in the wall, and a small fenced area. That is what many many commercial egg farmers offer in order to call their hens “free range.”Because the hens are fed grain all day long, they have no incentive to venture outside. In fact, their instincts probably tell them to stay inside, where they’ve lived all their lives, where there is no scary sky, with scary birds overhead.In my understanding, free range means hens that are ranging outside, on pasture, ALL DAY LONG, only going inside when being enclosed at night for protection against predators.Another important set of variables involves questions such as, what plants are the hens offered to eat during their ranging? What is the quality of soil in this pasture? What are the populations of insects in this soil and on the pasture? What other animals grazed (and left droppings) before the hens were moved in?None of these questions are answered, yet these different conditions would present radically different results in the nutritional content of the resulting eggs.My parents keep laying hens on our farm. My wife and I live 20 minutes away, and we and our children eat 4 or 5 dozen eggs a week. I can tell when my parents need to move the hens to new pasture because the yolks of the eggs get lighter and more easily ruptured. In contrast, when the hens are ranging on fresh pasture, with lots of grass and insects, their yolks are dark orange and firm. Because rich flavor is a sure indicator of nutritiousness, I can attest to the superior quality of these eggs.These are really important questions. They should not be dismissed by touting a CAFO industry study that perpetuates the confusion between pasture-raised and free-range.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/31/bad-egg/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=21673178,
PLAIN-470	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/5-alpha-pregnanedione/	5-alpha pregnanedione	-	-	organic foods,milk,men's health,hormones,organic milk,prostate cancer,women's health,testosterone,skin health,prostate health,hormonal dysfunction,farm animals,breast disease,breast cancer,animal products	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/	-
PLAIN-471	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/av-ratio/	A/V ratio	a/v ratio	-	plant protein,plant-based diets,poultry,mortality,metastases,kale,men's health,prostate cancer,prostate health,vegetable protein,vegetables,vegetarians,vegans,turkey,protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/	-
PLAIN-472	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-aortic-aneurysm/	abdominal aortic aneurysm	-	-	mortality,smoking,saturated fat,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,aneurysm,aorta,men's health,vegetables,vegetarians,meat,Albert Einstein,fast food,fruit,nuts	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/27/aortic-aneurysm-prevention-jeff-green-and-his-aorta/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/	-
PLAIN-473	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/	abdominal fat	Abdominal fat has been linked to meat, egg, and milk consumption. Poultry consumption, in particular, appears linked to an expanding waist circumference (see here and here). Meat has been shown to decrease levels of adiponectin, a hormone which may help protect from cellulite. Processed sugary and fatty foods are low nutrient, high calorie and may have addictive properties. Even artificial sweeteners may cause weight gain. Obesity can start in adolescence.On the other hand, plant foods may have slimming effects (as with beans such as soy, and nuts) and enhance abdominal fat loss from exercise (as with green tea), though some plant foods, such as grapefruit, have just as much effect on weight loss as water. Nuts may help achieve a slimmer waist, less weight gain, and lower one’s risk of obesity by boosting our metabolism, satiating our appetites, and may have less calories than previously thought because of fecal fat loss. Dried fruit has similar effects. Losing an extra few pounds of belly fat may be the best way to prevent prediabetes and protect babies during pregnancy, since pollutants are stored in fat cells.	-	fat,obesity,body fat,cholesterol,mortality,women's health,blood pressure,LDL cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,weight loss,hypertension,cancer,lifespan,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/23/can-one-become-a-sugar-addict/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/	-
PLAIN-474	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-pain/	abdominal pain	-	-	heart health,colon health,mortality,stomach health,colon disease,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cancer,stomach ulcers,vegetarians,side effects,vegans,varicose veins,hiatal hernia,pain	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-475	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics/	Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics	-	-	junk food,industry influence,Hershey's,fast food,McDonald’s,meat,tobacco,soda,smoking,Pepsi,eggs,dairy,American Egg Board,American Dietetic Association,American Academy of Pediatrics	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-476	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acai-berries/	acaí berries	One study which looked at 300 foods and found acai berries to have the highest antioxidant content of all of them. Acai berries may also fight cancer in vitro, reduce pain, and help regulate blood sugar.	-	berries,vegetables,fruit,antioxidants,apples,USDA,plums,lung health,nuts,cinnamon,kale,corn,bananas,greens,lung disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/	-
PLAIN-477	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acarbose/	acarbose	-	-	liver health,medications,peanuts,liver disease,Lifestyle medicine,kidney beans,legumes,peas,pinto beans,soybeans,vegetables,side effects,rice,Precose,prediabetes	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/	-
PLAIN-478	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/accidents/	accidents	-	-	Laron syndrome,IGF-1,lifespan,longevity,stroke,mortality,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cancer,cardiovascular health,cell death,dwarfism	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/	-
PLAIN-479	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acesulfame-k/	acesulfame K	-	-	stevia,sucralose,Splenda,sorbitol,Purevia,saccharin,Sugar Twin,Sweet and Low,xylitol,Z-Sweet,Truvia,sweeteners,Sweet One,pesticides,Nutrasweet	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-480	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acetaldehyde/	acetaldehyde	-	-	oral health,plant-based diets,oral cancer,mouthwash,mortality,safety limits,smoking,World Health Organization,women's health,vegetarians,vegans,lifespan,heart health,breast disease,breast health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/	-
PLAIN-481	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acetaminophen/	acetaminophen	-	-	migraine headaches,medications,pain,side effects,Tylenol,lavender,Ibuprofen,aromatherapy,alternative medicine,brain health,complementary medicine,headaches	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/	-
PLAIN-482	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acidbase-balance/	acid/base balance	-	-	animal protein,bone health,vegetables,animal products,kidney health,fruit,protein,bone mineral density,chicken,calcium,osteoporosis,nutrition myths,beef,dairy,fish	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/	-
PLAIN-483	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acne/	acne	There appears to be a connection between milk consumption and acne (see videos here, here, here, here, here). The highest hormone levels have been found in skim milk (see videos here, here) and buttermilk.See also the related blog post: Skim Milk and Acne	-	dairy,milk,hormones,skin health,adolescence,cancer,skim milk,estrogen,breast cancer,puberty,women's health,prostate cancer,Alzheimer’s disease,chronic diseases,farm animals	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/12/skim-milk-and-acne/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-acne-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	-
PLAIN-484	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acromegaly/	acromegaly	-	-	muscle strength,muscle health,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,IGF-1,hormones,body building,cancer,exercise,giantism	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/	-
PLAIN-485	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acrylamide/	acrylamide	-	-	cancer,french fries,carcinogens,frying,potato chips,Europe,endometrial cancer,breast cancer,inflammation,safety limits,women's health,kidney cancer,sweet potatoes,ovarian cancer,infants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/	-
PLAIN-486	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acute-myeloid-leukemia/	acute myeloid leukemia	-	-	meat,beef,chicken,vegetarians,animal products,leukemia,pork,turkey,tremors,vegans,vision,weakness,plant-based diets,pain,side effects	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/	-
PLAIN-487	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/addiction/	addiction	-	-	medications,brain waves,dopamine,body fat,coffee,tobacco,smoking,cancer,cognition,cocaine,alcohol,sweeteners,side effects,sugar,soda	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/03/how-to-treat-adhd-without-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/23/can-one-become-a-sugar-addict/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/	-
PLAIN-488	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adenovirus-36/	adenovirus 36	-	-	poultry viruses,processed meat,poultry,obesity,lung cancer,red meat,smoking,weight loss,viral infections,turkey,tobacco,liposuction,fecal contamination,body fat,animal studies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/	-
PLAIN-489	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adhd/	ADHD	-	-	children,cancer,women's health,brain health,meat,pesticides,organic foods,chicken,diabetes,safety limits,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,breast cancer,Parkinson's disease,leukemia	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/03/how-to-treat-adhd-without-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/	-
PLAIN-490	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adipocytes/	adipocytes	-	-	weight loss,body fat,abdominal fat,colon health,colon disease,children,veggie burgers,tofu,constipation,fiber,obesity,plant-based diets,meat,leptin,soy milk	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/	-
PLAIN-491	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adiponectin/	adiponectin	-	-	nuts,peas,plant-based diets,poultry,National Cancer Institute,meat,hamburgers,hormones,LDL cholesterol,processed meat,rectal cancer,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-492	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/	adolescence	-	-	children,women's health,cardiovascular disease,obesity,milk,heart disease,infants,cancer,dairy,plant-based diets,puberty,men's health,cardiovascular health,heart health,fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-acne-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	-
PLAIN-493	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/advanced-glycation-end-products/	Advanced Glycation End-products	-	-	glycotoxins,aging,chicken,dementia,brain health,fish,beef,cardiovascular disease,bone health,cataracts,eye disease,eye health,blood pressure,anemia,heart disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/	-
PLAIN-495	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/	Adventist Health Studies	-	-	plant-based diets,vegetarians,vegans,animal products,meat,poultry,vegetables,eggs,fish,chicken,cancer,heart disease,diabetes,fruit,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/	-
PLAIN-496	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/affordability/	affordability	-	-	protein,potatoes,NASA,mouth cancer,rectal cancer,sweet potatoes,yams,vegetables,tongue cancer,mortality,leukemia,chemotherapy,cervical cancer,cancer,colon cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/	-
PLAIN-497	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/	Africa	-	-	plant-based diets,mortality,standard American diet,vegans,vegetarians,vegetables,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,beans,heart health,cancer,fiber,cholesterol,cardiovascular health,meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evolutionary-argument-for-optimal-vitamin-d-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	-
PLAIN-498	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/african-americans/	African Americans	-	-	fiber,plant-based diets,lung cancer,rectal cancer,Africa,beans,grains,standard American diet,mortality,cancer,animal protein,cholesterol,colon cancer,colon health,vitamin C	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/	-
PLAIN-499	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/african-american/	African-American	-	-	vegetables,vegetarians,vegans,plant-based diets,fruit,iron,soy,bananas,animal fat,standard American diet,cholesterol,animal products,carrots,women's health,fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/18/go-nuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/	-
PLAIN-500	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/agaritine/	agaritine	-	-	natural toxins,mycotoxins,mushrooms,Dr. Joel Fuhrman	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/	-
PLAIN-501	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/agave-nectar/	agave nectar	-	-	organic foods,molasses,maple syrup,junk food,processed foods,ranking foods,turbinado sugar,sweeteners,sugar,honey,high fructose corn syrup,brown sugar,brown rice syrup,antioxidants,corn syrup	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-502	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/agent-orange/	Agent Orange	-	-	industrial toxins,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,dioxins,fish,prediabetes,animal products,blood sugar,seafood,diabetes,McDonald’s,Häagen-Dazs,KFC,lead,fast food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/	-
PLAIN-503	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aggression/	aggression	-	-	mental health,junk food,omnivores,plant-based diets,pork,brain health,chicken,mood,animal products,women's health,vegetarians,pregnancy,memory,licorice,hyperactivity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-504	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/	aging	Why do we age? As an evolutionary strategy, living beings needed to grow as fast as possible—thanks to the engine-of-growth enzyme TOR (Target of Rapamycin)—to start reproduction before they die from external causes. In midlife, however, TOR can be thought of the engine-of-aging, causing sustained cellular growth and proliferation. Consuming milk and other animal products has been found to upregulate the activity of TOR, and may increase the risk of a variety of cancers. Reducing animal protein consumption on the other hand, lowers TOR activity to a similar extent to caloric restriction (see also here) and exercise.Cooked in particular ways, poultry, pork, seafood, and beef can be the most concentrated dietary sources of AGEs, Advanced Glycation End products, also known as glycotoxins—, which may also accelerate the aging process. These may be reasons why meat consumption is associated with living a significantly shorter life with increased cancer mortality, increased heart disease mortality, and increased overall mortality.Achieving four things—not smoking, not being obese, half hour of exercise a day, and improving our diets (eating more fruits, veggies, whole grains, and less meat), may in effect turn back the clock 14 years. In fact, the more servings of fruits, vegetables, and beans we consume, the longer we may live. Restricting methionine intake (largely by restricting animal products) is another strategy for extending our lives; however, we don’t want just longer lives, but healthier ones.Antioxidant pills have no apparent effect on aging, though antioxidant-rich foods may. Some foods that appear to protect against aging include: berries (for the brain, skin, and eyes), grains (for protection against Alzheimer’s disease) turmeric, corn and spinach (for macular degeneration), nutritional yeast, watercress, cocoa, green and yellow vegetables (to prevent wrinkles), but why just choose specific foods? A plant-based diet helps preserve muscle mass, boosts immunity, repairs DNA faster, and slows the process of aging.	-	plant-based diets,mortality,cancer,longevity,cardiovascular disease,brain health,heart disease,heart health,meat,brain disease,cognition,lifespan,fruit,cardiovascular health,phytonutrients	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/americans-are-living-longer-but-sicker-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-505	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ah-receptor/	Ah receptor	-	-	phytonutrients,broccoli,cruciferous vegetables,vegetables,immune function,wine,vegetarians,vegans,smoking,tea,turkey,Brussels sprouts,cauliflower,medications,processed foods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/	-
PLAIN-506	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aids/	AIDS	-	-	chicken,factory farming practices,antibiotics,stomach cancer,pancreatic cancer,rectal cancer,stomach health,food poisoning,turkey,colon health,poultry,MRSA,foodborne illness,meat,pancreas health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-507	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/air-pollution/	air pollution	-	-	carcinogens,lung health,cancer,children,antioxidants,eggs,meat,frying,vegetables,oxidative stress,asthma,smoking,saturated fat,occupational health,lung disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/	-
PLAIN-508	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/air-travel/	air travel	-	-	citrus,zeaxanthin,apple juice,beverages,black tea,X-rays,vitamin C,seeds,seafood,supplements,vegetables,coffee,vitamin E,cranberry juice,sugar	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/	-
PLAIN-509	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/airborne-supplements/	Airborne supplements	-	-	snake oil,supplements,immune function,FTC,alternative medicine,complementary medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-supplements/	-
PLAIN-510	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/airport-scanners/	airport scanners	-	-	oxidative stress,phytonutrients,pumpkin,nuts,Nagasaki,kale,lutein,multivitamins,radiation,seafood,vitamin E,X-rays,zeaxanthin,vitamin C,vegetables	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/	-
PLAIN-511	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/albert-einstein/	Albert Einstein	-	-	smoking,vegetables,fruit,meat,plant-based diets,saturated fat,vegetarians,aorta,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,nuts,aneurysm,fast food,mortality,sugar	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/	-
PLAIN-512	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/albumin/	albumin	-	-	protein,vegans,vegetarians,plant-based diets,omnivores,biomarkers,inflammation,liver health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/	-
PLAIN-513	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/	alcohol	There is little doubt that heavy alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and drinking alcohol while pregnant are harmful, but moderate alcohol consumption carries both risks and benefits (decreasing the risk of heart disease, increasing the risk of cancer, decreasing the risk of one type of stroke and increasing the risk of another). In particular, there appears to be a adverse affects on breast cancer risk, though if you are going to drink, choose red wine. Alcohol contributes to cancer risk and is a known cancer promoter. Alcohol also increases liver disease mortality. Alcoholic drinks do not count towards one’s phytochemical index (one type of healthy eating score). And some types of mushrooms, such as morels, should never be consumed with alcohol. Alcohol’s effect appears to be neutral with regard to atrial fibrillation.	-	cancer,vegetables,fruit,meat,wine,mortality,plant-based diets,beverages,vegetarians,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,antioxidants,beans,nuts,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/24/how-to-live-longer-in-four-easy-steps/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/23/can-one-become-a-sugar-addict/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-mushroom-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-514	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alfalfa-sprouts/	alfalfa sprouts	-	-	Salmonella,sprouting,sprouts,foodborne illness,CDC,FDA,food poisoning,E. coli o157:H7,mushrooms,E. coli,nutrition myths,broccoli sprouts,beef	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/02/are-microgreens-healthier/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-alfalfa-sprouts/	-
PLAIN-515	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/	algae	Algae based DHA has been found to be bio-equivalent to DHA in fish oil and seems to provide the same benefits without the contaminants (even in distilled fish oil), which are present even in organic farmed salmon. Fish can contain mercury, but blue green algae and spirulina supplements have been found to contain neurotoxins and hepatotoxins. The algae-based EPA and DHA are procured from toxin-free algae. Chlorella is similarly safe.	-	supplements,fish,DHA,cancer,persistent organic pollutants,omega-3 fatty acids,PCBs,fish oil,industrial toxins,alternative medicine,liver health,liver disease,complementary medicine,EPA,safety limits	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/	-
PLAIN-516	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alkaline-diet/	alkaline diet	-	-	kidney disease,fruit,fish,kidney health,meat,pork,eggs,vegetables,animal products,beef,animal protein,vegans,uric acid,tuna,poultry	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/	-
PLAIN-517	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alkaline-water/	alkaline water	-	-	salt,pH,snake oil,sodium,water,sodium bicarbonate,nutrition myths,LDL cholesterol,blood pressure,baking soda,blood sugar,cholesterol,hypertension,diabetes	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/	-
PLAIN-518	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alkylphenols/	alkylphenols	-	-	fish,fat,endocrine disruptors,eczema,industrial toxins,Japan,xenoestrogens,pregnancy,milk,cancer,infants,allergies,breast cancer,breast health,animal fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/	-
PLAIN-519	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/	allergies	A plant-based diet (see also here) may reduce the risk of allergies. In India, those eating the most fruit and vegetables, rather than supplements (though probiotics and prebiotics have a positive effect on the common cold), were much less likely to report asthma or other allergies. The consumption of red rice, green tea, and especially white button mushrooms may help protect against atopic (allergic) diseases.Components in meat that may trigger allergic reactions include antibiotics and parasitic fish worms. Seafood and meat consumption were associated with higher prevalence of asthma, pollen allergies, and eczema. There are certain meat allergies that may be triggered by the Lone Star Tick. Dairy has been linked to the recurrence of canker sores, and cow’s milk is a leading allergen.Though monosodium glutamate does not appear to trigger traditional allergic reactions (update here), certain artificial colorings might due to the presence of cochineal, a red coloring derived from insects. Common household chemicals may also cause allergy-related diseases.There is no evidence that allergies to peanuts are triggered in the fetus by pregnant women consuming peanuts, but 1% of people do report nut allergies.	-	cardiovascular health,heart disease,fruit,cardiovascular disease,cancer,inflammation,heart health,vegetables,bagels,autoimmune diseases,dairy,bread,asthma,wheat,grains	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/10/plant-based-benefits-extend-beyond-the-top-killers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-msg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-msg-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanuts-in-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/	-
PLAIN-520	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alli/	Alli	-	-	pistachios,omnivores,obesity,nuts,plant protein,plant-based diets,weight loss,vegetarians,vegans,soy,milk,medications,body fat,animal protein,almonds	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/	-
PLAIN-521	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allopurinol/	allopurinol	-	-	oxidative stress,pain,protein,organ meats,mushrooms,kiwi fruit,meat,purines,sardines,tart cherries,uric acid,strawberries,skin health,seafood,side effects	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/	-
PLAIN-522	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allspice/	allspice	-	-	parsley,pasta,peppermint,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,oregano,nutmeg,nuts,oatmeal,oats,plant-based diets,ranking foods,sweet potatoes,tabouli,tea	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-523	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almond-milk/	almond milk	-	-	mortality,milk,metastases,men's health,organic foods,organic milk,steroids,prostate health,prostate cancer,meat,Japan,eggs,dairy,cancer,estrogen	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/	-
PLAIN-524	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almond-oil/	almond oil	-	-	rice bran oil,oxidative stress,sesame oil,shelf life,walnut oil,oils,macadamia oil,avocado oil,DNA damage,grape seed oil,hazelnut oil	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-
PLAIN-525	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/	almonds	Almonds are exceptionally healthy nuts. Research has shown that almonds and other nuts do not tend to contribute to weight gain, and in fact may help with weight control. They may also protect against DNA damage and lower cholesterol. The benefits of almonds can be reaped when eaten either cooked or raw.	-	nuts,walnuts,fat,heart health,mortality,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,cardiovascular health,seeds,oxidative stress,cancer,fruit,pecans,vegetables,peanuts	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/	-
PLAIN-526	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aloe-vera/	aloe vera	-	-	mortality,natural toxins,Metabolife,mangosteen,liver health,noni fruit,safety limits,supplements,stroke,side effects,seizures,liver failure,liver disease,children,fruit juice	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/	-
PLAIN-527	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alpha-waves/	alpha waves	-	-	liver health,meditation,mushrooms,herbal tea,heart health,EEG,green tea,heart disease,ovarian cancer,ovary health,weight loss,white tea,women's health,theanine,tea	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	-
PLAIN-528	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alpha-carotene/	alpha-carotene	-	-	oxidative stress,peas,lycopene,lutein,lung health,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,vegetarians,vegetables,vegans,standard American diet,lung disease,grains,asthma,beta carotene	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/	-
PLAIN-529	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alpha-gal/	alpha-gal	-	-	allergies,meat,tick bites,insects,parasites,autoimmune diseases,pork,inflammation,immune function,kidney disease,hormones,cancer,breast health,Crohn's disease,evolution	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/	-
PLAIN-530	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/als/	ALS	-	-	Alzheimer’s disease,brain health,Parkinson's disease,dementia,neurotoxins,BMAA,Lou Gehrig's disease,brain disease,blue-green algae,algae,seafood,oysters,complementary medicine,fish,biomagnification	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/	-
PLAIN-531	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/	alternative medicine	Many modern medicines are derived from natural products such as plants, so it perhaps shouldn’t be surprising that plants themselves can have pharmacological effects. In the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, for example, the spice saffron has been found to work better than a placebo and just as well as a leading drug. Purslane has been shown to successfully treat the symptoms of oral lichen planus. Consuming rosehips may significantly reduce the pain associated with both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Flax may help prevent breast cancer, reduce cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, regulate blood sugar, and treat hot flashes and enlarged prostates. Indian gooseberries may be effective in preventing cancer. Nontoxic coconut oil emulsion shampoo works better to kill head lice than the standard insecticide treatment and eliminating artificial colorings may decrease impulsivity, inattentiveness, and hyperactivity in children.In a ranking of anti-oxidant activity among herbal teas, dandelion tea has the highest levels followed by rosehip, chamomile, lemongrass, and honeybush teas. Chamomile tea was shown to be effective in slowing the growth rates of various cancers in a petri dish. Among all teas, green tea has among the highest antioxidant levels and may help prevent cancer and even the common cold.Many nutritional supplements have been found to be useless or worse, though one might not know this speaking to health store employees who often lack the training to offer sound advice (see here, here, and here). Mangosteen juice, licorice, distilled cod liver oil, and Herbalife® supplements may all have adverse health effects. Though chlorella do not contain neurotoxins, spirulina and blue-green algae supplements might. . Ayurvedic medicine has been found to be contaminated with lead and toxic heavy metals (see also here, here). JuicePlus may be nothing more than an overpriced vitamin supplement that may even cause liver inflammation. Airborne supplements have been shown to be no better than a placebo in boosting immune response. Nasal irrigation using neti pots can be an effective treatment for sinus infections but should be sterilized between uses (with boiling water or microwaving). The current scientific consensus is that homeopathy is ineffective in treating ADHD, asthma, cancer, dementia, influenza, or in inducing labor. It also may actually be dangerous in large doses on infants.	-	complementary medicine,Lifestyle medicine,heart disease,cancer,cardiovascular disease,spices,water,cardiovascular health,fruit,industry influence,plant-based diets,medications,heart health,arthritis,joint health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/03/how-to-treat-adhd-without-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oatmeal-lotion-for-chemotherapy-induced-rash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbalife-supplement-liver-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus%C2%AE/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus%C2%AE-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nontoxic-head-lice-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-nearly-killed-by-homeopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/	-
PLAIN-532	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aluminum/	aluminum	-	-	cheese,World Health Organization,food additives,dementia,oolong tea,safety limits,tea,Alzheimer’s disease,junk food,brain health,brain disease,kidney failure,chicken,children,black tea	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/28/soymilk-shake-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/21/where-are-phosphate-additives-found/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	-
PLAIN-533	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/	Alzheimer’s disease	Practically non-existent a century ago, Alzheimer’s disease is now the #6 killer in the U.S. Some dietary components that may increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction include pork consumption, hormones and steroids in dairy, blue-green algae supplements, spirulina, copper (in meat), aluminum (in cheese), and iron (in supplements). However, studies on saffron (see also here), coffee, ginger and apple juice (see also here), vitamins D and B-12, whole grains and fruits and vegetables with their component phytonutrients have shown some potential for preventing or slowing down the disease. Exercise has even been shown to reverse mild cognitive decline. Plant-based diets in general may slow aging. Currently, coconut oil has not been shown to have an effect on Alzheimer’s.Dr. Greger covers diabetes in his full-length presentations: • Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death • More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases • From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food	-	dementia,brain health,brain disease,cognition,Parkinson's disease,fish,meat,aging,ALS,phytonutrients,mortality,Lou Gehrig's disease,BMAA,seafood,oysters	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanut-butter-smell-test-for-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-534	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ama/	AMA	-	-	complementary medicine,heart disease,FDA,cardiovascular disease,heart health,liver disease,mortality,side effects,liver health,industry influence,alternative medicine,cooking methods,vegetarians,vegans,microwaving	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/	-
PLAIN-535	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amalgam-fillings/	amalgam fillings	-	-	oral health,seafood,tuna,neurotoxins,mercury,cans,dental health,fish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/	-
PLAIN-536	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amaranth/	amaranth	-	-	wheat,grains,rye,heart health,teff,heart disease,health food stores,millet,rice,processed foods,pasta,carotid arteries,oats,quinoa,bread	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/	-
PLAIN-537	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-academy-of-pediatrics/	American Academy of Pediatrics	-	-	industry influence,meat,children,fruit,eggs,dairy,kidney disease,vegetables,tobacco,smoking,alcohol,kidney health,mortality,cancer,penis cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanuts-in-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/	-
PLAIN-538	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-cancer-society/	American Cancer Society	-	-	cancer,chemotherapy,mortality,raw food,side effects,sprouts,Salmonella,salads,vegetables,neutropenic diet,medical profession,complementary medicine,pancreatic cancer,pancreatic enzymes,supplements	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/	-
PLAIN-539	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-college-of-cardiology/	American College of Cardiology	-	-	heart disease,dairy,cardiovascular health,heart health,industry influence,processed foods,junk food,cardiovascular disease,meat,American Heart Association,animal products,wine,animal fat,butter,cake	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/	-
PLAIN-540	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-college-of-lifestyle-medicine/	American College of Lifestyle Medicine	-	-	mortality,obesity,meat,Lifestyle medicine,heart health,lifespan,plant-based diets,prediabetes,vegetables,vitamin C,stroke,smoking,rectal cancer,heart disease,grains	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/	-
PLAIN-541	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-dental-association/	American Dental Association	-	-	pain,Meningioma,radiation,thyroid health,X-rays,iatrogenic,head trauma,brain health,brain disease,brain tumors,cancer,dental health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/18/are-dental-x-rays-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/	-
PLAIN-542	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-diabetes-association/	American Diabetes Association	-	-	diabetes,insulin,plant-based diets,prediabetes,blood sugar,medications,vegans,omnivores,exercise,Lifestyle medicine,grains,vegetarians,calories,fat,obesity	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/	-
PLAIN-543	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-dietetic-association/	American Dietetic Association	-	-	dairy,soda,eggs,meat,industry influence,Coca-Cola,smoking,alcohol,Pepsi,Pritikin,preservatives,processed foods,poultry,processed meat,rice	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-544	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/	American Egg Board	-	-	industry influence,eggs,heart health,heart disease,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,meat,turkey,chicken,fat,poultry,smoking,LDL cholesterol,saturated fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/19/why-are-eggs-linked-to-cancer-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/10/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-545	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	American Heart Association	-	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,mortality,cardiovascular health,smoking,industry influence,heart health,meat,fruit,cholesterol,exercise,dairy,plant-based diets,vegetables,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	-
PLAIN-546	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-institute-for-cancer-research/	American Institute for Cancer Research	-	-	lung cancer,mortality,oral cancer,liver cancer,Lifestyle medicine,kidney cancer,lifespan,plant protein,plant-based diets,vegetables,vegetarians,vegans,tobacco,smoking,stomach cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/	-
PLAIN-547	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-meat-institute/	American Meat Institute	-	-	meat,industry influence,dietary guidelines,beer,Campbell's Soup,American Egg Board,Coca-Cola,Sugar Association,Michelle Obama,peas,Salt Institute,Crisco,vegetables,Dannon,National Dairy Promotion Board	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-548	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-public-health-association/	American Public Health Association	-	-	eggs,E. coli,seafood,beef,chicken,mortality,food poisoning,foodborne illness,fish,fecal contamination,USDA,cooking methods,Salmonella,meat,turkey	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/01/why-is-selling-salmonella-tainted-chicken-still-legal/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-549	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/	amla	Amla, also known as Indian gooseberries, is one of the highest sources of antioxidants of any known food. Adding just a teaspoon of Amla powder to smoothies can more than double the antioxidant content of the drink. Amla has been shown to reduce and reverse cancer cell growth almost as effectively as chemotherapy drugs in vitro. In one study, only half a teaspoon of amla was able to normalize the blood sugar levels of diabetics while lowering their LDL (bad) cholesterol, raising HDL (good) cholesterol and cutting triglyceride levels in half.	-	gooseberries,India,berries,fruit,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,dried fruit,cancer,antioxidants,cloves,medications,blueberries,in vitro studies,standard American diet,industrial toxins	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-550	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ammonia/	ammonia	-	-	meat,beef,wine,vegetarians,women's health,animal products,vegetables,Burger King,ulcerative colitis,sulfites,standard American diet,sulfur,sulfur dioxide,burgers,vegans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/	-
PLAIN-551	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amnesia/	amnesia	-	-	nausea,memory,mackerel,infants,neurotoxins,pregnancy,tuna,seafood,sardines,halibut,foodborne illness,children,brain health,brain disease,anchovies	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/	-
PLAIN-552	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amphetamines/	amphetamines	-	-	medications,mood,mental health,dopamine,nutmeg,side effects,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,spices,brain health,plant-based diets,oregano,phytonutrients,onions,MAO Inhibitors	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/03/how-to-treat-adhd-without-drugs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/	-
PLAIN-553	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amputations/	amputations	-	-	eye disease,blindness,diabetes,eye health,kidney failure,kidney health,kidney disease,mortality,plant-based diets,vegetarians,vegans,vision,exercise,industry influence,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/	-
PLAIN-554	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amylase/	amylase	-	-	liver health,medications,peanuts,liver disease,Lifestyle medicine,kidney beans,legumes,peas,pinto beans,soybeans,vegetables,side effects,rice,Precose,prediabetes	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/	-
PLAIN-555	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anal-fissure/	anal fissure	-	-	colon health,anal health,constipation,cancer,colon disease,fiber,bowel movements,hemorrhoids,raspberries,vegetarians,suppositories,ranking foods,polyps,cancer survival,fruit	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	-
PLAIN-556	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anal-health/	anal health	-	-	colon health,cancer,anal fissure,constipation,hemorrhoids,colon disease,fiber,bowel movements,heart health,eczema,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,children,vaginal health,nutrition myths	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	-
PLAIN-557	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ancel-keys/	Ancel Keys	-	-	nuts,plant-based diets,mortality,Mediterranean diet,meat,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,dairy,animal fat,vegetables,cancer,stroke,cruciferous vegetables,World Health Organization,cognition	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/	-
PLAIN-558	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anchovies/	anchovies	-	-	fish,seafood,children,tuna,allergies,pregnancy,fat,poultry,memory,infants,turkey,mackerel,persistent organic pollutants,chicken,fish oil	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/	-
PLAIN-559	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anemia/	anemia	-	-	heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,iron,supplements,cancer,brain health,colon health,nutrient absorption,oxidative stress,brain disease,kidney health,meat,plant-based diets,cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iron-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-560	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anesthesia/	anesthesia	-	-	Parkinson's disease,penicillin,Peoria,plant-based diets,nutrition myths,mortality,malaria,medications,mold,morphine,quinine,red yeast rice,supplements,Taxol,vincristine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/	-
PLAIN-561	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aneurysm/	aneurysm	-	-	smoking,cholesterol,vegetarians,saturated fat,mortality,brain disease,brain health,plant-based diets,cardiovascular disease,fruit,meat,vegans,inflammation,vegetables,tobacco	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/27/aortic-aneurysm-prevention-jeff-green-and-his-aorta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/31/watermelon-for-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/	-
PLAIN-562	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angelina-jolie/	Angelina Jolie	-	-	mortality,phytonutrients,plant protein,metastases,lifespan,LDL cholesterol,legumes,lentils,protein,soy,vegetable protein,weight loss,women's health,triglycerides,tofu	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/	-
PLAIN-563	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angina/	angina	-	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,heart health,plant-based diets,mortality,sudden cardiac death,lifespan,Dr. Dean Ornish,exercise,cholesterol,LDL cholesterol,surgery,medical profession,longevity,blood clots	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/20/pills-vs-diet-for-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/	-
PLAIN-564	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angiogenesis/	angiogenesis	-	-	breast cancer,antiangiogenesis,women's health,cancer,breast health,plant-based diets,men's health,polyphenols,phytonutrients,fruit,prostate cancer,metastases,broccoli,beans,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	-
PLAIN-565	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angiogram/	angiogram	-	-	heart disease,mortality,heart health,fat,brain health,leukemia,dairy,milk,cardiovascular health,poultry,Pritikin,saturated fat,sausage,turkey,tremors	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/	-
PLAIN-566	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angiography/	angiography	-	-	lower back pain,lactic acid,heart health,nerve health,pain,standard American diet,sciatica,heart disease,erectile dysfunction,cardiovascular disease,back pain,cardiovascular health,children,chronic diseases,cholesterol	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/	-
PLAIN-567	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/	animal fat	The NIH/AARP study results suggest animal fat may play a role in the development of pancreatic cancer while plant protein food sources play a protective role. This may be from the saturated fat, which may also cut cancer survival. Trans fats are also found in animal products. The National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine notes that there appears to be no safe upper limit of trans-fat intake intake, and one-fifth of the American intake of trans fatty acids comes from animal fat.The human consumption of industrial carcinogens in animal fat may further increase the risk of disease. Farm animals are fed to other farm animals and toxins accumulate up the food chain. Mercury, thus, isn’t just in fish because fishmeal is fed to other farm animals. No surprise, then, that industrial pollutants impact vegans significantly less than omnivores. While plant based antioxidants such as Vitamin C block the formation of certain carcinogens, adding Vitamin C to meats such as bacon may actually make the meat more carcinogenic.A high-fat meal from animal sources may also adversely affect our arteries, but a high-fat meal from plant sources evidently does not. This may be because of the saturated animal fat facilitating the absorption of bacterial endotoxins present in meat and other animal products (see here, here, and here). There is also a considerable difference between low carbohydrate diets that base their fat and protein sources on animal rather than plant sources (higher versus lower cardiovascular and cancer rate mortality risk). In countries in which health (rather than agriculture) agencies are in charge of dietary guidance, the daily dietary recommendation is largely vegetarian due to concerns about animal fat intake.For these reasons, choosing plant-based protein sources may be preferable. Comparing the nutritional aspects of chicken and meat-free chicken, for example, both share similar sodium and protein but chicken has arsenic, toxins, twice the calories, four times the amount of fat, one-third the amount of iron and no fiber. This is why fortified foods and supplements are the safest sources of Vitamin B12.	-	cancer,meat,fat,dairy,vegetarians,vegans,mortality,fish,cardiovascular disease,eggs,animal products,plant-based diets,nuts,vegetables,heart disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	-
PLAIN-568	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/	animal products	Animal products may contain saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol, hormones, organochlorine pesticides, excessive copper, arachidonic acid (especially in chicken and eggs–see here and here), and AGEs. Consumption of animal products may raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of gallstones, obesity (possibly chicken in particular—see here and here), neurological diseases (again linked to poultry exposure), diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, apthous ulcers, cataracts, and even urinary tract infections, but probably not osteoporosis. This is also why obtaining vitamin B12 from supplements or fortified foods is a healthier choice.Animal product consumption may also promote the growth of certain cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. (Videos here and here cover breast cancer growth promotion and here and here cover breast cancer survival).The recent trend of premature puberty onset in children may be partially attributed to animal proteins, particularly those found in dairy. Consuming soy, however, appears to promote more normal development, one reason why plant sources of protein are preferable—even when part of a high protein low carb diet.“Pink slime” ground beef can be processed with ammonia and arsenic; it can also be found in both chicken and fish. Fish products are particularly contaminated with industrial pollutants and can contain pharmaceutical drug residues, PCBs, dioxins, and mercury. Food safety risks include: the toxic superbugs MRSA and Clostridium difficile, the Anisakis parasitic worm present in as many as two-thirds of retail fish fillets, and fecal food poisoning bacteria that can be found at an even greater prevalence in retail samples.Switching to a more affordable plant-based diet may increase our antioxidant intake, help control weight, slow the growth of cancer, and even improve our mood (perhaps due to brain inflammation from arachidonic acid found in meat). The USDA’s mission is to promote agribusiness, and as such public recommendations to limit animal products are often communicated in code. Nutrition labels also tend to short-change plant foods.	-	meat,fruit,vegetarians,plant-based diets,vegetables,eggs,vegans,dairy,animal protein,fish,chicken,cancer,beans,fat,heart disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-gallstones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/	-
PLAIN-569	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/	animal protein	Plant sources of protein are preferable, as animal protein sources been linked to negative health effects from acne (see also here) to cancer, female infertility, infant sleep apnea, autism, crib death, and premature puberty. Meat has even been linked with a shorter life span. The presence of industrial carcinogens, xenoestrogens, arsenic, steroids and external hormones in animal fat and protein may be partially to blame. Plant protein consumption has been associated with a slimmer waistline and consuming a plant-based diet and may help rheumatoid arthritis, prevent cancer, and normalize puberty age in young women. Food is a package deal. You can’t get the protein in meat without the cholesterol, for example. Similarly, the best source of vitamin B12 is from supplements rather from animal sources.See also the related blog post: Atkins Diet and Erectile Dysfunction	-	vegetarians,vegans,meat,plant-based diets,fruit,fiber,vegetables,animal products,plant protein,beans,eggs,standard American diet,fat,animal fat,grains	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/02/02/atkins-diet-and-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/filled-full-of-lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/	-
PLAIN-570	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/	animal studies	Injecting the human equivalent of ½ cup of ground pepper into the veins of mice can be deadly. Chinese dwarf hamsters fed the human equivalent of 300 cups of soy milk a day also did not fare very well. Acrylamide has been found to cause cancer in lab rats. Severe caloric restriction has been found to extend the lives and improve cognition of animals in laboratories. Seventy years ago, a Swedish researcher first showed that feeding mice roasted horse muscles caused cancer. Retail US beef was fed to dogs, and parasites were excreted by nearly every dog. The effects of a horsemeat based Atkins diet on rats was also studied. Blueberries have been found to improve memory in elderly rats. We now know that rats are much better at converting folic acid into folate than humans, which has public health implications. Rats fed the human equivalent of 200 lbs of avocado seeds do not fare very well. Potassium sorbate has been found to be harmless to Syrian hamsters but harmful to Chinese hamster lung cells. Research on rats found that AGEs were not absorbed very well and dietary sources were dismissed; this has not been found to be true of humans. Current cancer treatment is based on animal models. The addition to acai berries to cigarettes had a protective effect on smoking mice.	-	cancer,women's health,aging,side effects,children,smoking,industrial toxins,industry influence,inflammation,tobacco,athletes,vegans,men's health,heart disease,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-potassium-sorbate-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-black-pepper-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caloric-restriction-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/usda-parasite-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	-
PLAIN-571	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anisakis/	anisakis	-	-	seafood,chicken,sushi,fish,allergies,parasites,poultry,skin health,red meat,tick bites,white meat,worms,animal products,urticaria,turkey	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/	-
PLAIN-572	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anise/	anise	-	-	oils,liver health,herbs,oxidative stress,safety limits,tarragon,spices,herbal remedies,hemlock,chervil,cancer,DNA damage,fat,fish,fennel	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	-
PLAIN-573	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ankylosing-spondylitis/	ankylosing spondylitis	-	-	medications,oregano,osteoarthritis,inflammatory bowel disease,inflammation,heart failure,heart health,herbs,oxidative stress,pepper,spices,Tumor necrosis factor,turmeric,side effects,rosemary	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/	-
PLAIN-575	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anosmia/	anosmia	-	-	supplements,zinc,snake oil,sense of smell,common cold,immune function	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zinc-gel-for-colds/	-
PLAIN-576	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antacids/	antacids	-	-	meat,medications,kidney failure,heavy metals,kidney disease,hamburgers,kidney function,kidney health,animal protein,beans,beef,grains,chicken,burgers,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/10/plant-based-benefits-extend-beyond-the-top-killers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	-
PLAIN-577	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antarctica/	Antarctica	-	-	PBDEs,omega-3 fatty acids,nutrition myths,New York City,persistent organic pollutants,salmon,thyroid health,thyroid disease,seafood,naphthalene,liposuction,endocrine disruptors,DHA,body fat,factory farming practices	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/	-
PLAIN-578	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/	anthocyanins	-	-	fruit,phytonutrients,aging,berries,blueberries,cancer,supplements,inflammation,antioxidants,grapes,plant-based diets,cardiovascular disease,cherries,muscle health,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	-
PLAIN-579	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antiangiogenesis/	antiangiogenesis	-	-	breast cancer,cancer,angiogenesis,women's health,metastases,prostate cancer,breast health,aging,plant-based diets,broccoli,men's health,vegans,breast disease,phytonutrients,polyphenols	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	-
PLAIN-580	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/	antibiotics	-	-	meat,chicken,food poisoning,factory farming practices,farm animals,FDA,poultry,foodborne illness,cancer,industry influence,feed additives,antioxidants,immune function,fecal contamination,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/13/when-a-scraped-knee-may-kill-again/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/04/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/28/how-avoiding-chicken-could-prevent-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/15/flaxseeds-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/	-
PLAIN-581	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antidepressants/	antidepressants	-	-	medications,SSRI's,Prozac,depression,mood,mental health,side effects,fish,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,chicken,fruit,drug residues,serotonin,dopamine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-vs-drugs-for-depression/	-
PLAIN-582	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antihistamines/	antihistamines	-	-	medications,miscarriage,poultry,industry influence,hormones,fungicides,growth promoters,pregnancy,Prozac,vaginal health,women's health,vaginal cancer,turkey,sheep,SSRI's	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/	-
PLAIN-583	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antinutrients/	antinutrients	-	-	phytates,grains,nuts,beans,seeds,plant-based diets,cancer,phytic acid,meat,animal products,osteoporosis,kidney health,women's health,vegetarians,rectal cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	-
PLAIN-584	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/	antioxidants	Antioxidants are an essential and affordable component of a healthy diet, with many benefits thought to include slowing aging, reducing inflammation, preventing COPD (and even treating it), and preventing cancer (see here and here). Antioxidants may also prevent the hardening of arteries and increase stool size. Antioxidants are contained in both food and beverages (see here and here), in tea (both herbal and green, especially cold-steeped), Indian gooseberries (see here and here), dragon’s blood, apples (see here, here, here), nuts, beans (see here and here), raisins, dates, rice (especially red and black), beets (see also here), vegetables, sweeteners, kale, Ceylon cinnamon, tomato juice, and spices (especially cloves). Plant-based diets ensure the highest average intake of antioxidants over animal products (see also here), and different cooking methods affect the absorption of antioxidants in foods (see also here). No limit seems to exist on the amount of antioxidants that one can safely consume (at least 9 servings of fruits and vegetables is recommended every day). This is especially important if we’re under stress. However, one should be wary of consuming certain antioxidant-containing products, such as noni juice and vitamin supplements, which may do more harm than good. For example, heavy metal contaminants in Ayurvedic medicine (see also here) undermine the hefty antioxidant levels.See also the related blog posts: Acai to Zucchini: antioxidant food rankings, Can antioxidant-rich spices counteract the effects of a high-fat meal?	-	cancer,vegetables,fruit,meat,mortality,alcohol,eggs,obesity,diabetes,women's health,fiber,beans,breast cancer,cardiovascular health,beverages	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/23/can-antioxidant-rich-spices-counteract-the-effects-of-a-high-fat-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-apple/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-apple/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/	-
PLAIN-585	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antiperspirant/	antiperspirant	-	-	food additives,fish,eggs,sandwiches,seafood,vaccines,tomatoes,tobacco,dementia,cooking methods,brain disease,Alzheimer’s disease,brain health,Brussels sprouts,children	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/	-
PLAIN-586	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antiseptic/	antiseptic	-	-	phytonutrients,plant-based diets,potatoes,periodontal disease,peas,mouthwash,oral health,oxidative stress,prediabetes,side effects,vegans,vegetarians,vomiting,tobacco,sugar	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/	-
PLAIN-587	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/	anxiety	-	-	mental health,depression,plant-based diets,alternative medicine,mood,complementary medicine,vegans,brain health,vegetarians,women's health,arthritis,antioxidants,sexual health,cancer,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/14/using-lavender-to-treat-anxiety/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-588	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aorta/	aorta	See also the related blog post: Aortic aneurysm prevention: Jeff Green and his aorta	-	abdominal aortic aneurysm,mortality,smoking,saturated fat,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,aneurysm,men's health,vegetables,vegetarians,meat,Albert Einstein,fast food,fruit,nuts	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/27/aortic-aneurysm-prevention-jeff-green-and-his-aorta/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/	-
PLAIN-589	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aortic-aneurysm/	aortic aneurysm	-	-	LDL cholesterol,abdominal fat,men's health,hypertension,heart health,flexitarians,heart disease,mortality,plant-based diets,vegetarians,women's health,vegans,stroke,saturated fat,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-590	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apes/	apes	-	-	inflammation,immune function,meat,plant-based diets,wound healing,poultry,fish,evolution,arachidonic acid,cats,chicken,eggs,cholesterol,animal products	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/	-
PLAIN-591	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aphthous-ulcers/	aphthous ulcers	-	-	stomach ulcers,sore throat,vaginal health,women's health,safety limits,osteoporosis,kidney disease,liver disease,mental health,wound healing,pregnancy,animal products,milk,oral health,pain	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/	-
PLAIN-592	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apigen/	apigen	-	-	plant-based diets,polyphenols,rice,phytonutrients,peppers,luteolin,metastases,spices,strawberries,weight loss,women's health,VEGF,vegetarians,tea,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/	-
PLAIN-593	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apnea/	apnea	-	-	infants,milk,SIDS,dairy,crib death,casomorphin,animal protein,breast milk,evolution,breastfeeding,mortality,diabetes,autism,allergies,psychosis	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/21/cows-milk-casomorphin-crib-death-and-autism/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/	-
PLAIN-594	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/appendicitis/	appendicitis	-	-	colon health,colon disease,constipation,diverticulitis,diverticulosis,colon cancer,hemorrhoids,cancer,rectal cancer,plant-based diets,obesity,vegans,varicose veins,food poisoning,surgery	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	-
PLAIN-595	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apple-juice/	apple juice	-	-	juice,fruit juice,phytonutrients,fruit,apples,grape juice,grapes,polyphenols,cancer,nutrient absorption,chicken,meat,organic foods,lycopene,poultry	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/how-much-arsenic-in-rice-came-from-chickens/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-596	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/applebees/	Applebee's	-	-	poultry,Outback Steakhouse,heterocyclic amines,restaurants,salads,white meat,TGI Friday's,sandwiches,grilling,frying,cancer,Burger King,barbecuing,carcinogens,Chick-fil-A	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/	-
PLAIN-597	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/	apples	Eating a variety of fruit has many health benefits including reducing the risk of cancers such as breast, oral, larynx, colon, kidney, and ovarian. Apples may also reduce the risk of heart disease. Apples can be considered a “super fruit,” as they rank high in terms of listed in a past top 12 list in terms of antioxidants per serving and antioxidants per unit cost (comparisons to other foods are made here, here, here, and here). Which apples have the most? See here and here. Apples are an excellent source of phytonutrients (apple juice less so). Even dried apples have been shown to have extraordinary health-promoting benefits. Be cautious of potential fungal toxins in some conventional brands of apple juice and the bruised parts of apples, but there does not appear to be any benzene (unlike carrot juice) or AGEs in it.	-	vegetables,fruit,beans,meat,berries,phytonutrients,poultry,nuts,vegetarians,chicken,fiber,sugar,vegans,fish,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-apple/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-apple/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-598	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apricots/	apricots	-	-	dried fruit,women's health,cholesterol,chronic diseases,fruit,goji berries,cherries,cardiovascular disease,zinc,antioxidants,apples,heart disease,inflammation,prunes,plant-based diets	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/	-
PLAIN-599	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arachidonic-acid/	arachidonic acid	-	-	plant-based diets,inflammation,chicken,animal products,eggs,poultry,depression,vegetarians,brain health,mental health,mood,meat,stress,anxiety,fish	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	-
PLAIN-600	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/areca-nuts/	areca nuts	-	-	kidney disease,kidney health,natural toxins,nuts,coconuts,chestnuts,Asian markets,betel nuts,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-betel-nuts-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-601	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arginine/	arginine	-	-	nuts,penis health,nitric oxide,men's health,protein,weight loss,watermelon,side effects,sexual health,sexual dysfunction,Viagra,pumpkin seeds,impotence,cholesterol,citrulline	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/03/burning-fat-with-flavonoids/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-602	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aricept/	Aricept	-	-	paella,saffron,side effects,spices,medications,dementia,Alzheimer’s disease,brain disease,complementary medicine,alternative medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/	-
PLAIN-603	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arkansas/	Arkansas	-	-	ranking foods,phytonutrients,nutrient absorption,Supreme Court,tomato juice,vitamin C,tomatoes,lycopene,juice,apples,apple juice,fruit juice,grapes,grape juice,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/	-
PLAIN-604	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aromatase/	aromatase	-	-	cancer,breast health,breast cancer,mushrooms,estrogen,women's health,breast disease,cancer survival,woodear mushrooms,blood clots,broccoli,bell peppers,enoki mushrooms,cost savings,chanterelle mushrooms	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-605	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aromatherapy/	aromatherapy	-	-	alternative medicine,complementary medicine,medications,women's health,side effects,anxiety,lavender,mood,benzodiazepines,cancer,mental health,Valium,herbal remedies,massage,mint	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/14/using-lavender-to-treat-anxiety/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/	-
PLAIN-606	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/	arsenic	Arsenic is a category one (the highest level) carcinogen. Most of the arsenic in the American diet comes from animal products; it is fed to factory farmed animals to kill intestinal parasites. Chicken probably has the most arsenic. But fish may also not be safe in this regard. In fact, arsenic is used a biomarker for total fish and seafood intake (see also here).One seaweed species, hijiki (also commonly spelled hiziki), absorbs so much arsenic from the sea water that it is not safe to eat. Rice grown in water logged soil can absorb arsenic found naturally in the environment, and it concentrates in the bran; US rice may have lower arsenic levels. The common Ayurvdeic medicine triphala has been found to be commonly contaminated with arsenic, lead, and mercury (see also here, here).See also the related blog post: Dr. Oz, apple juice, and arsenic: chicken may have 10 times more	-	lead,heavy metals,mercury,industrial toxins,medications,cancer,fish,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,turkey,pesticides,Ayurvedic medicine,persistent organic pollutants,India,supplements	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/how-much-arsenic-in-rice-came-from-chickens/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-607	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/	arthritis	Dr. Greger covers arthritis in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	inflammation,joint health,autoimmune diseases,joint disease,immune function,meat,pain,cancer,complementary medicine,vegetables,fruit,animal products,alternative medicine,gout,rheumatoid arthritis	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/31/watermelon-for-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-608	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artichokes/	artichokes	-	-	vegetables,antioxidants,peas,goji berries,carrots,corn,berries,cloves,cocoa,cinnamon,exotic fruit,apples,fruit,acaí berries,blueberries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/	-
PLAIN-609	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-colors/	artificial colors	-	-	food additives,processed foods,Coca-Cola,FDA,cancer,children,processed meat,brain health,carcinogens,hyperactivity,attention deficit,seafood,ADHD,food dyes,industry influence	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	-
PLAIN-610	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-flavors/	artificial flavors	-	-	diacetyl,lung disease,lung health,butter flavor,bronchiolitis obliterans,safety limits,smoking,microwaving,butter,food additives,popcorn lung,stress,tobacco,tumor suppressor genes,occupational health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/	-
PLAIN-611	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-sweeteners/	artificial sweeteners	-	-	sweeteners,sugar,aspartame,Nutrasweet,calories,soda,obesity,fat,erythritol,caloric restriction,weight loss,overeating,headaches,saccharin,FDA	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-nutrasweet-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/	-
PLAIN-612	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asbestos/	asbestos	-	-	tobacco,women's health,cancer,World Health Organization,meat,marketing,industry influence,fake meat,hot dogs,meat analogs,pesticides,Smithfield,veggie dogs,World Cancer Research Fund,protein	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/	-
PLAIN-613	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ascorbic-acid/	ascorbic acid	-	-	vitamin C,greens,food additives,junk food,processed foods,phytonutrients,preservatives,vegetables,carcinogens,meat,nitrate,diabetes,endurance,leukemia,fast food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/	-
PLAIN-614	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/	Asia	-	-	animal fat,animal products,vegetarians,meat,vegans,mortality,eggs,cancer,fat,plant-based diets,breast cancer,vegetables,women's health,medications,diabetes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/	-
PLAIN-615	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asian-markets/	Asian markets	-	-	berries,dried fruit,gooseberries,fruit,amla,India,blueberries,side effects,antioxidants,raisins,goji berries,medications,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,plant-based diets	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-betel-nuts-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-osmanthus-tea-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/	-
PLAIN-616	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asparagus/	asparagus	-	-	vegetables,fruit,beets,carrots,antioxidants,bell peppers,onions,broccoli,garlic,phytonutrients,spinach,kale,green beans,eggplant,cooking methods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-617	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspartame/	aspartame	-	-	artificial sweeteners,Nutrasweet,soda,sweeteners,sugar,pregnancy,women's health,side effects,vegetables,erythritol,beverages,brain health,headaches,Sweet and Low,saccharin	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/30/aspartame-fibromyalgia-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-nutrasweet-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-aspartame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/	-
PLAIN-618	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/	aspirin	-	-	inflammation,heart disease,fruit,heart health,medications,cancer,complementary medicine,cardiovascular disease,alternative medicine,vegetables,cardiovascular health,spices,strawberries,side effects,diabetes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/10/plant-based-benefits-extend-beyond-the-top-killers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	-
PLAIN-619	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/	asthma	-	-	children,lung health,allergies,vegetables,fruit,lung disease,eczema,dairy,cancer,plant-based diets,antioxidants,vegans,vegetarians,grains,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/10/plant-based-benefits-extend-beyond-the-top-killers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/	-
PLAIN-620	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/astrocytes/	astrocytes	-	-	legumes,lentils,kidney cancer,kale,dementia,elderly,Lou Gehrig's disease,Parkinson's disease,split peas,sprouting,raw food,polyphenols,phenolics,phytonutrients,cooking methods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/	-
PLAIN-621	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/	athletes	-	-	exercise,plant-based diets,side effects,vegetarians,vegans,aging,cholesterol,inflammation,fruit,animal protein,calories,cancer,vegetables,alternative medicine,saturated fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/	-
PLAIN-622	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ativan/	Ativan	-	-	lavender,massage,hormones,heart rate variability,gynecomastia,medications,men's health,Valium,women's health,side effects,rosemary,puberty,estrogen,endocrine disruptors,benzodiazepines	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/14/using-lavender-to-treat-anxiety/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/	-
PLAIN-623	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atkins-diet/	Atkins diet	-	-	cardiovascular disease,fat,heart disease,heart health,cholesterol,plant-based diets,vegans,weight loss,low-carb diets,vegetables,meat,vegetarians,protein,animal protein,LDL cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	-
PLAIN-624	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atp/	ATP	-	-	nitrate,mitochondria,nitric oxide,nitrite,sports medicine,saliva,vegetables,juice,athletes,beet juice,beets,beverages,exercise,metabolism,endurance	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/	-
PLAIN-625	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atrial-fibrillation/	atrial fibrillation	-	-	longevity,mackerel,lifespan,heartbeat,heart health,mercury,salmon,swordfish,stroke,seafood,sardines,heart failure,heart disease,dementia,caffeine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/	-
PLAIN-626	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/attention-deficit/	attention deficit	-	-	brain health,children,hyperactivity,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,mental health,cancer,cognition,pregnancy,vision,women's health,processed foods,FDA,food additives,Coca-Cola	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/03/how-to-treat-adhd-without-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-627	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/auraptene/	auraptene	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,inflammation,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,zerumbone,industrial toxins,ginger,citrus,DDT,dioxins,Dow Chemical	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/	-
PLAIN-628	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/australia/	Australia	-	-	lifespan,fish,aging,obesity,meat,kangaroo meat,pheasants,salt,sodium,smoking,saturated fat,inflammation,calories,C-reactive protein,animal protein	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	-
PLAIN-629	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autism/	autism	-	-	infants,diabetes,milk,psychosis,SIDS,dairy,crib death,animal protein,apnea,casomorphin,allergies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/	-
PLAIN-630	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/	autoimmune diseases	Plant-based diets may be successful in the prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases such as lichen planus and rheumatoid arthritis. One plant protein, however—gluten—may cause problems in approximately 1% of the population. Ingestion of arachidonic acid, poultry (see here & here), and dairy products (particularly skim milk) may increase susceptibility to some autoimmune conditions.	-	meat,arthritis,vegetarians,vegans,fruit,inflammation,animal fat,animal products,plant-based diets,animal protein,fat,dairy,vegetables,cancer,immune function	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-selection-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-631	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autophagy/	autophagy	-	-	mortality,muscle strength,morbidity,mood,mitochondria,oxidative stress,rapamycin,wound healing,TOR,sexual health,reproductive health,longevity,lifespan,caloric restriction,calories	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/	-
PLAIN-632	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avian-leukosissarcoma-virus/	avian leukosis/sarcoma virus	-	-	poultry,poultry workers,meat,chicken,farm animals,mortality,poultry viruses,reticuloendotheliosis virus,cancer viruses,animal products,Marek's disease virus,eggs,cancer,turkey,autoimmune diseases	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	-
PLAIN-633	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avocado-oil/	avocado oil	-	-	rice bran oil,oxidative stress,sesame oil,shelf life,walnut oil,oils,macadamia oil,DNA damage,grape seed oil,hazelnut oil,almond oil	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-
PLAIN-634	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avocados/	avocados	Persin, a pesticide compound found naturally in avocados may have both positive and negative effects on human cells in a petri dish. Avocados are essentially cholesterol-free, something 71% of doctors surveyed didn’t know, and contain monounsaturated (“good fats”) (see also here), that may boost the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients. Whereas sushi made out of sea animals has been shown to harbor fecal bacteria, avocado sushi has been found to be free of fecal matter.	-	nuts,nutrition myths,animal fat,fat,cancer,meat,monounsaturated fats,vegans,plant-based diets,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,seeds,oils,vegetarians,trans fats	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	-
PLAIN-635	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ayurvedic-medicine/	Ayurvedic medicine	-	-	complementary medicine,alternative medicine,India,gooseberries,industrial toxins,heavy metals,infants,lead,mercury,amla,arsenic,berries,fruit,oxidative stress,colon health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	-
PLAIN-636	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/azarcon/	azarcon	-	-	industrial toxins,India,herbs,heavy metals,infants,lead,snake oil,saoot,nutrition myths,mercury,greta,constipation,blood-letting,Ayurvedic medicine,arsenic	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/	-
PLAIN-637	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/	b12	-	-	vitamin B12,vegans,plant-based diets,vegetarians,supplements,cholesterol,dietary guidelines,elderly,nutrient absorption,saturated fat,meat,pork,iron,omnivores,brain health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-myelopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-paralysis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	-
PLAIN-639	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/back-pain/	back pain	-	-	cholesterol,chronic diseases,pain,lower back pain,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,brain disease,plant-based diets,brain health,rheumatoid arthritis,children,heart health,LDL cholesterol,heart disease,vegans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-640	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/	bacon	-	-	meat,vegetables,plant-based diets,eggs,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,fruit,diabetes,cholesterol,cancer,pork,smoking,obesity,nuts,chicken	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/	-
PLAIN-641	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacterial-vaginosis/	bacterial vaginosis	-	-	vaginal discharge,vaginal health,tomato juice,side effects,reproductive health,saturated fat,vaginosis,vegans,women's health,yogurt,whiff test,vitamin C,vegetables,vegetarians,poultry	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/23/preventing-bacterial-vaginosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/	-
PLAIN-642	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacteriophages/	bacteriophages	-	-	food additives,food poisoning,foodborne illness,meat,fecal contamination,fecal bacteria,radiation,chicken,turkey,gut flora,processed meat,hot dogs,FDA,pork,poultry	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/	-
PLAIN-643	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacteroidetes/	Bacteroidetes	-	-	polyphenols,plant-based diets,phytonutrients,obesity,probiotics,vegans,weight loss,vinegar,vegetarians,gut flora,green tea,body fat,blueberries,apples,colon health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/	-
PLAIN-644	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bad-breath/	bad breath	-	-	oral health,omega-3 fatty acids,plant-based diets,poultry,protein,mortality,milk,iron,lutein,macular degeneration,meat,red meat,saliva,vaginal discharge,USDA	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/	-
PLAIN-645	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bagels/	bagels	-	-	pasta,wheat,bread,grains,food sensitivities,gluten,celiac disease,milk,allergies,barley,processed foods,pork,heart disease,rye,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/	-
PLAIN-646	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/baked-beans/	baked beans	-	-	navy beans,pinto beans,heart disease,heart health,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,beans,fat,citrulline,fiber,fruit,medications,watermelon,U.S. Dry Bean Council,greens	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/	-
PLAIN-647	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/baking/	baking	-	-	carrots,frying,cooking methods,antioxidants,boiling,nutrient absorption,nutrition myths,microwaving,leeks,green beans,eggplant,corn,empty calories,garlic,oils	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/	-
PLAIN-648	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/baking-soda/	baking soda	-	-	salt,pH,snake oil,sodium,water,sodium bicarbonate,nutrition myths,LDL cholesterol,blood pressure,blood sugar,cholesterol,hypertension,diabetes,alkaline water	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/	-
PLAIN-649	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bamboo-shoots/	bamboo shoots	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,industrial toxins,DDT,China	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pesticides-in-chinese-bamboo-shoots/	-
PLAIN-650	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/	bananas	-	-	fruit,vegetables,apples,oranges,dietary guidelines,greens,tomatoes,citrus,plant-based diets,carrots,cancer,grapes,fruit juice,USDA,strawberries	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/10/coffee-caveats/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-651	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barbecuing/	barbecuing	-	-	frying,cancer,heterocyclic amines,carcinogens,poultry,white meat,grilling,chicken,meat,fake meat,meat analogs,burgers,beef,pork,veggie burgers	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/	-
PLAIN-652	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barberries/	barberries	-	-	plant-based diets,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,India,pomegranates,raisins,whortleberries,seeds,rowanberries,ranking foods,gooseberries,goji berries,berries,Asian markets,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/	-
PLAIN-653	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bargains/	bargains	-	-	cost savings,plant-based diets,supplements,vegetarians,vegans,dietary guidelines,cholesterol,b12,vegetables,nutrient absorption,women's health,berries,phytonutrients,goji berries,omnivores	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/	-
PLAIN-654	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barhi-dates/	Barhi dates	-	-	recipes,pie,spices,tofu,vegetables,nutmeg,ginger,cinnamon,candy,cloves,dates,fruit	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/	-
PLAIN-655	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barley/	barley	-	-	grains,oats,heart health,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,prediabetes,cardiovascular health,wheat,rice,fat,cancer,obesity,diabetes,weight loss,processed foods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/	-
PLAIN-656	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barretts-esophagus/	Barrett's esophagus	-	-	esophageal cancer,vitamin C,cancer,supplements,esophagus health,men's health,stomach,smoking,prostate cancer,nuts,mortality,obesity,plant protein,poultry,pneumonia	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/	-
PLAIN-657	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/basal-cell-carcinoma/	basal cell carcinoma	-	-	herbal remedies,green tea,Gorlin syndrome,mustard oil,skin cancer,tea,skin health,ginger,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,basal cell nevus syndrome,calendula,cancer survival,cancer,algae	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-658	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/basal-cell-nevus-syndrome/	basal cell nevus syndrome	-	-	herbal remedies,green tea,Gorlin syndrome,mustard oil,skin cancer,tea,skin health,ginger,complementary medicine,basal cell carcinoma,alternative medicine,calendula,cancer survival,cancer,algae	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-659	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/basil/	basil	-	-	greens,vegetables,hypertension,kale,lettuce,heart health,Harvard,exercise,fruit,garlic,mesclun mix,heart disease,nitrate,rhubarb,squash	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/	-
PLAIN-660	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/	beans	Beans are a phytonutrient rich food and an excellent addition to a varied, economical, healthy diet. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommended a shift towards a plant based diet (see here, here, here), and beans are a great source of plant protein (see also here, here). Eating just half a cup of beans a day for two months can result in a 20 point drop in serum cholesterol. Beans also help reduce blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and lower body weight. Bean consumption may also be protective against cancer (see here). Black beans appear to be slightly healthier than pinto beans and lentils (red lentils are the healthiest) come in second after black beans in terms of antioxidant content (see also here, here).Tempeh is a whole soy food and perhaps the healthiest form of soy you can eat. Tofu, as long as it isn’t made with formaldehyde like it is in Malaysia, is also health-promoting. Soy consumption has been found to reduce abdominal fat. Protein from vegetables has been associated with improved fertility in women. Beans are also a great source of zinc, which is recommended for men on all diets. And obtaining folate from beans and legumes rather than taking folic acid supplements is probably healthier (though folic acid supplements are still recommended in early pregnancy).Coffee (made from beans! Well seeds, technically…), appears to be protective against diabetes, liver cancer, and brain cancer.The plastic linings in bean cans can contain BPA, though there are brands that don’t use it.See also the related blog posts: Do Eden Beans Have Too Much Iodine? Beans and Gas: Clearing the air	-	vegetables,meat,plant-based diets,fruit,heart disease,mortality,grains,cardiovascular disease,cancer,nuts,vegetarians,heart health,greens,fiber,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tofu-vs-tempeh-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/	-
PLAIN-661	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/	beef	Meat, including beef, can be source of nitrosamines (see also here), PCBs, DDT and dioxins, arsenic, and heavy metals, although many of these are higher in fish than in beef. PBDE, a flame retardant, is a contaminant in meat that is now found in human breast milk. U.S. beef may contain anabolic steroids; infertility may be linked to the hormones in meat. Copper in beef may also contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.Fecal bacteria are a common contaminant in beef and chicken skin. 47% of retail meat has been found to be contaminated with staph. Superbugs such as MRSA are also now contaminating the retail meat supply. Sarcocystis parasites are extremely common in U.S. beef. Potentially deadly strains of E. coli bacteria have been found in burgers and sprouts.Meat consumption appears to increase the risk of lymphoma, breast cancer, blood cancers and pancreatic cancer. Carcinogens are particularly high in grilled or smoked meats and in cured meats such as hot dogs, bacon and cold cuts. Surprisingly, hot dogs and fast food burgers actually contain little actual muscle tissue.Bean eating is preferable to beef eating. Soy products, for example, are a source of waistline slimming phytoestrogens, while beef, eggs and brains are major sources of cholesterol, saturated fats, trans fats and AGEs (glycotoxins). Because of these drawbacks, vitamin B12 supplements may be the safest source of the vitamin. Another advantage to more plant-centered eating is improved mood.	-	meat,chicken,pork,cancer,vegetarians,plant-based diets,vegetables,vegans,fish,animal products,beans,eggs,animal protein,poultry,dairy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/usda-parasite-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	-
PLAIN-662	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef-brains/	beef brains	-	-	brains,pork brains,veal brains,organ meats,pork,meat,poultry,chicken,cardiovascular disease,beef,eggs,heart health,weight loss,turkey,heart disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-663	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beer/	beer	-	-	fish,wine,beverages,meat,beans,cancer,fruit,eggs,dairy,water,vegetables,vegetarians,processed foods,industry influence,safety limits	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/	-
PLAIN-664	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-greens/	beet greens	-	-	vegetables,greens,fruit,cardiovascular disease,asparagus,beans,kale,Swiss chard,tomatoes,heart disease,heart health,squash,hypertension,beets,blood pressure	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-665	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-juice/	beet juice	-	-	exercise,vegetables,beets,athletes,nitrate,beverages,juice,nitric oxide,sports medicine,nitrite,endurance,phytonutrients,mitochondria,metabolism,saliva	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/31/cancer-proofing-your-body/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/	-
PLAIN-667	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/	beets	-	-	vegetables,exercise,athletes,beet juice,fruit,nitrate,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,beverages,hypertension,blood pressure,juice,asparagus,cardiovascular disease,greens	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/29/bowel-movements-the-scoop-on-poop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	-
PLAIN-668	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beeturia/	beeturia	-	-	side effects,beets,beet juice,kidney health,kidney disease,exercise,kidney stones,fruit,infants,nitrate,sense of smell,vegetables,oxalates,nutrient absorption,children	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/	-
PLAIN-669	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/belgium/	Belgium	-	-	New York City,liposuction,PBDEs,persistent organic pollutants,Spain,Singapore,Japan,industrial toxins,China,California,Czechoslovakia,fibroids,France,flame-retardant chemicals	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	-
PLAIN-670	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bell-peppers/	bell peppers	-	-	broccoli,vegetables,spinach,phytonutrients,antioxidants,beets,cancer,oxidative stress,green beans,kale,greens,carrots,Brussels sprouts,breast cancer,asparagus	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-671	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/benzene/	benzene	-	-	processed foods,marketing,preservatives,junk food,FDA,EPA,food additives,safety limits,tuna,vitamin C,tobacco,sodium benzoate,soda,Coca-Cola,ascorbic acid	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/	-
PLAIN-672	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/benzodiazepines/	benzodiazepines	-	-	medications,side effects,Valium,cancer,massage,aromatherapy,anxiety,breast cancer,endocrine disruptors,breast development,cognition,estrogen,breast health,breast disease,gynecomastia	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/14/using-lavender-to-treat-anxiety/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/	-
PLAIN-673	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bergamots/	bergamots	-	-	phytonutrients,beverages,tea,rosemary,rooibos,red tea,thyme,rose hips,black tea,stomach inflammation,stomach health,ranking foods,Earl Grey tea,bergamottin,lemongrass	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-tea-vs-earl-grey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/	-
PLAIN-674	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bergamottin/	bergamottin	-	-	ranking foods,stomach health,stomach inflammation,tea,phytonutrients,Earl Grey tea,beverages,black tea,bergamots	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-tea-vs-earl-grey/	-
PLAIN-675	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beriberi/	beriberi	-	-	processed foods,rice,plant-based diets,optimal diet,mortality,nutrition myths,rice bran,scurvy,vitamin B1,vitamin C,tomatoes,Tomato Effect,sudden cardiac death,thiamine,medications	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	-
PLAIN-676	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/	berries	Berries may be helpful in the prevention of chronic disease, including cancer and heart disease. Fruits in general, and berries in particular, have the ability to suppress cancer cell growth in vitro and to reduce DNA damage induced by mutagenic agents (such as those present in cooked meat). Strawberries and raspberries can reverse precancerous oral or esophageal lesions. This anti-cancer activity occurs through mechanisms going from boosting natural killer cell activity to inhibiting angiogenesis. Though berries do not seem to lower cholesterol, they may reduce heart disease risk by keeping our platelets in an inactivated state.Berries have the greatest antioxidant content per serving compared to any other food except spices (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). Blackberries, Indian gooseberries, and goji berries rank among the highest in terms of antioxidant levels and offer one of the best nutrition bangs for our buck. Antioxidant-rich foods can affect nitric oxide activity, which helps our arteries relax and dilate normally, and can increase stool weight. Berry antioxidants appear to survive processing, but eating berries in the presence of dairy products may suppress their antioxidant effects. Antioxidant intake may also be associated with lower lymphoma and gastric cancer risks (see also here).Whole fruits and vegetables, but not antioxidant pills, may be useful in treating seasonal allergies and asthma. Berries may even help slow the progression of our third leading killer COPD (emphysema).Consumption of blueberries and strawberries has a protective effect on brain function, delaying cognitive decline by as much as 2.5 years and maybe improving sleep quality due to their melatonin content. Blueberries also have been shown to improve memory.Other remarkable effects range from enhanced athletic recovery (see also here) to relief from visual fatigue. Cranberries in particular may reduce dental plaque formation and prevent recurring bladder infections. Açai berries may promote immune function and relieve arthritic pain.Organic berries appear preferable. And the more berries we eat, the more benefit you derive. Indian gooseberries may be effective in treating diabetes, cancer cell growth and invasion, but avoid Ayurvedic preparations such as triphala, because of heavy metal contamination. Rosehips (the berry of the rose plant) have been found to reduce osteoarthritis pain. So remember to include berries in your diet–they are so very healthy and economical. And speaking of remembering – blueberries also have been shown to improve memory!	-	vegetables,fruit,fiber,antioxidants,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,meat,diabetes,mortality,nuts,heart disease,sugar,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,soda	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-677	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/	beta carotene	Diets rich in carotenoids like beta-carotene may protect against radiation-induced DNA damage and oxidative stress in the lungs. Subjects suffering from asthma had lower circulating carotenoid levels; adding a few servings of fruits and vegetables to the diet reduced asthma exacerbation rate by half. Antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamin C taken from diet could also help prevent bacterial vaginosis. To get the most nutrients from carotenoid-rich vegetables, cooking matters: the best way to cook sweet potatoes would be to boil them with their skin, which is ten times as rich in antioxidants as the flesh.	-	phytonutrients,fruit,vegetables,cancer,antioxidants,vitamin C,supplements,vegans,oxidative stress,side effects,plant-based diets,carrots,women's health,lutein,kale	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/23/preventing-bacterial-vaginosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	-
PLAIN-678	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-glucan/	beta glucan	-	-	immune function,yeast,brewer's yeast,common cold,nutritional yeast,aging,shiitake mushrooms,safety limits,side effects,uric acid,exercise,mood,respiratory infections,stress,fiber	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/	-
PLAIN-679	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-waves/	beta waves	-	-	liver health,meditation,mushrooms,herbal tea,heart health,EEG,green tea,heart disease,ovarian cancer,ovary health,weight loss,white tea,women's health,theanine,tea	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	-
PLAIN-680	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carboline-alkaloids/	beta-carboline alkaloids	-	-	fish,smoking,Harmane,pork,meat,lung cancer,tremors,essential tremor,turkey,beef,cancer,chicken,migraine headaches,milk,medications	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-681	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/betel-nuts/	betel nuts	-	-	kidney disease,kidney health,natural toxins,nuts,coconuts,chestnuts,Asian markets,cancer,areca nuts	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-betel-nuts-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-682	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/	beverages	The new dietary guidelines and other studies on healthy beverages (see also here and here) show that beverages can be a rich source of nutrients in the diet. In Asia, for example, green tea consumption may help explain comparatively low lung cancer and heart disease rates given the level of smoking. Tea is a great low calorie source of nutrients that may also help increase brain activity (see also here). Healthy herbal teas include tulsi, osmanthus, dandelion, and hibiscus, ,which may elevate antioxidant levels in the bloodstream within an hour, but some liquid supplements containing tropical fruit juices such as noni and mangosteen may be toxic to the liver.Cold water steeping of tea may actually lead to higher nutrient concentrations. Matcha tea (made from powdered tea leaves) is another excellent option. Avoid adding milk to tea to maximize nutrient absorption. 10 cups of tea a day is probably the safe upper limit. Some other interesting comparisons: earl gray vs. black tea, green vs. white tea, coffee vs. tea, and bottled vs. tap water.Even light alcohol intake (up to a drink a day) is suspected to promote breast cancer.We may not be drinking enough fluids, evidenced by the fact that drinking water was found to boost children’s' cognitive performance.Coffee has also been shown to be relatively health promoting (see also here, here, here) though there are concerns about its effect on coronary artery function and may even help prevent liver cancer.Beet juice has been found to significantly improve sports performance (see also here, here, here, here and here). Soymilk positively influences timing of puberty in girls and appears equal to cow’s milk in terms of calcium absorption (as long as you shake it). Drinks to minimize include kombucha tea, yerba mate, noni juice, dairy, commercial carrot juice, and soda, which may contain sodium benzoate and caramel coloring which may contribute to cancer risk. The media often bombards us with messages about what we should or shouldn’t eat or drink so awareness of the source of funding and how it impacts the results of scientific findings is important.See also the related blog post: Hibiscus tea: flower power	-	vegetables,meat,fruit,cancer,soda,vegetarians,heart disease,alcohol,plant-based diets,beans,cardiovascular disease,smoking,women's health,vegans,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-osmanthus-tea-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-vs-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hibiscus-tea-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-yerba-mate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-tea-vs-earl-grey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-yerba-mate-tea-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-tulsi-tea-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/	-
PLAIN-683	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bha/	BHA	-	-	mortality,paleolithic diets,hypertension,heart health,gout,heart disease,prediabetes,prehistoric diets,stroke,uric acid,sodium,salt,preservatives,Germany,food additives	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/	-
PLAIN-684	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bibhitaki-fruit/	bibhitaki fruit	-	-	industrial toxins,infants,lead,medications,India,in vitro studies,haritaki fruit,heavy metals,herbs,mercury,mortality,phytonutrients,side effects,supplements,triphala	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/	-
PLAIN-685	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biblical-teachings/	biblical teachings	-	-	meat,plant-based diets,Daniel Fast,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,inflammation,nitric oxide,insulin,legumes,nuts,preservatives,EPIC Study,cake,seeds	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tightening-the-bible-belt/	-
PLAIN-686	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/big-mac/	Big Mac	-	-	microwaving,meat,McDonald’s,nutmeg,nuts,oats,oatmeal,marjoram,lemonbalm,greens,gooseberries,herbal tea,herbs,legumes,India	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-687	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/	bile acids	-	-	gut flora,fiber,vegetarians,colon health,vegans,plant-based diets,animal protein,vegetables,meat,fruit,heart health,diabetes,animal fat,cardiovascular health,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gum-arabic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-oil-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-brain-loss-with-b-vitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-dragon-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	-
PLAIN-688	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bill-gates/	Bill Gates	-	-	mortality,orange juice,platelets,lifespan,LDL cholesterol,joint disease,joint health,rheumatoid arthritis,saturated fat,Union of Concerned Scientists,vegetables,trans fats,stroke,side effects,strawberries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/	-
PLAIN-689	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/billberries/	billberries	-	-	industry influence,herbal remedies,grapes,jam,raisins,vision,supplements,fruit,fatigue,berries,computer eye strain,currants,eye health,eye disease,anthocyanins	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/	-
PLAIN-690	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bio-identical-hormones/	bio identical hormones	-	-	industry influence,Mayo Clinic,hormones,heart health,heart disease,menopause,Premarin,women's health,stroke,side effects,pulmonary embolism,FDA,estrogen,breast disease,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/	-
PLAIN-691	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bioavailability/	bioavailability	-	-	boiling,blueberries,cancer,carcinogens,blood sugar,baking,World Health Organization,acrylamide,antioxidants,carrots,beta carotene,cooking methods,steaming,sweet potatoes,vitamin A	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/	-
PLAIN-692	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biogenic-amines/	biogenic amines	-	-	meat,spermine,fish,sausage,cheese,cadaverine,putrescine,sauerkraut,sardines,tuna,soy sauce,safety limits,tempeh,kimchi,cans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/23/preventing-bacterial-vaginosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-693	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/	biomagnification	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,fish,seafood,industrial toxins,animal fat,animal products,breastfeeding,dioxins,fat,asthma,dairy,body fat,chicken,pesticides,poultry	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/	-
PLAIN-694	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomarkers/	biomarkers	-	-	arsenic,seafood,fish oil,animal products,fish,white meat,kale,persistent organic pollutants,PCBs,omega-3 fatty acids,greens,cruciferous vegetables,neurotoxins,broccoli,collard greens	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/	-
PLAIN-695	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bipolar-disorder/	bipolar disorder	-	-	Parkinson's disease,parasites,mental health,pregnancy,schizophrenia,women's health,USDA,toxoplasma,lamb,immune function,brain parasites,brain health,brain disease,children,cooking temperature	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/	-
PLAIN-696	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-control-pills/	birth control pills	-	-	women's health,cancer,water,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,heart health,heart disease,hypertension,LDL cholesterol,grapefruit juice,fruit,citrus,cholesterol,cost savings,fat,Lipitor	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/	-
PLAIN-697	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/	birth defects	A woman’s diet, even pre-pregnancy, may have a major impact on their children’s health. Nitrites found in processed meat, advanced glycation end products and heme iron all were found to increase risks for gestational diabetes, itself linked to a higher occurence of birth defects. Contamination with methylmercury in seafood can lead to impaired fetal brain development and is a risk factor for epilepsy. The brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids in fish cannot compensate for the risk of neurological damage due to the presence of mercury. Other pollutants, like alkylphenols found in meat, dairy and seafood, are endocrine disruptors linked to increased risk of birth defects and infertility, as well as of eczema, seasonal allergies and metabolic diseases. The carcinogen DES was once fed to farm animals, a practice that has since been banned.	-	women's health,pregnancy,fish,cancer,children,meat,animal fat,plant-based diets,infants,chicken,animal products,dairy,pesticides,processed meat,inflammation	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/	-
PLAIN-698	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biscuit-cake-chocolate-and-confectionery-association/	Biscuit Cake Chocolate and Confectionery Association	-	-	oranges,plant-based diets,raisins,raw food,oral health,oral cancer,lemons,limes,omnivores,soda,sports drinks,vegetables,vegetarians,vinegar,vegans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/	-
PLAIN-699	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bison/	bison	-	-	poultry,pork,MRSA,staph infection,turkey,zoonotic disease,white meat,veal,meat,foodborne illness,CDC,beef,chicken,factory farming practices,food poisoning	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/	-
PLAIN-700	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-beans/	black beans	-	-	beans,liver disease,liver health,antioxidants,vegetables,pinto beans,kidney beans,ranking foods,legumes,grains,cancer,fruit,lentils,chickpeas,colon health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/	-
PLAIN-701	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-raspberries/	black raspberries	-	-	cancer,fruit,cancer survival,berries,vegetables,sexual health,strawberries,smoking,anal fissure,sexual transmission,polyps,raspberries,suppositories,ranking foods,phytonutrients	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/	-
PLAIN-702	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-tea/	black tea	Some concern was raised over the aluminum content of black tea: five cups/day contain the equivalent of the maximum recommended aluminum intake. But aluminum from black tea is bound to phytonutrients and thus its bioavailability is low, so that no more than 10% can get absorbed. Black tea failed to increase aluminum blood levels, even when taken with lemon.	-	green tea,tea,beverages,water,phytonutrients,oolong tea,lemons,antioxidants,hibiscus tea,safety limits,white tea,herbal tea,World Health Organization,milk,cooking methods	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-tea-vs-earl-grey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-vs-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	-
PLAIN-703	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blackberries/	blackberries	-	-	fruit,berries,meat,hamburgers,plant-based diets,burgers,vegetables,emphysema,apples,dementia,COPD,bananas,brain health,dairy,kiwi fruit	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-704	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-cancer/	bladder cancer	-	-	cancer,bladder health,vegetables,rectal cancer,breast cancer,colon cancer,prostate cancer,prostate health,lung cancer,fruit,bladder disease,vegetarians,women's health,cancer survival,plant-based diets	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-705	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-disease/	bladder disease	-	-	bladder health,cancer,bladder cancer,prostate health,medications,alternative medicine,leukemia,plant-based diets,side effects,prostate cancer,vegans,rectal cancer,vegetarians,poultry,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/04/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-706	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/	bladder health	-	-	cancer,side effects,chicken,prostate cancer,plant-based diets,meat,women's health,vegetables,vegans,prostate health,medications,men's health,animal products,beef,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/04/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-707	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-infections/	bladder infections	-	-	E. coli,chicken,cooking temperature,pork,foodborne illness,fruit,cooking methods,placebo,women's health,vaginal health,Campylobacter,antibiotics,fecal bacteria,bladder health,beef	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/	-
PLAIN-708	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/	blindness	-	-	eye health,diabetes,eye disease,vision,kidney disease,kidney failure,mortality,heart health,eggs,heart disease,kidney health,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,fat,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-709	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bloating/	bloating	-	-	medications,side effects,surgery,vegans,women's health,plant-based diets,vegetarians,hormones,weight loss,pain,cancer,colon health,alternative medicine,fruit,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-710	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-cancer/	blood cancer	-	-	cancer,leukemia,meat,animal products,cancer viruses,zoonotic disease,immune function,bone marrow health,viral infections,lymphoma,vegetarians,vegans,prediabetes,plant-based diets,inflammation	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	-
PLAIN-711	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-clots/	blood clots	-	-	heart disease,heart health,cardiovascular disease,mortality,cancer,vegetables,fruit,cholesterol,LDL cholesterol,stroke,allergies,women's health,breast cancer,breast health,side effects	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/	-
PLAIN-712	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-donation/	blood donation	-	-	mortality,cognition,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cancer,brain disease,brain health,heart health,lifespan,nutrition myths,pregnancy,supplements,nutrient absorption,natural toxins,anemia	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-713	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/	blood pressure	-	-	heart disease,cardiovascular disease,fruit,hypertension,plant-based diets,vegetables,heart health,cardiovascular health,diabetes,cancer,mortality,chronic diseases,meat,cholesterol,soda	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-714	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/	blood sugar	-	-	fat,diabetes,obesity,fruit,cholesterol,calories,prediabetes,insulin,vegetables,grains,saturated fat,weight loss,heart health,meat,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/08/flaxseeds-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/	-
PLAIN-715	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-thinning/	blood thinning	-	-	omnivores,medications,plant-based diets,stroke,vegetarians,inflammation,dementia,brain disease,brain health,cancer,aspirin	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/	-
PLAIN-716	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-type-diet/	blood type diet	-	-	nutrition myths,Norway,rheumatoid arthritis,smoking,vegetables,sugar,meat,fruit,Atkins diet,doughnuts,exercise,fat,Albert Einstein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/	-
PLAIN-717	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-letting/	blood-letting	-	-	industrial toxins,India,herbs,heavy metals,infants,lead,snake oil,saoot,nutrition myths,mercury,greta,constipation,azarcon,Ayurvedic medicine,arsenic	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/	-
PLAIN-718	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blue-green-algae/	blue-green algae	-	-	supplements,neurotoxins,nutrition myths,spirulina,brain health,health food stores,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,Alzheimer’s disease,ALS,algae,Lou Gehrig's disease,BMAA,Parkinson's disease,brain disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/	-
PLAIN-719	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/	blueberries	Blueberries are among the healthiest fruits. Although there are foods with more antioxidants, blueberries have a high antioxidant value, which can help in reaching the recommended daily intake and staying out of oxidative debt.Whole fresh blueberries have a higher phytonutrient content than dried blueberries and juice. These phytonutrients may improve memory, delay cognitive aging and protect against age-related macular degeneration. Although this study found that blueberries did not reduce cancer cell growth, blueberries may lower cancer risk, notably by increasing our cancer fighting immune cells.Use blueberries in this delicious antioxidant-rich breakfast smoothie.	-	fruit,vegetables,oxidative stress,antioxidants,cancer,berries,phytonutrients,aging,plant-based diets,lifespan,strawberries,mortality,grapes,fiber,turmeric	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/28/soymilk-shake-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-720	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bluefish/	bluefish	-	-	longevity,mackerel,lifespan,heartbeat,heart health,mercury,salmon,swordfish,stroke,seafood,sardines,heart failure,heart disease,dementia,caffeine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/	-
PLAIN-721	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bmaa/	BMAA	-	-	neurotoxins,Lou Gehrig's disease,ALS,Alzheimer’s disease,blue-green algae,dementia,brain health,Parkinson's disease,brain disease,nutrition myths,complementary medicine,health food stores,supplements,algae,oysters	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/	-
PLAIN-722	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-building/	body building	-	-	muscle strength,muscle health,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,IGF-1,hormones,cancer,exercise,giantism,acromegaly	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/	-
PLAIN-723	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/	body fat	Abdominal fat is the kind of body fat that may most increase our risk of dying prematurely, making waist-to-height ratio a better predictor of disease than body mass index. Given otherwise comparable diets, the protein in soy may cause abdominal fat to shrink 10-15 square centimeters, whereas the protein in milk may cause abdominal fat to increase 20-40 square centimeters (see also here). Soy appears to prevent human fat cells from taking up fat, and turmeric is also thought to have this effect on fat cells. Bean consumption has also been associated with lower body weights and smaller waist circumferences in adults. Eating grapefruit may lead to weight loss, and drinking water before each meal could have the same effect. Dried fruits and nuts do not appear to lead to weight gain despite their caloric density and eating frequency does not seem to have an impact on health and weight. Conversely, meat has been associated with higher weight gain, even after controlling for calories, and may be specifically associated with abdominal obesity. It has been estimated that, on average, an inch is added onto the waist for every daily burger consumed over time. People consuming low calorie sweeteners such as those found in diet soda may overcompensate by eating more than they should, which can also lead to weight gain. Because a plant-based diet is associated with a lower body fat, it might also help reduce cellulite.A virus has been discovered that actually causes obesity in chickens. Such viruses may even be a contributing factor in human obesity by increasing the number and size of fat cells. Chicken meat today contains ten times more fat per serving compared to chicken meat a hundred years ago, This could help explain why chicken has been tied to human abdominal girth.Dioxins are toxic waste pollutants that accumulate in the fatty tissues of food animals consumed by humans (see also here). PCBs (found in fish oil) have been found to induce inflammation that promotes obesity. Other chemical obesogens may also be contributing factors in the obesity epidemic, possibly through the disruption of our metabolism.	-	fat,cancer,obesity,weight loss,children,diabetes,prediabetes,calories,exercise,smoking,animal products,tobacco,fish,lifespan,animal protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/23/can-one-become-a-sugar-addict/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	-
PLAIN-724	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-odor/	body odor	-	-	plant-based diets,women's health,sexual health,vegetarians,protein,poultry,saturated fat,stroke,seafood,saliva,red meat,oral health,lutein,iron,industry influence	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/body-odor-diet-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/	-
PLAIN-725	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/boiling/	boiling	-	-	cooking methods,raw food,vegetables,antioxidants,phytonutrients,steaming,kale,microwaving,broccoli,chronic diseases,nutrient absorption,standard American diet,frying,baking,carrots	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/	-
PLAIN-726	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bok-choy/	bok choy	-	-	kale,cruciferous vegetables,greens,antioxidants,Brussels sprouts,broccoli,cauliflower,stomach health,stomach cancer,squash,tomatoes,yellow onions,antibiotics,allergies,spinach	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-727	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bokhoor/	bokhoor	-	-	industrial toxins,India,herbs,heavy metals,infants,lead,snake oil,saoot,nutrition myths,mercury,greta,constipation,blood-letting,azarcon,Ayurvedic medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/	-
PLAIN-728	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bolete-mushroom/	bolete mushroom	-	-	liver health,meditation,mushrooms,herbal tea,heart health,EEG,green tea,heart disease,ovarian cancer,ovary health,weight loss,white tea,women's health,theanine,tea	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	-
PLAIN-729	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bologna/	bologna	-	-	meat,ham,processed meat,hot dogs,mortality,plant-based diets,fruit,vegetables,cardiovascular disease,heart health,salami,bacon,cancer,heart disease,grains	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-730	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-cancer/	bone cancer	-	-	cancer,prostate cancer,men's health,metastases,breast cancer,breast disease,bone health,elderly,hormones,aging,brain tumors,white meat,cell death,antiangiogenesis,weight loss	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	-
PLAIN-731	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-fractures/	bone fractures	-	-	bone health,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,medications,osteoporosis,poultry,vegans,bone mineral density,heart health,vegetarians,plant-based diets,mortality,beans,women's health,calcium	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/	-
PLAIN-732	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/	bone health	The idea that the acid-forming quality of animal protein has to be buffered by calcium from the bones, thus leading to bone loss, might not be true (also see here). However, despite the fact that milk-drinkers have a higher calcium intake, long-term vegans were found to have the same bone mineral density. Still, vegans not getting enough calcium may be at higher risk of bone fractures, making the consumption of plant-based sources of calcium, such as broccoli and kale, important. Calcium absorption from soy milk was found to be the same as cow’s milk, but soy milk needs to be shaken since the calcium may settle at the bottom. Cow’s milk consumption has been found to increase the risk of death and bone fractures, thought ot be due to the galactose content.While calcium is important for bone health, fiber and high-phytate foods such as whole grains, beans, and nuts, may also play a role in improving bone mineral density. Moreover, Vitamin D is important for bone health and for the proper functioning of many other organs (also see here, here, here and here). Curcumin (found in turmeric) may alleviate the pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis without the side effects associated with drugs. Conversely, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are found in some processed foods and produced by some forms of cooking, may accelerate the aging process and increase risk of osteoporosis.	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,osteoporosis,heart health,aging,bone mineral density,cholesterol,bone fractures,cardiovascular health,lifespan,calories,depression,women's health,phytates,longevity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/15/vitamin-d-shedding-some-light-on-the-new-recommendations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evolutionary-argument-for-optimal-vitamin-d-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/long-term-vegan-bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-institute-of-medicine-arrived-at-their-vitamin-d-recommendation/	-
PLAIN-733	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-marrow-health/	bone marrow health	-	-	cancer,animal products,side effects,immune function,liver health,meat,leukemia,vegetarians,lymphoma,plant-based diets,inflammation,blood cancer,fruit,women's health,cervix health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/	-
PLAIN-734	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-mineral-density/	bone mineral density	-	-	bone health,osteoporosis,calcium,milk,bone fractures,mortality,chicken,plant-based diets,vegetables,animal products,fruit,vegans,heart disease,pork,beef	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/long-term-vegan-bone-health/	-
PLAIN-735	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/boron/	boron	-	-	medications,men's health,menopause,lignans,hormones,gut flora,heart health,menstruation,omega-3 fatty acids,spoilage,tamsulosin,triglycerides,seeds,recipes,processed foods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/	-
PLAIN-736	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/boston/	Boston	-	-	industrial toxins,infants,India,heavy metals,gooseberries,lead,medications,supplements,triphala,phytonutrients,alternative medicine,mercury,fruit,oxidative stress,Ayurvedic medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/	-
PLAIN-737	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/botulism/	botulism	-	-	food additives,processed meat,nitrite,preservatives,USDA,meat,hot dogs,food poisoning,foodborne illness,ham,bacon,pork,cancer,lung cancer,leukemia	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/	-
PLAIN-738	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bovine-leukemia-virus/	bovine leukemia virus	-	-	meat,non-Hodgkin lymphoma,lymphoma,human papilloma virus,feline leukemia virus,occupational health,pets,zoonotic disease,women's health,wart viruses,viral infections,farm animals,dogs,butcher's warts,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-739	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/	bowel movements	The form, frequency, and transit time of bowel movements may play an important role in colon health. Larger bowel movements rid the body of excess estrogen. Women who have more frequent bowel movements appear to be at lower risk of breast cancer, which may be because bile acids absorbed from our intestines concentrate in the breast and have an estrogen-like tumor promoting effect. A minimum of 200 grams of fecal output (about a half pound) per day may be a goal for cancer prevention. The healthy bacteria in our colon may even help us control our weight, so it’s important to keep our gut flora happy.Fiber from whole plant foods can help prevent diverticulosis and constipation. Prunes were found to be more effective than fiber supplements in increasing spontaneous bowel movements. Foods high in antioxidants may also help increase stool size. Moreover, the elimination of all dairy products may cure almost all cases of childhood constipation. Eating meat and processed foods may increase one’s risk for conditions such as diverticulosis. Fat blocking drugs and certain fish can cause anal leakage.See also the related blog posts: Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk, Bowel movements: the scoop on poop	-	colon health,fiber,plant-based diets,fruit,colon disease,constipation,vegetarians,vegans,vegetables,gut flora,cholesterol,stool size,animal protein,dairy,elderly	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/29/bowel-movements-the-scoop-on-poop/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greasy-orange-rectal-leakage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-740	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bpa/	BPA	-	-	plastic,polycarbonate plastic,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,diabetes,Canada,industrial toxins,FDA,Eden Foods,cooking methods,cans,liver disease,polyethylene plastic,polypropylene plastic	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/	-
PLAIN-741	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bph/	BPH	-	-	men's health,prostate health,prostate cancer,cancer,heart health,seeds,animal fat,plant-based diets,sexual dysfunction,flax seeds,cardiovascular disease,bladder health,sexual health,urinary tract infections,prostatectomy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	-
PLAIN-742	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bragg-liquid-aminos/	Bragg Liquid Aminos	-	-	MSG,nutrition myths,food additives,Chinese food,allergies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-msg-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-743	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/	brain disease	Lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet, physical exercise, and mental exercise could play an important role in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. A Mediterranean diet may not only reduce risk of Alzheimer’s, but may also reduce mortality from the disease. Different fruits and vegetables appear to support different cognitive domains of the brain, so both variety and quantity in the diet are important. Greater fruit and vegetable consumption has been linked with lower rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The consumption of blueberries and strawberries is associated with delayed cognitive aging by as much as 2.5 years. Ellagic acid may play a role in the ability of berries to prevent age related cognitive decline, but its absorption is blocked by dairy. The relationship between tofu and dementia may be related to formaldehyde contamination. Apple juice did not appear to increase cognitive performance in Alzheimer’s patients, even though in a petri dish, apple juice and ginger appeared to improve nerve cell survival. However, it has been found that those who drink fruit and vegetable juices had a 76% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s, possibly due to phytonutrient content. Saffron, when compared to Aricept, a leading drug in the treatment of Alzheimer’s, was found to work just as well without the side effects (see also here). While populations eating more turmeric have a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s, this may be due to their lower consumption of animal products, which may also be beneficial for Parkinson’s disease. However, turmeric, but not curcumin supplements, was found to alleviate Alzheimer patients’ symptoms. Coffee may also reduce the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Conversely, there is little evidence that coconut oil helps with Alzheimer’s disease. Aluminum is added to processed cheese and may be related to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Similarly, iron accumulation in the brain is being increasingly linked to neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Moreover, there’s been a recommendation that people with a family history of neurodegenerative diseases should avoid milk. Toxic waste in the food supply may help explain the link between dairy consumption and Parkinson’s disease (see also here). A plant-based diet may also be an effective treatment for multiple sclerosis.Consumption of methyl mercury can result in microcephaly, impaired cognition, and delayed brain-nerve communication in fetuses, infants, and children. Mercury contamination has also been linked to lower IQs and brain damage in the children of mothers who ingest mercury while pregnant. Women may want to avoid polluted fish consumption for a year before they get pregnant in addition to during pregnancy itself. Methyl mercury is found in tuna and fish (see here, here and here). Ayurvedic medications have also been found to be contaminated with mercury and lead. Arsenic is fed to chickens and may be related to neuropathy as well as neurocognitive deficits in children. Getting bitewing or panoramic X-rays at the dentist may be associated with an increased risk of meningioma, the most common type of brain tumor.Pork tapeworms larvae invading the brain is one of the most common causes of epilepsy (see also here). Pork tapeworms in the brain may also present as migraines or chronic tension headaches. The brain parasite toxoplasma is found in lamb meat; 10% of Americans may be infected with this parasite. Neurotoxic chemicals in chicken, including beta-carboline alkaloids, may also explain the link between meat consumption and the common neurological disorder essential tremor. There are neurotoxins in fish that cannot be neutralized with cooking and can cause strange reactions (like hot feels like cold, cold feels hot). Similarly, domoic acid, found in seafood, has been found to cause an unusual form of amnesia.Aspirin naturally found in plants may explain the presence of aspirin in the bloodstream of vegetarians, and it does not appear to have the attendant risk of hemorrhagic stroke that comes with regular consumption of aspirin in pill form. The omega-3 fatty acids our brain needs for optimal health (both long and short chain) can be obtained from plant sources. Blue-green algae can produce neurotoxins and should be avoided. Cognitive deficits may be an early sign of B12 deficiency, which is more frequent in vegans AND vegetarians than omnivores.	-	brain health,mortality,Alzheimer’s disease,dementia,meat,dairy,fish,plant-based diets,fruit,cancer,saturated fat,exercise,heart disease,cognition,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanut-butter-smell-test-for-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-744	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/	brain health	Varied plant-based diets appear to be beneficial to cognitive health and may even reduce depression and anxiety (see here, here, and here). While there are mental health benefits from the fatty acids in fish, there are also negative effects from arachidonic acid. An increasing rate of mental illness may be linked to genetic manipulation of animals destined for human consumption, resulting in a reduction of DHA in chicken. Plant-based DHA may offer the benefits without the contamination risks. The mercury in fish (such as tuna, especially certain brands) may damage the brain of infants, children, and adults (more than that in vaccinations). Natural toxins in fish can also pose a threat (even when seafood is properly cooked). There’s one toxin that even causes a form of amnesiaGreen tea and sleeping sufficiently seem to minimize the risk of stroke. Green tea may also ease pain and nausea and beneficially alter brain wave activity. However, a single egg a day may contribute to a higher incidence of strokes. The good news is that a whole food plant-based diet can help prevent atherosclerosis. Even moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk for bleeding strokes (though it decreases the risk of the clotting strokes). Coffee may modestly decrease brain cancer risk, along with certain vegetables. Coffee may also decrease the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Cell phone use has been linked to brain tumors, but not as much as hot dog consumption.Regular exercise may reverse cognitive decline. Caloric restriction also may improve memory. And while berries can help to prevent cognitive decline, adding milk inhibits the absorption of the phytonutrients. Those with a family history of neurodegenerative diseases should consider limiting their consumption of milk altogether. Hormones in milk have been linked to these degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease. Soy products have been shown to improve cognition in short-term trials, but not tofu preserved with formaldehyde. Vitamin D and B12 may also protect against cognitive decline, but homeopathy does not appear to be useful.Drugs and toxic metals in meats can contribute to neurotoxicity. AGEs (glycotoxins) in animal-based foods may contribute to dementia. Copper has been found in meat (and supplements) and may contribute to Alzheimer’s Disease. Aluminum, added to cheese, has been linked to Alzheimer’s. Even iron has been linked to these neurodegenerative diseases. A banned pesticide, Dieldrin, can still be found in contaminated dairy products. Aspartame consumption has been linked to at least one brain disease.Artificial colors have been shown to contribute to ADHD symptoms. Arsenic found in chicken has been linked to neurocognitive deficits in children. Licorice has been shown to be harmful, especially during pregnancy. Creatine supplements have been found to be contaminated with heavy metals and are not recommended.Plant-based foods may provide protection against inflammation and dementia in part due to a low level of aspirin naturally found throughout the plant kingdom. But blue green algae (see here and here) may be linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, and Lou Gehrig’s disease. Spirulina may also contain harmful neurotoxins.Toxoplasma is a brain parasite that can be transmitted through the consumption of undercooked lamb chops. Epilepsy can be caused by pork tapeworms taking up residence inside our brain. Also, essential tremor, a common neurological condition, has been linked to meat consumption.	-	brain disease,mortality,dementia,Alzheimer’s disease,mental health,fish,cognition,aging,depression,meat,cancer,seafood,dairy,food poisoning,plant-based diets	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/30/why-pregnant-women-should-avoid-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanut-butter-smell-test-for-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-aspartame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caloric-restriction-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-745	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-parasites/	brain parasites	Pork tapeworms can infest the human brain. They are the most common cause of adult onset epilepsy (see also here). Another type of brain worm can be contracted from eating fish. Approximately 1 in 6 US lambs is infected with toxoplasma brain parasites; about 10% of Americans are infected with this brain parasite. There also is a rare condition called delusional parasitosis, where the patient believes they are infected with parasites even though they are not (though it can be caused by pork tapeworms in the brain!).	-	parasites,brain health,brain disease,tapeworms,foodborne illness,food poisoning,pork,neurocysticercosis,seizures,epilepsy,zoonotic disease,fish,meat,headaches,seafood	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/	-
PLAIN-746	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-surgery/	brain surgery	-	-	tapeworms,pork,food poisoning,foodborne illness,headaches,epilepsy,seizures,brain parasites,brain health,brain disease,parasites,neurocysticercosis,sprouts,surgery,worms	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/	-
PLAIN-747	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/	brain tumors	-	-	cancer,brain health,meat,brain disease,children,leukemia,mortality,inflammation,breast cancer,pain,X-rays,pork,longevity,parasites,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/13/how-risky-are-ct-scans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-748	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-waves/	brain waves	-	-	addiction,women's health,weight loss,sugar,soda,side effects,breast cancer,breast health,cognition,breast disease,medications,cancer,sweeteners,cocaine,dopamine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/14/using-lavender-to-treat-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/23/can-one-become-a-sugar-addict/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/	-
PLAIN-749	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brains/	brains	-	-	meat,chicken,veal brains,pork brains,poultry,beef brains,organ meats,pork,beef,animal products,vegetables,eggs,heart disease,bacon,diabetes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-750	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brazil-nuts/	brazil nuts	-	-	nuts,pine nuts,pistachios,pecans,cashews,macadamia nuts,peanuts,almonds,cardiovascular health,obesity,walnuts,oxidative stress,mortality,cardiovascular disease,hazelnuts	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/	-
PLAIN-751	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brca-genes/	BRCA genes	-	-	mortality,phytonutrients,plant protein,metastases,lifespan,LDL cholesterol,legumes,lentils,protein,soy,vegetable protein,weight loss,women's health,triglycerides,tofu	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/	-
PLAIN-752	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/	bread	-	-	fruit,grains,plant-based diets,cancer,dairy,heart disease,alcohol,chronic diseases,vegetables,cardiovascular disease,pasta,nuts,wine,antioxidants,Mediterranean diet	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	-
PLAIN-753	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast/	breakfast	-	-	cholesterol,standard American diet,obesity,fruit,fiber,eggs,heart health,oatmeal,mortality,vegetables,smoking,diabetes,antioxidants,dietary guidelines,LDL cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/	-
PLAIN-754	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast-cereal/	breakfast cereal	-	-	antioxidants,cholesterol,fruit,eggs,phytonutrients,berries,sugar,flax seeds,plant-based diets,vegetables,meat,seeds,dairy,soda,heart health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/	-
PLAIN-755	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/	breast cancer	Much like other types of cancer, a plant-based diet may be beneficial in preventing (see here and here), slowing, and even treating breast cancer, despite flawed or deceptive studies to the contrary.Diets containing less meat may reduce the risk of breast cancer by lowering one’s exposure to anabolic steroids, heterocyclic amines, saturated fat, trans fat, and industrial pollutants. Dairy contains hormones that may increase breast cancer risk directly, or indirectly by contributing to premature puberty. Melatonin suppression by meat and dairy may also play a role. Eating a single egg a day has been associated with nearly three times the odds of breast cancer.Kimchi, acrylamide in crispy carbs, multivitamins, and alcohol may also increase one’s risk, and, from a breast cancer perspective, folate in beans and greens may be preferable to folic acid in pills.Vegetables in general may be protective against breast cancer. The most protective are likely cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli (see here and here), kale, cabbage, and allium family vegetables (such as garlic, onions and leeks). Also potentially protective are amla (against both cancer cell growth and invasion here), mushrooms (stuffing mushrooms are best), and avocadoes (though there is natural toxin in avocadoes that may be a problem).Among fruits, organic strawberries appear to preferably block cancer cell growth and, like other berries, may block breast-cell DNA damage. Apples also appear to reduce breast cancer risk.Soy foods have the distinction of both helping prevent breast cancer (in part by supporting normal pubertal development) and improving survival, even for women on Tamoxifen.To further decrease risk of breast cancer, look to daily tea consumption (including a few herbal varieties), coffee, flax seeds (which also may improve survival—see here and here), black beans, the correct level of vitamin D, the spice turmeric, and an hour of exercise daily. Avoid certain ayurvedic medicines due to lead and other contaminants.Dr. Greger covers breast cancer in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.See also the related blog posts: Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli, Breast Cancer and Diet, Soy and breast cancer: an update	-	cancer,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health,alcohol,plant-based diets,fruit,colon cancer,vegans,rectal cancer,beverages,diabetes,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/29/soy-and-breast-cancer-an-update/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flawed-study-interpretation-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/	-
PLAIN-756	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-survival/	breast cancer survival	-	-	breast cancer,cancer,women's health,breast health,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,mortality,cancer survival,seeds,flax seeds,LDL cholesterol,cholesterol,lignans,soy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-757	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-development/	breast development	-	-	puberty,breast health,women's health,meat,children,cancer,breast cancer,men's health,endocrine disruptors,hormones,premature puberty,fish,animal protein,industrial toxins,estrogen	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/	-
PLAIN-758	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/	breast disease	-	-	breast health,cancer,breast cancer,women's health,hormones,medications,ovary health,plant-based diets,fish,poultry,chicken,meat,animal products,fat,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/18/go-nuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flawed-study-interpretation-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-759	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/	breast health	Plant-based diets may help prevent breast cancer and prolong survival, thanks to phytonutrients in flax, broccoli, and soy, and the avoidance of animal products such as meat and dairy. One should eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and get a enough exercise and sleep. Some foods may be especially helpful include: dark-green leafy vegetables, coffee, Indian gooseberries, avocados, spinach, garlic, onions, cinnamon, apples, strawberries, herbal teas, green tea, and white-button mushrooms.Those at high risk should consider reducing their consumption of meat, dairy (see also here), trans fat, saturated fat, Kimchi, folic-acid supplements (but folate from beans and greens is helpful), multivitamins, and deep fried foods. Large stool size has been associated with breast health and may reduce cancer risk. One might also not want to take advice from health food store employees, as their recommendations for breast cancer treatment were found to lack a sound medical or scientific basis.	-	cancer,breast cancer,women's health,vegetables,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,seeds,diabetes,vegetarians,fat,plant-based diets,grains,animal products,beans,colon health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flawed-study-interpretation-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	-
PLAIN-760	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/	breast milk	Milk proteins in breast milk break down into peptides that have opiate like drug effects; this helps bond child to mother, but can cause a problem if people continue to drink milk into adulthood. Babies three months and under should ideally be fed only breast milk. Human breast milk is the only animal product that is high in antioxidants. And the breast milk of vegetarians may only have 1-2% of PCBs, DDTs, and dioxins, but vegans who do not supplement or fortify their diets with Vitamin B12 will have deficient breast milk and place their child in danger (see also here, here). They must also be careful about getting enough iodine.	-	breastfeeding,infants,pregnancy,industrial toxins,women's health,persistent organic pollutants,cancer,children,fish,infant formula,breast health,breast cancer,animal products,meat,turkey	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/	-
PLAIN-761	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-pain/	breast pain	-	-	reproductive health,seeds,plant-based diets,ovary health,menstruation,side effects,surgery,vitamin E,women's health,vegetarians,vegans,tamoxifen,medications,mastectomy,caffeine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/	-
PLAIN-762	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/	breastfeeding	Breast feeding bonds child to mother. Babies three months and under should ideally be fed only breast milk. The breast milk of vegetarians may only have 1-2% of PCBs, DDTs, and dioxins, but breastfeeding vegans must be sure to get adequate Vitamin B12 (see also here, here) and iodine to ensure the health of their baby. Unfortunately, there has been a recent spike of PBDEs (flame retardant chemicals) in breast milk.	-	women's health,cancer,infants,breast milk,vegans,vegetarians,dairy,persistent organic pollutants,industrial toxins,meat,plant-based diets,animal products,poultry,immune function,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/21/cows-milk-casomorphin-crib-death-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	-
PLAIN-763	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brenda-davis/	Brenda Davis	-	-	sprouting,soup,raw food,sprouts,sulforaphane,Vesanto Melina,vegetables,phytonutrients,nutrition myths,convenience,broccoli sprouts,broccoli,cooking methods,cruciferous vegetables,gut flora	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/	-
PLAIN-764	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brewers-yeast/	brewer's yeast	-	-	immune function,yeast,beta glucan,common cold,nutritional yeast,aging,shiitake mushrooms,safety limits,side effects,uric acid,exercise,mood,respiratory infections,stress,fiber	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/	-
PLAIN-765	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bristle-cone-pine/	bristle cone pine	-	-	processed meat,red meat,plant-based diets,omnivores,meat,mortality,reversing chronic disease,soda,vegans,vegetarians,tobacco,telomeres,telomerase,longevity,lifespan	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/	-
PLAIN-766	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broad-beans/	broad beans	-	-	oils,onions,peas,nutrition myths,nutrient absorption,grilling,leeks,microwaving,phytonutrients,pressure cooking,vegetable oil,vegetables,zucchini,Swiss chard,spinach	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/	-
PLAIN-767	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/	broccoli	Broccoli can be considered a dark green leafy vegetable, may help lower the risk of mouth throat, lung, breast (see also here, here), ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancers. Raw broccoli specifically may also help bladder cancer survival. Broccoli may even protect against DNA damage. Broccoli is most nutritious when steamed, raw, or microwaved and less nutritious when baked, boiled, pressure-cooked, or fried (see Sometimes the Enzyme Myth is True). Microwaving broccoli for more than 2 minutes, however, will significantly decrease its nutritional quality. The nutritional content of broccoli, along with that of many other crops, has on average decreased 15% in the past 50 years. Researchers can now measure broccoli consumption through a urine test, something which will help improve the accuracy of broccoli studies. Broccoli is also a good source of antioxidants, although adding some additional herbs and spices to it can dramatically increase the antioxidant level exponentially (see also here). Broccoli and broccoli sprouts are probably the best food to eat to detox. Vitamin C is also present in broccoli. Eating 100 cups of broccoli a day appears to be the safe upper limit for broccoli consumption (see also here). Eating broccoli without chewing after gastric bypass surgery is also not a good idea. Broccoli sprouts, when grown at home, are probably the most affordable health food there is in terms of bang for one’s nutritional buck. They are considered safer to consume than alfalfa sprouts.See also the related blog posts: Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli, The Best Detox	-	vegetables,cancer,breast cancer,fruit,meat,antioxidants,plant-based diets,diabetes,fiber,calories,animal protein,greens,beans,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/18/broccoli-boosts-liver-detox-enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/crop-nutrient-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-dangers-of-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-768	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-raab/	broccoli raab	-	-	raw food,ranking foods,phytonutrients,sprouting,sprouts,vegetables,sulforaphane,liver health,kohlrabi,broccoli sprouts,cauliflower,cruciferous vegetables,enzymes,detoxification,broccoli	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/	-
PLAIN-769	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-sprouts/	broccoli sprouts	Broccoli sprouts may be able to improve survival rates of bladder cancer patients, boost liver detoxification, and target breast cancer stem cells. Broccoli sprouts have a higher nutrient level than broccoli supplements, and raw broccoli has more sulfuraphane than cooked. Raw broccoli sprouts are not associated with food poisoning like alfalfa sprouts. In one study, seemed to protect skin cells from sun damage. The good news is you can grow your own broccoli sprouts at home at a lower cost than buying them in the store. However, very high amounts of broccoli sprouts can be toxic.	-	sprouting,sprouts,sulforaphane,phytonutrients,broccoli,cruciferous vegetables,vegetables,raw food,cancer,cancer stem cells,salads,nutrition myths,liver health,juice,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-alfalfa-sprouts/	-
PLAIN-770	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccomax/	Broccomax	-	-	prediabetes,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,sprouting,sprouts,supplements,sulforaphane,inflammation,diabetes,broccoli sprouts,broccoli,cancer,cost savings,cancer stem cells,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/	-
PLAIN-771	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bronchiolitis-obliterans/	bronchiolitis obliterans	-	-	lung disease,lung health,artificial flavors,popcorn lung,food additives,microwaving,butter flavor,butter,diacetyl,safety limits,smoking,occupational health,processed foods,junk food,phosgene	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/	-
PLAIN-773	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brown-rice-syrup/	brown rice syrup	-	-	organic foods,date sugar,empty calories,dates,corn syrup,brown sugar,turkey,agave nectar,antioxidants,fiber,honey,ranking foods,sugar,sweeteners,turbinado sugar	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/	-
PLAIN-774	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brown-sugar/	brown sugar	-	-	organic foods,molasses,maple syrup,junk food,processed foods,ranking foods,turbinado sugar,sweeteners,sugar,honey,high fructose corn syrup,brown rice syrup,antioxidants,corn syrup,date sugar	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-775	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brussels-sprouts/	Brussels sprouts	-	-	cruciferous vegetables,vegetables,broccoli,cauliflower,kale,cooking methods,cabbage,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,greens,antioxidants,cancer,beets,breast cancer,raw food	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/18/broccoli-boosts-liver-detox-enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/	-
PLAIN-776	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bt-corn/	BT corn	-	-	pregnancy,pesticides,organic foods,reproductive health,salmon,women's health,vegetables,meat,industry influence,corn,farm animals,fruit,industrial toxins,GMO,animal studies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	-
PLAIN-777	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/buckwheat/	buckwheat	-	-	grains,amaranth,vegetables,bagels,barley,bread,turkey,protein,rectal cancer,raspberries,red onions,Rutin,cardiovascular disease,quercitin,carotid arteries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/	-
PLAIN-778	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/buddhists/	Buddhists	-	-	heart disease,heart health,herbal tea,green tea,liver health,delta waves,cholesterol,coffee,cognition,meditation,EEG,ovarian cancer,theanine,weight loss,white tea	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/long-term-vegan-bone-health/	-
PLAIN-779	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burger-king/	Burger King	-	-	fast food,Chili's,frying,chicken,carcinogens,barbecuing,cancer,grilling,Chick-fil-A,Outback Steakhouse,sandwiches,TGI Friday's,white meat,salads,restaurants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/	-
PLAIN-780	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/	burgers	-	-	hamburgers,plant-based diets,meat,vegans,chicken,vegetarians,animal products,fat,junk food,fish,animal protein,vegetables,sugar,cardiovascular health,animal fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-781	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burritos/	burritos	-	-	liver health,liver disease,in vitro studies,pinto beans,ranking foods,women's health,rectal cancer,colon health,colon cancer,breast cancer,black beans,beans,breast disease,breast health,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/	-
PLAIN-782	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bush-administration/	Bush administration	-	-	beans,FDA,Eden Foods,heart disease,diabetes,cardiovascular disease,Canada,cans,heart health,cooking methods,industrial toxins,polycarbonate plastic,polyethylene plastic,polypropylene plastic,plastic	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/	-
PLAIN-783	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butchers-warts/	butcher's warts	-	-	viral infections,wart viruses,cancer,cervix health,contagious pustular dermatitis,cervical cancer,dairy,cancer viruses,bone marrow health,bovine leukemia virus,dogs,cats,farm animals,occupational health,pets	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/	-
PLAIN-784	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/	butter	-	-	heart disease,cardiovascular disease,meat,cholesterol,fat,heart health,saturated fat,dairy,cardiovascular health,plant-based diets,animal fat,cancer,fish,Dr. Dean Ornish,nuts	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/	-
PLAIN-785	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter-flavor/	butter flavor	-	-	lung disease,lung health,artificial flavors,popcorn lung,food additives,microwaving,bronchiolitis obliterans,butter,diacetyl,safety limits,smoking,occupational health,processed foods,junk food,phosgene	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/	-
PLAIN-786	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/buttermilk/	buttermilk	-	-	heart health,hormones,heart disease,farm animals,factory farming practices,milk,premature puberty,steroids,women's health,skim milk,puberty,prostate cancer,estrogen,dementia,brain disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/	-
PLAIN-787	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butternut-squash/	butternut squash	-	-	seeds,serotonin,pumpkin seeds,protein,poultry,sesame seeds,social anxiety disorder,vegans,vegetarians,tryptophan,sunflower seeds,squash seeds,plant-based diets,plant protein,cheese	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/	-
PLAIN-788	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butyrate/	butyrate	-	-	colon health,fiber,vegans,gut flora,plant-based diets,vegetarians,fruit,hydrogen sulfide,inflammatory bowel disease,plant protein,ulcerative colitis,sulfur,meat,vegetables,animal protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	-
PLAIN-789	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/c-reactive-protein/	C-reactive protein	-	-	inflammation,fruit,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,antioxidants,phytonutrients,vegans,vegetarians,fiber,vegetables,cardiovascular health,cancer,oxidative stress,plant-based diets	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/	-
PLAIN-790	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/c-diff/	C. diff	-	-	MRSA,food poisoning,poultry,antibiotics,superbugs,fecal contamination,foodborne illness,chicken,cooking temperature,colon health,factory farming practices,farm animals,pseudomembranous colitis,meat,gut flora	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/	-
PLAIN-791	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/	cabbage	-	-	vegetables,fruit,plant-based diets,standard American diet,cruciferous vegetables,vegetarians,vegans,cauliflower,greens,breast cancer,women's health,broccoli,meat,fiber,kale	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	-
PLAIN-792	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadaverine/	cadaverine	-	-	meat,spermine,fish,putrescine,biogenic amines,monkfish,muscle disease,muscle health,mackerel,dogs,food poisoning,foodborne illness,natural toxins,puffer fish,tetrodotoxin	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/	-
PLAIN-793	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadavers/	cadavers	-	-	rhabdomyolysis,salmon,putrescine,puffer fish,natural toxins,scombroid poisoning,seafood,tetrodotoxin,spoilage,spermine,semen,muscle health,muscle disease,dogs,cooking temperature	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/	-
PLAIN-794	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadbury/	Cadbury	-	-	safety limits,heart disease,Salt Institute,standard American diet,USDA,sugar,eggs,dietary guidelines,candy,cardiovascular disease,chicken,cholesterol,beverages	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/	-
PLAIN-795	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadmium/	cadmium	-	-	heavy metals,lead,mercury,fish,plant-based diets,industrial toxins,antioxidants,infants,meat,junk food,vegetables,EPA,seafood,vegetarians,arsenic	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/	-
PLAIN-796	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caesarean-section/	caesarean section	-	-	fiber,fruit,gut flora,diarrhea,common cold,bloating,cancer,immune function,prebiotics,supplements,vegetables,yogurt,soy,respiratory infections,asthma	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/	-
PLAIN-797	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/	caffeine	-	-	coffee,fruit,water,medications,cancer,fish,beverages,women's health,phytonutrients,animal protein,alcohol,breast health,tea,heart health,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/18/broccoli-boosts-liver-detox-enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/10/coffee-caveats/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caffeine-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	-
PLAIN-798	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/	cake	-	-	fat,cardiovascular health,heart disease,heart health,cardiovascular disease,meat,animal products,animal fat,industry influence,vegetables,cholesterol,saturated fat,turkey,butter,fiber	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tightening-the-bible-belt/	-
PLAIN-799	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/	calcium	-	-	fruit,vegetables,kidney health,beans,grains,kidney disease,kidney stones,meat,medications,fish,fiber,animal products,nuts,osteoporosis,pork	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/long-term-vegan-bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	-
PLAIN-800	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calendula/	calendula	-	-	herbal remedies,green tea,Gorlin syndrome,mustard oil,skin cancer,tea,skin health,ginger,complementary medicine,basal cell carcinoma,alternative medicine,basal cell nevus syndrome,cancer survival,cancer,algae	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-801	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/	California	-	-	women's health,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,cancer,fruit,industrial toxins,arsenic,vegetables,heavy metals,supplements,animal products,lead,Japan,standard American diet	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-802	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california-dried-plum-board/	California Dried Plum Board	-	-	prunes,industry influence,fat,metabolism,calories,nuts,body fat,vegans,women's health,obesity,vegetarians,American Heart Association,salt,Salt Institute,sodium	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	-
PLAIN-803	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california-medical-association/	California Medical Association	-	-	medical profession,reversing chronic disease,medical education,Dr. John McDougall,chronic diseases,California,industry influence	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/	-
PLAIN-804	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california-prune-board/	California Prune Board	-	-	muscle health,mushrooms,nutritional yeast,multiple sclerosis,mortality,milk,mood,morbidity,nuts,obesity,plant protein,plant-based diets,plums,placebo,pap smear	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-805	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california-raison-marketing-board/	California Raison Marketing Board	-	-	industry influence,raisins,fruit,junk food,split peas,raw food,sodium,red wine,salt,plant-based diets,medications,meat,mortality,oils,vegans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-806	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/	caloric restriction	Caloric restriction may improve memory in seniors. It also may increases lifespan by different mechanisms such as increasing the levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), through xenohormesis, a process where plants pass on their stress-resilient phytonutrients, and/or through the inhibition of the enzyme TOR, which also protect from some invasive cancers and have positive effects on the reduction of metabolic syndrome and blood sugar levels.Since the effects of caloric restriction seem to correlate more with protein intake than calorie restriction itself, the adoption of a low protein diet can potentially include all the benefits of caloric restriction without the side effects of starvation.A severely calorie restricted diet is difficult to sustain and might carry unwanted side-effects, but a plant-based diet was shown to have similar effects on DHEA levels as caloric restriction. Plant-based diets have also been linked to increased longevity due to their naturally low amounts of methionine and leucine, two amino acids associated with aging and tumor development that tend to be more concentrated in animal protein (see also here). Plant-based diets may also be as effective as calorie restriction for weight loss.	-	calories,plant-based diets,mortality,aging,vegans,lifespan,vegetarians,weight loss,longevity,cancer,vegetables,animal protein,blood pressure,kidney health,oxidative stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caloric-restriction-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/	-
PLAIN-807	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/	calories	95% of Americans exceed their maximum discretionary caloric allowance. Vinegar and tea, however, offer nutrition without calories. Nuts may increase the calories our body burns, whereas the gut flora of those who eat meat may extract more calories from food, resulting in weight gain. An obesity-causing chicken virus may even cause weight gain without increased caloric intake and modern chickens are themselves considered obese, resulting in their meat having dramatically more calories than it did historically. Meat burgers may have 25% more calories than meat-free burgers; hot dogs may have five times more calories than veggie dogs. And consuming soy may double weight loss when on a diet. Between diets with equivalent calories, a soy protein based diet was found to result in abdominal fat shrinkage whereas a milk protein based diet resulted in an expansion of abdominal girth.	-	obesity,blood sugar,fat,vegans,industry influence,vegetarians,diabetes,meat,vegetables,insulin,grains,plant-based diets,prediabetes,cholesterol,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	-
PLAIN-808	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campbells-soup/	Campbell's Soup	-	-	National Dairy Board,McDonald’s,M&M's,Kraft,National Dairy Council,National Dairy Promotion Board,USDA,Snack Food Association,Sara Lee,industry influence,Hershey's,Coca-Cola,beer,American Meat Institute,Crisco	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-809	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/camplyobacter/	Camplyobacter	-	-	memory,organic foods,meat,leukemia,foodborne illness,Parkinson's disease,pesticides,superbugs,women's health,Salmonella,reproductive health,pregnancy,food poisoning,dementia,birth defects	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/	-
PLAIN-810	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/	Campylobacter	-	-	food poisoning,foodborne illness,Salmonella,meat,chicken,poultry,fecal bacteria,industry influence,fecal contamination,turkey,cooking methods,E. coli,vegetables,side effects,cooking temperature	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/	-
PLAIN-811	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canada/	Canada	-	-	alternative medicine,complementary medicine,supplements,side effects,liver disease,plant-based diets,diabetes,cancer,women's health,medications,beans,vegetables,colon health,snake oil,liver health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/	-
PLAIN-812	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/	cancer	Cancer is the #2 killer in the United States, and diet is the #1 cause of cancer (see also here, here, here). Why might doctors not know this? Because they may have never learned about it.The balance of evidence suggests that whole food, plant-based diets may help prevent (see also here, here, here, here, here), treat, slow (see also here), and even reverse cancer progression (see also here).Some reasons why plant-based diets may be effective include lowering methionine intake (see also here), inhibiting angiogenesis, intercepting carcinogens, and increasing the consumption fiber (see also here) and antioxidants. Populations eating diets centered around whole plant foods have lower rates of cancer. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables – at least 9 daily servings (despite flawed studies to the contrary) may boost detoxifying enzymes, lower inflammation, lower cholesterol, and make for healthier bowel movements (here too), ridding onself of excess estrogen and cholesterol (see also ).On the other hand, meat consumption may increase the risk of cancer (especially processed meats (here , here)—something of which the meat industry is aware), increase risk of death, and decrease cancer survival (here , here). Cooking meats produce estrogenic carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (see also here). Smoked fish also contains high levels of carcinogenic compounds. Boiling meat, however, may lower exposure these toxins. Eggs and cheese may produce heterocyclic amines as well. Even inhaling the vapors from cooking meat (such as bacon see also here) or coming in contact with farm animals may pose a risk. Cholesterol found in animal products has been linked to increased breast cancer risk. Unfortunately, statin drugs (cholesterol lowering drugs) are also associated with a higher risk.Another reason meat consumption is associated with an increased cancer risk could be the Neu5Gc molecule found in meat that may be triggering inflammation. Certain tumors thrive in an inflammatory setting, so our immune system might be feeding tumor growth (see also here). Another explanation for the association of meat and cancer is insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) which has been linked to cancer based in part on studies of Laron Syndrome (a type of dwarfism). Those eating plant-based diets have less IGF-1, because the consumption of animal protein increases the levels of IGF-1. Though IGF-1 is an anabolic protein, blood levels are not associated with improved muscle mass. Soy consumption might not lower or raise the levels of IGF-1, depending on the quantity consumed (see also here).Poultry may significantly increase one’s risk for a variety of blood cancers, perhaps due to the dioxins, drugs, or viruses in chicken meat. Chicken meat may also contain arsenic (see also here and carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (especially when grilled). Poultry may increase the risk of liver, pancreatic, penis cancer and cause warts if handled raw. Choline in eggs has been linked to increased risk of prostate cancer. Cows’ milk contains hormones (especially skim) that may promote cancer (see also here) regardless of whether it’s organic or not (see also here). Dairy accelerates the aging enzyme, TOR, which may leads to a higher risk of cancer. . Both meat and dairy may also contribute to melatonin suppression, which can increase cancer risk.Animal protein intake may increase the risk of premature puberty due to chemical pollutants in meat, which may put children at higher risk for cancer later in life. Once one is diagnosed with cancer, cutting down on saturated animal fat may improve cancer survival. On the other hand, soy foods contain phytoestrogens, which may help prevent premature puberty and have been shown to both help prevent breast cancer and improve breast cancer survival (see also here).Green tea and many herbal varieties may also be protective (see also here. Among fruits, berries may be the best for cancer prevention, in part because they may help block cell-DNA damage. Organic strawberries appear to work better than conventional. Cranberries are especially effective at fighting cancer, at least in a petri dish (see also here). See #1 Anticancer Vegetable (and the prequel Veggies vs. Cancer) for a comparison of the cancer-fighting properties of a wide array of vegetables in vitro. Broccoli might be the best vegetable for fighting breast cancer.Other foods that have been associated with anti-cancer properties are broccoli (here, here, here, here, and here), greens, Indian gooseberries (against cancer cell growth and invasion), dragon’s blood, chili peppers, nuts (especially walnuts see also here, here), coffee, cocoa, red rice, black beans, fiber in general, black pepper, mushrooms (especially white button see also here, here), flax seeds (especially with regards to for prostate cancer and breast cancer see also here, here, here), Ceylon cinnamon, apples (especially their peel), tomatoes, the seaweed nori, strawberries, black raspberries, blueberries, garlic, sweet potatoes, and small amounts of licorice. Populations eating a lot of turmeric have lower cancer rates, and turmeric has been shown to block carcinogens (especially in colorectal cancer) and reprogram cancer cell death, and has even be used as a topical cancer treatment. Phytates in beans have also been shown to prevent, treat, and rehabilitate cancer cells in preclinical studies. Also make sure to get an hour of exercise every day, sleep 7-hours every night, and reduce one’s exposure to tanning beds , cell-phone radiation. , CT Scans , and dental x-rays>dental x-rays.Vitamin C pills, folic acid, multivitamins and some other supplements including iron and lutein, homeopathy, and Ayurvedic supplements may be useless or worse. Exposures known to increase cancer risk include alcohol (see also here – although some grapes in red wine may prove beneficial), marijuana, acrylamide in crispy carbs such as French fries, betel nuts, caramel coloring, red dye No. 3, found in certain mouthwashes, industrial chemical pollutants (specifically cadmium, fungal toxins sometimes found in apple juice, kimchi, and yerba mate.Dr. Greger covers cancer in his full-length presentations: • Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death • More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases • From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food	-	mortality,meat,cardiovascular disease,vegetables,heart disease,fruit,heart health,vegetarians,cardiovascular health,animal products,medications,plant-based diets,eggs,diabetes,fiber	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-black-pepper-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/americans-are-living-longer-but-sicker-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-betel-nuts-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-selection-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionf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PLAIN-813	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-stem-cells/	cancer stem cells	-	-	phytonutrients,sprouting,sprouts,sulforaphane,broccoli,broccoli sprouts,cancer,breast cancer,stem cells,women's health,vegetables,cruciferous vegetables,breast disease,angiogenesis,cost savings	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/	-
PLAIN-814	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/	cancer survival	Cancer is the #2 killer in the United States, and diet may play an important role (see also here, here, here). Once diagnosed, what can one do?The balance of evidence suggests that whole food, plant-based diets may help prevent, treat, slow (see also here), and even reverse cancer progression. Cutting down on saturated and trans fat may also improve cancer survival. Soy foods may help prevent breast cancer and improve breast cancer survival (see also here). See #1 Anticancer Vegetable (and the prequel Veggies vs. Cancer) for a comparison of the cancer-fighting properties of a wide array of vegetables in vitro. Beneficial effects of a plant-based diet on cancer growth can be measured in blood in as little as two weeks. Broccoli might be the best vegetable for fighting breast cancer. Other foods that have been associated with anti-cancer properties in general are other cruciferous vegetables (here, here, here, here, and here), other greens, Indian gooseberries (against cancer cell growth and invasion), dragon’s blood, chili peppers, nuts (especially walnuts see also here, here), coffee, cocoa, red rice, black beans, fiber in general, black pepper, mushrooms (especially white button see also here, here), flax seeds (especially with regards to for prostate cancer and breast cancer see also here, here, here), Ceylon cinnamon, apples (especially their peel), tomatoes, the seaweed nori, strawberries, black raspberries, blueberries, garlic, sweet potatoes, and small amounts of licorice. The benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption may only be seen at higher intakes, though. Populations eating a lot of turmeric have lower cancer rates, and turmeric has been shown to block carcinogens (especially in colorectal cancer) and reprogram cancer cell death in vitro and has even be used as a topical cancer treatment. Phytates in beans have also been shown to prevent, treat, and rehabilitate cancer cells in preclinical studies. Also make sure to get an hour of exercise every day, sleep 7-hours every night, and reduce one’s exposure if possible to tanning beds, cell-phone radiation, CT scans, and dental x-rays.Dr. Greger covers cancer in his full-length presentations:	-	cancer,women's health,breast cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,vegetables,fruit,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,mortality,side effects,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,seeds	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flawed-study-interpretation-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/	-
PLAIN-815	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-viruses/	cancer viruses	-	-	cancer,chicken,meat,poultry,lymphoma,poultry viruses,poultry workers,leukemia,turkey,viral infections,mortality,farm animals,cervix health,wart viruses,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-816	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/	candy	Candy consumption contributes to a low healthy eating score. In spite of its mission to promote agribusiness, the USDA recommends less frequent consumption of sugar-containing foods. Greece, where a health agency formulates the guidelines, goes one step further and recommends nuts and fruits over candy bars and sweets. Interestingly enough, though, a candy bar still contains more antioxidants than most animal products. Chocolate (containing cocoa phytonutrients) was recently associated with a relief of chronic fatigue syndrome. Dates, cocoa, and date-sweetened pumpkin pie are healthy alternatives to junk food. These healthy sweets are not only tasty but also contain high levels of antioxidants. Licorice consumption should be moderated, especially during pregnancy.	-	junk food,fruit,plant-based diets,industry influence,vegans,smoking,vegetarians,vegetables,processed foods,tobacco,doughnuts,grains,heart disease,heart health,soda	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-817	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canker-sores/	canker sores	-	-	milk,immune function,oral health,pain,wheat,ice cream,gluten,animal products,aphthous ulcers,dairy,allergies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/	-
PLAIN-818	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cannabis/	Cannabis	-	-	broccoli,vegetables,smoking,lung cancer,cruciferous vegetables,cancer,lung health,antioxidants,spicy food,tea,pain,orgasm,mushrooms,tobacco,nausea	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/	-
PLAIN-819	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cannibalism/	cannibalism	-	-	meat,animal protein,xeno-autoantibodies,women's health,arginine,gelatin,protein,plant protein,IGF-1,vegetarians,plant-based diets,cancer,breast disease,breast cancer,dairy	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/	-
PLAIN-820	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canola/	canola	-	-	olive oil,alcohol,mortality,meat,heart disease,Lyon Diet Heart Study,Mediterranean diet,plant-based diets,walnuts,wine,smoking,saturated fat,Greece,PREDIMED,omega-3 fatty acids	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/	-
PLAIN-821	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cans/	cans	-	-	tuna,safety limits,fish,phytonutrients,antioxidants,brain disease,beans,industrial toxins,cooking methods,heavy metals,Alzheimer’s disease,dementia,cheese,mercury,brain health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/	-
PLAIN-822	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cantaloupe/	cantaloupe	-	-	vegetables,carrots,spices,supplements,plant-based diets,bananas,fruit,eye health,digoxin,diabetes,LDL cholesterol,ipecac,heart failure,glaucoma,cocaine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/	-
PLAIN-823	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canthaxanthines/	canthaxanthines	-	-	food additives,gold dust retinopathy,salmon,seafood,fish,feed additives,eye disease,eye health,factory farming practices,artificial colors	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/	-
PLAIN-824	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/capsaicin/	capsaicin	-	-	pain,peppers,nausea,mortality,medications,Propulcid,Salmonella,stomach health,substance P,spicy food,spices,side effects,irritable bowel syndrome,inflammation,Cayenne pepper	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-825	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caramel-color/	caramel color	-	-	industry influence,gravy,food additives,Pepsi,safety limits,soy sauce,soda,Coca-Cola,carcinogens,beer,artificial colors,beverages,California,cancer,animal studies	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/	-
PLAIN-826	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carboxy-methyl-cellulose/	carboxy-methyl cellulose	-	-	maltodextrin,meat,plant-based diets,junk food,inflammatory bowel disease,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,inflammation,plantains,Polysorbate 80,vegetables,vegetarians,xanthan gum,vegans,ulcerative colitis,processed foods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-827	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/	carcinogens	Yerba mate (see also here), french fries, some artificial red dyes, sodium benzoate in some brands of soda, cell phones, conventional apple juice, Indonesian tofu made with formaldehyde, animal products, meat (see also here), processed meat (see also here, here, here, here, here, here, here), roasted meat (see also here), grilled and smoked meat (see also here), cigarette smoke, fast food, deep frying, putrescine, lutein supplements, poultry wart viruses, tanning beds, and scented household products may be carcinogenic. Avocados may be harmful based on in vitro (test tube) experiments, but more research is required.Apples, broccoli, and white tea may contain “anti-carcinogens” and protect against cancer. Citric acid is harmless.	-	cancer,chicken,poultry,plant-based diets,smoking,vegetables,industry influence,turkey,meat,women's health,side effects,children,dairy,fiber,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/19/why-are-eggs-linked-to-cancer-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-citric-acid-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-yerba-mate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-yerba-mate-tea-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-828	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardamom/	cardamom	-	-	erythritol,green tea,ginger,cocoa,cinnamon,cloves,nutmeg,phytonutrients,spices,tea,soy milk,soy,recipes,chai tea,beverages	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/	-
PLAIN-829	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiac-disease/	cardiac disease	-	-	mortality,nutrition myths,obesity,pears,medications,lovastatin,heart health,hypertension,LDL cholesterol,Lipitor,placebo,plant-based diets,vegetarians,water,weight loss	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/	-
PLAIN-830	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiac-health/	cardiac health	-	-	mortality,nutrition myths,obesity,pears,medications,lovastatin,heart health,hypertension,LDL cholesterol,Lipitor,placebo,plant-based diets,vegetarians,water,weight loss	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/	-
PLAIN-831	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/	cardiovascular disease	Dr. Greger covers cardiovascular disease in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	heart disease,cardiovascular health,heart health,plant-based diets,mortality,cancer,diabetes,meat,vegetables,cholesterol,stroke,beans,fruit,Lifestyle medicine,medications	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	-
PLAIN-832	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/	cardiovascular health	-	-	heart health,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,plant-based diets,heart disease,cancer,mortality,meat,medications,diabetes,vegetables,beans,animal products,vegans,grains	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/	-
PLAIN-833	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carnitine/	carnitine	-	-	supplements,meat,poultry,mortality,metastases,lecithin,men's health,prostate cancer,milk,steak,American Egg Board,plant-based diets,vegetarians,trimethylamine,TMAO	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/14/avoid-carnitine-and-lethicin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/19/why-are-eggs-linked-to-cancer-progression/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/	-
PLAIN-834	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carnitinepalmitoyltransferase/	carnitine palmitoyl transferase	-	-	vegetarians,omnivores,fat,weight loss,pancreas health,plant-based diets,oxidative stress,mortality,nuts,muscle health,olives,trans fats,metabolism,mitochondria,obesity	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/	-
PLAIN-835	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carnosine/	carnosine	-	-	plant-based diets,supplements,taurine,vegetarians,metabolism,meat,birth defects,carnitine,creatine,arachidonic acid	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/	-
PLAIN-836	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carob/	carob	-	-	colon health,laxatives,Metamucil,juice,grapes,gut flora,onions,phytonutrients,cocoa,DNA damage,vegetables,stool size,polyphenols,smoothies,fruit juice	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carob-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-837	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carotid-arteries/	carotid arteries	-	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,pasta,oats,millet,heart health,processed foods,rice,wheat,teff,rye,health food stores,quinoa,bread,nutrition myths	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/10/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/	-
PLAIN-838	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrageenan/	carrageenan	-	-	inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,infants,infant formula,grains,Ireland,leaky gut theory,safety limits,yogurt,potato chips,milk,McDonald’s,french fries,food additives,cheese	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/	-
PLAIN-839	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/	carrots	Nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day are now recommended, and variety is important because different vegetables benefit different cognitive domains (see also here). Carrots are rich in Beta Carotene, which when eaten in whole foods may reduce the risk of some types of cancer (see also here, here). Carrots are also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which are important for healthy eyesight (see also here). Carrots are not particularly high in antioxidants, as compared to some other fruits and vegetables. But eating regular carrots is better than eating baby carrots. Carrots always increase in antioxidant value when cooked, no matter what the cooking method (see also here). Crops have declines 15% in nutrient value so that just means we have to eat more yummy fruits and veggies! But commercial carrot juice has been found to contain the carcinogen benzene so it is probably best avoided.	-	vegetables,fruit,cancer,smoking,bananas,collard greens,antioxidants,greens,kale,oranges,broccoli,vegans,cooking methods,vegetarians,tomatoes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/crop-nutrient-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/	-
PLAIN-840	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cartilage-health/	cartilage health	-	-	inflammation,joint health,phytonutrients,arthritis,immune function,medications,autoimmune diseases,joint disease,osteoarthritis,meat,spices,rheumatoid arthritis,cancer,liver health,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-
PLAIN-841	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/casein/	casein	-	-	milk,obesity,soy,dairy,calories,body fat,Alli,almonds,animal protein,abdominal fat,tea,phytonutrients,soy milk,bowel movements,water	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/	-
PLAIN-842	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cashews/	cashews	-	-	nuts,almonds,walnuts,macadamia nuts,cancer,brazil nuts,pine nuts,peanuts,pistachios,pecans,mortality,oxidative stress,weight loss,hazelnuts,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/	-
PLAIN-843	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/casomorphin/	casomorphin	-	-	milk,dairy,infants,crib death,SIDS,apnea,evolution,animal protein,Judaism,industry influence,lung health,mucus,sinus health,casein,Maimonides	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/21/cows-milk-casomorphin-crib-death-and-autism/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/	-
PLAIN-844	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cat-scan/	CAT scan	-	-	mortality,leukemia,Japan,infants,Nagasaki,radiation,X-rays,women's health,stress test,smoking,iatrogenic,Hiroshima,breast health,breast cancer,brain tumors	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/13/how-risky-are-ct-scans/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/	-
PLAIN-845	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cataracts/	cataracts	-	-	eye health,vegetables,vision,fruit,vegetarians,kidney disease,blindness,kidney health,vegans,men's health,plant-based diets,heart disease,eye disease,smoking,greens	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-846	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/catechins/	catechins	-	-	phytonutrients,oolong tea,sustainability,Taiwan,white tea,tea,nutrition myths,green tea,black tea,beverages,caffeine,convenience,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-847	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/catfish/	catfish	-	-	milk,mineral clay,meat,industrial toxins,heart disease,heart health,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,vegans,vegetarians,Taiwan,poultry,plant-based diets,fish,feed additives	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/	-
PLAIN-848	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cats/	cats	-	-	meat,dogs,animal products,pets,medications,viral infections,poultry,fish,children,chicken,zoonotic disease,evolution,immune function,eggs,apes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/	-
PLAIN-850	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/	cauliflower	-	-	vegetables,cruciferous vegetables,broccoli,kale,cabbage,Brussels sprouts,greens,phytonutrients,collard greens,cooking methods,fruit,breast cancer,plant-based diets,raw food,spinach	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/	-
PLAIN-851	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cavities/	cavities	-	-	dental health,fruit,vegetarians,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,plant-based diets,vegans,animal products,animal fat,men's health,rectal cancer,water,women's health,heart health,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	-
PLAIN-852	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cayenne-pepper/	Cayenne pepper	-	-	spices,side effects,medications,inflammation,capsaicin,colon disease,colon health,Campylobacter,chronic diseases,abdominal pain,rosemary,Tumor necrosis factor,turmeric,dyspepsia,bloating	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-853	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/	CDC	The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is a U.S. government agency focused on protecting public health. The CDC has reported on a number of research findings in order to raise public awareness of these health issues. The CDC reported the public should avoid specific fish due to the food poisoning known as ciguatera. They have also reported that the public is facing a growing health threat of antibiotic-resistant microbes in meat, including pathogens from fecal matter contamination.  The CDC says eating contaminated pork can result in Hepatitis E; intake of raw alfalfa sprouts is risky from a food safety perspective (see also here); for every reported case of Salmonella poisoning, about 38 are not reported; in 2012, Campylobacter bacteria was found to contaminate 38% of sampled chicken breasts; a 2003-04 survey found pregnant women in the U.S., on average, harbor 35 different chemicals; pork tapeworms on the brain are a growing cause of neurological disease in the U.S; 78 million Americans are not getting enough arginine, which may help the body burn fat; a higher IQ is associated with higher future earnings; green tea phytonutrient ointment may be helpful in clearing external genital warts; and eating too much salt may be deleterious to our health. Also, it was in 2002 the CDC started noting lead poisoning cases connected to Ayurvedic medications and lastly, in 2012, the CDC reported the U.S. public was eating less in vegetables and fruit than in 2002.A CDC spokesperson asked it if was reasonable that a parent lose a child because undercooked meat because the industry is trying to shift responsibility for food safety on to the consumer rather than providing a safer product. Through its publications, the CDC has described how undercooking meat can lead to parasite infestation and how antibiotic-resistant MRSA bacteria has been found in some samples of purchased meat (see also here).	-	mortality,food poisoning,foodborne illness,industry influence,meat,cooking methods,vegetables,turkey,antibiotics,Salmonella,fruit,chicken,cancer,depression,children	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/04/real-life-contagion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/24/how-to-live-longer-in-four-easy-steps/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sad-states-standard-american-diet-state-by-state-comparison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/﻿cdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/	-
PLAIN-854	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celery/	celery	-	-	vegetables,carrots,phytonutrients,fruit,broccoli,spinach,cancer,plant-based diets,cauliflower,eggplant,garlic,asparagus,antioxidants,bell peppers,lettuce	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-855	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celery-root/	celery root	-	-	purslane,oral health,mouth cancer,steroids,sunchokes,watercress,vegetables,medications,lichen planus,autoimmune diseases,artichokes,complementary medicine,fiddlehead ferns,Jerusalem artichokes,immune function	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/	-
PLAIN-856	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celiac-disease/	celiac disease	-	-	gluten,wheat,diarrhea,irritable bowel syndrome,pasta,gut flora,autoimmune diseases,grains,food sensitivities,allergies,bagels,bread,chronic diseases,cancer,cardiovascular disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-857	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cell-death/	cell death	-	-	cancer,plant-based diets,breast cancer,exercise,immune function,prostate cancer,breast disease,IGF-1,vegans,inflammation,vegetarians,cardiovascular disease,lifespan,longevity,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-yerba-mate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-858	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cell-phones/	cell phones	-	-	occupational health,children,cancer,prostate health,rectal cancer,stomach cancer,prostate cancer,processed meat,pancreas health,pancreatic cancer,stomach health,testicular cancer,women's health,brain health,testicular health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/	-
PLAIN-859	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cellulite/	cellulite	-	-	cancer,fruit,colon health,women's health,grains,nuts,turkey,colon cancer,plant-based diets,cholesterol,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,cheese,rectal cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-860	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/center-for-food-safety/	Center for Food Safety	-	-	parasites,persistent organic pollutants,organic foods,meat,liver,pesticides,pork,turkey,safety limits,rice,poultry,lead,Johns Hopkins University,carcinogens,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/	-
PLAIN-861	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/center-for-science-in-the-public-interest/	Center for Science in the Public Interest	-	-	processed foods,ice cream,industry influence,meat,USDA,chicken,children,poultry,brain health,Pew Commission,brain tumors,mortality,cancer,botulism,Salmonella	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/	-
PLAIN-862	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/centrum/	Centrum	-	-	phytoestrogens,phytonutrients,pesticides,organic foods,medications,multivitamins,plant-based diets,potassium,vitamin C,vitamin E,vegetables,supplements,potatoes,marketing,lycopene	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/	-
PLAIN-863	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ceramide/	ceramide	-	-	nuts,olives,omnivores,muscle health,mortality,meat,milk,monounsaturated fats,oxidative stress,pancreas health,vegetable oil,vegetarians,weight loss,vegans,trans fats	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/	-
PLAIN-864	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervical-cancer/	cervical cancer	Cervical cancer can be life-threatening.  Potentially due to exposure to certain zoonotic (animal-to-human) viruses, some groups such as poultry slaughterhouse and processing plant workers and butchers’ wives may have higher cervical cancer risk.  To help prevent cervical cancer, research suggests higher vegetable intake.Some foods that may have a beneficial effect on cervical cancer prevention and treatment include: turmeric application for early stage cancer; phytate intake from beans, grains, nuts and seeds, green tea, broccoli, broccoli sprouts, amla, raspberries, strawberries, and chamomile tea.	-	cancer,rectal cancer,cervix health,colon cancer,women's health,breast cancer,vegetables,leukemia,men's health,immune function,colon health,phytonutrients,liver health,mortality,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-865	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervix-health/	cervix health	-	-	cervical cancer,cancer,women's health,rectal cancer,colon cancer,colon health,breast cancer,liver health,phytonutrients,vegetables,human papilloma virus,alternative medicine,men's health,leukemia,liver cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	-
PLAIN-866	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cesium/	cesium	-	-	radiation,reproductive health,polonium,nicotine,milk,mortality,safety limits,seafood,tuna,water,tobacco,smoking,shrimp,men's health,Japan	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-
PLAIN-867	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cetuximab/	cetuximab	-	-	oats,phytonutrients,rash,skin health,oatmeal,grains,cancer,chemotherapy,complementary medicine,alternative medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oatmeal-lotion-for-chemotherapy-induced-rash/	-
PLAIN-868	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chai-tea/	chai tea	-	-	cocoa,erythritol,cloves,ginger,cinnamon,antioxidants,beverages,cardamom,green tea,nutmeg,spices,tea,soy,soy milk,recipes	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/	-
PLAIN-870	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chamomile-tea/	chamomile tea	-	-	herbal tea,women's health,red tea,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,prostate health,cancer,rooibos tea,bone health,men's health,tea,breast health,dandelion,theanine,beverages	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	-
PLAIN-871	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/champagne-grapes/	champagne grapes	-	-	heart health,heart disease,LDL cholesterol,raisins,ranking foods,grapes,golden raisins,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,currants,dried fruit,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/	-
PLAIN-872	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chanterelle-mushrooms/	chanterelle mushrooms	-	-	portobello mushrooms,crimini mushrooms,shiitake mushrooms,oyster mushrooms,mushrooms,women's health,woodear mushrooms,ranking foods,porcini mushrooms,morel mushrooms,alcohol,enoki mushrooms,breast disease,breast cancer,breast health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-mushroom-2/	-
PLAIN-873	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheerios/	Cheerios	-	-	omnivores,plant-based diets,oats,nuts,mold,nutrition myths,red yeast rice,seeds,supplements,vegetarians,sugar,strawberries,soda,statins,Mevacor	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/	-
PLAIN-874	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/	cheese	Cheese may contain certain ingredients of concern, for example aluminum compounds (see also here), phosphorus, industrial pollutants (see also here and here), titanium dioxide, and pus cells.  In rare cases, cheese manufacturers use certain insects to give particular flavors and aromas to specific cheeses.In the United States, cheese is the number one source of saturated fat (see also here, here, and here), and also contains trans fats. A high dietary saturated fat intake from foods like cheese and chicken is linked to periodontal disease. Lowering saturated fat intake may help reduce endotoxemia risk. Cheese intake has also been linked to lower sperm counts, higher inflammatory bowel disease risk, Parkinson’s disease, and cellulite formation. Eating sausage and cheese together can worsen arterial function within hours of consumption. Cheese is one of the top ten sodium contributors to the American diet and may have heterocyclic amines, a carcinogen normally connected with cooked meat, as well as putrescine. Consumers must be aware of misleading studies that suggest cheese and other foods with saturated fat are not risky to our health (see also here and here).	-	meat,animal products,dairy,industry influence,fat,eggs,chicken,water,animal fat,milk,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,cholesterol,junk food,plant-based diets	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/21/where-are-phosphate-additives-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/	-
PLAIN-875	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese-effect/	cheese effect	-	-	mood,nutmeg,onions,oregano,mental health,medications,kale,lung cancer,lung health,MAO Inhibitors,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,tobacco,vegans,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/	-
PLAIN-876	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese-fly/	cheese fly	-	-	maggots,insects,parasites,urinary tract infections,worms,fermented foods,dairy,cheese itch,cheese mites,colon health,cheese	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/	-
PLAIN-877	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese-itch/	cheese itch	-	-	maggots,insects,parasites,urinary tract infections,worms,fermented foods,dairy,cheese fly,cheese mites,colon health,cheese	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/	-
PLAIN-878	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese-mites/	cheese mites	-	-	maggots,insects,parasites,urinary tract infections,worms,fermented foods,dairy,cheese fly,cheese itch,colon health,cheese	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/	-
PLAIN-879	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese-puffs/	cheese puffs	-	-	New York Coalition for Healthy School Food,obesity,junk food,ice cream,hydrogenated fats,oils,School Lunch Program,Veggiecation,vegetables,trans fats,Texas,green beans,fruit,carrots,calories	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/	-
PLAIN-880	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemical-sensitivities/	chemical sensitivities	-	-	asthma,children,allergies,meat,hay fever,sleep,omnivores,plant-based diets,pesticides,Poland,vegetarians,fragrance,citrus,carcinogens,eczema	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/	-
PLAIN-881	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/	chemotherapy	-	-	cancer,side effects,mortality,vegetables,alternative medicine,smoking,complementary medicine,fruit,curcumin,FDA,colon cancer,spices,antioxidants,rectal cancer,turmeric	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oatmeal-lotion-for-chemotherapy-induced-rash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/	-
PLAIN-882	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chernobyl/	Chernobyl	-	-	radiation,fish,seafood,dairy,cooking temperature,industry influence,fertility,Fukushima,cooking methods,carcinogens,X-rays,vitamin E,zeaxanthin,beverages,infertility	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-
PLAIN-883	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cherries/	cherries	-	-	inflammation,fruit,phytonutrients,juice,side effects,muscle health,berries,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,oxidative stress,antioxidants,pain,chronic diseases,tart cherries,heart disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/	-
PLAIN-884	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chervil/	chervil	-	-	oils,liver health,herbs,oxidative stress,safety limits,tarragon,spices,herbal remedies,hemlock,cancer,anise,DNA damage,fat,fish,fennel	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/05/tarragon-toxicity/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	-
PLAIN-885	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chestnuts/	chestnuts	-	-	nuts,lifespan,heart disease,longevity,mortality,coconuts,peanuts,heart health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,Surgeon General,kidney health,natural toxins,stress,allergies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-betel-nuts-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/	-
PLAIN-886	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chewing/	chewing	-	-	exercise,dietary guidelines,industry influence,chewing gum,sugar,USDA,Sugar Association,beef,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,weight loss,nutrient absorption,fat,calories,nuts,obesity	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/	-
PLAIN-887	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chewing-gum/	chewing gum	-	-	sugar,beef,meat,industry influence,nanoparticles,marshmallows,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,inflammatory bowel disease,inflammation,fish,doughnuts,food additives,gut flora	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	-
PLAIN-888	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chia-seeds/	chia seeds	-	-	men's health,lignans,omega-3 fatty acids,prostate cancer,seeds,prostate health,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,fiber,flax seeds,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/	-
PLAIN-889	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chick-fil-a/	Chick-fil-A	-	-	poultry,Outback Steakhouse,heterocyclic amines,restaurants,salads,white meat,TGI Friday's,sandwiches,grilling,frying,cancer,Burger King,barbecuing,carcinogens,fast food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/	-
PLAIN-890	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/	chicken	Research studies, including the largest prospective nutrition study ever, continue to suggest that industrial toxins such as PCBs, methylmercury, and arsenic in chicken and/or chicken eggs may increase the risk of cancer. The high-temperature cooking of bird muscles can create cancer-causing compounds. This was demonstrated in a testing of chicken products served at fast food chains. This may help explain why poultry has been associated with the risk of lymphoma (see also here). Cured chicken may also contain carcinogenic nitrosamines. Eating chicken and eggs may negatively affect emotional (see also here), mental, vascular, and hormonal health (such as the feminization of male genitalia). Genetic manipulation of chickens has led to clinically obese birds that may play a role in the human obesity epidemic because of their fat content (and maybe even their obesogenic virus content). Chicken by-products are probably not the best source of protein for infant formula.The overuse of antibiotics in chicken and meat production is creating superbugs (see also here, here, here). Bacterial from fecal contamination of chicken presents a food safety risk, including urinary tract infections. Parasitic worms contained in fish meal fed to chickens may cause allergic reactions in those who eat the chicken. Chicken is deficient in antioxidants, phytonutrients, and fiber, while potentially containing excessive salt, flame-retardant chemicals, AGEs, arachidonic acid (see also here), paralysis-causing bacteria (that can cross-contaminate other foods and surfaces), and cancer-causing agents (including eggs). Even neurological diseases and penile cancer have been linked to poultry exposure. Chicken can provide vitamin B12, but there are safer sources.The most recent USDA Dietary Guidelines suggest eating more fruits and vegetables and less saturated fat, for which chicken is a leading source (see the potential breast cancer survival implications here). Countries that have successfully cut saturated fat have been able to dramatically cut disease risk.See also the related blog posts: EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption”, Dr. Oz, apple juice, and arsenic: chicken may have 10 times more, Eating chicken may lead to a smaller penis	-	meat,fish,vegetarians,animal products,pork,fruit,plant-based diets,vegetables,vegans,beef,cancer,heart disease,eggs,fat,poultry	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/15/eating-chicken-may-lead-to-a-smaller-penis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	-
PLAIN-891	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken-embryo-lethal-orphan-virus/	chicken embryo lethal orphan virus	-	-	poultry viruses,processed meat,poultry,obesity,lung cancer,red meat,smoking,weight loss,viral infections,turkey,tobacco,liposuction,fecal contamination,body fat,animal studies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/	-
PLAIN-892	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/	chickpeas	-	-	beans,lentils,split peas,legumes,meat,cancer,vegetables,vegans,vegetarians,plant-based diets,antioxidants,grains,diabetes,medications,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	-
PLAIN-893	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/	children	Perhaps the most esteemed pediatrician of all time, Dr. Spock, recommended that children should be fed a vegetarian diet. Children do not have the stomach capacity, however, to thrive easily on a raw food diet. Vegan and vegetarian kids have been found to have higher IQs. Unfortunately, most doctors are not adequately educated about nutrition to be capable of giving worthy advice on it to parents. And parents have been found to overestimate the quality of their child’s diet. One third of preschoolers are now constipated due to a lack of unrefined plant food consumption. Only 1 in 500 kids eats the equivalent of a single leaf of Romaine lettuce a day; the remaining 499 do not meet an even pitifully low goal for daily vegetable consumption. Apple juice is the number one source of fruit for toddlers in America, but nonorganic apple juice has been found to exceed fungal toxin safety levels.Children, infants, and fetuses are more susceptible to mercury poisoning from fish, and potential damage may include: microcephaly (brain shrinkage), delayed development, delayed cognition, and gross neurological disorders (see also here, here, here, here, here). Domoic acid, found extremely rarely in seafood, causes a certain type of amnesia and crosses the placenta, posing a substantial risk to infants and children.Processed meat, containing nitrites that can form carcinogenic nitrosamines, appears to increase the risk of childhood leukemia in children who eat it (see also here, here). A drug derived from periwinkle is used to treat childhood leukemia. Mothers who eat hot dogs during pregnancy appear to risk having children with brain tumors. Pregnant women who eat meat appear to have sons with decreased fertility. And toxoplasma parasites in meat can seriously adversely affect the developing brains of human fetuses. Kids born to moms who ate a lot of licorice when pregnant could suffer from diminished speech, visual, and memory skills.Ideally, infants under 3 months of age should only be fed breast milk and avoid eating foods such as beets. Breast-feeding mothers who took DHA supplements had children with better vision and higher IQs. Persistent organic pollutants are found at high levels in the breast milk of omnivores, as well as animal fat. But while they don’t have to worry as much about persistent organic pollutants, nursing vegan mothers should take a vitamin B-12 supplement and get tested for a vitamin B-12 deficiency.Giving probiotics to kids reduces how often they get sick. Coconut oil emulsion shampoo is more effective for head lice treatment than the leading insecticide treatment. Soy can help prevent early onset puberty in girls, which increases the risk for breast cancer. Kids who eat animal-based protein and drink cow’s milk begin puberty, on average, a year earlier (see also here).Other potential dangers to children include: school lunch meat treated with ammonia (otherwise known as pink slime), aluminum (found in cheese), arsenic (found in chicken), cell phone use (increases the odds of getting a brain tumor), artificial food colors (increases impulsivity, inattentiveness, and hyperactivity), pesticides such as DDT, placing children in shopping carts with raw meat, scented household products, Middle-Eastern teething powders, and lead sulfides burned to calm infants. During pregnancy as well as after birth, cutting down on meat consumption may reduce the risk of allergies in kids (see also here). Childhood asthma seems to be most influenced by meat intake and living with a smoker.	-	women's health,meat,dairy,cancer,adolescence,milk,men's health,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,hormones,pregnancy,chronic diseases,obesity,reproductive health,organic foods	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/30/why-pregnant-women-should-avoid-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mothers-overestimate-dietary-quality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iq-of-vegetarian-children-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nontoxic-head-lice-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	-
PLAIN-894	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chili-peppers/	chili peppers	-	-	nightshades,internal bleeding,endorphins,nutrition myths,spicy food,stomach ulcers,stomach inflammation,cancer,surgery,complementary medicine,cluster headaches,headaches,pain,suicide,peppers	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/10/natural-treatment-for-cluster-headaches/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-chili-peppers-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-895	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chilis/	Chili's	-	-	poultry,Outback Steakhouse,heterocyclic amines,restaurants,salads,white meat,TGI Friday's,sandwiches,grilling,frying,cancer,Burger King,barbecuing,carcinogens,Chick-fil-A	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/	-
PLAIN-896	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	China	-	-	meat,plant-based diets,cardiovascular disease,eggs,heart disease,fruit,vegans,vegetables,animal products,vegetarians,chicken,animal fat,dairy,cholesterol,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pesticides-in-chinese-bamboo-shoots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-897	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china-study/	China Study	-	-	plant-based diets,heart disease,vegans,meat,vegetables,vegetarians,mortality,fruit,cardiovascular disease,beans,animal products,standard American diet,heart health,lifespan,grains	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/14/heart-disease-there-is-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	-
PLAIN-898	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chinese-food/	Chinese food	-	-	seeds,soy,standard American diet,protein,prostatectomy,plant-based diets,prostate cancer,prostate health,supplements,vegans,food additives,MSG,nutrition myths,Bragg Liquid Aminos,allergies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-msg-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-899	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chlorella/	chlorella	-	-	supplements,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,side effects,spirulina,respiratory infections,psychosis,blue-green algae,natural toxins,nutrition myths,neurotoxins,mental health,pets,health food stores,liver disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/	-
PLAIN-900	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chlorhexidine/	chlorhexidine	-	-	phytonutrients,plant-based diets,potatoes,periodontal disease,peas,mouthwash,oral health,oxidative stress,prediabetes,side effects,vegans,vegetarians,vomiting,tobacco,sugar	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/	-
PLAIN-901	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chlorination/	chlorination	-	-	omnivores,plant-based diets,psychosis,nail health,multivitamins,mental health,mortality,rash,skin health,vegetarians,vitamin B12,vitamin D,vegans,supplements,longevity	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/	-
PLAIN-902	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chlorophyll/	chlorophyll	-	-	plant-based diets,phytonutrients,peanut butter,spinach,Swiss chard,vegetarians,vegetables,vegans,mustard greens,kale,carcinogens,cancer,collard greens,detoxification,greens	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/	-
PLAIN-903	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/	chocolate	Chocolate bars may have added sugars, fats (cocoa butter) and milk that raise LDL cholesterol, while cocoa powder, which is 90+% cocoa, may have beneficial effects on arterial function and chronic fatigue syndrome. And who doesn’t like healthy chocolate milkshakes?	-	phytonutrients,vegetables,fruit,plant-based diets,cocoa,DNA damage,kale,junk food,dairy,tea,antioxidants,candy,oxidative stress,milk,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/	-
PLAIN-904	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholecystokinin/	cholecystokinin	-	-	nuts,mortality,obesity,plant protein,pneumonia,men's health,melanoma,heartburn,McDonald’s,meat,medications,poultry,prostate cancer,vegetarians,vegetables	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/	-
PLAIN-905	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholera/	cholera	-	-	necrotizing fasciitis,oysters,mercury,mad cow disease,foodborne illness,prion disease,seafood,white meat,tapeworms,sushi,sexual transmission,food poisoning,flesh-eating bacteria,ciguatera,brain parasites	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/	-
PLAIN-906	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/	cholesterol	A plant-based diet high in fiber appears to lower bad cholesterol (see here, here, here, here). The new USDA Dietary Guidelines (see also here, here, here, here) even recommend a more plant-based diet to lower cholesterol intake. Dr. Ornish has long promoted such a diet for its health benefits. Unfortunately, many doctors may not be aware of this essential life-saving information.Cholesterol-lowering drugs, on the other hand, have been found to have some attendant health risks. The current standard for the optimal level of cholesterol may not be low enough; 75% of heart attack patients were in the optimal range (see also here, here). Recent data suggests that cholesterol levels can never be too low.High cholesterol has been linked to the following: heart disease, lower back pain, erectile dysfunction in men (watermelon may be a helpful treatment for this problem), sexual dysfunction in women, and gallstones. Foods that appear to increase cholesterol include: meat (see also here, here), eggs & chicken (see also here, here, here, here, here, here), brains, fast food, coconut milk, coconut oil, cow’s milk, and coffee (although a paper filter will remove the compounds that raise cholesterol).Foods that have been linked to lower cholesterol include: Ceylon cinnamon , kale, beans (see also here), Indian gooseberries (see also here), dried apples, red yeast rice (which contains the drug Lovastatin), alkaline water (which can be made by simply adding baking soda to tap water), avocadoes (see also here), nuts, almonds, oatmeal, flax seeds (see also here, here), kiwis, green tea, raisins, soy, and cocoa. Bowel movements, both in terms of food mass transit time and size, may be relevant to cholesterol levels because this is how cholesterol is flushed out of the body. Cholesterol-free sources of vitamin B-12 are fortified plant foods and supplements.See also the related blog post: Amla: Indian gooseberries vs. cancer, diabetes, and cholesterol	-	heart health,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,mortality,meat,cancer,plant-based diets,heart disease,vegetables,diabetes,fiber,grains,standard American diet,nuts,beans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-gallstones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/	-
PLAIN-907	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/choline/	choline	-	-	heart health,industry influence,stroke,American Egg Board,heart disease,mortality,cholesterol,eggs,milk,poultry,trimethylamine,turkey,cardiovascular disease,chicken,red meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/14/avoid-carnitine-and-lethicin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/19/why-are-eggs-linked-to-cancer-progression/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-908	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chomorro/	Chomorro	-	-	neurotoxins,Lou Gehrig's disease,hypertension,health food stores,nutrition myths,Parkinson's disease,supplements,spirulina,parkinsonism-dementia complex,flying foxes,complementary medicine,blood pressure,Alzheimer’s disease,alternative medicine,ALS	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/	-
PLAIN-909	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/	chronic diseases	A plant-based diet may be able to prevent and treat diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, obesity, and hypertension. Phytonutrient rich foods are the ones most often associated with chronic disease prevention, treatment, and cure, and a healthy eating index can be calculated based on phytonutrient intake. Phytonutrients, by definition, originate only in plants.Foods high in antioxidants appear to help prevent many chronic oxidative stress diseases. Some of the best choices include: dried apple rings, goji berries, pomegranate seeds, Indian gooseberries, blackberries and green tea. The enzyme dismutase is thought to prevent the oxidation of our mitochondria and slow aging; a plant-based diet helps to boost this enzyme’s activity 300%.A study of 15,000 vegetarians found that they had lower levels of several chronic diseases as compared to the general population. This included lower rates of the following: coronary artery disease, strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes, and diverticulosis. But unfortunately, the prevention of chronic disease through diet and nutrition is an area of medicine in which most doctors are not trained and subsequently lack sufficient knowledge to properly advise patients (see also here). Seven out of ten deaths of Americans each year are from chronic diseases, and it is known that diet is a major factor in these deaths. Yet, efforts to require nutrition education in medical schools have met with serious opposition (see here, here, here).Multivitamins are often taken to prevent chronic diseases; unfortunately, they may actually increase the risk for breast cancer. Eggs and brains are the two most concentrated sources of cholesterol and should be avoided to prevent heart disease. And the hormones in dairy have also been associated with an increased cancer risk.	-	cardiovascular disease,plant-based diets,heart disease,fruit,diabetes,cancer,vegetables,cholesterol,stroke,meat,mortality,exercise,nuts,grains,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-910	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	chronic fatigue syndrome	-	-	depression,brain health,mental health,vegans,pain,plant-based diets,vegetarians,fatigue,chronic diseases,brain disease,flexitarians,insomnia,sleep,reversing chronic disease,raw food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	-
PLAIN-911	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ciguatera/	ciguatera	-	-	food poisoning,foodborne illness,seafood,fish,sexual transmission,brain health,fecal contamination,flesh-eating bacteria,eye parasites,eye health,cooking temperature,eye disease,mad cow disease,mercury,tapeworms	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/	-
PLAIN-912	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cilantro/	cilantro	-	-	coriander,heart disease,Harvard,heart health,kale,hypertension,greens,garlic,celery,eggplant,exercise,fruit,lettuce,mushrooms,squash	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/	-
PLAIN-913	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cinnamon/	cinnamon	Cinnamon is a great source of antioxidants. As is true for a lot of spices, cinnamon provides nutrition without calories.  Some herbs and spices, including cinnamon, are so rich in antioxidants that just a small pinch can double your antioxidant intake for one meal. Cinnamon is also one of the cheapest source antioxidants you can buy.  You can try using it in this pumpkin pie recipe.Ceylon (true) cinnamon may be safer than the more common cassia (Chinese) cinnamon due to the compound, coumarin, present in cassia cinnamon which data suggests may be toxic to the liver in quantities of one or more teaspoons per day.  However, you don’t have to be concerned about getting too many oxalates as you do with turmeric. While cinnamon is chock full of antioxidants, it may not be an effective treatment for diabetes.	-	spices,antioxidants,cloves,blood sugar,diabetes,nutmeg,recipes,inflammation,ginger,medications,oregano,cancer,alternative medicine,oxidative stress,complementary medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/23/can-antioxidant-rich-spices-counteract-the-effects-of-a-high-fat-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/	-
PLAIN-914	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cirrhosis/	cirrhosis	-	-	liver health,mortality,liver disease,heart health,fruit,grains,nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,oatmeal,vegetables,weight loss,smoking,rice,obesity,fiber,exercise	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/	-
PLAIN-915	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citric-acid/	citric acid	-	-	fruit juice,tea,lemons,limes,citrus,herbal tea,children,oranges,plant-based diets,raisins,soda,raw food,grapefruit,oral health,juice	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-citric-acid-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	-
PLAIN-916	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrulline/	citrulline	-	-	cholesterol,watermelon,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,heart health,impotence,penis health,men's health,medications,sexual dysfunction,nitric oxide,cardiovascular health,arginine,side effects,sexual health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/31/watermelon-for-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/	-
PLAIN-917	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/	citrus	Citrus, particularly lemons, may suppress the growth of cancer cells, and may help to improve the survival rates of some types of cancer. The bioflavonoids in citrus may help reduce muscle fatigue after strenuous exercise and may increase blood flow enough to warm the hands and feet of those with cold sensitivity. Specifically, the citrus phytonutrient, auraptene, may be effective at reducing the damage caused by industrial pollutants. Orange concentrates are a more concentrated source of potassium than bananas, and the smell of sweet orange essential oil may have anxiety-reducing properties. Citrus in conjunction with iron rich foods and the reduction of tea and coffee may be a better choice for treating iron deficiency anemia than supplements. Citrus and other antioxidants can also be effective in reducing inflammation levels.On the other hand, those eating more sour fruit may risk greatererosion of tooth enamel (especially if teeth are brushed in a softened state).  Sour fruits can enhance the absorption of iron, manganese, and aluminum. Grapefruit may increase the risk of side effects with certain drugs.  Also, the belief that grapefruit has some special fat-burning quality appears to be a myth.	-	fruit,phytonutrients,medications,vegetables,fat,side effects,tea,plant-based diets,lemons,limes,exercise,vitamin C,apples,berries,meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-918	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/clams/	clams	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,plant-based diets,organochlorines,omnivores,neurotoxins,poultry,prion disease,vegetarians,vegans,seafood,saturated fat,mercury,manure,chicken,cheese	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/	-
PLAIN-919	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/claudication/	claudication	-	-	Medicare,medical profession,longevity,mortality,plant-based diets,surgery,Pritikin,lifespan,heart health,cardiovascular disease,angina,cost savings,Dr. Dean Ornish,heart disease,exercise	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/	-
PLAIN-920	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cleveland-clinic/	Cleveland Clinic	-	-	industry influence,heart disease,heart health,cardiovascular disease,cancer,meat,red meat,supplements,mortality,stroke,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,Harvard,dairy,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/	-
PLAIN-921	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cloves/	cloves	Cloves are among the most antioxidant-packed natural substances tested (see here and here), in fact some herbs and spices–including cloves–are so rich in antioxidants that just a small pinch can double someone’s daily dose of antioxidants.  Also, cloves appear reduce inflammation. Cloves are both healthy and inexpensive.  Try this recipe for a healthy pumpkin pie.	-	antioxidants,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,fruit,cinnamon,berries,amla,medications,India,spices,dried fruit,gooseberries,nutmeg,recipes,blueberries	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/23/can-antioxidant-rich-spices-counteract-the-effects-of-a-high-fat-meal/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/	-
PLAIN-922	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cluster-headaches/	cluster headaches	-	-	surgery,alternative medicine,pain,headaches,complementary medicine,muscle health,multiple sclerosis,morbidity,mortality,milk,methionine,migraine headaches,mushrooms,mood,oils	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/10/natural-treatment-for-cluster-headaches/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-923	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/	Coca-Cola	Concern that one of the most commonly consumed food colorings may cause cancer has led to changes in soft drink formulation in California.  Evidence from PET scans suggests brain activity changes due to the overconsumption of sugar may parallel that of drug addiction.  The consumption of phosphorus preservatives in junk food including soda may damage blood vessels, accelerate the aging process, and contribute to osteoporosis.  In response to definitive evidence showing that artificial colors may increase hyperactivity among children, a call has been made by consumer groups to ban food dyes (and here). When combined with ascorbic acid in soda, the additive sodium benzoate can form the carcinogen benzene.Given that obesity is a contributing cause of chronic disease in the United States, food corporations including the soft drink industry can be thought of as the new vectors of disease. Collaboration between corporations such as McDonald’s, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and the Registered Dietitian organization (formally known as the American Dietetic Association), may have influenced the ADA to publically announce that “there are no good or bad foods”.  The Coca-Cola Company even acknowledges that sugar is just empty calories with no micronutrients, yet billions in tax dollars are still used to subsidize the very foods that are making us sick.	-	industry influence,soda,fruit,meat,poultry,chicken,vegetables,eggs,Pepsi,calories,dairy,sugar,animal products,cancer,vegans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gum-arabic-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	-
PLAIN-924	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocaine/	cocaine	-	-	plant-based diets,fat,dopamine,medications,vegetarians,vegans,animal products,body fat,spices,cholesterol,soda,weight loss,brain waves,alternative medicine,sugar	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/23/can-one-become-a-sugar-addict/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/	-
PLAIN-925	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cochrane-collaboration/	Cochrane Collaboration	-	-	alternative medicine,yeast,complementary medicine,nasal irrigation,sinusitis,sinus health,neti pot,vitamin D,supplements,lifespan,dietary guidelines,longevity,mortality,sheep,mushrooms	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/	-
PLAIN-926	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocoa/	cocoa	-	-	chocolate,phytonutrients,ranking foods,antioxidants,berries,cinnamon,acaí berries,junk food,spices,cloves,fat,Dutched cocoa,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,corn	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carob-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/	-
PLAIN-927	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocoa-butter/	cocoa butter	-	-	saturated fat,processed foods,sugar,dark chocolate,chocolate,cocoa,immune function,hypertension,heart disease,HDL cholesterol,marketing,heart health,milk chocolate,torcetrapib,phytonutrients	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/	-
PLAIN-928	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconut-milk/	coconut milk	-	-	LDL cholesterol,heart health,heart disease,coconuts,medium-chain fatty acids,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,saturated fat,processed foods,shrimp,Egg McMuffin,fiber,Malaysia,coconut water,coconut oil	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-929	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconut-oil/	coconut oil	-	-	cholesterol,fat,cognition,heart disease,Alzheimer’s disease,LDL cholesterol,saturated fat,women's health,coconuts,medium-chain fatty acids,heart health,dementia,brain health,brain disease,cardiovascular disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nontoxic-head-lice-treatment/	-
PLAIN-930	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconut-water/	coconut water	-	-	LDL cholesterol,heart health,medium-chain fatty acids,processed foods,saturated fat,heart disease,coconuts,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,coconut milk,coconut oil,butter	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-931	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconuts/	coconuts	-	-	medium-chain fatty acids,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,brain health,nuts,chestnuts,processed foods,mental health,tobacco,coconut milk,saturated fat,LDL cholesterol,cognition,exercise	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-betel-nuts-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-932	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cod/	cod	-	-	red meat,salmon,plant-based diets,oxalates,meat,steak,tuna,vegetarians,vegans,uric acid,United Kingdom,magnesium,kidney stones,chicken,calcium	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-933	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cod-liver-oil/	cod liver oil	-	-	fish oil,supplements,fish,vitamin A,liver disease,persistent organic pollutants,nutrition myths,animal fat,fat,liver health,complementary medicine,lung health,breast milk,asthma,anchovies	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-934	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/	coffee	The new dietary guidelines for beverages recommend tea and coffee second only to water in healthfulness, but what about concerns that coffee might impair the function of our endothelium? While unfiltered coffee may raise cholesterol levels, paper filtered coffee and decaffeinated coffee doesn’t appear to; two cups a day might even increase the ability of our arteries to dilate. The same can be said about consumption of Greek (boiled) coffee. Coffee enemas as administered in a Gerson-style therapy might be of no help, though.Coffee also appears to decrease the risk of diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, chronic liver disease, and cancer. Unlike exposing chicken to high temperatures, roasting coffee does not seem to produce carcinogens, nor does not appear to build up benzene (unlike certain soft drinks). Although coffee has been shown to be beneficial to our health,tea is probably healthier (see for example here, here, and here). What about the caffeine? It may have some health-promoting properties, but pregnant women should limit their caffeine consumption. Coffee does not seem to speed up the cellular aging process, unlike fish and bacon.See also the related blog post: Coffee Caveats	-	caffeine,poultry,phytonutrients,safety limits,fruit,vegans,liver health,vegetarians,liver disease,fat,cancer,fish,milk,tea,chicken	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/10/coffee-caveats/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-vs-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caffeine-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-935	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/	cognition	Some animal products contain aluminum, copper and arsenic that have been linked to Alzheimer’s and neuropathy. Harmane, a neurotoxin found in chicken, pork, salmon, and cigarette smoke, is linked to a higher risk of essential tremor, which is associated with cognitive impairment. The incidence of Parkinson’s disease, another degenerative disease responsible for cognitive impairment, is linked to dairy consumption. Cadmium contamination impairs neurocognitive performance, while increasing the risk of certain hormonal cancers. A plant-based diet may inhibit cadmium and lead absorption.Supplement intake has been associated with cognition in both positive and negative ways. Iron supplements seem to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s (an update here), whereas vitamin B12 is essential for brain health. Creatine can boost cognitive functioning in some, but may be unsafe in supplement form. Homeopathy, however, seems to have no effect at all (beyond placebo).Eating healthfully is even more critical for pregnant women. Numerous studies have shown that industrial pollutants and mercury found in fish (such as tuna) may impair a baby’s cognitive development,and is associated with reduced cerebellum size in newborns; methylmercury contamination in fish generally outweighs DHA benefits on brain development measured as children IQ. The use of algae-based DHA supplements may offer the benefits without the risks.To stay on the safe side, mothers-to-be would have to stop eating fish at least one year before pregnancy. Licorice has also been shown to be harmful at excessive doses to the developing child. Raising the child on a plant-based diet has been associated with increased intelligence, but potentially confounding variables prevent firm conclusions.Many nutrients present in plant foods can have a positive effect on cognition. Green leafy vegetables and soy beans may help improve memory. Both coffee and tea (and the caffeine they contain) are linked to positive cognitive benefits, but should probably be consumed without milk because it can block phytonutrient absorption. Anthocyanidins from berries may slow brain aging and improve memory; lavender extracts may alleviate generalized anxiety disorder and help with performing mental tasks; and flaxseed may contribute to better cognition in older adults. A plant-based diet (low in saturated fat from animal sources) may effectively treat multiple sclerosis, including its cognitive symptoms. Lifestyle changes including plant-based diets could also help preventAlzheimer’s disease. A Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits, vegetables and grains, was shown to prolong the life of Alzheimer’s patients. The rates of Alzheimer’s disease are very low in rural India, where the diet is largely plant-based; this could also be due to the spice turmeric, present in curry, which, unlike its isolated component curcumin, may both prevent and treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. One plant-derived product that might not help with Alzheimer’s disease is coconut oil.In addition to choosing the right foods, there are cognitive benefits to limiting calories altogether, and of course, getting plenty of exercise (see here, here). Even just a glass of water before school may help children perform cognitively better!	-	brain health,dementia,Alzheimer’s disease,brain disease,mortality,meat,vegans,vegetarians,fruit,aging,vegetables,mental health,beans,turmeric,spices	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/30/why-pregnant-women-should-avoid-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caloric-restriction-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanut-butter-smell-test-for-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iq-of-vegetarian-children-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-936	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cola/	cola	-	-	plant-based diets,soda,meat,fruit,heart health,vegetables,Coca-Cola,vegetarians,beverages,cardiovascular disease,seeds,heart disease,lifespan,nuts,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/	-
PLAIN-937	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colchicine/	colchicine	-	-	medications,mortality,nutrition myths,rice,plant-based diets,aspirin,dietary guidelines,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Europe,gout,exercise,cardiovascular disease,beriberi,statins,spices	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	-
PLAIN-938	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cold-hands/	cold hands	-	-	orange juice,limes,lettuce,lemons,oranges,phytonutrients,vitamin C,stroke,quercitin,plant-based diets,juice,hesperidin,flavonoids,citrus,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/	-
PLAIN-939	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coleslaw/	coleslaw	-	-	iodine,greens,kale,mustard greens,thyroid health,raw food,goitrogens,cruciferous vegetables,cauliflower,Brussels sprouts,collard greens,cooking methods,coma,bok choy	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/	-
PLAIN-940	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colibacillosis/	colibacillosis	-	-	poultry,meat,foodborne illness,red meat,supermarkets,zoonotic disease,women's health,urinary tract infections,food poisoning,fecal contamination,chicken,beef,E. coli,E. coli o157:H7,farm animals	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/	-
PLAIN-941	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/	collard greens	Cruciferous vegetables like collard greens or kale may be especially protective against breast and kidney cancer. One explanation is that they are among the best bile acid-binding vegetables. Green vegetables also contain chlorophyll that may bind and intercept mutagens and thus help serve as our first line of defense. Kale and collard greens contain vision-protecting plant nutrients such as zeaxanthin that may significantly lower the risk of glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness. In addition to all these benefits, green (and yellow) vegetables may even help protect against wrinkles!	-	vegetables,kale,greens,plant-based diets,cancer,women's health,broccoli,phytonutrients,vegans,spinach,vegetarians,fiber,cabbage,carrots,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-942	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/	colon cancer	A plant-based diet may be beneficial in the prevention, treatment, and even reversal of cancer. Total meat consumption (see here and here) has been linked to higher rates of colon cancer, which may be due in part to carcinogens called heterocyclic amines created by cooking muscle tissue. Poultry and other animal products contain viruses which are known to cause cancer in animals; the concern is that they may also be carcinogenic to humans exposed to the raw or undercooked meat, dairy, or eggs. Additionally, fish and eggs contain dioxins that may contribute to colon cancer risk.Stool size may be an important factor in colon cancer prevention. A plant-based diet produces the healthiest stools, and leads to consistently larger bowel movements.Protective foods include berries (including Indian gooseberries and organic strawberries), broccoli (see also here), black beans, a number of herbal varieties of tea, carob, coffee, and apples. Vitamin D may also play a role in preventing colon cancer.Dr. Greger covers colon cancer in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	rectal cancer,cancer,vegetables,fruit,breast cancer,vegetarians,plant-based diets,beans,colon health,mortality,standard American diet,vegans,meat,cardiovascular disease,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-943	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/	colon disease	-	-	colon health,vegetarians,cancer,fiber,plant-based diets,vegans,constipation,mortality,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,rectal cancer,colon cancer,vegetables,cardiovascular health,chronic diseases	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	-
PLAIN-945	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/	colon health	Because of the fiber content, plant-based diets may produce healthier stools and lead to larger bowel movements, which is important for the prevention of a number of medical conditions. Interestingly, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables appear to increase stool size independent of fiber. Furthermore, plant-based diets may facilitate healthy gut flora (which may positively contribute to weight loss). This includes most plant foods such as dragon fruit—even nuts, seeds, and popcorn, which apparently lower diverticulitis risk..A plant-based diet may be helpful in both the prevention and treatment of colon cancer. The fiber in whole plant foods allows the body to excrete excess estrogen, which may help prevent breast cancer. Intestinal transit time—how long it takes food to get from one end to the other—may be one of the determinants of cancer risk. Particularly protective foods include berries (especially organic strawberries), flax, broccoli (see also here), amla (Indian gooseberries), black beans, coffee, a few herbal varieties of tea, carob, and apples.On the other hand, total meat consumption has been associated with higher rates of colon cancer, in particular cooked muscle tissueand processed meat. Meat contains the pro-inflammatory compound arachidonic acid and may also be contaminated the toxic megacolon superbug C. Diff and potentially cancer-causing wart viruses. Cheese containing cheese skipper larvae (a type of maggot) may cause colon infections and certain types of fish may cause greasy orange rectal leakage. Finally, gluten, while healthy for most people, needs to be eliminated from the diets of those with celiac disease. Folic acid in pill form could be harmful as well.	-	vegetarians,fiber,vegetables,fruit,plant-based diets,vegans,animal protein,colon disease,standard American diet,rectal cancer,processed foods,gut flora,cancer,meat,colon cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carob-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-dragon-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greasy-orange-rectal-leakage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-946	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coma/	coma	-	-	brain disease,mortality,fish,vegans,plant-based diets,brain health,vegetarians,cancer,seafood,foodborne illness,pregnancy,food poisoning,neurotoxins,infants,domoic acid	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/	-
PLAIN-947	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/common-cold/	common cold	-	-	immune function,respiratory infections,children,vegetables,nutritional yeast,safety limits,infants,heart disease,fruit,cancer,heart health,cardiovascular disease,antibiotics,bone health,blood pressure	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zinc-gel-for-colds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-948	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/	complementary medicine	Many modern medicines are derived from natural products such as plants, so it perhaps shouldn’t be surprising that plants themselves can have pharmacological effects. In the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, for example, the spice saffron has been found to work better than a placebo and just as well as a leading drug. Purslane has been shown to successfully treat the symptoms of oral lichen planus. Consuming rosehips may significantly reduce the pain associated with both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Flax may help prevent breast cancer, reduce cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, regulate blood sugar, and treat hot flashes and enlarged prostates. Indian gooseberries may be effective in preventing cancer. Nontoxic coconut oil emulsion shampoo works better to kill head lice than the standard insecticide treatment and eliminating artificial colorings may decrease impulsivity, inattentiveness, and hyperactivity in children.In a ranking of anti-oxidant activity among herbal teas, dandelion tea has the highest levels followed by rosehip, chamomile, lemongrass, and honeybush teas. Chamomile tea was shown to be effective in slowing the growth rates of various cancers in a petri dish. Among all teas, green tea has among the highest antioxidant levels and may help prevent cancer and even the common cold.Many nutritional supplements have been found to be useless or worse, though one might not know this speaking to health store employees who often lack the training to offer sound advice (see here, here, and here). Mangosteen juice, licorice, distilled cod liver oil, and Herbalife® supplements may all have adverse health effects. Though chlorella do not contain neurotoxins, spirulina and blue-green algae supplements might. . Ayurvedic medicine has been found to be contaminated with lead and toxic heavy metals (see also here, here). JuicePlus may be nothing more than an overpriced vitamin supplement that may even cause liver inflammation. Airborne supplements have been shown to be no better than a placebo in boosting immune response. Nasal irrigation using neti pots can be an effective treatment for sinus infections but should be sterilized between uses (with boiling water or microwaving). The current scientific consensus is that homeopathy is ineffective in treating ADHD, asthma, cancer, dementia, influenza, or in inducing labor. It also may actually be dangerous in large doses on infants.	-	alternative medicine,Lifestyle medicine,plant-based diets,fruit,heart health,uric acid,cardiovascular disease,cancer,spices,heart disease,industry influence,water,cardiovascular health,medications,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/10/natural-treatment-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/03/how-to-treat-adhd-without-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus%C2%AE-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oatmeal-lotion-for-chemotherapy-induced-rash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nontoxic-head-lice-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-nearly-killed-by-homeopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbalife-supplement-liver-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus%C2%AE/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	-
PLAIN-949	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/computer-eye-strain/	computer eye strain	-	-	industry influence,herbal remedies,grapes,jam,raisins,vision,supplements,fruit,fatigue,billberries,berries,currants,eye health,eye disease,anthocyanins	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/	-
PLAIN-950	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/concord-grapes/	Concord grapes	-	-	grapes,phytonutrients,nuts,plant-based diets,aging,vegetables,grape juice,oxidative stress,green tea,fruit,Brussels sprouts,DNA damage,berries,antioxidants,cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	-
PLAIN-951	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/	constipation	One-third of preschoolers in the United States are now constipated due to the under-consumption of plant foods. Americans, and especially New Yorkers, are among the most constipated people on earth. Not surprisingly, then, constipation is the most common gastrointestinal complaint in the United States. The minimum fecal output should be about half a pound per day for cancer prevention. Larger bowel movements have also been associated with lower rates of appendicitis, colon cancer, constipation, and diverticulitis. Vegetarians and vegans, on average, have the healthiest stools and are the most regular.Certain artificial sweeteners can have a laxative effect. In Latin America, greta, made almost of pure lead, is alarmingly used to treat constipation.	-	colon health,colon disease,vegetarians,cancer,heart disease,vegans,plant-based diets,fiber,cardiovascular disease,heart health,fruit,women's health,bowel movements,alternative medicine,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	-
PLAIN-952	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/consumers-union/	Consumers Union	-	-	factory farming practices,poultry,industry influence,chicken,meat,turkey,children,antibiotics,heart health,foodborne illness,food poisoning,heart disease,Salmonella,USDA,cardiovascular disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/	-
PLAIN-953	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/contagious-pustular-dermatitis/	contagious pustular dermatitis	-	-	meat,non-Hodgkin lymphoma,lymphoma,human papilloma virus,feline leukemia virus,occupational health,pets,zoonotic disease,women's health,wart viruses,viral infections,farm animals,dogs,butcher's warts,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-954	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/convenience/	convenience	-	-	beverages,green tea,cancer,Harvard,dried fruit,phytonutrients,women's health,tea,gut flora,nutrition myths,raisins,pistachios,peanuts,goji berries,oatmeal	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-dragon-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-955	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cookies/	cookies	-	-	vegetables,junk food,cake,fat,cancer,fruit,potato chips,mortality,animal products,meat,heart disease,heart health,lard,children,calories	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/	-
PLAIN-956	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/	cooking methods	In general, microwaving is the healthiest cooking method. However, for individual vegetables, optimal cooking methods vary. The benefits of raw broccoli can be replicated by pre-chopping and letting it stand before cooking. It is a myth that raw foods are always better. Although some nutrients are partially destroyed by cooking, others may become more absorbable. Kale, for instance, may be healthier cooked. In fact, too many raw cruciferous vegetables can be dangerous (but only taken to an extreme). There are several carcinogens created when cooking at high temperatures, though. Cooking animal foods may drive the production of harmful advanced glycation end-products. Frying or cooking meats also makes them particularly carcinogenic. Roasting chicken produces carcinogenic compounds (but not coffee or veggie burgers). Deep frying pollution can in fact be toxic to breathe.	-	vegetables,cancer,breast cancer,raw food,antioxidants,mortality,chicken,eggs,fish,poultry,industry influence,meat,fruit,boiling,legumes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-957	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/	cooking temperature	Food safety risks associated with brain parasites such as brain worms (here & here), cancer-causing viruses, hepatitis E, and superbugs such as MRSA can be mediated with proper cooking though there are some bugs such as Salmonella and C. diff that are relatively heat-resistant (and there’s always a concern about cross-contamination). Even with thorough cooking, though, rare neurotoxins, more common toxins, and biogenic amines in seafood as well as prions and drug residues cannot be effectively cooked out of the meat. While it is often safest to cook meat properly, certain carcinogens are actually created when muscle is cooked.	-	cooking methods,safety limits,chicken,food poisoning,foodborne illness,poultry,meat,fish,animal products,turkey,pork,colon health,milk,fecal bacteria,dairy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/http:/nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-958	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/copd/	COPD	Dr. Greger covers COPD in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers. See also the related blog post: Treating COPD With Diet.	-	meat,hot dogs,smoking,fruit,vegetables,fiber,grains,ham,mortality,lung disease,lung health,processed meat,hamburgers,sausage,berries	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/07/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	-
PLAIN-959	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/copper/	copper	-	-	magnesium,heavy metals,meat,factory farming practices,vegetables,neurotoxins,iron,brain health,drug residues,supplements,cooking temperature,vegetarians,antibiotics,biomagnification,allergies	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/	-
PLAIN-960	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coriander/	coriander	-	-	cilantro,heart disease,Harvard,heart health,kale,hypertension,greens,garlic,celery,eggplant,exercise,fruit,lettuce,mushrooms,squash	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/	-
PLAIN-961	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/	corn	-	-	vegetables,mortality,heart health,beans,heart disease,fruit,plant-based diets,standard American diet,Africa,vegetarians,cancer,cardiovascular disease,vegans,cardiovascular health,medical profession	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	-
PLAIN-962	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn-oil/	corn oil	-	-	oxidative stress,peas,plant-based diets,olive oil,oils,legumes,lentils,microwaving,potatoes,purple potatoes,tomatoes,vegetables,walnuts,tomato juice,tea	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/	-
PLAIN-963	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn-refiners-association/	Corn Refiners Association	-	-	processed foods,high fructose corn syrup,sweeteners,junk food,empty calories,mercury,sugar,corn syrup,safety limits,seafood,soda,tuna,nutrition myths,fructose,yogurt	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/	-
PLAIN-964	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn-syrup/	corn syrup	-	-	sugar,high fructose corn syrup,soda,empty calories,fish,dairy,sweeteners,processed foods,junk food,marketing,meat,seafood,tobacco,grains,mercury	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/	-
PLAIN-965	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cornell/	Cornell	-	-	Dr. T. Colin Campbell,exercise,Dr. Dean Ornish,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,cardiovascular disease,China,China Study,heart disease,lifespan,Oxford,plant-based diets,sudden cardiac death,mortality,medical profession,angina	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/04/15/welcome-to-nutritionfacts-org/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/	-
PLAIN-966	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cortisol/	cortisol	-	-	steroids,rheumatoid arthritis,psoriasis,supplements,vegans,vegetarians,vegetables,potassium,plant-based diets,blood pressure,autoimmune diseases,greens,hypertension,pain,inflammation	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-967	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cosmic-rays/	cosmic rays	-	-	oxidative stress,phytonutrients,pumpkin,nuts,Nagasaki,kale,lutein,multivitamins,radiation,seafood,vitamin E,X-rays,zeaxanthin,vitamin C,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/	-
PLAIN-968	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/	cost savings	-	-	vegetables,industry influence,fruit,meat,cancer,phytonutrients,beans,mortality,chicken,animal products,turkey,grains,broccoli,poultry,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/	-
PLAIN-969	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cough/	cough	-	-	liver disease,liver health,lung cancer,lung disease,liver cancer,LDL cholesterol,in vitro studies,India,kidney health,kiwi fruit,lung health,nerve health,snake venom,stomach health,stress	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	-
PLAIN-970	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coumarin/	coumarin	-	-	antioxidants,prediabetes,cinnamon,blood sugar,safety limits,diabetes,heart health,heart disease,hepatotoxins,liver disease,natural toxins,spices,liver health,food additives,inflammation	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/	-
PLAIN-971	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberries/	cranberries	-	-	fruit,phytonutrients,berries,cranberry juice,antioxidants,apples,lemons,liver cancer,vitamin C,juice,grapes,blueberries,cancer,rectal cancer,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/04/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/	-
PLAIN-972	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberry-juice/	cranberry juice	-	-	cranberries,juice,phytonutrients,fruit,orange juice,apple juice,processed foods,men's health,lemons,grape juice,medications,fruit juice,sugar,berries,prostate health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/04/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/	-
PLAIN-973	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cream/	cream	-	-	lead,industrial toxins,mad cow disease,manure,heavy metals,fish,butter,cheese,chicken,clams,mercury,omnivores,saturated fat,seafood,vegans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/	-
PLAIN-974	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cream-cheese/	cream cheese	-	-	milk,oxidative stress,pancakes,meat,maple syrup,India,mango,phytonutrients,pork,soy milk,standard American diet,white tea,smoothies,seeds,ranking foods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/	-
PLAIN-975	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/creatine/	creatine	-	-	vegetarians,meat,supplements,omnivores,metabolism,plant-based diets,energy,brain health,turkey,vegans,heavy metals,cognition,memory,birth defects,carnitine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/	-
PLAIN-976	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cretinism/	cretinism	-	-	supplements,staph infection,pus,prenatal vitamins,thyroid disease,thyroid health,World Health Organization,women's health,Virginia Messina,pregnancy,plant-based diets,infants,dairy,breastfeeding,iodine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/	-
PLAIN-977	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crib-death/	crib death	-	-	infants,milk,SIDS,dairy,apnea,casomorphin,animal protein,breast milk,evolution,breastfeeding,mortality,diabetes,autism,allergies,psychosis	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/21/cows-milk-casomorphin-crib-death-and-autism/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/	-
PLAIN-978	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crimini-mushrooms/	crimini mushrooms	-	-	shiitake mushrooms,oyster mushrooms,mushrooms,portobello mushrooms,chanterelle mushrooms,cost savings,enoki mushrooms,women's health,porcini mushrooms,alcohol,ranking foods,morel mushrooms,woodear mushrooms,breast health,maitake mushrooms	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-mushroom-2/	-
PLAIN-979	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crisco/	Crisco	-	-	animal products,meat,Coca-Cola,Harvard,industry influence,animal fat,saturated fat,fiber,fat,cake,dietary guidelines,heart health,heart disease,LDL cholesterol,plant protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-980	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crohns-disease/	Crohn's disease	-	-	animal protein,meat,inflammatory bowel disease,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,colon health,ulcerative colitis,animal products,inflammation,gut flora,autoimmune diseases,fish,cancer,cheese	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	-
PLAIN-981	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crowberries/	crowberries	-	-	ranking foods,antioxidants,hibiscus tea,grape juice,green tea,erythritol,Coca-Cola,coffee,lemons,espresso,milk,Red Zinger,tea,water,wine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-982	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/	cruciferous vegetables	-	-	vegetables,cancer,plant-based diets,meat,beans,fruit,broccoli,mortality,vegans,vegetarians,animal products,cardiovascular disease,breast cancer,nuts,greens	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/18/broccoli-boosts-liver-detox-enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-983	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cryptoxanthin/	cryptoxanthin	-	-	fruit,eggs,vegetables,lutein,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,beta carotene,antioxidants,cosmic rays,multivitamins,citrus,kale,immune function,fish,DNA damage	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/	-
PLAIN-984	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cspi/	CSPI	-	-	pancreatic cancer,pancreas health,pork,preservatives,processed meat,nitrosamines,nitrite,lung disease,lung health,meat,National Pork Board,prostate cancer,prostate health,throat health,thyroid disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/	-
PLAIN-985	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ct-scan/	CT scan	-	-	mortality,leukemia,Japan,infants,Nagasaki,radiation,X-rays,women's health,stress test,smoking,iatrogenic,Hiroshima,breast health,breast cancer,brain tumors	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/13/how-risky-are-ct-scans/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/	-
PLAIN-986	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cucumbers/	cucumbers	-	-	vegetables,fruit,cruciferous vegetables,antioxidants,carrots,lettuce,spices,blueberries,broccoli,beans,bananas,prostate cancer,turmeric,dietary guidelines,seafood	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-987	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cumin/	cumin	-	-	medications,oregano,osteoarthritis,inflammatory bowel disease,inflammation,heart failure,heart health,herbs,oxidative stress,pepper,spices,Tumor necrosis factor,turmeric,side effects,rosemary	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/	-
PLAIN-988	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cupcakes/	cupcakes	-	-	New York Coalition for Healthy School Food,obesity,junk food,ice cream,hydrogenated fats,oils,School Lunch Program,Veggiecation,vegetables,trans fats,Texas,green beans,fruit,carrots,calories	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/	-
PLAIN-989	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/	curcumin	-	-	spices,turmeric,cancer,green tea,complementary medicine,vegetables,alternative medicine,chemotherapy,India,meat,fruit,side effects,curry powder,medications,phytonutrients	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/	-
PLAIN-990	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/currants/	currants	-	-	fruit,raisins,grapes,anthocyanins,eye health,eye disease,berries,vision,supplements,antioxidants,tea,tomatoes,tomato juice,oxidative stress,plant-based diets	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/	-
PLAIN-991	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curry-powder/	curry powder	-	-	spices,turmeric,curcumin,cancer,chemotherapy,India,medications,colon cancer,antioxidants,rectal cancer,side effects,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,liver health,inflammation	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-
PLAIN-992	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cyanopsia/	cyanopsia	-	-	penis health,phytosterols,pistachios,oxidative stress,nuts,men's health,mortality,nitric oxide,plant-based diets,sexual dysfunction,watermelon,weight loss,women's health,Viagra,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/	-
PLAIN-993	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cyclamate/	cyclamate	-	-	stevia,sucralose,Splenda,sorbitol,Purevia,saccharin,Sugar Twin,Sweet and Low,xylitol,Z-Sweet,Truvia,sweeteners,Sweet One,pesticides,Nutrasweet	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-994	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cycling/	cycling	-	-	exercise,athletes,vegetables,juice,beets,beet juice,beverages,strawberries,saliva,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,vitamin C,energy,muscle strength,sports medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/	-
PLAIN-995	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cysticercosis/	cysticercosis	-	-	zoonotic disease,neurocysticercosis,brain disease,parasites,pork,tapeworms,seizures,headaches,foodborne illness,brain parasites,epilepsy,food poisoning,brain health,worms,Mayo Clinic	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/	-
PLAIN-996	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cytoskeleton/	cytoskeleton	-	-	natural toxins,nutrition myths,monounsaturated fats,metastases,guacamole,insecticides,nuts,oral cancer,Taxol,women's health,phytosterols,persin,paclitaxel,fungicides,FDA	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-997	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/czechoslovakia/	Czechoslovakia	-	-	body odor,men's health,Spain,Singapore,omnivores,physical attraction,vegetarians,sexual health,plant-based diets,persistent organic pollutants,New York City,flame-retardant chemicals,fibroids,China,California	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/body-odor-diet-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	-
PLAIN-998	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/	dairy	The first US dietary guidelines were issued in 1980 and recommended against saturated fat intake (found primarily in dairy). The most recent USDA dietary recommendations make clear that the dairy group includes soymilk. Recent studies have found that the best investment for dietary health is a plant based diet and minimizing purchases of meat and dairy.Commercial dairy has been found to contain: industrial toxins (see also here, here, here, here, here), trans-fats, saturated fat (see also here, here), cholesterol, mercury, and hormones (see also here, here).Consuming commercial dairy products is may be linked to: heart disease (see also here, here), acne (see here, here, here, here, here), constipation, Parkinson’s, imbalanced hormones, canker sores, mucus, high cholesterol (see here, here), diabetes, obesity, early onset puberty, cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer (see also here), sudden infant death syndrome (see here, here), autism, cataracts, Crohn’s disease, and inflammation (see also here, here).Cheese is one of the top contributors of sodium in the American diet. It may also be a source of mites and maggots. Potentially allergenic artificial colors made from bugs may be used in products such as yogurt. Milk is low in antioxidants (see also here, here, here), although it is a source of iodine. And 75% of people tested have been exposed to the bovine leukemia virus, most likely through the consumption of meat and dairy.Studies funded by the dairy and soda industries appear to be more biased than even studies funded by drug companies. Don’t add milk to your tea or eat it with your berries because it may block the absorption of important phytonutrients. The calcium in kale and broccoli is absorbed nearly twice as well as the calcium in cow’s milk. Not surprisingly then, vegans have been found to have bone density equal to that of omnivores.See also the related blog post: Mad Cow California: Is the Milk Supply Safe?	-	meat,fish,vegetables,animal products,eggs,cancer,fruit,women's health,children,mortality,vegans,vegetarians,plant-based diets,milk,poultry	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/21/where-are-phosphate-additives-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/25/mad-cow-california-is-the-milk-supply-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/long-term-vegan-bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-acne-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-999	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dandelion/	dandelion	-	-	phytonutrients,peppermint,lemongrass,lemon verbena,red tea,rooibos,thyme,tea,rosemary,rose hips,lavender,Korea,chamomile tea,beverages,bergamots	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/	-
PLAIN-1000	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/daniel-fast/	Daniel Fast	-	-	meat,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetables,biblical teachings,vegetarians,inflammation,nitric oxide,insulin,legumes,nuts,preservatives,EPIC Study,cake,seeds	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tightening-the-bible-belt/	-
PLAIN-1001	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dannon/	Dannon	-	-	National Dairy Board,McDonald’s,M&M's,Kraft,National Dairy Council,National Dairy Promotion Board,USDA,Snack Food Association,Sara Lee,industry influence,Hershey's,Coca-Cola,Campbell's Soup,beer,American Meat Institute	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-1002	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dark-chocolate/	dark chocolate	-	-	chocolate,cocoa,sugar,phytonutrients,milk chocolate,heart health,oxidative stress,saturated fat,cocoa butter,processed foods,heart disease,antioxidants,Dutched cocoa,fat,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/	-
PLAIN-1003	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dark-meat/	dark meat	-	-	turkey,white meat,poultry,meat,chicken,antibiotics	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/	-
PLAIN-1004	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dash-diet/	DASH diet	-	-	heart health,hypertension,junk food,heart disease,fruit,eggs,exercise,Lifestyle medicine,mortality,vegetables,vegetarians,vegans,salt,plant-based diets,processed foods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/	-
PLAIN-1005	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/date-sugar/	date sugar	-	-	fruit,fiber,dates,sugar,organic foods,ranking foods,processed foods,molasses,sweeteners,high fructose corn syrup,honey,junk food,maple syrup,empty calories,chocolate	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/07/is-there-a-safe-low-calorie-sweetener/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/	-
PLAIN-1006	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dates/	dates	-	-	fiber,fruit,sugar,weight loss,vegetables,beans,apples,candy,cardiovascular health,heart disease,plums,heart health,industry influence,dried fruit,body fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/	-
PLAIN-1007	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ddt/	DDT	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,industrial toxins,pesticides,meat,fish,dairy,women's health,animal products,infants,pregnancy,children,birth defects,dioxins,seafood,milk	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pesticides-in-chinese-bamboo-shoots/	-
PLAIN-1008	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/deafness/	deafness	-	-	industrial toxins,infants,lead,medications,India,in vitro studies,haritaki fruit,heavy metals,herbs,mercury,mortality,phytonutrients,side effects,supplements,triphala	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/	-
PLAIN-1009	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dehydration/	dehydration	-	-	beverages,water,cardiovascular disease,immune function,medical profession,kidney health,heart disease,heart health,hormones,dairy,industry influence,Coca-Cola,bone health,World Health Organization,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/	-
PLAIN-1010	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/deli-meat/	deli meat	-	-	processed meat,meat,beef,eggs,pork,plant-based diets,chicken,diabetes,turkey,poultry,animal products,women's health,processed foods,nitrosamines,vegans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-1011	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/deli-meats/	deli meats	-	-	processed meats,seeds,Slovenia,pork,plant-based diets,mortality,nuts,smoking,soda,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,tofu,tobacco,standard American diet	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/	-
PLAIN-1012	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/delta-waves/	delta waves	-	-	liver health,meditation,mushrooms,herbal tea,heart health,EEG,green tea,heart disease,ovarian cancer,ovary health,weight loss,white tea,women's health,theanine,tea	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	-
PLAIN-1013	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/	dementia	Four million Americans are stricken with Alzheimer’s disease, the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. While homeopathy has been shown to be ineffective in the treatment of dementia, the theory of mitochondrial aging may provide some insight into its prevention. Possible contributing dietary factors include advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), steroid hormones in dairy (see videos here, here), blue-green algae supplements, spirulina, copper in meat, dark fish (such as salmon), and aluminum in cheese. On the other hand, coffee, tofu and other soy foods, vitamin D and B12 supplements, apples (see also here), and aspirin naturally found in plant foods may play a role in preventing dementia. Phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables, varied into a cognitive portfolio, may also play role in delaying the onset of dementia. In terms of treating Alzheimer’s, the spice saffron appears to work better than a placebo and just as effectively as Aricept – a leading pharmaceutical drug. Exercise (see videos here, here) may even help reverse mild cognitive decline.Dr. Greger covers dementia in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	Alzheimer’s disease,brain health,brain disease,cognition,Parkinson's disease,fish,meat,aging,ALS,phytonutrients,mortality,Lou Gehrig's disease,BMAA,seafood,oysters	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/06/natural-alzheimers-treatment/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanut-butter-smell-test-for-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-1014	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/denmark/	Denmark	-	-	Japan,New York City,New Zealand,India,greens,fiber,fruit,obesity,South Africa,taro,Tonga,United Kingdom,sweet potatoes,stool size,constipation	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/	-
PLAIN-1015	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dental-health/	dental health	-	-	oral health,vegans,plant-based diets,cancer,fruit,vegetarians,vegetables,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,animal products,heart disease,heart health,cavities,water,saturated fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	-
PLAIN-1016	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/	depression	-	-	mental health,mood,brain health,sexual health,exercise,cardiovascular disease,mortality,cognition,heart disease,fruit,antidepressants,vegetables,supplements,processed foods,greens	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-vs-drugs-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1017	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/	detoxification	-	-	cancer,raw food,heart health,heart disease,industrial toxins,women's health,pregnancy,persistent organic pollutants,meat,infants,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,complementary medicine,fish,alternative medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/	-
PLAIN-1018	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/	DHA	People consuming fish and fish oil may exceed the World Health Organization’s daily safety limit for dioxins and dioxin-like substances, such as PCBs, which reduces value of fish as a DHA source. In fact, fish oil may be so contaminated, it may even increase inflammatory markers, so much so that it may be not be able to counteract the adverse effects on mood caused by the arachidonic acid in fish. Other industrial toxins may include endocrine-disrupting pollutants and heavy metals such as mercury. Although tuna companies advertise tuna as safe and healthy for us and our children, they appear to just be employing the same techniques that chemical companies have used to try to suggest that pesticides, such as DDT, are safe and healthy. Omega-3 fatty acids are therefore best obtained from fish-free sources, such as microalgae-based DHA. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are no longer found in sufficient quantities in chickens due to genetic manipulation.	-	omega-3 fatty acids,fish,persistent organic pollutants,algae,supplements,EPA,seafood,brain health,nutrition myths,body fat,children,industrial toxins,fish oil,animal products,pregnancy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/	-
PLAIN-1019	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dhea/	DHEA	-	-	plant-based diets,longevity,stress,supplements,vegetarians,vegans,lifespan,hormones,calories,caloric restriction,eggs,fiber,fertility,aging	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/	-
PLAIN-1020	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabeta/	Diabeta	-	-	medications,Micronase,liver health,LDL cholesterol,heart health,India,nausea,obesity,skin health,triglycerides,side effects,reversing chronic disease,plant-based diets,prediabetes,heart disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/	-
PLAIN-1021	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/	diabetes	Plant-based diets (especially whole foods) may successfully prevent, treat, and even reverse type 2 diabetes (see also here, here).Excluding meat, milk (see also here), and other animal products may reduce the risk of diabetes and gestational diabetes by boosting our hormone-binding proteins, helping to prevent obesity, and reducing exposure to arsenic, BPA, dioxins, nitrites, and PCBs.Eggs may be particularly risky – eating only one egg a week may almost double the odds of getting diabetes. Fish, especially salmon, is one of the primary sources of PCBs and other industrial toxins, which may play a role in the development of diabetes.Indian gooseberries (amla), coffee, soy, flaxseeds, green tea, pulses (dried beans), chamomile tea, purple potatoes, broccoli sprouts, whole grains, vinegar, and beans may be protective. Beans may be especially beneficial when replacing meat or refined carbs, such as white rice. Cinnamon, depending on the variety, it may be either too toxic for consumption at high doses or ineffective at treating diabetes. Diabetes drugs, on the other hand, have been found to increase the risks of heart attack, heart failure, and death, and regular exercise and weight-loss may work just as well against diabetes. Erythritol is a nontoxic sugar substitute. By eating plant-based and living a healthy lifestyle, 90%-95% of type 2 diabetes is avoidable. If left untreated, diabetes can cause blindness. Untreated type 1 diabetes can even be fatal. Babies fed baby formula seemed to have a higher risk of obesity, type 1 and type 2 diabetesDr. Greger covers diabetes in his full-length presentations: • Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death • More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases • From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food	-	cancer,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,heart health,stroke,obesity,grains,vegetables,mortality,fiber,plant-based diets,meat,fruit,cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/americans-are-living-longer-but-sicker-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/	-
PLAIN-1022	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diacetyl/	diacetyl	-	-	lung disease,lung health,artificial flavors,popcorn lung,food additives,microwaving,bronchiolitis obliterans,butter flavor,butter,safety limits,smoking,occupational health,processed foods,junk food,phosgene	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/	-
PLAIN-1023	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diacylglycerol/	diacylglycerol	-	-	nuts,olives,omnivores,muscle health,mortality,meat,milk,monounsaturated fats,oxidative stress,pancreas health,vegetable oil,vegetarians,weight loss,vegans,trans fats	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/	-
PLAIN-1024	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dialysis/	dialysis	-	-	omnivores,obesity,plant-based diets,vegans,weight loss,vegetarians,gangrene,flexitarians,blindness,amputations,diabetes,exercise,American Diabetes Association	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/	-
PLAIN-1025	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/	diarrhea	-	-	antibiotics,diabetes,gut flora,complementary medicine,colon health,side effects,alternative medicine,mental health,phytonutrients,cancer,fiber,food poisoning,foodborne illness,fruit,dairy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greasy-orange-rectal-leakage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-1026	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dieldrin/	dieldrin	-	-	dairy,DDT,pesticides,persistent organic pollutants,seafood,women's health,dioxins,fish,meat,poultry,industrial toxins,chicken,birth defects,milk,intelligence	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/	-
PLAIN-1027	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/	dietary guidelines	-	-	heart disease,cardiovascular disease,heart health,diabetes,cardiovascular health,vegetables,meat,saturated fat,standard American diet,cholesterol,beans,prediabetes,Lifestyle medicine,animal fat,chicken	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/22/big-food-wants-final-say-over-health-reports/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mothers-overestimate-dietary-quality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-difficulty-of-arriving-at-a-vitamin-d-recommendation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evolutionary-argument-for-optimal-vitamin-d-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-protein-recommendations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-institute-of-medicine-arrived-at-their-vitamin-d-recommendation/	-
PLAIN-1028	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-scoring/	dietary scoring	-	-	phytonutrients,plant-based diets,potato chips,potatoes,optimal diet,oils,nutrient density,nuts,oats,processed foods,rice,USDA,vegetables,wheat,sweeteners	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/	-
PLAIN-1029	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/digoxin/	digoxin	-	-	Parkinson's disease,penicillin,Peoria,plant-based diets,nutrition myths,mortality,malaria,medications,mold,morphine,quinine,red yeast rice,supplements,Taxol,vincristine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/	-
PLAIN-1030	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxin/	dioxin	-	-	industrial toxins,infertility,meat,men's health,hormones,milk,estrogen,Europe,fish,eggs,PCBs,sexual health,sperm counts,statins,xenoestrogens	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/	-
PLAIN-1031	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/	dioxins	-	-	industrial toxins,persistent organic pollutants,animal products,meat,fish,seafood,poultry,animal fat,plant-based diets,chicken,dairy,pesticides,vegetarians,diabetes,mercury	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/	-
PLAIN-1032	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dishwashing-detergent/	dishwashing detergent	-	-	fruit,meat,dairy,vegetables,animal products,gut flora,Harvard,broccoli,greens,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,fiber,Crisco,inflammation,Crohn's disease,colon health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/	-
PLAIN-1033	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulitis/	diverticulitis	-	-	diverticulosis,colon health,hemorrhoids,heart disease,constipation,diabetes,surgery,fiber,varicose veins,colon cancer,cancer,plant-based diets,hypertension,colon disease,heart health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	-
PLAIN-1034	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulosis/	diverticulosis	Dr. Greger covers diverticulosis in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	diverticulitis,colon health,hemorrhoids,heart disease,constipation,diabetes,surgery,fiber,varicose veins,colon cancer,cancer,plant-based diets,hypertension,colon disease,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/29/bowel-movements-the-scoop-on-poop/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	-
PLAIN-1035	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dizziness/	dizziness	-	-	side effects,alternative medicine,headaches,complementary medicine,cysticercosis,food poisoning,epilepsy,brain surgery,brain disease,tamoxifen,women's health,foodborne illness,brain health,brain parasites,neurocysticercosis	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/	-
PLAIN-1036	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/	DNA damage	Smoking and meat consumption are associated with increased DNA damage. Processed meats may contain carcinogenic nitrosamines that can even be found in the vapors (smell) of frying bacon. On the other hand, plant-based diets have been associated with decreased DNA damage overall, slowed cancer growth, and possibly even slowed aging.Specific studies have shown the possible prevention or repair capabilities of apples, almonds and grapes, carob, broccoli (see also here, here), broccoli sprouts, black pepper, dragon’s blood, and soy (edamame, tofu, tempeh). In moderation, stevia can be considered harmless, but recent studies have called into question the safety of potassium sorbate and avocados (see here, here).	-	cancer,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,plant-based diets,heart health,vegetables,antioxidants,meat,fruit,exercise,longevity,vegetarians,aging,fiber	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carob-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-black-pepper-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tofu-vs-tempeh-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-potassium-sorbate-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1038	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dogs/	dogs	-	-	meat,animal products,cats,heart health,tobacco,women's health,lung disease,fish,lung health,nuts,heart disease,medications,dairy,cardiovascular disease,pets	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/usda-parasite-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1039	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/domoic-acid/	domoic acid	-	-	nausea,memory,mackerel,infants,neurotoxins,pregnancy,tuna,seafood,sardines,halibut,foodborne illness,children,brain health,brain disease,anchovies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/	-
PLAIN-1040	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dopamine/	dopamine	-	-	brain health,mental health,medications,plant-based diets,fruit,serotonin,fat,animal products,sugar,vegans,side effects,complementary medicine,vegetarians,mood,alternative medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/03/how-to-treat-adhd-without-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/23/can-one-become-a-sugar-addict/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/	-
PLAIN-1041	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/douching/	douching	-	-	phytonutrients,fat,fruit,vaginal health,milk,vegetables,animal fat,poultry,dairy,chicken,saturated fat,reproductive health,sperm counts,soda,xenoestrogens	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/23/preventing-bacterial-vaginosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/	-
PLAIN-1042	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/doughnuts/	doughnuts	-	-	meat,chicken,plant-based diets,dairy,vegans,pork,vegetarians,fruit,fat,frying,poultry,processed foods,vegetables,cancer,fish	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-1043	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dow-chemical/	Dow Chemical	-	-	complementary medicine,Dr. Benjamin Feingold,Coca-Cola,brain health,children,food additives,junk food,nutrition myths,processed foods,mental health,marketing,attention deficit,hyperactivity,artificial colors,ginger	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/	-
PLAIN-1045	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-benjamin-feingold/	Dr. Benjamin Feingold	-	-	junk food,hyperactivity,food additives,marketing,mental health,processed foods,nutrition myths,Dow Chemical,attention deficit,artificial colors,brain health,children,complementary medicine,Coca-Cola,alternative medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1046	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-benjamin-spock/	Dr. Benjamin Spock	-	-	vegetarians,vegans,omnivores,plant-based diets,vitamin D,vitamin B12,supplements,cancer,suicide,children,tobacco,vegetables,World Health Organization,medical profession,medical education	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/	-
PLAIN-1047	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-caldwell-esselstyn/	Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn	-	-	heart disease,plant-based diets,mortality,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,Dr. Dean Ornish,heart health,brain disease,cardiovascular health,chronic diseases,smoking,meat,fruit,saturated fat,stroke	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	-
PLAIN-1048	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-david-jenkins/	Dr. David Jenkins	-	-	eggs,Dr. David Spence,heart health,industry influence,safety limits,LDL cholesterol,heart disease,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,burgers,saturated fat,beef,veal brains,bacon,cheese	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/	-
PLAIN-1049	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-david-spence/	Dr. David Spence	-	-	heart health,heart disease,eggs,cholesterol,safety limits,cardiovascular disease,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,stroke,Dr. David Jenkins,diabetes,oxidative stress,saturated fat,brain disease,KFC	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/	-
PLAIN-1050	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/	Dr. Dean Ornish	-	-	heart disease,cardiovascular disease,plant-based diets,cancer,chronic diseases,exercise,mortality,heart health,cholesterol,cardiovascular health,fruit,medical education,smoking,meat,Lifestyle medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/23/generic-lipitor-is-not-the-answer-to-our-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	-
PLAIN-1051	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-denis-burkitt/	Dr. Denis Burkitt	-	-	plant-based diets,heart disease,animal products,heart health,fiber,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,standard American diet,beans,meat,vegetarians,nuts,processed foods,cancer,medical education	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	-
PLAIN-1052	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-frank-sacks/	Dr. Frank Sacks	-	-	meat,Lifestyle medicine,medications,mortality,oils,lentils,legumes,hypertension,industry influence,junk food,kiwi fruit,plant-based diets,processed foods,vegetables,vegans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-1053	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-hugh-trowell/	Dr. Hugh Trowell	-	-	mortality,oatmeal,obesity,millet,medications,heart disease,heart health,meat,plant-based diets,standard American diet,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health,vegans,sweet potatoes	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/	-
PLAIN-1055	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-joel-fuhrman/	Dr. Joel Fuhrman	-	-	natural toxins,mycotoxins,mushrooms,agaritine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/	-
PLAIN-1057	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-john-harvey-kellogg/	Dr. John Harvey Kellogg	-	-	heart disease,heart health,grains,Froot Loops,fiber,meat,nuts,stroke,vegetables,pasta,obesity,oats,fat,blood sugar,broccoli	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/	-
PLAIN-1058	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-john-mcdougall/	Dr. John McDougall	-	-	medical education,chronic diseases,medical profession,reversing chronic disease,California,California Medical Association,poultry,heart health,mortality,chicken,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,plant-based diets,heart disease,animal products,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/14/nutrition-education-in-medicine-a-doctor-a-day-keeps-the-apples-away/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/	-
PLAIN-1059	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-neal-barnard/	Dr. Neal Barnard	-	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,plant-based diets,heart health,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,vegetarians,grains,vegans,obesity,vegetables,beans,LDL cholesterol,low-fat diets,diabetes,Dr. Dean Ornish	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/	-
PLAIN-1061	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-richard-fleming/	Dr. Richard Fleming	-	-	paleolithic diets,plant protein,mortality,low-carb diets,longevity,plant-based diets,prehistoric diets,vegetarians,weight loss,vegans,Twinkies,protein,lifespan,LDL cholesterol,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/	-
PLAIN-1062	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-roy-swank/	Dr. Roy Swank	-	-	mortality,milk,multiple sclerosis,nerve health,pain,Norway,medications,meat,inflammation,heart health,LDL cholesterol,leukemia,low-fat diets,plant-based diets,pork	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/	-
PLAIN-1063	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-seuss/	Dr. Seuss	-	-	plant-based diets,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,India,pomegranates,raisins,whortleberries,seeds,rowanberries,ranking foods,gooseberries,goji berries,berries,barberries,Asian markets	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/	-
PLAIN-1064	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-t-colin-campbell/	Dr. T. Colin Campbell	-	-	plant-based diets,lifespan,longevity,mortality,China Study,side effects,standard American diet,TOR,turkey,rapamycin,medical profession,sudden cardiac death,poultry,protein,Oxford	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1065	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-walter-kempner/	Dr. Walter Kempner	-	-	mortality,heart disease,heart health,plant-based diets,chronic diseases,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,stroke,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,kidney failure,rice,hypertension,protein,Lifestyle medicine,blood pressure	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/	-
PLAIN-1066	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-walter-willett/	Dr. Walter Willett	-	-	cardiovascular disease,Harvard,seeds,heart disease,beans,legumes,animal protein,fat,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,nuts,plant protein,plant-based diets,weight loss,protein,water	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	-
PLAIN-1067	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-william-clifford-roberts/	Dr. William Clifford Roberts	-	-	LDL cholesterol,hypertension,heart disease,obesity,smoking,vegetables,statins,fruit,exercise,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,chronic diseases,diabetes,dietary guidelines,blood pressure	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/23/generic-lipitor-is-not-the-answer-to-our-heart-disease-epidemic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/	-
PLAIN-1068	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-william-roberts/	Dr. William Roberts	-	-	medications,vegetarians,cardiovascular disease,LDL cholesterol,statins,cholesterol,heart health,heart disease,reversing chronic disease,omnivores,obesity,plant-based diets,stroke,vegans,impotence	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	-
PLAIN-1069	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dragon-fruit/	dragon fruit	-	-	gut flora,prebiotics,Trader Joes,fruit,exotic fruit,convenience,dried fruit,colon health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-dragon-fruit-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1070	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dragons-blood/	dragon's blood	-	-	industrial toxins,inflammation,India,in vitro studies,heavy metals,joint health,osteoarthritis,triphala,ranking foods,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,gooseberries,fruit,blueberries,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/	-
PLAIN-1071	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dressings/	dressings	-	-	greens,tomatoes,lycopene,men's health,low-fat diets,fat,cancer,cashews,lettuce,nutrition myths,salsa,seeds,walnuts,prostate cancer,phytonutrients	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/	-
PLAIN-1072	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/	dried fruit	-	-	fruit,women's health,cancer,fiber,plant-based diets,colon health,meat,nuts,vegetables,medications,colon cancer,mortality,seeds,standard American diet,colon disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/19/choosing-the-best-nutrition-bar/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-dragon-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1073	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/drug-residues/	drug residues	-	-	antibiotics,fish,antidepressants,SSRI's,Prozac,feed additives,medications,factory farming practices,farm animals,hormones,cancer,seafood,caffeine,FDA,biomagnification	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/	-
PLAIN-1074	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/drug-stores/	drug stores	-	-	supplements,fish oil,DHA,fish,industrial toxins,EPA,PCBs,salmon,yeast,safety limits,persistent organic pollutants,cancer,omega-3 fatty acids,birth defects,diabetes	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/	-
PLAIN-1075	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/drug-testing/	drug testing	-	-	poppy seeds,morphine,safety limits,seeds,sleep,milk,infants,children,bagels,complementary medicine,cooking methods,alternative medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/	-
PLAIN-1076	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ductus-arteriosus/	ductus arteriosus	-	-	insomnia,kidney disease,liver disease,inflammation,infants,hemorrhoids,herbal tea,herbs,mental health,osteoporosis,vaginal health,women's health,wound healing,stomach ulcers,sore throat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/	-
PLAIN-1077	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dulse/	dulse	-	-	thyroid health,hijiki,sushi,iodine,sea vegetables,salt,arsenic,thyroid disease,vegetables,sodium,phytonutrients,women's health,standard American diet,Canada,United Kingdom	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1078	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/duncan-hines/	Duncan Hines	-	-	USDA,McDonald’s,Coca-Cola,industry influence,dietary guidelines,Crisco,plantains,pneumonia,pork,plant-based diets,plums,plant protein,Parkinson's disease,oranges,persistent organic pollutants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-1079	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dutched-cocoa/	Dutched cocoa	-	-	cocoa,chocolate,dark chocolate,sugar,fat,saturated fat,Yale,ranking foods,American Heart Association,cocoa butter,junk food,processed foods,cherries,frozen fruit,soy milk	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/	-
PLAIN-1080	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dwarfism/	dwarfism	-	-	Laron syndrome,IGF-1,lifespan,longevity,stroke,mortality,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cancer,cardiovascular health,cell death,accidents	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/	-
PLAIN-1081	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dyspepsia/	dyspepsia	-	-	pain,peppers,nausea,mortality,medications,Propulcid,Salmonella,stomach health,substance P,spicy food,spices,side effects,irritable bowel syndrome,inflammation,Cayenne pepper	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-1082	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/	E. coli	E. coli exposure may lead to health problems such as irritable bowel syndrome and urinary tract infections caused by contaminated chicken. But cranberry juice may help prevent bladder infections. Turkey meat may also contain dangerous amounts of the E. coli bacteria. Meat glue, an enzyme used to hold different pieces of meat together, might harbor E. coli bacteria. Handling money could also result in E. coli exposure due to bacteria fecal contamination.The potentially deadly toxin produced by E. coli O157:H7, which can shut down the kidneys of children, attaches to Neu5Gc, a foreign meat molecule that may contribute to the progression of cancer and heart disease.	-	food poisoning,foodborne illness,fecal bacteria,meat,chicken,animal products,Salmonella,fecal contamination,cooking methods,poultry,turkey,colon health,fish,mortality,beef	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/	-
PLAIN-1083	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli-o157h7/	E. coli o157:H7	E. coli exposure may lead to health problems such as irritable bowel syndrome and urinary tract infections caused by contaminated chicken. But cranberry juice may help prevent bladder infections. Turkey meat may also contain dangerous amounts of the E. coli bacteria. Meat glue, an enzyme used to hold different pieces of meat together, might harbor E. coli bacteria. Handling money could also result in E. coli exposure due to bacteria fecal contamination.The potentially deadly toxin produced by E. coli O157:H7, which can shut down the kidneys of children, attaches to Neu5Gc, a foreign meat molecule that may contribute to the progression of cancer and heart disease.	-	food poisoning,E. coli,foodborne illness,meat,beef,fecal contamination,fecal bacteria,poultry,animal products,chicken,dairy,Salmonella,FDA,turkey,fish	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-1084	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ear-health/	ear health	-	-	cancer,chicken,poultry,mortality,throat health,meat,mercury,industrial toxins,tonsil cancer,throat cancer,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,infants,turkey,medications	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/	-
PLAIN-1085	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ear-infections/	ear infections	-	-	lung health,lung disease,infants,hypertension,medications,pets,stomach inflammation,stomach health,respiratory infections,heart health,heart disease,cats,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,blood pressure	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/	-
PLAIN-1086	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/earl-grey-tea/	Earl Grey tea	-	-	ranking foods,stomach health,stomach inflammation,tea,phytonutrients,bergamottin,beverages,black tea,bergamots	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-tea-vs-earl-grey/	-
PLAIN-1087	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/easter-island/	Easter Island	-	-	mortality,muscle strength,morbidity,mood,mitochondria,oxidative stress,rapamycin,wound healing,TOR,sexual health,reproductive health,longevity,lifespan,caloric restriction,calories	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/	-
PLAIN-1088	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ecmo/	ECMO	-	-	lung health,medical education,Louis Pasteur,Lifestyle medicine,infants,mortality,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,standard American diet,vaccines,Rice Diet,rabies,plant-based diets,heart health,heart disease,chronic diseases	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/	-
PLAIN-1089	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eco-atkins-diet/	Eco-Atkins diet	-	-	seitan,soy,protein,plant-based diets,nuts,plant protein,tofu,vegans,veggie chicken,weight loss,veggie burgers,veggie bacon,vegetable protein,vegetables,mortality	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	-
PLAIN-1090	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ecstasy/	ecstasy	-	-	mood,nutmeg,onions,oregano,mental health,medications,kale,lung cancer,lung health,MAO Inhibitors,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,tobacco,vegans,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/	-
PLAIN-1091	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eczema/	eczema	-	-	allergies,asthma,children,pregnancy,infants,lung disease,industrial toxins,lung health,cancer,inflammation,carcinogens,plant-based diets,breastfeeding,vegetarians,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/	-
PLAIN-1092	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/edamame/	edamame	-	-	soy,beans,soybeans,pinto beans,navy beans,U.S. Dry Bean Council,ranking foods,tofu,tempeh,mortality,DNA damage,lentils,garbanzo beans,FDA,cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tofu-vs-tempeh-2/	-
PLAIN-1093	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eden-foods/	Eden Foods	-	-	liver disease,inflammation,industrial toxins,heart health,liver health,microwaving,polypropylene plastic,polyethylene plastic,polycarbonate plastic,plastic,heart disease,FDA,Canada,Bush administration,BPA	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/	-
PLAIN-1094	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eeg/	EEG	-	-	liver health,meditation,mushrooms,herbal tea,heart health,green tea,heart disease,ovarian cancer,ovary health,weight loss,white tea,women's health,theanine,tea,peppermint	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	-
PLAIN-1095	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/egg-farmers-of-canada/	Egg Farmers of Canada	-	-	longevity,lifespan,heart health,marketing,mortality,stroke,safety limits,nutrition myths,heart failure,heart disease,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,brain health,diabetes,Dr. David Spence	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/	-
PLAIN-1096	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/egg-mcmuffin/	Egg McMuffin	-	-	eggs,meat,saturated fat,dairy,heart health,heart disease,standard American diet,inflammation,phytonutrients,cardiovascular disease,dried fruit,endotoxemia,seeds,fruit,berries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-1097	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggbeaters/	Eggbeaters	-	-	moose meat,oxen meat,plant-based diets,milk,meat,junk food,lettuce,red meat,reindeer meat,vegetables,white meat,yogurt,soy milk,soy,salmon	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	-
PLAIN-1098	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggnog/	eggnog	-	-	nutmeg,safety limits,spices,mood,miscarriage,cost savings,amphetamines	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/	-
PLAIN-1099	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggplant/	eggplant	-	-	carrots,vegetables,beets,asparagus,kale,celery,antioxidants,bell peppers,spinach,onions,garlic,green beans,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,cauliflower	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-1100	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/	eggs	Despite the powerful egg industry’s best efforts to put a “healthy” spin (also see here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) on egg consumption, eggs contain high levels of cholesterol (see here and here) and may contain carcinogenic retroviruses, heterocyclic amines, toxic pollutants (such as arsenic, perfluorochemicals like PCB, phthalates, flame retardant chemicals, dioxins), and Salmonella (see here and here). Consuming just one egg per day may significantly shorten our lifespans (see here also), increase the levels of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1, and increase our risk of heart disease (here too), stroke, type 2 diabetes (here and here too), gestational diabetes, and some types of cancer (such as pancreatic (here too), breast, and prostrate (here too)). Eating a meatless, egg-less, plant-based diet may improve mood (see here also), lower the risk of cataracts, neurological diseases, food poisoning, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and even help reverse rheumatoid arthritis. This may be due in part to the arachidonic acid, cholesterol, sulfuric acid, choline (see here too), methionine, and sex hormones (and here) in eggs and the relative lack of antioxidant phytonutrients (see here, here, here, here, and here).See also the related blog post: Bad Egg	-	vegetables,meat,animal products,dairy,plant-based diets,fruit,vegans,vegetarians,cancer,mortality,beans,fish,alcohol,fat,heart disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/31/bad-egg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/	-
PLAIN-1101	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/	elderly	-	-	aging,mortality,chronic diseases,eggs,meat,fruit,industry influence,beans,heart health,heart disease,lentils,plant-based diets,legumes,vegetables,brain health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanut-butter-smell-test-for-alzheimers/	-
PLAIN-1102	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/electroconvulsive-therapy/	electroconvulsive therapy	-	-	industry influence,Mayo Clinic,hormones,heart health,heart disease,menopause,Premarin,women's health,stroke,side effects,pulmonary embolism,FDA,estrogen,breast disease,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/	-
PLAIN-1103	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elephant-garlic/	elephant garlic	-	-	oxidative stress,PhIP,phytonutrients,meat,greens,fruit,garlic,grains,pork,poultry,Rutin,turkey,vegetables,red onions,rectal cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/	-
PLAIN-1104	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ellagic-acid/	ellagic acid	-	-	phytonutrients,milk,skim milk,tea,water,dementia,brain disease,blackberries,brain health,cognition,dairy,berries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-1105	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/emphysema/	emphysema	Dr. Greger covers emphysema in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	smoking,acaí berries,berries,lung health,lung disease,prediabetes,side effects,kiwi fruit,vegetables,sugar,lamb,supplements,blackberries,burgers,COPD	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/07/treating-copd-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	-
PLAIN-1106	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/empty-calories/	empty calories	-	-	junk food,sugar,processed foods,corn syrup,high fructose corn syrup,soda,vegetables,nutrition myths,sweeteners,calories,marketing,frying,grains,industry influence,fish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/	-
PLAIN-1107	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endive/	endive	-	-	nuts,lung health,onions,pancreas health,potatoes,pancreatic cancer,lung cancer,lettuce,kale,jalapeno,kidney cancer,kidney health,leeks,prostate cancer,prostate health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-1108	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocannabinoids/	endocannabinoids	-	-	orgasm,pain,nausea,mushrooms,mood,smoking,spicy food,vegetables,tomatoes,tobacco,tea,mental health,lung health,coconuts,cruciferous vegetables	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/	-
PLAIN-1109	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/	endocrine disruptors	-	-	fish,meat,cancer,industrial toxins,dairy,women's health,milk,persistent organic pollutants,men's health,children,breast cancer,animal fat,xenoestrogens,chicken,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/	-
PLAIN-1110	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-cancer/	endometrial cancer	-	-	cancer,breast cancer,women's health,prostate cancer,men's health,kidney cancer,breast health,ovarian cancer,endometrial health,esophageal cancer,bladder cancer,vegetarians,prostate health,plant-based diets,meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1111	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-health/	endometrial health	-	-	cancer,endometrial cancer,women's health,men's health,prostate cancer,esophagus health,pancreatic cancer,ovarian cancer,breast cancer,prostate health,esophageal cancer,meat,colon health,throat cancer,lung cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1112	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometriosis/	endometriosis	-	-	meat,milk,intelligence,infants,hypertension,oral health,Parkinson's disease,uterine health,women's health,pregnancy,pesticides,persistent organic pollutants,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/	-
PLAIN-1113	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endorphins/	endorphins	-	-	cancer,spicy food,mood,mushrooms,lung health,lung cancer,nausea,mental health,pain,tomatoes,vegetables,tobacco,tea,green tea,smoking	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-chili-peppers-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/	-
PLAIN-1114	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endothelium/	endothelium	-	-	mortality,Lifestyle medicine,heart health,nuts,spices,turmeric,treadmill,heart disease,green tea,curcumin,cardiovascular health,diabetes,fat,exercise,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/	-
PLAIN-1115	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/	endotoxemia	-	-	saturated fat,inflammation,animal fat,meat,animal products,eggs,heart health,dairy,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,chicken,sausage,Egg McMuffin,butter,plant-based diets	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	-
PLAIN-1116	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endurance/	endurance	-	-	beet juice,beverages,exercise,vegetables,beets,nitrate,nitric oxide,athletes,juice,nitrite,cancer,greens,nitrosamines,phytonutrients,vitamin C	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/	-
PLAIN-1117	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enemas/	enemas	-	-	foodborne illness,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,food poisoning,liver,liver health,vegetables,juice,hormones,Mexico,organ meats,potassium,salt,Gerson Therapy,supplements	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1118	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy/	energy	-	-	vegetarians,plant-based diets,vegans,supplements,fat,vegetables,medications,standard American diet,memory,muscle health,sports medicine,safety limits,industry influence,metabolism,exercise	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/	-
PLAIN-1119	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy-drinks/	energy drinks	-	-	omnivores,obesity,plant-based diets,poultry,propionate,prebiotics,mortality,milk,lecithin,LDL cholesterol,liver,meat,metastases,men's health,prostate cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/14/avoid-carnitine-and-lethicin-supplements/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/	-
PLAIN-1120	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy-gels/	energy gels	-	-	jelly beans,raisins,sports drinks,supplements,industry influence,fatigue,cost savings,energy,exercise,candy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/	-
PLAIN-1121	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enoki-mushrooms/	enoki mushrooms	-	-	oyster mushrooms,mushrooms,portobello mushrooms,shiitake mushrooms,woodear mushrooms,women's health,crimini mushrooms,cost savings,breast disease,breast cancer,breast health,cancer,chanterelle mushrooms,cancer survival,aromatase	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/	-
PLAIN-1122	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enterococcus/	Enterococcus	-	-	poultry,pork,pneumonia,meat,Salmonella,staph infection,zoonotic disease,white meat,turkey,foodborne illness,food poisoning,CDC,Campylobacter,beef,chicken	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/	-
PLAIN-1123	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/	enzymes	-	-	vegetables,cruciferous vegetables,phytonutrients,broccoli,detoxification,mortality,raw food,cardiovascular disease,heart health,breast cancer,cooking methods,cabbage,heart disease,cauliflower,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/21/cows-milk-casomorphin-crib-death-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/18/broccoli-boosts-liver-detox-enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1124	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eosinophilia-myalgia-syndrome/	eosinophilia–myalgia syndrome	-	-	plant-based diets,plant protein,mushrooms,side effects,soy,vegetables,tryptophan,supplements,mood,mental health,complementary medicine,brain health,alternative medicine,depression,medications	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/	-
PLAIN-1125	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/	EPA	The USDA, FDA, and EPA’s mission of monitoring our food supply against the contamination of drugs and chemical residues has yet to be fully realized. The average can of tuna in the U.S. exceeds EPA standards and may damage the brain of infants, children, and adults (more than that in vaccinations, amalgam teeth fillings, high-fructose corn syrup and Ayervedic supplements). One in four women exceeds EPA mercury safety limits by eating as little as one meal of fish per week. Because regulations in the U.S. allow up to ten times as much mercury in fish as EPA limit allows, it is advisable for women who eat a lot of fish to get tested for mercury when considering pregnancy. Other contaminants in meat may also adversely affect fetal development. Fish (especially farmed) may also contain industrial pollutants such as dioxins and PCBs. One-third of more than sixty brands of soda tested for the carcinogen benzene exceeded safety limits. There is arsenic in American chicken products. Although banned decades ago, DDT is still found in products such as fish oil (even distilled is not pollutant free). Algae-based omega 3’s offer an organic, hygienic, and safer way to ensure DHA and EPA status without heavy metal or industrial toxin exposure.	-	fish,mercury,children,seafood,infants,safety limits,pregnancy,brain health,brain disease,persistent organic pollutants,cognition,fat,FDA,women's health,tuna	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1126	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epic-study/	EPIC Study	-	-	vegetarians,vegans,meat,plant-based diets,cancer,vegetables,dairy,weight loss,omnivores,calories,body fat,fat,smoking,poultry,processed meat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tightening-the-bible-belt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-1127	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epigenetic-changes/	epigenetic changes	-	-	cancer,plant-based diets,phytonutrients,berries,women's health,antioxidants,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,breast cancer,oxidative stress,mortality,fruit,prostate cancer,men's health,heart health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	-
PLAIN-1128	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epilepsy/	epilepsy	-	-	brain health,brain disease,parasites,seizures,brain parasites,tapeworms,zoonotic disease,neurocysticercosis,pork,headaches,food poisoning,foodborne illness,meat,brain surgery,brain tumors	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/	-
PLAIN-1129	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/	erectile dysfunction	Erectile dysfunction may be an early warning sign for potential cardiac problems, but a plant-based diet could improve both erectile function and heart health as well as increase testosterone. More specifically, eating pistachio nuts and watermelon as well as avoiding BPA plastics may result in visible improvements. The same disease mechanisms are involved in women and similarly, female sexual function maybe improved on a plant based diet.See also the related blog post: Erectile dysfunction and diet	-	cardiovascular health,impotence,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,plant-based diets,heart health,fruit,meat,vegans,vegetables,mortality,sexual dysfunction,men's health,cholesterol,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/14/erectile-dysfunction-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/20/pills-vs-diet-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/02/02/atkins-diet-and-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	-
PLAIN-1130	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ergothioneine/	ergothioneine	-	-	liver health,men's health,liver disease,liver,kidney,mitochondria,mushrooms,seeds,vegetables,oxidative stress,organ meats,nuts,grains,fruit,cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/	-
PLAIN-1131	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erythritol/	erythritol	-	-	antioxidants,sweeteners,recipes,sugar,beverages,tea,green tea,calories,phytonutrients,artificial sweeteners,colon health,cinnamon,cocoa,nutmeg,soy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/07/is-there-a-safe-low-calorie-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/30/aspartame-fibromyalgia-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/09/how-to-gain-weight-on-diet-soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/	-
PLAIN-1132	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/	esophageal cancer	-	-	cancer,esophagus health,breast cancer,meat,fruit,vegetarians,rectal cancer,vegetables,men's health,vegans,mortality,smoking,colon cancer,prostate cancer,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/17/strawberries-can-reverse-precancerous-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1133	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophagus/	esophagus	-	-	nuts,mortality,obesity,plant protein,pneumonia,men's health,melanoma,heartburn,McDonald’s,meat,medications,poultry,prostate cancer,vegetarians,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/17/strawberries-can-reverse-precancerous-progression/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/	-
PLAIN-1134	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophagus-health/	esophagus health	-	-	cancer,esophageal cancer,meat,poultry,mortality,chicken,turkey,men's health,prostate cancer,colon health,women's health,food poisoning,throat cancer,rectal cancer,breast cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	-
PLAIN-1135	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/espresso/	espresso	-	-	coffee,beverages,cholesterol,cognition,dementia,diabetes,cardiovascular disease,brain health,bladder health,bone health,brain disease,esophagus health,heart health,ovary health,Parkinson's disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1136	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/essential-tremor/	essential tremor	-	-	cancer,tremors,meat,smoking,tobacco,women's health,neurotoxins,pork,turkey,colon health,men's health,colon cancer,prostate cancer,breast cancer,rectal cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1137	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/	estrogen	Estrogen is a steroid sex hormone. Eating a fiber-rich diet flushes excess estrogen out of the body. Some vegetables may inhibit aromatase, the enzyme used by breast cancer tumors to produce their own estrogen. Flax seeds may reduce the number of menstrual periodsa woman has, reducing lifetime estrogen exposure. Phytoestrogens, such as those found in soy products, do not appear to promote cancer. Rather, soy seems to be protective against breast cancer. Xenoestrogens (human-made environmental chemicals found contaminating fish flesh) have been linked to early puberty and low sperm counts.Eating beef from growth hormone-implanted cattle and dairy products may feed hormone-dependent cancers. Commercial cow’s milk may come from pregnant cows, who have exceptionally high hormones levels (buttermilk and skim milk are on top of the list), even when the cows are not subjected to bovine growth hormone injections. This may be why skim milk consumption is linked to acne. Many of us have microscopic cancerous tumors growing inside of us and so reducing our intake and production of growth-promoting hormones in adulthood may be useful in slowing cancer growth.	-	cancer,women's health,hormones,breast cancer,milk,farm animals,dairy,breast health,fish,industrial toxins,chicken,animal products,Japan,Europe,meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/	-
PLAIN-1138	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ethnicity/	ethnicity	-	-	vegetables,evolution,lutein,greens,vitamin D,supplements,physical attraction,phytonutrients,tanning beds,skin health,sexual selection,sunlight,Institute of Medicine,standard American diet,South Dakota	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evolutionary-argument-for-optimal-vitamin-d-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sad-states-standard-american-diet-state-by-state-comparison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/	-
PLAIN-1139	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/	Europe	-	-	meat,vegetables,women's health,industry influence,vegetarians,smoking,Lifestyle medicine,men's health,heart disease,cholesterol,eggs,hormones,poultry,dairy,chicken	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/16/phosphate-additives-in-chicken-banned-elsewhere/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-citric-acid-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/	-
PLAIN-1140	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/european-food-safety-authority/	European Food Safety Authority	-	-	cardiovascular health,industry influence,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,safety limits,pie,asthma,processed foods,anxiety,saturated fat,trans fats,Consumers Union,National Pork Producers Council,stress	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/	-
PLAIN-1141	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evidence-based-medicine/	Evidence-based medicine	-	-	mortality,medical education,FDA,fruit,side effects,plant-based diets,standard American diet,vegetables,dairy,meat,antioxidants,animal products,turmeric,sugar,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/	-
PLAIN-1142	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/	evolution	-	-	meat,antioxidants,chronic diseases,diabetes,prehistoric diets,oxidative stress,fruit,paleolithic diets,vegetables,blood pressure,plant-based diets,pork,caloric restriction,protein,animal protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/21/cows-milk-casomorphin-crib-death-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evolutionary-argument-for-optimal-vitamin-d-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/	-
PLAIN-1143	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/	exercise	Men and women placed on a plant based diet with exercise were found to have levels of growth hormones in their blood drop dramatically, which could reduce cancer risk. Exercise (briskly walking just a few miles a day) may cut the risk of dying from heart disease in half. It appears to be possible to even reverse heart disease through diet and exercise (see here, here, here, here). Additionally, an hour of moderately intense exercise may significantly decrease breast cancer risk. And there also evidence that cancer survivors may survive longer if they exercise. Exercise has also been found to possibly reverse mild cognitive impairment and to cause bad cholesterol to drop and good cholesterol to rise (see also here). Vegans who exercise no more than meat eaters have been found to still weigh, on average, forty pounds less. In another study, even after controlling for weight and exercise, vegans had half the diabetes risk as meat eaters. Endorphins (natural pain relievers) are released during exercise. Even activities such as walking and gardening increase physical activity levels. Exercise has been found in the Harvard Nurse’s Study to extend a woman’s life (see also here).Beets have been found to boost athletic performance by possibly increasing energy extraction from oxygen (see here, here, here, here, here). Lowering blood pressure and increasing exercise tolerance may be due to vegetable nitrate intake (see here, here, here, here, here). And increased blood oxygenation (associated with increased aerobic fitness) causes increased blood redness, which may explain why skin redness (rosy glow) has been associated with increased attractiveness.Moderate alcohol consumption for a minimally healthy person who exercises for 30 minutes day has been found to have no longevity benefit. Lack of exercise is a risk factor for obesity (see also here). The economic downturn has been associated with increased exercise. Wrigleys has pointed out that chewing gum expends 11 calories/hour, but that hardly counts as exercise!Unfortunately, many doctors are not aware of the possible healing effects of lifestyle modifications such as exercise so patients may need to inform and empower themselves. Dr. Greger covers exercise in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	cancer,fruit,vegetables,mortality,smoking,alcohol,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,meat,tobacco,junk food,Lifestyle medicine,vegetarians,plant-based diets,dairy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-vs-drugs-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-1144	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exotic-fruit/	exotic fruit	-	-	fruit,apples,antioxidants,bananas,goji berries,greens,herbs,kale,corn,cocoa,berries,carrots,cinnamon,cloves,lettuce	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-star-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-dragon-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/	-
PLAIN-1145	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/expec/	ExPEC	-	-	poultry,meat,foodborne illness,red meat,supermarkets,zoonotic disease,women's health,urinary tract infections,food poisoning,fecal contamination,colibacillosis,chicken,beef,E. coli,E. coli o157:H7	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/	-
PLAIN-1146	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exponent-inc/	Exponent Inc.	-	-	potato chips,potatoes,Phillip Morris,National Confectioners Association,lung cancer,processed foods,smoking,Whitecoat project,ultra-processed foods,tobacco,soda,Kraft,junk food,candy,chicken	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-1147	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/extracorporeal-membranous-oxygenation/	extracorporeal membranous oxygenation	-	-	lung health,medical education,Louis Pasteur,Lifestyle medicine,infants,mortality,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,standard American diet,vaccines,Rice Diet,rabies,plant-based diets,heart health,heart disease,chronic diseases	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/	-
PLAIN-1148	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/	eye disease	Plant-based diets may help prevent each of the four common causes of vision loss – namely cataracts, glaucoma (see also here and here), age-related macular degeneration (see also here) and diabetes (see also here). Greens and berries are the stars in this arena – and can even help relieve visual fatigue associated with staring at a computer screen all day.Organ meat consumption may put one at risk for an unusual parasite, as in the case of the tongue worm found inside a human eyeSee also the related blog post: Preserving Vision Through Diet	-	eye health,vision,blindness,kidney failure,kidney health,mortality,fruit,diabetes,heart health,kidney disease,vegetables,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,cardiovascular health,amputations	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-1149	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/	eye health	Plant-based diets may help prevent each of the four common causes of vision loss – namely cataracts, glaucoma (see also here and here), age-related macular degeneration (see also here) and diabetes (see also here). Greens and berries are the stars in this arena – and can even help relieve visual fatigue associated with staring at a computer screen all day.Organ meat consumption may put one at risk for an unusual parasite, as in the case of the tongue worm found inside a human eyeSee also the related blog post: Preserving Vision Through Diet	-	eye disease,mortality,fruit,heart disease,diabetes,cardiovascular disease,vision,kidney health,alternative medicine,kidney disease,cardiovascular health,cancer,Lifestyle medicine,smoking,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1150	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-parasites/	eye parasites	-	-	eye health,eye disease,food poisoning,foodborne illness,parasites,sushi,seafood,tapeworms,brain health,brain disease,brain parasites,fish,worms,amputations,toxic megacolon	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/	-
PLAIN-1151	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/	factory farming practices	Factory farming has resulted in commercial milk containing antibiotics, manure, pus as well as hormones (see also here). The US meat supply has been found to be contaminated with industrial pollutants, staph bacteria, the superbug Clostridium difficile, MRSA (see here, here), drug residues, anabolic steroids, copper, parasites, and antibiotics. And factory farmed chicken is especially loaded with fecal residue (see here, here) as well as E. coli and arsenic. Furthermore, because of the way the animals are raised (little exercise, confinement), the meat is also high in calories and fat. Even factory farmed fish may be contaminated with industrial toxins (see also here), artificial coloring, and possibly mad cow disease prions.See also the related blog post: Supreme Court case: meat industry sues to keep downed animals in food supply	-	poultry,chicken,farm animals,turkey,industry influence,meat,antibiotics,feed additives,foodborne illness,eggs,fish,mortality,food poisoning,USDA,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/13/when-a-scraped-knee-may-kill-again/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/	-
PLAIN-1152	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fake-meat/	fake meat	-	-	meat analogs,veggie burgers,cancer,chicken,veggie dogs,protein,white meat,soy,hamburgers,burgers,beef,poultry,pork,heterocyclic amines,meat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/	-
PLAIN-1153	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fall-risk/	fall risk	-	-	muscle inflammation,muscle health,mortality,muscle strength,pain,weakness,statins,rhabdomyolysis,medications,liver inflammation,heart health,cholesterol,kidney failure,kidney health,liver health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/	-
PLAIN-1154	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/	farm animals	Farm animal exposure has been found to be a risk factor for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. And poultry exposure has been associated with a variety of diseases including thyroid conditions, schizophrenia, senile and pre-senile psychotic conditions, and autoimmune neurological disorders such as myasthenia gravis (see also here).Due to genetic manipulation, most of retail milk now comes from pregnant cows and is, thus, high in steroid hormones (see also here). Farm animals and/or their flesh have also been found to be contaminated with: Hepatitis E, E. coli, Clostridium difficile (a superbug), drug residues, prions, obesity causing chicken viruses, anabolic steroids, staph (Staphylococcus) bacteria, MRSA (see here, here), and the sarcocystis parasite. Processed meats are high in nitrites, which form carcinogenic nitrosamines. And the avian leukosis/sarcoma virus has been found in 14% of retail egg samples, though the human public health implications are unknown.	-	chicken,cancer,meat,feed additives,women's health,factory farming practices,vegetarians,poultry,animal products,fish,pork,organic foods,MRSA,FDA,industrial toxins	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/13/when-a-scraped-knee-may-kill-again/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/usda-parasite-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	-
PLAIN-1155	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-bill/	Farm Bill	-	-	National Pork Producers Council,pork,poultry,National Dairy Council,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,meat,Medicare,milk,seafood,soda,tobacco,turkey,vegetables,sugar,subsidies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/	-
PLAIN-1156	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farmers/	farmers	-	-	meat,cancer,chicken,food additives,standard American diet,poultry,carcinogens,pork,processed meat,vegetables,turkey,dairy,leukemia,eggs,USDA	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/	-
PLAIN-1157	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/	fast food	-	-	junk food,processed foods,industry influence,smoking,vegetables,heart disease,cholesterol,obesity,fruit,fat,cardiovascular disease,meat,cardiovascular health,McDonald’s,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/21/where-are-phosphate-additives-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/23/generic-lipitor-is-not-the-answer-to-our-heart-disease-epidemic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	-
PLAIN-1158	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/	fat	Please check out our more specific topics on fat: Obesity Animal fat Abdominal fat Body fat Weight loss Omega-3 fatty acids Low-fat diets Hydrogenated fats Saturated fat Trans fat Oils	-	meat,vegetables,animal fat,eggs,fish,obesity,diabetes,cancer,dairy,fruit,animal products,animal protein,vegetarians,vegans,heart disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	-
PLAIN-1159	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/	fatigue	-	-	exercise,mortality,fruit,dairy,plant-based diets,medications,industry influence,vegans,pork,vision,eye health,eye disease,vegetarians,Europe,raisins	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1160	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatty-liver-disease/	fatty liver disease	-	-	liver health,liver disease,obesity,prediabetes,liver inflammation,fat,alcohol,blood sugar,diabetes,calories,cancer,Adventist Health Studies,vegetarians,abdominal fat,blood pressure	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/	-
PLAIN-1161	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fava-beans/	fava beans	-	-	soy,soybeans,sesame seeds,seeds,pumpkin seeds,squash seeds,sunflower seeds,weight loss,whale meat,watermelon seeds,veggie burgers,tahini,pork rinds,pine nuts,calories	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-1162	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/	FDA	The FDA advises not to eat alfalfa sprouts; they have been linked to salmonella food poisoning (about 100 cases/year, although eggs have been linked to about 118,000/year) (see also here).Feeding arsenic to chickens and pigs has been approved by the FDA to increase the rate of weight gain. Arsenic-containing drugs are also used on factory farms to help decrease the parasite load in food animals.The FDA has said that BPA, a chemical found in certain plastics, is safe. BPA has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and liver inflammation.The FDA measured and reported benzene levels in sodas and found that more than 60% of the beverages were contaminated.The FDA refuses to ban cochineal beetle extract, made from crushed bugs, which is used as a red dye in food; it has, however, required it to be listed in the ingredients.Aspartame has been found by some to be so harmful that they are petitioning the FDA to have it pulled from the market.	-	side effects,meat,cancer,mortality,chicken,antibiotics,vegetables,industry influence,poultry,lifespan,fruit,chemotherapy,farm animals,feed additives,factory farming practices	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/13/when-a-scraped-knee-may-kill-again/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-nutrasweet-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-nutrasweet%C2%AE-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-1163	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feather-meal/	feather meal	-	-	medications,miscarriage,poultry,industry influence,hormones,fungicides,growth promoters,pregnancy,Prozac,vaginal health,women's health,vaginal cancer,turkey,sheep,SSRI's	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/	-
PLAIN-1164	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/	fecal bacteria	-	-	chicken,fecal contamination,food poisoning,poultry,foodborne illness,meat,turkey,animal protein,Salmonella,USDA,colon health,industry influence,vegetarians,vegetables,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/16/phosphate-additives-in-chicken-banned-elsewhere/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/28/how-avoiding-chicken-could-prevent-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	-
PLAIN-1165	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/	fecal contamination	-	-	poultry,chicken,turkey,fecal bacteria,food poisoning,foodborne illness,meat,farm animals,Salmonella,antibiotics,children,USDA,industry influence,factory farming practices,pork	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/16/phosphate-additives-in-chicken-banned-elsewhere/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/28/how-avoiding-chicken-could-prevent-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/01/why-is-selling-salmonella-tainted-chicken-still-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	-
PLAIN-1166	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-continence/	fecal continence	-	-	flatulence,keriorrhea,seafood,fish,colon health,diarrhea,bowel movements	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greasy-orange-rectal-leakage/	-
PLAIN-1167	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-transplant/	fecal transplant	-	-	foodborne illness,food poisoning,gut flora,probiotics,Yale,enemas,children,antibiotics,colon health,complementary medicine,diarrhea,alternative medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/	-
PLAIN-1168	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/federal-trade-commission/	Federal Trade Commission	-	-	poultry,safety limits,meat,industry influence,heart health,smoking,steak,vegetables,USDA,turkey,tobacco,heart disease,Freedom of Information Act,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/	-
PLAIN-1169	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/	feed additives	-	-	chicken,poultry,meat,factory farming practices,farm animals,industry influence,fish,FDA,cancer,turkey,antibiotics,eggs,animal products,milk,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/	-
PLAIN-1170	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feline-leukemia-virus/	feline leukemia virus	-	-	meat,non-Hodgkin lymphoma,lymphoma,human papilloma virus,occupational health,pets,zoonotic disease,women's health,wart viruses,viral infections,farm animals,dogs,butcher's warts,cancer,bovine leukemia virus	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-1171	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fennel/	fennel	-	-	antioxidants,cancer,green beans,garlic,green onions,grains,fruit,kidney health,kidney cancer,kale,leeks,jalapeno,endive,carrots,cabbage	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/05/tarragon-toxicity/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	-
PLAIN-1172	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fenugreek/	fenugreek	-	-	spices,side effects,exercise,tart cherries,tomatoes,walnuts,body odor,raspberries,sports drinks,serotonin,sleep,breast milk,seeds,infant formula,men's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/	-
PLAIN-1173	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fermented-foods/	fermented foods	-	-	dairy,meat,eggs,inflammation,cancer,vegetables,chicken,pork,carcinogens,animal products,plant-based diets,saturated fat,sausage,probiotics,cheese	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	-
PLAIN-1174	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/	fertility	-	-	men's health,reproductive health,milk,fish,dairy,women's health,vegetarians,vegans,plant-based diets,hormones,infertility,cancer,animal products,pregnancy,breast cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1175	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fever/	fever	-	-	alternative medicine,complementary medicine,liver disease,breast cancer,supplements,breast disease,breast health,skin health,liver health,nausea,cancer,LDL cholesterol,kiwi fruit,kidney health,liver cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-1176	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/	fiber	The under-consumption of unrefined plant foods in our diet has resulted in a low fiber intake. Sadly, one-third of preschoolers have been found to be constipated. Nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day at a minimum are recommended. Fiber causes an increase in stool size, which has been associated with a decreased cancer risk as well as lower risk of appendicitis, constipation, and diverticulitis (see also here, here). A plant-based diet high in fiber creates larger stools that flush excess estrogen and cholesterol out of the system (see also here, here). This may help explain why high fiber intake is associated with reduced breast cancer risk. The target minimum fecal output is about half a pound a day. The amount of time it takes food to travel through the body ideally should be 24-36 hours (see also here). And at the same fiber intake, antioxidant rich foods reduce inflammation better than less nutrient-dense foods.Foods rich in fiber include: dates (date sugar has fiber since it’s just powdered dates), chia seeds, flax seeds, veggie chicken, flaked coconut, dark green leafy vegetables, and beans.	-	cancer,vegetables,meat,fruit,beans,diabetes,plant-based diets,vegans,grains,mortality,animal protein,cholesterol,vegetarians,cardiovascular health,antioxidants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-1177	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibrocystic-breast-disease/	fibrocystic breast disease	-	-	almonds,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,fruit,peanut butter,pecans,walnuts,vegetables,nuts,beans,cancer,breast cancer,vitamin C,walnut oil,cranberries,soybeans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/18/go-nuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/	-
PLAIN-1178	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibroids/	fibroids	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,heart disease,hypertension,endometriosis,heart health,endometrial health,DDT,diabetes,dieldrin,infants,intelligence,pregnancy,uterine health,women's health,pesticides	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	-
PLAIN-1179	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibromyalgia/	fibromyalgia	-	-	pain,plant-based diets,mental health,flexitarians,depression,vegans,vegetarians,chronic diseases,headaches,insomnia,raw food,migraine headaches,reversing chronic disease,sleep,chronic fatigue syndrome	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/30/aspartame-fibromyalgia-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1180	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiddlehead-ferns/	fiddlehead ferns	-	-	vegetables,leeks,kidney health,kidney cancer,lettuce,nuts,lung cancer,kale,lung health,jalapeno,fruit,fennel,endive,garlic,grains	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-1181	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/figs/	figs	-	-	nuts,metabolism,obesity,prunes,weight loss,sugar,fiber,fat,calories,body fat,apples,candy,cholesterol,dried fruit,dates	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/19/choosing-the-best-nutrition-bar/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/	-
PLAIN-1182	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/filberts/	filberts	-	-	pecans,peanuts,obesity,pine nuts,pistachios,weight loss,walnuts,ranking foods,nuts,metabolism,calories,brazil nuts,antioxidants,cashews,macadamia nuts	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/	-
PLAIN-1183	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/finland/	Finland	-	-	fish,vegans,chicken,vegetarians,pork,cancer,cholesterol,meat,plant-based diets,anxiety,arthritis,brain health,turkey,poultry,farmers	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1184	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/firmicutes/	Firmicutes	-	-	polyphenols,plant-based diets,phytonutrients,obesity,probiotics,vegans,weight loss,vinegar,vegetarians,gut flora,green tea,body fat,blueberries,Bacteroidetes,apples	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/	-
PLAIN-1185	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/	fish	Fish are low in antioxidants and phytonutrients but a leading source (especially farmed fish) of mercury (see, for example: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, & here), dioxins, neurotoxins, arsenic, DDT, putrescine, AGE’s, PCB’s (see here & here), PDBE’s (see here & here), even prescription drugs (see here & here). Fish consumption has been linked to lower child intelligence, lower sperm counts, more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, and earlier puberty. Fish consumption is also responsible for migrating fish bones, allergenic fish worms, gold dust retinopathy, mad fish disease, greasy orange rectal leakage, new corpse smell, obesogens, biomagnification, a form of amnesia, cataracts, and the fecal contamination of sushi. Eating organic fish may not significantly lower industrial pollutant exposure. Saturated fat and cholesterol are also present in fish. A healthier source of long chain omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA may be plant-based omega-3 supplements. They provide omega-3’s without the toxic waste.	-	meat,dairy,seafood,animal products,chicken,vegetarians,fruit,vegans,fat,industrial pollutants,animal protein,plant-based diets,tuna,vegetables,animal fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migrating-fish-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greasy-orange-rectal-leakage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/	-
PLAIN-1186	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/	fish oil	Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for human health. For example, they are crucial for proper brain function and also may support joint health by reducing inflammation.Fish oil supplements (including distilled versions and cod liver oil) contain the long chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA but may also contain persistent organic pollutants such as PCB (see also here) and DDT, as well as toxic elements such as arsenic and mercury (see a mercury comparison between vaccines and tuna here). Dark fish (such as salmon) consumption may be particularly problematic.Because of these high levels of pollutants in fish, mercury levels in hair samples and arsenic levels in blood samples can now be used as biomarkers that can estimate a person’s past fish consumption.The good news is that we can get all the omega-3s we need from plants. However, the omega-3 fatty acid most commonly found in plant foods is the short chain omega 3 ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). The body can lengthen ALA into EPA and DHA, but it may not convert enough for optimal health. Therefore, an fish-free DHA and/or EPA supplement may be a good idea. These plant-based supplements may provide all the benefits without the contaminants.	-	fish,persistent organic pollutants,PCBs,seafood,omega-3 fatty acids,supplements,industrial toxins,DHA,animal products,heart disease,white meat,cancer,algae,salmon,Europe	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1187	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-sauce/	fish sauce	-	-	mesquite,mutation,oxidative stress,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,lox,liver health,hormesis,liquid smoke,liver disease,poultry,safety limits,tumor suppressor genes,turkey,vegetables,tobacco	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/	-
PLAIN-1188	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fisitin/	fisitin	-	-	plant-based diets,polyphenols,rice,phytonutrients,peppers,luteolin,metastases,spices,strawberries,weight loss,women's health,VEGF,vegetarians,tea,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/	-
PLAIN-1189	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flame-retardant-chemicals/	flame-retardant chemicals	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,industrial toxins,PBDEs,endocrine disruptors,fish,chicken,poultry,seafood,beef,pregnancy,turkey,white meat,meat,DDT,PCBs	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/	-
PLAIN-1190	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flatulence/	flatulence	-	-	seafood,soy,Japan,fish,colon health,reversing chronic disease,tomatoes,soybeans,split peas,peas,nutrition myths,lentils,lifespan,Mediterranean diet,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greasy-orange-rectal-leakage/	-
PLAIN-1191	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flavonoids/	flavonoids	-	-	phytonutrients,fruit,juice,citrus,vegetables,berries,cancer,plant-based diets,vitamin C,antioxidants,greens,fruit juice,cancer survival,exercise,isoflavones	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/03/burning-fat-with-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	-
PLAIN-1192	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flavonols/	flavonols	-	-	phytonutrients,juice,antioxidants,processed foods,vegetables,cholesterol,cocoa,dark chocolate,cocoa butter,cardiovascular disease,aging,yellow onions,blood pressure,candy,exercise	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	-
PLAIN-1193	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-oil/	flax oil	-	-	seeds,flax seeds,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,heart health,medications,LDL cholesterol,omega-3 fatty acids,weight loss,calories,vegetarians,supplements,plant-based diets,omnivores,saturated fat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/	-
PLAIN-1194	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/	flax seeds	Flax is the #1 whole-food source of lignans, a phytonutrient associated with prolonged survival in cancer patients (especially breast cancer), having 800x more than any other food. Flax may be beneficial in suppressing the growth of breast and prostate cancers because when consumed, tumor cell proliferation goes down, cancer cell death increases, and c-erbB2 score is reduced. Combining flaxseed with dietary fat restriction may have an even greater effect on prostate cancer. Taking only one tablespoon of ground flaxseed a day may help prevent and reverse diabetes. Eating < a href="htt[://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/">flaxseeds may also diminish skin sensitivity and improve skin barrier function and condition. Because lignans are activated by out gut bacteria, taking antibiotic may impair the production of the lignans. Flax seeds are an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, copper, calcium, protein, potassium, magnesium, folate, soluble fiber and even boron.	-	medications,plant-based diets,cancer,side effects,mortality,seeds,fruit,vegetables,vegans,meat,vegetarians,aging,women's health,breast health,fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1195	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flesh-eating-bacteria/	flesh-eating bacteria	-	-	necrotizing fasciitis,oysters,mercury,mad cow disease,foodborne illness,prion disease,seafood,white meat,tapeworms,sushi,sexual transmission,food poisoning,cholera,ciguatera,brain parasites	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/	-
PLAIN-1196	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/	flexitarians	-	-	plant-based diets,vegetarians,vegans,heart health,fat,cholesterol,blood pressure,cardiovascular health,heart disease,cancer,animal fat,vegetables,LDL cholesterol,hypertension,obesity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	-
PLAIN-1197	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flomax/	Flomax	-	-	medications,men's health,menopause,lignans,hormones,gut flora,heart health,menstruation,omega-3 fatty acids,spoilage,tamsulosin,triglycerides,seeds,recipes,processed foods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/	-
PLAIN-1198	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flowers/	flowers	-	-	beverages,plant-based diets,red meat,reindeer meat,oxen meat,moose meat,meat,salmon,milk,soda,yogurt,herbal tea,hibiscus tea,white meat,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hibiscus-tea-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	-
PLAIN-1199	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fluoride/	fluoride	-	-	tea,green tea,beverages,herbal tea,oral health,water,dental health,fruit,children,oral cancer,oranges,plant-based diets,grapes,omnivores,limes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/	-
PLAIN-1200	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flying-foxes/	flying foxes	-	-	neurotoxins,Lou Gehrig's disease,hypertension,health food stores,nutrition myths,Parkinson's disease,supplements,spirulina,parkinsonism-dementia complex,complementary medicine,blood pressure,Alzheimer’s disease,alternative medicine,ALS,blue-green algae	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/	-
PLAIN-1201	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fodmaps/	FODMAPs	-	-	fructans,food sensitivities,gluten,grains,wheat,allergies,pasta,bread,celiac disease,bagels,industry influence,mental health,irritable bowel syndrome,diarrhea,depression	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/	-
PLAIN-1202	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/	folate	-	-	vegetables,beans,fiber,cancer,vitamin C,vegans,cholesterol,phytonutrients,animal products,protein,iron,vegetarians,saturated fat,greens,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	-
PLAIN-1203	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folic-acid/	folic acid	-	-	supplements,cancer,folate,vitamin C,men's health,mortality,spinach,vitamin E,greens,beta carotene,women's health,beans,longevity,orange juice,scurvy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/	-
PLAIN-1204	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/	food additives	Food additives are used to enhance taste (such as black pepper and MSG), preserve, or fortify food. Examples of food additives are salt, gum arabic (see here, here), artificial coloring (in farmed fish as well), artificial flavoring, and citric acid. Sweeteners include stevia , erythritol, corn syrup, and nutrasweet, though only two are considered to be health-promoting. Some additives are considered harmful, including as potassium sorbate, coumarin (which has been banned), and nitrites (see also here, here, here, here, here, here). Some have been found to be contaminated with mercury and others associated with hyperactivity and dementia. The meat industry is even now considering additives to try to make meat safer.	-	meat,cancer,preservatives,plant-based diets,processed foods,industry influence,chicken,poultry,turkey,Coca-Cola,vegans,heart health,cardiovascular health,heart disease,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/21/where-are-phosphate-additives-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/16/phosphate-additives-in-chicken-banned-elsewhere/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gum-arabic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-potassium-sorbate-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-citric-acid-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gum-arabic-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-msg-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	-
PLAIN-1205	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-dyes/	food dyes	-	-	ADHD,processed foods,FDA,food additives,cancer,artificial colors,children,hyperactivity,Kraft,ice cream,heavy metals,lead,Coca-Cola,Europe,cola	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/	-
PLAIN-1206	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/	food poisoning	-	-	foodborne illness,chicken,poultry,antibiotics,Salmonella,cooking methods,mortality,fish,meat,factory farming practices,cancer,eggs,CDC,farm animals,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/16/phosphate-additives-in-chicken-banned-elsewhere/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/01/why-is-selling-salmonella-tainted-chicken-still-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/restaurant-worker-hand-washing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1207	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-recalls/	food recalls	-	-	food poisoning,foodborne illness,Salmonella,USDA,poultry,cooking temperature,meat,turkey,chicken,cooking methods,fecal contamination,eggs,E. coli,CDC,Campylobacter	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/	-
PLAIN-1208	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-sensitivities/	food sensitivities	-	-	bread,celiac disease,allergies,grains,bagels,pasta,wheat,gluten,depression,FODMAPs,fructans,irritable bowel syndrome,obesity,prediabetes,probiotics	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/	-
PLAIN-1209	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-borne-illness/	food-borne illness	-	-	mortality,food poisoning,antioxidants,animal products,vegetables,eggs,raw food,meat,fruit,cancer,vitamin E,esophageal cancer,cruciferous vegetables,esophagus,esophagus health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/	-
PLAIN-1210	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/	foodborne illness	What people think of as “stomach flu” is typically food poisoning. Hand-washing is critical after handling raw meat and fish, although even washing carefully with bleach and soapy water may not eliminate the threat of Salmonella and Campylobacter from raw chicken. C. diff, the superbug associated with pseudomembraneous colitis and toxic megacolon, was found in 42% of U.S. retail meat in one study. The superbug MRSA also affects the U.S. meat supply (see also here). Nearly half of retail meat for sale in the United States was found contaminated with staph in general. Meat is not only the #1 source of toxin-producing E. Coli, but also contains Neu5Gc, a protein which allows the bacteria to enter human cells more easily. Adding phosphates may increase the amount of pathogenic bacteria in meat. Even placing children in the basket of a shopping cart with raw meat could pose a danger.Poultry is the #1 cause of food poisoning, and ever since the end of the Clinton administration, the incidence of Salmonella poisoning is on the rise. One study found that nine out of ten packaged chicken are contaminated with fecal matter. Viruses from poultry may even be associated with neurological diseases, and bacteria from poultry have been associated with paralysis (see also here). Extra-intestinal E. coli, found in almost half of all retail poultry samples tested, may cause urinary tract infections.Pork tapeworms infecting one’s brain is the leading cause of adult-onset epilepsy. 90% of Yersinia, a foodborne illness from pork, may be antibiotic resistant. The hepatitis E virus is carried in the livers and bloodstreams of pigs and is transmitted through feces and by eating undercooked pork.There are a number of heat-stable toxins in fish that can cause food poisoning (some of which may even be sexually transmitted). We can get cholera from raw oysters; tapeworms, brainworms, and eyeworms, and a rare form of amnesia from sushi.Fecal microbes are not just found on animal products: several brands of bottled water and water sprayed on crops have shown bacterial contamination. Salmonella has been found in alfalfa sprouts, so broccoli sprouts are safer. Sea vegetables are an excellent source of iodine, but eating kelp (and sausages containing thyroid glands) can lead to iodine-induced thyrotoxicosis. Eggs cause an eggborne epidemic of Salmonella, sickening more than 100,000 Americans every year.	-	food poisoning,chicken,poultry,Salmonella,turkey,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,fish,meat,antibiotics,factory farming practices,cooking methods,mortality,farm animals,safety limits	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/16/phosphate-additives-in-chicken-banned-elsewhere/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/restaurant-worker-hand-washing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1211	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foreign-body/	foreign body	-	-	throat health,fish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migrating-fish-bones/	-
PLAIN-1212	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/forks-over-knives/	Forks Over Knives	-	-	lung cancer,mortality,oral cancer,liver cancer,Lifestyle medicine,kidney cancer,lifespan,plant protein,plant-based diets,vegetables,vegetarians,vegans,tobacco,smoking,stomach cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/	-
PLAIN-1213	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/formaldehyde/	formaldehyde	-	-	carcinogens,brain disease,cognition,brain health,beans,pesticides,sleep,dementia,industrial toxins,Indonesia,soy,tempeh,tofu,processed foods,nutrition myths	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/	-
PLAIN-1214	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fosamax/	Fosamax	-	-	medications,bone fractures,side effects,chickpeas,grains,legumes,calcium,bone mineral density,antinutrients,beans,bone health,lentils,nuts,split peas,sprouts	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/	-
PLAIN-1215	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fox-news/	Fox News	-	-	semen,reproductive health,sexual health,soy,testicular health,sperm counts,phytoestrogens,nutrition myths,fertility,infertility,isoflavones,men's health,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/	-
PLAIN-1216	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foxglove/	foxglove	-	-	lung health,lung cancer,in vitro studies,pine needles,poisonous plants,women's health,weeds,vegans,heart health,heart disease,Cannabis,broccoli,beans,cardiovascular disease,cruciferous vegetables	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/	-
PLAIN-1217	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fragrance/	fragrance	-	-	citrus,asthma,carcinogens,allergies,air pollution,sunlight,Valium,chemical sensitivities,children,Harvard,industrial toxins,formaldehyde,sleep,skin health,eczema	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/	-
PLAIN-1218	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/framingham-heart-study/	Framingham Heart Study	-	-	heart disease,heart health,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,Lifestyle medicine,alcohol,diabetes,alternative medicine,LDL cholesterol,complementary medicine,cholesterol,fish oil,fish,food poisoning,dioxins	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/	-
PLAIN-1219	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/france/	France	-	-	sunlight,Valium,Belgium,California,skin health,side effects,mental health,medications,oranges,plant-based diets,radiation,China,Czechoslovakia,PBDEs,persistent organic pollutants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	-
PLAIN-1220	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/freedom-of-information-act/	Freedom of Information Act	-	-	industry influence,eggs,American Egg Board,heart health,cholesterol,heart disease,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,turkey,poultry,mortality,lifespan,USDA,stroke,meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/	-
PLAIN-1221	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/french-fries/	french fries	-	-	potato chips,cancer,women's health,heart disease,acrylamide,cardiovascular disease,breast cancer,fat,Europe,chicken,endometrial cancer,junk food,lifespan,grains,fish	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/	-
PLAIN-1222	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/froot-loops/	Froot Loops	-	-	fiber,stroke,vegetables,pasta,obesity,nuts,antioxidants,oats,candy,sugar,triglycerides,weight loss,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,dates	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1223	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frozen-fruit/	frozen fruit	-	-	fruit,phytonutrients,berries,cherries,antioxidants,recipes,meat,heart health,mortality,ranking foods,plant-based diets,obesity,side effects,heart disease,soy milk	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/	-
PLAIN-1224	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fructans/	fructans	-	-	food sensitivities,gluten,grains,wheat,allergies,FODMAPs,pasta,bread,celiac disease,bagels,industry influence,mental health,irritable bowel syndrome,diarrhea,depression	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/	-
PLAIN-1225	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fructose/	fructose	-	-	high fructose corn syrup,sugar,fruit,apples,soda,antioxidants,blood pressure,blueberries,sweeteners,pork,blood sugar,juice,hypertension,fruit juice,gout	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/	-
PLAIN-1226	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/	fruit	The WHO blames millions of deaths a year on inadequate fruit and vegetable intake. The 2005 USDA Dietary Guidelines recommended at least one serving of whole fruit a day; even at this low level, 75% of people did not meet the requirement (see also here). In Greece, where a health agency formulates the dietary guidelines, nine servings of fruit and vegetables a day are recommended. The 2010 USDA Guidelines have finally caught up with the science and recommend shifting towards a plant-based diet. Different fruits and vegetables have different phytonutrients so variety in the diet is important (see also here, here). A healthy eating index is calculated based on the percentage of daily calories derived from phytonutrients; phytonutrients can only be found in plants. A diet based purely on raw modern cultivated fruits is not nutritionally adequate. A combination of raw and cooked foods is best.The World Cancer Research Fund’s recommendation is to choose a diet that is rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables for cancer prevention (see also here, here, here, here). The best fruits for cancer prevention in general are probably berries, such as black raspberries. Fruit and vegetable consumption also appears to help cut the risk of developing an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Adding lots of fruits and vegetables to a meat diet is may not be as protective against cancer as a pure vegetarian diet. Breast cancer survival appears to be aided by a plant-based diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables appear to reduce heart disease risk (see also here, here) as well as improve survival from non-Hodgkin lymphoma (especially citrus fruits). Fruit consumption appears to be protective against COPD (emphysema) (see also here). Phenolics in fruit juice may protect against Alzheimer’s disease; grape juice appears to be the best. Fruit consumption may also be protective against glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration (see here, here). Eating more fruits and vegetables may play a role in the prevention of kidney stone formation. Avocadoes are the best fruit source of cholesterol lowering phytosterols. Kiwis have also been found to improve cholesterol levels.On average, plant foods have 64 times more antioxidants than animal foods. Indian gooseberries (see here, here, here), blackberries, dried apple rings, dried pomegranate seeds, black plums, pears, cranberries, apples, goji berries, acai berries, and blueberries are a great source of antioxidants (see also here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here). Triphala is also incredibly high in antioxidants but has been found to be contaminated with lead and should be avoided (see here, here).Apples are one of the healthiest foods around; idared and red delicious have the highest antioxidant contents. But in terms of apple juice, it’s best to buy organic because fungal toxins have been found in regular apple juice. Watermelon is a rich source of citrulline. Dragon fruit may be helpful to our gut bacteria. And fruit helps to increase stool size. Adding just a single serving of berries to your diet every day could add a year to lifespan. A great way to incorporate dates and pumpkin into your diet is with a healthy pumpkin pie, and frozen cherries can be incorporated into a delicious and health promoting chocolate milkshake.Obesity-causing pollutants have been found primarily in fish, although low levels have been found in fruits and vegetables (from fungicides). Noni juice, mangosteen juice, star fruit, and JuicePlus supplements may be dangerous. Moderate alcohol consumption by a minimally healthy person appears to have no effect on lifespan. Phthalate exposure (which may result in the feminization of male genitalia) is found in high levels in poultry; fruit appears safe.See also the related blog post: Watermelon For Erectile Dysfunction	-	vegetables,meat,cancer,animal products,eggs,vegetarians,mortality,kidney disease,plant-based diets,vegans,Lifestyle medicine,dairy,antioxidants,medications,junk food	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/31/watermelon-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus%C2%AE-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-dragon-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sad-states-standard-american-diet-state-by-state-comparison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flawed-study-interpretation-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-apple/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-star-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-apple/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/	-
PLAIN-1227	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-and-vegetable-wash/	fruit and vegetable wash	-	-	potatoes,poultry,pesticides,organic foods,meat,salt,strawberries,vinegar,water,vegetables,tomatoes,TGI Friday's,lettuce,industrial pollutants,cooking methods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/	-
PLAIN-1228	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/	fruit juice	-	-	fruit,juice,phytonutrients,antioxidants,orange juice,fat,vegetables,vitamin C,berries,oxidative stress,citrus,blueberries,sugar,plant-based diets,inflammation	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-1229	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/	frying	-	-	cancer,carcinogens,heterocyclic amines,chicken,poultry,cooking methods,breast cancer,pork,beef,doughnuts,tobacco,junk food,women's health,meat,DNA damage	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/	-
PLAIN-1230	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ftc/	FTC	-	-	alternative medicine,Airborne supplements,complementary medicine,snake oil,supplements,pomegranates,immune function,pomegranate juice,heart disease,carotid arteries,industry influence,Marion Nestle,nutrition myths,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1231	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fuji-apples/	fuji apples	-	-	granny smith apples,ranking foods,red delicious apples,golden delicious apples,gala apples,apples,fruit,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-apple/	-
PLAIN-1232	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fukushima/	Fukushima	-	-	radiation,reproductive health,polonium,nicotine,milk,mortality,safety limits,seafood,tuna,water,tobacco,smoking,shrimp,men's health,Japan	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-
PLAIN-1233	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fungicides/	fungicides	-	-	cancer,women's health,fish,nuts,breast disease,breast health,breast cancer,poultry,chemotherapy,beans,dairy,meat,metastases,pesticides,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1234	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gala-apples/	gala apples	-	-	fruit,apples,prostate cancer,women's health,tumor suppressor genes,antioxidants,fuji apples,red delicious apples,ranking foods,granny smith apples,golden delicious apples,polyphenols,juice,cancer,breast cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-apple/	-
PLAIN-1235	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/galactose/	galactose	-	-	lactose,longevity,inflammation,heart disease,Harvard,men's health,milk,women's health,yogurt,oxidative stress,osteoporosis,mortality,galactosemia,bone health,bone mineral density	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/	-
PLAIN-1236	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/galactosemia/	galactosemia	-	-	lactose,longevity,inflammation,heart disease,Harvard,men's health,milk,women's health,yogurt,oxidative stress,osteoporosis,mortality,galactose,bone health,bone mineral density	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/	-
PLAIN-1237	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallbladder-disease/	gallbladder disease	-	-	cancer,complementary medicine,bladder health,rectal cancer,alternative medicine,flax seeds,medications,safety limits,side effects,protein,vegetables,colon cancer,chemotherapy,leukemia,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1238	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallbladder-health/	gallbladder health	-	-	gallstones,cancer,plant-based diets,mortality,vegetarians,rectal cancer,gallbladder disease,colon cancer,diabetes,diverticulitis,diverticulosis,fiber,hemorrhoids,heart health,heart disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-gallstones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/	-
PLAIN-1239	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallstones/	gallstones	-	-	gallbladder health,vegetarians,cancer,plant-based diets,hemorrhoids,heart health,heart disease,hernia,hiatal hernia,lifespan,hypertension,fiber,fat,constipation,colon health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-gallstones/	-
PLAIN-1240	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gangrene/	gangrene	-	-	plant-based diets,flexitarians,obesity,vegetarians,vegans,omnivores,exercise,dialysis,weight loss,mortality,longevity,low-fat diets,men's health,saturated fat,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/	-
PLAIN-1241	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garbanzo-beans/	garbanzo beans	-	-	lentils,chickpeas,beans,heart health,diabetes,legumes,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,DNA damage,Alzheimer’s disease,antioxidants,inflammation,potatoes,oxidative stress,tea	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	-
PLAIN-1242	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gargling/	gargling	-	-	tea,sore throat,salt,throat health,thyroid disease,water,thyroid health,respiratory infections,kelp,fever,common cold,green tea,Japan,iodine,children	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-1243	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	garlic	-	-	vegetables,phytonutrients,cancer,meat,onions,beans,beef,grains,fruit,plant-based diets,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,heart health,oxidative stress,greens	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/25/ginger-lemon-balm-for-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/	-
PLAIN-1244	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gastric-bypass/	gastric bypass	-	-	weight loss,obesity,dairy,colon health,constipation,leptin,plant-based diets,meat,colon disease,fiber,adipocytes,surgery,Michael Pollan,lima beans,vegetables	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-dangers-of-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/	-
PLAIN-1245	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gastric-emptying/	gastric emptying	-	-	weight loss,obesity,vegans,plant-based diets,calories,gut flora,vegetarians,fiber,cholesterol,animal products,diabetes,blood sugar,body fat,propionate,fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	-
PLAIN-1247	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gelatin/	gelatin	-	-	meat,plant protein,protein,IGF-1,arginine,cannibalism,animal protein	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/	-
PLAIN-1248	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/general-mills/	General Mills	-	-	National Dairy Board,McDonald’s,M&M's,Kraft,National Dairy Council,National Dairy Promotion Board,USDA,Snack Food Association,Sara Lee,industry influence,Hershey's,Coca-Cola,Campbell's Soup,beer,American Meat Institute	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-1249	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/genetic-manipulation/	genetic manipulation	-	-	animal products,body fat,chicken,DHA,calories,factory farming practices,abdominal fat,uterine health,vegans,fat,brain health,growth promoters,omega-3 fatty acids,poultry,weight loss	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/	-
PLAIN-1250	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/genital-health/	genital health	-	-	genital warts,green tea,hypertension,medications,ovary health,women's health,alternative medicine,men's health,cancer,sexual health,complementary medicine,beans,liposuction,industrial toxins,flame-retardant chemicals	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	-
PLAIN-1251	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/genital-warts/	genital warts	-	-	complementary medicine,green tea,alternative medicine,cancer,genital health,human papilloma virus,men's health,ovarian cancer,ovary health,herbal remedies,endometrial health,cervix health,endometrial cancer,women's health,phytonutrients	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-1252	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/george-mcgovern/	George McGovern	-	-	mortality,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,National Dairy Council,milk,meat,industry influence,lifespan,McGovern Report,plant-based diets,pork,sugar,vegans,vegetarians,smoking,seafood	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/22/big-food-wants-final-say-over-health-reports/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/	-
PLAIN-1253	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gerd/	GERD	-	-	beverages,women's health,heartburn,esophagus health,tobacco,vitamin E,Alzheimer’s disease,vitamin C,vegetarians,vegetables,reflux,prostate cancer,poultry,smoking,stomach	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1254	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/germany/	Germany	-	-	lignans,women's health,phytonutrients,seeds,antioxidants,soy,fat,flax seeds,mortality,cancer,breast cancer survival,breast cancer,detoxification,blood sugar,calories	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/	-
PLAIN-1255	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gerson-therapy/	Gerson Therapy	-	-	alternative medicine,supplements,pancreatic enzymes,raw food,detoxification,cancer,complementary medicine,fruit juice,liver,juice,hormones,Mexico,salt,vegetables,potassium	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/09/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/	-
PLAIN-1256	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gestational-diabetes/	gestational diabetes	-	-	plant-based diets,pork,poultry,nitrosamines,mortality,LDL cholesterol,Lifestyle medicine,meat,prediabetes,pregnancy,vegans,vegetarians,women's health,turkey,sugar	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/31/bad-egg/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/	-
PLAIN-1257	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/giantism/	giantism	-	-	muscle strength,muscle health,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,IGF-1,hormones,body building,cancer,exercise,acromegaly	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/	-
PLAIN-1258	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger/	ginger	-	-	alternative medicine,complementary medicine,spices,turmeric,inflammation,side effects,medications,antioxidants,herbs,DNA damage,curry powder,tea,curcumin,cancer survival,autoimmune diseases	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/25/ginger-lemon-balm-for-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/23/can-antioxidant-rich-spices-counteract-the-effects-of-a-high-fat-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	-
PLAIN-1259	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger-ale/	ginger ale	-	-	soda,salt,orange juice,sodium,sugar,water,tomato juice,tea,lemons,juice,black tea,beverages,apple juice,citrus,coffee	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/	-
PLAIN-1260	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gingerols/	gingerols	-	-	putrescine,phytonutrients,petunidin,mortality,rosemary,rosmarinic acid,vegetables,theanine,tangeretin,longevity,limonin,cranberries,citrus,blueberries,fruit	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/	-
PLAIN-1261	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glaucoma/	glaucoma	-	-	eye health,blindness,eye disease,vision,fruit,phytonutrients,vegetables,macular degeneration,zeaxanthin,cataracts,peaches,greens,aging,fat,LDL cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/	-
PLAIN-1262	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/global-burden-of-disease-study/	Global Burden of Disease Study	-	-	mortality,orange juice,platelets,lifespan,LDL cholesterol,joint disease,joint health,rheumatoid arthritis,saturated fat,Union of Concerned Scientists,vegetables,trans fats,stroke,side effects,strawberries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/	-
PLAIN-1263	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glutamic-acid/	glutamic acid	-	-	plant-based diets,plant protein,hypertension,heart health,protein,saturated fat,vegetarians,vegetable protein,vegans,heart disease,Harvard,body fat,blood pressure,animal protein,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/	-
PLAIN-1264	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gluten/	gluten	-	-	celiac disease,wheat,allergies,autoimmune diseases,pasta,grains,irritable bowel syndrome,immune function,plant protein,animal products,diarrhea,food sensitivities,dairy,bread,bagels	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1265	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glyburide/	glyburide	-	-	medications,Micronase,liver health,LDL cholesterol,heart health,India,nausea,obesity,skin health,triglycerides,side effects,reversing chronic disease,plant-based diets,prediabetes,heart disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/	-
PLAIN-1266	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycemic-index/	glycemic index	-	-	blood sugar,fiber,sugar,antioxidants,bread,insulin,rice,oxidative stress,roasting,steaming,sweet potatoes,infants,frying,carcinogens,carrots	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	-
PLAIN-1267	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycoalkaloids/	glycoalkaloids	-	-	natural toxins,pesticides,potatoes,insects,sweet potatoes,Mayo Clinic,yams	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-cooked-potatoes/	-
PLAIN-1268	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glyconutrients/	glyconutrients	-	-	supplements,snake oil,nutrition myths	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glyconutrient-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1269	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycotoxins/	glycotoxins	-	-	chicken,aging,beef,animal products,meat,vegetarians,Advanced Glycation End-products,plant-based diets,poultry,pork,turkey,vegans,heart health,processed meat,lifespan	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/	-
PLAIN-1270	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glyphosate/	glyphosate	-	-	soy,GMO,soybeans,Monsanto,Roundup,pesticides,organic foods,women's health,industry influence,safety limits,animal studies,pregnancy,reproductive health,testosterone,men's health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-roundup-ready-soy/	-
PLAIN-1271	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gmo/	GMO	-	-	organic foods,pesticides,women's health,soybeans,glyphosate,industry influence,Monsanto,Roundup,soy,animal studies,reproductive health,pregnancy,safety limits,farm animals,breast health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-roundup-ready-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	-
PLAIN-1272	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gnathostomiasis/	gnathostomiasis	-	-	plant-based diets,parasites,paralysis,raw food,seafood,worms,sushi,pain,oral health,fish,eye health,brain health,food poisoning,food-borne illness,mortality	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/	-
PLAIN-1273	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/goiter/	goiter	-	-	thyroid disease,sushi,sea vegetables,salt,thyroid health,United Kingdom,wakame,vegetarians,vegans,plant-based diets,omnivores,dulse,China,Canada,hijiki	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/	-
PLAIN-1274	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/goitrogens/	goitrogens	-	-	iodine,greens,kale,mustard greens,thyroid health,raw food,cruciferous vegetables,cauliflower,Brussels sprouts,coleslaw,collard greens,cooking methods,coma,bok choy	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/	-
PLAIN-1275	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/goji-berries/	goji berries	-	-	fruit,berries,oxidative stress,antioxidants,phytonutrients,ranking foods,dried fruit,blueberries,apples,spices,seeds,raisins,plant-based diets,nuts,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/25/ginger-lemon-balm-for-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/	-
PLAIN-1276	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gold-dust-retinopathy/	gold dust retinopathy	-	-	food additives,salmon,seafood,fish,feed additives,canthaxanthines,eye disease,eye health,factory farming practices,artificial colors	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/	-
PLAIN-1277	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/golden-delicious-apples/	golden delicious apples	-	-	granny smith apples,ranking foods,red delicious apples,gala apples,apples,fruit,fuji apples,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-apple/	-
PLAIN-1278	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/golden-raisins/	golden raisins	-	-	heart health,heart disease,LDL cholesterol,raisins,ranking foods,grapes,champagne grapes,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,currants,dried fruit,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/	-
PLAIN-1279	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gooseberries/	gooseberries	-	-	amla,berries,fruit,India,dried fruit,phytonutrients,antioxidants,oxidative stress,cancer,cloves,blueberries,ranking foods,in vitro studies,medications,triphala	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	-
PLAIN-1280	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gorlin-syndrome/	Gorlin syndrome	-	-	herbal remedies,green tea,mustard oil,skin cancer,tea,skin health,ginger,complementary medicine,basal cell carcinoma,alternative medicine,basal cell nevus syndrome,calendula,cancer survival,cancer,algae	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-1281	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gout/	gout	-	-	uric acid,kidney disease,meat,kidney health,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,fruit,arthritis,heart health,antioxidants,heart disease,side effects,mortality,alternative medicine,joint health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	-
PLAIN-1282	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/	grains	-	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,beans,meat,vegetables,fruit,cancer,plant-based diets,diabetes,nuts,obesity,cholesterol,mortality,cardiovascular health,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oatmeal-lotion-for-chemotherapy-induced-rash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1283	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/granny-smith-apples/	granny smith apples	-	-	ranking foods,red delicious apples,golden delicious apples,gala apples,apples,fruit,fuji apples,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-apple/	-
PLAIN-1284	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-juice/	grape juice	-	-	phytonutrients,juice,grapes,fruit,fruit juice,apples,antioxidants,apple juice,Coca-Cola,vegetables,soda,orange juice,brain disease,berries,dementia	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/03/burning-fat-with-flavonoids/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	-
PLAIN-1285	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-seed-oil/	grape seed oil	-	-	rice bran oil,oxidative stress,sesame oil,shelf life,walnut oil,oils,macadamia oil,avocado oil,DNA damage,hazelnut oil,almond oil	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-
PLAIN-1286	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit/	grapefruit	-	-	fruit,citrus,vegetables,oranges,cancer,phytonutrients,tomatoes,plant-based diets,lemons,apples,bananas,vitamin C,heart disease,heart health,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/	-
PLAIN-1287	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit-juice/	grapefruit juice	-	-	fruit,cholesterol,vegetables,heart health,heart disease,mortality,blood clots,cancer,stroke,grape juice,allergies,apples,LDL cholesterol,platelets,orange juice	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/	-
PLAIN-1288	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/	grapes	-	-	fruit,vegetables,antioxidants,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,chronic diseases,strawberries,inflammation,alcohol,protein,cancer,plant-based diets,evolution,blueberries,polyphenols	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-1289	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/graves-disease/	Grave’s disease	-	-	organic foods,pork,meat,Listeria,industry influence,inflammation,poultry,processed meat,USDA,Yersinia,turkey,toxoplasma,ractopamine,Salmonella,foodborne illness	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/	-
PLAIN-1290	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gravy/	gravy	-	-	safety limits,beer,beverages,artificial colors,World Health Organization,tea,water,California,animal studies,cancer,Pepsi,soda,soy sauce,industry influence,food additives	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/	-
PLAIN-1291	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/great-lakes/	Great Lakes	-	-	obesity,industrial toxins,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,seafood,prediabetes,fish,animal products,animal fat,blood sugar,diabetes,fat,dioxins,Agent Orange	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/	-
PLAIN-1292	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greece/	Greece	-	-	Mediterranean diet,meat,nuts,fruit,chronic diseases,mortality,dairy,fish,heart disease,cholesterol,cancer,cardiovascular disease,plant-based diets,smoking,wine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	-
PLAIN-1293	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-beans/	green beans	-	-	vegetables,broccoli,cauliflower,spinach,carrots,kale,bell peppers,asparagus,squash,peas,beets,beans,fruit,eggplant,cooking methods	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/	-
PLAIN-1294	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-onion/	green onions	-	-	nuts,lung health,onions,pancreas health,potatoes,pancreatic cancer,lung cancer,lettuce,kale,jalapeno,kidney cancer,kidney health,leeks,prostate cancer,prostate health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-1295	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/	green tea	Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages we can drink, with antibacterial, antitoxin, antiviral, antifungal, anti-cancer (including breast), UV protectants, and reduced all-cause mortality benefits (although hibiscus tea may actually have more antioxidants). Green tea may also reduce nausea, pain, and stress, boost our resting metabolism, and help prevent nitrate to nitrite conversion. Tea may even positively affect our mind and inhibit the production of TOR. Gargling tea may help prevent the common cold.Drinking coffee is also health-promoting, though green tea is better. But adding cow’s milk or soy milk to tea may compromise some of the beneficial effects. About 10 cups of tea a day is probably the safe upper limit. Drinking too much tea may increase risk of fluorosis in children.Matcha tea (powdered green tea leaves) is likely the healthiest form, but if brewing instead, cold steeping may actually be best.	-	spices,turmeric,vegetables,curcumin,cancer,tea,oxidative stress,fruit,phytonutrients,exercise,herbal tea,black tea,fat,medications,safety limits	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-vs-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	-
PLAIN-1296	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/	greens	In Greece, a health agency is in charge of dietary advice, and it recommends nine servings and fruits and vegetables a day, including wild greens. The 2005 US Dietary Guidelines recommend only 1/5 cup of dark green leafies a day for 9-13 year old kids; sadly only 1 in 500 kids eats even the equivalent of a single leaf of Romaine lettuce a day in the US. The First Lady’s Let’s Move campaign recently cited three healthy food categories in a contest: dark green and orange vegetables, whole grains, and dried beans and peas. These dark green and orange vegetables would count towards meeting the current USDA recommendation of a minimum of nine servings of fruits and veggies a day.Greens, on the whole, are often considered the healthiest vegetables (see also here, here). Variety is important in a plant-based diet because different phytonutrients are found in different plants. These phytonutrients, when taken in supplement form, however, do not have the benefits associated with whole plant food consumption (such as reduced cancer risk). Many phytonutrients found in greens are fat soluble, which means the body needs some fat in order to better absorb them. And a combination of cooked and raw foods is probably the healthiest. Green tea is simply a dark green leafy steeped in water and a great addition to a healthy plant-based diet.High consumption of cruciferous and green leafy vegetables has been linked to lower rates of cognitive decline. Heart rate variability may even be improved by dark green leafy vegetable consumption. Consuming at least one serving a month of kale or collard greens appears to reduce the risk of glaucoma by 69%; this is thought due to the phytonutrients lutein and zeaxanthin, which appear to not only protect but also improve our vision. Lutein and zeaxanthin also appear to be protective against cataracts and macular degeneration. A single serving of collard greens has 15,000mcg/serving, and kale has almost 24,000mcg/serving; one spoonful of spinach has as much as 9 eggs! Similarly, raw broccoli consumption has been linked to a higher rate of bladder cancer survival. Kale juice appears to increase good cholesterol in the blood and reduce bad cholesterol as well as dramatically increase the antioxidant level in the blood. Kale has also been found to boost the immune system, especially when cooked.Fruits and vegetables (which contain fat soluble phytonutrients) help our bodies safely produce healthy nitric oxide from nitrates and avoid carcinogenic nitrosamine production (see also here, here). Green leafy vegetables are the best source of nitrates. Nitric oxide may play a role in the prevention of heart disease and high blood pressure.Vegetables are also high in antioxidants. Beets and bell peppers have been found to be the highest in antioxidant content, ranking even higher than greens (such as kale) in recent tests. Herbs and spices are also incredibly high in antioxidants: marjoram, peppermint, lemon balm, and cloves are very rich.Greens are also associated with larger bowel movements and increased physical attractiveness. Kale, for instance, increases antioxidant levels in the skin, which in turn has been found to increase attractiveness (see also here).The calcium in dark green leafies is more effectively absorbed by the body than that found in cow’s milk. Folate in greens appears to be preferable to folic acid supplements. There is now a urine test that determines greens intake, which can help researchers more accurately measure it. Raw cruciferous vegetables each have a different safe upper limit for consumption.See also the related blog post: Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance	-	vegetables,plant-based diets,meat,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,mortality,fruit,beans,cancer,fiber,diabetes,nuts,grains,chronic diseases,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-1297	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greta/	greta	-	-	industrial toxins,India,herbs,heavy metals,infants,lead,snake oil,saoot,nutrition myths,mercury,constipation,blood-letting,azarcon,Ayurvedic medicine,arsenic	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/	-
PLAIN-1298	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grilling/	grilling	-	-	chicken,frying,poultry,cooking methods,heterocyclic amines,carcinogens,cancer,white meat,barbecuing,meat,breast disease,cooking temperature,beef,antioxidants,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/	-
PLAIN-1299	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/growth-promoters/	growth promoters	-	-	factory farming practices,farm animals,meat,feed additives,poultry,animal products,chicken,industry influence,antibiotics,turkey,hormones,cancer,women's health,superbugs,men's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/13/when-a-scraped-knee-may-kill-again/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/	-
PLAIN-1300	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/guacamole/	guacamole	-	-	cancer,persin,phytosterols,nuts,avocados,fat,cholesterol,natural toxins,monounsaturated fats,nutrition myths,DNA damage,heart disease,heart health,metastases,immune function	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1301	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/guava/	guava	-	-	phytonutrients,processed foods,sexual health,papaya,oxidative stress,mood,mortality,spinach,suicide,vitamin E,women's health,vitamin C,vegetables,supplements,tomatoes	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/	-
PLAIN-1302	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/guillain-barre-syndrome/	Guillain-Barré syndrome	-	-	foodborne illness,poultry,food poisoning,fecal contamination,chicken,paralysis,Campylobacter,Salmonella,meat,nerve health,joint health,iritis,red meat,Reiter's syndrome,white meat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/	-
PLAIN-1303	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gum-arabic/	gum arabic	-	-	food additives,processed foods,soda,marshmallows,junk food,gut flora,Coca-Cola,M&M's	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gum-arabic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gum-arabic-harmful/	-
PLAIN-1304	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/	gut flora	-	-	vegans,colon health,vegetarians,fiber,plant-based diets,animal protein,fruit,meat,vegetables,women's health,animal products,animal fat,cardiovascular health,fecal bacteria,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/15/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/28/how-avoiding-chicken-could-prevent-bladder-infections/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gum-arabic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-dragon-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	-
PLAIN-1305	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gynecomastia/	gynecomastia	-	-	lavender,massage,hormones,heart rate variability,medications,men's health,Valium,women's health,side effects,rosemary,puberty,estrogen,endocrine disruptors,benzodiazepines,blood pressure	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/	-
PLAIN-1306	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/haagen-dazs/	Häagen-Dazs	-	-	PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,PBDEs,omnivores,McDonald’s,neurotoxins,Pizza Hut,plant-based diets,vegetarians,white meat,vegans,Sweden,poultry,pregnancy,lead	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/	-
PLAIN-1307	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hair-health/	hair health	-	-	nerve health,supplements,psychosis,skin health,brain health,seafood,neurotoxins,mercury,fish,memory,tuna,neuropathy,speech impairment,hair loss,dioxins	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/	-
PLAIN-1308	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hair-loss/	hair loss	-	-	psychosis,neurotoxins,seafood,speech impairment,tuna,neuropathy,nerve health,hair health,fish,memory,mercury,brain health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/	-
PLAIN-1309	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/halibut/	halibut	-	-	fish,seafood,children,cooking temperature,coma,brain health,white meat,turkey,amnesia,anchovies,brain disease,domoic acid,foodborne illness,pregnancy,sardines	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/	-
PLAIN-1310	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/halitosis/	halitosis	-	-	stroke,seafood,surgery,trimethylamine,USDA,turkey,saturated fat,saliva,oral health,omega-3 fatty acids,plant-based diets,poultry,red meat,protein,vaginal discharge	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/	-
PLAIN-1311	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hallelujah-diet/	Hallelujah diet	-	-	protein,raw food,plant-based diets,phytates,nutrition myths,nuts,salads,seeds,vitamin D,zinc,vitamin B12,tomatoes,selenium,spinach,nutrient absorption	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/	-
PLAIN-1312	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/	ham	Ham is pork that has been preserved either through curing, brining, salting or smoking. A number of studies have demonstrated processed meats such as ham have deleterious effects on our health. For example, the smoking process may instill carcinogens. Also, nitrates and nitrite use in processed meat to lower the risk of botulism may produce nitrosamines, potential carcinogens (see also here). Cured meat consumption may also be associated with an increased risk of lymphoma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There may also be a positive association between processed meat intake (such as ham) and weight gain and cellulite formation. Ham and other processed meat consumption may also shorten our telomeres, the protective caps on our chromosomes.	-	meat,processed meat,vegetables,fruit,turkey,poultry,plant-based diets,chicken,mortality,animal products,cholesterol,smoking,hot dogs,LDL cholesterol,nuts	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	-
PLAIN-1313	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	hamburgers	-	-	burgers,meat,plant-based diets,vegans,animal products,chicken,vegetarians,cardiovascular health,fat,vegetables,fruit,animal protein,heart health,animal fat,cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-1314	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hand-washing/	hand washing	-	-	restaurants,foodborne illness,food poisoning,New Zealand,Nigeria,Netherlands,Ireland,fecal contamination,Mexico,hepatitis,pork,viral infections,zoonotic disease,occupational health,liver health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/restaurant-worker-hand-washing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/	-
PLAIN-1315	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/happiness/	happiness	-	-	pain,plant-based diets,omnivores,mood,mental health,pork,poultry,vegetarians,white meat,stress,seafood,red meat,medications,inflammation,arachidonic acid	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/	-
PLAIN-1316	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/haritaki-fruit/	haritaki fruit	-	-	industrial toxins,infants,lead,medications,India,in vitro studies,heavy metals,herbs,mercury,mortality,phytonutrients,side effects,supplements,triphala,pesticides	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/	-
PLAIN-1317	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harmane/	Harmane	-	-	fish,smoking,pork,meat,lung cancer,tremors,essential tremor,turkey,beta-carboline alkaloids,beef,cancer,chicken,migraine headaches,milk,medications	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1318	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/	Harvard	-	-	mortality,heart disease,cancer,cardiovascular disease,diabetes,meat,aging,vegetables,fat,dairy,animal fat,cardiovascular health,prediabetes,heart health,oxidative stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/22/big-food-wants-final-say-over-health-reports/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/02/02/atkins-diet-and-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/31/bad-egg/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-1319	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/	Harvard Nurses' Health Study	-	-	plant-based diets,fruit,vegetables,cancer,vegetarians,mortality,vegans,oxidative stress,breast cancer,inflammation,fat,meat,animal fat,antioxidants,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	-
PLAIN-1320	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-physicians-study-ii/	Harvard Physicians’ Study II	-	-	mortality,longevity,lifespan,multivitamins,stroke,women's health,vegetables,supplements,Iowa Women’s Health Study,heart health,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,cancer survival,cost savings,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/	-
PLAIN-1321	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hawaii/	Hawaii	-	-	sunlight,supplements,vitamin D,mortality,longevity,lifespan,dietary guidelines	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/	-
PLAIN-1322	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hawthorn/	hawthorn	-	-	phytonutrients,peppermint,lemongrass,lemon verbena,red tea,rooibos,thyme,tea,rosemary,rose hips,lavender,Korea,chamomile tea,beverages,bergamots	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/	-
PLAIN-1323	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hay-fever/	hay fever	-	-	meat,allergies,asthma,plant-based diets,inflammation,immune function,fish,vegetarians,saturated fat,children,omnivores,pineapples,plant protein,oats,pesticides	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	-
PLAIN-1324	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hazelnut-oil/	hazelnut oil	-	-	rice bran oil,oxidative stress,sesame oil,shelf life,walnut oil,oils,macadamia oil,avocado oil,DNA damage,grape seed oil,almond oil	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-
PLAIN-1325	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hazelnuts/	hazelnuts	-	-	nuts,walnuts,almonds,heart health,heart disease,olive oil,peanuts,pistachios,mortality,cardiovascular disease,cancer,antioxidants,oxidative stress,butter,pecans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/	-
PLAIN-1326	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hdl-cholesterol/	HDL cholesterol	-	-	heart disease,cholesterol,heart health,cardiovascular disease,LDL cholesterol,cardiovascular health,vegans,blood pressure,hypertension,saturated fat,vegetarians,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,exercise,fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/	-
PLAIN-1327	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/head-lice/	head lice	-	-	insects,Paramide Plus,pesticides,complementary medicine,children,coconut oil,alternative medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nontoxic-head-lice-treatment/	-
PLAIN-1328	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/head-trauma/	head trauma	-	-	pain,Meningioma,radiation,thyroid health,X-rays,iatrogenic,brain health,brain disease,brain tumors,cancer,dental health,American Dental Association	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/	-
PLAIN-1329	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/	headaches	-	-	migraine headaches,brain health,pain,depression,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,side effects,pork,brain disease,vegetarians,plant-based diets,mood,sugar,colon health,fatigue	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/10/natural-treatment-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/07/is-there-a-safe-low-calorie-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1330	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/health-food-stores/	health food stores	Health food stores are great resources for those eating healthy diets, but not everything there is good for us. In the beverage department, one might want to steer clear of kombucha tea and mangosteen juice. Be careful with licorice since just a moderate intake can compromise kidney function. While blue-green algae and spirulina (see videos here, here, here, here) have potential benefits, they may contain potent toxins which damage muscles, the brain, and the liver. No such toxins have been found in chlorella, but green leafy vegetables provides many of the same nutrients for less money. Also good for you: goji berries are full of antioxidants, rose hips may ease arthritis pain, and broccoli sprouts are a very inexpensive health food. And be sure to stock up on whole grains, which help maintain healthy body weight and slow the progression of atherosclerosis. One might want to take the advice of health food store employees with a grain of Himalayan pink salt (see here, here, here, and here).See also the related blog post: Health Food Store Advice: Often Worthless or Worst	-	alternative medicine,complementary medicine,supplements,snake oil,liver health,herbs,nausea,nutrition myths,cost savings,pregnancy,side effects,bargains,women's health,brain health,cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/	-
PLAIN-1331	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hearing/	hearing	-	-	safety limits,pregnancy,nerve health,seafood,tuna,visual disturbance,vision,mercury,infants,children,brain health,cognition,EPA,fish,brain disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/	-
PLAIN-1332	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/	heart disease	Heart disease is the #1 killer in the US, and elevated cholesterol levels is thought to be a primary cause. This may explain why a plant-based diet, which is free of cholesterol and saturated animal fats, has been so successful in preventing and treating the disease (see here, here, here, here, and here). The balance of evidence suggests that a plant-based diet may not only protect against but even reverse heart disease (see here, here, here). Reversing heart disease is critical considering heart disease often starts in childhood. Heart disease was found to be almost non-existent in populations eating a diet centered around whole plant foods (see here and here). The arteries of those eating a plant-based diet have less atherosclerotic plaque than runners and than those on a low-carb diet. But if those adhering to a plant-based diet do not consume enough vitamin B12, they may negate the cardiovascular benefits. Plant foods are the only source of heart-healthy fiber , while animal-products are the only significant source of cholesterol (see here, here). In terms of target cholesterol level, it appears to be best to get as low as possible (see also here, here, here, here).Unfortunately, due to a lack of nutrition education in medical schools, many doctors may be unaware of the power of nutrition to stop our number one killer (see here, here). Ignorance is one of a number of factors to blame for the lack of information presented to patients on dietary changes that can improve heart health (see also here, here). The “sick population” concept that leads nutrition studies to underestimate the role of diet in disease. Sadly, the most common treatment is the prescription of cholesterol-lowering drugs (see also here, here), which is be linked to increased breast cancer risk. Meanwhile, whole grains, grapefruit, and exercise may help lower cholesterol naturally. There are some doctors, however, who choose to inform their patients of the cardiovascular benefits of a plant-based diet (see also here). Erectile dysfunction and other vascular insufficiency symptoms may be an early warning sign for heart disease and can be reversed with diet (see also here). Pistachio nuts and watermelon may in particular help improve penis blood flow.Medicare now reimburses programs that reverse heart disease through diet and lifestyle changes (see also here, here). Unfortunately, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines have yet to follow the lead of other countries that have successfully combatted this scourge. The history of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines may shed some light on some reasons why.Eating just one egg a day may exceed the safe limit of cholesterol and has been linked to a shortened lifespan (see also here). Eggs are so high in cholesterol that the Egg Industry cannot even legally claim that eggs are “nutritious” (see here, here, here, here). Big Egg is not the only industry attempting to mislead about the health consequences of their products. Meat may increase heart disease mortality (see here, here), and fish and fish oil supplements may not be not be as heart-healthy as once thought, due to contamination with mercury and industrial pollutants (see here, here). Dairy may increase heart disease risk because dairy products are the #1 source of saturated fat in the American diet.There are certain plant foods which may be especially protective against heart disease, especially foods high in nitrates and antioxidants (see also here) and potassium. These include greens such as kale, soy and other beans (see also here), nuts (see also here, here, here, including peanut butter), tea (especially green tea), flax seeds, whole grains, red rice, Ceylon cinnamon, coffee, cocoa (not chocolate), dark chocolate, dried apples (see also here), Indian gooseberries (see also here), golden raisins and currants, and some spices. For additional benefits, look to cooking some vegetables (see also here), exercising 1 hour each day, and sleeping 7 hours each night.While vitamin C supplements and multivitamins may be useless but not harmless, most should avoid vitamin A, E, and beta-carotene supplements. Also associated with adverse cardiac consequences: coconut oil and coconut milk, dark fish, Premarin, salt, BPA in plastics, and smoking. Alcohol appears to possibly be protective against heart disease but is not recommended because it increases the risk of cancer.For a more in depth look at heart disease and the role of diet, check out Dr. Greger’s annual year end reviews: • Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death • More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases • From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food	-	cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,heart health,plant-based diets,meat,cancer,diabetes,fruit,mortality,stroke,vegetables,Lifestyle medicine,medications,vegetarians,cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	-
PLAIN-1333	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-diseases/	heart diseases	-	-	mortality,saturated fat,standard American diet,trans fat,lifespan,inflammation,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,heart health,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/	-
PLAIN-1334	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-failure/	heart failure	-	-	heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,plant-based diets,stroke,diabetes,cholesterol,mortality,lifespan,cardiovascular health,medications,bone health,blood sugar,vegetarians,blood pressure	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/31/bad-egg/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/	-
PLAIN-1335	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	heart health	Heart disease is the #1 killer in the US, and elevated cholesterol levels is thought to be a primary cause. This may explain why a plant-based diet, which is free of cholesterol and saturated animal fats, has been so successful in preventing and treating the disease (see here, here, here, here, and here). The balance of evidence suggests that a plant-based diet may not only protect against but even reverse heart disease (see here, here, here). Reversing heart disease is critical considering heart disease often starts in childhood. Heart disease was found to be almost non-existent in populations eating a diet centered around whole plant foods (see here and here). The arteries of those eating a plant-based diet have less atherosclerotic plaque than runners and than those on a low-carb diet. But if those adhering to a plant-based diet do not consume enough vitamin B12, they may negate the cardiovascular benefits. Plant foods are the only source of heart-healthy fiber , while animal-products are the only significant source of cholesterol (see here, here). In terms of target cholesterol level, it appears to be best to get as low as possible (see also here, here, here, here).Unfortunately, due to a lack of nutrition education in medical schools, many doctors may be unaware of the power of nutrition to stop our number one killer (see here, here). Ignorance is one of a number of factors to blame for the lack of information presented to patients on dietary changes that can improve heart health (see also here, here). The “sick population” concept that leads nutrition studies to underestimate the role of diet in disease. Sadly, the most common treatment is the prescription of cholesterol-lowering drugs (see also here, here), which is be linked to increased breast cancer risk. Meanwhile, whole grains, grapefruit, and exercise may help lower cholesterol naturally. There are some doctors, however, who choose to inform their patients of the cardiovascular benefits of a plant-based diet (see also here). Erectile dysfunction and other vascular insufficiency symptoms may be an early warning sign for heart disease and can be reversed with diet (see also here). Pistachio nuts and watermelon may in particular help improve penis blood flow.Medicare now reimburses programs that reverse heart disease through diet and lifestyle changes (see also here, here). Unfortunately, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines have yet to follow the lead of other countries that have successfully combatted this scourge. The history of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines may shed some light on some reasons why.Eating just one egg a day may exceed the safe limit of cholesterol and has been linked to a shortened lifespan (see also here). Eggs are so high in cholesterol that the Egg Industry cannot even legally claim that eggs are “nutritious” (see here, here, here, here). Big Egg is not the only industry attempting to mislead about the health consequences of their products. Meat may increase heart disease mortality (see here, here), and fish and fish oil supplements may not be not be as heart-healthy as once thought, due to contamination with mercury and industrial pollutants (see here, here). Dairy may increase heart disease risk because dairy products are the #1 source of saturated fat in the American diet.There are certain plant foods which may be especially protective against heart disease, especially foods high in nitrates and antioxidants (see also here) and potassium. These include greens such as kale, soy and other beans (see also here), nuts (see also here, here, here, including peanut butter), tea (especially green tea), flax seeds, whole grains, red rice, Ceylon cinnamon, coffee, cocoa (not chocolate), dark chocolate, dried apples (see also here), Indian gooseberries (see also here), golden raisins and currants, and some spices. For additional benefits, look to cooking some vegetables (see also here), exercising 1 hour each day, and sleeping 7 hours each night.While vitamin C supplements and multivitamins may be useless but not harmless, most should avoid vitamin A, E, and beta-carotene supplements. Also associated with adverse cardiac consequences: coconut oil and coconut milk, dark fish, Premarin, salt, BPA in plastics, and smoking. Alcohol appears to possibly be protective against heart disease but is not recommended because it increases the risk of cancer.For a more in depth look at heart disease and the role of diet, check out Dr. Greger’s annual year end reviews: • Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death • More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases • From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food	-	cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,plant-based diets,heart disease,cancer,mortality,meat,medications,diabetes,vegetables,beans,animal products,vegans,grains	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	-
PLAIN-1336	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-rate-variability/	heart rate variability	-	-	side effects,Valium,rosemary,women's health,puberty,medications,men's health,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,heartbeat,nerve health,sudden cardiac death,heart health,heart disease,citrus	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/	-
PLAIN-1337	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heartbeat/	heartbeat	-	-	heart disease,heart health,seafood,mercury,sardines,salmon,stroke,swordfish,heart rate variability,nerve health,sudden cardiac death,greens,citrus,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/	-
PLAIN-1338	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heartburn/	heartburn	-	-	beverages,esophagus health,tobacco,women's health,medications,GERD,vegans,dizziness,supplements,vegetables,vegetarians,complementary medicine,vitamin E,vitamin C,stomach	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/10/coffee-caveats/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1339	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/	heavy metals	Heavy metal exposure (the toxins, not the music!) can have detrimental effects on our health. Mercury can affect brain development, cadmium and lead appear to lower male fertility, copper may be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s, and all may be associated with a higher risk of cancer.The heavy metals present in our food supply often exceed safe limits (see also here). Some metals are hard to avoid due to their presence in cigarettes, meats (see also here, here and here), seafood, supplements (see also here, here, here and here) and even whole grains and vegetables. Research indicates that the bioavailability of heavy metals may be lower in plant-derived foods than in animal-derived foods, despite the fact that plant foods sometimes contain higher amounts. This is likely the reason why vegetarians had lower levels of cadmium, lead and mercury even though their heavy metal intake was higher than meat-eaters (and switching to a plant-based diet lowers levels within months).	-	safety limits,mercury,children,cancer,pregnancy,lead,seafood,brain health,side effects,vegetarians,vegans,turkey,birth defects,chicken,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/30/why-pregnant-women-should-avoid-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/filled-full-of-lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/﻿cdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1340	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hegsted-equation/	Hegsted Equation	-	-	LDL cholesterol,meat,industry influence,heart health,milk,National Beef Cattleman’s Association,vegans,vegetarians,tobacco,saturated fat,National Dairy Board,heart disease,HDL cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/	-
PLAIN-1341	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hela-cells/	HeLa cells	-	-	pork,phytonutrients,organic foods,in vitro studies,ranking foods,raspberries,women's health,strawberries,rectal cancer,colon health,breast cancer,blueberries,berries,beans,breast disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/	-
PLAIN-1342	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heme-iron/	heme iron	-	-	cancer,meat,iron,animal products,grains,heart disease,nuts,plant-based diets,diabetes,beans,cardiovascular disease,chickpeas,split peas,oxidative stress,rectal cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1343	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hemlock/	hemlock	-	-	oils,liver health,herbs,oxidative stress,safety limits,tarragon,spices,herbal remedies,chervil,cancer,anise,DNA damage,fat,fish,fennel	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	-
PLAIN-1344	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hemolytic-uremic-syndrome/	hemolytic-uremic syndrome	-	-	kidney function,kidney failure,kidney disease,kidney health,meat,xeno-autoantibodies,Neu5Gc,foodborne illness,dairy,children,cancer,E. coli,E. coli o157:H7,food poisoning,fecal bacteria	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/	-
PLAIN-1345	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hemorrhoids/	hemorrhoids	-	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,cancer,heart health,diverticulitis,vegetarians,diverticulosis,plant-based diets,colon health,varicose veins,diabetes,fiber,constipation,hypertension,surgery	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	-
PLAIN-1346	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hepatitis/	hepatitis	-	-	liver disease,liver health,foodborne illness,food poisoning,immune function,viral infections,liver cancer,cancer,zoonotic disease,alcohol,hepatitis E,mortality,pork,restaurants,blood donation	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-1347	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hepatitis-e/	hepatitis E	-	-	liver health,pork,food poisoning,zoonotic disease,liver disease,viral infections,foodborne illness,hepatitis,mortality,farm animals,omnivores,vegetarians,supermarkets,cooking temperature,blood donation	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/	-
PLAIN-1348	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hepatotoxins/	hepatotoxins	-	-	liver disease,liver health,natural toxins,safety limits,cardiovascular disease,supplements,cardiovascular health,heart health,heart disease,prediabetes,cinnamon,inflammation,food additives,diabetes,coumarin	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/	-
PLAIN-1349	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-remedies/	herbal remedies	-	-	alternative medicine,complementary medicine,cancer,mental health,spices,women's health,liver health,exercise,tea,mood,sexual health,supplements,side effects,industry influence,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/	-
PLAIN-1350	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/	herbal tea	Herbal teas, such as hibiscus tea, may contain antioxidant nutrients (see also here, here, here, and here). Drinking herbal tea may be associated with reduced blood pressure, protection against radiation damage, alleviated stress levels, and anti-inflammatory benefits. Endurance athletes can especially benefit from lemon verbena tea, which unlike antioxidant supplements, does not appear to interfere with the body’s adaptive hermetic response to exercise.Herbal tea might also be a better alternative for children who may otherwise be at risk for dental fluorosis by consuming regular tea. However, fruity and sour teas may still cause dental erosions (see also here). This complication can be avoided by using a straw or by rinsing your mouth out with water after drinking.You may want to consider limiting your intake of certain types of tea. For instance, hibiscus tea should not be consumed in excess due to the possible absorption of potentially harmful levels of manganese and aluminum. Yerba maté tea has been found to cause an increase in cell death and may have the capacity to cause cancer, so you may want to avoid it altogether. Men or women with high estrogen levels should be wary of nettle tea due to its high estrogen content. Lastly, pregnant women should be especially careful drinking chamomile tea so as to avoid possibly serious fetal complications.	-	tea,hibiscus tea,fruit,vegetables,green tea,oxidative stress,fish,smoking,exercise,vegans,plant-based diets,berries,meat,processed foods,standard American diet	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-osmanthus-tea-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-yerba-mate-tea-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-tulsi-tea-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hibiscus-tea-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-yerba-mate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	-
PLAIN-1351	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbalife/	Herbalife	-	-	alternative medicine,liver health,nutrition myths,supplements,liver disease,complementary medicine,cod liver oil,visual disturbance,vitamin A,skin health,headaches,fever,nausea,fish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbalife-supplement-liver-toxicity/	-
PLAIN-1352	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/	herbs	Some of the earliest populations have called upon the medicinal benefits of herbs to treat a variety of ailments. Herbs have some of the highest antioxidants levels. Just a dash of herbs has the power to reduce inflammation and may even protect against DNA damage (see also here). Combining herbs can increase their benefits by boosting the bioavailability of some of the compounds they contain.Hydroponic basil may be richer in antioxidants than soil-grown basil due to the higher amount of stress the plant is placed under. Pregnant women should be wary of feverfew and black cohosh, which was surprisingly recommended at health food stores. When it comes to herbs, however, it is best to stay away from retail supplement suppliers as their claims as recommendations, and ingredients are often unreliable and may be dangerous. In the case of Ayurvedic medicine, it may even be contaminated with lead and other heavy metals.	-	spices,complementary medicine,antioxidants,alternative medicine,DNA damage,cancer,inflammation,oxidative stress,supplements,phytonutrients,heart disease,heart health,liver health,turmeric,tea	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	-
PLAIN-1353	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hernia/	hernia	-	-	hemorrhoids,heart health,heart disease,diverticulosis,fat,hypertension,mortality,vegans,vegetarians,varicose veins,surgery,plant-based diets,rectal cancer,diverticulitis,obesity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1354	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herring/	herring	-	-	mesquite,mutation,oxidative stress,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,lox,liver health,hormesis,liquid smoke,liver disease,poultry,safety limits,tumor suppressor genes,turkey,vegetables,tobacco	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/	-
PLAIN-1355	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hersheys/	Hershey's	-	-	industry influence,Coca-Cola,dairy,McDonald’s,soda,chocolate,cocoa,American Egg Board,Campbell's Soup,beer,Crisco,milk,American Meat Institute,sugar,mortality	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-1356	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hesperidin/	hesperidin	-	-	grapefruit,lemons,limes,phytonutrients,fruit,oranges,citrus,heart disease,heart health,fruit juice,flavonoids,cardiovascular health,cold hands,juice,lettuce	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/	-
PLAIN-1357	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/	heterocyclic amines	Heterocyclic amines are potentially carcinogenic chemical compounds formed in cooked muscle tissue. Examples of heterocyclic amines include harmane, which may cause essential tremor (see also here), and PhIP, considered an estrogenic carcinogen that may increase breast cancer risk. Poultry meat (see also here and here) appears to have the highest concentration of heterocyclic amines, but muscles are not the only source of these toxins. These carcinogens may be present in eggs, cheese, creatine supplements and cigarette smoke.There are some things those who eat meat can do to reduce the risk of developing cancer. Boiling appears to be the safest cooking method in terms of carcinogen levels. Other foods may help too. For example, cruciferous vegetables have been shown to reduce the absorption of heterocyclic amines for as long as two weeks after consumption. White and green tea may also be protective. Participate in Meatless Monday and our levels of PhIP and MelQx will drop to zero in just twenty-four hours. Veggie meat is a safe bet since it contains no muscle tissue. Even deep fried they contain no heterocyclic amines.	-	cancer,meat,carcinogens,poultry,chicken,turkey,fish,breast cancer,animal products,cooking methods,pork,beef,women's health,DNA damage,animal protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/19/why-are-eggs-linked-to-cancer-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/18/broccoli-boosts-liver-detox-enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/	-
PLAIN-1358	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hexachlorobenzene/	hexachlorobenzene	-	-	industrial toxins,persistent organic pollutants,PCBs,milk,meat,infants,dairy,DDT,eggs,fish,perfluorochemicals,thyroid disease,thyroid health,turkey,seafood	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	-
PLAIN-1359	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hiatal-hernia/	hiatal hernia	-	-	varicose veins,constipation,colon health,abdominal pain,hemorrhoids,fiber,heart disease,heart health,colon disease,vegans,plant-based diets,cancer,vegetarians,cardiovascular disease,obesity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/	-
PLAIN-1360	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hibiscus-tea/	hibiscus tea	See also the related blog post: Hibiscus tea: flower power	-	tea,herbal tea,beverages,antioxidants,green tea,fruit,water,World Health Organization,phytonutrients,meat,processed foods,mortality,smoking,fish,standard American diet	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hibiscus-tea-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	-
PLAIN-1361	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/high-fructose-corn-syrup/	high fructose corn syrup	-	-	sugar,fructose,sweeteners,antioxidants,soda,blood sugar,fruit,corn syrup,empty calories,meat,fish,apples,junk food,phytonutrients,processed foods	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/	-
PLAIN-1362	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hijiki/	hijiki	-	-	iodine,sea vegetables,thyroid disease,thyroid health,kelp,sushi,plant-based diets,dulse,salt,arsenic,animal fat,organ meats,processed meat,safety limits,sausage	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1363	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hiroshima/	Hiroshima	-	-	children,X-rays,Nagasaki,radiation,brain health,brain tumors,supplements,breast cancer,angiogram,zeaxanthin,vitamin E,vegetables,breast health,vitamin C,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/	-
PLAIN-1364	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/histones/	histones	-	-	mental health,longevity,lifespan,nerve health,pork,vegetarians,vegans,sirtuins,glycotoxins,fish,beef,Australia,Alzheimer’s disease,aging,brain disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/	-
PLAIN-1365	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hives/	hives	-	-	pork rinds,poultry,pork,parasites,medications,red meat,seafood,turkey,urticaria,tick bites,sushi,skin health,meat,leaky gut theory,autoimmune diseases	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/	-
PLAIN-1366	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/holotranscobalamin/	holotranscobalamin	-	-	prenatal vitamins,pregnancy,plant-based diets,supplements,vegans,women's health,vitamin B12,vegetarians,nerve health,methylmalonic acid,children,breastfeeding,breast milk,elderly,mental health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/	-
PLAIN-1367	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/holy-basil-tea/	holy basil tea	-	-	tulsi tea,herbal tea,beverages	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-tulsi-tea-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1368	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/homeopathy/	homeopathy	-	-	alternative medicine,snake oil,complementary medicine,lung health,hyperactivity,meta-analysis,nutrition myths,placebo effect,dementia,pregnancy,brain health,pets,infants,xylitol,asthma	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/03/half-of-doctors-give-placebos/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-nearly-killed-by-homeopathy/	-
PLAIN-1369	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/homocysteine/	homocysteine	-	-	vegans,supplements,vitamin B12,plant-based diets,vegetarians,b12,stroke,pesticides,oxidative stress,omnivores,mental health,neuropathy,organic foods,triglycerides,dietary guidelines	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/	-
PLAIN-1370	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/honey/	honey	-	-	organic foods,molasses,maple syrup,junk food,processed foods,ranking foods,turbinado sugar,sweeteners,sugar,high fructose corn syrup,brown sugar,brown rice syrup,antioxidants,corn syrup,date sugar	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-1371	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/honeybush-tea/	honeybush tea	-	-	men's health,prostate cancer,in vitro studies,immune function,prostate health,rectal cancer,women's health,theanine,rooibos tea,red tea,herbal tea,green tea,breast disease,breast health,breast cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	-
PLAIN-1372	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/honolulu-heart-study/	Honolulu Heart Study	-	-	mood,mortality,metabolism,mental health,longevity,National Academy of Sciences,nuts,Surgeon General,tobacco,stress,sleep,peanuts,lifespan,Institute of Medicine,coconuts	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/	-
PLAIN-1373	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormesis/	hormesis	-	-	oxidative stress,exercise,vegetables,herbal tea,liquid smoke,DNA damage,stress,inflammation,antioxidants,fruit,green tea,tumor suppressor genes,tobacco,turkey,beans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/	-
PLAIN-1374	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormonal-dysfunction/	hormonal dysfunction	-	-	animal products,breast disease,breast cancer,breast health,hormones,prostate health,prostate cancer,estrogen,men's health,vegetarians,dairy,plant-based diets,cancer,omnivores,milk	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/	-
PLAIN-1375	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/	hormones	The recent dramatic increase of hormone dependent cancers in Japan has been speculatively linked to the steroids in meat. Cancers like breast and prostate are sensitive to growth promoting steroid hormones like estrogen, and one way to decrease levels of steroid hormones in the body is to avoid eating and drinking them in eggs, dairy, and meat. The hormones in meat may also directly affect a woman’s fertility; eating a single serving of meat can increase infertility risk by 30%. And xenoestrogens (industrial pollutants), in addition to the hormones found in animal protein and milk, are thought to be responsible for early onset puberty in girls. Trace amounts of hormones now have even been found in the New York City water supply.The high rates of acne among milk drinkers are thought to be due to the high hormone levels in milk, which have resulted from the genetic manipulation of cows (see here, here, here, here, here, here).On the other hand, flax seeds cause women to have fewer periods, which lowers their exposure to estrogen and, thus, may reduce the risk of breast cancer. And mushrooms may help prevent breast cancer by blocking estrogen production, thus effectively cutting off the tumor’s growth self-stimulation. Estrogen is also flushed out through the intestines. The fact that vegetarians tend to have larger bowel movements has been used to explain their lower breast cancer risk. About half a pound a day is the target fecal output for cancer prevention. In addition, sex hormone binding globulins, which remove excess hormones from our bodies, have been found at higher levels in those eating vegetarian.	-	dairy,milk,women's health,cancer,estrogen,obesity,puberty,animal products,reproductive health,men's health,pregnancy,fish,children,meat,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/04/are-bioidentical-hormones-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/14/using-lavender-to-treat-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-acne-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/	-
PLAIN-1376	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/horsemeat/	horsemeat	-	-	fish,dairy,seafood,chicken,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,PCBs,omega-3 fatty acids,lamb,Lindane,pork,red meat,World Health Organization,white meat,vegetables	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/	-
PLAIN-1377	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/	hot dogs	-	-	meat,vegetables,mortality,plant-based diets,fruit,processed meat,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,smoking,diabetes,heart health,cancer,lifespan,animal products,ham	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	-
PLAIN-1378	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-flashes/	hot flashes	-	-	women's health,soy,menopause	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-foods-menopause/	-
PLAIN-1379	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-sauce/	hot sauce	-	-	muscle health,mushrooms,nutritional yeast,multiple sclerosis,mortality,milk,mood,morbidity,nuts,obesity,plant protein,plant-based diets,plums,placebo,pap smear	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1380	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hpv/	HPV	-	-	muscle health,mushrooms,nutritional yeast,multiple sclerosis,mortality,milk,mood,morbidity,nuts,obesity,plant protein,plant-based diets,plums,placebo,pap smear	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1381	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/human-papilloma-virus/	human papilloma virus	-	-	women's health,wart viruses,cervix health,cancer,cervical cancer,phytonutrients,sexual transmission,cancer viruses,vaginal cancer,vaginal health,sexual health,vulva cancer,bovine leukemia virus,blood cancer,skin health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/	-
PLAIN-1382	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/huntingtons-disease/	Huntington’s disease	-	-	neurotoxins,multiple sclerosis,mortality,Lou Gehrig's disease,oysters,paralysis,shrimp,seeds,seafood,Parkinson's disease,fish,BMAA,blue-green algae,biomagnification,Alzheimer’s disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/	-
PLAIN-1383	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hydrogen-sulfide/	hydrogen sulfide	-	-	vegans,inflammatory bowel disease,vegetarians,meat,ulcerative colitis,plant-based diets,plant protein,sulfur,colon health,fiber,animal protein,butyrate,sulfites,Japan,sulfur dioxide	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-1384	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hydrogenated-fats/	hydrogenated fats	-	-	trans fats,animal fat,junk food,dairy,meat,milk,oils,omnivores,plant-based diets,vegetarians,vegans,heart disease,mortality,fat,cardiovascular disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/	-
PLAIN-1385	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hydroponic/	hydroponic	-	-	rosmarinic acid,phytonutrients,spices,sulforaphane,vegetables,phenolics,organic foods,greens,basil,herbs,insects,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/	-
PLAIN-1386	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hydroxycut/	Hydroxycut	-	-	mortality,natural toxins,Metabolife,mangosteen,liver health,noni fruit,safety limits,supplements,stroke,side effects,seizures,liver failure,liver disease,children,fruit juice	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/	-
PLAIN-1387	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hyperactivity/	hyperactivity	-	-	brain health,attention deficit,children,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,mental health,cancer,food additives,ADHD,nutrition myths,processed foods,preservatives,pregnancy,artificial colors,cognition	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/03/how-to-treat-adhd-without-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1388	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hyperpigmentation/	hyperpigmentation	-	-	rash,schizophrenia,psychosis,plant-based diets,nail health,omnivores,skin health,suicide,vitamin B12,vitamin D,vegetarians,vegans,supplements,multivitamins,mortality	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/	-
PLAIN-1389	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/	hypertension	A plant-based-diet can help prevent hypertension. Those eating vegetarian are less likely to have hypertension. This may be because many plant-foods contribute to prevention and treatment of hypertension, such as beans, watermelon (especially yellow), and cocoa. Spirulina might also help with high blood pressure, but it is not recommended. Alkaline water machines are a scam, but DIY extremely dilute baking soda-water may help reduce hypertension.Dark green leafy vegetables may be especially helpful, due to their high nitrate levels. When eaten in plants but not meat, nitrate forms nitrite, which then turns into nitric oxide, which helps open up blood flow (and can result in a “rosy glow“). However, when eaten without the fat-free phytonutrients found in plants, nitrite can turn into carcinogenic nitrosamines.Salt is a well-known contributor to high blood pressure; even if our blood pressure is normal, it might be wise to keep sodium intake under 1,500 mg per day and watch out for high-salt foods such as chicken. Other possible contributors to hypertension include certain banned pesticides, advanced glycation end-products, and viruses present in chicken and turkey.	-	blood pressure,plant-based diets,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,cardiovascular health,diabetes,vegetables,heart health,fruit,meat,cancer,chronic diseases,cholesterol,mortality,salt	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/22/big-food-wants-final-say-over-health-reports/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-1390	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypospadias/	hypospadias	-	-	non-Hodgkin lymphoma,organic foods,milk,men's health,lymphoma,meat,organochlorines,penis health,United Kingdom,women's health,testicular cancer,soda,pesticides,insects,insecticides	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/	-
PLAIN-1391	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hysterectomy/	hysterectomy	-	-	heart health,hemorrhoids,hypertension,heart disease,diverticulosis,cardiovascular disease,diabetes,diverticulitis,laxatives,meat,surgery,varicose veins,vegetarians,stroke,sleeping pills	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	-
PLAIN-1392	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iatrogenic/	iatrogenic	-	-	cancer,radiation,mortality,X-rays,brain health,brain tumors,heart disease,thyroid health,CAT scan,breast cancer,angiogram,children,breast health,heart health,smoking	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/	-
PLAIN-1393	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ibuprofen/	Ibuprofen	-	-	inflammation,side effects,medications,pain,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,phytonutrients,fruit,spices,cherries,arthritis,cartilage health,aging,muscle health,curcumin	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-
PLAIN-1394	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ice-cream/	ice cream	-	-	animal products,dairy,fat,junk food,cheese,chicken,trans fats,industry influence,meat,cake,saturated fat,poultry,calories,hamburgers,milk	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/	-
PLAIN-1395	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ice-diet/	ice diet	-	-	thermogenics,Ray Cronice,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetables,weight loss,water,vegetarians,phytonutrients,obesity,fiber,exercise,calories,fruit,gastric emptying	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/	-
PLAIN-1396	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/idaho/	Idaho	-	-	South Dakota,standard American diet,vegetables,Oklahoma,ethnicity,fruit,CDC	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sad-states-standard-american-diet-state-by-state-comparison/	-
PLAIN-1397	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iga/	IgA	-	-	immune function,inflammation,mushrooms,phytonutrients,gooseberries,amla,autoimmune diseases,cancer,allergies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/	-
PLAIN-1398	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/	IGF-1	Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a natural human growth hormone that assists the body’s transition from childhood into healthy adulthood. Once the body completes this natural growth period, high levels of IGF-1 are no longer necessary and over-production may become detrimental to health. Uncontrolled cellular growth and proliferation (which may be the result of too much IGF-1) may lead to cancer growth. Having low levels of IGF-1 as an adult may improve the chances of acancer-free life.Animal protein consumption appears toincrease IGF-1 levels. Plant protein consumption in general may not have the same effect.Dairy products and excess soy may also result in similar IGF-1 results. A plant-based diet and a regular exercise routine may reduce our IGF-1 levels in less than two weeks. Lowered IGF-1 levels don’t appear to have any effect on muscular strength.	-	cancer,animal protein,protein,plant-based diets,vegans,animal products,vegetarians,hormones,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,women's health,meat,children,plant protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/21/plant-based-diets-for-multiple-sclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/15/why-are-children-starting-puberty-earlier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-protein-recommendations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1399	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/	immune function	The immune system benefits from adequate sleep, exercise, and the consumption of plant foods (see also here, here). “Airborne” supplements and nasal zinc gels are not recommended. Foods that may be especially helpful include apples, tea, cocoa, gluten, kale (see also here), and Ceylon cinnamon. Chronic diseases associated with inflammation such as heart disease, cancer, obesity, and arthritis may be prevented or even possibly reversed by a plant-based diet, whereas chicken and eggs may play a pro-inflammatory role. Avoiding meat during pregnancy may prevent childhood allergies and parasitic brain infections.	-	cancer,meat,vegetarians,inflammation,vegans,kidney disease,kidney health,women's health,animal products,kidney stones,men's health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,vegetables,breast cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-selection-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zinc-gel-for-colds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1400	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immunosuppressive-drugs/	immunosuppressive drugs	-	-	immune function,cancer,autoimmune diseases,vegetarians,animal products,meat,vegans,plant-based diets,inflammation,seafood,fish,dairy,breast cancer,phytonutrients,metabolic syndrome	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-1401	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/	impotence	75% of men with narrowed arteries due to cholesterol have some form of erectile dysfunction and a lower quality of life. Popular diets, namely the Atkins diet, may actually increase your risk of developing sexual dysfunction. A plant-based diet, however, may help diseased arteries, benefiting not only blood flow to your heart, but all your vital organs.Nitric oxide is an enzyme essential for blood vessel dilation in all arteries–including those arteries in the pelvic region. Drugs specifically targeting erectile dysfunction increase nitric oxide production in vessels, but not without potentialside-effects. Two foods may be particularly effective in reducing or possibly even eliminating erectile dysfunction. Watermelon and pistachio nuts may improve erectile function. Certain plastics chemicals may impair function though.	-	erectile dysfunction,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,sexual dysfunction,men's health,sexual health,heart disease,plant-based diets,heart health,penis health,vegans,vegetables,meat,fruit,cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/20/pills-vs-diet-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	-
PLAIN-1402	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/	in vitro studies	There are countless in vitro studies that attest to the healing power of plants:The blood of women on a plant based diet for two weeks was dripped on cancer cells; this reduced the cancer growth rate by 20%. Cells exposed to carcinogens had broccoli dripped on them; this helped prevent their DNA from being mutated. Broccoli juice, when dripped on cancer stem cells, was found to inhibit breast cancer stem cells. In a petri dish, broccoli prevents lung cancer cells from spreading. Smoker’s DNA in a test tube was exposed to a known DNA damaging chemical; those who were eating broccoli suffered significantly less damage. Chamomile, when dripped on various human cancer cells, slowed down their growth. Black beans have shown potent inhibitory activity against colon and breast cancer cells. Adding an extract of organic strawberries blocked colon and breast cancer growth by almost 75%. Apple peels have shown potent anti-proliferative effects on human cancer cells. A layer of human fat cells was placed in a petri dish; as soy phytonutrients were added, fat uptake was almost completely blocked. Specific vegetables have been found to halt tumor cell growth of specific cancers; thus, to protect ourselves against many types of cancers, it is important to eat a varied diet. When blood is dripped on prostate cancer cells in a petri dish, the standard group reduced growth by about 10%, those on a plant-based diet knocked the growth down 70%. Indian gooseberries have been found to kill cancer cells but leave normal cells alone (see also here, here). And when kale was dripped on white blood cells, it boosted their ability to produce antibodies.Other interesting in vitro studies:When measuring the beneficial effects of tea on arterial cells, soymilk as well as cow’s milk appeared to block the benefits of the tea. To test new Alzheimer’s treatments, you put human nerve cells and amyloid beta (which is the neurotoxic Alzheimer’s protein) and add a substance to see if it saves the nerve cells from death. Apple juice has been found to be effective. And when Dragon’s blood was dropped on human cartilage in a petri dish, cartilage breakdown was reduced.The standard ORAC test to determine the antioxidant power of various substances measures how good the substance is at altering a chemical oxidation reaction in a test tube. Red rice has been found to have ten times more antioxidants than brown rice.	-	cancer,standard American diet,plant-based diets,Pritikin,women's health,phytonutrients,cruciferous vegetables,breast disease,vegetables,breast cancer,broccoli,vegetarians,vegans,breast health,prostate cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	-
PLAIN-1403	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/incontinence/	incontinence	-	-	pistachios,omnivores,obesity,nuts,plant protein,plant-based diets,weight loss,vegetarians,vegans,soy,milk,medications,body fat,animal protein,almonds	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/	-
PLAIN-1404	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/	India	India’s population has low rates of Alzheimer’s, cancer, childhood allergies, and asthma—as well as highly frequent bowel movements—why are they so much healthier? It may be because a larger portion of the population consumes a plant-based diet.The Indian gooseberry, or amla, is among the most antioxidant-rich food on Earth. These berries have been shown to decrease cholesterol, inflammation, and cancer cell growth in vitro. Indian gooseberries were shown to decrease breast cancer cell spread in a laboratory model of metastasis as much as a chemotherapy drug.Just one Indian gooseberry a day may decrease cholesterol in as little as three weeks, while two a day may decrease blood sugar in diabetics as much as some of the leading medications.Another staple in the Indian culture is turmeric, a spice featured in curry. Curcumin is the pigment within turmeric that gives it its yellow color. Smokers taking curcumin supplements appear able to decrease the level of carcinogens in their body.	-	curcumin,turmeric,spices,cancer,curry powder,meat,vegans,vegetarians,antioxidants,liver health,medications,vegetables,alternative medicine,side effects,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	-
PLAIN-1405	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/indigestion/	indigestion	-	-	pain,peppers,nausea,mortality,medications,Propulcid,Salmonella,stomach health,substance P,spicy food,spices,side effects,irritable bowel syndrome,inflammation,Cayenne pepper	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-1406	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/indoles/	indoles	-	-	protein,raw food,plant-based diets,phytates,nutrition myths,nuts,salads,seeds,vitamin D,zinc,vitamin B12,tomatoes,selenium,spinach,nutrient absorption	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/	-
PLAIN-1407	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/indonesia/	Indonesia	-	-	nutrition myths,neurotoxins,memory,processed foods,soy,tofu,tempeh,formaldehyde,brain health,brain disease,carcinogens,cognition,food additives,dementia,beans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/	-
PLAIN-1408	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-pollutants/	industrial pollutants	-	-	fish,pesticides,meat,organic foods,dairy,men's health,cancer,penis health,fruit,women's health,vegetables,fat,children,cooking methods,DDT	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/	-
PLAIN-1409	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/	industrial toxins	Industrial toxins build up in animal fat; this may account for the relationship between animal fat consumption and disease. Feeding meat and bone meal to farm animals may also result in the biomagnification of industrial pollutants. An effective way to detoxify the body of industrial toxins, then, may be by choosing a plant-based diet (see also here). Xenoestrogens (industrial chemicals with estrogenic effects) have been associated with early onset puberty in girls and lowered sperm counts in males. And thought to be due to phthalates in chicken, chicken consumption during pregnancy has been linked to the feminization of male genitalia.Fish, fish oil, and eggs have been identified as the top three sources of certain industrial toxins in the diet (see also here). Factory farmed fish have been found to have the highest levels of DDT, PCBs, and dioxins (compared to wild caught fish). Tuna has been found to be especially high in mercury (see here, here). But all types of fish have been found to be contaminated with industrial toxins and, thus, microalgae based DHA is a better option for long chain omega-3s (see also here).Other items to avoid: french fries due to acrylamide, foods containing high fructose corn syrup due to mercury contamination, certain types of plastics due to BPA, scented household products, Ayurvedic medicine (see here, here, here, here), creatine supplements, and protein powder supplements.	-	persistent organic pollutants,fish,meat,PCBs,women's health,cancer,animal products,obesity,dairy,animal fat,milk,reproductive health,farm animals,estrogen,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pesticides-in-chinese-bamboo-shoots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	-
PLAIN-1410	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/	industry influence	The sugar, salt, beef, pork, egg (also here and here) poultry, fish, juice (also here and here) and dairy industries have been accused of downplaying the risks of their products. Some of this may because of the “funding effect,” which describes the skewing of results favorable to research funders. Agribusiness and the US Department of Agriculture have been accommodating to corporate influence, perhaps even to the extent of purposefully ignoring scientific evidence. Unlike countries that rely on health rather than agriculture professionals to create their dietary guidelines, the USDA has an inherent conflict of interest to promote agricultural products that may have unduly influenced the U.S. guidelines over the past 30 years.Legislation supporting nutrition education has come under attack from—of all quarters—the medical profession. The balance of evidence suggests that a plant based diet is healthiest, but this advice is often met with and overcome by the “tomato effect” and other resistance from medical groups.	-	dairy,meat,fat,heart health,cardiovascular health,plant-based diets,animal products,heart disease,eggs,medications,vegans,fruit,chicken,vegetables,saturated fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-roundup-ready-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	-
PLAIN-1411	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infant-formula/	infant formula	-	-	breastfeeding,infants,women's health,breast milk,milk,industrial toxins,persistent organic pollutants,pregnancy,children,dairy,inflammatory bowel disease,obesity,hormones,detoxification,PCBs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/	-
PLAIN-1412	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/	infants	Mothers given DHA supplements while pregnant had kids with improved vision, problem solving skills, and higher IQs. Pregnant vegans also need to make sure they are getting enough iodine. When pregnant women eat too many animal products, due to the pollutants in animal fat, they risk having kids with smaller brains, lower IQs, poorer attention spans, and other cognitive impairments. Phthalate containing chicken and eggs can result in a reduced penis size of men whose mothers ate the food while pregnant. Pregnant women who eat hot dogs increase their risk having children with brain tumors. Higher maternal intake of meat during pregnancy has also been linked to eczema because certain components of meat may affect the fetal immune system.Hundreds of thousands of American babies are poisoned by their mother’s fish consumption every year and, as a result, may have brain damage that results in lower IQs (see also here, here). Eating a single serving of canned tuna is equivalent to getting injected with 100 Thimerosal containing vaccines.The consumption of cow’s milk disrupts the endocrine regulatory network. Cow’s milk, which is digested into the morphine-like compund casomorphin, has also been linked to infant apnea, a condition in which the respiratory system is depressed and can result in sudden infant death syndrome (see also here). These casomorphins have also been speculatively linked to autism. Human breast milk is very high in antioxidants and should be fed to infants over formula. Organochlorines (pollutants used in industry and as insecticides after WWII) continue to pollute the food supply; vegans, however, have been found to be significantly less polluted than omnivores. But breast feeding mothers on a vegan/vegetarian diet must be sure to get adequate vitamin B-12 through fortified foods or supplements or risk serious illness or even death of their infants (see also here). It may not be a bad idea for pregnant and breast feeding vegans to get tested for a vitamin B-12 deficiency.Infants placed in the basket of a shopping cart with raw meat are at an increased risk for food poisoning. Homeopathic remedies can actually be harmful when used in excess in infants. Infants under 3 months of age should not eat vegetables. Ayurvedic medicines have been found to be contaminated with lead, which has resulted in infant brain damage. In most cases, the incorporation of heavy metals is intentional, unbelievably. Traditional medicines from around the world often contain lead (see also here).	-	fat,animal products,cancer,milk,pregnancy,diabetes,animal fat,women's health,dairy,obesity,hormones,breast cancer,plant-based diets,meat,prediabetes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/30/why-pregnant-women-should-avoid-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-nearly-killed-by-homeopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/	-
PLAIN-1413	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infertility/	infertility	-	-	reproductive health,fertility,men's health,fish,sexual health,milk,sperm counts,dairy,meat,saturated fat,semen,animal fat,cancer,animal products,carcinogens	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/	-
PLAIN-1414	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/	inflammation	Plant foods may sometimes be preferable to drugs, aspirin, and fish oil for reducing risks of inflammation. Nuts, apples (dried apples too), broccoli, Ceylon cinnamon, dragon’s blood, and black pepper will help protect the body from inflammation. On the other hand, meat (see also here), eggs, AGEs, and plastics containing BPA may increase the risk of inflammation. Though important to eat a variety of whole plant foods, fruits and vegetables with the highest anti-oxidant levels seem to reduce inflammation the most. Brain inflammation caused by ingesting arachidonic acid (found predominantly chicken and eggs—even when hens are not fed seal blubber) may explain why those eating plant-based diets have less stress, anxiety and depression and why putting people on an egg-free vegetarian diet may improve their mood.See also the related blog posts: Fighting Inflammation With Food Synergy, Inflammation, Diet, and “Vitamin S”	-	mortality,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,cancer,fruit,vegetables,dairy,animal fat,plant-based diets,meat,oxidative stress,saturated fat,cholesterol,cardiovascular health,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-black-pepper-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-1415	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/	inflammatory bowel disease	-	-	inflammation,ulcerative colitis,colon health,meat,plant-based diets,vegans,Crohn's disease,vegetarians,vegetables,animal protein,cancer,gut flora,processed foods,dairy,cheese	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	-
PLAIN-1416	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/informed-consent/	informed consent	-	-	morbidity,mortality,medications,medical profession,liver health,medical ethics,muscle health,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,surgery,stroke,side effects,statins,liver disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/	-
PLAIN-1417	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inner-ear-cancer/	inner ear cancer	-	-	throat health,poultry,cancer,mortality,nasal cavity cancer,mouth cancer,esophagus health,tonsil cancer,throat cancer,chicken,poultry workers,esophageal cancer,ear health,butcher's warts,turkey	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/	-
PLAIN-1418	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insecticides/	insecticides	-	-	pesticides,women's health,fat,factory farming practices,meat,animal fat,organochlorines,FDA,biomagnification,cancer,children,vegetarians,copper,antibiotics,brain health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/	-
PLAIN-1419	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insects/	insects	-	-	meat,fish,dairy,maggots,protein,cancer,parasites,pork,animal protein,preservatives,tick bites,skin health,poultry,chicken,medications	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nontoxic-head-lice-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bug-appetit-barriers-to-entomophagy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-cooked-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1420	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insomnia/	insomnia	-	-	mental health,depression,sleep,complementary medicine,inflammation,alternative medicine,anxiety,brain health,headaches,pain,side effects,muscle health,mood,medications,serotonin	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/10/coffee-caveats/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1421	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/institute-of-medicine/	Institute of Medicine	-	-	dietary guidelines,vitamin D,bone health,junk food,supplements,trans fats,mortality,dairy,meat,longevity,safety limits,lifespan,saturated fat,processed foods,chicken	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/15/vitamin-d-shedding-some-light-on-the-new-recommendations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evolutionary-argument-for-optimal-vitamin-d-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-institute-of-medicine-arrived-at-their-vitamin-d-recommendation/	-
PLAIN-1422	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/	insulin	-	-	fat,diabetes,prediabetes,sugar,fruit,blood sugar,weight loss,meat,grains,fiber,plant-based diets,vegans,saturated fat,vegetarians,pancreas health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/08/flaxseeds-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/10/plant-based-benefits-extend-beyond-the-top-killers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	-
PLAIN-1423	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/intelligence/	intelligence	-	-	cognition,pregnancy,vegetarians,plant-based diets,infants,omnivores,vegans,women's health,brain health,children,fish,cardiovascular disease,EPA,brain disease,seafood	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iq-of-vegetarian-children-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/	-
PLAIN-1424	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/interheart-study/	INTERHEART study	-	-	Lifestyle medicine,hypertension,nutrition myths,plant-based diets,stroke,statins,smoking,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,blood pressure,cholesterol,chronic diseases,exercise	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/	-
PLAIN-1425	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/interleukin-1/	interleukin-1	-	-	plant-based diets,seeds,phytoestrogens,ovary health,mortality,side effects,tamoxifen,vegetarians,women's health,vegetables,vegans,uterine cancer,mental health,longevity,breast cancer survival	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1426	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/internal-bleeding/	internal bleeding	-	-	stomach ulcers,stomach inflammation,alternative medicine,phytonutrients,side effects,muscle soreness,stomach health,cherries,complementary medicine,Ibuprofen,inflammation,pain,tart cherries,organ meats,muscle health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-chili-peppers-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/	-
PLAIN-1427	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/intestinal-health/	intestinal health	-	-	fiber,fruit juice,glycemic index,high fructose corn syrup,hypertension,fruit,fructose,blood pressure,blood sugar,bread,fat,insulin,juice,weight loss,soda	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-1428	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iodine/	iodine	Sea vegetables such as nori, dulse, and alaria are excellent sources of iodine. Excessive intake of kelp (kombu), paddleweed, or thyroid-containing sausages, however, may lead to iodine toxicity. Hijiki is another poor choice as it may contain arsenic. Vegans, especially pregnant vegans, are at risk for iodine deficiency and should consider taking supplements or including iodine rich foods in their diets. Overconsumption of raw cruciferous vegetables may block the thyroid’s absorption of iodine.	-	thyroid health,thyroid disease,plant-based diets,milk,dairy,Japan,hijiki,sea vegetables,kelp,salt,vegans,sushi,omnivores,safety limits,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/08/how-much-pus-is-there-in-milk/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-1429	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iowa-womens-health-study/	Iowa Women’s Health Study	-	-	mortality,longevity,lifespan,multivitamins,stroke,women's health,vegetables,supplements,heart health,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,cancer survival,cost savings,fruit,heart disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/	-
PLAIN-1430	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ipecac/	ipecac	-	-	Parkinson's disease,penicillin,Peoria,plant-based diets,nutrition myths,mortality,malaria,medications,mold,morphine,quinine,red yeast rice,supplements,Taxol,vincristine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/	-
PLAIN-1431	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iq4-5b/	IQ4 5b	-	-	PhIP,plant-based diets,oxidative stress,omnivores,Meatless Mondays,MelQx,pork,poultry,vegans,vegetarians,turkey,supplements,protein,smoking,meat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/	-
PLAIN-1432	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ireland/	Ireland	-	-	Australia,China,Africa,E. coli,safety limits,milk,potato chips,fecal bacteria,yogurt,fecal contamination,New Zealand,Nigeria,restaurants,United Kingdom,Netherlands	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/	-
PLAIN-1433	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iritis/	iritis	-	-	paralysis,nerve health,joint health,poultry,red meat,white meat,turkey,Salmonella,Reiter's syndrome,Guillain-Barré syndrome,foodborne illness,chicken,CDC,Campylobacter,beef	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/	-
PLAIN-1434	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/	iron	Since the human body has no mechanism to excrete excess iron, it is probably best to refrain from consuming blood-based (heme) iron and taking iron supplements unless prescribed (for example, for pregnant women who are demonstrably anemic). This is because iron pills have been linked to birth complications such as preterm birth and maternal hypertension. Presumably because of iron’s pro-oxidant qualities, it can be a double-edged sword; lowering the iron level of cancer patients has been associated with dropping death rates. The absorption of plant-based (non-heme) iron can be regulated by the body, though, making dark green leafy veggies and legumes such as lentils preferable sources, especially since food is a package deal.	-	plant-based diets,meat,animal products,vegetarians,vegans,vegetables,beans,chicken,mortality,beef,standard American diet,nuts,poultry,turkey,pork	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iron-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1435	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/	irritable bowel syndrome	-	-	colon health,colon disease,celiac disease,gluten,diarrhea,food sensitivities,allergies,fruit,grains,medications,wheat,depression,bread,side effects,pasta	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-1436	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/isoflavones/	isoflavones	-	-	soy,phytoestrogens,cancer,breast cancer,Asia,women's health,phytonutrients,breast disease,men's health,animal protein,animal products,breast health,sexual health,plant-based diets,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	-
PLAIN-1437	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/israel/	Israel	-	-	milk,sugar,medical profession,heart disease,kidney function,dehydration,juice,heart health,immune function,kidney health,industry influence,hormones,muscle health,sodium,stomach health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/	-
PLAIN-1438	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jack-norris/	Jack Norris	-	-	supplements,staph infection,pus,prenatal vitamins,thyroid disease,thyroid health,World Health Organization,women's health,Virginia Messina,pregnancy,plant-based diets,infants,dairy,cretinism,breastfeeding	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/	-
PLAIN-1439	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jalapeno/	jalapeno	-	-	nuts,lung health,onions,pancreas health,potatoes,pancreatic cancer,lung cancer,lettuce,kale,kidney cancer,kidney health,leeks,prostate cancer,prostate health,stomach health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-1440	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jam/	jam	-	-	berries,fruit,anthocyanins,Oregon,phytonutrients,sexual health,oral health,mortality,obesity,oral cancer,sexual transmission,oral intraepithelial neoplasia,smoking,cognition,memory	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1441	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/	Japan	-	-	animal products,meat,cancer,plant-based diets,vegans,animal fat,fruit,vegetarians,heart disease,vegetables,diabetes,cardiovascular disease,breast cancer,beans,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/	-
PLAIN-1442	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jasmine-tea/	jasmine tea	-	-	phytonutrients,peppermint,lemongrass,lemon verbena,red tea,rooibos,thyme,tea,rosemary,rose hips,lavender,Korea,chamomile tea,beverages,bergamots	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/	-
PLAIN-1443	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jaundice/	jaundice	-	-	meat,Mexico,National Academy of Sciences,liver health,liver disease,kidney disease,kidney health,nerve health,neuropathy,superbugs,USDA,stomach health,skin health,neurotoxins,pesticides	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/	-
PLAIN-1445	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jelly-beans/	jelly beans	-	-	exercise,supplements,candy,vegetables,tobacco,smoking,cost savings,energy,industry influence,raisins,fatigue,energy gels,potato chips,sports drinks,organic foods	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/	-
PLAIN-1446	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jerusalem-artichokes/	Jerusalem artichokes	-	-	purslane,oral health,mouth cancer,steroids,sunchokes,watercress,vegetables,medications,lichen planus,celery root,autoimmune diseases,artichokes,complementary medicine,fiddlehead ferns,immune function	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/	-
PLAIN-1447	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/johns-hopkins-university/	Johns Hopkins University	-	-	cancer,food additives,lead,industrial toxins,FDA,chicken,brown rice syrup,carcinogens,Center for Food Safety,liver,cooking methods,organic foods,poultry,rice,safety limits	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/	-
PLAIN-1448	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-disease/	joint disease	-	-	arthritis,joint health,inflammation,rheumatoid arthritis,pain,fruit,meat,saturated fat,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,heart health,side effects,immune function,autoimmune diseases,cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-
PLAIN-1449	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/	joint health	-	-	arthritis,inflammation,joint disease,rheumatoid arthritis,cancer,osteoarthritis,alternative medicine,pain,complementary medicine,fruit,autoimmune diseases,antioxidants,animal studies,oxidative stress,cartilage health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/	-
PLAIN-1450	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/judaism/	Judaism	-	-	casein,casomorphin,zoonotic disease,tapeworms,weakness,dairy,evolution,mucus,sinus health,milk,Maimonides,industry influence,lung health,seizures,parasites	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/	-
PLAIN-1451	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	juice	-	-	fruit juice,fruit,phytonutrients,antioxidants,cherries,berries,vegetables,oranges,inflammation,side effects,orange juice,heart health,supplements,heart disease,muscle health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	-
PLAIN-1452	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice-plus-supplements/	Juice Plus supplements	-	-	supplements,alternative medicine,nutrition myths,complementary medicine,snake oil,vegetables,plant-based diets,fruit,liver health,liver disease,phytonutrients	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus/	-
PLAIN-1453	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/	junk food	High calorie, low nutrient junk foods are a major contributing factor to why the Western diet rates so poorly. Parents may in fact overestimate the nutritional quality of their childrens’ diet. The intake of junk food should be as low as possible. The U.S. dietary guidelines have failed to address this problem, thought due to industry influence.The healthiest choices are unrefined plant foods, though in the case of chocolate it’s good that the cocoa butter is processed out into cocoa. Only two sweeteners can be considered healthful, along with dates. Gum Arabic can be considered harmless, but licorice, deep frying, corn syrup, sugar, sodas, butter flavor in popcorn, artificial colors, certain red dye, and trans fats (see also here, here) can be harmful.	-	fruit,vegetables,animal products,vegetarians,meat,animal fat,heart disease,dairy,vegans,cancer,plant-based diets,processed foods,cardiovascular disease,beans,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/26/improving-attractiveness-in-six-weeks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/21/where-are-phosphate-additives-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gum-arabic-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mothers-overestimate-dietary-quality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	-
PLAIN-1454	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kaiser-permanente/	Kaiser Permanente	-	-	processed foods,chronic diseases,complementary medicine,dairy,diabetes,cholesterol,cardiovascular health,blood pressure,alternative medicine,blood sugar,cancer,cardiovascular disease,eggs,exercise,obesity	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/	-
PLAIN-1455	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/	kale	Kale is a dark leafy green, cruciferous vegetable and an excellent choice for one of our nine a day servings of fruits and vegetables. It is a good source of antioxidants, calcium, lignans, nitrates, skin-enhancing carotenoids and other phytonutrients, including lutein and zeaxanthin (which may protective against glaucoma). Kale may even reduce cholesterol. Unfortunately, kale is not common in the American diet. One can overdo the consumption of raw kale. Cooked kale may improve immune function, though ideally should be chopped 45 minutes before cooking to maximize the production of the anti-cancer phytonutrient sulforophane.	-	vegetables,broccoli,cancer,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,collard greens,cabbage,greens,cauliflower,cruciferous vegetables,Brussels sprouts,breast cancer,cooking methods,fruit,antioxidants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-1456	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kangaroo-meat/	kangaroo meat	-	-	salt,saturated fat,pheasants,obesity,meat,smoking,sodium,wild game,venison,trans fats,sugar,inflammation,Australia,C-reactive protein,animal protein	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/	-
PLAIN-1457	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kaposis-sarcoma/	Kaposi’s sarcoma	-	-	cancer,breast cancer,colon cancer,hepatitis,immune function,inflammation,immunosuppressive drugs,cervical cancer,breast disease,turmeric,vegetables,AIDS,autoimmune diseases,cell death,liver disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-1458	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kelp/	kelp	-	-	iodine,thyroid disease,thyroid health,Japan,sea vegetables,hijiki,salt,respiratory infections,green tea,sore throat,tea,throat health,gargling,fever,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-1459	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/keriorrhea/	keriorrhea	-	-	flatulence,seafood,fish,fecal continence,colon health,diarrhea,bowel movements	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greasy-orange-rectal-leakage/	-
PLAIN-1460	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ketogenic-agent-ac-1202/	ketogenic agent AC-1202	-	-	medium-chain fatty acids,supplements,triglycerides,dementia,cognition,brain disease,brain health,coconut oil,coconuts,Alzheimer’s disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/	-
PLAIN-1461	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kfc/	KFC	-	-	chicken,beef,poultry,animal products,dairy,hamburgers,saturated fat,cheese,eggs,inflammation,burgers,bacon,fast food,plant-based diets,birth defects	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/	-
PLAIN-1462	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney/	kidney	-	-	DNA damage,fish,men's health,cancer,oxidative stress,antioxidants,women's health,white meat,beans,black beans,dairy,bone marrow health,vegetarians,vegans,pork	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/	-
PLAIN-1463	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-beans/	kidney beans	-	-	beans,chickpeas,peas,dietary guidelines,antioxidants,lentils,split peas,legumes,soybeans,vegetables,pinto beans,black beans,tea,spices,hibiscus tea	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	-
PLAIN-1464	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-cancer/	kidney cancer	-	-	cancer,lung cancer,breast cancer,kidney health,colon cancer,endometrial cancer,plant-based diets,meat,carcinogens,prostate cancer,pancreatic cancer,rectal cancer,lung health,breast health,antioxidants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/	-
PLAIN-1465	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/	kidney disease	Dr. Greger covers kidney disease in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	kidney health,plant-based diets,cancer,meat,vegetarians,fruit,animal products,Lifestyle medicine,kidney stones,vegans,diabetes,vegetables,fiber,pork,dairy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-betel-nuts-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-star-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/	-
PLAIN-1466	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/	kidney failure	-	-	mortality,kidney health,kidney disease,heart disease,heart health,diabetes,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,plant-based diets,eye disease,eye health,blindness,amputations,stroke,chronic diseases	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/	-
PLAIN-1467	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/	kidney function	-	-	kidney health,kidney disease,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,bone health,mortality,vegetarians,protein,vegans,lifespan,plant-based diets,kidney failure,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/	-
PLAIN-1468	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/	kidney health	Eating a varied plant-based diet containing foods such as Indian gooseberries, spinach and apples may provide protection against kidney disease, whereas foods such as white bread, french fries, and betel nuts may promote kidney cancer. Drug residues found in meat (especially veal) could be also be nephrotoxic.Consumption of star fruit has been linked to acute renal failure. Additionally, natural compounds in licorice and turmeric may adversely affect one’s kidneys at high enough doses. For certain people, eating too many beets may increase risk of kidney stones.One study recently linked total meat and processed meat consumption (see also here and here) to the risk of kidney cancer as well as many other forms of cancer. Poultry workers, who are exposed to poultry viruses at a higher rate than the general population, also had higher kidney disease rates. Advanced Glycation End-Products (AGEs), found mostly in chicken and pork, are another potential cause of kidney problems. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, but can be prevented, treated, and even in some cases reversed with a plant-based diet.	-	kidney disease,vegetables,plant-based diets,fruit,meat,vegetarians,animal products,diabetes,kidney stones,fiber,chicken,heart disease,vegans,cardiovascular disease,eye health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-star-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-betel-nuts-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-1469	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-stones/	kidney stones	-	-	kidney health,kidney disease,fruit,cancer,vegetarians,vegetables,meat,breast cancer,cardiovascular disease,animal products,heart disease,women's health,vegans,uric acid,calcium	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-star-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	-
PLAIN-1470	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kimchi/	kimchi	-	-	fermented foods,breast health,cancer,cruciferous vegetables,breast disease,breast cancer,vaginal health,wine,men's health,natural toxins,prostate cancer,prostate health,probiotics,women's health,tuna	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1471	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kingdom/	kingdom	-	-	meat,mushrooms,Neu5Gc,lyme disease,liver health,kidney health,liver disease,parasites,plant protein,thyroid disease,thyroid health,tick bites,STARI,saliva,pork	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/	-
PLAIN-1472	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/	kiwi fruit	Kiwifruit have had more research done on them than most produce because the market is cornered by a few producers who stand to benefit even though it’s an “unbranded” product. Though most have been funded by the International Kiwifruit Organization and Zepri, the largest marketer of kiwis in the world, kiwifruit may improve cholesterol levels, improve bowel functions in those suffering irritable bowel syndrome, increase DNA repair enzymes, and if eaten an hour before bed, may also improve sleep quality and duration for those suffering from insomnia.	-	fruit,medications,vegetables,antioxidants,plant-based diets,cancer,tomatoes,side effects,oxidative stress,mortality,inflammation,serotonin,strawberries,complementary medicine,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	-
PLAIN-1473	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kohlrabi/	kohlrabi	-	-	raw food,ranking foods,phytonutrients,sprouting,sprouts,vegetables,sulforaphane,liver health,broccoli sprouts,broccoli raab,cauliflower,cruciferous vegetables,enzymes,detoxification,broccoli	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/	-
PLAIN-1474	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kombu/	kombu	-	-	sausage,safety limits,processed meat,sea vegetables,soy milk,thyroid health,thyroid disease,supplements,plant-based diets,organ meats,hijiki,foodborne illness,food recalls,iodine,kelp	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/	-
PLAIN-1475	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kombucha-tea/	kombucha tea	-	-	mortality,mold,nutrition myths,probiotics,tea,supplements,longevity,lifespan,coma,beverages,fermented foods,health food stores,acid/base balance	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/	-
PLAIN-1476	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/korea/	Korea	-	-	phytonutrients,peppermint,lemongrass,lemon verbena,red tea,rooibos,thyme,tea,rosemary,rose hips,lavender,chamomile tea,beverages,bergamots,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/	-
PLAIN-1477	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kraft/	Kraft	-	-	USDA,Coca-Cola,cancer,industry influence,processed foods,FDA,processed meat,vitamin B12,American Egg Board,United Kingdom,sleep,nitrite,hyperactivity,heavy metals,food dyes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-1478	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kuna-indians/	Kuna Indians	-	-	quinoa,Panama,spirulina,sprouts,yerba mate,heart health,cancer,berries,cardiovascular disease,cocoa,heart disease,acaí berries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/	-
PLAIN-1479	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lactation/	lactation	-	-	women's health,men's health,industrial toxins,persistent organic pollutants,plant-based diets,vegetarians,animal fat,children,pesticides,vegans,animal products,biomagnification,peanuts,nightshades,mushrooms	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/	-
PLAIN-1481	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lactic-acid/	lactic acid	-	-	phytonutrients,athletes,pain,exercise,citrus,muscle health,fruit,sports drinks,medications,sports medicine,side effects,blood sugar,muscle strength,muscle inflammation,muscle soreness	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/	-
PLAIN-1482	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lactose/	lactose	-	-	milk,inflammation,cardiovascular disease,dairy,Europe,heart disease,cancer,kale,allergies,medications,nausea,Canada,chemotherapy,medical profession,Israel	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/03/half-of-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/	-
PLAIN-1483	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lake-score/	LAKE score	-	-	pork,poultry,rice,plant-based diets,plant protein,oxalate,pasta,pH,salt,seafood,vegetables,vegetarians,water,vegans,uric acid	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-1484	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lamb/	lamb	-	-	poultry,beef,pork,fish,red meat,white meat,chicken,burgers,persistent organic pollutants,vegetables,meat,tobacco,hamburgers,eggs,dairy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/22/big-food-wants-final-say-over-health-reports/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/	-
PLAIN-1485	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lard/	lard	-	-	fat,fish,dairy,meat,animal fat,plant-based diets,cancer,soda,saturated fat,heart health,sugar,eggs,butter,cardiovascular disease,milk	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/	-
PLAIN-1486	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/laron-syndrome/	Laron syndrome	-	-	IGF-1,lifespan,longevity,stroke,mortality,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cancer,cardiovascular health,cell death,dwarfism,accidents	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/	-
PLAIN-1487	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lasers/	lasers	-	-	food poisoning,foodborne illness,traffic,vegetables,wrinkles,tomato sauce,sleep,stress,broccoli,tea,DNA damage,sprouts,sunburn,sprouting,Salmonella	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/	-
PLAIN-1489	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lauric-acid/	lauric acid	-	-	LDL cholesterol,myristic acid,industry influence,heart health,flax seeds,Harvard,heart disease,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,palmitic acid,water,weight loss,women's health,USDA,stearic acid,philippines	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/	-
PLAIN-1490	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lavender/	lavender	-	-	medications,side effects,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,rosemary,blood pressure,breast cancer,cancer,women's health,aromatherapy,pain,endocrine disruptors,headaches,breast health,elderly	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/14/using-lavender-to-treat-anxiety/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanut-butter-smell-test-for-alzheimers/	-
PLAIN-1491	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/laxatives/	laxatives	-	-	colon health,surgery,diabetes,fiber,vegetarians,plant-based diets,fruit,medications,aspirin,allergies,antacids,vegans,FDA,dried fruit,industry influence	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/10/plant-based-benefits-extend-beyond-the-top-killers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-1492	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/	LDL cholesterol	The best way to prevent heart disease seems to be by consuming a plant-based diet and trying to lower your LDL cholesterol to the new target levels. Consuming cocoa power, golden raisins, and other healthy foods will help lower cholesterol. Eliminating brains, eggs, coconut milk, and coconut oil from one’s diet will also help you achieve healthier cholesterol levels.See also the related blog post: Amla: Indian gooseberries vs. cancer, diabetes, and cholesterol	-	cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,vegetables,fruit,meat,eggs,saturated fat,industry influence,animal fat,vegetarians,plant-based diets,HDL cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1493	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/	lead	-	-	heavy metals,mercury,cancer,meat,poultry,turkey,plant-based diets,industrial toxins,vegetarians,vegans,chicken,animal products,persistent organic pollutants,cadmium,arsenic	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/filled-full-of-lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1494	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leaky-gut-theory/	leaky gut theory	-	-	fat,milk,meat,seafood,dairy,fish,inflammation,animal products,animal fat,animal protein,animal studies,infant formula,arthritis,yogurt,infants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/	-
PLAIN-1495	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lecithin/	lecithin	-	-	metastases,milk,mortality,men's health,meat,inflammation,poultry,prostate cancer,TMAO,trimethylamine,turkey,American Egg Board,stroke,red meat,steak	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1496	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leeks/	leeks	-	-	celery,cauliflower,carrots,vegetables,eggplant,green beans,garlic,antioxidants,Brussels sprouts,beets,spinach,asparagus,broccoli,bell peppers,onions	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-1497	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/	legumes	-	-	beans,cancer,chickpeas,diabetes,lentils,meat,vegetables,split peas,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,grains,cardiovascular health,fruit,heart health,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/26/best-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/	-
PLAIN-1498	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemon-verbena/	lemon verbena	-	-	tea,antioxidants,herbal tea,beverages,bergamots,chamomile tea,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,vitamin E,vegetarians,vitamin C,thyme,rosemary,dandelion,fennel	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/	-
PLAIN-1499	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemonbalm/	lemonbalm	-	-	oxidative stress,peppermint,spices,antioxidants,tea,herbal tea,phytonutrients,McDonald’s,marjoram,meat,microwaving,nuts,nutmeg,legumes,India	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-1500	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemongrass/	lemongrass	-	-	phytonutrients,peppermint,lemon verbena,red tea,rooibos,thyme,tea,rosemary,rose hips,lavender,Korea,chamomile tea,beverages,bergamots,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/	-
PLAIN-1501	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemons/	lemons	-	-	citrus,fruit,antioxidants,oranges,phytonutrients,grapefruit,tea,limes,juice,beverages,plant-based diets,black tea,berries,cranberries,vitamin C	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	-
PLAIN-1502	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentil-effect/	lentil effect	-	-	peas,pasta,metabolic syndrome,potatoes,prediabetes,sugar,second meal effect,rice,lentils,chickpeas,bread,blood sugar,diabetes,fiber,insulin	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	-
PLAIN-1503	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/	lentils	-	-	beans,cancer,chickpeas,plant-based diets,split peas,legumes,antioxidants,meat,vegetarians,vegans,fruit,rectal cancer,heart disease,colon cancer,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/	-
PLAIN-1504	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leptin/	leptin	-	-	gastric bypass,meat,obesity,weight loss,plant-based diets,fiber,dairy,body fat,adipocytes,children,colon disease,constipation,colon health,abdominal fat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/	-
PLAIN-1505	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/	lettuce	-	-	fruit,vegetables,phytonutrients,meat,poultry,chicken,carrots,antioxidants,heart disease,vitamin C,blueberries,apples,heart health,cardiovascular disease,oxidative stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/23/can-antioxidant-rich-spices-counteract-the-effects-of-a-high-fat-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	-
PLAIN-1506	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leucine/	leucine	-	-	mood,mortality,plant protein,plant-based diets,meat,longevity,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,poultry,protein,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,turkey,TOR	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1507	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/	leukemia	-	-	cancer,meat,vegetables,chicken,mortality,animal products,vegetarians,plant-based diets,chemotherapy,women's health,vegans,beef,heart health,rectal cancer,brain health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/13/how-risky-are-ct-scans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1508	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lichen-planus/	lichen planus	-	-	purslane,oral health,mouth cancer,steroids,sunchokes,watercress,vegetables,medications,celery root,autoimmune diseases,artichokes,complementary medicine,fiddlehead ferns,Jerusalem artichokes,immune function	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/	-
PLAIN-1509	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/licorice/	licorice	-	-	mental health,memory,kidney health,pregnancy,prostate cancer,women's health,vision,speech impairment,prostate health,junk food,hyperactivity,cancer,brain health,attention deficit,alternative medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1510	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/	lifespan	Japan has the number one life expectancy of any nation while the US falls around 19th. A study recently suggested that eating a single serving of berries every day could add an extra year to our lifespan. The available evidence also suggests that eating nuts may extend our life (see also here. A plant based diet overall is thought to be capable of reversing heart disease and, thus, extending the lifespan (see also here, here, here, here) by almost 14 years. A study found that those eating one serving of fruits and vegetables a day died 19 months sooner than those eating five servings a day, a direct correlation between plant-based diets and lifespan. However, British vegetarians do not appear to live longer than British meat eaters (possibly due to the fact that they are less likely to supplement their diet with vitamin B12). Coffee has been associated with decreased all-cause mortality. Besides diet, sleeping 7 hours a night may maximize longevity. Severe caloric restriction has been found to extend the lives of animals in laboratories, and lowers our target of rapamycin, or TOR, which is a major determinant of aging. This caloric restriction can easily be met by reducing animal protein and increasing plant consumption..On the other hand, there are a few vitamin supplements that may increase all-cause mortality, or shorten the lifespan (see also here). Vitamin C and multivitamins don’t appear to offer net benefit.. Iron pills have also been linked to a shorter lifespan. Vitamin D, however, actually appears to make us live longer (see also here, here, here, here, here). Meat intake may increase total mortality according to the massive NIH-AARP study (the largest forward looking study of diet and health in history). Similarly, the Harvard Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study linked red meat consumption to living a significantly shorter life—increased cancer mortality, increased heart disease mortality, and increased overall mortality. Not surprisingly then, people on animal-based, low carb diets have been found to live significantly shorter lives (increased risk of all cause mortality). A shorter life span has also been associated with untreated celiac disease, early puberty, consumption of processed meats and fish, kombucha tea, and eating just one egg a day has been found to shorten our lifespan (see also here, here, ). Dark fish consumption (such as salmon) has been linked with atrial fibrillation (a heartbeat arrhythmia, which can significantly shorten the lifespan).Moderate alcohol consumption does not appear to affect the lifespan of healthy people either positively or negatively.	-	mortality,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,vegetables,plant-based diets,meat,cancer,exercise,heart health,medications,vegans,vegetarians,nuts,standard American diet,longevity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/27/how-avoiding-eggs-could-help-you-avoid-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caloric-restriction-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/americans-are-living-longer-but-sicker-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-multivitamins-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flawed-study-interpretation-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-difficulty-of-arriving-at-a-vitamin-d-recommendation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	-
PLAIN-1511	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/	Lifestyle medicine	-	-	plant-based diets,cardiovascular disease,cancer,heart disease,medications,exercise,fruit,vegetarians,chronic diseases,vegetables,heart health,mortality,cholesterol,vegans,meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-vs-drugs-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/	-
PLAIN-1512	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lignans/	lignans	-	-	flax seeds,seeds,cancer,breast cancer,women's health,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,fruit,breast cancer survival,phytonutrients,vegetables,breast health,mortality,fiber	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/15/flaxseeds-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/	-
PLAIN-1513	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lima-beans/	lima beans	-	-	legumes,lentils,LDL cholesterol,heart health,heart disease,mortality,navy beans,U.S. Dry Bean Council,soybeans,soy,pinto beans,garbanzo beans,edamame,surgery,vegetables	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-dangers-of-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/	-
PLAIN-1514	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/limes/	limes	-	-	citrus,lemons,grapefruit,fruit,fruit juice,oranges,tea,sugar,plant-based diets,body fat,phytonutrients,orange juice,hesperidin,milk,Coca-Cola	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	-
PLAIN-1515	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/limonin/	limonin	-	-	greens,phytonutrients,vegetables,fruit,tangeretin,gingerols,lifespan,ginger,cranberries,citrus,longevity,mortality,rosmarinic acid,theanine,rosemary	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/	-
PLAIN-1516	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lindane/	Lindane	-	-	pork,poultry,pesticides,persistent organic pollutants,omega-3 fatty acids,PCBs,red meat,safety limits,white meat,World Health Organization,vegetables,Toxaphene,seafood,lamb,DHA	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/	-
PLAIN-1517	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/linguatula-serrate/	Linguatula serrate	-	-	stomach health,seafood,parasites,sushi,tongue worm,worms,toxic megacolon,organ meats,eye health,eye disease,eye parasites,fish,foodborne illness,food poisoning,CDC	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/	-
PLAIN-1518	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lipitor/	Lipitor	-	-	heart health,medications,cholesterol,heart disease,side effects,statins,cardiovascular disease,mortality,plant-based diets,liver health,cardiovascular health,breast cancer,cancer,fat,obesity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/28/soymilk-shake-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/23/generic-lipitor-is-not-the-answer-to-our-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/13/cholesterol-lowering-in-a-nut-shell/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/	-
PLAIN-1519	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liposuction/	liposuction	-	-	New York City,PBDEs,persistent organic pollutants,industrial toxins,body fat,flame-retardant chemicals,algae,Singapore,Spain,Japan,fibroids,France,Antarctica,endocrine disruptors,salmon	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	-
PLAIN-1520	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lipotoxicity/	lipotoxicity	-	-	nuts,olives,omnivores,muscle health,mortality,meat,milk,monounsaturated fats,oxidative stress,pancreas health,vegetable oil,vegetarians,weight loss,vegans,trans fats	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/	-
PLAIN-1521	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lipotoxicty/	lipotoxicty	-	-	pancreas health,muscle health,prediabetes,saturated fat,sugar,low-carb diets,blood sugar,diabetes,fat,insulin,athletes	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/	-
PLAIN-1523	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liquid-smoke/	liquid smoke	-	-	hormesis,stress,vegetables,green tea,oxidative stress,exercise,ham,fish sauce,herbal tea,turkey,herring,fish,fat,cooking methods,cooking temperature	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/	-
PLAIN-1524	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/listeria/	Listeria	-	-	industry influence,foodborne illness,food poisoning,meat,poultry,Salmonella,turkey,processed meat,toxoplasma,fecal bacteria,Campylobacter,chicken,FDA,USDA,hot dogs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/	-
PLAIN-1525	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver/	liver	-	-	cancer,meat,men's health,liver health,vegetables,eggs,fruit,turkey,fish,poultry,chicken,brain health,animal products,pork,prostate cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/18/broccoli-boosts-liver-detox-enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/01/foie-gras-ban-in-california-human-health-implications/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/	-
PLAIN-1526	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/	liver cancer	Major causes of liver cancer are diseases such as hepatitis and consuming too much alcohol. But there are plenty of ways to help lower our risk of liver cancer by dietary means. Eating broccoli, cranberries, lemons, amla, walnuts and pecans may lower our risk of liver cancer and cancer in general, as may increasing the amount of phytates in our blood, which are most commonly found in whole-foods such as beans, nuts and grains. Recently, coffee has been shown to decrease the liver cancer risk of those that consume alcohol by 50% (but simply not drinking alcohol is a better solution!). Sea vegetables may also suppress the risk of liver cancer, but be wary of their iodine content and avoid Hiziki (or Hijiki) seaweed and Spirulina. Lastly, it’s best to avoid added sugars, such as high fructose corn syrup and table sugar, as that can lead to fat build-up in our livers.	-	cancer,breast cancer,liver health,mortality,rectal cancer,liver disease,colon cancer,pancreatic cancer,fruit,antioxidants,alcohol,smoking,oral cancer,breast health,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/10/coffee-caveats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-1527	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/	liver disease	The USDA has failed to safeguard the meat supply from drug residues and toxic metals, which may result in jaundice and other liver issues. The discovery of infectious hepatitis E virus in retail pork products may help explain the purported association between liver failure and pork consumption. The transfer of blood on cutting machines may explain hepatitis C transmission between deli workers. Potentially toxic to the liver: noni juice, Herbalife® supplements (see here, here), spirulina (see here, here), cod liver oil, BPA in plastics, JuicePlus+® supplements, and shark cartilage.The good news is that a vegetable protein diet appears to treat liver failure. Indian gooseberries may also protect the liver. And Ceylon cinnamon is the safest because it does not contain coumarin, which may damage the liver at toxic doses. Lastly, chamomile tea may not be safe to consume if you have a liver disease.Dr. Greger covers liver disease in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	liver health,vegetables,fruit,diabetes,cancer,alcohol,side effects,obesity,mortality,rice,weight loss,complementary medicine,DNA damage,Europe,chronic diseases	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbalife%c2%ae-supplement-liver-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife%c2%ae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbalife-supplement-liver-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus%c2%ae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-1528	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-failure/	liver failure	-	-	liver disease,side effects,supplements,liver health,mortality,cancer,safety limits,seizures,blood pressure,food additives,burgers,women's health,complementary medicine,blackberries,cardiovascular disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/	-
PLAIN-1529	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/	liver health	The liver is a detoxifying machine (see also here). The following appear to promote liver health: green tea, Indian gooseberries (see also here), and broccoli. Possibly protective against liver cancer: black beans, and coffee (see also here).Possibly toxic to the liver: noni juice, Herbalife supplements (see also here), Juice Plus+ supplements, spirulina (see also here), BPA in plastics, cod liver oil, drugs and toxic metals in meat, pesticides, coumarin (found in some types of cinnamon), kava kava, and green tea supplements.Hepatitis E is now known to be a zoonotic (animal-to-human) disease that may be contracted from pigs via pork consumption. Hepatitis C may be transmitted between deli workers via blood contamination of slicers. And poultry workers have been found to have an excess of liver cancer, among other types of cancer.See also the related blog post: The Best Detox	-	liver disease,diabetes,cancer,obesity,blood sugar,cholesterol,aging,weight loss,side effects,heart health,cardiovascular health,grains,fruit,exercise,beans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbalife%C2%AE-supplement-liver-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife%C2%AE/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbalife-supplement-liver-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus%c2%ae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	-
PLAIN-1530	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-inflammation/	liver inflammation	-	-	liver health,mortality,alcohol,fatty liver disease,liver disease,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,fall risk,obesity,Norway,mood,weakness,statins,heart health,kidney failure	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/	-
PLAIN-1531	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/loma-linda-university/	Loma Linda University	-	-	meat,milk,mortality,kidney health,kidney failure,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,kidney disease,nuts,obesity,veggie burgers,veggie dogs,vision,water	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/	-
PLAIN-1532	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/long-island/	Long Island	-	-	breast disease,breast cancer,women's health,plant-based diets,cancer survival,breast health,cancer,mortality,dairy,endometrial cancer,Harvard,industrial toxins,grilling,frying,brain health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/	-
PLAIN-1533	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/	longevity	Japan has the number one life expectancy of any nation; the US falls around 19th. A study recently suggested that eating a single serving of berries every day could add an extra year to our lifespan. The available evidence also suggests that eating nuts may extend our life by years. A plant based diet overall is thought to be capable of reversing heart disease and, thus, extending the lifespan (see also here, here, here, here). However, British vegetarians do not appear to live longer than British meat eaters (possibly due to the fact that they are less likely to supplement their diet with vitamin B12). And lastly, coffee has been associated with decreased all-cause mortality. Besides diet, sleeping 7 hours a night may maximize longevity. Severe caloric restriction has been found to extend the lives of animals in laboratories.On the other hand, there are a number of vitamin supplements that have been found to increase all-cause mortality, or shorten the lifespan (see also here). Iron pills have also been linked to a shorter lifespan. Eating just one egg a day has been found to shorten our lifespan (see also here). Meat intake means increases in total mortality according to the massive NIH-AARP study (the largest forward looking study of diet and health in history). Processed meats and fish have likewise been associated with accelerated aging. Similarly, the Harvard Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study linked red meat consumption to living a significantly shorter life—increased cancer mortality, increased heart disease mortality, and increased overall mortality. Not surprisingly then, people on animal-based low carb diets have been found to live significantly shorter lives. Untreated celiac disease may shorten the lifespan. Early puberty has been associated with a shorter lifespan. Kombucha tea has been associated with life threatening effects and should be avoided. Dark fish consumption (such as salmon) has been linked with atrial fibrillation (a heartbeat arrhythmia, which can significantly shorten the lifespan).Moderate alcohol consumption does not affect the lifespan of healthy people either positively or negatively. Vitamin C and multivitamin supplements appear to have a neutral effect on our lifespan. Vitamin D, however, seems to be the only supplement that actually appears to make us live longer (see also here, here, here, here, here). And women with breast cancer who eat soy appear to survive longer.See also the related blog post: How to live longer in four easy steps	-	heart disease,mortality,vegetables,cardiovascular disease,aging,fruit,plant-based diets,cancer,cardiovascular health,heart health,lifespan,DNA damage,oxidative stress,nuts,meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/24/how-to-live-longer-in-four-easy-steps/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caloric-restriction-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/americans-are-living-longer-but-sicker-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-multivitamins-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flawed-study-interpretation-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-difficulty-of-arriving-at-a-vitamin-d-recommendation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	-
PLAIN-1534	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lou-gehrigs-disease/	Lou Gehrig's disease	-	-	Alzheimer’s disease,brain health,neurotoxins,dementia,Parkinson's disease,BMAA,ALS,blue-green algae,brain disease,complementary medicine,fish,health food stores,nutrition myths,alternative medicine,seafood	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/	-
PLAIN-1535	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/louis-pasteur/	Louis Pasteur	-	-	lung health,medical education,Lifestyle medicine,infants,mortality,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,standard American diet,vaccines,Rice Diet,rabies,plant-based diets,heart health,heart disease,chronic diseases,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/	-
PLAIN-1536	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lovastatin/	lovastatin	-	-	cholesterol,plant-based diets,statins,LDL cholesterol,nutrition myths,medications,side effects,fruit,heart health,supplements,red yeast rice,mortality,vegetarians,mold,glaucoma	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/	-
PLAIN-1537	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-carb-diets/	low-carb diets	-	-	plant-based diets,vegetables,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,cholesterol,heart health,diabetes,fat,vegans,grains,nuts,weight loss,LDL cholesterol,mortality,meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	-
PLAIN-1538	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/	low-fat diets	Fatty foods have been shown to be a leading cause of obesity and may actually be addictive. And substituting just 1% of saturated fat in your diet can add nearly a whole year’s worth of length to our telomeres (telomere length is a measure of cellular aging).  Consuming less animal fat may reduce cholesterol. Consuming more plant-based fat in the form of whole foods, thoug, such as those found in nuts and avocados, may actually be good for you. Some vitamins and other phytonutrients are fat-soluble, meaning they are best absorbed in combination with a source of fat, so choosing a low-fat or fat-free salad dressing to top your salad may not be as good for you (unless you add some walnuts or other healthy source of fat on top).	-	fat,animal fat,body fat,plant-based diets,heart disease,mortality,heart health,women's health,cardiovascular health,cancer,breast cancer,cardiovascular disease,chemotherapy,obesity,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1539	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lower-back-pain/	lower back pain	-	-	pain,cholesterol,back pain,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chronic diseases,LDL cholesterol,migraine headaches,mental health,insomnia,headaches,Finland,flexitarians,omnivores,inflammation	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/31/watermelon-for-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1540	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lox/	lox	-	-	mesquite,mutation,oxidative stress,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,liver health,hormesis,liquid smoke,liver disease,poultry,safety limits,tumor suppressor genes,turkey,vegetables,tobacco,stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/	-
PLAIN-1541	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/	lung cancer	Lung cancer can grow for 20 years before being detected. A plant-based diet, however, may help prevent the disease. Total meat consumption (especially processed meat) has also been associated with lung cancer risk. Eggs also contain harmful dioxins, which appear to increase the odds of getting lung cancer. Consuming just half an egg per day is associated with double the risk of lung cancer. Drinking green tea provides phytocannabinoids (which ease nausea, pain and have a calming effect) without the lung cancer risk associated with smoking marijuana. Green tea is rich in flavonoids, which may explain why Asians have less lung cancer, even given their higher smoking rates. However, antioxidant supplements are not an effective replacement for eating real veggies. Lutein pills have even actually been shown to increase the risk of lung cancer. The inclusion of cruciferous and allium veggies in your diet is an effective dietary-based chemo-preventive strategy and seems to protect DNA from mutation. Similarly, Indian gooseberries and broccoli also appear to be effective in slowing cancer cell growth in a petri dish.	-	cancer,smoking,tobacco,chicken,alcohol,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,poultry,breast cancer,cardiovascular health,Lifestyle medicine,heart health,mortality,turkey	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-1542	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/	lung disease	Dr. Greger covers lung disease in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	lung health,smoking,asthma,cancer,allergies,vegetarians,vegans,fruit,oxidative stress,children,plant-based diets,eczema,vegetables,chicken,cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1543	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/	lung health	The following appear to promote lung health: Indian gooseberries, exercise, garlic, broccoli, green tea, fruits & vegetables (see here, here, here). Homeopathy appears to be ineffective in the treatment of lung problems.The following are thought to cause lung problems: artificial butter flavor, deep frying vapors, dairy, and arachidonic acid.And the following have been associated with increased lung cancer risk: marijuana (see also here), cigarettes (see also here), processed meat, and frying bacon.	-	lung disease,smoking,asthma,plant-based diets,fruit,vegetarians,vegetables,cancer,oxidative stress,children,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,eczema,chronic diseases,kidney health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1544	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lutein/	lutein	Lutein is a carotenoid phytonutrient that may promote attractive skin, healthy vision, and may decrease chromosome damage when exposed to radiation (such as when flying). Despite what the supplement and egg industries might say, the best dietary source of lutein is whole fruits and vegetables, especially greens such as spinach and kale.	-	phytonutrients,vegetables,eggs,greens,cholesterol,zeaxanthin,eye health,fruit,beta carotene,kale,antioxidants,chicken,vision,vegans,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/	-
PLAIN-1545	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/luteolin/	luteolin	-	-	plant-based diets,polyphenols,rice,phytonutrients,peppers,metastases,spices,strawberries,weight loss,women's health,VEGF,vegetarians,tea,vegans,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/	-
PLAIN-1546	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lycopene/	lycopene	Lycopene is a fat soluble phytonutrient found especially in processed tomato products such as tomato juice that may help prevent prostate cancer and glaucoma. It should be obtained from whole fruits and vegetables (see also here), rather than supplements and is best absorbed when cooked (see also here).	-	phytonutrients,tomatoes,antioxidants,greens,fruit,vegetables,lutein,nutrient absorption,cancer,nuts,women's health,vegetarians,beta carotene,men's health,cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/	-
PLAIN-1547	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lyme-disease/	lyme disease	-	-	meat,mushrooms,Neu5Gc,liver health,kidney health,kingdom,liver disease,parasites,plant protein,thyroid disease,thyroid health,tick bites,STARI,saliva,pork	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/	-
PLAIN-1548	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lymphoma/	lymphoma	-	-	cancer,meat,leukemia,chicken,vegetables,cancer viruses,dairy,vegetarians,beef,animal products,mortality,non-Hodgkin lymphoma,farm animals,poultry,zoonotic disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-1549	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lyon-diet-heart-study/	Lyon Diet Heart Study	-	-	mortality,nuts,Mediterranean diet,meat,heart disease,olive oil,omega-3 fatty acids,walnuts,wine,smoking,saturated fat,plant-based diets,PREDIMED,Greece,fruit	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/	-
PLAIN-1550	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mms/	M&M's	-	-	Coca-Cola,Snack Food Association,USDA,Sara Lee,National Dairy Promotion Board,National Dairy Council,food additives,gum arabic,soda,processed foods,marshmallows,junk food,National Dairy Board,McDonald’s,Dannon	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gum-arabic-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-1551	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/macadamia-nuts/	macadamia nuts	-	-	cashews,peanuts,nuts,pine nuts,pecans,almonds,brazil nuts,pistachios,obesity,walnuts,oxidative stress,hazelnuts,mortality,antioxidants,weight loss	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/	-
PLAIN-1552	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/macadamia-oil/	macadamia oil	-	-	rice bran oil,oxidative stress,sesame oil,shelf life,walnut oil,oils,avocado oil,DNA damage,grape seed oil,hazelnut oil,almond oil	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-
PLAIN-1553	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mackerel/	mackerel	-	-	seafood,fish,salmon,foodborne illness,food poisoning,infants,pregnancy,children,persistent organic pollutants,sardines,anchovies,cooking temperature,EPA,fish oil,memory	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/	-
PLAIN-1554	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/macular-degeneration/	macular degeneration	-	-	eye health,eye disease,vision,cataracts,lutein,vegetables,heart health,heart disease,eggs,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,phytonutrients,aging,blindness,glaucoma	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/	-
PLAIN-1555	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mad-cow-disease/	mad cow disease	-	-	prion disease,brain health,seafood,fish,heavy metals,mercury,omnivores,factory farming practices,meat,vegetarians,beef,neurotoxins,ciguatera,cholera,brain parasites	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/25/mad-cow-california-is-the-milk-supply-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/01/foie-gras-ban-in-california-human-health-implications/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/	-
PLAIN-1556	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maggots/	maggots	-	-	insects,bacteriophages,foodborne illness,pork,colon health,cheese,urinary tract infections,food additives,meat,dairy,food poisoning,pesticides,persistent organic pollutants,omnivores,oatmeal	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/01/why-is-selling-salmonella-tainted-chicken-still-legal/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bug-appetit-barriers-to-entomophagy/	-
PLAIN-1557	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/magnesium/	magnesium	-	-	fiber,plant-based diets,greens,iron,calcium,vegetarians,beans,vegans,lentils,heart health,seeds,vitamin E,vegetables,vitamin C,heart disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/08/magnesium-to-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	-
PLAIN-1558	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maimonides/	Maimonides	-	-	milk,mucus,sinus health,lung health,Judaism,casomorphin,dairy,evolution,industry influence,casein	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/	-
PLAIN-1559	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maitake-mushrooms/	maitake mushrooms	-	-	mushrooms,oyster mushrooms,shiitake mushrooms,inflammation,crimini mushrooms,heart disease,heart health,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/	-
PLAIN-1560	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/malaria/	malaria	-	-	quinine,spices,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,medications,aspirin,lovastatin,leukemia,mold,mortality,morphine,LDL cholesterol,heart failure,digoxin,diabetes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/	-
PLAIN-1561	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/malaysia/	Malaysia	-	-	LDL cholesterol,McDonald’s,medium-chain fatty acids,saturated fat,processed foods,heart health,heart disease,coconut milk,cholesterol,coconuts,Egg McMuffin,fiber,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1562	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maltodextrin/	maltodextrin	-	-	meat,plant-based diets,junk food,inflammatory bowel disease,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,inflammation,plantains,Polysorbate 80,vegetables,vegetarians,xanthan gum,vegans,ulcerative colitis,processed foods,Splenda	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-1563	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/manganese/	manganese	-	-	oolong tea,limes,lemons,kidney failure,orange juice,pregnancy,World Health Organization,white tea,tea,safety limits,iron,hibiscus tea,children,breast milk,black tea	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	-
PLAIN-1564	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mango/	mango	-	-	fruit,antioxidants,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,ranking foods,plant-based diets,blueberries,goji berries,dried fruit,strawberries,milk,grapes,apples,dairy,frozen fruit	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/	-
PLAIN-1565	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mangosteen/	mangosteen	-	-	juice,natural toxins,supplements,stroke,side effects,seizures,alternative medicine,safety limits,complementary medicine,processed foods,snake oil,xanthones,nutrition myths,health food stores,enzymes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1566	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/manure/	manure	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,plant-based diets,organochlorines,omnivores,neurotoxins,poultry,prion disease,vegetarians,vegans,seafood,saturated fat,mercury,chicken,clams,cheese	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/	-
PLAIN-1567	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mao-inhibitors/	MAO Inhibitors	-	-	mood,nutmeg,onions,oregano,mental health,medications,kale,lung cancer,lung health,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,tobacco,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/	-
PLAIN-1568	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maple-syrup/	maple syrup	-	-	ranking foods,antioxidants,soy milk,standard American diet,brown rice syrup,agave nectar,white tea,smoothies,recipes,oxidative stress,milk,pancakes,phytonutrients,brown sugar,pork	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/07/is-there-a-safe-low-calorie-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/	-
PLAIN-1569	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maraschino-cherry/	maraschino cherry	-	-	mortality,liver health,liver disease,processed foods,red dye #3,thyroid health,thyroid disease,thyroid cancer,liver cancer,industry influence,chemotherapy,cancer,artificial colors,children,DNA damage	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/	-
PLAIN-1570	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mareks-disease-virus/	Marek's disease virus	-	-	poultry,mortality,poultry viruses,poultry workers,turkey,reticuloendotheliosis virus,farm animals,meat,chicken,avian leukosis/sarcoma virus,eggs,spinal cord health,schizophrenia,thyroid disease,thyroid health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	-
PLAIN-1571	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/margarine/	margarine	-	-	trans fats,junk food,fat,USDA,processed foods,butter,nuts,fish,phytonutrients,dietary guidelines,meat,sugar,dairy,standard American diet,potato chips	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/	-
PLAIN-1572	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marion-nestle/	Marion Nestle	-	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,industry influence,carotid arteries,USDA,pomegranates,FTC,trans fats,pomegranate juice,nutrition myths,Pepsi,FDA,cardiovascular health,heart health,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/	-
PLAIN-1573	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marjoram/	marjoram	-	-	parsley,pasta,peppermint,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,oregano,nutmeg,nuts,oatmeal,oats,plant-based diets,ranking foods,sweet potatoes,tabouli,tea	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-1574	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marketing/	marketing	The Federal Government spends about 10 million dollars a year to educate people about healthy eating; candy corporations spend twice as much as that launching a new candy bar (see also here).Fish oil has been marketed as reducing inflammation. However, this may not be true. Fish oil has been found to contain PCBs and DDT, which can be detrimental to health, despite chemical company ads to the contrary. Eggs have been marketed as being health promoting; egg consumption, however, has been linked to strokes, heart failure, and diabetes. Arsenic is marketed to poison the parasites that factory farmed chickens have; the public health consequences of arsenic in the diet include cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and neurocognitive deficits in children. The meat industry has advertised that slimming phytoestrogens have been found in animal products, but at quantities up to a thousand times lower than in plant foods (beef/chicken: 4, veggie burger: 4,000; dairy milk: 6, soymilk: 6,000).The meat industry advertises that meat consumption is not linked to cancer based on a 4 page report conducted by 2 scientists done over one summer overseen by a for-profit firm (that has in the past offered results that downplay the risks of pesticides) and paid for by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. A new strategy for marketing meat to children resulted in the Chiparoo, which is meant to be a cross between beef jerky and a potato chip and is made out of either chicken or rabbits.The tolerable daily upper limit intake of trans fats is zero; the USDA, even though 20% of daily trans-fat intake comes from animal products, does not advocate a vegan diet.Benzene (a carcinogen) has been found in 60% of soda tested; the soda industry seems to have been aware of this fact for 18 years but chose not to reveal it. Artificial colors may be harmful to a child’s nervous system, but Dow Chemical and Coca-Cola managed to convince the medical establishment otherwise for 43 years. Acrylamide in french fries has been linked to cancer; the industry is looking into ways to mitigate risk. The corn corporations say there is no mercury in corn syrup; test results seem to show that there is contamination. Cocoa has been found to raise good cholesterol; a drug produced by Pfizer did the same, although it was pulled from the shelf because of the serious risk of death it posed.See also the related blog post: Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of making illegally deceptive claims	-	safety limits,heart health,eggs,fish,cardiovascular disease,nutrition myths,chicken,heart disease,EPA,seafood,poultry,soda,industry influence,processed foods,factory farming practices	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/24/wisconsin-milk-marketing-board-accused-of-making-illegally-deceptive-claims/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/	-
PLAIN-1575	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marshmallows/	marshmallows	-	-	junk food,processed foods,doughnuts,pork,plant-based diets,sugar,vegans,colon health,food additives,candy,vegetarians,chicken,meat,chewing gum,nanoparticles	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gum-arabic-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	-
PLAIN-1576	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/massage/	massage	-	-	medications,side effects,Valium,cancer,aromatherapy,benzodiazepines,anxiety,breast cancer,endocrine disruptors,breast development,cognition,estrogen,breast health,breast disease,gynecomastia	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/14/using-lavender-to-treat-anxiety/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/	-
PLAIN-1577	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mastalgia/	mastalgia	-	-	reproductive health,seeds,plant-based diets,ovary health,menstruation,side effects,surgery,vitamin E,women's health,vegetarians,vegans,tamoxifen,medications,mastectomy,caffeine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/	-
PLAIN-1578	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mastectomy/	mastectomy	-	-	plant-based diets,ovary health,menstruation,medications,side effects,surgery,alternative medicine,women's health,vegetarians,vegans,reproductive health,breast disease,fertility,breast health,hormones	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/	-
PLAIN-1579	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mastitis/	mastitis	-	-	supplements,staph infection,pus,prenatal vitamins,thyroid disease,thyroid health,World Health Organization,women's health,Virginia Messina,pregnancy,plant-based diets,infants,dairy,cretinism,breastfeeding	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/08/how-much-pus-is-there-in-milk/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/	-
PLAIN-1580	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/matcha/	matcha	-	-	tea,green tea,beverages,Red Zinger,Red Bull,recipes,red tea,water,convenience,Japan,China,Asia,wine,ranking foods,milk	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1581	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mate/	maté	-	-	polycyclic hydrocarbons,yerba mate,natural toxins,carcinogens,herbal tea,beverages	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-yerba-mate-tea-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1582	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mayo-clinic/	Mayo Clinic	-	-	brain health,brain disease,stroke,side effects,women's health,CDC,cysticercosis,pulmonary embolism,brain parasites,Premarin,heart health,heart disease,hormones,industry influence,menopause	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/	-
PLAIN-1583	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcdonalds-2/	McDonald’s	-	-	eggs,smoking,fast food,meat,industry influence,fat,tobacco,cholesterol,fruit,cheese,red meat,burgers,alcohol,poultry,nuts	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-1584	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcgovern-report/	McGovern Report	-	-	mortality,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,National Dairy Council,milk,meat,industry influence,lifespan,plant-based diets,pork,sugar,vegans,vegetarians,smoking,seafood,salt	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/	-
PLAIN-1585	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/	meat	The new USDA Dietary Guidelines suggest moderating the consumption of meat (see videos here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here). A healthy eating score can be determined by the proportion of foods with phytochemicals (plant nutrients) a person consumes. Eating vegetarian also has been positively associated with less disease, surgery, and medication use, fewer allergies (see here, here), and improved lung function in COPD (emphysema) patients (see also here). A plant-based diet truly may be the best investment for our health.Meat eaters appear to be at a higher risk for certain cancers (see also here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here). The high levels of nitrosamines (carcinogenic compounds found in processed meats) may be partially to blame for this (see also here, here, here, here). The carcinogenic chemicals formed by the cooking of muscles (especially chicken) may also pose a danger. And since food is a package deal, even if meat is a “good” source of certain nutrients, it may not be good for us in the end (because of the other nutritional baggage, such as cholesterol and saturated animal fat). Cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, abdominal aortic aneurysms, weight gain and obesity, diabetes (see also here), Alzheimer’s disease, spongiform encephalopathies, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and essential tremor may be associated with meat consumption. Premature breast development in girls has also been linked to meat eating. Xenoestrogens have been linked with early onset puberty; hormones in meat may also be responsible for female infertility.Lymphoma has been linked to higher meat consumption, specifically poultry consumption. Saturated fat intake (found primarily in cheese, chicken, ice cream, desserts) has been linked with an increased risk of dying from breast cancer. A recent Harvard study found meat-eating to be positively associated with increased overall mortality, including increased cancer and heart disease mortality (see also here). Transfat, saturated fat, and cholesterol are found primarily in animal products (see also here, here). This is significant because the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood may be the single best indicator of heart disease risk (see also here).Creatine supplements appear to have a minimal effect on meat eaters; furthermore, taking creatine supplements is not advised due to potential contamination with heavy metals. Putrescine, a chemical compound found in meat, cheese, and fermented foods (highest levels found in canned tuna), may be carcinogenic (see also here). Meat also may contain glycotoxins (AGEs), which may contribute to the aging process, but meat lacks the ability to boost telomerase activity, which may slow aging. Eating meat and eggs also results in higher levels of arachidonic acid in the body; this has been linked with inflammation, including inflammation of the brain, which may contribute to depression, anxiety, and stress. Other contaminants that may be found in meat, fish, and eggs: PCBs, dioxins, ammonia in fast food, anabolic steroids, drug residues, E. coli, banned pesticides, and industrial carcinogens. And retail meat in the U.S. has also been found to be contaminated with “superbugs” (see here, here, here, here)Exposing children to fecal bacteria from meat by placing the child in shopping cart baskets with raw meat packages is a risk factor for food poisoning. Similarly, while cooking will kill these fecal bacteria, cross contamination in the kitchen before the meat is cooked is a risk factor. A certain strain of these fecal bacteria can, in rare cases, result in Guillain-Barré syndrome. However, rare genetic disorders may require compounds in meat to be consumed as a supplement.Poultry workers also have higher rates of many diseases, thought to be due to exposure to poultry viruses and microorganisms at increased rates (see also here, here, here, here).The safest source of vitamin B12 is probably fortified foods and supplements rather than animal sources; getting it exclusively from eggs, for instance, would result in extremely high cholesterol consumption. Plant foods have more antioxidant power than animal foods (see also here). Traditional American breakfasts lack antioxidants, and an Indian gooseberry-spiked breakfast smoothie is a much healthier option. Adding herbs and spices to any meal is another excellent way to boost one’s antioxidant intake.See also the related blog posts: Adding FDA-Approved Viruses to Meat, E. coli O145 Ban Opposed by Meat Industry, Mad Cow California: Is the Milk Supply Safe?, Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies, Supreme Court case: meat industry sues to keep downed animals in food supply	-	cancer,vegetarians,animal products,vegetables,eggs,vegans,mortality,plant-based diets,fruit,dairy,beans,women's health,antioxidants,fiber,fish	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/25/mad-cow-california-is-the-milk-supply-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/filled-full-of-lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tightening-the-bible-belt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	-
PLAIN-1586	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat-analogs/	meat analogs	-	-	fake meat,veggie burgers,protein,soy,animal protein,veggie bacon,cancer,women's health,veggie chicken,pork,beef,hamburgers,plant protein,chicken,burgers	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/	-
PLAIN-1587	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat-glue/	meat glue	-	-	meat,gluten,foodborne illness,food poisoning,poultry,processed meat,turkey,transglutaminase,steak,salmon,fish,fecal contamination,autoimmune diseases,animal studies,animal protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/	-
PLAIN-1588	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meatless-mondays/	Meatless Mondays	-	-	PhIP,plant-based diets,oxidative stress,omnivores,MelQx,pork,poultry,vegans,vegetarians,turkey,supplements,protein,smoking,meat,IQ4 5b	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/	-
PLAIN-1589	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/	medical education	-	-	Lifestyle medicine,mortality,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cancer,heart health,cardiovascular health,chronic diseases,plant-based diets,cholesterol,medical profession,exercise,animal products,Dr. Dean Ornish,diabetes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/14/nutrition-education-in-medicine-a-doctor-a-day-keeps-the-apples-away/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	-
PLAIN-1590	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-ethics/	medical ethics	-	-	medications,medical profession,Lifestyle medicine,plant-based diets,side effects,alternative medicine,surgery,heart health,stroke,cardiovascular health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,heart disease,complementary medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/	-
PLAIN-1591	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/	medical profession	-	-	heart disease,cardiovascular disease,mortality,heart health,cardiovascular health,Lifestyle medicine,cancer,medical education,surgery,plant-based diets,cholesterol,vegetarians,vegans,medications,stroke	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/16/phosphate-additives-in-chicken-banned-elsewhere/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/14/nutrition-education-in-medicine-a-doctor-a-day-keeps-the-apples-away/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/	-
PLAIN-1592	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medicare/	Medicare	-	-	cost savings,turkey,tobacco,vegetables,American Heart Association,angina,sugar,seafood,soy,standard American diet,subsidies,cardiovascular disease,soda,claudication,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/14/heart-disease-there-is-a-cure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/	-
PLAIN-1594	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/	medications	Many modern medicines are simply plants that have been used in medicine for centuries. Aspirin, for example, is found naturally throughout the plant kingdom. Supplements can never hope to approach the number and complexity of phytonutrients that are found in whole food fruits and vegetables.Ground flax seed consumption appears to control prostate enlargement just as well as the leading prescription drug and is much cheaper. ½ a cup of vegetarian baked beans or pinto beans a day for 2 months has been found to result in a 20 point drop in cholesterol. Cocoa powder is packed with phytonutrients that lower our bad cholesterol and boost our good cholesterol; the drug by Pfizer that claimed this capability has been pulled from the market for increasing the odds of death by 60%. Rheumatoid arthritis has been linked with meat consumption so eating vegetarian may reduce the chances of getting it and also appears to treat it. Oral lichen planus has been found to be successfully treated with the common plant purslane. Soy appears to be protective against breast cancer; Tamoxifin users who ate the most soy had a 60% reduction in breast cancer recurrence. Saffron has been shown to treat Alzheimer’s just as effectively as the leading drug, Aricept. The anti-invasive effect of Indian gooseberries on breast cancer metastasis appeared comparable to that of chemotherapy drugs.Fat blocking diet drugs have some unhappy side effects (like anal leakage); vegans have been found to be leaner than everyone else and get less age related weight gain. Nuts have been found to possibly help us lose weight (as well as suppress cancer growth). A vegan diet can also prevent and reverse diabetes. And Indian gooseberries have been found to work as effectively in treating diabetes as a leading drug.Heart disease, the number one killer in the US, may be preventable with a low enough cholesterol; consequently, heart disease can be avoided by cutting cholesterol and saturated and trans fat from the diet or going on high dose statin drugs. Side effects of statins can include: memory loss, confusion, risk of muscle injury, increase in blood sugar levels, and increased risk of new onset diabetes. This makes the idea of providing statins (or a polypill) with fast food sound like a less desirable solution than lifestyle changes. Dr. Ornish has reversed heart disease for 20 years with a plant-based diet (see also here, here, here). Foods that help to lower our cholesterol include: almonds, Cheerios, oatmeal, flax seeds, kiwis, and red yeast rice.Vegetarians have been found to have lower levels of anxiety, stress, and depressed mood, possibly due to lower levels of arachidonic acid (and resultant brain inflammation) in their systems. A study of 15,000 American vegetarians found significantly lower use of medications such as aspirin, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, antacids, pain-killers, blood pressure medications, laxatives, and insulin. Drugs excreted in our urine can pollute our waterways and the fish swimming in them. They can then bioaccumulate in fish, although primarily in their brains. Some Ayurvedic medicines have been found to be contaminated with heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic) (see also here). Three fourths of arsenic in the American diet may come from animal product consumption.	-	cardiovascular disease,mortality,cancer,heart disease,Lifestyle medicine,heart health,cardiovascular health,plant-based diets,beans,vegetables,cholesterol,meat,chronic diseases,fruit,industry influence	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-vs-drugs-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/	-
PLAIN-1595	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meditation/	meditation	-	-	plant-based diets,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cancer,stress,cardiovascular health,exercise,cholesterol,Dr. Dean Ornish,dairy,weight loss,animal products,aging,meat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	-
PLAIN-1596	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/	Mediterranean diet	-	-	mortality,plant-based diets,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,nuts,cancer,fruit,alcohol,olive oil,meat,beans,dairy,vegetables,fish,chronic diseases	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	-
PLAIN-1597	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medium-chain-fatty-acids/	medium-chain fatty acids	-	-	coconuts,coconut milk,saturated fat,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,processed foods,cholesterol,coconut oil,McDonald’s,Malaysia,brain health,brain disease,coconut water	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1598	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/melanoma/	melanoma	-	-	cancer,meat,vegans,breast cancer,vegetarians,women's health,animal products,men's health,skin cancer,prostate cancer,beans,plant-based diets,antioxidants,skin health,nuts	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-1599	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/melatonin/	melatonin	-	-	nuts,medications,pineal gland,serotonin,tomatoes,sleep,side effects,fruit,kiwi fruit,meat,sunlight,mood,pineapples,plant-based diets,evolution	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/	-
PLAIN-1600	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/melqx/	MelQx	-	-	PhIP,plant-based diets,oxidative stress,omnivores,Meatless Mondays,pork,poultry,vegans,vegetarians,turkey,supplements,protein,smoking,meat,IQ4 5b	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/	-
PLAIN-1601	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/	memory	-	-	brain health,cognition,pregnancy,brain disease,meat,dementia,fish,vegetables,cancer,fruit,persistent organic pollutants,Alzheimer’s disease,women's health,food poisoning,supplements	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caloric-restriction-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/	-
PLAIN-1602	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/	men's health	A plant-based diet appears able to both prevent and treat prostate cancer (see also here, here, here). Whole plant foods, coffee, flax seeds (see also here, here, here), orange bell peppers, chamomile tea, apple peel, certain spices, and broccoli consumption may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. What else should we eat in a prostate-friendly diet? Eating tomatoes appears to protect against prostate cancer, possibly due to the red pigment lycopene. Eating whole food sources of fat such as nuts will help maximize lycopene absorption.Conversely, multivitamins , kimchi , and fried foods may increase the risk of prostate cancer. Boiling meat can reduce the carcinogenic potential of meat compared to dry heat methods of cooking such as grilling, broiling, or frying. The modern spike in prostate cancer rates in Japan may be liinked to consumption of hormone-laden meat. Similarly, the hormones in dairy may increase risk. The stimulation of human prostate cells from organic milk was compared to that of almond milk.Cutting down on saturated fats (primarily found in meat and dairy) appears to be linked to prostate cancer survival. Egg consumption—perhaps because of the choline—is associated with prostate cancer progression and death. Reducing the ratio of animal to plant protein in men’s diets may slow the progression of prostate cancer, though. Eating a plant-based diet may also protect against benign prostate hyperplasia—an enlarged prostate gland, likely a consequence of a Western diet.To improve muscle strength and weight lifting power in addition to potential anti-cancer properties, we can eat the spice fenugreek.Men eating the most meat appear to have twenty times the odds of having muscle tremors. Eating foods rich in carotenoids and vitamin C (though not cranberries) may be associated with a reduction of lower urinary tract infections in men. And male smokers over the age 65 are at the highest risk for an abdominal aortic aneurysm and should get an ultrasound to rule it out.Vegetarian men should be sure to eat whole grains, nuts, and beans every day to meet their zinc requirements.Chicken consumption during pregnancy may result in the feminization of the genitalia of male babies in utero (see also here). Xenoestrogens (human-made chemicals that have estrogenic effects) also may negatively influence male sperm counts. Soy consumption, on the other hand, has not been found to decrease male fertility. But meat consumption has been found to have a negative effect on the body odor attractiveness of men (which may affect fertility indirectily :) ). Men might be cautious about using lavender; though it works well in relief of persistent anxiety, it may have estrogenic effects (as might nettle tea). Mushrooms are the best source of the antioxidant amino acid ergothioneine, found in seminal fluid.Dioxins and PCB levels in men can be used as fish biomarkers; you can use blood levels to estimate how much fish men have been eating. Radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear power plant tragedy absorbed by the Pacific Ocean may be dwarfed on a global scale by the radioactivity already present in seafood that may lead to low sperm count. A study on men found that advice to eat oily fish or take fish oil to lower risk of heart disease, stroke, or mortality is no longer supported by the balance of available evidence.Watermelon and pistachios may be a natural treatment for erectile dysfunction. Coronary heart disease and impotence can be reversed with a healthy diet, whereas BPA contamination from sources such as water bottles, canned foods, and sliced turkey has been linked to increased risk cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and erectile dysfunction.	-	women's health,dairy,reproductive health,cancer,fruit,hormones,mortality,meat,children,milk,antioxidants,vegetables,breast cancer,organic foods,animal fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/body-odor-diet-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	-
PLAIN-1603	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menarche/	menarche	-	-	processed meat,premature puberty,plant protein,persistent organic pollutants,protein,puberty,xenoestrogens,steroids,seafood,PCBs,endocrine disruptors,dioxins,children,breast development,estrogen	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/	-
PLAIN-1604	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meningioma/	Meningioma	-	-	pain,radiation,thyroid health,X-rays,iatrogenic,head trauma,brain health,brain disease,brain tumors,cancer,dental health,American Dental Association	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/	-
PLAIN-1605	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menopause/	menopause	In a recent study, post-menopausal breast cancer survivors on Tamoxifen who ate the most soy had the lowest rates of breast cancer recurrence. This was also true of lignan intake (found in especially high levels in flax seeds). Postmenopausal women with breast cancer were found to have higher estrogen levels in the blood than women without breast cancer; however, women on a vegetarian diet had the lowest levels. This may help explain why breast cancer risk may be reduced by a vegetarian diet. Tumors in post-menopausal women do not have easy access to estrogen, which appears to feed tumors. These tumors may then turn to creating estrogen themselves; mushrooms have been found to disrupt this process.Eating soy foods appears to help with hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause. And daily dried apple consumption may promote cardiovascular health in post-menopausal women.	-	women's health,cancer,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,plant-based diets,animal products,estrogen,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,heart health,hormones,broccoli,fruit,oxidative stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/04/are-bioidentical-hormones-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-foods-menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1606	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menstruation/	menstruation	-	-	women's health,alternative medicine,plant-based diets,premenstrual syndrome,breast disease,medications,complementary medicine,vegetarians,hormones,mood,cancer,breast cancer,seeds,vegans,side effects	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/15/why-are-children-starting-puberty-earlier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1607	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/	mental health	Plant-based diets may positively influence mental health. Vegetarians, in both cross-sectional and interventional studies, appear to have fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and mood disturbance than omnivores, perhaps because of less need for medical treatment or because of the significantly lower intake of arachidonic acid (see also here), which is found in particularly high levels in chicken and eggs. The genetic manipulation of chickens by the poultry industry may also have negative public mental health impacts. Chicken has been linked to a variety of neurological and psychiatric conditions. Toxoplasma brain parasites from meat have been linked to schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder.While our physical and mental health may be significantly enhanced and protected by a plant-based diet, awareness of food additives, vitamin B12 deficiency and the toxicity of certain plant foods is essential. Green tea and exercise may both have positive effects on mood, whereas artificial colors may increase impulsivity, inattentiveness and hyperactivity in children and eating licorice has been linked to rule breaking, aggression, attention, speech and visual-spatial ability problems in children whose mothers ate more licorice during pregnancy. Vitamin B-12 is one of the two vitamins not made by plants. Vitamin B-12 deficiency have been linked to cases of psychosis, suicidal depression, and cognitive decline, occurring in unsupplemented vegan diets. Thankfully there are safe, cheap, convenient sources.Dr. Greger covers mental health in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	depression,brain health,sexual health,mood,vegetarians,cognition,vegetables,fruit,women's health,mortality,vegans,fish,cancer,greens,beans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/30/why-pregnant-women-should-avoid-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/03/how-to-treat-adhd-without-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-vs-drugs-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1608	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/	mercury	Mercury is a toxic heavy metal to which we’re primarily exposed through fish. Eating tuna, for example, may cause enough brain damage to significantly lower intelligence. It is both a neurotoxin that affects brain function in adults, in teens and in infants, as well as a cardiac toxin that may contribute to atrial fibrillation and fatal heart attack risk. This may counteract the anti-inflammatory benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. Women who eat a lot of fish should consider getting tested for mercury (via hair testing) before getting pregnant. Fish oil supplements and Ayurvedic medicines may also be contaminated with mercury (see also here, here).Other sources of mercury include factory-farmed chicken and dairy and foods containing high-fructose corn syrup (see here, here). Mercury exposure in amalgam tooth fillings and childhood vaccinations pale in comparison to the amount of mercury exposure that comes from eating fish. Eating a plant-based diet, including plant-based omega 3 supplements instead of fish, would be expected to significantly reduce exposure to toxic heavy metals.See also the related blog post: Mercury Testing Recommended Before Pregnancy.	-	seafood,heavy metals,persistent organic pollutants,fish,pregnancy,lead,women's health,industrial toxins,tuna,infants,animal products,meat,cancer,cognition,dioxins	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/30/why-pregnant-women-should-avoid-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1609	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mesclun-mix/	mesclun mix	-	-	greens,lettuce,vegetables,fruit,rhubarb,carrots,celery,heart health,heart disease,hypertension,Harvard,garlic,coriander,eggplant,exercise	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/	-
PLAIN-1610	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mesothelioma/	mesothelioma	-	-	penis health,poultry,poultry viruses,penis cancer,pancreatic cancer,mortality,pancreas health,poultry workers,salami,viral infections,wart viruses,warts,turkey,tobacco,salami brusher's disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1611	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mesquite/	mesquite	-	-	mutation,oxidative stress,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,lox,liver health,hormesis,liquid smoke,liver disease,poultry,safety limits,tumor suppressor genes,turkey,vegetables,tobacco,stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/	-
PLAIN-1612	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meta-analysis/	meta-analysis	-	-	lung health,hyperactivity,nutrition myths,placebo effect,snake oil,pregnancy,homeopathy,dementia,attention deficit,asthma,brain health,cancer,complementary medicine,cognition,alternative medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/	-
PLAIN-1613	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolic-syndrome/	metabolic syndrome	-	-	diabetes,prediabetes,cancer,blood sugar,heart disease,cardiovascular health,heart health,cardiovascular disease,meat,animal products,beans,cholesterol,phytonutrients,insulin,fish	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	-
PLAIN-1614	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolife/	Metabolife	-	-	mortality,natural toxins,mangosteen,liver health,noni fruit,safety limits,supplements,stroke,side effects,seizures,liver failure,liver disease,children,fruit juice,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/	-
PLAIN-1615	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/	metabolism	-	-	fat,weight loss,calories,obesity,nuts,meat,body fat,vegetarians,cholesterol,plant-based diets,fiber,prediabetes,soda,vegans,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/14/avoid-carnitine-and-lethicin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/03/burning-fat-with-flavonoids/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	-
PLAIN-1616	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metamucil/	Metamucil	-	-	colon health,fruit,aging,vegetables,vegans,vegetarians,alternative medicine,stool size,elderly,prunes,plums,plant-based diets,colon disease,complementary medicine,surgery	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-1617	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/	metastases	-	-	cancer,cancer survival,beans,prostate cancer,mortality,meat,eggs,men's health,fruit,women's health,plant-based diets,breast cancer,breast health,vegetarians,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/17/strawberries-can-reverse-precancerous-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1618	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastatic-calcification/	metastatic calcification	-	-	plant protein,phosphorus,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,meat,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,animal protein	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/	-
PLAIN-1619	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/methionine/	methionine	-	-	vegetarians,plant-based diets,vegetables,vegans,cancer survival,cancer,beans,animal products,grains,fruit,fish,eggs,chicken,breast cancer survival,breast health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1620	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/methylmalonic-acid/	methylmalonic acid	-	-	supplements,b12,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,vitamin B12,homocysteine,dietary guidelines,women's health,prenatal vitamins,nerve health,children,breastfeeding,breast milk,elderly	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/	-
PLAIN-1621	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mevacor/	Mevacor	-	-	supplements,sugar,berries,vegetarians,heart health,oats,strawberries,plant-based diets,seeds,cholesterol,omnivores,cardiovascular disease,fruit,medications,nuts	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/	-
PLAIN-1622	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mexican-americans/	Mexican Americans	-	-	meat,metabolic syndrome,magnesium,lung cancer,iron,legumes,lentils,mortality,nuts,vitamin A,vitamin C,vitamin E,split peas,seeds,plant-based diets	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/	-
PLAIN-1623	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mexico/	Mexico	-	-	food poisoning,foodborne illness,meat,chicken,industry influence,fecal contamination,cooking temperature,safety limits,Campylobacter,farm animals,food recalls,liver health,vegetables,fruit,cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/	-
PLAIN-1624	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mgus/	MGUS	-	-	soda,soy,potato chips,pickled vegetables,multiple myeloma,spices,tea,viral infections,zoonotic disease,vegetarians,vegetables,turmeric,meat,cancer,chicken	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/	-
PLAIN-1625	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/michael-pollan/	Michael Pollan	-	-	surgery,vegetables,weight loss,obesity,gastric bypass,lima beans,broccoli	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-dangers-of-broccoli/	-
PLAIN-1626	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/michelle-obama/	Michelle Obama	-	-	peas,meat,vegetables,dietary guidelines,beans,protein,plant protein,nuts,seeds,soy,soy milk,MyPlate,USDA,legumes,Salt Institute	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/	-
PLAIN-1627	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microalbuminuria/	microalbuminuria	-	-	meat,longevity,lifespan,mortality,plant protein,stroke,standard American diet,sexual dysfunction,plant-based diets,kidney health,kidney function,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,animal protein,animal products	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/	-
PLAIN-1628	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microbiome/	microbiome	-	-	industrial toxins,lead,heart health,heart disease,fiber,mercury,women's health,vegetarians,vegans,plant-based diets,estrogen,DNA damage,cancer,carcinogens,breast health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/	-
PLAIN-1629	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microcephaly/	microcephaly	-	-	pregnancy,persistent organic pollutants,safety limits,seafood,women's health,tuna,mercury,mental health,children,brain health,cognition,fish,infants,heavy metals,birth defects	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/	-
PLAIN-1630	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microcystins/	microcystins	-	-	natural toxins,muscle health,nutrition myths,rhabdomyolysis,supplements,spirulina,muscle disease,health food stores,complementary medicine,hepatotoxins,liver disease,liver health,alternative medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/	-
PLAIN-1631	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/micronase/	Micronase	-	-	medications,liver health,LDL cholesterol,heart health,India,nausea,obesity,skin health,triglycerides,side effects,reversing chronic disease,plant-based diets,prediabetes,heart disease,HDL cholesterol	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/	-
PLAIN-1632	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microwaving/	microwaving	-	-	cooking methods,beans,broccoli,fruit,peas,plant-based diets,oils,legumes,heart disease,raw food,inflammation,heart health,tea,artificial flavors,boiling	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-1633	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/migraine-headaches/	migraine headaches	-	-	headaches,pain,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,brain health,depression,medications,side effects,inflammation,meat,foodborne illness,food poisoning,bladder health,plant-based diets,fibromyalgia	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1634	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/migraines/	migraines	-	-	milk,mood,mental health,irritable bowel syndrome,multiple sclerosis,Parkinson's disease,United Kingdom,wheat,ulcerative colitis,stomach ulcers,pasta,industry influence,grains,celiac disease,dairy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/	-
PLAIN-1635	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/	milk	Cow’s milk has a lot of calcium but also may contain PCBs and other industrial pollutants, steroid hormones (more in skim milk), banned pesticides, saturated fat, and is on par with Coca Cola for antioxidant content (see also here and here). Milk may also block nutrients and does not appear to improve bone density. Consumption may increase risk for acne (videos here, here, here, here), an expanding waistline, increased mucus production, canker sores, twin births, premature puberty, life-threatening events, autism, and SIDS (crib death) in infants, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer promotion and mortality. Dairy industry-funded studies about milk’s purported health benefits have been accused of bias.Calcium from many dark green leaf vegetables is better absorbed than the calcium in milk and also contains fiber, folate, phytonutrients and other nutrients lacking in calves’ milk. Likewise, plant-based sources of iodine may be preferable. Soymilk, now included in the USDA’s dietary guidelines, is an excellent alternative—just make sure to shake it since the fortified calcium can settle. Both soymilk and cow milk, however, may block the benefits of tea.See also the related blog posts: Skim Milk and Acne, Cow’s Milk Casomorphin, Crib Death, and Autism, Mad Cow California: Is the Milk Supply Safe?, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of making illegally deceptive claims	-	dairy,meat,cancer,children,women's health,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,vegans,vegetarians,fat,animal fat,animal products,plant-based diets,men's health,water	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/12/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/25/mad-cow-california-is-the-milk-supply-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/24/wisconsin-milk-marketing-board-accused-of-making-illegally-deceptive-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/21/cows-milk-casomorphin-crib-death-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-acne-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/long-term-vegan-bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-1636	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk-chocolate/	milk chocolate	-	-	dark chocolate,heart disease,heart health,phytonutrients,cocoa,cardiovascular disease,chocolate,sugar,candy,flavonols,exercise,HDL cholesterol,cocoa butter,cholesterol,immune function	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/	-
PLAIN-1637	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/millet/	millet	-	-	cardiovascular disease,heart health,heart disease,mortality,greens,plant-based diets,sweet potatoes,Africa,vegetarians,vegetables,vegans,grains,medications,cardiovascular health,cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/	-
PLAIN-1638	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mineral-clay/	mineral clay	-	-	milk,meat,industrial toxins,heart disease,heart health,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,vegans,vegetarians,Taiwan,poultry,plant-based diets,fish,feed additives,catfish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/	-
PLAIN-1639	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mint/	mint	-	-	peppermint,herbal tea,aromatherapy,spearmint,ginger,tea,Germany,goji berries,Harvard,lemonbalm,garlic,DNA damage,medical ethics,children,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/	-
PLAIN-1640	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mioscene/	Mioscene	-	-	nutrition myths,nuts,paleolithic diets,meat,greens,heart disease,low-carb diets,plant-based diets,pork,trans fats,Twinkies,vegetables,stroke,seeds,prehistoric diets	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/	-
PLAIN-1641	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/miscarriage/	miscarriage	-	-	pregnancy,cancer,birth defects,liver health,carcinogens,mood,FDA,garlic,ginger,eggnog,nutmeg,complementary medicine,safety limits,health food stores,AIDS	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/	-
PLAIN-1642	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/miso/	miso	-	-	sausage,sauerkraut,sardines,safety limits,soy sauce,spermine,wine,vaginal health,tuna,tempeh,putrescine,carcinogens,cans,cadaverine,biogenic amines	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/	-
PLAIN-1643	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mit/	MIT	-	-	safety limits,seizures,saccharin,processed foods,NIH-AARP study,Nutrasweet,serotonin,soda,sweeteners,tea,Sweet and Low,suicide,sugar,mood,depression	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/	-
PLAIN-1644	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mitochondria/	mitochondria	-	-	vegetables,exercise,metabolism,oxidative stress,sports medicine,beverages,juice,athletes,beets,beet juice,ATP,saliva,antioxidants,cancer,nitric oxide	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/	-
PLAIN-1645	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/molasses/	molasses	-	-	sugar,antioxidants,brown rice syrup,brown sugar,corn syrup,date sugar,tomatoes,statins,stroke,dates,agave nectar,fiber,processed foods,ranking foods,sweeteners	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-1646	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mold/	mold	-	-	nutrition myths,mortality,supplements,children,statins,LDL cholesterol,beverages,plant-based diets,lovastatin,medications,red yeast rice,fruit,cancer,cholesterol,acid/base balance	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-potassium-sorbate-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/	-
PLAIN-1647	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/monkfish/	monkfish	-	-	rhabdomyolysis,salmon,putrescine,puffer fish,natural toxins,scombroid poisoning,seafood,tetrodotoxin,spoilage,spermine,semen,muscle health,muscle disease,dogs,cooking temperature	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/	-
PLAIN-1648	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/monounsaturated-fats/	monounsaturated fats	-	-	nuts,fat,cancer,avocados,animal fat,phytosterols,meat,vegetarians,olives,plant-based diets,trans fats,vegans,omnivores,hydrogenated fats,heart disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/	-
PLAIN-1649	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/monsanto/	Monsanto	-	-	pesticides,GMO,soy,organic foods,glyphosate,Roundup,soybeans,Parkinson's disease,safety limits,industry influence,women's health,brain health,cheese,brain disease,reproductive health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-roundup-ready-soy/	-
PLAIN-1650	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/	mood	-	-	depression,mental health,sexual health,mortality,fruit,exercise,suicide,Europe,eggs,antidepressants,lifespan,industry influence,diarrhea,FDA,insomnia	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-vs-drugs-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/	-
PLAIN-1651	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/moose-meat/	moose meat	-	-	oxen meat,plant-based diets,milk,meat,junk food,lettuce,red meat,reindeer meat,vegetables,white meat,yogurt,soy milk,soy,salmon,soda	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	-
PLAIN-1652	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/morbidity/	morbidity	-	-	mortality,cholesterol,complementary medicine,heart disease,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,alternative medicine,heart health,cancer,LDL cholesterol,surgery,vegetarians,aging,stroke,side effects	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1653	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/morel-mushrooms/	morel mushrooms	-	-	porcini mushrooms,portobello mushrooms,ranking foods,shiitake mushrooms,oyster mushrooms,mushrooms,chanterelle mushrooms,crimini mushrooms,alcohol	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-mushroom-2/	-
PLAIN-1654	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/morphine/	morphine	-	-	alternative medicine,complementary medicine,children,mold,mortality,Parkinson's disease,penicillin,medications,nutrition myths,lovastatin,ipecac,LDL cholesterol,leukemia,Peoria,malaria	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/	-
PLAIN-1655	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/	mortality	In the US, there is a one in two chance of dying from heart disease. Most people admitted to hospitals for heart attacks have “normal” cholesterol levels though; this suggests the current recommendations are not stringent enough (see here, here, here, here, here). A plant-based diet appears to reduce heart disease risk (see also here) and may improve lung function in COPD patients. Eating just one handful of nuts a day, for example, may cut the risk of dying from heart disease in half. The Pritikin, Ornish, and Essylstein low-fat plant-based dietary programs have been found to even reverse heart disease (see also here, here, here, here, here, here).Also thought to possibly extend one’s lifespan: Vitamin D supplements (see also here, here, here, here, here), seven hours of sleep per night, again, eating a plant-based diet (see also here), severe caloric restriction, a single serving of berries every day, and coffee.Thought to shorten one’s lifespan: Vitamin E supplements (see also here), eating just one egg a day (see also here), meat intake (see also here, here, here), iron pills, early puberty, untreated celiac disease, kombucha tea, prescription drugs (which kill an estimated 106,000 people in the US each year), and a meat-based low carb diet. And the following appear to have no effect on lifespan: Vitamin C pills, multivitamins, and moderate alcohol consumption in healthy people.In terms of cancer mortality, lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of women in the US, but breast cancer the most common. Women with breast cancer who eat soy may cut their risk of dying and recurrence. Broccoli has been shown to improve survival rates among bladder cancer patients and lignans from flax seeds improve survival rates among breast cancer patients. Saturated fat and trans fat intake have been shown to lower breast cancer survival rates. Dietary fat of animal origin has been associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk.When Japanese men die, many have tiny prostate tumors; but they often die with their cancer, not from their cancer, which is not the case in the United States. Also, various types of cancer occurrence and mortality rates are higher in poultry workers, when compared to the general population. One possible explanation for this is that people with high exposure to poultry oncogenic viruses may have increased risk for dying from several cancers and neurological diseases.The top killers in the US now include Alzheimer’s disease. Saffron as well as apples and ginger may slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s.Other dangers to watch out for: Generally the first and only symptom of an abdominal aortic aneurysm is a painful death; eating meat just a few times a month increases the risk (see here, here). Death rates from liver failure have been found to be even more closely related to pork consumption than to alcohol consumption. Sudden infant death syndrome is the leading cause of death for healthy infants after one month of age and has been associated with maternal cow’s milk consumption.Doctors prescribe diabetes drugs regularly even though they may increase the risk of death; cinnamon has also been found to help with blood sugar, but without such side-effects. Triphala has been found to preferentially wipe out breast and pancreatic cancer cells; unfortunately, it has been found to be contaminated with lead.	-	cancer,meat,beans,fruit,vegetables,plant-based diets,medications,cardiovascular health,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,animal products,Africa,eggs,greens	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/americans-are-living-longer-but-sicker-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-multivitamins-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caloric-restriction-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flawed-study-interpretation-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-difficulty-of-arriving-at-a-vitamin-d-recommendation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	-
PLAIN-1656	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouth-cancer/	mouth cancer	-	-	cancer,rectal cancer,colon cancer,breast cancer,esophageal cancer,oral health,women's health,poultry,throat cancer,chicken,breast disease,meat,bladder cancer,mortality,oral cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1657	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouthwash/	mouthwash	-	-	oral health,vegetarians,dental health,vegans,phytonutrients,heart health,heart disease,plant-based diets,exercise,cardiovascular health,beverages,cardiovascular disease,antibiotics,vegetables,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/	-
PLAIN-1659	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mptp/	MPTP	-	-	neurotoxins,paralysis,Parkinson's disease,meat,liver health,lung cancer,pork,poultry,tremors,turkey,tobacco,smoking,reindeer meat,salmon,liver disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/	-
PLAIN-1660	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mrsa/	MRSA	-	-	farm animals,antibiotics,factory farming practices,foodborne illness,food poisoning,poultry,chicken,turkey,pork,staph infection,meat,feed additives,zoonotic disease,fecal contamination,cooking temperature	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/	-
PLAIN-1661	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/msg/	MSG	-	-	allergies,nutrition myths,food additives,Bragg Liquid Aminos,Chinese food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-msg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-msg-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1662	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mucus/	mucus	-	-	Maimonides,milk,sinus health,lung health,Judaism,casomorphin,dairy,evolution,industry influence,casein	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/	-
PLAIN-1663	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-myeloma/	multiple myeloma	-	-	cancer,vegetarians,chicken,meat,leukemia,lymphoma,beef,breast health,zoonotic disease,viral infections,red meat,white meat,breast cancer,processed meat,non-Hodgkin lymphoma	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-1664	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-sclerosis/	multiple sclerosis	-	-	mortality,vegetarians,vegans,plant-based diets,eggs,autoimmune diseases,milk,animal products,rectal cancer,cholesterol,fat,inflammation,heart health,heart disease,chemotherapy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/21/plant-based-diets-for-multiple-sclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/	-
PLAIN-1665	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multivitamins/	multivitamins	Multivitamin use does not appear to offer any longevity benefit and is associated with increased risk of breast and prostate cancer. Some have speculated that copper in multivitamins may be contributing to the Alzheimer’s epidemic. Vitamin E, Vitamin A, and Beta Carotene supplements may increase mortality rates. Lutein is similarly better obtained from produce, not pills, despite the minor decline in the nutrient content of crops. Getting a minimum of nine servings per day of fruits and vegetables is recommended over taking multivitamin supplements. Taking Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 supplements, however, are recommended for those at risk for deficiency.See also the related blog post: Multivitamins and Mortality	-	supplements,mortality,lifespan,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,antioxidants,heart health,longevity,vegetables,nuts,fruit,oxidative stress,cancer,nutrition myths,brain health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/11/multivitamins-and-mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-multivitamins-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/crop-nutrient-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1666	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-disease/	muscle disease	-	-	muscle health,natural toxins,meat,rhabdomyolysis,food poisoning,foodborne illness,seafood,scombroid poisoning,salmon,putrescine,dogs,cooking temperature,fish,mackerel,monkfish	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/	-
PLAIN-1667	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/	muscle health	-	-	inflammation,plant-based diets,meat,vegetarians,vegans,heart disease,exercise,side effects,mortality,fruit,medications,cardiovascular disease,muscle inflammation,milk,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1668	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-inflammation/	muscle inflammation	-	-	muscle health,medications,muscle strength,inflammation,exercise,supplements,oxidative stress,vegetables,plant-based diets,vitamin C,antioxidants,cholesterol,pain,athletes,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/	-
PLAIN-1669	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-soreness/	muscle soreness	-	-	alternative medicine,side effects,complementary medicine,cherries,inflammation,phytonutrients,mortality,fruit,muscle health,internal bleeding,stomach ulcers,anthocyanins,stomach inflammation,stomach health,medications	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/	-
PLAIN-1670	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-strength/	muscle strength	-	-	muscle health,exercise,athletes,vegetables,mortality,sports medicine,lifespan,vegans,vegetarians,plant-based diets,aging,juice,muscle inflammation,medications,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/	-
PLAIN-1671	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/	mushrooms	Mushrooms are an underappreciated component of healthy diets. They can play a role in a dietary cognitive portfolio (one mushroom—the bay bolete—even contains theanine, the relaxant phytonutrient in green tea) and may slow breast cancer growth by inhibiting the aromatase enzyme. Surprisingly, plain white mushrooms—the cheapest and most widely available variety—may work best and are among the most anti-oxidant rich. Though mushrooms were found free of E. coli., raw mushrooms may contain a naturally-occurring toxin called agaritine that is deactivated by heat, so mushrooms should be cooked.	-	cancer,inflammation,animal products,meat,immune function,breast cancer,side effects,protein,breast health,autoimmune diseases,fruit,vegans,plant-based diets,mortality,strawberries	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-mushroom-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1673	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-greens/	mustard greens	-	-	collard greens,kale,vegetables,greens,cooking methods,cruciferous vegetables,spinach,cauliflower,Brussels sprouts,broccoli,breast cancer,detoxification,bell peppers,Swiss chard,phytonutrients	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1674	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-oil/	mustard oil	-	-	herbal remedies,green tea,Gorlin syndrome,skin cancer,tea,skin health,ginger,complementary medicine,basal cell carcinoma,alternative medicine,basal cell nevus syndrome,calendula,cancer survival,cancer,algae	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-1675	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-powder/	mustard powder	-	-	mustard seeds,mustard greens,kale,radishes,spices,women's health,vegetables,sulforaphane,greens,enzymes,cabbage,Brussels sprouts,broccoli,breast health,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/	-
PLAIN-1676	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-seeds/	mustard seeds	-	-	spices,juice,kiwi fruit,medications,Mediterranean diet,insomnia,Ibuprofen,fruit,flax seeds,fruit juice,goji berries,hormones,inflammation,melatonin,sleep	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/	-
PLAIN-1677	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mutation/	mutation	-	-	mesquite,oxidative stress,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,lox,liver health,hormesis,liquid smoke,liver disease,poultry,safety limits,tumor suppressor genes,turkey,vegetables,tobacco,stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/	-
PLAIN-1678	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mycotoxins/	mycotoxins	-	-	natural toxins,nutrition myths,mold,juice,organic foods,patulin,World Health Organization,fruit,safety limits,carcinogens,mushrooms,Dr. Joel Fuhrman,apple juice,apples,agaritine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/	-
PLAIN-1679	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/myelopathy/	myelopathy	-	-	supplements,vegans,vegetarians,vitamin B12,b12,spinal cord health,plant-based diets,nerve health,neuropathy,paralysis,nutritional yeast	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-myelopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-paralysis-2/	-
PLAIN-1680	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/myplate/	MyPlate	-	-	seeds,beans,USDA,vegetables,nuts,legumes,dietary guidelines,dairy,meat,fruit,industry influence,junk food,trans fats,eggs,safety limits	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/	-
PLAIN-1681	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/myristic-acid/	myristic acid	-	-	lauric acid,LDL cholesterol,industry influence,heart health,flax seeds,Harvard,heart disease,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,palmitic acid,water,weight loss,women's health,USDA,stearic acid,philippines	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/	-
PLAIN-1682	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nagasaki/	Nagasaki	-	-	children,Hiroshima,X-rays,radiation,brain health,brain tumors,supplements,breast cancer,angiogram,zeaxanthin,vitamin E,vegetables,breast health,vitamin C,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/	-
PLAIN-1683	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nail-health/	nail health	-	-	rash,schizophrenia,psychosis,plant-based diets,omnivores,skin health,suicide,vitamin B12,vitamin D,vegetarians,vegans,supplements,multivitamins,mortality,cognition	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/	-
PLAIN-1684	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nanoparticles/	nanoparticles	-	-	poultry,processed foods,processed meat,pork,plant-based diets,meat,rectal cancer,seafood,vegans,vegetarians,ulcerative colitis,turkey,sugar,titanium dioxide,marshmallows	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	-
PLAIN-1685	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/naphthalene/	naphthalene	-	-	PBDEs,omega-3 fatty acids,nutrition myths,New York City,persistent organic pollutants,salmon,thyroid health,thyroid disease,seafood,liposuction,endocrine disruptors,DHA,body fat,Antarctica,factory farming practices	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/	-
PLAIN-1686	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/naproxen/	naproxen	-	-	stomach health,Spain,side effects,stomach inflammation,stomach ulcers,watermelon,vegetables,phytonutrients,fruit,complementary medicine,cherries,Ibuprofen,inflammation,muscle soreness,internal bleeding	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/	-
PLAIN-1687	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nasa/	NASA	-	-	greens,colon cancer,rectal cancer,protein,oils,ovarian cancer,ovary health,pasta,meat analogs,grains,flax seeds,heart disease,isoflavones,lignans,phytoestrogens	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/	-
PLAIN-1688	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nasal-cavity-cancer/	nasal cavity cancer	-	-	throat cancer,cancer,throat health,poultry,tonsil cancer,chicken,mouth cancer,carcinogens,mortality,meat,colon health,tongue cancer,esophagus health,ear health,esophageal cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/	-
PLAIN-1689	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nasal-irrigation/	nasal irrigation	-	-	sinus health,sinusitis,neti pot,Cochrane Collaboration,complementary medicine,alternative medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/	-
PLAIN-1690	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-academy-of-sciences/	National Academy of Sciences	-	-	meat,oils,omnivores,plant-based diets,animal fat,mortality,Institute of Medicine,mood,processed foods,safety limits,vegetarians,brain health,allergies,vegans,USDA	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/	-
PLAIN-1691	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-beef-cattlemans-association/	National Beef Cattleman’s Association	-	-	LDL cholesterol,meat,industry influence,Hegsted Equation,heart health,milk,vegans,vegetarians,tobacco,saturated fat,National Dairy Board,heart disease,HDL cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/	-
PLAIN-1692	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cancer-institute/	National Cancer Institute	-	-	cancer,fruit,vegetables,rectal cancer,grains,colon cancer,nuts,women's health,vegetarians,fiber,diabetes,colon health,calories,processed meat,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-1693	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cattlemens-beef-association/	National Cattlemen's Beef Association	-	-	industry influence,meat,animal fat,animal products,pork,sugar,calories,fat,beef,protein,seafood,USDA,tobacco,weight loss,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/22/poultry-paunch-meat-weight-gain/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/	-
PLAIN-1694	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-confectioners-association-2/	National Confectioners Association	-	-	potato chips,potatoes,Phillip Morris,lung cancer,processed foods,smoking,Whitecoat project,ultra-processed foods,tobacco,soda,Kraft,junk food,candy,chicken,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-1695	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-board/	National Dairy Board	-	-	industry influence,dietary guidelines,saturated fat,fat,heart disease,milk,heart health,meat,dairy,butter,National Dairy Promotion Board,animal fat,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-1696	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-council/	National Dairy Council	-	-	dairy,industry influence,milk,Harvard,dietary guidelines,sugar,skin health,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,skim milk,seafood,adolescence,American Egg Board,Salt Institute,salt,cheese	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/12/skim-milk-and-acne/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-1697	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-promotion-board/	National Dairy Promotion Board	-	-	National Dairy Board,industry influence,dietary guidelines,American Egg Board,Sara Lee,American Meat Institute,beer,trans fats,saturated fat,USDA,Snack Food Association,processed foods,safety limits,Campbell's Soup,Coca-Cola	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-1698	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-pork-board/	National Pork Board	-	-	meat,USDA,stomach cancer,rectal cancer,stomach health,testicular cancer,throat cancer,testicular health,prostate health,prostate cancer,preservatives,pork,processed meat,trans fats,sugar	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/	-
PLAIN-1699	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-pork-producers-council/	National Pork Producers Council	-	-	industry influence,factory farming practices,vegetables,asthma,anxiety,turkey,sugar,soy,soda,standard American diet,subsidies,blood sugar,tobacco,cardiovascular health,safety limits	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/25/bugs-drugs-in-pork-yersinia-and-ractopamine/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/	-
PLAIN-1700	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/native-americans/	Native Americans	-	-	plant-based diets,processed foods,mortality,medical education,medical profession,salt,squash,vegans,vegetarians,sugar,stool size,standard American diet,Lifestyle medicine,Japan,cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	-
PLAIN-1701	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/	natural toxins	Foodborne illness can result from contamination by fecal bacteria or persistent organic pollutants, as well as the presence of natural toxins. As they decompose, seafood and meats can develop toxins that can sicken us before the spoilage is apparent. Other foods and supplements that are best to avoid because of potential toxicity include: betel nuts, star fruit, mangosteen juice, yerba mate (see here and here), iron pills, cod liver oil, and spirulina. Kimchee and avocados (see here, here) should be probably only consumed in moderation until we know more about their health impact. It’s smart to be discriminating about rice and apple products; favor brown rice grown in the US and organic whole apples over conventional apple juice. And while sweet potatoes are a health-promoting superfood, white potatoes contain a natural toxin, though 75% of which can be removed with peeling. Both turmeric and cinnamon have important health benefits, but one can overdo turmeric due to the oxalate content and cassia (Chinese) cinnamon due to the presence of coumarins that can be toxic to the liver at high doses. Raw mushrooms also contain natural toxins, but they are removed through cooking.	-	cancer,liver health,nutrition myths,safety limits,liver disease,supplements,persin,hepatotoxins,heart disease,heart health,breast cancer,DNA damage,avocados,women's health,carcinogens	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-betel-nuts-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-yerba-mate-tea-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-yerba-mate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-star-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-cooked-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1702	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/	nausea	-	-	side effects,alternative medicine,medications,complementary medicine,pregnancy,health food stores,kidney health,supplements,placebo,placebo effect,mortality,snake oil,Canada,children,stomach health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bug-appetit-barriers-to-entomophagy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/	-
PLAIN-1703	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/navy-beans/	navy beans	-	-	beans,lentils,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,baked beans,legumes,pinto beans,heart disease,heart health,soy,lima beans,mortality,soybeans,citrulline,greens	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/	-
PLAIN-1704	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/necrotizing-fasciitis/	necrotizing fasciitis	-	-	oysters,mercury,mad cow disease,foodborne illness,prion disease,seafood,white meat,tapeworms,sushi,sexual transmission,food poisoning,flesh-eating bacteria,cholera,ciguatera,brain parasites	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/	-
PLAIN-1705	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nepal/	Nepal	-	-	omnivores,plant-based diets,vegetarians,gallstones,cholesterol,gallbladder health,animal products	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-gallstones/	-
PLAIN-1706	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/	nerve health	A measure of nerve health is heart rate variability because it measures the control our nerves have over our heart. Drug and chemical residues found in meat, prevalent in the US because of lax or nonexistent safety standards, can result in serious nerve damage as well and bleeding, jaundice, and even death. Essential tremor, a common neurological condition, has been linked to meat eating. Mercury exposure due to fish consumption has been linked to neurobehavioral abnormalities (see also here). Arsenic, primarily found in chicken in the American diet, has been linked to public health issues such as neuropathy and neurocognitive deficits in children. The most common cause of flaccid paralysis in the US comes from eating chicken.Alzheimer’s disease results from the buildup of a neurotoxic protein in the brain, which kills brain nerve cells; apple juice and ginger have been found to protective of nerve cells in vitro. Indian gooseberries have also been found to be potentially neuroprotective. More than 50% of vegans have been found to be Vitamin B-12 deficient. A vitamin B-12 deficiency can result in spinal cord degeneration (see also here, here). And spirulina has been found to contain a neurotoxin and should probably be avoided.	-	vegetarians,vegans,brain disease,brain health,pregnancy,heart disease,heart health,infants,liver disease,pain,children,liver health,cholesterol,mental health,cognition	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-myelopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-paralysis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/	-
PLAIN-1707	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/netherlands/	Netherlands	-	-	Mexico,Ireland,New Zealand,Nigeria,United Kingdom,restaurants,hand washing,foodborne illness,China,Australia,E. coli,fecal bacteria,food poisoning,fecal contamination,Africa	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/	-
PLAIN-1708	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neti-pot/	neti pot	-	-	sinus health,sinusitis,nasal irrigation,Cochrane Collaboration,complementary medicine,alternative medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/	-
PLAIN-1709	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neu5gc/	Neu5Gc	-	-	meat,cancer,animal products,breast disease,breast cancer,inflammation,dairy,xeno-autoantibodies,vegetarians,plant-based diets,vegans,protein,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,heart disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/	-
PLAIN-1710	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurocysticercosis/	neurocysticercosis	-	-	foodborne illness,parasites,pork,tapeworms,food poisoning,brain disease,brain parasites,brain health,seizures,epilepsy,headaches,zoonotic disease,worms,cysticercosis,brain surgery	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/04/real-life-contagion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/	-
PLAIN-1711	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neuropathy/	neuropathy	Concerning levels of arsenic in chicken and mercury in fish may have adverse effects on the nervous system. The USDA has failed to safeguard the meat supply from drug residues, which may also be neurotoxic. Men who consume large quantities of meat may have an increased risk of getting muscle tremors due to the levels of cooked meat carcinogens known as heterocyclic amines.Vegetarian’s Myelopathy refers to vitamin B12 deficiency. This can have potentially severe neurological consequences, such as spinal cord degeneration and paralysis. Those eating plant-based diets must ensure a regular, reliable source of vitamin B12. Supplements or fortified foods provide the safest, cheapest source.	-	nerve health,brain health,plant-based diets,vitamin B12,neurotoxins,vegans,vegetarians,b12,brain disease,supplements,meat,kidney health,spinal cord health,myelopathy,cardiovascular disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-myelopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-paralysis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/	-
PLAIN-1712	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/	neurotoxins	Neurotoxins are substances that deleterious to nerve tissue. Neurotoxins in meat and fish may be contributing to brain damage (including memory loss and dementia) as well as muscle tremors, and the effects of consuming contaminated fish may last for decades.  Neurotoxins found in chicken may be linked to hand tremors, the most common movement disorder.Who’s at risk? Fetuses, infants, and children are particularly at risk, but adults should also try to avoid foods containing mercury (see also here) present in fish, other animal products, and products containing high fructose corn syrup (see comparisons to amalgam fillings and vaccines). Other potential neurotoxins include copper found in meats, arsenic found in chicken, and acrylamide found in certain fried foods such as french fries. Neurotoxins have been found in the Ayurvedic supplements, spirulina, blue-green algae (but not chlorella), fish, and fish oil, and even cheese, which may explain the connection between dairy consumption and Parkinson’s disease. Flame-retardant chemicals are also found in retail U.S meat supply. Tofu preserved with formaldehyde may also be toxic. At the same time, ginger and apple juice may be protective against Alzheimer’s disease. 	-	fish,brain health,seafood,brain disease,Parkinson's disease,Alzheimer’s disease,dementia,mortality,children,food poisoning,women's health,white meat,foodborne illness,CDC,persistent organic pollutants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/	-
PLAIN-1713	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neutropenic-diet/	neutropenic diet	-	-	meat,medical education,medical profession,lymphoma,leukemia,fruit,immune function,mortality,sprouts,vegetables,side effects,Salmonella,raw food,salads,food-borne illness	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/	-
PLAIN-1714	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-orleans/	New Orleans	-	-	poultry viruses,poultry,poultry workers,reticuloendotheliosis virus,vaccines,turkey,mortality,meat,cancer viruses,cancer,chicken,eggs,Marek's disease virus,farm animals,avian leukosis/sarcoma virus	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/	-
PLAIN-1715	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-city/	New York City	-	-	plant-based diets,chicken,fish,hormones,dairy,animal products,turkey,foodborne illness,mental health,food poisoning,brain health,milk,meat,mood,pork	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/	-
PLAIN-1716	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-coalition-for-healthy-school-food/	New York Coalition for Healthy School Food	-	-	obesity,junk food,ice cream,hydrogenated fats,oils,School Lunch Program,Veggiecation,vegetables,trans fats,Texas,green beans,fruit,carrots,calories,cake	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/	-
PLAIN-1717	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-zealand/	New Zealand	-	-	United Kingdom,milk,plant-based diets,China,Canada,wakame,obesity,South Africa,standard American diet,sweet potatoes,stool size,New York City,Japan,fiber,Denmark	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/	-
PLAIN-1718	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nicotine/	nicotine	-	-	radiation,reproductive health,polonium,milk,mortality,safety limits,seafood,tuna,water,tobacco,smoking,shrimp,men's health,Japan,cooking methods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-
PLAIN-1719	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nigeria/	Nigeria	-	-	Africa,China,E. coli,fecal bacteria,Australia,vegetarians,vegetables,fecal contamination,vegans,food poisoning,New Zealand,restaurants,United Kingdom,Netherlands,Mexico	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/	-
PLAIN-1720	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nightshades/	nightshades	-	-	stress,tea,vegetables,St. John's wort,side effects,red tea,rooibos tea,women's health,zinc,spicy food,stomach inflammation,stomach ulcers,nutrition myths,internal bleeding,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-chili-peppers-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1721	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nih-aarp-study/	NIH-AARP study	-	-	cancer,meat,chicken,tobacco,animal products,beef,vegetarians,red meat,elderly,white meat,mortality,omnivores,pork,carcinogens,fish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	-
PLAIN-1722	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrate/	nitrate	-	-	vegetables,nitrite,exercise,beet juice,greens,athletes,beets,nitric oxide,hypertension,phytonutrients,meat,blood pressure,beverages,processed meat,nitrosamines	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/	-
PLAIN-1723	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/	nitric oxide	-	-	vegetables,exercise,blood pressure,hypertension,nitrate,plant-based diets,meat,beet juice,fruit,greens,nitrite,phytonutrients,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/	-
PLAIN-1724	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/	nitrite	-	-	processed meat,food additives,preservatives,meat,nitrosamines,carcinogens,cancer,vegetables,pork,hot dogs,ham,nitrate,phytonutrients,bacon,smoking	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/	-
PLAIN-1725	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitroglycerin/	nitroglycerin	-	-	plant-based diets,standard American diet,cardiovascular disease,nitric oxide,heart disease,erectile dysfunction,berries,antioxidants,heart health,impotence,Viagra,phytonutrients,penis health,mortality,vegetables	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/	-
PLAIN-1726	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrosamines/	nitrosamines	-	-	carcinogens,meat,cancer,nitrite,pork,processed meat,bacon,food additives,phytonutrients,preservatives,vitamin C,ham,plant-based diets,vegetables,hot dogs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	-
PLAIN-1727	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/	non-Hodgkin lymphoma	-	-	cancer,lymphoma,women's health,dairy,meat,mortality,ADHD,pesticides,fruit,multiple myeloma,farm animals,chicken,cancer survival,greens,organic foods	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-1728	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/	nonalcoholic fatty liver disease	-	-	heart health,exercise,diabetes,liver disease,liver health,smoking,obesity,cardiovascular health,blood sugar,cancer,fatty liver disease,flexitarians,fat,blood pressure,abdominal fat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/	-
PLAIN-1729	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/noni-fruit/	noni fruit	-	-	liver health,liver disease,antioxidants,apples,fruit,bananas,juice,supplements,beverages,goji berries,grapes,mango,frozen fruit,crowberries,blueberries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/	-
PLAIN-1730	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nori-2/	nori	-	-	low-fat diets,medications,kelp,Japan,hormones,hypertension,iodine,phytonutrients,salt,thyroid health,vegetables,women's health,thyroid disease,sushi,sea vegetables	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1731	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/norovirus/	norovirus	-	-	poultry,pesticides,organic foods,Salmonella,turkey,viral infections,vegetables,mortality,fecal bacteria,chicken,fecal contamination,food poisoning,fruit,foodborne illness,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-
PLAIN-1732	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/norway/	Norway	-	-	meat,mortality,smoking,fat,pork,fatigue,DNA damage,Europe,leukemia,plant-based diets,side effects,pain,Pritikin,sausage,saturated fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/	-
PLAIN-1733	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuremburg-code/	Nuremburg Code	-	-	phytonutrients,plutonium,peppermint,oxidative stress,radiation,side effects,X-rays,zingerone,turmeric,tea,spices,mint,medications,garlic,Germany	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/	-
PLAIN-1734	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutmeg/	nutmeg	-	-	spices,cinnamon,cloves,recipes,phytonutrients,ginger,fruit,green tea,antioxidants,tea,vegetables,beverages,plant-based diets,oregano,cardamom	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/31/nutmeg-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-1735	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrasweet/	Nutrasweet	-	-	aspartame,artificial sweeteners,sweeteners,FDA,saccharin,Sweet and Low,sugar,brain health,cyclamate,DNA damage,laxatives,erythritol,colon health,bladder cancer,bladder health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/30/aspartame-fibromyalgia-preterm-birth/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-nutrasweet-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-aspartame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/	-
PLAIN-1736	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/	nutrient absorption	-	-	nuts,phytonutrients,fat,cholesterol,heart disease,seeds,heart health,cardiovascular disease,weight loss,calories,phytosterols,obesity,cardiovascular health,fiber,pistachios	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iron-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1737	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-density/	nutrient density	-	-	chronic diseases,USDA,eggs,nutrition myths,fat,lard,legumes,meat,oats,nuts,margarine,juice,dairy,candy,butter	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/26/best-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/crop-nutrient-decline/	-
PLAIN-1738	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-synergy/	nutrient synergy	-	-	supplements,vegetables,phytonutrients,antioxidants,fruit,cancer,stomach health,multivitamins,mortality,industry influence,blueberries,cholesterol,greens,oxidative stress,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1739	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/	nutrition myths	There are many myths surrounding nutrition, often reinforced by a lack of nutrition education in medical schools, resulting in some doctors’ lack of adequate information on the subject.Despite myths to the contrary, the following appear to be beneficial: lots of fruits and vegetables (see here, here), plant-based diets, protein (which is not bad for bones), soy (even for women on Tamoxifen; it also produces positive effects on cognition and has no negative effects on male fertility), coffee, tea made with cold water, cooking vegetables (especially in the microwave), gluten (for 132 out of every 133 people), fatty (plant-derived) dressing, chlorella, some plant enzymes, alkaline water (but not alkaline water machines), various cholesterol-lowering foods, and maintaining very low cholesterol levels. At the same time questions have been raised about red yeast rice supplements.Despite myths regarding the dangers or purported benefits of the following, they do not appear to be either: homeopathy, stevia, MSG (despite alleged allergic reactions), vitamin C supplements, citric acid, crop nutrient decline and moderate alcohol consumption in healthy people. Pomegranate juice is probably not as good as advertised (is anything?).Finally, despite myths claiming no danger or even benefits from the following, these may to be harmful: eggs, fish, fish oil (due to DDT and other industrial pollutants – this includes distilled cod liver oil), meat due to arachidonic acid, deep-frying foods, having ‘average’ cholesterol levels (see here, here), low stool weight and size, a pure raw food diet, B12 deficiency present in non-supplementing vegans as well as their babies (up to 20% of them), too little iodine, too much iodine, avocados, raw alfalfa sprouts, non-organic apple juice, artificial colorings (especially ones derived from insects), aspartame, some types of Ayurvedic medicine (see here, here), blue-green algae supplements, iron pills, spirulina supplements (for their neurotoxins and liver toxins), multivitamin supplements, vitamin E supplements, Herbalife (for its liver toxicity, possibly due to vitamin A), mangosteen juice, Juice Plus+ (which is really just another vitamin supplement), high fructose corn syrup, kimchi, kombucha tea, noni juice, and yerba mate.See also the related blog post: Nutrition Education in Medicine: a Doctor a Day Keeps the Apples Away	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,cardiovascular health,heart health,diabetes,exercise,cholesterol,fat,eggs,vegetables,fruit,chronic diseases,smoking,cancer,lifespan	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/14/nutrition-education-in-medicine-a-doctor-a-day-keeps-the-apples-away/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/crop-nutrient-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-aspartame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glyconutrient-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-citric-acid-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-msg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-msg-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-multivitamins-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-yerba-mate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbalife-supplement-liver-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-chili-peppers-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1740	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutritional-yeast/	nutritional yeast	-	-	common cold,immune function,vegetarians,plant-based diets,vegans,aging,children,mushrooms,side effects,elderly,yeast,b12,safety limits,supplements,brewer's yeast	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-paralysis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/	-
PLAIN-1741	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/	nuts	Nuts (even peanut butter) are very healthy (see also here, here). Surprisingly, they don’t appear to contribute to weight gain and may actually help facilitate weight loss. They also appear to protect against DNA damage, suppress cancer growth (see also here) and inflammation, reduce cholesterol (see also here), and reduce the risk of abdominal aortic aneurysms and heart disease. Nuts are a preferred source of protein in an affordable plant-based diet (see also here, and here). Nuts and seeds offer a healthy source of fat, which can boost the absorption of fat-soluable nutrients. Nuts are an excellent source of minerals (especially dry roasted) and vitamin E, which may have adverse effects taken in pill form.Their antioxidant content (see also here) puts nuts as a group near the top of the list of healthy foods. This does not include betel nuts (which have been shown to be carcinogenic and damaging to liver and kidneys), nor necessarily chestnuts or coconuts. Coconut oil and coconut milk appear to raise one’s LDL (bad cholesterol) as much as butter. The dietary guidelines of countries such as Greece recommend nuts as snacks. The 2010 USDA Guidelines and MyPlate recommendations similarly emphasize a shift towards a more plant-based diet including nuts.	-	heart disease,cardiovascular disease,meat,plant-based diets,mortality,cancer,fruit,vegetables,beans,alcohol,grains,olive oil,Mediterranean diet,cholesterol,beverages	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-betel-nuts-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	-
PLAIN-1742	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/	oatmeal	-	-	cancer,cardiovascular health,heart health,heart disease,meat,vegetables,diabetes,grains,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,obesity,mortality,plant-based diets,standard American diet,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oatmeal-lotion-for-chemotherapy-induced-rash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/	-
PLAIN-1743	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oats/	oats	-	-	grains,heart health,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,nuts,heart disease,berries,meat,fruit,eggs,beans,plant-based diets,obesity,cardiovascular health,stroke	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oatmeal-lotion-for-chemotherapy-induced-rash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/	-
PLAIN-1744	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obama/	Obama	-	-	meat,mad cow disease,prion disease,seafood,growth promoters,Greece,farm animals,factory farming practices,FDA,feed additives,fish,brain health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/	-
PLAIN-1745	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/	obesity	More than 95% of Americans do not follow the already lax U.S. dietary guidelines. Obesity is associated with serious health problems including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Eating a plant-based diet appears to help with weight management by upregulating metabolism or altering gut flora and may also be safer and healthier than relying on drugs and surgery. Those trying to maintain a healthy weight may want to avoid eating chicken (see also here), fish, fish oil, dairy (see also here), and meats (see also here, here, and here). Foods that may help include beans, Indian gooseberries, broccoli, nuts (see here and here), soy, and green tea.Dr. Greger covers obesity in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	diabetes,vegetables,heart disease,fruit,women's health,grains,meat,cancer,cardiovascular disease,antioxidants,fiber,beans,stroke,fat,cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/23/can-one-become-a-sugar-addict/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-dangers-of-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	-
PLAIN-1746	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesogens/	obesogens	-	-	overeating,organotins,obesity,persistent organic pollutants,seafood,white meat,weight loss,vegetables,nuts,meat,dairy,body fat,beans,exercise,fish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/	-
PLAIN-1747	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/occupational-health/	occupational health	-	-	children,lung health,cancer,zoonotic disease,air pollution,junk food,viral infections,cell phones,carcinogens,women's health,testicular health,microwaving,brain health,testicular cancer,popcorn lung	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/	-
PLAIN-1748	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/octopus/	octopus	-	-	snail meat,saturated fat,soybeans,vitamin B12,zinc,pumpkin seeds,protein,China,b12,insects,iron,arginine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/	-
PLAIN-1749	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/offal/	offal	-	-	meat,pork,pork brains,veal brains,poultry,chicken,organ meats,beef brains,brains,beef,flexitarians,ham,leukemia,EPIC Study,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-1750	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/	oils	-	-	heart disease,fruit,cardiovascular disease,fat,cardiovascular health,heart health,plant-based diets,fish,mortality,vegans,women's health,vegetables,vegetarians,diabetes,animal fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/05/tarragon-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	-
PLAIN-1751	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oklahoma/	Oklahoma	-	-	South Dakota,standard American diet,vegetables,Idaho,ethnicity,fruit,CDC	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sad-states-standard-american-diet-state-by-state-comparison/	-
PLAIN-1752	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/okra/	okra	-	-	oxidative stress,peppers,mustard greens,kale,green beans,heart disease,heart health,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,turnips,steaming,raw food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/	-
PLAIN-1753	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/	olive oil	-	-	heart disease,cardiovascular disease,nuts,mortality,cholesterol,dairy,fruit,meat,cancer,Mediterranean diet,plant-based diets,walnuts,fish,cardiovascular health,PREDIMED	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/	-
PLAIN-1754	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olives/	olives	-	-	nuts,meat,fat,plant-based diets,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,dairy,animal fat,oxidative stress,oils,olive oil,mortality,seeds,vegetarians,walnuts	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/	-
PLAIN-1755	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/	omega-3 fatty acids	The health benefits that are believed to be associated with Omega-3 fatty acid intake include: decreased inflammation, help for arthritis, and reduced symptoms of depression. Omega-3 may even boost health and intelligence of unborn babies, though the mercury in fish significantly decreases IQ. While often a recommended source of Omega-3, fish and fish-oil supplements may not be harmless due to the presence of dioxins, PCBs, mercury, and other industrial pollutants. These pollutants in fish may increase our risk of type-2 diabetes and cardiac death. Other animal products such as chicken are no longer a bountiful source of Omega-3 due to genetic manipulation. Omega-3 enriched eggs can be a source, but eggs contain cholesterol and arachidonic acid (see here and here). Two plant-based sources sources of Omega-3 are flax seeds and algae-based DHA supplements, which are bioequivalent to fish oil but do not have the harmful industrial toxins.	-	fish,mortality,meat,saturated fat,seafood,fat,plant-based diets,heart disease,dairy,supplements,persistent organic pollutants,DHA,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,children	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/	-
PLAIN-1756	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/	omnivores	Dr. Spock recommended a diet free from meat and dairy for all children to prevent diseases such as cancer. Children eating vegetarian diets have also been found to have higher IQs than omnivorous children (vegan children have the highest). The diets of those eating vegan have been generally found to be deficient in three nutrients (especially Vitamin B12 – see also here, here), whereas omnivores tend to be deficient in seven. Omnivores generally are not deficient in iodine, but they do not have the protective low levels of aspirin found in the bloodstreams of those on a plant-based diet. All men, no matter what their diet, should be sure to get adequate zinc intake.An omnivorous diet may increase the risk of the following: heart disease (see also here), cancer (see also here, here, here), blood cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, dementia, Alzheimer’s, gallstones, constipation, high cholesterol (see also here), abdominal fat, higher BMI, obesity, lower metabolism, arthritis, diabetes (see also here, here, here), DNA damage, hepatitis E, total/cancer/cardiovascular disease mortality (see also here), reduced sperm count in men, cataracts, accelerated aging (see also here), unhealthy stools, early onset puberty, allergies, and surgery & medication use.An omnivorous diet may result in the ingestion of the following: industrial carcinogens (see here, here, here), trans-fats, mercury, and arachidonic acid (which may affect mood and mental states).Meat consumption has also been found to have a negative effect on body odor attractiveness. And as far as bone density goes, vegan bone density was found to be equal to that of omnivores, and vegans actually had higher blood plasma protein levels than omnivores.	-	plant-based diets,vegetarians,vegans,vegetables,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,meat,cancer,fruit,heart health,eggs,cardiovascular health,fiber,dairy,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/29/bowel-movements-the-scoop-on-poop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-gallstones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iq-of-vegetarian-children-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/long-term-vegan-bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/body-odor-diet-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1757	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/	onions	-	-	vegetables,fruit,plant-based diets,garlic,phytonutrients,cancer,beans,grains,broccoli,animal products,asparagus,beets,heart disease,kale,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-1758	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oolong-tea/	oolong tea	-	-	tea,green tea,black tea,white tea,aluminum,lemons,antacids,World Health Organization,hibiscus tea,safety limits,kidney failure,antioxidants,phytonutrients,beverages,heavy metals	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-1759	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/optimal-diet/	optimal diet	-	-	plant-based diets,medications,industry influence,processed foods,rice,phytonutrients,nuts,chronic diseases,heart health,tomatoes,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,beta carotene,berries,bargains	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	-
PLAIN-1760	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-cancer/	oral cancer	-	-	cancer,vegans,plant-based diets,breast cancer,vegetarians,oral health,women's health,fruit,smoking,vegetables,alcohol,cancer survival,breast health,cardiovascular health,poultry	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1761	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/	oral health	An apple a day has been linked with less oral cancer. Amalgam fillings in our teeth do contain mercury and release a certain amount every day; eating just a single can of tuna a week, though, is the equivalent to having 29 fillings in your mouth. Persistent organic pollutants have been linked to gum disease. Oral lichen planus, where the immune system starts attacking the lining of the mouth, has been successfully treated with the common plant purslane. Vitamin B12 supplements can be important to oral health in vegans and vegetarians. Canker sores have been found to be linked with cow’s milk protein. Poultry workers have been found to have excess cancers of the mouth and other body parts.	-	mortality,plant-based diets,fruit,dental health,vegans,cancer,heart health,vegetarians,side effects,heart disease,cardiovascular health,vegetables,cardiovascular disease,phytonutrients,sugar	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/18/are-dental-x-rays-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1762	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-intraepithelial-neoplasia/	oral intraepithelial neoplasia	-	-	Oregon,oral health,oral cancer,obesity,phytonutrients,sexual health,vegetables,strawberries,smoking,sexual transmission,mortality,jam,cancer,black raspberries,berries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1763	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/	orange juice	-	-	fruit,fruit juice,heart health,phytonutrients,heart disease,cardiovascular health,oranges,cardiovascular disease,citrus,plant-based diets,juice,vegetables,fat,side effects,stroke	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/	-
PLAIN-1764	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/	oranges	-	-	fruit,citrus,grapefruit,phytonutrients,vegetables,bananas,lemons,cancer,plant-based diets,fruit juice,antioxidants,vitamin C,juice,orange juice,greens	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/	-
PLAIN-1765	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oregano/	oregano	-	-	spices,antioxidants,fruit,berries,cinnamon,vegetables,cloves,herbs,apples,kale,blueberries,nuts,oxidative stress,chicken,green tea	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/23/can-antioxidant-rich-spices-counteract-the-effects-of-a-high-fat-meal/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-1766	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oregon/	Oregon	-	-	oral intraepithelial neoplasia,oral health,oral cancer,obesity,phytonutrients,sexual health,vegetables,strawberries,smoking,sexual transmission,mortality,jam,cancer,black raspberries,berries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1767	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organ-meats/	organ meats	-	-	meat,vegetables,cancer,poultry,seafood,chicken,fish,animal products,pork brains,plant-based diets,oxidative stress,brains,protein,vegetarians,inflammation	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-1768	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic/	organic	-	-	preservatives,processed foods,protein,rectal cancer,plant-based diets,plant protein,pasta,peas,standard American diet,sulfites,vegetarians,wine,women's health,vegetables,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/	-
PLAIN-1769	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/	organic foods	-	-	pesticides,cancer,women's health,meat,pregnancy,children,vegetables,fruit,reproductive health,GMO,ADHD,Roundup,dairy,soy,glyphosate	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-roundup-ready-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	-
PLAIN-1770	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-milk/	organic milk	-	-	milk,men's health,prostate cancer,prostate health,hormones,organic foods,estrogen,dairy,factory farming practices,cancer,farm animals,breast health,breast disease,breast cancer,chronic diseases	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/	-
PLAIN-1771	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organochlorines/	organochlorines	-	-	animal fat,vegans,plant-based diets,insecticides,pesticides,fish,vegetarians,fat,industrial toxins,persistent organic pollutants,omnivores,children,women's health,butter,beef	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/	-
PLAIN-1772	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organotins/	organotins	-	-	overeating,obesogens,obesity,persistent organic pollutants,seafood,white meat,weight loss,vegetables,nuts,meat,dairy,body fat,beans,exercise,fish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/	-
PLAIN-1773	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orgasm/	orgasm	-	-	mental health,mushrooms,mood,lung health,garlic,green tea,lung cancer,nausea,pain,tomatoes,vegetables,tobacco,tea,smoking,spicy food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/	-
PLAIN-1774	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orville-redenbacher/	Orville Redenbacher	-	-	mortality,microwaving,phosgene,popcorn,smoking,safety limits,popcorn lung,lung health,lung disease,butter flavor,butter,bronchiolitis obliterans,diacetyl,FDA,industry influence	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/	-
PLAIN-1775	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osmanthus-tea/	osmanthus tea	-	-	herbal tea,beverages,Asian markets	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-osmanthus-tea-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1776	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoarthritis/	osteoarthritis	-	-	inflammation,arthritis,antioxidants,joint health,spices,alternative medicine,cancer,complementary medicine,phytonutrients,DNA damage,dairy,turmeric,oxidative stress,medications,berries	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/	-
PLAIN-1777	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	osteoporosis	Plant-based sources of calcium are superior to animal-based sources (kale and broccoli absorbed nearly twice as well as the calcium in cow’s milk). A comparison of the bone mineral density of vegans to omnivores found that though omnivores have more than twice as much calcium intake due to dairy consumption, both had the same bone density. Though dietary intake studies show that those eating vegan tend to be deficient in calcium as well as two other nutrients, those eating conventional diets also tend to be deficient in calcium (and 6 other nutrients). Soymilk can provide the same amount of calcium as cow’s milk as long as the soymilk is shaken. There does not appear to be credence to the theory that protein intake in is bad for bones, but AGEs and coffee consumption may have adverse effects on bone health.	-	bone health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,heart health,kidney disease,women's health,aging,bone mineral density,cardiovascular health,mortality,kidney health,phytates,beans,cancer,calcium	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/long-term-vegan-bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/	-
PLAIN-1778	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/outback-steakhouse/	Outback Steakhouse	-	-	poultry,heterocyclic amines,restaurants,salads,white meat,TGI Friday's,sandwiches,grilling,frying,cancer,Burger King,barbecuing,carcinogens,Chick-fil-A,fast food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/	-
PLAIN-1779	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovarian-cancer/	ovarian cancer	Foods that appear to be protective against ovarian cancer: soy foods, tea (see also here), apples, Indian gooseberries, sweet potatoes, and carrots. As an epithelial cancer, sometimes prevention and treatment are the same thing.Thought to increase ovarian cancer risk: smoking, acrylamide, dairy products, and meat.	-	cancer,breast cancer,women's health,prostate cancer,ovary health,men's health,breast disease,breast health,prostate health,colon cancer,rectal cancer,fruit,lung cancer,colon health,endometrial cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1780	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/	ovary health	In one study in which 97,000 women were followed, those who ate lots of soy phytonutrients cut the risk of ovarian cancer in half. Coffee was a long time ago linked to ovarian cancer, but this turned out to be due to smoking, not coffee. Coffee is now thought to actually be protective against cancer. Green tea consumption may halve the risk of getting ovarian cancer. People who ate just one apple a day appear to have less risk of ovarian cancer. Indian gooseberries have found to be protective against many types of cancer, including ovarian. And beta carotene in foods may prevent ovarian cancer.Acrylamide is a neurotoxic industrial chemical found in french fries that has been linked to ovarian cancer. Meat consumption appears to be associated with female infertility (by interfering with ovulation).Hormone dependent cancers, such as ovarian cancer, may be linked to milk and dairy products because the commercial milk we drink today is from pregnant cows, so it contains high levels of steroid sex hormones. Japanese researchers, noticing the spike in their country in these cancers, have linked the increase to hormones found in American meat. It is now thought that cancers such as ovarian may grow for twenty years before they are detected.	-	cancer,women's health,breast health,breast disease,ovarian cancer,breast cancer,prostate health,fruit,prostate cancer,plant-based diets,vegetarians,men's health,alternative medicine,vegans,rectal cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1781	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/overeating/	overeating	-	-	obesity,weight loss,artificial sweeteners,sweeteners,caloric restriction,sugar,fat,calories,body fat,fruit,erythritol,soda,meat,grains,fish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/	-
PLAIN-1782	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxalate/	oxalate	-	-	pork,poultry,rice,plant-based diets,plant protein,pasta,pH,salt,seafood,vegetables,vegetarians,water,vegans,uric acid,sodium	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-1783	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxalates/	oxalates	-	-	kidney health,kidney disease,kidney stones,fruit,meat,cancer,nutrient absorption,supplements,turmeric,calcium,spices,side effects,natural toxins,breastfeeding,breast milk	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-star-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/	-
PLAIN-1784	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxen-meat/	oxen meat	-	-	moose meat,plant-based diets,milk,meat,junk food,lettuce,red meat,reindeer meat,vegetables,white meat,yogurt,soy milk,soy,salmon,soda	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	-
PLAIN-1785	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxford/	Oxford	-	-	longevity,lifespan,heart health,medical profession,mortality,sudden cardiac death,plant-based diets,heart disease,exercise,China Study,China,cardiovascular disease,Cornell,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Dr. T. Colin Campbell	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/	-
PLAIN-1786	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/	oxidative stress	-	-	mortality,antioxidants,fruit,vegetables,cancer,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,dairy,plant-based diets,saturated fat,inflammation,fat,meat,longevity,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1787	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oyster-mushrooms/	oyster mushrooms	-	-	shiitake mushrooms,mushrooms,crimini mushrooms,portobello mushrooms,chanterelle mushrooms,cost savings,enoki mushrooms,women's health,porcini mushrooms,alcohol,ranking foods,morel mushrooms,woodear mushrooms,breast health,maitake mushrooms	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-mushroom-2/	-
PLAIN-1788	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oysters/	oysters	-	-	fish,seafood,brain health,mercury,neurotoxins,brain disease,Lou Gehrig's disease,Parkinson's disease,Alzheimer’s disease,ALS,BMAA,biomagnification,dementia,fecal contamination,flesh-eating bacteria	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/	-
PLAIN-1789	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paclitaxel/	paclitaxel	-	-	natural toxins,nutrition myths,monounsaturated fats,metastases,guacamole,insecticides,nuts,oral cancer,Taxol,women's health,phytosterols,persin,fungicides,FDA,California	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1790	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paella/	paella	-	-	saffron,alternative medicine,dementia,spices,complementary medicine,Alzheimer’s disease,brain disease,longevity,lifespan,mortality,stroke,Parkinson's disease,kidney disease,cardiovascular disease,Aricept	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/	-
PLAIN-1791	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/	pain	-	-	inflammation,spices,fruit,medications,complementary medicine,chronic diseases,alternative medicine,cardiovascular health,joint health,fish,heart health,arthritis,vegetables,seafood,joint disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/10/natural-treatment-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1792	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/	paleolithic diets	-	-	prehistoric diets,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,plant-based diets,diabetes,evolution,meat,fat,cardiovascular health,heart health,blood pressure,vegans,nuts,weight loss,protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/	-
PLAIN-1793	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/palmitic-acid/	palmitic acid	-	-	cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,LDL cholesterol,heart health,heart disease,calories,cardiovascular health,butter,saturated fat,weight loss,animal fat,Coca-Cola,coconut oil,cod liver oil,cake	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-1794	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/panama/	Panama	-	-	quinoa,spirulina,sprouts,yerba mate,Kuna Indians,heart health,cancer,berries,cardiovascular disease,cocoa,heart disease,acaí berries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/	-
PLAIN-1795	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancakes/	pancakes	-	-	phytonutrients,fruit,antioxidants,berries,frozen fruit,eggs,Egg McMuffin,flax seeds,doughnuts,cloves,breakfast cereal,cream cheese,dairy,gooseberries,dried fruit	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/	-
PLAIN-1796	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/	pancreas health	-	-	cancer,prediabetes,diabetes,pancreatic cancer,insulin,breast cancer,liver health,meat,colon cancer,vegetarians,animal products,vegans,liver cancer,women's health,oxidative stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-1797	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/	pancreatic cancer	Pancreatic cancer may grow for 20 years before detection is possible. The largest study on nutrition ever has linked the consumption of animal fat and animal protein with pancreatic cancer. Total meat consumption also appears to be directly linked to the risk of pancreatic cancer. And the nitrite preservatives in processed meat have been significantly associated with pancreatic cancer. Bacon and chicken consumption may double the risk of pancreatic cancer.Eating a varied plant-based diet may be an effective way of preventing pancreatic cancer. Some of the top foods include: garlic, cruciferous and allium family vegetables, spinach, radicchio, and beets. Coffee consumption has been linked with a reduced incidence of pancreatic cancer. Triphala may be helpful in the treatment of pancreatic cancer; unfortunately, it has been found to be contaminated with toxic heavy metals and should probably be avoided.	-	cancer,breast cancer,rectal cancer,colon cancer,pancreas health,women's health,men's health,prostate cancer,liver cancer,lung cancer,turkey,cancer survival,breast health,poultry,liver health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/09/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-1798	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-enzymes/	pancreatic enzymes	-	-	Gerson Therapy,alternative medicine,supplements,raw food,detoxification,cancer,complementary medicine,fruit juice,liver,juice,hormones,Mexico,salt,vegetables,potassium	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/	-
PLAIN-1799	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatitis/	pancreatitis	-	-	pancreatic cancer,pancreas health,liver health,liver disease,rectal cancer,skin cancer,thymus,ulcerative colitis,stomach inflammation,stomach health,stomach cancer,liver cancer,Kaposi’s sarcoma,cancer,cell death	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-1800	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pap-smear/	pap smear	-	-	muscle health,mushrooms,nutritional yeast,multiple sclerosis,mortality,milk,mood,morbidity,nuts,obesity,plant protein,plant-based diets,plums,placebo,oils	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1801	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/papaya/	papaya	-	-	phytonutrients,processed foods,sexual health,oxidative stress,mood,mortality,spinach,suicide,vitamin E,women's health,vitamin C,vegetables,supplements,tomatoes,mental health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/	-
PLAIN-1802	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paralysis/	paralysis	-	-	brain disease,food poisoning,poultry,chicken,fish,foodborne illness,Guillain-Barré syndrome,Campylobacter,fecal contamination,brain health,meat,mortality,turkey,Parkinson's disease,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-paralysis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/	-
PLAIN-1803	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paramide-plus/	Paramide Plus	-	-	insects,pesticides,head lice,complementary medicine,children,coconut oil,alternative medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nontoxic-head-lice-treatment/	-
PLAIN-1804	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/	parasites	Up to nearly ten percent of Americans may be infected with brain parasites from undercooked meat. One example is the brain-invasive pork tapeworm, which is the most common cause of adult-onset epilepsy. Allergenic fish worms found in nearly two-thirds of retail fish tested can trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Cheese may contain mites and maggots (“cheese skippers”). Nearly 95% of tested retail U.S. beef (including burgers) have been found infested with parasites. The meat industry has responded to this problem by feeding arsenic to chickens and pigs to reduce the parasite load.	-	meat,brain disease,food poisoning,pork,seafood,poultry,foodborne illness,chicken,brain parasites,worms,brain health,fish,insects,cancer,autoimmune diseases	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/usda-parasite-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/	-
PLAIN-1805	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/	Parkinson's disease	Parkinson’s disease is now the 14th leading killer in the US. The following may be associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s: pesticides, industrial carcinogens (which build up in animal fat), blue green algae supplements, spirulina, and high iron intake. Nitrites, found in cured meats, also appear to be linked with Parkinson’s.On the bright side, filtered coffee may protect against Parkinson’s. Many modern drugs, including those used to treat Parkinson’s, are derived from plants.Dr. Greger covers Parkinson’s disease in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	brain disease,brain health,cancer,Alzheimer’s disease,dementia,meat,fish,neurotoxins,women's health,cognition,dairy,Lou Gehrig's disease,breast cancer,seafood,pesticides	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1806	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsonism-dementia-complex/	parkinsonism-dementia complex	-	-	neurotoxins,Lou Gehrig's disease,hypertension,health food stores,nutrition myths,Parkinson's disease,supplements,spirulina,flying foxes,complementary medicine,blood pressure,Alzheimer’s disease,alternative medicine,ALS,blue-green algae	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/	-
PLAIN-1807	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parsley/	parsley	-	-	pasta,peppermint,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,oregano,nutmeg,nuts,oatmeal,oats,plant-based diets,ranking foods,sweet potatoes,tabouli,tea,tomato sauce	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-1808	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pasta/	pasta	-	-	beans,grains,fruit,vegetables,meat,bread,plant-based diets,eggs,vegetarians,vegans,diabetes,processed foods,allergies,pork,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	-
PLAIN-1809	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pasteurization/	pasteurization	-	-	folate,greens,heart disease,fiber,fecal contamination,dairy,Europe,factory farming practices,heart health,iron,pus,saturated fat,vitamin K,pesticides,milk	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/	-
PLAIN-1810	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/patent/	patent	-	-	alternative medicine,spices,supplements,turmeric,curcumin,complementary medicine,India,cost savings,industry influence,marketing,wound healing,phytonutrients,medications,broccoli,brain disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/	-
PLAIN-1811	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/patulin/	patulin	-	-	nutrition myths,natural toxins,organic foods,World Health Organization,safety limits,mycotoxins,mold,cancer,apples,carcinogens,children,juice,fruit,apple juice	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/	-
PLAIN-1812	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pbcs/	PBCs	-	-	omega-3 fatty acids,persistent organic pollutants,obesity,mercury,infants,meat,prediabetes,pregnancy,vaccines,women's health,tuna,seafood,red meat,reproductive health,industrial toxins	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/	-
PLAIN-1813	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pbdes/	PBDEs	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,flame-retardant chemicals,industrial toxins,endocrine disruptors,DDT,pregnancy,PCBs,New York City,fish,liposuction,chicken,dairy,fast food,breastfeeding,dioxins	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/	-
PLAIN-1814	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/	PCBs	Industrial chemical carcinogens, such as PCBs, have been concentrating up the food chain for years and building up in animal fat. Many were banned in 1979 and fortunately have since been in decline in terms of daily intake levels. But one dietary source still remains a threat: fish and fish oil (see also here, here, here, here). Eggs may also be highly contaminated. Some PBCs act as xenoestrogens; they can have estrogenic effects and may adversely affect male sperm counts and may even be responsible for early onset puberty.	-	persistent organic pollutants,industrial toxins,fish,meat,dairy,dioxins,milk,obesity,cheese,animal products,reproductive health,animal fat,pesticides,seafood,pregnancy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/	-
PLAIN-1815	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcos/	PCOS	-	-	smoking,sexual health,peppermint oil,peppermint,spearmint,suicide,women's health,testosterone,tea,mood,exercise,Europe,body odor,athletes,fatigue	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/	-
PLAIN-1816	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peaches/	peaches	-	-	fruit,phytonutrients,carrots,vegetables,antioxidants,bananas,vision,supplements,oranges,zeaxanthin,apples,anthocyanins,cancer,blueberries,berries	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/	-
PLAIN-1817	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanut-butter/	peanut butter	-	-	nuts,almonds,cancer,peanuts,vegetables,beans,walnuts,pistachios,obesity,fruit,weight loss,calories,pine nuts,pecans,soybeans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/19/choosing-the-best-nutrition-bar/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanut-butter-smell-test-for-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-1818	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanuts/	peanuts	-	-	nuts,pistachios,obesity,weight loss,almonds,peanut butter,pine nuts,calories,cancer,cashews,brazil nuts,antioxidants,vegetables,hazelnuts,metabolism	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanuts-in-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-1819	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pears/	pears	-	-	fruit,antioxidants,apples,vegetables,berries,USDA,ranking foods,bananas,blueberries,cocoa,cloves,corn,exotic fruit,goji berries,cinnamon	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/	-
PLAIN-1820	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/	peas	-	-	beans,lentils,vegetables,vegans,fruit,grains,plant-based diets,vegetarians,diabetes,cancer,chickpeas,standard American diet,legumes,prediabetes,oxidative stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	-
PLAIN-1821	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pecans/	pecans	-	-	nuts,vegetables,antioxidants,fruit,almonds,ranking foods,spices,goji berries,peanuts,pistachios,pine nuts,walnuts,macadamia nuts,cloves,acaí berries	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/	-
PLAIN-1822	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penicillin/	penicillin	-	-	antibiotics,medications,meat,turkey,poultry,children,factory farming practices,farm animals,FDA,chicken,alternative medicine,wound healing,complementary medicine,pork,beef	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/13/when-a-scraped-knee-may-kill-again/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/	-
PLAIN-1823	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penile-bone/	penile bone	-	-	Richard Dawkins,phytonutrients,penis health,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,vegetables,tanning beds,skin health,sexual selection,lung health,impotence,evolution,erectile dysfunction,diabetes,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/	-
PLAIN-1824	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-cancer/	penis cancer	-	-	cancer,penis health,turkey,wart viruses,throat health,mortality,poultry workers,poultry,throat cancer,poultry viruses,liver health,liver cancer,cancer viruses,cervix health,chicken	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/	-
PLAIN-1825	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/	penis health	-	-	men's health,sexual health,sexual dysfunction,women's health,cancer,impotence,erectile dysfunction,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,dairy,children,cholesterol,mortality,inflammation,antioxidants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/20/pills-vs-diet-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/	-
PLAIN-1826	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-size/	penis size	-	-	men's health,industrial toxins,penis health,pregnancy,fish,sexual health,dairy,puberty,children,sexual dysfunction,sperm counts,testicular health,testosterone,infants,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/	-
PLAIN-1827	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peoria/	Peoria	-	-	Parkinson's disease,penicillin,plant-based diets,nutrition myths,mortality,malaria,medications,mold,morphine,quinine,red yeast rice,supplements,Taxol,vincristine,wound healing	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/	-
PLAIN-1828	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepper/	pepper	-	-	inflammation,spices,turmeric,cancer,medications,alternative medicine,fruit,blueberries,oxidative stress,herbs,cancer survival,DNA damage,curcumin,curry powder,cardiovascular disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-black-pepper-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1829	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppermint/	peppermint	-	-	herbal tea,tea,phytonutrients,antioxidants,berries,mint,side effects,women's health,recipes,oxidative stress,spices,beverages,lemonbalm,spearmint,aromatherapy	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	-
PLAIN-1830	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppermint-oil/	peppermint oil	-	-	smoking,sexual health,peppermint,spearmint,suicide,women's health,testosterone,tea,PCOS,mood,exercise,Europe,body odor,athletes,fatigue	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/	-
PLAIN-1831	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppers/	peppers	-	-	vegetarians,vegans,spices,pain,broccoli,phytonutrients,breast cancer,plant-based diets,cluster headaches,complementary medicine,surgery,chili peppers,suicide,headaches,stomach health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/10/natural-treatment-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-1832	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepsi/	Pepsi	-	-	Coca-Cola,soda,industry influence,meat,fat,chicken,poultry,animal products,vegetables,sugar,saturated fat,tobacco,smoking,heart health,animal fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/	-
PLAIN-1833	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/perfluorochemicals/	perfluorochemicals	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,PCBs,organic foods,pesticides,poultry,turkey,thyroid health,thyroid disease,seafood,milk,meat,dairy,China,children,chicken	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	-
PLAIN-1834	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/periodontal-disease/	periodontal disease	-	-	plant-based diets,oral health,vegans,dental health,cardiovascular disease,vegetarians,cancer,side effects,vegetables,impotence,cardiovascular health,erectile dysfunction,fruit,spices,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/	-
PLAIN-1835	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persin/	persin	-	-	guacamole,natural toxins,nutrition myths,DNA damage,avocados,cancer,cytoskeleton,coconut oil,insecticides,fungicides,fat,FDA,metastases,monounsaturated fats,Taxol	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1836	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/	persistent organic pollutants	Food sources associated with the highest levels of persistent organic pollutants: fish (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here), fish oil (see here, here, here, here), and chicken (see here, here). There also may be concerning levels in fast food, dairy, creatine supplements, and some Ayurvedic medicinal preparations. Chemical obesogens (industrial chemical pollutants) may play a role in the current obesity epidemic. Those eating plant-based diets have been found to be significantly less polluted with industrial toxins than omnivores.	-	industrial toxins,meat,fish,PCBs,dairy,animal products,children,obesity,eggs,dioxins,animal fat,cancer,reproductive health,milk,pesticides	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pesticides-in-chinese-bamboo-shoots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/	-
PLAIN-1837	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/	pesticides	800 million pounds of pesticides are used annually in the United States. Xenoestrogens (such as certain pesticides) may negatively affect male fertility, but the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables dramatically outweigh any risks of eating even conventional pesticide-laden produce.For-hire “scientific” firms have produced studies that downplay the risks of pesticides, asbestos, cigarette smoke, and meat eating. Luckily, DDT was banned in 1972, but such industrial toxins continue to build up in animal fat. Those eating plant-based diets, thus, have been found to be significantly less polluted than omnivores. Pesticides, as well as antibiotics, manure, pus, cholesterol, and saturated butterfat have all been found in milk. Factory farmed fish have higher levels of DDT and other banned pesticides than other fish. Fish oil supplements have been found to be contaminated with PCBs and insecticides (see also here). And Ayurvedic medicines have been found to be contaminated with pesticides, lead, arsenic, and mercury. The contamination of meat with drug, pesticide, and heavy metal residue is supposed to be screened by the USDA, but their efforts have been found to be lacking.The standard treatment for head lice is an insecticide; coconut emulsion shampoo has been found to be just as effective. Potatoes produce natural insecticide compounds to protect themselves, which is one reason they might not be as health-promoting as sweet potatoes.	-	organic foods,meat,cancer,women's health,fruit,chicken,GMO,vegetables,children,dairy,farm animals,glyphosate,Monsanto,Roundup,soy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nontoxic-head-lice-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-cooked-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pesticides-in-chinese-bamboo-shoots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-roundup-ready-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	-
PLAIN-1838	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/petroleum-jelly/	petroleum jelly	-	-	Vaseline,sleep,pneumonia	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-petroleum-jelly-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1839	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pets/	pets	-	-	cats,dogs,cardiovascular health,zoonotic disease,sexual health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,heart health,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,turkey,poultry,infants,dairy,seafood	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-nearly-killed-by-homeopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/	-
PLAIN-1840	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/petunidin/	petunidin	-	-	putrescine,phytonutrients,mortality,rosemary,rosmarinic acid,vegetables,theanine,tangeretin,longevity,limonin,cranberries,citrus,blueberries,fruit,ginger	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/	-
PLAIN-1841	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pew-commission/	Pew Commission	-	-	meat,industry influence,antibiotics,USDA,turkey,fecal contamination,poultry,chicken,factory farming practices,Consumers Union,Salmonella,children,Center for Science in the Public Interest,elderly,fecal bacteria	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/	-
PLAIN-1842	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pfizer/	Pfizer	-	-	medications,milk chocolate,marketing,immune function,hypertension,phytonutrients,torcetrapib,sugar,saturated fat,processed foods,heart health,heart disease,chocolate,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/	-
PLAIN-1843	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ph/	pH	-	-	vegetables,fruit,plant-based diets,vegetarians,vegans,animal protein,milk,dairy,standard American diet,pork,poultry,chicken,acid/base balance,plant protein,salt	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/23/preventing-bacterial-vaginosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/	-
PLAIN-1844	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pharmacists/	pharmacists	-	-	health food stores,shark cartilage,snake oil,supplements,fatigue,drug stores,beta carotene,Canada,complementary medicine,diabetes,alternative medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/	-
PLAIN-1845	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pheasants/	pheasants	-	-	salt,saturated fat,obesity,meat,smoking,sodium,wild game,venison,trans fats,sugar,kangaroo meat,inflammation,Australia,C-reactive protein,animal protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/	-
PLAIN-1846	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phenolics/	phenolics	-	-	phytonutrients,antioxidants,fruit,cancer,vegetables,strawberries,sulforaphane,sugar,fruit juice,apples,apple juice,juice,polyphenols,blueberries,processed foods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/	-
PLAIN-1847	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/philippines/	philippines	-	-	flax seeds,flax oil,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,fat,Dr. Walter Willett,coconut oil,Coca-Cola,cod liver oil,cognition,dementia,industry influence,lauric acid,USDA	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/	-
PLAIN-1848	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phillip-morris/	Phillip Morris	-	-	potato chips,potatoes,National Confectioners Association,lung cancer,processed foods,smoking,Whitecoat project,ultra-processed foods,tobacco,soda,Kraft,junk food,candy,chicken,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-1849	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phip/	PhIP	-	-	meat,fish,cooking methods,chicken,oxidative stress,animal products,turkey,poultry,pork,carcinogens,DNA damage,beef,cancer,animal protein,heterocyclic amines	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/	-
PLAIN-1850	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phosgene/	phosgene	-	-	Orville Redenbacher,mortality,microwaving,popcorn,smoking,safety limits,popcorn lung,lung health,lung disease,butter flavor,butter,bronchiolitis obliterans,diacetyl,FDA,industry influence	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/	-
PLAIN-1851	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phosphate-additives/	phosphate additives	-	-	meat,poultry,preservatives,turkey,food additives,phosphorus,chicken,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,animal products,heart health,junk food,heart disease,industry influence,kidney failure	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/	-
PLAIN-1852	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phosphorus/	phosphorus	-	-	meat,poultry,preservatives,turkey,food additives,phosphate additives,chicken,vegetarians,vegans,heart health,heart disease,kidney failure,kidney disease,plant-based diets,cardiovascular health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/	-
PLAIN-1853	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phthalates/	phthalates	-	-	industrial toxins,plastic,poultry,dairy,chicken,penis size,fruit,infants,penis health,men's health,potatoes,safety limits,tomatoes,vegetables,white meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/15/eating-chicken-may-lead-to-a-smaller-penis/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/	-
PLAIN-1854	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/physical-attraction/	physical attraction	-	-	phytonutrients,skin health,vegetables,lutein,vegetarians,greens,plant-based diets,sexual selection,omnivores,supplements,sexual health,ethnicity,evolution,men's health,body odor	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/26/improving-attractiveness-in-six-weeks/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/body-odor-diet-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/	-
PLAIN-1855	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/physicians-committee-for-responsible-medicine/	Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine	-	-	heart health,heart disease,plant-based diets,cardiovascular disease,obesity,Dr. Neal Barnard,vegans,fat,vegetables,weight loss,vegetarians,cardiovascular health,beans,Dr. Dean Ornish,grains	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/24/wisconsin-milk-marketing-board-accused-of-making-illegally-deceptive-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/03/physician-assisted-suicide-when-doctors-give-nutrition-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/29/vegan-workplace-intervention/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	-
PLAIN-1856	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytates/	phytates	-	-	grains,nuts,beans,antinutrients,heart disease,meat,cancer,animal products,heart health,plant-based diets,antioxidants,seeds,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	-
PLAIN-1857	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytic-acid/	phytic acid	-	-	antinutrients,phytates,kidney disease,heart disease,kidney health,heart health,plant-based diets,rectal cancer,nuts,grains,meat,vegans,cardiovascular health,cancer,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	-
PLAIN-1858	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/	phytoestrogens	Phytoestrogens are estrogen-like compounds found in a variety of plant foods such as beans, seeds, and grains, though they are concentrated in soy foods and flax. Phytoestrogens appear to be helpful in the prevention of diabetes and cancers of the colon, liver, brain, breast, ovaries, and skin. “Bad” cholesterol appears to be reduced, cardiovascular risk decreased, and weight loss increased when they are consumed. Soy phytoestrogens do not decrease male fertility; however, xenoestrogens, which are found mainly in fish, have been shown to drastically lower sperm counts. Replacing dairy with soy may decrease abdominal fat.	-	cancer,soy,isoflavones,breast cancer,seeds,plant-based diets,vegetarians,vegans,nutrition myths,men's health,Japan,mortality,breast disease,women's health,estrogen	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/29/soy-and-breast-cancer-an-update/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/	-
PLAIN-1859	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/	phytonutrients	Plants contain more than 100,000 phytonutrients, one of the reasons nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day are recommended. Some phytonutrients are fat soluble and, thus, need fat to be properly absorbed. Certain phytonutrients are also better absorbed from cooked, rather than raw, food. Phytonutrients may in part account for the benefits of whole plant foods in cancer prevention. Dates, berries, strawberries, coffee, earl grey tea, chai tea, and green tea (see also here, here) are high in phytonutrients. Milk and soymilk, however, may block the absorption of phytonutrients (see also here).Variety in a diet appears to boost the effectiveness of phytonutrients due to nutrient synergy and also because different plants and vegetables have different phytonutrients. A healthy eating index has even been created based on phytochemical consumption. Phytonutrients, when eaten, literally bathe our systems, as evidenced by garlic breath and pink urine from eating beets, which are packed with phytonutrients.On average, plant foods have 64 times more antioxidants than animal foods, and when it comes to antioxidants, the more we eat, the more we may benefit. Boiling and pressure cooking reduce the antioxidant content of foods more than any other method. Antioxidants also appear to increase stool size, which has been associated with a lower cancer risk, and protect NO synthase, the enzyme that produces the artery-relaxing signal nitric oxide. Eating a diet high in antioxidants appears to reduce inflammation in the body. Beets, followed by red bell peppers, have been found to have the highest cellular antioxidant levels of vegetables. Other foods high in antioxidants include: Dragon’s Blood, Indian gooseberries (see here, here), triphala (although lead contamination makes it a bad choice), dried peppermint & cloves, dried pomegranate seeds, dried apple rings, blackberries, cranberries, cold steeped tea, idared apples, crabapples, dandelion tea, red rice, and carrots. Kale juice has also been found to be high in phytonutrients and eating kale, especially cooked, may boost our immune system.Interestingly, tomato juice seems to have greater phytonutrient availability than eating the actual tomato. Phytonutrients like lycopene in tomatoes appears to be protective against heart disease. The phytonutrients in cacao appear to be helpful in relieving the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. In terms of phytonutrient content, cocoa powder is the healthiest form of chocolate (see also here). Phytochemicals found in fruit and vegetable juices may have a protective affect against Alzheimer’s. Purple grape juice ranked the highest in terms of protection against Alzheimer’s due to the presence of high levels of phenolic phytonutrients. And when it comes to attractiveness, a rosy glow to the skin has been found to be preferred; phytonutrients, especially carotenoids (found in kale, for example) have been found to increase attractiveness, but taking them in pill form does not appear to work (see also here). The risk of glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness, appears to be dramatically reduced by kale or collard greens consumption, thanks to the phytonutrient pigments lutein and zeaxanthin. Lutein and zeaxanthin have also been shown to be beneficial in protecting against cataracts and macular degeneration. Carrots, collard greens, and kale are high in these phytonutrients but, again, taking them in pill form does not appear to work.The phytonutrients in flax seeds assist our body in the formation of lignans, which are essential to healthy gut flora. The phytonutrient sulforaphane, found in broccoli, has been associated with lowering breast cancer risk as well as improving survival rates (see also here, here). Phytonutrients in broccoli may also decrease the metastatic potential of lung cancer. The phytonutrients in raw broccoli may help bladder cancer survival. Sulforaphane is more readily available in raw broccoli. Sulforaphane is also the most powerful natural inducer of our liver’s detoxifying enzyme system. Growing your own broccoli sprouts is probably the most nutrition you can get for your money. 100 cups of broccoli a day is the safe upper limit for consumption (see also here). Broccoli also appears to protect against DNA damage in smokers.Vitamin C, found most concentrated in fruits and vegetables, blocks carcinogenic nitrosamine production in our systems. However, in the presence of fat, Vitamin C actually increases nitrosamine production so adding it to meat may actually make it more carcinogenic. Four hot dogs have more nitrosamines than a pack of 20 cigarettes. Nitrosamines are formed from nitrites, which form nitrosamines in the absence of phytonutrients.	-	antioxidants,cancer,fruit,vegetables,meat,greens,plant-based diets,hypertension,mortality,cardiovascular disease,blood pressure,heart disease,beverages,dairy,grains	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/26/improving-attractiveness-in-six-weeks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oatmeal-lotion-for-chemotherapy-induced-rash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-tea-vs-earl-grey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus%C2%AE-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-apple/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-1860	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytosterols/	phytosterols	-	-	cholesterol,nuts,heart disease,fat,cardiovascular disease,heart health,seeds,LDL cholesterol,cardiovascular health,plant-based diets,women's health,cancer,breast cancer,nutrient absorption,calories	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/	-
PLAIN-1861	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pickled-vegetables/	pickled vegetables	-	-	soda,soy,potato chips,multiple myeloma,spices,tea,viral infections,zoonotic disease,vegetarians,vegetables,turmeric,MGUS,meat,cancer,chicken	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/	-
PLAIN-1862	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pie/	pie	-	-	saturated fat,trans fats,Barhi dates,safety limits,processed foods,National Dairy Board,National Dairy Promotion Board,candy,milk,cinnamon,recipes,spices,tofu,vegetables,nutmeg	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/	-
PLAIN-1863	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pine-needles/	pine needles	-	-	lung health,lung cancer,in vitro studies,poisonous plants,women's health,weeds,vegans,heart health,heart disease,Cannabis,broccoli,beans,cardiovascular disease,cruciferous vegetables,greens	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/	-
PLAIN-1864	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pine-nuts/	pine nuts	-	-	peanuts,almonds,nuts,pistachios,obesity,pecans,brazil nuts,macadamia nuts,weight loss,cashews,mortality,peanut butter,oxidative stress,calories,fat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-1865	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pineal-gland/	pineal gland	-	-	sleep,melatonin,nuts,tomatoes,tart cherries,walnuts,adolescence,animal products,sports drinks,spices,seeds,serotonin,side effects,almonds,blindness	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/	-
PLAIN-1866	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pineapple-juice/	pineapple juice	-	-	phytonutrients,phenolics,orange juice,pomegranate juice,processed foods,pomegranates,juice,grapes,cranberry juice,cranberries,apples,fruit,fruit juice,grapefruit juice,grape juice	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/	-
PLAIN-1867	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pineapples/	pineapples	-	-	fruit,bananas,strawberries,depression,dopamine,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,USDA,kiwi fruit,antidepressants,brain health,mental health,serotonin,side effects,SSRI's	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/	-
PLAIN-1868	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pinto-beans/	pinto beans	-	-	beans,black beans,soybeans,cardiovascular disease,medications,legumes,liver disease,liver health,cholesterol,heart disease,antioxidants,ranking foods,navy beans,lentils,kidney beans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/	-
PLAIN-1869	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/piperine/	piperine	-	-	medications,malaria,liver health,India,pepper,turmeric,tea,spices,quinine,herbs,heart health,cardiovascular disease,butter,asthma,aspirin	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/	-
PLAIN-1870	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pistachio-principle/	pistachio principle	-	-	calories,weight loss,obesity,fat,nuts,nutrient absorption,pistachios,almonds,chewing,walnuts,metabolism,peanut butter,peanuts	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/	-
PLAIN-1871	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pistachios/	pistachios	-	-	nuts,weight loss,obesity,almonds,calories,peanuts,antioxidants,heart health,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,oxidative stress,pine nuts,walnuts,fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/	-
PLAIN-1872	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pizza/	pizza	-	-	poultry,saturated fat,industry influence,junk food,chicken,cheese,obesity,standard American diet,meat,dairy,mortality,animal products,dietary guidelines,cookies,cooking methods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/	-
PLAIN-1873	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pizza-hut/	Pizza Hut	-	-	PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,PBDEs,omnivores,McDonald’s,neurotoxins,plant-based diets,vegetarians,white meat,vegans,Sweden,poultry,pregnancy,lead,KFC	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/	-
PLAIN-1874	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/placebo/	placebo	-	-	medications,side effects,fruit,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,hypertension,flexitarians,breast cancer,breast health,cancer,cholesterol,fat,obesity,chicken	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-1875	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/placebo-effect/	placebo effect	-	-	cancer,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,complementary medicine,supplements,side effects,lung health,nausea,asthma,alternative medicine,weight loss,brain health,cognition,dementia	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	-
PLAIN-1876	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/	plant protein	The source of the protein we eat (plant vs. animal) matters to our health because food is a package deal. Plant protein, unlike animal protein, naturally contains healthy nutrients thought to extend our lifespan, significantly reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer, boost our immune system, and prevent/treat rheumatoid arthritis. Plant-based diets may also prevent both age-related weight gain and premature puberty (see also here). Gluten is a healthy source of plant protein for 99% of Americans. Beans, including lentils, are another excellent plant protein source. Even processed meat-free “meats” are better for our health than animal protein (see, for example a comparison between chicken and cholesterol-free plant protein chicken). And the new USDA Guidelines (MyPlate) recognize plant protein, including soy, as healthy alternatives to animal protein.	-	vegetarians,meat,vegans,vegetables,plant-based diets,animal protein,fruit,cancer,eggs,animal products,dairy,animal fat,beans,fish,standard American diet	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1877	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diet/	plant-based diet	-	-	Proteus mirabilis,pain,rheumatoid arthritis,urinary tract infections,women's health,vegetarians,vegans,lignans,joint health,cancer,C-reactive protein,autoimmune diseases,cardiovascular health,gut flora,joint disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/17/strawberries-can-reverse-precancerous-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/14/avoid-carnitine-and-lethicin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/26/best-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-
PLAIN-1878	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	plant-based diets	The convergence of evidence suggests that an affordable plant-based diet can help prevent and even reverse many of the top killers in the Western world. This could save Medicare billions of dollars, but medical training continues to underemphasize nutrition education, in part, perhaps, because lifestyle interventions go against the prevailing conventional wisdom. The USDA, in formulating its dietary guidelines, has been accused of both acting with bias and ignoring relevant research (see the McGovern Report). However, the most recent guidelines take a step in the right direction by recommending a shift to a plant-based diet, which Kaiser Permanente, the largest U.S. managed care organization, has moved in the direction of supporting. Lifestyle medicine attempts to find, prevent, and treat the causes of disease. Patients should receive fully informed consent for treatment, meaning they should be informed about all of their options including dietary changes.The #1 killer in the US – heart disease – was found to be almost nonexistent in populations with diets centered around whole plant foods. Heart disease may be effectively treated with a plant-based diet because food is a package deal (see also here, here, here, here, here). Even having “normal” cholesterol levels may be deadly, but can be effectively lowered with a whole foods, plant-based diet containing foods with known benefits. Fatty streaks in the arteries of children as young as 10 show that heart disease may start in childhood.A plant-based diet may also help in averting and/or slowing certain cancers (like breast cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, as well as BPH, benign prostatic hypertrophy).This is in part because plant foods contain anti-aging, anti-cancer antioxidants (on average 64 times more than animal foods, see also here, here, here, here, here, here), fiber, and phytochemicals, which in some cases can even help repair DNA damage. Even two weeks on a plant-based diet appears to dramatically improve cancer defenses. The blood of those on plant-based diets is more effective at killing cancer cells than those who eat a standard diet even if they exercise strenuously. Angiogenesis inhibitors in plant foods may help prevent cancerous tumors from connecting to a blood supply. Methionine restriction, best achieved through a plant-based diet, starves human tumors of the amino acid necessary for their growth—all while potentially extending our life span. To reduce cancer risk, we can suppress the engine-of-aging enzyme TOR (Target of Rapamycin) by reducing intake of leucine–rich animal products such as dairy products.Lower cancer rates among those eating plant-based diets may be because of lower levels of IGF-1, a cancer-promoting growth hormone, and increased levels of the IGF-1 binding protein due to a reduction animal protein intake. The carnitine in meat may produce the same toxic TMAO that is produced from the choline concentrated in eggs and dairy. Tumors may use the Neu5gc molecule in meat to trick our immune system into producing xeno-autoantibodies to create an inflammatory milieu; the molecule also builds up in atherosclerotic plaques and may also play a role in heart disease. Neu5gc may even cause children to suffer severe E. coli food poisoning from bacteria in the same meat product. Animalistic plant foods like soy may also increase IGF-1 production. It might be best to restrict soy intake to 3-5 servings a day.Plant-based eating also appears to help with healthy intestinal transit. When it comes to healthy stool shape and size, a plant-based diet may produce the healthiest stools , healthy gut flora (see also here) and lead to consistently larger and more frequent bowel movements – even better than just eating prunes or taking fiber supplements -, which may be important for preventing a variety of health problems (e.g. excreting excess estrogen appears to help lower the risk of breast cancer). We can test our ‘peeH’ to see how alkaline-forming our diet is to inspire us to eat more dark green leafy vegetables.Additionally, plant-based eating may successfully control weight (better than diet pills, prevent and treat type II diabetes, help prevent an abdominal aortic aneurysm, prevent gallstones, improve cognition, prevent age related macular degeneration, cataracts, slow aging, raise childhood IQ, improve body-odor, reduce waist circumference, reduce allergies, reduce abdominal fat, improve sexual problems, lengthen life span by turning back the clock 14 years, cure acne, protect oral health (though be careful brushing after sour fruit), protect against metabolic syndrome, treat multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia (see also here), prevent and treat Parkinson’s disease, ease menstrual breast pain and dysmenorrhea, prevent vaginal infections, treat asthma and eczema, treat cellulite, improve our moods, and cut down on the need for drugs and surgery. Employees who switched to plant-based diets at Geico headquarters lost weight and experienced other health benefits. Plant-based diets also help in the prevention and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.Centering our diets around whole plant foods involves a reduction in meat and processed food consumption. We should try to get our nutrients (including fiber) in produce not pill form – eating legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, and the 9 recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. It may be helpful to cook some vegetables for optimal absorption.Eating meat and other animal products is associated with weight gain (even after controlling for calories), a shortened lifespan, and other negative effects (such as premature breast development of young girls). Arachidonic acid in chicken and eggs may cause inflammation, increasing one’s risk for a variety of disorders including mood disturbances thought due to inflammation of the brain. On the other hand, many plant foods (especially potassium-rich foods) appear to reduce inflammation.Eating low on the food chain reduces our exposure to dietary antibiotics, and industrial toxins that concentrate in animal fat (a problem multiplied by the feeding of slaughterhouse byproducts to farm animals) that may contribute to multiple diseases. Plant-based diets reduce our exposure to mercury and other toxic heavy metals, advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), cadmium, as well as xenoestrogens in fish, which may interfere with male fertility, and estrogenic meat carcinogens in cooked meat which stimulate breast cancer cells and may affect fetal development. Luckily, eating plants not only reduces our exposure to these toxins, but also may protect us against subsequent damage. Vegetarians can be exposed to the same carcinogens by consuming eggs, cheese, and creatine sports supplements or through inhalation of cigarette smoke. The cooked meat carcinogen PhIP found in fried bacon, fish, and chicken may not only trigger cancer and promote tumor growth, but also increase cancer’s metastatic potential by increasing its invasiveness. Boiling meat is a way for meat-eaters to reduce the risks associated with eating undercooked or well-cooked meat. The Paleo Diet may increase risk of toxin contamination, DNA damage, and cancer.So long as animal-products are not consumed regularly, a plant-based diet can detoxify the body of these pollutants. Healthy plant-based diets would also minimize one’s exposure to trans fats and carcinogenic nitrosamines.Contrary to popular myth, vegans have healthy bones and higher blood protein levels than omnivores. Vegans get more than enough protein. Within a matter of weeks, participants placed on the plant-based diet outlined in Daniel 1:8-16 experienced improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin levels, insulin resistance, and C-reactive protein levels, a marker of inflammation within the body.Vegans average fewer nutrient deficiencies than average omnivores while maintaining a lower body weight without necessarily losing muscle mass. Those eating plant-based diets may experience enhanced athletic recovery without affecting the benefits of exercise.But there are important nutritional considerations. There are two vitamins not available in plants: vitamins D and B12. There is a serious risk of B12 deficiency (see also here, here, here, here, here) if no supplements or B12-fortified foods are consumed, a particular danger for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and their infants (see also here). It can lead to Vegetarian’s Myelopathy, paralysis, a variety of other problems, thickened arteries, and can shorten one’s lifespan. Two other nutrients to keep an eye on are iodine – which is harmful in too great or too small amounts (it is especially important during pregnancy, and can be found in sea vegetables), and zinc. Also recommended are yeast- or algae-based long chain omega 3 fatty acids. And rare genetic disorders may require special supplementation. The power of plants is exemplified by the fact that in modern medicine plant compounds form the basis of many critical medications, but better to prevent disease in the first place.	-	meat,mortality,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,fruit,cancer,heart health,cardiovascular health,beans,medications,vegetables,vegetarians,animal products,vegans,fiber	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-myelopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-gallstones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tightening-the-bible-belt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iq-of-vegetarian-children-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/body-odor-diet-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-paralysis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/long-term-vegan-bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	-
PLAIN-1879	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plantains/	plantains	-	-	fruit,plant-based diets,tomatoes,vegetables,greens,medications,vegans,vegetarians,animal fat,animal products,protein,saturated fat,surgery,Pritikin,exercise	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/	-
PLAIN-1880	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plasma-membrane/	plasma membrane	-	-	seeds,pumpkin seeds,plant-based diets,side effects,statins,women's health,vegetarians,vegans,phytosterols,nuts,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,cancer survival,cancer,cholesterol	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1881	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plastic/	plastic	-	-	industrial toxins,poultry,pregnancy,chicken,persistent organic pollutants,phthalates,men's health,fish,PCBs,infants,dairy,women's health,milk,sexual health,BPA	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/	-
PLAIN-1882	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/platelets/	platelets	-	-	mortality,inflammation,heart health,heart disease,stroke,side effects,allergies,vegetables,grapefruit juice,strawberries,cancer,aspirin,antioxidants,cardiovascular disease,blood clots	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/	-
PLAIN-1883	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plums/	plums	-	-	fruit,USDA,plant-based diets,dried fruit,vegetables,corn,bananas,complementary medicine,nuts,medications,alternative medicine,industry influence,apples,berries,depression	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/	-
PLAIN-1884	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plutonium/	plutonium	-	-	medications,side effects,spices,turmeric,DNA damage,Germany,ginger,goji berries,Harvard,garlic,children,supplements,bladder cancer,antioxidants,breakfast cereal	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/	-
PLAIN-1885	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pneumonia/	pneumonia	-	-	fruit,vegetables,lung health,longevity,meat,mortality,medications,poultry,tobacco,smoking,immune function,obesity,food poisoning,antioxidants,cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-petroleum-jelly-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1886	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pneumovax/	pneumovax	-	-	pneumonia,lung health,vaccines,vegetables,lung disease,longevity,elderly,fruit,immune function,infants,aging	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/	-
PLAIN-1887	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poisonous-plants/	poisonous plants	-	-	lung health,lung cancer,in vitro studies,pine needles,women's health,weeds,vegans,heart health,heart disease,Cannabis,broccoli,beans,cardiovascular disease,cruciferous vegetables,greens	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/	-
PLAIN-1888	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poland/	Poland	-	-	meat,uric acid,polyphenols,sweeteners,sugar,vitamin C,pork,asthma,plant-based diets,vegetarians,omnivores,hay fever,chemical sensitivities,children,allergies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/	-
PLAIN-1889	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polonium/	polonium	-	-	radiation,reproductive health,nicotine,milk,mortality,safety limits,seafood,tuna,water,tobacco,smoking,shrimp,men's health,Japan,cooking methods	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-
PLAIN-1890	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycarbonate-plastic/	polycarbonate plastic	-	-	BPA,plastic,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,diabetes,Canada,industrial toxins,FDA,Eden Foods,cooking methods,cans,liver disease,polyethylene plastic,polypropylene plastic	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/	-
PLAIN-1891	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polychlorinated-naphthalenes/	polychlorinated naphthalenes	-	-	polycyclic hydrocarbons,pets,persistent organic pollutants,milk,pork,poultry,turkey,white meat,seafood,salmon,red meat,meat,lamb,dairy,dioxins	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/	-
PLAIN-1892	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbons/	polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons	-	-	carcinogens,cancer,fish,women's health,poultry,animal products,cooking methods,turkey,chicken,prostate cancer,lung cancer,breast cancer,children,men's health,oxidative stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/	-
PLAIN-1893	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycyclic-hydrocarbons/	polycyclic hydrocarbons	-	-	meat,pesticides,persistent organic pollutants,fish,industrial toxins,heterocyclic amines,organic foods,carcinogens,antibiotics,cancer,calcium,fiber,evolution,greens,hamburgers	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-yerba-mate-tea-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/	-
PLAIN-1894	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyethylene-plastic/	polyethylene plastic	-	-	liver disease,inflammation,industrial toxins,heart health,liver health,microwaving,polypropylene plastic,polycarbonate plastic,plastic,heart disease,FDA,Canada,Bush administration,BPA,beans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/	-
PLAIN-1895	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polymyositis/	polymyositis	-	-	pets,pain,New York City,neurotoxins,seafood,zoonotic disease,sexual transmission,sexual health,mental health,foodborne illness,chronic fatigue syndrome,CDC,brain health,ciguatera,cooking methods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	-
PLAIN-1896	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/	polyphenols	-	-	phytonutrients,fruit,beans,inflammation,aging,grapes,tea,vegetables,berries,chickpeas,split peas,lentils,brain health,brain disease,dementia	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-1897	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polypropylene-plastic/	polypropylene plastic	-	-	liver disease,inflammation,industrial toxins,heart health,liver health,microwaving,polyethylene plastic,polycarbonate plastic,plastic,heart disease,FDA,Canada,Bush administration,BPA,beans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/	-
PLAIN-1898	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyps/	polyps	-	-	cancer,rectal cancer,cancer survival,colon health,fruit,side effects,chemotherapy,colon cancer,metastases,low-fat diets,mortality,National Cancer Institute,nuts,raspberries,kidney stones	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/	-
PLAIN-1899	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyradiculoneuropathy/	polyradiculoneuropathy	-	-	pork brains,porcine endogenous retroviruses,poultry,poultry viruses,poultry workers,plant-based diets,mushrooms,mortality,organ meats,pain,parasites,protein,reticuloendotheliosis virus,vegetables,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/	-
PLAIN-1900	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polysorbate-80/	Polysorbate 80	-	-	maltodextrin,meat,plant-based diets,junk food,inflammatory bowel disease,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,inflammation,plantains,vegetables,vegetarians,xanthan gum,vegans,ulcerative colitis,processed foods,Splenda	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-1901	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranate-juice/	pomegranate juice	-	-	pomegranates,juice,industry influence,grape juice,fruit juice,apple juice,processed foods,arthritis,phytonutrients,FTC,Marion Nestle,nutrition myths,carotid arteries,heart disease,weight loss	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/	-
PLAIN-1902	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranates/	pomegranates	-	-	fruit,phytonutrients,berries,antioxidants,spices,oxidative stress,pomegranate juice,vegetables,kale,nuts,blueberries,ranking foods,industry influence,apples,carrots	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	-
PLAIN-1903	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pop-tarts/	Pop Tarts	-	-	processed foods,safety limits,neurotoxins,mercury,seafood,soda,women's health,yogurt,tuna,sweeteners,sugar,marketing,lard,dairy,dietary guidelines	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/	-
PLAIN-1904	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/popcorn/	popcorn	-	-	constipation,diverticulitis,colon health,bowel movements,smoking,diverticulosis,colon disease,fiber,seeds,vitamin C,scurvy,processed foods,inflammation,nuts,safety limits	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/	-
PLAIN-1905	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/popcorn-lung/	popcorn lung	-	-	lung disease,lung health,artificial flavors,food additives,microwaving,bronchiolitis obliterans,butter flavor,butter,diacetyl,safety limits,smoking,occupational health,processed foods,junk food,phosgene	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/	-
PLAIN-1906	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poppy-seeds/	poppy seeds	-	-	morphine,safety limits,seeds,sleep,milk,infants,children,bagels,complementary medicine,cooking methods,drug testing,alternative medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/	-
PLAIN-1907	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/porcine-endogenous-retroviruses/	porcine endogenous retroviruses	-	-	pork brains,poultry,poultry viruses,poultry workers,polyradiculoneuropathy,plant-based diets,mushrooms,mortality,organ meats,pain,parasites,protein,reticuloendotheliosis virus,vegetables,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/	-
PLAIN-1908	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/porcini-mushrooms/	porcini mushrooms	-	-	portobello mushrooms,ranking foods,shiitake mushrooms,oyster mushrooms,mushrooms,chanterelle mushrooms,crimini mushrooms,morel mushrooms,alcohol	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-mushroom-2/	-
PLAIN-1909	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/	pork	Smithfield, the largest pork producer in the world, launched “Deli for the Cure,” which donates money to cancer research for every pound sold of the type of meat that, according to the World Cancer Research Fund’s cancer report, causes the most cancer. Eating organic strawberries, however, appears to be protective against cancer cell growth; eating the liver, eyes, or brains of berry fed pigs is another option.Cured meats such as bacon and ham are loaded with carcinogenic nitrosamine producing nitrites and should be avoided (see also here, here, here, here). The level of nitrosamines in bacon is so high that they have even been found in the smell of frying bacon. Pan fried pork chops likewise contain carcinogens. Total meat intake (including pork) appears to increase the risk for multiple myeloma. A case report linked pork consumption to a penis tumor caused by HPV, which can cause cancerous anal and genital warts. Pork consumption has also been linked to liver failure, due to hepatitis E (which is now known to be zoonotic). Pigs appear to be reservoirs of the virus (see also here). Pork tapeworms can take up residence the human brain, and in fact are the most common cause of adult onset epilepsy. They can be contracted through pork consumption or eating food handled by a person who eats pork. Pork is a source of saturated fat as well as cholesterol (see also here). Saturated fat has been linked to lower rates of breast cancer survival. Pork is the source of lard.Consumption of fecal bacteria from pigs is less of a problem than with chickens because normally pig’s skin is not consumed, and it is the skin that may be most contaminated. Arsenic is fed intentionally to pigs (85 tons of arsenic compounds fed to pigs every year) and consequently may contaminate pork. Arachidonic acid is found in pork, among other meats, and appears to negatively affect mood. Pork has been found to contain PCBs. Retail pork samples have been found to be contaminated with staph bacteria; only turkey was found to be infected at higher rates than pork (see also here, here).Replacing bacon and eggs with a plant-based smoothie for breakfast will exponentially increase one’s daily antioxidant intake.See also the related blog post: Supreme Court case: meat industry sues to keep downed animals in food supply	-	meat,chicken,plant-based diets,diabetes,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,vegans,vegetables,cancer,animal products,beef,vegetarians,eggs,fruit,cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	-
PLAIN-1910	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork-brains/	pork brains	-	-	veal brains,brains,chicken,organ meats,beef brains,meat,poultry,pork,beef,sheep,protein,seafood,vegetables,vegetarians,obesity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-1911	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork-rinds/	pork rinds	-	-	fat,bacon,peanuts,peanut butter,obesity,nuts,fava beans,beans,arginine,calories,CDC,pine nuts,metabolism,seeds,veggie burgers	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-1912	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/portobello-mushrooms/	portobello mushrooms	-	-	chanterelle mushrooms,crimini mushrooms,shiitake mushrooms,oyster mushrooms,mushrooms,women's health,woodear mushrooms,ranking foods,porcini mushrooms,morel mushrooms,alcohol,enoki mushrooms,breast disease,breast cancer,breast health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-mushroom-2/	-
PLAIN-1913	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potassium/	potassium	-	-	vegetables,greens,plant-based diets,fruit,dietary guidelines,standard American diet,vegetarians,vegans,supplements,protein,fiber,pork,meat,fish,chicken	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	-
PLAIN-1914	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potassium-sorbate/	potassium sorbate	-	-	preservatives,mold,food additives,DNA damage,animal studies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-potassium-sorbate-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1915	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potato-chips/	potato chips	-	-	junk food,cancer,french fries,fruit,vegetables,beans,grains,meat,dairy,candy,soda,chicken,cookies,alcohol,potatoes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-1916	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/	potatoes	-	-	fruit,cancer,vegetables,beans,grains,vegetarians,vegans,plant-based diets,cardiovascular disease,diabetes,sugar,heart disease,meat,prediabetes,chicken	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-cooked-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	-
PLAIN-1917	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/	poultry	Based on a study of more than 100,000 people, chicken consumption was associated with double the risk of bladder and pancreatic cancer. Breast cancer survival rates have been found to improve when saturated fat intake (found predominantly in cheese and chicken) is lowered. And poultry has been associated with an increased risk of lymphoma (see also here).Other possible risks associated with chicken include: urinary tract infections, warts, staph, the MRSA superbug (see also here, here), and salmonella. Chicken has been found to contain in dioxins, toxic waste, excessive sodium, saturated fat, AGEs (which promote aging), and processed chicken is high in carcinogenic nitrosamines. Arachidonic acid, found in high levels in chicken and eggs, may adversely affect mood and mental health (see also here, here, here). Phthalates found in chicken, when eaten during pregnancy, can affect the fetus and may reduce the size of a male’s developing genitals. And because we feed so much fish meal to chickens, you can have an allergic reaction to a parasitic fish worm by eating chicken fed contaminated fish.Poultry tends to be so covered in fecal bacteria that one is advised against rinsing poultry because of concern of bacterial splatter. Using laser imaging, 92% of chicken carcasses were found to be contaminated with fecal matter, and more than 80% of chicken breasts sold in the US are fecally contaminated. Cooking fecal matter will kill the pathogens, but the danger of cross contamination in the kitchen before cooking still results in millions of cases of foodborne illness every year in the United States. A neuropathic strain of the fecal bacteria Campylobacter contaminates the US chicken supply; it can trigger Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rapid and life-threatening paralysis.Chicken has also become a high calorie and high fat food. One serving of chicken has over 200 calories today; 100 years ago a serving of chicken had only 16 calories. Cooking chicken until it is well done (to avoid the risk of food poisoning) creates carcinogens that increase the risk of cancer (see also here). And in a survey, TGI Friday’s chicken salad was found to be the most carcinogenic among fast food restaurant chicken dishes.Compared to the general population, poultry workers appear to have an excess of mouth, nasal, throat, tongue, tonsils, inner ear, liver, bone marrow, blood, rectal, anal, and penis cancer. Poultry workers have also been found to have higher rates of thyroid gland disorders, senility, schizophrenia, hypertension, heart disease, and autoimmune neurological disorders such as myasthenia gravis. This may be due to exposure to viruses present in chickens and turkeys. There is even a poultry virus that has been found to cause chickens to gain weight; one in five obese humans have tested positive for exposure to this virus. Other viruses can induce cancer in poultry in a matter of days; these viruses are found in raw poultry products, and the concern is that they also cause cancer in humans.Placing children in the basket of the shopping cart with raw meat packages increases kids’ risk of food poisoning. Listeria, a potentially life threatening bacteria that can be found in deli meat, is now being treated with bacteria-eating virus.See also the related blog posts: Adding FDA-Approved Viruses to Meat, Poultry and Penis Cancer, EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption”, Talking Turkey: 9 out of 10 retail turkey samples contaminated with fecal bacteria, Foie gras ban in California: human health implications	-	meat,chicken,vegetables,animal products,vegans,vegetarians,fat,eggs,fruit,animal protein,cancer,animal fat,fish,dairy,obesity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/01/foie-gras-ban-in-california-human-health-implications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	-
PLAIN-1918	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-viruses/	poultry viruses	-	-	chicken,poultry,cancer,turkey,poultry workers,meat,mortality,cancer viruses,farm animals,leukemia,cooking temperature,tobacco,liver health,viral infections,avian leukosis/sarcoma virus	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	-
PLAIN-1919	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-workers/	poultry workers	-	-	chicken,poultry,poultry viruses,mortality,cancer,cancer viruses,meat,turkey,farm animals,leukemia,reticuloendotheliosis virus,viral infections,esophagus health,avian leukosis/sarcoma virus,inner ear cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	-
PLAIN-1920	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prebiotics/	prebiotics	-	-	fruit,gut flora,antibiotics,vegetables,cancer,supplements,fiber,obesity,omnivores,plant-based diets,red meat,prostate cancer,propionate,poultry,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-dragon-fruit-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1921	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/precose/	Precose	-	-	liver health,medications,peanuts,liver disease,Lifestyle medicine,kidney beans,legumes,peas,pinto beans,soybeans,vegetables,side effects,rice,prediabetes,insulin	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/	-
PLAIN-1922	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/	prediabetes	-	-	diabetes,insulin,fat,fruit,meat,sugar,saturated fat,plant-based diets,blood sugar,fiber,grains,eggs,dairy,chronic diseases,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/	-
PLAIN-1923	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/predimed/	PREDIMED	-	-	heart disease,mortality,nuts,cardiovascular disease,olive oil,cancer,Mediterranean diet,plant-based diets,alcohol,meat,dairy,fish,exercise,walnuts,smoking	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/	-
PLAIN-1924	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/	pregnancy	Items that appear better to avoid during pregnancy: aspartame, animal products due to industrial carcinogens and flame retardants building up in animal fat (see videos here, here), fish due to mercury contamination (see videos here, here, here, here, here) and domoic acid, alcohol, lamb due to toxoplasma parasites, chicken due to phthalates, meat (see also here, here), licorice, a vegan diet lacking vitamin B12 (see videos here, here, here) and iodine, avocados, chamomile tea, and flax seeds (during the last 2 trimesters of pregnancy). Also, pregnant women may want to ignore health food store advice and during the summer in certain states avoid tap water due to the chlorine levels. Homeopathy appears useless for the induction of labor. Iron supplements (see also here) should probably only be taken in the context of iron deficiency anemia. Folic acid supplements should be taken during early pregnancy, but there is controversy as to whether they may do more harm than good in other circumstances. Items that are safe to consume during pregnancy: peanuts, and caffeine under a certain level (see also here).See also the related blog post: Mercury Testing Recommended Before Pregnancy.	-	women's health,reproductive health,hormones,cancer,organic foods,children,industry influence,farm animals,pesticides,men's health,birth defects,industrial toxins,meat,vegetables,salmon	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/30/why-pregnant-women-should-avoid-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-nutrasweet-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-nutrasweet%C2%AE-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caffeine-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iron-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanuts-in-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	-
PLAIN-1925	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prehistoric-diets/	prehistoric diets	-	-	paleolithic diets,evolution,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,plant-based diets,fiber,heart health,meat,fat,diabetes,cardiovascular health,blood pressure,mortality,prediabetes,brains	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/	-
PLAIN-1926	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premarin/	Premarin	-	-	heart health,heart disease,hormones,women's health,stroke,estrogen,menopause,cancer,breast cancer,cardiovascular disease,breast disease,cancer survival,vegetables,broccoli,breast health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/	-
PLAIN-1927	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premature-puberty/	premature puberty	-	-	puberty,children,breast cancer,animal products,hormones,cancer,meat,women's health,breast health,milk,dairy,adolescence,breast disease,breast development,animal protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/15/why-are-children-starting-puberty-earlier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/	-
PLAIN-1928	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premenstrual-syndrome/	premenstrual syndrome	-	-	mood,women's health,alternative medicine,plant-based diets,menstruation,mental health,vegetarians,depression,poultry,animal products,turkey,complementary medicine,vegans,hormones,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/	-
PLAIN-1929	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prenatal-vitamins/	prenatal vitamins	-	-	pregnancy,supplements,women's health,breast milk,breastfeeding,infants,plant-based diets,b12,nutrition myths,vitamin B12,thyroid disease,staph infection,pus,children,thyroid health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iron-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/	-
PLAIN-1930	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/	preservatives	-	-	meat,food additives,vegans,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,plant-based diets,vegetarians,heart health,heart disease,turkey,animal products,processed foods,poultry,chicken,cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/21/where-are-phosphate-additives-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/16/phosphate-additives-in-chicken-banned-elsewhere/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-citric-acid-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-potassium-sorbate-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	-
PLAIN-1931	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pressure-cooking/	pressure cooking	-	-	oils,onions,peas,nutrition myths,nutrient absorption,grilling,leeks,microwaving,phytonutrients,vegetable oil,vegetables,zucchini,Swiss chard,spinach,raw food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/	-
PLAIN-1932	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pretzels/	pretzels	-	-	poultry,McDonald’s,processed meat,red meat,white meat,sodium,salt,hypertension,heart health,cardiovascular disease,blood pressure,beef,chicken,Consumers Union,heart disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/	-
PLAIN-1933	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prion-disease/	prion disease	-	-	mad cow disease,brain health,seafood,fish,heavy metals,mercury,omnivores,factory farming practices,meat,vegetarians,beef,neurotoxins,ciguatera,cholera,brain parasites	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/	-
PLAIN-1934	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/	Pritikin	-	-	plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,cancer,heart disease,in vitro studies,exercise,cholesterol,Africa,heart health,cardiovascular health,breast cancer,cardiovascular disease,meat,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	-
PLAIN-1935	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/	probiotics	-	-	gut flora,colon health,plant-based diets,fiber,fruit,vegetarians,vegans,antibiotics,vegetables,obesity,immune function,cancer,allergies,soy,asthma	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	-
PLAIN-1937	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/	processed foods	The typical American diet is high in processed foods. Processing can remove nutrients from grains and even tea. Processing may remove fiber, leaving relatively empty calories with low nutrient value, and may add in trans fats. A much better choice is to eat unrefined plant foods (especially a varied plant-based diet).Processed foods may be harmful to one’s health, including carrot juice, coconut milk, coconut oil, mangosteen juice, white bread, corn syrup, sugar, sodas, food coloring, and a certain red dye. However, two sweeteners do have significant antioxidant content.Some processed foods have health benefits, including peanut butter, blueberry jam, homemade cranberry “juice,” apple juice, grape juice, soy products (but not tofu from Indonesia processed with formaldehyde), popcorn (but not with butter flavor), and cocoa (but not chocolate). Gum Arabic can be considered harmless.	-	meat,vegetables,dairy,fruit,plant-based diets,cancer,junk food,animal products,beans,vegans,vegetarians,exercise,eggs,mortality,animal fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/21/where-are-phosphate-additives-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/23/can-one-become-a-sugar-addict/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gum-arabic-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	-
PLAIN-1938	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/	processed meat	Cured meats like bacon, hot dogs and cold cuts have been implicated as cancer promoters (see also here, here, here), possibly because they may contain nitrites, which turn into carcinogenic nitrosamines before consumption and when eaten in the absence of plants (see also here, here). Unfortunately, the nitrites may be a necessary addition to these processed meats to combat the threat of botulism.Hot dogs have been found to actually be composed of less than 10% meat. All of this may help to explain why hot dog consumption has been associated with brain tumors and childhood leukemia (see also here).Processed meats may also play a role in infertility in women and early onset puberty in girls. Processed meats may also contribute to aging, possibly by eating away at our protective DNA telomeres, or because they are high in AGEs, which are likewise thought to speed up the aging process.Consumption of sausages that contain thyroid tissue can cause a thyroid hormone excess in consumers. COPD (obstructive diseases like emphysema) has been associated with cured meat consumption. Listeria, the third leading cause of foodborne disease related death in the US, has the ability to thrive in deli meats; the meat industry now may treat the meat with viruses to combat this bacteria.See also the related blog posts: Adding FDA-Approved Viruses to Meat, Supreme Court case: meat industry sues to keep downed animals in food supply, Cantaloupe and Listeria: an estimated 85% of cases are from deli meats, not melons	-	meat,chicken,plant-based diets,processed foods,animal products,poultry,turkey,vegetables,animal fat,cancer,cardiovascular disease,mortality,cholesterol,bacon,fiber	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/21/where-are-phosphate-additives-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	-
PLAIN-1939	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meats/	processed meats	-	-	seeds,Slovenia,pork,plant-based diets,mortality,nuts,smoking,soda,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,tofu,tobacco,standard American diet,stroke	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/	-
PLAIN-1940	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prolactin/	prolactin	-	-	New York City,ovary health,plant-based diets,pork,mood,milk,mastectomy,meat,medications,menstruation,poultry,premenstrual syndrome,turkey,vegans,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/	-
PLAIN-1941	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/propionate/	propionate	-	-	fiber,plant-based diets,fat,obesity,cholesterol,vegans,gut flora,weight loss,animal products,meat,vegetarians,inflammation,omnivores,men's health,LDL cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	-
PLAIN-1942	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/propulcid/	Propulcid	-	-	pain,peppers,nausea,mortality,medications,Salmonella,stomach health,substance P,spicy food,spices,side effects,irritable bowel syndrome,inflammation,Cayenne pepper,chronic diseases	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-1943	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/	prostate cancer	Vegetables in the cruciferous and allium families and other phytonutrient-rich foods may prevent and inhibit cancer cell growth. Orange bell peppers and ground flax seeds seem to be particularly effective against prostate cancer and some types of tea such as green tea and chamomile may also be useful.Lifestyle changes including the avoidance of eggs, meat (including processed meat, see also here), and dairy products may help with cancer prevention. These healthy changes may also reduce our exposure to dioxins and steroid sex hormones that circulate in our systems and may contribute to tumor growth. Other things that may be helpful to avoid include: licorice, kimchi, and multivitamins with zinc because of their potential cancer-promoting properties. Hormones in milk may contribute to prostate cancer cell growth. Meat and dairy products contain saturated fat and industrial pollutants, and although cutting them out of the diet entirely is the best prevention and treatment for prostate cancer, even modest changes in consumption may improve cancer-free survival rates after treatment.Dr. Greger covers prostate cancer in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	cancer,breast cancer,men's health,plant-based diets,beans,women's health,fruit,vegetarians,meat,vegans,vegetables,animal products,cardiovascular disease,animal fat,antioxidants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/17/strawberries-can-reverse-precancerous-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	-
PLAIN-1944	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/	prostate health	Vegetables in the cruciferous and allium families and other phytonutrient-rich foods may prevent and inhibit cancer cell growth. Orange bell peppers and ground flax seeds seem to be particularly effective against prostate cancer and some types of tea such as green tea and chamomile may be useful.Lifestyle changes including the avoidance of eggs, meat (including processed meat, see also here), and dairy products may help with cancer prevention. These healthy changes may also reduce our exposure to dioxins and steroid sex hormones that circulate in our systems and may contribute to tumor growth. Other things that may be helpful to avoid include: licorice, kimchi, and multivitamins with zinc because of their potential cancer-promoting properties. Hormones in milk may contribute to prostate cancer cell growth. Meat and dairy products contain saturated fat and industrial pollutants, and although cutting them out of the diet entirely is the best prevention and treatment for prostate cancer, even modest changes in consumption may improve cancer-free survival rates after treatment.Although early detection is a popular concept in oncology, by the time tumors can be detected, they may have been growing for decades. The best prevention against prostate cancer may be to eat a plant-based diet. Broccoli, tomatoes, and coffee may be helpful in the prevention of prostate cancer. And the best prevention is also the best treatment once prostate cancer is detected.	-	prostate cancer,cancer,men's health,women's health,breast health,meat,breast cancer,plant-based diets,metastases,vegans,cancer survival,vegetarians,eggs,mortality,dairy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/19/why-are-eggs-linked-to-cancer-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	-
PLAIN-1945	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostatectomy/	prostatectomy	-	-	men's health,prostate health,prostate cancer,surgery,animal fat,cancer,China,BPH,alternative medicine,standard American diet,heart disease,heart health,cardiovascular disease,vegetarians,vegans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/	-
PLAIN-1946	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/	protein	Beans, included in the USDA Dietary Guidelines as both protein and a vegetable, are a preferred source of protein. Gluten, the wheat protein found in meat substitutes such as seitan, veggie chicken, and veggie hot dogs is another healthful source of protein. Plant-based sources of protein don’t have the hormonal baggage of dairy and the saturated fat and cholesterol content of meat and eggs. This helps explain why plant-based low carb diets don’t appear to have the same associated risks. Other potential downsides of animal protein include premature puberty and fertility issues in women.On average, people who eat a plant-based diet have significantly higher levels of protein plasma in their blood, probably a sign of the anti-inflammatory nature of such diets. Raw food diets may be deficient in protein, among other nutrients.	-	plant-based diets,fruit,vegetables,cancer,fat,heart health,vegetarians,vegans,meat,cardiovascular health,animal protein,cardiovascular disease,mortality,blood pressure,cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-protein-recommendations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/	-
PLAIN-1947	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein-powder/	protein powder	-	-	protein,cancer,animal protein,soy,legumes,beans,soy milk,veggie bacon,tofu,peas,Japan,IGF-1,lentils,meat analogs,veggie burgers	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/	-
PLAIN-1948	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/proteus-mirabilis/	Proteus mirabilis	-	-	plant-based diet,pain,rheumatoid arthritis,urinary tract infections,women's health,vegetarians,vegans,lignans,joint health,cancer,C-reactive protein,autoimmune diseases,cardiovascular health,gut flora,joint disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-
PLAIN-1949	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prozac/	Prozac	-	-	antidepressants,medications,SSRI's,mood,depression,side effects,mental health,fish,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,sexual dysfunction,brain health,animal products,drug residues,fruit	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/	-
PLAIN-1950	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prunes/	prunes	-	-	dried fruit,cholesterol,weight loss,apples,fruit,industry influence,California Dried Plum Board,LDL cholesterol,inflammation,sugar,fiber,heart disease,women's health,heart health,fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	-
PLAIN-1951	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psa/	PSA	-	-	mortality,plant protein,men's health,fruit,eggs,plant-based diets,prostate cancer,vegetables,vegetarians,vegans,turkey,protein,cruciferous vegetables,animal protein,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/	-
PLAIN-1952	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pseudomembranous-colitis/	pseudomembranous colitis	-	-	MRSA,poultry,meat,gut flora,growth promoters,skin health,turkey,toxic megacolon,supermarkets,superbugs,foodborne illness,food poisoning,chicken,C. diff,antibiotics	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/	-
PLAIN-1953	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pseudotumorcerebri/	pseudotumorcerebri	-	-	nutrition myths,Nutrasweet,brain health,aspartame	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-aspartame/	-
PLAIN-1954	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psoriasis/	psoriasis	-	-	inflammation,autoimmune diseases,spices,Tumor necrosis factor,turmeric,arthritis,side effects,rosemary,oxidative stress,poultry,blood pressure,pepper,greens,supplements,steroids	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-1955	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psychosis/	psychosis	-	-	schizophrenia,mental health,brain health,vitamin B12,b12,neuropathy,plant-based diets,supplements,food poisoning,vegetarians,vegans,foodborne illness,hair health,dementia,nerve health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	-
PLAIN-1956	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psyllium/	psyllium	-	-	plums,prunes,plant-based diets,Metamucil,laxatives,medications,stool size,vegetarians,women's health,vegans,surgery,supplements,industry influence,fruit,California Dried Plum Board	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/	-
PLAIN-1957	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pth/	PTH	-	-	vitamin D,Institute of Medicine,dietary guidelines,bone health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-institute-of-medicine-arrived-at-their-vitamin-d-recommendation/	-
PLAIN-1958	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/	puberty	-	-	children,cancer,breast cancer,premature puberty,women's health,hormones,animal products,dairy,men's health,breast health,milk,meat,adolescence,obesity,breast development	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/15/why-are-children-starting-puberty-earlier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/29/soy-and-breast-cancer-an-update/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/	-
PLAIN-1959	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pudding/	pudding	-	-	recipes,smoothies,soy milk,tofu,fruit,frozen fruit,chocolate,cocoa,date sugar,Dutched cocoa,cherries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/	-
PLAIN-1960	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puffer-fish/	puffer fish	-	-	rhabdomyolysis,salmon,putrescine,natural toxins,scombroid poisoning,seafood,tetrodotoxin,spoilage,spermine,semen,muscle health,muscle disease,dogs,cooking temperature,cadavers	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/	-
PLAIN-1961	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pulmonary-embolism/	pulmonary embolism	-	-	industry influence,Mayo Clinic,hormones,heart health,heart disease,menopause,Premarin,women's health,stroke,side effects,FDA,estrogen,breast disease,cancer,breast cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/	-
PLAIN-1962	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin/	pumpkin	-	-	protein,greens,fruit,animal fat,vegetables,plant protein,antioxidants,DNA damage,beta carotene,bell peppers,broccoli,Chernobyl,citrus,children,surgery	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/	-
PLAIN-1963	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin-seeds/	pumpkin seeds	-	-	seeds,women's health,heart health,breast cancer,iron,nuts,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cancer,sunflower seeds,squash seeds,beans,greens,meat,soy	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-1964	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/purevia/	Purevia	-	-	stevia,sweeteners,artificial sweeteners,Truvia,DNA damage,pesticides,saccharin,Z-Sweet,Nutrasweet,migraine headaches,sorbitol,laxatives,Splenda,xylitol,Sweet One	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-1965	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/purines/	purines	-	-	uric acid,side effects,gout,animal studies,mushrooms,inflammation,fruit,fish,chronic diseases,arthritis,asparagus,cherries,grapes,colon health,joint health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-1966	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/purple-potatoes/	purple potatoes	-	-	potatoes,fruit,phytonutrients,DNA damage,cancer,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,tea,anthocyanins,vegetables,cabbage,walnuts,chronic diseases,diabetes,chickpeas	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/	-
PLAIN-1967	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/purslane/	purslane	-	-	oral health,mouth cancer,steroids,sunchokes,watercress,vegetables,medications,lichen planus,celery root,autoimmune diseases,artichokes,complementary medicine,fiddlehead ferns,Jerusalem artichokes,immune function	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/	-
PLAIN-1968	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pus/	pus	-	-	inflammation,milk,heart health,dairy,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,cholesterol,cheese,Europe,factory farming practices,calcium,bok choy,allergies,antibiotics,antioxidants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/08/how-much-pus-is-there-in-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/25/mad-cow-california-is-the-milk-supply-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/	-
PLAIN-1969	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/putrescine/	putrescine	-	-	spermine,fish,meat,biogenic amines,cadaverine,cranberries,citrus,fruit,seafood,ginger,blueberries,berries,spoilage,salmon,gingerols	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/23/preventing-bacterial-vaginosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/	-
PLAIN-1970	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/qaly/	QALY	-	-	supplements,vitamin E,nutrition myths,longevity,mortality,lifespan	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/	-
PLAIN-1971	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/quercitin/	quercitin	-	-	phytonutrients,red onions,rectal cancer,colon cancer,fruit,flavonoids,cancer,citrus,buckwheat,cancer survival,chicken,carcinogens,colon health,berries,animal protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/	-
PLAIN-1972	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/quinine/	quinine	-	-	malaria,spices,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,medications,aspirin,lovastatin,leukemia,mold,mortality,morphine,LDL cholesterol,heart failure,digoxin,diabetes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/	-
PLAIN-1973	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/quinoa/	quinoa	-	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,heart health,buckwheat,carotid arteries,amaranth,bread,grains,bagels,barley,yerba mate,rice,rye,teff,processed foods	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/	-
PLAIN-1974	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/quorn/	Quorn	-	-	pH,omnivores,plant protein,plant-based diets,pork,muscle strength,muscle health,lifespan,meat,milk,mortality,potassium,protein,vegans,vegetable protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/	-
PLAIN-1975	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rabbit-meat/	rabbit meat	-	-	mushrooms,seafood,soy,tomatoes,horsemeat,flatulence,Atkins diet,chicken,dairy,fish,animal studies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/	-
PLAIN-1976	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rabies/	rabies	-	-	animal products,Asian markets,brains,cats,Asia,standard American diet,Rice Diet,China,vaccines,cooking methods,philippines,Vietnam,viral infections,zoonotic disease,meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/	-
PLAIN-1977	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ractopamine/	ractopamine	-	-	organic foods,pork,meat,Listeria,industry influence,inflammation,poultry,processed meat,USDA,Yersinia,turkey,toxoplasma,Salmonella,Grave’s disease,foodborne illness	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/25/bugs-drugs-in-pork-yersinia-and-ractopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/29/ractopamine-and-yersinia-drugs-and-bugs-in-pork/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/	-
PLAIN-1978	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radiation/	radiation	-	-	fish,cancer,medications,plant-based diets,meat,fruit,X-rays,smoking,mortality,vegetables,chicken,industry influence,poultry,vegans,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/25/ginger-lemon-balm-for-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/13/how-risky-are-ct-scans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/18/are-dental-x-rays-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/	-
PLAIN-1979	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radicchio/	radicchio	-	-	nuts,lung health,onions,pancreas health,potatoes,pancreatic cancer,lung cancer,lettuce,kale,jalapeno,kidney cancer,kidney health,leeks,prostate cancer,prostate health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-1980	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radishes/	radishes	-	-	cruciferous vegetables,breast cancer,vegetables,cauliflower,cancer,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,kale,cabbage,breast health,lung cancer,onions,pancreas health,lettuce,nuts	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-1981	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raisins/	raisins	-	-	fruit,dried fruit,industry influence,plant-based diets,cardiovascular disease,berries,heart disease,heart health,vegetables,candy,soda,fatigue,grapes,women's health,cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/	-
PLAIN-1982	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	ranking foods	Which vegetables have the strongest effect against cancer in vitro? Which fruits? Beans? Is organic better? Which soyfood is most antimutagenic? Is broccoli better raw or cooked?Which foods have the most antioxidants? Which berry? Which dried fruit (see also here)? Which herb/spice? What has even more antioxidants than Indian gooseberries? What about rice? Mushrooms? Nuts? What’s the best bean? Which vegetable is best for antioxidants? Does it make more sense to think in terms of antioxidants per serving or antioxidants per dollar spent? Dr. Greger even ranks raisins, apples, green tea versus white, and ordinary carrots against baby carrots. Speaking of tea, which is better for your stomach – plain old black tea or Earl Grey? Which tea has even more antioxidants than green tea? How does the average breakfast compare to a berry-based smoothie in terms of antioxidant power? Which vegetable has the most nitrates? Which fruit is actually healthier as a juice?We hear how awful many sweeteners are, but which two are actually good for us? Chocolate is chock full of sugar and fat, but there is a healthy way to get the flavonoid phytonutrients: cocoa powder. What should we eat to detox? And what about dietary sources of AGEs, which may accelerate the aging process? Find it all out here on NutritionFacts.org!See also the related blog post: The Best Foods: test your nutrition knowledge	-	vegetables,antioxidants,phytonutrients,fruit,cancer,USDA,plant-based diets,greens,chemotherapy,berries,beans,meat,cancer survival,chicken,beef	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-tea-vs-earl-grey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-mushroom-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-apple/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tofu-vs-tempeh-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/	-
PLAIN-1983	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rapamycin/	rapamycin	-	-	lifespan,TOR,aging,caloric restriction,mortality,animal protein,mood,vegetables,plant-based diets,fruit,longevity,dairy,enzymes,IGF-1,standard American diet	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	-
PLAIN-1984	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rash/	rash	-	-	vegans,skin health,vegetarians,grains,depression,plant-based diets,cognition,b12,brain health,chlorination,Alzheimer’s disease,dementia,processed foods,pork,Twinkies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oatmeal-lotion-for-chemotherapy-induced-rash/	-
PLAIN-1985	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raspberries/	raspberries	-	-	berries,fruit,phytonutrients,ranking foods,cancer,colon health,strawberries,blueberries,apples,goji berries,rectal cancer,antioxidants,pork,colon cancer,oxidative stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/	-
PLAIN-1986	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/	raw food	-	-	cancer,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,vegetables,fruit,cooking methods,antioxidants,brain health,brain disease,mortality,detoxification,fatigue,chronic diseases,pain	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-1987	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ray-cronice/	Ray Cronice	-	-	thermogenics,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetables,weight loss,water,vegetarians,phytonutrients,obesity,fiber,exercise,calories,fruit,gastric emptying,ice diet	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/	-
PLAIN-1988	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/recipes/	recipes	-	-	phytonutrients,antioxidants,fruit,cinnamon,cloves,soy milk,spices,seeds,smoothies,ginger,erythritol,cocoa,berries,ranking foods,milk	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	-
PLAIN-1989	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/	rectal cancer	-	-	colon cancer,cancer,vegetables,fruit,breast cancer,vegetarians,plant-based diets,beans,colon health,mortality,standard American diet,vegans,meat,cardiovascular disease,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	-
PLAIN-1990	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-bull/	Red Bull	-	-	recipes,ranking foods,Pepsi,milk,red tea,wine,water,tea,Red Zinger,matcha,lemons,coffee,Coca-Cola,black tea,beverages	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-1991	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-delicious-apples/	red delicious apples	-	-	granny smith apples,ranking foods,golden delicious apples,gala apples,apples,fruit,fuji apples,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-apple/	-
PLAIN-1992	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-dye-3/	red dye #3	-	-	mortality,maraschino cherry,liver health,liver disease,processed foods,thyroid health,thyroid disease,thyroid cancer,liver cancer,industry influence,chemotherapy,cancer,artificial colors,children,DNA damage	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/	-
PLAIN-1993	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/	red meat	Red meat consumption has been associated in a Harvard study with an increased risk of total mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, and cancer mortality. Because food is a package deal, the nutrients in products such as beef cannot be obtained without cholesterol, saturated fat, and hormones (see also here). On average, there are 64 times more antioxidants in plant foods than animal foods (see also here). And the injections of US cattle with anabolic steroids have been found to make their way into the meat and have been tentatively linked with increased hormone dependent cancer levels. The sex steroid hormones in beef may affect the development of pregnant women’s son’s genitals in the womb. Meat intake has also been associated with women’s infertility. Pancreatic cancer has likewise been associated with the intake of animal fat, including beef fat. And acute myeloid leukemia as well as other types of leukemia have been associated meat intake.In terms of fecal contamination, beef tends to be safer than chicken because the skin of cows is not eaten (see also here, here). Fast food burgers have been found to contain the following: hormones, blood vessels, nerves, cartilage, parasites, ammonia, and only 2.1%-14.8% meat.Meat appears to actually speed up the aging process by apparently eating away at the telomere caps of our DNA and through the presence of AGEs (thought to likewise speed up the aging process). Vegetarians report less negative emotions than omnivores, possibly due to arachidonic acid in meat. Beef does have certain advantages though, compared to other meats. PCBs are found in highest concentrations in fish & eggs, milk & milk products, and meat & meat products from land based animals, in that order.See also the related blog posts: Mad Cow California: Is the Milk Supply Safe?, Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies, Supreme Court case: meat industry sues to keep downed animals in food supply	-	meat,chicken,animal products,poultry,fish,vegans,vegetarians,turkey,cancer,fat,children,white meat,plant-based diets,animal protein,animal fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/14/avoid-carnitine-and-lethicin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/25/mad-cow-california-is-the-milk-supply-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/	-
PLAIN-1994	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-onions/	red onions	-	-	phytonutrients,cancer,vegetables,beef,chicken,apples,animal products,fish,antioxidants,poultry,turkey,pork,onions,smoking,fruit	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/	-
PLAIN-1995	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-tea/	red tea	-	-	chamomile tea,herbal tea,tea,green tea,rooibos tea,women's health,men's health,beverages,alternative medicine,breast health,prostate health,antioxidants,complementary medicine,lemongrass,peppermint	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	-
PLAIN-1996	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-wine/	red wine	-	-	cancer,plant-based diets,wine,fruit,phytonutrients,heart disease,alcohol,cardiovascular disease,vegetables,tea,antioxidants,vegetarians,vegans,grapes,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/	-
PLAIN-1997	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-yeast-rice/	red yeast rice	-	-	lovastatin,cholesterol,mold,medications,nutrition myths,supplements,plant-based diets,LDL cholesterol,statins,berries,almonds,wound healing,Taxol,snake oil,spices	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/	-
PLAIN-1998	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-zinger/	Red Zinger	-	-	recipes,ranking foods,Pepsi,milk,Red Bull,red tea,wine,water,tea,matcha,lemons,coffee,Coca-Cola,black tea,beverages	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-1999	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reflux/	reflux	-	-	nuts,mortality,obesity,plant protein,pneumonia,men's health,melanoma,heartburn,McDonald’s,meat,medications,poultry,prostate cancer,vegetarians,vegetables	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/	-
PLAIN-2000	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reindeer-meat/	reindeer meat	-	-	salmon,fish,meat,chicken,dairy,corn,Eggbeaters,eggs,beverages,blueberries,cola,breastfeeding,breast milk,flowers,Coca-Cola	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	-
PLAIN-2001	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reiters-syndrome/	Reiter's syndrome	-	-	paralysis,nerve health,joint health,iritis,poultry,red meat,white meat,turkey,Salmonella,Guillain-Barré syndrome,foodborne illness,chicken,CDC,Campylobacter,beef	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/	-
PLAIN-2002	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/	reproductive health	-	-	pregnancy,meat,women's health,men's health,pesticides,organic foods,industrial toxins,animal products,hormones,persistent organic pollutants,Europe,cancer,infertility,sexual health,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/23/preventing-bacterial-vaginosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	-
PLAIN-2003	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/respiratory-infections/	respiratory infections	-	-	children,immune function,vegetables,asthma,cancer,common cold,fruit,supplements,vegans,endocrine disruptors,plant-based diets,vegetarians,allergies,lung disease,protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-2004	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/restaurants/	restaurants	-	-	hand washing,food poisoning,foodborne illness,poultry,cancer,chicken,pork,pregnancy,carcinogens,sandwiches,fecal contamination,fecal bacteria,salads,Outback Steakhouse,Netherlands	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/restaurant-worker-hand-washing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/	-
PLAIN-2005	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/resveratrol/	resveratrol	-	-	pain,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,medications,longevity,spices,xenohormesis,vegetables,turmeric,stress,liquid smoke,lifespan,evolution,curcumin,chronic diseases	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/	-
PLAIN-2006	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reticuloendotheliosis-virus/	reticuloendotheliosis virus	-	-	poultry,poultry workers,meat,chicken,farm animals,mortality,poultry viruses,avian leukosis/sarcoma virus,cancer viruses,animal products,Marek's disease virus,eggs,cancer,turkey,autoimmune diseases	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	-
PLAIN-2007	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/	reversing chronic disease	-	-	chronic diseases,plant-based diets,medical education,heart disease,industry influence,heart health,diabetes,medications,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,vegans,complementary medicine,mortality,LDL cholesterol,stroke	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	-
PLAIN-2009	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rhabdomyolysis/	rhabdomyolysis	-	-	muscle health,natural toxins,liver health,muscle disease,semen,seafood,scombroid poisoning,putrescine,meat,monkfish,puffer fish,spermine,salmon,tetrodotoxin,microcystins	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/	-
PLAIN-2010	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/	rheumatoid arthritis	Dr. Greger covers rheumatoid arthritis in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	arthritis,vegans,inflammation,vegetarians,plant-based diets,cancer,vegetables,cardiovascular health,autoimmune diseases,heart health,meat,pain,heart disease,cholesterol,LDL cholesterol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/01/foie-gras-ban-in-california-human-health-implications/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-2011	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rhubarb/	rhubarb	-	-	greens,lettuce,mesclun mix,vegetables,fruit,carrots,celery,heart health,heart disease,hypertension,Harvard,garlic,coriander,eggplant,exercise	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/	-
PLAIN-2012	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/riboflavin/	riboflavin	-	-	seafood,thiamine,turkey,saturated fat,potassium,poultry,protein,vegans,vegetables,vitamin C,vitamin E,weight loss,vitamin B12,vitamin B1,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	-
PLAIN-2013	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/	rice	Whole grains are the staples of human civilization. Refined grains have the phytonutrients largely removed. White rice, as a result, is not highly nutritious (see also here). Brown rice, on the other hand, is a whole grain. Polishing rice from brown to white at one time resulted in an epidemic vitamin B deficiency in Asia; rice bran (the brown part of rice) was used to cure it. Red rice, though, may actually have the most antioxidants of all rice.Rice grown in water logged soil can absorb arsenic found naturally in the environment, and it concentrates in the bran (which remains when you eat brown rice). If you eat a lot of brown rice, buy American grown, which tends to have lower levels of arsenic. Red yeast rice contains lovastatin, a drug used to combat cholesterol. However, the levels found in red yeast rice are too variable to be a reliable source.	-	grains,fruit,vegetables,diabetes,plant-based diets,meat,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,heart disease,Lifestyle medicine,heart health,cholesterol,beans,stroke,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/how-much-arsenic-in-rice-came-from-chickens/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	-
PLAIN-2014	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice-bran/	rice bran	-	-	Europe,rice,sudden cardiac death,thiamine,plant-based diets,scurvy,Tomato Effect,processed foods,tomatoes,natural toxins,supplements,Asia,arsenic,vitamin B1,vitamin C	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-rice/	-
PLAIN-2015	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice-bran-oil/	rice bran oil	-	-	oxidative stress,sesame oil,shelf life,walnut oil,oils,macadamia oil,avocado oil,DNA damage,grape seed oil,hazelnut oil,almond oil	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-
PLAIN-2016	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice-diet/	Rice Diet	-	-	lung health,medical education,Louis Pasteur,Lifestyle medicine,infants,mortality,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,standard American diet,vaccines,rabies,plant-based diets,heart health,heart disease,chronic diseases,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/	-
PLAIN-2017	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice-milk/	rice milk	-	-	eczema,dairy,constipation,fiber,milk,soy milk,colon health,colon disease,animal protein,anal health,anal fissure,asthma,bowel movements,chronic diseases,children	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/	-
PLAIN-2018	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/richard-dawkins/	Richard Dawkins	-	-	phytonutrients,penis health,penile bone,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,vegetables,tanning beds,skin health,sexual selection,lung health,impotence,evolution,erectile dysfunction,diabetes,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/	-
PLAIN-2019	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rickets/	rickets	-	-	Institute of Medicine,bone health,dietary guidelines,vitamin D,rectal cancer,supplements,sunlight,multiple sclerosis,lifespan,breast disease,breast cancer,cancer,colon cancer,longevity,mortality	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/	-
PLAIN-2020	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ritalin/	Ritalin	-	-	hyperactivity,exercise,medications,mental health,side effects,dopamine,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,ADHD,amphetamines,attention deficit,children,brain health,addiction	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/03/how-to-treat-adhd-without-drugs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/	-
PLAIN-2021	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/roasting/	roasting	-	-	cooking methods,frying,cancer,carcinogens,white meat,heterocyclic amines,grilling,chicken,poultry,asthma,barbecuing,cooking temperature,detoxification,red meat,tobacco	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/	-
PLAIN-2022	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rooibos/	rooibos	-	-	phytonutrients,peppermint,lemongrass,lemon verbena,red tea,thyme,tea,rosemary,rose hips,lavender,Korea,chamomile tea,beverages,bergamots,antioxidants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/	-
PLAIN-2023	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rooibos-tea/	rooibos tea	-	-	herbal tea,prostate health,women's health,men's health,red tea,breast health,chamomile tea,breast disease,zinc,alternative medicine,breast cancer,cancer,bone cancer,bone health,colon health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	-
PLAIN-2024	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rose-hips/	rose hips	-	-	antioxidants,tea,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,phytonutrients,rosemary,berries,bergamots,beverages,chamomile tea,rheumatoid arthritis,dandelion,joint health,arthritis,health food stores	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/	-
PLAIN-2025	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rosemary/	rosemary	-	-	antioxidants,spices,phytonutrients,cancer,ginger,herbs,DNA damage,medications,turmeric,oregano,oxidative stress,side effects,complementary medicine,vegetables,tea	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/	-
PLAIN-2026	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rosmarinic-acid/	rosmarinic acid	-	-	vegetables,greens,phytonutrients,limonin,longevity,lifespan,ginger,gingerols,mortality,tangeretin,theanine,rosemary,putrescine,petunidin,fruit	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/	-
PLAIN-2027	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/roundup/	Roundup	-	-	soy,GMO,glyphosate,soybeans,Monsanto,pesticides,organic foods,women's health,industry influence,safety limits,animal studies,pregnancy,reproductive health,testosterone,men's health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-roundup-ready-soy/	-
PLAIN-2028	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rowanberries/	rowanberries	-	-	plant-based diets,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,India,pomegranates,raisins,whortleberries,seeds,ranking foods,gooseberries,goji berries,berries,barberries,Asian markets,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/	-
PLAIN-2029	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rutabagas/	rutabagas	-	-	cruciferous vegetables,fruit,potatoes,vegetables,carrots,brain health,beans,leeks,kidney health,lettuce,lung cancer,nuts,kidney cancer,lung health,kale	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-2030	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rutin/	Rutin	-	-	oxidative stress,PhIP,phytonutrients,meat,greens,fruit,garlic,grains,pork,poultry,turkey,vegetables,red onions,rectal cancer,protein	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/	-
PLAIN-2031	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rye/	rye	-	-	grains,heart disease,wheat,cardiovascular disease,heart health,amaranth,bagels,bread,diabetes,barley,chickpeas,pasta,cancer,cardiovascular health,legumes	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/	-
PLAIN-2032	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saccharin/	saccharin	-	-	Sweet and Low,sweeteners,bladder cancer,artificial sweeteners,bladder health,Nutrasweet,safety limits,aspartame,water,Z-Sweet,women's health,acrylamide,salt,tobacco,animal studies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/	-
PLAIN-2033	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/	safety limits	The 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines recommended a shift of food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet. They even included is a 100% plant based adaptation for people who choose to take recommendations of zero intake of saturated fat, cholesterol, trans-fat to their logical conclusions. But for those at risk for cardiovascular disease, the official recommendation is to limit cholesterol intake to under 200 mg per day. Avoiding eggs and brains, the two foods with the most cholesterol, will help achieve this target (see also here, here, here). Any intake of transfat, saturated fat, and cholesterol above zero has been found to increase bad cholesterol (LDL), so the Institute of Medicine has not even set safe upper limits (see also here).The LDL level of cholesterol in the blood may be the best indicator of heart disease risk. The serum total cholesterol in our blood needs to be lowered to the 150 area (around the level of the average pure vegetarian) to stop plaque buildup (see also here). Under the current guidelines total cholesterol is recommended to be under 200, but many who had heart attacks were in the “optimal” range; this suggest that the guidelines need to be revised.Mercury concentrations in 55% of tuna in 3 national brands have been found to be above the US EPA safety limit for human consumption (see also here). The EPA safety limit for mercury may not be sufficiently specific to completely prevent fetal risk for women considering getting pregnant, though. A recent test found that a single serving of tuna would put women of child bearing age over the EPA mercury safety limit (see also here). Mercury has also been found in high fructose corn syrup. The fish oil found in stores was found to contain PCBs. Other foods found to be high in PCBs: fish fillets, eggs, and dairy. Fish in general is especially high in all dioxins. Putrescine has been found in levels exceeding safety limits (40 mg/meal) in canned fish (sardines and tuna).AGEs are found in high levels chicken, bacon, fish, and hot dogs; the safety limit for AGEs is unknown but there have been studies that suggest the cutting one’s intake in half may extend one’s lifespan. Phthalates have an unknown safety limit and are found in primarily in chicken and eggs; when consumed during pregnancy, they may affect genital development. The national food standard guidelines for fecal bacteria on ready to eat food is 30,000; sushi has been found to exceed this limit. Similarly, one bucket of fast food chicken may exceed the EPA safety limit for arsenic in a glass of water by 2000%. Creatine supplements have been found to contain organic contaminants and heavy metals that exceed the safety limits recommended by the European Food Safety Authority. And American vegetarians live longer than even healthy meat eaters so there may be no safe upper limit for meat consumption.Chinese cinnamon contains the compound coumarin, which may be toxic to the liver. Caffeine has been found to be safe in moderate amounts (up to 10 cups of coffee a day is okay for most). The safe upper limit for broccoli consumption is about 100 cups a day (see also here). Ayurvedic supplements have been found to be contaminated with heavy metals, and arsenic, lead, and mercury levels in triphala have been found to exceed EPA limits. Antioxidant vitamin supplements should be avoided. Kelp consumption has resulted in iodine toxicity and should be used only in tiny amounts. Apple juice (non-organic) was tested and found to contain fungal toxins at levels exceeding the World Health Organization safety guidelines. Benzene levels in soda were found to exceed safety levels set for drinking water. Acrylamide in french fries has been found at levels exceeding certain safety limits by 30,000%.	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,tea,processed foods,heavy metals,chicken,green tea,soda,children,sugar,herbal tea,LDL cholesterol,Harvard,junk food,hibiscus tea	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/30/why-pregnant-women-should-avoid-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	-
PLAIN-2034	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safflower-oil/	safflower oil	-	-	lung health,junk food,frying,cooking temperature,empty calories,nutrition myths,occupational health,vegetable oil,tobacco,olive oil,oils,cooking methods,coconut oil,omega-3 fatty acids,Japan	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/	-
PLAIN-2035	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saffron/	saffron	-	-	spices,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,dementia,medications,Alzheimer’s disease,mood,mental health,side effects,brain disease,mortality,lifespan,menstruation,depression,premenstrual syndrome	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/06/natural-alzheimers-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/14/using-lavender-to-treat-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/	-
PLAIN-2036	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salads/	salads	-	-	vegetables,fruit,phytonutrients,broccoli,raw food,antioxidants,tomatoes,sprouts,apples,nutrient absorption,nuts,greens,seeds,cancer,oxidative stress	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/	-
PLAIN-2037	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salami/	salami	-	-	meat,fruit,mortality,processed meat,vegetables,cancer,ham,bologna,hot dogs,antioxidants,animal products,calories,LDL cholesterol,poultry,plant-based diets	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-2038	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salami-brushers-disease/	salami brusher's disease	-	-	penis health,poultry,poultry viruses,penis cancer,pancreatic cancer,mortality,pancreas health,poultry workers,salami,viral infections,wart viruses,warts,turkey,tobacco,smoking	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2039	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saliva/	saliva	-	-	exercise,juice,nitrate,nitric oxide,beverages,beets,plant-based diets,athletes,beet juice,vegetables,nitrite,animal products,cancer,meat,evolution	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/	-
PLAIN-2040	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/	salmon	Fish, such as salmon, contains long chain omega-3s, but unfortunately now is often contaminated with mercury and other toxic pollutants, so long chain omega-3s may be more safely obtained from plant-based supplements (see also here). Pitifully, iceberg lettuce has been found to have more antioxidants than salmon.US retail salmon was recently studied, and organically farmed salmon with skin was found to be the most contaminated with PBDEs. Fish may also contain toxins that are not neutralized by cooking. And only grilled chicken beats out grilled salmon for certain carcinogenic contamination. Fish, including salmon, has often been found to be contaminated in fecal bacteria above what the national guidelines permit. The consumption of salmon, as well as other dark fish, also appears to be linked to atrial fibrillation. And feed additives given to farmed salmon to dye their flesh may be linked to a condition in consumers called gold dust retinopathy.	-	fish,chicken,meat,poultry,turkey,animal products,pregnancy,cancer,persistent organic pollutants,industrial toxins,fat,animal protein,beef,seafood,pork	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	-
PLAIN-2041	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/	Salmonella	-	-	food poisoning,foodborne illness,chicken,poultry,meat,turkey,mortality,antibiotics,fecal contamination,Campylobacter,cooking methods,fecal bacteria,E. coli,children,industry influence	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-alfalfa-sprouts/	-
PLAIN-2042	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salsa/	salsa	-	-	lettuce,low-fat diets,lycopene,greens,fat,cancer,cashews,dressings,men's health,nutrient absorption,seeds,tomatoes,walnuts,prostate cancer,phytonutrients	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/	-
PLAIN-2043	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/	salt	-	-	plant-based diets,vegetables,fruit,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,mortality,cancer,heart health,meat,beans,animal products,vegans,eggs,processed foods,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/24/wisconsin-milk-marketing-board-accused-of-making-illegally-deceptive-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/22/big-food-wants-final-say-over-health-reports/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-2044	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt-institute/	Salt Institute	-	-	dietary guidelines,industry influence,eggs,National Dairy Council,heart disease,meat,dairy,sugar,USDA,salt,cardiovascular disease,cheese,cholesterol,Michelle Obama,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/22/big-food-wants-final-say-over-health-reports/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/	-
PLAIN-2045	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sandwiches/	sandwiches	-	-	chicken,Chick-fil-A,Chili's,fast food,carcinogens,barbecuing,Burger King,cancer,frying,grilling,salads,TGI Friday's,white meat,restaurants,poultry	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/	-
PLAIN-2046	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saoot/	saoot	-	-	industrial toxins,India,herbs,heavy metals,infants,lead,snake oil,nutrition myths,mercury,greta,constipation,blood-letting,azarcon,Ayurvedic medicine,arsenic	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/	-
PLAIN-2047	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sara-lee/	Sara Lee	-	-	National Dairy Board,McDonald’s,M&M's,Kraft,National Dairy Council,National Dairy Promotion Board,USDA,Snack Food Association,industry influence,Hershey's,Coca-Cola,Campbell's Soup,beer,American Meat Institute,Crisco	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-2048	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sarcocystis/	sarcocystis	-	-	USDA,parasites,farm animals,beef,dogs,animal studies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/usda-parasite-game/	-
PLAIN-2049	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sardines/	sardines	-	-	fish,meat,alcohol,tuna,poultry,food poisoning,foodborne illness,seafood,heart disease,heart health,sexual health,cardiovascular health,sexual dysfunction,neurotoxins,men's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/	-
PLAIN-2050	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturate-fat/	saturate fat	-	-	meat,fruit,fish,Mediterranean diet,nuts,vegetables,dementia,dairy,beans,animal fat,Alzheimer’s disease,brain disease,brain health,cognition,China	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-2051	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/	saturated fat	The 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines recommend reducing intake of saturated fat (eg. cheese, ice cream, pizza, and chicken) (see also here). The original Guidelines directly stated that saturated fat should be avoided; this was later softened to accommodate agribusiness. In Finland, the use of science based dietary guidelines that reduced saturated fat intake resulted in a major improvement in general health. The number one source of artery clogging saturated fat in the American diet is dairy products. Any intake of saturated fat above zero raises bad cholesterol (see also here); cutting down on animal products is the best way to avoid eating saturated fat and cholesterol. A single egg yolk usually contains 215-275 mg of cholesterol; a Hardees Monster Thickburger contains only 210 mg of cholesterol (see also here). Other foods high in saturated fat: coconut oil, and coconut milk. Cocoa butter is another one of the few plants fats that raises our cholesterol; eating cocoa powder, thus, is the best way to get the benefits from cocoa without the fat (see also here). A cow’s burger has 500% more saturated fat than a veggie burger. And similarly, chicken can have infinitely more saturated fat than veggie chicken.Saturated fat in the diet can lead to hardening of our arteries; taken to an extreme, this can result in an abdominal aortic aneurysm (see also here). In terms of cancer, a study found that simply cutting down on saturated fat improves cancer free survival. In one breast cancer survival study, women who ate the most saturated fat after diagnosis increased the risk of dying by 41% (see also here).	-	plant-based diets,meat,fruit,cardiovascular disease,fat,mortality,dairy,cholesterol,heart disease,cancer,chronic diseases,diabetes,sugar,alcohol,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2052	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sauerkraut/	sauerkraut	-	-	fermented foods,fish,kimchi,meat,cheese,miso,cadaverine,cans,carcinogens,biogenic amines,putrescine,tempeh,tuna,vaginal health,wine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2053	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/	sausage	-	-	eggs,meat,animal products,dairy,smoking,plant-based diets,animal fat,LDL cholesterol,saturated fat,heart disease,heart health,fat,cholesterol,poultry,pork	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	-
PLAIN-2054	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/scallions/	scallions	-	-	vegetables,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cancer,aromatase,weight loss,bell peppers,red meat,blood clots,raw food,urinary tract infections,side effects,sexual health,turkey	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/	-
PLAIN-2055	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/schizophrenia/	schizophrenia	-	-	psychosis,mental health,b12,brain health,vitamin B12,plant-based diets,vegetarians,vegans,mortality,spinal cord health,food poisoning,foodborne illness,brain disease,parasites,brain parasites	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	-
PLAIN-2056	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/school-lunch-program/	School Lunch Program	-	-	meat,USDA,children,junk food,mortality,saturated fat,pork,lifespan,farmers,eggs,Finland,heart disease,ammonia,heart health,longevity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/	-
PLAIN-2057	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sciatica/	sciatica	-	-	lower back pain,lactic acid,heart health,nerve health,pain,standard American diet,heart disease,erectile dysfunction,cardiovascular disease,back pain,angiography,cardiovascular health,children,chronic diseases,cholesterol	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/	-
PLAIN-2058	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/scombroid-poisoning/	scombroid poisoning	-	-	rhabdomyolysis,salmon,putrescine,puffer fish,natural toxins,seafood,tetrodotoxin,spoilage,spermine,semen,muscle health,muscle disease,dogs,cooking temperature,cadavers	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/28/soymilk-shake-it-up/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/	-
PLAIN-2059	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/scurvy/	scurvy	-	-	vitamin C,longevity,mortality,lifespan,processed foods,dietary guidelines,thiamine,Tomato Effect,tomatoes,sudden cardiac death,vitamin B1,rice bran,optimal diet,bowel movements,rice	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	-
PLAIN-2060	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sea-vegetables/	sea vegetables	-	-	iodine,thyroid disease,thyroid health,hijiki,kelp,sushi,plant-based diets,dulse,salt,arsenic,animal fat,organ meats,processed meat,safety limits,sausage	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2061	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	seafood	Fish has been found to be contaminated with dioxins (see here, here), toxic waste, mercury (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here), arsenic, PCBs, xenoestrogens (which have been associated with lower sperm counts in men and early onset puberty in girls), allergenic fish worms, pharmaceuticals (see here, here), obesogens (chemical pollutants that may be linked to obesity in people), arachidonic acid (which may cause negative mood states in people), and domoic acid (which causes a form of amnesia). The National Food Standards Guidelines for maximum fecal bacteria on ready to eat food items is 30,000; when tested, many types of sushi exceeded these limits.Other potential risks associated with fish consumption include: diabetes, food poisoning (see here, here), gold dust retinopathy, increased pancreatic cancer risk, tongue worm infections in the human eye, rectal leakage, atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat rhythm associated with dark fish consumption), and there may even be a risk of prion disease (due to the feeding of cow’s brains to farmed fish).It’s possible to get the healthy aquatic long chain omega-3 fatty acids from algae-based supplements, which are bioequivalent to those in fish flesh (see here, here) with without the contaminants. This might be an even more appealing option in the near future, as the seafood industry is pushing to get rid of zero tolerance policies on certain dangerous foodborne pathogens.	-	fish,meat,animal products,fruit,grains,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,chicken,mortality,neurotoxins,pain,brain health,vegetables,poultry	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/30/why-pregnant-women-should-avoid-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greasy-orange-rectal-leakage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2062	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood-workers/	seafood workers	-	-	pork brains,porcine endogenous retroviruses,poultry,poultry viruses,poultry workers,polyradiculoneuropathy,plant-based diets,mushrooms,mortality,organ meats,pain,parasites,protein,reticuloendotheliosis virus,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/	-
PLAIN-2063	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seal-oil/	seal oil	-	-	omega-3 fatty acids,plant-based diets,inflammation,supplements,fish oil,flax oil,fake meat,calories,Tuna Council,tuna,Adventist Health Studies,arthritis,flax seeds,burgers,cholesterol	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/	-
PLAIN-2064	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/second-meal-effect/	second meal effect	-	-	peas,pasta,metabolic syndrome,potatoes,prediabetes,sugar,rice,lentils,lentil effect,chickpeas,bread,blood sugar,diabetes,fiber,insulin	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	-
PLAIN-2065	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/	seeds	The 2010 USDA Guidelines recommended a shift to a more plant-based diet, including seeds. Seeds are specifically cited as being a healthy source of protein. Obtaining more protein from seeds (and other plant-based sources) has been associated with reduced heart disease risk (see also here). Seeds, as well as nuts and avocadoes, are also excellent sources of healthy fat. Fat is necessary for the proper absorption of certain phytonutrients. Nuts and seeds are an important component of raw food diets.People with diverticulosis have been advised by doctors to avoid nuts, seeds, and popcorn; the latest research, however, shows that people with diverticulosis eating these foods actually had lower rates of inflammation. Vegetarians may be at risk for a zinc deficiency (especially men since zinc is lost in semen) and seeds are an excellent source of zinc. Flax seeds have been found to lower bad (LDL) cholesterol. Flax seeds are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. They also are associated with improved breast cancer survival.Herbs and spices may max out at 10x the antioxidant power of nuts and seeds; snacking on nuts and seeds, however, is more convenient. Dried pomegranate seeds are one of the healthiest snacks you could ever find. Growing your own broccoli sprouts from broccoli seeds yields cups of fresh produce grown right at home for pennies a day.	-	cancer,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,plant-based diets,nuts,fruit,vegetables,mortality,grains,diabetes,breast cancer,cholesterol,beans,women's health,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/15/flaxseeds-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/	-
PLAIN-2066	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seitan/	seitan	-	-	mortality,weight loss,lifespan,longevity,plant protein,protein,veggie burgers,vegans,veggie bacon,vegetables,vegetable protein,veggie chicken,gluten,nutrition myths,wheat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	-
PLAIN-2067	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seizures/	seizures	-	-	brain health,headaches,epilepsy,brain parasites,parasites,brain disease,safety limits,foodborne illness,food poisoning,pork,zoonotic disease,tapeworms,neurocysticercosis,supplements,brain surgery	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/	-
PLAIN-2068	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/selenium/	selenium	-	-	nuts,antioxidants,grains,greens,lycopene,seeds,tomatoes,children,Hallelujah diet,carrots,cooking methods,indoles,fruit,enzymes,nutrient absorption	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/	-
PLAIN-2069	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/semen/	semen	-	-	men's health,sexual health,sperm counts,reproductive health,infertility,meat,fish,saturated fat,xenoestrogens,fertility,animal fat,seafood,vegetables,testicular health,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/	-
PLAIN-2070	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sense-of-smell/	sense of smell	-	-	meat,nitrate,nutrient absorption,kidney stones,kidney health,infants,kidney disease,oxalates,side effects,immune function,snake oil,supplements,common cold,anosmia,fruit	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zinc-gel-for-colds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanut-butter-smell-test-for-alzheimers/	-
PLAIN-2071	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/serotonin/	serotonin	-	-	mental health,brain health,mood,medications,plant-based diets,fruit,depression,eggs,animal products,side effects,tomatoes,kiwi fruit,dopamine,complementary medicine,alternative medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/	-
PLAIN-2072	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sesame-oil/	sesame oil	-	-	rice bran oil,oxidative stress,shelf life,walnut oil,oils,macadamia oil,avocado oil,DNA damage,grape seed oil,hazelnut oil,almond oil	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-
PLAIN-2073	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sesame-seeds/	sesame seeds	-	-	seeds,plant-based diets,nuts,phytonutrients,women's health,vegetarians,peanuts,vegans,squash seeds,breast cancer,pumpkin seeds,fruit,flax seeds,cancer,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/15/flaxseeds-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-2074	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/	sexual dysfunction	Plant-based diets may improve the attractiveness of men and women, improve sexual functioning in men and women, increase the appeal of male body odor, and increase ejaculate volume. Poultry consumption can negatively affect penis size, and fish consumption can reduce sperm count; both are due to the industrial contaminants that build up in the meat supply.Erectile dysfunction appears to serve as an early warning sign of heart disease. Although watermelon may help with erectile dysfunction, it’s better to get at the root cause and eliminate arterial blockages. And all men should ensure adequate zinc consumption, regardless of dietary lifestyle. Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source.	-	sexual health,mental health,impotence,erectile dysfunction,men's health,inflammation,penis health,cardiovascular disease,medications,cardiovascular health,heart health,heart disease,depression,fat,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/08/flaxseeds-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/20/pills-vs-diet-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/31/watermelon-for-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	-
PLAIN-2075	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/	sexual health	Plant-based diets may improve the attractiveness of men and women, improve sexual functioning in men and women, increase the appeal of male body odor, and increase ejaculate volume. Poultry consumption can negatively affect penis size, and fish consumption can reduce sperm count; both are due to the industrial contaminants that build up in the meat supply.Erectile dysfunction appears to serve as an early warning sign of heart disease. Although watermelon may help with erectile dysfunction, it’s better to get at the root cause and eliminate arterial blockages. And all men should ensure adequate zinc consumption, regardless of dietary lifestyle. Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source.	-	mental health,depression,obesity,fish,men's health,mood,sexual dysfunction,body fat,women's health,testosterone,sperm counts,lifespan,infertility,calories,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/15/eating-chicken-may-lead-to-a-smaller-penis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/20/pills-vs-diet-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/body-odor-diet-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	-
PLAIN-2076	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-selection/	sexual selection	-	-	vegetables,evolution,phytonutrients,skin health,fruit,sexual health,greens,cardiovascular disease,penis health,heart disease,tanning beds,physical attraction,heart health,blood pressure,diabetes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/26/improving-attractiveness-in-six-weeks/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/	-
PLAIN-2077	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-transmission/	sexual transmission	-	-	sexual health,cancer,phytonutrients,cervix health,cervical cancer,brain health,antioxidants,fruit,human papilloma virus,vegetables,vaginal health,vulva cancer,wart viruses,women's health,seafood	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/	-
PLAIN-2078	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shark-cartilage/	shark cartilage	-	-	snake oil,alternative medicine,health food stores,supplements,Canada,complementary medicine,liver failure,liver disease,fever,nausea,women's health,side effects,dizziness,tamoxifen,breast health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/	-
PLAIN-2079	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shark-oil/	shark oil	-	-	seafood,pesticides,persistent organic pollutants,PCBs,seal oil,Tuna Council,tuna,supplements,omega-3 fatty acids,nutrition myths,EPA,DHA,DDT,children,fish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/	-
PLAIN-2080	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sheep/	sheep	-	-	beef,chicken,farm animals,meat,cancer,animal products,poultry,fish,organ meats,animal protein,growth promoters,mortality,veal brains,hormones,estrogen	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/	-
PLAIN-2081	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shelf-life/	shelf life	-	-	oils,olives,omega-3 fatty acids,omnivores,National Academy of Sciences,marketing,meat,monounsaturated fats,nuts,plant-based diets,trans fats,vegans,vegetarians,spoilage,seeds	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-
PLAIN-2082	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shiitake-mushrooms/	shiitake mushrooms	-	-	mushrooms,oyster mushrooms,crimini mushrooms,portobello mushrooms,chanterelle mushrooms,inflammation,breast cancer,breast disease,heart disease,maitake mushrooms,breast health,heart health,aromatase,cancer,alcohol	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-mushroom-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-2084	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shopping-carts/	shopping carts	-	-	poultry,Salmonella,supermarkets,meat,infants,children,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,Campylobacter	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/	-
PLAIN-2085	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shortening/	shortening	-	-	phytonutrients,plant-based diets,potato chips,potatoes,optimal diet,oils,nutrient density,nuts,oats,processed foods,rice,USDA,vegetables,wheat,sweeteners	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/	-
PLAIN-2086	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shrimp/	shrimp	-	-	seafood,fish,poultry,tuna,chicken,infertility,fat,dairy,fertility,men's health,reproductive health,safety limits,pork,obesity,milk	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/	-
PLAIN-2087	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/	side effects	-	-	medications,cancer,mortality,FDA,meat,plant-based diets,chemotherapy,medical education,lifespan,fruit,antioxidants,vegetables,fat,exercise,heart disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2088	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sids/	SIDS	-	-	infants,milk,dairy,crib death,apnea,casomorphin,animal protein,breast milk,evolution,breastfeeding,mortality,diabetes,autism,allergies,psychosis	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/21/cows-milk-casomorphin-crib-death-and-autism/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/	-
PLAIN-2089	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/singapore/	Singapore	-	-	New York City,liposuction,PBDEs,persistent organic pollutants,Spain,Japan,industrial toxins,China,California,Czechoslovakia,fibroids,France,flame-retardant chemicals,Belgium	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	-
PLAIN-2090	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sinus-health/	sinus health	-	-	Cochrane Collaboration,complementary medicine,neti pot,alternative medicine,nasal irrigation,turkey,throat cancer,throat health,tonsil cancer,sinusitis,casein,lung health,Maimonides,milk,mucus	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2091	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sinusitis/	sinusitis	-	-	sinus health,neti pot,nasal irrigation,Cochrane Collaboration,complementary medicine,alternative medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/	-
PLAIN-2092	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sirtuins/	sirtuins	-	-	mental health,longevity,lifespan,histones,nerve health,pork,vegetarians,vegans,glycotoxins,fish,beef,Australia,Alzheimer’s disease,aging,brain disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/	-
PLAIN-2093	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skim-milk/	skim milk	-	-	dairy,milk,adolescence,hormones,acne,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,skin health,heart health,children,brain disease,saturated fat,eggs,National Dairy Council,dementia	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/12/skim-milk-and-acne/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-2094	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-cancer/	skin cancer	-	-	cancer,colon cancer,breast cancer,rectal cancer,women's health,vegetarians,breast disease,colon health,cardiovascular disease,skin health,heart disease,lung cancer,kidney health,grains,melanoma	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-2095	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/	skin health	A Vitamin B12 deficiency can result in skin lesions. And Vitamin A poisoning from fish actually resulted in one man experiencing such serious peeling of his skin it took more than 3 months to heal. Butchers warts afflict those who handle fresh meat for a living, thought due to the viruses in meat. There is a concern that some of these same viruses may be cancer-causing. The superbug MRSA , which can cause difficult-to-treat skin infections, appears to contaminate approximately 5% of U.S. retail meat. And a lack of safety thresholds in US meat for drug residues, toxic metals, and pesticides can potentially result in jaundice and skin cancer, among other dangers.Tanning beds have recently been classified as a Category One (the highest) level carcinogen. Also best avoided for optimal skin health is milk because hormones in dairy are thought to be a cause of acne (see also here, here, here, here, here).Recently, antioxidant levels in living skin were measured; researchers concluded that especially when we are sick, stressed, or tired, we need to load up on antioxidants. In terms of attractiveness, both a golden glow and a rosy glow have been found to be the most attractive skin tones in Caucasians; this is best achieved by eating carotenoid rich foods (like kale) and eating heart healthy diets. Indian gooseberries have been found to possess wound healing capabilities and have even been found to be effective in the treatment of diabetes (without the side effects of leading drug, which extremely rarely includes your skin coming off).	-	fruit,cancer,meat,plant-based diets,medications,chemotherapy,vegetables,vegans,colon health,rectal cancer,lung cancer,side effects,fish,colon cancer,vegetarians	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/26/improving-attractiveness-in-six-weeks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-acne-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oatmeal-lotion-for-chemotherapy-induced-rash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife%C2%AE/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/	-
PLAIN-2096	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/	sleep	Getting the proper amount of sleep has many health benefits. Lack of sleep can diminish our antioxidant levels and weaken our immune system. The optimal amount of sleep – not too little or too much – may reduce our risk of cancer, stroke, and heart disease. Part of good sleep hygiene is to avoid light exposure at night, which can undermine our pineal gland’s release of melatonin. We should also avoid the use of petroleum jelly (vaseline) for nostril dryness at night. Exercise helps us sleep better and even tea can help induce a relaxed state of mind despite the caffeine content. Nighty night!	-	insomnia,medications,fruit,brain health,children,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,inflammation,pain,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,antioxidants,complementary medicine,depression	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-petroleum-jelly-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	-
PLAIN-2097	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleeping-pills/	sleeping pills	-	-	medications,heart disease,laxatives,heart health,varicose veins,vegetarians,hemorrhoids,antacids,allergies,surgery,diverticulosis,diverticulitis,plant-based diets,diabetes,omnivores	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/10/plant-based-benefits-extend-beyond-the-top-killers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	-
PLAIN-2098	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/slovakia/	Slovakia	-	-	cancer,vegetarians,plant-based diets,omnivores,nuts,breast cancer,vegans,vegetables,turkey,poultry,supplements,seafood,smoking,Sweden,aging	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/	-
PLAIN-2099	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/slovenia/	Slovenia	-	-	processed meats,seeds,pork,plant-based diets,mortality,nuts,smoking,soda,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,tofu,tobacco,standard American diet,stroke	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/	-
PLAIN-2100	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smithfield/	Smithfield	-	-	protein,processed meat,pork,pesticides,tobacco,World Health Organization,World Cancer Research Fund,women's health,veggie dogs,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,meat analogs,calories,breast health,breast disease,breast cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/	-
PLAIN-2101	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoked-foods/	smoked foods	-	-	vegetables,DNA damage,broccoli,cancer,herring,herbal tea,liquid smoke,hormesis,ham,fish sauce,exercise,cruciferous vegetables,fat,fish,liver disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/	-
PLAIN-2102	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/	smoking	-	-	fruit,exercise,cancer,mortality,vegetables,cardiovascular disease,alcohol,tobacco,heart disease,cholesterol,meat,plant-based diets,fiber,chronic diseases,nuts	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-2103	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoothies/	smoothies	-	-	fruit,phytonutrients,antioxidants,recipes,cloves,vegetables,berries,ranking foods,amla,soy milk,cocoa,chocolate,blueberries,India,apples	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	-
PLAIN-2104	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snack-food-association/	Snack Food Association	-	-	National Dairy Board,McDonald’s,M&M's,Kraft,National Dairy Council,National Dairy Promotion Board,USDA,Sara Lee,industry influence,Hershey's,Coca-Cola,Campbell's Soup,beer,American Meat Institute,Crisco	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-2105	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snail-meat/	snail meat	-	-	saturated fat,soybeans,vitamin B12,zinc,pumpkin seeds,protein,China,b12,insects,iron,octopus,arginine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/	-
PLAIN-2106	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/	snake oil	Many modern medicines are nothing more than plants that have been used for centuries in traditional medicine. Dietary supplements, marketed as health promoting, may sometimes be detrimental to health. Zinc nasal gels for a cold have been found to cause people to lose their sense of smell. Glyconutrient supplements may be a scam, and a suit was just settled for millions of dollars for false claims. Juice Plus+ supplements may be nothing more than an overpriced vitamin supplement. Airborne supplements are also a scam. And health food store employees have repeatedly been found to give seriously misguided advice about supplements. (see here, here) Pharmacists have fared much better.Triphala, a staple of Ayurvedic medicine, has unfortunately found to be contaminated with lead and should be avoided. Ayurvedic medicines in general have been found to be contaminated with heavy metals. Homeopathy in general is unsupported by scientific evidence and could even be dangerous when used on infants.Alkaline water has been found to reduce cholesterol but can be made inexpensively by adding ¾ teaspoon of baking soda to a liter of water. Mangosteen juice and noni juice have both been associated with adverse reaction.	-	complementary medicine,alternative medicine,supplements,nutrition myths,children,health food stores,infants,side effects,diabetes,heavy metals,pregnancy,India,homeopathy,Ayurvedic medicine,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus%C2%AE-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-nearly-killed-by-homeopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne%C2%AE-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zinc-gel-for-colds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glyconutrient-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/	-
PLAIN-2107	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-venom/	snake venom	-	-	liver disease,liver health,lung cancer,lung disease,liver cancer,LDL cholesterol,in vitro studies,India,kidney health,kiwi fruit,lung health,nerve health,stomach health,stress,wound healing	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	-
PLAIN-2108	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/social-anxiety-disorder/	social anxiety disorder	-	-	seeds,serotonin,pumpkin seeds,protein,poultry,sesame seeds,vegans,vegetarians,tryptophan,sunflower seeds,squash seeds,plant-based diets,plant protein,butternut squash,cheese	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/	-
PLAIN-2109	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/	soda	Soda mostly consists of empty sugar calories (see also here). Cola actually appears to raise our cholesterol, and Coca-Cola has been found to be very low in antioxidants.Gum arabic, found in some sodas, is harmless. But sodium benzoate, also found in some sodas, is harmful (see also here). And the high fructose corn syrup found in sodas may be contaminated with mercury.Studies funded by the soda (and dairy) industry appear to be even more biased than studies funded by drug companies. Industry influence is likewise seen in the USDA Dietary Guidelines, which did not go as far as other countries to advise against soft drink consumption.	-	meat,vegetables,beverages,fruit,plant-based diets,cardiovascular health,heart health,cancer,mortality,fish,heart disease,blood pressure,animal fat,vegetarians,dairy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/26/improving-attractiveness-in-six-weeks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/23/can-one-become-a-sugar-addict/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gum-arabic-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	-
PLAIN-2110	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/	sodium	-	-	salt,vegetables,hypertension,cardiovascular disease,blood pressure,fruit,heart disease,fat,industry influence,mortality,standard American diet,plant-based diets,dairy,diabetes,heart health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/24/wisconsin-milk-marketing-board-accused-of-making-illegally-deceptive-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/	-
PLAIN-2111	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium-benzoate/	sodium benzoate	-	-	preservatives,soda,food additives,marketing,junk food,processed foods,FDA,vitamin C,tobacco,EPA,tuna,safety limits,benzene,hyperactivity,high fructose corn syrup	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/	-
PLAIN-2112	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium-bicarbonate/	sodium bicarbonate	-	-	salt,pH,snake oil,sodium,water,nutrition myths,LDL cholesterol,blood pressure,baking soda,blood sugar,cholesterol,hypertension,diabetes,alkaline water	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/	-
PLAIN-2113	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soil-health/	soil health	-	-	supplements,nutrition myths,nutrient density,carrots,multivitamins,broccoli	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/crop-nutrient-decline/	-
PLAIN-2114	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sorbitol/	sorbitol	-	-	sweeteners,erythritol,xylitol,colon health,migraine headaches,Nutrasweet,laxatives,colon disease,constipation,cyclamate,DNA damage,pesticides,saccharin,Sweet and Low,Sweet One	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/	-
PLAIN-2115	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sore-throat/	sore throat	-	-	children,respiratory infections,throat health,women's health,cancer,common cold,breastfeeding,bone health,aspirin,aphthous ulcers,cardiovascular disease,complementary medicine,diarrhea,diabetes,anxiety	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-2116	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soup/	soup	-	-	raw food,phytonutrients,nutrition myths,cooking methods,broccoli,vegetables,Brussels sprouts,carrots,celery,cauliflower,bell peppers,asparagus,artichokes,baking,beets	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/01/foie-gras-ban-in-california-human-health-implications/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/	-
PLAIN-2117	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/south-africa/	South Africa	-	-	plant-based diets,obesity,New Zealand,New York City,standard American diet,stool size,United Kingdom,Tonga,taro,sweet potatoes,Japan,India,colon disease,chicken,cabbage	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/	-
PLAIN-2118	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/south-dakota/	South Dakota	-	-	standard American diet,vegetables,Oklahoma,Idaho,ethnicity,fruit,CDC	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sad-states-standard-american-diet-state-by-state-comparison/	-
PLAIN-2119	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/	soy	Soy products, an affordable investment in your health, are now included in the USDA dietary guidelines. Studies also increasingly show that the phytoestrogens and antioxidant power of the phytonutrients in soy can be effective in protecting against cancer and diseases like emphysema (COPD). Soy is the #1 source of isoflavones and may provide protection against breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Consuming soy-based products has been shown to suppress the fat storage mechanism and to prevent increases in abdominal fat. Soymilk, though, like cow’s milk, may interfere with the benefits of tea such as chai. But as long as it’s shaken, it can provide the same amount of calcium as cow’s milk. Phytoestrogen intake through soy consumption in menopausal adult women may help to reduce hot flashes, while for young girls it is effective may help delay the onset of premature menarche and puberty. Since soy products such as tofu, tempeh, and edamame appear to help lower cholesterol (though not as much as other beans), a soy-based Atkins diet is not dangerous like a meat based one is (though the tofu should not be made with formaldehyde). Another benefit is that bacon derived from soy does not appear to emit carcinogens when cooked, unlike bacon derived from pigs.See also the related blog posts: Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, Soy and breast cancer: an update	-	vegetables,cancer,fruit,organic foods,meat,dairy,vegetarians,beans,plant-based diets,inflammation,breast cancer,glyphosate,soybeans,women's health,industry influence	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/29/soy-and-breast-cancer-an-update/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/18/go-nuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-roundup-ready-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tofu-vs-tempeh-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-foods-menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-2120	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/	soy milk	The new USDA guidelines include soymilk, which may be good because drinking soymilk has been associated with weight loss, reducing cancer risk (see also the video about breast cancer survival and soy), and preventing COPD. Soymilk has 75% more antioxidants than cow’s milk (sample breakfast here), and contains phytoestrogens that have a number of health-promoting effects. Girls who drink soymilk as opposed to cow’s milk develop at a more normal age, beginning puberty 8 months later on average. Also, drinking soymilk with spices, such as curcumin, may especially beneficial. Check out chocolate pudding and milkshake recipes here. Soymilk is also a good source of calcium, but it may block the benefits of tea. Also, make sure to shake it well before pouring. Finally, soymilk made with kombu may contain too much iodine and should be reformulated. Sticking to 3-5 servings of soy a day is considered beneficial, while drinking a day may prevent the decline in IGF-1 levels one would ordinarily expect on a plantbased diet.	-	soy,protein,cancer,plant protein,tofu,meat,breast cancer,soybeans,breast disease,animal protein,beans,antioxidants,women's health,vegetable protein,IGF-1	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	-
PLAIN-2121	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy-sauce/	soy sauce	-	-	carcinogens,tempeh,cancer,safety limits,California,beer,cans,cheese,fermented foods,cadaverine,biogenic amines,tamoxifen,wine,tofu,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/	-
PLAIN-2122	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/	soybeans	-	-	soy,beans,vegetables,protein,legumes,mortality,cancer,Monsanto,plant protein,lentils,pesticides,organic foods,Roundup,GMO,chickpeas	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-roundup-ready-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	-
PLAIN-2123	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spain/	Spain	-	-	fibroids,flame-retardant chemicals,Czechoslovakia,China,Belgium,California,France,industrial toxins,persistent organic pollutants,Singapore,PBDEs,New York City,Japan,liposuction,watermelon	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/	-
PLAIN-2124	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spearmint/	spearmint	-	-	peppermint,herbal tea,mint,aromatherapy,mood,PCOS,lung health,herbal remedies,fatigue,peppermint oil,women's health,testosterone,smoking,exercise,sexual health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/	-
PLAIN-2125	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/speech-impairment/	speech impairment	-	-	brain health,memory,fish,hair health,women's health,vision,hair loss,prostate health,mercury,seafood,tuna,psychosis,neurotoxins,nerve health,neuropathy	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/	-
PLAIN-2126	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sperm-counts/	sperm counts	-	-	men's health,reproductive health,sexual health,infertility,meat,testicular health,industrial toxins,fish,fertility,persistent organic pollutants,pregnancy,obesity,semen,dairy,endocrine disruptors	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/	-
PLAIN-2127	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spermine/	spermine	-	-	meat,biogenic amines,fish,sausage,cheese,cadaverine,putrescine,sauerkraut,sardines,tuna,soy sauce,safety limits,tempeh,kimchi,cans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-2128	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/	spices	Plant based spices have been used in medicine for thousands of years, and their use continues today. Saffron has been found to be just as effective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s as the leading drug Aricept (see here, here). Black pepper has been found to be potentially protective against cancer and inflammation. Combining black pepper with turmeric boosts the bioavailability; this illustrates why diversity in the diet is very important.Drinking green tea every day may increase our lifespan. And chai tea has all the benefits of tea but also incorporates cloves and cinnamon, which makes it one of the healthiest beverages.The healthiest food by weight is cloves. Cinnamon, oregano, lemonbalm, and majoram are also excellent sources of antioxidants (see also here, here, here, here). A yummy pumpkin pie is an excellent way to incorporate cloves and cinnamon into your diet.See also the related blog post: Can antioxidant-rich spices counteract the effects of a high-fat meal?	-	turmeric,curcumin,vegetables,cancer,side effects,meat,mortality,complementary medicine,Alzheimer’s disease,standard American diet,green tea,vegetarians,antioxidants,brain health,brain disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/23/can-antioxidant-rich-spices-counteract-the-effects-of-a-high-fat-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-black-pepper-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	-
PLAIN-2129	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spicy-food/	spicy food	-	-	pain,endorphins,nausea,cancer,coconuts,Cannabis,cruciferous vegetables,endocannabinoids,exercise,broccoli,brain health,nightshades,nutrition myths,stomach inflammation,stomach ulcers	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-chili-peppers-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-2130	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spillover-effect/	spillover effect	-	-	prediabetes,oxidative stress,sugar,weight loss,trigylcerides,obesity,low-carb diets,butter,blood sugar,calories,diabetes,insulin,fat,bacon	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/	-
PLAIN-2131	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/	spinach	Spinach is a great way to add variety in a healthy plant-based diet (see also here, here). Spinach appears to be protective against the risk of breast cancer, brain tumors, kidney cancer, lung cancer, pediatric brain tumors, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer.Spinach is a great source of folate, which may be preferable to folic acid supplements (though the latter should still be taken in early pregnancy). A single spoonful of spinach has as much lutein and zeaxanthin as 9 eggs. A third cup of spinach a day’s worth is recommended for optimal eye protection. Spinach is still a good source of antioxidants. It also provides nitrates, which can in certain circumstances improve arterial function and athletic performance.	-	greens,vegetables,phytonutrients,heart disease,heart health,cardiovascular disease,collard greens,vegans,vegetarians,plant-based diets,nuts,cholesterol,peas,seeds,cabbage	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/	-
PLAIN-2132	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinal-cord-health/	spinal cord health	-	-	vegans,plant-based diets,b12,vegetarians,nerve health,neuropathy,vitamin B12,schizophrenia,supplements,psychosis,myelopathy,mental health,reticuloendotheliosis virus,paralysis,turkey	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-myelopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-paralysis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	-
PLAIN-2133	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spirulina/	spirulina	Spirulina has been linked to rare cases of a serious muscle disease and, thus, should probably be avoided.It also may contain liver toxins and neurotoxins, and may cause infant seizures when mothers ingest it. Chlorella, on the other hand, appears to be safe.	-	supplements,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,nutrition myths,blue-green algae,health food stores,neurotoxins,liver disease,liver health,natural toxins,algae,brain health,nerve health,cancer,yerba mate	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/	-
PLAIN-2134	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/splenda/	Splenda	-	-	colon health,artificial sweeteners,constipation,laxatives,cyclamate,DNA damage,colon disease,erythritol,bladder health,acesulfame K,xanthan gum,aspartame,bladder cancer,migraine headaches,Canada	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-2135	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/split-peas/	split peas	-	-	beans,lentils,chickpeas,legumes,cancer,meat,phytonutrients,grains,phytates,obesity,cholesterol,plant-based diets,mortality,animal products,medications	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	-
PLAIN-2136	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spoilage/	spoilage	-	-	flax seeds,processed foods,seeds,meat,omega-3 fatty acids,breast cancer,BPH,boron,breast disease,cancer,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,bladder health,bladder disease,trans fats	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/	-
PLAIN-2137	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sports-drinks/	sports drinks	-	-	fruit,fruit juice,exercise,juice,inflammation,muscle health,side effects,phytonutrients,raisins,medications,candy,berries,cherries,tomatoes,industry influence	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/	-
PLAIN-2138	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sports-medicine/	sports medicine	-	-	juice,exercise,athletes,beverages,vegetables,beets,beet juice,muscle health,metabolism,mitochondria,muscle strength,saliva,endurance,phytonutrients,nitrite	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/	-
PLAIN-2139	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouting/	sprouting	-	-	phytonutrients,sulforaphane,broccoli,broccoli sprouts,sprouts,vegetables,cruciferous vegetables,raw food,cancer,breast cancer,cancer stem cells,safety limits,liver health,cost savings,inflammation	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-alfalfa-sprouts/	-
PLAIN-2140	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/	sprouts	-	-	phytonutrients,broccoli sprouts,vegetables,sprouting,broccoli,sulforaphane,cruciferous vegetables,raw food,antioxidants,cancer,cooking methods,polyphenols,seeds,side effects,salads	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-alfalfa-sprouts/	-
PLAIN-2141	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/squash/	squash	-	-	vegetables,beans,kale,greens,fruit,tomatoes,potatoes,broccoli,asparagus,grains,plant-based diets,green beans,heart disease,corn,cardiovascular disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	-
PLAIN-2142	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/squash-seeds/	squash seeds	-	-	seeds,cheese,dairy,eggs,fish,brain health,animal products,animal protein,anxiety,meat,mental health,serotonin,tryptophan,vegans,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-2144	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ssris/	SSRI's	-	-	medications,antidepressants,Prozac,depression,mood,mental health,side effects,fish,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,chicken,fruit,drug residues,serotonin,dopamine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-vs-drugs-for-depression/	-
PLAIN-2145	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/st-johns-wort/	St. John's wort	-	-	side effects,depression,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,mood,mental health,pineapples,plant-based diets,plantains,melatonin,medications,breast development,breast health,dopamine,fruit	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/	-
PLAIN-2146	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/	standard American diet	-	-	plant-based diets,vegetables,fruit,mortality,meat,beans,vegans,vegetarians,grains,cancer,cardiovascular disease,fiber,lifespan,heart disease,animal protein	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sad-states-standard-american-diet-state-by-state-comparison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	-
PLAIN-2147	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/staph-infection/	staph infection	-	-	farm animals,factory farming practices,antibiotics,MRSA,food poisoning,poultry,chicken,meat,foodborne illness,pork,turkey,zoonotic disease,beef,CDC,white meat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/	-
PLAIN-2148	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stari/	STARI	-	-	meat,mushrooms,Neu5Gc,lyme disease,liver health,kidney health,kingdom,liver disease,parasites,plant protein,thyroid disease,thyroid health,tick bites,saliva,pork	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/	-
PLAIN-2149	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/	statins	-	-	cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,heart health,cardiovascular health,plant-based diets,medications,chronic diseases,cancer,Lifestyle medicine,mortality,diabetes,stroke,blood pressure,hypertension	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/23/generic-lipitor-is-not-the-answer-to-our-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/13/cholesterol-lowering-in-a-nut-shell/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	-
PLAIN-2150	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/std/	STD	-	-	muscle health,mushrooms,nutritional yeast,multiple sclerosis,mortality,milk,mood,morbidity,nuts,obesity,plant protein,plant-based diets,plums,placebo,pap smear	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2151	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steak/	steak	-	-	meat,poultry,animal protein,fish,animal products,turkey,chicken,eggs,cholesterol,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,heart disease,heart health,cardiovascular health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/19/why-are-eggs-linked-to-cancer-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/	-
PLAIN-2152	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steaming/	steaming	-	-	cooking methods,carrots,oxidative stress,broccoli,raw food,boiling,antioxidants,blood sugar,bioavailability,beta carotene,vegetarians,vegans,turnips,vegetables,blueberries	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/	-
PLAIN-2153	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stearic-acid/	stearic acid	-	-	lauric acid,LDL cholesterol,myristic acid,industry influence,heart health,flax seeds,Harvard,heart disease,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,palmitic acid,water,weight loss,women's health,USDA,philippines	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/	-
PLAIN-2154	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stem-cells/	stem cells	-	-	phytonutrients,women's health,breast cancer,sprouting,sprouts,vegetables,cruciferous vegetables,broccoli,breast disease,broccoli sprouts,cancer,cancer stem cells,sulforaphane,antiangiogenesis,breast health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/	-
PLAIN-2155	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	steroids	Breast cancer is sensitive to growth promoting steroid hormones (like estrogen); ingesting these hormones in eggs, meat, and dairy may promote cancer growth. The dramatic increase of hormone dependent cancers (breast, ovarian, endometrial, prostate) in Japan, for example, has been speculatively linked to anabolic steroids in the beef supply.The sex steroid hormones in meat may alter a man’s testicular development in utero as well as affect female fertility. Hormones and dioxins in meat, milk, and eggs are may also be responsible for early onset puberty. And steroid hormones in milk have also been blamed for the acne epidemic.Rheumatoid arthritis is often treated with steroids; vegetarian diets have been found to successfully treat it as well. Oral lichen planus is also often treated with steroids; it has been successfully treated with the common plant purslane.	-	meat,animal products,cancer,dairy,vegetables,vegetarians,eggs,plant-based diets,vegans,estrogen,carcinogens,chicken,hormones,autoimmune diseases,Japan	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/17/organic-milk-and-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-2156	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stevia/	stevia	-	-	sweeteners,artificial sweeteners,Purevia,Truvia,DNA damage,pesticides,saccharin,Z-Sweet,Nutrasweet,migraine headaches,sorbitol,laxatives,Splenda,xylitol,Sweet One	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/07/is-there-a-safe-low-calorie-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-2157	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach/	stomach	-	-	nuts,mortality,obesity,plant protein,pneumonia,men's health,melanoma,heartburn,McDonald’s,meat,medications,poultry,prostate cancer,vegetarians,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/21/cows-milk-casomorphin-crib-death-and-autism/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/	-
PLAIN-2158	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-cancer/	stomach cancer	-	-	cancer,stomach health,breast cancer,breast disease,pancreatic cancer,prostate health,pancreas health,prostate cancer,lung cancer,kidney cancer,breast health,colon cancer,kidney health,vegetables,rectal cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-2159	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/	stomach health	Earl grey tea contains bergamot oil, which has been found to aid in stomach lining protection. Indian gooseberries also seem to protect the stomach. Meat, on the other hand, that has been found by the USDA to be contaminated with drugs known to potentially affect stomach, nerve, and skin health but is released into the food supply nonetheless.Total meat consumption and processed meat consumption have been linked to the risk of stomach cancer, while radishes and spinach have been found to be effective in slowing stomach cancer cell growth in a petri dish.Tongue worm can be contracted by eating certain undercooked meats. They hatch in the intestines, burrow out into the bloodstream and extremely rarely have been been found to infest people’s eyeballs.	-	mortality,side effects,stomach ulcers,fruit,cardiovascular health,heart disease,heart health,meat,cardiovascular disease,phytonutrients,inflammation,vegetables,abdominal pain,animal products,poultry	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-tea-vs-earl-grey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bug-appetit-barriers-to-entomophagy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-2160	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-inflammation/	stomach inflammation	-	-	stomach health,internal bleeding,phytonutrients,stomach ulcers,inflammation,cancer,alternative medicine,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,heart health,cherries,complementary medicine,Ibuprofen,muscle soreness	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-tea-vs-earl-grey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-chili-peppers-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-2161	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-ulcers/	stomach ulcers	-	-	stomach health,cancer,stomach inflammation,internal bleeding,phytonutrients,alternative medicine,cardiovascular disease,heart health,inflammation,heart disease,complementary medicine,muscle soreness,side effects,mortality,Ibuprofen	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-chili-peppers-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/	-
PLAIN-2162	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/	stool size	-	-	fiber,colon health,plant-based diets,bowel movements,fruit,constipation,colon disease,cancer,vegans,vegetarians,standard American diet,diabetes,gut flora,vegetables,bananas	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/29/bowel-movements-the-scoop-on-poop/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	-
PLAIN-2163	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/	strawberries	-	-	fruit,vegetables,antioxidants,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,meat,berries,cancer,mortality,grapes,inflammation,side effects,lifespan,aspirin,blueberries	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/17/strawberries-can-reverse-precancerous-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2164	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/	stress	-	-	exercise,vegetables,fruit,DNA damage,heart health,heart disease,cancer,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,oxidative stress,Dr. Dean Ornish,aging,plant-based diets,antioxidants,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	-
PLAIN-2165	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress-test/	stress test	-	-	heart health,heart disease,mortality,CT scan,children,CAT scan,breast cancer,breast health,cancer,Hiroshima,infants,smoking,women's health,X-rays,radiation	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/20/pills-vs-diet-for-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/	-
PLAIN-2166	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/	stroke	Strokes remain a leading cause of death in the United States. The plaque in our arteries (including the arteries in our brain) is built out of cholesterol. Eggs and brains themselves are the two most concentrated sources of cholesterol. This is one reason why one of the leading experts on strokes said you can eat all the eggs you want—but only if you’re dying from a terminal disease!To minimize risk of stroke, the following appear to be helpful: sleep 7 hours a night, drink green tea, and eat a potassium-rich plant based diet. Moderate alcohol consumption appears to increase the risk of a bleeding stroke but reduce the risk of clotting strokes.Dr. Greger covers strokes in his full-length presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, where he explores the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers.	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,diabetes,cancer,plant-based diets,meat,vegetables,chronic diseases,nuts,fruit,grains,mortality,cardiovascular health,heart health,obesity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/americans-are-living-longer-but-sicker-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2167	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/subsidies/	subsidies	-	-	soda,poultry,industry influence,standard American diet,animal products,tobacco,sugar,fruit,vegetables,beans,Coca-Cola,chicken,fish,turkey,grains	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/	-
PLAIN-2168	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/substance-p/	substance P	-	-	pain,peppers,nausea,mortality,medications,Propulcid,Salmonella,stomach health,spicy food,spices,side effects,irritable bowel syndrome,inflammation,Cayenne pepper,chronic diseases	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-2169	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sucralose/	sucralose	-	-	stevia,Splenda,sorbitol,Purevia,saccharin,Sugar Twin,Sweet and Low,xylitol,Z-Sweet,Truvia,sweeteners,Sweet One,pesticides,Nutrasweet,Canada	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-2170	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sudden-cardiac-death/	sudden cardiac death	-	-	heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,mortality,angina,plant-based diets,Dr. Dean Ornish,longevity,exercise,cholesterol,lifespan,medical profession,greens,grains,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/	-
PLAIN-2171	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/	sugar	Sugar consumption alone does not appear to cause hyperactivity in children, although it obviously is not good for kids’ teeth and has been tied to the risk of diabetes. In fact, 17% of calories in the American diet come from added sugars. The gratuitous inclusion of sugar in the USDA Dietary Guidelines may be due to corporate influence (see here, here, here, here, here). Sugar and high fructose corn syrup are about equal in terms of nutritional value (which is about zero). However, high fructose corn syrup may contain mercury so sugar may be a relatively safer option. There actually are two sweeteners that have some nutrition (see also here).The sugar in dark chocolate means cocoa powder is a better choice to reduce bad cholesterol and boost good cholesterol. Similarly, commercial cranberry juice and Cheerios have added sugar which detracts from their value as health-promoting foods. The addition of cinnamon to meats may actually blunt the blood sugar spike caused by sugary foods.	-	fat,insulin,fruit,meat,diabetes,vegetables,soda,saturated fat,plant-based diets,antioxidants,prediabetes,blood pressure,blood sugar,heart disease,oxidative stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/23/can-one-become-a-sugar-addict/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2172	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar-association/	Sugar Association	-	-	dietary guidelines,industry influence,children,sugar,greens,vegetables,vegans,vegetarians,tea,raw food,soda,sports drinks,vinegar,tomatoes,beans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/	-
PLAIN-2173	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar-twin/	Sugar Twin	-	-	stevia,sucralose,Splenda,sorbitol,Purevia,saccharin,Sweet and Low,xylitol,Z-Sweet,Truvia,sweeteners,Sweet One,pesticides,Nutrasweet,Canada	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-2174	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/suicide/	suicide	-	-	mental health,depression,mood,alternative medicine,supplements,mortality,sexual health,complementary medicine,brain health,women's health,dementia,lung health,FDA,vegetarians,vegans	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/10/natural-treatment-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	-
PLAIN-2175	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulfites/	sulfites	-	-	preservatives,processed foods,protein,rectal cancer,plant-based diets,plant protein,organic,pasta,peas,standard American diet,vegetarians,wine,women's health,vegetables,vegans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/	-
PLAIN-2176	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/	sulforaphane	-	-	phytonutrients,vegetables,broccoli,sprouting,broccoli sprouts,sprouts,cruciferous vegetables,raw food,cancer,enzymes,cost savings,antioxidants,greens,spices,inflammation	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/	-
PLAIN-2177	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulfur/	sulfur	-	-	vegans,inflammatory bowel disease,hydrogen sulfide,vegetarians,meat,ulcerative colitis,plant-based diets,plant protein,colon health,fiber,animal protein,butyrate,sulfites,Japan,sulfur dioxide	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-2178	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulfur-dioxide/	sulfur dioxide	-	-	preservatives,processed foods,protein,rectal cancer,plant-based diets,plant protein,organic,pasta,peas,standard American diet,sulfites,vegetarians,wine,women's health,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/	-
PLAIN-2179	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunburn/	sunburn	-	-	inflammation,broccoli,broccoli sprouts,sprouts,sprouting,juice,foodborne illness,liver health,cruciferous vegetables,lasers,colon cancer,colon health,Salmonella,phytonutrients,raw food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/	-
PLAIN-2180	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunchokes/	sunchokes	-	-	purslane,oral health,mouth cancer,steroids,watercress,vegetables,medications,lichen planus,celery root,autoimmune diseases,artichokes,complementary medicine,fiddlehead ferns,Jerusalem artichokes,immune function	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/	-
PLAIN-2181	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunflower-seeds/	sunflower seeds	-	-	seeds,pumpkin seeds,squash seeds,sesame seeds,fat,soy,animal protein,animal products,anxiety,brain health,cheese,butternut squash,whale meat,weight loss,vegans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-2182	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunlight/	sunlight	-	-	supplements,vitamin D,cancer,dietary guidelines,mortality,longevity,lifespan,evolution,women's health,breast cancer,skin health,fruit,bone health,alternative medicine,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evolutionary-argument-for-optimal-vitamin-d-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-2183	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/superbugs/	superbugs	-	-	antibiotics,chicken,poultry,meat,foodborne illness,factory farming practices,farm animals,food poisoning,fecal contamination,Salmonella,cooking temperature,pork,children,FDA,medications	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/13/when-a-scraped-knee-may-kill-again/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/28/how-avoiding-chicken-could-prevent-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/	-
PLAIN-2184	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supermarkets/	supermarkets	-	-	food poisoning,poultry,foodborne illness,chicken,fecal contamination,meat,farm animals,factory farming practices,zoonotic disease,diabetes,red meat,turkey,animal products,cooking temperature,beef	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-star-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/	-
PLAIN-2185	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/superoxide-dismutase/	superoxide dismutase	-	-	omnivores,mortality,mitochondria,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,wrinkles,vegetarians,heart health,heart disease,cancer,antioxidants,Alzheimer’s disease,cardiovascular disease,chronic diseases,epigenetic changes	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/	-
PLAIN-2186	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/	supplements	Contrary to the claims of many sellers of supplements (including bad advice from health food stores), we should strive to get most of our nutrients from produce not pills, though there are rare diseases that require supplementation.There are tens of thousands of phytonutrients in plants that can display synergistic effects and have not been successfully isolated efficaciously in supplement form. For example iron, which is important during pregnancy, may be harmful in pill form. Similarly, folate in beans and greens is preferable to folic acid in pills. Flax seed, but not flax seed oil, lowers cholesterol. Citrulline supplements may aid erectile dysfunction, but a better source is watermelon. Similarly, eating soy foods, rather than taking soy supplements, may reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence. And it is whole produce, not pills, which has been shown to increase physical attractiveness.However, for those on plant-based diets, there are two vitamins not produced by plants that may require supplementation. They are vitamin D from sun but not from tanning beds (see also here, here, here, here, here, here, here) and vitamin B12 (see also here, here, here, here, here). Among vegans, B12 deficiency is an epidemic if no supplements are used, which can have devastating consequences for their infants (see also here). Vegetarian’s myelopathy is a syndrome coined to describe vitamin B12 decficiency, which can result in paralysis. Another nutrient vegans should keep an eye on is iodine, which is especially important during pregnancy (though harmful in too too great quantities).One of the most commonly used supplements is fish oil. It has been found to contain DDT as well as other industrial pollutants, including high levels of dioxin, PCBs and mercury (which are neural and cardiac toxins). This includes distilled fish oil, cod liver oil and those labeled ‘Toxin-Free’. Instead, there are safe plant sources of omega-3; alternatives include algae and yeast derived EPA and DHA, which also lower inflammation.While there are some harmless vitamin supplements such as vitamin C and Airborne supplements, others may do more harm than good, such as multivitamins, which may actually increase breast and prostate cancer risk, and antioxidant vitamin supplements such as Vitamin E that may shorten one’s lifespan.A variety of other potentially harmful supplements exist including: Herbalife (for its liver toxicity, possibly due to vitamin A), Juice Plus+ (which is really just another vitamin supplement), glyconutrient supplements, lutein pills, creatine, copper supplements (which may contribute to Alzheimer’s), zinc gel, kombucha tea, noni juice, and rice bran. Ayurvedic medicine (see also here) has been found to contain lead. Spirulina and blue-green algae supplements may contain neurotoxins and/or liver toxins (a safer alternative is chlorella).See also the related blog posts: Vitamin D: Shedding some light on the new recommendations, Vegan B12 deficiency: putting it into perspective	-	antioxidants,oxidative stress,vegetables,fruit,vitamin C,phytonutrients,cancer,nuts,beans,men's health,alternative medicine,broccoli,vitamin E,mental health,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/05/the-reversal-on-fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/15/vitamin-d-shedding-some-light-on-the-new-recommendations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/crop-nutrient-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-paralysis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-multivitamins-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-myelopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbalife-supplement-liver-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glyconutrient-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-difficulty-of-arriving-at-a-vitamin-d-recommendation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zinc-gel-for-colds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evolutionary-argument-for-optimal-vitamin-d-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iron-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-2187	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/suppositories/	suppositories	-	-	berries,black raspberries,anal health,anal fissure,water,cancer,cancer survival,ranking foods,raspberries,polyps,fruit,colon health,vomiting,surgery,chemotherapy	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/	-
PLAIN-2188	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supreme-court/	Supreme Court	-	-	ranking foods,phytonutrients,nutrient absorption,tomato juice,vitamin C,tomatoes,lycopene,juice,apples,apple juice,Arkansas,fruit juice,grapes,grape juice,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/	-
PLAIN-2189	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgeon-general/	Surgeon General	-	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,immune function,heart health,Honolulu Heart Study,Institute of Medicine,exercise,dogs,chestnuts,coconuts,cognition,dementia,lifespan,mental health,peanuts	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/	-
PLAIN-2190	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/	surgery	-	-	Lifestyle medicine,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,mortality,heart health,medical profession,plant-based diets,medications,cancer,cholesterol,cardiovascular health,lifespan,vegans,vegetarians,foodborne illness	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/10/natural-treatment-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-dangers-of-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/physicians-may-be-missing-their-most-important-tool/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2191	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sushi/	sushi	-	-	fish,seafood,food poisoning,parasites,worms,white meat,eye health,foodborne illness,poultry,chicken,iodine,animal products,fecal contamination,medications,dulse	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2192	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sustainability/	sustainability	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,seafood,supplements,fish,mercury,brain health,algae,flexitarians,heart disease,heart health,cardiovascular disease,tapeworms,cancer,phytonutrients,oolong tea	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	-
PLAIN-2193	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweden/	Sweden	-	-	poultry,vegetarians,plant-based diets,chicken,vegans,omnivores,lead,beans,turkey,smoking,cancer,reversing chronic disease,lifespan,Mediterranean diet,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/	-
PLAIN-2194	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-and-low/	Sweet and Low	-	-	saccharin,sweeteners,bladder cancer,artificial sweeteners,bladder health,Nutrasweet,safety limits,aspartame,water,Z-Sweet,women's health,acrylamide,salt,tobacco,animal studies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/	-
PLAIN-2195	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-one/	Sweet One	-	-	stevia,sucralose,Splenda,sorbitol,Purevia,saccharin,Sugar Twin,Sweet and Low,xylitol,Z-Sweet,Truvia,sweeteners,pesticides,Nutrasweet,Canada	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-2196	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-potatoes/	sweet potatoes	-	-	greens,plant-based diets,cancer,fruit,vegetables,beans,mortality,cabbage,blueberries,obesity,heart disease,standard American diet,vegans,women's health,vegetarians	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-2197	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/	sweeteners	In terms of nutritional value, sugar and corn syrup are roughly equal in that they have basically no nutritional value. High fructose corn syrup, however, has been found to be contaminated with mercury and should probably be avoided. Two sweeteners, black strap molasses and date sugar (just powdered whole dates), do actually have significant nutritional value. Most artificial sweeteners have been linked to health problems, at least in rare cases. Stevia appears to be harmless as long as you don’t consume too much.	-	sugar,calories,soda,fat,caloric restriction,weight loss,obesity,antioxidants,artificial sweeteners,overeating,fruit,erythritol,body fat,dopamine,heart disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/	-
PLAIN-2198	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/swiss-chard/	Swiss chard	-	-	vegetables,kale,spinach,greens,asparagus,phytonutrients,garlic,corn,plant-based diets,eggplant,beets,carrots,celery,beet greens,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2199	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/swordfish/	swordfish	-	-	mackerel,mercury,fish,seafood,salmon,women's health,dioxins,dementia,caffeine,alcohol,bluefish,atrial fibrillation,food poisoning,lifespan,heartbeat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/	-
PLAIN-2200	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tabouli/	tabouli	-	-	parsley,pasta,peppermint,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,oregano,nutmeg,nuts,oatmeal,oats,plant-based diets,ranking foods,sweet potatoes,tea,tomato sauce	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-2201	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tacos/	tacos	-	-	milk,limes,hypertension,flax seeds,obesity,plums,wine,weight loss,rice,fish,dates,beets,beer,beef,beans	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/	-
PLAIN-2202	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tahini/	tahini	-	-	nuts,seeds,fat,fava beans,CDC,metabolism,obesity,peanut butter,calories,beans,zeaxanthin,almonds,arginine,bacon,peanuts	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-2203	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taiwan/	Taiwan	-	-	plant-based diets,meat,junk food,vegans,vegetarians,phytonutrients,vegetables,mortality,chicken,heart health,poultry,animal products,chronic diseases,cardiovascular health,dairy	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-2204	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tamoxifen/	tamoxifen	-	-	women's health,breast cancer,cancer,breast health,plant-based diets,side effects,breast disease,vegetarians,mortality,cancer survival,medications,seeds,vegans,flax seeds,chemotherapy	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/	-
PLAIN-2205	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tamsulosin/	tamsulosin	-	-	medications,men's health,menopause,lignans,hormones,gut flora,heart health,menstruation,omega-3 fatty acids,spoilage,triglycerides,seeds,recipes,processed foods,prostate health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/	-
PLAIN-2206	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tangeretin/	tangeretin	-	-	greens,limonin,phytonutrients,vegetables,fruit,gingerols,lifespan,ginger,cranberries,citrus,longevity,mortality,rosmarinic acid,theanine,rosemary	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/	-
PLAIN-2207	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tanning-beds/	tanning beds	-	-	skin health,phytonutrients,sexual selection,greens,vegetables,evolution,Harvard,convenience,carcinogens,asbestos,arsenic,cancer,skin cancer,vitamin D,women's health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-2208	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tapeworms/	tapeworms	-	-	brain health,brain parasites,brain disease,foodborne illness,parasites,pork,food poisoning,neurocysticercosis,epilepsy,zoonotic disease,headaches,seizures,eye health,eye disease,seafood	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/04/real-life-contagion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/	-
PLAIN-2209	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taro/	taro	-	-	plant-based diets,South Africa,obesity,New Zealand,New York City,standard American diet,stool size,United Kingdom,Tonga,sweet potatoes,Japan,India,colon disease,chicken,cabbage	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/	-
PLAIN-2210	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tarragon/	tarragon	-	-	oils,liver health,herbs,oxidative stress,safety limits,spices,herbal remedies,hemlock,chervil,cancer,anise,DNA damage,fat,fish,fennel	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/05/tarragon-toxicity/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	-
PLAIN-2211	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tart-cherries/	tart cherries	-	-	side effects,inflammation,cherries,fruit,muscle health,organ meats,kiwi fruit,insomnia,pain,phytonutrients,Ibuprofen,meat,berries,exercise,fenugreek	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/	-
PLAIN-2212	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taste-buds/	taste buds	-	-	eggs,fat,dairy,junk food,calories,body fat,butter,low-fat diets,cheese,meat,sugar,weight loss,yogurt,soup,sodium	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/	-
PLAIN-2213	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taurine/	taurine	-	-	plant-based diets,supplements,vegetarians,metabolism,meat,birth defects,carnitine,carnosine,creatine,arachidonic acid	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/	-
PLAIN-2214	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taxol/	Taxol	-	-	chemotherapy,breast disease,cancer,medications,metastases,breast cancer,nutrition myths,cholesterol,vincristine,India,supplements,animal studies,avocados,in vitro studies,gooseberries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/	-
PLAIN-2215	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/	tea	-	-	herbal tea,hibiscus tea,vegetables,processed foods,exercise,safety limits,heart health,World Health Organization,fruit,water,phytonutrients,soda,heart disease,citrus,green tea	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-tea-vs-earl-grey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-2216	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/teff/	teff	-	-	processed foods,pasta,oats,millet,quinoa,rice,wheat,rye,heart health,heart disease,bread,barley,bagels,buckwheat,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/	-
PLAIN-2217	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/television/	television	-	-	longevity,mortality,obesity,lifespan,heart health,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,exercise,heart disease,American Heart Association	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	-
PLAIN-2218	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/telomerase/	telomerase	-	-	processed meat,red meat,plant-based diets,omnivores,meat,mortality,reversing chronic disease,soda,vegans,vegetarians,tobacco,telomeres,longevity,lifespan,dairy	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/	-
PLAIN-2219	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/telomeres/	telomeres	-	-	aging,DNA damage,plant-based diets,Dr. Dean Ornish,longevity,fish,exercise,fruit,heart disease,meat,meditation,heart health,mortality,dairy,processed meat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/24/how-to-live-longer-in-four-easy-steps/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/	-
PLAIN-2220	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tempeh/	tempeh	-	-	soy,tofu,carcinogens,soybeans,DNA damage,soy sauce,beans,fermented foods,cancer,kimchi,cadaverine,sausage,sauerkraut,fish,cheese	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tofu-vs-tempeh-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/	-
PLAIN-2221	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-cancer/	testicular cancer	-	-	prostate cancer,testicular health,children,prostate health,cancer,milk,men's health,meat,breast health,breast cancer,women's health,dairy,stomach health,stomach cancer,rectal cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/	-
PLAIN-2222	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-health/	testicular health	Processed meat and total meat consumption appears to increase risk for testicular cancer.Consumption of chicken (which contains phthalates) by pregnant women appears to negatively affect testicular development in utero. Consumption of meat during pregnancy may also affect a son’s fertility as an adult.Soymilk does not appear to have feminizing effects on men. Drinking cow’s milk, however, increases the estrogen levels in the body and causes men’s testosterone levels to drop. Xenoestrogens (human-made estrogenic chemicals) appear to lower male sperm counts. Soy, on the other hand, does not reduce sperm count.	-	men's health,sexual health,fertility,reproductive health,sperm counts,children,dairy,meat,fish,infertility,pregnancy,prostate cancer,cancer,prostate health,testicular cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/	-
PLAIN-2223	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testosterone/	testosterone	-	-	women's health,hormones,men's health,cancer,breast cancer,breast health,breast disease,meat,animal products,fish,sexual health,prostate cancer,dairy,mood,prostate health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/	-
PLAIN-2224	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tetrodotoxin/	tetrodotoxin	-	-	rhabdomyolysis,salmon,putrescine,puffer fish,natural toxins,scombroid poisoning,seafood,spoilage,spermine,semen,muscle health,muscle disease,dogs,cooking temperature,cadavers	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/	-
PLAIN-2225	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/texas/	Texas	-	-	New York Coalition for Healthy School Food,obesity,junk food,ice cream,hydrogenated fats,oils,School Lunch Program,Veggiecation,vegetables,trans fats,green beans,fruit,carrots,calories,cake	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/	-
PLAIN-2226	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tgi-fridays/	TGI Friday's	-	-	chicken,poultry,Burger King,cancer,carcinogens,barbecuing,water,vinegar,Chick-fil-A,vegetables,Applebee's,Chili's,restaurants,salads,sandwiches	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/	-
PLAIN-2227	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thalidomide/	thalidomide	-	-	plant-based diets,plant protein,omnivores,medications,rheumatoid arthritis,steroids,vegetarians,vegans,meat,joint health,cartilage health,autoimmune diseases,arthritis,animal protein,chemotherapy	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-
PLAIN-2228	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/theanine/	theanine	-	-	breast cancer,breast disease,cancer,green tea,herbal tea,breast health,women's health,berries,rectal cancer,prostate health,red tea,rooibos tea,prostate cancer,blueberries,chamomile tea	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/	-
PLAIN-2229	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thermogenics/	thermogenics	-	-	Ray Cronice,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetables,weight loss,water,vegetarians,phytonutrients,obesity,fiber,exercise,calories,fruit,gastric emptying,ice diet	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/	-
PLAIN-2230	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thiamine/	thiamine	-	-	plant-based diets,vitamin C,vitamin B1,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Europe,gout,dietary guidelines,exercise,colchicine,aspirin,weight loss,beriberi,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,vitamin E	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	-
PLAIN-2231	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thimerosal/	thimerosal	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,pregnancy,PCBs,New York City,neurotoxins,salmon,seafood,vaccinations,vaccines,tuna,supplements,mercury,infants,children,DHA	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/	-
PLAIN-2232	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-cancer/	throat cancer	-	-	cancer,throat health,lung cancer,esophageal cancer,carcinogens,chicken,poultry,meat,esophagus health,rectal cancer,nasal cavity cancer,mouth cancer,kidney cancer,lung health,colon health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/	-
PLAIN-2233	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-health/	throat health	-	-	cancer,throat cancer,esophageal cancer,esophagus health,poultry,ear health,colon health,chicken,rectal cancer,nasal cavity cancer,meat,carcinogens,sore throat,cervix health,respiratory infections	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migrating-fish-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-2234	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyme/	thyme	-	-	phytonutrients,peppermint,lemongrass,lemon verbena,red tea,rooibos,tea,rosemary,rose hips,lavender,Korea,chamomile tea,beverages,bergamots,antioxidants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/	-
PLAIN-2235	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thymus/	thymus	-	-	pancreatic cancer,pancreatitis,pancreas health,liver health,liver disease,rectal cancer,skin cancer,ulcerative colitis,stomach inflammation,stomach health,stomach cancer,liver cancer,Kaposi’s sarcoma,cancer,cell death	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-2236	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-cancer/	thyroid cancer	-	-	mortality,maraschino cherry,liver health,liver disease,processed foods,red dye #3,thyroid health,thyroid disease,liver cancer,industry influence,chemotherapy,cancer,artificial colors,children,DNA damage	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/	-
PLAIN-2237	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-disease/	thyroid disease	To avoid getting a goiter, getting enough iodine is essential. An excellent source of iodine is seaweed. It is important as a vegan to get enough iodine, especially when pregnant. However, thyroid containing sausages may contain too much iodine and can cause iodine toxicity.The flame retardant chemicals found in fish may disrupt our thyroid. Processed meat consumption has been associated with thyroid cancer. And poultry workers have been found to exhibit an excess of a wide range of diseases, including thyroid conditions.	-	thyroid health,cancer,meat,iodine,children,animal products,infants,Japan,foodborne illness,milk,kidney health,women's health,food poisoning,breast cancer,breast health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-2238	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/	thyroid health	Iodine is important for healthy thyroid function (see also here, here). Thyroid dysfunction has been associated with iodine toxicity (which can result from excessive consumption of kelp and thyroid gland-contaminated sausages).PBDEs (flame retardant industrial chemicals) found in fish may disrupt thyroid function. An excess of deaths for disorders of the thyroid gland have been observed in poultry workers, perhaps due to chicken viruses and other pathogens. Processed meat consumption may be associated with thyroid cancer.	-	thyroid disease,cancer,meat,animal products,children,Japan,kelp,iodine,kidney health,breast health,foodborne illness,food poisoning,breast cancer,kidney disease,nitrosamines	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2239	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tick-bites/	tick bites	-	-	allergies,meat,insects,parasites,alpha-gal,autoimmune diseases,pork,inflammation,immune function,kidney disease,hormones,cancer,breast health,Crohn's disease,evolution	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/	-
PLAIN-2240	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/titanium-dioxide/	titanium dioxide	-	-	poultry,processed foods,processed meat,pork,plant-based diets,meat,nanoparticles,rectal cancer,seafood,vegans,vegetarians,ulcerative colitis,turkey,sugar,marshmallows	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	-
PLAIN-2241	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tmao/	TMAO	-	-	metastases,milk,mortality,men's health,meat,inflammation,lecithin,poultry,prostate cancer,trimethylamine,turkey,American Egg Board,stroke,red meat,steak	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/14/avoid-carnitine-and-lethicin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/19/why-are-eggs-linked-to-cancer-progression/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2242	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/	tobacco	There is probably no safe level of smoking. Cigarettes are considered Category One (highest level) carcinogens by the WHO. Nitrosamines have been universally condemned as one of the key carcinogens in cigarette smoke (see also here). Pancreatic cancer and acute myeloid leukemia have been linked to smoking.The odds of a pack a day smoker getting lung cancer after 20 years is 13 times that of nonsmokers (see also here). But despite higher rates of smoking, Asians have relatively low lung cancer rates, possibly due to higher levels of green tea consumption. Also, in terms of lung cancer, smoking just a single joint of marijuana may be as bad as smoking an entire pack of cigarettes.Benzene, acrylamide, and aluminum are also found in cigarette smoke. And people who smoke double their risk of dying from heart disease (see also here). Smoking may also speed up aging by eating away at our telomeres (the caps on our DNA), which have been thought of as our “life fuses.” Interestingly enough, though, inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption is responsible for almost as many deaths every year as smoking, according to the World Health Organization.To resist regulation, the tobacco industry has been accused of funding research to downplay the risks of smoking (see also here). And in other research, failure to screen out smokers among coffee drinkers resulted in the incorrect conclusion that coffee was not healthy.The presence of smokers in the home and meat intake appears to contribute the most to the incidence of asthma in children. Second hand smoke can put an entire household at risk. But COPD patients who eat more fruits and vegetables see slightly improved lung function over a period of years.	-	cancer,smoking,vegetables,vegetarians,alcohol,beverages,exercise,fruit,meat,vegans,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,plant-based diets,industry influence,Lifestyle medicine	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-2243	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tofu/	tofu	-	-	soy,soy milk,protein,mortality,cancer,beans,animal protein,vegans,meat,veggie burgers,breast disease,breast cancer,plant protein,vegetables,plant-based diets	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/07/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tofu-vs-tempeh-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-tofu-cause-dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	-
PLAIN-2244	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-effect/	Tomato Effect	-	-	processed foods,rice,plant-based diets,optimal diet,mortality,nutrition myths,rice bran,scurvy,vitamin B1,vitamin C,tomatoes,sudden cardiac death,thiamine,medications,medical profession	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/14/heart-disease-there-is-a-cure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	-
PLAIN-2245	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-juice/	tomato juice	-	-	tomatoes,fruit,vegetables,tea,inflammation,juice,heart disease,plant-based diets,oxidative stress,heart health,antioxidants,vitamin C,cardiovascular disease,DNA damage,nutrient absorption	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/	-
PLAIN-2246	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-sauce/	tomato sauce	-	-	fruit,vegetables,oxidative stress,antioxidants,heart health,tea,tomatoes,phytonutrients,salads,heart disease,mortality,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,cardiovascular health,oregano	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-2247	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/	tomatoes	We get more lycopene (a potential heart disease and cancer fighting red pigment) per gram from cooked tomatoes compared to raw. It may also be important to add a little bit of fat to your meal when eating foods such as tomatoes to maximize the body’s absorption of fat-soluble phytonutrients. Supplements are not an effective source of these phytonutrients. Surprisingly, tomato juice actually has twice the antioxidant power of regularly consuming tomatoes and may have an anti-inflammatory effect, which may help athletes recover after exercise and reduce asthma. Tomato juice concentrate is also the highest source of potassium, which may help prevent the risk of stroke. Eating vegetables (including tomatoes) with every meal decreases the level of oxidation. One can make family dinners healthier by turning tomatoes and other vegetables into a paste and adding it into a child’s favorite foods.For most cancers, tomatoes have not been found to suppress tumor cell growth. The lycopene in tomatoes, however, may be protective against prostate cancer and cervical cancer.Cooking acidic foods like tomato sauce in an aluminum pot is not advised, as eating aluminum has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Interestingly, at one point in American history the tomato was widely believed to be poisonous rather than healthful. This explains the origin of the “tomato effect,” a term used to describe the denial by the medical establishment of highly effective therapies because they go against the conventional wisdom.	-	fruit,vegetables,antioxidants,phytonutrients,inflammation,oxidative stress,mortality,berries,heart disease,beans,greens,plant-based diets,cholesterol,heart health,cardiovascular disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/	-
PLAIN-2248	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tonga/	Tonga	-	-	plant-based diets,South Africa,obesity,New Zealand,New York City,standard American diet,stool size,United Kingdom,taro,sweet potatoes,Japan,India,colon disease,chicken,cabbage	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/	-
PLAIN-2249	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tongue-cancer/	tongue cancer	-	-	mouth cancer,cancer,throat cancer,protein,chicken,carcinogens,tonsil cancer,mortality,nasal cavity cancer,pork,poultry,vegans,oxidative stress,turkey,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/	-
PLAIN-2250	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tongue-worm/	tongue worm	-	-	stomach health,seafood,parasites,sushi,worms,toxic megacolon,organ meats,Linguatula serrate,eye health,eye disease,eye parasites,fish,foodborne illness,food poisoning,CDC	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/	-
PLAIN-2251	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tonsil-cancer/	tonsil cancer	-	-	throat cancer,chicken,mouth cancer,cancer,nasal cavity cancer,poultry,tongue cancer,pork,esophagus health,poultry workers,throat health,mortality,inner ear cancer,esophageal cancer,ear health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/	-
PLAIN-2252	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tor/	TOR	-	-	plant-based diets,fruit,vegetables,aging,rapamycin,lifespan,caloric restriction,dairy,mortality,cancer,standard American diet,milk,animal protein,animal products,enzymes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	-
PLAIN-2253	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/torcetrapib/	torcetrapib	-	-	medications,milk chocolate,marketing,immune function,hypertension,Pfizer,phytonutrients,sugar,saturated fat,processed foods,heart health,heart disease,chocolate,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/	-
PLAIN-2254	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/toxaphene/	Toxaphene	-	-	pork,poultry,pesticides,persistent organic pollutants,omega-3 fatty acids,PCBs,red meat,safety limits,white meat,World Health Organization,vegetables,seafood,Lindane,lamb,DHA	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/	-
PLAIN-2255	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/toxic-megacolon/	toxic megacolon	-	-	foodborne illness,food poisoning,colon health,feed additives,growth promoters,fecal contamination,cooking temperature,farm animals,gut flora,factory farming practices,MRSA,superbugs,supermarkets,turkey,skin health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/	-
PLAIN-2256	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/toxoplasma/	toxoplasma	-	-	meat,Listeria,industry influence,foodborne illness,poultry,Salmonella,parasites,brain parasites,USDA,food poisoning,processed meat,turkey,fecal bacteria,Campylobacter,chicken	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/01/foie-gras-ban-in-california-human-health-implications/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/	-
PLAIN-2257	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trader-joes/	Trader Joes	-	-	gut flora,prebiotics,fruit,exotic fruit,convenience,dragon fruit,dried fruit,colon health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-dragon-fruit-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-2258	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/traffic/	traffic	-	-	tea,stress,sleep,tomato sauce,wrinkles,vegetables,skin health,oxidative stress,common cold,antioxidants,fatigue,fruit,lasers,green tea,air pollution	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/	-
PLAIN-2259	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trail-mix/	trail mix	-	-	health food stores,goji berries,oatmeal,raisins,dried fruit,cost savings,Asian markets,bargains,berries,convenience,artichokes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-2260	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fat/	trans fat	-	-	mortality,saturated fat,standard American diet,lifespan,inflammation,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,heart diseases,heart health,cardiovascular disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/23/generic-lipitor-is-not-the-answer-to-our-heart-disease-epidemic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/	-
PLAIN-2261	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	trans fats	-	-	cardiovascular disease,heart disease,mortality,fruit,saturated fat,plant-based diets,vegetables,meat,cardiovascular health,fat,cholesterol,heart health,eggs,cancer,diabetes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/	-
PLAIN-2262	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/transglutaminase/	transglutaminase	-	-	meat,meat glue,gluten,foodborne illness,food poisoning,poultry,processed meat,turkey,steak,salmon,fish,fecal contamination,autoimmune diseases,animal studies,animal protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/	-
PLAIN-2263	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/treadmill/	treadmill	-	-	mortality,Lifestyle medicine,heart health,nuts,spices,turmeric,heart disease,green tea,curcumin,cardiovascular health,diabetes,endothelial,fat,exercise,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/	-
PLAIN-2264	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tremors/	tremors	-	-	meat,heart disease,essential tremor,turkey,pork,cardiovascular health,heart health,brain disease,brain health,cancer,beef,chicken,plant-based diets,Europe,nerve health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/	-
PLAIN-2265	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triglycerides/	triglycerides	-	-	cholesterol,blood sugar,LDL cholesterol,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,plant-based diets,fat,blood pressure,vegans,hypertension,fruit,vegetarians,cardiovascular health,supplements	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/08/flaxseeds-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/23/can-antioxidant-rich-spices-counteract-the-effects-of-a-high-fat-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/	-
PLAIN-2266	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trigylcerides/	trigylcerides	-	-	prediabetes,oxidative stress,spillover effect,sugar,weight loss,obesity,low-carb diets,butter,blood sugar,calories,diabetes,insulin,fat,bacon	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/	-
PLAIN-2267	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trimethylamine/	trimethylamine	-	-	meat,milk,industry influence,heart health,heart disease,mortality,poultry,American Egg Board,turkey,red meat,eggs,stroke,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,chicken	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2268	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triphala/	triphala	-	-	heavy metals,gooseberries,fruit,India,industrial toxins,amla,phytonutrients,dried fruit,oxidative stress,cloves,antioxidants,berries,Boston,Ayurvedic medicine,alternative medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/	-
PLAIN-2269	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/truvia/	Truvia	-	-	stevia,sweeteners,artificial sweeteners,Purevia,DNA damage,pesticides,saccharin,Z-Sweet,Nutrasweet,migraine headaches,sorbitol,laxatives,Splenda,xylitol,Sweet One	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-2270	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tryptophan/	tryptophan	-	-	mood,plant protein,mental health,plant-based diets,brain health,poultry,animal products,cheese,serotonin,depression,animal protein,protein,milk,meat,dairy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/	-
PLAIN-2271	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tufts/	Tufts	-	-	cancer,heart health,lung cancer,lung health,chronic diseases,heart disease,fruit,green tea,obesity,diabetes,phytonutrients,tea,tobacco,vegetables,weight loss	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/04/15/welcome-to-nutritionfacts-org/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/	-
PLAIN-2272	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tulsi-tea/	tulsi tea	-	-	holy basil tea,herbal tea,beverages	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-tulsi-tea-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-2273	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tumor-necrosis-factor/	Tumor necrosis factor	-	-	medications,oregano,osteoarthritis,inflammatory bowel disease,inflammation,heart failure,heart health,herbs,oxidative stress,pepper,spices,turmeric,side effects,rosemary,poultry	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/	-
PLAIN-2274	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tumor-suppressor-genes/	tumor suppressor genes	-	-	cancer,tobacco,turkey,vegetables,antiangiogenesis,angiogenesis,stress,smoking,poultry,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,safety limits,salmon,smoked foods,apple juice,apples	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/	-
PLAIN-2275	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tums/	Tums	-	-	meat,medications,osteoporosis,kidney health,kidney function,hamburgers,kidney disease,pork,poultry,turkey,vegetables,stomach health,protein,steak,grains	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/	-
PLAIN-2276	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/	tuna	The mercury in tuna, especially certain brands) may damage the brains of infants, children, and adults (more than that in vaccinations, amalgam teeth fillings, high-fructose corn syrup and Ayervedic supplements). Tuna may also contain DDT (a banned pesticide still present in our food chain), PCB pollutants, and the carcinogens benzene and putrescine. Tuna sushi may contain fecal contamination in amounts exceeding National Food Standards guidelines. A toxin in tuna has even been found to cause a form of amnesia. So while tuna may be a source of heart-healthy omega-3, they may come packaged along with mercury contamination. One doesn’t have to worry about such contamination with algae-based sources of the long chain omega-3’s EPA and DHA.	-	fish,seafood,meat,animal products,persistent organic pollutants,chicken,children,fruit,vegans,mercury,vegetarians,heavy metals,plant-based diets,pork,industrial toxins	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/28/soymilk-shake-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/30/why-pregnant-women-should-avoid-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-2277	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna-council/	Tuna Council	-	-	seafood,pesticides,persistent organic pollutants,PCBs,seal oil,shark oil,tuna,supplements,omega-3 fatty acids,nutrition myths,EPA,DHA,DDT,children,fish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/	-
PLAIN-2278	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turbinado-sugar/	turbinado sugar	-	-	organic foods,molasses,maple syrup,junk food,processed foods,ranking foods,sweeteners,sugar,honey,high fructose corn syrup,brown sugar,brown rice syrup,antioxidants,corn syrup,date sugar	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-2279	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/	turkey	See also the related blog post: Talking Turkey: 9 out of 10 retail turkey samples contaminated with fecal bacteria.	-	poultry,chicken,cancer,meat,industry influence,smoking,children,red meat,lung cancer,fish,vegetables,carcinogens,heterocyclic amines,animal protein,fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/16/what-is-meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/09/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	-
PLAIN-2280	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/	turmeric	-	-	spices,curcumin,cancer,vegetables,green tea,fruit,mortality,side effects,meat,FDA,chemotherapy,Alzheimer’s disease,alternative medicine,fat,brain health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/12/who-should-be-careful-about-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/25/ginger-lemon-balm-for-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/05/why-pepper-boosts-turmeric-blood-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/07/testing-turmeric-on-smokers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/22/the-top-three-dna-protecting-spices/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2281	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turnips/	turnips	-	-	okra,oxidative stress,peppers,mustard greens,kale,green beans,heart disease,heart health,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,steaming,raw food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/	-
PLAIN-2282	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tvp/	TVP	-	-	sexual health,sexual dysfunction,prostatectomy,prostate health,standard American diet,surgery,vegetable protein,urinary tract infections,prostate cancer,men's health,cancer,BPH,bladder health,animal protein,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/	-
PLAIN-2283	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/twin-studies/	twin studies	-	-	plant-based diets,mushrooms,memory,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,potatoes,processed foods,vegetables,rutabagas,greens,fruit juice,bread,brain health,brain disease,beans,carrots	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/	-
PLAIN-2284	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/twinkies/	Twinkies	-	-	cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,chicken,pork,plant-based diets,protein,fat,cardiovascular health,LDL cholesterol,heart health,bacon,saturated fat,prehistoric diets,poultry	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/	-
PLAIN-2285	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/twins/	twins	-	-	puberty,estrogen,prostate cancer,hormones,milk,ovarian cancer,dairy,reproductive health,animal products,vegans,uterine cancer,breast cancer,children,breast disease,body fat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/	-
PLAIN-2286	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tylenol/	Tylenol	-	-	migraine headaches,medications,pain,side effects,lavender,Ibuprofen,aromatherapy,alternative medicine,brain health,complementary medicine,headaches,acetaminophen	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/21/treating-migraines-with-lavender/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/	-
PLAIN-2287	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/u-s-department-of-defense/	U.S. Department of Defense	-	-	rice,sheep,protein,poultry,pork,pork brains,soy,soy milk,vegetables,weight loss,veal brains,soybeans,plant protein,organ meats,brains	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/	-
PLAIN-2288	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/u-s-dry-bean-council/	U.S. Dry Bean Council	-	-	mortality,lima beans,lentils,navy beans,pinto beans,soybeans,soy,legumes,LDL cholesterol,cholesterol,cardiovascular disease,beans,edamame,FDA,heart health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/	-
PLAIN-2289	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uganda/	Uganda	-	-	vegans,vegetarians,plant-based diets,heart disease,medical profession,standard American diet,heart health,rectal cancer,Africa,fiber,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,beans,cancer,colon health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2290	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ulcerative-colitis/	ulcerative colitis	-	-	inflammatory bowel disease,plant-based diets,colon health,inflammation,meat,Crohn's disease,vegetarians,vegans,processed foods,animal protein,gut flora,vegetables,cancer,fiber,immune function	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-2291	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ultra-processed-foods/	ultra-processed foods	-	-	potato chips,potatoes,Phillip Morris,National Confectioners Association,lung cancer,processed foods,smoking,Whitecoat project,tobacco,soda,Kraft,junk food,candy,chicken,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-2292	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/underweight/	underweight	-	-	memory,mortality,longevity,lifespan,brain health,caloric restriction,cognition,animal studies	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caloric-restriction-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-2293	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/union-of-concerned-scientists/	Union of Concerned Scientists	-	-	mortality,orange juice,platelets,lifespan,LDL cholesterol,joint disease,joint health,rheumatoid arthritis,saturated fat,vegetables,trans fats,stroke,side effects,strawberries,inflammation	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/	-
PLAIN-2294	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/	United Kingdom	-	-	plant-based diets,cancer,vegans,meat,standard American diet,fruit,vegetarians,dairy,fiber,chicken,alcohol,ADHD,diarrhea,industry influence,colon health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/	-
PLAIN-2295	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uric-acid/	uric acid	-	-	gout,meat,fruit,kidney health,kidney disease,fish,animal products,antioxidants,kidney stones,seafood,pork,vegans,tuna,blood sugar,arthritis	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-2296	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urinary-tract-infections/	urinary tract infections	-	-	cancer,colon health,women's health,gut flora,men's health,poultry,vegetables,phytonutrients,fruit,heart disease,bladder health,chicken,vegetarians,plant-based diets,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/	-
PLAIN-2297	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urticaria/	urticaria	-	-	pork rinds,poultry,pork,parasites,medications,red meat,seafood,turkey,tick bites,sushi,skin health,meat,leaky gut theory,autoimmune diseases,bacon	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/	-
PLAIN-2298	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uruguay/	Uruguay	-	-	plant-based diets,pork,poultry,PhIP,oxidative stress,infants,meat,processed foods,processed meat,vegetarians,women's health,vegans,smoking,turkey,hormones	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/	-
PLAIN-2299	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/	USDA	The USDA helps formulate the federal dietary guidelines. The guidelines have been accused of bias towards corporate interests over public health concerns due to the dual mission of the USDA to promote agribusiness as well as public health (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here). In Greece, by contrast, a health agency formulates the guidelines, and a plant-based diet is the daily recommendation. The latest USDA Guidelines (MyPlate) are certainly an improvement and shifting towards a plant based diet is recommended.The USDA does test retail meat to uncover the level of parasite infestation in our national herds and flocks. Most American beef is infested with sarcocystis parasites, and 1 in 6 lambs were found to be infected with the parasite toxoplasma, which also infect the human brain.The USDA has been accused of failing to protect the American public against meat contaminated with residual drugs, pesticides, and heavy metals. The USDA has denied petitions to reduce nitrite levels in cured meat (which may cause cancer) because of fears over botulism (a deadly form of food poisoning). When confronted with the risks associated with retail U.S. meat, a USDA microbiologist blamed consumers for getting sick from bad meat. The USDA recommends washing fruit and veggies but recommends not even rinsing meat and poultry for fear of fecal bacterial splatter.See also the related blog post: Dietary Guideline graphics: From the Food Pyramid to MyPlate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate	-	industry influence,chicken,poultry,turkey,meat,fecal contamination,mortality,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,cardiovascular health,animal fat,safety limits,Salmonella,children,fecal bacteria	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/19/food-manufacturers-get-to-decide-if-their-own-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/17/meat-industry-wins-right-to-sell-tainted-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/12/chicken-salmonella-outbreaks-show-food-safety-systems-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/usda-parasite-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mothers-overestimate-dietary-quality/	-
PLAIN-2300	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uterine-cancer/	uterine cancer	-	-	breast cancer,vegans,reproductive health,puberty,prostate cancer,ovarian cancer,twins,ovary health,women's health,vegetarians,milk,breast health,plant-based diets,dairy,children	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2301	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uterine-health/	uterine health	-	-	dairy,milk,hormones,women's health,vegans,brain health,cognition,DDT,cardiovascular disease,blood pressure,testicular health,testicular cancer,reproductive health,twins,uterine cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/	-
PLAIN-2302	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaccinations/	vaccinations	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,pregnancy,PCBs,New York City,neurotoxins,salmon,seafood,vaccines,tuna,thimerosal,supplements,mercury,infants,children,DHA	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/	-
PLAIN-2303	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaccines/	vaccines	-	-	infants,children,brain health,seafood,fish,brain disease,dioxins,DHA,meat,tuna,chicken,eggs,pregnancy,animal products,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/	-
PLAIN-2304	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-cancer/	vaginal cancer	-	-	cancer,women's health,vaginal health,human papilloma virus,cervical cancer,phytonutrients,wart viruses,vulva cancer,sexual transmission,sexual health,cervix health,vegetables,vegans,vegetarians,antidepressants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/	-
PLAIN-2305	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-discharge/	vaginal discharge	-	-	vaginal health,vegans,vegetarians,milk,poultry,plant-based diets,saturated fat,dairy,fat,animal fat,chicken,trimethylamine,surgery,turkey,USDA	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/	-
PLAIN-2306	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-health/	vaginal health	-	-	women's health,chicken,poultry,fish,cancer,meat,saturated fat,fat,plant-based diets,animal fat,phytonutrients,vegans,fruit,turkey,vegetables	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/23/preventing-bacterial-vaginosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/	-
PLAIN-2307	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginosis/	vaginosis	-	-	vaginal health,vegans,vegetables,women's health,vegetarians,cheese,chicken,fruit,milk,fat,plant-based diets,saturated fat,reproductive health,yogurt,side effects	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2308	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/valium/	Valium	-	-	medications,fruit,massage,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,cognition,side effects,cancer,anxiety,benzodiazepines,aromatherapy,blood pressure,breast cancer,breast development,brain waves	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/31/does-orange-aromatherapy-reduce-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/	-
PLAIN-2309	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/varicose-veins/	varicose veins	-	-	hemorrhoids,cardiovascular disease,heart health,heart disease,plant-based diets,vegetarians,diverticulosis,diverticulitis,hypertension,vegans,diabetes,surgery,cancer,colon health,obesity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2310	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaseline/	Vaseline	-	-	side effects,skin cancer,rectal cancer,oral health,oral cancer,spices,turmeric,petroleum jelly,pneumonia,women's health,vulva cancer,mouth cancer,sleep,curry powder,bone marrow health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-petroleum-jelly-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2311	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veal/	veal	-	-	turkey,chicken,meat,pork,poultry,uric acid,sweeteners,shrimp,prediabetes,prehistoric diets,seafood,veal brains,sugar,antibiotics,MRSA	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/	-
PLAIN-2312	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veal-brains/	veal brains	-	-	pork brains,brains,chicken,organ meats,beef brains,meat,poultry,pork,beef,sheep,protein,seafood,vegetables,vegetarians,obesity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	-
PLAIN-2313	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/	vegans	The editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Cardiology asserts that coronary artery disease (the leading killer of men and women in United States) would not be possible without elevated cholesterol, which is elevated by trans fats, saturated fats, and cholesterol, which are all found in animal based foods. This is one reason cholesterol reduction has been found to be maximized by a vegan diet (see also here). Eating a plant-based diet has even been found to reverse heart disease and possibly even the progression of cancer. A vegan diet results in very low levels of carcinogenic nitrosamines flowing through the body.Dr. Spock recommended all children be raised on a diet free of meat and dairy to prevent diseases such as cancer. Vegan children have been found to have higher IQs. Commercial milk, produced by pregnant cows, is full of hormones; some of these hormones could be categorized as carcinogens and may affect the sexual maturation of children.Eating vegan has been strongly associated with a higher frequency of bowel movements as well as better fecal form, which reduces the risk for many health issues. The intake of fiber (only found in plant foods) is associated with a longer life. In studies, vegans have been found to be deficient in three nutrients, whereas omnivores have been found to be deficient in seven. Vegans also show significantly less inflammation in their bodies compared to meat eaters.Industrial pollutants have been found to be at significantly lower levels in the blood of vegans compared to omnivores. The breast milk of vegans has been found to be significantly less polluted with fire retardants as well as dioxins. Mercury levels in vegans have also been found to be 10 times lower than those who eat fish. Because we feed farm animals to other farm animals in the US, the toxins may bioaccumulate up the food chain and so eating lower on the food chain (a plant-based diet) may decrease one’s exposure to industrial pollutants.Dairy consumption has been associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s, heart attacks, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer (see here). In a study, milk protein was found to cause an increase in abdominal fat whereas soy protein resulted in a decrease in abdominal fat. The National Academy of Science has said the only safe intake of trans-fats is zero, and a significant source in the American diet of trans-fats is animal products. The average BMI in the US is now 28.8; vegans are the only dietary group in America that is not overweight. And even obese vegans are protected from diabetes. A vegan diet may even be able to reverse diabetes if caught early enough.Vegans have been found to have the same bone density as omnivores, and vegans also have higher blood plasma protein levels than meat eaters. Veganism may also slow aging by boosting telomerase activity, which protects our DNA. An egg-free vegetarian diet has been found to result in higher blood levels of DHEA, which may extend one’s lifespan. Vegans appear to be at the lowest risk for developing arthritis and cataracts. Rheumatoid arthritis can be reversed in some cases by a vegan diet. A plant-based diet also appears to prevent and even treat Crohn’s Disease. And plant based diets may prevent kidney function decline and possibly even treat kidney failure.But vegans must supplement their diet with Vitamin B12, either by eating fortified food or taking a supplement pill (see also here, here. here, here, here, here, here, here). They also need to make sure they get enough iodine, from sources such as iodized salt or seaweed. Plant-based long chain omega 3 fatty acid (DHA) supplements may also be useful.See also the related blog posts: Plant-based Benefits Extend Beyond the Top Killers, Optimum Nutrition Recommendations	-	vegetarians,meat,vegetables,plant-based diets,fruit,animal protein,cancer,animal products,eggs,beans,fiber,heart disease,plant protein,heart health,beverages	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/10/plant-based-benefits-extend-beyond-the-top-killers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-paralysis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-myelopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/long-term-vegan-bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tightening-the-bible-belt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iq-of-vegetarian-children-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-2314	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-oil/	vegetable oil	-	-	oils,meat,fat,mortality,dairy,animal fat,plant-based diets,trans fats,omnivores,tobacco,milk,cooking methods,vegetarians,frying,junk food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/	-
PLAIN-2315	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/	vegetable protein	-	-	plant protein,protein,vegetarians,plant-based diets,heart health,vegans,heart disease,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,animal products,animal protein,mortality,meat,vegetables,cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/06/how-to-prevent-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	-
PLAIN-2316	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/	vegetables	The World Health Organization blames millions of deaths a year on inadequate fruit and vegetable intake (see also here, here). Thankfully, the 2010 USDA Guidelines introduced MyPlate, which caught up with the science and recommended a shift to a plant-based diet that emphasizes fruits and vegetables (see also here). Nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day are now recommended (see also here). But based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, 9 out of 10 Americans did not reach the minimum recommended daily serving for vegetables. In terms of nutrients per calorie, vegetables are the healthiest food source (greens especially). And variety is important because different vegetables have different phytonutrients (see also here). A healthy eating index can be calculated based on the phytonutrient content of your food (phytonutrients come from plants). Even a low carb diet, if based on plant foods, has been found to be health-promoting.The World Cancer Research Fund’s official recommendation for cancer prevention is to choose a plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans (see also here, here). The cruciferous and allium families of vegetables may be the best for cancer prevention. Higher levels of green tea consumption in Asia are thought to be responsible for lower lung cancer rates, despite higher smoking rates. Green tea also induces a relaxed state of mind. Similarly, lignans (from flax seeds) are thought to be protective against breast cancer and may improve survival. And mushrooms may even be effective in the treatment of breast cancer.Broccoli appears to protect against DNA damage. Sulforaphane, a phytonutrient produced by cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, may inhibit breast cancer stem cells (see also here, here). It is likewise thought to prevent lung cancer metastases and increase bladder cancer survival rates. It also boosts the liver’s detoxifying enzymes. The safe upper limit for broccoli consumption is probably about 100 cups a day (see here, here, here). Luckily, growing your own broccoli sprouts is one of the most economical vegetable sources.Greater fruit and vegetable consumption may also lower the risk of dementia, abdominal aortic aneurysm, macular degeneration, glaucoma, erectile dysfunction, heart disease, and COPD (see also here).Purple cabbage (see also here), beets, and artichokes are very high in antioxidants (see also here). And the more antioxidants you eat, apparently the more you benefit. On average, plant foods have 64 times more antioxidants than animal foods (see also here). Antioxidants are also thought to increase stool size, which appears to decrease cancer risk. And the best cooking method for preserving the nutrients in cooked vegetables has been found to be microwaving. Cooking is preferable to raw for some vegetables as cooking can boost the absorption of certain phytonutrients.Vegetables (especially greens) contain nitrates, which treat hypertension, high blood pressure, and protect against heart attacks (see also here, here, here, here). Kale has been found to boost the immune system. Kale juice also reduces bad cholesterol, boosts good cholesterol, and is rich in antioxidants. Carotenoids (found in greens such as kale) have been found to improve the appearance of skin (see also here). Lutein and zeaxanthin, phytonutrients protective against cataracts and macular degeneration, can be found in high levels in kale, collard greens, and carrots. Purslane has been found to effectively treat oral lichen planus. And beets have been found to improve athletic performance (see here, here, here, here, here, here).Regular carrots are healthier than baby carrots, red leaf lettuce is the healthiest lettuce (iceberg lettuce is one of the least nutritious vegetables), and red onions are the healthiest onion.There may be some obesogens in conventionally grown fruits and vegetables because some of the chemicals are used as fungicides (although relatively little compared to fish). The benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption well outweigh any risks. Kimchi, however, has been associated with an increased cancer risk. Moderate alcohol consumption by relatively healthy people appears to have no effect on health. And Juice Plus+ may just be an overpriced vitamin supplement that does not likely provide the same benefits as fruits and vegetables.See also the related blog post: Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance	-	meat,fruit,cancer,vegetarians,eggs,animal products,antioxidants,dairy,mortality,vegans,beans,junk food,organic foods,water,alcohol	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/04/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/14/does-liquid-smoke-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/07/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus%C2%AE-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-a-neutropenic-diet-necessary-for-cancer-patients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tightening-the-bible-belt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sad-states-standard-american-diet-state-by-state-comparison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flawed-study-interpretation-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-dangers-of-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-2317	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/	vegetarians	The USDA has been accused of ignoring research that shows the harmful effects of meat eating in formulating its dietary guidelines. In Greece, the dietary guidelines are formulated by a health agency, and the daily diet recommendation is for a vegetarian diet. Doctors stateside, unfortunately, are often not taught enough about nutrition to properly advise their patients on a healthy diet.A vegetarian diet may help reduce the risk of the following: cataracts, age related macular degeneration, allergies and chronic diseases (see also here), abdominal aortic aneurysms, heart disease (see also here), heart attacks, cancer (see also here, here, here), lymphoma, diabetes (see also here, here), obesity (see also here, here), Alzheimer’s disease, liver failure, blood cancers, cholesterol (especially with a whole foods vegan diet; see also here), gallstones, rheumatoid arthritis, prostate cancer, and arthritis.Vegetarians appear to have higher levels of the following: creatine (when given a supplement), enzyme activity that may prevent aging, telomerase activity that may also slow aging, plasma protein levels, aspirin levels in the bloodstream, a higher metabolism, greater body odor attractiveness, higher IQs, larger, better-formed, and more frequent bowel movements (oh, and a longer life span).Vegetarians may have lower levels of the following: industrial toxins (see also here, here) such as flame retardants, mercury, and xenoestrogens (which lower male sperm count); total mortality (including cancer and cardiovascular disease mortality); DNA damage; and lower trans-fat intake. Vegetarians seem to also generally experience better moods (less depression and anxiety), possibly due to lower consumption of the inflammatory omega-6 arachidonic acid found in animal products (predominantly in chicken and eggs).On average, vegans have been found to be deficient in three nutrients (maybe zinc) whereas omnivores may be deficient on average in seven nutrients. DHA/EPA and Vitamin D supplements may be useful, but Vitamin B-12 supplements are the single most important consideration for vegetarians and vegans. A Vitamin B-12 test is recommended for pregnant vegetarians and vegans just to double check adequate B12 status since the results of deficiency can be so devastating.Vegetarian sources of Vitamin B-12 include supplements and fortified foods (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here). Making sure the diet has enough iodine, which can be obtained through iodized sea salt or seaweed, is also important. In extreme cases in which genetic diseases result in a body’s inability to make certain compounds, meat or supplements may be necessary to counteract the deficiency.	-	vegetables,cancer,meat,vegans,fruit,plant-based diets,beans,women's health,beverages,heart disease,Lifestyle medicine,standard American diet,eggs,animal protein,animal products	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/19/dont-forget-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/16/living-longer-by-reducing-leucine-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/02/why-do-heart-doctors-favor-surgery-and-drugs-over-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-myelopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-gallstones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tightening-the-bible-belt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iq-of-vegetarian-children-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/body-odor-diet-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-paralysis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	-
PLAIN-2318	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegf/	VEGF	-	-	plant-based diets,polyphenols,rice,phytonutrients,peppers,luteolin,metastases,spices,strawberries,weight loss,women's health,vegetarians,tea,vegans,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/	-
PLAIN-2319	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-bacon/	veggie bacon	-	-	soy,meat analogs,animal protein,veggie burgers,protein,tofu,women's health,plant protein,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,bacon,veggie chicken,animal fat,cancer,breast cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	-
PLAIN-2320	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-burgers/	veggie burgers	-	-	meat,fat,vegetables,chicken,poultry,cancer,animal products,animal protein,beef,plant-based diets,turkey,soy,bacon,animal fat,protein	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/15/superbugs-on-retail-chicken/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	-
PLAIN-2321	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-chicken/	veggie chicken	-	-	meat analogs,protein,animal protein,veggie burgers,veggie bacon,tofu,plant protein,heart health,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,animal fat,soy,fake meat,poultry,nuts	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	-
PLAIN-2322	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-dogs/	veggie dogs	-	-	cancer,veggie burgers,fake meat,meat,mortality,meat analogs,animal fat,breast cancer,vegetables,breast health,breast disease,women's health,legumes,industry influence,protein	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/	-
PLAIN-2323	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggiecation/	Veggiecation	-	-	New York Coalition for Healthy School Food,obesity,junk food,ice cream,hydrogenated fats,oils,School Lunch Program,vegetables,trans fats,Texas,green beans,fruit,carrots,calories,cake	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/	-
PLAIN-2324	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/venison/	venison	-	-	wild game,meat,animal protein,pheasants,obesity,inflammation,salt,kangaroo meat,smoking,trans fats,sugar,sodium,fish,saturated fat,fast food	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/filled-full-of-lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/	-
PLAIN-2326	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vesanto-melina/	Vesanto Melina	-	-	sprouting,soup,raw food,sprouts,sulforaphane,vegetables,phytonutrients,nutrition myths,convenience,broccoli sprouts,broccoli,cooking methods,cruciferous vegetables,gut flora,enzymes	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/	-
PLAIN-2327	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viagra-2/	Viagra	-	-	impotence,erectile dysfunction,cardiovascular disease,heart health,cholesterol,penis health,heart disease,mortality,men's health,plant-based diets,cardiovascular health,side effects,sexual health,sexual dysfunction,nitric oxide	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2328	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vietnam/	Vietnam	-	-	meat,animal products,brains,cats,Asian markets,Asia,seafood,China,reproductive health,cooking temperature,rabies,viral infections,zoonotic disease,philippines,foodborne illness	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/	-
PLAIN-2329	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vincristine/	vincristine	-	-	Parkinson's disease,penicillin,Peoria,plant-based diets,nutrition myths,mortality,malaria,medications,mold,morphine,quinine,red yeast rice,supplements,Taxol,wound healing	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/	-
PLAIN-2330	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vinegar/	vinegar	-	-	fruit,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,plant-based diets,colon health,grapes,gut flora,apples,fiber,tomatoes,weight loss,oral cancer,juice,limes	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/	-
PLAIN-2331	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vioxx/	Vioxx	-	-	organ meats,pain,oatmeal,muscle soreness,mortality,muscle health,phytonutrients,side effects,tart cherries,stomach ulcers,stomach inflammation,stomach health,meat,internal bleeding,cherries	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/	-
PLAIN-2332	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/	viral infections	-	-	chicken,cancer,poultry,food poisoning,zoonotic disease,foodborne illness,meat,fecal contamination,turkey,vegetables,mortality,animal products,cooking temperature,fecal bacteria,children	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/10/viral-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/	-
PLAIN-2333	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/virginia-messina/	Virginia Messina	-	-	supplements,staph infection,pus,prenatal vitamins,thyroid disease,thyroid health,World Health Organization,women's health,pregnancy,plant-based diets,infants,dairy,cretinism,breastfeeding,iodine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/	-
PLAIN-2334	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/	vision	-	-	eye health,eye disease,fat,fruit,heart health,vegetables,mortality,cardiovascular health,heart disease,blindness,cholesterol,nuts,aging,cardiovascular disease,plant-based diets	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/13/foods-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/08/currant-treatment-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2335	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/visual-disturbance/	visual disturbance	-	-	fish,fever,headaches,complementary medicine,alternative medicine,cod liver oil,Herbalife,liver health,supplements,vitamin A,skin health,nutrition myths,nausea,liver disease,vision	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/	-
PLAIN-2336	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-a/	vitamin A	-	-	supplements,vitamin E,vitamin C,cod liver oil,fish,mortality,beta carotene,cancer,alternative medicine,cardiovascular disease,pork,nuts,meat,complementary medicine,plant-based diets	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-2337	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b1/	vitamin B1	-	-	potassium,magnesium,protein,plant-based diets,vegetables,vitamin C,iron,dietary guidelines,thiamine,fiber,folate,exercise,gout,colchicine,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	-
PLAIN-2338	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/	vitamin B12	Vitamin B12 is made by neither animals nor plants, but by microbes. Thankfully, in our sanitized world there are safe, cheap, convenient sources. Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in vegans who don’t eat B12 fortified foods or take B12 supplements and can result in paralysis, myelopathy, psychosis, or atherosclerosis. It is imperative that those eating plant-based diets include B12-fortified foods in their diet or take B12 supplements, especially pregnant or nursing women (see here and here). Testing is not necessary, but supplementing is—it may even increase one’s lifespan. The recommended intake is 4-7 micrograms a day (but to get that much in daily or weekly supplements you have to take much more). Raw food diets are no exception to this rule. Omnivores under age 50 are rarely deficient in vitamin B12 (though may be deficient in other nutrients).	-	b12,vegans,plant-based diets,vegetarians,supplements,cholesterol,dietary guidelines,elderly,nutrient absorption,saturated fat,meat,pork,iron,omnivores,brain health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-myelopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-paralysis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	-
PLAIN-2340	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/	vitamin C	-	-	vegetables,fruit,cancer,beans,antioxidants,mortality,nuts,meat,greens,vitamin E,fiber,plant-based diets,obesity,men's health,phytonutrients	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/23/preventing-bacterial-vaginosis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/	-
PLAIN-2341	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/	vitamin D	Vitamin D, specifically D3, appears to be the only supplement that helps the average person live longer. The RDA for Vitamin D is lower, but taking a vitamin supplement of around with a meal can raise Vitamin D to 30 ng/ml. Vitamin D has been found to improve pain from menstrual periods and greatly reduce respiratory infections. One can get natural Vitamin D from exposure to the sun and/or consumption of mushrooms.	-	dietary guidelines,supplements,lifespan,longevity,mortality,Institute of Medicine,bone health,sunlight,cancer,PTH,breast disease,breast cancer,Hawaii,colon cancer,vitamin C	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/30/aspartame-fibromyalgia-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/15/vitamin-d-shedding-some-light-on-the-new-recommendations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evolutionary-argument-for-optimal-vitamin-d-level/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-difficulty-of-arriving-at-a-vitamin-d-recommendation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-institute-of-medicine-arrived-at-their-vitamin-d-recommendation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-2342	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/	vitamin E	-	-	vitamin C,vegetables,fruit,antioxidants,beans,vegans,greens,supplements,vegetarians,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,oxidative stress,mortality,nuts,fiber	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/02/the-reason-we-need-more-antioxidants-and-why-were-not-getting-them/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	-
PLAIN-2343	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-k/	vitamin K	-	-	iron,kale,inflammation,heart health,greens,heart disease,lactose,milk,saturated fat,pus,pesticides,pasteurization,folate,fiber,broccoli	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/	-
PLAIN-2344	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamins/	vitamins	-	-	heart health,cardiovascular disease,mortality,fiber,heart disease,fruit,cancer,cardiovascular health,vegetables,colon health,telomeres,diabetes,colon cancer,grains,chemotherapy	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/26/best-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2345	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vldl/	VLDL	-	-	obesity,liver health,insulin,pancreas health,prediabetes,women's health,fatty liver disease,fat,breast cancer,blood sugar,animal fat,breast health,calories,diabetes,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/	-
PLAIN-2346	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/voice-box-cancer/	voice box cancer	-	-	colon cancer,carcinogens,cancer,meat,oxidative stress,mouth cancer,women's health,breast cancer,rectal cancer,animal products,throat cancer,plant-based diets,poultry,metastases,breast disease	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	-
PLAIN-2347	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/voice-box-health/	voice box health	-	-	voice box cancer,colon health,women's health,carcinogens,rectal cancer,immune function,metastases,oxidative stress,kidney health,inflammation,cancer,colon cancer,antioxidants,breast health,breast cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	-
PLAIN-2349	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vomiting/	vomiting	-	-	smoking,phytonutrients,chemotherapy,cancer,antioxidants,side effects,spices,sugar,tobacco,standard American diet,prediabetes,oxidative stress,oral health,peas,periodontal disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/	-
PLAIN-2350	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vulva-cancer/	vulva cancer	-	-	cervical cancer,cervix health,cancer,women's health,vaginal cancer,wart viruses,phytonutrients,complementary medicine,vaginal health,human papilloma virus,sexual transmission,sexual health,alternative medicine,vegans,plant-based diets	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2351	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/waist-to-height-ratio/	waist-to-height ratio	-	-	meat,heart health,obesity,processed foods,weight loss,heart disease,grains,cardiovascular disease,body fat,cardiovascular health,diabetes,Framingham Heart Study,fat,abdominal fat	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/	-
PLAIN-2352	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wakame/	wakame	-	-	thyroid disease,sushi,sea vegetables,salt,thyroid health,United Kingdom,vegetarians,vegans,plant-based diets,omnivores,dulse,China,Canada,goiter,hijiki	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/	-
PLAIN-2353	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnut/	walnut	-	-	obesity,olive oil,oxidative stress,nuts,mortality,lung disease,lung health,macadamia nuts,peanuts,pecans,stroke,weight loss,smoking,PREDIMED,pine nuts	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/	-
PLAIN-2354	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnut-oil/	walnut oil	-	-	oxidative stress,soybeans,vitamin C,rectal cancer,vegetables,pine nuts,pancreatic cancer,peanut butter,peanuts,pecans,pistachios,walnuts,oils,rice bran oil,sesame oil	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-
PLAIN-2355	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/	walnuts	-	-	nuts,fruit,mortality,cardiovascular disease,cancer,heart disease,almonds,olive oil,Mediterranean diet,meat,vegetables,dairy,cholesterol,wine,longevity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/03/burning-fat-with-flavonoids/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/	-
PLAIN-2356	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wart-viruses/	wart viruses	-	-	cancer,warts,cervical cancer,cervix health,viral infections,cancer viruses,human papilloma virus,women's health,penis health,poultry,poultry workers,sexual transmission,vulva cancer,skin health,butcher's warts	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/	-
PLAIN-2357	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/warts/	warts	-	-	wart viruses,cancer,poultry workers,mortality,viral infections,skin health,chicken,poultry,cancer viruses,CDC,sexual transmission,vaginal cancer,sexual health,tea,green tea	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/	-
PLAIN-2358	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/	water	Water is one of the few things that is good for you and has no calories. Generally, tap water is healthier in terms of chemical and microbiological purity than bottled water. Transforming water into hibiscus tea and drinking that instead increases your daily antioxidant intake dramatically (see also here, here). The safe limit for tea consumption is approximately 10 cups per day. Adding cow’s milk or soymilk to your tea, however, may block the beneficial effects of the phytonutrients in tea as well as the phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables.In Greece, where a health agency formulates the dietary guidelines, it is recommended to always prefer water over soft drinks. Alkaline water has been found to reduce cholesterol; it can be inexpensively made by adding 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda to a liter of plain tap water. The New York City water supply recently tested safe for the presence of pharmaceutical and personal care products. Rather, the concern is the bioaccumulation that results from fish actually swimming around in these products, though this has been found to occur mostly in the brains of fish tested.Drinking plain water while pregnant is safest. If you choose to drink coffee while pregnant, try to stay under 200mg of caffeine per day. The safety limit for benzene in drinking water is 1 microgram per glass. Commercial carrot juice has been found to have benzene levels exceeding this limit. The safety limit for acrylamide in drinking water is 0.12 millionths of a gram per glass of water. Fast food french fries may exceed this limit by 30,000%.	-	fruit,meat,vegetables,alternative medicine,poultry,herbal tea,phytonutrients,alcohol,cancer,beverages,tea,milk,animal products,dairy,cheese	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/12/how-curry-can-kill-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caffeine-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ginger-for-migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	-
PLAIN-2359	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/watercress/	watercress	-	-	vegetables,medications,vegans,vitamin C,yogurt,vegetarians,turkey,red meat,protein,saturated fat,seafood,supplements,alternative medicine,artichokes,oral health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/	-
PLAIN-2360	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/watermelon/	watermelon	-	-	fruit,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,erectile dysfunction,cholesterol,medications,citrulline,heart disease,vegetables,beans,heart health,side effects,men's health,hypertension,nitric oxide	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/04/how-to-get-enough-antioxidants-each-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/31/watermelon-for-erectile-dysfunction/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/	-
PLAIN-2361	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/watermelon-seeds/	watermelon seeds	-	-	soy,soybeans,sesame seeds,seeds,pumpkin seeds,squash seeds,sunflower seeds,weight loss,whale meat,veggie burgers,tahini,pork rinds,pine nuts,calories,CDC	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-2362	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weakness/	weakness	-	-	cholesterol,brain health,heart health,mortality,pork,brain disease,medications,pain,dizziness,cysticercosis,brain surgery,epilepsy,food poisoning,hypertension,headaches	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/	-
PLAIN-2363	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weeds/	weeds	-	-	lung health,lung cancer,in vitro studies,pine needles,poisonous plants,women's health,vegans,heart health,heart disease,Cannabis,broccoli,beans,cardiovascular disease,cruciferous vegetables,greens	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/	-
PLAIN-2364	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-gain/	weight gain	-	-	placebo effect,placebo,nausea,muscle health,Prozac,sexual dysfunction,SSRI's,side effects,sexual health,mood,mental health,exercise,diarrhea,depression,body fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/22/poultry-paunch-meat-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/09/how-to-gain-weight-on-diet-soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/08/flaxseeds-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/19/choosing-the-best-nutrition-bar/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/	-
PLAIN-2365	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/	weight loss	While the average body mass index for the general population nears obesity, and even those eating vegetarian are, on average, overweight, those eating vegan averaged an ideal body weight. Meat has been shown to increase the risk of overweight, obesity, and obesity related diseases, in part due to the consumption of chickens who are themselves obese and may be infected by an obesity-causing virus. Conversely, plant-based diets may help prevent weight gain, promote weight loss, and maintain desired weight by increasing resting energy expenditure, lowering energy gain, up-regulating metabolism, improving satiety, preventing fat cells from taking up fat, and improving plasma adiponectin levels (a hormone that helps control weight). Additionally, soy foods may help double weight loss and promote abdominal fat loss. In addition to consuming a primarily plant-based diet, including nuts and dates in your diet and drinking green tea on a daily basis may be useful in the prevention of obesity.	-	fruit,obesity,cancer,fat,diabetes,plant-based diets,calories,vegetables,dairy,vegans,vegetarians,exercise,meat,blood sugar,eggs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/24/whats-driving-americas-obesity-problem/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/16/comparing-vegans-arteries-to-runners/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-dangers-of-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	-
PLAIN-2366	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/whale-meat/	whale meat	-	-	soy,soybeans,sesame seeds,seeds,pumpkin seeds,squash seeds,sunflower seeds,weight loss,watermelon seeds,veggie burgers,tahini,pork rinds,pine nuts,calories,CDC	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-2367	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wheat/	wheat	Despite the recent gluten-free trend, the wheat protein gluten is beneficial for most people. Less than 1% of people in the United States suffer from celiac disease, which requires the elimination of wheat from the diet. A recent study positively linked dairy, not wheat, to apthous ulcers.The key to gaining healthful benefits from wheat products is by ensuring that they are not refined. Whole grains contain the most phytonutrients and fiber. Thus, whole wheat bread is superior to white.	-	grains,dairy,gluten,milk,meat,celiac disease,allergies,bread,eggs,bagels,junk food,pasta,vegetables,processed foods,plant-based diets	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-2368	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/whiff-test/	whiff test	-	-	vaginal discharge,vaginal health,tomato juice,side effects,reproductive health,saturated fat,vaginosis,vegans,women's health,yogurt,vitamin C,vegetables,vegetarians,poultry,plant-based diets	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/	-
PLAIN-2369	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/whipped-cream/	whipped cream	-	-	animal fat,saturated fat,endotoxemia,plant-based diets,heart disease,inflammation,heart health,eggs,diabetes,meat,animal products,cardiovascular disease,dairy,Egg McMuffin,fish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	-
PLAIN-2370	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/	white meat	Fish and poultry may be more contaminated with fecal bacteria because the outside of the animal (skin) is often eaten. Using laser imagining, 92% of retail poultry carcasses were found to be contaminated with fecal matter, and about 85% of fish has been found to be contaminated with fecal matter. Fish also contains the highest levels of industrial carcinogens. The majority of human dioxin exposure comes from eating fish.In a recent study on endometrial cancer, those eating poultry and fish had the highest risk. Pancreatic cancer risk has been associated with dietary fat of animal origin, including chicken. Eating 2 boneless chicken breasts may increase our leukemia risk as much as smoking ten cigarettes. Poultry has also been associated with an increased risk of lymphoma. Highly cooked chicken –roasted, grilled, etc –has been found to be high in carcinogens created when the building blocks of muscles react to high heat (see also here). TGI Friday’s cobb salad was found, among fast food samples, to have the highest carcinogenic content.Chicken contains sex steroid hormones that have been linked to female infertility. Turkey is the riskiest meat in terms of Salmonella contamination. Inclusion of small amounts of meat in the diet once a week, (including fish) can increase diabetes risk. None of these risks come with veggie chicken, made from plant sources which have, on average, 64 times more antioxidant power than animal foods.Chicken may also be loaded with 840 mg of sodium/serving, arsenic , three times more fat than protein, saturated fat, arachidonic acid (which can affect mood), phthalates (which can affect genital development in utero), and AGEs (which are thought to promote aging). 3.9% of chicken samples have been found to be contaminated with the superbug MRSA (although staph contamination is most common among turkey samples), and there is even a virus that causes chickens to gain weight that may also be affecting people.Fish has been found to be contaminated with parasites, pharmaceuticals flushed down the drain, dioxins (see also here), arsenic, mercury (see here, here), PCBs, and chemical obesogens that may be playing a role in the obesity epidemic.	-	chicken,meat,poultry,turkey,red meat,vegetarians,fish,eggs,cancer,animal products,vegans,dairy,beef,plant-based diets,animal fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/21/colon-cancer-prevention-is-it-the-fiber-or-the-phytates/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/	-
PLAIN-2371	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-onions/	white onions	-	-	red onions,vegetables,yellow onions,ranking foods,phytonutrients,carrots,flavonols,lettuce,onions,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/	-
PLAIN-2372	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-tea/	white tea	-	-	green tea,black tea,beverages,tea,lemons,oolong tea,antioxidants,caffeine,coffee,herbal tea,ranking foods,phytonutrients,berries,oxidative stress,brain health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-vs-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/	-
PLAIN-2373	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-wine/	white wine	-	-	wine,red wine,vegetarians,weight loss,vegans,strawberries,rectal cancer,smoking,standard American diet,United Kingdom,apples,juice,pasteurization,processed foods,water	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/	-
PLAIN-2374	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/whitecoat-project/	Whitecoat project	-	-	potato chips,potatoes,Phillip Morris,National Confectioners Association,lung cancer,processed foods,smoking,ultra-processed foods,tobacco,soda,Kraft,junk food,candy,chicken,cancer	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	-
PLAIN-2375	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/whiting/	whiting	-	-	shrimp,seafood,salmon,safety limits,sushi,tuna,white meat,USDA,poultry,liver health,fecal contamination,Dr. John McDougall,cucumbers,chicken,fish	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/	-
PLAIN-2376	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/whortleberries/	whortleberries	-	-	plant-based diets,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,India,pomegranates,raisins,seeds,rowanberries,ranking foods,gooseberries,goji berries,berries,barberries,Asian markets,antioxidants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/	-
PLAIN-2377	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wild-game/	wild game	-	-	meat,venison,animal protein,pheasants,obesity,inflammation,salt,kangaroo meat,smoking,trans fats,sugar,sodium,fish,saturated fat,fast food	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/filled-full-of-lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/	-
PLAIN-2378	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/	wine	-	-	cancer,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,alcohol,fruit,plant-based diets,meat,vegetables,mortality,vegetarians,smoking,olive oil,beverages,fish,exercise	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/09/what-to-eat-to-reduce-our-toxic-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/	-
PLAIN-2379	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine-supplements/	wine supplements	-	-	red wine,red onions,rectal cancer,quercitin,side effects,smoking,vomiting,turmeric,spices,polyps,phytonutrients,Cleveland Clinic,chemotherapy,cancer,beta carotene	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2380	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/	women's health	In terms of breast cancer, plant-based diets, flax seeds (see also here, here, here), and soy food (see also here, here) may improve breast cancer survival rates. Collards and carrots are associated with lowest breast cancer risk in African American women.The following appear to reduce breast cancer risk: plant-based diet (see also here, here, here), broccoli (see also here), dark green leafies, black beans, organic strawberries, avocados, mushrooms (common white button is the best, see also here), apples (especially their peel, turmeric, green tea (see also here), herbal tea, grapes, coffee, , fiber-containing foods (especially nuts during adolescence), soy (perhaps because of soy improves the expression of the BRCA tumor-suppressing genes), nori seaweed snacks, pumpkin seeds, five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and an hour of exercise a day. There is a theory that larger and more freqency bowel movements reduce breast cancer rates in women because they flush out excess estrogen and remove tumor-promoting bile acids that can concentrate in breast tissue. Breast cancer survival seems to be reduced with the intake of trans fat (found in foods such as hydrogenated junk food and animal products) and saturated fat (found predominantly in cheese and chicken). Other risk factors may include: multivitamins, light at night, alcohol (see also here, total meat consumption , meat and dairy intake during adolescence, fried bacon, chicken, fish, dairy intake in general (especially skim milk), cooked meat due to estrogenic carcinogens, folic acid supplements, tanning beds, kimchi, long term statin use, and french fries and potato chips. Interestingly, breast cancer prevention and treatment may sometimes be the same thing, given the fact that breast tumors grow undetected for years. But breast cancer patients may not want to take advice from health store employees on supplements and cancer treatments.For accessible cancers such as vulva, skin, mouth, and ulcerating breast, topical application of a turmeric ointment may help reduce symptoms. Beta carotene in foods may prevent ovarian cancer. Plant-based diets appear to improve the clearance of human papilloma virus infections, HPV, the cause of cervical cancer.The sex steroid hormones in meat have been associated with female infertility, and the buildup of cholesterol in pelvic arteries may cause sexual problems in women. Soy may actually slow down premature breast development in girls, whereas the steroids and other pollutants in meat may hasten the onset of puberty. Soy food consumption may also help reduce symptoms of menopause. Plant-based bioidentical hormones for the treatment of menopause are considered neither safe nor effective. Women who experience dysmenorrhea (painful periods), excessive cramping, bloating, or breast pain and switch to a plant-based diet experience may significant relief in menstrual pain intensity and duration. A tablespoon of flax seeds a day also seems to improve ovarian function and menstrual breast pain. The spice saffron (and even its smell) may improve both the emotional and physical symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. Drinking herbal teas such as rooibos may reduce stress levels, while nettle tea may have estrogenic side effects—perhaps a good thing if we’re trying to start lactating.Women at high risk for heart disease who eat peanut butter every day may have only half the risk of suffering from a heart attack as women who did not eat peanut butter. Dried apples have been found to result in an LDL cholesterol drop in postmenopausal women. A plant-based diet has also been associated with a lower diabetes rate in women.Women appear to absorb the calcium in soymilk just as well as the calcium from cow’s milk. Urinary tract infections from E. coli appear to be caused by poultry consumption or handling. Plant-based diets on the other hand may help prevent genitourinary infections. Eating a serving of oatmeal – a day’s worth of fiber – may significantly extend women’s lifespan.Pregnant and nursing vegan/vegetarian women should get tested for a vitamin B12 deficiency and use supplements or fortified foods to ensure correct levels (see also here, here). This may also be true for iodine. Caffeine during pregnancy should be limited to under 300mg per day. Pregnant women should consider avoiding diet soid and other aspartame-containing foods. The vapors released during cooking meat may be hazardous to fetal development and may increase the risk of cancer. Women of childbearing age may want to also avoid canned tuna and corn syrup entirely due to the mercury levels (see also here, here, here). Pregnant women should also avoid undercooked meat, fish and other meat in general, dairy, licorice, aspartame, iron supplements and perhaps choose tap water over bottled. Eating meat and dairy during pregnancy may increase the risk of gestational diabetes. The breast milk of vegans is significantly less polluted than omnivores with persistent organic pollutants, so pregnant women eating mixed diets may want to start to detox even before getting pregnant. Once the baby is born, exclusive breast-feeding for at least six months is best. These persistent organic pollutants find their way into the diet of pregnant women (through animal products) and gets passed along to the fetus, associated with giving birth to babies with smaller brains, lower IQs, and other cognitive impairments. These children can detox over time on a healthy diet, though many stay contaminated for decades. The consumption of peanuts by pregnant women does not appear to increase their child’s risk of peanut allergies.The number one cancer killer of women in the US is lung cancer. Broccoli appears to be protective against the lung cancer spreading throughout the body. Having lived with either a cat or dog appears protective against future cancer. And coffee drinking has been associated with lower cancer rates in women.	-	cancer,meat,men's health,vegetarians,vegetables,vegans,obesity,beverages,children,antioxidants,alcohol,beans,fruit,fiber,mortality	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/26/are-multivitamins-just-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/25/how-long-to-avoid-fish-before-conception/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/18/how-contaminated-are-our-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/28/phytates-in-beans-anti-nutrient-or-anti-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/26/how-phytates-fight-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/04/how-seafood-can-impact-brain-development/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-nutrasweet-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-nutrasweet%C2%AE-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-foods-menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flawed-study-interpretation-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-reverse-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-gerd-acid-reflux-heartburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caffeine-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pinto-beans-vs-black-beans-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iron-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peanuts-in-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-2381	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-healthy-eating-and-living-study/	Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study	-	-	plant-based diets,pork,mortality,Mexico,low-fat diets,meat,poultry,side effects,women's health,vegetables,turkey,sugar,tamoxifen,kale,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-2382	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/woodear-mushrooms/	woodear mushrooms	-	-	oyster mushrooms,mushrooms,enoki mushrooms,portobello mushrooms,shiitake mushrooms,women's health,crimini mushrooms,cost savings,breast disease,breast cancer,breast health,cancer,chanterelle mushrooms,cancer survival,aromatase	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/	-
PLAIN-2383	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/workplace-intervention/	Workplace intervention	-	-	plant-based diets,grains,fruit,fat,vegans,vegetables,weight loss,vegetarians,exercise,obesity,calories,beans,cardiovascular health,Dr. Dean Ornish,cardiovascular disease	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/	-
PLAIN-2384	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-cancer-research-fund/	World Cancer Research Fund	-	-	cancer,meat,plant-based diets,mortality,processed meat,breast disease,breast cancer,women's health,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,heart health,USDA,immune function,grains,pesticides	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/	-
PLAIN-2385	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/	World Health Organization	-	-	vegetables,mortality,junk food,heart disease,tea,Lifestyle medicine,fruit,hibiscus tea,fish,cholesterol,processed foods,soda,exercise,lifespan,herbal tea	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/13/when-a-scraped-knee-may-kill-again/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/08/flaxseeds-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/21/where-are-phosphate-additives-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/27/the-spice-that-helps-ease-rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/06/natural-alzheimers-treatment/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-we-drink-a-day/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	-
PLAIN-2386	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/worms/	worms	-	-	parasites,food poisoning,sushi,seafood,brain disease,foodborne illness,eye health,brain health,fish,neurocysticercosis,epilepsy,brain parasites,seizures,tapeworms,CDC	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migratory-skin-worms-from-sushi/	-
PLAIN-2387	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wound-healing/	wound healing	-	-	complementary medicine,alternative medicine,evolution,medications,cholesterol,aspirin,plant-based diets,inflammation,penicillin,liver disease,bone health,heart disease,mortality,cardiovascular disease,cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/06/11/exploiting-autophagy-to-live-longer/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	-
PLAIN-2388	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wrinkles/	wrinkles	-	-	aging,oxidative stress,antioxidants,vegetables,dementia,polyphenols,skin health,inflammation,phytonutrients,cardiovascular disease,plant-based diets,green tea,fruit,tea,chronic diseases	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/21/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/	-
PLAIN-2389	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/x-rays/	X-rays	-	-	radiation,children,brain tumors,brain health,phytonutrients,cancer,antioxidants,Nagasaki,oxidative stress,DNA damage,Hiroshima,iatrogenic,American Dental Association,brain disease,vitamin C	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/25/ginger-lemon-balm-for-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/13/how-risky-are-ct-scans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/18/are-dental-x-rays-safe/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/	-
PLAIN-2390	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xanthan-gum/	xanthan gum	-	-	maltodextrin,meat,plant-based diets,junk food,inflammatory bowel disease,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,inflammation,plantains,Polysorbate 80,vegetables,vegetarians,vegans,ulcerative colitis,processed foods,Splenda	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/	-
PLAIN-2391	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xanthones/	xanthones	-	-	nutrition myths,natural toxins,processed foods,snake oil,mangosteen,juice,enzymes,complementary medicine,exotic fruit,fruit,health food stores,alternative medicine	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-mangosteen-juice-good-for-you/	-
PLAIN-2392	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xeno-autoantibodies/	xeno-autoantibodies	-	-	meat,animal products,dairy,Neu5Gc,cancer,breast cancer,breast disease,inflammation,vegetarians,vegans,plant-based diets,women's health,cardiovascular health,cardiovascular disease,heart health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/	-
PLAIN-2393	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xenoestrogens/	xenoestrogens	-	-	fish,industrial toxins,endocrine disruptors,meat,persistent organic pollutants,milk,men's health,animal fat,seafood,estrogen,animal products,fat,obesity,sexual health,saturated fat	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/23/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/04/28/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-alkylphenols-through-your-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/	-
PLAIN-2394	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xenohormesis/	xenohormesis	-	-	pain,phytonutrients,oxidative stress,medications,longevity,resveratrol,spices,vegetables,turmeric,stress,liquid smoke,lifespan,evolution,curcumin,chronic diseases	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/	-
PLAIN-2395	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xylitol/	xylitol	-	-	sorbitol,erythritol,sweeteners,colon health,laxatives,DNA damage,migraine headaches,constipation,bladder cancer,bladder health,Canada,colon disease,cyclamate,pesticides,Sweet and Low	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-nearly-killed-by-homeopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/	-
PLAIN-2396	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yale/	Yale	-	-	smoking,stroke,mortality,heart health,women's health,cancer,heart disease,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,breast cancer,foodborne illness,grains,plant-based diets,beans,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/24/understanding-lifestyle-medicine-from-the-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/10/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/	-
PLAIN-2397	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yams/	yams	-	-	sweet potatoes,cancer,greens,leukemia,mortality,gallbladder health,gallbladder disease,chemotherapy,colon cancer,cost savings,mouth cancer,potatoes,glycoalkaloids,Mayo Clinic,natural toxins	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/	-
PLAIN-2398	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yeast/	yeast	-	-	safety limits,common cold,supplements,immune function,California,nutritional yeast,mushrooms,beta glucan,brewer's yeast,vitamin D,sunlight,longevity,Cochrane Collaboration,stress,dietary guidelines	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/	-
PLAIN-2399	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yellow-onions/	yellow onions	-	-	ranking foods,onions,lettuce,antioxidants,vegetables,carrots,phytonutrients,pancreas health,potatoes,nuts,pancreatic cancer,lung health,white onions,kidney health,leeks	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	-
PLAIN-2400	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yerba-mate/	yerba mate	-	-	beverages,natural toxins,herbal tea,cancer,carcinogens,quinoa,Panama,spirulina,maté,polycyclic hydrocarbons,Kuna Indians,sprouts,cardiovascular disease,nutrition myths,cell death	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-yerba-mate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-yerba-mate-tea-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kuna-indian-secret/	-
PLAIN-2401	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yersinia/	Yersinia	-	-	organic foods,pork,meat,Listeria,industry influence,inflammation,poultry,processed meat,USDA,turkey,toxoplasma,ractopamine,Salmonella,Grave’s disease,foodborne illness	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/	-
PLAIN-2402	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/	yogurt	-	-	milk,fat,dairy,cheese,animal fat,vegetarians,plant-based diets,vegans,animal products,meat,women's health,vegetables,sugar,chicken,fruit	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/01/why-is-selling-salmonella-tainted-chicken-still-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	-
PLAIN-2403	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/z-sweet/	Z-Sweet	-	-	stevia,sucralose,Splenda,sorbitol,Purevia,saccharin,Sugar Twin,Sweet and Low,xylitol,Truvia,sweeteners,Sweet One,pesticides,Nutrasweet,Canada	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/	-
PLAIN-2404	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zeaxanthin/	zeaxanthin	-	-	phytonutrients,lutein,vegetables,kale,vision,eye health,greens,eggs,blindness,nuts,eye disease,cholesterol,glaucoma,seeds,collard greens	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/01/foods-for-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/30/foods-for-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/	-
PLAIN-2405	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zerumbone/	zerumbone	-	-	persistent organic pollutants,inflammation,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,industrial toxins,ginger,citrus,DDT,dioxins,Dow Chemical,auraptene	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/	-
PLAIN-2406	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zinc/	zinc	-	-	nuts,iron,grains,beans,phytates,vegetables,fiber,supplements,greens,cancer,seeds,men's health,plant-based diets,vegetarians,women's health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zinc-gel-for-colds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/	-
PLAIN-2407	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zingerone/	zingerone	-	-	phytonutrients,plutonium,peppermint,oxidative stress,Nuremburg Code,radiation,side effects,X-rays,turmeric,tea,spices,mint,medications,garlic,Germany	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/25/ginger-lemon-balm-for-radiation-exposure/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/	-
PLAIN-2408	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoloft/	Zoloft	-	-	mood,SSRI's,mental health,medications,depression,exercise,Lifestyle medicine,antidepressants	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-vs-drugs-for-depression/	-
PLAIN-2409	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/	zoonotic disease	Hepatitis E is a zoonotic disease, meaning a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans. Pigs are reservoirs of Hepatitis E, which raises concerns regarding the safety of the pork. Being exposed to farm animals may actually be a risk factor factor for developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. However, exposure to cats, dogs, and other pets may actually decrease the risk.No standard cooking method can completely kill Salmonella and even the American Egg Board reports that eggs cooked sunny-side up are unsafe.The most common cause of adult onset epilepsy in the world is neurocysticercosis, which are pork tapeworms curled up inside the brain. There are a number of things one can do to reduce one’s risk of contracting pork tapeworms.Nearly half of retail meat and poultry in the United States has been found to be contaminated with Staph bacteria. When retail meat samples are tested for MRSA contamination, the superbug is consistently discovered. MRSA kills more Americans than AIDS every year in the U.S. Mutagenic compounds and viruses found in meat may be the reason as little as two boneless chicken breasts can increase leukemia risk as much as smoking ten cigarettes. There’s even an obesity-causing virus in poultry that may transmit to the human population.	-	foodborne illness,food poisoning,chicken,pork,viral infections,poultry,meat,farm animals,factory farming practices,beef,cooking methods,brain health,antibiotics,MRSA,turkey	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/03/26/peeks-behind-the-egg-industry-curtain/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/	-
PLAIN-2410	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zucchini/	zucchini	-	-	cooking methods,green beans,vegetables,cauliflower,broccoli,grilling,leeks,microwaving,empty calories,corn,celery,eggplant,nutrient absorption,frying,garlic	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/	-
PLAIN-2411	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	GMO	-	-	organic foods,pesticides,women's health,soybeans,glyphosate,industry influence,Monsanto,Roundup,soy,animal studies,reproductive health,pregnancy,safety limits,farm animals,breast health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-roundup-ready-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	-
PLAIN-2414	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cereal/	cereal	-	-	medical education,medications,Mediterranean diet,methionine,Meatless Mondays,meat,low-carb diets,lung cancer,McDonalds,milk,mortality,organochlorines,osteoarthritis,ovarian cancer,oxidative stress	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-as-medicine/	-
PLAIN-2416	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-caner/	colon caner	-	-	medical education,medications,Mediterranean diet,methionine,Meatless Mondays,meat,low-carb diets,lung cancer,McDonalds,milk,mortality,organochlorines,osteoarthritis,ovarian cancer,oxidative stress	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-as-medicine/	-
PLAIN-2420	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/high-blood-pressure/	high blood pressure	-	-	medical education,medications,Mediterranean diet,methionine,Meatless Mondays,meat,low-carb diets,lung cancer,McDonalds,milk,mortality,organochlorines,osteoarthritis,ovarian cancer,oxidative stress	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/10/coffee-caveats/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-as-medicine/	-
PLAIN-2423	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcdonalds/	McDonalds	-	-	plant-based diets,fruit,beans,nuts,poultry,beef,fish,meat,chicken,cheese,dried fruit,seeds,eggs,white meat,hot dogs	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/08/20/what-do-eggs-do-to-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-as-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/olive-oil-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	-
PLAIN-2425	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservation/	preservation	-	-	protein,rice,plant-based diets,mortality,pickled vegetables,salt,sodium,vision,Yanomamo,vegetarians,vegans,stroke,Twinkies,medications,kidney health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/high-blood-pressure-may-be-a-choice/	-
PLAIN-2426	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yanomamo/	Yanomamo	-	-	protein,rice,preservation,plant-based diets,mortality,pickled vegetables,salt,sodium,vision,vegetarians,vegans,stroke,Twinkies,medications,kidney health	-	-	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/high-blood-pressure-may-be-a-choice/	-
PLAIN-2427	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-of-gold-turmeric-vs-exercise/	Heart of Gold: Turmeric vs. Exercise	The endothelium is the inner lining of our blood vessels. Laid end-to-end, the endothelial cells from a single human would wrap more than four times around the world. And it's not just like an inert layer; it's highly metabolically active. I've talked about how sensitive our endothelium is to oxidation and inflammation, and if we don't take care of it endothelial dysfunction may set us up for heart disease or a stroke. Are we ready to heed our endothelium's early warning signasl?Well, if it's all about oxidation and inflammation, then fruits and vegetables should help. And indeed they do. Each single serving of fruits or vegetables was associated with a 6% improvement in endothelial function. Now these fruit and vegetable–associated improvements in endothelial function are in contrast to several negative vitamin C pill studies that failed to show a benefit. It can be concluded that the positive findings of the fruit and vegetable study are not just because of any one nutrient in fruits and veggies. Rather than searching for the single magic bullet micronutrient, a more practical approach is likely to consider whole foods. Thus, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is likely to have numerous beneficial effects due to synergistic effects of all the wonderful things in plants.Exercise helps too, but what type of exercise helps best? Patients were randomized into four groups: aerobic exercise (cycling for an hour a day), resistance training (using weights and elastic bands), both, or neither. The aerobic group kicked butt. The resistance group kicked butt. And the aerobic and resistance group kicked butt as well, compared to those who sat on their butts. Note that your endothelium doesn't care if you're on a bike, or lifting weights as long as you're getting physical activity. And getting regular activity. If you stop exercising, your endothelial function plummets.Antioxidant pills didn't work, what about anti-inflammatory pills? Drug companies aren't going to give up that easy. After all, there's only so much you can make selling salad. For those who prefer plants to pills, one of the most anti-inflammatory foods is the spice turmeric. Researchers in Japan recently compared the endothelial benefits of exercise to those of curcumin, the yellow pigment in turmeric and curry powder. About a teaspoon a day's worth of turmeric for eight weeks compared to 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise a day. Which group improved their endothelial function more?The group that did neither, experienced no benefit, but the exercise group significantly boosted their endothelial function and so did the curcumin group.The magnitude of the improvement achieved by curcumin treatment was comparable to that obtained with exercise. Therefore, regular ingestion of curcumin could be a preventive measure against cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women. Furthermore, their results suggest that curcumin may be a potential alternative treatment for patients who are unable to exercise, but ideally we'd do both. In this study they looked at central arterial hemodynamics. Basically, if our endothelium is impaired, our arteries stiffen, making it harder for our heart to pump. But compared to placebo, we can drop that pressure down with turmeric curcumin or exercise, but if you combine both, then you really start rocking and rolling.They conclude that these findings suggest that regular endurance exercise combined with daily curcumin ingestion may reduce the pressure against which your heart has to fight to a greater extent than one or the other. So healthy eating and exertion for our endothelium.	Is there a specific meal plan you advise to your patients, if so can I get a copy, will pay for it thanksHi Keith! Have you gone to the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine site (PCRM.org) and looked over their diets. They have some pretty specific information and good programs for different dietary needs. You can also find good information at Forks over Knives. They have a lot of recipes and articles about a plant based diet. If you live in California, Kaiser Permanente has a class that you can attend and there are some reading materials on their site.Hi Keith. 2tsaybow gave some good links. A lot of groups offer meal plans, but it’s not something we have available on our site. You may consider checking out Jack Norris RD’s meal plans. Here is a great video explaining the work of Kaiser Permanente – the largest U.S. managed care organization that publishes patient education materials. Kaiser has established a very healthful meal plan that could help. For recipes, Dr. Greger has a video on chocolate shakes and pumpkin pie. I also find the Vegetarian Resource Group helpful for folks looking for more plant-based options, as well as the Physicians Committee providing literally thousands of recipes!Coming right up! That’s what my new book is going to be all about: putting all the science into practice. I can’t wait for everyone to see it. It (How Not to Die) will be out December 8th–mark your calendar! (all my proceeds go directly to the nonprofit that keeps NutritionFacts.org alive).How Not to Die – fantastic title!!! I am looking forward to December 8th. Nonprofit as always…. I will buy 2!Dr. Greger, other than eating my favorited food curry every day what are some good sources of turmeric? Would you recommend taking a supplement in pill form? Does this need to be added to your short list of recommended supplements, vitamin B12 and D? Thanks for all you do!I add a teaspoon of turmeric to my smoothies every day if I know I will not be using it in another recipe.See my reply to “New”…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-of-gold-turmeric-vs-exercise/#comment-2151381787Dr Greger recommends we NOT supplement with large amounts of turmeric because of the soluble oxalate content.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/Keep it under a teaspoon/day, best in food.As MacSmiley said, Dr. Greger does not suggest taking more than like a teaspoon per day due to the high oxalate content. It’s great you eat it with foods. Sometimes I’ll put a pinch in my mouth and go about my day. I saw a doctor do it once in the Marshall Islands. I said “is that good?” He replied “no, not particularly, but medicine is not supposed to taste good” (and smiled). I thought he was an interesting fellow. So sometimes when I am not downing curry or finding much turmeric in my diet I’ll take a pinch.I chop it up and put it into my fermented vegetables, which I then put on my huge salad. I put pepper in it to increase the bioavailability. I always have seeds, nuts and extra virgin olive oil dressing, so oil will also increase its bioavailability. I agree with those who don’t think it tastes that great, but then if it’s just a tiny part of a huge salad, it’s hardly noticed and the flavor blends in well with all of the other items.Dr. Greger, why were these studies conducted on postmenopausal women? If curcumin and exercise was good for them, would it be as good for healthy middle-aged men, for example?It seems fair to assume that the results can apply to healthy middle-aged men. Actually much cardiovascular research with drugs are done on men (dont ask me why) and few are questioning that the drugs strictly speaking only are tested on men, but are prescribed to both gender.Did both of the studies mentioned in the video use curcumin supplements, not turmeric?You may have to check the studies in “sources cited”. He does say “about a teaspoon a day’s worth of turmeric.” The study methods will say more. If you are still curious and cannot find I’ll ask Dr. Greger. Thanks, Julie (as always asking important questions).OK, so curcumin, NOT turmeric was used. One study used 150 mg curcumin/day, the amount used in the other study wasn’t in the abstract.Does anybody know how many grams one teaspoon (I assume it’s a level teaspoon) of turmeric is? ThanksAccording to this site: http://www.convertunits.com/from/teaspoons/to/grams1 tsp = 5 gramsThe website Alexander used is for the conversion of water, which is heavier than turmeric.http://www.aqua-calc.com/calculate/food-volume-to-weight indicates that one teaspoon of turmeric is 3.13 gramsYeah, that website works well. Thanks for the link!On my accurate kitchen scale, 1 level teaspoon of turmeric weighs 3 grams.Thank you all for responding to my request.On my probably less accurate kitchen scale, one tsp turmeric powder dithers between 3-4 g. So, Shimmy K’s number works for me and it yields a nice result as follows. The Sugawara paper in today’s sources states subjects were given curcumin 150mg/day. According to the paper linked to below, turmeric powder averaged 3.14% curcumin by weight. Doing the math, 0.15/0.0314=4.78g turmeric powder. So, to get 150g curcumin from turmeric powder, 4.78/3.13=1.5 level teaspoons of turmeric powder. Hope this is helpful. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17044766Would this be ok to take as a supplement too (capsule form)? If so, how much per day? ThanksI have been taking a capsule from Lifeextension which has BCM-95, curcumin (blended with turmeric essential oil) Prior to that I took Turmeric capsule from New Chapter for over 1 year. I has been very, very, helpful for my arthritis discomfort.It’s probably ok, you can find turmeric capsule at many supplement company. But It’s much more cheaper to buy the spice and use it in recipe. I do it very often, it’s very simple. It goes well with almost everything. And don’t forget to add pepper. It boost absorption of curcumine by 2000%. Some company have curcumine and pepperine in the same capsule, and sometime turmeric essential oil, which also boost absorption. But, again, much more cheaper to buy the spice. If, in the cases where you can’t stand the taste or just isn’t practical for you. Turmeric capsule, with meals, might be usefull.See my comment abovehttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-of-gold-turmeric-vs-exercise/#comment-2151381787Thanks for the feedback, I’ll just sprinkle the raw stuff in my bean stir fry then.I’ve been making turmeric capsule at home (a teaspoon of turmeric in a couple of capsule shells) and taking them but someone told me that this does not absorb properly. What can I do to make this home remedy effective?Add a generous pinch of black pepper to the turmeric. This will increase its absorption twenty fold. See http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/ Dr. Greger also advises getting turmeric in both raw and cooked form, so you can add some turmeric to your rice or soup. Eating some healthy fat such as walnuts or avocado may also increase the absorption of turmeric.May absorb more than you think. Please see my reply to “New” above.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-of-gold-turmeric-vs-exercise/#comment-2151381787Dr. Greger says 1 teaspoon is okay, according to the research. It’s when someone is taking like 5-8 capsules per day where oxalate stones may become a risk. And note it’s not like everyone who takes a larger dose will develop kidney stones. He only mentions as a precaution ;-)In what form does one take turmeric? I am taking a teaspoon of the ground spice turmeric sprinkled on my cereal. I barely taste it. I also put cinnamon and cayenne pepper On my dearest with soy milk.See my comments above with video by Dr. Greger on the subject of oxalates in turmeric .http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-of-gold-turmeric-vs-exercise/#comment-2151381787Apparently, walnuts are good for endothermic function, while, olive oil is harmful, although I’ve read contradictory things about olive oil.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109706019127You recently did a video on the possibility of getting to much turmeric/curcumin. What is your current recommendation. Is powdered natural spice better then pill?That video was a number of years ago, where Dr. Greger recommended keeping Tumeric intake to less than a teaspoon per day because of its soluble oxalate contentMacSmiley found the video. Dr. Greger talks about how too much turmeric may increase kidney stone risk so stick to about 1 teaspoon per day as a precaution.http://arterialhealth.net/physicians/physician-information/What is an EndoScore?An EndoScore is the final analysis of a 15-minute EndoPAT assessment based on the ratio of the post- to pre-occlusion PAT amplitude of the tested arm, divided by the post- to pre-occlusion ratio of the control arm. The higher the EndoScore, the better the health of the endothelium and the lower the risk for heart disease.There are three basic categories for EndoScores:Red Zone: Score of 1.67 and lower.You do not have proper endothelial function and this could be an important signal of an imminent cardiac problem. This EndoScore may indicate the presence of disease and that an immediate evaluation and intervention may be needed, whether it is aggressive medical therapy or a medical procedure. It’s imperative that endothelial health be restored.Yellow Zone: Score between 1.68 and 2.Your endothelium is healthy and while you don’t have any additional risk, you are still not in the well-protected Green Zone.It’s vitally important that you now take charge of your own health and do everything you can to improve your EndoScore. Good health depends of certain lifestyle choice you make that include what you eat, how active you are, whether or not you smoke, the precautions you take to avoid injuries and accidents, and how you deal with tension and anxiety. The choice is yours. Choose health!Green Zone. Score between 2.1 and 3.Your endothelium is functioning optimally, and you have maximum protection. Keep up whatever it is that you are doing, because the foods that you have been eating and the physical activity you have been performing regularly have affected a number of risk factors implicated in vascular health and longevity, particularly blood cholesterol levels, hypertension, and obesity.What is an EndoScore?An EndoScore is the final analysis of a 15-minute EndoPAT assessment based on the ratio of the post- to pre-occlusion PAT amplitude of the tested arm, divided by the post- to pre-occlusion ratio of the control arm. The higher the EndoScore, the better the health of the endothelium and the lower the risk for heart disease.There are three basic categories for EndoScores:Red Zone: Score of 1.67 and lower.You do not have proper endothelial function and this could be an important signal of an imminent cardiac problem. This EndoScore may indicate the presence of disease and that an immediate evaluation and intervention may be needed, whether it is aggressive medical therapy or a medical procedure. It’s imperative that endothelial health be restored.Yellow Zone: Score between 1.68 and 2.Your endothelium is healthy and while you don’t have any additional risk, you are still not in the well-protected Green Zone.It’s vitally important that you now take charge of your own health and do everything you can to improve your EndoScore. Good health depends of certain lifestyle choice you make that include what you eat, how active you are, whether or not you smoke, the precautions you take to avoid injuries and accidents, and how you deal with tension and anxiety. The choice is yours. Choose health!Green Zone. Score between 2.1 and 3.Your endothelium is functioning optimally, and you have maximum protection. Keep up whatever it is that you are doing, because the foods that you have been eating and the physical activity you have been performing regularly have affected a number of risk factors implicated in vascular health and longevity, particularly blood cholesterol levels, hypertension, and obesity.Took the test in May and my score was 3.56!!!Great reference. Thanks for posting it, Charles.Might also consider pomegranatehttp://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2007/2/report_pomegranate/Page-01 Pomegranate Reverses Atherosclerosis and Slows the Progression of Prostate Cancerhttp://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2014/11/enhance-endothelial-health-how-pomegranate-protects-against-atherosclerosis/page-01 Enhance Endothelial Health How Pomegranate Protects Against Atherosclerosishttp://www.altmedrev.com/publications/13/2/128.pdf Therapeutic Applications of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.): A Reviewhttp://www.wonderfulpomegranateresearch.com/media/pdf/health/HH_2006_de_Nigris_NO_025.pdf Pomegranate juice reduces oxidized low-density lipoprotein downregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in human coronary endothelial cellsA few years back I began ingesting curcumin/turmeric daily, but my wife made me stop; she complained that my breath and body odor reeked to high-heaven. Soon after I discontinued, she said my “olfactory aura” had returned to normal. Anyone else had this problem with this spice? And, if so, is there any way to negate it? Thanks…I’m of south Asian origin, so I’ve been eating turmeric all my life, but this is the first time I hear about turmeric causing body odor. Interesting!I regularly eat a plant-based diet as does my wife however she loves to make fun of my breakfast smoothie. I am accused of adding a new ingredient whenever I hear of a beneficial plant based additive which is true. As a result, my breakfast smoothies includes Amla, Gogi berries, blueberries, flaxseed, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, kale, strawberries and walnuts. It is kind of funny but my question is am I defeating the purpose by dumping all these ingredients into the same mea?. By the way, it isn’t delicious but I like it.Great Job! I do the same. I also add rosemary, sage, ginger, fenugreek, rose hips, ashwaghanda, hibiscus, psyillium, and inulin to mine. I’ll also add a few dates to make it sweeter.Thanks Tom. You are inspiring.(clean) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuoKNZjr8_USeems fine. Just don’t overdo turmeric as it may increase kidney stone risk. Stick to 1 teaspoon per day.This surgeon, Dr. Irminne Van Dyken feels that one should use fresh Turmeric, that powdered is not always “the real thing.” She said this in a lecture she gave in Maui in May 2015. Do not know if she also said this in the lecture she gave on Oahu earlier that week, that can be watched here: http://youtu.be/wTBZuCbhMLA Since fresh turmeric has become available in our local stores, am using that in preference to the dried version, even though it is a bit more work.Fresh turmeric root makes a nice tea, alone or with fresh ginger root.If you go to Pubmed and type curcumin in the search box you will find nearly 8000 studies. The overwhelming majority utilize some form of standardized formulation, ie. supplement. Here is a link to an interesting study comparing absorption, bioavailabilty, and serum levels of free curcumin and metabolites among several ehanced preparations vs. plain turmeric.http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/11Actually the comparison was with plain curcumin.	antioxidants,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,curcumin,curry powder,exercise,fruit,heart disease,heart health,Japan,oxidative stress,spices,stroke,supplements,turmeric,vegetables,vitamin C	Diet and exercise synergize to improve endothelial function, the ability of our arteries to relax normally.	This is a follow-up video to Turmeric Curcumin vs. Exercise for Artery FunctionEndothelial dysfunction is at the heart (pun intended :) of many of our deadliest diseases. Pledge to save your endothelial cells and check out some of these other videos about the effects of food on our endothelial function:For more on the concept of nutrient synergy, see Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation and Cranberries versus Cancer.Regardless what you do or don’t eat, exercise is critical:I must have dozens of turmeric videos by now, but here’s a few to get you started:	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curry-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23146777,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22614668,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19289636,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22184047,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19364976,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22614658,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22421908,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15892866,
PLAIN-2428	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-fiber-really-prevent-diverticulosis/	Does Fiber Really Prevent Diverticulosis?	A study out of the University of North Carolina found no association between dietary fiber intake and diverticulosis in comparing the group that ate the highest amount, 25 grams, three times the amount of the lowest fiber intake group. They concluded that a low-fiber diet was not associated with diverticulosis. The university sent out a press release: Diets high in fiber won’t protect against diverticulosis. The press picked it up. Study finds high-fiber diet may not protect against diverticulosis. Went all over the paleo blogs, and even medical journals, an important paper calling into question the fiber theory of the development of diverticulosis. Other editorials, though, caught the critical flaw. To understand this, let’s turn to another dietary deficiency disease, scurvy.Medical experiments on prisoners at Iowa State Penitentiary showed that clinical signs of scurvy start appearing after just 29 days without vitamin C. Experiments on pacifists during World War 2 showed the same thing, that it takes about 10 mg of vitamin C a day to prevent scurvy. So, imagine going back a few centuries, when they were still trying to figure scurvy out. Dr. James Linde had this radical theory that citrus fruits could cure scurvy. What if an experiment was designed to test this crazy theory, in which sailors were given the juice of either one wedge of lemon, or three wedges of lemons a day? If a month later on the high seas there was no difference in scurvy rates, one might see headlines like this. The printing press pamphleteers would all be touting the study that found that a low-vitamin C diet is not associated with scurvy.See, but a wedge of lemon only yields about 2mg of vitamin C, and it takes 10 to prevent scurvy. So, they would have been comparing 2mg a day to like 7mg a day, one vitamin C deficient dose to another vitamin C deficient dose—no wonder there was no difference in scurvy rates. We evolved eating so many plants that we likely averaged around 600mg of vitamin C a day. That’s what our bodies are biologically used to getting. What about fiber? How much fiber are we used to getting? Over a hundred grams a day. The highest fiber intake group in the North Carolina study was only eating 25, which is less than the minimum recommended daily allowance, which is about 32 grams. They didn’t even make the minimum. So they compared one fiber deficient diet to another fiber deficient diet—no wonder there was no difference in diverticulosis rates.The African populations where they had essentially no diverticulosis, ate diets consisting in part of very large platefuls of leafy vegetables, similar, perhaps, to what we were eating a few million years ago. They were eating plant-based diets containing 70 to 90 grams of fiber a day.Most vegetarians don’t even eat that many whole plant foods, though some do. At least they hit the minimum mark, and have less diverticulosis to show for it. This was a relatively small study, though. 35 years later, 47,000 people were studied, confirming that consuming a vegetarian diet and a high intake of dietary fiber were both associated with a lower risk of both hospitalization and death from diverticular disease. And they had enough people to tease it out. Compared to those eating a single serving of meat a day or more, those that ate less than half a serving appeared to have a 16% lower risk, pescetarians—no meat except fish, down 23%, though not in and of themselves statistically significant, but eating vegetarian was 35% lower risk, and those eating strictly plant-based appeared to be at 78% lower risk.As with all lifestyle interventions, it only works if you do it. High-fiber diets only work if they’re actually high in fiber.	Of course. We knew that. That’s why I read studies and also listen to doctors who devour studies with regularity rather than relying on any sort of commercialized media or extant medical paradigm to understand human nutrition.More good work from Dr G, et al. This is a notorious tobacco-science trick often used by the Paleo crowd and others with perverted interests. They tried the same sort of thing a few years ago in Spain with a “high versus low” fat experiment. They tried to show that fat doesn’t really matter with respect to heart disease. However, the “low” fat group was really at 30% of calories, still much too high. They do the same thing with cholesterol, by pre-saturating the experimental group with cholesterol before the experiment begins, then showing that blood cholesterol drops during the trial period when eating an egg a day. It’s all crap. I agree with you completely, Wade, thank God for doctors with integrity like Dr G.Exactly what I thought of when watching the video – this is why we constantly hear that eggs don’t raise blood cholesterol – of course there are no raise in blood cholesterol if you eat an egg a day when you at the same time eat bacon for breakfast, cheeseburger with french fries at lunch and a steak with gravy at dinner. Science is not science – there are good science, poor science and manipulative science – the latter hit the news – butter is a health food, saturated fat is not the villain and so on.I guess you might be thinking of PREDIMED, in which the control group (which received “advice on a low-fat diet”) reduced their fat intake from 39% of calories (baseline) all the way down to 37%.It si a nif diference between cience and cience divulgation… When something it is shared in “medical magazines” normally it is an interest behind to sell something or protect some interest.. That’s the great thing of this site. Pure science !!!! From the facts . Not opinions teories beliefs .. As we see even in medical journals ..I was diagnosed with diverticulitis while on the SAD diet six years ago. I have been plant based for 5 years. Is this something that can be reversed being plant based.Hi Sandy. I commented on this from last weeks post. Please see my answer here.JG – cannot view your answer. No link.Do you mind trying again? Mine works fine. Just hover over the word “here” as I inserted a hyperlink ;-) Let me know if it gives you problems.http://www.iowasource.com/food/lenkastudy_0806.htmlI know this sight does have some stuff on raw, but I do hope Dr. G keeps posting more on this topic. Might be the difference for a lot of people regaining health. The science seems fascinating, either way.Why are the government RDAs so low? I eat about 60g of fibre each day, but the government in my country (UK) recommends only 24g a day. If the science says humans should be eating 100g a day, why does the government ignore it and recommend less than a quarter?I believe it is the same reasons that Dr. Greger has said in videos past. They recommend what they feel is possible for the public without significant lifestyle change. No one seems to believe they can get the public to change or has the political will to propose that change.And that is so patronizing that “authorities” decide what the public can manage. I mean most of us on this site has probably made serious diet changes based on what we have learned from dr. G and others.And what is so crazy is the whole health care reform in America was a claimed attempt to put the power of medical care in the hands of the public so that better choices could be made. Yet if they don’t share any of the knowledge, how can the public ever hope to make better choices? That said, my wife recently came back from a yearly checkup with rising cholesterol and high blood pressure and the doctors recommendations at this point? Get active, eat more vegetables and fruits, reduce pops and processed foods, and consider the Mediterranean diet and watch the movie Forks over Knives. My jaw dropped open when she told me what the doctor said. And this was a doctor in a clinic for a large health care system. It shocked me enough that I intend to follow up with the doctor or the system to see what has caused them to start making those recommendations. Is it getting impossible to ignore the studies now?That is actually good news! Maybe the good doctor watched videos on NF :-) Of course we know that it takes more than the Mediterranean diet, but anyway…Is your wife insured by Kaiser Permanente? Because Kaiser, the largest HMO in the US, which employs 17,000 physicians, is recommending vegan diets for all its patients. If you’re a health insurer, you have a profit incentive in knowledgeable doctors and healthy patients. Finally! Dr. Greger has a video about it, their brochure recommends NutritionFacts.org! if you want to see the brochure, google Kaiser Permanente Nutrition BrochureIn 2013, Kaiser recommended plant-based diets which may-but doesn’t have to- include small amounts of animal products, not a vegan diet. However, it is clear they have no problem with (healthy)vegan diets and mention studies that used vegans to make their case. This was huge and the media predictably buried it. http://www.thepermanentejournal.org/issues/2013/spring/5117-nutrition.htmlThanks for the relevant link. But for anyone who hasn’t seen Kaiser Permanente”s booklet, it’s a free download, and it’s called : The Plant-Based Diet, a Healthier Way to Eat. It’s really simple, straight forward and valuable, very few people are eating as healthy a diet as they describe. It doesn’t say you may include a small amount of animal products. The only thing it says, the very last 2 sentences is this: “If you find you cannot do a plant-based diet 100 percent of the time, then aim for 80 percent. Any movement towards more plants and fewer animal products can improve your health!” Then they recommend a dozen websites and a dozen books by John McDougall, Esselstyn, t. Colin Cambell, and the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine. All Vegan! For Pete’s Sake, how can you discourage people from it? This is what people need to hear from their doctors and aren’t hearing! And I’ve turned a bunch of people vegan, including a girlfriend whose husband has diabetes. She has tried tand tried to find a doctor on her insurance plan who will even condone a vegan diet as okay, but with no luck. Her husband’s doctor has told him that the whole grains and vegan food she is feeding him is killing him, so now he’s out barbecuing every night. No, it’s not the booze and the ice cream, and the snacks he buys and feeds himself, it’s the vegan food she’s preparing that’s giving him diabetes! So, I think we should applaud this booklet, and paise it and show it to everyone we know who still eats animal products. People may not understand nutrition (BUT THIS WILL HELP!), but they may more easily understand economics, and may get it, that the medical insurance companies have a lot of incentive to really help you get healthy.Very cool about Kaiser Permanente. Our clinic is run by Fairview Health ServicesWow, in Minnesota! Lucky you! Thanks for bringing us humanitarians some good news.Science doesn’t say eat a 100g. Where did you see that untrue info?Maybe he is referring to Africans who have no diverticulitus having a diet with 100 plus grams of fiber a day, as noted by Dr. Greger. Also on another video, on cancer prevention maybe, the recommended amounts of fiber per day, soluble and insoluble, was a minimum of 85 grams. Since cronometer doesn’t separate soluble and insoluble fibers, 100 grams seems a good amount to aim for, in order to get enough of both types.My take is one of simple logic. If you eat 60 g of fibre, where would you find room to pack in enough beef, chicken, dairy etc to keep the atherosclerotic/oncological/arthritic/ pill Industry on parade? Every gram of fiber displaces who knows how much meat n cheese pizza? Best to play the moderation card if you are Big Gov.You got it damn right !I would say a minimum of ~50gr of fiber a day seems good~Thanks for pointing out how tobacco science is alive, well, and works in those who ought to know better. That’s the problem with a lot of vested interests, especially paid-for-pharmaceutical-science, I offer. Thanks again for setting the bar higher on important issues.Think Green. Soylent Green, that is. Global Corporate Capitalism has converted A World of Possibilities into A World of Externalities. Too little, too late? Absolutely g** d*** right! I applaud the collective efforts to turn the world’s health crisis around. I really do. But, I cannot help but feel like, if one steps back to take in the larger picture, one soon realizes that -even if these efforts were completely successful and the world’s waistline started shrinking rather than expanding – this is little more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I’ll still hedge my bets by eating plant-based-silent protest in every bite. But, do a google search for ‘Arctic methane’ to see where we are all marching, pedometer or no pedometer.Viva la vegan revolucionComic relief (sort of). Google ‘John Oliver: Food Waste.’ (a little language/adult themes, so no link, that’s my personal policy.)A terrific expose by John O. on the massive amount of food waste in the U.S. Much is simply based on less-than-perfect shaped fruits and veggies. I live near Santa Cruz, CA where we have some active field gleaners, but there is undoubtedly still a lot of waste here, too.One would think that, in this so-called ‘Christian Nation’ of ours, there would be a lot more emphasis placed on making it possible for these gleanings to be put into the hands of the neediest among us. I’m an atheist, but not because I am Biblically illiterate, and in my heart I am a better Christian than a whole lot of folks who go around advertising themselves as such including our holier-than-thou ‘lawmakers’ who very often shamelessly put profits before people. http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/GleaningI wonder if the ratio of soluble fiber to insoluble fiber matters.I wonder if the ratio of soluble fiber to insoluble fiber matters.Another relevent journal article from the BMJ..http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/2/5759/450.full.pdfIt is sickening how the misrepresentation of science is used to kill us off to depopulate the earth. Wickedness!Possible motive, maybe even plausible. Dead we will be, but not before being placed on a virtual conveyor belt at our own expense and stripped of our assets at each and every Big Corporate Profit Center possible. Follow the ‘Yellow Brick Road.’Indeed Lawrence!Hey, not sure if I have asked you before, but wondering what your daily meals look like.Would also be interested to know if you take any probiotics or coconut kefirs, any soy or grains, and if you mix fat and fruit. I understand you work out a lot, very active, and I think you seem to have something that really works for you. Thanks for any info.Hi Elsie, it is too much for me to go into depth here. I list and explain my diet step by step in my book “The God-Awakening Diet.” The way I eat and cleanse my system works very well for me, and just plain works in general. I am back to actively amateur boxing at eh age of 47 and I just won a International Masters tournament in my weight class. I added a link to the book in my initial comment above. I also have information listed on my website if you rather check there.Just looked over your website and info. Thanks.Interestingly i see no mention of sea salt. I’ll assume you do not use any salt, yet I hear it can be alkaline-forming.As a precautionary note, just my opinion, but I’d be real careful of wormwood. Not something I’d suggest anyone make a habit of ingesting. Maybe a bit here in there, but I’ve heard some toxic neuro-issues as a result of ingestion,I definitely agree. I used it in moderation and had no problems and many others too. those who had problems with it are the exceptions.This is as much and indictment of the so-called Peer Review process as it is the ignorance (i’m being generous here) of the PI. Hey NIH! Let us peer review your peers’ review.Well said !I think fiber is important for diverticulosis, and a high fiber diet helps a lot with weight control, as well as many other issues. However, this does remind of how many studies “prove” that exercise is of little help for weight loss. But when you look more closely, how much exercise were they actually doing in these studies to buttress this point? Only 1-3 hours a week. It takes about 7 hours a week and up of exercise to really help with weight control. Very few, if any, studies have the subjects doing this much exercise. No studies have persons doing as much exercise as they do on the “Biggest Loser,” and people seem to lose weight on the “Biggest Loser” from all their exercise. You can’t say that doing a lot of exercise doesn’t help the contestants lose weight on the basis of studies with much lower amounts of exercise, Personally, I exercise a lot by bicycling to work and elsewhere, but I also eat a very high fiber diet with as few animal products and processed foods as possible. Both strategies are very helpful in my maintaining a 105 pound weight loss for over 5 years now. Exercise helped me to lose a lot of weight and going plant based helped me lose even more weight. Both plants AND a high daily dose of exercise help with weight control. It is true that a Vegan might not have to exercise as much to lose weight, but adding exercise to a Vegan diet can add an additional benefit, as well as adding a plant based diet to an exercise regime.Daniel: I believe I have seen posts from you about exercise before, but I don’t think I really understood your point until this post. Very interesting thought. Thanks for sharing again.My take-home message from your post is that we need to be more precise when talking about diet vs exercise in regards to weight loss. I mean something along the lines of, “Any exercise may be better than nothing for general health, but if you want exercise to contribute to weight lost alongside diet changes, it requires…” There are so many messages out there that tout say 20 minutes of exercise a day. Rarely do you see a message that an hour a day would be required to get X benefit.To be fair, I should mention that I believe that Dr. Greger does have one video where he talks about heavy exercisers and the benefits they get. And Jeff Novick’s video on Calorie Density has a great little segment that shows how exercise of X amount offsets greater calorie densities of Y amount. And as would be expected, there is a calorie density level above which no amount of exercise will prevent weight gain.Thanks again for your post.Thea, how are things with the salad ? :-)I guess the point is to lose weight by exercise, one has to do 2 or 3 times the amount necessary for good health. It is very important to eat plant based, but I do think it is better to exercise more than to drastically reduce calories, which is often necessary to do to lose weight without exercise. If one does a lot of exercise, one can lose weight without drastic calorie reduction, but of course, one cannot drastically increase one’s calorie intake. Be very careful about increasing calorie intake rather than decreasing calories. I have found that now that I am more and more plant based, that I don’t have to exercise quite as much to keep my weight under control. The high fiber inhibits the absorption of calories, which is helpful for weight control. An additional alternative to drastic calorie reduction is to drastically improve the quality of the calories one eats, which is plant based.Off topic, but … I’m struggling to keep my BP below 140. Question: Is it ok to experiment with hibiscus tea WHILE taking 20 mg of Quinapril (ACE inhibitor) every AM? really don’t want more pharms, although Wiki says Hibiscus is also an Ace Inhibitor so is it like taking more Quinapril?I am 190 lb, 5’9″, 61 years, Also taking 90 mgs of b-blocker and 5 of calcium channel blocker. Ick.Off topic but is there anything about decreasing heavy metals in your body through exercise? Someone brought this up and now I’m curious.Hey, I’m not sure if this question is in the right place (kind of new at this…) I am wondering about a new study that just came out about Kale and people getting metal poisoning from consuming kale on a daily basis. It has me seriously concerned, I am wondering what Dr. Greger may know about this study. I have Kale daily in my smoothie. Do I need to stop with the results of this study? http://www.delish.com/food/a43162/kale-poison-thallium/ Thanks!oh wow what a coincidence. I just finished watching dr.greger’s video on plant sources of heavy metal a couple minutes ago: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/From the video, it seems that plants decrease the bioavailability of heavy metals resulting in meats actually contributing more to heavy metal exposure.This article debunks the claim. There’s no evidence, just one person’s conjecture (or perhaps hoax). https://www.rawstory.com/2015/07/no-kale-is-not-poisonous-and-full-of-heavy-metals/And I saw/read/heard something about cilantro binding with a heavy metal and helping us rid ourselves of such. Was that here? I didn’t find it where I thought it might be…When I was in Weight Watchers, they told us that blending a smoothie destroyed the fiber. I said: what if I only blend it as much as I would chew the fruit and nuts, because it’s not like we swallow fruit and nuts whole? So it seems to me the fiber would still be good, but just wondering if there is any official word on this? I do want to get as much fiber as possible from my food. Does blending destroy any of the desirable qualities of the nutritious food, it’s not like the food is completely liquified, or heated.That’s bogus. Blend your smoothies. Most of my meals throughout the day consist of vegetable or fruit smoothies. I poop easily 3-5 times a day, soft, long poops. I am 47, and my body and energy reverted what they were in my twenties because of my plant based diet and all the smoothies I drink. Haven’t been sick going on 4 years now, and I am back to boxing at 47.http://www.iowasource.com/food/lenkastudy_0806.htmlYour raw-smoothies remind me of studies like this. It seems raw might be the way to go for many people. (although there are plenty who thrive on cooked, but something for us all to consider.)Thanks for the article elsie. :) I don’t think we need to eat all raw, but I think we should eat mostly raw and all or mostly all plant-based. During the day I eat raw but my evening meal I eat cooked quinoa, or green peas, or chickpeas. and may steam some veggies. Adding whole plant-based foods and minimizing or removing animal-based foods from the diet only helps, and helps a bunch.http://www.iowasource.com/food/lenkastudy_0806.htmlYour raw-smoothies remind me of studies like this. It seems raw might be the way to go for many people. (although there are plenty who thrive on cooked, but something for us all to consider.)I was a smoothie “freak” for nearly two years. And-I got a LOT of whole un-molested fiber. Even with a “mega-blender” I was always under the impression that the fiber we need is a rather fine structure, not a pillowcase weave. Hell, if you don’t blend it–it’s fruit salad, not a smoothie. Maybe they are afraid of Whole Nutrition upsetting their lop-sided system?Awesome video, thank you!Ha ha ha Dr G, whenever anyone asks where I get my “protein”, (depending on who it is and what I perceive their “agenda” to be) I often counter with the question, “where do YOU get your fiber and nutrients???”	Africa,citrus,diverticulitis,Dr. James Linde,fiber,fish,fruit,greens,lemons,meat,mortality,paleolithic diets,plant-based diets,scurvy,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin C	The parable of the tiny parachute explains the study that found no relationship between dietary fiber intake and diverticulosis.	What the heck is the parable of which I speak? See Dr. Katz’s brilliant Lifestyle Medicine and the Parable of the Tiny Parachute.This is a follow-up to my last video Diverticulosis: When Our Most Common Gut Disorder Hardly Existed. Make sure you catch this “prequel.”This reminds me of an ancient video I did Flawed Study Interpretation.People commonly ask Do Vegetarians Get Enough Protein? but maybe should be more concerned where everyone else is getting their fiber. 97% of Americans don’t even reach the recommended daily minimum.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-james-linde/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/scurvy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flawed-study-interpretation-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21771850,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24036057,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9104571,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5090631,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16510534,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22185897,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23891924,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/85104,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23378495,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9361828,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19124783,
PLAIN-2429	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-when-our-most-common-gut-disorder-hardly-existed/	Diverticulosis: When Our Most Common Gut Disorder Hardly Existed	Diverticula are out-pouchings from our intestine. Doctors like using a tire analogy, high pressures within the gut can forced the intestines to balloon out through weak spots in the intestinal wall like an inner tube poking out through a worn tire tread. This is what they actually look like. These pockets can become inflamed and infected, and, to carry the tire analogy further, can blow out, spilling fecal matter into the abdomen or the bladder and lead to death. Symptoms can range from no symptoms at all, to a little cramping and bloating, to incapacitating pain that is a medical emergency. Nine out of ten people that die from the disease never even knew they had it.But the good news is that there may be a way to prevent the disease. Diverticular disease is the most common intestinal disorder, affecting up to 70% of people by age 60. If it’s that common, though, maybe it’s just an inevitable consequence of aging? No, it’s a new disease. In 1907, 25 cases had been reported in the medical literature. Not in 25% of people but 25 cases period. And they’re kind of hard to miss on autopsy. A hundred years ago, in 1916, it didn’t even merit mention in medical and surgical textbooks. The mystery wasn’t solved until 1971.How did a disease that was almost unknown become the most common affliction of the colon in the Western world within one lifespan? Surgeons Painter and Burkitt suggested diverticulosis was a deficiency disease, a disease caused by a deficiency of fiber. In the late 1800s roller milling was introduced - further removing fiber from grain, and we started to fill up on fiber deficient foods like meat and sugar. A few decades of this and diverticulosis was rampant.This is what they thought was going on. Just as it would be easy to squeeze a lump of butter through a bicycle tube, it’s easy to move large soft, moist intestinal contents through the gut. In contrast, try squeezing through a lump of tar. When we eat fiber deficient diets, our feces can be become small and firm, and so our intestines have to really squeeze hard to move them along, and this buildup of pressure may force out those bulges. And eventually, a low-fiber diet can sometimes lead to the colon literally 'rupturing' itself.If this theory is true, then populations that eat high fiber diets would have low rates of diverticulosis. And that’s what’s been found. More than 50% of African Americans in their 50’s were found to have diverticulosis, compared to less than 1% in African Africans, eating traditional plant-based diets. And by less than 1%, we’re talking zero out of a series of 2000 autopsies, two out of 4,000 in Uganda. That’s like a thousand times lower prevalence.What then, about this newer study concluding that a low fiber diet was not associated with diverticulosis. We’ll cover that next.	I look forward to your coverage of the topic in the follow-up video, as I found the inconsistency in those studies to be confusing. Thanks for your work here.I couldn’t wait. Sorry. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3840096/Are they kidding?“We found no difference between the cases and the controls in mean dietary fiber intake (14.8 grams versus 15.3 grams per day, p=0.2) and reported supplemental fiber intake (5% versus 5%, p=0.7) (Table 1). Correspondingly, we found no association between dietary fiber intake (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.71–1.30) and diverticulosis when comparing the highest quartile of fiber intake (mean 25 grams/day) to the lowest (mean 8 grams/day) (Table 3). We also found no associations between dietary fiber intake by subtype (beans, grains, fruits and vegetables) and the presence of diverticulosis (Table 3).”Comparing 15 grams to 25 grams, both values well below the recommended levels?Spoiler alert! :)It would have been much too long a weekend to wait. :-)BahahahahahahahahahaahNo one in the study actually had a high fiber diet. It’s like comparing a “low fat” diet at 30% fat vs. 50% fat and saying that heart disease is not correlated to cholesterol or saturated fat intake. I don’t especially try to eat fiber, but with whole fruits, brown rice, beans, whole potatoes and greens have 80-90 grams of fiber daily per cronometer.I calculated my fiber since going WFPB and it was ~90. My colon thinks I’m the greatest guy now.Excellent!I truly enjoy your videos, finally the truth is being spread. Unfortunately a lot of my family in the Northeast doesn’t believe this. Crazy.Unfortunately we can’t make everyone see.Wow! I, too, am looking forward to the next video. And I can’t help but wonder: Do current medical students watch these videos?We hope so! I know many do, as we always encourage medical students to engage in the website.My question is, Can Diverticulosis be reversed?Hi Eddy. From what we know this Canadian brochure is accurate: “In general, increasing the amount of fibre in the diet is recommended with adequate fluid intake. While this will not cause the diverticula present to become smaller or go away, the high fibre diet may reduce the formation of other diverticula. There is no evidence that avoiding foods such as popcorn or those with small seeds such as strawberries or tomatoes is useful, although this has been recommended in the past.”From Dr. Drost and Dr. Greger: Diverticulosis would not be expected to reverse, but may help from getting worse. And a high fiber diet can help bowels keep moving so that current diverticulosis doesn’t get infected and become diverticulitis.I also think once presence of diverticula is confirmed, the next best step is to prevent further diverticula and prevent inflammation of the current one, which is through high fiber diet that facilitates bowel movement.What about small unground seeds (like whole flax seed) that may be present in a whole-grain bread? (I do grind my flax seed to sprinkle on cereals.) My friend told me that a doctor told him small seeds like that remain lodged in your intestinal tract undigested. Any truth in that?Doesn’t appear so. It’s an old way of thinking (and rightly so) that small seeds could get stuck, but there is no data on this theory. If I am mistaken and you find a study let us know! Then we can contact that Canadian Digestive Foundation and see if they might want to update their brochure.Why not? Increase fiber and remove the waste that collects in the pouches. The body wants to heal itself and be in a state of homestasis. Give it what it needs.Maybe we need a few blogs on recognizing bogus studies so we don’t get fooled by whoever it is that has an axe to grind- or profit to make.I have divertiulitis and have had to have the right side of my colon removed yet still have diver on my left. I’ve been dealing with it for over ten years. I just thought that I would mention that I typically ate a diet rich in fiber for the most part and was mainly vegetarian for about 3 years, years ago. I can say that yes, fiber is important and I know this because green smoothies seem to keep me from having flares. However, I consider hydration, stress management, exercise, and probiotics the real game changer here. I was on flouroquinoline antibiotics several times and I think that they were one of the main causes of the damage to my colon’s mucosal lining and the rest of me. But I mention dehydration as it makes a huge difference in how the bowel is able to move things through and stay healthy. And probiotics keep the e-coli at bay. I believe that usually e-coli is the offending culprit to flares (infection) and it was the sudden cases of UTI’s that accompanied my flares that led me down the path of this thinking. Also, I personally believe that we do have to be very careful to give our digestive system what it needs and be careful of stress. I’ve read that 75% of our immune system is in our gut. Makes sense as stress can cause a flare and we don’t feel our emotions in our head (brain) but we do feel it in our second brain (the gut). Thanks for all you do doc. Just thought I’d add in my experiences and thoughts with this disease.There’s some new hour long lectures (videos) on YouTube on probiotics that you should watch. Not the same old stuff, but brand new medical study stuff that is truly nothing short of AMAZING. They took obese people and gave them (injected) some “gut bacteria” from people with fast metabolisms. The obese people became skinny and have stayed skinny for years now, not being able to gain weight if they try, plus other studies. They gave some people who were allergic to nuts some gut bacteria from people who weren’t allergic, and the people with the allergies stop being allergic. It’s mind blowing. Btw, you’re also right about stress. Stress IS a killer and forces weight gain. I’m living proof of that. I was completely stressed out in Los Angeles and a belly to go with it. I said “screw it” one day, moved to the Bahamas (now in Miami), never changed my diet, and have lost 22 pounds, am tan, relaxed, stop having anxiety attacks and have cut my meds in half. In L.A. I would hit the alarm clock and stress would begin, not really noticeable, but even trying to get to work “on time” to please some manager is a form of stress. Then there’s traffic stress, radio talk show getting you upset stress. Rent is stressful, car payments are stressful. I said screw it and now have a bike and a studio condo. I LOVE my life!How bout some links?I take a probiotic….http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-ultra-soil-based-organisms-90-capsAlso give one to my dog….which probably mixes in real well with what he gets from the bird poop he likes so much. He did get into a bit of trouble when he got into the poop from a couple of turkey vultures when out on a walk. He’s an idiot. ;-)Probiotics can be fairly expensive…the above is only $3-4 per month. Results? Find that it smooths things out…less issues with candida…less issues with minor inflammations…etc. Over time they seem to drive out the irritant biotics.Also take an oral probiotic…helps with teeth/gum issues.Just sent for a book on probiotics….Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brainfor LifeLooking for a poop donor from a skinny person….;-)…or maybe just some references for the biotic strains involved.Before you waste your time and your money, try reading “The Problem With David Perlmutter, the Grain Brain Doctor” By Alan Levinovitzhttp://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/06/problem-with-the-grain-brain-doctor.htmlBook is on the way….used…but I paid more than I usually do. I read a lot of stuff…much of which is contradictory to some extent. But just about anything beats the allopathic medicine train…and it is my belief that the best way to stay healthy is to do it yourself. I find that if you pay attention to the results…your best bet is just to try stuff…if it is somewhat reasonable….and go with what seems to work. I usually try to find some corroboration for ideas and generally don’t get into supplements/training(?) specific to one person. Disregard my alkaline diet foray and my homemade colloidal silver. ;-)I’m sorry I didn’t put a link. I thought this looked a little hokey at first, but quickly realized it was a very serious medical lecture. .https://youtu.be/mioR_WrkRaUVery good link. Puts things in perspective. Thanks.Please share links!I’m sorry I didn’t put a link. I thought this link looked a little hokey at first, but quickly realized it was a very serious medical lecture. . https://youtu.be/mioR_WrkRaUAny peer-reviewed references in that video?https://youtu.be/mioR_WrkRaU Check it out. Very advanced university medical lecture that blew my mind.Thanks for your great addition here! You remind me of Dr. Greger’s video on the “brain-gut connection”.I watched that video, the interesting part is that our exposure to outside world through our guts is even more than skin! That itself is sufficient to explain the role of our gut & what we eat in our overall health. Despite general thought considering gut as a tube for passage of food, our gut determines our overall health by digestion, absorption of nutritious elements necessary for our growth & development, processing thousands of antigens and …Furthermore our eating habits can reflect our emotions (e.g. emotional eating). One can benefit from a balanced nutrition not only through having healthy, strong body but emotional stability, which is necessary for prospering.No doubt diverticulosis propensity will be multifactorial and not just a fiber issue. Hydration, psychoemotional stress load, and activity level, can influence peristalsis and stool firmness. Microbiome health and even infection effect stool consistency and intestinal epithelial health; not forgetting 55-60% of stool bulk is intestinal bacteria. And I suspect the mechanical effects of poor posture may directly compromise peristalsis and indirectly via compromised autonomic nerve control.Given the rural African staple has been low-to-moderate fiber corn meal for some time, the real answer to their low diverticulosis risk might not be just fiber, but resistant starch and prebiotic dietary components generally. Add under a cup of cornstarch to a diet, with just 1.8 g fiber (7% intake), and fecal weight jumps 30%, probably bacterial mass. One can treat constipation in rats with resistant starch and prebiotic polysaccharides. And in a small clinical study, the prebiotic lactulose was about as effective as fiber in diverticular management.What would it take to persuade you to do a blog. Once a week, once a month…anything. We need you Darryl. Others have said it…you know its true. quit your day job and dedicate your life to we the living.BTW/ I read the ref’s you listed on fasting…I decided to try it for a day…I got to 11:30 AM and caved. I wonder how a person can fast if they work and need to think on an empty tum tum?Jeewanu, I have been practicing daily intermittent fasting for two years. My feeding window is basically 12:30-20:30, give or take half an hour. I work in a psychiatric hospital. I arrive at 7:15 and over the course of the next hour drink two cups of coffee as I review medical records of the newly-admitted patients. From that point on I virtually always have a cup of some sort of tea in my hand. I have absolutely no desire for food until lunch. I’m sure all that liquid sloshing around my stomach has something to do with it, but it also apparent that my organism has adapted. It takes a few weeks to become accustomed to this pattern of eating, but once you do it’s a piece of cake (haha). Ori Hofmekler has written extensively on IF and one comment he made really stayed with me. He said that one must “endure hunger” just as one endures exercise. ie. sort of like Nike’s slogan “just do it.”Well I have been saying that I want to drink more green tea. I’ll give it a try, thanksI’d agree with the “endure hunger” idea. If you don’t experience hunger now and then…you forget what it feels like. I’ve sometimes gotten into a thing where I’m seeming to continually trying to keep blood sugar levels at a high point…a sure way to gain weight and make oneself sick. Just stop…experience hunger.In summer I keep a gallon of green tea/ginseng/lemon cold brewed tea in the fridge…only 6 bags per gallon…but it is refreshing.I object to the misnomer intermittent fasting. Waiting until noon to eat is barely a fast as it merely amounts to skipping breakfast, a common practice. Current IFers are just time shifting.In my book, intermittent fasting is eating every other day, e.g., water fast Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, etc., and eating Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Monday, etc.Great idea, Jeewanu. I suggest we crowd source some funding and get Dr. Greger to pay Darryl for all his helpful commentary. Anybody with me?If he has the time and interest that would be great. But this thread is getting old. If we want to start a grass-roots movement we should repost early after next vid goes up. Darryl, if you are a dillitante then I’m a non-existant Scottish sea-serpent with polygonal fins!I also tried my first 36 hr fast or “calorie restriction”. Ate just 300 cal, 32g was protein, I didn’t want to mess up my hard fought muscle in the process. Drank a gal of water and tea. The only thing I noticed was a prickly feeling in my head and arms. Got on the scales when I was done and see I lost near 4lb. I don’t have to go to work, but did the shopping and light cardio exercise.Well after doing that it should be easy for me to cut my feeding window to around 8 hrs a day.I stumbled upon this paper that describes 4 kinds of resistant starch. Corn is type 1 I think. 2 is raw granules from potato or banana. the other 2 sound like artefacts of cooking or processing (like the baked goods you described right?). Would you have an opinion on the best sources for gut health? My wife is sensitive to corn so we are looking for alternatives.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1541-4337.2006.tb00076.x/epdfMost will varieties of type 3, with the amounts of RS determined by amylose (linear starch) content and preparation. Higher amylose content is found in beans, but even lower amylose starches like refined wheat pasta and potatoes will develop significant amounts of RS through retrogradation as they cool after cooking (which can increase further as leftovers are reheated). For example, the caloric staple of rural East & Southern Africa is a refined corn meal polenta, but its generally eaten throughout the day after its cooled and undergone retrogradation. Generally, starchy foods with lower glycemic indices (GI) have higher amounts of RS, inviting speculation that its higher RS content, rather than limited glycemic spikes, that may account for the health benefits of low GI foods. This page (focused on GI) offers an approachable description of some preparation details.Much corn, however, is low in amylose and high in amylopectin, which is not resistant. http://www.montignac.com/en/the-factors-that-modify-glycemic-indexes/Witner told me this about that special cornmeal from Africa:“The resistant starch used in the South African/African American study (and in more than 70 additional clinical trials) was Hi-maize resistant starch from high amylose corn. You can buy it at KingArthurFlour.com or on Amazon. King Arthur calls it Hi-maize natural fiber.”More at https://disqus.com/home/discussion/nutritionfacts/solving_a_colon_cancer_mystery/#comment-2130421408Darryl,Is it ok if I quote your following comment in a chapter on cell signalling for a book I’m writing on diet and cancer? If so, how would you like to be identified?“Its a really fascinating tangle of wires down there on the switchboards. No person well ever have a complete knowledge of the network, but the regulatory hubs are fewer and more comprehensible. Less than a dozen, including NF-kB, Nrf2, AMPK, mTOR, Sirt1, PPAR etc. pop up repeatedly in the past decade’s literature on nutrition and disease prevention at the cellular level. In a few decades, some of these will be as familiar as “spleen” or “pancreas”, at least to those who want to know why some diets prevent disease”I would just like to add that the “staple” African maize consumed by those mentioned in the study from Baragwanath hospital in Johannesburg is hardly cornstarch. Cornstarch is much higher refined. We are talking more the consistency of what I believe Americans call grits. What the study does not take into account is that for centuries, another “staple” in the aforementioned diet is mageu – a lactic acid-fermented maize drink made from fermented cooked maize meal porridge that undergoes the same fermentation process as yoghurt. Perhaps the presence of probiotics might account for some the healthier results.Off topic but within the rules, I believe: Have you seen the very recent web blitz on heavy metals (particularly thallium) in cruciferous vegetables (particularly kale) as a source of subtle poisoning among those consuming a lot of those foods? Apparently the reporting starts with a story in Craftsmanship(!) on the work of an enterprising microbiologist purporting to show that at least some crucifers, and perhaps other leafy greens bioaccumulate toxic heavy metals from the soil (in the soil from uncertain sources, but if anything more concentrated in these vegetables when organically grown). I would find this easier to dismiss if my partner and I, both Gregeresque, Esselstynish WFPB enthusiasts who have been serving up cooked kale as a generous part of most most dinners — were not heavily prone to the kinds of vague complaints cited in the article. If Dr. Greger, Joseph Gonzales or the estimable Darryl would be willing to take a look and respond I would very much appreciate it. Meanwhile, I think I’m planning a millet-and-squash dinner tonight(!) Thanks, Jack PSorry, I left out the link I’d intended to post in my query above re: kale and thalliumhttp://craftsmanship.net/the-vegetable-detective/Cruciferous vegetables *can* accumulate thallium from soil (1, 2, 3), as can other vegetables like beets and spinach. The major concern isn’t with contamination by human activity, but soils derived from naturally thallium-rich bedrocks, which can elevate levels to much higher levels. This is the case for parts of China (4) and the Czech republic (5).There is some detectable thallium in most U.S. topsoils, but the mean and medium of row crop topsoils in California (where most vegetables are grown) was a “low” 0.3 mg/kg, while the maximum was only 0.6 mg/kg.And how about this, sunflower seeds known to draw lead out of the soil.http://slingshot.tao.ca/issue.html?0099001Thanks, Darryl. I’ve followed your links; I think on the whole they lend credence to to the possibility of too much of the crucifers maybe sometimes leading to thallium toxicity. Sheesh! We thought they were the most heroic vegetables and that overdoing them would have to be on the scale of the woman who landed in the hospital with severe thryroid trouble after living on practically nothing but (raw, I think) bok choy. We’re not kale-eaters on that scale, but I do think we’ll cut back, even cut it and the rest of the cabbage family out for a while, and see if we’re better for it. Could take a while to tell, though… I don’t think heavy metal clearance is a quick project. Thanks again!As greater cruciferous vegetable intake appears to have entirely positive effects, testing may be an option to allay your concerns. Urine and whole blood thallium tests run around $45 (to providers), and are widely available as they’re used to monitor industrial exposures. Chronic thallium poisoning manifests as white streaks in fingernails (Mee’s lines), anorexia, headache, and pains in abdomen, upper arms and thigh. I eat about a pound of California grown kale weekly in the context of a whole plant based diet, my nails are unstreaked, and I’ve never felt better.Thanks for the testing tip. We don’t keep up with your kale and broccoli consumption (though we fill in with a fair amount of arugula and some other crucifers). I know we’re grasping at straws here, but that’s perhaps what one does after a few years of exquisitely faithful WFPB diet and vague failure to thrive (symptoms that do not include Mee’s lines(!)) We’ve been on antiretroviral drugs for 19 years– after near death– and our docs are, on the whole, pleased with us. We think their standards need raising.Well, on the off-chance that high crucifer intake might, for some idiosyncratic reason, have caused thallium toxicity in this household… sounds like the pretty high potassium intake in our diet (even with reduced kale!) should help to speed excess thallium out through the kidneys. That’s good– perhaps not such a slow trial as I’d expected. ThanksThat is a very interesting article. I’ve cut out kale lately to see if it makes a difference in my digestive problems. Am going back to eating the veges more like I used to because something isn’t agreeing with me with all this “healthier eating”.Adopting a WFPB diet is a great start but some folks continue to have difficulties. I think it is certainly reasonable to try and ID plants that may be at fault. This can be done one food at a time or one can try a diet such as the one recommended by Dr. McDougall… he calls it the “Diet for the Desperate” and it is explained in his December 2002 newsletter article by that title. It is good to minimize one’s exposure to persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals but there are issues beyond exposure such as absorption. Dr. Greger addresses many of these issues in his video on Cadmium see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/. It is also to be aware of the sources of heavy metal. I wasn’t able to find a video on Thallium… maybe a topic for a future video??An “enterprising microbiologist” who just happens to have ties with a company producing some purported heavy metal detoxifier….(see comments under the delish article posted above – the original study is posted there).sunflower seeds known to draw lead out of the soil.http://slingshot.tao.ca/issue.html?0099001Thanks, jack p. Yes we have. Someone sent this Care2 post to Dr. Greger about thallium and kale and asked me to make a write-up on this topic. I’ll be posting more information shortly. Stay tuned…Thanks, Joseph. I always stay tuned! Darryl’s replies and links have been helpful, too. –Jackre: kale . . . I’d seen this Yahoo link earlier but ignored it until reading these posts. Went back just now and to read …. Seems worth linking here http://www.delish.com/food/a43162/kale-poison-thallium/Hi Dommy. Please see my comment below. I am looking into this and will post more soon. Thanks for your helpful link!Thanks, Joseph. The topic of contamination brings to mind the thorny issue of just how safe is produce grown in local urban community gardens? Sadly here too, discretion is needed.NYC’s Toxic Community Gardens “. . . [lead and cadmium] sucked up by root vegetables and leafy greens.” http://nypost.com/2014/05/04/high-toxic-levels-found-in-samples-taken-from-brooklyn-gardens/High lead levels an issue for backyard chickens, soil http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/09/06/high-levels-of-lead-is-an-issue-for-backyard-chickens-soil/Dealing with Contaminated Soils http://www.nebeginningfarmers.org/2013/01/30/7-dealing-with-contaminated-soils/Everyone told me things like, “Yep its the same thing my father had” and similar Just-accept-it type bromides. I thought it would kill me it hurt so bad. So embarrassing I quit going out. It took some 6 months eating strict WFPB but the horror subsided and is now gone.I saw a mention of corn and/or corn meal. For a very long time I ate no corn products after I was diagnosed (and nearly died from Diver) and now I eat very little as most of the people I know with this disease. My reason was two fold. First of all it tends to go out in the same condition that it goes in. It’s obviously very difficult for the body to break down so I have considered this to be a bit too harsh on the intestines. Also corn is a big GMO treated crop. At least here in the USA and I don’t want anything to do with it, especially after I researched how it works on plants eating insects. I wonder but what all of these diseases or damage to the colon are linked, such as Crohns, IBS, leaky gut, etc.Unable to wait I just looked up and read the cliff-hanger study shown at the end of the video. The researchers basically have NO answers and recommend further study.Uh, but yet we have several “anecdotal accounts” posted here and in the myriad of other “lower g.i.” video discussions where individuals have successfully minimized or eliminated the complications and pain of diverticulitis in their lives.These, though not a study, should count for something. Maybe just be inspirational for others to give WFPB a try. SO MUCH good generally comes from it.Anyone here who has not previously reported his/her diverticular improvements (or not) after getting serious with the WFPB?My comment was only about that particular 2013 study, nothing more.What about the addition Of Diatomaceous Earth in your diet ?I would not suggest it. The FDA has a few documents on Diatomaceous Earth here and here. I posted an older comment here for another person who asked about its use. It seems very little research, if any, exists on toxicity and safety in human trials.As far as I can see Diatomaceous Earth is only good for putting around pet beds and lounging areas to kill fleas. Not sure it even does a good job of that.Thank you Dr. Greger for the great explanation with illustrations of what diverticulosis is, the precursor to diverticulitis. I have helped many people over the years with acute Diverticulitis who were facing surgery to avoid that surgery. It took more than changing diet and adding probiotics. In the narrow window of time given in those situations, a comprehensive herbal colon cleanse alongside proper daily hydration, nutrient dense fiber rich mostly plant based whole foods diet, supplemental digestive enzymes and supplemental probiotics were all required. The good news is that this approach is totally safe and effective for most people as long as they take the time to become properly educated about their condition, be willing to take responsibility for healing themselves with proper guidance, and that would include the responsibility of seeking medical attention if they experience another attack in the course of clearing out their colons; which is a distinct possibility. Fortunately in the cases I have worked with, additional attacks did not happen. Clearly the best thing to do is to prevent diverticulosis/diverticulitis from happening in the first place. And, it’s important to know that there are safe and effective remedies even for those people who have already suffered from this increasing common and very uncomfortable experience. Not only can diverticulosis-diverticulitis be prevented it can be completely reversed, cleaned out and healed, so that a normal, properly functioning colon has been restored. Russell Mariani, Director, The Center for Functional Nutrition, author, Healing Digestive Illness.Russell Mariani knows his stuff and speaks the truth. If you’re suffering I highly recommend reading his book.Fascinating report here! Mind-blowing really. Anyway. I have a question.Dr Greger and many others often refer to the “vegan diet.” However, after studying the topic for about three years, I’ve come to appreciate only recently how many vegans eat what we might describes as “the vegan SAD diet.” This is SAD just with no animal foods. So, lot’s of fried or high fat foods, processed foods, refined foods, sugar foods, etc etc. Question: What proportion are “unhealthy vegans”? Are they the rule or the exception to the rule? 10%? Over 50%? 80%? Do we know? How can we know?Judging by cookbook titles, I’d say the majority of younger vegans fall into that category. Followers of Drs. Campbell, Esselstyn, Barnard, Fuhrman, Greger et al. often use the phrase “whole-food, plant-based diet” to distinguish their health-oriented vegan diets.Ahem! By those images, veganism represents a sugary cupcake revolution!It seems that veganism does not offer a positive human food agenda. It focuses ONLY on a negative food agenda, which is: “do not eat animal protein. period.” That’s all well and good. They aren’t dietitians after all. That’s not their purpose. Problems arise though when vegan followers infer some “positive advice” in veganism on human ways of eating, which doesn’t exist, so before you know it… anything goes, as long as it’s not animals. Cupcake heaven. It all comes down to your interpretation.This doesn’t seem to be a failure of veganism per se. They accomplish their largely laudable aims whenever a new person stops eating animal protein. Instead, it’s a failure of those who become vegans to think hard enough about optimal ways to eat. Veganism though opens the door for such failures. (And now that the program has been laid out, it’s hard to change course.)To whom are you speaking? The majority of us here are WFPB eaters and are quite aware of the “SAD vegan” ways. I won’t use the term “vegan” to describe my way of eating because I’m not 100% no animal and also because I wear leather boots and belts and woolen socks, use antler, bone, and horn for handles… etc.I do believe that part of Dr. Greger’s drive is to HELP the “SAD Vegans” learn to be truly healthy and not the “vegans” that drag down the statistical results when veggie/veganism is considered. (It’s such a small group that we all get lumped in together nearly every time).If I was going to “go nuts” over a dietary category it would be “vegetarian”. Makes no sense to me how excluding flesh but including eggs (unborn flesh) and mammary gland secretions (white poison) could ever be considered healthful or a “VEGGIE” way of life. Dairy is the first thing I learned was killing me silently-via sinus issues. Eggs, holy hell-bacon is more healthful.Kudos to you for resolving your sinus issue by stopping milk products.Dr Greger and others often refer to vegans or vegan diets. It’s a common idea that veganism suggests some type of a diet for humans. As far as I can tell, at least in the dietary domain, veganism only says DON’T EAT animal products. Period. That’s it. There is no “vegan diet”, it makes no suggestions beyond the negative “no animals” so vegans CAN EAT in a wide variety of ways, some healthy, some unhealthy (what we might call SAD vegan-style). It makes sense because they don’t focus on diet specifically but on animal rights. If you convert from eating animal foods to not consuming them, then veganism has another victory. Good for them but goodness help the vegan who selects the SAD vegan-style option. Does veganism care? No.I agree that the “vegetarian” word could use some serious shaping up. I go to Moe’s Southwest Grill for a quite healthy vegetarian burrito and before I can specify toppings the server is throwing cheese on my wrap. Ahem! I’m like cheese is vegetarian? He shrugs his shoulders. But milk and eggs products have become such an ingrained part of what most think of as vegetarian that to an extent we accept it. We use words as they are commonly used I guess and not as we’d like them to be used. I normally say “strict vegetarian” but still folks eyes still probably glaze over with that one. :(Here is a link where one can find NF translated to Portuguese so we can share with our family and friends who don’t understand English fully – http://nf.focoempatico.net/diverticulose-doenca-intestinal-mais-comum/There is a movement to reduce the world’s population and one means is through compromising people’s health. It is ridiculous that “science” exists like the study Masterimpatient pointed out and Dr. Greger will point out. I love science, but it has brought as much ill into the world as it has good, and maybe even more. ~ http://www.naturallifeenergy.com/godawakeningdiet/In The China Study and other more recent looks at WFPB lifestyles, sweet potatoes seem to be a HUGE answer in the search for health. Is it because people fill up on them rather than eating a lot of fat? Is it because people fill up on them rather than chowing down chicken which has Arachidonic Acid which CAUSES inflammation to go through the roof, or could it be that sweet potatoes have a lot of vegetable fiber because they’re actually not a potato, they’re a vegetable. You can Google that one. Is it because they have potassium? Biggest question… Does it really matter? Why can’t we all just start eating a lot more of them. I see lot’s of people ordering chicken burritos, but finding anything sweet potato FAST for lunch or on the go is almost impossible to find. Btw, there are 29 varieties of sweet potato. Where are they? There’s only one kind at the supermarket. If you want a link on this one, it’s all from The China Study.There are perhaps many reasons why sweet potatoes are so healthful. Fun fact: They have three times the beta-carotene as carrots! The China Study has such valuable information. Thanks for sharing this, Randy and let us know when you try all 29 varieties of sweet potatoes ;-) That sounds marvelous.	African Americans,aging,bladder health,colon disease,colon health,diverticulitis,diverticulosis,Dr. Denis Burkitt,Dr. Neil Painter,fiber,grains,intestinal health,meat,mortality,pain,plant-based diets,stool size,sugar,Uganda	More than two-thirds of Americans over age 60 have diverticulosis, but it was nearly unknown a century ago and remained extremely rare among populations eating whole food plant-based diets.	Just in the last few weeks I’ve come out with a few on this similar theme of bowel health:What if your doctor tells you that you shouldn’t eat healthy foods like nuts and popcorn because of your diverticulosis? Share with them my video Diverticulosis & Nuts.Sorry for the cliff-hanger, but I’m really trying to be good about limiting how long my videos get. Stay tuned for Does Fiber Really Prevent Diverticulosis?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/intestinal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/african-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uganda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-denis-burkitt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-neil-painter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16192818,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6283684,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2864589,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23891924,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4930390,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/54904,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21487556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23049633,
PLAIN-2430	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-brain-loss-with-b-vitamins/	Preventing Brain Loss with B Vitamins?	By our seventies, one in five of us will suffer from cognitive impairment, and within 5 years half will progress to dementia, in a progression from cognitive impairment without dementia, to dementia and death. The earlier we can slow or stop this process the better.Although an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease is unavailable, even interventions just to control risk factors could prevent millions of cases. So, an immense effort has been spent on identifying risk factors for Alzheimer’s and developing treatments to reduce them.In 1990, a small study of 22 Alzheimer’s patients reported they had high concentrations of something called homocysteine in their blood. The homocysteine story goes back to 1969 when a Harvard pathologist reported two cases of children, one dating back to 1933, whose brains had turned to mush. They both suffered from extremely rare genetic mutations that led to abnormally high levels of homocysteine in their bodies. So, “is it possible?” he asked, that homocysteine could cause brain damage even in people without genetic defects?Well, now here we are in the 21st century and homocysteine is considered a strong, independent risk factor for the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Having a blood level over 14 may double our risk. In the Framingham Study, they estimated that as many as 1 in 6 Alzheimer’s cases may be attributable to elevated homocysteine in the blood, now thought to play a role in brain damage and cognitive and memory decline. Our body can detoxify homocysteine, though, using three vitamins, folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6. So, why don’t we put them to the test?No matter how many studies find an association between high homocysteine and cognitive decline, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, a causal role can only be confirmed by interventional studies.Initially, the results were disappointing—vitamin supplementation did not seem to work, but the studies were tracking neuropsychological assessments, which are more subjective compared to structural neuroimaging, actually seeing what’s happening to the brain.And a double-blind randomized controlled trial found that homocysteine-lowering by B vitamins can slow the rate of accelerated brain atrophy in people with mild cognitive impairment. As we age, our brain slowly atrophies, but the shrinking is much accelerated in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. An intermittent rate of shrinkage is found in people with mild cognitive impairment. The thinking is that maybe if we could slow the rate of brain loss, we could slow the conversion to Alzheimer’s disease. So, they tried giving people B vitamins for two years and they found it markedly slowed the rate of brain shrinkage. The rate of atrophy in those with high homocysteine levels was cut in half. A simple, safe treatment can slow the accelerated rate of brain loss.A follow-up study went further by demonstrating that B-vitamin treatment reduces, by as much as seven fold, the brain atrophy in the regions specifically vulnerable to the Alzheimer’s disease process. Here’s the amount of brain atrophy over two years in the placebo group; here’s the amount of loss in the B vitamin group. Less brain loss.Now the beneficial effect of B vitamins was confined to whose with high homocysteine indicating a relative deficiency in one of those three vitamins; so, wouldn’t it be better to not get deficient in the first place? Most people get enough B12 and B6, but the reason these folks were stuck up at a homocysteine of 11 is that they probably weren’t getting enough folate, which is found predominantly in beans and greens. 96% of Americans don’t even make the minimum recommended amount of dark green leafy vegetables, the same pitiful number that don’t eat the minimum recommendation for beans.In fact, if you put people on a healthy diet, a plant-based diet, you can drop their homocysteine levels 20% in just one week, up from around 11 down to 9. The fact that they showed significant homocysteine lowering without any pills, without supplements even at one week suggests that multiple mechanisms may have been at work. They suggest it may be because of the fiber. Every gram of daily fiber consumption may increase folate levels in the blood nearly 2%, perhaps by boosting vitamin production in our colon by all our friendly gut bacteria. It also could be from the decreased methionine intake. Homocysteine is a breakdown product of methionine, which comes mostly from animal protein, and so, if you give someone bacon and eggs for breakfast, then a steak for dinner, you can get these spikes of homocysteine levels in the blood. Thus, decreased methionine intake on a plant-based diet may be another factor contributing to lower, safer homocysteine levels.The irony is that those who eat plant-based diets long-term, not just at a health spa for a week, have terrible homocysteine levels. Meat eaters up at 11, but vegetarians at nearly 14 and vegans at 16. Why? They’re getting more fiber and folate, but not enough vitamin B12. Most vegans can be classified as being likely to suffer from hyperhomocysteinaemia, too much homocysteine in the blood, because most vegans in this study were not supplementing with vitamin B12, or eating vitamin B12 fortified foods, which is critical for anyone eating a plant-based diet. But if you take vegans and give them B12, their homocysteine can drop down below 5. Why not down to just 11? The reason the meat-eaters were stuck up at 11 is probably because they weren’t getting enough folate. But once vegans got enough B12 they could finally fully exploit the benefits of their plant-based diets and come out with the lowest levels of all.	I need to dilute my B12 in order to make dosage a bit easier to control. Is there a better powder to mix it with that confectioners sugar? Something that I don’t have to mail-order?As it is 1/32 of a tsp is 80mg.Why don’t you just take a pill?http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Because I have 50 grams of powder that’s why.Hi Wade. Nice picture change ;-) I am not too familiar with the powders or dilutions. I would say take it in high doses but not every day. I am sure you’ve seen Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations (as llilly mentioned, too) and his video on where to find the cheapest source of B12.Exactly. I’m shooting for 2500-5000mcg once per week, but need to bulk it up in order to get enough to measure. Yeah, I forget that changing my FB profile pic changes my avatar over here. No telling what will be next. That one is a mobile selfie on a bumpy back road, blurred at full res. Because.Hmmm, I wonder how Okinawans stayed so healthy being on a near plant-based, nutrient rich diet if the number of animal products they eat are so low?Even the minimal amounts of fish and shellfish they ate contained B12 in a rich pure form. A lifetime of eating creatures from the ocean, even in small amounts, probably added up. My guess. And they also ate pig, yet in small amounts, and this probably added up over time to contributing to B12. These people had bodies that were constantly exposed to cholesterol, their organs had to process animal products. It seems to be there might be a synergy with nature. Any early vegans ate bugs, worms, insects, all that stuff, (full of blood, cholesterol, digestive organs (poo, pee!) complete proteins, B12) even if it wasn’t intentional. It was slathered allover the plants growing in nature and they ate away without removing all these creatures.With the B12 issue in mind, I try not to be too fastidious about cleaning the food I pick from the garden. (So maybe some bugs, dirt, but no chemicals!) Am I “torturing” myself unnecessarily or is it a good idea? lol… Anyone?Good idea if it’s from your garden, but I guess you should have reliable source of B12 anyway, just to be sure.Frankly, as Dr. Greger suggest is far safer to just take Vit B12.You are gambling getting parasites there. (Nor you know if you are getting enough B12)In other times people had no options, but now we have the best of both world, no need to risk getting malaria from bacteria in water, nor parasites from soil, just to get Vit B12… you can cheat and get a safe, reliable source these days. :)They probably do quite often what Grandpa and I did in 1952. Out in the garden, pull a carrot, wipe it off on Grandpa’s pantleg, and eat. People don’t do that anymore.Yes, I agree JoAnn. B12 doesn’t come from animals. It comes from bacteria in the soil. Cows, pig, and sheep don’t care that much if theres’ a bit of dirt in their food. They can’t clean it. If you grow your own food organically, you don’t have to worry about the soil, and you can just be a little lean hyper-clean. It helps with asthma and gut bacteria too. John S PDX ORMaybe it’s the sweet potatoes? At least that is what Dr. Barnard always mentions when we talks about their longevity. I am sure it is a mix of healthy lifestyle factors and diet. Dr. Greger talks about this more in his longevity blogs and videos. “This may also help explain the longevity of populations like the Okinawa Japanese, who have about half our mortality rate. The traditional Okinawan diet is only about 10% protein, and practically no cholesterol, because they ate almost exclusively plants. Less than one percent of their diet was fish, meat, eggs, and dairy – the equivalent of one serving of meat a month and one egg every two months. Their longevity is surpassed only by vegetarian Adventists in California, who have perhaps the highest life expectancy of any formally studied population in history.”Sweet potatoes and possibly the beans. All the Blue Zones with their extraordinary longevity and health have one food in common – beans of one kind or another.Can a Homocysteine test thus serve as a great test for B12 levels in plant diet eaters? But what if you and a blood test for B12 already and the level appeared very good? Is there any reason to be concerned regardless?Yeah, your blood level of B12 might be high but it might not mean the body is using it and absorbing it into the cells.Homeocysteine and MMA levels determine this, in my experience. And “fake” B12’s (spirulina, etc.) will show a high B12 when you test the blood, but this doesn’t mean the body is receiving true bioavailable B12. I suppose the same goes for some B12 supplements.I recently had a “hemagram and differential” and “comprehensive metabolic panel” so do either of those usually contain a homocysteine test or maybe another test that serves as a good indicator for homocysteine? I additionally had folate and b12 tests in that group of tests. The looked good too. (Is higher always better for those?)get the exact test done. MMA-METHYLMALONIC ACID. HOMOCYSTEINE. BOT ARE BLOOD TESTS.Thanks for exact references. I probably don’t need those tests however as my B12 nearly hits the high end of the range and folate apparently off the chart at >24.0 with good levels starting at 5.4 ng/mL.Hey Tobias, Yes higher is better for B12 regardless and better for folate (when coming from whole food plant sources). You sound VERY knowledgable about plant-based nutrition, but I love an opportunity to share this Dr. G. video about folate from plants vs folic acid from supplements Plants rule! ;P In health, JenI watched this video again. Thanks. I don’t use any of those supplements so looks like I’m good there. I might seem very knowledgeable but really I’m just good at spotting the fakers. :)Not necessarily, One can also depress homocysteine by consuming a lot of betaine (mostly from beets and spinach), which may make homocysteine unreliable. Dr. Greger comments on the methylmalonic acid and holotranscobalamin B-12 tests in this video.But the person should not assume this with work and therefore not get the blood level tested. I tried this and it did not work. I had to add in some fish and crustaceans, as for me it was a B12 issue and the pills did not lower Homocysteine, nor high consumption of beets or greens. But I think all vegans should get tested, and sooner rather than later, for homecysteine and MMA in order to truly judge the merits of their B12 status as well as any possible detrimental effects occurring in body due to unknown high homecysteine levels (unless one gets checked). I think some folks are high in homocysteine due to lack of the folate, and for others it is the B12 issue, but just assuming all is fine without these blood tests seems like long-term russian roulette for vegans.Wouldn’t homocystine levels be higher on a diet high in methionine (which would be egg whites, also eggs, beef, chicken, salmon? I’m vegan and my level is 6.4 which I believe is good?Let’s me say that I was discouraged about inquiring into more tests by reading Andrew Weil’s webpage on the topic. He says the test often isn’t covered by insurance, doctors rarely agree to it, and it costs $100. Now, let’s see if Dr Greger’s vid enlightens…The tests still doesn’t seem necessary. If low levels are found by those tests (mma, the newer test, etc) the solution is to take supplements. I already take supplements.I would still make sure MMA is tested if your doctor feels you may be low in B12. Better safe than sorry in my opinion, as it is such an important vitamin!My doctor isn’t really concerned about this at all. She only ordered the B12 at my suggestion. Anyway. That test put me on high edge of the range, so she has more reason to not be concerned. Folate was off the chart high. But if I could confirm that it’s easy to get private tests and it’s not costly, I’d do it in a second.Tobias: I once had a similar question. Here is the response that I got back from “suepy”:“Dr Mark Hyman, author of The Blood Sugar Solution, recommends going to this website for self testing: http://www.saveonlabs.com/ which uses Quest Diagnostics, or you could go to http://www.walkinlab.com/ which uses Labcorp.”I haven’t actually tried it yet myself. But being able to get whatever info I want about my own body when I want it is really appealing. I don’t think I should have to get permission to find out a key measurement of my body composition. Especially if I’m willing to pay for it. I’m sure I’ll be using something like the above companies at some point in the future.This Hyman dude is the one who took over as Bill Clinton’s dietary adviser after he’d been in the care of Dean Ornish. Converted him from a plant diet. E V I L. :)I’m no fan of Hyman. But no one’s wrong about everything. He suggestions for self-serve labs may be good. At the moment, it is the only suggestions I have to go on.Are you saying that Bill Clinton isn’t doing the vegan diet any more? If so, that’s news to me. How sad.Yes, Bill is OFF vegan. And Hyman too over. He plays it in the exact middle, I believe. (Like the moderation argument, not quite paleo.) Hillary never started and it shows. I’m pretty sure that Chelsea is mostly whole plant, but maybe less of late.How disappointing. But thank you for letting me know. That way I won’t get caught off guard if the subject comes up in future conversations.Cynical Speculation: I wonder if the change had anything to do with Hilary running for president? Is it possible that being on a vegan diet is so controversial (and animal product lobbies so powerful) that they felt they had to eliminate that issue as a potential problem? Because the only other theory I have is that Bill is so wishy-washy and unable to do his own critical thinking that he is swayed by whichever expert he happens to be talking to. Because why else would Bill go from a diet that cured him of his medical problems back to one that got him in trouble in the first place? It makes absolutely no sense to me. I doubt Bill is really like that. It seems more likely to me that the political angle had more to do with it.Just my thoughts on the matter. Obviously, I have no clue on what is really going on.Thanks again for the info.I face a related situation in my home state of Vermont where Sen. Bernie Sanders is running for US President. I strongly support him. But… He serves free ice cream at events. He’s very friendly with Ben & Jerry, the ice cream guys who’ve supported Bernie for a long time. One of Bernie’s biggest issue is climate change. However, he’s likely politically blinded by this, not able or not willing to make the connection between the ice cream he serves and the climate issues he cares so much about, when actually the two issues are so very closely related, as far as I can tell. (Methane gas from animal food production industries apparently rivals CO2 gas as a warming agent.) Vermont prides itself in its dairy industry. The Cabot Co-op (famous cheese makers) represents much needed employment opportunities.I don’t know how we deal with the vast complexities of our present world.What I just wrote to Bernie:Talk of crises in America. What about the health crisis? I’m from Vermont. I was born there. smile emoticon I live there. I support Bernie. I have a question or maybe an observation. Bernie serves free cow’s milk ice cream at events. He’s very friendly with Ben & Jerry, the ice cream guys who’ve supported Bernie for a long time. One of Bernie’s biggest issues is climate change. However, does he see the direct connection between the milk-based ice cream that he serves and the climate issues he cares so much about? The two issues are very closely related, as far as I can tell. Methane gas from animal food production industries apparently rivals CO2 gas as a warming agent. Vermont prides itself on its dairy industry. I know. My own father ran a dairy in Jericho in the 40s. The Cabot Co-op (famous cheese makers) represents much needed employment opportunities. I know. I use to eat that cheese. But, yes, I went strict vegetarian 3 years ago. So, what gives? Anyway. Beyond this, there is a lot of evidence that shows that shifting to diets based almost entirely on plant foods could dramatically improve the health of people in the US (and everywhere in the world) and cut national health care costs dramatically by reducing rates of degenerative diseases (heart disease, cancer, etc). A total conversion could represent, by estimates of credible researchers, of 70 to 80% of medical costs. Anyway. Dairy is a Vermont industry of the past. Jericho had 40-50 farms in the 40s. There are two now. So, maybe focus on shifting Vermont’s economy to a plant diet friendly state, a leader, an outdoorsy, health promoting state. Find new ways to produce our own crops on those old farms. Find ways to get the costs of quality produce down. Find ways to make it work. The money we spend on health care… imagine if it went into developing food independence instead. Millions and millions invested in our people to find better ways to feed us.Right on, Tobias! Berries not Dairies! I, too, like Sen. Sanders and his messages. At the very least, he will shame Hillary into at least sounding more left-leaning than she actually is. I would really like to see a Sanders/Warren ticket. Elizabeth Warren is a real scrapper and would amplify Sen. Sanders’ populist message. The idea of yet another Bush/Clinton election is too horrifying for words.One thing you could add to your message is to appeal to Bernie’s sense of racial justice by reminding him that most Americans of African descent are lactose intolerant, and the idea of foisting cow’s milk on them is unjust. As for Ben & Jerry, I would give Sanders a pass until he can progress in his campaign. That said, why doesn’t Ben & Jerry make a vegan-friendly frozen treat? Maybe they do, but I rarely go down the frozen food aisles anymore so I really would not know.This is an excellent point about ice cream being even more unhealthy for black Americans. Secondly, I seem to recall that Ben & Jerry’s, which was sold to Unilever though maybe Ben & Jerry has some influence on new flavors still.. .yes, they are coming out with their first non-milk product. They are deciding between almond and coconut milk I believe as the milk base. Yes. Confirmed. They’re working on it quite diligently. Though new flavors will appear, I will assume they will remain mostly quite unhealthy for humans except on a limited basis, more standard American diet vegan food. Still unhealthy in general. Poor Ben & Jerry. They both look reasonably healthy but I bet their arteries are filled to the gills with mud.2001 Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s had emergency heart bypass surgery, http://www.just-food.com/news/ben-jerrys-cohen-undergoes-heart-surgery_id91592.aspxThis should be more of a topic. Personalities who represent healthy lifestyles, hip products, great images, helping to destroy the health of Americans and others, and profiting immensely from it. Please.Nice letter Tobias. Have you seen Cowspiracy? I live in California and as I am sure you know we have some water issues. After watching that documentary my husband went vegan. He hates to be messed with.No. I’ve allowed the Internet to destroy my taste for watching longer video productions. Seems like I’ve gotten the basic idea w/o watching any of those, I imagine, excellent films. Beyond this, I don’t like to expose myself to horrifying images. I get it really well in a few paragraphs of text. Congrats on your husband going for it.Veganrunner: I found Cowspiracy to be very powerful. But I was thinking that the message might be too much for many people to take in. Good for your husband for being able to take it that information and then act on it. I bet you are happy because you will be getting a healthy husband out of it!Yes I am. that stuff can be so deadly!Tobias: I appreciated both of your posts on this topic. I think the key is this part: “…deal with the vast complexities…” On one hand, it would be way better if Sen. Bernie Sanders was consistent between what his campaign does and what he claims to support. However, I find that there is no such thing as a perfect candidate. So, I just try to find the best fit. (I’m not saying Sen. Sanders is or is not a best fit for me personally or anyone else. I’m just making a point.)When it comes to situations like the one you describe, I try to take solace in what happened with Al Gore: For several years, he just couldn’t bring himself to make the connection between food and climate change. But now (at least last I heard), he has finally gone vegan. And when asked about why The Inconvenient Truth didn’t talk about the animal industry, I have heard that he said/says something like, ‘It was just too inconvenient…” The point being: perhaps Sen. Sanders will wake up some day too just like Al Gore did. And in the mean time, maybe Sanders will start serving the non-dairy Ben and Jerry’s at his functions when those options become available. I think that would be awesome and maybe your letter will help make that happen.I’ve been developing my understanding of all these related matters a whole over the past few weeks. The longer I remain on the good path of plant diet health the more clearly I see the extreme depth of the problem yet also the hope that some people will get the message.re: “The longer I remain on the good path of plant diet health the more clearly I see the extreme depth of the problem yet also the hope that some people will get the message.”Perfect. Beautifully said.A serum B12 test IS a reliable and inexpensive test. If it’s low, you’re pretty sure you’re deficient in B12. Now if you are vegan since a few years and the test is high without you supplementing with B12, it may be because of B12 analogue (B12-like molecule) probably coming from sea weed (include spirulina and so on) which are not biologically active form of the vitamin. The answer to both of this issue are still the same: pharmaceutical grade B12 supplement. Make sure you follow Dr. Greger recommendations 5000 mcg weekly or 500 mcg daily and everything will be ok, don’t bother with 5 mcg or 10 mcg supplement, because it might not be well absorbed with age (over 50 years, according to the Institute of Medicine). MMA and Homocysteine are good test for the proper diagnosis of pernicious anemia, both can be elevated even when a serum B12 is moderate to high, mostly in elderly though. B12 shot are only necessary in case of overt deficiency or pernicious anemia (absorption problem also known as Biermer’s anemia). Hope this is helpfull. In Health, Adrien.I’ve had triglycerides done with no order from a doc. at LabCorp.You are dropping the ball. Get your M.M.A and Homoccyst. tested regardless of what your good doctor thinks. Your high B12 level might not be reflecting if your body is utilizing B12.Yes. I really need some prompting on this one. I didn’t see a doctor for 15 years in my recent past. I have a doctor now… Anyway. My b12 signs are good. I’m supplementing with b12. Remind me of why I need to get more testing. :)Tobias: you can get most blood tests done now without the involvement of a doctor and it’s not very expensive either. Last year I got B12, folate, and lipid levels tested and I think i paid less than $50.My doctor had all of those tests done for me. It’s part of my insurance plan. They all look fine so I’m loath to be concerned, yet maybe I should be.And where do you go to get these test done?I eat plenty of greens and beans, so I suppose I get enough folate. Whien I started supplementing with B-12 lowered my homocystine a little, but it wasn’t until I took betaine supplements (also called trimethyl glycine) that my homocystine dramatically reduced.Chris, I eat plenty of greens and beans, too, and have total cholesterol of 135 (down from an adult lifetime average of 180, after giving up fish two years ago…my last vestige of animal protein). But my homocysteine level has risen from 8 to 9.7 over past 5 years. I’m 52, don’t drink coffee, walk, weight-train, do yoga…healthiest lifestyle possible. Tested negative for MTHFR mutation. My “wellness doc” would like my level to be in the 6 range and has me on 500mcg methylcobalamin daily as well as something called Homocystrol + TMG (a Douglas Labs product), of which 3 capsules provide 1000mg trimethyl glycine. How long did it take to see your homocysteine levels decrease, and what did they go from/to, if you don’t mind sharing that info? Thanks!It’s hard to believe that Americans are deficient in folate given that in the US refined grains are fortified with folate.Lots of people have trouble utilizing the synthetic folic acid used to fortify foods. Real foods, like leafy greens and beans, contain the usable form of folate.“Fortification” doesn’t always equate to “useful nutrition”. I try to avoid “fortified” foods because it’s generally sign of heavy processing and trying to replace some of the good stuff that was removed. Whole Food Rulz.My doc doesn’t recommend folic acid supplements. Recent studies confirm this. I eat a ton of asparagus and greens.Another power-packed video with lots of new information! I wasn’t aware that homocysteine was associated with dementia or methionine intake, nor that fiber increases folate levels in the blood. Question: IIs a daily multivitamin with 12 mcg B12 enough or should vegans take larger doses?According to Dr. Greger you should be taking 250 mcg/day or 2500 mcg/week.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/In an Interview with Emily of Bite Sized Vegan Dr. Greger answered a number of B12 questions as well.https://youtu.be/AvpePfC9hh8In this video and on NutritionFacts.org , Dr. Greger recommends cyanocobalamin. His justification for the choice is economy and stability. My concern with cyanocobalamin is that it is not a naturally occurring compound.For most, cyanocobalamin results in B12 activity. However, there is a rare genetic disorder called combined methylmalonic acidemia and homocystinuria, where a natural B12 vitamer, hydroxocobalamin, may work better. Hydroxocobalamin (aka methyl B-12) is the usually prescribed form in Japan, so its widely available at mail order supplement firms, at what appears a 50% surcharge to the cost of cyanocobalamin.Hmm…in my nutrition class, I learned that high homocysteine levels is also associated with CVD. After watching this video, I really have to be strict with B12 supplementationThe view on homocysteine and CVD has changed recently. Homocysteine lowering vitamin trials have no effect on CVD events/mortality (1), and genetic predispositions to higher homocysteine aren’t predictive of cardiovascular risk (2, 3), casting doubt on the assumption that homocysteine plays a causal role. Some researchers have looked to high methionine intake (4, 5) and low folate intake (6, 7, 8, 9), which increase both atherosclerosis and homocysteine, as the real reasons for the association.With respect to dementia, the jury is still a big maybe for a causal role for homocysteine. For Alzheimer’s, a common genetic predisposition to higher homocysteine wasn’t associated with risk in Caucasians, but was in East Asians (10). For vascular dementia and this same gene, there was again no association in Caucasians and Indians, but a robust one in East Asians (11).BTW, these genetic disposition or Mendelian randomization studies are utterly fascinating, if you’re curious about how modern medical science is distinguishing causal risk factors from coincident ones (12.Darryl, my curiosity has gotten the best of me, I have to ask…how’d you get so brilliant?Endless curiosity, and I don’t care for much of what’s on TV.You should take more. I’ve heard ~1500 mcg once a week is enough, I take 2 a week (one Saturday and one Wednesday) just to be sure.Is anybody familiar with the blood homocysteine level and choline (also a B vitamin) intake?If vegans have to take supplements to get b12, does it mean eating animal products is the natural diet for humans? Is it possible humans got enough b12 from other sources in the past? Is their any science on this?Before they started chlorinating the water supply, water had B12. When people grew their own vegetables and ate them without “triple washing” them, they got B12 from vegetables due to soil residues. Vegans’ being unable to get B12 from food is a result of modern living.So for all of us rural folks (lots and lots of us) who yet get our water from wells and springs and grow our own vegetable and harvest from the wild, we are likely getting all the B12 we need. BUT THAT no one has any information on that subject because it might cut into the sales of B12 supps. And really it shall be moot for me soon enough as I’ll be using rainwater only when I move off this stinkin’ grid. If I had money to burn, I’d get my blood tested and my water tested and all of that.Hi Jongreen. I think it’s hard to say. There is some discussion about the matter here. Please follow this link to read the many comments within the thread.it is so important to get tested B-12 and Vitamin DAre your D3 levels normal with only modest supplementation? I found my body had good use for extra D3. The minimums recommended may be low for many healthy individuals.I had it tested last year and my vitamin D was 35, (normal range is 30-80) so I went from 1000 IU every day to 2000 IU. I am going in again this year and will have it tested again.Hi David, welcome back. Re memory loss, not to worry. Nothing much has changed since you’ve been ‘gone.’ ;-) Since you are talking about vitamin D deficiency, it reminds me of this talk given by Dr. Michael F. Holick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq1t9WqOD-0Good one Lawence.hi, I have been following dr. greger’s recommendation for b12 supplements of about 250 mcg/day. however, my neurologist told me last week that as a vegan with multiple sclerosis I needed 2,500 mcg/day. that’s 10 times more! I don’t know what to think about this. will I just manufacture some expensive pee with this high dose? Olga in DCHi olga. I am not a health-care professional. That said, I am guessing you have already seen this video in which Dr. Greger goes through the math of taking 2500 mcg/week of vitamin B12 http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/ You can scale that up to 2500 mcg/day and see what’s what.Also, I did a quick google search on vitamin B12 and MS and this paper popped up: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1430153 If you rummage around Pubmed I’m sure there are others.Bottom line, if I were in your shoes I would follow your neurologist’s advice. There doesn’t seem to be a downside and the upside for you may be considerable. All the best and good luck!Hi Lawrence. Thanks a lot for your answer and links. That NIH paper is interesting. I actually see a specialized MS researcher there once a year and she hasn’t mentioned B12. At least she isn’t against vegan lifestyle and doesn’t push medication on me. I’m grateful for that and also for the excellent service at NIH. So I guess I will go with my non-NIH neurologist for the B12 dose. Thanks again and good luck to you too! OlgaHi Olga. We have not seen any research that says more B12 is better for MS. I agree with you, since there is no upper limit, taking more should be just fine. As Lawrence said I would listen to your doctor, as there may be an underlying reason we’re not aware why she or he is prescribing more B12. Here is a suggestion for the cheapest source of B12.Best to you, JosephDo I still need methylated B’s ESP folates (due to genetic polymorphism) if I also eat whole food veg? Also have ms. Ie will I get enough folates from diet without methylated supplements? (I know the science is not yet established in this area) Thanks !Folate deficiency is not a problem in vegetarian diet. The problem is vit B12 deficiency due to lack of plant sources. Although B12 and folate deficiency can both manifest the same in the beginning (megaloblastic anemia), and folate can correct this problem, the long term effect of B12 deficiency (neural degeneration) can not be corrected with only folates. Therefore vit B12 supplementation is necessary in vegetarian diet. This video is also another proof for it. I am not sure if you need more than usual folate if you are affected by MS. I hope previous comments would help you.Hi Veggy. It is best to listen to your doctor about any supplements needed for genetic polymorphisms. There is much conversation about MTHFR genetic defects in this video on folic acid.My information regarding impaired cognition is limited to medical school. I know there is no cure but progression can be slowed down with lifestyle changes. Very interesting that B12 can help with that. I was also surprised by the fact that vegetarians & vegans have high homocysteine levels. That in fact is not a bad side of vegetarian diet, but can emphasize the role of B12 supplements in revealing true benefits of vegetarian diet.Arent all B vitamines in seeds ,nuts end other nut-likes fruits and what we need is just to eat them, we need not any tbls and pulvis and any animal products. Is that correct ?B12 is a soil bacteria. Everyone on a plant-based diet needs to take B12, as well as anyone over 50, according to the Institute of Medicine.Something I saw this morning… Researchers “found no evidence of benefit for nervous system or cognitive function from 12 months of supplementation among older people with moderate vitamin B12 deficiency.” in recently published research. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/102/1/215.abstractThe conclusion said that there was a difference as long as there was sufficient omega 3 and B vitamins. You need both apparently. “The beneficial effect of B vitamin treatment on brain atrophy was observed only in subjects with high plasma ω-3 fatty acids.” “, B vitamin treatment slowed the mean atrophy rate by 40.0% compared with placebo”Would a high fruit/low vegetable diet not produce much homocysteine due to lower consumption of greens and folate?Hello, I recently got a concussion from a car rear ending us. This is my fourth head injury, what nutrition is good for healing the brain and surrounding tissue? I am taking one handful of walnuts a day, normally don’t take that many cause I need to keep the cholesterol down, any suggestions? Thank You.I am so sorry to hear about your injury. I am sure that this site would recommend less animal protein to reduce inflammation.Here’s a link you may find of benefit:http://www.brainline.org/content/2010/12/feed-your-body-feed-your-brain-nutritional-tips-to-speed-recovery.htmlThis website has a video on fighting inflammation with nuts as you have been doing:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/Here’s an abstract from pubmed about how this is an area of research challenge:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19033220Hi Maria. Here is everything we have on brain health. Please let me know if any of these resources help? I am unfamiliar of any research on diet for concussions, but at any rate keeping our brains healthy and active are important regardless.It has been suggested elsewhere to avoid caffeine in all forms, anything stimulatory. Even tea and chocolate. It has also been suggested elsewhere to avoid any cooked fats, heated in any form. No white sugar, corn syrup, artificial anything.Thanks again Dr Greger for yet another informative, clear video on an important topic. Greatly appreciate your thoughtful, insightful clips – shared with a dose of humour. Does wonders for one’s health!Dr Greger’s sense of humor definitely helps ! I have been taking the B12 tablet (Cyanocobalamin) up until now, but will be trying the B12 drops (methylcobalamin) just to see if there is any noticeable difference. I was just wondering what constitutes “a drop” in medical terms? I sound fastidious but would like to get the dosage right.To share with your Portuguese speaking friends and family – http://nf.focoempatico.net/homocisteina-vitamina-b12-prevencao-perda-cerebral/Dr. Greger, What research is there on bioavailable Vitamin B12 levels in fermented foods such as natto?Haven’t seen any. From what I understand these are B12 analogs, look-a-likes, that mimic the cobalamin structure yet cannot be utilized. Jack Norris RD has loads of information about B12 that may be helpful. He mentions some of the studies that look at odd sources of B12.thx for the video post, I am wondering what kind of pills or [url=http://www.best-dietary-supplements.com/]supplement[/url] can increase my B12?the body naturally produces b12 from our beneficial bacteria in the gut. no need to supplement.	aging,Alzheimer’s disease,animal protein,b12,bacon,beans,bile acids,brain disease,brain health,breakfast,cognition,colon health,dementia,eggs,fiber,folate,Framingham Heart Study,greens,gut flora,Harvard,homocysteine,legumes,meat,memory,methionine,mortality,plant-based diets,steak,supplements,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin B12,vitamin B6	One week on a plant-based diet can significantly drop blood levels of homocysteine, a toxin associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. Without vitamin B12 supplementation, though, a long-term plant-based diet could make things worse.	This is very similar to the findings in my video Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health.For more details on ensuring a regular reliable source of vitamin B12:There are more benefits to lowering your methionine intake. Check out Methionine Restriction as a Life Extension Strategy and Starving Cancer with Methionine Restriction.For more on brain health in general, see videos such as:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/framingham-heart-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/methionine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steak/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b6/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/homocysteine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/Preventing-Alzheimers-Disease-With-Plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20838622,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23298782,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16697371,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19595937,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7931702,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21684021,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22232016,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11844848,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21963358,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20702750,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23343490,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18347351,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5792556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10684746,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9394694,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23690582,
PLAIN-2431	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-pollutants-and-child-development/	Flame Retardant Pollutants and Child Development	The results of the CHAMACOS study were published recently, the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas Valley California, investigating the relationship between exposure to flame retardant chemical pollutants in pregnancy and childhood and subsequent neurobehavioral development. Why California? Because California children’s exposures to these chemicals are among the highest in the world, considered to be endocrine disruptors and neurotoxins. What did they find? Both prenatal and childhood exposures to these chemicals were associated with poorer attention, fine motor coordination, and cognition (particularly verbal comprehension) by the time the children reached school age. This study, the largest to date, contributes to growing evidence suggesting that these PBDEs (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers), flame retardant chemicals, have adverse impacts on child neurobehavioral development. And the adverse effects may extend into adolescence, again affecting motor function as well as thyroid gland function, something that may extend into adulthood.These chemicals get into the moms, then get into the amniotic fluid, and then into the breast milk. And the more that’s in the milk, the worse may be the infants’ mental development. Breast is still best, but how did these women get exposed in the first place?The question: is exposure mostly from diet or dust? Researchers in Boston collected breast milk samples from 46 first time moms, vacuumed up samples of dust from their homes and questioned them about their diets. They found that both were likely to blame. Diet-wise, a number of animal products were implicated. That’s consistent with what’s been found worldwide. For example, in Europe, these flame retardant chemical pollutants are found mostly in fish, meat, and other animal products. It’s similar to what you see with dioxins, fish and other fatty foods, with a plant-based diet offering the lowest exposure.Well, if that’s the case, do vegetarians have lower levels of flame retardant chemical pollutants circulating in their bloodstreams? Yes, vegetarians had about 25% lower levels. Poultry appeared to be the worst. USDA researchers compared the levels in different meats and the highest levels were found in chicken and turkey, with less in pork, and even less in beef. California poultry had the highest, consistent with strict furniture flammability codes, but it’s not like chickens are pecking at the furniture. Chickens and turkeys may be indirectly exposed through the application of sewer sludge to fields where feed crops are raised, contamination of water supplies, the use of flame-retardant materials in poultry housing, or the inadvertent incorporation of fire-retardant material into the bird’s bedding or feed ingredients.Now, fish have been shown to have the highest levels overall, but Americans don’t eat a lot of fish, and so, they don’t contribute as much to the total body burden in the United States. Here’s the level they found in meat-eaters. Here’s the amount found in the bloodstream of vegetarians. Just to give you a sense of the contribution of chicken, here’s where higher than average poultry eaters ended up, compared to lower than average.Where did the vegans end up? Well, we know the intake of many other classes of pollutants is almost exclusively from the ingestion of animal fats in the diet; so, what if you take them all out of the diet? Well, it works for dioxins. Vegan dioxin levels appearmarkedly lower than the general population, but what about for the flame retardant chemicals? Vegans came out down here, with a few who’ve been vegan around 20 years even lower. This tendency for chemical levels to decline the longer one eats plant-based suggests that food of animal origin contributes substantially, but note the levels never get down to zero; so, diet is not the only source.The USDA researchers note that there are currently no regulatory limits on the amount of flame retardant chemical contamination in U.S. foods, but reducing the levels of unnecessary, persistent, toxic compounds in our diet is certainly desirable.	Flame retardants, dioxin, mercury, PCB, prescription drugs, pesticides…. how many reasons do one need to seriously limit or totally avoid dairy, fish and meat?The stuff is in your mattress, most likely. That is why most people need iodine. The bromine displaces iodine. Iodineresearch.comBut now we have the electronic smoking devices, E cigarettes, polluting our indoor air with a list of chemicals and heavy metals that none of us should ever be breathing in second-hand. And there seems no way to stop it. People are smoking these devices behind closed doors (public bathrooms in restaurants, airplanes, offices, etc.) and they are often odorless. Yet the general public ends up breathing in these second-hand chemicals.And now they are putting “street” drugs in these devices.Stop spreading silly rumors you read from fright mongers! I certainly won’t say they are health promoting, but what exactly do you think is in them to cause all this “pollution”??? I switched to e-cigs to get off of cigarettes initially, after many years of failing miserably, and it is no secret what is in the fluid because I made it myself…3 or 4 simple ingredients. The carrier I used was vegetable glycerine, a common ingredient in foods and medicines, but another is propylene glycol, (not ethylene glycol…the notorious antifreeze ingredient!) otherwise used things such as in inhaler products and fog machines. (Propylene glycol (CH8O2) is a commonly used drug solubilizer in topical, oral, and injectable medications. It is used as stabilizer for vitamins, and as a water-miscible cosolvent.[1] Propylene glycol has been used for over 50 years in a large variety of applications. As a pharmaceutical additive, propylene glycol is generally regarded as safe.) http://www.drugs.com/inactive/propylene-glycol-270.html This carrier is then flavored with simple food flavorings, (which I realize were not made to be inhaled) and of course, the most questionable ingredient, nicotine, which I sourced from a company that used the same nicotine found in approved patches, gum and lozenges. These ingredients are heated by a tiny coil attached to a battery to vaporize them, and the users is the only one who would be affected since he absorbs the vapor, unlike smoke, there are no lingering particulates to spew on others. After quitting smoking via vaping, my lung capacity, health, and resistance to upper respiratory viruses improved dramatically, and I was able to reduce the nicotine in the fluid until it was eliminated. That was quite a while ago, but I only noticed benefits, nothing negative, so I sincerely doubt if anyone else is going to be any more affected by a vaper in your vicinity than you are by just inhaling our toxic air. I can see why someone who never smoked or has any real knowledge of them would jump to conclusions, but calm down and if you are compelled to worry, pick something more worthy of your efforts. I DO NOT advocate vaping as anything “recreational”, but a very effective way to get away from cigarettes IF you have that issue, but they cannot be advertised as such because they would then become medical devices that could fall into the hands the pharmaceutical companies…which to me is almost as scary as smoking!Not rumors. Well documented. Nothing like breathing in (and exhaling for the public to re-breathe in) a slew of heavy metals from the e -cigarette chambers. It is not just the fluids in them but also the devices themselves that react to the heating mechanism or some sort.Also, no one should be exposing innocents to second hand nicotine, and this is well known and accepted that these devices to emit second hand nicotine.http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/electronic-cigarettes-contain-higher-levels-toxic-metal-nanopartices-tobaccohttp://www.scientificamerican.com/article/smoke-screen-are-e-cigarettes-safe/http://viterbi.usc.edu/news/news/2014/electronic-cigarette-secondhand-smoke-contains-harmful-heavy-metals-constantinos-sioutas.htmhttp://www.ibtimes.com/e-cigarette-secondhand-smoke-study-finds-nicotine-few-toxins-1507608This person was not referring to the people that smoke these devices, but as a warning to people who are indoors in the vicinity of people smoking vaping devices. Yeah, the second hand vapor is a problem, they do in fact emit formaldehyde………I would not want my baby going into the bathroom on an airplane and getting a hit of this after someone had just been in there smoking their odorless e cig. And it is true, people are smoking dope in vaping-gadgets. Not just passengers are at risk but also pilots. So, yes, these might help people get off regular cigarettes, but the post took it from a stance, I think, of advocating for the people who do not want to breath this stuff in. Bathrooms allover the world are full of people in stalls secretly smoking these gadgets. Totally not cool for the public.How about egg yolks? I see no mention of them containing high levels of these dioxins.Hey Luke, not a lot of egg eaters left “in these parts”. If you haven’t seen these several videos, check them out: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=EGGSI ate eggs for 48 years, all free-range, home-grown for the last 25. Now I have no use for them. At all. I simply cannot decipher a benefit greater than the risks. Would only eat them now in a survival/starvation situation, despite having a ready supply free for the asking. I do yet eat very limited animal products (commercially produced) on holidays and feasts/festivals/celebrations, but not on any other days (and not eggs).Rawn DFK et al. 2011. Brominated flame retardants in Canadian chicken egg yolksFrom Bocio A. et al. 2003, the highest PBDE concentrations were in oils, fish, meat, and eggs, with the PDBE content in eggs presumably being mostly from their lipid fraction in the yolk, at a concentration comparable to dairy fats (less than fish oil, more than meat fats). A cautionary note: PDBEs were particularly high in vegetable oils, second only to fatty fish in concentration. In Domingo JL et al. 2008, olive oil, sunflower oil, and margarine all had high and comparable total PBDEs, less than that of fish, but more than other animal products. In Roszko M et al. 2012, cold pressed oils like canola and sesame oil had PDBE concentrations below the limit of quantification in most cases, but these two studies used non-comparable methodologies.Yes, but the thing that often is not talked about here is “how much egg yolk”? Does a couple eggs yolks a week really push someone into a danger zone as far as flame retardants and other dioxins? From what I can tell, probably not. I tend to believe that these studies are usually done on daily egg eaters. Who knows for sure but maybe you have an idea Darryl.This alone seems like the biggest reason to avoid olive oil, no? And fried corn chips, full of PDBES (most are fried in sunflower oil or corn oil.But this begs the question, wouldn’t daily ingestion of sunflower seeds pose on to potential PDBE ingestion? What about high fat nuts like macadamias and pecans, cashews, almonds? Avocados? All high fat, all potential carriers of PDBES. But you mention sunflower oil, not the seeds. I do wonder if there is a difference as far a PDBE’s.Also makes me wonder what sort of toxins get created when we “cook” these veggie oils, as opposed to raw sunflower oil, veggie oils, etc.It’s possible that the Bocio and Domingo’s results are unreliable.I’ve found a few more studies comparable to the Roszko paper. In Schecter et al 2010, olive and canola oils had minute amounts of PDBEs (25-100 parts per trillion and peanut butter might have none. The levels in salmon and sardines were 10 to 60 times greater, and butter had a whopping 6200 parts per trillion. In Qin et al 2011, fatty plant foods purchased in Hong Kong (pistachio, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanut, corn oil, mustard seed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, and flaxseed oil) all had some PDBEs, but chicken breast/skin had 4 times as much, and goose liver 12 times a much.So, looking at the Roszko, Schecter, and Qin results, it appears every fatty plant food will have some contamination from flame retardants, but it will be minute compared to the levels bioaccumulated in comparable fatty animal products.Hey, thanks. I just read over the links you sent. It all makes me curious how much exists in whole coconuts, the flesh, milk, juice, whole darn thing. Super high amount of saturated fat. Could be an issue. Maybe someone will do some good accurate testing on this vegan food.But wow, avoid sardines and salmon, it seems. And butter!Coconut milk was in the Hong Kong paper: 16 parts per trillion, so under half that of nuts/oils, but comparable on a lipid fraction basis.One video on foods highest in dioxin mentions eggs.Flame retardant chemicals in your food? Not a problem. Tastes just like chicken.Good thing (!) we don’t have any rules as to how much of this stuff can contaminate our food supply. Probably a direct result of the power of the producers.The safe upper limit of flame retardants in our diet is probably ZERO. I dont care what any institution say about this. Period.In addition to animal products, flame retardants have been used in beverages for decades. Brominated vegetable oil has been used in over a number of Pepsi and Coca Cola products, including popular drinks such as Gatorade and Mountain Dew. The popularity of these drinks may explain why there are fairly high levels of flame retardants found in vegans. The flame retardant serves to keep food colors in the beverage from separating. Unfortunately, these beverage companies have placed a high emphasis on beverage appearance, and public health suffers as a result.When one cuts sugar (any added sweeteners) out of his life, it becomes quite easy to drop the soda habit. I had alloted myself one 355ml soda on the weekends, but only made it three or four weekends before the over-sweetness made them taste ridiculous. So my levels of flame retardation are going down down down. Oh no, might i spontaneously combust?! 8-PNo – because you seem pretty cool :-)Absolutely! I cut out added sugars in 2002 but didn’t drop artificial sweeteners until 2012. What a positive difference that has made for my sense of taste.The proponents of intermittent fasting say that if we only eat food within say a 5 hour window that daily fasting will help detoxify the body. I am wondering if there has been any research done confirming or denying this claim.Hi JCooper. This is all I have on fasting. Water fasting can be extremely dangerous in uncontrolled environments without doctor’s approval. A quick search on PubMed shows fasting for one day may have some benefits to reducing heart disease, however, I would never suggest it do the lack of research. Water fasting seemed to help those with hypertension, but this was conducted in a controlled environment within a clinical study. There is far more research on the efficacy of a plant-based diet for hypertension and heart disease. One of our site users provided a great link to a clinic that focuses on fasting. His comment can be found here. Hope that helps a bit.Jews fast for slightly longer than 24 hours annually on a day they call Yom Kippur and they seem not to be at all harmed. Other people fast for religious reasons for three or more days commonly. None of these people are dropping dead as far as I know. I know people who have fasted for 8 to 12 day without a problem. I myself have fasted for 3 days and found it to be easy after the first day or so. The only problem I’ve had is muscle cramps upon breaking the fast, probably from breaking it too suddenly.Great points, Jean! Thanks for mentioning. I was not referring to fasting for religious reasons I was only pointing out it can be risky. If one wants to “detoxify” the body I tend to promote more wholesome foods not a “fast” or “cleanse.”Fasting can be great for your immune system according to recent findings:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140605141507.htmI think this study used a mouse model.I’m not a mouse, but I’ve found that starting the morning with a hot mug of 1/3 cocoa powder…1/3 instant coffee…and 1/3 MCT oil (third tsp each)…can help with intermittent fasting…where you avoid food for periods of time. The MCT oil (or use coconut oil?) seems to help dial down the bitterness of the chocolate and apparently is metabolized well. Can help with losing weight?I was having issues with the cocoa butter in dark chocolate…causing skin blemishes.I remember Dr. McDougall saying that he uses fasting for his tougher cases, sending them to the True North fasting clinic, located in the same town where he operates, Santa Rosa, CAAnytime you restrict toxic intake, the results must be less toxicity. I have yet to find any reason to restrict whole plant foods, as their benefits typically far outweigh any negatives that can be attributed to them or the contamination man brings to them (practically everything is contaminated by man at some level of detection). Plants are usually the least contaminated. Here’s the best “fasting” information at NF.O http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/ But I consider zero calorie intake the only true fast.Enlightened by some of the new-to-me information above, I am now considering one 600-calorie “fast” day per week. Will report. Tomorrow may be one.There is considerable research demonstrating benefits intermittent fasting, which I will try to share here when I get home. However, whenever any person uses the term “detox” with respect to an intervention, I would be extremely skeptical of their expertise. Some heavy metal toxins are removed with time, some are stuck indefinitely. Persistent organic pollutants like flame retardants concentrate in fatty tissue, and while the body load can be reduced when reducing body fat (including when breastfeeding), blood levels rise markedly as they’re mobilized.Agree. Detox is a fad word. Often it is very unclear what detox is all about – and what about retox – is that just SAD !?OFF-TOPIC: Darryl, just last night and this morning, I watched Dr. Greger’s video on glaucoma , posted two years ago, and read all the comments. In one of your comments, you sited a paper on the anthocyanin content of black, purple, and red grains. The paper lists the total anthocyanin content of the grains. I’m interested in black rice. Do you happen to know the anthocyanin COMPOSITION of black rice? Thank you in advance.According to Abdel-Aal ESM et al 2006, black rice has over twice the anthocyanins (2.28 mg/g) of the next most colored grain (purple corn). Most (2.01 mg) is cyanidin-3-glucoside, with a bit (0.16 mg) of peonidin-3-glucoside, too.Darryl: Thank you so much for your help. C3G appears to be the most abundant anthocyanin in nature. I’ve been searching for rich sources of delphinidins that are inexpensive. None of the ones I’ve found ( maqui, black currant, bilberry) are inexpensive. Thanks again.According to the USDA flavonoid database, top sources for the anthocyanidin delphinidin also include black seed cowpeas, eggplants, and concord grapes. I’ve grown to suspect that the actual species of anthocyanidin may not matter so much, as little is absorbed in its original form, they may have their major effect in modulating gut bacteria, and that which is absorbed is largely a smaller, less diverse set of bacterial metabolites.Darryl: Thank you very much for your thoughts and for the links. The USDA database seems to be a treasure trove of data on flavonoids, which I’m going to save for future reference.Any thoughts on how cooking might affect the anthocyanins?Thanks Darryl, I just watched Eat, Fast & Live Longer. Appears to be really good information and possibly helpful for those who think they cannot survive on a healthy plant-based diet. I haven’t fasted in years, but this causes me to consider it. I am reversing 48 years of mostly junk eating with only a modest level of athleticism. 500 calorie fast day should be NO trouble! I’ve done 24 with zero calories and that’s NOTHING compared to quitting nicotine.Lets not forget the Flame retardant materials in the beds we sleep on for 8 hours a night and in the furniture cushions etc.. We are a poison for profit society unfortunately that makes money from getting you sick whill making money from the treatments.. When I Teach my kids about all the foundations to cure cancer and other diseases, I make them request information to find out exactly how much of the donation goes to lobbying to get the KNOWN poisons that cause these illness’s out of our food, water, and enviromental things we buy and use daily?? Its usually ZERO!Само проверавам да ли сам одблокиран.не са блокирани.Read it, doc. I saw You in videos talking crap about eggs. So there You go- new study on eggs in diabetics patients. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25970149 eggs>oatmealM.L.F. was responsible for designing the experiment, obtaining the funds for conducting the study, supervising experimental design and data collection, conducted statistical analysis of all measured parameters and wrote the manuscript.Go to:Conflicts of InterestM.L.F. received funding from the Egg Nutrition Center to conduct the human intervention portion of this study. M.N.B., F.V., A.E.R., E.A., D.A., C.J.A., and H.V. declare no conflict of interest.Eggs remain crap just like this research. Koo Koo KaChewDrum roll….. TADAM !!!Acknowledgments Supported by the Egg Nutrition Center from funds received by M.L.F.Conflicts of Interest M.L.F. received funding from the Egg Nutrition Center to conduct the human intervention portion of this study.So predictable..Like Big Egg is going to support actual research. Follow the $$Eggs better than Oatmeal ? You got to be kidding me ! Oh you just received money from Big Eggs. Now everything is logical. Anyway you was faster than me ! Damned HTML code, I should have posted it in the first place and leave editing for later :)I think it is a good sign…we are learning to sort the dinkum from the swill. I always ask myself, “Where did the money come from to support this anomalous result?”If Egg Inc hadn’t shown their true colors with all the nasty emails, then I might have bothered to read the paper. But I know the drill. I WAS one of those “scientists” who promoted, ignorantly, them, my funders and myself with all the self-rightousness I could muster. I accepted my mentors as …. mentors! Fortunately there was ONE who taught me to “question authority”. Thanks LJ!Yeah, well for starters, they were looking for specific info here in regard to diabetes, that doesn’t mean eggs are good for you, there are a slew of other issues to consider! Besides, where did the funding come from? Seriously, just because you LIKE something, you will always believe what you WANT to hear. You gotta read the fine print my friend, to know the agenda!I’m surprised that no one else has picked up on it yet: The oatmeal breakfast included 2 cups of lactose-free milk. T. Colin Campbell’s study of milk indicates that no other food is as carcinogenic, which probably means inflammatory.Chuck: Great catch! Thanks for sharing that bit.The good doc doesnt “talk crap about eggs”, he just reveals what the science says. I would like to hear good things about eggs, but haven’t found any from a credible source. Eggs are disease promoting – egg production is also a very big industry, so of course you can find health claimsUnrelated to this video – any reliable research on MSM (methylsulfonylmethane)?The wiki entry appears to cover that question, but answers all of my questions with:“sufficient dietary sources are readily available in onions, garlic and cruciferous vegetables and in protein-containing foods, including nuts, seeds…” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MethylsulfonylmethaneAppears to be another something that is used to promote positive balances in the bank accounts of the promoters and sellers-that can best be obtained from eating plants.Yeah, I was hoping there were more details Dr. Greger’s team has than what was in wikipedia, particularly for supplementing above a generally recommended amount.I know that feeling, but have pretty much given up on any single-nutrient approach.What I wish we’d get more of here is aroma-therapy type oils and other “simple” plant substances that have been clinically shown (by our standards) to work (or not) as well or better than name-brand chemical pills. We have a smattering of such- for orange oil, lavender, peppermint, saffron, and maybe a few others. I bought a book on the subject once and found it to be a waste of money. Everything was anecdotally cited to relieve practically every single ailment or condition, not helpful.It’s a bit outside the nutritional scope of things here, but is quite illustrative of the powers of plants and may offer some relief to those who haven’t found full and complete health via nutrition yet.I take 750mg of MSM 2x per day. If left off in a few days my lower back discomfort starts. The discomfort is really noticeable when laying down and trying to sleep. OTC pain killers don’t relieve that same discomfort and certainly are less desirable to be ingesting. People have to take what is best for their body. There is no best list of supplements that fits everyones requirements. I eat a lot of “onions, garlic and cruciferous vegetables and ..nuts,”. Food sources aren’t enough. I have experimented to see what dose works best for me.I commented on MSM in this post. See if this study I listed helps? Thanks!Thanks a lot. That was actually the same study I found. Do you have any other resources other than NIH pubmed? Or is this a nutrient that there is just severely limited research on?You’re welcome! i always like to see the related or similar articles on the right hand side. See if any others pop up. I do think there is a lot of research on MSM.The quest to end the scourge of spontaneous human combustion is over at last!	animal fat,animal products,beef,Boston,breast milk,breastfeeding,California,CHAMACOS study,chicken,children,cognition,dioxins,endocrine disruptors,Europe,fat,feed additives,fish,flame-retardant chemicals,industrial pollutants,industrial toxins,infants,meat,neurotoxins,PBDEs,persistent organic pollutants,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,pregnancy,puberty,safety limits,seafood,thyroid health,turkey,USDA,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	PBDE fire retardant chemicals in the food supply may contribute to attention and cognitive deficits in children.	I’ve previously talked about this class of chemicals in Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals. The same foods seem to accumulate a variety of pollutants:Many of these chemicals have hormone (“endocrine”) disrupting effects. See, for example:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chamacos-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/boston/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pbdes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17396645,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22236635,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11346131,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23052368,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22100397,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23151181,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21491934,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21830753,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23154064,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20019900,
PLAIN-2432	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-oil-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/	Peppermint Oil for Irritable Bowel Syndrome	Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic, episodic intestinal disorder characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits affecting 1 in 7 Americans, though most go undiagnosed. It can have a substantial impact on well-being and health. Doctors underestimate the impact the disease can have, particularly the pain and discomfort. Using some measures, the health-related quality of life of irritable bowel sufferers can rival that of sufferers of much more serious disorders, such as diabetes, kidney failure, and inflammatory bowel diseases. So, the first step toward successful treatment is for doctors to acknowledge the condition and not just dismiss the patient as just hysterical or something.Another reason sufferers often don’t seek medical care may be the lack of effectiveness of the available treatments. There is a huge unmet therapeutic need.Since there is no cure for IBS, treatment is targeted to alleviate the symptoms. The typical antispasmodic drugs can cause side effects, such as dry mouth, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, and fall risk, but there are new drugs on the market now, like Lubiprostone, which can cost $2,000 a year, and cause—as side effects—many of symptoms you’re trying to treat. Linaclotide is one of the newest, $3,000 a year, and again can cause the very problems it’s designed to help.Antidepressants are commonly given, but may take 4 to 6 weeks to help for Prozac or Celexa, up to 12 weeks for Paxil, and have their own array of side effects, including sexual dysfunction caused by these three drugs in over 70% of the people who take them. There’s got to be a better way.Acupuncture works, but no better than placebo. What’s placebo acupuncture? It’s where you poke people with a fake needle away from any known acupuncture points; yet, that worked just as well as real acupuncture, showing the power of the placebo effect. I’ve talked about the ethics of so many doctors effectively passing off sugar pills as effective drugs, who argue the ends justify the means. There’s actually a way to harness the placebo effect without lying to patients, though. You tell them it’s a sugar pill. Patients with irritable bowel syndrome were randomized to either get nothing—or a prescription medicine bottle of placebo pills with a label clearly marked “placebo pills,” “take 2 pills twice daily.” I kid you not.And lo and behold, it worked. That’s how powerful the placebo effect can be for irritable bowel. They conclude that for some disorders, it may be appropriate for clinicians to recommend that patients try an inexpensive and safe placebo. Indeed, sugar pills probably won’t cost $3,000 a year, but is there a safe alternative that actually works?Nine randomized placebo-controlled studies have found peppermint oil to be a safe and effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome. A few adverse events were reported, but were mild and transient in nature, such as a peppermint taste, peppermint smell, and a cooling sensation around one’s bottom, whereas in some of the head-to-head peppermint versus drug studies, some of the drug side-effects were so unbearable they had to drop out of the study. This suggests that it might be a reasonable approach for clinicians to treat IBS patients with peppermint oil as a first-line therapy, before trying anything else.The longest trial only lasted 12 weeks, so we don’t know about long-term efficacy, though the benefits may last at least a month after stopping, thought perhaps to be due to lasting changes in our gut flora.The studies used peppermint oil capsules, so they could match them with placebo pills. What about peppermint tea? It’s never been tested, but one might assume it wouldn’t be concentrated enough, but a quarter cup of fresh peppermint leaves has as much peppermint oil as some of the capsule doses used in the studies, which one could easily blend into a smoothie, or with frozen berries to make something like my pink juice recipe. You can grow mint right on your window sill.We doctors need effective treatments that are cheap, safe, and available. This is particularly relevant now as newer and more expensive drugs have either failed to work or been withdrawn from the market owing to concerns about serious adverse events.Just like it may be a good idea to only eat foods with ingredients you can pronounce, it may be better to try some mint before novel pharmacological approaches, such the new dual mu-opioid agonist delta-antagonist drug with a name like JNJ27018966.	The effectiveness of sugar pills suggests the hypothesis that sugar is a miracle cure-all drug!You got a point! :-)Believing in the cure is so easy when the cures are tasty and clinically proven and don’t come with that hoard of side-effects. Whether it’s plants or fake pills. What works works and that’s the most important thing. Andrew Weil wrote quite a bit on placebo effect way back when. The mind is a powerful thing, USE IT!!! ;-D​The Power of the Placebo3000 $ per year for a side effect loaded treatment is crazy! There’s gut to be a better way…..:-) Well for sure a WFPB diet eases problems with the gut – and only beneficial side effects.Speaking of expensive pills,WASHINGTON (AP) — The $1,000 pill for a liver-wasting viral infection that made headlines last year is no longer the favorite of patients and doctors.The new leading pill for hepatitis C is more expensive, and the number of patients seeking a cure has surged.Sovaldi, last year’s wonder drug, has been pushed aside by a successor called Harvoni, made by the same company. The sticker price for Harvoni is $1,350 a pill.1,350 $ a pill !!?? How many does it take to cure a patient?Once daily for 8, 12, or 24 weeks,. Gilead justifies the cost as being about half that of a liver transplant.Thanks! But their argument make no sense since you dont treat IBS with a liver transplantCan kefir (vegan) be harmful to ingest? What does the science say about vegan based kefir, kefir supplements, etc.?I see coconut water kefir (vegan) around and people swear by it but I’ve also heard of others having very adverse reactions to it. Is it safe and something that our bodies actually want, or is it just another over the counter, “natural” cure that gets marketed to us by companies?One of our star NF volunteers made a comment about Kefir grains. I think you can buy the grains and use them in basically any liquid to make “kefir”. There are a ton of studies on this stuff, just like there are regarding probiotics, as it is basically a probiotic. More research articles on kefir can be found here. There is not much on kefir grains and safety or tolerance other than a few animal studies I found. There is much more information on the safety of probiotics, however, I am not one to promote either, as food can supply all the pre and probiotics we need. Butyrate – an anti-inflammatory and potential cancer fighting short-chain fatty acid, accumulates after fiber-filed meals. We may not need special probiotics like kefir, and some like kombucha have safety concerns. What do others think? I do know folks who buy those kefir drinks and enjoy them. Some are dairy-based and others not (as you mention coconut water). I do think it is overly hyped but that doesn’t mean it’s harmful. I wish we had more definitive research.One persons cure is another persons poison.another great video! thank you from another nutrition facts video i remember that peppermint may lower the libido (and with not to much just 2 tea cups ) is that related with the lower testosterone levels in women and men? or this effect is just for men http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/ my girlfriend have this pains and some gas in the bowel, and probably it is irritable bowel..(not diagnostic yet) i wonder if peppermint shakes may help her for the bowel but not may be not very good for the other…I think both men and women. From the link you gave and Dr. Greger’s transcripts: “Now heavy mint consumption may lower libido. There are reports of men drinking 4 cups of day of spearmint or peppermint tea losing their sex drive, though that may improve athletic performance even more—helping to keep their heads in the game. Because of the antiandrogenic, researchers decided to try it out on hairy women, and in a matter of just 5 days were able to drop their free testosterone levels by about 30% with two cups of tea a day. There’s actually a syndrome called PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, which can result in abnormally high testosterone levels in women, which can successfully be brought down with mint tea.”Thank you! We are talking about a powerful stuff . With advantage and side effects . 4 tea cups of pepermint tea is not to much compare with what is contain in a pepermint oil capsule or half a cup of tea leaves . This lower in tetotestorone can decline libido in men , but have the same effect in women? Or are other mechanism involve? Is so interesting the topic . I’m not focus on the libido I think one have to understand the whole thing to don’t do the same mistakes as before with pils and antibiotic . No simple solutions for a complex bodyDo you have a link to any research on the PCOS mint tea statement?Sure thing! I was referring to the video Noe posted on peppermint and exercise. At the end of the video you’ll see the paper cited, which can also be found in “sources cited.” I talk more about PCOS and diet in this brief review.Sorry, but that is akin as if you were asking:“My house is on fire, it is spreading fast, a lot of it is already falling down… But I wonder, should I use this anti fire foam?, because I hear a rumour that it might blemish the furniture’s varnish”I hope you get your priorities right.Don’t trivialise anyone’s health — Someone in pain and having tummy problems wont be interested in sex anyway… “The health-related quality of life of irritable bowel sufferers can rival that of sufferers of much more serious disorders, such as diabetes, kidney failure and inflammatory bowel diseases.”Hehe I’m not focus on sexual drive but as we have learn here libido it is an importan signal for other problems ( case of high cholesterol etc) run a take tons of pepermint without now the implication of it may not be the best way . We have to be curios to discover the interaction involve in taking this powerful natural drugs .By the way she don have serius symptoms ibs . She have just lightly some times . Also no problems in the other sens but the good thing about t site is the curiosity that make posible to learn the whole thingGoing WFPB boosted my testosterone (without increasing cancer risks) such that I’m not worried ONE BIT about any amount of mint causing me to lose enough libido to be an issue. Mint also enhances athletic performance and that is a “contrary” result if one only looks at sex hormone levels. But that’s just me, and you are you. I’d certainly try it (for IBS if afflicted) and alter my only course if “problems” arose.What is the dosage if I take peppermint capsules?Hi Sandy. I am not sure. It looks like “a quarter cup of fresh peppermint leaves has as much peppermint oil as some of the capsule doses used in the studies.” This is the study that mentions the peppermint oil capsules. All references can be found in the sources cited section and may discuss dosages used in the studies.Thank you.A real help, and even possible cure to IBS and similar bowel disorders, is to re-establish intestinal integrity of the bowel, which sugar, sugary foods, sodas, starchy carbohydrates (pasta, bread, pastries, etc.) and lots of high-fructose FRUITs and even many prescription drugs e.g., antibiotics, birth control pills, chemotherapy and prednisone, disrupt thereby causing an overgrowth of candida in the gut. There are very effective probiotics that repopulate the gut, which IBS suffers ought to try, I suggest. There are 20 billion and 50 billion CFUs products available in health food stores, refrigerated. For very serious IBS problems, the 50 billion should do wonders after about a week or less of recolonizing AND restructuring the dietary to a plant-based, low starch, complex carb diet. See this website for some input about them.I never had good luck with probiotic supplements (caps, powder, etc.) but started making my own fermented foods and that made all the difference! It makes sense if you consider that the food can act as a prebiotic as it is ingested with the appropriate probiotic organisms. Despite a few questionable videos here, in my own experience, fermented foods have been transformative to my gut, eliminated severe IBS, and especially enhanced my emotional state…not something I expected!After shifting to a mainly plant based diet I need less sleep.That has happened to me since I became Vegan 16 months ago! Sometimes I feel concerned that I am not getting enough sleep but my energy levels are usually pretty high. This has been going on for months now–living on 3-5 hours per night, for over a year! Once in a while I’ll get 6-8 hours but never 2 days in a row and not very often. I seem to have a lot of energy, for example I hiked 15 miles in sand & varied elevations after only 3 hours sleep last Saturday, I workout long hours 5-6 days a week. I guess the clear conscious of eating a compassionate diet gives me enormous emotional/psychological boost as well. I would love to come across research on this type of exceptional energy resulting from a WFPBD.I have found similar: homemade fermented foods far exceed any probiotic supplements I’ve purchased in alleviating my GI distress.Wonder if you could provide examples of your homemade fermeted foods? Favorites?Gee, a favorite? Hmm, tough one! The most eaten is my almost daily miso oats. I just make a bowl of oatmeal with flax and a few nuts or seeds before bed, and when it cools I mix in a TBS of white miso, and let it sit out overnight to ferment. By morning it is an awesome creamy yummy breakfast. (I usually eat it at room temp, but in the cooler months I warm it lightly so as not to kill the microbes). Or else maybe my “magic” cactus salsa? LOL, I live in FL on real tight income, so I grow a lot of my own food and forage and we have huge nopale cactus (Opuntia) that grows everywhere, and the pads and fruit are awesome! Anyway, I dice the pads up and add it to chopped tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, jalapenos, onions, garlic, (and whatever else might be available…sprouts, grated eggplant, cooked beans, etc…) lots of cilantro, turmeric and cumin seeds, pack it tightly into clean quart jars, add enough brine to cover, screw on the lids and let it do it’s magic for about 3 days, depending on the temp! (With some baked corn tortillas I can make a meal out of it!) Another favorite is grated red cabbage, beets and apples…I add caraway, dill and celery seeds, same procedure, but I usually ferment it a bit longer…I just taste it as it ferments to see where I want to stop it. I almost always have a batch of something, or things plural, bubbling happily! Oh, and rejuvelac (a probiotic drink made with sprouted grains) is a constant because I often use it to add to the brine to speed things up a little, and often to ferment plant cheeze made from pureed nuts, seeds or soy, often using miso too as a fermenting and flavor agent. I also use the rejuvelac as a liquid and second ferment it with ginger, citrus, hibiscus (or whatever is handy) and a little honey or sugar to make a healthy fizzy drink like soda, only good for you! It’s so easy and a lot of fun, I am always experimenting in the “kitchen lab”. It took a while to get over the fear we’re taught about leaving food sitting on the counter, but it is nature’s awesome preservative, flavor and nutrient enhancer, so unbelievably cool! I’m happily addicted! LOL!As a long time sufferer of IBS, including an extremely embarrassing (but greatly illustrative) incident at my doctor’s office, I am happy to report that IBS has become far less bothersome since I moved to a vegan diet. Being dairy-free has clearly helped, but giving up all other animal products as well has freed me from always needing to know where the closest bathroom is.Anyone who hasn’t lived with IBS cannot imagine how crippling it can be to a sufferer’s life once we exit our front doors. Simple walks around the block require a quick personal inventory to answer the question, “Am I likely to get into trouble over the next 20 minutes?” Even if all seems ok, the route is designed so that bathroom access is never more than five minutes away.IBS means never going on bus field trips with your kids, but instead trailing the bus in your own car, just in case you need an unscheduled stop. It means oftentimes answering the question, “Did you make it?” with a rueful, “Almost…” It means never sharing a hotel room with friends because almost nobody outside your family knows that when you’re rapping on the bathroom door, they need to immediately wrap up their business.I greatly hope that peppermint oil helps people who suffer with this – and I repeat that an animal, fish and dairy-free diet has worked wonders for me.Thanks for sharing, JCarol! Sounds like IBS can really alter travel plans (well I suppose all plans for that matter). Kudos for finding solutions for such a frustrating syndrome! I too hope peppermint provides some relief for those suffering. Thanks again for sharing your story.Thank you. My point was that even non life-threatening physical conditions can seriously interrupt and complicate people’s lives. A lot of people have no idea how IBS plays out because most sufferers find it so embarrassing that they don’t discuss it.What dose and at what frequency should one consume the peppermint oil? ThanksOT but I was wondering if one of the pros here could comment on this as I am confused about the actual facts about saturated plant fats vs saturated animal fats. Seems like the same thing, yet: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/mct-fats-found-coconut-oil-boost-brain-function-only-one-dose.Dr. Greger points out the differences between saturated fat from coconut and animal fat in this video. From the transcript: “Unlike saturated animal fats, coconut oil doesn’t cause that spike inflammation immediately after consumption of animal foods, which makes sense because as you’ll remember it may be the dead bacterial endotoxins in animal products ferried into the body by saturated fat that are to blame.”Two recent reports on coconut oil that may also help:CSPI report on coconut oilForks Over Knives reportHere is one great video that discusses leaky gut and inflammation. See if these help, Charzie? Thanks for your support and comments I enjoy reading them.Yum, cod liver oil cake? Gross, lol! I don’t use any oil besides a dash of mustard or toasted sesame oil for flavor occasionally, or rarely a little coconut milk in a recipe, but it helps to be able to make informed decisions in any event. (No wonder so many people turn off to dietary info when it seems there are so many diametrically opposed opinions on so many issues!) It’s good to have a source for reliable info here…as much as possible! If I were healthy and young I’m sure I’d be less concerned about these specifics, but keeping health issues in check that once plagued you keeps you a bit more vigilant! Sad but true! Thank you for the info and all your comments too, I always look forward to my “visits” here!I have had IBS since 1971 before it was invented. A quarter cup of wheat bran every night works for me.Inulin and oligofructose are really important prebiotics, concentrated in the bran of wheat. Celiacs should consider Allium vegetables (onions, leeks, garlic) as alternative sources.I think the primary benefit of wheat bran is the insoluble crude fiber, in my case increasing stool size by about 3 times.Remarkably, measurements of bacterial matter in stool range from 44 to 55 % of the total solids. So while it may seem like its water absorption by inert fiber that’s responsible for increased volume, in many cases its a flourishing petri dish.Whatever the mechanism I am lucky I had a 7th Day Adventist Doctor when I was 13 years old that prescribed what was then called Miller’s Bran instead of any drugs for my frequent severe debilitating gas pains.FODMAP ISSUE is a big deal for many. Most are not aware of it. Could be cause of gluten intolerance as well.I’ve read speculation that modern FODMAP intolerance is due to the catastrophic loss of gut microbial diversity in the antibiotics era, compounded by processed diets which eliminate traditional sources of prebiotics (past definitions only included varieties of FODMAPs, more recent definitions include resistant starch & polyphenols). Hence dysbiosis sufferers have fewer beneficial strains, more pathobionts, and broken microbial networks that would otherwise metabolize high-FODMAP intake without bloating and other distress. This argues that any reintroduction of the probiotic FODMAPS should be incremental, permitting time for the microbiota to adjust.I’m going to agree totally Darrlyl, and there are probably a lot more issues than this that can be helped by getting your microbiome healthy! Adding fermented food regularly to my diet has had innumerable benefits, mind and body, I would have never believed it could have so many effects!Just keep a patch of peppermint growing in the yard. My suggestion: containerize it in the yard. You’ll get fiber, and it tastes good! John SAre there any studies that compare diet high in veggies and fiber and probiotics that help cure or stop IBS. I know from personal experience that increasing my fiber intake and eating more veggie and raw sourcrout, and less meat that my stomach issues are all but a distant painful memory.Glad something works for you! We have a few videos on IBS. All of them can be found in Dr. Greger’s Doctor’s Note at the bottom of this video (and every video). That’s why i love NutritionFacts.org because the public can visit the site for free and learn about crucial nutrition topics! If you have not already, please consider keeping up with the new videos posted every weekday and subscribe to the daily video feed. Thanks, Chris.How can a vegan with digestive issues and dysbiosis such as myself be sure that I am converting K1 into K2, since we rely on gut bacteria for this conversion? Natto is the only direct vegan source, but doesn’t that only have MK7 and not MK4 or however many other MKs there are? It’s also not sold in any grocery stores nearby.Hey Richard. Dr. Greger addresses a similar question about vitamin K2 in his Q & A. See if this helps?Thanks! JosephHave a field full of “free-range” mint…mmmm.Tried peppermint oil years ago when I had 10 years of IBS (including chronic gas). All I remember it doing for me was making my farts smell like peppermint (lol). Going plant-based, low-fat cured my IBS.You treated the causes which is mainly unhealthy food, good job~In my experience IBS is not a diagnosis with one cause but a group of conditions lumped together. The first “treatment” is to go on a WFPB diet. I like this video as giving an alternative to drugs. I encourage patients to stop looking for the “magic” food as a substitute for the “magic” pill. The goal is to cure the condition so you don’t need to treat. Coconut oil is primarily saturated fat with a high energy density, of concern for those trying to lose weight and/or avoid diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes is primarily a fat problem with saturated fat being toxic to beta cells… see NutritionFacts videos on these topics. Gluten problems are the rage now. An interesting study by Capannolo et al. was published in Digestion May 2015 entitled, Non-celiac Gluten sensitivity among patients perceiving gluten related symptoms. The study involved patients reporting gluten problems. In evaluating patients for Celiac Disease, Wheat Allergy and non-celiac gluten sensitivity they found 86% of participants had no problem with gluten. Most of my patients symptoms were resolved given a WFPB diet and time. Sometimes patients have to ferret out sensitivities to specific plant foods. There can be many explanations for the success but quite frankly non of my patients with IBS cared to understand the mechanism only that they got better. You can view one moving testimonial on IBS from the last of five brief testimonials from EarthSave’s Meals for Health program in Sacramento…. http://www.earthsave.org/sacramento.htm.It doesn’t work for me either, wish it did :-( I have IBS/both types all my life, improved enormously on Vegan diet and learning to identify & eliminate foods that aggravateTried peppermint oil years ago when I had 10 years of IBS (including chronic gas). All I remember it doing for me was making my farts smell like peppermint (lol). Going plant-based, low-fat cured my IBS.off topic: Am still curious why the “previous” video did not show up here per normal. Is there something wrong with my machine or was there a fumble? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U–oQsCjadMHey, Wade. I think it’s because he had to re-record this one due to a small mistake. The transcript read fine, but someone pointed it out in a personal email, as well as others, in older comments from the video. That is how dedicated Dr. Greger is to his videos! He wants them to be accurate.What is the recommended dose and frequency?It may vary. In the video Dr. Greger mentions “a quarter cup of fresh peppermint leaves has as much peppermint oil as some of the capsule doses used in the studies, which one could easily blend into a smoothie, or with frozen berries to make something like my pink juice recipe. You can grow mint right on your window sill.” Check out his pink juice video, too!This is great! I’ve had IBS for years and doctors always prescribe SSRIs, which don’t help at all. I have found that rubbing peppermint oil on my belly does wonders to relieve IBS symptoms, as does drinking peppermint tea. A low-carb diet was also recommended, but I haven’t found any diet that makes a difference – flares seem to happen out of the blue, regardless of what I eat or don’t eat.Have you tried WFPB yet? See comment below from “J”.With many types of peppermint plants To choose , which are you talking about for fresh and blended usage ?How many types are there? Gosh I am not sure I think any ol’ peppermint would do the trick.Ok, thanks. I grow peppermints in my garden for tea an such, wondering if any certain variety was best for extract ? There are 100’s. Plant’s potencies in extractable nutrients vary a lot with environment, but also type. re: oily or dryAs always, thank you for your excellent work Dr. Greger (and team at Nutritionfacts.org). This is the most informative website in the Internet. Keep up the great work!Hi I have tried everything to stop bloating and smelly gas but nothing works. Since becoming a vegan I have also become very offensive to other peoples sense of smell. I eat extremely healthy but it seems the more veggies I eat the worse I smell. What is going on with my gut. It actually feels like the gas burns sometimes it is that bad! If only peppermint oil worked for me!What is the recommended daily dosage? How many drops per day? and for how long can I do it? Is there a limit?Do not forget the color of the placebo pills. It has an important effect on the outcome and different colors produce different types of outcomes.See http://mindhacks.com/2006/10/10/red-pill-or-the-blue-pill/	alternative medicine,antidepressants,berries,bile acids,colon disease,colon health,complementary medicine,diabetes,dizziness,gut flora,herbal tea,herbs,irritable bowel syndrome,kidney failure,medications,mint,pain,peppermint,peppermint oil,placebo effect,Prozac,sexual health,side effects,smoothies,tea	Peppermint essential oil should be considered the first-line treatment for IBS.	I have some other mint videos (Enhancing Athletic Performance With Peppermint andPeppermint Aromatherapy for Nausea) and more coming up! Lemon balm is also in the mint family (Reducing Radiation Damage With Ginger & Lemon Balm).You can also sprinkle dried mint on various dishes. See Antioxidants in a Pinch. What else might work for IBS? See Kiwifruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Cayenne Pepper for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Chronic Indigestion.Irritable bowel symptoms can overlap with problems with gluten. Make sure your physician rules out celiac disease:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kombucha-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppermint-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dizziness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antidepressants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoothies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/placebo-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19008265,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15138239,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24845149,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20639088,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15932367,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17420159,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19507027,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19440080,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24288712,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21203519,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24100754,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21666428,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24992947,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19455132,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23641133,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24574705,
PLAIN-2433	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diabetic-retinopathy-be-reversed/	Can Diabetic Retinopathy Be Reversed?	Though many reported feeling better on Dr. Kempner’s rice and fruit diet, he refused to accept that as evidence of success. He wanted objective measurements, the most famous of which were his so-called eyegrounds photographs, taken with a special camera that allowed one to visualize the back of the eye. And in doing so, he proved that not only could diet arrest the bleeding, oozing, and swelling you see in the back of the eye in people with severe kidney, hypertensive, or heart disease, but actually reverse it, something never even thought possible. Here’s the before; here’s the after. Reversal to such a degree that even patients who could no longer distinguish any objects had been able to read fine print. A reversal of blindness with diet.The results were so dramatic that the head of the department of ophthalmology at Duke, where Kempner worked was questioned as to whether they were somehow faked. He assured them that they were not. In fact, he wrote in one person’s chart, “This patient's eyegrounds are improved to an unbelievable degree." Not only had he never seen anything like it, he didn’t even remember ever seeing a patient with such advanced disease even being alive 15 months later.The magnitude of the improvements Kempner got was surprising, reversal of end-stage heart and kidney failure, simply beyond belief. But as Kempner said as his closing sentence of a presentation before the American College of Physicians, "The important result is not that the change in the course of the disease has been achieved by the rice diet but that the course of the disease can be changed," at all.Now that we have high blood pressure drugs, we see less hypertensive retinopathy, but still a lot of diabetic retinopathy; the leading cause of blindness in American adults. Even with intensive diabetes treatment, at least three insulin injections a day with the best modern technology has to offer, like these implantable insulin pumps, and the best we can offer is usually just a slowing of the progression of the disease. So, we can, in the 21st century, slow down your blindness, but a half century ago, Kempner proved you could reverse it. Kempner started out using his plant-based ultra low sodium/fat/cholesterol/protein rice diet to reverse kidney and heart failure, but assumed it would make diabetes worse. He expected a 90% carbohydrate diet would increase insulin requirements; however, the opposite proved to be true. He just took the next 100 patients with diabetes that walked through his door that went on the rice diet for at least three months, and their fasting blood sugars dropped despite a drop in the insulin they were taking. But this is what blew people away: 44 of the patients had diabetic retinopathy, and in 30% of the cases, their eyes improved. From like this to this. That’s not supposed to happen. Diabetic retinopathy had been considered a sign of irreversible destruction. What does this mean in real life? Unable to even read headlines, to normal vision.The remarkable success Dr. Kempner had reversing some of the most dreaded complications of diabetes with his rice and fruit diet was not because of weight loss. The improvements occurred even in those patients that did not lose significant weight, so it must have been something specific about the diet. Maybe it was his total elimination of animal protein, total elimination of animal fat, total elimination of cholesterol, or radical reduction in sodium, fat, and protein in general. We don’t know, but how do we treat diabetic retinopathy these days? With steroids and other drugs injected straight into your eyeballs. And if that doesn’t work, there’s pan-retinal laser photocoagulation, in which laser burns are etched over nearly the entire retina. Surgeons literally burn out the back of your eye. Why would they do that? The theory is that by killing off most of the retina, the little piece you leave behind may get more of the blood flow.When I see this, along with Kempner’s work, I can’t help but feel like history has been reversed. Like yeah, can you believe 50 years ago the best we had was this barbaric burn-out-your-socket surgery? But thank goodness we've since learned that through dietary means alone, we can reverse the blindness. But instead of learning, medicine seems to have forgotten.	Fantastic! The development of diabetic retinopathy runs parallel with the metabolic havoc, and the retinal changes are indicators as to the effectiveness and success of the treatment, and when state of the art therapy only offers slowing of progression of the changes in the retina, one can only be impressed by the results of a plant based diet.And modern treatment – photocoagulation – destroying parts of the retina and then hoping to increase blood flow to other parts of the retina, is like removing one hemisphere in the brain to increase blood flow to the other hemisphere to prevent a stroke :-) Modern treatment……This “modern treatment” scares the heck out of me, as my daughter has Type 1 diabetes. As a doctor, what do you think it is about the rice diet that works? Meaning, what dietary guidelines should my daughter follow that will really keep her retina healthy?I think it is more that the rice diet doesn’t include any animal or dairy. But it is a whole food plant-based diet. Correct me if I’m wrong Dr. plant! (Are you sleeping already! I just had my coffee)Late afternoon here. Jetlag :-) – just home from Washington D.C.Sorry to hear that. On the other hand I know of type 1 diabetics living long “healthy” lifes without complications. Dont consider this medical advice, but just my thoughts. The key word is control of the blood sugar – that of course includes insulin. Regarding type 1 diabetes, which is a serious condition, you have to work close with a skilled physician. As Veganrunner points out a healthy diet is crucial. A diet that improve control of blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol number may help in preventing retinopathy. In case of hypertension it has to be treated (diet or medication). Smoking is totally forbidden. I dont have hands on experience with treating type 1 diabetics, but perhaps Dr. Dynamic or Dr. Forrester have some experience? Best wishes PSDoc.Robbie Barbaro is a type 1 diabetic that shares his plant based life confronting and controlling his diabetes as Mindful Diabetic Robby. https://www.youtube.com/user/mindfuldiabeticrobby The best dietary guidelines are zero animal products, limited to no processed foods and whole plant foods.Hi Julie. PCRM has a fact sheet on type 1 diabetes. One study found a connection between risk of type 1 DM and cow’s milk protein in infants. This study does not reflect adults and how they can manage Type 1 DM, but I use it to show there seems to be a link between cows milk and risk of Type 1 DM in infants. If this study holds true I think avoiding cow’s milk and dairy protein may be helpful for those with type 1 diabetes. Also, to follow Plantstrong’s suggestions regarding Dr. Forrester here are his thoughts on diabetes from an earlier comment.Probably not a coincidence that she doesn’t drink milk because it makes her feel yucky.Hi, I was just reading a book about diabetes and retinopathy. According to this book, retinopathy has direct association with tight blood glucose control and number of years from onset of disease. Meaning that less tight blood glucose control, and more years from onset of disease would predispose individual more to diabetic retinopathy. Most important is constant blood glucose control, which can be achieved by following low glycemic whole foods diet, and avoiding empty calories food (snacks). This is an interesting study about carotenoids and antioxidants and their role in diabetic retinopathy. Nutrition and MetabolismHave you viewed the video Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days? There is a bit of a surprise ending, in that one of the patients who was assumed to have type 2 actually had type 1, and is one of a small handful of patients that the doctor had seen reversal of diabetes to the point of not requiring insulin. I wonder what your thoughts are on that. I want to be clear, reversal does not mean ‘cure’. I forget the MDs name, but his clinic is the Tree of Life in Arizona.I was going to share this information as well. The doctor is Gabriel Cousins and the clinic is in Patagonia, AZ. The man who you talk about actually went to school and became a naturopathic doctor after that experience. The diet is all raw vegan. I personally don’t think it has to be all raw, but maybe I’m wrong. I couldn’t keep warm on an all raw diet in the Pacific Northwest.Gabriel Cousens M.D. is his name. I have heard of his work, but unaware of any published research.Julie, I’m sorry to hear about your son’s condition. I believe what it is about the rice diet as the others have said, is that there is no meat or dairy in it. By eating a whole food plant-based diet it has been shown that in people with type 1 diabetes, insulin intake can be reduced by as much as 50%. Also, an interesting fact is that the correlation between type 1 diabetes in children and dairy is stronger than the correlation between lung cancer and smoking.Both Drs Neal Barnard and Joel Fuhrman have excellent books on reversing Type 2 diabetes, (or a lessening of the effects of Type 1). they include background science, recipes and lifestyle suggestions. Check out https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/reverse_diabetes.aspx Cutting out the cause, (meat/dairy saturated fat and cholesterol) is a good start, but adding in foods with high nutritional value has a huge roll in the reversal and mitigation of symptoms.VegCoach, Nutritional Therapist, certified Plant-based nutritionSorry Julie, I mean your DAUGHTER’S condition – not your son’s.Thanks VegCoach! While I am aware of the strong correlation between type 1 diabetes and dairy, I didn’t know that it’s stronger than the correlation between lung cancer and smoking. Do you have the reference for that?That’s not actually the point to PRP (photocoagulation). And while diet, exercise, supplementation and lifestyle should ALWAYS come first, PRP should not be feared to vilified. As a type 1 diabetic for close to 40 years, we need every aspect of help to be considered….I can’t help but be ever more appalled at modern medicine. Where profit comes before health every time. It’s truly sickening!Totally astounding!Now this is the kind of information that is truly inspiring to improve one’s diet. Thank you for sharing your research with millions of people through this website and your lectures.Who doesn’t love a story like this? Pass me the melon!Dr. G is the best!My precious daughter is a Type 1 diabetic. I would love to know exactly what components of the rice diet reverse diabetic retinopathy, and what components of a standard diet cause it.Julie there are a couple of theories. Have you read by chance The China Study? There is a great section on just that question. I was reviewing it last night.Thanks Veganrunner. I’ve heard so much about The China Study; guess now’s the time to read it!Get “WHOLE” at the same time – the two books are a must for people interested in diet and health.It was started several times that it was unclear which individual aspect of the diet was responsible. And it could have been a combination of the factors. Wouldn’t the best bet be to adopt a whole-food plant-based diet, especially since many plant foods have benefits that support the eyes? Seems like trying to cherry pick what might have been the single thing (if there is one) is unnecessary and not the healthiest approach.Yeah but the Rice Diet is very restrictive. Conversely, just because the rice diet works, doesn’t mean that just any WFPB diet works. See what I’m getting at?I think the video was about to type II treatment (different cause). But maybe, instead of knowing what to add, the right question would be what to take out. Doctors are usually taught to give medication instead of investigating the cause. Fruit and rice are not medications.I suggest reviewing the other articles in the doctors notes section. There is one link that is specifically discussing white rice and why it’s interaction in Diabetes is likely zero and the real problem is animal products. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/Hi Julie, I have radiation-induced retinopathy after a radiation treatment damaged a few capillaries. It saved my eye, and I can still see 80%, which is great considering that most people loose most of their vision. This positive outcome was probably due to my age, and also all the dietary changes and supplements I take. The doctors are pleased, but there is still much to do to halt and reverse it. It is very similar to diabetic retinopathy in that radiation has damaged the DNA of the endothelial cells lining the capillaries – whereas for diabetics it is the high sugar levels that cause a similar problem.The main thing is to control that blood sugar, so as to stop the trigger – but there is a lot you can do to strengthen the capillaries / endothelial lining. A whole foods plant based diet is great because it is rich in phytochemicals like flavanoids which directly strengthen the capillaries. It’s also rich in fibre, which helps keep the blood sugar more stable by slowing absorption. Conversely, refined products like flour, sugar and oil – and too much meat and dairy can cause inflammation and damage to the endothelial lining, and upset blood sugar levels. I don’t know if meat is so much to blame – some research certainly suggests it does contribute to this inflammation. But definitely refined foods, and also any food allergies will cause damage to the endothelial lining. Personally, I don’t eat gluten or dairy or soy as they are the main allergens – I eat meat occasionally, but I fill up on vegetables, fruit, rice and berries and a few beans, with some hemp protein in the morning. Research anything to improve microcirculation and capillary health.Useful supplements to research would be pycnogenol, which is used alot for diabetic retinopathy – also grape seed extract, and Gingko biloba have a strengthening effect on capillaries. I also use a product called Flavon jam – the protect and the green versions – which I’m pretty sure has had a strong positive effect. Megafood also do an excellent vision supplement called Vision strength, and there are many great supplements out there (just go with whole food and herbs and nothing synthetic). There are also treatments like Bemer treatment (youtube it for positive eye stories) and microstimulation which has had a few positive studies, mostly for macular degeneration. HBOT therapy is also a consideration, but there are some possible side effects apparently.Still, those are all for people actively trying to heal a disease condition. Avoidance is preferable and has to start with diet – with the focus on whole plants. There are even reports of people reversing Type 1 diabetes. Gabriel Cousins at the Tree of Life (who has reported many Type 2 reversals) has said that he has seen at least 1 reversal at his clinic if I remember correctly. Check out the documentary on this, and Esselstyn’s TED talk on reversing heart disease and repairing the endothelial lining.Thank you Joe, for your thorough reply. Lots of good ideas there! It looks like all those phytochemicals in whole plant foods and some supplements are key for healthy strong blood vessels. Thanks for telling me about Flavon jam–never heard of it before. From my research, it looks like another good one may be astaxanthin, as this super antioxidant easily crosses into the retina. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suzy-cohen-rph/astaxanthin_b_2750910.htmlI agree with you on avoiding gluten, dairy and soy as they can harm the intestinal lining, promote leaky gut and incite the immune system (peanuts are also “good” at this). I’ll look into the treatments you mentioned to familiarize myself with them.We will keep doing what we can. Best of luck with the healing protocol for your eyes!I would recommend Dr. Barnard’s book on Reversing Diabetes. That’s where I would start, but the China Study and/or Whole are good with respect to overall health and the range of common maladies.I don’t get it at all. Rice is carbohydrate. Carbohydrates convert readily especially white rice into sugar.Now someone tell us how Sugar reverses diabetes or any of its symptoms. This is almost nonsensical to me.I’ve seen many clinical studies that indicated a diet with saturated fat in the absence of refined carbohydrate & sugars finds great benefit to lowering both blood sugars & insulin levels in type 2 diabetics.If the complications are a result from high sugars destroying the internal organs such as kidneys, heart, arteries, & eyes — why would anyone encourage more sugar?High sugar is a symptom not cause of diabetes. Insulin resistant people are know to “overly” secrete insulin for any carbohydrates or sugar consumed. It’s this over secretion that leads to the metabolic disorder.Clearly it makes more sense to limit carbohydrates, especially starch based ones, to immediately address high sugars in your body. This also slows or reduces insulin secretion. It’s a deadly combination to have both high insulin and high blood sugar flowing within your veins. It’s believed thst high levels of insulin create inflammatory disease in our veins and arteries. Once inflammation creates an interior lesion small particulate LDL (very bad) sticks to the lesions and can buildup into a clogged area as more of them attach and build the blockage over time.LDL is considered bad cholesterol, but that not correct. LDL is an essential cholesterol just as is HDL. Without either you would surely deteriorate and die. What’s critical is the quality of your cholesterol. LDL large particulate is considered neutral because it does not stick to lesions in your veins that occur due to inflammation.So it’s key to get inflammation under control and we know high insulin levels promote an inflammatory response. It should be clear to even healthy people thst if they eat to much refined carbohydrates or sugars they too will have to secrete more and more insulin to normalize blood sugars. They too are suceptable to high insulin inflammatory response; even with normal glucose levels…E.g., two people go to the doctor. He checks each patients blood sugar levels. Both patients show a 95 blood sugar, & the doctor gives each of them a shinny star… But that’s just wrong!!! Why? The doctor doesn’t know that one of these patients has X2 or x3 or more insulin flowing to maintain that spot check 95 reading. It’s the excess insulin that is clearly causing the problems from my perspective and other doctors and studies have shown.So again, please someone tell me how refined carbohydrates or sugars address solving or reversing these conditions. I truly don’t get it from a technical perspective…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/It’s a good video & has some good points. But I’m wondering when you contrast it out with positive clinical studies that equally prove the benefits of high fat low carb especially in people already prone to insulin sensitivity or type 2 diabetes what it all really means???I’m using a ketogenic diet to control my diabetes and impressively well without my insulin now for 8 weeks…I’ve not considered this beta cell issue though and studies showing a coorelation between beta cell death and high fat.Also this study referred to an omnivore diet comparison. Omnivore’s eat everything to include sugars and carbohydrates to an excess.I liked this video, but it still doesn’t answer the question I had… How is it anyone can claim rice which converts to sugar improves type2 diabetes?Michael: I can’t tell you what would be right for you. I would think you would need to work with a knowledgeable doctor (one who understands nutrition) if you want to safely (safe both short and long term) address the root cause of your Type 2 diabetes. But I’ll try to take a stab at answering this: “How is it anyone can claim rice which converts to sugar improves type2 diabetes?”In the following video, Dr. Greger explains what causes Type 2 diabetes: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-diabetes/As the video explains in detail, the answer is saturated fat – not “sugar”. When you go on a low-fat, plant-only diet (meaning you can’t just eat rice along side a burger), you start to clean out the fat from your cells. So, by eating rice and sweet potatoes and beans (be sure to check out the 2nd meal effect for beans!!!!), you are not eating a lot of fat and thus you begin to truly reverse diabetes. When your body converts rice to “sugar” (we are not talking table sugar here, but the food your body’s cells thrive on), it is only a problem if that food can’t get into the cells. Once your cells clean out, the cells can properly “eat” the food/glucose/(what you are calling “sugar”) that they need instead of having it floating around in your blood and causing all sorts of havoc.I’m just a lay person. So, take this post for whatever it is worth. But I think I got the gist of it correct. And if you have been reading the comments, you will know that Dr. Barnard’s clinical study, published in a peer reviewed journal, had 3 times the success rate of dealing with Type 2 diabetes over the ADA diet. The ADA diet cautions being careful of “carbs”. Where as Dr. Barnard’s diet encourages people to eat a plate full of beans, (intact!) whole grains, veggies and fruit. To learn about Dr. Barnard’s success and get recipes, check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1436907177&sr=8-1&keywords=barnard+prevent+and+reverse+diabetesOr you can join the free 21 Day Kickstart program. (But I wouldn’t do that without a doctor’s supervision, because a healthy diet can have dramatic effects on people with Type 2 diabetes. It is my understanding, a person in your situation needs to be supervised when switching to a healthy diet.)Hope that makes sense. If not, I don’t think I have anything more for you. Good luck.That was a good thoughtful reply, thank you.I’m a pretty logical guy though. So if it’s really fat clogging cells why is it fat bariatric patients, eating high fat diets are cured within a few weeks? You would think nothing is cleaning their cells of this fat, & you would think the high fat they eat would keeps their cells nonresponsive to insulin. Yet it does not?You would think logically if fat was indeed the culprit, more fat would make the symptoms of the disease worse… Yet it improves the immediate symptoms of the disease and tons of people are finding their disease in remission or cured on high fat diets…This is what I’m struggling with. I don’t want to use another single unit of insulin to keep my sugar levels normal. High fat is doing this for me very nicely…What part of starch or even high nutrient rich veggies in the absence of fat scrubs cells of fat? Or since dietary fat only slightly raises LDL how is it this slight increase results in such large increases in insulin sensitivity.We likely have more work to do here to understand these issues. One thing is clear we have plentiful subjects which to test and measure from in clinical scientific studies.Michael: re: “One thing is clear we have plentiful subjects which to test and measure from in clinical scientific studies.” :-) or should I say, :-(re: “So if it’s really fat clogging cells why is it fat bariatric patients, eating high fat diets are cured within a few weeks? You would think nothing is cleaning their cells of this fat, & you would think the high fat they eat would keeps their cells nonresponsive to insulin. Yet it does not?” I’m no expert, but here is my understanding: While a high fat diet may *cause* diabetes, once you get that problem, then you have a problem with eating carbs, because those carbs can’t be absorbed correctly. So, if you eat a high fat diet, with no carbs, then you aren’t going to see those blood sugar spikes. Because you aren’t eating the “sugar” for it to spike. That doesn’t mean that your body is not properly regulating the glucose. It just means that you have successfully treated the symptom, at least in the short term. (The reason I say short term is that nothing has been done to fix the cause and thus the disease often progresses. Or if the person were somehow religious about never eating carbs, then I would expect the long term effects of a nutrient-poor diet combined with the long term problems of the whole keytone thing to rear its ugly head.)I totally understand your goal of wanting to stay off the drugs, including insulin. It is a laudable goal. And of course, I can’t say what is right for you. I hope you are able to find a way to stay off that insulin safely.Thanks for hoping I can stay off insulin.The only other thing is that bariatric patients do in time return to normal diets and they too don’t have diabetes after losing their weight. It’s believed it’s the loss of organ fat on of both the pancreas & liver are key to reversing type2 diabetes… cells die and are relished every day of our lives. What would make new ones get more clogged do quickly if blood lipids are normal? Do I Tend To Think THERE May Be SOMETHING To Say ABOUT Organ FAT VERSUS BODY FAT.This refers to fat possibly damaging beta cells in the pancreas and limiting insulin production. Most tupe2’s don’t have limited production of insulin.This does not answer how rice, or starches or sugar help diabetes.Show me where starch diets or sugar diets reverse diabetes safely…Thank you Dr. Greger and Staff!!Unfortunately big medicine has not only forgotten but has tried to erase what Walter Kempner has done. I am referring to Duke university stopped using the rice diet in 2002 and then all funding dried up in 2013. If you can’t patent plants you can’t make any money off of the treatment. As one of my coworkers said before, “Remember sick people pay our bills. “It’s really sad when money interests overtake human interests, especially in medicine. Great piece of work!When will the contingencies of reinforcement be changed? Has anyone seen Escape Fire?I have watched it.. very important message regarding practicing medicine.It’s worse than that. Not only has Duke abandoned Kempner, they’ve embraced Westman and his low carb dogma instead!!Gee, whatever can their motive be? Truly sad!Yes but low carbohydrate works especially well for diabetics. I’ve eliminated over 280 insulin injections in the last 8 weeks alone. I’m highly in remission.I tried plant only and it worked okay too, but I found juicing green plants and eating them terribly unsatifying. So it was hard to stick to it.High fat, moderate protein low carbohydrate works very well for me. I uptake my fats in avocado, select meats (but I limit them or moderately eat meats… I don’t go TREX crazy) & I always include green low carbohydrate highly nutritious vegetables.My blood sugar start to rise, I eat an avocado or spoonful of coconut oil or eat a fatty meat and the sugar comes down quite quickly.I’ve never had a doctor tell me I’m not secreting enough insulin so I don’t have a clue if beta cells are impacted here. Is there a test for that? Most type2 diabetics have copious insulin production it’s their body’s cells that refuse to let insulin in that is the problem… At least I think that’s right…Michael, your success on low carb won’t be sustainable long term. Check out McDougall’s work and recommendations. Greens alone will almost never satisfy. You’ve got to focus on starch — potatoes, rice, beans, bananas. Eat to satiety — the volume takes a little getting used to if you’re coming from SAD or a meat heavy, fat heavy diet.I can’t do that and eliminate insulin. if I eat a potato or any starch my sugars go over 300. I’m not willing to try that with a symptom of high blood sugar and requiring me to take insulin Injections.My interest is immediate relief of high blood sugar, low insulin levels and progressive weight loss. High FAT Low CARBOHYDRATE is achieving this for me now 8 weeks in a row. If I eat even a few beans my sugars rise to 160 to 170.Insulin injections only worsen dependency on needing more and more insulin to regulate sugars.What is long term? I shooting normal blood sugars now with high fat for 8 weeks in a row without fail… As I burn more and more body fat I will also burn pancreatic and liver fat which both contribute to diabetes.But starches are like poison to my blood. I can’t even try that without taking 100 to 150 units of insulin or more a day.Still, nobody has explained how starches which convert into sugar in anyway cure or help diabetes. All the studies I’ve seen and there are many state starches and sugars only increase sugars into the blood streams of both healthy and diabetics alike.What’s in sugar that cure diabetes????? How can any reasonable person claim more sugar addresses or fixes a disease such as diabetes?Lipotoxicity may apply if one isn’t secreting enough insulin but most type 2’s secrete way to much insulin…A diabetics goal is to lower glucose and insulin simultaneously. Sugar does not achieve this in any manner that I can discern…You should absolutely consult with Dr. McDougall — my understanding is that he is very responsive via email. Let me know if you are interested, and I’ll track down his email address for you.https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/hot-topics/medical-topics/diabetes/I’ll check out his lecture again. Maybe I missed something. I do recall watching him once and visiting his website. But it seemed on his website he wasn’t claiming any get of insulin quick programs by eating starches. I seem to recall him mentioning a means to potentially lower dosing diabetic drugs over unspecified periods.After being highly dependent on insulin and poorly controlled blood sugars I’m finally well controlled with a ketogenic diet. This is clinically clear with my experience…Amazing! I have such huge respect for Dr Kempner and his Rice n Fruit diet. Another great video Dr G!Critics want to discount these important quality-of-life issues that typically get so debilitating as you age: Good vision, frequent and easy bowel movement and easier urination, low-normal weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood-sugar, much reduced susceptibility to colds & flu (15-20+ years for me). Combine this with much better mobility, no arthritis, greater ability to work and exercise and have stamina through the day.With regards to diabetes, are we talking about Type 2, Type 1 or both? Intuitively, I can see how this could have a big impact on sufferers of Type 2. It’s less obvious to me that Type 1 would benefit (of course they and everyone benefits from a whole foods plant based diet), with regards to the retinopathy.Diabetic blindness can affect both Type 1 and Type 2. Reversal of the cause of blindness is valid for both Type 1 and Type 2. For type 2 a plant based diet can seemingly reverse diabetes. For type 1 a plant based diet can ease control, reducing the amount and frequency of insulin needed.The last words of this video gives me goosebumps… This is a great video full of wisdom. Thx Dr. Greger !Dr. Gregor,Thank you for the video, This could have been written about me. I was diagnosed with severe Hypertension and was a borderline diabetic Three years ago when I had a hemorrhage in my left eye. My vision went from 20/20 in both eyes to 20/200 and 20/400.I went on a plant based diet and my vision has come back to 20/30 and 20/35 with corrective lenses.The doctor that I am seeing has done all the treatments that you have in the video with injections and laser, but wont accept that my diet has played a major role in the improvements.Thanks again for your continued informative articles and videos.DaveThanks for sharing, Dave. Glad you are feeling better and your eye health has improved!You are wrong on why PRP (Pan Retinal Photocoagulation). It is not to give more nutrients to the rest of the eye. It is to destroy hypoxic retina so it doesn’t send out VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) which will result in leakage, new weak vessels, scarring, and retinal detachment. You obviously did not talk to an ophthalmologist about this. This leads me to wonder if you know what you are talking about. For full disclosure, I am a vegan.Thanks for letting us know, Dr. Miller! If something seems “off” in a video we always like to correct it ASAP. I’ll bring this to his attention.Thanks again, JosephDr. Miller,To be fair to Dr. Greger, his quote on-screen (“Theories have suggested that PRP causes improvement in retinal oxygenation by elimination of a portion of the hypoxic retina (reducing demand for oxygen)”) is cited from a recent journal: Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2014 May;25(3):164-70. He does verbalize as well that this is a “theory.”I would not expect Dr. Greger to get every single fact right in thousands of facts from hundreds of videos. One can certainly get the gist of his message loud and clear though, and therein lies the benefit to everyone of those extensive efforts.You are totally right. Attacking one single statement seems foolish and suggests ignorance.Dear Dr. Miller. You are obviously new to this site. If there are one unbiased doctor who knows what he is talking about it is Dr. Greger. BTW: Many treatments have very different theoretical backgrounds – as an MD you should be aware of this.Dr. Miller – Thank you for the correcting information. I completely switched to WFPB diet after finding and vetting this site 2 1/2 years ago. It is very important to me that Dr. Greger consistently present the best evidence and the best interpretation of it to inform our healthy dietary choices, which I think he does amazingly well. Nevertheless, maintaining credibility is key and I appreciate the knowledge you so generously shared, as well as the ongoing commentary by the regular physicians and a few incredibly knowledgeable non-physicians on this site. Hope to read more of your perspective in the future.A stellar video—my eyes get moist just watching it. Thanks Dr. Greger, Joseph, posting MDs, and all the volunteers at NF. That one can access these videos for free still blows my mind.I had no idea that laser therapy was used as a preventative treatment for diabetic retinopathy for the past four decades. According to this Cochrane review, the treatment is effective in some people given limited research that met their criteria. What struck me was that proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is also related to additional growth of blood vessels, which got me thinking about anti-angiogenesis and our old friend VEGF. Sure enough, anti-angiogenic drugs are also used in treating PDR, the knowledge of which may be of use to some people before they subject themselves to much more invasive procedures.Of course, treating the cause may be the best option. But, I have to pull myself back from being too smug in this regard. Five or so years ago before I steeped myself in the diet and learning curve that got me to this website and a plant-based lifestyle, if I were staring down the prospect of going blind because my diabetes was getting ahead of ‘modern medicine’ to treat me, I would have gone under the laser. After all, laser eye surgery is ‘a thing,’ right? This situation is improving thanks to the ‘usual suspects.’ Truly, I am standing on the shoulders of Giants!In the Rice diet, 13 of 44 patients had improvement (plus another 7 had one eye improve while the other got worse). This is by far, inferior to the benefits of photocoagulation therapy, though interestingly it does point out there is some chance of improvement with uninvasive measures. (and at the time of the study there were no other alternatives.) I think it would be misleading to advise a diabetic with proliferative diabetic retinopathy to rely on diet alone, without the ophthalmalogic therapies, though certainly it may be the best and important stategy for the treatment of the diabetes. Y.Yassur et. al. in Br. J. of Ophthalmol., 1980, Feb. 64 (2) p. 77-86, showed 71% had reduction of optic disc neovascularization with argon laser treatment.David Patz: re: “This is by far, inferior to the benefits of photocoagulation therapy.” I curious what the improvement rate for photocoagulation therapy is. And do you have any sources you can site? I’m also wondering if “improvement” would be counted/defined the same with the two treatments. Thanks for your thoughts.Having been faced with health crises that eventually led me to a WFPB diet and dramatic healing on many fronts, I HAVE to say I only wish we could all learn this early in life to PREVENT disease before it becomes something that needs treatment. It is truly a sad statement about the de-evolution of dietary wisdom since the time of Hippocrates, the father of medicine.And what if WFPB diet were used today to treat T2D? Then would we even GET to the point of eye trouble? In a word: NO. How does that figure in to your invasive techniques and statistics?New Zealand might be showing some leadership here: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/278322/evidence-that-food-taxes-would-help-poorestLittle country with a lot of guts…at least this researcher is brave. What happens to you when you tell the truth about diet in a country whose economy is based on dairy/meat/fish ? We shall see.New Zealand led the way with anti-nuke movement. France murdered a Kiwi photographer when it blew up the Rainbow Warrior in retribution. I hope these brave scientists fare better with the likes of Fonterra!Kinda like comparing apples to atom bombs, eh? How wonderful it would be to get a 20% subsidy on fruit and veg offset by 20% taxes on salt and fat! That would be the Holy Grail for America, too. I wish you luck, but don’t hold your breath. It won’t be French commandos coming to scuttle your subsidies, it’s gonna be this… http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Trade-and-Economic-Relations/2-Trade-Relationships-and-Agreements/Trans-Pacific/index.phpBtw, been to Auckland enroute to Melbourne. Stunningly beautiful island nation from the air, Hope to return someday/somelifetime. Take care.Yes too right. american tobacco fought us tooth and nail over package warnings. How will we ever withstand the demands of our new TPP “partners”. After some lip service the Beehive will bow to our new masters. I’m going to slither back to my clean green fjord and eat whole plant foods!I reversed my Diabetic retinopathy. I juice fresh organic vegetables every morning. I eat more of a whole food diet consisting of fresh raw milk, cream & butter, from grass feed cows.Tracie,there is no need for adult humans to consume mothers milk-especially not the milk of another species. it is not only the added hormones in cows milk which is extremely unhealthy, but also the saturated fat and animal protein-both of which are in abundance in all forms of dairy regardless of the source. here is an article on PCRM about milk: http://www.pcrm.org/milkin addition, all forms of dairy production involve tremendous violence and exploitation. you can check out the truth behind the organic and “grass fed” industries here: http://freefromharm.org/farm-animal-welfare/what-about-humanely-raised-milk-and-dairy-products/Have my own milk cows and consume fresh raw dairy daily. My animals live a happy life. Wouldn’t change a thing!forced artificial insemination (i.e. rape), mutilation (branding, de-horning) stealing their children and the food made for their children, sentencing the mothers and children to a brutal death when they have “outlived their purpose” at a very young age-despite your false perceptions, “your” cows would not in any way agree that they live a “happy life”.I thought this discussion was about Reversing Diabetic Retinopathy. Just wanted to share what has worked for me.FYI I saved my 2 cows from factory farms and they are breed by a bull. My animals are not branded and don’t take anything into their bodies except for fresh organic grass.They are living long lives at my home, and I treat them as well. I hug and pet them and brush them daily…..They have clean beds, (Cleaned daily, with fresh straw and don’t sleep in their own feces like cows confined in factory farms.)There is a really good documentary about plant stimuli. Plants are living things too and respond to stimuli just like every living thing. Think about that the next time you take a bite of a salad.what happens to all calves for whom the milk was intended? the cows are certainly not making it for you or any other human but for their own children who likely will never receive one drop. what happens to the cows when they stop making “enough” milk to cover their expenses? “happy” slaves are still slaves, regardless of your perception of them.as far as the “plants have feelings too” nonsense, despite the fact that they have no central nervous system and are not sentient (i.e. basic biology), if you do want to avoid injuring plants the best way to do so is not to consume animal products as it requires killing FAR more plants by filtering their nutrients through someone else’s body rather than eating them directly. for example, if you think that plants feel pain they why are you OK with feeding the cows grass?Yeah I don’t get how rice (starch non nutrient rich. Food) cures this diabetic complication.I also don’t see how it lowers blood sugar levels unless it’s related to low caloric consumption every day.What were the before and after sugar readings post 2 hours of eating In his studies?Michael I think you make a good point. In answer, I would point out that hyperglycemia is the result both of the amount of simple and complex carbohydrates and, critically for type 2 diabetics, insulin sensitivity. The advanced glycation end products from eating animal products does further inhibit insulin sensitivity and promotes insulin resistance. The saturated fats do as well. Having said that, I would contend that consistent modest intake of any complex carbohydrate would be good if not accompanied with animal products. This would allow for enhanced control for Type 1 and possible reversal for type 2 diabetes. Both would enhance the arrest of retinopathy through numerous mechanisms.Watching this video actually made me tear up. I can’t imagine that a person facing blindness and injections in the eyeball wouldn’t be excited and immensely relieved to learn that reversal is possible through diet. If a doctor anywhere doesn’t give a patient the chance to know this information and to make his/her own decision whether or not diet or barbaric treatments are preferable doesn’t deserve the label of healer.Hello My father has diabetes type 1, he`s had the disease for over 40 years, and lossed a lot of his vision due to this. I found your video about diet might be able to improve this therefore extremely interesting being a firm beliver myself that a plant based diet can do wonders. But is there a chance that it might help him? He has I think allready undergone the type of laser surgery that was disscussed in the video. I understand that it will dramatically help his diabetes in other ways, but the eye sight might be a game changer when it comes to getting him to give it a go.Sindre, you are confronting something very difficult. I have had type 1 diabetes for over 40 years as well. My experience might be helpful.I learned to not assign the role of primary care giver to my doctors some 36 years ago when I came across an article in the Journal of Chronic Disease on the correlation of tight control and the side effects of diabetes. The article excited me because it showed me that there was something I could do about the problems of diabetes. However, it also infuriated me that my doctors had never told me about any such thing as a side effect. (We did have an animated discussion after that.) Then a few years later in the late 70s I was one of the participants in a study on the use of an insulin pump and in home blood testing. The pump was the size of a brick and I had to go to a saddle maker to have a holster made for it.In that small study one of the participants saw a dramatic reduction in his very advanced diabetic neuropathy. So good control is critical and that was the first I had known about the possibility of reversal of the “irreversable”. This tool gave me the power to do something about my condition to keep it from being a disease. So to this day I have no side effects of diabetes. My opthamologist told me a few years ago that he had never seen a diabetic beyond 10 years with no retinopathy.OK now for what this has to do with your father’s situation is this; I became my own primary care giver when I found that the doctors were going to prescribe a progression of drugs on top of the insulin without looking for any cure. No I do not expect the T1 diabetes to be reversed by diet but the disease portion of diabetes such as enhanced coronary artery disease, neuropathy, retinopathy, renal failure et al are preventable and reversible. I have good control with a relatively healthy version of the standard American diet and have improved that dramatically with a whole foods plant based diet so that the disease aspects have been kept at bay.Indeed my position is that Type 1 diabetes is bad luck coming from and a society ill informed about using animal products. However, the disease is based on ignorance. That is best cured with knowledge.All my story says is that certain actions will help. The question is why would one be motivated to become informed and therefore empowered to do something to keep the condition from becoming a disease. A stark choice must be presented. I think it simple as that. He should not be told to do something different with his control or diet but he should be made to understand what will happen if he continues with poor control. He should understand what he will loose if he does not change. Above all he should know that he can gain the knowledge to be empowered to control his own health. But only he can do this. Remember, knowledge is empowerment.Hope there is something here that is helpful.Stewart: That’s a very powerful post. I was riveted reading it. Thanks for taking the time to share your story. I’m sure it will help others.Eye medical experts have “Intentionally forgotten”. They are bunch of Evil Crooks that make a good living fooling patients, lying and ignoring science for high profits. There is no profit in recommending a change in diet. Profit is in eye surgery.Can macular degeneration be slowed or reversed?Wow I found this really, really disappointing.While it is interesting to hear of this diet’s success with retinopathy, the claimed success rate is 30 percent.With modern surgical techniques, diabetic retinopathy can be kept from progressing to vision loss with a much, much higher success rate.Of course it is not an either/or and any nonsurgical means to success is great. But wow, the language used to describe laser surgery is worthy of some uninformed self promoting hysteria monger or some antivaxxer, not Dr Geger. Any surgical procedure can be made to sound barbaric. In twisting the description of this highly successful treatment you might win some shock value points, but you lose credibility.I have been following you for about a year now and like and applaud your work. But if this were the first exposure I had to you, I’d write you off completely. And I’d also write off whatever you were promoting, so to my reading at least your rhetorical strategy here really backfired.The claimed success rate in that one experiment was 30%. How many of the people taking part in that experiment actually did the diet they were supposed to for 3 months – were there other health/environmental issues going on that affected them? I think the fact that 30% showed a definite improvement speaks volumes in itself and definitely warrants much further study, not dismissal.Yet here we are 50 years later with billions being spent on intrusive and destructive medical techniques and drugs while no money is being used to explore why 30% of this one study had an improvement.I believe this is the message Michael is putting out in this video – it’s certainly the one i get from it.And even if only 30% of patients do show an improvement (if they stick religiously to the prescribed diet) then why isn’t that being used as the first line of treatment in this disease? 30% of all cases could be improved and even reversed without any need for drugs or surgery, and a lowering of insulin needed and all the other health benefits that come from this diet. Yet modern health care professionals treating these people do not even offer their patients this option.I do sincerely think that before people like yourself criticise people like Michael for being a self promoting hysteria mongers you should maybe make a similar point publicly to the medical professionals who are far to quick to prescribe unnecessary drugs and invasive damaging surgical techniques when a simple diet/lifestyle change would have been far more effective for a lot of people.Miss Creant,I would appreciate it if you would read what I actually wrote here.I neither dismiss this study, nor do I call Dr Geger a “self promoting hysteria monger.” I criticized his choice of language in this one particular video.The surgical techniques used to treat diabetic retinopathy have a very high success rate and are no more butchery than any other surgery. The dietary results Dr Geger highlights are certainly worthy of further study. However, the tone he employs in this video damages his own cause and hurts his credibility. Which is what I actually said.I would appreciate if you would read what i actually wrote.I didn’t say you ‘called’ Michael a self promoting hysteria monger. Yet you felt the need to deny doing so – no where in what i wrote did i say that or use the word ‘call’. And you are the only one to use the word ‘butchery’ in regards to modern surgery.You’re so utterly and pathetically transparent. I can see clean through your lame debating tactics. You have deliberately used two ‘straw man’ attacks to try and win two points which i didn’t actually make. Now why would you do that?Your whole second post here is only to attempt to gain your ego some self worth by convincing yourself that you’ve won these two points. Yet you cannot win these two points because they only exist within your own mind and i will not debate them with you because i didn’t make either of those points – you did that all by yourself, simply to win your own argument because you’re an egocentric idiot.What next, ad hominem attacks? :-DMy point was and remains that Dr Greger does himself a disservice with his tenor in this video. That is all.What you said was, and I quote “… people like yourself criticize people like Michael for being a self promoting hysteria mongers [sic] …”. I concede that you did not use the word “call”. Let me restate my comment in a hopefully more satisfactory way.“I neither dismiss this study nor do I criticize people like Michael for being a self promoting hysteria mongers.”In my original quote I said the language was “worthy of” such a person, and NOT of Dr Greger. That means something different.Dr Greger referred to it as “barbaric burn out your socket surgery”. He did not use the word “butchery”. That is correct. I did not claim that he did, which is why I did not put that word in quotes. I guess we disagree on whether “barbaric burn out your socket” fits that description.I replied to your remarks not to win points against you (I don’t even know you, and am unlikely to post here regularly, so I’m not sure why anyone would be keeping score) I replied because you inaccurately suggested that I was dismissing the study, which I certainly don’t and I think I was pretty clear about that. You misrepresented what I was saying. In fact, I rather support the idea based on my own experiences. I also clearly stated that I’ve followed and appreciated Dr Gregers work for quite some time, and simply felt that his wording in this video was self defeating. This is sometimes known as constructive criticism.Now, as for stooping to ad hominems, I am far too “utterly and pathetically transparent” to be able to “gain [my] ego some self worth” with ad hominem attacks. I’m just not that kind of “egocentric idiot”. LOL, literally.As the only issues here only exist in my mind and you refuse to entertain them, seems our conversation is over. Good day.Occam3751: I thought your original post was likely allowable under this site’s rules. Whether I agree with you or not, if people don’t have the freedom to post disagreements with Dr. Greger (respectfully even if strongly), then this website would become intellectually dishonest.No one is right about everything, and Dr. Greger knows this. I know that Dr. Greger wants to hear when people think his videos are off in some way. He may not agree with people, but I know that Dr. Greger has remade some videos in the past when problems or errors are pointed out.I’m glad you have received some benefit from this site from previous videos and hope you will stick around despite the other feedback you have gotten on this page.Thank you for correcting your statement. :-DOccam3751: Some thoughts for you.You are the second or so person to claim, “higher success rate”. But it seems to me that such claims can only be made if you know the actual success rate of the surgery and if the definition of success is the same. Do you know the success rate and have evidence to back it up? (I’m not trying to be aggressive. I’m just wondering if you actually know a scientifically reported number or if this claim of a higher success rate is just a gut feeling for you.)My second thought focuses on the definition of success. You wrote, “…diabetic retinopathy can be kept from progressing…” By this, I think that you are defining success as “does not progress”. But the video above is defining success as actually reversing the problem. I haven’t looked at the study myself, but here are some quotes from the transcript: “Reversal to such a degree that even patients who could no longer distinguish any objects had been able to read fine print.” and “…in 30% of the cases, their eyes improved.”It seems to me that we are talking apples (“does not progress”) and oranges (“improves”). Thus comparing success rates may not make sense??? I wonder what the success rate of the diet study would have been if it was a long term diet study that defined success as both improves AND does not progress?I may not be understanding something here. So, I’m interested in any clarification you may have on the matter or your thinking.Along with success rates one would also have to factor in side effects and complications of both treatments. Laser photocoagulation gives rise to ‘not infrequent [side effects and complications such as] loss of peripheral vision, worsening visual acuity, reduced night vision, and hemorrhaging in the eye’ (from wikipedia). I don’t think a wholefood plant based diet side effects would be so severe.Check out these research groups http://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/ http://folding.stanford.edu/I find it “interesting” that in today’s modern world and in the medical field most doctors simply overlook the importance of diet and how vital it is to preventing a majority of disease states. Dr.Greger is one of the few exceptions.	animal fat,animal protein,blindness,blood pressure,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,diabetes,Dr. Walter Kempner,eye disease,eye health,fat,fruit,heart disease,heart failure,heart health,hypertension,insulin,kidney disease,kidney failure,lasers,medication,protein,reversing chronic diseases,rice,sodium,steroids,surgery,vision,weight loss	The reversal of blindness due to hypertension and diabetes with Dr. Kempner’s rice and fruit diet demonstrates the power of diet to exceed the benefits of the best modern medicine and surgery has to offer.	I documented the extraordinary Kempner story previously in Kempner Rice Diet: Whipping Us Into Shape and Drugs and the Demise of the Rice Diet. The reason I keep coming back to this is not to suggest people should go on such a diet (it is too extreme and potentially dangerous to do without strict medical supervision), but to show the power of dietary change to yield tremendous healing effects.The best way to prevent diabetic blindness is to prevent or reverse the diabetes in the first place. See, for example:Why wouldn’t a diet of white rice make diabetes worse? See If White Rice is Linked to Diabetes, What About China?For more on the nitty gritty on what is the actual cause of type 2 diabetes, see:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lasers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-walter-kempner/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medication/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7826293,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20580421,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13128034,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13591100,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24663066,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17712074,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24996514,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20463796,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15393016,
PLAIN-2434	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-you-sit-squat-or-lean-during-a-bowel-movement/	Should You Sit, Squat, or Lean During a Bowel Movement?	Compared to rural African populations eating traditional plant-based diets, white South Africans and black and white Americans not only have more than 50 times the heart disease, ten times more colon cancer and more than 50 times more gallstones and appendicitis, but also more than 25 times the rates of so-called pressure diseases—diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and hiatal hernia.Bowel movements should be effortless. When they’re not, when we have to strain at stool, the pressure may balloon out-pouchings from our colon, causing diverticulosis, inflate hemorrhoids around the anus, cause the valves in the veins of our legs to fail, causing varicose veins, and even force part of the stomach up through the diaphragm into our chest cavity, causing a hiatal hernia, as I covered previously. When this was first proposed by Dr. Burkitt, he blamed these conditions on the straining caused by a lack of fiber in the diet, but did acknowledge there were alternative explanations. For example, in rural Africa they used a traditional squatting position when they defecated, which may have taken off some of the pressure.For hundreds of thousands of years, everyone used the squatting position, which may help by straightening the “anorectal angle.” There’s actually a kink right at the end of the rectum, almost a 90 degree angle that helps keep us from pooping our pants when we’re just walking around, but that angle only slightly straightens out in a common sitting posture on the toilet. Maximal straightening out of this angle occurs in a squatting posture, potentially permitting smoother bowel elimination. (I remember sitting in geometry class thinking, "when am I ever going to use this?"; little did I know I would one day be calculating anorectal angles with it—stay in school, kids.)So how did they figure this out? They filled latex tubes with a radio-opaque fluid, stuck them up some volunteers, took x-rays with the hips flexed at various angles and concluded that flexing the knees towards the chest like one does squatting may straighten that angle and reduce the amount of pressure required to achieve emptying of the rectum. But it wasn’t put to the test until 2002 when researchers used defecography, which are x-rays taken while the person is defecating, in sitting and squatting positions.  And indeed, squatting increased the anorectal angle from around 90 degrees all the way up to about a hundred and forty.So, should we all get one of those little stools for our stools, like the squatty potty that you put in front of your toilet to step on? No, they don’t seem to work. The researchers tried adding a footstool to decrease sitting height, but it didn’t seem to significantly affect the time it took to empty one’s bowels or significantly decrease the difficulty of defecating. They tried even higher footstools, but people complained of extreme discomfort using them. So, nothing seemed to compare with actual squatting, which may give the maximum advantage, but, in "civilized" countries, it may not be convenient. But, a similar effect can be achieved if you lean forward as you sit, with your hands on or near the floor. They advise all sufferers from constipation to adopt this forward leaning position when defecating, as the weight of your torso pressing against the thighs may put an extra squeeze on your colon.But instead of finding ways to add more pressure, why not get to the root of the problem? The fundamental cause of straining is the effort required to pass unnaturally firm stools. By manipulating the anorectal angle through squatting or leaning you can more easily pass unnaturally firm stools, but why not just treat the cause? And eat enough fiber-containing whole plant foods to create stools so large and soft that you could pass them effortlessly at any angle. Cardiologist, Dr. Joel Kahn, once said, you know you know you’re eating a plant based diet when, "you take longer to pee than to poop."But seriously, even squatting does not significantly decrease the pressure gradient that may cause hiatal hernia. It does not prevent that pressure transmission down into the legs that may cause varicose veins. And this is not just a cosmetic issue. Protracted straining can cause heart rhythm disturbances, reduction in blood flow to the heart and brain, sometimes resulting in defecation-related fainting and death. 15 seconds of straining can temporarily cut blood flow to the brain 21%, cut blood flow to the heart nearly in half, thereby providing a mechanism for the well-known bedpan death syndrome. You think you have to strain sitting; try having a bowel movement on your back. Bearing down for just a few seconds can send your blood pressure up to nearly 170 over 110, which may help account for the notorious frequency of sudden and unexpected deaths of patients while using bed pans in hospitals. Of course, hopefully, if we eat healthy enough, we won’t end up in the hospital to begin with.	What if we were to create a ‘food science’ division within the CDC that was tasked with doing what Dr. Greger does, which is convey nutrition information based on the latest science. This would be offered to the public not as fact set in stone but our latest best information, so as the science changes so would the recommendations. I know there are ways to set up advisory groups such that they remain faithful to science rather than politics.The USDA could still promote US agriculture but would be limited to claims supported by the quarterly or semi-annual CDC nutrition findings. As the science changed so would the ability of the USDA to make claims about food items.Our approach to nutrition in this country is a joke and it’s a national shame. I mean that literally and say it with great discouragement. Not only are millions of people dying from consuming junk in place of real food without understanding what they’re doing, but our competitive standing in the world is jeopardized by our abysmal health. The US military lowered its health requirements for entry because they had to to accommodate our declining health. This is just one example and it doesn’t even touch on how diet affects intelligence or the potential for happiness in life, which – all things equal in this digital age – could be argued are more important than a fit military.I think it’s a grand idea, but that would be very difficult to set up as the powers that be will do everything they can to block it. They have no interest in exposing the truth, it runs against their profits. They cannot see the long-term benefit to humanity, and how that affects civilization but they can see the numbers for next quarter shrinking. They would have to adjust and they don’t like change. No one likes change, but few have the billions and trillions they do to squelch unprofitable changes at every turn possible. Best of luck.An eloquent plea for a sane approach to increasing nutritional education on a nationwide scale, UCBAlum. I feel likewise discouraged given how powerful the profit motive is within the food “industry.” My optimism comes when I see the many urban gardens and farmers’ markets springing up around the country. And when I witness public schools starting to offer healthier food options in the cafeterias. The grassroots efforts will hopefully ramp up and turn things around. And perhaps some of the incremental positive changes within agencies like USDA under Democratic leadership will trickle down, too. UCSCAlum :-)Great points. Here are a few links to areas you discuss if anyone is interested. Military “Too Fat to Fight” report by Mission Readiness. The Physician’s Committee are tirelessly making efforts to expand nutrition education across the U.S. for medical schools and Dr. McDougall has made strides in this area years ago.Hi Joseph. I finally got around to considering PCRM’s efforts to expand nutrition education to which you have linked. As progressive as my politics is, and as much as I wish PCRM to continue fighting the ‘good fight,’ I have to say that the ENRICH Act makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, and allow me to explain why I believe this is so.The ENRICH Act died in the 113th Congress and has a 1% chance of passage in the 114th. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr4427 https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr1411 Folks can read this two-page proposed legislation here: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr1411/textThe bill calls for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to redirect $15million of existing bugdet over a three year period, providing for grants of up to $500,000/year/medical school. This means that up to 10 medical schools per year could possibly benefit (15,000,000/500,000/3)=10.On the other hand, let’s take a look at what a measly $500,000/year can do to improve nutrition education among prospective doctors. PCRM is hosting a two-day conference July 31-Aug 1, 2015. The cost of student registration is $310, and two nights at the Grand Hyatt Washington is $189×2=378, for a total of 310+378=$688. $500,000/$688=726. That’s 726 medical students could attend this conference for free. If you divide this by the 10 medical schools that could possibly benefit from the ENRICH Act in any given year, that is 72 medical students from each of these ten medical schools could attend this conference at minimal outlay to themselves. Better than push for the ENRICH Act (which is going nowhere), PCRM should address its donor-class supporters to provide half a million dollars annually to send 726 medical students to attend this conference every year. http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/nutrition-medicine-conference/conference-homeAgain, I want to stress that I am progressive in my politics, but I have to say that legislation such as this feeds into the ‘narrative’ of the Nanny State and is thus counterproductive.UCBAlum, I am neither unsympathetic to your concerns, nor an apologist for the status quo. I do want to add something to this discussion especially in light of the Mission Readiness letter provided by Joseph. After all, this forum is literally international in scope and the idea that, as a nation, we are literally too fat to defend America, while no state secret, is most unsettling indeed.To begin, it seems the CDC is doing its part to inform the public on a wide range of public health concerns including yours and ours: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyLiving/The Mission Readiness letter was signed 4/8/2010. And, on 12/13/2010 President Obama signed into law the overwhelmingly bi-partisan passed Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010: https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/12/13/president-first-lady-child-nutrition-bill-basic-nutrition-they-need-learn-and-grow-a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthy,_Hunger-Free_Kids_Act_of_2010 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ296/pdf/PLAW-111publ296.pdfIt takes years to implement laws such as this, it just doesn’t happen overnight. But the law has been/is being implemented as far as I can tell: http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/healthy-hunger-free-kids-actThis is an example of federal implementation of the law, which if we can sit through reading even some of it we can see these USDA rules are actually being implemented at the State and local levels: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-26/pdf/2012-1010.pdfI don’t have any answers. I just want to say that these problems are being addressed. And, as you have pointed out, they are dam* complex and the solutions are long in the making in the sausage factory that is our [insert characterization of your choice here] democracy. Thank you.The SAD diet apparently reduces IQs also…in that the US seems hell bent on starting wars it can’t win or finish? (although they are very profitable?) But maybe there is hope after all…if the 1% realize that fat kids can’t fight their wars?The solution will be robots? Fat dopey people easier to keep under control…but just wait till the robots figure out what’s going on.bed pan death. I didn’t think i’d learn anything this video. BPD and complications of straining were informative.But as the other Dr. indicated, as fast and easy as urination when eating proper foods. I mentioned leaning in a comment here some time ago.I would have bet money that we’d get some good butt jokes as this video strained to get to the bottom of the problem. Little did I know we’d get an obtuse geometry lesson.OK, being the perpetual smart ass I am, I have a ton of poop jokes I’d like to insert as comments – but I know this really is a serious subject so I am doing my best to restrain myself – but yes, it is a strain to do so.I can speak from personal experience that fiber from a plant based vegan diet makes all the difference in the world to both texture and volume of stool. As long time vegan or near vegan the issue is entirely obvious if by chance I don’t eat my normal diet. The difference shows up within 24 hours in the bathroom. My body offers up a kind of bio-feedback which is very non-technical but quite effective – no radioactive dye or x-rays required.The information you’ve provided is so simple one would think that those suffering from constipation would quickly adopt a plant based diet. But alas I doubt this will be the actual effect. Rather than eating more healthy, most folks likely just take additional fiber in some form. In point of fact I suggest that this is the advice offered by most doctors with patients suffering from poor bowel function. The vast majority of folks would rather drink a glass of goo than eat whole brown rice, multigrain bread or have a big serving of steamed kale.It is sad when the solution to a set of related problems is so simple, yet so often ignored.mdouble, I relate to your ‘bio-feedback’ experience exactly. And, isn’t it a relief getting back to the foods that restore the movements we were meant for? Thinking of the reaction of the ‘vast majority of folks’ going vegan reminded me of this post-lawsuit Oprah video I saw on the youtubes. It is extremely well done and worth watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCw-GMyhJEoThanks for making these videos! It is truly appreciated. I have some questions that are a little off topic regarding resistant starch. There seems to be an astonishing amount of papers on it, but as a layman it`s hard to get a good picture of benefits, sources etc. as I haven`t found that many trustworthy places like this that have compiled the info. Does retrograde RS(from cooling cooked starches) have the same properties as the other type? What are the best sources? Cold maize porridge seems to be good. And what are the benefits and how do these differ from the benefits of other types of fiber?Good questions! Dr. Greger addresses resistant starches in this blog Solving a Colon Cancer Mystery. Check out his “Doctor’s Note” at the bottom of the video for more links and resources.Thanks for the link! I see he has got a lot more on RS coming up! :) Great job you`re doing btw Joseph! :)Hi falcon, this website from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is very informative and easy to follow, with explanations in layman’s terms and animations. It might be a helpful place for you to start:http://www.csiro.au/hungrymicrobiome/index.htmlThanks for the link b00mer! Much appreciated!What a thorough and informative video, filled with lots of new terms like “Defecography” , “recto-anal angle”, and “bed pan death syndrome”.All this makes sense as regards defecation, but I’d love to see a Nutrition Facts video about the interaction between sitting/squatting and the health of the pelvic floor muscles– especially from a women’s health standpoint. Does a lack of squat-developed tone in the pelvic floor lead to complications during childbirth, and contribute to common post-partum issues like incontinence?I have IBS (my main problem is bloating/distention), but I’ve noticed that my stomach/intestines can’t handle too much fiber. I get very bloated and constipated. So I’ve eaten mainly basmati rice and vegetables and some chickpeas the last couple of weeks and the last 10 days I’ve had trouble on the toilet. The following is TMI.. just so you guys know.. But my stool is just gooey.. It used to be “perfect”, but the last around 11 days I’ve done chocolate balls in the evening that contains dates and oats and cocoa powder.. and that contains a lot of fiber.. And my belly is much more distended and I have just too much air in my belly and a couple of days ago when I went to the bathroom it was like fireworks in their when I pooped :( I really can’t handle fiber apparently.. and not dates either I guess :( And now I have pain down there when I touch it, even lightly with the paper :( UHHHHHHHHH :(Hi Jenny. Nothing is “TMI” considering this video is about the best way to poop! Ugh. It sounds like you are in some pain :( My sincere condolences. Here are some videos on irritable bowel syndrome. It is a complex disorder with no known cause, but diet has been shown to help. Many foods are lower in fiber. Tofu, nut butters, pasta, and rice (white). Juicing or peeling foods may be an option, too. Has you doctor told you to limit fiber? What strategies are you trying to help tackle these painful feelings? I may ask one of our NF volunteer doctors to weigh-in. Thanks for your note and best of luck finding relief lets keep this conversation going.This may not help Jenny, but when I was pregnant with my last child I had a problem with hemorrhoids and grated raw potato was so soothing. I just loved wiping my bum with grated potato! And leaving a little bit on there. Have we reached TMI yet, Joseph?Thanks for your answer Joseph! I don’t live in the US, I live in Sweden, and the doctors here don’t know a squat about IBS. They say to just eat more fiber and it will get better. But it doesn’t. I’ve tried out the low FODMAP diet and have stayed away from everything on it, but I get kinda bored of it after a while and start to eat dates again, which is a no-no on the diet. I used to eat sugary things etc but haven’t done that for a while so I have no “treats” nowadays except for the chocolate date balls. That’s why I always get back to them. Popcorn popped in coconut oil makes me feel bad as well. And so many say that keeping a low fat intake is the best a person can do,.. Even if you have IBS or not. I’m very sensitive to bad food combining. When I eat potato chips, which is very rare, and eat some dates after, I immediately after feel it in my stomach and I get very bloated and the next day it’s not fun visiting the bathroom. It gets like fireworks then and it’s very annoying. I can’t eat food, since that makes me non-hard on the toilet as well.. I’m a vegan btw.. And have been for over 2 yrs. And I don’t eat gluten since 2 yrs back either. The doctor needed to see if I was gluten intolerant (celiac disease), so I had to eat gluten for 1,5 months.. Before that I had been without gluten for 7 months.. And then needed to eat it again for 1,5 months to take tests… I haven’t felt so bad, like ever, like when I ate gluten, it was awful… I couldn’t almost hold it in.. My stomach was in so much pain. But after those 1,5 months I did the test, and I wasn’t intolerant to gluten… But I’m still VERY sensitive to it, even though I wasn’t intolerant…Wouldn’t lifting weights cause the same straining problems as those described in the video? Also, it seems to me that eating a fiber-rich diet is only part of the equation. The other part is exercise, which, as I understand it, helps promote the peristaltic action of the colon.Good points! The 3 F’s come to mind from an old Nutrition Course (or maybe even my Mother): Fluid, Fiber and (F)Physical activity. Surely moving the body more will help peristaltic action. And lifting heavy weights might cause unnecessary strain leading to hernia. Life with Care!It surprises me that the squatty potty wasn’t found helpful. I have 2 piles of 3 bricks (my cheap version) on either side of my throne and have found them to be enormously helpful. I simply put my feet on top of the bricks and do my thing. The bricks are not that high, they just raise my knees up a little higher than my hip. I do lean a little forward. Bottom line, is i will go out of my way to use the bricks.I suppose whatever works, huh? :) Thanks for sharing! Hey, Hivegirl If you have not already, please consider keeping up with the new videos posted every weekday and subscribe to the daily video feed!Best wishes, JosephLove my Squatty Potty too! Very surprised.Do you have any suggestions for me? I have been eating whole food plant based for over 2 years, but I still have constipation. I drink 3 liters of water per day, and eat mostly fruits and veggies, some raw and some cooked. I am still having trouble with hard stools, and my back hurts badly every morning when I wake up, until I have my first bowel movement, as if the hard stool is pressing into my back causing back pain. I am using the bathroom everyday though, but it still feels like I am backed up and I am getting some varicose veins even though I am still pretty young.Just a thought – one which i’m sure many people don’t think about – but the one thing that blocks me up is vegetables. I can have a little on occasion…but if I do so daily – larger stools that do not want to move. Seems to be more green vegetables, I have no problems with mushrooms & bean sprouts – but leaves of any kind, broccoli, etc…forget it. Too much fruit can do it too – especially bananas. A diet high in whole grain bread keeps me regular with smaller & effortless toilet time : ) I have learnt everyone is different and you need to experiment as to what your body likes and doesn’t. Just because it is natural does not mean your body will appreciate it.I eat lots of fruits and veggies, but that is almost all I eat. I do not eat bananas but I do eat mostly fruit, sometimes rice or oatmeal.Always fascinated and happy to see a name like Diabetes Cured. To your point, when I became type one diabetic I was of course thirsty all the time so I figured that I needed to drink more and it probably kept me from going into a coma. So I got in the habit of drinking a good deal of water. I also lived in Arizona and found that I had no problem running in 100 degree weather if I drank 1.5 liters of water before hand. (I did slosh for a few blocks). Point is I really don’t think 3 liters is enough. Probably should be more like 4 or 5 unless you are sedentary and inside all the time. Also, as to diet, you did not mention pulses. I try to get beans at least 2 times per day and it does help. I also add in flax seed whenever I have the chance. That’s always my weird breakfast concoction of mushrooms, ground flax,black eyed peas, lots of greens, and tomatoes all slow cooked but with the greens added last and only to wilt. Pretty good with the right spices.Thanks Stewart, mine was severe type 2 diabetes, and I was able to go off blood sugar medication in only 10 days of being vegan! A1C from 9.0 down to 4.7.If pulse is the same thing as smoothie, I have fruit smoothies every day! Great suggestions, I will try more water and adding more flax seeds and report back, thanks!I have the same problem – lower front and back pain until I have a bowel movement. The pain is so severe that it wakes me during the night and I am unable to bend over. I had a colonoscopy, which determined I had a “very narrow sigmoid”. I eat a very high fiber diet and that usually helps. I also occasionally use a suppository to get things moving.Interesting, do you need a colonoscopy to diagnose that? I am a 30 year old female with no plans to have a colonoscopy in the near future. Is there anything natural you can do to reverse the narrow sigmoid?I am not sure if there are other ways to diagnose a narrow sigmoid. My doctor suggested fiber supplements and stool softeners, which I chose not to take. I have the more success with a plant based diet, which includes at least a cup of beans everyday! This allows me to eliminate first thing in the morning so the pain is not interfering with my day.Hi Joseph, I have an unrelated question that I don’t know where to ask, so I’ll ask here: do all dietitians (meaning the ones like you who have an actual college degree for the practice) count calories to prescribe a diet for a patient? Or are there different methods other than calorie counting that you may use/adopt in your practice? I guess what I’m asking is, is there a norm in regards to calorie counting for the practice of your profession? Thank you in advance for clarifying.Hey, JV. That is an excellent question! Many RD’s differ in their dietary approaches. Some work for institutions that dictate what they prescribe like a hospital, school, or in a research setting (think clinical study). Private practice RD’s have more flexibility. I let folks who want to count calories count them, but it’s been my experience that 99% they prefer not to count. Calorie counting is hard for some. It takes time and lots of work tracking. I find that additional stress and worry when it comes to counting calories takes away from healing. Focusing on the right foods takes counting out of the equation. Proof of this method comes from this study I helped facilitate and co-author A multicenter randomized controlled trial of a plant-based nutrition program to reduce body weight and cardiovascular risk in the corporate setting: the GEICO study. In this study weight loss and better glycemic control was achieved without calorie counting or portion control. Yes, I told folks to eat as much food as they wanted and yet they still lost weight! Dr. Greger highlights this study in the video Plant-based Workplace Intervention. Other studies that use this approach can be found in Dr. Barnard’s research where study participants received either a low-fat strict plant-based diet or a typical diet for diabetes and found significant changes in weight loss and insulin levels. Dr. Greger presents the study in this video. So it appears this type of approach not counting calories works for weight loss and diabetes management. I have helped publish other research on migraine headaches and diabetic neuropathy with the same approach and same results. (NOTE: If you want me to link those studies I can).Lastly, have you seen these videos on calorie restriction? Calorie restriction vs plant-based diet and Benefit of calorie restriction without actually restricting.So there are many approaches and not one is right or wrong, but I’ve found avoiding the calorie counting burden is preferred. Thanks for asking!Thank you for such a comprehensive response Joseph! Very clarifying and deeply interesting! Will look into the researches you mentioned! And how incredible that I ended up asking you about a subject that you’ve even researched on yourself! I just have one lingering question on it though: I understand it has been proven to work for weight loss, but how about applying this approach for weight gain on people who want/need to gain healthy weight? And I don’t mean just a few pounds but for gaining let’s say over 10 to 15 pounds? Or even 20? Do you think this is possible by applying the same approach? Or at least is it like people reach their ideal weight regardless of whether that is weight gain or weight loss? (I’m asking regarding the non-calorie counting on a low-fat vegan diet like the researches you mentioned). Hope I was clear in my phrasing of this, if not, do let me know, I’ll try to ask in a clearer way! :)Again thank you so very much for your input!:-) Well the approach will be much much harder! This is for weight loss and disease prevention. If someone needs to gain weight I may first ask why? Due to a disease or because they are malnourished and simply not eating enough? A different ball game altogether and I would need more information. Adding calories in any form is not ideal (ice cream, butter), but surely eating more calories from whole foods and perhaps focusing on healthful fat sources could work. More nuts and seeds, avocados, high kcal smoothies, etc. So no, the approach would not be similar. In fact the opposite, as I would encourage calorie counting and monitoring if someone in a developed country needed to add 20 pounds. Again, need more information!Thank you, Dr. Greger, for introducing Dr. Kahn. I had never heard of him…until now! Which brings me to this thought: how about an “Angies List”-esque website for plant-based health care providers? I gotta believe that if it existed, people would come. I certainly would. In honor of your generous spirit, I offer this idea to any enterprising soul who wants to run with it and make it a reality on one condition: they have to inform you about the website so you can link to it in Doctor’s Note.Sounds neat! I think a list like this may even exists. Plantrician Project and maybe others. I have a post with links about finding a doctor (or how to talk with your doctor) that is more nutrition-focused. Dr. Kahn has a website. But I see what you mean. If one is created (or I am missing one that exists) please add it here! I will even consider writing a blog post about the many plant-focused health care folks that exist, and then maybe Dr. Greger can link it within his ‘Doctor’s Note’ in related videos? Good thoughts! To be continued… Thanks, Lawrence.TOPIC NOT POOP: sorry to spoil the fun but am looking for some “partners” in ADHD diet and lifestyle and management without drugs. Just got blown off by Alan Brown and fired from my job, so no extra money to throw at it and books or videos. Any good input fantastically appreciated. Be glad to go direct and not clog up the arteries of nutritional dataflow. But will say that seeking to minimize dietary negatives (fake coloring and such) is how I found Dr. Greger. and ultimately became part of this troupe.Have been living in Asia since 1992 and this is the only way I go. This happens to be Japanese, but other similar versions can be found all over Asia. When I encounter a ‘western toilet, I just lift the seat up and squat on the rim of the bowl. Works perfectly well.Forgot the photo…appears that your “reply” fell in the wrong place. As to TOPIC POOP-sure whatever suits you. WFPB means it’s irrelevant to me. Takes as long to wipe as to poop whether squatting in the woods or sitting on a standard American throne (SAT) or upon a handmade composting outhouse, or conventional.Wade: I don’t know if there is anything there or not, but have you checked out Yahoo groups? Yahoo seems to have groups for just about any interest and they are free. It allows you to connect/share ideas with people around the world who share your interest. Just a thought.If you are interested in learning more about Yahoo Groups, here’s what Wikipedia says: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahoo!_GroupsHere’s where you can search for groups by subject: https://groups.yahoo.com/neoGood luck!Thanks Thea. I did look at groups on Craigslist, oh the mess they are. I really enjoy forums and spend hours every day replying and posting to various ones. When I seek out ADHD type forums or sub-sections I never do get (have yet) engaged like I do in all my other interests. I kept hammering at it yesterday and messaged/spoke to three different ADHD folks. Of the two professionals- one is a coach who is going to give me a call soon. I might look at those as well.Follow up reply: Even if there isn’t a group exactly like you are talking about already, you might be able to piggy back on an existing group that talks about ADHD or lifestyle w/out drugs separately and bring in the second topic to see if people have the same interest. Then you could start a splinter group or at least get support in the main group from people who are also interested.Talk about ‘flying first class’…this is it!I see info on eliminations per day/week etc…but not much on transit times. Wondering what is the typical time from when somethings goes in the mouth and when it comes out the other end?If I eat my typical 90-95% veggie foods things go well….get into the nuts or cottage cheese….etc…things can slow way down.From one walking alimentary canal to another….keep them canals on the move…Hi Fred, this video touches on it briefly: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/I believe Dr. Greger had a more detailed overview somewhere, but I can’t find the video. It may have been in one of the hour-long videos. I thought I recalled details about transit time between different countries and even different U.S. cities (with some jokes about cranky New Yorkers). Have you seen any of the year-in-review lectures yet?Hi Fred. b00mer gave a great link below. Dr. Greger address transit time in this blog. Make sure to click the many hyperlinks within that blog as transit time is discussed in many of the videos like “Stool Size Matters“When I lived in Japan in the early 70’s, our toilet was flush to the floor. As an MD, I have seen fainting, pulmonary emboli, often with death or severe morbidity in hospitals after straining at a BM. As a patient having surgery, I try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables before and after surgery, hydrate, and have figs/dates/prunes on hand. Just falls themselves may be catastrophic in the fragile. I just cannot understand why hospitals serve such lousy food. In over 40 years of working in hospitals, I only ate their food about 5 times!. Please note that stress may play a large role in hemorrhoid development as well.Thanks for sharing, Dr. Haile. I would add not just poor food, but fast-food!!! I feel like I am taking crazy pills sometimes to learn that McDonalds and Burger King are offered at Children’s Hospitals and V.A.’s alike. Here is a report on how Hospitals contract with fast-food. Disheartening to say the least. We need more doctors like you who focus on nutrition, and bowel movements. :-)Health care is under too much control of the drug companies: we need good food/hydration/exercise and simple strategies such as the forward position at no to low cost. Thank you.Hemorrhoids, back to the theme here of straining at the toilet. Mine were never from straining to go, couldn’t be as haven’t had that issue in years-although only a recent convert to WFPB. I did strain sometimes to NOT go*, pretty sure that’s just a sphincter thing-not a system wide pressure distribution. Don’t know if that may have contributed to my encounters with hemorrhoids, but am nearly convinced (knocks wood 3x) that WFPB plus flaxseed has everything so wonderful down there-that the “H” may never be a problem again. I’m sure that mine were caused by lifting heavy things, which i do with my legs and not my back. Where some men get hernias, I got the other. I lift more carefully since making that connection, but also know that my diet has improved everything arterial and otherwise in my body. The benefits observed tally is getting bigger every day.*This is where flaxseed must be tried to fully understand. “Bulking” up means LESS density, less density means less pressure as there is more “give” in the contents of the colon. Net effect personally observed: much more _manageable urgency_ in regard to defecation. This is a very good thing.Go vegan + lean into it sounds like the way to go.What should be the fat parentage (in calories) in a healthy diet? should be it be 10%? 20%? Are there any scientific works on that? thanks.Ron B: I think the answer depends a bit on how healthy the person is. Some people who are very sick with certain diseases, like heart disease, need to have diets with the absolute minimum fat. Where as healthy people may do better or at least fine with a bit more fat. It may also depend a bit on lifestyle. Are we talking about an athlete or a couch potato?Putting that aside, assuming we are talking about a mythical typical person, I like to use the Okinawans as my starting guide for these types of questions. Traditional Okinawans are some of the healthiest people on the planet. Their fat amount as a percentage of calories was 6%. (Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.)Now I temper that information with the fact that I’m not Okinawan and my situation is different. Doctors who have had great success in getting people to a healthy place and then keeping them healthy for years and years (such as Dr. McDougal, Dr. Barnard, Dr. Esselstyn, etc) seem to aim for about 8-10% fat.But you could still argue that those diets are for sick people. So, here’s another way to get at an answer: We have a ton of scientific works backing up the benefits of eating a whole food plant based (WFPB) diet free of meat, dairy and eggs. People on this site who generally follow that diet and who use a website tool called cronometer to track their nutrients seem to report about 12-15% fat. That’s just what they get naturally when they eat beans, intact grains, fruits, veggies and 1-2 ounces of nuts. And maybe a trivial amount of oil or avocado. It’s not a definitive answer, but we seem to have enough evidence support this range of fat as a healthy amount.Could more fat be healthy? I would guess that it depends on the package/food that you are eating (fat from whole, non-tropical nuts being more healthy than fat from animal sources) and other factors such as exercise, etc.What do you think?I thought of another factor to consider: age of the person. Children have tiny tummies and it is my understanding (from reading VRG (vegetarian resource group), a well-researched site) that kids can have trouble getting enough calories from bulky health foods like broccoli. So, kids need to eat more calorie-dense foods (compared to adults), which is likely to include foods like nuts and full-fat tofu in order to squeeze in all the calories they need. My conclusion from this info is that maybe kids either need or can better tolerate more fat (from healthy foods) compared to adults. That’s just a theory I have.Thea, thanks for your reply. I’m asking this because: I eat whole food plant based diet, and I use cronometer. Apart from the standard stuff of whole food plant (e.g., fruits, vegetables, etc) I also eat: 2 table spoon of flax seed, 1 oz (one handful) of walnuts (or almonds) and 4 gr of raw cacao nibs per day. Overall I consume ~2300 calories (I exercise a lot). I feel great, and in great health.And here is the punch line: I found out (by cronometer) that I consume 20% calories from fat. Now, on one hand I hear that the goal is 10% (e.g., the famous 80-10-10 diet), on the other hand Dr. Greger claims that nuts, flax seeds & raw cacao nibs are healthy. so, what is the right way? I can easily give up the nuts & seeds and eat fruits instead, but is that the right way? I’m not sure.Ron B: Ah. I can see where you are coming from. It is a good question/concern. I just don’t think there is a 100% known answer. In other words, I don’t think we have enough evidence for anyone to tell you that your diet is not healthy. (But I’m not an expert, so take that for whatever it is worth.) From my perspective, you sound like someone who is a healthy adult male who is eating an extremely healthy diet. So, if it were me, I wouldn’t worry about the fat percent. Though I can understand always wanting to tweak one’s diet to do just a bit better. In your case, I think most people (myself included) can only dream of getting where you are right now…One thing that struck me about your post is that it’s pretty shocking how easy it is to get to 20%.I am curious: What would cronometer say if you took out the 4 gr of cacao nibs? I agree that they are probably pretty healthy, especially in the context of your diet, but if I were going to give up one of those higher fatty foods, it would be the nibs over the nuts and seeds. Not because I have hard evidence to against the nibs, but because we have such good evidence in support of the flaxseeds and walnuts. And the evidence in support of the cacao just seems to me to be less solid. And the evidence against saturated fat seems to be pretty good (though maybe more just for saturated fat from animal sources…) But I’m not saying you should give up the nibs. I’m just curious how much the nibs affect your fat %. (Not that you have to answer. It is just my curiosity.)Maybe someone else will chime in on their opinion about the fat %. My bottom line for your case is: Since I am starting to read the book Whole, and since you are eating such great whole foods, focusing on fat % doesn’t seem worth your energy.Good luck!Ron, do you have a specific health condition which indicates that you should be aiming for a very low fat diet, such as the 80-10-10? If not, it seems that the conservative way to go would be to take the lower bound of the official guideline (20-35% calories from fat), and leave it at that.My experience differs from Thea’s in that I find it hard to get down to 20% fat or below (too many nuts & seeds, probably). Right now I’m probably getting around 60 carbs/ 30 fat/ 10% protein (I find it a lot easier to go easy on the protein, and have to force myself to eat my beans and tofu). But everyone’s different. Going mainly by the official recommendations (WHO, USDA, etc.) and choosing their midpoints, the most sensible macronutrient ratios would be something like 60% carbs, 15% protein, and 25% fat. But I think climate and activity also have a lot to do with the ideal ratio. Hotter climates would indicate more carbs and less fat; mostly aerobic exertion would require more carbs and less protein, while weigh-lifting or resistance training probably benefits from more protein (and less carbs). That’s just my hunch.Even with my getting 30-35% calories from fat, my TC (170) isn’t too bad, nor the LDL (87).One of these days I’ll get motivated to go low fat, and I’d be curious to see what effect, if any this has on my cholesterol. When I was very active–doing 3-4 hrs. of strenuous cycling for a few months, my total cholesterol got down to 145, so I think activity may play as large a role as diet (I wasn’t totally vegan back then).Thanks Jason & Thea. This discussion is very helpful. I do have mild systolic hypertension (130), so I take 4 TS (40 gr) of flax seeds each day. Also 1 oz of nuts per day. This leads me to 20% fat and roughly 6 gr of saturated fat. Blood pressure seems to be improved. Regarding LDL, I had 120 before 3 years, and now after becoming vegan I have LDL of 68 (HDL stayed 55 as before). So, there is no question the vegan diet is great… I just want to point out: It’s very difficult to go below 20% fat and 6 gr saturated fat per day. I’m not sure it’s healthier. As you can see in my diet: only flax seeds and 1 oz of nuts (rest of diet is only non-fat whole food plant based), and I have 20%. When you read Dr. Greger recommendations he doesn’t mention the “right” percentage, on one hand. On the other hand he does talk about low fat vegan diet. So… What does “low fat” means? 20%? 30%?When I was in China (20 yrs ago), the “hole in the floor” toilets were ubiquitous. We dubbed them “squatty potties” because you placed your feet on either side of the hole and squatted. But, if you went to “fancier” places in China they had “Western toilets”. Oddly, I noticed that the toilet seats on public Western toilets were always dirty and scuffed up where the thighs would normally land in a seated position. I deduced that some Chinese had never been instructed in the use of Western toilets and were placing their feet on the seat in order to squat, thus roughing up the finish and dirtying the seat. Not wanting to sit where someone had just stood with their dirty shoes, I did the same – I climbed up and squatted on a Western toilet. Fast forward 19 yrs to when I heard of the product mentioned in this video and about the “angle”. Instead of buying the product, I began squatting on our home toilets for bowel movements. (FYI – for women – don’t try to urinate while squatting on a Western toilet – it goes everywhere – you have to sit down for that.) At first it was hard to balance and I had to hold on to something (the wall, the sink, the toilet paper dispenser, etc.), but now it is easy and natural to balance without holding. (I do Yoga – it’s basically malasana position without the mudra.) I do remove my shoes first to avoid the dirty, scuffed seat scenario. It must look odd in a public bathroom… you know, when you look under the door to see if the stall is available… what they see is just a pair of shoes! ha ha ha! I wonder what they think when they see that!? But I’d rather put my socks on a public seat than my bare thighs anyway! I’ve been doing it about a year – I have never fallen in once! Has it been beneficial? I spent my whole life terribly constipated on a normal American diet. By FAR the MOST helpful and influential change was not how I sat, but what I ate. Within 2 weeks of switching to whole-food plant-based (WFPB) diet, I was going once or twice a day (seated), as opposed to once or twice a MONTH! Before WFPB it would take a lot of straining, a lot of time, a lot of pain, and often even tearing of the anus. It was so bad that I actually had to go lay down and rest afterward. It was miserable (but great for wilderness backpacking/camping because I never had to dig a hole for a BM the whole trip!). After WFPB diet, I got an “urge” at least every day, and as mentioned in this video, it took less time to make a BM than it did to empty my bladder! (Empty bladder plus washing hands was timed at 1 min and 30 seconds.) No pushing, no pain, no tears, no concern that it might be too big/hard to flush down – soft, smooth, easy – no effort, just “let go” and out it comes. Back to the benefit of squatting: who cares after getting such relief from changing diet? You do? OK. I’ll tell you. The biggest difference is that cleaning up is easier/quicker because the affected area is more exposed and the stool may pass by without getting other adjacent parts dirty. (Yuck, sorry). Technique: I am a petite person with narrow hips – I don’t know if a larger person would feel comfortable because the placement of your feet is restricted by the width of the toilet. You can try flat footed on the sides (if you do not practice Yoga, you may not be able to do this), you can try tip-toe on the sides where you’re sort of sitting down on your elevated heels (almost), and if flexibility is still an issue, you can put your heels on the front part of the toilet allowing the front half of your feet to point downwards of the front of the toilet and sort of sit on your heels. Or you can do just one leg like that and sit normal with the other leg. Caution: I do this directly on the seat – I do not lift the seat – because there is man-pee on the rim that I do not want on my socks! However, you need to check the seat for stability first. Make sure it will not slide left and right. Make sure it is strong enough to bear your weight. I am 105 lbs. I can squat on a fairly flimsy hollow plastic seat – but barely. So you may want to make sure the seat is made of a solid material – maybe not molded plastic… And please make sure you have something to hold on to, or suddenly grab, in case you start to lose balance! Enjoy!ReluctantVegan: This is a great post. It was kind of you to take the time to describe some technique and dos and donts. I have heard of the idea of squatting on western style toilets, but this is the first time I have been inspired to try. Don’t know if will mind you, but I’m thinking seriously about it.You had me smiling in a couple of places. Glad you never fell in! ;-)Forgot to say: Pull the waste band of your trousers down to the crease of your knee NOT all the way down to your ankles or you may get an unpleasant surprise.I didn’t want to do it, but you made me do a Google image search for ‘malasana position without the mudra.’ Congratulations on being the most fit vegan lady in the world! Gives a whole new meaning to ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.’ ;-)LOL Ha! NOT. I did the same on google and have now edited the post to from malasana to Upavesasana. Yeah – I can’t do those bizarre positions that came up on google.Could straining during defication cause an aneurysm?Can forcing a defication when you are constipated cause an aneurysm?Anyone interested in further information on Squatting to go to the loo can visit my website………..www.emptyingthebowel,comfiber rich food is really a must for a good bowel movement its the solution for this tool position problem:) just sayin.fiber rich food is really a must for a good bowel movement its the solution for this tool position problem:) just sayin.Okay more about poop than I thought I’d ever care about.I’ll never forget when living in Japan in the early 70’s… Their toilets were flush to the floor. Everyone had to squat straddled over a toilet flush to the floor… They appeared to know something about this phenomenon we’ll before the American outhouse.Last year I first heard about the “squatty potty from one of my health advisers. Being curious by nature I tried it, using the grandkids step stool for the toilet at home and a box at work. I liked it. For me it facilitates the process on the toilet and also it has another benefit. Last year I started on a driving route at work and the muscles in my back started acting up. Research showed that the common advice for truck drivers to get back relief is to do back stretches several times a day. After I started to use my toilet step stools I found I no longer needed to do back stretches and my back has been fine ever since. Plant based for 5 years.There’s a product called “Nature’s Platform,” which one can find on the internet, which is much better than the “squatty potty” that Dr. Greger referred to in the video. It’s a flat platform that fits directly over the toilet boil (not the cover) and is supported by a base that stabilizes it against the floor. You simply climb onto the platform and squat. The manufacturer advises you to take off your pants before squatting, but I’ve found that you can simply drop them once you’re on the platform and they stay conveniently out of the way.Squatting in this way is definitely more “efficient” than in the standard sitting position. You do have to be able to squat down all the way or nearly all the way, however, which I am able to do, but which many people find difficult or impossible. A complete squat, which is often called “the Asian squat,” is one that many Westerners cannot negotiate. So for them, it wouldn’t be practical, because their joints aren’t flexible enough. If you’ve been squatting since childhood and have maintained your flexibility, it shouldn’t be a problem, unless you’re older and your joints have grown stiff and arthritic. So for a lot of people, the seated toilet is better, more accommodative.I’ve tried the “squatty potty” (as pitched on “The Shark Tank”) and found it impossible to use, so I returned it for a refund. A full squat, using “Nature’s Platform” is far superior, because it really is nature’s preferred method. :-)Very surprised that you claim the Squatty Potty doesn’t work. I have been using it for years and have a difficult time going without it. I see tremendous benefit from my Squatty Potty and wouldn’t be without it.I couldn’t help but click on the link to this video, and now I can’t help but leave a comment to the effect that I feel terrible for people who must be told how to properly take a shit…What about “bearing down” during the second stage of labor, Does that also cause oxygen loss? Does a lack of squat-developed tone in the pelvic floor lead to complications during childbirth, and contribute to common post-partum issues like incontinence?	Africa,African Americans,anorectal angle,appendicitis,bowel movements,colon disease,colon health,constipation,diverticulitis,Dr. Denis Burkitt,Dr. Joel Kahn,fiber,gallstones,hemorrhoids,hiatal hernia,mortality,plant-based diets,squatty potty,standard American diet,stool size,varicose veins,vegans,vegetarians	Squatting and leaning can help straighten the anorectal angle, but a healthy enough diet should make bowel movements effortless regardless of positioning.	The “forcing part of your stomach up through the diaphragm into our chest cavity” phenomenon is covered in Diet and Hiatal Hernia. The “ballooning of out-pouchings from our colon” is called diverticulosis. There’s a video I did about 6 years ago (Diverticulosis & Nuts), but have some new and improved ones coming up soon:Diverticulosis: When Our Most Common Gut Disorder Hardly Existed and Does Fiber Really Prevent Diverticulosis?More on that extraordinary African data here:So excited to be able to slip in a plug for Dr. Kahn’s work. His brand of “interpreventional cardiology” can be found at http://www.drjoelkahn.com.If you missed the last video in this series, check out How Many Bowel Movements Should You Have Every Day?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-joel-kahn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hemorrhoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/squatty-potty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/appendicitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/african-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/varicose-veins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-denis-burkitt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anorectal-angle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallstones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hiatal-hernia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3005140,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21407688,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22148112,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5053728,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5926158,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/56587,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5032782,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25748875,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/421112,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12870773,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6229907,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2927355,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1127617,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3778072,
PLAIN-2435	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-bowel-movements-should-you-have-every-day/	How Many Bowel Movements Should You Have Every Day?	Ancient Egypt was one of the great civilizations, lasting for 3,000 years, its knowledge of medicine vastly underestimated. They had medical subspecialties. The pharaohs, for example, had access to dedicated physicians to be guardians of the royal bowel movement, a title alternately translated from the hieroglyphics to mean Shepherd of the Anus. How’s that for a resume builder?Today, the primacy of its importance continues, with some calling for bowel habits to be considered a vital sign on how the body is functioning, along with blood pressure, heart and breathing rates. Although we may not particularly like hearing the details of someone else’s bowel movement, it is a function that nurses and doctors need to assess.Surprisingly, the colon remained relatively unexplored territory, one of the body’s final frontiers. For example, current concepts of what “normal” stools are like primarily emanate from the detailed records of 12 consecutive bowel movements in 27 healthy subjects from the United Kingdom who boldly went where no one had gone before. Those must have been really detailed records.The reason we need to define normal, when it comes to frequency, for example, is how else can we define concepts like constipation or diarrhea if we don’t know what normal is. Standard physiology textbooks may not be helpful in this regard implying that anything from one bowel movement every few weeks or months to 24 a day can be regarded as normal. Once every few months?Of all human bodily functions defecation is perhaps the least understood and least studied. Can’t you just ask people? Turns out people tend to exaggerate. There’s a discrepancy between what people report and what researchers find when they actually have them recorded. It wasn’t until 2010 when we got the first serious look, defining normal stool frequency as between three per week and three per day, based on the fact that that’s where 98% of people tended to fall. But normal doesn’t necessarily mean optimal.Having a “normal” salt intake can lead to a “normal” blood pressure, which can help us to die from all the “normal” causes, like heart attacks and strokes. Having a normal cholesterol level in a society where it’s normal to drop dead of heart disease—our number one killer, is not necessarily a good thing. And indeed, significant proportions of people with quote-unquote normal bowel function reported urgency, straining, and incomplete defecation, leading the researchers to conclude that that kind of thing must just be normal.  Normal, maybe, if you’re eating a fiber deficient diet. But not normal for our species. Defecation should not be a painful exercise. This is readily demonstrable. For example, the majority of rural Africans eating their traditional fiber-rich, plant-based diets can usually pass, without straining, a stool specimen on demand. See, the rectum may need to accumulate 4 or 5 ounces of fecal matter before the defecation reflex is fully initiated, and so if you don’t even build up that much over the day, you’d have to strain to prime the rectal pump.Hippocrates thought bowel movements should ideally be two or three times a day, which is what you see in populations on traditional plant-based diets, on the kind of fiber intakes you see in our fellow great apes, and what may be more representative of the type of diets we evolved eating. It seems somewhat optimistic, though, to expect the average American to adopt a rural African diet. We can, however, eat more plant-based and bulk up enough to take the Hippocratic oath to go 2 to 3 times a day.No need to obsess about it. In fact, there’s actually a "bowel obsession syndrome" characterized in part by ideational rambling over bowel habits, but three times a day makes sense. We have what’s called a gastrocolic reflex, which consists of a prompt activation of muscular waves in our colon within 1 to 3 minutes of the ingestion of the first mouthfuls of food. Even just talking about food can cause your brain to increase colon activity. This suggests the body figured that one meal should be just about enough to fill you up down there. So, maybe we should eat enough unprocessed plant foods to get up to three a day, a movement for every meal.	One BM every few months? Forget “normal”…on what planet is that even possible?In the Marshall Islands when diabetic participants joined our lifestyle intervention program, that induced a nutrition component, were embarrassed and confused when they started to have daily BMs. Some participants only went once weekly, so yes, this is very normal (or abnormal I suppose) for some populations (even on this planet) ;-) Cannot underestimate nutrition education for more fiber in the diet!OFF-TOPIC QUESTION: Joseph, on the left side of the homepage, I see Dr. Greger’s speaking schedule. From what I see, he gives a lot of speeches. Are the videos of his past speeches available anywhere on this site for the visitors to watch? Thanks Joseph.Yes they are! You’ll see his most prominent videos and links at the bottom of each NutritionFacts page. Scroll to the bottom of the page and on the right hand side there are 3 videos “Food for Disabling Diseases” “Foods for Common Diseases” and “Foods for Killer Diseases” – Talk about 3 whole hours of all-you-can-handle FUN! ;-) Let me know if you cannot find them I’ll link separately. Thanks, George.Nutrition Videos Browse Topics Latest Videos Foods for Disabling Diseases Foods for Common Diseases Foods for Killer DiseasesHi Joseph: I found them. Thank you so much for your help.Hi Joseph. There was an article recently in The Guardian about the Runit Dome and it got me thinking about the Marshall Islands again and a talk by Brenda Davis I heard a while back. Long story short, far be it to toot your own horn so I’ll do it for you. Folks can have a look at these pictures and wonder along with me what a wonderful and unique experience it was living and working in the MI on such a humanitarian mission. http://www.brendadavisrd.com/gallery.php?section=marshall_islands@UCBAlum:disqus**Slow Clap**I see what you did there. I squat before you.Interesting thing about seeing these videos on youtube is the “like-themed” videos suggested by the AI when this one ends. Have a happy day.Those “like themed” suggestions are the bane of my Youtube existence. They have too much “skew” built in to them. The ADHD like me, do not need assistance going off in the wrong direction. When i find a good source, I go to their section and look through everything they have uploaded. Found some great things that way. Rarely through the AI suggestions, way too much “popularity” and “trending” action there for me. CheersHmmm … the collection of recommendations I received for this video could have been politely characterized as “quack scat” and did not tempt me too much. ;)I am a vegan, very occasional cheese, and I only ‘go’ once every two days. : ( But, that is better than pre-vegan days when I went once per week. Three times per day would be a dream come true that I know ain’t never gonna happen.I know people someone who eat tons of fiber, but only goes once per day or every other day when traveling (or sometimes just away from home). I am not sure and need to see some research but perhaps there is a “stress” (psychological) component to successfully achieving a healthy bowel movement? Not saying this is your case, but your comment reminded me of my friend. I would agree once every other day is much better than once a week! I commend you!Best wishes, JosephActually, stress is likely a bigger cause of constipation then is lack of fiber. IBS, to my knowledge, with constipation is related to the mind body gut axis. You can feed all the fiber you want, but if there is something screwy with the mind body gut axis, things are going to get clogged up until stress is relieved. Countless GI doctors know this, and is the reason they often prescribe psych meds to relieve constipation. Sure, lots of fiber helps someone who does not have these mind body gut issues, but for those that do, it is just a part (and sometimes small part) of the solution.I use to go once a day and now that I am in menopause (I do take topical estrogen) I become constipated no matter what I eat if I do not have enough estrogen for bowel peristolis. I was a total vegan falling Dr. fuhrman’s diet for two years and I was still constipated. I truly believe it is a case of hormones or lack thereof, not how much fiber I get since I was on a WFPB diet. I am about 80 % WFPB diet now and I do find when I eat fattier foods or have alcohol I have an. Easier time going to the bathroom! Very frustrating!Did you ever try taking Epsom salt baths? The magnesium–which can be lacking in WFPDs– may help. You have to make the water quite hot to activate the salts, I’ve been told.Totally agree. My sister eats well but is often stressed out running her business. In her words, she has ‘no time to poop’.Any thoughts on whether magnesium -rich Epsom salt baths could stimulate bms?I also have anecdotal evidence to back the stress claim up. When I spend all day at home, I have a bowel movement about 30 minutes after each meal. When I go to work, though, even if I eat right before, I do not. Same story for shopping, seeing a movie, etc. All I can figure is that my body “knows” I’m away from home and decides it is not the best place.I’m NOT a vegan – eat meat, cheese, eggs, milk BUT also a lot of natural fiber. Average for me is 3x/day.I find dehydration has a big part to play also – eating a lot of fiber also requires a lot of fluids – make sure you are drinking plenty of water!! Also, why not just drop the cheese entirely? I think any ex-smoker would agree that its harder to quit smoking if you, well, keep smoking…And Dr. G gives us PLENTY of good reasons to eliminate such a dangerous food, and bowel health is one. Go vegan, its better for the animals and its better for you!I am a vegan, except when my wife slips some cheese in her fixin’s. I don’t think that under those rare times is done harm. Additionally, I am an animal rights activists I do my share to stop cruelty to animals, and cannot wait for the day when there is no slaughter of the innocent.Please explore role of stress and anxiety issues and bowel movement, reflex. Not in regards to the stress of going to the bathroom, just the stresses of everyday life, and certain peoples’ depression and anxiety issues. Quite often this alone is the cause of constipation, and much less so the diet.Serotonin and dopamine synergy in the gut. There is a reason some people benefit from low-dose anti-depressents in regards to constipation. But no thanks, I don’t want the side-effects of these drugs.Great point I literally just wrote about this, but I thought I may be looney because I have yet to see the research. Obviously certain medications can cause constipation but I too wonder about the research on anxiety and stress and contraption. 10 gold stars for anyone who can jump in here and find some research on this topic! Thanks for your post.well, as many of us know,’medications’ are magnesiun depletors,& mg is, among 800 other things, a muscle relaxant & stress buster, so easy pooping ain’t gonna happen…Dr. Greger writes about probiotics and mood here, suggesting the brain and intestines are a neural highway that mirror each other.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/How does Dr. Greger recommend taking probiotics?Thank you.Hi Mathew, I believe that Dr. Greger says that if you eat a whole food plant based diet you will grow the correct probiotics naturally. Whole plant foods promote the growth of good microbes. They are in the plants naturally. You don’t need to take any pills if your diet is plant based. Except for B12 of course. Hope this helps!Thank you. I should take his advice and stop using unnatural sweetener. Maybe that is what is killing my intestinal microflora. Dr. Greger still writes that deficiencies abound, for instance, with Potassium. He talks about how many nutrients are first made at the very end of the colon and how their is limited means to adsorb some important nutrients.Thank you for your response. I’m sorry that you’re having problems with your microflora. I know I like to add a little sweetness to my strawberry coca concoctions and I use artificial sweeteners as well. And of course Dr. Greger has a recommendation for artificial sweeteners as well: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/ He even says that Erythritol can have antioxident benefits in this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/Erythritol has been hard for me to find in my area so I am going to try to puchase it on ebay. Xylitol is the sweetener I have right now, but if I put too much into my treats it loosens up my bowels a bit too much..Dr. Greger has a recipe for vegan dark chocolate ice cream:Blended 2 and a half tablespoons of cocoa powder. frozen cherries or strawberries, a little nondairy milk, vanilla extract and some erythritol or some dates and you have instant, decadent chocolate ice creamI would like to try this, is this similar to what you are making?It has a lot of heart benefits, I am glad you are eating cocoa. Are you staying away from dark chocolate because of the LDL raising saturated fat? Dark Chocolate was still shown to reduce all cause mortality by half in moderate consumption, (like a hundred grams!), in many studies, making it a true super food. Please let me know how Erythritol works for you.Oh thanks, I think I’ll use this as an excuse to buy some frozen cherries!Good question! He always says “get them from foods first,” and I tend to agree. Check out this video about boosting good bacteria without probiotics. Perhaps if someone is taking probiotics for a specific reason then these videos and blogs can help: How Should I Take Probiotics? and Should Probiotics Be Taken Before, During, or After Meals?Well here’s an anecdotal data point (I’m a vegan that eats a lot of fiber). When I’m working at home in pretty relaxed situations I typically go 5 or 6 time/day. But if I’m out dealing with the normal stresses of negotiating and interacting with the world I usually only go a couple of times a day and don’t feel any reflex pressure to go when I’m out and about, Though I guess in my case the stress I experience when I’m out wouldn’t be considered abnormal or to be causing any problems re. bowel or colon issues…The gut has its own brain called the enteric nervous system. Therefore, if it has its own computer, it may not be as simple as adding more fiber.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enteric_nervous_systemIt isn’t as simple as adding more fiber and staying hydrated. That gut brain has a mind of its own and I’d sure like to straighten it out. Some of the time it works fine and other times not so well… But since going WFPB it at least is always soft. One thing that doesn’t help is old injuries that messed up the nerves.Say you are out doing the hunter-gatherer thing…since you are on the lookout for predators…human and otherwise…you’d need to relax to take a dump. I think some hemorrhoid cases are due to continual stress.1 or 2x, maybe 3. BTW just (roughly) calculated a typical day of eating for me, the fiber = 62g.Think you eat enough fiber? Think again! Do you eat 10 cups of plain cooked oatmeal a day ? – that is 40g of fiber – which is the RDA for men 50 and over. This is the simplest, most important and least known diet advice – that is – take enough fiber (40g per day) to have 2-3 bowel movements per day. It is difficult almost impossible to have a bad diet if you consume enough fiber in your food.I start every day with oatmeal or grits topped with berries and flaxseed. Then the beans and potatoes and greens…so easy and tasty. 50-100g is likely my fiber total each day. Easy and tasty and healthy.Oat bran is even better than oat meal. Comparing fiber/protein/calories: 15.4 vs. 10.1, 17.3 vs. 13.15, 246 vs. 370 for 100 g. of bran vs. meal. Oat bran is even cheaper. I buy it in bulk at WinCo.I second your nomination for oat bran, Psych MD. Just make sure you drink enough water to move it through your system.http://eatandbeatcancer.com/2012/08/25/anti-cancer-breakfast-recipes-what-grain-is-best-for-your-blood-sugar/2⅓ to 2½ cups of cooked beans also have ~40 g fiber, for a third as many calories as the oats. One 14 oz can of beans (or home cooked equivalent) has about 25 g fiber, so one can be well on one’s way to that target for under 400 calories.A classic. Uncharted territory illuminated by Dr. Greger’s characteristically dry, and sometimes ironic, humor.Uncharted only by lesser shepards: Bowel Movement Frequency Bristol Stool Scale Stool Size Matters Food Mass Transit Bowels of the Earth Bulking Up on Antioxidants Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet Childhood Constipation and Cow’s Milk Stool pH and Colon CancerI love your work, and listen to every thing you say. I try to live as close to your recommendations as possible, but I have one idiom that I do not believe. You mentioned evolving over millions of years. The true science stands against that as far as I can tell. This may not be your field, so I’d like you to at least look into Ian Juby on Google. He has lodes of info, just like you, except that it is on a different issue.Thanks, Walter. I laughed so hard it stimulated another bowel movement!Now that I’ve taken care of ‘business,’ ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. Ian Juby: http://creationsciencehalloffame.org/inductees/living/ian-juby/If you really get into the science of it evolution is faith based also. Faith in science that keeps changing.“Howard, bring me the Post and the Times. This is gonna be an all-dayer!!!”I take calcium supplements and get a stool once a ta day. I think it’s the caliciumMagnesium is well known for loosening stool. A lot of calcium supplements have magnesium added. Not sure of he laxative effect of calcium alone. Or are you suggesting you’d have more BMs if you didn’t take the calcium supplement?I had a professor of gastroenterology who said, let patients defecate on a white piece of paper from 1 meter above, and I can tell their GI ailments in 95% of cases, without colonoskopy (which can be dangerous and painfull), bloodtests, X-rays and so on….. but no fancy procedures or tests so that would never be an option…Rorschach missed his calling.Yes, because of diarrea…..Fascinating! Care to share any more details from that prof? such as describing various types of stool and associated ailments?Ahhh, this is full of sh**!A really funny and informative small book written by a GI doc is “What’s Your Poo Telling You?” (by Josh Richman and Anish Sheth, MD). I keep a copy (along with the companion book “What’s My Pee Telling Me?” on the top of my toilet lid. When I hear people chuckling in the guest bathroom, I know they’re reading about poo or pee . . .Since we’re sharing our bowel habits here, I am so glad to have effortless 2-3 poos per day. I recently had to take a few tylenol with codeine tablets to deal with some pain and the resulting constipation was so terrible I decided to experience the pain rather than take more pills. It made me feel so sorry for folks who have regular constipation, especially if they’re not aware of natural ways (e.g. fiber & fluids) to treat it.On a humorous note, most of the time when I head to my bathroom to poo, one of my cats follows me in and takes his poo in the litter box, too! It continues to make me laugh.I would Google ‘bowel obsession syndrome’, but I’m afraid to see what the targeted ads and Youtube recommendations would look like.try duckduckgo?How much is too much? is any study on that? i mean not diharrea, but soft consistence.. (sorry ahha). my grand mother after going to a hfpd is worry about that, she says that goes 4 5 times a day.. i dont know if it is an exsageration but it will be that be too much?i have saw this bristol stool chart http://www.healthhype.com/loose-stool-and-hard-stool-different-types-of-feces.html so apart from how many times, the way we do it may says many things. my grand grand mother (in paraguay rural area, have look for the poop of all her children and dependig on the consistency giving them the right kind of food. i wonder if this bristool stool charl is correct, i supouse it is much more info about it.. i have notice for exsample that people that eat to much oil use to go many times to the toilet.. but it is more steaky and close to diarrea.. this moovemnts dosent seems soo healthy. i know my be disqusting but it wiill be good to put some light on poop .Okay, you’ve addressed pooing… what about peeing? Can it be normal to pee up to, say, 20 times a day? I think I probably urinate 15 times a day or so. I drink a lot of water, eat a lot of fruit (lots of watermelon lately), and have a small bladder. Always wonder whether or not to trust general guidelines for people about these kinds of things. Most people are chronically dehydrated. Also, is it better to not have to get up during the night to urinate, or does that mean you’re not adequately hydrated (as I’ve heard some claim). I’ve always preferred avoiding too much water before settling down to sleep so that I don’t have to get up, but I don’t mind doing so if it’s better for my health. Thanks! :)i personally think how much and many times a weak you need to go to your bathroom really depends on your diet, i would rather think that people should much more look at if your fecies are in a normal state cause watery poo is never right and extremey dry and thick isnt right as well, people should rather think of that instead of how many times you should go to a bathroomUNFORTUNATELY, THIS VIDEO discourages people from eating diets high in fiber… since who wants to — or has the time or the availability while working to — have bowel movements of 3 times a day? You know, as in… IS TOM IN THE BATHROOM AGAIN?! What the hell does he do in the bathroom all day?!3 times a day wouldn’t take up much of a person’s time, and remember that it becomes as quick and effortless as urinating. Gone are the days of needing reading material in the bathroom. ;)Exactly. Leave the SAD diet behind and also the SAD poop (and the complications directly related: diverticulitis, hiatal hernia…). It’s such a rewarding experience on so many levels. The high-fiber BM also doesn’t have the intense urgency that I was accustomed to before (as 1x frequency somewhat SAD eater). It’s a very _manageable urgency_, if there is such a thing.I have read many of the comments, but so far I haven’t seen anyone discuss this. I eat probably 95% PBWF, a bit less when dining out, though not frequently. I often have three or four bowel movements in the morning, sometimes only a few minutes apart. My thought is that each fiber-filled poop is too long to fit into the rectum, so the second and even third movements are really just a continuation of the first. Does anybody concur or have this experience? This is from someone who was formerly easily constipated. I take a tablespoon of chia seeds soaked in water morning and night along with supplemental magnesium, along with lots of veggies and fruits.Sometimes I have two, “back to back” so to speak. Sometimes they are spaced more evenly. My flaxseed intake varies as I simply don’t eat the same thing every day. That is my sole fiber supplement and is mainly for the lignans and other flaxseed wonders. Always have two or three when nervous/anxious about an event, like a bike race–and that was before WFPB, will update if that changes.I’d like to hear what people here have to say about “transit time”. Today, the time from mouth to bum was only 6 hours for me. I had a bit more green tea during the day than I’d like, so that probably affected the time some, but I do seem to have fairly quick digestion. I wonder if this is a sign of bad nutrition absorption. Everywhere on the web it seems like 24-72 hours is “normal”, but I think I average about 10-12 hours.I think transit time may be dependent, in part, on type of fiber. Pectin, I’ve read, goes through you quite rapidly. Anybody out there know more about transmit time and types of fiber?I have very regular bowel moments. Same time everyday but my problem is flatulence. I am a vegan and eat no processed foods. Since becoming a vegan 18 months ago I have had nothing but incredibly smelly flatulence. What is going on? I love my veggies but the more I eat the worse I smell. It is a very distressing situation for me, particularly at work. Doctors can’t find anything and I have tried to eliminate what might be the culprits but nothing is working. How can I eat my veggies without the foul burning gaseous odors that they produce?	Africa,blood pressure,bowel movements,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,colon disease constipation,colon health,diarrhea,evolution,fiber,gastrocolic reflex,heart disease,heart health,plant-based diets,salt,standard American diet,stool size,stroke,United Kingdom,vegans,vegetarians	Most people have between 3 bowel movements a day and 3 a week, but normal doesn’t necessarily mean optimal.	I know people are suckers for poop videos—I’m so excited to finally be getting these up! There actually was a recent one though--Diet and Hiatal Hernia--that talks about the consequences of straining on stool. Hernias are better than Bed Pan Death Syndrome, though—that’s what I talk about in in my next video, Should You Sit, Squat, or Lean During a Bowel Movement?I do have some older videos on bowel health:For more on this concept of how having “normal” health parameters in a society where it’s normal to drop dead of heart attacks and other such preventable fates, see my video When Low Risk Means High Risk.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gastrocolic-reflex/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22717088,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18021288,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23141488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/974496,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3933325,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7752157,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5902364,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6269944,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17878507,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20205503,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2168914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2033225,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10406232,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11288049,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1203154,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3005140,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/998552,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/49607,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8491403,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/707390,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1624166,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24722614,
PLAIN-2436	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-kept-secret-in-medicine/	The Best Kept Secret in Medicine	Even though the most widely accepted, well-established chronic disease practice guidelines uniformly call for lifestyle change as the first line of therapy, physicians often do not follow these guidelines. Yet, lifestyle interventions are often more effective in reducing heart disease, hypertension, heart failure, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and deaths from all causes than almost any other medical intervention."Some useful lessons come from the war on tobacco," Dr. Neal Barnard wrote in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics. When he stopped smoking in the 80’s, the lung cancer death rate was peaking in the U.S., but has since dropped, with dropping smoking rates. No longer were doctors telling patients to give their throat a vacation by smoking a fresh cigarette. Doctors realized they were more effective at counseling patients to quit smoking if they no longer had tobacco stains on their own fingers. In other words, doctors went from being bystanders—or even enablers—to leading the fight against smoking. And today, he says, plant-based diets are the nutritional equivalent of quitting smoking.If we were to gather the world’s top unbiased nutrition scientists and experts, there would be very little debate about the essential properties of good nutrition. Unfortunately, most doctors are nutritionally illiterate. And worse, they don’t know how to use the most powerful medicine available to them: food.Physician advice matters. When doctors told patients to improve their diets, to cut down on meat, dairy, and fried foods, patients were more likely to make dietary changes when their doctor's advised them to.  And it may work even better if doctors practice what they preach. Researchers at Emory randomized patients to watch one of two videos. In one video, a physician briefly explained her personal healthy dietary and exercise practices and had a bike helmet and an apple visible on her desk, and in the other, she did not discuss her personal practices and the apple and bike helmet were missing. For example, in both videos the doctor advised the patients to cut down on meat, to not usually have meat for breakfast, and have no meat for lunch or dinner at least half the time as a simple place to start improving their diets, but in the disclosure video, the physician related that she had successfully cut down on meat herself, and perhaps not surprisingly, patients rated that physician to be more believable and motivating. So physicians who walk the walk—literally—and have healthier eating habits not only tend to counsel more about diet and exercise, but also appear more credible and motivating when they do so.It may make them better doctors. A randomized controlled intervention trial to clean up doctors' diets, called Promoting Health by Self Experience, found that healthcare providers’ personal lifestyles were directly correlated with their clinical performance. Healthcare providers' own improved well-being and lifestyle cascaded to the patients and clinics, suggesting an additional strategy to achieve successful health promotion.Are you ready for the best kept secret in medicine? The best kept secret in medicine is that, given the right conditions, the body heals itself. Treating cardiovascular disease, for example, with appropriate dietary changes is good medicine, reducing mortality without any adverse effects. Yes, we should keep doing research, but educating physicians and patients alike about the existing knowledge about the power of nutrition as medicine may be the best investment we can make.	which is the life expectancy for an average doctor? i mean been they are the specialist on health.. they should be the best example of the current advices in medicine…the ones that i know and knew didn’t have a very healthy life at all. and some of them have died quite young many of them are addicts to some drugs , etc… it will be interesting to know as you mention in the video, doctors are the easy example to follow, a doctor is the person in which you trust for your health. it is any study on the health of doctors?What a great question! Here are some statistics I found based on this study Mortality rates and causes among U.S. physicians. See if that helps? I agree and I think it’s kind of like the relationship between children and parents. Kids mimic their parents. If mom and dad are drinking soda and engaging in unhealthy behaviors children may have a harder time making healthful choices. As Dr. Greger mentions, the same can be said for patients and physicians.great Josep! thank you seems that i was wrong the physicians are more or less as unhealthy as any other professional… (slightly better :) ) so they are not the worst example they are more or less the average.. thats means they are not a good example of health as well :)“Among both U.S. white and black men, physicians were, on average, older when they died, (73.0 years for white and 68.7 for black) than were lawyers (72.3 and 62.0), all examined professionals (70.9 and 65.3), and all men (70.3 and 63.6). The top ten causes of death for white male physicians were essentially the same as those of the general population, although they were more likely to die from cerebrovascular disease, accidents, and suicide, and less likely to die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia/influenza, or liver disease than were other professional white men.”for me are quite funny the conclutionsWell, it looks like doctors do better than the average person. But only slightly. So if you compare them to other intelligent successful professionals (who live longer than the average person), they probably do worse…http://edition.cnn.com/videos/health/2015/04/08/exp-human-factor-dr-ellsworth-wareham.cnn here a good exsample of an physician life expectenci when what they know is right and they do so.. 100 years old… i trust..I think it would be interesting to compare the life expectancy of nutritionists to that of doctors. I’m guessing that the nutritionists would win by living healthier and longer lives.http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/04/more-money-more-life-the-depressing-reality-of-inequality-in-america/360895/ the income it is an importante factor for longevity doctors may live an extra year as any other person with that quality of lifeDr. Joel Wallach has a book called “Dead Doctors Don’t Lie”. In it he cites statistics about the average age of death of doctors and it’s quite low. I cannot recall precisely, but it’s in the mid 50s. Obviously some doctors live a fair bit longer than that, but if most of them are following their own advice, then they’re not going to get very old.For me it is less about credentials and more about behavior. Studies have shown that physicians who have practice healthy lifestyles recommend those practices more often. They are also more successful and have better credibility with their patients. Given the science at this point treating patients without emphasizing and coaching the best lifestyle choices is in this doctors opinion substandard care. I hope I’m around to see it become the community standard of care.i wonder too witch is the freedom for a doctor to don’t follow the medical protocols. when for example the protocols says for a little fever take this antibiotics plus ibuprofen etc… what’s happen if the doctor advises to the patient does not go along with the oficial protocol and he give comun sens advices like to eat more fruit more berries.. and what happen if something goes wrong with the patient.. how the lord act on the doctor, if the protocol have says. seems that doctors are like slaves of the protocol, and the protocol have made with the pharmaceutical lobby. is it a risk for a doctor like michael greger to work that way? i know that is the best advices that one can give. but have the doctors freedom to go out of the protocol a litle bit?More great questions, Noe. I may refer to some of the physicians who answer questions on our site, as they would know more. I hope they can help answer your questions.Best, Josephthank you very much for you question yes somehow is the knowledge of those protocols which makes Dr looks smarter in front of his patient ! what about that prestige if he behaves by giving some nutrition advices, that can be given by any of other folks who know a “bit and more “about nutrition…THE MAGIC Health SYSYEM WD COLLAPSE !!I am afraid that the good doctor who dont follow the standard procedure (drugs, procedures), will get in serious trouble if anything goes wrong. Thats one reason that this is a battle against “dark forces”.My mother-in-law has been receiving treatment for stage-4 ovarian cancer for the last 7 months. This week her doctor suspended treatment, admitted it was not helping and recommended Hospice. I was not in favor of the chemo treatments. Her disease was advanced and the chemo side effects were worse than the cancer. But, she obediently followed the doctors orders for chemo fueled by the false hope that she might get several more years with treatment. I wonder if five years ago, a doctor had sat down with her and explained how her horrible diet was hurting her health – could the last 7 months have been avoided? . What if she would have learned that her diabetes and obesity could be reversed by changing the way she ate. My husband tried to talk to her but he was not an authority figure like the doctors she respected. If she would have had the opportunity to obey a doctor’s nutrition recommendations the way she adhered to the prescribed chemo regimen, her present situation might be different. And, during these debilitating months of treatment, diet and nutrition were never mentioned. This is not just her story, but a story I have heard many times. It needs to change.Hi BB. It is very hard to say. I know we’ve discussed your mother-in-law’s situation before. Such a frustrating case I can empathize with your thoughts and feelings. I really appreciate Dr. Barnard’s excerpt from his book, The Cancer Survivor’s Guide. He says “Before we begin, one note of caution: As we explore the role of food in cancer, some people might feel a bit uneasy. If foods can affect cancer risk, they ask, does that mean I am somehow to blame for my illness? Did the foods I ate as a child cause this problem? Is our culture causing these problems? It is natural that concerns like these will cross our minds. However, let us encourage you to set blame aside. The fact is, some people do their very best to follow health-promoting lifestyles and still develop cancer. And you may have known people who smoke, drink heavily, and eat with abandon and yet manage to live to a ripe old age. Unfortunately, it is easy to get cancer, and we cannot predict with certainty who will be affected by it and who will not. So let’s focus not on blame but on what foods can do for you. As Jack Nicklaus said, “You can spend all day trying to figure out why you hit your ball into the woods—or you can just go in and get it out.”Hi Joseph. I have also read Dr. Barnard’s book. And I do agree with you that blame is not productive especially at this stage. My frustration comes from the lack of opportunity to explore options that could have helped in this case. My personal experience is that her lifestyle most likely did contribute to her health issues. Obesity lead to diabetes which lead to heart disease. She was already so ill that fighting cancer was for her impossible. What I have learned on this website illustrates the relationship between diet and disease. Many of us are able to research and learn on our own and make choices that may not be popular but are scientifically sound. Some, like my mother-in-law rely solely on medical professionals to guide them. It is unfortunate that over the years, her doctors did not have nutritional education, could not give her options and relied on prescriptions to treat her symptoms instead of helping to reverse her disease. Doctors such as Neal Barnard and John McDougall are working to establish more nutrition training for medical students. That is positive.Beautifully stated! and so VERY true!Dr. Jeanne Wallace specializes in nutritional approaches to cancer and has had extraordinary results with various cancers, including brain and ovarian. She is reputable and has earned the trust of conventional M.D.’s. If your mother-in-law is open to a phone consultation, here’s how she can reach Dr. Wallace: http://www.nutritional-solutions.netSadly, the motivation is lacking to provide a WFPB diet because a lot of doctors would see biz drop and without drugs to prescribe, there goes more $$$ out the window. Do these vids get see in schools by kids at a young enough age to influence them? I think that’s where this all has to start.That is the pessimistic view. If one believes that people are mostly good, that most doctors believe in their oaths, then there is hope. If one believes that physicians are all hopelessly blinded by the love of money, then of course we are doomed. I choose to believe the former and see the lust for money in our society (and world) as a function of folks banded together as businesses/companies/corporations that must, by definition create profits. Our survival as “free” peoples is further threatened every time these mega corps get bigger. Some individuals are as greedy, but they only become dangerous to society when banded together in such large groups where profitability is so great as to have significant influence and power with all regulation and governing.Every processed food, chain “food” place and super/mega/low mart is likely a part of this mess. Shopping there fuels the fire. When we grow our own and/or support the local farmers, we are not putting money directly into the mega corp coffers. When demand shifts enough to affect megacorp profits, they will notice and at that point their offerings may shift to try to “recapture” all that _precious_ money they “lost”.As to schools? Yes, great idea. No I don’t think anything so radical would happen. Nothing wrong with education from home.Reminder: We must start with the positve qualities of plants. Overrun them with all the positive qualities of plants. Leading with the negative aspects of animal foods sounds too much like all the other “news” and “novelty” information with which we are continually overrun–and tends to be summarily ignored or dismissed as we are desensitized to such. Leave them wanting more. Get questions asked, not “stop sign” hands.There is a really good longivity calculator at “https://www.livingto100.com/” by Thomas Perles MD. I am a physician and also read his book which I found boring.I scored 96 years. Had to fudge a little on BP and cholesterol (guesstimate), and know I got docked for not having been to a checkup in over 3 years. Also i lied about taking Calcium supplements, because I do take D3 (and knew that was the “correct” answer.) Supplemental calcium is a bit of a joke for us plant eaters.Very good, remember aerobic exercise and resistance training. I ride a bike and lift weights.Lifelong cyclist here. Even “race” on the MTB sometimes, singlespeed.This is a great subject. Thanks for presenting it. Except for the rare few, like you, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. McDougall, and others of your ilk, I’ve lost faith in Medical Doctors. It is a conflict of interest for many to actually cure patients. Treating disease is ongoing income. Curing disease stifles income. That is, unless like you and the others above, they promote wellness. I get so much out of your videos. Thanks againMaybe we should try the system they used to have in Asia…you pay your doctor to keep you well, if you get sick, he loses your payments! In functional medicine, the doctor cannot book 3 patients every 15 minutes like some do now, they would need a LOT longer because they need to do the detective work to find out what the source of the problem is instead of just disguising a symptom (and likely creating others) with drugs. Personally, I always thought it would be a better doctor/patient model for them to charge like other professionals do…by time spent with the client (patient…though I HATE the connotation of that word!)…more actual detective work would take more time, but people would actually get better more often! Win-win! Less, and less expensive interventions might even make insurance cheaper! Triple win!I think that the best route to changing doctors attitudes is through the insurance companies. Now that Kaiser Permanente is on board with the WFPB diet, the rest of them will begin to see the financial gain of having healthy clients. They are the ones who have the incentives to change doctors behavior. I believe that the insurance providers should provide benefits of some type to doctors who move there clients into a healthy lifestyle.Changes are happening so that we know now what doctors are being paid by the drug companies. The ACA requires drug companies release information about how much they are paying doctors individually. This is powerful information that consumers can use to determine if they want to have a doctor that receives tons of money from big pharma. Here is pro publica’s website with the info: https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/Great tool at ProPublica! Thanks for the link. I found every doc I entered, my own physician as well as some of my friends in various specialties. Most amounts were trivial but one was $66,000 in last 18 months, which would cause me to examine very carefully (including seeking other opinions) a course of treatment prescribed by this doc if it included products from companies that had paid him.I agree about the insurance, and it does offer some hope! What a coincidence you posted that website, I have been watching this awesome “Future of Healing” conference and got a link from there today to OpenPaymentData.CMS.gov for the same purpose! Pretty cool right? I haven’t been to either yet, but I definitely will, it is going to be veeerrrrry interesting!Most drs are just plain folks in spite of the aura they try to perpetuate. they are the same as you and me. Most probably start out doctoring full of ideals and aspirations to advance their craft. But after a few years the Machine just grinds them down, the people ignore their (good?) advice and little by little, although they may still strive for excellence they settle on expedience.They only repeat what they have been taught, fully convinced that their dogma is the right one. They still tell me to trim the fat off the steak and be sure that cheese is “low-moisture” even now, 10 years after my heart attack and 4ple bypass. Now that i’ve lost the weight and so much of the plaque that the angina is gone…all by eating WPF. I saw my cardiologist at a store and she said, “I hardly recognised you. You see, I was right!” I was so gob-smacked I just wanted to … well you know like when Homer’s got Bart by the neck? Not really…I’m type B now. smooth sailing.I would so like to break the Machine…change our weird social strictures so we can teach OUR children in OUR schools actual nutrition based on good science. It breaks my heart to see young people weened onto the Gland from early age. The constant drone of synthe-food Giants calling their disciples to heal-to. We need our own Klaxon alarums, ringing louder than theirs. Just wondering, are there any new Mums and Dads here who are feeding their sprogs WFPB? I wonder if that is even possible nowadays?Applause, applause, applause, Doctor! However, if docs, medicine and pharmacology would have listened to those in holistic health in the 1970s and 1980s, who were promoting lifestyle change and nutrition as ways to better health–as I did and consequently was referred to as a ‘quack’, U.S. health statistics would be dramatically different. Just like MDs promoted tobacco use and then “saw the light about the science,” so, too, MDs need to understand what medicine and pharmacology are doing with promoting vaccines at birth, 2-4-6 months when infants’ immune systems are not fully developed and consequently become compromised by up to 9 vaccine actives given during one well-baby(?) visit. To all the MDs and healthcare professionals who visit NutritionFacts site, I commend you for your wanting to think outside the box of medical training and pharmaceutical marketing influences. Please stretch that curiosity a little bit further to investigate the vaccine package insert for each vaccine wherein is listed contraindications, adverse events, plus all the toxic chemicals, including neurotoxins, given in the name of prophylactic healthcare to infants. You can’t poison a body into wellness, as this site often reminds about chemicals and preservatives, etc. in food. Is there a difference between eating chemicals and injecting them into infants whose immune systems are not fully developed until around 2 years of age? Thanks for what you do, Doctor Greger. I appreciate you. PS I hope this comment will be permitted to stay as a post.Things move slow in established disciplines. Hope things speed up a little though. Pretty sure it was here that I saw the video that explains how X-rays were continued to be used to image fetuses for _25 years_ after science determined that it was likely causing birth defects.I wonder if a simple gesture, such as having a large bowl of apples in the doctor’s office, and the doctor telling the patient to “grab an apple on the way out” might not create a small, but important shift in awareness/emphasis. Doctors in private practice tend to complain that they see too many patients every day, so perhaps promoting an apple a day might keep a few patients away.Clever idea, Lee. Get the drug reps to bring fresh fruit instead of lattes and free lunches. Check out ‘John Oliver: Marketing to Doctors.’ (I’d post a link, but there’s a teensy bit of language /adult themes and out of respect for the community I won’t.) Having said that, it’s really worth watching, especially all you M.D.s out there. Busted!For any physicians trying to incorporate such healthful tactics, as you so perfectly described, literature from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine including posters, booklets, and reading materials may be useful for patients.A company I did some work for seemed to pride itself on keeping junk food available for employees. You know, crusty kreme , pizza and soda…all the worst foods. As an experiment I put out some broccoli, cauli, carrot sticks and celery with the least offensive humus I could find and sure enough…it sat there untouched until i put it out of its misery. But I did hear some folks take note of the contrast. Maybe some will think a little bit about their eating choices.Lee, I have been to a hospital in my area where they do have bowls with apples on the receptionists table available for patients, I grabbed one, and it was delicious! I was so happy to see such a small but inspiring action taken by the hospital…I’m not sure how popular the apples are in there (maybe most patients are too shy to grab one), but I do know for sure that if it is the only option available (and not a bowl of candy), it does portrait a message about both the hospital in question and the physicians that work there. It certainly is something that catches one’s attention, and indeed a small action that can subconsciously make patients associate eating fruits and vegetables as part of any cure.It would be nice if some examples were given of the best foods for each disease is. Or even perhaps a link to another site. All this talk doe nothing unless someone can actually point to each food and speak about HOW it can improve on certain health problems.There is no single “best food for each disease”. A good variety of whole plant foods are critical for health and prevention and should be the majority of any of our diets. Plants are medicine!Plant food good, animal product baaaad. Is the easy way to remember how to stave off disease and discomfort.Whole plant food, not isolated parts and pieces.That is just not true.Meat is not very good for you. There are lots of reasons why. Dr. Greger has a number of different videos on this site showing the problems with meat. Have you watched his latest lecture, From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/I changed my diet for health reasons. Changing to a WFPB diet changed my life. At this point, I can’t think of a plant that I wouldn’t eat, and I can’t think of a face that I would want to eat.I’m quite sure that Dr Greger “thinks” that what happens in a petri dish is in some way analogous to the biophysics and biochemistry occurring in the human body, but it isn’t really.Thanks for your input Aussie Sutra, I was not aware of the fact that the only results that Dr. Greger finds comes from a petri dish. I thought he was using information from the many articles he sites in his articles and videos. Here are a few other medical professionals that you could straighten out: Dr. Furman, Dr. McDougall, Dr. Pulde, Dr. Leon, Dr. Carral, Dr. Ornish, Dr. Loomis, Jeff Novick, MS RD, Dr. Kahn, Dr, Bernard. I could go on, but you can just go to http://www.ForksoverKnives.com and look at the list of article contributors yourself.I changed to a whole food plant based diet in September of 2014 so I have only been eating this way for 9 months. In that time I have lost 30 pounds, and I no longer have fibromyalgia pain, and my problems with blood sugar are gone. I am still overweight, but every week I lose a little bit more. I still eat fish once in a while, but really have no desire to eat meat.Edit: I forgot to include the dietitian that helps Dr. Greger on this website; Jospeh Gonzeles, R.D. You hear that Joseph, you better wake up and quit believing a dang petri dish!What is your reason for being here and and what is your background Aussie Sutra?Patience Grasshopper, knowledge and wisdom will come.Hi Belinda Wall, I found that the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine http://www.pcrm.org has some great information on what specific items cause specific cancers. And it has lots of other information about health. It certainly is a site you want to look at.As far as what heals the best, if you look at Dr. Greger;s videos it becomes pretty apparent pretty quickly that the great healers in the plant kingdom are fruits. I am amazed at what apples and strawberries can do. Fruit attacks cancer and heals your body. Fruit builds your immune system. Here is a video on strawberries: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/Spices are remarkable things, particularly turmeric. It is one of the most curative spices. It attacks cancer cells and leaves normal cells alone. I’ve even been using it as a facial mask. But there are lots of other great spices. Here is one of many videos on this site: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/Legumes are the work horses, they’ll help pull the fat from your system, so you want to always eat them. Just remember, that soy beans are categorized as a nut by the USDA because they contain a lot of fat. Soy is tasty, but should be consumed in moderation. Here is a video on beans and your heart: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/Here is one on beans and diabeties http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/Here is one on beans and your lifespan: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/And really the truth is you can’t eat a bad vegetable. What you want is variety because each veggie has it’s own phytonutrients and those phytonutrients are what heal you. Dr. Greger did say that broccoli sprouts have the most phytonutrients in one of his videos http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/ .As you look through the other videos you’ll see what green tea does, as well as hibiscus, just put in plain water. Then look at the video about what sprouts are best. You really change the amount of nutrients in beans and lentils by simply sprouting them.Oh yes nuts, they are also great for you and Dr. Greger covers what they do in several videos. Here’s one on nuts and heart attack risk: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/Hope this gives you some help!And let’s not forget the fungi: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/ Dr. Greger’s video about white-button mushrooms stimulating the immune system got me to start eating lots of them a week or so before any doctor’s appointment (which, thankfully, is both elective and rare…counting my ‘blessings’).As an aside, I was recently thinking about growing mushrooms indoors and this fellow of whom I had never heard popped up on my youtube radar: Paul Stamets. Turns out, this guy is absolutely for real. He gave a talk that I found fascinating. It starts out a bit ‘woo-ish,’ but it soon transitions into solid science and has forever transformed the way I think about mushrooms and the natural world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwLviP7KaAcYes, I really started to increase my intake of mushrooms after watching Dr. Greger’s video about white button mushrooms. Isn’t amazing what mycellium can to for our immune system. It’s just as amazing how important it is for the planet itself.I love the work that Paul Stamets is doing! My youngest son, who’s 19 became interested in mushrooms about a year ago. (For all sorts of reasons of course) I purchased one of Paul’s books for him to read which took me to Stamet’s website. Now my kid has developed a real interest in botany and mycellium specifically. It even seems that it’s going to help set the direction he’s taking in his college education. I have been thinking about trying to grow both Turkey Tail and Shitaki mushrooms.That is remarkable! My best to you and yours. Mr. Stamets says (somewhere on the youtubes) that he saved his 84 yr old grandmother from incurable breast cancer by adding turkey tail mushrooms to her regimen of herceptin (which wasn’t working) in an experimental treatment. Also most remarkable.It is amazing to me how so many plants are awesome for a MULTITUDE of chronic illnesses…dark leafy greens, for example…great for hearts (heart disease) , colons (colon cancer), brain, etc.I concur with 2tsaybow and Charzie, as following the link they displayed may be helpful. Also, if you have not already, please consider keeping up with the new videos posted every weekday and subscribe to the daily video feed! Thanks, Belinda.Hi Belinda. I know a website that may be just what you are looking for. It was very helpful to me in the early days of learning how to become plant-based (the ‘salad days’ if you will) and selecting the foods that would optimize every penny I spent for food. I have linked specifically to the list of foods, which was all I ever used. http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.phpAnother site I continue to use as a handy portal to USDA database is this one: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3163/2 I am not endorsing any site. Moreover, I only rely on NutritionFacts for the most current, science-based information.Finally, I want to share with you a video that is a MUST SEE for every visitor to Dr. Greger’s tour de force website. Good Luck and see you back soon! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/I really like worldshealthiestfoods website too, have for years! Knew about it before finding Dr. Greger’s awesome videos. Nutritionfacts is my #1 go-to, though!Thank you Dr Greger for sharing ‘the best kept secret in Medicine’NPR just did a good story on a pilot project that teaches nutrition to medical students. Of course it’s an elective. And who knows what their curriculum defines as a healthy diet. Sigh . . . However, it does seem like a glimmer of progress. Listen here: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/01/419167750/a-dose-of-culinary-medicine-sends-med-students-to-the-kitchenI know, right? Spinach and Feta Frittata is not exactly a health food. But I agree: a glimmer of progress. If folks run into trouble with this sort of fare, they can visit a holistic cardiologist endorsed by Dr. Greger: Joel K. Kahn, M.D..I’ve experienced the same difficulties other people have mentioned here when trying to help my mother. It’s probably a generational thing too, that what better nutrition can offer is not taken seriously , and believing that the only way to improve your condition is to change doctors to receive a different brand of medication with this or that dosage, and to take 5 extra medications to deal with the side effects. I am beginning to see a ray of light though , when my mother was astonished to hear that my family and I have not been sick for about 3 – 4 years except for one or two mild colds. The idea that perhaps nutrition and exercise had something to do with it is starting to look convincing (I hope). Then again unless I had found Nutritionfacts.org I probably would have gone down the same path.I think some people are using food to “die happy” in the same way some use tobacco. I’ve seen this personally (and almost lived it). It is a kind of depression that leads to self-destructive behaviour. The victims know that they are doing themselves harm but find it less revolting than hanging or pills.You make a good point. Something alarming though about smoking and lung cancer in Dr. Greger’s experience he says “The worst death I ever witnessed in my medical career, the one that gives me the most nightmares, was a lung cancer victim gasping for breath being drowned by their tumors. It was hideous. Please don’t smoke”my daughter, a GI doc and her hubby a nephrologist watched Forks over Knives and both changed to plant based; I and influenced me, a grandma, so I believe there is hope.Great presentation!!! I am a registered nurse and have been working in the medical field for more than 25 years. I see on a daily basis doctors handing out drugs like candy. There is usually no discussion of diet at all. Drug companies bring us lunch on a weekly basis. I went to a new physician myself and discussed with the physician I was having some constipation issues. She suggested fiber gummies!!!! I am assuming the fiber gummy rep had stopped by that day! We have a long way to go. Keep putting such informative and honest info out there Dr Greger.Such a shame that authority figures are so nutritionally un-studied when it IS so important to their field of endeavor. Angie, if you haven’t tried flaxseed (home-ground in blender or mill) you should. Does wonderful things for BM-no matter which side of that “scale” one is currently on. Plus tons more benefits. I add them on top of every day WFPB eating.My family doctor has told my mother, “I am a medical doctor; I prescribe medicine.” when she asked him for alternative ways to cope with menopause. When I saw him about transitioning to a WFPB diet, he asked me how I was getting my protein. That’s when I knew he wasn’t the right person to see about nutrition. He REALLY knows his meds, though, and saved my hand from amputation after a very nasty infection involving an animal bite. So, just like every other profession, I suppose doctors excel in their areas of interest.I suppose there is some weight to the old adage of not going to a toothless dentist, or an overweight personal trainerWhat about going to a veterinarian who isn’t vegan…essentially, eating some of his/her own patients?My father was a cardiologist, starting his practice after returning from the Korean war. His diet was state of the art at that time, meaning not much meat, minimal salt, lots of fish and poultry, nonfat dairy, plenty of vegetables. He swam for an hour every noon, weighed 165 lbs. and never smoked. Nonetheless he developed symptomatic coronary heart disease in his 30’s and had open heart surgery in his 40’s. This was so long ago that coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) had yet to be invented. He was always at the cutting edge with respect to medical treatment of heart disease and literally used himself as a test subject before prescribing to his patients. As an example I remember distinctly when calcium channel blockers were introduced. He knew exactly how long he could swim before he would start to feel chest pain. He then started taking a calcium blocker and realized he could swim significantly farther. He continued to practice into his 80’s until his hearing went. He is now 93. I am 62 and as far as I can tell disease free. I took the longevity calculator quiz linked above and scored 102. It is interesting, though data it collects on diet is pretty sparce. Aside from asking if you “snack on fruits and veggies,” no info is obtained regarding consumption of greens, berries, nuts, beans, etc., ie. the kinds of foods we have learned on this site are so health-promoting. Of the five suggestions it made, two I already knew: I sleep too little and work too much. Of the other three I am dubious: stop drinking coffee, drink less tea, take a calcium supplement.The BEST kept secret (by the USA Government & Media) is that human in “Herbivore” – not omnivore like we are repeatedly told & bombarded with from crate to grave.I hear all the talk here and smile. The world is run, managed and owned by insane, greedy fools. The root cause for EVERY problem on this planet is economic. OUR owners, aka royalty and all their crony mates, who all decided to benefit off YOUR death, care not one iota about your health or life. You are nothing more then ‘profit’ centers of recurring revenue. Some would say “batteries”. Big Pharma drugs you and never cures anything, government restricts and destroys free will which leads to death, ever so slowly as to calm the herd from their own innate fear, convincing them that they are the cause of their own demise when any honest human can clearly see that being a SLAVE and being extorted all your miserable life is somehow related to success! Let me explain one thing: Cecil aka Ces is a dirty old pervert who stands at the top of the ladder! When you finally climb said ladder, YOU get to “Suck Ces!”No my friends, it not just your diet, it’s the murder you take every day as you all agree to breath poisoned air! Drink poisoned water, eat deadly food and are lied to, cheated and stolen from ALL your stupid lives paying taxes to criminals and brutal thugs, whilst complaining like babies.I suggest a global non-profit bank for the entire planet, run by me, totally open, transparent and honest. With the right minds we could change our world for every human of any colour or creed. I also suggest that bankers and politicians should never be rewarded for their efforts, sort of like a real democracy should be.IF, we as a race, fail to remove the insane leadership we have, you and your diet will be DEAD.It would be so much interesting if statistics can be shown on the longevity of doctors versus their patients, the food they eat, how much exercise they do themselves, how many will agree that they( the doctors/oncologist ) themselves and for their love ones.will accept chemotherapy and radiation for cancer treatmentWhat should be the fat parentage (in calories) in a healthy diet? should be it be 10%? 20%? Are there any scientific works on that? .I think most doctors by now know that eating organic unprocessed food leads to good health. But most people don’t really care what they eat. And why would doctors recommend eating healthy, there is no money in healthy people is there? Every time you walk in their door they get paid. Veterinarians have the same problem. The money is in selling drugs that relieve symptoms, but do not cure the illness.I guess this is more of a general understanding question. At 2:50 Dr. Greger intruduces a study that suggests Doctors who excercise themselves, appear to be more credible and motivating to their patients. The figure says P <= 0.001. Does that mean that less or equal to 0,1% of the Population in the test were tested positive on that statement? If so, that number seems to be really small to support the statement. I think it would be great, if Dr. Greger would publish a video in which he explains some of the core-factors of scientific correct and incorrect studys and how to distinguish them. In that example, I wouldnt have trusted a statement that was found to be true in only 0.1% of the tests. But maybe there is a good reason to do so.I was both shocked and pleased to see after my wife’s annual checkup which showed high blood pressure and high cholesterol that her doctor included in her recommendations to my wife, to look into the Mediterranean diet and watch the movie Forks over Knives. Hearing that from a Doctor (vs me) really jump started my wife joining me more often than not in my whole foods plant based lifestyle.	cancer,cardiovascular disease,chronic diseases,dairy,diabetes,Dr. Neal Barnard,exercise,fat,frying,heart disease,hypertension,Lifestyle medicine,meat,medical education,mortality,plant-based diets,smoking,stroke,tobacco	Lifestyle changes are often more effective in reducing the rates of heart disease, hypertension, heart failure, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and premature death than almost any other medical intervention.	Of course, to advise patients about nutrition they first have to educate themselves, as it is unlikely they received formal nutrition education in medical training:For more on the power of healthy living, see:If you want to take advantage of Dr. Barnard’s transformation, check out his amazing 21-Day Kickstart Program, a free public service that starts the first of every month on how to transition towards a healthier diet.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-neal-barnard/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20486626,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19623829,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23566788,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22906808,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10810947,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22561031,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22997325,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10728118,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20628134,
PLAIN-2437	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/big-sugar-takes-on-the-world-health-organization/	Big Sugar Takes on the World Health Organization	The World Health Organization recommends we reduce our consumption of salt, trans fats, saturated fats, and added sugars. Why? Because consumption of such foods is the cause of at least 14 million deaths every year from chronic diseases.Several decades ago, it was heresy to talk about an impending global pandemic of obesity, but now we’re seeing chronic disease rates skyrocket around the world. We have exported our Western diet to the far reaches of the planet, with white flour, sugar, fat, and animal-source foods replacing beans, peas, lentils, other vegetables, and whole grains.Understanding the reasons underlying this trend toward increased consumption of animal products, oils, and sugar and the reduced consumption of whole plant foods begins with understanding the purposeful economic manipulations that have occurred since World War II relating to agricultural policies around the world.For example, the U.S. government, since early in the last century, has supported food production through subsidies and other policies, resulting in large surpluses of food commodities, meat, and calories. In this artificial market, large food producers and corporations – Big Ag and Big Food – became very profitable. And that may be part of the problem.Last year, Dr. Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organization gave the opening address at the 8th Global Conference on Health Promotion. One of the biggest challenges facing health promotion worldwide is that the efforts to prevent our top killers "go against the business interests of powerful economic operators." It is not just Big Tobacco any more. Public health must also contend with Big Food, Big Soda, and Big Alcohol. All of these industries fear regulation, and protect themselves by using the same tactics - front groups, lobbies, promises of self-regulation, lawsuits, and industry-funded research that confuse the evidence and keep the public in doubt.And they should know. In 2003, the World Health Organization released a draft report outlining a global strategy to address issues of diet, making a series of tame recommendations, but six words in that report, “limit the intake of ‘free’ sugars,” stimulated a remarkable series of events (free sugars means added sugars).The food industry went to work. Within days the sugar industry, through the Sugar Association, enlisted the support of officials high in the U.S. government and led a vigorous attack on both the report and the World Health Organization itself, culminating in a threat to get Congress to withdraw U.S. funding to the W.H.O., the organization that deals with AIDS, malnutrition, infectious disease, bioterrorism, and more, threatened because of its stance on sugar, just as the U.S. went to bat for U.S. tobacco companies and led the charge against the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.But the threat from the sugar industry was described by WHO insiders as worse than any pressure they ever got from the tobacco lobby.As revealed in an internal memo, the U.S. government apparently had a list of demands. Deletion of all references to the science they had experts compile on the matter, and having dietary guidelines are fine, as long as there are no references to fat, oils, sugar or salt.The threats failed to make the WHO withdraw their report. Entitled Diet, Nutrition And The Prevention Of Chronic Disease, it formally launched and concluded that a diet low in saturated fat, sugar, and salt and high in fruit and vegetables was required to tackle the epidemic rise in chronic diseases worldwide, though they did end up watering it down. Gone was reference to the comprehensive scientific report and gone was its call for recommendations to actually be translated into national guidelines.History has since repeated. At the last high level UN meeting to address chronic diseases, we helped block a consensus on action after lobbying from the alcohol, food, tobacco, and drug industries. When asked why Michelle Obama’s successful childhood obesity programs in the US should not be modeled around the world, a US official responded that they might harm American exports.	Check out ‘Globesity: Fat’s New Frontier.’ Regarding ‘American’ exports, one may only wonder what lies ahead for the world’s food environment when the Trans-Pacific Partnership becomes law. My guess is it will contain some Big Hammers to put a stop to all this back-and-forth wrangling once and for all and give Multinational Corporate Capitalism the ability to transcend national sovereignty with impunity that it so desperately seeks. But then again, I may be completely off-base here (but I suspect that I am not).I must disagree with your use of the word “Capitalism” in your comment. Multinational Corporations can exist and even thrive better under Socialism than they do under true capitalism. Do you think the Multinational Corporations in China are “capitalistic”? The word “capitalism” means to me free-markets of small family-owned businesses where true competition exists. And here in the US today, there seems to be a concerted effort to discourage true free-market capitalism (small family owned businesses, including private doctor practices) and replace them with large Corporations. It appears to me we’re moving away from capitalism and more toward socialism. Just my opinion. Now let’s get back to discussing Nutrition :-)Capitalism is not about small family-owned businesses. That’s what the large corporations want you to think. Adam Smith is widely known as the father of capitalism. Capitalist was a common job title. That means you have all the wealth. The idea is that the very wealthy (capitalists) invest that money and everyone will benefit and the market will correct itself with no depressions (hello 2009). I have a degree in economics. The problem is that in a capitalistic society like ours, all that money controls the power and therefore the culture. The information is not allowed to come out about ways of being healthy that don’t make the rich wealthy and more powerful. As has been predicted for centuries, the culture is controlled by the wealthy capitalists and they don’t play fair. Science is destroyed, as in this video. We can’t find out about GMO’s because they won’t let us use the seeds to do experiments, unless you’re on their payroll, so what kind of results are the “Scientists” allowed to have? John SI think we both agree that the wealthy in either economic system ends up controlling the system, no argument there. My point is that large wealthy corporations occur in both Socialistic and Capitalistic systems! So I think it’s misleading to tack on the word “Capitalistic” in association with large wealthy Multinational Corporations. Do you really think that there are no wealthy people in the many socialist dictatorships around the world? (That’s what the socialists want you to think!) And do you think these wealthy people don’t influence their governments and what information is fed to the masses there? At least in the USA we still have freedom of the Internet where benevalent people like Dr Greger can distribute valuable nutritional information even though it may be counter to the mainstream media. I don’t imagine that would be tolerated in the Socialist dictatorships around the world.I agree that communist dictatorships feature completely unfair distribution of power, wealth, and information. I don’t agree that democratic socialist countries like those in other first world countries do that. They are less controlled by wealthy corporations because unlike us, they have limits on how much money can be used to control elections. A poor person in Europe has a better chance of having a prosperous life than we do because they help poor people get health care and education, which our country doesn’t. The FDA stops doctors here from using natural medicine from plants, so doctors and Wealthy people here go to Europe for cancer treatment that the corporations won’t allow here. They are more healthy than we are for many of these reasons John S.Yes, John. They don’t play fair at all. http://www.foe.org/projects/food-and-technology/good-food-healthy-planet/spinning-foodI don’t have time now for a long reply. Just a reminder, the term capitalism, was coined by Marx, not Adam Smith.What you denounce there is what is being called corporativism, and you only get that with the unholy marriage between the government and business. One will feed the other, in an endless cycle. And they end up being big government and big business, a runaway train.You only can get that outcome if you have goverment who will regulate to eliminate real free trade, put all sort of barriers to entry, and control everything — as dictated by their friends, the ones who fund their campaigns and parties, the lobbies.Solution, make lobbies unlawful, as they are in many countries. To have that in place, is to beg for corruption.Also, keep government small and powerless, unable to legislate in favour of any corporations. Without that “help” we wouldn’t get the monstrous corporations.I didn’t say that Adam Smith coined the term. I don’t know who you are correcting.How do you get there from here? The corporations are controlling the government. If the government was smaller, there would be nothing with the possibility of slowing down the corporations. There are places where they have limited lobbies. They are not in right wing capitalist countries like USA. They are in left democratic socialist countries like Europe with union movements to balance the power of corporations. Big business didn’t give you the weekend, the unions did. Who is going to make lobbies unlawful-the corporations? There is no countervailing power to fight against them. I like small family owned businesses. They don’t force me to take carcinogens and high fructose corn syrup in my food and GMO’s. Do you think that corporations are fighting to limit those things? Corporations are the only ones powerful enough to limit what can be bought in grocery stores. JohnThe point that Thule and I are trying to make is that corporativism (Government and Corporations working hand in hand) has nothing to do with whether the government is capitalistic or socialistic. Maybe eliminating lobbies is a good thing, I don’t really know. But that would mean the Unions would have to eliminate their lobbies, too! And no one is forcing me to eat junk food, I just don’t buy the stuff. For any free society to work, there has to be some individual responsibility. Amazingly, fresh fruit and vegetables are available in almost every large grocery store, and in fact, it’s the first thing I see when I walk into them, they’re right up front. And even organic is now readily available, because that is what people now want to buy. Maybe the real solution is education, like Dr Greger is doing on this website. I have learned so much here. And I share the info and web link with many of my friends. With freedom of speech and a free Internet, eventually people will get the word and stop buying junk food and the stores will stop carrying so much of it.Corporations sneak GMOs and carcinogens into our foods and they spend millions of dollars to make sure you can’t find out what is in your food. Every year they introduce thousands of new toxic chemicals and they aren’t checked. We aren’t getting healthier. This generation will be the first with shorter, sicker lives. That isn’t free information. JohnLet’s try to put things into context first:“Yes, there’s an alternative system that does entail the government unjustly ruling business and government, in turn, improperly controlled by business for business’s exclusive benefit (whether by subsidies, special favors, monopolies and franchises, tax breaks, or bailouts), even as it nominally still permits private property holdings: it’s called “corporatism” (sometimes, synonymously, “cronyism” or “fascism”).Corporatism was the system originated almost a century ago by the American “Progressives,” and later by Mussolini in Italy, Hitler in Germany, and Roosevelt in the U.S. (see his 1933 National Recovery Act, struck down by the Supreme Court in 1935 as unconstitutional because it was so corporatist). Corporatism goes hand-in-hand with statism, with abandonment of the fully free economy and adoption of the welfare-warfare state. Yet while many oppose cronyism, corporate welfare, and bailouts, they also endorse handouts to almost everyone else, including to the politically-valuable cronies so easily found among today’s labor union leaders, “green” companies, under-water homeowners, over-indebted college students, and war-happy munitions makers..Those who speak of “crony capitalism” use a smear, to blur distinctions and blame innocents. But let’s keep facts (and terms) perfectly straight. Let’s not equivocate. Above all let’s acknowledge that the real culprits in corporatism are precisely those people who pretend to rail against it: the likes of Ralph Nader, Robert Reich, Barack Obama, and their friends in “Occupy Wall Street.”They all want bigger, more intrusive government in our lives; they are all full-throated pushers of the welfare state and “social democracy” (socialism by vote). Yet they whine against the undue influence of big business and corporations (and their cash) on political campaigns, lobbying, and policy-making. If government is going to intervene to redirect literally trillions of dollars of income and wealth from natural flows into artificial ones, it’s positively inviting and fostering cronyism. The closet corporatists claim to want to get money out of politics, but they won’t dare get politics out of money-making; they claim that capitalists and bankers are to blame for our many woes, but they won’t dare advocate capitalism,the only system that specifically precludes favors to capitalists (or any other sub-group). They deride influence-peddling but demand ever-more intense forms of government influence.In the world today (and for most of the past century) we haven’t had capitalism per se but instead the welfare state and corporatism; we’ve had what are commonly called “mixed economies,” those with some remaining vestiges of capitalist freedom but also many (and fast-proliferating) controls and taxes. Obfuscations about capitalism’s real nature and the blurring of distinctions between the terms capitalism and corporatism make it difficult for most people to discern cause and effect whenever some disaster or corruption arises, and thus it’s difficult to assign proper blame or achieve a lasting remedy. Yet people should always remind themselves that freedom breeds peace, justice, and prosperity, while coercion breeds violence, exploitation and poverty. When a mixed economy fails, it’s not its capitalist aspect that fails – unless you believe freedom itself fails.”I know well how things are in Europe, I am from there, tho I lived in US for a number of years. The welfare state is collapsing and will drag everything with it.What will control corporations in a free society? Competency. When there aren’t laws making impossible to compete, to entry a market then you have a problem.Meanwhile in a free market, for as long as there is demand, companies will see the opportunity and cover it.“Hey there is an opportunity here, see how much demand exist for this product, that company is making money, we should enter too… with better prices, diversification of product, another offer”But so does another third, four etc companies, for as long as there is demand different companies will fight for it, they will earn their money based on how well they serve you, the customer.Free competency is what stop mega corporations, they only can exist with the direct help from the state.You are making me laugh. The progressives were with John D. ROckefeller and cronyism? You are just as fair and balanced as Fox “news”. John SVery well stated! Thank you.…and in many respects we are “Hyper Capitalist” nation in that the USA Government subsidizes animal torture factories, large banks (2008 crisis), the health industry (Obama care), private prisons, and the military industry by starting wars.- Bush’s Iraq war and the coming Iranian war.Yeah, Globesity explains the situation very well.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGL3iT5MMdQAs the fat, salt and sugar levels in the US leveled off the corporations have made the rest of the world their new growth market. 2 thirds of the Mexican people are already obese with China, India and the rest of the world on the same path.TPP will allow the corporations to sue anyone that causes them to “lose profits”. Get those profits back. Kinda like the cattle industry did suing Oprah Winfrey for speaking negatively about beef. They had her in court for 6 yrs and cost her a million to defend herself. She won in the end, but with new TPP laws she probably won’t.If this is true … Woe.One major aim of TPP is to punish countries that attempt to mandate the labeling of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) or ban them outright. Key provisions in the international decree would allow corporations like Monsanto to actually sue governments for trying to protect their people against GMOs, all in the name of fostering “free trade.”Farmers would also be prohibited from saving seeds under the plan as countries are forcibly grafted into a regulatory paradigm governed by patent monopolies. Although not every country attending the TPP meetings is on board with this agenda, the stated goal is to force all negotiating parties to make patents on plants available as well as to protect plant varieties under the 1991 Protection of New Varieties of Plants Act (UPOV 1991).“The TPP will eliminate all nation states as the ruling authority and it will be supplanted by corporate authority,” adds Hodges. “This will be made possible because of an obscure provision of the TPP known as the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS).”Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/050151_farmers_TPP_biotech_patents.html#ixzz3eVNN3PbeFollow the $$$. Thanks Dr. Greger and staff for this insightful article!I’m surprised that this page didn’t supply a live link to WHO’s Action Plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases. I hope it’s not subject to pressure from lobbyists or the U.S. government too. The report can be found athttp://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241597418_eng.pdf?ua=1and the dietary recommendations are found on page 20.Thanks, Jerry! It seems a few links are not hyperlinking properly let me fix that right now! If you ever see anything off shoot me a note (jgonzales@nutritionfacts.org) and we’ll fix it asap.Best, JosephAs always it’s about the money!I don’t understand why, as long as there is the science to prove the link between fat, sugar, white flour, and salt, to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and related diseases, there can’t be law suits similar to what happened in the tobacco industry. If Big Sugar, and Big Fat, and Big Flour were made to stop marketing, stop suppressing the studies, and pay restitution for the health-care costs of those afflicted with diseases related to their products, then that would help cut down on the addition to these foods. Once the law suits start, I’m sure tons of internal communication will be revealed that confirms that these companies knew their products were both addictive and harmful.With tobacco, they had an inside man who would spill the beans. Why do you think the corporations are fighting so hard to limit law suit liability? It’s the only form of government they can’t control. Senators and congresspeople spend nearly all their time raising money. If you want to win, you’ve got to suck up to rich people. That’s the way our culture works. Washington and Jefferson are rolling over in their graves. John SMmmm…Beans! Now that’s what I’m talkin’ bout :)Got your point, but this situation is far more difficult than Big Tobacco. Unlike smoking, food is a necessity for life. Furthermore (and for example), many healthy products have just a bit of added sugar, less healthy ones have more, and very unhealthy ones have quite a lot. And sugar and saturated fats are also naturally occurring in many of the healthiest foods. This would be the mother of all suits for lawyers on both sides of the issue.Yes I agree with Lawrence, that we are being treated as fodder for the large corporations to do with as they please under the TPPA. Anyone else notice how difficult it is to ‘share’, posts like this on face book? Am unable to post this on my time line???Hi, Jill. You should be able to just click the little FB button in the top right under the video title. Or, simply copy and paste into your FB feed. Thanks for sharing this important video!When I cliick the post page to fb, it comes up with the blue share box out off site below the bottom of the screen. Have tried various things but keep being blocked from sharing.I cut/paste share to FB all the time. I cut the “preview” most times though. Dr. G uses some disturbing graphics/images often and I don’t care to re-distribute those as it looks “newsy” to me. My friends probably hate it (and nip me from their feeds)-rarely get any responses. We are brainwashed to think restricting calories and exercise can overcome eating all the junk we are used to and folks hold STRONGLY onto those “norms”.WFPB is just SO EASY! (and beneficial). I’ve had exactly one person say, I think I’ll try that for a couple of days (from personal contact, not “social media”). Anxious to hear how she made out. Cheers.I share your frustration at more people not being willing to TRY WFPB. DH and I have hosted ‘dinner and a movie’ evenings (WFPB + Forks Over Knives) reaching about 5 dozen people over the last 4 years and most don’t make changes, but a few do – to greatly improved health. Recently we were surprised to hear about 2 new ‘converts’ just from talking about our experience: one couple said overhearing us talk about our new way of eating two years ago motivated them to change (I didn’t remember them or the conversation) and another was a pair of travelers with whom we shared a meal of leftovers who were ready to make a change for health reasons and were motivated by our experience to go ahead and do it. You never know what ripples will ensue when you toss pebbles in a pond!I suppose that part of the problem is that I’ve always been a bit “healthier” than others, mostly because of cycling. I haven’t had hypertension, or obesity, or cardio event, or a cancer, so my experience isn’t a “BIG” one. “Two days” feeling better and then easy, no exercise weight loss is the “best” I can tell them–until I get some blood work and report my new cholesterol numbers.It’s just so easy to get so excited about feeling better and being healthier, allowing your body to repair the damage you’ve done to it over the years, AND to eat until you are FULL with ABSOLUTELY NO GUILT or REGRET or WEIGHT gain. But they just look at you…Weird is good. Maybe I should move to Portland. 8-pWade, I know just what you mean. People will respond to any fluff that gets posted…silly, inane, nonsense, but will not take a few minutes to show some concern for their own welfare…too real I guess! Society is so deep in “de Nile”, they are drowning!http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ledzeppelin/thatstheway.htmlAnd yesterday I saw you standing by the river,And weren’t those tears that filled your eyes,And all the fish that lay in dirty water dying,Had they got you hypnotized?LED ZEPPELINGuys really only asking you to watch this video. Realize this film is not about capitalism! This film about a healthy life. To live happily ever after and not get sickIt is, however, about corporatism. Corporatism and capitalism are not one and the same. In fact they can be diametrically opposed.When problems are posed to the human mind that are very specific, we are able to think about, apply techniques and solve them. The problem of how to make more money, increase profits, cut costs, motivates most of our society, instead of how to produce things that are good, harmless or even helpful to the environment, and beneficial to jobs and society.When put in terms of profit we have seen some really disturbing things, a lot of them revealed on this website. I am still seeing things in the supermarkets that continue this trend. Just the other day I was grocery shopping and I saw a new product from whoever Hostess ( the Twinkie makers ) is now … chocolate covered Twinkies. In other words we are still moving strongly in the direction of unhealthy and disgusting food.I like to think about how we can reframe the mission for corporations. For example, if we got rid of the anti-social health insurance companies and had single payer health care how long would it be before each and every one of us started looking around and seeing all the fat kids and adults that are all costing us tons of money? How long before we would be employing our human genius to cut down on medical costs in ways that are doable and helpful?If the incentives are right people will do the right thing, at least most of them will.Another thing is the “front group” comment in this video, about how people, governments and corporations all indulge in trying to manipulate reality. For example if you go on to any website that discusses climate change as soon as you mention it, global warming, you get a swarm of what appear to be real people with the real opinion that climate change is fiction. Just from the numbers one has to guess that at least some of these people are being employed to do this. We need a way to detect this, and we need some kind of law, maybe similar to the Fairness Doctrine ( another subject that gets quick responses on the Internet ) that makes it a crime to try to manipulate reality. Maybe money in elections could be considered another form of this.The countries with single payer have effective low cost health care. We have expensive ineffective pharmaceutical run health care. Figure it out. John SBig biz will not be controlled by big Gov, because they sleep together.We must educate ourselves and act accordingly, so long as we are allowed to do such.And it continues as we speak… The bill to defund the Dietary Guidelines was passed in the House Labor HHS Appropriations Committee. The good news is that the House Agriculture Appropriations have deferred their vote until next week. Two spending bills in the House would set a new threshold for the science that can be used in setting the guidelines, saying the government only can make recommendations based on the strongest science. The recommendation that a more plant-based diet is better for the environment is based on science rated “moderate” in the report. The moderate threshold means there’s a strong body of scientific evidence to support the recommendation, but it’s not as conclusive and won’t be used in the Dietary Guidelines. We need your help Joseph and Dr. Gregor!…Call your Representative and ask they support the Dietary Guidelines and plant based nutrition! It only takes a minute to help the fight against Big Ag, Big Soda, Big Disease!Dr. Greger is fighting the good fight. Specifically: http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/16/2015-dietary-guidelines-committee/: And more broadly: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=dietary+guidelines Regarding environmental concerns, have a look at the documentary ‘A River of Waste’ in which Dr. Greger is featured prominently. Also, check out PBS FRONTLINE ‘The Trouble with Antibiotics’ and ‘The Trouble with Chicken.’ P.S. nutritionmuse, my reply isn’t directed specifically at you, but rather to the community at large. You have provided an opportunity for me to share and I ‘capitalized’ on it ;-)Second that! We have been trying to do our part :-) Dr. Greger and I went to the white house and in 2011 before the USDA released their new “plate” diagram, based on the 2010 DGFA. Dr. Greger gave his testimony before the DGFA committee and if anyone wants to hear the actual communication it can be found here. I think he is at 2:06:00. Another speaker is Dr. Barnard who addresses the issue at hand. He is probably like 15 min before Dr. Greger, addressing the AHA/ACC report directly, which addresses cholesterol. Thanks for mentioning this important information, nutritionmuse!Thank you, Joseph, for the link to the AHA/ACC report. An amazing body of work. Extremely informative and self-empowering. I love NF,org and the vast majority of posters. Thank you all. I have learned so much from your contributions!I don’t live in the USA but if I did I would certainly comply with your plea. I do live in a kinda free-ish country and I have contacted my rep but they sorta laughed and said it was not really “in their brief to lecture people on which diet to follow.”Whos brief is it in? Fruit of the loom? ickThanks Doc! The USA contains one of the most beautiful lands in the world. This country could reliably export a very diverse range of the most amazing real pure foods across the globe if it decided to. Other countries would become highly dependant on these exports. China, for example, is willing to buy just about any real food that comes out of Australia for example. Clinging to the export of franken foods is another ‘Lehman Brothers’ collapse waiting to happen – people will realise in the end they are dead assets. We all know what happened after that little number…Only vaguely on topic, but I grow a lot of my own food and sprouts and stuff, and get most of the rest from a local resource that isn’t a supermarket. I happened to look at a flyer from one in the mail today, and I was flabbergasted that I couldn’t find a single thing that I would purchase in their entire 8 page ad, besides maybe produce! It was all processed garbage loaded with sugar, fat and flour! Really pathetic what passes as “food”!!!What do you expect from the same country that declared a corporation has the rights of a human being but some actual human beings until recently couldn’t marry? Corporations rule the US, and it is up to us to be educated to see through their lies and deceit.The unfortunate face of the ugly American…The unfortunate face of the ugly multinational corporation and the pandering politician. These are not limited to one particular country.I was mostly alluding to the 1950’s novel titled The Ugly American.You’re right, this isn’t limited to any particular country, but it was our government, as noted in the above video, that attempted to bully the WHO by threatening to withhold funding. America presents lots of faces to the world often compassionate and generous, but there’s little doubt that we’re seeing an ugly one here. And I’m afraid that we’re responsible for our own pandering politicians..From M. Chan’s speech, mentioned above:Efforts to prevent noncommunicable diseases go against the business interests of powerful economic operators. In my view, this is one of the biggest challenges facing health promotion.As the new publication makes clear, it is not just Big Tobacco anymore. Public health must also contend with Big Food, Big Soda, and Big Alcohol. All of these industries fear regulation, and protect themselves by using the same tactics. Research has documented these tactics well. They include front groups, lobbies, promises of self-regulation, lawsuits, and industry-funded research that confuses the evidence and keeps the public in doubt. Tactics also include gifts, grants, and contributions to worthy causes that cast these industries as respectable corporate citizens in the eyes of politicians and the public. They include arguments that place the responsibility for harm to health on individuals, and portray government actions as interference in personal liberties and free choice.This is formidable opposition. Market power readily translates into political power. Few governments prioritize health over big business. As we learned from experience with the tobacco industry, a powerful corporation can sell the public just about anything. Let me remind you. Not one single country has managed to turn around its obesity epidemic in all age groups. This is not a failure of individual will-power. This is a failure of political will to take on big business.To read the entire text of this remarkable speech, go to http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2013/health_promotion_20130610/en/Since today we are concerned with food politics, a luminary in this field from a legal perspective is Michele Simon, JD, MPH. To my eyes, her website represents the entire geography of food politics, and is an invaluable resource of information to understand what is going on ‘out there,’ and the efforts being made to protect us from ‘profits before people’ industries and government. http://www.eatdrinkpolitics.com/about/That is a terrific site. Thanks so much for the link, Lawrence. And just today, Anna Lappe has written an opinion piece on the Al Jazzera website that talks about some more of the tactics used by Big Ag: http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/6/the-billion-dollar-business-to-sell-us-crappy-food.htmlYou’re welcome. We are literally on the same page here. Folks can check out my earlier reply to John way up top to link to Ms. Lappe’s (et.al.) pdf report. As has been said here by others, we may not be able to do much about all of this, but we can at least be aware of it and choose how to respond. In my case, it is by making a commitment to an optimal plant-based lifestyle and promoting the efforts of those who expose the Big Lies and make the effort to push back responsibly.ummm. the school lunches have FAILED the american children. they are bing fed WORSE now than ever beforeThe USA Congress is a BIG supporter of Censorship & twi$ting Scientific Facts.Thank you for this enlightening facts that greed is the main culprit behind the death and debilitating illnesses of millions of people; greediness from the Pharmaceutical Industries, their lobbyists in the congress, their cronies in the FDA, the media they owned, their puppet hospital administrators with their spineless medical doctors and many more who dips their fingers in it.Hmmm. When I think of this topic Ethenol fuels comes to mind for some reason. Lobbyists push to add alcohol to gasoline to supposedly help the environment and reduce gas dependency… Yet it’s highly subsidized to make it possible and popular. Then oppps. Well the chemicals they add to keep blended gas at a proper octane seeps into the ground and water supplies. It’s terrible for the environment, it’s terrible for our pocket books and health.Clearly agriculture has a huge lobbying arm with great influence in the world markets. This will remain a fact of life and it seems to me the best way to combat bad products is for science to continue to expose the flaws in their products to our health Or to educate us on how to avoid falling prey to products thst may be harmful to our lives…	alcohol,animal fat,beans,chronic diseases,dietary guidelines,fat,fruit,grains,industry influence,junk food,lentils,medications,Michelle Obama,peas,processed foods,salt,saturated fat,subsidies,sugar,Sugar Association,tobacco,trans fats,vegetables,World Health Organization	What happened when the World Health Organization had the gall to recommend a diet low in saturated fat, sugar, and salt and high in fruit and vegetables?	This is a follow-up to my video How Much Added Sugar Is Too Much?If sugar is bad, then what about all the sugar in fruit? See If Fructose is Bad, What About Fruit? and How Much Fruit is Too Much?For more on the corrupting political and economic influences in nutrition see videos such as:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/subsidies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/michelle-obama/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22178469,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21494244,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15153268,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22221213,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21865280,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12894338,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19298423,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15112708,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14758862,
PLAIN-2438	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-diabetes/	What Causes Diabetes?	After about age 20, we may have all the insulin producing beta cells we’re ever going to have in our pancreas, and so if we lose them we may lose them for good. Autopsy studies show that by the time type 2 diabetes is diagnosed we may have already killed off half of our beta cells.You can do it right in a petri dish. Expose human beta cells to fat, they suck it up, and then start dying off. A chronic increase in blood fat levels is harmful as shown by the important effects in pancreatic beta cell lipotoxicity. Fat breakdown products can interfere with the function of these cells and ultimately lead to their death.And not just any fat, saturated fat. The predominant fat in olives, nuts, and avocados gives you a tiny bump in death protein 5, but saturated fat really ramps up this contributor to beta cell death. Saturated fats are harmful to beta cells, harmful to the insulin producing cells in our pancreas. Cholesterol too. The uptake of bad cholesterol, LDL, can cause beta cell death as a result of free radical formation.So diets rich in saturated fats not only cause obesity and insulin resistance, but the increased levels of circulating free fats in the blood, called NEFAs, non-esterified fatty acids, cause beta cell death and may thus contribute to progressive beta cell loss in type 2 diabetes. And this isn’t just based on test tube studies. If you infuse fat into people’s bloodstream you can directly impair pancreatic beta cell function, and the same when we ingest it.Type 2 diabetes is characterized by defects in both insulin secretion and insulin action, and saturated fat appears to impair both. Researchers showed saturated fat ingestion reduces insulin sensitivity within hours, but these were non-diabetics, so their pancreas should have just been able to boost insulin secretion to match, but insulin secretion failed to compensate for insulin resistance in subjects who ingested the saturated fat. This implies the saturated fat impaired beta cell function as well, again within just hours after going into our mouth.So increased consumption of saturated fats has a powerful short- and long-term effect on insulin action, contributing to the dysfunction and death of pancreatic beta cells in diabetes.And saturated fat isn’t just toxic to the pancreas. The fats found predominantly in meat and dairy—chicken and cheese are the two main sources in the American diet—are almost universally toxic, whereas the fats found in olives, nuts, and avocados are not. Saturated fat has been found to be particularly toxic to liver cells in the formation of fatty liver disease. You expose human liver cells to plant fat, and nothing happens. Expose liver cells to animal fat, and a third of them die. This may explain why higher intake of saturated fat and cholesterol are associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.By cutting down on saturated fat consumption we may be able to help interrupt this process. Decreasing saturated fat intake may help bring down the need for all that excess insulin. So either being fat, or eating saturated fat can both cause that excess insulin in the blood. The effect of reducing dietary saturated fat intake on insulin levels is substantial regardless of how much belly fat we have. And it’s not just that by eating fat we may be more likely to store it as fat. Saturated fats, independently of any role they have of making us fat, may contribute to the development of insulin resistance and all its clinical consequences. After controlling for weight, and alcohol, and smoking, and exercise, and family history, diabetes incidence was significantly associated with the proportion of saturated fat in our blood.So what causes diabetes? The consumption of too many calories rich in saturated fats. Now just like everyone who smokes doesn’t develop lung cancer; everyone that eats a lot of saturated fat doesn’t develop diabetes—there’s a genetic component.  But just like smoking can be said to cause lung cancer, high-calorie diets rich in saturated fats are currently considered the cause of type 2 diabetes.	This is an excellent presentation of the cause of diabetes. But, if I showed it to my relatives who have advanced diabetes, they would not want to believe it. They would say it is the CARBS that cause their blood sugar to raise and must be avoided. Do they avoid carbs? No, in between eating their high-protein (and fat) diets, they treat themselves with “small” portions of cake, ice cream at parties, fatty potato salad at picnics, etc. All their present doctors seem to care about is the blood sugar reports and prescribing insulin and other drugs. This works with my diabetic relatives desire to keep eating their favorite foods. They would need a complete re-education on what they think they know about diabetes. They think what they are doing is the right thing (low blood sugar reports) but, they are getting worse, the disease is progressing. They are in danger of losing their feet, but they just don’t get it. I have come to realize that it is easier for them to give in to the disease then face their fears about changing their diets and lifestyles.Ugh. That must be super frustrating, BB! I am sure others have experienced this. I know I have. Perhaps the best we can do as family members who love our family is to be supportive. I know that’s hard to do, but if we encourage them in their goals and let them know we’re here to help it can go a long way. The more we listen and try to understand their struggle may allow them to open up and perhaps try new ideas. Don’t give up! Maybe others can share their thoughts, too?Best wishes, JosephI think it’s important for the person to be respected and affirmed. We need to present facts, of course, but indicate that the ultimate decision is really up to them. We express support and care, all the while allowing them to make the decision. Tom Campbell provides more details in his new book, The Campbell Plan. And of course on a public health level we need to change government subsidies and strive to make marketing messages less seductive – like we did with tobacco.How do you be “supportive” of people that are food junkies? That’s what’s wrong with you doctors. You can’t just say “don’t eat that”. People are addicted to the foods they are addicted to and until one shows them how to transition, but putting good in, they will eventually crowd out the bad. You can’t just take their drug away and expect them to comply. They don’t make the food connection until you show they how to start to feel healthy. People don’t even know the feeling. Encourage their goals? What goals? To die the fastest?“Eat more” messages resonate better than “don’t eat” messages (per Barbara Rolls’ research. Obviously we need to tell them to eat more of the good (i.e., healthy) stuff. I agree that we are dealing with an addiction. Cigarettes are also addicting and we’ve changed the culture and motivated a lot of people to quit smoking. We did this in part by pointing out the lies of the industry in its public statements and its marketing campaigns. Food is more difficult, because there are so many messages to counter. But doable. Connecting with people, no matter where they are, matters. Let’s not blame the victim. Also, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Enjoy the journey. Don’t let the problem consume you, or the companies win.Great thoughts. I don’t have all the answers. Everyone is different and respond to change differently. As I cancer dietitian in a clinical setting we used motivational interviewing to help understand where the client was in their “stage of change.” The power of listening and empowering is very useful. I like the idea of crowding out the heath “depleting” foods with health “supporting” foods. And yes, spot on, we must educate and help clients make the connections to diet without coming off as “Thee expert” or the “food police.”I recommend that people read the book:Instant Influence: How to Get Anyone to Do Anything–Fast. The title is a bit of an exaggeration, but it is a real eye opener into human psychology. The first thing you have to to do is affirm the person’s autonomy – it is their decision whether you (quit smoking, go vegan/vegetarian, etc.). Then, you ask them a series of questions about their motivations for change, etc. It really is worth reading the book. It’s been a while since I read it, but there are about 7 stages to the process. I also think, if they are willing to watch the documentary: Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days, they will find that to be a paradigm changer. They will see there are options to drugs, and most people don’t want to be on drugs, but they don’t believe that a vegan diet will do it, or that they could be healthy (let alone healthier) eating ‘sticks and twigs’. I would love to a documentary that shows reversal of diabetes on a transitional plant-based diet (i.e. incorporating some mock meats, as Dr. Barnard’s work), as I think a raw vegan diet is out of most people’s willingness and perhaps even ability (depending on climate zone, income, work circumstances, etc) to implement. Good luck to you all, as I know you really do want what is best for your family and friends!HereHere: I read the book Instant Influence just a few weeks ago! I think it is a great book, though I agree with you that the title and cover waaaay over-promise. Still, the book has some great insight into the human psyche.I cannot even direct most of my relatives in the right direction. They only have one direction that they are interested in and that is to eat their unhealthy foods.Me too. They are “Know it All”.The first step is to expose others to the idea that food has an enormous impact on chronic disease. Although previous video’s have provided more details this one brings it all together. Unfortunately for people who wait sometimes the “horse is out of the barn” and the process isn’t as amenable to reversal. That said if you have impaired glucose metabolism there is no need to not work on slowing the death of your pancreatic, liver and most likely other cells plus preventing other chronic conditions and their consequences. There are several keys for me as a clinician and advocate. First briefly expose patients to the best current scientific thinking in a way that values their autonomy… always encourage others to sign up for NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps changing and exposure to the effects of other conditions is important. Second use the patients goals as the basis for further influencing them. This can be tricky unless they ask. When patients come to me they are requesting my opinion. Finally lead by example and don’t get frustrated. There is a huge amount of misinformation out there. As most of us who have made the transition have found it is a journey. You never know when someone who doesn’t seem interested or open to change will suddenly start asking questions and be open to new recipes or acquiring new shopping skills.On January 1st of 2015 I switched from a standard american diet to a whole foods plant based vegan diet. At that time I decided that I would share my journey so that others could see what I’m doing and why I am doing it. The hope being that family and friends might be motivated to become healthier themselves, and to provide another view of a person who can change after 46 years of eating the way everyone else does. To provide one more example of the wide variety of ways you can eat healthy.My wife stopped drinking diet pop 3 months ago. when I make cooked vegan dinners she shares with me now and she has gone from maybe 1 serving a day of fruits and vegetables to more than 5.My brother in law and Sister in law have both started exercising regularly and eat more plants and vegetables.My daughter in law and my youngest son have asked to go with me to the local Sams club to get bulk fruits and vegetables with me as they want to start eating healthy.I act as an advocate for healthy change, I share the information I find and I present the facts so they can make their choices. I’d be shocked if any of them give up animal products entirely. But if I can get all of my family and friends to increase their whole food plant intake by only 10%, well, then my effort is well worth it because that is 10% less of the bad stuff they are eating.Love it! Thanks for sharing Mike. Just an example of how being patient and helpful can make a difference. Leading by example is huge so long as you are not “preaching” about what is wrong and right. Just my 2 cents.One reason I love NF.org is that I can forward a relevant video/article to a receptive friend/family member with a “thought you’d be interested” note. They can read it or not. But I like that I can give them a solid resource without any overbearing preachiness.Thanks for sharing your story, Mike. I have witnessed the ripple effect in my extended family, too. One niece and both of my sons are now vegetarian (after I raised them mostly veg, they went on a meat eating spree for a few years). My sister is reducing meat a lot and is slowly giving up her addiction to buttery-sugary desserts. My 87 year old mother lives with my veg son and since she no longer enjoys cooking, she’s happily eating the veg meals my son makes for her. I have been a little too preachy over the years (not in the blatant form of “You should . . .” but just sharing unsolicited nutrition advice a tad too enthusiastically).I have also found that my going vegan has had a positive effect on family and friends. They haven’t gone all the way vegan, but they are certainly eating far less animal products and far more fruit and vegetables. My mother, who is nearly 80 and has heart disease and diabetes, has got a lot better in the last year or so.I cannot encourage most of my relatives in their goals. Their only goal is to keep eating the way they have been and i refuse to encourage them in that direction. But i do know what you meant !!Well, carbs like sugar and flour do cause diabetes, as well as saturated fat. Both can be harmful. When we eat spaghetti, for example, better to eat smaller portions of noodles, more vegies and more tomato sauce, plus no meat and no meat fat especially. Olives and mushrooms are a good substitute for the meat/fat. John S>> When we eat spaghetti, for example, better to eat smaller portions of noodlesWhat facts indicate that?Large amounts of carb tax our blood sugar and insulin, leading to Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, inflation, and obesity. I don’t want any of those things. Moderate amounts of healthy carb, mixed in with vegies, olives, mushrooms, avocadoes, tomatoes, etc, lead to less blood sugar stress, and a lot more nutrients. Wheat has a lot of anti-nutrients in it. John>> Large amounts of carb tax our blood sugar and insulinA lot of space in there for qualification … i.e. what is a “large” amount, and what does “tax” mean, as well as is there a distinction between refined and unrefined carbs.I was never a big fan of Dr. John McDougal, especially in his talk about how Steve Jobs did himself in. But I think he has a point about unrefined carbs, i.e. potatoes, corn, rice, wheat, etc … that they must be the cornerstone of a WHPB diet.I don’t think pasta is that bad, and there is whole grain pasta as well. I guess what caught me about your comment was an unwarranted attack on spaghetti … which in my opinion is the least of anyone’s worries.What gets me about these discussions … that take place thousands of times per day all over the Internet is that while people learn general rules that they would do well to respect, like the idea of WFPB diets, even if you decide you can or want to eat meat now and then, or spaghetti, they go off on their own personal tangents about coconut oil, or pickles, or fish, or eggs, or whatever, as if everyone in the world begins from the same place and we all should eat a pefectly uniform diet.I have some health issues, and I am trying to figure out what I, personally, need to change, for me, but I know that may not apply to other people. For example there are many people who eat meat all their lives in moderation that never got themselves into an unhealthy situation. We see them in the population of the most long lived people of the world, that we get a new one every year or two. There are a lot of factors here, so what one makes of all this information about diet is great, but people should not try to get everyone else to follow them or lecture others. After all the best scientists in the world do not know the real answer to these questions and it is likely going to be a long time before they have it figured out, and then at some point it might all have to be revisited too with some new discovery.Did you clarify what is WHPB diet?I saw below what the WHPB stands for. Here we go again with the plant based. Yes – i agree it is hard to change ones’ diet. It is a struggle. However,does anyone consider when eating merely ‘plant based’ (instead of choosing to become vegan) it is not ending animal suffering and is not ending THEIR 24 hour a day struggle? Plant based is not considering the animals and their agonized life of suffering and the holocaust that is their world from their first breath.’ (Please don’t mention the organic, and hormone free ‘meats’ as being less suffering for animals.There is a whole other argument that says they suffer even more – for instance – when infected cows are milked with bleeding udders and can’t be given any medication so as not to spoil the ‘chemical-free’ labelling, and so puss and blood and infection is allowed to be painfully (for the cow only) machine-milked into the milk supply.) When a person is first choosing a vegan diet and then consciously moving with intention towards that way of eating- it is an moral and ethical decision to bring no harm to living beings and ‘ahimsa’ to cause no suffering. When i hear the term ‘plant based’ to me it is a me, me, me statement. My health, my preferences, my well being and (without veganism) none of it is giving a fleeting thought for the beings still consumed. Even though the ‘beings’ may inadvertently be consumed somewhat less in numbers with the ‘new and trendy’ plant based diet – this is still on the same continuum of the SAD (standard american diet) – complete cruelty with no consideration for the being that once was and is now a corpse on the plate. No consideration of or for the living, loving, intelligent creature that was once a living being, and is now a corpse on the plate – continuing the saga of ‘bodies as cemetaries’ without a conscious thought about this very fact. Plant based is not taking into account kindness, consideration, ethics and morality and the rights of helpless creatures slaughtered by the billions upon billions every single year. Just an aside – on another part of the equation – has anyone noticed radical climate change? This disruption to our environment is brought about by (OVER 51% of destruction to the enviornment) people eating meat and dairy.Janet, I totally feel where you are coming from. I think there are many ways we people will avoid looking at the morality of our choices. And I agree, talk of a WFPB diet is only another mask we wear to keep us in the dark. I mean I don’t think there is a strong fool-proof argument that a person eating *some* animal products can’t maintain relatively good health. I mean if you eat WFPB diet, but then have a chicken salad once a month, or turkey only on Thanksgiving, you’ll still be pretty darn healthy. However, there is no way a person can eat any animal products, and not be participating in the exploitation of animals – and that even something like “eggs only Sundays” still violates the fundamental rights of a living being to not be used a resource. Please everyone, go vegan. You will never regret it! Your heart will open with joy once you open it to those beings who are the most vulnerable. Health and wellness of our bodies and the planet are just glorious ancillary benefits!wheat also adds fiber that is good for reducing sugar. That’s good.not really John. If you are insulin resistant, then yes, you may see some problems. But if you aren’t, you’ll be fine. My breakfast typically consists of 260g of carbs. Where 678g of wheat pasta gives me around 179.7g of carb. (cronometer.com stats). And I did check my glucose recently when eating breakfast because I had some car guys I know say I was killing myself by eating what I do. you can see that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWKA8rEWOpcMikeOnRaw: Great video! I especially liked that you did the experiment around a smoothie – as even some people who eat WFPB (whole food plant based) have a lot confusion/concern around the topic of smoothies. The concern is that a high speed blender may modify the food so much (either by separating out the fiber or cutting the fiber too small) that there is some harm in consuming the smoothie. But your experiment shows this is not true – at least for you and your situation. I also like how you bring it back to “the research” at the end. So, you put your individual experience in the context of the bigger picture. Nicely done and thanks for sharing.Especially now, wheat has a lot of anti-nutrients in it. Conventional wheat is treated with the herbicide, Glyphosate (Roundup), which is an acid herbicide and studies are now showing it is also a BIOCIDE –killing all life sources. Monsanto patented glyphosate as a mineral chelator –it sticks to or binds minerals in the soil and does not allow plants and animals (including humans) take up the nutrients. Monsanto also patented glyphosate as a desiccate. Farmers are told to spray glyphosate just before harvesting wheat and cereal crops, which makes it easier for harvesting. And, in 2010, Monsanto patented glyphosate as an antiobiotic.There is a very interesting interview on you tube with (Dr.) Anthony Samsel on the glyphosate safety tests. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13yO9VpjwLQYes, I think that the original wheat, before they changed it to have preposterous amounts of gluten, was actually good for you, especially when eaten mixed with green vegies. However, the profit motive is huge. Using glyphosate to desiccate? Effect on human gut microbiome? Horrible. Govt’s efforts to hide information? Disgusting. John S PDX ORhttps://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/Thanks for posting that Michael. Brux has a point in that there is preference and some variability, but we have to make a decision, several times a day and we can’t wait: what should I eat? It seems clear from Dr Greger and Michael’s post that if you eat high carb and high saturated fat, you are inviting disaster. Such natural antagonists as Dr. Atkins and Dr. Neal Barnard would agree on that. John SJohn i eat a VERY high carb diet. Lots of fruit, grains veggies and beans. Also several white potatoes and lots of times sweet potatoes practically every day. And i am doing fine. I have Dr Neal Bernards book “Dr Neal Bernards Program for Reversing Diabetes. On page 46 He suggests 8 servings of whole grains per day.Three servings of Legumes, Four or more servings of veggies ,and 3 or more servings of Fruit per day. On page 56 he says Pasta is a low GI food. He also points out on page 14 that in Japan, China and Thailand and other parts of Asia and in parts of Africa where Diabetes is rare that they all eat a diet high in Carbohydrates.I can only imagine by high-carbs, high-fats John must be talking about potato chips or something. The idea that carbs are bad for you I don’t see any grounds for, in doctors’ advice or in this video either. You have to eat something, and that means the basis of that something is going to be some “macronutrient” … fats, proteins or carbs. Fats are at the rock bottom of the nutrient / calorie density chart of Dr. Joel Fuhrman, they have no nutrients but calories. Proteins are great, but we do not need nearly the proteins we thought or have been told we do, and evidence seems to indicate that too much protein, especially dairy or animal protein can cause loss of bone density. That leaves carbs, and carbs includes grains, fruits and veggies … all the fresh stuff full of nutrients, vitamins and anti-oxidants you can imagine. Even oats, wheat, rice, etc have nutrients. The idea that carbs are bad for you I don’t see any backup for??I agree whole heartedly with you Brux. Maybe he is just beieving what the mainstream sickness system is teaching.Did you look at that study? Did you see who it was funded by? I’m not saying the results should be ignored, but I would like to see a qualified person review that study to see if the conclusions are really that valid. There is a lot of competing research that points to dietary cholesterol having a negative health result. Competing interests: Professional associations (Dairy Research Institute, The Beef Checkoff and the Egg Nutrition Center) were sponsors of this researchThe study is a real true clincal study by experienced professionals. You’re attempting to distract by claiming due to sponsor money that would make people of high integrity skew their results or commit fraud.The university has no reason to do that. They clearly have knocked the ball out of the park with their research.We can’t ignore data just because of its sponsors. We can’t do that to the agricultural groups that fund vegetarian ideas either. The money to research always comes from business…Now thst Research 50 year ago claiming low fat diets and food pyramid was and remains a disaster. It was based on incomplete and omitted data.This is complete:https://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/Looking further at the study, I think we can agree that excessive dietary intake of Protein, Carbohydrates, or Fats will result in storage of fat. The governments push for lower fat, lower protein and more carbs created a marketplace where people only looked at the macro nutrient ratio and not the quality of those foods. And since everything they eat is skewed towards carbs, it is easy for someone eating a diet high in processed foods to get excessive carbohydrates. Whole Plant based foods of course make over eating much more difficult. This study looked at people that already had metabolic syndrome.There have been sufficient studies that show blood cholesterol increases with dietary cholesterol. Perhaps this new study is indicating there is a point in our body at which dietary cholesterol no longer raises blood cholesterol? But more research would need to be done. While this video doesn’t apply directly to the study you mentioned, it does point out those studies that indicate cholesterol changes with dietary intake. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/Actually studies show increased dietary fats don’t increase choledterol. I proved it on Atkins years ago and my blood tests amazed my doctor. He said he had been treating me for 20 years and that he had never seen my cholesterol and other blood work look so fablous. He told my wife to stop complaining about my diet because it was showing unbelievable clinical improvement…There are tons of stories and scientific tests thst have proven this repeatedly…Michael, you’re claiming that increasing dietary saturated fat does not increase blood cholesterol. That statement of yours is false, according to mountains of studies and virtually every RD and cardiologist. Perhaps you are able to cherry-pick a couple studies that indicate no change in LDL, but you honestly need to look at the balance of the science.No you are now misleading.There are and have been clinical evidences for over 50 years that clearly show dietary saturated fats don’t cause cardiovascular disease. It’s clear there is no argument in science regarding this fact.It is true that they believe if a person has a high level of saturated fats proven within their circulatory system this is potentially harmful. But nobody with half a brain in science will claim the consumption of dietary fats causes this problem. In fact it’s just the opposite.Now they have indeed discover that excess carbohydrate is creating a bad fatty acid, but it only does so with excessive sugars and carbohydrates present. Conclusive clinical test prove this with extreme accuracy.Not all ldl is bad for us. In fact without it we would be dead. It’s only small particulate ldl that is bad and even more so with low hdl.High fat may raise ldl, but it lowers small particulate ldl and raises large ldl slightly in some cases. Hdl always greatly improves with high fat low carb diets. There is tons of testing repeatedly confirming all of this out here…Virtually every recognized nutritional organization asserts that saturated fat consumption is associated with a rise in LDL, as they have taken the full breadth of scientific research into account. I suggest that you do your research there rather than via internet blogs or statements from alternative (non-RD) “nutritionists” or fringe docs. Please read what Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states, or perhaps check the Harvard School of Public Health, or the American Heart Association, or the American College of Cardiology, etc., etc.I suggest you learn that you would be dead without ldl cholesterol.It’s small particulate ldl that is dangerous. As high fat eaters ldl levels go up its been proven it’s large particulate ldl. High fat reduces small particulate ldl and may raise large particulate and always raises hdl…these are good and beneficial changes with respect to cholesterol.ANY weight loss (no matter the cause) will lower your cholesterol.Dr. Greger: “Weight loss by any means can drop your cholesterol. You could go on an all-Twinkie diet and lower your cholesterol if you were unable to eat the dozen daily Twinkies necessary to maintain your weight. That’s why a good cocaine habit could end up lowering your cholesterol.Chemotherapy, can drop your cholesterol like a rock. Tuberculosis can work wonders on your waistline. Anything that drops your weight can drop your cholesterol, but the goal isn’t to fit into a skinnier casket, the reason we care about cardiovascular risk factors like cholesterol is because we care about cardiovascular risk, the health of our arteries.”“There has only been one study ever done measuring actual blood flow to the heart muscles of people eating low carb diets and this is it. Dr.Richard Fleming, an accomplished nuclear cardiologist, enrolled 26 people into a comprehensive study of the effects of diet on cardiac function using the latest in nuclear imaging technology–so-called SPECT scans, enabling him to actually directly measure the blood flow within the coronary arteries.He then put them all on a healthy vegetarian diet, and a year later the scans were repeated. By that time, however, 10 of the patients had jumped ship onto the low carb bandwagon. At first I bet he was pissed, but surely soon realized he had an unparalleled research opportunity dropped into his lap. Here he had extensive imaging of 10 people following a low carb diet and 16 following a high carb diet. What would their hearts look like at the endof the year? We can talk about risk factors all we want, but compared to the veg group, did the coronary heart disease of the patients following the Atkins-like diets improve, worsen, or stay the same?Those sticking to the vegetarian diet showed a reversal of their heart disease as expected. Their partially clogged arteries literally got cleaned out. They had 20% less atherosclerotic plaque in their arteries at the end of the year than at the beginning. What happened to those who abandoned the treatment diet, and switched over to the low carb diet?Their condition significantly worsened. 40 to 50% more artery clogging at the end of the year. Thanks to the kind generosity of Dr. Fleming we see the changes in blood flow for ourselves.”Is just an extract, for complete info http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/Since his subjects dropped out of the study they were not controlled. This makes the test invalid in a scientific sense. How do you test people that drop out of your study? How do you confirm their diets were high fat , protein or carbohydrates since they aren’t participsting.Sorry but that’s not science.My Cardiologist has looked at the science and he clearly doesn’t want his patients eating high carbohydrate…The only changed diet, “10 of the patients had jumped ship onto the low carb bandwagon”Not in a random, uncontrolled diet.Looks like you didn’t watch the video. That’s a tiny extract.When your cardiologist is able to REVERSE arteriosclerosis plaque without any drugs, just with the diet you sponsor, present proof.Until then, the ONLY diet able to reverse and cure heart disease all by itself, is a low fat whole plat based food, exclusively.Dr. Esselstyn does that every day for at least 2 decades. Saving patients that were dropped by their doctors in many cases. No longer even operable.Per a prominent cardiac surgeon Let me repeat that: The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine.What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.Now you go argue with the brilliant surgeon… http://www.sott.net/article/242516-Heart-surgeon-speaks-out-on-what-really-causes-heart-diseaseIs he reversing heart disease, extremely advanced heart disease as Dr. Esselstyn? No drugs, no bypass.No he doesn’t.“OK, so how are you going to do it? Imagine you work for Big Butter. You’ve got quite the challenge ahead of you. If you look at recommendations from around the globe, there is a global scientific consensus to limit saturated fat intake with most authoritative bodies recommending getting saturated fat at least under 10% of calories, with the prestigious U.S. Institute of Medicine and the European Food Safety Authority recommending to push saturated fat consumption down as low as possible.The latest guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recommend reducing trans fat intake, giving it their strongest A grade level of evidence. And the same with reducing saturated fat intake, and since saturated and trans fats are found in the same place, meat and dairy, cutting down on foods with saturated fat will have the additional benefit of lowering trans fat intake. They recommend pushing saturated fat intake down to like 5 or 6%. So that’s what you see when you go to the American Heart Association website, no more than 5 or 6% of calories.”http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/It is you who swallowed a lot of pseudoscience, promoted by very powerful lobbies.“Study doubts saturated fats link to heart disease,” reported The New York Timesin March. (“Butter is Back,” exulted Times columnist Mark Bittman.)Yet just last November, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology issuedtheir long-awaited advice on diet and exercise. Their bottom line: cut saturated fat to half the earlier target levels. What gives? Shaky science…and a mission by the global dairy industry to boost sales.For decades, experts have advised us to replace saturated fats (in foods like meat, dairy, and butter) with unsaturated fats (in foods like oils, nuts, and fish). Now some controversial studies are challenging that advice. Here are the facts behind the headlines.”https://www.cspinet.org/nah/pdfs/covermay2014.pdfYou never bothered to see the videos. See the studies mentioned in each video (you should).If you refuse to see the studies and data presented by thousands in this site, what is your purpose here? The only possibility is trolling.>>What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.Nobody following a low-fat, whole-foods, plant-based diet is going to eat that stuff anyway.My guess is that not many wfpb people actually ever stick to a strict diet of whole food then. Even you admit you eat whole wheat products such as pasta and bread… whole wheat has as many inflammatory carbohydrates as wonder bread, only it doesn’t spike to high to fast, it spikes long and slow… Anything that convert into sugar in the body causes inflammation especially in the excess.I bet it’s rare to find anyone on wfpb diets not eating potato. Not eating rice, not eating pasta and noodles and all convert to sugar in our bodies.My guess is if you’re already skinny you still metabolize sugars well and eat a lower caloric diet and this combination helps inhibit insulin resistance because you likely aren’t spiking sugar and insulin via snacking between meals and bedtime…Most diabetics aren’t blessed with such habits or discipline. BAD SUGAR METABOLISM, attacks them with hunger all the time unless they can get insulin under control.Remember though, our goal is not simply to make the cholesterol numbers look good, but to actually be healthy, and however long we live do so in a highly functional way. As Dr. Greger has said before, you can go on a diet of cocaine and end up with great cholesterol numbers, but the goal isn’t just the numbers. Have you seen this video? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/ It’s sources show studies that explain your chance of good test markers but still be at risk while on Atkins.A John Hopkins study…funded by the Diabetes association and kidney foundation. http://m.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/low_carb_higher_fat_diets_add_no_arterial_health_risks_to_obese_people_seeking_to_lose_weightI would counter with this study from Feb of 2012 from the British Journal of Nutrition. It has more participates yet the conclusions do include the statement: This relationship needs confirmation with larger cohorts in randomised clinical trials. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8877972&fileId=S0007114512003091The point I was making is that both high carb and high saturated fat can be damaging. There are innumerable studies supporting both of these conclusions and I think they are both true. Dr. Barnard has tried to show that limiting fat can help diabetes, and I believe that’s true. However as the Weston Price people have shown, it decreases the bioavailability of B vitamins and A and D. Dr. Atkins and Perlmutter (Grain Brain) showed that decreasing carb can help blood sugar and cholesterol in the short term. I think the problem with Atkins and high protein/high meat diets is that in the long run, you are much more likely to develop cancer. With high carb, you are more likely to get Alzheimer’s, diabetes, etc. That’s why I am advocating high veg, high carefully chosen fruit, especially berries, moderate carb (such as green leafies per Dr. Fuhrman over bread and potatoes), and moderate high quality fat (such as verified extra virgin olive oil, avocados, olives, seeds and nuts per Dr. Joel Fuhrman). I think it makes the most sense of all the recent nutrition research I’ve read. Also lots of mushrooms and spices. Make it taste good and you’ll be healthy and happy. John SJohn, let’s be truthful here.Fats are essential, without fats to consume we would die. Fat is an essential nutrient and all our hormones are built from fats. Can you live without fats? NOPE.Protein maintains and build muscle. It’s an essential nutrient as well.Can you live without protein?NOPE.Carbohydrate… hmmm does it build or maintain any part of the human body? NOPE… Can you live with dietary carbohydrates? YEP… & be healthy? YEP…As our bodies grow we deposit fats from our diets if over consumption and just the body preparing for future rainy days. By the time we’re adults with normal BMI levels we carry enough fat to nurse us for 3 to 6 months without eating. If your obese you carry enough to possibly allow you to go a tear or more without food.I really laugh at the vegans claiming they never eat fat or meat. BUT let’s be truthful, if you’re not eating e ought calories of even highly nutrient rich veggies, you will burn body fat. They burn their own fat as their own bodies eat their fat stores too for energy. It’s pure human animal fat that they burn… so toss this vegan idea right out the window. Their bodies consume animal fight right off t h eir own butts.My point is dietary carbohydrares are simply a preferred fuel for the body in the presence of dietary sugars & carbohydrates. In the absence of dietary carbohydrates your body loves to create ketones for fuel by burning it’s own previously stored body fats… The brain, muscles etc prefer ketones over sugars in fact.Now I do know we have an issue with meats and how they are raised and farmed. I agree antibiotics and hormones are ruining our animal stocks and possibly impact our own health. Likewise so are genetically grown crops and pesticides to improve their yields.Unfortunately organic foods are costly so we ate stuck oten with poor choices. But we must eat or we perish. Toxins are in both plant and animal foods… We should ban growth hormone in creatures, we should ban more pesticides especially in plants that don’t filter these out of their systems.There’s a difference between “essential” and “the more the better.” Yes, fats (omega-3 and omega-6 anyway), and proteins are essential macronutrients. Yes, carbohydrates are not technically essential macronutrients. But, that does NOT mean that the human body runs best on only protein and fat. The preponderance of evidence suggests that the human body runs best on a diet composed of 90% or greater whole plant foods. It makes sense, considering our anatomy and phylogeny as a species. To focus on individual macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, or phytochemicals is like not seeing the forest for the trees.Time and time again, people get so hung up on specific nutrients, without viewing food as a package deal. Remember when beta carotene was all the rage, or vitamin E? So, what did lazy humans do? Did they eat more sweet potatoes, carrots, and nuts? No, they asked for pure beta carotene and vitamin E in the form of a pill, which did nothing except slightly increase their cancer risk.All this overanalysis and this tendency to view nutrients in isolation from one another just doesn’t seem to be the right way to “do” nutrition. I’m not going to “avoid carbs.” I’m going to eat plenty of carbs in my oatmeal, brown rice, fruits, vegetables, and beans. So far, I’ve lost 60 pounds by doing that, and I’m at the bottom end of the normal BMI range. My diet is very low in fat, and has a moderate amount of protein, but I’m getting the essential fatty acids. More importantly, I’m getting untold quantities of wonderful phytochemicals that work in amazing ways to prevent cancer and other diseases. Not just the ones we know about, but the ones yet to be discovered.The preponderance of evidence us based on scientists building a food pyramid that has lead to greater illness. Low fat recommendations for the last 50 years have made us obese and sick as a nation. That’s what the evidence tells us…I’ve seen the data and our world clearly grew fatter on faulty data and recommendations to eat less fat.The body prefers to eat it’s own fat. That’s why it tries to get to that fat when we sleep at night no matter what kind of diet you practice. The brain and muscles love ketones. Just ask the ketogenic 100 mile marathon runner who bested the track record and beat his competition by 36 minutes… The man ran 100 miles in 14+ hours on nothing but water.Michael, I can’t say I agree with your narrative, because it’s based on a few assumptions that aren’t true.Firstly, the scientists did recommend a lower fat diet starting in the 1980s. However, since the 1980s, American per-capita consumption of fat did not decrease at all. Therefore, government recommendations can hardly be the cause of our worsening condition as a nation.Secondly, if the scientists recommend a low-fat diet, people have a few choices of how to go about eating “low-fat.” Did you know that an ounce of gummy bears has the same number of calories, and the same carb/fat/protein ratio as an entire pineapple? Did you know that 3 fig Newtons have the same macronutrients as an entire small canteloupe? Do you think eating those two types of food have the same effect on your body? Do you think they have the same effect on your satiety, or your weight? Focusing on individual nutrients is completely worthless when looking at the cause of obesity and other chronic diseases. It’s all about the entire package.Thirdly, when scientists put together the food pyramid later on, they based it mostly on science, but also partially upon the influence of various lobbyists from the meat and dairy industries, (which explains the larger-than-justified role meat and dairy have in the original food pyramid from the 1990s). In any case, when you look at food consumption statistics, Americans did not adhere to the food pyramid in any way, shape, or form. Therefore, the food pyramid is not the cause of our problems, either.You have to separate government recommendations from what people actually ate. Believe it or not, most people don’t hawkishly adhere to government recommendations about what they should eat.Michael, when you look at macronutrient consumption in the countries of the world, the thinnest countries get most of their calories from carbohydrates, by far. Usually, the ratio is 60-80% calories from carbohydrates in those countries. Easting lots of carbohydrates, especially in the form of whole grains and beans, just do not cause obesity, no matter how much the low-carbers try to argue that case.I am interested in the ketogenic marathoner you mention. What is his name?http://m.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/low_carb_higher_fat_diets_add_no_arterial_health_risks_to_obese_people_seeking_to_lose_weightThere are no meaningful clincal studies to prove high protein causes a higher rate of cancer. That’s assumed and speculated on survey data and isn’t clinically material…There are innumerable. Try reading some of Joel Fuhrman’s work or check out THIS SITE! John SI like Joel furman, even tried his diet but it didn’t fix my diabetes or hunger.Here try this John Hopkins study funded by the diabetes association and kidney foundation. http://m.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/low_carb_higher_fat_diets_add_no_arterial_health_risks_to_obese_people_seeking_to_lose_weightWhat studies link potatoes (in their whole food form, prepared without oil and served without butter or dairy products) to diabetes and dementia??They are equal in glycemic index to table sugar. Do you really want to eat that? Diabetes is how you get dementia. John SNeither table sugar nor potatoes cause diabetes or dementia.>> Neither table sugar nor potatoes cause diabetes or dementia.First, there is a difference between how much sugar something has in it, I believe that is the glycemic index, and the speed with which it enters the system and must be dealt with – which I believe is the glycemic load. I hope I have that right, or at least not backwards.Fruit has sugar, and even fructose, that evil sugar Robert Lustig lectures and writes books about.Too much sugar released into the blood too fast can overwhelm the system. As some doctors say if you eat fiber along with that fruit or sugar you will do better with it. True or false? It is my understanding that this is why complex carbs and fruits are not bad for people with borderline metabolic syndrome, and things like sugar, honey, or even fruit “juice” can be.The problem is that neither potatoes, nor fruit are bad for people. South Americans have been eating potatoes for thousands of years and they do not have diabetes or Alzheimer’s.I don’t know why this is so hard to understand, or why it is not well understood and well explained. Diabetes is sugar in the urine, meaning it clearly has something to do with sugar. But does that mean it is caused by sugar, or even farther removed, starches that are converted to sugar? I am sure not convinced of these arguments, and I really wish people who make definitive statements like potatoes give you diabetes or table sugar gives you diabetes, without really understanding and being able to drive what they are saying would be warned and eventually kicked out of the boards.People, please if you cannot explain something, prove it or back it up, do not express it as a categorical, because you simply do not know.There is enough commentary to go through that frankly I can’t go through it If I make a comment in one of these videos I get an email every time someone comments on the video, whatever I do. It is overwhelming, and almost maddening when I see categorical statements from people I know do not know what they are talking about … and I am far from expert on this.At least qualify your thoughts, like – say you “think”, or in your opinion, or your understanding that such and such causes so and so – at least that provokes some communication.I agree. John is trying to make the claim that potatoes cause diabetes, and by extension, dementia. That’s a pretty fantastic claim.Read “Grain Brain”, or look at the overwhelming preponderance of evidence. Tell me where on Joel Fuhrman or Nutrition Facts they will tell you that table sugar doesn’t cause diabetes. Potatoes or fruit we can talk about. Talk about a fantastic claim! When you are going to claim that, I feel it’s not even worth having a discussion, hence the sarcasm. Are you really going to try to convince people that table sugar isn’t bad for you? Go for it! John SGrain Brain is simply wrong. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jan/smoke.htmSO I could just say McDougall is simply wrong. Not worth my time. John>> Grain Brain is simply wrong. https://www.drmcdougall.com/mi…That article makes a convincing case with strong backup studies. Processed carbs are completely different from potatoes, grains, corn, etc and even pasta. There is no evidence that grains are bad for people unless they are allergic to them or have a specific problem with them, and then they can switch from one to another one. It might make sense to try to eat fruits and veggies all day every day, but you have to eat and prepare an awful lot. Carbs fill us up and give us energy, and not too much energy if they are not heavily processed with their fiber removed.John: re: “Tell me where on .. Nutrition Facts they will tell you that table sugar doesn’t cause diabetes.” Check out the video on this very page. I think this video does a very good job of explaining in lay-person’s terms what causes diabetes. It is the saturated fat, not sugar or any type of carbs. From the transcript: “So what causes diabetes? The consumption of too many calories rich in saturated fats. Now just like everyone who smokes doesn’t develop lung cancer; everyone that eats a lot of saturated fat doesn’t develop diabetes—there’s a genetic component. But just like smoking can be said to cause lung cancer, high-calorie diets rich in saturated fats are currently considered the cause of type 2 diabetes.”*No one* is saying that table sugar is good for you. We are just explaining that table sugar does not cause diabetes. Those are two different issues. Make sense?Re: Grain Brain. If you looked at that article from Dr. McDouggal that you were given, you will see that McDougall gives some great references to back up his position. Similarly, if you do some research here on Nutrition Facts, you will see what whole, intact grains are simply healthy. There is nothing to back up the over-riding claims made in the Grain Brain book. But if those sources do not appeal to you, I think you should check out the following page, which is an article from a site for celiacs and gluten-sensitive people. This review is a critique of the “science” in the book Wheat Belly, but the same idea applies. Even these people say that Wheat Belly is not backed up by the science: http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.html They have another article that touches on Grain Brain, but not in as much detail. So, I referred you to the above link instead.Here’s an article from a website called “New York Mag”, in a section called “Science of Us” with an eye opening look into the author of Grain Brain. Since Grain Brain sounded plausible to you, I think you really need to learn the information on this page: http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/06/problem-with-the-grain-brain-doctor.htmlI truly think it is great that you are here to learn. I hope you will be open to doing so.I am interested in learning. I am not interested in sitting in a foxhole with my “team”, throwing missiles at the other “team” and saying that’s what learning is. I think that is a waste of time. Some people on Nutrition facts. org are into “we’re right they’re wrong”, and saying it 100 times. I don’t think that’s very interesting. I am trying to figure out in what ways Dr. Greger is going to say the more important piece, and in what ways other people are. I am trying to take all of the data and making a synthesis of what is going on. I am sorry that being open minded gets you punished by some people on this site. Have a nice day. JohnSo, you read a book. You invested your money and time in one book, and you found something you liked, or that appealed to you. Why is it you think you know everything about diabetes now when it is far from understood – and why do you think you can dictate to other people what they should believe based on your judgement. Your judgement about how to think and interact is not good, so why would anyone want to trust you on anything else you say?There is no way potatoes cause diabetes. Groups that have eaten potatoes for centuries do not have diabetes or Alzheimer’s. Same with other starches such as rice, wheat, corn, etc.and vegetables are terrible for you and we should all eat processed GMO’s.>> and vegetables are terrible for you and we should all eat processed GMO’s.Is that supposed to be participating in a discussion, or just being sarcastic like a 6 year old? I mean, do you really think it is remotely productive of contributive on a website that is almost totally devoted to vegetarian eating to claim, I assume sarcastically, meaning that you want to cast someone else’s argument as absurd, when you know virtually everyone here is on the side of vegan, vegetarian or at least much reduced animal products?What is the point of making statements like that … just trolling to get a rise or what?Yes, I am a troll for the vegetable industry. I make millions by telling people that they should eat weeds in their yards.I don’t like being insulted. I think claiming that table sugar doesn’t cause diabetes is so far from the truth that you couldn’t even back it up, and you love conflict and arguments. I don’t enjoy your anger. I am not going to take the bait anymore. Argue with someone else. I am looking for information. John SThe OSU study recruirecrparticipants with metabolic syndrome. I suspect that we should restrict our interpretations to that domain.I think pasta is actually pretty low in the glycemic index. For diabetics I’d encourage more pasta then breads. Love the idea about olives, mushrooms and veggies in tomato sauce! Some folks I know blend in cooked lentils to make a thick “meaty” type sauce.Blending in mashed chickpeas works quite well too, together with garlic, chili & herbs in homemade vegetable stock with mushrooms etc as a sauce to go on wholemeal pasta .But how can you say thst Dr. If both are wheat products how is one better than the other?If I have 50g of whole wheat pasta how is that different from two slices of whole wheat bread at a total of 50g?Just curious… what am I missing here?Pasta is dense and bread tends to be very “fluffy” and full of air. I was just referring to the glycemic index. Here is a great list of foods with their glycemic index scores, if interested. Thanks, Michael.Thanks I will check that out. I was just thinking if you have the same weight by a given product…i.e., whole wheat bread at 50g or whole wheat pasta at 50g the glycemic weighting would be identical.You’re welcome! Well, it may seem that way, but the glycemic index deals more with the rise of blood sugar after ingesting a certain food. For example, white rice varies from brown rice. White potatoes are super high, but yams and sweet potatoes very low even if their weight is similar.Michael, there’s a huge difference between bread and pasta. First of all, bread is very dry, so it has a much higher caloric density than pasta. Pasta, (when cooked), is actually mostly water, and therefore has a much lower caloric density. Eating pasta and eating bread have two very different effects on the body, which a lot of people fail to appreciate.I cannot tell if this is going to be legible or not, but this is a list of the glycemic index and load of pastas and breads. NOTE the serving size and then multiply the numbers. Hope this helps.=======================================================================______________________________________Glycemic_______Serving___Glycemic______________________________________Index__________Size______Load_perFood__________________________________(glucose=100)__(grams)___Serving===================PASTA_and_NOODLES====================================Fettucini,_avg._________________________32_____________180_____15Macaroni,_avg.__________________________47_____________180_____23Macaroni_and_Cheese_(Kraft)_____________64_____________180_____32Spaghetti,_white,_boiled,_avg.__________46_____________180_____22Spaghetti,_white,_boiled_20_min,_avg.___58_____________180_____26Spaghetti,_wholemeal,_boiled,_average___42_____________180_____17===================BAKERY_PRODUCTS_AND_BREADS===========================Banana_cake,_made_with_sugar____________47_____________60______14Banana_cake,_made_without_sugar_________55_____________60______12Sponge_cake,_plain______________________46_____________63______17Apple,_made_with_sugar__________________44_____________60______13Apple,_made_without_sugar_______________48_____________60_______9Waffles,_Aunt_Jemima_(Quaker_Oats)______76_____________35______10Bagel,_white,_frozen____________________72_____________70______25Baguette,_white,_plain__________________95_____________30______15Coarse_barley_bread,_avg._______________34_____________30_______7Hamburger_bun___________________________61_____________30_______9Kaiser_roll_____________________________73_____________30______12Pumpernickel_bread______________________56_____________30_______750%_cracked_wheat_kernel_bread__________58_____________30______12White_wheat_flour_bread_________________71_____________30______10Wonder_bread,_avg.______________________73_____________30______10Whole_wheat_bread,_avg._________________71_____________30_______9100%_Whole_Grain_bread_(Natural_Ovens)__51_____________30_______7Pita_bread,_white_______________________68_____________30______10Corn_tortilla___________________________52_____________50______12Wheat_tortilla__________________________30_____________50_______8=======================================================================Going to try that again …===================================================____________________Glycemic______Serving__Glycemic____________________Index_________Size_____Load_perFood________________glucose=100)__(grams)__Serving===================_PASTA_and_NOODLESFettucini,_avg.__________32_______180_____15Macaroni,_avg.___________47_______180_____23Macaroni_and_Cheese______64_______180_____32Spaghetti,_white,________46_______180_____22Spaghetti,_white,________58_______180_____26Spaghetti,_wholemeal_____42_______180_____17===================_BAKERY_PRODUCTS_AND_BREADSBanana_cake,_w/_sugar____47_______60______14Banana_cake,_w/o_sugar___55_______60______12Sponge_cake,_plain_______46_______63______17Apple,_made_w/_sugar_____44_______60______13Apple,_made_w/o_sugar____48_______60_______9Waffles,_Aunt_Jemima_____76_______35______10Bagel,_white,_frozen_____72_______70______25Baguette,_white,_plain___95_______30______15Barley_bread,_avg._______34_______30_______7Hamburger_bun____________61_______30_______9Kaiser_roll______________73_______30______12Pumpernickel_bread_______56_______30_______750%_cracked_wheat_bread__58_______30______12White_wheat_flour_bread__71_______30______10Wonder_bread,_avg._______73_______30______10Whole_wheat_bread,_avg.__71_______30_______9100%_Whole_Grain_bread___51_______30_______7Pita_bread,_white________68_______30______10Corn_tortilla____________52_______50______12Wheat_tortilla___________30_______50_______8===================================================I add red kidney beans, lemon juice and oregano to ground tomato sauce, and then use that to top my whole-grain rotini. To go under the rotini, I first cut raw green pepper and tomatoes. Looks great and tastes marvellous.That does sound good. But I’d need 40 units of insulin for the beans and 55 for the pasta…If I eat avocado on a butter and bacon grease pan fried burger with grilled asparagus brushed with herbs and seasoning and a side of turnip greens, and a sugar free chocolate moose I wouldn’t need any insulin at all…It really depends on who you are…True. I don’t tolerate refined foods like flours, grains, starches etc. I do tolerate the highly nutritious green vegetables quite well as they are low in carbohydrates Yet high in nutrition.I have my diabetes in remission via a ketogenic + highly nutrient rich diet that is very low in carbohydrates like 30g or less per day. It took all of 3 days for me to see huge benefits to my sugar levels. I’m insulin free 7+ weeks now and losing 2+ lbs a week as well (started in week 4 as I keto-adapted to the diet)I’m intending on also implementing an intermittent fasting program in the near future as I’ve been studying and learning of the great health benefits of fasting.You should have your family members suffering of diabetes to learn more. I’m proof you can reverse this disease or its symptoms without drugs. It’s indeed reversable with diet.In my case ketogenic +high nutrient green vegetables seems to be my solution. It’s kept me from injecting 250+ times in these last 7 weeks alone.Also I know fasting works, as do low caloric low starch veggie diets. There are solutions out here for everyone…. people honestly need to pick something they can make a lifestyle change versus a temporary diet…Proud of myself right now. Yesterday the wife stopped for Java Chip Custard; she ate it in the car beside me… I didn’t desire a single lick… it’s full of sugar and I’ve come to see food in terms of how much sugar it holds. Besides I make my own fatty chocolate desert coffee at home without sugar & it’s just as wonderful and won’t send my blood sugar to the moon…Yes, there has been tons of documentation by Drs. Masley, Hyman, Perlmutter, Myers, Mercola, Finkelstein, Amen etc. about the damage to your diabetes from sugar and white flour. There has also been documentation by Greger and Barnard about saturated fat. As I said before, avoid the double whammy, or even a single whammy. Too much refined carb or too much saturated fat are disastrous for diabetes. Nice job on getting your diabetes in check. John SI’ve got to stick with lchf + nutrient rich greens. It’s the only solution thst has truly worked for me to get me off insulin 100%.Insulin makes diabetes worse. I’ve seen it increase more and more over the last few years. LCHF approach lowere my blood sugars to normal quickly and thus equally lowered my insulin.I’m sticking with this approach until a minimum of 40 to 50lbs is shed. I’ll then retest my carbohydrate limits to determine if my body has improved it’s insulin sensitivity with less organ fat interfering with my blood sugar. I’m fairly certain I’M a victim of nonalcoholic fatty liver problems…Yes, Dr. Greger and others have documented that insulin is a great business model but a poor health solution. You keep paying them and you never get better. I have tons of green leafies including weeds in the yard and I put them in my meals every day. He has also documented as have others that berries especially and fruit don’t negatively affect diabetes, especially when eaten in moderation. John S PDX ORCorrect. I will eat small portions of black berry, blue berry, and strawberry. I eat collards, turnip greens, spinach, kale, sea weed in fair amounts & I supplement soluble and insoluble fibers.I use the fat like insuLin only I eat it. If sugars are creeping I’ll eat a fatty protein or avocodo and both seem to push sugar back down.Short term first 4 weeks I was taking in a lot of caloric fat 75% of 3k calories. Now I can barely eat 1.5k calories at 65 to 70% fat. weight coming down quicker now since I’m not desiring to eat as much, and sugar still greatly controlled.I know I’m not cured though, because I still see abnormally high sugars if I accidentally eat something with hidden carbohydrates. But the good news is if I don’t worry about it, my sugars do come back down to normal on their own since starting this diet.E.g., wife made chili it had a small can of beans added to it, & she thickened it with corn starch. My glucose within an hour was at 170 (yikes. I was upset with her) but 2 hours later I was 110. So I was slowly normalizing despite picking up refined & complex carbs in my pot of chili… I never would do this before with my typical omnivore diet where I was eating 250 400g of carbs a day…So it’s working for now & I must stay the course… I think everyone’s different though too. What works for me may not work for others…Agreed. I know exactly where you are coming from. The most difficult thing is watching your loved one’s proceed with blinders on and their stubbornness to change their behavior.Scientists over the centuries have gotten a lot wrong, It might be correct to say someone who doesn’t subscribe to your particular views on diet has blinders on, or it might not. What makes you think we have all the information or know everything we need to know. OR, what makes you think that is the issue. I may know all kinds of great information and yet like many, we have been raised, brainwashed and habituated at a very ingrained deep level to like the foods we like. Over decades most of us have internalized feelings and behaviors around eating that we might even like to change, but that we simply cannot or will not. I was just watching the extended interviews to the Forks Over Knives documentary, where one of the doctors told him father who had had a heart attack and cardiac surgery that he needed to change his diet. His father’s response was, if I have to eat like this, (vegan) I’d rather be dead. All the blaming and emotional talk I hear doesn’t help anyone, except it may help those who like to rant feel better when they get a chance to rant.Brux, from this and previous posts (not just today) it seems that you find us all a little annoying? I don’t blame you but for me this website is a club of like-minded people who support each other in following what we believe is best for us. Even if all this science is a lot of tosh and by trying to be vegan or vegetarian we’re only fooling ourselves – well, we all like to hear good things about our bad habits.I don’t think everyone has to change everything overnight. A lot of good has been done by sharing a way to make something healthy taste good. All of the good cooks who eat healthily that I know have been and gradually are collecting a series of recipes and habits, many of them based on traditional recipes, that are good for you and taste good. That’s what I’m trying to do. If it’s horrible, I wont’ eat it. John SAneta, being an optimist, I think most people are trying to genuinely do the right thing, but that ends up including a lot of people, including myself sometimes who get an idea that we know something and then go out to evangelize about it. The scenery changes. It appears now that diabetes is less about sugar and more about fats. I guess I find that annoying in that there is little editing or corrections of people who are sort of out of line, precisely because no one wants to dampen their enthusiasm. To me, selfishly I guess, it means I have to wade through many many posts, end eventually a majority of them as people battle on every video about the most weird things in their diets.I don’t think the science is a lot of tosh, and to me, that is what makes any of this reasoning worth following. But science itself is not perfect either, as we know. There are the honest scientists, their are the competent scientists, there are the statistical scientists, or the bought and paid for scientists. I tend to take very seriously any statement made.You seem to have a very social aspect to your participation here, you use the term “us” as if it is me against all of you. I hope not, and I would daresay if you read my comments I try to ask something to bring out more data or more illumination, at least I try.If I thought by being vegan people were only fooling themselves I would not be here, seriously. I am right on board with a lot of stuff that is said here, but some of it contradicts itself too, so it is not about just accepting everything that someone says.Then there are times when someone, who know who or why takes it on themselves to assume what is going on with someone else and prescribes dietary supplements. I think that can be dangerous. So, do I find people here annoying, no, there’s a lot of good comments and questions that enlighten, but I do find people who to me don’t seem to understand either the scientific method or the Socratic method a bit trying and sometimes scary.One other thing that I want to mention is that I think social networking is great, but I think it is not real, these are not real “friends” online, they are imaginary. A club made up of imaginary friends is a bit like living in a fantasy, and blind support in hopes of furthering imaginary relationships – to me, just seems kind of sad and ripe with the possiblity of undue influence so to speak. Anyway, I appreciate your opinion. I cannot always predict or help how something I might say with the best of intentions is interpreted.You can lead a horse to water but can’t make him drink. I sent some relatives Dr. Barnard’s book on reversing diabetes and the Kickstart book and no change was seen in their diets. Unfortunately, people are addicted to the foods they love and, in the case of diabetes, are in heavy denial about their disease. This video is the third in a series addressing the cause of diabetes. Is Dr. Greger going to do one more to knock it out of the park while the bases are loaded?I am sure he will! Stay tuned for more videos on diabetes :-)My diabetes in full remission now 6 weeks eating a very satisfying ketogenic diet. I eat fat, tossed my insulin have eliminated over 200+ injections, have more energy and losing weight…You can’t eat rabbit food here and find success..https://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/Coke can do the same thing, doesn’t mean it’s healthy in the long run though! I hardly eat rabbit food, a WFPB diet isn’t just greens! My diabetes has been in remission for 5 years and I feel better than I ever have and no more issues. I think that’s success.I’m happy for you.Research shows and my own results prove high fat works for me. I’m never satisfied eating turnips…I’m very satisfied eating fats,proteins and green leafy veggies. I don’t need nor want or desire starchy foods. They got me sick to begin with…I’d love to hear how you’re doing on your ketogenic diet 5 or 10 years down the road, seriously. Although, I think you might be a bit biased when you refer to a vegan diet as “rabbit food.” If starchy foods cause diabetes, then I must be a ticking time bomb for type two diabetes. I’ve been eating primarily starches for about 2 years now. I guess we’ll see. I tend to buy the “excess intramyocellular lipid” hypothesis of type two diabetes a bit more than the starchogenic hypothesis.By the way, I ate a turnip for the first time in my vegetable soup today (with lots of brown rice, of course). I like them, but I get my satisfaction from the whole-food starches.The OSU study recently released identified a fatty acid made in your liver when eating carbs or sugars that is the unhealthy fat causing inflammatory disease & insulin resistance. It’s created when you liver works to store fat on the body and it only creates this fatty acid when sugar or excess carbohydrates are consumed. https://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/I’m sure many more studies are forth coming.I woke up to a 106 glucose this morning. No more dawn affect…I used to wake up to 150 to 170 after taking insulin before bed…Now I take none- that’s got to be a real perk…Finally there are plenty of people that have been on ketogenic diets for over 20 years. In fact children that live long into adulthood that suffered from seizures that are cured by ketogenics live perfectly happy and normal lives…You really should do more research yourself…That is still an elevated glucose, It shows that there is still insulin resistance. Again adolescent seizures and hypothetical carb fatty acid relationships have nothing to do with this discussion. However it should be noted that people on a low fat high carb whole food diet are not at risk for inflammatory disease or insulin resistance. In fact again a low fat whole food plant based diet is the cure for inflammatory disease. http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/02/03/foods-that-fight-osteoarthritis-inflammation/Like I said, it’s a clinical study. There is nothing hypothetical about a fatty acid created only with carbohydrate. It’s a science fact now.These facts have everything to do with the topic.YOU DONT HAVE AnTI INFLAMMATORY BODy If YOU Eat sugars or carbohydrates to an excess. 300 to 550g of carbs a day is poison.Wow Michael, so we’re yelling now? So tell me are you a true believer and just evangelizing to seduce people into your way of thinking or is this like your day job for the coconut oil lobby? By the way the topic is your diabetes not some random healthy fatty acid which one of your gurus has tried to twist into a boogy man.Got Inflammation? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC296998/Yes you’re clearly perturbed that I’m advocating a high fat diet to reverse diabetes Over your low fat plant approach. I have experience with both and nothing has worked for me as well as high fat.So you like gov. Stat from ncbi… I’ve already posted a link that their own study concludes high fat does not cause cardiovascular disease and does very well at controlling blood glucose fir diabetics. So your own preferred sources support high fat diets with diabetics… Go figure a vegan with a double standard state of mind….I’m not seducing anyone. I’m simply sharing what’s helping and benefiting me after 2 years of trying everything on the books. You’re rejecting my progress and science that supports this methodology to help reverse diabetes.Earlier you claimed this fatty acid palmitoleic, improved insulin sensitivity. Where’s your clinical data that proves that. If it improves sensitivity with a cost of arterial inflammation tell me how that’s beneficial for cardiovascular issues?Hi Michael, I have to jump in here. First of starchy foods did not get you sick to begin with. Second You are still sick, just because you are able to manipulate your blood sugar by depriving your body of its natural source of energy, glucose, does not mean your diabetes is in remission. You are just masking the symptoms. The cause of Diabetes is Fat or intramyocellular lipids to be exact. You can cut out the carbs and mask the disease but until you get rid of the dietary fat you still have diabetes. Your cells are still not getting the energy they need to function properly and the only thing you have to show from your high fat / protein diet is a higher cancer and heart disease risk. Only a healthy whole foods plant based diet with no added fats or oils has been shown to reverse diabetes. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/Plant-Based-Diets-and-DiabetesOkay the article below was from 2009, I cut out much of it but you can google it on your own. The reason I choose an older article is because this isn’t new news. The science is repeatedly year after year right up the the OSU study a few weeks ago that proved the same points. I don’t know what’s wrong with you vegans, but science says you’re wrong. ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ The recent review I’m talking about is a meta-analysis published this week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It pooled together data from 21 unique studies that included almost 350,000 people, about 11,000 of whom developed cardiovascular disease (CVD), tracked for an average of 14 years, and concluded that there is no relationship between the intake of saturated fat and the incidence of heart disease or stroke.Let me put that in layperson’s terms for you:Eating saturated fat doesn’t cause heart disease. References:1. Fats and Fatty Acids in Human Nutrition. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2009; 55 (1-3).2. Siri-Tarino PW, et al. Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease Am J Clin Nutr 13 January 2010 [epub ahead of print].http://www.drbriffa.com/2010/01/15/two-major-studies-conclude-that-saturated-fat-does-not-cause-heart-disease/ ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ Friday, January 15, 2010 Saturated Fat Is Not Associated With CVD, Evidence of Publication Bias by Chris MasterjohnA recent meta-analysis in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition pooled together data from 21 unique studies that included almost 350,000 people, about 11,000 of whom developed cardiovascular disease (CVD), tracked for an average of 14 years, and concluded that there is no relationship between the intake of saturated fat and the incidence of heart disease or stroke. In fact, the “risk ratio” for the development of CVD as intake of saturated fat increased was 1.0, meaning that people who ate more saturated fat were no more or less likely to develop CVD.The authors also used a funnel plot to show that smaller studies more prone to error were more likely to show an association between saturated fat intake and CVD than were larger studies less prone to error.In the picture below, each square or diamond represents a study. If it is to the right of the vertical line down the middle, it reported an increase of CVD risk with increased intake of saturated fat. If it is to the left of the vertical line, it reported a decrease in risk. The studies plotted towards the top were larger and the studies plotted toward the bottom were smaller.If there is no publication bias, we would expect the studies to be distributed symmetrically around the average result of the total pooled data (in this case, a risk ratio of 1.0, meaning no effect). Publication bias tends to affect smaller studies — everyone wants to know the results of large, expensive, extensively publicized studies, but small studies will often go unpublished or ignored if they have negative results. In the picture, you can see that the smaller studies were greatly skewed towards finding an increase in CVD risk with increased intake of saturated fat, while the larger studies were more likely to find no effect.This does not prove, but suggests, that many small studies went unpublished or otherwise lost down the memory hole if they found no association or a negative association between intake of saturated fat and risk of CVD.All in all, however, we must remember that correlation never demonstrates causation. As I will be discussing in the upcoming sequel to my PUFA Report, the controlled intervention trials substituting polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats suggested that replacing foods like butter with foods like vegetable oil would increase the risk of cancer and possibly even hasten the development of atherosclerosis.It will be interesting to see how extensively the media publicizes this analysis — or will it be ignored?Read more about the author, Chris Masterjohn, PhD, here.Hi Michael, Although your response to my post is completely irrelevant to the subject “Diabetes” I will take a stab at it. First it appears that the study was looking at people who eat saturated fat vs people who eat more saturated fat. If this is the case I see no relevance to reality since neither is part of a healthy diet. It is like arguing whether twinkies or dingdongs is the healthier snack. However as it turns out Dr Greger has already addressed this issue: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/ As you have seen if you watched these videos is that the research you are quoting is nonsense designed by industry to mislead you. However none of this has anything to do with the fact that just because you have found an unhealthy way to control your blood sugar you are still sick and until you adopt a healthy diet you will not get well.I’m sure since the diabetes association and kidney foundations supported this John Hopkins study it too can’t be trusted…. sure… whatever… http://m.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/low_carb_higher_fat_diets_add_no_arterial_health_risks_to_obese_people_seeking_to_lose_weightYou really don’t read these things or watch the videos do you. I am trying to help you out here. Read the article you referenced and see if you don’t agree that comparing a 30% fat diet to a 40% fat diet is not a well planned study. Of course there was no significant difference in arterial health between the two groups the were both on high fat diets. A healthy amount of fat in the diet is around 8 to 12% That is the amount which is in a healthy plant based whole foods diet with no added oils. If you want to stay sick that is fine but there are answers here I and others have offered you, you have an opportunity to learn something here why don’t you take advantage of it.Look for every study you have I can find two that disagree. Also I’ve already told you I will watch the videos tomorrow. I HIGHLY DOUBT your video address the new findings that the new OSU publication demonstraes. It’s new science and data that squarely shows a coorelate with carbohydrates causing the liver to create a harmful fatty acid.What I’m doing is working well. I’m not going to screw that up eating rice, potato, or popcorn, etc.I get dark green nutrients and that’s plenty.Michael, I would like to ask you a question. If the research you site is correct that fat and saturated fat in particular are good for you and that carbohydrates are bad for you, especially with respect to diabetes, please explain the billions of people around the world that eat a 60%-80% carbohydrate diet with 10-15% fat and 10-15% protein that have diabetes rates so low that that they are hardly measurable. And also please explain how diabetes rates skyrocket in those populations like Japan in the 1960 and on and China today as those countries adopt a more Western diet lower in carbohydrates and higher in fat and protein. All the studies you site are incomplete at best if they can’t explain this huge body of evidence. Doing real science means that you can’t just ignore evidence that your theory is wrong.It’s because caloric content equally plays a role. I lived in Japan for 3 years and can tell you in the 70’s they ate fewer calories and infrequently between meals.. they weren’t snacks like most westerners are. So in lower caloric diets with starch they spike insulin level 3 times a day max.Westerners eat and snack all day long on refined foods and even eat before going to bed on these same refined foods and starches.Japanese in the late 70’s to present have adopted our bad habits and they too are struggling with bigger bodies than ever before…Those studies has been completely debunked, aren’t even relevant. Why?“As the Chair of Harvard’s nutrition department put it, their conclusions regarding the type of fat being unimportant are seriously misleading and should be disregarded, going as far as suggesting the paper be retracted, even after the authors corrected a half dozen different errors.”See here:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/They have not been debunked. I could go on all day with study after study and you would make the same claim without citing a single source that debunks a specific study.Try debunking this: http://m.circres.ahajournals.org/content/110/5/764.fullYou didn’t see the video do you?The study in itself isn’t valid, you would NEVER show a correlation with that method, it is mathematically impossible.The last study you present was done with mice, show that in humans.http://m.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/low_carb_higher_fat_diets_add_no_arterial_health_risks_to_obese_people_seeking_to_lose_weightHi Michael, I am familiar with this “research” This is the same sort of nonsense you put in your last post. You really are just looking for conclusions which justify your beliefs aren’t you? This study compared people with no more than 40% fat in their diet to people with no less than 30% fat in their diet. Again neither of these diets are healthy diets. This one proves that if you are going to eat unhealthy high fat diets it doesn’t matter if it is 30 or 40% fat. However back to the issue at hand, you have just masked the symptoms of your diabetes to much fat in the diet is the cause. Until you address this fact you will not regain your health http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/No John Hopkins isn’t anything to be dismissed… http://m.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/low_carb_higher_fat_diets_add_no_arterial_health_risks_to_obese_people_seeking_to_lose_weightMichael are you not even willing to spend a couple of minutes watching the evidence Dr Greger has presented and I have offered to you here in this forum. It is clear that you have not even watched the video which you are commenting about. Have you watched any of the videos I linked to to support my argument? It is not enough to just keep harping on a couple of poorly designed studies which can be misinterpreted to support your beliefs.2nd time I told you. I’ll watch your video tomorrow.. Your not the judge of what’s poor or rich when it comes to clinical studies. There are plenty thst clearly show good science say high fat is not bad… You have simply drank way to much vegan koolaid.To be continued…Also if you understood high insulin is the cause of diabetes and that insulin secretes as a response of high glucose or carbohydrates you would see how illogical it is to try and pin the causation of diabetes on dietary saturated fats. How many 1000’s of more studies do you need to see that conclusively proves this as fact before you finally accept it?Now everyone agrees most likely CVD is higher if one has higher saturated fats in their circulatory systems; yet dietary fats don’t increase serum levels of saturated fats in our blood.The OSU study that came out weeks ago clearly proves though there is a fatty acid that is indeed responsible. However that fatty acid is only created as a response from over consumption or excess sugars and carbohydrates. Apparently the liver creates this harmful fat in its process to store body fat but only in the presence of sugars and excess carbs.http://m.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/low_carb_higher_fat_diets_add_no_arterial_health_risks_to_obese_people_seeking_to_lose_weighthttps://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/Hi Michael, Ho Hum Ok, Those are the same two articles I have addressed previously and I assume you have watched the videos I linked to which gave you all the information and relevant studies you need to know that both of these studies are bunk. However to address your opening statement. You see the difference between you an me is that I have some understanding of how the human digestive system works. If you did then you would know that high insulin is not the cause of diabetes. intramyocellular lipids, that is fat in the cells blocks the insulin receptors which does not allow insulin to do its job feeding glucose to your cells. As a result the body produces more insulin in a desperate attempt to get the cells of the body fed. This is called insulin resistance, it is also called science there is no dispute about this. Once you take the fat out of the diet the fat can be cleaned out of the cells and the insulin process returns to normal unless you have already damaged your body beyond repair. However even then allowing the cells of the body to accept nourishment again is a good thing. Here is a link to the video about insulin resistance how about watching it this time. I am trying to help you. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/Reread the OSU study. Reread the Hopkins study.None blame saturated dietary fats.The OSU article says it’s fat alright. Fat created in the liver only with excess carbohydrates. Your video does not adress this new clinical discovery…Michael try to think now, In what population that eats a whole foods plant based diet is heart disease a problem? Right there isn’t one. Another poorly designed study intended to mislead people. Next? Although you have not produced a link to this study so I am not really sure it exists.Oh you are talking about Palmitoleic Acid, It is an omega 7 fatty acid which is non essential since the body makes it. It is the only fatty acid they have found so far which acts somewhat like a hormone. It appears that the its most popular function is that it increases insulin sensitivity. It seems to be at the core of the latest supplement crase. Perhaps you want to check it out it might help bring those elevated fasting insulin levels you have back into a more normal range. Since you seem intent on masking your diabetes symptoms instead of dealing with the underlying problem. However this has nothing to do with anyone on a healthy plant based diet, as those of us eating this healthy traditional diet are not storing fat, being the only group which is consistently in the normal weight range.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/“It’s unusual for a marker to track so closely with carbohydrate intake, making this a unique and clinically significant finding. As you increase carbs, this marker predictably goes up,” Volek said.The researchers found that total saturated fat in the blood did not increase – and went down in most people – despite being increased in the diet when carbs were reduced. Palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid associated with unhealthy metabolism of carbohydrates that can promote disease, went down with low-carb intake and gradually increased as carbs were re-introduced to the study diet.In the study, participants were fed six three-week diets that progressively increased carbs while simultaneously reducing total fat and saturated fat, keeping calories and protein the same.When that marker increases, he said, it is a signal that an increasing proportion of carbs are being converted to fat instead of being burned as fuel. Reducing carbs and adding fat to the diet in a well-formulated way, on the other hand, ensures the body will promptly burn the saturated fat as fuel – so it won’t be stored.“When you consume a very low-carb diet your body preferentially burns saturated fat,” Volek said. “We had people eat 2 times more saturated fat than they had been eating before entering the study, yet when we measured saturated fat in their blood, it went down in the majority of people. Other traditional risk markers improved, as well.”The research is published in the Nov. 21, 2014, issue of the journal PLOS ONE.Volek and colleagues recruited 16 adults for the study, all of whom had metabolic syndrome, defined as the presence of at least three of five factors that increase the risk for heart disease and diabetes (excess belly fat, elevated blood pressure, low “good” cholesterol, insulin resistance or glucose intolerance, and high triglycerides).After getting them to a baseline reduced-carb diet for three weeks, researchers fed the participants the exact same diets, which changed every three weeks, for 18 weeks. The diets started with 47 grams of carbs and 84 grams of saturated fat each day, and ended with 346 carb grams per day and 32 grams daily of saturated fat.Each day’s meals added up to 2,500 calories and included about 130 grams of protein. The highest-carb level represented 55 percent of daily calories, which roughly matches the estimated daily percentage of energy provided by carbs in the American diet.Compared to baseline, there were significant improvements in blood glucose, insulin and blood pressure that were similar across diets. Participants, on average, lost almost 22 pounds by the end of the trial.When looking at palmitoleic acid, however, the scientists found that it consistently decreased on the high-fat/low-carb diet in all participants. The fatty acid then showed a step-wise increase in concentration in the blood as carbs were progressively added to the diet. Elevated levels of palmitoleic acid in the blood have been linked to obesity and higher risk for inflammation, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, metabolic syndrome, type-2 diabetes, heart disease and prostate cancer.The study does not address what happens to palmitoleic acid levels when high carbs are combined with a diet high in saturated fat. Instead, Volek hoped to identify the carb-intake point at which participants began to store fat.“That turned out to be highly variable,” he said. “Everyone showed increased palmitoleic acid levels as carbs increased, but values varied widely between individuals, especially at the highest carb intake. This is consistent with the idea that people vary widely in their tolerance to carbohydrates.”Participants’ existing health risks were not a factor in the study because everyone ate the exact same diet for 18 weeks. Their bodies’ responses to the food were the focus of the work.“There is widespread misunderstanding about saturated fat. In population studies, there’s clearly no association of dietary saturated fat and heart disease, yet dietary guidelines continue to advocate restriction of saturated fat. That’s not scientific and not smart,” Volek said. “But studies measuring saturated fat in the blood and risk for heart disease show there is an association. Having a lot of saturated fat in your body is not a good thing. The question is, what causes people to store more saturated fat in their blood, or membranes, or tissues?“People believe ‘you are what you eat,’ but in reality, you are what you save from what you eat,” he said. “The point is you don’t necessarily save the saturated fat that you eat. And the primary regulator of what you save in terms of fat is the carbohydrate in your diet. Since more than half of Americans show some signs of carb intolerance, it makes more sense to focus on carb restriction than fat restriction.”Volek sees this palmitoleic acid as a potential biomarker to signal when the body is converting carbs to fat, an early event that contributes to what he calls “metabolic mayhem.”“There is no magical carb level, no cookie-cutter approach to diet, that works for everyone,” he said. “There’s a lot of interest in personalized nutrition, and using a dynamically changing biomarker could provide some index as to how the body is processing carbohydrates.”I have this same problem with my mum. She’s 5 foot 4 and 110kg. She carries on eating pies and high fatty meats even after I have given her all the information on how bad the food is she’s eating. It’s hard to come to terms with knowing a loved one is slowly killing themselves due to poor diet and lifestyle choices. People like to stick with what they know because it’s where they are comfortable. I’ve had to accept that there isn’t anything more I can do. It had to be my mothers choice to make change.They need a diet that lowers blood sugar immediately and lowers insulin secretion. Ketogenic diets do that very well.Yawn! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/I have a patient who has slowly but surely been decreasing his animal protein. Rarely eating beef or pork and having small amounts of fish. He is surrounded by Paleo friends so this is big. He just recently started eating coconut oil with his coffee! Sounds disgusting to me. He was embarrassed to tell me but we had the conversation (again) when he was asking me about lotion for the skin and I suggested coconut oil. He confessed he had started eating it. Those Paleo believers can be convincing.Folks who look to real science for guidance on what to eat are handicapped due the provisional nature of science. And so we have to speak in provisional terms with qualifications on all statements. Paleo literature is studded with absolutes like “at one point everybody on the planet ate this way” Loren Cordain The Paleo Diet, and other unqualified statements more appropriate with a faith-based approach to diet. As such they can just make definitive statements without having to worry about any uncertainty. People like your patient are worried that they are eating themselves into an early grave (a very valid concern too) are uncertain about how they should shift their diet. Naturally they are drawn to people who can make short unambiguous declarative statements like the Paleo evangelicals can and do. Plus the Paleo folks give them permission to eat all the bacon and steak they want with the absolute certainty that they are “eating the diet we were designed to eat” (Cordain again). And as for butter and other dairy as well as grains, well they will eat Paleo most of the time. After all moderation in all things right?>.Folks who look to real science for guidance on what to eat are handicapped due the provisional nature of science.Science is science, and is always going to be changing, sometimes in ways that make recent experience such a mockery. We humans are not that smart.Diets are really engineering … that is, the application of what we know, or think we know, in practice for a specified purpose. But in order to make sure no food producers gets completely screwed there is enough data out there that will tell anyone what they want to hear. No everyone can be right about what they think v.a.v diets and what to eat and what caused disease.Gotta figure most people are wrong, and that science may never tell us what the best diet is, and even if it does, we in our limited way to seeing things will just see it in a linear way and think if some vitamin is good for us, then more and more of it should be better.The difference is that researchers that are actually following the precepts of the scientific method will have to put forward theories that explain or at least explain better *all* of the existing data on nutrition than other theories of human nutrition. “Researchers” (really marketers in lab coats) out to show a low-carb diet is the best diet for humans have the scientific obligation to address the fact that populations around the world and throughout history for which reliable data exist that have/had the lowest level of chronic diseases were those for whom carbohydrates represented the vast majority of their calories and that those with the worst health are those with the highest consumptions of animal protein and saturated fat. This body of evidence can not simply be ignored, or you are not doing real science, you are doing marketing research.The Paleo folk need to explain those same populations in order for their theory that grains, legumes, and for some tubers represent a nutritional harm to modern human health of such a magnitude that they must be completely eliminated from the diet, since those healthy populations obtain their carbohydrates from exactly those same foods.Neither group actually does that. In fact it appears that they will work very hard to ignore inconvenient facts. The low-carb crowd especially will pick very narrow study populations, often obese patients with multiple chronic diseases, then divide them into groups with minimal differentiation in overall diet and followed for a short period of time. These researchers then take any small decrease in soft end points of chronic disease (weight, BP, cholesterol level, etc.) as clear indication of the superiority of the study diet and the ineffectiveness of alternate diets that are usually mislabeled to make the dietary difference between groups seem broader than it actually is. “low-fat” diets are usually the dietary bad guys in these studies, though the diets of those in the “low-fat” group are hardly low fat. They then take that conclusion completely out of context to state that it is the superior diet for everybody to eat for a lifetime.So while we might never know the absolutely best diet for the general human animal, we very much know some of its major features. It will get most of its calories from complex carbohydrates, i.e. starch; it will also feature significant amounts of non-starchy vegetables, whole fruit and nuts/seeds; it will minimize consumption of animal products, especially dairy; and it will minimize highly refined carbohydrates, added sugars and added oils. A diet with those outlines fits the observed data better than any other so far proposed. Any future “best” diet will have to do a better job of explaining that data.I make a delicious fat coffee. It’s butter,coconut oil, coco powder, cinnamon, 4oz coffee, 2 tbl heavy whipping cream. Melt oils; mix coco and cinnamon add coffee and cream and whip good wit swe enter of choice. Delicious and I don’t snack on a dam thing for 5 to 6 hours afterwards… it’s wonderful.Ketogenics has my diabetes 6 weeks into remission.And that type of coffee sounds like a nice warm cup of heart-attack with a side of diabetes. =D Sorry I had to.Your passion is admirable but i fear misplaced. Have you heard of Walter Kempner of Duke University? He was reversing kidney failure and type II diabetes with only rice and fruit (carbs and sugar). I am attaching these videos for my own amusement as you don’t seem to be watching anyone elses video attachments so I won’t believe you’ll watch these either but what the heck.. just for fun, maybe you’ll take a looksee.Rice and fruit diet here ~~~> http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/Videos that support saturated animal fat as the cause of type 2 diabetes here ~~> http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/I can keep providing you with more videos showing the danger of saturated animal fat… maybe if we keep offering up the information a lightbulb might go off eventually. In the mean time keep up your research. knowledge is power.Yes but I prefer dr. Westone and Dr Jason Fung. & Dr. ATTIAYou’re not listening… I’ve tried it your way without success.Rice is poison to a diabetic.We have over 50 years of clinical data and growing. Dr’s can no longer not consider high fat diets to especially treat this disease.My own cardiologist is LCHF 10 + years now…We’re just going to disagree. I’ll watch you video tomorrow though.I think it’s ironic that you are the one stomping around this site in a self righteous huff telling everyone that we are all wrong as if you are some sort of self appointed diet guru here to school Dr Greger and staff about nutrition. That type of troll behavior is unappealing to the majority here who take offense to your authoritative condescending pro-fat retoric. You sir are being a troll of the worst kind… There are plenty of keto blog sites and low-carb junk-science profiteering sites where I’m sure you and the rest of the butteratarians will feel right at home. You can visit amongst your selves and get together for long walks on the beach with mug fulls of lard and sanka but this is not one of those sites. Have a great day!I think your bullying me is ironic. I’m simply sharing factual science and you’re going bonkers over clinical facts and my own success.By the way I see vegan nutjob invading LCHF sites all the time and I never tell the to get lost or that they are crazy etc. I stick to the facts and present only true clincal studies. I read both Low fat and high fat content and both seem to have merit.Right now I’m very happy I came upon high fat. It’s saved me 200+ insulin injections in the last 6 weeks. It’s kept me very satisfied, and it’s kept glucose level very controlled as compared to uncontrolled with Insulin.These are facts. You appear to be afraid of science facts and examples of success if they fall outside of your wfpb diets program… GET A THICKER SKIN… WE ARE NOT ALL ALIKE AND DON’T EQUALLY RESPOND TO ONE STOP APPROACH TO FIND BETTER HEALTH.No need to shout, I apologize if I came across to harsh…Yes, but you’re on forum that promotes a low-fat plant-based lifestyle and you are posting mis-information about a dangerous fad diet. Happy that you are losing weight but you’re not curing your diabetes, you are only masking the symptoms of the disease.Think about this… As long as you are on a high fat diet technically your fasting glucose should never be able to return to normal 80s because of lipotoxicity, explained by Dr Greger in the videos I listed above.But, if you switched to a rice and fruit diet (carbs and sugar) your fasting glucose should be able to get under 100 within a month, maybe less.I would in all honesty stop wasting your time and health on these crazy high-fat keto fad diets. This video alone showing beta cell death from high levels of saturated animal fat should have you stopping this crazy keto thing asap. What did your beta cells ever do to you? =)Did you have a chance to look up Walter Kempner yet? Remember the guy at Duke University treating kidney disease with only rice and fruit?~~~> This guy http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/I know where I’m posting and I’m not rejecting people have success on your ideas. I’m telling you I’ve tried plant based ideas and they did not work for me at all. 60 days into it I was still injecting insulin regularly.With ketogenics my blood sugars greatly normalized in 3 days and it 6 weeks and I’m still highly normalized without diabetes drugs.As for a claim of misinformation; this is an exaggeration statement by you. I have posted factual studies only that are scientifically validated studies by scientists and medical professionals. John Hopkins and Duke university, and government peer reviewed studies are not data points of misinformation. They prove with clarity dietary saturated fats din the increase cardiovascular disease and do greatly help especially diabetics and the obese.I will look up walter. But you need to look up Dr’s Jason fung; weston, and Attia… they publish and teach rapid ways of curing disease with fasting, sugar fasting diets to include low fat &A Normal Glucose ACVORDING TO THE ADA is between 80 & 120. The body works hard to keep you at 100. LOW glucose is much more immediately dangerous than a high glucose as it can kill you immediately. High glucose takes longer and you won’t die immediately if your glucose is 800 right now; but that would be crazy unbelievable to maintain for a week or more..I’ll check out your videos and you should check out Dr’s Jason fung; weston; & Attia.There is this sort of political battle between low fat and low carb advocates. I’m interested in the science and what really works for the various indivuduals.In my case high fat low carb has been awesome these past 6 weeks…someone else may do awesome on wfpb diets; I’ve never claimed that’s baloney or doesn’t work. In fact I know it does for many…I’m more opened minded here though it seems because I realize one diet shoe doesn’t fit all people and it’s clear to me this is clinically correct too because both sides have scientific data to validate their beliefs or findings…Well, not exactly… You’re fasting glucose range is not correct… Just to be sure i googled it. This is what i found.~~> http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/05/25/fasting-part-one.aspx or here ~~~> https://www.virginiamason.org/whatarenormalbloodglucoselevels or here ~~> http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/basics/tests-diagnosis/con-20033091Normal blood glucose is between 70-99. 100-120 is insulin resistant or pre-diabetic, Over 125 is diabetic.Here’s a snip from Joes site.————– snip! —————– People with a fasting blood sugar level of 100-125 mg/dl had an adjusted nearly 300% increase higher risk of having coronary heart disease than people with a level below 79 mg/dl. This information was compiled from a cross-sectional study of nearly 2500 people.A fasting blood sugar level of more than 125 mg/dl is the current threshold for identifying patients with diabetes. But the new finding suggests that patients with high levels of blood sugar in the nondiabetic range face a substantial risk of coronary heart disease.The Cleveland Clinic Foundation now uses a fasting blood sugar of 90 mg/dl or higher as a biomarker of coronary heart disease risk. The Cleveland Clinic gets very concerned when they someone with a fasting blood sugar above 90 mg/dl. They try to intervene with exercise, diet and weight control.The previous cutoff of 125 mg/dl was based on the incidence of diabetic retionopathy, but physicians now increasingly focus on the diabetes-related risk of coronary heart disease. As evidence continues to grow in this area it is likely the definition of diabetes will change.————–end snip!—————–So like I was saying… If your goal is to just control diabetes symptoms with a high-fat diet that’s your call… but if you want to rid yourself of the disease you’ll need to knock off the keto stuff and get on a WFPB diet. A high fat diet is a triple whammy of insulin resistance, heart disease, not to mention the beta cell death connected to saturated animal fat. How many more beta cells do you want to kill off before your pancreas is non functional? Pretty big risk just to prove a point about keto diets.good luck to you on your health journey.Well not exactly because Its critical to know how much insulin you secrete to maintain a normal fasting glucose. If you secrete more insulin than is needed to control glucose then that’s a sign of prediabetes.I have plenty that come in under 100 on my meter and it’s only getting better each week. But I have no idea how much insulin I crank out to get it there.If I fast for 24 hours I’m always under 100. In fact if I fast for 10 hour I’m under 100. Also it depends on when you take your fasting measurement. If you do it upon waking it can go over 100 easily because your liver kicks in to wake you up and it does thst by creating glucose from dietary proteins. This will temporaryly increase blood sugar and is perfectly normal.What I’ve deduced here is that you know little and have zero personal experience with diabetes…and… you’ve deduced wrong. My old man was diabetic. Watched him prick his finger and inject insulin every day at the kitchen table. Please keep your stories strait Mike, earlier you said your fasting glucose was DOWN to 108? I always presume fasting glucose is taken in the morning on an empty stomach. Good luck to you,Your father being diabetic is not you having experience with diabetes personally. My 7 year old grandaughter actually loves to stick my fingers and inject my insulin. Does that make her an expert? NO, certainly not… I let her do that while visiting me because like most kids she had a needle phobia. I’m pleased to say she’s cured of that and her experience with giving me shots helped her get over her own concerns regarding shots. But she doesn’t know a darn thing about a day in the life with diabetes.Well I did wake up to a 108 that right after 7 hours sleeping. I woke up another day with a 95 too. I be woken with. 125 to even 150 or more before my diet and only after taking insulin before bed. Ketogenics has me regularly waking to normal glucose levels.A fasting glucose is after 12 to 24 hours without eating. If I fast my number are in the low 100’s or mid 90’s. Does this mean my diabetes is cured? NO…Absolutely not, it means it’s much better controlled.The blood levels you listed by mayo are intended as potential indicators that *may* suggest a person is” pre or diabetic.” No doctor can or will ever make a diagnosis on “a finger stick.” Stress and physical trauma can raise blood glucose Levels for example. Instead Dr’s usually require an A1C test to evaluate a 90 day window of glucose levels. Most Dr’s, don’t consider you prediabetes until it’s 6.3 & not truly diabetic until you’re 7 or higher. Your nondiabetic in the 4, 5, and low 6 range.But again I remind you that you could have a perfectly normal blood sugar and be well on your way to diabetes… E.g., what good is an 80 or 90 glucose if your pancreas is spitting out 2 to 3 times more insulin than should be necessary to keep your sugars normal? It’s the excess insulin that causes resistance just as it’s pain pills that causes pain resistance in a body..we build up tolerances in our bodies, 500mg kills the pain for a month, then next month you need 750mg, and then a 1000 mg etc to stop the same pain… it’s work exactly the same for insulin resistance. High sugar is a *symptom* it’s not the disease. The disease is insulin and the body’s cells not responding to insulin. The cells are fed up with tons of insulin always in the blood stream and they simply refuse to let the insulin unlock their doors.It’s not fat clogging a receptor thst prevents this. If it were then obese bariatric patients wouldn’t cure the disease in a few weeks? They eat high fat low volume meals post of surgery. They are very overweight in fact super obese as they journey to lose weight but after surgery for a year or more they are still fat and they quit being diabetic weeks after surgery.These are facts. If it was fat blocking the beta cells why isn’t it blocking the beta cells while these people work to loose Hundreds of pounds? They are fat, they had diabetes but days or weeks post of surgery they are cured…Excess insulin secretion is the cause of diabetes. It’s not fat, outside of the fatty acid created when we store body fat.Time to take it someplace else Michael. Your low-carb trolling is done here. Have a nice day.I’ll keep Updating my progress, because it’s important for people to know the clinical facts and success stories from diabetics that quickly reverse their disease on LCHF diets. I feel their pain and there are many ways one can reverse this terrible sugar disease.I’ll keep Updating my progress, because it’s important for people to know the clinical facts and success stories from diabetics that quickly reverse their disease on LCHF diets. I feel their pain and there are many ways one can reverse this terrible sugar disease.You and your immature trolling comments speaks volumes of your intolerance and others opinions. Lol hahahaha lol.High fat does not kill beta cells nor does it wear the pancreas out. Fat doesn’t cause the pancreas to spit out a drop of insulin. Sugars turn on the pancreas insulin flood gates…It’s clear you’re lost in space with regard to the endocrine system…LOL! This very video that you are in the comment section of is all about saturated animal fat killing beta cells. You don’t even watch the videos your commenting on?! So funny! Scroll up to the top of this page and press play… You’re a riot man. =PYeah and I’m saying it wrong. So what?Well its a video I’m commenting on because I take issue with that claim.Tell us do you know the difference from “might” & “will”; “may” &”shall” ; “can” & “does.”The headline is misleading because it does clinically prove saturated fat does what it claims.Qualifier words as used in the headline are carefully choose to present a bias in the absence of science.My commenting on the article is in crtisizm… So what…So what? Sooooo… you’re being a typical low-carb troll… You have plenty of low-carb blogs and websites to go to… but no, you come here to harass vegans and try to disparage Dr Gregers work. I am actually surprised that the admins on this site let you stink up the place like you did and are doing. I think your work is done here. On to the next vegan site. You’ve stunk this place up good and proper. Congratulation,I don’t believe in trolls. I believe in facts and clinical data. Your site is a health site and I’m simply sharing options that work well.You appear to have very thin skin and an intolerance of ideas that don’t walk your vegan plank.Sorry I can’t help you with that either. Eating… it’s an individual choice. I think vegetarian diets are okay provided you’re getting adequate proteins and fats. I think vegetarian diets are beneficial for people with good metabolism to start with and again only if the moderate carbohydrates and sugars.I also agree with the science that proves dietary fat does not increase saturated fats in our circulation nor does it cause coronary vascular disease or cancer In most instances. I agree for insulin resistant people high fat is an effective dietary method to quickly normalize glucose levels as well as insulin levels.Sorry to inform you of this fact. But you can’t go on any LCHF site and not find it without heavy attacks by vegan nutjobs telling them their all going to die, they are doomed to get cancer, their hearts are filling with fat blah blah blah…I’m one man sharing success with LCHF eating… what are you so afraid of?No… you’re being “that guy”… The one dude who stands up at a lecture hall and tells the speaker, and everyone in attendance that they are all full of it and you know better. You are being “that guy” here in this forum… To witch someone should tug the mic out of your hand and security should politely escort you out. again… have a nice day.Hey Michael thanks for your comments. You can certainly disagree with any citations in the “sources cited” section but please refrain from using inappropriate language here on the site. I know I answered a question for you before and it was a good one! I think we can all be civil :-) Thanks for understandingGlad I chose the cheese-free pizza over the rest at a colloquium the other day.Nuts, seeds and avocados don’t cause this, even though they have some saturated fat, although they probably don’t because most of their fat is not saturated. Would coconut oil cause the death of these beta cells because most of its fat is saturated?I would also like to know this. There are different saturated fats including saturated fats made by the human body during de novo lipogenesis. Not sure why the body would evolve to make something autotoxic.Almost certainly the dose (and probably duration/frequency) makes the poison. The amount of saturated fat generated by lipogenesis would be proportional to the amount of excess calories consumed. The diet humans likely evolved eating would have meet caloric needs with little excess due to satiation mechanisms designed to limit over consumption, so the concentration of saturated fats in circulation would have been low and might not have reached a toxic threshold. Occasionally there would be a windfall of food (the mighty hunter finally managed to bag an animal, says the wife with a roll of her eyes :) and so there might have been a short duration burst of excess calories as well as dietary saturated fat. But there would have been time between such excesses for the body to recover. Plus evolutionary success largely depended on making it to 35-40, 50 tops when the kids are grown and have kids of their own. So the price of killing off some beta cells that might result in diabetes by age 60 in order to get and store enough calories to stave off starvation in the short term, would likely have been an acceptable evolutionary trade-off that would have increased overall fitness.But in today’s food environment with Easter for Breakfast, Thanksgiving for lunch, Christmas for dinner and a birthday party for dessert nearly every day, that carefully balanced trade-off is knocked for a loop. Now we can become insulin resistant in our teens, type II diabetic in our 20’s, and kill off all of our beta cells by the time we are 30.Hi Daniel. You make a good point about nuts, etc., all rich sources of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). For me, this paper (listed in this video’s ‘Sources Cited’ section) explains why nuts are so good for us: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1440-1746.2009.05823.x/fullFor the benefit of others who may be new to NutritionFacts, here’s Dr. Greger’s videos on nuts: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/Regarding coconut oil, I use it to keep my bamboo cutting boards from cracking, and that’s about it. ;-)And your information on nuts and avocados comes from where? Good question though, I thought the same thing … is it the saturarted fat or the animal fat?My information came from this very video. One statement in this video is ” The fats found predominantly in meat and dairy—chicken and cheese are the two main sources in the American diet—are almost universally toxic, whereas the fats found in olives, nuts, and avocados are not.” Other studies indicate that monounsaturated fat is good for preventing Diabetes, whereas saturated fat contributes to it.The text that was quoted 30 second into the video says “exposure of human islet cells to fatty acid” … and fatty acid is defined as “In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long aliphatic tail (chain), which is either saturated or unsaturated. ” -from Wikipedia.That’s bull crap. DEFINE TOXIC?WHO’S STUDY? CITE SOURCE.https://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/I was mainly quoting from this video. One of the sources this video cited, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18481955 stated, “This insulin deficiency results from pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction and death. Western diets rich in saturated fats cause obesity and insulin resistance, and increase levels of circulating NEFAs [non-esterified (‘free’) fatty acids]. In addition, they contribute to beta-cell failure in genetically predisposed individuals.”Michael if you go to nutrition topics above and click on chicken and cheese or dairy you will find a bunch of videos to listen to. If you don’t like to listen to the videos, the transcript is below the video (see view transcript). Each video is referenced if you then want to read the research articles. That would be a great place to start. If you have diabetes I would highly recommend you spend some time on this site. To Good Health.Great questions, Daniel. Dr. Greger points out the differences in this video. From the transcript “Unlike saturated animal fats, coconut oil doesn’t cause that spike inflammation immediately after consumption of animal foods, which makes sense because as you’ll remember it may be the dead bacterial endotoxins in animal products ferried into the body by saturated fat that are to blame.”This is off topic, but I understand that this is the place to ask questions on any topic. With regard to the video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/, do you think that dry kibble dog food (most brands are made with at least some chicken and many of us handle daily dog food daily) could be a source of chicken in our homes that contributes to bladder infections? Thank you for all you do.Hi Autumn. The concern with chicken and poultry (and perhaps raw meat in general) based on that video is that when it comes into the house raw there is always concern for cross-contamination. The dog food is already cooked so there should not be any concern. Just don’t eat the dog food I cannot say what that will do ;-)Best regards, JosephFor the sake of your dog, please check the kind of things that make up their “food”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAZrpWzAzww https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9DTzDfYMxoThere are alternatives:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDpksTlEAyIBrutal… So i guess low-carb diets can now be called the “beta-cell killing diet”. =D One more reason to ditch oils and animal foods.No its a fatty acid your liver only creates when storing fat because of excess carbohydrate or sugars. Fatty acid only created in the excess of carbohydrate…. https://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/Hello Michael! So nice of you to reply to my comment. It was a bit tongue in cheek but accurate none the less. I appreciate your enthusiasm for health and the health journey you are now embarking on. I started my health restoration journey 4 years ago after a lifetime of illness, weight problems and constant sickness. During those years I believed in the low-carb mindset just like you…. I would do things like tossing out the buns on my burgers and wrapping them in lettuce instead. I would eat lots of yogurt, grass fed bison, wrapped turkey cold cuts around cheese making sure to get enough protein and healthy fats in my diet all the while staying away from anything I deemed carbs…. I did this style of eating up until I was 43 years old. I was for the most part doing a high fat/meat, low-carb diet just like what you are advocating… So I have experience in the diet you are promoting… over that time I was the sickest I’ve even been… clumps of kidney stones, colitis, cancerous colon ploys, GERD, joint pain, 110 fasting glucose, over weight and sick with the flu, colds and infections all the time. I blamed it on getting old… It couldn’t possibly be my ‘healthy’ low-carb diet right? How wrong I was… Then I stumbled upon this site many years ago and it changed my life. I’ve been a WFPB vegan for 4 years and I now weigh 130lbs, have no health issues, off all meds, fasting glucose is in the 80s and generally feel 20 years younger. The best advice I can give you from someone who has been down the road you are traveling right now is don’t dismiss the power of a ‘Whole Foods Plant Based’ vegan diet to save your life and health. After you’ve done the keto thing long enough you will find out for yourself that it is unsustainable and health damaging in the long run. When that time comes this community is here to help. Be well and I hope you learn much on your journey to good health.This was the video that changed my thinking and I invite you to watch it all the way through and see if it doesn’t inspire you to shift your thinking away from animal foods and fat as well. At least give it a good listen and try to understand where this information is coming from. ~~~> http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/Thanks for the nice note. I. Also I’m happy the vegan lifestyle works for you. I’ve always said “know thyself” this is critical for anyone attempting to change their eating lifestyle.I do believe some people that attempted past protein diets did indeed develop kidney stones. I also know people that have done that on vegan diets as they too look for ways to increase plant based ways of increasing protein intake with soy and other vegan means. High protein can indeed cause an increase if kidney stones any some people while others never have issues.A ketogenic diet however is not a high protein diet. It’s a high fat diet, with moderate protein consumption. My protein consumption is barely outside the recommended RDA percentages…I also have states several times now I’m not bashing vegetables as I know they are full of nutrients. I do eat dark green vegetables such as kale, spinach, turnip and mixed greens. So I’m keeping good nutrition going each and every day.Many people on Atkins diet ate way to much protein and if you over consume protein its harder on the kidneys, can cause gout when consumed with high purines, and worse in large enough quantities cause insulin to secrete because protein is not carbohydrate free. All Protein has small amounts of carbohydrate,. Eat enough of it you can kick yourself out of ketosis too.There are many people that have been eating ketogenic diets for decades and they are quite healthy too. We can pass judgement one the sucess of one or failure of one without clear clinical data to substantiate a scientific observation. People tend to embellish and exaggerate unfortunately.This morning I woke up to a fasting blood glucose of 106. In the last two years eating omnivore style with insulin my morning fasting sugar has been between 150 & 170… My daily range depending on dietary intake was 50 to over 300, with a monthly average between 150 or more.My monthly average is 118. My range is 95 to 135, with occasional 150 ( if I accidentally eat extra carbs) and if I see my sugar is too high I just eat a little fat such as coconut oil and my glucose plummets to normal levels. Fat keeps my sugar regulated better and longer than insulin does. The trick is carbohydrate restriction.This diet is very satisfying. I’m never hungry and if I feel a binge I just make a fat coffee ( it’s coffee with coconut oil, butter, heavy cream, coco, cinnamon & sweetner) & that carries me for 4 or more hours without spiking sugars or insulin.I tried vegetarian without starch veggies on low fat. That did also seem to help with my blood sugars. But I was always starving and never satisfied. I couldn’t eat potato, beans, pasta, rice, cereal, fruit etc. I could only eat low calories nutrient rich greens and that became unsustainable for me after 3 weeks. If I introduced any fruit or starch based plant food my sugar hit the roof…As I started ketogenic I was eating 3,500 to 4000 calories a day at time with 75% coming from fat, 20% protein, & 5% carbs. In 3 days my blood sugars greatly improved. By week 3 I was still eating the same macro ratios, yet calories were and have been in the 1200 to 1600 calories per day. I find myself eating less now that I’m ketogenic adapted (burning my own body fat.) So weight loss is kicking in at a nice 2+ lbs a week now On top of my excellently improved blood sugars.Dr. Westman has been on a ketogenic diet over a decade. He’s lean, has healthy cholesterol, perfect glucose,etc. He doesn’t have kidney stones, etc. There are 1000’s of people just like him…I do hear your concerns. I do respect your own life story etc. But it all really comes back to knowing thyself… You discovered excess protein was adversely impacting your kidney health. You needed to reduce protein intake to avoid them… Your body can’t handle excess proteins and so this set back pushed you into a high nutrition low caloric diet. I’m truly happy you found an alternative that also works for you!As for now I must stay the course because I’m feeling much better than I have in 15 years. I have high energy, biked 20 miles yesterday and wasn’t even that tired when I got home. My pants are falling off aleady and my belt is cinched in a 100%, & 6 weeks ago it was out to the last notch and I was thinking I was going to have to find a bigger belt…I must stay the course here… Good luck to you and your continued quest for good health…Interesting discussions with a lots of passion on multiple sides of the argument. The current health status of the average North American is not good with the amount of disease and prescriptions that we just accept as the norm. Very troubling. We need to continue the interaction and look for the truth. I guess for me the positive change that has taken place for my wife and I (late 50’s) since transitioning (3 years ago) to more of a WFPB diet has been substantial. Between the two of us, off 5 prescription drugs, total weight loss of 80 lbs., excellent blood pressure, no sugar level issues, no inflammations. We love the food, don’t count calories, take no supplements save b12, always satisfied with meals, have influenced multiple family members to consider their health in connection to their lifestyles choices, and couldn’t be happier. So of course we will continue to read, study and consider all the new research, adjust if need be, but otherwise stay the course, because it is working well for us.Hi Odw, So glad you found success with a WFPB diet, that is awesome! I love to hear others stories. Off 5 prescriptions!? Wow, fantastic! But I’m not surprised, that’s the power of WFPB… So proud of you two. So happy to hear that.VeggieEric I have a story for you. Recently a patient of mine was talking about a friend of hers that was dying from heart disease. Just kinda sitting back and waiting. She said she wanted to do something for him. I forwarded her Dr MacDougall’s website. She sent her friend to the 9 day program last month. He has gone from 22 medications down to 5. He has lost 20 pounds and has gone vegan. He has 70 pounds to go and is determined to get off the remaining 5 meds and cure his diabetes! Now that is amazing stuff!Hi Veganrunner, Wow! That is so great to hear. 22 meds?! That is incredible. He is definitely on his way to re-gaining his health. Hope he loses those last 70lbs and reaches his goal. Thanks so much for sharing. Love to hear stories like this. =)Veganrunner: That’s just so awesome! What an amazing ripple effect and powerful story. Thanks for sharing.Keep the fat; moderate the protein; limit carbs to green and leafy only.That’s healthy for me.Explanations don’t get more consise than this. Limiting saturated fat intake for those predisposed to DM type 2 is key to prevention. I wonder though if chronic exposure to high glycemic load dietary fructose wouldn’t contribute as well to beta cell destruction & NASH by a similar mechanism via metabolism of the fructose to free fatty acids.please see the other videos here with regard to Diabetes. Fat is the problem: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/Diabetes-as-a-Disease-of-Fat-Toxicity and three more up there in Dr.s Notes. No video here is an island, there are always links to others on same/similar topics.High fructose ingestion is indeed another suspect, because it 1) bypasses the main rate-limiting step in glycolysis in the liver, catalysed by phosphofructokinase, and 2) has limited intestinal absorption, with the unabsorbed portion fermented in the small intestine, leading to dysbiosis, endotoxemia, and fatty liver.Its important to note that whole fruit ingestion doesn’t appear share the effects of added sugars or fruit juices, as the fiber and polyphenols of whole fruit both limits the intestinal absorption rate, and has an antimicrobial effect on small intestine pathobionts.Question: Does fructose have a unique function in the body? Is it an essential nutrient? If one ate a fructose-free diet, would he or she develop health problems due to fructose deficiency? (Just started reading Lustig’s Fat Chance and wondering about this; maybe he addresses the issue later in the book.)What do you think about drinking whole fruit juice with or after a fiber-filled meal (say some elderberry juice after your morning oat bran)?Darryl makes a great point. Check out this video about how much fruit is too much. If diabetic, perhaps fruits lower in the glycemic index are more beneficial.And here is a Type 1 Diabetic that eats mostly whole fruits and has had tremendous success reducing his dependence on insulin through his diet. https://www.youtube.com/user/mindfuldiabeticrobbyIt is probably worth mentioning there are quite a few studies confirming protective effect of coffee/caffeine on both hepatic and pancreatic beta cells. There is also a pretty strong epidemiological correlation between consumption of coffee and reduced risk of diabetes and also of pancreatic and liver cancers (if I remember correctly there was a NF video about at least the latter). And the effect is pretty strong in terms of risk reduction percentages.. Not such bad news!Coffee, unadulterated, is good food, antioxidants and such with zero calories. There’s a video here on that.In some people, coffee causes caffeinism. It is a very tricky thing to discover as people will unconsciously blame everything else but their daily coffee. It can potentially destroy your health and life while putting the blame somewhere else. If you ever feel bad, remember the possibility of coffee being the cause.Hi Albert. We have many videos on coffee! You are right, not such bad news at all for coffee drinkers.Coconut oil is saturated fat and i have been recommending it for my patients. After listening to this video I am wondering about the benefits of coconut oil, as we know about the benefits of MCT :)The consensus is that MCTs are fairly harmless. Unfortunately, coconut oil is 15% MCTs (8% caprylate, 7% capricate), and 73% C12-16 saturated fatty acids (48% laurate, 16% myristate, 9% palmitate). Of these, its the palmitate that has come under the greatest scrutiny, as it is a precursor to ceramides that are central to β-cell toxicity. A review:Chavez JA & Summers SA. 2012. A ceramide-centric view of insulin resistance.Watching the video, I wondered about coconut oil, too. The question is, are all saturated fats created equal when it comes to killing beta cells? I’m an immigrant from Asia. Where I came from, people add coconut flesh/oil/milk to almost everything. We even added grated coconut flesh to salads. There were overweight adults but Type-2 diabetes was very rare, so rare that diabetes meant Type-1 diabetes. I’d not heard of Type-2 diabetes until I immigrated to the US. (The situation has changed now since the arrival of McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, etc. about twenty years ago; now people even know what pre-diameters is.)Interesting post here regarding the coconut-loving Tokelauans vs Pukapukans.http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2015/06/if-fat-doesnt-make-you-fat-explain.html?m=1MacSmiley: That blog post was super interesting! Thanks for the link.http://www.healthysmoothiehq.com/health-benefits-coconuts-coconut-oil#comment-303922Dr. Greger points out the differences in this video. From the transcript “Unlike saturated animal fats, coconut oil doesn’t cause that spike inflammation immediately after consumption of animal foods, which makes sense because as you’ll remember it may be the dead bacterial endotoxins in animal products ferried into the body by saturated fat that are to blame.” Make sure to check out the Doctor’s Note under the video and the video on “Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia”Let me know if you cannot find or need more clarification. Thanks!Thank you Joseph Gonzales. I did miss the information.What about chocolate? Not animal. It has a lot of saturated fat. My favorite has 20 g of fat, 11 g being saturated fat per 43 g serving.Hi Annie. Thanks for asking. We have some great videos and research on chocolate. See if these help?Best, JosephCoco powder doesn’t have fat! I sprinkle it on my blueberries when I want to have a snack!Do we know if coconut in its whole form (coconut “meat”), not to mention its processed forms (butter, milk, oil etc) with its very high level of saturated fats causes the same damagae to pancreatic beta cells as animal products?Coconut seems to have a different impact. Dr. Greger points out the differences in this video. I think for those without cholesterol concerns a bit of whole coconut or coconut water (like the stuff from a young coconut) is fine.I’m concerned about the video’s statement: |”the predominant fat in olives, nuts, and avocados gives you a tiny bump in death protein 5″. Does this mean that ideally we should avoid all fats, both animal and plant? Could death protein 5 be a good thing in some cases, killing cancer cells, but a bad thing if directed to pancreatic beta cells? If so, then is there an optimal amount of plant fats that we should be consuming?We still need a bit of fat. Dr.Greger also mentions further down that “You expose human liver cells to plant fat, and nothing happens.” From the graph in the video it’s clear that saturated fat appeared way more harmful than the fat predominately found in nuts, olives, and avocados.I really appreciate Dr Gregor’s videos, but I’m still lost. When I went on a near-vegan diet, avoiding refined flour, rice and potato, my weight and lipids shot up. It was a disaster. Now eating mostly meat and veggies, I have better weight control. I haven’t had my blood fats checked yet. So I wonder, in regards to these studies, are the subjects eating SFAs and TFAs along with refined carbs? The photo for this video shows a croissant along with the “bad” meats. This is an important question. If the subjects are also eating carbs with their meat, then maybe that should be revealed and discussed.A whole food plant based diet is what is recommended on this site. That may not have been what you were eating. Just avoiding certain foods without taking the steps to make sure you are eating a WFPB diet can make you gain weight. I know this from experience.Really helpful dietary information can be found at ForksoverKnives.com and PCRM.org. For more specific information about lowering your lipids and weight loss, you might want to look at PCRM.org. I found their recommendations very helpful and specific for vegans. I had quit loosing weight and didn’t realize that my homemade soy milk was the problem. I just love what soy can add to a sauce, but it does that by adding fat.Also remember, you need to eat legumes (except for soybeans which have a high fat content. They are actually labeled a “nut” by the nih because of this.) They will help pull the fat out of your system and will also help regulate you blood sugar.Maybe Joseph know of some other sites besides the ones I’ve mentioned that can help you create a good diet plan. Good luck! By the way, there are no good meats.Thanks for giving some links, 2tsaybow!Hi AliceRoth. I am sorry to hear you feel lost. How can I try to help? I would actually encourage the inclusion of rice and potatoes in the diet. Shoot for colored ones like brown, wild, or red rice and red, blue, or gold potatoes. They tend to have more nutrition. All of the studies to this video can be found in the “sources cited” section. From there, you can see if the subjects were also eating trans fats. Typically researchers try to control for that sort of thing. I wonder what your lipids are now, too? Let me know if I can be of more help. We have many videos on cholesterol and diet. This is a comment to a user about finding ways to lower cholesterol levels. It may be helpful. Thanks for posting!Avoiding ANY refined or processed food including fats and oils is key, but consuming plenty of complex carbs is critical too, which includes rice and potatoes. Eating even healthy fruit (carbs) with too much fat will raise blood sugar. Once you get the values right, it works beautifully! It’s how I got rid of diabetes and other issues and lost 150 lbs five years ago.I think the public has to hear more from people who have actually DONE it. There are lots of people talking, and some of the even know what they are saying, and some of them are even right, or the rightest they can be right now. But, the people who have done it, need to be heard from. The problem is finding those people who are serious, can be trusted, can report accurately on what they did and honestly on what their results have been.I expect you are on to something about not eating processed foods. Look to what processed foods, all processed foods do, and they separate out nutrients and up concentrate carbs, sugar, salt and even protein. They take what the body naturally is attracted to and make it too much for the body, but very attractive for the mind.That makes me think that you are right about carbs, as Dr. Mcdougal has said. I don’t really like carbs, I do like bread, french fries, cookies, etc … but that is an addiction and that stuff is not good for me.I like meat and protein too, but I see I do not need all that meat, that is another addiction that I have to think about.Fat and salt and sugar are great, but they rarely occur in nature, and when they are concentrated they are again, not good.I’d like to know what you eat and how you go about managing your food. That is what people really need to find … someone who is doing something they want to do in a way they can stomach … pun intended.I joke that diabetes is the best thing that ever happened to me because it was the dramatic wake up call I needed! My husband had lost a leg already to it, the drugs and his supposed ADA diet didn’t help much. I did NOT want to go that route, but had no clue at the time where to turn. Somewhere along the line I had seen the movie “Forks Over Knives”, and though it obviously made an impression, I wasn’t ready at the time to put it into action. We get pretty addicted to our food preferences! I was never much of a meat eater, though I did enjoy seafood. My major downfall was cheap carbs… bread, pasta, rice, mac and cheese, the dreaded ramen noodles..all loaded with fat for flavor, in or on! I have always loved veggies though, so overall, I ate better than most people I knew, but certainly not good enough! After watching that movie again after being diagnosed, I decided to give it a 30 day trial to see what happened. I dove in head first because I wanted results, and basically started over. Since I have a very tight budget and love my carbs, McDougall held a lot of sway…carbs are affordable and satisfying, I just had to make some adjustments. Honestly, the first week I just about lived on green smoothies while I was learning the ropes and getting oriented, and also kind of a detox for the tastebuds and body. I knew if I started feeling deprived it wouldn’t last, so I worked to figure out how to make the foods I enjoyed healthy. The internet was a HUGE help with that, and I found I was actually enjoying the challenges because I was feeling a lot better pretty quickly. I had severe arthritis, fibromyalgia, IBS, chronic fatigue syndrome, obesity, chronic depression, diabetes, high everything… and more. I was taking something like 13 medications, including narcotics for unrelenting pain and at 55 I needed a motorized cart to get around and felt like life was over. In less than 3 weeks of starting a WFPB diet, my blood sugar was normal, in six months I was off all medications and feeling like a new person. What seemed so complicated and intimidating in the beginning, has actually simplified my life tremendously in so many ways!You asked how I eat? I got started with McDougall, and kind of experimented with various additions and subtractions, but found I do best pretty close to his weight loss program…even eating clean I tend to hang on to the pounds. I keep the fats under 10% for my personal best results, and starches vary from 50-75 percent of my daily intake, with veggies, legumes, grains, fruit, nuts and seeds making up the rest. My usual approach to shopping is to try to buy nothing with a label…just real food that doesn’t need one. Nothing comes into the house I shouldn’t have, that makes it a lot easier. I make everything from scratch for the most part, but usually keep it pretty simple ’cause I’m lazy. (The other side of me loves to invent things, so I can get pretty creative too! Luckily I am the only one who has to eat it!) For some examples from recently, I just made a tray of baked oatmeal with bananas, apples, blueberries, dates, raisins, flax, spices and sunflower seeds, when it cools it will get cut into squares or bars and be breakfast and snacks all week. I made a big crockpot full of kala chana (dark Indian chickpeas, delicious!) and will freeze some in bags, and use the rest all week in soups, stews, pureed into sauces, whatever. Add a few veggies, let it simmer, serve over a grain…easy! I will also cook up batches of grains in bulk, and do the same…and I still eat pasta and white rice, just less of it, less often, and with better toppings! I made my own sourdough starter, and now bake all my own bread with it! Bread really is the staff of life done this way, the fermentation dramatically improves the nutritional properties even more than yeast raised, and eliminates all the issues of the “sponge” bread sold in stores that is horrid for so many reasons. It can even make healthy pizza loaded with goodies, including vegan “cheeze” I make with fermented yogurt/cashews, awesome! (Thank you Miyoko Schinner!) A quick dinner can be a nuked sweet potato (I know, but it’s quick!) with a veggie topper, miso gravy, maybe a salad. A pepper stuffed with spiced grains and legumes and simmered in sauce…15 minutes! It got a lot easier once I started mass cooking grains and legumes in advance…takes time but not work or attention, so much cheaper and always ready. I love the ethnic cuisines that are veggie based when I want something different, but mostly I keep it simple. Spicy mushed beans rolled inside a corn tortilla makes a great quick “tamale” with fermented salsa, sprouts rolled into a wheat tortilla with some tofu mayo is a goto lunch, or a green smoothie, veggie pasta salad, etc. Sprouts are fun to grow and I always have a variety going…clover, broccoli, lentils, arugula, fenugreek, and on and on! I find it a lot of fun and a healthy challenge to incorporate what I learn here about various ingredients into my diet…turmeric goes so well with so much! I even put it in my coffee with cinnamon so I don’t feel so bad about drinking it! LOL! I am really devoted to this way of eating, and the only time I ever deviate from it is the RARE occasions when I eat out, maybe 3-4 times a year. Even then, it will usually be all the good stuff, with a small treat of non fried seafood. At home I satisfy that yen with sea veggies, which works great for me. Where there’s a will there’s a way! Now I can ride my recumbent trike 5 miles or more, and before I couldn’t walk around the block. Pretty good incentive I’d say, and amazing benefits!!!Great story, I am relating to that. I have tried a lot of other stuff, but now I am trying instead of trying to change everything at once, just doing breakfast first … a big bowl of oatmeal with flax, hemp seeds and fruit/berries in it. That is so filling I don’t ever feel hungry, far from it after a few days of that … it is hard to think of eating really. That is a funny feeling for me because I usually want to eat everything all the time.Then at night I got motivated to try this rice diet thing with some modifications. I cook some brown rice with veggies. Between those two meals there is not a lot of room for anything else. This is a strategy I never would have thought of.I try not to eat much fat or oil, but that is kind of unavoidable, so a little bit I am not worrying about. Mostly I used to eat a lot of protein and sugary processed carbs. I have been able to cut that out over the years, but wondered why my weight never really changed. I think it is just the density of the food I am/was eating. Eating a lot of bulky unprocessed cards fills me up … not really very flavorful, but it works for a little over a week now. The odd thing is that I feel much better. I don’t know how to explain it but it is easier to think .. like my consciousness is lubricated and quieter. My brain purrs on a lot of carbs. How do I even describe that, or can I ascribe that to my diet or just a phase?I got a juicer a few years ago, and used it for a while, but it was too much hassle and work, to buy, wash, cut the veggies, and then clean up after juicing, only to make a small amount because I did not want to store my juice. I will work that back in at some point, but right now what is easiest is the carbs.Right now I am not worrying about if I want to eat a cookie or have an ice cream, which i will, but I just don’t have the desire for much of it anymore. That is weird for me. This is totally counter-intuititve, I think I just had to try it and see. Thanks for sharing your story.Good for you Brux for making a conscious effort to improve your health! I wish I could motivate some of my loved ones to at least make some positive changes, but geez, no way! You are on the right track and the ways in which you are feeling better is definitely something I relate to, it is so positive and the best incentive to keep on track. The complex carbs are definitely satisfying, and a while ago I noticed something interesting, and wonder if anyone is similar…during the day I seem to crave fresh foods, and toward evening it is always cooked carbs! It’s not even a conscious choice, just seems to be what my body wants. And I love oatmeal too, though I have come to love savory versions instead of sweet. Spice up your grains with herbs, there are so many to try! I always seem to find new combos to love. I have lots of basil and tomatoes right now, so I am putting them in everything! LOL! Good luck, and congrats!Dr. Greger, if this website contained only this series on diabetes it would still be a tremendous public service. You and your associates continue to be a national treasure as you gallantly press on raising the signal-to-noise ratio in public information about what constitutes optimal human nutrition. Given your speaking schedule year after year it is difficult to imagine the curve isn’t beginning to bend in a favorable direction.It is amazing how people just refuse to listen to the science.“The science is clear here” made me laugh and laugh and guffaw too. Industry and industrious folks with things to sell/promote have beaten those who choose to expose themselves to media to a bloody nub with “settled science”. NO source is golden. Everyone should read around and understand to question the motives and motivations of the sources he/she wants to believe. Dr. Greger does most of this work for us here. But I had a good background in “strange” doctors with odd nutritional ideas all the way back to the 90’s before I got here-Weil, McDougall, Ornish, Campbell, to name a few.I’m quite thankful to have Dr. Greger’s complilation of sorted information here for easy access and examination. ONLY after some examination of the source can one make wise decisions on who to believe. We don’t agree about everything, but most things and quite enough that I recommend this site to everyone who is polite enough to appear interested. Cheers.So, if Type-2, adult onset, diabetes is caused by fat killing off pancreatic cells … then how does a WFPB ( whole foods plant based ) diet reverse diabetes? Or does it not reverse diabetes, it just removed the stimulus for it by avoiding floods of sugar into the blood from processed sugary foods.Is this saying that the case is animal fat, but the provocation is too much sugar in our diet and blood, and then urine as well?When you lose weight, does fat some out of your stored fat and go into your body, could your own fat be harming these pancreatic cells and killing them off?What about plant based oils. Dr. McDougal seems to be the one most vocal about fats and oils … are vegetable oils any better than animal fats in how they affect pancreatic cells, and if so, how much.Do they know the mechanism behind why animal fat kills these cells, and does it kill other cells too?Hello Brux! This site does indeed include recommendations for foods to eat to reverse diabetes, presumably if most of your pancreatic beta cells have been killed. In the video How to Treat Diabetes, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/ Dr. Greger shows a vegetarian diet can reverse diabetes almost immediately.“You put 20 diabetics, for example, on even a near-vegetarian diet, and in 16 days, half don’t need even need their insulin any more, and those who do are on half the dose. And that’s after only about 2 weeks.”Meat is very expensive of insulin via the IGF-1 pathway, according to Dr. Greger.Specific food recommendations include: hibiscus tea cinnamon (recommended with the caveat that it’s the toxic variety that has an effect on blood sugar) flax seed meal amla http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/ beansThule has produced another list of recommendations from this site:Indian gooseberries (amla), . coffee, soy, flaxseeds, green tea, pulses (dried beans), chamomile tea, purple potatoes, sprouts, whole grains, vinegar, and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/ beans.Some people have found a Vanadium/ Chromium supplement helpful for blood sugar already in the normal range. Buckwheat, soybeans, and some spices like black pepper and dill weed have Vanadium.Perhaps it is the IGF-1 that kills both us and the fat that leaks out of our stomach and is very harsh on the Beta cells.Dr. Greger suggests plant based oils are easier for the body to digest.ThanksHello Matthew, if you are referring to me, regarding that list you mention, I must say I never gave that recommendation (you might have confused me with someone else?), although as I commented to you about this topic before, it seems a good one.As an aside comment, personally I never take coffee, it seems that I am allergic to it.Hey Brux. I would look into the studies themselves to help understand the mechanisms. Let me know if you see one that catches your eye and I can pull for you.If we are going to be cynical about everyone … equally cynical, that is … why are so many of these studies coming from China, at a time when the Chinese are importing more and more meat and other products from abroad and their scientists are now telling the world, don’t eat all those meat and animal products? Isn’t that a bit hypocritical, especially for a society that can just mandate what their people have to eat?How about saturated fats in coconut oil? I put a spoonful in my smoothie in the morning. Is that good? Bad?Dr. Greger discusses coconut oil in several videos. Remember, all oils are processed foods. You don’t need them.I also do about 3 x week.Hi Jason. Please see my comment below, as I address this important question you ask. Let me know if it helps? Thanks!Yes indeed a fat is largely responsible. However that fat is only created in the liver as the liver works to store excess sugars and carbohydrates as body fat. Dietary saturated fats even to the extreme have zero impact on glucose, insulin or cardiovascular disease.It’s a FAT your liver creates to deal with your excess sugars and carbohydrates…https://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/More confused now than ever before. Experiment yourself and monitor your Blood Work N=1This work was supported by the Dairy Research Institute, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Associationand the Egg Nutrition Centre.Always follow the moneyHi Anthony. Thank you for your honesty. Adding to Jeewanu’s astute observation, consumer confusion = producer profits. One of the reasons I find following a plant-based lifestyle so satisfying is that I get to say ‘NO!’ to everyone who is trying to make and keep me chronically sick so they can live very comfortably at the expense of the suffering of so many people including myself.Please view the following video, making sure to read ‘Doctor’s Note’ for additional videos providing a more complete perspective on just exactly how food producers create consumer confusion to maintain profits. And keep coming back! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/Thank you.Fat does not raise blood sugar nor does it invoke insulin secretion.Diabetes is a problem caused from the secretion of to much insulin over long periods of time, high blood sugar is a symptom of the disease only after the cells start ignoring insulin. Insulin is the key to the door that lets sugar into the cell. Over secretion of insulin create cell resistance whereby it takes more and more insulin to get the cell to respond and open to enable sugar into the cell.B=body S= sugar or carbohydrate I= Insulin R= Resistance or diseaseBxS=I SXI=R B+S+I= one diseased body 4 sureLol…just having fun now…Who are you and why are you here? Saturated fats have been proven to cause insulin resistance. This is a site provided by a physician with a number of medical volunteers who provide information in the comment section.A ketogenic diet is very harmful in the long run. Dr. Greger has written a book on the subject and it would help you tremendously to read it. It may be working for you now, but it is not sustainable and it is possibly carcinogenic for you to eat so much meat and saturated fat. Also, the lack of fruits in you diet is not at all healthy.You need to talk to a dietitian, rather than making this choice by yourself. It is not a healthy choice even if you have your insulin under control at this time. Joseph Gonzales R.D. is the dietitian working on this site. I recommend you take the steps to contact him. Maybe he know someone in your area that you can work with. Please be careful!I’m a living example ketogenics works to reverse diabetes.My Cardiologist suggested it strongly.The OSU study clearly demonstrates this is a safe method & further proves it’s carbohydrates and a fatty acid created in the liver only in the presence of carbohydrates that cause insulin resistance & inflamation.It’s a validated clinical study. Sure low calorie works too if you font mind starving and never fully satisfied. But you’re just wrong as there is considerable evidence that dietary saturated fats are good not bad for almost everyone but especially for diabetics.If you want a censored moderated forum then censure me. I don’t csre, but it is your ignorance that is more harmful than my sharing factual clincal data and my own success.Thst shouldn’t bother you at all. Your approach isn’t for everyone e and I feel happy to share my success and learnings with others.Your right saturated fats in the blood are not a good thing, I agree completely. However, dietary saturated fats fo not elevate saturated fats in the blood. Read the study…it’s clear…excess sugars and carbs create a nasty fatty acid that is the true cause.I’ve paid for dieticians, they told me to eat whole grains and veggies and fruits and that made me sicker. I had 400lb dietician advise me on how to maintain weight control while injecting 120 to 130 units of insulin a day and even had them recommending a $7,000.00 pump.6 weeks ago I said no. Dived in and it’s going very well. I haven’t injected insulin in 6 weeks now and I’m slowly losing weight and I’m never binging or hungry etc… I simply couldn’t be happier.Read this study before you go primal on me… Your doctor should read it as well and he too might find this as an alternative for his patients thst can’t tolerate vegetarian diets…https://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/Michael, I am not threatening you nor am I going to go primal. I simply said that a ketogenic diet has many drawbacks. I find it astonishing that a cardiologist would recommend it. He must not have looked into the nutritional science of this subject. He is not giving you good advice. Tell him I said that he needs to take a nutrition course. He should contact Dr. McDougall and speak with him about the problems with this diet. (Or Dr. Furman, Dr. Ornish, Dr. Drake, or right here on this site Dr. Greger)I have already dealt with my issues by changing to a healthy WFPB diet. And I am going to begin the eCornell nutrition program so that I can work with Diabetics in a community I already serve. (Maybe your cardiologist wants the details for this class!) I do not eat meat, dairy, or eggs and I find the fact that this one single study supports your diet problematic. Particularly since these are the very foods that most doctors are telling people to reduce or avoid.I just want you to know the drawbacks of a ketogenic diet and I want you to know that what you are doing cannot be a permanent solution. Because of the way ketosis affects your system it cannot be a permanent way of eating.I understand your questioning a 400 pound dietician, but that is not all dietitians. You want one who is well informed with the current scientific information; and of course someone who walks the walk.Please for me, look into the drawbacks of a ketogenic diet. I know you feel great right now, but there are some real issues with this diet, including sudden cardiac death. (You may want a new cardiologist when this is taken into consideration.) You can find a middle path that keeps you from having to take insulin and medication and keeps your blood sugar in balance while keeping you satisfied. Dr. Greger has written a book on the subject of a ketogenic diet, and there are lots of resources on a WFPB diet, including this site. Many many doctors agree with this. Please be careful. One other thing, If you go to forksoverknives.com and look at the contributors you will find many, many, many doctors involved in this way of eating. None of them, absolutely none of them, make money or profits from recommending these dietary choices. The one study you have pasted all through this comment section cannot make that claim. My best to you!Thanks for sharing. I am really happy to hear from you, since you are a vegan(?) How do you recommend going vegan? It’s really important to get nine fresh fruit and vegetable servings a day, and your whole grain and fiber. Which I don’t. Does this mean a lot of eating for you? I think the hardest part is getting started and realizing you’ll lose a few childhood favorites. There are meat substitutes available and being vegan can be a cost trimming workout for any budget. Do you find yourself cooking less or more? Since Dr. Greger says here the biggest source of animal fats is from chicken and cheese in America, I think he is suggesting he is winning some small part of the debate, they used to be health foods. I am glad this community is carving out a victory of scientific consensus. Vegan is super possible for you and me and is really practical. I am glad there is a place to research the “eat less meat and get more exercise” that doctors are always trying to point out, right here at nutritionfacts.orgHow I became WFPB eater. One day at a time. I read up and read some more, then made the decision. Knowing that I had successfully eaten similarly before, but with weekends “free for all” made it easier. I started with weekends “free”. But a funny thing happened around day 3. I felt better. All over, and mentally clearer. This I did not expect. I cut oil, sugar, and animal products. I was simply wanting to lose a few pounds and help my arteries clear up and maintain by mental faculties as long as possible-all whilst turning down my chances at landing a cancer. But I felt better, and liked that feeling. Less aches and pains and mental fog. Coffee is now regular, but optional for me (haven’t had any today). I also began recording my wieght daily (computer program, tracks and graphs, makes it hyper-easy). My weight started dropping without exercise or caloric restrictions. I had established a good looking chart of steadily declining weight by Easter this year. That day I allowed myself to partake in the “feast” sort of meal where I did restrict my intake because everything was loaded with fat and animal products (I now take some of “my” food to gatherings). I had two “small” plates of this and one piece of chocolate pie. The next day my weight popped up and made a mess of my chart. It put a FOUR pound spike in the line and took two days to get back to my new “normal” descending weight line. Two weeks later, I ate a large meal of BBQ which resulted in a two-pound spike which took three days to resolve. The effect was quite clear enough for me to “get it”. I now am quite restrictive when eating non-WFPB items. Dropped my BMI over 2 points and still haven’t started back cycling as I usually do. But look forward to that, expecting better performance from better plumbing and all the other improvements “built-in” to WFPB eating. To be fully clear: I don’t diet or restrict any WFPB calories, but sometimes have tiny portions of “old favorites” knowing that it will take my body a day or two to recover from such. I expect the desire to do such will wane and fade, but that I’m not ready to say “never” to some of my most-loved old foods. I do believe I can be quite healthy with rare indulgences now and then.CAN’T wait so see what my cholesterol numbers are now! Also, haven’t had a migraine, got off PPI’s (GERD), don’t have to take Saw Palmetto for BPE any more.Now I’ll have my morning meal of stone-ground grits (polenta) with blueberries and strawberries with ground flaxseed sprinkled over and a cup of African coffee “pressed” and a D3 supplement. Or maybe I scramble tofu with mushrooms/onions/peppers. Don’t know until it happens. Also, I typically base “lunch” around a baked potato or sweet potato (or three). Easy convenient fast-and HEALTHY!Matthew thank you for your considered response and questions. I started this way of eating in September 2014 because I was really feeling ill, and I knew that my blood sugar was totally out of wack. I heard about nutritionfacts.org on the Thom Hartman show and came to this site. Once I started watching the videos, I realized that just stopping sugar wasn’t going to solve the problem. I ordered amla on the internet, and started using it and at the same time stopped eating meat, dairy, and eggs. I found it very easy to quit because frankly I was just sore as hell. Within three days of stopping chicken and eggs the fibromyalgia pain started to diminish. I thought I would have a hard time giving up cheese, but it really wasn’t that hard. It’s weird I was a vegetarian from age 16 to 23 but because it was for moral purposes, it never occurred to me that it was a healthier way of eating,I have been polite with my family and I’ve eaten fish a couple of times when everyone comes together. Last week for Father’s day, my husband put some chicken on skewers and I put veggies in thee rest. I didn’t offer to cook the meat, he cooked it.I do cook a bit more because I keep a bowl of beans, or some type of salad with sprouted beans in the fridge for the week. I also keep canned beans in the cupboard for quick meals. I make a lot of Indian dishes and have enjoyed learning that cuisine. I try to keep it simple and I am slowly eliminating oil from my diet.I wish more people knew that this way of eating and living is possible. A few weeks ago a person from an Oklahoma tribe came to one of our computer classes and even though she works for the diabetes program for her tribe, she had never heard of a WFPB diet. She had lost 50 pounds through calorie restriction and exercise, but she has another 90 pounds to go. Once she told me she could never give up meat, I kept my mouth shut. That’s when I began looking into getting the certificate through eCornell. I just feel that mouthing off about what I have learned is not enough and that having some credentials would help me vocalize what a whole food plant based diet is and how to change to living on it.Thank you very much for your encouragement. I found I feel better as a vegetarian. I, who knew, have a milk allergy (really dark circles under the eyes). So I am making a long term plan to be a vegan. Did you know this diet can add six or seven years to your life? I am actually feeling kind of impatient for Dr. Greger’s year in review nutrition video and his book on life extension. I am so happy you found a cure and treatment for your fibromyalgia. I really enjoy the support. I hope you feel very proud to be here among so many like minded peoples. Vegetarianism is rare amongst the population. I like being in a community that recommends vegetarianism as a cure for many of the Western illnesses. I am not surprised nutritionfacts supporters know you are right, I am surprised that you produce so much content knowing that adkins seems to get so much more air time. Thank you for sharing, it projects a healthier life for all. Why is there so much diabetes among Native Americans? I think it might be malpractice… Good luck in your decision to spread the whole foods plant based diet, it sounds like it is really all about main stream medicine.Wells it’s not just 1 study there are hundreds if not 1000’s of studies at this point in time.The science is.clear here.My Cardiologist is 130lb soaking wet has been eating this way for 15.years. He sees more clogged arteries from omnivore diets rich in.carbohydrates than you can shake a.stick at…I get great nutrition by the way. You’re assuming I dont, but do. I eat spinach, kale, turnip greens, broccoli, cabage, green leaf salads all in a high saturated fat oil..I have better energy than I’ve had in 15.years…too…McDougall is a nutjob recommending.sugar and rice to cure diabetes….The verdict is in starchy carbs cause insulin resistance problems. Ketogenic at least for me and many others is a blessing… my after dinner glucose was.102. Before it would have been.200 and 30 units of insulin to.get me back to.under 120.and.another injection after 2.hours to.correct for.continued rising.sugars…I love my food.green veggies but I like cooked in.bacon fat or olive oil….I’ve tried.every dieT in the book this is the only one that works for me…You are reading “research” that is sponsored by those who want the results to speak in their favor! Please get the facts straight for your own health. Ketosis is the body’s emergency response to starvation, not a long term solution for health! Like I said, having a cocaine habit will make you lose weight and improve your numbers short term also! Dr Greger wrote a book on it! All these supposed studies skew the science (that I and many other’s have proven!) that a high carb LOW fat WFPB diet is the solution to health, . High fat high carb WILL cause issues, it is the ratio that makes all the difference. All these bogus studies use what they call “lowfat” diets for comparison, but if you read the details, they are usually around 30% fat or above, hardly low fat! Believe what you want, it’s your funeral, but FACTS and paid brainwashing have no relation. Your doctor is in the dark ages. Sorry. Why are you coming here to dispute what we have all already PROVEN to ourselves anyway? People here are well educated and are just going to chuckle at the notion that high fat and meat are beneficial in any way!Starchy carbs cause insulin resistance problems? That’s why in cultures where people ate primarily starchy carbs, Type 2 Diabetes was rampant then? Sure junk carbs and junk foods are bad but there’s no evidence that where people ate mostly starchy carbs in minimally processed form – potatoes, maize, rice, sweet potatoes etc – there was excess T2D. In fact, it was rare if not unknown.However, It is accepted that standard mainstream “diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol are less effective in the obese and the most effective way for obese people to normalize their blood lipids is to lose weight”. (although most whole food plant based diets diet would be considered I think a very low fat diet by mainstream standards, rather than just low fat.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16256004 However, for people who are willing to follow a diet strictly, even those who do have damaged metabolic/lipid systems, ketogenic diets are an inferior solution: “Calorie for calorie, reducing dietary fat results in more body fat loss than reducing dietary carbohydrate when men and women with obesity have their food intake strictly controlled,” said lead study author Kevin D. Hall, PhD, of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, in a press release. “Ours is the first study to investigate whether the same degree of calorie reduction, either through restricting only fat or restricting only carbohydrate, leads to differing amounts of body fat loss in men and women with obesity.” http://www.dailyrx.com/weight-loss-efforts-might-be-more-successful-reduced-fat-calories-reduced-carbohydrates? https://endo.confex.com/endo/2015endo/webprogram/Paper20716.htmlThe other concern about diets such as yours is the excess mortality with which they are associated. http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e4026 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989112/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23372809 http://jaha.ahajournals.org/content/3/5/e001169.fullI am not aware of any very long-term studies of human beings adopting the specifically high fat, low carb diet apparently recommended by many ketogenic diet gurus. Do you have any info? However, I see that a Brazilian team published a study in 2013 using a mice model for the diet which provides some clues as to the likely outcome for those people adopting such a diet. Its results make disturbing reading for anybody contemplating eating this way: “C57BL/6J mice were fed with a HF diet (60% kcal/fat) or control diets (15% kcal/fat) for 27 months. One-half of the mice on the HF diet developed obesity (diet-induced obese (DIO) mice), whereas the remaining mice were diet resistant (DR). At 8 months of age, both DIO and DR groups had increased hyperglycemic response during a glucose tolerance test, which was normalized in 16-month-old mice. At this latter time point, all groups presented similar performance in cognitive tests (Morris water maze and inhibitory avoidance). The survival curves of the HF and control diet groups started to diverge at 15 months of age and, after 27 months, the survival rate of mice in the DIO and DR groups was 40%, whereas in the control diet group it was 75%.” Source: High saturated fat and low carbohydrate diet decreases lifespan independent of body weight in mice Longev Healthspan. 2013; 2: 10. Published online Jun 3, 2013. doi: 10.1186/2046-2395-2-10Speaking of clogged arteries, I’m reminded of this kind of thing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4338379/Here’s an example of a journal article title I’ve never seen: “Low-Carbohydrate, High-Saturated-Fat Diet Reversed Angina without Medications or Procedures”And then there’s same group reporting this. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23680948Dietary Fat does not cause cardiovascular disease.The science is clear. You may lose weight on a ketogenic diet, but it is not a good diet for long term survival. It has many drawbacks. One of which is sudden cardiac death.It seems that you work with medical professionals that come in real extremes; from a 400 pound dietitian who eats something very fattening (Krispy Kreme?) to a 130 pound cardiologist who lives on a ketogenic diet. What is your skinny cardiologist’s name? I would be interested in knowing who he/she is.As for Dr. McDougall, what you are saying about him is a lie. It is not true that Dr. McDougall is recommending sugar and rice to cure diabetes. He has a very good program and more importantly Dr. McDougall recommends a Whole Food Plant Based diet. The other doctors who recommend this diet quite numerous.*Can you name a few of the thousands of studies showing that a ketogenic diet is healthy and superior? Since it’s long term use is not even recommended by the few doctors that say it can work for losing weight you may find it difficult to come up with such studies, beyond the one that you’ve identified here. Wasn’t the nutritional egg council (what an oxymoron!) one of the sponsors of the study you cited?I am glad you are eating your veggies, but fruit is good too. So are whole grains, nuts, and legumes.Try a whole food plant based diet. It works, and it is sustainable. You can eat all you want as long as it is not processed garbage. This site is a great resource as is ForksoverKives.com and PCRM.org.*A good place to find the list of professionals who recommend the WFPB diet can be found in the contributor area of forksoverknives.comTake care and my best to you!Really, tell that to my glucose readings after a higher fat meal! How is it then that cutting fat to below 10% got rid of my diabetes, 150 lbs and other health issues without reducing healthy carbs?Sure I’ll tell you.You greatly reduced caloric intake to lose 150lb.There are many ways to lose weight & lower gluclose. 1. Fasting ( very hard for most) 2. Intermittent fasting ( still hard & takes regular discipline) 3. Caloric restriction ( still hard, but easier than fasting) 4. Eating foods lower in caloric density but high in nutrition ( easier because you do eat, but not highly satisfying for most people. If it were we would all be vegetarians. ) 5. Carbohydrate restriction with higher amounts of protein and fats ( very easy and greatly satisfying, still get plenty of nutrients in green leafy veggies smothered in fatty dressings.)Sugar and or carbohydrates are always going to raise blood sugars and your pancreas is always going to secrete insulin to lower glucose. If you’re already insulin resistant, you always have too much insulin always flowing in your body. That excess insulin causes a person to store anything they put in their mouths as fat on their bodies.If you restrict calories you also restrict sugars but not necessarily to a large extent. You also lower the insulin response and thus you can indeed lose weight improve sugars via vegetarian and other calorie lowering methods over long periods of time provided you don’t mind spending lots of time getting there. yes it works too… but most people won’t stick to it, and will unfortunately eat too many breads and grains which are self defeating to diabetics.High fat does not spike sugar levels or insulin. Test it yourself. Check your sugar level right now. Eat 1tbl.of butter, olive oil whatever. You sugar level will not rise from the oils Or fat. Eat a slice of turkey or fish you will see your sugars still don’t rise. Eat a piece of bread and watch your sugars hit the roof. Eat beans it hits the roof, eat a potato it hits the roof.I’ve been injecting insulin 5 to 6 times a day for two years. I have over 3000 meter reading and food logs to show this relationship is not a fabrication. Carbohydrates raise blood sugar.Using insulin eating carbs alwas created a bad high sugar issue for me.Dietary fat actually lowers blood sugar levels in the body. I’m eating 70% fat 25% protein & 5%carbs (green leafy) & my blood sugars are fantastic. My diabetes is reversing, I’ve not needed any insulin in 6 weeks now… I’m losing weight too… I certainly don’t need to lose 150lbs, but I do need to lose 50.if you’re really fat you don’t need to actually ear anything at all. Your body will sustain you quite well when it has 200lb of excess fat on it. The longest recorded fast was by a man that was over 500 lb and tracked in a clinical environment. He went 383 days without any food and lost over 276lb in that period. All clincal test showed him only getting healthier each day he fasted. His body fat was full of nutritious energy to sustain him. Thst man 5 years later remains under 190lbs…So there are many ways to lose weight and control blood sugar. The fastest is to indeed fast.But saturated fats were demonized 50 years ago in a fraudulent study that promoted fat free foods and that direction only made us fatter and sicker. Without fats we would die quickly… https://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/Ah, I guess this is the Ancel Keys calumny yet again.Mixhael: This is what is in (toward the end) your second citation:This work was supported by the Dairy Research Institute, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Associationand the Egg Nutrition Center.As a community, we are not experienced in dealing with addiction and, let there be no doubt on this point, we are talking here about a serious addiction. T2D is the result of an addiction to (saturated) fat, salt and sugar. Moderation seldom works with addicts. Sadly, neither do lectures.I’d like to hear Dr Dom D’ Agustino respond to this research. He is at the forefront of the research and works in Tampa. Doing a study for the military divers and ketosis. I’m sure saturated fat is high in his personal diet too!This discussion began as an explanation about the harmful effects of certain fats. It has evolved to include a general discussion about carbs. Just as there are different fats that have varying degrees of effect on the pancreas and insulin, so there is a huge difference in the effects of various carbohydrates. The body requires a given caloric intake for maintenance combined with calories needed to support exertion. Those calories can come from sources rich in other nutrients or in refined forms from which other nutrients have been removed. They can also be divided into three types: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. A proper balance of the three is important, but so is the question of whether they are isolates or included in the natural foods as they were grown. Someone mentioned pasta. As generally consumed it consists of a mix of isolated starches and proteins. Whole grain pasta will also include the elements in the grain germ and the exterior tinted layers.If our caloric intake is primarily refined substances then other nutrients will have to be supplied by pharmaceutics, an expensive and inefficient delivery system. For years I have chosen to use Ezekiel 4:9 bread because it contains only a variety of sprouted whole grains, with no flour included. It has both a low glycemic index and load. Other dietary choices can be made to guarantee your micro-nutrients will come from natural and non-controlling sources.Great points. Love sprouted breads! Pumpernickel and sourdough may be better for diabetics due to their lower glycemic index. Corn and whole wheat tortillas perhaps even better. Pasta, interestingly, has a low glycemic index. Here is a great list of foods with their glycemic index scores, if interested. Thanks for your comments.Was the saturated fat tested animal fat? I ask because coconut oil contains saturated fat and these fate appear to work differently in the body than animal saturated fat.How much of the plant version of saturated fat do you eat per day? (percentage of total calories is your fat intake, and saturated fat intake?) And do you mix these saturated fats with fruit or carbs at the same meal? Thank you.The last time I calculated my fat intake it was 10% of my diet. Most of the saturated fat i used to consume was in the form of coconut oil and I use to drink 2 tablespoons a day without any adverse effects. I have very low and healthy LDL and triglycerides levels (I eat a whole food plant-based diet). I try not to mis fat and fruits together though sometimes there is overlap. I find not mixing fats and most fruits together keeps me from having any digestive or gas issues. i do mix fat with apples though without any issues.Please see my comment below, as I address the difference between saturated fat from coconut oil and animal saturated fats.I can’t locate your comment. Could you copy & paste it in reply to my comment?Weird it works for me when I click the link. Forgive the delay. Here is what the comment said.Dr. Greger points out the differences in this video. From the transcript “Unlike saturated animal fats, coconut oil doesn’t cause that spike inflammation immediately after consumption of animal foods, which makes sense because as you’ll remember it may be the dead bacterial endotoxins in animal products ferried into the body by saturated fat that are to blame.” Make sure to check out the Doctor’s Note under the video and the video on “Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia”Yeah I understand the differences and wanted to bring up a conversation about the differences. I know animal saturated fat is the issue, but when the distinction isn’t made between animal saturated fat and plant saturated fat, all saturated fat gets labeled as bed. The same thing happened with the high fructose corn syrup. Fructose in general became labeled as bad and many people stopped consuming fruits. We have to become more specific when using these similar terms.Thanks for your response.I listened to this video with great interest and it reminded me of something I’ve been grappling with lately: how much fat should I be consuming? I’ve had a tough time finding specific recommendations. I understand that the message of the video is that animal fats are the danger, but I’m struggling with determining how much plant based fat I should be consuming. I’ve always believed that healthy fats are an important part of the diet. I’m female, currently on a calorie reduced diet (I’m in the normal weight range for my height but I’d like to lose about ten pounds). I recently started logging macros and I was very surprised to learn that my average fat intake is around 30-35% (or 40-50 grams, on a 1200 calorie budget). That seems like a lot but, if it is, what should it be? I’m having a really hard time finding that answer. I’ve been vegan for about 8 years and was vegetarian for about 8 years before that. I’d describe my diet as predominantly whole foods and 100% plant based. Typical examples of where I’m getting the fat in my diet are: chia seeds, hemp hearts, nuts, nut butters, coffee creamer, tofu, the odd square of chocolate and the occasional serving of coconut milk yogurt, as well as a daily DHA+EPA supplement and whatever trace amounts of fat to be found in other foods. I never load up on any of these foods but it adds up quickly. As a point of interest, whenever I have my fasting blood glucose measured, it is always on the low side (4.2mmol, last time), or at least that’s how my physician interprets it. Beyond that, she’s never concerned. I’m not sure if that’s significant or not. Any guidance regarding the amount of fat I should be aiming for would be greatly appreciated, or if anyone knows of an appropriate reference. Thank you—I’m very grateful for this amazing resource.Well, 10% is sometimes given, e.g. by T. Colin Campbell in his book “Whole.” This paper by John McDougall et al. mentions 10% or lower. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4209065/Thanks for your response and for the reference. I’ll admit that 10% seems very low. With my current calorie budget (the limit of which makes this more challenging). I’d nearly hit 10% after one serving of tofu :) I’ll give the article a read.FAT does not cause cardiovascular disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23680948Yet your liver creates a fatty acid that does in the presence of excess carbohydrate. https://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/As you have been told by several people, the diet you have chosen, one that causes ketosis, is dangerous and you should reconsider your dietary choices. If you do not, that is your choice. I would emphasize that you should watch the videos on this site and read Dr. Greger’s book to better inform yourself.You are confusing people by coming to this site and providing answers that are wrong. Please inform yourself and be respectful. This is a site provided by a doctor for people looking for scientific answers. Do not presume that you are in a position to correct Dr. Greger’s work.Please watch these videos before you answer questions that people are asking on this subject.Here is a video on how fat feeds heart disease. Low Carb diets found to feed heart disease: http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/19/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/Here are three videos that Dr. Greger has done on the subject of Diabetes and Fat: Lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/ The-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/ Lipotoxicity how saturated fat raises blood sugar: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/Thanks for your efforts, but please watch before you start telling people you know better than a specialist (many specialists) on this subject.As I have stated and repeatedly shown there is no SCIENTIFIC data that proves a ketogenic diet harms the body. This is vegan hysteria…I will watch the videos and I’ve even seen other videos that make a claim low fat diets cure CVD. You do know that your diets has its skeptics in science too right? You do know that plant based diets rich in starchy carbohydrates aren’t necessarily healthy too… Right?Oh so your members are only interested in wfpb indoctrination information. You wish to be blind to what true science is discovering related to the benefits of high fat; moderation of protein & restriction of excess carbohydrate… I get it– you want to invade high fat sites and try to scare people to death with claims of heart disease and cancer etc…Well you can’t scare me off with insult, or fear. I’m simply sharing what is working for me and I’m saying I tried a plant based approach with. Limited success and it was extremely hard to sustain. I never got off insulin injections either because your whole food approach allowed grains and starches which 100% of the time spiked sugar levels and kept insulin flowing ever consistently.Ketosis is not, I REPEAT NOT DANGEROUS AT ALL. IT’S NOT KETOACIDOUS WHICH IS DANGEROUS AND THIS PROVES HOW LITTLE YOU REALLY KNOW OUTSIDE YOUR INDOCTRINATION URL LINKS.You should watch a video on how Sugar causes inflammatory disease and nobody in science is arguing over that. Cancer loves two thing especially ; a blood supply & SUGAR.I DON’T need halfwit advise from a Condecening vegan snob. I’ll share what I want just as you do whereever you roam. Don’t bother telling me you are respectful not to share your opinions on Atkins sites as it’s clear you take activism seriously with your halfwit attempt to scold me here. I’m well aware of vegan claims, I’m well aware of low carbohydrate claims and I’m an expert on my diabetes and the benefits of my approach for my body than you or any medical doctor can provide.You just don’t like the fact science has finally woken up and realized FAT is not the villan. Excess sugar and carbohydrates are…I don’t owe you my cardiologists name. It’s clear this curiosity is more to help you try to defame and slander him in public forums. He has been low carb for over 10 years and is about 60 years old. He install stints all say long in people that eat to much carbohydrates & sugars. He has been doing this work likely longer than you are old. He doesn’t see high fat diet people, they don’t get CVD if they are restricting carbohydrates… study after study backs him up. An omnivore diets isn’t necessarily high fat, it’s high fat, high protein & normally high carbohydrate all in one. If ominivores dropped carbs to 5% of their diet they would be much healthier…It is hard to say exactly how much fat someone needs. The Institute of Medicine recommends anywhere from 20-35% of total calories from fat. I think the low end is preferred for most folks. ​Here is a great video by Dr. Greger that explains the research between nut intake and body weight. Make sure to checkout the bottom of the video’s “Doctors Note” to see more links and info. Lastly, a follow-up to that video is solving the mystery of the missing calories, which may also help.​ Lastly, here is Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations, which mention DHA and EPA.Thank you so much for your reply and for all the references. My gut was telling me to aim for 20-25%. The challenge is stemming largely from the 1200 calorie budget, within which, a few grams of fat here and there add up quickly. If I consumed the exact same foods on a 1800 calorie budget, those same grams suddenly represent a smaller percentage of the whole. Really I was just very surprised to discover that my average fat intake represented such a large percentage. If you’d have asked me to guess what it was before I measured it, I’d have said under 20%. Let me clarify that I don’t aim to specifically ADD fat to my diet (other than the DHA+EPA supplement (which I will read about as per your advice), it just happens to be part of the meals I’ve chosen. I just like a little chia or hemp hearts in my oatmeal and a sprinkling of almonds on my cereal—and it adds up fast. As long as I’m on 1200 calories, I’ll have to cut those additions out in order to get closer to 20%. Thanks again for your response. I’m off to read :)You are certainly right that the fat adds up fast! It’s fine to be on the low end, and many studies I have helped conduct used an even lower fat percentage (maybe even 10-20%). For weight loss, a lower fat diet significantly helped our study participants drop body weight and improve cholesterol and blood sugar markers. Let me know if you want even more reading ;-)I would be cautious of super low-calorie diets. A few videos that touch on calorie restriction and can be found here and here.Thank you so much for all the information and references. I’m blown away by the generosity of spirit here. I watched each video that you suggested and then went down the rabbit hole and watched about 100 other related videos :) Fascinating and infinitely helpful. I will gladly refer to any additional material you think might also be helpful, thank you.Well that certainly made my day :-) Thanks for letting me know they helped! Not many people I respond to give much follow-up (which is totally fine), but I never really know if my responses help. Here are a few studies I helped conduct on folks trying to lose weight, drop cholesterol points, or lower blood sugar. A multicenter randomized controlled trial of a plant-based nutrition program to reduce body weight and cardiovascular risk in the corporate setting: the GEICO study. From Dr. Barnard’s research, study participants received either a low-fat vegan diet or a typical diet for diabetes and found significant changes in weight loss and insulin levels. Dr. Greger presents the study in this video. I only mention these studies because portion control or calorie restriction was never monitored in the study. Meaning we allowed every participant to eat as much food as they wanted so long as they followed the study’s diet guidelines. I have another study on migraines and a review on cancer if you get bored. Just let me know! Keep watching the videos. Lastly, if you haven’t yet, sign-up to receive daily blogs and videos!Thanks so much! JosephIf you eat WFPB you don’t need to “eat enough fat”. You get the right proportions of nutrients. If you want more omega3 grind flaxseed into meals where compatible.Hi Jeewanu, thanks for replying. I just wanted to clarify that I didn’t set out to deliberately add fat to my diet. My dilemma is that, based on my natural whole foods choices, fat seems to represent too high of a ratio (even though I was largely making what I’d consider healthy choices, i.e. seeds, nuts in small amounts). Though I seem to be in the upper range of what is conventionally considered normal for fat intake, the general consensus here points to me needing to consciously aim to cut back. Thanks again for your input.There’s an old (1998) article on very low fat diets which I think is still broadly representative of current knowledge http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/98/9/935.fullMore recently, the 2003 WHO/FAO expert consultation recommended a minimum of 15% fat http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/trs916/download/en/However, the traditional Okinawan diet – famous for producing long life and good health – has been reported as including only 6% total fat (by calories). http://www.okicent.org/docs/anyas_cr_diet_2007_1114_434s.pdfI would personally suggest that you reconsider your use of coffee creamers – many if not most of them contain hydrogenated fats. And you may want to consider making sure that all your coffee is made using paper filters. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/Thanks so much for taking the time to reply, Tom, and for all the references. I will check them out. It’s funny you mention the coffee creamer: I usually have one coffee in the morning and sometimes have an additional one later in the day. At about 4.5 grams of fat (for the amount I would use), with 1 of those grams being saturated, the second coffee (with the creamer) would be first on my list to cut back on—if for no other reason than I’d rather have some nuts. Alternatively, I sometimes make (or purchase) cappuccino, which uses either foamed up soy milk or almond milk—perhaps that’s a better way to go (I’m using more of the milk than I would creamer, but it probably still works out to less bad fat). I do use unbleached paper filters when I make drip coffee. Thanks again—all input is much appreciated.What about alloxan http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11829314I don’t know never heard of itNeither have I, but research shows alloxan, formed when whole wheat is bleached, kills beta cells in the pancreas.Wow I’ve never heard of such a thing, but surely the ‘experts’ at nutritionfacts.org will advise you about this!Yeah i thought that too, still waiting for a reply.So you’re saying white bread causes diabetes?“THE” cause or “A” cause? Sugar???It’s a combination of factors, including insulin resistance. Is sugar “A” cause? Probably, but it’s also known that a diet high in saturated fats causes insulin resistance. Sure you can help bring it on with many crappy things, particularly since those food items have the double whammy of being made of sugar, fat, and highly processed food items. (Yum!) The point would be moot if you were eating a Whole Food Plant Based diet, wouldn’t it?So, you’re involved in integrative medicine, but I don’t see that you’ve been here much. Have you looked at the other medical professionals recommending diet and lifestyle medicine? It seems such a perfect fit for what you do. There are a lot of people and consultants at forksoverknives.com. Are you working with them?Fat, the cause. Disrupted sugar metabolism the result. This is why “treating” diabetes by adjusting the blood sugar aspect can now be seen as band-aid approach. It may keep one alive longer, but in no way is curative of the problem.Dr. Greger, once again the same question, sorry, but I am not getting the answers. You say saturated fats but then the graphs show palmitate (ester of the palmitic acid, 16:0). What about lauric (12:0) and myristic (14:0)? These are the three considered to be atherogenic (according to the 2010 FAO/OMS expert panel report). Are all the three also involved in the aetiology of diabetes or it is just palmitic?I think his point is (and overall theme) that satfat from animal products is bad, satfat in whole plant food is not bad. That reductionism may lead to understanding but is not a good way to get proper foods/nutrition into our bodies, and that nothing naturally happens in isolation-that we must learn to understand nutritional concepts/processes/results in WHOLE terms not reduced to single, unnatural variables. If that thinking is right, then maybe the doctor sees no value in determining which particular saturated fatty acid is “the monster”.That would not make much sense. Once digested, a fatty acid is a fatty acid, does not matter which is the source. The richest source of palmitic acid is palm oil. The richest sources of saturated fats are palm kernel and coconut oil, which are where are especially rich in lauric acid. The latter is even worse than palmitic acid in terms of raising blood cholesterol levels. I understand that the connexion between SFA and diabetes is a relatively recent discover: it is of paramount importance to know whether the same conclusions valid for the relation with cardiovascular diseases hold also for diabetes. The reason is that animal right activists prone the use vegetable fats instead of animal fats also on the basis of health arguments, but their replacement is often rich in tropical oils (palm, palm kernel, coconut), which is a perfect contradiction with respect to the “better for the animals, better for your health” message they want to share.I don’t think that he’s not a great fan of coconut oil because it is a saturated fat.Here is an article on the subject: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/Here is a video on the subject: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/Hope this helps!Thanks, I had missed the second video, which confirms what I have saying for years on the basis of the literature I could collect so far (and yes, the effect on cholesterol does come from lauric acid; you read it here: http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/nutrientrequirements/fatsandfattyacids_humannutrition/en/). I am a long term vegan now living in one of the most vegan unfriendly country in the world, France, where the information is completely in the hands of the agribusiness. The few people oriented plant based are essentially motivated by animal right arguments but they face criticism by the medical institutions, according to which you cannot even survive without meat and diaries (yes yes, France is still in the Middle Age of nutrition). These activists try desperately to give some counter-argument but in most cases they have no scientific background and go ahead with arguments often contradictory, like “replace butter with coconut oil”. When I try to alert them they are doing a bad service, they simply do not understand.Have you seen the videos that show why fats (name one) from animal sources are so bad? It has more to do with all the other stuff that comes along for the ride. Please begin to consider food as a PACKAGE DEAL. We can’t conveniently (yet) carve out the “good” or acceptable nutrients from animal sources without bringing along the _bad and inflammatory and contaminated_.Reductionism just doesn’t work so well when one must ALWAYS consider the bigger picture.I never said animal fats could be good. I say that vegetable fats are not necessarily good, as animal right activists believe. Tropical oils are a perfect counter-example.It is interesting that some scientists ascribe the significant differences in mortality rates between Hong Kong and Singapore to the heavy use of tropical oils in the latter. The full article is behind a paywall but it concludes: “There are striking differences in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality between Hong Kong and Singapore. These differences can be most reasonably and plausibly explained by their differences in dietary habits, for example, a higher consumption of coconut and palm oil, mainly containing saturated fat, in Singapore.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11855581Thanks Tom, I do have access to the full article. Most interesting.As a WFPB eater, I take my fats where nature puts them-99.7% of the time.Lauric acid provokes inflammation via TLR4 (Toll-like-receptor) signalling; lipid-induced insulin resistance is mediated in part by TLR4 based inflammation. So I would imagine that coconut oil is detrimental for diabetes as it is for other cardiometabolic outcomes. I’d provide you the references but I can’t figure out how to insert hyperlinks into this webpage.Thanks, that’s most useful. Our University does not have access to the journal where the review has been published, I have just mailed the author asking for a reprint, I hope he will send it. There is so much disinformation “out there” about lauric acid, used to promote coconut oil as miracle remedy; we need solid scientific arguments to fight all that business.Hey Massimo. Not a problem whatsoever these are great questions. I see some good responses, too. When I watch the video it seems SFAs are lumped together in most all of the studies reported on, so I’d expect them all to boost diabetes risk. The study you may want to explore is here, as you are right it says palmitate in the graph. Dr. Greger lists every study under “sources cited” and that is a great way to pull the research and find out exactly what was tested. This paper is free. Let me know if you ever cannot find a study and I’ll try to pull it for you. Thanks for your note and contributions to the website!Thanks Joseph, I got the article. One doubt that one may have is about the endogenous production of palmitate. Let me explain. A diet rich in palmitic acid (but also lauric and myristic) is detrimental, no doubt about that. However, an excessive amount of carbohydrates may not be the panacea, because our body stocks only limited amounts of carbs as such (glycogen), the rest is converted to fats, and in particular… palmitate! Sure, a calorie-balanced diet provides the right amount and not much fat is produced as the result of the conversion of carbs. Yet, when I read recommendations of extra-low fat diets (Esselstyn school) I am naturally led to think about this carbs-to-palmitate conversion, which finally results in an increase in the endogenous production of SFA. I believe that a moderate consumption of high quality fats, richer in n-3 or plant origin, could represent a more balanced choice. The 5% limit which seems the upper boundary of Esselstyn school would eliminate most pulses and nuts and I cannot buy that,I agree that nuts and pulses are healthful, especially for diabetics. I am not sure about “carbs turning into palmitate” do you have any studies about this?Well, I think that a biochemistry textbook would be enough. The transformation of excess carbs to palimitic acid is mentioned also in wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmitic_acid) Yes, sure, I do not take all what is on wikipedia for true, but this mechanism is well known – I remember it from my biochemistry basic class (a while ago, sure), although I do not have a biochemistry text at hand right now.I keep seeing both sides of the meat argument sighting what they want see. http://examine.com/blog/high-protein-diets-linked-to-cancer-should-you-be-concerned/ PBWF bodybuilding has a long way to go. Anyone that I have herd of that is closely successful is pounding back the PB protein supplements, not exactly WFs.How about RichRoll.com?Yeah… thanks.. endurance not quite the same as bodybuilding.What about type 1? Is the cause the same but the damage happens before the birth?Zuppkko: I don’t know if we have a definitive answer on this question or not. However, according to Dr. McDougall, there is some good evidence linking (at least in some percentage of cases?) dairy to type 1. If I remember correctly, it seems as though type 1 may be an auto-immune problem where the body attacks it’s pancreas cells in a confused response trying to deal with foreign dairy proteins from non-humans (ie, breast milk from cows not humans – ie, I’m not saying that there is any link between breast milk from a vegan human and type 1 in a baby). I believe that Dr. McDougall has an article about this some place, but I haven’t seen it myself. I know I have heard him reference the topic in a speech. Hope that helps.I can’t find any studies that look at type 2 diabetes and plant saturated fats such as coconut. Avoid? Are they okay? Anybody have a citation for me?Congratulations!You win the prize for the 100th question about the saturated fats in coconut oil.Welcome and please scroll down. Sorry we met on such terms. 8-PDo you Know About FSSAI License – Preferment of food safety, including by practicing to handle food safely, to increase the awareness level of food safety in manufacturer. Qsindia is a leading service provider for FSSAI License & Registration, Food safety License & Product approval.Could somebody more fully explain the mechanism behind this statement? “The uptake of bad cholesterol, LDL, can cause beta cell death as a result of free radical formation.”Are you the Harriet Sugar Miller that has written for the Huffington Post? Howdy! Thank you for your great writing and work. Dr. Greger has several videos on this subject. In February he did a series three videos that answer your question.This first one discusses the mechanism What Causes Insulin Resistance is here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/What-Causes-Insulin-ResistanceThe next on is called The Spillover Effect Links Obesity to Diabetes: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/The third video is Lipotoxicity: How Saturated Fat Raises Blood Sugar: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/I hope this helps. If you haven’t already watched them, Dr. Greger’s Nutrition in Review videos cover this subject as well as the effect of a whole food plant based diet on these conditions. You’ll find them at the bottom of the home page.Stay well!To give advise or to treat your relatives who still believe their traditional doctors is really a big challenge. Perhaps in addition to this wonderful and informative videoshow, get hold of these books entitled- The Insulin Resistance Diet by Cheryle Hart, MD and The Leptin connection by Ron Rosedale, MD. Better still, show it to their doctorsI wouldn’t listen to Rosedale. He’s another trendy low-carb diet promoter hawking a fad diet book like the rest.I wonder if this pertains to all saturated fats, not just those in animal products, such as the sat. fats in cacao powder, or in nuts and seeds, or other plant sources; do these fats also contribute to the start/continuation to diabetes?Good thoughts! Please see my comment below, as I address the difference between saturated fat from coconut oil and animal saturated fats.I am curious as to if this information about saturated fats applies only to animal saturated fats. What about plant based saturated fats such as those in cacao powder, or in nuts, seeds, and other plant sources (like raw plant fats)? Do these saturated fats contribute to the cause/continuation of diabetes as well?Please see my comment below, as I address the difference between saturated fat from coconut oil and animal saturated fats. Here is a great video by Dr. Greger that explains the research between nut intake and body weight. Make sure to checkout the bottom of the video’s “Doctors Note” to see more links and info. Lastly, a follow-up to that video is solving the mystery of the missing calories, which may also help.​ The saturated fat in nuts and seeds does not seem to increase LDL cholesterol.I’m confused. I recently watched a Ted Talk on the subject (“Reversing Type 2 diabetes starts with ignoring the guidelines | Sarah Hallberg | TEDxPurdueU” on YouTube https://youtu.be/da1vvigy5tQ) and the recommendation is to swap out carbs for fats to eliminate diabetes…. Who’s right?>> … swap out carbs for fats to eliminate diabetesHer basic premise is:Eat Carbs -> Glucose rises -> Insulin rises -> Fat storage & hunger (repeat)or if you have diabetes,Eat Carbs -> Glucose rises -> take medication -> eat more carbs -> insulin rises -> Fat storage & hunger (repeat)She says that “diabetes is a state of carbohydrate toxicity.”She does not mention of account for the success of the Kempner Rice Diet which is said to reverse diabetes as soon as one gets on it.She makes no distinction between carbs, as in complex carbs like potatoes, rice and pasta, and processed carbs like candies, cookies, breads.She also says we need ZERO carbs and that insulin resistance is the greatest risk factor for coronary artery disease – responsible for 42% or heart attacks.If you cut out carbs you do not produce insulin … which I think Dr. Gregor proved was wrong here with some graphs about how meat can spike your insulin level just as much as carbs?She also claims she can pull people off their insulin medication in days to weeks.Then she goes on to say “my patients eat fat, and a lot of it.” Fat is the only macronutrient that keeps blood sugar and insulin levels low. (but meanwhile what is going on in the rest of the body?)Her rules: 1) If it says diet, light, low fat, or fat free, do not buy it or eat it. 2) Eat real food. (something I think everyone agrees on) 3) Eat when you’re hungry, do not eat when you are not (again, something that is obvious, but that we are trained not to do) 4) Don’t eat anything you don’t like. 4) No grains, potatoes or sugar.But then she goes on to talk about how she bakes herself, using non-grain based flours – coconut flour, flax, hazelnut, etc. She bakes using non-grain based flours … which somehow she is implying are not carbs? Or is she saying this is LOWER carb than grain-based flours? She also says she eats sautéed mushrooms … but the thing is that you cannot live on sauteed mushrooms, because they do not fill you up … unless perhaps you accompany then with tons of fat. ( what kinds of fat )Then she says that low-carb eating decreases inflammatory issues, which is the same thing every *&#(&#^*# says …. this really makes me mad. What is going on with all these internet doctors saying all this stuff that all contradicts each other, yet is all backed up by randomized scientific studies and trials. This is just more BS.Mainly, I just cannot believe that with our current scientific and experimental capabilities on this planet we cannot figure out what reality is viz-z-viz diet and disease? Most of the scientists and most of the information we have has been generated while we are all alive … it is exponential. So, what the f- is going on here?Rob: re: “Who’s right?” You will have to answer that question for yourself. However, I two thoughts for you that might help.1) To my knowledge, only the diets promoted by Dr. Barnard and others such as Brenda Davis have been shown in clinical, published trials to reverse type 2 diabetes. While proponents like the one you reference in your post claim to have success on an anecdotal level, I am not aware of any studies actually published in peer reviewed journals that support their claims. (Though fair warning: I haven’t looked at that TED talk you referenced. I’m just going by previous research I have done.)2) Part of the apparent contradiction may come in because each group has a different definition for what it means to “eliminate” or “reverse” diabetes. If it is true that type 2 diabetes is caused by saturated fat infiltrating the cells and thus making it impossible for the body to properly regulate insulin, then the high-fat (high-protein) diets proposed by Hallberg and others are simply managing the symptoms of T2 diabetes, not addressing the cause. So, is that really curing diabetes? In my book, no. Especially since we have so much good data showing how those diets cause long term health problems. (See for example videos on this site that talk about the Paleo diet. Or see the great videos on Plant Positive’s site.) So, even if one could argue that managing the disease is the same as eliminating it, I don’t consider anything to be a cure if it just causes me other serious problems (say a heart attack or stroke or …) down the road.Hope that helps.I believe all scientists agree to much saturated fats in blood serum is a bad thing. However, technology has caught up and determined that more important is the quality of fat in blood serum versus the type.LDL for example is often referred to as the bad cholesterol. This has always bothered me because if humans didn’t have LDL cholesterol they would surely die. It’s in other words essential to human life and hormone function.More important in new clinical studies is how much type A versus type B LDL flows within your blood stream. It’s also known as small & large particulate LDL. Small is bad, as it tends to stick to interior arterial wall lesions created via inflammatory blood vessel response. Large LDL is not considered harmful because it does not tend to stick to interior arterial lesions.A diet high in fat almost always creates more Highly preferred & beneficial HDL, and it almost always lowers the bad small particulate LDL, & slightly raises neutral large particulate LDL. A high fat diet therefore appear beneficial by the numbers even though over all cholesterol number may rise. It’s because the diet has created improvements to your benefit in the ratios involved in determine quality cholesterol versus quantity.Recent clinical testing showed that even a doubling of consumed dietary fat has no adverse cardiovascular response in humans. In fact the study proves blood serum improves.However, when sugars or carbohydrates were introduced the study showed a coorelation with a fatty acid created to enable the liver to store excess consumed energy into stored body fat.This fatty acid is created in the liver and only during the process of storing carbohydrates or sugars into fat. A direct coorelation exist with either raising or lowering carbohydrates with respect to the amount of fatty acid the liver created only in response to carbohydrates or sugars.Adding proteins In moderation did not cause the liver to manufacture this same fatty acid, nor did adding fat. Clearly the link to this fatty acid is a causation of over consuming carbohydrates for fuel and clearly in excess consumption.My brother recently told me of his diet that requires a high fat, low carbs. Which he got from a book he found. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the book. I was wondering if you can enlighten me on this type of diet. I am not sold on this and believe it could be harmful, at least on a cardiac level involving cholesterol and saturated fats. I know he uses a good amount of olive oil in everything he cooks and the same with egg consumption. For the eggs, he believes it’s a lie that is spread about how bad they are.Thank you, Joe	alcohol,animal fat,animal products,avocados,cancer,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,dairy,diabetes,exercise,fat,fatty liver disease,insulin,LDL cholesterol,lipotoxicity,lung cancer,meat,monounsaturated fats,nuts,olives,pancreas health,prediabetes,saturated fat,smoking,tobacco	Saturated fat can be toxic to the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, explaining why animal fat consumption can impair insulin secretion, not just insulin sensitivity.	This is an installment in my year-long intermittent video series on the intricacies of the development of diabetes. Here are the first four with a bunch more to come:Separate from the series is what we can actually do about preventing it:And treating it:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avocados/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lipotoxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/monounsaturated-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23509418,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22773666,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1934376,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18481955,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12816776,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18726585,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23075228,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12668986,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19207680,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23178552,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16596361,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23778318,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19855953,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19646010,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24132507,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8338037,
PLAIN-2439	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/	From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food	For those of you unfamiliar with my work, every year I read through every issue of every English-language nutrition journal in the world-so you, don't have to. Every year my talks are brand-new because every year the science is brand-new. I then compile all the most interesting, the most groundbreaking, the most practical findings to create new videos and articles every day, for my nonprofit site, NutritionFacts.org. Everything on the website is free. There's no ads, no corporate sponsorship, It's strictly noncommercial; I'm not selling anything. I just put it up as a public service. It exists because thousands of people donate to support the 501c3 nonprofit charity that keeps it alive. And thanks to your support, in less than 3 years NutritionFacts.org has ramped up to a total of... 25 million pageviews, now with more than a million new hits a month. People are hungry, for evidence-based nutrition. In my 2012 year-in-review, I explored the role a healthy diet may play in preventing, arresting, and reversing our deadliest diseases. In 2013 I covered our most common conditions. This year I thought I'd address some of our leading causes of, disability. We want to live a long life, not a long miserable one. Heart disease, is not only our leading cause of death, but also our leading cause of death, and disability. Dr. Dean Ornish, showed that on his plant-based diet and lifestyle program, cardiac patients, had a 91% reduction in angina attacks (that's the crushing chest pain people with advanced heart disease can get). In contrast, control group patients who were instead told to listen to the advice of their doctors, had a 186% increase, in attacks. This marked reduction in chest pain was sustained 5 years later, a long-term reduction in angina comparable to that of bypass surgery, but without the knife, or the saw, used to cut our chest in half. Forks over knives; soup over saws But this was back in the 90s when Ornish was only studying a few dozen patients at a time. How about a thousand patients on a whole foods plant-based diet. Within 3 months, nearly three quarters of angina patients became angina free. 74% cured without a single scalpel or side-effect. Now Ornish didn't just put people on a plant-based diet. He also advised moderate exercise like walking. So how do we know what role the diet played? Well if you go back to Ornish's first publication, he put cardiac patients on a quasi-vegan diet, with no added exercise-just diet and stress management-and got a 91% reduction in angina attacks in less than a month. And Dr. Esselstyn was able to improve angina using a plant-based diet as the only lifestyle intervention, so we know the diet is the active ingredient. But they weren't the first. There are published case series going back to the 1970s. We've known about this for decades. Angina and the Vegan Diet. like Mr. F.W. here. Chest pain so severe he had to stop every 9 or 10 steps. Started on a vegan diet-and not even a low fat vegan diet-and months later, climbed mountains, no pain.This may be, because vegetarian arteries, dilate four times better, than the arteries of omnivores. Put people on a plant-based diet for a year and their clogged arteries can literally get cleaned out... 20% less atherosclerotic plaque in their arteries at the end of the year than at the beginning. Put people on a low carb diet, though, and their condition worsens. 40 to 50% more artery clogging at the end of the year. Here are some representative heart scans. The yellow and particularly red represent blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle. This patient went on a plant-based diet and their arteries opened right up increasing the blood flow. This person, however, started out with good flow, but after a year on a low carb diet, their blood flow significantly clogged down.This is not just measuring risk factors, but actual blood flow to people's hearts on plant-based versus low carb diets. No wonder a recent meta-analysis found that low-carb diets were associated with a significantly higher risk of death-all-cause mortality in the long run, meaning those on low carb diets live, on average, significantly shorter lives. There is a new category of anti-angina drugs, but before committing billions of dollars of public and private monies to dishing them out, maybe we should take a more serious look at dietary strategies. To date, these strategies have been marginalized by the ‘drug pusher' mentality of orthodox medical practice; presumably, doctors feel that most patients will be unwilling or unable to make the substantial dietary changes required. While this may be true for many patients, it certainly is not true for all. And, in any case, angina patients deserve to be offered the plant-based diet alternative before being shunted to expensive surgery or to drug therapies that can have a range of side effects and never really get to the root of the problem. In response to this paper, a drug company executive wrote a letter to the medical journal: Although diet and lifestyle modifications should be a part of disease management, he said, many patients may not be able to comply with the substantial dietary changes required to achieve a vegan diet (so of course everyone should go on their fancy new drug), called ranolazine. Costs over $2000 a year to take it but the side effects aren't, horrible, and the drug works. Collectively, the studies show that at the highest dose, ranolazine, sold as Ranexa, may prolong exercise duration as long as 33 and half seconds. It does not look like those choosing the drug route, will be climbing mountains anytime soon. Plant-based diets aren't just safer and cheaper; they worked, better. I've talked about COPD as a leading killer, what about, low back pain, like sciatica.Low back pain, became one of the biggest problems for public health systems, in the western world, during the second half, of the 20th century. Chronic low back pain now affects about 1 in 5, disabling over 30 million Americans-it's an epidemic. Are people just lifting more heavy stuff? no. Mechanical factors, such as lifting and carrying, probably do not have a major role in this disease. Well then what causes it? I've touched on it before, Atherosclerosis can obstruct the arteries that feed the spine and it's this diminished blood flow that can cause back problems. This can be seen on angiography, showing normal spinal arteries on the left and clogged on the right, or on autopsy, where you can see how the openings to the spinal arteries can get squeezed shut by these cholesterol filled plaques on the right. Autopsy, because back pain may predict fatal heart disease, just like clogs in the penile arteries-erectile dysfunction, can precede heart attacks, because it's the same disease-inflamed clogged crippled arteries throughout our body. Now we have MRI imaging, that can show the occlusion of spinal arteries in people with back pain, and the degeneration of the disks-all linked to high cholesterol. Those with narrowed arteries appear about 8 and a half times more likely to suffer from chronic low back pain. This makes sense. The disks in our lower back are the largest avascular tissue in the body, meaning our disks don't have any blood vessels. Thus, their nutrition just kinds of diffuses in from the margins, making them especially vulnerable to deprivation. Using MRIs you can measure the effects of impaired blood flow on that diffusion, and see how this can turn into that. By age 49, 97%, of the disks of those eating the standard American diet show at least grade 2 degradation. Starting, in our teens, our disks are already starting to degenerate... starting, around age 11... As I've talked about, nearly all kids have the beginnings of atherosclerosis by age 10 in this country.And sadly, low back pain is now common in children and adolescents, And it's getting worse. Just like kids now getting adult-onset diabetes, teenagers starting their lives out with a chronic disease. That's why it's never too early to start eating healthier to clean out the arteries in our heart, our spine, and throughout our bodies. To get you back into circulation, you need to get circulation, to your back. Skipping down a few in the interest of time, having a stroke can be severely disabling. Thankfully, high dietary fiber intake, which is to say whole plant foods, may help prevent strokes as well. The belief that dietary fiber intake is protectively associated to some chronic disease was postulated 40 years ago and then enormously fuelled and kept alive by a great body of science since. Today it is therefore generally believed that eating lots of fiber, meaning eating a lot of unprocessed plant foods, helps prevent obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases such as stroke. Strokes are the second most common cause of death worldwide. and a leading cause of disability and so preventing strokes in the first place-what's called primary prevention should, therefore, be a key public health priority. Based on all the best studies to date, different strokes for different folks, depending, evidently, on how much fiber they eat. Notably, increasing fiber just 7 grams a day was associated with a 7% reduction in stroke risk. And 7 grams is easy, like a small serving of whole grain pasta with tomato sauce, and an apple. But if you really don't want a stroke, we should try to get 25 grams a day of soluble fiber , which is found in beans, oats, nuts, and berries, and 47 grams a day of insoluble fiber, found primarily in whole grains. One would have to eat an extraordinarily healthy diet to get a total of 72 grams of fiber a day-huge amounts of plants. Yet these cut-off values could be considered as the minimum recommended daily intake of fiber, to prevent stroke. They admit these minimums are higher than those commonly and arbitrarily proposed as “adequate,” but do we want to be patronized to, as to what authorities think is practical, or do we want them to just tell us what the science says, like they did here? Someone funded by Kellogg's wrote in to complain that in practice such fiber intakes are unachievable, Rather, the message should just be the more, the better, yaknow, just have a bowl of cereal or something, wink-wink. The real Dr. Kellogg, who was actually one of our most famous physicians, credited for being one of the first to sound the alarm about smoking, may have been the first American physician, to have recognized the field of nutrition as a science, would today be rolling in his grave, if he knew what his company had become. Diabetes-our 7th leading cause of, loss-of-life, is also our 8th leading cause, of loss-of-health. Up to 50% of diabetics eventually develop neuropathy, damage to their nerves. It can be very painful, and the pain is frequently resistant to conventional treatments. In fact there is supposedly no effective treatment for diabetic neuropathy. Us doctors are just left with steroids, opiates, and antidepressants, to try to mediate, the suffering.But... 20 years ago, a remarkable study was published on the regression, the reversal of diabetic neuropathy with a plant-based diet. Twenty-one diabetics suffering with moderate or worse painful neuropathy for up to 10 years were placed on a whole food, plant-based diet. Years and years of suffering and then, complete relief of the pain in 17 out of the 21 patients, within days.... Numbness noticeably improved too. And the side-effects were all good. They lost 10 pounds, blood sugars got better-insulin needs dropped in half, and in five of the patients not, only was their painful neuropathy cured, so was, apparently, their diabetes. Normal blood sugars off of all medications. Diabetics for up to 20 years and then off all drugs in a matter of weeks. And their triglycerides and cholesterol improved too. High blood pressures got better. In fact gone in about half the hypertensives-an 80% drop overall in the need for high blood pressure medications within 3 weeks. But we've known that plant-based diets can reverse diabetes and hypertension, but this was new. Years of painful suffering, and then complete relief of the pain in 80%, within days.Now this was a live-in program, where patients meals were provided. What happened after they were sent home and went back to the real world? The 17 folks were followed for years, and in all except one, the relief from the painful neuropathy continued, or improved even further. How'd they get that kind of compliance with a strict plant-based diet? Because, it works... One of the most painful and frustrating-conditions-to-treat in all of medicine, and three quarters cured in a couple days with a natural, nontoxic-in fact beneficial-treatment, a diet composed of whole plant foods. Should have been front-page headline news... How could nerve damage be reversed so suddenly? It didn't appear to be the improvement in blood sugar control, since it took about 10 days for the diet to control the diabetes, whereas the pain was gone in as few as four. There are several mechanisms by which the total vegetarian diet works to alleviate the problem of diabetic neuropathy as well as the diabetic condition itself. Their most interesting speculation was that it could be the trans fats naturally found in meat and dairy that could be causing an inflammatory response. They found a significant percentage of the fat under the skin of those who eat meat or even just dairy and eggs was trans fats. Trans fats inside their bodies, under their skin, whereas those who had been on a strictly whole food plant-based diet had no detectable trans fat in their tissues. The researchers stuck needles in the buttocks of people eating different diets, and nine months or more on a strict plant-based diet appeared to remove all the trans fat from their bodies, or at least their butts. But their pain didn't take 9 months to get better; it got better in more like 9 days. More likely, the amazing reversal was due to an improvement in blood flow. Nerve biopsies in diabetics with severe progressive neuropathy have shown arterial disease within the nerve. There are blood vessels within our nerves that can get clogged up too, depriving the nerves of oxygen, presumably leading them to cry out in pain. Within days, though, improvements in blood “rheology,” meaning the ease at which blood flows on a plant-based diet may play a prominent role in the reversal of diabetic neuropathy... Plant-based diets may also lower the level of IGF-1 inside the eyeballs of diabetics and decrease the risk of retinopathy-diabetic vision loss-as well. But what about treating retinopathy?Kempner at Duke used a plant-based diet of mostly rice and fruit, to document for the first time the reversal of diabetic retinopathy in a quarter of his patients, something never even thought possible. For example, 60 year old diabetic woman already blind in one eye and can only see contours of large objects with the other, effectively blind. Five years later on the diet, instead of it getting worst, she got better. She could then make out faces, see signs, large newspaper print. (in addition to being off insulin, with normal blood sugars and 100 point drop in her cholesterol). The most efficient way to avoid diabetic complications is to eliminate, the diabetes in the first place, and this is often feasible for those type 2 patients who make an abiding commitment to daily exercise and a healthy enough diet. Type 2 diabetes can be eliminated, reversed-cured with diet, and so, evidently, can some of its complications Since the initial report of neuropathy reversal, the results have been replicated by other researchers. Why didn't we learn about this in medical school? The neglect, of this important work by the broader medical community is little short of unconscionable...... Alzheimer's disease perhaps best captures the difference between lifespan and healthspan. Who cares if you live to be 100 if, in the last years of your life, you don't recognize yourself in the mirror. In 1901, Auguste was taken to an insane asylum by her husband. She was described as a delusional, forgetful, disoriented woman who, tragically, could not carry out her homemaking duties. She was seen by a Dr., Alzheimer, and was to become the case that made his a household name. On autopsy, he described the plaques and tangles in her brain that would go on to characterize the condition, But lost in the excitement of discovering a new disease, a clue may have been overlooked. He described atherosclerotic changes-hardening of the arteries-within her brain.We typically think of artery clogging in the heart, but as we saw with the spine and the nerves, atherosclerosis involves virtually the entire human organism. Our whole vascular tree. Including our brain. One of the most poignant examples of the systemic nature of clogged arteries is the link between coronary artery disease, degenerative brain disease, and dementia Just as a heart attack or brain attack-stroke-can be significantly prevented, one can think of Alzheimer's dementia as a ‘‘mind attack." Mind attack, like heart attacks or strokes, needs to be prevented by controlling vascular risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol, controlling chronic brain hypoperfusion, the lack of adequate blood flow to the brain over the years before the onset of Alzheimer's disease. We now we have a substantial body of evidence that strongly associates atherosclerotic vascular disease with Alzheimer's. Autopsy studies, for example, have shown that individuals with Alzheimer's have significantly more atherosclerotic narrowing of the arteries within their brain This is what our cerebral arteries should look like: open, clean, allowing blood to flow. This is what atherosclerosis in our brain arteries looks like. Clogged with fat and cholesterol, closing off the artery, restricting blood flow to our brain... Which kind of arteries, do you want, in your brain?... This reduction of blood flow can starve the brain of oxygen, cause silent little mini-strokes, brain atrophy--shrinkage, the cumulative effects of which appear to play a pivotal role in accelerating and augmenting the development and evolution of Alzheimer's. But what about the role of metals in Alzheimer's? The metals appear to just aggravate the detrimental effects of a high intake of cholesterol and saturated fat.What about the so-called Alzheimer's gene, ApoE4? Diet trumps genes. The highest frequency of the Alzheimer's gene in the world is in Nigeria, but they also have some of the lowest Alzheimer's rates. To understand why, one has to understand the role of ApoE. What does the gene do?The Alzheimer's gene makes the principal cholesterol carrier in the brain, but if your cholesterol is low enough, because your diet is low enough in animal fat. If you center your diet around grains and vegetables... then changes in cholesterol may lead to changes in Alzheimer's gene expression. Just because we may have been dealt some bad genetic cards, doesn't mean we can't reshuffle the deck, with diet. According to the latest guidelines for the prevention of Alzheimer's... the two most important things we can do, is cut down our consumption of meat, dairy, and junk and replace them with: vegetables, beans, fruits and whole grains. Wait, grains protective of the brain? I had the distinction this year of serving on a panel with Grain Brain author Dr. Perlmutter, who sold lots of books claiming carbs are destroying our brain, but what does the science show? Take Japan, for example, where the prevalence of dementia has shot up over the last few decades. Mechanisms to explain increases in Alzheimers include increases in animal products. Traditional diets generally are weighted toward vegetable products such as grains and away from animal products, but since 1960, the diet in Japan has changed from a more traditional rice-based diet to one with a preponderance of meat. So less grain, more Alzheimer's The dietary factor most strongly associated with the rise in Alzheimer's disease in Japan was the increased consumption of animal fat. So it may be less grain-brain and more meathead. A similar analysis in China arrived at the same conclusion. On the basis of these findings, the rate of Alzheimer's disease and dementia will continue to rise unless dietary patterns change to those with less reliance on animal products. This is consistent with data showing those who eat vegetarian appear 2 to 3 times less likely to become demented, And the longer one eats meat-free, the lower the associated risk of dementia.In fact, where are the lowest rates of Alzheimer's in the world? Rural India. It may be no coincidence that the country with the lowest rates of Alzheimers, has among the lowest rates of meat consumption, with 40% of Indians eating meat-free and egg-free diets, that are high grain, high bean, high carb diets. Population studies have found grains to be strongly protective, in relation to Alzheimer's disease. The science shows the exact opposite of what one may read in the popular press. In other words, don't pass on the grain pass the grain, to spare the brain. The link between arterial blockage and Alzheimer's is good news because atherosclerosis can be prevented and reversed, suggesting that strategies proven to delay the progression of atherosclerosis may be useful for preventing or treating Alzheimer's as well.So let's put it to the test. If you follow people just starting to lose their faculties, the cognition of those with the least artery-clogging in their heads remains pretty stable over the years. But those with more cholesterol buildup got worse, and those with the most blockage, rapidly declined. And the same with the ability to carry out one's activities of daily living, like dressing yourself. And arterial disease doubled the progression to Alzheimer's... In summary, an inefficient blood supply to the brain has very grave consequences on brain function. But does treatment of vascular risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol make a difference? We didn't know, until now. 300 patients with Alzheimers, and those with their vascular risk factors treated showed significantly less decline, slowed progression of their disease. It is said that “The goal of medicine is to provide patients with hope, and when there is no hope to offer understanding.” Well for the first time in the history of this disorder, we have the chance to provide Alzheimer patients with hope.Let me close with, cancer, a leading cause of death and disability. How many years of life, are lost to potentially preventable cancers? Every year more than 5 million expected years of life, are lost in the United States, to those three disabling cancers alone, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer. Therefore, identifying and improving strategies for prevention of cancer remains a priority, especially since not more than 2% of all human cancer is attributable to purely genetic factors. 2% may be in our genes, but the rest involve external factors, particularly our diet. Our skin is about 20 square feet. Our lungs, flattened out, about a thousand square feet, but our intestines? Three thousand square feet of surface area counting all the little folds. What we eat, is our primary interface with out invironment. The most comprehensive summary of evidence, on diet and cancer ever compiled, recommends we eat mostly foods of plant origin to help prevent cancer. This means centering our diet around whole plant foods, Not just whole grains and beans every day, but every meal... And when it came to foods that may increase cancer risk they were similarly straightforward. Unlike some other dietary guidelines that wimp out and just advise people to “moderate” their intake of bad foods, like: eat less candy. The cancer guidelines didn't mince words when it came to the worst of the worst. For example, don't just minimize soda intake, avoid it. Don't just cut back on bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausage and lunch meat, avoid processed meats, period, because data do not show any level of intake that can confidently be shown not to be associated with risk. Even small amounts are risky. Processed meat... cannot only be thought of as a powerful multi-organ carcinogen, but may increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Red meat was bad, but processed meat was worst, and that included white meat, like chicken, and turkey slices. So with more heart disease, cancer, and diabetes it's no surprise processed meat consumption has been associated with increased risk of death, even at small amounts. In Europe, they calculated that reduction of processed meat consumption to less than half-a-hot-dog-a-day's worth would prevent more than 3% of all deaths. This is the kind of stuff we feed our kids. This was the second largest prospective study ever done on diet and cancer, a study of more than 400,000 people. The largest ever-600,000, was done here in the US, the AARP study. They found the preventable fraction to be much higher, suggesting, for example, that 20% of heart disease deaths among women could be averted if the highest consumers cut down to like less than a quarter-strip-of-bacon's-worth a day-that's how bad the stuff is. That is a lot of death. So what does the industry think about that? In the journal Meat Science, the industry acknowledged that the cancer prevention guidelines now urge people to avoid processed meat, a statement that represents “a clear and present danger”... for the meat industry. Processed meat, they say, is a social necessity. How could anyone live without bologna? The challenge for the meat industry is to find a way to maintain the consumption of these products while somehow not damaging public health. They've considered removing the nitrites for decades because of the long known toxic effects (The industry adds them to keep the meat pink). There are, evidently, other coloring additives available. Nevertheless, it's going to be hard to get the industry to change-you have to balance all the cancer with the positive effects of these substances as preservatives, and desirable flavour and red colour developing ingredients. No one wants, green eggs and ham. It's like salt reduction in meat products. They'd like to, but one of the biggest barriers to salt replacement within the meat industry is cost, as salt is one of the cheapest food ingredients available. Now there a number of taste enhancers they can inject into the meat that can help compensate for the salt reduction, but some of the compounds leave a bitter after-taste so, they can also inject a patented bitter-blocking chemical that can prevent taste nerve stimulation at the same time, the first of what may become a stream of products that are produced due to the convergence of food technology and biotech.Or they could always try adding nonmeat materials, to the meat. You could add fiber, or starch from beans that have protective effects against cancer. After all, in the United States dietary fiber is under-consumed by most adults, indicating that fiber fortification in meat products could have health benefits.... Failing to note, of course, that their products are one of the reasons the American diet is so deficient in fiber in the first place. The industry is all in favor of causing less cancer but, obviously any such optimization has to achieve a healthier product without affecting the hedonic aspects. It is important to realize that nutritional and technological quality in the meat industry are inversely related. An improvement in one will lead to deterioration of the other. So you have to balance it out. They know that consumption of lard is not the best thing in the world, heart disease being our #1 killer, however those downsides are in sharp contrast to lard's technological qualities which makes saturated fats indispensable in the manufacture of meat products. Otherwise you just don't get, the same lard consistency. The pig's fat doesn't get hard enough, and as a result a fatty smear upon cutting or slicing can be observed on the cutting surface of the knife-so you have to have your priorities straight. Although the evidence for the relationship between colorectal cancer risk (at least!) and processed meats intake cannot be denied, the meat industry suggests further research. For example, compare the risk of consuming meat to other risky practices-alcohol, inactivity, obesity, and smoking. Compared to lung cancer and smoking, maybe meat wouldn't look so bad. But don't worry, consumers probably won't even ever hear about the latest cancer prevention guidelines. Consumers today are overloaded with information. Thus the industry can hope that the dissemination of the update on meat and cancer drowns in this information cloud. And even if consumers do see it, the industry doesn't think they'll much care. For many consumers in the Western world, the role of healthfulness, although important, is not close to taste satisfaction in shaping their final choice of meat products. It is hence questionable that the revised recommendations based on the carcinogenic effects of meat consumption will yield substantial changes in consumer behavior. Doctors and nutrition professionals feed into this patronizing attitude that people don't care enough about their health to change. This paper, from a leading nutrition journal, scoffed at the idea that people would ever switch to a “prudent diet,” reducing their intakes of animal protein and fat no matter how much cancer was prevented. The chances of reducing consumption to avoid colon cancer? Virtually nil. Consider heart disease. We know that we can prevent and treat heart disease with the same kind of diet, but the public just won't do it. “The diet,” they say, “would lose too much of its palatability.” In other words, the great palatability of ham largely outweighs other considerations, although health and wellbeing are increasingly important factors in consumer decisions. This 1998 industry article feared that unless meat eating becomes compatible with eating that is healthy and wholesome it could be consigned to a minor role in the diet during the next decade. Their prediction didn't quite pan out. Here's meat consumption per person over about the last 30 years. Rising, rising. 1998 was when the Meat science article was published, worrying about the next decade of meat consumption, which rose even further, but then did seem to kind of flatten out, before it fell off a cliff. Per capita meat consumption down about 10% in recent years. Millions of Americans are cutting down on meat. So don't tell me people aren't willing to change their diets. Yet we continue to get diluted dietary guidelines, because authorities are asking themselves: what dietary changes could be acceptable to the public, rather than just telling us what the science says and letting us make up our own minds as to whether... pig fat smearing on knives should trump our families' health. What we eat doesn't just affect cancer risk in the colon. Why do constipated women appear to be at higher risk for breast cancer, whereas women who have 3 or more bowel movements a day. Superpoopers I call them. (sounds like an ABBA song)-appeared to cut their risk of breast cancer in half. This could be because constipation, means a greater contact time between our waste and our intestinal wall, which may increase the formation and absorption of fecal mutagens-compounds that can cause DNA mutations and cancer-into the circulation, and then into the breast. We know that breasts actively take up chemical substances from the bloodstream, so researchers became concerned that substances originating in the colon might enter the bloodstream and reach the breast. Specifically bile acids, which are formed as a way of getting rid of excess cholesterol. Our liver dumps bile acids into the intestine for disposal, assuming our intestines will be packed with fiber to trap it and flush it out of the body, but if we haven't been eating whole plant foods all day long, bile acids can be reabsorbed back into the body, and build up in the breast. Carcinogenic bile acids are found concentrated in the breast at up to a hundred times the level found in the bloodstream-they just suck it up. By radioactively tagging bile acids they were able to show that intestinal bile acids rapidly gain access to the breast, where they can exert an estrogen-like cancer-promoting effect on breast tumor cells. This would explain why we see 50% higher bile acid levels in newly diagnosed breast cancer victims. So how can we facilitate the removal of bile acids from our body? Well we can speed up the so-called oroanal transit time, the speed at which food goes from mouth to toilet, because slowed colon transit can increases bile acid absorption. But we can speed things up by eating lots of fiber. A diet packed with plants greatly increased bile acid excretion. Fiber can bind up and remove toxic elements like lead and mercury, as well as cholesterol and bile acids. But plants can even bind bile acids independent of fiber. Vegan diets, bind significantly more bile acid than lacto-ovo, or nonvegetarian diets, for example, even at the same fiber intake... which could explain why it appears that individuals eating vegetarian might excrete less mutagenic, less mutation-causing feces in the first place. You'll notice, that the same type of diet used to help lower cancer risk, is the same type of diet used to help prevent Alzheimers, and diabetes, diabetic complications, and high blood pressure, and stroke, and back pain, and heart disease, a diet centered around whole plant foods -the type of diet eaten by populations that were largely free of many of our deadliest and debilitating diseases.Heart disease was so rare among those eating these traditional plant-based diets, there were papers published like this. A Case of Coronary Heart Disease in an African. After 26 years of medical practice they finally recorded their first case of coronary heart disease among a population of 15 million-a judge, who had started consuming, a partially Westernized diet... Some, thought it was the preponderance of whole plant foods, that protected these populations; others thought it was the avoidance of animal foods. Either way, they couldn't prove it was the diet, until it was put to the test. Pritikin, Ornish, Esselstyn, and others took people with heart disease and put them on the kind of plant-based diet followed by thesepopulations that didn't suffer from heart disease, hoping it would stop the disease process, keep it from progressing further, but instead, something miraculous happened. Their disease started to reverse, to get better. As soon as they stopped eating an artery-clogging diet, their bodies were able to start dissolving some of the plaque away, even in some cases of severe triple vessel heart disease, arteries opened up without drugs, without surgery, suggesting their bodies wanted to heal all along, but were just never given the chance. This is Esselstyn's new study, published four days ago. This increase in blood flow to the heart muscle on the left happened within just 3 weeks of eating healthy... Let me share with you the best kept secret in medicine... The best kept secret in medicine is that, given the right conditions, the body heals itself. If you... whack your shin really hard on a coffee table, it can get all red hot swollen painful but will heal naturally if we just stand back and let our body work its magic. But what if we kept whacking it in the same place three times a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). It'd never heal. You'd go to your doctor and say my shin hurts. And the doctor would be like no problem, whip out their pad and write you a prescription for, painkillers. You're still whacking your shin three times a day and it still hurts like heck, but feels so much better with the pain pills. Thank heavens for modern medicine. It's like when people take nitroglycerine for chest pain, tremendous relief, but you're not doing anything to treat the underlying cause. Our body wants, to come back to health, if we let it. But if we keep re-injuring it three times a day we may never heal. It's like smoking. One of the most amazing things I learned in medical school was that within 10 years of stopping smoking, our lung cancer risk approaches that of a lifelong nonsmoker. Isn't that amazing? Our lungs can clear out all that tar, and eventually, it's almost like we never started smoking at all. Our body wants to be healthy. And every morning of our smoking life that healing process started until... bam, our first cigarette, reinjuring our lungs with every puff, just like we can reinjure our arteries with every bite, when all we had to do all along-the miracle cure, is just stop re-damaging ourselves and just get out of the way and let our bodies natural healing process bring us back towards health. There is only one diet that's ever been proven to reverse heart disease in the majority of patients, a plant-based diet. Anytime anyone tries to sell you on some new diet, ask them one simple question: “Has it been proven to reverse heart disease (yaknow, the most likely reason you and everyone you love will die?)” If not, why would you even consider it? If that's all a plant-based diet could do-reverse our #1 killer, then shouldn't that be the default diet until proven otherwise? And the fact that it can also be effective in preventing, treating, and arresting other leading killers, such as diabetes and high blood pressure would seem to make the case for plant-based eating overwhelming. So why don't doctors prescribe it? Available time is a reason frequently cited by physicians, but if you probe a little deeper... yes they complain about not having enough time to give their patients dietary advice... but the number one reason, was their perception that patients fear being deprived of all the junk they're eating. Can you imagine a doctor saying, yeah I'd like to tell my patients to stop smoking, but I know how much they love it. Dr. Neal Barnard wrote a compelling editorial, in the American Medical Association's Journal of Ethics. When he stopped smoking in the 80's, the lung cancer death rate was peaking in the U.S., but has since dropped, with dropping smoking rates. No longer were doctors telling patients to give their throat a vacation, by smoking a fresh cigarette. Doctors realized they were more effective at counseling patients to quit smoking if they no longer had tobacco stains on their own fingers. In other words, doctors went from being bystanders-or even enablers-to leading the fight against smoking. And today, he says, plant-based diets, are the nutritional equivalent, of quitting smoking. This is not, vegetarianism. Vegetarians often consume all sorts of junk. Vegans too, for that matter. This new paradigm is exclusively plant-based nutrition. Whole plant foods. Why exclusively? Well, as reported in the Cornell-Oxford-China Study, there does not appear to be a threshold beyond which further benefits did not accrue with increasing proportions of plant foods in the diet. It appears the more plant-based foods and the fewer animal-based foods, the better. It took five decades after the initial studies linking tobacco and cancer for effective public health policies to be put into place, with enormous cost to human health. Must we wait another 50 years to respond to the epidemics of dietary disease? They do have money on their side. The chemical, tobacco and food industries have the luxury to share similar tactics with the drug companies, because they have the resources to do so. By contrast, powerful and cheap health promoting activities (like eating healthy) are too cheap, can't be patented, aren't profitable. And they throw that money around. The American Dietetic Association, for example, promotes a series of Nutrition Fact Sheets. Who writes them? Industry sources pay $20,000 per fact sheet to the ADA and explicitly take part in writing the documents. So you can learn about Eggs from the egg industry, the benefits of chewing gum from the Wrigley Science Institute. I didn't know Wrigley's had a science institute. In 2008, the ADA announced that the Coca-Cola Company had become an official partner to give them prominent access to key influencers and decision makers and share the Coca-Cola Company's research findings. For example: Did you know there are no harmful effects of different Coca-cola beverages on rat testicles? Was that even a concern? Thou doth protest too much, methinks. When the American Academy of Family Physicians was called out on their proud new corporate relationship with Coke to support patient education on healthy eating, an executive vice-president of the Academy tried to quell protest by explaining that this alliance was not without precedent. They had relationships with Pepsi and McDonald's for some time. Reminiscent, of similar types of relationships... in the past... This didn't seem placate the critics, so the exec assured them that the American Dietetic Association has made a policy statement that “There are no good or bad foods.” A position that the food industry has then exploited. In its early years, the tobacco industry sounded a similar theme: smoking per se was not bad, only “excess” smoking. Sound familiar? Everything, in moderation. Is this what family docs and dieticians have been reduced to? To justify unholy financial alliances they deny that there are actually unhealthy foods. Thankfully there is a corporate sector that actually benefits from keeping people healthy, the insurance industry. Last year a Nutritional Update for Physicians was published in the official journal of Kaiser Permanente, the largest managed care organization in the country, covering about 9 million people with about 15,000 physicians-who were told, that healthy eating may be best achieved with a plant-based diet, defined as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and discourages meats, dairy, and eggs as well as all refined and processed junk. Too often, physicians ignore the potential benefits of good nutrition and quickly prescribe medications instead of giving patients a chance to correct their disease through healthy eating and active living. Physicians should therefore consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity. The major downside is that it may work a little too well. If people are on medications their blood pressure or blood sugar could actually drop too low, so physicians may need to adjust medications or eliminate them altogether. The side-effects, ironically, may be: not-having-to-take-drugs. Despite the strong body of evidence favoring plant-based diets, many physicians are not stressing the importance of plant- based diets as a first-line treatment for chronic illnesses. (That's an understatement) This could be because of a lack of physician awareness-or, a lack of patient education resources. So Kaiser sought to change that.	Excellent summary of the past few months – the Doc’s non-patronising delivery and sense of humor are at their best – don’t ever stop DR GIf you liked this one, please don’t miss one his best of ALL time…entertaining/as he often is/as he even amuses himself at times/and massively informative, this is “the missing link”/How to Translate all this in to daily reality: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCYQtwIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DY9nNa81dSoY&ei=EJPfU92UBcWmyATG1oH4DQ&usg=AFQjCNFpnr1jtps97J3ENYgwhFT0D9S-Ow&sig2=EY_VD2E1eWbaUWLX0z40pw&bvm=bv.72197243,d.aWwI wish this one was available on DVD like his others. This would be a classic – no doubt. Thanks for posting this Davidmhg1@cornell.eduYou might check with Dr. Greger. I thought it was available on DVD. It may become available if asked (?); https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CC8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drgreger.org%2Fdvds&ei=zvffU5v0EdOSyATVtIGICQ&usg=AFQjCNGVMgGV3QCl0FEgFJxUNrZ2T9WndA&sig2=yteFcPyiwJGfoAJrJvS4vQ&bvm=bv.72197243,d.aWwDan: Your wish has been anticipated!All of Dr. Greger’s annual summary videos are available for purchase. I have them all myself and love to show them to family and friends on my TV. Here’s the link to purchase this latest talk:http://www.drgreger.org/from-table-to-ableHi David – apologies for the late reply – I’m new to the site and just realised that I had comments to reply to – I opened the link in great expectation, became very excited that it was almost 2hrs long, but soon realised I’d already seen it……c’est la vieSo passionate, engaging, and articulate! Keep on keeping on, Dr. G.Super! Superlative!!! Supreme!!!!!Thanks SO SO much!!!!!Love the transcripts et.al. and would love to see the transcript for this (these/summaries) as well. Know it is a good bit of work/am confident your wonderful team that you have built is up to the task.We learn X from listening, X+ from listening and visuals, and X+++ from reading too.Learning, assimilating and then applying is the essence. I know you have made a substantial difference in my life and I feel wonderful today. You have contributed mightily and I will be forever grateful. Thank you Dr. Greger!Greatly anticipating the publishing of your new book! Today IS a GrEaT dAy!!!!/with this video summary. The book, I think, will be magnificent!Thank you,Book UpdateGood news! When I announced my new book deal for How Not to Die with Macmillan Publishers, I expressed concern that I’d have to pull back on the NutritionFacts.org new video schedule. Thanks to everyone’s support I now have a wonderful staff that helps with the logistics of the site (wait until you see the new look–coming soon!), but the primary research and writing falls to me. I didn’t know how I was going to do the book and keep the site going at full tilt, but I am honored to announce that Gene Stone, the best-selling author of Forks Over Knives (and 35 other books, including his new novel The Awareness), has generously agreed to co-author it with me. So now I should be able to do it all without any hiccups–full steam ahead!Gene wants to intersperse my science with personal narratives of those who were able to reap the benefits of a healthier diet. Do you or anyone you know have an inspirational story to share? Especially of interest would be those who successfully treated any of our leading killers–heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, lung, liver, kidney or brain disease. If you’d be willing to share your story, please email a brief rundown to testimonials@NutritionFacts.orgBook UpdateGood news! When I announced my new book deal for How Not to Die with Macmillan Publishers, I expressed concern that I’d have to pull back on the NutritionFacts.org new video schedule. Thanks to everyone’s support I now have a wonderful staff that helps with the logistics of the site (wait until you see the new look–coming soon!), but the primary research and writing falls to me. I didn’t know how I was going to do the book and keep the site going at full tilt, but I am honored to announce that Gene Stone, the best-selling author of Forks Over Knives (and 35 other books, including his new novel The Awareness), has generously agreed to co-author it with me. So now I should be able to do it all without any hiccups–full steam ahead!Gene wants to intersperse my science with personal narratives of those who were able to reap the benefits of a healthier diet. Do you or anyone you know have an inspirational story to share? Especially of interest would be those who successfully treated any of our leading killers–heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, lung, liver, kidney or brain disease. If you’d be willing to share your story, please email a brief rundown to testimonials@NutritionFacts.orgI truly wish I could help as I’ve been trying to persuade my neighbour to switch over to a PBD as he has prostate cancer that has spread to his bones – he’s just had his latest HRT injection to cover him for the next three months, he’s also on statins and other medications – notwithstanding being 5 stone, (20KG) overweight.Unfortunately my neighbours oncologist has no knowledge of the effects of a PBD, and my neighbour has himself also obtained a lot of information from the internet that at best can be viewed as misleading – he also had his operation to remove the prostate cancelled twice, on the third occasion (some nine months after diagnosis) the anesthetist refused this operation due to his previous strokes. The strokes were never a factor for rescheduling the first two operations and I can’t help but speculate that the lengthy delay may have contributed to the metastasis – I guess we’ll never know.One thing is for certain – I am incredibly grateful to you and your staff for the work that you/they do. I check your site daily and try to educate as many as I can for my part. Had I not been viewing a fitness forum re protein intake, I would never have come across a comment by one of the members referencing The China Study – I searched the internet, leading me to Colin T Campbells video’s, and then onto Dr John McDougall, Dr Esselstyn, Dr Barnard, Dr Klapper, Dr Ornish, and your good self. I only wish more of your profession were as caring and informative as you guys…..I hope that by adopting a vegan diet that you’ve changed my life, time will tell, but the signs are promising thus far…ThanksChrisI watched this video a week or so ago and just loved it. I was wondering what Dr. Greger would come up with for a theme. This is another great one. Thanks Dr. Greger!Awesome work as usual Dr. Greger!Wonderful presentation. I would love to see Dr. Greger speak live someday. I appreciate your dedication and amazing effort! Looking forward to reading the new book!Wonderfully presented, with a plethora of solid research, and a good sprinkling of humor to boot!We are fortunate to have such a dedicated researcher who also happens to have great presentation skills!!!! You have come a long way in the past decade!!!!! Amazing how you are able to assemble the information, graphics and timing. Few may know of the effort that it takes and the sacrifices you have made for us. Thank you!!!!So true and so well said, David. What a heroic, integrative, communicative, and dedicated doctor is Dr. Greger!The GREATEST SECRET IN MEDICINE in the 41st minute is excellent, and all too true; as noted/it has been known by some for well over 100 years/if not centuries; it got hijacked somewhere along the way. Having grown up in a family with knowledge of nutrition of the day as well as exercise, for some reason I was considered a “Health Nut”/not always easy to take along the way. If I was a “Health Nut”/what are “they”? In addition, I was raised in the Christian Science faith, my grandmother a “Practitioner/Healer”, again setting me up as “different”. One of THE founding principles of the Christian Science faith, based on the experiences of the founder, Mary Baker Eddy, around 1890, was that in fact, more often than not, the body does have the GOD given ability to heal itself, being allowed to do so. I am so very thankful that I was so blessed and at 60, have never felt better nor been in better condition/looking forward to and working on becoming 100 or so in good health. One of my relatives lived well to the age of 108!!!Are you vegetarian/ vegan?Vegan, 95% of the time, for health, ethical and environmental reasons. At 60, and as always, health is a big one. Why not be as healthy as I can be while helping to ensure the health of the earth for my children and generations yet to come. To me, our anatomy dictates our predisposition. While I believe we are each an experiment of one, I can for sure say that I have never felt better, run stronger, nor required less sleep or recovery time. Enjoyed a solid 6.5 mile run at swift pace this AM. Greatly enjoyed a nine mile trail run on Saturday AM, with hills, full out. Here is to your best health yet.First time on this site. I find this post very interesting. Carry on, David, you’re obviously doing things right. I’ve reached my 80th year with no regular aches and pains. I’ve had ‘flu only once as an adult, and no colds for over 10 years. I became a wholefood vegetarian at age 17, having come from an orthodox medical family for two generations, who regarded me as the ‘;black sheep’ of the family. I went to one public meeting about Christian Science in my teens, but found that they seemed to exclusively deal with the ‘mind’ and did not seem to follow any sound health or nutrition ideas, unless you can tell me differently. My relatives die early, and I decided to aim for 100 a couple of years back!I have gotten so burnt out with the daily practice of medicine that I have been losing my passion for spreading the healthy food message.Now don’t get me wrong I eat healthy as all can be and I do have a few patients that change, but the patient’s I mostly work with are the, drug addicts, uneducated (some I treat cannot read or write–Really!) and the “Slaves to their tongue” (Pleasure Trap) population (eg. Morbidly Obese, Diabetics, Polyarthralgia, Chronic Pain)–A constantly uphill battle!Your presentation reignited the flame within! Namaste.Dear Beleaguered, Dr. Hemo, Have you thought that it may be time to modify your practice? Feelings of burn out are symptoms, not to be ignored. How much of a beating can one take and still thrive? Many dedicated docs take too much punishment. Many practices are too specialized for the doctor’s heath. Could you decrease the number of patients who are caught in the pleasure trap and increase, start a new practice, or?… and treat those who are eager and willing to do their part? New, young, docs still want work with the addicts etc. You don’t owe them all of your professional practice. Good luck to you.It’s good to hear a doctor who tries to educate patients. Do you use simple strategies, like 5-a-day etc. and give simple leaflets or booklets? Obviously patients will need to read ! Others may be interested in a group meeting, when you promote health. Surely a few will be interested. Good luckAmazing presentation!!!! LOVED it! Thank you SO much for posting. I can’t wait to share this with friends & family. Please keep doing what you do.You are the backbone of our efforts to lead a healthy long life! Thanks for being who you are and the tremendous amount of hard work.You are my hero – thank you, thank you, thank you. Do you have thoughts about microwaving – so many of those urban phobias have turned out to be true.Joy Miller: The following page is extremely helpful in understanding microwaves and dispelling myths. http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmAlso note that NutrtionFacts has at least one video that mentions microwaves in a positive light. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/Just avoid the butter-flavored microwave popcorn http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=microwaveHope that helps.He’s the rock star of dietary experts!Ha! Mary J, someone on youtube dubbed Doc the “BADASS” of nutrition! I’d say he’s BOTH! This is a FABULOUS video! Thanks again Dr. Greger!Bravo!When I FINALLY found the right information, I chose to eat plants vs animals. My body is healing itself. Thank you for your daily reminders of why I made this choice. This one is your best video by far. Thanks so much.Why is it just Ornish and Esselstyn that keeps popping in these CVD arresting and reversing studies? Hasn’t anyone else been able to replicate their studies?Probably because other researchers are not interested. There always have been just a small number of such dedicated doctors.Grazie Mille!!!Carol, E italiano? Parla italiano? Potresti tradurre alcune video in italiano? Ho degli amici che hanno bisogno di capirli.How did Dr. G learn to become such a good public speaker?Experience.no clogged arteries feeding his brainI came across a video recently detailing some of the sacrifices Dr. Greger has made in spreading the message and the repercussions. His zeal, and it is interesting to see his more primitive/recorded/graphics from a decade ago, motivated him to travel rather extensively and as I recall, cost him his marriage as well. A true servant of the people, all the money for speaking/books/et.al. goes to the not-for-profit that helps to continue bringing you this information. There are many volunteers and I am hoping even more can be brought to bear the pleasure of contributing to the spread of this so very needed information – “The Dr. Greger Army”/so to speak. You can check out his speaking schedule on his website: veganmd.org, http://www.drgreger.org/speaking-dates If you find this information as interesting and as helpful as I do – check it 7:00 AM Chicago time every week day!!!!/please make a financial contribution in any amount that you may wish to do so. The purchase of any of his DVDs also helps the cause/and he often has a deal to buy a package of them he has recorded over the years. They make GREAT PRESENTS for students/schools/and those you care most about.To your improved/better/best health yet!!!! Note above/he has a new book coming out. I have been mentioning that/and hoping for that/to be able to more fully assimilate this information. Hearing it is one thing/seeing it another/and being able to have it in reference form would be another dimension/component of learning/growing et.al.Note the transcripts of most of these presentations/and the references are noted as well for those who want to delve deeper.As Chef AJ mentioned/in regards to the great book whole, what you mostly need was summarized/contained on “Page 7″; easy to describe/and Dr. Greger has a summary of the ideal diet I am trying to track down. Not so easy in execution/but/more so if one focuses in on the essence of a Whole Foods/Plant Based Diet. Food as food. Food has no labels per se.Fantastic work as always Dr. Greger! I’m almost completely vegan now and I can’t thank you enough for pointing me in the right direction! However, if people on a WFPBD are far less likely to die from all the major causes of death, what do you expect these people will die from? Do you expect people on a WFPBD to live much longer?Whether longer or not, they will surely be healthier to whatever age they reach.Liam314: Congratulations on your progress to healthy eating!!!You raise two questions which come up often. Dr. Greger is in the process of writing a book about living longer. In the mean time, check out the information I included below about two studies on this very topic.The other topic is different. No one is saying that at WFPBD is going to make someone live forever. So, what do people on a WFPBD die of? It is a legitimate question. I heard Dr. McDougal answer it once, but I can’t remember what video it was in. I’ll paraphrase and hopefully get it right: You don’t actually have to die of a disease. There really is such a thing as dieing of old age. We are such a sick society, we don’t really see much of that any more. But it is a “thing”. Dieing of old age involves losing consciousness, and then your systems shutting down one at a time. According to Dr. McDougall, this is a very peaceful and natural way to die. If no disease is involved and someone is at the end of a long healthy life who dies in the way I just described, then that is dieing of old age. Sign me up.*********************************** From PCRM Breaking News: “Vegetarians Live Longer Vegetarian diets can extend life expectancy, according to early findings from the Adventist Health Study-2. Vegetarian men live to an average of 83.3 years, compared with nonvegetarian men who live to an average of 73.8 years. And vegetarian women live to an average of 85.7 years, which is 6.1 years longer than nonvegetarian women. This study is ongoing and includes more than 96,000 participants. The results further indicate vegan diets to be healthful and associated with a lower body weight (on average 30 lbs. lower than that of meat eaters), and lower risk of diabetes, compared with diets that include animal products.” Fraser G, Haddad E. Hot Topic: Vegetarianism, Mortality and Metabolic Risk: The New Adventist Health Study. Report presented at: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic (Food and Nutrition Conference) Annual Meeting; October 7, 2012: Philadelphia, PA.——From Meetout Monday:Living Veg Adds 10 YearsLoma Linda University School of Public Health released a study based on the eating habits of 73,000 Americans. The results are in—those who follow a meat-free diet have a decreased mortality rate by a staggering 20 percent!“Based on this study and other recent research, on average, vegetarians and semi-vegetarians tend to add about 10 years to their lives,” said Sam Soret, co-author of the study.It’s so cool knowing that it’s possible make food choices that not only help animals, but that also are good for our health and wellness too! Read more about the study at: http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=6499&catId=1I know a lot of very old people die after a respiratory illness – the flu for example. But the best joke I heard was that people who eat this extremely healthy way and exercise daily will one day find themselves old and in a hospital dying of nothing!But they all have tons of extra time they enjoyed before moving on =) And wakefulness / conscious living too… Not disease / Alzheimer / dementia ridden life…I heard Michael Klaper and Dr. Fuhrman talk about the potential increased risk for hemorrhagic stroke in vegans and one thing we can do to combat this is be careful not to eat too much sodium.DrGreger love your great Talk Table to Able I clappedI Laughed I am a Vegan so Happy for you and your wonderful investigating of Everything That is Good for all of Us I wish you the Best & thanks for all you Do. I’m Jill Sterner My Daughter is JulieMarie Protective Diet .comJust thinking of all my loved ones who passed from diet-related illnesses brought me to tears at the end of this video. Thank you Dr. for shaping my vegan diet and for your excellent work. YOU ARE THE GREATEST SECRET IN MEDICINE!Great talk! Thank you Dr. Greger. Can somebody please post the links to 2012 and 2013 seminars?ThanksThey are on the home page at the bottom.Thank you so much, Veganrunner.If you look around, you can find previous ones on the web from years prior to those you mentioned. Interesting to see the progression. One of his best ever, kind of of a how to translate all this in to daily reality is: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCYQtwIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DY9nNa81dSoY&ei=EJPfU92UBcWmyATG1oH4DQ&usg=AFQjCNFpnr1jtps97J3ENYgwhFT0D9S-Ow&sig2=EY_VD2E1eWbaUWLX0z40pw&bvm=bv.72197243,d.aWwDavid for the link. The video must be fairly old; Dr. Gregor has a lot more hair.So simple to be fit and in good health ! Thanks for your wonderful explanations !Oh qui voila! ;DEh oui ! quand j’aime, je le dis :) !Thank you Dr Greger. Your inspiring coverage of the overwhelming health benefits of a WFPB diet helps to keep my husband and I on track, never to look back!Perfect delivery once again of hugely important information. I’m sure your website is in part responsible for those ‘dive off the cliff’ diminishing meat eating levels! I am sharing this with everyone I know and cannot thank you enough for your invaluable work, Dr Greger.Awesome speech, love it!A few years ago a rainy day in would be accompanied by large meat feast pizza, coca-cola and some trashy movies. now it’s a big mug of matcha tea and this great video. Thanks Dr. Greger – you’re the inspiration I needed to turn my life around.Don’t you think its interesting that the decline in per capita consumption of meat & poultry (35:55min) coincides with the economic crash of 2008? Is the decline simply due to economic factors or are people starting to get the message? Hopefully the latter.While we may be seeing the sprouts of a cultural shift to whole plant based diets, I suspect lower disposable income and higher meat costs (due in part to the corn ethanol mandate) are largely responsible. See “retail meat prices, USDA” in this industry report.I don’t think people ate less meat because of the economy – did they smoke less cigarettes? Probably did with less “fresh” meat and opted for more processed varieties.Would you mind sharing the source for your info on industry paying the ADA $20,000 per ADA factsheet? (See video at 48:00) I’m a health journalist and plant-based fan and am working on a story about the food industry’s seemingly surreptitious influences, starting with the dairy marketing boards attempts to make us drink milk. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/07/23/anti-cancer-diets-whats-the-deal-with-dairy/Can you search the videos effectively? This big presentation is basically a compilation of material from an earlier year of videos.The source for that factoid is:Brownell, K. D., & Warner, K. E. (2009). The perils of ignoring history: Big Tobacco played dirty and millions died. How similar is Big Food?. Milbank Quarterly, 87(1), 259-294.The ADA is now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.You’re the best. You available for an interview with Zester Daily?http://zesterdaily.com/author/harriet-sugar-miller/alleluiaPROOF that human is Herbivore – not omnivore.Yeah, Frugivore more accurately~ ;D http://nsm08.casimages.com/img/2014/05/22/14052211493917279112259488.jpgWrong. Humans are starchivores. We use starch for fuel. That’s why we can effectively break down starch and our fellow primates, the frugivores, cannot.Take it from a scientist who studies in this area. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufNEoLeVplcHere is more info from Dr. Nathaniel Dominy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0PF5R0ywp4What a nonsense, it doesnt even exist in millions of species, starch have no taste(flour is pure starch then eat simple sugar and see the difference). And anyways ripe fruits have way more taste and hit our senses than bland starch even cooked and i recall natural is raw~Whole food sources of starch: legumes, grains, tubers… These are the foods that have fueled all large successful civilizations. A fruit based diet is sub-optimal for a starchivore. Eat a starch based diet WITH fruits and vegetables.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DemGcWQAnpw#t=44I know history of food but like peoples who ate animal product most of their life doesnt make their anatomy carnivore/omnivore this starch history doesnt make our anatomy starchivore even if most humans have significantly more amylase than frugivore monkey~ And fruits digest much easier and faster than starch especially legumes and has less toxins which show again our anatomy is optimized for simple carbs from them~Ben: What a FUN video!!! And powerful. I got a real kick out of it. Thanks so much for sharing!Another ground-breaking presentation! The section on fiber raised questions for us since we see we have been shy of enough insoluble fiber. Oh My! Soluble vs insoluble fiber! How much of each and from what? What is the hierarchy of best sources and what are usual serving sizes? We found huhs.harvard.edu/assets/file/ourservices/service_nutrition_fiber.pdf. It is pretty good, but a video from Dr. Greger would be much more fun and more inspiring! If any of the team experts have suggestions, we would appreciate them. We know Dr. Greger has already done his part and has much more good work to do! We are so very grateful to you all who contribute to this site. Thank you all!Dr. Kellogg would be proud of you Dr. Greger. My Mother who recently passed at 105 was a student of Dr. Kellogg. She would be proud of you too. Jon Rosenbaum son of Beatrice Rosenbaum RNThanks Dr. Greger—amazing presentation. One day when a Plant-Based Doctors’ Hall of Fame is created, your portrait will be proudly hanging there.I always hear that we should eat whole plant based foods. How comes that people in Thailand (for example) eat loads of white rice (refined rice) and they are all slim? How comes? The standard size trousers are 28. I hardly found stuff for me as I have a 34 waist.What’s the leading causing death in Thailand? Heart disease as they eat so much refined rice?Seems you answered your own question. Plant food stripped of the fiber and many phytonutrients will not likely cause obesity by itself since there is still, from your description, not a huge caloric surplus. Plants stripped of phytonutrients and fiber will also not protect against heart disease. And indeed there is a move to ever more animal foods in all parts of the world if they can get it. So with even small increases in animal products and with the plant nutrition reduced, it seems only logical that the diseases of affluence would be beginning to take hold.There is a line from the Persian Book of Kings which we roughly translate as “knowledge is power.” When I first came to this web site citing mostly peer reviewed primary research sources, I felt empowered.I have been with the same doctor for 20 years or more and she does have some respect for me as I diagnosed and cured my own psoriatic arthritis with a plant based diet and at age 64 with type I diabetes I am the best controlled diabetic patient, type I or II, she has ever cared for. She deals with diabetic side effects routinely. This segment on diabetic neuropathy is more powerful than any of the daily videos. I would like to get her the whole dvd with citations. With a science oriented person, as MDs may be, the citations may lend credibility. So I want to download this to burn and present to my doctor and others. I also would like to get a comprehensive list of the sources cited to go with it. Any chance of that happening?Stewart: I don’t think the exact feature you are looking for is available as-is. However, if you were willing to do some work, you could get close.To start, you would purchase a DVD of this talk. Unfortunately, that doesn’t come with all of the citations. However, all of the information covered in the summary talk, is also covered in individual daily videos either already or coming up in the next few months or so. And as you (hopefully) know, the daily videos *do* include citations. So, you could put together the citations over time, even connected with the daily video transcripts for categorizing and further helping to assimilate the information.That’s all I can think of if you are very interested in spoon feeding the information to people. Another approach would be to give your doctor a link to this free video right here along with links to the daily videos that back up this summary video. Then if your doctor was intrigued she might take the time to look up the citations. That’s just another way to approach the situation.Hope you can find something that will work for you.Why can’t we watch past 28.04 minutes? We’d like to see the remainder…who is better than Dr Greger for the position of United States Assistant Secretary for HealthYes yes yes! This was incredible. I’ve watched it twice now. Thank you, Dr. Greger!He is AWESOME!!! I’ve been thinking about cutting meat out of my diet and now I have more info on why I should…..;-)If this video doesnt convince people to eat mostly plantbased, then probably nothing will…..Amazing talk! This should be essential viewing for everyone…It was amazing to me that young kids are now having back problems and that atherosclerosis could cause back problems….and so a plant-based diet could lead to a healthier back! Who but Dr. G would have pointed this out?And also interesting that constipation and breast cancer may be linked. (Scary, too, since I’m not part of the 3 a day a club—a Super Pooper as the good doctor calls it, even though I eat a whole-foods plant-based diet.)Dr. G never seems to give up hope that people will see the light. I am more cynical about it since I’ve not seen many people make the switch from SAD.Inspiring, much needed stuff here Michael. Thank you for your work. Such a noble cause that could change the world if enough of us jump up and help spread the message. Keep going.Wonderful presentation once again, but you keep getting better!You manage to present a lot of information and insights, while keeping people completely engaged and having a heck of a good time. :)And as always learning a lot. THANK YOU.We keep owing you.2 years since I went plant based. 10kg lost, breathing better, sport better, focused and generally feeling happy. I live in France and eating large quantities of meat and dairy is quite normal here. In fact, the amount of obese people here is on the rise. The national health care budget in France is just enormous. heart disease , cancer… So don’t believe the hype about the mediterranean diet.And last time I checked, Greece has the highest obesity rate in Europe or at least among the Mediterranean countries.Gary: It is so interesting when people from other countries give us peaks into the situation where they live. Thanks for your post. (And congrats on your 2 years of healthy eating. That’s great.)When it comes to soluble and insoluble fiber, it is difficult to approach 25 g/day without supplementation. Furthermore getting information on the numbers is difficult on the web.Hi cyndishisara, are you eating a whole foods plant based diet? I average around 70 g total fiber per day, or about 20-25 g per meal, with no supplementation. Just fruits, vegetables, and lots of whole grains and legumes. A typical meal might be lentil or chickpea stew with rice or whole grain bread and steamed broccoli.The only way to get less would be if I consumed more refined flours/sugars, oils, or more of the higher fat whole plant foods e.g. peanut butter.You can easily find total fiber values using the USDA database:http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/Also cronometer.com is helpful for both searching for values and entering them in a journal format so you can track your intake.I specifically said soluble fiber! Of course eating whole foods as I do without any extracted oils you get plenty of insoluble fiber. The web site that you referred me to does not distinguish between all forms of fiber. My diet is basically whole grains (hulled barley, oat groats, whole rye seed, soft wheat berries), beans (pinto, black and adzuki). kale and the other vegetables, white sesame seed, flax meal, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, apples, prunes, dates, white tea, coffee, pears, oranges and avocadoes processed by me either raw, pressure cooked or boiled. Insoluble fiber does not make up for soluble fiber. I do not supplement with inulin or psyllium. I am looking for real information.Hi cyndishisara, reading “When it comes to soluble and insoluble fiber”, made it seem as though you were interested in both.Some real information, per your request, via google:http://www.globalrph.com/fiber_content_soluble.htmhttp://huhs.harvard.edu/assets/File/OurServices/Service_Nutrition_Fiber.pdfhttps://www.prebiotin.com/resources/fiber-content-of-foods/http://www.dietitians.ca/getattachment/3bb6330f-0ab2-48fc-9d24-1303ad70003d/Factsheet-Food-Sources-of-Soluble-Fibre.pdf.aspxhttp://ocw.tufts.edu/data/47/531408.pdfCan I ask how many calories you are eating per day? I threw a typical day’s intake into the calculator (a few fruits, oatmeal, 2 pieces bread, rice, 2 cups beans, steamed broccoli, and a salad’s worth of vegetables) and it gave me a result of 24.95 g soluble fiber.I eat 4.5 cups (1.5 cups dry) of beans black or pinto and 3 cups (1 cup dry oat, barley, rye, wheat or combo) of grain. I know this because I cook this every day or so in my pressure cooker. I also eat about 5 prunes and 2 dates, 2 apples or pears. Generally I eat enough to maintain my weight of 122 pounds at 5′ 7.5″. So I try to eat as much as I can and as off as I can! I find these sites to be very annoying including probiotin which I already new about!I did learn an interesting point pears contain approximately twice the soluble fiber as apples. I just have trouble trusting all the numbers. I am looking for a workable chart not really for myself but to help others. I just see all these as inadequate. I want something just from tried measurements, basic and inclusive! Words like bread are not scientific!Just want to thank you for the response. I now understand how I get my calories and all forms of of fiber, if I can get the 1.5 cups of beans and 1 cup of hulled barley (all raw) with fruits and vegetables and flax meal a sprinkle of sesame and a long mile walk it fits to together for a 122 pound 5′ 7″ person. I normally do not count calories but the big picture helps.I just used your calculator bOOmer and got 22g soluble fiber. I think on this WFPB plan none of us has to worry about getting enough. Thanks for the links!I just see a pattern the amount of soluble fiber in food is much lower than insoluble. Prunes are my best source of soluble fiber.Sorry if I was not clear! I get a load of fiber! I know over 70 grams total. However in studying the subject I notice that it is hard to get enough soluble fiber and to get reliable information on just how much their is in food constituents. I want to be more versatile than consuming psyllium or inulin (sun chokes or chicory). I do know that dried prunes are a good source also.I sometimes get 80 grams of fiber a day, never less than 50.Soluble fiber without supplementation? I believe I do get 25 grams however it is not as easy as it seems.It is not that hard if you add a bit of FOS to your yogurt or smoothies (adds a nice sweetness, but use no more than 5-10 g per serving or you better stay close to a toilet ;-) and make a point to eat foods particularly high in soluble fiber (like oat bran and flax seed).Yes I am aware of inulin (FOS) is powerful!Tubers as sunchokes are especially high in inulin (FOS) only if picked early (not fully ripened). Inulin or FOS is a powerful soluble fiber.Another excellent installment for us to share around and spread the word. :) Relax & Enjoy – Eat & Drink Plants to overcome degenerative disease and recover health.This may be hard for some to believe. Today I had a doctors appointment. I found my physician standing at an elevated desk rather than sitting. He stated he had been doing desk work that way for a while due to chronic back pain.I mentioned to him what I had just recently learned in Michael’s video.Honest to God, his reply was that even if his arteries were partially clogged it was still akin to a freeway which was 50% jammed. That still meant that 50% was moving blood through his body.Kinda scary to me….Wow. Scary to me too.Awesome presentation as always. You are among the most eloquent and convincing of voices for the plant based diet. Your website and lectures have been invaluable to me in changing my diet. Thank you so much!Hey can anyone suggest some help for chronic pain? Ive been eating a plant-based diet for a couple years but am tying to go vegan now and really ramp it up. I have chronic pain in my arms and shoulders everyday. Any ideas as far as natural foods for a remedy?I’m a big believer in anti-inflammatory herbs and spices. I sprinkle Ceylon cinnamon on my baked potato. Turmeric is a good one. I think Dr. Greger has a video of anti-inflammatory foods. I got rid of osteoarthritis in hand and shoulder when I went vegan and also cut all added sugars, baked goods, processed foods, and all oils.Thank you for adding the subtitles! I can now capture images, complete with YOUR WORDS when I view the video on my iPad or iPhone. This is very useful when sharing specific food facts with others.I’m so glad you shared the Permanente Journal article (Nutrition Update for Physicians). A few months ago, I recorded a short video, where I simply read the highlights of this important article: http://youtu.be/ACWB8MCcjFUYou’re so freaking fabulous!! Your delivery is incredible. Thank you for what you do.Once again Doc! Outta the park! I am going to send this to everyone I know!I LOVE your lectures and the special style you give to it. I love you Doctor!! :DThank you so much, Dr Greger! You are my hero!My commentary would be – yes – cook your own food from scratch and eat natural fruits and veggies as much as you can afford-and canned and frozen are good too – as long as you don’t see a great list of added ingredients. My main no-no -and it should be for everybody -is to read labels and shun anything that contains Partially -hydrogenated oils or fats -of any sort. The process of adding the hydrogen extends the shelf life but shortens yours. It does not break down as it should in your body but accumulates as plaque in the arteries . I should know. I had a heart attack a few months ago -with 90 % blockage . I used to use a lot of margarine – straight and in cooking – no more for me thank you. I go easy on the butter but never use the margarine or cooking shortening. any more. There are plenty of healthful oils – just use them in moderation You can even make a quick and easy piecrust with oils -that is flaky and tender.NO more partially -hydrogenated anything for me – and if we all demanded that they stop doing it by boycotting those products – they wouldn’t be able to sell them-so they would have to stop doing it. .crowlady: I highly recommend you read the book: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselstyn. Esselstyn was able to take patients who had many heart attacks and were given up by their doctors and reverse their disease to the point that all the people who stuck with the diet had no more events.It’s going to take a few more changes for you, but you seem like the kind of person who values her health enough to make the effort. http://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409240609&sr=8-1&keywords=prevent+and+reverse+heart+diseaseGood luck.I posted a document of your 3 summary videos (like this one) in Salmon Idaho, everywhere I could today: 25 copies so far.Great presentations. So encouraging to see science being used for our health rather than financial profits.But where does one get some advice on plant-specific diet items?Dr. Greger your straightforward remarks is truly informative and it will always be appreciated by anyone seeking the truth about the typical American diet. I have greatly benefited for your research and remarks, Please accept my appreciation for your efforts to open the eye’s of those looking for the truth about our lifestyle and diet in America.Hey ya all, I need some help . I’m doing a capstone on plant-based nutrition. I need 15 research studies, none older than 5 years. 2009. I have them , sorta, but I would like better studies and some of them randomized. Need help finding the best ones.Even a list of the articles used in this report?Riley: The information in this talk is repeated in the topic-focused video-of-the-day pages. You can find the studies referenced in this talk by going to the relevant videos-of-the-day and then clicking the “sources cited” link.Just a correction for accuracy- according to a new study the active surface area of the intestinal tract is smaller than traditionally thought – more like 30 square meters not 300 sq m. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24694282They’re not taking into account the additional surface area of all the microvillus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microvillus. It adds TONS.I have MS and am on a vegan diet. I really believe it helps me. However, my family doctor told me I needed to eat “a lot” of fat for my brain to work. What is that all about? How much fat does a person need or does it depend on the person?Carol: I’m not a doctor, but my understanding of the science is that humans probably need about 6% of your calories from fat. I get that number from the traditional Okinawans who are some of the longest and healthiest people around. So, while you may be able to get away with eating more than 6% fat and still be healthy, you probably don’t *need* more than that.And that 6% will feel like a very little amount. From the anecdotes and papers from experts like say McDouggall that I have read, most people eating a pretty clean whole foods plant based diet in America, including consuming some nuts and seeds, seem to get around 10 to 15% of calories from fat in their diet. And this is with no oils and minimal nuts and seeds.Bottom line: I’m not a doctor, but I think your doctor is very confused.I’m sorry to hear about your MS. I hope you are able to stop progression. If you haven’t seen them already, check out the videos on this site regarding MS.Your brain runs on glycogen, not fat. Your doctor is a total idiot if he thinks the brain runs on fats.Thank you Thea. I appreciate your response to the amount of fat needed. I am a great fan of this site and have had no relapses in the three years I have been diagnosed with MS. My problem is high cholesterol so rather than my doctor’s advice, I have been examining my diet to cut fats and sugars.How does one come to work for you?! I am studying to get certified in Holistic Nutrition Consulting. The program I am working through has given all of your videos and I am so grateful for your research! It definitely comes in handy when someone approaches me about why I believe what I do. The main point I get from all of your videos is this: GO VEGAN!I am a huge fan of Dr Gregor and have been for some time. His style is engaging, but the facts he is able to turn up are simply astonishing. Dr. Gregor should be appointed as the surgeon general in the US. Of course that could never happen because the meat, egg and dairy industries would never allow it. I guess it’s up to the rest of us to simply get the word out about the wisdom of the advice he offers. Keep doing your work Dr Gregor, here’s wishing you many years of continued health – but being vegan, I’m confident that is almost guaranteed :-)The mike is positioned too low for the speaker. Every time he throws his head back you lose the sound.Thank You for all you do to keep us informed!! I have been trying to find updated information in regards to flax and DHA supplements. I eat 2 tbsp of ground flax seed a day. Is that enough? Should we be eating more than 2 tbsp or should we also be supplementing with DHA even if we are taking flax daily? Thank You!TeenaTeena: To the best of my knowledge, Dr. Greger recommends about 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed per day per person. There’s no need for more than that.Supplementing with DHA is a bit controversial. Based on my research, I think someone eating a perfect or near-perfect diet would not need to supplement with DHA. However, I don’t know about you, but I don’t come anywhere near to eating the type of diet I would need to eat to say think I don’t need the supplement. My opinion is that supplementing with an algae-based DHA (and also EPA?) product might be a very good idea as insurance depending on the type of diet a person eats.Here are Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations. You can see that he does indeed recommend a DHA supplement: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/#comment-1793210632Amazing video! Thank you so much for the work you put into videos and research. The facts are put together in such a way that the average person can understand them. Awesome!LMFAO. Excellent talk and insightful.What can be done for someone who has dementia and is in the hospital for a blockage in the small intestine? The patient keeps pulling out the tubes and we are trying to avoid surgery.Hi Robin. The only thing to do for that is sedate the patient so they stop pulling their lines out. This is more of a medical question for your doctor and less about nutrition. I hope the patient recovers.Warm wishes, JosephIs their a way to get rid of clots in the blood?We have some videos that mention blood clots. See if any of these help? Thanks, John.people believe all too much the doctors that claim that the food we consume has “nothing to do with it”I am not sure where to post this comment/question.My mother has Lupus for years (discord and systemic)! Her body hasn’t been responding to the drugs she is on and she isn’t doing so well. The doctors are now talking about putting her on Benlysta (Everything you read about it is followed by “can cause death.”) My question is: Have you found any research that suggests a plant based diet could help Lupus? She is a stubborn woman and I need leverage to make my case. Also, on top of Lupus she has been diagnosed with: Fibromyelgia, Raynauds syndrome, Non alcoholic fatty liver, and IBS.Please please please help me!HI Andria. We have many videos on those topics. Here is a link to Dr. Forrester’s thoughts on Lupus. Just click the health topics above to find links to IBS, non-alcoholic fatty liver, etc. Let me know if any of these links help and if you have additional questions?Sincerely, JosephI always said, we will know who is powerful in this country…the HMOs or GMOs when Obamacare begins…I just wish Keiser Permanente would help us end Gmo’sDr. Greger, Do you have any research on a plant-based diet improving meniere’s disease? Thank you.Hi Kim. I have not come across any. If I do I’ll post here! Thanks.I have two questions regarding materials mentioned in this presentation, and whether or not I can get a copy:At approximately time code 50:44 – update to physicians At approximately time code 52:27 – Kieser (?) brochureAre these available to the public?And by the way, these presentations rock. Style and content are outstanding!Thanks, Chris! Here is a great video explaining the work of Kaiser Permanente – the largest U.S. managed care organization that publishes patient education materials. Kaiser has established a very healthful meal plan/brochure. Lastly, here is a link to a free copy of the paper requested. Thanks for your patience! Let me know if you need anything else?Best, JosephThanks doctor G i think you saved my life!your stuff is great. how about something on marijuana.Dr G, I mean this when I say that you really do God’s work. Your videos are so well done and you really help people understand how simple it is to have great health. I went plant plant based four years ago and have gone through the metamorphis from fat, angry, booze bag, heart attack victim to happy, zen like, ultra endurance athlete. I just went for a 30 mile run to celebrate my 49th birthday. You da bomb.mineralt: Wow! That’s a HUGE turn around. Thanks for sharing your story. I enjoyed your post.	aging,alcohol,alternative medicine,Alzheimer’s disease,American Dietetic Association,animal fat,animal products,animal protein,back pain,bacon,beans,berries,bowel movements,brain disease,brain health,breast cancer,cancer,carcinogens,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,children,China,cholesterol,chronic diseases,Coca-Cola,colon cancer,colon disease,colon health,complementary medicine,constipation,COPD,dairy,dementia,diabetes,DNA damage,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Dr. Dean Ornish,Dr. Neal Barnard,eggs,elderly,Europe,exercise,eye health,fiber,fruit,grains,ham,hamburgers,heart disease,heart health,heavy metals,hot dogs,India,industry influence,Japan,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,Lifestyle medicine,liver disease,liver health,longevity,low-carb diets,lung cancer,meat,medical education,mortality,nuts,oats,obesity,plant-based diets,poultry,preservatives,Pritikin,processed foods,processed meat,rectal cancer,red meat,rheumatoid arthritis,rice,salt,saturated fat,sausage,side effects,smoking,soda,steroids,stress,stroke,trans fats,turkey,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Dr. Greger has scoured the world's scholarly literature on clinical nutrition and developed this new presentation based on the latest in cutting-edge research exploring the role diet may play in preventing, arresting, and even reversing some of our leading causes of death and disability.	Every year I scour the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition, pulling together what I find to be the most interesting, practical, and groundbreaking science on how to best feed ourselves and our families. I start with the 12,000 or so papers published annually on human nutrition and, thanks to a crack team of volunteers (and now staff!), I'm able to whittle those down to about 3,000 studies, which are downloaded, categorized, read, analyzed, and churned into a few hundred short videos. This allows me to post new videos and articles every day, year-round, to NutritionFacts.org. This certainly makes the site unique. There’s no other science-based source for free daily updates on the latest discoveries in nutrition. The problem is that the amount of information can be overwhelming.Currently I have videos covering 1,814 nutrition topics. Where do you even begin? Many have expressed their appreciation for the breadth of material, but asked that I try to distill it into a coherent summary of how best to use diet to prevent and treat chronic disease. I took this feedback to heart and in 2012 developed Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, which explored the role diet may play in preventing, arresting, and even reversing our top 15 killers. Not only did it rise to become one of the Top 10 Most Popular Videos of 2012, it remains my single most viewed video to date, watched over a million times (NutritionFacts.org is now up to more than a million hits a month!).In 2013 I developed the sequel, More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases, in which I explored the role diet could play in treating some of our most common conditions. I've been presenting it around the country over the past year and it ended up #1 on our Top 10 Most Popular Videos of 2013.Now I'm honored to bring you the third of the trilogy, From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food, in which I explore the role of diet in correcting some of our leading causes of disability. To more easily navigate through the menu of diseases, it is also available on DVD through my website or Amazon. If you want to share copies with others, I have a five for $40 special (enter coupon code 5FOR40TTA). All proceeds from the sales of all my books, DVDs, and presentations go to the 501c3 nonprofit charity that keeps NutritionFacts.org free for all, for all time. If you want to support this initiative to educate millions about eradicating dietary diseases, please consider making a donation.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/copd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-neal-barnard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-dietetic-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-carb-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-caldwell-esselstyn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-clots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-2440	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases	For those of you unfamiliar with my work, every year I read through every issue of every English-language nutrition journal in the world-so you don't have to. Every year my presentations are brand-new because every year the science is brand-new.I then compile all the most interesting, the most groundbreaking, the most practical findings and create videos, for my website, NutritionFacts.org.Everything on the website is free. There are no ads, no corporate sponsorship, It's strictly noncommercial; I'm not selling anything. I just put it up as a public service. New videos and articles every day, on the latest in nutritional science.In my annual presentation last year, I ran through the 15 leading causes of death, exploring the latest science on the role diet may play in preventing, arresting, and even reversing the progression of some of our top 15 killers. (Or, if you recall, actually the top 16 killers). Since side-effects from prescription drugs kill an estimated 106,000 Americans a year, the sixth leading cause of death, may actually be, doctors...And that's just from adverse drug reactions. Add in medical mistakes, which the Institute of Medicine estimates kills at least 44,000 Americans every year, and that brings doctors, up to here. Throw in some hospital-acquired infections, and we're talking maybe 187,000 Americans dead every year and millions injured by, medical care.The best way to avoid the adverse effects of medical and surgical tests and treatments is not to avoid doctors, but to avoid getting sick in the first place. So this year I thought I'd run through the top dozen reasons people visit their doctors to highlight some of the latest research in hopes of moving me lower down the list of common killers.The #1 primary disease diagnosis at office visits is a respiratory disease, like the common cold. Most Americans, report between 2 and 3 colds annually. This year, I featured evidence suggesting that simple water gargling, is effective to prevent upper respiratory tract infections. This virtually cost-free modality would appreciably benefit people.But that's the problem: it's "cost-free." Nobody makes any money off it. That's why you've probably never heard of this research. Whenever there's a new drug or surgical procedure, you can be assured people will know about it, because there's a profit motive, a corporate budget driving the promotion. That's why you'll never see an ad on TV for broccoli.Same with exercise-can also improve immunity and decreases illness rates from respiratory infections. We're talking a 25 to 50% reduction in sick days. Name one drug or supplement that can do that.And it doesn't take much. Let kids run around for just 6 minutes and you can boost the number of immune cells in their blood stream by more than a third. In just six minutes!At the other end of the life cycle, exercise may help prevent age-related immune decline. Sedentary women in their 70s have about a 50% chance of getting an upper respiratory illness every fall season, but walk a half-hour a day, you may cut your risk down to 20%. And the runners in the group got it under 10. Looks like, exercise can make our immune system like 5 times more effective.Who wouldn't want a boosted immune system? Well, millions of people suffer from auto-immune diseases, whose immune systems may already be a bit too active, so might a healthy lifestyle make things worse by boosting immune function further? No. Those who eat healthy appear protected from autoimmune diseases, given the extraordinary rarity of most autoimmune diseases among those following a traditional plant-based diet, for example. Before they Westernized their diet, not a single case of multiple sclerosis was diagnosed among 15 million people.What about treating autoimmune diseases with a plant-based diet? Well, even a semi-vegetarian diet was found to successfully treat Crohn's disease, better than any other intervention. The "best result in relapse prevention." And Crohn's is an autoimmune disease, so what about treating MS with diet?The most frequently prescribed drug, for multiple sclerosis is beta interferon, which can make you feel lousy and cost $30,000 a year, but hey--it might be worthwhile if, it actually worked. We learned last year that it does not seem to prevent or delay long-term disability.That leaves chemo drugs like mitoxantrone that causes irreversible heart damage in 1 out of every 8 people who go on the drug and treatment-related acute leukemia-it causes leukemia in nearly 1% of people who take it. But hey, MS is no walk in the park. If only there was a cheap, simple, safe, side-effect free solution that also just so happened to be the most effective treatment for MS ever described.Dr. Roy Swank, who we lost at age 99 was a distinguished neurologist whose research culminated in over 170 scientific papers, but I'll just cut to the chase. He found that "in all probability, MS is caused largely by consumption of saturated animal fat." He thought it was the sludging of the blood caused by even a single meal high in saturated fat that may clog tiny capillaries that feed our nerves. But now we know animal fats can have all sorts of other adverse effects such as inflammation, so who knows what the actual mechanism may be.Regardless, the results Dr. Swank published remain the most effective, treatment of multiple sclerosis ever reported in the peer reviewed medical literature. In patients with early stage MS, 95% were without progression of their disease 34 years later after adopting his low saturated fat dietary program. To date, no medication or invasive procedure has ever even come close, to demonstrating such success. Doesn't cost $30,000 dollars; doesn't give you leukemia-and works, better!Neurological problems are second on the list, but tend to be more common conditions like headaches. Feel free to check out my videos on treating migraine headaches with lavender oil rubbed on the upper lip and hot sauce in the nose for cluster headaches? Believe me, it's better than having cluster headaches.I've talked about both preventing and treating Parkinson's with a plant-based diet, since it's a leading killer, but the most common movement disorder, isn't Parkinson's, it's what's called "essential tremor," affecting 1 in 25 adults over 40 and up to 1 in 5 of those in their 90's making it one of the most common neurological diseases. In addition to the potentially debilitating hand tremor, there can be other neuropsychiatric manifestations of the disease including difficulty walking and various levels of cognitive impairment.What causes it? Well there's group of neurotoxins that produce tremor called beta carboline alkaloids. Harmane is one of the most potent of these tremor-producing neurotoxins. You expose people to these chemicals and they develop a tremor; you take it away, the tremor disappears. What if we're exposed long-term? Well, this recent study found those with essential tremor have much higher levels of this toxin in their bloodstream compared to those without tremor.How did they get exposed to it? Primarily through meat: beef, chicken and pork-and fish actually. So if this potent, tremor-producing neurotoxin, is concentrated, in, cooked muscle foods, is meat consumption associated with a higher risk of essential tremor? Men who ate the most meat in this study had 21 times, the odds of essential tremor. Just to put that in context, you go back to the original studies on smoking and lung cancer, smoking was only linked to at most 14 times the odds not, 21. That's like a 2,000% increase in odds for this disabling brain disease.Next on the list is circulatory, diseases, the number one killer of men and women. Among populations eating plant-based diets, MS, was almost non-existent. What about heart disease?Last year, the International Journal of Epidemiology reprinted this landmark article from the 50's that started out with a shocking statement: "In the African population of Uganda, coronary heart disease is almost non-existent." Our number one cause of death, almost nonexistent? What were they eating? plantains and sweet potatoes, other vegetables, corn, millet, pumpkins, tomatoes and, "green leafy vegetables are taken by all," and their protein almost entirely from plant sources, and they had the cholesterol levels to prove it, similar to modern-day, plant-eaters.Maybe the Africans were just dying early of other diseases and so never lived long enough to have a heart attack? No, here's age-matched heart attack rates in Uganda versus St. Louis. Out of 632 autopsies in Uganda. One, myocardial infarction. Out of 632 Missourans--same age and gender distribution-- 136 myocardial infarctions. More than 100 times the rate of our #1 killer. In fact they were so blown away they did another 800 autopsies in Uganda, and still, just that one small healed infarct (meaning it wasn't even the cause of death) out of 1,427 patients.. Less than 1 in a thousand. Whereas in the U.S. it's an epidemic.This is a list of diseases commonly found here, (and in populations that eat and live like the US) but were rare or even nonexistent in populations eating diets centered around whole plant foods. These are among our most common diseases, like obesity. Hiatal hernia, one of the most common stomach problems, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins, the most common venous disorders, colorectal cancer, the #2 cause of cancer death, Diverticulosis, the #1 disease of the intestine, Appendicitis - the #1 cause for emergency abdominal surgery, Gallbladder disease ñ the #1 cause for nonemergency abdominal surgery, and ischemic heart disease, the commonest cause of death-here, but a rarity in plant-based populations.Heart disease is a choice. It's like cavities... If you look at the teeth of people who lived over 10,000 years before the invention of the toothbrush, they pretty much had no cavities. Didn't brush a day in their lives, never flossed, no Listerine, no water pik... yet no cavities. That's because candy bars hadn't been invented yet. Why do people continue to get cavities when we know they're preventable though diet? Simple. Because the pleasure people derive from dessert may outweigh, the cost and discomfort of the dentist... And that's fine!Look, as long as people understand the consequences of their actions, as a physician what more can I do? If you're an adult and decide the benefits outweigh the risks for you and your family, then go for it-I certainly enjoy the occasional indulgence (I've got a good dental plan). But what if instead of the plaque, on your teeth, we're talking about the plaque building up in your arteries? Another disease that can be prevented, by changing your diet.Then what are the consequences for you and your family? Now we're not just talking about scraping tartar. Now we're talking life, and, death... The most likely reason most of our loved ones will die, is heart disease. It's still up to each of us to make our own decisions as to what to eat and how to live-but we should make our choices consciously, educating ourselves about the predictable consequences of our actions.Atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, begins in childhood. By age 10, the arteries of nearly all kids have fatty streaks-the first stage of the disease. Then the plaques, start forming in our 20s... get worse in our 30s and then can start killing us off. In our hearts, it's a heart attack, in our brains it's a stroke, in our extremities it can mean gangrene, and in our aorta, an aneurism. If there is anyone in this audience... that is older than 10 years of age... then the choice isn't whether or not to eat healthy to prevent heart disease, it's whether or not you want to reverse the heart disease you already have.As Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn proved, you can reverse heart disease with a plant-based diet. But we don't have to wait for our first heart attack to unclog our arteries, we can start reversing our heart disease right now. We can start reversing heart disease in our kids, tonight.How do we do it? According to the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Cardiology this year, the only risk factor required for these atherosclerotic plaques, our #1 killer, is cholesterol. Elevated LDL or "bad" cholesterol in our blood. To drop our LDL cholesterol, we need to drop our intake of three things, trans fat, saturated fat, and dietary cholesterol.Trans fats increase our risk of heart disease, sudden death, and diabetes, and are basically found only one place in nature: animal fat. The food industry, however, found a way to synthetically create, these toxic fats by hardening vegetable oil in a process called hydrogenation, which rearranges their atoms to make them behave more like, animal fats. Currently, nearly half, of America's trans fat intake, comes from animal products.According to the USDA, cheese, milk, yogurt, burgers, chicken fat, turkey meat, bologna, and hot dogs contain up to about 1 to 5 % trans fats naturally. They also found small amounts of trans fats in non-hydrogenated vegetable oils, due to the refining process.Is getting a few percent trans fats a problem, though? The most prestigious scientific body in the United States, the National Academies of Science, concluded that the only safe intake of trans fat is zero, because any incremental increase in trans fatty acid intake increases coronary heart disease risk. Trans fat intake-- irrespective of source-- hydrogenated junk food or animal fat-may increase cardiovascular disease risk.Because trans fats... are unavoidable in ordinary non-vegan diets, getting down to zero percent trans fats would require significant changes in patterns of dietary intake for most Americans. One of the authors of the report, the Director, of Harvard's Cardiovascular Epidemiology Program famously explained why, despite this, they didn't recommend a plant-based diet: "We can't tell people to stop eating all meat and all dairy products," he said. "Well, we could tell people to become, vegetarians," he added. "If we were truly basing this only on science, we would, but it is a bit extreme."Wouldn't want scientists basing anything on science, now would we? No...Avoiding saturated fat, means basically avoiding dairy, chicken, cake and pork. And avoiding cholesterol, means avoiding animal products in general, especially, eggs. The American Egg Board, a promotional marketing board appointed by the U.S. government whose mission, works to increase demand for egg and egg products on behalf of U.S. egg producers. Because the board is overseen by the federal government, if an egg corporation wants to dip into the 10 million dollars the Egg Board sets aside every year for advertising, they're not allowed to break the law with those funds--what a concept. This leads to quite revealing exchanges between egg corporations and the USDA, on what the egg industry can and cannot say about eggs.Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act I was able to get my hands on some of those emails. Do ya wanna see 'em? Of course a lot of what I got looked like this... (entire page filled with censored [redacted] text) "Please note a number of items" about our salmonella crisis module- "any questions?" Or even better entire sheets of paper that literally just said this... That was the whole sheet of paper. Our tax dollars hard at work.But check this out. This is some egg company trying to put out a brochure on healthy snacking for kids. But because of existing laws against false and misleading advertising, the head of the USDA's poultry research and promotion programs reminds them that you can't couch eggs or egg products as being healthy or nutritious... See the words nutritious and healthy carry certain connotations (you know that a food is actually good for you), but because eggs have the amount of cholesterol they do (plus all the saturated fat), the words healthy and nutritious are problematic when it comes to eggs. This is the USDA saying this!Since you can't say eggs are a healthy start to the day, the USDA suggests eggs are a "satisfying" start. Can't call eggs a healthy ingredient, but you can call eggs a "recognizable" ingredient. Can't truthfully say eggs are good for you. By law, the egg industry needs to steer clear of words like "healthy" or "nutritious". ( For a food to be labeled "healthy" under FDA rules, it has to be low in saturated fat-- eggs fail that test-- and less than 90mg of cholesterol per serving-- even half an egg fails that...)Not only is the industry barred from saying eggs are healthy, they can't even refer to eggs as, safe, "all references to safety must be removed." (Remember, this is the USDA talking). Why? because more than a hundred thousand Americans are salmonella-poisoned by eggs, every year.Instead of "safe" you can call eggs, "fresh", the USDA marketing service suggests. But you can't call eggs safe, you cannot say eggs are safe to eat. Can't say they're safe, can't even mention safety. Can't say they're healthful. All "references to healthfulness must be deleted" as well.Wait a second: Not only can eggs not be called healthy, they can't even be called safe? says who... Says the United States Department of Agriculture. (I love the Freedom of Information Act).Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders are next. I always assumed cholesterol drugs were the top class of drugs prescribed, but it's actually pain-killers, for conditions like, fibromyalgia, a syndrome suffered by millions that can be dramatically improved with a variety of plant based diets- in fact, producing some of the "most impressive results," to date.I already covered both diabetes, and, depression, as two of our leading causes of death, last year.Pap smears, for early detection of cervical cancer, are a common reason for a doctor's visit. Cervical cancer is now considered a sexually transmitted disease, caused by a sexually transmitted virus, HPV...Most young women these days contract HPV, but most don't get cervical cancer, because their immune systems are able to clear the virus away. 70% of women clear the infection within 1 year and more than 90% within 2 years-before the virus can cause cancer, (unless your immunocompromised or something).Well if that's the case, maybe those with particularly strong immune systems might clear the virus even faster. That's what may be behind this new study, that found women eating vegetarian also appeared to have significantly lower infection rates with HPV, one of many studies reporting lower risk of HPV infection among those eating plant-based diets.So for example, if you take a bunch of women with cancer causing strains of HPV infecting their cervix, and retest at 3 months, then 9 months-while analyzing their diets, what do you find? Higher levels of vegetable consumption may cut the risk of HPV persistence in half, doubling one's likelihood of clearing this cancer-causing infection. And "higher" levels meant just like 2 or more servings, a day.This may help explain these important new findings this year... Vegan woman, have significantly lower rates, of all female cancers combined, including, cancer of the cervix. So even though it's a virus that's causing the cancer, a healthy diet may still reduce the risk.In the same way fermented pickles, kimchi, and sauerkraut foster the growth of good bacteria by maintaining an acidic environment, so does the... human vagina. The normal pH of one's vagina is that of, tomato juice. Once it starts creeping up to that of coffee though, an overgrowth of bad bacteria can take hold and cause, bacterial vaginosis, which affects an astounding 29% of American women, making it the most frequent cause, of vaginal complaints. It's commonly diagnosed with the so-called whiff test, where the doctor takes a whiff of the vaginal discharge smelling for the characteristic fishy odor.Why's it so common? Well it's thought that "High fat intake, particularly saturated fat-remember-- dairy, chicken, cake and pork-- may increase vaginal pH, thereby increasing the risk of bacterial vaginosis. So now that we know, "The next steps ahead, include sharing these findings with OB/GYNS, and general practitioners, as well as increasing the awareness of the general community to the importance of optimal nutrition, to prevent infections of the genital tract, reduce associated disease, and maintain reproductive health.What might saturated fat do to the reproductive health of men? A recent Harvard study found that increasing saturated fat intake just 5% was associated with a 38% lower, sperm count. But why? I've talked about the role of xenoestrogens, endocrine disrupting industrial pollutants that build up in animal fat, but male fertility is not just about sperm count-the number of sperm, but also how well the sperm cells work. More about that, in my video on Male Fertility and Diet.When it comes to male reproductive health though, here is what doctors hear about the most-- erectile dysfunction is present in up to 30 million men in the U.S. and approximately 100 million men worldwide. Wait a second. The U.S. only has around 5% of the world's population, yet up to 30% of the impotence? We're number 1!...Who cares, though, we've got red white and blue pills, like Viagra. The problem is pills just cover up the symptoms of vascular disease, and don't do anything for the underlying pathology. Erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease can be thought of as two manifestations of the same disease, inflamed, clogged, and crippled arteries.In fact, 40% of men over 40 have erectile dysfunction-- 40 over 40. Placing them at nearly 50 times the risk of having a cardiac event like sudden death, nearly a 5000% increase in risk, leading the latest review to ask is there any risk greater?And we used to think of erectile dysfunction in younger men, in their 20s and 30s, as psychogenic in origin-meaning it's all in their heads. But now were realizing it's more likely the early signs of vascular disease. A man with erectile dysfunction,-(even if they have no cardiac symptoms), should be considered a cardiac patient, until proved otherwise.The reason even young men should care about their cholesterol level is that hardening of the arteries, can lead to softening of the penis, later in life. Your cholesterol level now, can predict your sexual functioning later. Just going to keep eating crap because you can pop some pills? All the Viagra in the world may not help your sex life after a stroke. The take home message, is a simple equation: ED stands for early death. It's survival, of the firmest.The enzyme that Viagra-like drugs muck with is found primarily in two places in the body. The erectile tissue of the penis and the retinas of the eyes. That's why the FDA encourages people: ìto stop taking drugs like Viagra, and call a doctor right away if you experience sudden loss of vision, (if of course you can still find your phone). Which brings up the next group of primary diagnoses, injury and poisoning, which includes adverse drug side-effects.Next comes skin complaints. Any hope for those with cellulite? Check out the video but basically researchers compared a meat-free, egg-free, diet of mostly vegetables, grains, beans, fruits and nuts to the conventional diabetic diet. The veg group lost more weight, even though they were made to eat the exact same number of calories, yet still lost more weight. Lost more waist-got slimmer, lost more cholesterol, more subQ fat, and more belly fat. (And the subcutaneous fat is what makes up cellulite).And those with sensitive skin, should give flax seeds a try.Next up is digestive issues. Though there is an International Prune Association, keeping us all apprised of the latest prune news from around the world, in the U.S., the California prune board successfully pressured the FDA to change the name from prunes to dried plums, which evidently evokes more of a positive, fresh fruit goodness image, in hopes of attracting their target audience, women. (Of course it might help if they actually included one or two on their Board.)The name change was in hopes of "de-emphasizing," its connections to digestive regularity issues. Why sell yourself short, though!? Randomized clinical trial: prunes vs. Metamucil. Nearly 60 million Americans suffer from chronic constipation. Here's the study subjects at baseline. Each dot is a complete spontaneous bowel movement. Note how many people had zero bowel movements-- per week-- at baseline, but (how many had) an average of 1.7 a week, which went up to 3.5 on prunes-- a bowel movement every other day at least. Better than Metamucil. They conclude that dried plums should be considered as a first line therapy for chronic constipation. But if that's what adding one plant can do, what if all you ate, was plants? Off, the charts. Vegans, it turns out, are just regular people.Elsewhere on my website, I also cover other common digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel and chronic indigestion. But what about... cancer?A half million Americans are expected to die this year, from cancer, equal to five jumbo jets crashing every day. The number of Americans who die from cancer each year is more than all those who have died in all US wars combined. And this happens every single year.A tumor cannot grow, though, without a blood supply. Currently, it is believed, that a tumor can't get much bigger than the ball at the tip of a pen, without a blood supply, which indicates that angiogenesis-- angio means vessel, so genesis is the creation of new blood vessels-- is critical to tumor growth.Each one of us has cancer cells in our bodies right now... But they can't grow without getting hooked up to a blood supply. So tumors diabolically release, angiogenic factors, chemicals that cause new blood vessels to sprout into the tumor. The most important one is called V.E.G.F.-- vascular endothelial growth, factor. But we can suppress vegF with Ve- ggies...Many of the phytonutrients we know and love in tea and spices and fruit and berries and broccoli and beans, can block cancer's stimulation of new blood vessels. Given the power of plants, one might speculate that the foundation of an anti-angiogenic approach to cancer might be a whole food. vegan diet.How else can we starve cancer? Forty years ago, a landmark paper was published showing that many human cancers have what's called absolute methionine dependency, meaning "normal cells thrive without the amino acid methionine, but cancer cells need it (and must get it), or they die.What does cancer do with the methionine? Tumors use methionine to generate gaseous sulphur-containing compounds that specially trained diagnostic dogs actually can detect. There are mole sniffing dogs that can pick out skin cancer... There are breath-sniffing dogs that can pick out people with lung cancer... Pee-sniffing dogs that can diagnose bladder cancer.... And yes, you guessed it-- fart-sniffing dogs for colorectal cancer... Doctors can now bring their lab, to the lab.... A whole new meaning to the term, "PET scan..."Chemo companies are fighting to be the first to come out with a methionine-depleting drug, but since methionine is sourced mainly from food, a better strategy may be to lower methionine levels by lowering methionine intake-- eliminating high methionine foods for both cancer growth control, as well as life-span extension.So where is methionine found?... Particularly, in chicken, and fish, milk, red meat, and eggs  (which have less). But if you really want to stick with lower methionine foods, stick with plants--  fruits, nuts, veggies, grains and beans. In other words, "In humans, methionine restriction may be achieved using a predominately vegan diet, making methionine restriction "feasible, as a life extension strategy."So, do people who choose beans live longer? Legumes-- beans, split peas, chickpeas and lentils-- may be the single most important dietary predictor of survival in older people from around the globe, whereas a bean-free diet, may increase the risk of death.It is now eight years since the famous Ornish study was published, suggesting that 12 months on a strictly plant-based diet could reverse the progression of prostate cancer.Wait a second: How were they able to get a group of older men to go vegan for a year? They home delivered prepared meals to their door, figuring, men are so lazy they'll just eat whatever's put in front of them.But what about out in the real world? Realizing that you can't get most men with cancer to eat even a measly five servings of fruits and veggies, researchers settled on just trying to change their A to V ratio, the ratio of animal to vegetable proteins, and indeed were successful in cutting this ratio in half at least, from about 2 to 1 animal to plant to kinda half vegan, 1 to 1.How'd they do? A part-time plant-based diet appeared to slow down cancer progression. What Ornish got though, was an apparent reversal in cancer growth, the cancer biomarker PSA didn't just rise slower, thanks to eating healther, it trended down, which could be an indication of tumor shrinkage. So the ideal animal to plant ratio may be closer to, zero.But if there's just no way, grampa's going vegan, and we just have half-measures, what might be the worst A and the best V? Eggs and poultry, may be the worst, respectively doubling, and potentially quadrupling, the risk of cancer progression. Harvard researchers found eating less than a single egg a day doubles the risk, and eating less than a single serving of chicken or turkey quadruples the risk.And if you could only add one thing to your diet? Cruciferous vegetables. Less than a single serving a day of either broccoli or Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower or kale may cut the risk of cancer progression more than half. A similar result was found for breast cancer survivors-- less than a single serving a day may cut the risk in half of the cancer coming back.This Women's Healthy Eating and Living Study was undertaken in three thousand breast cancer survivors to determine whether a plant- based, low-fat, high-fiber diet could influence breast cancer recurrence rates and survival.Imagine, you have been diagnosed with breast cancer. In fact an estrogen receptor negative tumor, which normally means, twice the death rate... Unless, you eat five servings of fruits and veggies a day, and walk 30 minutes, 6 days a week. The "high" vegetable, fruit and physical activity should really be in quotes-- I mean you could eat 5 servings in a single meal and certainly walk more than like 2 miles a day.But imagine, for a second, you have just been diagnosed. Imagine sitting in that chair, in the doctor's office, as your doctor breaks the news. Imagine how you'd feel, at that moment. Let it sink in. But your doctor says there's also a new experimental treatment that can cut your chances of dying in the next few years from over 16%, down to just 4%. To quadruple their survival rate many women would re-mortgage their homes to fly to some quack clinic in Mexico, would lose all their hair to chemo, but most, apparently, couldn't stand the thought, of eating broccoli, and cutting down on meat....Maybe someone should start cooking meals, for the women too!The only reason Ornish and colleagues could get away with treating (prostate) cancer with a vegan diet alone, with no chemo, surgery or radiation, is because prostate's such a slow growing cancer that patients with early disease can be placed in a holding pattern. So if you're not going to do anything but watch-and-wait, might as well test out a dietary intervention. Are there other cancers like that we can try plants on?Esophageal cancer, for example... which is not the cancer to get. Most die within months of diagnosis, but the development of esophageal cancer is a multistage process. You start out with a normal esophagus, (the tube that connects you mouth to your stomach). Starts out fine...... then precancerous changes start to take place, then localized cancer starts to grow, then eventually it spreads, and you die.Because of the well-defined, stepwise progression of the cancer, researchers jumped on it as a way to test the ability of berries-- the healthiest of fruits-- to reverse this process. A randomized Phase Two clinical trial of powdered strawberries. Six months eating the equivalent of a pound of fresh strawberries a day, and the progression of disease was reversed in 80% of the patients.At the beginning of the study, none, had a normal esophagus. But by the end of the study, most lesions either regressed from moderate to mild, or disappeared, completely. From moderate, to mild...... Or from mild, to gone. By the end of the study half of those on the high dose strawberry treatment walked away disease free. 52.7%, cured.A drop in tumor markers: before, and after. All because of just, strawberries. Cellular proliferation before, and none after strawberry treatment. Same story with black raspberries and oral cancer: most of the patients' lesions improved, including complete clinical regression. Now you see it; now you don't. A turning back on, of tumor suppressor genes. So even though it may have been something like tobacco that caused the cancer, diet may still affect progression. But this kind of treasure remains "berried"-- no pun intended-because nobody profits. Nobody, that is, except the hundreds of thousands of people that (otherwise would) die every year from these horrific cancers.And finally, infections. After the common cold, the most common infection is of the urinary tract. We've known for decades that it's bacteria creeping up from the rectum that cause bladder infections, but only recently did we figure out where that rectal reservoir of bladder-infecting E.coli was coming from, chicken. We now have "proof of a direct link" between farm animals, meat, and bladder infections, solid evidence that urinary tract infections can be a zoonosis, that is, bladder infections as an animal-to-human disease. The best way to prevent bladder infections is the same way you best prevent any type of infections, by not getting infected in the first place.Can't you just use a meat thermometer and cook the chicken thoroughly? No, because of cross-contamination. We've known for decades that if you give someone a frozen chicken to prepare and cook in their own kitchen as they normally would, a multitude of antibiotic resistant E. coli jump from the chicken into the gut of the volunteer-even before eating it! This jump happens after the bird is prepared, but before any meat was eaten. So not only did it not matter how well the chicken was cooked, it doesn't even matter if you eat any! It's bringing it into the home and handling it. Within days, the drug resistant chicken bacteria had multiplied to the point of becoming a major part, of the person's gut flora. The chicken bacteria was taking over.What if you're really careful in the kitchen, though? "The effectiveness of hygiene procedures for prevention of cross-contamination from chicken carcasses in the domestic kitchen." They went into five dozen homes, gave them each a chicken and asked them to cook it. After they were done cooking, there was bacteria from chicken feces (salmonella, campylobacter-- both serious human pathogens) everywhere. On the cutting board, utensils, on their hands, on the fridge handle, cupboard, oven handle doorknob. But this was before, they cleaned up.What about after cleaning? Still, pathogenic fecal bacterial everywhere. And this was just regular retail chicken bought at the store. The researchers didn't like innoculate the birds with bacteria-- they came pre-packaged with pathogens. Obviously people don't know what they're doing in the kitchen so, they took another group of people and gave them specific instructions. After you cook the chicken you have to wash everything with hot water and detergent, they were told specifically: wash the cutting board, knobs on the sink, the faucet, the fridge, the doorknobs, everything. Ok, and, the researchers still found disease-causing fecal matter chicken bugs everywhere.Fine. Last group. This time they were going to insist that people bleach everything. The dishcloth, immersed in bleach disinfectant and then they spray the bleach on all those surfaces. Let the bleach disinfectant sit there for 5 minutes. And... still they found campylobacter and salmonella on some utensils, a dishcloth, the counter around the sink and the cupboard. Definitely better, but still. Unless our kitchen is like some biohazard lab, the only way to guarantee we're not going to leave infection around the kitchen, is to not bring it into the house in the first place.The good news, is that it's not like you eat chicken once and you're colonized for life. In this study the chicken bacteria only seemed to last about ten days, before our good bacteria was able to muscle it out of the way. The problem is that most families eat chicken more than once every ten days so they may be constantly re-introducing these chicken bugs into their systems.Anyways, there we have it, the top dozen reasons people seek medical care-- mostly, for diseases, that could have been prevented. And then, rather than treating the underlying causes of the disease, typically, doctors treat risk factors for disease such as giving a lifetime's worth of medications to lower high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. But think about it. High blood pressure is just a symptom of diseased dysfunctional arteries. Yes, you can artificially lower blood pressure with drugs, but that's not treating the root cause. Disregarding the underlying causes and treating only risk factors is somewhat like mopping up the floor around an over-flowing sink instead of just turning off the faucet. But drug companies are more than happy to sell people a new roll of paper towels, every day, for the rest of their lives...When the underlying lifestyle causes are addressed, patients often are able to stop taking medication or avoid surgery. We spend billions cracking people's chests open, but only rarely does it actually prolong anyone's life. In contrast, how about wiping out at least 90% of heart disease? Think about it... Heart disease accounts for more premature deaths than any other illness and is almost completely preventable by simply changing diet and lifestyle. And those same changes can prevent or reverse many other chronic diseases as well-the same dietary changes! So why don't more doctors do it?Well, one reason is doctors don't get paid for it. No one profits from lifestyle medicine, so it is not part of medical education or practice. Presently, physicians lack training and financial incentives. So they continue to do what they know how to do: prescribe medication and perform surgery.After Dean Ornish proved you could reverse our #1 cause of death heart disease, open up arteries without drugs, without surgery, just with a plant-based diet and other healthy changes, he thought that his studies would have a meaningful effect, on the practice of mainstream cardiology. After all, a cure for our #1 killler? But, he admits, he was mistaken. He realized physician reimbursement is a much more powerful determinant of medical practice than research.Reimbursement over research. Not a very flattering portrayal of the healing profession. But hey, if docs won't do it without getting paid, let's get them paid. So, Dr. Ornish went to Washington arguing that look, "If we train and pay for doctors to learn how to help patients address the real causes of disease with lifestyle medicine and not just treat disease risk-factors, we could save trillions-and that's just talking heart disease, diabetes, prostate and breast cancer.The "Take Back Your Health Act" was introduced in the U.S. Senate in 2009 to induce doctors to learn and practice lifestyle medicine not only because it works better, but-- and here's the critical factor-- physicians will be paid to do it. The bill died, just like millions of Americans will continue to do with reversible chronic diseases.We have known for at least a decade that the leading causes of both premature death and persistent misery in our society are chronic diseases. These diseases are attributable to the use of our feet (exercise), forks (diet) and fingers (smoking). Feet, forks, and fingers are the master levels of medical destiny for not just thousands of people on any one occasion like a tsunami or earthquake but the medical destiny of millions upon millions year after year.We as doctors, as a medical profession have known all this-- Ornish published 23 years ago. But, we have "not managed to care"... writes the Director of Yale University's Prevention-Research-Center. At least, not care deeply enough to turn what we know into what we routinely do. Were we to do so, we might be able to eliminate most heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and cancer.But saving millions of lives is just a number. He asks doctors to forget the bland statistics of public health, and ask yourself if you love someone, who has suffered a heart attack, stroke, cancer, or diabetes. Now imagine their faces, whisper their names... Recall what it felt like, to get the news. And while you're at it, imagine the faces of others like you and me, imagining beloved faces-look around the room.Now imagine if eight out of ten of us wistfully reflecting on intimate love and loss, on personal ... never got that dreadful news. Because it never, happened. Mom did not get cancer; dad did not have a heart attack; grandpa didn't have a stroke; sister, brother, aunt, and uncle did not lose a limb or kidney or eyes to diabetes.We are all intimately linked, in a network of personal tragedy, that need never have occurred.Which leads to what he is asking doctors to do about it-- to put a face on public health every chance you get. When talking about heart disease and its prevention-- or cancer or diabetes-- ask your audience to see in their mind's eye the face of a loved one affected by that condition. Then imagine that loved one among the 80% who need never have succumbed if what we knew as doctors were what we do.	Fantastic presentation Dr. Greger! I enjoy your daily 3 minute videos, and this hour long wrap up puts the big picture into place. I hope you can do more of them.I’m afraid once a year is about all I’m able to crank out of the hour-long summaries, btu I’m so glad you found it useful!I echo the appreciation for your work Dr. Greger.hi my grandmother is in da hospital for cancer and its all over when god pull her through dis wat cant she take toget betterHelloOutstanding! I am sharing this video, as I usually to, with my clients. Thank you once again for your work and your never ending humor. Best Audrey PellicanoThank you so much for sharing. That’s the reason my work is able to touch so many lives and so I can’t thank you enough.Has it already been a year! Time flies when you are having fun saving lives. I didn’t think you could top “Uprooting the leading causes of death” but you did, and I am grateful for it!Wow, that is high praise coming from you. I’m still not sure which one I like better. Uprooting was funnier, but I was hoping this one packed more of a punch.You are too kind! Anyway I like them both and yes Uprooting was funnier but I liked this time how you talked about “The Medical System” and that it is only for profit and their care is based on reimbursement! I think it is such an important point to put out there that I explain it at nearly every patient visit to show how the “sickness care system” works. It has been my experience that it helps get patients on board when they realize that the current system is about quantity of Patient visits, not quality of their care.Great job! If it wasn’t for you my job would be tremendously more difficult–and boring too. :-)I really love the emphasis on the harm done by the medical system and the emphasis on the real solutions. We watch the nightly news and every time they cover some “new technological breakthrough” for some “age related disease”, I end up going on quite a rant during the commercials.One of the last reports was about inserting tiny telescopes into people’s eyeballs for “age related” macular degeneration! Can you believe it?!Or when they talk about lack of access to “health”care being the reason for higher disease and death rates among certain demographics. Not the problem people!Your message is so important.To paraphrase Dwight Eisenhower – Beware the medical industrial complex.You bet I can believe the need for solutions to preserve at least some vision for people with age related macular degeneration. Do you want to give up your sight? Cover your eyes for a week and see how your work and home lives change!Hi Jennae, I don’t disagree with the development of treatments for disease; I am a cancer researcher and while I much prefer broccoli and berries for cancer prevention, if a loved one were diagnosed, I wouldn’t suggest only broccoli and berries. I would want them to get the traditional treatments as well.So my issue isn’t with r&d itself. My comment was a critique of both the media and the healthcare industry regarding specifically 1) the exclusion of the mountain of information we have regarding disease prevention and treatment through nutrition, and 2) continuing to label largely preventable diseases as “age-related” so that people can be sold first the idea that they are inevitable and incurable, and subsequently the treatments for them.I agree but I wouldn’t let the R & D industry off the hook either. We have talented researchers but they have to have funding to make a living. For those who have followed Dr. Greger’s work over the years you will notice that most of the good studies on primary and secondary prevention are coming out of Europe. I worked as a Chemical Engineer for two years at NIH before doing my clinical rotations in medical school. The number of institutes have grown over the years but there is not one devoted to the primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease. The US R & D industry needs a shift in focus which will only occur is the funding changes. The Hematology/Oncology specialty has done an excellent job at doing multi institutional studies to help determine the best treatments for cancer. We do need conventional therapy for cancers. I recommend that folks with cancers read Keith Block’s book, Life Beyond Cancer, for information about integrative cancer therapy. Some of the information is outdated but it gives good information for patients to work with their physicians.I understand the ranking of medicine as the third leading cause of death which was first pointed out in 2002. The numbers were based on extrapolations from studies in the state of Colorado and NY if my memory serves me correct. Unfortunately if we hold medicine accountable for not exposing our patients to the best science and developing systems that support the best choices you can make a credible case that we are the leading cause of death. Not to say we haven’t developed good drugs and procedures that are responsible for remarkable success stories. Health care professionals in my experience are hardworking and are trying to do the right things but they are trapped in a system which is dysfunctional by design.Uprooting was fantastically funny and informativeThank you so much! I really enjoyed the “Fun with FOIA” section from 17:45-25:30! As a government employee (currently enjoying my furlough day – the 20% pay cut not so much!), I am a big fan of the Freedom of Information Act. It keeps government clean and accountable – just like you do for food and pharmaceuticals. Thank you so much for your terrific work! Off to contribute to support your research and videos (furlough or no furlough!)Isn’t that just incredible? I’m with you–three cheers for transparency!Wahooo!! It’s like Christmas in July! Can’t wait to get home tonight to watch the whole thing!I’m so glad! Let me know what you think…Fantastic! Because of my research background I have this mental disease where I am unable to listen to, absorb, or share any information without primary sources (reviews are ok too). Because of that you just might be my favorite plant based doc! Neal Barnard is probably running a close second, especially after I learned he once adopted a rescue rat. Points for adorableness, it might not be fair, but it is what it is.Now commencing the spamming of family and friends! :DYou are the doctor of doctors !Dr. Greger- It’s a health and wellness FACT- you are saving lives, one 3 minute daily video at a time! THANK YOU for this hour of life giving information!Epic, Dr. Greger. Just epic. Any chance at having this video required viewing by everyone who takes office in D.C. and every medical student upon admission…and once again at graduation?This video is amazing. I needed this for a final push to get healthy. Do you recommend any books to read to help someone lead a vegan life? Thank you!The 21 day kickstart is a great place to start: http://www.21daykickstart.orgHeidi, also check out Dr. Esselystyn’s Prevent-Reverse Heart Disease book. You do NOT have to have heart disease to benefit.http://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002Also, the Fork and Knives video is very good.Neal Barnard, John McDougall, and Joel Furhman all have great books as well. If you read them all you’ll get slightly different perspectives on adopting a plant based diet, even though about 95% of what they say is the same. But for some people the emphasis on certain foods, or a lack of emphasis on any type of food, by one particular physician/researcher is easier or more enjoyable.Also Jeff Novick doesn’t have any books I believe, but his website is a great resource. He’s really good at breaking things down in terms of the math behind nutrition.Caldwell Esselstyn’s book (Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease) has easy, QUICK, delicious recipes. If you are into hearty, foods, you might go for Rip Esselstyn’s books (The Engine 2 Diet, and My Beef With Beef). I like Dr. Fuhrman’s books as well. If you are into cooking, try Isa Chandra Moskowitz’ Appetite for ReductionI love your videos. Between you and Dr Soram you have changed my life and my family! No more dairy, meat junk or processed foods. Lost 45 Lbs and feel great! All of your videos are fantastic! The best of all is your humor! This last video was great!Can someone please make a transcription of this great video? ThanksI second that request!!Wow. Dr. Greger, thank you so much. You always teach me so much, you always make me laugh, this time you made me cry (at the end of the video). You are still me hero : )LizzieGlad you’re touching on the methionine and cancer story (@ 38:20 in the video) here and and presumably in a future video. The methionine/cysteine ratio of proteins rather neatly explains why in TC Campbell’s work the milk protein casein (Met/Cys 7.7) was a potent cancer promoter, while soy protein (Met/Cys 1.2) was much less effective, as pointed out in this ambitiously titled short paper.And the animal protein with the lowest methionine/cysteine ratio? Human breast milk, at Met/Cys 0.8.I came across the whole methionine restriction story when following up some reading on calorie restriction. Who knew replacing high methionine meat with beans could account for about half the benefit of 40% calorie restriction diets.Wow, Darryl. It’s rare that someone points out a paper I’ve never seen before, but you did it! I’ve added it to my reading list. Thank you so much for the tip!Excellent message, Darryl. Thank you for taking the time to post this info on the methionine : cysteine ratio. I too had read about methionine while doing research about CR, but was unaware of this potential relationship with cysteine. And thanks to Dr Greger for bringing up the subject of methionine. I will likely owe the good doctor several years of my life, thanks to his efforts to promote a vegan, whole-foods diet.Dr. William Harris converted the USDA nutrient database into an easily sorted Excel spreadsheet, available here. I calculated some averages from all foods with greater than 1% protein by weight:Animal foods: methionine/total protein 2.58% methionine/cysteine 2.35Plant foods: methionine/total protein 1.39% methionine/cysteine 1.26Thanks for sharing the William Harris database…looks like an amazing resource for vegans!Now I don’t feel so bad about missing Summerfest this year. You are the highlight of the event in my opinion anyway. Well, you and…the food. Hahahaha!Fantastic – please can you get your video’s translated into other languages? ie Spanish xThank you Dr. Greger!!! You are one of reasons while I adopted a plant-based diet and continue to educate people about plants! Thank you for being standing up for us all!Absolutely fantastic video! I’ve been waiting for this and once again Dr. Greger exceeds all expectations! Nutritional yeast, mushrooms and flaxseeds have suddenly been added to or increased in my menu. And if at all possible, I’m going to be even more obnoxious about whole food plant based eating, since clearly friends don’t let friends eat meat!“friends don’t let friends eat meat!”I like that… :-)You cracked me up! Thanks for all your posts on this site.Don’t be too obscene, maybe we should start spelling it m3@t or me*t. LOL.As an additional comment:I think that you may be letting non-vegan accidents (attributable to the parasites in meat) off the hook: According to Flegr men testing positive to T. gondi antibodies (from eating undercooked lamb) have subtle behavioral differences, e.g., reflex impairment (supposedly manifested in double the car crash rates in statistical surveys of military personnel) and strangely an affinity for women with cats. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/ In the life cycle of the parasite it infects rats who then lose their fear of wide open spaces, lose reflex time and develop a sexual arousal for cat urine (where normal rats have extreme trepidation), increasing the chances of being eaten by a cat to complete its life cycle. People blame cats for T Gondi, but the infection is more commonly acquired by undercooked meat consumption as Dr. Greger notes in another video where I have cross-posted. Although Flegr thinks the infection rate is quite high, if as few as just 10% are infected you could essentially hold meat consumption responsible for 10-20% (10% per normal plus 10% more) of car crashes; and if the statistic holds to other accidents, at least a portion of non-transportation related accidents. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3287140/Simply awesome, Dr. Greger! I too loved the humor as well as the content. This is very powerful information. Thanks for giving us another nice, big video.I think that video after video, Dear Doctor Greger you will change the life of thousands of men and women… Thanks for the great work you did!!Loved your energetic, humorous, and informative lecture at the Vegetarian Summerfest this year!!I love the video! I have just one question….what about just egg whites (omitting the yolk)? Are there still harmful components in the white…or is it mainly concentrated in the yolk?PS: On the topic of egg whites, Dr. Barnard wrote in his book on preventing and reversing diabetes, p. 49:“There are just two problems with eggs: the yolk and the white. The yolk is where cholesterol lurks, with 213 milligrams in a single yolk. That’s more than in an 8-ounce steak.The yolk also holds the fat, about 5 grams per egg.Egg white has problems of its own, since it is essentially pure animal protein. As you know by now, animal protein can present problems for your kidneys, and you are better off with plant protein.… Like all animal products, eggs have no fiber at all and no complex carbohydrate.”We know from here on Dr. Greger’s site and from Dr. Campbell’s book on The China Study, that animal protein has other problems than just affecting kidneys. There’s that IGF-1 boost which might be linked to cancer, etc.Also, to be complete, I’ll copy what Toxins has wrote in the past about egg whites. (Toxins is a frequent, and very knowledgable poster on NutritionFacts. I waited to see if he/she would answer you questions. Since that didn’t happen, I assume it is OK to repeat the text below as long as I give credit.)——————————– From Toxins: Here is some evidence of a major component of egg whites, Methionine, possibly causing human harm.1. Egg whites are high in the amino Acid Methionine. Rice has 14 times less of this amino acid and beans 7 time less. When one consumes Methionine in a large quantity (like that found in egg whites), it is broken down into sulfuric compounds. these sulfuric compounds are buffered by the calcium of the bones. the result, over time, is osteoporosis and kidney stones. http://www.vivalis.si/literatu…2. Cancer cell metabolism is dependent upon methionine being present in the diet; whereas normal cells can grow on a methionine-free diet feeding off other sulfur-containing amino acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu…3. Insulin like growth factor is raised significantly by Methionine. raised levels of IGF-1 = accelerated aging/tumor promotion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org…4. Sulfur from Methionine is known to be toxic to the tissues of the intestine, and to have harmful effects on the human colon, even at low levels, possibly causing ulcerative colitis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org…It seems the weight of evidence for even moderate use of eggs and egg whites is harmful despite what nutrients may be present. ———————- Hope that helps!Dr. Greger keeps piling on to the list of meat baddies and MIA’s. Woe to the simple enquirer asking why we don’t eat it; with harmane and methionine from the most excellent video here I have: parasites, live pathogens (including antibiotic-resistant strains), endotoxins (dead pathogens), saturated fat, trans fats (2-5% of fats in meat and dairy [and also in refined oils]), cholesterol, TMAO (inflammatory metabolite of choline/carnitine via the gut microbiota of regular meat eaters), harmane (essential tremorigenic), methionine, Neu5Gc (inflammatory red meat sugar), heme iron, nitrites, PAH’s and other cooked meat carcinogens (e.g., PhIP), putrescein (fish), added hormones, natural hormones (milk!), antiobiotics, IGF-1, concentrated environmental toxins (PCB’s, dioxin, mercury, cadmium, etc.). The MIA’s include fiber, prebiotics, phytonutrients!!!, potassium, nitrates . . . Really, how much more of this can decent society possibly take before the paradigm shifts?Great synopsis! This should be put on business cards to hand out when people ask.Poultry is a mainstay in my diet, yet hearing about the viral, antibiotic, fattening, bacterial, and other issues begs the question, “is poultry safe at any speed?” Specifically, which killers and sickeners will remain, if any, preparing chicken stock in an autoclave at 250 C, and discarding the fats and solids? (I’ve listened to your last two annual talks plus dozens of others today, so this question may seem a bit off topic.)Can I flip the question on you? Could you tell what exactly it is about the chicken stock that makes you want it enough that you would risk so much in terms of your health, not to mention go through the effort and cost of preparing it? (taste? some health benefit you believe it provides?) I ask because I get a powdered “chicken” flavor stock, which is composed entirely of dehydrated vegetables and herbs from my co-op, it tastes great, and all I have to do is add a tablespoon of it to each cup of water. If you prefer making your own stock from scratch, I’m sure you could find the proportions of herbs and veggies to get the same flavor to make it at home.I’ve been cooking most of my meals from scratch since about 1971 so effort and cost will be different to me. My question attempts to get at what ‘risk so much’ means under these cooking conditions. The result of a near complete flavor extraction of leeks, carrots, celery, and chicken for several hours with no vapor loss cannot be duplicated any other way, literally (plus the browning reaction occurs). 250 C for 2 hours eliminates bacteria & viruses, fats are completely rendered, and I don’t have a clue what happens to drugs under those conditions (plus who knows what else I’m missing). My kitchen is populated with a cooled centrifuge, precision water baths, high powered ultrasound, freezer that can reach minus 85 C and lots of other exotica I use to discover flavors, colors, and textures. Discovering ‘minimizing the baddies’ will be fun too.Regarding live bacteria, cooking and consumption is not the issue, it’s the preparation, so I would stock up on bleach. The study from this video didn’t discuss oncogenic viruses but I imagine those will be lurking around the kitchen as well. Regarding endotoxins, of course those are simply toxins, so they can not be killed. You will still have those as well. Regarding every other toxic substance present in a chicken… if you want to know what exactly happens to each one at particular temperatures (of course heat leads to the formation of additional toxins) I think you will have to do those experiments yourself. You don’t happen to have an nmr or a mass spec in the basement do you? I think for most the answer and alternative is just too simple: eat chickpeas instead :)My secret to making vegetable stock as richly flavored as chicken stock? Marmite (though residents of the nether regions of the world can substitute Vegemite). These autolyzed yeast extracts (which you’ve undoubtedly seen in ingredient listings) contribute free glutamate, which is the savory flavor the Japanese call umani, the same chemical present in chicken stock.Pressure cooking vegeble stocks also helps developing rich flavors with shorter cooking times and less energy use. I fill my pressure cooker about a third full with a mix of coarsely chopped onions, carrots, celery, garlic and a potato, sauté in just enough oil for about 15 minutes. Then I add some parsley, and some black peppercorns and thyme from the window-pot, and anything from the vegetable compartment about to turn but unlikely to impart a bitter flavor and the pièce de résistance, about a Tbsp of yeast extract spread per every 3 quarts. I fill nearly to the top and cook at pressure for 45 minutes and natural pressure release. Adjust seasoning and strain through mesh, freeze in icecube trays, and I’m set for stock for a month.My secret to making vegetable stock as richly flavored as chicken stock? Marmite (though residents of the nether regions of the world can substitute Vegemite). These autolyzed yeast extracts (which you’ve undoubtedly seen in ingredient listings) contribute free glutamate, which is the savory flavor the Japanese call umani, the same chemical present in chicken stock.Pressure cooking vegeble stocks also helps developing rich flavors with shorter cooking times and less energy use. I fill my pressure cooker about a third full with a mix of coarsely chopped onions, carrots, celery, garlic and a potato, sauté in just enough oil for about 15 minutes. Then I add some parsley, and some black peppercorns and thyme from the window-pot, and anything from the vegetable compartment about to turn but unlikely to impart a bitter flavor and the pièce de résistance, about a Tbsp of yeast extract spread per every 3 quarts. I fill nearly to the top and cook at pressure for 45 minutes and natural pressure release. Adjust seasoning and strain through mesh, freeze in icecube trays, and I’m set for stock for a month.Always looking for new product and Marmite looks intriguing (rich history plus rich flavor). It’s on my shopping list. Umami flavor derives from glutamate(s) like salty does from salt(s) and sweet from sugar(s), etc.I am an omnivore considering becoming a semi-vegetarian so my newly discovered umami superfood, Red Boat fish sauce, will probably continue in my pantry.My question attempts to discover what will remain after super heating (at least by kitchen standards) chicken. Liquid temperature of 250 C isn’t trivial in the kitchen inducing the Maillard reaction (browning) and possible protein denaturing, etc. that won’t happen in a pressure cooker. Hygiene and cross contamination aside, biological agents other than prions deactivate.What happens to organic undesirables like added hormones and antibiotics; do new and bad chemical species appear; do fat-soluble compounds follow the bones and fat into the trash; can I ameliorate the undesirables in poultry knowing poultry has problems and will stay in my diet nonetheless?By way of background, I was conceived of lucky sperm and have a waist/height ratio of 31/70; BMI hovering between 20 and 21 for 43 years; total lipids less than 165 mg/dl; blood pressure 128/70; eyes OK; hearing better; etc – all while never, ever giving a second thought to limiting my diet by anything other than what pleases me. Freakish to be sure, and greatly tempered by no attraction to fast or processed foods over time.Dr. Greger convincingly makes the case for veganism considering health alone, so cutting back thoughtfully (by say 90%) on meat products is worthwhile. Culinary pleasure is also a consideration for many, including me. Dying with a rib bone in my mouth is a possibility I accept without regret. I hope to discover my personal balance and maybe share solutions with others not yet fully enamored of the plant/fungus-only diet, and hoping to find yet more answers through Dr. Greger’s universe.Whilst trying to work today in the doctor’s office, I couldn’t help overhearing my colleagues (surgeons in fact) scoffing at vegetarians “What do I care if my chicken was grown in a cage? It exists to feed me!”, ” When I’m out with a pious vegetarian I like to order the meatiest thing on the menu just to wind them up!” – I think the UK is even further behind than the US when it comes to the medical profession’s awareness of advances in preventative medicine – and we have a national health service! I quote you Dr Greger to them on a daily basis and it raises a lot of eyebrows I can tell you!That’s great that you’re raising those eyebrows! Especially given the environment you’ve described. It’s amazing how much effort some people will put into trying to offend a vegan isn’t it? Really speaks volumes about them (and their subconscious discomfort with their own diet I think).Oh yes. People want to hear good things about their bad habits :)You are so entertaining and informative. You are truly a gem. We are so lucky to have found you!Thank you Dr. Greger! The Philippines would be so much healthier if doctors and health educators here would just watch and listen to your videos (and apply the things they learn of course…). I am definitely sharing this info to my patients and my colleagues! Can’t wait to meet you in person this October for the Lifestyle Medicine conference in Washington D.C. God bless!Thank you so much. You are a great human being.Wow, wonderful vid! I’m sharing with lots of people, God bless.I loved this video and your last one too. Thank you for explaining so well what our diet does to us.Excellent. Your best annual summary yet IMO. Love the humor – has it been “banned in Boston”? I’ll be sharing this far and wide. Thank you another informative and fun video.You may never see an advertisement for broccoli itself. But there are many ads for vegetables on TV. And contrary to Dr Greger’s statement here, broccoli is grown for a profit. Its farmers, distributors, and grocery vendors are all for-profit businesses, and there are profits in broccoli.Most reasonable people are not going to interpret Dr. Greger’s statement as saying “absolutely $0.00 in profits are made from broccoli and absolutely $0.00 is spent on advertising it”.We’re talking about the numbers spent on advertising vegetables, compared to the numbers spent on meat, dairy, and eggs. If you compare these you will see that in the context of overall spending, the amount spent on broccoli and other vegetables is essentially negligible.Certainly the profits from broccoli could be increased if more people bought it, but more people won’t buy it, because currently the advertising dollars are overwhelmingly dominated by meat, dairy and eggs, with those advertisers desperately trying to insinuate that their products are “healthy and nutritious”.And if people ate more broccoli instead of animal foods, not only would the meat, dairy, and egg industries suffer a loss, but the medical establishment as it now stands (based on pills and procedures), medical supplies distributors, and pharmaceutical companies would suffer as well. So the profits made from broccoli are also negligible compared to profits associated with the unhealthy foods Dr. Greger is discussing.Wow, this was amazing! I think this was funnier than last year’s lecture (or at least definitely had more puns). I love the great work you do to educate people about this. Understanding the science behind how nutrition works is important, but its also important to understand who profits from having a system that goes against all knowledge and logic. . And a video showing how disfunctional the medical industry is demonstrates this perfectly, as do the egg industry’s exchanges wohh the USDA.. thank you so much for bringing this priceless information to us in such an understandable way!Very good presentation! Thanks again for this excellent learning resource.This was a fantastic and informative presentation. can I buy a DVD and screen it publicly? Uprooting The Cause of Death was popular at a recent movie nightHeidi: Here’s the link for buying this latest DVD (plus others!):http://www.drgreger.org/DVDs/Incredible message. I lost my wife of 42 years to esophageal cancer this May. I wish I had known what to do for her 2 1/2 years ago when she was first diagnosed. She may have survived. I am just finishing paying the over 10K EUR in hospital bills, for hospital care that was meant to be helpful, healing, but only caused her more pain and agony during the operations, radiation, chemo, and medications that she took daily. I miss her terribly. Please keep doing what you are doing, Dr. Greger. Thank you,Rick SidleyAs always, your video is interesting, informative, and cleverly funny. I plan to share it on my blog, like I do with many of your shorts.ThanksI absolutely loved this video! (and all of your programs!) Thanks to you and Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and Victoria Moran, I am having a blast in my first year as a full fledged vegan…Ann: Thanks for mentioning Victoria Moran. I was aware of the other people you mentioned, but I hadn’t heard of Victoria before. I checked her out a bit and like what I saw.If you find yourself wanting more inspiration at some point, you may want to check out Dr. Barnard’s work and the stuff over at PCRM (Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine).———————–I hope the rest of your first year and many years to come continue to be a blast! What a great attitude. Thanks for sharing it.Those last 2-3 minutes are POWERFUL!That is what I’m trying to get my family to understand – it pains me to think of my ‘getting older’ parents suffering from heart disease, cancer, etc. – but they’re dancing with the devil, and I’m going to be the one to have to sit by and watch when all I can think about is how EASY and SIMPLE and CHEAP it is to prevent in the first place! I’m healthy, 31 years old, eat a whole food, plant-based diet, get regular exercise, and have a positive outlook on life. I am ECSTATIC about the long, healthy, happy life I have ahead of me! It is so empowering to be in control of my destiny.Fantastic lecture, Dr. Greger. I really enjoyed watching it – thanks for putting it together and sharing with everyone!I really enjoyed this talk!!! Thank you for every effort you are making in order to bring this knowledge to surface so it can be available to all! As a newly graduated nurse practitioner, I could not believe we had no training on nutrition. So I took a 12 weeks nutrition program and became vegan 4 months ago. I did it for my own health, for my patients’ health, for animal ethics and environmental sustainability. Keep up the great work and humor! :)Thank you for this video. I wish the world had more doctors like you, ones who illuminate and empower people to better themselves, rather than relying on faceless meat/dairy and drug companies to tell them how to be “healthy.”this is fantastic!!!!Dr. Greger you are the king.Your presentation is so good… I think you are so blessed because when you speak on those subjects many negative feelings of many people just disappears.When i speak on those subjects i get a full range of negative ideas. (and my profession is to speak so … wow… you are so great)I would like to ask you about been a semi-vegan. like eating a meat once a month. i am a 100% vegan for almost a month and i read in your website that this require eating supplements.Please please tell me what you think about that? this is a real subject that need to be address i think :)So fantastic that you’re cleaning up your diet! I do recommmend that you start taking vitamin B12 supplements. This video: Safest Source of B12 and this blog Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It Into Perspective describe in more detail. So glad I can help!In health, Michaelshahar klamka: Just in case Dr. Greger doesn’t have time to reply, I have some thoughts I hope will be helpful to you. I’ll share in 2 parts.Part 1: I believe your first question is one that many other people share. I believe your question is: what exact (while understandably small) percentage of your diet can be meat and yet still be healthy? While we can take some educated guesses, I don’t think we have a definitive answer for that. And that’s why, in my opinion, if you look at Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations, you saw that he does not include any animal products in his recommendations.Put another way: We do know that eating a whole plant food diet, with B12 supplementation, will be healthy, all else being equal. If you choose to eat some processed foods or meat or dairy once a month, who knows? My gut feeling says if you are truly only having a small amount of meat once a month and the rest is whole plant foods with B12 supplement, you are probably fine health-wise. If nothing else, your diet is so far ahead of so many other people’s diet, you should be proud of where you are on your path to healthy eating. But at the same time, you should treat that meat eating the same way you would treat eating ice cream or candy. Not good for you. You may do it from time to time (I still eat chocolate!), but don’t fool yourself into thinking it is part of a healthy diet. Instead think: This is a treat that I haven’t weaned yourself from *yet* on my path to healthy eating.Part 2: But I don’t think that is all of your question. I believe the full question centers around this idea: If eating a whole plant food diet “requires supplementation”, how is that healthy? Would eating meat once a month mean that you don’t need to supplement? At least, that’s what I think you are asking.I highly recommend that you check out Dr. Greger’s videos and articles on B12. You will see that the B12 recommendation has more to do with fixing the “problems” of our modern word, like clean water and food, than it is about fixing a problem with the vegan diet. It is true that you could get some B12 from eating meat, but everyone over 50 years old, ***regardless of their diet*** is supposed to supplement B12. Plus: don’t forget that food is a package deal. So, if you decided to get your B12 from meat or dairy, you would be getting it in a very risky manner. Supplementing is much safer. Plus, if you were only eating meat once a month, I don’t know if that would be enough to get all the B12 you needed.Dr. Greger’s recommendations on vitamin D follow a similar logic. It’s more about fixing the problems with our modern world (going around clothed all day, and away from the equator too) than about fixing the vegan diet. In other words, vitamin D deficiency is generally a sun-deficiency. It has little to do with diet one way or the other. (Though be sure to check out Dr. Greger’s videos on mushrooms and vitamin D for some fascinating info. if you want your vitamin D from food.)Taking a look at the bigger population: Dr. Greger has another video where he shows that the typical omnivore (in America?) has far more nutritional deficiencies than the typical vegan. That’s because animal products have so little nutrition compared to whole plant foods.My personal bottom line is: If your concern is eating a diet that is most likely to provide all the nutrition you need, then the whole plant food diet is undeniably the way to go.I hope these thoughts are helpful to someone!Thank you! Will share frequently, just like I do with “Uprooting the leading causes of death”. <3beautiful, thank you so muchLove it Dr. Greger! Keep up the great job!I have thinned out a lot of crowds with The Lose Weight Songhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMhkUM8Yu7EA fabulous presentation which I sent to my friends. But I feel that I must include a warning to ignore your outmoded ideas on certain points. I am amazed that you still cling to the mistaken idea that saturated fat is the cause , and not just a symptom of cardiovascular disease. Please read again:http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.full.pdf+htmlIt seems clear that a mistake was made when saturated fat was blamed for the gumming up of arteries. The cholesterol found there is not the cause but the effect as the body tries to deal with the damage. Dr Greger, PLEASE open your mind to the possibility that Dr. Keys made a mistake which has led us down a wrong path.Please expand on this a bit further. Is it that saturated fat doesn’t cause cholesterol, or that cholesterol doesn’t cause clogged arteries?As the link shows, cardiovascular disease is not correlated with high cholesterol. This mistaken idea has been kept alive by the $29 billion Statin industry. A 2009 UCLA study of 137000 people hospitalized for heart attacks found that they didn’t have high cholesterol. Here is the link:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19081406This study should have put an end to the cholesterol nonsense but its author was a contractor for Phizer and Glaxo spun the results to mean that we must try for even lower levels of cholesterol. The official target was lowered by a committee of big pharma contractors and the result was a eight billion dollar increase in statin sales.Here is a link:http://dietheartnews.com/2012/02/low-cholesterol-associated-with-75-percent-of-all-heart-attacks/ http://dietheartpublishing.com/Cholesterol/10/09Cholesterol is deposited in damaged arteries but is not the cause of the damage.Uffe Ravnskov wrote an excellent book called “Ignore the Awkward” that tells the story of the massive mistake of Dr Ansel Keys that started this mess and the denial and coverup that has kept it alive.Great presentation Dr. Greger! I thought the part on heart disease was really interesting. I was wondering if I can still eat wallnuts and reverse heart disease? or do wallnuts contain too much saturated fat…Dr. Greger, just out of curiosity, at 13:07 you show the cholesterol level of africans and asians in Uganda, why do the asians have such high cholesterol?! And why do the african cholesterol rates go down as they get older? Thanks for the presentation.Dr. G, You have done it again! I LOVED watching and learning from this longer video. I watched/listened to it while preparing an array of PB foods. And, with each slice and dice of my knife, I keep thinking how powerful and nutritious the food I was preparing will be for my family.Your detailed and easy to understand explanations (I did not study the hard sciences) help me to visualize how these healthy foods make my body stronger, cleaner, and more resilient with each bite I take.I have learned SO much from you over the years (and to think, that I stumbled upon you on some random website on vegan cooking). You have enlightened me and there is no turning back.THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for what you have done and continue to do for public health. For all you have done, you deserve a Noble Food Prize!wow, this is so great!Dr. Greger great presentation! Is it possible to reverse heart disease while eating walnuts or do they contain to much fat?Panagis Stathatos: Dr. Greger has some videos and I believe one blog post on this topic. I don’t have the links handy, but hopefully you can find them using the search box. Good luck.So enlightening. Thank you for sharing this…I just wanted to personally thank you for providing such a positive light for nutrition advocate in medical academia. I am currently a first year medical student at a school down here in Florida and I suffer the chronic struggle of trying to “prove” to my colleagues the benefits of a plant based diet. What you offer me is an epidemiological basis for all my arguments that cannot be overlooked! You are a saint as far as Im concerned and are saving lives every single day. Thank you so much for spending your time to make it easier for people like me to get my point across!Thank you very much for power full information I suffer from skin disorder I want to try what I learnt from knowledge, all we eat has to be organic or what ever we can afford ? Thank againzadkan: Dr. Greger has a great blog on here (somewhere) where he answers this question with some great stats. The bottom line was that you are better off eating a bunch of fruit and veggies even if they are not organic. However, eating organic when you can is definitely better.I recommend that you search on line for a list of what they call the “Dirty Dozen”. This is a list of the 12 worst fruits and veggies concerning pesticides – even after the foods are washed. So, some people’s rule of thumb is: at least eat these foods organic. The same group produces a list of “clean” foods which shows you the foods with the least pesticides. So, if you can’t find organic with those foods, you might feel better about that. Finally, I’ll point out that the group that produces the “Dirty Dozen” list updates the list every year because farmers’ practices change. So, be sure to check back from time to time.I’m sorry to hear about your skin condition. While a healthy diet is not a guarantee of anything, it can’t hurt and has great potential to help a large number of problems. I recommend that you find Dr. Greger’s blog with his “Optimal Nutrition Recommendation” and do a search on skin conditions/your particular condition. I know that Dr. Greger has addressed at least one skin issue in one of his every-day, smaller specific-topic videos.Best of luck to you. I hope this helps.Hi zadkan,I started getting little patches of psoriasis in my early twenties, as well as what I believe now was arthritis; I do believe my healthy (whole foods plant based) diet has reversed it and perhaps prevented it from getting worse (I guess I’ll never know… and I’m fine with that!). While I always eat vegan, at times when I have fell off the whole foods healthy eating wagon, eating lots of sugary and fatty foods, I immediately see the consequences of the little patches on my arms, and it will take a few weeks of healthy clean eating to for it to fade away. So I’m not sure what exactly your condition is, or if it is autoimmune related (I have a family history of autoimmune conditions), but at least for some skin conditions a whole foods plant based diet (*not* just vegan) is definitely worth a try.As far as cost, you can eat extremely healthy on a very limited budget, especially if you keep a few tricks in mind:1) You can save a lot of money by increasing the ratio of grains and beans to vegetables in your diet, since grains and beans, even organic, when bought in bulk are usually dirt cheap. Things like organic lentils or rice might cost $0.15/serving or even less.2) Do you have a local co-op? At ours, all of the prepackaged “health” foods are super expensive, but almost all of the produce and bulk grains/beans are organic, and either the same cost or cheaper than the regular grocery store.3) Frozen vegetables – already frozen veggies are incredibly cheap. Organic ones cost a little more but probably still less than fresh. Or you can keep an eye on weekly sales and buy whatever fresh organic produce is on sale at the moment and freeze it yourself.4) Don’t get too bogged down on eating tons of “superfoods”, if they seem out of your budget. All plants are superfoods, and as Dr. Greger says, the best vegetable/fruit/plant is the one you eat.Dr. Greger, Instead of asking doctors to recommend a plant based diet to patients with disease, would it not be better to approach the insurance companies. I am sure they would like to cut their costs and we could have lower insurance premiums as well as healthier people!. It’s a win win.My friend, you are a national treasure. There is no better ongoing source of nutritional advice.Based on your advice, I am studying Plant Based Nutrition through Cornell.Rick KartesHi Dr. Greger, Another great presentation! Thank you so much for all this important information. Do you give lectures around the world? Is it possible to invite you to speak in Israel?Thanks a lot! Eyal.Dr. Greger,Thanks for all of your great videos.Three questions:1) Where did you do your residency?2) Are you board-certified?3) Which charities do you donate the proceeds of your books, videos, etc. to?Thanks for you interest in my work! To answer your questions:1. All my post-graduate medical work was done at Lemuel Shattuck, a Tufts hospital in Boston (sadly the only public health hospital left after a few republican gubernatorial terms). They had a maximum security prison unit, one of the last locked TB wards, and a homeless shelter on the grounds. Sadly it was like practicing 3rd world medicine right here in the U.S.2. No board certification yet in lifestyle medicine, but the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (of which I’m a proud member) is working on it! (http://www.lifestylemedicine.org/ACLM)3. I used to donate to a different charity every month, but now that I started a 501(c)3 nonprofit charity to keep NutritionFacts.org afloat, all my proceeds from all my books, DVDs, and presentations goes straight to keep the website up and running (I receive no salary or any renumeration from the site). If you’d like to chip in as well, you can support my work at https://nutritionfacts.org/donate/4. My favorite color: green5. Turn-ons: kale:)Thank you!Dr. G…..Your presentations are fantastic. I share them daily on FB. Thank you for the research based informationIt’s so obvious. Why has is taken you a lifetime to discover this? Our food has ALWAYS been our medicine! The trouble is, the medical profession has always been obsessed with finding CURES, and every time someone like you discovers that a particular nutrient helps with something particular, it is always put out as some kind of scientific “breakthrough”. Codswallop! Billions have been spent on scientific research into food for NO JUSTIFIABLE REASON. Cellular Nutrition is the way forward, combined with a natural method of cleansing the colon so that the Villi can return to their optimal working level and absorb our food efficiently. The trouble these days is that people think they can eat just anything because someone will give them a pill to make them better!Dr. Gregor, is yeast safe for people who have yeast issues?In your videos you talk a lot about the dangers of saturated fats, but recently the net is buzzing with information about how there isn’t a link between CHD and saturated fats. I have several “fat-Taliban” in my vicinity and would find it very interesting if you could expand on this subject a little.Also, a bit about the “low carb” craze that’s going on would be very interesting, as it seems to attract quite a lot of followers.I found your video “Uprooting the leading causes of death” last year and it changed my life. Thanks for that. I visit your site almost daily now, both for your videos and for the high quality comments that accompany them, both by yourself and other members of this community.A powerful presentation that should be shown everywhere. Thank you, as always, Dr. Greger.A great way to put all the seasons’ fresh vegetables to good use. Alter the ingredients with whatever veggies you picked up from the farmer’s market or were included in your CSA.Field to Bowl Chili– 4 cups cooked green lentils – 1 cup water/homemade vegetable broth – 3 medium beets, cubed – 3-5 small turnips, cubed – 3 small carrots, diced – 1 zucchini, diced – 1 summer squash, diced – 1 onion, chopped – 3 large tomatoes, chopped – 1 green pepper, diced – 1 hot pepper, minced – 4-7 cloves garlic, minced – handful fresh cilantro, chopped – black pepper – sea salt – nutritional yeastCrush and mince garlic then set aside. Add water, beets, turnips, carrots, onion, zucchini, and squash to a large soup pot and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Turn heat to low and cook another 10-15 minutes. Add remainder of ingredients except nutritional yeast and cook until all vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and black and pepper. Top each individual serving with a tablespoon nutritional yeast.~Complements of lovestobeveganwhat about the link between MS and sunlight/vitamin D? does this have a statistically significant relationship?Dr. Greger, Six months ago I was facing yet another stenting ‘procedure’, after a heart attack, Quad-bypass, two stenting procedures (5 stents total). I was suffering, intensely, from every side effect that comes with statin drugs including dementia and muscle wasting and cramping, popping Nitro like candy just to get through the day, 30 pounds overweight, and, in candor, mentally getting my final business in order. Six months ago I chose to stop statin drugs and become an Uber-Vegan. This decision was after extensive research and information gathering about statin drugs and ways to live without them. Operative word here is LIVE – not exist. The information that you have offered, along with several others, was instrumental for an educated decision to take my sojourn into a new life. Today, at 64, I am off all medications, my cholesterol is 155, results of my latest Nuclear stress test shows no indications of blockages, 34 pounds lighter – from 192lbs to 158lbs (from a snug 38″ waist to a comfortable 30″), briskly walking 3+ miles a day, mentally sharp, and looking forward to a longer and healthier life. Wishing to share this option to others in my predicament, I am working on a project in which your information would be important to reference. If you would, Doctor, please PM me at ronzet@hotmail.com to let me know if it is possible and if you would be willing to discuss this project with me. At your service, Ron ZWow! What a fantastically inspirational story! Congratulations to you @badcellist! Amazing!WholeFoodsChomper, Thank you. I wake up every morning feeling GREAT and bounding out of bed. I truly feel 20 years younger – just wish I looked 20 years younger :-) ZFantastic! Ugh, our ageist youth-oriented culture really does a number on us, doesn’t it? I bet you look great just the way you are. Each age has its value and its beauty. Celebrate and flaunt it!A concerned Vegan…Dr. Greger,I am absolutely Vegan – even to a point of no sugar, no white flour, a trace of oils – and have been for 6 months…However, I just had a lipid panel completed and my Cholesterol is a whopping total of 222 – LDL 125 – HDL 85 – and triglycerids 61. I do have an elevated Thyroid level at 3.2 (desired range 0.3-3.0).I walk 6+ miles a day and spend an hour in the gym.   Is there any reason to be concerned over these numbers? Does an elevated Thyroid have an affect on Cholesterol levels? Is there anything else I should be doing to reduce my cholesterol?I love your site and watch your videos constantly –Thank you for the work that you do and the information that you provide to we who do not trust in the medical industry’s current philosophy – “Don’t Cure Disease, Treat It. No money in curing disease”.MaryHi, Mary. You ask some good questions that I’d be curious about getting answers to as well. I am also hypothyroid (I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis), and my doc has told me that individuals with thyroid issues do need to pay close attention to heart issues. I looked into it and the Mayo Clinic says the following re hypothroidism and heart problems:“Hypothyroidism may also be associated with an increased risk of heart disease, primarily because high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the “bad” cholesterol — can occur in people with an underactive thyroid. Even subclinical hypothyroidism, a more benign condition than true hypothyroidism, can cause an increase in total cholesterol levels and impair the pumping ability of your heart. Hypothyroidism can also lead to an enlarged heart and heart failure.”Please do post more, if you learn more or get any updates on the matter.I’m curious, do you eat nuts?WholeFoodChomper,Thank you for the reply.I take thyroid medications but have self reduced the dose. Perhaps this has had some affect on my Cholesterol levels.With this lipid panel results, I will move my dosage back up. I just wish that being Vegan would cure the Hypo and Hyper thyroid problems.I do eat nuts, quite a bit actually. Walnuts, Almonds, etc. since they provide a healthy fat to my diet.Thanks again. Mary“I just wish that being Vegan would cure the Hypo and Hyper thyroid problems.” Boy, do I second that! Alas, I think, at this point anyway, thyroid related conditions are something to be managed, but not cured. Much to my dismay.You may want to check out what Dr. McDougall has to say about thyroids: http://www.drmcdougall.com/video/mcdougalls_moments_thyroid.html It’s pretty basic info, but I still found it helpful to hear.I’m not sure if your thyroid issue is connected to an autoimmune issue, like mine is, but I wonder if the findings related to diet and MS might be applicable to the thyroid as well. Dr. McDougall has a good write up on the MS issue featuring Dr. Swank (mentioned in the above NF video): http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/jan/ms.htmI eat nuts, too. But, I’m wondering if I need/should cut down on that. The Swank Diet focuses on drastically reducing saturated fats and some nuts have relatively high levels of saturated fat, which might possibly have an effect on cholesterol levels. Reducing or eliminating some of your nut intake might be something worth experimenting with in your particular situation.The Mayo clinic has some neat info about nuts: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nuts/HB00085/NSECTIONGROUP=2 , as, of course, does this site.Trying cutting down your nut intake to 1 oz of walnuts only. Cut down on sodium intake as well. To really understand this issue we have to understand all aspects of your diet, as in what the base of your meals are and what you commonly eat.thank you so much!!! what an amazing presentation. i was laughing, crying, in shock of this world, u got it all in there and it sure gives inspiration to eat healthier and share this with all our surroundings! hopefully all health ministers around the world will see this!!!Have shared this and will continue to do so, as there is so much misinformation ‘for profit’ out there!THE PERFECT DIETN.B: FAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MACRONUTRIENTIf you are overweight, pre-diabetic or diabetic, or not running on eight cylinders, you may be a victim of carbohydrate poisoning! The most killing diseases facing us today – including obesity – are a result of the overemphasis on carbohydrates. This can be corrected by grading and restricting carbohydrates – and emphasizing natural dietary fat and complete animal protein.Food is our fuel. Much depends on what we choose to eat. How long and how well we live depends on how we “fuel” our brain, heart, hormones, kidneys, liver, lungs, skin and bones. Human cells, tissues, and organs function optimally if they are provided what they need when they need it.It’s easy to argue that fat is the most important macronutrient. Our 70 trillion cells are protected by two layers of fat: lipid bilayers. Along with protein and water, fat – much of it saturated – is what our bodies are made of. Though included in our diets, carbohydrates should be chosen carefully and restricted in order to keep blood sugar in a narrow healthy range.For most people, carbohydrates should be restricted to about 60 grams daily, depending on any illness that may be present, or a consideration for a person’s environmental conditions. (A lumberjack will eat more than a tailor.) The body will more easily maintain itself and regenerate health if carbohydrates do not overwhelm hormone systems that keep blood sugar under tight optimum control.Carbohydrates (carbs) are sugars by another name. Carbohydrates are abundant in fruits, vegetables and grains – in boxed cereals – and in all floury or sweet packaged products. Remember, in the gut, even healthy-sounding broccoli, cauliflower,and zucchini turn into glucose (blood sugar). Our biological requirement for carbohydrates is: Zero.Some foods are a combination of the three macronutrients. As an example, milk contains fat, protein, and carbohydrate. There is protein in many foods (beans, corn, grains, mushrooms, peas, seeds and nuts) but only animal foods (chicken, cheese, eggs, fish, organ meat, pork, and red meat) provide complete high value protein. (Egg white is pure protein.)The Perfect Diet emphasizes complete animal protein for the maintenance and regeneration of the body and high octane fats to provide energy for – among other things – the digestion and assimilation of protein. The Perfect Diet is not a high protein diet; it’s a high fat diet that offers strength and energy and it’s simple to follow.The first meal of the day should include fat and protein – about 30 grams of protein before noon. Good quality eggs – 7 grams of protein each – provide high value protein and many other key nutrients (choline). If you eat a 3 or 4 egg omelet before noon, you may not be hungry until dinner. If you eat high value foods, you may not need to eat as much.As our main fuel, we must choose between fats and carbohydrates. Emphasizing two fuels is a mistake. Our bodies react adversely to “mixing fuels.” Since fats are energy and nutrient dense – and don’t raise blood sugar – they will more fully provide satiety and satisfy the energy needs of the body.(In the Perfect Diet, there is no need for routine snacking or eating more than two meals a day. Eating many small meals a day will result in the digestive organs getting no rest which can lead to a variety of digestive tract ailments.)On the Perfect Diet, we will cut carbs – not calories. Depending on your circumstances, you can eat up to 3,000 or more calories a day but you will still burn fat. You can pretty much live on steak, chicken, and green salads. For breakfast you can eat as many eggs as you like – and bacon too. You can put full fat dressing on your salads and butter on your steak.Our bodies evolved to run optimally on a diet emphasizing protein and natural fat, eggs, fish, and meat. We are suffering today because we are eating a diet dominated by carbohydrates; and a high percentage have been milled and refined. The basis of the Perfect Diet is restricting the macronutrient (carbohydrate) associated with a metabolic disturbance that causes weight gain, hunger, diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, and heart disease.This diet can work for you. It’s easy to follow and you can eat as much as you want; you’ll never go hungry. Dietary abundance goes hand-in-hand with feeling on top of the world. If you need to, you’ll lose inches as well as pounds. When you burn fat as a fuel you are moving in the direction of health, stabilized blood sugar, lower triglycerides, increased HDL, and energy throughout the day.Here are the Paleo Principles:1. Eat foods that sustained human beings before we wrecked our health by becoming settled, citified farmers. Eat meat, fish, eggs, avocados, leafy vegetables, preferably fermented (sauerkraut) or steamed and berries, nuts, wild seeds.2. Eat foods raised in accordance with their own natural environment. The animals you eat should eat grass if they have four stomachs. The birds you eat should eat worms, bugs and weeds. The plants you eat should be grown in soil that does not require pesticides and herbicides.3. Eat foods that are like a stick of nutritional dynamite, instead of like a wimpy little firecracker. Everything you eat should provide your body with a concentrated source of nutrients for maintaining, building, repairing and fueling your body. A bowl of rice is a wimpy firecracker. A piece of grass-raised beef is dynamite.4. Eat your carbohydrate in accordance with your energy expenditure. Carbohydrate only has one function in the human body: to provide energy. If you are primarily sedentary at work or at your computer, then don’t eat carbohydrates. All they do is give you a SUGAR spike.5. Prepare your foods the way that humans have traditionally prepared foods. Certain foods require specific handling methods in order to make their limited nutrients bioavailable to the human body.6. Don’t eat things that aren’t food. Food should be easily identifiable. Soy milk, protein bars and sports drinks are a far cry from any food that exists in the natural world. Better nutrition through chemistry is A BAD IDEA.7. Eat a wide range of traditional, life-giving FATS that have not been damaged by processing. Your body can use FATS to make nearly all that it needs to survive, along with water.8. Eat foods that are rich in lacto-bacteria to replenish the micro-organisms of our gut.9. Eat some of your foods raw including animal foods or slightly cooked i.e., liver. Nutrient content and bioavailability of food is affected by preservation and cooking method.10. Do not partition your food wastefully. If you are eating an egg, eat the whole egg. If you are eating an animal, eat the organs, muscles and bones.11. Get to know your food supply. Know your hunters, your butchers, your gatherers, your storekeepers and your farmers. Know what foods are produced in your own geographic environment.12. Know yourself. How do you feel, perform and look? If the way you feel, perform or look isn’t top level, change something about the way you eat, move and care for yourself!!!The Low DownThe human body is a metabolic marvel comprised of dozens of little systems connecting to create one complex system. Food is the fuel, the input, for the systems. Our metabolic machinery evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to function optimally on select fuels. These fuels were the original, Primal foods of the human organism. Over these hundreds of thousands of years our Big Game Hunting, small prey capturing, scavenging, foraging, gathering, opportunistic ancestors accumulated experience and wisdom about nourishing themselves. They learned to preserve and predigest foods to maximize the quality of their metabolic fuel. Eventually they learned to cook foods without destroying the important nourishing properties of the food, and then they learned to heal the human body with food.Only recently in the human evolutionary experience, have we abandoned all these hundreds of thousands of years of accumulated epicurean genius.Today we fuel our marvelous, complex metabolic machinery with crap invented to create profits for agribusiness.We have become dumb eaters.As we regain our eating intelligence it doesn’t make sense to move back to the savannah and put out our fires or climb into our cave and pretend there is a glacier next door. It makes sense to fuel our bodies with all the primal human foodstuffs, prepared and preserved with accumulated ancestral wisdom and served up for the undeniable desires of the human taste buds. Primal, paleolithic food choices, handled according to ancient food ways resulting in outrageously good food.Human beings do not have a biological requirement for carbohydrate.We can survive just fine without carbohydrate. Many people have done it, entire cultures have done it, and you could too if you wanted. You probably don’t, so it makes sense to learn how to eat carbohydrates in a way that they will help you instead of harming you.Carbohydrate is a one-trick pony in terms of your metabolic requirements. It is solely used to produce energy for you. When you eat carbohydrate in excess of what you need for energy production you will store it as body fat because there is NOTHING else for your body to do with it!! Your body can’t use it to grow your bones or repair your muscles or produce hormones. The best thing you can get from your carbohydrates, since our modern life really doesn’t require all that much physical energy, are their associated micronutrients.Give your carbohydrates a long hard look and be ruthless in your assessment of what good they do you. Are they packed with minerals? Are they loaded with phytonutrients? Are they brimming with antioxidants? Are they dripping with water-soluble vitamins? Use the carbohydrates in your diet to flood your body with real, whole food sources of critical nutrients.It is easy to line up your carbohydrates and pick the very best ones. If you pour a cup of water onto your carbohydrate will it be cleaner? Or will it turn into mush? If you pour water on fruits or vegetables they are more ready to eat!!! If you pour water onto flour, cereal, crackers, bread, desserts and candy it will be disgusting!You can use the color test. Are your carbohydrates white, beige, tan, or brown? Then they are lifeless. They have very little to offer you.Are they all shades of green, orange, red, yellow, blue, purple, pink? Then they have abundant nutrients for you.You can also use the raw/cooked test. Would you be able to eat a handful of your carbohydrate raw? Would you eat a handful of raw rice, raw corn or raw black beans? Only if you wanted a few less teeth and a vicious stomachache!! You might not enjoy raw vegetables, but they are certainly fine (and some are more nutritious) to consume uncooked.As carbohydrates go, grains and beans possess the fewest nutrients and the most energy (calories). You need less calories and more nutrition so choose vegetables as your carbohydrates. Many people panic at the idea of not stuffing themselves each day with bread, crackers, bagels, pasta, rice, beans, cereal, and tortillas. “But what will I eat?!?!?!?!” they wail. Below is a very long list of excellent carbohydrate choices.When choosing fruits and vegetables, choose those grown in the most sustainable manner in the healthiest soil. They will have the most nutrition. Choose fruits in season, rotating your choices throughout the year just as our ancestors did before refrigerated warehouses and cross-global food transport. Choose varieties labeled “heirloom” if possible in order to ensure a diverse, safe food supply. Often older varieties of fruits, especially apples, contain less simple sugars and more nutrientsThis diet has never been proved to cure heart disease. There has never been any clinical trials published in medial journals to show it is safe. It has all the ingredients to contribute to heart disease. The only published clinical trial that has shown to reverse heart disease is the plant based diet of Dr. Esselstyn .You are like a lot of Quacks, always put the cart before the horse!Your comment, “This diet has never been proved to cure disease” is a straw-man.The Perfect Diet will help PREVENT heart disease!Its part of a LIFE STYLE!Don’t SMOKE! Don’t drink ALCOHOL to access! Eat ORGANIC food, if you can! EXERCISE!Get a Rebounder; the Ultimate exerciser in the world! 30 minutes a day, in the comfort & privacy of your own home, 365 days of the year. You can dance & exercise to John Fogerty’s Ultimate Collection. Avoid STRESS! Stay CELIBATE! Ha, ha, ha.And never forget, we ALL have a Sell By Date!Enjoy life!Its later than you think!Dr. Greger: Love your presentations, love your site. Thanks so much for all you do for us. My question: What do old vegans die of?Check this video. He says he has been a vegan for only 50 years, but is a doctor, so he might know. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfYphKNWT9kdocscience: I really enjoyed that link. Thanks for sharing it.Amazing!!! Thank you for the deeply researched knowledge and the passion you put into this cause!!!Have you heard of Soylent? http://robrhinehart.com/?p=424 I know how fond you are of whole plant foods, but this is vegan (I think) and supposed to have everything you need. Everything. Thoughts?This was an excellent and entertaining presentation Dr Greger :) Thank youSince Dr Colin Campbell is emphasizing the benefit of looking at the whole diet and the whole effect of the diet on health and quality of life of seniors, we need more studies to prove that vegans do live longer than non-vegans or that vegan seniors have a better quality of life compared to non-vegans. Some studies seem to indicate that infrequent animal product eaters or almost vegans who include some seafood like monthly seem to outlive vegans. Most traditional diets including longevity communities (except for vegans in adventist communities) do include a small amount of animal products (maybe around < 5 % of calories). The adventist health study 2 is waiting for more study participants to die before we can be surer about the pattern that almost vegetarians who eat monthly seafood outlive the vegans. Caloric restriction on apes and humans are also still ongoing.Fantastic presentation which tragically will go unnoticed by the Standard American Diet (SAD) eating American. If only someone would listen! I hope Dr. Greger continues his cause to help our society learn the underlying problems with our “desease care” system.One thing that would be useful is recognizing that what people eat has deep psycho-social and physiologic influences. It’s human nature to want to stay with what is familiar and easy.I am pretty isolated in my life with eating vegetarian/vegan/raw, etc., so I have fallen off the raw food diet, but I’m now working to build up a support system. There are so many celebrations and social opportunities involving crappy food.For me to make healthy choices is sometimes difficult, and then I have a 12-year-old son. There is nothing but processed food as far as the eye can see, and my husband isn’t on board (yet?) with eliminating processed foods.I wasn’t able to give up diet sodas until I was dx. with osteopenia last summer. I had tried to quit many times, and would make it a month, but returned to it. Illness is a big motivator. I think it takes a LOT of social support to make meaningful, long term changes in eating behavior.I am hopeful that people will continue to shift towards plant based diets, thanks to the Internet, and then I (and others like me) will not be the odd man out.zennifer: It is so hard to be isolated. I understand the importance of having a support group – especially so when your own family doesn’t get it.I don’t know where you live, so this may not be a practical suggestion, but I will share what has worked in my smallish city: creating a Meetup.com group. We have a vegetarian/vegan Meetup group where people of “like mind” hang out socially twice a month. We have potlucks, summer picnics, watch movies, go to restaurants, do ‘afternoon tea’, hike, etc. There are people of all walks of life and ages. The one thing we have in common is that everyone is interested in a plant based diet – even if not everyone actually eats that way all the time.The reason I bring this to your attention is that we have found that Meetup does a good job of getting the word out. So, if you don’t find a Meetup group in your area that already fits the bill, you could create one and you may find it quickly filling with so many people in your area who you didn’t even know share a similar desire to be healthy or stop animal suffering or save the planet. The majority of our membership came not from word of mouth, but from people doing internet searches or hearing about us from Meetup events advertized by Meetup to people in our area.Just an idea for you to try to get less isolated. Best of luck to you.Dr. Greger you do great work. Thank youDear Dr. Gregor, Does your Apple A Day DVD have closed captions? I loved it and really want my mother to watch it, but she is hard of hearing and needs the captioning.I loved your presentation a lot. It was true, right to the point and funny. I am not a vegan yet, but I am definitely going to that direction. I just found a new European superfood on the net, named Flavon. It is made from real fruits and vegetables, without preservatives. I feel great and sleep better since I started taking it last month. It is available on flavonmaxx.com. The company claims that one teaspoon Flavon has the effective ingredients of 2.5-3 lbs fruits and veggies. Isn’t that great? Have you heard about this product yet? Please google flavonmaxx and let me know what do you think.I want to add this to my playlist, but although I am logged in, when I click to add to playlist, it says I can only do that if I am registered. When I click to register, it says I’m already registered. Absolutely terrific video, by the way! I will be sharing far and wide.Marijuana has also been proven to stop MS progression.THC Hemp Oil has “unofficially” been proven by “private testamonies only” to cure life threatening stage 4 cancer growth. Anyone found trying to produce THC Hemp Oil without government licence will be arrested and or jailed!!Need the transcript here too.I have friends who advocate clean meats–home raised, grass fed, small farmers, etc. They quote “science” as to why these products are different from commercially raised animal products.. And what about the larger companies that supply organic or grass fed animal products? Do these products effect the health of the human person at the same level as the typical grocery store/restaurant/fast food product? Is there as much concern about pathogens and the negative effects of saturated fats and animal protein, etc. with the alternative sources as listed above? If you could clarify this in your “nutritionfacts.org” style, I would be most thankful!There is NO fundamental difference, the meat will still have all the toxic, bacterial, and chemical properties regardless of how it’s raised. The facts are there now, meats and dairy and sugar is toxic to the human system. It’s up to you to decide whether to consume these poisons in smaller doses, or not at all.I loved your presentation very much. It it true, right to the point and funny. We need to eat more fruits and veggies, that’s why I like Flavon so much. Google flavonmaxx for more info.I have purchased 5 copies for my family members. I noticed there is no copyright notice and I was hoping that meant I could arrange a public screening without fear of prosecution. Is this correct?Be Careful, the authorities do not like the truth!GREAT PRESENTATION! I WILL BE SENDING THIS OUT TO MANY! YOU DISCUSSED DIABETES, CANCERS, AND HEART DISEASE…I HAVE COPD AND TOLD IT IS IRRIVERSIBLE AND PROGRESSIVE…I HATE TAKING THE DRUGS THEY HAVE GIVEN ME AND AM ASKING YOU IF YOU KNOW OF ANY OTHER WAY TO REVERSE THIS DREADFUL DISEASE….ANYTHING WILL BE GREATLY APPRECATED AND THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO TRULY INFORMATIVE AND VALUED… I HAVE BEEN SMOKE FREE FOR 15 YEARS, AND WAS DIAGNOSED IN 2006… 8 YEARS LATER.. BEST REGARDS , GISELLEThank you for your passion and generosity !Michael Greger, Nikola Tesla, Ayrton Senna – definition of inspirational, unselfish, worldly. Dr. Greger is anyone working on translating this and the Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death video?Please, The video is not avaiable. Could you upload new one? Thans a lot.YouTube has been very busy lately removing videos for what they call “violated YouTube’s Terms of Service”. How (in the h***) is a video presentation that educates people on how to live longer and healthier by eating a vegan diet “violating” ANY terms of service??? I am OUTRAGED!! Luckily I watched this video a couple days ago, but I had shared the link with my Facebook and Twitter friends, only to be told the video has been removed! What’s the chance that the meat and/or dairy industry is somehow partnered (or highly invested into) YouTube/Google?? HmmmThis is blatantly the work of government agencies putting pressure on G00gle…if this page hits the top search for “An apple a day, I am in no doubt G00gle will impose a penalty on it!!!”….we shall see!Why was this video removed from youTube, too disturbing to the powers to be???Great video. I came here to get the link to share it with some friends, but it says “unavialbe” here on your site and on youtube. I’m on the east coast of the USvideo unavailable today 27-08-2013…The video is unavailable today. Also couldn’t find it on Youtube. Can you fix that? Your videos are helping me a lot with convincing people to become vegan as they demonstrate the value of it very well.I was there for this presentation! Up in the balcony :) haha…just watched it again. Thanks so much Doc, YOU ROCK !!! :)What the heck?! This Video has been deleted by You Tube?! Are they scared about the truth of what the USDA is doing? I am rooting for this page to hit the top spot on G00gle for the search term “An Apple a day” keep the content flowing on this page people!!!Video removed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyyHsb6WGgY G00gle workingon behalf of the NSA?!!!THIS WAS THE GREATEST, MOST EPIC VIDEO I HAVE EVER SEEN! Awesome job!Thank you for this wonderful sight and educational videos. I have been a vegan for 11 years, but I always feel there is more to learn. Everything I have learned from your videos is helping me to feed my family an even healthier vegan diet.Hi Dr Greger,I hope you are well.I am interested to know what your thoughts are on the findings announced today that obese people who lose weight will never succeed in getting their stomach to correctly tell their brain when they are full. See here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-16/research-finds-key-to-why-dieters-ultimately-fail/4960536 with particular reference to its implications for those who might be overweight or obese and are on a wholefoods plant-based diet as part of a regime to help manage their weight.I would love to know your thoughts. kind regards,BenThanks for this very imteresting presentation, but can you put up a transcript of it, including all the literaturę references covered? The lecture simply goes too fast for a person to be able to assess the information thoroughly. Thanks! (sorry if this is a repeat question or the text is already available)John Doe: I can see why you would want a transcript and all the references in one place. Unfortunately, this site is run all by volunteers – including Dr. Greger. I don’t think we have the resources to do what you request on this big one hour video.On the plus side, this one hour video is a summary of several individual shorter videos that are also available on this site for free. Under each of those shorter videos are sections for both transcripts and sources cites. It takes a bit of work to find the video of interest, but it can be done. Another thing you can try is to find the beginning of say “volume 12″? (not sure which one would be appropriate) and keep hitting, “next video”. That will give you all the detail you need in nice, short chunks.I have watched this particular video three times and learned new things each time. So, I agree that there is a lot of material here that is impossible to absorb all at once.Hope that helps and good luck to you.Fantastic mr Greger! You make a great job…I apreciate too much this. Congratulation.I am wondering if you have any information on what the causes of death are for healthy vegans? If the occurrences of cancer and heart disease are drastically reduced, what kills the healthy vegan?I haven’t seen a study on this issue. I would imagine that we die of similar diseases but later and with less drugs, procedures and disability. Of course we don’t do many autopsies in medicine especially if our patients are older. In the airline industry every time there is a crash they investigate it and come up with recommendations to avoid problems in the future. That is why flying commercial airlines is so much safer then going to a physician or a hospital. Of course we do have one subspecialty that approaches the airline industry in safety and that is Anesthesiology. The rest of us… I’m a primary care physician… are somewhere between mountain climbing and bungee jumping. We have a long way to go.Fair enough. Are you aware of any research that shows how many more years on average a healthy vegan is supposed to live than somebody on a SAD diet?Sheldon: I’ve seen a study showing vegetarians living an average of 7 years longer. I’m not at a place where I have access to that reference, but I could look for it in a few days if you are interested.That is fine. A rough idea is all I was looking for. Thank you very much.Great video! What you can learn form this could save many visits to your doctor !!At (23:11) it says that eggs cannot be advertized as “healthy or nutritious” . I am searching for any confirmation about this in USDA sites, but have not found anything to confirm this. The only thing that I have found is this http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=18963 Can you please give us links, or other verification to where the USDA says this. People have been asking me for this. There must be several other people reading this,, who need to know also. Thankyou.Dr. Greger will share this information in a future video. The only health aspect the egg industry can legally advertise is not their insufficient lutein, not the insufficient omega 3, and not even the protein. The only thing they can share is their high choline content which people tend to get alot of and new evidence shows that getting more then necessary is harmful.To reiterate what a previous poster has put about eggs, neither nutritious or healthy but what about the albumin? If one was to separate the yoke from the white, would this be significantly safer? Would one still be advised to consume no more than 3 eggs per week? The albumin has not been covered in anything on here that I could find.Hi Pr13, Great question. Egg whites contain albumin (or albumen), which is, indeed, a protein. The problem with ingesting protein from animal sources is that it triggers release of IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor :( . Check out Dr. Greger’s video on IGF-1 for a more thorough explanation: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/Dr Greger. My partner has just been diagnosed with cancer. Not sure yet whether ovarian or bowel but certainly secondaries. We are beginning to eat more organic and juice vegetables etc. If sugar feeds cancer cells then how should we use beetroot in the diet (as this is high in sugar) cooked, steamed, raw as a juice mix with carrot and apple? We are thinking it has benefits for the liver prior to chemo.Avoiding carbohydrates is not the best approach. Check out the data on Cancer nutritionfacts.org has to offer. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/DON’T DO CHEMO!! Chemo wipes out the bodies immune system and kills healthy cells too! My mother died this January after a battle with lung cancer. She had one round of chemo…it destroyed her bodies defenses, along with healthy lung and liver tissues…her body could not recover from the chemo…she’s gone.Most people do not die from cancer, they die from the chemo. Those who say they survived cancer after getting chemo, will not only have the cancer return later, but they will get other diseases due to the destruction of their bodies immune system and organ tissues being destroyed.Get her on an ALL ORGANIC VEGAN diet…NO processed foods…and increase exercise. She can beat the cancer WITHOUT chemo…AND she will have a longer, happier, more energized life as a side-effect.I saw you this past Sunday in San Diego, I am already a vegan, nevertheless I learned so much, I changed my diet starting Monday morning, less peanut butter and more broccoli. Thank you for your life-saving videos! I am forwarding this video to all the friends, family, and people who are willing to listen and learn! Thank you Dr. Greger!An Apple A Day video presentation is the best one yet!Hi Dr Greger. Aren’t we all going to die of one of these diseases (stroke, heart attack, cancer) eventually. Is your talk aimed at prematurely dying of these things?Many chronic diseases are completely preventable. The idea here is to prevent these diseases from occurring in the first place and extending ones quality of life as long as possible.MarmeladetheCat: You are expressing a very common belief, i.e.: that problems like heart disease and cancer are just a natural part of aging. Your question is a good one.However, I would challenge your underlying assumption–that we will all die of these diseases, and it is just a question of when. Dr. Esselstyn says that heart disease is a “paper tiger.” That no one need ever get heart disease. It is a choice. Similarly, if you watch enough videos on this NutritionFacts site, you will see that many cancers are also a choice. For example, Dr. Greger talks about many Japanese men from WWWII dying *with* their prostate cancer, not *because* of it. In other words, they had some cancer cells, but the cancer was so slow growing (because of diet we believe) that the cancer wasn’t what actually killed the men. This isn’t to say that all cancers are the result of poor diet choices, but it is to say that we aren’t necessarily destined to die of cancer.So, the question is, what do vegans die of? (And by vegan, *I* mean a whole plant-based food eater who ate that way her whole life after weaning and was breast fed by a similarly healthy woman.) I recently listened to a video on line by Dr. McDougall who posed and answered that very question. What do vegans die of? Dr. McDougall said that vegans die of old age. “What is old age?” he asked. Old age is when one day you go to sleep. And then your heart stops. It is a peaceful way to go according to Dr. McDougall.I don’t know how many such deaths Dr. McDougall has witnessed, so I don’t know how much of an authority he is on the topic. And I don’t know how long one must be a vegan to be able to expect such a fine death at the end of a long healthy life. But I do think it is an excellent answer. It’s what I’m going for. :-)So, while I’m sure Dr. Greger most definitely does want to prevent us from *prematurely* dying of these diseases, I believe that Dr. Greger’s bigger aim is to help prevent us from dying of these diseases at all. While I don’t speak for Dr. Greger, I believe this is how we can interpret Dr. Greger’s first hour-long presentation, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. If you haven’t seen that video, it’s another great one to watch.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/I hope these thoughts prove helpful to you.Can you explain why WHO in 2011 says Coronary Heart Disease in uganda is ranked 69 and 130 per 100,000 while usa is ranked 135 with 88 per 100,000. You would think these would be reversed by quite a large margin if they were consuming a plant based diet, and there death rate was that low…Considering that Uganda is a third world country and the threat of poverty and famine are day to day struggles for the majority of the population, it is difficult to assert that this population is a just comparison considering that they live nothing like we do. The stresses of poverty can have very poor physiological effects on the body.I love this website! Dr G I have derived enormous motivation and inspiration over the past 8 months as I have gone vegan largely due to your great information. We need more fact based information that is readily summarized and understood as so much of the world remains unnecessarily shrouded in mysticism, fad, and greed-based denial or misinformation. Thank you again.Thanks a lot per this information.Many, many thanks Dr Greger for your bite size videos. as a keen student I am so frustrated not being able to do research anymore due to CFS and fibromyalgia. I started a low fat vegan diet 12 months ago, it is defenately helping. Please keep up the good work. thanks againThank you so much for this video. I am 19, and am ready to begin my new healthy life. I never had the strength to let go of meat, and animal products, but you have definitely encouraged and inspired me to do so.Good to hear!Kelly: Congratulations on taking the plunge! You are ahead of the game compared to so many people. I am envious of your decision. I wish I had done the same thing when I was your age.There are lots of other videos on this site to provide further inspiration as you need it. Best of luck to you.Your videos are very informative, and we are viewing them regularly. Question: Since it is high in calcium, can nettle leaf be used to increase bone density? If so, are there any studies? What is your opinion?Hi Dr. Greger – My son and I have an ongoing debate about hypertension and diet. The debate is about hereditary hypertension vs hpertension caused by poor diet and exercise. What percentage of people with hypertension can reduce it to normal levels (meaning no medication required) with diet and exercise alone? Looking forward to your response. Thank you!Based on my clinical experience and the studies that I have read I estimate that at least 90% of folks on blood pressure medication can get off their medications over time. Patients often see alot of improvement in the first week. This is why it is important for them to work with their physicians so their blood pressures don’t go too low. However in my experience there is continued improvement over time. What is “normal” is another issue entirely. If you have “normal” BP and are on no medications and go on a better diet and your blood pressure will generally get lower. The first case is an example of secondary prevention (curing the disease and being off medications) and the latter is primary prevention. There will still be patients that benefit from treatment. Dr. McDougall did a nice newsletter article available for free on his website… see November 2009 issue for “How I treat Patients with Elevated BP”.Dr. Forrester – thank you so much for your time and your response. Great information and it settled our debate,. Have a wonderful holiday!Brilliant Presentation! funny, entertaining, true, brilliant! Great Job! I have sent this to many of my friends and family! It is amazing that even after people get a severe life threatening disease they are still addicted to eating the SAD diet. It breaks my heart. Thank you again for putting it all into a presentation that I can share with my family! My husband and I host healthy lifestyle immersion opportunities on Maui and I have a vegan and raw food culinary institute (www.bodytemplegourmet.com). May I forward some of your information to our students and direct them to your site please? Also do you have a list of your sources of where you obtain your information? I’m sure you filter out the research that is biased by corporation support. Also, if you ever need some R&R you are welcome to stay in our private cottage nestled in Maui nature for free… just a short walk away from a beautiful waterfall. We would be delighted to host you and we so appreciate all you are doing for the planet and people. Thank you!Heaven: re: “Also do you have a list of your sources of where you obtain your information?”This video is one of Dr. Greger’s year-in-review videos and he isn’t able to list all the sources. However, if you find the individual videos on this site which he is referencing in this summary, you will see a “sources cites” section under the video. Dr. Greger even gives you a link to the study when he is able.If you enjoyed this year-in-review video, you may also enjoy the other one:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/Your place in Maui sounds wonderful. Thanks for telling us about it.This is one of the best video I’ve never seen. Fantastic!! Thank you very much!! Now I think I’ll run out of the room when I’ll see a chicken in someone’s house. Ugh! I feel like I should talk about all these stuff to everyone! It’s so sad that such important information remain almost hidden. Thanks again, Cheers from Italy. SaraI’ve always described myself as an opportunistic, “best choice available” eater; & since vegetation’s always been available, I’ve merely taken that opportunity, thus _appearing_ to be vegan. After watching Greger’s talks , I’m committed; I’ll fast if meat’s the only thing available.Always appreciate the information.It is good that you are moving all of your videos to vimeo. Youtube removed all of durianriders videos and he promotes a raw vegan diet. He took up a petition and got enough signatures to get Youtube to look at his videos and they are all back up now.But Youtube should have taken a look at your videos since the above video got over 1 million page views on Youtube. I have an article called Prevent and Reverse Disease with a Plant-Based Diet. I have just replaced the Youtube link to your video on it with the Vimeo one. It mentions some of the things that you say in this video (so it is in writing) and it has a link to the study you mentioned– coronary heart-disease in Africans and Asians in Uganda. http://hub.me/afLlg I just added to it the video saying that Al Gore is now a vegan. Since the meat industry sued Oprah Winfrey and they lost (with your help), maybe they complained about your videos.Dr. Greger,excellent presentation and information! Thank you for your commitment to health and bringing this knowledge to a broader audience. I am a GI nurse at a large hospital and have worked as an oncology nurse for ten years before that. It’s so refreshing to hear you speak about nutrition and give evidence based studies to back up what many of us nurses already know but aren’t supported in teaching to our patients. Please continue to speak and enlighten our society on this important issue. Your message needs to be heard over and over until more change can (hopefully) take place. With much Gratitude~ Jamie RNDr. Greger, physiotherapists are good candidate for life style trainers However, we can refer patients to diabetes association, but not to vegetarian association -even for obesity patient with knees pain.Can someone quickly point to anywhere Dr. Greger possibly addresses the very often asked question, or point, that some people bring up, that it’s not “meat” per se that’s bad for us, it’s factory-farmed meat, and that grass-fed meat is actually healthy. There’s a so-called “humane” slaughterhouse being built in Sullivan County, NY and in the area’s publication — The River Reporter — there’s a pro and con discussion going on in the opinion section. Some friends of mine need some good ammunition to debunk, among other things, her contention that grass-fed “meat” (ugh hate the word!) is healthy. Thanks in advance.ifyoucareenough: I don’t have much of an original answer for this, but two of the NutrtionFacts team members have answered this question in the past. Here are their answers.Dr. Don Forrester wrote: “[humans] are designed as “hind gut fermenting herbivores” a lot of data to support the anatomy and physiology of this hypothesis. Beyond that meat from grass fed animals also contains saturated fat which is metabolized to cholesterol and dioxins…see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/which are in the air as a product of burning plastics. It is true that grass fed animal meat is healthier then animals via CAFO’s but that doesn’t make it healthy.” … “[Some people may have] a similar argument about fish which is even easier to address see video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/ ”And Toxins also wrote an excellent reply: “endotoxins, xenoestrogens, increases in igf-1 and arachidonic acid. All are inherent components of meat whether organic or conventional. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=endotoxin http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=IGF-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=xenoestrogen http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=arachidonic+acid ”I would add saturated fat and cholesterol to the list of problems. Another point I like to make is that people who push meat like to talk about primitive cultures who ate mainly meat. Before modern times, those animals would have been more naturally raised or wild animals. And yet we have plenty of evidence that people eating those animals suffered bad health consequences by eating those animals. It’s not a 30 second sound-bite, but if someone wants to learn more about those arguments and counter-arguments, Plant Positive has a very scholarly and fully referenced set of videos on YouTube.Or you might check out the website by HealthyLongetivity. Here is a quote from that site: “I have already posted several articles describing the poor health of populations who subsisted predominantly on naturally raised animal foods which you can find below: http://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/2012/11/traditional-diets-in-asia-pacific-and.html http://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/2012/08/forks-over-knives-and-healthy-longevity_17.html ”Here is another quote from Healthy Longetivity: “It is well established that saturated fat (in specific lauric, myristic and palmitic acids) raises total and LDL cholesterol, and that LDL cholesterol is an established cause of cardiovascular disease. The cholesterol raising effects of saturated fat is not the result of how the animal was raised as tropical plant fats high in lauric, myristic and palmitic acids will also raise total and LDL cholesterol.http://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/2013/01/diet-heart-problematic-revisit-part-ii.htmlAs I previously pointed out, it has been demonstrated in thousands of animal experiments that the feeding of cholesterol and saturated fat, including in the form of fresh egg yolk accelerates the development of atherosclerosis in virtually every vertebrate species that has been sufficiently challenged. This includes mammalian, avian and fish species- herbivores, omnivores and carnivores, and over one dozen different species of nonhuman primates. Again this cannot be attributed to the way that the animal was raised as when taking into consideration the amount of antioxidants and carotenoids as well as the lack of cholesterol, tropical plant fats high in lauric, myristic and palmitic acids will also accelerate atherosclerosis in animals to a similar degree as saturated animal fats. http://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/2013/04/cracking-down-on-eggs-and-cholesterol_7.htmlIt has been shown in controlled feeding trials that heme iron from meat causes the production of NOCs (N-nitroso compounds) in the digestive tract which in-turn causes DNA adducts in the human digestive tract. Therefore the heme iron content in meat rather than how the animal was raised can partly explain the positive association between red meat and colorectal cancer. http://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/2012/08/forks-over-knives-and-healthy-longevity.html”*My* bottom line is: There may be *marginal* health advantages to an animal product raised “naturally”, but in the end, the main problems are inherent with the product themselves regardless of how the animal was treated.Hope that helps.Yes it does, thank you very very much Thea!What do you all think of this article?:Kale? Juicing? Trouble Ahead – NYTimes.comWhat do you all think of this NYT opinion article (“Kale? Juicing? Trouble Ahead”)http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/01/kale-juicing-trouble-ahead/?_r=1&amp;In the topics I see “pap smear”, but cannot find the segment about it. Can someone help me?HI Carlo, you clicked on “pap smear” and found it led to the video “More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases”. In this yearly presentation, Dr. Greger talks about pap smears for testing (at the 26 minute mark) as a common reason for a doctor’s visit. Since pap smears are a lab test and not impacted by nutrition there is not a video segment for them.What an incredible presentation Dr. Greger! I have spent the day watching your videos and absorbing the education and wonderful humor. I am a Physician Assistant, but no longer practicing and am now a devotee to the vegan lifestyle out of my love for animals and curing myself of two autoimmune diseases (Grave’s and dermatomyositis) without one ounce of conventional treatment or pharmacology. Look forward to following and sharing your message!!WOW! That was a GREAT presentation! Your my favorite funny Doctor. Everything you said was true and sad at the same time. I’m just glad I’m a vegan. :)You are hilarious Dr. Greger. We as a movement are doing our best to help to move you down o the list of common killers!You are such a fantastic speaker, Dr. Greger. I heard you in Toronto a couple of years ago and have gradually given up milk and eggs, my last hurdles to veganism. I learn so much from your daily videos and this extended dose was just such a treat.I’m wondering if it’s just meat in general that’s the problem or is it farm raised, hormone injected, and improperly butchered meats that’s the problem? Loved this video great points were made!!You mention the dangers of methionine, and I notice it is listed as an ingredient in Ener-G Egg Replacer, which many vegans rely on for baking, etc. Should we eschew it entirely? How much is too much?Spreading the love here Doctor. Thank youDr Greger! You are my hero. I spend far too much time on your site and researching nutrition but I can’t learn enough! I would love to see your live discussions but unfortunately I live in Australia.. any chance you’ll be doing a tour one day???Good afternoon, thank you for such an easily understood explanation for essential tremor. I have had a mild case for over 20 years, I am 44 right now and have found that it is much better without Diet Coke but can’t seem to kick it completely. I haven’t eaten any meat or chicken in over 20 years and have fish maybe 2 or 3 times a week. Is there another way that I could have come across neurotoxins or Harmane? I started to notice the tremor when I gave meat and chicken up for good when I was about 20. Any advice?Amazing presentation! Thank you Dr. Greger for this information.I remember seeing one of your videos wherein you talked about a study that looked at kitchen contamination. I desperately want to share that, but have not been able to find it – would you point me in the right direction please? Thank you so much!I was always a meat eater and I was told that it was healthy and that we needed the protein, but I have watched “Uprooting the leading causes of death” and this video and I am shocked by the truth. Needless to say, and I never thought I would say this, I am officially on a whole foods plant based diet. Thank you so much, and I hope that you can convince others just like you did me!• Low-carbohydrate–high-protein diet and long-term survival in a general population cohort (2006)• Low carbohydrate–high protein diet and mortality in a cohort of Swedish women (2007)• Low-carbohydrate diets and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: Two cohort Studies (2010)• Low protein intake is associated with a major reduction in IGF-1, cancer, and overall mortality in the 65 and younger but not older population (2014)Good luck.Emma: Thanks for sharing your story! There is definitely a lot of mis-information about protein out there.If you want to really solidify your understanding of human protein requirements, here are my favorite sources:http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlhttp://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ (check out December 2003 for McDougall’s site, “A Brief History of Protein: Passion, Social Bigotry, Rats, and Enlightenment”. Also April 2007, “When Friends Ask: Where do you get your protein?”)Not only are our protein requirements much lower than most people think, but there is ample evidence that excess protein leads to all sorts of health issues. I wanted to post a list of referneces that a frequent contributor, Darryl, recently gave us, but I’m having Disqus issues. (sigh)Anyway, thanks again for sharing. And good luck.Hi everyone,I have just read all of the posts and I am in tears! My life for the past 10 yrs has been,I don’t know how to put it, I guess lonely and loveless. I’m 26yrs I ve been with my fiance for 10 yrs and we have 2 sons. Our oldest 7 has AS too and my youngest 3 has autism. I feel so lonely in my family, none of them understand me at all and don’t try. I feel like i ve lost myself. I is much harder to deal with my Fiance then my kids of course, because I shouldn’t have to parent him. I don’t want to parent 3 people, I want love. He doesn’t even feel love I don’t think! I’m very sad thinking that I am putting my self in this position, to never put myself 1st or get anything I need or want it life. My family nor his gets it and they say that because he works and takes care of his family with money I should be happy enough. I wish there were groups where iI live but I haven’t found and yet. I’m very happy to find other people out there dealing with this, because living life like this is very lonely. I would love to start talking with some of you,all things happen because great zalilu was very great to me,after he help me getting back my man every thing have be working fine.Please you can contact he for help so you can be happy in your relationship.Email him at;greatzalilu@gmail.comI never really know where to post a general question, so here goes. I wonder if you have a view on the recent piece in the NY Times reporting diet has little or no impact on cancer? http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/22/science/an-apple-a-day-and-other-myths.html?_r=0Hi Dr. Greger. I really appreciate these videos you make. I started going vegan about two years ago after watching your videos. I am 20 years old in college. I try to convince my professors and students around me about the benefits of plant-based foods, and harms of animal-based foods, but they don’t really believe me. Where should I go for grad school or employment if I want to get more educated and practice plant-based nutrition to help save lives? Here is my email address julian_sho_morris@yahoo.comDr Greger: Thank you for this website and your depth of research. I’m wondering if you have a comment on the Wall Street Journal piece linked here: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303678404579533760760481486?KEYWORDS=fat&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303678404579533760760481486.html%3FKEYWORDS%3DfatI see the link didn’t come through. It is a 5/2/14 piece in the Wall Street Journal entitled: “The Questionable Link Between Saturated Fat and Heart Disease.”Are there anymore yearly review hour long videos? I would like to watch them, thankyou :)Hi Jessica: there are dvds/digital downloads for sale here: http://www.drgreger.org/downloads. All sales go to charity.Thankyou :)Stunning and life altering. My Mom was a hospital dietician, and NEVER KNEW the harm associated with a omnivorous diet. I have refused statins for 3 years, but been unable to reduce my stratospheric cholesterol levels. I have had Dr’s assure me there is NO reversing of arterial plaques once they are deposited. As a non smoker and an exercise fit individual I hoped for a solution that wouldn’t cause my liver to suffer. Fortunately, I have had a life long love affair with berries, fruits, vegetables (as well as EGGS, CHICKEN, TURKEY, LOBSTER, NATURAL CASING FRANKS, ETC) so putting myself on a vegan diet the last few weeks since being exposed to the startling research facts in just a few hours of viewing your videos, has not been a huge hardship. Berries every day? It’s like dessert at every meal..! No more sugar? I now know I can beat that addiction as sincerely as I approach an opiate addiction, BECAUSE I know it is slowly killing me. A Doctor finally told me the whole truth about the effects of what I have been eating. I want to LIVE well (and that means being healthy), far more than I want to ever taste certain foods again. At age 55 I am confident the changes will make a huge difference, and since I have never yet been diagnosed with high BP, cancer, or heart ailments (non-smoker, moderate exerciser, average fitness, sugar & egg & fat addict) making the change to a plant based diet can only improve the odds of keeping it that way. Once I understood I was being poisoned by my food, change was not a choice but an imperative, thank you for this information no one else provided.Hollywood Resident: It’s so sad when I hear about people who would just love to cure themselves through a healthy diet, but had been told by doctors that there was nothing they could do. Happily, there are doctors like Dr. Greger and more and more others (including several participants on this site) who are getting the word out.Congratulations on making what is for some people a very hard change in your diet. I’ll think good thoughts for you. I am sure this is going to make a huge difference in your health. Good luck.Thanks, but as I say it’s not a hard decision at all once you know you’re getting toxins from meat/dairy/sugar. If rat poison tasted like heaven, I still wouldn’t consume it. As to my health, I am actually in perfect health other than having very elevated cholesterol for 20 years… I’m just hoping I don’t end up with a sudden cardiac event before a few years of vegan eating has the chase to reverse some of the plaquing that must exist. It’s criminal for Dr’s to not inform people they’re consuming toxins in foods.Amazing video. Conventional medicine focuses on symptoms instead of looking at root causes, preventing illness and maintaining health. Besides, the allopathic approach dissociates each aspect of the body from the whole and that is just not how the body works…Transfats in dairy? How come when I enter the same dairy products shown in this video into CronOMeter, zero transfat is shown, regardless of quantity?Do non cancerous tumors require extra methionine as well for growth? It it reasonable to conclude that non cancerous tumors can be shrunk with a vegan diet?wow this is eye opening and terrifying at the same time , the whole time the education system was only teaching us to treat patients with drugs ! do you do give any lectures at international conferences ? i have never heard of something like that before though the whole articles have been published ! dear Dr Greger what is your opinion concerning chemotherapy & radiation ?Amazing i watch this all the time to keep my head on straight as to why I became a vegan! Thanks for putting this message out there Dr. Greger! Your an inspiring force in this plant powered revolution!This presentation has changed our families lives from today on. When you mentioned the starting heart disease of a ten year old , I let my ten year old hear it and he cried and said , my life is going to change now. Thank you so much for this Doctor , our family is most appreciate .Karl: Wow. This is one of the more powerful posts I have seen in a while. It is stories like these that keep me wanting to volunteer on this site. Thank you for the feedback. I’m sure Dr. Greger loves to read these stories too.Best of luck to you and your whole family!Had hilarious fun doing the gargling and it does make your lungs feel exercised, that is until we nearly choked with laughter on the water. All good now. Thanks.haha.I enjoyed this video very much! I hope a lot of doctors listen to it. BTW is this available in print format?I am most surprised and disappointed about the eggs. Why do we poison ourselves? -Trudy (Jamaica)You. Are. Awesome. LOVE your work. Thank you thank you thank you.Hi Dr. Greger,I want to thank you for your videos and presentation as they helped me achieve make the step to a healthy vegan diet. I am a 16 year old from the Netherlands and my diet has helped me lose a ton of weight and made me feel much better about myself and in general.Recently my Grandfather, which I was very fond of, died of a stroke after a long time suffering from Alzheimer’s. Seeing such an amazing person lose his connection with everything around him was painful and I can’t stand the thought of that happening to my parents, who to this day consume large amounts of dairy and meat. I want to convince them to stop doing so and at least make steps towards veganism but I have no idea how to go about that. Their English is limited and I have not discovered any good Dutch vegan sources. Do you have any advice for me?Dr. Greger: I’m a loyal follower of your teachings. Just when I think I understand it, a study like this one comes out. Would you please comment on this study summary “People with the highest consumption of high-fat dairy products — eight or more portions per day — have a 23 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest consumption — one or less per day, a new study shows.” The reference is: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140915202955.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fhealth_medicine%2Fdiabetes+%28Diabetes+News+–+ScienceDaily%29Thanks for all of the time you donate to a healthier population! Ron GontermanOutstanding! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion.Amazing. A friend turned me onto your site a few months ago. I’m not only a meat eater but a hard core meat eater. I don’t just eat bacon, I buy slab bacon and cut it myself! After watching the vignettes and now the hour length film I’ve given up meat cold turkey and I’m about to try veganism. Thank you doctor Greger.Champflyer: Congratulations on your path to health! That’s really exciting.Note that Dr. Greger has a total of 3 hour long presentations. You might want to check out those videos too, plus catch up on a few videos-of-the-day as you have a chance. I thought I would also recommend the video, Forks Over Knives, which is also powerful and compelling.Going cold-turkey works great for many people. It helps to note that we are not just talking veganism, but whole plant food eating. There are some great resources that can help you figure out what whole plant food eating looks like in order to be as healthy as possible. One book you might want to check out is The Starch Solution by Dr. McDougall, which also includes recipes. I have other ideas too if you would like them.Best of luck to you!really changed my thinking and i thought i was well informed before i saw his video’s,,just need something to replace my cream in my coffee and all dairy will be gone also,,eggs and cheese will now be gone also,well maybe one pizza a month lolMiningTheMarket: I know a couple for whom it was also very important to find a way to replace cream in their morning coffee when they went vegan. After some experimentation, the husband settled on adding 1/2 coconut creamer and 1/2 soy milk. The wife just uses the coconut creamer. Not being a coffee person myself, I can’t personally comment. All I can say, is that it is possible. :-)I agree, the information in this video is great, and not widely known. If you liked this video, you may want to check out Dr. Greger’s two other hour longer summary presenations. Plus, check out the videos-of-the-day for more details and other fascinating info.Good luck!Thanks for the info.I have a cup morning and night of organic coco,,steva honey,a bit of coffee mixed in plus 10% cream.there are some subs out there,but they have Carrageenan in them,,so the organic cream would better then those??MiningTheMarket: re:”there are some subs out there,but they have Carrageenan in them,,so the organic cream would better then those??”It is a fair question. I suggest looking at Dr. Greger’s latest video on carrageenan: http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/When I compare that information to all the many, many compelling studies fully against dairy, I would personally choose some carrageenan over some dairy every time based solely on health concerns–pretending for a minute that those two options are my only choice (ie, if I really didn’t have choices say c thru g also). http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=dairyAnd then if you consider animal suffering (check out the movie, “Earthlings”) and global planet depletion (check out the movie “Cowspiracy” to learn more), the idea that dairy is an option just does not compute with me at any level.That’s just my 2 cents.Thank you very much for your reply.Yes i will stick with the 10% cream until i find something that will taste as good with out the added junk,,, mainly the Carrageenan.Guess i am hooked my my coco,but no reflux with it as with coffee,as i use very little of it,Awesome, Awesome, Awesome… Did I mention Awesome? Well it most certainly is! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!14:06This epidemiological disease list resembles that of the modern sitting toilet (namely toilet induced strokes, appendicitis, diverticulosis, colon cancer, hemorrhoids and hiatal hernia). Sitting while defecating would be the main offender, before meat vs. plants (and fiber).These people in Africa and Asia egest food remnant and gut bacteria out of their body by Asian Squatting, not by sitting on a chair like the United-States and the third of humanity who misguidedly adopted the porcelain throne do.The quality of what you take in is important, but so is how you choose to take it out! (Think about the breath-cutting, diaphragmatic Valsalva maneuver implicated every time you go and do it wrong.)test14:06This epidemiological disease list resembles that of the modern sitting toilet (namely toilet induced strokes, appendicitis, diverticulosis, colon cancer, hemorrhoids and hiatal hernia). Sitting while defecating would be the main offender, before meat vs. plants (and fiber).These people in Africa and Asia egest food remnant and gut bacteria out of their body by Asian Squatting, not by sitting on a chair like the United-States and the third of humanity who misguidedly adopted the porcelain throne do.The quality of what you take in is important, but so is how you choose to take it out! (Think about the breath-cutting, diaphragmatic Valsalva maneuver implicated every time you go and do it wrong.)thank you, thank you, thank you….Impressive presentation as always … until we arrived at the statement about “… some quack clinic in Mexico…” I am a loyal devotee of Dr. Greger; however, for such a renowned researcher to say this is amazing to me. Our two percent cancer survival rate in the U.S. is no match for the survival rates that some of the foreign cancer treatment centers (such as in Mexico) provide. It is our own deeply corrupted FDA who has caused the rise in holistic treatment at foreign clinics. Indeed, the first line of treatment at most of these clinics is to begin a vegan regimen and pursue plant based therapies that our FDA will not approve as part of the litany of successful cancer treatments offered in Mexico. I have first hand knowledge that these noninvasive treatments are many times the best hope for cancer patients.Can anyone explain the results in this article? Seems to run against most other results we’ve seen.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3917888/“Our results revealed that a vegetarian diet is related to a lower BMI and less frequent alcohol consumption. Moreover, our results showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with poorer health (higher incidences of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders), a higher need for health care, and poorer quality of life.”That was amazing from beginning to end. I live in the UK, the youngest of 5 kids. As a child I learn’t about food around the table at dinner, breakfast and supper. At the age of 14 with the support of my parents, I went vegetarian and recently vegan at 48. I never really felt healthy has a vegetarian but I feel fantastic has a vegan. My family have fallen prey to; diabetes type 2 (2 brothers and mother) strokes (brother and sister) and my father died of bowl cancer. I, on the other hand, am fit and healthy. So this I could say is my little case study into the effects of food on my family and me.Thank you for continuing to keep us informed on our health and nutritional matters, the service you provide is one that I hope some day you are rewarded for greatly.Awesome! I learned a lot and many of the things discussed solidified my thoughts on nutrition and its preventative powers.Glad you found it helpful, please see here for other year in reviews. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/Thank you very much for the information http://awakenthenextlevel.com Would love to have some of your articles posted on my blogUre the best!!! I am in my third year vet school, have been whole-foods plant based almost 4 years, and mainly vegan for almost 9. I’ve been having so much fun and plan on going to medical school after I am done with vet! ;D :) Thank you for all your work! I find this as an AWESOME!! resource, THANKSThank you ,for an alternative and easier solution for cronic ailmentsA bit biased (for my taste) but still an excellent presentation and a must to watch for every health-conscious person.Hi Dr. Greger, can you please direct me to a list of sources cited for this video (More Than an Apple a Day)? Thank you.Guest: The best way to find the sources is to find the related “videos of the day” and then look in the “Sources Cited” section for those mini-videos. Dr. Greger does not list the sources for these summary videos–beyond what you can see in the video itself.12 a week! Jeez, there must be some v constipated vegans making up for my contribution!Hello: Please Eat Healthy and in moderation to all that read this, but what does this statistic mean? Looking at video at 36.46 inI am sorry. I had to stop watching this. It seemed too much like a video or presentation one would put forth towards a college class. I may have missed something, as I stopped watching ~34 minutes in and quit caring. You brought up a lot of good points, but how you approached them seamed to be guided by the purpose of what you are trying to sell. Your jokes did not help.A couple of things that jumped out at me and caused me to stop watching:You compare things to environments where they are lacking the conveniences. i.e. First world v.s. Third world.I could get by that, but then I started hearing statistics and the egg one caught my ear, and figured I would throw my thoughts out there as well from what I know. (Careful numbers of 100k+ are scary)aYou compare stats of 100,000 ‘Americans’ are reported as being having salmonella poisoned every year, but you do not state where the eggs game from. Or that 1 in 15,000-20,000 eggs may make it through the screening process may contain it based on my last research. And that 100k of the U.S. 300B may or may not have purchased said eggs from a government o.k.’ed facilityI have now finished the video, but still do not see why one should go vegan you make claims against animal byproducts. But I also noted that your ‘third’ test for chicken was not a safe zone. I.E. your average kitchen.What about human immunity? There are certain things that we grew up with and are around on a daily basis that may trigger your tests?What about the quote “safe zone” unquote for meat?as I noted that you did not mention beef or pork in the example I am concerned about those as well.This video changed my life. Thank you.I’m very thankfull for your work !What a gift these long presentations are for all of us!! Thanks for the GREAT work you’re doing Dr. Greger!I commend you for trying to inform people. Please be careful because the truth creates enemies. I really enjoyed the number of presentations I saw.Thank you so much for this hour long summery. I learned so much. Thank God for people like you.Great video, but the suspense is killing me. What are the leading causes of death for the 1950s Bantu?I have just read an article in The Atlantic Monthly. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/03/the-most-common-sources-of-food-poisoning/386570/?utm_source=nl__link2_030315 I was surprised that the article attributed foodborne illness to such a degree to plants ! How does the bacteria end up on plants… ? I always wash produce in water. But am wondering if there is a better way to protect against e.coli, salmonella, and listeria? Perhaps you already made a video about this? If so, could you share the name? Thanks much .. I appreciate the site so much. RamonaHi Ramona,Good question. I am posting a link from Dr. Greger’s video on Norovirus. He explains way to reduce risk and how the contamination occurs. We appreciate you for being here, Ramona! Let me know if this helps? JosephDoctor’s NoteWhen you hear of people getting infected with a stomach bug from something like spinach, it’s important to realize that the pathogen didn’t originate from the spinach. Intestinal bugs come from intestines. Greens don’t have guts; plants don’t poop.So the Salmonella in alfalfa sprout seeds (Don’t Eat Raw Alfalfa Sprouts) likely came from manure run-off or contaminated irrigation water. But this pesticide angle adds a whole new route for fecal pathogens to pollute produce. Broccoli Sprouts are safer, and organic sprouts may therefore be safer still.Organic foods may also be healthier (see Cancer Fighting Berries) and don’t carry the potential chemical hazards associated with pesticides. See my videos:CDC Report on Environmental Chemical ExposurePreventing Parkinson’s Disease With DietCan Pesticides Be Rinsed Off?Pesticides in Chinese Bamboo ShootsPlants vs. PesticidesThat is very helpful information. Thanks so much !We are so grateful for your work and efforts Dr Greger, your work is very valued and appreciated and helps junior doctors like myself become better clinicians in the future. Thank you :)I am jubilant! I just discovered your website, and found it a treasury of practical health counsel, and solid scientific research. Although this presentation was offered two years ago, its advice remains more relevant than ever. The dark forces have done their best to keep science out of public health policy and congressional debate, while the death toll from preventable disease continues to mount. To make sure this message of alarm about the lethal American diet is heard and understood clearly, I have emailed the transcript (see “Transcript” button, above) to all my friends and family. That social network is one very effective way to spread the word rapidly. Of course, they have the option to pass it along to others. By the way, the transcript your provide is also valuable in a completely unexpected way– only a message in text format permits busy people to review the content when they cannot review the whole video. While the video is powerful– a public health “jeremiad” on its own– the text helps people review many important points from sometimes complex material. As you, Dr. Dean Ornish and Sen. Ron Wyden (D, OR) have sensed, Dr. Greger, people sometimes lose track of the forest for all the trees.Dr Greger, that is a fantastic presentation. I’ve been a strong skeptic of alternative medicine for years due to the lack of science – always feeling that if something works, we should be able to test it scientifically.Your research-based approach is such a breath of fresh air. Thank you for hard work and diligence in sourcing these studies. I’d like you to know that you have made a difference in the way my wife (cancer survivor) and I look at diet. We have only been vegan for a couple of months, but your videos and website are tremendous resources.Thank you again, and keep up the good work. You’re helping to change entrenched attitudes.I am simultaneously joyous and mortified. Thank you for sharing this wealth of information in such a intriguing and amusing way. I am two years into a whole, plant food lifestyle, still figuring it out, and attempting to educate (and gently pursuade) bewildered friends and family. These videos – all of them – are so very helpful! Your point about making it personal – imagine the faces – was extremely powerful. Thank you for your passion and determination to get the information out to the mainstream.Dr. Greger, thank you for all the great informations and thank you because you make me laugh a lot :). I’m sharing your videos with my family and friends to spread knowledge as much as possible. As I understand you must be vegan. I’ve been reading and watching documentaries about this but is seams to me like you have to be always on B12 supplement or fortified food. This doesn’t seam to be natural though, I don’t think there are long term researches on this, is it correct? I mean shouldn’t we see if at least 2-3 generations can go ahead without problems and procreate healthy children before saying that vegan is the right diet? Researches like the Cina Study for exemple, seems like the intention is to take in consideration only the pro vegan point of view but not other point of view of researches that prove them wrong. I’m vegetarian and I’m kind of scared to do the next step with dairy product because of possible food deficiencies. Can you help me have some clarity regarding this? Thank you( sorry if my english is not perfect, I’m not from the US :)Laura: Your B12 question comes up a lot and is perfectly understandable. The need for B12 supplements stems from the unnatural world we live in. If you are drinking natural (dirty) water and eating unwashed plants, you may be able to get the B12 that you need. But that’s not how we live any more, and thank goodness!Here is an analogy to provide another way to think of the B12 issue: Humans need water to survive. But that doesn’t mean that it would be healthy to get water by drinking soda/coke. There are healthier ways to get water. Similarly, getting B12 from animal sources comes with tons of unhealthy factors. It’s just not worth it since we live in a modern world in which we can easily get B12 in a safe way.Here is an article from NutritionFacts that specifically address B12 that you might find helpful: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/25/vegan-b12-deficiency-putting-it-into-perspective/Your other question is about how to make sure you get all of the nutrients you need if you are going to drop the dastardly dairy. In order to answer that question, I need to know what nutrients you think that dairy provides that you might have trouble getting elsewhere. Are you worried about protein? Calcium? Something else? I can address those specific nutrients, but I will also point out as a general rule: There are no adult animals on this planet (humans included) which need the breast milk of another species. The reason so many people think they need dairy for important nutrients is due to very clever and insidious marketing.Let me know if you would like more information.	abdominal fat,ADHD,aging,alternative medicine,American Egg Board,American Public Health Association,animal fat,animal products,animal protein,aortic aneurysm,appendicitis,autoimmune diseases,beans,beef,beta-carboline alkaloids,bladder health,bladder infections,blood pressure,bone health,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,breast health,cake,California Prune Board,Campylobacter,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cavities,CDC,cellulite,cervical cancer,cheese,chemotherapy,chicken,children,cholesterol,cluster headaches,colon cancer,colon disease,colon health,common cold,complementary medicine,constipation,cooking methods,cooking temperature,Crohn's disease,cruciferous vegetables,dental health,depression,diabetes,diverticulitis,diverticulosis,dried fruit,E. coli,eggs,elderly,endocrine disruptors,erectile dysfunction,esophageal cancer,esophagus health,essential tremor,exercise,eye health,fat,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,fertility,fibromyalgia,fish,flax seeds,flexitarians,food poisoning,foodborne illness,fruit,gallbladder disease,grains,Harmane,headaches,heart disease,heart health,hemorrhoids,hernia,hot sauce,HPV,hypertension,immune function,impotence,industry influence,lavender,LDL cholesterol,leukemia,lung cancer,meat,medications,men's health,mental health,Metamucil,methionine,migraine headaches,milk,mood,morbidity,mortality,multiple sclerosis,muscle health,mushrooms,nutritional yeast,nuts,obesity,oils,oral health,pain,pap smear,placebo effect,plant protein,plant-based diets,plums,pork,prostate cancer,protein,prunes,PSA,rectal cancer,reproductive health,respiratory infections,safety limits,Salmonella,saturated fat,seafood,seeds,side effects,skin health,smoking,STD,strawberries,stroke,sugar,surgery,trans fats,tremors,turkey,USDA,vaginal health,vaginosis,varicose veins,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,Viagra,viral infections,vision,water,weight loss,women's health,xenoestrogens,Yale,yogurt	Dr. Greger has scoured the world's scholarly literature on clinical nutrition and developed this brand-new live presentation on the latest in cutting-edge research on how a healthy diet can affect some of our most common medical conditions.	In my annual nutrition review last year, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, I explored the role diet may play in preventing, arresting, and even reversing our top 15 killers. Actually, if you recall, the top 16. Since side effects from prescription drugs kill an estimated 106,000 Americans a year, the sixth leading cause of death may actually be doctors.And that's just from adverse drug reactions. Add in medical mistakes (which the Institute of Medicine estimates kills at least 44,000 Americans) and that brings "health"care up to our country's third leading cause of death. Throw in hospital-acquired infections, and we're talking maybe 187,000 Americans dead every year (and millions injured) by medical care.The best way to avoid the adverse effects of medical and surgical treatments and tests is not to avoid doctors, but to avoid getting sick in the first place. This year I thought I'd run through the top dozen reasons people visit their doctors to highlight some of the latest research in hopes of moving me and my colleagues lower down the list of common killers.So you can more easily navigate through the menu of diseases I touch on, this presentation is also available on DVD through my website or Amazon. If you want to share copies with others I have a five for $40 special. All proceeds from the sales of all my books, DVDs, and presentations all go to charity.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophagus-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hemorrhoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cellulite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/respiratory-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/morbidity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallbladder-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hernia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-sclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pap-smear/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-public-health-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/std/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/placebo-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/appendicitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/essential-tremor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california-prune-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prunes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xenoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viagra-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/methionine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervical-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metamucil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plums/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aortic-aneurysm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tremors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carboline-alkaloids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/varicose-veins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-sauce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harmane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibromyalgia/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	-
PLAIN-2441	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death	For those of you unfamiliar with my work, every year I read through every issue of every English-language nutrition journal in the world—so you don’t have to. Every year my presentations are brand-new because every year the science is brand-new.I then take all the most interesting, groundbreaking, practical findings and create videos I upload to my website NutritionFacts.org.Everything on the website is free. There's no ads, no corporate sponsorship, It's strictly noncommercial; I'm not selling anything. I just put it up as a public service. New videos every other day on the latest in nutrition.Now if you've seen any of my past year's presentations, you know that over the years I've addressed the most pressing dietary issues of our time, like What's the healthiest variety of apple, the most nutritious nut, the best bean, the best berry, the best bowel movement!...Who's #1 at #2? well, it wasn't the new Yorkers—the most constipated population ever described in the medical literature, outputting an average of just 3 measly ounces a day….Maybe if they'd just eat a big apple once and awhile…But this year, I thought I'd lighten it up, and answer. What's-the-best…… way-to-prevent, death. Every year the CDC updates the leading causes of death in the United States. So, let's just start at the top, and touch on what's new in each category.Heart disease, #1. The 35 year follow-up of the Harvard Nurses’s Health Study was just published now the most definitive long-term study ever on older women’s health. Since the study started, thousands of participants died, but that allowed them to determine the “risk factors for mortality." Because heart disease was the leading cause of death, it comes as no surprise that dietary cholesterol consumption was significant risk factor for dying. The second leading cause was smoking-related cancer deaths, but what's so neat about this study is that it's a competing risks analysis, so it allowed them to compare different risks to one another. Consuming the amount of cholesterol found in just a single egg-a-day appears to cut a woman’s life short as much as smoking , 5 cigarettes a day, for 15 years.A finding supported last month in this landmark article by a crack team of Canadian researchers, who found a similar exponential increase in artery clogging plague in smokers and egg eaters.The most protective behavior they found was fiber consumption. Eating just a cup of oatmeal’s worth of fiber a day appears to extend a woman's life as much as 4 hours of jogging a week, but of course there’s no reason you can’t do both.It's worth noting that the intake of cholesterol, only found in animal foods, was associated with living a shorter life and the intake of fiber, only found in plant foods, was associated with living a longer life.The one specific food most tied to longevity was, nuts. You also appear to get 4 hours of weekly jogging benefit eating just two handfuls of nuts a week.Yeah, heart disease, #1 cause of death, but what if your cholesterol's normal? I hear that all the time, and have to break it to them that having a “normal” cholesterol in a society where it's normal to… drop dead of a heart attack—is not necessarily a good thing. Remember, it's our #1 killer. In a huge study last year, most heart attack patients "fell within recommended targets for LDL cholesterol, demonstrating that the current guidelines may not be low enough to cut heart attack risk." Close to half of heart attack victims had quote-unquote “optimal” cholesterol levels… though I’m not sure their grieving spouses and orphaned children will take much comfort in that fact. What is considered "optimal" is still too high. Yeah, having a below average cholesterol reduces your risk, but, as the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Cardiology wrote more than a decade ago, it’s time to shift from just decreasing risk to actually preventing and arresting atherosclerosis. You don't want low risk; you want no risk—how do you do it.  “For the build-up of plaque in our arteries to cease, it appears that the serum total cholesterol needs to be lowered to the 150 area. In other words the serum total cholesterol must be lowered to that of the average pure vegetarian. Because relatively few persons are willing to abide by the vegetarian lifestyle, lipid-lowering drugs are required in most to reach the 150 level. So it's our choice.So it's our choice—diet or drugs. Why not just choose the drugs? The FDA just announced newly-mandated safety labeling for cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor, Mevacor, Crestor, Zocor, and Vytorin, etc. The FDA issued new side-effect warnings regarding the increased risk of brain related side effects such as memory loss and confusion, an increase in blood sugar levels and risk of new-onset diabetes. One prominent cardiologist described the Faustian bargain: fewer heart attacks, but more diabetes. And, we learned just a few weeks ago "adverse effects of statins on energy levels and fatigue even at moderate doses, particularly for women.With all the memory loss and confusion caused by these drugs, folks may forget there's actually way to lower the risk of heart attacks and diabetes at the same time, a plant-based diet.Now cholesterol is just half of the heart disease story. The other half is inflammation. We’ve known for 15 years, that a single meal high in animal fat— sausage and egg mcmuffins were used in the original study— can paralyze our arteries, cutting their ability to relax normally in half within just hours of eating animal products. The lining of our entire vascular tree gets inflamed and stiffened. And just as the inflammatory crippled state starts to calm down 5 or 6 hours later—lunchtime! We may then whack our arteries with another load of meat, eggs, or dairy for lunch, such that most people are stuck in this chronic low-grade inflammation danger zone, which may set them up for inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer one meal at a time. Does the same thing to our lungs--again, within hours. Inflammation in our airways. A single meal causing internal damage not just decades down the road but right then and there, that day, within hours of it going in your mouth.And just this year, we may have finally solved the mystery as to why. It doesn't appear to be the animal fat itself. And it's apparently not the animal protein, (which is what we see triggering inflammation in arthritis). So if it's not the animal fat, and it's not the animal protein, what is it?The whole thing is a crazy cool detective story that I'll be putting up in a series of videos next week actually, but I'll just cut to the chase—spoiler alert! After a meal of animal products, people suffer from endotoxemia, their bloodstream becomes awash with bacterial toxins, known as endotoxins, that are present in animal products. So oo wonder our body goes crazy. These dead meat bacteria toxins aren't destroyed by stomach acid… aren't destroyed by digestive enzymes, aren't destroyed by cooking—they tried boiling meat for hours. "These bacterial endotoxins were found to be highly resistant to cooking and our bodies’ best attempts at acid and enzyme digestion." And then the animal fat actually does play a profound role, ferrying the bacterial toxins present in the meat through the gut wall into our system.So the reason animal products trigger immediate inflammation appears to be because they're so loaded with bacteria that can trigger inflammation dead or alive even when they're fully cooked, and saturated animal fat then boosts the absorption of the bacterial toxins into our bloodstream.So now that we know what's going on, what do we need to do? From a 2012 follow-up: "While the most obvious solution to this metabolic endotoxemia appears to be to reduce saturated fat intake" (which in this country comes mostly from cheese and chicken), but, they say, "the Western diet is not conducive to this mode of action; it's difficult for patients to comply with this request." So what? Let's not even tell them?This patronizing attitude in the medical profession that "oh, patients won't improve their diets, or stop smoking—even if it's going to save their lives, so why bother?" That attitude may be one of the true leading causes of death. But let's get back to the official list, and take on Cancer next. What's the latest?We know from the largest forward-looking study on diet and cancer ever, that “the incidence of all cancers combined is lower among vegetarians,” especially some of the fastest growing tumors, lymphomas and leukemias. and for that the worst meat was actually chicken…. Up to triple the rates for every, 50 grams of daily poultry consumption. That's just a quarter of a chicken breast may triple your risk. The link between meat and cancer is such that even the journal Meat Science asked last year “Should we become vegetarians, or… can we make meat safer. There’s a bunch of additives, for example, that “can suppress the toxic effects of heme iron,” the blood iron that’s found in meat. These additives are still under study, but “could provide an acceptable way to prevent colon cancer,” because evidently avoiding meat is just out of the question. They fear that if the National Cancer Institute recommendations to reduce meat consumption “were adhered to, sure, cancer incidence may be reduced, but famers and the meat industry would suffer important economical problems…..”For those of us more concerned about the suffering caused the meat industry, than the suffering of the meat industry, what happens if you put cancer on a vegan diet? The Pritikin Research Foundation just completed an elegant series of experiments that I want to spend a bit of time on them. Simple experiments. They put people on different diets, drew their blood and dripped their blood on cancer cells growing in petri dish and just stood back to see whose blood was better at suppressing cancer growth. They were the ones that published that study showing the blood of those on a vegan diet was dramatically less hospitable to cancer. Even the blood of those on a standard American diet fights cancer; if it didn’t everyone would be dead. It’s just that the blood of those eating vegan fights about 8 times better.The blood of those on the standard american diet slows cancer growth rate down about 9%. Put people on a plant-based diet for a year, though, and their blood just tears it up. The blood circulating within the bodies of vegans has nearly 8 times the stopping power when it comes to cancer cell growth.Now this was for prostate cancer, the most common cancer of men, In women, it’s breast cancer, so the Pritikin researchers tried duplicating the study with women using breast cancer cells instead. They didn’t want to wait a whole year to get the results, though. So they figured they’d see what a plant-based diet could do in just two weeks, against three different types of human breast cancer. This is the before, cancer growth powering away at 100%. And then after, eating a plant-based diet for 14 days. Here's the before picture, a layer of breast cancer cells is laid downin a petri dish and then blood from women eating the standard American diet is dripped on them, and as you can see, even people eating crappy diets have some ability to break down cancer. But after just 12 days eating healthy, blood was drawn from those same women, dripped on another carpet of breast cancer cells and this is what you're left with. Their bodies cleaned up!Slowing down the growth of cancer cells is nice, but getting rid of them completely is even better. This is what's "tunel" imaging, which measures DNA fragmentation, cell death. Dying cells show up as white spots. So again, this is the before, what the blood of your average woman can do to breast cancer cells. If can kill of a few. But then after 12 days of healthy plant-based living their blood can do this.This is called programmed cancer cell death. After eating healthy, their own bodies were able to reprogram the cancer cells—forcing them into early retirement. It’s like you’re an entirely different person insideThe same blood that was now coursing through these womens' bodies gained the power to significantly slow down, and stop breast cancer cell growth thanks to just two weeks of eating a plant-based diet.What kind of blood do we want in our body, what kind of immune system? Do we want blood that just kind of rolls over when cancer cells pop up, or do we want blood circulating to every nook and cranny of our body that has the power to slow down and stop them?Now this strengthening of cancer defenses was after 14 days of a plant-based diet and exercise, they were out walking 30 to 60 minutes a day. Maybe the only reason their blood started becoming so effective at suppressing cancer growth was because of the exercise—maybe the diet had nothing to do with it. So they put it do the test.This is measuring cancer cell clearance. This is what we saw before, the effect of blood taken from those who ate a plant-based diet, in this case for 14 years and along with mild exercise—like just walking every day. Plant-based diet and walking—that's the kind of cancer cell clearance you get. Compared to the cancer stopping power of your average sedentary meat-eater, which is basically nonexistent.This middle group, instead of 14 years on a plant-based diet, ate 14 years of a standard American diet but had 14 years of daily strenuous, hour-long exercise, like calisthenics. The researchers wanted to know if you exercise hard enough, long enough, can you rival some strolling plant-eaters.And… Exercise helped—no question, but literally 5,000 hours in the gym, was no match for a plant-based diet. Here’s an actual photomicrograph of cancer cells stained so that they’d release light when they die. As you can see in the control group, there were a few cancer cells dying. Even if you are a couch potato eating fried potatoes, your body’s not totally defenseless. But here’s the hard-core strenuous exercise group. Cancer cells dying left and right. But nothing appears to kick cancer butt more than a plant based diet. Why, though? Some people don't care why, but I'm always curious. How does a simple dietary change make one’s bloodstream so inhospitable to cancer in just a matter of days? We didn't know until last year, when "[they] sought to determine the underlying mechanisms for these anticancer effects.”It's a wild story I have a whole series of videos coming out about. It in involves little people, big people; It involves big dogs and… little dogs, the story involves marshmallows… tinkertoys… cannibalism, and vegan bodybuilders, from beef steak to beefcake—I wish I had time—but the videos will be up soon. Bottomline—the answer to the Pritikin puzzle is IGF-1.Insulin-like Growth Factor One is a cancer-promoting growth hormone involved in every stage of cancer growth, proliferation, metastasis, and invasion. But you put people on a plant-based diet and their IGF-1 levels go down, and if they stay on a plant-based diets their levels drop even further.And their IGF-1 binding protein levels go up. That’s one way our body tries to protect itself from cancer—from excessive growth—by releasing a binding protein into our bloodstream to tie up IGF-1. It's like our body’s emergency brake. Yes, in as little as 11 days, a plant-based diet can reprogram your body to bring down IGF-1 production, but you still have all that IGF-1 circulating in your bloodstream from the bacon and eggs you had the week before. So, your liver releases a snatch squad of binding proteins to take it out of circulation, and as you can see it just gets better and better the longer you eat healthy. Here's the experiment that nailed IGF-1 as the villain. Same as last time. Go on a plant-based diet; Cancer cell growth drops; and cancer cell death, shoots up. But then here’s the kicker. What if you added back to the cancer the exact same amount of IGF-1 banished from your body because you were eating healthy? … It erases the diet and exercise effect. It’s like you never started eating healthy at all.So that's how we know that lowering animal product consumption leads to lower IGF-1, which leads to lower cancer growth. But how low does animal-product-consumption have to go? How plant-based does our diet need to get? Well, let’s look at IGF1 levels in meateaters, versus vegetarians, versus vegans. Does a plant-based diet work better at lower the circulating level of IGF-1 compared with a meat-eating or lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, and this is what they found. Only the vegans had significantly lower levels. And the same relationship found with IGF-binding capacity. Only the vegans were significantly able to bind up excess IGF-1 in their blood streams.This was a study done on women…, What about vegan men? They found the same thing… So even though vegan men tend to have significantly higher testosterone levels, than both vegetarians and meateaters—which can be a risk factor for prostate cancer, the reason plant-based diets appear to reverse the progression of prostate cancer,,, may be due to how low their IGF-1 drops. High testosterone, yet low cancer.The bottom line… is that male or female, just eating vegetarian did not seem to cut it—didn't do their body many favors. It looks like to get a significant drop in cancer-promoting growth hormone levels one really has to move towards eliminating animal products altogether. The good news is that given what we now know about IGF-1, we can predict “that a…vegan diet may be profoundly protective with respect to, for example, risk for breast cancer in older women.” OK, just 13 causes of death to go! What time is it? Let me quickly run the list. The top three killers used to be heart disease/cancer/stroke. Oh, that is so 2011. Now it's heart disease, cancer and COPD—like emphysema. Thankfully, COPD can be prevented with the help of a plant-based diet, and even treated with plants if you want to check that out.Of course, the tobacco industry viewed these landmark findings a little differently. Instead of adding plants to ones diet to prevent emphysema, wouldn’t it be simpler to just add them to the cigarettes? And whallah, the addition of acai berries to cigarettes evidently had a protective effect against emphysema in smoking mice. Next they’re going to be putting berries in meat. I couldn't make this stuff up. Adding fruit extracts to burgers was not without its glitches, though. The blackberries “literally dyed burger patties with a distinct purplish color…” though infusing lamb carcasses with kiwifruit juice before rigor mortis sets in does evidently improve tenderness… and it is possible to improve the nutritional profile of frankurters with powdered grape seeds… though there were complaints that the grape seed particles were visible in the final product, and if there’s one thing we know about hot dog eaters, it’s that they’re picky about what goes in their food. Pig anus? OK, but grape seeds? Ew! Preventing strokes, killer #4, is all about eating potassium rich foods. Potassium, from the words pot ash. You take any plant, put it in a pot and reduce it to ash you're left with pot-ash-ium—true story, but can anyone name me a plant food particularly high in potassium???Why is that like the one thing everyone knows about nutrition? Did Chiquita have a good PR firm or something? I bet you could walk into the heart attack grill, where they're eating things like this, , and ask anyone, and they may be like "I don't know what to should eat, but I do know bananas got potassium." In reality, bananas don't even make the top 50 sources, coming in at #86, right behind fast food vanilla milk shakes.Let's see who can guess the food with the highest potassium. Let's get everyone on their feet. Is the whole food with the highest potassium content a fruit, vegetable, grain, bean, or nut. Ok, root stem leaf or flower? What kind of green and then number to beet—I keep giving you hint)The top five sources are tomato and orange concentrates, and then in terms of whole foods, greens, beans, and dates. In fact if you look at the next leading cause of death, banana's, could be downright dangerous. Alzheimer's, now our sixth leading killer. We've known for nearly 20 years now, that those who eat meat—red or white—appear between 2 to 3 times more likely to become demented, compared to vegetarians. And the longer you're vegetarian, the lower your risk of dementia. But the exciting new research is on treating Alzheimer's using natural plant remedies, which beat out placebo, and worked as well as a leading Alzheimer's drug. Again, all on the website; all for free. Next on the kick-the-bucket, list… diabetes, which can be prevented, treated, and even reversed in many cases—check out Brenda's talk at 3 o'clock today. This is from October. Those eating vegetarian had significantly lower risk of diabetes, but vegans did the best. And ready for the shocker? This was after controlling for obesity. Sure vegans have less diabetes—they're skinny, but even at the same weight, vegans had just a fraction of the diabetes risk.Why are vegans, on average, so slim? Obesity is so rare among those eating plant based diets, nutrition researchers have been desperate to uncover their secret. Yes, they tend to eat fewer calories… but not that many fewer. In the past I’ve gone through a couple of the theories that have emerged. Maybe it's because people eating plant-strong diets express more of the fat shoveling enzyme inside the powerplants—the mitochondria--within their cells, maybe it's because they grow different populations of good bacteria in their gut, Maybe it's because they're avoiding the obesogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals in meat? An obesity-causing virus in poultry may even be contributing. We’re still not sure, but the theories keep coming. Here's the latest: Maybe it’s the propionate. After all, what's one of the things that’s only in plant foods, never in animal foods? Fiber. Animals have bones to hold them up, plants have fiber to hold them up.I thought fiber was defined, though, by our inability to digest it. True, we can’t break down fiber, but the gazillions of good bacteria in our guts can. What do they make with it? Propionate, which gets absorbed into our blood stream. So technically we can digest fiber, but just not without a little help from our little friends. What does prionate do? Well it inhibits cholesterol synthesis. That’s nice. It also appears to have hypophagic effect, meaning it helps us eat less, apparently by slowing down the rate at which food empties from our stomachs, thereby making us feel fuller longer. “Propionate may either regulate food intake or the generation of new fat cells resulting in an overall anti-obesity effect.” And we can boost the numbers of good bacteria in our gut without probiotics just by eating vegetarian, because we're feeding our little friends with fiber.Animal foods also tend to be more calorically dense. For example, to walk off the calories found in single pat of butter you’d have to add an extra 700 yards to your evening stroll…. A quarter mile jog… for each sardine you put in your mouth—and that's just the edible part. And any who choose to eat two chickens legs better get out on their own two legs and go run an extra 3 miles that day to outrun weight gain.And that's for steamed chicken… skin removed. Here's the latest: “Meat consumption and prospective weight change.” “”hundreds of thousands of men and women across 10 countries with “”weight gain measured over a 5 year period. What did they find? “”Total meat consumption was associated with weight gain. “”Conclusion: Our results suggest that a decrease in meat consumption may improve weight management. And this was after controlling for initial weight, physical activity, educational level, smoking status, total energy intake… Wait-a-second—what?! That's the kicker.The link between meat and weight gain remained even after controlling for calories, meaning if you have two people eating the same number of calories—the person eating meat may gain more weight. In fact they even calculated how much more.An intake of 250 g meat/day--like a steak, would lead to an annual weight gain 422 g higher than the weight gain experienced with a same-calorie diet with lower meat content. After 5 y, the weight gain would be about 5 pounds more. Same calories, yet 5 pounds heavier eating meat. And steak was nothing. “The strongest relation with annual weight change—weight gain--was observed for poultry.” Let’s say you start out normal weight and eat a hamburger every day. This is how much extra weight beyond what’s already in the calories you’d put on every year. What if instead you had the same amount of calories of processed meat, say a ham sandwich? You’d gain this much extra, whereas, just about a half a chicken breast puts you, up to here, above and beyond the calories. “”In conclusion, our results indicate that meat intake is associated with weight gain and this association persisted after adjustment for total energy intake. Our results are therefore in favor of the public health recommendation to decrease meat consumption for health improvement.”For more, Make sure to catch the meat industry's take on that study—very interesting, as well as PCRM's amazing work putting a vegan diet to work in a corporate setting. Kidney failure, 8th leading cause of death can be prevented with a plant-based diet; can be treated with a plant-based diet. Why?Our kidneys are highly vascular organs. That’s why kidneys look so, red inside. Our two little kidneys filter through our entire blood supply. And so if the standard American diet is so toxic to blood vessels in our heart, brain, and pelvis, leading to heart attacks, strokes, and sexual dysfunction, what might it be doing to our kidneys? Long story short, Harvard researchers found three significant risk factors for declining kidney function—meaning losing protein in your urine (your body's not supposed to be peeing out it's protein). The three risk factors were animal protein, animal fat, and cholesterol. No such association was found for plant protein or plant fat. It's not protein; it's not fat—it's animal protein; animal fat. Not only do vegans appear to have better kidney function, dramatic improvements were found treating kidney failure patients with pure vegetarian diets after only one week. Leading killer number nine is people dying from respiratory infections Check out my video Kale and the Immune System, about the immunostimulatory effects of kale—is there anything kale can't do? And if you look at my video Boosting immunity through diet, which was actually the video-of-the-day on Wednesday of this week, you can see that even just eating a few extra fruits and vegetables can significantly improve one's immune response to pneumococcal pneumonia. Suicide, is number 10. Last year at SummerfestI talked about improving mood through diet We knew vegetarian diets were associated with healthier mood states, but you can't tell if it's cause and effect until you put it to the test, which they did this year. You take regular meat-eaters, and remove meat, fish, poultry—and eggs, from their diets, and you can see a significant improvement in mood scores, after just two weeks—it can take drugs like Prozac months to take effect.The way drugs like Prozac work is by elevating levels of serotonin, the so-called happiness hormone. Did you know there's serotonin in plants? I certainly didn't, but there's serotonin, and dopamine and all sorts of human neurotransmitters in plants so much so there's been a call to start treating depression with high-content sources of serotonin, you know, like plantains, pineapples, bananas, kiwis, plums, and tomatoes. And what's the side-effects, maybe you'll get a little strawberry seed stick in your teeth or something? Maybe that's why a high intake of vegetables, fruit, mushrooms, and soy was associated with a decreased prevalence of depressive symptoms. Maybe that's why improved behavior in teenagers was significantly associated with higher intakes of leafy green vegetables and fresh fruit.For more, Keep an eye out for my videos coming up on the wrong way to boost serotonin, which is taking tryptophan supplements. better ways to boost serotonin, to fight disorders such as premenstrual depression, and the best way… as reported in this double-blind, placebo controlled crossover study of the successful use of butternut squash seeds, in the treatment of social anxiety disorder, for example. How might a plant-based diet prevent systemic infections? Well, meat-borne bacteria can t directly invade one's bloodstream through the intestinal wall, or in women creep up into their bladder. Just last month, June 2012, direct DNA fingerprinting proof that women are getting urinary tract infections from eating meat contaminated with fecal bacteria, which then crawl up into your bladder. and chicken is the most likely reservoir.Wait a second. You can’t sell unsafe cars, you can’t sell unsafe toys, how how is it legal to sell unsafe meat? They do it by blaming the consumer. As one USDA poultry microbiologist said: “Raw meats are not idiot-proof. They can be mishandled and when they are, it’s like handling a hand grenade. If you pull the pin, somebody’s going to get hurt.” See if we get sick, it’s our fault.While some may question the wisdom of selling hand grenades in the supermarket, the USDA poultry expert disagrees: “I think the consumer has the most responsibility but refuses to accept it.” That’s like a car company saying yeah, we installed faulty brakes, but it’s your fault for not putting your kid in a seatbelt. A director of at the Centers for Didsease Control responded famously to this kind of blame-the-victim attitude. “Is it reasonable,” she asked, ‘“that if a consumer undercooks a hamburger…their three-year-old dies?” Is that reasonable?Not to worry, though: the meat industry's on it. They just got the FDA approval for a bacteria-eating virus to spray on meat. Now some have raised concerns about these so-called bacteriophages, such as the the possibility of the viruses spreading toxin genes between bacteria, especially given the difficulties in preventing of large numbers of these viruses from being released into the environment from the slaughterhouses.It could also allow the meat industry to become even more complacent about food safety if they know they can just spray some viruses on at the end, similar to the quick fix argument about irradiation. From the industry point of view, who cares if there’s fecal matter in the meat as long as it’s blasted at the end with enough radiation. Now the meat industry's concerned that consumer acceptance of bacteria-eating viruses may present something of a challenge. If they think that's going to be a challenge, check out their other bright idea The “Effect of Extracted Housefly Pupae on Chilled Pork Preservation.” A sciency way of saying they want smear a maggot mixture on meat. It's a low cost and simple method. Think about it. Maggots thrive on rotting meat, yet, there have been no reports that maggots have any serious diseases—not that anyone checked, but… indicating that they have a strong immune system. They must be packed with some sort of antibacterial properties—otherwise they’d get infected and die themselves. So they took maggots who were 3 days old, washed them, dried them--toweled them off—put through them in tissue blender—a little vitamix action, and whallah! Safer meat. We did kidney failure, what about liver failure. We've known for 35 years--since 1977, that a vegetable-protein diet could be used to treat liver failure, significantly reducing the toxins that would otherwise have built up eating meat with a less-than-functional liver. Imagine eating meat without a fully functional liver to detoxify your blood.I do have to admit, though, that some people live on plant-based diets have worsening liver function. They're called, alcoholics…In fact Strictly plant-based Living on potatoes, corn, grapes, barley—and yet still for some reason not doing so hot. High blood pressure is next, so-called essential hypersension, essentially, only found in people that eat meat. Again, look at this—we've known for decades, that "consumption of food of animal origin was highly significantly associated with blood pressure"—even after "weight effects were removed." Fast forward 39 years to 2012. Compared to nonvegetarians, as you go more and more plant-based—flexitarian, to just eating fish, to lacto-ovo to vegan you can see hypertension rates drop progressively down to a small fraction. Same thing with diabetes, a stepwise drop in risk as you lower animal product consumption. Same thing with body mass index, in fact vegans were the only dietary group that is on average not overweight—even the vegetarians were overweight. Diabetes and hypertension are both leading causes of death. Is it going to take doctors another 39 years before we actually start doing something about it?How long does it take being vegan, to bring blood pressures down? Twelve, days!McDougall took 500 meateaters, but them on a vegan diet, and over a span of 11 days dropped their blood pressures 6%, and up to twice that in those that came in hypertensive. 14th leading killer is Parkinson's. Does a plant-based diet reduce risk of Parkinson's disease? Good question. Well we know that every single prospective study on "dairy products or milk" and Parkinson's disease found increased risk. Why? Well, one possibility is that dairy products in the United States are contaminated with neurotoxic chemicals. There's substantial evidence "suggesting that exposure to pesticides may increase Parkinson’s disease risk," and autopsies have found higher levels of pollutants and pesticides in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients […] and some of these toxins are present at low levels in dairy products. They're talking about toxins like tetrahydroisoquinoline, a parkinsonism-related compound found predominantly in cheese. Although the amounts of this neurotoxin—even in cheese—are really "not very high," the concern is that the chemical may accumulate in the brain over long periods of consumption. And finally, aspiration pneumonia, which is caused by swallowing problems due to Parkinson's, or Alzheimers, or a stroke, all of which we've already covered.So, where does this leave us? These are the top fifteen reasons Americans die, and a plant-based diet can help prevent, nearly all of them…, can help treat, more than half of them, and in some cases even reverse the progression of disease, including our top three killers.There are drugs that can help too. You can take one drug to treat cholesterol every day for the rest of your life, another drug for blood sugars, a couple different pills for high blood pressure.The same diet, though, does it all! It's not like one diet for this; a different diet for that. One diet to rule them all.And what about drug side-effects? I'm not talking a little rash or something. Prescription drugs kill… more than a hundred thousand Americans every year. And that’s not medication errors, not abuse, not overdose; that’s just deaths from side-effects, ADRs, adverse drug reactions to prescription drugs.Wait a second, 106,000 deaths a year? That means, that the six leading cause of death—is actually doctors!The sixth leading cause of death… is me!Thankfully, I can be prevented, with a plant based diet … Seriously, though. Seriously, compared to 15,000 American vegetarians, meateaters had about twice the odds of being on aspirin, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, antacids, pain-killers, blood pressure medications, laxatives and insulin. So plant-based diets are great for those that don't like taking drugs, or paying for drugs, or risking adverse effects.This study did show, though, that plant-based diets have their own side-effects. Side-effects include less chronic disease, fewer allergies, and fewer surgeries, vegetarians have less varicose veins to hemorrhoids—even fewer hysterectomies. And not just protection from the big killers like coronary artery disease, strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes, but less diverticulosis, for example--significantly fewer diseases overall—that's the side-effects of a plant-based diet. Less disease overall. Here's the allergies thing. According to the longest running study on vegetarians in history, compared to vegetarians, women who eat meat appear to have a 30% greater chance of reporting chemical allergies, 24% more asthma, more drug allergies and even bee-sting allergies, and 15% more hayfeverA new side-effect of plant-based eating we just learned about last year— fewer cataracts. That's what we get—fewer cataracts, the leading cause of blindness and vision loss. Compared to those just eating about a single serving of meat a day, cutting down to half a serving a day appears to cut risk 15%, just do fish you're down 21%, no fish 30% drop in risk, and then no eggs and dairy for the full 40% drop in cataract risk.And that's all in addition to my favorite side-effect of plant-based diets, helping to prevent 15 of our top 16 killers.Want to solve the healthcare crisis? I have a suggestion.Imagine, if our nation embraced a plant-based diet. Imagine if we just significantly cut back on meat. There is one country that tried.After World War 2, Finland joined us in packing on the meat, eggs, and dairy. By the 1970’s, the mortality rate from heart disease of Finnish men was the highest in the world, even putting us to shame. They didn’t want to die, so they got serious. Heart disease is caused by high cholesterol, high cholesterol is caused by high saturated fat intake, so the main focus of the strategy was to reduce the high saturated fat intake in the country. So that means cheese and chicken, cake and pork. So, a berry project was launched to help dairy farmers make a switch to berry farming. Whatever it took And indeed, many farmers did switch from dairies to berries. They pitted villages against each other in friendly cholesterol-lowering competitions to see who could do best.So how’d they do? On a population scale, even if mortality rates drop 5% you could still save thousands of lives. But remarkably great changes took place… An 80% drop in cardiac mortality across the entire country. “With greatly reduced cardiovascular and cancer mortality the all cause mortality has reduced about 45%, leading to greater life expectancy: approximately 7 years for men and 6 years for women.” And that was just cutting down on animal products.Now vying for the world record for heart disease deaths, the United States of America.So why doesn't our government make those same recommendations? I've got a whole series of videos on the conflicts of interests within the U.S. dietary guideline committees. Whether being funded by candy bar companies, or the sugar association. Or a member of the "McDonald's Council on Healthy Lifestyles," or, serving on Coca cola's beverage institute for health and wellness. Notice we only found out about this thanks to a lawsuit by PCRM suing USDA. One committee member, served as a Duncan Hines “brand girl” and then as the official Crisco brand girl.These are the folks that dictate U.S. nutrition policy. If you read the official dietary guidelines committee recommendations you'll note there's “no discussion at all, of the scientific research on the health consequences of eating meat. If the Committee actually discussed this research, it would be unable to justify its recommendation to eat meat at all, as the research would show that meat increases the risks of chronic diseases, contrary to the purposes of the Guidelines. Thus, by simply ignoring that research, the Committee is able to reach a conclusion that would otherwise look improper.” They can't even talk about the science. We know that “A plant-based diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and no meat reversed heart disease, completely prevented deaths from heart disease, and slowed the progression of cancer, and an almost identical diet is promoted by the World Cancer Research Fund to prevent cancer, as based on the largest review of scientific studies to date.” But again, They can't even talk about the science because how could they justify anything but a plant-based diet?Let me end, with what is probably the best summary of nutrition policy in the United States I've ever seen: "The new dietary guidelines have been released. They tell us to eat healthier… But… not so healthy as to noticeably affect any corporate profits.If you want to share what you saw today with others, I have this presentation on DVD, with all proceeds donated to charity.	Today’s video-of-the-day is a NutritionFacts.org first. Though I don’t always succeed, I normally strive to make each of my videos about two minutes in length to match the typical online attention span. That’s why when this presentation was serendipitously taped last month, I turned it into a short DVD rather than uploading it directly to the site. But the response it got was so positive, that I really wanted to get it online. If you too found it valuable, please share it and pass it along. And if you haven’t already, you can subscribe for free to my videos at http://bit.ly/nutritionfactsupdates. Tomorrow we’ll return to our regularly scheduled program of more bite-sized servings of the latest in nutritional science.Dr. Greger I so enjoy your morning videos. My only complaint is when they stop at 2 minutes!Wow! What a treat!  Thank you for posting this online for us!! :)Phenomenal!  Like a said before this video should be required viewing in all medical, dental, nursing, and paramedical schools as well as by the general public before ever stepping foot inside a restaurant or market.Absolutely incredible that you made this free!!!  Thank you! ;-}Goverment usually would not like to spread out astonishing things, I guess. People like consistence, a kind of habit, no matter very bad, people tend to find the reasons to keep it, while resist the changing. The root reason is that going upstream to build a good habit needs energy. I know it’s hard to do so, but it is possible to open a vegan hospital -our own realm. If that happens, please employ me! I am a MPT student in Canada and Taichi coach. I led vegan diet workshops in a senior center in Toronto, 2010If that ever happens I will be giving you a call!  But I don’t see that happening anytime soon.  The Seventh Day adventists already do a modified Vegan version of this type. Doctor, could you please tell me which hospitals of adventists in Canada or US still practice vegan diet? How I can contact with you except on this website?Adventist hospitals , of which there are many, seem to be very normal in their medical practice, I thought. Do they, perhaps, cater better than other hospitals with food. Are there any in the United Kingdom? If so, I’ll be interested to explore further.When I lived in Orlando the adventist hospital cafeteria was meat free.Actually, no, it shouldn’t. You see med school is generally not fond of agenda-driven “science.”Thank you again for your work. I just pre-ordered the set along with those extra DVDs (cancer prevention, bird flu, etc). Can’t wait for them.I shared this link with my mom and she’s now sharing it with others. :)Vegans are an intellectually crazy bunch. Go primal when you realise this is a scam. Do you have the research to back this up?How exactly is a plant-based diet a “scam”? I don’t think name-calling and insults are going to win the primal movement any converts.  You may want to try another outreach/recruitment approach to convince people of the merits of primal eating. If the goal is preventing and treating disease by way of diet, it seems clear from the currently available scientific evidence that some diets are better at preventing and treating disease than others.  It just so happens that “the balance of scientific evidence suggests that the healthiest way to eat [to prevent and treat disease] is a vitamin B12-fortified diet of whole plant foods”. At the moment, it seems that there is not enough evidence (and definitely not a balance of evidence) to indicate that other diets are capable of preventing and treating disease to the same degree that a plant-based diet can for most people.  Moreover, I think it is also debatable whether a meat-based primal/paleo/caveman/low-carb diet is a sensible and healthy way to eat for the planet–but that is discussion for another forum. But since you brought it up, you may want to read these:http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2011/10/27/141666659/the-paleo-diet-not-the-way-to-a-healthy-futurehttp://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/07/the-paleo-diet-caveman-cure-all-or-unhealthy-fad/242621/#http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl/jun/paleo2.htmIn sum, whether you look at it from a health, environment, or human rights perspective a vegetarian diet is most certainly the best choice for human health, the sustainability of the environment, and the best (maybe even only way) that shows compassion toward both humans and other animals.Nothing wrong with meat in the diet as long as it is organically raised, non-GMO feeds (grain and corn is not natural food for any herbivore animal) as they are raised organically without antibiotics/growth hormones away from factory farms.No need to insult each other’s diet/way of life. No one eats solely meat, people add veggies as well, etc., unless following the traditional Inuit diet which is raw meat or a few other tribal diets. To each their own. Sadly, with the Monsanto T-rex on the rampage, cross-contaminating organic fields with its seeds of destruction I worry that in 50 years there will be no natural plant life out there. Then we are all up the creek including wildlife. Well, there are always milkweed pods if Monsanto doesn’t kill those off. These actually taste good when foraging in the wild but will taste like cardboard if altered genetically by Monsanto. Some are people are vegetarians but if they eat pesticide treated foods instead of organic, there are problems…purchasing dirty dozen celery in grocery stores laden with pesticides…not to mention the whole processed ‘food’ industry.There is no such way as “The Only Way’ since people have to find out what works for them and accept that not everyone is going to follow the same path.There is a tremendous body of evidence to discourage one from eating animal products. Whether you’re sold on the idea from the compelling and still-growing consensus regarding your health, the undeniable impact such activities have on our environment, or the well being or misery of so many animals, I couldn’t imagine anything easier to argue and advocate for. World Watch’s coverage of “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” regarding the impossible environmental reality of raising meat on the scale we do, “Earthlings” for a visceral look at the ethical realities, and the work of Dr. Greger, Neal Barnard, T. Colin Campbell, etc. for the preventive health impacts. I hope we can all see more improvement in the near future on these fronts. It’s going to take everyone’s humble and worthwhile efforts, though. :)That’s the same old argument that is always used, example , it is used for climate change. As long as we burn clean coal, unleaded gas etc, blah, blah, blah. NUTS!no need to insult people but ok to shoot animals in the head and slit their throats. to each his own? I guess that’s why some people felt it was ok to own slaves once upon a time. We must think outside ourselves. we are not the only creature, religion, sex, culture, race etc in the world. We have a history of thinking of only what is best for “us” to a detriment to others. Thankfully, slaves are now free, women have been given equal rights, and hopefully, animals will be recognized next as being equally entitled to live their lives free of suffering and early death simply to satisfy our taste buds.sistadana~~Do you really think a farmer is going to raise animals just for pets??? If everyone stops eating meat , there will be no animals!!!Katie: Some ideas to think about: 1) We no longer use horses for transportation. While there are many fewer horses in the world compared to the past, there are still plenty of horses around. Horses are not going away.2) Lots of people love chickens as pets. A “farmer” may not raise animals just for pets. But plenty of people will. I know people who live in the country who just like to have llamas around for pets. They do not eat them. I know someone else who has a pet cow. There’s a YouTube video of a teenage girl with a pet cow who she taught tricks to. Etc.Given all the available evidence, there is no reason to fear that “There will be no animals!!!” Hope that sets your mind at ease.According to science and evolution (I recommend you see the three-episode series by Niels Shubin) ALL creatures on this earth, and by All I really mean All (if you watch the series you’d understand) are actually coming from the fish in the sea some 200 million years ago. We basically carry the same genes throughout time. It is amazing how we evolved from a small fish and now we claim fish and animals have no soul and are some stupid creatures for us to eat and exploit, and we, the great humans, should rule the earth. Alright, we have the head-start, but exactly this should make us even more responsible, and not more careless. We are all relatives, but we deny the other creatures on the planet the same rights we humans have – to live as they please. And Katie, if you’re worried some animals would I should tell you that most wild animals on the planet already disappeared thanks to us and some like the tigers and lions won’t be found in the wild any more 30 years from now. They are gone by 98%. Don’t worry about the chicken and cows, they are a sturdy bunch and have lived without us and before us :-)I finally found a place where someone has brains! You know how hard it is to talk with someone about matters like this – I was called a complete moron once because I was suggesting how the human body has evolved and it’s in our DNA/genes to survive… this woman told me that the only reason why humans survived was because of sex and reproduction…. I SAID WOW… clearly she doesn’t know anything. I appreciate your comment because there are animals dying because of US… and they are going to be animals that will survive without humans involvement.WOW. I appreciate your comment tremendously. I will have to share this with my family and friends.Hey Khemary, I’m kind of happy to know that someone appreciates what I share. I believe in science, but I believe in it when it has a heart. :)I don’re think the vegan or vegetarian diet is the best diet for people or that any studies have shown it to be. In every case that I have read about a study it has compared the vegan to the standard American an diet. Vegetarian diets rely on high starch and low fat. This absolutely doesn’t work well for a lot of people. When the question. Of the best diet for people arises, I think it would be helpful to focus on that alone and not mix in arguments about kindness to animals or the environment since these are different questions. i wouldn’t call them “crazy”. if a diet works for someone, that’s fine. my problem with the stats being thrown about is that this all flies in the face of evolution. the facts pretty clearly show that high protein diets helped propel the growth of the brain and allowed the human species to flourish. so for hundreds of thousands of years, it was good and now suddenly it isn’t?personally, i take issue with the western mentality that every problem needs a “solution”. oh, autism cases have spiked up? wow, it’s funny how vaccinations have gone up, too, so let’s blame them. it’s the ability to understand and diagnoses problems that has developed and allowed us to understand these problems. i think moderation is key to a diet. not to mention there are going to be some disease, etc., that genetically run in families. to simply point the finger at meat and say that all of our ills are from one thing is naive. and again, considering our brain’s growth being due to proteins from fish/meat, i can’t sit here and say it’s all been bad.I believe the brain is made up of mostly fat, and it runs on glucose. What role did protein supposedly play that you think was so important? I’ve never heard that before.brain is made up of around 80% choline..lecithinwhy do you think God provided yo momma with teats to produce milk and not a couple of carrots or mangoes? thats “animal protein” deary; thats what make a babys brain grow- the richer, the better. maybe thats why so many children these days are “special” and/or sickly and/or have so many allergic reactions to everything these days- fed soy based ‘formula’ instead of good ol’ mommas ‘dairy’, not veggie harvest brand canned boob alternative- organic or otherwise ;) ALL food production is being destroyed one way or another; “we the people” better get off our collective, sedentary asses, quit bitching on blogs and get in on changing the game- before it changes us at the genetic level..Trying to use that kind of reasoning to “figure things out” has turned out to be a scientific dead end. There are simply too many factors to take into account. People have spent millenia trying to use clever reasoning to figure out how the world works, but it’s only since scientific revolution and the introduction of clinical & empirical research that we have gotten any real answers.Trying to reason about evolution (for example) can give you ideas on what to research.It may sound reasonable that meat is crucial due to evolutionary adaptations in the human body. But it seems equally reasonable that our much longer evolutionary history as predominately plant-eaters is of greater importance.It may sound reasonable that the extra energy/protein from meat helped build bigger brains. But another reasonable theory is that increase was related to cooking in general. Or that bigger brains were needed to solve more complex social problems as societies grew more complex (independently of food sources).You also have to consider that the average human of the last 50,000 years only lived some 50 years, and as a result evolution hasn’t really acted on some of the health problems our societies are facing right now. It also sounds reasonable that the need for easily accessed energy (from animal products) used to outweigh the long-term problems associated with intake of animal products. But today the health risks associated with animal products suddenly outweigh the benefits, seeing how the production of animal foods are the less sustainable and ethical option today.These are just a few out of dozens or hundreds of “reasonable hypothesises” about human health and human evolution. But there is only one way to sort out what truly works for modern humans. It’s called empirical, clinical research. That research shows us how things truly work. From that data we can try to create theories on why things are like they are. But as soon as new data is presented the theories have to be adapted to take the new data into account. So you can’t simply come up with a theory like “evolution tells us that we should eat meat”, but instead you have to look at the empirical evidence and try to explain that in evolutionary terms (if that’s what you’re interested in).“Reasonable hypothesises” tell us nothing about reality, only empirical evidence does. The empirical data currently seems to support that a plant based diet is superior. Which is the end of the story (until other empirical data is presented). No reasoning about evolution can get around that hard data (go ask any serious evolutionary biologist!)I get tired of people referring to the average age ( such as 50 above). During this time many people lived far far longer than this. Through most of this history many infants died in the first five years of life, thus virtually halving the ‘average’ age.Life expectancy at birth is indeed lower and is estimated at 20-30 years. The number I gave was life expectancy at older age, for people who lived beyond childhood. For rough estimates, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy#Life_expectancy_variation_over_timeBut these are averages. Naturally there were plenty of people who led longer lives than than the average population. How on earth can any thinker believe in the infantile theory of evolution?  No wonder some believe in the nonsense that sprouts from that……………what alternative to evolution do your have? creation- of which there are so many totally different stories in many religions are like lovely dreams that any of us can dream or imagine.I believe it’s the Aeillo’s and Wheeler’s original paper that a lot of people are referencing when claiming that eating meat lead to increased brain size. However, I’m almost certain that Aeillo and Wheeler are saying that the increased brain size lead to eating more calorie-dense foods, which would include meat.So with that said, our brains are fueled by carbohydrates, plus newer evidence suggests human brains size increased as a result of actually thinking.“The so-called expensive-tissue hypothesis, which suggests a trade-off between the size of the brain and the size of the digestive tract, has been challenged by researchers at the University of Zurich. They have shown that brains in mammals have grown over the course of evolution without the digestive organs having to become smaller. The researchers have further demonstrated that the potential to store fat often goes hand in hand with relatively small brains — except in humans, who owe their increased energy intake and correspondingly large brain to communal child care, better diet and their ability to walk upright.”http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109131304.htmAlso, pertaining to how healthy organic meats is: well if ancient peoples had to eat it to survive, then of course they did what they had to do. However, if they lived long enough, this finding suggests that heart disease and other illnesses like arthritis could set in:“Otzi, who was 46 at the time of his death and measured 5ft2, also had brown eyes, had relatives in Sardinia, and was lactose intolerant. Otzi was also predisposed to heart disease.”“Researchers examining the contents of his stomach worked out that his final meal consisted of venison and ibex meat Researchers examining the contents of his stomach worked out that his final meal consisted of venison and ibex meat.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2108324/DNA-scans-reveal-5-300-year-old-mummified-Iceman-brown-eyes-relatives-Sardinia–suffered-Lyme-disease.html#ixzz2DXBg9CdaResearchers examining the contents of his stomach worked out that his final meal consisted of venison and ibex meat.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2108324/DNA-scans-reveal-5-300-year-old-mummified-Iceman-brown-eyes-relatives-Sardinia–suffered-Lyme-disease.htmlWas organic meat the cause of his heart issues and arthritis? Was it the lack of organic meat? Was the meat neutral? You decide.The article fails to mention that one has found also grain and veggies in his stomach…http://www.iceman.it/kids/de/11-14/auswahl/getreidekoerner.htmlEinkorn (primitive form of wheat) has also been found at his clothes.Ötzi was a child of the neolithic era, just look at this ancestors, found 5000 years before him in the ame region….perfect sets of teeth, 1 ft huger than him…the difference between neolithic and paleolithic ages in term of foods are the grains, not the meat!I can’t read the language of your link. Assuming it says what you say…The organic meat was pointed out to suggest that despite the absent of modern chemicals, this individual was still susceptible to heart disease and other illnesses. You’re saying that the grains and veggies made him ill and… short?Living in extreme cold temperatures, likely he wasn’t foraging nor planting. Likely any plant calorie consumed came from the remnants of his prey — meaning most of his food would come from meat. That means according to your own reasoning, meat is to blame for his illness and short stature.The Eskimos were at almost 100% meat diet (organic) and can you make a case that they were healthy? Can you make a connection of their short stature to … plants?If you got a hold of Otzi’s arteries, if there was something embedded in the walls, clogging the arteries, do you think you’d find plant products… or cholesterol?You are throwing a lot of misinformation around…sounds like selective confirmation bias when you read, and a need to rationalize a carnist diet…Try playing puzzle and word games after eating meat, Then play the same type of games after consuming nut, brazil, almonds, walnuts, and higher scores due to more brain activity! Try it, it’s a fact.Well, we have done so much with the development of food processing and handling. It’s no longer the same… animals aren’t treated as they were back then… we are talking about mass scales of animals being “produced” for the human consumption. So during this process they’re given food and supplements that keep them alive only to have them on a plate… We give them antibiotics and we find them the cheapest “food” to feed them with… so yes food is different from way back then and I feel maybe the reason why it isn’t good for us anymore is because of the lifestyle we have and also the way the animals were raised… :-)I wonder how this has 7 likes on this website. Interesting.Eating lots of plants is primal.Eating a plant based diet is the future, which is here, today! That is, if the right to life really matters. If you don’t eat plants, you don’t get the vitamins and minerals your body needs. That’s basic nutrition in a clean world. But, this world is neither clean nor non-toxic. And petrochemicals like benzene which are in weed killers and are carcinogenic, accumulate in the fat of animals and people. Benzene rings create dioxins and organochlorine chemicals, which are persistent organic pollutants and are deadly to the body’s of the animal (inc. humans) kingdom. They increase inflammation, cancers and likely all the diseases that are out there, and they increase death at a younger age.But if you want to die, that’s your option. Just don’t force others to eat as you choose.I think you’ve misinterpreted me. I’m simply stating that our ancestors ate a whole lot of plants. Therefore, if one advocates the “primal” diet, then eat like our ancestors by eating loads of plants.Cateyeblink, I agree. The “doctor” is pushing the dietary cholestrol myth. It has been debunked.http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/food-myths-debunked-eating-eggs-raises-your-cholesterol-level.htmlNo sources in that debunking web page; it just has the vague reference of “multiple studies”: in other words: useless. Nutrition research is as biased as the cigarette company funded cigarette “research” of the 60s and 70s. So, unless the funding source of the nutrition research is known to be neutral, the research is suspect.You may want to consider checking out this video series starting with topic “Cholesterol Denialism”: http://youtu.be/fncQog26JegJust because people who get heart disease have cholesterol levels considered “normal” does not mean cholesterol is not at play. The issue is that cholesterol level standards are far too lenient, and even normal levels are much too high.Nope. You’re wrong. Anyone following the majority of new research coming out about fat vs carbs, etc and CVD knows that the main culprit is excessive carbohydrate consumption. The consumption leads to small dense particle of ldl which is the type of ldl that attaches to artery walls. Cholesterol is used by every cell in the body. It is an important nutrient and relied on heavily by the brain. Studies have shown total chol levels is not a good indicator of CVD. People with low chol have just as high mortality rates then people with high chol.Firstly regarding choelsterol.. “Given the capability of all tissues to synthesize sufficient amounts of cholesterol for their metabolic and structural needs, there is no evidence for a biological requirement for dietary cholesterol. Therefore, neither an Adequate Intake nor a Recommended Dietary Allowance is set for cholesterol. There is much evidence to indicate a positive linear trend between cholesterol intake and low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, and therefore increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A Tolerable Upper Intake Level is not set for cholesterol because any incremental increase in cholesterol intake increases CHD risk.” http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=542Secondly, the current optimal levels of cholesterol are too high. an LDL of 70 or below and you are heart attack proof. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/The low carb movement is actually a fad, and those on a low carb diet have higher mortality rates.Low-Fat Versus Low-Carbohydrate Weight Reduction Diets Effects on Weight Loss, Insulin Resistance, and Cardiovascular Risk: A Randomized Control TrialThis study looked at 24 people who were overweight/obese and divided them into 2 groups. One group was low carb, high fat and the other high carb, low fat.High carb group: 20% calories from fat/60% calories from carbsLow carb group: 60% calories from fat/20% calories from carbsIn addition, the study was designed so that participants would lose 1 pound per week, so calories were reduced by 500 per day.Volunteers were given pre weighed foods given as daily portions and were assessed by a dietician to make sure that they were adhering to the diet. After 8 weeks, this is what was found to be significant between the two groups. The low carb, high fat group experienced arterial stiffness which basically means impaired arterial function. What this means is that the people on this diet experienced low grade inflammation which can lead to the growth of atherosclerotic lesions and can become heart disease. “It is possible that the high fat content of a low-carbohydrate diet exerts detrimental effects on endothelial function, which raises concerns regarding the long-term safety and efficacy of low-carbohydrate diets…Currently, supported by evidence from long-term trials, we believe that a low-fat diet should remain the preferred diet for diabetes prevention.”http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/58/12/2741.longBenefit of Low-Fat Over Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Endothelial Health in Obesity20 subjects participated in this study. “The [low carb] diet provided 20 g of carbohydrates daily, supplemented with protein and fat content according to the Atkins’ diet recommendation.19 The [low fat] diet provided 30% of the calories as fat, modeled after an American Heart Association diet.” I wouldn’t exactly call the low fat diet “low fat”, but regardless, its far less fat then the low carb diet. Both groups were given 750 calories less with pre made meals so they would stick with the protocol.After 6 weeks, there were significant differences between the low carb and the low fat group. The researchers performed a brachial artery test which basically tests to see if arterial function is impaired or not. Typically, the arm is cut off from circulation for about 5 min., then they release the arm, and measure how dilated the blood vessels are. If the blood vessels are constricted, it represents arterial impairment whereas dilation indicates good arterial health.On week 2 of the diet, both low carb and low fat groups had poor arterial health and were not significantly different, but by week 6, those on the low carb diet had far worse arterial health then before, and those eating low fat had far better.This again shows that this type of diet is promoting heart disease risk.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702133/Low-carbohydrate diets and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: Two cohort StudiesThis study group gathered a larger segment of the population and included “85,168 women (aged 34-59 years at baseline) and 44,548 men (aged 40-75 years at baseline) without heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.”The researchers look at both low carb diets that were plant based and low carb diets that were animal based. Here is what they found.Low carb/animal based:Higher all cause mortality risk Higher risk of heart disease Higher cancer riskWeaker associations were found with the low carb/plant based diets.“In our two cohorts of U.S. men and women with up to 20-26 years of follow-up, we observed that the overall low-carbohydrate diet score was only weakly associated with all-cause mortality. However, a higher animal low-carbohydrate diet score was associated with higher all-cause and cancer mortality, while a higher vegetable low-carbohydrate score was associated with lower mortality, particularly CVD mortality.”“These results suggest that the health effects of a low-carbohydrate diet may depend on the type of protein and fat, and that a diet including mostly vegetable sources of protein and fat is preferable to a diet with mostly animal sources of protein and fat.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989112/Low carbohydrate-high protein diet and incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Swedish women: prospective cohort studyAnother study performed in Europe examined another large population.Participants From a random population sample, 43396 Swedish women, aged 30-49 years at baseline, completed an extensive dietary questionnaire and were followed-up for an average of 15.7 years.Its interesting to note that like many other studies, “several well known patterns are evident, including the reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases with increasing level of education and physical activity and the increased risk with tobacco smoking and history of hypertension.”The authors also point out that “Although low carbohydrate-high protein diets may be nutritionally acceptable if the protein is mainly of plant origin and the reduction of carbohydrates applies mainly to simple and refined ones, the general public do not always recognise and act on these qualifications.” Which is basically saying that complex carbohydrates from plant sources or even simple sugars from fruits are not comparable with processed carbohydrates such as white flour, added sugars and other processed carbohydrate based foods such as deserts.The aim of the study was to look at the relationship with heart disease risk and low carb diets. They used a scoring system based on how much protein and carbohydrates were consumed. The scores ranged from 2-20. A score of 2 indicated high carbohydrate and low protein whereas a score of 20 indicates low carbohydrate and high protein.What the researchers found was that as the score increased, there was an increased rate of heart disease as demonstrated by the cut out below from table 3.“In practical terms, and taking into account the rough correspondence in the ranking of energy adjusted and crude tenths of intake, a 20 g decrease in daily carbohydrate intake and a 5 g increase in daily protein intake would correspond to a 5% increase in the overall risk of cardiovascular disease.”“With respect to the biomedical plausibility of our findings, vegetables, fruits, cereals, and legumes, which have been found in several studies to be core components of healthy dietary patterns,34 35 are important sources of carbohydrates, so that reduced intake of these food groups is likely to have adverse effects on cardiovascular health. Moreover, several studies have reported that meat consumption or high intake of protein from animal sources may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3383863/Low-carbohydrate–high-protein diet and long-term survival in a general population cohortAnother European cohort study examined data from 2,944 Greeks. The aim of the study was to see whether low carb diets had a strong relationship with all cause mortality. The study notes that low carb diets are popular for weight loss, but they also note that other diets such as zone, weight watchers and the Ornish diet as well as the Atkins diet all produced similar weight loss after 1 year. “It is, thus, of considerable interest, to examine whether prolonged consumption of LC/HP diets is compatible with long-term health.”Here is what the study classified as low carbohydrate: 20% carbs, 25% protein, 55% fatHere is what is classified as high carbohydrate: 50% carbohydrate, 10% protein and 40% fat.Although both diets are very high fat when compared to a healthier, lower fat diet, we are examining the effect of reducing carbohydrate consumption. It is also important to note that we also don’t know what the majority of the carbohydrate sources were, as they could be highly processed. Nonetheless, here are the results.In all model tests performed in the study, low carbohydrate/high protein diets had a strong positive relationship with mortality. Models 1 and 2 did not control for calories.Model 1: “increasing protein intake was significantly associated with total mortality, whereas increasing carbohydrate intake was associated with nonsignificant reduction of this mortality.”Model 2: “the [low carb, high protein] score (absolute values) was positively associated with mortality, although the association did not reach statistical significance”Models 3 and 4 controlled for calories, but model 3 did not control for complimentary changes in calories when either protein or carbohydrates are reducedModel 3: “mortality was significantly associated with reduction of energy-adjusted carbohydrate intake and nonsignificantly with increasing protein intake.”Model 4 shows the most compelling results as it accounted for calories and changes in the low carb, high protein score were unrelated to caloric intake.Model 4: “In this model, increasing LC/HP score was significantly associated with mortality… It is worth noting that in all these models mortality tends to be inversely associated with intake of unsaturated lipids and positively, although not always significantly, with saturated lipids.What they find from this data is that “an increase of protein intake by about 15 g/day and a decrease of carbohydrate intake by about 50 g/day) was associated with a 22% increase in overall mortality”“In conclusion, we have found evidence that dietary patterns that indiscriminate focus on low intake of carbohydrates in general and high intake of proteins in general, and reflect diets that have been frequently recommended for weight reduction, may be associated with increased total mortality if they are pursued for extended periods.”http://folk.ntnu.no/lyngbakk/artikler/trichopoulou.pdfLow carbohydrate, high fat diet increases C-reactive protein during weight loss.Unfortunately, I was unable to find the full text of this study so it is difficult for me to view the details and all I can do is base my conclusions of the study based on the abstract which is not something I like to do. Regardless, the study revealed a very interesting finding. It showed that when subjects of the study went on a low carb, high protein diet for 4 weeks, they had a 25% increase in C-reactive protein. C-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation which basically means that this group of people were promoting the development of a chronic disease. In contrast, the high carbohydrate subjects decreased their levels of C-reactive protein by 48%.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17536128Low carbohydrate–high protein diet and mortality in a cohort of Swedish womenWe go back to the Swedish cohort study and examine overall mortality as opposed to just cardiovascular risk. The study looked at 42,237 women for 12 years. What they found was this, the higher the protein intake, the higher the mortality and inversely with carbohydrate intake. The higher the fat, both saturated and unsaturated, the higher the mortality rate. And most importantly, the authors note, higher mortality was not correlated with energy intake. The authors note “Increased protein intake and decreased carbohydrate intake appear to be equally unfavourable for cardiovascular mortality”The data shows that both heart disease and cancer rates increase when consuming a lower carb, high protein diet.“After fine controlling for all assessed mortality risk factors that could act as confounding variables, as well as for total energy and saturated fat intake, women with lower intake of total carbohydrates and higher intake of total proteins, in comparison to those with higher intake of total carbohydrates and lower intake of total proteins, had significantly higher total mortality and, in particular, cardiovascular mortality.”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2796.2007.01774.x/fullComparative Effects of Three Popular Diets on Lipids, Endothelial Function, and C-Reactive Protein during Weight MaintenanceThis study is quite interesting. It examined 18 adults aged 20 or over for 6 months. The aim of the study was to examine their health when on 3 diets, the Atkins diet (high fat, low carb), the South beach diet (Mediterranean) and the Ornish diet (low fat, high carb). They found no significant differences between the 3 diets in terms of calories consumed. The results are interesting as seen in the figure below.They found higher LDL in the Atkins diet and lower LDL in the low fat Ornish diet. They also found significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein in the atkins diet as opposed to the Ornish diet. What was also found was that the atkins diet had poor results for the Brachial Artery test which again shows impaired arterial function. “High saturated fat intake may adversely impact lipids and endothelial function during weight maintenance. As such, popular diets such as Atkins may be less advantageous for CHD risk reduction when compared to the Ornish and South Beach diets”http://engine2diet.com/usrfiles/files/publishedstudies/obesity/comparative-effects-of-3-diets.pdfIt is interesting to note that TOTAL cholesterol decreased on an ornish diet including HDL, and that the triglycerides increased on an Ornish diet.A review examining 108 randomized control trials found this.“This systematic review and meta-regression analysis of 108 randomised controlled trials using lipid modifying interventions did not show an association between treatment mediated change in high density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths whenever change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol was taken into account. We found a statistically significant, substantial association between change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths”“Our findings contribute to accumulating evidence that simply increasing the amount of circulating high density lipoprotein cholesterol does not necessarily confer cardiovascular benefits”They also note that HDL that is dysfunctional and pro inflammatory may be produced under certain dietary conditions, “recent data suggest that a low fat, high fibre diet, in combination with exercise, converts high density lipoprotein cholesterol from a pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory state.”Conclusion: “Available data suggest that simply increasing the amount of circulating high density lipoprotein cholesterol does not reduce the risk of coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths. The results support reduction in low density lipoprotein cholesterol as the primary goal for lipid modifying interventions.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2645847/Another study examining the effects the different lipids in terms of heart disease risk found that “triglyceride concentration was not independently related with CHD risk after controlling for HDL-C, non–HDL-C, and other standard risk factors, including null findings in women and under nonfasting conditions.21,22 Hence, for population-wide assessment of vascular risk, triglyceride measurement provides no additional information about vascular risk given knowledge of HDL-C and total cholesterol levels, although there may be separate reasons to measure triglyceride concentration (eg, prevention of pancreatitis).”http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=184863In addition, please see here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/And here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/Right on, dude. You took that boy to school. HCLF vegan for the win!!!Not only is a plant based diet NOT a scam, but it is no longer primal. It is the future unless you want to be on drugs for the rest of your shorter life of eating meat (flesh), eggs, and dairy. If you want to avoid most recombinant DNA in foods, you can grow your own vegan foods in your backyard. On the other hand, if genetically modified crap doesn’t bother you. Enjoy the recombinant DNA in pharmaceuticals of all kinds in the USA.Looking at the side effects of drugs like Boniva and other drugs that supposedly build bone, they significantly increase pain. I do not want to go there. Eating the large quantities of calcium from yogurt and dairy that I had eaten all my life did nothing to keep my bones strong as I approached the age of 65. What they did was increase my body size –not my bone size. And, when I fractured my spine this year, they increased my pain.I can eat a quart size pan full of collard greens and not even come near the calories of drinking a quart of milk, but have more calcium. Now granted, I love milk –organic milk that is. But, even organic, low fat milk has cholesterol, and much more. It has low levels of dioxins, organochlorine pesticides and other fat soluble chemicals that collect and concentrate in my body fat and increase the risk of cancer, immune system damage, and a whole host of diseases. And, with corporations today changing the DNA of food seeds of plants fed to livestock to make the seeds resist more herbicides including Roundup, (Agent Orange) 2,4-D (which the Bush-Cheney EPA admitted is contaminated with 2,3,7,8 TCDD dioxin –the most toxic form of dioxin ever inadvertently created by mankind), dicamba (also contaminated with dioxins) and other toxic pesticides, which are building up in the air (according to the U.S.G.S.) come back to earth with the rain (and snow), and build up in animals and people who top the food chain. Why are you eating meat, dairy, eggs and poisoning yourself????? I tried to get my dog to eat vegetarian before she died. Unfortunately, the vet took her off the food that was making her better and put her on the food that killed her.The only way to eat and survive is a plant based diet.You are beyond ridiculous.Troll alert!Really so your saying doctor Greger has no life he has nothing else better to do if really a scam you may as well call him a mass murderer i am sensing your eating to much meat and i never applied any of this fully it is just common sense there is no way that every single study and all test test the people and the countries involved are consider a scam. What an absurd claim obviously this is the comment from a brain that is clouded with toxins.Fantastic presentation Dr.Greger!!!! I have NOT watched anything more smarter than that, in my life ! My admiration and respect !!Absolutely Mind-blowing! I have shared this video, and others, so many times I cannot count. I would like to share with you, that at least four people that I know of have become vegetarian and working towards vegan because of it. THANK YOU.In this june 3 2013 jama adventist 2 results, why the seafood vegetarian living longer than vegan ? http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1691919If you look at the overlapping confidence intervals, you can see the study is not (yet) able to differentiate between the different classes of “vegetarians.” As the researchers write in the discussion, they’re hoping to be able to do direct comparisons between vegetarian groups in a much anticipated later follow-up. The cohort’s only been followed for about 6 years, and so far the only main take-home we can tease out is that all classes of “vegetarians” clumped together live longer than even the healthy meateaters tracked in the study (Adventist vegetarians live up to 10 years longer than regular meateaters). Another major goal they describe is to study specific causes of mortality and associations with specific foods within the broader dietary patterns–exciting stuff!This is the third time of watching it! I don’t mind that this video is long as it sums up all the reasons into one video on why to eat plant based. This video is powerful! I want to remember all the facts so when people who don’t understand why I want to eat this way I can give them facts that they can’t argue with! Thankyou for your hard work, Jess :)Ive only watched half of this so far but I think its gonna change my life after @ 10 years of huge fast food weight gain after some life trauma… and not knowing how to get back on track…. go paleo? vegan? is grain bad? etc etc. No longer feeling conflicted and hopeless. THANKSGuest: I’m so glad you aren’t feeling so conflicted and hopeless. I agree that once someone is exposed to this information, it is compelling.Just in case you didn’t know it, Dr. Greger has released 2 other summary videos. If you managed to get through this one and want to check out the other two, here they are: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/Well worth your time and effort. With each video, I suspect that you will feel more and more confident about your choices. Good luck and let us know if you need any how-to suggestions.Dr. Greger, thank you very much for uploading this video. I’ve really been wanting to see a live presentation by you for a long time, but haven’t been able to get out to any of them. I can’t wait to watch this info-jam-packed video! Thank you again. Ooh, is that a cup of tea in your avatar? Good choice!Hopefully not coffee with MILK !!Thank you so much for posting this! SO wonderful that it’s free! Hi!  I’ve been raw vegan for 13 years (in August) and have just come across your work (via Ruth Heindrich).  Absolutely love it and will share, share, share with as many people as I can.  Thank you so much for all that you are doing xDr. Greger,I realize that you have so much science to cover each year and, as you indicate, this undoubtedly puts a lot of strain on your available time and resources. I believe that your website has the potential to be a unique place to discuss the latest science. I feel, however, that the discussion component would be more meaningful if greater effort could be devoted to addressing scientific questions and comments from readers. I have followed all of your videos and read many of the background articles. Regrettably, however, relatively few of the concerns that I have about the science have ever been addressed.I hope that you take this feedback in the spirit of improving an already great website.Possibly the best presentation ever.Loaded with amazing information — lots of things stood out to me, like how our body cannot defend against the endotoxins; I mean, we’re not vultures! It’s seems so common sense.And I found it interesting that vegan men have higher testosterone? Did I hear that right?  That goes against what so many men think, since testosterone = “manly-men” in their minds. It seems that belief is so prevalent. Men seem so afraid of being unmanly, and vegetables = wimp, vegan = weak; while meat = virility. I mean all the meaty commercials make it so sexy…Gotta have it! They’ll go to their graves with meat in their cold dead mouths! Sexist thinking abounds. (Read Carol J. Adams, Sexual Politics of Meat if interested; it’s fascinating)So much great info; I do love that the studies are getting so specific now! It’s getting harder for detractors to blow off the facts!A thousand thank you’s, Dr. Greger. When are you coming to Los Angeles?!!Hi — I am a vegan animal activist and took the time to watch today’s video. I’ve been hearing more and more anecdotal stories about people “waking up” to the vegan message and being motivated pretty much solely by the health factor. If vegans could get their vegan-reluctant friends and families to take the time to watch this video it, I think it will blow their minds, like it did mine (and I’m already vegan).I am fired up to get this information out into the airwaves somehow.  I do have a 1/2 hour show called “Glass Walls” on Queens Public Access TV (and I also know two other people who have shows on Public Access) and would like to know if I could get a dvd or a tape of it.  A Sonydvcam tape is the required format at QPTV (and being a total newbie at tv editing and production I have had many obstacles because of it) but any format you could supply I will try to work with to get it aired.Thanks Dr. Greger … I think the time is ripening that people’s ears will be perking up to your educational efforts.Dr. Greger,I think you might be off a little on the leading cause of death.  As far as I can tell, birth is the leading cause of death.  :).  Just having fun.  Thanks for all you do.SteveBest presentation that I have seen. Dr. Greger thank you so much! The best time investment I have done. Thank you for exposing us to this compilation of science-based information.My exact sentiments, Wendy!!You people are nuts. No offense, love you, but you’re nuts.I agree Cateyeblink, Primal / Paleo is the only way to get healthier. The “only way”? Clearly, that is debatable and depends on your definition of healthy (see links below) .  At the moment, it seems that there is no one and “only way to get healthier”. That in actuality, there may be many ways to eat to get healthier and be healthy.If the goal is preventing and treating disease by way of diet, it seems clear from the currently available scientific evidence that some diets are better at preventing and treating disease than others.  It just so happens that “the balance of scientific evidence suggests that the healthiest way to eat [to prevent and treat disease] is a vitamin B12-fortified diet of whole plant foods”. At the moment, it seems that there is not enough evidence to indicate that other diets are capable of preventing and treating disease to the same degree that a plant-based diet can for most people. Moreover, I think it is also debatable whether a meat-based primal/paleo diet is a sensible and healthy way to eat for the planet…but that is discussion for another forum.http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2011/10/27/141666659/the-paleo-diet-not-the-way-to-a-healthy-futurehttp://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/07/the-paleo-diet-caveman-cure-all-or-unhealthy-fad/242621/#whole food chomper, well said. This video has attracted many of the paleo proponents. I also recommend this free e book written by Dr. Greger which thoroughly refutes this fancy “atkins” diet.http://www.atkinsexposed.org/as a wholistic healthcare practitionerI always ask anyone picking up a statin in the retail setting if anyone told them to avoid partially hydrogenated oil. Many have not even heard of it. I explain what it is, how it’s formed, how to avoid it and which other oils to use.oops blinked and you missed it ;)Seriously, if that’s all you have to say with no proof whatsoever, you’re just blowing steam.Thanks so much for this full-length video! What a great surprise!I keep thinking that the US will some day reach a tipping-point, and the meat myths will come tumbling down, but it never seems to happen.  In answering people’s questions regarding my diet, I have changed my tactics, somewhat. As a way to appeal to their innate selfishness, I tell them that I don’t care what anyone else eats, as long as I can have the best for myself. I don’t need the best car, the best home, or the best telephone on the market, but they can’t take my veggies from me! That’s sacred!Thanks again! I bought this on amazon and was so excited about it but couldn’t figure out how to share it with everybody I know. You have solved that. Thank you!Oh good, nice to know it can be bought on amazon.  Thx for that info Kristen!Yes and I think proceeds go to charity. :)I bought mine from this website a few weeks ago…proceeds to charity…LOVED this video!!!! It really is life-changing and life-SAVING as someone else has asserted!WOULD A PLANT BASED HIGH PROTEIN DIET CAUSE IGF-1 ELEVATED ?  IS THIS THE SAME IGF-1 FROM ANIMAL PROTEIN DIET?KAY There is some debate from Dr. McDougall that isolated soy proteins raise IGF-1 levels even more so than milk. Search McDougall igf1 at youtube, he has a video. So if you are making the effort with a plant based diet, it makes sense to stay away from highly processed soy. But regular soy cakes are fine. Hi Kay, IGF-1 is elevated by a variety of causes. Casein the predominant protein in dairy causes a rise and protein free diets cause a decrease. So not consuming excess protein seems to be a good idea. There is a difference between animal and plant protein but many similarities as well Animal protein generally contains more sulfur based amino acids then plant protein but they all contain  the same essentials amino acids. The body uses what it needs but then eliminates the rest. Tthere is no way you can not get enough protein and the essential amino acids you need if you consume adequate calories. It seems like it is wise not making a point of eating alot of protein rich foods. The best referenced information on protein that I have seen can be found in articles in Dr. John McDougalls three newsletters dated 12/03, 1/04 and 4/07. You can find these by going to his websites and looking up the newsletters. The articles are on Protein History, Where do I get my protein and Protein overload. Hope this helps. Plant protein does not raise IGF-1 levels, only animal proteins have this negative effect on our bodies.  If you get a chance to hear any of Dr T Colin Campbell’s lectures or Amazing Discoveries, Dr Walter Veith, they clearly present the evidence that animal proteins are the culprits in cancer and disease proliferation.  Check them out.Do you know if the results are the same whether it’s organic/grass fed animals or factory farmed animals?Extremely Generous Michael. THANK YOU. Wonderful information. Life changing. Life SAVING!!!Don’t forget to 5-star this video, Folks!!! :^)Nutritionfacts.org by Dr. Mercola, is the best information on nutrition. I started watching it based on a recommendation by non other than Dr. McDougall. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get this particular video shown in every high-school in America and every other country.Methinks you meant Dr. Greger.   Puhlease … not Mercola.Not Mercola, Greger. BIG BIG BIG difference!Thanks a lot Dr. Greger, always a pleasure.Amazing presentation – thank you!WONDERFUL – ! Thank you Dr Greger this is just fabulous!Thanks, Mike! I share you with everyone!!This video is as entertaining as it is informative, as are all your videos!  Thank you so much, Dr Gregor!!We spoke in Golden, CO. Thank You, I’m so happy to now be able to share this! ✿¸.•°*”˜ƸӜƷ˜”*°•.•.¸ღ¸☆´ ¸.✿´´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ. (¯`v´¯) ….♥ Thank You Dr. Greger ♥  `*.¸.*.♥.✿´´¯`•.¸⁀°♡  ☼*¨*• ˚°❀ღ ˚°❀ღ•*❤*•…As ususal, Dr Greger is brilliant, funny, compelling, and I could go on for hours with compliments. Thank you, Dr. Greger, you are a national treasure. Who needs Dr.Oz when we have Dr. Greger?Thank you so much for this!  I would love to know if there is any research regarding ALS and a vegan diet.Thank you, Dr. Greger, you make the world such a better place!!Awesome work!  Thank you so much for everything you do to educate the American public about the science behind nutrition.Are you on the fence about spending time with this video?  I DARE you to watch 10 minutes and 31 seconds only.  Not a second more.  I bet you can’t do it.Thanks so much Dr. Greger for posting this video.Dr. Greger,Can you please reference the specific diet used in the studies you detail from 13:45-18:00 in your video? You keep referring to a plant-based or vegan diet having those specific effects, but the studies note a “low-fat, high fiber diet.” The link here for one of those studies describes the diet as follows:“During their stay at the Center the men were given prepared meals with 12–15% fat calories, 15–20% protein calories and the majority of calories (65–70%) from unrefined complex carbohydrates high in fiber (>40g/day). The man ate ad libitum except for animal protein that was limited to 3.5oz of fish/fowl served 3 days/week and small amounts in soups or casseroles 2 days/week. ”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3135793/?tool=pubmed ThanksTHANK YOU for giving me something to share with friends and family to explain one of the many reasons why I am a vegan! I hope it saves many people from suffering diseases and ill health. I only wish this information was taught in every school around the globe.Thank You for making this excellent speech available to all. I will share it with all who will listen. I live a plant strong, vegan life and feel wonderful!          i gotta say as a meat eater, i will seriously try to cut back to just fish and see how i can break the habits. I enjoyed watching you immensely, you’re hilarious :) Dr G.,I remember a few years ago John McDougall talked about higher IGF-1 concentrations in Isolated Soy Protein (in shakes, faux meats, protein bars, etc.).  Has this been borne out over time? If you look at the chapter list for my volume 10 DVD you’ll see it’s coming up–stay tuned!How I wish you had more time for the quiz show format Dr. Greger! I am so grateful to have listened to your presentation! You clearly draw a line between the diet fads and the hidden truth in clinical nutrition! Kudos to you!This is one of the most outstanding presentations.  I watch the daily presentations each day.  I have thought how nice it would be to have a summary of health promoting lifestyle is this manner.  I hope you will do this again in the future with future research.  I will forward this to many.  Thanks.Fabulous video! Thanks again for all your great work!Brilliant! Thanks so much for posting this, Dr. Greger. It should be required viewing by every North American. Your comic timing and sense of irony are superb. Thanks for doing what you do.Brilliant, eye opening presentation!!! Thanks for your great work!You are fabulous. Special thanks to Kristensraw.com who introduced me to your videos and website. Your information and delivery is outstanding. After watching your video…someone has to have a screw loose if they eat meat and dairy… I will always follow you…Dr. Greger, according to Buddhism, vegan can have lower accidence. I just want to be a vegan by my own feeling,  not necessary by scientific proof. But I know public need such proof. Thanks for video!Thank you, Dr Greger.  In short, this is the best informational video on diet and nutrition with scientific basis… and a great way to share with others.   Thank you for your dedication and passion in this effort.This was so informative video that convinced me going back to vegan diet again. I have been following vegetarian diet for two years and I became vegan almost one year ago. But I have started to consume cheese and foods which has egg and milk in them ( such as cakes, chocolate with milk, coffe with cream, ice cream… ).  After 3 months of enjoying with all these sugary and milky foods, I started to feel effects of this diet not just in my body but also on my mind. Thus, I was thinking about going back to vegan diet and your video made me take this decision with no question. Thnaks a lot! :)You cite a study that uses people eating an Egg McMuffin as proof that eggs and meat cause inflammation? Seriously? How about a study where people eat high-quality foods instead of a preservative rich product of “meat” and “eggs” with a big ol’ gluten chaser? Getting inflammation from an Egg McMuffin proves one thing: Egg McMuffin sandwiches are bad for you.  Eggs are thoroughly covered in this website and there is an abundance of information on eggs presented here. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=eggsYou rock Dr. Gregor!  I really enjoy your videos.  You have made such a difference in my life,and my family’s life.   Your videos are inspiring, engaging and informative. Viewing them has helped me stay focused on staying true to my plant-based values!  Dr Greger, that was one of the most comprehensive nutrition videos I have ever seen! Amazing! thank you so much! Best Lecture on veganism ever heard!!!!!!!!!!!1A wicked awesome video Dr. G!  but what is a vegan with cholesterol around 250 to do to get it down to 150?W”hat about Inuits(eskimos) and what do all American olympic athletes live on?Hi Angela,I just read 2 really good books on this topic written by 2 athletes who are vegan endurance athletes.Eat and Run by Scott Jurek and Ultraman by Rich Roll. They train and compete hours and hours a day on a vegan diet.Evidence indicates that modern-day Inuits (Eskimos), suffer from heart disease and other forms of atherosclerosis (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16997359), and that modern-day hunter-gathers who base their diets on plant foods are free of such diseases. Also, osteoporosis (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4412233), is an epidemic among meat and fish consuming hunter-gathers, specifically the Inuits.  It seems that Olympic athletes live on a variety of diets:http://www.fitsugar.com/Weird-Diets-Olympic-Athletes-24190955http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/07/24/olympic-athletes-diets_n_1696366.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympic_infographics_and_data/9397299/Olympics-2012-Team-GB-athletes-diets-interactive.htmlReferring to your last paragraph, I am in my 80th year. Since the age of 17 I followeed a wholefood vegetarian diet. As a result, I am sure, I had ‘flu once as an adult and have no regular aches and pains. I haven’t had a cold for over 10 years. Although quite good at athletics as a kid, this did not carry into my adult life. I was active in business, and took moderate exercise, including for many years, about 4 hours dancing every night. At many points, including now, I have felt that I am having the best time of my life, which seems to indicate that my physical and mental well-being is OK. I notice other peoples’ lives a lot and have a real feeling that my life has been the happiest that I have ever considered, far far happier than many of the famous and wealthy people about whom we can read.Mike: I’ve seen your recent posts on this site and wanted to thank you for sharing your experiences. While I am late to the game compared to you, you have inspired me.sadly having trouble hearing this.  seems to have two commentaries running at once. Help please.  blessings  Annie and the animals .  Want to be able to pass this on to mynetwork. You have probably clicked on it twice so have two versions running. Shut it down totally and try again.Dr Gregor, you’re the bomb!  I’ll bet the meat industry is quaking in their muck boots at this very moment!  ;-)  God bless and keep up your great work!  Thanks for sharing this excellent presentation with us!Love the piggy pic! Oink!I like more people become vegan, then apples and berries would lower down the price as cheap as chicken! People hesitate to become vegan, because the only advantage of meat is easily to satisfy people at the moment. People usually notice the moment feeling rather than feel the future impact. As to me, I am used to be a vegetarian, so usually I can feel  irratation soon after eating meat.  Trust our own feeling, not only depend on scientific proof, which is easily to be disputed by a narrow view.  I believe housefly can work for the food, but it can also bring some unknown bad thing. ..I like banana very much, but it contains high potassium, kidney disease people can not consume a lot…I guess milk is good for replenishment temporary for malnutrition, but is not good for long period consumption…I was always confident about my choice but now I have even better medical support because of your video. But the irony is that the most ‘annoying’ people who don’t agree with me are from medical environment (my relative who is ex-nurse, one friend who studies medicine). They are too narrow-minded and sceptical about it because they olny belive in what they are/were tought. It’ such a shame that my med-student-friend even sent me one picture in which there are religious symbols on the right and the phrase ‘belief’ and science on the left and phrases like ‘arguments, experiment’. and she said that I am on the right side of this picture because I am vegan!!! When I sent Neal Barnard and Colin Campbell videos she refused to watch them saying that this is all fraud. And she is the future doctor!!! and not interested in these topics! Recently I drove back home with my relative ex-nurse who offered me some milk-and-egg filled cookies, I politely refused and she said: ‘oh, you’re still following your abnormal diet!’ and looking at me with disapproval. And that’s me who never eats chemical foods(even vegan ones), I aim at low-fat, low-oil, low-salt organic natural foods, and that’s me who being abnormal… and healthier than all of them.. *okay face*. Well, I’m learning to stand for my choices too, recently my family and I were in one town which is popular for its meat, we decided to eat in a cafe, and EVERYTHING they had in the menu was with various kinds of meat, dairy sauces or pizzas with cheese. I said that I wished some vegetables and potatoes, waitress said that they serve that only with meat and there is no seperate price for it. When I told her I’m not meat-eater she was confused but in the end I got what I wanted. I guess I’m used to being ‘crazy’ among ‘normal’ people and I’m even starting to like it! :) Angela:  Thank you for sharing your story.  I was getting frustrated just listening about your relatives.  I can just imagine what it must be like to have to deal with them personally.  Good for you for being the one to actually stick to the science.It’s not only due to personality, dear.  If someone give me videos about we must eat meat, I will refuse too. Am I stubborn? Maybe, but, obviously we have been always fooled by allerged scientific proof!  However, True wolf comes this time!Thank you so much for posting this entire video! Thank you very much Dr. Greger! I really admire your work!Thank you for sharing this educational AND entertaining video. I’m vegan and working to open the eyes of my extended family. I think I’ll pay them to watch this video! You rock!!  You are the BEST!! I noticed that the first few minutes have been edited out since I first saw the video. It showed the warm, warm welcome that the audience gave you when you first took the mike. You deserved that, and I’m glad I saw the original version before editing took place.Thank you so much for uploading it! I am a dialysis nurse and am completely dismayed at how much animal protein our (non-veg) dieticians are telling our patients to eat! They could be suggesting some quinoa instead!  anyway, love listening to your videos.Magnificent! I have been on a vegan diet for a couple years after reading Colin Campbell’s “The China Study.” This video gives me a lot more ammunition, thank you!LOVE this video! So AMAZING! I am so glad there are websites like this. I am sharing this video wherever I can. Thank you! have no compassion for those murderers who kill animals and eat their corpses. if they stop and become vegan, then they are welcomed to the humanity. else. let them die sooner. better for animals. (they dont get murdered) better for corpse eaters (they are dead – so – they create less karma for their miserable souls.) win win.Speaking of that I read today in the paper that the meat industry went crazy this week when the USDA recommended to its employees to try a meatless Monday in a memo. They took the memo down after complaints from the meat industry. A executive called it treason and said who ever was involved in that memo should be fired!Could you share a link to that article with us?I saw that article too! Here’s the story if you don’t mind someone else answering, just trying to help: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/26/usda-meatless-monday-post_n_1705113.html  Hi! Just curious, when you compare the effects of cholesterol from a single egg a day to 5 cigarettes a day for 15 years, did you mean the single egg a day for 15 years as well or was the duration different? LOVE your work!The way i understood it was ”one egg per day for your whole life was the equivalent to 5 cigarettes a day for 15 years”I really enjoyed this. I became a pesco veggie person, thought I’d try it, and you know, I do feel better!Incredible nutritional fodder.  THANK YOU!  Loving your presentations, your humor and SO glad to have another highly respected physician backing my nutritional soapbox.Incredible nutritional fodder.  THANK YOU!  Loving your presentations, your humor and SO glad to have another highly respected physician backing my nutritional soapbox.nice! thanks!What does the vegan diet look like that is being referred to ? can you cook the veggies ? I want to change my eating habits but honestly i can just eat raw lettus and a strip of carrot… Dr. Greger does not recommend any specific type of vegan diet.  Overall, he recommends a balanced diet that is low fat, whole grain, and plant-based (that is, non-meat–this includes poultry/fish/eggs–, non-dairy, whole grains, mostly fruits and veggies (cooked or raw).  (In fact, it is better to eat your veggies cooked than raw most of the time…see Dr. G’s video on the topic.)There are many plant-based ways to eat. To go vegan, is not that difficult really, but like all changes it takes time and getting used to until it sticks. There are SO MANY wonderful resources out there that can guide you along the way.  Like Dr. Barnard’s “21 Day Vegan Kickstart Program”. http://www.21daykickstart.org/ I also really like NutritionMD a lot as well.  Loads of information about nutrition, recipes, and how to construct a  vegan grocery shopping list (and so much more). http://www.nutritionmd.org/index.html You may also want to read Jack Norris and Virginia Messina’s _Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet_.Also, check out Dr. Greger’s “optimum nutrition recommendations”: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-greger%E2%80%99s-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/ A trip to the library or bookstore, or a good search on the internet, should yield a plethora of information on plant-based/vegan resources.  You may want to start here:http://www.veganhealth.org/  http://www.peta.org/living/default.aspx  http://www.cok.net/  http://www.meatoutmondays.org/7days.htm  http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/eating/recipes/ http://www.PCRM.org  http://www.DrMcDougall.com http://www.drfuhrman.com/  http://www.PMRI.org   http://www.TColinCampbell.org  http://www.HeartAttackProof.com  Wishing you and your son the best of health!Cooking foods increases absorbtion, but this is the price we pay for decreased amount of enzymes. Cooked òver 40 degrees = dead(plants or meat), raw = live, as for myself, I feel a lot better on raw food than on cooked, but it requires a LOT of eating, a lot of time to get enough energy, if I had nothing to do I would always eat raw food, but now I eat steamed veggies and potatoes if I have no time for buying kilos of fruits.Personally, I like practical diets as well. Can’t just sit at home and eat all day. By far, the best part of plant-based eating is not having to count calories, fat, etc. That, and knowing that my body is being powered with goodness with each bite that I take. Knowing that I am easing the burden on the planet and the suffering of animals and meat processing workers is a pretty grand feeling as well. :)Very interesting and informative. Thank you Dr. Greger!Thank you so much for posting this video!!!  Thoroughly enjoyed it!  A question for you – I recently watched this presentation by Dr. McDougal:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHYFOJBU434.  He discusses IGF-1 and states that while dairy raises IGF-1, soy protein isolate raises it even moreso.  What is your opinion about this?Soy protein isolates are as the name suggests the protein taken out of the soy bean. This is processed not a whole food so should be either avoided or very limited. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/Highly recommended! “Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death” is worth watching all the way through. Thank you, Dr. Gregor, for bringing to light many scientific studies and articles I only learned about because of your video.Best Video Ever! Thank you!This is FABULOUS! Finally, the TRUTH – not only the amazing value of a vegan diet, but the cherry on top – an exposé of governmental leader’s personal interest at the cost of public interest at its finest. KUDOS!!! and THANKS. I’ve been longing to hear these words for a long time.Great video! Being vegan for 11 years, it just confirms my choice everyday!Though, I was wondering what are the leading cause of death among vegans. Are there any statistics on that?Was any of this research done on organic grass fed animal products or just factory farmed animals? Just wondering if the results would be any different.Most of the issues in animal products are due to inherent compounds such as cholesterol, xenoestrogens, endotoxins and other substances. Even if the meats were clear of contaminants, these compounds are inherent of meat and cannot be separated.Was this at summerfest in Milwaukee?amazing, thank you! I think this was a great video, everyone should see itI absolutely loved this video. I actually recently started moving toward a plant based diet and trying very hard to get my teen, family and friends to follow suit. :) I have shared this video with all of my Facebook friends and will continue to do so.(I apologize for running my comments together. I am unsure if hitting the Return key will get me a new paragrapgh or cause an unfinished statement to be sent.) Seems to me that your favor of the vegan diet overlooks the significantly overwhelming evidences of poor quality (unhealthy) foods generally available in North America. There is unwise, ignorant use of harmful pesticides, insecticides, over-farmed soil, and artificially and inadequately enhanced soil. Common farming practices are based on doing what produces the most abundant and attractive, without doing what is best for the health of people, who will eat the produce, and that of the animals and farmed fish (which people will, also, eat). If those who can afford truly organic produce and meat/poultry/fish would buy them, then more farmers would see the market exists, and follow better, healthier practices. Also, if more people reduced their dependence on low-nutritional-value, boxed foods, and greatly increased their intake of healthy, organic produce there could be better heath, in general. Ultimately, there is no “magic” formula for individual health and longevity, considering the death rate is 100%, and we don’t get to choose our genes.Such a great talk, thank you so much for sharing and I love what you are doing!Dr. Gregor, it was a treat! I hope I’ll be able to pass this very informative and fanny as hell lecture to some my omnivore friends. Thank you so much!Thank you Dr M Greger for this priceless information which I will share – thank you also for your exemplary and entertaining delivery !Thank you Dr M Greger for this priceless information which I will share – thank you also for your exemplary and entertaining delivery !Commercially raised meat is no different than any other processed food. Of course it’s going to be bad for you. Same with commercially raised eggs, and fish, and all the rest of the food you say is bad. Grass raised, hormone and antibiotic free animals do not have the same meat composition as feedlot animals and there is science to back that up. Perhaps the problem isn’t so much in the meat, but in what the meat eats before we eat it. Grain is not a natural staple for a cow or a chicken. :)Dr. Greger, thank you for the excellent video! I think it would be helpful if you can copy all the sources cited in this video from all the separate videos where they are included to here. It would be much easier to find the relevant sources this way. Great idea! If you or anyone else would be up for copy/pasting, please email volunteers@NutritionFacts.orgI recently watched the recent video titled “Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death”.  I thought it was a very facinating video, but it left me with some questions.  We have recently cut a significant portion of meat out of our diet to where we may eat meat only once or twice a week and still consume eggs, milk, and cheese fairly regularly.  I have not yet been ready to take the full plunge of being a full vegetarian or a vegan.  You mentioned a number of different studies that showed the differences between vegans and meat eaters.  Do the studies tell what types of meat was eaten in these surveys?  Is there any difference in results in eating different types of meat?  Is it all the same?  For example are the results the same for eating organic grass fed beef as they are for eating irradiated, hormone and additive filled, altered beef?  Would the results be the same for eating venison or wild game such as turkey, dove, and quail as opposed to beef, chicken, or pork?  Would the studies regarding dairy be different if all the participant had only goat or sheep milk or chees instead of cow’s?  Is there a difference between goat, sheep, and cow milk and cheese?  Are there any studies showing differences between raw organic cow or goat milk as opposed to processed pasturized and homogenized milks and cheeses? Is there any study to show whether or not better quality animal protiens and fats would produce better results?  By better quality, I mean without pesticides, herbicides, chemical additives, not grown in a lab, etc. Basically it comes down to the questions of “Are all animal protiens and fats the same?  Do they all produce the same results?” Thanks,–christopherall of this nutrition crap isnt goin to help anyone since the government is trying to reduce the population by any means neccesary.Regarding the comparison of eggs and smoking as derived from the Nurses study, this would apply to meat eaters.  This is a major shortcoming of that study; the results might be very different for those on a plant based diet. You follow a fad diet my friend. There is no real science to support such a diet. Following the carbohydrates are bad bandwagon is simply false http://www.atkinsexposed.org/According to this, the average life expectancy in some parts of India must be >200 years!Dear Dr. Greger, It seems from the 1999 meta analysis study below that vegans do not live any longer than meat eaters but that vegetarians live longer than both meat eaters and vegans. Just as surprising is that the number one nutrition related cause for vegan deaths was heart disease followed by strokes and then cancer! How can this be? Can you explain? Terrific website!Thank you,Edsummary: http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/dxratesactual research: Key TJ, Fraser GE, Thorogood M, Appleby PN, Beral V, Reeves G, Burr ML, Chang-Claude J, Frentzel-Beyme R, Kuzma JW, Mann J, McPherson K. Mortality in vegetarians and nonvegetarians: detailed findings from a collaborative analysis of 5 prospective studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Sep;70(3 Suppl):516S-524SThank you for this important information!! Yess!! we want to prevent Not decrease risk of atherosclerosis and chronic diseaseVery entertaining presentation but the logic for reducing cholesterol more because people with heart attacks tend to have normal readings is flawed. The fact is that cholesterol levels are just a way for drug companies to make billions selling useless statins. They have very little relation to heart disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824152/Fabulous, absolutely awesome and fabulous presentation!  Thank you. When the studies were done on the endotoxins that meat caused, what type of meats were used?  Were they grass fed, pasture raised cattle or stock?  I think it would be interesting to see that difference……the issue of being organic, grassfed or free range should make no difference in regards to endotoxins. Even dark chocolate produced endotoxins but this was neutralized from the phytonutrients. The issue has to do with bacteria fermentation and as you know, you cannot eat meat raw due to the many colonies of bacteria living on the meat.Dr. Gregor,Thank you for the video, unfortunately I can ever seem to get it to play the whole way through. Can you repost the video or would you be willing to send it to me via email . My fiancé has suffered from depression for sometime now, and I as well. I think we both would benefit from a plant food diet, but getting her to switch may be tough. Is there evidence that eating animal products can lead to depression? If so, where? Any info would be a great help.Hello –Being that I am approaching my 7th survival year after surgery/radiation, a statistically important year for Naso-Pharyngeal Chordoma people, I have wondered why the chordoma, still snuggled around my brain stem/larynx, has been practically dormant for so long. I have been a vegetarian since my teens and a vegan since 2004, two years prior to the diagnosis in 2005. Today, I take no medications, have no pain and no further symptoms -yet. I am 61 years old too. I’m no tri-athelete either. Is my situation improved because of my vegan, generally whole foods, diet? I doubt many others afflicted have been long time vegans or even vegetarians. Thanks for making this connection between brain/bone cancers and diet.Dr. Greger is a physician, nutritionist, teacher, and stand-up comedian all rolled into one.  I have watched this video over and over and never get tired of it.What about salmon?Meat is not the problem, but the refined sugar the western world are consuming in large quantities. Sucker excrete etc. zink, which is very important for our health. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121001141003.htmFor some reason, the video would not open, but, I listened and you are amazing Dr. Greger! So helpful and so interesting. Thank you! PamThis is how to do a presentation! Real information from an expert, assisted by a quality presentation format, in a readily digestible forms, with an appropriate level of factual detail. Just fantastic on so many levels.RE Cholesterol- could it be that the research is skewed. If our intake of cholesterol is too low, the body will make enough to make up the shortfall! No wonder cutting cholesterol intake/taking medications has done nothing to reduce the incidence of heart disease.I would like the part involving the graphic at 17:08 in a shorter video to post :) is it available somewhere? Most people I know (23 yr old male) wont sit down and watch almost an hr video :(Hi Ryan,This hour long video was a special treat that Dr. Greger made available to all of us visiting this site (see his note above). I did a quick search using the search tool on this site using the terms “cancer and exercise” and was able to locate what you are looking for right here: Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? . The entire video is 3:44 minutes long, and the specific part you are interested in starts at 3:13. As you will see, if you do the search yourself, there are a lot of mini videos on the topic to explore (and share) there.Thank you Dr. Greger for your humor and information. You are a bright light in the medical industry.Bravo! This is a much watch video for ANYONE who has children, or parents, or siblings, or friends, or those who eat on a daily basis…. ;) I will share… Please let me know what else I can do to spread the word!Please, translate it to russian!If anyone knows Russian and would be able to help translate it, please email me at volunteer@nutritionfacts.org !Dr. Greger,I know you are aware of what the good folks at VegSource are saying about nuts. According to various articles and a video on that site nuts DO cause excessive weight gain and do NOT protect from diabetes, enhance endothelial function, etc. I love nuts and have been recommending them to loved ones for their purported health benefits but now I am feeling very unsure about their benefits. I just bought 20lbs of almonds to eat and give as gifts so I do have a dog in the ring so to speak. I trust your judgement and I would very much appreciate it if you could address this subject again in light of what is apparently a big controversy in the plant-based community. Thanks, Ben GrunewaldHello @0417ef2be48c8cf1c97b8dec33afb372:disqus,I hope you do not mind my chiming in here. I read your comment and thought I could share a response since I do believe that Dr. Greger has already addressed this issue in his nut videos (search for “nuts” on this site or use the Health Topics index also on this site) as well as in the original Jeff Nelson nut article (in the comment section of the article).Please also read Gr. Greger’s introductory comment to the Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence video, where he states: “The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.”Sounds to me like you’ll be okay with that 20lb bag o’ nuts. ;-)I saw all of Dr. Greger’s nut related videos before I happened on VegSource. It is precisely the material in Dr. Greger’s videos that is called into question from what I understood. The conflict seem s to be in interpretation of some of the data. Also, it sounds as if the nut-skeptics have some newer studies that seem to refute the benefits described in Dr. Greger’s work. Dr. Greger has replied to one of the written articles and now there is a new video and I just would like to know why there is such seeming disagreement.Benjamin Grunewald, Mea culpa.After reading in Dr. Greger’s introductory note that he went back and actually revised and up-dated his nut video (extending it by 8 minutes “to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since”) on August 25, 2012, in light of Jeff Nelson calling attention to Dr. Greger’s “mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review”, I thought the nut matter was resolved.Goodness, does this debate have no end? Now, I too am curious to know where this matter stands at the moment. I will enjoy my handful of nuts until I hear more. ;-)Just watched the revised and extended nut video. Good enough for me. I don’t think there is any way to refute all the evidence Dr. Greger presented there though the Vegsource people are certainly trying. I will continue to eat and recommend nuts as part of a whole food plant based diet. Thanks Dr. Greger and WholeFoodChomper.My sentiments exactly, Dr. Greger’s nut explanation is good enough for me, too. :)The weight is in the dose. Dr. Greger doesn’t recommend pigging out on nuts. Seems to me I’ve even heard Dr. McDougall say to really limit nuts when reducing weight but if at healthy weight one could consume more.Doesn’t this all boil down to…”too much of a good thing, is NOT a good thing”…sometimes simple logic and common sense suffices,…in most if not all matters, even and especially when it comes to food?Dr. Greger,Please make a video that examines coconut sugar as a sweetener. I and several other viewers have requested this in the comments for your Healthiest Sweetener video. I am posting this request here in hopes that it might be noticed. Perhaps you could just add a short section onto your Sweetener video. It appears that coconut sugar may be among the healthiest sweeteners if not the healthiest. My info however comes from the makers of the sugar so I am hoping you can get the “straight dope” on this rising star of sweeteners. I have been eating it in moderation and recommending it to others so I hope it stands up to your scrutiny. ThanksMy spouse and I recently switched to a veggie diet that borders on Vegan (very difficult to eat totally Vegan). We have always been big meat eaters and as a result I have had high cholesterol and high blood pressure (Like needing Meds high for both of them). I’ve discussed these with my doctor and tried to get him to help me with diet issues but he has told me every time that “Cholesterol and Blood Pressure cannot be controlled through diet alone, medications are required”. Well I guess I am kind of stubborn because I started to do some research and what I have found is astonishing, amazing, unbelievable and as I have found from my personal experience, quite true! We have both noticed a few very simple things. 1). We always thought we would miss the meat because of the flavor but that is so not true! The flavor of the food does not come from the meat, it comes from the preparation of the food. Marinades and spices are used in all foods to give that zesty flavor we all crave and savor. 2). I always thought I would be weak and sickly if I didn’t eat meat. Not so at all, my energy level and stamina has increased and so has my strength with no change in my daily routine. I have gotten sick every year in the fall, for nearly 20 years, and it’s always taken over 2 weeks to get over it. This year all I got were the sniffles and a slightly sore throat for 3 days. 3). My mental acuity has gone through the roof!!! I used to have to write everything down or put it in my day planner, calendar, smart phone to remind me, or something like that. Now without even trying I am remembering appointments, peoples names, and I even remember to check my calendar regularly to see if I did forget anything and I haven’t. 4). I dropped 15 lbs. and in no time and my spouse lost close to 20 and we are still taking it off. 5). Probably the most important of the great things about this is that within 6 weeks my Blood Pressure dropped into the normal range for the 1st time in over 10 years. Note there was no scientific study done here, just me living my life in a totally non meat eating way. Note also that the only change was eliminating meat and almost all dairy. Say what you will about the need to eat meat because I’ve read it or heard it all! Veggie is the way to go for us and I don’t think it will ever change. Check out this video if you haven’t already “Forks over Knives” It’s a very well made documentary.Steev Cal: Thank you so much for sharing your story. Very inspirational.@d9a8c65ee5b665adb0cbd70655e7fab7:disqus,About a year ago, my significant other and I started eating primarily PBD (no meat, dairy, just PBD at home w/ more flexibility when we go out or travel). Compared to how we used to eat (an animal-based product at just about every meal) we made huge and dramatic changes to the way we eat (I mean, HUGE). Admittedly, I am more hard core about our PBD eating than he is, but still he has made some major changes to his eating style.You’d think with all the major changes we made to our eating that we’d see some of the same fantastic outcomes that you and others have described experiencing when converting to PBD eating. Alas, neither of us has lost any weight, my blood pressure is still on the elevated side, and his doc still has him taking statins and hypertension meds (he recently got some labs back and his cholesterol numbers were not that good).I’ll be honest, all this has been a bit demoralizing and perplexing. Although, at times I struggle convincing him “why we are eating this way”, still we persist knowing that the overall benefits of the PBD are worth it. I just wish that we’d see some improvement in outward health markers (cholesterol, blood pressure, body weight). I will say, though, that I feel better (more alert, energetic, better GI functioning, better sleeping, etc.) on a PBD.Has anyone else had similar experiences after converting to a PBD?I have been vegan for about 6 years. I am still not slender, but that was never in my constitution. My cholesterol is still high but that may be due to genetic factors and a disability where I can’t exercise like I used to. That being said, I am vegan for life … my primary motivation is for the animals. “No animal harmed” is a beautiful thing to me. Taking the blinders off and not being complicit in murder gives meaning to my life.Perhaps you and your SO can see it that way too :) ?ifyoucareenough:Thank you for sharing your experience and your words of wisdom with me. It helps to be reminded of the many other reasons to eat a PBD.Eating a PBD is more than a diet issue for me, as well. It is about being a good steward of our environment, respecting and caring for all of our animals and the people who work in the food industry. And, you bring up a very good point regarding genetic predisposition to certain health conditions, as well.Oh, I will mention that a terrible, embarrassing gagging cough condition diagnosed erroneously as LPR (laryngopharangeal reflux) that I had for decades bit the dust soon after nixing the dairy. That’s huge to me. Will the doctors listen and urge their patients to go dairy-free? Very few.Don’t give up on being vegan. The animals need you, and there’s more at stake than just the animals.Can you please make a transcription of this video? I would like to translate it into Russian.Transcript coming up! If you’d like to add Russian captions that would be great! Instructions here: https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1VLQvCUNrC47Yrti861QcH09YesAmY5e-pJgzBQAyBR4Great video with great information, thank you!I love Data! I would still like to see the Data on the all the potential variations of Portlandia Diets below. I would love to see the Data on the first 2 weeks, 1 Month, 3 Months, 6 Months, 1 Year, 2 Years, 5 Years, 10 Years, 20, 30 etc.LIke this… Non Organic, Factory Farmed Non Organic, Non Factory Farmed Meat with no Hormones or Antibiotics Organic, Non Factory Farmed Meat with no Hormones or Antibiotics Organic, Non Factory Farmed Meat with no Hormones or Antibiotics with reduced meat Organic, Non Factory Farmed Meat with no Hormones or Antibiotics one meat dish a day Organic Plant Based Diet Organic Vegan DietBut include these potential variables… BPA FreeMinimize all Food in Plastic, No Tupperware, No Drinks in Plastic Containers, No Food Stored in Plastic, this includes Produce at the Grocery Store, No Food Microwaved in Plastic. Organic Diet, Non Factory Farmed Meat with no Hormones or Antibiotics, Minimal Plastics &Wild Caught FishNo Food Microwaved ever, hardly ever, a several a week, several a day.No Food Processed with Preservatives ever, hardly ever, a several a week, several a day.No Bleached Sugar ever, hardly ever, a several a week, several a day.No Bleach ever, hardly ever, a several a week, several a day.No Artificial Sweeteners ever, hardly ever, a several a week, several a day.People who take Vitamins on a regular basis…a couple times a day, once a day, a couple times a week, only when not feeling well.Far too often we are told about the horrific ways that we Farm Meat. We are told that the answer is to stop eating meat instead of Farming Healthy Meat. As if it is impossible to meet the Meat Demands for a Growing Global Population. I have found many Sustainable Solutions. I also believe in the Native American perspective of thanking the animal & giving respect to the animals during & after their life.This is one of the best ways that I have found to eat healthy meat in a sustainable fashion. Now since the Fish Farm increases the local bird population, what if we ate some of those Sustainable birds? Wild ducks, geese, osprey and turkey are native to this area we could reintroduce into the Fish Farms Ecosystem. We only eat that which is Sustainable. We do not create too much to be a burden on the environment. Nor do we do anything that would damage the healthy Sustainable Symbiotic Relationship with the Ecosystem.Here is an example of Sustainable Fish Farm that creates a clean Ecosystem… http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_how_i_fell_in_love_with_a_fish.htmlSustainable & Humane Foie Gras! Every time this man runs into a problem he solves it how it should be solved, with Nature. We need to find the Harmony of (Wo)Man & Nature Working Together. http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_s_surprising_foie_gras_parable.htmlBe Helpful, Not Hurtful“I also believe in the Native American perspective of thanking the animal & giving respect to the animals during & after their life.”How noble and generous of you. Don’t you think this is a just a little bit bit of a self-serving rationalization? What good does this do the animal? The animal wants to live its life unharassed and free just like you and I. I doubt they would thank you for your thank you. It’s 2013 already and it’s time to stop the archaic, maladaptive thinking. Dire circumstances of survival is the only caveat that would make taking an animal’s life not murder.“As if it is impossible to meet the Meat Demands for a Growing Global Population”Ha, I think you give humans too much credit. We’ve shown very little social responsibility so far … unregulated in our popping out of babies … and tragic in the way we care for those babies … we’re more stupid than smart. Ok well if you want to stick your head in the sand and that makes you feel better, go ahead.Then at the end you say “be helpful, not hurtful”. Really? Helpful to me, and people who have these issues through with both their hearts and their minds, is that being helpful means no animal harmed. It’s really a beautiful thing both personally, and collectively … I highly recommend it.The human behavior of breeding animals is, in itself, a disgusting and dark thing. Please read “Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust”, by Charles Patterson.I’m no scientist, neither am I suggesting that my opinion is any more than just that. All I can say is I feel it’s naive to suggest that meat is a major cause of weight-gain. I think there are a thousand more obvious issues at hand and that changing to a vegan diet simply corrects health issues as a result of improving the overall nutritional profile of what people are eating.I also think it’s too simple to suggest we all become vegan. I truly believe there is room on all of our plates for raw plant foods and we can certainly benefit from adding more, but to entirely eliminate meat is just not realistic or healthy.Human beings have lost the plot when it comes to food and food production. Over-consumption of processed foods is the real issue, lets get back to basics and have healthy food cooking classes in school that teach children how to make real food.I wish some consciousness-raising would go toward looking at animals from a non-anthroprocentric mindset. Are animals really “meat:”? I say no, they are beings in their own right. Not put here for human’s objectification as “meat” and use.I wish “meat” would disappear from our vocabulary.If aliens came to earth and saw you as “meat”, would that then make you meat?”well said,…KUDO!Sharing with everyone, including my physicians. Thank you for making this available!Thank you so much for this video. Watched and shared!ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!Told with great humor and clarity – this is a valuable message. The comparisons are vivid enough for me to re-think my vegetarian diet and escalate to true vegan diet.I learned immediately that animal products induce pain within four hours after consumption. There is nothing like a painful spinal injury to get me off meat, dairy, and wheat and reduce nut consumption.You are amazing and much appreciated. Thanks for you enlightened presentation in El Paso last night. Literally changed me.Thank you for your kind feedback. I’m always conflicted as to how much speaking I should do, and whether I would reach more people just staying put and devoting more time to my online work. It’s certainly nice to be able to be able to answer questions in person and get real-time feedback.Please…KEEP keeping on, don’t change for anything or anyone, you are a GOD/Dess sent!!I’ve eaten a purely plant-based diet for seven years and believe it’s one of the best decisions of my life (after marrying my wife). I loved this video, and just saw you speak at ‘New Year, New You’ in Marshall, TX, which was a great experience.I wonder if you wouldn’t address a somewhat depressing hypothetical question that occurred to me as I enjoyed your presentation on the 15 leading causes of death.What would the 15 leading causes of death likely be in the U.S. if nothing was changed other than everyone following your dietary guidelines perfectly from cradle to grave?1. Banana peels?I looked to China, but doubt that’s as relevant and helpful as their diet is increasingly westernized.Such vital information! Every student doctor, nurse, naturopath, dietician, nutritionist, etc should HAVE to watch this!Thankyou so much for your amazing workThis is a shame and a disgrace. Ephesians 4:14. Following people who proliferate their “beliefs” for money. This guy is the perfect example of every wind of doctrine. He is in it for the money, and he knows you vegans utilize only part of your brain. Buy this crap, and make him rich.Superb, eye opening presentation. Thanks for sharing and giving us all an informed choice.Can this video be purchased on DVD? I want to get copies for my kids.Karna: Yes! The DVD is $10. Between this video and may I recommend also, Forks Over Knives, your kids will get a great education. You can find both videos on Amazon (which you get free shipping if your total order is over $25). I haven’t checked lately, but you used to be able to get the Uprooting… video from Dr. Greger’s site.Sure! My website or Amazon. All proceeds to charity.I am vegan activist for 5 years now, and for life, because my #1 motivation is for the animals. When I started out I was very militant, but now 5 years later after hearing the myriad of reasons against veganism, I have to take pause and accept that for some people animal protein is necessary for them to feel well. How does one argue with the experience of people who say they tried to go vegan but didn’t feel well? There is so much being said about “nutritional type”. Is it possible that some people genuinely cannot do well on a vegan diet? Is there any consensus of what evolutionary biologists say?I am so confused. Dr. Greger (or anyone else) , could you please address why veganism is so controversial from a medical standpoint?ifyoucareenough: I’m not an evolutionary biologist, but I have some thoughts for you.First: Dr. Greger has a video on a rare genetic disorder where a boy’s body was not able to make one of the non-essential amino acids. Humans can get all of the essential amino acids that we need from a vegan diet – but that is assuming that a person’s body can make all of the other amino acids. If not, then the person either does have to eat meat or take a pill. It is possible that you have talked to some people who have this (rare!) genetic disorder. But it is my guess that most of the time, one of the following had been more likely going on:Second: When someone says that they tried vegan and didn’t do well on it, I have to wonder what their diet was like. You can eat chips and white pasta and white bread and processed foods and oil drenched sauces and call yourself a vegan. That is not healthy eating, however, and no wonder they felt bad. No one is saying that eating “vegan” by itself is good. Healthy eating is about whole plant foods with B12 and D supplements.Third: Even someone eating healthy foods might be missing out on a key ingredient like supplementing B12. Once again, it is a case of the human doing vegan wrong, not a case of something being wrong with whole-plant foods based eating.Fourth: Some people have higher needs for certain nutrients at certain times of their lives compared to other times. If they are not paying attention to their special needs, then there could be problems. For example, menstruating women typically need more iron compare to other humans. They can get the needed iron from whole plant foods, paying special attention to getting some vitamin C (if I remember correctly) with the plant iron to increase absorption – or they can just give up and say that the vegan diet didn’t work for them. With the incredible lack of education out there, how are people suppose to know what they are doing wrong? Their doctor is unlikely to be able to tell them….Fifth: I don’t think people should discount the power of suggestion and self-fulfilling prophesies. If you get in with a crowd who constantly tells you that you need meat and dairy, you might subconsciously start to believe it. And such a belief could lead to feeling bad without those foods. I don’t have any science to back this up. I just personally suspect it is a factor in some cases of people giving up on vegan eating.To address the question of: “Is there any consensus…” There is not a consensus among people, but I think there is a concensus in the actual science. Once you start doing the research, watching videos such as this one, watching the other videos on this website, reading books like The China Study, etc, etc. – it becomes pretty clear that the big picture on the healthiest diet for humans is a whole-plant food based diet, supplemented with B12 and D. We may tweak our understanding of healthy foods as time goes by, but the general big picture seems unchanged for decades.Hope you found these thoughts helpful.I have one more thought for you concerning: “could you please address why veganism is so controversial from a medical standpoint?”I don’t think it is controversial from an actual medical perspective. However, there are medical professionals, most who are not educated in nutritional science (check out Dr. Greger’s videos on the amount of nutritional education our doctors get), who do not support a vegan diet. Why?Here’s my answer (and it is one that I have read in several other places): Going back hundreds (thousand?) of years, eating meat has been strongly associated with economic success and higher social status/class. It is deeply, deeply engrained in many societies. Doctors are people too and come from our society. It is just as hard for medical professionals as it is for the non-medical to even imagine that eating meat is not good for us. Again, I highly recommend reading The China Study which does a good job of addressing this kind of bias and showing that the controversy does not have much to do with the science. Also, check out Dr. Greger’s video on the tomato effect.Again, I hope you found this helpful.Thank you Thea, your comments reinforce my take on the thing too. But with all the Weston A. Price type detractors who also talk a good game and have billions of followers, I am just expressing my intense frustration that it seems like a sisyphean effort to change the paradigm.I made the mistake of going on a Dr. Mercola message board recently, and it was quite an unpleasant education to witness the extent of the emotional deadening, ignorance and resistance out there. Makes ya want to stop the world and get off. Just feelin’ depressed. I’ll be okay.I understand the need for some moral support!I just had a conversation with a person who happens to be a social worker. I was explaining the ways in which dairy is bad for you. He couldn’t wrap his head around it and insisted it is good for you. I said as nicely and calmly and non-judgmental as you can imagine/an honest question: “Is it possible that you are not aware of all of the science?…” He did think about it for a second. Then he strongly shook his head, “no”.There is nothing you can do with people like that. He didn’t want to discuss it after that. We do have a long ways to go. At times like these, I find it helpful to spend some time dwelling on how far we have come. Think about how much more awareness there is about animal cruelty, health, etc than there used to be. Thanks for your hard work in this area. People like me appreciate it.There’s so much “dealing with the devil” that has to be done — like this appalling thing: http://www.meetup.com/For-The-Good-of-The-Animals/events/99732962/ where donations to dog & cat shelters are largely made by carnists and the assumption is that if they don’t serve meat they won’t get the attendance/donations. I think they should challenge those assumptions (and I intend to write some letters) because I can’t, or don’t want to believe that people give money on the condition of what the food is going to be.Anyway, I know I’m digressing. Thanks Thea for your kind reply, and I appreciate you too :)!Amazing thank you so much Dr.If Vegans are not dying from these causes of death, what are they dying from? What are the leading causes of death for Vegans? I switched to Vegan after your video & the movie, “Forks Over Knives.” Thanks.I wish their were more educators like you sharing this type of information. Thank you again for all that you do.Beautiful! I cried at the end because people like you are the reason I still have hope in humanity. I will do everything I can to make sure to tell as many people as possible about you and your wonderful site. I cannot thank you enough for your work Dr. Gregger!Dr Gregor, I’m interested in recent research into Salvestrols and wondered if you had come across any papers which they have been discussed, tested or reviewed? Kind regards, Jim.The message is too important; this must be shared.The information in this video, combined with the beauty of how you give the message is amazing! I cried at the end because I am so happy that there are people like you working so hard to make the world a better place. Thank you for being you Dr. G.In your video you are in favour of eating nuts because they have good health benefits. Dr’s Essestyne and Ornish prohibit them in their diets for treating Heart Disease. Why the different opinions?Also see Dr. Harriet Hall’s critique of this video at Science-Based Medicine: Death as a Foodborne Illness Curable by VeganismHarriet Hall’s critique is so flawed, it’s stunning. Don Matesz examines it here: http://donmatesz.blogspot.ca/2013/02/harriet-halls-critique-of-gregers.htmlAwesome vetstud2! I (a mere lay person) was going to say something about the obvious flaws of Hall’s arguments, but I could never have done as good a job as the page you found. Thanks.Does Dr. Gregor have a response to Dr. Hall?PythagoreanCrank: I had seen Dr. Hall’s critique some time ago. I find that too many of her arguments don’t make sense from a scientific perspective. But rather than write up a long critique myself, someone named Don Matesz already did it and quite well. If you are interested, you can see some of the flaws of Harriet’s post here:http://donmatesz.blogspot.com/2013/02/harriet-halls-critique-of-gregers.htmlUnfortunately Don – a acupuncture proponent (pseudoscience) – didn’t check Hall’s references properly (although Hall could do a better job of not spewing her agenda at the start of the article and have better referencing).1. Greger is citing Esselstyn’s research in the end of this video which Don missed which has not been replicated by any other researcher and had flawed methodology to begin with. Even Ornish research was flawed and hasn’t been replicated either. 2. The Nurses’ health study statistic was cherry picked and meta analysis’ show no effect of dietary cholesterol on heart disease, especially not comparable to smoking. However saturated fat is a risk factor which Hall should have acknowledged and which Greger should have used instead.There are numerous other points but the thing is that both Greger and Hall are agenda driven and not reliable sources here. Greger is exaggerating a lot and cherry picking. Hall is trying to dismiss the entire idea of a healthy plant based diet and has numerous ad hominem fallacies in her article.I nominate you as the Best Joker of Medicine. In your next presentation you may put red nose and catch the younger generation… They need more of what you are saying.Why aren’t you on the presidents council? Or maybe Flotus council ( even though she loves the camera)or Bloomberg stopping 32oz drinks! Does anyone think these things work? Answer NO, only your video tells the truth. Thanks so muchPlease give more info on Type 1 Diabetes and a whole plant food diet. Some diabetics view starches as the enemy. I would like more evidence or tips that would convince friends to shift their Western diet to a healthier one.I second that. Although it still doesn’t mean that doctors will change what they are telling their patients. And doctors are still “god” to patients. My boyfriend, who is a committed ethical vegan, has a son who is a type 1 diabetic. His son is very accessible to becoming an ethical vegan because of what he has learned from his dad, but his doctor told him that he needs animal protein in his diet. So he eats alot of fish, and some chicken.I don’t have the nerve to say a word of interference in his son’s diet. Would anyone here be able to? It’s too delicate.Pam: If you have not already read it, you might want to check out the book: “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program For Reversing Diabetes”. He addresses Type 1 in the book. It may not be as much information as you would like, but I don’t think that we have all the answers for Type 1 yet either. I think this book will help answer your questions though. I thought the book was awesome.Thank you so very much.I just want to know how a person, on a very limited budget, can eat vegetarian or vegan?I am 51, female, obese, unemployed.I eat very little beef or pork, I eat ground turkey, chicken legs and thighs, tuna and, if they are on sale, fish like Salmon, perch,whiting, cat fish or talapia.I only get corn, carrots, peas and, when on sale, tomatoes, lettuce and bell peppers.I eat fruit but can’t always afford them. Bananas, tangerines, clementines , apples, oranges, pears.I also eat a lot of pastas! They are inexpensive!I love healthy foods but don’t have the finances for them!But, I have noticed a huge change in my health in the past 4 years!BP is a little higher than normal, I’m having pain on right side of chest and in my back, may be caused by Gall Bladder, have noticed a lot of stiffness in hands and body, I have tendonitis in both hands, had CTS in both hands, Numbness and tingling in my lips, feet get cold and can’t get warm, I have allergies to dust, mold and pollen, I’m sick every year at the same time, from September to April and sometimes even break out with cold sores, I am always coughing and sneezing and have to keep a box of Kleenex close, I also have a very bad allergy to any Nickle product. I touch anything with Nickle in it and get these hives or patches on my skin where it came in contact with the item! They itch and look more like ring worm but are not. I’ve had some of my problems since childhood, but most have started in the past 4 years! Maybe even longer than that!I had just lost 51lbs over a 5 month period, but then the severe back pain started and left me close to immobile for days at a time! It was in the lower lumbar area!How can a person, like me, on a very tight budget, say, like about $50 a week for 2 adults, on a good payday, eat a very healthy, vegetarian diet to get healthy and lose excess weight??I have no idea how severe my health is because we have no health insurance and can’t afford to go to a doctor or the hospital!!I have also been depressed lately, but I just though it was from losing my 2 cats in the past year and not being able to find a job. But, from what you’ve said in your speech, it could be my diet causing all my health issues??I need help but don’t know where to turn.I want to get healthy so that I can find work! I also need work so that I can get healthy! A “Catch 22 Situation”! Any ideas will help! Thank you, Brenda W.Good for you for wanting to make some positive changes in your eating habits and lifestyle! Trying to eating plant-based and whole foods on a limited budget is most definitely a real economic challenge for many many people in the U.S. I have a few suggestions that may be helpful to you.First, watch as many videos as you can on this site. There are many suggestions on how to integrate healthy food into your diet. Dr. Greger even has “cost savings” indexed in the “Health Topics” side bar. Look under that category to get info on how to get the most for your buck.Second, The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has put a helpful resource guide called Good Food on a Tight Budget. I think you might some very helpful tips in there.Third, seek out the available food banks in your community, and get groceries that are as unprocessed as possible. You may also want to see if there is a discount grocery store in your area where you can purchase either frozen fruits and veggie or canned fruits, veggies, and beans (without salt, sugar).Fourth, see if there are any other resources in your community that can assist you economically (e.g., food stamps, food support, financial support, etc.)Fifth, seek out as much information on the plant-based eating as you can either on the internet or at books borrowed from the library. The more you read and learn, the more you will be able to figure out ways to eat as healthfully as possible on a tight budget; it will also keep you inspired to maintain the changes you are making. (Maybe you can start cultivating a list of economical plant-based recipes to prepare.)Finally, you may want to explore the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine website (among many others out there), and you may want to check out “Vegan Unplugged: A Pantry Cuisine Cookbook and Survival Guide” by Jon Robertson from your library. It is meant to be an emergency preparedness guide for vegans, but I think it offers some great options for those on a limited budget as well.Does anyone else out there have any additional practical tips or economical recipes to share with Brenda?Brenda, wishing you all the best of luck. Please keep us updated on your progress.Brenda: I recommend investing in two cookbooks: “Eat Vegan on $4 Per Day” and “Vegan On the Cheap”. It’s very possible to live healthy on a tight budget. I can attest personally to the recipes in the Vegan On the Cheap book. Yummy!!! And affordable!!! I’ve only tried a couple recipes from the other, but they were both good. I met the author and she told me about her research to make sure that the recipes truly are affordable.A thought for you: Replace your animal products and foods with white flour with dried beans, lentils and whole grains and you will be doing your body a wonderful service and put a savings in your pocket book. Dried beans are very cheap and extremely nutritious, filling, tasty and flexible. You can do everything from soups to stews to casseroles to desserts with beans as the main ingredient.That’s my 2 cents. Best of luck to you.Good for you for wanting to make some positive changes in your eating habits and lifestyle! Trying to eating plant-based and whole foods on a limited budget is most definitely a real economic challenge for many many people in the U.S. I have a few suggestions that may be helpful to you.First, watch as many videos as you can on this site. There are many suggestions on how to integrate healthy food into your diet. Dr. Greger even has “cost savings” indexed in the “Health Topics” side bar. Look under that category to get info on how to get the most for your buck.Second, The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has put a helpful resource guide called Good Food on a Tight Budget. I think you might some very helpful tips in there.Third, seek out the available food banks in your community, and get groceries that are as unprocessed as possible. You may also want to see if there is a discount grocery store in your area where you can purchase either frozen fruits and veggie or canned fruits, veggies, and beans (without salt, sugar).Fourth, see if there are any other resources in your community that can assist you economically (e.g., food stamps, food support, financial support, etc.)Fifth, seek out as much information on the plant-based eating as you can either on the internet or at books borrowed from the library. The more you read and learn, the more you will be able to figure out ways to eat as healthfully as possible on a tight budget; it will also keep you inspired to maintain the changes you are making. (Maybe you can start cultivating a list of economical plant-based recipes to prepare.)Finally, you may want to explore the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine website (among many others out there), and you may want to check out “Vegan Unplugged: A Pantry Cuisine Cookbook and Survival Guide” by Jon Robertson from your library. It is meant to be an emergency preparedness guide for vegans, but I think it offers some great options for those on a limited budget as well.Does anyone else out there have any additional practical tips or economical recipes to share with Brenda?Brenda, wishing you all the best of luck. Please keep us updated on your progress.Sorry to read about your situation. Thea had some excellent suggestions. In my experience eating a plant based diet is alot less expensive then the standard American diet. Pasta is an excellent choice but so are potatos and rice. Rice can often be purchased in bulk. The cost of meat, dairy and eggs are high even with the government subsidies. You need to come up a basic menu that works for your family… 1-2 for breakfast, 3-4 for lunch, and 6-8 for dinner works for most folks. If you have access to the internet through public library or friend you can get excellent recipes and information about health from Dr. John McDougall’s website. You might start by viewing his free lecture on The Starch Solution… look under free lectures and check out the many free recipes courtesy of his wife, Mary, as well. If you have some space you might consider planting some herbs or vegetables to help offset the cost of food. Farmers markets can be helpful if you have access as foods that are seasonal as they tend to be cheaper. I would build the diet around starches with a variety of vegetables and occasional fruits and beans. The only supplement you will need if you eat a well designed plant based diet is Vitamin B12 which is inexpensive as a tablet or can be obtained by eating foods such as soy or almond milk which are often enriched. You should view the series of videos by Dr. Greger in February 2012. Unfortunately many of us have conditions courtesy of years of poor eating which we are stuck with but the body given the right nutrition can stablilize, reverse and often cure many of these conditions. I have been impressed by the progress of my patients who eat healthy. Good luck.How vegan is vegan? Dr. Greger: I have taken your “Leading Causes of Death” video to heart, and am trying to follow a vegan diet; but I wonder how strictly it has to be followed in order to have the benefits you describe. I eat strictly vegan at home, but when I go to a potluck meal, is it OK if the salad has some shreds of cheese sprinkled on it, or if the strawberries are dipped in milk chocolate rather than dark chocolate? Does it make a significant difference if the vegetable oil French fries are fried in have also had fish fried in it? If the fifth item on the “contains less than two percent…” list on a label is “sweet dairy whey”? How much animal-product contamination negates the nutritional benefit of a plant-based diet ? Thanks!Kennita: Congratulations on making such a significant change in your diet.I’m not Dr. Greger, but maybe these thoughts will be helpful to you.>>How strict do you have to be? I don’t think anyone knows the answer to that. Even if such an answer existed, I think it would be a huge, “it depends” based on a variety of factors. There wouldn’t be a clear, “three bites a week is fine, after that, you are hosed”. So much depends on your genetics, environment, and what you are really eating.I think we can say that the occasional cheat is probably fine health-wise. But how much is occasional? Once a year? Once a week? ??? What I have picked up from Dr. Greger’s videos and other materials I have read is that our health on animal foods is a sliding scale. It also seems that it doesn’t take that much animal food to push people into real risk levels. Thus, it falls on you to decide how much risk you want to take. One bite of milk chocolate a month. Probably fine. After that, you are on your own. ;-) (Of course, I just made that up to make a point.)If it was me, I would not make as many exceptions as you do, because it all adds up. On the other hand, you do not want to start to feel deprived, because then you might give up completely. So, I recommend thinking about what is really important to you. Is that bite of milk chocolate vital, but the potlucks could be something you take a stand on? Or vica versa? So, start down a healthier path by just making those exceptions which are super important to you, but making fewer other exceptions. Try to go down a path that takes you in a healthy direction rather than going cold turkey or doing nothing. That’s just my opinion.Another thought I have for you is to find other motivations. I know lots of people who are only semi-motivated by health arguments. Even people who wholly acknowledge that a whole plant food diet with b12 supplement is by far the healthiest diet, find themselves making lots of exceptions or unable to change at all. BUT when they learn about the ethical and environmental arguments for a whole plant food diet, they become very motivated. Those little exceptions no longer seem palatable.In that light, you might consider watching movies like: Vegucated, Food Inc, Earthlings, Glass Walls (available free on youtube), etc. And read a book called The Veganist, which one of my staunch meat-eating co-workers found motivating. It doesn’t take much research to find the environmental information either. Consider the strong link between a plant diet and slowing global climate change. And find articles like this one (that broke my heart): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-pincus-kajitani/want-to-save-starving-sea_b_2897651.htmlLearn that stuff and you will find yourself *wanting* to no longer make those exceptions that also happen to hurt your health.That’s my 2 cents. In the mean time, celebrate your existing progress. Good for you!Thanks for the input! I do pretty well (at the Ostara potluck, I skipped the chocolate chip cookies, but had one Whole Grain Fig Newton (which had whey somewhere low on the ingredient list). I think I can keep it to that level pretty easily; absolute zero-tolerance would probably be too stressful.I’ll try to find some of those movies you mentioned — thanks!Live long and prosper, KennitaI agree with Thea, moderation is extremely difficult to maintain as a lot of a little unhealthy foods here and there can quicklyy become the bulk of the calories.when the correlations are so unbelievably surprising, it is perhaps simply because they are not to be believed….. Correlation is NOT causality!guest: re: “when the correlations are so unbelievably surprising…” That’s your ignorance of the science showing. These results are not only not surprising, but quite common. Time to take notice?I think a fundamental out-of-the-box look at the use of the word “meat” would put everything into clarity. It is just a linguistic euphemism, and a way of distancing ourselves from the truth — the truth that “meat” was once a whole animal with a face, and emotions, and a desire to live unmolested just like we do.I ask, are animals really “meat”? Or do they exist in this world for their own reasons. If aliens came from another planet and saw us as “meat” would that then make us “meat”?It’s time to take a hard look at this word that we never question … a word that objectifies and commodifies animals to the status of nothing. It’s one and the same with the dehumanization of women and men who are imaged as “meat” in our sick society. Relegate to “the Other”. Feel no empathy.Come on non-vegans — time to open your heart and evolve.Let’s phase out the word “meat” from our vocabulary.Help! I want to share this with my sister but she is hearing impaired! Is there a transcript or video with captions available???Nick, there is a little button that says “cc” under the video in the tool bar. Click on that to turn on closed captioning.Dr. Greger — You are totally the best! This is an awesome video. I am recommending this video to everyone I know. This information should be available in Spanish!!! I would love to help get the word out to the Latino community. Let me know how I can help.LUZ!!Irene from MyHealthyCocina — Health Starts in the kitchen.I absolutely agree Irene! Care to translate? Instructions here: https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1VLQvCUNrC47Yrti861QcH09YesAmY5e-pJgzBQAyBR4Mr Greger, may I embed Russian subtitles in this video and upload on my YouTube account? I’ll provide all references to original video and this site – I just ask permission in order not to violate copyright.I’d be honored–please do!Thank you very much!Bravo! Love it! My grandson was diagnosed with MDS at the age of 17. One of the things I asked just about everyone that I spoke with at the time, in the medical profession, was the importance of diet. Everyone said the same thing, “it’s not important!” I suppose they gave up on him right from the start. I’ll never know if things might have been different with a vegan diet. The MDS eventually became Leukemia and he died at age 20. Anyway, I really enjoyed this presentation on “Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death”, taped on July 12, 2012, and would really like to be able to see more of these informative videos. Also, aside from the obvious, what would be the best way to begin a vegan diet? Is there a way to subscribe to these longer videos?MaryJS: I just sent a reply to Shaheen with ideas about how to get started on eating healthy. Check out those ideas.I also wanted to express condolences. That’s such a sad story. My thoughts are with you.Concerning the videos: Most of videos Dr. Greger posts on this site are 2-4 minutes long, though some are longer and happily so! Even though the videos are shorter than this one, they often tell a story / are part of series. I recommend finding the first video of volume 1 (I’m not sure how to do that as the search didn’t work the last time I tried it), watch it, then use the the “Next Video” link on the panel on the right of the screen. You can keep doing that until you have eventually seen all the videos all. So, you will have watched literally hours and and hours worth of videos to meet that desire of yours to see longer videos. Well worth your time as there is a lot more information out there than was in this one video. (Though I agree that this one video is great too.)Good luck.I really enjoyed this video and intend on showing it to my communications students as a good example of effective academic presenting (with the hopes that they’ll take the content in as well).Living in Korea I’ve gradually reduced my meat intake as Koreans traditionally treat meat as more a garnish than a basic ingredient (becoming what I’d call a ‘lessetarian’). I would like to know what the good doctor thinks about yogurt, something I still enjoy a great deal with cereals and nuts. Bad but not so bad? :>Ken: Good for you for going on the lessetarian path. Hopefully you can go on a lessetarian path with your dairy consumption too. From all of the dairy videos I’ve seen on this NutritionFacts site, plus what I have read about dairy in books like The China Study and Building Bone Vitality – diary is AT LEAST as bad as meat.I think one of the Dr.s in the Interviews follow up DVD for Forks Over Knives refers to dairy (ie, yogurt, etc.) as “liquid meat”. That really stuck with me.I don’t know if they sell such things where you are, but companies do sell plant-based yogurts. I vastly prefer the coconut ones to the soy ones, but it is a personal preference and I suspect that the soy ones are healthier. Also, I there are recipes out there for making your own plant-based yogurts. (For example, check out the book Artisan Vegan Cheeses.) So, if you are interested, you DO have options.That’s awesome that you are pointing your students to this video. I agree that it is an extremely wonderful example of how to present academic materials in a way that people can take in and enjoy. Good luck to you and your students.Saw this talk at the Vegfest in Tampa a couple months ago. I’m glad it’s on video now!! So incredibly interesting AND entertaining. Thank You Dr. Greger for your vast curiosity and desire to educate the public!! I am definitely passing this on!!What to eat everyday?.Lots of great recipe sites on the web. I like Happy Herbivore if you dont know what to cook, she has a recipe plan you can buy for really cheap and you can relearn how to cook. Don’t buy prepackaged foods. They are just as bad for you as prepackaged non vegan foods. Good luck you can do it! fatfreevegan is another great site!Toni’s ideas are very good. There are some great sites that give you plenty of free ideas.Two other ideas for you are: 1) cookbooks. There are two book that I think are good for beginners: Everyday Happy Herbivore and Vegan On the Cheap.2) Do one of PCRM’s (Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine) 21 Kickstart programs. They hold your hand through 21 days with meal plans, recipes, inspirational messages, etc. And it’s free.Once you get started, you will be amazed at the variety and fulfillingness (I know I made that up) of the food dishes available to people who eat healthy.Best of luck to you!This is soooo good! Tweeted it!This was a very eye opening video for me and helped play a part in my decision to become vegan.Thank you for this great video! I am posting a link to it from my whole foods recipe blog!Hi Dr. Greger,I have seen rumors going around about fruit from the Graviola tree aka Sour Sop, aka Soursop. The claims are that it is an effective cancer killer. Have you seen any conclusive evidence one way or the other?Doc, Have you ever studied h202 treatments?Love your work! I started cutting all breads, meats out of my diet and started eating raw and cooked vegetables and four months later I have come down with ulcerative colitis. crazy right.So, now I am doing h202 treatments in hopes it will clear up the colitis?Thanks,What about the theory that cholesterol is a myth?? In The Great Cholesterol Myth, Bowden and Sinatra show the source of heart disease is SUGAR and inflammation. Just as many people die of heart disease who have low cholesterol as have high. Total cholesterol tells you nothing about your risk for heart disease…in fact our brains NEED it so total cholesterol should be between 200-250. Organic Eggs, olive oil, coconut oil, butter…saturated fat…all encouraged. What matters is the kind of LDLs you have. So how can two such opposing theories be correct? Dr. Greger, can you address this?I touch on that in a Q&A: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-does-the-paleo-diet-impact-cholesterol/The theory is based on misconstrued science and goes completely against what countless studies have shown for years. Perhaps the appeal is that it is rebellious and against the “system”, but there is truly no justification whatsoever to think that carbohydrates cause heart disease. Dr. Greger’s link below will take you to his free e-book carbophobia which gathers the science on this subject.I have several questions: Did any of this research account for whether plant based diets did or did not include genetically modified veggies? Did they account for whether or not meat eaten was organic, not treated with antibiotics or steroids? Did they account for consumption of refined sugars or starches among either meat eaters or vegetarians? Are there studies that evaluate igf1 levels among people who do or do not consume refined starches and sugars? Among those who do or do not consume gluten? Great presentation. Glad to see it.I also wonder if any research examines use of yogurt versus fluid milk and cheese? Organic yogurt versus non? Seems like fermented versions should be our friends, as they help keep the gut flora in balance.In a prior session you mentioned oregano kills bacteria? So if ,eat is cooked with oregano, would that kill the bacteria mentioned in this presentation?Thanks for all of the good information and the good presentations. Have there been any studies on the effect of not ingesting food and water for 24 hours and its effects on health? Don’t babies need a certain amount of animal protein for their brains to develop properly?Dr Greger, did you mean that the recording was made surreptitiously?THANK YOU FOR CARING ENOUGH TO TAKE YOUR VALUABLE TIME TO POST THE INFORMATION! I KNOW THAT IT IS NOT EASY FINDING THE TIME! JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW IT IS APPRECIATED, USEFUL, THOUGHT PROVOKING, AND MAKES ONE QUESTION THEIR LIFESTYLE AND POSITIVE CHANGES FOR THE BETTER! BILLYBravo, Dr. Greger! Fantastic presentation! Exceptionally informative and well-conveyed message. And what a powerful message it is. Keep up and great work!!Dear Dr. Greger, Have watched this video many times and was very interested in the link between bacteria from animal food in the gut being implicated in heart disease.However there must be another culprit too. If I am not mistaken the first autopsy to list heart disease was in 1929. Many sources have stated that it was non existent at the turn of the last century. I think we were eating a lot of animal foods back then. Of course I could be wrong but if not something else must have come into our diet that is also responsible. Oils and trans fat maybe? Sugar? This has been eating at me. What do you think is the full story on Heart disease. I’m a big fan. Thanks so much. NedderMy problem is, I cant do dairy (casein and lactose issues), cant digest nuts, so cant envision living on lentils. Now we hear bad things about soy. I do like a protein-packed meat meal (humanely raised and hopefully quickly slaughtered) from time to time.My father has been vegan for 20 years. He lives healthy active lifestyle. But on the last blood exam the cholesterol levels were very high… I am second guessing his and my veganism.It’s probably famillal hypercholesteremia. I have it. Red yeast rice seems to have brought it down considerably.You’re not vegan for ethical reasons? I’m curious why.Dear Dr. Greger: I am a triple board certified interventional cardiologist and have been in practice for 30 years. I am absolutely thrilled with your work. I give a lot of free lectures on the benefits of vegan diet and daily exercise which I recommend to all my patients. I have started to use some of the information you have provided in my presentations. But I would like to use some of your graphs and other illustrations in my presentations. Is there anyway, you will be willing to post your graphs as power point slides that I can use in my presentations? You would be doing a great service to us medical colleagues who want to disseminate this information to the public. I will, of course, acknowledge you as the source of these graphs and will give you full credit.Thanks Noah N. Chelliah, MD, FACC, FACP, FCCPTruly something! Thank you! question: if meat is not safe not due to protein or fat but to a bacteria, is organic, all natural, etc, whey protein safe? Thanks!Marite: If you get a chance, explore some of the other videos on this site. You will see that there are some inherent health risks with the animal products themselves regardless of how the animal is raised. Good luck!I would love to see the study’s that compare healthy plant and meat based diets with SAD and then vegan and vegetarian. And I would love to see how all these studies were controlled as I imagine vegans and vegetarians make many many choices unrelated to nutrition that affect their health status. I don’t imagine all this potentially sensational meat bashing is going to make the average American or anyone else for that matter change their culture and habits – in fact it’s liable to make them revolt, so realistically this information is potentially quite counterproductive isn’t it?“Time to get real”: This isn’t meat-bashing for the sake of sensationalism. This video and the many others on this site are sharing the very real fact that the body of scientific evidence shows that the best diet for health is a whole plant food based diet supplemented with B12.Anyone who wants to get healthy and is willing to learn about the science would be quite persuaded by this video. I personally know two people who have completely changed their diets based primarily on seeing this video. (Or at least this video started it.)It is true that people who are very invested in their current habits will look for any reason to not change. (They might say something like: “I’m sure there’s significant flaws in those studies Dr. Greger shows. I’m so sure of it, I’m not even going to bother to look.”) In that case, this video, while not counter productive, will not change such people. But then, nothing likely is. FYI: If you really are interested in seeing the studies, each study is cited under the individual videos on the rest of this site. Though you will have to hunt for the correct videos first to find the citations.That’s as real as it gets.Quinoa is now my new best friend…This type of misinformation is indicative of why western civilization is in decline…Thank you so very much for your enlightening work.Dr. Gerber, your video ” Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death” helped me in the most powerful way.I love you,Gaia CunninghamWas that you?Thank you for this wonderful, humorous and informative video!!Love the DVD. As a 64 year old who converted to veganism 2 years ago, your website and dvd’s are terrific education to keep me on the path of better health and to help fine-tune my shopping. Thanks!!Awesome as usual!…You leave no room 4 doubts! and thanx a the great humor! your info is the best tool I use to show people the truth about Nutrition! (16 years Vegan,3 years Raw Foodist,Yoga teacher,Ayurvedic consultant)Dear Dr. Michael Greger,I have shown this video to my mother who was recently diagnosed with Stage IV triple-negative breast cancer, and my five sisters, all of whom have dairy and meat-based diets. Four of my sisters being nurses, and my mother also being a nurse, they really appreciated your professional approach to the topic of plant-based diet and I feel they were very moved by it. I wish to thank you personally as your video may have done much more for my family than you may know.From the deepest place in my heart, I thank you. -BenjaminBenjamin: That’s so nice of you to share this story! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for your whole family.Just in case you were not aware, I thought I would let you know that this video you commented on is the first year-summary posted on NutritionFacts. Dr. Greger has recently posted the second summary, which may also interest you and your family:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/I also highly recommend the video: Forks Over Knives.Finally, if you are looking for some assistance in implementing a plant-based diet, the free PCRM 21 Day Kick-start on-line program is awesome. As are several cookbooks such as: Let Them Eat Vegan, Vegan On The Cheap, and Everyday Happy Herbivore.Good luck to you all!OMG. I have had problems with my thyroid for years. I have not been able to loss weight. I have tried everything. Diets, diet pill, Jenny Craig, WW. I was also diagnosed with RA. After having a bad reaction to Hydrochloriqun I opened my eyes and quite eating wheat, milk. In two months my RA was gone. Today after seen my Endo today and telling him how I quite eating wheat, milk and some eggs how I been loosing weight and my RA is gone. He told me to watch you Youtube. and how my goodness I wil be a Vegan from now on. Thank You for opening my eyes to health. I am in charge of my life, and your right DR’s need to tell you a little more about diet. (and not the Genny Craig one’s). thank you again, You are my new Superman.Rachel: Congratulations on finding the healthiest diet in the world! It’s always easier to prevent a disease than reverse one and there are no guarantees. That said, you are on to a diet that will give you the best chance/lowest risk when it comes to diseases, including RA.One thing to keep in mind: A healthy diet is not just “vegan”, but what people call “whole plant food based”. You can get an idea of what that means by signing up for a free program like the 21 Day Kickstart or getting a good cookbook like Let Them Eat Vegan and Everyday Happy Herbivoir.I wish you all the luck.I really find your video’s very good and informative but I don’t agree that a vegan diet stops cancer for everyone because Robin Gibb was a vegan, although I understand it can significantly reduce the risk.This is FANTASTIC! Dr. Greger, you are a fabulously entertaining speaker and you explain what so many have left unclear. Thank you for the details and the references, and for your blithe spirit. I wish you had more longer, yes, longer videos.This video is making me go vegan.Moderation is the answer! Moderation is plant based foods and moderation in animal based as well. Eat a healthy mix of both, don’t over eat and cut the fat out as much as possible. If vegan was the answer, all vegan’s would live to 90 or 100. Has anyone done a “scientific” study of life expectancy between vegans and non-vegans? I have vegan Indian friends whose parent died in their 60’s and early 70’s. Of heart attacks and strokes!The culprit in America is stress caused by lack of true faith and meaning in people’s lives! STRESS CAUSES CANCER!Right, animals are expendable nothings. They have no place in our consciousness as beings in their own right.What “meaning” can one possibly have in one’s life, if one views animals as absent referrents? What “true faith” can one have if one deems, by some devine edict, that animals are less deserving of life and peace than humans?Obviously you are a misguided animal rights activist. Your kind would rather humans were eliminated (aborted) so cows, chickens and pigs could live.Dr. thank you very much for your video! I am a 30 years and vegan for 3 years already! but my patients don’t believe me. I worked in Russia for 15 years, in Israel 13 years. In Canada live 5 years. Now all send to your websiteI wish PBS showed this video every month. PBS should become the broadcaster for the public, the disorganized, disenfranchised, alienated people whose work and resources supports everything.How many vagans or vegetarians do you know who lived to be past 100 yo? All the people who lived past 100 and whose lives have been studied in details ate fish, meat and even bacon. The whole vagan thing is a big scam.No native population is 100% vegan, but there are those that get close. The Okinawans for example are very close to vegans and have the most centenarians per capita.Caloric Restriction, the TraditionalOkinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life SpanAnn. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785Total weight (grams) 1262Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9)Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85)Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6)Saturated fatty acid 3.7Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)GrainsRice 154 (12)Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7)Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1)Sugars 3 (less than 1)Oils 3 (2)Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1)Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1)Eggs 1 (less than 1)Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69)Other potatoes 2 (less than1)Other vegetables 114 (3)Fruit less than 1 (less than 1)Seaweed 1 (less than 1)Pickled vegetables 0 (0)Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some pointsTheir diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a dayI hope Dr. Greger or another reader can help me with this. I have been a vegetarian for 23 years and vegan for most of it. I have a lot of arthritis, especially in an elbow that was injured over 60 years ago. My doc, an alternative consultant, put me on fish oil about eight years ago. At that time I was living a mostly vegan lifestyle in that my home life was vegan but I would sometimes eat scallops when in a restaurant. So I went along with his suggestion and began the fish oil. Then about one year ago I wised up, went 100% vegan again, which included stopping the fish oil supplements. A month later I had the most painful elbow attack , then another about three weeks later. I had to take very strong painkillers both times. My doc was alarmed that I had stopped the fish oil, but I told him it doesn’t fit with my ethical standards for so many reasons, not the least of which is over-fishing, pollution of the oceans, mercury levels and, of course, the suffering of the animal. He maintains that sometimes one has to do what is best for one’s health even if it means going against one’s values. I told him I was taking flax oil, but he claims that it doesn’t have the necessary DHA/EPA that I need. From what I can find out, he is right about the DHA; there doesn’t seem to be any in the flax oil. I want to know if there is any way I can get the vegetarian equivalent of fish oil for arthritis and inflammation. (I am back on the fish oil, and have had no more extreme pain in the elbow. I am happy about that, but most unhappy to be violating my vegan lifestyle in this manner.)Gramma Kat: What a dilemma. I’m no expert, but I know that Dr. Greger recommends that we take seaweed sourced DHA (potentially with EPA) supplements. That is a way to get the (often unfounded) benefits of fish oil without the contaminants and without destroying the oceans. Perhaps you could give that a try?There are others who know more about the specific supplements. Perhaps they will jump in with specific help. But I think you could get just about any brand and do fine with it.Hope that helps. Good luck!Thank you! It sounds like a good alternative, although I suppose seaweed becomes contaminated as well as fish. Still, I feel it would be a much better choice.re: seaweed becoming contaminated…I could be completely wrong, but it is my understanding that the companies which make the seaweed (or maybe it was algae?) based DHA supplements grow their own stuff in fully controlled vats. So, they aren’t getting it from the sea. *Should* be quite safe. (Of course there are no guarantees. But at least it seems like the safest option.)Yes, I was thinking the same thing. The best part is it doesn’t involve the killing of the animal. Now I need to figure out how much of the micro-algae to take to equal the same punch as the fish oil.Gramma Kat: In case you will find it helpful, here is a link to Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations, which includes a recommended amount to take of DHA:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Hope that helps.THe reason some fish have much higher levels of heavy metals than others is related to the process of bio-concentration. For instance a fish that eats weed will have less than a fish that eats 1000s of other fish a year which also eat 1000s of other fish a year. Hence older sharks will have some of the highest levels of Hg. The areas they inhabit would also be related, like bays historically subject to lots of industrial pollution you’d expect would have higher levels.Dr. Greger, thank you for being one of the people to lead this plant-based food revolution. This highlights shocking and important research that others, including our government are not giving us proper information about. My husband and I have been on a plant-based diet for a year and the difference is amazing….we will never go back.Excellent, can the good doctor discuss the benefits of green/herbal teas as an adjunct to all diets discussedI wonder how this plays out whilst intermittent fasting? Similar to how we use to eat hundreds and thousands of years ago.Thanks Doc, at first I thought you were a sellout when I started reading your spiel on flax seeds, but as soon as you mentioned “Preventing the problem from the start” I knew you meant a plant-based diet. Just wanted to say thank you for spreading the good word. I’m sick of doctors spreading misinformation and then I have to do hours of explanations a week to people who just needed some doctors “blessing” to continue torturing themselves with an “improper diet” as I like to call it. Thanks again.Great videos. Dr Greger how do you protect your work from confirmation bias and ‘cherry picking’ your sources?I find it HILARIOUS how so many people faced with real scientific research still say it’s not true. Sad as well because of the reasons for death can be prevented but not living on the cirrent American diet.Thank you for all your hard work Dr. Greger. I have been on a whole food plant based diet for two years now. I have dropped about 25 lbs, and I haven’t been sick in two years, not even a cold. My energy is through the roof. I am 46 and I have reclaimed my 25 year old body and energy!I needed this. Thank you.Hi, Dr. Greger, I was wondering if you have commented on a recent medical publication stating that vegetarians have a lower life expectancy than those with a more omnivorous diet. Sorry, I don’t recall the source, but it made a splash on some social pages in the last week. I’d prefer to hear your opinion on this. I’m an MD trained in the 80’s when there was horribly little nutritional info in our curriculum and just discovered your youtube channel. Over the years I knew there was much more importance to nutritional issues and haven’t found anything like the scholarly work you are doing. Thanks.Cassian, this talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04 was a few years ago … but in it Dr Greger addressed issues about vegan life expectancy.(I am just another reader passing by)a balanced diet is a balanced diet. N.A.s eat wa-a-ay too much meat and very fatty meat at that. add that the animals are “manufactured” and not allowed to grow in normal time without all the hormones; drugs and shots they have to be given for just being on the “factory farm floor”; add the GMO feeds with drugs in them; add that the animals dont get any exercise cuz theyre penned in- like people in office spaces.. and if “we the people” dont stop monsanta-claws, the madam of food whores, well you can kiss-off the health benefits of ANY diet.Thank you – a friend referred me to your site since I have breast cancer stage 4. Used to eat only plant based foods from 1970’s to 1990s. Now I am changing back.Dr. Fuller – I’m so sorry to hear about the cancer. This is a great site for learning about foods shown to have an impact on cancer in general, and breast cancer in particular. You have probably already found some of those pages, but just in case, here is a recent article that links to a bunch of other videos on this site:http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/The mushroom studies particularly interest me.Good luck to you. I’ll keep you in my thoughts.Thank you for your hard work. I am so glad that there are Doctors like you out there giving us the information that we need to make good decisions on are health. I am learning so much and sharing it with ever one I can all though most think I am nuts. I am glad if one person listen and does there research and then starts to eat better I am happy. So again thank youcan we be %80 vegan.? will it get us close to vegan risk levels by %80.? I love the idea of it but realisticly it is a life changing challenge. I am so much worried about food but egg specialy as an ingredient ( it is everywhere ), milk, cheese , yogurt.If you have to put a name to it- sounds like you are more “vegetarian” not “vegan”. It is a learning process for sure but very doable and can be done using baby steps if that suits you best. Have you looked at the research on dairy and health? http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=dairyOn a scale of 1-10, where 1 is not at all motivated to change your diet and 10 is 100% motivated, what number would you give yourself at the moment?Plant based diet sounds great, what about all the cancer causing pesticides used on the vegetables ???Mike: Dr. Greger has a great blog post where he puts pesticide consumption into perspective. :“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most ontaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.”from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/I translate this bit of info into: Eat organic when you can, but don’t stress about it when you can’t.Happily, there is a way to take this advice a step further to minimize your risks without completely depleting the pocketbook. Every year, the Environmental Working Group actually measures pesticide levels in fruits and veggies–after those fruits and veggies have been prepared in the way people would normally eat them. (For example, peeling a banana or washing first.) If you scroll down on the following page, you will see a list for the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean Fifteen”. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.phpHope that helps.The FD allows tomatoes to be sprayed with as many as 5 different pesticides as long as they don’t go over the amount specified by the FD for each of the 5 pesticides. The government is killing us.Yes and no combination trials have ever, in the history of pesticides, be required.One study that plotted population cancer incidence against pesticide usage in prevalent crops found that cotton growing areas positively associated with the highest cancer areas in the USA. They spray cotton with up to ten different pesticides and herbicides in high concentrations.“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.” http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/Have you responded to this criticism? http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/death-as-a-foodborne-illness-curable-by-veganism/I would be interested in hearing a response to this as well. I did notice quite a few biases and some misreferencing. However Dr. Greger does of course have biases as well and has arguably cherry picked evidence for this video.With protein being such a crucial macronutrient and the powerhouse of our bodies structure and metabolism, how does one get proper amounts with a plant based diet?Claudia: You question is quite understandable given the information about protein that we are inundated with in the media. The happy news is that it is incredibly easy to get enough protein on a plant based diet by eating a well-rounded whole plant food based diet filled with enough calories. The even happier news is that it is harder to over-eat on protein eating a plant based diet – something that is a big concern for meat, dairy and egg eaters.If you want to get a thorough education on protein, check out these sources:Here is my favorite website for explaining all about protein. There is a section on the page that talks about the myth of the need to worry about protein combining. http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlA close second, to fill in yet some more details is Dr. McDougall article from December 2003. http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ You might also check out the January 2004 newsletter article, Protein Overload.Hope that helps.You are mischaracterizing the research you cite! Let me quote from the Harvard School of Public Health when discussing the Nurse’s Study:“In studies of more than 80,000 female nurses, Harvard researchers found that consuming about an egg a day was not associated with higher risk of heart disease (too few women in the study were eating more than an egg a day to evaluate the effects of higher egg intakes).”The Nurse’s study did find slightly elevated risk from eating eggs for people with existing heart disease or diabetes. I assume that your “facts” as presented in the video are simply taking the results for this select group and treating it as generally true when it isn’t.Counting the minutes until you delete this comment…http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats-full-story/Dr Greger, is most or all of what you present in this discussion still relevant. no new data to refute this. how about any more studies to support this? thanks.It is all still relevant, please see these 2 videos too. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/thankyou!!Amazing video. Thank you so much for your great review and enthusiastic presentation.Thank you very much for this precious video.As the video makes clear, vegetarians are less susceptible to the most prevalent diseases in a meat-eating society. But could the roles be reversed? Is there data available on the leading causes of death for vegetarians? And might some of these diseases be less pernicious among meat eaters? (Ditto for non-lethal but debilitating diseases.)Putting it simply, are there ANY diseases which are more prevalent among vegetarians/vegans?This is the most informative health presentation I have ever watched.11:12 a was laughing loud… I struggle with understanding, because my english isn’t good enough to understand all… but Dr. Greger its greatI went “mostly” vegan last year because my husband was diagnosed with type-II diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. We started following Dr. Barnard’s book on controlling diabetes with diet. Eric followed it to the letter and everything was reversed. I didn’t follow it religiously because diabetes was not my issue and I had none of the other issues. So I got into a rut of eating McDonald’s breakfasts and the occasional meat at lunch. If you are not totally committed to eating this way, it’s hard to stick to it when you are getting food from outside the home. I had no problem sticking to it at home.Then, several months ago, I got the word I had Plasmablastic Lymphoma with a few tumors in my nose. I thought, what the heck, I am vegan and I shouldn’t be getting this. Of course, I really wasn’t vegan. Then, through chemo, I ended up not losing my appetite but used the chemo as an excuse to eat whatever the heck I want. Which, turned out pretty much to be the worst things I could possibly eat while fighting cancer. I started eating almost exclusively; processed meats, dairy and a lot of sugar. Part of that was to overcome taste issues with the chemo. But mostly, I just used it as an excuse to go crazy.So, long story short, instead of continuing on down this road while going through the radiation, your talk inspired me to get back on track and go back to a strict whole food/plant-based diet again. As most people on here (except for the trolls) will tell you, the meat is the easiest thing to cut out. For me it’s the dairy that is the hardest.I will watch your video again tonight, but I don’t remember hearing anything about plant based fats. Like nuts, avocado, olives. What is your take on eating that kind of thing? Barnard is pretty much against all pure and high-density fat foods.Thanks.stevelittle: re: ” For me it’s the dairy that is the hardest.” You are not alone! It gets easier, especially when you learn some tricks for getting creamy textures in the food, but it can still be a hurdle for some people to give up dairy. Dairy is literally addictive.I’m sorry to hear about your tumors. I’m hoping you will be able to beat it. Dr. Greger has several videos on this site regarding the health value of nuts. So, a good 1 to 2 ounces of nuts (and/or seeds) a day would fit right in with Dr. Greger’s recommendations. Dr. Greger doesn’t generally support the use of oils. But a few olives would not be remiss. There is at least one video against the use of avocadoes on this site, but I consider it to be one of the weaker videos. It hasn’t stopped me from enjoying some avocados now and then.Here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations. I think it answers your question in terms of what is stressed and not stressed in the recommendations, even if it doesn’t directly address “fat”: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Hope that helps and best of luck to you. PS: Thanks for the report on Eric and his success in treating diabetes. That’s great encouragement for others in a similar predicament.stevelittle: One more bit of advice: I recommend that you search NutritionFacts specifically on the topic of cancer. While a whole plant food based diet is generally good for just about anyone, there are tweaks you can do that will help with specific conditions. So, there may be certain foods you will want to focus on specifically because of your diagnosis.Many of my patient’s find it difficult to give up dairy… may have something to do with the main protein in cow’s milk, casein, being converted to 8 casomorphins (morphine like substances) which are absorbed into our body. About 20% of folks are “cheese cravers”… eat cheese daily straight out of the package and 20% more are “cheese enhancers”… adding cheese to many of their foods. You might find reading “Whitewash” a bit illuminating and supportive of avoiding dairy as it effectively covers the wide range of problems with dairy. Michael Klaper MD calls dairy “baby cow growth food”. You should also consider viewing a selection from the over 80 video’s on dairy on NutritionFacts.org. PCRM’s resource, The Cancer Survivor’s Guide, is available for free download on the their website. Foods low in fat will typically lead to a more ideal body weight. Whole foods like nuts, avocados and olives are better then processed foods and should be consumed in moderation. Good luck with your treatment and finding the correct diet.Fascinating video as always – people interested in this topic may not know that there is now no doubt that what’s called chronic inflammation is a central cause of (heart disease/diabetes/stroke) and there’s a free report on how to prevent it at http://www.nutrishield.com/inflammageingThis was so amazing I am so happy to have stumbled upon it & I cannot wait to share!!Is eating one egg in total as harmful as smoking 5 cigarettes in total or as harmful as smoking 5 cigarettes every day for 15 years? I didn’t quite get that….What do you say to someone that thinks that dietary cholesterol is good for you? It helps make cell walls and other structural processes.Derrek: The, “Your body needs cholesterol. Hence dietary cholesterol is good for you.” is an argument that we see all of the time. And it is an argument that is *very* easy to counter. The short answer is: “Yes, your body needs cholesterol. But your body makes all of the cholesterol that it needs. So, baring some serious genetic defect/disease, you don’t need to get cholesterol from your diet. The reverse is true: adding dietary cholesterol typically raises your body’s cholesterol levels above the known safe amount, which is a total 150 or below and LDL 70 or below.”I will write out a bit more for you to help you/others put this into perspective: If people making these claims were to think it through, they are (likely) really making one or both of these points: 1) cholesterol is necessary for our bodies, AND we need to eat it to get enough, and/or 2) cholesterol is SO necessary for so many important functions in our bodies that we can’t have too much of it in our bodies. The higher the number the better.Neither of these points is true. As stated above, we know that our bodies make all of the cholesterol that we need and that adding extra cholesterol by eating it increases our risk for disease and early death.The second point is also not true. *No one* is asking the question: do our bodies need cholesterol at all or not? The real question is: what level of cholesterol in our blood/bodies is healthy? Is there a level that is too high so that it is associated with higher risk of disease and death? (Too low?–another question for another time) And does eating cholesterol raise our body’s cholesterol levels above the safe amount?To presume that there is *no* upper limit to healthy cholesterol is against all common sense. For example, our bodies *need* water. But we all know that if your body gets too much water, you can die from it. It doesn’t make sense to think that cholesterol would be any different. Common sense tells us that there is an upper line where having too much cholesterol causes bad things to happen, just like having too much water (a necessary ingredient for life!) causes bad things to happen.Reasonable people can argue over where that line is for cholesterol, but it seems to me that paleo/atkins/etc people tend to argue that there is no line at all. While I and others argue that we have a mountain of evidence showing that a) there is a line and b) we are pretty sure that that line for the general population is: a total cholesterol below 150 with LDL below 70 in order to be heart-attack proof. I’ve never seen a paleo person show a study where people below 150/70 got heart attacks. (Might happen with a rare genetic defect. But not a pattern.)Suppose someone is willing to concede the 150/70 point/line for the sake of argument. They might then counter with: “But that doesn’t mean that eating animal products (ie eating dietary cholesterol) will cause our body’s cholesterol levels to rise.” The “evidence” that “supports” this statement is fatally flawed. On the other hand, there is a mountain of good evidence that counters this statement. (Check out Plant Positive as well as videos on this site.) Further, it is my understanding that in general, when most people eat cholesterol (animal products) beyond *trivial* amounts, their cholesterol levels tend to go into the danger zone (above 150/70). (And based on anecdotes, I would say, once that cholesterol level goes up for years/decades on end/from childhood, it can be very hard for people to get their levels in the safe zone even after they try to change their diet. But I don’t know that for a fact.)To get back to the point: Yes, our bodies need cholesterol, but the belief of “the more the better” for body levels of cholesterol is not supported by the evidence.Does that help?Excellent video on the leading causes of death. I am a 62 yo female with chronic low back pain from DDD and arthritis and Fibromyalgia. Both showed up after a car accident 9 yrs ago. I want to go Vegan and get off the bad meds. How do I start? I know much to ask here but I want to be pain-free, lose 50 lbs and finally be healthy, again! U can email me directly at email on file. I really need your help and support. Do you have a recipe book out on eating Vegan and how to do it? God bless you Dr Greger and I so appreciate all u do to help us be healthy as God intended.Kathy: This website has some videos on lower back pain. As well as arthritis and Fibromaylgia. You may want to check some of those out.But I can see that you are read to get off of the theory and start getting some practical advice! Here are some of my favorite resources and recommendations for people who are starting out:1) Consider going through the free 21 Day Kickstart program by PCRM. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)2) Pick some good cookbooks and start making recipes. You don’t have to go cold-turkey and expect that you aren’t going to like every recipe you try. So, just keep trying dishes until you build up a set that you really like and are easy enough for you to make. Then you can just make those recipes and stop making your old ones. Some cookbooks that I recommend are: Let Them Eat Vegan Vegan On The Cheap Vegan Casseroles Everyday Happy Herbivore (or any book in that series)Or if you have a specific condition you want to work on, there are some great books that have recipes in the back for those conditions. Let me know if you want some suggestions for diabetes, heart disease, memory/dimentia or one that is good for athletes, etc. Actually, the main diet is the same for all of these conditions. But it is nice to get the specific books and recommended recipes when you are first starting out so that you start to get a handle on what you are looking for in terms of what is healthy.3) Check out some good recipe blogs. These sites have free recipes as well as some emotional support as you can read about the lives of others. Here are some sites people really like: http://mouthwateringvegan.com/ http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/ http://vegan-magic.blogspot.com/ There are A LOT more out there! So, keep looking until you find one or two that you like.4) Get a copy of Jeff Novick’s Fast Food DVD series. Jeff does a great job of giving simple, tasty, extremely healthy recipes, all in a mini cooking show format. Here’s one to get you started: http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Novicks-Fast-Food-1/dp/B00466DP42/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1418772380&sr=1-1&keywords=fast+food+jeff+novick The burgers and fries DVD is a good one too!5) Don’t forget your B12 supplement. Here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations. This will give you a very general, overall game plan along with some advice on specific nutrients to make sure you have all your bases covered: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/I hope that helps.If any person thinks that one diet fits all, please show us the evidence. If any person thinks that one pill fits all, show us the evidence. If any person thinks that each person has the same microbiome, show us the evidence. I have completely won the argument against all comments on this site…..The vegan diet, the paleo diet, the whatever diet is not going to affect each person the same….PERIOD. So, what the hell is the answer? The answer is that each of us will find what does work….that’s the answer to all of this non sense.The minute people start saying that a certain way of eating is wrong, they have lost the argument. How many people take a medicine and it doesn’t work for you like it did your friend or family member? How many people eat certain things that do not agree with you, but it’s fine for someone else? If people on this site actually care about other people’s health, then stop your stupidity and realize that eating is different for each of us.The reality is that our gut flora is the universe to health. As the microbiome project goes forward, we will be learning what works for each individual as far as health is concerned….STOP YOUR INSANITY AND REALIZE THAT YOUR DIET ISN’T MY DIET.Although we may have different genetics, we do share the SAME biology.However, we do not share the same microbiomes….If you make an array of sterile petrie dishes, each with a different culture composition, then lift the lids for a few seconds and replace them, individual colonies will begin to grow. The colonies will be made up of bacteria that found that culture to its liking. All the plates were subjected to the same background exposure. But different culture media support different “spectra” of bacteria colonies.If you lay down a good culture medium in your gut by eating whole plant foods, if you build it, then you will select for a good microbiome…they will come.Our genetics are different in each person…..your idea falls short of that fact. Our genetics will drive the microbiome to be different in each person. You cannot say that if everyone eats plants, we will all be healthy. First of all, people are not going to follow a plant based diet no matter what anyone says….it will never happen unless people are forced at gun point. The vegans are and will always be a tiny left wing radical group with no power.You probably do want to have frequent human contact and avoid washing hands after shaking hands or handling money. And prepare your food with unwashed hands too, not as much a problem some people claim it to be as long as one is fit. And they will come ^^ :)Coacervate I came across a bit of yours where you divulged suffering from bipolar disorder and talked about meditation. Could you tell me a bit more about that? Other coping strategies you might be willing to share? I recently found some respite after 8 month downhill slide because of choline, but while immensely helpful not the end all to all. Nobody really seems to know what exactly to do with me in my healthcare system, so after my body its time I start fixing this myself too I guess. Kind of daunting, cross kind of replace with completely daunting, hypochondriac too and that is not helpful in the least.Anyway, any and all pointers would be very much appreciated indeed. Regards.Well your sense of humor is in good health, at least I hope you were joking about the hand thing :) Glad to hear the choline is working. In my case, I was so sick I was planning to top myself and get it out of the way. So when I latched on to WFPB it was like someone tossed a lifesaver. Here is the short list of what I did: Quit my job – I was lucky and picked a supportive wife Quit my “friends” – anyone who brings me needless stress is out However, a close friend is also a Buddhist nun. She helped me throw away the clutter, both physical and meta, (I am not nor ever will be religous). I thought about what was important to me. Once sorted the needed changes were easy to do. Finally, I was only able to do most of the above AFTER the whole plant food transition. I felt good and strong again. The black days, the migraines, the gut problems, the joint pain, the meds- all gone now …. i can’t list all the things that have improved for me…everything … I was so happy to simply feel good I became more friendly and social.So, people do love to talk about themselves don’t they, heh? I wish I could tell you for sure this is what you need…I know you are already committed to restoring your health. That is the important part. OH right, I would recommend reading comments from Darryl, Boomer, Veganrunner and you know, the good Drs and professionals on the NF team. Seek out the ones who can sort out the good science from the … not so good. My spidey sense tells me you will be fine. And remember, you’re not Superman, ya knowBut how far have you taken plant based? I went step by step, first going after ADHD grains and eggs then milk products 13 months ago, reducing meat to one moment a day and stepping down the number of days gradually. Every now and then though I had to eat meat again to feel better, now with the new experiences with choline I might know why. Eventually had a very nerve wrecking trial end of April stress through the roof, I must have burned all my magnesium back then. Still going lower on meat or wild salmon, the more my mind went manic the more I favored the fish because of possible oil benefit over meat. BUT there is even less choline in fish, hindsight ^^ Anyway eventually still going less and less frequent reduced to fish once every two weeks, and that is as vegan as I’ve been. 2 months into that new routine I could not control myself anymore, panicked and started eating fish regularly again. Always wild caught (frozen), yeah I know fish is bad but going crazy, and going by the fire on my scalp and upper spine I really was just bracing for seizures.Not stupid and recognized the danger, stopped frequenting another forum and nutrition facts, stopped everything that caused stimulation of whatever kind and just binge watched stupid tv series a mystery science theater 3000 every now and then. Threw out the TV 8 month before that already but now just had to stop browsing too. If anything peaked my interest to much it was just to toxic for me, talking to people toxic to me. Had to stop exercise to, I really hate that part, wanting to do it but you know its just to stimulating. And then the depression comes, sigh!Even now better protected by the magnesium and choline I’m still in need finding my new equilibrium. I gave this site to my dentist, an ever so very friendly lady, for me after 5 years of isolation and so out of touch just, knowing what I write might be read by her can keep me up. Noticed I posted to much because of re-checking things, I dunno its all so weird. Everything is so uncertain, cannot plan anything because I never know how I’ll feel. Its horrible.Did you have to go vegan all the way for the difference? I suppose I can give that a try again but this time with the choline and algea DHA. I’m not worried about b/protein but very uncertain about the fats with regard to my ADHD, seems that throws things wildly off balance.On meditation, I’m always just way to distracted to plan this for myself, doing it in a group also not an option. Those people ask a lot of money, it all seems nothing more than luxury leisure. Wellness my ass. ^^Arjan, I had no idea what you were up against. Of course I am not qualified to give you medical advice, but I also have little faith in psychiatry. I have to ask though, have you ever been on Prozac? or has anyone in the field prescribed a med that helps subdue the PEAKs? It is clear that you are not getting much traction from the “professionals” so I encourage you to continue to work on your own…do you keep a journal? could be useful to record daily data on meals, activities, events, moods.I went hardcore WFPB for 2 years starting in 2011. My worry was death from advanced heart disease. One cause was extreme stress caused by worry about death from heart disease. really. So it was easy for me to make the change. After the second year I started adding back traditional Holiday meals, but I have actually lost my desire for all that crap so usually I backslide into whole plant foods even then. To answer you question, I felt so much better and in control of myself…the peaks and lows, my physical strength..everything came back into place for me.I am really sorry that you have to fight through this. I wish there was more I could do. I’m at -175, -40 (-13 hour GMT at the moment)…can I ask whats your time zone? Latitude? I had a friend in northern sweden who suffered terribly in the winter. Then one dr. gave him a bank of lights and practically overnight he was off Prozac and doing much much better. Just a thought.I just remembered something, when I was having trouble with PEAKS I learned to take deep breaths in trhough my nose, out through my mouth…just 5 minutes of that would bring me back to terra firma. Wishing the best for you Arjan.Thank you very much for that extensive reply. I’ve given up on doctors and psychiatry for the most part too. They seem to have no clue or understanding on so many levels that communicating issues is damn near impossible.I’ve been on prozac for 6 years during my first “lost years” to anxiety. Don’t regard it as something that has helped me much. I’m not keeping a journal, I probably should, but I’m completely hopeless in a systematic work approach. Even the most simple list keeping efforts like possibly interesting supplements or foods in a WFPBD fail. Probably because I just stopped paying attention to school when I started the Dutch equivalent of high school.I did have a heart incident last summer which I thought was a minor infarction but I recently came across stress cardiomyopathy which now seems far more likely. To be honest I cared and still do care about atherosclerosis, fixing that making the best out of that, but “an event”, I die, I die, I just hope its a somewhat clean death and do not have to be too nauseous and throw up. That is pretty much my kryptonite.How hardcore WFPBD did you go? Vegan all the way? I hardly ever eat anything processed at all anymore for quite a long while now actually, I did eventually return to a piece of wild salmon a day. But with the added choline I’m now experimenting with limiting that intake again, a small piece of wild fish every 3 days, and no other animal products. If there is no worsening of symptoms once a week, once every two weeks.excellent presentation. I became a vegetarian since last 8 years and became vegan since last 4 years. I can see a huge difference in my energy levels, health, and guilt free (of eating meat) I noticed that eating one banana per day and a handful of pumpkin seeds a day, makes a lot of difference which eliminates depression, calm down the tension etc. Thank you so much for your amazing videos that help thousands of people. It really make sense how the prescription drugs makes people sick. It is happening in my family and they are trying to get out of prescription drugs. The only think bothers me is, thyroid (Hypo/Hyper) is there no cure for under active thyroid? why do we need to take that for lifelong? If anyone have any ideas, please share. thanks.Doctor Greger, i really like your talks, and this talk is especially interesting. i’ve also watched your talk about the 40-year vegan who died of heart attack. These days, i’ve heard a few online summits in which the medical professionals and researchers say that new studies have found that it’s not cholesterol that causes heart disease, but rather just inflammation, and that sugar is the major cause. They also say that if cholesterol is too low (under 150), the body cannot make its hormones. Some doctors, particularly authors of Grain Brain and Wheat Belly, are proposing a high fat and low carb diet. And they say that saturated fat is not a problem. Rather bad fat is a problem – fat from factory farms, etc. As a consequence, the “paleo diet” is gaining ground, and for most people, that diet means a lot of meat, butter and so on. i haven’t seen or heard any in-depth discussion between the two opposing camps regarding the cause of heart disease, point by point. I feel now there’s a great deal of confusion. i’ve seen a video of a debate that ended up inconclusive: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14351/sugar-gluten-paleo-vegan-3-doctors-debate-the-best-way-to-eat.htmlIs it possible if you have a talk on this thoroughly? Thank you so much!Next week Dr. Greger will have a vide addressing the Paleo issue. The debate you posted is a good example of how this type of format doesn’t lend itself to resolution of the debate. The science is clear at this point always subject to change… that’s why it is important to keep tuned. The interpretation of studies can be used to support a range of positions for a sense of this see video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/. Many of the “experts” have a minimum understanding of the issues both statistical and commercial surrounding studies. Sugar has not been shown to be a problem as long as it is below 5% of total calorie intake… although it does make a good target. It is also depends on the company it keeps see the video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/ and the dose see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/.Thank you, doctor. That’s very helpful!Celia: I’m not sure if someone replied ot you or not. Just in case you haven’t gotten a reply, Dr. Greger’s does have a video which directly addresses Grain Brain and Wheat Belly, but despite multiple searches, I can’t find it. Maybe you could find it??? Or someone else can and will help out?Also note that many other videos on this site indirectly address the flaws of those books by showing abundant evidence showing the healthfulness of grains and legumes and the health problems with meat.Cholesterol below 150 is definitely not a problem. Dr. Greger has addressed this in the past and has another video on the topic coming up in the next batch. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/For a super in-depth and wonderfully scholarly work on understanding the flaws of the paleo arguments and cholesterol’s role in heart disease, check out Plant Positive’s work: http://plantpositive.com/ (The video series are listed to the right of the screen.)Hope that helps.Thank you so much, Thea! That’s a very great help!Well what about this…http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/02/10/new-dietary-cholesterol-advice/23174871/“”It’s the right decision,” said Steven Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the famed Cleveland Clinic. “We got the dietary guidelines wrong. They’ve been wrong for decades.”He noted that only 20% of a person’s blood cholesterol — the levels measured with standard cholesterol tests — comes from diet. The rest comes from genes, he said.”“We told people not to eat eggs. It was never based on good science,” Nissen said.”Mind you im a vegan but …what about this?What do you all think of this: “The U.S. government is poised to withdraw longstanding warnings about cholesterol”http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/10/feds-poised-to-withdraw-longstanding-warnings-about-dietary-cholesterol/The government agency isn’t going to shift unless the data/evidence is overwhelming, so I wonder how you can reconcile these various studies.The tidbit about nuts is especially interesting. Such a small change in our routine can impact our health incredibly. While there are many videos on the site which explore the topic of how nuts impact health, this video is a good starter video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/All I see is the word “appears”. This “appears” to cause that, etc. What that means to me is that most research is incomplete at best, highly biased in various ways and therefore agenda-based at worst. Eat whatever you eat but do it all in moderation and get exercise on a regular basis.Too bad this guy is such an asshole in his presentation. He belongs on the Gong Show.Thank you doctor. Your research-based analysis is compelling and I have already experienced considerable improvement in a chronic disease by implementing these strategies. What’s equally stunning to me is the extent those with a conflict of interest will go to try to discredit proven research to protect profit. Perhaps they’ve had their conscience surgically removed.Are you able to give an estimate of what percentage of death would be prevented for each of the top fourteen causes for death by converting to a whole foods vegan diet?That’s a good question, Peggy. I think it is far too hard to tell. This study reviews diet and cancer risk and mentions that dietary factors may account for up to 70% of cancer mortality. Of course, this is not looking at whole-food vegan diets, but it goes to show diet plays a dramatic role on cancer mortality and other illnesses that Dr. Greger describes in this video.Am concerned about this New York Times editorial: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/31/upshot/red-meat-is-not-the-enemy.html?rref=upshot&abt=0002&abg=0 Please advise.I have seen this making the rounds. I’ll let one of Dr. Greger’s favorite cancer-specific organizations give their take, here. I agree with the bottom line from this review, which is the American Institute for Cancer Research guideline to limit red meat to < 18 oz per week and avoid processed meat. There is convincing research linking red meat to colorectal cancer risk and this NYT article does not alter previous evidence.Dr.Greger,I wonder why you cater to the typical online attention span,one of the reasons people watch these videos in the first place is to improve their own brain function,including their attention span.Dr. Greger is brilliant.Quick question…. at around 02:24 Michael talks about a big study were the participants ate the equivalent amount of cholesterol found in one egg. This apparently resulted in a reduced life expectancy comparable to smoking 5 cigarettes a day for fifteen years. Lets be clear here, eating a single egg a day is not as bad as smoking 5 cigarettes a day for fifteen years. What if the participants had a horrendous diet which resulted in the having both an amount of cholesterol equivalent to 1 egg per day AND extra anti-nutrients ?exactly!!!!!! the proof is in the pudding, as it is eloquently said!!! no more proof is needed, either, that this man is most HUMANE, …imho. thanks so kindly for your insight! Praise is needed, where praise is DESERVED!!I found this study online that was done in Austria that said their vegetarians lived shorter lives. Any answers on why this study turned out that way. ( I don’t believe it’s true judging by other info I’ve found, but was met with some hostility from my husbands father when he found out I wasn’t eating meat and this is what he brought up) Here’s the link http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0088278&representation=PDF	acaí berries,adolescence,Adventist Health Studies,alcohol,allergies,alternative medicine,Alzheimer’s disease,animal fat,animal products,animal protein,antacids,antidepressants,anxiety,apples,arthritis,aspirin,asthma,bacteriophages,bananas,barley,beans,beef,berries,bile acids,blackberries,bladder health,blindness,blood pressure,blood sugar,body fat,brain health,breast cancer,breast disease,burgers,butter,cake,calories,cancer,candy,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cataracts,CDC,cell death,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,Coca-Cola,colon cancer,colon health,complementary medicine,cooking temperature,COPD,corn,Crisco,dairy,dates,dementia,depression,diabetes,dietary guidelines,diverticulitis,diverticulosis,dopamine,dried fruit,Duncan Hines,Egg McMuffin,eggs,emphysema,endocrine disruptors,endotoxemia,EPIC Study,exercise,farmers,fast food,fat,FDA,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,fiber,Finland,fish,flexitarians,food additives,food poisoning,foodborne illness,fruit,fruit juice,gastric emptying,grains,grapes,greens,gut flora,ham,hamburgers,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,hay fever,heart disease,heart health,heavy metals,hemorrhoids,herbal remedies,hormones,hot dogs,hypertension,hysterectomy,immune function,industry influence,inflammation,insulin,iron,kale,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,kiwi fruit,lamb,laxatives,LDL cholesterol,legumes,leukemia,lifespan,Lipitor,liver disease,liver failure,liver health,longevity,lung disease,lung health,lymphoma,maggots,McDonald’s,meat,medications,memory,men's health,mental health,Mevacor,milk,mood,mortality,mushrooms,National Cancer Institute,neurotoxins,nuts,oatmeal,oats,obesity,omnivores,oranges,Parkinson's disease,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,pineapples,plant protein,plant-based diets,plantains,plums,pneumonia,pork,potassium,potatoes,poultry,poultry viruses,prediabetes,premenstrual syndrome,Pritikin,probiotics,processed meat,propionate,prostate cancer,protein,Prozac,radiation,rectal cancer,red meat,respiratory infections,rheumatoid arthritis,sardines,saturated fat,sausage,seeds,serotonin,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,side effects,sleeping pills,smoking,soy,squash,squash seeds,SSRI's,standard American diet,steak,strawberries,stroke,sugar,suicide,supplements,surgery,testosterone,tobacco,tomatoes,tryptophan,turkey,urinary tract infections,USDA,varicose veins,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetables,vegetarians,vision,weight loss,white meat,women's health,World Cancer Research Fund	Death in America is largely a foodborne illness. Focusing on studies published just over the last year in peer-reviewed scientific medical journals, Dr. Greger offers practical advice on how best to feed ourselves and our families to prevent, treat, and even reverse many of the top 15 killers in the United States.	Today's video-of-the-day is a NutritionFacts.org first. Though I don't always succeed, I normally strive to make each of my videos about two minutes in length to match the typical online attention span. That's why when this presentation was serendipitously taped last month, I turned it into a short DVD rather than uploading it directly to the site. But the response it got was so positive, that I really wanted to get it online. If you too found it valuable, please share it and pass it along. And if you haven't already, you can subscribe for free to my videos at http://bit.ly/nutritionfactsup.... Tomorrow we'll return to our regularly scheduled program of more bite-sized servings of the latest in nutritional science.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/09/uprooting-dvd-now-available-proceeds-to-charity/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blackberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hemorrhoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pineapples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/respiratory-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steak/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/copd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/suicide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crisco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcdonalds-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cataracts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urinary-tract-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/emphysema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hay-fever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/egg-mcmuffin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antidepressants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-cancer-research-fund/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farmers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/laxatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pneumonia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/propionate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/varicose-veins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/duncan-hines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mevacor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/squash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hysterectomy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antacids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-remedies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premenstrual-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/finland/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacteriophages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tryptophan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potassium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/squash-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gastric-emptying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lamb/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cancer-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barley/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plums/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleeping-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sardines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ssris/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plantains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-failure/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19641302,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21029840,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21457182,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10080452,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20165863,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22230619,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21558046,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19467256,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21983060,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8522729?dopt=Abstract,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9036757,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12027291,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21204931,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18772587,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18066139,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11516224,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20485303,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16094059,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3052214/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22033854,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17365939,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16965238,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20515497,
PLAIN-2442	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drugs-and-the-demise-of-the-rice-diet/	Drugs and the Demise of the Rice Diet	During his career at Duke, Dr. Kempner treated more than 18,000 patients with his rice diet, which was originally designed as a treatment for kidney failure and out-of-control high blood pressure at a time when those diagnoses were like a death sentence. Patients who at that time would have died in all other hospitals had a reasonable chance for survival if they came under Kempner's care.The results were so dramatic that many experienced physicians suspected him of falsifying data, because he was reversing terminal diseases with rice and fruit, diseases understood to be incurable by the best of modern medicine at the time. Intensive investigations into his clinic vindicated his work, which other researchers were then able to replicate.Kempner was criticized for his lack of controls, meaning that when patients came to him he didn’t randomly allocate half to his rice treatment and put the other half on conventional therapy to see which group did better. Kempner argued that the patients each acted as their own controls. For example here’s a patient before the rice diet. The medical profession threw everything they had at him, and his blood pressures were still as high as 220 over 160, whereas normal is considered more like around 120 over 80, which is where the rice diet took him. Had he not been given the rice diet, it’s true his pressures might have been even lower: zero over zero, because he’d likely be dead. The quote-unquote “control group” in Kempner’s day had a survival expectancy estimated at 6 months. To randomize patients to conventional care would be to randomize them to their deaths.One can compare those who stuck to the diet to those who didn’t, though. Here’s a chart, showing the survival of the 70 sickest of the sick that showed up in their clinic. Of those that started the rice diet but then stopped it within a year, 5 lived and 19 ended up dead. For those who made it a year but then gave up the diet, instead of a 80% chance of dying, they had more like 50/50, a flip of the coin. But of those that stuck with the program, 90% lived to tell the tale.Beginning in the late 1950's, drugs became available that effectively reduced blood pressure and hypertension, leading to a decreased demand for the rice diet. What conclusions can we draw from the all-but-forgotten therapy for hypertension, not only was it the first effective therapy for high blood pressure, it may be equal to or more effective than our current multi-drug treatments.This causes one to speculate on the current practice of placing patients on one drug, then another, and perhaps a third, until the blood pressure is controlled, with lip-service advocacy of a moderate reduction in dietary sodium, fat, and protein intake, while the impressive effectiveness of the rice–fruit diet, which is able to quickly stop the leakage from our arteries, and lower increased intracranial pressure, reduce heart size, reverse the ECG changes, reverse heart failure, reduce weight, and markedly improve diabetes is ignored!So should we return to the Kempner protocol of starting with the most effective therapy, saving drugs for patients who fail to respond, or who are unable or unwilling to restrict their diet? Look, today many people follow a vegetarian diet as a choice, which is similar to what Kempner was often able to transition people to. After their high blood pressure was cured by the rice diet, patients were often able to gradually transition to a less strenuous dietary regime without adding medications and with no return of the elevated blood pressure.So if the Kempner sequence of a strictest of strict plant-based diets to a more sane plant-based type diet offers the quickest and best approach to effective therapy, why isn’t it still in greater use? The powerful role of the pharmaceutical industry in steering medical care away from dietary treatment to medications should be noted. Who profits from dietary treatment? Who provides the support for investigation, and the funds for clinical trials? There is more to overcome than just the patient's reluctance to change their diet.What Kempner wrote to a patient in 1954 is as true then as it is now 60 years later. Drugs can be very useful when properly employed and used in conjunction with intensive dietary treatment. However high blood pressure with all its possible complications of heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, blindness is still treated very casually, a striking contrast to the attitude towards other diseases like cancer. Since patients, physicians, and the chemical industry prefer the taking, prescribing, and selling of drugs to a dietary treatment inconvenient to patient and physician, and of no benefit to the pharmaceutical industry, the mortality figures for these diseases are still rather appalling. Despite hundreds of drugs on the market now, high blood pressure remains the #1 cause of death and disability in the world, killing off 9 million people a year, and diet treats the underlying cause. As Dr. Kempner explained to a patient, if you should find a heap of manure on your living room floor, I do not recommend that you go buy some air freshener and perfume. I recommend that you get a bucket and shovel and a strong scrubbing brush. Then, when your living room floor is clean again, then fine, feel free to freshen things up once the underlying cause has been removed.As the great physician Maimonides said about 800 years ago, any illness that can be treated by diet alone should be treated by no other means.	Bam!How ’bout them apples?And just for the record, I haven’t forgotten. Don’t ever stop your extraordinary work!I am already on Dr. McDougall’s way of eating. But with COPD, and its attendant medications, I can’t get my blood pressure down. Should I try the rice diet?Dr. Greger warns people here that Vegans will still need to supplement their diet with D3 vitamins. Have you considered having your blood levels of D3 checked? Some people with Asthma and other lung disorders have been much improved on D3 therapy. The RDA is rather minimalist and many people aren’t getting that. This site makes food recommendations for hypertension.beets hibiscus tea seaweed grapefruit beans brazil nuts whole grains vegan diet flax seed mealThe rice diet was very helpful to people with high blood pressure. Coffee can really raise your blood pressure. Are you already a vegetarian? I don’t know that the rice diet offers too many more advantages and is a real austere program to get heart disease under control. It can lead to at least some deficiencies.>> Dr. Greger warns people here that Vegans will still need to supplement their diet with D3 vitamins.That is not exactly what he said … right? He said if you do not get enough sun. What area of expertise are you speaking from MS?Somewhere in the videos he mentions both B12 supplementation and vitamin D supplementation.Right? I am under the impression vitamin D production by sunlight is too variable to rely on.Thank you. He mentions the need to supplement with these two elements in several places. Do you worship the nether beast?In the winter, apparently the sun is not intense enough.I am a botanist and a librarian and agree with everything on this site except I find it hard to hear that white meat is so fattening and I am a big believer in orthomolecular medicine (the supplementation of the diet with vitamins, often in mega doses). Did you know that 60 million women have a phosphorous deficiency? Did you know that the chemical atoms Boron, Silicon, and Phosphorus might have more to do with Osteoporosis than Calcium? Did you know that 60 percent of the people who have dementia might have an Iron deficiency and that this may lead to Alzheimer’s? Wouldn’t you try taking some non-organic (mined) Iron for Alzheimer’s or dementia? Dr. Greger has a video about a drug company that tried to make a drug to raise HDL. There is already a vitamin like that! Niacin. One to three grams a day for improvement of blood lipids, all three. It can cause nausea and takes some getting use to because of the flush, but it can really add to longevity based on any length of use. I am extremely interested in long life and there is a magazine that I would like to read. http://www.lifeextension.com. I read Jeff Bowles’ book on vitamin D3 and have begun taking 25,000 I.U.s a day, sort of as he describes. It’s a very interesting read and discusses how in the 1920s there were many fewer people in hospitals when D3 was discovered and people went crazy over. After they started adding Niacin to milled products many people left the hospitals as well in the 1900s. The first element used to treat people, Iodine, was used as a drug by a culture of people in France. Iodine deficiency is probably creeping back in the form of chronic pain and pain killer abuse. I secretly think tendonitis and some chronic back pain is goiters. I have seen deficiencies in an botany experiment where we grew hydroponic plants. It is easy to see that plants need a full complement of atoms to grow well. It is not so easy to see that humans need clean new elements daily as well.I do drink coffee but I gave it up for tea (per Dr. Greger) and it didn’t matter. Is two weeks not long enough to see a difference? Yes I am vegan.Hello, pleased to meet you. My name is Matthew Smith. I am trained as a botanist (I have a master’s degree). I am very interested in taking part in these discussions and being active in the vegan community (you’ve convinced me to take up your cause, I am trying to be vegan) because I would like to be friends with people such as yourself as this is part of the recommendation of books like the Blue Zone solution, to be in a large social group of people like vegans who will live so much longer than average. Being active in this community will probably help me live longer.Two weeks should make a difference, Dr. Greger has said so in a video I can’t find. Stick with it.The Life Extension Magazine has some articles on blood pressure:http://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2010/3/Reduce-Blood-Pressure-Naturally/Page-01http://www.lifeextension.com/protocols/heart-circulatory/high-blood-pressure/Page-01http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2012/3/olive-leaf-safely-modulates-blood-pressure/page-01http://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2007/1/atd/Page-01If you ever need a drug they recommend:Telmisartanwhich you can read about here:http://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2015/3/Best-Drug-To-Treat-Hypertension/Page-01I found this article life affirming.I am sure Dr. Greger would be surprised to here that you are a Vegan and have high blood pressure. Do you mind sharing your number?If you are looking for immediate fixes, you could consider someone you admire (maybe of the opposite gender). Now imagine them with tourettes. Try thinking the same things they are saying to your self. You could try making the things they say more obscene and thinking them outloud. Try visualizing the person. Does this make you feel less stressful? Does this put your blood pressure under control? Some solders and athletes use a similar technique to focus their chi. Some Zen monks can fake death. I haven’t figured out how to do that yet, but if we could learn it it would very much improve life span.If you can feel or hear your heartbeat you might have hyperthyrodism. I could hear and feel my heartbeat. I ate a teaspoon of tablesalt and now I can’t feel or hear my heartbeat. It’s really weird. I think some people here have done the same thing (knowing that they might have an Iodine deficiency), I am so proud of them. It is so scary not having a heartbeat at first. I suggest you watch your belly or your shirt because yes, it’s still there.Hearing your heart beat is hyperthyrodism and is an Iodine deficiency. Good luck with what you with this information.One half teaspoon of table salt a day is not fatal.Good luck,MatthewIf your blood pressure is too high, you could turn to garlic and foods rich in sulfur like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, turnips, bok choy and kohlrabi.http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=60Sulfur or foods rich in sulfur can help regulate blood pressure.There is a hormone that is a gas, nitrous oxide, laughing gas. Hydrogen Sulfide, H2S, while not a hormone quite yet, works very quickly in the mind to lower blood pressure and helps control blood vessel dilation.There is a supplement called MSM which is a very clean source of sulfur and can be good for you, unless you are allergic to sulfa drugs. MSM abounds in very fresh vegetables, but it quickly turns into a form less useable by the body. Very fresh vegetables like sulfur, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, turnips, bok choy, and kohlrabi could lower your blood pressure very quickly.In his video “If White Rice is Linked to Diabetes, What About China?”…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/…Greger refers to the Rice Diet as “a don’t-try-this-at-home diet”.Caution is advised??That’s a hard question to answer and I would have to know your personal medical history to try and discover the cause of your elevated BP. I would try to find a doctor that can take your questions and support you in your fight to lower your BP.That said, some patients have hormonal disorders such as hyperaldosteronism, hyperthyroidism or pheochromocytoma that elevate BP. Medications such as albuterol or decongestants elevate BP, Congental abnormalities such as hypoplastic kidneys or renal artery stenosis can cause elevated BP. Too much salt can elevate BP. Alcohol can elevate BP. Allergic reactions to medications can elevate BP. Exercise, Healthy eating and weight loss lowers blood pressure.But first you should remember the new American Guidelines (JNC 8) for BP control state People over 60 treatment goal of BP is <150/90 and under sixty years of age <140/90.Do your best at lifestyle changes as it sounds like you have and find a doctor who will support you in your goal. I hope this helps.You could try fasting.A water fast from 3 to 10 days. Or, a 3 day fast and then a 10 day fast. (Paul Bragg The Miracle of Fasting)A juice fast from 30 to 90 days. Popular among the raw foodist.Whichever one you choose, you have to change your diet as well (that you’ve already done!).You could also try something like in 80/10/10 for a while.You can think of a fast as a physical reboot.I hope that that helps you and that you find some relief.God bless,Dr. McDougall’s way of eating is a great way to go. With COPD you should review Dr. Greger’s video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/. A caution re: appropriate blood pressure is that many physicians are setting goals that are too low or not adequately informing patients of the benefits of taking anti hypertensive medications aka the Number Needed to Treat as well as the harms aka the Number Needed to Harm. You should read Dr. McDougall’s November 2009 newsletter article. Starches that grow below ground such as potatoes and sweet potatoes are complete foods but starches that grow above ground need a bit of vitamin c and a added. Eating a variety of fruits and veggies should provide plenty of the essential amino acids that you need. One of the advantages of the Kempner diet is it is very low in protein. Protein especially animal protein has been shown to increase the decline of kidney function see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/. Given adequate calories with a whole food plant based diet you will get plenty of the essential amino acids that you need. I will assume that you have stopped smoking. Good luck.Is Kempner’s diet just rice and fruit? Wouldn’t vegetables be a helpful addition?Not in the extremely sick@HemoDynamic:disqus How long do your patients stick with the strictest version before adding vegetables and other minimally-processed plant-based foods? How much weight do they lose (and how rapidly), if any? Finally, can you share any characteristics of your patients who opt to try this diet? I would like to keep this in my toolkit to recommend to appropriately selected patients.How long do your patients stick with the strictest version before adding vegetables and other minimally-processed plant-based foods? People do not tend to stick with the strictest version for very long but still get benefit from a whole food, low fat plant based diet.People who stick with a whole food, very low fat (eg. no animal products, minimal avocados, olives and nuts and seeds) plant based diet tend to lose weight about one pound per week and that is assuming they are about 100 pounds overweight. Right? Patients who are already thin will not have this weight loss.You Never know who is going to do this diet. I have had both rich and poor, fat and thin, educated and lack of, and young and old make lifestyle changes. My point is I always try to show patients the benefits of lifestyle changes and how it helps them regardless if I think they are going to do the change. That’s our job isn’t it? To inform patients of all their options (RBA’s: Risks, Benefits and Alternatives to treatment) of treating their disease.I have a booklet of handouts I give my patients with articles, diet guides, food suggestions etc. A good source is PCRM’s Vegetarian Starter Kit. And I ALWAYS inform patients of http://www.NutritionFacts.org! Why? All the work (Videos and Blogs) Dr. Greger does on his site are research papers–He always has his sources listed and I can click on them and read the research myself which I encourage my patients to do do. Also his site is the easiest to peruse. PCRM’s (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) site is cumbersome to get around and Dr. McDougall’s (www.DrMcDougall.com) is very good as well (and getting better all the time) but nothing tops NutritionFacts.org for the quick access to info, searchability, and 4-6 minutes snipets of nutritional information that is usually entertaining to watch for my patients.Thank you for taking time to share your detailed and very helpful response. I’ve started referring folks to NutritionFacts.org for the same reasons you cite. Wish the videos/text would fit on a laptop screen since the new site design, but at least the audio and part of the video can be viewed.I will look at Dr. McDougall’s site as it has been a long while since I’ve been there. Dr. Garth diet recommended the PCRM 21-day kickstart so I thought I might share those recipes with patients. I will work on compiling handouts. I have been veg so long that it’s sometimes hard for me to relate to eating a standard american diet. I don’t want to overwhelm folks and possibly turn them off to making initial simple changes.Thanks again for sharing your approach. Would you be willing to share some of your canned EMR statements? I could modify to avoid stealing your thunder, but I’d be very interested in using something like that without having to generate all from scratch. My e-mail is pgyx at outlook dot com.HemoDynamic: Thanks for that link to Dr. McDougall’s article. It filled in some details nicely.The article says “No avocados, dates, or nuts.” What’s wrong with dates?I don’t know the answer to that but I will look into it. Maybe Dr. Greger knows that one. Maybe back then (1939) they thought something in dates could be potentially bad. In today’s world I haven’t heard anything that could be potentially damaging to the body, it’s the opposite in fact-they’re beneficial, so I would recommend dates as part of a whole food plant based diet.I think this diet might reverse disease by giving the body a chance to do clean up (autogaphy). To activate it, low protein consumption is crucial. Fasting maybe even better. Vegetables provide considerable nutrition including protein.My only concern about a rice diet would be the amount of arsenic that’s been found in rice. The recommendations I was reading were for very small amounts of rice, particularly brown rice, due to arsenic.Then tell the rice farmers to stop using dead chicken parts as fertilizer. That’s where the Arsenic comes from. I think there is a video on this website about it. Use the search engine and type in arsenic and see what comes upHi Alice. Good question. A guest member supplied us with a link, below, that looked at rice from different countries. I’ll post it here. It is important to note that the levels of arsenic in rice may not be as high when compared with other foods. Dr. Greger has some great resources on food and arsenic. ​He also compared arsenic levels of wild rice to brown rice in this Ask the Doctor Q&A.​ ​I think it’s valuable to note when reports like these are published that perhaps many other foods containing arsenic were not tested? I am not saying arsenic in rice is not concerning, but perhaps other foods also deserve awareness. Thanks for your note.As I mentioned above,In his video “If White Rice is Linked to Diabetes, What About China?”…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/…Greger refers to the Rice Diet as “a don’t-try-this-at-home diet”.Caution is advised??Dr. Greger: The last sentence you said should be the first sentence a medical student should hear on the first day of medical school – and the last sentence on the last day.question: Did Dr. Kemper use whole-grain rice or white rice?White rice. The diet was actually white rice, juice, fruit and sugar that’s it! Dr McDougall, my mentor of many years has a great synopsis of kempner and his diet. Type in Walter kempner rice diet into Google and look for the page that says drmcdougall.com.Thanks! Will review this resource.Kempner would be proud that there is not a whole field: Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of DiseaseI believe there’s a typo: instead of “not” it should be “now.”Fixed–thanks to you!Where I can earn more information to the Kempner’s diet. But Michael Greger you are just thinking wrong with you statement patients take one, two, three oder four drugs to attempt treatments. More and more older person in Germany have an intake of eight or nine different drugs every day… and they still trust their doctors. I speak to my own parents since 3 years to give up this doctors and more listening to me… no chance. Like sheaps they follow there slaughter….it’s realy pity (even for my bad English, I’m sorry).Here’s a nice synopsis from Dr. McDougall: https://www.drmcdougall.com/2013/12/31/walter-kempner-md-founder-of-the-rice-diet/Thank you too – is it not very early, there in Old America, to seat on the computer and answer some Germans? ;-))Danke back at you. 9am where I am. And your english is very good. Much better than my german.Hi Steffen. The “Doctor’s Note” under each of Dr. Greger’s videos will always suggest related links. Check out the first one, as it gives information about the Kempner Diet. Thanks for your note. PS: your English is fine :) Trust me you don’t want to read my response in German.Best, JosephThank you for helping… ;-)Steffen, I will repeat my comment above…In his video “If White Rice is Linked to Diabetes, What About China?”…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/…Greger refers to the Rice Diet as “a don’t-try-this-at-home diet”.Caution is advised??What happened to the image post link in the posting bar? Was it taken out because of too many inappropriate images? ;-(Ya, unfortunately we had to remove it :-(Oh what sad time are these. . .when passing ruffians say “Ni” at will to old ladies. Couldn’t resist the ‘Holy Grail’ of references. Pun intended. Thanks for the reply! Keep up the great work!Another very interesting video that highlights how the pharmaco-medical complex consistently trumps effective low-cost lifestyle changes with pharmaceutical approaches that pad their bottom line.One minor correction: While it’s remotely possible that Mary Lasker (to whom Kempner wrote the 1954 letter excerpted at 4:39) was indeed one of his patients, I’d be willing to bet he wrote her in her capacity as one of that era’s leading health care activists & philanthropists. In addition to her tireless promotion of federal funding for cancer research (nicely summarized in “The Emperor of All Maladies”), she directed the organization that eventually became the Planned Parenthood Federation, and together with her husband, Albert, established the Lasker Foundation, which continues to recognize and promote medical research. (Though not clinical trials on the comparative benefits of beets, broccoli, kale & garlic, as far as I know.)Is the, highly controversial, “China Study” reliable scientific information?Hi walterbyrd. Good question. Dr. Greger actually address the China Study in this video. See if this helps? Thanks!Dr. Greger cites the China Study, but that is not the same as proving it to be scientifically valid.I think Dr. Greger cites that study fair frequently. This concerns me, a little, because I have seen that study come under some fairly harsh criticism. Including criticism from physicians and scientists.Dr. Campbell’s book is really only controversial to those whose sacred cow is badly gored by the massive amounts of data presented in the China Study and the logical conclusions that can be drawn from those, namely those who have a financial or deeply emotional stake in that status quo. Those with a financial stake in the China Study being wrong would include the flesh, dairy, egg, refined sugar, and refined oil industries who need people to not realize their products are the root cause of nearly all chronic illnesses; the perpetual and eternal diet industry who need the overweight and unhealthy to think that there is some great mystery why people are so overweight and unwell so they can sell books revealing the secret to losing 20 pounds by summer; the medical services industry (doctors, hospitals, pharmacies) who can’t make nearly as much money if there isn’t a steady supply of chronically ill people (the most profitable kind since they are never cured and so need chronic care); and last, but not least the pharmaceutical industry and the supplements industry which makes so many billions of dollars selling drugs and supplements that treat symptoms and not root causes and so at best slow the progression of disease.These folks have taken a page right out of Big Tobacco’s playbook and work hard to focus in issues where understanding isn’t yet complete or where a small study “shows” the opposite and blow them out of proportion to the main body of results so that the entire idea gets labeled “controversial”.Jim: re: “…gored by the massive amounts of data presented in the China Study…” I second that. Some time ago, I studied someone’s blog, self-advertised as coming from a scientific perspective, that had a long set of criticisms of the China Study. Those criticisms were so lame. The first one was something like, “The first thing I did was throw away all the giant volume of data. I don’t have time to go through all that.” I can’t remember the exact wording, but the blogger seemed to me to be implying that the large amount of data was actually a flow in the study in and of itself. He wasn’t disputing the data. He just didn’t like how much of it there was. I kid you not. And not one commenter under that study called the blogger on it. Sad, sad, sad. The rest of the criticisms were just as bad. After reading that page, I stopped worrying about criticisms of the China Study.I think there may be some fair criticisms of that study. For example, this article by Harriet Hall, MD:https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-china-study-revisited/It 2013 there was another study, published in JAMA called:Vegetarian Dietary Patterns and Mortality in Adventist Health Study 2 http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleID=1710093This study seems to largely support the China Study: > “In conclusion, in a large American cohort, we found that vegetarian dietary patterns were associated with lower mortality. The evidence that vegetarian diets, or similar diets with reduced meat consumption, may be associated with a lower risk of death should be considered carefully by individuals as they make dietary choices and by those offering dietary guidance.”However, the study seems to say that pesco-vegetarians had a lower hazard rate (HR) than vegans.> “The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality in all vegetarians combined vs nonvegetarians was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80-0.97). The adjusted HR for all-cause mortality in vegans was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.73-1.01); in lacto-ovo–vegetarians, 0.91 (95% CI, 0.82-1.00); in pesco-vegetarians, 0.81 (95% CI, 0.69-0.94); and in semi-vegetarians, 0.92 (95% CI, 0.75-1.13) compared with nonvegetarians.”I am not a scientist, maybe I am misunderstanding something?Walter, I’m surprised no one has responded to you yet, so let me quickly jump in.Harriet Hall cites the blogger Denise Minger who had no formal background in nutrition or even science. T. Colin Campbell responds to her here:http://www.vegsource.com/news/2010/07/china-study-author-colin-campbell-slaps-down-critic-denise-minger.htmlAlso note the Adventist 2 study is interesting in itself, but does not look specifically at the whole-food plant-based diet that is commonly advocated on sites like this one. Many vegan diets are unhealthy (high in refined oils and sugars and possibly B12 deficient). And while there may be health benefits from the omega 3 fatty acids in fish, there are safer sources such as algae-based omega 3 supplements (which are free of saturated fats, cholesterol, mercury and other fish contaminants – search the site for more videos).Walterbyrd: I think Colin gave a very good reply. I also have some thoughts for you.I’m not a scientist either, but lots of people way smarter than me have looked at both the China Study and the criticisms and found that the China Study is valid. It may not be perfect, but *NO* study is perfect.And it is never about one study. If memory serves, you expressed some concern in another post about Dr. Greger basing his information on the China Study. I disagree. Dr. Greger uses many, many, many studies in all of these pages on NutritionFacts. And he looks at even more studies. Even if the China Study went away tomorrow, we would still have a giant mountain of evidence from a bazillion and one backing up the supremacy of Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) eating. Those studies form a pretty convincing big picture.So, I turn the arguments around in my head. If the China Study were really invalid, then it would be a very odd coincidence that Campbell just happened to hit on the one diet through incompetence that has since been proven (to my standards anyway) to be the healthiest diet out there. In other words, it seems far more likely that the China Study is actually valid.One more thought for you: Colin address this point one way. I’ll address it another. You can definitely find studies that seem to knock down the validity of WFPB eating. But it is never about one study. It is about the body of evidence. There are over 100 studies that say that smoking is neutral or even healthy for you. But the body of evidence tells us that smoking is bad for us. So, even if that study you quoted above is valid and shows exactly what it seems to show, it doesn’t take away all the many, many other studies showing the superiority of the WFPB eating.A final thought for you. Colin also addressed this, but I want to address it further. A big part of Hariet Hall’s information comes from relying on Denise Minger’s work. That says a lot about Hariet Hall right there. To understand why this is such a problem, I will refer you to Plant Positive (if you are interested) who has explained in great detail the problems with Denise Minger’s “work”. The objection is not with Minger’s background, but her actual data and thinking is seriously flawed. (And if you like Plant Positive, I highly recommend a look at other parts of his work. He is really great and thorough. He can put a lot of concerns to rest for those people who are willing to take the time and thought.) http://plantpositive.com/display/Search?moduleId=19496100&searchQuery=Denise+MingerNote, the above page includes a lot of videos, but not in order. So, read the titles/dates to see if you can watch them in order. Also note that Plant Positive addresses the China Study in the page above. That video may also be of interest to you.—————— I fully understand why you are confused/doubting. The sheer volume of mixed messages and misinformation from authoritative sources is easily overwhelming. Because some people are so entrenched in pushing meat, dairy and eggs, there is nothing I can say that will likely help you eliminate that confusion 100%. But I hope I gave you some food for thought that will help you come to your an opinion you are comfortable with. Good luck.Thea I agree, plant positive is a fantastic resource that has put conflicting nutritional advise into perspective for me. I recommend his science based, detailed and insightful videos highly to anyone who is confused and trying to decide between low carb vs whole foods plant based diets.Love love love love love the Maimonides quote – incredibly wise!We just wanted to share with this community, of which we are a part (subscribers to NF.org for years, and contributors), that we have started posting a video series showcasing recipes based on Dr. Greger’s advice. Please visit Whirled Peas Kitchen. Here is a link to our most recent post Vegan Lasagna: https://youtu.be/V9TqcUx37cw (There’s turmeric in the veggie cheese). DC Veggie ChefsAllan: I just can’t say enough good things about your video! This has to be one of the highest quality youtube cooking shows I have seen. I was impressed with the intro that talked about calorie density and that you covered some basics (for cooking newbies like me) that included how to chop and how to put together a springform pan. I’ve been using springform pans (mostly for desserts) for years and years now – and I think I’ve been putting the bottom in wrong all these years. If nothing else, watching that video was worth it just for that tip.The pace of the video was perfect – not too slow so that I got bored, but also not too fast so that you skipped too many steps. Whoever does your editing is really good at it.I’m very intrigued by the cashew cheese recipe. I’ve seen and tasted many cashew cheese recipes over the years, but I don’t remember seeing one with the ingredients you included, including raisins and pickle juice. Very interesting and something I’m definitely going to try.I hope others will take a look at your video. I’m going to check out some of your other videos too. Thanks for sharing with us here on NutritionFacts!Thank you for all the encouraging words. This is really helpful as we are just starting out.Now I’ve seen the Chana Aloo Gobi video too. It’s just as good as the video you linked to above. And I have to add that I really like the over all tone/approach, “You could do it this way to save time. No problem. That’s just not how we do it here…” And I liked the humor. I was smiling a couple times. Great job.I second Thea’s comments. Nicely done! What an interesting cashew cheese recipe.Not to the point of needing the rice diet, but am interested in other strategies to lower blood pressure. So far I know a plant based diet including foods like ground flaxseeds, beets, watermellon, and hibiscus tea will help. Anyone have any other ideas?So, how come I’ve never even heard of this rice diet, and where can I find out more about it?Do the recent studies about arsenic (is it?) in rice change any suggestions about diet and this rice diet?Hey Brux. Dr. Greger always puts related info in his “Doctor’s Notes” Here is the link to the “rice diet”. I mentioned arsenic in my comment below. Hope that helps.Thanks Joseph. Do you have any speculations on why this rice diet would only work for 2/3’s of the people who tried it? That seems odd if they all have the same disease. Could it be too hard to stick to, or some had very advances disease? Stuff like this in the dim and distant past seems to somehow carry more weigh than studies done today … I don’t know how to decide what studies are good, bad, right or wrong. It does seem odd that there is not one diet that works for all the people for whom diet can be healing? Anyway, thanks for the link, I am going to read more.By the way, in case anyone is interested, there is a movie that just came out on Amazon Prime called “The Widowmaker” about sudden cardiac death I guess it is called and the calcium scan. Apparently this calcium scan could predict fatal heart attacks very accurately when none of the other tests could predict them at all. The stent supporters and open heart surgery bypass supporters lobbied to kill this tool. However NASA and other agencies on their own began to use this test because being more result and scientifically driven they actually wanted to determine for example an astronaut’s health prognosis – ever since a man walking on the moon had a “heart event”. The story is very interesting and now this test is being used, but it took a very long time and I am not really sure it is common yet. A story that shows how politics overrides science when it comes to medicine. The insurance industry said this was a “long term” treatment, and that paying for these tests would only benefit their competitors because their average patient is only with them for a few years. This is the kind of thinking that really alarms me, that most Americans have no idea about.Brux: Interesting! Thanks for taking the time to share some details of what it is about. (I don’t have Amazon Prime.)It’s also on NetFlix.Thank you very much for sharing this link. Have you heard of Vitamin K2? It is in Natto. This vitamin is apparently very good at removing Calcium deposits. Vitamin K is critical in removing Calcium that gets placed in the wrong part of the body. What do you think would go in those places instead? Iron, Fe 2+? Another double positive molecule? I secretly believe the body regularly uses your bones, which are made of Calcium Phosphorus, as a lending library of atoms in its making of energy and all the Calcium that is salvaged in exchange for the phosphorus used in ATP by the mitochondria, some of which can get damaged, is placed in the body because we can’t find anything better or have a deficiency. Do you know of any studies of the effect of Phosphorus supplementation on lifespan? I think it can make people live a lot longer but don’t have the research or a way to do it. Is the scan available at your HMO or go-pay?Here’s a PDF of the Kempner / Esselstyn article “Of Rice, Grain and Zeal”:http://www.ccjm.org/uploads/media/media_4ce7a81_ccjm67_8-0565.pdfI had to laugh at Dr. Ratliff’s description of the Esselstyn diet as “pretty unpalatable”. I would imagine that the good doctor is a hearty meat eater who if he actually tried a low fat WFPB diet only did so for a period of time much too short for his comatose taste buds to awaken from the heavy sedation coming from the loads of fatty meats and hyper-palatable processed food loaded with more fat, salt and sugar.But this article also makes me very sad. Ratliff’s whole point is that people will never be self-motivated to improve their nutrition, that it takes the equivalent of a religious zealot constantly hovering over patients in order to get any level of compliance. This type of article plays right into the biases and prejudices of the majority of the medical community and absolves them of having to make the effort to get their patients to radically change their diet. After all most doctors reading this article in the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine could never imagine themselves eating an Esselstyn diet, nor taking the time and effort to get their patients to change to and then maintain a truly healthy diet. So the article gives doctors permission to continue to hand out the useless pablum of “eat a healthier diet, lose weight and get more exercise” while they get out their prescription pad and right standing prescription for statin, BP meds, blood thinners, diuretics, and a host of other band-aid measures that do nothing to address the root causes.The sad truth is that patients are looking to the medical profession as a whole to gauge the importance to assign to all the confusing jumble of medical and nutritional advice they are bombarded with dailty. The half-hearted “eat-better” instructions are therefore given little weight by patients since obviously their doctor as well as those on TV in the news and on the web don’t really seem to give it much weight compared to taking drugs and getting surgical procedures. Adding to this is the fact that patients are usually told at the same time that they have an incurable illness that changing their diet (to the extremely minimal extent that doctors think they will ) won’t actually eliminate their illness. Instead they will be required to take medications for the rest of their lives. Is it any wonder that most people don’t do more than token changes to their diet.But if doctors used evidence based medicine and told themselves as well as their patients as well as the public as a whole the truth regardless of how unpalatable it might seem and say it with some conviction, then I think that folks like Dr. Ratliff might be surprised at the percentage of patients that will change their diet. But until then Dr. Ratliff might be right, it takes someone with real passion and maybe even zeal to swim against the current created by the indifference of all their peers in the medical profession.How tragic that people are using drugs instead of lifestyle intervention! How horrible that there is a pharmaceutical driven race to newer and more expensive hypertension drugs when medicines that worked very well are being forgotten. How horrible that diuretics (pills that make you pee, a great way to control blood pressure) are being ignored for more nebulous medicine. Blood pressure is one of the single most important measures or diagnostics of health and indicators of future longevity. How horrible that we know how to control the blood pressure with diet and exercise but the best of the newest medicines only have a slight effect. How sad that normal blood pressure might actually be high blood pressure for most people who have the test done.Alright, Here’s an “Ask the Doctor” Question. I am a testicular cancer survivor with a newly diagnosed testosterone level of 180. After reading all the side effects linked to a usage of Prescrip. Testosterone, I’d rather not go that route.So, here’s my question, after reviewing the website.How does one go about boosting their testosterone level naturally? Any particular foods that have demonstrated that ability? Also tied to that, I understand that a plant based diet is able to help along with exercise but what if someone is struggling with fatigue and isn’t able to exercise as effectively?Any thoughts would be welcome.There are several published researches that points a correlation between Vitamin D levels and testosterone:http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stefan_Pilz/publication/49679775_Effect_of_vitamin_D_supplementation_on_testosterone_levels_in_men/links/0c96052f7e9b2ca8d8000000.pdfOf course a well balanced plant-based diet is very important to support the metabolism necessary for this to happen, but keeping vitamin D levels are crucial. Researchers says that we need 15 to 20 minutes under the sun, with no sunscreen with minimum clothes in order for our bodies to produce 10.000 UI of vitamin D per day. So in average these researches and some associations already promotes that if sun exposure is not an option, we need to supplement:https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/blog/why-does-the-vitamin-d-council-recommend-5000-iuday/#and not just testosterone and bones health, vitamin D is very important to enhance our immune system.Boron can do that. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21129941 I am about to start supplementing my diet with Boron. So can Fenugreek, which also has anticancer properties. Lots of Vitamin C and maybe Niacin can keep your cancer from coming back, and this site has the best anticancer foods all worked outAmla, Fenugreek White button mushrooms Nori Walnuts, pecans Tumeric, ginger, rosemary, garlic, broccalli, beets, carrots, cranberries, lemons, apples, cocoa, beans, whole grain hibiscus tea, white tea with lemon, matchaGood luck!As the Great Physician Doctor Greger said -Thanks, and shared.Now, on a related subject and the thought that crossed my mind today as I surfed info on grilling portabellas and found nutritional “info” from an article and it quoted sources, and I didn’t want to spend all day running down which sources were likely to biased by their funding.Has the good doctor, or anyone else thoroughly familiar with these likely-to-be-quoted sources, compiled a list of such sources so that we might quickly gauge the veracity of “research” and articles we run across? Anyone follow? I’m getting lost in my own thoughts a bit. Thanks wpWade: I’m not sure what you are looking for, but I get the sense that you are looking for a reliable source for nutrition information of various foods. If so, the think the following site might be what you are looking for. To use the site, you put the food you are looking for in the search box at the top and then see what comes up. They don’t have every food included, but they do have a lot of foods, including some entire dishes you can find in restaurants.Here’s the home page: http://nutritiondata.self.com/Here’s a detail page for grilled portabellas: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/9170/2Does that help?In addition to diet, meditation/mindfulness, exercise, good sleep hygiene & workup/treatment for sleep apnea, keeping salt to < 1,500 mg/day, and comprehensive workup for unresponsive hypertension may be warranted.>> keeping salt to < 1,500 mg/day,Did you know that 1 cup of rice has 571mg in it … meaning that 3 cups of rice puts you over that limit before you eat or drink anything else ?Kempner’s program was covered also in the Whipping us up video and their referred to drastically improving eye health by reducing the blood in the back of the retna. Family just diagnosed with AMD which could soon be Wet AMD which is blood seepage into the RPE layer. Does anyone have comments on the Kempner diet, or any diet, on this situation?Do you have any info on the use of black cumin seed and/or oil for CVD health or lowering cholesterol.The general flow around here it to eat WFPB, supplement with b12, exercise AND get on with life. Diets and special food items/supplements are generally not necessary for all the benefits of a Whole-Food Plant-Based diet. No tricks no gimmicks no counting no measuring, just works. If you need to search up any given topic, there are 8 years of videos and articles all cross-linked and referenced here. It’s much easier to just eat well and be well.Hey Daveb, thanks for reposting! I see one study on blood pressure and black cumin seed oil and the results seem promising. Another study looked at ever more biomarkers related to CVD health, but did not find statistical significance due to small sample size.I bought the “Rice Diet” book by Rosati: it’s a joke and has no resemblance to the original diet!! They talk about meat, fish etc… How is that possible?It is possible because copyrights expire and folks rehash diets over and over again with their own twists or none. Possible because consumers are largely ignorant despite “reviews” and constant media exposure (because of constant media exposure!). See http://www.atkinsexposed.org/ where we learn that high-protein/low-carb (oh the ignorance) has been recycled over and over since the 1800’s. Atkin’s is the one who really made the cash on it. No one really benefits long term except the one selling the program and program support goodies-and that’s not healthy benefits, only $$$. Support this site if you like, but there’s no requirement to purchase anything at all to live healthier and happier. Just read and learn and let Michael do the “heavy lifting”.I think it is possible because no one is going to buy a book where every recipe is one plain cup of white rice with a few veggies! ;-)That book, I think, is from the Kempner or rice clinic, so I am sure they are following the guidelines of the diet, since they are the guidelines.Seriously, I looked at the Nutrition Facts label for white rice and there is 571 milligrams in a one-cup serving of rice. How is that low-sodium? 3 cups of white rice puts you right away over the 1500 milligram limit from the Heart Association for sodium? I really do not get this.You quoted Maimonides? That quack is the reason that most, not all, Jewish boys’ rights are violated via genital mutilation. Maimonides specifically had the intent of diminishing male sexuality via this practice. What was once a minimal pin stick suddenly became the extreme excisions of penile derma that we see today, which can also lead to death, especially when a Mohel puts his mouth on the penis to draw blood in a ritual called metzitzah b’peh. I’m not sure exactly his influence on that perverted part of the ritual. Interestingly, notice how the word “maim” is in “Maimonides.” Hmmm. Oh yeah, he was really great/sarcasm.kempners success was due top the extreme sodium restriction and fluid managementLove the manure analogy from Dr. K . Wish doctors would trust many patients want to treat the underlying cause and are willing to make changes-even drastic ones. At the very least, doctors need to give them the full disclosure of how diet will clear up the problem or they can choose a prescription alone that will bandaid or perfume the problem, and be a means for doctor not to get sued for not “treating” the illness.kempners success is due almost entirely to the extremely low sodium and fluid managementThat is an interesting claim.If this diet works, and what I read said it works for around 2/3 or people.So, what does that really mean?For 2/3 of people heart disease is diet related, and not just chronic diet over time, or at least for these 2/3, but something they are eating concurrently sustains and increases the problem. When you stop eating, whatever that is, and just eat rice, or whatever is in rice, you get better.That is a fantastic finding, though I am not sure how to factor it into everything else on this website of that one can read about health. So, it would seems that roughly 66% of people are harming themselves daily by what they eat, and I suppose the amount of exercise they do, or don’t do.I am curious though, is it just rice that will work for this. What about just eating potatoes, or pasta, or oatmeal, or any bland starchy food? Did anyone do any studies where they used different foods to see what the results would be …. OR … is it just that a rice diet forces most people to just eat less, and maybe just eating less is good for you when you are in a toxic eating regime?I don’t understand why we do not understand this better, especially since this Kempner thing was so long ago? However time and time again we hear of industry, including the health industry creating their own reality to bolster their own profits. What underlies all of this is an attitude that some “professionals” can just do or tell people whatever they want to, and if they believe it, follow it, and get into health problems it is their own fault. They get sucked into a world where all of a sudden all their money is up for grabs.I do not dislike capitalism, but the big pattern within all of this kind of behavior is that profit, power, authority, fame, etc causes people to behave in ways that counterproductive for them and others and the way we do capitalism is different and more harmful than how the rest of the world does it. We can see the trends that as these things have happened, the corporate world has fastened a grip over everyone’s life and seized the government and pushed us into an Orwellian type of culture.The sodium levels in rice are not trivial or extremely low by any means?Get online and look up the Nutrition Facts for rice … and it turns out that 1 cup cooked white rice has 570 milligrams in it. That is over 1/2 gram, 25% of a regular person’s salt intake per the Nutrition Facts chart … so if you ate 4 cups of rice on an all-rice diet, you are getting over what a heart/blood pressure patient would be recommended to eat I think?The American Heart Association recommends that Americans consume less than 1,500 mg/day sodium, which is the level with the greatest effect on blood pressure … that is less than 3 cups of rice a day.What is the best book on Dr. Kempners “original” Rice Diet…I see about a half dozen Rice Diet books on Amazon and I do not know if they are all just “similar” and not the real deal to Dr. Kempners dietGiven the extremely low level of sodium in the rice diet, is there a danger that it is so low that it could cause medical problems?The sodium levels in rice are not trivial by any means …I got online and looked up the Nutrition Facts for rice … and it turns out that regular white rice has over half a gram of sodium in it. About 570 milligrams per 1 cup cooked rice to be more exact.Isn’t this a problem if you eat rice all day. The serving size to get 570 milligrams of rice was 1 cup of cooked rice. So, if you ate 4 cups of rice in a day, which, it seems like you might if that is all you are eating, you would be eating over 2 grams of sodium just in rice?Can someone address this please? It makes Kempner’s claims sound a bit difficult to believe? Is there a more low sodium rice or some other grain that can be eaten in its place that might have less sodium … not to mention arsenic?I never paid much attention to the Nutrition Facts labels on things, but since I heard about Kempner’s rice diet I have been thinking about it and thinking about trying it a lot.So then I got online and looked up the Nutrition Facts for rice … and it turns out that regular white rice has over half a gram of sodium in it. About 570 milligrams to be more exact.Isn’t this a problem if you eat rice all day. The serving size to get 570 milligrams of rice was 1 cup of cooked rice. So, if you ate 4 cups of rice in a day, which, it seems like you might if that is all you are eating, you would be eating over 2 grams of sodium just in rice?Can someone address this please? It makes Kempner’s claims sound a bit difficult to believe? Is there a more low sodium rice or some other grain that can be eaten in its place that might have less sodium … not to mention arsenic?OK, I am a little confused … and I am starting to think that the Nutrition Facts labels that we see on our food are taken as a joke to those who write them or put them online.I looked up a bunch of different types of rice and in generate they have almost 580mg or sodium listed.Then I looked up short grain white rice and it is listed as having 0, ZERO, i.e. NO SODIUM AT ALL.Can someone please tell me where all this sodium is or is not coming from in rice and why some rices have so much and some apparently do not have any … and can we trust the labels to tell us ?	alternative medicine,blindness,blood pressure,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chronic diseases,complementary medicine,diabetes,Dr. Walter Kempner,fat,fruit,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,industry influence,kidney disease,kidney failure,Lifestyle medicine,medications,mortality,plant-based diets,protein,reversing chronic disease,rice,sodium,statins,stroke	What is the contemporary relevance of Dr. Kempner’s rice and fruit protocol for the reversal of chronic disease?	For background on this amazing story, see Kempner Rice Diet: Whipping Us Into Shape.Kempner would be proud that there is now a whole field: Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of DiseaseThis reminds me of the role statin cholesterol-lowering drugs have played in seducing people into the magic bullet approach, but as with all magic it appears to mostly be misdirection:So in this day and age What Diet Should Physician’s Recommend?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-walter-kempner/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10946450,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25001270,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9392949,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23245609,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6357233,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23245604,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24996514,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15395555,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10493314,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14388027,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4595398,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4595397,
PLAIN-2443	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-pollutants-may-affect-testosterone-levels/	Dietary Pollutants May Affect Testosterone Levels	A number of studies suggest that exposure to industrial pollutants may affect sexual function, for example loss of libido, sexual dysfunction, and impotence. This may be due to effects on testosterone levels. In a study of men who eat a lot of contaminated fish, an elevation in PCB levels in the blood is associated with a lower concentration of testosterone levels.Testosterone doesn’t just play a role in the determination of secondary sex characteristics like facial hair at puberty, but in normal sexual functioning, and in overall physical and psychological well-being in adult men. Abnormally low levels of testosterone can lead to decreased physical endurance and memory capacity, loss of libido, drop in sperm count, loss of bone density, obesity, and depression.These so-called endocrine-disrupting compounds that build up in fish may be able to mimic or block hormone receptors or alter rates of synthesis or breakdown of the sex steroid hormones. In children, these pollutants may actually impair sexual development. Boys who were exposed may grow up with smaller penises. Though we're only talking about two thirds of an inch at most. We’re not sure if the effects on penis length are due to the pro-estrogenic effects of the toxins or the anti-testosterone effects.In fact if you expose cells from aborted fetal human penises to these kinds of dietary pollutants, gene expression related to genital development is affected even at real-life exposure levels. These toxins are found predominantly in fish, but also meat and dairy, with the lowest levels in plants.You’ve heard of save the whales? Well male reproductive organs may be at risk from environmental hazards.	Diatomaceous earth and/or boron (DE has boron, but adding more never hurt) helps tremendously with both removing pollutants as well, helping to balance hormones… including increasing testosterone in men.That’s the same stuff found in clumping cat litter. Uhh, ….no. I’ll stick with actual food like garlic.shouldn’t knock it before you read about it. google: ‘diatomaceous earth health benefits’ also, check out the paper/study that pops up when you search ‘diatomaceous earth cholesterol’ … or don’t. but, to dismiss something without at least giving it a brief once-over is a classic example of ignorance at its finestJustin, tossing out the word ignorance in the direction of a posting member of NF is unnecessarily rude, especially on a site most of us visit to learn something. Nigel’s preference was not expressed unkindly. Couldn’t you have found a more effective way to encourage him to read your reference?I believe you may be projecting in how you’re interpreting how that was written. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ignorance as: ‘a lack of knowledge, understanding, or education. the state of being ignorant’.My sentiment was conveyed initially in suggesting ways to find information relating to diatomaceous earth, its health benefits, and its health benefits relating to something specific (cholesterol in this case). … with my simply stating a more ‘matter-of-fact’ statement that still seemingly applies in rereading it that ‘knocking it before he read about it’ is, in fact, ignorant… or showing ‘a lack of knowledge, understanding, or education.’Technically this is correct. You may need to read it like a robot was saying it to get intent. … but, there was actually just as much if not *more* ‘attitude’ and ‘expressed unkind dismissal’ in the ‘Uhh,…no, I’ll stick with actual food like garlic’ line than there was in mine. It also sets the stage for a negative association of feline feces and diatomaceous earth… despite ‘countless’ out there swearing by the stuff and having achieved amazing results from using it. …as nearly a half-dozen facebook groups dedicated to the substance would reinforce.Again, the negativity is in both your projected interpretation of tone, as well in the comment to which I was replying. My original comment to which Nigel replied was much more in line with the ‘tone’ I was hoping to convey.“…a classic example of ignorance at its finest.” My but that must sound awfully good when you say it to yourself. It really has nothing to do with ignorance, it has to do with aversion regardless of any real or imagined benefit. I know its all cosmic matter in the end, but I’ll prevent heart disease in other ways, thank you very much.Then why even say anything? Why even spend the time or exert the energy stating such?And I will ask you the same.Because I’m of the opinion that the stuff is beneficial and that others may not be aware of it… and, upon raising awareness of it, they may become curious-enough to be compelled to research it and find it beneficial for them as well.Mine was to raise awareness to something not covered in the video, yours is anecdotal or personally pointed at best.…my thoughts are somewhere along the lines of, ‘if you don’t have anything nice to say …. ‘But these forums aren’t about not stepping on someone else’s “feels.” Get it? If you are that sensitive, then maybe you need to be somewhere else. I don’t eat dirt because it hasn’t been scientifically proven to do anything good isn’t saying anything “not nice.” I’m as entitled to my opinion as you are to yours. What I am saying is that if DE isn’t good for cats to lick from their paws, then it likely isn’t good for humans, not that I would do it if it were.Ha! did you really just say ‘feels’? immediately followed by ‘Get it?’ wow!It has nothing to do with sensitivity, it has to do with recognizing an uncouthful non-contributor when I see one and calling them out as being so. Your clearly missing the ‘scientifically’ published paper on DE & cholesterol. so, yes, there has been ‘science’ done on it.That you call it ‘dirt’ clearly shows your ignorance towards the material. Do you have any science backing up this cat paw licking statement?Frankly, I could give a hoot if you did or not… which is kind of the point.Ha! did you really just say “Your clearly missing…,” and “uncouthful?” Wow!My veterinarian has strongly advised against DE based cat litter, and I don’t like it anyway because it isn’t compostable like pine pellets, so that’s enough for me. Please, feel free to eat all the DE you want and be the lab rat. I know people who eat charcoal for their guts, but I’m not doing that either regardless of the findings.“Scientific studies?” So what? I’m cautious on scientific studies because they have been often used with cherry picked results to promote products for profit. Just have a look at some of these blogs to see how many “scientists and doctors once thought ….” to see that findings can get sketchy and erroneous, especially when an industry is involved. How is that being an “uncouthful non-contributor?” If you “didn’t give a hoot,” then why did you originally respond to my comment?cool. I’m glad you won’t be using it. not only does it mean more for the rest of us, it also means that your troll-like ways will be here that much less time to continue trolling their froth all over the place.LOL, sunshine.I’d rather eat garlic than DE, but just because something is found in a non-food substance doesn’t mean that it’s unhealthy to ingest.M’kay. Bugs aren’t unhealthy to ingest if cultivated properly in sterile environments, and I “ain’t” doing that either, if I can avoid it.Where’s your sense of adventure??Ever eaten a butt hole? If not then where’s your sense of adventure?There’s a ‘your mom’ joke hiding in that one…. But I’m too high class to go there ;) My point is that ‘X is in Y and you wouldn’t eat Y would you?’ is a logical fallacy.No logical fallacy there, just a simple comparison. BTW, bugs are loaded with unhealthy stuff, like butt holes. And where might your clever joke exist, next to the one about your dad? Anyway, my mum is dead, so you can’t make jokes about someone who no longer exists. I doubt you even know what “high class” is having referenced it for yourself. Like money, those who have it don’t talk about it.First, yes it is a logical fallacy. Just because it is true sometimes, doesn’t mean it is true all the time.Second, you take internet comments WAY too seriously. You shouldn’t let people you have never even met control your emotional state. It’s worse for you than bug butt holes.Firstly, again, no logical fallacy found. There is no logical reason to eat either DE, bugs, or anuses despite any “scientific evidence” that someone claims to be factual. Popular trends are highly questionable, especially when there is an industry connected. You made the comment that it was a matter of having a “sense of adventure,” reducing the situation to a question of hedonism, not science. If it is a question of hedonism, then it simply makes no logical sense to do. There is nothing fallacious about that. Then there was an immature implication about a ‘your mom’ joke, which is in fact a diversion from the original ridiculous idea of consuming clay as a health benefit. I didn’t go there, you did. See how this works?Secondly, I respond to internet comments because I so choose, and don’t need your permission, like you don’t need my permission to type silly things about the “adventures” of eating DE. My emotional state is NONE of your concern. I’m astounded at the level of gullibility I find, and its impossible to avoid commenting. Ta!There is food-grade DE, lol! I had not heard of it in clumping cat litter…in fact, I’m pretty sure it is not there because the labels says not to use it around pets. Although, when I was rescuing hens, I would treat them with DE (it’s a common practice to get rid of bird mites, and it is an environmentally friendly practice; you just don’t want them breathing it or getting it in their or your eyes/lungs.I know for a fact that clumping Tidy Cat brand has DE as that is what makes it work, but its not good for them because it can cause problems with their digestion. I’ve had cats for decades, but now only use pine pellets, the kind bought at farm supplies for wood stoves.I tried to find any scientific literature that shows benefits of diatomaceous earth and was only able to find this:Diatomaceous earth lowers blood cholesterol concentrations. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9533930But the study was in people who were unhealthy to begin with. Does anyone know of any other studies on the health benefits of diatomaceous earth?there are multiple approaches of effectiveness talked about with d.e. ….. multiple ‘modes of function’ if you will, but one of them very definitely seems to be associated with the boron content it contains. If you look for, say, ‘health benefits boron’ you may find more studies. personally, i mix some Borax into my de when I take it. Boron is definitely tied with hormone balancing… including increased testosterone levels in men, and balanced estrogen levels in women. There’re a lot more studies associated with itAmerican male reproductive organs are also at risk for neural pathway disruption or complete loss via genital mutilation, so where is the one step further concern for that? The fourteenth amendment to the constitution guarantees equal protection under the law for everyone, which, believe it or not, includes male babies. It is already illegal to remove normal healthy tissue from non consenting patients, and “I don’t like the way it naturally looks” isn’t a disease of anything but in the mind of the parent saying it. Lets not only show concern for harmful chemicals in our environment but also to damaging adolescent and infant penile dermectomy performed by quacks who care nothing for the rights of males or are too lazy to apply one of the safer and far more effective alternative approaches.What are you talking about? Circumcision performed by doctors in hospitals and models in the Jewish context?I had my family insist that my first born son be circumcised and since I was a single mother I went along with their wishes. After I saw what was done to my baby in a hospital performed by doctors, I swore that I would never allow such a horrible thing be done to any of my other children. It was terrible (even though it would be considered a perfect operation) and unnecessary.If you like that euphemism, yes that is exactly to what I’m referring. Child abuse is child abuse whether under the disguise of fraudulent medicine or superstition.My brother born in 1962 was not circumcised but it was such a common practice that my mother was billed for it anyway,There lies the lie of the practice. Its all about the money, which is what perpetrates it today to the tune of 1 billion annually. They also know it isn’t legal to remove normal healthy tissue, of which the intact penile derma is. If they are honest enough to stop, what will it say about the children they abused the day before? They know there will be malpractice lawsuits, and there should be, and they know they could go to prison for child abuse, which they should.All babies have a natural right to all their intact, healthy organs. Become an Intactivist today, and fight for the rights of all infants, boys and girls, not to be sexually mutilated for cultural, religious or traditional reasons. Thanks, Nigel.I’ll try not to dwell on the lack of sensitivity of the above statement to 1.6 billion Muslims and 13 million Jews, whose religions mandate circumcision. After all, our right to freedom of speech allows us to insult anyone we please, and isn’t in a good and noble thing to remind them that they have no constitutional protection from feeling insulted and to put them in their place? Instead I’d like to discuss circumcision from a medical prospective: The wives of circumcised men have a lower rate of urinary bladder infections then do those of uncircumcised men. There is also evidence that cervical cancer rates are lower for women married to circumcised men. Circumcision is also effective in preventing the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. In fact it’s 60 to 70 percent effective in preventing the spread of AIDS and as a result has become increasingly in demand in Africa where the disease runs rampant. This is a higher rate of protection than most vaccines offer- which as also given to children without their consent and may be potentially harmful in some cases. Fluoridation of municipal water is another medical treatment which I never consented to, which can cause fluorosis and possibley worse. The harm from circumcision however is vanishingly small. It has been practiced for at least 4000 years and has been perfected to an art, especially when done under hygienic conditions available today. Traditionally the child is given a cloth soaked in sweet wine to suck on prior to the circumcision in order to quell and protests that may arise and similarly, adults may find that a glass of Manischewitz prior to circumcision may bolster their resolve. However it’s best to circumcise a child on the eighth day of his life when the chance of hemorrhage is lowest due to his having a higher level of prothrombin in his blood than on any other day in his life, because his skin is more tender than an adult’s and because he is too young to form any lasting memories which might otherwise be traumatic at that age. Because circumcision is so effective and so rarely causes harm, I would argue that it should also be made mandatory without the child’s or parents’ consent. Of course, to be fair, religious or philosophical exemptions should be given for people who worship Satan or who celebrate evil or disease.I also forgot to mention that adults who have undergone circumcision report no difference in sensitivity or enjoyment of intercourse before and after the procedure.Oh yeah, those adults in denial or who grew up with the retained sensitivity in their glans that the prepuce offered for proper development? They are adults, but I don’t care what they did as adults. I’m concerned about children who have a right to grow up and decide for themselves when they are of age and know what a penis is. What about the ones who didn’t make it to adulthood because they died, or the ones who lost their penises entirely from necrosis, like the boy in the news story last year? How many have to endure injury and disfigurement and death before its the right number for you to realise this is child abuse at any number? I know many men who want to do serious harm to their childhood mutilators, and have experienced great sexual dysfunction after they’ve discovered what is missing. Men deserve not to be sexually categorised and subjugated any longer. We are people, not objects on which to practice superstitions and pseudo science.Yours is a typical response of rhetoric and straw man arguments. Its a good thing I don’t waste too much time arguing with child abuse enablers who repeat the broken record AIDS nonsense that has been disproven in Europe. Maybe you need to consider that babies don’t have sex and therefore don’t require HIV intervention. I don’t care if you are a three headed ape from mars. Religion is no excuse to deny Jewish boys their rights to their bodies. Doing so is anti-Semitic. Luckily, many Jewish boys in Scandinavia and Russia don’t fall victim to this superstitious act, and they are still quite Jewish. Eighty five percent of men internationally are intact and living proof that genital mutilation, euphemistically called “circumcision” is a lie. The only ones promoting it are the ones with the scars who have given scars. Let the “art of ‘circumcision'” be left to the fetishists for adult bodies, not those of children.Video/article idea: Does intermittent fasting offer health benefits?It’s on my list!Salicylate sensitivity. Please report on this. Makes a huge difference as far as ADD for lots of kids when they reduce high salicylate foods, or omit these foods completely from diet for several months.Sure thing! Only one study I could find. There does not appear to be a link with salicylates and ADHA.Oh hurry! Above I replied to Tobias’s post with my questions having done some version of the 5:2 fast for about 3 years. Is it worth it?Please give us an update on IgG diet analysis. I have two friends now who are following this seeming pseudoscience. One of them has been avoiding foods such as strawberries for 2 years now. I can’t find much on PubMed, and the dietetic associations have no position statements on these. The one dietitian I spoke with about this rolled her eyes and gave me info on fibre to give to my first friend who went on the diet. (His problem is constipation, and he basically doesn’t eat much fruit and veg). People are really illogical.Daily fasting reportedly promotes autophagy.Sure glad you mentioned this Tobias. I have been wondering about this a great deal and have yet to see anything convincing one way or the other. I have seen claims made but based on what evidence I do not know.Maybe Dr Greger has made one or two posts on this already… Not sure. He’ll likely say that some types of fasting are very beneficial but our diet approach here can lead to very similar results longer-term.Personally, I have a small issue with weight control, nothing by the standards of the American masses today. (Attempt at obscure pun made there.. :), as I merely add 15 lbs each winter, which are extremely harsh in my area, from my ideal <155 lbs, and I expect that water fasting one day per week might be the answer for me, at least whenever I rise above my target weight.I finished my first water fast this morning doing 32 hours. Not expecting to eat during the day seems to help to keep down feelings of hunger. Having something interesting but not too challenging to do all day seems to help too. It was much easier than I expected with the hardest part being going to bed after 26 hours, though falling asleep wasn't an issue. (I awoke at 1:30am and had two apples with cinnamon.) Weight scale results were incredible.My read on it is that intermittent fasting offers incredible health benefits. I expect that experts will give it the green light yet the returns for non-serious health issues likely fall off steeply, so some relatively short fast can have a huge impact. So, I can't wait to see what our doctor says on this question.Stay tuned for more from Dr. Greger on fasting. In the meantime, I think that water fasting can be extremely dangerous in uncontrolled environments without doctors approval. A quick search on PubMed shows fasting for one day may have some benefits to reducing heart disease, however, I would never suggest it do the lack of research. Water fasting seemed to help those with hypertension, but this was conducted in a controlled environment within a clinical study. There is far more research on the efficacy of plant-based diets for hypertension and heart disease. One of our site users provided a great link to a clinic that focuses on fasting. His comment can be found here.For about 2 years Kevin and I have been doing the 5:2 fast diet Dr. Mosley popularized on a fascinating BBC special. Eating normally for 5 days and “fasting” for 2. Fasting here means 4-500 cals. a day for women and 6-700 cals. a day for a man. It is doable, but on stressful days, my hunger distracts me from writing and office work. For the last 8 months or so we have fasted from 9pm until dinner the next night and that dinner is light, probably 1500 calories. We do not sleep so well on the lower cal version. MY QUESTION: by very low calorie fasting 2 x a week, do we do harm by omitting all the benefits of WFPB in normal amounts? No question this helps control weight, improves our taste delight in eating on non-fast days, and does give us a mini-vacation from eating and food prep! I asked Dr. Fuhrman about it and he responded that if he fasted he would be too thin. So, we too have many questions. Dr. McDougal has some patients fast and tells of grand results with some illnesses. And is there good evidence that apoptosis and other healthy invisible events are worth the effort and better than eating a super WFPB diet?Gayle, Are you familiar with the Work of dr. Roy L Walford? One of my big heroes!Nope! Thank you, Plantstrongdoc!I will recommend 2 books: Maximum Life Span and Beyond the 120 Year Diet. You can probably get them cheap on amazon. Fascinating reading on calorie restriction and he is a very fascinating person. You can find a little on youtube. There is a short video where Roy is interviewed by Alan Alda. His daughter – Lisa – is to my knowledge both vegan and on CR.Is there any truth to “detox” claims. We often hear things like juicing can create “.. detox symptoms, rashes, headaches, etc. temporary things as their body is cleaning out.” Does this really occur? Negative symptoms as we juice, or as we improve our diet (which juicing isn’t always a good example of).That is a great question. I don’t think so. A good article posted recently addresses “detoxing” See if that helps.I know someone who likes to fish for bottom feeding catfish from a midwestern river that drains some major industrial areas. He thinks pollutants are a joke. I should ask him if his weiney is getting smaller…Fred, in reviewing the comments on this post today, I am reminded that as people who are interacting on the NF website we want to work to be cordial with each other and carry this practice into our every day life. I think it would make your friend defensive if you ask him if his wiener is getting smaller. It might be better if you asked his wife or girlfriend instead. He he…Just a quick look at the list for the contaminants. It appears that human milk is the third highest cause of dietary pollutants (0.42). That is interesting and a little scary. Perhaps a further look into the affects of human milk feed to babies and its effect on testosterone could be a future article?Good catch. Perhaps that is why it is super important for breastfeeding women to consume a healthful diet?hello, i am a mom of a toddler. i cannot make time to read everything about nutrition, i wish i could! but I am CONFUSED. sooooo here’s what i know, and my thoughts, and does anyone have the real answers to my myriad questions?? please be open minded i am not trying to attack anyone’s firm beliefs i am just CONFUSED at conflicting info. (1.) i was told by an acupuncturist within a top fertility treatment center that i should consume ANIMAL PROTEIN after my embryo transfer and during pregnancy. this seems contrary to what i have read over the years. but shouldn’t they be experts on getting results? the number of live births from successful pregnancies helps their business continue, so i think they have a stake in positive results, and it makes me tend to believe they’ve got something valuable to say when it comes to growing and birthing a healthy baby. so what the heck, how can animal protein be bad when all the western fertility specialists (and i actually saw an eastern specialist too) and all seemed to believe animal protein was important for conceiving. this leads me to guess that maybe it is really just the industrial pollutants within the animal meat/dairy that is the real problem here??? the fact that they are not running free in the wild without acid rain, for example??? i was all thinking that a veggie diet was so much better than meat/dairy until the fertility specialists (many!) told me to eat animal protein….. wth? (question #2.) i read that dha is so important for babies and children BUT that children do not have the enzymes or “whatever” is needed to utilize or convert flax oil to provide the right omega 3’s they need. so i think about a “fish oil” supplement. but i also hear that even the best filtered fish oil still contains stuff like pcb’s and mercury, etc. so what can i give my toddler?? nothing?? wouldnt that be harmful to leave out an essential fat? i want his brain to develop well! the homeopaths and “crunchy” moms all use cod liver oil. and the one time i cut open a prenatal DHA capsule from algae source, and spread it over toast, and it tasted and smelled strongly like metal. huh?? i thought the algae was supposed to be metal contaminant-free??? and it smelled so bad there’s no way my toddler would take it, but that’s beside the point. the metal smell made me doubt it’s quality. and it’s the only brand i can find based on algae. back to the cod liver oil, it generally sounds like a bad idea to eat livers, since livers filter toxins?!?!? i dont think we want fish liver toxins of all the animals! By the way, I still nurse my toddler so I realize he is getting DHA thru human milk, but we do need to wean soon! AND if all my DHA is “switched off” to go into my breastmilk, then don’t i need to take a supplement so that my own brain does not get depleted? i have read that the 3rd or more pregnancy has much higher risk of problems such as learning disabilities in the child because the mother has become depleted in DHA. and i plan to have a few more pregnancies so what should i take?? (question #3) so i hear about how vitamin D and the ratio to A and C and magnesium and everything else is super important in preventing sickness and flu during flu season, so all the homeopaths/crunchy moms again use cod liver oil because it has the right ratios of vitamin D and A and also has omega 3, etc.. So I give myself straight vit D drops (i am still nursing this toddler) not knowing about the “ratio” and had negative results (umm pink eye in both of us, NOT at the same time lest you think one of us spread it to the other, which supposedly can result from low vit A). So i am told “give vitamin D” but the best way to do it is with fish livers? by the way i had an esteemed urologist tell me of the many many people (outdoor farmers!!) she tested, nearly all were deficient in vitamin D in their blood, so the sun just does not cut it for providing vit D anymore. If the texas farmers cant get enough D, then my 10 minutes playing outside are not going to cut it either. (question #4) SOY ok so back in college i heard from the animal rights activists to eat less animals so i changed over from a SAD to a high soy, high fake meat and soy milk diet. probably a lot of glutamate, msg, hardly any vegetables, etc. WELL let me tell you i am a woman, and i began growing chin hair! i never had it before that time, and my mother and her mother and my dad’s mother never had that problem. by the way, i was raised on soy formula as a baby, but my thoughts are that soy is bad!!!!! i hear that there are benefits but my chin hair every day makes me believe it does not agree with me!!!! and then just a general thought for (question #5) i have fast metabolism, especially nursing a baby. so there is no way vegetables are going to fill me up for longer than 5 minutes. i have drunk large cups of veggie juice and still do’nt feel satisfied. what is the answer??? in the beginning i thought soy was so filling, but you know my feelings about soy now! and potatoes and fat are filling, but aren’t we supposed to limit potatoes and oils????? so, what are we supposed to eat? currently my toddler only eats human milk, MEAT his favorite thing, and fruit and cheese and yogurt. he does not like any kind of veggie or even fruit juice or smoothie. now what? thanks for your time this was a super long post.and by the way my toddler has mild allergies and mild eczema, when i give him a fish oil which is high in DHA (wiley’s finest brand) the eczema nearly disappears. doesn’t that mean he needs the oil? and he was never given formula nor vaccinated, and i am not trying to start a debate about vaccines, just saying that neither formula nor vaccines can be responsible for him having allergies. AND he has a severe food allergy to NUTS so they are out. Peanuts are ok but aren’t those not-so-good for you? thanks!Please feel welcome and do search through the 8 years of articles and videos archived at this site. Also you may find specific answers in the comments under each one. Peanuts are fine for adults, but I have not studied infant nutrition at all, but say be thorough and be meticulous, but do learn as much as you can from plant-based MD’s. You couldn’t have found a better resource than here. The most famous pediatrician of all time, Dr. Spock http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Spock , recommended plant foods only for infants and children.Is peanut butter good for you? – it seems okay!sorry if forgot one more piece of confusion.. i hear about the weston price “activator x” which is a special form of vitamin K (not what you get from green leafies) that you get from raw dairy, so wth now I have to have raw cow’s milk??? because the vitamin K in greens is not the same form?? i think it is called MK-7??Weston price is a hack organization.Good question. Dr. Greger addresses Vitamin K2 in his Q & A. See if that helps? Thanks!There is no nutritional reason in the world to prefer animal protein to vegetable.There is so much conflicting information out there by so called “experts,” that it’s no wonder more people aren’t confused. My solution is to for get what doctors- not trained in nutrition- say and to rely on common sense and history. Prior to the availibility of refrigeration in 1913, very little meat was eaten. The average American didn’t even eat 5 pounds of chicken back then, and supplements were unheard of. and yet, with the exception of childhood and communicable diseases, people were generally healthy. Chronic diseases were very rare. In Africa to day, people seldom are ill or obese and their basic diet is whole grains. The same was true in Asia 30 years ago. I find myself thriving and rarely sick eating whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit and a small amount of nuts and seeds only. No processed foods, no oils. Over the years Dr. Greger has given ample evidence that our natural diet is an unprocessed plant-based one. It’s hard to argue with success.thanks this is the kind of input i am looking for!So many complex questions. Are you able to see a dietitian? I would suggest that for individualized help with you and your toddler’s diet. If that is not an option I suggest the Vegetarian Resource Group as they have research on kids and nutrition, soy formula, etc. For kid snacks I love this brochure by PCRM. They also provide thousands of recipes, here. Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations may also help. Ellyn Satter’s division of responsibility in feeding is a great resource, as well. See if any of these links help answer your questions?Thanks, JosephGarlic is ok, but it may decrease your ejaculatory latency. :-)Is calorie restriction necessary for weight loss? See the ongoing and raging debate between those like Durianrider and those like Loren Lockman…No. Not necessary. A multicenter randomized controlled trial of a plant-based nutrition program to reduce body weight and cardiovascular risk in the corporate setting: the GEICO study finds no calorie restrictions led to weight loss.Save the dick’s? :-)Looking at the chart at the 1:45 mark, I think the statement should have been “predominately in freshwater fish”. Ocean fish on the chart is way low by comparison. Which to me means that if I want to eat fish occasionally (in sushi or whatever) to try to make sure it is of the ocean variety.With regard to Diatomaceous earth, I came here previously when I read some stuff about it hoping that perhaps Dr. Gregor had done a video on whether the claims are supported. I bought food grade DE to deal with flea beetles in my garden (they were eating all my baby plants), but it is clearly labeled for use in animal feed as an anti-caking agent as well.I haven’t tried any myself yet because I’d like to see something comprehensive on it done, but I have read many places where people feed it to their pets and take it themselves for various reasons. Maybe I’ll google around some more.Good point. Thanks for sharing. Note that other foods on that list were also low, but there may be other reasons beyond pollutant levels that warrant caution.What are the claims on DE? I have not seen them. There is a lot of research about DE but nothing I found promotes it safety or use in humans. Happy to discuss more! Other’s have commented on DE before so perhaps they can enlighten us if I’ve missed something? Thanks, Doug.	bone health,children,dairy,depression,endocrine disruptors,erectile dysfunction,fish,hormones,impotence,industrial pollutants,industrial toxins,meat,memory,men's health,mental health,obesity,PCBs,penis health,penis size,persistent organic pollutants,pregnancy,puberty,reproductive health,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,sperm counts,testosterone,women's health	Endocrine-disrupting industrial toxins in the aquatic food chain may affect genital development of boys and sexual function in men.	I previously addressed how we discovered the endocrine disruptor phenomenon in Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies, as well as where they’re found (Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors).For more on sustaining male virility, see Male Fertility and Diet, The Role of Diet in Declining Sperm Counts, and Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility.I’ve talked about the role a plastics chemical may play in male sexual functioning (BPA Plastic and Male Sexual Dysfunction), but It’s not just toxins, it’s the total diet (Survival of the Firmest: Erectile Dysfunction and Death), and not only in men (Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction).	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11346131,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22239867,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12837917,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19750113,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21334430,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19966832,
PLAIN-2444	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-mgus-and-multiple-myeloma/	Turmeric Curcumin, MGUS, and Multiple Myeloma	Multiple myeloma is one of the most dreaded cancers, it's a cancer of our anti-body producing plasma cells, considered one of most intractable blood diseases for many years. The precursor disease is called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, or MGUS. When it was named, it's significance was undetermined, but now we know that multiple myeloma is almost always preceded by MGUS, which makes it one of the most common premalignant disorders, with a prevalence of about 3% in the older white general population, and about 2 to 3 times that in African-American populations.MGUS itself is asymptomatic, you don't even know you have it until your doctor finds it incidentally doing routine bloodwork. But should it progress to multiple myeloma, you then have about four years to live. So we need to find ways to treat MGUS early, before it turns into cancer, but no such treatment exists. Rather, patients are just placed in a kind of holding pattern, with frequent check-ups. But if all you're going to do is watch and wait, might as well try out some dietary changes.The potential role of curcumin, the yellow pigment in the spice turmeric, in patients with MGUS. Why curcumin? Well it's relatively safe, considering that it has been consumed as a dietary spice for centuries. And, it kills multiple myeloma cells. Here's the unimpeded growth of four different cell lines of multiple myeloma. You start out with 5000 cancer cells at the beginning of the week, which then doubles, triples, quadruples in a matter of days. But if you add a little bit of curcumin or a lot of curcumin, the growth is stunted or stopped. But this is in a petri dish. Still, exciting enough to justify trying it out in a clinical trial. And six years later, researchers did.One can measure the progression of the disease by the rise in blood levels of paraprotein, which is what's made by MGUS and myeloma cells. About 1 in 3 of the patients responded to the curcumin with dropping paraprotein levels, whereas there were no responses in the placebo group. These positive findings prompted them to commence a double-blind, randomized, control trial, and here it is, and they saw the same kind of positive biomarker response in both MGUS patients as well as those with so-called smoldering multiple myeloma, an early stage of the disease. These findings suggest that curcumin might have the potential to slow the disease process in patients, delaying or preventing the progression of MGUS to multiple myeloma, but we won't know until longer larger studies are done.The best way to deal with multiple myeloma, is to not get it in the first place. In 2010 I profiled this study, suggesting that vegetarians have just a quarter the risk of multiple myeloma compared to meat-eaters. Even just working with chicken meat may double one's risk of multiple myeloma, the thinking being that cancers like leukemias and lymphomas, myeloma may be induced by viral agents in both cattle and chickens, so-called zoonotic, or animal-to-human oncogenic, cancer-causing, viruses. Beef, however, was not associated with multiple myeloma.There are, however, some vegetarian foods we may want to avoid. Harvard reported a controversial link between diet soda and multiple myeloma, implicating aspartame. French fries and potato chips should not be the way we get our vegetables, nor should we probably pickle them. While the intake of shallots, garlic, soy foods, and green tea was significantly associated with a reduced risk of multiple myeloma, intake of pickled vegetables three times a week or more was associated with increased risk.	Am I the only one who are really impressed by curcumin or what!? Fascinating. If curcumin was invented in a lab it would be a blockbuster as a preventive drug.Yes and then it would have a multimillion-dollar campaign pushing it and a “healthy” price-tag too. As it is, i can afford to shake a little curry powder or turmeric into any dish at any time and often do.And probably works best that way. Imagine a cancer preventive drug, that can be patented, for a disease were there are no treatment $$$$$ £££££ €€€€The pharmaceutical industry is not interested in prevention or cures. It’s only interested in chronic diseases. If a condition is lethal, find a drug that can make it non-lethal but chronic, and $$$$$$$$$$.Good point!Exactly. Big Pharma is a billion dollar industry. If they cured disease, they would have no customers, and would be out of business.Yeah, but is it safe to consume something such as turmeric and the like everyday, weekly? Does the human body really “want” a drug-like natural substance on a constant basis? It does not seem like a natural substance that our taste buds would gravitate to. As a beneficial natural medicine, sounds good. But it seems to me that our body has its own natural medicine systems in place, and moderation is important as far as what we put in, whether natural or not.Good point. Dr. Greger tackles this question, if interested, who shouldn’t consume turmeric?After 20 years living/working in China in an extremely toxic environment [ food, water and air full of toxic chemicals!], I typically add generous amts of turmeric and a smaller amt of black pepper [to increase bioavailability of turmeric] to both lunch and dinner. Been doing this for abt a year in Calif and I’m quite healthy and active at age 68. I do a lot of other things as well, but turmeric is the most common and most ample spice that I use on a daily basis.Saffron must be starting to feel a little bit left out by now.What about cooked breakfast cereals? Things like raisin bran, corn flakes? Does the type of cooking of these foods effect the risk?Perhaps not Multiple Myeloma but cooking surely contributes to cancer risk. Cooking meat creates carcinogens like heterocyclic amines. Deep frying carbohydrates can produce acrylamides/a>. The cereals you describe are more refined, so yes there is possibility that the way the cereal is processed and preserved for shelf life is risky, compared to whole grains like oats, rice, whole wheat.Dang dang dang, i loves some pickled stuff! (home pickled of course.) But then there’s no chicken in my diet…hmmm.Brined bad, fermented good? But I love capers! Then what about the spoonful-of-apple-cider-vinegar-panacea?Apple cider vinegar is still okay, but don’t mess with the pills. Are kimchi and sauerkraut harmful? Seem a little bit of sauerkraut is okay, so perhaps with things like capers a little is fine to consume. I like this powerpoint from a dietitian from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle presenting at AICR on fermented and picked foods on cancer risk.I’ll eat them in moderation for sure. I make my own kraut and “kimchi”. I just won’t binge on them or make them daily habits. Will review the links above that i have yet to see. (typo in your last link JG)Thanks! fixed. Maybe the book is called, Wild Fermentation?That’s it/him. Think there is a second or new edition out. I have the first one around here somewhere. That’s how I learned to make my fresh ferments with salted veggies. I already knew the ethyl spirits methods.I’ll eat them in moderation for sure. I make my own kraut and “kimchi”. I just won’t binge on them or make them daily habits. Will review the links above that i have yet to see. (typo in your last link JG)The findings are kind of inconsistent, and lumping pickles and fermentation together seems confusing. I know this is simplistic, but fermentation happens effortlessly and has been safely preserving our food for thousands of years and probably much longer, is full of beneficial bacteria and is capable of breaking down undesirable elements. I just can’t believe it’s in the same category as preservative, chemical, and salt laden pickles. (Unless of course they are naturally fermented). Since I started making and adding a variety of fermented foods to my diet, I have noticed dramatic improvements, so I am having a big disconnect with this info.Yeah, I skimmed through there and am not interested in animal milk products, thought things would “wrap up” in the summary. And they didn’t. Waste of 4 minutes. Moderation will be my focus with anything “non-stellar” plant foods especially when so tasty as kimchi.I take a teaspoon to tablespoon of turmeric a day in self filled caps. I primarily do this for muscle and joint health as I’m 62 and run, weight lift etc. Been doing this for over year and it definatly helps me stay limber and injury free.I forgot to mention. I also use black pepper with turmeric. As others have stated in this thread, the black pepper supposedly increases the bioavailability of the turmeric, as well as other spices I consume on a regular basis. Does it really? I don’t know, but the benefits of black pepper come from several sources, so I go with it. With many other all natural foods, I also use Doc Greger’s information about blueberries, cardamom and black pepper for prostate cancer prevention. So far so good, beating the family cancer, thanks Doc!Did you know that pumpkin seeds or oil can prevent prostrate cancer. It eliminates a substance called DHT from destroying your testosterone levels. Black pepper can help the body absorb turmeric better. Blueberries are great also for diabetes. Vitamin D supplements can help prevent cancer also.Interesting, although you really should provide a reference to your statement. I’m guessing this is the one you are referring to: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4017725/Yes that is the article. Thanks.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/25040991/?i=6&from=pickled%20vegetables This is a study on salt intake and gastric cancer. SAlted meat, pickled vegetable, preserved vegetables, etc. I wonder if it is the high salt in the pickled vegetables that is disease promoting, not the fact that the vegetables are pickled…. They seem like such a good way to get Great probiotics. I just made a salt free sauerkraut that I love, I wonder if it’s okay?This salt-free sauerkraut sounds interesting.Would you share your recipe?Thanks!This is not my recipe, but I cant find out where I got it online… I used mixed leafy greens, like kale, collards, cabbage, and salt free pickling spice for some flavor. Worked well and has kept in the fridge for weeks after done fermenting. Happy experimenting!Salt free sauerkrautIngredients 6 • 3-4 heads of cabbage (I can taste a difference between conventionally grown and organically grown cabbage; the latter typically tastes sweeter meaning it has a higher brick content and, therefore, has more nutrients overall) • Approx. 8T of seed mix: celery, dill, caraway • Pure water • (My addition to this recipe calls for 3-4 organic carrots … to be used in “plugging” the top; more on that below.)Directions:• Before shredding cabbage, pull off and retain 3-4 of the nicer looking outer leaves; these will be used to “cap off” the top of the jar just before the carrots are used.• Chop and pack shredded cabbage in a 1-gallon, glass jar. Chop on a clean cutting board with a stainless steel knife or food processor. Some people like to pound the cabbage and bruise it with some manner of wooden pestle. I pack it tightly, but seldom do the bruising.• On top of each 1” layer of cabbage, sprinkle about 1T of whole seeds in between the 1” layers of cabbage. The Balkan recipe Paul Bragg got from the natives there calls for equal amounts of the following seeds: celery, dill, and caraway. Paul taught the seeds could be either ground or left whole. I have tried it both ways and either method works fine. So why do I now leave the seeds whole? Leaving the seeds whole starts the sprouting process in the seeds before they “drown” and die off. (Poor seeds!) But the enzymes which are produced in the sprouting process remain since there is no heat/cooking involved! The sprouting process creates a skyrocketing effect on the level of enzymes in any given seed; this makes an already healthy dish even healthier!Continue filling the jar with 1” layers of cabbage topping each layer with about 1T of the seed mixture.• Topping off the jar. Most every glass, pickle jar has a small, vertical region which is the same approximate width as the lid. Many will refer to this region as the neck of the jar – this is the part of the jar which juts vertically upward after the jar curves in to go up and meet the lid. This neck is usually about an inch or so tall on most pickle jars. (By the way, I buy pickle jars and toss the pickles just to get the jar for making kraut!) Just where the neck of the jar starts curving outward to the jar’s greatest diameter is where we stop filling with layers of cabbage. It is at this level in the jar (just below the curved lip region) that you should place your whole leaves of cabbage across the top-most layer of shredded cabbage.Next, the one or two layers of whole leaves are topped off with carrots (cut carrots in half, lengthwise, and cut off either end so each carrot extends across the top and under the lip on both sides to hold everything down. This usually takes 3-5 carrots, with the one across the middle being the longest. You may have to arch/bend the carrot up in the middle to get it to go under the lip of the jar. This can usually be done without breaking the carrot. The carrots should be about an inch from the very top of the jar; it is important to keep them submerged under water for the duration of your fermenting process!• Now fill the jar with water and let it set at about 77 degrees for 7-10 days. The carrots should be anywhere from 1⁄4” to 1” under the surface of the water. Secure a cheesecloth (or washcloth) over the top with a strong rubber band (air needs to get to the mixture to introduce good bacteria). Check in on your fermentation from time to time to make sure the carrots remain under the water (the mixture tends to absorb a lot of water around the fourth/fifth days and you may need to add water once or twice a day during this time). The kraut juice this yields will taste “official” as will your kraut! [Note: for me, eating these seeds with the kraut (once it is done) just ruins the greatly anticipated “kraut taste.” So I rinse the seeds off before eating the kraut. However, the seeds are quite good if used in making sourdough bread!]The sky is the limit on this recipe: try carrots, sesame seeds, garlic, onions, broccoli, ginger, lemon juice, dill weed, etc. I have also made it with brown rice, dried corn, wheat berries and rye berries. (The 3 latter grains swell quite a bit and can “push up” the mixture considerably. By the way, in case of overflows, you may wish to set the jar in a flat, glass casserole dish for the duration of the fermentation process!Once done, I use the lid which came with the jar and refrigerate the entire gallon. Some people like to pack it into smaller jars before refrigerating. This kraut tastes great on/with salads, brown rice, baked potatoes, and whole wheat toast!Variations:Many different seeds and seasonings can be placed between layers of cabbage:• Seeds: sesame, millet, rye, wheat, brown rice, fennel, corn, spelt, etc.7 My current method is to leave seeds whole so as to begin their sprouting process.• Seasoning options: chopped, fresh mint, dill weed, parsley, dandelion greens, and broccoli greens; chopped, fresh onions, ginger, and garlic. Try variations of each one according to your personal favorites! For a twist on the Kraut Recipe give it alemon twist! The juice of one or two lemons will add a nice flavor to the recipe. I am also adding some lemon peel and pulp when organic ones are used.• Vegetables for putting between the layers: chopped carrots, beets, and dried, cayenne pepper!Cole Magbanua, where are you getting whole seeds from?Any store with a bulk food section usually has salt free spices. There are so many options in portland, I think these came from Fred Meyer… Good luck!The American Institute for Cancer Research mentions how salted and smoked fish and picked vegetables contribute to nasopharyngeal and stomach cancer risk. Are kimchi and sauerkraut harmful? Seem a little bit of sauerkraut is okay, and yes I support folks making there own as you are in control of salt. A great review of fermented and picked foods on cancer risk by a dietitian from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, WA., presenting at AICR conference.My German grandmother ate sauerkraut and lived to be 88.There are a number of items in this presentation that bother me immensely. I HAVE multiple myeloma, so I feel somewhat qualified to comment here.1.) What the heck is the initial picture of an individual with hideous marks all over his skin supposed to be? It is most certainly NOT a myeloma patient. Is this just the worst form of sensationalism??2.) Due to the development of new treatments over the past decade, the expected survival of people with myeloma has increased dramatically, and due to the hetrogeneity of the disease there is absolutely no way to predict for any individual patient that they “only have four years to live.” I know personally several patients who are 20+ year survivors. These are people who were diagnosed BEFORE the new treatments were available. More sensationalism?3.) Most people with MGUS never experience symptoms AND never progress to multiple myloma. Only about 5% over their lifetimes.4.) Many doctors are now treating individuals with High Risk Smoldering myeloma before progression to disease.5.) NO ONE KNOWS the cause of multiple myeloma. I have been healthy and athletic my whole life. I have had no known exposures to industrial chemicals, pesticides or radiation, and yet I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at 49 (very young for this disease.)I do not understand why you would bury the valuable information about curcumin and the value of a vegetarian diet under sensationalist pictures and rhetoric.MM Patient Who is Going to LIve WAY Past 4 YearsGood points and of course you are free to post anything here! Thanks for sharing your story let me see if I can help. The picture is skin legions than may occur with the disease. That is great to hear about survival rates increasing! I am one to believe in positivity and doing everything possible to keep cancer beyond arms reach. The 4 year median life expectancy was quoted in this study. I am not sure the range. I don’t think it’s sensationalism just what we found. Good golly I hope it is much longer and how great your friend is still going strong at 20 years! Points 3-5 are noted and I do not disagree. As a survivor you know way more than most of us and have every right to know about the available research. I don’t think Dr. Greger is burying valuable information, he is just reporting it.Skin lesions are NEVER associated with multiple myeloma. NEVER. That is NOT a picture of a myeloma patient. This disease has many many distressing effects on the body but skin lesions are not one of them. EVER. The fact that you flippantly state that “The picture is skin lesions than may occur with the disease,” indicates a level of inaccuracy that I find highly distressing. I will be removing myself from this list and warning all of my fellow patients to stay away.You are mistaken. If you would have clicked on the Sources Cited you would have seen that the very first citation is “A case of multiple myeloma presenting as a bullous dermatosis,” which is where the picture is from. You can read the full-text of the article here. As they conclude, “Patients with longstanding, recurrent, unusual bullous eruption should be investigated for the development of multiple myeloma.”I agree great points. Although I have MGUS and appreciated this information I was taken back by the photo and have never heard of any patient with MM that had these lesions. Thanks for your comments.A personal account. About 10 years ago my mother was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. It was advanced enough that the University of Utah was offering stem cell transplant therapy. It was declined and my mom went with some conventional therapy. She was told at that time she would have about 5 years to live. I encouraged her to move toward a whole food plant based diet. She did. My mom passed away this last year, 10 years after her multiple myeloma diagnosis, with no lab work or clinical signs of multiple myeloma. She followed up at the Huntsman Cancer facility a couple of years ago and told her physicians what she had done and how she felt. They of course laughed at the thought that diet had any connection and she was in “remission”. I eventually sent a copy of the British Medical Journal article that Dr. Greger referenced in his original presentation of MM. There are two conclusions: We can’t totally appreciate the wonderful effects both known and unknown that plants have on our body. And the medical community continues to deny anything like whole food plant based diet strategy. Hopefully the medical establishment will become more engaged in the future. I love these videos and am thankful for all the many hours of effort that go into them. Thanks to you all.Very well said. Thank you so much for sharing. I live near the Huntsman Cancer Center. I hope one day oncologists will explore the power of nutrition and exercise (lifestyle medicine). Already we are seeing Integrative Medicine Programs pop-up at major Cancer Institutes. My hope is this trend continues and we find better ways to treat cancer and of course make better efforts to push prevention.Wow, Joseph, I didn’t know that you live in Salt Lake City – UNTIL NOW! (pun intended) I live about six miles from U. of Utah.Hi Craig, it’s interesting that you sent a British medical journal article to make your point. Our medical people here in the UK, on the whole, are all members of the Laugh-A-Lot club when it comes to supplementation (like curcumin and berries) as prevention and cure. They are firm believers in drugs, drugs, drugs! Supplementations are for la-la people, somewhere away with the fairies.I actually think that your “medical people” are not so unique sadly. I have had numerous experiences with the medical community and their blindness to lifestyle. I was at one time voted a “Health Hero” in my community for all I had done for our South Central Health District. I was asked to speak to a group of diabetics. When I gave them my intent to discuss Dr. Neal Barnard’s book on reversing diabetes with a whole food plant based diet they suddenly had to do construction on their building. After having spent many years involved with our health district, I am now considered off limits. I actually try to be diplomatic with people but the message is a challenge. I might add that I am in an area strong in cattlemen and dairy. Maybe one day the medical community in the UK and USA will get it. As one last comment, my son is going through his last year of medical residency in internal medicine. I have asked him if he has ever had education with regards to nutrition involving whole foods plant based diet. Not at Ohio State University. Change will come but I am certain that it will come from a select group of physicians.Are fermented vegs the same as pickled? I thought fermented goods were really good for us.I think they can mean the same thing when regarding sauerkraut, pickles or kimchi. Probiotics and fermented foods like yogurt, tempeh and miso are not salted/pickled. Yes, some fermented foods can be beneficial, but boosting good bacteria can be done by just eating fiber.Don’t forget to check out Dr. Greger’s videos about adding black pepper to turmeric to greatly improve its absorption.Hi Joseph, our Indian friends tell us that Turmeric and black pepper must be fried together in a little clarified butter to activate the health giving compounds? Most of our friends are vegetarian though and not vegan but they insist that this step must be done. Do you know anything about this please?Fat can help the absorption, but it can be a vegan source of fat if you want. Dr. Greger address this question in his blog on Why Pepper Boosts Turmeric Blood Levels. Hope that helps!To all who use turmeric straight as a spice. Some research suggests that it has low bioavailability [absorption]. I remember seeing an article that indicated BLACK PEPPER increases the bioavailability by several orders of magnitude [100x? or 1,000x]. So my wife and I add a smaller amt of black pepper to our food when we add turmeric. I do it in an approximate ratio of 4 or 5 to 1.I take 1 per day of this…http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-ultra-turmeric-phytosome-meriva-500-mg-60-capsIt is 20x boost in bioavailability due to piperine – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9619120Great point! There is ample research on the value of black pepper added to turmeric. Dr. Greger address why pepper boosts turmeric blood levels and has many resources on the website about turmeric.The pickle problem seems rather suspicious. 1) The correlation is not consistent. With non-pickle eaters set at baseline risk, 1-3 pickle dishes per month decreases risk, 1-2 per week cuts risk in half!, 3+ per week suddenly more than doubles risk. They do not report the statistical significance of the adjusted odds ratio data. 2) The confidence interval is very wide, suggesting the issue is more complicated than they could see from their investigation (probably why they refused to list statistical significance) 3) They dont specify just what brined vegetables people were eating, I remember one study where mouth and throat or stomach cancer rates increased with pickle consumption in japan. The people were eating extremely salty brined fiddlehead ferns, which contain a known carcinogen. The intense salt damaged the flesh letting the carcinogen in. The chinese also eat unwise things like fiddleheads and heavily salted meats. Moreover, more people are eating pickles from stores which contain cancer causing preservatives and can even be dipped in bleach.Hopefully investigators will soon look more closely to see why pickles are inconsistently linked to cancer throughout asia.I have MGUS and have been taking Curcumin for the past 3 years. I take Doctors Best 1000 MG and so far thank God I have not a trace of MM. If anyone else has MGUS or can add to what I am taking please respond or contact me.I’m getting dizzy trying to sort out the differences between turmeric, curcumin. turmeric curcumin, and curry. I get that curry is made from turmeric and/ or curcumin (are they the same thing?), but other than on this site, it seems rare that people use turmeric or curcumin as a spice. More likely a supplement. Is this perception accurate?The more I research this the greater my confusion. Like Alice, I am finding this curiouser and curiouser. I’d be grateful if someone would explain this Indian spice family.Turmeric is a spice that is a primary ingredient in curry. Curcumin is a particular chemical compound found in turmeric and is responsible for the intense yellow color of turmeric. Curcumin is believed to be the active element of turmeric that is responsible (or at least primarily responsible) for the pharmacological effects of turmeric. I, however, am skeptical that curcumin is the only active ingredient. As we have seen so many times with other foods, the whole is usually greater than the sum of its parts and certainly much greater than a single ingredient. So I would include turmeric in my diet and skip the isolated curcumin that is available in pill form (for of course a tremendous mark up in price)You can get a lot more curcumin in a pill than you could probably get just by eating foods containing turmeric. But like so much else it isn’t always the case that if some is good, more is better. So unless you are trying to get a specific high therapeutic dosage of curcumin targeted at a specific condition or disease with the guidance of your doctor or at least based on clinical trials published in the peer reviewed literature that says curcumin at a specific dosage is effective for the condition you are trying to treat, I would steer clear of high levels of curcumin. It is true that populations have been consuming curcumin for millennia, but only as a part of the whole spice turmeric and only at relatively low dosage levels.Dr. Greger has many videos here on turmeric. I highly suggest you check them out.Thanks for your very clear explanation. I have watched a number of Dr. Greger’s videos on this trio (curcumin, turmeric & curry). Those videos are largely what motivated me to pose the question.I enjoy curry frequently, though certainly not daily, and am hoping that my body gets some benefits from that spice.JCarol: If you eat rice a lot and use a rice cooker to cook it, a simple way to increase the turmeric consumption is to add a half a teaspoonful to the rice before cooking. A soon as the rice cooker turns itself off, stir the rice very well because during cooking the turmeric settles to the bottom. (Where I come from there’s a rice dish called yellow rice, which requires other ingredients as well.)Turmeric is mildly bitter and rounds out the other not-sharp spices in curry powder: cumin coriander and fenugreek. Add in the spicy-spices to taste of clove cinnamon ginger cardamon chilies mustard-seed to individual heat-comfort level. Many other herbs/seeds/fruits are ingredients to various curries powders.For western dishes, anything I add paprika to can also get a shake of turmeric. Many saffron dishes are actually… you got it.To add to Jim’s excellent reply, here’s the “in a nutshell” version. Curry is a spice blend, consisting of turmeric and other spices. Tumeric can be purchased dry (in spice department) or fresh (in produce department). It’s a root that looks like tiny fresh ginger. Curcumin is one of the active ingredients in turmeric that is getting loads of attention in the medical literature.Turmeric is used widely in Indian cooking, but turmeric supplements are available. Curcumin supplements are also available.Hmmm…. I think I’ll dip my toe into the turmeric spice water to see how I like it.Supplements don’t generally interest me (with the exception of D3 & B12). It doesn’t seem the case for curcumin supplements is all that compelling, particularly if curry is already part of one’s diet.My lovely wife came up with a great way to get some turmeric everyday. She puts about 1/4 tsp of turmeric in a glass with shake or two of cardamom, nutmeg, ground cloves and black pepper, with a little cinnamon sometimes and whisks it with 4-5 oz of vanilla flavored plant milk. The best part is that I think it actually tastes really good. The results somehow remind me of eggnog, and it isn’t just the nutmeg.I do something similar with my coffee. Since I won’t give it up that one morning ritual, I figure might as well make it good for me in some respect! I’ve been doing this so long that “normal” coffee tastes boring! I made up a powder with turmeric and my favorite spices, with the inclusion of pepper for it’s kick and to potentiate the turmeric, and add a spoonful to my coffee before adding soy or almond milk. It does leave a weird sludge at the bottom of the cup. so I’ve thought of straining it, but what the heck, I just mix and slug it and utilize the whole “medicinal” effect!I found this map online (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_myeloma#/media/File:Lymphomas,_multiple_myeloma_world_map_-_Death_-_WHO2004.svg) and have to wonder what it is about Iraq, the Congo, and other areas, that the cases of of MM are so high?Genetics predisposes some groups to a higher incidence. It was mentioned that african americans are more prone to it, they mostly got to america from tropical africa- the area on that map thats bad. A similar genetic predisposition may be found in iraqis.Among the thousands of studies cited on Pub Med, including those referenced in this video, a curcumin extract, not whole turmeric, was virtually always used. In the study cited by Dr. Greger they used Curcumin C3, an extract patented and produced by Sabinsa. Feel free to sprinkle a bit of turmeric and pepper on your veggies. As for me, i would rather, to paraphrase Dr. G., “do what the science says,” and ingest a product with proven efficacy and safety. I take CurQfen, curcumin combined with Fenugreek fiber to form a controlled released, highly bioavailable “fancy pill.”You got a point there.Is anyone else having problems with the video getting stuck?I can view it fine. Sorry you are having trouble. Any luck now? If you ever see something not working properly send an email to info@nutritionfacts.org and we’ll try to fix it ASAP.Thank you, JosephMy mother was diagnosed with Multiple Myleoma. She was in terrible pain 24/7. No pain medication that her doctors prescribed could touch that pain. She died a long, drawn out, agonizing death. She was not a vegetarian, she ate chicken, beef, pork, fish. She also ate vegetables, spinach, carrots, beets, brussel sprouts, broccoli. She juiced fruits and vegetables and did that everyday. But the Multiple Myleoma was a nightmare, she suffered a great deal. Doctors did everything they could to help, but nothing they did alleviated that pain.Wow. What a story. You’re poor mother :( so unfortunate she experienced so much pain. Thanks for sharing, Gadae. Hopefully the more the medical communities know about diet and lifestyle the better they can help those with MM, or better yet, prevent it in the first place.My mother felt back pain and she went to her HIP doctor. He insisted that the pain was due to bone thinning/osteoporosis and prescribed extra strength tylenol. My mother was a retired city worker, had been a supervisor for 20 plus years and knew how to express herself. But she couldn’t get past this HIP doctor. I went with her to the next appointment, because she was in pain and he wasn’t helping. He had a pissed off look on his face and repeated the same thing. to take extra strength tylenol. We went to McDonald’s and she could not get up from the chair, without a lot of pain. So I asked the manager to call an ambulance , she was taken to Bellevue Hospital in NYC, she could not walk the 5 blocks. Bellevue hospital did a test, where they put a needle in her bone, I think and extracted some material. It was NYC Bellevue Hospital that found the Multiple Myleoma. That was May of 1990. She died December of 1992. Every second was in terrible pain, there was nothing to combat this pain, nothing that the NYC Beth Israel doctors prescribed, ever dealt with this horrible pain. She died in agony, couldn’t stand for me to comb her hair, or give her a sponge bath, anything caused pain. Her temperature fluctuated from hot to cold, so in the middle of winter, I sometimes had to be on the air conditioner. The doctors in NYC Bellevue hospital and Beth Israel Hospice did try very hard to help my mother, but nothing could touch that pain. It was horrible.:-(It’s a true story, and yes she did suffer a great deal. My mother would get up in the early am and go to the Farmer’s Market, I would go with her. She bought vegetables and fruits and juiced them. She was into Indian spices, sprinkled Tumeric on everything. There was a guy Gary Null that had a radio show on nutrition, she listen to him. Dumped the sugar, salt and White rice. And broiled everything, she did eat meat. But did stop frying. My grandmother, her mother was into white rice, beans, fried everything, pork chops, chicken, steak, etc. I never saw my grandmother eat or serve spinach, celery, carrots, etc. She did make a salad of avocado, tomato, lettuces, but that was it. My mother was completely different, to the point that my grandmother and my aunts didn’t like to eat dinner in my mom’s home, because she did not use sugar, salt, or fry anything.It became an issue. My mother was diagnosed with Multiple Myleoma in 5/1990 and died 12/1992. She lasted a year longer than the doctors gave her.Gadea: The inadequacies of current medical knowledge we must live with, but the wilful ignorance and lack of respect and attention of some medical practitioners is a great affront and that grievous wound persists, does it not? I am reminded. I am sorry for your mother’s pain and your grief.She didn’t go to quacks, she went to medical doctors in hospitals such as NYC Bellevue, that first diagnosed Multiple Myeloma. After that she was treated at NYC Beth Israel for it. My supervisor’s wife, age 44 came down with the same disease and died in months. She couldn’t stand the pain. My mother did change her diet drastically, way before she was diagnosed with MM. She juiced Spinach, broccoli, Dandelion Root, Swiss Chard, watercress, beets, ginger, lemon, apples and put that in glass mason jars. The pulp, she didn’t throw it out, she added the pulp. She ate that everyday and gave it to us as well. I mean, it caused a rift in our family, because she refused to cook pernil, which is roasted pork butt, she just refused. She threw out all the sugar, salt and read labels. None of that helped her, she died in agony, every single day was extremely painful. Nothing helped, nothing. Thank you for your kind words.I truly hope you can really help people with MM at least blunt some of the terrible symptoms of MM, especially that excruiating pain, alleviate their suffering.We take curcumin as a supplement in capsule form with added black pepper compounds. I’m pretty sure I read somewhere on this site that that would be safe? Is it Joseph?According to the studies featured it appears safe and effective. There are some folks who need to consider taking it. Dr. Greger’s video on Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric covers this nicely. I am not sure what supplement is best. I suggest in general using black pepper and turmeric in dishes and as a spice rather than taking supplements.My mother in law died in great pain from multiple myeloma. Her mother used to boast that as a small baby she used watered down condensed milk to feed her instead of breast or formula. I’ve always wondered if there could be a link. I’d be interested in any pointers to evidence linking childhood diets.Thanks for sharing, Jo. I have not heard about childhood diet and MM risk. I looked up a few studies and nothing was available. I think it’s important to consider how our eating patterns as children translate to disease risk as adults. Especially once we start having kids, as research in epigenetics suggests that what our grandparents ate can impact their kids, and even grandkids.Bummer about pickled veggies. Been eating homemade pickled beets lately. :(Well, keep in mind the studies lumped together all pickled veggies. I wouldn’t ditch the homemade picked beets just yet :) Please see my comment below.MAKE TURMERIC SOUP.I suspect that if you take piperine a lot more will be absorbed!pickling and risk.Does that apply to fermented foods?I’ve been making big batches of green fruity smoothies in my high speed blender to savor all week. Today I used 1 cup fresh mixed fruit (melon, pineapple, strawberries), 2 cups red seedless grapes, a frozen banana, large “thumb” fresh ginger, juice of one lime, 2 cups power greens (baby kale, spinach and chard), generous spoon of turmeric, couple good shakes of cayenne, 1/2 cup tart cherry juice, and water, plus about 8 ice cubes. Amazing! It’s naturally concentrated so I pour about a cup into a glass and add cold water for a refreshing and healthy breakfast!The end of this video states that eating pickled vegetables increases risk of multiple myeloma, but the gut microbe folks say we should eat brined pickled vegetables like kim-chee, etc. I am so confused. HELP!!!!I take turmeric every day along with 20 other supplements. It helps in Diabetic blood sugar control.Does you think the pickling find is due to the fact of that sugar is added to the pickling juice? Because I thought the vinegar was healthy for us..I am giving it to my kitty cat who may or may not have pancreatic cancer. He is doing amazingly well! My Vets had written him off. I put it on his food and add fish oil. So pleased!I like liposomal curcumin from Valimenta Labs rather than black pepper that inhibits liver enzymesIs fresh turmeric as effective as dried? I eat fresh in my stir fry along with fresh garlic and ginger practically every day. How much fresh turmeric is needed to be effective?I can give up meat, dairy and eggs but not pickles! Anything but my Lebanese super-salty pickles! What will I put with tahini, mint and tomato if not them?	African-American,aspartame,beef,beverages,cancer,chicken,curcumin,farm animals,french fries,garlic,green tea,leukemia,lymphoma,meat,MGUS,multiple myeloma,pickled vegetables,potato chips,soda,soy,spices,tea,turmeric,vegetables,vegetarians,viral infections,zoonotic disease	Which plant and animal foods are associated with the development of multiple myeloma and what effect might the spice turmeric have on the progression of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance?	This is the previous video I mentioned: Meat & Multiple Myeloma. For dietary links to other blood cancers, see EPIC Findings on Lymphoma.The turmeric story just never seems to end. I recommend a quarter teaspoon a day:Why might garlic and tea help? See Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids and Cancer Interrupted, Green Tea.More on the effects of Nutrasweet in Aspartame and the Brain and acrylamide in Cancer Risk From French Fries.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspartame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acrylamide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pickled-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potato-chips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/african-american/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mgus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22723843,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23269074,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19881994,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24898235,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21411440,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23097267,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22673750,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19737963,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19179464,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12393461,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22473809,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17691115,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22193966,
PLAIN-2445	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/	Why Do Plant-Based Diets Help Rheumatoid Arthritis?	Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease affecting millions, characterized by persistent pain and stiffness, and progressive joint destruction—particularly in the hands and feet, leading to crippling deformities. What can we do to prevent it and treat it?In a famous 13 month long randomized controlled trial of plant-based diets for rheumatoid arthritis, patients were put on a vegan diet for three and a half months and then switched to an egg-free lactovegetarian diet for the remainder of the study. Compared to the control group, who didn’t change their diet at all, the plant-based group had a significant improvement in morning stiffness within the first month, cutting the number of hours they suffered from joint stiffness in half. Pain dropped from five out of ten down to less than three out of ten. A drop in disability, reported subjectively feeling better, significant improvement in their grip strength, fewer tender joints, less tenderness per joint, and less swelling, with the added benefit of losing about 13 pounds and keeping most of that weight off throughout the year. They also had a drop in inflammatory markers in their blood, sed rate, C-reactive protein and white count. The question is why. What does diet have to do with joint disease?Well, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, in which your body attacks the lining of your own joints. Why would it do that? Well there’s a different autoimmune disease called rheumatic fever, in which your body attacks your own heart. Again why would your body do that? It appears to be a matter of friendly fire.Rheumatic fever is caused by strep throat, which is caused by a bacteria that has a protein that looks an awful lot like a protein in our heart. So when our immune system attacks the strep bacteria and also attacks our heart valves, triggering an autoimmune attack by “molecular mimicry.” The protein on the strep bacteria is mimicking a protein in our heart, so our body gets confused and attacks both. That’s why it’s critical to treat strep throat early to prevent our heart from getting caught in the crossfire.So researchers thought maybe rheumatoid arthritis might be triggered by an infection as well. A clue to where to start looking was the fact that women seem to get it three times more frequently than men. What type of infection do women get more than men? Urinary tract infections, so researchers started testing the urine of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers and lo and behold found this bacteria called Proteus mirabilis. Not enough to cause symptoms of a UTI, but enough to trigger an immune response. And indeed there’s a molecule in the bacteria that looks an awful lot like one of our own molecules in our joints, so anti-proteus antibodies against the bacteria may inadvertently damage our own joint tissues, leading eventually to the joint destruction. Therefore, therapeutic interventions aimed at the removal of this bacteria from the bodies of patients, with consequent reduction of antibodies against the organism should lead to a decrease in inflammation.Well as we saw before, urinary tract infections originate from the fecal flora, the bugs crawl up from the rectum into the bladder, and so how might one change the bugs in one’s colon? By changing our diet. Some of the first studies over 20 years ago on trying to fundamentally shift people’s gut flora were done using raw vegan diets, figuring that’s about as fundamental a shift from the standard American diet as there is. And indeed within days one could significantly change someone’s gut flora. And you put rheumatoid arthritis sufferers on that kind of diet, they experienced relief, and the greater improvements were linked to greater changes in gut flora, but the diet was considered so intolerable that half the patients couldn’t take it and dropped out, perhaps because they were trying to feed people things like buckwheat-beetroot cutlet’s buttered with a spread made out of almonds and fermented cucumber juice.Thankfully regular vegetarian and vegan diets work too, changing the intestinal flora and improving rheumatoid arthritis, but we didn’t specifically have confirmation that plant-based diets brought down anti-Proteus antibodies, until now. Those that responded to the plant-based diet showed a significant drop in anti-Proteus mirabilis antibodies compared to the control group. Maybe it just dropped immune responses across the board? No, antibody levels against other bugs remained the same, so the assumption is that the veg diet reduced urinary or gut levels of the bug.A shift from an omnivorous to a vegetarian diet has a profound influence on the composition of the urine, for example higher levels of lignans in the urine of those eating vegetarian. Up until now it was just thought that they protected people eating more plant-based from getting cancer, but now we know lignans can also have antimicrobial properties as well so may be helping to clear proteus from the system. Either way, this suggests a new type of therapy for the management of rheumatoid arthritis. This new treatment includes anti-Proteus measures such as dietary manipulations in the forms of vegetarian diet.	HemoDynamic, I am so delighted to know about your showing videos in the patients rooms. I wish all doctors, including mine, would do so. Actually, I just wish they would watch for themselves. I think it likely that some might be a little put off at first but most will be impressed at your approach. Almost everyone I know is suspicious of the medical profession as a “profession of drug pushers.”OK the medal of honor is a bit over the top. That’s for military only. But,,,, Presidential Medal of Freedom?Plus a warm place in our healthy hearts!Ok The Presidential Medal of Freedom it is! More apropos as well because he is freeing people from the bondage of disease. Where can I nominate him? Anyone know?This is the weakest area of my strict vegetarian diet: The raw side. Though I eat some raw veggies, it seems that I balk at the effort required to make delicious raw salads. It seems that the key factor is the effort required to shop for the quality veggies, to do all the preparation, and preserving salads? It’s not happening. I’m open to suggestions. Yet, John McDougall makes it sound like it’s not critical so I’m conflicted. My compromise is to use frozen chopped spinach (which I cook) and to keep romaine hearts in good supply and just eat those. Another hang up is making tasty dressings, more more task in the salad making department.How about throwing a handful of pre-washed packaged greens into your fruit smoothie? No need for salad dressing that way.I’m not a believer in smoothies. They’re fun to have occasionally but they don’t seem natural or whole to me. No doubt I own a Vitamix nevertheless.Does it make any difference to your stomach if your teeth or a blender chew up the food? I doubt if your tummy can tell the difference, except that the blender does a better job.Except that chewing is good for you too…If it does I can’t find anything definitive about such a difference. In general there are digestive enzymes in your saliva that start the digestive process as you chew. Many raw vegans “chew” their smoothies in an effort to help digestion.I tried making various fruit and/or green smoothies. Each time I did it would make me dizzy and a bit nauseous when I tried to drink it. I know that they can help you uptake more nutrients, while at the same time rushing too much fat or sugar into the liver. So I just go with the tools mother nature gave me and chew my food instead of drinking it. Mark GI have to say that there are barely any fat or sugar in most vegetables. Fruit has some sugar in it, although not as much as the usual processed foods most people eat, plus the fiber keeps it from being absorbed into the bloodstream too fast. Various video here have covered this topic before and smoothies are really no problem. If you’re experiencing nausea and getting dizzy, Mark, perhaps you’re drinking your smoothie too fast or it’s the shock to your stomach because it’s too cold.If you add a food that has fat in it to the smoothie, such as flax seed or avocado, it also slows the sugar absorption and emptying of the stomach, lowering the glycemic index. Plus it helps the body absorb carotenoids and other fat-soluble nutrients.Well, I understand all of that. I was trying to keep the post short so left it to be assumed that sugar would be for fruit. The problem for me is not drinking to fast, it’s room temp, and I only put in whole fruits or greens usually in basic smoothies. Some people react differently, simple as that. Not everyone experiencing a problem is doing it wrong. But thank you for the suggestion in case that was the problem. (posted by phone)I think this is a good explanation of ‘smoothie’ versus juicing which removes all the fibre from the drink. Retaining fibre is the key to smoothies and of course the lack of fibre in juicing is what allows sugars to be absorbed rather quickly.Most grocery stores now sell organic baby greens, single-item or mixed, washed and ready to be eaten in plastic boxes. Mix a little olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, ginger powder, black pepper, and a dash of salt. (You can make this dressing in a minute or so.) Add the greens and you’re in business.Thanks but I systematically exclude all oils from my diet. They seem to be processed foods generally speaking, which I avoid. Maybe olives can be simply squeezed to extract oil but I avoid it too.Just leafy greens in smoothies? Or can you do others without making it taste too much like veggies?I like other veggies with my fruit in my smoothies too: beets, red cabbage, parsley, broccoli, sprouts etc. I also add a piece of lemon to help neutralize the bitter taste of some greens. My favorite is the power greens Costco sells, consisting of kale, spinach and chard.Thanks Gail. I currently use the power greens blend that Costco sells in my morning smoothies, but wanted to add more greens…does the broccoli make it pretty bitter? How big of a piece of lemon do you use? I usually use a big handful of the power greens, a banana, a cup of berries, maybe two cups, chia or flax seeds, and Sproutein protein powder. Thanks.Costco is great for finding ingredients for smoothies! I also use in my smoothies the frozen mango and pineapples that they sell. Sometimes they have frozen pomegranate seeds and other fruits too. Dates aren’t bad in smoothies either. I use about 8 pieces of broccoli florets (also from Costco) and about half a lemon, peeled. I also grow my own broccoli sprouts and add about half a cup of them in too. But I guess you have to experiment to see how much lemon you like.I was going to suggest the same thing. Though opinions vary on the benefits of smoothies, through my own initial adoption of them, the dramatic improvements of just those alone was a huge influence that encouraged me to adopt a WFPB diet! I know many people who though not willing to dramatically change their diets, have adopted the habit of a daily green smoothie for the obvious benefits they found. I think the immeasurable benefits of ingesting the nutrients of blended plants far outweighs any perceived drawbacks, or limiting them, for whatever reasons! Unlike juicing, we are still getting the contents and benefits of the whole plant. Since digestion begins in our mouth, I make it a point to not just chug a smoothie, but to savor it in small sips, and let the salivary glands do their job. It is usually a meal for me, since I tend to put on the pounds, so I often opt for veggie smoothies, akin to raw soup. I have always had issues with my teeth, so I also feel this is much more beneficial for me personally, than improper chewing, as long as I take my time. I honestly think it is a very workable option and a great way to get plants into you that you normally might avoid. I don’t think I’ve ever made a bad smoothie…you can make it very simple, or add the kitchen sink, and each one is a surprise and adventure! I’ve even fermented them for many hours or a day for added probiotics since I almost always add either rejuvelac, one of my lacto-fermented veggies and liquid, yogurt, or miso to my smoothies too… depending on the ingredients, some times more than one. Quick, simple and nutritious, what more can you ask for?My problem is that if I eat more than just a small handful of leafy greens I get mild diarrhea. It’s been like this for years. So I don’t have salads. I can only eat a little cooked baby kale daily. The only lettuce I can eat without problem is iceberg (not very helpful). From what I read, people with lettuce sensitivities are probably responding to the latex. But I don’t know if this is my my situation. I just know that I miss my romaine and worry that I’m not getting enough greens. :-( Mark GMark, sheesh, that sounds like torture! You are trying to do the healthy thing and then your bowels revolt :( Wonder if you ever tried sprouting your *own* greens. It’s inexpensive to try, very easy, and maybe it would work for you? Dr. G. did a piece about home sprouting here. Hope this helps!Thanks, Jen. I’ll church it out.Tobias I know exactly what you mean. We’re only making huge salads for the 2 of us, but it takes forever to make. A food processor made all the difference. It also helps with eating one of our salads which can seem to take forever too. We start with bagged kale and collard greens and grind that in the processor, same with broccoli. Slice or shred disk takes care of red pepper, carrots, celery, etc. After a fashion you learn how much of each to do it so it becomes a process and therefore quicker. Make two complete salads in 2 plates at the same time. You pull everything out of the fridge, put it all back and do clean up once for 2 days. Store one plate in a clean plastic bag (ok so I grab a couple extra while I’m buying produce) in the fridge and you’re good to go for the following day. It also means you can decide during the day when you are going to make them, if you have more time available in the morning make them then. We have the salads for supper, but I don’t have time to make them just before eating them. Hope this helps.Quick salad advice: use Whole Foods or other health food store salad bar to make a box of veggies…all the ones you don’t want to cut up. Then throw in a handful with some lettuce. Lazy man’s dressing: sprinkle on rice vinegar, red wine vinegar or squeeze 1/2 lemon (the point is a variety of vinegar flavor), a splash of balsamic, salt/pepper. No need to pre-mix, just toss it all with the salad. People always ask me for my recipe. :) For the really motivated: top your salad with some dried Herbs d’ Provence.As a side note: I’m from Vermont, US, where we have salad bars at supermarkets, however I live in Montreal, CAN, where, except for “Le Plateau” district, supermarkets rarely if ever have salad bars.You must be very wealthy and have unlimited funds. Whole Foods charges over $8 per lbs at their salad bar. They don’t even state that it is organic produce. Living next to Amish farmers, I can get locally grown produce for between 19 cents to 99 cents per pound.Tobias: I’m totally with you! I hate chopping. Salads just don’t happen at my house. So, here’s what I do to get some raw (fruits and) veggies in me: First I thought about what foods I truly like to eat raw (that would be no burden to me) and that can be eaten like an apple – ie, without any prep. Some examples for me are: bell peppers (mostly non-green), sugar snap peas, snow peas, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, etc. Plus lots of fruits like apples, bananas, and berries. I buy these things in convenient packages: for example, I buy 10 oz bags of sugar snap peas from Trader Joes. Or 10 to 16 ounce tubs of cherry tomatoes. And bags of 3 organic, colored bell peppers.I put 3 to 4 of these packages/foods in my carry bag to work each work day. And then first thing when I get to work, I put them in front of me and give myself permission to snack all day. Put my hand into a bag and munch sugar snap peas and before I know it, I’ve eaten a bag of raw green stuff. And I didn’t even need dressing. Even the bell peppers don’t need any prep. Just eat them like an apple. (which actually does involve some skill if you don’t want to get seeds in your keyboard. But it does work out with some practice.)As time went on, I made myself be a bit brave and try some new things. And I was often pleasantly surprised. For example, next to my bag of sugar snap peas was a bag of fresh green beans on the shelf at the store. Would green beans taste good *RAW*???? Turns out, they do. :-OYes, these are good ideas and I do this as well. I always have romaine hearts on hand too.Tobias: re: “… I do this as well.” Since you started with a post stating that you feel that you don’t get enough raw foods in you, it seems reasonable to ask ourselves: How much raw foods to we need? (if any)It seems to me that most experts (that I respect) feel that eating some raw foods is a very healthy practice. But I haven’t seen any definitive studies saying how much.When these types of questions come up, I tend to look at what the traditional Okinawans ate as a general guide/good info.I don’t know exactly how much of their food was raw, but I know that 69% was sweet potatoes and 12% was rice. 7% was other grains. It looks to be about 4% meat and dairy and 2% oil. Those are just some categories I could quickly pick out and that takes us to 94% foods that were for sure not raw. It seems to me that we don’t need a whole lot of raw foods in order to expect to get to a healthy 103.Just some thoughts for you. I know that you may have some good reasons for wanting to have more raw foods in your diet. I can think of several myself. I’m just trying to put the issue into perspective, if not for you, then for anyone else reading this thread.Thanks. I think those folks were found to restrict calories a bit too.Actually I love chopping!! And Salads tastes great! And didn’t dr Fuhrman say: Salad is the main dish :-) First you need an expensive set of knives (they will probably last for ever, so it is a one time investment). Second a big nice chopping board – preferably wood. And then learn/practice chopping techniques. Sharp knives, big chopping board and the right technique and then you can actually work very fast The dressing is easy – I have tried several recipes, but always wind up with balsamic vinegar again. I live in northern europe and here you can get hundreds of different kinds – some aged for years, and from cheap to very expensive. Almost every morning I make fruit salad – again with the right equipment and technique I work fast (I am not a surgeon! :-) ) strawberries, blueberries (They dont need chopping), grapes (one cut), banana and squeezed orange on top. So Thea I challenge you – try it for one month and you will never stop chopping! :-)I can’t chop as well as the chefs on TV….but I do OK. Basically try to put as many varieties of veggies in a salad as is reasonable. Especially in spring/summer/fall…I really look forward to the salads. Grow my own tomatoes/leaf lettuce. Drink my fridge-brewed green tea all summer.I find a dollop of salsa and a bit of v olive oil can make a decent dressing. I do buy some processed dressings…need to watch the added sugars/cheap oils like you do with all the processed crap.Nor can I. For some strange reason a glass of wine (in the weekends and holidays) makes chopping even more easy :-) Yes, salsa is a good dressing too. Do you have a special recipe for the fridge-brewed green tea?I am interested in how you fridge brew tea.PlantstrongDoc: Coming from anyone else, I likely would have dismissed the idea out of hand. But coming from you and with such nice enthusiasm, I have to give the idea some serious consideration. I’m not saying I will, mind. :-) But I will seriously consider it.A couple years ago I tried eating salads every night, after reading Eat To Live. I started started to gain weight because I had to doctor the salads so much in order to make them palatable to me. And even then, I really didn’t like the process of eating them. It seemed like a grueling chore.But one thing that I always try to keep in mind is that my tastes do change. So, maybe it is time to give it a try again? Perhaps this time in a more healthy way?Thank you kindly for the nice note and encouragement. I hope it inspires lots of people.Thea – you are the best!Dear Plantstrongdoc, I would love to know in which country you live. I have lived in several places in Europe and have spent 17 summers in Rome. But not since switching to WFPB 2 years ago. I dread dealing with food and with my European friends who are not very open… And my beloved Roman friends are THE MOST CONSERVATIVE of all Western eaters I know. They may try other national Cuisines when the visti me in San Francisco, but by the 3rd day, they come home bearing bags of groceries with Italian pastas, sauces, etc. so they can have the foods Mamma made. I have written them all warning them that my diet has changed and that I hope they will accept it. Of course, I have sent links to Dr. Greger, and found Vegan videos in Italian for them as well. One friend and her husband have made many changes (she recently had Breast CA), but I am expecting rough going with friends and in restaurants. Thanks to Dr. G’s Year-In Review videos, our switch occurred unexpectedly and overnight. It was easy because we were convinced. I shall be sorely tested by Mozzarella di buffalo and the French cheeses, but that I can handle. I am hoping that you know of WFPB pockets in Europe!Gayle, I live in Denmark. Actually I think that we have more pigs (danish bacon is allegedly famous) than inhabitants! Luckily it is very easy to get very fine vegetable, fruit, beans, lentils and so on. Organic is popular, so it is easy to get. I have no colleagues, friends or family remotely interested in WFPB. You can get vegetarian at restaurants, but vegan is a challenge. My best guess is that very few persons in Denmark knows about the concept of WFPB. The general level of education is high and many people are interested in food and in health issues, so it is a little disappointing. There are no WFPB pockets in Denmark. I think the vegan-trend is bigger in Germany, so maybe a WFPB pocket there? Italians love their pasta, cheese and ham….Thea, I like your style! I think I’m at a middle ground between salad prep and your technique. For some reason, I don’t like salads. I just don’t! (vegan blasphemy??) Never have, never will. But I don’t mind things like carrot, bell pepper, or celery sticks. So I’ve started keeping a big container of those pre-sliced, plus cherry tomatoes and can eat them plain no problem. I think I actually prefer plain veggies to ones with dressing. Once in a while I try a new dip/dressing recipe but always go back to plain. Going to check out the peas/beans like you mention. Unfortunately the prepackaged options are a bit pricey where I live, but we should be getting the bulk ones in for summer pretty soon here.p.s. I chuckled at the bit about seeds in the keyboard. You’ve got skills!b00mer: You betcha! My chopping skills may be at the low end of the bell curve, but my whole bell pepper eating skills are right up there with the best. I’m sure.jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj (oops, the jjjjj key stuck. I’m sure that had nothing to do with a seed…)You know what, the prep doesn’t need to be instagram pretty every time. And preservation isn’t an issue if that’s what you are regularly eating. And while finding high qualtiy produce is almost always worth it, for day to day I won’t hesitate to get something from my local grocery store if it helps to make sure I eat some good whole foods vs some more processed foods.Hi Tobias, I don’t mind chopping, but I just plain don’t like salads. A couple times a week I slice up a container of carrot/celery/etc sticks and just eat those plain. I actually like the simplicity. I prefer the plain veggie flavors to the taste with added dressing, so that takes care of that bit too. My partner does like salads, and so he also just once or twice a week chops up a few of everything to fill a big bowl of diced salad veggies. Handful of lettuce, handful of veggies, easy peasy. He uses store bought dressing though. I have seen some dressing recipes that might work for you that involve either water with flax/chia for thickening, or applesauce. Those would just be mixing in a bowl with a fork, no need for blending anything and cleaning out the vitamix.I guess I’m with McDougall in not really considering it a big deal, but I value variety in general so I’m trying to add in a bit more raw veggies myself. I remember once bringing a bowl of raw veggies to work, and my Chinese colleague said to me, “You can eat that??” in regards to the raw cauliflower. She had never seen such a thing. She timidly tried a bite, but definitely thought it was weird. My other Chinese colleague then explained the hot/cold TCM theory for me. Kind of interesting. Some cultures appear to not put much emphasis on (or even discourage to some degree) raw vegetable consumption, and seem to do just fine.Yeah, I will settle for buying convenience packs of baby cucumbers, snap peas, romaine hearts and just eat those from the package.Also with summer coming, it’s the season where personally I tend to make more main dish/bean based “salads”. Can eat plain or in a wrap with big crunchy lettuce leaves. Or eat on top of a big bed of lettuce so dressing isn’t necessary. Can also increase raw veggie to bean ratio as desired.This is one of my all-time favorites, have been making for about 15 years! (oil not necessary): http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/gluten-free-northern-italian-white-bean-salad/fff0c6cf-88eb-4226-9fa5-0cfc3ebfea0dHi Tobias! I too resist daily salad making, but I believe that I make up for it with: Every other day I make a Vita Mix pitcher (80 oz.) full of green smoothies, drink half that and the next day. 4 TBSP of Flax Seed, almond milk, (1 cu.) A half tray of ice cubes, red cabbage, sometimes a tsp of chia seeds, 6 tiny Baby carrots, frozen spinach, fresh kale 4 cu?, 2-4 big collard greens, sometimes beet greens or lettuce, an apple, an orange, 2 bananas, 2cu frozen blueberries. YUM! I prefer to drink my salads. They are delicious.Sounds like a lot of effort. :)I feel as you do. It just seems like too much trouble sometimes. Maybe we could chop some carrots and celery and what else might hold up and keep them ready in a jar in frig and just pour some on some lettuce if the mood strikes? Or do something I’ve seen others do make a salad in a jar starting with dressing and then harder veggies and then last the lettuce. Then just dump onto a plate when ready. They make like 5 at a time.Maybe just hang out more with people who LOVE to make raw salads. Join a dreaded local raw meetup and pretend for a while. :)Thanks for this Dr. Greger. I have had RA for 17 years and have lost and still losing joint mobility. Just started a move toward increase plant-based diet 10 days ago and I am seeing a reduction in level of inflammation without taking my meds (methotrexate). This video serves to reinforce I’m on the right track.You might also benefit from understanding the issues around neu5gc see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/. Congratulations and good luck.I’m male and I developed RA in about 2002 when I was 30 years old. My mobility went downhill very quickly; I suffered a lot of agonising pain, a severe lack of sleep, and chronic fatigue. Thankfully I had barely any deformities – good and bad: because there were no immediate visible signs, not even my family believed me or had any sympathy. I lost my job and, soon after that, my marriage because of RA. I was actually vegetarian at the time.I refused to take any meds because of the side effects. I tried avoiding milk, eggs, gluten, sugar and certain fruits and vegetables (all as separate trials) and I even tried eating meat again – all to absolutely no effect.Two years ago, during a particularly bad flare up, I discovered an article on Neu5Gc on THIS web site and instantly went vegan – it was the only thing I hadn’t tried. The results have been miraculous. I no longer get morning stiffness, and flare ups are minimal. When I do get pain, it’s a manageable 1-3/10 (rather than 9/10) and it lasts only hours or days, rather than weeks or months. A whole host of other ailments have also simply disappeared – chronic indigestion, migraines, tinea, dandruff, skin irritations and more. I had a blood test after one year, looking at all common vitamin and mineral levels. I had normal to high levels of everything except vitamin D (like most people with RA and many people in Melbourne, so I’m told).I do find that the RA affects more joints than just in my shoulders and hands now. Maybe my immune system is more effective now, maybe it’s just the progression of the disease (my rheumatoid count was close to 600 when I last had it checked). I’m suspecting that I may also be sensitive to gluten, so I try to avoid it. Soy could also be a problem, so I limit my intake of it.In the past 8 months, I’ve been able to return to work and I have more energy than anyone else there. Even on the train home, when everyone else is drooping and looking tired and sick, I feel awake and alert. I’ve also started playing guitar again – which I had to stop due to the pain many years ago.This website has helped change my life and save me from the suffering and hopelessness that comes with a chronic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis. I will never stray from a plant based diet now, and I’m starting to support the animal welfare and environmental aspects of veganism too – it seems like the right thing to do for so many ethical reasons.Thank you so much, Dr. Greger!zappso, What an amazing story! Every time I read a story like that, I feel proud to be a supporter of NutritionFacts. Thanks for sharing and I hope you have many happy, pain-free years into the future.I love that gut microbes can be changed so quickly so people can start to see relief if they try changing to a healthier diet. However, it works both ways. A friend send me a link to this blog post yesterday about a guy and his son who tracked the son eating fast food for 10 days. Pretty interesting. Mark G.http://qz.com/402918/i-made-my-son-eat-nothing-but-mcdonalds-for-ten-days-to-prove-what-fast-food-does-to-your-gut/That was one awesome experiment!!Another eye opening amazing video Dr G. This one especially hit close to home. My mother suffered from debilitating and painful RA for years. She had both hips and both knees replaced and was on several powerful meds including painkillers for it. If only this site was around 15 years ago, she might still be with us today. I try to tell everyone who will listen about the power of a WFPD. Most won’t even consider it… You know the old saying…”you can lead a horse to water:.”A high-fat plant based vegan diet might prevent the benefits from occurring, wouldn’t you think? Doesn’t high fat coconut oil, palm oil, and excess polyunsaturated fats and free oils cause inflammation?They surely could! Especially considering most oils are rancid anyway. Of course deep frying may be dangerous. Olive oil may not be as bad as animal fat, but nuts and avocados are much better than concentrated fat like oil, even coconut oil.Can Sjogren’s syndrome be helped with a plant based diet? Do you have a video that relates to this subject?Good question! Since Sjogren’s syndrome often accompanies other immune system disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, perhaps a diet for RA could be helpful for Sjogren’s? Nutrient intake is altered in Sjögren’s syndrome/a> and could be addressed. Some research suggests omega-3 fats may play a role helping to reduce dry eyes. Here is one case study on a women who reduced inflammation and began normal menses with an elimination diet. She eliminated gluten, beef, eggs, dairy products, nightshade vegetables, refined sugars, and citrus fruit for 4 months. The authors conclude “restoration of normal menses was caused by reduced inflammation in the ovarian tissue and supports the hypothesis that the gut immune system can influence autoimmune disease and inflammation.” I would consider avoiding cow’s milk, as there has been a link to milk sensitivity in those with the syndrome and maybe even gluten. So yes, following a diet for RA may be very beneficial for Sjogren’s. At least I hope it is, as I know how frustrating auto-immune diseases can be. Best of luck and let me know if anything helps?Please spread the word to other health care providers about showing Nutrition Facts videos in patient rooms – or any other way to get the message across. I am getting fed up with doctors always pushing medication.Pushing medication, pushing surgery, pushing expensive useless tests & scaring patients by exaggerating consequences of inaction to milk patience and their insurance companies dry.Doctor: I’m, like Stewart, is so happy to hear that you take an effort to educate your patients. Most doctors don’t do that simply because it’s not good for their pocketbooks. The more ignorant the patients are, the richer the doctor is. Here’s a book i’m reading now, written by another maverick, about the current status of medical practice in the US , unless you’ve already read it: Unaccountable by Marty Makary, MDFrom my experience, that’s no longer the case. Perhaps years ago when the drug companies were giving generous “donations”. That’s all been done away with. I think the real reason for the emphasis on drugs is that is how they are taught. They don’t know any better.If urinary tract infections can be a step in the RA process and UTI infections in women can be initiated through the route described in the video, I would hypothesize that scrupulous hygiene down there might also produce positive results. Seems like an obvious thing to test.I find it interesting that the vegan diet lasted for 3.5 months, but the second data point is at 4 months. If I weren’t the trusting sort, I’d think that was to allow 2 weeks for milk to do its damage…The part about Rheumatoid heart disease and strep got me thinking about maybe helping people prevent it with a plant based diet as well, being that the immune system is stronger and infections from strep less likely… cant find anything under the health topics. And how about healing the damaged heart with the vegan diet? We have a sister who has the disease and is scheduled for surgery. It looks like the diet change we recommended her is improving her so much that the surgery may not be necessary.Not sure about strep, but an interesting take. You’ll definitely want to check out Dr. Esselstyn’s work, if you have not already. He published research showing how a plant-based diet can be A way to reverse CAD. Meat can cause inflammation and saturated fat appears to have other deleterious effects such as increasing the risk of heart disease. “A nutritionally poor dietary pattern, characterized by a high meat and alcohol consumption and low micronutrients intake is related to an increased stiffening of large arteries.” Other foods that may help arterial stiffness are turmeric and coffee. I’ll took more into strep. Thanks, Cole! Glad to hear the surgery may not be necessary.Let me throw in a couple of recent journal articles:“A Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet Reversed Angina without Medications or Procedures” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4338379/“A Plant-Based Diet, Atherogenesis, and Coronary Artery Disease Prevention” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4315380/Does staying on the lower range of the healthy BMI scale help to reduce RA issues? Does eliminating fat stores in general allow our bodies to heal more easily? To the extreme, does fasting also help with RA pain?I saw quickly at the end of the presentation in addition to diet, that anti- Proteus antibiotics were mentioned, but I agree that diet alone should be tried first as the antibiotics in addition to killing Proteus, may also harm symbiotic bacteria. As an MD, I saw lots of Proteus Mirabilis in urine and elsewhere. How about the pain of osteoarthritis?Here’s a recent journal article, “Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Diet Alleviates the Symptoms of Osteoarthritis”: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4359818/This is great! The only side effects I know of – when we are talking WFPD – are reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and so on. The standard treatment of rheumatoid arthritis are DMARD – disease modifying antirheumatic drugs – sounds great, but it is terrible when there are alternatives. DMARD include methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, sulfasalazine, cyclosporine, leflunomide, azathioprine. Side effects include hypertension, hyperlipidemia, renal effects, fatigue, vomiting, gastro-duodenal ulcers, hepatic involvement, leukopenia, hyperglycemia, muscle cramps, myalgia, convulsions, anemia, thrombocytopenia, encephalopathy, confusion, insomnia, allergic skin reactions, pancreatitis just to name a few…. and this is approved by the authorities…. I prefer broccoli.So should one consider a regiment of Cephalexin or other antibiotic to treat Proteus mirabilis?Too much effort involved.Plain plant based yogurt and some favorite spices make a great quick dressing, with a squirt of citrus, vinegar or whatever else you might prefer to thin it. I make my own nut/rice/oat whatever based yogurt which doesn’t thicken much when you culture it, as an easy base for dressings and sauces, but thick or thin, a fork and some herbs/spices = a nice creamy, quick, healthy option to pour over whatever!All great ideas but all that takes too much effort on top of everything else. And believe me, I’ve tried. Also, I’ve found that the best dressing is balsamic vinegar however in the US I had never seen what this product really is like in its authentic form. What we get here in the US cannot compare to real balsamic. 12 year aged? That’s the real balsamic. Forget the stuff we have. (I only got to know this by living next to an old world market in Montreal.)Tobias: FYI, you *can* get the real thing in America if you know where to look. It’s not generally in the main grocery stores, but I have found it. I’m currently enjoying a basalmic vinegar that was aged 18 years in a wooden barrel. You are right, it is not even close to what is normally sold as “balsamic” vinegar. It’s pretty amazing stuff. And terribly expensive.Thea: Can you please tell us what the brand is and where to buy it at? Thanksguest: The brand I have been using is called Gianni’s. I bought my bottles at a local specialty high-end kitchen store. I’ve never seen the good stuff in actual grocery stores, even the health food kind. But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t have better luck than me.The store that I got mine from recently went out of business. But Gianni’s does sell on-line. Here is their website: https://www.giannisfinefoods.com/store/item_view.php?id=21&item=traditional-balsamicWord of warning: I paid over $20 for the bottle I bought. These bottles have been re-sized and are now smaller and cheaper. But something about the way the website is not telling you how many years the stuff has been aged makes me wonder if they did more than just resize/repackage. Maybe the contents are not as good? I don’t think I’d buy it anymore without a clear indication of the number of years it has been aging and ingredient list.Dr. Esselstyn had a favorite on-line company for buying fancy, real balsamic vinegars. I don’t have that link at my findertips, but I had looked it up in the past and it looked legit. It wasn’t aged quite as long as the Gianni’s I had bought, but it still looked like it was probably pretty authentic. (Don’t know. Just guessing.)Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.There is a store named Gustare in Wellesley, MA that sells delicious aged balsamic. They will ship.Tobias I just use a squeeze of lemon. No trouble there.This is not for raw vegetables but sprinkling roasted sesame seeds (which you can buy from Asian food stores) on steamed but still crunchy green beans or leafy greens with a squirt of lemon and few drops of soy sauce is an option. usually sesame oil is used too but it is not too bad without it. It can be kept in a glass bottle for about a week.WFPB to the rescue! (once again).I’ve been RA patient for past 23 years and been vegetarian for 18 years, I just would like to know what diet should I follow exactly being a vegan, if anybody can help me with that please.There is no diet. It’s a way of eating/living. I put together my eating plans from study of the 8 years of videos and articles found here. It’s not vegetarian, it’s WFPB-no oils, no added sweeteners. Make that minimal use of sweeteners. I use molasses now and then in small amounts. There is a world of JUNK “vegetarian” food out there that will do very little to promote health. Run from anything “enriched” or “fortified” too. I made the transition one meal at a time, then a day-then two (I started feeling better after only 2 days) then a week and I still eat “flex” meals/treats on the weekend/holiday. But I’m cutting those down considerably as they always, _always_ spike my weight and it takes 2 days or so to get back on track. Eating this way eliminated my need for Saw Palmetto to keep my prostate happy. The only “supplementary” thing I add is fresh ground flax seed. I try to get 1 to 2 tablespoons of that in my meals (or straight-with a chaser) every day. And I’ve dropped 15 pounds despite NEVER counting calories, Never being hungry, and eating 4 and 5 times every day–and drinking a few beers too. WFPB rules.Hi Kamal B. Dr. Greger has a video on the Swank diet that you may find useful. Thanks for your note.You are the man!!!! I refer to your work all the time, and you outdid yourself this time. It is remarkable how much knowledge is out there that fills the gaps in our knowledge. Thank you for being so diligent in your process. I am writing a book and I refer to your work, Dr. Colin Campbell, and Dr. Sebi. You three have brought me so much clarity on my plant-based diet journey. Thank you!!!This is very exciting! I eat a vegan diet and have for years, but have RA.Can you tell us which foods are anti-Proteus? PLEASE?Barb you want to make sure you are eating a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet. Dietary lignans are found in all unprocessed plants. The more plants you eat the better. All plants contain them.Wow, I didn´t even know about this bacteria in the urinary tract, but I´ve changed 95% to vegetarian diet and yes, I´ve been feeling much better!!! NOW I KNOW WHY!!! fabulous! I want to hear more about this krippling maladie. It´s been a nightmare, but in my old days (66) I feel so much better tan in the beginning!!! Seldom a pain.I’ve been lucky enough never to contract urinary-tract infection but did get the beginning of arthritis in my hands one year. Without knowing that Plant based whole food also helped to reduce this type of pain, I switched from being a vegetarian to vegan and then to whole food plant based vegan when I found Nutritionfacts.org. After about a few weeks the pain in my hands/fingers literally faded away. I probably changed my diet just in time, as I realise it is not that simple to reverse it at a later stage. The prospect of not being able to write , get dressed , do gardening, Art and even driving was a real wake up call. It must be quite depressing to lose one’s ability to do these things. It’s time consuming to plan for good vegan (plant based whole food ) meals every day , but now I consider it as a long-term investment.It’s seems a comon factor in the auto inmune deseace.. Some animal proteins and the sinmilitude with our pun cells. What about multiple sclerosis that affect much more women than men and also more Caucasic people in general. I mean why more women? It is any study explaining wy that? This video on artritic reumatoid just rice to me that question . Thank you!Kinda off topic but a must see. The Trouble With Chicken http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/trouble-with-chicken/And that link has Chasing Outbreaks. Excellent short video.Proteus is a bug that is commonly taught about in med school micro classes these days. Very interesting to hear about the connection between it and Rheumatoid Arthritis; never had heard about that before. I’ll bring it up and impress my attending next week!Dr. HD, so glad you are progressive and knowledgeable about this. I mention a lot of the facts I learn about here to my attendings on the wards and they look at me like I have two heads. It’s really sad how most M.D.’s are clueless about nutrition. I should also add most of classmates are too. I mention I’m a vegan to them and they can’t understand why even though the best argument to do so stares at them multiple times in the face looking at all the obese sick patients we see every day. I even said that the other day during call when everyone else ordered in burgers and fries and I kept to my pea protein shake. They all just laughed it off and said they’d worry about the consequences in 30 years. SMH, and these are medical students!I wonder if there is a similar mechanism behind interstitial cystitis?That’s a good point. It may be, as inflammation is inflammation. Some studies suggest diet therapy plays a role. Other research describes diet and its role in interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.Dear Dr Greger Congratulations on the excellent service you and team provide. As a person with severe rheumatoid arthritis living in Sydney Australia I have followed your site for some time. This particular video and reference set – why do plant based diets help rheumatoid arthritis – is an excellent summary and very useful. I am on a biologic drug and have yet to build the courage to cease it and test the strength of my diet. Both, however, work pretty well although I am unable to work full time. Great work! MikeI found the site informative and refreshing. I would like to add some additional info to complement your work: the public isn’t aware of the fact that we are probably doing a major injustice to ourselves by relying on the current food supply. Each year billions of gallons of used cooking oil (UCO) i.e. from restaurants, are collected, cleaned and sold as an animal feed additive. This process was stopped in Europe in 2004 where it has to be used as a bio-fuel. Our ‘animal proteins’ are being tinted with various impurities that aren’t taken out of the UCO. Once again big business; they (use to) charge for the pick up and then sell it to the food industry.I hope this is the right place to ask a question as I can’t find any place else to post. I’ve been strictly eating a whole food plant base diet for a bit over 3 yrs. about a year ago I began having serious joint inflamation and pain. I’ve tried eliminating night shade vegatables, gluten, and quite a few other foods which has had little effect. I’m taking acetaminophen, N-acetylcysteine, ibuprofen, and turmeric curcumin capsules jut to get some relief from the pain. With that bit of background given, my question is: should I be checked for the bacteria which you mention in the video on plant base diets and rheumatoid arthritis?Hey Paul. How frustrating being in all that pain! I am not sure what’s going on, but I suggest asking your doctor about additional tests that could be performed. You may also try eliminating citrus (even citric acid found in many packaged foods), apples, bananas, any foods with sulfites (wine and dried fruit) and even plant-milks with additives (carrageenan). This study I was a part of discusses our elimination diet methods. See it it helps? And again, check with your doctor about additional tests. I do hope you find some relief.Warm wishes, JosephExcellent video. To my knowledge, to help treat UTI: multi-strain potent probiotics (e.g. fermented vegetables), d-mannose supplement, pure cranberry juice/powder supplement, drinking plenty of water. Also good hygiene down below!To my knowledge, to help treat rheumatoid arthritis: reduce pro-inflammatory food (e.g. meat, dairy), increase anti-inflammatory foods (e.g. WFPBD), probiotics and digestive enzymes, mild joint exercise, supplementation with VitD, curcumin, omega 3 (e.g. flax), VitC. Many links to clinical studies found here: http://www.arthritisprotocol.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/references.htmlI recently watched this video and looked up one of the studies referenced in PubMed called “Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by a Proteus urinary tract infection”. I was so impressed I printed the abstract and gave it to my wife who coincidentally had an appointment with a rheumatologist. Her family physician advised her to see one as she is experiencing early symptoms in her hands and feet for just over a year now. To my surprise the specialist discarded the study and did not give it any importance or attention. She even questioned the source of the study and authenticity saying she was not familiar with it and would not even read it!I was very disappointed to say the least. I was hoping the specialist would have be more open-minded and would have consider possible testing to confirm/deny the possibility. I guess this specialist is set in her ways of diagnosing and treating RA using traditional methods.I’m wondering why this study was not acknowledged or recognized by this specialist. Has anyone else have a similar experience? I’m wondering what we should do next.	arthritis,autoimmune diseases,bile acids,C-reactive protein,cancer,cardiovascular health,gut flora,heart health,immune function,joint disease,joint health,lignans,pain,plant-based diet,Proteus mirabilis,rheumatoid arthritis,urinary tract infections,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	Rheumatoid arthritis may be triggered by autoimmune friendly fire against a urinary tract infection bacteria called Proteus mirabilis, which could help explain why sufferers randomized to a plant-based diet experience such remarkable benefit.	I have to admit I had never even heard of Proteus mirabilis. That’s why I love doing this work—I learn as much as you do!I explored another unconventional theory as to why plant-based diets are so successful in treating inflammatory arthritis in Potassium and Autoimmune Disease.There’s another foodborne bacteria implicated in human disease, the EXPEC in chicken leading to urinary tract infections—another game-changer: Avoiding Chicken To Avoid Bladder Infections.This reminds me of the Neu5Gc story (The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc), that mystery pig brain disease (Eating Outside Our Kingdom) and the crazy tick bite meat allergies thing (Alpha Gal and the Lone Star Tick).Lots more videos coming up on the role our gut flora play in health and disease—stay tuned!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urinary-tract-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/proteus-mirabilis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/c-reactive-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lignans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11099935,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10479237,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7748020,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3027456,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16455580,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16603443,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10342649,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23072761,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1482187,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23992372,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16311631,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19482674,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17206398,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15103230,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8019792,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9117178,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9566667,
PLAIN-2446	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-with-diet/	How to Prevent Kidney Stones With Diet	This is what the surface of a kidney stone looks like under a microscope. Imagine that scraping down your urinary canal. Kidney stones affect approximately 1 in 11 people in the United States, though 20 years ago it was only 1 in 20, a dramatic increase in the prevalence of the disease that started going up after World War II. Our first clue as to why was published in the 70’s, a striking relationship was found between stone incidence and the consumption of animal protein. But this was a population study, though—you can’t prove cause and effect. So next, researchers in Britain did an interventional study, added animal protein to their diet, like an extra can of tuna fish to their daily diet and measured stone-forming risk factors in their urine: how much calcium they were peeing out, the concentration of oxalate and uric acid in their urine before, and after the extra tuna. Their overall probability of forming stones increased 250% during those days they were eating that extra fish. And that so-called high animal protein diet? That was just enough to bring intake up to that of the average American. So the average American intake of meat markedly increases risk of kidney stones.So what about no meat? Well even by the late 70’s we knew that the only dietary factor consistently associated with kidney stones was animal protein. And not just getting your first kidney stone. The higher the intake of animal protein, the more likely the individual is to have multiple stones rather than just have a single stone episode. Not protein in general, it seems, but specifically high in animal protein. Conversely, a diet low in animal protein may reduce the overall probability of forming stones to become very low indeed, which may explain the apparently low incidence of stones in vegetarian societies, so it may be worthwhile advocating a more vegetarian form of diet as a means of reducing the risk.But it wasn’t until 2014 when actual vegetarians were studied in detail. Using hospital admissions data, they found that vegetarians were indeed at a lower risk of being hospitalized for kidney stones compared to those that ate meat, and among meat-eaters, increasing meat intake is associated with a higher risk of developing kidney stones, whereas, a high intake of fresh fruit, fiber and magnesium may reduce the risk. We can use this information to advise the public about prevention of kidney stone formation.What advice should we give in terms of which animal protein is the worst? Despite compelling evidence that excessive animal protein consumption enhances the risk of stone formation, the effect of different sources of animal protein had not been explored until this study was published in 2014. People who form kidney stones are commonly advised to restrict the intake of red meat to decrease stone risk, but what about chicken and fish? We didn’t know until now. Salmon and cod were compared to chicken breast meat, and burger and steak. They found that gram for gram fish may actually be worse, in terms of uric acid production. However, the overall effects are complex. Basically, stone formers should be counseled to limit the intake of all animal proteins, and not just a little bit. Only those who markedly decrease their animal protein intake may expect to benefit from dietary recommendations.	How about chicken eggs?Should be counted as animal protein like dairy~This study suggests eggs have a higher renal acid load, which may not make eggs the best choice for kidney stone prevention.How much protein can I eat to reduce proteinuria? I am type 2 diabetic.Just keep it plant-based and eat enough calories to have the energy you want everything just works itself out. Plants contain the perfect blend of protein, carbs and fats – optimal nutrition for humansI am not sure if there is range of protein specific for proteinuria. I think the main goal is to control blood sugars and avoid the complications of diabetes to the best extent possible. Doing that can mean changing diet, lifestyle, and looking into medications that your doctor feels are right. if you don’t need medication than even better. The typical protein recommendations are 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. This can vary based on many factors so I don’t want to give an exact amount. A certified diabetes educator (CDE) could really help create an individual plan. If seeing a CDE is not an option, check out some of our resources on type 2 diabetes and share with your doctor to find a diet right for you. I have seen how diet can dramatically lower blood sugars in type 2 diabetics, and also help those who are overweight lose weight. From the research I was a part of with Dr. Barnard, study participants received either a low-fat vegan diet or a typical diet for diabetes and found significant changes in weight loss and insulin levels. Dr. Greger presents the study in this video. The protein consumed in this dietary intervention was on the low end, maybe 50-60 grams of protein per day. Rather than focus on protein I suggest thinking about food low in the glycemic index (berries, oats, barely, beans, vegetables), and a varied diet with tons of plant foods, herbs and spices!Thanks I have a fasting glucose of 140 to 155 every morning. I am normal weight of 165 lbs at 9 feet tall. I was diagnosed at BG of 552, but got it down to 120 in 3 months. Now it is going up again. I try to keep my carbs down, and take a lot of vitamins. I stopped taking Metformen brcause of the side effets of diareaha and raised liver ensymes. I am taking no medications at all. I do not excercise, and that may be my main problem.9 feet tall?! Please tell me typo ;-)Keep up the good work. Talk to your doctor about supplements, and yes any type of movement is a good thing, don’t think of it as “exercise” just get out there and move to whatever you like to do. Seems like a dramatic lowering of BG! If you want any more suggestions, books, recipes, etc let us know!I meant 5’9″. sorry.10-4. Dang, you were almost recruited for the NutritionFacts basketball team ;-) Best to you!lol. Thanks Doc.Why would you try to keep your carbs down (unless they are refined sugars..)? People have good results treating both types of diabetes and most of other dis-eases with high carb, low fat and low protein diets. Just take small steps and control results and try to gradually rebuild kidneys. But the lower the protein intake the better. Higher protein intake increases the risk of kidney failure and that is not the only risk increased protein intake will bring (nuts and seeds also included). Lack of protein is possible only if you starve. And even regular fasting is showing great health results for most of the people. So dont worry, eat whole carbs and eat kidney rebuilders (fresh juicy fruits, melons, berries, parsley, tomatoes, …) as much as you can.If I want blood sugar to spike, I’ll eat all of the above. Thanks for your concern, but my glucose meter reads differently. My blood glucose on very low carbs this morning was 168. It should be below 110.I just want to make sure you know that carbs from whole foods are not the reason why one gets diabetes. I wish you get well soon.Thanks. I haven’t eaten refined carbs and sugar for years. I think my blood sugar problems are that I am to sedentary, and lazy to exercise. Plus the dawn effect of my fasting blood sugar is caused by my liver dumping glucose into my bloodstream as a method of waking me up in the morning.My dad had a major operation for kidney stones 35 years ago, but thankfully hasn’t had one since. Come to think of it, he did reduce his animal protein intake about 3 years after the operation; maybe that’s what has prevented further stone formation.More like certainly. :DI’ve heard mineral waters high in calcium might be an issue. True?Calcium can bind to oxalates and form calcium-oxalate stones – a very common form of kidney stone. Never heard of water being a concern. Water is apparently one of the best things to help reduce stone formation. Dr. Greger touches on this here and on oxalates here.Dr. Gonzales, it appears the first link in the paragraph above, is broken, and the page reads “Error 404: Page not found.”Fixed ! Sorry about that.Nice video! Is it really that some types of water has some effect on kidney stone formation?Yes. Please see below I had to double check. It seems mineral water can affect stone formation, but not in a negative way. One study did find “the risk of uric acid precipitation also decreased significantly under bicarbonate water intake. However, an increase of the risk of calcium phosphate stone formation was observed in patients with multiepisodic CaOx-urolithiasis” however they conclude that bicarbonate water can be recommended for helping calcium oxalate and uric acid urinary stones. Another study on mineral water found positive results and changes in pH, however the level of urinary oxalate excretion did not go down. It may have something to do with diet. Water in general seems to be helpful rather than harmful. Hope these sources help! Thanks for watching the video.This video doesn’t say a word about oxalates, the intake of which can be hugely increased with a vegetarian or vegan diet that has too many of the wrong vegetables. Want to all but guarantee a kidney stone? Have a spinach smoothie every day. Too many people switch to a veggie diet and find themselves with a stone because they inadvertently began to emphasize high-oxalate vegetables.Questions are:1. what poses the greatest risk of developing a kidney stone; animal protein intake or vegetables high in oxalates?2. And does the consumption of vegetable foods rich in oxalates increase the risk of forming kidney stones when the individual regularly consumes or has regularly consumed in the past animal protein?Is it high-oxalate vegetables AND animal protein? I believe I got my kidney stones by not eating high-oxalate vegetables, but by eating a lot of animal products.I was a vegetarian for 25 years and had switched the emphasis to fewer grains and more of what I thought of as healthy “super veggies” like sweet potatoes. I ended up with severe hyperoxaluria and a 7mm stone.By vegetarian do you mean you also ate dairy or fish?Vegetarians don’t eat fish. Occasional dairy. But by not eating enough high calcium foods I had no calcium to bind with the oxalates in my gut so they could be eliminated rather than absorbed…I may have been better off with some regular dairy. Part of my treatment has been calcium citrate supplements. I would rather get nutrients from food but I was unable to maintain daily dairy…it upsets my stomach.There are lots of ways to be _unhealthy_ as a “vegetarian”. More details are necessary for us to make any sense out of what you were eating.Wade, it was a whole foods diet with virtually no manufactured ingestibles. To give you some idea, breakfast was (and still is) a bowl of homemade vegetable soup. I am the last person who needs a lecture on healthy vs. unhealthy vegetarianism.No lecture intended, I only ask for clarification as it is impossible to know what other persons are thinking. Was only trying to help. So many folks drift into this forum fresh and new and are just beginning to unlearn what society and corporations have beaten into their heads. As pointed out by Dr. Greger in a youtube video (WRT the untimely death of a long-time vegan) and also by Dr. Pam Popper: The data pool for veganism is polluted by those who are vegan for ethical reasons rather than health. Hope you never have another stone. Namaste.Ouch! Please don’t use the word “polluted” in the same sentence as those of us who are ethical vegans wade.. :-/ I know what you’re inferring but that’s a pretty offensive way of putting it, though I hope you don’t mean it like it appears here. Vegans are Vegans. Ethics are intrinsically bound to that term. Veganism is not a diet. Vegans who are only interested in their own health are plant based.Okay, no problem. Thanks for helping me learn, I didn’t/don’t mean to be offensive.I edited to maybe a less offensive way of putting it? Please review. Thanks for helping me be somewhat less offensive. Not always easy, but never intentional.I think the bottom line for me is that a person can be eating what appears to be a stellar diet and still have a 7mm stone that takes two surgeries to dig out. I was, for instance, eating a sweet potato every day which hugely increased my oxalate intake.Again – I eat lots of sweet potatoes and have never had a problem with stones. Some days i may eat 2 or 3. Some days none. But from harvest to early spring when i usually run out of the ones a grow i eat plenty. And some after that, that i get from the store.Yes, hopefully this is the focus. Most of the community here is already vegan, and plant based. I’d like to see the focus on what plant foods are the biggest offenders for us, as a causative factor in kidney stone formation. I already abstain from the meat, and most here do as well, but I and others often liberally eat high oxalate fruits and greens and beens, and other plant foods. Please, Dr. G, spend more time on this. We (most of us) are already free of the meat.My own doctor mentioned nothing about cutting back on animal protein after my last bout with kidney stones. Rather, I was given a list of high oxylate foods to avoid or limit, most of which are typically considered healthy vegetarian staples such as: most nuts, many beans and greens, sweet potatoes, soy, and so on. These lists can be found by doing a quick internet search for high (or low) oxylate foods. I also would like to hear from Dr. Gregor about what a plant-based diet designed to limit kidney stone formation would look like. This would likely also be applicable to other kidney health issues as it seems that many usually healthy plant-based choices are restricted when dealing with kidney problems.HI Greg. I posted a lot of information in this thread (as well as Dr. Greger himself) that may help. Please see our comments above and click the links for Dr. Greger’s videos about oxalates.Jump on Twitter, @fruiteddragon. I’ve posted a diet plan that I eat – based on studying Dr. G’s videos for a year. It contains the HEALTHIEST and most life-promoting foods.According to Dr. Greger the latest science says a whole food plant based diet, including the veggies you list to avoid, do not promote kidney stone growth. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-kidney-stones-with-diet/Agreed! Please see more of my comments, and Dr. Greger’s in this thread. Lots of info!I thought my vegan diet of 30 years betrayed me when I developed a calcium oxalate stone 2 years ago. With the help of Jack Norris, RD.(link below), I learned that vegans don’t get stones any more so than the general public. Further investigation with Jack revealed that my gut may be devoid of a particular good bacteria (oxalobacter formigenes) that most people have in their guts to eat up oxalates; therefore, when I ate extremely high oxalate foods such as spinach, quinoa, chocolate, sweet potatoes, etc., my body formed a stone. I was enlightened when I read a study (link below) at Wake Forest University which found that overuse of certain antibiotics wiped out ox form. When I was a teenager, I was put on tetracycline for 4 consecutive years, and tetracycline is one of the antibiotics cited. Unfortunately, there is currently no probiotic on the market that simulates ox form. although as noted in Jack’s article (link below), one is in process. I joined a (free) yahoo group called Trying Low Oxalates (link below) which tested oxalate levels in over 1600 foods. It was a huge adjustment for me to eat both vegan and low oxalate, and I lost 8 lbs. the first month (I now eat vegan-moderate oxalates). But I was determined 1) to remain vegan, and 2) to never get another stone. I increased my water/fluids intake to 2 quarts/day, which is a challenge. Lemon juice, as mentioned by others, is a stone-buster as is OJ (link below), but I prefer not to have the added sugar. Below are some excellent references that were, and continue to be life-savers for me, including a link to joining the Trying Low Oxalate group which will enable you to access the most up-to-date food oxalate list, and access to their facebook..http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/oxalatehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3569510/http://www.lowoxalate.info/research.htmlhttp://lowoxalateinfo.com/top-ten-reasons-to-join-the-trying-low-oxalates-yahoo-group/http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/1/6/1269.fullMindy: It sounds like you totally figured it out for yourself and were still able to remain true to your values. I think this post will help a lot of people. Great post. Thanks!Hello Alice: Watching the video, I was wondering the same thing. I had kidney stones about 20 years ago soon after I stopped consuming milk products and, to replace the missing calcium, foolishly started taking calcium supplements in the form of calcium carbonate. Later I switched to calcium citrate and haven’t had any stones since. Anyway, I see conflicting information regarding the effect of oxalates naturally occurring in plant foods. I’ve seen reports saying that they have no effect on kidney stones; others say that they contribute to kidney stones. Perhaps this is a good topic for Dr. Greger to address in a future video. Are dietary oxalates a significant risk factor in kidney stone formation?Hi, Robert. Luckily Dr. Greger came out of the woodworks and posted a great study above about oxalates in veggies and the risk of acquiring kidney stones. I added links to his videos above, and below about water and oxalates. See if they are helpful? Thanks for posting this I think it is such an important topic.Sincerely, JosephI’ve got a video coming out soon about that!Reassuringly, a recent study found there was no increased risk of stone formation with higher vegetable intake. In fact, greater intake of fruits and vegetables was associated with a reduced risk independent of other known risk factors, meaning that there may be additional benefits to bulking up on plant foods above and beyond restricting animal foods. [Sorensen MD, Hsi RS, Chi T, et al. Dietary intake of fiber, fruit and vegetables decreases the risk of incident kidney stones in women: a Women’s Health Initiative report. J Urol. 2014;192(6):1694-9.]You can read the full-text of the study here.I was lucky enough to be able to track my progress via Litholink testing and was able to see the dramatic results of dietary changes within the vegetarian category. I went from a 24 hour urine oxalate level of 101 to 29 by making different vegetarian food choices. I think that there are indeed other risk factors such as the health of the oxalobacter formigenes population in the gut, but there isn’t a good way at this time for people to have that information.Thanks Alice. Further down on this thread I commented about oxalates. I’ll put them here, too.Dr. Greger touches on this here and on oxalates here. I also suggest checking out the study that Dr. Greger posted. It seems oxalates are not the only concern and there are many ways to consume plenty of veggies without putting ourselves at risk for a kidney stone. If stone formation is common, Dr. Greger recommends seeing your physician to rule out a variety of hereditary and acquired diseases that can cause up to 20% of calcium-based stones.We changed our morning smoothie from Kale to spinach years ago after following the Fat Sick Nearly Dead Mean Green recipe for several months, several years ago. I kept adding more spinach believing it to be more healthful, but noticed what appeared to be rust in the toilet bowl every day. We reduced the amount of spinach in our diet but still consume it daily. The ‘rust’ went away but have wondered ever since what it was. After reading comments…are we doomed?Only 0.6 to 2.4% of the oxalate in spinach is absorbed, and most calcium oxalate in kidney stones is believed to arise from metabolism of glycine, hydroxyproline, glycolate, hydroxyproline, and vitamin C. Glycine and hydroxyproline are higher in animal proteins (especially collagen), while glycolate and vitamin C are high in some plant foods, but especially (for vitamin C) in vitamin megadosing. See (especially the discussion): Taylor & Curhan 2007. Oxalate intake and the risk for nephrolithiasis.I had spinach smoothies every day for ~6 months or longer. And was eating meat with regularity in those days and lots of fish. So, no it’s not a rule. 48 years Omnivore, never a stone. Now 95%+WFPB, feeling pretty good about my odds of ever experiencing the spiny devils.I used to eat spinach everyday. And some days lots of it. I never had a kidney problem or stones at anytime. I do not eat near as much spinach now as i sort of got tired of it after eating so much for so long. But again i never had a problem. I have read that a person is more likely to have problems with foods high in oxalate acid if they cook them, which i very rarely did. I liked my spinach raw and still do when i do have it.I had a bout of kidney stones about 7 years ago (passing one stone), but annual x-rays still showed 5 4-6 mm stones in each kidney. I went WFPB about two years ago. Last year the doctor said I only had one 3 mm stone. I believe they were dissolved as I certainly would have noticed if I passed them.WFPB?Whole Foods Plant Based = WFPBI wish you could talk to my wife. She eats LOADS of animal products, ESPECIALLY fish, and she had an operation to remove an incredibly painful bunch of stones from her left kidney. Everything in this video matches what I’ve experienced firsthand from her.I’m WFPB now, but she won’t give up her animal product-heavy diet. You’d think kidney stone pain would be enough to convince anybody, but unfortunately that’s not the case.I would have guessed that during a pain attack from kidney stone was the right time to convince a person to become vegan – because that really hurts! Your wife must really love her steaks…..Well, I’ve been WFPB for two years now, but when she had her kidney stones, I didn’t know any of the things I know now, and I was an omnivore along with her. If only I knew then what I know now.Have there been any study data regarding sodium intake on the formation of kidney stone formation? One could imagine that increased sodium intake potentially increase the urine concentration leading to a higher likelihood of stone crystallization.I answered my own question. Check out the following video. It’s pretty interesting. Who would have thought that there were five (5) categories of kidney stones: How Do Kidney Stones Form? How Can We Prevent Them? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd1OgaoHkNkYou are good at that! :-) FYI Dr. Greger does address cutting back on sodium in his post, here. Thanks Joe Caner.Thank you Joseph. Since I have stopped using salt, I have become very sensitive to it. It just amazes me how much salt individuals and eateries will pore over food. On Saturday, a friend of mine who was brought up in south India took me out to an Indian restaurant, and ordered the food. He ordered some street dishes, and as I watched them make the stuff, I saw them poring on various sauces and powders onto the food. I saw the girl the counter dip a white plastic spoon into a bowl of something while and sprinkle a heaping teaspoon of the stuff on one of the dishes. I asked if that was salt which my friend confirmed. I should have declined to eat the food, but I figured I would graciously go along. That turned out to be a mistake. It was tasty enough, but later that evening I had a metallic taste in my mouth and I felt knocked out so I decided to go on a water fast to purge the excess a sodium out of my system. I feel much better now, but I am going to fast another day because I still don’t quite right.How this ties into today’s subject is that my Indian friend gets kidney stones. I am going to refer him to this posting.I have been eating plant-based since Sept. 1990. I passed one in early 2013 a couple of months after surgery. Never had one before or since. I truly believe it was a side-effect of anesthesia. Anyone else have a similar story?Fellow vegans will love this…. I became severely dehydrated 2 summers ago after a week of protesting and leafleting in the Texas heat. I developed kidney stones due to dehydration. An omnivore friend kept insisting it was because I was eating too much protein. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time in the history of the world that a vegan was accused of consuming too much protein! HahaHydration is key! Thanks for sharing your story, Alicia.I have been vegan for over 2 years and I have developed kidney stones. I am eating lots of raw fruits and veggies with spinach daily (since I am allergic to lettuce), and a small amount of nuts. How can I develop kidney stones as a vegan? Now that I have them, how do I dissolve them out naturally with diet? I did not have kidney stones prior to being vegan.Also, I drink lots of water daily about 3 liters of water a day.I’ve read that spinach is very high in oxalates… maybe you are particularly sensitive to oxalates.Also, I’ve seen some claims that drinking lemon juice (sounds pretty tough to me), can help dissolve kidney stones over time. My wife said drinking freshly squeezed lemon juice every morning, followed by water, seemed to help. Best of luck!Could be hereditary. At any rate it doesn’t sound like fun. I am so sorry you have to deal with this. Here is some information that could help. I also suggest reading thru the comments in this thread. Dr. Greger touches on this here and on oxalates here. Check out his Q&A page, as it is filled with information. More on diet and kidney stones and Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric?.Best to you, JosephI was not eating much meat at all, and rarely dairy or eggs, for years – more than seven years – but found I out I had huge stones – many of them – and had to have surgery. For the past several years I had been under extreme job stress, with months of too little sleep and too little exercise, as well as tremendous emotional stress from working in a somewhat abusive, hostile job situation while my husband was also deployed in Afghanistan and my kids were 2000 miles away. I have seen one study linking stress and kidney stones. Since the surgery I have continued to avoid animal products as well as high-oxalates like spinach, and sleeping more, husband is back, refuse to allow the work situation to cause me insomnia anymore, etc…I will be retested for hypercalciuria soon, but I already feel “things” in my left kidney again…One of the citations listed in the 2014 article is from 2001 and it is a similar crossover study substituting animal protein for plant protein and it did NOT show any difference in the excreted markers for stone formation. Anyone able to see what’s wrong with that study? Thanks.I did see something similar from a 2001 study, but not sure the exact one you mention. Feel free to always post a study! I think you bring up a good point. Perhaps that is why looking at a review of the evidence here may be more pertinent. Animal protein has purines and increases uric acid excretion. This review concludes reducing animal protein intake may help, pointing out “the mainstay of therapy is weight loss and urinary alkalinization provided by a more vegetarian diet.” Therefore I feel Dr. Greger is on the right track promoting a more plant-based diet for preventing kidney stones based on the available research.a patient told me about her brother, who was plant based/vegan, but still had terrible kidney stones. I was wondering if he might also have been taking calcium suupplements thinking they were necessary. My biggest question at the moment is about plain non fat yogurt. So many patients are asking if even this amount of dairy is dangerous. I’m really unsure…the casein might be changed by the fermentation; the amount of saturated fat is almost none. I tell folks, if they need to have some animal products still, perhaps this is the least worrisome in terms of health. Do you know of any data about plain non fat yogurt? I know the data on casein from Campbell, but I heard even him state that the fermentation changes the protein, and may make it less carcinogenic. Thanks,Perhaps? I think it’s about quantity. For example, the Harvard School of Public Health talks about obtaining calcium from mainly beans and greens, and to limit milk and dairy products for various reason, including increase prostate cancer and to a lesser extent, ovarian cancer risk. They do not say avoid. Other research helps us identify substances like casein, as you mentioned Dr. Campbell’s work, and how based on this research it seems casein may not be the best choice of protein. Dairy and milk are not necessary in the human diet, but obtaining the nutrients found in these products is important albeit very easy. One potential advantage to avoiding the yogurt is that all dairy products have lactose, which will contain galactose (the sugar found in milk that may be harmful). Dr. Greger mentions the role of galactose in his video Is Milk Good for Our Bones? Yogurt may have a bit less galactose, but it is still there. Milk seems to be the most destructive of the dairy foods, but yogurt and other dairy products like cheese (although the research is mixed), have been associated with increased risk of insulin-like growth factor, which can boost other disease risks.I had two episodes of kidney stones, now over 11 years ago. Both times my stones formed in the summer time, and I was not drinking enough water, plus I had started taking tums for the calcium content. Found out after that the calcium carbonate is a huge factor in stone formation. I now drink half my body weight in ounces of purified water daily (with some lemon, just a squirt, or one slice fresh lemon included), and haven’t have another stone since. Never use tums any more, and I avoid calcium carbonate, including carbonated water drinks, and calcium supplements. I eat meat, all kinds. However, I probably eat a normal amount of meat for my size. I eat nuts, and berries and and everything else that will grow. I have for almost a year now gone off of wheat, rye and barley. But, for 10 years previous I also ate all grains, as a regular diet. Everyone in my family has stones. One brother has lost a kidney to stones. My sister has stones under her tongue, in her kidneys and had so many stone in her gallbladder that it was removed over 20 years ago. Both of them consume soft drinks daily, and they also drink sweet tea. I gave up soft drinks 8 years ago, along with sweet tea and all other drinks with sugar. I drink water, herbal teas, and nut milks, and occasionally raw milk. Many of my friends have regular stone attacks and the common theme among them is they refuse to drink water. One glass of water is considered a lot to them.Yikes! Thanks for sharing. I am glad you found something that works for you. I hope you can get the family some relief, as well.Best of luck! JosephAs a dental hygienist, I have been telling patients this since 1984. That would be *30 YEARS*! YES, additionally, the higher animal protein intake also directly affects tartar buildup on your teeth. I see a direct correlation every day at work. Actually, it’s the high phosphorus content that is the culprit. ATP is a powerhouse of energy, but most people don’t need as much as they eat. http://www.brushforlife.com/fish-has-a-face/I am sorry for the off-topic comment, but I noticed that the FAQs said all questions that were not covered on NutritionFacts could be posted on any topic. I have been diagnosed with SIBO and am following a low FODMAP diet with decent results. I am being told over and over again that I need to cut out grains and start eating bone broth and eat in order to heal. As I am a plant-based eater, I am sincerely hoping that this is not the case. I am already gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free, and am on day 30 of an elimination diet (no alcohol, corn, caffeine, in addition to gluten, dairy, and sugar). I can’t seem to find any information about actually eradicating SIBO and doing so while not eating meat. I have tried Rifaxamin and it did nothing for me. Is there a vegan elemental diet? Any advice, information, book/website recommendations would be greatly, greatly appreciated. Thank you for all you do! I love this website.No apologies necessary you are right, off topic comments are encouraged! Small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO) may be linked to a lactase deficiency. Celiac disease can make SIBO worse. Some research suggestsmalabsorbed fat may increase SIBO in subjects with tropical sprue (TS), which “is a common cause of malabsorption syndrome among adults in tropical countries including India1. TS is diagnosed by specific criteria, which include biochemical tests showing malabsorption of two unrelated substances, abnormal duodenal histology, absence of other causes of malabsorption and persistent response to antibiotics and folate2,3. Pathogenesis of this disease is unknown. Bacterial infection has been proposed to cause this syndrome in view of small bowel bacterial colonization in most patients and overgrowth in a proportion, which responds to antibiotics4. In fact, frequent occurrence of small bowel bacterial colonization, overgrowth and predictable response to treatment with antibiotics might suggest that the name TS or tropical malabsorption is a misnomer4. It should rather be considered as a condition associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and colonization in the tropics in absence of an anatomical cause.” I included that explanation because of the possible link between TS and SIBO.This study shows how gut bacteria can be manipulated to help gut-related diseases. The study is free. It may be the best one I’ve seen on the topic. Hopefully others can weigh-in. More videos on the related topics: Boosting Good Bacteria in the Colon Without Probiotics and The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation.Thank you so much for your reply! I still have hope that I can heal on a plant-based diet!Joseph: As someone who has never heard of SIBO before, I really appreciate that you took the time to explain a little about it in your post. Your post was really helpful to me.Jody: Good luck to you. I know nothing about your condition, but it sounds tough. And it sounds to me that you have a very good chance of being able to do something about it on a plant based diet – or at least that there is no reason to believe that you would be better off on an animal based diet. (Of course, that is coming from someone who knows nothing about it…) Keep us posted. I bet you will figure it out. You sound motivated.Thank you so much, Thea! I really appreciate the kind words.How about your fruit intake? Have you been instructed to cut back on high FODMAP fruits? For me, I think the SIBO issue is more so that I am taking in too much fiber. I think that we all have different gut environments/bacterial compositions, and too much fiber for me (and some others) can actually lead to overgrowth of good bacteria. I find when I go low fiber, way lower for a day or two, I have so much more energy it is amazing. I’ve been told by my GI specialist that this is a result of the opportunistic bacteria (both good and bad baceria in GI tract) having less “food” to feed upon, thus they are becoming weaker and stealing less of my nutrients. It really is a drain, the whole thing, because as a vegan I find it close to impossible to get my calories while cutting back on fiber. And I don’t want to gobble down coconut oil or the fatty calories to avoid this, since fats can also throw off the gut health. But it has been made clear to me that the bacteria are basically stealing my nutrients when I eat. Is this true? I can’t say for sure but like I said, much better energy and SIBO issues the less fiber I take in. Beans seem to be the most draining for me, as well as certain fruits that are either FODMAP, HIGH IN FIBER, or too quick digesting. What’s your experience on fasting? Also, keep in mind that SIBO depletes B12. B12 is fuel for SIBO, I am guessing. And it makes me wonder (this has been my experience) that feeding the gut such high dose B12 supplements might actually make the SIBO issue far worse. We’re adding jet-fuel to these bacteria.Oxalates and Plants per Dr. McDougalOxalates in plants are solidly complexed (usually with calcium) and cannot be absorbed into the body – unless the diet is high in fat. Then the fat forms soap complexes with the calcium and releases the oxalate for absorption and contributes to kidney stones.The following text and these references to oxalate are from my McDougall’s Medicine—A Challenging Second Opinion book:Eating meats also increases the amount of oxalate in the urine. Oxalate is the second mineral component in the most common form of kidney stone in this country. The increase in oxalate may result from an increase in absorption from the intestine or from an increased production of it in the body by way of the metabolic breakdown of certain amino acids present in great amounts in meat proteins.66Even though plant foods, especially green leafy vegetables, are high in oxalates, in a normal person the oxalates are poorly absorbed, because in the intestine almost all of this substance is in the insoluble form of calcium oxalate.67 Fats from meat or any other source will assist the absorption of oxalates by forming so-called “soap complexes” with the calcium found in the calcium oxalate present in foods. When the calcium is combined with fats, the oxalate is freed for absorption.67High concentrations of oxalate in the urine and frequent formation of kidney stones occur in people who have diseases of the small intestine such as Crohn’s disease. This is because of the large amounts of fat present in their intestinal contents caused by malabsorption of dietary fats resulting from their illness. When these patients are placed on a low-fat diet, the amount of oxalate in their urine decreases, and so does the likelihood of their forming kidney stones.6866 Robertson W. The effect of high animal protein intake on the risk of calcium stone-formation in the urinary tract. Clin Sci 57:285, 1979.67) Williams H. Oxalic acid and hyperoxaluric syndromes. Kidney Int 13:410, 1978.68) Andersson H. Fat-reduced diet in the treatment of hyperoxaluria in patients with ileopathy. Gut 15:360, 1974.Dr Gonzales I respect Dr McDougall as much as I do Dr Greger, so this conflicting information about consumption of fats is always a concern to me. I know Dr Fuhrman position is the same as Dr Greger’s, small amount of fat with food helps to increase the uptake of nutrients. Dr McDougall believes it’s too problematic and high fat goods and should be avoided, that we should shoot for 10% fat, which is very hard to achieve unless you eliminate almost all foods that have significant amounts of fat, like nuts or avocados. It would be helpful if you or Dr Greger would please comment on this now or in the future and help clarify this position. If Dr McDougall is right, then it seems like you don’t want to have fats with veggies because it increases the risk of kidney stones, but then you might not uptake nutrients from the foods we eat.As always, thanks! Mark G.Hi Mark. The studies above are from the 70’s. I have not read them in full. Perhaps the research has changed? I think Dr. McDougall focuses on treating very ill populations so perhaps his caution about fat is different for healthy populations? You can always ask him or his team. Dr. Forrester may be able to touch on this, too. Even if fat can boost oxalate absorption the 1974 study used 100 grams of fat per day! That is 900 calories coming from fat, which is a lot. Like 40-45% fat! Diet must be taken into account as a whole. Oh and I am not a doctor I am a registered dietitian, but thanks for the credential boost :) I hope this helps thanks for commenting.Thanks, for those thoughts, they’re very helpful. Putting the fat consumed in context of the entire diet might be part of the issue. I don’t frequent Dr McDougall’s website anymore because I’m more inline with the approach and the website here, so I won’t be asking him. But I asked here because he does recommend a maximum of 10% fat for everyone, period. And he believes in starch based diet and recommends potatoes, which Dr Greger doesn’t find much value in potatoes. The starch/potato difference came up among a few other readers who commented here recently. Maybe there’s a way for Dr Greger to help explain the difference in philosophies, maybe the answer is just in all the studies he reports on or maybe there’s just more that needs to be learned before we’ll know who’s more correct on some points.Also, thanks for clarification on your title. So, is it not correct to address you as Dr. Gonzales? If not, what’s the correct or your preferred title when we address comments to you?Thanks again. Mark G.From what I can tell, Michael Greger is not against anything that is on McDougall’s diet. Here he says that purple potatoes greatly reduce inflammation. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/ Here he says that sweet potatoes have great cancer treatment potential. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/ He may not be as keen on russet potatoes as McDougall is, but he is very positive about sweet and purple potatoes. I don’t think Greger is at all against starches, esp. resistant starches. Here, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/ he states,“It’s generally accepted that carbohydrate fermentation—the fiber and resistant starches that reach our colon—results in beneficial effects for the host because of the generation of short chain fatty acids like butyrate, whereas protein fermentation is considered detrimental for us. Protein fermentation mainly occurs in the lower end of colon, when carbohydrates get depleted and results in the production of potentially toxic metabolites. Perhaps that’s why we see more colorectal cancer and ulcerative colitis lower down, because that’s where the protein is putrefying. The simplest strategy to reduce the degree of potentially harmful compounds by protein fermentation is probably a reduction of dietary protein intake.But, the accumulation of these harmful byproducts of protein metabolism may be attenuated by the fermentation of undigested plant matter. This study showed that if you give people foods containing resistant starch—starch resistant to small intestine digestion so it can feed our good bacteria down in our colon, foods such as cooked beans, peas, lentils, raw oatmeal, and cold pasta—you can block the accumulation of potentially harmful byproducts of protein metabolism. The more starch ended up in the stool, the less ammonia, for example.”He is just a little more positive about fat from whole food plant sources than McDougall is. He is not positive at all about fat from animal sources or processed fats. He is not against any whole plant food source of starch, which is important to McDougall.Daniel, thanks for your thorough reply. It’s a fantastic post. I knew that Dr G likes purple and sweet potatoes (although sweet potato not being a potato), as well as some of the other basic distinctions/agreements between them on starch. I guess my biggest confusion is just on the fats. But regardless, your post is a great reminder and summary of information, especially your easy to understand explanation on protein metabolization, gut fermentation and which foods are best. Thanks, for taking the time to put it together and post it. Beautifully done.BTW, I’ve recently discovered by accident that I could just soak rolled oat with water for a bit and eat them without any discomfort (I just wasn’t sure what would happen). I later learned that it’s really good for one’s health gut biome. I was glad to see you had it on your list. Bananas on the green side (more starch, less sugar) are also supposed to be a great pre-biotic for the gut bacteria.Mark GDr. Greger tends to align himself with the facts as he understands them. He has stated that he has no “position” but to report the information such that we can make our own -informed- decisions. The facts and findings of today may not be correct next week, and he’ll revise his works. Of course he is up against billions of dollars of advertising and influence, so share and learn and be as healthy as you choose.Joseph is fine ;-) Thanks, Mark G!OH. I hadn’t seen this response when I posted above. That also helps to put things into perspective.He also says to avoid vitamin D supplements. Says they are harmful. Thoughts?Many are asking about this, please see me comment here. Thanks!Jeannie: This was super interesting. Thanks for posting this. If true, it explains how someone could eat a plant based diet and still get stones (I originally wrote “stoned” by accident – which is actually funny…) – by having too much fat in addition to the whole plants (or too many whole plants which are primarily fat?). It’s yet one more reason to consider a lower fat diet as healthier compared to higher fat – regardless of where the fat comes from or what type it is. (Assuming I am understanding your post correctly.)I know that I still eat way too much fat. Your post gives me something to think about personally. Thanks!“The number one risk factor for kidney stones is not drinking enough water” ..why is it so difficult to implement something so simple? If we do eat a lot of protein we need more water, we don’t necessarily have to cut back on our protein..simple. Check out Dr Mercola’s article for an alternative viewpoint on this matter http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/06/23/who-knew-preventing-kidney-stones-was-this-easy.aspx he is especially good on the sugar issue, which Dr Gregor did not address. “A diet high in sugar can set you up for stones, since sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body by interfering with calcium and magnesium absorption. Not only does sugar and high fructose corn syrup lead to obesity and diabetes, but also the current over-the-top consumption of these unhealthy sugars by children is a large factor in why children as young as age 5 or 6 are now turning up with kidney stones.”Before going WFPB I used to pass a calcium oxalate stone every few years, not a ritual I was happy about. I consumed a pretty huge volume of water after the first one, which is no doubt beneficial, but didn’t seem to stop them. Moving to FL where our water smells and tastes like sulfur, even “softened” water was putrid, so we opted for an RO system with a higher alkaline PH, which did seem to help for whatever reason, too. I consume plenty of foods with oxalates now, including some wild plants I forage, which may be even higher than market veggies, and all seems well. Hope I didn’t jinx myself!Wow, what an incredible site for health and nutritional information, thanks for sharing!A lot of information at this site on this topic http://veganhealth.org/articles/oxalate. As noted at that link and others places, calcium in the diet can apparently bind oxalate so it passes through without being absorbed. I’ve seen references to putting calcium citrate supplements in green smoothies to tie up the oxalate . . .and also taking vitamin k2 (or if you can stand to eat it, natto) to help assure any extra calcium that is absorbed goes to the bones and not to soft tissues. Would be interested in hearing what Joseph or Dr. Greger or others think of this – is calcium supplementation eaten at the same time as the high oxalate food, and especially with K2 as well, possibly helpful for those of us eating a high oxalate diet as an added precaution?The article below warns about drinking too much Iced Tea, because people normally drink larger quantities of Iced Tea than hot tea, and it contains oxalate. How many cups of hot tea (with unsweetened almond milk)per day is ok to consume ? I’m a Tea drinker and was hoping that 3 – 5 cups per day would be ok. There is no family pattern of forming kidney stones easily.http://www.loyolamedicine.org/transplant/newswire/news/urologist-warns-iced-tea-can-contribute-painful-kidney-stonesThe issue might be the digestibility of the protein source?“At the low end of the spectrum are branched chain amino acids – only 1% of their content is utilized by the body with 99% resulting in waste that your body must then process and eliminate.Whey and soy proteins – only 18% or less of their content is utilized by the body with 83% leaving as waste.Food like meat, fish and poultry fare a bit better with 32% being absorbed and 68% being wasted.Eggs are the winners in the food stakes with 48% being utilized and 52% converted to waste.”Supposedly these essential aminos are 99% digestibile?http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-ultra-ajipure-9-essential-aminos-formula-pharmaceutical-grade-60-veg-capsTaking aminos before bed can increase muscle mass/strength….”Overall muscle strength in the protein-before-bed group was twice that in the placebo group. The same was true for muscle mass. The protein guys had developed almost two times more muscle mass that the placebo group. As for muscle fiber content, the protein group had increased more than twice the amount of type II muscle fiber size than the men taking the placebo.”.Not pushing supplementation per se….just the uric acid and other waste products vs protein source issues.“Whey and soy proteins – only 18% or less of their content is utilized by the body with 83% leaving as waste…” Curious, where did you read that?Coconut water makes kidney stones fly right outta you.Aren’t kidney stones caused by too much calcium and not enough Mg in the diet?How do I get my dad to stop eating meat? I’ve given him this website, individual videos and have shown him joe much energy I have and gown I never ever get sick.FruitedDragon: It sounds like you are being a good role model and that is definitely part of a strategy that can help. I have some additional suggestions for you, but I would also caution the following: No matter how much it hurts to see our loved ones making serious mistakes, you can’t force them to change. And frustratingly, the harder your try, the less likely you are to find success. It is a basic human (mammal?) characteristic to resist pressure.Having said that, you might try cooking some fabulous whole plant food meals for your dad. I think sometimes resistance to healthy eating comes because the person is worried that they won’t get to eat tasty and satisfying food any more. Subtly show that that isn’t true (no need to point it out) by simply preparing lots of good food. Also, you might try using some transition foods, such as fake meats or try soy curls, which may not be 100% healthy, but which can really help people make the transition from omnivore to whole food plant based eating.Along those lines, you could offer to take your dad out to dinner at an all vegan place if there happens to be any where you live (and if you live near your dad). Then you don’t have to convince your dad to pick certain menu items – just to go to that restaurant to begin with. And hopefully the food will be very good and satisfying and be one more bit of convincing.Also, while I think the daily videos on this website are simply awesome, I don’t think a few daily videos will do much to convince someone to change, because they don’t present the bigger picture. For that, you need your dad to watch the movie Forks Over Knives and then throw in the yearly summary videos on this site.It’s unlikely that your dad will want to invest that sort of time. So, you might want to offer some quid pro quo. Has your dad been after you to do something that you haven’t been so excited about doing? (Some chore or help around the house? Going on a date with someone? I don’t know.) Just spending some quality time together? Maybe you could offer an exchange where your dad agrees to watch some full length movies with you and you agree to ____.My belief is that people rarely change in a moment in a vacuum. They may make a decision to change their diet on day X in reaction to news or information Y, but I’m guessing that there were probably many experiences prior to day X which made the person open to information Y (“the straw that broke the camel’s back”) when it came along. If you can provide those little experiences without pressure along the way, you hopefully increase your chances of your dad making such a life change in the future.I hope those ideas helped. Best of luck.just had a veg friend with kidney stones……..it is still a high protein and fat diet plus msg and processed foodsDoes vitamin k2 help prevent stones and calcification of arteries? What are the best sources for k2? According to Dr. mercola k1 to k2 conversing us boot sufficient.web admin: there are both ‘oxalate’ and ‘oxalates’ topics. You probably want just one.What about oxalates in veggies and fruits….Spinach and Strawberry’s are the number ones that can cause stones….i use to eat strawberries allot until i got a kidney stone….I believe that magnesium bicarbonate can also help break down clacium deposits in the soft tissues. You can make it yourself….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMsxcZIXDxc …. Some more info here…. http://magbicarb.com/Looking at the bigger picture, doctors and hospitals don’t like diet solutions because there is no profit in it for. Their profit comes from drugs & surgeries. However Insurance companies benefit from spreading the dietary solution because it cuts their expenses. Vegans should target insurance companies who financially will benefit from dietary solutions to diseases to force Doctors and Hospitals to recommend dietary changes first or not get reimbursed for useless drugs & surgeries.there are many many references to putting a piece of lemon in your smoothie, drinking (fresh) real lemon squeezed into your water, having a significant impact on breaking down Kidney stones, ESPECIALLY in those who eat meat. The makeup and the acidic nature of the lemon itself seems to have an incredible ability to stop Kidney stones, or break them down into less painful rocks in your tube.Hold on! Do not blame the proteins! Have a look at this article from American Society for Clinical Nutrition (© 2008): http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/5/1262.full “Effect of cinnamon and turmeric on urinary oxalate excretion, plasma lipids, and plasma glucose in healthy subjects”The herb Chanca Piedra can be used in treating oxalate stones which form not just in your kidneys but virtually every tissue in your body-OUCH!. Another formula called ‘stonebreaker’ is also available. According the Dr. Andreas Kalcker, these stones are from parasites. Parasites produce oxalates as well as other drug like substances which can cause anxiety, depression, constipation, sugar cravings, etc…….. Parasites are very common, unfortunately parasitology was removed from the medical school curriculum years ago in America so your physician is not aware that this may very well be the cause of your stones, gallbladder and kidney, etc. With more people having indoor pets (you worm them, why not yourself?) We are eating foods from all over the world, and travel to 3rd world countries is more and more common therefore, we are all being exposed. It’s a huge problem.Thank-you very much for this video and all of your other very informative videos! My husband just had a 9mm kidney stone and gets them every 14 months or so. We have been eating alto of wild salmon and cod instead of chicken and red meat thinking it a better choice if we are not vegans.	animal products,animal protein,burgers,calcium,chicken,cod,fiber,fish,fruit,hamburgers,kidney disease,kidney health,kidney stones,magnesium,meat,oxalates,plant-based diets,red meat,salmon,steak,tuna,United Kingdom,uric acid,vegans,vegetarians	Interventional studies support the population data that animal protein consumption appears to markedly increase the risk of kidney stones.	Making our urine more alkaline can help prevent the formation of kidney stones (and even dissolve uric acid stones). How can you tell the pH of your urine? See my video Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple Cabbage. Uric acid can also crystallize in our joints, but the good news is that there are natural treatments. See Gout Treatment with a Cherry on Top and Treating Gout with Cherry Juice.Kidney stones are just one more reason that Plant Protein is Preferable.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cod/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steak/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxalates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-stones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22498635,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10720964,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/534817,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/573189,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24752465,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24518789,
PLAIN-2447	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-the-benefits-of-organic-food-underrated-or-overrated/	Are the Benefits of Organic Food Underrated or Overrated?	Pesticides have been classified as probable carcinogens for 25 years. Different pesticides have been associated with different kinds of cancers through a variety of mechanisms of both genetic damage, directly to our DNA or chromosomes, or epigenetic modification, changing the way our genes are expressed but that’s for like workers who are spraying them. Exposures to pesticide residues that remain on the food are at much lower levels.More recently higher cancer rates have been noted in those that live in areas where they spray a lot, but what about just the food we buy at the store? Organic fruits and vegetables have fewer pesticides but even the levels on conventional produce are generally well below acceptable limits. There is still scientific controversy about the safety of some pesticides even under the limit, given the possible additive effects of the mixture of pesticides we’re exposed to, something that isn’t necessarily taken into account in the pesticide approval process. They also don’t take into account toxic breakdown products like dioxins that can form once pesticides are released into the environment.Cadmium is another issue. In the largest review to date, involving hundreds of studies, not only did organic foods have more antioxidant phytonutrients, but lower concentrations of cadmium. Cadmium is one of three highly toxic heavy metals found in the food supply. It accumulates in the body, and so we should try to keep intake as low as possible. Thus the fact that organic crops only have about half the cadmium is therefore desirable. The cadmium is thought to come from the phosphate fertilizers that are added to conventional crops.Of course not all organic foods are healthy. The organic food industry is now worth tens of billions of dollars. They didn’t get that way just selling carrots. We can now buy pesticide-free potato chips and organic jelly beans. Organic foods aren’t necessarily healthy foods, and in fact can be even worse because people, for example, falsely judge organic Oreo cookies to have fewer calories that conventional Oreos, and so may eat more. Forgoing exercise was deemed more acceptable when the person had just chosen an organic rather than conventional dessert. In fact, leniency toward forgoing exercise was slightly greater after choosing an organic dessert than after eating no dessert at all—organic cookies were viewed as having negative calories. But organic junk food is still junk food.Not only do people tend to overestimate the nutritional benefits of organic foods, they also overestimate the risks of pesticides. People think that as many people die from pesticide residues on conventional food as die in motor vehicle accidents in the United States. Organic food buyers may think eating conventional produce is almost as bad as smoking a pack of cigarettes. That kind of thinking is dangerous because it could potentially lead to a decrease in overall fruit and vegetable consumption.If just half of the U.S. population were to increase fruit and vegetable consumption by a single serving a day, an estimated 20,000 cancer cases might be avoided each year. That’s how powerful produce may be. But because the model was using conventional fruits and veggies the pesticide residues on those extra fruits and vegetables might result in 10 additional cancer cases. So overall, if half of us ate one more serving, we’d just prevent 19,990 cases of cancer a year. Now this was a paper written by scientists-for-hire paid for by the Alliance for Food and Farming, which is a bunch of conventional produce growers, so they probably exaggerated the benefits and minimized the risks, but I think the bottom-line is sound. We get a tremendous benefit from eating conventional fruits and vegetables that far outweighs whatever tiny bump in risk from the pesticides, but hey, why accept any risk at all when you can choose organic—I agree, but we should never let concern about pesticides stop us from stuffing our face with as many fruits and vegetables as possible.	Given the effect on farm workers, it seems like organic is the logical extension of fairtrade principles if nothing else.Yes there are lots of reasons to eat organic: protect farm workers, the environment, wildlife, not to mention ourselves. Of course the pesticides sprayed don’t just stay in one place, either. If dioxins and other toxins are found in the North Pole, you can bet everyone of us are exposed to them right now. Why add to the ever increasing toxin load?Where did you discover that the toxins and dioxins are present in the North Pole?My daughter learned about it in one of her college classes from a professor who studies dioxins. Here’s a quote from an EPA article: ” A major impetus for the Stockholm Convention was the finding of POPs contamination in relatively pristine Arctic regions – thousands of miles from any known source.” http://www2.epa.gov/international-cooperation/persistent-organic-pollutants-global-issue-global-response I also think Dr. Greger may have covered this briefly in one of his videos on toxins.Christian, check this link out…. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2015nl/apr/eskimos.htmI have a feeling that when the general population thinks “pesticides” they think fruits and vegetables. We need to wake up to the fact that almost ALL foods contain pesticides and the toxicity of those found in animal products are by far the worst. My “wake up call” happened 7 years ago while reading the book “What’s Toxic, What’s Not”. Dr. Ginsberg rated mercury, dioxin, PCB’s & persistent pesticides, which are primarily found in animal products, as 8-9.5 (out of 10) toxicity and risk. Modern pesticides that are in fruits and veggies were rated as 5 toxicity and 4 risk.Unfortunately, organic crops don t escape the toxicity of animal products since animal byproducts are commonly incorporated into the soil to grow organic crops and plants can absorb toxics or contaminant from fertilizers used. It is legal to grow organic crops using waste from animal factory farms and there is no testing of these fertilizers or amendments. According to the OCA:“Organic agriculture has a dirty little secret.“Waste from factory farms, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calls them, is being used and marketed as an “organic” fertilizer.“That’s a problem, because factory farm waste is contaminated with hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, disease organisms, heavy metals, and other undesirable substances, including some disease-causing agents, such as e.g. Salmonella and E. coli bacteria, that may survive the composting process.”– See more at: http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16140#sthash.TGs9aDji.dpufGood point. Best to get our produce from local small family farms and grow our own.You can grow your own…but don’t use cheap garden/potting soil mixes…I bought some that was mostly sand with what was likely just enough sewage sludge (human) to met the nitrogen requirements.I gather leaves from trees and compost them over the summer to refresh garden soil.Also I compost all veggie waste…but those peanut shells and advocado shells don’t breakdown very well.Good point! High quality organic soil is a must!One can also support the effort to ban factory farm waste from organic farming.Sign the petition to the National Organic Standards Board being presented by the Organic Consumer Association: http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16140#sthash.TGs9aDji.dpufI agree Julie. Here is what i replied to JohnC The ones i grow in my garden are not grown like that. And i believe that my produce and the produce from other gardeners or small farmers who do not grow theirs like that either and we have healthier food than the big organic producers who sell to the grocery store chains.When growing my food i use worm castings, and two minerals products of the earth that have around 100 minerals in each. Plus i do use an organic fertilize that is made with chicken manure from organically raised chickens.Use of chicken manure to grow food I eat somehow doesn t sound appealing to me. For example, I have heard chickens may harbor cancer-causing viruses (search Nutritionfacts.org site for documentation).The ones i grow in my garden are not grown like that. And i believe that my produce and the produce from other gardeners or small farmers who do not grow theirs like that either and we have healthier food than the big organic producers who sell to the grocery store chains.We are stuck purchasing “big organic” in the winter, but come summer it’s our garden, our neighbor’s organic garden, the farmer’s market and a local farm stand. Sometimes it gets crazy trying to figure out what to buy where.I understand Julie. I grow a lot of my wife’s and my own food. We can and freeze. Also i grow white potatoes and store them in the pump house. I had then up until the first week in April and they were still in good shape. I grow sweet potatoes and put them in a closet. I grow winter squash and put them under the bed, They keep good also. I also have two green houses that i do not heat, but in the fall i grow Spinach, lettuce, beets and other cold weather crops in it and they keep well most of the winter. Carrots do real good in there. The key is to get the veggies started and up good before the days get under 10 hrs of sunlight. Eliot Coleman has 2 books that are a must read for any organic grower. One is ” Four Season Harvest” and the other is the “Winter Harvest Handbook.”Thanks, I’ll look into the books you recommend.IMO, the local small farms will be better than the large scale corporate “organic” factory farm since who knows what large scale corporate farmers are doing. Some might be spraying raw animal sewage sludge from CAFO’s directly onto crops and calling it organic (that would be legal under present rules as long as they waited long enough before harvesting).However, small local organic farmer (that one might find at farmer’s markets) might be using commercially available OMRI approved fertilizers/amendment containing CAFO-derived animal byproducts. My experience with “local” organic small farmers has not been reassuring to me. One local “organic” farm said they used “fish emulsion” on their greens. Another would only say that they were organic approved. A few local farmers in my area, including ones operating CSA’s, did not respond to emails sent to inquire about the types of soil amendments and fertilizers they use.Wish the video was on youtube also.Wish granted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vg1D35uPSICool! I wish my brain tumour would disappear… (hoping) ;)“…but hey, why accept any risk at all when you can choose organic—I agree …”–Especially when organic has the same or lower cost and and is at least as convenient to obtain.Oh, wait…The good Doctor already spoke about it… :-)THE AMOUNT OF VEGGIES PER DOLLAR.If the price of organic vegetables and fruits is so high, that people would keep away from eating vegetables and fruits, it is more important that they will consume fruits and vegetables even not organic ones.I have seen a documentary about the eating habit of the low income in the US, as a vegan; with astonishment, I saw parents feeding their child industrialized food full of GMOs, salt, sugar, chemicals and fat, instead of natural food like fruits and vegetables!Pesticides, herbicides, and other toxins are sprayed on fruits and vegetables and grains, including glyphosate, which is being found in women’s breast tissue, and well as in mothers’ breast milk, which is being fed to their infants. Glyphosate is a highly toxic chemical that is a danger to us all. I will not consume any Monsanto product of any crops sprayed with glyphosate or any other toxin. The price of organics is worth the safety. Also, supporting pesticide/herbicide etc sprayed crops, some which has as many as 8-10 different toxic chemicals applied to them, is willfully damaging ground water, and all the streams, lakes, rivers and ultimately oceans that the toxins stream into. Crops are sprayed with so many different types of chemicals, people are affected by ingesting tainted water, and breathing air born toxic chemicals which cause asthma and other serious respiratory diseases. Animals are poisoned, our bees are dying in alarmingly large numbers, birds, reptiles, small mammals, pets, all of us are affected by the chemicals used on food crops. My uncle died of lung cancer from pesticides, he was a farmer in Alberta. You can’t just look at the amount of deaths that are identified as food related cancers, pesticides can affect the body in many ways. I totally agree with the two submissions below. People’s pets suffer too…by walking through sprayed areas and getting the toxins on their paws and fur, and ingesting them by grooming themselves. I totally agree that people need to eat more vegetables, even if some of them are sprayed if they can’t afford organic, but I make organic a priority.Most people don’t enough fruit/veg as it is. I wouldn’t focus on making them eat organic before the get the minimum to stat with.When you ask people to eat better you have people who want to change 1 thing at a time and people who make a total change and in between all the shades. In my experience I ask people to eat “clean, that means organic” to start with. when they just start to eat tomatoes and it is organic tomatoes they like it and continue the exploration to better eating.The demographics that can least afford fresh produce can’t afford non organic foods. I’d sooner have them eating fresh produce than putting the goal entirely out of their reach by telling them to eat organic. But on the larger topic, I take your point.The more of us eating commercial organic will help price and availability of such, but can also empower the “lubrication” of the machine which gives us un-labled GMO’s and industrial meats. In Other Words: Careful what we wish for. I am quite pleased to now have a substantial selection of organic products in the supermarket (in semi-rural Southeastern US–where i drive 20 miles to get to a decent grocery store), but also participate in farmers’ markets and grow/harvest my own as much as possible.Really some people believe that organic = less calories? On a similar note I had a friend argue with me that Margarine has less calories than butter and was the reason he used it. Yup Americans are idiots!dirtcoach: Well, to be fair to your friend, he/she may have actually seen lower calorie counts for margarine vs butter. You post prompted me to do some looking up on the site: Self Nutrition Data: http://nutritiondata.self.com/It appears that there are all sorts of margarines with varying fat %s. When I look at a tablespoon of a 60% fat margarine, I see 75 calories. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/7190/2When I look at “Butter, withoutsalt”, a tablespoon seems to have 100 calories, which could be considered a significant difference depending on your outlook. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/133/2But then again, 1 tablespoon of an 80% fat tub of margarine has 102 calories. :-) http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/10038/2That said, I do generally agree with your sentiment in the sense that: I would say that eating margarine because it seems to have less calories than butter is akin to drinking diet soda for a calorie reduction – seems pretty stupid because ultimately there are so many gotchas on the product that even if there is a calorie difference, you are shooting yourself in the foot. But I just couldn’t resist standing up for your friend, even if margarineally. (ha ha) I had to write this post just so I could make that joke.Now that’s something I would do (make a post just so I could throw in a joke :-) The world definitely needs more humor right now!dirtcoach: Please tell him that cigarettes have no calories either.I would love to eat organic but it just doesn’t make financial sense for a family of six. What does make sense, though, is growing a little garden of our own in the back yard, so we can get a little taste of both local AND organic, not to mention some food education for the kiddos!Go for it Lauren. Get a book by Eliot Coleman called Four Season Harvest and you will be on the right track. Reading the book will be a big start but you got to get your hands in the dirt to get results.I’m a little dissappointed with the weak advocacy of organic foods here. The point about fruit and vegetable intake is important, and the possibly exagerated health risks of pesticide residue is worth making, but if the health risks posed to farm workers is taken seriously, as well as the poisoning of our waterways and wildlife, and the loss of topsoil and soil fertility, as well as risks to residents in spraying areas, the debt and dependance created in poorer farmers around the world, and the list goes on and on – then conventional foods should really be shunned and organic foods given all the support we can give if we imagine oursleves to be moral beings. Although I understand that the focus of Dr. Gregor’s blog is personal health, I consider it quite dangerous and unhealthy psychologically to ignore, or downplay, ethical choices that have such strong effects on other beings and our long-term environmental health. Also, I really don’t think most of the people who aren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables are neglecting them because they think that only organic fruits and vegetables are worth it, and that they’re too expensive, so forget it. I think they neglect these foods because they’re used to eating unhealthy foods, and they need an overhaul of their tastes and food possibility/preperation education. The additional price of organic foods is really a very minimal cost when you recognize its moral and environmental necessity. If you give up eating out frequently, buying drinks, and buying other unnecessary frivolous things, you would much more than make up the difference for buying exclusively organic. Especially if you learn to cook and stop buying expensive pre-made products.Well said. Your paragraph should be published as an editorial in every USA and world newspaper. I am serious. I hope this community sees that our environment is likely far more dangerous to our health than a piece of chicken or fish every once in a while, or an ice cream cone or shrimp appetizer. I’d much prefer to have to eat these just mentioned foods (i don’t) than live near a polluted area that compromises my heath. And I really think these polluted areas – air/water/chemicals – are more harmful than the foods we are told to avoid on this website.Right on !!!! The sad thing about it is that eating healthy is not hard to do and it is not expensive either. That is if people would come to learn and understand that Complex carbohydrates like grains, potatoes- white and sweet, or not fattening and are good for you. And throw on a pot of beans !!!!!!! And eat a large portion of green and orange veggies. Sounds good to me.I absolutely agree that the ethical arguments for purchasing organic should be acknowledged as more of a priority for those that can afford it as well as the big picture implications that affect us all. I have also noticed that people seem to only focus on themselves. Dr Gregor mentioned this in his first video for this series, that people are mostly concerned for their own health. Sp I think that’s why he is addressing this particular aspect of organic. To get the masses to take action, you have to appeal to what they most care about. It is the first step – get them eating more produce overall and then next, for those that can afford it, move to choosing produce that has been grown in the most healthful and ethical manner.prediksi bola Arsenal VS Swansea .. http://167.114.33.60/prediksi-skor-arsenal-vs-swansea-liga-primer/I wish all the studies mentioned would be linked in the notes about the video so we could examine them ourselves or share the interesting ones. OOOS! Found them :)Elaine: Look for the link to the right of each video that says, “Sources Cited”. Click that and then look under the video. :-)I’ll add: You can’t tell visually, but Sources Cited section does include links to studies on-line when available. The only way to tell that those links exist is to know to try them/hover over the text.I have a question regarding organic meat and stuff like that. A friend of mine was arguing that conventional animal product may be unhealthy, but that’s why he only eats organic grass-fed beef, milk and free range chicken and eggs. He also argued that as the case with conventional veggies and fruits being full of pesticides, the same goes with conventional meat so it isn’t about being vegan to be healthy; it’s about eating organic and as “nature” intended it to be (for example: cows should eat grass, not grains and soy). I showed him some of the articles and videos here but he says that most of these studies compare conventional meat instead of the more healthier organic alternative. That made me think what science says regarding this issue, is it about being vegan or eating organic?Thanks!I wonder the same. My sister says that the grass fed beef has the ‘right’ balance of omega fatty acids.What about organic tofu? It seems all tofu I’ve purchased is non GMO, but a bunch is not organic. My limited budget is very limited. I pay attention to the ‘dirty dozen’, and the ‘clean 15′ but soybeans are not mentioned in either. I also eat edamame, is organic super important?	cadmium,cancer,carcinogens,carrots,cookies,dioxin,DNA damage,exercise,fruit,heavy metals,industrial pollutants,jelly beans,junk food,organic foods,pesticides,potato chips,smoking,tobacco,vegetables	If we increased our consumption of conventionally-produced fruits and vegetables how much cancer would be prevented versus how much cancer might be caused by the additional pesticide exposure?	That was the final installment of my 5-part video series on organics. I hope you feel you have a better understanding of the science, rather than just the hype and anti-hype on both sides. To recap:I’ve covered the issue of cadmium in our diet before in Cadmium and Cancer: Plant vs. Animal Foods and Male Fertility and Diet. Heavy metals are found concentrated in seafood and organ meats, but can also be found in certain supplements and protein powders.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cookies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadmium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potato-chips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jelly-beans/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24269242,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16403682,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23402800,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22516206,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2173046,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11414540,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3470637/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24968103,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22981907,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11443376,
PLAIN-2448	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-healthier/	Are Organic Foods Healthier?	The medical literature has been historically hostile to organic foods, blaming in part, erroneous information supplied by the health food movement for our ignorance of nutrition, but until just a few generations ago, all food was organic. So it’s kind of ironic that what we now call conventional food really isn’t very conventional for our species.By eating organic we can reduce our exposure to pesticides, but it remains unclear whether such a reduction in exposure is clinically relevant. I talked about some of the test tube studies comparing health-related properties of organic vs. conventional foods—higher antioxidative and antimutagenic activity as well as better inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, but in terms of studies on actual people rather than petri dishes, there isn’t much there.Why can’t you just compare the health of those that buy organic to those that don’t? Organic consumers do report being significantly healthier than conventional consumers, but also tend to eat more plant foods in general and less soda and alcohol, processed meat or milk, and just eat healthier in general, so no wonder they feel so much better.Therefore, there is an urgent need for interventional trials, or studies following cohorts of people eating organic over time like this one, the Million Women Study in the UK, the first to examine the association between the consumption of organic food and subsequent risk of cancer. The only significant risk reduction they found, though, was for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This is consistent with data showing a higher risk of developing lymphoma in those who have higher levels of pesticides stored in their butt fat, which they only looked at because studies on farmworkers found higher rates of lymphoma.Parental farmworker exposure is also associated with a birth defect of the penis called hypospadias, and so researchers decided to see if moms who failed to choose organic were at increased risk. And indeed they found that frequent consumption of conventional high fat dairy products was associated with about double the odds of the birth defect. This could just be because those that choose organic have other related healthy behaviors, or it could be that high fat foods like dairy products bioamplify the fat-soluble toxicants in our environment.There are two other general population studies that have raised concerns. One that found about a 50 to 70% increase in the odds of ADHD among children with pesticide levels in their urine common among US children, and another that found triple the odds of testicular cancer among men with higher levels of organochlorine pesticides in their blood - 90% of which comes from fish, meat, and dairy which may help explain rising testicular cancer rates in many western countries since World War II.What about interventional trials? All we have in the medical literature so far are studies like this, showing organically grown food provides health benefits to fruit flies, raised on diets of conventional versus organic produce then subjected to a variety of tests designed to assess overall fly health. And what do you know, flies raised on diets made from organically grown produce lived longer. Hmm, insects eating insecticides don’t do as well. Not exactly much of a breakthrough.	“Insects eating insecticides don’t do well.” Hmmm, maybe that’s why the bee are gone now.I’ve got plenty of bees: bumblebees, carpenter bees. Come over and take as many as you want.You are fortunate! I have some carpenter bees and bumblebees, too, but not plenty, not much activity.Is it true that the queen bees wings are clipped? If so, that would be really cruel and inhumane.No!! Read about the bees as they are very interesting. She flies out one time and a drone impregnates her, then it is to answer natures call and lay eggs until the hive gets overpopulated or she becomes too old. The few drones are the only males and every fall they are killed then, in the spring, the hive produces new drones.Eating grapefruit makes certain drugs stick around in body circulation for longer than they should, right? Well, I’m wondering if eating grapefruit while having a lot of conventional (not organic) produce in the diet would possibly cause the “drugs”/Chemicals in conventional produce to linger in the body for longer than is safe? A theory of mine, but it makes a bit of sense as I see a lot of these chemicals (pesticides) as drugs. And they have lots of warnings out alerting folks to be mindful of not eating grapefruit while taking certain medications because it delays the liver’s response time in eliminating these drugs from the body.Hi Elsie. Grapefruit can have drug-nutrient interactions absolutely. The thing is I’m not sure if they would affect pesticides and turn them toxic in the same way some medications can do.Simply put: I like the thought of eating and serving food for my friends and family – one exception: My mother in law – that contain as little poison as possible and I like the thought of food grown without filling nature with pesticides. And of course I am totally non – GMONews sources reported yesterday that Chipotle, Panera and a few other food companies have pledged to take out as many fake and unnecessary additives as possible. Panera found over 150 additives that they questioned, most of which they’ve decided to remove. Some commentators I heard–I think on NPR–said that it’s things like titanium dioxide added to mozzarella cheese to make it whiter. They observed that it it toxic, but that dose makes the poison and so that little amount won’t hurt you so it’s not much of a change. First, how do they know it’s not a problem? Second, they fail to consider the cumulative and synergistic affects of all this crap together on a person’s health. And third, they failed to consider the cumulative affect that the tons of this stuff used on mass scale has on the environment and the general micro-biomes. Instead of looking for ways to support better decisions, you get reporters thinking they are helping by down-playing problems so as not to scare people.I found the story. It was on PBS News Hour. Well meaning commentators, giving a simplified, erroneous assessment of the opportunity. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/consumer-worries-driving-menu-makeovers/“cumulative and synergistic affects of all this crap together on a person’s health. And third, they failed to consider the cumulative affect that the tons of this stuff used on mass scale has on the environment and the general micro-biomes” – You are absolutely right! Heard a scientist the other day calling our oceans “plastic-soup” due to all the crap and especially plastic filling up our oceans.I’m a little more optimistic. Consumer demand is no doubt gaining momentum in driving the “healthier food” movement. Without getting into the whole “vote with your forks” debate, we’ve just begun. The private sector is far more flexible than government in responding to our demands because they’re after one thing, profit. But its up to us to keep the pressure on. Our voices are cumulative. I regularly e-mail and/or call food companies, as well as my local super markets giving my opinions, requesting better choices, inquiring about ingredients, chemicals, pesticides, requesting GMO free, etc. Although not quite fast enough, they’re listening, and making improvements.I agree that the public is causing this change and that it’s a good thing. My point was that the commentators were out of touch. -Mark GSeeing the photo of the no pesticides sign on the tomatoes reminds me of a confusion I had early on. While walking through the farmers markets I would ask, is this organic and to a person, the person, the response I got at every stall was, a very cheery, “no pesticides”, in a tone that suggested an affirmative reply. But then it dawned on me that no one was just saying yes or no, so the next few times I got this response I countered back, “ok, but is it organic?” Sometimes this went back and forth a bit but then to a person the ultimate response was, no, it’s not organic. It was just that sampling x% of the group had shown no pesticide residue. I think it’s up to everyone to decide for themselves if that level is acceptable to them, but it should be based on full awareness of what you think you’re getting.There is more to organic growing than just avoiding synthetic pesticides. Fertilizer use, for example, is also covered by the organic rules. Also, the organic rules permit pesticides that are naturally occurring and some of those are things you do not want to eat. There are also some crops that can generally be grown without pesticides. In my area, tomatoes only have two common pests: the hornworm caterpillar which can be picked off manually, and Late Blight which needs fungicide sprays for prevention (there is an organic fungicide by the way).Farmers who sell at farmers markets quickly learn what they have to say to have happy customers. Some farmers are more flexible than others when it comes to interpreting the organic rules or defining ‘pesticides’. Very few customers know enough about organic growing methods to ask the right questions to learn what is really being done.I’m not an expert in this area, but I’ve heard that obtaining usda organic certification can be time consuming and costly, and the smaller the farm, the more this cost is felt. Some small farmers may follow all the organic rules but aren’t certified and thus can’t legally call their products organic. Many of these small farmers may altogether have better, more holistic practices that are more in line with organic philosophy than some of the huge certified organic farms. So I agree it’s best to really talk with the farmers to see what their practices are, but keep in mind the “organic” label may not be the most relevant criterion to judge by.A minor point perhaps but I think it unfortunate that the introductory picture shows a “pesticide free” sign since many people wrongly think organic means pesticide free. I have strong doubts that (supposedly) organic food from, say, Mexico is really better than locally grown nonorganic food, and in fact will pick USA produced nonorganic food over imported organic food, depending on the country of origin and my general trust in the country. I am wondering if there are studies measuring the pesticide type and residue on imported organic food by country of origin.I don’t have a link, but I do recall that one or more environmental watch dog groups had lists several years ago that showed the relative levels of pesticides in different foods from different countries. It found that Mexico, latin american, and europe all use less pesticides than their counterparts here in the US on the same crops. They had charts showing the comparative levels. You might try some google searches. I bet you’d find some of the charts. It was enough to convince me it was fine to buy foreign crops. When I visited relatives in France last year they were explaining their farming laws, all of which seem much more protective of human health than the ones I’ve heard about here. I’m far from being an expert, but I offer my experience as one data point.Thanks. That’s interesting. I’ll look into it further.Yes, it was a Consumer Reports study that found higher levels of pesticides in some US grown foods. You can find that information here: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/health/natural-health/pesticides/index.htmI definitely go with organic food. In USA, pesticide, glyphosate, is present in almost every non-organic food. Glyphosate preferentially kills the beneficial bacteria in human’s gut, leaving pathogens to overgrow. Glyphosate disrupts CYP450 enzymes and depletes aromatic amino acids and important minerals such as calcium, manganese, zinc, cobalt, iron, etc. Glyphosate is found 60-100% of the air samples, the rain samples and the surface water samples. It is found in the blood of pregnant women and in the unborn fetuses.Good point! Glyphosate (in RoundUp) is way more toxic than Monsanto has lead us to believe, implicated in many diseases such as ADHD and cancer. As soon as I learned about glyphosate being used as a desiccant on almost everything, I immediately switched to organic beans and grains.Nice post, Jason! I am sure you know, but Dr. Greger also shares some research on glyphosate if anyone following this thread is interested. Thanks!And apparently the farmers have been convinced that “heath nuts” are misinformed, ignorant and don’t realize that glyphosate is safe. They really need to be educated by other than Monsanto. From what you are saying, it sounds like it is everywhere and even eating organic will not eliminate it, but cut it down at least.My opinion of organic food in UK and why I buy it is based on the observance that it is more than what goes on my plate. One aspect of this is to say that it is generally accepted there is more wildlife around organic fields than those sprayed with chemicals. In this instance I see a value to buying organic food above and beyond my own diet. While I accept from the recent videos from Dr Greger showing “whether the evidence to support organic fruit & veg is actually better in a nutritional sense, safer or healthier, is rare if not unavailable”, I say that observation of the countryside, the life present around organic fields shows better health and is an indication, a guide, as to what I prefer to eat.Absolutely. Here in the US the sprayed fields are mono-crop deserts with no life whatsoever. The organic fields, on the other hand, are alive and provide an important ecosystem for all kinds of wildlife. Really good point, kaibloom–the positive impact of organically grown food on environmental health is huge!Here in the US midwest…corn/soybean country…the “farmers” generally rotate between the 2 crops…allowing the beans to fix nitrogen for the corn. More recently there has been a LOT of tiling of the fields for better drainage. They are also clearing most hedgerows of trees and growth…removing old farm fences…etc. Seems a lot like factory farming…with many farm supply type places getting built here and there. Guess they are selling lots to China…etc. This time of year they are out pre-spraying the fields with herbicides (glycophosphate?) where they drive fat tired spray trucks over the fields before planting….not the time you want to be out walking in the country. They are mining the soil?There may be pocket gadgets coming up soon that could tell shopers if the vegetables have pesticides and which types. That could change the industry by empowering people at the time of purchase.https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tellspec-what-s-in-your-foodhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/903107259/scio-your-sixth-sense-a-pocket-molecular-sensor-foInteresting! A lot of backers it seems.Interesting, yes. I hope the price drops a lot soon.TellSpec looks very interesting. Although for consumer use, kinda expensive, and subscription based, but I imagine that’ll change. I think their research should be supported. I see it has the potential to display other important information such as possible allergens, calories, macro nutrient content, etc. And I assume it can be customized as well, e.g., someone with a nut or fish allergy can scan food for safety. Kinda awesome. Imagine if it can scan & detect things like salmonella, E. coli, and other bacterial/ viral/ hazardous infections.A 21st century tricorder…The Paracelsus Axiom – “The dose makes the poison” is no longer relevant to all toxins as endocrine disrupting chemicals are often more dangerous at lower levels of toxicity. This is because the hormonal signals that take place within humans (particularly in the womb and in early childhood) happen via chemical signals that are often equivalent to parts per quadrillion and are mimicked by certain chemicals at extremely low levels. In fact, at higher levels some of the same chemicals do not appear to be toxic. For more information on endocrine disruptors see “Our Stolen Future” by Theo Colborn. When the endocrine system is disrupted it produces other diseases than just cancer so looking for cancer as the result of eating poisons (i.e. pesticides) is too reductionist.Another thought relative to this examination of the health benefits of organic compared to “conventional” is to examine it from a more holistic perspective including toxicity to the soil, water, air, pollinators etc. Certainly un-poisoned water, air and soil makes for a more healthy environment for humans and other animals. Additionally, the intuitive revulsion that nearly everyone feels at knowledgeably eating poisoned food should not be discounted whether it is entirely scientific or not. We once ran an educational display at our farmers market on the potential hazards of genetically engineered organisms in food – we had a shopping basket full of foods that had genetically engineered organisms in them and we labelled them as such. We told people that if they would listen to our 3 minute informational on the possible hazards they could take any of the food out of the shopping cart that they desired. NO ONE after hearing the information ever took an item from the shopping cart. This included destitute people.Great idea.Thanks for your post. Just like Dr. Greger talked about the dangers of detergents (so don’t soap your fruits and veggies) he has videos about the nonlinear effects of endocrine disrupters and other toxins in videos on hormones.https://www.coop.se/PageFiles/430210/Coop%20Ekoeffekten_Rapport_eng.pdfGrown YER own! Vegetables are MUCH more interesting than lawns.It should be pointed out that organically grown crops may legally be grown using fertilizers sourced from animal factory farm waste, or even such animal waste applied directly on fields. I am not aware that there is any requirement that such fertilizer be tested for pesticides or other contaminant. This was confirmed recently by the Organic Consumer Association, which issued an action alert on the subject: http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16140“Waste from factory farms, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calls them, is being used and marketed as an “organic” fertilizer.“That’s a problem, because factory farm waste is contaminated with hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, disease organisms, heavy metals, and other undesirable substances, including some disease-causing agents, such as e.g. Salmonella and E. coli bacteria, that may survive the composting process.“Fortunately, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is discussing plans to address the problem. We want the NOSB to recommend that factory farm waste be banned from use from organics. – See more at: http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16140#sthash.TV9ylQVk.dpufWhenever I hear about all the chemical sprays, insecticides and pollutants that are dumped onto and into everything these days, I go a little berserk that it continues unabated How did we let it get this way? We are killing ourselves and taking everything else with us and all we can do is tolerate it and be outraged? What’s it going to take to make reality sink in to these jackasses that changes are needed yesterday? Everyone I talk to seems to shrug and say “what can you do?” I just don’t get the apathy, what is wrong with us? Ha ha, well…..What is the best turmeric or curcumin to consume seeing that stomach acids are claimed to kill off the nutrition and cancer fight properties of curcumin?Hi Dr Greger, I have read that Vegetarian Women are 5 times more likely to have a child with Hypospadias. Have you looked into this, and what do you think may be the determining factor. Apart from eating organic, is there anything else we can do to prevent this. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2516592/ Thank you.	ADHD,alcohol,animal fat,antioxidants,beverages,birth defects,cancer,children,dairy,fat,fish,hypospadias,industrial pollutants,insecticides,insects,lymphoma,meat,men's health,milk,non-Hodgkin lymphoma,organic foods,organochlorines,penis health,pesticides,soda,testicular cancer,United Kingdom,women's health	Test tube studies show advantages of organic produce, such as better cancer cell growth suppression, but what about in people, not petri dishes?	For more on pesticide residues on produce, see my recent video Are Organic Foods Safer? For how to best get them off, see How to Make Your Own Fruit and Vegetable Wash. Pesticides are one thing, but Are Organic Foods More Nutritious?That was the first in my 5-part video series on organic foods, which ends tomorrow with the wrap-up: Are the Benefits of Organic Food Underrated or Overrated?More on the impact of food contaminants during pregnancy, see:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insecticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organochlorines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypospadias/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23036983,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24204721,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23326371,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24675385,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21902556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20478945,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23090335,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24968103,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22328999,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4479305,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23246851,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23251938,
PLAIN-2449	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-make-your-own-fruit-and-vegetable-wash/	How to Make Your Own Fruit and Vegetable Wash	How might we reduce our exposure to pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables? What about staying away from imported produce? Turns out domestic produce may be even worse, dispelling this notion that imported fruits and vegetables pose greater potential health risks to consumers.Buying organic dramatically reduces dietary exposure to pesticides, but does not eliminate the potential risk. Pesticide residues are detectable in about 1 in 10 organic crop samples, due to cross-contamination from neighboring fields, the continued presence of very persistent pesticides like DDT in the soil, or accidental or fraudulent use.By choosing organic, one hopes to shift exposures from a range of uncertain risk to more of a range of negligible risk, but even if all we had to eat were the most pesticide laden of conventional produce, there is a clear consensus in the scientific community that the health benefits from consuming fruits and vegetables outweigh any potential risks from pesticide residues, but we can easily reduce whatever risk there is by rinsing our fruits and vegetables under running water.There are, however, a plethora of products alleged by advertisers to reduce fruit and produce pesticide residues more effectively than water and touted to concerned consumers. For example Procter & Gamble introduced a fruit and vegetable wash in the year 2000. As part of the introduction, T.G.I. Friday's jumped on board bragging on their menus that the cheese and bacon puddles they call potato skins were first washed with the new product, after all it was proclaimed proven to be 98% more effective than water in removing pesticides. So researchers put it to the test and it did no better than plain tap water. Shortly thereafter, Procter & Gamble discontinued the product, but numerous others took its place claiming their vegetable washes are three, four, five or even ten times more effective than water, to which the researcher replied, “That's mathematically impossible”. If water removes like 50%, you can't take off 10 times more than 50%. They actually found water removed up to 80% of pesticide residues, like the fungicide captan for example, so for other brands of veggie washes to brag 3, 4, 5, 10 times better than water is mathematically impossible indeed.Other fruit and vegetable washes have since been put to the test. They compared FIT to Fruit & Vegetable Wash, to two I’ve never heard of, Organiclean, and Vegi-Clean, compared to using dishwashing soap, all compared to just rinsing in plain tap water. 196 samples of lettuce, strawberries, and tomatoes were tested, and they found little or no difference between just rinsing with tap water compared to any of the veggie washes, or the dishsoap. They all just seemed like a waste of money. The researchers concluded that just the mechanical action of rubbing the produce under tap water seemed to do it and that using detergents or fruit and vegetable washes do not enhance the removal of pesticide residues from produce above that of just rinsing with tap water alone.That may not be saying much though, Captan appears to be the exception. When rinsing with plain water was tried against a half dozen other pesticides, less than half the residues were removed. Fingernail polish works better, but the goal is to end up with a less toxic, not a more toxic tomato. We need a straightforward, plausible, and safe method for enhanced pesticide removal, although the efficacy of pesticide removal from fruits and vegetables has been rarely reported in the medical literature. Anything we can add to the water to boost its pesticide stripping abilities?If you soak potatoes in water, between about 2 to 13% of the pesticides are removed, but a 5% acetic acid solution removes up to 100%. What’s that? Plain white vinegar. But 5% is full strength. What about diluted vinegar? Diluted vinegar only seemed marginally better than tap water for removing pesticide residues. Using full strength vinegar would get expensive, though. Thankfully there’s something cheaper that works even better. Salt water. A 10% salt solution appears to work as good or better than full-strength vinegar. To make a 10% salt solution you just have to mix up about 1 part salt to 9 parts water, though make sure to rinse all of the salt off before eating.There’s not much you can do for the pesticides in animal products, though. The top sources of some pesticides are fruits and vegetables; but for others, it’s dairy, eggs, and meat, because the chemicals build up in fat. So what do you do about pesticides in meat, egg yolks, or egg whites? Hard boiling appears to destroy more pesticides that scrambling, but for the pesticides that build up in the fat in fish or chicken, cooking can sometimes increase pesticide levels that you can’t just wash off. In fact washing meat, poultry, or eggs is considered one of the top ten dangerous food safety mistakes.	Thank you !Any thoughts on antibiotics triggering long-term GI issues or neurological problems? I trust plant-baed doctors and it sure isn’t easy to find them. Thank you for any ideas or comments. I have SIBO and yeast issues, according to doctor, but I’m not thrilled about ingesting antibiotics.I had to look up what SIBO is, my sympathies go out to you. I am not a medical person but I do know that antibiotics cause yeast infections. Antibiotics kill the good bugs as well as the bad ones in our gut. One way to fight against yeast infections is to eat fermented vegetables and fruits such as home made Sauerkraut to provide probiotics which will help the gut to fight an overgrowth of yeast infections.Thanks for the interesting, practical information on washing veggies! I’ve heard of washing with vinegar, but a salt wash is new to me. How long do we need to soak the produce in salt water? 5 minutes? For those of us who like to move quickly in the kitchen, would it be almost as effective to just scrub moistened (non-leafy) produce with salt, then rinse?Hey Julie. It looks like researchers soaked for 20 minutes. Other studies varied, from 5 minutes to 10 minutes. Hmmm, I’m not sure about scrubbing with salt and if it’d have the same effect I would expect soaking is best. If I find out otherwise I’ll let you know, or perhaps others have an idea?I second this query, if you wouldn’t mind bringing us Dr. Greger’s thoughts.In the paper with the salt water wash and others, the produce was soaked in the “bath” for 20 minutes. What would that translate to if the fruit or greens or whatever were rubbed with hands etc? The concentration was mentioned in this video, but not how long to spend washing to be effective. I suppose that with greens, it’s only practical to soak or stir, but I would like to know what Dr. Greger thinks would be sufficient if rubbing were incorporated. Especially since a lot of produce doesn’t sink enough to self-submerge in a soak anyway. Thank you.You are asking the right questions. Like I told Scott above we simply don’t know anymore than what’s in the video. Anywhere from 5-20 minutes was found to be effective.I too really want to know this. The video didn’t actually answer its own question: How do we make a vegetable wash? It’s important to know if we scrub or soak or what.I think you’re right, Scott. The problem is we don’t know anymore than anyone who watched the video. The soaking times varied in these studies (5-20minutes) and they used different concentrations of salt solutions. I didn’t hear anything about scrubbing. From what I gather, soaking for about 5 minutes or so in a salt bath (ratio of 1:10 salt:water) and then rinsing to remove the salt could be useful.Thank you for the update! I am glad you all are willing to admit when we don’t know something. I think it is better to say we don’t know than to make wild guesses.Did all of the studies with salt solutions show some sort of improvement? So could we say, “5-20 minutes of soaking is effective”? [Edit: and then I read your above comment. D’oh! Ok, question answered :) ]Maybe this is a study we could fund for Nutritionfacts.org? “How best to wash vegetables.” Not glorious, but very practical.Dr. Gonzales,Please forgive my ignorance, but I just want to make sure I am adding the right amount. The ratio of 1:10 salt:water means 1 cup of salt for 10 cups of water or 1 tbs of salt for 10 tbs of water? Thank you.Hi, Kelly. Yes, that is what I take from it, but when you say “a cup of salt” I cringe a bit! Obviously you are not ingesting it. Just be sure to soak in the 1:10 ratio and then rinse-off well.What about other things that we want to wash off of our organic produce besides pesticides? Will a 10% salt solution kill germs effectively?Sure, salt can kill some bacteria, but how effectively I am not sure? Water seems to be the best possible way to reduce pathogens. Interesting this study compared washing fruit with water vs. three different commonly used sanitizers and found no difference in antimicrobial activity..Very interesting & helpful. It leaves me wondering whether spraying produce with white vinegar (full-strength) and wiping it off would be as effective as soaking. Soaking in salt water raises a number of questions for me, including: How long a soak is necessary? How many times can you reuse the solution before it becomes too toxin-laden to be effective? (Salt is cheap but I’m frugal.) How much salt absorbed by the produce is not rinsed off in a freshwater bath? (An important issue for people trying to limit sodium intake.)Interesting to note that one of the sources cited above notes that “radish solution” was 100% effective in eliminating organochlorine pesticides, followed in efficacy by citric & ascorbic acid solutions. A different paper notes that stir-frying cabbage for 5 minutes was more effective in reducing pesticides than soaking in any of the solutions tested, including salt and vinegar.Great points! Let’s see if I can help. Washing times vary per study. The salt solutions soaked produce for 20 minutes. I doubt they reused the water. I would think more porous fruits and veggies (perhaps berries) could absorb some salt, so washing it off after is a good thing. I think I just gaged though at the thought of salty berries. Anyway, produce with thick skins may not absorb salt as much. At least pesticides are not as common in fruit and veggies with thicker skins.I wonder if it was the high temperature during the stir-frying that destroyed or evaporated the pesticides.I just soaked a pint of strawberries in 2 1/2 cups of water with 1/4 cup of salt for a little over 20 minutes. After soaking I rinsed thoroughly with fresh water. My husband commented, “Gee, these strawberries taste really salty”.Strawberries absorb water freely. Might need an alternative option to soaking.Are antibiotics safe to take for SIBO – – – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth as well as some sort of yeast overgrowth in intestines+gut.?My doctor wants me to go on rifaximin/Xifaxin or similar antibiotic for a couple weeks. My biggest fear is that this and these antiiotics could trigger something worse. I have read that sometimes taking a course of antibiotics – just one round – can change someone’s life for the worse longterm. Also have read that rifaximin and other antibiotics can predispose someone to coming down with Clostridium difficile – I am plant-based and very low fat diet, no dairy and no eggs and no meat. Every once in a while fish. That is it. No sugar or sweeteners, – I have tried all the SIBO DIETS, no real success. I do eat lots of fresh fruit.Maybe someone hear has experience with safety of antibiotics for SIBO, safety of antibiotics in general.visit herbdoc.com. dr. Schultz save a lot of people with SIBO with his detox systems. You would not needed antibiotics at all.Hello! Great question. Yes, the antibiotic rifaximin can reduce the numbers of “bad” bacteria in the small bowel bacteria, thereby creating an environment where the “good” bacteria get a chance to multiply. However, as you mentioned, rifaximin can also create a more friendly environment for the Clostridium difficile bacteria, which may cause loose stools, dehdration, and even death. A better solution might be to follow the whole food plant based diet that you are already on and add flaxseed every day. Bonus, in contrast to possible death, side effects of flax include improved blood pressure control, improved cholesterol, and improved glucose! Woohoo! Hope this helps!For online information, Dr. Kharrazian and Dr. Siebecker are at the cutting edge of SIBO treatment and understanding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am7kr-vP0Ys (at 18:20) and http://www.siboinfo.com/The links suggested by Julie are very good. The neural-motor pathway is a new idea but it really makes sense, i will surely look after it more deeply. Also check: http://fixyourgut.com/treatment-of-gerd-protocol-1-sibo/ here are herbal alternatives. Currently i try peppermint oil, it relieves the muscles, reduces stress in guts, therefore enhances motility. Also i realized, that i unvoluntary contract my stomach muscles sometimes, as a kind of stress reaction and i see it as a trigger, as the natural movements cant work themeselves out because of constant contraction, so currently im working on that also, learning to relax my muscles and also find unused muscles. In relaxation meditation can help. Also as one page mentioned, one major component in herbal antibiotics against SIBO was berberine, goldenseal is a good source. Some say you have to make an antibiotic protocol (let it be herbal or not) and starving them out is really hard, almost non achievable.My personal experience:Eating a lots of fruit especially in the wrong order/timing can enhance SIBO. I think mine began when i suddenly began to ate lots of legumes (3-4 hrs digestion time) then i ate a dessert that contained sugar (~20 minutes until fermentation begins). So its also true for fruits, i learnt many things from checking out food combination charts like this http://kaleuniversity.org/54791-digestive-health-is-in-the-combining/, especially fruits, eat it on empty stomach first the most acidic, with peppermint oil. Like i eat a kiwi and some strawberries with 3 drops peppermint oil in a gulp of water, than wait 30-60 minutes, 3 drops peppermint oil, and apple, 30-60 minutes, then i eat a banana. Also combining with fodmap and scd charts, watching myself and feeling my body really helps. Also i dont suggest eating flax seed blindly, for example my problem with apple+flax seed is the flax takes much longer to digest and the little seed fragments become a food for the bacteria, also thats the problem with blackberries, but if i would strain and grind the blackberry seeds it would be much better, maybe no symptoms. I found out soaking my seeds in yoghurt can help even if i eat spelt flakes with them. Sometimes i feel like eating some cocoa powder with my yoghurt might help and it makes sense, because it makes the food denser slows the digestion so the yoghurt can match up with the seeds in digestion time. Density and water content is also very important, its like jams and preservers, the overly watery and fibrous ones are the most prone to fermentation.One of the main thing is you have to starve out your bacteria and help your gut motility in every way. Chewing very wisely and slowly, relaxed mind and body. I eat much more cooked vegetables, i cut the very fibrous ones very small, crosswise the fibers. There are many tricks. Also i suggest to go back to point zero and drink chicken broth in the morning. Exercise wisely and much because as you get older, you forget to use some muscle and overuse some others. Once i took a one day motorcycle training, i used many muscles that i havent for a long time, learning to lean in curves knee down etc…and that day i had a really healthy bowel movement…that really shows something isnt it?Some more suggetions:Before SIBO i ate lots of banana because they taste really good now its not so important. My favourite ones now are: kiwi, strawberries, blueberries. Apple only wisely but i try to eat one a day. When i eat a banana, sometimes i eat a third or a half only, i choose the soft, more brown spotted ones, faster to digest. Dont overeat, rather undereat and see what symptoms develop, then eat more according. Eat spelt rather then plain wheat, its less prone to fermentation. Eat proper, healthy starch, for example my morning cereal is spelt flakes, but if i include amla cooked to a right consistency it can make me feel better, i just watched a video here that mentioned more starch can increase bulk of bowel movements and remove lots of toxins.I eat ground anise and cinnamon with it and it helps. Include fats wisely, sometimes they help to make an overly watery food less reachable for bacteria, sometimes an other food less sticky and more easier to slide through the intestines. Really watch the densities and contents of different types (seeds, fibers, oils) etc…it’s not only the chemical content but the physical build up of food. See eating lots of fruit can mean many things, if i would eat fibrous, med-hard, sour kiwies i would be in trouble, eating the soft, almost translucent fleshed ones, i have no problems. Eating seeds soaked in yoghurt, if they are too dense because of the too much seed i have problems, if too much yoghurt (food in a fluid solution, where the bacteria can “swim” through), i have problems. Eating this on its own really slowly, no problems, eating it fast, problems, eating it with lots of cereals, problems, not so much cereals i can eat all at once, without problems.Rifaximin works only in the gut, but if you’d like a more natural solution, try Sovereign Silver. It’s made from silver, which is a potent antibiotic, and promoted by naturopaths around the country. This will help with your overgrowth of bad bacteria. If you do take the Rifaximin and are worried about Clostridium Difficile infection (which you should be worried about), take Florastor brand probiotics. This will help replace the good bacteria to your gut, and this brand contains a yeast, Saccromyces Boulardii, which prevents the Clostridium Difficile bacterium from attaching to your intestines. Hope this was helpful!I always place my fruits & vegetables a stainless steel bowl filled with tap water where they soak until needed . I usually notice soil accumulation at the bottom of the soak bowl which is satisfying and has motivated me to continue the practice.Who wants to eat dirt?I believe I will be implement a new two bowl procedure soaking first in a salt water bath and then to a bath of straight tap water. Thank you Dr. Greger for the tip.Michael Pollan observed that humans evolved eating dirt because they didn’t have modern kitchens to prep their food. He theorizes that we might be wise to eat more dirt. I don’t actively try to add dirt to my diet, but since reading that I don’t worry about how well I rinse dirt off of my bok choy, celery or other veggies. Same with bacteria. Getting rid of the bad stuff might also preclude us from getting enough of the good stuff. You can’t pick and choose when you “clean”. So I tend to not worry so much. So when you ask who wants to eat dirt, well… technically, I think do.Mark, the evolving humans also carried parasites. I would wash my food.I’m not fond of pin worms or listeria found in soil samples. The pin worms are reason enough to say “no” to eating soil not to mention the 20% fatality of intracellular listeriosis.I have heard similar arguments as it pertains to vegans getting additional vitamin b12 by eating dirt, but I prefer taking my b12 in the form of a weekly sublingual lozenge which is much more reliable. I find Pollan’s ideas interesting in as much as they have fostered discussion and debate about food and how it is produces, but I never found them particularly compelling, nor do I share in his dilemma.Finally, a healthy use for table salt.How is this for a postulation for the reason for the efficacy for a salt water bath on extracting herbicides and pesticides? Osmosis a.k.a, osmotic pressure.Fruits and vegetables have a high concentration of water. Placing them in a salt water bath will cause some of the water in the fruits and vegetables into the saline solution for the surface tissues of the the items being soaked taking with it some portion of any herbicides and pesticides that have been sprayed onto them.Thank you,What about the wax on apples,do I need to scrub the wax before cleaning the apple?And… what about the side effects of the wax itself?Jamie: Neither vinegar nor salt water can remove wax. Removal of wax requires a detergent.Not sure about ways to remove wax. Aren’t some apples sold without wax? I’m with you, I always see that “glossy shine” in the grocery store and am like “huh”? I try to find the ugliest produce in the market :) Seems weird when I checkout and I have a $50 bill for like 3 miserable looking carrots, but I know the carrots are lower in pesticides and I seem to think I can taste the difference. Obviously I am over exaggerating and just giving an example. My point is, buying organic (or even better), supporting your farmer’s markets and talking with the growers may help cut costs on the grocery bill while also finding quality produce without wax.Apples produce wax naturally. It serves as a harmless, natural preservative. There is no need to “strip” it.Really? I was pretty sure they coat most apples, but looking into it you are absolutely right. FDA claims that additional wax is applied sometimes after the initial yield because when they are washed to remove dirt some of the natural wax comes off. Thanks for the correction! I learn something new here everyday. Agreed that if you strip the skin you miss out on the important antioxidants in the fruit.I have picked unsprayed apples off trees in the fall and they are always “oily” and waxy naturally. But I think that industry also waxes them up further for long term storage.We have a marvelous farmers’ market, but the prices are definitely NOT cheaper than, say, organic veggies from our food co-op.A while ago I read something online that said you fill a sink with water and add about 1 Cup of white vinegar (don’t know exact ratio so don’t think its extremely important) and stir. You then add fruit. Water will get dirty and fruit will sparkle with no wax or dirty film left, like what is usually seen on apples and grapes respectively. Also, this wash is great for berries too and keeps them from molding; strawberries last for weeks.This is a great, informative video. I am so glad I have discovered your website. Thank you!The video graphic shares that a five minute soak and thorough rinse before using is required. Sea salt is better than table/iodized for the obvious reasons. I use this method and am thoroughly pleased! Here’s to safe eating!Is the saltwater a 10% mixture by weight or by volume?That is a great question the paper I read on potatoes did not specify. Let me look at the others and get back to you. ThanksUsually in a lab, a 10% NaCl solution is 10g NaCl in 100 mL water (you complete the volume to 100 mL after adding the salt).It’s the same! I tried it out on my scale at home. 1 TB salt weighs 14 g and 10 TBs of water weighs 140 g. So it is 10% by both volume and weight.To anyone with access to the Zohair paper, Dr. Greger, or Joseph:Is the 10% NaCl solution indeed by volume (as insinuated by “1 part salt, 9 parts water”) or is by mass? I know salt is cheap, but using almost half a cup per liter of water doesn’t sound practical to me.10% (v/v) would mean 100 mL (6.75 tbsp) per liter of water 10% (m/m) or (m/v) would mean about 46 mL (3 tbsp) per liter of waterSo by mass would be better, but I’m still not sure how practical it seems. Is this a soak, or could one make up a small bowl to manually and individually wash fruits/veggies in it and then do a final rinse in water? To soak all the fruits and veggies we buy would require a large volume of water, I’m thinking at least a gallon at a time.b00mer: Watching the video, I wondered about this too. Usually, v/v is used to show the percent composition of a solution of two or more liquids. A solution of salt is a solution of a solid and and a liquid, so m/m would be the traditional choice. Since the density of water at room temperature is approximately 1 and the solution made is pretty dilute, m/m is roughly the same as m/v. I guess we need to read the paper to find exactly what the authors meant. Whichever it is, I agree with you, soaking every vegetable and fruit I eat in a salt solution everyday would be a time consuming task.Hi Matt, I too would have assumed m/m or m/v except for Dr. Greger’s use of the word “parts” which is usually used in layman’s terms to indicate v/v.I wouldn’t mind soaking or washing with a small amount of salt if I could just do it once per week. But per Dr. Greger’s recipe 1 gallon of soak water would require almost 1 2/3 cups of salt! I can’t imagine buying a big jar of salt every few weeks. Even though it’s < $1, it still would feel wasteful.Do you have access to a database with this paper?b00mer: I have the paper (which I haven’t read yet.) but I’m afraid I’m not allowed to post it on any open websites. I wonder if I could email it to disque and they could email it to you.Thanks Matt! I really appreciate the offer but with this article I don’t actually feel the need to read the whole thing. Was just curious about that one piece of info. To be honest, personally my fruit/veggie policy is buy what’s available and affordable, wash with tap water, and hope for the best. But let us know what you find out when you get a chance to read it!b00mer: The authors simple say that they used a 10% NaCl solution, so we have to assume that they follow the standard practice, which is 10 g of salt in 100 g of solution. To make it, 10 g of salt must be dissolved in 90 g of water. Assuming that the density of water is 1 g/mL, 1 gallon of water has to be mixed with about 416 g of salt, which would give > 1 gallon of the solution. Wow, that’s approaching i lb of salt. Not something most of us can do everyday.I’ll send to you!Joseph, thank you so much! I really appreciate it, but I don’t think I actually need a copy of this one. Got enough reading to do right now! But thanks again :)Cool cool :)p.s. I hope my original comment didn’t come across as poo-pooing Dr. Greger’s suggestion. I’ve seen questions about pesticides and fruit/veggie washes come up a LOT on this site over the years and here he has so nicely found out the answer for us! I might not choose to employ this technique with my own produce but I still enjoyed learning about it.This is an interesting video but nothing more. Highly impractical for most of us as you mentioned.We need to support more organic and stricter rules for pesticide use.They soaked for 10 minutes in the Zohair paper on potatoes. Finding out about weight vs volume. Thanks B00mer!I’m more concerned about systemic pesticide risks. Aren’t these chemicals incorporated into the tissues of the plants?Are you asking if pesticides are sprayed on produce will they appear in the actual tissue of plants vs the surface? Yes, I think both occur and depending on how porous the plant is (think about the tough/thick skin on watermelon and bananas vs. soft fruit like berries) will determine how much pesticide leaches into the produce.Or is Melissa asking about pesticides picked up by the roots and distributed throughout the plant?Yes they are! High school science project with 2,4D proved that what is put on one plant’s leaves will go through the plant and out the roots into the soil or water to another plant separated above the soil/water line by a partition. Both plants died. We can wash away what is on the outside, but not what is on the inside. So, peeling a carrot or cuke to get rid of the pesticides/herbicides does not make the food free of said poisons!I live as an NGO worker in a developing country. We soaked all produce 20 minutes in bleach water for years. Blech! Vinegar is a sure fire according to a very old California Infectious Diseases manual, but it sucks all the water out of the food! Limp, practically cooked lettuce for supper? No thanks! I soak to kill amoeba, salmonella, etc, much more than get rid of the chemicals…Many fruits and vegetables sold in health food stores are safe to eat without washing. The current issue of ConsumerReports (May issue, page 31), has a chart showing 48 fruits and vegetables with info concerning pesticides, based on contemporary research. Highly recommended! The cost of organic products is always high, so it makes a lot of sense to know which foods are safe from conventional markets.That’s good to know about pesticides. Wish I still had my CR subscription so I could read it. Although something to keep in mind is that bacterial contamination (unless addressed in that issue as well?) may still be a risk especially for youngsters and the elderly with undeveloped or compromised immune systems.I follow Bill Marler on Twitter. He’s the attorney who won that old cantaloupe case and many others since. He also has an excellent website/blog with videos about pathogen contamination on food, MarlerBlog.com. (Not for the ‘don’t-tell-me-I-don’t-want-to-know’ crowd.) On 4/30 he reported on the Canadian Listeria outbreak being linked to apple slices. After learning much from him I always wash my fruits & veggies. Well, almost always; there’s a cafeteria near us that has a huge salad bar – not organic. I’m “trusting” they wash the food (and their hands!).Maybe so as far as pesticides or pathogens, but these products have been handled. How many times do people touch just to determine freshness? Maybe they dropped on a dirty floor and were quickly picked up. Strongly suggest: Wash the stuff. You don’t know where it’s been.I am a breast cancer survival. In Dana Farber hospital in Boston they told me to wash the veg and fruit in one cup vinegar one part water juice from half a lemon and 1 Tb of baking soda. Dip in solution then leave it out for 5 minute and then rinse with water. It works wonderful and very easy.Is that ONE CUP vinegar to ONE CUP water? And ONE TABLESPOON baking soda? Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and where you got it!Interesting thanks for sharing that, Drorit! I know a few dietitians at Dana Farber. Warm thoughts and best to you!I do not have purchased the study about salt soaking. In the study abstract they speak from achieving the results through 20 minutes of soaking. How come that in the video they speak from 5 minutes?Good question. All of the studies use different soaking times. The study on tomatoes used a soak time of 5 minutes. If you want to read any of the studies in full shoot me your email or contact us. Thanks, Eric.So we can wash with soap to kill the bacteria first, then wash with salt water to get rid of the pesticides?I’m pretty sure most harmful bacteria is destroyed by the salt water. Hence the practice of nasal rinsing with neti pots, etc with a salt-bicarbonate solution is often recommended by otolaryngologists as a prophylactic for sufferers of chronic sinusitis. I’m a lay person here so take my comments with a GRAIN OF SALT! (I made myself laugh!) :-pyou made me laugh too ;-)I wonder if this suggest that adding salt to the diet, even from natural sea salts, might end up killing beneficial bacteria in our gut. Seems like a strong possibility to me.I would not recommend washing with soap.Dr Greger recommended against soap in one of his videos. No science exists on chemical reactions btwn soap/detergents and pesticides.I’ve used thinned out 7th Generation dish liquid on my apples and courgettes, not broccoli or berries or lettuces, for a while now, but soap doesn’t really kill germs, and no it doesn’t leave an after taste but I rinse thoroughly. I wouldn’t use Dawn or anything from a animal testing company. However, soap is only a surfactant that dissolves grease and maybe some residues. After seeing this video, I’m likely to mix up a little salt water next time.Hey, how about answering to the questions below ?!Surely! Sometimes it takes a while to reply. Thanks for your patience.How long a 1:10 salt: water soak required to dissolve pesticide residue? And are we right to assume Dr. Greger meant by volume (as opposed to weight)?Yes, you could assume that. I looked up the potato study and it doesn’t seems the researchers did not distinguish concentrations by weight or volume. Each study varied in soaking time. For the salt studies they soaked for 20 minutes. I’ll find out about concentrations and post asap. Thanks, Cathy.Thanks so much Joseph!Salt soak long enough, you get brined veggies, which doesn’t rinse off.You could shoot for 5-10 minutes if you want that seems more doable.Thanks Joseph. I wonder which is the greater evil for most folks: removing the maximum amount of pesticidal residue in a salt solution, or increasing sodium intake from the salt bath’s absorption in the produce? Especially for those with high b.p., perhaps a good wash with plain water would be preferable?haha! Yes, it is all relative isn’t it? We all have to make the best decisions possible (and the ones that makes sense) based on our individual situation. Great points, and yes I think rinsing after the soak process is important. I think Wade mentioned the idea that you could have a brine salt bath by the time you’re done, which of course would not be so good.If you look at the chart @4:44 this vid, you’ll see salt water and 5 minutes indicated. Please clarify?You know what I just saw that too! There are two studies: 1) the one conducted on potatoes soaked for 10 min. and 2) the one you reference at 4:44 looked at cabbage and had different soaking times from 5-20 minutes. Do you want me to send it to you in full? Sorry for the confusion I am not sure there is a certain amount of time to soak.Two different studies. One was testing potatoes and the other cabbage. The potato tests used a 10 minute soak time, and the cabbage anywhere from 5, 10, and 20 minutes. Let me know if you’d like any in full. I was having a hard time grasping all the information. I edited my comment above as it was a bit misleading. Thanks for the catch, Wade.JosephI suppose _any_ time beats no time (soaking). I had been lax in washing-but now that I know how to do a more effective job, I’ll wash/soak/rinse with authority! thanks.Volume or weight I am unsure the researchers do not specify from what I could tell.Here in Costa Rica where if you live here at least a year, it is almost impossible to avoid Parasitic infections even with organic foods. Thank you for this video.Great Information. Very helpful.Thank you so much for this video. I’ve been avoiding the wash personally since it seems to just sit there and I rarely see it in peoples carts. I figured if I didn’t hear that much about it in the vegan community it was a waste. Good to see it is. The salt water is interesting.So maybe we should be showering/bathing our bodies with a rag dipped in salt water, and forgoing the using soap on our bodies? Makes sense to me based on some of the science here.Thank you ! We benefit from the How – to videos just as much as the Why videos . My Kales were decimated last summer by caterpillars but hopefully this year I’ll be a bit more prepared. Now I understand why my fellow gardeners talk about the appearance of white butterfly as if it is a threat to national security.I am surprised they didn’t test regular old dish soap. I think that would have been effective against many of the fat soluble pesticide residues.It bonds to the permeable produce skin and isn’t good to consume.It depends on the brand and from what it is made. Natural soaps not tested on animals with no synthetic dyes or perfumes are fine if cut with water.Nice.What does not being tested on animals have to do with how edible a soap is?Because I don’t recommend anything tested on animals as its cruel and unnecessary. Most of the soaps made with basic oil or plant ingredients aren’t toxic and wouldn’t require testing anyway. If they were accidentally ingested in minimal amounts, they wouldn’t be harmful. Surfactants made with these basic ingredients tend to rinse with no residue from synthetic dyes or perfumes left on food. Its not that difficult to figure out, really.May I have permission to submit this article with properly cited references to the link at the top of your website page?HI Dr. Misner. Yes – you are certainly free to post any study you feel can help our community here. That would be great.Thank you, JosephIn the paper with the salt water wash and others, the produce was in the “bath” for 20 minutes. What would that translate to if the fruit or kale or whatever were rubbed with hands etc? The concentration was mentioned in this video, but not how long to spend washing to be effective.So glad you addressed this topic. I’m currently using vinegar and lemon juice water. Salt sounds like a great option. It’s magical on tooth aches and sore throats! Love you, Dr. Gregor!!Saw this study on another food site and can’t understand how this conclusion was reached…..help.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20685950?dopt=AbstractPlusHi Mary. Have you read the conclusion? Some very good points there. I’ll copy and paste here in hopes it might help.“The limitations of this study warrant discussion. First, we used an FFQ with only 33 food items to identify SFA intake and death certificates to define events. – (goes onto say) – Assuming that the inverse association between SFA and stroke mortality is causal, it would nevertheless be inappropriate to recommend an increased consumption of SFA-containing products to the general Japanese population, because it might increase population levels of total cholesterol and the risk of IHD. Replacing SFA with PUFA had no benefit on the prevention of IHD, which contrasts with a recent pooling project of Americans and Europeans (6). Application of discrepant results to public health practice must be cautious. We believe that this discrepancy could be explained in part by a low distribution of SFA intake among Japanese. The median SFA intake, albeit underestimated by ≈37%, was very low (9.4 g/d). It is well known that the SFA intake is far lower in Japan than in Western countries; for example, the median intake of SFAs for the highest quartile of a Japanese rural population (1970–1980s) was 17 g/d (16) lower than that for the lowest quartile of intake in the Nurses’ Health Study in 1980 (20 g/d) (11). These findings indicated almost no overlap of SFA intakes between the 2 populations.”From what I gather, it’s hard to build SFA recommendations based on Japanese populations. They consume very little SFAs. Even the authors do not recommend eating more SFAs because it may increase cholesterol levels and boost heart disease risk. For more info on saturated fat, if interested, but this may be more relevant why saturated fat studies are set-up to fail.Finally, some definitive news on whether these veggie rinses do anything. I have long wondered about this and I think I willo begin selectively soaking veggies in salt water. Thanks for news we can use!I haven’t seen anything yet in this series about the levels of pesticides vis-a-vis levels having potential for harm, only “detectable” and “whatever risk there is.” Can those of us interested in costs-versus-benefits be such a small group?Ok folks lets not get crazy here but why not make a solution with Vinegar, salt, water (even baking soda if you want to get a little nuts) and go for it. Rub then let soak 20 minutes!!!! Then rinseIf you dont have time to wait make a spray solution of the same: spray on rub together, let sit and then rinse!!!!I will add anything is better than nothing, studies are just that, case studies. They are not always practical in every way to regular every day life . The big take away! I have always used vinegar and water to soak for 20 – 30 min, but now salt is going in that mixture! why not!I’ve always used 1/3 hydrogen peroxide, 1/3 straight white vinegar,2 tbsps. of soap, 1/3 water and thought it cleans well, I may start adding salt to my combo now.Great info. I soaked the “commercially grown” celery in a saline solution this morning for the our soup kitchen’s spaghetti sauce. Over 100 needy people got a meal with reduced contaminants. Your work is a blessing to so many.That is a coincidence! This video comes just in time as I was searching the internet for a self made vegetables wash. Thank you Dr. Greger.Disposing of salty water to a greywater system that is used to grow plants would build up salt in the soil over time and most plants wouldn’t like that. Vinegar soak water would be better to dispose to a greywater system used to grow plants particulary when the soil and soak water is alkaline to begin with.How many grams or tablespoons of salt for a cup of water? How long is the soaking/wash process?It’s a 1:10 ratio of salt/water. The soaking times all varied from 5-20 minutes in the studies so it’s hard to say. Please see my comments below and others as well because they have some good ideas of how to put this research to use. Thanks.Thank you so much!Very interesting and thorough. So I need to get some cheap salt and soak my veggies in 10% solution IF they aren’t organic. Sounds pretty straight forward. Thanks so much for another big help for my health.Wouldn’t be a bad idea if they are organic even. Organics also use pesticides, just ones that aren’t on the current inorganic list.Don’t pesticides build up in the plants? If the pesticides end up in the soil, aren’t they also inside the plants and fruit?Yes, but the compounds are quite dilute at that point. Concentration goes up as the foodchain is ascended. Lower on the foodchain is thereby safer. Zero is preferred, but that may not be possible now that we’ve gunked up the works.Hello, has anyone used plain charcoal, carbon for removing certain pesticides when washing fruits and vegetables? Activated charcoal is used to purify water….How to Make Your Own Fruit and Vegetable Wash: 1 part salt, 9 parts water.You’re welcome.This article is very good news indeed. Certainly simple washing in water becomes a no-brainer with the 10% salt-water solution more great news! One caveat though, before I rate this at 5stars. Perhaps it was not within the purview of this article, to attempt to ascertain whether or not pesticides enter through the outer layer of skin of fruits and vegetables and to what extent. Sprays are administered during the flowering stages early on. These pesticides must surely become part of the fruit itself *below* the outer skin. We now know for instance that Monsanto’s Roundup is used as a desiccant, one week prior to harvesting oats and wheat, to assure a certain % dryness. The latest findings are that glyphosate disrupts human enzymes invitro, at parts/trillion. One last point, could you have your webmaster insert a FOLLOW link, to let us know when there are respondents to our comments postings. This has become more common and it saves us time looking back.Hello! what about to use some Ozone machines?water and Ozone…I meanI don’t know much about ozone and water. I researched it and a few studies are available. I suggest reading the abstract of this study, and also this one. It seems there is limited research, but it may be useful for veggie washing.How “bout a salt and vinegar wash?I wonder if anyone has any thoughts about these Bentonite clay capsules that are also supposed to “bind” the POPs that are in our food supply ?Hi JImR. I checked on this and could not find any data. I am not sure this is the same clay, but I found one study about kids using clay to lower aflatoxin build-up in Ghana. Perhaps not very relevant? Anyway, if I find more I’ll be sure to post. Thanks for your comment.What about baking soda?I have not seen as much on baking soda. For oral health it may be useful. My hope is others can help comment on this as well, as so many folks here have these great questions about finding ways to reduce pesticide exposure!As requested by Dr. Greger’s team, here is my comment I messaged them…In dr. G’s video about washing fruits and veg with salt water to remove pesticides, I don’t recall him saying why this effective. Is it because the NaCl become ions in aqueous solution, thus attracting the positively charges pesticide molecules? Or is there another reason? Does baking soda work as well? I use baking soda (and vinegar for my grapes to decrease mold, it works!). Also sometimes I’ll use bentonite clay powder in water since it is highly negatively charged and binds to e pesticides. I feel baking soda u is even cheaper than salt since I buy sea salt. Thanks!!!Please excuse the typos made by my iPad.Thanks for reposting, Chris. Good question do you know if the researcher’s talk about the “whys” in their papers? You can always look up the individual studies by clicking on “sources cited” for further investigation. If you cannot find let me know I’ll dig up! Thanks again, Chris.	animal products,bacon,cheese,chicken,cooking methods,dairy,DDT,dishwashing detergent,eggs,fat,fish,fruit,fruit and vegetable wash,industrial pollutants,lettuce,meat,organic foods,pesticides,potatoes,poultry,salt,strawberries,TGI Friday's,tomatoes,vegetables,vinegar,water	Commercial fruit and vegetable washes fail to work better than tap water, but there is a cheap do-it-yourself solution that may completely eliminate certain pesticide residues.	This is a bit of an intermission in my 5-part series on organic foods. So far I’ve covered the questions Are Organic Foods More Nutritious? and Are Organic Foods Safer?Next, I’m going to wrap it up with what I think the available science suggests is the bottom-line when it comes to choosing which type of produce to buy in the final two in the series:The most important reason to wash produce is to reduce the risk of food-borne illness. Ironically, the food poisoning viruses may be found in the pesticides themselves. Check out my video Norovirus Food Poisoning from Pesticides.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ddt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dishwashing-detergent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-and-vegetable-wash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vinegar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tgi-fridays/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11052716,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11397522,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23140444,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23601120,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24493878,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12545350,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22335627,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24968103,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12611667,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19162122,
PLAIN-2450	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-safer/	Are Organic Foods Safer?	The stated principles of organic agriculture are “health, ecology, fairness, and care” but if you ask people why they buy organic, the strongest predictor was concern for their own health or their family’s. People may spend more for organic for more selfish, rather than altruistic motives. Although organic foods may not have more nutrients per dollar, consumption of organic foods may reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.Food safety-wise they found no difference in the risk for contamination with food poisoning bacteria. Both organic and conventional animal products were commonly contaminated with Salmonella and Campylobacter, for example. Most chicken samples, were found to be contaminated, either way, with Campylobacter, about a third with Salmonella but, the risk of exposure to multidrug resistant bacteria, resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics was lower with the organic meat. So they both may carry the same risk of making us sick, but food poisoning from organic meat may be easier for doctors to treat.What about the pesticides? There is a large body of evidence on the relation between exposure to pesticides and elevated rate of chronic diseases such as different types of cancers, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and ALS, as well as birth defects and reproductive disorders, but they’re talking about people who live or work around pesticides.Take Salinas Valley California, for example, where they spray a half million pounds of the stuff. Daring to be pregnant in an agricultural community like that may impair childhood brain development, such that pregnant women with the highest levels running through their bodies, as measured in their urine, gave birth to children with an average deficit of about 7 IQ points. Twenty-six out of 27 studies showed negative effects of pesticides on brain development in children. These included attention problems, developmental disorders, and short-term memory difficulties.If you compare kids born with higher levels of a common insecticide in their umbilical cord blood, those who were exposed to higher levels are born with brain anomalies. And these were city kids, so presumably this was from residential pesticide use.Residential exposure to pesticides, like using insecticides inside your house, may be a contributing risk factor for childhood leukemia. Pregnant farmworkers may be doubling the odds of their child getting leukemia and increase their risk of getting a brain tumor, suggesting that awareness be increased among populations occupationally exposed to pesticides about their potential negative influence on health of their children, though I don’t imagine most farmworkers have much of a choice.So conventional produce may be bad for the pregnant woman who picks them, but what about what about our own family when we eat them?First of all, just because we spray pesticides on our food in the fields doesn’t mean it ends up in our bodies when we eat it, or at least we didn’t know that until this study was published in 2006. Researchers measured the levels of two pesticides running through children’s bodies by measuring specific pesticide breakdown products in their urine. Here are the levels of pesticides flowing through the bodies of 3 to 11-year olds during a few days on a conventional diet. Then they went on an organic diet for 5 days and then back to the conventional diet. It’s clear that eating organic provides a dramatic and immediate protective effect against exposures to pesticides commonly used in agricultural production. The study was subsequently extended. Can you guess when the kids were eating organic? You don't even need the labels on the graph to tell. What about adults, though? We didn’t know until now. Thirteen men and women consume a diet of at least 80% organic or conventional food for 7 days and then switched. And no surprise, during the mostly organic week pesticide exposure was significantly reduced, and not just by a little, a nearly 90% drop in exposure.So it can be concluded that consumption of organic foods provides protection against pesticides, but does that mean protection against disease? We don’t know—the studies just haven’t been done. Nevertheless, in the meantime, the consumption of organic food provides a logical precautionary approach.	I will not wait for the studies, I choose organic whenever I have the opportunityI am with you doc. Who wants all those chemicals polluting our planet?Monsanto, Bayer, Dow AgroSciences, Syngenta, DuPont, BASF to name a few.Try to say synthetic chemicals. as in man made, everything has chemicals in so it makes you look ignorant.Oh really? Nice post.Stephen Lucker Kelly: I knew exactly what Veganrunner meant. I imagine everyone did.I recommend you take a look at the rules for posting on this site: http://nutritionfacts.org/faq scroll to the section: “What are the rules for posting comments on this site?” The first sentence is particularly relevant for you: “The intention of the comment section … is to allow all members to share their stories, questions, and feedback with others in a welcoming, engaging, and respectful environment.” Also check out the second paragraph.Thea, I know what he meant, I meant in general conversations with people, especially on a science based website it’s better to be clear about something than not, as I read a lot of science pages and often enough if someone says chemicals instead of synthetic chemicals, they assume they are part of the bandwagon fallacy and don’t actually realise that chemicals are all over the place and people are made of chemicals. Synthetic chemicals are man made and have a negative affect due to not breaking down well in the environment. But at the same time if I collect a lot of organic chemicals to use as pesticides which isn’t naturally in high doses this also has a negative affect because it has been concentrated.So simple being organic isn’t enough. It takes people who care to do what is right and make good farming methods which keep food healthy and safe to consume. There needs to be a food safety and environmental standard association that registers farms, not just simple an organic certification, this does mean less dodgy man made stuff but it doesn’t instantly equal safe, as we all know nature just killed a lot of people in Nepal. Sadly.I haven’t broken any rules, and I suggest you read them yourself. Honest isn’t against the rules, although some people might not deal with the truth very well. I was just making a friendly suggestion so people take him more seriously on other websites.In a chemistry book sure, but in general parlance ‘chemicals’ means man-made. Put away your CRC and look in Webster’s. That’s the same logic they used to morph genetically engineered into gmo to make it seem like naturally bred plants, as commonly occuring natural chemicals, are just like gmo’s, or synthetic chemicals.Chemicals means chemicals. Obviously people miss use words in slang and I get that people usually mean man made synthetic chemicals when they say this. I do. My point is that those a bit arrogant or more science minded think that people who use the word chemicals so liberally don’t usually have any understanding of chemistry and don’t take them seriously because no one with any understanding of chemistry knows that everything is made of chemicals. But I get it people are not pc, but I would prefer that people get listened to who understand the dangers of man made chemicals and want change. This isn’t me being pedantic or a prick. I generally want people to listen more.GMOs are in no way natural. They could only exist with human intervention and would not happen naturally in the wild. Anyone who says otherwise doesn’t understand genetics.Stephen you need to chill. I understand chemistry and have had my share of chemistry classes. But I would bet you have not or you would not have commented about my use of the word and so rudely. Obviously you are new to this sight. Sit back, relax and learn a little.Not new at all, been watching these videos for 5 years. I wasn’t rude just honest. If you find honest rude, not sure how you tell people that there is a dead animal on their table. I mean how do you do that. It’s not a dead animal it’s some kind of morphed meat that is unhealthy, I don’t know maybe I just like to be straight forward sometimes over vague.I wasn’t being rude I was being helpful, if you found it rude… well I guess we have a different perspective on what is polite. Sometimes there is no way to be tactful with out the point just being missed all together.Hindsight is nice and being vague is fine, but if you want to be taken seriously it’s better to be precise.I’d have to say your own connotation to the word “chemicals” is strictly that—your own. You are arguing your own semantics against traditional, social-norm semantics. I understand where you are coming from, but you have the intellect not to assume, or critique someone as being ignorant for using the general term understood by almost all as a reference of “chemicals” induced by man. Your connotation of chemical, is like mine of compound. I view chemical compounds and being more natural, but that doesn’t mean other people have the same connotation of the word.When I use a word it means exactly what I want it to mean . . . and what everyone else understands it to mean: chemical [kem-i-kuhl] noun 1. a substance produced by or used in a chemical process. Dictionary.comVegetables good. Organic vegetables better!Fact #1: Organic farming still allows the use of pesticides, but a smaller subset of mostly natural and some synthetic ones. Fact #2: These studies only tested for specific synthetic pesticides, which to my knowledge are only used in conventional farming.So these studies showed that conventional produce has a higher concentration of the pesticides that are only allowed in conventional farming? Umm… duh? If they did a study testing only for the most commonly used pesticides used in organic farming the results would probably be very interesting.In any case, someone should do a study looking at ALL the pesticides on produce and see how they compare. Perhaps organic will be lower? Perhaps not. I don’t know. I’m actually not against organic at all, and I actually like to buy pesticide-free produce from my local farmers market because I trust them to embody the spirit of organic farming instead of the letter of the law, which allows virtually limitless spraying of approved organic pesticides.Interesting about the methodology! Did you look at the papers yourself or is this in the video? Sorry but I can’t watch the vid right now so I’ve just read the transcript at this point.I agree about preferring local/organic-ish to legally labelled organic. At the grocery store I’ll get organic if the price is decent, if not I don’t worry about it. Our co-op has local stuff in the summer but boy is it pricey. Farmer markets are limited and fleeting where I live. If I’m ever pregnant someday I would make an effort increase my organic consumption if only based on faith/precautionary principle. But for the time being I know I would have to buy a lot less variety and quantity if I only purchased organic.Organic does NOT allow for “synthetic” pesticides, but there are plenty of natural pesticides and fungicides. Organic farmers can be just as commercialized, and plenty of mega multinationals are farming organic it. Does that mean organic is safer? I don’t think know.“The sad truth is, factory farming is factory farming, whether its organic or conventional. Many large organic farms use pesticides liberally. They’re organic by certification, but you’d never know it if you saw their farming practices. As Michael Pollan, best-selling book author and organic supporter, said in an interview with Organic Gardening, “They’re organic by the letter, not organic in spirit… if most organic consumers went to those places, they would feel they were getting ripped off.”(source for above) http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/httpblogsscientificamericancomscience-sushi20110718mythbusting-101-organic-farming-conventional-agriculture/Baggman, I think you make an outstanding point. I’ll even repeat you, “factory farming is factory farming.” I will even assert that some, mostly smaller, conventional farmers who are conscientious will sometimes do a better job of environmental protection and produce safer produce than some of the organic factory farms you mention. An integrated pest management system using predator and parasitic beneficial insects while reducing but not eliminating toxic substances can still have very beneficial results. I used to know an old very conventional, and very careful entomologist who would use DDT in a heartbeat for spot applications but loudly denounce crop dusting because of the destruction of beneficial insects. Remember the organic pesticide, nicotine sulfate can kill you in a matter of minutes. DDT takes a lot more and a lot longer.So I am with you. This is not quite black and white but,,,, still organic is likely more nutritious and safer.Well said, and I agree, organic when possible.Its a start:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/29/business/usda-to-start-program-to-support-local-and-organic-farming.html?_r=0Also worth a read: Has ‘Organic’ Been Oversized?http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/business/organic-food-purists-worry-about-big-companies-influence.html“Food bearing the ‘USDA Organic’ seal no longer needs to be natural food…” Read why Eden Farms, one of my favorite organic foods, does not carry the USDA organic label:http://www.edenfoods.com/articles/view.php?articles_id=78Maybe the old cliche is true, “ignorance is bliss…”baggman744: That article from Eden is very sobering.I liked Eden before, but I like them even better after reading that. Thanks for the link(s).Eden is good stuff, but expensive. Sometimes up to 100% more than conventional. That’s the challenge, and will be for some time: make healthier food safer, accessible, and affordable.re: expensive Yes! I have noticed that even factoring in a reduction with what seems like a good coupon, Eden canned beans can end up costing more than another “organic” brand at full price. There is definitely a trade-off. I have been buying Eden beans anyway for a couple of reasons, but the cost is definitely an issue. I often wonder how much that cost difference is justified.Good point. Many foods have much lower yields, and are more expensive to produce organically. Beans? Don’t know. Like all things economic, its probably several factors, as in, cost premiums are shared amongst all products. A can of conventional beans maybe 90 cents; organic, $2 dollars. Worth the expense? Sure. But if you like blueberries, conventional frozen maybe $2 to $4 dollars a pound, organic $6 to $8. Math is math. If everything organic so much more expensive, then for far too many, it’s just too cost prohibitive.While Dr. Greger has been equivocal on GMOs in general, organic is the only way to assure non GMO food in the corporate owned USA. Here in France, and in 64 countries worldwide, GMOs are labeled. BTW, I reckon Dr. Greger does NOT eat GMOs at home.I assume he does not knowingly eat GMOs, but without changes to USA’s labeling laws. How is anyone in the US suppose to know what they are getting. Of course, that is the point. Agrochemical companies have used their influence to promote the notion of “substantial equivalence” to argue that GMOs need not be labeled, and have fought tooth and nail in intellectual property courts that their products are novel, non-obvious and useful to secure patent protection.We could certainly learn from the European Union on the banning of persistent organic pollutants and labeling of food. At this point a reasonable approach is to eat organic and avoid GMO foods as much as possible. There is alot to be said for the precautionary principle as Dr. Greger mentioned. There are proven alternatives to raising foods without persistent organic pollutants and use of GMO’s foods. Fortunately we get the opportunity to vote with our purchases and eating habits. For further information see video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/.Hi Dr. Forrester… GMOs have been in the food supply for over 30 years… are you aware of any evidence that they are harmful?… i can’t think of another potentially beneficial product that would require more than 30 years of safety before being universally acceptedKris: I have seen the argument you are making before. It has never made sense to me. I am curious if you are making only a partial argument for brevity’s sake or if it is the entire argument?Here’s what I mean: For the last 30 years we have seen increases in all sorts of health problems. How do you know none of those problems are related to consumption of GMO foods? Or consumption of GMO foods combined with other conditions (say more pesticides on GMO foods)? Just because something has been in the food supply for a long time does not make it a safe or healthy substance to consume. After all, people have been eating processed meats for decades. That doesn’t make processed foods safe (in fact, we know the opposite is true). It just means people have been eating processed foods for a long time.For me, the question is: Are you aware of any good long term research that attempts to tease out the relationship between long term human GMO consumption and health outcomes one way or the other? In other words, the fact of people eating the food is not enough. The food has to also be rigorously evaluated for your argument to be meaningful. Are you aware of such studies and just left them out to be brief?To answer your question: I’m aware of plenty of anecdotes against GMOs. Between that and just plain common sense, I am comfortable saying that we have plenty of good reason to apply the cautionary principle to the subject of eating GMOs until we get some good scientific evidence one way or the other. It is the responsibility of proponents to prove the safety of the artificially genetically modified food. Not the other way around.To twist your statement a bit: I can’t think of another potentially more disastrous product that would be allowed to be sold commercially without better (and more holistic/environmental) studies.Hi Thea and thank you for your response.While i appreciate the point you are making I find it somewhat strange that while we are having this discussion on a website that attributes significant blame for the “increases in all sorts of health problems” over the last 30 years to the standard american diet, you insinuate that it might be something else. I don’t have the data, but I think you and I would both be surprised if whole food vegans, GMO or not, were included in the group with increasing health problemsAs for testing, while I’m not sure what you mean by “more holistic” testing I think there has been for than you are aware of. This is from the American Association for the Advancement of Science:“The EU, for example, has invested more than 300 million euros in research on the biosafety of GMOs. Its recent report states: ‘The main conclusion to be drawn from the efforts of more than 130 research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of research and involving more than 500 independent research groups, is that biotechnology, and in particular GMOs, are not per se more risky that e.g. conventional plant breeding technologies’ ” (http://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/AAAS_GM_statement.pdf)As well, while the science of GMO food is relatively recent, we have been selectively altering genes for thousands of years, in order to get from wild cabbage to broccoli, for example. Is it the method of gene alteration you oppose, then, and if so why?Thanks for your timeKrisKris: And I thank you for your response. I appreciate your approach/open tone.re: “I find it somewhat strange … blame … you insinuate that it might be something else.” Goodness, I’m not at all trying to say that all or even a large percentage of the increased health problems can be laid at the door of GMO. I’m just saying that GMOs could be responsible for or contributing to some of them. For example, it’s my understanding that there is a rash of/increase in general food allergies and sensitivities. Perhaps some of that could be related to GMOs. I don’t know. And I don’t think anyone knows one way or the other. But it is extremely plausible given the types of changes that a GMO food involves. And while I agree that the SAD diet is largely to blame for much of the issues we have seen over the last decades, eating GMOs are part of the SAD diet…re: “I’m not sure what you mean by “more holistic”” That’s fair. What I mean is testing the food as it is really eaten. I’ve heard that a great deal of GMO testing is done without real conditions. For example, testing the food itself, but not how it is really grown in commercial practice. Ie: testing without the pesticide. If the purpose of a GMO food is to allow greater application of Roundup, then testing the food grown in a lab without the Roundup doest not tell us what we need to know – how the GMO food affects human health when combined with the large roundup dose.I mean more than just that though. I’m talking about synergy effects. People don’t just eat a single food. People eat a range of foods. We know that there can be interactions between foods that exacerbate problems. (For example, see Dr. Greger’s recent video about how eating meat with white rice can make the effects of the meat even worse. White rice by itself may not be a problem. But eating white rice with meat…) The GMO foods need to be tested/understood in the context of how people actually eat them. I could see how a modified protein in a plant may be fine by itself, but when combined with another plant or meat that is maybe often used with that GMO plant, then maybe we have a problem. I don’t know. Maybe not. But given that we are talking about something so basic to life as *food*, it needs to be tested.re: “… more than 130 research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of research and involving more than 500 independent research groups…” The devil is in the details. It’s my understanding (which could be wrong!) that those studies do not usually involve human studies. And especially not long term human studies. In other words, 25 years of research does not necessarily mean a study that lasts 25 years. It could just mean 25 studies that each took a year. Or whatever. You get my point hopefully. When it came to figuring out the problems with smoking, we had to do long term human studies. There was nothing else that could tell us whether or not smoking was harmful to humans.re: ” Is it the method of gene alteration you oppose…?” Sort of. But I don’t think it is the right question. What we are doing in the lab with the GMOs is beyond what can be done in nature. That change from wild cabbage to broccoli may have been controlled or accelerated by humans, but it is still something that could very well have happened through evolution. With GMO’s, they are throwing in genes from other species, sometimes even non-plant species (put fish DNA in plant X…) and seeing what sticks. We are changing the chemistry of the plants in fundamental ways that would never occur naturally. And these changes are not about making the plant more palatable, but about say making the plant produce poisons or more poisons. The point of the objection is not that a “gene” was involved. But that the effect of the new chemistry of the plant on human, animal and planetary health after the artificial gene changes take place is not understood. It’s not a fear of genes or artificial genes that I have. It is a fear of changing the proteins and carbs and other pieces of the plant in a way that our bodies may not be able to process in a healthy way.Sorry the post is so long. I have a very hard time articulating my thoughts on this subject. If you stopped reading long before this, I would certainly understand. ;-)Hi Thea, and thanks again for the time you took to respond. It sounds to me like we are coming from different sides on this argument and we could go on and on. In general, i just think you are underestimating the amount of regulation that is already in place. Especially when you say “they are throwing genes from other species….. and seeing what sticks”. If it doesn’t “stick” then it won’t be approved. Adverse unintended consequences are noted and the GE process in question is not commercialized.This is a quote from a book a book called Tomorrow’s Table, that kind of simplifies the argument, for me anyway: “Unlike flouirde or some types of synthetic or organic pesticides such as rotenone, which are unquestioningly lethal to animals at high concentrations, GE traits are composed of the same chemical building blocks (DNA and proteins) that we eat every day…. in other words the fluoridated toothpaste on your toothbrush or the soft drinks in your refrigerator likely present greater risks to your health than the GE papaya you had for breakfast” (p87). Maybe you don’t consume flouirde or soft drinks, but you get the point. Millions do consume them without concern. (As pertains to our discussion here, I recommend chapter 7 of that book, if you happen to come across it)You can argue that every food contains some sort of risk, I just happen to think there is a greater chance of me choking on an organic apple than being harmed by eating a GE potato.Thanks again for the discussionKrisHow much of the pesticide residue can you wash off?Looks like that might be covered in the next video?From the Doctor’s Note above:“Here’s what to look forward to next:How to Make Your Own Fruit and Vegetable Wash Are Organic Foods Healthier? Are the Benefits of Organic Food Underrated or Overrated?”Dr. Greger produced a video on the subject call Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/Nothing was said here about “safe” levels of pesticide absorption. I think it’s a salient point. Obviously, in a perfect world, there would be no pesticides or chemicals anywhere, but in the world I live in there are. Some of them I worry about, some not so much, even though I never buy household chemicals. The stuff on my food? Well, here’s where it gets political. Does this study mean that only the people who can afford organic get to be healthy? The implication, correct me if I’m wrong, is that if you aren’t middle class and educated about food, then you are at risk of getting some horrible cancer.the studies he cited did not appear to differentiate vegetarians, vegans, meat eaters, so my assumption would be a sizable proportion of meat and dairy consumed in the study which would indicate higher differences than in a totally vegan population since animals concentrate toxins.plus of course, there will be a whole new level of research beyond organic where it is not just the absence of pesticides, but the presence of the full complement of soil microbes providing complete nutrition to the plant through the soil food web naturally. Organic standards need revisiting and there is another whole level of health beyond just eliminating pesticides, herbicides, etcIn these studies it seems they didnt look for organic pesticides in the blood and urine, some of them are more toxic than synthetic ones, most organic products have these “organic pesticides”~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vja9KauBb3I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ggEe4OwSMcI heard that organic pesticides are less regulated and can cause risks. As a lot of poison in nature would be classed as organic. So how do we know that Organic pesticides are not dangerous?Stephen Lucker Kelly: re: “So how do we know that Organic pesticides are not dangerous?” It’s my understanding that some organic pesticides *are* dangerous. I still choose organic in general, because we know that in general/overall organic is less dangerous than conventional. I don’t know which specific practices. Just in general, it appears organic is more likely to be a safer choice. To somewhat support what I am saying, here is a quote from one of Dr. Greger’s blog posts some time ago:“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.” from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/Dr. Greger’s point is to put the issue into perspective and to hope that people will not inflate the dangers of eating conventional crops. But the quote also acknowledges that there is some added danger of overall eating of conventional crops even without knowing which specific practices in organic are safe or not. And that quote above is just about one serving of fruits or veggies.If you add in the additional consideration of harm to the planet and harm to farm workers, that puts me firmly in the court of eating organic when I can, even knowing that sometimes an organic food may not be any better than it’s conventional counter part.Just some thoughts for you.I agree it would seem that organic is the safer option. My point is that if Organic pesticides cause as many problems when sprayed on crops as non-organic, then maybe it isn’t as helpful as we assumed, as there isn’t much data on organic pesticides then we don’t really know. However a lot of organic farmers on the small scale don’t actually use pesticides they use copper sprays in some cases and keep an eye on things if anything seems to get out of control they handle it. But that is when they’re a small farmer with time to keep on top of everything not a corporate organic who just switch out the synthetic chemicals they spray for organic ones and then it’s business as usually. It really depends on who you buy from so that is why it’s so important to know what the farmers do.Where I live, in one of the most unhealthy states in the US I have little choice but to buy conventional produce, except for carrots, broc and one time a bag of potatoes. I’m concerned about potatoes the most since I eat a lot of them. From what I read they’re sprayed with herbicides, pesticides and fungicides and it can’t be washed off..Grrr And plenty of beans. I wonder how clean they are?I wonder what produce the kids ate? The dirty apples, strawberries, grapes and celery etc, or the cleaner pineapple, cantaloupe, kiwi, grapefruit and cabbage?And can we ask for a pesticide test at our next Dr visit and blood work test to see how contaminated our diet really is?Sur you can ask for a pesticide test, good luck getting insurance to pay for it…Which is the unhealthiest state in the union anyways? Mississippi has the highest rates obesity and Alabama the highest rate of type 2 diabetes, but both states have at least one Whole Foods Market. I guess I am just spoiled living in California where the produce is excellent.The Environmental Working Group tests conventionally grown produce for chemical contaminants and publishes the Clean 15: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean_fifteen_list.phpAnd the Dirty Dozen: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty_dozen_list.phpBut from your posting it would seem as if you are already familiar with their work. If you eat lots and lots of beans, have you considered purchase dried organic beans in bulk from an internet dealer?Hi Joe, I’ve lived on a mountain in West Virginia for the past 10 yrs. It’s a 25 mile round trip to the nearest Walmart. If they don’t have what I want then I go without..lol I believe WV is a leader in obesity, diabetes, smoking and coal lung related diseases, the least education, the poorest diet and exercise, and the highest unemployment.But I didn’t move here for all that…lol I was interested in the less crowds, crime, low property cost and very low property taxes (paid $190 last yr) cleaner air from hardly any traffic jams, or industrial air pollution.I came from the Houston area where the air was choked with smog from a few million cars, and about 60 chemical plants and oil refineries. They have a very high new bridge going over Baytown that is at the perfect level to suck in all the fumes from the smoke stacks of the 60 plants below. Every time I go visit I feel like I should have brought my gasmask because before I get to LaPorte my eyes are burning and my throat is raw…just like old times there….lol So I make due here in sleepy WV and shock the locals with my very strange diet and exercise.Hi Gary, Sounds nice. Where is the ‘best’ section of WV to move to? Retired and getting tired of NYC…Hi Dommy Bluefield is not bad. Nice and quiet, views of mountains and cheap home prices, not too far from the larger city of Beckley. Not too hot in the summer and winter is not too cold either. Or look around Beckley or Oak Hill if you want if you want to be close to medical facilities, new car dealers and some restaurants..Appreciate it, friend.I recently looked at the child asthma rates around Dallas and Houston for a family member.Some of the TX folks are starting to get upset about choking on the fracking gas, drinking water pollution and petro chemical air pollution, along with the nearby states that have to suck it up. Too bad more is on the way via the Keystone pipeline.Do more than the minimum. No more paper exercises. Go further than required. (We’re looking for more than a “goal seek” solution.)Aim the plan where smog pollution is worst: Tarrant, Denton, Wise, and Parker Counties. (Asthma rates for children under 14 are THREE TIMES HIGHER (22%) in western DFW area than across the state of TX!)The Houston area,Janczak is one of 25 million Americans who suffer from asthma, but what distinguishes her and other rural residents in the Houston region — which has the highest prevalence of asthma in Texas — is that, despite her best efforts, she still has ended up in the hospital three times.A Houston Chronicle analysis of state health records found that rural Cleveland in Liberty County has the highest rate of hospitalization for asthma-related conditions in the 10-county region. In the Houston area overall, nearly 10,000 people were hospitalized between 2007 and 2009 for asthma, according to data provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services.Well Gary. You just keep on setting a good example and keep shocking your neighbors with your strange diet and exercise habits. You can invite them over for a bean and dumpling stew, and show them just how tasty a vegan diet can be. You just might learn them a thing or two. ;)Yeah Walmart, I’ve seen what their produce looks like in some of their Illinois and Indiana stores, and it was no bargain for either quality or variety. I couldn’t vouch safe for So. Cal. where I live because have better alternatives so I never go, or West Virginia where I have only driven through to hike the Appalachian Trail. It’s hard to imagine what depth they would plumb without competition.A West Virginia mountain top retreat could definitely be an upgrade to Houston depending on your proximity to the surrounding mining operations and your source of drinking water.Perhaps you can organize a farmer’s markets if there aren’t any near by. I imagine that their is some agricultural activity going on somewhere around your domicile. Good LuckI guess it would be worth buying organic vegetables, or growing your own after all ! Sometimes we’re given the impression that there is not a big difference , but having this data helps a lot.I grow a LOT of my own food – organically. For my wife and i and sell a few. I do use some organic insecticides when needed. I try to avoid them and do most of the time. But i would rather use a little organic or non-organic insecticides for that matter than go to the store and buy conventinal grown food which will have a lot more pesticides on it than i use. {I cannot afford to buy organic from the store.} I build my soil which makes the plants healthier which protects them. Insects like the sick plants. I use row cover over a lot of my plants to keep the insects off which saves from having to spray. By growing my own we get good food and the pleasure of growing them !!!I also do some gardening. The cherry tomatoes and hot peppers do best without any trouble other than deer eating some tomato leaves. Not so good with the kale and collard greens. Had a major problem with slugs and then some bugs in late summer. I hate slugs, but I got their population way down by using RAID ROACH spray on them. They would come out in the daytime when it’s cloudy and raining and crawl on the propane tank and house siding. I’d grab my can of RAID and give them a shot and they would soon fall off and turn into a pile of goo……yuck, nasty things.Start your Kale and Collards in late summer and after the weather turns cold you will no longer have the problem with the insects. And the greens will last way up into the winter, depending on where you live and the severity of the winter.Thanks for the growing tip Alan. Last yr I trimmed the kale back to a nub and it sprouted nicely this yr on it’s own. So far no bugs are out yet, just robins sitting on their eggs under the front and back porches. I’ll see how long all is going well here lasts.If a child has a developmental disorder can some of the symptoms like attention span , dyspraxia (motor and verbal apraxia) and sensory problems be reduced by eating organic or is it pretty much hard wired and therefore irreversible?A little off topic here,Tennessee school kids were served freezer meat from 2009—and in some cases children possibly ate pork roast almost as old as they are.Hawkins County officials acknowledged its cafeterias dished out the flaky, six-year-old slabs last week, after a lunchroom worker at an elementary school leaked photos of the mystery meat.Parent and county commissioner Michael Herrell told a local TV station that primary-school cooks decided against forking over the ancient grub. The cuts, however, slipped into other schools, including Cherokee High School.http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/30/schoolkids-served-six-year-old-lunchmeat.htmlAre organic foods more nutritious? If one goes by taste, then the answer is yes.A strawberry that taste like a strawberry is more nutritious than a strawberry that taste more like cardboard.If we go by the Brix value, the answer is yes. A strawberry that is farmed well, taste better.If we go by the pesticide load, the answer is yes. A strawberry that has a lower pesticide load taste better.If we go by the hybridization kind vs the wild ugly looking kind, then the answer is yes. The wild, ugly looking kind are much tastier. (There’s nothing wrong with a pretty looking strawberry, as long as the taste is there! And, a nutrient dense berry taste better!)Some of it maybe perception and some of it may be experience, but just the idea of eating a wild or organically grown strawberry taste better.And, some of it may just be the Brix value.The best tasting oranges I’ve had in over 20 years were wild. They were ugly looking, from a tree that was left alone to grow in the soil in someone’s back yard. The were dense, sweet, dark orange, and acid (had both the sweet and sour). You could taste the vitamin C.(If you’ve ever wondered what flavor sweet tarts were trying to fake your body out in getting, that’s right, vitamin C! If they wanted to find out how to improve the flavor of sweet tarts, they would use wild oranges and put the nutrition back in! (And of course, not tell anyone)).There’s a saying that says nothing tastes as good as feeling healthy. The healthy you are, the better you feel and the better food tastes! .I rather have pesticides ON my food (I can wash before eating) than INSIDE (Genetically Modified) my food.Veganrunner: Thanks!! The volunteers no longer have moderator functions for this site and it was the moderator functions that allowed me to efficiently see everyone’s comments so I could reply when appropriate. I still see some comments, but most of them are on older pages. And then every once in a while, I am able to comment on a new page too, like this time.Thanks for your nice note!! And sorry for the rudeness you got. I knew you had it covered, but I couldn’t let it go. It’s best to get people straightened out right away–when they are open to it.Oh man we need all the support we can get. I wonder what the thinking was with that decision? Oh well. Don’t go too far!On the road again: How to survive in hotel USAmericaI bet some has already written a book about this but here goes. I am on my yearly trip to the USA. I’ll be working here for about 3 weeks. My room has a bar fridge, a microwave and the weirdest way of making coffee i’ve ever seen.step 1. take out all the booze and crap out of the fridge and put in a walmart bag.step -1. go to walmart and by a pyrex dish about 150 to 200 mm across with a lid.Step 3, i mean +2, oh crap, … go to the veg section and find the bags of pre-prepared veg. get 2 or 3 of those (not the lettuce kind, but you know what you need. Also grab a bag of pink grapefruit (which you can eat now because you don’t take the weird medicine they tried to addict you onto), a couple of those really great looking spuds (check for solanine) and also get some corn on the cob. and anything else that is whole food/plantbased of course.step next… go to the isle with spices and get some dried onions, chilli pepper flakes, black pepper and turmermeric. Get some rolled oats or similar. get some fresh berries/fruit in season type thing.then go to a healthy store that has eden soy or faux milk of your choice….DO NOT FALL FOR something called Silk…its a sugar water icky thing.Go back to your room carrying bags and bags of food. Smile as the desk person looks at you like “Hey, thats not pizza and beer!”OK, You get it by now. I can’t get over the onslaught of junk food here. I see USA in snapshots each year. And each year it gets so much worse. This morning as I went out to fix a cuppa tea, the woman in front of me was so pathologically obese, trying to make her coffee and push her cart…in looked at the floor to hide my gaze and saw her immensely swollen legs…and the others, also obese but not quite so, with their looks of disgust. I could not stop myself from putting a gentle arm around her and offer to help her. She said thanks, said sorry and carried on on her own. I think she was 30 something. Every step was accompanied with a small gasp of pain.It is heart breaking here, just south of Chicago. Next stop is Winston-Salem. Gosh how I hope its better there…but I don’t expect much. USA, from your biggest fan… please try to find some way out of this horror. I beg you..we need you to be strong…you are the worlds great country. However, like the lead in the plumbing of apocrophal Rome, the collapsed societies essentially exhausted their own designs, and were unable to adapt to natural diminishing returns for what they knew as their method of survival. I’m trying to say Open Your MFing Eyes.Also, um … if you haven’t seen “Big Bang Theory” it is really hilarious. But don’t watch anything else on TV ok?Rhombopterix: Amusing post. But also sad. I often wonder how America/Americans look to outsiders and then cringe at the speculation. re: “And each year it gets so much worse.” That’s my fear. On the other hand, I think we have an up swelling of healthy eating too. It’s like we have a split country – not just in politics, but in our eating. re: “Please try to find…” We’re working on it. As I’m sure you can imagine, we are fighting a tough battle since government, the medical profession, etc are all pretty entrenched.re: Big Bang Check! ;-)Yesterday, my young technician promised me he was starting WFPB…Asked some good questions. There is hope. I should always stay positive. YOU Thea help me do that. and others but so good to see your name here. ThanksYesterday my boss and i had a biznis dinner. Our waitress figured out my WF status and helped me construct an order that aligned sorta (a kind of bean burger wrap, hold the cheese type thing). “I’m vegetarian too she winked” Yeah!!!Rhombopterix: Such nice feedback. You have totally made my day. Thank you.You tell stories very well. Sounds like a really good waitress. Best of luck to you!So I have been following this series on Organic Food with great interest. What I want to know is whether or not the studies where the people were fed regular pesticide produced food one week and then organic the next and back to conventional the third week whether or not the people washed their produce or not? I like that you did a talk on washing the produce and what is effective. Did the graphs that were shown in this video show the amounts left in the food after it was washed?Please remember what the lawyers call the risk of living and work on the big risks first. Such as before getting the possibly dangerous pesticides out of our diet, make sure that you are not smoking, that you are getting proper exercise, and that you are already on a state of the art vegan diet. Just eating animal products is clearly a lot more dangerous than residual pesticides.Can anyone tell me the source of the organic foods used in these tests? did the food come from China where the organic food labeling has been falsified? Could it have come from Mexico whose organic standards I do not trust? For instance, last year I bought a package of organic Driscoll strawberries, grown in Mexico, that were delicious. The next week I bought another, they were not tasty and I noticed they had no rich strawberry smell. In fact, they smelled exactly like conventional strawberries, nothing to them. Strawberries will taste like they smell. When you go to the store next time, do the sniff test, organic versus conventional. I would love for you to investigate further. Not only that, but consider also the freshness of each item. Was the organic food 3 days old as opposed to the conventional maybe 1 day old. There are ways to manipulate the data.Can someone take a look at this study and tell me how this conclusion could possibly be right??? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20685950?dopt=AbstractPlusI don’t understand, however, the dip when children were fed with organic foods. Day one decreased exponentially, day two also did, and day three was the lowest point, why did the levels start to rise in days four and five, then? I don’t think their bodies “expected” the rise of pesticides.Also, that is with exposure of pesticides, what about washing your fruits in the first place? LolDiego: I don’t understand your question/point, but I think you are saying/assuming that washing fruits and vegetables removes all of the pesticides. This is not true, especially the way most people wash. There is a group called the Environmental Work Group (EWG) which evaluates how much pesticides are left on foods *after* the food is prepared the way that most people would prepare them. In other words, if most people would wash an apple before eating it, EWG does the analysis of the pesticides on the apple after it is washed. If most people would peel an orange, then they peel the orange before doing the analysis. Etc.And what they found is that there are still pesticides left on those conventional veggies even after washing. Here’s a link if you want more info: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/faq.php#question_9Thanks. The first comment was made because the levels of any exogenous chemical in children should remain low if they’re not ingesting said chemical. You expect that from any vitamin to any pesticide. However, the graphs show the levels of said chemicals to increase PRIOR the ingestion of said chemical. Either that or the graph isn’t showing what I thought.Diego: I don’t understand your question/point, but I think you are saying/assuming that washing fruits and vegetables removes all of the pesticides. This is not true, especially the way most people wash. There is a group called the Environmental Work Group (EWG) which evaluates how much pesticides are left on foods *after* the food is prepared the way that most people would prepare them. In other words, if most people would wash an apple before eating it, EWG does the analysis of the pesticides on the apple after it is washed. If most people would peel an orange, then they peel the orange before doing the analysis. Etc.And what they found is that there are still pesticides left on those conventional veggies even after washing. Here’s a link if you want more info: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/faq.php#question_9But doesn’t the same apply for “organic” pesticides? Were the levels of those pesticides measured as well?I have the same question…Yes organic foods are safer to do the xenoestrogenic compounds in non-organic foods.It’s also not as simple as washing the pesticides off your food, it’s a matter of the pesticides leaking into the soil and your foods growing in bad soil.Here’s an article I wrote on the topic. As a Registered Dietitian who serves on two organic farming boards, I recommend making the organic choice to protect not only our personal and family health, but also farm worker health, water and air quality. http://mosesorganic.org/benefits-of-organic/I have a question regarding organic meat and stuff like that. A friend of mine was arguing that conventional animal product may be unhealthy, but that’s why he only eats organic grass-fed beef, milk and free range chicken and eggs. He also argued that as the case with conventional veggies and fruits being full of pesticides, the same goes with conventional meat so it isn’t about being vegan to be healthy; it’s about eating organic and as “nature” intended it to be (for example: cows should eat grass, not grains and soy). I showed him some of your articles and videos but he says that most of these studies compare conventional meat instead of the more healthier organic alternative. That made me think whether there were any studies that refute what he claims.Thanks!There is one study that found less multi-drug resistant bacteria contamination on organic chicken, compared with conventional chicken. The difference was not huge. For eggs, here is information about free-range vs. conventional eggs and cholesterol. I think organic anything is a better choice, but it seems the same amount of cholesterol and saturated fat are found in organic animal products.	ADHD,ALS,Alzheimer’s disease,antibiotics,birth defects,brain disease,brain health,brain tumors,Camplyobacter,cancer,chicken,children,dementia,food poisoning,foodborne illness,leukemia,meat,memory,organic foods,Parkinson's disease,pesticides,pregnancy,reproductive health,Salmonella,superbugs,women's health	Organic food consumption appears to reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.	This is the second of a 5-part video series on organic versus conventional foods. What about the relative nutrient content? See my last: Are Organic Foods More Nutritious?Here’s what to look forward to next:For more on the infectious disease implications of organic vs. conventional, see Superbugs in Conventional vs. Organic Chicken. Organic produce may be safer too. See: Norovirus Food Poisoning from Pesticides. Organic eggs may also have lower Salmonella risk, which is an egg-borne epidemic every year in the U.S. See my video Who Says Eggs Aren’t Healthy or Safe?More on Parkinson’s and pesticides in Preventing Parkinson’s Disease With Diet.Those surprised by the California data might have missed my video California Children Are Contaminated.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/camplyobacter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/superbugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21507776,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23402800,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22944875,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24769399,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23567326,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24069851,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18414640,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12781160,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16451864,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20019898,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24121005,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20889210,
PLAIN-2451	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-organic-foods-more-nutritious/	Are Organic Foods More Nutritious?	Are organic foods safer or healthier than conventional alternatives? Two separate questions: some consumers are interested in getting more nutrients, whereas others are more concerned about getting less pesticides. Let’s do nutritious first. Hundreds of studies reviewed, and they didn’t find significant differences for most of the traditional nutrients like vitamins and minerals and so concluded that despite the widespread perception that organically produced foods are more nutritious, they didn’t find robust evidence to support that perception. They did, however, find higher levels of phenolic phytonutrients.These so-called secondary metabolites of plants are thought to be behind many of the benefits ascribed to eating fruits and vegetables and organic fruits and vegetables, had between 19 and 69% more of a variety of these antioxidant compounds. The theory was that these phytonutrients are created by the plant for it’s own protection. For example broccoli releases the bitter compound sulforaphane when the plant is chewed as to ward off those that would eat it. Bugs take one bite and say ew, this tastes like, broccoli. But pesticide-laden plants are bitten less by bugs and so may be churning out less of these compounds, whereas plants raised organically are in a fight for their lives and necessarily have to produce more protection. That was the theory anyway, but we don’t have good evidence to back it up. More likely it has to do with the fertilizer. Plants given high dose synthetic nitrogen fertilizers may divert more resources to growth rather than defense.These antioxidants may protect the plant, but what about us? More antioxidant phytonutrients found in organic vegetables and so yes, more antioxidant activity, but also more antimutagenic activity. They exposed bacteria to a variety of mutagenic chemicals like benzopyrene, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon found in barbequed meat, or IQ, the heterocyclic amine found in grilled/broiled/fried meats as well as cigarette smoke, and there were fewer DNA mutations in the petri dishes where they added organic vegetables compared to the petri dishes where they added conventional vegetables.Preventing DNA damage in bacteria is one thing, but what about effects on actual human cells? For example yes, organic strawberries may taste sweeter and better, and have higher antioxidant activity and more phenolic phytonutrients, but let’s stack them up head-to-head against human cancer cells. Extracts from organically grown strawberries suppressed the growth of colon cancer cells and breast cancer cells significantly better than extracts from conventional strawberries. Now this was dripping strawberries directly onto cancer cells growing in a lab, but as we saw there are real life circumstances in which strawberries come direct contact with cancerous and precancerous lesions, reversing the progression of esophageal cancer, and so presumably organic strawberries would work even better, but they weren’t tested.So although in vitro studies show higher antioxidant and antimutagenic activity as well as better inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, clinical studies on the impact of eating organic on human disease simply haven’t been done. Based on antioxidant phytonutrient levels, organic produce may be considered 20 to 40% healthier, the equivalent of adding one or two serving’s worth to a 5-a-day regimen. But organic produce may be 40% more expensive, so for the same money you could just buy the extra servings worth of conventional produce, so from a purely nutrients-per-dollar standpoint, it’s not clear that organic foods are any better. But people may buy organic foods to avoid chemicals, not because they are more nutritious, which brings us to the next question, are organic foods safer? Which I’ll address next.	anytime you ingest a pesticide, your body will have to fight it off, thus organic is better. You don’t need a study to know this.I’m interested in seeing Friday’s video. Organic foods are still allowed to use pesticides, and so I’m curious as to whether they’re biologically safer – defined here as being less toxic – than their conventionally grown counter parts.According to the USDA, pesticides are allowed to be used with organic crops:Federal Regulations surrounding organic foods: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=dda3cec9a105441a66eae8f130201d60&mc=true&n=pt7.3.205&r=PART&ty=HTML#se7.3.205_1206List of synthetic substances allowed: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5068682http://www.organic.org/home/faq Simply stated, organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones.If the USDA wishes to redefine the meaning of the word “organic,” that would be in keeping with venerable Orwellian notion of Newspeak and Double think and the political and economic realities of a revolving door between its leadership and the agribusiness executive ranks.I’m glad you shared the website link, Joe. I think that website does a disservice as it misleads consumers, which bothers me. Allow me to explain my issues with the website you provided:The first paragraph you quote from the website seems to contradict the actual federal regulations, and federal regulations are the only thing that matter because that is for what companies are held accountable.My largest gripe with the site is their lie about how the USDA defines organic: “The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows: Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled “organic,” a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.”The federal regulations do not quote that definition anywhere; or at least not anywhere I could find. Instead, organic is defined as “[a] labeling term that refers to an agricultural product produced in accordance with the Act and the regulations in this part.”Within the above quote, the website states that “[o]rganic food is produced without USING MOST (emphasis added) conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.” The key takeaway here is that while it doesn’t use most of the conventional measures, it can, by law and without repercussion, use some of them.Moreover, according to §205.603(4) of the federal regulations, vaccines can be used in organic meat, whereas the website states that they cannot.I can list more if needed, but I hope these few are good enough.I remember reading a Bloomberg article a while back stating that products which are labeled with the phrase “All Natural” are 13 times more likely to sell than products which don’t have that phrase adhered to them. What I find amusing about that is that there is no legal definition for the phrase “All Natural.” Any company wishing to make a profit will therefore be stupid not to claim that their product is made from all natural ingredients or that it’s all natural; there are no consequences of doing so, other than making more money. There are plenty of websites out there, though, which claim that foods labeled as all natural are better than those which aren’t.The same logic goes for organic foods and the website you provided. While there are actual legal guidelines which food manufacturers need to adhere by in order to label their product as organic – or else they’ll be sued – there is wiggle room which most people don’t know about, and which that website blatantly ignores; it seems to put organic foods on a pedestal and misleads consumers into thinking that organic food is more than what it really is.When you stated, “[i]f the USDA wishes to redefine the meaning of the word ‘organic’ […]” keep in mind that they didn’t redefine anything. It’s that website which makes you believe that organic is more that what it really is.According to the law, the National Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, the synthetics are governed by the National Organic Standards Board and chemicals are regularly sunsetted. This is not what USDA Secretary Tom Vilack chooses to acknowledge. He replaced the NOSB with an industry board and listens to the chemical industry instead of the organic producers, farmers, consumers. This is against the law.There is a lawsuit occurring right now between organic stakeholders, the Cornucopia Institute and even the original signers of the law have chimed in. The USDA is disobeying the letter of the law and hopefully it will not stand. In the mean time, buy from local organic farmers markets or grow your own.excellent point,,,its logic !!Sometimes reality is counter-intuitive, never forget that.Air travel is faster than bus, so air travel is better.On a scale with ‘meaningful’ on one side and ‘meaningless’ on the other, how would you rate my statement?Most labelled organic product have “natural pesticides” added which are not always safer, sometimes more toxic~I’m wondering how taxing it is for the liver to deal with the chemicals in conventional produce. Is it significant work for the liver that the it is actually not able to do over a lifetime, or is ok? Hopefully future video/s address this. Thank you.Many times the mechanisms involved are described in the studies themselves. Check-out the “sources cited” for more information, but I am not certain any studies discuss liver detoxification from pesticides? I do think the benefit of eating conventional vegetables outweighs the risks.This is a perfect example of why I love this site. There is a lot of absolutist anti-conventional, anti-gmo, etc rhetoric in the vegan/plant based webosphere and sometimes I worry that people coming from the SAD will become overwhelmed with the message that unless they’re eating a diet of 100% organic, then they are killing themselves and poisoning their children, and may end up giving up before they even try. A very wise man once said in a nutrition video I found on the internet that “the best vegetable [or fruit,bean,etc] is the one you eat”.In addition I just have to mention after eating WFPB for so long now, hearing the 5 a day recommendation was jarring. What?? That’s the goal??? Pretty sure I hit that halfway through lunch if not earlier. And how many people aren’t even hitting that measly number? Eeek.I’m with you there. I hit my 5 a day fruit and vegetable number somewhere halfway though my morning green smoothie, and while educating people off of the Standard American Diet (SAD) is a laudable goal, and I certainly would not want to do anything to scare anyone off of that trajectory, just asking some people to substitute WPBF’s for their meat and industrial manufactured pre-package pablum is frightening enough for many.Where I take exception is the characterization of those promoting a vegan organic diet as absolutist. I submit that the reason that you love this site is because it presents actionable research based information. Rhetoric notwithstanding, there are very good researched based reasons to take an anti-conventional, anti-gmo position. The first and most obvious being the impact of chemical residues found from conventionally produced and GMO crops on those consuming them. This impact is amplified for omnivores due to the bio-accumulation of these compounds in the tissues of animals raised for meat. The second is the the impact of these chemical agents have on the environment and water resources due to run off. The third is sustainability issue. Conventional and GMO crops are orders of magnitudes more energy intensive to produce than organically produced foods, but the number one sustainability issue is soil erosion. Soil is a finite resource. Conventional and GMO farming practices deplete the soil while organic farming practices enhance and amend the soil while preserving biodiversity.Conventional farming practices are a Faustian bargain which have increased food production in the short run, but have lead to severe environmental impacts while jeopardizing our ability to feed ourselves in the future. I would think that for these reasons alone, it’s worth kicking up a bit of a fuss.Hi Joe, I think the characterization I intended got lost in translation. I didn’t mean that the promotion of vegan+organic/non-gmo is in itself absolutist. There is a lot of absolutist rhetoric out there, often coupled with outright misinformation and an unnecessary level of fear-mongering, and then there is also well-reasoned and evidence-based discussion. I certainly don’t have a problem with the latter!anti-gmo/conventional positions that are absolutist = an invalid statement anti-gmo/conventional positions which are absolutist = what I was referring toI found glyckosphate in my cupboard. it;s banned in Bangladesh but was bought by me the informed European!I would agree that it is easy to get absolutist when it comes to GMOs, organic etc. But I’d point out that these videos look more at the science and less at the economic and environmental impact of these products. That is, of course, what a site based on health should do – but the global impact of these products on our economy – the monopolization of the food supply etc – are also very important issues.The companies that produce these products – chemicals, GMOs etc – are contributing to not only the degradation of the food supply but of the global eco system we rely on. When Dr Greger does videos on PCBs and dioxins etc, we should remember that those were manufactured by a company – who were funded by the products they sell. Consumers bought the produce. Farmers bought the chemicals. Chemical companies got money to invest in new chemicals, which consumers (and every living creature on planet earth) cannot now avoid. They also got the money to lobby governments, remove safety standards and stop labelling efforts. So we see that the direct health effects of consuming industrial produce actually account for only a part of their impact on our lives.There is a farm in California called SingingFrogsFarm.com that is not Organic but certtified bee friendly because they do not use pesticidesand is no tilling needed in their gardens. They grow the best produce with no fertilizer leakage from their compost and using very little water.That to me the the way we are to grow and eat wonderful vegetables.We can learn from people like them (Paul and Elizabeth Kaiser) and grow our own vegetables.Non organic fruit and veg has no taste so naturally has no appeal to me.wow you must live in a sad part of the world to write a statement like that.:) I live in the UK and have been fortunate enough that my parents where so poor they brought us up on a wholefood diet. When processed foods and fast foods came to this country it never tasted real so I never touched it and I never gave it to my children. I naturally can tell the difference, which I believe is the case why some fast food companies have trouble setting in up in some countries. I am very sorry if I have offended you it wasn’t my intention. I guess I was trying to say that maybe we are being controlled by our minds and marketing and we seem to have lost the ability or desire to hear what the body is telling us.Cassandra: Thanks for the expanded information. I wasn’t personally offended by what you originally wrote, but your clarification is very interesting and helpful. You were indeed lucky growing up with the diet you ate. And you are lucky to have such sensitive taste buds now. It sounds like they are leading you in great directions.I would love to see a similar study comparing fresh vegetables (cut green for shipping) vs frozen vegetables (cut ripe for freezing).Awesome interview with Dr. Greger on the Food Revolution Summit today! Catch the replay as well as interviews with Brenda Davis and Ritamarie Loscalzo here http://summit.foodrevolution.org/replays (available for 24 hours).One of the most significant benefits of organic produce has not been mentioned (at least not in the video) and that is the fact that organic farming is better for the soil and more sustainable. Even if no safer or no extra nutritional benefits, organic is important for maintaining and building topsoil. This is so important that the UN has declared 2015 the “International Year of Soils.”World record holders for consecutive marathons, Janette Murray-Wakelin and Alan Wakelin, reported that in the last two months of their record setting year of marathons they ate only organic fruits and vegetables. They showed an increase in energy and their marathon times improved over this period. Organic fruits and veggies don’t always cost more. Buying direct from warehouses, in bulk, or when there are sales, can decrease the price to comparable with nonorganic. The Wakelins also reported they ate less when eating organic than when eating nonorganic. Personally I get similar results especially with organic bananas and tomatoes. Less food with better performance with organic. Stay healthy.I enjoy a lot your videos, very informative but clear and concise. Keep the good work, sir!A while back, at least 25 years ago, Organic Gardening had an article in which they took conventionally grown bell peppers and organic bell peppers and had tests ran to see the average Vitamin K levels in either. The Vitamin K was 40% higher in the Organic bell pepper. I don’t believe that was a peer reviewed journal-ized study, they just did it. The depth in flavor and sweetness of fruit and veggies grown with organic methods compared to a chemically grown fruit or veggie is far superior, I always regret buying conventional that was on sale when it hits my plate. I would like to see someone just do a analysis of the difference, not so much an analysis of several studies, paid for by which ever corporation benefited by making their product look the best in a study.My comment is unrelated to the video, but I suffer from chronic pain and am planning on going on a vegan diet. Does anyone know of any good books/resources that explain the most effective way of going vegan?You could give the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s 21-Day Vegan Kickstart a try. It is based upon the theory that if you can change any habit for 21 days, you will be over the hump, and you’ll be able to stick with it. http://pcrm.org/kickstartHome/There are others, but this one has receipts, motivational messaging and is health and not ethically focused.Good luck. Changing to a whole foods plant based diet has made me feel better. I hope that your are able to ameliorate you pain with your change in diet.“Becoming Vegan” by Brenda Davis, RD is an awesome book! It’s well referenced and packed with easy-to-understand information on how to better one’s health with a whole food plant based diet. All 13 amazon reviews for the newest edition (2014) are five star.I certainly agree with the suggestions below. Dr. Barnard has a book called “Foods that fight pain”, which may also help. Like NutritionFacts, PCRM offers a lot of free literature so see if you can download their material for free. Ginny Messina RD and Jack Norris RD wrote a book called, “Vegan for Life” another great resource, along with “Becoming Vegan” by Brenda Davis RD. Jack’s website is very helpful, too. Best of luck on your journey let us know how it goes!Sincerely, Josephalso research salicylates in food and see if you can up these.info and very interesting article , just hope useful shop . thank yougoo.gl/pzBb3ZAm interested in this topic & would like to examine the sources Dr. Greger cited. In general, actually, it would be great if a bibliography could be listed after an article or video. Helpful for those of use who want to delve deeper. Thank you!Next to the video window is an icon “Sources Cited”; click on that and all sources will be listed below the video window. Then click on each source; some will only be the Abstract, unless you’re registered for the site.Thanks, will check it out.I read that if you go organic in two weeks your body is clear of pesticides.Feel free to always share links or studies :) I have not heard this, but I think eating organic will reduce pesticide exposure overall.Joseph: Check out this video to lend support to what dewdroppings is saying. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/:-)Awesome! Thank you!Thea found the best video on this topic. Please see her link.Looking forward to the next video !You missed the point. Organic foods have much less toxins, much fewer allergenic chemicals, far less cancer causing compounds. No, I’m full with my produce, eating 40% more won’t fit.when will the new video come out ? I would really like to know how many peticides you find in store on organic products. Here in Europe the problem is that organic labelling protects you only when the crop is grown, what happens during the transport is another story. i suggest that eating local foods is the best option, if u have that option :)Nothing matches the texture, flavor and aroma of home garden ripened vegetables especially tomatoes and peppers. It is hard to get more local than that. Our neighbor would use chemical fertilizers, he would get some really big tomatoes, but they would never taste as good as ours, and he would end up growing more bush than tomatoes. Our tomato plants were considerably smaller and produced smaller fruit, but were much more productive and heck of a lot tastier. The only thing we ever used to amend the soil was compost made primarily from lawn clippings. They were the best vegetables I ever ate. Now that’s organic.My guess is that the comparison of the Organic verses the Non-Organic that the organic was purchased from the supermarket. Most commercial organic grocers do not build the soil like a home gardener like myself and many others. i personally believe that there would be more vit. and min. in these type veggies than the commercially grown. I know that they taste better !!!!Organic farmers are (in most cases) not using soil reastoration technics, where the food nutritional value is higher. We should compare those that return organic material to the soil, use volcanic rock&sea minerals and those who dont.I’m a case in point. Since 1986, I’ve eaten nearly 100 percent organic whole foods. That is few if any instant organic meals or junk foods. In 2006 and 2007, I had a total hip and total knee replacements, and healed the average time…or at least the doctor made no comment on my ability to heal bone.But after fracturing my spine and pelvis in separate injuries in 2014, and having gone healthy vegan in 2012, this time he did comment. He said he would expect to see someone grow bone within 3 months, but never within 3 weeks after the fracture occurred. And when I had my first follow-up in his office one month later, and he compared my x-rays, and said my pelvis was totally healed. He was amazed. What I did was eat certified organic collard greens and beans high in calcium and magnesium every day, along with some seeds or almonds, high in calcium. I took little calcium supplement but was taking vitamin D3.I’ve since learned that we need much more than calcium, but since I did not know how much calcium I should be getting in my food, I ate 3 cups chopped and steamed once a day and felt like I was growing roots. Basically I was absorbing over 1500 mg of calcium in organic produce everyday.The difference between organic and convention produce is mineral/metal chelators which from what I’ve learned, ALL herbicides contain metal chelators. In fact, Glyphosate (RoundUp) is patented as a metal chelator.Read the interview between Thierry Vrain, Ph.D.,GMO spokesman turned GMO whistleblower(who) followed the science. The interview is by Tsiporah Grignon. http://commonground.ca/2013/10/dr-thierry-vrain-gmo-whistleblower/Dr. Vrain also cites Professor emeritus Don Huber and what Huber has found with mineral chelators. Basically they hold onto the minerals and don’t let go so they basically starve the plant (as well as the animals and humans who may eat the plant to repair or heal or for their well being.Organic farmers and gardeners do not use chemical herbicides. Instead, they heavily mulch after pulling the weed roots out of the soil. Without the mineral chelators, organic has more nutrition than conventional or Glyphosate Modified crops. If you want numbers, check out studies by Dr. Charles Benbrook, Ph.D. An article in the Washington State University newsletter says: “Organic plants produce more antioxidants”. In general, “organic crops have several nutritional benefits that stem from the way the crops are produced. A plant on a conventionally managed field will typically have access to high levels of synthetic nitrogen and will marshal the extra resources into producing sugars and starches. As a result, the harvested portion of the plant will often contain lower concentrations of other nutrients, including health-promoting antioxidants.”“Without the synthetic chemical pesticides applied on conventional crops, organic plants tend to produce more phenols and polyphenols to defend against pest attacks and related injuries. In people, phenols and polyphenols can help prevent diseases triggered or promoted by oxidative damage, like coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers.Overall, organic crops had 18 to 69 percent higher concentrations of antioxidant compounds. The team concludes that consumers who switch to organic fruit, vegetables and cereals would get 20 to 40 percent more antioxidants. That’s the equivalent of about two extra portions of fruit and vegetables a day, with no increase in caloric intake.” Additionally, by eating organically, there is “10 to 100 times fewer pesticide residues” in organic food as compared with conventional food.Read more at: https://news.wsu.edu/2014/07/11/major-study-documents-benefits-of-organic-farming/#.VUnThZPVDowYou can also listen to a lecture given by Dr. Vrain entitled“Engineered food and your health: the nutritional status of GMOs” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiU3Ndi6itkNotice at: 4:04 when Dr. Vrain is discussing Glyphosate as a metal/mineral chelator, he also said that it sticks or binds to calcium, magnesium, cobalt, manganese, etc. All those minerals are needed to grow bone.Organic agriculture, unless Monsanto has deliberately contaminated the fields, does not use and laws often forbid toxic chemicals on organic agriculture. Instead of chemistry, biology is used –composting and mulching to protect and add sustainability to the soils to sustain life.Its really quite simple, generally organic foods contain more flavonoids than conventional crops which are some of the “active” components that make produce effective in fighting pathogens. These flavonoids work in conjunction with vitamins, ie hesperidin in various citrus fruits which makes vitamins more bioavailable for humans. Therefore the more “flavor” that produce has the more potent the food is. Thus the flavor of organic food is an indication if the produce contains flavonoids including other active components that prevent pathogens from occurring.If your organic or conventional garlic is not hot and smelly then it likely contains very little sulfur and or allicin which are two of the active components that make garlic a full spectrum antibiotic, and an; antifungal, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, anticancer, antiviral, antibacterial, pathogenic killer. Therefore the potency is determined by flavor and the flavor is directly influenced by the; soil, water, amount of sunshine and so forth that the produce contains.It is important to note that some organic produce is not very flavorful which could be due to many reasons and then one should switch to something that is.Therefore if your food is not flavorful like is should be then it has little benefit. Garlic that is not hot and smelly is virtually useless to fight pathogens as is elephant garlic and flavorless conventional garlic even organic can be too.Plants have a symbiotic relationship to the soil and with humans and the more that relationship is destroyed the sicker humanity will become.	antioxidants,barbecuing,breast cancer,broccoli,cancer,colon cancer,cost savings,DNA damage,esophageal cancer,fruit,frying,heterocyclic amines,meat,organic foods,pesticides,phenolics,phytonutrients,polycyclic hydrocarbons,rectal cancer,smoked foods,strawberries,sulforaphane,vegetables	There appear to be no consistent differences in the level of vitamins and minerals in organic versus conventionally grown produce, but organic fruits and vegetables have more phenolic phytonutrients.	This is the first of a 5-part video series summarizing the best available science comparing the nutritional content, pesticide risk, heavy metal toxicity, and food poisoning risk of organic versus conventionally raised foods, including a video on practical tips for making your own DIY fruit and veggie wash. Here’s a list of the next four queued up:I imagine that the reaction to this series will be similar to that of the one I did on GMO foods, riling up critics on both sides of the debate:More on the nutritional implications of stressed-out plants here:The wild video about the reversal of esophageal cancer progression with strawberries can be found here: Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer. Production method aside, in vitro, Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoked-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phenolics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycyclic-hydrocarbons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barbecuing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-roundup-ready-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22944875,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23090335,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16478244,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24968103,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20824185,
PLAIN-2452	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/	Bowel Wars: Hydrogen Sulfide vs. Butyrate	There’s a take-off of the industry slogan, “Beef: It’s What’s For Dinner - Beef: It’s What’s Rotting in Your Colon.” I saw this on a shirt once with some friends and I was such the party pooper—no pun intended—explaining to everyone that meat is fully digested in the small intestine, and never makes it down into the colon. It’s no fun hanging out with biology geeks—but, I was wrong!It’s been estimated that with a typical Western diet, up to 12 g of protein can escape digestion, and when it reaches the colon it can be turned into toxic substances like ammonia. This degradation of undigested protein in the colon is called putrefaction, so a little meat can actually end up putrefying in our colon. The problem is that some of the by-products of this putrefication can be toxic.It’s generally accepted that carbohydrate fermentation—the fiber and resistant starches that reach our colon—results in beneficial effects for the host because of the generation of short chain fatty acids like butyrate, whereas protein fermentation is considered detrimental for us. Protein fermentation mainly occurs in the lower end of colon, when carbohydrates get depleted and results in the production of potentially toxic metabolites. Perhaps that’s why we see more colorectal cancer and ulcerative colitis lower down, because that’s where the protein is putrefying. The simplest strategy to reduce the degree of potentially harmful compounds by protein fermentation is probably a reduction of dietary protein intake.But, the accumulation of these harmful byproducts of protein metabolism may be attenuated by the fermentation of undigested plant matter. This study showed that if you give people foods containing resistant starch—starch resistant to small intestine digestion so it can feed our good bacteria down in our colon, foods such as cooked beans, peas, lentils, raw oatmeal, and cold pasta—you can block the accumulation of potentially harmful byproducts of protein metabolism. The more starch ended up in the stool, the less ammonia, for example.But there’s protein in plants too. The difference is that animal proteins tend to have more sulfur-containing amino acids like methionine and they can be turned into hydrogen sulfide in our colon, the rotten egg gas that may play a role in the development of the inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, as I’ve covered previously.The toxic effects of hydrogen sulfide appear to be mediated through blocking the ability of our colon cells from utilizing butyrate, which is what our good bacteria make from the fiber we eat. So it’s like this constant battle in our colon between the bad metabolites of protein, hydrogen sulfide, and the good metabolites of carbohydrates, butyrate. Using human colon samples they were able to show that the adverse effects of sulfide could be reversed by butyrate. So we can either cut down on meat, eat more plants, or both.But there’s two ways hydrogen sulfide can be produced. Though it’s mainly present in our large intestine as a result of the breakdown of sulfur-containing proteins, rotten egg gas can also be generated from inorganic sulfur preservatives like sulfites and sulfur dioxide.Sulfur dioxide is used as a preservative in dried fruit, and sulfites are added to wines. We can avoid sulfur additives by reading labels or by just choosing organic, since by law they’re forbidden from organic fruits and beverages. Cabbage family vegetables naturally have some sulfur compounds, but thankfully, after following more than a hundred thousand women for over 25 years, cruciferous vegetables were not associated with elevated colitis risk.But because of the animal protein and processed foods, the standard American diet may have five or six times more sulfur than a diet centered around unprocessed plant foods, which may help explain the rarity of inflammatory bowel disease among those eating traditional whole food plant-based diets.	Recently started drinking store bought almond milk. The label says it contains “vitamin A (synthetic), folic acid (synthetic) and added selenium, magnesium and calcium- as well as B12 and vitamin D-2. All the brands at Whole Foods add these supplements. My question: are these small doses of “A” and folic acid safe to ingest on a day to day vegan diet? And what about the added minerals, are they natural to our body in supplemental form? I could make my own almond milk, but store bought is often convenient and maybe these supplements are a good thing?Everytime I pick up a carton of almond milk and read the ingredients, I put it back. There’s just too much “stuff” in there I don’t need or want. Instead, why not just eat (*almost) raw almonds. *(raw almonds are illegal in the US)I make almond milk the easy way. Just toss them in a high-powered blender with water, maybe a few dates and some vanilla, and sometimes with cashews. Don’t bother with the ridiculous straining through a nut milk bag and the waste of all that almond solids. It settles in the pitcher and in a glass or bowl. But so what. Just shake the pitcher and keep a spoon in the glass while you drink it..Sounds like a great recipe. Thank you. It really is a shame we can no longer buy raw almonds from the US, but like most things in life, we haven’t the choice.I’ve bought them online and sprouted them in the past from a company in Cal that flash steams them, meets the standards, but doesn’t kill the seed, I used to buy them all the time, here’s the bit on how they pasteurize and keep them in a raw state https://www.california-almonds.com/Articles.asp?ID=258 ,I rarely strain things either, don’t want to miss out on any nutrients that I paid for! Besides, I always thought anything left like little chopped up almonds would taste good in breakfast cereal anyway :)Hi Nevo. I think you mention great points about fortified foods. I would suggest foods like plant-milks or other fortified foods (cereals, nutritional yeast) are not as risky as actual daily multivitamins. Many of these fortified foods may offer some advantages for those who lack proper nutrition throughout the day. You could see where you fall short (if at all) from micronutrients and go from there. I agree that high doses of minerals (iron, copper) are probably more risky. In short, if you’re concerned about the fortified stuff than avoid it and make certain you obtain everything from whole foods (still take B12), but I try to be practical and feel fortified plant-milk is of little worry for most. Besides, many folks may have a hard time obtaining enough calcium and B12, therefore a cup of fortified almond milk could help.Thank you, but does the data show that man-made (formulated and derived) calcium is safe for humans? I’ve read studies that say it is not (calcified arteries, and other scary stuff). I assume humans got their calcium from plants, and that this fortification is just an experiment with unknown consequences. You mention fortified plant-milks are of little worry for most, but all the vegan doctors I follow (the ones we all know about here) state to avoid folic acid, and now someone posted the other day that Mcdougall preaching against Vitamin D supplements —– he thinks they are wrong and harmful. So I am wondering what has you convinced these fortified dairy-free plant-milks are “Of little worry to most.”? Thanks. I am wondering if your opinion is based on the scientific evidence Dr. Greger has studied, or is it on something else?Calcium supplements have been shown to be harmful here increase prostate cancer risk. The largest intervention study on a vegan diet that I know of showed better overall nutrient intake, but calcium was one nutrient that was very low Nutrient intake in the GEICO multicenter trial: the effects of a multicomponent worksite intervention. You can certainly avoid. Sure, small amounts of these potentially harmful vitamins (vitamin E, D, and folic acid) are found but I have yet to see a study talking about the dangers of plant-milk. How having fortified plant-milk can lead to an early death. Never seen anything like that. I think making your own plant-milks may be best, and you are right to obtain calcium from whole foods. That is great. Clearly you are very educated on this :) When I say of little worry to most I think of it like carrageenan. No, we don’t want tons of carrageenan in the diet, but if there is some in healthful foods then we may not want to avoid that product completely.Hey, thank you Joseph. I am not surprised that studies have not been done on the plant-based milks, but calling these “plant-based milks” by the industry (as well us all of us here (me included)) is probably misguiding and missing the point to the big picture here : store bought plant-based milks are not plant-based milks, they are “plant-based milks with synthetic vitamin pills mixed in – and also non-food sources of minerals mixed in”. Either take your pill in a little marble sized factory made form, or let the the food manufacturer put it in there (the pill) in the factory. It’s all the same, and from this I think we should be safe to conclude there are serious red-flags out there regarding eating fortified grains, milks, and other stuff. Most of the stuff we read just is published studies that show the good studies.I have used Silk Soymilk and other commercial “organic” soymilks daily for years. I recently became concerned about what was happening in my body with all that calcium. Silk recently went from 30% RDA calcium to 45% in an 8 oz. glass. Disgusting! I’m suspicious of possible kidney stones and joint pain due to so much calcium. Walking and weight bearing exercise are the best, proven ways to prevent osteoporosis caused by the body of seniors doing bone calcium dumpingThe body says “Hey no serious weight bearing demands here in this chair most all day (see Wollf’s law in orthopaedics); why am I lugging such heavy bones; I think I’ll lighten up!” By the way, spread the word, Westsoy Soymilk has no added vitamins or minerals.I don’t agree that ordinary, daily multivitamins are “risky” and think that many people advocating whole food diets (like myself) are biased against supplements they consider “unnatural”. As I wrote in a comment to an obviously biased video on mutivitamins, multivitamins have actually been shown to significantly decrease age-related macular degeneration and cancer incidence in a very high quality study of male physicians (PHSII). This study has also shown a non-significant decrease in all-cause mortality. This is in agreement with most epidemiological studies associating multivitamin use with modest beneficial effects. One may conclude from this evidence that the effect is very modest (compared to diet and other lifestyle factors) and hence consider multivitamins “a waste of money” (I don’t think so – a nickel a day for ~10% lower risk of cancer and macular degeneration seems like a very good deal to me) but certainly not that they pose any risk – at least not in the case of iron-free RDA-dose multivitamins similar to the Centrum used in PHSII.It is all relative… if you are replacing dairy with plant milks I would say that health wise a positive step. Learning to read labels and purchasing foods with less additives is generally good. You would expect the amount of persistent organic pollutants to be higher in dairy than in plant milks. The track record for consumption of isolated nutrients in the absence of confirmed deficiency is poor… exception being Vitamin B12. There is one Soy milk product which has only two ingredients on the label… soy beans, water. Calcium is generally not a problem. Folks worried about the strength of their bones would do more in my opinion to focus on getting 150 minutes of weight bearing activity in lieu of thinking that taking calcium pills will fortify their bones… studies don’t on the whole support this. The best source for understanding this issue is Building Bone Vitality by Amy Lanou.If you like oatmilk, try out Organic Oatly. Nothing added.http://www.oatly.com/products/international/organic-oat-drink/A correction: I don’t know about the U.S. legislation, but organic wine is regularly sulphurated the EU. This is simply because non-sulphurated wine may turn bad very quickly and there is no real alternative to sulphur as a preserving agent to prevent the formation of highly toxic acetaldehyde – so a tiny amount of sulphur clearly seems the lesser evil here.…or just don’t drink wine. Alcohol causes cancer anyway.Yeah, and don’t have sex, too – just think of all those sexually transmitted diseases…I gave you a thumbs up and did not mean to. I have given up alcohol and with very good reason. Alcohol is toxic. I will keep having sex with my wife and for very good reasons. Sex is good for our health when done right.I can’t really tell if you are being sarcastic or not so I am just going to assume that you are. I would add would add to your comment “Yeah, and don’t have sex, too – just think of all those sexually transmitted diseases…. that come from premarital sex” So just stay away from premarital sex and you are good. Now it’s a serious comment.You are a very serious guy. I’m not. I like wine and women. Seriously ;)Interesting! Thanks for sharing. I think no matter what acetaldehyde is produced from alcohol and the body must detox it, sulfur or not.Yes it is, but it can also be produced (sometimes in dangerous quantities) by microbes present in the wine, which is prevented by sulphuration.Anyway, I think the overall risk/benefit-relation is very favorable as long as one sticks to one small glas of (preferably) red wine a day with a meal.It may be interesting to know that sulphuration of wine is not a modern invention but in fact one of the oldest preservation methods known to men and was rountinely practiced by the ancient Greeks and Romans (besides sulphur they also added resins for that purpuse – hence the famous retsina). That fact that it has stood the test of time for several thousand years suggest that it probably makes some sense.A possible explanation for beneficial effects of moderate alcohol consumption may have been uncovered only recently. Apparently, alcohol is not only metabolized to detrimental compounds like acetaldehyde, but also facilitates the endogenous production of – believe it or not – hydroxytrosol (yes, that highly beneficial antioxidant phenol found in olives and olive oil!). It also seems to specifically facilitate the hydroxylation of dietary tyrosol and related phenols – a remarkable synergy which may explain a key health benefit of the Mediterranean diet (wine & olive oil).1. Pérez-Mañá et al. Ethanol induces hydroxytyrosol formation in humans. Pharmacol Res. 2015 Mar 20;95-96C:27-33. 2. Pérez-Mañá et al. Moderate consumption of wine, through both its phenolic compounds and alcohol content, promotes hydroxytyrosol endogenous generation in humans. A randomized controlled trial, Mol Nutr Food Res. 2015 Feb 24.Interesting. There are probably a lot of confounders in the one or two glasses of red wine and health benefits. Some scientists went through hundreds of receipts from a big supermarket and it showed a clear trend – the customers who bought wine also bought the most fruit and vegetables. Not a big significant study, but an interesting observation. And of course the French Paradox – they don’t eat greasy burgers and lard fries size XXL in a fast food joint drinking Pinot Noir. That said I think (hope) that a little wine offers some health benefits :-)Charzie, I totally agree. Wine and beer are probably the most ancient of all fermented foods.Of course there are a lot of confounders with regard to wine consumption. People who regularly drink wine are more likely to eat a healthy (Mediterranean) diet, are more affluent, better educated and so on. However, health benefits have also been observed after extensive correction for such factors and for moderate consumption of other types of alhocol as well, although less consistent.Those studies give a fascinating lead for understanding the observed health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption in general, and wine in particular. I wonder why we haven’t seen any media headlines yet, such as “Alcohol makes your body produce its own extra virgin olive oil” ;)Oh, by the way, a little known fact about hydroxytyrosol is that naturally fermented olives actually contain much more of it (about ten times as much by weight, which is a hundred times as much by calories) than even extra virgin olive oil, as the fermentation actually produces hydroxytyrosol from phenolic precursors such as oleuropein.“Californa-style” processed olives, however (basically green olives turned black by oxidizing them in tanks with bubbling air and then dying them with iron salts) contain almost none, as the phenols are irreversibly bound to the added iron:Charoenprasert S., Mitchell A. Factors Influencing Phenolic Compounds in Table Olives (Oleaeuropaea). J Agric Food Chem. 2012 Jul 25;60(29):7081-95.So much for Americans trying to improve on European traditions…So my real healthful canned black olives stabilized with ferrous gluconate are another load of unhealthy processed crap? I let the BPA leaching can lining go…but now the healthy phenols just aren’t there?I think I’ll move to France with all the other coneheads. At least the food might be sort of healthy…Sorry to disenchant your industrially processed olives ;)You may not need to move to France, though. I’m pretty sure that you can find good quality, traditionally fermented olives in the US. First of all, green olives always retain a fair amount of phenols. When buying black olives, you will certainly find some without added iron gluconate. Even if you can’t always trust the ingredient list, you can trust your eyes. Naturally ripened olives are never uniformly black, they always have some grayish speckels or slight variations in color (that’s why they are treatened with iron gluconate: to give them the uniformely black color customers in the US have come to expect).Greek kalamata olives are a good example how natural black olives should look like. Other variesties may have a deeper black color, but never as uniformely as olives dyed with iron.Hey, if eating fermented food is so good for you, why not a little wine, beer or whatever, that is also fermented?I have asthma and avoid wines due to sulphates, however, never thought about the raisins and dried blueberries I put in my daily oatmeal . . . Learn something every day on this website. Thanks!I also avoid sulphates, because they give me migranes. Good news on the raisins–only the golden raisins contain sulphates. Regular raisins are dark because no sulphates were used to preserve the color.realDr Greger,How do you feel about vegan probiotic foods, like water kefir? Beneficial?It could be. Dr. Greger mentions the best probiotics in foods. I see no problem taking them if you feel (or doctor is asking) they could be helpful. Typically a high fiber diet produces plenty of prebiotics, which can feed the probiotics already in the gut. During special circumstances they may be more useful. How Should I Take Probiotics? may also be a helpful read. See if these help? Thanks!So when detective Rosewood (Beverly Hills Cop, 1984) said: “Wow. You know, it says here that by the time the average American is fifty, he has five pounds of undigested red meat in his bowels” – he was (almost) right all those years ago……. :-)interesting info gan , thankshttp://obatpembesarpenisvimax.com/What about sulfur-containing supplements such MSM? Could they cause the formation of sulfur dioxide gas too?That’s a good question. I am not familiar with that supplements and did not find anything on sulfur dioxide gas and MSM.Given all the health benefits of butyric acid, I’m surprised it’s not available as a supplement.It’s in butter! The largest natural source of butyric acid is butter (produced by the bacteria in the cow’s rumen during fermentation of fiber). The fiber is what’s important here. The break down of fiber by our gut microbes provides us with way more benefits than the butyrate alone.It is better produced in situ by colonic bacteria fostered or fed prebioticly with a plant based diet PBD. Butyrate is metabolized by our colon cells so promoting their health. It is important to note that we all have a population of bacteria in our bodies which outnumber our own cells by a factor of 10/1. We want health promoting bacteria present. A PBD fosters a healthy microbiome (the name given to this population). We might also need to ingest orally certain bacteria probioticly to foster retinol (active Vitamin A), b-vitamin production (especially b12), digestion of anti-nutrients such as oxalic acid and phytic acid, and immune stimulating effects.More people need to understand that we do not get enough fiber – studies show that we need 30-40 grams of two kinds of fiber a day. I am glad that I found the best source of fiber you can get.What fibre source is that Capt?I get an itchy throat when i eat dried fruit that contains sulfur dioxide :|So how can we explain people who are on a whole food plant based diet with little or no processed food who pass noxious hydrogen sulfide gas? A conundrum :-DI bought a case of Greek figs last night. They have Sulfites added. I am a vegan. Is this amount of Sulfites okay (I may eat a quarter pound of figs in a day)?Perhaps best to avoid sulfites. Any unnecessary additive is probably best to leave out of the diet. However if you have no allergy to them I see no major concern. Maybe look for sulfur-free dates once this batch is gone? I know dates can be an amazing food based on Dr. Greger’s date video.I’ve read that soaking in water for an hour (?) will remove a good % of the sulfur from dried fruit. How true is this?Hmmm I am not sure. I looked on pubmed but didn’t see any studies. I wouldn’t think soaking helps, as the entire fruit is coated with sulfur dioxide thus the bright color. Who knows I could be wrong and soaking may reduce sulfur a bit.Do you have any suggestions for another type of vegan snack (to avoid sulfides) we could try? Or would organic dried fruit be any better? This video (& discussion) was very informative !Most dried fruits can be bought without sulfur now. For example, I buy dried apricots from Sprouts Market without sulfur. First, they don’t look good, which I don’t care. Second, it’s a lot more expensive than the sulfured ones.Thanks Joseph and MattC, I checked the packaging of the sultanas and cranberries we usually get, they only seem to contain vegetable oil. They were helpful as a substitute when we stopped having any sugary snacks. But I will keep looking & probably need to broaden the range of whole food snack we consume. It might be worth researching how to make our own rice crackers as well.Yes. There are plenty of dried fruits without sulfur dioxide. Of course fresh fruit is the perfect “fast food” other things like hummus, veggies, whole grain pita, rice cakes, etc are great to have around, but snack preferences vary. I am a huge fan of air-popped popcorn! Good luckHey, this is off-topic but I wanted to let all my NF friends know – right now the documentary “Cowspiracy” is on sale. The digital download (purchase, not rental) is marked down from $10 to $1 in honor of Earth Day last week. And you can gift it to as many people as you want, for $1 each by entering their email addresses. :)http://www.cowspiracy.com/AKKK! When I met Dr. Greger in Houston in February I asked him about the possibility of heavy metals in Amla powder I get at the Indian market and pesticides on the non-organic goji berries I get at the Asian market. I never thought to ask about sulfer dioxide. After watching this video I ran to the pantry and found this on the goji berries, “Allergen Warning: Contains Sulfites”. QUESTIONS: can I wash it off? Will rinsing them also wash off the good stuff? Is the amount of sulfer dioxide negligible? Do the benefits outweigh the risks or visa-versa?Hi Frannie. I am not sure. Someone was thinking the same thing! I responded here if that helps.COLD pasta? Wouldn’t all pasta be at about the same temperature about a minute or so after passing the lips?Hi brec, I’m guessing that’s in reference to the formation of resistant starch upon cooling.Even though Dr. G said cruciferous veggies are not associated with bowel disease, it still seems smart to not eat too much high-sulfur plant food, as plenty of sulfide gases can get produced from it. Lower sulfur plant food seems to be the ideal.Hi Fidel, decreasing consumption of sulfur-containing vegetables to reduce cancer is an interesting but simplistic idea, since it we already know it does not agree with the evidence. Cruciferous and allium vegetables are among the most potent health-promoting (and specifically cancer-fighting) foods that we know of.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/Interesting study on Science Digest today reporting a radical shift in risk factors of colon cancer in two groups: African-Americans in this country and rural South Africans. They swapped diets and found significant improvement (with the African diet) and deterioration with the American diet. One interesting point was that at the start of the study almost half the American subjects had polyps while none of the Africans did.Would about meal frequency? I sometimes eat 4 meals and usually 3-4. Is that ok?Re: “up to 12 g of protein can escape digestion”. Per what? Per meal? Per day?I thought sulfur was good for skin and the formation of keratin in hair??I commented in a reply to a comment but I don’t know if that is generally noticeable so let me restate: In reference to plant milks being undesirably supplemented with vitamins and calcium: Westsoy makes an organic Soymilk with no added vitamins or minerals. I’m not employed by them (!!! I’m a Physical Therapist Assistant) but I am happy to be able to enjoy Soymilk again after quitting for some time due to concerns relative to this topic.Hydrogen sulfide gas produced from high sulfur plant foods could be harmful but only those with colonic sulfide-producing bacteria need to be concerned about that, and that is about 50% of people. Those who do have those bacteria could cut back on the high sulfur foods. Eating enough fermentable carbohydrates can help keep numbers of sulfide-producing bacteria down, according to gg.gg/D-piger .What about fermented vegetables, are they ok?I think it depends. Kimchi may significantly increase cancer risk. Kombucha may not have the health benefits that are highly touted on the label. Apple cider vinegar is still okay, but don’t mess with the pills. Are kimchi and sauerkraut harmful? It seems a little bit of sauerkraut is okay, but there is not much research. Lastly, I like this powerpoint from a dietitian from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle presenting at AICR on fermented and picked foods on cancer risk.I read that vegan diets are dangerously low in important sulfur-containing amino acids? (See this article: http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/heart-of-the-matter-sulfur-deficits-in-plant-based-diets/). Is that true? How important is sulfur in the diet and are there vegan sources that are high enough to compensate for a lack of meat?	alcohol,ammonia,animal protein,beans,beef,beverages,butyrate,cabbage,cancer,colon cancer,colon disease,colon health,cruciferous vegetables,dried fruit,fiber,food additives,fruit,hydrogen sulfide,inflammatory bowel disease,lentils,meat,oatmeal,organic,pasta,peas,plant protein,plant-based diets,preservatives,processed foods,protein,rectal cancer,standard American diet,sulfites,sulfur,sulfur dioxide,ulcerative colitis,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,wine,women's health	Sulfur dioxide preservatives in dried fruit, sulfites in wine, and the putrefaction of undigested animal protein in the colon can release hydrogen sulfide, the rotten egg gas associated with inflammatory bowel disease.	More than 35 years ago studies started implicating sulfur dioxide preservatives in the exacerbation of asthma. This so-called “sulfite-sensitivity” seems to affect only about 1 in 2000 people, so I recommended those with asthma avoid it, but otherwise I considered the preservative harmless. I am now not so sure, and advise people to avoid it when possible. How could companies just add things to foods without adequate safety testing? See Who Determines if Food Additives are Safe? For other additives that may be a problem, see Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Is Carrageenan Safe?For more on the relationship between hydrogen sulfide and inflammatory bowel disease, see my video Preventing Ulcerative Colitis with Diet. More on this epid fermentation battle in our gut in Stool pH and Colon Cancer.Does the sulfur-containing amino acid methionine sound familiar? You may remember it from such hits as Starving Cancer with Methionine Restriction and Methionine Restriction as a Life Extension Strategy.These short chain fatty acids released by our good bacteria when we eat fiber and resistant starches is what may be behind the second meal effect: Beans and the Second Meal Effect.What about Crohn’s? Glad you asked! See Preventing Crohn’s Disease With Diet and Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pasta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulfites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ammonia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hydrogen-sulfide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulfur-dioxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulfur/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ulcerative-colitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1383219/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22121108,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9011461,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10198924,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8586770,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8615362,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15361498,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2628138,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/484528,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23912083,
PLAIN-2453	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/	How to Prevent High Blood Pressure with Diet	The most comprehensive and systematic analysis of causes of death ever undertaken allows us to answer questions like how many lives could we save if people cut back on soda? The answer? 299,000. Soda isn’t just bad because it’s empty calories, so it’s not a health-promoting food. It appears to be an actively death promoting food. Of course not as deadly as bacon, bologna, ham, or hot dogs. 800,000 deaths every year, killing twice as many women than domestic violence; five times more people than all illegal drugs combined.But eating more whole grains could save 1.7 million lives, more vegetables, 1.8 million lives. If only we ate more nuts and seeds, 2 and a half million lives saved, but fruit is apparently what the world needs most (they didn’t look at beans). 4.9 million lives hang in the balance every year, and the cure is not drugs or vaccines; the cure is fruit.One reason why plant-based diets can save so many millions, is because the #1 killer risk factor in the world is high blood pressure, laying to waste 9 million people year after year.In the United States, high blood pressure affects nearly 78 million—that’s one in three of us and as we age our pressures get higher and higher, such that by age 60, it strikes more than half. If it affects most of us when we get older, maybe it’s less a disease and more just a natural, inevitable consequence of getting older? No. We’ve known for nearly a century that high blood pressure need never occur. Researchers measured the blood pressure of a thousand people in rural Kenya who ate a diet centered around whole plant foods. Whole grains, beans, vegetables, fruit, and dark green leafies. Up until age 40, the blood pressures of rural Africans were about the same as Europeans and Americans, down around 120s over 80s, but as Westerners age, their pressures creep up such that by age 60 the average person is hypertensive, exceeding 140 over 90. But what about those not following the Western diet? Their pressures improved with age, not only did they not develop hypertension, their blood pressures actually got better.This whole 140 over 90 cut-off is arbitrary. Just like studies show that the lower the cholesterol the better, there’s really no safe level above about 150. Blood pressure studies also support a “lower the better” approach to blood pressure reduction. Even people who start out with blood pressure under 120 over 80 appear to benefit from blood pressure reduction, but is it possible to get blood pressures under 110 over 70? It’s not just possible, it’s normal, for those eating healthy enough diets.Over two years at a rural Kenyan hospital, 1800 patients were admitted. How many cases of high blood pressure did they find? Zero. Wow, so they must have had low rates of heart disease. No, they had no rates of heart disease. Not low risk, no risk. Not a single case of arteriosclerosis—our #1 killer—was found.	Is there a blood pressure under which it’s not safe to drink hibiscus tea or eat flax seeds?less than 60/100 seems to be ideal. hypo glycemia is possible and can cause fainting. I think they might say to eat more meat, if you see your doctor with this problem.I mean hypo tension.Or drink fluids with more sodium and potassium ;-) some folks may need medication in more severe cases, but of course talking to their doctor to find out the best treatment is advised.https://www.drmcdougall.com/2015/03/31/vitamin-d-supplements-are-harmful-sunshine-and-food-determine-health/The link I just copied and pasted from Dr. McDougall………..I beg you to have Dr. Greger comment on this. Dr. McDougall is emphatic not just in this link, but elsewhere I have seen him, stating that VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTS ARE HARMFUL. And he’vegan! Also good buddies with Dr. Greger, right?But guest does the meta say they are harmful or “Our findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation with or without calcium does not reduce skeletal or non-skeletal outcomes in unselected community-dwelling individuals by more than 15%.” I am not sure we can say they are harmful based on the study Dr McDougall linked. We can say that >15% of individuals in a community dwelling will not see a reduced outcomes as stated above. Is there another link that gives rise to your concern?This is from the Dr Mcdougall link that guest posted. It helps to see the rationale for his belief. Chronic Disease Causes Low Vitamin D Eating the Western diet causes serious common chronic diseases. In an effort to heal, the body responds with repair processes that include inflammation. One of the responses to this inflammation is the lowering of the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the blood. Thus, low vitamin D in the blood is a result of being ill, not the cause of sickness. This is the main the reason studies using vitamin D supplements have consistently shown no benefits to patients with common chronic diseases. The metabolic imbalances created by administrating this unnatural substance may actually be responsible for the increase in falls, fractures, and other damage. (Vitamin D is a hormone synthesized with the help of sunlight; it is not intended for oral intake or injection.)Dr. McDougall has excellent information. You are of course encouraged to follow dietary and supplement recommendations right for you. It may be that certain doctors like McDougall and Greger vary slightly on their recommendations, but all have similar end goals. For example, I think Ornish used small amounts of low-fat dairy and egg whites in his program. Nevertheless he has found amazing results. I don’t think McDougall promotes those foods. Rather then fight about who is “wrong” perhaps they are both correct and the most important factor is an overall healthful diet composed of plant-based foods? Same for vitamin D. There can be toxicities (hence the importance of an Upper Limit) but there also may be deficiencies where supplementation could help. Too many unknowns. Dr. Greger has videos on more videos on vitamin D, if interested.Thank you!Diastolic blood pressure of 100 is far from ideal.I was using hibiscus tea regularly until a month or two ago when I ran out and I haven’t reordered yet. My blood pressure was often below 90/55 which they said was borderline low. Now that I haven’t had any hibiscus for a while, my blood pressure is back to around 105/70. But, I had no ill effects with the lower value and was able to exercise just fine. I’m looking forward to getting more hibiscus and appreciating the tea’s bright ruby red color which shows that it’s loaded with health-giving antioxidants.Good for you! You have achieved something great. You should reward yourself. You can brew Hibiscus tea overnight in the refrigerator. It is naturally sweat. Be careful, your heart can make sounds afterward.What do you mean “make sounds”?Your heart can sound like it is digesting things. If you can hear your heart beat, or see your heart beat, you probably have an Iodiene deficency, hyper tyroidism. Make sure you get slightly more than one half teaspoon of table salt a day. Try to work your self up to the goal. Everybody thinks salt is too salty but not having any iodiene for over 25 years is bad. This site also recomends a D vitamin. D Vitamins, the sunshine hormone, can crack around your heart. Your body in sections is planning for a worst case scenario, but you can do the best with nutrition and orthomolecular medicine. Be safe when you began a plan to get minimum nutrtition.I don’t know what this post actually means. If my heart started sounding like it was digesting things I’d get to a doctor right away. Maybe even call 911. Make sure to ingest a minimum of 1/2 tsp. of salt per day for iodine? Vitamin D can cause a crack around the heart? Like I said, I don’t know what this post means…Iodine deficiency is easy to avoid by eating some tasty seaweed. You also gain a whole pile of additional nutrients. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/Oh brother. You have some crazy ideas. I hope no one is gullible enough to believe any of this.The human body has 23 required atoms. Almost all people are deficient in most of them. Carbon (even if you get it in food it is not as good as if you get it in the form that comes from sunshine, D3, recommended for Vegans) Oxygen Hydrogen Nitrogen Calcium Phosphorus Potassium Sulfur Sodium Chlorine Magnesium Boron Chromium Cobalt Copper Fluorine Iodine Iron Manganese Molybdenum Selenium Silicon Tin VanadiumMany diseases can be tracked to a deficiency of one of these 23 atoms. A deficiency of any can put you in disease. Hearing or seeing your heart beat is hypertyrodism. Eat slightly more than one half teaspoon of table salt a day. Hyperthryodism is a deficiency of Iodiene. The vegan diet recommended in this site is more effective, and maybe too effective, for many illnesses. I was incorrect in saying that a vegan diet can treat autism. Sunshine can though.Refrigerator brewed hibiscus tea is filled with D3 vitamins. Anything that has to be in the sun all day…No it isn’t.I have been drinking hibiscus tea but not seeing any improvement in my blood pressure. How much do you drink and how long before you saw results?For lowering blood pressure, this site recommends:beets hibiscus tea seaweed grapefruit beans brazil nuts whole grains vegan diet flax seed mealThere is a video you can watch:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/I believe Hibiscus tea had the biggest effect on people who switched from Coffee to Hibiscus tea before their test. Caffeine can raise your blood pressure. They give you two numbers for your blood pressure, being a parent, any stress, can effect this number. It is perhaps the most variable number presented by Internal medicine. Yet, Vegans have the lowest couplet, and are sometimes told to add some meat back. The best couplet would be about 60/100 or under, which would be hypo tensive to any doctor. The one that would be too high would be about 100/145. This can happen right after a run, after something exirerating, or even when sinning. Stress can be good and bad for the body. As long as it is handled well. They have studied that blood pressure raises during sex or long distance running, but people who do these things with care usually have lower blood pressure.Hi Brigitte, Sorry I am not sure the effects of drinking hibiscus and eating flax if you have low blood pressure.Hi Joseph, thank you for answering. I’ll experiment!Hi Brigitte, I’ve had the same question at times. I have naturally low bp, sometimes measured as low as ~80/55. Sometimes I’ve wondered if generally eating whole foods plant based, or certain teas including hibiscus could potentially cause problems. The funny thing is for me, I never actually experience any negative effects of my low blood pressure.I drink hibiscus tea fairly regularly in the summer just because I like the taste, eat flax daily, and have no problems with it. I consider it something not worth worrying about if it’s not causing me any detectable symptoms. In general I have no fainting, dizziness, etc. But I think you should pay attention to the effects on your own body and go from there. Monitor your bp if you can, pay attention to dizziness, fatigue, etc. and discontinue if you find yourself experiencing symptoms. If you have any other complicating issues or medications, probably best to talk to your doctor about it.Hi b00mer! Thanks for sharing! I’m glad to ear that you have a low blood pressure and drink hibiscus tea without problem. So, I’ll drink hibiscus and see the effect on my blood pressure some day. As I never experience fainting nor dizziness, I guess there’s no risk.prevention magazine recommends: beans, kiwi, peaches, bananas. kale, red bell pepper, broccolli, sweet potato, quinoa, avacado (in part) http://www.prevention.com/food/13-power-foods-lower-blood-pressure-naturally this site recommends: beets, hibiscus tea, seaweed, grapefruit, beans, brazil nuts, whole grains, vegan diet, flax seed meal for high blood pressure.The techniques to lower blood pressure are the same as those used to defeat lie detector tests, to be a sniper, to be a quarter back, to deal with loss, and can include thinking of anything that does not change, including a food, a city, a color, a proper noun, or a descriptive term. Also visulaizing an attractive peer, and swearing or ticking as if you were her (him). Perhaps the most effective way to control blood pressure is to pee before a blood pressure test. Direutics, things that make you pee, are often called water pills, and can include caffeine and potassium. Watermelon might be the most effective treatment for high blood pressure, as it has so much water.Me thinks I will stay with the recommendations of Dr. Greger’s website. Prevention? Me thinks not: http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/10-new-ways-lower-your-blood-pressure-naturally/eat-big-breakfast-really-big-breakfastI actually like most of their suggestions overall: eat more plant foods, exercise, rest, meditation, vitamin D, beet juice, and blueberries :) The breakfast ideas could use some modifications, but if you look at them from a wfpb perspective, a lot of them look pretty nice. Breakfast burritos, potato hash, tofu/chickpea scrambles or omelets, pancakes/waffles/oatmeal with fruit. Their first suggestion is sweet potato with lentil chili and tomatoes – no modifications needed! I also LOVE that they mention 700 calorie breakfasts. Mainstream health sources are always hyping these 200-300 calorie meals, and I always think – are these recommendations for babies??? Or are you supposed to eat 10 of them? So, yep I agree, definitely too heavy on the eggs and meat but not as bad as I expected from an obviously non-vegan magazine. Maybe I’m just in an optimistic mood at the moment.What I found really exciting is on the first slide, they quote Dr. Neal Barnard(!!!). How great to have one of our plant strong M.D. advocates quoted by a mainstream health magazine. :)Hi b00mer, points well made/taken. It’s just shocking to me what passes for heart-healthy eating advice in the mainstream media. Trying to shove that square peg into the round hole over and over again is so sad (no pun intended). The only prevention going on here is preventing deviation from business as usual. (Not as optimistic as you…)On a semi-related note, allow our imaginations to ponder what sort of laser-guided ‘bliss point’ smart bombs the processed food industry is going to create with this research: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2015/04/22/Scientists-watch-taste-buds-in-real-time/6231429729352/?spt=sec&or=snOMG! That would be funny if it wasn’t so sad and scary. As soon as I saw the photo I started to laughing, but only for a second. Geeez, doesn’t that site have an editor or is Prevention just a shill for poultry/meat industry?Prevention certainly isn’t what it used to be in founder J. I. Rodale’s day. Just an opinion but, ever since he passed, it seems they sold out to “Big” everything.I think the analysis of Kenyans ignores genetic influences. My family history is rife with heart disease. I’m a vegetarian eating a near ideal diet and exercise regularly. My blood pressure hovers at near hypertensive levels. I guess I should have picked Kenyan parents …Me too – actually way over hypertensive levels. It’s discouraging.Could you be extra sensitive to sodium?I could be. I never thought I was and thought sodium was not only not bad but necessary although in moderation. Since I eat hardly any canned or processed foods, I thought I was avoiding most of the sodium in the SAD. Lately I have been trying to cut way back on it. It’s very hard for me to enjoy oatmeal without a little salt in it, etc. but I think if I keep cutting back my tastes will adjust. So far have not seen any bp lowering results. I’m thinking I’m just going to die when my time comes. I beat my father by 20 years already so that’s something.What “genetic influences”? Are you basing that statement on anything real beyond your own experience?Me too, artlm2002! There doesn’t seem to be a way for me to lower my HBP with diet! Is there a book Dr. Greger recommends that might “hold me by the hand” with ALL the do’s and dont’s? It’s very disappointing to still be popping three pills daily for what seems, the rest of my life.Science shows that our genes can be turned on and off by our diet and lifestyle. You say you are vegetarian. Have you thought of going vegan and get rid of all the animal foods? Also there could be another underlying problem keeping your blood pressure levels high. Stress can be one.I have been vegan for at least 2 years. Hasn’t helped my bp as far as I can tell.I played with a bp measuring device a few years ago and got so I could lower my bp 15 points by relaxing. Years ago I wore a biofeedback device in order to learn how to relax specific muscles and cure a chronic injury.Sorry for the late reply. A vegan diet does not necessarily mean a healthy diet. If you have not gotten rid of the simple carbs or processed carbs then you are still eating poor. Get rid of all junk food, all processed foods, exercise regularly and try to keep your stress levels low and learn to manage what stress you do have. If you are not already doing these things.Hey Alan.Sounds very interesting :). Do you have any links to that? Thanks :)Hey Alan.Sounds very interesting :). Do you have any links to that? Thanks :)Most simply, BMI is strongly correlated with blood pressure for *most* people. Lower your BMI to lower your blood pressure.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15809666I am a vegan and think the information quite interesting/informative but I am also a big believer in lots of exericise, including intense exercise (for those who are conditioned enough for that), and so am wondering what the role of physical activity might play in the differences, especially over the long term.I think the two are married: diet and exercise. Dr. Greger certainly believes in the importance of physical activity, based on the research. This video about diet and exercise may help. Let me know? We have loads of information on exercise, and I am sure some of the research mentions blood pressure.The “diet and exercise” video is very interesting as it shows the benefits of both exercise and a WFPB diet. I’ll look at some of the others.>> How to Prevent High Blood Pressure With DietUh, got to the end of the video and still waiting? Lots of hand-waving eating fruits, beans, not eating processed meats, etc … but no specific advice on what to do to lower high-blood pressure SPECIFICALLY? Lots of pointing to other people in other countries … but I cannot move to another country and change my past. Seriously, how about being very specific … that is … do eat “X”, do not eat “Y”. That might be helpful.Good points. I think it’s very hard to say that eating “X” leads to “Y”. Dietary patterns are more important. Foods pointed out in this video are to center the diet around Whole grains, beans, vegetables, fruit, and dark green leafies. That is fairly specific, but perhaps another video or post could be better for answering this question? Here is information regarding hypertension with many foods lists. Lowering sodium intake is ever important. See if these help?Nothing personal, but maybe what you perceived as “hand waving” is the solution? Eating the diet specified IS as specific as it is going to get. We all need a WIDE VARIETY of nutrients in our whole food to be in the best possible health. We all look for the “magic bullet” that will keep disease at bay, and so many companies are willing to make huge profits on this idea with a plethora of supplements, vitamins and exotic “cures” for our ills, especially Big Pharma. The simple truth is there are very rarely (if ever) panaceas that will solve the problems, it is a systematic approach based on what we take into our bodies overall. Since most medicines come from plants, plants ARE the medicine. Not one isolated kind, all of them. I can’t move to another country or even barely afford groceries, but I DID change my present, some of my past and definitely my future by switching to a WFPB (whole food plant based) diet at 57. Five years later it just gets better, so it’s never too late if you are still breathing!There is a new book about migraine disorder. What I think she is saying is environmental changes of neurons causes chemical interactions at the neuron’s level resulting in biochemical inbalance. Nutrition components are needed for proper neural activity. She explains the sodium potassium pump. She cautions against ingesting anything with sugar, preservatives, coloring, etc. Then she goes on to talk about to prevent a migraine attack one must keep hydrated. It’s all about sodium -potassium-calcium to water ratio. If blood pressure is low ingest more salt if blood pressure is high ingest more potassium rich foods. Can blood pressure regulation really be that simplistic?I’m not sure. I think it depends on many factors, but what you display is a good start. I am not as familiar with hypotension so just adding more salt may not be a “cure”. Definitely eating more potassium-rich foods will help.I have eaten a WFPB no processed way for several years but have bouts of raised BP which I relate to chronic migraine disorder. Am aware of the importance of potassium but it hasn’t changed my BP challenge.On further reflection of what the book was saying she is using hydration for aborting an imminent migraine attack. So for enhancing hydration to use salt if BP is low but to use potassium if BP is high? Is that how hydration works? I can see adding salt to water but eating potassium rich foods how fast is that going to work? My migraine brain is trying to process this information. Please help me understand hydration. Thank you.Your research minded mind found research from other research minded minds about white rice not being a problem if animal products are not consumed with it. But “Dr” Fuhrman doesn´t agree with his research minded mind according to this research from other research minded minds http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/whiterice_diabetes.aspx?utm_source. So which mind is right. Please declare war against “Dr” Fuhrman´s research minded mind so we can pick up the pieces after the carnage and hopefully find some final research “truth” please. Basically, I am just about to reject research minded minds and all that follows and just trust nature. Humans suck really.Sorry to hear you are discouraged. White rice is very appetizing. When mixed with beans, it makes a perfect protein. Soy beans are a perfect protein on their own. I would say perhaps chromium could lower the diabetes risk. 48 grams of whole grain are recommended. We are supposed to eat 6-11 servings of grain a day. If all that was whole grain, we would be eating a half pound or more of whole grains. How would you get your whole grain? Oatmeal? Shredded Wheat? Whole grain bread? Pop corn or corn? Rice with some bran oil added back? Rye bread? Did you know that Zypreza is one of the most profitable drugs in the history of pharmacy and can cause type II diabetes? Vitamin B3 can reduce other heart disease risk factors, by taking up to two grams a day. Remember to eat your crusts.Hi Matthew, I find it fascinating that you are so knowledgeable about Zyprexa-an anti-psychotic. You have been making some high-falutin’ claims on this site today without a shred of evidence to back them up. Let me show you how it is done. For example, I do not see any evidence Zyprexa causes type 2 diabetes. Here’s my fact-based evidence: http://www.drugs.com/sfx/zyprexa-side-effects.htmlNow it’s your turn. Please provide fact-based evidence for ANY of the claims you have made today on this posting. How about backing up your claim that Zyprexa is ‘one of the most profitable drugs in the history of pharmacy.’ Or how about ‘swearing or ticking’ or ‘peeing’ lowers blood pressure. Maybe there’s a language barrier here, but peer-reviewed, published papers are generally well written in English and we can all understand them here.I gained a pound a day on Zyprexa. (I went from 160 to 240 lbs in only six months). I developed prediabetes during this time when I was running five miles a day. That was when I was 23. I lost 50 lbs as soon as I switched. Do you work for Lily? That pill in particular is a pipeline to the grave and is the fattening of black America, innocent people who are being poorly treated for heart disease. Niacin would better help them with their blood sugars. It costs $100,000 a year for the uninsured.Only Haldol is worse.Yes, Haldol is worse. My son had real problems with that drug. It is like Elivel; it has no purpose but to create a profit source for the maker.Perhaps you would draw strength from these links:http://orthomolecularvitamincentre.com/Articleshttp://www.orthomolecular.org/library/jom/2009/toc3.shtmlAbram Hoffer: Orthomolecular Pioneer R. SEALEY, B.Sc., C.A.; S. CARTER Page 116An Interview with Abram Hoffer A. SAUL, Ph.D. Page 122Abram Hoffer Tributes from Around the World Various Authors Page 130Three Classic Papers by Abram HofferOrthomolecular Treatment of Schizophrenia (1972) A. HOFFER, M.D., Ph.D. Page 151The Adrenochrome Hypothesis of Schizophrenia Revisited (1981) A. HOFFER, M.D., Ph.D. Page 160The Future of Psychiatry (1996) A. HOFFER, M.D., Ph.D. Page 183Here’s to long life!Matthew, I understand better where you are coming from. When I was 23 I was doubled over in pain with Crohn’s disease and gaining weight on a steroid called prednisone. I, too, could run 5 miles for a workout, but was struggling to make it to the bathroom from any other room. My whole life collapsed as a result of my illness and I struggled to make something of what remained. But that was decades ago and I am doing much better now. A lot older and maybe a bit wiser. I am glad you have made it to this website; we all need to eat as best we can for optimal health, no matter what else we are struggling with in our lives..( And, no, I don’t work for Lily.) Good luck and good health.Thank you for finding this site. Welcome. my apologies for my tone. Perhaps you still struggle with a milk allergy. 2/3 of Americans have it. It can cause extreme intensinal cramping. Maybe lactaid would be a better treatment for it than prednisone, which is suggested for intenstinal pain? I am 33 and on the road to recovery on vitamin B3.Perhaps this link is of use to you: Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/ the caption: “Meat (including fish), cheese, and animal protein intake in general have been associated with an increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In the meantime, plant-based diets may not only help prevent such conditions, but treat them as well, resulting in the longest recorded remission rates for Crohn’s disease.”Thank you for this very important issue Godwin. Dr. Greger, (or someone else), it is imperative that you reply to the article on Dr. Furman’s site (link in Godwin’s post). Dr. Furman is saying that white rice and white potatoes are extremely bad for one’s health. We need to know if this is true? Because of the arsenic reports in brown rice, I have switched to white and basmati rice. Am I doing more harm than good? Also Dr. McDougal has always promoted white potatoes as a healthy starch. So while I mostly eat sweet potatoes, I also eat white potatoes. We need to know the truth based on science. Should we stop eating white rice and potatoes?? Thank youDr Fuhrman asserts that white rice, white pasta and white potatoes should not be a central part of the diet. He also posts a link to a South Korean study that concludes that increasing portions of white rice eaten is associated with a higher risk of T2 Diabetes. No mention to the amount of fat in the participant diet. Refined grains eaten with fat can block the transport of glucose into the cells by insulin action and lead to insulin resistance which can lead to T2 diabetes. Dr Greger has a recent video about this very subject. Potatoes are not a grain and Fuhrman links them to a high GL of about 26. No studies were linked about potatoes and diabetes on Fuhrman’s blog.I have never understood the white potato hate. White potatoes have little in common with white rice and white pasta, except that they’re all white. There’s more to a food than just a glycemic load number. I’m with McDougall on this one. I eat white potatoes and sweet potatoes almost every day.Right on Ed. I eat both most days also and cannot see any harm from them !!!A large baked potato with skin has 1600mg potassium,83.7mg magnesium, 3.2mg iron, 7g protein and 7g fiber according to nutritiondata.com. Good stuff!Let me echo that. I WAS diabetic before going WFPB, and white potatoes are certainly no issue for me. I do totally agree with the problem of consuming even healthy starches with a high fat diet…which in itself was a huge contributor to my many health issues. The only healthy fat as far as I’m concerned is part of a whole food and under 10% of my daily intake. Beyond that my blood sugar will start to rise. Maybe not true for healthy people, but in order to BE healthy, it makes sense to me to stay around that figure. Try going into a foraging situation as our predecessors did, and eating even that amount of fat! Maybe I am off base, but the fact that human breast milk, the sole food for infants with a fast growing brain and body is around 4% fat (and 1% protein!) says a LOT to me about our requirements later in life!I eat red rice, based on a previous video by Dr. Greger (“Brown Rice vs. Black Rice”)…Goodwin regarding the arsenic, the rice I buy is from Bhutan (Lotus Foods). Bhutan is very isolated country and I’m hoping that their soil is less contaminated than other countries. Regardless, although I make an big effort to eat organic and avoid contamination (such as arsenic) I just try to eat nutrient dense foods. Nutrition is complex and I hope that the nutrients that I consume will provide more benefit than potential toxins (like arsenic) that may be in my foods.I eat lots of white potatoes, usually everyday. I am 60 and in pretty good health. I also continue to eat brown rice. I have not seen any studies that show that the arsenic in the rice is just recent. I am figuring that it has been in it for years and the cultures that eat a lot of rice, brown or white are usually in pretty good health.A diet higher in fats & protein needs to be lower in carbs.I eat red rice, based on a previous video by Dr. Greger (“Brown Rice vs. Black Rice”)…Goodwin regarding the arsenic, the rice I buy is from Bhutan (Lotus Foods). Bhutan is very isolated country and I’m hoping that their soil is less contaminated than other countries. Regardless, although I make an big effort to eat organic and avoid contamination (such as arsenic) I just try to eat nutrient dense foods. Nutrition is complex and I hope that the nutrients that I consume will provide more benefit than potential toxins (like arsenic) that may be in my foodsI was one of those who started plant-based diet for prevention-started it without hypertension, pre diabetes… I did not want to suffer stroke, PAD or diabetes like my wonderful grandparents did.Though I was not hypertensive 115/60, my blood pressure did drop on the WFPB diet to about 100/50 sometimes even a little under 100/40 and, I have never felt dizzy and am the polar opposite of fatigued. I think what really helped me was clearing out the oil along with the animal-based foods. My eye doctor also noticed how beautiful my eye vasculature was on their scan test. I used to hold back when people would notice (like dentist) wow you have great blood pressure or your skin looks great. etc..,, but now I don’t hesitate to say: Thanks, its been that way since I transitioned to a plant-based diet.I love that you are a role-model of health! And thanks for being a public service announcement! That is great to remind people, especially your health care providers. A single patient’s example can definitely influence those of us in healthcare to learn more about the evidence for plant-based nutrition. :))In my 30’s and 40’s, (not vegetarian yet) my BP was sometimes so low they would not allow me to give blood at the Red Cross. Now in my 60’s, and having been vegetarian for over 2 decades and nearly vegan more recently, my doc has me on BP medicine (lowest dosage imaginable) because otherwise it’s high. I eat lots of whole grains, fruits & veggies, and just don’t get it. I don’t drink much caffeine at all either. Also have high cholesterol, even when I was taking red yeast rice. I’ve kind of resigned myself to taking meds. At least I am only on 2, and at a low dosage.Hi Margreen! Sounds like you are living a very healthy life! :) Did you get to see Dr. G.’s video about B12 and artery health? If you aren’t B12 supplementing yet, that might help the blood pressure (BP). And if you haven’t already made them a part of your daily routine, you might consider adding flax :) which can help improve both BP and cholesterol. Cheers!Did you know five hour energy has more than 8,000 percent of your daily supply of your B12 needs? It is also legal. B12 is also required of vegans, like those on this site.Being legal does not mean it is healthy.Have you had your TSH checked? Iodine deficiency can cause high cholesterol. Many are deficient, see iodineresearch.comWay to go. Iodine as a tool to block pain, I guess, and is an essential unit to all pain. Many plants have to make compounds like iodine very far from the sea, like in the prarie. VItamin B3 can help people recovering with addictions. Or even just eating pizza crusts. When I was in pain, I consider just eating a pinch of table salt now, maybe not reach for the NSAIDs anymore. No more pain.Dear Dr Greger I love your website. I have been vegan for 5 years now. I want to keep my blood pressure below 140/90. After watching your video on peanut butter and walnuts I added them to my diet and became concerned because my cholesterol went over 150 and my blood pressure went back up. I am going back to following Dr. Mcdougall and Dr Esselstyn’s recommendation of eliminating nuts and keeping them minimum because I get lower blood pressure readings and my cholesterol stays below 150. I am still use a little almond milk and a table spoon of flaxseed. Peanut butter is very addicting for me and I was having a sandwich every night. I am 56 now. I am interested in what you think about this. LarryLarry, Since you are not eating any dietary cholesterol, your increased cholesterol numbers could very well be due to biosynthesis due to an increased saturated fat intake. All whole foods contain some saturated fats, and as good as they are, nuts are no exception. I recommend you first cast your gaze of suspicion for your worsening bio-markers to you peanut butter consumption because it is not strictly speaking a whole food so there could be all manner of added oils, sugars and sodium, including hydrogenated trans fats which will increase your cholesterol and salt which may very well be the culprit for any increases in BP. If your are already eating peanut butter that consists of nothing more than ground peanuts and without added sodium, then you may consider expanding your consideration to your overall fat and sodium intake. Your nut and nut butter intake my be pushing your body past a threshold beyond your bodies ability to cope with the excess fat burden.What percentage of your caloric intake is fat? Are you eating eating added oils? If so, try favoring whole plant sources of fats over refined ones by eliminating the added oils first. How much process and prepackaged foods are your regularly eating? They are harbingers of stealth refined fats, sugar and salt. The same goes for restaurant prepared foods which rely heavily on pre-processed food and seasonings.Everyone can improve their diets, even those following a vegan one. The closer one adheres to a whole foods plant based diet, the better they will do. Apologies in advance if you have already considered and implemented these steps.Recently I have gone back to following what Dr Esselstyn, Dr Mcdougall, and Dr Ornish recommend, no nuts if you want to reverse heart disease. My labs are taken every 4 to 6 months and for 5 years my cholesterol was below 150 until I added plain peanut butter and a table spoon of walnuts. With either walnuts or peanut butter my blood pressure pressure starts to approach 140/90. Without nuts I get some good numbers, really good numbers. I am 56. I always wanted to be vegan and want to stay off any kind of blood pressure medicine which is important to me. I have a disability and have been hand-cycle racing for three years. I want to keep my blood pressure down and not have a first heart attack when I doing 30 or forty miles in the hot sun. I think maybe it’s the extra saturated fat in the nuts that is causing the problem. I am not an expert, I don’t know, I just go by what the numbers are showing me. Everybody is different the peanut butter is delicious and addicting but these guys are also saying anyone over 20 years of age who has been on the standard American Diet has heart disease. I do understand these studies are showing nuts are good for you, they just maybe aren’t so good for me. Thanks for you responses.The only added salt and oil may come from when I eat out. My wife an I eat out and I have the wheat past a with marinara at Olive Garden, I also eat a veggie sub on wheat bread at Subway, and at Pollo tropical brown rice, black beans and corn. But the biggest difference seems to come when I stop eating the nuts.Hi Larry, If you go to the websites of the fast food chains you mention above you will see those meals are very, very high in fat and sodium and sugar. I would stop that first before limiting nuts. Olive Garden, Pollo, and Subway are probably your issue. (Unless of course you only go rarely) this is the kind of stuff you are eating. “The ingredient, azodicarbonamide, is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in food as a bleaching agent and dough conditioner” from a CNN article. This is in Subways bread.Hi Dr Greger, I love your website and have been following a vegan diet for 5 years now. I want to keep my blood pressure below 140/90 and my cholesterol under 150. After watching you video on walnuts and peanut butter I added them to my diet. Since then my cholesterol went over 150 and by blood pressure had gone back up. So recently I have gone back to following Dr Mcdougall and Dr Esselstyn’s recommendation of eliminating nuts and I am now getting better blood pressure numbers again. I do still have a little almond milk and a table spoon of flax seed. Peanut butter is very addicting for me and I was having a sandwich every night. I am interested in what your thoughts are about nuts in my situation. I am 56 now. What are your thoughts on cashew milk. LarryDr. Greger believes nuts are very good for you: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/ synopsis: If you actually eat them nuts not only prevent stroke but postpone death http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/ synopsis: Nuts prevent cancer and delay death in even small servings http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/ Synopsis: Walnuts fight cancer best and delay death the most and should be part of everyone’s diet http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/Synopsis: Nuts lower cholesterolNuts in any amount do not seem to contribute to weight gain.Even pistachio, macademia, and brazil nuts are extremely good for you. Brazil nuts could help save the rain forest. Almonds give money to California farmers who are starving for some rain, although almonds are expensive of rain.Peanut butter is very good for you.Did you invent cashew milk? There are foods here that could work synergistically to lower blood pressure.beets hibiscus tea seaweed grapefruit beans brazil nuts whole grains flax seed mealCaffeine can raise your blood pressure before any test.Caffeine can raise your BP anytime.I love Michael Gregor, but if you want another viewpoint on nuts, I would read what Jeff Novick has to say about them. For me, nuts cause unwanted fat gain, so I only eat maybe an ounce of walnuts per day, and no nut butters.This more than indicates that a mainly plant based diet is the best for the human cardiovascular system. Hypertension is a marker that “there is something rotten in the cardiovascular system” – was it Shakespeare…….? :-)Why do you need that word “enough” High blood pressure, the #1 killer risk factor in the world, can be eliminated with a healthy diet!Okay, what is too LOW blood pressure? Last time I had it measured it was 85 over 55! My diet is great, but I was a little concerned after a lifetime of having much higher readings pre-dietary change, even when taking propranalol for ages for frequent premature heart beats. The doctor didn’t seemed concerned, so I didn’t press it…just wondering?I think the current view is that so long as you feel fine, low blood pressure is nothing to worry about. If you start fainting, feeling dizzy, etc. then it could be an issue. Know that you’re in good company. A lot of people following a healthy diet have “very low” blood pressure, which, as Greger’s pointing out, should probably actually be considered “normal” blood pressure. Remember that we’re being compared to a population that’s primarily unhealthy, overweight, etc. What’s considered “normal” in these times might not be something so great. ;)Thanks Kim. I was just kind of concerned about the only drug I take for PVC’s, which is also used to lower blood pressure, for migraines, etc. and have taken if for quite a while, at a lower dose now, but even before changing my diet and taking it my BP was still borderline. I was just concerned about it’s effects and also the fact that a lot of drugs aren’t the same for people over 60. A few years ago I had a UTI I ended up in the ER for a bad reaction to an antibiotic of all things! I am not a fan of pharmaceuticals to say the least, and needless to say after that I am even less so. The last time I felt one coming on I started chugging water spiked with cranberry juice and chowing down all kinds of fermented foods to boost my immune system. Did a great job, with only a couple side effects….now I crave fermented food and no more meat or poultry comes into the house at all….they can go out and eat it if they must! lol. Cool thing is, I never again had a UTI since, and I used to get them regularly! (Thanks Dr G for that E coli video!)I am 65, exercise daily and and 7 pounds over my ideal weight. My blood pressure is consistently 130-135/60. There is such a wide gap and I don’t know what it means. I will increase my veggies and fruit after watching this video!Jean, what’s your diet like? It’s it all plant food? It’s it all vegan? Is it all unrefined? Which foods do you eat the most of daily? How much oil and what type? I’ve found that these answer to these kinds of questions really matter.Mark, I am not vegan and I do eat some meat, but do eat a lot of vegetables. I use grapeseed oil and olive oil and avocado oil and coconut oil for cooking and some organic butter. I am gluten free and eat no substitutes. I hardly eat any processed foods and I have a protein shake everyday which I have recently been adding mixed berries to. I take several supplements including a high quality fish oil. I used to have low blood pressure for years and them in my late fifties it went to 120/ then 130/ and sometimes 140/ but diastolic pressure has always been low and remains 40-60. I read that the high gap between systolic and diastolic puts me at risk for stroke.Some suggestions for you:– Substitute fish and tofu for meat (generally, eat more fish than meat) – Go easy on butter and coconut oil – use mostly olive, avocado and canola oil – Make sure to include whole grains and legumes in your diet (there are gluten-free oats available). – Eat not only berries, but all kinds of fruits, vegetables and whole plant foods – particularly those with purple color: red grapes, plums, pomegranates, red cabbage, red onions, eggplants. If you can find them also purple carrots and tomatoes, black rice, corn, quinoia and potatoes. – Drink hibiscus tea, aronia juice and red wine if you like – they are excellent sources of the same blood-pressure lowering purple pigments (anthocyanins) found in purple fruits. – Supplement vitamin D (2000 IU) and magnesium (400 mg).Equally important as diet: weight and exercise!Why the fish recommendation? I’d say stick to a healthy, whole foods plant-based diet like Greger recommends. Zero animal foods. Ditch the oils, butter, etc. or use very infrequently in small amounts; get your fat from nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut (either coconut meat or coconut milk).Why fish? Because the evidence for health benefits of regular fish consumption is overwhelmingly positive, even if some vegans don’t like that. Some people look for a dietary ideology they can subscribe to. That’s fine, but that’s not what interests me – I’m only interested in the evidence. Of course I respect peoples decision not to eat fish for ethical reasons (and therefore I would never try persuading an ethical vegan to eat fish), but that is an entirely different issue.are salts based on Potassium chloride good for you? im eating this alternative salt in place of the normal one, and now im wondering if it is safe. the one that i take don’t have any E620 (GLUTAMIC ACID) but in the market are many alternative salt with that here in Spain. thank you!!it will be very nice to see a video on alternative salts, are there alot of myth about it.. and at the same time some times one needs to add some flavor to the food and normally its just to much sodium… as well to know if are there any safe alternative like this potassium chloride or when you take it daily is harmful for you? thank you!AbramI Have been a vegetarian for about 20 years and a Vegan for the past 2 years. My diet is based on Dr Gregor’s recommendations and Dr Mc Dougall/Dr Campbell as well. However my blood pressure has risen if anything over the past year . My systolic is frequently in high 130s (. I sometimes manage the 120s) . My diastolic on other hand is generally mid 70s sometimes under 70 rarely going into the 80s. I am confused as Dr McGregor seems to indicate that if one follows a whole food plant based diet ones BP should be way lower than I am achieving. My BMI is 22 and I exerise every day . Swimming and walking mainly. I am 69 years old . I eat porridge every morning with flax seeds and blueberries or other fruits- with plenty of broccoli , spinach ,lentils, beans etc for other meals and nuts in moderation. I cant see how I can improve my diet or lifestyle and am reluctant to go on medication. My Cholesterol is 5.1 – not great either considering. My GP thinks I am borderline for statins but its up to me . Not sure what to do. I have a coffee in the morning and drink green tea for the rest of the day – possibly too much. I wasn’t aware of Hibisus tea being good for lowering blood pressure but have now ordered it and will have a go with it. Appreciate any advice.Hi Mary, you may want to read my comment to another of Dr. Greger’s videos regarding blood pressure. I gave the example of a woman who suffered from severe familial hypertension and who experienced a dramatic improvement by following my dietary advice. You have to be aware that there is a strong genetic component to the susceptibility to high blood pressure, and it may well be the case that your 20 years of eating a vegetarian diet actually safed you from developing severe hypertension. Contrary to what Dr. Greger recommends, I don’t think that it is necessary to eat a strictly plant-based diet for optimum health and blood pressure. Including some fish and yogurt in your diet may actually offer additional benefits. If you don’t want to eat fish for ethical reasons, think about taking an algae oil EPA supplement offering the same beneficial, highly unsaturated fatty acids that are otherwise exclusively found in fish. If you don’t want to eat dairy, there is soy yogurt available as well.Mary, until I really cut out all added fats, keeping intake below 10% overall, even with whole foods, and eliminated ALL animal products, my BP hovered around 130/80. I think we all have hereditary predispositions to health issues… we are all different and have to experiment to see what suits us best. Some people can eat some of what I can’t with no problems, but as they say, heredity may load the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger. (Or something like that.)Coffee is known to raise both cholesterol and BP. You may want to try giving up the morning coffee (and any other caffeinated drinks) for a week or two and see what happens. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070614162223.htm http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/36/1/137.full http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/blood-pressure/faq-20058543That is stunning info. So many people take high blood pressure as the normal progression of aging.What do we think the role of stress (increased cortisol) in modern society vs kenyan society in raising blood pressure. Given an ideal diet here in North American i feel blood pressure below 110/70mmHg is not possible unless stress is controlled.Among all the discussions I have read regarding blood pressure, I have never seen the question raised of how blood pressure is determined in the first place: in the hospital or clinic, or at home? AVERAGE blood pressure or the Maximum blood pressure taken from different readings? It is well known that many people (most?) have higher blood pressure readings when a nurse is taking it than when one takes it using a sphygmomanometer in the comfort of one’s home. In my case, I’m often 160 or more (systolic) in the hospital, but usually 120-130 at home, on average–I usually range between 110 and 140. If I were to take my average BP at home, it would be about 125/70, which is not ideal, but nothing to be overly concerned about.Hi Dr Michael Hi, as requested, ive moved our email discussion to the video forum.My vegan niece showed me your videos on the health benefits of a low leucine, low animal fat diet.I have had fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for 39 yrs, since 12yrs old.I am a Science teacher; Physics major in New Zealand and have experimented with a number of diets and am currently doing a strange combination of calorie restriction, intermittent fasting.I have issues with blood sugar (i have a testing kit) if i eat too much starch and therefore use 50/40/10: fat, carb, lean animal protein (100g/day).All fat is from avocado, olive and flax oil.Is this harmful? my lipid bio-markers are excellent 1:1 ldl:hdl ratio.180cm (5’11”) and 72kg (158lbs). thanks for any feedback or references you can guide me to. cheers Jonathanwhat’s your absolute LDL? Dr michaeltotal cholesterol 5.4 mmol/L ldl cholesterol 2.7 mmol/L hdl cholesterol 2.45 mmol/L cholesterol/HDL ratio 2.2 triglyceride 0.6 mmol/L the total cholesterol is high. is this a problem given the good ratio? cheers jonathanneed to get LDL under 1.8 Dr Michaelcheers although my understanding was the ratio was more impt than raw ldl level JGDepends if you want low risk or no risk Drrisk profile for current ldl values and ratio? would olive oil negatively impact my risk if total calories average near 1800c? cheers JGIf you wouldn’t mind, please ask your questions on the site so everyone can benefit? I’m sure others have the same types of questions. Just post your question in a comment under a video–thanks! In health, MichaelI don’t know enough to venture whether your indeed excellent ratios of TC/HDL and HDL/LDL and your very low TG outweigh your somewhat elevated TC and LDL (I suspect that a lot of people would be very happy with these numbers). I think they go to show that calorie restriction plus restriction to relatively ‘good’ fats (avocado, olive, flax) may be associated with high HDL and may not unduly raise LDL (which is just over 100 mg/dL)…and this is despite the fact that your fat consumption is quite high (50% of total calories). I guess the key is calorie restriction–you say 1,800 calories a day, which is impressive. Not very many of us can eat so sparingly. However, I’m puzzled by your accounting. You say you eat 100 g. of lean animal protein per day, and you say that protein accounts for only 10% of your calories. 100 grams of protein is about 400 calories, which would imply that you are eating 4,000 calories per day–not 1,800. I would be even more impressed if you obtained these good cholesterol numbers on 4,000 calories. Still, that would not be sustainable in the long run unless you were extremely athletic and burned 2,000 calories or more per day…and that wouldn’t be very sustainable for a 51 year old.kempners success was mostly due to the extreme sodium restrictionanyone care the argue against this … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GUIBNKnT1M (Low Carb Diet: Fat or Fiction? )While Dr. Greger did not actually mention in his video that the Kenyan study he referred to took place in 1929, a search based on the description he gave, together with the Donnison video source data, made it clear that the American Heart Association (AHA) Journal article titled Heart Disease in Africa, with the sub-title Hypertension in Sub-Saharan African Populations, identified this study, as the Donnison study, that took place in 1929. The study took place “at a native hospital in the South of Kavirondo in Kenya, during which period approximately 1800 patients were admitted, no case of raised blood pressure was encountered, although abnormally low blood pressure was not uncommonly encountered. On no occasion was a diagnosis of arteriosclerosis or chronic interstitial nephritis made.”The AHA Journal article was written by Lionel H. Opie MD, DSc and Yackhoob K. Seedat MD, PhD in 2005. They observed, something that Dr. Greger failed to observe, that “Today, more than 75 years after Donnison, when change has been sweeping through Africa, extensive epidemiological studies show that hypertension is one of the commonest cardiovascular ailments in Africa and that BP assumes much more importance with increasing age.” The authors go on to state that ” the migration of people from traditional rural areas on the northern shores of Lake Victoria to the urban settings of Nairobi was associated with an increase of BP (as assessed by the random-zero sphygmomanometer). The urban migrants had higher body weights, pulse rates, and urinary sodium-potassium ratios than did those who remained in the rural areas.16 This suggests a marked change in diet of new arrivals in Nairobi, with higher salt and calorie intake and a reduced potassium intake. The higher pulse rates in the Nairobi participants also suggest that increased autonomic nervous system activity could contribute to the higher BP levels.”Fruit is the Cure for Hypertension! Sugar in Soda increases Blood Pressure.	Africa,aging,bacon,beans,beverages,blood pressure,bologna,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,cola,cruciferous vegetables,Europe,fruit,grains,greens,ham,heart disease,heart health,hot dogs,hypertension,lifespan,longevity,meat,medications,mortality,nuts,plant-based diets,processed meat,seeds,soda,standard American diet,vegetables	High blood pressure, the #1 killer risk factor in the world, may be eliminated with a healthy enough diet.	This is a video that’s long overdue. The downside of me just covering whatever pops up in the literature is that some really fundamental topics may not get immediate coverage.Having a “normal” blood pressure may set one up for dying from “normal” causes such as heart attacks and strokes. For more on this concept, see When Low Risk Means High Risk. It’s like having a normal cholesterol level. See Optimal Cholesterol Level.So it seems high blood pressure is a choice. Like cavities, or heart disease: Cavities and Coronaries: Our Choice.Even end-stage malignant hypertension can be reversed with diet (thereby showing it was the diet and not other lifestyle factors that protected traditional plant-based populations). See Kempner Rice Diet: Whipping Us Into Shape.Flax seeds, hibiscus tea, whole grains, and nitrate rich vegetables may offer additional protection:Why not just take the drugs? See The Actual Benefit of Diet vs. Drugs and Why Prevention is Worth a Ton of Cure.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bologna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24246165,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/214199,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23245609,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19454737,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22607822,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22997325,
PLAIN-2454	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/	Antioxidants and Depression	According to the latest from the CDC, the rates of all of our top 10 killers have fallen or stabilized except for one, suicide. Accumulating evidence indicated that oxidative free radicals may play important roles in the development of various neuropsychiatric disorders including major depression.For example, in a study of nearly 300,000 Canadians, greater fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with lower odds of depression, psychological distress, self-reported mood and anxiety disorders and poor perceived mental health. They conclude that since a healthy diet comprised of a high intake of fruits and vegetables is rich in anti-oxidants, it may consequently dampen the detrimental effects of oxidative stress on mental health.But that was based on just asking how many fruits and veggies people ate. If you measure the levels of carotenoid phytonutrients in nearly 2000 people across the country, a higher total blood carotenoid level was associated with a lower likelihood of elevated depressive symptoms, and there appeared to be a dose-response relationship, meaning the higher the levels, the better people felt.Lycopene, the red pigment predominantly found in tomatoes, but also present in watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava and papaya, is the most powerful antioxidant amongst the carotenoids. In a test tube it’s about 100 times more effective at quenching free radicals than vitamin E, for example.  And in a study of about a thousand older men and women, those who ate the most tomato products had about half the odds of depression. They conclude that a tomato-rich diet may have a beneficial effect on the prevention of depressive symptoms.Higher consumption of fruits and vegetables has been found to lead to a lower risk of developing depression, but if it’s the antioxidants can’t we just take an antioxidant pill? No, only food sources of antioxidants were protectively associated with depression. Not antioxidants from dietary supplements. Although plant foods and food-derived phytochemicals have been associated with health benefits, antioxidants from dietary supplements appear to be less beneficial and may, in fact, be detrimental to health. This may indicate that the form and delivery of the antioxidants are important, Alternatively, the observed associations may be due not to antioxidants but rather to other dietary factors such as folate that also occur in fruits, vegetables, and plant-rich diets.In a study of thousands of middle-aged office workers, eating lots of processed food was found to be a risk factor for at least mild to moderate depression five years later, whereas a whole food pattern was found to be protective. Yes, it could be because of the high content of antioxidants in fruits and vegetables but could also be the folate in greens and beans, as some studies have suggested an increased risk of depression in folks who may not have been getting enough.Low folate levels in the blood are associated with depression, but since most of the early studies were cross-sectional, meaning a snapshot in time, we didn’t know if the low folate led to depression or the depression led to low folate. Maybe when you have the blues you don’t want to eat the greens.But since a number of cohort studies were published, following people over time, and a low dietary intake of folate may indeed be a risk factor for severe depression, as much as a threefold higher risk. Note this is dietary folate intake, not folic acid supplements, so they were actually eating healthy foods. If you give people folic acid pills they don’t seem to work. This may be because folate is found in dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, whereas folic acid is the oxidized synthetic compound used in food fortification and dietary supplements because it’s more shelf-stable, but may have different effects on the body as I previously explored.These kinds of findings point to the importance of antioxidant food sources rather than dietary supplements. But there was an interesting study giving people high dose vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid. The vitamin C, but not placebo group experienced a decrease in depression scores, and also greater FSI. What is FSI? FSI evidently stands for penile-vaginal intercourse, an acronym that makes no sense to me.But evidently high dose vitamin C improves mood and intercourse frequency, but only in sexual partners that don’t live with one another. In the placebo group, those not living together had sex about once a week, and those living together a little higher, once every five days, with no big change on vitamin C. But for those not living together on vitamin C, every other day! The differential effect for non-cohabitants suggests that the mechanism is not a peripheral one, meaning outside the brain, but a central one—some psychological change which motivates the person to venture forth to have intercourse. The mild antidepressant effect they found was unrelated to cohabitation or frequency, so it does not appear that the depression scores improved just because of the improved FSI.	Could it be: Frequency of Sexual Intercourse.No way! That would make too much sense. :-)Isn’t it customary for studies to specify the definitions of acronyms within them?Be nice to see interventional trials.I am convinced nutrition has a lot to do with depression. It would be great if we could see how that compares to the meaninglessness of our large human systems. Our cities aren’t scaled to human beings, rather to automobiles. Children don’t drive. I am convinced that the dependent state of childhood and teenage years is entirely demeaning and leads to depression over time.I guess it’s hard to answer the questions of what causes depression. It is a complex problem caused by complex problems. I have lost too many friends and family to suicide.The causes of depression are complex, but I don’t believe our society is making Rational responses to combat it at all.Personally, I’m not convinced that “depression” is a real illness, and I say that as someone who’s suffered from it immensely. I believe that what we call depression is actually a normal human response to many, many factors, including poor nutrition and other self-care habits, isolation and loneliness, not having meaningful work, and living in a world rife with chaos and cruelty, to name a few factors. Abuse and trauma play no small role, as well. I believe that there’s much individuals can do to feel better, to improve their lives, but I think it’s folly to ignore the broader societal factors that play a major role, and it’s also immensely unhelpful and I think completely dishonest to promote a view that individuals themselves are somehow flawed and “broken”. Make no mistake about it, the brains of depressed people are functioning differently, but there’s zero evidence, to my knowledge, to back up the view that this is what causes depression, rather than the different brain state being a result of the depression instead. The view that we can eradicate depression though pharmacological manipulation of the brain is, in my opinion, reflective of the arrogance and reductionism of our times. What likely started as a genuine attempt to help people is now simply big business, and it continues on despite its inefficacy and despite our knowledge that things are more complicated than we previously thought because it makes money.Your thoughts on the subject are very interesting – thanks!Absolutely! That is what I always thought as well. The natural human response to all of this modern societal life is to feel overwhelmed, depressed, and confused. It is a constant struggle for everyone i have ever known to find joy, happiness, meaning or purpose in their life. I mean look at the self-help section of a book store… It is now normal to be depressed. It is in my opinion that the positive emotional needs of humanity are being completely ignored. I think that it is our current society that creates this depression but because we have not yet reached the summit of all that we can bear, it will continue on.Kim, you are so right. Depression goes way beyond physiology – and yet it expresses itself through the body. You can see the power of our thoughts by looking at the posture of the body and the muscles in the face when we think sad thoughts – compared to the look and feel of the body and face when we think happy thoughts. Think of something you love and notice your posture and the smile in your face – including the twinkle in your eyes – then think of something you fear – the difference is dramatic.How I see the condition of depression is as an accumulation of sorrows. The good news is, those sorrows can be released. “All healing is essentially the release from fear.”This is what I do: I spend a little time in deep quiet, and ask to know the source of my “problem” (whatever it is at the time). A memory of the source of my sorrows surface so I can see them clearly and let go of them. How I let go of them is to notice the tensions/ pain/ discomfort in my body where I “feel” them, and then breathe deeply into those places until the tension relaxes. The body is the subconscious. It holds past trauma as tensions. We hold the breath when we are in trauma… we breathe fully and freely and deeply when we are relaxed. Our goal is to let the breath massage the tensions away. Some say “Spirit is the healer” and it’s true! The word Spirit means breath.I wish for you a complete recovery from “depression”. :)I am afraid to shit on anti-depressants because they do help a lot of people.I don’t have depression, so I am not an authority on the subject.If what We suspect is true…that depression is a complex problem caused by complex problems that go way beyond our ability to understand, investigate, and reduce to a single culprit…Then that means that the only way to reduce depression is to do so through a dramatic restructuring of society. We would have to replace human value, community, and empathy as the purpose of our big human systems. That might be the only way we can leverage enough change so that our future generations won’t be as f-Ed up as we are.Oh man I am in total agreement. A refocus of the human system is vital for our survival on all fronts, in my opinion.You are so right Kim. Your post reminded me of an article I read not long ago and it makes so much sense to me. It took me a while to find the article but I think you will like it Kim.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/the-real-cause-of-addicti_b_6506936.htmlI agree with everything you wrote, and I think some people’s temperaments are better adapted to living in the world we live in than others. Maybe the answer for some people is just to completely reject the lifestyle advocated by the dominant culture. Less isolation, less competitiveness, more generosity of spirit, more exercise, less TV, and more plants:)I agree with what you are all saying. In our cultural American tradition, we try to find the one silver bullet that will stop depression. Who are the happiest and healthiest people in the world? People in the book Blue zones, or the book Healthy at 100. What do they do? Work outside in their gardens, with others in their small communities. Tell jokes, play music, help those who are less fortunate. Take care of their families. They’re almost universally poor but happy. No jails, mental hospitals, and almost no politics in their societies because people take care of others before it becomes really dangerous. Something to think about. Even Mediterraneans are more like that than we are. John S PDX ORKim, I agree with you on a lot of what you said, we have so many complications, drama, pressures and sorrows in our busy crowded lives that it’s no wonder we bomb out! The kind of issues we evolved to cope with no longer apply, and yet all our reflexes are in high gear all the time. Add to that our SAD diets and all the contaminants everywhere and we shouldn’t be surprised at the illnesses that are overwhelming us, mentally and physically! It may sound simplistic, but I really think the best medicine is to get back to a simpler, less hectic life, and remember where we came from, as we do with our diets. I have uncluttered and simplified my life, and it helps me so much to be grounded in nature on a daily basis! That may not be easy for some, and may not, apply to everyone, but I almost can’t see how it couldn’t, since we are of the earth as elemental beings, not of pavement and high rises! But there has always been mental illness…asylums have been around for ages. Though all of the above may contribute to our current issues and negatively affects us, I believe there is also a biological depression that does rear it’s ugly head, and may also be helped by some intervention. I suffered from black bouts of depression all of my adult years, starting right after the most joyous event in my entire life…the birth of my son. I hit like a brick and I was devastated…I had been so looking forward to being a mother as long as I could remember, and instead I could barely function. It lasted months and I fought it every day, and it eventually passed, but it would continue to rear it’s ugly head at intervals unrelated to my life situation. I had always had anxiety, as a child even, and for no apparent reason felt like an outsider in a very close family. I had a lot of issues I struggled with, and though I couldn’t take my own life because of those connections and the repercussions it would cause, not waking up would have been a blessing in my worst times. I would have periods of normalcy too, or relatively anyway, that kept me going, but it would never last long. In my late 40’s I felt like I really couldn’t go on, and finally saw a psychiatrist. I had avoided it because I knew what the “solution” was, and I resisted the drugs because of a very negative experience with one of the earlier tricyclic antidepressants, and even with those I steered clear for the longest time because I felt it was MY mind and I should be able to fix my own issues. I tried everything, trust me. Anyway, after talking to the Dr. for weeks first, he convinced me to just give the newer SSRI’s a 2 month trial and if at any time I felt shaky about it, I could just stop. Desperate, I gave in. About two weeks later, I woke up one morning and felt as if I emerged from a cave into the sunshine. I can’t even begin to explain the elation at having the huge weight lifted from my chest! I was blown away. I was very lucky too that it continued to work for me, I never had any problems with it. Since changing my diet and going WFPB, I weaned down to the lowest dose I can maintain on, and would absolutely LOVE to get off of the junk! I pray that some scientists not on pharmaceutical boards can afford to do nutritional research and pinpoint the biology of this horrible illness! NOBODY has a Celexa deficiency…but something is missing! I can’t really improve my diet, I exercise, tend to my spiritual side, and I have improved my health dramatically, but if I stop the stupid drug, my peaceful existence becomes a tortured hell again. It sucks.Do some research on various supplements???? Trade drugs for supplements? That’s not the right answer.I hope that you dont feel bad because you have to take “real medication”. SSRI`s given to the right patient can be very effective and in some cases lifesaving. Now you eat healthy, exercise and have lowered the dose. There is not much more you can do. Enjoy life and dont give it a thought that you have to take a small dose of this medication. Best wishes PSdoc.You might be interested in reading “Anatomy of an Epidemic” by Robert Whitaker and for information on dealing with the difficult process of getting off psychiatric drugs… Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal by Dr. Peter Breggin. Dr. Breggin’s website might be of interest as well. Good luck.I just started this book!http://www.secondopinionnewsletter.com/Health-Alert-Archive/View-Archive/13435/Why-you-shouldnt-take-antidepressants-for-more-than-3-months.htmFact one: Anti-depressive drugs have never been cleared by the FDA as being safe to use for more than three months. Even though doctors routinely give them to patients for life, they have never been deemed safe to use that way. And the longer the patient is on them, the more unbalanced his brain chemistry gets. For some people, this imbalance can be devastating.Fact two: Every antidepressant medication out there lists increased suicidal tendencies as one of its side effects. To date, 22 international drug regulatory warnings on psychiatric drugs citing effects of mania, hostility, violence and even homicidal thoughts, and dozens of high profile shootings/killings are tied to psychiatric drug use. Despite that there has yet to be a federal investigation on the link between psychiatric drugs and acts of senseless violence.Fact three: At least 35 school shootings and/or school-related acts of violence have been committed by people taking or withdrawing from psychiatric drugs.Fact four: Between 2004 and 2012, there have been 14,773 reports to the FDA’s MedWatch system on psychiatric drugs causing violent side effects. These include 1,531 cases of homicidal ideation/homicide, 3,287 cases of mania, and 8,219 cases of aggression. Note: The FDA estimates that less than 1% of all serious events are ever reported to it, so the actual number of side effects occurring is most certainly higher.Fact five: Other than the short-term use in patients who are going through an acute depressive episode, these drugs are completely unnecessary. There are many natural therapies that work much better — and they have absolutely no risk.Thank you, everyone, for all your comments! I came back on here hesitantly, expecting at least some of you to knock down my views. It’s nice to see I’m not alone in my thinking!I read your post and thought the same thing (though I was in agreement). I was delighted to see many people are seeing and feeling the same things – that there is something inherently wrong with what we are doing as a society. That acceptance as a culture will be the first step of a shift toward a happier people.Kim, thanks for this post. I have actually felt the same thing as you for a long time now (and I use the word “felt” intentionally). As with many “diseases” we have in society, they are more a condition OF society/lifestyle, and not BECAUSE we are broken. Our bodies and minds are actually fantastic when we give them what they want. Personally, along with diet, I think living in a society where value is put on “things” rather than living beings, and where what you have means more than the meaningful relationships you have (with people, other animals, and planet), is a serious cause of the depression that is rife so many individuals’ lives.I vote to continue, it is of interest to me. Thanks.Please continue with mental health videos!Videos concerning depression & food I am very interested in. Medications (SSRI) can have devastating side effects. Finding a good therapist is hard. An going on therapy is time consuming. But everybody have to eat. It is the easiest way to benefit from the right plants. Thanks in advace for your work.I’m immediately struck by the fact that a WFPB diet would also be rich in MAO inhibitors, tryptophan and serotonin.Yes, more mental health, thank you.More mental health please :)I’d like to see much more about how Advanced Glycation End-products affect the aging process, especially our risk for dementias.ditto that.Hi Mark. I think we can say these AGEs and effect the aging process. And this video talks about AGEs and dementia. See if these help?Hi Dr Gonzales. Thanks for those links. I’ll check them out.Dr G, the second link does not go where you intended. Could you please recheck it.Thanks MarkSorry! Fixed :-)Yes, please continue. I think there’s obviously a psychological-physical connection. Just like we’re motivated to eat sweet things because we’re physically designed to want all the calories we can get even though we don’t realize that’s happening — we just think we like cake and want it — it seems perfectly logical that a body (and brain) that feels good because of high nutrient intake would have less depression necessarily. I think our brains know what’s going on in our bodies even though we aren’t aware of it. For instance, you might think less positively when you’re tired without perceiving a connection or maybe without even knowing you’re tired. I’m thinking that the pleasure principle applies not only to pleasure.Stacey, hi. As I understand it, the urge behind the desire for sweets is actually for fresh, raw, organic fruit. Cake and other sugary foods may taste “sweet” but they are no substitute for fruit. Long ago, an expert on colon cleansing – Robert Gray – told me that foods act like drugs and that fruits that come from trees are literally “uppers”, uplifting. I have found this to be true. Of course, that includes olives and avocados. He advised starting your day with fruit from trees and to end the day with root veggies which are “sleepy” foods. I use these principles still, on a daily basis.FSI: Could that actually be an abbreviation for Frequency of Sexual Intercourse?Yes to more mental health videos! Loved the one on whether or not antidepressants really work; it’s mind boggling how few people know (or want to know, seemingly) about this. Astounding how powerful the placebo effect is, and makes me remember to account for nocebo and placebo effects present in some of the population when they adopt and/or abandon a plant-based diet: some people are so convinced that they need animal protein that they “feel off” without it, and feel better upon reintroducing it. Of course, we can’t prove that’s what’s really going on, but I believe it to be the case for at least the overwhelming majority of – if not all – people that report this.How to calculate adequate #Ascorbate intake to facilitate apoptosis; control suicidal thoughts; + make you want frequent #FSI sex! http://www.perque.com/lifestyle/self-tests/ascorbate-cleanse/I would rather go to the Linus Pauling Institute for Vit C information.http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-C/supplemental-formsCurcumin found in turmeric is an interesting molecule. Data suggests that curcumin possesses MAO inhibiting properties, data suggests that curcumin has anti inflammatory properties, data suggests that curcumin can stimulate hippocampal neurogenesis, maybe modulation of serotonin and norepinephrine. Curcumin has shown antidepressant properties in animal models of depression. There has also been demonstrated efficacy in a human trial. Depression can be a very serious condition – and sometimes “real drugs” are necessary and lifesaving (sorry my plant strong friends! :-) ). I would always recommend that you talk to your doctor if you are depressed – and preferably one with an open mind. And no doubt that “real” antidepressants can have serious side effects – so maybe the solution is to eat healthy (mainly plant based) and then avoid depression in the first place.From a personal standpoint I experienced an almost immediate & DRAMATIC change in mood swings when I started with a whole food concentrate. Two years later while I do still experience depression upon occasion, I would argue it is not on a clinical level. And I attribute that to the fact that the [phyto] chemicals in my brain have been substantially more balanced as a result of the change in my dietary intake….you are what you eat.What is a whole food concentrate?http://lmgtfy.com/?q=whole+food+concentrateYes, more on mental health. I am not in the medical field and am very interested in this: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1966.tb01920.x/abstract. Is there something to this?There could be something to it. According to this study this has been researched since the 50’s about a possible link between celiac disease and schizophrenia. There may be a higher prevalence of autoimmune diseases in in-patients with schizophrenia. Dr. Greger appears to have some videos on this as well, here.FSI: First Sexual Intercourse-according to Topicway: http://www.topicway.com/acronyms/first-sexual-intercourse.FSI.1666924.htmI think it’s a great idea, as mental health is just as important as physical health, and it usually links together anywaySo please tell me that Amla Powder is still okay and will help my mood too??Here is the info we have on amla. Indian gooseberries (alma) may help with diabetes. Amla has been extensively studies and found protective for many disorders, perhaps due to it’s high antioxidant capacity? When I searched about cognitive decline only animal studies were available, which doesn’t tell us anything of value for how it works in humans. However, one review mentioned the phytochemicals in alma like quercetin, gallic acid, corilagin and ellagic acid, therefore some logic that this stuff could help reduce cognitive decline may be apparently, but of course we need a human trial to know for sure. I am not sure about amla and mood, however, it should be fine to take.The only form of Amla that I can find locally is the candied form. Do you know if this form has approximately the same nutritional value as other forms. I suppose that fresh or frozen would be best, but I can’t find those locally.Amla is available at health-food stores in capsule and tablet form. Amla powder can be bought online. Amma is one of the three ingredients in the Indian supplement known as triphala, which is said to be the world’s most commonly used herbal supplement for the last two millennia. Amla is also the major ingredient in the ayurvedic jam known as chyawanprash (It contains sugar and gee so may not be the best way to consume amla.)Thanks for the info Kat, I think I’ll look for a good source of Amla powder on-line.I am not sure I don’t eat it. Not that I try to avoid it, I just find my local produce does the trick. I would think the candied stuff is not as potent as the fruit or powder, but I have no clue how the candy is prepared. Any Alma experts out there? Just watching the better breakfast video again it makes me want to try it based on the high antioxidant levels. Hope you find a solution. Let us know what you decide or more about other ingredients found in the candy.Thanks for the feedback, Dr Gonzales. I’m assuming that the candied form of Amla is processed in a similar manner as candied ginger, but I’ll do some research and let you know if I find out anything.Thank you! Appreciate this very much!Definitely interested in more videos about mental health, Thank you. I’d also like to know if raisins bring the same benefits as grapes.As a person who manages depression with the NEWSTART method, folic acid certainly works for the anxiety side of depression, I have tested this theory and when off of the folic acid I am vulnerable but when on them I have more peace. Visit http://www.drnedley.com All the best and God blessThis is of great interest, Dr. M. After 9/11 I feel into a major depression, and have been on Paxil ever since, but no one ever suggested that the huge amount of sugar I was ingesting could have contributed to and continued to contribute to my depression. Now that I am on a plant-based, whole-foods, no-oil added diet, and have gotten rid of sugar in my diet, I have also been able to wean off the Paxil to an insignificant dose, almost down to zero.Scratching my head here…chemically, folic acid is the protonated form of folate. Folic acid dissociates above its pKa to its form its respective anion (folate) and cation (hydrogen or hydronium ion). This should happen in stomach acid. Not following the argument about them being so different chemically, what am I missing?Anyone know about the lycopene content of tomato paste? I’ve started eating it after hearing Dr. Greger mention its benefits, and I hate raw tomatoes. Still want to cash in on this lycopene benefit, but raw toms just taste like poison to me.Just curious if you’ve ever tried vine ripened heirloom tomatoes? So many flavors, colors and textures! Commercial varieties suck, even the plants you often buy to plant in a garden. I live in Florida and they breed and grow for sturdiness, looks and shipping qualities, not flavor, and pick the tomatoes green to transport them, then gas them to color up before display. They may look pretty but they taste nasty!There is much more lycopene available from tomato paste than from fresh raw tomatoes. The cooking process makes lycopene more bioavailable.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/66/1/116.abstractIf you have a source for golden tomatoes, their lycopene is purported to be more bio-available when raw than red. Have a listen to: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thiswayup/audio/20175135/healthier-fruit-and-vegGood news! There is more lycopeme in cooked tomatoes than in raw!! You’re A-OK with the paste.…soooo is ascorbic acid safe to take in large amounts?….jw = just wondering (acronyms)…Do a search on ascorbic acid bowel tolerance and you will get an idea of why some people take huge amounts of it in some situations.And….http://www.ergo-log.com/maleorgasm.html“The researchers were interested to know if there was a relation between sexual activity and health, so they asked the men how many orgasms they had. The number mentioned is a good predictor of male sexual activity, previous research has shown.The researchers distinguished three levels: less than one orgasm a month was ‘low’, two orgasms a week or more was ‘high’, with a ‘medium’ category in between.On the basis of their results, the British scientists were able to calculate that an increase of 100 orgasms per year reduced the men’s chance of dying by 36 percent.”So take some vit C…buy a blowup doll…live forever? LOL.I realize this is off topic, but what is the plant based consensus on using olive oil? I just read the book called Blue Zones Solution which is about areas of the world where people are the healthiest and live the longest. They do eat plant based, but in all zones, people use olive oil, and usually quite a bit of it, maybe up to a quarter cup a day. The claim was that it was a great health food and necessary to good health. What is your opinion of using olive oil? Is it as great as shown in this book? I am totally confused when it comes to olive oil, seeds and nuts. The book claims that olive oil can help to PREVENT heart disease. Thanks! NancyDr Greger thinks it is better to eat the whole olive. With oil you throw the good stuff down the drain.My wife and I have eaten a whole foods plant based diet for more than twenty years. We buy the majority of our fruits and vegetables at our local farmers market every week. The food we buy at the farmers market is not only exceptionally fresh (and organically grown) we have come to be friends with the farmers that we buy from. We have in other words become part of a community and we feel a strong connection with the farmers and the farms we even feel more connected to the climate which of course affects our farmers growing cycles. This connection is quite uplifting we find. Additionally, eating all the beautiful and colorful plants is uplifting in a way that eating a pill would not be. So many people think in terms of deprivation and what they might be giving up to switch to a plant based diet. We have found the opposite to be true – our lives have become far more enriched and fun. Hell, after writing this we’re going to indulge in FSI. We love your videos too!So true! I feel the same uplift shopping at farmers markets. Farmers are the best!Aren’t we having fun today!Healthy people always (all-ways) have more fun!!!This is way off topic… I have two children, one two years and the other four months. I want to raise them on a plant based diet. I’m looking for help on finding the most reliable resources for doing that. There seems to be some inaccurate information out there when doing a search on Google. Thanks for any help!http://www.drmcdougall.com and http://www.nutritionfacts.org are the most reliable resources that I know of.Hi Dr. P, Ginny Messina and Jack Norris are both registered dietitians and have information specific to vegan nutrition for kids. They are very balanced in their approach, cite their sources, and in my opinion are very reliable. They are also both very active in the comments sections on their sites and frequently respond to questions.General information on vegan kids from Messina and Norris: http://www.theveganrd.com/2012/11/a-healthy-start-for-vegan-children.html http://www.theveganrd.com/2009/10/vegan-issues-in-the-news-meeting-nutrient-needs-and-growth-of-vegan-kids.html http://veganhealth.org/articles/preginfchilThis article by Dr. Mangell (also an RD) has lots of specific detail, including timelines for specific foods: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.phpThis is a collection of all Norris’ children related articles: http://jacknorrisrd.com/category/children/For practical ideas and meal planning, Susan Voisin of Fatfreevegan has a kid-friendly recipes section, and Dreena Burton of Plant Powered Kitchen has written articles on raising vegan kids she calls “weegans” – cute :) and just recently came out with a kid-centric book called “Plant Powered Families”. http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/feeding-vegan-children-a-plant-powered-series/ http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2005/12/es-kid-friendly-recipes.html http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/plant-powered-families-cookbook/Hope that helps. :)Thank you, thank you! That’s exactly what I was looking for.Thanks, b00mer. Appreciate it.that was due to a vitamin c pill? the way I view pills is as hit or miss.FSI FTW!In a lecture, in a very popular local adult toy store, the acronym used was PIV. But now, seeing the very sensible (and printable, professional and publishable) guess about FSI below, I like “FSI” much better.It’s not surprising that folic acid would NOT do much for people, and it can even harm those with a certain mutation that prevents efficient folate conversion (est. to be around 40% of the population) by competitively blocking the more biologically active folate found in greens and food vs the synthetic oxidized form. Why did you ignore your own source citing vitamin C improveing mood for the headline….”Neither antioxidant or folic acid supplements seem to help with mood”. Hey guess what?- it’s an antioxidant.I wonder whether that vitamin C study gave standard deviations for FSI. It may have been confounded by a severe sex-addict in the intervention group…And how the heck did they know that FSI was actually PVI and not POI, VOI, PAI, OAI, VVI, PPI or whatever?The FSI stuff at the end of this video is pretty sketchy. The abstract of that study says they had only 42 healthy young adults in the experiment group. Because the comparison noted was a subdivision of the experimental group (cohabiting vs non-cohabiting), they then had to have sub-divided the groups into cohabiting and non-cohabiting. If the sample was perfectly split, that’s only about 21 per group (less for the placebo). I’d be very interested to see how they justified their conclusions with such a small sample.Even if they had good power, that finding is pretty out there. I bet they just encountered a random error. (Their non-cohabitors who just happened to be eating the vitamins just happened to be highly sexually active.)Almost all anti-depressants are linked to a lack or complete lack of libidito and can cause impotence in both men and women. This study reports sexual activity as a sign of health and happiness, specifically the number of orgasisms per week. On some level, doesn’t that mean anti-depressants make you sad and unwell? Almost all antidepressants can make you gain weight, even without eating more. Almost all antidepressants can cause suicide. I encourage you to visit this website: http://www.doctoryourself.com/hoffer_niacin.html Antidepressants are not real medicine anymore than they are blunt force pills to convince you that there is something that can cross the blood–brain boundary via the stomach which was a real challenge in pharmacy. Not even sugar can do that and serotonin and dopamine are highly mirrored molecules (they appear to have a line of symmatry) If there was a molecule that could cross the blood brain boundary, it probably would rot the brain at many doses. Dr. Hoffer said the mentally ill had great genes. They are very smart, contributive, strong willed, pious people who are proud of all the right things and humble about what matters. One third of America has a mental illness and one quarter of it has one chronically. Dr. Greger produced a video on how stripping the B vitamins from Asian rice caused a disease epidemic there unheard of. There is a chance this disease epidemic is still going on. There is a chance Americans are not getting enough B12 or maybe even phosphorous, it is the sugar molecule of ATP, the whole way the body conveys energy. Niacin was Dr. Hoffer’s answer to Mental Illness, and he is a much beloved man despite his recent passing. Dr. Hoffer did a report that people with high cholesterol are at risk for mental illness including sczhiophrenia. Doesn’t it say something that people who eat plants more are healthier people? Doesn’t it say that anti-depressants might have once failed the FDA’s test that they are more effective than placebo? Because a sugar pill would give someone more of a feeling of well being than something that robes a human of their sexual function.Love the mental health videos! Please keep them coming! I would be really interested in seeing you look at trauma outcomes (both physical and mental health) and nutrition.	antioxidants,anxiety,ascorbic acid,beans,Canada,CDC,depression,folate,folic acid,fruit,grapefruit,greens,guava,junk food,lycopene,men's health,mental health,mood,mortality,oxidative stress,papaya,phytonutrients,processed foods,sexual health,spinach,suicide,supplements,tomatoes,vegetables,vitamin C,vitamin E,women's health	Neither antioxidant or folic acid supplements seem to help with mood, but the consumption of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables and folate-rich beans and greens may lower the risk for depression.	You may have noticed I’ve started doing more mental health videos. Please let me know if that’s something of continued interest. The last few I did were:What’s the difference between folate and folic acid? I have a really old video on the subject (Can Folic Acid Be Harmful?). I’ll add it to my list of topics to revisit.Here’s some older mood ones as well, with more to come:Anything else we can do to enhance our sexual health and attractiveness? See:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ascorbic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/schizophrenia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/guava/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lycopene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canada/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/papaya/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/suicide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22935166,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19880930,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23174689,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12208645,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22840609,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23123357,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15479987,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2465760/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25010374,
PLAIN-2455	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/	Cholesterol Crystals May Tear Through Our Artery Lining	In my video, arterial acne, I described atherosclerotic plaques as inflamed pockets of pus. Our coronary arteries start out healthy as kids, but then the standard American diet, the saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol increases the cholesterol in our blood, which accumulates in the artery wall, triggering an inflammatory response. The fatty streak becomes an atherosclerotic plaque, which can then rupture into our artery, a blood clot forms, shutting off blood flow to a part of our heart, which can then die and kill us.What causes that final step, the rupture of the plaque? Ten years ago, researchers at Michigan State proposed a mechanism. They noted that when you look at ruptured plaques from human autopsies of people that died from heart attacks they filled with cholesterol crystals protruding out from the plaque, so they wondered if maybe all that cholesterol in the plaque gets so supersaturated that it reaches a point that it crystalizes like sugar water forming rock candy. The growing crystals may then burst the plaque open. So they made a supersaturated solution of cholesterol in a test tube to see if when it crystalized it would expand, and indeed it did, just like how water expands when it crystallizes into ice. Here’s a cholesterol crystal shooting out the top of a test tube, and when you look at the tips of the cholesterol crystals under a microscope they are sharp jagged needles. They placed a thin membrane over the top of the test tube to see if the cholesterol needles would poke through, and indeed the sharp tips of the cholesterol crystals cut through the membrane. So they showed that as cholesterol crystallized, the peak volume can increase rapidly by up to 45% within minutes and sharp-tipped crystals can cut through and tear membranes, suggesting that the crystallization of supersaturated cholesterol in atherosclerotic plaques can induce rupture.A test tube is one thing, but can you actually see crystals poking out in autopsy specimens? Yes, cholesterol crystals piercing the arterial plaque were found in patients who died with acute coronary syndrome. Extensive protrusion of cholesterol crystals into the middle of the artery. What makes us think it was the crystals that actually burst the plaque?All patients who died of acute heart attacks had perforating cholesterol crystals like this sticking out of their plaques but no crystals were found perforating the arteries of people who had severe atherosclerosis, but died first of other, non-cardiac causes. This can explain why dramatically lowering cholesterol levels with diet or drugs can reduce the risk of fatal heart attack, by pulling cholesterol out of the artery wall, decreasing the risk of crystalizing these cholesterol needles that may pop your plaque.	What I want to know is if you can get supersaturation of cholesterol if you have high LDL due to an iodine deficiency? (With vegan diet)I just came across this and ordered a bottle to try. I have no affiliation, I swear. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130422005271/en/Study-Finds-Iodine-Mouthwash-Impact-LDL-Cholesterol#.VTUK8hhHarUInteresting! Thanks for sharing we’ll see what the researchers find from that mouth rinse. Keep us posted!Thanks, Wegan. Very interesting. I’m thinking about trying this product but first would like to find some independent research or commentary on original research. How long have you used it and what results have you seen?Its been a year since this article came out – no journal articles or reports on 6-month trial results.I sent them an email asking about that we’ll see if they reply. I thought it could be a good way to supplement iodine. Maybe they’ll continue for the study a year. TSH levels can take a year to normalize with iodine supplemention from what I have read. Something about nis transporters being made.One would think that this would be a blockbuster result. One the other hand, their special gingivitis formula may not be needed for cholesterol dissolving effects – not much money in iodized salt.I would suggest that killing oral bacteria kills the good along with the bad. A better approach would be to encourage growth of the good and deny the bad. This is best achieved through a whole plant based diet while cleaning & rinsing with green tea. I have been using green tea for sometime now and my last trip to the dentist resulted in no cavities and no gingivitis. My mouth tastes better too. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/Yes, green tea more effective than prescription Chlorhexidine. Have first hand experience.Another option is an oral probiotic….such as….http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-ultra-oral-probiotic-formula-natural-strawberry-flavor-30-chwblsI chew 1/2 tab before bed.“a special strain of S. salivarius called BLIS K12, which was developed by BLIS Technologies of New Zealand. BLIS K12 is a naturally-occurring beneficial bacteria that only lives within the oral cavity and is proven to promote good oral health, support natural immune system defense functions (key for seasonal wellness support) and protect against the proliferation of bacteria that can cause bad breath. BLIS K12 has been involved with several clinical studies and been included in over 30 published scientific papers. The theory behind BLIS K12 oral probiotic formula is that when taken regularly, it can help support upper respiratory health and the health of the throat and the oral cavity itself.”As a dentist, I find Oral Probiotics an interesting concept. Especially in patients high in Strep Mutans counts. Or the periodontal groups of gram negatives. However, without immaculate plaque control including tounge debridement, and removal of sub gingival tartar deposits. Ive never seen significant change. Makes sense, you have to significantly decrease the existing colony number for the new guys to stand a chance. Lets face it.. If we could easily replace our oral bacteria , periodontal disease would not be the number one cause of tooth loss. Diet has a great effect. +1 Lawrence. But would not revert perio alone, without removal of hard deposits. Also.. re-colonisation from other family members is inevitable, unless their diet changes too. Perio runs in families….. Not all the heredatory Interleukin deficiency’s ;-)I have not heard of iodine deficiency leading to high LDL’s, until I saw this study “Iodine treatment in children with subclinical hypothyroidism due to chronic iodine deficiency decreases thyrotropin and C-peptide concentrations and improves the lipid profile”. If you want to browse around for more research here are 31 more studies that may be relevant. Of course, Dr. Greger discusses optimal level of cholesterol here, and I wrote more on the importance of iodine here. Thanks, Wegan.I have had very low thyroid for most of my life until finally diagnosed and given the right treatment for T3 in my 50’s. I have a 50% blockage in one artery, which concerns me. I refuse to take lipitor, which has huge side effects, and is evidently only effective in a low percentage of cases. I immediately started a vegan diet, with occasional salmon 1-2x month. What I wonder is…does taking Trio-L-thyroinine improve the lipid profile, or is it only iodine that does that?Hi Leslie. I am not sure. I would assume if you are taking medication for low iodine that if the levels (T3 and T4) were to be stabilized, than lipid profiles would improve. Please ask your doctor to be certain. I think when you say “Trio-L-thyroinine ” you are referring to triiodothyronine (T3), which is composed of iodine. Therefore, if taking a medication or a supplement to boost T3 (and T4, which is also important for thyroid health) you’d be essentially taking iodine.Thank you for explaining.I was eating a daily wakame salad, but have subsequently fallen out of the habit. Sounds as if I should get back into that habit because I do not use any added salt, iodized or otherwise.I think that’s a good call, Joe! Remember some iodine is found in coastal veggies, but to rely on that as a source would be unadvisable I feel. Not sure if you’ve seen this, but I wrote a post about iodine. Best regards!I did read it, thank you very much. I eat a lot of raw and cooked cruciferous vegetables so getting adequate iodine intake seems particularly important. The mineral content of whole plant foods are so dependent on the soils in which they are grown which is another good reason to source organically grown produce. Heathy soils produced more nutritious food.The more I read about wakame as a whole food source of iodine, the more I like it. Omega-3, contains EPA and stimulates the liver to produce DHA. Animal (rat) studies indicate that it may improve fat metabolism, and promote weight loss. Reduction in LDL. Sources: http://www.naturalnews.com/044784_wakame_iodine_sources_sea_vegetables.html http://www.cholesterolbattle.com/wp-content/uploads/file/J_%20Nutr_-1999-Murata-146-51.pdf http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3204293/ New Zealand wakame is the cleanest according to the following, avoide the Chinese: http://www.naturalnews.com/043871_seaweeds_heavy_metals_wakame.htmlI suggest you start eating Laver Seaweed once a week as part of your Vegan Diet. That will give you your iodine plus a lot of other minerals. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/Having high cholesterol is bad and yes I suppose it would also occur if LDL is high. Very important to consider how to modify the diet and reduce LDL cholesterol or consider a medication.Welcome fellow dipper.High LDL could be a sign you are deficent in Niacin. This was stripped from grain to make it more wholesome, cookable and convienient. It was also a very painful process. You can read about B vitamin defieciences here and at this link. http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1989/pdf/1989-v04n01-p039.pdf.Excellent video, makes me want to redouble efforts to check amount of saturated fat and cholestrol in packages products I consume. Wonder what the Atkins bacon gorging folks have to say to this.Or eliminate as many processed products as possible. Saves time reading.Oh, happy Monday — another horrifying video. I hope that lots of beans and veggies will do something about the unknowing decades I spent scarfing down trans fats in margarine and who knows where else. I really love my Earth Balance, but I suppose it’s not much better for me than any other margarine. I will have a hard time giving it up. :(It was hard to give up butter. Then it was hard to give up margarine. Then it was hard to give up Earth Balance. But it turned out to all be a matter of habit. Now the thought of eating any of the above makes me sick. No fiber. No carbs. Worst of the fats. Terrible after taste. No desire whatsoever. Anyone for Spry?I hope I can follow your example. I never heard of Spry, but it probably has connotations like the ones Crisco has for me. Blech. :PWhat about vegan smart balance? Is it bad for us too?How about coconut oil? I am starting to use it instead of other oils and butter.Coconut oil is one of the few vegetable oils high in saturated fat. See what Dr. Greger says on this site. You don’t need oil to have incredibly tasty and satisfying food. The reason we cook with oil is because we are creatures of habit. Lots of websites on oil-free sautéing and roasting of veggies.Dr. Greger has info on coconut oil and I plan to update the research as well. Please give me some time and check back on my page soon!According to the label Smart Balance contains 10g of fat, no trans fats, 2.5g of which is saturated. Is it bad for you? it depends on how much you use. Considering there is very little nutrition coming from a tablespoon of smart balance, there probably are better sources of fat than butter substitutes. But you have to do what you feel comfortable doing. For my potatoes I tend to make a nice no fat gravy to use rather than butter.Its not difficult to be a sick fat vegan. Being vegan is great for the animals but WFPB completes the journey by being great for the #1 animal, yourself.I understand. I’m barely a vegetarian. Not interested in cheese but my family loves butter flavoring. I thought I was doing good with the vegan butter flavored stuff.I think small changes are important, as they can lead to larger ones. When transitioning to healthier foods it’s nice to have some items like trans-fat free oils and “plant-based butter” to help the transition. Of course these are not health foods, but it may be super important as to what you se it on? a small dab on a piece of whole grain toast with fresh fruit is far better than bacon and eggs with white toast and regular butter. So I think it’s important to put everything into context and realize overall diet is most important. Keep up the good work! I see some great comments here and I hope they are all helpful.Thanks for the encouragement. I struggle with sweet breads and candy. Addicted. It has been 24 hrs since my last sweet thing. My doc says too many carbs turn into fat that affects everything in a bad way. This video makes me think I should get back on the statins till I get my eating much better.All processed foods have the potential to harm you. Avoiding them is one of the pillars of the Whole Plant Food Based Diet. Hanging on to old habits with substitutes just maintains the desires for fat, sweet and salty foods.I still have margarine that I use from time to time, it pretty much has the same saturated fat (1.5g for 10g) compared to extra virgin olive oil (1.5g for 10ml) so it’s not a lot. We should aim for 0 but with these numbers are quite low!Not to be nit-picky, but I think it is impossible to aim for zero. Fat is a package deal and you’ll always get a bit of mono, poly, and saturated fats with any fatty foods. Shoot, even non-fatty foods like beans will still have a little bit of fat. Still, I think minimizing saturated fat is key, as you noted. We surely do not need much at all!I was using a light dairy-free spread (mono saturated 1.1, Trans 0.03), should I stop? would spreading organic peanut butter be better? ( I try to have oats with fruit and almond milk every second day instead of toast ).It would probably be better, especially if there is trans fat.I don’t think Earth Balance has any trans fats, but surly it is still fatty :( Perhaps try cutting back and using a small amount, or using something like a nut butter (which although fatty at least you obtain more nutrients rather than straight fat). I try to think about other condiments I already like such as mustards, vinegars, herbs and spices and go heavy on those. Spreading 1/4 of an avocado on toast, etc. I am sure others have better ideas. I will say butter or margarine without the trans fats are better than those with, as trans fats are damaging to the arteries.Myoko Schinner has great simple recipes for probiotic cashew “cheeses”! Mmm. Nothing like knowing what is REALLY in it. :-)Saturated fats also are to avoid. Not only trans fats and cholesterol.Maybe don’t look at it from the perspective of giving it up completely forever and ever, but keep it in its place as a delicious but objectively harmful food to be eaten only once in a while. I remember when I heard Dr. McDougall describe our modern diets as eating like it’s a holiday feast, or like kings and queens for every meal, it really made an impact on me. The idea that it’s just not natural to be eating “indulgent” foods on a constant basis really resonated with me. After I decided to cut out refined oils (including earth balance, tortilla chips, baked goods, etc) I was really astonished by how much more sensitive my taste buds became and by the total disappearance of cravings, even though I didn’t think I was eating very much of these foods to begin with. For me, eating 100% WFPB most of the time works so much better than mostly WFPB all the time. Does that make sense? :) It doesn’t take much refined oils if eaten on a regular basis to keep the taste buds desensitized and keep the cravings for such foods alive. I know it’s kind of hard to believe that when you “deprive” yourself of these kinds of foods, you can actually end up enjoying food more. But it’s true! Try cutting it out as a temporary experiment, just give yourself a few weeks, and see what happens to your cravings and how much you enjoy it when you try it again. You might be surprised.I agree — this is what’s been happening to me and it’s pretty great. Converting to WFPB, no oil, minimum refined sugars has been much so easier to sustain that I ever expected. I’m so happy about it.This is certainly “food for thought.” I actually find salt the hardest thing to cut back on, but this sounds like it’s worth a try. I’ll report back if I manage to do this….You will discover that you really were just using food as a vehicle for salt – not really enjoying the food itself. So many good websites on how to spice food without salt. See, for instance -http://eatwell-staywell.com -I’ve heard a couple times before among SOS-free dieters that salt is the hardest to give up. Full disclosure: I eat salt! Not eating refined sugars and oils is so easy, the longer you go without eating them, the more the cravings disappear to nothing. That never really happened to me with salt when I tried decreasing it in the past. I read an interesting article a while back about this Russian family living alone in the Siberian wilderness for about 40 years. Pretty messed up story. They were unaware that WWII ever happened. The dad was a religious nut. The daughters developed their own gibberish language. When they were found by scientists in the 70s, they refused to move back to civilization, thought TV was of the devil, refused modern medical treatment… But the one thing the dad said he still missed after all that time: salt.With the more recent research coming out about sodium, I don’t really care to decrease my intake as much as possible like I used to. Without any attempts at restriction, I get between 1500 – 2000 mg and I’m fine with that. I guess since salt doesn’t really affect the quality of the rest of my diet, I don’t really care about it for that reason either. If anything, salt only increases my cravings for veggies, beans, and grains.That said, if you do want to decrease or eliminate it, I find lemon and lime juice, vinegar, and garlic all decrease the need for salt.Since going 100% WFPB no SOS I realize that my previous food habits actually prevented me from discovering a vast world of flavors and textures. Coating the inside of one’s mouth with a slimy film of oil does to food what a condom does to sex :-) I now experience the magic of spices as opposed to the boredom and predictability of condiments (condoments?)My family got off Earth Balance because it (and other vegan margarine) is so processed. Now that we have avoided it for awhile, we notice that vegan margarine tastes really fake!RE: Iodine deficiency. Have nodules in my thyroid (vegetarian for 20 years). My doctor thinks I should to nothing so far as it is due to hormonal changes. I decided to experiment. Have a fantastic pharmacist; trying to improve my condition holistically. Starting today I am rubbing ONE drop (not more!) anywhere on your body, or in a glass of water, room-temperature. Continue for 3 weeks, stop the 4th, and then repeat. Will have another ultrasound of my Thyroid in six months. Only then I will know if any positive changes occurred.How about iodized salt?Apparently the iodine evaporates quickly once the box is opened and it only contains potassium iodide for the thyroid and not the kind the rest of the body uses. There is a school of thought that the RDA is way too low and that the danger of supplementation is overblown. Iodineresearch.com has information about it.According to Dr. David Brownstein, it is to be avoided. He says only about 10% of the iodine in iodized salt is bioavailable, and that the product contains undesirable contaminants as well. Recommended Himalayan Pink salt instead.Iodine is known as Lugols Solution. Another holistic method is via pure Fulvic Acid (should not contain any Humic Acid). If Lugols Solution is not successful I will try Fulvic Acid (comes from the USA).Total bull shit….another medical theory…from MDsI liked this – and if more understood the importance of fiber in you diet, maybe, just maybe one would be better off.Total bull…another medical theoryAnother great video Dr G! So glad I gave up animal foods high in cholesterol and saturated fat… Low-fat is where it’s at!This is amazing. It also reminds me of my past (decades ago) perceptions about atherosclerosis. I used to think of plaque buildup as rock candy caused by supersaturated cholesterol in the blood stream. Now I see the process is much more complicated, involving the immune response, but I find it interesting that rock candy-ish crystals are evidently involved in the actual myocardial infarction.BTW does Dr. Greger have any plans to cover the difference in heart attacks between men and women?pS. What happened to the image upload icon in Disqus?I’ll ask if he does, but can you let me know in what context you’d like to understand their differences? I did come across some literature “Gender Differences in Left Ventricular Function Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for First Anterior Wall ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction”. I see hundreds of studies on this topic so perhaps Dr. Greger will discuss this in further detail.And hold tight on your question about Disqus I’ll find out. Thanks, MacSmiley.I have a graphic I wanted to use for context, but the little picture frame upload icon does not appear in the comment boxes today. *TECH ISSUE?*The context is in this TEDTalk: difference in the way plaque is laid, different symptoms in a cardiac event, how the female pattern of MI differed from the male pattern seen in today’s video, etc.http://youtu.be/1bnzVjOJ6NMGreat, thanks for clarifying! I’ll get back to you for sure. I’ve sent a request to our tech support and hope to get an answer soon.I know what happened. We decided to allow site users to continue to post links to images and videos, however, because sometimes the image of a youtube video is larger than Dr. Greger’s video itself, we felt it takes away from the actual video of the day. Therefore, you cannot upload images like before. Sorry about that. Hopefully you can still copy and paste a link to the image and I (and others) can view it that way. I realize this is an extra step, but hopefully folks are not too dismayed by the new policy.When I click on a link it would be nice for it to take me to another window. Now done with the new link and clicking on back arrow it does not take me back to where I was in the comments. Discques has to reload. Irritating.Can you double click the mouse and have it open in a new tab? Thanks, jj. Sorry I too get frustrated when I click a link and it goes away from the page I was on.Image can not be linked to since it is a screen print from the video. The problem with image URL linking is that the source is not always available forever. My comments in Flickr uses that system and they’re full of blank “Image not available” spots.BTW I do not experience on my iPhone the video/image size issues to which you refer.I see. Thanks for letting me know. Perhaps different views on computer screen vs phone is the case? If you have a better suggestion let us know we hate to limit our users ability to post information.Joseph, I’m thinking there must be something in your code and/or Disqus’s code which is causing this problem. I would suggest your webmaster collaborate with Disqus to find and eliminate the problem so that we can resume our postings. Graphics are so useful in scientific dialog, as you know.Agen SBOBET | Agen IBCBET | Agen CASINO http://www.waletbet.com http://167.114.42.165/G. S. Abela notes here that alcohol prep disolves cholesterol crystals. I wonder if this partially explains the decreased CAD/MI risk attributed to alcohol use? http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109711045335Wow very good find! I wonder the same thing, and it looks like it might. Not sure that is a solid reason to start drinking booze (as clearly there are many risks), but when we hear of moderate alcohol consumption benefiting heart disease perhaps this is a mechanism involved? Thanks for that find!I would doubt that for one reason. The crystals are encased and protected from the bloodstream inside the plaque until it ruptures. Unless blood somehow infiltrates the plaque?This is a very convincing video! I am just curious what this says about statins? Are they helpful with this or not at all helpful in preventing the rupture?I am not sure about statins and prevention of ruptures. I would think they have some effect of lowering rupture risk since their main job is lowering cholesterol. However there are reasons to be weary of taking statins, as Dr. Greger mentions.Joseph – I’ve read in several places that statins may stabilize plaques but the mechanism is unknown.From what I’ve read, statins have a totally separate function, independent of lowering cholesterol, of stabilizing plaques and lowering the risk of ruptures. Even with some of the new blockbuster monoclonal drugs coming on the market in a few years, the thought is that people will still want to use statins. The trick is to eat WFPB no SOS while you are still young so you don’t get plaques in the first place! Damage control is no fun.Is there a way to determine the cholesterol source (our own, or animal ) within the arterial walls? Or is it the same after digestion and processing?You liver does such a great job off processing and generating cholesterol I would doubt that one can tell.According to the DGAC for 2015, the estimate is that for most ppl, “only” 20% of serum cholesterol can be attributed to absorption from food in the digestive tract. There must be a basis for such an estimate.Thus the decision not to include guidelines on dietary cholesterol at all. I believe that advice to be misguided. The DGAC are trying to encourage consumption of seafood even if it’s high in cholesterol, as part of the Mediterranean diet pattern. Unfortunately this message is confusing the public, especially as it is being co-opted by Atkins /WAPF/Paleo/LCHFrs like Taubes and his poster child Teicholz.I don’t think so. Measuring serum cholesterol is the only way to my knowledge and It wouldn’t tell us if the cholesterol was from animals or produced on their own. Come to think of it, I don’t know of any test that distinguishes between eaten cholesterol and human-produced cholesterol.Frightening. Sudden death due to a supersaturated solution of cholesterol in arterial plaque pustules which means people who are on the edge are just one polish sausage or slice of pizza away from the morgue.Wow! Thanks for this video. I may have to re-think my disbelief in the cholesterol theory. I’m soliciting comments on the following:I was taught back in the 1980’s that the Xanthine Oxidase (XO) Theory was also under discussion, along with two other theories, at the time the government settled on the Cholesterol Theory. My prof said only half jokingly that at that time the dairy lobby was stronger than the pork or beef lobbies or else the truth would’ve prevailed back then and we would have seen very different advice about how to prevent heart disease. He also said that XO occurs naturally in cow’s milk in a form that is safe for us to consume IF the milk has not been homogenized; that homogenizing the milk breaks the molecule into pieces that the liver cannot process, so it kicks it out into the blood stream; that the sharp hooks created on the XO pieces by the mechanical homogenization process eventually pierce the arterial walls and create injury and inflammation.; that at the bottom of most arterial plaques one may find these broken pieces of XO actually hooked into the arterial wall. He theorized that the subsequent buildup of cholesterol over these damaged areas was caused by the body trying to bandage the injury. I see where this theory could explain the cause of the relatively slow buildup of arterial plaque, the kind around which the body creates its own collateral circulation. But could XO have a role in this new theory of crystallizing cholesterol?Also, I’ve read that the negative impact of the LDL depends on the particle size and whether or not it is oxidized. How does this fit into the crystallized cholesterol theory?About the Iodine mouth rinse, just as a matter of curiosity, does anyone out there remember that Edgar Cayce the “Sleeping Prophet” way back in the 1930’s recommended the use of “Atomidine” which he described as “atomic iodine”? I think he advised using it for the thyroid. It used to be sold by the Heritage Store in Virginia Beach VA.While we’re on the subject of Iodine deficiency, I recently view an 11 part documentary at TheTruthAboutCancer.com that included an interview with Dr. David Brownstein who wrote the book “Iodinde:Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It.” He said that our diets contain too much Bromide (from wheat flour) and too much Fluoride (from tap water, fluoridated toothpaste) and that these two can interfere with Iodine absorption, resulting in a deficiency. He recommends 12 – 25 mg/day of Iodine, more if you have cancer, and advised we use Lugol solution or tablets. As for the iodized salt issue, he recommended avoiding it because only 10% of the iodine in iodized salt is bioavailable, and it is accompanied by undesirable contaminants. He says sea salt is questionable because of contamination also, and recommended Himalayan Pink salt.So, Dr. Gonzalez or anyone, does XO have a role or not?“Normal adults typically synthesize about 1 g (1,000 mg) cholesterol per day and the total body content is about 35g.Typical daily additional dietary intake, in the United States and similar cultures is about 200–300 mg. The body compensates for cholesterol intake by reducing the amount synthesized. This occurs by reduction of synthesis of cholesterol, reutilization of the existing cholesterol and excretion of excess cholesterol by the liver via the bile into the digestive tract.Typically about 50% of the excreted cholesterol is reabsorbed by the small intestinesback into the bloodstream for reuse.”SO – even if my dietary cholesterol is ZERO I will still produce 1,000 mgs per day.Crystals anyone??Hi Charles, Just curious. You are obviously a devout animal eater. Do you get other useful information from this sight that helps with your health?Actually I get useful information from many sites – including this one. I believe that man is an omnivore by nature so my diet does include meat, dairy and eggs. I also eat fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, etc. My main problem is with people on either extreme sides of the diet paradigm – from vegans, fruitarians to VLCHF, ZC.Moderation is the key – the best diet lies in the middle.My question still remains – if the liver produces appx 1,000 mgs of cholesterol per day and the production by the liver goes down in relation to consumption what would cause crystals to form?If it’s inflammation then if the markers of inflammation are low would dietary cholesterol be that much of a problem?Hi Charles, are you aware of the effects of saturated fat consumption on endogenous cholesterol production? That would be my first line of investigation in your inquiry. Going from say, Okinawans to SAD eaters, how much variation is there in this 1000 mg/day figure? Same with the 50% reabsorption figure. It would be nice to know fiber intake, phytosterol intake, etc associated with that.In general I’m not quite clear on your question itself – if you are genuinely concerned only with dietary cholesterol, or if the effects of dietary and serum cholesterol are being conflated.Studies by Ancel Keys show no effect of dietary cholesterol on serum cholesterol. Question – what causes cholesterol crystals to form? Is it dietary cholesterol, saturated fat intake, systemic inflammation? If markers of inflammation are low will cholesterol crystals still form?http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0011765 Cholesterol Crystals Activate the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Human Macrophages: A Novel Link between Cholesterol Metabolism and Inflammation“Chronic inflammation of the arterial wall is a key element in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, yet the factors that trigger and sustain the inflammation remain elusive. Inflammasomes are cytoplasmic caspase-1-activating protein complexes that promote maturation and secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin(IL)-1β and IL-18. The most intensively studied inflammasome, NLRP3 inflammasome, is activated by diverse substances, including crystalline and particulate materials. As cholesterol crystals are abundant in atherosclerotic lesions, and IL-1β has been linked to atherogenesis, we explored the possibility that cholesterol crystals promote inflammation by activating the inflammasome pathway.”http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100428142300.htm Why cholesterol damages arteries: Cholesterol crystals lead to life-threatening inflammation in blood vessel walls“In addition to crystallized cholesterol, atherosclerotic plaques always contain large quantities of immune cells but, surprisingly, no bacteria or viruses. It was previously unclear just how the body’s own defence forces are called into action. Even animals that are kept in an absolutely sterile environment can suffer from “clogging” or “furring” of the arteries when their food contains high levels of cholesterol. The same relationship is found in humans.”“The higher the blood cholesterol level, the greater the risk of atherosclerosis and the greater the likelihood of suffering a heart attack. “We have known this for a long time,” points out Professor Dr. Eicke Latz from Bonn University, “but nobody understood exactly why.”“Professor Latz has been exploring this question in collaboration with Dr Peter Düwell from LMU Munich, Professor Veit Hornung, also from Bonn University, and research colleagues based in the US. The researchers have succeeded for the first time in identifying the molecular trigger for inflammation in large blood vessels. “We’ve found that, given a certain type of nutrition, cholesterol crystals are deposited in the arterial walls after a relatively short time,” says Dr Düwell. “These crystals are then taken up by the immune system’s scavenger cells.” This becomes the starting signal for a catastrophic chain reaction. The unhealthy food results in the accumulation of cholesterol crystals that activate an “inflammasome” complex within the scavenger cells. One of the functions of this multi-protein complex is to induce the release of inflammatory mediators. The mediators then attract more and more immune cells to the site where the problem is occurring. The growing invasion ultimately destabilizes the vessel walls — with potentially life-threatening consequences.”I don’t follow the logic of the phrase “moderation is the key”. If it is true that meat, dairy and eggs are deleterious and do not add any nutritional value over that of a whole food plant-based diet, why is “moderation” defined as a good “balance” between unhealthy an healthy food? Humans are fortunate to be an “omnivore-capable” – allowing the species to survive in almost any region of the world. But in our culture, we don’t need that capability in order to thrive. I have a spare and jack in my trunk but I don’t make a habit of changing my tires just because I can. Crystals form in supersaturated conditions where molecules concentrate. It appears that there is a mechanism to cause this concentration to happen when an artery wall is insulted by a cholesterol particle. Low LDL is directly correlated to lack of plaques – regions of concentrated cholesterol.Not sure I am getting the gist of your comments. Greger contends that cholesterol intake does indeed impact serum cholesterol if measured in an honest manner (see: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/) Is your point that cholesterol is irrelevant and only inflammation is of concern?http://www.huffingtonpost.com/walter-m-bortz-ii-md/dare-to-be-100-cholestero_b_6688236.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592 Dare to Be 100: Cholesterol Again and Again Walter M. Bortz II, M.D. Clinical Professor of Medicine at Stanford University“The human body contains about 150 grams of cholesterol. Its presence is critical to many body functions including sex hormone production. Population studies reveal extensive variability in blood levels as low as 77 in the Bantu to as high as 280 and above in Western populations. Ancel Keys studied the serum levels in Japanese persons living in Japan, Hawaii, and the mainland U.S. He concluded that the closer the diet comes to the American average the higher is the blood level. (1) Stress also raises the level. Accountants at tax time and students at exam time have high levels.”“But it is the dietary factors that keep resurfacing. Years ago when I was in my cholesterol experimental era I wrote a paper called “THE PATHOGENESIS OF HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA” in the Annals of Internal Medicine (2). It included studies that declare that the level in our blood depends not so much on the amount of cholesterol in the diet. Of much greater significance is the amount that is made by the liver. Whereas all body tissues contain the enzymatic machinery to manufacture cholesterol it is the liver that is the main source, about 1 gram per day. This makes much sense since the liver makes the bile that is essential to assist in the amount of fat that is absorbed. Bile is a byproduct of cholesterol metabolism, so it follows naturally that the more fat we eat the more bile we need, and therefore make more cholesterol. It is not the cholesterol in the diet that is responsible for high levels in the blood but rather the amount of fat in the diet.”“In fact the human intestine has a limited capacity to absorb dietary cholesterol. It is the dietary fat content not the cholesterol that is the switch, but tales keep coming”http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/5/1/115.full.pdf Human Atherosclerosis and the Diet By ANCEL KEYS, PH.D.“In summary, then, we may remark that direct evidence on the effect of the diet on human atherosclerosis is very little and is likely to remain unsatisfactory for a long time. But such evidence as there is, plus valid inferences from indirect evidence, suggests that a substantial measure of control of the development of atherosclerosis in man may be achieved by control of the intake of calories and of all kinds of fats, with no special attention to the cholesterol intake. This means: (1) avoidance of obesity, with restriction of the body weight to about that considered standard for height at age 25; (2) avoidance of periodic gorging and even temporary large calorie excesses; (3) restriction of all fats to the point where the total extractable fats in the diet are not over about 25 to 30 per cent of the total calories; (4) disregard of cholesterol intake except, possibly, for a restriction to an intake less than 1 Gm. per week.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/19/3/175.full.pdf DIET AND SERUM CHOLESTEEOL IN MAN: LACK OF EFFECT OF DIETARY CHOLESTEROL ANCEL KEYS, J. T. ANDERSON, OLAF MICKELSEN, SADYE F. ADELSON AND FLAMINIO FIDANZAOutcome : Cross-sectional surveys in Minnesota on young men – no relationship between dietary cholesterol and the total serum cholesterol concentrationTwo surveys on Island of Sardinia – failed to show any difference in the serum cholesterol concentrations of men of the same age, physical activity, relative body weight, and dietary pattern, but differing markedly in cholesterol intakeCareful study during 4 years with 33 men whose diets consistently very low in cholesterol – serum cholesterol values did not differ from 35 men on very high cholesterol dietComparisons made of 23 men before and after they doubled their cholesterol intake and of 41 men who halved their intake – failed to show any response in serum cholesterol level in 4-12 monthsDetailed study of the complete dietary intakes of 119 Minnesota businessman – failed to show any significant increase in serum cholesterol with increasing dietary cholesterol intake4 completely controlled experiments on men – addition or removal of 500-600mg of cholesterol a day had no effect on serum cholesterolCompletely controlled experiment on 5 physically active men – changing from a diet of 500 mg cholesterol to 0 mg of cholesterol had no effect on serum cholesterolIn completely controlled experiment in 13 men – no significant effect in changing cholesterol from 374 mg/day to 1369 mg/day, or from 1369mg/day to 374 mg/day on serum cholesterol.Comments: The foregoing evidence is definitive, we think, in showing that variations in the intake of cholesterol over the whole range of natural diets do not influence the serum level of physically normal adult men so long as other elements in the diet are constant.They conclude that “in adult men, the serum cholesterol is essentially independent of the cholesterol intake.”I’m in no way a cholesterel denier BUT is it the cholesterol, the amount of saturated fat, inflammation, or a combination of all three??Thanks for the interesting references. I don’t think anyone denies the liver’s primary role in cholesterol levels. The new PCSK-9 inhibiter drugs coming on the market rely on the fundamental role of the liver in the cholesterol cycle. However, you did not address Dr. Greger’s contention that I referenced. Dr. Greger’s point is not regarding homeostasis baseline levels of cholesterol but transient. A stopped clock is right twice a day. If we only measure cholesterol when it is guaranteed to be at the fasting value, we will get fasting results. If it is true that CHD is, in part, a statistical process determined by the number of cholesterol “collisions” with arterial walls as well as the effectiveness of those collisions due to particle size, then doesn’t it make sense that bathing arteries in elevated cholesterol levels for a significant part of the day would have a meaningful impact? Dr. Greger makes the compelling case to avoid eggs.So – if one’s LDL-P and direct measured LDL-C are both low. Say LDL-C<70 and LDLP <700 should there be any problem?I would believe your chances of having CVD are greatly reduced. Don’t think those good numbers would impact risk of metabolic syndrome, cancer, etc.I just logged onto https://cronometer.com and entered a fairly typical day in the life omnivorous menu of bacon and eggs in the morning, a club sandwich with coleslaw for lunch and a dinner of either a beef steak OR three pieces of chicken, skin on, accompanied with salad and broccoli resulting in: 2600 kCals, 185 grams total fat, 60 grams saturated fat, 5.5 grams trans fats, 15 grams of fiber and over 800 mg of cholesterol. The above is well within the standard deviation for an average adult American. Your dietary cholesterol intake estimates are quit low.That’s YOUR definition of “fairly typical”Alrighty then. I invite your to eat what you normally eat; log your dietary intake for a week; and get back to us with your average cholesterol intake. I guess you can game the results by avoiding foods high cholesterol, but then you’ll only be cheating yourself. It is telling that the American Heart Associations daily RDI for cholesterol is less than 300. If the average Americans routinely consumed less than the recommended rate, why do you suppose that they would feel the need to publish an upper limit guideline?While its pretty sad to see how they use animals for testing, this very interesting article demonstrates how eating a typical Western diet can cause plaques to become more unstable. They feed mice a standard Western diet for up to 6 months to “induce” arterial sclerotic plaques. They then using special nano-particle markers to determine how easy it is for particles to enter the plaques – that is, how permeable they are to particles. Finally they damage the artery with a laser to see if the more permeable plaques rupture more easily. The fatty diet is directly related to increased permeability and rupture. The good news is that when they take the mice off the Western diet, they become less susceptible to rupture. I think Mickey is trying to tell us something.http://www.fasebj.org/content/early/2015/04/09/fj.14-269084.full.pdf+htmlWow! Isn’t science just so revealing! Thank you Dr. Greger.Scary video!The Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) has dropped cholesterol from their list of “nutrients of concern”, I think because they don’t consider dietary cholesterol to be a proven factor in raising cholesterol levels. This seems unfortunate, especially considering that a conclusion statement from their own USDA Nutrition Evidence Library states, “Moderate evidence from epidemiologic studies relates dietary cholesterol intake to clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) end-points” and “…among individuals with type 2 diabetes, increased dietary cholesterol intake is associated with CVD risk.” The purpose of the DGAC report is to provide a framework for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.Public comment period for the DGAC extends through May 8, 2015. Joseph, do you happen to know if Dr. Greger or PCRM has commented? For accessing the report and submitting comments: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2015/comments/They did comment, both doctors! Here is the links and thanks for mentioning this! 1) Dr. Greger testifying at the DGFA meetings and 2) Dr. Greger’s testimony before the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Committee . See if this helps?Best, JosephWOW! This is HUGE especially now since the dietary guidelines are considering dropping the cholesterol warning! (Or did they already?) This video is going to get shared like crazy, I am gonna do something I rarely do…forward it to everyone I know and even post on FB…(so everyone can ignore it like they always do, but hey, worth a try! LOL) I was wondering since viewing this then, in regards to cholesterol lowing meds…I eat low fat and no animal products (intentionally anyway) but my cholesterol still tends to be higher than I would like, (familial apparently) but I hated taking statins before I changed my diet. What would be my best option to further lower my numbers, or is it still an issue if I’m not ingesting it?They haven’t dropped them yet. Yes, please share away for those interested. Hmmm, I am not sure about lowering numbers further if you tend to run high. Perhaps focussing on boost HDL and finding a good ratio is warranted? Keep up the good work and thanks for your support and many comments, Charzie.Could you please be so kind to inform if it is possible to download this very important video. Thank you very much.Hi Edegar. You sure can download them now. Check here for more info and click the “download” hyperlink from that blog. Hope that helps. Thanks for your support.This discussion is interesting, because the Russian folkways knows a similar technic. They flush there mouth in the morning with a tablespoonful of sunflower oil and chew them as long the oil feels like water in the mount (about 7 or 8 minutes) and then they spoke it out. It’s also well-known as oil-chewing. The nature medicine people claims that this technic pull out toxins – may it has the same effect of the LDL – Cholesterol? It’s only a idea but it came in my mind, when I read the articles beneath… (sorry for my bad English ;-) )No apologies necessary I understand you just fine :-) Dr. Greger mentions many foods that can help lower cholesterol please take a look at the last paragraph and click the links. Let me know if these help? Thanks, Steffen!Fantastic investigation and presentation! Where were you when I was in medical school? :-)Vegan diets certainly do not need to be iodide deficient, and I personally have not known anyone who suffered from an iodine deficiency. But I seem to be constantly crushed by someone suffering from stroke, peripheral arterial disease, congestive heart failure, valve replacement surgery, by-pass, diabetic and metabolic syndrome neuropathy, angina, vascular dementia and heart attack.Many of the vegans and near vegans on a plant-based diet will include some seaweed in say miso soup, or eat vegetarian sushi- the seaweed provides a natural source of iodine. They can also include some iodized salt in their diet. Say blend a bit of iodized salt to their regular salt, in say a 1:8 or 1:6 ratio so as not to overconsume iodine.Also, daily B-12, legumes, flax seeds with occasional nuts sprinkled on salad or apple, helps plant-based eaters get their B-vitamins, zinc, B-12 and Omega-3’s. Bok choy, collard greens and sesame seeds are great calcium sources as is sweet potato. It may be wise to test for DHA/EPA, but really informed plant-eaters are less at risk for deficiencies than their omnivores: typically deficient in fiber, vit.C, calcium, folate etc…I am new to this forum, but have been following Dr. Gregor for about a year since seeing his videos first on GreenMedInfo.com. This is my first question and I hope it provides a good interaction among all those interested.Are there studies available indicating lifespan differences between populations with the lowest cholesterol versus those with higher cholesterol? I am very interested in this question. If there are earlier posts relevant to my question, please provide links.Also, I admittedly have been flummoxed by the contrasting information on NutritionFacts.org versus other sites, such as Dr. Mercola’s website, regarding coconut oil related to lifespan and morbidity. I am coming around to the part about the oil, i.e., use sparingly, if at all. But what about eating coconuts as a fresh, whole food?I am sincerely looking for help in understanding my two above questions. Feedback would be much appreciated and I hope to foster some good information that is also helpful to others!Welcome! I am new as well, but have been following Dr. Greger’s work for maybe 8 years now. I can remember a good friend mention his name in 2000! Glad you enjoy the site let me see if I can help. I don’t know Dr. Mercola, but his website differs than ours, as he sells stuff. Some of it may help I am not certain. The only supplements recommended here by Dr. Greger can be found in Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations. This video on optimal cholesterol levels will help answer your question, as well as videos on longevity here and here. I hope they help. Let me know if you have further questions just post them to any blog or video!Best, JosephThank you Joseph. I will look at the resources you provided. Much appreciated. Did my links come through for the articles I was referencing? Also, probably a really stupid question, but how do folks here keep track of their comments and the responses without having to scroll through multiple pages searching? Is there an easier way for us to track our discussions? Thanks so much again!I think Disqus will notify you when someone responds to your comment. I am pretty sure whatever way you use to post comments and questions (FB, Discus, NF site) you should be notified. If this problem remains let me know I’ll ask our tech team.Thank you. Yes, please check because I am not receiving any notifications regarding my replies.I did not mind giving up butter. when I tasted it after 6 months of giving it up , it tasted like shampoo. Same with sugar. It tastes strange now. Salt is hard to reduce, but I think we can substitute it with spices and citrus etc. Just discovered that sulfur dioxide is often injected into meat , so I won’t be missing it that much either.A couple times in the recent past we’ve had people bring in butter rich baked goods to the office, and I can’t even describe how bad they smelled to me. It’s incredibly fascinating to me that non-vegans (including myself in the past) think butter is appealing. The best way I can describe how it smells to me now is a rich yet musty bodily fluid. And it was so overpowering relative to the other ingredients. Funny how much our senses change over time.Yes it is that odd sweet but unappealing smell, hard to describe. I am pretty sure that I can also smell and taste the flavorings and additives in processed food. I never used to notice but now there is a distinct and unpleasant/synthetic taste. Sometimes I buy these things once in a while, believing that I miss them but end up giving them away. Hopefully the new sense of smell and taste will keep putting me off unhealthy food !Woman 73 years old, eating only plant based over 2 years, still has cholesterol around 200. Can this still clog the arteries? Thanks.Thank you to the excellent team that works for our health every day. I highly depend on this site for reliable nutrition information. Can you give any information on the role of a different kind of crystal- oxalate crystals and their possible role in lichen sclerosis? I have read about oxalate crystals and their role in kidney stones but my question has to do with possible link to lichen sclerosis and oxalate effect on this disease and other areas of the body that may be affected by high oxalate intake. Most of the sites which suggest this link are not professional but anecdotal. Any current research on this? Thank you.As highlighted by CNN (http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/ ), the 2015 DGAC report is dropping the recommendation that “cholesterol intake be limited to no more than 300 mg/day”, because “available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum (blood) cholesterol”. I searched and couldn’t find any comment on this but I see that Dr Greger testified at the hearing and was wondering whether he now agrees with this change in recommendations. Also someone sighted a meta study that appears to support this:change, although I can’t tell whether the Egg lobby had anything to do with it: http://www.uptodate.com/contents/dietary-fat/abstract/83?utdPopup=trueHi Daniel, this change in recommendations is problematic on many levels:1) Dietary cholesterol does impact serum cholesterol in those with healthy cholesterol levels. However most Americans have cholesterol levels that are too high to begin with. This doesn’t mean dietary cholesterol is good or neutral, it means the population at large is sick and in urgent need of nutritional intervention. NF volunteer Rami explains the role of baseline cholesterol levels in the effects of dietary cholesterol well in a comment from another video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/#comment-17545383632) They fail to mention that the available evidence clearly shows that saturated fat raises serum cholesterol levels. So the general public hears that cholesterol is a-ok, so they start eating more eggs and meat, which also happen to be high in saturated fat, which itself will increase their serum cholesterol. In addition, the presence of dietary cholesterol is known to potentiate the serum cholesterol raising effects of saturated fat even further. So while even a vegan eating a high saturated fat diet may see undesirable increases in cholesterol, for a non-vegan whose saturated fat in the form of animal foods is usually inherently paired with dietary cholesterol as well, the effect will be even more dramatic.Using language like cholesterol, saturated fat, lean meat, etc is a really great way to keep people ignorant about the meaningful changes they should be making in their diet to improve their health. When the government first sought to develop nutritional recommendations, the original language would have been to decrease meat. The meat industry didn’t like this so “eat less meat” became “eat more lean meat” (see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/ ). Now we have the confusing messages of cholesterol and saturated fat. No one puts saturated fat and cholesterol on a plate. They put meat eggs and cheese on their plate. Telling the public to eat less meat, cheese, and eggs would be the a more realistic and truthful way to get the relevant and necessary messages across to the public, however this doesn’t sit well with certain industries acting as government stakeholders.If you haven’t already, I highly recommend Plant Positive’s treatment on “cholesterol confusionism”. His videos are based on comprehensive review of peer-reviewed literature as here on Nutrition Facts, but go much deeper into these topics. You can see an introduction to cholesterol confusionism here: http://plantpositive.com/15-the-journalist-gary-taubes/And the beginning of an in-depth series that will most likely answer any question you have in regards to cholesterol here: http://plantpositive.com/18-cholesterol-confusion-1-pri/Looking for help! It has been 4 years since I started my plant based journey…and about 6 months since I finally weaned myself from all processed oil, coffee, and alcohol. I try to eat at least 4 Brazil nuts a week and I eat a tablespoon of ground flax a day. I’ve lost about 40 pounds but am still overweight. I walk 1-2 miles about 5 days a week and try to stay moving most of the day. When I started this my Cholesterol was 236 (HDL-77 LDL-143) Now my Cholesterol is 231 (HDL-55 LDL-183) This is pretty frustrating – any thoughts on how can I turn this around?	cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,heart diseases,heart health,inflammation,lifespan,longevity,mortality,saturated fat,standard American diet,trans fat	Crystallization of cholesterol may be what causes atherosclerotic plaque rupture, the trigger for heart attacks	Isn't that extraordinary? Makes you really not want to be building up cholesterol in your arteries. I have a feeling given the powerful visual, that this might be a good one to share with those in your life with heart disease in hopes that they might reconsider eating artery-clogging diets.Arterial Acne is the inflamed pockets of pus video I mentioned. Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease involves keeping our LDL cholesterol low by decreasing our intake of Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. Switching from red meat to white won’t do it: Switching From Beef to Chicken and Fish May Not Lower CholesterolDoes it matter if LDL cholesterol in our blood is small and dense or large and fluffy? See Does Cholesterol Size Matter?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16250264,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19327423,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11951331,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25198208,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21122648,
PLAIN-2456	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/	What Percent of Americans Lead Healthy Lifestyles?	Generally, adherence to a healthy lifestyle pattern has decreased during the last 18 years. Obesity is up, exercise is down, and eating just five servings of fruits and veggies a day dropped like a rock. And we didn’t start out that great to begin with. Guess what percentage of Americans at the turn of the century had the following four healthy lifestyle characteristics: not smoking, not overweight, five servings of fruits and vegetables, and exercising a half hour a day at least five days a week? 3%. And whether people were wealthy, college-educated, no sub-group even remotely met clinical or public health recommendations.Where are people falling down the most? If you look at heart disease risk factors, most people don’t smoke, shown here in green. About half are exercising. But check out the healthy diet score, which like gives folks points for drinking less than like four cups of soda a week. On a scale of zero to five, only about 1% score a four or a five. So the American Heart Association's aggressive 2020 target to improve that by 20% would bring us up to like 1.2%Given that we’ve known for decades that advanced coronary artery disease may be present by age 20, coronary atherosclerosis is often even present in young children it is particularly disturbing that healthy lifestyle choices are declining rather than improving in the US. And it shows.In terms of life expectancy the U.S. is down around 27 or 28 out of the 34 OECD free-market democracies. The people of Slovenia live a year longer than citizens of the United States. Why? Well according to the most rigorous analysis of risk factors ever published the number one cause of death and disability in the United States is our diet. What about our diet is so bad? The worst five things about our diet is that we don’t eat enough fruit, we don’t eat enough nuts and seeds, we eat too much salt, too much bacon, hot dogs, lunch meat, etc., and not enough vegetables.That’s based on data like this on diet quality and chronic disease mortality risk, that found that those scoring higher using a variety of different systems that all agreed on more whole plant foods, reduced the risk of dying from heart disease, cancer, and all causes of death combined. There is now an overwhelming body of clinical and epidemiological evidence illustrating the dramatic impact of a healthy lifestyle on reducing all-cause mortality and preventing chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.So why do we eat so bad? Aren’t we scared of dying from some these horrible chronic diseases? It’s almost as if we’re eating as though the future didn’t matter. And there’s actually data to back that up. Death row nutrition.The growing macabre fascination with speculating about one’s ‘‘last meal’’ offers a window into one’s true consumption desires when one’s value of the future is discounted close to zero. But in contrast to pop culture anecdotes, this group of Cornell researchers created a catalog of actual last meals – the final food requests of 247 individuals executed in the United States during a recent five-year period.Meat was the most commonly made request. The researchers go out of their way to note tofu never made the list. And no one asked for vegetarian. In fact if you compare the last meals to what Americans normally eat, there’s not much difference.If we continue to eat as though they were our last meals, eventually, they will be.	GreatGreat video as usual. The last study is consistent with, but certainly does not prove a causal relationship regarding healthy eating and lower rates of crime.There are studies that show – change the diet change the person and crime rate went down.Just as an anecdote, my husband is a corrections officer in a youth facility, and the young inmates all go for the crappy processed food because that’s what they were raised on. They offer them beautiful oranges and apples and salads, and they go into the garbage. A high number of these thin young men already have diabetes as well.Interesting observation. My sister in law is a teacher in rural central California and the majority of kids are from farm worker families (as is she). She also had noted that much of the fresh produce wound up in the garbage. By law if a child touches an apple and puts it down it must be discarded. Then someone decided that whole fruits and vegetables posed a choking hazzard to the developmentally disabled students. As a result they started slicing the apples and peeling/separating the orange segments. And guess what. Consumption among all students increased substantially. Dr. Greger did a video on getting kids to eat more veggies but cutting them up into cute shapes. Maybe it wasn’t actually the shapes but rather the convenience of converting them into bite-sized finger foods. We have noticed the same thing with our psychiatric patients since offering them packages of apple slices vs. whole apples. I, myself, eat 2-3 pre-sliced apples a day at work whereas I rarely chomped into a whole apple before.Fascinating – I bet that’s why baby carrots are popular.Hi Dr. Greger, I ran across a news article about some latest research on cancer that you may want to check out: Subject: “Most cancers are caused by bad luck not genes or lifestyle, say scientists” Web link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11320497/Most-cancers-are-caused-by-bad-luck-not-genes-or-lifestyle-say-scientists.html I personally hope this article isn’t true because it basically means that most cancers happen in spite of eating a whole plant based diet. Best Wishes and thanks very much for your dedication to spreading your wonderful information. Stan HamiltonStan, you might want to check out the following video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iiH4m7NvV98Hey Stan. Thanks for reposting this I appreciate it! This blog post by AICR explain it very well. See if this helps? http://blog.aicr.org/2015/01/06/no-cancer-isnt-just-bad-luck/Another study found on the web:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150402081804.htmMeat proteins contribute more to type 2 diabetes than saturated fats? Meat saturated fat is worse than milk saturated fat?Great video. However, I don’t know how reliable the prisoners’ last meals should be considered as indicators of typical diets. If I was facing execution the next day, I would allow myself foods I rarely eat for health reasons but find to be very tasty, e.g. I love battered tempura, greasy/salty sweet potato fries, and pie a la mode but rarely consume them.The video actually compared the last meals to typical diets, it didn’t try to use them as any kind of indicator for typical diets. The last meals were used as representative of a diet when “there is no tomorrow.” Seems that the death row meals contained more meat and less starch than the typical meal.My daughter was in grade school in 2000 when the research study showing that 3% of us follow the healthy guidelines was published. Last summer my daughter worked at a day camp and noticed how much healthier the kid’s lunches are today than when she was their age. The campers arrived with food from home that included nuts, veggie sticks, fruit, hummus. My daughter commented that 15 years ago everybody brought white bread sandwiches (except her and she always felt left out) and now everybody packs whole wheat bread sandwiches. So things are changing here, slowly. Hopefully this trend is occurring throughout the country.WOW!!!!!Oh, no! That last part was hilarious, awesome, scary, all rolled into one.This was a great video but I just thought the last line was funny: “If we continue to eat as though they were our last meals, eventually they will be”. If we eat healthy meals, they’ll also eventually be our last :P I get what you’re trying to say though lolI had the same thought!Yes, we are all going to have our last meals some day, but if our meals are healthier now then we should be able to prolong that last meal for a few years. Plus our present days will be more pleasant without the aches and pains that a bad diet brings !!What does the map of the US show?Life expectancy. Dark blue = 10 years more than dark red.I loved this – I see people line up to Burger King etc. and as the good Doctor said it may be your last meal.WOW! I am grateful I am in the 3 percent!!It would have been interesting if the research asked people to characterize three diets: – how you would eat if there were no negative health consequences – how you think you should eat, knowing there are health consequences – how you currently eat I’ll bet a bunch that the way people currently eat is a lot closer to how they would eat when it doesn’t matter than how they would eat when it does. And I wonder if awareness of this pattern would cause people to rethink how they eat.We’re a culture of YOLO right?You Only Live Obese?Does somebody know about Dr. Henry Munro who lived long time ago? He hypnotized his patients to sleep good, eat good and breathe deeper. The truth is the human mind can heal the body. If people are sick it means their minds are not peaceful. Take care of your mind and you will be healthy! You are welcome to visit my website: http://www.hypnosisrapport.comA pessimist is just a realistic optimist. Humanity will destroy itself within the next generations. We should have been the top of the evolutionary ladder. I am ashamed – what have we become – for quick satisfaction of needs – we exploit animals, ignore their suffering, we fill ourselves with sugar, animal protein and fat, we are getting fatter and fatter, we blame our genes, we hope that an injection or a pill is the solution, we exploit the earth’s resources at an alarming rate, our goal is money and prestige. Also highly educated and intelligent people follow the wrong path. Introspection and relationships are obsolete. We know that Europeans are a few years behind Americans when it comes to “fashion” and right after follow other nations. Legislators do not change practice because re-election depends on the supply of money – and the money comes from those who mass produce disease. Grassroots are the only option – but I fear we are too few.The question that should be raised by the poor diet practices of the masses documented in these studies is, WHY? There are many potential culprits. But my favorite is the reduction in leisure time described in the book “The Overworked American”. According to it, the average American has just 6 hours of free time per week which is not sufficient to pursue a healthy lifestyle.Sure, it isn’t the poor choices they make, they are over worked. I’d go for they are eating how they were brought up because they don’t know any better and they are too busy being entertained to care. If it tastes good go for it.Thank you! Lifestyle can not be separated from economics, the two hand and hand, always have, always will. No one talks about the macroeconomics of a “healthy lifestyle”. We work longer days, commute further than ever, and spend more time sitting in traffic than exercising. So many more of our jobs are at a desk, instead of physical labor, with more stress than ever. Mothers just 2 generations ago were afforded the time to stay home, food shop, and cook instead of working.When I was a kid, we played outside. Today kids are driven from place to place to place. Diet, industrialist cheap food, yes, it all factors in. But it’s so much more than a lifestyle “choice”. Many of us don’t have a choice.I don’t know about the rest of country, but food prices, especially the “good” stuff, like perishable fruits & veggies, have skyrocketed near me. Supermarket produce sections, despite consumer demand, are shrinking. Independent farmers are near extinct, and local produce, once abundant, is all but gone in my state. Farmers markets? I’ll have to get up early on a Sunday and drive 30 miles to the nearest one, and that’s seasonal.Food shopping once, I saw an elderly, overweight woman at the checkout with a cupcake next to her. It was 9:30pm at night. I hadn’t even gotten home from work yet over 12 hours prior. The lines were all busy because there are now fewer and fewer checkouts open. One way to drive down costs and raise profits I guess. “Didn’t even have time to eat your cupcake…”, I said to her. She replied, “I have to eat something, otherwise my sugar will drop and I’ll pass out.” She went on, “I’m a diabetic on insulin, and this is my second job. I didn’t have time to eat because the bus was late over from my first job…” What do I say to her? Eat a salad?Her situation is not unique. Yes, we got fat while the economy was good because we ate the wrong stuff, and too much of it. But let’s not separate the macroeconomics from health. In my local supermarkets, salad bars are now $7.00/ lb. Yes, I can buy lettuce cheaper, make a salad, and bring it to my job if I get up early enough to do so. Time management is such a burden these days.Education, will power, better choices, yeah, that’s all good. But no one, in our government or otherwise, addresses the issue of affordability and accessibility of healthy food. In my urban city where I was born and raised, there are no supermarkets left… all gone. No car? Then you can only shop in walking distance.Sure, these preventable diseases are not limited to those with lower income, but I argue they get hit the worse. Sometimes, it’s a matter of pure fuel. If you have less than a hundred bucks to spend on food for the week, and need to feed 2 or more, what are you going to buy? Carrots? Broccoli? Maybe some. But you need calorie dense food. Now I know what you’re going to say, no one is dying of malnutrition in the US. But that’s not true. Just because someone is overweight, doesn’t they’re not undernourished or malnourished.In case you ask, I had the time to write this because I’m stuck at my desk waiting on a delivery, otherwise I could be exercising right now..You make some very good points Baggman 74. We as individuals can work on our diets, but as a culture we have to value people’s lives enough to make it reasonably likely that people can create healthy lives. In other industrialized countries, people don’t work as many hours and there aren’t nearly as many poor. Go to Europe. Where do you hide your poor people. Answer: we don’t have giant ghettoes like you do. We try to take care of all of our people. The rich here can also hijack the economic system to opt out. In other cultures all people are considered important. John SCareful someone might label you with the dreaded “S” word (socialist). Most of western Europe is suffering it’s own economic woes right now, except Germany, which is doing quite well. That sucking sound we hear of the money being pulled away from us and to the top, is global, not just in the US. Its been going for decades. I whole other subject I know. But there is, and always will be a direct relationship between health/wellness and prosperity. And in MHO, any discussion without it is well, incomplete at best.When comparing the USA with Europe, many people don’t seem to realize that the USA has been subsidizing Western Europe since WWII (70 years) by providing them with military protection from aggressors such as the Soviet Union, which occupied Eastern Europe for many years. If the European countries had been spending their money on their own defenses, they would have much less to spend on social welfare and the European worker would have been working many more hours per week just like we have in the USA. In my opinion, the USA has done a fantastic job of balancing social welfare programs with military protection for ourselves as well as other Democracies throughout the whole world including Europe. Nothing comes free … in the grand scheme of things someone is paying for it through their labor. And the USA is one of the most generous countries in the history of the world! What other country has rushed to the aid of other countries when a natural disaster strikes or famine hits?Now getting back to Nutrition, it never ceases to amaze me how much good nutritious safe food (fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, etc.) is available in the USA. It’s unfortunate that more people choose not to take advantage of this good food and choose the junk food instead. At least in this country the choice is there.John S, what’s with the politics? Also, it’s pretty misinformed. There are ghettoes around many large European cities. Paris comes to mind, where the ghettoes erupt into civil unrest every few years.“In October and November of 2005, a series of riots by mainly Arab, North African, and black second-generation immigrants occurred in the suburbs of Paris and other French cities, involving the burning of cars and public buildings at night.”I find it pretty offensive that you write “In other cultures all people are considered important,” as if Americans don’t care about people or something. I know there’s a lot of anti-American propaganda in the European media, but seriously, we’re all just human beings here. No need for the simplistic and insulting stereotypes.In the interests of civility, I’m toning this post down from what I really wanted to write.Awesome – pretty much an uber-summary for every study on this site! Guess you can skip the YIR video this year Dr. Greger….you just knocked it out in a few short minutes here (just kidding – please do the YIR video)Because of all your amazing hilarious speeches, I start being a vegan today, and never ever go back… It will be life changing event and it is going to be a good one. Thank you so muchNot to get too political, but compare Dr. Greger’s map to the Red/Blue State Map or a Red County/Blue County Map.http://d3k4erco76x75g.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Election-results-by-county.pngso wadda you sayin, i should not eat no meat right? Waddabout burgers, thats not got much meat right?And yet….seems that a lot of commentors on this site seem to follow some rather rarified dietary habits/choices….especially compared to the avg Am diet as shown in the video. I probably consume maybe 90-95% fruit/veggies by volume…most either raw or at least non-processed….plus some animal protein…mainly wild salmon/ground beef….cost…ease of access. Some olive oil/MCT oil.It’s the extreme comparison between what the avg Am is eating vs many of the posters on this site which is interesting. So what’s the point? I’m not sure.My main impression/experience is that it is difficult enough to change one’s own dietary habits…let alone change other peoples. People are walking alimentary canals…many are apparently sleepwalking…zombie eaters.At some point you realize that you need to husband your resources and save yourself? Of course if Dr. Greger felt this way…this site would not exist. So I’d guess some sort of balance is required.You can’t help people who don’t understand that they need help…so I’d guess that some knowledge is the first requirement….then some discipline…and some practical ways to apply the knowledge.I’ve resorted to asking myself….what can I do to improve my own diet/lifestyle…rather than getting sidetracked into helping people who do not want to be helped….and who will likely attempt to negatively reinforce my old habits.* Usually I can find something I’ve overlooked and which needs work.* As with a brother who thinks avoiding toxics is a joke and a waste of time…and thinks I need to justify toxic avoidance and re-educate him on the subject. I derive from the same “toxic” background and still need to watch my own choices.Reminds me of a comment made by someone when I rented a boat to go out on a lake to look for driftwood to carve…he jokingly mentioned that I’d want to be careful to not try to pull out any waterlogged stuff….cause it could pull me in. So be careful out there….One of my parents and one of my best friends have gone vegan, the other parent, my partner, and another of my best friends eat mostly vegan. I share tasty food, and information when requested, but that’s about it. I don’t think I had much to do with these transitions, I think it’s about 99% the other person being ready and eager to help themselves. At first I thought to myself, that I can’t really relate to the sense of it being a zero sum game or the personal toll that you describe, but then I realized that that’s because I’ve already subconsciously limited my engagement to the progress of the unwilling. I do have a brother who is determined to lose weight through the traditional and ineffective restriction of crappy food route, and I know how disappointing that can be. I don’t bother too much with him at this point, because I know it’s futile. Someday maybe he’ll see my parents’ and my own well being and decide to make a change and at that point I’ll be there for him. Honestly if you can show someone all the books and lectures and the results and they remain entrenched in resistance, that’s just cognitive dissonance at that point and no amount of conversation is going to turn the tide. But for those who have a more open mindset towards life, I find it’s no work at all. Just my two cents.Maybe people in Slovenia live longer, because in Slovenia people like to eat salad and especially dandelion in the spring, is tradition.Picking of the Green: A Slovenian Spring Tradition http://hartkeisonline.com/2010/04/08/dandelion-has-nutritional-and-healing-properties/If anyone is interested, here is something about Slovenia. http://www.slovenia.info/?home=0&lng=2&id_country=38The last meal data is pretty interesting!What would everyone on nutritionfacts.org deem their last meal?Tough choice between my pasta recipe and fruits. But I think a huge meal of every possible fruit would be great for me. mangoes…. figs…, and all the exotic fruits e.g. sapote, I haven’t tried yet.Mine would be 90% salt and sugar and a carton of cigarettes.I would imagine that as more and more fruits and veggies contain higher and higher amounts of glyphosate (Monsanto raised the tolerance levels which is suppose to be the safety margin but is now Monsanto’s additional profit margin), and more and more people have symptoms of acid reflux, that the consumption of fruits and vegetables will go down further. I’ve found that even eating organic produce bought through grocery and health food stores is contaminated with glyphosate. I can feel the clinical effects of the chemical hours after eating the fruits especially, but also some veggies.Additionally, glyphosate was patented as a mineral (metal) chelator. It binds minerals into the soil and disallows them from being taken up by the plants and hence the animals and people who eat the plants to build bone (for example) and maintain their health. Glyphosate was also patented as an antibiotic by Monsanto, and it is my understanding (if I interpret the studies correctly) that while beneficial bacteria in the gut is susceptible and being widely killed by Glyphosate at less than 1 part per million, the really nasty bacteria like Salmonella, E-coli and others were highly resistant. A. Shehata et al.: Effect of Glyphosate on Potential Pathogens and TThe Effect of Glyphosate on Potential Pathogens and Beneficial Members of Poultry Microbiota In Vitro AwAwad A. Shehata et al, 2012,I notice that nuts and seeds are listed as important foods to eat. Yet, some plant based doctors suggest not eating nuts and seeds. What is the best advice for us to follow to eat a truly healthy plant based diet. Thank you!Hi Nancy, I am assuming you are talking about the Drs. who are specially treating patients with CVD. They do recommend limiting most fats (including nuts) as part of the healing process.Hi Nancy, the only real “bans” on nuts and seeds come froma) Dr. Esselstyn if you have advanced heart disease b) Dr. McDougall if you are trying to lose weight per his Maximum Weight Loss plan. Note that he allows an ounce per day on his regular Starch Solution plan, which still results in rapid weight loss for most people.In regards to other plant based docs/rd:Barnard allows 1 oz per day. Novick allows 1 oz nuts/seeds + 1/2 avocado per day (or equivalent combination). Greger appears to recommend 1-2 oz per day. Fuhrman explicitly recommends at least 1 oz per day.When it comes to official recommendations, there is not as much of a nut/seed debate as some would have you believe. However some bloggers/followers of these plans take recommendations out of context or are biased by their own dietary preferences and health/weight loss histories, and sometimes confusion stems from the advocates themselves. I think McDougall and Esselstyn in particular sometimes come off as being “against” nuts/seeds, because it’s easier to tell people simply not to eat them than to explain the nuances of caloric density, satiation, omega-6 and overall fat content, and the caveat of portion size.Ultimately the decision to eat nuts/seeds rests on your personal experiences with them and how they benefit or detract from your own healthy weight, biomarkers, and dietary satisfaction.Absolutely! Thanks for posting this couldn’t agree more!Nice summary Boomer!I did have a bypass operation using the mammory artery for the bypass about 7 months ago. Should I avoid nuts and seeds?Thank you!NancyPS…I am 75 years old and fairly slim. I follow the diet, exercise at least 30 minutes a day and try to keep stress levels down. I attended 36 heart rehab classes after my bypass operationNancyNancy, that’s really inspiring to hear how you have turned things around and are doing so well :) Really, all I can do is repeat what the much more qualified docs and RDs have said themselves. Someone on this site did say that Dr. Esselstyn personally responded to their family member’s email, so you can try contacting him to see what he says about it (though if I had to guess I would say no nuts). I guess the only thing I’m not sure about is at what point a person is considered to have reversed their disease and no longer be considered an advanced CVD patient. http://www.dresselstyn.com/contact.htmAlso, you can take a look at the discussion forums on Dr. McDougall’s site. Jeff Novick, RD responds to posts fairly often. Again, based on what I’ve heard both Novick and McDougall say, I think for someone who is in the process of reversing advanced heart disease, I would predict no nuts. However if you eat just a small amount of nuts so that your overall fat content remains < 10%, I'm not sure if they would agree or disagree with that. From what I've heard from Novick, it seems to me that he considers the positive hype around nuts to be overblown. https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/index.phpYou can see this really interesting video in which Novick mostly discusses the benefits of nut consumption for diabetes. He talks about their effect on lipids/heart disease as well, but unfortunately that portion of the talk is only available for purchase on a dvd. It would be interesting to see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvYq6WTm258Dr. Ornish allows nuts (and even some animal foods) in his plan which is specifically recommended for reversing heart disease, but still stresses the 10% recommendation: http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/td_020909p48.shtmlOne thing you can do yourself is track your cholesterol levels. It seems for different people, nut/seed consumption can have either negative or beneficial effects on cholesterol. Perhaps depending on the quality of the rest of their diet, their starting point, or genetic predisposition.I'm sorry I can't be of more help. If you find out any more information from these doctors or figure out what works for you, I hope you'll come back to let us know.Nancy, I recommend reading “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” (Esselstyn), many of his patients have had a bypass operation before following his recommendations, and 23 years later they are still alive. I think you should avoid nuts and seeds but take a plantbased DHA/EPA supplement.There is no such thing as a truly healthy plant based diet, not unless you include meats in it. A plant based diet has been shown to reduce life expectancies by 10-15 years.Interesting video!I am from Slovenia and ‘yes’ we might live longer since older population is not that “fat”….yet. But OECD report from 2014 says we already have more overweight and obese children than US. So we’re catching up …. and it’s not hard to do that since McDonalds is on “every corner” in Slovenia by now.Well that’s a new spin of the concept of the last supper…I think the life expectancy as compared to other countries is an interesting fact. Should give us room to pause before we eat that next convenience packed meal. Thanks for another great video. Looking forward to the day when ONLY 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day is considered unhealthy.I always wanted to be the 1% , Good to know.Who’s healthier: an obese vegan or a healthy weight meat eater?Interesting question but to me it almost seems like an oxymoron. Based on my personal experience I don’t see how someone can truly be a vegan and obese at the same time. At least not a whole food plant-based vegan, unless one is averse to “real” exercise. ie. toning and building muscle via resistance training vs. essentially just moving your legs for hours a week walking on a treadmill. I also fast every day from 9 PM to the following noon. I am amazed at how much I eat and don’t gain an ounce. I’m headed to the kitchen now to prepare dessert: rolled outs, oat bran, flax meal, chia seeds, walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, raisins, cinnamon, and cocoa powder drenched in almond milk.Eating a vegetarian diet can add 10 years to your life. We don’t know how much longer eating a vegan diet would add because the term is a recent idea, since 1944. Perhaps no true vegan has yet to die. One would ask if vegans live longer. At least 2/3 of Americans are lactose intolerant. However, milk is incredibly sustaining, especially because it has vitamin D added to it. You can add vitamin D to your diet for extra punch. Most Americans avoid the sun, knowing that it is very painful to the heart. Also, most Americans probably have an iodine defiecency. However, it is important to be safe and stable when trying to add these nutrients back to the diet. They can cause heart palpatations and make driving hard. The can feel like an onerous ordeal. There is a way to be a vegetarian without the diet, which is with niacin. There is a way to work yourself up into being Iodiene resistant, which means you don’t have to hear your heart beat, which is by eating one sheet of nori a day slowly until you are up to three, which would supply the minimum RDA. You could also slowly salt table salt to your diet by dosing your self up to just over one half teaspoon a day. Be safe and consult a physcian when making any dietary changes.How keeping your insulin levels chronically elevated add 10years to your life?You know people who go strict Vegan have lifespans traditionally 10-15 years less than those who eat meats?This article in TIME includes a set of last meals – some of them are vegetarian and one is just plain yogurt: http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2095889,00.htmlHey Dr. Greger and people who run this site. Would be possible to have a “Recommendations” page that has all the latest recommendations for what we should eat, not eat, and do? It’s pretty daunting sifting through all these articles and videos and what is or isn’t the latest research. It would be nice to have something like a list of foods we should eat every day to get every vitamin/mineral we need, and what we should avoid entirely, based on the latest research. Maybe even a compilation of other things like a synopsis of oral health and other things.I can do it for you in only a few lines.If your extremely Active (4-6x a week of intense exercise): Veggies: Lots Protein: about 1.2 gram per kg of body weight Fats: Enough to achieve satiety Fruit: Before workout onlyIf your light to moderately active: Veggies: Lots Protein: about 1 gram per kg of body weight Fats: Enough to increase satiety Fruit: 1-2x per weekIf your inactive: Veggies: Lots Protein: about .8 gram per kg of body weight Fats: Enough to increase satiety Fruit: NoneThe commonality: Eat lots of veggies, enough protein to fuel your muscles, and round out the diet with good fats so your not going hungry. Treat fruit like a desert unless your a fitness demon which in that case, consume it about 1hr before your workout.I would love to see a video about what and how healthy people eventually die. In the blue zones, how do those people come to ultimately pass away?About 25% of Americans lead semi-healthy lives while 75% are obese in one form or another.This is all based on the recommended dietary guidelines, you know the moderate to high carb + low fat guidelines. The ones they’ve been following for the past 25 years. Oh look what’s it’s done to them.http://www.famouslastmeals.com/2010/09/karla-faye-tucker.html	American Heart Association,bacon,beverages,cancer,cardiovascular disease,children,chronic diseases,cola,deli meats,diabetes,exercise,fruit,heart disease,hot dogs,lifespan,Lifestyle medicine,longevity,meat,mortality,nuts,plant-based diets,pork,processed meats,seeds,Slovenia,smoking,soda,standard American diet,stroke,tobacco,tofu,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Death row nutrition offers some insight into the standard American diet.	A few years ago I did a similar video, Nation’s Diet in Crisis. It’s sad that it doesn’t seem like much has changed.How Many Meet the Simple Seven? is another video in which you can see how your own habits stack up.For more on fruits and veggies and living longer, see Fruits and Longevity: How Many Minutes per Mouthful? Surprised that nuts made the longevity list? See Nuts May Help Prevent Death. What about legumes? Unfortunately not something considered in the study, but one indeed may get an Increased Lifespan from Beans.The reason public health professionals are so keen on measuring lifestyle characteristics is because modest improvements may have extraordinary effects. See for example:Didn’t know the beginnings of heart disease may already be present in children? See my video Heart Disease Starts in Childhood. Is it too late if we’ve been eating poorly most of our lives? It’s Never Too Late to Start Eating Healthier.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/slovenia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tofu/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/deli-meats/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22925848,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19486715,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25035143,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22095344,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15851634,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22547667,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842577,
PLAIN-2457	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/	C. difficile Superbugs in Meat	Clostridium difficile is one of our most urgent bacterial threats, sickening a quarter million Americans every year, and killing thousands to the cost of a billion dollars a year, and it’s on the rise.Although uncomplicated cases have been traditionally managed with powerful antibiotics, recent reports suggest that hypervirulent strains are increasingly resistant to medical management. Whereby surgeons need to come in and remove our colon entirely to save our lives, although the surgery is so risky, the operation alone may kill us half the time. And there’s been a rise in the percentage of cases that end up under the knife, which could be a marker of the emergence of hypervirulent strains.Historically, most cases appeared in hospitals, but a landmark study recently published in the New England Journal found that only about a third of cases could be linked to contact with an infected patient. Another potential source is our food supply. In the US, the frequency of contamination of retail chicken has been documented to be up to 1 in 6 packages off store shelves, and it didn’t seem to matter which kind. Pig-derived C. diff, however, have garnered the greatest attention from public health personnel because the same human strain that’s increasingly emerging in the community outside of hospitals is the major strain among pigs.Since the turn of the century C. diff is increasingly being reported as a major cause of intestinal infections in piglets. C. diff is now one of the most common causes of intestinal infections in baby piglets in the U.S.Particular attention has been paid to pigs because of high rates of C. diff shedding into their waste, which can lead to the contamination of retail pork, and the U.S. has the highest levels of C. diff meat contamination so far tested in the world.Carcass contamination by gut contents at slaughter probably contributes most to the presence of C. diff in meat and meat products. But why is the situation so much worst in the U.S.? Well, slaughter techniques differ from country-to-country, with those in the United States being what they call more of the ‘quick and dirty’ variety.Colonization or contamination of pigs by superbugs such as C. difficile and MRSA at the farm production level may be more important, though, than at the slaughterhouse level. One of the reasons sows and their piglets may have such high rates of C. diff is because of cross-contamination of feces in the farrowing crate, which are these kind of metal cages that mother pigs are kept in.But can’t you just follow food safety guidelines and cook the meat through? Unfortunately current food safety guidelines are ineffective against C. difficile. To date, most food safety guidelines, say cook to an internal temperature as low as 63, which is the official USDA recommendation for pork, but recent studies show that these C. diff spores can survive extended heating at 71, therefore the guidelines should be raised to take this potentially killer infection into account.See the problem is that sources of C. diff food contamination might include not only fecal contamination on the meat, but transfer of spores from the gut into the actual muscles of the animal, inside the meat. Clostridia bacteria like C. diff comprise one of the main groups of bacteria involved in natural carcass degradation, and so by colonizing muscle tissue before death, C. diff can not only transmit to new hosts that eat the muscles, like us, but give them a head start on carcass break down.	I understand that handling meat in the industry safely is a concern as addressed by the references and that adopting a plant-based diet will improve your own health and safety, but I have a feeling that these studies are trying to instill fear in others over something that is not a huge deal. No omnivorous person around me is dead or terminally ill because of these infections so other than trying to prevent chronic health conditions, why should I care about this superbug?Because containment and control make all the difference between a preventable infection and an epidemic. Half a million people infected and over 29,000 related deaths per year are absolutely high enough numbers to justify warning people. In 2011 there was an E. coli outbreak in Germany, and all of Europe was on alert in an attempt to find the source and control the spread. In all, 3,950 people were affected and 53 died.I am amazed at those numbers…yet not hearing much about this anywhere else. A shame to be sure.A 1999 NY Times article states “Although the United States has one of the safest food supplies in the world, about 76 million Americans suffer food poisoning each year and about 5,000 die from it, the Federal Government said today.”Wow, really puts it in perspective. From the CDC numbers in the video, C. diff alone equates to 38 deaths per day.My grandmother died of C. Dif. Usually these bacteria are more harmful to people who have weaker immune systems, like the elderly and young children. Not that you should care about THOSE people….Hi JocelynGoodness sorry to hear about your grandmother. I don’t think Matt doesn’t care it just sounds like he is trying to better understand the research surrounding this superbug like everyone. Seems like a pretty serious issue to me. In dietetic clinical rotations we would always hear about C diff and of course how to treat complications like diarrhea through diet. If I remember correctly it wasn’t always easy to fix and I always assumed it was strictly found in hospitals. Interesting research find by Dr. Greger. Thanks for all the comments.JosephHi Joseph,Your assumption is correct. I simply didn’t understand the fuss and now I do thanks to the informative crowd here.My sister too…she was so sick for a long time from C.Dif., a horrible illness! My son had MRSA after he was hospitalized for burns, and never fully recovered and eventually passed away from complications related to it. My husband is still battling MRSA after surgery. These things are no joke, they can kill and they ARE out there! Factory farming is deadly…even the plants aren’t safe from it!Sorry to hear that about your family – lost a lot of my family to cancer a few years ago, so i can relate.What i personally would recommend is to do everything in your power to boost your immune system. There is a lot of good material on what to eat, more importantly what not to eat and what to add to boost. I dont think we should walk around and be scared of bugs(even super) – focus should be on boosting that immune system. A good place to start could be learning about fermenting and adding fermented foods to your diet. Natto, Cambuche, Jun, RawFood yoghurt, “the regulars” like Sauerkraut etc. Others could be adding more raw foods(maybe try raw to 4) or adding more superfoods like bluebarries etc.You must be a mind reader and you better believe I take measures to boost my immune system, and what a coincidence I should see this right after I had lunch because I just had “probiotic soup!” (Cukes, tomato, celery, romaine, kale, parsley, cilantro, basil, onion, garlic, turmeric, flax and sunflower seeds, a dash of cumin and a big fat scoop of fermented salsa, fermented nopales, a few fermented lime pieces and a heaping spoonful of white miso, about a cup of lukewarm water, and puree in the blender. Once it’s smooth I add a cup of my homemade un-cow yogurt, some nutritional yeast and blend it all together. It makes a full blender batch that I let sit about an hour to increase the probiotics, and just before eating it, I add a bit of crushed ice and blend one more time, and serve it with finely sliced cukes, and a bit more yogurt swirled in… some chopped herbs, toasted sesame seeds or whatever sprinkled on top, and it’s lunch in minutes! A great treat in the heat, [Florida] and plenty to share or save for later. LOL!) I do make all kinds of fermented foods, just last night I made a huge batch of soy/almond/oat/ flax yogurt, that I used in my “soup” and will also use some of that, adding in some soaked pureed cashews and nootch to make fermented cheese, using white miso and a bit of rejuvelac to do the job for me. I’ve made natto with all kinds of beans, tempeh also with grains, lacto fermented sauerkraut, salsa…with tomatoes, peppers, grated eggplant lots of cilantro, garlic, onions and our local nopales (cactus pads) I foraged! It came out awesome! I was experimenting with the eggplant, not too traditional but it worked beautifully to make it really thick instead of soupy. (Love it with some fermented beans on toasted tortilla triangles with a bit of my cheese on top!) I have yet to get some Kefir grains…I would love to, but pricey and can’t seem to find any locally. I’ve probably fermented everything you can think of and then some…cactus, seaweed, nuts and seeds, foraged local plants (higher in taste and nutrition than anything you can buy or grow…and for FREE! Eat the weeds!… http://www.eattheweeds.com/about/ … LOL!) I am on a tight fixed income, so every little bit helps! It also gets me outside plenty to get my vit D, exercise, learning, focus, peace, and grounding, all good things! LOVE it, being retired is awesome, I finally have the time to pursue passions and enjoy every minute! I cannot understand how people can ever be bored…though it seems everyone else around me my age (mid 60’s +) has so many health issues they just sit around and watch TV! (I don’t even have one.) I was actually one of them years ago, diabetic, sick and obese, until “Forks Over Knives” pulled me back from the brink! (It’s never too late!) This WPFB lifestyle NEEDS to become gospel, because everyone still thinks I am some weird aberration and they couldn’t possibly give up their SAD because everyone thinks it’s “normal” to eat that way, and the gov. agencies and their doctors approve! SAD indeed!For any surface infection where antibiotics will not control it, try putting honey on it, Honey has several modes of action against microorganisms.I am a radiologist and see new cases of cdiff almost every day. It is a VERY serious colon infection and not at all rare.My niece just got the infection. That family eats a standard American diet and she is very young. This was a big scare for the family. It seems to be happening all over the place. Im just glad me and my wife adopted a whole food vegan diet when we did. (we eat low fat high carb McDougall style)Wow. It’s all about fear. It’s not a “huge deal” because of course it’s not “around me.” Enjoy your pulled pork sandwich.What I see is absent from your comment, is a recognition of the rapidly growing nature of this trend. Perhaps the following images will provide you with some context:https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/OwOaBSSxuZlp2qtPl6lP6lVc3fzk5Yx2pkD43k9D_7N2xFEFd7Mp7vwWTHt_8CwciwcbnLYFnBOF36J04m3ZrJjvfRUPNOT6j3T6vkf-Ks5VedVP11PetmLszA http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v431/n7011/images/431892a-i3.0.jpg http://uncmain.sites.unc.edu/files/2012/06/ccm3_025801.jpg http://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/content/uploads/sites/2/2014/03/Antibiotics2.png http://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/content/uploads/sites/2/2014/03/Antibiotics-1.pngThese trends are the reason we hear the predictions of a “post-antibiotic era” in the not too distant future. You genuinely think a future in which previously easily treated and potentially fatal bacterial infections are untreatable is “not a huge deal”?I hear vegans often take comfort in not being at risk for many foodborne or fecal oral transmissible infections. Obviously vegans are taking themselves out of the direct line of fire but not bringing infected carcasses into their kitchens. However, we still interact with the non-vegan world. We can take comfort in not majorly contributing to such a massive public health problem, but that doesn’t make us invulnerable to the threat ourselves. Do you ever eat at non-vegan restaurants? Use public bathrooms? Put your food on the conveyor at the grocery store that someone before you put their nasty package of chicken on? Travel or hope to travel other areas of the world with less than first world level hygiene?I hope you never have to go to the hospital for any major procedures, but if you should, you should absolutely have a healthy awareness of the possibility of contracting an antibiotic resistant infection (to this end you can look up rates of healthcare associated infections and shop around the hospitals in your area). Should you ever have kids, and your partner gives birth in a hospital, or your kids or elderly parents are hospitalized, you should absolutely be concerned. Should you have grandkids someday, what do you think the percentages of infections that are antibiotic resistant will be at that time? What will happen to healthcare as we know it if we can’t perform the simple act of confidently protecting patients from bacterial infection in the course of so many procedures where this is necessary?A rapidly growing trend that threatens to largely dismantle many of our modern medical practices doesn’t warrant an undertone of fear? Really?Once you know about something like this I think you’re ethically bound to react reasonably, and with empathy. It’s not you or anyone you know today, but it may be tomorrow. Irony tends to accompany tragedy, and being the victim of it is generally something worth avoiding. I would suggest approaching things like this soberly, and with an open mind.“250,000 illnesses and 14,000 deaths costing a billion dollars annually” And this is only C. difficile. From the CDC, there are over 2,000,000 antibiotic resistant infections and 23,000 deaths per year from other organisms in addition to that.My mother got food poisoning from campylobacter in chicken. Antibiotics wiped it out, but they also provided a perfect breeding ground for C.diff. Long story short, the doctors told her she will have to deal with C.diff for the rest of her life. She will always be at a high risk for another C.diff incident that requires her to take at least a week of work. She now spends $100 per month on probiotics, Saccharomyces boulardii supplements, and extra antibiotics whenever she has the flu or cold. The experience also gave her diverticulitis.My brother ate the same tainted chicken, threw up for two hours, and is fine and healthy. Everyone is affected by food poisoning differently. But that superbug can completely alter the course of some people’s lives and control them.Incidentally, my mother’s story is one reason I adopted a WFPB diet. I refuse to have my life changed because of tainted meat and dairy products.Taking antibiotics kills off the good bacteria in our gut, making it easy for the remaining bad bacteria, including C.difficile, to take over. Fecal transplantation has been shown to be an extremely effective cure for C. difficile. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3365524/Fecal transplantation? Eeeeeeeewwwww, think I’ll just stick to the WFPB diet and hope that keeps my good bacteria in check ;) – but thanks for the info!To produce as much and as cheaply as possible of the food that gives us the chronic diseases that eventually kill us, we produce superbugs that can give us fatal infections – the human being is not a wise mammal….Shhhhh! Don’t say that out loud…they are very proud of their technology. Cars and airplanes are just over 100 years old…they are SO ADVANCED.Hopefully, buying chicken raised without antibiotics at least doesn’t contribute to the problem of antibiotic resistance–and rewards more responsible growers.Curious, I checked and was disappointed to read that even wild game may be contaminated with these bugs, although at relatively low prevalence in this pilot study (2.6% of 114 animals of 37 central Iowa species were MRSA-positive):Shylo E. Wardyn et al. 2012. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Central Iowa Wildlife. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 48(4), 2012, pp. 1069–1073. Wildlife Disease Association. http://www.jwildlifedis.org/doi/pdf/10.7589/2011-10-295 :“…We conducted a pilot study to determine the prevalence of methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in 37 species of wild animals rehabilitated at a university clinic. Nasal, wing, wound, and cloacal swabs were collected. Of 114 animals, seven (6.1%) were MSSA-positive and three (2.6%) were MRSA-positive. The MRSA isolates were obtained from two eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) and a Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), a migratory shorebird. Antibiotic resistance testing of the MRSA isolates revealed that two were additionally resistant to tetracycline and erythromycin, and the third isolate was also resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, and levofloxacin. All three isolates were positive for the Panton Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene. Sequence typing of the staphylococcal protein A (spa) region revealed one MRSA isolate to be t002 [i.e., the bird’s was likely hospital-derived], whereas the other two MRSA isolates were found to be t008 [i.e., the rabbits’ were likely farm-derived]. Our results suggest that S. aureus, including MRSA, is being carried by wild animals, although at a low prevalence…”My uncle died of MRSA at 80. An avid hunter and fisherman when younger, he picked up MRSA in hospital or while recovering at home from his minor (elective) surgery. Once in his shoulder joint, the bug could not be dislodged, although his MDs tried antibiotics, suction, and surgery (twice) that summer. My uncle, who had survived WWII (tailgunner) and numerous heart attacks, found it ironic that an apparently minor infection would finally take him.Thanks for sharing, Annetha. There is one study that found less multi-drug resistant bacteria contamination on organic chicken/a>, compared with conventional chicken. The difference was not huge.I buy my meat from small family owned farms – grass fed/finished. I eat the grass fed/finished ground beef raw – no problems so far and I’m 61.Thanks to factory farming, nothing and no one is immune…even wildlife. Obviously a great number of people can avoid it since there are still plenty of us, but it’s just a matter of time and the state of your immune system…Russian roulette with a sick twist.Like listeria from veggies?From veggies? LOL! Oh those vile, vicious, virulent, veggies huh? It’s called living on planet earth and animals are great at storing and passing on the bacterium, so don’t be too pleased with yourself. Here’s a quote from the CDC that describes the reservoir of infection… “Listeria monocytogenes is commonly found in soil and water. Animals can carry the bacterium without appearing ill and can contaminate foods of animal origin, such as meats and dairy products.” http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/sources.htmlYou have been lucky thus far. If you have to have that chunk of roasted meat on a regular basis, fine. Sugar coating it with “grass fed”,”small farm raised” and “organic” is however misleading. It always has the same components that are not doing your body any favors except satisfying your cavings for savory, juicy saturated fat that is nudging you toward arteriosclerosis, heart disease, cancer, and other health maladies.Yeah, I’m sure the poor animals on their way to slaughter appreciated the fact that they were grass fed.Funny thing is that American tobacco has a ton of additives added compared to British tobacco. American french fries from McDonalds have like 50 more chemical ingredients than British Mcdonalds french fries. American sausages are loaded with extra chemicals that are supposed to be CYA (Cover Your ..). I don’t smoke or eat meat. I am just sharing what seems like an interesting trend in American products when compared to other nations. I would not be surprise to hear that culture is somehow related to disease and that the problems that emerge in the US do not happen in other nations.Not roasted Jerry, raw! Here is a joke I bet Charles will appreciate… A man was having dinner with some new friends at their farm, when into the room comes a huge pig, pulling his back end on a wheeled dolly. “Geez, what happened to the poor pig?” the man asked, concerned. The farmer, swelling with pride exclaimed, “That pig, my friend, is a hero! We had a house fire one night, and that pig came squealing into our bedroom at 3 a.m. and woke us out of our sound sleep! He then ran into the nursery and grabbed the baby out of the bassinet by her jammies, ran with her past us, and got her out of the choking smoke to the outside! He ran back inside again to make sure the big kids were awake, chased us all outside, and went back in one more time still, to find his buddy, the dog!” “Wow! That IS an amazing pig! You guys were so lucky to have him, he really is a hero! But um, you still didn’t tell me what happened to his hind legs?” The farmer stopped chewing, put down his fork and stared dumbly at the man. “Come on pal! No way you can eat a pig like that all at once!”Left out the elephant (haha, a bit of perfectly deniable fat shaming) in the bedroom of health maladies: T2 diabetes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25832335I know about the elephant, but I figured for the average “free range”, “antibiotic free”, “organic”, “small, local farm”, meat loving foodie, that was going to be more than they could possibly tolerateAren’t you a special snowflake.On the spiritual side man has been taught the vegetarian diet for thousands of years, but of course very few listen. The ill health coming from eating meat is karmic, and it’s only made worse now owing to the horrid treatment of animals. My Dad spent the last twenty years of his life paying this debt, heart disease, diabetic, wheel chairs, amputations, yearly surgeries, weekly visits to the doctor. What a horrible way to spend a ¼ of your life! Being an avid hunter and wild game eater his entire life, he had the erroneous belief free range would mean good health… it does not.The amazing thing is how much better you feel on a plant based diet… every single day of your life! Thanks to sites like this, if nothing else, we at least have the truth.I’m with you! Adam and Eve were vegans; after the flood God only grudgingly gave permission to eat meat when nothing else was available and all kinds of restrictions were imposed; Daniel went vegan and proved that was healthier than the king’s meat; Jesus was a militant vegan who was crucified for letting the animals out of the temple slaghterhouse . . . Don’t get me started. Whether there is a God or not, there is a bill to pay for mistreating animals and the environment.Oh wow Daniel, you and I posted the same idea almost simultaneously! How interesting!!!Great minds!You might check out the books Keith Akers has written for a deeper **historical** background (suitable for vegan atheists btw) http://www.compassionatespirit.com/about_keith_akers.htmI am Christian, but don’t forget the Hindus and the Jains. A great number are Vegetarian, although it is too bad they eat dairy. Clearly Paleolithic people are wrong to say that Vegetarianism and Veganism are modern fads- they certainly have a basis in the Bible, as well as in Indian religions. Denise Minger claims here, http://rawfoodsos.com/for-vegans/ that “Veganism is a modern experiment—a dietary situation humans have never before faced—and its full repercussions are still unknown,” yet it goes back thousands of years in Israel and India- although maybe Indians don’t qualify as Vegan since they consume dairy. Daniel did eat only Vegetables at times and did get very healthy- contrary to what Minger would expect. She also suggests Vegans eat bivalves, such as oysters, while not considering that these foods are NOT Kosher. Leviticus 11 only allows fish with fins and scales and bivalves do not have these. One point of Kosher laws is to make meat eating more difficult and cumbersome. Perhaps to lead us to Vegetarianism and Veganism. Minger’s attitude is extremely disrespectful to religion. Many people of the “Paleo” bent constantly bad mouth India for its Vegetarianism, claiming that this causes their diabetes. Yet it truly is the dairy they consume that causes it.I am Christian, but don’t forget the Hindus and the Jains. A great number are Vegetarian, although it is too bad they eat dairy. Clearly Paleolithic people are wrong to say that Vegetarianism and Veganism are modern fads- they certainly have a basis in the Bible, as well as in Indian religions. Denise Minger claims here, http://rawfoodsos.com/for-vegans/ that “Veganism is a modern experiment—a dietary situation humans have never before faced—and its full repercussions are still unknown,” yet it goes back thousands of years in Israel and India- although maybe Indians don’t qualify as Vegan since they consume dairy. Daniel did eat only Vegetables at times and did get very healthy- contrary to what Minger would expect. She also suggests Vegans eat bivalves, such as oysters, while not considering that these foods are NOT Kosher. Leviticus 11 only allows fish with fins and scales and bivalves do not have these. One point of Kosher laws is to make meat eating more difficult and cumbersome. Perhaps to lead us to Vegetarianism and Veganism. Minger’s attitude is extremely disrespectful to religion. Many people of the “Paleo” bent constantly bad mouth India for its Vegetarianism, claiming that this causes their diabetes. Yet it truly is the dairy they consume that causes it.For those who just gotta worship somebody worship the scientists who sacrificed their careers to follow the truth. There are many unsung hero’s who deserve your praise. How come whether there is a god or not, whenever anything good happens God shows up at the end of the line with his hand up saying, “That was me, that was I, that was the author of this Book!”As my atheist friend put it: One of my personal faves is when a krishin or kathlick makes fun of scientology or mor(m)onism– as if eating the flesh of a virgin-born-zombie-carpenter-pseudodemigod on Sunday mornings & worshipping an execution device are perfectly rational acts to engage in. Straitjackets are more appropriate attire than suits and dresses for these delusional christards. I inevitably get an, “Why do you hate god so much?” Idiots. I don’t hate leprechauns either, but I do hate when leprechaunists try futilely to shove leprechaunism down my throat.I’m not particularly religious, but had plenty of training, and as I recall, even in the garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve they were free to eat all the things that grew, except for one. Maybe it wasn’t an “apple” they ate after all, maybe it was an animal? Because later on, disappointed with man’s avarice, God decided to suffer man’s weakness and gave him strict rules about what beasts he could gnash upon, and how they were to be slaughtered. Many Jews still keep kosher and I remember when the Catholics even gave a nod to the no meat precaution by going “meatless” on Fridays and during Lent…(though apparently fish weren’t flesh?!). I didn’t get it as a kid, but even then I was happy to not be forced to eat dead animals at least sometimes! I always abhorred ingesting animal products, especially anything that looked like muscle, and milk…I used to find creative ways to get around having to drink the slimy stuff! I think my body was warning me off at a very young age, but in the 1950’s, it was clean your plate or starve! LOL!Belief is a sufficient condition to stop human advancement. Belief in the supernatural, or luck, or one’s inherent inerrant self-styled logic. Sadly, we all carry this holdover from our past to varying degrees.Good science, facts based on science and the correct interpretation of them are the only way forward for us. There are no shortcuts. There are no spirits so there is no spiritual side of humanity. No such thing as karma so that whole line of “reasoning” is irrational. You Dad did not pay any debt. He ate a bad diet and suffered the consequences.I do, however, agree wholeheartedly with your last sentences.I don’t mean to offend but may I be allowed to ask what was your fathers debt?“The ill health coming from eating meat is karmic, ” What a load of cynical garbageOkay, I know I never shut up, but I have to say one more thing! I love this site not only because of Dr. Greger’s awesome videos and information, but because it is uplifting to be surrounded by so many intelligent, compassionate and supportive people! It gives me hope that our collective consciousness can some day be raised to a level that can put an end to the sickness and cruelty we’ve foisted on this beautiful planet and it’s denizens, before it’s too late. I would love to post this chart in every conceivable location in giant letters, if I could! http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.htmlMy Mom’s dentist gave her some pretty strong antibiotics and she got C-Diff. She was sick for a couple of months and never got her strength back and has never been the same. Thank God a friend had also had it and knew how to treat it because her M.D. just kept giving her more antibiotics which was making it worse. It’s nothing to take lightly.My gum started swelling and feeling abscessed a month ago. Did not go to the dentist because he would just give me antibiotics which did not work 3 years ago. Chamomile tea poultice took the swelling down part way. Then remembered my Oregano Oil. Can’t stand the stuff but…. Mixed it with Cayenne in a little split peas 3 times a day for 9 days. Took care of the problem.I would not bank on homeopathic cures for gum disease. You need to se a periodontist. You are playing with fire. I am not talking about fire in your mouth with your gums,- you could end up losing your teeth in addition to long range debilitating heart problems and other infection issues within your body.Watch the latest edition of “Vice” on HBO (04/17/15). There is a segment on Clostridium dificille.It is VERY scary !It may not seem like a huge deal until it’s your 3 year old and his/her grandparent fighting for their life with e-coli or c dificile .…so go into hospital for an operation, IV antibiotics following… just don’t touch the hospital SAD-dinner-C.diff and you may live!My husband contracted this dreadful super bug while in the hospital after hip surgery. It took us 7 months and a lot of very strategic germ warfare to finally rid him of it. Believe me when I say, you do not ever want to get C-diff – he lost 30 pounds and every bit of strength he had – thought a couple of times I would be a widow before it was over. Thankfully, today thanks to a very wise infectious disease doctor who gave us “the cure” for him – he is healthy and doing well!Always better to prevent than cure. And a vegan diets has countless benefits besides avoiding this particular infection. This being said, for those who do are infected with Clostridium difficile, there is apparently a simple alternative to antibiotics with a very high curing rate : fecal transplant, wohoo… “In 317 patients treated across 27 case series and reports, IMT was highly effective, showing disease resolution in 92% of cases.” Source: Systematic review of intestinal microbiota transplantation (fecal bacteriotherapy) for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22002980Very interesting article at http://www.bbc.com/news/health-32551873C. diff used to beat C. diff infection“The symptoms are caused by toxins released by C. difficile bacteria. So the team at Loyola University Health System in Illinois tried giving patients spores of non-toxin-producing C. difficile. The trial showed the healthier bacteria took hold in the gut 69% of the time. In those people, just one in fifty faced another infection.”	antibiotics,C. diff,chicken,colon health,cooking temperature,factory farming practices,farm animals,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,MRSA,pork,poultry,safety limits,superbugs,surgery,viral infections,zoonotic disease	Why does the United States appear to have the highest level of C. diff contamination of the meat supply?	Never heard of C. diff? That’s the Toxic Megacolon Superbug I’ve talked about before.Another foodborne illness tied to pork industry practices is yersiniosis. See: Yersinia in PorkMRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staph aureus) is another so-called superbug in the meat supply:More on the scourge of antibiotic resistance and what can be done about it:How is it even legal to sell foods with such pathogens? See Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal and Chicken Salmonella Thanks to Meat Industry Lawsuit.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/superbugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/c-diff/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24011436,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22536816,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20691953,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23575124,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24066741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22695920,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23324529,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19778624,
PLAIN-2458	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/	Formula for Childhood Obesity	We’ve known that breastfeeding infants may protect against subsequent obesity for over 30 years, but why? Well giving human infants formula based on cow’s milk presents an unusual situation. Cow’s milk is designed to put nearly 2 pounds a day onto a growing calf, 40 times the growth rate of human infants.The perfect food for humans, finely tuned over millions of years, is human breast milk. Remarkably, among all mammalian species, the protein content of human milk is the lowest. The thought is that it’s the excessive protein content of cow’s milk-based formula that sets the child up for obesity later in life.And then instead of being weaned, we continue to drink milk. The question thus arises as to whether consumption of a growth-promoting substance from another species throughout childhood fundamentally alters processes of human growth and maturation. This study for example found evidence that greater milk intake is associated with an increased risk of premature puberty, girls drinking a lot of milk starting to get their periods earlier. Thus, cross-species milk consumption and ingestion into childhood may trigger unintended consequences.In contrast to feeding artificial infant formula, only human milk allows appropriate metabolic programming and protects against diseases of civilization in later life. However, continued consumption of cow ́s milk and dairy products during adolescence and adulthood is an evolutionarily novel behavior that may have long-term adverse effects on human health.Teens exposed to dairy proteins, for example, casein, skim milk, or whey experienced a significant increase in BMI and waist circumference compared to controls, whereas not a single study funded by the dairy industry found a result unfavorable to milk.The head of the Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital and the chair of Harvard’s nutrition department wrote an editorial recently to the AMA’s Pediatrics journal questioning the role of cow’s milk in human nutrition. We have no requirement for other animal’s milk obviously, and in fact dairy may play a role in certain cancers due to the high levels of reproductive hormones in the U.S. milk supply.	So, how much protein are nursing babies getting per unit of body weight per day?I don’t normally assess infants, but according to DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) it says 1.5 gm/kg/day, which is estimated to be 9.1 gm/day for babies 0-6 months.Another great video. Thanks Dr. G. Can you do a video (or write a blog) about the Incomplete Protein Myth? Below is a link to a great summary of this issue written by Dr. McDougall, but I have never seen additional confirmation of his claim. Virtually every group from Harvard to the IOM still claims that all plant foods are missing one “essential amino acid”.https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/apr/protein.htmMany plant proteins are comparatively low in lysine or methionine, though only enough to moderate intake in varied whole plant based diets rather than bring overt deficiency. Curiously, its the very “incompleteness” of plant proteins that may confer reduced risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Dr. Greger addressed this in his video series on protein and IGF-I (in order): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9A few interesting papers on the epigenetic programming for cancer angle. The last is particularly startling, just being lactose intolerant, and hence very likely avoiding dairy after infancy, reduced lung cancer incidence by 45%, breast cancer by 21%, and ovarian cancer by 39%, compared to siblings and parents who weren’t lactose intolerant.van der Pols JC 2007. Childhood dairy intake and adult cancer risk: 65-y follow-up of the Boyd Orr cohort Torfadottir JE 2011. Milk intake in early life and risk of advanced prostate cancer Ji J 2015. Lactose intolerance and risk of lung, breast and ovarian cancers: aetiological clues from a population-based study in SwedenWow, that is really interesting, thanks for sharing.It’s scary to think that even when you change your dietary practices you learn that what you did early in life can still put you at risk later in life. Maybe someone will discover a way to mitigate or reverse the risk. That would be great. In the meantime, I’m hoping for the day when parent no longer give their kids milk.I don’t know that i have The answer to your question. But I do know that Mother’s milk is only about 5 – 6% protein relative to total calories. And this is when we need the most protein/our greatest growth spurt. We don’t need anyone’s protein/other than Our mother’s/for the most part. Ala the China Study et.al./consuming Animal proteins cause numerous proteins as it is not designed for us/may be designed to grow that animal at a rate much faster than we are designed for/and also feeds the growth of Cancer cells/damages the Endothelial cells/ala Dr. Esselstyn and others. We may consume up to 10 – 15% of our calories in protein/but when it exceeds that/there are many problems that can and most likely will ultimately occur. It may take many years/but the damage is cumulative. Other protein sources/sometimes being isolates/are without the complete package they were designed to come along with. Animal sources contain hormones and many other biomagnifiied/bioaccumulative aspects that we don’t need/don’t want/and due to complexities/may only know not all that much about; but what we do know is that you are much safer with a Whole Foods Plant Based diet. Most plant foods have protein/and most contain all the amino acids that you body does not make otherwise. Hope this is of some help. Have learned so much from Dr. Greger in particular. Protein/Smotein/very much needed/but so overly hyped/and mostly Totally misunderstood by 97% of the population including most doctors. Amazing how the ideas about Protein have persisted since the early 70’s with Diet for a Small Planet/Frances Lappe/and in the 30’s/and going back to the mid 1800’s…when it was one of the first nutrients identified. But the need for protein was/as much as anything/based off of how much construction workers in Europe needed….Does that include consuming too much protein from sources such as legumes?It is always possible to consume too much of anything. We generally have an idea of how much of many things to consume. And when it come to beans et.al./…as has been said: “If it has no fiber, con’t eat it!”/it is more likely to fulfill our satiety indicators and keep us fuller for longer/so that we are much less likely to overconsume. With the China Study for instance, as I recall, they did not get the increased incidents of cancer from more plant protein. Whereas, going from 5% of calories as animal protein to 20%, cancer would grow; when reduced to 5% or less/it would stop growing, or retract. Good question.Interesting, thank you for the reply.Comparing % of protein in milk with % in legumes is like comparing “apple and oranges” :) Milk protein is far more bio-available and plants have many factors that inhibit growth.I was taught that too. But now, I think your first sentence is true and the second is not. As David says above “With the China Study for instance, as I recall, they did not get the increased incidents of cancer from more plant protein. Whereas, going from 5% of calories as animal protein to 20%, cancer would grow; when reduced to 5% or less/it would stop growing, or retract.”The china study is based on solid science that has continued to accrue in the years since.When you stop to consider that cows milk is made to get calfs to be bulls/cows, it makes you wonder why people don’t get that it’s a bad idea. As Dr. Greger points out, humans are the one animals that consume another animals secretions. It creeps me out to think that I went at least 40 years of my life consuming yogurt, cheese, milk, and the rest every day.Protein or more specifically the essential amino acids are needed however in addition to Matt’s citation of Dr. McDougall’s April 2007 newsletter article, Where do we get our protein, I would recommend his December 2003 newsletter article, History of Protein…, and January 2004 newsletter article, Protein Overload. He has stated “that there has never been a case of protein deficiency given adequate calorie intake”. Given the bulk of science supporting the difficulties associated with protein intake I don’t think we should go out of our way to consume extra protein as a general recommendation. Some of my patients find cutting meat consumption easier than dairy. It might be related to the fact that casein, the main protein in cow’s milk, is converted to casomorphins in the intestine and absorbed. It also may be due to the fat see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/. We can argue about which of the various substances are at fault but the science just keeps reaffirming the current best scientific paradigm or belief. As psychologist, Doug Lisle has pointed out in his presentations, once these food intakes have stopped we adjust over days to several weeks. The good news is there are many transition foods or replacement products (e.g. soy, almond or rice milk) for dairy. For those who like to read books I would recommend “Whitewash” by Joseph Keon. As Dr. Greger points out the consumption of less calorie dense foods (i.e. vegetables, fruits, starches, beans) can lead to more enjoyment in many aspects of your life. Bon Appétit!!I’m happy that there are many non-dairy milks out there these days, but they are full of added synthetic vitamins and minerals in forms that have no relation to food, even plant-based foods. So you get a plant-based product with added non-plant-based synthetic vitamins and rock salts. As a vegan, I do not want to be consuming things in my drinks (and food), that contains are these non-plant based foods on store shelves.You are correct. The nice thing about a whole food plant based diet is you don’t have to know how to read labels to look at the ingredients… since there is only one. If you do consume foods that contain labels you need to have knowledge, skills and a useful approach. Jeff Novick RD has done two video’s which can help in this regard… Should I Eat That and more recently going into more details… Fast Food Volume 3… Shopping School. There is at least one brand of soy milk with only two ingredients… soy beans and water. By using the power of what we buy to influence what is on the shelves we can “vote” for improvement in what is stocked in our stores If your store won’t stock what you want to buy you can order many products on line.It is easy to make your own rice milk. The general idea is you cook and soak the rice with a LOT more water and then run it through a blender.There are endless videos on youtube for how to make whatever milk you want at home, rice, almond, oat (I think I would choose oat-milk). So you can easily avoid industrial strength products.Great video, I am a working mother and breast pump at work. It’s nice to be reminded that it’s worth it. For any other mothers in my situation, breast pumping at work was easier than I initially anticipated and my baby doesn’t have any issues switching back and forth between breast and bottle. There will be no dairy for my child!I have studied as a Board Certified Drugless Practitioner and have seen many of the same studies – I agree cows milk is for cows.Cow’s milk fed to human infants particularly under 3 months can directly lead to Type 1 Diabetes. Infants intestines are leaky and partly digested cow’s milk can be interpreted by the infant immune system as very similar to the insulin producing cells. For more detail see “The China Study” by Cornell nutritional biologist prof. T. Colin Campbell. Also cow’s milk analysis is strikingly different from people milk, way deficient in the fats needed for the rapidly growing infant brain.I would remind also that casein is the only protein of significance that contains phosphate. The phospho-amino acids in casein are highly reactive leading to strange, crosslinked amino acids (see lanthionine, lysinoalanine etc). Everytime milk is processed it promotes more of these reactions. Example: my own research found that adding calcium speeds up the crosslinking so fast it actually becomes plastic. I should say I re-discovered this because that is how they made plastic from milk during the war years.I’m sure freshly consumed human milk, like all milks are beautiful nutrition sources for their respective neonates. I’d bet there is a specific pathway from dairy phosphate to wherever it is needed in the developing baby. But the harsh fractionation practices of modern industry turns this into a weird plastic-like low quality nutrient for children as well as adults.Of course I was quickly advised about my future prospects if I stayed on that vein…. bleh, bleh-bleh…Most soy milks, rice milks, and coconut milks have the “added calcium” in them. I can not but help the long-term harm this might be causing, all the fortified vegan milks and other both vegan and non-vegan products being fortified with calcium and other non-food chemicals, minerals, synthetic vitamins, etc. Everything seems full of synthetic vitamins these days, and these added minerals.I was trying to emphasize that dairy is unique in its proclivity to unintended modification because it contains a form of phosphorus that is highly reactive. Calcium and other factors like alkaline pH and high temperature all accelerate this chemistry.I do agree that we need to be vigilant. All plant milks are not alike. We always read the ingredient list first.If you stub your toe or twist your ankle, does that mean you should avoid anti-inflammatory foods like cherries, tumeric, and chamomile for a few days to avoid re-injury?Cattle’s milk is obviously harmful to humans, but how are human infants protected against atherosclerosis etc from the saturated fat they get in human’s milk? How does this change during weaning? Clearly, this must be similar for all herbivore mammals.I have never heard of the saturated fat in human breast milk to be problematic. Mothers should be aware of diet because their milk is affected by their diet. This study found varying amounts of saturated fats in breast milk from women in different areas showing how diet affects lactation. Beside fat, mother’s milk contains so many other nutrients (in the right amounts) and immune boosting compounds so of course breastfeeding is amazing! During weaning, child beings eating so yes needs will vary. For more info about weaning please see Reed Mangel’s post about feeding children.Thanks for the reply. It would be strange if the own species’ milk caused harm to its babies. However, is it known by what mechanism human babies (and all herbivore mammal babies) get this protection against the high amount of saturated fat in their mothers’ milk?I am not sure mother’s milk is “high” in saturated fat. Can anyone correct me here? The protection babies receive is from their mothers production of colostrum, which is like the baby’s first vaccine that stimulates immunity and protection. Once they take this they don’t need it anymore, so after weaning the protection lasts.I found some articles/studies:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2950926 : “Mammalian milks, including human milk, contain 50% of their total fatty acids as saturated fatty acids.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/392766 : “Mature human milk contains 3%–5% fat, 0.8%–0.9% protein, 6.9%–7.2% carbohydrate calculated as lactose”And here is one as well which compares fat composition between human populations: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23781748It is my understanding that cows’ milk given to infants also can cause type 1 diabetes. Do you know if this is true?It could be. You may be referring to the TRIGR study by Dr. Knip. You can hear his lecture for free (just need to log in to the CME program) here, and find his research here. Dr. Spock – known as America’s baby doctor, also mentioned this theory in a late edition (I think 8th) of his book, Baby and Childcare. Another video on children and cow’s milk by Dr. Greger, here, if interested. Thanks for your question an important one! Let me know if this helps?Too little sunlight and too much ingestion from milk allergy (try lactaid) have lead to a very hungry nation. Hungry, malnurished, but not ignorant.Whey protein concentrate and isolate derived from 100 percent grass fed cows that has been flashed pasteurized (not conventionally pasteurized): Good or bad? What do the study stay for these two products?That is a good question I have not seen studies that use whey from grass-fed cows. I think any of these isolates and concentrates are not needed, as whole foods are preferred. Some studies suggest whey and leucine-rich foods (meat and milk) stimulate the TOR pathway, which Dr. Greger addresses in this video.Wow! Thank you for the video reference. Very interesting. I read about mTOR on Dr. Mercola’s website awhile back. From the video discussion by Dr. Greger that you referenced (very helpful), I would interpret the studies on mTOR promotion to be actually accelerated with concentrated dairy derivatives (i.e., whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate); my consciousness and logic would conclude that concentrating an already mTOR promoting substance would likewise concentrate the mTOR prompting effects–it would seem to follow. I know my logic may not be founded on specific studies (yet), but I think my making a conservative assumption is prudent regarding whey protein concentrates and whey protein isolates. Besides all that, I have also scoured the web (manufacturers specifications sheets, etc.) looking for studies on oxidation of the cholesterol in whey protein concentrate and only turned up one reference on shelf-life and oxidation of the cholesterol; it said the longer the product sits, the more time the cholesterol has to oxidize once the whey protein concentrate was exposed to air. Anyhow, thank you again.Whey protein concentrate derived from 100 percent grass fed cows and flash pasteurized (not conventionally pasteurized): Helpful or harmful? Same for whey protein isolate derived the same way. Thanks!I would say the same for isolates and concentrates.Does antibiotic use in agricultural farming contribute to obesity?	adolescence,breastfeeding,calories,casein,children,dairy,hormones,infant formula,infants,milk,obesity,premature puberty,protein,puberty,skim milk,women's health	Feeding infants cow’s milk formula may adversely alter metabolic programming.	So what’s The Best Baby Formula? Click on the link and find out!More on dairy and infancy:And in childhood: Childhood Constipation and Cow’s MilkIn adolescence: Saving Lives By Treating Acne With DietBefore conception: Dairy Estrogen and Male FertilityDuring pregnancy: Why Do Vegan Women Have 5x Fewer Twins?And in adulthood:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/casein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skim-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premature-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infant-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22121110,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23077192,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23818041,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22442749,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21347271,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7229789,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22523661,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3725179/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22583858,
PLAIN-2459	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/	How to Prevent a Stroke	High dietary fiber intake may prevent strokes. The belief that dietary fiber intake is protectively associated to some diseases was postulated 40 years ago and then enormously fuelled and kept alive by a great body of science since. Today it is therefore generally believed that eating lots of fiber helps prevent obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases such as stroke. Strokes are the second most common cause of death worldwide. Moreover, stroke is a leading cause of disability and so preventing strokes in the first place – what’s called primary prevention, should therefore, be a key public health priority. All best studies to date found that fiber appears to significantly protect against the risk of stroke. Different strokes for different folks, depending, evidently, on how much fiber they ate. Notably, increasing fiber just 7 grams a day was associated with a significant 7% reduction in stroke risk. And 7 grams is easy, like a small serving of whole grain pasta with tomato sauce and an apple.What’s the mechanism? Well fiber helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Or could just be we’re just eating more vegetables, or fewer calories, or less meat and fat, or improving digestion, slimming us down, lower our blood pressure and the amount of inflammation within our bodies. Does it really matter though? As Dr. Burkitt commented on the biblical passage that reads “A man scatters seed on the land—the seed sprouts and opens—how, he does not know,” but he doesn’t wait to find out. Had the farmer postponed his sowing until he understood seed germination, he would not have lasted very long. So yes, let’s keep trying to figure out why fiber is protective, but in the meanwhile we should be increasing our intake of fiber, which is to say whole plant foods.And it’s never too early. Strokes are one of many complications of arterial stiffness. Though our first stroke might not happen until our 50s, our arteries may have been stiffening for decades leading up to it. Hundreds of kids were followed for 24 years, from age 13 in junior high through age 36, and they found that the lower intake of fiber during young age is associated with stiffening of the arteries leading up to the brain, and so we need to promote consumption of fiber-rich foods among the young. In fact even by age 13 they could see differences in arterial stiffness depending on diet. This emphasizes the view that increases in fiber intake should be pursued already among young children.And again, it doesn’t take much. One extra apple a day or an extra quarter cup of broccoli might translate to meaningful differences in arterial stiffness in adulthood, but if you really don’t want a stroke, we should try to get 25 grams a day of soluble fiber, which is found in beans, oats, nuts, and berries, and 47 grams a day of insoluble fiber, found primarily in whole grains. One would have to eat an extraordinarily healthy diet to get that much, yet these cut-off values could be considered as the minimum recommended daily intake of soluble and insoluble fiber, to prevent stroke. They admit these are higher than those commonly and arbitrarily proposed as “adequate” levels by scientific societies, but do we want to be patronized to as to what authorities think is practical, or do we want them to just tell us what the science says, like they did here?Someone funded by Kellogg’s wrote in to complain that in practice such fiber intakes are unachievable. Rather the message should just be the more, the better, ya know, just have a bowl of cereal or something.The real Dr. Kellogg, who was actually one of our most famous physicians, credited for being one of the first to sound the alarm about smoking, may have been the first American physician to have recognized the field of nutrition as a science, would today be rolling in his grave if he knew what his company had become.	How important is the ratio of soluble to insoluble? I average about 82g of fiber per day with many higher, and some less but I haven’t ever really looked at soluble vs insoluble before.Hi Mike, I shared some sources in my other comment that you can use to estimate your soluble intake. If you’re getting 82 g total, I’d estimate you’re easily getting 20-25 g soluble.Hey Mike. That is a lot of fiber! Fiber needs for adult men (38g) and women (25g) are measured as “total fiber” (both insoluble and soluble) . i think it’s good to have both in your diet, but if you’re eating so much fiber (from the sound of it you have no problem there) from a variety of whole-plant foods you really shouldn’t have to worry about soluble vs insoluble. Dr. Greger mentions guidelines on fiber recommendations here, and points out how this is just the minimum, which unfortunately many Americans do not meet.Thanks, for the link. Yes, lots of fiber on a high carb whole foods plant based diet. And no problems personally. Certainly more regular than in my past on a standard American diet.Does anyone know if there is evidence arterial stiffness in adulthood can be reversed by any change in diet?Absolutely!“Just as food is the prime cause of our culture’s heart-disease woes, it is also, ironically, the answer to them. Dr. Esselstyn’s program eliminates the food-based substances that wreak havoc on your endothelium, replacing them with healthful, plant-based foods. Freed from the toxicity of fats, animal proteins and processed carbs, your body’s inner workings change for the better. Here’s what happens: Your endothelium (that magic carpet of cells that lines your arteries) begins pumping out nitric oxide again; your blood vessels regain their flexibility, and the sludge lining your arteries dissolves and clears out, all allowing unimpeded blood flow to your heart. Participants in Dr. Esselstyn’s study showed these amazing reversals and, by continuing to follow a plant-based diet on an ongoing basis, remained free of symptoms — without further high-cost surgical interventions!” http://www.clevelandclinicwellness.com/conditions/CoronaryArteryDisease/Pages/Detox-Your-Diet-and-Heart-Attack-Proof-Your-Life.aspx#Highly recommend “Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease” by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn: http://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002Hi RD. I agree with B00mer. Dr. Esselstyn published research showing how a plant-based diet can be “A way to reverse CAD?”. Meat can cause inflammation and saturated fat appears to have other deleterious effects such as increasing the risk of heart disease. “A nutritionally poor dietary pattern, characterized by a high meat and alcohol consumption and low micronutrients intake, is related to an increased stiffening of large arteries.” Other foods that may help arterial stiffness are turmeric and coffee. Hope this helps.“in practice such fiber intakes are unachievable” Like so many things …unless you’re on a whole foods vegan diet.If anyone’s interested, a few sources useful for estimating soluble fiber intake in particular, the data for which is a bit more elusive than total fiber:http://www.globalrph.com/fiber_content_soluble.htm http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/80400525/Articles/jfca15_715-723.pdf http://ocw.tufts.edu/data/47/531408.pdf http://www.dietitians.ca/getattachment/3bb6330f-0ab2-48fc-9d24-1303ad70003d/Factsheet-Food-Sources-of-Soluble-Fibre.pdf.aspx https://www.prebiotin.com/resources/fiber-content-of-foods/Kellogg’s knows what sells more unsatiating, I-want-seconds-and-thirds cereal. That’s their rationale.I don’t know how people can function on a bowl of cereal in the morning! A couple, like Grape Nuts have some substance to them, but most are like cotton candy.Original cereal was just grains. I eat a BIG bowl of oatmeal in the morning and I am GOOD until lunch, every time!Much appreciative of the time you took to post these links, thank you!Thank you for the links. I noticed something surprising in the paper in the second link: Even soft white bread, purportedly the nutritionally worst kind of bread, has a lot of insoluble fiber.Hi Ben, regarding the white bread, I looked at a couple calorie counters, and it does appear that some reduced calorie white breads have a couple grams of (added) fiber per slice, with each slice only weighing about 20 – 25 g, which would indeed give a value of about 8 – 9 g total fiber per 100 g as the paper says. These equate to about 0.035 g fiber per Calorie.However if you notice, the regular soft or firm white breads are only 1.5 – 2.6 g total fiber per 100 g, so these breads, which are what most people are thinking about when they hear “white bread” only average about 0.4 – 0.7 g total fiber per slice. These equate to about six-fold lower fiber content by calorie (0.0056 g fiber/Cal).All the whole wheat breads I looked at had at least as much as the reduced calorie white breads or more. Complicating this matter however is their use of “wheat bread” instead of “whole wheat bread” in several entries. Among those I looked at, whole wheat breads appear to average about 0.4 g per Calorie.So for fiber, Wonder Bread is still not a good source as we all most likely intuitively knew. However reduced calorie fiber supplemented white breads appear to be similar to some whole wheat breads in total fiber content. However this is pretty much like taking a fiber supplement, so if one wants their fiber from whole food sources, whole wheat bread would still be the answer.In reality, John Harvey Kellogg would not be surprised at all by the sugary tack the Kellogg’s Company has taken.Sugar as an ingredient in his corn flake invention was the reason his brother Will Keith Kellogg broke ranks with John Harvey and founded the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company on February 19, 1906, now our present-day Kellogg’s multinational corporation.BTW Kellogg’s also owns Gardenburger and Morningstar.I was just about to comment this, but was unaware if someone else had mentioned it previously, sooo I looked. I concur after investigating/watching documentaries about the Kellogg brothers. They were like night and day, or realistically, evil and good. A benevolent brother opposed to the corrupt, greedy, health-sacrificing ways of his brother, and the other brother only concerned with money and capitalism most despicable aspect—the lack of interest in it’s population’s health….Very sad to see the good guy lose. Welcome to Amurica.Stroke is actually the worst manifestation of CVD. Heart attack kills you or leave you with angina, which can be treated through dietary intervention, medication or surgery. On the other hand stroke leaves you with paralysis, afasia, emotional incontinence and cognitive problems – and if you are lucky you will also get epilepsy. The consequences are permanent. Doctors will prescribe a lot of medication to prevent an other stroke – but it is too late!!! Stroke is reason enough to do everything you can to prevent CVD – go plant strong !!!It’s APHASIA, (loss of language). Thanks. Laurie MS CCC/SLP, Specch-Lang. PathologistIt’s SPEECH………. ;-)I won’t argue that stroke is devastating but partial recovery is often possible with a lot of support. Read the incredible “My Stroke of Insight” by brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor or watch her TED Talk here: http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insightYou are right. I have previously worked at a stroke unit and partial recovery is possible with intensive training through months. I have seen patients getting their second and third stroke, and I have seen patients with big infarcts in one hemisphere getting their second stroke in the other hemisphere leaving them with tetraparesis. Prevention is so important. I have also seen patients deeply unconscious with oedema in one hemisphere (CT scan), suggesting huge media infarction, walking around the next day without any symptom at all! The brain is fantastic!Yes, of course, the critical piece is prevention. And, yes, the brain is an incredible organ (like all of the other amazing organs in our bodies!)HiWhat’s your opinion of the ideas of these two books?1) Grain Brain2) Wheat belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to HealthThanksMost people on this list will probably hate both books. I think we have to think that the goal of Dr. Greger/Fuhrman/Barnard is different than the goal of Perlmutter/Mercola/WEston Price/Paleos. Greger et al emphasize CVD, while Perlmutter et al emphasize alzheimer’s, gluten inflammation, and diabetes. PErlmutter grudgingly admits that he eats more vegetables than meat and that high fat with high carb is disastrous for everything. For first group, the solution is low fat, all carb ok. Second group is low carb, all fat ok. I eat almost completely whole plant foods, with some coconut and olive oil, and a bit of free range organic eggs, butter and I eat meat about once a month. That’s what works best for me so far. John SThese books join a long list of books that sell alot of books but don’t contribute very much to improved health. It could be argued that they are detrimental. My patients over the last 40 years have often asked me what I think about this diet or that diet. The science keeps coming and we are learning more and more so we keep getting these books that focus on the latest simple solution or they push specific foods like my industry is guilty of pushing specific drugs. In my opinion you need to focus on the science and pay attention to credible sources without commercial interests. The ones I most frequently recommend are NutritionFacts.org, Dr. John McDougall and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. There are others as well… VegSource comes to mind. The good news for me is that the science over the last 40 years have provided the basis for good recommendations for patients. Fat loss is about calorie density and exercise and pursuing the ad libitum diet (eat when you are hungry just eat the right foods). Dementia is looking like a nutritional disease with some metals thrown in plus some lifestyle issues such as sleep, exercise and cognitive activities… good reference is Neal Barnard’s Power Foods for Your Brain. When you realize that fat cells and muscle cells produce over 100 substances that interact with every cell in our body you get an idea for how complex our biological system is. As Dr. Campbell points out in his book, Whole, there are limits to reductionistic science. I think it is important for patients to be given the best options and supported in their efforts. Good luck in your journey to improved health.I’ve read that vegans are at higher risk for hemorrhagic stroke. Is there any new information regarding this issue?I am not aware of any specific studies. That said most intracerebral bleeds are due to the effects of blood pressure over time… higher makes for higher risk. Whole food plant based diets are associated with lower blood pressures. Of course strokes come in several varieties… thrombotic, hemmorhagic or embolic so the devil is in the details. Overall current science supports a proper plant based diet lowers risk across all of them… not to mention avoiding alot of other chronic conditions leading to disability and earlier death.Thank you for your quick reply. This is the article I read: http://img2.timg.co.il/forums/1_155647027.pdf “Despite the remarkably versatile protection afforded by a vegan diet, such a diet may not be an unalloyed blessing. Asian and Hawaiian epidemiology indicates that low serum cholesterol and low intakes of animal protein and fat are risk factors for hemorrhagic stroke (299–302). (Age-adjusted incidence appears to be increased, so this is not merely a trivial consequence of preventing other pathologies.) Presumably, increased fragility of small cerebral arteries may mediate this effect (302,303).” 299. Tanaka H., Ueda Y., Hayashi M. et al. Risk factors for cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction in a Japanese rural community. Stroke 1982; 13: 62–73. 300. Yamori Y., Kihara M., Fujikawa J. et al. Dietary risk factors of stroke and hypertension in Japan. Jpn Cric J 1982; 46: 944–947. 301. Yano K., Reed D. M., MacLean C. J. Serum cholesterol and hemorrhagic stroke in the Honolulu Heart Program. Stroke 1989; 20: 1460–1465. 302. Reed D. M. The paradox of high risk of stroke in populations with low risk of coronary heart disease. Am J Epidemiol 1990; 131: 579–588. 303. Yamori Y. Experimental intervention of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Clin Exp Hypertension 1990; A12: 939–952.Thanks. I will look at the articles and also do PubMed search to see if there are more recent articles relating to hemmorhagic stroke. Keep tuned to NurtitionFacts.org… the science keeps coming!!!Thanks very much Dr. Forrester for taking an interest in this outlier. I have only recently become a member of nutritionfacts, but I have watched ALL of the videos (and read the comments) since the website first launched, and I check every day for new ones. :-)Am in medical school now and have read all of these books. Those two mentioned books don’t have any real science behind them and don’t have the weight of peer-reviewed studies to back their assertions. I would recommend reading Dr. McDougall and Dr. Esselstyn’s books if you want to read diet books that have real medical evidence behind them.I tracked my fiber in take on a standard plant diet for several months and easily consumed over 85 grams of fiber per day. That’s almost three times the recommended sufficient level of 25-30 grams and almost six times what my neighbors are eating. Among the later, there must be quite a few getting on the low end of that average range, 5-10 per day.I’m glad to report I usually have an intake of at least 80g of fiber :) I always find it funny when people think I must have diarrhea all the time because of my intake, while bowel movements have never been better.The recommended intakes seem to be spot on the intakes you’d get on a WFPB diet. I wonder why.. ;)That’s what completely misguided and malnourished people think about fiber, that it only has to do with bowel movements. It’s a shame our society is so purposely ignorant.The good news is that probably 80% of strokes are caused by modifiable risk factors – hypertension, obesity, diabetes, hyperhomocysteinemia, (smoking, physical inactivity)), low fiber intake – all modifiable through optimizing dietary habits. Again epidemiology shows that immigrants rapidly acquire the increased incidence for stroke of their host country – Again: Dont blame your genes! Low plasma concentration of antioxidants are associated with increased risk of stroke. You mother is right! Eat your vegetables! The outcome after stroke may also be improved by an antioxidant rich diet. Again: Prevention and treatment through a mainly plant based diet. Interesting polyphenols are resveratrol – beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system are well known – but resveratrol might also have neuroprotective actions and curcumin (again) may offer neuroprotection in stroke.Hi Plantstrongdoc. How are things in paradise? I assume you mean resveratrol from plants right? Not a supplement.Hi veganrunner. You know I think that you live in paradise! You find resveratrol in red wine, grapes, blueberries, peanuts and cocoa. Resveratrol is actually a very interesting pharmaco active molecule. If you must utilize resveratrol as a “natural” drug it has to be as a supplement due to the small content in plants. That said I think you are better of with a mostly plant based diet including a little red wine, berries, nuts and so on, than a not so optimal diet and 250 mg resveratrol as a supplement. Data suggests that supplementing with resveratrol decrease cardiovascular disease risk. Animal data suggests prevention of various cancers, data suggests that resveratrol can reduce hypertension, improve insulin sensitivity and there is evidence that resveratrol can mimic the effect of calorie restriction, but I think that the latter is considered controversial. I think that longterm safety studies are lacking, so as with any supplementation you have to be a little carefull and consult an “openminded” physician before you start – If you can find one! Bottom line: Resvertrol as a supplement is not an alternativ to a healthy diet (plantbased).I’ve noticed that supplements get a thumbs down from Dr. G sorta universally. It seems that because some studies have shown some supplements/vitamins caused harm (like the endlessly quoted Finnish carotene lung cancer horror) therefore all supplements are bad. That is poor reasoning. Take for example phytosterol. Very difficult to get the 2 gram or higher effective dose eating plants. I took a gel cap and immediately saw my cholesterol dip. but I kept hearing the negatives about supplements so I stopped….Back up to 5 mM cholesterol in short order.So maybe…just possibly there is one supplement or even two or three that can do some good?Good question! There are some interesting supplements out there. I think that one problem is that in general long term safety studies are lacking. If a supplement really is active you have to regard it as a “medical” drug – then you need to know about optimal dose, interactions, toxicity, long term safety, side effects, half-life, enzyme induction and so on. On the other hand it could be interesting to compare how many people has died or got seriously injured from prescription drugs vs supplements. The answer could be surprising…. I never recommend supplements to anyone, but if a person by themselves choose to take a supplement I would recommend to do some research first and preferably work with an “open minded” physician in the processHere is some loose adverse reaction info from a group battling regulation assault on supplements.http://www.anh-usa.org/ags-take-their-assault-on-supplements-to-congress/ “The testing regimens which the supplement industry are held to under cGMPs are one reason that supplements have such a proven track record of safety—more so than food, not to mention FDA-approved pharmaceuticals. One report from the Government Accountability Office found that there were an average of 1,575 adverse event reports (AERs) related to supplements per year between 2008 and 2011. When you factor in that about half of Americans (157 million people) take supplements every day, this means that only one-hundredth of one percent of all supplement users ever experience any problems at all. It is also worth noting that AERs are not concrete evidence of supplements being a factor in an adverse event, but simply a possible correlation. By contrast, in 2008, there were 526,527 AERs from pharmaceuticals—488 times more than the number of supplement AERs. Our counterparts at ANH-Europe found that UK residents were about as likely to get struck by lightning as die from taking dietary supplements.”Very interesting – thanks!I am a huge fan of yours. According to Dr. Hoffer, there has not been a single case of vitamin overdose related death in the past 25 years. This is interesting because men are told that iron is so bad for them. Even if you have vegan patients, I would not be surprised if deficiencies of things such as tin, chromium, valadinium abound in them, like they do in most people. You have most people in agreement. Except I don’t think most people are able to take the bus to buy the fruits and vegetables recommended with their current situation. This site is very useful to the 47 million Americans on foodstamps who want to do better by their families.Good point. Perhaps it depends on diagnoses? Of course we love your comments and suggestions. If you ever come across any research please share with us! Thanks, Gregor.Thank you for your post. If you compare this site with orthomolecular medicine it seems these are two groups of people who are saying similar things but are being ignored by almost anyone who is paying attention. I heard preaching to the choir is a good thing. Except the poor organist needs to see the people in the cheering section.How many grams are in these 2 tbsp of flax seeds? I hate keeping up with numbers, but thought this would be a good place to mention how easy it is to add flax seeds to anything.Hi Wade, according to this source: http://www.dietitians.ca/getattachment/3bb6330f-0ab2-48fc-9d24-1303ad70003d/Factsheet-Food-Sources-of-Soluble-Fibre.pdf.aspx2 tbsp ground flax contains 0.8 – 1.8 g soluble fiber. Not sure why it’s such a large range. Would have been nice for them to use mass instead of volume. But anyway it’s still a very decent amount for such a small serving size.Thanks for the reply. I’ve found flax seed to be wonderful and simply eat one to three tablespoons daily. Even found local source.Oh gosh. NPR’s “The Salt” http://www.npr.org/templates/reg/login.php?returnUrl=%2Fblogs%2Fthesalt%2F2015%2F04%2F11%2F398325030%2Feating-to-break-100-longevity-diet-tips-from-the-blue-zones%23commentBlockFrom the title I thought they finally wrote a decent nutrition artlcle. NOPE. The article is based on the scientific analysis of “Blue Zones” (places where folks live 100 or more years) to find the common factors in their diets and lifestyle. But instead the article focuses on the things that are unique, such as a “high omega-3 cheese” in one area or #putaneggonit in another. Some eat up to a fish a day. BUT THE COMMON FEATURES WERE PLANT-BASED WHOLE FOODS. The article gives a nod to this fact but the message is so garbled you’d think you should eat fish, eggs, dairy to get that healthy mix right. did anyone else get this impression? What do I know? I’m just a beetle living on crumbs.Hey Thea, miss you :)Hi Gregor, Where is Thea? Anyhow did you read The Blue Zone? Didn’t you get the impression that the people are eating mainly WFPB? I did. Animal yes. But not that often. Sphincter slammed shut. Funny.Not yet, I was referring to the NPR article that reviewed it. My point was the article totally missed the point and instead focused on what we know are bad parts of the diet. I should have made it clear that I was troubled by the reporting….heres some references that make the point better than i can’1. B. Goldacre, Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, andBig Pharma Flacks (Faber & Faber, London, 2010).2 B. Goldacre, Bad Pharma: How Drug CompaniesMislead Doctors and Harm Patients (Faber & Faber,London, 2012).These were reviewed in Science 6 Feb 2015Where is Thea? Where is Toxins? Dr Dynamic must still be around!I was just wondering, if there was any scientific basis to the theory that too much salt can also cause strokes? My grandmother , her brother, and my aunt from my father’s side all ended up with strokes , although not until they were in their 80s and 90s. They had no cardiac symptoms or obesity issues and otherwise healthy.Some info on sodium and stoke in Dr. Greger’s video on Mediterranean diet. See if that helps. I think there is plenty of research to support the claim hypertension and high salt diets boosts stoke risk.Thank you ! This video (Mediterranean diet) and the video on “Aspirin levels in plant foods” you mentioned below was very helpful. Reducing salt is quite hard to do being a Savory – person but recently I’ve started trying adding lemon juice instead and it actually tastes better.It is a known fact now and was on CNN, NBC, National Geographic and so forth, that the groups of people in America that has the greatest longevity are the Seventh Day Adventists in Loma Linda, California, and they are among the top 3 groups in the entire World. They live on average 10 years longer than the rest of the population and are Vegetarians who believe in having a balanced diet of whole grains, legumes, nuts, vegetables and fruits. Dr John Harvey Kellogg was a Seventh Day Adventist. Look up ‘Dan Buettner: How to live to be 100+’ on YouTube.➧✬⌛⌛⌛⌛⌛⌛⌛ Hiiiiiii Friends….The Law Of Attraction Like You’ve Never Seen It.I have an amazing message for you today. It could change your life because it’ll help you unlock the FULL power of the Law of Attraction.It’s a very special FREE GIFT from a good friend of mine. This wonderful person has discovered how ANYONE can start using the LoA IMMEDIATELY to start getting what they want. I’m sure you’ll find it very useful!You can download this special report for free here.=> FREE Report- Unlock Law Of Attraction-►►►►►►►Unlock Law Of Attraction- MUST READ.Thank you very much.✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤I’ve read that vegans are at higher risk for hemorrhagic stroke. Is there any new information regarding this issue?Hey GoogGut. Did you not post this same question below? Dr. Forrester mentioned he would look, please await his reply. A quick search and only one study I found in the journal Medical hypotheses Only a theory that vegans could suffer more stoke. The abstract concludes “Nonetheless, vegans have the potential to achieve a truly exceptional ‘healthspan’ if they face this problem forthrightly by restricting salt intake and taking other practical measures that promote cerebrovascular health.” A case-control study study finds saturated fat boosting risk, especially in people with hypertension. If interested, here is more on information on stokes from Dr. Greger. Thanks for your comment.Hello, yes, Dr. Forrester has already replied to me below. I posted the above question first a few days ago. Then I figured I would have a better chance receiving an answer if I asked one of the doctors in the comments. I received a very quick reply from Dr. Forrester the same day I posted, but I was unable to delete my first post, which you see above. Thank you for your reply, and for the information, I will read through it. *** ha, I’ve just found the delete and edit buttons***Not a worry! Thanks, goodgutWhat’s the risk, if any, of eating too much dietary fiber foods? I eat 95%+ whole plant-based foods. Generally fruits in the morning. Often I can sit down and eat 2-3 lbs. of skinned and oil free baked potatoes for lunch and/or dinner. Or 3-4 cups of rice with 1+ cup of beans. I train 5-6x per week burning 1100-2500+ kcal per session, so my appetite can be insane. Sometimes I feel like I can’t get full. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to multiple 3-5x a day mud like stool, stomach rumbling, minor cramping and gas. If I have a massive salad, it often appears to go straight through me. I’ve read that too much fiber can cause nutrition absorption issues. Lots of confusing articles out there. Thoughts??This is a little off topic but speaking of fiber, it was amazing how the arthritis-like pain in my hands which started to develop quite early disappeared completely, when I increased the amount of green leafy vegetables in my diet. If I had not read about it at this site I probably would be on medication and still suffering from it. Thank you Dr Greger and team !Just love you, Dr. Gregor! wink-wink!100 grams of fiber a day would be 100 preventative against death. That is what you said. But who can eat 100 grams of plants a day? I thought you had ALS. I think a cure for you would be raw jello (possibly made with caregeen) and Hibisucs tea brewed in the refrigerator. 100 grams of plants is like 2.5 pounds a day. I love this site. I still say I don’t want to eat as much as it would take to make me a true vegan. Is Vitamin C Iron? Did you know that they humans make a hormone from the sunlight that is tougher than diamonds to make because it is has never been completely made. I say you should make nude sunbathing legal on all private property. Did you know that? The sun could still give you skin cancer. Most people are wasting all their food benefit from food stamps on meat. It is prossible that fruits and nuts are cheaper and more nutritous. Go to any landfill. It is filled with raw rotten meat. The study of how they lowered the federal funds rate for too long.By definitiion, meat has no fiber. Could this be true? Could this be untrue?walnuts are strongly recommended here for the prevention of strokes.What’s the risk, if any, of eating too much dietary fiber foods?Non-clinical, my personal experience and opinion (from the last 90 days of changed diet and intensive studies): Skinning those potatoes is vastly reducing the value of eating potatoes. I’m not back training yet, but am quite pleased with my diet now, mostly WFPB, plus b12 (and d3 when trapped indoors too long), PLUS one or two teaspoons of fresh-ground flaxseed. I sprinkle it over other foods, make bread with it, eat it straight out of the blender-amazing how it helps the stool and prostate. One or two movements daily, sometimes three-and generally perfect on the “stool scale” as discussed somewhere on here.	adolescence,apples,beans,berries,blood sugar,broccoli,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,children,cholesterol,diabetes,Dr. Denis Burkitt,Dr. John Harvey Kellogg,fat,fiber,Froot Loops,grains,heart disease,heart health,meat,nuts,oats,obesity,pasta,stroke,vegetables	Insufficient intake of fiber-rich foods may lead to the stiffening of our arteries associated with risk of having a stroke.	This may sound familiar—an abridged version was included in my latest year-in-review live presentation (From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food). More on preventing strokes can be found here:More on the wonders of fiber in:It really is never too early to start eating healthier. See, for example, Heart Disease Starts in Childhood and How to Prevent Prediabetes in Children.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pasta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-denis-burkitt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-john-harvey-kellogg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/froot-loops/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21540428,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23847250,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22623748,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2006199,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23317525,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7029135,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23539529,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23847247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22872372,
PLAIN-2460	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/	Diabetes as a Disease of Fat Toxicity	Both prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are caused by insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is now accepted to be closely associated with the accumulation of fat within our muscle cells. This fat toxicity inside of our muscles is a major factor in the cause of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes, as it interferes with the action of insulin. I’ve explored how fat makes our muscles insulin resistant, how that fat can come from the fat we eat or the fat we wear, and how not all fats are not the same. It’s the type of fat found predominantly in animal fats, relative to plant fats, that appears to be especially deleterious with respect to fat-induced insulin insensitivity. But this insulin resistance in our muscles starts years before diabetes is diagnosed.This is a graph of fasting blood sugars in the 13 years prior to the onset of diabetes. Insulin resistance starts over a decade before diabetes is actually diagnosed, as blood sugar levels slowly start creeping up. And then all the sudden the pancreas conks out, and blood sugars skyrocket. What could underlie this relatively rapid failure of insulin secretion?At first, the pancreas pumps out more and more insulin trying to overcome fat-induced insulin resistance in the muscles, and high insulin levels can lead to the accumulation of fat in liver, called fatty liver disease. Before diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, there is a long silent scream from the liver. As fat builds up in our liver, it becomes resistant to insulin too.Normally, the liver is constantly producing blood sugar to keep our brain alive between meals. As soon as we eat breakfast, though, the insulin released to deal with the meal normally turns off liver glucose production, which makes sense since we don’t need it anymore. But filled with fat, the liver becomes insulin resistant like our muscles do and doesn’t respond to the breakfast signal, and so keeps pumping out blood sugar all day long on top of whatever we eat. So the pancreas pumps out even more insulin to deal with the high sugars and our liver gets fatter and fatter. That’s one of the twin vicious cycles of diabetes. Fatty muscles, in the context of too many calories, leads to a fatty liver, which leads to an even fattier liver. This is all still before we have diabetes, but then the next vicious cycle starts.Fatty liver can be deadly. So the liver starts trying to offload the fat by dumping it back in the bloodstream in the form of something called VLDL and that starts building up in the cells in the pancreas that produce the insulin in the first place. So now we know how diabetes develops. Fatty muscles, lead to a fatty liver, which leads to a fatty pancreas. It is now clear that Type 2 diabetes is a condition of excess fat inside our organs.The only thing that was keeping us from diabetes, from unchecked skyrocketing blood sugars, is that the pancreas was working overtime pumping out extra insulin to overcome insulin resistance. But as the so-called islet, or Beta cells in the pancreas, are killed off by the fat buildup, insulin production starts to fail, and we’re left with the worst of both worlds, insulin resistance combined with a failing pancreas. Unable to then overcome the resistance, blood sugar levels go up and up and we have Type 2 diabetes.This has implications for cancer as well. Obesity leads to insulin resistance, and our blood sugars start to go up, so our pancreas starts pumping out more insulin to try to force more sugar into our muscles, and eventually the fat spills over into the pancreas as well, killing off the insulin-producing cells, and we’ve got diabetes, in which case we may have to start injecting insulin at high levels to overcome the insulin-resistance, and these high insulin levels promote cancer. That’s one of the reasons we think obese women get more breast cancer. It all traces back to fat getting into our muscle cells, causing insulin resistance. Fat from our stomach or fat going into our stomach.Now it should make sense why the American Diabetes Association recommends reduced intake of dietary fat as a strategy for reducing the risk for developing diabetes.	..Thanks for the information! I am wondering, would a high intake of monounsaturated fat also decrease insulin sensitivity? Perhaps a high intake of monounsaturated fat would also contribute to insulin resistance over time, but not to the same severity as saturated fat?Never mind. I just watched your previous video explaining the different fats. Thanks!The diabetes patients in my family just do not know this information. They firmly believe they can eat all the protein and accompanying fat as long as they stay away from the dreaded carbs. When they do eat carbs, they go off the wagon and have sugary treats instead of the banned potatoes and whole grains. Even though they are becoming more obese and their diabetes is progressing, their blood sugar reports are good convincing them that what they are doing is working. Two of them are in danger of having amputations. I will send them this video, but they would rather follow the Paleo diet than learn sound nutritional science. As long as they keep their sugars down, their doctors tell them they are doing great! Unbelievable!!BB, I’m so hoping that one day we see a comment from you indicating that you got through to your family. I can imagine going about disease progression apathetically when it just involves more pills or injections, but amputations?? It’s hard to believe that the risk of that isn’t so terrifying to make someone try having some meatless spaghetti for dinner. Do you have any contact info for their doctors? Maybe you could send some information directly to them. Sounds like they could use the education.If their doctors would adopt the nutritional science approach and give the recommendations, I am sure it would influence and help my family members. But, my family members are so attached to their beliefs, habits and traditions surrounding food, I am not sure they could ever make the necessary changes. .This is my husband’s family and my husband had to have a heart attack eleven years ago before he adopted the McDougall program and became the healthy individual he is today. We do live away from the family and are not embedded in all the unhealthy family gatherings. I am not sure my husband would have been so successful if he had lived around his family. They are all obese and have chronic nutritional diseases. We are the oddballs and it is interesting that they admire our health, respect what we do, but cannot put 2 and 2 together for themselves. At times, heartbreaking!Hi BB, yes your families beliefs are a major influence on decision to eat healthy, as a convert to the Seventh Day Adventist faith I have reaped incredible benefits from the health message that is a major strength of this faith and has blessed my life. All the best and God blessMost people have a misperception of what a “Paleo diet” is. Paleo diets are not at all what the Atkins diet was 10 years or so ago i.e., its not all the protein & fat you want. In fact, its a pretty well balanced approach (depending on whose interpretation of Paleo that is) consisting mostly of fresh non starchy veggies – the largest portion of your meal, a small amount of low fat protein, small amount of nuts, seeds & healthy fats, and a small amount of fruit. It excludes all processed foods, most processed grains & sugary drinks.Maybe the reason people have misinterpretations of what a “Paleo diet” is, is because, as you pointed out, what the diet contains seems to be open to the individual Paleo-dieter’s interpretation. A whole-foods, plant-based diet is more definitive.True, there are several “versions” of Paleo. Frankly, I think the term is a misnomer, and I don’t follow it. Then I saw one author’s recommendations, and found it quite reasonable and balanced. Its not 100% vegan, but when compared to the SAD, Atkins, even the Mediterranean diet, it looked pretty well balanced and more importantly, sustainable.I tend to prefer a slightly lower carb vegan/plant based diet, with cruciferous, leafy green, and allium vegetables providing most of my carbs, with sweet potatoes of varieties contributing to a few meals a week. I don’t avoid starchy vegetables and grains, but I certainly don’t seek them out. Protein comes mainly from legumes in various forms, and I find the supportive evidence for lauric rich fats (coconut oil) strong enough that it has become my sauté oil of choice. I suppose you could call this on the edge of paleo-vegan, I don’t. More like a carb-conscious plant based diet. It has allowed me to drop about 100 pounds over the last year (portion control and calorie intake consciousness), pretty much put my Type 2 diabetes on the back-burner (where it will hopefully remain, as it has since my becoming vegan about 3 years ago). I find this video fascinating, and the paleo-diet discussions as usual a bit overly dramatic.baggman744, rephrasing your description of Paleo, the largest portion of my meal has very low caloric content and then I can have small portions of the high-calorie stuff. If I need to consume 3000 calories a day at my activity level, where do those calories come from?Agree. I’m not vegan, and I still weight train, so calorically dense foods are a part of my diet. Yeah, I know there are vegan body building websites, but that wouldn’t work for me. How does one get 3000 KCals of broccoli? You’d need a wheel barrel…Beans, grains, nuts, seeds, whole-grain bread–that’s how you get larger calorie amounts. You can’t possibly eat enough fresh vegetables to rack up lots of calories, but vegans need to eat more than just fresh vegetables!Boiled potatoes, rice, bread, etc. all are full of calories and they go well with beans, tomato, raisins, etc…. Vegan diet is full of calories. If you insist on Oil, there is olive and vegetable oil.Paleo is morphing into many varieties as it enters the mainstream vernacular.True. Perfect example, look Atkins 10 years and today, very different. Like most things in diet trends/ popularity / nutritional recommendations, it’ll always be dynamic. As I’ve said, to me therm “Paleo” itself is a misnomer, but we (consumers) tend to like labels And for those “selling it”, it works, if for no other reason, marketing purposes.Exactly! I never thought I’d see the day when that would be Atkins branded TV dinners in the frozen food section! Paleo is showing signs of going the same route.Well “paleo” can really be branded like Atkins is. What I meant was, Atkins used to be all the butter, lard, and fat you want. Its come a long way since the death of Dr. Atkins, and the brand was sold by his family.Have them get their fasting insulin checked regularly–that will tell them what is REALLY going on! Since Type 2 Diabetes is a disease of insulin resistance from too much insulin, the lower the fasting insulin levels, the better. Most practitioners recommend fasting insulin below 10, with ideal at 3-5.Julie, Since the body’s pancreas and liver systematic functions of glucose storage, insulin and glucagon release, and systemic insulin resistance is reflected in fasting blood glucose measures, why not just measure/monitor morning blood glucose levels?Mark, because people can have normal blood sugar levels, like BB’s relatives, and think they’re all set. Insulin resistance is the problem; high blood sugar is just a symptom. Normal blood sugars with high fasting insulin indicate metabolic syndrome, as Dr. Greger discusses in the video. https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/insulin-causes-insulin-resistance-hormonal-obesity-x/Please see the discussion above about the Newcastle protocol for reversing diabetes. Paleo/LCHF controls blood sugar, but that’s all it does. Whereas, the program Prof. Roy Taylor has tested actually restores normal pancreatic function.With diabetes statistics looking unfavorably for people in my age group, this sort of information and this sort of website is invaluable. Watching these videos always gives me the feeling I’m on the ground floor of important information in the nutrition field. And it’s because of Dr. Greger and his staff and volunteers. Thank you, all of you.Ditto on the ‘Thanks to Dr. Greger and his staff and volunteers’. This valuable information from this website is the primary reason I changed my eating habits to Whole Foods – Plant Based!I took a look at the Standards of Medical Care document and while there’s some promising language, it’s still so pathetically inadequate. Some highlights were: recommending “at least” as much whole grains and fiber as for the general population, and recommending that carbohydrates come from fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains as opposed to processed foods with added sugars/fats.Unfortunately, they still recommend increasing fish for the omega-3s while simultaneously discouraging omega-3 supplements; insisting that there’s no conclusive evidence for an ideal fat or macronutrient levels overall, so that should be individualized based on patient “preference” and “metabolic goals”; and that fat and cholesterol levels should be the same as those for the general population, in other words, way too much. I did a search for the word “meat” and came up with zero hits in the entire document. Dairy is only mentioned as something that should be increased (once mentioned as “low fat dairy”, once simply mentioned as “dairy”). Even if the message to reduce saturated fat and cholesterol does get through to a patient, I would imagine most are going to respond to that by increasing chicken, fish, and egg white consumption. And speaking of protein, the standards of care initially state explicit instructions to not reduce protein consumption even in those with kidney disease, then later state reducing protein “might” be considered if the kidney disease is progressing to a certain degree.Even so called “good fat” in the end is fat. It’s easy to over consume fat if one uses oils in cooking and also eats a lot of nuts.This Doctor in the link below claims that meat causes diabetes.https://www.facebook.com/drgarth/posts/942670975753811My question/concern……he also claims in a reply to one of his readers that the saturated fat in coconut does not cause diabetes. This seems to go against current thinking on this website here, no? I am aware that their are (reportedly) populations of people who ingest large amounts of plant-based saturated fats that do not get diabetes, but is this just a fluke? Would a diet consisting of 40 percent of its calories from coconuts and nuts and seeds eventually increase/cause type 2 diabetes?Has anyone here been able to maintain a high carb/sugar high plant-based fat diet and not have issues? Maybe for a few years I’d think it could be OK but long-term I’d think there’d be issues.Very interesting. The Medical community will soon recommend liver transplant as a solution to this deadly epidemic :-) Diabetes is a very serious disease – you are at high risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, impotence, cancer, amputation, blindness, gastroparesis, dementia and painful polyneuropathy. Don’t expect a cure from Big Pharma – their goal is not to cure the disease, but to control it – keeping you as a patient for many years. Besides antidiabetic medication you will get antihypertensive drugs, simvastatin, an anticoagulant and antidepressant against the painful polyneuropathy. There are a lot of money in this disease. For most people type 2 diabetes is a choice. If one of your parents have the disease, and you become fat, then you will get the disease with a very high probability. Unless you do something drastic – as shifting to a mainly plant based diet. Sugar is not the culprit – high blood sugar is just the consequence. The villain is the fat. Lets call the disease by its real name: Lipotoxemia disease. You eat too much toxic fat!https://www.facebook.com/drgarth/posts/942670975753811The doctor from the link i just included here claims that coconut fat is not an issue, as it is a plant-based fat and he says that there is evidence that cultures who consume lots of coconut fat do not have the diabetes issues. Your thoughts?My first thought is that it is BS (not blood sugar !) Coconut fat contains a lot of saturated fat (Toxins or Darryl can probably tell how much ;-) ). Cultures consuming a lot of coconut fat probably base most of their diet on plants – that could be one explanation – like a flexitarian on a mostly plant based diet, but eating meat, fish or cheese once or twice pr month. Just my thoughts for what it is worth.My good friend/triathlete/bariatric surgeon Dr. Garth in Elsie’s link implies that fats vs. carbs is just a distraction. It is the animal proteins that lead to insulin resistance/diabetes. “Meat consumption is a major cause of diabetes, carbs are not.” Saturated fat only entered the discussion when the meat producers conspired to blunt the message of eat less meat and turned it into eat lean protein, accepting saturated fat as the new villain as a stand-in for animal foods. All of these diseases of excess are multifactorial, meaning that it is an exceedingly complex and varied system and you usually can’t blame just one thing when there is an endless stream of things; but meat, especially modern factory meat, embodies a broad spectrum of these causative factors: saturated fat, animal protein, heme iron, pathogens, endotoxins, antibiotics, hormones, biomagnified environmental toxins, microbiome dysbiosis, etc.Interesting. “All of these diseases of excess are multifactorial” – agree, biology is complexThat’s why magic bullets are so elusiveHi elsie, I didn’t see anything about coconut in that post? Is there a different one where he elaborates on this issue or did I miss it somehow?For what it’s worth, I think Dr. Davis is fantastic! We need more docs like him and especially on social media.Re: coconut fat, I know I’ve seen some things before about particular Pacific islanders and coconut consumption, and when you really break it down, they’re eating mostly tubers with a very small volume of coconut, maybe 20% calories from fat in the diet overall. Which is higher than e.g. an Esselstyn recommended diet, but still much lower than a standard American “low fat” diet. So with enough sweet potatoes and exercise, maybe a little extra fat isn’t the end of the world (or maybe there are in fact significant differences in long term health outcomes that aren’t being addressed), but unfortunately these nuances often get lost in translation and the average reader thinks oh goody, coconut oil ad libitum, and will surpass what the islanders were eating in total fat consumption, without incorporating all of the other health promoting diet and lifestyle factors: activity, sweet potatoes and other low fat high fiber foods, community, stress reduction, etc. Just my two cents. If you can share an actual study he’s referenced, we can look at the details more. :)Yeah, good points you make. If you read the comments toward the end of the page, you’ll see the Dr.’s comments to someone on coconut fat.from the link/page:DR. GARTH DAVIS “There is an island where they eat large quantities of coconut and do not appear to have diabetes. Saturated fat is a major culprit but no the kind in coconuts”QUESTION: do you recommend avoiding nuts, seeds and avocados because of their high fat content? In the “rant” you often speak about “fat” – can one assume that you are, in general, referring to animal sources of fat, and not to plant sources? Because of the recent data coming out of the Adventist HS-2 (vegans who consume nuts and seeds regularly end up living 7-8 years longer than vegans who do not), I have been enjoying flaxseeds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds on a daily basis. Might these fatty foods lead to insulin resistance?Also, do you know anything about the effect of whole coconut flesh (coconut butter, which is puréed whole coconut) on insulin resistance? After all, it is saturated fat – but does it have the same effect as animal-source saturated fat? 2 · 13 hrs Dr. Garth Davis The studies I have reviewed show no harm to nuts, seeds and avocados. I include them in my diet. I caution patients on the calorie content however. 2 · 13 hrs DR. GARTH DAVIS “There is an island where they eat large quantities of coconut and do not appear to have diabetes. Saturated fat is a major culprit but no the kind in coconuts”Dr. Greger has a few thoughts on coconut and I am planning to update any new research in the Ask the Dietitian section, as this is always a hot topic. In the meantime, here are a few notes from Dr. Greger’s video on coconut oil. I took this straight from the transcripts.“Walter Willett’s recommendation from Harvard, if you are going to use it use it sparingly. Now look, if you’re eating so healthy that your LDL cholesterol is under 60 or 70, then I don’t see coconut oil as a problem. Unlike saturated animal fats, coconut oil doesn’t cause that spike inflammation immediately after consumption of animal foods, which makes sense because as you’ll remember it may be the dead bacterial endotoxins in animal products ferried into the body by saturated fat that are to blame. ”There are 3 videos in the “Doctor’s Note” section that discuss animal fat and endotoxins. I think they may helpful. More to come on this…Thanks , JosephThis seems to be the consensus. Without mentioning any names, two respected Harvard grads, one an MD/ researcher & author, the other a respected nutritionist & author whose recommendations I trust, share this exact opinion. I’ve never bought into the whole “miracle of coconut oil” thing, never used it, don’t see a reason to start.Yes, I would agree with Dr. Davis and others that nuts, seeds, coconut, and avocado can certainly play a beneficial role in a healthy diet, and being plants, certainly they all have unique phytonutrients, but of course as he mentions, watch the calories. This is an area where I definitely think individual considerations are warranted. For those seeking rapid heart disease reversal, or having trouble losing weight, restricting them might be for the best. For others, they might provide unique health benefits. I think everyone should eat mindfully, and watch their own weight, cholesterol levels, insulin levels, etc, and do what appears to keep them happiest and healthiest. One thing I think does need to be treated with caution is qualitative wording like “large quantities”, for reasons stated in previous comment. Americans certainly have their own unique perspectives on what “large quantities” are, and also as MacSmiley mentions, coconut itself and the currently super trendy coconut oil are very different foods.The coconut-centered cultures with little or no diabetes (Kitavans?) eat whole food coconut, not gobs of coconut oil.………and they don’t sit in front of a TV or a computer all day; they engage in physical labor 8-12 hours a day.Yeah, I’m inclined to believe that the coconut oil fat is not so good as well. I think Darryl has commented on this before, and I gather he knows what he is talking about. The only thing that makes me pause, though, is I meet a fair amount of seemingly healthy and fit people who costume a fair amount of saturated fats. I think that the benefit that coconut has going for it is that it is not too high in omega 6, and the other plant-based fats in nuts and avocados can, in excess of omega 3 fats, cause issues.I just stick with the science and chalk anecdotes up as diversions. It really doesn’t matter that sometimes some people claim to eat some saturated fat and have the outward appearance that someone might consider healthy, does it? I believe we are beyond that now.Stories of someone’s great grandmother living to 102 smoking cigarettes, eating eggs and bacon for breakfast, or doing a shot of whisky every day only make me wonder how long they would have lived if they had not done those unhealthy things.Alas, science contradicts itself a lot! There is scientific proof that low carb is healthier then high carb and vice versa. Plant proteins are better than meat proteins BUT meat has B12 so you have to supplement if you’re eating only plants. So eat some meat every now and then? Some plant fats are good (avocado) some are bad just like some animal fats. I prefer to eat as much variety as possible: some veganistic, fish and meat.I think evidence is different than “proof”, that “science” doesn’t answer questions like “is high carb healthier than low carb”, and that contradictory evidence means our understanding is incomplete rather than being an indictment of “science”.Having said all that, I would much rather make dietary decisions based on today’s knowledge than the knowledge we had 20 years ago or more. I certainly wouldn’t decide today, for example, that I needed to eat meat because it contains B12. B12 is created by bacteria, and we have to get it from alternative sources due to modern hygiene and living standards. This is not evidence that meat is required for health or survival. It is evidence that we can have profound impacts on our environment. But we already know that.I think that if you do some research you will find out that a lot of meat eaters are low on B12. It is not just Vegans that have the problem.Yes, I know that the older you get the less able you are to get B12 out of your food. And of course meat is not the only source of B12: yeast (inacitvated) is also a great source of B12. And of course science of today can be very helpful. Still every now and then practical wisdom from long ago gets attention as science (finally) sees the evidence of it. People and apes always have ben eating nuts, seeds etc. Eating no or hardly any fatty veggies or fruit (avocado) is just not a good idea.The best and most extensive review of coconut oil on the internet is probably this one done by the American Heart Association, they do address why it probably should be limited: http://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/uploads/Evidence_paper_coconut_August_2014.pdfSo, the question now becomes, if we have fat invading our organs, how do we get the fat back out? If I drop 50lbs, how do I make sure those first 50lbs are the organ and muscle fat? Is the body protective of that fat or does it give it up first?Hi Mike, I assume from your name that you’re vegan, so the good news is that if we accept the principle that ectopic fat stores are the underlying cause of the disease, and if we look to the results (i.e. those on low fat vegan diets with unrestricted carbohydrate intake are able to reduce or even eliminate insulin dosage) it follows as a reasonable conclusion that ectopic fat stores are in fact being reduced by such a diet.Speaking solely of weight loss in itself, it appears that hepatic lipids are mobilized first, followed by visceral, subcutaneous abdominal, and then skeletal muscle lipids. Reduction in skeletal muscle lipids may have been the lowest, however it is still a significant reduction:“[…] ~27 kg weight loss improved both hepatic as well as peripheral insulin sensitivity. The largest reduction occurred in hepatic TG content (−85%), whereas IMCLs accumulation in the skeletal muscle decreased by 38%. The relative reduction in visceral fat was larger than the reduction in subcutaneous abdominal fat (−60% and −45% resp.) (accepted for publication in Obesity [98]).” [http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ije/2012/983814/]Studies from the above review are mostly dealing with results from low calorie or very low calorie diets; if the studies referenced are in line with American standard dietary recommendations for diabetics, then the fat content by caloric percentage may be 3-5 times higher than what a low fat vegan diet would provide. It sure would be nice to see the results of hepatic/skeletal muscle/etc lipid mobilization in a low fat vegan diet trial.Thanks for that information, and I will be reviewing it. Yes, I am a high carb low fat vegan switching Jan 1 of this year from a Standard American Diet. This also brings up another question. If that fat is released, where does it go? Could this be part of the cause of elevated triglycerides reported by some moving to a high carb, low fat plant based diet.If you are on a low fat vegan diet and losing weight (maybe 1/2 lb/day), and you wake up around 4 am and are really hot, that is a tipoff of where the fat is going. If your body wants to, it can burn it off while you are sleeping.Sadly, my mother did die from just this scenario. Diabetes. Liver Cancer that grew to include Bowel Cancer. Pancreatic fail. Congestive Heart Failure. Three years before she died, she said she’d rather die than give up meat. The last words she said to me the day before she died were, “I love you. Thank you for taking care of me. I’ll start eating (whole foods, vegan) like you.”wow. Oh man that hits me really hard because my mother is also not vegan. And she smokes. Those last words are almost too sad to hear. I pray I can keep her from a painful end. I sympathize with you so much friend. That is too sad.OK, so how to get rid of the fat. I did it by eating no bread, pasta, rice, sugar. Lost all my fat and kilo’s while eating nuts like almonds and pecan and seeds with chick peas etc. Now this story tells me that I must have loads of fat in my muscles? I don’t think so. I learned that sugar (carbo) is turned into fat which I can confirm for I had quite some fat in the days I was still eating a lot of bread and pasta. If I want to put on weight I only have to eat pasta for a couple of days and presto I’m getting fat again. So how come eating fat would turn me fat without me seeing it?Ectopic fat is found within skeletal muscle tissue and in and around the internal organs, e.g. the liver, pancreas, and heart. It is different from subcutaneous fat which is found just under the skin and is what most people think of when they think of the word “fat”.Ectopic fat was my beer belly :-) http://www.myhealthywaist.org/ This Canadian organization talks about that. So, it is something that shows quite clearly and I do not have it anymore. Nonetheless I eat 1 to 2 handfull of nuts/seeds a day. And use coconut oil in my coffee, a recommendation from Dr. Perlmutter http://www.drperlmutter.com/tag/coconut-oil/ I know that vitamins like A, D and E are only available in fat. I do not know of any vitamins that are only available in carbo like bread and pasta. After a week not eating bread, pasta, pizza, potatoes and rice the beer belly was almost gone :-) I feel a lot better so would I need to be eating grains again?This video almost indicates for an analysis of your fasting glucose numbers. As it indicates that the more fat stored in the muscles, the poorer the insulin response which should drive up your glucose numbers. Perhaps not high enough to be considered diabetic, but perhaps on the high side of “normal”What about paleo eaters who eat mostly animal fat and protein and do crossfit workouts? They look lean and healthy, so it’s hard to argue they aren’t. Are we worried about those folks? Is it more about excess calories or more about dietary fat?A recent video may help to answer that for you: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/That video only deals with cholesterol and insulin levels. More important, “looking” lean and healthy is not really any indication of health at the cellular level. Many chronic diseases e.g. heart disease, cancers, degenerative diseases, etc, will not be visible just by looking at someone and seeing how many momentum propelled “pull-ups” they can do.Thanks for the reply. I refreshed myself on the video re paleo. I agree that eventually my paleo friends will have health concerns as a result of their diet. One friend sadly even went from a vegan diet to paleo because her fitness results were better. I should ask her for her cholesterol numbers. Perhaps ultimately, as vegans, we may have to accept that some athletic high fat meat dieters can have a healthy profile and physique and we elect to choose vegan for multiple reasons in addition to health. Or perhaps I should be worried about my friends (in addition to the animals and planet).So let me getting this straight. Intramyocellular lipid toxicity, a.k.a. Lipotoxicity, leads to cancer, impotence, vaginal dryness, obesity, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, diabetes, stroke, vascular and coronary heart disease. Did I miss any? Talk about digging your own grave with your teeth. If I were to compose a song to describe this dynamic, I would entitled it: “Killing me slowly with barbecue double bacon cheese burgers with onion rings”Elvis could sing the song after his fav snack. The peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich, or peanut butter and banana sandwich, sometimes referred to as an Elvis sandwich or simply the Elvis,ELVIS’ AILMENTSHEART DISEASE – The autopsy revealed Elvis suffered at least 3 heart attacks before the final one.CANCER OF THE LIVER & BONE – Elvis believed he had cancer, and at least one of his doctors (according to Elvis) diagnosed it. It was said to be caused by PERNICIOUS ANEMIA, coming from a GENETIC LIVER DISEASE.ERYTHEMATOUS & SYSTEMIC LUPUS – This is a painful and sometimes deadly disease. There is both an outer epidermal form of it and a type that effects the internal organs. Elvis had both, although for him it was mostly an internal malady.HYPERTENSION & HIGH BLOOD PRESSUREDIABETESINSOMNIA – a chronic, hereditary clincal disorder.GLAUCOMA – This is an extremely painful eye condition which is the third leading cause of blindness in the U.S.CLUSTER/MIGRAINE HEADACHESENLARGED AND OBSTRUCTED COLON – caused severe CONSTIPATION. Elvis’ colon was actually deformed. He was born with this abnormality.A PARTIAL COLON BY-PASSTHREE COMPRESSED SPINAL FRACTURESSEVERE ARTERY DETERIORATIONA SUPPRESSED IMMUNE SYSTEMNice, and all fried in either bacon grease or butter. The only thing to make it complete is to dip it in egg batter, deep fry it and smother it in chocolate. It’s no wonder that he had an obstructed colon. Put that in your green smoothie and drink it.Here is the low carb version: http://dudefoods.com/bacon-weave-elvis-sandwich/Best diabetes tutorial I’ve ever experienced! Kudos once again, Dr. Greger.So happy to hear that! I was afraid it was going to be too academic for folks. I’m glad at least someone understood it! :)Dr. Greger does an excellent job of pulling it all together! I have been recommending this approach for the last 8 years or so… although folks like Dr. John McDougall have been having success for much longer… not to mention Dr. Walter Kempner’s work see video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/ in the early part of 20th century. The science keeps coming but as our understanding grows it only reaffirms what works. The devil is in the details and it is a bit complicated but the take home message is clear… diabetes whole food plant based diet with adequate starches to ensure adequate calorie intake. If you eat just non starchy vegetables and fruits you don’t get enough calories. At least the message is starting to get out that the “glucose” processing problem is caused by “fats” in the diet. Jeff Novick RD was the first one I saw tie exercise to calorie density(calories/pound). It is very useful concept. It helps explains how folks like Jim Fixx can exercise, be lean and die suddenly. Lean doesn’t necessarily mean that your arterial system is healthy. The fitness helps stabilize the arteries but to stack the odds in your favor you need to eat properly. Folks can and do change but at different rates. It would be nice if the environment would encourage proper eating but that would mean government, business and especially the health care professionals would start recommending the best lifestyle approaches. Until that happens we can keep getting the information out there and leading by example. I believe referring folks to NutritionFacts.org for the latest science, Dr. McDougall’s website for those who want a more clinical perspective… see his December 2009 newsletter article on treating diabetes, and PCRM for some practical tools to help make the transition… Vegetarian Starter Kit, Nutrition for Kids, and 21 Day Kickstarter programs available in english, spanish and mandarin! Patients on medications need to work with their providers. This is especially important for patients on diabetes and high blood pressure medications. Of course it would help if health care professionals were reimbursed in a manner to support creating healthy citizens and not for visits for procedures and drugs that aren’t healthy over time. Keep tuned.‘… Fixx was genetically predisposed (his father had a heart attack at 35 and died of another at 43, and Fixx himself had a congenitally enlarged heart), and had several lifestyle issues. Fixx was a heavy smoker prior to beginning running at age 36, he had a stressful occupation, he had undergone a second divorce, and his weight before he took up running had ballooned to 220 pounds (100 kg).[6]’ –wikiThere are of course many contributing factors but Esselstyn’s work at the Cleveland clinic published last year showed it is possible to stabilize the arterial tree and almost eliminate arterial events… 0.6% over 3 1/2 years as opposed to standard medical care of 20% per year (Courage study). His study involved persons with proven coronary artery disease. Stopping smoking for 3 years returns your risk to baseline. In my clinical experience the biggest problem with stress is what patients do when under significant stress… eating and exercising typically are poorer. Given a genetic predisposition all the more reason to pursue lifestyle habits since we can’t change our genes but diet has significant effect on whether they are expressed. Be well.still…someone with a genetic predispostion doesn’t seem to be a good example to use.[..and stress does cause health problems directly, but you know that].An appropriate response would have been ‘yeah, ok, my bad’.This is great advice for diabetic patients. Most people believe that sugar and carbs are the culprits, but this shows that a high fat diet is also detrimental to their health. Not only is a low carb diet beneficial, but a low fat diet is too: http://www.aboutlowcarbfoods.org/low-carb-diet-diabetes/low-carb-diet-and-diabetes/ Will make sure to counsel my diabetic patients about a low fat diet too. Thanks Dr. G!The reason most people believe sugar and carbs are the culprits it’s because they are.What causes a bigger insulin spike, sugar/carbs, or fats? Remember, one of insulin’s primary functions is to clear glucose out of the system. Fat doesn’t create the same glucose response as sugar/carbs because there is in fact no sugar in fat. So obviously for diabetics, they want more fat in their diet than sugar/carbs.That is all you really need to know to derive any common sense from thisAMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION STANDARDS OF MEDICAL CARE IN DIABETES—2015http://professional.diabetes.org/admin/UserFiles/0%20-%20Sean/Documents/January%20Supplement%20Combined_Final.pdf‘Carbohydrate amount and available insulin may be the most important factors influencing glycemic response after eating and should be considered when developing the eating plan.‘Monitoring carbohydrate intake, whether by carbohydrate counting or experience-based estimation, remains critical in achieving glycemic control.’‘Carbohydrate Management- Individuals with type 1 diabetes should be offered intensive insulin therapy education using the carbohydrate counting meal planning approach (37,39,40,43,50), which has been shown to improve glycemic control’A variety of eating patterns have been shown to be effective in managing diabetes, including Mediterranean-style (53,65), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-style (66), and plant-based (vegan or vegetarian) (67), lower-fat (68), and lower-carbohydrate patterns (68).’These excerpts illustrate perfectly why following the mainstream dietary recommendations for diabetes results in diabetes being considered a lifelong, incurable disease.The operative word in these guidelines is “glycemic” control. This type of diet ignores and makes no attempt to fix the underlying cause of the disease (lipid induced insulin resistance), but rather “works” by simply managing a symptom (excess carbohydrate in the blood).By promoting carbohydrate restriction, this type of diet inevitably increases insulin response and decreases insulin sensitivity due to increased protein and fat in the diet; both of which resulting in progression of the disease.These guidelines are designed perfectly to prevent people diagnosed with diabetes from actually seeing any improvement in their disease status over time. A focus only on glycemic response rather than insulin response will keep them diabetic, and most likely promote a gradual worsening of the disease over time. This is in contrast to high carbohydrate low fat nutritional intervention, which actually fixes a broken system (elevated insulin levels and interference in signal transduction) and can result in actual reversal of the disease over time.Do you think the advised ‘Mediterranean-style’ diet might also ‘fix the broken system’ in addition to improving glycemic control ?Or is high carbohydrate low fat the only path to the fix?Well first we have to define “Mediterranean” diet. In the U.S. this often means a salad with a big fillet of fish covered in feta cheese. Going back to the studies leading to the original inception of the “Mediterranean” diet concept, we see the Cretans were eating 93% of their calories from plants (largely from grains, fruits, and legumes), with approximately 3 tbsp of olive oil per day (and in addition to diet, walking approximately 8-9 miles per day on hilly ground). Certainly eating a mostly plant based diet would point a person in the right direction. Though considering the known effects of both protein and saturated fat on insulin response and function, respectively, along with the complete lack of blood sugar-modulating fiber and phytonutrients, certainly one would guess that less animal products would be better.So the remaining question in regards to the true Medi diet is that of olive oil. People often associate olive oil with unsaturated fat, but of course it is a mix of both unsaturated and saturated. 3 tbsp of olive oil offers about 6 g saturated fat, which to put in perspective is about the same amount as in a 6 oz sirloin steak. Which still, if the main source of saturated fat in the diet, is going to be much lower than the average American’s intake. However for someone like me on a low fat plant based diet, adding that to my diet could easily double or triple my intake for the day. So personally, if I already had the disease, and wanted to clean out and retool the cellular machinery as efficiently as possible, I would choose less saturated fat rather than more and leave out the oil, again based on what we know of the mechanisms of saturated fat induced insulin resistance.Since excess body fat in general is also implicated in diabetes (see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/ ), that would make me wary of adding so much (even unsaturated) fat to the diet, which would obviously increase the caloric density of the diet, making it easier to achieve a surplus of calories and prevent the reduction of body fat itself. Frankly I don’t think we have any studies testing an authentic “Mediterranean” diet for the reversal of diabetes. If we did have a true Medi diet vs truly low fat plant based diet though, my bet would be on the lower fat diet at least for speed of recovery from the disease.ok, fair enough. thanks.high carb low fat is not a fix, it’s a detriment. The American populace has been following a high-carb low fat diet since the early 80’s and they havn’t got healthier, they’ve gotten worse. No not everyone is at McDonalds, they are actually trying to abstain from fats in the diet and it’s killing them.Mediterranean diet fixes the broken system but so does paleo, and mediterranean was derived from paleo.As far as I know, American fat intake has been averaging about 80 grams per day since at least the 1970s, though it has slightly decreased as a percentage of calories basically due to an increase in consumption of junky carbs. Last I checked, most of the world was getting a greater share of their calories from carbohydrate, and a lower share from fat, than Americans.You say “..carbohydrate restriction…. inevitably increases insulin response”. How can that be? Does’nt rising(!) blood sugar leads to rising insulin which leads to storing the glucose as fat in the cells?Hi Wil, this statement was in reference to the fact that calories come from only three sources: carbohydrates, fatty acids, or proteins. By limiting one (carbohydrate), the proportion of the other two (fat, proteins, or both) will inevitably see a relative increase in the diet.See the effect of protein on insulin response here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/And the effect of fat on insulin signaling pathways here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/So high fat-high protein foods (or an overall high fat/protein diet) essentially pack a one-two punch: stimulate insulin surges while simultaneously inhibiting insulin function.B00mer, your link on insulin in regards to fat is wrong. A simple experiment on your own body will tell you that.Go eat a couple of spoonfuls of olive oil and see what happens to your energy.Now go eat dougnut and see what happens to your energy.A rise in glucose causes a rise in insulin because the insulin needs to clear the glucose out of the system to acceptable levels. B00mer, what has more sugar in it, a doughnut or a olive oil? Come on, this isn’t difficult.Your own point even proved your wrong “high fat/protein diet “inhibiting insulin function”. That’s the point B00mer, it inhibits it, it slows it down so things are stored more slowly, but fat doesn’t create an insulin response, protein does. So now we have a case of a high protein/fat diet inhibiting the insulin response which is what WE want. We don’t want our insulin blowing through the roof.Where your getting stuck is you think protein/fat is causing an insulin surge which it isn’t, and I bring you back to common sense here..What has more sugar, steak or an apple? What has more sugar, chicken breast w/ olive oil or carrots? What has more sugar, Fish w/ coconut oil or a bowl of pasta?You can’t honestly sit there and think all those proteins with fats carry more sugar than the latter. So if they don’t carry as much sugar, then how are they going to carry a surging insulin response compared to their sugar-ladened counter parts?Have your forgotten what insulin’s primary jobs were? Aside from storing nutrients, its’ meant to clear glucose from our system, so how is it that you think protein/fat foods are creating a larger sugar response than the foods which actually have more sugar in them?so how is it that you think protein/fat foods are creating a larger sugar responseFirst, your comment displays an extreme lack of knowledge and understanding about a very important distinction: insulin response vs glucose response. These are inversely proportional. If you had an even minimal amount of knowledge on the subject, you would know this. Google these, learn the difference, then re-read my comment.What I said was that high protein foods induce a higher insulin response. Let’s clarify something else: I don’t “think” that they do. They do. This is observable reality, based on science. If you disagree with the use of modern scientific inquiry to obtain meaningful results to questions about the world around us, then there is nothing to discuss. I prefer to base my scientific knowledge on reality, not musings and thought experiments by non-scientist internet commenters.So now we have a case of a high protein/fat diet inhibiting the insulin response which is what WE want. We don’t want our insulin blowing through the roofI’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but again you display a complete ignorance on the subject. In your phrase “inhibiting the insulin response” you have conflated two entirely separate phenomena. Again, please google these. Use of incorrect terminology (you are in fact using things that mean the opposite of what you are intending) renders the conversation meaningless.1. There is NO inhibiting of the insulin response between fat or protein. First, protein induces an insulin surge significantly higher than fat or carbohydrate. This is science. This is real life. Accept it.2. Second, fat does not inhibit the response. Saturated fat inhibits insulin function. This is the signalling cascade that occurs within a cell upon insulin binding. This means your insulin isn’t working. This is called insulin resistance.We’re talking about the amount of insulin that is released into the bloodstream (insulin response) vs the ability of insulin to achieve the desired effect once it binds to a cell (insulin sensitivity or insulin function).You can’t honestly sit there and think all those proteins with fats carry more sugar than the latter.I never once stated or said anything that could possibly be construed to have insinuated this. Once again, you need to learn the definitions of the following terms: glucose response, insulin response, insulin sensitivity. Then you will be at least have the opportunity to make a cogent statement on the subject.A simple experiment on your own bodyWhat is this, the middle ages? Thanks, but I enjoy living in the modern scientific age.B00mer, you do realize that people who continue to suffer from diabetes are those who continue to follow a low fat / moderate to high carb diet?60 years of studies were trying to prove that low fat was the problem but every one of them failed. None were ever published and when asked they said “the results are not what they’d hoped for”What does that tell you B00mer?Bob, I don’t think it is worth having a conversation with you until you have demonstrated that you understand the key terms in the discussion.Your characterization of scientists “trying to prove” something illustrates that you don’t really understand the practice of science itself. Here is how the scientific method works: 1) make an observation about the world around you, 2) ask questions about what you see, 3) try to answer those questions.If scientists make an observation high carb low fat diets reverse diabetes, they will try to answer why and how. And that has been done. Studies have been done to see which foods induce the highest insulin surges. The answer: pure refined sugar, and meat. Studies have been done to elucidate the mechanism by which insulin resistance occurs. We now know at the cellular and molecular level how saturated fat causes this. Scientists have gone on to put people on low fat high carbohydrate diets (ad libitum, meaning completely unrestrained intake of carbohydrates), and the results are as good or better than the ADA recommend diet which restricts carbohydrates from entering the bloodstream to begin with. So clearly the high carb low fat diet is improving the ability of the body to properly and efficiently process those carbohydrates.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677007/ http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/29/8/1777.fullContrast the above with your approach: you have decided on your own that protein and fat reduce insulin response and increase insulin sensitivity. Despite both of these statements being factually at odds with well established and accepted basic physiological research, you cling to them and since evidence disagrees with you, you can only support them with your personal opinions and wishful thinking. Go on believing this if you want to, but if we can’t agree on the importance and existence of evidence, this isn’t a conversation worth having.Question: So when someone eats a high fat meal, the fat enters the bloodstream. From there it enters the muscle cell, hampering insulin activity in that cell. Where else does fat from the meal go? Does the excess fat travel to the liver for processing? If so, can it temporarily cause fatty liver, resulting in insulin resistance of the liver?Here is an example of what happens after consuming a high fat meal. One study explaining the pathway. See if these resources help? Dr. Greger always has great info in his “Doctor’s Note” section that may also help.Thanks, JosephThanks, Joseph. The study kind of helps. I just want to know if eating a high fat meal can cause temporary hepatic insulin resistance in a non diabetic.Oh I see. I think so. This video may help have you seen it? What Causes Insulin Resistance? This should answer your question, but double check that I am thinking right.Thanks, Julie JosephThanks, that is very useful information. The article below also indicates that high fat diets impair brain health as well as cardiovascular health. It concluded that: “Raising plasma free fatty acids decreased myocardial PCr/ATP and reduced cognition, which suggests that a high-fat diet is detrimental to heart and brain in healthy subjects.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/93/4/748.fullIf you’ve looked at the studies over the past 60 years, you’d find that those with cardiovascular disease were mostly people who ate a low fat diet.Care to provide some evidence for that statement? I’ve looked at plenty of studies. None of them have shown that. What they show is that people whose diets are high in saturated fat, trans fat and junk foods have a greater risk of chronic disease. Sure, a low fat diet that is high in junk (refined/processed) carbs is unhealthy but Pritikin, Esselstyn and Ornish have shown that low fat plant based whole food diets reverse cardiovascular disease.You answered your question “Fat hampers insulin activity”In order for a nutrient to be stored, it needs insulin to do so. Fat can’t be “stored” if insulin is impaired, hence why type 1 diabetics need to inject insulin so they can “store” the nutrients.If you eat a high carb / high fat meal, yes the fat can go straight to fat storage which is why it’s generally not recommended to people unless they are trying to gain weight.Fat by itself just gets converted to glucose in either your liver, small intestines, or kidney’s. It then just sits there until it gets burned off or shuttled out with insulin. It also activates the fat burning enzymes in the body. If your body doesn’t see fat coming in, it thinks it’s starving and wont burn it. Fats are usually consumed with proteins like in foods such as steak; however, the process is no different than above as fat blunts the absorption rate of protein. and thus creates a nice lasting effect of energy throughout the day.The problem with the whole Vegan approach is the low fat whole plant food diet. Fat doesn’t get stored but it doesn’t really get burned either, protein does. But because people see weight loss they think “whoohoo”; but in reality, the body will not burn fat if it’s not getting it. Fat is essential for burning fat to avoid “starvation mode”Dr. Garth Davis, a triathlete weight loss surgeon, just posted a long rant on this as well, he cites the animal protein not just the fat, replete with citations for his upcoming book: https://www.facebook.com/drgarth/posts/942670975753811 Carbs vs. fat is really just a distracting sideshow to the protein type/amountGreat info by Dr. Davis. Thanks for sharing.Well worth watching, Dr. Greger’s cited source Dr. Roy Taylor at the (LCHFThanks MacSmiley but the video is down now and behind a paywall. I have previously seen some articles about Taylor’s approach but none seem to mention protein-sparing as such. Can you elaborate? I understand that the intervention diet was liquid meal replacements and salad but it was not specifically intended to be protein-sparing as I understand it. http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/36/4/1047.full http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/may/12/type-2-diabetes-diet-cureSorry, Tom. I posted the link because, even though the video was only supposed to be up for 24 hours, it actually was available for several weeks. It went unavailable about an hour after I posted the link.Prof. Taylor /Newcastle University in England has posted a webpage with resources.http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal.htmThis is exciting work. Most diets aim to control blood sugar in the seru most diets aim to control fasting blood sugar and A1C. LCHF does this, but does not cure the diabetes. In fact, it Derain Jews carbohydrate metabolism even further.The Newcastle protocol, by evacuating the fat inside The liver and pancreas, actually restores the pancreas’s normal insulin spiked response to glucose!!I love telling people about the benefits of a whole food plant-based diet, but so many people are unwilling to make such a big long term change.Even though the Newcastle protocol is not pleasant (Taylor talked about hunger pangs disappearing, but both cases cited mention the opposite), it is temporary. Afterwords person is free to choose whichever diet is most suited for him from for the weight loss and maintenance. And that diet can include a baked potato.Thanks again. However, I had thought that LCHF diets could reverse diabetes in (obese) people to the extent that they deliver very significant weight loss? This would only be short-term I imagine given the nature of LCHF diets.Anyway, on this broad topic of fat and insulin resistance, I thought that the 2011 article below was very interesting. You might also find it interesting. http://advances.nutrition.org/content/2/3/261.fullThe low-carb diet may work short-term, as you mentioned. I would be cautious long-term. Thanks for sharing that study. Looks like focusing on lowering fat intake (especially saturated fat) could be advantageous.You do know Joseph, there are a lot of studies out there showing the problems of reducing saturated fats along with the benefits of increasing it. I highly suggest you pick up some of Gary Taubes audio books, it goes through study by study with full pull on the effects and there are many studies over the past few decades. Many of these studies were trying to prove the benefits of a low fat (low saturated fat diet), but the all failed to prove their point while simultaneously proving saturated fat was a necessity (given the amount of deaths who abstained from it).Gary Taubes is a snake oil saleman. He is not a doctor or expert in the field of nutrition like the good Dr Greger and his colleges are. Taubes was paid $700,000 to write a pro-fat book with a predetermined outcome. He was funded by special interests to promote the beef, egg, dairy industry. You’ve been duped like so many other low-carbers.This is a low-fat vegan site. Not a Weston A price psudo-scince forum. Plenty of people who will agree with you over on the paleo sites. But this site is based on sound science and that science points to whole foods, plant based diets low in fat and animal products to promote health and healing. Saturated fat from animal sources are most certainly not your friend and not advocated on this site.The diet LCHF diet works both short and long term. From what I found out, there is a certain amount of glycogen in your liver and muscles, I believe someone mentioned the exact amount on this page. Glycogen holds water, if you deplete the glycogen from your body (which is what happens with LCHF), you’ll lose water, thus you will lose weight, not fat initially.The upside long-term effect of this is it makes your body insulin sensitive meaning it’s more welcoming to carbs to top up it’s glycogen stores without spilling over. You want to be insulin sensitive because that is when your body can burn fat. Insulin shuts off the body’s ability to burn fat. If your insulin sensitive, you don’t have any insulin in your system, hence you can burn fat. The only downside is, you lost some water in your muscles initially due to the glycogen drop.Create an insulin sensitive body and you create a fat burning body. One of the ways to do that is to deplete the body’s glycogen.Low carb does not work long term. Low-carb diets mask symptoms but cure nothing. Thy can be used for short term weight loss but at the detriment to your arteries and organs. Low-carb is a dangerous fad like Atkins and best to stay away from it.The phrase “protein-sparing” is used by Evelyn Kocur on her Carbsanity blog in relation to the Newcastle protocol. The full phrase she used is “protein sparing modified fast (PSMF)”.Thanks. OK. I am still unsure about the accuracy of the protein-sparing description because I had a look at the Optifast website and its shakes seem to be 39% protein. I couldn’t tell if Optifast products are vegan/vegetarian. That said, the Newcastle protocol is explicitly vegetarian since it specifically excludes meat, fish, poultry and dairy. I think eggs are out also (but not mentioned) because the recipes are described as “vegetable”.Since the brain is a big consumer of glucose, it would be interesting to know if fat accumulates in brain cells too – perhaps causing some related diseases. Also are the brain cells affected by the high glucose levels, do they also become insulin resistant ?Also I assume a diet also high in sucrose, with some alcohol thrown in makes the fatty liver worse, compounding the fat related issues.The brain is not a big consumer of glucose, it only needs a small amount of it and it’s capable of getting it from stored fat.You are correct, any diet high in both sugar and alcohol are destined to have a fatty liver. The same also applies for a diet rich in starchy foods, fruits, and grains.Any opinions on the fact that obese premenopausal women have a better outcome if they develop breast cancer than their normal weight counterparts ? It came to mind since the video mentions that obese wome are at a bigger risk of getting breast cancer.Hi irina, if you could share a particular source, so that we can see study design, data, conclusions, etc, you will likely get more feedback from commenters here.I did just a quick search and saw many articles on breast cancer risk for pre/postmenopausal women, but not on outcomes, so if you could share a study that looks at outcomes that would be helpful.I did find this relatively recent (2012) review (many studies in this area appear to be from the late 90s), which focuses specifically on the conflicting findings from different studies that have looked at BMI and breast cancer risk, in both pre and post-menopausal women. It goes through in detail various potential sources of error and bias (e.g. manner and timing of reporting of weight, mammography, high risk vs average population, cancer subtypes, hormone therapies, etc) that may be confounding results, and relates results of previous studies to those of a more recent study which attempted to correct for some of these errors. In this more recent study, risk of breast cancer for premenopausal women classified as higher risk, were 50% higher for overweight women and 70% higher for obese women compared to normal weight women. Surprisingly they didn’t find a significant positive association between BMI and postmenopausal breast cancer risk. It appears that this is an area where any clear and consistent association has yet to be elucidated.http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/5/4/515.longIn my country, it´s common practice among GP`s to advice the newly diagnosed with type two diabetes to loose 10% of their body weight within a relatively short time since studies, and now practice shows, that the diabetes goes away in 90% of cases. So the good news are not new to me but still good Dr Greger.What about the mechanisms the body goes through to store carbohydrates as fat in your body? Couldn’t that fat be an issue as well?Good question Mark. I am not sure exact mechanisms, but I do not think carbohydrates are simply stored as fat. I think it depends on the amount and type of carbohydrate. Keep in mind the body and brain thrive on glucose as a primary energy source. The liver is very efficient at making glycogen and storing it. I highly recommend Dr. Greger’s book, Carbophobia. You can read it for free, here. Fat is an issue just like excess simple carbohydrates (soda, added sugar, donuts, refined grains, etc.) for diabetes. The goal is to have plenty of fiber and antioxidants in the diet. From Dr. Barnard’s research patients received either a vegan diet or a typical diet for diabetes and found significant changes in weight loss and insulin levels. Dr. Greger presents this study in this video.Like many of these studies debunked like Dr Barnard’s, did it ever address cortisol and it’s long lasting effects on the body, weight loss, and insulin. Did it address the catabolism of proteins and aminos?No it didn’t. Before bringing studies like this up, you need to bring in the full pull of the study, because if you did, you’d see the study proved against what they were trying to say.The liver is only capable of storing 70 grams of glycogen before it’s topped out. That doesn’t make it an ideal energy source. You can blow through that in about 3 100m sprints. After that your relying on the remaining glycogen in your muscles (another 3 sprints if your lucky), then it’s all fat stores provided your consuming enough fat to create the correct hormonal balance.There is the reason the body can store so much fat in abundance, that is because it’s the ideal fuel source, not carbs. If carbs were the body’s preferred fuel source, it’d store more than the 225 or so that it does for the average person.The question is then Mark, what is causing the carbs to be stored as fat. The most alarming thing about what the R.D (Joseph) said below is frightening and so factually untrue to the point they should have their licensed revoked.Your a dietitian and you don’t know the exact mechanisms? The body thrives on glucose as it’s primary energy source? Are you kidding me?Matt I can answer your question in 2 points in a nutshell.Why carbs get stored as fat? The liver holds roughly 70 grams of glycogen, and the muscles hold roughly 1-2% of their volume in glycogen. For the average male at 180lbs this equates to roughly 225 grams of Glycogen in total. Glycogen is stored carbs to be used for energy. If your liver and muscles are fully topped up with glycogen, it gets stored as fat, it’s as simple as that. So if one wants to eat lots of carbs without it being stored as fat, one needs to deplete the glycogen from their liver and muscles first. This is only done by intermittent fasting, exercise, and NOT eating carbs. This makes the person “insulin sensitive” so in other words the body needs glycogen to top up it’s stores. Keep in mind 225 is not a lot, a plate of pasta, couple pieces of toast, fruit, and some juice will put anyone over the top even when fully depleted.It’s as simple as that Matt, and that’s how body builders use it to their advantage.Now as for the glucose being the primary energy source, this is beyond untrue. If glucose was our primary energy source, our body’s would store more of it, but it doesn’t, it stores fat. Fat is it’s primary energy source, glucose is just the “easiest” source hence why our body burns through that first when the fight or flight mechanism is triggered. Glucose is ideally burned for intense exercise, fat is ideally burned for everything else.Good video up until the end — but then we run into an important and unfortunately catastrophic presumption, which is that eating fat creates fat people. Physiology is of course much more complicated than that.Eating fat stimulates satiety, the “full” sensation, because it more effectively stimulates the release of the satiety hormones leptin, Cholecystokinin, and Gastric Inhibitory Peptide, and suppresses the release of Ghrelin as well as Neuropeptide Y, both of which stimulate hunger. Thus, even though fat is a more concentrated store of energy, because it produces a stronger and longer lasting “full” feeling, people eating a higher fat diet often tend to eat an overall lower amount of calories. This reality is not just academic — it’s part of the reason why diets such as Atkins and South Beach are effective in causing weight loss without the sensation of being hungry.Of course, it gets even more complicated than that, because variations in genetics means that some metabolic types tolerate fats well and some do not, so diet tests administered without regard for genetic differences will produce conflicting results, and the complication then gets even deeper in that hunger may be a generic response to nutritional deficiencies. We see this generic “eating” response, for example, in conditions such as pica in response to low iron or zinc levels — the body has a limited number of ways to communicate to us that something is wrong.In the end, we have to respect that the body is technology, and it is technology designed for a specific situation and purpose. We are designed to eat nutritionally dense foods with a relative paucity of carbohydrates and salt and thus crave what is normally scarce, designed to have alternating periods of feasting and fasting, designed to get a lot of sun, designed to get a lot of exercise and especially exercise that consists of bursts of anaerobic activity, and designed to be exposed to at least 8 hours if not more of complete dark. Messing up any one of these will result in a cascade of imbalances. And, our modern lifestyle unfortunately messes up all of them.We now eat a preponderance of carbohydrate foods that are also nutritionally deficient because they are grown on soil whose productivity has been pushed past what it is actually capable of supporting. We do this because we have figured out that we can force plants to grow and produce by giving them nitrogen/phosphorus/potassium only, irrespective of whether micronutrients (like zinc and iron and sulfur) are present in adequate amounts. This of course produces unhealthy soil and unhealthy plants that are more prone to waves of weed and pest infestations, which we keep at bay by dumping herbicides and pesticides and fungicides on the plants and soil, which of course produces even less healthy soil and plants in an endless feedback loop. These chemicals then end up in our bodies in steadily increasing amounts, where they exacerbate the nutritional deficiencies we get from eating food grown in depleted soil (Roundup is a chelator. Monsanto itself declares 5.6 mg/kg of plant weight to be an “extreme” level of glyphosphate residue, and Norway scientists recently found 9mg/kg average in GM soy from Iowa, and German scientists found that increasing levels of glyphosphate residues in human urine correlated with increasing incidence of chronic illness.) And, because our meat is raised in an artificial environment on grains their stomachs aren’t built to eat (like GM soy), their fat profile ends up being heavily tilted towards the omega 6 (pro inflammatory) pathway and away from the omega 3 (anti inflammatory) pathway, and omega 3 stimulates peripheral endocannabinoid satiety receptors that omega 6 does not. So, overeating may be a response to nutritional deficiencies and a jacked up fat balance, which is itself the consequence of the “green revolution.”We obviously don’t exercise. We don’t sleep as much as we need to or get good sleep or get enough sun exposure, thanks to artificial light, TV, smart phones, and increasing obesity that leads to sleep apnea, along with catastrophically poor recommendations from a medical system beset by the problem of knowledge getting stuck in silos, such that dermatologists focused on skin cancer recommend less sun for everyone without regard to the damage lack of sun will cause to the rest of the body. We don’t go without food as frequently or for as long as we need to to get our gut hormones back to to a healthy set point (fasting leads to higher levels of ghrelin and neuropeptide Y, both of which are protective against depression.)Our medical system is fundamentally incapable of dealing with this multifactorial problem because our medical system approaches health backwards, just like many of our farmers approach farming backwards. Many farmers believe that they “grow” crops and ignore the reality that crops actually grow themselves. All farmers are supposed to do is make sure the crops have what they need, and from this perspective it is clear that too much intervention will lead to poorer outcomes, and also clear that interventions tend to tilt soil away from a healthy balance which results in cascading failures until the deficiency is corrected. Similarly, our current medical system is built around the idea that doctors “heal” patients, when in fact most patients heal themselves. All doctors should actually do is figure out what is missing, which almost 100% of the time is most assuredly not yet another pharmaceutical, just like the problem with unhealthy crops is most assuredly not a deficiency of yet another herbicide. Type II diabetes, for example, is most definitely not due to a deficiency of metformin, so the best that adding metformin can do is to put a bandaid over the symptoms of the real problem so that we can temporarily pretend that it doesn’t exist.But, medicine practiced from a systems perspective is tantamount to encouraging patients to embrace discomfort (recommending fasting, diet changes towards more expensive but healthier food, exercise, more sleep, no lights at night), but much of medicine is shaped around alleviating discomfort rather than educating patients about its necessity. And thus, the medical system in the end is simply reflective of a faulty paradigm for life on the part of the population, and until we all learn to change our thinking, we cannot expect the doctors to recommend things we are not willing to accept.all this information it is so important , just now happen to me to have 2 persons with fatty liver, that didn’t understand at all before i have explained to them what i sow in this video. I did because they speak only spanish. and i think it is something that happen to many other people. Dr Greeger and all the team are doing an excellent work that may change the health of millions of people. it will be nice to find a systematic way to translate the content of the videos with volunteer work double checked in some way (talking about health mistakes may be dangerous). i we do, use or had some platform for translating another millions of people may have this wonderful possibility of understand the right actions to have a healthy life. (sorry if you have done that already, in this case i will be happy to share the content )Some video’s do have subtitles. Click the “cc” button at the bottom of video to see if it does. So glad you are benefiting from the website! If interested in volunteering or you have skills translating videos please let us know! http://nutritionfacts.org/volunteer/Thanks, noemarcial, Josephi will need to be a little supervised but yes i have translate some videos to spanish and i will be very happy to help in my free time (it is not much, if is useful for you i will be happy to do it)Fatty liver is soley caused by body’s ability to break down sugar because it’s flooded with it. Too much starchy foods, fruit, grain products, and dairy can cause it.One of the best defenses and cures for fatty liver (aside from eliminating sugar) is Choline, and that is found in abundance in egg yolks. Naturpoaths go as far as to actually inject choline into people’s systems to flush out the liver and it works wonders.The population that is at highest risk for fatty liver (aside from alcoholics) are those who abstain from eggs and partake in a diet that’s heavy in starchy foods, fruits, and grains.Some saturated fat is Protective against diabetes, according to a recent study. Please see: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/280645.phpSome saturated fat is Protective against Diabetes, according to a recent study: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/280645.phpI would be cautious of articles like the one you linked to as it seems to promote dairy products. Dairy is a major source of Trans-fats and is associated with acne, ashma, calcium LOSS and a host of other ill effects. See what Dr Greger has to say about dairy here~> http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/Dairy is not associated with any of those things, it all depends on the individual, and 99% of the people who consume dairy don’t get those symptoms. They do however tend to gain weight.Bob, I’m not sure why you are here on a low-fat vegan site throwing rocks when you have plenty of cigarette-science low-carb sites to frequent with people who would agree you, but I am not one of them… Dairy IS associated with the things I mentioned above and your blanket dismisal without watching the videos I provided was not appreciated. Dairy is a very degenerative and harmful food. It’s meant for baby cows, not humans.saturated fat is protective against diabetes but dairy is a strict no no. Lactose has the same insulin response as drinking a can of pop or a bowl of pasta.Saturated fats from animals definitely helps protect against diabetes.This is rubbish. Where is the evidence for such claims/There have been several scientific researches that have picked apart the studies over the past 60 years on this and various other issues regarding the food pyramid. All the research done generally was trying to prove that low fat with moderate to high carb was ideal for health. This included saturated fats in regards to diabetes.The problem with the research is all of it failed to prove low fat w/ moderate to high carb was ideal. In fact, it proved the exact opposite. It proved saturated fat was essential for countless things: Protection against disease, diabetes, weight loss, cardiovascular health and hormonal balance to name a few. The most interesting part of all those studies is that none of them were ever published and their reasoning was that they were disappointed in the results.One of them was Gary Taubes (scientific researcher), listen or read his books, it goes very in depth with all those studies over the long haul. If you are interested in nutrition in regards to health, it’s quite fascinating to read how all those studies turned out (and were kept quiet).Gary Taubes is not a researcher. He is a journalist – you know, one of those people who never let the facts get in the way of a good story. I have read one of his books – if I remember correctly, it was remarkable for the science it omitted to mention as well as including some downright falsehoods (eg about Ancel Keys). if you want to know about low carb high fat diets check the professional literature. And as far as I know, the body makes all the saturated fat it needs. it’s amazing how people can believe that a journalist selling a mass market sensational book on diet, knows more about nutrition and health than the expert panels convened by the World Health Organization, the UN Food and Agriculture Organizations,the World Cancer Research Fund and countless dietary guidelines advisory committees around the world. If people want to know about saturated fat they can read the latest study at the US National Evidence Library.Hi Tom! Cesar is correct. There has been tons of research on this over the past few decades. Most all of the research was attempting to prove one thing while it ended up proving the exact opposite. None of the studies ever really got published, nor held up to any criticism when other scientists started asking questions.Gary Taubes is an interesting author and a great scientific researcher. The amount of studies he covers is immense and you might be pleasantly surprised at all the findings when all these studies are fully exposed.Gary Taubes is a sudo-science book profiteer. He is by no means an expert in anything health related. He was a paid shill for the beef, egg and dairy industry. If you look at the studies he sites, they are all smoke and mirrors. Heve a look…http://plantpositive.com/11-the-journalist-gary-taubes/I agree. But I have a type 1 diabetes friend who swears by low carb high fat diet to control her blood sugar. She says it works great and her weight and cholesterol and LDL are low. How can this be healthy? Maybe Type 1’s are different?The difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are:Type 1 – Insulin dependent meaning they need to inject insulin so they can in fact store their nutrients, otherwise they starve (this is why they are generally thin)Type 2 – Insulin resistance meaning their bodies have been flooded with insulin over time rending their insulin receptor cells resistant. This is reversed by minimizing the insulin response foods over the long term along with intermittent fasting and exercise. Insulin stops the glucagon hormone from releasing stored energy (glycogen and fat), this is why type 2 diabetics are generally hefty.The reason your friend is doing well on a low carb high fat diet is because it’s never a good idea to flood insulin in your system regardless of whether you have to inject it or not. I’m also willing to bet your friend is more satisfied with her meals and not starving like those who try to eliminate fats.are diabetics ok to eat 1 Tablespoon of ground flaxseed daily?Depends on overall diet, but to me 1 TBSP of flax is fairly innocent and a small dose, therefore I would see no concerns.You have to consider if your thyroid is healthy or not. If it isn’t, flaxseed oil will do more harm than good to your body overall. Usually people who over-consume grains have thyroid issues.If you have thyroid issues, one shouldn’t be consuming any flaxseed at all. Thyroid problems also go hand in hand with insulin resistance, so if a person is borderline diabetic or diabetic, they shouldn’t be consuming flax seed.When the thyroid is struggling to produce energy, Flaxseed is not it’s friend.If Type 2 diabetes is characterized by the insulin-producing cells being killed off, then how come the condition is said to be reversible with diet? Do the insulin-producing cells regenerate?Good question. Not sure it is that simple. Type 2 diabetics still have insulin-producing cells, however, the cells may be compromised and not working properly (perhaps they operate at 80% or less?). Insulin may not be working correctly, but the body still producing it. Once all insulin producing cells are dead, (now we’re talking type 1 diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes) then of course the body will require insulin. I have never heard of pancreatic beta cells regenerating. The thought is that a healthful diet (supported by weight loss in obese diabetics) may be able to control blood sugar and insulin levels and keep the remaining insulin-producing cells in the pancreas alive.Type 1 or Insulin Dependent Diabetes is an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks the insulin producing cells in our pancreas (i.e. beta cells). Some authors have posited that the breakdown of dairy products result in compounds similar to the proteins on the surface of the beta cell. These compounds can get into the body similar to other substances aided by the saturated fats see.. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/. The focus on diabetes has shifted to type 2 diabetes see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/ Autoimmune to intake of dairy products. For me as a Family Medicine physician my recommendations given current science as they relate to type 2 diabetes… low fat… whole plant based diet emphasizing starches for adequate calorie intake excluding all oils and limiting avocados and nuts see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/. I make the same recommendation relating to the avoidance of Type 1 Diabetes especially avoiding the tendency of my colleagues to use age 2 to start recommending the intake of dairy products. I believe the bulk of science shows that whole food plant based diet with adequate Vitamin B12 intake represents the best nutritional approach to minimizing your chance of getting both type 1 and 2 diabetes. I haven’t seen any good studies on the actual mechanism of how the beta cells “wear out” after years of over production of insulin… but stay tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps coming!We actually had a doctor in town here get sued for recommending a plant based, starch style diet that was low fat to diabetics. If you want good studies to prove how damaging the over production of insulin is, comb through all the studies Gary Taubes mentions in his book for the full pull on the results and you’ll see just how bad it is.Dr. Greger addresses this extensively at http://www.atkinsexposed.orgAtkins is a poor example to use as Atkins diet has changed a lot since it first came out. At one time it was eat as much protein and fat as you want and it doesn’t matter where it came from. Now it’s more in line with paleo, eat your protein and fat till satiety, and make sure it comes from good healthy sources, not processed foods.Doctors have to be careful when addressing Atkins because if they fall in the trap without actually knowing where it came from compared to what it is now, they basically show their ignorance on the subject.Atkins was a perfect example of how dangerous a low-carb diet is. He was a resort entertainer and salesman when he came up with his crazy diet that actually killed people himself included. Dr Greger has done great work exposing Atkins here ~> atkinsexposed.org as well as exposing the lies put forth by the paleo low-carb crowd.Here is a video talking about fat and its roll in insulin resistance (not carbs or sugar)http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/Here’s some of that crazy non-Taubesian kind of talk from a few months ago: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4329824/ .Some evidence that it is not the fat at all, it may be the meat proteins and heme iron (thanks to Dr. Garth Davis for the tip). But you can’t separate the two. Satfat started out as code for meat, we shouldn’t carry on the discussion in the way it has been framed by the food deconstructors http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25832335It’s not meat proteins and it’s not fat. Ask yourself this, what foods cause the biggest insulin response, aka, what foods cause the biggest flood of glucose in the system causing your insulin to go sky high to clear it? What foods make people crash?It isn’t meats & fats. People even crash hard after eating fruit.. that is the first clue..Nope definitely something in the neat. Watch the vid glucose spike is a symptom not a cause.If this were the case, then all body builders would have Type 2 Diabetes would they not? I mean the amount of protein they consume in the form of chicken, beef, and fish would surely make them diabetic would it not? They also consume considerable amounts of fat.Better question, how about you go find a diabetic body builder and we’ll start from there. Problem is, you won’t find one because meat proteins don’t cause it, nor does fat.Hi! PCRM is recommending and ultra low fat diet to treat type 2 diabetes. This includes animal fats, added refined oils and natural vegetable fats such as those in nuts, avocados and olives. I am wondering if there is any data showing that whole food plant based fats are bad for type 2 diabetics?Hi David. This video discussed dietary interventions conducted by PCRM: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/I have not seen any negative research on whole food plant-based diets and diabetes.Thank you Dr. GonzalesNo problem. FYI I am a dietitian ;) and lastly this video I forgot to mention this video reveals the actual PCRM study if you’d rather hear it from Dr. Greger.I did find a Harvard paper that talks about type of fat and its relation to risk of type 2 diabetes. Here’s the link. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2654180/pdf/nihms91661.pdfSo there appears to be some controversy around this issue since PCRM advocates avoiding all types of fat. This paper seems to suggest it’s the type of fat that’s important.Interesting. Yes it may depend on type of fat. Please note PCRM does not advocate avoiding all types of fat, but simply keeping fats low. I forgot to show the actual study that PCRM conducted comparing a vegan diet vs a diabetes friendly diet. Both diets worked, but it appeared the vegan diet faired better. At any rate, diabetes need to find a diet that helps them control their blood sugar and insulin levels, lose weight (if overweight), and hopefully decrease medications (if prescribed). A vegan diet is one way to achieve this, according to this study.For those that have type 2 diabetes, is their pancreas no longer functioning properly only due to the fat in the pancreas? i.e. if you start on a low fat diet and start exercising, will the fat eventually leave the pancreas and the beta cells in the pancreas will regenerate or heal? Or are those damaged cells lost, and even if the fat eventually leaves the pancreas the function of the pancreas will be lower than it originally was?Hey MikeOnRaw. Dr. Forrester and I posted some information below (a few comments down) see if they help?found them, and yes they did. So basically, it would be best not to get in a position that you need to worry about your beta cell health. This seems terribly important information. So much of what we hear in the media is focused on treating diabetes, we need a lot more focus on how important it is to prevent through diet, not drugs.Their pancreas are continually pumping out insulin because the insulin receptors on the cells are resistant due to having too much insulin in the system. It’s a vicious circle.Think of it this way, insulin is this really annoying dude that keeps knocking at the door. An insulin receptor is another dude who lets the guy in. At some point in time, the guy inside gets sick of hearing the knocking on the door so he just ignores it. The knocking gets louder and louder, but the guy continually ignores it. The pancreas don’t give up and continually produce more insulin so the knocking becomes so unbearable that guy finally lets insulin in. It’s almost like the boy who cried wolf.The ideal situation is the knocking on the door is suttle and the guy lets him in. The problem is though, when you eat foods that cause mass pounding on the door, your insulin receptors get a tad annoyed.. even more so if it continually happens over time.So what causes the knocking to get really loud? What releases tons of insulin? Simple sugars: table sugar, fruit juice, candy bars, and soda being the biggest culprit. Not far behind is white breads, rice, and most grains. All cause big surges in insulin and will thus become quite annoying to your insulin receptors. We know this to be true because how often do people crash from the flood of glucose in their system from the above foods? How often do people crash from eating a piece of chicken or a salad with olive oil? Fat isn’t the culprit, simple carbs are.The only way to make your insulin receptors more welcoming to insulin when it comes knocking at the door is to make insulin more welcome. There is a whole other tangent involved with this, but the short answer is intermittent fasting, exercise, and eating foods that minimize insulin response. Aka stay away from simple sugars and most grains.Did you watch the video? The process is clearly one related to excess fat, not sugar. Though industrial sugar may be a contributing factor, the cause is excess fat. I regularly eat 170-250g of sugar from raw fruit and vegetables per meal. My glucose doesn’t spike, nor does it crash.That’s because your constantly flooding your body with sugar, it doesn’t have time to crash. Eating that much sugar per meal, you have bigger things to worry about like a fatty liver.The only real “visual” symptom is it’s normally associated with Type 2 Diabetes. This is due to the main cause of Type 2 being the insulin constantly elevated due to the amount of glucose being flooded into your blood stream from sugary foods. Unfortunately the only way you’ll find that out is getting a liver test + ultrasound , but god help you if you do, that is a long uphill battle to flush it out. It can be done and naturopaths are a big help by injecting choline into your system to speed up the process.The unfortunate reality though is, if you do have it, you’ll be looking at minimum of 1.5 years on basically a no sugar diet, which includes no fruit, and no starch. Basically it’s all green veggies, protein and fat.No, that is not true… Where are you getting this information from? A low-carb blog site? Jimmy Moore or West A. Price foundation? Those are not real science based organizations. Chronic elevated blood sugar is only a SYMPTOM of insulin resistance. Saturated fat is the CAUSE of insulin resistance like this video above shows. Can you provide any non psudo-science sources to back up your claim that something gets ‘burned out’ from to much sugar or carbs? Because that’s not what real world science shows.Type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance. Your insulin receptors attached to your cells no longer want to accept it so they become resistant to it. This happens when the insulin levels are chronically elevated. That happens because too much glucose floods into your blood stream causing the insulin to get secreted to clear it. This is cause by foods that convert to glucose rather quickly like sugars and starches.In regards to your question about fat in the pancreas (or liver), the only way that gets reduced is when you stop consuming the foods that put it there, sugar and starches.No that is wrong and dangerous misinformation….. Did you watch the video? It shows very clearly that saturated fat works against insulin’s ability to let glucose into the cells having nothing to do with sugar or carbs. This notion put forth by the low-carb gurus that something gets ‘burned out’ buy to much carbs/sugar is completely false. Nothing gets ‘burned out’ buy to much sugar. There is no science to back up that myth. Have a look at this video debunking the Paleo-low carb smoke and mirrors.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/Honest question, what confused me the most is how people with pre type 2 diabetes and type 2 diabetes who on a low carb and high fat diet get improve. That some type 2 diabetes can come off medication and apparently to even reverse the disease in some cases. If you go on diabetes forums they is a fair few type 2 diabetes that look to be doing well on a high fat diet.What I don’t understand is how to square this circle, if fat cause diabetes then how can eating more of it help halt or reverse it?Are they lying? faking the results? some other reason?I am on a low carb diet and check my fasting insulin and its always in the 4-5 mmol range. should I be worried I will get diabetes? I feel ok, I have lost weight and feel the need to be more active.Are you asking this question honestly? One just has to understand how both insulin works and it’s relation to diabetes (Type 2). We know that Type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance so the next question is what exactly is insulin resistance.Insulin resistance – Where your insulin receptor cells fail to let insulin do it’s job when insulin comes knocking at the door. Essentially the cells just won’t answer it though. The pancreas could care less and just continually produce insulin until the receptors open the door to let all the nutrients in. The downside, the more this goes on, the more resistant the cells become, hence “insulin resistant”Now the question is, why is this bad, I mean the body is doing it’s job right? Yes it is, but there is 2 problems with this; for one, insulin shuts off the glucagon hormone and it’s ability to release stored energy (fat and carbs). Putting 2 and 2 together, this obviously is going to cause weight gain as the body loses it’s ability to burn fat. The other problem is having too much insulin in your system wears down the receptors in general and degrading them further. The ultimate goal for someone is to be insulin sensitive, not insulin resistant.So the next question is, what causes insulin to flood into the body? This is where the disconnect with this video (and doctor) seem to come in. We already know what causes insulin and the blood sugar to spike, simple carbs; things like table sugar, fruit juice, pop, candy bars, white pastas, and most grains etc.. Next on this list is complex carbs like fruit and oatmeal and some whole wheat pastas. Next up is proteins (beef, fish, and poultry), and that is where it pretty much ends. All those foods cause an insulin response whereas protein is lowest on that list. Protein also slows down the insulin response, so this is why all successful weight loss plans and type 2 diabetic diets consist of eating carbs (preferably veggies) WITH protein to slow down the insulin response.Notice how I didn’t mention fats on here, that’s because fats have little to no effect on insulin. If you want to take 10 spoonfuls of olive or coconut oil, guess what, your insulin won’t even bat an eyelash. This is why diabetics not only get improvements in health, but often reverse the disease entirely. They stick to a higher fat (good fat) diet with proteins and minimal foods that cause an insulin response. If your looking at a dinner plate, it’s filled half with green veggies (very little response), quarter with protein (to blunt the response), and some sort of fat to blunt insulin even further and increase satiety.This in a nutshell is called paleo, non processed foods where calories primarily come from good fats (olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, egg yolks, and saturated fat from animals. The macro nutrient ratio is essentially around 60% fats, 20-30% proteins, and 10-20% carbs (from veggies primarily). This is what diabetics generally eat and are prescribed to treat the disease.Now the last question, is this video lying? Yes, but more so why.. The doctor brings up studies that are void of truth. The studies have already been exposed to neglect important pieces of the puzzle as to cherry pick their own data. Over the past 60 years, scientists have been trying to prove many things that are in essence bad for our health (though saying good for us). Many of funders were driven either by corporations or the government been funded by the corporations. The end result, all the studies out there never proved their point. In fact, the vast majority of them completely went against their intention, while the rest showed no effect. The studies were never published, but when asked why, they replied with “it wasn’t what we had hoped for”.Now as to why the doctor is using these studies but not disclosing the “whole” study, that is a mystery. I compare it to someone trying to prove meat causes brain damage. A study is done on 20 people. Ten had brain damage eating meat while the other 10 didn’t being vegan. The study chalks it up as meat is the culprit but neglects to inform everyone those 10 were also boxers who got clocked in the head one too many times. It’s all relative and this is why most scientific studies are cherry picked data.The reason people get results with low-carb high fat diet is because of the minimal effects on insulin fat provides. There is no 2 ways around it. The camp that is lying is the camp that promotes starchy and moderate to high carb as either a cure or a mean to prevent diabetes. It’s all completely just wrong.Put it this way, you ever heard of the term “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”? Well there is a reason the primary and go-to cure from nearly every doctor (including the mainstream western doctors) is low-carb & high fat.The other issue is, there was a person here who wrote up a decent little spiel on how insulin and diabetes go hand in hand. It got tons of likes, and consequently the mods of this forum pulled it, because I guess it “didn’t agree” with their views. Therein lies the problem, they don’t want people to know the truth for some odd reason.I’ll break it down in a nutshell:Type 1 Diabetes: Insulin dependent. People are usually born with this or acquire it at a very young age. These people are usually paper thin. They need to take insulin so they can in fact store their nutrients, otherwise they starve and die.Type 2 Diabetes: Insulin Resistant – People acquire this through bad diet and partly (possibly) pre-disposed to it at birth making them a little more likely to get it if they aren’t careful. Insulin resistant is at it sounds, the body (or cells in this case) are resistant to the insulin the body produces.So the question is, why? Well when you think of insulin as some annoying dude who continually knocks at the door, and your insulin receptors attached to cells are the guy inside who opens the door.. well eventually that guy inside gets sick of hearing the door knock so he ignores it. The more he ignores it, the louder the knocking gets. By this I mean the more insulin the pancreas produce to force the cells to store the nutrients. Do you see where I’m going with this? More and more insulin flooded into the body? Eventually the cells become resistant to it.Well you look at the foods that causes the biggest insulin secretion, and luckily we have that beautiful little glycemic index plastered all over online. You’ll notice that list is heavily titled to towards sugars and foods that get converted into glucose rather quickly. This we know as our friend the carbohydrate, they dominate the top of that list from straight table sugar, fruit juices, candy bars, starchy carbs, all the way down to vegetables. Then on the low end you have proteins like meats, fish, and poultry. Then on the complete low end, you have fats because they produce little to no insulin which has been proven, hence why doctors prescribe it.So if you want to “fix” Type 2 diabetes, you keep your insulin levels low so your body becomes more insulin sensitive. Basically think of it as your giving your insulin receptors a break, let them heal a bit, breathe, and get a new lease on life before they deal with that annoying guy (insulin) knocking at the door again. There are a few ways to accelerate the process: Intermittent fasting, exercise, and certain foods like cinnamon help with insulin resistance.The biggest question of all is, why the moderators on this forum refuse to believe it, yet their being concrete proof and thousands upon thousands of success stories and testimonials on it. Then to further the problem, the research this site uses to try and prove their claims, was debunked by scientific researcher a few years ago.I’m sorry Bobby but you are dead wrong and trolling this site way to much with your low carb pseudo-science. There is a great web series at Plantpositive.com that addresses the cigarette-science tactics employed by the low-carb movement. Low carb gurus like the ones you speak of use confusion tactics to trick people into thinking that a high fat & meat diet is somehow healthy. It is not and no amount of low-carb smoke and mirrors with change that. Here is an interesting video on Mr. Taubes.http://plantpositive.com/1-the-journalist-gary-taubes-1/As Bobby below said, it’s the high fat low carb is what fixes it, not vice versa. Keep sticking to what your doing (low carb) because it’s working.Fat has little to no effect on insulin so you don’t need to worry about it causing insulin resistance.That is not true. Saturated fat IS the culpret and cause of type II diabetes as Dr Greger shows in this video. High fat diets are a dangerous fad. You are regurgitating old low-carb lies that are being spread around by book selling profiteers like Gary Taubes, Westman, Jimmy Moore and the rest of the pseudo-science book hucksters. You can eat all the bacon wrapped butter you like but please don’t come here to this site and try to misguide these good folks that somehow fat and meat are healthy. They are not and this site shows that.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/Hi Andrew, My advice would be not to listen to the low-carb trolls like Romona and Linda. They are fake accounts most likely by this Bobby character who’s been running around here stinking up the place lately. The science based evidence that Dr Greger and his colleges present here is correct. This video above explains why Lipotoxixty (saturated fat) is the root of many of our most common diseases. Here is another one of Dr Greger videos on the subject.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/The reason some low-carbers see improvements in health is because the diet restricts calories and in turn you lose weight and weight-loss by any means will improve health makers… doesn’t make it healthy, just caloric restriction in disguised… but at what cost and damage to your organs and arteries? A much safer and healthier way to lose weight would be the diet advocated by this site. A low fat, low protein, plant based diet devoid of animal foods, oils and processed junk…It may be attributed to the weight loss or short-duration of study. There are concerns about following a low-carb diet long-term (and even short-term), but please do what you feel is best. I think it is a silly argument to say sugar causes diabetes or fat causes diabetes. It is all relative to amounts and types of food and severity of the disease. From Dr. Barnard’s research, study participants received either a low-fat vegan diet or a typical diet for diabetes and found significant changes in weight loss and insulin levels. Dr. Greger presents the study in this video. So this is an opposite approach from the low-carb diet. I would worry about not obtaining enough fiber and antioxidants from a low-carb diet and yes this kind of diet may accelerate diabetes risk. If interested in a low-carb plant-based diet check out this video. I do not necessarily recommend it because I have seen excellent clinical results from a strict plant based diet A multicenter randomized controlled trial of a plant-based nutrition program to reduce body weight and cardiovascular risk in the corporate setting: the GEICO study.Best, JosephThere is so much factually wrong with this video it’s staggering and borderline ignorant. It’s almost to the point you forget what they’re even trying to prove.Type 1 Diabetes – Insulin Dependent, needs insulin to store their nutrients so they take insulin. Usually these people are on the thin sideType 2 Diabetes – Insulin Resistant, body constantly flooded with insulin to the point the insulin receptors fail to use the circulating insulin. Usually these people are on the heftier side.What are the primary functions of insulin? To store nutrients and to clear glucose out of the body.What causes insulin to get released? Sugar, carbs being converted to glucose and Amino Acids from protein, and to a lesser extent fat.What determines the amount of insulin to get released? The amount of glucose “said” food produces. Obviously simple sugars like sugar itself, pop, fruit juices, candy bars, doughnuts, and non whole-wheat pastas create the largest response. We know this because generally consuming them on their own usually produces a “crash” effect in people. Aka, a lot of glucose was released in the blood so a lot of insulin needs to be released to clear it. Usually insulin gathers a head of steam and clears too much leading your blood glucose to dip too low. The problem is because insulin shuts down your body’s ability to burn fat, your body can’t release fat to convert to glucose to level out your blood sugar.So what causes Type 2 Diabetes? Having too much insulin in your system to the point your insulin receptors are sick of hearing insulin knocking at the door. The pancreas continue to produce insulin until the receptors let them in. This floods your body with insulin and keeps it chronically elevated, AKA “insulin resistance”.So how do you treat Type 2 Diabetes or reverse it? Not consuming foods that produce a large insulin response is where you start. Intermittent fasting and exercise also go leaps and bounds with this too.So, we need to avoid foods that produce a big insulin response.. or is it a case of eating foods that blunt the insulin response. The answer is both. Proteins blunt the insulin response, while fats drastically blunt the insulin response. We know this because neither of those have any sugar in it, so their insulin response is dreadful to the point it slows down the response that carbs would generally create. We know foods like steaks have less sugar in it than apples; chicken breasts have less than carrots, and fish have less than potatoes. Who are we kidding, they have absolutely no sugar unless we put it on them in the form of sauces. This isn’t even debatable. The only reason these cause an insulin response is because of the amino acids.This is exactly why diabetics whom are successful in treating their disease have been prescribed to eat all their veggies with protein foods like beef, chicken, or fish. This is also why they are prescribed a high fat diet to create satiety because the calories have to come from somewhere if carb foods are eliminated (aside from veggies). If low-fat is prescribed, the fat burning enzymes aren’t activated, the body thinks it’s starving and will refuse to burn fat.So what should this mean to you? If you want to avoid Type 2 diabetes like the plague, don’t eat foods that cause a big insulin response, or minimize those foods. Eat all your veggies with proteins, and get your calories primarily from fat as to create the right hormonal balance and to prevent your body from thinking it’s starving. There is no secret to this, this is exactly what diabetics are prescribed today.The same goes if you want to lose weight, don’t keep your insulin levels chronically elevated because insulin turns off the body’s ability to release stored energy (carbs and fat). I say this like a broken record, but eat foods that don’t cause a big insulin response and eat them with proteins, this can’t be stressed enough. Fill the rest of your calories up with fat so you aren’t starving, and most importantly, don’t starve yourself, which brings me to my next point, cortisol.Cortisol is released in your body’s response to stress. Instead of me trying to explain it, i’m just going to copy/paste this from another article that sums it up nicely:“Blood Sugar Imbalance and Diabetes”“Under stressful conditions, cortisol provides the body with glucose by tapping into protein stores via gluconeogenesis in the liver. This energy can help an individual fight or flee a stressor. However, elevated cortisol over the long term consistently produces glucose, leading to increased blood sugar levels.Theoretically, this mechanism can increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, although a causative factor is unknown.1 Since a principal function of cortisol is to thwart the effect of insulin—essentially rendering the cells insulin resistant—the body remains in a general insulin-resistant state when cortisol levels are chronically elevated. Over time, the pancreas struggles to keep up with the high demand for insulin, glucose levels in the blood remain high, the cells cannot get the sugar they need, and the cycle continues.”In a nutshell avoid chronic stressors as much as possible. Starving yourself when hungry is a stressor. Starving your body of fat is a stressor. Too much exercise is a stressor. Even worrying about your diet is a stressor & not enough sleep is a stressor. To sum it up, don’t starve yourself; eat to satiety which includes fat.If you are someone that may have insulin resistance due to lack of sleep, cinnamon is supposed to help reverse this, and it’s tasty too.This was summed up very well. It may be hard for some people to understand the link between insulin, weight gain, and diabetes, but when you understand what food effects insulin the way it does and why, it’s easy to see the real culprit.The most basic way to look at it is foods that get broken down into glucose the quickest with sugar being the top dog (no pun intended here). Using that as your basis, you start to scale down with how much sugar exactly is in each type of food and you start to see the correlation with the glycemic index. The more carbs/sugar in food, the greater the insulin response. This is why you see proteins on the low end of the spectrum with fats not even on the spectrum.So if were going to use common sense in regards to what causes diabetes (specifically type 2 because type 1 is usually inherited), you’ll see foods with the greatest impact on insulin is what causes it. This is foods with the most carbs/sugar, not proteins, and certainly not fats. Fats have nothing in them to get broken down into glucose rapidly. It’s a slow and arduous process, that’s why people often say to burn fat you need long bouts of steady cardio, because it takes a while to metabolize.There is so much factually wrong with this video it’s staggering and borderline ignorant. It’s almost to the point you forget what they’re even trying to prove.Type 1 Diabetes – Insulin Dependent, needs insulin to store their nutrients so they take insulin. Usually these people are on the thin sideType 2 Diabetes – Insulin Resistant, body constantly flooded with insulin to the point the insulin receptors fail to use the circulating insulin. Usually these people are on the heftier side.What are the primary functions of insulin? To store nutrients and to clear glucose out of the body.What causes insulin to get released? Sugar, carbs being converted to glucose and Amino Acids from protein, and to a lesser extent fat.What determines the amount of insulin to get released? The amount of glucose “said” food produces. Obviously simple sugars like sugar itself, pop, fruit juices, candy bars, doughnuts, and non whole-wheat pastas create the largest response. We know this because generally consuming them on their own usually produces a “crash” effect in people. Aka, a lot of glucose was released in the blood so a lot of insulin needs to be released to clear it. Usually insulin gathers a head of steam and clears too much leading your blood glucose to dip too low. The problem is because insulin shuts down your body’s ability to burn fat, your body can’t release fat to convert to glucose to level out your blood sugar.So what causes Type 2 Diabetes? Having too much insulin in your system to the point your insulin receptors are sick of hearing insulin knocking at the door. The pancreas continue to produce insulin until the receptors let them in. This floods your body with insulin and keeps it chronically elevated, AKA “insulin resistance”.So how do you treat Type 2 Diabetes or reverse it? Not consuming foods that produce a large insulin response is where you start. Intermittent fasting and exercise also go leaps and bounds with this too.So, we need to avoid foods that produce a big insulin response.. or is it a case of eating foods that blunt the insulin response. The answer is both. Proteins blunt the insulin response, while fats drastically blunt the insulin response. We know this because neither of those have any sugar in it, so their insulin response is dreadful to the point it slows down the response that carbs would generally create. We know foods like steaks have less sugar in it than apples; chicken breasts have less than carrots, and fish have less than potatoes. Who are we kidding, they have absolutely no sugar unless we put it on them in the form of sauces. This isn’t even debatable. The only reason these cause an insulin response is because of the amino acids.This is exactly why diabetics whom are successful in treating their disease have been prescribed to eat all their veggies with protein foods like beef, chicken, or fish. This is also why they are prescribed a high fat diet to create satiety because the calories have to come from somewhere if carb foods are eliminated (aside from veggies). If low-fat is prescribed, the fat burning enzymes aren’t activated, the body thinks it’s starving and will refuse to burn fat.So what should this mean to you? If you want to avoid Type 2 diabetes like the plague, don’t eat foods that cause a big insulin response, or minimize those foods. Eat all your veggies with proteins, and get your calories primarily from fat as to create the right hormonal balance and to prevent your body from thinking it’s starving. There is no secret to this, this is exactly what diabetics are prescribed today.The same goes if you want to lose weight, don’t keep your insulin levels chronically elevated because insulin turns off the body’s ability to release stored energy (carbs and fat). I say this like a broken record, but eat foods that don’t cause a big insulin response and eat them with proteins, this can’t be stressed enough. Fill the rest of your calories up with fat so you aren’t starving, and most importantly, don’t starve yourself, which brings me to my next point, cortisol.Cortisol is released in your body’s response to stress. Instead of me trying to explain it, i’m just going to copy/paste this from another article that sums it up nicely:“Blood Sugar Imbalance and Diabetes”“Under stressful conditions, cortisol provides the body with glucose by tapping into protein stores via gluconeogenesis in the liver. This energy can help an individual fight or flee a stressor. However, elevated cortisol over the long term consistently produces glucose, leading to increased blood sugar levels.Theoretically, this mechanism can increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, although a causative factor is unknown.1 Since a principal function of cortisol is to thwart the effect of insulin—essentially rendering the cells insulin resistant—the body remains in a general insulin-resistant state when cortisol levels are chronically elevated. Over time, the pancreas struggles to keep up with the high demand for insulin, glucose levels in the blood remain high, the cells cannot get the sugar they need, and the cycle continues.”In a nutshell avoid chronic stressors as much as possible. Starving yourself when hungry is a stressor. Starving your body of fat is a stressor. Too much exercise is a stressor. Even worrying about your diet is a stressor & not enough sleep is a stressor. To sum it up, don’t starve yourself; eat to satiety which includes fat.If you are someone that may have insulin resistance due to lack of sleep, cinnamon is supposed to help reverse this, and it’s tasty too.This illustrates the connection between insulin and diabetes very well. I will admit, understanding insulin took me a while but it really helps to understand what it’s functions are because then one can use common sense to see what foods exactly trigger it and how it plays with insulin resistant diabetes.My experience with this came from my sister who had insulin resistant diabetes that was linked to a diet high fruit, potatoes, and pasta. She literally would be eating 2 out of the 3 at each meal. Lucky for her, she not only took control of it but completely reversed the disease. Her breakfast turned into 2-4 eggs with usually broccoli. Lunch was chicken breast or fish with a TBSP or 2 of olive or coconut oil, along with giant spinach/kale salad. Dinner was usually either chicken, fish, or steak with some other steamed green veggies. She’d snack on nuts & seeds throughout the day, mainly almonds and pumpkin seeds. The main premise of this diet was to consume her veggies with a protein source, which as you can see was either eggs, meats, poultry, or fish.The end result was she reversed her insulin resistant diabetes in about 4-5 months. She was also intermittent fasting 2 days a week too. This is what really got me interested in nutrition. I can attest on her behalf it was a high fat low carb diet that fixed it. We estimate that roughly about 60% of her calories was from fat, 30% from protein, and 10% from carbs (all vegetables).Trolling the Vegans again? So are you Romona or Linda? I can’t tell because you seem to be posting the same low-carb troll information under several different account names. Again, this is not the place to promote fats, oils, dairy, eggs or animal protein. This is a low-fat vegan site and your attacks on the videos and science Dr greger presents is not appreciated.They are right on the money Eric. You can’t argue with what doctors prescribe as diabetic diets. It is what it is. They work and it isn’t carb and sugar ladened foods. It’s low carb and high fat.In regards to Gary Taubes, he isn’t a low carb guru, he is a scientific researcher. Their purpose is to take all the studies from both sides and lay out the raw data and present it. That way there is no cherry picking going on from either side like the doctor does here with his data. His data was already debunked. High carb was debunked, so was the causes of insulin resistance, and cardiovascular health. The data you should be looking at is the raw data from studies, and nothing more. It can only be interpreted one wayNow your just strait up trolling again… They(you) are most certainly not ‘right on the money’ LindaBobbyRamona… Low-carbers are attempting to capitalize on the public’s ignorance about nutrition to sell fad diet books and supplements. Taubes being the poster boy for this type of ‘cholesterol-confusionism’.see here ~~> http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/The Journalist Gary Taubes. ———————————– Dr Greger addresses Gary Taubes directly on his site Atkinsexposed.org.Here is the Taubes section… -=QUOTE=- The Washington Post investigated his pro-Atkins article and found that Taubes simply ignored all the research that didn’t agree with his conclusions.Taubes evidently interviewed a number of prominent obesity researchers and then twisted their words. “What frightens me,” said one, “is that he picks and chooses his facts…. If the facts don’t fit in with his yarn, he ignores them.”[47]The article seemed to claim that experts recommended the diet. “I was greatly offended at how Gary Taubes tricked us all into coming across as supporters of the Atkins Diet,” said John Farquhar, a Professor Emeritus of Medicine at Stanford. When the Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the Washington University School of Medicine was asked to comment of one of Taubes’ claims, he replied, “It’s preposterous.”[48]“He took this weird little idea and blew it up,” said Farquhar, “What a disaster.”[49]“The article was written in bad faith,” said another quoted expert. “It was irresponsible.”[50] “I think he’s a dangerous man. I’m sorry I ever talked to him.” Referring to the book deal, “Taubes sold out.”[51]What the researchers stressed was how dangerous saturated fat and meat consumption could be, but Taubes seemed to have conveniently left it all out. “The article was incredibly misleading,” said the pioneering Stanford University endocrinologist Gerald Reaven who actually coined the term Syndrome X. “I tried to be helpful and a good citizen,” Reaven said, agreeing to do the interview, “and I ended up being embarrassed as hell. He sort of set me up… I was horrified.”[52] -= END QUOTE =-LOW-CAB TROLL ALERT! ———————————Linda, you are being an obnoxious low-carb troll… and calling Dr Greger and his work ‘ignorant’ is offensive. If you haven’t noticed this is not the forum for low-carbers. This is a low-fat Vegan website. You are not going to change the mind of any of us low-fat vegans by stomping around these video forums claiming you know more that the combined medical expertise of Dr. Greger and his colleges. Dr Greger explains very eloquently how Type II diabetes is causes by lipotoxicity. Please take the low-carb dogma trolling someplace else… I’m sure there are tons of Gary Taubes low-carb sites you’ll feel right at home at. You guys can all site around eating bacon wrapped butter and talk amoungs yourself how pork grizzle is going to save the world. but this isn’t the forum for you…There is so much factually wrong with this video it’s staggering and borderline ignorant. It’s almost to the point you forget what they’re even trying to prove. Type 1 Diabetes – Insulin Dependent, needs insulin to store their nutrients so they take insulin. Usually these people are on the thin side Type 2 Diabetes – Insulin Resistant, body constantly flooded with insulin to the point the insulin receptors fail to use the circulating insulin. Usually these people are on the heftier side. What are the primary functions of insulin? To store nutrients and to clear glucose out of the body. What causes insulin to get released? Sugar, carbs being converted to glucose and Amino Acids from protein, and to a lesser extent fat. What determines the amount of insulin to get released? The amount of glucose “said” food produces. Obviously simple sugars like sugar itself, pop, fruit juices, candy bars, doughnuts, and non whole-wheat pastas create the largest response. We know this because generally consuming them on their own usually produces a “crash” effect in people. Aka, a lot of glucose was released in the blood so a lot of insulin needs to be released to clear it. Usually insulin gathers a head of steam and clears too much leading your blood glucose to dip too low. The problem is because insulin shuts down your body’s ability to burn fat, your body can’t release fat to convert to glucose to level out your blood sugar. So what causes Type 2 Diabetes? Having too much insulin in your system to the point your insulin receptors are sick of hearing insulin knocking at the door. The pancreas continue to produce insulin until the receptors let them in. This floods your body with insulin and keeps it chronically elevated, AKA “insulin resistance”. So how do you treat Type 2 Diabetes or reverse it? Not consuming foods that produce a large insulin response is where you start. Intermittent fasting and exercise also go leaps and bounds with this too. So, we need to avoid foods that produce a big insulin response.. or is it a case of eating foods that blunt the insulin response. The answer is both. Proteins blunt the insulin response, while fats drastically blunt the insulin response. We know this because neither of those have any sugar in it, so their insulin response is dreadful to the point it slows down the response that carbs would generally create. We know foods like steaks have less sugar in it than apples; chicken breasts have less than carrots, and fish have less than potatoes. Who are we kidding, they have absolutely no sugar unless we put it on them in the form of sauces. This isn’t even debatable. The only reason these cause an insulin response is because of the amino acids. This is exactly why diabetics whom are successful in treating their disease have been prescribed to eat all their veggies with protein foods like beef, chicken, or fish. This is also why they are prescribed a high fat diet to create satiety because the calories have to come from somewhere if carb foods are eliminated (aside from veggies). If low-fat is prescribed, the fat burning enzymes aren’t activated, the body thinks it’s starving and will refuse to burn fat. So what should this mean to you? If you want to avoid Type 2 diabetes like the plague, don’t eat foods that cause a big insulin response, or minimize those foods. Eat all your veggies with proteins, and get your calories primarily from fat as to create the right hormonal balance and to prevent your body from thinking it’s starving. There is no secret to this, this is exactly what diabetics are prescribed today. The same goes if you want to lose weight, don’t keep your insulin levels chronically elevated because insulin turns off the body’s ability to release stored energy (carbs and fat). I say this like a broken record, but eat foods that don’t cause a big insulin response and eat them with proteins, this can’t be stressed enough. Fill the rest of your calories up with fat so you aren’t starving, and most importantly, don’t starve yourself, which brings me to my next point, cortisol. Cortisol is released in your body’s response to stress. Instead of me trying to explain it, i’m just going to copy/paste this from another article that sums it up nicely: “Blood Sugar Imbalance and Diabetes” “Under stressful conditions, cortisol provides the body with glucose by tapping into protein stores via gluconeogenesis in the liver. This energy can help an individual fight or flee a stressor. However, elevated cortisol over the long term consistently produces glucose, leading to increased blood sugar levels. Theoretically, this mechanism can increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, although a causative factor is unknown.1 Since a principal function of cortisol is to thwart the effect of insulin—essentially rendering the cells insulin resistant—the body remains in a general insulin-resistant state when cortisol levels are chronically elevated. Over time, the pancreas struggles to keep up with the high demand for insulin, glucose levels in the blood remain high, the cells cannot get the sugar they need, and the cycle continues.” In a nutshell avoid chronic stressors as much as possible. Starving yourself when hungry is a stressor. Starving your body of fat is a stressor. Too much exercise is a stressor. Even worrying about your diet is a stressor & not enough sleep is a stressor. To sum it up, don’t starve yourself; eat to satiety which includes fat. If you are someone that may have insulin resistance due to lack of sleep, cinnamon is supposed to help reverse this, and it’s tasty too.FLAGGED – TROLL ALERT AGAIN.. ———————————————–This is the same ‘cut and paste’ post he did under 3 other screen names. All the same text… Guy just wont stop.	American Diabetes Association,animal fat,blood sugar,breast cancer,breast health,calories,cancer,diabetes,fat,fatty liver disease,insulin,liver health,obesity,pancreas health,prediabetes,VLDL,women's health	The “twin vicious cycles” explain how the build-up of fat in the cells of our muscles, liver, and pancreas causes type 2 diabetes, which explains why dietary recommendations for diabetics encourage a reduction in fat intake.	This is part of an extended series on Type 2 diabetes that will continue for months. I’d put them all back-to-back, but then it would be diabetes all day every day for weeks. If you really want to understand this process, I suggest watching the three “prequel” videos:The reason I’m going into all this detail is that I’m hoping to empower both those suffering from the disease and those treating sufferers so as to better understand dietary interventions to prevent and treat the epidemic. Maybe one day I’ll record hour-long disease-specific lectures that put it all together for those who’d want to watch it all straight through.In the meanwhile here some videos on prevention:And here’s some on treatment:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vldl/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-diabetes-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23983688,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18726585,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23075228,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10856515,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18460913,
PLAIN-2461	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-aromatherapy-for-nausea/	Peppermint Aromatherapy for Nausea	One of the most common fears patients express when facing surgery is postoperative nausea and/or vomiting (PONV), which ranges from minor queasiness to protracted periods of vomiting. Feeling sick to ones stomach and throwing up after surgery is a common problem, affecting between a quarter and a half of those placed under general anesthesia, and more than half of those at high risk, meaning women who don’t smoke and have a history of motion sickness. I’ve explored the science behind treating nausea with ginger, but if you’re too nauseous to eat, what do you do? Well, people are often sent home with anti-nausea rectal suppositories, however surveys show that cultural and sexual attitudes may make a number of people sensitive to anything involving the rectum, but the wording of the question they asked was, are you happy to have a drug put in your back passage… And I can imagine many of the respondents thinking well, maybe I wouldn’t so much mind, but wouldn’t exactly be happy about it… especially when you’re feeling sick and throwing up.And for women after a C-section, they might not want to take drugs regardless of the orifice if they’re breastfeeding, so researchers decided to put aromatherapy to the test. Research has shown that essential oils of both spearmint and peppermint are effective in reducing nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy, but this was after taking them internally, swallowing them. Would just the smell of peppermint help with nausea? They had women take deep whiffs of peppermint extract, like you’d buy at a store, and it seemed to work. While none sniffing plain water with green food coloring—the placebo—or the control group who didn’t sniff anything felt better, 80% of the mint sniffers felt better within just a few minutes.The study was criticized for being small, and for not using pure peppermint oil. Peppermint extract is peppermint oil plus alcohol—maybe it was the smell of alcohol that made people better! And that’s actually not much of a stretch. In 1997, researchers reported a simple, innocuous, and inexpensive treatment for postoperative nausea and vomiting—the smell of isopropyl alcohol, which is what’s found in those alcohol wipes, the little prep pads that nurses swab you with before shots. They found out that they could just effectively tear one open and wave it under someone’s nose and relieve nausea and vomiting in more than 80% of folks after surgery. It’s been since shown to work as well as a leading anti-nausea drug, and may even work faster, cutting nausea in half within 10 to 15 minutes, rather than 20 or 25.So was it the alcohol, the peppermint, or both? We didn’t know, until it was put to the test. Patients were instructed to take three slow, deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, smelling alcohol, peppermint, or nothing. The smell of peppermint cut nausea in half within 5 minutes. And so did the alcohol. But so did smelling nothing. So maybe it had nothing to do with the scent; maybe it was just the instruction to take slow deep breaths. That would make it a really cost-effective intervention. Maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising, given the proximity of the vomiting and breathing centers within the brain.And indeed controlled breathing was effective with or without any scent. So next time you feel nauseous, inhale deeply through your nose to the count of three, hold your breath to the count of three, and exhale out the mouth to the count of three. And do that three times. Ironically the researchers continued to advocate using that nasty smelling alcohol pad even though they showed it wasn’t any more effective than breathing alone. Why? Because since isopropyl alcohol has a readily detectable odor, patients are more likely to think that their post-operation nausea and vomiting is being actively treated when they inhale alcohol vapors rather than just engaging in breathing exercises.	In out depressed breathing, or in out maximum volume? Limit CO2 going out or maximize O2 getting in?Hey Holden. That’s a good question. To my knowledge I’m unaware of any specific post surgery advice. My guess is there are standard protocols, where doctors offer medications to curb the side effects of surgery rather than discuss breathing patterns and peppermint. Perhaps there is more information in methodology sections that discuss the breathing patterns? Do you mind checking the sources cited? I’ll pull any study for you from Dr Greger’s list if you are in need of learning more.Thanks, JosephI should have done that before posting, stupid me ^^. I’ll do so tomorrow, too tired at the moment. Thanks 4 the reply.The fact you are asking these questions is a good thing! Let me know what you dig up and again happy to gather info for anyone that is interested in learning. I’m not an expert on nausea, as my comments suggest, but I too enjoy learning from these different studies. Thanks, Holden!JosephI recall reading many years ago that oxygen post op can help with nausea. It’s probably standard protocol by now, but if not, ask for it.Unfortunately, we are way too familiar with this problem. Our brave daughter has undergone almost a dozen surgeries (open heart, pacemaker implant, battery replacements, etc.) in her short twenty years. https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/anti-cancer-diet-and-then-there-was-smoking/Any alternative to the common drugs we use to treat nausea are welcome – the drugs can have some nasty side effects eg metoclopramide which can give you movement disorder – but dont worry – then you can get biperiden, which can give you anxiety, confusion and hallucinations – but dont worry……Thanks doc. I’ve been postponing my hernia operation for 1,5 years now because of anxiety, you are not helping! :) :( Just reading that sent my heart rate up 1/3rd.May I recommend a beta blocker for tachycardia, SSRI for anxiety and triazolam so you don’t lose any sleep worrying about side effects to beta blocker and SSRI…… ;-)Now you are jumping on a similar path as Psych M.D. , probably better not to play internet doctor under pseudonym without revealing your full credentials. Even if it were a joke its going to far.LOL! You are funny! (But I have a twisted sense of humor!)I can appreciate the joke, and I appreciate he’s not a bad person. But that doesn’t safeguard someone maybe without insurance reading it, thinking hey I got the same thing and then order those drugs in Mexico. Playing online doctor is a very very bad idea.I had a laparoscopic hernia operation a couple of years ago at the age of 56. It was my first time being admitted to a hospital for anything. I was taken in early afternoon and out before dinner time. Never had any nausea. None. In fact, I had packed my good vegan breakfast and had it waiting for me as I came out of the anesthesia. Tasted like crap, bus hungry as heck. I’m very glad I had the surgery.I was discharged with some pretty heavy duty pain killers, which I never took. Never needed them. I wasn’t pain free, but it was never bad enough to require drugs.I had had the hernia, undiagnosed, for maybe 5 years ( I felt the tug but never asked about it and I guess they didn’t feel at my annual physicals). Once it was finally diagnosed, I scheduled the surgery as soon as they could fit me in. I was grateful to get it over with and feel better as a result.You can do this!Only bulges out a little bit when I cough, only very occasionally some sensitivity. I’m still in a too vulnerable state now, I went to a orientation talk Thursday of a cooperative living community just the new impressions, and 3 hours talking to nice new people has left me with an overloaded hyper-excited feeling in my head ever since. The operation can still wait, other things are far more pressing, like reconditioning myself to more frequent and intensive human contact, beyond just shopping for groceries. Thank you for your comforting reply, was very nice of you!It’s hard to remove the buttons that were installed when we were young. With work, it can be done. Mostly :-) Good luck and all the best. – SteveI’m wondering if the mechanism of action of deep breathing on nausea is known, and what about nausea caused by chemotherapy drugs?That would be good to know. I think nausea is nausea, but I might assume the level of nausea from chemotherapy drugs is more severe than other medications. I know many integrative medicine centers use all types of healing methods to help nausea, including aromatherapy, diet (like Dr. Greger mentioned, ginger could be a good thing), acupuncture, etc. Deep breathing would fit into that category of non-invasive therapies. If I stumble across more research I’ll let you know. Please do the same for us!Thanks, JohnL, JosephHi Joseph, Without being a nausea expert, I think that there are different types of nausea – the nausea induced from various drugs, nausea from irritation of the ventricle, hypotension, stress, raised intracranial pressure (which can be rather refractory to treatment and it can be severe) and the nausea of love! When I met my future wife, I couldn’t eat for weeks :-) So the more treatment options (especially those without side effects) the better.Thanks! So based on the “type” of nausea are different drugs or CAM techniques prescribed?Not to my knowledge, unless you can treat the cause. I would prefer the “natural approach” to begin with and secondarily the antiemetic drugs…nausea from colonoscopy prep…There is nausea caused by paralyzed gut during migraine or an ileus after surgery. I do not think nausea is nausea.Gotcha! Thanks for clarifying. I guess I only meant that I am unsure if they prescribe different drugs or therapies based on the “type” of nausea Coming back to the video; peppermint and deep breathing may be useful for dealing with nausea from surgery. Still, I don’t think there is any harm trying these non-invasive therapies for other types of nausea.The only thing I’ve tried for migraine nausea is ginger but it just made it worse but peppermint aroma or deep breathing is worth trying if I can remember it during that time. At that point thinking rationally isn’t easy.The problem could be that the ventricle is also paralyzed meaning that you wont absorb anything taken by mouth, meaning that pills or ginger ingested wont help. Often we use other routes – nasal, subcutaneously, rectally or i.v.Interesting… I suffer with nausea and can react to strong odors. I suffered with a bout of nausea and vomiting after abdominal surgery. They didn’t give me any meds for it that I recall. I’ve also hyperventilated from feeling nausea at a doctors office. I woke up in the recovery room at a clinic after an incident where I felt nauseous and like I was going to vomit. The doctor explained that I had hyperventilated. I experienced that very recently in a recovery room waiting for someone else and the moment I realized that feeling – I was breaking into a cold sweat and that familiar lightheaded faint feeling I bolted for the door to get outside. It was below 30°, but I knew that the cold bracing fresh air would help me, and so it did.Hi Karen. Thanks for sharing your story. Sounds like for you cold weather really helps!Best regards, JosephI tend to wonder why that is. It also doesn’t always work as I’ve fainted several times, but I tend to feel that is dependent upon if I can get outside quick enough.I feel faint all too often – cancer in brain stem and cerebellum. For me, the solutions are: – to eat an apple if I’m feeling potentially dodgy– to keep my liquids up– to lie down before I fall down, yes even in public. :/A breathing technique that another internet MD mentioned recently as a simple form of meditation might apply. He (Dr. Al Sears) said to inhale as deeply as you can to the count of seven, hold your breath for seven seconds, and then exhale for a count of seven, emptying your lungs as completely as possible. For stress relief he said to do this ten times.Deep breathing stimulates the vagus nerve. Might it help to alleviate nausea?Dr. Gonzáles, can you please tell me where I can get a lipid profile prescribed for myself without having to get an appointment with my personal provider? Is this something you can do? Thank you!Hi Nina. I am not a doctor, but I am a dietitian with research experience. I don’t know where to obtain a “lipid profile” other than standard tests on cholesterol and triglycerides ordered by your doctor. You could try contacting a lab directly? If other members have any ideas please jump in. NutritionFacts does not offer any of that testing. Sorry I can’t be of more help.Best regards, JosephNina: Life Extension Foundation (lef.org). I’m a member and have used them a couple of times. Non-members have to pay a little extra.I’ve used Walk-in Lab for yearly assessments, and donate blood bimonthly for more immediate feedback of how dietary changes are affecting iron levels and total cholesterol: my local blood center provides this as a courtesy to donors. The common blood chemistry & lipid profiles are inexpensive; its when one gets into other less common tests that may be of interest to plant based dieters (methylmalonic acid for B12, 25-OH-D, etc) that things get pricey. I have the fortune of a couple of physicians in my immediate family that can review my blood work (and endure my gloating). It’s no substitute for a provider’s expertise if one has an ailment, but I find having one’s own history of test results offers feedback and encourages both futher lifestyle improvements and learning about physiology.Very interesting information. I found a Cochrane review review entitled “Aromatherapy for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting” http://eprints.qut.edu.au/54475/4/54475b.pdf which indicates that isopropyl alcohol (IPA) may be more effective than placebo. While controlled breathing is helpful for many things, I’m skeptical of the dismissal that its benefits won’t be enhanced by aroma therapy. I could be a placebo effect, but if aromas have been shown to induce relaxation responses, and/or stimulate people to higher levels of alertness I wonder if parasympathetic/sympathetic stimulation could be a confounding variable.For my wife’s recent birth, we were told to bring a freshly sliced lemon to the hospital to smell for reducing symptoms of nausea and vomiting. I had too many other things to research at the time to verify what the hospital birthing educator told us. I think it was anecdotal from her nursing experience, but seeing significant levels of limonene in the mint and peppermint oils in one of these studies, I wonder if there could be something said of amount or enantiomer of limonene? So much to research. :-)Speaking of nausea, we can add “cheap wine” to the list of foods contaminated with arsenic. Brown rice, brussels sprouts, apple juice and now cheap wine. I tried to get drunk on cheap wine as a teenager, but before that happened I just threw-up. Mmmhttp://www.taintedwine.com/right at the 1:00 mark I was drinking coffee and you almost got me at that part. You almost made me ruin my monitor with coffee. But it was still worth it. I love analysts.If interested in the results/effects of proper breathing…check here…. http://www.breathing.com/Much free info. Very interesting results when trying out some of the breathing exercises. Very powerful guided exercises….Thanks for this video- actually dealing with nausea at the moment. I do have an unrelated question and wasn’t sure if it’s best to post on the newest video as you all are busy and not sure if you check older vids. I can’t seem to find anything on here for recommendation of caloric intake- how to calculate your caloric needs, nor a recommended calonutrient ration- ie. was percent of fat/protein/carbs to aim for. Any assistance with this would be greatly appreciated! I’ve done my best to search the site and can’t find these two specific issues. Many thanks!Thanks for this video- actually dealing with nausea at the moment. I do have an unrelated question and wasn’t sure if it’s best to post on the newest video as you all are busy and not sure if you check older vids. I can’t seem to find anything on here for recommendation of caloric intake- how to calculate your caloric needs, nor a recommended calonutrient ration- ie. was percent of fat/protein/carbs to aim for. Any assistance with this would be greatly appreciated! I’ve done my best to search the site and can’t find these two specific issues. Many thanks!The short answer is: if you’re eating a whole food, plant based diet it doesn’t matter. If you simply eat the foods that Dr. Greger, and science, recommend, it is virtually impossible to “go wrong.” Green leafies, berries, brassicas, onions, garlic, nuts, seeds, sprouts, legumes, whole/sprouted grains, melons, apples, citrus, spices, teas, cocoa, …..the list is endless. As has been stated on this site, this type of diet is nutrient dense and calorie dilute. It is virtually impossible to eat too overeat this type of food. Combine this with pushups, pullups and squats and you’re on the right track.thank you- still, is there a macronutrient ratio recommendation? I eat only whole plant foods, but within that can eat 90% carb and 5% protein/fat or 50%fat and 40% protein and 10% carbs all while eating those foods. Also, I can eat 1,000 calories a day or 6,000. There has to be some limit at some point and something to aim for ratio-wise and calorically.The Institute of Medicine has rages for adults: 20–35% fat, 45–65% carbs, and 10–35% protein.This ridiculous cyber doctor stuff is becoming intolerable, I’m not going to partake. This is it, bye and thank you all for having me till now. NF is over for me now.Some say, “Spirit is the healer” and the word spirit means breath, so yes, breathing is the key to many problems – mental, emotional and physical. And some scents encourage us to breathe more fully and freely and deeply. But don’t tell big pharma I told you guys this, ok? ;)Every time I get my goodbye message censored thus deleted I will delete a part of my own history here in return. Keep it up and in the end all of it will be gone and for what?The proliferation of mystery MD’s on NF is becoming intolerable, it invites damage by allowing a forum while at the same time masking the personal responsibilities of these individuals. This can have only one consequence, detriment to some random future readers and to NF itself, while none of the burden will be borne by the people using it as a cheap and easy status enhancement.The right to voice critical opinion is now also being tread upon, it is all a very much a turn for the worse and I’m worried for NF. As is I cannot in good conscience partake in this site anymore nor recommend it to anyone in my personal sphere anymore from this point forward.	alcohol,alternative medicine,aromatherapy,caesarean section,chemotherapy,complementary medicine,ginger,herbal tea,mint,nausea,peppermint,spearmint,suppositories,surgery,vomiting,water	Is the relief of nausea and vomiting after surgery from sniffing peppermint extract due to the mint, the alcohol vapors, or just the controlled breathing?	What do you think of them still using the alcohol pads even though they were shown to offer no additional benefit? I have a whole video on such questions: The Lie That Heals: Should Doctors Give Placebos?Here’s a link to my Natural Nausea Remedy Recipe. Powdered ginger may be easier though (see Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees).More on aromatherapy here:What about actually eating the peppermint? See:Of course the best way to avoid postsurgical nausea is to try to avoid surgery in the first place. Those that eat healthy may be less likely to go under the knife. See Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/suppositories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aromatherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caesarean-section/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vomiting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spearmint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24057415,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24461278,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10485781,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19731848,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22034523,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20488392,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14770380,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3562057/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8678258,
PLAIN-2462	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/	Switching from Beef to Chicken & Fish May Not Lower Cholesterol	In light of recommendations for heart healthy eating from national professional organizations encouraging Americans to limit their intake of meat, the beef industry commissioned and co-wrote this review of randomized controlled trials comparing the effects of beef versus chicken and fish on cholesterol levels published over the last 60 years. They found that the impact of beef consumption on the cholesterol profile of humans is similar to that of fish and/or poultry, meaning that switching from red meat to white meat likely wouldn’t make any difference. And that’s really no surprise, given how fat we’ve genetically manipulated chickens to be these days, up to ten times more fat than they had a century ago. So there’s a number of cuts of beef that have less cholesterol-raising saturated fat than chicken, so no surprise that white meat was found to be no better than red, but their conclusion was that therefore you can eat beef as part of a balanced diet to manage your cholesterol. That’s just like the coke versus Pepsi thing. Even though coke has less sugar than Pepsi, 16 spoonfuls of sugar per bottle instead of just 15. If studies on blood sugar found no difference between drinking coke versus Pepsi, you wouldn’t conclude that Pepsi may be considered when recommending diets for the management of blood sugars, you’d say their both just as bad so we should ideally consume neither.That’s a standard drug industry trick to compare your fancy new drug not to the best out there, but to some miserable drug to make yours look better. Note they didn’t compare beef to plant proteins, like in this study. But I was surprised as I started reading this that they found no benefit to switching to a plant protein diet either. What were they eating? Plant protein diet on the left, animal protein diet on the right. Breakfast looks ok. Instead of a burger the plant group got a kidney bean and tomato casserole and a salad, nice. And dinner, instead of another burger just some boring vegetables. Why was the cholesterol of the plant group as bad as the animal group? Oh, they had the plant protein group eating 3 tablespoon of beef tallow every day, three tablespoons of straight beef fat—well, no wonder.This was part of a series of studies that tried to figure out what was so cholesterol-raising about meat—was it the animal protein, or was it the animal fat? So they created fake meat products made to have the same amount of saturated fat and cholesterol by adding extracted animal fats and cholesterol. Who could they get to make such strange concoctions? The Ralston Purina dog food company.But what’s crazy is that even if you do keep the saturated animal fat and cholesterol the same, by adding meat fats to the veggie burgers, and making the plant group swallow cholesterol pills to equal it out, sometimes you still see an advantage in the plant protein group. See how they had them switch diets half way through and their cholesterol levels switched too?You switch people from meat to tofu, their cholesterol goes down, but what if you switch them from meat to tofu plus lard! Then their cholesterol may stay the same, though tofu and lard may indeed actually be better than meat, since it may result in less oxidized cholesterol. So even just swapping plant protein for animal protein may have advantages, but if you really want to maximize the power of diet to lower cholesterol, you may have to move entirely to plants. The standard dietary advice to cut down on fatty meat, dairy, and eggs may lower cholesterol 5-10%, but flexitarian or vegetarian diets may drop our levels 10 to 15%, vegan diets 15 to 25, and healthier vegan diets up to 35%, like this study showing a 61 point drop in LDL cholesterol within a matter of weeks.	Very funny video! :)It has been said that a pessimist is just an optimist with experience.Thanks for the video suggestion. I disagree with many of the speaker’s points, but it’s not like I expected this video on pessimism to be good, so when some of it was amusing, and other parts useful, I was delighted. I must say that pessimism has often worked out well for me. It would serve the population to be considerably more pessimistic about the trustworthiness of the food industry, big pharma, medicine, and government. All within reason, of course.I’m glad you liked it, I’ve set myself the task of re-socializing myself and building up my EQ up as far as I can take it, already had some great help through contemplation by hand me downs from that institution. I’m very pleased to have found them.Soy and lard…hahaha. Love it. Thanks Dr.Greger and Staff!Slard(tm) Available now at a store near you.Hello good Doctor, I hope that you had a great cruise. I’m having difficulty discussing any issue about cholesterol with several people because of their rigid belief that cholesterol is not linked to heart disease, based upon Dr. Sinatras book “the cholesteral myth debunked ” http://youtu.be/dAq7Sxyp-JQ please help us advise advise them to the real science, or is there something to it?, thank you Sincerely, Jeffrey Zayda,L.M.T.http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Cholesterol-Myth-Disease/product-reviews/1592335217/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0this review of his book explains everything. (the first review on the page)Many doctors discuss diet and cholesterol. Forgive me Jeffery, but I don’t have time to watch an hour video. Do you mind puling references from his video and then we can debate? Or perhaps giving us the main take aways? That would be super helpful for me! Thanks so much for your comments and making us aware of this doctor Sinatra.This is all of Dr. Sinatra I ever want to watch.http://youtu.be/XumPQLTzPWIHehehehe, so sad :)I know the whole grounding thing sounds ridiculous…….but in my experience it is quite profound. Increased energy, reduced inflammation, much deeper relaxed sleep; sorry, but I can’t live without it.Try going barefoot in the middle of winter here in South Dakota. I guarantee your experience would be much, much different!Yeah, our winters are tough too and no way am I going barefoot when it’s -10 outside or on a lawn sprayed with pesticides! My husband and I have a grounding sheet on our bed.Awesome! Thanks for the research citations. If something as non-invasive as “earthing” can be helpful, go for it! Just don’t do it in South Dakota (I’m talking to you, MacSmiley).I’m going to chime in here too…I agree with you! Think of how you feel after a day at the beach or lake…kicking off your shoes and being in touch with the earth is similar. A bunch of us decided to try the idea out and report back, and for what it’s worth, of the 18 who participated only one said they didn’t really see any benefit. Some were pretty dramatic, arthritic knees were less swollen and more flexible, back problems improved, sleep much improved, headaches soothed. I had twisted my knee and had been gimping around for days, and really didn’t expect any result, but figured it was as good a time as any to at least stand in the grass for a while. I got side-tracked with a visitor and we just stood there about an hour and by the time they left, I kind of forgot what I had gone out there for, and went back inside… until it occurred to me that my knee wasn’t hurting. I was kind of dumbstruck…had to be coincidence! But I also realized that for the first time in ages, I actually had sensation in my fingers too! (I did a number breaking my wrist and they had to put it back together with hardware, but I lost sensation in 3 fingers.) That was just weird! LOL! I don’t know what the explanation is, but it’s free and simple enough…a new habit!Dr. Sinatra is an integrative cardiologist who does think that it is important to have the right balance of HDL and LDL (and all their sub-types) for heart health, and that total cholesterol doesn’t tell the whole story. “The real cause of heart disease is inflammation, not cholesterol. I believe this is true because half of all people who die of heart attacks have a “normal” cholesterol level—and because of all the angiograms I’ve performed on patients with high cholesterol numbers but completely clean arteries.”Speaking of balance, Dr. Sinatra is not telling you the whole story, either. Of course TC is not detailed enough information. And although inflammation is involved in atherosclerosis, it is not the cause, just like an infection in your finger doesn’t happen on its own without a filthy foreign object embedded in it, like a splinter.Noted lipidoligist Dr. Thomas Dayspring will tell you, atherosclerosis is caused by the invasion of excessive ApoB-containing particles (LDL of all sizes, VLDL, IDL, chylomicrons, and chylomicron remnants) collectively known as non-HDL embedded where they don’t belong in between the cells of artery walls. What’s important is not the balance, but the REDUCTION to the lowest amount possible of all those ApoB-containing particles.The link in the image goes to this study:http://m.circ.ahajournals.org/content/116/16/1832.fullI see and I agree that total cholesterol is not the whole story. Dr. Ornish talks about not needing tons of garbage trucks (HDL) if you don’t have tons of garbage (LDL). I know I must be misrepresenting his analogy so forgive me. Plus, I think the biochemistry is much more complex. I feel “normal” cholesterol levels are misleading as Dr. Greger explains what normal really means. Newer video on Optimal Cholesterol levels, here. All with citations.Following Thomas Dayspring in Twitter is fascinating ( though I do not recommend following his Taubesian pro-saturated fat dietary waywardness). He knows his lipids.Dayspring lowered this bomb the other day:“@Drlipid: @FatEmperor Understand the physiologic purpose of LDLs is to return cholesterol to liver and gut not to distribute it to tissuesMany physicians agree with this philosophy. And I noticed that by avoiding meat, fish, cholesterol rich foods not only did my cholesterol levels drop, but the inflammation in my joints also dropped.But after a total knee and total hip replacement, my legs are still inflamed. And diet has not cured the situation. Now, my local doctor has me on fluid pills, which concerns me.Any feed back on this treatment is welcome.Hi Susan. It’s great to hear that you’ve reduced some inflammation by avoiding meat, fish, cholesterol rich foods. I would think the fluid pills aren’t addressing the true cause of the inflammation, just a symptom. Turmeric is lauded by Dr. Greger and others as an awesome anti-inflammatory spice. Zyflamend, an anti-inflammatory herb supplement, has rave reviews online. Are you familiar with Earthing (grounding)? It sounds crazy, but the earth is packed with electrons and these electrons have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect. Please see my post above and Charzie’s response. Here’s a more thorough explanation: http://earthingcanada.ca/chronic-inflammation-and-arthritis/My LDL shifts very little on a low fat plant based diet- why??????? I am so happy to read these facts to see what incredible results in LDL reduction may happen for so many people but me. I am vegan (again- 6 months), low fat with a confounding problem of not having my LDL which is now 3.63 mmol/l. I reduced processed grains and saw a decrease in my triglycerides but my LDL is being stubborn. ;) HDL is 1.63 and ration 4.2. When I was vegan, but not low fat for about 8 months- the numbers made only marginal shifts at that time as well. HELP!!!!!! Is this genetics? I am diabetic, or hypertensive and I am currently working on loosing 25 extra pounds. I want to stay on this healthy path.These are important concerns; I share them. Would one or more of the professionals reading these posts please respond with some help?Also, would someone please translate the lab reading BobbiS included to those used in the United States? Thank you.I forget the exact formula, but here’s a conversion chart.Lovely. Disqus has dropped my image YET AGAIN!!http://www.onlineconversion.com/cholesterol.htmBobbi’s LDL is approx 140 mg/dl.Ha Ha, sorry- a Canadian result. ;) Thank you for the advocacy for my issue that seems to be shared by others. ;)Sounds like you are doing everything right. If your LDL is still to high, you could try Niacin. Niacin was discovered to be an Ideal triglycerides, LDL reducing, and HDL increasing medicine. It’s been used that way to treat high blood levels for 50 years. There’s a book about how to use Niacin therapy to lower Cholesterol, Cholesterol Control Without Diet. The Niacin Solution by W. B. Parsons. This is the best pill to treat LDL and its almost free. The drug companies tried to sink it, you can watch the video in part here and Andrew Saul’s response https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=265980030275194 The curious side effects that the study mentioned may be a profound elevation in mood, treatment of bipolar, depression, schziophrenia, reduction or elimination of any addictions. It battles a stress signal in the brain that brain makes in response to excitement that can be oxidized to cause mental health issues. However, taking higher dose Niacin can cause flushing. It takes time to get used to, I’ve heard. http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v01n10.shtml The ideal dose is probably not known for everyone. You could talk to your doctor about using Niacin therapy. It can cause Nausea. If you want to lose weight you could try taking vitamin D3 supplements or using fenugreek, recommended here for cancer. I think it is interesting that your LDL is high when you are a vegan because it means you are not eating any Cholesterol. 100 percent is made by you, and you are making too much. Why are you making too much? Perhaps you could hypothesize that LDL is manufactured in response to Niacin deficits.The alleged pharmacological reasons for taking Niacin is for raising HDL, not lowering LDL.Lowers LDL 20-30 percent, raises HDL 20-30 percent, lowers triglycerides by 50 percent.I’m reminded of Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment (an annual book) saying that niacin has a near-ideal effect on blood lipids (but that flushing can indeed be a problem).It was actually kind of scary when it first happened, so a good idea to start low and work upwards slowly.Depends on the dosage. The highest recommended dosage for Niaspan is 2000 mg, and that produces (on average) an increase in HDL (24%), and lowering of LDL (-16%), Lp(a) (-25%), and TG (-32%).Thanks. Increase in HDL lower of LDL. Thats what I want I could get up to maximimum to get that benefit. That would cure my high numbers. Man, it still wasn’t heart death what I went to the hosptial for. It’s free too. It treats heart death.Darryl, Could you explain how LDL gets oxidized? Why is lard less likely to oxidize than fat from meat? Because it’s so saturated?Do not take time released niacin…your liver will thank you for it. And your skin will not turn yellow.What? Just grind that stuff up and put it in Pasta? I swear American Cholesterol is so high it’s like we all have Jaundice and are Simpsons characters. Did you know high cholesterol can cause emotional illness (well its a warning sign for it)? Do you Control your cholesterol, no but you do control how much Niacin you take. Time released niacin can still just spread out the flush when you are not with food. The doctor said Niacin or B vitamins just run through you.Thank you, Matthew. Menopause has made flashing a bad word for me as I get such a strong vasomotor response with hot flashes that I feel very weak at times, so I think niacin in very minute doses may be helpful. Good to know as I was not aware of its efficacy. ;)It’s free! They through it at you. You can get it at a Grocery store.You mention you are a low fat vegan. Are you following a particular program, Bobbi? Esselstyn, McDougall, Ornish, Fuhrman?I am trying a combination of the above except Furman, but maybe it is the small amount of nuts (4-6) per day that may also add to the issue. I must be more active and get the weight off and see what it does as Joe suggested to.I would continue the nuts/flax seeds especially. They are documented cholesterol reducers.What I would do, if I were you, would be to stack my diet with a portfolio of plant foods which are known to reduce LDL.I would also consult a lipidoligist for an advanced particle count. What you’ll want to know is how numerous your LDL-P(articles) are versus your LDL-C(holesterol content) is, bcz it’s the particles which carry the cholesterol, not necessarily their cargo which do damage to the artery walls.So i researched those and with the exception of the fish oil, I eat them. So I will continue. Thank you.How much is your non-HDL cholesterol? That is your Total Cholesterol minus your HDL?Hi MacSmiley, I will get that number and get back to you with a converted number shortly. Thank you for your help so far and great feedback. ;)Thanks for sharing, BobbiS. Other have made some comments. I don’t have much to add. I agree with MacSmiley, your LDL is 140 and HDL 63. Is your doctor very concerned? Are you on medication? Important to keep medical professionals in the loop. They can answer your question about genes. Maybe weight loss can help lower your LDL, as well. Also, diet is not the only thing that can alter cholesterol levels. Being physically active and lowering stress are other lifestyle modifications known to reduce cholesterol. Thanks for much for utilizing the website and directing others to it! That means a lot to us :)Best wishes, JosephHi Joseph, Thank you so much for responding to my question. My doctor is not concerned at this point so I will continue on with weight loss and I am now increasing my activity to daily with yoga and walks. No meds at this point either and sure want to keep it that way. Warmly, BobbiGreat! Good luck. I found out more suggestions from Dr. Greger. Basically, for those who have “tried everything” and still have high LDL, try focusing on the saturated fat sources (coconut oil; cocoa butter). I’d make sure you’re doing the Jenkins portfolio diet list (beans, okra, flax, etc) and get thyroid function tested. Weight loss is important if there is too much abdominal fat. And if the diet is awesome and still no luck then perhaps try Dr. Esselstyn’s 6 servings of greens a day thing to keep nitric oxide flowing and consider a statin. I think the yoga and weight loss plan sounds good. Keep up the good work and stay in high spirits.A big issue for me was cutting out ALL processed foods and just really eating close to nature, including a good share of raw food in smoothies, soups, salads, sprouts, whatever. I was diabetic before I started, and my total cholesterol was in the 200’s and taking statins, but not much improvement. Within 3 weeks of the above changes, and eating smaller, more frequent meals, I no longer had elevated blood sugar and my cholesterol, though not as low as I would like, dropped more than it ever did taking statins, which I stopped because of the side effects. My HDL is on the low side, and I forgot the last LDL, but taking niacin seems to help too. I can’t clean up my diet any more, so I’m not going to stress over it…that’s probably even worse! lolThank you so much, Charzie. I will try limiting any processed foods as much as possible because even the low fat ones may be hindering my progress. Warmly, BobbiI think you are so right! I know it can be hard to have to start from scratch when you are eating healthy, but for me anyway, it is the only way I know for sure what the quality is of the food I am eating. I rarely buy anything in a package or with a label, but there is also a real sense of satisfaction in succeeding in improving your health and knowing you are doing the best for yourself! I have become the queen of quickies and shortcuts because I can be lazy, since I only prepare food for me, I just had to find new approaches, techniques, and make the time! (And the internet can be a wonderful source of help!) I found I had to cut out ALL animal products to get my numbers into a decent range too, I have a theory that if our distant ancestors come from an area where the diet was very plant based, we just don’t have the genetics to deal with animal products like perhaps other populations might, an adaption that is known to occur. It actually works well for me because now I don’t feel like a “failed vegetarian”. I never liked meat and hated the idea of eating other sentient creatures, but between raising a family, budget and time constraints, I sadly took the easy route of convenience, and did pay the price. I so wish I didn’t wait until my 50’s to make this switch because the benefits have been mind blowing and I could have saved myself so much grief! Apparently I needed a good scare to set me on the right path, which stinks, but better late than never! Best of luck to you Bobbi!Congratulations on your journey to good health. In my clinical experience weight loss is best accomplished by attention to calorie density with some attention to fitness. Resources you might find useful are Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density: Eat More Weigh Less and Live Longer… available only thru Engine 2 website as of two weeks ago and Doug Lisle’s You Tube Video, How to Lose Weight without Losing your mind. It is also possible to be a sick or fat vegan. Dr. McDougall’s December 2008 newsletter entitled “Fat Vegan”. I have found some patients whose cholesterol’s are very sensitive to fructose intake… processed foods and fruits. You can try looking at labels or just eating foods without labels. We know from Dr. Esselstyn’s work that patients who have clinical coronary artery disease can lower risk for future events to less than 1% over a 3 1/2 year period. Usual care based on the COURAGE study shows about 20% recurrence per year. His targets are total cholesterol below 150 or LDL below 90 for that population. There aren’t good studies on populations who follow a whole food plant based diet with B12 supplementation. It is possible that the numbers could be higher. it is a guess. Another McDougall newsletter from September 2002 discusses Cholesterol in general and he discusses Cleaning out your arteries in June 2003. Of course the science has just kept coming and you need to stay tuned to NutritionFacts.org for the latest. Dr. Greger has over 100 video’s relating to arterial disease. I too recommend this website to many folks. Keep plugging away at it.What is your TSH level? Thyroid stimulating hormone if it’s high it will raise LDL. It could be iodine deficiency which most people probably have these days. See the books by Brownstein and Farrow. You can find protocols on-line for raising levels safely.Thank you Dr Greger for exposing even more manipulation in the meat industry!In my location on the Guanacaste Peninsula in Costa Rica, a Blue zone, chickens are not fed and do a wonderful job clearing tics off my land.(My dogs are appreciative.) They are my neighbour’s chickens and find their fare over several properties. When they are slaughtered and cooked, there is no visible fat and they are tough. The cattle are very similar and people here seem to be healthy and vigorous in their 90’s and even 100’s. They do walk or ride bicycles up steep hills and over long distances with no days too cold to go outside. They seem much healthier than I who does not eat meat products, though I probably caused myself the greatest harm working as a MD in the USA. Do you think if studies were done in such a community with vigorous people eating meat from vigorous animals raised humanely, the outcome would be different. The cattle are Brahmin. Our water supply is loaded with minerals, especially magnesium and calcium. The meat servings are small and they eat a lot of unprocessed vegetables. (However, the US food chains are beginning to show their ugly faces in larger cities such as San Jose.) Thank you for my nutrition education.Interesting. How many ounces of meat are in a typical serving? How often is meat eaten over the course of a day?Dan Buettner mentioned the mineral content of the water and the enrichment of the corn masa which does not appear to be done here in the US.Meat including fish, chicken, beef, pork( In that order) 3-4 ounces, 2-4 times/week. Lots of brown rice & beans with some eggs(4-5 weekly) from the same chickens. They also have an almost tasteless cheese of which they have small amounts. The local people are poor and they can not afford too much meat and cheese & do not consume much milk although usually whole milk mostly in coffee which is very popular due to the high quality untainted coffee, unlike Starbucks. The water is so filled with minerals that they precipitate when chilled and quickly clog filters or coat teapots.The vegetables are great, growing in volcanic soil full of nutrients reminding me much of the vegetables that I consumed as child living in dairy country near Brisbane, 1949-1965. Our average rainfall is 132 inches/year. Personally, I do not eat beef or pork with chicken or fish 4-6 oz, 3-4 times/week, with no dairy or eggs. We eat similar to the local people with the differences as noted. I am concerned that meat production en mass is often cruel, harmful to us by eating, destroying jungles, and producing too much methane causing climate change. We do not own a car and usually walk or bike similar to local people. Many other transplants have a similar attitudeFascinating!!Meat including fish, chicken, beef, pork( In that order) 3-4 ounces, 2-4 times/week. Lots of brown rice & beans with some eggs(4-5 weekly) from the same chickens. They also have an almost tasteless cheese of which they have small amounts. The local people are poor and they can not afford too much meat and cheese & do not consume much milk although usually whole milk mostly in coffee which is very popular due to the high quality untainted coffee, unlike Starbucks. The water is so filled with minerals that they precipitate when chilled and quickly clog filters or coat teapots.The vegetables are great, growing in volcanic soil full of nutrients reminding me much of the vegetables that I consumed as child living in dairy country near Brisbane, 1949-1965. Our average rainfall is 132 inches/year. Personally, I do not eat beef or pork with chicken or fish 4-6 oz, 3-4 times/week, with no dairy or eggs. We eat similar to the local people with the differences as noted. I am concerned that meat production en mass is often cruel, harmful to us by eating, destroying jungles, and producing too much methane causing climate change. We do not own a car and usually walk or bike similar to local people. Many other transplants have a similar attitudeMeat including fish, chicken, beef, pork( In that order) 3-4 ounces, 2-4 times/week. Lots of brown rice & beans with some eggs(4-5 weekly) from the same chickens. They also have an almost tasteless cheese of which they have small amounts. The local people are poor and they can not afford too much meat and cheese & do not consume much milk although usually whole milk mostly in coffee which is very popular due to the high quality untainted coffee, unlike Starbucks. The water is so filled with minerals that they precipitate when chilled and quickly clog filters or coat teapots.The vegetables are great, growing in volcanic soil full of nutrients reminding me much of the vegetables that I consumed as child living in dairy country near Brisbane, 1949-1965. Our average rainfall is 132 inches/year. Personally, I do not eat beef or pork with chicken or fish 4-6 oz, 3-4 times/week, with no dairy or eggs. We eat similar to the local people with the differences as noted. I am concerned that meat production en mass is often cruel, harmful to us by eating, destroying jungles, and producing too much methane causing climate change. We do not own a car and usually walk or bike similar to local people. Many other transplants have a similar attitudeCould it actually be the “lot of unprocessed vegetables” that make them healthy, rather than the meat? Also, as you said, the meat servings were small. Also, exercising a lot helps. Even Joel Fuhrman states that eating a lot of vegetables can cancel the bad effects of eating meat. I don’t eat meat at all, but this doesn’t depend on any belief that eating *any* meat is very harmful. I tend to believe, however, that eating a lot of meat is harmful. I also think that “grass fed” is not health promoting, but is not as bad for health as factory farmed.Good questions, Dr. Haile. The short answer is perhaps, but until that study is conducted I cannot say for certain. These Blue Zones are primarily plant-based, but I do not think 100% in Costa Rica. If they do include meat it’s likely very small portions, as you describe, coming from animals not fed antibiotics and who are roaming freely in backyards. There are however 100% plant-based eaters in California Blue Zones like Loma Linda. There is some merit to flexitarians reaping health benefits by simply reducing their meat intake. I know one study that found less multi-drug resistant bacteria contamination on organic chicken, compared with conventional chicken. The difference was not huge, as Dr. Greger explains from this video. Perhaps more importantly, grass-fed beef and organic chicken contain the same amount of saturated fat and cholesterol, compared with conventional beef and chicken. So it would appear grass-fed beef and organic chicken would still pose the same risks for heart disease. Not sure how this stacks up to Costa Rican pollo or longevity? I feel any animal living in more natural environments (like not in cages, which is rare) is better for the animal’s health. Dr. David Servan-Schreiber discuss organic animal products in his book, AntiCancer, describing them essentially as optional, adding the majority of the diet should stem from plant origin. The idea is more fiber, more antioxidants, and better omega3:omega6 ratios.Lastly, factory-farmed chicken may be hazardous for consumer health, as superbugs have been found in retail chicken.Careful what you say about San Jose. I am a huge Sharks fan and I will find my way to Costa Rice :-) (Totally just kidding). Thanks for your post. I think what you want is a study looking at centenarians in Costa Rica vs Loma Linda. Does Blue Zones compare longevity from different populations? At any rate, both populations have extended health benefits.Best regards, JosephCholesterol down here very nicely. Vegetables, Fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, 4 oz wild caught ocean fish two servings a week, tons and tons of recipes, feel fine, exercise most days, just went skiing, I’m 80. BMI dead on. Why is this so hard for people to do ?? BTW, world livestock production creates more global warming than all of transportation. Organic where possible, Roundup and 2,4-D not needed – rotate crops. Oops, Monsanto won’t make a mint. Grow plants, not cattle, pigs, or chickens.Switching from Beef to Chicken is like an alcoholic who switches from liquor to beer….You are probably right.You are probably right.You are probably right.I’ve switched from ground turkey to ground beef…less salmonella. But not much of it.More pink salmon from NE Pacific…the kind that don’t swim to Japan. I’m depending on the US govt and the salmon fishing industry to tell me when it isn’t safe to eat….LOL.Since almost everything is polluted…you need to choose your poisons? Keep the worst of it down….I’ve come to a tentative conclusion that one of the main reasons veggie eating is healthy are faster TRANSIT TIMES…..constipation ages you fast.The reason you can’t eat a lot of nuts…is that they can slow transit time….especially peanuts. Know of someone who had to have an operation to unblock the valve from the small to large intestine from too many peanuts.I realize that this is anecdotal, but I was able to ride my own cholesterol numbers down from 203 to 166 by means of dietary intervention on my journey from omnivore to vegan; which was originally unintended, yet logical destination; by first eliminating beef, pork and lamb; then to chicken skin removal, eliminating chicken altogether, fish off the menu until the only animal products left in my diet were a hard boiled egg, sliced, or 4 oz of poached shrimp, and sometimes both. These went to garnished my white bean, greens, onion, jalapeño, garlic, tomato, avocado, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice dinner salad. I still think fondly about that salad. The eggs and shrimp added a dimension that I have yet to satisfactorily reproduce with my current ingredient pallet, but it’s still a great salad without the egg and/or shrimp.My physician was thrilled by my progress, but he still wanted to put me on statins because my LDL:HDL ratio deteriorated, presumably due to my nearly daily egg consumption. I loved those things. They were pretty much the last thing I gave up, although, I am mildly repulsed by them now, my thoughts of them in that salad notwithstanding.The funny thing is I may have never gone all the way to whole foods plant based (WFPB) if my favorite food were say clams, mussels or squid, but I am so glad I did because shortly thereafter I started feeling so amazingly good that it stopped being a numbers game, and became all about how can I manipulate my diet so I could feel even better.I started doing other things such as riding my sodium usage down, and noticing as I did that it made me feel better because of it.This was my most important take away from the whole experience which was that my body would tell me if something I ate or some activity I did made me feel better or worse. When I heeded its advice, my health prospered. When I didn’t, it declined.I am now in my 50’s, and in many ways, I have not felt or looked better, and while there is no substitution for youth, I feel and pass for a considerably younger man. At least, when I am at my best.It is my hopeful belief that this destiny is open to you all, and my desire that you find your way there.I realize that this is anecdotal, but I was able to ride my own cholesterol numbers down from 203 to 166 by means of dietary intervention on my journey from omnivore to vegan; which was originally unintended, yet logical destination; by first eliminating beef, pork and lamb; then to chicken skin removal, eliminating chicken altogether, fish off the menu until the only animal products left in my diet were a hard boiled egg, sliced, or 4 oz of poached shrimp, and sometimes both. These went to garnished my white bean, greens, onion, jalapeño, garlic, tomato, avocado, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice dinner salad. I still think fondly about that salad. The eggs and shrimp added a dimension that I have yet to satisfactorily reproduce with my current ingredient pallet, but it’s still a great salad without the egg and/or shrimp.My physician was thrilled by my progress, but he still wanted to put me on statins because my LDL:HDL ratio deteriorated, presumably due to my nearly daily egg consumption. I loved those things. They were pretty much the last thing I gave up, although, I am mildly repulsed by them now, my thoughts of them in that salad notwithstanding.The funny thing is I may have never gone all the way to whole foods plant based (WFPB) if my favorite food were say clams, mussels or squid, but I am so glad I did because shortly thereafter I started feeling so amazingly good that it stopped being a numbers game, and became all about how can I manipulate my diet so I could feel even better.I started doing other things such as riding my sodium usage down, and noticing as I did that it made me feel better because of it.This was my most important take away from the whole experience which was that my body would tell me if something I ate or some activity I did made me feel better or worse. When I heeded its advice, my health prospered. When I didn’t, it declined.I am now in my 50’s, and in many ways, I have not felt or looked better, and while there is no substitution for youth, I feel and pass for a considerably younger man. At least, when I am at my best.It is my hopeful belief that this destiny is open to you all, and my desire that you find your way there.I realize that this is anecdotal, but I was able to ride my own cholesterol numbers down from 203 to 166 by means of dietary intervention on my journey from omnivore to vegan; which was originally unintended, yet logical destination; by first eliminating beef, pork and lamb; then to chicken skin removal, eliminating chicken altogether, fish off the menu until the only animal products left in my diet were a hard boiled egg, sliced, or 4 oz of poached shrimp, and sometimes both. These went to garnished my white bean, greens, onion, jalapeño, garlic, tomato, avocado, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice dinner salad. I still think fondly about that salad. The eggs and shrimp added a dimension that I have yet to satisfactorily reproduce with my current ingredient pallet, but it’s still a great salad without the egg and/or shrimp.My physician was thrilled by my progress, but he still wanted to put me on statins because my LDL:HDL ratio deteriorated, presumably due to my nearly daily egg consumption. I loved those things. They were pretty much the last thing I gave up, although, I am mildly repulsed by them now, my thoughts of them in that salad notwithstanding.The funny thing is I may have never gone all the way to whole foods plant based (WFPB) if my favorite food were say clams, mussels or squid, but I am so glad I did because shortly thereafter I started feeling so amazingly good that it stopped being a numbers game, and became all about how can I manipulate my diet so I could feel even better.I started doing other things such as riding my sodium usage down, and noticing as I did that it made me feel better because of it.This was my most important take away from the whole experience which was that my body would tell me if something I ate or some activity I did made me feel better or worse. When I heeded its advice, my health prospered. When I didn’t, it declined.I am now in my 50’s, and in many ways, I have not felt or looked better, and while there is no substitution for youth, I feel and pass for a considerably younger man. At least, when I am at my best.It is my hopeful belief that this destiny is open to you all, and my desire that you find your way there.More detail on Jenkin’s “Portfolio diet” is here: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=196970They delivered plant sterols using margarine. I don’t eat margarine. Could someone suggest the best plant sources of sterol… or more to the point, I would like to get 2g per day (or more) but my searches don’t return anything that helpful. Is anyone getting high sterol levels without supplements?This is somewhat urgent for me because my yearly review showed my cholesterol has jumped to 5.1 (from a low around 4 mM) …I think that is like 200 compared to 150 in usa units (too big to switch to metric eh USA?) They right away started chirpping away about my vegan diet and want to put me on Ezytrol saying that it is not a statin. I ripped them all a new orifice some years ago when I discovered that most of my symptoms disappeared when i stopped taking that crap.so I asked them to give me another 6 months to try getting it back down. I don’t mind taking a supplemental sterol but i think they only work when in the whole food, right? so how to get that working for me? thanksGood points, Gregor. Have you seen Dr. Greger’s video on optimum phytosterol sources? Seems nuts and seeds are best sources. Not sure about what would amount to 2 grams? This study may help. I know these sterols help with a fat source.I really appreciate all of your posts! Thanks, JosephThank you…yes I have seen the vid, read the abstract. They show that it is not practical to eat the required amount of high-sterol foods to get the effective dose…so I think you are suggesting a pill and a little fat at the same time. Margarine? No! Walnuts…i get it. I’ve got 6 months before my next blood chems. I’ll do my best to replicate the Portfolio diet to get the numbers back in line.Foods highest in Phytosterols:http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000074000000000000000-1.html1) Lettuce, green leaf, rawPhytosterols: 507mg 2) Capers, cannedPhytosterols: 417mg 3) Oil, vegetable, rice branPhytosterols: 269mg 4) Pickles, cucumber, sourPhytosterols: 254mg 5) Pickles, cucumber, sour, low sodiumPhytosterols: 254mg 6) Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, driedPhytosterols: 249mg 7) Asparagus, rawPhytosterols: 240mgThanks Joe, but ummm I don’t understand those numbers. The site says 1lettuce leaf is 5 grams…so that means lettuce is 0.5g sterol per 5g leaf or 10% by weight? Criquey! I hope thats true. but I just don’t think it is.It must be what they consider a serving size. I just checked the phytosterols for a 1/4 cup of sesame and they come out to 247 (1028 mg per cup divided by 4) according to that website. I put a 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds in my smoothie to ensure a full complement of vitamin E. A 1/4 cup of sesame seeds will give you about a third of your RDA for calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorous and about a quarter of your RDA for zinc, molybdenum, selenium and vitamin B1 which is a pretty good deal for about 200 Cals. It’s essential oils are skewed to the Omega-6 side of the equation, but if you are eating a lot of whole foods and you balance out the equation with flax and walnuts, you’ll be in great shape.Cholesterol expressed as milligrams per deciliter is metric.OK fair cop. but still, deciliters? really I think its time to get you folks in sync with the rest of us. Or would you prefer all 7.4 billion of us go your way?I’m not a cop. Just stating the obvious.And since I well remember the campaign to “Go metric” several decades ago, which I thought was a jolly good idea, I decided to find out why it never “took” in popular use here, despite the ubiquitous deployment of 2-liter bottles of soft drinks.http://science.howstuffworks.com/why-us-not-on-metric-system.htmLong story short, the metrification legislation made the use of metric measures voluntary instead of compulsory.More detail on Jenkin’s “Portfolio diet” is here: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=196970They delivered plant sterols using margarine. I don’t eat margarine. Could someone suggest the best plant sources of sterol… or more to the point, I would like to get 2g per day (or more) but my searches don’t return anything that helpful. Is anyone getting high sterol levels without supplements?This is somewhat urgent for me because my yearly review showed my cholesterol has jumped to 5.1 (from a low around 4 mM) …I think that is like 200 compared to 150 in usa units (too big to switch to metric eh USA?) They right away started chirpping away about my vegan diet and want to put me on Ezytrol saying that it is not a statin. I ripped them all a new orifice some years ago when I discovered that most of my symptoms disappeared when i stopped taking that crap.so I asked them to give me another 6 months to try getting it back down. I don’t mind taking a supplemental sterol but i think they only work when in the whole food, right? so how to get that working for me? thanksMore detail on Jenkin’s “Portfolio diet” is here: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=196970They delivered plant sterols using margarine. I don’t eat margarine. Could someone suggest the best plant sources of sterol… or more to the point, I would like to get 2g per day (or more) but my searches don’t return anything that helpful. Is anyone getting high sterol levels without supplements?This is somewhat urgent for me because my yearly review showed my cholesterol has jumped to 5.1 (from a low around 4 mM) …I think that is like 200 compared to 150 in usa units (too big to switch to metric eh USA?) They right away started chirpping away about my vegan diet and want to put me on Ezytrol saying that it is not a statin. I ripped them all a new orifice some years ago when I discovered that most of my symptoms disappeared when i stopped taking that crap.so I asked them to give me another 6 months to try getting it back down. I don’t mind taking a supplemental sterol but i think they only work when in the whole food, right? so how to get that working for me? thanksWow, I’m just coming from a small flame war on a Bill Gates’s talk on Ted about Ebola. With Ted talks severely censoring too, got 4 messages deleted already.Complete upper class insensitivity, nothing about helping the people there by supporting their immune systems through better food, water and environmental conditions. But kind of advocating militarization of outbreak control.Completely perverted and sick! A must see really.“In Liberia and Sierra Leone, where burial rites are reinforced by a number of secret societies, some mourners bathe in or anoint others with rinse water from the washing of corpses.”World Health Organization http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ebola-report-20150115-story.htmlEwwwwwwwww!!Something an educated person would refrain from doing isn’t it?This may sound very curious to you, but white meat chicken and turkey has cholesterol. It has about the same amount of cholesterol as beef. Even just the breast. White meat chicken and turkey has no fat or saturated fat and are very rich in protein and some very essential nutrients. I am not sure I would believe the beef industry if they say it is not better to eat this sustaining food than beef. Oprah was sued by the beef industry for saying that a diet free from beef was healthier. She made the beef industry crazy and helped a lot of people into a healthier life style. She was getting death threats from the beef industry, allegedly, the very people who sued her. White meat can contribute to disease via the IGF-1 damage pathway, possibly because chicken or turkey is stripped of Chromium Piccolate. Did you know that beef can literally rot in your freezer? In the beef famine of the 1970s, there was literally tons of beef in the landfills. Beans, nuts, matcha, dark chocolate, berries, whole grain, spices, fresh fruit and vegetables, can add many years to your life. If completely meat free is better, I think less meat should be a good place to start.I really liked this video. On a random side note, I was on youtube and saw this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CBM4FXSfkkI am having a hard time to believe that cooking rice with coconut oil and than refrigerating it can decrease the calories of the rice. I looked for papers on PubMed but found none. Has anyone else heard of this? If so, does it really work? I would think that you would just be adding calories due to adding the coconut oilI am eating a plant based diet to lower cholesterol. I had a heart bypass 6 months ago because one artery was almost totally blocked. The one question I still have about the plant based diet for me is it okay to eat a small amount of seeds and nuts each day. Dr. Greger says they help cholesterol levels stay low but other plant based diet doctors recommend eating no seeds or nuts, especially for a person like me who had a heart event. What say you? Thank you!Google Dr Esselstyn. His recommendation would be very little to none I imagine.I used to have very high cholesterol, as I was very heavy. Once I lost the weight, my cholesterol went down. Since losing the weight, I have begun to eat large portions of nuts each day, 4-5 ounces each day, along with ground flaxseed. My weight and my cholesterol continue to fall. Joel Furhman recommends nuts, along with Michael Greger. Walnuts would be best, since in one study, they were associated with regression of plaque. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23866098 I personally eat peanuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds and ground flaxseed. Flaxseed and almonds are not that high in saturated fat, although pumpkin seeds and peanuts are a bit higher, although most of their fat is not saturated. However, none of them are associated with rising cholesterol, as for instance, coconut oil would be. Of course, one size does not fit all, so I might suggest eating a few nuts each day and get your cholesterol tested to see if it raises it. Dean Ornish does list ground flaxseed in his most healthful food group, but nuts in his second most. http://ornishspectrum.com/proven-program/nutrition/ I believe Caldwell Esselstyn is not against ground flaxseed. Of course, cut out all processed foods- such commercial sweets, chips and the like. Eat mainly raw nuts that are unsalted as well. Of course, cut out the meat and the dairy. Just take it slowly, under your doctor’s care, about the nuts. I would also eat oats and barley, which have also been associated with lower cholesterol levels.Thanks to all for your wonderful help with my stubborn LDL.I will ramp up the exercise and look for hidden fats. Still wish I could solve the nut mystery though. Some say, “yes” to small amount and some say, “no”. I love the satiation effect a small dose of nuts but I will get the weight down first and then add them carefully if at all.Neurosis would ruin it all for me so I keep a healthy humor about life to help me. ;)Good health to all!I wish I could solve the nut mystery too. Dr Greger says that they are so healthy and Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. Thomas Campbell say not to eat them at all!Nuts are not the only mystery; everything people consume as food is. For every expert who claims, with research to support , that X (replace X with any food) is good for you, there’s an expert who claims, with research to support, that X is bad for you. Nutrition is not just science; it is science + greed + politics + egos. Even without the latter three, science makes the wrong assumption that all human bodies are created equal and, therefore, what is good for one person must be good for the others and vice versa.fish is well known to be good for brains. So by definition, those who omit fish from diet are brain deficit ?This ties in with the fact that Omega 3 and Vit D are known to be low for those dementia prone. Which so happens to be high in fish.The unique health effect of SOME fish are largely limited to DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids they contain. The other fats as well as the protein present are not unique to fish and can be readily obtain from plant sources. But fish get these fatty acids mostly by bio-accumulating them from the algae at the bottom of the food chain, which actually make them. You can cut out the middleman and eliminate the fish and go directly to the algae to get the DHA and EPA. Plus vat grown algae allows you to avoid all the environmental toxins like mercury, dioxins and PCBs that also accumulates in fish. And the best thing is that I don’t get disgusting “fish” burps with algae oil capsules like many people get with fish oil capsules.As for Vitamin D, just go outside, especially now that winter is past (at least here in the norther hemisphere). 10-15 minutes a day with as much skin exposed as possible (and legal!) will make a big difference. In the winter just take a vitamin D capsule.WITHIN WEEKS ! ! ! ! ! ! !——————————–I was on Statin drug in some stage and my numbers where 4.2 mmol/l = 162.41299 mg/dl then stopped statin the number jumped to 7 mmol/l = 270.68832 mg/dl.so I decided to go vegan NOW I am more than 7 months Vegan and just last month I made my diet more strict so that is NO Oils vegan diet, strangely my cholesterol numbers has not gone down that much.When I was meat eater ; 7 mmol/l = 270.68832 mg/dl (No Statin) 4.2 mmol/l = 162.41299 mg/dl (with Statin) Strict Vegan ; 6.8 mmol/l = 262.95437 mg/dl (No Statin)So does it take long to see some good numbers ?? And do I have to take statin again? strong family history of heart issues.Thanks and keep the good work up.My wife and I have had great success following Dr Esselstyn’s diet which means eliminating all meats, dairy, eggs, processed foods, all oils, all nuts, sugary and fruit drinks, smoothies, caffeinated coffee, and even vegetables high in fat such as avacodos, and only eating whole grains such as 100% whole wheat bread. Eat lots of leafy green vegetables. Dr E’s book and his youtube presentations are well worth your time to understand where he is coming from. Some of us have a much more difficult time getting our cholesterol under control and have to go the extra mile and sometimes even that is not enough and we have to take statins; but I would try eliminating all sources of fat from your diet other than what is normally in most vegetables, and eliminate other sugar/fructose and caffeine drinks, and smoothies which can also elevate cholesterol. Stay away from processed foods. The devil is in the details of your diet as Dr E says moderation kills. Labels on processed foods can say no fat and still contain up to 0.5 grams/serving and be in compliance. I periodically get my lipids checked and am slowly starting to back off to see where I can enjoy more things like walnuts for Omega 3’s and guacamole in my taco salads and how adding these things back in affect my cholesterol. Everyone is different and we all have to find out how best to control our cholesterol. Dr Esselstyn says you can easily get your Omega 3’s from 2 tablespoons of flaxseed and I include it with my oatmeal every morning for breakfest. Some people say this diet is drastic but once you go from SAD to Vegan you are 90% there. I’ll leave the decision on whether to go ahead and take statins as a precautionary measure up to you and your Doctor but if you follow these requirements strictly you should see your cholesterol start to drop fairly quickly and will be able to see the extent to which you can lower it. I am not a doctor or healthcare professional but this is what has worked for me and my wife. I wish you all the best. Dr Greger rocks and he is doing a great service to mankind if they will just listen.Hi Rawsan, I agree with the recommendations that HeartHealthy has shared. Beyond no oil, is your diet low in fat overall, i.e. less than 10% of total calories? Foods other than oils can contribute as much or more saturated fat, e.g. adding a can of coconut milk to a recipe adds as much saturated fat as about 1.5 cups of olive oil; 1 avocado has more saturated fat than 2 tbsp of olive oil, and an oz of several types of nuts and seeds have the almost the same amount as 1 tbsp oil. Beyond fat, is your diet predominantly high-fiber whole foods? Apologies if these seem like silly questions and if you are already eating a low fat high fiber diet, but I couldn’t quite tell from your comment.If you have already optimized your diet in both of these areas, perhaps you can look into experimenting with particular foods with demonstrated cholesterol lowering effects such as amla, hibiscus tea, flax, etc. And in contrast with the saturated fat focused approach, there are many studies showing cholesterol lowering effects of nut consumption, perhaps due to phytosterols. I’m not sure if these studies are relevant for those already eating whole foods plant based, but you could try omitting nuts if you are eating them, or adding them back in if you’re not and see if it makes a difference for you.Perhaps you simply have a rare predisposition towards higher cholesterol. I’m not sure if Dr. Esselstyn actually does personal consultations, but he does have an email on his website which he lists for contacting him regarding cardiovascular disease, and your experience certainly seems unique enough to warrant an expert opinion. Alternatively you could try posting in the forums on Dr. McDougall’s site. Jeff Novick, RD regularly responds to posts in the forums and is extremely knowledgeable and helpful when it comes to number crunching and the nitty gritty details. Dr. McDougall also has contact information listed, but again not sure if personal consultations are available. Forums and contact info are listed below. Best of luck to you and keep us posted with your progress.https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/ https://www.drmcdougall.com/about/contact-us/ http://www.dresselstyn.com/contact.htmDr. Esselstyn answered my sisters email asking about her health situation. Worth a try sending him an email.Wow Rawsan! If a low fat, high fiber vegan diet has not helped you to satisfactorily lower your cholesterol levels after seven months, perhaps you should consider re-introduce medication. You said that you have a strong family history of heart disease. You and your family may be genetically predisposed to high cholesterol levels, (familial hypercholesterolemia). Someone mention Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. It would interesting to know if any of his intervention subjects were diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia. If you haven’t seen his lecture on his study, “Make Yourself Heart Attack Proof,” you can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYTf0z_zVs0 – He talks about making yourself heart attack proof by not eating the building blocks of CVD, and the best way to do that is by eating low fat, high fiber vegan diet. So even if you are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol levels, and you need some pharmacological assistance to manage your level, it is best to eat a healthy whole foods plant based diet so you won’t add insult to injury. Good LuckI’m kind of bummed. I just found out that my younger brother’s cholesterol has increased from 214 to 236 mg/dl, and there is precious little chance that he is going to make a meaningful dietary intervention. I sent him some information, but not hopeful that he is going to deviate from his middle American, corn fed (once removed) diet. He described his numbers as being a little high. Heck, I re-tooled my entire diet because my numbers nudged over 200 mg/dl. Caldwell Esselstyn’s “Make Yourself Heart Attack Proof” lecture and I entreated him to have carotid artery ultrasound screening to see where he was at. Who know’s, maybe he’ll surprise me.Good luck Joe. Keep working at it. I hope with patience he will get there. If I may suggest something, encourage small doable changes to start.Decades ago, I also switched from beef to chicken to lower my cholesterol and to reduce the pain I felt in my joints. But, it wasn’t until I fractured my spine in 2012, that I went vegan to reduce pain and inflammation and my bad cholesterol really dropped from 300 to 100.ALL the foods we have been brainwashed to eat over the decades, we are now learning are destroying our health, especially as we age. To avoid the side effects of drugs, eating healthy vegan is the best option.My brother takes the drugs so he can continue eating the foods he grew up eating. The consequence he is paying now is a surgical remedy to protect his heart. Some people never learn.	animal fat,animal products,animal protein,beef,beverages,blood sugar,burgers,cardiovascular health,chicken,cholesterol,Coca-Cola,cola,dairy,eggs,fat,fish,flexitarians,hamburgers,heart health,industry influence,lard,LDL cholesterol,meat,Pepsi,plant protein,plant-based diets,poultry,protein,red meat,saturated fat,soda,sugar,tofu,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,veggie burgers,white meat	The negative impact of red meat on our cholesterol profile may be similar to that of white meat.	Thought chicken was a low fat food? It used to be, but not any more. See: Does Eating Obesity Cause Obesity? It may be one of the reasons we may be getting fatter as well: Chicken Big: Poultry and Obesity.Isn’t protein just protein? How does our body know if it’s coming from a plant or an animal? How could it have different effects on cardiovascular risk? See Protein and Heart Disease, another reason why Plant Protein [is] Preferable.I used that same Coke/Pepsi comparison in my analysis of another body of Beef-funded research: BOLD Indeed: Beef Lowers Cholesterol?More on the role of oxidized cholesterol in Does Cholesterol Size Matter? and Arterial Acne.Lowering cholesterol is as simple as reducing ones intake of three things; and the lower, perhaps, the better: Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero.What about those news stories on the vindication of saturated fat? See the sneaky science in The Saturated Fat Studies: Buttering Up the Public and The Saturated Fat Studies: Set Up to Fail.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepsi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tofu/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/567007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6496393,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19766762,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7197116,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10694766,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11194529,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19728900,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22836072,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21912836,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14624410,
PLAIN-2463	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/	How Much Fruit is Too Much?	Previously, I explored how adding berries to our meals can actually blunt the detrimental effects high glycemic foods, but how many berries? The purpose was to determine the minimum level of blueberry consumption at which a consumer may realistically expect to receive antioxidant benefits after eating blueberries with a sugary breakfast cereal. If we eat a bowl of corn flakes with no berries, within two hours, so many free radicals are created it puts us into oxidative debt. The antioxidant power of our bloodstream drops below where we started from before breakfast as the antioxidants in our bodies get used up. And a quarter cup of blueberries didn’t seem to help much. But a half cup of blueberries did.What about fruit for diabetics? Most guidelines recommend eating a diet with a high intake of fiber-rich food including fruit, because they’re so healthy—antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, improve artery function and reduce cancer risk, however some health professionals have concerns that the sugar content of fruit and therefore recommend restricting the fruit intake. OK, let’s put it to the test. Diabetics were randomized into two groups, one told to eat at least two pieces of fruit a day, and the other told at most, two fruits a day. The reduce fruit group reduced their fruit. It had however no effect on the control of their diabetes or weight, and so the intake of fruit should not be restricted in patients with type 2 diabetes.An emerging literature has shown that low-dose fructose may actually benefit blood sugar control. So having a piece of fruit with each meal would be expected to lower, not raise the blood sugar response. The threshold for toxicity of fructose may be around 50 grams. The problem is that’s the current average adult fructose consumption. So the levels of half of all adults are likely above the threshold for fructose toxicity, and adolescents currently average 75.Is that limit for added sugars or for all fructose? If we don’t want more than 50 and there’s about 10 in a piece of fruit, should we not eat more than 5 fruit a day? Quoting from the Harvard Health Letter, the nutritional problems of fructose and sugar come when they are added to foods. Fruit, on the other hand, is beneficial in almost any amount. What do they mean almost? Can we eat 10 fruit a day? How about twenty fruit a day? It’s actually been put to the test.Seventeen people were made to eat 20 servings a day of fruit. Despite the extraordinarily high fructose content of this diet, presumably about 200 g/d—8 cans of soda worth, the investigators reported no adverse effects (and possible benefit actually) for body weight, blood pressure, and insulin and lipid levels after three to six months. More recently, Jenkins and colleagues put people on about a 20 servings of fruit a day diet for a few weeks and no adverse effects on weight or blood pressure or triglycerides and an astounding 38 point drop in LDL cholesterol.There was one side effect, though. Given the 44 servings of vegetables they had on top of all that fruit, they recorded the largest bowl movements apparently ever documented in a dietary intervention.	Once again whole natural foods win by a landslide! Thanks Dr. Greger and Staff!Makes perfect sense. Fruit: Fructose, fiber, vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, lignans, stilbenes, phenolic acids. No doubt that polyphenols prevent (and treat) various diseases. On the other hand, breakfast cereals: Sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, salt, trans fat, artificial color, artificial flavor, artificial sweetener, bleaching agent, preservative, stabilizer, white flour and a flavor enhancer – Bon appetit….Well I purchase a breakfast cereal that contains no added sugar (only what’s already in the dried Goji berries), no added salt, no corn syrup, only trans fats if they’re already present in the nuts & cereals present, no stabilizers no white flour (no wheat in fact) certainly no flavour enhancers. This is the way it comes out of the box. It has way more fibre than any fruit. I think if you’re going to make a comparison like this you need to specify a fruit by name and a cereal by name, like apples compared to Froot Loops. Rolled oats is also a breakfast cereal.These studies seem to be repeating what Walter Kempner, M.D. did many years ago with the rice diet at Duke University which started in 1939. This is where he fed patients only rice, fruit, juice and sugar and they lost hundreds of pounds of weight, reversed their chronic kidney disease and a whole host of other chronic problems. Simply put we should live Fruitastic lives. Again thanks for this great Fruitastic eduvideo!This is a lie and that study was a fallacy. There were many things covered up in that study including the fact that not everyone followed it. The people who didn’t follow it lost weight while the others who did, gained. The entire study was grouped as a whole and called it proof so to speak. Proof of what though? A diet high in rice, fruit juice and sugar, causes weight gain? Then yes it proved that, but that’s not what it they reported.Subtitles where are you? :DPlease click “View Transcript” to read the text from the video :DI was very happy after subtitles became available again after the change to Vimeo. Most of the times there are short references in the videos where it is good to know which exact sentence is said at an exact moment, so subtitles are extremely useful.I’ll ask our team about the option to use subtitles. Thanks Peter.Have you clicked the CC within the video? We do have subtitles!!!Thx, i never clicked on it before, they added it to the video though~In the video you’ll see a “CC” – click that and subtitles pop-up.Yes i know but this button wasnt available on day 1~Fruitarian here – thanks for finally making a video on this subject, Dr. G! Fruit for the win!Fruitarian diets are dangerous in the long-run and lead to major nutritional deficiencies such as zinc, selenium, EPA/DHA and iodine. Not to mention very low-fat diets are bad for overall cognition and hormonal functioning. Fatty fruits like avocado contain way more omega-6’s than omega-3’s, furthering hindering ALA to EPA/DHA conversion (on top of the very low amounts of dietary ALA to begin with). The whole anti-fat/low-fat dogma days are coming to an end. Inflammation causes heart disease, not fat or cholesterol. That is all.Flax for omega 3 and Brazil nuts for the rest. Fruitarian doesn’t mean you ONLY eat fruit, my friend. Did you really come to Nutritionfacts.org to say that cholesterol does not cause heart disease?If you think cholesterol causes heart disease, please take no offense but you are simply ignorant on the subject. Cholesterol is drawn to protect from excess inflammation, it is not the CAUSE. Inflammation from toxic fats such as trans fats or overcooked animal products, rancid oils, excessive omega-6’s, etc. is what causes heart disease, not fat in general. You’d still need to account for iodine, sodium, and balance out your O3:O6 ratio for optimal conversion considering ALA to EPA/DHA conversion rates are very low. Higher for women than men, however.Cholesterol consumption does not protect you at all from inflammation…it does all sorts of bad things and fat consumption can cause blood sugar problems:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/Joe with the April fools joke. Nice1.Sorry Joe we can’t take you seriously if you dispute the dangers of animal products after all the studies that are out there.So in addition to fruits we need to consume vegetables, grains and nuts. Will those additions to fruits cancel out the “dangerous” side effects to being a fruitarian?Joe, inflammation doesn’t appear from no where. Possibly the single greatest cause of inflammation is animal-based food.I wish you had also mentioned the results of the israeli date study: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/Woot, so glad to see this one finally as I saw it coming. Here are shots from yesterday on cronometer. I average about 319grams of sugar from fruit per day and I often have people questioning it being too much. I think we all know it is fine, assuming our variety gets us the nutrients we need. But I’m glad to hear our thoughts are correct so far.This European study suggests to me that the sweet spot for meet consumption is 10 – 19.9 g/day and going down to 0 – 9.9 g/day had an adverse effect HR. Am I reading the study right?http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1741-7015-11-63.pdfAny comments are welcomeHi David. I am not sure about a sweet spot for consumption? To me it seems the more red and processed meat consumed increased total mortality, compared with those eating the least meat.Soo, in said study, you did not notice a small up-tic in HR when meat consumption fell below 10 – 19.9 g/day?On a cursory glance of the paper, the spot you mention is not really much different than its neighbors. What’s not clear is why there are no confidence intervals on that intake level. It seems they might have chosen a singular data point on that level to represent a consistent reference and it was probably the smallest point in the set. However, there should still be confidence intervals. Even looking at the table, though, you see those singular reference points, in most cases, fall inside the 95% confidence limits for both the category before and after. If the confidence bounds were included, that would happen for all cases. The difference there is not statistically significant and what seems to be a “sweet spot” is probably an artifact of how they chose that reference point.Ok, I guess we still think, eating just the smallest amounts of meat from time to time will be bad for our health, correct?Based on nothing other than that paper, what I would conclude is that there is an obvious upward trend in effect (hazard ratio) associated with increased meat consumption, but I could not reasonably conclude that there is some point where the effect increases with decreasing meat consumption (i.e. there is a “good” amount of meat to consume). That’s a conclusion unwarranted given the uncertainty in the data.In general though? I believe what you said is probably true and that’s how I view eating meat, but I haven’t done any thorough analysis of the literature. You’ll have to ask the nutritionfacts.org guys. :-)Agree. Did not reach statistical significance and even reports on why the possible J-shaped curve.I think I see what you were reading. You are right, when the consumption dropped in some categories to 0.0-9.9 g/d there was an up-tic, but I don’t think it reached statistical significance therefore it could have been due to chance. Then I see the researchers discuss this more, ” The EPIC results do not show the lowest relative risks (RRs) for subjects in the lowest meat intake category, but a slight J-shaped association with the lowest risk among subjects with low-to-moderate meat consumption. This was observed for red meat and poultry. Also, taking into account the results from the studies that evaluated vegetarian and low-meat diets, it appears that a low – but not a zero – consumption of meat might be beneficial for health. This is understandable as meat is an important source of nutrients, such as protein, iron, zinc, several B-vitamins as well as vitamin A and essential fatty acids (linoleic acid and to a minor extent eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids also). A sub-optimal supply of some of these nutrients due to an unbalanced type of vegetarian diet seems possible and might be associated with an increased risk for morbidity and mortality. However, support for this hypothesis from the literature is not strong, especially when looking at the population level. Alternatively, subjects with very moderate meat consumption may be the group with the highest proportion of healthconscious subjects who also try to optimize their diet (as part of a healthy lifestyle). In contrast to the US results, we observed a consistent association between processed meat consumption and total mortality but not between red meat consumption and total mortality. Processed meats such as sausages, salami and bacon have a higher content of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol than fresh red meat; the latter is often consumed after removing the visible fat tissue, whereas the proportion of fat in sausages often reaches 50% of the weight or even more. Both high saturated fat and cholesterol intake have been found to be related to the risk of coronary heart disease”I guess if one is thinking objectively, it is possible (based on these findings) to see how diets like DASH, Mediterranean and Paleo garner some merit. BTW, thank you so much for your in depth response :)This is wonderful to know as I care for a diabetic who has now reversed it. I would like to know if diabetics can consume dates. And if yes, how many?I was a severe type 2 diabetic and I reversed it with high fruit diet. I was off my blood sugar medication in only 10 days. However, I was not able to eat dates for about 30 days. After about 30 days, my insulin response to dates is very good and I can eat as many as I like. I highly recommend waiting until your diabetes is completely gone for a month before trying to eat dates, and check blood sugar when you add them to see how you respond.Hi Arun. I think It depends on the person and the quantity of dates eaten. Some diabetes may experience extremely high bursts of sugar pending current glycemic levels and medications if they overdo dates. For most, dates should be fine, but i think it depends on other foods eaten in the diet. Dates do have fiber and other nutrients that can be helpful. Someone mentioned them below (Thank’s Mark!), I’ll share here.Thanks, JosephHi Joseph. Thank you for your answer. No, we don’t go overboard with dates, but do like to sweeten our occasional dessert with them.So tell me if this is correct–The glucose in fruits, not the fructose, causes the blood sugar spikes but polyphenols seem to help control those spikes. The problem with too much fructose is that it can increase uric acid, causing gout (and any other problems?) . Plus, fructose doesn’t cure hunger (doesn’t induce a satiety response). Is that correct?I also read somewhere that fructose is responsible for the sweet taste of fruit and that glucose is not sweet-tasting. Is that correct?I just re-read Dr. Greger’s earlier post on fruit juices. Darryl points out that 25 grams of fructose is about all we humans can absorb at one time–and that malabsorption at higher doses could cause intestinal problems. From those fructose charts referred to somewhere above, it seems that eating a piece of fruit is well below the 25g limit (Exception: a cup of raisins has a whopping 43 grams–not to mention its glycemic impact).Could you tell us how much fructose is in a cup of orange juice, apple juice and my current favorite, blueberry juice?What did you do to reverse the diabetes for that person?Hi Charles. The diabetes was reversed by strictly adhering to a whole foods plant based no oil diet. And we ave been on it since January 2014.Ditto here, six years!Wonderful!Why did the ultra high fruit [fruit sugar] diets not result in adverse effects?I understand there’s something ‘bad’ about added sugars, but what’s going on, what’s difference does it make to our bodies?I used to have severe type 2 diabetes and I checked my blood sugar often. If I ate an ear of GMO corn, my blood sugar would spike to 300! I can several ears of organic corn and my blood sugar stays around 100. Something about the fructose is altered in GMO corn and GMO sugar beats, which affects the way the liver processes it. High amounts of GMO fructose causes liver problems and high blood sugar. I eat unlimited amounts of non-GMO fruit daily, and it healed my type 2 diabetes and my blood sugar is perfect now.Can i ask specifically what did you eat? tell me what you ate in 1 day for breakfast lunch and dinner Please.the difference is all the other good stuff inside the fruit. We find new micro nutrients all the time. So all plants can easily have many things in them that we just haven’t found yet or things we have found that are great for us and not present in refined products.I’m not sure. it may be something to do with the fiber in fruit helping to reduce glucose spikes.This was discussed some in this video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/ possibly the phytonutrientsBut would that mean that adding sugar to meals high in fiber also doens’t have adverse effects?I don’t think so. Fruits have natural sugars that work with their fibrous environment. Adding plain sugar to high fiber foods is not the same thing, and as Jay M and MIkeOnRaw pointed out it may be the phytonutrients (antioxidants) that are helping, as well.Fruits are accompanied with beneficial components including polyphenols that acts as antioxidants and modulate cellular metabolism.What a out 100% fruit smoothies?I drink them every day and my diabetes was cured. Fruit smoothies keep my blood sugar optimal, my last A1C was 4.7.If you mind me asking, how severe were you and can you tell me what foods did you specifically eat? Can you eat like a normal person such as 2 cups of brown rice or other things like that?Dr. G, this reminds me; I just tried one of the breakfasts you said you had on a Google talk: sweet potato (but I used kabocha squash,) dried berries etc. (I used frozen blueberries, black raspberries, and blackberries,) and cinnamon. It was simple to fix and great! I’d like to hear more of what you eat.Dr. Greger has a video on chocolate shakes and pumpkin pie. I know he is big on tea, too!The video mentions benefit from berries to wheat and rye, and then 75 g or 1/2 C of blueberries to a typical high-carb low-fat sugary breakfast cereal. Should we expect negative ORAC before introducing blueberries to a healthier breakfast, such as oats, cashew milk, almonds, apples, fresh ground spices, flax, and a Brazil nut?Not sure I would expect negative ORAC values, but perhaps very low. ORAC levels alone are not something to base our food choices, as I don’t think they take into account other variables (protein, calcium, fiber, etc). Of course, good to boost our antioxidants from whole food sources.I’m not an expert by any means, but for myself, grain and vegetable based breakfasts don’t do me any harm. So adding fruit can only be extra goodness to your anti-ox levels.I eat a diet very high in fruit, which cured my severe type 2 diabetes. However, I am still having very high uric acid levels. Does a high fruit diet cause high uric acid? I have tried remedies such as alkaline water, cherries, yoga, eating more leafy greens, drinking 3 liters of water a day, but my uric acid level is still too high. I have been vegan over 2 years, and I only eat fruits, veggies, leafy greens, and nuts. How do I lower my uric acid?Sorry to hear you’re having that problem. I don’t have an answer for you, but I have a question. You don’t list whole grains or legumes & pulses (beans, peas, lentils, etc.), are these in your diet? I’m wondering if that type of fiber and other nutrients they provide might help, as suggested by this study on pub med. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12350076 I’m not sure if you’re limiting some plant foods because of potential purine content. I’ve seen comments elsewhere that purines from plant foods do not affect the body the same way as those from animal products. So I wonder if it’s like protein and iron where the plant sourced ones don’t seem to negatively affect much, but the animal ones do.>>>I’m not sure if you’re limiting some plant foods because of potential purine content. I’ve seen comments elsewhere that purines from plant foods do not affect the body the same way as those from animal products.Right plant purines seem safe:http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa035700.“We did not find a significant association between gout and the consumption of purine-rich vegetables, either as a group or individually. The variation in the risk of gout associated with different purine-rich foods may be explained by the variation in the amounts and types of purine content and their bioavailability for purine-to-uric-acid metabolism.5,17-21 It has been suggested that moderation in dietary purine consumption is indicated for patients who habitually eat large amounts of purine-containing foods, of either animal or vegetable origin3,4; however, our results suggest that this type of dietary restriction may be applicable to purines of animal origin but not to purine-rich vegetables.”I’ve read that high levels of fructose increase uric acid levels although I have no information on fructose from fruit vs. high fructose corn syrup. Cf. http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/PressRelease/pressReleaseId-105115.htmlOther than cherries, there is evidence that vitamin C (~ 500 mg per day) can lower uric acid levels.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3169708/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18464304although I read one article that says this is not so if one already has gout.Coffee (including decafe) has also been reported by Dr. Choi et al. to lower uric acid levels. Cf.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17530681Different supplements are recommended but personally I don’t trust the ingredients although perhaps there are reliable cherry extract supplements on the market (there’s a limit to how many cherries I can eat!).As you likely know there are other factors to consider, e.g. BMI and exercise.Very high fructose and fruit (apple) intake both increase plasma uric acid; a few studies 1, 2 suggest this accounts for the increase in plasma antioxidant capacity with fruit intake. At lower doses, the evidence is more equivocal 3.What are the dangers of high plasma uric acid?Kidney stones and gout. On the other hand uric acid is also the predominant extracellular direct antioxidant, and high levels may be protective in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – some take inositol to raise their uric acid.> I have been vegan over 2 years, and I only eat fruits, veggies, leafy greens, and nuts. How do I lower my uric acid?I also following a high-carb, low-fat, low-protein diet based almost exclusively on fruits and veggies and my uric acid is at the low end of the range. If your diet is high in fruits, I would try reducing fats overall (including from nuts) and eat most of your fruits away from your veggies by at least several hours.I also do high-carb, low-fat, low-protein, between 80/10/10 to 90/5/5. My fat is about 10-20g a day naturally occurring in fruits and veggies. Sometimes I do have a small amount of chia seeds or 1 brazil nut for selenium, but I do not add fats like avocado or nuts. Any nuts and seeds (which is an extremely small amount) would be with my evening salad, not sweet fruits.>>. try reducing fats overall (including from nuts) and eat most of your fruits away from your veggies by at least several hours.I’m a vegan and have an also issue from time to tme with high uric acid (typically high normal at 6.3) and rare gout attacks (so I assume from time to time my uric acid level goes up much higher).I’d like to understand the reasoning behind your two suggestions (reduce fats, eat fruit at a different time than veggies). Thanks.yes I have had high uric acid levels since going plant based 3 yrs but so far no serious gout that I havent been able to ward off with colchicine.That’s one approach but for me personally I’d rather restrict fruit high in fructose or sucrose (which breaks down into fructose and galactose).I’ve read a recommendation that those with high uric acid should restrict fructose intake from all sources to no more than 25 mg/day. It’s easy to exceed that if you eat a lot of fruit high in fructose (and sucrose). However I have not been able to find a trusted medical reference for the 25 mg/d restriction.Good one!!! Thanks, Dr. G.Note…typo in the transcript: “…they recorded the largest bowl movements apparently ever documented in a dietary intervention.” Should be “bowel”. Great video, have often wondered if I’m eating too much whole fruit. Look forward to part 2.I eat a lot of fruit daily and sometimes wonder/worry about this too. But whenever I go in for my annual physical my sugar blood levels are normal and my triglycerides are low. So, this is just more good news.Thanks for the notification, KWD! We’ll fixAs part of my diet I drink 10 oz of organic pomegranate juice and 10 oz of organic tomato juice, along with 4 servings of fruit. Am I over doing it.Sounds like you’re overdoing the juice, not the fruit, which are two different things. You might want to watch Dr. Greger’s video on it here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/ There’s others you can search for here too.I’ve seen more and more articles on the negative impacts of juice vs whole food. Sometimes it provides positives but I’ve never seen anyone talk about what you get from juice that you don’t from the same amount of real fruit (or veggies). The lost fiber takes with it some nutrients and more importantly, it frees the sugar, which is normally bound to the fiber, to rush rapidly into your liver and pancreas. Not a good thing.The thing is sometimes it is hard for some of us to get in all of the fruit – it can be a lot to eat – particularly for those of us who are underweight and trying to gain (it takes me forever to eat), so juice makes it possible to at least get some of the nutrients, but fruit juice even without added sugars still tend to be high in sugars.I blend my fruits together making smoothies.Good question. I think it depends on other foods eaten throughout the day. This doesn’t seem dramatically high to me, especially if you feel good while consuming that amount and appear in good health :)Sorry I forgot to add that my diet is for an indolent tumor, my study says no sugar, but I have been had good results with my course of action on active surveillance for several years now.Best to ask doctor or a dietitian who knows more about your case. I can help you find one if needed? Whole foods are best to obtain the nutrients. Mark G put a link to a video below. Juicing removes the fiber and polyphenols which are both cancer fighters. If you can do more whole foods that is a great start! AICR has a great write-up titled: Does Sugar Feed Tumors?, if interested. Warm wishes let me know how else I can help?Would you mind elaborating on your story, Desertsage?Fresh fruits are best. What is the rest of your diet?It would be interesting to see a live debate between Dr, Greger and Dr. Mercola. Dr. Mercola says to only eat 15 grams of fruit max a day and to eat unlimited coconut oil. He seems to have a big crowd of loyal followers.In my personal experience, I used to eat meat (only organic) and coconut oil as my only oil. I still had severe type 2 diabetes. When I cut out the meat and oil and I increased my fruit, my type 2 diabetes went away very quickly. That is my personal experience. Yes, that would be an interesting debate, I would watch that.People love to hear good things about their bad habits :)Yep, it’s called being a successfull entrepreneur. Mercola fills that market niche.Dr. Greger, I know this is off topic but I wish you would address this issue that I have been reading about in the press recently. Here is a Harvard Health letter on Cholesterol guidelines being changed. Dietary Cholesterol is no longer a problem according to the panel.http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/panel-suggests-stop-warning-about-cholesterol-in-food-201502127713?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=021315kr1&utm_content=blog In the past, I know you have presented some interesting information on this topic that contradicts the direction that they are going in. I would like to know what your current thinking is on this topic.Hi AA. It’s important to note the new DGFA are not written in stone, and they may change. In the article, “Keep in mind that this isn’t a done deal. The panel, which is formally known as the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, makes recommendations for the next guidelines update, but these recommendations aren’t always followed.”Dr. Greger and Dr. Barnard touch on the cholesterol debate in their testimonies. Dr. Greger testifying at the DGFA meetings? It was just a few days back. This may help. I think he is at 2:06:00 . Another speaker is Dr. Barnard who address the issue at hand. He is probably like 15 min before Dr. Greger. He addresses the AHA/ACC report directly and Dr. Greger follows-up on it. That may help? FYI someone mentioned the timing is before 2:06:00. Try starting the video around 1:50:00.Joseph Gonzales, thank you for your reply, I can see that Dr. Greger feels strongly about this issue, because he invested the time to do this. Are there any good videos on this site that explain the other side of the argument? I am curious how the pro dietary cholesterol members reached their conclusion.Check out Harvard’s site ( i think they discuss eggs) and other studies in Pubmed. You are happy to share any findings :) I know Dr. Greger talks about the egg and beef industry and you can search website for those videos. One I found on eggs.Check out Dr. Neal Barnard’s blog, too, for more on the cholesterol confusion. http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/cholesterol-confusion-lets-make-sense-of-it/Honey over oatmeal good?Although fruit is sweet and honey is sweet, they are not the same: contrast their fiber and micronutrient profiles to see why. Therefore, it seems (to use your words but with one important one added), “Honey over oatmeal” not “good.”What about just adding fruit to the honey and oatmeal, or blackstrap molasses and oatmeal?If you’re going for healthy, blackstrap molasses healthier than honey. Dr. G.’s report of the healthiest sweeteners here:Blackstrap molasses is healthier but doesn’t for my taste buds go with some fruits and it gets boring.Jen1, I know what you mean about how blackstrap molasses taste can overpower the fruit a bit. Have you ever gotten to try the #1 natural sweetener? I was very surprised how much I like it. Goes with everything. Where I live, date sugar is expensive, so I usually buy it in bulk online (just a little tip in case you’re interested :) –Jen2Date sugar is too expensive but chopped dates go really well in cooked cereal.good choice!Adding sweetener (honey, molasses, sugar) doesn’t seem necessary to me anymore from the standpoint of palatability. (Twenty years ago it seemed necessary–but no longer.) The grain (whether cooked or right-out-of-container rolled oats or cooked steel-cut oats) plus fruit and, occasionally, cinnamon/vanilla extract is my daily breakfast. It’s plain but satisfying. Dr. McDougall would agree!Not sure, olhg1. The best sweeteners (as in most nutritious) contain trace minerals and vitamins/phytonutrients such as date sugar and molasses. However, you are free to choose any type of sweetener you enjoy. The Fruit suggestion is a good one, too.Seems like a no-brainer. Fruit is good for you. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away…Right?! And what about 5 apples a day? Goodbye doctor :) Well, we’d hope. Thanks, SandraALCFYeah, tell me all about it !! I have been vegan for 30+ years and eat enormous amounts of fruit. I also manage to clog the water closet practically every time I have a bowel movement. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I hesitate to flush until I am well clear of the bowl and have a way out of the bathroom quickly! Whew! But I also frequently have more than one bowel movement a day, which I think is more natural and thus healthier. Apples, berries, bananas, raisins, strawberries, peaches, apricots, papaya (!!), grapefruit, many, many oranges, cherries, all the time all year around. Yes, fruit good methinks.this video was exactly what i needed thanks a lotsby the way is possible that a lots of fruits inflame my wounded knee?If you have an allergic reaction to certain types than maybe. Some folks are sensitive to citrus, apple skins, and bananas. We saw this more so in study participants with pain (migraine headaches or rheumatoid arthritis) Nutrition intervention for migraine: a randomized crossover trial. Not sure you would even know without a fairly drastic elimination diet. If pain is so severe and you suspect certain foods (like fruit) causing this inflammation than it may be wise to consider playing around with diet, but honestly I would say very small chance the fruit is inflaming your knee. Thanks for the good question.Best, JosephWhat about allergies to strawberries? They, too, can cause reactions, right? My psoriasis seems to get worse when I eat them–but maybe that’s my mind messing with my body.This is extremely good news. Dr. Greger comes up with so many really useful videos. Humans have a natural proclivity for fruit, and being great apes, it only makes sense we should consume a lot of them. I feel healthier just even looking at one of those photos that are jam-packed with an assortment of colorful fruits and veggies.I’m so glad you covered this! I’ve always thought it was mad when I hear about people who try not to eat fruit because of the sugar. Happy to have this video to back it up. Thank you.Why does John McDougall only recommend 2 servings of fruit per day for weight loss? “Keep fruits to one or two a day. Fruit is largely simple sugar and people can easily eat 10 to 20 servings a day without a guilty thought – after all, fruit is healthy. In truth, fruits should be thought of as healthy desserts, made largely of sugar and water (but with lots of wholesome nutrients).” https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/050100pupushing.htmGood question. The short answer is I am not sure? I know he has a forum, too ;) I am sure other members may know more. Keep in mind Dr. McDougall counsels folks with specific illnesses and has established a specific program. Dr. Greger discusses the latest research that may apply more to the general population. Diet is very personalized. Some folks don’t function well eating tons of fruit. Some folks do! If these studies hold true, more fruit (especially whole fruit) doesn’t seem to be a problem. I think the U.S. has more of a problem under consuming fruit, so I am not worried about portion control. This study is a large randomized trial on 300 obese or diabetic participants. Half were asked to follow a strict low-fat plant-based diet with no portion control or changes (so no restrictions on fruit). A multicenter randomized controlled trial of a plant-based nutrition program to reduce body weight and cardiovascular risk in the corporate setting: the GEICO study. The results were very positive as many participants reduced their body weight and improved blood sugar control. So perhaps looking at the diet as a whole is more important than focusing on “how many servings of fruit per day is good”? From these studies in the video it is shocking how much was really consumed! For more on fruit If Fructose is Bad, What About Fruit? and a Ask the Doctor Q&A: How much fruit is safe to consume?. Hope that helps.Thanks! JosephThanks so much for the answer & the links that’s very helpful!I think McDougall’s suggests carbs over fruits partially because rice, potatoes and grains are more practical for most.Dr. McDougall is talking to people who need to lose weight and have a difficult time controlling their eating. Fruit is healthy but to pig out on it “eat 10 to 20 servings a day without a guilty thought” will not be as successful in losing that weight.And to address why he is strong on starches is they are filling, satisfying and nutritious. Also, provide energy.Awesome, thank you for sharing this!No April fools video/article? Maybe next year.Maybe this was it ???:-)I have a question. One prominent cardiologist recently posted that drinking smoothies was actually BAD because it separates the fiber from the fructose, and that chewing fruit was necessary to retain the healthy effects on blood sugar etc. because it is necessary to start the digestion in the mouth (I don’t remember all of the details). Do you have a comment on this? I do drink smoothies, because I have trouble eating enough fruit, but don’t want to actually do this if it is unhealthy. Thanks :)It is a common question. I haven’t seen any research to support it. As I dietitian who loves to hear when people feel better from eating a more healthful diet I am less concerned about food preparation, and more concerned with simply eating whole foods. If smoothies help folks obtain nutrients then great. If others want to chew, awesome! Dr. Greger addresses this in his Q&A are green smoothies good for you? And I follow-up to a similar question, here. That may help. Again, great question and thanks for posting!JosephThis is a summary of what I saw. I guess the article had to be removed because the discussion got a bit nasty. I would like to point out that I am using whole fruit and green leaves in them, and I am assuming other folks are blending whole fruits. I know that sugar spikes, and the insulin release that follows cause inflammation, which I am trying to avoid. I was under the impression that a smoothie, still being the whole fruit would help with this. Thanks for answering. I really appreciate you taking the time. :-)Why I Stopped Drinking Green Smoothies Written by Lindsay S. NixonWhen I was at HTLA, delicious green smoothie in my hand, Dr. T. Colin Campbell told me not to drink them. I was crushed, heart-broken!Of course I wanted to know why — why shouldn’t I drink them? Aren’t they super healthy?Turns out they’re not.Dr. Campbell explained it to me very scientifically, and truth be told, a lot of it went over my head, but what I did pick up was I needed to chew my food and eat it whole — that smoothies, and juices, ruined the nutritive properties and it was far better for me to chew my spinach then pulverize and drink it.I’d heard this all before — from Dr. Essy, but after hearing it from both of them, I finally accepted what I didn’t want to believe: green smoothies were out.Quoting Dr. Essy: “Avoid smoothies. The fiber is so finely pureed that its helpful properties are destroyed. The sugar is stripped from the fruit, bypasses salivary digestion and results in a surge of glucose and the accompanying fructose contributes to inflammation and hypertension.”Similarly, here are his thoughts on juices: “Do not juice. You lose all the fiber and benefits.” With respect to fruit juice, “Drinking fruit juice is like pouring the sugar bowl down your throat. It is fine to eat the whole fruit. Do not drink the juice.”After I succumbed to this realization, I called a friend of mine who promotes green smoothies as her job, to get her take. Truthfully, I think I was hoping she’d tell me the doctors were wrong, and that it was okay to still drink them, but I was surprised when she agreed with them whole heartedly. She also told me that smoothies are 100 calories more than if I had eaten the fruit and greens whole. This I couldn’t believe — HOW is that even possible?! but she explained it to me: I’d burn 100 calories chewing the food (and then the digestive process of chewed food vs. predigested food).This got me thinking and I started taking a look at the smoothies I’d been drinking. They were all full of healthy, nutritious foods — like kale or spinach, mango or apples, dates and water, flax or hemp seeds… but they were easily 400 to 800 calories a pop… and I could suck them down so fast — I could never physically eat 400 or 800 calories of whole food like that, and if I did, I’d be stuffed, and while smoothies left me feeling full, it wasn’t to the same level as a salad. I started to believe what the doctors had told me….So that’s when I put my blender away and stopped drinking smoothies. At first I missed them, but I’ve found that I feel fuller, and more energetic if I just eat the greens and bananas whole. I also used to have a mild sugar crash if my smoothie was really fruit heavy, and that doesn’t happen when I eat the fruit by itself.All and all I feel like a smoothie once in a while as a treat is probably fine; and I do think that if the choice is a green smoothie, or no greens at all, it’s better to go for the smoothie, but my plan is to eat my greens and fruits whole, whenever possible.Note: In addition to Dr. Campbell & Dr. Essy, Dr. McDougall, Dr. Klapper, Dr. Sultana, Dr. Lederman (FOK), Dr. Goldhammer and Jeff Novick are also in agreement here about smoothies. See Natala’s comment below for a very detailed explanation (she is a member of the Essy team/E2 Team), as well as links to studies and articles. (Thx N!)Note: a lot of people have asked about soups and hummus; Dr. Essy graciously responded on his Facebook page (I’m paraphrasing here) “The main difference is people are not drinking hummus and they are not consuming nearly the amount of calories at once; with soups, they are eating it slow, with a spoon and generally while also eating something else) and soups tend to be vegetable-based without fruit (unlike smoothies). Work on eliminating liquid calories for juices and smoothies and if you are still concerned, work on other things like soups, but smoothies/juices cause the most damage, so start there.”I always try to chew my smoothies as much as possible. At least this will help start the digestion process and can only be a good thing.I think when it comes to smoothies we should approach it with a bit more critical thinking than smoothies = calorie/sugar bombs = bad.Lindsey frames her article around such an obviously false dichotomy. She suddenly realizes that her smoothies are 400-800 Calories, so she must stop drinking them. What? What about a smoothie with 4 cups of greens, a cup of fruit, and a couple teaspoons of chia seeds. When I make smoothies that’s what I use and by my calculations it’s about 160 Calories.She goes on to reference a 100 Calorie difference in whole fruit vs blended fruit. Is that based on a 100 Calorie smoothie or a 1000 Calorie smoothie? That would be relevant information to know. And even so, for a certain parts of the population, the extra calories may not be a negative. Obviously to anyone trying to lose weight, yes, but for those who are at a desirable weight and even for those who struggle to gain weight or have trouble with large volumes of food (e.g. sick, elderly), this could even be a positive. Frankly, Lindsey sells 1200 Calorie meal plans for adults which she even claims to follow herself (as a relatively tall, active adult) and once wrote a blog entry about an episode of her “binging” on baby carrots. To me this indicates disordered thinking and perhaps her perspective on caloric intake should not be considered sound advice for the general population.In regards to Dr. E’s advice, again I think this perspective is again lacking in nuance and critical thinking. Really, works towards eventually limiting even hummus and blended soups? Where is his position on 100 Calorie smoothies? I consume more calories in a serving of hummus than I would in a smoothie. “Soups are eaten with other things”. When I make a smoothie it’s often with breakfast or dinner, so what does that mean? Most importantly, where is the evidence that these smoothies will in fact cause harm? I think reminding people to consume a reasonable number of calories is prudent, and people should be aware of potential issues and monitor their own weight, blood pressure, triglycerides, etc. and obviously adjust their diets accordingly. But putting additional limitations on what most current SAD eaters/potential WFPB eaters already envision as being a very restrictive diet, without solid evidence to back it up could be potentially harmful.I’m not saying I’m convinced that smoothies are absolutely good, but general WFPB diet principles are evidence based, while this particular topic seems to be lacking in that area, and is instead based largely on an appeal to authority.Personally, I started using smoothies as a shortcut when learning to eat WFPB, weeks before making any other changes, and they definitely had enormous benefit in my numbers and how I felt! Anecdotes mean nothing I know, but I know plenty of other people who never did more for their SAD diet than add a daily smoothie, and continue to do so because of the results, so I really don’t think they are a negative at all. I used to be diabetic and I will always have to be careful, but even high fruit smoothies don’t spike my glucose, but juices will, so I am either an exception, or they may just be rationalizing.Personally, I get better digestion when fruits are chewed.Powerful blenders add air into the liquid so that may be one factor in digestion issues with smoothies.My wife has always had high triglyceride levels. She was on statins because her resulting cholesterol was too high.Since 2011 we have changed to WFPB no/lo SOS diet. Yet my wife’s triglycerides were still too high and her doctor didn’t want to take her off the statins. He said she wouldn’t be able to lower her triglycerides with diet alone but he allowed her to stop taking the statins for 3 months to see what she could do.We found the answer on Dr. McDougall’s website. He mentioned that if you’re having difficulty getting your tryglercide levels down you might have to limit your fruit intake.My wife has always been a big fruit eater and hated the idea of giving up fruit.From the internet I was able to print out for her a list of all fruit by how much fructose each type of fruit contained. She just ate fruit from the bottom of the list, the fruits with the lowest amount of fructose.Much to her doctors surprise, her trygliceride levels finally came down.Wow! Great story thanks for sharing this experience. Perhaps this shows everyone varies a bit and anecdotally if triglycerides remain high perhaps lowering fruit intake may help?Thanks for you comment. JosephNutritarian, I agree with the brilliant Joseph :) Other factors that help normalize triglycerides are exercise, getting to a healthy body weight, and avoiding alcohol. Certain foods that you might also already be including (like flax, grapefruit, and amla have also been proven to help lower triglycerides. Hope your wife’s triglycerides stay low! Great to hear about both of your healthy lifestyle choices! :)This is for sure right about triglycerides. I experience the same problem. After fruit I have diminished blood flow to my arms and legs. Fruit is not harmless by my experience. And Don Forrester, MD., who volunteers for NF observed this in his cardiac patients at McDougall center.Are the benefits stated in the video still gotten through blended fruit such as in smoothies?Hi Daniel, I assume so. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with smoothies. Dr. Greger addresses this in his Q&A are green smoothies good for you? And I follow-up to a similar question, here.Best, JosephExcept, as I understand it, that smoothies don’t allow for the initial stages of personal processing: chewing, mixing with saliva, the effect of mouth bacteria and or enzymes (I’m fuzzy on that) in preliminary digestion.I thought that too. And it makes sense salivary amylase would not be as effective or utilized without chewing. I guess I am fuzzy as well! I think the most important question to ask: where is the research to support the claims that smoothies are bad? I am not saying never chew again, but maybe smoothies are generating a poor buzz based on science that has not been conducted? Not sure.Well, there’s always “If it gets you to consume more greens/fruit” it’s prolly to the good. I’ve seen recommendations to ‘chew’ your smoothies, especially from Katherine Kyle of http://www.greenthickies.com/about/, whose ‘thickies’ incorporate oats. Chewing smoothies boils down to working each mouthful around in there a bit before swallowing, as opposed to pouring them in and swallowing immediately. I ran across her then blog early on. Though with no medical or scientific credentials, she seems well informed, focussed now as a weight-loss expert/coach.I sat down at the computer and began to chow down on the delicious chunks of fresh pineapple I had hacked off from its mother ship. Total bliss! And then I found Dr. G’s video on fruit. How apropos is that? :-)I have to follow a low FODMAP diet because of painful bloating and IBS. Not everyone can tolerate fruit. Also, the video doesn’t emphasise how important fibre is in moderating the sugar content in fruit, which is why whole fruits are preferable to juiced. This film does, however:https://youtu.be/6uaWekLrilYI was a FlexFruitarian for a couple of years, got good and skinny real easy-but had to eat a LOT and every few hours. Flexitarian now.The end made me giggle. That too is great for health!I found myself eating more whole wheat pasta and bread, and paying for it with poor progress reports from my bathroom scale so I went back to my practice of doing green smoothies for breakfast and vegetables stir steams for dinner and I now am back in fighting trim again.There is something wonderfully energizing about pounding down 6 oz of spinach that has been well blended with a variety of seeds, fresh seasonal fruit, a banana. carrot and some ice cubes. I can feel the goodness radiating through my veins as a drink it down.I am probably getting more fresh fruits and vegetable for breakfast than most American get all week long. It’s sad really.What happens in one’s body when their diabetes is “cured.” Does the pancreas regenerate itself? Are dormant islets of Langerhans jump-started to put out insulin again? What about the role of the liver? Anyone know??Type 2 diabetics have a functional pancreas, in fact, often it is pumping out large amounts of insulin. The problem isn’t the pancreas, it is too much fat in the cells that won’t allow the insulin to do it’s job. Type ! diabetics are often helped greatly by a plant based diet, but rarely “cured” because they no longer produce insulin.I love your videos! I am learning so much extremely useful information!!! Can’t thank you enough for the work you are doing!!!I heard that many fruits have a low pH. Is it a good idea to consume it in case of enamel erosion?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE33J4F50u8I’m now at peace knowing that the sugar coming from fruits is not actually bad. For 2 years now, I have embraced a fish, brown rice, vegetables and fruits diet due to CA diagnosis back in late 2012. My rad onco challenged me to take meat, processed sugar and dairy, among others, out of my diet, and double or triple my vegetables and fruits intake. Since it’s more convenient for me to juice or make a smoothie of at least 2 fruits and 1 vegetable in the morning, I do just that. Then, I bring some other fruits to eat in between work. A colleague commented that I am getting too much sugar just the same despite taking processed sugar out of my diet since 2 years ago. After watching this video, I am now at peace. Thanks, Dr. Greger! :-) … And I would like to add that from 130 lbs at the time of diagnosis, my weight went down after about 6 months and has been stable at about 110 lbs.I had at chuckle at the end when the discussion turned to a ‘negative’ impact of the consumption of large quantities of fruit and veggies – the largest bowel movements ever recorded! Can I get a witness?Can Don Forrester comment on this video and this study? It seems contrary to his experience in the field.Why don’t you ask him? He has a website and there is no need for Dr. Greger to report the results of clinical studies, after he has interacted with other medical professionals to make sure they agree with the results of the study. Sometimes a medical professional makes recommendations on the basis of experience and strongly held beliefs, not on the basis of the results of studies. Take the question to that doctor. Don’t ask him to come here and argue his point for your clarification.Anyone is free to ask any questions :-)Okay, so do you want me to go to Dr. Forrester’s website and ask him…. No wait! You are the one with the credentials, Joseph, why don’t yo go tell him to come to this site and explain why he is recommending something that this study shows might be wrong. I didn’t know he did that, and as I told Victor, sometimes professionals have strongly held beliefs that can stand in the way of a study, But if you have a relationship with Dr. Forrester, instead of taking the question to the doctor then you make Dr. Forrester come here and explain himself. I am always open to being ignorant or wrong about any subject and I did say that Dr. Forrester doesn’t have to come hree and explain himself and I did guess he probably wouldn’t. But that’s what Victor wanted. If you can make that happen it would be great. I know nothing really. We can all ask questions, but we should make sure that the answer addresses the issue as well. In as kind and thoughtful a way as possible, of course So make it happen for Victor and me (I guess). That would be really cool!:-) I only meant that Victor is free to ask any question. I’m not sure Dr. Forrester’s experience in the field about fruit. I just know we love when we helps respond to questions on NutritionFacts! Sorry if my comment was misleading. I agree with you that if someone has questions for particular docs the best route is to contact them.I really want Dr Greger to do a video on calories, I’ve learnt so much over the last year since becoming vegan and I’m fully on the bandwagon with whole foods, fruit etc but the one thing i just can’t seem to find the answer on is ‘how many calories should we be eating’ i have an extremely sedentary job and i rarely exercise I’m 5ft 2 so do i really need 2000 calories a day or am i ok living off 1500 like i am? It is just so confusing, i want to do whats right for my body. If i eat in excess of 2000 why would i gain weight > and if i did then why would i if i am eating whole foods? if anyone has any good video or explanation on if we really need to eat for our height, weight, activity level??? People comment below because it is rather frustrating when people say you need less if your less active or less if your small and then someone tells you the oppositethis might help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eraGMp8nNkQthank you ill take a look!Huh. My mother in law had horrible blood test results so her doc sent her to the Diet of Hope weight loss clinic where they told her to cut all fruit out of her diet. Is this clinic behind the times or might there be another health reason for cutting fruit?so, Freelee The Banana Girl isn’t so bananas after all….huhNew study just published: “Fruit and vegetable intake and their pesticide residues in relation to semen quality among men from a fertility clinic.”http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/03/27/humrep.dev064.full.pdf+html?sid=5f464a18-ec24-4395-a3a3-c3d4a55e87b9Twenty servings of fruit a day is healthy for you? OMG. I think ‘Freelee the Banana Girl’ is the poster child for this study. She does eat a lot and a good variety of fruit on most days when she’s not eating 50 bananas to prove the point that fructose from whole fruits is not bad for you. More fruit should mean less sodium consumed and a more balanced electrolyte profile from one’s diet, so that seems to be an important aspect of it, too for heart health. I suspect it also helps those with fluid retention issues, and may be a factor was to why the people in the study are losing weight, waist circumference, etc., when they eat 20 servings of fruit a day..?My nutritionist Anne-Marie told me not to eat more than 3 fruits a day, because of the risk of having «yeast infection» or «mushrooms» (I hopeI have the right word because I’m a French person… sorry if not but I hope you understand what I say)…Bonjour, Lyne, Je pense que le mot pour “mushrooms” should be translated as “fungi.” –Harriet, in MontrealThis is exactly what Adam and Eve were trying to tell GodWow, incredible. I just stumbled across your videos and it’s like–FUCKING FINALLY!–evidence-based videos on nutrition that SHOW you the actual quote from the study. . .man this is amazing!Well done. Thanks a bunch man!So how is the amount of fructose measured say by per gram of a certain fruit? So if you chose a banana, If your banana (unpeeled) weighed 100 grams, how do you equate that into the amount of fructose in it?Here’s the best chart I have found (grams fructose etc per 100 grams. Total is fructose plus fructose derived from breakdown of sucrose):http://thepaleodiet.com/fruits-and-sugars/Here’s another chart with a variety of foods:http://www.foodintolerances.org/fructose-food-table.aspxPLEASE GIVE ME THE COMMERCIAL INGREDIENTS FOR STORE BOUGHT ICE CREAM.Dr. Greger, I watched your video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU_RkeA88DY ) and was wondering if the same results happen for refined white table sugar and sugars like unrefined organic coconut sugar. I’m wondering because 1-2 times a day I drink a hot carob drink with 1 tablespoon unrefined organic coconut sugar, water, and cashew milk. Would a drink like this without berries, have a negative effect on my blood sugar even though I use unrefined organic sugar?“The nutritional problems come when the fructose….are added to foods” Does this mean I might be in trouble when I drink only smoothies (always combined a lot of fruits + green leaves) from 8am-6pm? as I see green leaves as ‘food’ ;-) Also someone warned me that due to these fruitgreens smoothies, they cause fermentation and liver damage. Do I need to worry?Why would this cause fermentation, because you are combining fruits with the greens? Would fermentation not be an issue if you were eating them separately?@Shaneq, I have no clue, I’ve been warned by several people but when I asked them why, they couldn’t explain, only told me that it is a common situation with a high fruit intake. Actually now that I read my post, these are 2 separate questions. The first one is a question as a response to the video. The second one (“also…….”) is separte one and should be: can a high fruit intake cause any liver damage due to fermentationHow much is a “serving” of fruit or vegetable?Fruit as a whole food is the best food for people. Since i’ve learned to eat fruit meals at least twice a day i feel better and better. I add 1 meal of veggies every evening. Now i just need to learn how to avoid stress.Natural (none Genetically Modified) RAW Fruits, vegetables and nuts. As soon as the PHD lab technicians (secretly) attack genes of fruits and contaminate our fruits and vegetables (in 10 years or so), Raw Vegans will also get fat and die of cancer stroke and heart attack just like the rest of population if not at higher rates. Enjoy your natural, organic, raw fruits and vegetables while it lasts in this short historical time period, before it is stolen from us by FDA and other evil monsters.Fruits FTW!Was just talking to someone about how much fruit is too much fruit! woohoo! Now we know!Excess fruit causing SIBO/FODMAP-ISSUES, eventual B12 depletion regardless of supplementation?“the nutritional problems of fructose-and of table sugar, which is another form of sugar called sucrose…” is there research about how lactose fits into to these ideas?People also do not like to spend so much time in the bathroom. That’s another reason why they do not eat fruits and vegetables. Yes, I’ve heard people say that.This makes no sense. The only reason people spend “so much time in the bathroom” is because their fiber-depleted diets make the passing of feces a slow, difficult, and often painful process. Those who eat a high-fiber diet & drink enough fluid spend little time in the bathroom (in & out quickly–in more ways than one), and it’s likely their total time for defecation is (far) less for 2 to 3 times per day than for 1 the slow/difficult/painful visit once a day of those consuming a fiber-poor diet. Recommended: John McDougall’s book _Dr. McDougall’s Digestive Tune-Up._If your trying to lose weight, any fruit is too much. If your otherwise healthy and active; just enough fruit to keep you fueled and to satisfy your sweet tooth will do.Some fruit comes with a host of benefits like anti-oxidant properties (like berries), while other fruits don’t really offer anything ideal (tropical fruits). Sugar is sugar though, so if your sensitive to it and over weight, you shouldn’t eat it.I eat a lot of whole fruit, 20 bananas a day. I have read that as long as the fruit is not separated from it’s fiber and eaten in whole form it does not cause blood sugar problems. I keep getting warned by anti-sugar people that fructose is bad for the liver and causes fatty liver. Again is this only for refined fructose and not fructose with the fiber intact? I would really like to put this one to bed once and for all thanks. Are there any medical studies on liver fuction from consuming natural whole fruit?I’m no expert, but I think for the majority of healthy people, eating whole fruit is a positive, and it is not the same as added, manufactured fructose, as the video states. I think however, older people or people who already have medical issues may have to still experiment with how well they tolerate larger amounts of fruit. We are all human, but with different circumstances.Hello,The effects of apricot kernels and its anti cancer properties has been documented….but what about other seeds? Cherry, apple, peach etc.doing a generic Google search, some pages claim that consuming seeds is toxic and harmful.The bible mentions in various versus to eat the fruit and seed. Any insight or information would be awesome. Thank you for your time!!!ChrisI would take serious caution here regarding apricot pits. An accidental swallow of an apple seed is not the same as cooking-up apricot pits (or however they are used). Just don’t think the science is there and I see more reviews on toxicity then benefits. This is old but relevant review discussing the lack evidence for vitamin B17. From my understanding folks tout apricot pits for their B17 content, but this is not factual or scientific from what I gather. Perhaps a better citation, here, as a site user pointed out a while back. Hope this helps. Thanks for reposting your question.YaYY! Im so happy, I thought my fruit smoothies on top of my juicing greens were bad for me. I am more than happy that I can have more than one smoothieFor some fruits, I buy frozen, but organic, at my health food store. I wonder if there is added sugar if you buy fruit frozen in bags and if you consider it nutritious. Sometimes I read that Dr. Greger uses frozen fruits in some of his recipes, like his pink drink. Thank you!	antioxidants,berries,blood pressure,blueberries,breakfast cereal,cancer,diabetes,fiber,fructose,fruit,Harvard,high fructose corn syrup,insulin,LDL cholesterol,oxidative stress,prediabetes,safety limits,soda,stool size,sugar,vegetables	Does the threshold for toxicity of fructose apply to fruit or just to added industrial sugars such as sucrose and high fructose corn syrup?	Cutting down on sugary foods may be easier said than done (see Are Sugary Foods Addictive?) but it’s worth it. This video is part of an intermittent series on the dangers of high levels of fructose in added sugars. See the first two installments in How Much Added Sugar Is Too Much? and If Fructose is Bad, What About Fruit?That’s where I show the berry blunting effects.What’s this about being in oxidative debt? See my three part series on how to pull yourself out of the red:Ironically fat may be more of a problem when it comes to diabetes than sugar, see:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/high-fructose-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast-cereal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22935321,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11288049,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22354959,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5573330,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23497350,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23732692,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23493539,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23365108,
PLAIN-2464	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/	Diet and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)	These data on BMAA concentrations in animals in South Florida waters indicate that the situation in Guam is not unique. Looks like BMAA could be found in high concentrations in aquatic animals in many areas of the world.This could explain ALS clustering around lakes in New Hampshire, up to 25 times the expected rate of ALS with some families eating fish several times a week. Or in New Hampshire, where the most significant ALS risk factor was the past consumption of fish out of Lake Michigan. Or clustering in Finland’s Lakeland district, or maybe seafood eaters in France, or around the Baltic sea, building up particularly in fish, mussels and oysters.When I think of algae blooms I think of the Chesapeake bay near where I live, that gets choked off thanks in part to the poultry industry pollution. And indeed there was a recent report linking BMAA exposure to ALS in Maryland. The ALS victims living within a half mile of each other raised some eyebrows at the Hopkins ALS center, all of whom ate Chesapeake bay blue crabs every week. And so they tested a few, and two out of three tested positive for BMAA, indicating that the neurotoxin is present in the aquatic food chain of the Chesapeake Bay and a potential route for human exposure.To bring the story full circle, things in Guam are looking up. The ALS epidemic there may have been triggered by their acquisition of guns. But now, the epidemic appears to be over thanks to near-extinction of the fruit bats due to over-hunting. But while the rates decline in Guam, neurodegenerative diseases like ALS around the rest of the world are on the rise.It’s plausible that humans have been exposed to some level of BMAA throughout their evolutionary history. The increase in algae blooms as a result of human activities is probably increasing this exposure,There is a general consensus that harmful algal blooms are increasing worldwide thanks in part to industrialized agriculture. More people means more sewage, fertilizer, manure, which may mean more algae, which may be more exposure to this neurotoxin, leading to a possible increased incidence of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. BMAA is a strong contender as the cause of, or at least a major contributor to the cause of both endemic and sporadic ALS and Alzheimer’s disease, and possibly conferring risk for Parkinson’s diseases as well. The ramifications of this discovery are enormous.With substantial and ever growing evidence that BMAA does play a role in the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases, the most important question is, what mode of activity does BMAA exert? What? No it’s not. The most important question is how do we reduce our risk.We know that the presence of BMAA in aquatic food chains could be a significant human health hazard. There may even be a synergistic toxicity between mercury and BMAA, making certain fish even riskier. Until more is known about the possible link of BMAA to Alzheimer’s and ALS, it may be prudent to limit exposure of BMAA in the human diet.	Really interesting video Dr Greger… i hope this is be the case ’cause at least one could chose to minimize these kind of toxins exposure and maybe avoid such terrible disease as ALS.Every neurologist knows that ALS is one of the most terrible diseases – every clue in how to prevent or treat this disease is important. The incidence is 1-2: 100,000 / year, apparently growing – which clearly indicates that the environment plays a role. Average life span after diagnosis is 3 years. Riluzole (Glutamate Inhibitor) prolings life with 2-3 months.Good to see you still around! Interesting that the medication only prolongs life 2 to 3 months. I can only imagine the cost.Dr Dynamic, you are the best! I see disaster looming on the horizon. We know how people perceive dietary guidelines – They listen and choose what they can use. Government and many dietitians recommend the mediterranean diet – and what people remember from this advice is olive oil (empty calories – they get fat, vascular constriction after ingestion), poultry (you know the story……. :-) ) and lots of fish. People continue their poor diet, thinking that they are healthy if they pour olive oil on their 2 pieces of lettuce and canned tuna (with Mercury and apparently another neurotoxic substance – this must qualify as the worst food item -you risk ALS, polyneuropathia and brain damage….), what people dont get is that the healthy part of the mediterranean diet is the fruit, vegetables, beans and not the olive oil, meat, fish and cheese.…wine and cheese!Forgetting that the Med Diet is based on starving post-war Cyproits in the 40’s and 50’s.Good point! Calorierestriction and a plant based diet.I have to thank you profusely because I do not know how I would ever come across this important information if it weren’t for you. As always keep up the great work.Another nail in the coffin – for the diet disbelievers. All the toxin are stored in the fats.Thanks so much for posting this, my mother died of ALS last year and my grandfather died of Alzheimer’s, so this is an area of strong personal interest for me! I’m already vegan but my family is not, so I’m especially curious what data exist on quantities of BMAA is different foods. I’m awaiting copies of a few journal articles I don’t have access to that should help, but I’d also be curious to see which types of fish are most risky. Have other studies come to similar conclusions as this one? http://www.nature.com/srep/2014/141106/srep06931/full/srep06931.htmlHi Jon, Check Dr. Greger’s previous video on ALS (from yesterday) and go to about 5:39 and you can pause the video to see the two lists of BMAA content in various seafood (Florida results I believe). It demonstrates that bottom feeders, scavengers and top line predators concentrate the toxin most. My father was just diagnosed with ALS and I’m already 99% plant based, but this information is so good to know so I don’t get tempted to eat any seafood while on an upcoming seaside vacation!Thanks Joe, I just got a copy of that paper but pausing the video is a good trick too. The author has done sampling in the Chesapeake but that data isn’t published yet. The only other paper on this I’ve found so far is http://www.nature.com/srep/2014/141106/srep06931/full/srep06931.html which found MUCH lower levels across the board.Hi Jon – I am vegan also and plan to stay that way, but i do know a lady that died from ALS that had been vegan for many, many years. I wonder if there has been a study on what causes ASL on people that do not eat sea food.5-10% are genetic. You reduce your risk for various diseases by eating plant based, you don’t eliminate it.Does eating plant based reduce risk of ALS?Besides reducing/avoiding fish – I dont know.My suspicion is that it is not that simple. BMAA is not the only excitotoxin/neurotoxin around. Our entire planet, and yes the entire food supply is inundated with corporate toxins and more, and these interact with genetics and genetic snps to produce a wide variety of diseases. Methylation plays a role as well. Check out Dr. Ben Lynch’s site over at http://mthfr.netAlso check out Dr. Blaylock’s book on excitotoxins, “Excitotoxins, The Taste that kills”. MSG and other excitotoxins could also play a huge role in causing ALS. He talks a lot about ALS and all the neurological diseases in this book. He is a neurologist. He has some videos on Youtube as well.Hey Jon. If you post the studies you’re looking for I’ll do my best to find them and give you a link to view in full. Thanks for sharing that citation. If I see any others in addition to what Dr. Greger supplied I’ll surely post them. I see Joe has some good points about previous videos discussing sources of BMAA. One tip also is clicking “View Transcript” and you can read word for word everything Dr. Greger says in the video.Thank you! One I have not found yet is this one showing the relationship between microcystin, BMAA, and environmental nutrients (an important link to motivate action on nutrient runoff, if indeed the connection is strong): http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041010114001275 (Scott 2014, in Toxicon)I think that one along with the Brand and Torbick papers Dr. Greger featured, and the Jiang paper on seafood in Swedish markets, give a pretty good overview (especially in concert with these videos).My mother didn’t eat much fish, and almost no crustaceans, but she did take an awful lot of food supplements and Chinese medicine, sometimes including spirulina and chlorella. I know that the lack of consistent testing of those products means it’s hard to get a sense of if there are any specific causes of her illness. No one else in the family has it so it’s unlikely to be the hereditary form, and in talking to the ALS society, hospice, etc., no one even had any guesses on a cause. Even if this only accounts for a portion of ALS cases, it would still be great to know, and hopefully lead to better standards for BMAA concentration in seafood.Have you viewed Dr. Greger’s videos on spirulina and blue green algae?Yes, thank you!I’m taking the algae vegetarian DHA, would it have any BMAA in it?Golden algae used to make algae-based omega 3 supplements do not appear to contain BMAA. I think the omega-3 is made from crypthecodinium cohnii, which is an entirely different kingdom than the blue-green algae. I’ll update this information in my Ask the Dietitian section because this is a great question and so many are asking. Please check back in a few days.Thanks, JosephBMAA is an amino acid, so it’s soluble in water but not in oils. I don’t see how alga DHAl supplements could contain BMAA, even if the source algae does, unless the extraction process is faulty and the oil is contaminated with the water layer.Mouse studyhttp://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2202/7/29 A ketogenic diet as a potential novel therapeutic intervention in amyotrophic lateral sclerosisThis is the first study showing that diet, specifically a KD, alters the progression of the clinical and biological manifestations of the G93A SOD1 transgenic mouse model of ALS. These effects may be due to the ability of ketone bodies to promote ATP synthesis and bypass inhibition of complex I in the mitochondrial respiratory chain.Wow! I love you! Thank you so much for this information! I hate leaving a NF video thinking there is no hope whatsoever beyond just prevention for various diseases.I am taking an algae supplement for Omegas ( per Dr Greger’s advice a couple months ago) – should I stop since he said blue green algae was a source? How can I find out the BMAA risk?Not all algae are the same. The algae used to produce the EPA and DHA O-3 in the supplements are golden algae, not the blue-green algae that is responsible for the BMAA. In addition, it is the bio-accumulation of BMAA in animals that represents the danger. The example from the previous video where the natives of Guam were eating fruits containing BMAA, but that the amount of BMAA consumed was so low that the people would have to be eating literally a ton of the fruit to explain the high rates of ALS. It wasn’t until the amount of BMAA in the fruit bats the people also ate was determined to be equivalent to that in a ton of the fruit was it shown that they were indeed consuming enough BMAA to explain the prevalence of ALS.The take-away message is to not eat animals like fish and other aquatic animals that might be consuming large amounts of BMAA from their environment and concentrating them in their tissues.Golden algae used to make algae-based omega 3 supplements do not appear to contain BMAA. I think the omega-3 is made from crypthecodinium cohnii, which is an entirely different kingdom than the blue-green algae. I’ll update this information in my Ask the Dietitian section. Check back in a few days.Thanks, JosephThank you so much!With all due respect this study is virtually meaninglesshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2968748/ Cyanobacterial Blooms and the Occurrence of the neurotoxin beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) in South Florida Aquatic Food WebsWhy do you say that? What in particular do you think makes the results invalid?http://www.wholefoodplantbasedrd.com/2015/03/fish-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/ Fish and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)There is some exciting research that shows that the combined phenomenon of bioaccumulation and biomagnification in fish and other animals may someday be shown to be at least one cause of ALS.I live in a coastal town in New England, US, and am wondering if this is the same algae that seems to occur every summer known as “red tide”? One neighbor passed away from ALS, another from supranuclear palsy and another has Parkinsons. Would this be considered a cluster and I’m wondering if exposure alone, such as swimming, rather than ingesting seafood, can lead to these illnesses?“In New England, red tides are caused by population spikes of the alga Alexandrium fundyense.” This algae concentrates in shellfish but you can still swim in it. http://news.discovery.com/earth/oceans/red-tide-coming-to-new-england-130326.htm On the other hand, probably not a good idea to swim in cyanobacteria infested water. “Recreational exposure to toxic cyanobacterial blooms via direct skin contact, inhalation, or inadvertent ingestion of water can cause rashes, allergies, and gastrointestinal problems for people working or recreating on the water.” https://www.whoi.edu/redtide/impacts/freshwater/cyanobacteriaNote the algae responsible for red tides in the Gulf of Mexico, Karenia brevis, exerts adverse effects even in those who don’t enter the water 1, 2.Hypochondriacs should probably not peruse the journal Harmful Algae. As for myself, its just another reminder of our troubled love-hate relationship with single-celled organisms.Do you know how long it would take for these neurotoxins to clear the body? Months? Years? Never? I have stopped eating fish, but if I did in years past, could that still affect me? Also, can the effects be reversed? If someone has early stage ALS or Alzheimer’s, could changing their diet have a positive effect?That is something I would like to know too. Since several factors play a role, go vegan and live healthy and hope that over time you can reduce your amount inside your body and that with the limiting of most other triggers you can remain symptom free even if you always have some bmaa in you.what about spirulina? Would this contain BMAA?Re. “what mode of activity does BMAA exert ?”; come on Dr. Greger, that’s obviously the most important question re. generating profits re neurodegeneration if you know what I mean…A question I had was that I guess the moral of the story here is the bio-amplification of the toxins via fruit bats, marine life… so for the people that take blue green algae as a supplement, is the dose insignificant ?Dr. G reports the latest science results. You should address you plea to the scientists,no? I had no idea algae contained BMAA. Now you and I both have been warned. Pure gold.Gold for me at least because when we dine out I always have the urge to indulge in a big feed of seafood…but now i’ll hear the waiter asking me, “Good choice,Sir. Our seafood is served with lashings of BMAA and methylmercury too.”Sure, and appreciate those reports I do ! (my snarky comment re. mode of activity was aimed at our favorite industry). Re. blue green algae as a supplement, I just didn’t remember if there were any specific numbers reported in those studies re. amount of BMAA that presents a clear danger. Maybe I’ll check as I have friends who swear by blue green algae and that’s a concern if they’re putting themselves at risk…Yeah, I too despise the industrial-politico-food complex…The association is there, at this point in time it is up to you to decide if or at what dose BMAA is causative. I suggest that you read the wiki page. For me, the case is strong enough. No BMAA is bestOK, thanks, I’ll read the wiki page.Though the occasions I dine out are rare, a few times a year, those are the “special” occasions I often chose seafood too, just because it is really the only thing I miss. I’m with ya!If BMAA gets incorporated into and then transforms a protein into a virulent prion-like form that attacks nerve tissue that could explain the irreversible nature of ALS. Virulent prions act as templates that convert endogenous harmless forms into the disease causing agents.I wish we could see data on other factors (Aluminum…others?) cross referenced to BMAA in ALS victims. Perhaps 1 in 100000 have a “perfect storm” of factors that work together to trigger the disease. My friend worked at a lumber yard on the tanalizing process at a time when safety masks were considered wimpy. So at an early age he was exposed to arsenic, chromium and who knows what. We always wondered if that was his “trigger”.To many variables, super computers running metabolism sims, and just keep adding research results not for profit but advancement. Would be nice and to me would be more reassuring than an empty promise pension plan to be honest.Simulation of internal processes would be amazing; I’m not sure where that lies between sci-fi and sci-possible today. More mundane and perhaps similarly beneficial: If all papers published their data under open licences (or public domain/CC0) then we’d be able to crunch the external variables. There are many studies with thousands of participants over sometimes dozens of years. If we simply collected and published the raw data we could mine out all the nuances.http://community.isbe.eu/sites/default/files/event-files/wffposternudtconf-v7booklet_sr.pdf Seems the Chinese are jumping on it, good!Last I read was a U.K. supercomputer simulating the metabolism of 1 yeast cell from split to split, which took ‘m a full day or even two I can’t remember. The problem in biology is the noise, it is so loud that only sledgehammer impacts can be detected as having any effect at all, it makes the worst astrophysics dilemmas look like a leisurely walk in the park. Anyway, keep your eyes open for metabolism modeling, it is going to bring us the future Bones mcCoy’sEthicist Peter Singer’s book “The Life You Can Save” talks a great deal about how we tend to donate to causes that impact very few people when we could save millions of lives if we were to direct those funds to eradicating world hunger and poverty. Singer’s writing on this topic and many others (including seminal work on our abuses of animals) is courageous because it’s uncomfortable for many people to be so frank. In an ideal world there would be plenty of funding for ALS along with eliminating poverty. We would all give generously to causes that speak to us and all of the issues would be resolved. But unfortunately some organizations have hired marketing firms that very effectively scoop up a disproportionate share of donor dollars . . . My personal practice is to continue to reduce my consumption so I can contribute more to causes i care about and especially ones that focus on people and animals in dire need.What seafood contains most of that BMAA? What about fish oil That everyone is consuming these daysis there a risk there it would seem that it would be very high risk? Thank youYes, disease-causing algal blooms are a bummer. I wonder what other bummers await as our oceans continue to die.What will life be like when traditionally “healthy” foods poison you and cause debilitating or even fatal disease? Well you don’t have to wonder…it’s increasingly happening now. We’ve already poisoned our oceans and now we’re working on our land.I’m afraid it’s game over when we can no longer count on the soil to provide uncontaminated food, and we’re moving quickly in that direction. What will life be like when it’s not “just” “seafood” that’s linked to disease but “California produce”…or Iowa corn…or Louisiana rice…or Indiana soybeans?I agree with everything you’ve said…and yet hearing it from another is so sad. There just has to be a way to circumvent the consequences of being human. We are indeed like the yeast in my wort carboy. Just as the yeast have no choice but to grow as fast as they can for as long as they can, so goes humanity. Yet I do have hope. I guess you could say I am pro choice. The problem is how do we agree on what the right choices are? The UN says we are going to level out at 10 billions…and they seem happy with that. I think we are way overloaded at 8. but who am i? just a crusty old beetle living under the sofa. I eat BMAA for tea…so party on Humanity…my turn awaitsWe do have a choice but we choose consumption and cheap goods over our long-term health. From a public policy perspective, we could internalize the externalities by assigning a price to pollution or climate change and other damages we do. As the price of harming our environment rises we would do less of it. We could also sue companies to fix the damage they do. Both of these things require a collective action, and that requires the will to do it. That requires political leadership, and red state politicians where much of the damage occurs accept billions in donations from chemical companies, decry “job-killing legislation” and the EPA, and convince their low information voters that their jobs depend on inaction. These problems of course will all get worse as we further degrade our environment and global (and local) poverty pressures many to support “jobs” over the environment.Sure we could solve the problem, but I doubt we will. The time to act on climate change for any chance to avoid massive problems in the future was a decade ago. Deniers said it was “too expensive” to act now…which is absurd and sad in light of how much humanity will ultimately “pay” for inaction. We will continue to not want to pay anything, instead pushing that off to future generations, and I think that will be our undoing.The solution is collective action via political will and education, or collective action via grassroots pressure founded on a base of education…but how optimistic are you that this will happen before the damage is on our doorstep, which means that it has already been done, which means we get to watch this huge ship run aground and degrade for the next 100 years no matter what we do once we get to that point.We as a species are profoundly mentally ill. Getting to grips with media is maybe the easiest step. This is a great channel:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwPdAZPnk7k&feature=share&list=PLwxNMb28XmpehnfQOa4c0E7j3GIj4qFEjI’ve worked hard to build a wall around my family. The wall is all that stands between us and much of the horror. The wall is made of money but there is never enough. I always keep working to make the wall stronger. But if you are right it will all come to naught.The country I live in makes its money by exporting food. The politics here are geared toward massive farms, open trade and new markets. Those markets want our diary, meat, fruit and wine in that order. We have a lot of talk about preserving the environment just a long as that does not get in the way of putting more cows and sheep into pasture along with all the chemicals and runoff associated with that. We watch our lakes dying and wring our hands.Maybe someday my dream of a smart, benevolent machine to rule us all will come true. Not to rule really, but to make rational decisions leaving out the emotions and mythologies that we’ve brought with us from “the Garden”. What would happen if the revolution was based on logic and reason? I’ll never see it. I’ve got to keep buttering these bricks.“The love of money is the root of all evil.”Let me guess Gregor – you are from NZ?Got it in one. “Clean n Green”, right!The IGC (Intergalactic Council) has made the determination that humans will NOT be allowed outside their current solar system. Very likely things will reach a point where human “civilization” will fail and populations will fall…long before there is any danger of the disease escaping. But we are watching you. Do not try to leave the solar system.The IGC (Intergalactic Council) has made the determination that humans will NOT be allowed outside their current solar system. Very likely things will reach a point where human “civilization” will fail and populations will fall…long before there is any danger of the disease escaping. But we are watching you. Do not try to leave the solar system.Amen, UCBAlum. I also read your post below. If you want to know how hard it is to go against the corporations and their PR men who control congress, read “Trust Us, We’re Experts” Mind blowing book. I knew it was bad but when I read that book, I was blown away. Not that we should not try. The end of the book makes that point. But the earth and the food supply is already sooo contaminated, one has to wonder if we are going to make it as a species.It would be helpful to note up front what the letters BMAA stands for in the first place. I also wondered about the reference to guns and bats in relation to this particular neurotoxin? How do these things effect the food supply?beta-methylamino alanine. It competes for glutamate binding sites in the brain and substitutes for serine during protein synthesis. The wiki page shows the structure and gives a long list of ref.s very interesting. We could learn a lot from this molecule.the advent of guns facilitated the killing of bats for food. Up to the point where the bat numbers were reduced to the point where they no longer made a significant impact on diet.Watch the video that was released before this one.Do any of the available studies look at BMAA ingestion from consumption of freshwater? Particularly, are there studies of ALS population clusters that consume relatively low amounts of seafood and/or freshwater organisms, but regularly consume potable water from freshwater sources that are frequently impacted by cyanobacteria? Thank you.Has anyone searched for Lou’s favorite food? We did….Lou’s favorite food was “pickled eels.” Coincidence?….Maybe not so much!BingoI do miss seafood from time to time but all the lovely details from this research is enough to put you off seafood for ever. But how could we actually be sure that there are no such contamination caused by bacteria in plant food? eg. through the soil and irrigation system?Is there BMAA in blue green algae supplements? Spirullina?Good question! I wrote about this in a post on my Ask the Dietitian Page. If you have other ideas for a common question or question that you deserves attention please let me know.Thanks, JosephQuestion? Can Epigenetics studies show how we can change the effects of BMHA in our diet?here is an interesting Mag http://joom.ag/1lBb?f#.VRruaqsnKAc.mailtoIs there any risk of BMAA in vegan DHA supplements?Good question! I wrote about this in a post on my Ask the Dietitian Page. If you have other ideas for a common question or question that you deserves attention please let me know. Thanks, Mike.Best, JosephWhat about seaweed? It sits in ocean waters. Could it be contaminated like fish is? And should we be eating it?Good question I think it depends on the type. I wrote about this in a post on my Ask the Dietitian Page. More info on seaweed: blue-green algae href=”http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/” target=”_blank”>chlorella. Let me know if any of this information helps? Thanks, Carolyne.JosephALS, is anyone looking at the neurotoxins used in vaccines which are 100% retained in the body, such as MSG, Aluminum, Mercury, Formaldehyde? What about the inflammatory effect of foreign DNA in vaccine cultures on the brain. 1% of aluminum eaten is absorbed. 100% injected into muscle, like with a vaccine, is absorbed and retained. Aluminum is highly reactive and heads right for the brain, just like mercury…..and it’s accumulative. Lead and Aluminum make mercury much more toxic. 99% of American children have been injected with 5 mg of aluminum by the time they are 18 months old with the current US vaccine schedule. Add GMO/round up, environmental toxins, Junk food, unrecognized and untreated parasite infections, etc. Just thinking….Interesting video Dr. Greger. Speaking of neurotoxins, do you know if there’s any truth that eating cherimoyas and related fruits such as soursop and pawpaws put you at high risk of developing parkinson’s like dementia due to a neurotoxin called annonecin? I recently discovered cherimoyas at my local asian market at a reasonable price and had been eating them by the bagful until I read something online while looking up the fruit. They are my favorite fruit, and I really miss eating them. I was wondering if you knew of the potential risks or benefits of consuming this family of fruits. I see many websites touting their health benefits and anti-cancer properties with no mention of neurological harm. Your thoughts? I eat plant based largely to prevent disease and wouldn’t want to unknowingly be putting myself at greater risk. This would make for a great video!Hi kerrshaw. I’ll admit I don’t know much about pawpaw fruit. The studies are mixed, but one stood out based on what you mentioned. You can read the abstract here it’s quite interesting.Has anyone tried the peanut butter smell test for Alzheimer’s? Left nostril is not as sensitive in early Alzheimer’s patients. http://blog.thealzheimerssite.com/peanut-butter-test-for-alzheimers-signs/?utm_source=social-paid&utm_medium=alzaware-kw-engage-cpc-mobi&utm_campaign=peanut-butter-test-for-alzheimers-signs&utm_term=20150310#jCIMcJIfFmUzECso.01	algae,ALS,Alzheimer’s disease,biomagnification,BMAA,dementia,Finland,fish,France,industrial pollutants,Lou Gehrig's disease,mercury,neurotoxins,oysters,Parkinson's disease,seafood	A neurotoxin called BMAA that concentrates in seafood may help explain clusters of Lou Gehrig's disease.	Most NutritionFacts.org videos can stand on their own, but to understand this one you have to see the prequel, ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease): Fishing for Answers.For other neurotoxins found in the food supply, see:Other toxic substances can also build up in the aquatic food chain, for example:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lou-gehrigs-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oysters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/france/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bmaa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/finland/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22314682,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22069578,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20439734,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23660330,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22016712,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19929726,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24349504,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19929741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2294892,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22412816,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21057660,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12746242,
PLAIN-2465	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/	ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease): Fishing for Answers	Lou Gehrig’s disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS strikes healthy, middle-aged people seemingly at random, and, of the major neurodegenerative diseases, it has the least hope for treatment and survival. Although mental capabilities stay intact, ALS paralyzes people, often from the outside in, and most patients die within three years when they can no longer breathe or swallow. At any given time, an estimated 30,000 are fighting for their life with it in this country. We each have about a 1 in 400 chance of developing this dreaded disease.So ALS is more common than generally recognized, an incidence rate now close to that of multiple sclerosis. What causes it? Well, 50 years ago scientists found that the rate of ALS among the indigenous peoples on the island of Guam was 100 times that found in the rest of the world, potentially offering a clue into the cause of the disease. So instead of 1 in 400, in some villages in Guam 1 in 3 adults died of the disease.Cycad trees were suspected, since the powdered seeds were a dietary staple of the natives and there were reports of livestock showing neurological disease after eating from it. And indeed a new neurotoxin was found in the seeds, called BMAA. Maybe that’s what was causing such high levels of ALS, but the amount of BMAA in the seeds people ate was so small that it was calculated that people would have to eat like a thousand kilograms a day to get a toxic dose—that’s like a ton of seeds daily. So the whole cycad theory was thrown out and the trail went cold.But then famed neurologist Oliver Sachs and colleagues had an idea. Cycad seeds were not all the natives ate. They also ate fruit bats, stewed in coconut milk, and guess what these so called flying foxes ate? Cycad tree seeds. So maybe this is a case of biomagnification up the food chain. Remember how you’d have to eat like a ton of seeds worth of BMAA to run into problems? Well guess how much builds up in the flesh of flying foxes, a tons worth of BMAA. And they also ate others animals that foraged on the seeds.The final nail in the coffin was the detection of high levels of BMMA in the brains of 6 out of 6 native victims of the disease on autopsy, but not in control brains of healthy people that died. So with the final puzzle piece apparently in place, the solution to this mysterious cluster on some exotic tropical isle of ALS/PDC, so-called because the form of ALS attacking people in Guam also had signs of Parkinson’s disease and dementia, so they called it ALS parkinsonism dementia complex. So for the heck of it, when the researchers were choosing a comparison group control brains, they threw in two cases of Alzheimer’s disease. And they had BMAA in their brains too. But these were Alzheimer’s victims in Canada on the opposite side of the globe. So they ran more autopsies. No BMAA in the control brains, but BMAA detected in all the Canadian Azheimer’s victims tested.Wait a second, Canadians don’t eat fruit bats. Well, the neurotoxin isn’t made by the bat. Yeah, it’s made by the trees, but Canadians don’t eat cycad trees either. Their flag doesn’t look like this. It turns out that cycad trees don’t make the neurotoxin either. A blue-green algae that grows in the roots of the cycad trees makes the BMAA that gets in the seeds, that gets in the bats, that gets into the people. And it’s not just this type of blue-green algae— but nearly all types of blue-green algae found all over the world produce BMAA. Up until only about a decade ago we thought this neurotoxin was confined to this one weird tropical tree, but now we know the neurotoxin is created by algae throughout the world, from Europe to the U.S., Australia, the middle east, everywhere.So if these neurotoxin-producing blue-green algae are ubiquitous throughout the world, maybe BMAA is a cause of progressive neurodegenerative diseases including ALS worldwide. Researchers in Miami put it to the test. Maybe the Canadians were a fluke? No, the researchers found BMAA in the brains of Floridians who died from sporadic Alzheimer’s disease and ALS, but not in the brains of those that died of a different neurodegenerative disease called Huntington’s, which we know is caused by a genetic mutation, not some neurotoxin, significant levels of BMAA in 49 out of 50 samples from 12 Alzheimer’s patients and 13 ALS patients. The results shown here for American Alzheimer’s and ALS patients from the Atlantic southeast compared with Canadian Alzheimer’s patients from the Pacific Northwest suggest that exposure to BMAA may be widespread. The same thing was then found in the brains of those dying from Parkinson’s disease, and you can even pick up more BMAA in the hair of live ALS patients compared to controls.So is BMAA present in Florida seafood? All over the place, in freshwater fish and shellfish, like oysters and bass, and out in the bay. In fact some of the fish, shrimp and crabs had levels of BMAA comparable to those found in the fruit bats of Guam. In the U.S., fish may be the fruit bats.	Spirulina (athrospira ..) wasn’t mentioned in the tests. Curious omission?Almost all blue green algae, including spirulina, can produce neurotoxins like BMAA. Not sure how much BMAA, but enough for Dr. Greger to recommend that we stay away from spirulina. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/I had understood that spirulina itself did not contain toxins (microcystins, BMAA, etc) but that other algae harvested alongside likely would.I am wondering if this new information actually makes blue green algae look better because at least its BMAA hasn’t been bio-amplified.McCarron P et al 2014. Analysis of β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) in spirulina-containing supplements by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometrymany thanks for posting this–I take spirulina tabs each day, and would not like to give them up–this research is reassuringYeah, but that’s just BMAA. There may be microcystins and heavy metals which have been found in commercially-available products. The Doc’s suggestion is “it’s not worth the chance”.Heavy metals don’t appear to be a concern in reputable brands (many of which do their own testing), see this study which tested 25 brands of spirulina: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319562X13000430What do you think about eating nori and other seaweeds? This concern you regarding BMAA or other microcystins/metals?What aboult chlorela, kelp?Pretty much all cyanobacteria produce BMAA, so probably spirulina has it too. The interesting thing however is that it is a very very low amount. Accoding to a PNAS paper, the BMAA is concentrated over many thousand fold in some cycads and fish and bat brains which live in symbosis or consume large quantities or are futher up the food chain. It seems humans probably can tolerate the spirulina dose although if it is highly concentrated in animals up the food chain, that is more questionable. BMAA is definitely a neurotoxin. Whether the doses regularly consumed by humans are significant is an open question. There are plenty of other toxins in our environment, some of which induce Parkinsonism is extremely low quantities in lab animals…like the pesticide rotenone. The motor neurons and brainstem neurons that are effected in ALS and Parkinsonism are huge and metabolic power-houses which fire very rapidly and continuously (unlikely the slower firing neurons in the cortex). It is probably why they are so sensitive to environmental toxicities. Twin studies also support that most cauaes are Parkinsonism are environmental as well.So what about taking algae pills since as a vegan I don’t eat fish/take fish oil for the omegas?It doesn’t seem to be lipophilic so unlikely to accumulate in oils.So does that mean fish oils wouldn’t have significant levels of BMAA either?Good question, Ellen. Since as a fellow sentient being abstaining from Hg, DDT, and PCB I don’t take fish either. :)Arjan, that’s very interesting. “since BMAA is not lipophilic but water soluble, its biomagniﬁcation pathway must differ from that of the lipophilic agents” ( several sources: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bmaa+lipophilic ). Though, I’d still sleep better at night with testing of all known/likely neurotoxins. It’s amazing to me that ‘supplements’ being neither foods nor drugs (right!?) are unregulated and poorly tested.There are many plant based sources for the Omegas. I use the Udo’s 3-6-9 Blend.Great question: I speculate that the homocysteinemia resulting from not ingesting b12-rich sources would present a more acute and sever threat.I am a vegan that chooses healthier selections and also avoids high-methionine rich sources and also soy lecithin, but I ingest a normal b12 supplement from ‘nature made” or whatever is cheap and a good texture ect… due the minimal concentration of whatever I fixated on in the past (gellatin). (one does not want to become Orthorexic lol)Most “natural” vegan B12 is not bioavailable (aka analogues and snake oil).Could you explain what you mean here? Thanks!http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/An analogue looks like a duck and quacks like a duck but may not in fact be a duck.https://duckduckgo.com/?t=lm&q=b12+analogueOne part of [B12 is the] corrin nucleus, which holds an atom of cobalt… The corrin plus other atoms make up the cobalamin part of B12… Only two cobalamins are active as coenzymes in the human body: adenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin. The body has the ability to convert [other cobalamins such as] cyanocobalamin… Many corrinoids, and possibly even some cobalamins, are not useable by human B12 enzymes. These are considered inactive B12 analogues.Inactive Analogues: Worse than Useless — Carmel et al. (1988) “Patients with primarily neurological problems had significantly higher inactive B12 analogue levels… Some B12 analogues may be harmful to the nervous system.”http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/molUnlike animals, most, if not all, plants have no B12 requirement for any function, and therefore have no active mechanisms to produce or store B12… B12 activity actually decreased in people fed a combination of spirulina and nori. [and dozens of other studies demonstrating inactive B12 from plants, algae, and fermented foods].http://veganhealth.org/b12/plantI didn’t realise “Nature Made” was a brand name. One of their tablets contains 1 mg (1000 mcg) of cyanocobalamin which is fine bioactive B12.The study that showed nori reduced b12 levels had only 12 subjects; 3 of these peoples’ b12 levels rose and one person whose levels fell had abnormally high b12 levels to start with, so IMO should have been excluded from the study. This study is too small and inconclusive to declare absolutely that the b12 found in seaweed is unavailable. I could just as easily post other studies showing that seaweed is a good source of b12.The bottom line is that a) more study is needed, and b) almost everybody should take a sublimgual b12 supplement, as the b12 in animal products has very low absorption, and it is not conclusive that the b12 in non-animal products is bio-available.A study with insignificant results (n=12) does not make the contra-position true. One can find numerous studies demonstrating B12 analogues in sea plants and algae, but as of 2015, I do not believe any study has found significant *bioavailable* B12 from sea plants or algae. To assume nori, fermented plants, or spirulina has bioactive B12 is, if long-term, a dangerous experiment (n=1) with potentially permanent negative neurological consequences on the test subject.All vitamin b12, whether “natural” or created for supplements, is synthesised from bacteria. The vast majority of b12 supplements are made from bacteria from rice. But some specialist supplements source b12 from soil bacteria. I think this is what he was referring to.Why? The bioavailability of b12 from red meat is just 0.1%. Nearly 4/10 non-elderly meat eaters have low b12 (rising to nearly three-quarters of the elderly), and nearly 1/10 have an outright deficiency. Consuming “b12 rich sources” to get b12 is unreliable at best, and not worth the risk to one’s health, the environmental destruction, and the animal abuse.I am sick of the obsessing over b12. For the majority of nutrients, we fare much better than meat eaters, so it is just propaganda and discrimination that everyone focuses on problem that affects many meat eaters. Everyone should take sublingual methyl- and adenosyl-cobalamin supplements, regardless of diet.Besides, it is a problem of modernity: unchlorinated fresh water from lakes and rivers contains so much b12 that the amount accidentally swallowed while bathing provides enough b12 for a whole week. Because our natural source has been lost to most of us, humans need to take a b12 supplement.It is true that B12 deficiency exists across all populations and diets and that the elderly have lower absorption of B12. It is also true that some meat shrills like to harp on the “vegans can’t get B12 from plants” fact as a reason to dismiss the vegan diet all together. However, more damaging to our cause than meat shrills are the disproportionally higher number of vegans who fail to obtain adequate B12. Yes, all vegans should take B12 supplements or fortified foods and not become another stupid vegan statistic or headline.I’ve known eaters-of-red meat with LOW serum B12levels. Don’t guess, TEST! Just taking a high-quality supplement does NOT guarantee adequate absorption of B12 for anyone. I took Thorne brand B12 for a year; and after a blood test, I still needed intra-muscular injections of methylcobalamin, which finally corrected the anemia I had. I’m not vegan, I do eat some eggs, & rarely seafood.It’s a matter of degree and risk. Studies have shown B12 deficiency in 10% of the general population, 40% in those above sixty years, and 80% of all vegans. Test if you have reason to be concerned, but understand that the vast majority of the population responds well to cyanocobalamin supplementation, while other forms (hydroxo- and methyl-) may be more appropriate for those already deficient or who have an issue with absorption.Meat eaters are NOT guaranteed (80%) to become B12 deficient without supplementation.So true Jeanie! Supplements aren’t always as simple that we’d like to think. :)I have a tablespoon of ground flaxseed (=linseed) on my muesli for the Omega 3 content (daily). I think that is what the experts here recommend. :)Sorry, commented below… Experts also suggest 100-300 mg DHA daily from algae (see below).I would second comments about flax seed. I think it’s high in the omegas. Remember to grind it (Or buy it ground). I get mine on amazong, but most big grocery stores have flax in the baking section. Costco too.Works really great in stews and oatmeal and stuff.Ground flax (and chia) provide a large dose of ALA (essential omega-3). About 7% may be converted to EPA and a much smaller percentage again may be converted to DHA. Thus it’s reasonable to assume a strict vegan (and non-fish eaters) will not have adequate DHA even with a rich ALA source such as flax.Many experts (Dr Greger, Norris RD, Messina MPH-RD, Fuhrman) suggest 100-300 mg DHA daily from algae for vegans or those concerned about fish consumption.what about Omega from Algae source – do they also contain BMAASounds like a good question for the NF Research Fund.I vaguely understood that bluegreen algae (Cyanobacteria phylum) are of concern, while DHA producing microalgae are in the Myzozoa and Heterokontophyta phyla. EPA is sourced from various algae some of which are also in the Heterokontophyta phylum.Blue green algae and algae are not the same thing. Blue green algae are a subclass (may not be the correct biological term) of bacteria.Close enough. :) Class is more specific than phyla.Domain: Bacteria Kingdom: Eubacteria Phylum: CyanobacteriaAlgae are in the Eukaryota domain.Red algae contains kainate, a neurotoxin that can cause epilepsy. We also get long-chain omega-3’s from a red algae. I hope the pill we’re taking are purified from this nasty stuff.Hi Kirti, The Omega-3 algae comes from golden algae.Would this be considered safe from BMAA?Yes, golden algae doesn’t appear to contain BMAA and would be considered safe.Makes me nervous that you say “doesn’t appear to contain BMAA”. The tank grown algae in Udo’s blend, is that sure thing? They say it contains “no ocean borne contaminants”I know what you mean I just cannot guarantee anything until it’s tested. Have you seen my post on it? I put a link above to Karen. I mention how you could get DHA form yeast, too. And note that DHA is not a required nutrient so you do not have to take any supplement if you don’t think it’s best. If you do choose to take it, I’d rather take my chances with algae over fish oil based on the research we do have.Hi Karen. Yes, it does appear safe. Check out my additional post about this here, if interested.Very interesting. However one question is imperative: since fish and seafood consumption is so widespread, why don’t people in the US and Canada, for instance, have the same rate of ALS and Parkinson’s similar to the inhabitants of Guam?I would have thought because the people of Guam are eating both fish and fruitbats everyday. But they seem to eat the SAD ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2762033/table/T3/ ).I’d also be curious about Okinawan’s, as their traditional diet was somewhat sea-based.Dr Greger..please clarify what type of algae/seafood we should avoid spirulina? OMEGA oils from Algae?…please offer some advice on this topic..Im sure we would all like to know…ThanksThese were my exact question too. Would be nice to have further clarification on this topic.What fish should we avoid eating and should we stop taking fish oil supplements?All. Yes.All (some fish are worse than others). Yes (majority of fish oils are rancid before leaving the factory, nearly all contain toxins, very few are thoroughly tested with results published.).Alex…I take “pharmaceutical grade” fish oil, prescribed by my doctor and sent to me by my insurance company. Is that product safe?Hi Bill, I certainly cannot say whether any specific product is safe. I have no idea. “Pharm grade” sounds like high quality stuff. Perhaps you could ask for test results.HI Susan. Super important questions thanks for asking. Golden algae is different from blue-green algae. Please note this sight is flooded with great information and most can be found by clicking the “HEATH TOPICS” button at the top of the screen :-) Here is a video talking about golden algae. And several videos on spirulina. Let me know if that helps?Thanks, JosephToday’s video discusses the connection between neurotoxin BMAA and ALS and Altzheimers, due to its spread by algae.Does this translate into a concern about sea vegetables in the diet?Good question. From what I am learning, it seems different kingdoms of algae produce different toxins. Perhaps the best thing to do is contact the companies that produce the seaweed and ask if they test for BMAA? A quick search and I did not find any information on edible seaweeds, like Nori (Porphyra dentata, a red edible seaweed) and BMAA. Nothing on wakame either. Someone tell me if I am wrong, or if they have searched the literature on this. Thanks , JosephI thank you, Friend. I will keep watch on this site, for anything further …Does anybody know how reputable Natural News lab is? Here are their results for heavy metal testing in seaweeds. http://labs.naturalnews.com/heavy-metals-chart-Superfoods-Sea-Vegetables.htmlI come from a tropical island. The major source of protein there is sea food by far. Meat consumption was very low because meat was expensive and also for religious reasons. I’d never even heard of ALS until moving to the US.Lou Gehrig was known to eat large amounts of eels which he caught himself. He would go fishing a few times per week and his mother would cook them for him. Here is a newspaper article from 1927 talking about it: https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ykAbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=P0oEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4046%2C3777721I’ve always thought the heavy herbicide use on baseball fields would be connected to ALS. Maybe our ability to detox due to lack of methylating agents could play a part.Thanks for link and archive with the past. Stunning article. Really poignant is Lou’s mom comment stating Lou would not have achieved his physical prowess eating spinach instead of eels.Lou’s mum: expert on everything. Everything vegans say is now irrelevant. Science be damned!… If you don’t agree with this website, then why are you here? Necrotarians trolls are disgraceful. You have almost the entirety of western society, can vegans please have some peace in our own space?I didn’t see that comment as a trolling one. He was just pointing out the motherly ‘advice’. Keep calm, and carry on!I do not think that trent is saying anything negative about this site, or about being a vegan. He is simply repeating what was said in an article written in 1927.It is nice that you want to help this website by keeping out unnecessary trolling, but it is not the case that trent is trolling here.Maybe peace can be found by being nice in our interactions, by giving everyone the benefit of doubt, and by seeing good in others, rather than “trolling”. I think meditation, exercise, and green tea can help as well, Fruitopia.You got your space, the internet is filled with “tubes” (That is a joke.) where you can rest, eat some sprouted lentils, and see goodness.Perhaps you do not know what poignant means? Trent was not posing Lou Gehrig’s mother as an expert on anything. And she was speaking from what she understood, as did many of our mothers, to be a healthy diet (meat of some kind required). You might try for a little understanding of where people are coming from. Not all mothers were as enlightened as you apparently are.Great find. Eel seems to bioaccumulate BMAA by an order of magnitude more than other species.Lage S et al 2015. Biotransfer of β-N-Methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) in a Eutrophicated Freshwater LakeI hope they find out if that is the reason for all als cases. And if it is the reason, can it be reversed by clearing out the body of the toxin? Can tests be done to find out what one’s current level is in their body so they know what steps need to be taken to not get the disease? Save me science!Unfortunately, BMAA appears to substitute for the normal amino acid serine during protein synthesis, and the proteins subsequently misfold, can’t perform their normal functions, and aggregate. There are some experimental treatments for neurodegenerative diseases that increase autophagy, may help clear misfolded proteins and slow progression to clinical outcomes, but the whole problem with protein aggregates is as they mostly appear after our peak reproductive years, our bodies never had the chance to evolve effective means to clear them.I guess its good and bad news then. We know how to prevent it, but not cure it.So? He wouldn’t have known anything about fish and its dangers in 1927. It’s not what he was studying.BMAA + Mercury seems like a cocktail I’d prefer to obstain from. This was an extremely important video, Dr. Greger, thank you! (Especially since I have both AD and PD in my grandparents!) BTW interesting topic – garlic fighting metylmercury toxicity (among thousand of other things of course, including beta amyloid neurotoxicity too).As a way to avoid BMAA in concentrations that are harmful, it seems like a vegan diet will do it. As I understand it, it is the bioaccumulation of BMAA in food sources that causes problems, which does not occur in plants. Still, no sense tempting fate by taking blue-green algae supplements.LOL! I love your revision of the Canadian flag!I was thinking a bunch of us Canadian viewers (especially, though other readers too) would be laughing at that one! For sure, I laughed out loud.If BMAA is produced by blue/green algae, is it known whether BMAA is produced by golden algae as well. Recall that golden algae is now being used as a bioconcentrator for long chain Omega 3 fatty acids.Hi salbers, Golden algae doesn’t appear to contain BMAA.http://spirulina.greennutritionals.com.au/spirulina/hawaiian-spirulina-and-bmaas/So is cyanocobalamin sources of B-12 a potential source of excess BMAA?Good question, Acreech. No, the B-12 supplements do not contain BMAA it is only found in blue-green algae itself to my knowledge.Aside from trace cyanide, cyanocobalamin is the result of a clean synthetic process, produced from fermentation of Propionibacterium which contains no known toxins more or less in a test-tube.“I ask about blue-green algae supplements. “Our official policy is that we do not test them,” she says, choosing her words carefully. She refers me to a 2008 paper by Dan Dietrich from the International Symposium on Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms; he found large quantities of BMAA in commercially sold supplements, including ones containing spirulina andAphanizomenon flos–aquae.”http://www.psmag.com/health-and-behavior/was-lou-gehrigs-als-caused-by-tap-water-38804Not sure if I’ve asked this before, but how about BMAA content in dried seaweeds like nori and kelp? Seems to me like it’d be a possibility.This is very interesting – Duke ALS clinic may look at Lunasin (epigenetic food) to help combat this disease – hope they find an answer soon.What about vegan Omega 3 capsules made from algae? Do those contain BMAA? Should we then avoid any and all algae products?Hi Sherrie, Golden algae doesn’t appear to contain BMAA.As I stopped eating pork, beef, chicken, etc. I increased my consumption of fish and other seafood. Over many years I developed numbness in my legs with clear progressive spinal stenosis benefited by surgery. When I last saw my neurosurgeon, he sent me to a neurologist for stocking/glove sensory loss. Heavy metal screening showed mercury toxicity after an EMG demonstrated polyneuropathy. After stopping all seafood consumption, not just my sensory problems but a host of vague symptomatology, including insomnia, fatigue, muscle weakness, etc. that I was attributing to aging(66), began to resolve. As an MD who prided himself on nutritional knowledge, I felt quite foolish, but I am now fully convinced that we must consume the very source of energy from our environment and the sun, plants and nothing but plants grown organically without the help of chemical ‘carpetbaggers.’Today is “Doctors Day.” Not sure if it is a national or local phenomenon. Our hospital is “honoring” the medical staff with a steak and lobster lunch. I respectfully declined, sticking with my daily noon routine of veggie sticks, apple slices and hummus.Wow! You go! That is so common in medical settings, whether for patients or others, to have horrible food being served. Food that often is the cause of many of the sick people.Good to know the entire medical industry is ignorant (99.9%?), not just myopic docs. Avoid the allopathic conveyor belt, it’s difficult to get off and most don’t.Robert, this is very revealing. Do you eat any seaweed? If so, which kind of seaweed? My concern is that seaweed might contain some of the toxins and or heavy metals that present themselves in fish and shellfish. Makes a bit of sense.Related videos on BMAA that should probably be linked in the Doctor’s Note:Is blue-green algae good for you? August 18th 2010 Ciguatera poisoning & chronic fatigue syndrome December 31st 2014There may be a particular concern with farmed seafood.Holtcamp 2012. The emerging science of BMAA – do cyanobacteria contribute to neurodegenerative diseaseBMAA is common at grocers:Jiang L et al 2014. Quantification of neurotoxin BMAA (β-N-methylamino-L-alanine) in seafood from Swedish marketsInteresting detective story. But, since this mostly relies on epidemiologic data, here’s a outlier: who eats more fish than the Japanese? Yet a Nov, 2014 study showed a generally LOW incidence of ALS, especially compared to Europeans and Americans “This is the first report on the annual prevalence and incidence of ALS in the representative population of Japan. We identified some prefectures with a high incidence of ALS. However, the incidence of ALS in the Japanese population was much lower than in the Caucasian populations of Europe and North America.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4213224/But perhaps a favorable subset to the ALS/Algae Hypothesis may be higher incedense in coastal (greatist fish-eating?) populations: “Some prefectures had significantly high SIRs: Okinawa, Nara and Wakayama in the Kii Peninsula, and Niigata for males; Kumamoto for females.”very interesting point jerryatyourservice, those are mostly the coastal regions too. I’m wondering if they eat more of a certain type of seafood eg the preserved pink shrimps which is supposed to be a “delicacy” because of it’s sweetness. It also made me wonder again if it is possible for some nations to have a higher level of resistance to ALS, since beef was outlawed in Japan until around 1860’s so people ate mostly vegetables , rice, millet , Tofu and seafood if they could afford it for thousands of years. Mind you seafood was a luxury too so people mainly ate plant based unless they lived by the coast. We also have to remember that since the 1900s and particularly WWII the Japanese began to consume beef and dairy. When we see a video like this it’s rewarding in a sense that we are sticking to plant based whole food even if we go through a few learning curbs. I was concerned about taking algea based omega – 3 but hopefully being the golden algea it would do no harm, since I already have a memory problem without ALS !My experience with Japan and the Japanese I’ve interacted with is that they eat much smaller portions of seafood than we do, and the mix of what kinds of shellfish they eat is much different also.I know it isn’t in the same category but I wonder if it could possibly be a similar adaptation? http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/centuries-poison-laced-water-gave-these-people-tolerance-arsenic-180954491/?no-istEating too much fish, ecosystem magnifiers, can lead to ALS. This site advocates for eloquently staying at eating the primary producers.I guess so, but this is just an association between a modified amino acid and a disease. My friend, who has now passed, did not eat significant amounts of seafood. so if it was BMAA at cause where was it coming from over the 5 years he was eating or (injecting through a fistula) enterics? Has anyone stopped or reversed the disease by ensuring a BMAA-free diet…until now??? has anyone ever stopped ALS?There are very rare but credible documented cases of ALS remitting and even resolving, but no one understands why. The human mind abhors a vacuum, so when this happens people look around for a simple explanation. Must have been that rabbit’s foot Joe carried around! Richard Bedlack at Duke is now running a program to look more deeply into these cases. Search the web for “ALS Reversals Program”.Thanks, I’ll follow up.Having lost my best friend and business partner this way, I will do whatever I can to fight this horror. It marks everyone. His wife, the nurse, the children. None of us can let him go. No one should go that way. I can’t stop trying to think up ways to help someone breath. He suffered so, but fought it with his sense of humor. I’ve never witness such …valor.I tried to get him to try the Roy Swank diet, but his digestion was so messed up it was un thinkable to try.It seems so impossible now, but I know good science will win in the end.I’ve been inspired into a name change too Gregor :) Full circle actually too my first internet pseudonym Holden you know, immature and full of angst ^^, and being a parts collection of my actual name off course. Have been collecting personal points of interest on google+ and it just seemed a fitting thing to do, I just had to share that little tidbit with you. I tried to find you on google+ but only found two unlikely profiles, you active on + ?‘‘… and you, Marcus, you have given me many things; now I shall give you this good advice. Be many people. Give up the game of being always Marcus Cocoza. You have worried too much about Marcus Cocoza, so that you have been really his slave and prisoner. You have not done anything without first considering how it would affect Marcus Cocoza’s happiness and prestige. You were always much afraid that Marcus might do a stupid thing, or be bored. What would it really have mattered? All over the world people are doing stupid things … I should like you to be easy, your little heart to be light again. You must from now, be more than one, many people, as many as you can think of …’’ – Karen Blixen, The Dreamers from Seven Gothic Tales (1934);)Nice!The BMAA line of inquiry is interesting and should be continued, but it’s not the whole story on ALS. There are very likely a number of environmental triggers, including common herbicides and pesticides, according to several epidemiological studies. Too much strenuous exercise may be another trigger. Most ALS researchers believe that the disease involves genetic predisposition plus environmental triggers. A growing number of gene mutations, many of them involved in RNA processes, have been identified as causes of ALS. A recent study in the UK concluded that it takes six steps/events to create a case of ALS – we just don’t know what the steps are.I suspect we will soon see genetic screening as standard procedure during the ALS diagnostic workup. Treatments under development for one variety of ALS might not work for others.As for the questions about spirulina, the ALS specialists that run the ALS Untangled website wrote a report that can be found on their website. Here is a quote:“Some types of blue-green algae contain toxins (10); these include microcystins that are toxic to the liver, heavy metals, neurotoxic alkaloids, and the chemical BMAA, which may even be an environmental trigger for ALS (11). Vendors of Spirulina state that their product is free of most or all of these toxins, but assurance of this supplement is up to the manufacturer or vendor, unlike FDA regulated pharmaceuticals. Even if it is toxin free, there are other real and theoretical and safety concerns related to the use of Spirulina in patients with ALS. One website reports possible adverse reactions to Spirulina including upset stomach, diarrhea, and rash and that there is a potential for more serious allergic reactions (12). Spirulina contains pro-vitamin A, and too much vitamin A can be toxic. Worse lipid profiles may be associated with slower ALS progression (13); thus, the purported lipid-lowering effect of Spirulina could theoretically accelerate ALS progression. Similarly, decreasing macrophage phagocytic activity may slow ALS progression and is now being pursued in treatment trials (14); by activating macrophage phagocytic activity Spirulina could theoretically accelerate ALS progression. ”10. Dietrich DR, Fischer A, Michel C, Hoeger SJ. Toxin mixture in cyanobacterial blooms: a critical comparison of reality with current procedures employed in human health risk assessment. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2008;619:885 – 912.So what % of vegans have ALS?My late husband died of ALS, and he loved fish. He ate a lot of it, especially tuna, salmon, and catfish.One of the big appeals to me of the plant based diet is the simplicity of it, eating food from the earth as it comes from nature with minimal fuss. So besides the critical supplements, I could never see the point of complicating the issue and wasting money on questionable unregulated supplements and vitamins that can’t measure up to what nature can provide by eating a balanced diet. (Most “average” people seem to use them as insurance for a diet that’s sorely lacking in any real nutrition in the hope that it will rescue them…as if it will!) I get that we all want optimal nutrition, but sometimes wonder if the unknowns of the supplements isn’t almost as scary as some pharmaceuticals…and nearly profitable?i am taking red algae for the calcium, since a few weeks, maybe i shouldn’t ?So blue-green algae = ALS!?!? #FreakedOutNO! No nooooo….. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-P_EjZKbaMWhat about e3live that’s a blue green algae,touted to be good for you I use that :(I’m not sure about specific brands. Hopefully we can raise enough money through our NutritionFacts Research Fund and test if there is BMAA in certain brands of blue-green algae if that is something site users are asking for. See my comment above for more information on BMAA. Thanks, Lana.What about Chlorella? Does it typically contain notable levels of BMAA?I sum up a lot of Dr. Greger’s videos and blogs on chlorella in this article Do algae-based omega-3 supplements contain beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) that has been found in blue-green algae? Looks for “is chlorella safe” at the start of the 4th paragraph.I was going to start taking a couple of spirulina tabs daily but after reading this, I’ve decided not. However I probably can’t overcome my addiction to seafood. Oysters, Sardine, Salmon and Shrimp, yum yum!in regards to stuff building up in the brain. what is the significance of the pineal gland becoming calcified? It sounds like something you don’t want to happen. what is the significance of it? apparently fluoride is the cause. fyi , I’m not anti-fluoride. I do think it strengthens teeth. I’m not sure how beneficial it would really be to consume reverse osmosis water or something. so idk..Interesting thought. Definitely something you do not want to happen! I didn’t find anything on BMAA and pineal gland calcification, although many studies are available looking at pineal gland and calcification on diseases that effect the brain like stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage, but I am not seeing any link to fluoride. Share more studies if you find any! Thanks, Marlon.A small error spoken at about 30secs. Dr Greger says about 3,000 while the screen is showing 30,000.Thanks Lawrence. He does say 30,000 I made sure. Think he just slurred it a bit ;-)so vegan DHA from algae is out or in ?Hi James. Not sure, it a different kind of algae altogether. I wrote more here see if this helps?Thanks, JosephConfused. What about Nori seaweed? Is this an algae that might contain the BMAA? Should we be concerned about ingesting seaweeds intended for human consumption such as Nori? Thank you, Joseph.According to Could It Be B12? : An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses by Sally M. Pacholok and Jeffrey J. Stuart, Japan has the lowest rates of brain diseases and the highest rates of B12. NIH says Japan has one of the lowest rates of ALS, yet some areas were high. Are these the areas where the most fish are consumed? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4213224/. The Japanese consume way more fish than U.S. So, is their high B12 negating the BMAA? What do you think is going on here?Does that study address ALS and B12? I didn’t see any mention in the article. Thanks for sharing the book reference I am sure that is what you are referring to when you mention the B12 ALS connection but I have not read the book or know what studies the author references. Link some of them if you get time! Thanks, Deitra Jones.My former partner has ALS and does not eat fish nor does he take any type of blue green algae products. Just sayin’.Fabulous to know! Thanks Dr. G You’re awesomeThere’s perhaps a curiously related story. Dr. Oliver Sacks, who hypothesized the connection of BMAA to ALS-PDC, first came to fame for describing his treatment of post-encephalitic patients with the then new drug L-DOPA. In a similar fashion to BMAA, L-DOPA can be mistaken for tyrosine and incorporated into human brain proteins (1, 2, 3, 4). Some foods, notably velvet and broad (fava) beans, have pharmacologically active doses of L-DOPA, enough to improve symptoms in Parkonson’s patients and cause withdrawal symptoms when discontinued (5, 6,7, 8, 9). While there’s plenty of longer term adverse effects with L-DOPA, there’s no evidence to date that either L-DOPA or fava beans contribute to chronic neurodenerative disease (a genetic syndrome favism occurs with fava consumption in a few). But the whole proteomimetic amino acid story is a fascinating one, and this space may be worth watching.And what about your beets? Are you eating them? Why or why not?I was scarred by childhood exposure to beets was canned beets in cassaroles, and haven’t reintroduced them to my diet yet. I get plenty of betaine from the other good source, spinach.I hesitatedDarryl, a couple questions here for you. You mentioned in an earlier post that the ideal diet for the amino acid profile proper balance issue might include a bunch of potatoes a day. Why not just eat a bunch of bananas instead of the potatoes, no need to cook. Is it a sugar/fructose issue? Nannas have good amount of calories and B vitamins as well.Also, I am wondering how you feel about the possible detrimental and causative factor that cooked proteins might play in manifestation of brain disorders. I have read over these pages, studies that I am posting here, http://www.13.waisays.com/brain.htm and some of them make a bit of sense to me but not sure how valid this really is. But it does seem relevant enough to look into. I do not agree with the “diet” regimen that is being suggested by this source, but his/her points seem to carry logic. Hmmmm….wondering if you have any thoughts. Thanks.http://www.13.waisays.com/brain.htmI have been eating Eden brand beans, as recommended on this site, for their iodine from seaweed. Is BMAA high in seaweed?Hi Dina. I am not sure I did not find anything in the literature about kombu and BMAA. I did write a post on this a while back. See if this link helps?	ALS,Alzheimer’s disease,biomagnification,blue-green algae,BMAA,brain disease,brain health,Canada,coconut milk,dementia,fish,Huntington’s disease,Lou Gehrig's disease,mortality,multiple sclerosis,neurotoxins,oysters,paralysis,Parkinson's disease,seafood,seeds,shrimp	The neurotoxin BMAA is found in seafood and the brains of Alzheimer’s and ALS victims. Might dietary changes help prevent amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?	Maybe the ice bucket challenge should be to not serve seafood in them. The story continues in my next video Diet and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).Diet may also play a role in other neurodegenerative disorders:	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lou-gehrigs-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shrimp/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oysters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/huntingtons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-sclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bmaa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canada/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconut-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spirulina/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23286757,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22016712,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22214351,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15809446,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15840729,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19929726,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3295368/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23678878,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2330104,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11914415,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19254284,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21057660,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12913204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15295100,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19929743,
PLAIN-2466	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	Nutritional Yeast to Prevent the Common Cold	Natural immunomodulators, something that can help regulate our immune system without side-effects, has been sought for centuries, and all the while they’ve been sitting in the produce aisle. Plants produce thousand of active compounds, many of which modulate our immune system, but we can’t forget the fungi. Mushrooms have used for centuries as folk remedies, and for good reason—some have been shown to boost immune function as well. So much so, a type of fiber found in shiitake mushrooms is approved for use as adjunct chemotherapy, injected intravenously to help treat a variety of cancers by rallying our immune defenses.More than 6,000 papers have been published on these so-called beta glucans, but almost all of the data about preventing infections had come from petri dish or lab animal studies, until a few years ago when a series of experiments on athletes showed beneficial effects, but that was in like marathon runners. What about the rest of us? We didn’t know until now.Beta glucan fiber found in baker’s, brewer’s and nutritional yeast helps to maintain our body’s defense against pathogens even in nonathletes according to this a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Reducing the recurrence of infections with the common cold by 25% in those that ate the equivalent of about a spoonful of nutritional yeast a day, and had fewer cold-related sleeping difficulties when they did get sick.What about half a spoonful a day’s worth? Still worked! Big drop in common cold incidence and a reduction in symptoms as well. Why though? This study found that not only were upper respiratory infection symptoms diminished, but that mood states appeared to improve like a significant boost in feelings of “vigor.” So they suggest that maybe the yeast fiber is able to counteract the negative effects of stress on the immune system.In terms of side-effects, two folks reported stomachaches, but they were both in the placebo group.Unlike antibiotics and antivirals, which are designed to kill the pathogen directly, these yeast compounds instead appear to work by stimulating our immune defenses, and as such don’t share the same antibiotic side effects. They stimulate our immune defenses presumably because our body recognizes them as foreign. But if it’s treated like an invader, might it trigger an inflammatory response? Turns out it may actually have an anti-inflammatory effect, suggesting nutritional yeast may offer the best of both worlds, boosting the infection fighting side of the immune system while suppressing the inflammatory component. So oral intake can be considered safe and effective. Note they said oral intake, though. I would not recommend injecting it into your vein no matter how much you like the stuff.Yeast is high in purines, so those with gout, uric acid kidney stones, and new organ transplant recipients may want to keep their intake to less than a teaspoon a day, but for everyone else, is there any downside? Well if you look at some packages of nutritional yeast, in California some are slapped with prop 65 warning stickers suggesting there’s something in it exceeding cancer or birth defect safety limits. I called around to the companies and it turns out the problem is lead.California state law says a product cannot contain more than half of a microgram of lead per daily serving, so I contacted the six brands I knew about and asked them how much lead was in their products. KAL originally said ““<5 ppm,” but when we called back they said “<3 ppm,” but even if it’s 3, that translates into less than 45 micrograms per serving, nearly 100 times more than the California limit. But perhaps better than Bob’s Red Mill or Frontier Coop, who evidently don’t test at all. But at least they got back to me. Redstar brand failed to respond to multiple attempts to contact them. Now Foods said of course we test for lead, that’s nice, and claim that at least their recent batches meet the less than a half a microgram California standard. Unfortunately, despite repeated requests they would not provide me with documentation to substantiate their numbers.My favorite response was from Bragg’s who sent me the analysis certificate from the lab showing less than 0.01 ppm, which means at most less than half the California standard, which I believe is the most stringent in the world. To put the numbers in context, in determining how much lead manufacturers can put into candy likely to be frequently consumed by small children, the Food and Drug Administration would allow like 2 micrograms a day in the form of lollipops, but as far as I’m concerned the less lead the better.	So how do I implement nutritional yeast in my daily diet?Put in smoothies, on popcorn, and in sauces where you want a cheesy unami flavor. There is a potato salad recipe on VSH that uses it.How do you get nutritional yeast to stick to the popcorn? It all just collects at the bottom of your bowl.Pour over the organic popcorn some organic pasture-fed melted butter first, then sprinkle the yeast.jazzfeed, butter is harmful to health. Nutritional yeast will stick if it’s slightly warmed.butter? WTF? are you serious? What a TERRIBLE suggestion. “Pasture fed” LOL like that makes a difference in the nutritional profile? Butter is TERRIBLE for your health and morally wrong.You should catch up on the research, although a religion might be in-between.You mean that you want me to ignore the mountains of research showing that dairy products are harmful to health and promote certain cancers so that you don’t have to hear bad things about your bad habits? LOL. Get out of here with your brainwashed ignorance.I understand commercial “milk” covers a multitude of sins. And language is a double-edged sword. In the 70s I was fine with drinking Alta-Dena Certified Raw Milk. ‘Certified’ meant met state hygiene standards. But I’ve been in another state for and haven’t touched milk in decades now. Commercial milk is as bad as you say. On the other hand, if I had the land, the unsprayed well-watered and healthy grass and foiliage and the cow, which I’d feed no GM grain whatsoever of course and 100% organic otherwise, then I would maybe partake of some of that milk or even make butter. What is CLA Ary? Are you a vegan?Ummm no, we were never evolved to consume mammary excretions from s pregnant cow. That’s why a larger percentage of people can’t even digest lactose, and consuming dairy results in the same Ill health effects as consuming meat.Increased prostate and breast cancer risk, diabetes, obesity, acne. Yeah what a bad idea. Every nutrient we need is attainable from eating plants, why the hell would anyone in the right mind eat excretions from a cow who eats plants when we can just obtain the nutrient from the plants ourselves.There really is no scientific or logical argument for defending a non vegan lifestyle.There are lies, damn lies, and research – lol – some research. Look up butter and fat on here.Stay calm, eat plants.I love it sprinkled on top of my daily salads and also use it as a key flavor enhancer in my steamed potato dishes.I often use it with zucchini and quinoa. Cut the zucchini in pieces and put them in a pot with just enough boiling water to get them soft. Meanwhile you cook the quinoa. Once the quinoa is ready, and the pot in which zucchini is boiling doesn’t have too much fluids left, add the quinoa to the zucchini-pot. Now there should be little fluids left. Add lots of nutritional yeast. Depending on my sodium intake that day I will add some salt, which really makes a difference. (great with, but fine without) (For me alone I usually use 2 medium zucchini, 120-150g quinoa and about 50-70g nutritional yeast. I am a big eater though.)The Forks Over Knives All Star cookbook has an amazing dish that has a creamy pasta sauce made from cashews and nutritional yeast. That is really the only time I use it, in pasta dishes.Tofu scramble.I use it wherever I used to use parmesan, on tofu spaghetti sauce, for example. It is also great mixed with crushed walnuts as a topping for a lentil lasagna or a beany casserole.Lately, I like it sprinkled into my oatmeal. I like savory breakfasts. Sprinkle it on anything – rice, popcorn, potatoes, pasta … Being Vegan, I use it a lot in cooking for example dairy free mac-n-cheese or in tofu scrambles.I love it in my miso soup – tblsp of miso, sprinkle of liquid smoke, some nootch (nutritional yeast) and some low-sodium soy sauce mixed in warm water. Add hot water in which dry-sauteed shiitake mushrooms have been boiled (as well as the mushrooms) and any other veggies you fancy. Rich and delicious.I love it in soup, especially potato soup. I also put it in my raw seed and nut bottles instead of salt, but shake before serving as it does settle.Hefeweizen. Cheers!There are many great suggestions on this link from Whole Foods: “Get To Know Nutritional Yeast” http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/get-know-nutritional-yeastI suggest you make this recipe (exchange tofu and whatever you want if you prefer something else) . Its the sauce that is deadly good and contains a lot of nutritional yeast http://www.canadianliving.com/food/glory_bowl.phpIts incredible.Coconut oil spray?FYI: Now Foods’ serving size is 16 g and Bragg’s is 5 g. No wonder Bragg can get a lower result of lead contamination per portion.And for whatever reason Now Foods have a Red Star logo on the label.Weren’t the comparative lead content lab results in the video given in ppm (parts per million, rather than in amounts per serving? Maybe Bragg’s wins, after all? We’ll know better once NF is able to do its own analysis!I do not know how parts per million relate to real grams but: According to Dr. Greger’s word – 0.01 ppm is 0.25 mcg per Bragg’s serving size or 0.05 mcg of lead to 1 g of yeast. According to Now Foods’ word 0.5 mcg per serving of 16 g or 0,031 mg of lead to 1 g of yeast.Afterall Now Foods win!The wonderful thing about the metric system is that the maths are easy. ‘Micro’ means ‘one millionth’. So a microgramme is exactly one millionth of a gramme.1 g Bragg yeast < 0.01 mcg lead (per gramme)? g Now yeast < 0.5 mcg lead (per day)I certainly wouldn't claim that Now wins. First of all, they seem to be intentionally deceptive. Per gramme? No. Per serving? No. Per day. Whatever that means!?!?!Let us assume the daily serving size is 16 g: 16 g Now yeast < 0.5 mcg lead 1 g Now yeast < 0.0312 mcg lead Still a bit more than Bragg. I'll be supporting Bragg for two reasons, most importantly transparent honesty and integrity.Thank you for a math lesson here. Though I was not asking. Thankfully I’ve been using Metric system all my life. However I studied Physics not Chemistry at University here is my input. The wonderful thing about things around you that they do have a different weight. Thus 1 ppm is 1 mcg per 1 gram of the same matter. Here – 1 ppm is one lead part per million parts of the yeast (which is lighter than lead). So whatever simplification is used by chemistry weight of the matter (mcg(lead)/g(yeast)) is a more physical rationale.Love it how you left the mole out of the discussion, you must have thought lets just tackle Metric first, 1 bird in the hand. :)Thanks for the kitty yeast tip BTW, mine likes it too.Care to clarify so we all could laugh?As for the ppm – I was wrong cause it appears to be “Parts per million is the mass ratio between the pollutant component and the solution”. It takes into account the weight of the solution.Wonder then why Dr.G said that 0.01 ppm is the half of Calif allowed intake (0.25 mcg) for Bragg when the portion size is 5 g. For 5 g its 0.05 mcg of lead.A mole kept hidden from the discussion, kept underground, mole a unit of measurement in chemistry, come on you must be at least familiar with it! http://www.dynamicearthlawncare.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Mole.jpg Scoot off back in your hole mole, we need tackle Metric first !!!I am Sorry for how I responded here. I just had a internal laugh which I just wanted to share. Your comment made me be wrecked with doubt, and insecurity, I get overwhelmed by humiliation. This is the result of my father never in his life being able to say a single positive thing about me. Always to dumb for this or that, this on top of a world generally quite hostile to my ADHD. With after me showing him he couldn’t beat me physically anymore at quite an early age, he then commenced to intentionally triggering rage in me when he sensed I was overstimulated, humiliating me in public settings using his superior academia skills while I never had a chance in the schooling system. My reaction was non the less childish and I apologize.Arjan, I have looked but see no definition of ppm anywhere in California statute nor test results. However, I understand the difference between mass/mass and mol/mol for solids is insignificant. We could worry they are using the bastardized mg/L “convention” (which must/should/could/we’d hope have units).Hi, I’m terribly brain foggy and can’t keep up today or yesterday possibly already, thanks for your gesture, its very kind. I’m going to lie down for a bit ;)The maths lesson is for anyone who wants to see that (if serving size = daily serving) NOW likely contains over 3x more lead than BRAGG.You’re right: mass/mass (mcg/g) is most rational. Density and volume of yeast would be inappropriate in this instance, the difference between mass/mass and mol/mol are insignificant with solids (gasses are another story) and mg/L is always inappropriate (though common).Alex, I do not like dishonest and deception as much as you do. But you have to be careful here. Perception varies under the angle.We don’t know how exactly Dr.G asked them. 1. If the question was if their product is safe under Cal law. Than Now Foods completely answered the question. Even more so they gave an answer for a regular consumer who does not want to calculate ppm to daily intake. And they indeed marked a _daily_ intake on the box. But Bragg did not care to clarify and just sent a lab result to save their time.2. If the question was to provide a lab results then you are correct.I’m not in favor of any these companies. I just buy whatever of that meets the standard and cheaper. Bragg is twice as expensive that Now Foods. I do not see a reason to pay more. But if you look on the comments under Dr.G youtube video you’ll see as of this video was an advertising for a Bragg. I just provide an information that Bragg is no better than any other product that meets the standard.True: We both dislike dishonesty and deception. :)Thank you for clarifying “daily serving” (in this case same as “serving size”).Dr Greger stated that “despite repeated requests [Now Foods] would not provide me with documentation to substantiate their numbers” which implies your “2…provide lab results”. Most generously we could suggest they (and all food producers) be more transparent.I believe when the tests are conducted the laboratory takes into account sample size. They are not testing the entire 16 grams of Now Foods, but only a sample. Same goes for Braggs, they are not testing how much is in the 5 grams, only a sample. Does that make sense? So even if the serving sizes on the packages vary, the testing methods are done similarly.Sorry, Joseph – it does not. It does not matter what sample size is used in the lab. You have to use one: ppm or mcg per dose to compare. The concern is whether a single dose of the yeast will get you over California’s lead limit or not. Whether you buy Now Foods or Bragg you’ll stick to recommended daily serving size (if you are responsible consumer). So it very much matters both – lead concentration and a labeled serving size.The labs actually needs way more than 5 or 16 grams to run the lead tests. I was incorrect in my above post. I assume they standardize the test and are able to reveal how much lead (whether ppm or mcg) was found, then based on the serving size we could know lead concentrations. Dr. Greger explained as soon as we’ve raised enough he’ll send off samples from each of these brands to an accredited lab and we’ll find out! I too am eager to learn the results. Let me investigate more. I agree with you both lead concentration and serving size is important! Thanks for catching my error. I am not an expert on this matter nor have I ever analyzed lead in the laboratory.I think you’re both saying the same thing.Ppm is similar to percentage, except part per million (ppm) rather than part per cent (hundred). I haven’t found California’s definition of ppm anywhere (whether mcg/g, mol/mol, or mg/L, or whatever), but it does seem to be a percentage, not an absolute upper limit.“California considers candies with lead levels in excess of 0.10 parts per million to be contaminated.”( http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Pages/FDB%20Lead%20In%20Candy%20Program.aspx )Bragg’s does the same thing with their liquid aminos serving size. Everyone thinks that Bragg’s is lower in sodium than low sodium soy sauce or tamari when it’s actually higher because of their smaller serving size.Great piece! I didn’t know about the powerful antiinflammatory effects of yeast ‘Until Now’We need to have a video-viewing party where we drink every time Dr. G uses the phrase “…until now.”What do you do? Down a VitaMix pitch full of green smoothie?I was thinking a nice scotch…I’m a Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon or Cognac guy myself.How about gin made with ants… Distillery adds new dimension to insect potential By Rachel Arthur+, 20-May-2015 “A UK craft distiller and a Danish food lab have collaborated to produce Anty Gin: a product using the essence of red wood ants and botanicals.” http://www.beveragedaily.com/R-D/Gin-made-with-ants-Distillery-adds-new-dimension-to-insect-potentialThere are other brands of nutritional yeast and if testing is undertaken I’d like to know about Karen’s Energy nutritional yeast, Foods Alive nutritional yeast, and Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritional yeast as well. Interesting information. I will say that adding nutritional yeast to my diet has done nothing to alleviate my sinus and allergy issues. Darn!And what about the stuff we might buy in bulk at the coop store? No labels there.Good question! I think it varies. You’ll have to ask the store manager what brand they use.Yeah, I asked an online retailer I frequent, who also will sell in bulk, about the B-12 status of the brewers yeast they sell a while back and was told “sorry, we don’t have that information” with no further assist. I may have to try again with yet more direct questions…and perhaps a nudge, as I am not real thrilled about not knowing about what I am ingesting!I can’t imagine that it’s legal to not inform customers of the brand of a bulk product upon request for this information though I wouldn’t be too surprised if that’s the case. Regardless, any vendor who isn’t willing to inform customers… might need a good talking to. :)I was always pleased with them, so I was really disappointed getting blown off like that, and I am trying not to dash off a cranky letter and over-react because to be honest, I am miffed. I don’t have disposable income to trifle with, but have fed their coffers with quite a few hard earned dollars over time based on trust, and so I feel abandoned. I know in these days of big biz and faceless commerce I shouldn’t take it personally, but I do! Especially because they supposedly pride themselves on their old-time (circa 1929) business ethic. Times have sure changed!I think it’s a worthy fight, if you have the time and energy. Bioavailable B12 (as I understand) would be an additive. You have every reason to expect disclosure of all additives/ingredients in the foods you consume.Bill Gates said, ‘A disgruntled customer is the company’s finest asset.’ You would be doing them a service if you politely convey your disappointment. Go for it!Last time I looked, my coop (one of the associated coops, west coast) offered 2 different nutritional yeasts, both from Red Star, a “large flake” (much bigger pieces) that contained B12, and a “fine” that didn’t contain B12. The nutritional label info was on the inside of the bulk container lids. So there are 2 grades of Red Star to test for lead. I also think Red Star manufactures yeast that’s repackaged and sold by smaller food companies. Cronometer gives different values for Red Star, Frontier, and Whole Foods nutritional yeasts, so there are multiple manufacturers. No lead values for anything of course. I’d love to see what the CA coops offer and how they post lead levels… Can anyone “here” from CA do a little sleuthing? How wonderful that CA requires and posts this information.Dr.Greger, what about the Marigold Engevita brand (one with B12 (doesn’t seem as nice), and one without).I hope when Dr. Greger tests KAL’s, he will separately test their unfortified nutritional yeast as well. Their unfortified nutrional yeast is imported from Estonia. Does that mean it’s more contaminated than their fortified product? less?Thanks for sharing. I think we tested some of those. Stay tuned for our results. Sorry to here no sinus relief, darn!Prop 65 is a big pain in the rear. They seem to recently been increasing enforcement here in California. Now I can’t order cocoa, milk thistle or nettle root by mail order, apparently due to minute quantities of naturally occurring lead, while just a few months ago, I could. Funny thing is that those items are still available in stores in California- although not at the discount prices I use to get them by out of state mail order.Lead in cocoa came across my radar recently. The levels reported seem high. Maybe it was a farce study. Anyway. I stopped with cocoa.I don’t think cocoa is harmful in any way. In fact, the kuna Indians thrive on it: no high blood pressure and virtually no heart disease, stroke, diabetes or cancer. And they drink five cups of cocoa a day.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3835452/After a lifetime of drinking so much cocoa, how has the lead in it harmed their health? I’ve got the feeling that either lead isn’t absorbed due to other factors in cocoa, it’s excreted from the body or there’s not enough lead in cocoa to worry about. We would do well to imitate the Kuna. I’d clean my radar screen, Toby and relax with a nice hot cup of cocoa.Prop 65 seems to me to be a way to restrict and discourage use of natural health products. I think I read that food and drink products are exempted from the law. Otherwise many foods and drinks could also carry warnings or restrictions. That would of course be very costly and difficult to deal with. So this is an attack on the natural health industry with the intent to scare consumers away from using health-promoting natural products.i have read that when you take away the bitter taste of the nutritional yeast also its loses some properties (b vitamins etc). is this true? we have to choose the bitter one or the sweeter one ? for me it could be because when you reheat you may lost some vitamins. but i don’t now the science behind this . so thank you!!Not sure, noemarcial. I have not heard of removing the “bitter” taste.I think you may be confusing Brewer’s yeast with nutritional yeast.You are right Michael, I was confusing all this time.. Im Spanish speaker, so i was eating brewer´s yeast after exercise haha nothing serious ;) Thank you!!We put it on our Air popped, popcorn! Delicious!I’ve read that nutritional yeast contains “free glutamic acid”—the same neurotoxic compound as monosodium glutamate (MSG) – check Dr. Russell Blaylock. According to Blaylock, Free Glutamic Acid (MSG) stimulates neurons, causing brain damage to varying degrees. MSG occurs as a direct result of the growth and processing of the yeast.I’ve also read that the high vitamin content in nutritional yeast is the result of adding vitamins to the yeast during processing, and if that’s true, then the value of nutritional yeast that has not been fortified with vitamins is what exactly?Dr. Greger has two videos on MSG athttp://nutritionfacts.org/topics/msg/I don’t know what Dr. Blaylock’s trip is, but apparently he’s outside of the consensus of mainstream medicine on this topic. So relax, and enjoy the benefits of nutritional or brewer’s yeast.I believe he is connected to the meat/dairy loving Weston Price group.baylock is a quackTrue, some nutritional yeasts products, such as certain products from Red Star, are fortified, for example, with vitamin B-12. Beta glucan, however, is found naturally in the cell walls of yeast, so beta glucan should be present in all yeast products.Hmmm not sure, carol p. Good questions. To my knowledge I have not seen any studies to support that claim. James posted a link that discusses 2 videos about MSG on NutritionFacts below. (thanks James!) I haven’t seen any negative associations with nutritional yeast and neuortoxins or MSG. Types of algae on the other hand may contain harmful components.I’ve seen a lot of people regurgitate Dr. Blaylock but have seen no one confirm his assertions. Where is the truth?I too have been avoiding nutritional yeast for fear of the “exploding nerve cells” that Blaylock talks about. I just came across this article http://kimberlysnyder.com/blog/2014/09/08/inconvenient-truth-nutritional-yeast/. It says that the glutemate found in nutritional yeast is different than the free form that is found in artificial flavorings. OK, maybe I will have some on my popcorn after all.A few months ago I spent a week looking for a nutritional yeast that was not fortified with vitamins and couldn’t find one. And all had folic acid added, which (from my understanding) is a synthetic form of folate and can be carcinogenic. One brand claimed to add the natural folate and not folic acid, but many claims of folate are folic acid, and since I couldn’t tell and since the product was out of stock at the vitamin store, I just gave up.Please check for the turfacea chlorella virus 1 (ATCV-1) in fresh water algae foods like chlorella or spirulina supplements:http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/scientists-discover-virus-that-subtly-changes-brain-makes-humans-more-stupid-1474010better link: http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/10/algal-virus-found-humans-slows-brain-activityThanks, Panchito! We will consider testing algae. We have so much information on algae. It would be great to know.Why is lead needed to begin with?My question exactly. Does the lead occur naturally or WHY is it added?I assume you are right and it is naturally occurring. Thanks, Sandy.Yes, lead is naturally found in soil; 10-16 ppm is typical. However, vehicle exhaust and paint from 1970’s and earlier contained lead. All of that goes into the soil, air and water. Many city’s have 1000+ ppm and extraordinarily higher levels do exist.Good question, Liz. i don’t think it is needed. I assume it naturally occurring.Dr. Gonzales, I’m grateful that we have you dedicated to the discussion boards, but I wince a little each time you say, “I assume…”, “I think that..” or “I believe..”. I’d feel more comfortable if instead of starting off with, “I’m not sure,..” you just let that be your whole post. Respectfully, Mark GarciaThanks for the suggestion, Mark. I wish I could know for certain but when discussing research I am “not sure” (again sorry) if studies are 100% replicable, therefore we need to be careful how we choose our language. You can always help me and our members by citing a study and adding your input.Best, JosephHi Joseph. I guess it depends on what your definition of “naturally” is. In the case of organically grown food, my understanding is that it is a result of air pollution from factories, cars, and the like. So foods grown in hothouses, or far from urban centers or manufacturing facilities would have considerably less. If there still were some traces, you might have to chalk it up to the fact that air doesn’t stay in one place. For non-organic food, it is not uncommon to use recycled industrial waste, from steel mill and the like, which contain lead and other heavy metals, to make fertilizer. I kid you not; Google it if you don’t believe me!What do you mean by the lead being “naturally occurring”? Do you mean within the yeast? Or do you mean within the medium that the yeast is grown upon? Also how is that one company able to keep their lead in the yeast so low?Naturally occurring in the environment so yes naturally occuring in the medium perhaps as well. We’ll know more when we test more products and it may be they are all very low it’s just that some companies tests and other’s don’t.Some foods get contaminated with lead because of the machines they are processed on have lead in them. For example, a few years ago an environmental organization put out a list of kids squeeze-packs of fruits, like apple-cause in those single serve little soft-bottles. The acid from the apples was dissolving the lead in the machine fittings and leaching it into the product. Lots of major food names and grocer chain brands were listed, including Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Here is a similar article from the Environmental Law Foundation about packaged fruit products. http://www.inhabitots.com/85-of-kids-drinks-snacks-could-contain-high-levels-of-lead/Around the same time I read that the great exposure of lead come from wearing shoes in the house, because the shoes pick it up in “the streets” and outside environment and bring it into the home were is gets into the carpets and things. I don’t know how true it is, but it made me glad that I at my house, shoes always get parked outside the front-door.In this article about chocolate, lead is thought to have come from contaminated air:http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/02/11/lead-and-cadmium-in-chocolate-noooooooooooo/“The average lead concentration of cocoa beans was <- 0.5 ng/g, which is one of the lowest reported values for a natural food," they wrote. "In contrast, lead concentrations of manufactured cocoa and chocolate products were as high as 230 and 70 ng/g, respectively, which are consistent with market-basket surveys that have repeatedly listed lead concentrations in chocolate products among the highest reported for all foods. One source of contamination of the finished products is tentatively attributed to atmospheric emissions of leaded gasoline, which is still being used in Nigeria"With one pretty large stone sitting in a “safe” place in my kidney, I guess eating Nutritional Yeast is not in my future. I don’t catch colds. My immune system seems ok. I do drink Braggs Apple Cider vinegar (with the Mother in it) in water in the mornings. Is THAT nutritional yeast?Hi PamyCST. Apple cider vinegar is different from nutritional yeast. What does the science say about apple cider vinegar. Is apple cider vinegar good for you? Find out here.Thanks, JosephYou don’t necessarily need to concern yourself with nutritional yeast, the video specifically mentioned uric acid kidney stones, and most stones I believe are composed of calcium…I know mine were! (Ouch!) Funny thing is, when I ate a SAD, I had 6 bouts of stones over maybe 15 years. Considering that the advice I was always given was to drink plenty of water and avoid food (mostly leafy greens) high in oxalates, I find it interesting that now that I consume way more of them then I ever did before, I’ve miraculously avoided the biennial agony! I don’t profess to know the specifics, but I know cleaning up our diets is key. I decided up front when I embarked on this path that nature knows balance, and if I eat a whole plant food natural diet, I will benefit from same. It’s been amazingly true in so many regards!Thank you Charlie, and I totally agree about the SAD and the health promoting whole food mostly plant based nutrition. For the last five years I have eaten that way choosing no meat and occasional fish and minimal alcohol. No longer have two URIs each year, my body has totally changed shape, my energy increased, no Brain fog, and I sleep so well! And my skin….wow.Since beta glucan is actually a class of types of fiber, of which there are multiple forms, I wonder if the immunomodulation benefit is specifically a function of yeast-sources beta glucan and perhaps not other forms, such as those present in oats or barely.Good points, Steve! I believe all forms of beta-glucan may be beneficial as you mentioned. Don’t mushrooms too contain beta-glucan? I love mushrooms and agree with Dr. Greger that mushrooms are under appreciated.Mushrooms (a mainstay of Traditional Chinese Medicine) indeed do contain beta glucans, but I believe in varying amounts and forms depending on the type of mushroom. And, of course, yeast, which was the subject of the video, is itself a fungus. While it is good practice to include all of these – barley, oats, mushrooms, yeast – in a healthy varied diet, it would be useful to know which sources provide an immunomodulation benefit.Yessiree bob! That would be a nice topic, an in depth on mushrooms please! :)I had never hear of Paul Stamets. Amazing fellow, along with his mushrooms.Have you seen this Ask the Doctor Q&A? on reshi mushrooms? I have not combed thru the citations, but this type seems to have immunomodulatory effects in cancer patients. I suppose it would have the same benefits in healthy individuals.Dr Blaylock says nutritional yeast is too high in glutamates – a neurotoxin? Comments?Nope. See my comment to carol p, belowHi Dew Drop. I think I agree with WillCall. I haven’t seen any negative associations with nutritional yeast and neuortoxins. Types of algae on the other hand may contain harmful components.I would like to see Dr. Greger’s and Joseph Gonzales’ take on the evidence regarding whether folic acid (vs folate from food) supplementation raises breast (and other?) cancer risk. Fortified nutritional yeast has added folic acid, but I was able to find only two unfortified brands (Kai and Foods Alive). Would like to know the lead content of these.In a similar vein, is there increased cancer risk from long-term supplementation with higher doses of methylated B12 and B9?Hi pgyx, Thanks for your question. Dr. Greger has a video Can Folic Acid Be Harmful?. Please check it out if interested. Furthermore, on the Braggs label of nutritional yeast it shows 1 Tablespoon = 40% of daily folic acids needs. I think popping folic acid supplements at higher doses is different than using a bit of nutritional yeast. Some members are talking about folic acid free nutrition yeast, so that is an option for those worried about too much folic acid.Not sure about long term doses of B12. I have not seen anything in the literature to suggest cancer risk.I appreciate your responses. The B12/B9(folic acid) concern is specifically for methylated forms (e.g., methylcobalamin). Those who have MTHFR mutations benefit from using these forms, but a physician-researcher at a conference I attended asserted that there is some evidence that high-dose methylated B12 and B9 may predispose DNA synthesis steps favoring cancer formation.However, he did not mention that we also know that hypomethylation in DNA synthesis, which can occur with inadequate folate intake, can also cause DNA synthesis errors and chromosome breakage, which can initiate cancer formation.I will contact him to see if he can direct me to the references for his comment and post more here if I learn more.Good call! For those folks maybe cyanocobalamin is a better choice? I agree that lower B12 is more risky than higher. Seems nutrients tend to have a double edge sword!Dam! Everything I’ve read says that methylcobalamin is the most natural and absorb-able form of B12 available. I’ve been taking a weekly 5000 mcg sub-lingual lozenge since I went veg four years ago.Not that I need worry about breast cancer, but it seems that substances that promote breast cancer in women, invariably lead to higher prostate cancer rates in men.Is there cause for concern?Anyone know what brand Whole Foods uses in their bulk bins?I have heard Red Start, but cannot guarantee until you ask! It is probably whole foods brand, come to think of it. Thanks, DevinThanks Joseph! Good call, probably best to ask them directly :) What a shame that even with healthy foods there is risk of contaminants!Update: My local Whole Foods uses RedStar in their bulk bins, which unfortunately did not provide information to Dr. Greger, so I will have to find a new source! Anyone know a good online vendor that is clean?Red Star replied! They are clean! Please see Dr. Greger’s comments and click on the dropbox hyperlink to see Red Star’s results. Thanks, Devin for getting back to us.Oh that’s awesome! What a relief, no need to find a new source! Thanks, this community is so awesome.All of the Whole Foods stores by me in San Diego, CA carry the Red Star fortified brand of nutritional yeast in their bulk bins. I do not like the fortified version because of the added cancer promoting folic acid. I do not think Red Star makes any that is unfortified…I know KAL brand does, although it is hard to find.What about the high amount of added vitamins like Folate? Should you really be telling people to eat the fortified yeast products?Totally up to you! Dr. Greger is simply reporting the evidence. Dr. Greger has a video Can Folic Acid Be Harmful?. Thanks for your question!Best, JosephNote that the dosage in the study (900 mg.) was a fraction of the suggested serving size of either of the two products discussed.Actually, aside from lead I recommend paying attention to the amount of toxic AGEs in nutritional yeasts. Many brands dry their yeast at very high temperatures – often intentionally high so that they have a toasted flavor, which many people like. As yeast has a very high protein content, and as high temperatures will make AGEs in high protein foods (and I hate to think how high temperatures might chemically modify the RNA/DNA also present) , I avoid using yeast processed at high temperatures. I contacted a number of companies about their processing temperatures, and most used high temperatures. I only found one brand that used a low temperature, Lewis labs, who informed me by email that their yeast “is drum-dried at very low heat (no higher than 60 C) .” I do not know how much lead their product contains, although their label does not have any warnings or other information as to lead content.I once had a very extended conversation with the chief scientist of a major brand of vitamins, the first time I received a bottle of supplements from the company with a warning label stating that according to California Prop 65 it had to be labeled for lead. What he told me, and I can only pass it on with no real way to validate his claim, is that Prop 65 is so strict that if vegetables grown in open fields, not hothouse, were to be tested, they would also have “background levels” of lead in excess of the standard.That sounds about right. A typical plant contains 0.1 ppm if grown in soil with 1.4 ppm lead (7% absorption; leafy greens absorb even more; dried food/herbs will be more concentrated). Ancient indigenous rock and uncontaminated soil typically contains 10-16 ppm lead. I happen to know that lead levels above 100 ppm are common in Boston/Cambridge (MA, USA). The US EPA limits at 400 ppm. The human body has about 2 ppm overall while our bones contain about 30 ppm.I take 500 mg/day of RNA derived from brewers yeast….so there might be other benefits from nutritional yeast?” After them take only 500–1,000 mg of RNA daily, he began to notice an improvement in skin tone and elasticity afterabout two to three weeks. At daily dosages of 5 g, these changes were evident within a week. Also within two weeks, his patientswould report that they were no longer suffering from fatigue, nor did they have any a shortness of breath during exertion or angina pain.Then sometime between one to two months after supplementing with RNA, their skin began to smooth out and fine lines andwrinkles began to diminish, typically starting on the forehead. After two months, liver spots often disappeared, and after two to fourmonths, senile keratoses (the common wart-like skin lesions associated with aging) lightened in color and decreased in size. This is whenpatients typically saw a drop in any abnormally high cholesterol levels.”From Dr. Frank by way of Alternatives newsletter.Is there any herb or root or anything that can be added to the diet that increases estrogen in women with low estrogen/pcos? What are your thoughts on evening primrose oil?Mike Adams of Natural News aka Health Ranger developed his own lab for testing numerous products – interesting stuff!I would love to see NutritionFacts start doing independent lab testing. Maybe a new video series or section called “The Results Are In!” to present lab results of things just like todays topic, nutritional yeast. Do a comparative analysis of the important things like lead, iron, B12, zinc, selenium, folic acid, etc… of each brand.Just asking – has there been any effort to get the companies to document and show the lead count like the good Dr. tried to get?Yes. We have information on Red Star now. Please see Research Fund page and Dr. Greger’s comments. You can see their reports.Thanks, CAPT JosephI don’t suppose anyone knows (including doctors on here) about a possibility of being allergic or extremely sensitive to Yeast?I have a lot of fungal issues.Toenail, skin, etc.I also have a lot of unresolved things that no doctor can figure out why my body won’t heal them.Flat warts that have spread everywhere and I have had for almost 15 years. They are typically seen in adolescence and pretty much resolve themselves by adulthood. I got mine at 27 and they have spread from there.My feeling is that my gut flora is all wacked and out of balance, but I eat healthy, been a vegan since 2008 and a vegetarian since 2006. Since 2012 I have become a WFPD eater, so many more fiber rich foods have been added.When I eat anything with Yeast in it, it seems to affect me in severely adverse ways. If I eat Nutritional Yeast or any of the other kinds I feel just awful. It was recommended I eat Brewers Yeast for some of my issues at one point, and it made me so sickly ill.Drinking beer back in the day seemed to give me terrible skin issues, Wine gave me terrible Acid Reflux, I believe even bread isn’t great on my system.I cannot find anywhere that breaks down if yeast is actually a good or a bad thing, but most doctors prescribe it, Naturopaths LOVE it, almost any “health food” site or book pushes it, fake cheese and fake meats are loaded with it.I cannot understand or figure out what is up with it.I cut out every kind of food with yeast or added yeast in it for the last 9 months, and it had exactly NO effect on my skin or health.The only thing all these Allopathic and Naturopaths point to is CANDIDA or LYME’s. Both of which just seem to be catch-all’s for things no one can explain.I have cut way down on my sugar, or eliminated it (except fruit). I have limited my fruits at times. But to no positive effect, and none of that limitation or stopping has helped my FUNGAL issues at all.I really, really, really don’t want to ever take an ANTI-FUNGAL med again, because I don’t want to take a chance with the health of my Liver and Kidneys.Isn’t there something I can do Food wise to help this Fungal, Yeast issue? Or is EATING Yeast actually going to HELP my Yeast problems, instead of eliminating it from my diet, which has seemed to make the yeast problems WORSE?I also suffer from extreme PTSD and Stress Fight or Flight issues 24/7 all day every day. I know there is a direct link between how my body deals with the stress and the overproduction of fungus and yeast in my system. The few times I have felt TRULY happy and not stressed, the fungal issues disappeared.Thank you.I suggest avoiding if it makes you feel worse. The yeast is inactive so I am not sure there is concern with candida. Dr. Greger has many videos on gut flora that may be helpful, but it sounds to me your doctor and health care team need to weigh-in (and they are). One thing struck me in the end of your note, how once you avoided or properly managed stress the symptoms subsided. There is definitely a connection between the brain and gut. Gut Feelings: Probiotics and Mental Health. Wishing you the best, JosephI just got the Nutritionfacts.org research fund mail, that I applaud wholeheartedly! Lets grab those WFPBD unanswered questions issues by the cojones. :)Big thumbs up!I would love them to test some of the products at Trader Joes for GMO. Trader Joe’s claims that any of their house branded products are GMO free, yet they do not have that stated on any of the labels. I’d be really curious about their corn tortillas.Is there anything in particular about the Beta Glucan in Nutritional Yeast that makes it so valuable as a anti- inflammatory? I eat oats which is more “famous” for its BG content and presumably there is more BG in a cup of oatmeal then in a TBS of Nutritional Yeast- Does anyone know? I also enjoy Nutritional Yeast but as a condiment. In addition, I eat a lot of Barley ( Hulled) which has even more fiber than oats and presumably more Beta Glucan. If one wanted to maximize their ingestion of Beta Glucan, should one eat Nutritonal Yeast, oats or barley? Is there any difference in the chemical make up of the Beta Glucan in Nutritional Yeast that makes it more “valuable” than the Beta Glucan in oats or barley?I’ve been working in at least a tablespoon of baker’s yeast daily since this video came out. I have yet to go to the store to score some nutritional yeast and I have a pound of Red Star active dry yeast from Costco in an air tight container in the refrigerator so that’s what I’ve been using.I quite like the taste of it on cooked vegetables. It’s very savory and really good.Not so good in a green and fruit smooth. Savory and green smoothies don’t really work for me taste-wise, and I can taste the sodium from the yeast in the smoothie as well.It’s not my thing. YMMV, BTW, no colds yet ;) jcRed Star “active” yeast? Sorry joe just read your comments and I saw the word “active”. I believe all the nutritional yeast is inactive. Thanks for you posts! I appreciate it.Each of the nutritional yeast brands listed above have FOLIC ACID listed in their ingredients. From previous Dr G videos we learn that FOLIC ACID, the synthetic of FOLATE is a cancer promoter. Please help me with this confusion. Are you now recommending these brands are ok with the FOLIC ACID? The only brand I have found that does NOT include FOLIC ACID is the Whole Foods Market Brand of Nutritional Yeast. Please advise.Our Whole Foods bulk yeast is Red Star and does contain synthetic folic acid. I’m in the San Diego, CA area. I do not believe Red Star even makes an unfortified version, I know KAL does.Thank you for the information about BULK nut. yeast at WFM. I was speaking about the nutritional yeast that is in a large CAN in the supplement aisle. There is NO folic acid listed as an ingredient. All the others listed in Dr G video DO LIST folic acid. Ingredients say NUTRITIONAL YEAST. (only… no additional additives allegedly)… and it lists 190 mcg of FOLATE (and NOT folic acid) on the label.. So I have chosen to get this one – NO FOLIC ACID…. Am I incorrect? Is there FOLIC ACID in the WFM N. Y. in the can?Hi Tom, I commented on this further down the thread. Please see my comments, here and here. Thanks! JosephThanks to your posts, Tom, Yesterday I went to WF supplements aisle and found Their brand with no enrichment, just Nutritional Yeast on ingredients, and folate in label. Now what about their heavy metals? I hope we don’t have to worry about that.Read the posts to Joseph Gonzales above. Un-fortified nutritional yeast is not necessarily free of synthetic vitamins.I’m in. I get my nutritional yeast at the Whole Foods bulk isle. Thanks for everything you do. You are loved.According to WebMD, “Early research shows that taking a specific brewer’s yeast product (EpiCor by Embria Health Sciences) reduces the risk of the common cold or flu in healthy people who recently received flu shots. This product also helps symptoms resolve faster.” See http://tinyurl.com/p3qhcw3 under “Uses” tab.Finally heard from Redstar! Just waiting to see if they’ll give me permission to post their test results, but they sent me two 3rd party reports saying <0.02 mg/kg (ppm). Looks like we're finally getting somewhere! Keep an eye on the Research Fund page to see the results of the head-to-head tests we’re doing ourselves (thanks to your support!)Here are their lab reports: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16521773/From%20Restar%20company.zipPlease see the “guest” posts above to Joseph Gonzales. The un-fortified nutritional yeasts are, ironically, not free of synthetic vitamins. The companies are able (and do) to grow/manufacture these un-fortified products by using synthetic vitamins, they just are not allowed to “add” them to the product at the end stage, whereas nutritional yeasts that are “fortified” have the synthetic vitamins introduced in the beginning stage of growth of product, as well as at the end (the fortified stage). This is a loop-hole, whether intentional or not, to be able to label your product un-fortified. How do I know? I have it all in writing, and I went to the top of the food chain at these companies, inquiring about the manufacturing of these products (“Now just how do you get the vitamin levels even in the un-fortified versions to be so high?”) Well, I just explained.This should be a big deal, as it seems likely that one is ingesting synthetic vitamins in the “un-fortified” products. Hope this makes sense. Suggestion: ask for the actual engineer/chemist/ etc. at the company to answer your questions. And get it in writing. Let them know your life depends on avoiding synthetic vitamins in any shape and form.What about beta glucan capsules?Not sure the research? I always like to stick to whole foods when possible. So in this case, oats, grains, mushrooms, and a bit of nutritional yeast.nutritional yeast is a whole food?doesn’t nutritional yeast aggravate candida?It is inactive yeast, so no it doesn’t appear to contribute to candida at allHow about Vegemite and Marmite?Good question about Vegemite and one that another member gave me permission to post. Here is the question:“Vegemite: This Austrailian product contains yeast, but it doesn’t say whether it is nutritional, or if it offers the same benefits as you state in your article… I would appreciate it if you would tell me if you think Vegemite has benefits…. I checked with Vegemite and learned that it is brewers yeast, not nutritional, but still don’t know whether it has positives, besides vitamin b.. Sincerely, Your avid follower, Phyllis Fitzgerald”My Response: There only 3 papers published on vegemite I could find and unfortunately none mentioned anything on health benefits. As I scope the ingredients the only potential villain is sulfites (used as a preservative), which could be problematic for some. I think if there is brewers yeast in vegemite and folks like it than consuming a serving a day would be fine, perhaps even advantageous? I am unsure sodium content and other nutritional facts. If others are users of the stuff please chime-in and let me know if I am thinking correctly. Thanks!Thank you.they add synthetic vitamins to vegemite, don’t they? I remember seeing a label stating a bunch of chemicals on it (another name for unnatural vitamins, don’t you think?What about the fact it contains free glutamic acid in it and so its the same as msg which is a neurotoxin that kills brain cells. I mean I eat nutritional yeast but im just curious, I guess its pretty low and in any dried foods there will be some protein that begins to degrade, breaking down into the amino acids that originally formed it making them free and in the case of glutamic acid a neurotoxin?Hi Jessey. Not sure about free glutamic acid in nutritional yeast. I did a quick search on pubmed (glutamic acid + toxin + nutritional yeast ) and nothing seems to address the potential free glutamic acid in nutritional yeast. Have you seen Dr. Greger’s videos on MSG? It may not be as strongly linked to neurotoxicity as some thought.Nutritional yeast is grown using synthetic vitamins. Even the majority of nutritional yeasts that say “un-fortified” were still grown with synthetic vitamins, it is just that these synthetic vitamins (and minerals) were not added to the product after the growth. Sort of a loop-hole for them to claim that the products is natural and un-fortified. I have checked and verified this with the major manufacturers.Interesting! Can you enlighten us where you heard this information and what companies you targeted? I thought nutritional yeast was grown from molasses, but I am not aware of synthetic vitamins added.Thanks, JosephI got this information firsthand: I emailed and called the companies. All the major ones. I suggest you do so yourself. And I have it all in writing. My suggestion, if you do so: ask for a senior representative who will take you seriously, someone who has direct knowledge of the engineering of the product. Not an employee reading from the company literature. And let them know you are allergic to synthetic vitamins (life and death situation) or they might not take you seriously. Once again, all my facts are in writing. And also consider, look at the sky high vitamin and mineral counts in the “un-fortified” nutritional yeasts. They are still way higher than would occur naturally without adding synethics to the growth stage of the product.The nutritional yeast that you buy in the store at Whole Foods, and other reputable health food stores, if the products says “un-fortified” on it, this just means that they did not “add” synthetic vitamins” after the product was grown. But, they did use synthetic vitamins in the growth or processing of the ingredients.The possible exemptions to this are some (but not all) of the “brewer’s yeasts” that one can sometimes find at Whole Foods and other stores. It seems (so far to me) that some of these are not grown with synthetics.Everyone here, Dr. Greger, and all the others who take nutritional yeast take note: you are ingesting synthetic folate (folic acid) every time you use the un-fortified nutritional yeast. Such irony but it is true. A manufacturing loophole. This should be a warning to all here.lucky me, I have some for baking. great for cooking black bean burgers.MMP, Would you like to share your burger recipe? Sounds good!AH Gayle, I don’t quite remember much of it… we blend everything up in the blender… We use chick pea flower to help hold things together and then bake them… Looks like I need to cook more bbb’s so I can better answer this question!Having read through all the comments, I still wonder which Nut Yeast is best, with least lead, without folic acid? Whole Foods in box in supplement aisle? IF WF Bulk is really Red Star… would it not be Red Star in supplement aisle?see the guest post just below. All nutritional yeast, to my knowledge, is grown with synthetic folate (folic acid). The companies that claim they are not fortifying are telling the truth, but what they are telling you is that they do add folic acid after the yeast is grown, yet they do grow the yeast with the synthetic/folic acid. The companies that fortify the nutritional yeast do both processes: they grow the yeast with folic acid and they add it at the end as well. Either way, fortified and un-unfortified, you are still getting the synthetic/folic acid that you actually do not want, and want to avoid.I’ve got this in writing from every major brand in whole foods. The un-fortified versions at Whole Foods have been grown with the synthetic, but are not added afterwards. It is a loop-hole, whether intentional or not. I hope this makes sense. I avoid all nutritional yeast completely as a result of this thorough research on my part.Hi Dr. Delaney. Red Star did respond and Dr. Greger mentioned their update. Please see his comment on the Research Fund page.I’ve recently switched to Sari foods unfortified Nutritional Yeast. This stuff is full of Zinc (>20% DV) and is not grown on gmo beet sugar. I haven’t check to see if there is lead in that brand yet. I wonder how the lead is getting in the yeast in the first place.Thanks Eric. We are checking Sari Foods :) Stay tuned for more information.Awesome! I will stay tuned :)Does natural yeast (such as what is in sourdough breads) have these same properties as Bakers yeast??I’ve heard that the naturally-occurring MSG in nutritional yeast can cause brain lesions. Do you have any info on this? Is it a concern?Hi Sarah. I have not, sorry. If you come across any research please post! I mentioned MSG in a below comment if interested.This study referenced was using brewers yeast, not nutritional yeast. They’re not the same thing. When are they going to do a study on “nutritional yeast” and immune system?Can you address the candida overgrowth issue. Some professionals say it is nothing, others prescribe radical diets and drugs and / or supplements.Nutritional yeast is inactive so would not contribute to candida.Is Nutritional Yeast safe to eat because I read that its a neurototoxin? i’m so loving it. :-(Have not seen any research about neurotoxin in nutritional yeast.I’ve read that Nutritional yeast turns into free glutamate in the body? Does anybody know something about it?	animal studies,antibiotics,athletes,beta glucan,brewer's yeast,California,candy,chemotherapy,common cold,FDA,gout,heavy metals,immune function,inflammation,kidney disease,kidney health,kidney stones,lead,mushrooms,nutritional yeast,purines,safety limits,shiitake mushrooms,side effects,uric acid,yeast	Beta glucan fiber in nutritional yeast may improve immune function but there is a concern about lead contamination in some brands.	What a frustrating experience it was hounding these companies to answer simple questions about the safety of their products. Just as I finished recording this video, though, I had a revelation: why not do our own testing? Even if all the companies did get back to us, why should we believe what they say? So I am hereby announcing the NutritionFacts.org Research Fund. Do you eat nutritional yeast? Even if you don't, do you want to know if the companies were lying? Then donate to the Fund and as soon as we’ve raised enough I’ll send off samples from each of these brands to an accredited lab and we’ll find out. Any money left over in the Fund will go to future research projects. Want to know if there’s heavy metals in popular brands of amla or turmeric? Should we check Eden Foods preliminary bean results? Check for oxidation by-products in DHA supplements? You tell me! Leave your suggestions and comments on the Research Fund page and we’ll post all the results when they come in.Important to know since they don’t call it nutritional for nothing. See:If you do have gout there is a natural remedy that may help, see Gout Treatment with a Cherry on Top and Treating Gout with Cherry Juice.Anything else we can do during cold season? See:	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shiitake-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brewers-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/purines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-glucan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/msg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gout/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-stones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15096651,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18296732,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24564587,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24774968,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16419618,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24778031,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24149590,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19410976,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23378458,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23340963,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23793824,
PLAIN-2467	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/	Can Oatmeal Help Fatty Liver Disease?	If oatmeal is so powerful that it can clear up some of the ravages of chemotherapy just applied to the skin, what might it do if we actually ate it? The pharmacology of oatmeal. Oats are reported to possess varied drug-like activities like lowering of blood cholesterol and blood sugar, boosting our immune system, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-atherosclerosis in addition to being a topical anti-inflammatory, and may also be useful in controlling childhood asthma, body weight, etc.Whole-grain intake in general is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and weight gain. All of the cohort studies on type 2 diabetes and heart disease show whole grain intake is associated with lower risk. They observed the same for obesity—consistently less weight gain for those who consumed a few servings of whole grains every day.Yes, all the forward-looking population studies demonstrate that a higher intake of whole grains is associated with lower body mass index and body weight gain. However, these results do not clarify whether whole grain consumption is simply a marker of a healthier lifestyle or a factor favoring “per se” lower body weight.For example, high whole grain consumers—those that eat whole wheat, brown rice, and have oatmeal for breakfast—tend to be more physically active, smoke less, and consume more fruit, vegetables, and dietary fiber than those that instead reach for fruit loops. Statistically, one can control these factors, effectively comparing only nonsmokers to nonsmokers with similar exercise and diet as most of the studies did, and still found whole grains to be protective, via a variety of mechanisms.So for example in helping with weight control, the soluble fiber of oatmeal forms a gel in the stomach, delaying stomach emptying, making one feel full for a longer period, which helps with weight loss, and then there are other effects in the small and large intestine. So it all seems plausible that whole grain intake does indeed offer direct benefits, however, only results of randomized controlled intervention studies can provide the evidence of cause and effect. In other words, the evidence is clear that oatmeal consumers have lower rates of disease, but that’s not the same as proving that if we start eating more oatmeal, our risk will drop. To know that we need an interventional trial, ideally a blinded study where you give half the people oatmeal, and the other half fake placebo oatmeal that looks and tastes like oatmeal to see if it actually works. As you can imagine this has not been done, until now. Double-blinded randomized trial of overweight and obese men and women, and almost 90% of the real oatmeal-treated subjects had reduced body weight - compared to no weight loss in the control group - a slimmer waist on average, a 20 point drop in cholesterol, and an improvement in liver function.Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, meaning a fatty liver caused by excess food rather than excess drink, is now the most common cause of liver disease in the United States, found during autopsy in up to 90% of obese individuals, and can lead in rare cases to cirrhosis of the liver, cancer of the liver, and death. Theoretically, whole grains could help prevent and treat fatty liver disease, but this is the first time it had been put to the test like this. A follow-up study in 2014 confirmed these findings of a protective role of whole grains, but refined grains were associated with increased risk. So one would not expect to get such wonderful results from wonder bread.	Too bad that all the low-carbers, paleo people and Atkins followers are missing out on the benefits of Oatmeal while ingesting fat and cholesterol from their egg breakfasts. Just makes no sense!Speaking of Atkins, there is a good op-ed piece written by Dr. Dean Ornish in today’s New York Times, titled “The Myth of High-Protein DIets”. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/23/opinion/the-myth-of-high-protein-diets.html?ref=opinion&_r=0Thanks, I will check it out!I’m a long-time fan of Ornish and his work, so what’s sad is the response he’s getting in the comment section of the op-ed piece you linked. Most comments are against him and there are lots of people liking those opposing comments. As an example, at the piece click on comments and then do an in-page search for “W. Potvin” and read his comment and how he doesn’t understand and is suspicious of terms like “whole foods”. He then really gets going. His post has already gotten 14 likes. And there are lots of other posts complaining that Ornish’s citations only go to abstracts, are too qualified with “may”, and others charging that the tests were not done to differentiate people who exercised vs those who don’t (meaning exercise trumps diet). I’m grateful that I am in the vegan/whole foods camp, and I think it’s an important message. I just think it’s a tough sell, and I don’t get why.Yeah, I saw the comments too. So sad. But here in America we have the right to be sick, fat and die early if that’s what we choose. It is so strange that people would lie to themselves and everyone else rather than give up unhealthy foods. Such people, a drain on the taxpayer because of their increased usage of public medical facilities, must be enslaved and ruled by their taste buds, not knowing that their tastes can be retrained in a matter of weeks so that they’ll actually enjoy vegan fare so much more than their old diet- and feel and look better- if they’d only give “peas” a chance.Spot on. Well said, garie. Whenever you see someone going on about the ‘taste’ of their food as a reason not to even consider changing their diets for the better, you know Big Food has their hooks in them really deep. Next stop: Big Medicine. Cradle to grave here in America. Cradle to grave.A few years ago a co-worker quit because he was diagnosed with the very early stages of MS. He was in his late 40s and said he was going home to get to know his infant son and just wait to die. I sent him links to some of Dr. Greger’s videos about how 100% of a group of MS sufferers in the very early stages were able to stop or even reverse their MS symptoms for 40 years. I only got back a “thanks”. This past xmas, after 2 years I saw him at a holiday party. He and his wife brought a platter of home-made and store bought junk food, and sampled many of the luncheon meats, homemade meats and fried foods that others brought, all while responding to people’s questions about his declining condition. It was hard to watch. I didn’t say anything, but even if you not wild about a vegan, whole food diet, wouldn’t you want to try it out of desperation to live, especially if you were trying to live for your son? I left the party early.On you’re point about retraining taste-buds, they supposedly change over every 3 days, making retraining quick. I was talking to a woman at a party once about being vegan, and at the end she said, oh man, talking about this makes me realize the amazing taste and appreciation of just opening an can of chick peas, and eating them just as they are. And she was an omnivore. I never saw her again but I’ve always wondered if she didn’t, give peas a chance.I heard about this site last September when I was really ill. Once I realized that my illness was because of dietary issues, I started changing what I ate. It took three days for the fibromyalgia pain to go away once I quit eating meat and dairy. (I have not looked back since). About a month later, a friend of my had his wife diagnosed with early state MS. When I told him that she could change the progression of the disease with diet, he told me that he didn’t want her to have false hope. To this day I don’t know if he even spoke to her about it. Sometimes I just don’t understand. She just needs to give peas a chance.MS is an interesting situation. Dr. McDougall’s Medical Foundation funded an MS intervention study through Oregon Health Sciences Neurology Dept. Based on the one year results there was no observable change in MS. Dr. Bourdette who is the principal author points out that the numbers in the study were not great enough and the time line was not long enough to answer the question. The issue is the intermittent long time course of MS. They did find excellent compliance with the diet and improvement in other areas such as weight loss and cholesterol. There is no downside to the the McDougall and/or Swank diet. As I mention to patients with MS you don’t want to get another chronic disease such as arterial disease (e.g. hypertension, coronary disease), diabetes or other dietarily related conditions. Weight loss and improved bowel function have been beneficial in my patients who have MS. The patients would be more likely to try a whole food starch based diet if other health care professionals would include it along with their other recommendations.I know someone that has reversed the progression of his MS with a plant based diet.I found it depressing to once again encounter the “Read Gary Taubes/Nina Teicholz” (and echoing of their claims) type dreck.It truly is a shame that people are willing to listen more to journalists and bloggers than scientists and physicians.I standard reply to that, watch the plant positive series on youtube.When ppl complain about the conditional language in discussions re scientific literature, it shows that they do not understand the conditional nature of science.Ppl like certainty, which is why ppl like Taubes/Teicholz can hold such sway. They don’t let science get in the way of their assertions.I too am Vegan for 2 years now and I think the reason its a tough sell to the SAD camp is there is a trillion dollar food industry which relentlessly spews false information via every possible medium 24/7 to convince people that eating all the meat, cheese/dairy, fish, sweetened drinks, processed food they want is fine and the vast majority of Americans somehow believe it. Irregardless of the health problems so many are burdened with. Furthermore the addictive properties of the fast food products engineered to hook the unwary have been supremely effective.Yeah, especially the false belief that you can’t just go plants because you won’t get any protein and you’ll die, or that you won’t get any calcium unless you drink lots of milk. I try to warn men, young and old, that milk is one of the greatest prostate cancer risks and causes of enlarged prostates. I don’t think I’ve ever had one person believe me. Either they like it, or they worry they’ll hurt themselves by not consuming it. They see the problems as sugar, seed derived oils, hormones and additives.I’ve been vegan just over 2 years. Recently, I tasted just a tad of organic sugar bought several years ago. Yuk! I felt ill after eating it. I prefer getting my sugar from wild blueberries or raspberries, but wanted to see what I was missing. I wasn’t missing anything. I haven’t had any dairy and that was the hardest part for me. I miss eating yogurt. Somehow almond milk just doesn’t do it for me. Not that much nutrition there. Whole foods are better. But, I can no longer tolerate soy. Too much glyphosate is in the water than cows and other milk producing animals drink. One good case of acid reflux from eating two small bites of organic turkey told me I wasn’t missing anything, either. But I felt like I had GERD from just a tad of soy milk added to my oatmeal. So, I’m off soymilk as well. I never knew I was allergic to anything before, but either it was the fractured spine or the fact that so much of our food is herbicide resistant, that I now watch what I eat or drink.The food industry also spends millions of dollars pinpointing exactly how much fat, sugar, and salt will make a “food product” irresistible. The level of sophisticated manipulation is astounding.Bingo!” I just think it’s a tough sell, and I don’t get why.”Because people want validation for what they want to do anyway. It’s sad that the long term effects on animal lives, on human health, and environmental sustainability makes other people’s food choices impact me whether or not I consume animal products.Just look at the recalls of fresh produce – it isn’t intrinsic trouble with the plants, it’s runoff from animal factory farms or cross-contamination from poor hygiene practices of the workers processing the plants. The flus and antibiotic-resistant bacteria are coming from animal processing for food. Ebola probably started in humans due to the butchering and handling of raw bat meat for the “delicacy” of bat soup.I’m in medical school now and its amazing how even some of the residents and my fellow students have fallen to the paleo craze. A diet not backed by evidence and hyped by marketers. I’ve found most people refuse to be vegetarian or vegan because they don’t want to be inconvenienced, even after seeing with their own eyes on the wards the ravages of hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension.so you claim to have figured out the cause of hyperlipidemia, diabetes and hypertension, congratulations! You can have a terrible diet on paleo or as a vegan but true paleo just like vegan contains large amounts of vegetables and salad, they also recommend severely limiting refined foods and vegetable oils and including some nuts and seeds in your daily diet. So they have more in common than you might think. From a paleo point of it would be oxidative stress or methylation issues or refined carbs that cause the start of cardiovascular disease, the cholesterol is merely plugging the hole or repairing the damage and the smaller ldl gets oxidised in the process.Hi Frank, thanks for this link. It was a good article, factual, concise and referenced to the science. And, Mr. Spock would have found it ‘fascinating.’ As for the average American, no one is going to forego supersizing their hasty meal because of Neu5Gc, IGF-1, endothelial progenitor cells, telomere length, mTOR or TMAO. Here’s the net effect of this piece, IMHO: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/03/18/1503141112.abstractWe’re all Easter Islanders now. http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/12/09/249728994/what-happened-on-easter-island-a-new-even-scarier-scenarioI can’t figure out the New York Times. A few weeks ago they published a schlock Op-Ed by Nina Teicholz. Now they publish an Op-Ed by Dr. Ornish. Methinks they’re trying to survive on controversy these days.Hey Frank, and all of you :). As one guy in the comments point out, does he consider the quality of the meat? Well I am asking because I get this all the time from people. Even though I KNOW that 99 procent of them still go to the cheap market and bye the cheap meat, they still “know what to say”…. Like: “well organic grass fed meat is not really bad for you”. Becide the big problems we would have (unless of course people would consume 80 procent less meat) with the giant use of land and pollution / mother nature, do we actually know anything about the health difference (or lag of it) between these kinds of meat?Well ofcourse it is clear that in any case it is bether with meat that has only been grass fed, and for ethical reasons more space for the animals. Does these stydies exist? If not then it is about time that they are made.Oh god I am tired of listening to people who eat any kind of meat saying “well just go organic”……Good evening to all of you :)I think that it’s clear that organic grass-fed beef has less saturated fat and hormones, so it’s healthier from that perspective. It has more burnt muscle carcinogens, though, unless of course you boil your steak or microwave it…Hey Jeff. Thanks for given time to answer.That was also my statement… That it is healthier. But the dillema is, what is “healthier”. It is also “healthier” to smoke10 cigarets then 20 a day. I miss som facts about this. Maybe they are out there but I cant seem to find them. That is why i ask here :). IS IT actually connectet with less diseases to eat organic grass-fed meat? If yes, in what scala compared with not-organic meat? Is it maybe even healthy (connectet with less diseases then not eating meat at all) to eat organic grass-fed meat?I am a vegetarian (no milk) and so I will stay. Feel so good after going vegetarian. In my case the love for the animals and mother nature are just as important. But even though I will stay green I found it prety interesting to know some facts about it. Cause one thing is sure… We will hear meat eaters bring that claime very often in the future!Anyone?? :)if you use a marinade not reallyHe was interviewed on the CBS morning news today. Did a great job. “Yes, a high (animal) protein diet can help you lose weight, but in the process, ruin your organs.” Or words to that effect. :-)Actually, I lost more weight and faster eating healthy vegan than I ever ate with a high protein diet. And, by eating vegan, the weight stayed off longer rather than having as many ups and downs..You are right. Biological, physiological and evolutionary paleo diet makes (in the modern interpreted form) no sense. Paleo diet is a joke.I think paleo is a fad that will fade. So many people get adrenal fatigue and messed up hormones from going low carb –they start out feeling great, then over time everything falls apart. Currently few people, including most health professionals, are aware that adding excess fat and protein to a meal can actually INCREASE insulin needs.this is not true. meat increases insulin or igf1 but has more of an effect on glucagon. protein in general lowers the glycaemic load of any meal. adrenal fatigue is caused by very low carb just like adrenal fatigue can be caused by high carb through the development of dysglycaemia as a result of a continuous higher glycaemic load. This may be overcome with exercise but the risk is still there, particularly with a sedentary lifestyle.Although you may have a minor point these grains may not be tolerated well by everyone which would cause inflammation in the body and inflammation is more deadly than cholesterol when it comes to healthIs it OK to eat oatmeal if you have high inflammation levels?Hi JJ. Unless you have a serious allergy to oats I see no concern. Some folks with celiac disease choose gluten-free oats. If anything, oats would be anti-inflammatory.I thought oats were gluten-free naturally. Am I wrong?As explained on the side of a Bob’s Red Mill bag of gluten-free oats–if I remember right–oats are gluten-free but can become tainted with gluten if planted next to fields of grains like wheat, or when processed on the same equipment. So gluten-free oats, as far as I can tell from when I researched it, has to do with the process and not the make up of the plant.They are; however, sometimes they’re processed on equipment which is also used for other grains which may contain gluten and so they may pick up a miniscule amount of gluten which a person who has a true allergy to gluten or celiac disease might respond to or even go into anaphylactic shock. So, specially processed gluten-free oats are also available. read the label.Thanks for clarifying! Mark G too, below.oats contain gluten but a type of gluten that most coeliacs can tolerate. alpha gliadin is the type of gluten that causes issues and is present mainly in wheat.Doctor, is the label ‘whole grain’ on a product enough to guarantee it is of the type that is beneficial? I often see that term on lots of things that don’t seem too healthy. The store’s whole grain bread looks, feels, and tastes very similar to their white bread.You need to look at the ingredients list. You may see “whole wheat flour” which is whole grain and also “enriched flour” which is not whole grain. A yeast bread made from entirely whole grain flours will not rise nearly as well as a yeast bread made with a lot of white flour. You should be able to observe differences in look, feel and taste between a 100% whole grain bread and a white bread. And, if you experiment by eating a 100% whole wheat bread as most of your carbs for a few days, a couple of extra bowel movements per day will get your attention.Thanks for that info! I didn’t know they could still list it as WG even if only part of the flour was WG and the rest was enriched. I wonder if granola bought in bags that says ‘whole grain oats’ as their main ingredient is also beneficial or just another illusion. I wish they would be more honest in their labeling.The problem with granola is usually sugar and fat.True, both are higher than in plain oats, but neither is very high in comparison to most other snack foods. The only reason I even still bother with it is because I noticed one day that after adding the various things needed for me to like oatmeal, I was basically eating the bagged granola, as far as sugar/fat goes.I guess it depends on the brand. Those little bars you can buy in the green box have 300 calories per serving.Best to remove the root causes of high inflammation (ie animal-based products, processed foods).I suggest that the root cause of high inflammation is high levels of the herbicide glyphosate in our food, air, waters including rainwater and soils. Even if we eat certified organic, healthy food can still become contaminated with heinous herbicides as Glyphosate and both Glyphosate and 2,4-D now available. .Now, I feel much better about my morning bowl of steel cut oatmeal with a cup of blueberries!I typically eat rolled oats but have heard that steel cut are better. I wonder if there is any proven difference or just less processing equals better?Agreed. Less processed the better, just makes it more of a WHOLE grain. Steel-cut oats are great! Rolled oats are fine, too. I just like when folks eat them :)Getting a little machine to roll your own oats results in a major improvement (IMO) in flavor.There have been studies showing a slight GI difference….but really just eat your oats!!!Rolled outs may be steamed but then we cook steel cut oats for longer than the rolled oats. Don’t worry and eat the oats however you like them. Add a little ground flaxseed and some berries. I even add some greens during the cooking.But of course this hasn’t been done…. Until now.Every time I hear this phrase, I think of Dr. Greger :)I still want that on a tshirt.me too or “give peas a chance”I think you can buy a bumper sticker that says “Visualize Whirled Peas”. I never thought it would become a statement of truth for me, but I do indeed wish the world would visualize whirled peas. It would solve many problems.How much oatmeal must one eat in order to enjoy the benefits mentioned I the video?Hi Robert. In some of these studies 1-2 servings were found to be beneficial. That translates into 1/2 cup – 1 cup of cooked oatmeal.Joseph this is only tangentially pertinant to Robert’s quantity question but I must ask it since my cholesterol tends to persist in the higher range (195 total). What about oat bran? Certainly this would increase the amount of fiber but would I be missing something of nutritional value by making such a substitution as oat bran instead of oat meal? They do act pretty much the same when cooking and taste the same though the bran seems to taste slightly less smooth.I noticed that they emphasized the beta-glucan in the abstract and the video. So I would also include other high b-G foods throughout the day: Barley, peas best to duckduckgo.com and find what suits you best.I thought that my cholesterol was resistant too, but the soluble fiber foods and some daily walking made such a huge difference I no longer take any statins (down to 4 total from a high of 6+ mM). Good LucK!Hi Stewart E. Oat bran is one constituent of the whole grain (the outer layer of the oat groat i believe). You would be missing out on other components by eating the bran alone. Nothing wrong with oat bran if you like it, but I feel like you may not need it if eating whole oats in the form of oat groats, steel-cut oats, or rolled oats. Just my 2 centsJoseph, is that 1-2 servings (1/2-1 cup) per day and every day? Thanks!Yup! It is “per day”Dr. Gonzales, would you please comment on if one type of oats is better than another as far as health benefits?Hi Ellie! The more “whole” the better. That goes for any foods, not just oats. Not many folks cook and eat oat groats, but they could! Someone tell me if I am wrong, but Oat groats and can be processed in steel-cut oats, or rolled oats (and then eve further processing can exists). So oat groats > steel-cut oats > rolled oats. My conclusion from this video: pass the oats!Pretty much spot on. After the inedible hull is removed you have a whole oat groat which looks somewhat like a large grain of rice. These take around 1 hour to cook on the stove, a little less if soaked beforehand. They are somewhat chewy compared to most other types of oatmeal. Steel cut oats are made when you take the groat and cut it with a steel blade 2-3 times. This will cook on the stove in closer to 15 minutes. Some brands have quick cooking steel cut oats which have been cut up even more times and can be cooked in the microwave similar to rolled oats. A somewhat less common form is Scottish oats, which are stone ground as opposed to steel cut. These are also often made on the stove and cook in around 10-12 minutes. The most common method seen in most places are rolled oats or old fashioned oats, which are taken from oat groats that are steamed and then rolled flat and then dried. This increases surface area and stabilizes the oils inside so they have the longest shelf life. These can be cooked on the stove in 8-10 minutes or in the microwave for 2-5 minutes. A slightly more processed version of rolled oatsy are quick cooking or instant oats which are steamed longer, rolled flatter, and often cut into smaller pieces. These can cook in 1-2 minutes in the microwave or simply be added to boiling water and let sit and will absorb all the water almost right away. The most processed form is oat flour which is when the oats are ground completely into a flour consistency and can be used to replace traditional flour.Is the form that oats are eaten important? I use toasted oat flakes that I make myself using just a bit of honey and canola oil so the oats crisp up a bit. To this I add all kinds of nuts and fruits. BTW – the absolute best oatmeal imo is made using whole oat groats. Takes much longer to make, but worth the wait.Fats in food are often unstable at higher temperatures and may form carcinogenic compounds. Proteins and carbs may combine at higher temperatures to form advanced glycation end products. So, it’s best to keep the temp below 248 degrees Fahrenheit. I mostly boil or steam my food. This morning I made cornbread in the oven at 245 degrees. It takes longer but the bread is much more moist.Canola is engineered to be glyphosate resistant –not healthy at all. What about adding some healthy certified organic whole seeds or nuts instead of processed oils, the latter of which are genetically engineered to be herbicide resistant?I think so, artlm2002. Most importantly is simply consuming them in any form. I would say that oat groats > steel-cut oats > rolled oats. Those are the best choices and most nutritious, respectively.So sad – we live in the time of abundance – and for the fortunate the place of abundance – we can choose exactly what we want to eat or drink and through this choice we control – to a high degree – our health destiny – and still so many people choose so poorly – eating so much that they get fatty liver disease and risk cirrhosis and liver cancer. That’s beyond my comprehension. Trust me – you dont want to die from liver failure – no burger is worth that! Many diseases are a choice – your doctor and the pharmaceutical industry will not save you….I think that we carry an overlay upon our behavior that stems from our days on the savannahs. Now we have built an artificial environment full of attractive poisons. We are driven by these new super stimuli to overindulge. These behavioral tools served us well in those prehistoric times. But now, combined with our affluence, access to plenty and of course modern synthe-foods, we have developed a perfect storm of disease-promoting behavior.Moreover, many many people cannot filter out the noise to hear your message. I have degrees in Food Science and Biochemistry, yet I didn’t “get it” until i read Campbell and Esselstyn… I learned to distinquish good science from media hype.then the flood gates opened (only took 30 years!). Are you saying that your patients, in general, do not listen to your message? Can you estimate your success rate?Hey Coercevate, are you fairing better again or is it still 100% Gregor? . . . In any case, its nice to see you again.Yes Arjan, much better thank you :) Just needed some time away you know. I think I’ll stay Gregor for a while…Life aint so bad under the sofa!You’re good?Yes thank you! I kicked my father out of my life permanently a week before last Christmas I can’t remember if I told you about that, but ohhh man I should have done that 20 years ago. I’m now feeling a renaissance stirring in myself motivation wise, now I’m focusing out more than inward somehow. I’ll be joining the barricades the likes of blockupy ‘n such as soon as this year I’m sure, I think I can be of value in that struggle. In my mind I’m pretty much in permanent conflict with the world anyway, I might as well use that social weakness as a strength.I know you have issues to deal with. I wish you the best possible outcomes…Make your voice heard…temper with reason (advice I try so hard to follow myself). Or as Casey Kasem used to say, “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.”PS, I watched that movie you put a clip of, you know the Peter Jackson one. Arrrggghh You really are sick and so am I for watching…har! I think that Vet scene was a hoot though. Shaun of the dead was a good one too.Je ne regret rien!!! Ohh wait what did I post? I’m very bad with names, one more clue please :)Great post! I work at a tertiary center and the diseases I treat are not directly linked to diet. I have discussed diet a lot with nurses and doctors and my family (diabetes, cardiovascular disease). Regarding nurses and other MD`s and my family I am afraid that my succes rate is around ZERO!Darn, that is a shame. I believe we’ve got to start early. I remember all the great film strips and free stuff regarding brushing and general oral care with clarity. I also remember the stuff they taught us about diary and the whole SAD story. If I can still recall all that, well that tells a lot. Now I cant remember my …uh, what was i saying?Teach the children well.In addition of eating oatmeal with fruits everyday for breakfast, I make the below very simple and nutritional recipe that I make every week and eat all the time with oatmeal & lentils . 1. Slowly boil 1 cup of lentils in 5 cups of either water or vegetable broth until lentils are completely soft and mushy. 2. Slowly add half a cup of old fashion oatmeal to the cooked lentils and stir for two minutes.3. Optional spices: salt, pepper, turmeric, and cuminEnjoy….Thanks Shar. I’ll have to try it. I’ll bet it taste good with curry or Caribbean jerk too. Maybe it’d be good cooked in veg broth instead of water.I eat organic steel cut oats cooked with organic dried figs (for added calcium) every day for breakfast. Never tire of this because I add different fruits in addition to the figs like fresh blackberries, or blueberries for their antioxidant powers, or certified organic apple with certified organic cinnamon. And just a small amount of certified organic nuts or seeds. Yum!I know dried fruits are high in natural sugar, but they also are available year around, have a longer shelf life and don’t get lost in my full refrigerator and rot. The extra calcium in organic dried figs goes straight to my bones, whereas the mineral chelator in herbicides, especially in Glyphosate treated crops makes the calcium and other minerals unavailable to the plant and to my body to repair my bones. That is the reason I only eat certified organic!And isn’t it delicious? :-) I consider breakfast my favorite meal (until lunch time rolls around). I too scarf down steel-cut oats for breakfast every morning….along with some other kind of whole-grain like millet, buckwheat groats, etc. Plus the trimmings, similar to yours.But my portion is a lot more than what we see in the photo above. Heck, those blueberries take up the whole bowl, practically. (Don’t tell anybody, but I just eat my cereal right from the cooking pan — fewer dishes to wash.)Kitty, I do the same thing. That is, eat my cereal right from the cooking pan and for the same reason. The steel cut oats, fig, and seeds that make up my breakfast is so filling that I’m not hungry until dinner at night. For me, it is my main meal, as well as my favorite meal–it’s like eating breakfast as a dessert and I’ve erased processed sugar completely from my diet. I eat based on nutrition data I receive here.Someone shared this a while back and I found it to work well: To cook steel-cut oats, place the oats and water in a pot with a tight-fitting lid at night. Bring to a boil, turn off at let it sit. Next morning add a little more water, mix, put in a bowl and microwave it until warm. enjoy! This sure is easier that cooking the steel-cut oats for 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes.A friend used to cook steel cut or rolled oats in a double boiler for several hours on a low temperature. He’d put it on, go out a get the mail in town (he lived on a tree farm out in the countryside of Maine), or do chores and when he returned his oatmeal was finished. Then he’d add berries or maple syrup and milk and enjoy. I found his method needed no milk. The oats were so creamy and delicious that just adding berries made it seem like dessert.Cooking oats in a double boiler while you shower and dress in the morning also works well. That what our host did for us in Maine a couple years back. He may have stirred initially, but simply made certain there was adequate water in the base of the double boiler, and water mixed in with the oats, and let it cook sometimes all day. The longer the oats cooked, the better they tasted. They were really creamy, but without the added cream. The secret was long, low cooking and using a double boiler with a tight fitting lid. Nothing burned as long as there was adequate water in the lower pot. And breakfast with blueberries or blackberries was ready when everyone came to the table. I’ll try your method Ralph, just for a comparison. Thank you.Dr. Gerger, I want to share my cancer research finding with you. Del.Hi Del. Feel free to share away! OR email us if this is private I’ll do my best to reply. We have a plethora of video and references on cancer.Best, JosephI ate a large bowl of oatmeal each morning hoping to see my LDL drop from 220. That did not happen over the course of 1 year. I am vegan and have been for 3 years. Total cholesterol is close to 300 and the only thing that has lowered the numbers is statin drugs. I’m not overweight and enjoy a plant based diet. The statin drugs cause muscle pain and I would like to stop taking them. Any suggestions are appreciated.Aside from a WFPB diet incliluding whole oats, Have you talked to your doctor about the new PSCK9 drugs?Not yet. I’m betting on some negative side effect though ;-)Why get your drugs from your a doctor when you can get better ones from the grocer?Hi Jay Please read macciofe’s comment. He’s already eating WFPB and may have familial hypercholesterolemia and in his case, drugs may be needed to reduce his risk.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/#comment-1923882790My cholesterol levels were +400. My cholesterol also goes up with the addition of oatmeal (220) compared to a 801010-type of diet (180). Eating a very-low fat diet has worked for me.Hi macciofe. Thanks for sharing your experience. I have heard sometimes folks adopt a plant-based diet and it has little effect on their cholesterol. This is extremely rare. I am hoping some of our member doctors may be able to speak to this more. From my understanding, genetics can sometimes play a role in cholesterol levels. In these rare cases diet and lifestyle play little role, if any. Work with your doctor and find out if this may be the case for you? At any rate, even if the healthful plant foods are not lowering your cholesterol there are several reasons to continue eating a healthful plant-based diet..I live in the SF bay area. Yesterday, KQED PBS radio in San Francisco aired an episode of City Arts and Lectures (CA&L). Yesterday’s talk was, ‘Surprising Benefits of Bacteria: The Human Microbiome with Katie Pollard’. It was all about how out gut biome can affect use more than genes and diet. Obese mice got skinny when given gut microbe transplants from skinny mice, and vice-versa.If I remember right, they also mentioned gut bacteria’s cholesterol levels. It’s a whole new, little understood area of study. But gut biome is affected by what you eat and therefore feed the bacteria and what you don’t. Pollard said that some people who change their diets are to change their biome and some remain affected. Also, they can even do samples and determine the profile of people who took anti-biotics when young (who hasn’t?).Unfortunately, CA&L doesn’t keep past shows for streaming. But if you ever hear about Katie Pollard and get a chance to read or listen to her, I recommend her. She makes everything super simple to understand and the work of her and her lab seems like it’s another important piece of the diet/health puzzle.Thanks for your input Joseph. I’ve tried several natural cholesterol lowering ideas like the Brazil nuts in the video I saw here with no change. I took statin drugs for 25 years and stopped when I switched to a true vegan diet, no animal, no dairy, and no processed foods. I lost more than 30 pounds and my body fat dropped to around 14%. Cholesterol numbers went back to the numbers I mentioned in my post above. I’m thinking stress plays a role in cholesterol levels and before retirement from the work force (I was an electrical design engineer working in the medical equipment area) and a Type A personality. Now I day trade and that is stressful for me too :-) I would like to hear from any MD’s or other people with knowledge of high cholesterol causes and ways besides statin or other drugs to lower the numbers.Wiki: People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving “workaholics” who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence.[4] It is therefore understood that “Type A” personalities are suited to smoking as a mechanism for relieving stress.Did you use smoking to relieve stress?Arjan, I did smoke for a few years but that was more than 40 years ago and haven’t since. I was always competitive and tried to be the best at everything I did whether it was work or play. I take a couple of supplements to compensate for the vegan diet. B12 one normally would get from animal based food and D3 for limited exposure to the sun.I’ve been under severe distress from April till new years day, possibly also from a negative interaction between my dex-amfetamine medication and WFPBD, but I took 3 250 mg capsules and in 4 hours I could talk with people with relative ease where I just couldn’t before. That massive a difference. Whatever my weakness I seem to use up choline to the point of depletion more than other people. I sup each day, 500 mg extra is enough for most days, brain busy days I need double or I’ll start feeling mentally raw again. Still that is a low number compared to the parameters cronometer sets out 550 – 3500.I am absolutely sure I could have done without marijuana and cigarettes in my teenage years if I had had knowledge of this back then, the stress relieve is that similar.Brazil nuts are fairly high in saturated fat. Don’t eat more of them than recommended. Too much protein can also raise cholesterol. I lowered my cholesterol by pulling out all the stops and eating lots of the following foods that Dr. Greger recommends to lower cholesterol: green tea, soy, flax, fiber, beans, oats, berries,kiwi, tomatoes, Ceylon cinnamon, alma, apples, baking soda, cocoa, and steamed vegetables: beets, okra, kale, collard greens, Brussels spouts, carrots, eggplant, broccoli, green beans, more… To get the full list go to the health topics tab above and search for cholesterol.Another thing to try might be to reduce your total fat intake. It sounds like you probably have already done this based on your weight loss, but it’s possible that nuts primarily help with ingested cholesterol, whereas fats affect how much gets made by your body. That said, I would be curious whether the better researched among us agree or disagree with this.Another option if you are having trouble getting your cholesterol down is to focus more on other factors. See this video, for other things to look at to reduce the possibility of heart disease.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04Thanks for the input sf_jeff. I’m going to watch the video.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3601486/Worth a try to see if that could be your bottleneck, a shame if you do everything right but cannot enjoy the benefits of your efforts because of one weak link.You might want to try Dean Ornish’s other 3 pieces of advice: stress reduction/meditation/relaxation, exercise, social support.I do not know if you drink coffee but this could be an issue unless you make it using paper filters.“Cafestol, a compound found in coffee, elevates cholesterol by hijacking a receptor in an intestinal pathway critical to its regulation, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears in the July issue of the journal Molecular Endocrinology. In fact, cafestol is the most potent dietary cholesterol-elevating agent known, said Dr. David Moore, professor of molecular and cellular biology at BCM, and Dr. Marie-Louise Ricketts, a postdoctoral student and first author of the report.”http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070614162223.htmTry lowering intake of fats (yes even lower than it is now and even healthy ones). The diet that lowers my cholesterol the most is very low in fat (ie 801010).Although I totally agree with all the information presented here about whole grains, it is a bummer that the randomized clinical controlled trial cited in this video had a low subject population. The validity of the results is statistically challenged when both the intervention and control group has fewer than 30 subjects each. Hopefully there will be more studies on this subject matter with more participants so we can deem the findings presented in this specific study more concrete.I wonder if my kids eat sweetened instant oatmeal does the sugar negate the whole grain goodness. Any thoughts nice people?Well, I’ve read both sides of the argument on instant oatmeal. I think it’s just better to minimize it’s use by doing tricks to make old fashion oats cook faster and taste sweeter. Example: if you know you’re going to serve your kids oatmeal in the morning, put it in a bowl, pour boiling water on top, set a lid or plate on top and let it sit til morning on the counter. Pop it in the microwave for a few mins in the morning and should be done. You can come up with whatever creative sweetness methods that work for your kids. Whatever you do is likely to be better than what comes in the “instant” pack. Putting in a lot of fresh sweet fruit, like raisins or banana, along with less sweet fruit, like blueberries, is a great way to get kids to both like it, and to get used to having fruit in their cereal. As they grow up they’ll likely tend to reduce the sugar, but not the fruit.Good luck. MarkGreat advice. ThanksWhy wait overnight? I make oatmeal in the AM just by adding boiling water to old-fashioned rolled oats. Sprinkle with ground flax and shredded coconut. Cover with plate for 5-10 min. Done.Add fruit and nuts to taste.I second Mark G. If kids are eating the instant stuff it is a good start. To avoid some of the added sugars they are loaded with you may try an oatmeal bar? Line it with fresh berries, nuts, raisins, date pieces, and/or date sugar or maple syrup. One study found that giving preschoolers the choice of different fruits or vegetables may significantly increase their consumption. Also, ​Using attractive names like “Power Punch Broccoli” may help kids to fill their plates with healthful foods, as Dr. Greger points out in this video.​Other members may better ideas for kiddos. Let me know if you are in need for other links, as there are plenty of great resources out there to help feed children.The finely cut oatmeal in your grain bins at the store is also instant if cooking time is the issue.I would say that the benefit and harm of sweetened oatmeal are probably apples and oranges. For a pre-diabetic, sweetened oatmeal is likely worse than nothing. For someone on the high school track team it’s probably a significant benefit, although the sugar might slightly decrease performance.i don’t noA rat study found oat supplementation prevented gut leakiness, endotoxemia, and liver damage from alcohol, and similar mechanisms may play a role in prevention of fatty liver by whole grains.Here’s the recipe for my oatmeal/banana/berry bars.2 cups rolled oats 2 very large frozen ‘cheetah’ bananas, thawed (lots of brown spots, not black) 1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed 2 tsp. vanilla 2 tsp. Ceylon cinnamon 1 cup blueberries (frozen OK, I prefer fresh)Preheat oven to 350F.In large bowl, combine all ingredients except blueberries and mix and mash VERY thoroughly. Let sit a few minutes to let oats soften. Add the blueberries, mixing in gently so that berries remain intact. Turn mixture into an 8×8” silicon baking pan or line a regular 8×8” pan with parchment Bake 35 minutes. Cut into squares. Keep moist in Ziplock bag in frig.Note: This recipe NEEDS the ripe bananas and fruit to be frozen for the best results. I buy a lot of bananas, wait until they are good and spotted and ripe, peel them and freeze in gallon ziplock bags. I MW the bananas and raspberries prior to making bars. These snack bars are a bit chewy, moist, a little sweet without ANY added sugar, and the whole blueberries add to the texture.There seems to be no shortage of studies showing that a whole food, plant-based diet is healthier that the “standard American” one, and I’ve gotten the message. I don’t have trouble deciding between steak and lentils, or even brown rice and white rice, but rather ORGANIC vs. CONVENTIONAL produce. You have raised concerns about pesticides; it seems logical that organic is “better” for the environment and “better” for our bodies, but HOW MUCH BETTER? Are there studies that provide definitive answers? I would really like guidance in those almost-daily decisions whether to spend the extra money to buy organic. Is avoiding the “dirty dozen” enough? And if I do buy conventional produce, is it possible to wash it adequately, or are the toxins distributed throughout the food? Thank you for any insight you can give on this “pesky” problem!Kathy: I haven’t watched it yet, but Dr. Greger has a series of videos in the next volume that covers the organic question. Hopefully you will get some guidance then. I know I’m really looking forward to it.Hi, is it okay to eat uncooked porridge oats? Do they affect the absorption of nutrients or have any other detrimental effect when added to my morning intake? I would also appreciate some advice on whether my breakfast, below, has any problems.In my breakfast dish, I have 3 tablespoons of uncooked porridge oats, two tablespoons of ground flaxseed, blue/blackberries, a teaspoon of Ceylon cinnamon, 26g of walnuts and a brazil nut. I mix this with 1/2 almond milk and 1/2 tap water.Before I eat my breakfast dish, I have a small drink containing 2g of Amla powder, 1/2 juiced lemon with the mulch & grated rind, a splash of beet juice, 1/2 teaspoon of raw manuka honey (+5) and 1/2 teaspoon of blackseed oil. After eating, I have a cup of green tea.Cheers,PaulAt the end of the video he says that refined or white rice and bread isn’t as protective…….that’s fine BUT what about the tens of millions of Asians that mostly eat white rice?. Actually I’ve never seen an Asian person or any of the ethnicities that consume a LOT of rice eat brown rice. I’ve read that brown rice contains a high percentage of Arsenic due to the contaminated water it’s grown in. Can anyone elaborate on this? CheersAlex, this issue has been addressed in several videos on this website. I think there was one that addressed this subject just a few weeks ago. Look around – I have found that Dr. Greger has addressed many subjects that can effect your health.My favorite two words, regardless of topic, in any NF video (dramatic pause): “…Until Now.” Really perks you up!Question about this one, did the oatmeal studies account for differences (if any) between eating rolled oats and steel cut oats?Oat meal is awesome. I’ve been trying this new one in the market that is made with extra nutrients and vitamins. It even has Omega 3’s and 6’s fatty acids, not that I really know what they are but I know it is good stuff. I mean I did not even know that there was a vitamin K, not to mention that it also has vitamins A, C, D, E, B6 & B12. Unfortunately, these (regular or apple cinnamon) are not sold in the regular supermarkets.Nutrition question – There is a video somewhere stating that Vegetables should be the bottom level of the food pyramid. My initial thoughts would be to put whole grains and legumes at the bottom and fruits and vegetables above that. Any thoughts, or does it even really matter, other than the potential for more variety in vegetables?sf_jeff: I imagine that that level of detail is more a matter of individual needs than question of optimum human diet. In other words, some people need more calories and may need the more higher-calorie dense foods like whole grains and legumes compared to someone else who could live just fine with a base of more fruits and veggies, less calorie-dense foods. Both diets of whole plant foods would be very healthy. But if I had to pick a model, the PCRM Power Plate model is the one that makes a lot of sense to me : ie, no base of a pyramid, but equal slices of a pie instead. Or taylor it slightly to meet your individual needs by making some slices bigger than others: http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/pplate/power-plateI’m not an expert. So, this is just a lay person’s opinion/thoughts.Hi everbody, i have a question and i hope some1 can help. I’ve been searching 4 a long time 4 a organic b 12 suplement. Can any 1help?? Finding it is not the main problem. But finding a healthshop etc that also ships to the Netherlands where i live. Any 1 ???iherb.com stocks organic B12 supplements and seems to ship to most countries. I live in Australia and buy my B12 from iHerb. The price, shipping costs and service have always been very reasonable.Thanks so much, i noticed that they also ship to the Netherlands, i’ll order asap. Thanks again, and havea great dayI have been eating Cascadian Farm Oat n Honey Granola for a few years since I am allergic to wheat. I switched to old fashioned oats a few months ago to reduce my sugar intake. I have lost about 5 pounds by doing this. Also it definitely keeps you full longer than the granola. I cook mine in soymilk then add cinnamon and chia seeds. I am allergic to flax too but the chia is a good source of omega 3’s and I don’t have any problems with it. This ll. Tastes so much better than the cereal I look forward to this treat every morning.I have been following nutrition facts for over a year and am transitioning over to vegan/whole food plant based. I so appreciate this resource. I am a Certified Massage Therapist and an Ace Certified Health Coach. I often share the information I learn here with my clients. Thanks so much for what you do.Oatmeal is good for you because of the soluble fiber rather than because of any ‘whole grain’ content. In fact, whole grain foods are worse for health than their refined grain equivalents. Whole grain bread is worse for health than non-whole-grain bread. For the proof see “The Lipo Diet”.Refined grains is unfortunately where the profit is. Natural none Genetically modified raw foods are great for our health BUT do not make as much profit as refined, processed, burnt-cooked, genetically modified foods.Refined grains is unfortunately where the profit is. Natural none genetically modified raw foods are great for our health BUT do not make as much profit as refined, processed, burnt-cooked, genetically modified foods. Also manufactured (packaged, burnt, canned) foods are “SAFER” (but lack any nutrients) which means less lawsuits for the corporations.To Dr. Joseph Gonzales, after watching your video on oat meal, I decide that I should share with you some information about this company which has formulated an Oat Meal with 43 essential nutrients and provide 50% of the required daily nutrition.From vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E & K. It also contain Omega 3’s & 6’s fatty acids. Iodine, Zinc, Cooper, Iron, Thiamin, Biotin, Magnesium, etc, ect. Oatmeal Begin your day the right way with our delicious and nutrient-dense Oatmeal!Features & Benefits • Satisfying, filling and delicious • Easy to prepare • Provides 50% of 43 daily essential nutrients • 26g Protein • 8g Fiber • 1g Omega 3s • 15 Macronutrients • 14 Vitamins • 11 Minerals • No Bad Stuff!And I wanted to ask you if you would like to check this company’s products including its oatmeal?They just introduced this to the market, I saw it, purchased, tasted it and I am loving it!Thank you.Check it out, connect for all info or purchase at http://carlos.myyevo.com/15 macronutrients, huh? :-)Hey people, just thankful for the vast amount of really interesting information here; I wanted to post a question, maybe someone can help, but not sure if it would be answearble (juck, coming from Germany, so please excuse my sometimes freaky english): Oatmeal was my favourite breakfast staple, but: with milk. I really was addicted to this combination, and in my time in jail (1700 days) I ingested a lot of it. Thus I suspect or even more: today I know, it was the milk destroying over the time my gut lineage. Then, after coming free, I had further nutritional errors (lots of meat, eggs, but no sugar, no gluten, because I wanted to heal my gut problems with diet, then, after getting some dreadful eczema from this diet, I skipped to poultry only, and eating this flesh every day, just after 3 weeks it simply felt wrong and not beneficial to me) – now vegan for months (have had a vegan try already in summer 2014, but with the here so called “Rohkost”, which doesnt help me) , high starch, 70 g fat from cocos, and a lot of germed beans, but still avoiding gluten/whole grains, and supplementing with Fe and casually Zn, and what shall I say: Never felt better. Finally I’m everyday gladful that I’ve found this form of nutrition. Why I post, is to ask -and because it was already mentioned above: Is there maybe any study which investigate the effects of long term milk ingestion in the early youth – and then what happens, if it gets just off. I mean: Can I have the hope, now, staying vegan for the rest of my life, that prostata problems will – probably – get round me? Or is the risk still left high because the effects accumulate in a form which is not to turn off through diet alone? Hope, you people won’t worry far too much about my english ;DcuutesserrooerrrwweewewtttFatty Liver Disease manifests itself in 2 ways, either by alcohol or sugar.If your fatty liver disease is invoked by too much sugar aka too many unnecessary carbs, remove them. Sorry folks, this includes oatmeal. If you have fatty liver disease and your doctor tells you oatmeal is ok, you need to find a new doctor. Stick primarily to vegetables, low fat meats, and healthy fats…..AND eggs. Egg yolks have choline in them and choline is vital to help remove fat from the liver. Naturopaths even use choline as a treatment for fatty liver disease, this is a gigantic red flag that eggs should be part of everyone’s diet. There is no point in turning a blind eye to it, it’s been factually proven.The funny thing to is, there have been countless studies over the past 40 years attempting to prove eggs are harmful in one way or the other. Most studies went against what the researchers were trying to prove, while the rest showed no effect. Consequently none of the studies got published but when asked why their exact words were “it wasn’t what they hoped for”So here is my story, I had fatty liver disease induced by too much oatmeal, fruit, starchy vegetables and pasta. I eliminated all that and ate 6 eggs a day, lots of veggies, chicken and turkey breast with the occasional steak. 10 weeks after i started the eating plan, the fat in my liver reduced 85%. Imagine that… choline..Hi there, I eat one cup of organic rolled oats with one cup of apples, strawberries or blueberries every day and a teaspoon of chia seeds. I have been doing this for about two years now. When I first started eating this I was super full for hours. Now I am often still hungry afterwards like a half hour later my stomach will growl. Any ideas?Hi,I am in the process of making a pastry for my vegan pasties and i can make it with wholemeal flour or 80% oats and 20% wholemeal flour.Where i need help is i keep hearing the wholemeal is not good for you and oats aren’t good for you because they block the absorption of other mineralsCan you help?Mark: I do not agree that whole grains block absorption of other minerals in any fashion that is bad for our overall health. This site/NutritionFacts includes several videos which show that there is plenty of evidence that eating whole grains is extremely healthy.Having said that, eating foods made of flour, even ground up whole grain flour, is generally not the healthiest food, since the more processed a grain is, the more of the good nutrients that get lost. And flour is awfully processed… Plus, when you make foods from flour, it tends to be more calorie-dense foods. So, ideally you don’t want such things to be part of every day foods.But that doesn’t make such foods are unhealthy persay, not in the way you seem to be concerned about in your post. In my book, foods from flour (which may have fewer nutrients and be more calorie-dense than ideal) are simply special treat foods to have on special occasions. They are not unhealthy in the same sense that say sugar and oil are unhealthy. They are just not healthy enough… If you are making a special pastry for some vegan friends and that pastry is made up of wholewheat flour and oats (and not too much fat and sugar?), it sounds like you have a relatively healthy treat. My opinion is to make it and enjoy.Ok so whole grain are good. What about the oats do they block the absorption of minerals etc? :)To my knowledge, oats are just a type of whole grain. :-) So, you are good.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OatHey Mark thanks for reposting. Thea has some info below. You may be referring to phytates? They have been shown to bind minerals but this really is not a concern. Dr. Greger address phytates and their role in many videos. I just gave one example. Hope this helps a bit.Organic vegan pasty recipe,Can anyone suggest any fruits, herbs, spices and vegetables that are a MUST HAVE or do you have a better recipe?My aim is to pack everything in to a pasty that has some real health benefits ie turmeric.I want to do this to facilitate the vegan life style and my thinking is if it looks, tastes as good as or better than an ordinary pasty then it should be easy.Pastry 450g of whole grain flour 450g of flour made from oats 150g of nut butter. 2 cups of clean waterAdd as many different herbs and spices as you can. (English herbs, Chinese spices, turmeric, Himalayan sea salt, pepper) Throw all of the above in to your food processes using the s-blade and then add water until it becomes together.The filling As wide and varied colourful selection of vegetables including greens, fruits, herbs, Chinese spices, turmeric, Himalayan sea salt, pepper. To keep with tradition we start with some potato, turnip, fruits and onion. (Rough chop) Also rough chop greens. Using your grating blade in your food processor and grate most of the other things you wish to add.(Squeeze about 50% of the juice out.)Take 300g of your pastry mix Place on greaseproof paper and roll out to about the size of a dinner plate. Place a large handful of you mix on to one have of the pastry. Pull the other have over the filling and crimp the edge closed. Puncher 3 holes in to the top of the pasty and place on backing tray. Cook for 50min at 200CCan anyone suggest any fruits, herbs, spices and vegetables that are a MUST HAVE or do you have a better recipe?I’ve heard that soaking oatmeal overnight and mixing it with anything containing phytases (buckwheat, rye) breaks down the phytic acids in oatmealmaking it easier for your body to digest. I heard this via several people on Facebook so cannot confirm if this is true.Is this true?Yes, soaking can help reduce phytates, but to my knowledge it is not necessary. If concerned about phytates then perfectly fine to soak!it’s really sad that Americans are bound by their taste buds. Almost 12 weeks ago, I went back to my Vegan lifestyle. I have lost 25 pounds and feel great. My husband who was a carnivore, joined me 2 weeks later. He lost 25 pounds and is off the blood pressure medication and his blood sugar is finally stabilizing. We are not as radical. Once a week for ONE meal we have a small amount of meat. :) I do eat oatmeal 6 days a week with a banana. The seventh day I have whole wheat pancakes and eggs. :)I make my oatmeal using only oat bran – no whole oats. The rationale is to reduce caloric intake while preserving the health benefits of oats. Is there any health information on the use of oat bran in this way? Thank you.Does oatmeal have to be cooked to benefit from its benefits, or can it just be added to a smoothie raw!??Hi Michael,First off, I came across your site and wanted to say thanks for providing a great resource on disease for the community.I thought you might find this interactive infographic interesting, detailing the effects of Hepatitis C on the body. I know our readers have given us great feedback, and thought yours might get a kick out of it too! http://www.healthline.com/health/hepatitis-c/effects-on-the-bodyNaturally, I’d be delighted if you share this embeddable graphic on http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/ , and/or with your followerson social. Either way, keep up the great work Michael!All the best,NicoleNicole Lascurain • Assistant Marketing Managerp: 415-281-3130 | e: nicole.lascurain@healthline.comHealthline • The Power of Intelligent Health660 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107http://www.healthline.com | @Healthline | @HealthlineCorpHealthline.com is a trusted health information resource for over 30 million people. All content undergoes a rigorous editorial process. Learn more about Healthline at: http://www.healthline.com/health/about-healthlineHi Michael,First off, I came across your site and wanted to say thanks for providing a great resource on disease for the community.I thought you might find this interactive infographic interesting, detailing the effects of Hepatitis C on the body. I know our readers have given us great feedback, and thought yours might get a kick out of it too! http://www.healthline.com/health/hepatitis-c/effects-on-the-bodyNaturally, I’d be delighted if you share this embeddable graphic on http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-oatmeal-help-fatty-liver-disease/ , and/or with your followerson social. Either way, keep up the great work Michael!All the best,NicoleNicole Lascurain • Assistant Marketing Managerp: 415-281-3130 | e: nicole.lascurain@healthline.comHealthline • The Power of Intelligent Health660 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107http://www.healthline.com | @Healthline | @HealthlineCorpHealthline.com is a trusted health information resource for over 30 million people. All content undergoes a rigorous editorial process. Learn more about Healthline at: http://www.healthline.com/health/about-healthlineRandom question… I eat oat bran rather than oats. Does this have the same benefit, or would I be better off switching? Thanks for all your amazing videos :DMy only issue with oatmeal is it’s very little protein so tends to make me hungry for lunch earlier and a feeling a bit weaker in the morning than I would like.	alcohol,antioxidants,asthma,blood sugar,bread,breakfast,breakfast cereal,cancer,cardiovascular health,chemotherapy,cholesterol,cirrhosis,diabetes,exercise,fiber,fruit,grains,heart health,liver disease,liver health,mortality,nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,oatmeal,obesity,rice,smoking,vegetables,weight loss	Is whole grain consumption just a marker for healthier behaviors or do whole grains have direct health benefits?	What about oatmeal and the ravages of chemotherapy? You may have missed my last video, Oatmeal Lotion for Chemotherapy-Induced Rash.How do you make your oatmeal even healthier? See Antioxidants in a PinchWhole Grains May Work As Well As Drugs for hypertension, but refined grain intake may linked with high blood pressure and diseases like diabetes. But If White Rice is Linked to Diabetes, What About China?.More on keeping the liver healthy in videos like:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cirrhosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast-cereal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celiac-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24604574,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18794482,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23762052,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23072529,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23363012,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22036468,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17034418,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24944472,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22983848,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23371785,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22649266,
PLAIN-2468	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oatmeal-lotion-for-chemotherapy-induced-rash/	Oatmeal Lotion for Chemotherapy-Induced Rash	Oatmeal has been used for centuries as a topical soothing agent on the skin to relieve itch and irritation in dermatology. Of course this is coming from Johnson & Johnson, that sells a brand of oatmeal lotion, but look, if it helps with dry skin or a bug bite, I can imagine it having some soothing quality, but this study shocked me.There’s a class of chemo drugs, like Cetuximab, that causes an awful rash. It’s bad enough you have some horrible cancer, but then to have a painful itchy rash on top of it? Various treatments have been tried and failed. There was no clear preventive or curative treatment for this eruption. Or is there…The researchers had heard about this study, in which human skin fragments from plastic surgery were subjected to an inflammatory chemical, and adding an oatmeal extract appeared to help, so what do you have to lose? Of the ten patients with chemo rashes who they were able to get access to try some oatmeal lotion, six had a complete response, and four a partial response, giving an overall oatmeal response rate of 100%.Doctors wrote in from around the world. Significant improvement in all patients? Seemed rather too good to be true, but out of desperation they tried it, and got the same astonishing results. Oatmeal; a simple topical agent producing such spectacular benefit where more complex therapies have failed. In an age when ever more expensive treatments are consistently being championed, it would be a great pity if this inexpensive, natural approach to relieving distressing symptoms were to be overlooked.Ironically, two of the cancer cell lines found resistant in vitro to this type of chemotherapy were found to be sensitive to avenanthramides, which are unique phytonutrients found in oats, suggesting that people should be applying oatmeal to their insides as well.	Steroidal saponins of oats?Beta-alanine tingles are very weird. If one were to consume this and not know what was going on you would certainly freak out lol.It’s use in weight training / body building circles is primarily to buffer lactic acid buildup during a training session this allowing a few more reps.That tingling sensation you feel is called paresthesia and is completely harmless. http://examine.com/supplements/Beta-Alanine/ It passes fairly soon. I take half a teaspoon a day and get a little paresthesia around my chin and neck for just a few seconds. It’s a great supplement to protect the muscles and prevent advance glycation end-products. Since it has a sweet flavor, I often put it in my oatmeal. It forms a dipeptide in the body with histadine called carnosine which you can also take as an antioxidant supplement, but it’s more expensive.Thanks for responding you two. http://www.ergo-log.com/beta-alanine-supplementation-makes-soldiers-more-deadly-in-combat.html The figures in the article immediate made me hungry for a trial. I think I’ve already been walking around with paresthesia for years but when I get asked is it pain, I dunno, no its more like irritation and unnerving as hell because it ever only rarely goes away. 10 on pain scale for me would be my worst ever tooth pain shared with crushing my thumb digit in a machine 10x in 1 second, instantly wet all over and near fainting, hitting a already purpleish inflamed big toe and nail very hard against something rates only a 6 compared to that, the damage of plowing into the side of a car with my moped with 80 km/hr still at most a 7.So pain? That’s not pain, its at most a 1, but still it’s extremely stressful, and for me its centered around my bladder and lower right abdomen, its just totally emasculating because the last thing I desire is more stimulation down there.Now I’m wondering if this will make something bad worse. This paresthesia went away for me for a while or lessened markedly after starting dex-amfetamine, but with now taking only 1/8th-1/4th my prescribed dose for a while its back with a vengeance. Makes me feel 80 years old @ 40 :(Great link thanks, I supp with low dose taurine already and since I’m not planning to go over 1200mg with the beta I should be safe.http://www.ergo-log.com/carnosinelongevity2.htmlmice live on average 20 percent longer if they are given carnosine in their drinking water [a].The table above reveals that carnosine supplementation reduced the likelihood of visible signs of aging in the mice. “Carnosine acts as a true antioxidant protector rather than as an anabolic drug”, the researchers write.http://www.ergo-log.com/carnosinelongevity.htmlIf you give beta-alanine to elderly people, their muscles tire less quickly.The researchers have been studying the life-extending properties of carnosine since the nineties. In 1999 they announced that carnosine supplements extended the lifespan of fast-ageing mice [J Anti-Aging Med 1999;2:337–342.], and in 2002 they published the results of a study in which fruit flies that had been given carnosine in their food lived longer. [Bull Exp Biol Med 2002;133:559–661.]It is certainly something that could be involved in the vegans don’t live much longer mystery, they probably would and likely in the order of 20% at least if the weakest links in metabolism get better supported.What is more biologic than… oats ? :-)I have an even better suggestion – eat the oatmeal to begin with – and then avoid the cancer and toxic chemotherapy in the first place… When did we launch the war on cancer? 1970? Still using a very primitive approach – surgery, radiation and chemotherapy – BTW: A very strange idea – poisoning a body weakened by cancer in order to try to cure a serious disease – this spells problems – secondary cancer, cognitive problems due to the toxic effect on the brain and so on. Imagine the tremendous development in telecommunication within the last 45 years – and then compare the development in treating cancer. We still use a hammer and chisel. We need the same quantum leap in understanding and treating cancer. I don’t believe in genetics. That’s just a blueprint. I believe in epigenetics….I believe in epigenetics too, so I was troubled by a lifelong cancer researcher saying that aside from a few things like smoking and inactivity, that diet and exposures had little practical affect on causing cancer. But that aside, new technologies and ‘big data’ are providing treatment advancements. Maybe we’re starting to see that leap now. This was a really great report on the PBS news hour the other day. I hope you’ll watch the short segment. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/experimental-therapy-trains-immune-cells-hunt-kill-blood-cancers/For what it is worth I completely disagree with this cancer researcher. His funding is probably dependent on this opinion. Epidemiology speaks for itself. Every step of carcinogenesis – mutation, initiation, progression – can be positively influenced by our choices – diet, smoking, pollution, drugs, radiation, alcohol, infection, obesity.Though I think any advance in cancer treatment is exciting, I think I’ve been exposed to too many conspiracy theories because after watching this segment I couldn’t help thinking that if they are using the HIV virus specifically to genetically manipulate T cells, maybe it’s because the HIV virus itself was genetically engineered with some goal in mind.We need massive bumps federal research and education, socialism style science and engineering achievements like the Manhattan project. Create an extremely well educated new generation who will have the potential to save all of our asses :)AgreeI’m fairly new to the world of the biochemistry aspects of nutrition but have learned quite a bit from this website. (My career was actually in the telecommunications field, which, like you say, has grown exponentially over the last 45 years.) I became WFPB about a year and a half ago as a result of the info found here both in the videos and in the comments section. I was fascinated by your endorsement of epigenetics, so I spent the day getting up to speed in this area. It sure looks like a very promising area of research. I look forward to learning much more about nutrition from this website and believe we all owe Dr. Greger many thanks for all the work he has put into informing us of the latest research. And thanks to you for your contributions to the comments section!Environment->regulatory proteins->DNA->RNA->proteins makes perfect sense. If scientists thinks that DNA controls our destiny then they suffer from tunnel vision – maybe a genetic disorder….. :-)To PlantstrongdocM.D. — I agree – Prevention is the best medicine. As we know though cancer is BIG business.Nature is filled with anti-cancer molecules: Curcumin (turmeric), delphinidin (blueberries), ellagic acid (strawberries), EGCG (green tea), genistein (edamame), resveratrol (grapes), limonen (citrus), diallysulfid, (garlic), Indol-3-carbinol (kale), Sulforaphan (broccoli), lycopen (tomatoes). Choose wisely at the table and reduce your risk to end up with oatmeal lotion….And ALL of these foods you list are so easily obtained and consumed!!! Even if you can ONLY get frozen strawberries, they STILL retain most of their nutrients! I drink 2-3 cups of green tea each day…broccoli daily raw & steamed…I cheat a bit with low-sodium V-8 but still…these foods are all readily accessible!Exactly! Sometimes if I have a craving for something sweet, I eat frozen blueberries or frozen strawberries. it tastes great. I also eat a lot of broccoli, sometimes raw with some fruit and a cup of coffee in the morning. Allegedly there are more EGCG in Japanese tea. I also cheat a Little – I get resveratrol from redwine :-) Preferably Pinot Noir from California.I have a friend who ate oatmeal every day. Religiously. I had never seen someone able to eat the same boring thing day after day, but she could. Sadly, she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer (I forget the exact type) in her mid-30s. I think how we eat and interact with our environment are key. She ate organic foods mostly, but was a meat eater (organic) as her MD told her to eat more meat to help with her anemia. Despite the evidence I have shared with her, she doesn’t budge on the meat intake.“her MD told her to eat more meat to help with her anemia” – talk about bad advice… Despite cancer it is not too late to improve your diet along with conventional treatment. Hope she gets well.I always thought if fasting in the proper conditions could be an option for certain type of cancer.I will try the following oat lotion recipe today on the rash that appears on my shin at the end of the past few winters (vitamin D deficiency? need UV rays?), http://diyconfessions.com/2012/11/15/homemade-eczema-creamskin-moisturizer/Don’t think it’s a vitamin D deficiency. I supplement with 2000 I.U.’s of vitamin D- plus I live in Southern California, yet I get itchy shins in winter too. It must be due to the lack of moisture in the winter air, affecting the shins, where the skin is tightest on the body. By the way, there’s also a more practical use for oatmeal than treating people who are foolish enough to consent to chemotherapy: it can be used for skin eruptions caused by poison oak or poison ivy.Just made a batch of homemade cream and will apply it liberally over the next few days. Thanks for the feedback.What are the results of the oatmeal lotion?It seemed to work quite well however the mixture that I made turned crusty and smelly within two or three days so I stopped using it and I didn’t make a second batch. Will stop by to see my doctor on Monday. I had the impression though that it was working quite well.Cancer is not one disease. Chemotherapies with some cancers may be ineffective or only marginally effective (though even palliative use of chemo can sometimes greatly reduce pain/disability by shrinking tumors, buying people time and quality of life) but with many others, mortality is significantly reduced. For example, if you or your child had a blood cancer, you wouldn’t be “foolish” to choose chemo–quite the opposite. Read this long piece for a more nuanced view of chemotherapies: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/chemotherapy-doesnt-work-not-so-fast-a-lesson-from-history/BTW, I co-founded and directed a resource center for women with cancer and their families for many years. Our organization’s basic premise was to offer information so women could make evidence-based decisions about treatments, and then to respect the choices they made. We offered alternative and complementary treatment groups and made referrals to leading integrative oncologists. So, I don’t have a bias against alt/comp treatments–quite the opposite, in fact.I’ll end by saying anyone can get cancer, no matter our diets, exercise, and other health habits. I live in an area where people lead exceptionally healthy lives and, sadly and maddeningly, I have supported too many women with cancer who were doing everything “perfectly” (i.e. eating vegan, raw, organically, exercising, fasting, detoxing, etc.).Thanks for your thoughtful response! And thanks for all you are doing to help people with cancer (and their families), too. Inspiring :))Thanks, Jen. I’ve worked at one or another resource center or non-profit my entire adult working life, so it comes naturally to share solid information and help connect people up with support. Which is what NF is all about, too! Thank YOU for volunteering!Good info. Glad you added how good it is to EAT oatmeal too!I know many years ago, people would eat oatmeal for dinner. Anyone have any good ‘dinner’ oatmeal recipes or ideas that they have tried? I’m a little scared to take the plunge!Oatmeal also lessens the craving for alcohol.ICool news about putting it on you, since I sure get it into me! I’m addicted to the stuff! I am so bad about eating breakfast, I had to make a ritual. Before I go to bed I add hot tap water to a bowl of oats, (sometimes with ground flax or nuts/seeds) mix in a TBS of cultured white miso, cover, and let it sit on the counter overnight. The microbes and enzymes in the miso change the oats into something special…slightly fermented, mildly sweet and sort of yeasty, and a lot easier to digest! I used to cook the oats first. Then I just added boiling water, but still had to wait for it to cool before adding the miso, so now I just add hot tap water and it seems to work out just fine (kind of like muesli)…but you can try it either way. Just don’t forget to wait for it to cool or you will kill the microbes and it won’t ferment. I eat it at room temp, but if you warm it, again, careful not to heat it past 110 or so.I would avoid ingesting hot tap water. Toxic metals can leach from the hot water heater (unless you have a “tankless” style heater). It’s more of a hassle, but it’s safer to simply heat the cold tap water.Good to know, and I decided the above is actually better with the boiling water anyway! The miso reacts differently with the cooked vs uncooked oats. Both are good, but definitely different. The cooked is sweeter, though not sweet, the uncooked, more savory.What is a recipe for oatmeal lotion, or is there a commercial version that is recommended?Hi Dr. Stewart,I have never made my own oatmeal lotion. Perhaps the researchers talk bout their preparation methods in the resources? Just click “Sources Cited” and see what pops-up. From what I gather one study looked at oatmeal extract and another on colloidal oatmeal lotion. A quick search and you can find many brands.Best, JosephI would just boil some up and slap it on (a la face mask), then let it sit and rinse off. But perhaps there is another way.This sounds interesting. What exactly is oatmeal lotion? Mixing oatmeal w/ water? What ratios are we talking about? Or an extract? Details are helpful.Hi Vanessa. You got me there!? I have never made my own oatmeal lotion. Perhaps the researchers talk bout their preparation methods in the resources? Just click “Sources Cited” and see what pops-up. From what I gather one study looked at oatmeal extract and another on colloidal oatmeal lotion. A quick search and you can find many brands. Hope that helps!JosephIf you scroll down, Tobias posted a link to a recipe…though it’s a salve and not a lotion. Just google colloidal oatmeal lotion recipes, I’m sure you’ll get a slew of them!This week I came across an article by precision nutrition on eating wheat and it mentioned protease inhibitors and phytic acid as potentially harmful components of oatmeal. I was wondering if soaking or extended cooking is necessary to get rid of these, or if I should even be worried about these components. I eat a lot of oatmeal myself, for breakfast and as part of my lunch but I usually boil water and pour it in the bowl with oats and raisins etc that i have prepared already. Then i let it sit for a few minutes before eating. During lunch i eat oatmeal with quark (cottage cheese), so i was wondering if this method of preparation harms protein absorbtion. Would appreciate anyone’s time to help me out with this!Hi Guy,Regarding phytic acid, it actually has considerable health benefits. Barley, wheat, corn, beans, and other phytate rich foods are all dietary staples for some of the healthiest people (blue zones) in the world. After watching these videos, you may decide that you don’t want to decrease the phytate content of your diet after all:Phytates for the prevention of cancer: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/ Phytates for rehabilitating cancer cells: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/ Phytates for the treatment of cancer: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/In addition, other health benefits like longer lifespan, decreased dementia, decreased diabetes, decreased CVD risk factors, etc are all associated with consumption of phytate rich foods like beans and whole grains:Beans, Beans, They’re Good for the Heart: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/ Diabetics Should Take Their Pulses: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/ Alzheimer’s Disease: Grain Brain or Meathead: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/ Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/ Whole Grains May Work As Well As Drugs: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/Overall, phytate rich beans are considered the single most consistent indicator of increased lifespan: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/I realize some of the links I’m posting may seem a bit off topic but I’m trying to convey a bigger picture of the healthfulness of whole grains and legumes. Those who are writing about potential negative effects from isolated grain and legume constituents are missing the big picture and essentially going about the scientific method in reverse. The overwhelming convergence of evidence shows whole grains and beans as health-promoting foods, eaten in abundance by the healthiest people on the planet. That is our observation of what occurs in the real world. It follows to ask the question, what components in these foods are conferring these benefits? Is it the fiber, the phytic acid, the minerals? etc. However some writers instead go backwards: they start with a hypothesis that certain components will cause poor health, which has no basis in real-world observation and which by simply observing the world around us, we can see is patently wrong. If phytic acid and protease inhibitors are significant detractors from health, if they decrease bone health and cause protein deficiencies, we should see these poor health outcomes in the communities who eat the most of them. However, this simply isn’t true, and to postulate such is not a productive or legitimate scientific claim.Boomer great post. Toxins must be busy. He always puts it together for us!WOW! Thanks B00mer took the words right out of my mouth!Regards, Josephhas Dr Greger suggested a recipe for Oatmeal Cream? Ann LloydBut oatmeal being great for the skin isn’t news, even in the pharmacy. Colloidal oatmeal is the active ingredient in most over the counter skin ointments for poisoning and eczema. Just read the labels.This is quite affirming! I had just thought tonight about how I have been avoiding eating GF oat bran since about a year ago- in that time I have developed frozen shoulder and I just am tired all the time and not as slim as I was- I do eat very healthy since I have an autoimmune disease. I was thinking that I need to reintroduce the oat bran that I used to eat everyday. Clearly it was helping the inflammation in my body. I was trying to do the SCD diet- that’s what got me off all grains even GF ones. If you google benefits of oat bran- it is quite astounding. I wish I had never quit it- my body eventually started to fail me- frozen shoulder is one of the worst things I have had to deal with. I couldn’t put my clothes on or take them off without difficulty. I am much better now after spending lots of $$ on accupuncture. But it’s still not fully healed and I believe diet is at the root of it. Not getting all the B vitamins and 51% of my daily fiber in oat bran- well I suffered major withdrawal! Thanks for listening! I didn’t even watch the video yet- I was reading about oat bran and then went to Dr.Greger’s site- one of my favourites to browse- and sure enough- the video of the day has to do with oatmeal! It’s a bit freaky!Hi Kathy, Sorry to hear about your troubles, but that’s good to hear you’re getting good results from acupuncture. Have you looked into trigger point therapy? There’s a book called “Frozen Shoulder Workbook” that gets very good reviews. I’ve used it not for frozen shoulder but from work related shoulder and neck pain. Changed my life! Good luck with your oat bran :)Does this have to be commercial products or can one make home made colloidal solution with oatmeal?Hey Catherine, thanks for reposting this! I commented further down. Short answer is I am not sure. Further down the thread others mention making their own.when will you post about oatmeal’s benefits to the inside of the body?i look forward to reading it!Hi, Daisy. Several of Dr. Greger’s videos focus on whole grains, like oats. See if any of these videos help?Thanks, JosephHere’s a very simple and nutritional recipe that I make every week and eat all the time with oatmeal & lentils . 1. Slowly boil 1 cup of lentils in 5 cups of either water or vegetable broth until lentils are completely soft and mushy. 2. Slowly add half a cup of old fashion oatmeal to the cooked lentils and stir for two minutes.3. Optional spices: salt, pepper, turmeric, and cuminEnjoy….I have a question about coconut oil and other oils high in saturated fat for cosmetic use that has been pressing me every time I use it on my skin. Is there any indication that topical use of oils (ie. coconut oil) and/or butters (ie. cocoa butter) high in saturated fat could negatively affect the health of our skin and/or cells?I very respect You dr.Greger , and I have two question, immportant to me. What is Your position to & about chemotherapy-citostatics in general ? Are they useful or harm ? I have Ca mammae gr IIB and my friend has Ca colonis gr IV . Is chemotherapy therapy of survival for us , or will it kill us ? Thank You in advance. Regards.Slavica, Serbia	alternative medicine,cancer,cetuximab,chemotherapy,complementary medicine,grains,oatmeal,oats,phytonutrients,rash,skin health	Oats are put to the test against cetuximab-type chemo side effects to see just how soothing and anti-inflammatory they can be.	Normally I wouldn’t make a whole video for such a rare use, but I was so impressed with the results I figured that even if I could help one person in this situation it would be worth it. Reminds me of my videos Treating Gorlin Syndrome With Green Tea and Topical Application of Turmeric Curcumin for Cancer.If oatmeal is so powerful that it can clear up some of the ravages of chemotherapy just applied to the skin, what might it do if we actually ate it? That’s the subject of my next video, Can Oatmeal Help Fatty Liver Disease?Cetuximab is often given for metastatic colorectal cancer. Better to try to prevent the disease in the first place:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cetuximab/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16432168,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14518591,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17034418,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16033478,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15270903,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24812410,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17373175,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18021275,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058188,
PLAIN-2469	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/	If White Rice is Linked to Diabetes, What About China?	Rice currently feeds almost half the human population making it the single most important staple food in the world, but a meta-analysis of seven cohort studies following 350,000 people for up to 20 years, found that higher consumption of white rice was associated with a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in Asian populations. They estimated each serving per day of white rice was associated with an 11% increase in risk of diabetes, which may help explain why the association was even strong in Asia where they eat much more rice. This could explain why China has almost the same diabetes rates as we do. They have at about 10%, we’re at about 11%, despite seven times less obesity in China. Japan has eight times less obesity than we do, yet may have a higher incidence of newly diagnosed diabetes cases than we do, nine per a thousand, compared to our eight. They’re skinnier and still may have more diabetes. Maybe because of all the white rice they eat.Just like eating whole fruit is associated with lower risk of diabetes, whereas eating fruit processed into juice may not just be neutral but actually increase diabetes risk. Eating whole grains, like whole wheat bread or brown rice is associated with lower risk of diabetes, whereas eating white rice, a processed grain, may not just be neutral but actually increase diabetes risk.White rice consumption does not appear to be associated with increased risk of heart attack or stroke, though, which is a relief after this earlier study in China suggested a connection with stroke. But do we want to eat a food that’s just neutral regarding some of our leading causes of death, when we can eat something associated with lower risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and weight gain.For example if you look at the Cornell-Oxford-China Project, rural plant-based diets centered around rice were associated with relatively low risk of the so-called diseases of affluence, which includes diabetes. Maybe Asians just genetically don’t get the same blood sugar spike when they eat white rice? No, if anything people of Chinese ethnicity get higher blood sugar spikes.The rise in these diseases of affluence in China over the last half century has been blamed in part on the tripling of the consumption of animal source foods. The upsurge in diabetes has been most dramatic, and it’s mostly just happened over the last decade. That crazy 9.7% diabetes prevalence figure that rivals ours is new—they appeared to have one of the lowest diabetes rates in the world in the year 2000.So what happened to their diets in the last 20 years or so? Oil consumption went up 20%, pork consumption alone went up 40%, and rice consumption dropped about 30%. As diabetes rates were skyrocketing, while rice consumption was going down, so maybe it’s the animal products and junk food that are the problem. Yes, brown rice is better than white rice, but to stop the mounting Asian epidemic, maybe we should focus on removing the cause—the toxic Western diet. That would be consistent with data showing animal protein and fat consumption associated with increased diabetes risk. But that doesn’t explain this.If the rise in meat consumption is to blame, then why do the biggest recent studies in Japan and China associate white rice intake with diabetes? One possibility is that animal protein is making the rice worse. If you feed people mashed white potatoes, a high glycemic food like white rice, this is how much insulin your pancreas has to pump out to keep your blood sugars in check. But what if you added some tuna fish? Tuna’s got no carbs, no sugar, no starch. Shouldn’t make a difference, right? Or maybe it would even lower the mashed potato spike, by lowering the glycemic load of the whole meal, but instead you get this. Twice the insulin spike. Same with white flour spaghetti, and flour spaghetti with meat. The addition of animal protein makes the pancreas work twice as heard.You can do it with straight sugar water. If you do like a glucose challenge test to test for diabetes, where you drink a certain amount of sugar. This is the kind of spike in insulin you get, but if you take in the exact same amount of sugar, but with some meat added, you get this. And the more meat you add, the worse it gets. Just adding a little meat to carbs doesn’t seem to do much, but once you get up to like a third of a chicken breast’s worth, you can elicit a significantly increased surge of insulin. This may help explain why those eating vegan have such low diabetes rates, because animal protein can markedly potentiate the insulin secretion triggered by carbohydrate ingestion.	Conventional wisdom about diabetics combining carbohydrates with protein or fat to control blood sugar had it all wrong then…Just to clarify, the conventional “wisdom” is more concerned with reducing immediate blood sugar levels than improving insulin function. Blood sugar is in fact reduced by addition of protein or fat through delayed gastric emptying and reduced intestinal motility. You can see the inverse relationship between blood glucose vs insulin response in the Gulliford paper (free access). Unfortunately the dietary recommendations (high fat/protein) resulting from this focus on glycemic response only serves to reduce insulin sensitivity in the long term and I agree is “all wrong”.Wrong B00mer just like your other posts. Improving insulin function is what we call improving insulin sensitivity. That is achieved by intermittent fasting (less insulin use), exercise (burning glycogen from the system so it wants carbs), and minimizing carb foods (insulin spikers).Improving insulin sensitivity is a long-term goal but can easily be attained in the short term with the right plan of attack, and that is the 3 things I mentioned above. The only way to maintain insulin sensitivity in the long-term is to not flood your body with insulin. Now if it’s a question of whether or not protein or carbs are a bigger contributer, then I ask you this:What has more sugar, steak or an apple. Common sense would dictate the apple, and knowing that sugar has the largest response on insulin, you can ascertain that steak (the protein/fat), produces a much smaller insulin response. Given that, you know to maintain insulin sensitivity for the long term, more protein/fats must be eaten instead of carbs.Hi b00mer, I’m a newbie to these things and trying to make sense of your statement. Please help me understand.Eating protein with rice helps to lower the blood sugar but increases insulin response. The emphasis has always been on blood sugar but if I understand this video and your comment, the emphasis should be on insulin response/sensitivity.This is kind of murky to me. I still don’t get it, how can there be a difference between blood sugar and insulin sensitivity? Can you point me to a resource, book, video that makes this easier to understand. Pardon me if I’ve confused terms or sound naive. (I am). I’m trying to get this clear in my head.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/If it’s all wrong then, you have to ask yourself the question as to why it’s still prescribed to this day and works to the point it reverses the disease in many cases.Ever heard of the term “if it aint broke don’t fix it”?Insulin and Insulin resistance aren’t too hard to understand. Once a basic grasp of it is understood, then people know why proteins are combined with carbs.As this video illustrates, the more animal protein added to a carbohydrate meal, the more insulin required. I’ve also seen similar studies showing that adding butter to mashed potatoes increases insulin release. Since in 20 years the amount of fat in the Chinese diet increased from 23.6 to 35.9%, I would think fat as well as protein may have something to do with the rise in Type 2 diabetes.I agree Julie I think it has more to do with fat then protein. Should we be concerned with eating rice with beans if it’s really the protein. I doubt itGuys the protein involved here is animal derived so there’s no worry about combining rice & beans as beans have a significantly lower insulin spike than meat.are out there the same study but with rice and vegetable protein? for example rice + soy beans and insulin levels. does not seem to be an expensive or invasive test to do with patients.I have better luck cutting vegetables and fruit and more meat, as my specialist recommended. I have major trouble with bloating and weight gain with rice and/or beans. Because I also have a muscle disease and cant continue with all of the exercise (yes, my body, or my legs, just shut down last fall. I needed steroids to get the moving again), and I am studying nutrition, I thought I would try less meat, so I have cut most of it out. Im not going to lie, I get really hungry sometimes without it. I started checking my blood sugars and they remained normal for a few days. I checked before and after waking, eating anf exercise. All good. Im perplexed at what might have me stalled with the weight Im at. It is true that I was bit by a tick while hiking in Colorado, and got “the rash”. Almost immediately, I began gaining weight. The legs not working came months later. I though about possible lyme, but Drs here don’t test for or treat it, they ignore it. Ideas?Becky, Have you seen the documentary; “Under Our Skin” about Lyme disease? Quite informative and crucial to get a doctor who specializes in Lyme. Please consider getting a second opinion as the disease will continue to progress. Best wishes.Incorrect on all accounts Julie. Both protein and fat blunt the insulin response of carbohydrates (though you generally do not want to consume copious amounts of fats with carbs.The amount of insulin required depends on 2 things:1) Just how insulin resistant your insulin receptors are on your cells 2) What type of carbohydrate your eating.Worst case scenario is your insulin resistant and eating something that requires a large release in insulin like carb ladened foods requiring a lot of insulin released suddenly to clear out the glucose. This is why proteins are added to carb meals to slow down the the glucose conversion, thus slowing down the insulin release. Proteins added to a meal do not require more insulin to be secreted.This eduvideo is the bomb! This is going to be sent to all my colleagues so they can review this data. I can’t thank you enough keep up the great work.I have told you to stop surfing the internet for pictures of girls…… ;-) Just kidding! Why? I mean – land of the free…….Not funny, Plantstrongdoc, especially given the reality of girls (female children), being hustled and exploited for online porn. I’m sure that wasn’t your intention, but please don’t objectify girls or women in this safe-space for all of us to hang out and learn more about nutrition. Thanks.How did you make that connection? Please don’t allow anyone to joke about anything at anytime, anywhere. Humor is forbidden. John SJohn S: “surfing the internet for pictures of girls” is the obvious connection. Your response adds salt to the proverbial wound. When women, even politely (note my “I’m sure that wasn’t your intention” and “thanks”) request that men check their objectifying comments, they often receive a version of what you wrote: i.e. hey can’t you take a joke? I have a great sense of humor and love jokes but NOT ones that are hurtful to others or are based in sexism, racism, homophobia, etc.Interesting that you call yourself “Seedy Character” while criticism another for desiring the freedom on the internet to help make positive healthy contributions to the world of health. Preventing people from the freedom of expression, even while not perfect, could be considered a much worse problem then your concern for exploitation. Seedy Character, please don’t attack the people of good character for their silly off topic comments. And if you’re on a crusade, then at least say it using a better name! Maybe “Freedom Fighter”The Dude: You just demonstrated another common response men make when women politely request that they not objectify women and girls. It’s a version of blame-the-vicim. My gentle remonstration is now a “much worse problem” and is “preventing people from the freedom of expression.”The original quote “surfing the internet for pictures of girls” was seriously off-topic and hinted at child porn, even if unintentionally. Real Dudes might say: “Hey, Dudette, I agree that NF is no place to joke around about surfing the web for pictures of girls.”Seedy Character: you’re not being polite or gentle. You’re blowing it way out of context. You’re name speaks volumes “Seedy character”Typical dude defensive response #3: “You’re blowing it way out of context.”Why is it so hard for you to simply acknowledge that using a nutrition forum to joke about cruising the net for girls is inappropriate and objectifying of girls/women? If you want to have good relationships with women, you can start by believing them rather than challenging them when they tell you something is offensive to them.Why the obsession with my username? “Seedy” as in flax, hemp, sesame, pumpkin, chia. I eat a lot of seeds and some friends consider me a “character” because I’m so crunchy-granola to them. A fun play on words. And perhaps a lighthearted way to counter the negative associations with the word “seedy.”Dude, can you bury this bone please?SeedyCharacter: I thought about out what your name meant when I first saw it. I think it is clever and fun. Sorry you are getting such flax (I mean flak).My 2 cents: I think this whole conversation has played itself out.Thea, I can handle the flax . . . it builds my moral . . . fiber. ;-) I heartily agree with the “played out” aspect. Thanks for writing.groan!Interesting that you call yourself “Seedy Character” while criticism another for desiring the freedom on the internet to help make positive healthy contributions to the world of health. Preventing people from the freedom of expression, even while not perfect, could be considered a much worse problem then your concern for exploitation. Seedy Character, please don’t attack the people of good character for their silly off topic comments. And if you’re on a crusade, then at least say it using a better name! Maybe “Freedom Fighter”Funny how so many people over reacted to what was once a fairly innocent jibe. Porn was not mentioned or implied, that was all in people’s minds.Thanks HemoDynamic, MD! Do what you can.Best, JosephPls stop all this nonsense on a serious site. this of us who read the comments to learn something about nutrition get offend d that u use the. Site to JOKE. Nutrition is more important than your jokes, all which are stupid and childish. PLEASE JUST STOP USING THIS FORUM FOR UR OWN PURPOSES!Really???, …get a life. LESS CAPS PLEASE !!!Mobile access on breaks?I’m the physician I don’t get breaks.oh well, we enjoy your sense of humor so please keep in touch !You are too kind! :). I will keep in touch as often as I can. The mission is critical!“By the way my corporation that I work for has now blocked all social media to everyone in the office.”Oh wow, shame on them. Back in the days when I toiled in law firms we felt lucky to even have access to word processors — .on which we were expected to crank out various documents, i.e. wills and other what-nots for the lawyers. No free time to speak of. But you kids today…..!!! *sigh*I’m glad you think I’m a kid since I’m 50 years old. And I don’t have free time but I try to make free time for the questions that are posted on this website.Oh to be young (50) again. :(WOW! Great video! I go with brown rice most of the time, but for shorter cooking time I go with white rice. a few times a week of white rice should be okay right?You are correct as long as you don’t add any meat or oil to the rice that you’re eating. There is an old study that Dr. McDougall showed me about pre-diabetics and feeding them pure sugar and taking the oil and fat out of their diet and then there prediabetes went away. But when they added back the oil to the sugar prediabetes came back.Interesting! I know that we have much to learn..any grain, even whole causes me to gain weight quickly and belly fat seems to want to “grow”,. Jokingly, I say its like yeast! Even following myplates recommendations with more veggies makes me gain weight.. Frustrated, trying, learning moreIt’s really a no brainer that it’s not the rice.i mean they have known this for many decade s why do they think it’s going to change all of suddenBut don’t you need some fat to absorb the nutrients from the vegetables that you are presumably eating with the rice?Hi Wegan, rice and vegetables without any nuts, oil, avocado, etc will contain some fat. Rice is about 8% fat by calorie, broccoli is 11% fat, tomatoes are 10% fat, etc. So a meal without the addition of very high fat foods does not mean that the meal is fat free. Jeff Novick responds to this idea with some number crunching in this McDougall forum thread:https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=5939&hilit=jeff+tomatoes+oilFantastic reply and I appreciate it very much. Cheers, have a good weekendb00mer: I have been wanting to say for a while now how amazing and helpful your replies are. You do an incredible job of explaining things simply, logically, succinctly and with hard data to back up what you are saying. I so look forward to reading your posts.This particular post, with the link to Jeff’s comments is particularly helpful to me. It had cleared up a lot of confusion on my part. He makes so much sense! Smart guy.Thea, that’s so kind of you! Actually having a morning where I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and inadequate and your comment brought a smile to my face.p.s. Happy 1st day of spring!Everything natural has some fat in it, I think. We tend to think that rice is a carb, like potatoes. But in reality, rice and potatoes are carbs, with protein and a little fat. Vegetables also have fat in them.Hi Eddie, a couple more options for shorter cooking times: Uncle Ben’s makes a 10 minute parboiled brown rice. I haven’t tried it myself so I don’t know if the texture or flavor is comparable to regular rice or if there’s a significant price difference. Also I use a pressure cooker to cook rice (I happen to use an electric countertop model) and brown rice cooks in 12 minutes. It was about a hundred bucks so it’s a significant investment but I use it all the time. It made such a difference to be able to come home and have rice nearly immediately instead of 45 min on stovetop or 1 h 45 min in rice cooker. Stovetop pressure cookers would be quick too and can be less expensive than the electric ones.I got a programmable zojirushi rice cooker that allows you to set the time you want the rice to be ready. That lets me set it up before Ieaving for work in the morning and I have brown rice ready and waiting when I walk in the door. It is also great for making steel cut oats as well. Then I set it up before going to bed and wake up to hot oatmeal. I like to put a teaspoon of cinnamon and a bunch of raisins in mine and always comes out perfect. Some days it never makes it back in the cabinet as immediately after putting the left over brown rice in the frig, I set it back up with oatmeal for the next morning. But it is nice to have a pressure cooker as well for those times I forget to set up the rice cooker in the morning.Programmable rice cookers are great! I actually used to have one… the problem for me was realizing I was out of rice and/or remembering to set it up in the morning. I ended up getting rid of it when I got the pressure cooker to save on cupboard space. If one has the requisite brain power :P to operate one, yes a great option! Also that oatmeal sounds fantastic. I imagine the raisins end up with that fresh out of the oven cinnamon roll style gooiness? I’m off to find out if my pressure cooker has a delay function.Those short cooking time rice variants are often made by increasing the water content of the rice. Another possibility is to add a surfactant to get water in quicker. The former has a dramatic increase in risk of pathogens (nasty ones live on damp rice) and the latter wreaks havoc on your stomach. I used to drink decaffeinated instant coffee but found that the surfactants used to increase coffee extraction would give me a terrible stomach upset after 5 days of 3 cups a day. Now I only drink bean coffee and haven’t had a single problem.By the way, Basmati rice is a white long grain that is much lower GI. Also recently we bought red and black long grain which has a much stronger flavour while being low GI. Finally we can now by unrefined (brown) Basmati which is better still.LOVE the basmati rice…so very important in most Indian vegan dishes, I’ve found! My other go-to rice is just plain old brown rice…I think it’s 77 cents a pound at WalMart these days! But my preferred starch is potatoes..I cannot deny it. (“that’s me ‘Irish!”…my maternal grandma was 100% Irish)what about arsenic and cadmium in rice? It has been reported that arsenic levels are 10 times higher in brown rice — due its accumulation in the bran and husk — when compared to white riceAt this last weekend’s Advanced Study Weekend, Dr. John McDougall said that the problem with arsenic in rice is not the rice per se, but in the water used to grow it and in some cases from soil affected by previous water sources; and that California rice is OK, but rice from the southeast U.S. is not.“…and that California rice is OK”Beg to differ. Lundberg rice of California was shown to have some of the highest arsenic levels of all.Was this true from the newer report? jj gave us some links, above. I believe California rice had lower levels, compared with rice grown in Texas and Arkansas.I was referring to the original brand-specific CU report regarding brown rice. Unsure if the follow-up retested as specifically as the original did.where can i get info on rice arsenic levels worldwide?Hi Natalie. jj supplied us with a link, below, that looked at rice from different countries. I’ll post it, here. It is important to note that rice may not have as high levels of arsenic, compared with other foods. Dr. Greger has some great resources on food and arsenic. I find it valuable to know when reports like these are published that perhaps many other foods and arsenic sources are not identified. I am not saying arsenic in rice is not concerning, but perhaps other foods deserve awareness, as well.And generally Indian and Thai rices are also low in arsenic. I had heard that a lot of the arsenic in the rice in the SE US comes from the low dose arsenic deliberately feed to chickens to make them grow faster. Most of the arsenic ends up in the chicken manure which ends up on the fields or in the water. It isn’t that the water there is naturally high in arsenic. I wonder at the arsenic load of the people eating the chickenJim they grew cotton there for many years and used arsenic laden pesticides up until the mid 80s and now it’s being absorbed by the riceAh, good to know, thanks. Still who ever thought that feeding an incredibly toxic substance that accumulates in the animal’s tissue to animals used for human consumption was ever a good idea needs to be kept far far way from anything to do with food production! And the folks at the FDA who oversee food safety really need to be shown the door if this is the level of oversight they practice.Plus, what isn’t absorbed by the chickens eventually to be eaten winds up in the manure. So not only does all the tons of manure from the billions of chickens raised each year represent a huge ecological disaster just from the naturally occurring constituents, now it really should be treated as hazardous waste. Wonder if the future superfund sites will be centered around the huge broiler chicken factory farms.Hi Joe K. This was (is) a controversial topic. Dr. Greger’s video on rice and arsenic helps answer the question of “should we eat brown rice?” The answer is “Yes” – U.S. rice preferred, and there are ways to prepare (such as rinsing) to lower the arsenic.” U.S. rice preferred” …… Where does he get this? That isn’t what the report says.All types of rice (except sushi and quick cooking) with a label indicating that it’s from Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas or just from the U.S. had the highest levels of inorganic arsenic in our tests. For instance, white rices from California have 38 percent less inorganic arsenic than white rices from other parts of the country.Brown rice has 80 percent more inorganic arsenic on average than white rice of the same type. Arsenic accumulates in the grain’s outer layers, which are removed to make white rice. Brown has more nutrients, though, so you shouldn’t switch entirely to white. Brown basmati from California, India, or Pakistan is the best choice; it has about a third less inorganic arsenic than other brown rices.Rice that’s grown organically takes up arsenic the same way conventional rice does, so don’t rely on organic to have less arsenic. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htmThanks for catching that, jj! That video was from 2009, before both consumerreports articles. California rice was still found to be pretty low, from what I see, but you are right we cannot lump “U.S.” rices into one category. Sorry for my mistake and thanks for keeping an eye out. Please feel free to continue catching my goofs.Best, JosephHere is a more indepth report from November 2014.http://www.greenerchoices.org/pdf/CR_FSASC_Arsenic_Analysis_Nov2014.pdfThanks! I also failed to mention that rice may not be the only foods of concern. For more info on food and arsenic.Hey Eddie. Sounds fine to me.Do we know brown rice is better against diabetes? At 1:27 of the video the chart shows brown rice .5 servings per day .87 risk, white rice one serving per day 1.23 risk. That makes it kind of hard to compare. I keep some cooked Brown rice from TJ’s in the freezer in case I forget to start it in time.Eddie: b00mer listed some good ideas if you decide you want to cut down further on your white rice eating. I have another idea for super-quick brown rice – buy it already pre-cooked and frozen. I get pre-cooked, frozen brown rice from Trader Joes. It has nothing in it but brown rice. Period. Or you can get a box with a mix of brown rice, black barley and something else I think. Super quick and easy to fix – zap in microwave for 3 minutes. It’s perfect every time.Gonna try some out! thanks!Very interesting. Thanks so much for all the great work!What about rice with a plant protein such as seitan or tofu?Good question, I was thinking the same thing!I think I should point out that rice and potatoes are also sources of plant proteins. Soy products are associated with a decrease risk in diabetes: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/ . Dr.Greger mentions here that soy products cuts diabetes risk in half. But in terms of the interactions between soy and animal products, I’m not so sureIt seems that animal protein was the main reason individuals had a spike in insulin. Good question though. Perhaps similar to the reason why carcinogens on plants do not form at high temperature like grilling, or nitrites in fresh vegetables do not create N-nitrosamine compounds like nitrites found in meat?But I love my basmati rice, Indian food just wouldn’t be the same with brown. I guess the idea here is to keep it fat free or very low fat. I eat paneer (high fat Indian cheese) once in a while with it.brown basmati is pretty tasty too!The cause of the increased insulin spike wasn’t the fat in the animal foods, it was the protein. Still keeping the fat low is still a really good idea, especially the amount of saturated fat. So just skip the paneer. I substitute tofu and find it an acceptable substitute for paneer since 99.9% of the flavor comes from the curry sauce.As for brown versus white rice, it is just a matter of giving your taste a chance to adapt. I used to hate brown rice and only liked white rice. But after eating almost exclusively brown rice for several years, I can’t stand to eat white rice. I consider it flavorless and the only way I can eat it is if it is thoroughly saturated by a highly flavored sauce like curry.Substituting tofu for paneer is a great idea, I’ll have to try that. I also want to find some brown basmati rice, as brad suggested, but my local stores don’t carry it. I’ll find some somewhere, sometime.You make a lot of sense. Forty percent of Americans will never eat a whole grain. Is this still true after General Mills and Kellogs’ switched to whole grain? The minimum suggested is 48 grams. If you ate 200 grams of labeled whole grain (four bowls of oatmeal) a day you could live the same amount extra as if you did twenty minutes of exercise a day, ate four more walnuts a day, or smoked five less cigarettes a day according to this site. Is that about five years? I can see it is about when you get started. How long does a 10 percent reduction in diabetes shorten your life according to this site? Maybe you could balance white rice with other whole grains. Eating less meat is also recommended. All in moderation.Wonder Bread did a WHOLE lot of damage to Americans’ palates.So to clarify,when the animal protein or animal fat is adds to the white rice, the insulin released is more than when white rice is consumed on its own? Does this mean that in the short run, if someone is checking their sugar, it will actually be lower when animal protein/fat is added to the rice? Does it act like an insulin secretagog, like a sulfonylurea?If you freeze the tofu first then let it thaw it really changes the texture. Freezing causes most of the water to form ice crystals throughout the block of tofu. When thawed the ice melts and leaves tiny pores in the tofu. The result is very much like a sponge. Also the tofu takes on a much chewer texture. When put in a marinade or sauce it almost instantly soaks it up and to a much greater degree than unfrozen tofu.I just take the tofu out of the packaging and water, wrap it in wax paper and then aluminum foil to make it vapor tight and pop it in the freezer. As soon as it is frozen, you can immediately let it thaw, but the tofu will keep for months in the freezer. I try to keep a few blocks in the freezer so I never run out. It is better to let it thaw in the refrigerator for at least a day, so the trick is remember to take it out of the freezer the day before you want to use it. If it is still a little frozen, just slice it up and then use the defrost setting on the microwave to defrost it the rest of the way. I have even completely defrosted it in the micro when I have forgotten to put it in the frig. Hope you like it.I’ve found that I greatly prefer the taste and feel of short-grain brown rice to long-grain brown. The grains are plump and nutty and incredibly tasty with a little shoyu sprinkled on them. Mmmmmm . . .Dr. Greger,The video showed us what was observed when animal protein was added with carbs, and the increased spike in insulin. But do we know why, i.e., the mechanism by which animal protein exacerbates the insulin spike?NeilThere are likely multiple mechanism which causes insulin to spike (ie type of nutrient, effect on metabolism, energy reserves, etc). One of them probably is that higher levels of proteins and also fat interfere with the utilization of energy.Unsure why you felt the need to post what you did as it did not address my question. I was not asking about multiple mechanisms. The video was about animal protein spiking insulin, which is why I asked specifically about that subject. Then your conjecture about what one of these other “mechanisms” may be is equally irrelevant.I don’t quite understand your response to someone who sounded like they were trying to be helpful. Would it have addressed your question if it had been phrased:THE mechanism by which animal protein exacerbates the insulin spike depends on the type of nutrient. or THE mechanism by which animal protein exacerbates the insulin spike depends on metabolism. or THE mechanism by which animal protein exacerbates the insulin spike depends on energy reserves. or THE mechanism by which animal protein exacerbates the insulin spike depends on some combination or none of the above. ?> Unsure why you felt the need to post what you did as it did not address my question. Unsure why you felt the need to post a question that no one can answer to your foot-stomping satisfaction at our current level of understanding.proteins and fats don’t interfere with the utilization of energy, they blunt the insulin response carbs create to slow down the rise in blood sugar. This is what people generally want unless their high end athletes or cross fit gurus.I’m not sure what the biochemical mechanism is, but I’d put my money on an increase in insulin resistance as a causal factor. Insulin drives a number of processes, including ferrying glucose out of the blood stream and into cells. When blood sugar increases, the pancreas bumps up its secretion of insulin in order to bump up the movement of glucose out of the blood stream and into the cells. If the cells become resistant to to the influence of insulin (which the protein may cause), then the body responds by hitting it harder with more insulin.your about 95% correct with the exception of “protein may cause”Ask yourself this steve, what has more sugar in it? What is going to be converted into glucose quicker?Steak or an Apple? Chicken or Carrots? Fish or a Doughnut? Beef or a potato?From what you typed, you seem to have a good grasp on insulin and what it’s purpose is. So looking at the above 3 combos, hopefully you understand that the foods that get converted to glucose quicker and thus enter the bloodstream quicker, will cause a bigger insulin response to “ferry” glucose out. The slower the glucose conversion, the slower the insulin response.Now you have to ask yourself, how exactly does say Steak, Chicken, Fish, Beef cause a big insulin response when there is no sugar in it to convert to glucose? It’s all amino acids, so if you ask yourself what causes a bigger flood of glucose in the system; sugar or amino acids, hopefully you say “sugar”.Knowing that, you’d answer your own question, protein doesn’t cause it, carbs do.In isolation, you comment makes sense. But the interesting and surprising finding presented in the video is that, in the presence of animal protein, the insulin response from carbs is greatly increased (which may explain the recent increases in diabetes in China and Japan, two white rice-centered cultures). My comment was not to propose this. The video did that. My comment was to suggest a mechanism. Your comment seems to want to refute the findings in the video.your about 95% correct with the exception of “protein may cause”Ask yourself this steve, what has more sugar in it? What is going to be converted into glucose quicker?Steak or an Apple? Chicken or Carrots? Fish or a Doughnut? Beef or a potato?From what you typed, you seem to have a good grasp on insulin and what it’s purpose is. So looking at the above 3 combos, hopefully you understand that the foods that get converted to glucose quicker and thus enter the bloodstream quicker, will cause a bigger insulin response to “ferry” glucose out. The slower the glucose conversion, the slower the insulin response.Now you have to ask yourself, how exactly does say Steak, Chicken, Fish, Beef cause a big insulin response when there is no sugar in it to convert to glucose? It’s all amino acids, so if you ask yourself what causes a bigger flood of glucose in the system; sugar or amino acids, hopefully you say “sugar”.Knowing that, you’d answer your own question, protein doesn’t cause it, carbs do.Hi Neil. Not sure. I’ll have to look at some of the mechanisms that may have been listed by the authors in that study. Unfortunately they do not do a great job (as far as I can tell) listing any mechanisms. I thought about it more and perhaps this paper on the over abundance of animo acids cold help? I used this in my review paper on cancer, as a reference for putative mechanisms. Interestingly, it was Dr. David Jenkins (co-inventor of the glycemic index) who brought this paper to my attention. See what you think, it’s a free article. I find it interesting that this paper discusses TOR (Target of Rapamycin) as Dr. Greger touches on this, explaining how reducing intake of leucine–rich animal products such as milk may reduce cancer risk. I hope this helps.Thanks, JosephThere is no answer Neil because adding protein to a carb meal doesn’t spike insulin.You first have to know why insulin is secreted, and that is in response to how much glucose is created from whatever food eaten. Carb foods are more ladended with sugar and thus cause a bigger insulin response. Proteins however have no sugar in them but amino acids. The aminos are what cause a release in insulin, but those have a much slower metabolizing rate than carbs.Knowing this, and putting 2 and 2 together and using common sense, obviously protein does not spike insulin when eating it by itself or adding it to carbs. There is a reason why diabetics today are prescribed diets based on combining vegetables with proteins while laying off simple and complex carbs, while eating a diet high in fat. They are prescribed this because it works and reverses the disease.Does plant protein have the same effect?If you were to breakdown the animal and plant proteins into constituent amino acids of the same proportions, YES. But in general, plant proteins are less available, have a different amino acid profile and are accompanied by numerous other factors that alter metabolism.Good question, EmB! I don’t think so. Someone else asked this below. My comments, here. Short answer is, no.confusing. I’d say eating white rice NOT every day is FINE. I eat in between – QUINOA, and BROWN rice. Or one week white rice, the other week quinoa, then brown rice…it should be fine.I don’t think the message from this video is to NEVER eat white rice. I think what you laid out sounds fine to me! A great variety of grains, snappir.In a way, this info seems to support the old theory of food combining / “natural hygiene”. Would like to see results with people who eschew the starches and sugars all together and eat, say, meat and non-starchy veggies.Yeah, I thought of the same thing. Just today I’ve watched very interesting and thought provoking interview with Ori Hofmekler, who among other things basically says that the way to increase health and longevity is to lower insulin as much as possible (beans immediately spanng to my mind after hearing this), which is done, in part, by correct food combining (or rather separation). I’m not sure about all of his ideas, but he has some very very intriguing points, https://youtu.be/0EOy0A2llVQ.As a minor note I quite often watch Jamie Oliver as a background while eating and such, so he almost every time pours like half a cup of olive oil in each of his dishes. It makes me wonder if it is indeed part of traditional (Mediterranean) way of cooking or it is just to look cool.. :))Where is the graph showing a high glycemic index carb combined with a plant based protein like soy? I expect it to be the same as the carb alone, or better but I was a bit surprised by the absence of that slide.I’m not sure they tested soy protein in that study, but yes it would be interesting to see. From what I gather the research overall doesn’t show any negative associations with soy intake and diabetes risk so it may be fair to say your expectations are valid. I too would not expect to see huge spikes in insulin from added soy.Remember what tradicional eastern oriental medicine said: never mix meat(fish) with starches at the same meal.So did Edgar Cayce: http://www.astrodreamadvisor.com/Edgar_Cayce_Alkaline_Diet.htmlhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896844611002762Rice appears feminizing, not what I need right now :( Dropped eating the bulk of my energy from it, I think I’ll max it at 1 serving. Maybe more later since females tend to age better, but for now I need a new mate first. :)Are the phytoestrogens in rice?Probably but those appear quite harmless. Its about 5-a reductase the stuff hat prevents mere testosterone getting converted in the 10 times more powerful dihydrotestosterone. http://anabolicmen.com/dihydrotestosterone/ Now isn’t he just the cutest and cuddliest little bear! ^^ . :)HI there. Many foods have these so called“phytoetgrogens”. They appear to be helpful for diabetes and other diseases.I’m confused, I’m just checking out your anabolicmen link and their site 100 ways to increase testosterone levels naturally where it states the following: “Vegetarian diets have been linked to very low testosterone levels. That’s not really hard to guess though, because for vegetarians it’s really hard to get those healthy saturated fats and cholesterol in their diet, and the fact that they consume a lot of soy won’t help either. One study showed that men who change from vegetarian diet to high fat carnivore diet increased their testosterone levels by 30%”. The only study link they cite in connection to this claim doesn’t work and if I remember correctly there was a video here at nutritionfacts stating exactly the opposite. It seems to me the whole thing sounds more like a smart marketing strategy which raises the question why post such a link?You won’t find THE truth and nothing but THE truth on this site either. It simply doesn’t exist, nor can it ever. What hold true to one needn’t necessarily be true for another. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some tasty tips for the information hungry on this subject to be found there :)Comment on the site, in general he promotes low protein, high carb, low BMI, avoid alcohol, pro nuts, boron (vegetables), the list of good things he recommends is pretty darn long.Nothing wrong with that site, just have your info filter on while you browse it just like you should with all websites you visit, and that is including nutritionfacts, the moment you stop being your own referee you are the one that loses out.Agreed, Kay. I did not find the links helpful for the discussion on rice and diabetes.Low testosterone/GHT can have a massive impact on how a man feels and his place in the world. So when I was experimenting away with licorice for a few days trying to trigger a change in my cortisol levels, and I read on that site I was destroying my testosterone levels I was very glad to have been handed that info. Rice being active in a similar way might be something to avoid as calorie mainstay for the testosterone challenged.There will be many a gentleman browsing nutritionfacts that will benefit greatly from a boost in testosterone, and will find some info on how to unlock it very helpful.Very interesting! A Little meat making the food toxic.I have been waiting for this video got a while! It delivered tenfold, but it did leave me with a question. Was soy or other plant protein tested against animal protein in terms of insulin spike? I’m wondering whether animal protein is specifically the cause or if total protein intake in general is the culprit. In this case, beans and rice would cause a higher insulin spike than just rice! But I like beans. I usually add either a few black beans, kidney beans, or edamame to rice.Personally I do not eat white rice or any rice very often. Occasionally I like to eat brown or forbidden black rice. I’ve never really cared for sticky rice so the natural chew of whole-grain rice lends itself to my palette.Hi Selena Darlim—you should check out Dr. Greger’s video ” Diabetics Should Take Their Pulses.” There’s a link to it in the Doctor’s notes under today’s video. Beans are good!Hi Selena. Good question! Others have asked about this, too. If interested, see my response a bit further down, or by clicking here.Thank you for this mind blowing information. The more I learn the more I’m amazed and pleased that I stumbled upon this WOE. Thank you for your continued inspiration and encouragement.What about these studies showing reversal of T2D on a macrobiotic diet?http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/11/1/39 The effect of the macrobiotic Ma-Pi 2 diet vs. the recommended diet in the management of type 2 diabetes: the randomized controlled MADIAB trialhttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dmrr.2519/pdf Ma-Pi 2 macrobiotic diet and type 2 diabetes mellitus: pooled analysis of short-term intervention studieshttp://www.hoajonline.com/internalmedicine/2052-6954/2/3 Ma-Pi 2 macrobiotic diet intervention during 21 days in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, Ghana 2011http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnme/2012/856342/ Medium- and Short-Term Interventions with Ma-Pi 2 Macrobiotic Diet in Type 2 Diabetic Adults of Bauta, Havanahttps://hongkong.wyethnutritionsc.org/documents/28201/92730/Education+Column+Series+(Issue+3).pdf Gut microbiota and metabolic disorders: A focus on type 2 diabetes and dietary modulationhttp://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2014/01/carbohydrate-and-diabetes.html http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2014/01/carbohydrates-and-diabetes-part-ii.htmlhttp://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2014/12/vegan-ma-pi-diet-bests-conventional.html Vegan Ma-Pi Diet Bests “Conventional Treatment” for Diabetes in Recent RCTHi Charles. I am not sure what specifics you are asking, but I took a look at some links and it seems a macrobiotic diet can be helpful for diabetes. To my knowledge these diets are based on rice and vegetables, seaweed and soy. I would expect to see good results. Thanks for sharing.JosephBreaking news . . . I am usually skeptical about advertising, but this seems like a great new campaign on behalf of fruits and veggies. FNV. Check out the promo clip: http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/fruits-and-veggies-are-about-get-whole-lot-sexier?utm_source=refinery29&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=siteJust to be sure, is the good Dr saying vegetable protein and/or any kind of fat (read butter on your saffron rice) is A-ok as far as insulin spoke is concerned?Hi SaffronButter. No I don’t think so. Fat can still be problematic and lead to more insulin resistance.Since animal protein and saturated fat or inexorably linked maybe it’s the saturated fat that causes the insulin spike by blocking the insulin receptor sites in the cellsYes, perhaps indeed. We know animal fat and meat consumption may be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.If you look at the plots in the Gulliford paper, you’ll see that from starch only to starch+tuna, there was a significant spike, and from there to starch+tuna+margarine there was not a significant increase (even a decrease at certain time points).Their meal descriptions are not quite clear to me in that when they state for example a meal description of “25 g of carbohydrate as potato”, I can’t tell if they mean 25 g of potato or 25 of carbohydrate from potato (= 35 g potato total). Regardless of which interpretation is correct, the addition of tuna or tuna+margarine does correspond fairly well to addition of protein or protein+fat, respectively.Given interpretation #1, each component contains: 25 g potato = 18 g carb, 1.9 g protein, 0.25 g fat 25 g tuna = 0 g carb, 6.8 g protein, 0.15 g fat 25 g margarine = 0.03 g carb, 0.03 g protein, 20 g fatGiven interpretation #2, different numbers but the trend remains the same: 35 g potato = 25 g carb, 2.6 g protein, 0.35 g fat 93 g tuna = 0 g carb, 25 g protein, 0.56 g fat 31 g margarine = 0.03 g carb, 0.03 g protein, 25 g fatIf the small amount of fat in the tuna were playing a significant role in the rise in insulin, I think we would see a much greater increase between starch+tuna and starch+tuna+margarine.does plant protein also increase insulin production when added to rice/sugar/glucos?Hi kworden. It does not appear so. More on this below in other comments. Can find here.Forgive me if I missed something obvious…What is the insulin response when a similar quantity of a plant-based protein, like tofu, is added to the insulin response tests? What about the added calorie load the digestive system is responding to with the additional calories a “comparable” protein source adds (albeit vegetable) …Slightly different twist, but add protein from seitan, tempeh or nutritional yeast, even though they all contain reasonable quantities of fiber. What is the new insulin response? Is the insulin spike related to animal protein or protein (and the additional calories) in general?Great questions. See if you can flip thru my comments and find any helpful answers? About the plant-based proteins, see here. Unsure about calorie load, but it is interesting to me that even in studies where kcals are not monitored (meaning diabetics could eat as many calories are they wanted from plant origin) markers for insulin resistance still improved.You may be onto something re: fiber. We know fiber slows blood sugar spikes. Not sure about what the new insulin response is?The insulin spike in these studies (where the graphs show insulin spike) were due to animal protein, not plant protein.Hope that helps JosephI would be interested in finding out if it’s specifically animal protein or what we put into it that’s causing such a huge issue.. need a study with organic meat vs conventional meat vs no meat!Seem to be the animal protein. I made some comments throughout this thread that can be seen here, and here.This video nails it on meat and insulin. But I found out (the hard way) eating lots of nuts, and raising my saturated fat thereby, that my blood sugar went way up. I am vegan with only a minor ounce or two of meat every 2 weeks, so added lots of nuts to my diet. Nut oils have saturated fats and this loads up muscle cells with lipids that gum up the insulin works, resulting in insulin resistance. Carbs were already to the bone, so only by removing the excess nut consumption was I able to get my blood sugar down to normal over a couple of months. I eat half an ounce of walnuts now, instead of 8 ounces of nuts per day. There should be tests using nuts or oils as well as meat to give us wider knowledge of how this all works. It’s good news we know about meat, and probably dairy does the same thing. But nuts, and veg oils may be involved too due to their saturated fats.You should look at the videos on legumes and beans. They are a major part of my diet and they help balance my blood sugar. I eat beans at least 3 times a day, every day.Hi bobluhrs, when you say “carbs were already to the bone”, does that mean you are following a low carb diet? I ask because contrary to mainstream medical advice, a low fat very high carbohydrate diet is able to reverse type II diabetes in most cases. Some links exploring this dietary treatment are below if you are interested.Study published by Neal Barnard showing successful treatment of type II diabetes on low fat vegan diet: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677007/ “Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes”: http://www.nealbarnard.org/books/diabetes/Information from Dr. McDougall on diabetes: https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/common-health-problems/diabetes-adult-onset-and-juvenile/ https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/videos/mcdougalls-moments/cure-type-2-diabetes/2tsaybow’s excellent suggestions can be viewed here:“Diabetics Should Take Their Pulses” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/“Preventing Prediabetes by Eating More” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/Dude, you’re not vegan!I would like to see the experiment performed again in another lab, to see if the results are replicable, and to be completely fair to animal products, with boiled grass-fed chicken tenders and steamed wild salmon fillets.Plant proteins might improve the insulin response, or it’s the high fiber content. See: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/“… inclusion of whole grains or legumes at breakfast decreases postprandial glycemia at lunch and/or dinner on the same day … consumption of a whole grain or lentil dinner reduces glycemia at breakfast the following morning. This effect is lost upon milling, processing, and cooking at high temperatures. The subsequent meal effect has important implications for the control of day-long blood glucose, and may be partly responsible for the reduction in diabetes incidence associated with increased whole grain and legume intake. “Hi Shane, to perform such a test would require a cogent hypothesis. However the few differences in composition of grass-fed/wild animal tissue vs conventional/farmed animal tissue just don’t seem to warrant such a claim. If you have one or have heard a well-formed and substantiated hypothesis as to why it would make a significant difference, please share. Personally I have only seen pseudoscience that disagrees with established real-world observations and claims based on the logical fallacy of argument from ignorance (i.e. we don’t know for sure so it could be true). Below is a link with general information about the grass-fed trend and diseases in ancient civilizations, as well as an excerpt from a Plant Positive video which is generally more philosophical but does contain a couple points on health implications of grass-fed meat.From Healthy Longevity: “Cardiovascular Disease in Ancient Civilizations” (also briefly touches on blood sugar and diabetes) http://healthylongevity.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/Cardiovascular-Disease-in-Ancient-Civilizations.html?m=1From Plant Positive: “Humanity Past & Future” http://plantpositive.com/44-humanity-past-and-future/ Excerpt: “The health claims for grass fed also seem to me to be totally speculative. Tiny changes in the amounts of certain fatty acids or vitamin E are supposed to compensate for the other disease-causing properties of beef. If this were true, why when I look at the countries that rely on pastured beef the most do I still see evidence of an association between beef consumption and disease? In Uruguay and Argentina, the land of the gaucho, we see some of the highest rates of breast and colon cancer in the world. Why do Japanese immigrants to Brazil have an increased risk of stomach cancer when they eat more beef, which is typically grass-fed there? […] Why in Australia is fresh red meat associated with an increased risk of rectal cancer? Aren’t they mostly grazing their cattle?”You cleverly failed to take notice of the words “boiled & “steamed”. Lower temperatures reduce the carcinogenicity by 5-10 times, it’s like eating a tablespoon of burger versus a cup of burger. So that’s huge, and…“the few differences in composition of grass-fed/wild animal tissue ” FEW differences?you can find multiple agencies verifying these MANY facts:five times the vitamin a four times the vitamin e triple the omega 3s half the saturated fat double the b vitamins 1% the e. colihttp://m1.behance.net/rendition/modules/51783461/disp/0cc4e2332f16bed8975c99d0c325736d.jpgput that in your pipe and smoke itand until the results are replicated with even fried burgers, you can’t say one study is conclusive. it’s suggestive sure, but to say it’s conclusive, that’s jumping the gun.http://grist.org/sustainable-food/in-argentina-factory-farms-replacing-grass-fed-beef/It says they eat 219lbs per capita per year, compared to the USA’s 89lbs. So nearly three times as gluttonous. It also says they export and import lots of beef, suggesting they import grain-fed And obviously it says the trend is its way out, so you can’t rely on statistics since 2010 about cardiovascular mortality stats there. So no, they aren’t mostly grazing their cattle, and your quotation proves nothing.So if I understand this video and the comments combined, then it is not a good idea to add animal protein to rice because the insulin goes too high and increases the chances for future insulin resistance. But if you do not have the animal protein with the rice, then your sugar level will go higher than if you did have the animal protein– isn’t higher sugar level also bad? (And what happens to sugar and insulin levels when the rice is mixed with a plant protein source like beans?)Hi Gnut, I am having a hard time following your question. Let me know if my response helps? From what i understand the carbohydrates alone spike insulin levels (this is normal as we need insulin to usher glucose into cells) When animal protein was increased, even greater spikes in insulin was seen. So yes, you are right, in this study adding animal protein to rice or potatoes increased insulin levels more than what would happen if you ate the carbohydrate alone. The study did not look at plant-based proteins, however, Dr. Greger has tons of videos and information within the Doctor’s Note section pointing to studies that track plant-based diets and diabetes.This place really keeps you hopping, doesn’t it, Joseph G.! ;-)So our standard hamburger on a white bun is about the worst you can get.This information is a surprise to me. I would have guessed that the animal food would blunt the sugar spike.Hi thankyou (cute username!),Your guess is correct – addition of protein and fat does blunt the immediate sugar spike, but exacerbates the spike in insulin. These phenomena are inversely proportional. You can see plots of both in the Gulliford paper (free access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2679037). It seems conventional medical advice has been relying on the reduction in blood sugar response as the best way to treat diabetes, however we know that this conventional treatment results in type II diabetes being categorized as an incurable chronic disease. Whereas an approach focusing on minimizing the insulin response (i.e. low fat vegan diet) is shown to reverse the disease.Can we assume then that a non-dairy ice cream would cause less of a sugar “crash” than a dairy ice cream with the same amount of sugar?Interesting question. Not sure at all :) Maybe not. Perhaps it is something in the fiber of plant that helps slow blood sugar spikes.Thank you for this great presentation Dr Greger! The figures on the 03:55-04:08 and the Glucose challenge with the added meat at the 04:24 mark had such relevance personally, as these sugar spikes are exactly what I had daily when I was consuming animal protein as well as rice a few years ago. Since I’ve switched to the Plant based whole food diet no animal protein , dairy or sugar I am able to consume white rice without the sugar-spikes but I limit it to one serving per day. The best part of all of this is the quality of life that I have now without the 11:00am/2:00pm sugar spike and mood swings, which also came with the sense of lethargy . Now my energy level is consistent throughout the day. It took about 4 -5 months to see the positive effects but it is truly worth it.Hi vegank, so can you speak to what so many people are curious about on this thread regarding starch plus meat vs starch plus beans? Do you have any numbers you could share? Apologies if too intrusive. Also congrats on your improved quality of life. Comments like these are always my favorite.Hi b00mer, unfortunately I don’t have any numbers. I was consuming meat /fish/chicken I usually had white rice as an accompaniment until about 2 years ago when I decided to go on a vegan diet. How I discovered that I felt much better without the animal protein/white-rice combination was by chance, i.e. when I went through an elimination process by switching first to a traditional vegan diet, followed by Plant based whole food when I discovered this website 5-6 months ago. I began to replace white rice/bread/pasta with whole food eg. sweet potatoes. By this time I had a glucose meter and was able to see the positive effects in numbers. The sugar spikes accompanied by lethargy and irritability has recently disappeared almost completely. As I previously mentioned it took about 4-5 months, mainly because I was going through a learning curb but I also wonder if there is a scientific reason behind the length of time it takes. I figured that I was eating the wrong way for decades so it stands to reason that the body needs time to adjust before it can improve. The tunnel vision / slight nausea I used to feel when I became hungry also lessened down to about 1 in a scale of 10. I think I was edging towards Type 2 diabetes before I switched to the plant based whole food diet even without sugary drinks and junk food . Seeing this video (white rice & diabetes) was not only an Ah-ha ! moment but helped me to make sense of the science behind my “before & after” experience. Having access to really good recipe books also helps to stick with it. My favorite is ” the Oh she glows cook book” and her Blog , and also what is known as the Shojin style cooking developed over the centuries by monks in Japan who eat vegan. They use the natural taste and textures of plant based food to create appetizing yet clean food.I don’t usually post a lengthy comment but just thought I’d mention my experience so that anyone finding it difficult to get used to or see the benefit of going plant based whole food will find the motivation to persevere for a few months, until the positive changes begin to show. I had the Type-2 diabetes like symptoms for 10-15 years but now I am able to manage it and have a lot of energy.So S.A.D.Can any 1 help, i have hade my cholestrol checked. They said the total value was, 4,3 and it was good. But i saw some videos of the dr saying that it should be 150 MG, maybe the wrong cholestrol cheked??Hi soeleejmen, it sounds like you may have been given your results in mmol/L. In the US cholesterol is usually referred to in units of mg/dL. A value of 4.3 mmol/L is equivalent to about 166 mg/dL, which means you are pretty close to your goal!Calculator here: http://www.employees.org/~alokem/cholesterol.htmlWhat about eating tofu with white rice? Would tofu, as a protein and fat, increase the insulin response and increase the risk for diabetes?Does the same thing happen with non-animal proteins, such as tempeh or tofu? Also, someone below talked about oils/fats and rice. I know that many stir fry recipes use oils (coconut, sesame etc), so I wonder about that too. Can anyone clarify? Thanks!Interesting, but I would like to see a study confirming that this is truly an anti-synergistic effect and not merely an additional effect (i.e. could protein raise insulin on its own without any glucose involved?).Hi Frank, I think this video might answer your questions. Between apple, oatmeal, pasta, beef, and salmon, beef and salmon had the highest and second highest insulin responses, respectively.“Paleo Diets May Negate Benefits of Exercise”: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/Why are your sources all over the place?Sorry, Treacle234. All of the citations can be found in “Sources Cited” it may be best to find them there. Dr. Greger compacted much information into one video, as he mentioned in the “Doctor’s Note” under the video. I suggest reading and watching those videos as well.God. This makes everything so confusing. If we eat a straight carbohydrate then our blood glucose levels spike. When blood glucose levels spike, a resulting spike of insulin pursues. If we mix the carbs with fats and protein then our blood glucose levels don’t spike. You would think that our blood insulin levels would not spike because our blood glucose levels didn’t, but this is saying that even though our sugar levels might not spike with the addition of fat and protein, out insulin levels still spike, and they actually spike even greater than if the carbs were eating alone! This makes my head spin :(I posted this on my Facebook…I knew of protein and starches back in my 20’s…let see now knew that 45 yrs ago…OMG 65…must be the good living and yes I do prepare my own meals…thanks again for this information I read years ago in “Prevention” a monthly magazine I do believe is still in circulation….old articles are new information to the youth of today…NutritionFact keep telling people…Let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food….Does the combination at a specific meal matter…at the time of consumption (rather than diet overall)? IE for friends w a diet including meat, is it better to eat the meat alone & carbs alone? I’m also curious about the “is it protein or animal protein” question posed aboveWhat about the incidence of radiation exposure in the last 50 years……especially in…..Japan for instance??? How sensitive is the pancreas to radiation exposure?Hope you’re all sitting down….Can’t the whole problem can be avoided by simply not eating the carbohydrate? Eat the clean protein and good fat instead with lots of non starchy vegetables. Much more satisfying, blood sugar stays more even.Eating meat (beef, salmon) induces a larger insulin spike than carbohydrates (oatmeal, pasta, apple):http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/A low fat high carbohydrate diet actually reverses diabetes, meaning that a person can eat plenty of carbohydrate and process it efficiently and properly due to improvement in insulin function.Whereas simply preventing the introduction of carbohydrates into the bloodstream, as in low carbohydrate diets, is externally managing a symptom of the disease itself – insulin malfunction – instead of addressing and fixing the problem and allowing the body to heal and regain function. In eating a very low carbohydrate diet, one remains in a diseased state, with the body incapable of processing carbohydrate.I have read many places that brown rice, even organic brown rice, has high levels of arsenic. This is why I’ve switched to white rice, even given the knowledge that whole grains are better. In this case, might it be more healthful overall to consume white rice? I’m trying to weigh the risk/benefits. I would appreciate your input.Thanks, Caroline Kahni love videos like this! But what i don’t understand is why is data from India not used? Esp south India where I grew up has the largest vegetarian almost vegan (no cheese or paneer consumed here, ghee , yogurt n milk are the animal products consumed here) populations (millions!). But all my grandparents have DM2. I lost my grandma who had to use insulin everyday to complications of DM2 and she never touched meat or was any where near it her whole life (its a very religious thing). i am on this diet n i avoid all forms of animal products but i am always puzzled by this esp after i watch vids like the recent flexi tarians (sorry exact name escapes me) where it discusses DM2 risk lowered even if they yo-yo between eating and avoiding meat??Very surprising and interesting research! I was diagnosed as being pre-diabetic 20 years ago and was told to eat protein every couple hours to avoid sugar spikes. The hospital registered dietician suggested that i eat lots of peanut butter and cheese!!! To say that i never consulted that RD again is an understatement. I have been researching lately switching from an animal to a plant based diet but was concerned about my sugar levels not staying level during the day due to reduced amount of protein from legumes and nuts. Could you please addres my concern? ThanksIs it the fat (from animal products) or the animal protein that is causing the spike?If i remember correctly i have seen a previous vid illustrating that adding fats does that!confused.Have you have seen the research on lowering the calories in rice (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/03/25/scientists-have-figured-out-a-simple-way-to-cook-rice-that-dramatically-cuts-the-calories/)? It seems preliminary, but would be an interesting thing to learn more about.Makes total since. What I remeber studying a few years ago (I believe in guyton and hall-physiology textbook) amino acids stimulate insulin secretion once absorbed or entering the small intestine because insulin is required for protein synthesis and delivery into cells. So carbs plus protein double whammy on the insulin spike. Now the question is…which amino acid may cause a higher spike? Since we’re talking about animal protein and not plant proteins, aspartate, alanine, lysine, Leucine, carnitine? Let’s not forget growth hormone being stimulated along with insulin when we eat these proteins as well. Food for thought :)There has been some concern about elevated arsenic levels in rice. Does this concern also apply to organic rice?So another interesting angle would be to show the insulin spike pattern of eating meat alone, compared to the meat and carb shown in this video.We know that the addition of fat can cause a rise in blood sugar from the ingestion of glucose. Is it clear from this study that it’s really the protein itself and not the fat that is making the difference? Couldn’t it be the fat in the animal products instead of the protein? How do we know it’s the protein?This would be for the Doctor…or anyone who knows how to research this piece from the ‘Blamestream Media’ ;) A friend recently sent me this link – an article on cutting edge science at work. It talks about cooking rice in coconut oil to cut the calories in half! I’m baffled by even the suggestion that this is possible, but the article reports that…’Science says!’ Feedback on this much appreciated: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/03/25/scientists-have-figured-out-a-simple-way-to-cook-rice-that-dramatically-cuts-the-calories/?tid=sm_twSo whole grain pasta or brown rice are okay with some oil, right? We’re just talking about the processed white stuff being bad with oil?White rice is still okay, but brown has more nutrients and is considered a whole gain. Oil is not needed, but if you insist on using a bit a little can go a long way.so what about “eating meat alone and insulin secretion levels” ? you have to add it there before. and you just seperate them in the moring eat meat – on midday eat rice ?One user, B00mer, mentioned this video a few threads below. It can help answer your question. Thanks erthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=coUlGtAqmNg 100 gr carb vs ( 50 gr car + 50 gr protein) vs (50 gr carb )vs (5 gr carb )food combin. | ins spike ( apprx ) (max is 100) 100 gr carb | 88 ( 50 gr carb + 50 gr protein) | 87say , you got a bowl rice ( 100 gr) . if you add 50 gr meat( 10 gr prot). plate before = 100 gr rice plate after = 100 gr rice + 50 gr meat = 150 gram food. wow what happened. you increased total gram of what you eat. you better expect this.the point is if you add meat you gotta remove same amount of carb.if total grams in the plate stayed 100 gr . that wouldnt have happened to chinese its give and take.Is there any research about consuming white rice w/ large amounts of fiber from vegetables/lentils/beans?Perhaps not specifically but many studies focus on plant-based diets, which of course are full of rice and veggies/beans/etc.What about Himalayan red rice? It’s supposed to be very high in fiber. Would that not help keep sugar count down?Probably. I have tried red rice before, but I am unsure it’s nutritional content. I suppose it’s more like brown rice, very fibrous! Black rice, brown, red, all great choices.Joseph: re: ” I am unsure it’s nutritional content” You might want to check out this NutritionFacts video. From the perspective of antioxidants, red rice is beats the others by a landslide!: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/That was great loved it. Too much shaming about CHO caused hyperinsuleamia when protein based foods can be a main contributor to a greater insulin spike.Coles Notes:White Rice is a simple carb – Large insulin response Brown Rice is a complex carb- Moderate insulin response Protein foods like beef, chicken, fish – Low insulin response (no sugar to quickly convert to glucose)Combine rice with protein to slow down the insulin response.Don’t combine rice with fats like olive oil or coconut oil or butter, even though fats blunt the insulin response. Fact is, insulin still secrets and the fat has to go somewhere. Insulin promotes storage so fat can and will be stored.Proteins and rice (or carbs in general) is the golden rule to follow.The instance of diabetes has increased in asian over the past 2 decades and that’s because of the western diet being introduced there… mcdonalds, sugary drinks like starbucks, and pasta places.A typical asian diet only consumes small amounts of rice, very very small. Small amounts of white rice will not harm a healthy person. A westernized asian diet still consumes small amounts of rice, but not may include crap from mcdonalds that’s inundated with carbs then washes it down with a sugar ladened vanilla latte from starbucks.Many of the studies that revolved around comparing asian cultures.. compared them to ones living in asia vs the ones living in the west. Turns out (big surprise) the ones living in the west had a much high instance of diabetes.How do we know that it is the protein consumption and not the fat? (The animal fat and the increased use of vegetable oils?) Dr. Douglas Graham talks a lot about the link between fat consumption and insulin regulation in The 80-10-10 Diet. Or perhaps it is both? Thanks for any help.	animal fat,animal products,animal protein,Asia,cardiovascular disease,chicken,China,China Study,diabetes,fat,fish,fruit,fruit juice,grains,heart disease,insulin,Japan,meat,obesity,oils,pancreas health,pork,potatoes,prediabetes,rice,seafood,stroke,sugar,tuna,vegans,vegetarians	Protein consumption can exacerbate the insulin spike from high glycemic foods.	This one is a little twisty and might require a another watch or two. Instead of breaking this into multiple videos I tried to pack it all into one. Basically, the question is if the modern diabetes epidemic in China and Japan has been linked to white rice consumption, but how can we reconcile that with low diabetes rates just a few decades ago when they ate even more rice?The protein exacerbation of the effect of refined carbs could help explain the remarkable results achieved by Dr. Kempner with a don’t-try-this-at-home diet composed of mostly white rice and sugar. See Kempner Rice Diet: Whipping Us Into Shape.Refined grains may also not be good for our blood pressure (Whole Grains May Work As Well As Drugs). What should we be eating to best decrease our risk of diabetes? See:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24740204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8172116,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22549069,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20548009,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23561219,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24158434,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21310828,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2679037,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6389060,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20335585,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22649266,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24880830,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21051005,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22658670,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14672288,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24040326,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11461162,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24102781,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23181689,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23990623,
PLAIN-2470	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/	Is Milk Good for Our Bones?	Milk is touted to build strong bones, but a compilation of all the best studies found no association between milk consumption and hip fracture risk, so drinking milk as an adult might not help bones, but what about in adolescence? Harvard researchers decided to put it to the test.Studies have shown that greater milk consumption during childhood and adolescence contributes to peak bone mass and is therefore expected to help avoid osteoporosis and bone fractures in later life. But that's not what they found. Milk consumption during teenage years was not associated with a lower risk of hip fracture and if anything milk consumption was associated with a borderline increase in fracture risk in men.It appears that the extra boost in total body bone mineral density you get from getting extra calcium is lost within a few years even if you keep the calcium supplementation up, this suggests a partial explanation for the long-standing enigma that hip fracture rates are highest in populations with the greatest milk consumption. Maybe an explanation why they’re not lower, but why higher?This enigma irked a Swedish research team, puzzled because studies again and again had shown a tendency of a higher risk of fracture with a higher intake of milk. Well there is a rare birth defect called galactosemia, where babies are born without the enzymes needed to detoxify the galactose found in milk so they end up with elevated levels of galactose in their blood, which can causes bone loss even as kids, so maybe, the Swedish researchers figured, even in normal people that can detoxify the stuff, it might not be good for the bones to be drinking it every day. And galactose doesn’t just hurt the bones. That’s what scientists use to cause premature aging in lab animals They slip them a little galactose and you can shorten their lifespan, cause oxidative stress, inflammation, brain degeneration, just with the equivalent of like 1-2 glasses of milks worth of galactose a day. We’re not rats, though—but given the high amount of galactose in milk recommendations to increase milk intake for prevention of fractures could be a conceivable contradiction, so they decided to put it to the test, looking at milk intake and mortality as well as fracture risk to test their theory.A hundred thousand men and women followed for up to 20 years; what did they find? Milk drinking women had higher rates of death, more heart disease, and significantly more cancer for each glass of milk. Three glasses a day was associated with nearly twice the risk of death. And they had significantly more bone and hip fractures too.Men in a separate study also had a higher rate of death with higher milk consumption but at least they didn’t have higher fracture rates. So a dose dependent higher rate of both mortality and fracture in women and a higher rate of mortality in men with milk intake, but the opposite for other dairy products like soured milk and yogurt, which would go along with the galactose theory, since bacteria can ferment away some of the lactose. To prove it though, we need a randomized controlled trial to examine the effect of milk intake on mortality and fractures. As the accompanying editorial pointed out, we better find this out soon as milk consumption is on the rise around the world.	How do I get permission to watch this video?vimeo is a problemHi Joe, to fix the problem, just quickly play then pause the video and allow it to completely down load then play as normal, this will achieve and uninterrupted viewing, all the bestI couldn’t even play, I got a message to log in and was still denied. It’s working tonight though with no frustrating messages. Thanks for your help.Log in? Why would you have to “log in” to view a vimeo video on an independent website, and what are you being asked to “log in” to?There are no “log in” issues on my end and never have been. I hope that serves as some kind of inspiration to you.Grow up! Drink your milk! ….. Oehh, that’s terrible of me :)(Yes I’m aware of the early adolescence thing ^^ )These are the studies that make me puzzled as to why Dean Ornish says what he says about milk. Hopefully I can upload a picture of what I saw at the store a couple months back.Here’s the image of Dean pushing the milk on society.Ouch!!!We have all done things we aren’t proud of, clearly even the best of us. :)This was only four months ago at our local “Safe”way.I cannot believe that Dr. Dean Ornish is pushing the benefit of milk consumption. I think that most of his guidelines are correct, but this is one that I do not agree with.$$$ Search on Google, MILK LOBBY and you will be amazedI always knew he allowed a limited number of servings (0-2) of non fat dairy in his plan, also egg whites and fish oil (well at least I knew since I purchased a cookbook of his which I mistakenly assumed was WFPB). I get that his focus is primarily on reducing fat for heart disease, he’s not vegan, and perhaps does not have quite the same package-deal/non-reductionist viewpoint on food we see from Greger and Campbell. And while I think that obviously an entirely WFPB diet is ideal and follow it myself, I’m not entirely convinced that WFPB plus a tiny amount of animal products will make a meaningful difference in outcomes and have certainly always held him in great esteem for his tremendous advocacy and influence over the years. All that said, to see him actively promoting non-fat milk as healthy rather than just discouraging full-fat milk is kind of disorienting.Enough with the acronyms! What does WFPB mean???Whole Food Plant Based :-)There is this amazing site called Google…Sorry Susan, I didn’t even realize I used that one three times! Whole food plant based Whole food plant based Whole food plant based… that one’s a biggie to keep typing out. But it’s probably the most common acronym we see here. SOS (sugar oil salt) and CVD (cardiovascular disease) come up fairly often as well. It’s true we get so used to using these things we don’t think about people who might be new to it. Thanks for asking!Hi Boomer, I read a recent Q and A that he was a participant in. He actually was/is a vegan (?) but doesn’t call himself that because he likes to have the rare sushi meal down the street from where he works. I don’t have the interview handy or I would post.Correct. Dean Ornish lives in at the real active world.Eating vegan 90 -95 percent of the time, and having an occasional sushi meal is o.k. in my book. With this kind of flexibility it is very easy to exist on a plant based diet.That’s interesting Veganrunner. That was an uninformed assumption on my part! I never pictured him eating dairy or egg whites personally, but with his recommendations for fish oil I guess I assumed he was consuming that himself.The sushi thing surprises me. Vegan sushi is so fishy tasting already with just the nori. I get a vegan sushi occasionally that has avocado, pickled ginger, carrots, mango, cucumber – can’t imagine wanting the texture of raw fish over fresh veggies. Not to even mention the biomagnification or food poisoning issues. But I guess I really don’t crave any non-vegan foods. Junk foods yes, but always vegan ones ;)The other thing that might influence his choices is that in his original published research the subjects were allowed a cup (off the top of my head-it may be 1/2 cup) of yogurt per day. Soooo, although we know better that may have something to do with it.I do likewise and I agree with your statement.he’s clearly tied to the dairy industry, as here in france we have same “nutritionist” (Jean Michel Cohen) tied to Danone and other huge dairy brands and constantly trusting the big media streams (TV channels, radios) to push people consuming dairy….it is all about business. Our society produces tremendous quantities of meat, and therefore milk (one does not go without the other), and all this production must find its way to the consumer : milk, butter, cheese, (ice)cream etc…I agree with you as well. Dean Ornish is on the dole from the dairy industry to some degree like Jean Michel Cohen.Bonjour, Couba!Could you tell us a bit more about the WFPB vs Normal French diets (differing much by region?) and about the politics? Who are the leading figures and doctors in the movement? Are any famous French people or politicians vegan/WFPB? I am fascinated. I have watched a number of Italian videos on the topic to help sick friends in Italy, but it took forever to find the good ones. I would love to know more and where to start in the French scene. If you feel so inclined, I would be grateful, and you can contact me directly here, I think, or by searching my name and the word “dreams” on the net. ( I guess it would be poor taste to post my site here.) If you would like to write me in French I would be EVEN more grateful. My family has 3 generations of francophiles and francophones!wow milkThis is really comes as no surprise. Dean Ornish’s Spectrum “Most Healthy” Group 1 diet allows for low fat dairy and egg whites and his Group 3 Intermediate diet includes fish. He is not advocating an exclusively whole foods plant based diet, and I don’t really remember him ever doing so. He also is a paid consultant for McDonald’s Corporation. It doesn’t necessarily mean that he is compromising his principles and MickyD’s could certainly use all the nutritional guidance it can get, but it does call his credibility into question so I hope that he was commensurably remunerated for his good name and reputation.LOL, That’s just bizzaire.I’m highly skeptical that Dr. Ornish endorsed the creation or use of this marketing item. It’s true dairy was included in his earlier, but not later, programs which were published. His current Spectrum program seems to hold a truly plant based diet as the ideal, and simply encourages people to make as many changes as they are able and willing, in that direction. A quick search doesn’t reveal what this “Good to Know” program is or who is behind it; my hunch is that Safeway or another party erroneously connected the milk propaganda with an Ornish endorsement that was meant for something else. But let’s just look at the data rather than speculate about an individual and a marketing mess. Please see my comment in response to Dawn below.The sign itself says that this is a partnership between Ornish and Safeway. This partnership was also apparently covered as news for grocery industry insiders, e.g.:“The O organic line falls under the company’s strategy to be the health and wellness advocate for its shoppers. To do this it is leveraging existing assets, such as its pharmacy and family care centers and its relationship with Dr. Dean Ornish, to provide “good to know” brand communications throughout the store. It is also working with Tufts University and the USDA to develop a scorecard system that shoppers can use to measure the health value of the food they buy.”http://www.progressivegrocer.com/industry-news-trends/cpgs-trading-partners/safeway-outlines-6-fold-strategy-sustainable-double-digit-growth#sthash.Vec3yEXk.dpufMaybe it doesn’t represent Ornish’s true views, but it certainly seems that Ornish had ample opportunity to prevent this message from being connected with him if he didn’t want it to be.I have known Dean Ornish slightly since the late 80’s. (I attended his wedding, coached him in TV appearances.) Think of the attitude-shifting scientific and educational work he has done over the years! From what I have experienced of his personality and goals, It has been my guess and strong suspicion that Dean was dragged into writing The Spectrum by his experience that many people just won’t make HUGE shifts and need a slower, middle road to get going. Let us who are here on this site not forget that MANY people hear the word “vegan” or that there can be no meat or even just no cheese in a diet, and they SHUT DOWN and flee. Thanks to Dr. Greger’s Year-in-Review videos we were immediately convinced to go 100% WFPB, and the knowledge was sufficient to make the transition easy for us. But such has not been the case with most of our friends. We, who comment here, are apparently not the norm when it comes to eating for a fuller, healthier life. Dr. Greger’s videos on how even moderate shifts can help are worth remembering; and I think Dean Ornish, being one whose head can guide his appetites, probably has learned to include the many who have more difficulty.Right, and embracing a gradual approach to change is a different thing from specifically RECOMMENDING dairy.Of all the classic ‘milk is poopy food’ lectures out there, this one goes on about galactose more than the others. (see below.) OFF TOPIC: Now that America seems intent on eating its way out of the Asian carp invasion, I wonder if there are any studies showing if this stuff is just as ‘poopy’ as all the other fish flesh out there. Thanks for your consideration. http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2015/02/25/asian-carp-is-it-whats-for-dinner/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-PQCCiw_ZsSo, does this mean that yogurt is okay?Hi DanaB. Great question. All dairy products have lactose, which will contain galactose (the sugar found in milk that may be harmful). Yogurt may have a bit less galactose, but it is still there. Milk seems to be the most destructive of the dairy foods, but yogurt and other dairy products like cheese (although the research is mixed), have been associated with increased risk of insulin-like growth factor, which can boost other diseases risks. Another study shows higher intake of lactose (equivalent of 3 glasses of milk per day) may be associated with ovarian cancer risk. Hope that helps answer your question.JosephWhile maybe not as bad as milk, other dairy products are good for neither you, the dairy cows constantly impregnated and injected with hormones to artificially produce more milk, or the environment that is harmed by the factory farms that produce 95% of the meat and dairy consumed in North America (the UN Report “Livestock’s Long Shadow” is a good source of information). There are soy & coconut based yogurts that taste the same and are better in all three aspects.I am upset that my child is forced to take milk with his school lunch at his elementary school. I am confused because I have osteoporosis and Alendronate was prescribed along with direction to drink at least 2 glasses of milk a day and to take calcium as a supplement. I don’t like the side effects of the Alendronate. What is the plant based and most effective osteoporosis cure? I am now walking every day for 4 miles, eating plant based and feeling great. I stopped the Alendronate and don’t drink milk. I need the truth.Hi Dawn. Sorry to hear about your frustration with school lunch! Trust me, as a dietitian I too am fed up! Children are “forced” to take the milk because if the do not school will not be reimbursed. About osteoporosis we have a slew of videos and information on the site that can help.See what you find and let me know if you have any questions?Thanks, JosephI think a lot of my problems come from my years of grade school where I drank one thing a day of skim milk. I thought I was being smart by drinking the low fat kind. Sheesh. Some schools offer juices, but personally, if you can, I would pack them a lunch and put some cold brew tea in their thermos flavored with a bit of sugar. It tastes good, especially if they pick the kind of tea or herbal tea they like.Is osteoporosis REVERSAL a possibility? Dr Kepler gives a “recipe” here: “Osteoporosis can be readily reversed by (a) eliminating the above-named “calcium thieves” from one’s diet and (b) purchasing a weighted vest for about $50 (search for “Weighted Vest”) and wearing it while walking, doing housework, or most any activity for 20 – 40 minutes every day. Start with just one or 2 pounds and gradually work your way up to 10 or 12 lbs. With every step, a wave of weight goes down the spine, hips, and leg bones and the bones respond to the weight loads placed upon them. Bone density soon increases in a healthy, natural manner – not by taking drugs! Gradually increasing the weights over time, will ensure the bones continue to strengthen. For those who cannot wear such a vest, elastic resistance bands used regularly to build muscle will also build bone!”Dr. Klaper is an amazing doctor who gives his patients sound nutrition advice. I would stand by his recommendations, but it’s never a bad idea (and in fact always encouraged) to ask your own doctor about osteoporosis. In above comments many discuss another helpful book, “Building Bone Vitality” by Dr. Amy Lanou, which may offer suggestions.Hi Dawn. My favorite book on bone health is “The Whole-Body Approach to Osteoporosis” by R. Keith McCormick. So much fascinating information–It’s the only book I’ve ever read three times in a row! The detailed insightful information in this book complement Dr. Greger’s videos nicely.Dawn, can I ask what kind of side effects you were having with Alendronate? I too was prescribed Alendronate and have taken it for 1.5 months. Also do you know if it affects LDLs? Mine seemed suprisingly elevated today when i got my labs done. I have been on a WFPB diet for 4 years with great labs. thanks.Dawn: If I were a parent in a similar situation, I would be extremely frustrated. It’s terrible when the government pushes something unhealthy on children.For yourself, I think you might get some very good support from the book, “Building Bone Vitality: A revolutionary diet plan to prevent bone loss and reverse osteoporosis”. The book includes a chapter on medications as well as exercise, but is mostly about diet. I highly recommend ithttp://www.amazon.com/Building-Bone-Vitality-Revolutionary-Osteoporosis–Without/dp/0071600191/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426543218&sr=1-1&keywords=building+bone+vitalityThe truth is short and sweet; cows milk is for baby cows.Completely agreehttp://saveourbones.com/osteoporosis-milk-myth/Dawn, I’m guessing you have asked the school to not give milk to your son? If so, would you be able to instruct your son to not drink the milk, and at the end of lunch return it? Maybe I’m being naive, but surely the school can’t force him to drink the milk.You could take lactaid. It is a scientific fact that the vast majority of your bones is made of phosphorous. Phosphorus is used in energy regulation, your body will salvage it from your bones for metabolism. You should make sure you get your daily minimum of phosphorus, but not too much as some people say high phosphorous can cause bone density loss.I highly recommend the book Building Bone Vitality by Amy Joy Lanou, Ph.D. and Michael Castleman. The foreward, incidentally, is by Dean Ornish. I’ve taken the liberty to reproduce one paragraph of it here: “Lanou and Castleman have analyzed more than twelve hundred studies showing that (1) the United States and other countries that consume the most milk, dairy, and calcium have the world’s highest fracture rates; (2) milk, dairy foods, and calcium supplements do not reduce fracture risk and in some studies increase it; and (3) a diet high in fruits and vegetables consistently improves bone mineral density and reduces fractures.”This is odd, since I remember a study or dietary report showing that vegans have a high rate of osteoporosis. This is something we shouldn’t kid ourselves about (for those of us who are vegan). It’s a serious health issue. I know a vegan who is osteoporotic (post-menopausal is my guess) and she suffers greatly with her back pain. I have some scoliosis and I am fine-boned, so this is something I really have failed to address properly in my diet. I know I need to tackle more greens, more tahini (sesame seed paste), more broccoli, and more regular use of almonds (although I’m pretty good with the almonds. Oh, I use ground almonds (almond flour) plus salt in a shaker to replace parmasean).http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/040114p32.shtmlhttp://www.theveganrd.com/2014/11/dietitian-perspectives-on-protein-calcium-and-vegan-bone-health.htmlhttp://www.veganhealth.org/articles/bones#fussI am trying to address this issue as I am vegan . Btw I like the idea of the almond flour In salt shaker.I’d like to hear more on fermented dairy as he suggested it may be a different story.Here’s a well referenced article on fermented dairy vs milk that you may enjoy. http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/pasteurized-milk-speeds-death-heart-disease-cancer-bone-fractures-yogurt-andHi C. Good question many folks are into fermented foods. Sometimes it is hard for researchers to control for fermented dairy, as dairy products usually get lumped into one category, or researchers look at dairy consumption by lactose content. One study found positive associations between intakes of total dairy foods, low-fat milk, and lactose and risk of ovarian cancer. When I search for other studies on yogurt many arise, but I am not confident that 100% of the time it is found harmless. If anyone can shed light on this topic I am all ears. When I think of why folks consume fermented dairy (yogurt and others) I believe it is for calcium, protein, and probiotics? The truth is very little probiotics exist and the probiotics found in yogurt are not naturally occurring because yogurt is pasteurized (killing all bacteria) and manufactures add back probiotics. Dr. Greger talks about paces to find probiotics. Lastly, protein and calcium can be obtained from many sources without running the risk of overdoing lactose consumption.JosephI thought they pasteurized the milk and then added the culture?Dr. Michael Klaper is pretty knowledeable in the area of probiotics. Check out this video. He discusses various probiotics at the 1:06.00 mark.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KatsJk0oBUIThanks MacSmiley for jumping in! Is that right? That sounds better than my answer. So yes, either way the cultures are added back into the product so essentially there is nothing unique about probiotics in cows yogurt.To add to the confusion:The most recent meta-analysis of dairy products and prostate cancer found an increased risk for yogurt intake–summary RR 1.08 per 100 grams/day based on five cohort studies. For cheese (often fermented), the summary RR was 1.10 per 50g/day based on 11 studies. (There was also an association with lowfat milk but surprisingly, whole milk was protective—but keep on reading for a suggestion as to why all these milk studies may be questionable.) (Abstract at http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2014/11/18/ajcn.113.067157)In contrast, the EPIC-Interact study in Europe showed an association between milk and Type 2 diabetes but found that fermented products (e.g., yogurt and cheese) were not associated with that disease.Fermentation destroys or attenuates the microRNA involved in milk signalling, says German dermatologist/researcher Dr. Bodo Melnik, who has written extensively on the many problems linked to milk–including acne and prostate cancer. (Links to Melnik’s studies are in this article:https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/07/23/anti-cancer-diets-whats-the-deal-with-dairy/ )Melnik suggests that most epidemiological studies are flawed because, among other factors, they don’t take into consideration whether milk’s been treated to destroy the microRNA that trigger constant growth signalling. (Abstract at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25587719)Perhaps someone on your staff could have a look at the links above. I am in touch with Dr. Melnik and will ask him to comment further.It makes you wonder, where is the science that once told us milk was supposedly good for our bones?A few years back, Amy Joy Lanou did a thorough investigation of the research on dairy and bone health. Her book. “Building Bone Vitality” is worth the read. To learn more about her book click on the first link. One of the theories she cites in her book is the long held theory that diets high in animal protein cause bone loss. The second link takes you to an article that questions this theory. The third link is to Dr. Greger’s video on the research that puts this theory in question.http://www.wholefoodplantbasedrd.com/2013/09/osteoporosis-theres-more-to-the-story-than-calcium/http://www.wholefoodplantbasedrd.com/2013/12/animal-proteins-effect-on-bones-under-question/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/Thanks, Dominic.What am I missing? In a quick internet search of foods highest in galactose yields cooked celery. The list is mostly vegan with milk being way down the list?Galactose is not a just milk sugar, it is ubiquitous in animals and plants, Please see “Hidden Sources of Galactose in the Environment” Acosta PB, Gross KChttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7671974Interesting, Robert. Thanks for pulling that study. Do you know if the researchers found any negative associations with the free galactose found in plants? Seems to me the amount of galactose is very small in plant foods, I suspect negligible. I looked at a related article and found this 2014 study, A re-evaluation of life-long severe galactose restriction for the nutrition management of classic galactosemia. If this study holds true, all plant sources of galactose can be consumed except for fermented soy products, apparently.I never liked natto, and now I have science to prove my dislike is well founded!Apparently there are different pathways for metabolism. As usual, the plant one is probably innocuous.The study states: “Non-dairy sources of D-galactose are mainly cereals, vegetables, and fruits, but the concentration of galactose and the amount ingested from these sources accounts for a small proportion of the total intake of galactose. Put into perspective, the amount of lactose in one glass of milk corresponds to approximately 5 g of galactose, whereas the amount in 100 g of fruits or vegetables is measured in milligrams or tens of milligrams.”Hi Dr Greger! You may want to update the “vegan women have twins” link as it is mapping to your IBS video (which btw I enjoyed watching). Thanks so much for posting this type of information as so many healthcare professionals like myself don’t often have exposure in managing patients on a vegan diet. I have been vegan for approx 4 yrs, feel amazing and don’t plan on ever going back to ominovore diet. My PCP is happy w/ my labs and my quality of life is wonderful. Thnx again.Hi esme,Thanks for letting us know. I tried the link and it seemed to work. Can you double check for me please before I go knocking on the IT door? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/Thanks so much for the feedback. I am glad you appreciate the site and are able to utilize the resources. JosephI have always disliked milk even as a little kid, and even though it was pushed on me, I tried to avoid it…it made me feel like I was drinking mucous! I stopped drinking it as a beverage as soon as I could, but became lactose intolerant and sensitive to even the dairy included in other foods. Dairy contributed to a lot of issues for me that I didn’t even realize until I cut it out completely, which was probably the best single thing I could have done! Apparently, it applies to everyone! …and skimmed products can be even worse?I have no access to the study, but from what I’ve gleaned from other sources it seems to indicate that, among the women, three or more glasses of milk per day nearly doubled the incidence of death (by 93 percent) compared to those who drank none or less than one glass of milk per day.Then, when discussing cheese they say that, “Using this range[what does that mean??], incidence of deaths from cardiovascular disease decreased from 37-52%, and deaths from cancer decreased from 5-15% among women who ate 60 grams or more of cheese a day.I doubt they examined groups that only ate cheese and drank no milk, so is the decreased risk for mortality a reduction from those who drank less milk, or was it a reduction from the 93% increased risk from drinking milk?Does the study show that eating yogurt or cheese would still increase risk of mortality, just not as much as drinking milk would? In which case the lowest risk would be from no dairy, the next higher risk would be from fermented dairy, and the highest risk from milk. Is that an accurate assessment of the study?Also, I’d like to point out that women were studied for 20 years and men for only 11 and the cheese in question was fermented.Answered my own question. Here’s what the study says:” In a sensitivity analysis, the risk estimates of the outcomes associated with consumption of cheese or fermented milk products were in the opposite direction of estimates associated with milk consumption. Thus women with a high intake of cheese or fermented milk products compared with women with low intakes had lower mortality and fracture rates (see supplementary tables C and D). For each serving the rate of mortality and hip fractures was reduced by 10-15% (P<0.001). Risk reductions in men, based on a single exposure assessment, were more modest or were non-existent (see supplementary tables C and D)."Hi Val, You are spot on and bring up good points. Dr. Greger mentions that in the last portion of the video, how fermented products differed from regular milk. The accompanying editorial talks about the need for an extended trial. I also made a few comments about lactose and yogurt below if your interested.Still cant avoid pathogens even in pasteyrized milk or cheese http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11908-015-0463-zI found a free pdf of the study here: http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/349/bmj.g6015.full.pdfSInce becoming vegan I have avoided ALL dairy to the best of my ability. I adhere to Dr. Fuhrman’s GBOMBS rubric: greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, nuts & seeds with starches and whole grains. Don’t know if I’ve gone overboard eating mostly RAW cruciferous vegetables (even sprouting my own broccoli seeds), flax seeds, organic Eden beans with kombu, drinking Eden soy milk, sometimes with kombu, etc. Just back from a checkup, test results are excellent, which is what you’d expect given a vegan lifestyle. However, my TSH was 0.11 & T4 free was 1.29, to be repeated in 3 months. I looked up hyperthyroidism, but most available information is about hypothyroidism, which seems to be a huge problem for women. Do I need 150 mg of iodine or a kelp food/supplement given all the goitrogenic foods I eat? Could not find dietary recommendations anywhere. Thanks for making this informative site available to the public.Hi Amanda. Good questions. These links should lead you in the right direction. And I know Dr. Fuhrman has a nice section on hypothyroidism on his site as well. I just wrote a section on this very topic, Should we take iodine supplements?. More on thyroid health from our site. Let me know if these help?Best, JosephGood luck on the Iodine. It seems to stop pain in it’s tracks. It’s a large atom that may be able to break down and get smaller ones stuck in it making your body work twice as hard to signal itself. Remember, just one half tea spoon salt a day or three nori sheets. Thank you for educating others.milk should be good for brain as that is the one thing that is growing very fast when a baby is born outside the womb as the brain program itself for the world it is born into.Smith, that’s what most of us are led to believe, but I don’t think there’s any problems with the brains of Asian children and adults who number ~4.3 billion and who never touch milk if raised on their traditional diets. But milk is the perfect food for baby cows who by the age of 16 months have grown into adulthood weighing between 1,000 to 1,800 lbs.What about lactose-free milk? Would it have less galactose, by any chance?Hi Jeffb, I think that lactose-free milk still would have galactose. Lactose-free milk from what I I understand only has lactase to help break down lactose into galactose and glucose, making it easier for those lactose intolerant.Smith, that’s what we’re all led to believe, but I don’t think there’s any problems with the brains of Asian children and adults who number ~4.3 billion and who never touch milk if raised on their traditional diets. But milk is the perfect food for baby cows who by the age of 16 months have grown into adulthood weighing between 1,000 to 1,800 lbs.Joseph is 100% correct here. By using Cron-O-Meter and looking at the nutrition info of fat-free lactose (Lactaid) milk, we can see that 1 cup contains 6.22 grams of both galactose and glucose. This is compared to regular fat free milk which contains 12.15 grams of lactose which contains a 1:1 ratio of galactose and glucose, so no change in total galactose content.I am not surprised that fermented dairy has less deleterious effects as milk. One thing I like to stress to people who cite dairy in the Mediterranean diet as a reason they continue to eat dairy is not only the limited amounts of dairy for Cretes, but it was eaten fermented: think blue cheese and yogurt. The Okinawans who do not consume dairy have an enviable lack of prostate and breast cancer. Today’s dairy, unfortunately also has higher levels of estrogen due to cow’s lactation through pregnancy- a common practice. This could mean a devastating spike in estrogen-positive breast cancer for dairy consumers or other unknown effects.The book “The China Study” confirms the truth on milkHello my friends. Thank you all for talking kind here :). I was thinking… If the lactose is the problem, is the problem solved by drinking lactose free milk? I have been told before that the real problem is not the lactose, but the milk protein. I am a little confused now.The time difference tells me to go to bed now but I hope for an answer from you :). Good night from Denmark.Hi Macro. Lactose-free milk would still have galactose (see my comment below), from what i understand. And you raise a good point, as some studies find animal protein itself is potentially harmful. We know that milk and dairy protein can increase prostate cancer risk. There is a good chapter in this review on dairy products and prostate cancer. We also see a great explanation on milk and prostate cancer from this video. Hope this helps.JosephThank you very much Joseph. And by the way, welcome on board :).Very interesting. If only more people could hear this message.Journal of GeriontologY M55 (2000) Department of Medicine at the University of California “A high ratio of vegetable to animal protein was found to be impressively associated with a virtual disappearance of bone fractures.” Fully supported by scientific analysis. Also, worldwide, the high dairy regions are exactly the osteoporosis regions. Do note these are also high meat regions.So, following the tradition of including unrelated questions, …So, what’s with this B17 stuff?I was told that this was a reference:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18760245… but lacking a subscription, I can’t verify.Hi :) Loved your segue BTW :) No clinical data to suggest B17 necessary or helpful. Cochrane analysis 2011 came out against the substance due to side effect of cyanide poisoning! If you want that full text article you mentioned, I can send it to you. (Couldn’t figure out how to attach it, so just send a note to info@nutritionfacts.org)How did Sam Simon die of cancer at age 59 when he was a vegan for 15 years?Crystal, vegan is a statement of what you don’t eat, not what you do. So it is possible that Simon had some pretty bad dietary habits, just that those habits didn’t include eating any animal derived foods. After all a lunch of sugared Coke and a pack of Twizzlers would be still be vegan. Or it could have been that he had excellent plant-based diet full of whole foods with minimal processed foods and still developed cancer. And remember that if he was a vegan for 15 years, that means that he wasn’t for 44 years. It very well could have been that he developed colon cancer before his switch to a better diet and it was his diet that retarded the progression an already very advanced cancer enough that he lived to 59 instead of dying at say 49.But just because one person who followed a vegan diet developed cancer doesn’t mean that improving ones diet isn’t a very worthwhile goal. Diet is probably plays the largest single role in the development and progression of cancer, but it isn’t the sole determiner. So while people who eat a whole food plant based diet with lots of greens, whole grains, legumes, fruits and nuts their entire life have a cancer rate that is a fraction of the general population, it isn’t zero. This means that there will be some people who will develop cancer and die from it regardless of how good their diet is.In a similar case, people ask if a vegan diet is so good for you, how then did Steve Jobs die of pancreatic cancer after being vegan for so long, with the implication that since the diet failed in this situation for this one person, them maybe it doesn’t really do much for making sure that we don’t get cancer or that if we do, doesn’t keep us from dying from it. Dr. McDougall had a very interesting response to the critics of a plant based diet who used the case of Steve Jobs as evidence that it doesn’t work. It is a little long, but very informative.https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/videos/free-electures/why-did-steve-jobs-die/Thank you so much for your detailed response! : )Hey Dr ! I m 21 years old girl , and facing many problems regarding low hemoglobin level and iron level may bone are very weak and physique is childish with 5 foot height and 40 kg weight …Please suggest some sort of diet plan or food so that I will follow this and improve my health and also suggest something to improve my height and physique…Thank youPlease tell me some duet plan to improve health …I am 21 year old girl with 5 ft height and 40 kg weight I am facing problems regarding low Hemoglobin and iron level .My bones are weak and my physique is childish please suggest some diet plan so that I I’ll be able to improve my health and physique… Thank youHi Sadia, First I just wanted to share with you that after going vegan, my hemoglobin levels increased from 11.8 to 13.7 g/dL with no supplementation. As a woman, I went from being considered technically anemic to having a quite healthy hemoglobin level. Prior to going vegan I was mostly vegetarian out of habit and did eat plenty of beans and some fruits and veggies, but my vegetable (especially dark leafy greens), fruit, and overall vitamin C intake increased significantly when I eliminated even the fairly small amount of animal products I was eating. I just wanted to share my story to give you some hope.For an overview of iron in vegan and non-vegan diets, I think this summary by registered dietitian Jack Norris is one of the most comprehensive I’ve seen: http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/ironIn particular, the Jack Norris article contains a table with some plant foods that have the highest iron content: http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/iron#table1Once you have improved your iron intake, you can take additional steps to improve your body’s absorption of that iron. Several informational videos are available on this site with tips such as eating Vitamin C rich foods with your iron rich foods (to some extent this occurs naturally with plant foods), eating onions and garlic with iron rich foods, and avoiding tea and coffee at meals:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/ http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/ http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/can-tea-hinder-the-absorption-of-iron/For bone health, avoiding phosphates in meat products and cola, and eating beans and whole grains appear to be beneficial:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/ http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/Vitamin D and calcium are necessary for bone health as well. Similarly to iron, calcium can be found in a variety of foods (often the same foods highlighted for high iron content) such as dark leafy greens, broccoli, beans, calcium-set tofu, nuts, and certain fruits. If you struggle to raise your intake sufficiently through foods, you may consider fortified food products such as cereals or plant milks, however be aware that calcium supplementation has been called into question in recent years due to possible negative effects on cardiovascular health. You can see Dr. Greger’s recommendations for Vitamin D supplementation (based on geographic location, but only for northern hemisphere residents) here: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/ [If you are in the sourthern hemisphere, perhaps you can still guess based on what you think is an appropriately analogous location.]Also, weight bearing exercise such as walking and strength training is extremely important for bone health, particularly in women and those with slim figures. This page provides a nice introduction to exercise and bone health. You can find plenty of information elsewhere on the internet for specific programs or exercises: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00674I hope that helps Sadia! And while strong bones and good hemoglobin levels are excellent goals, I hope you don’t consider your height or natural build something that needs to be fixed. Health and vitality is beautiful at any height with any body type. All the best to you.I have a comment. I recently learned after 33 years of being a milk drinker that I have a strong lactose intolerance, like 2/3 of all Americans. You can diagnose yourself: do you have dark shades or bruises underneath your eyes and upside down smiley faces beneath your nails? If you so, your dreaded dream has come true: you are allergic to milk like 200 million other Americans. You can buy some lactaid pills and milk will be good for you again. Or use lactaid milk. Maybe even have a slice of pizza with a lactaid pill. The pain your stomach must ignore by way of brain signaling from all the lactose bacteria fighting. Those identifiers will go away immediately upon not drinking milk. I do not think it is calcium bones need to be strong. 80 percent or more of the bones in your body is made of phosphorous, not calcium. Phosphorus as a power is also white like calcium. I am now a lactose intolerant would-be vegetarian. On my to vegan. There could be a study to see if phosphorous builds strong bones. Phosphorous is the energy molecule of the whole world, in ATP, and as you age, your body steals phosphorous from your bones. You could see if drinking a diet soda a day (lots of phosphorus), can add to bone health. Remember to bruise with a base afterwards. Milk does have complete protein if you want to get away from sulfur containing amino acids for life extension. I have heard that phosphorus is not good for bones but I do not agree and have no evidence or way to test this, my opinion. Watch TV to see who has a milk allergy. It’s all around and we have gotten used to it.Hi Matthew, have you seen this video of Dr Greger’s regarding phosphorus?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/From the video: “It’s thought to […] hurt our bones, by contributing to osteoporosis by disrupting hormonal regulation.”Article cited is available in free full text here: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2013/05/29/ajcn.112.053934.full.pdf+htmlCaution should be used when recommending increased phosphorus in the diet. Americans already consume much more than the recommended amount and there are numerous negative health effects associated with it.Dear b00mer, Thank you for this post. I hope all Americans get their minimum and do not give themselves a phosphorous shortage. Still most of our bones are made of phosphorous and not calcium. I am sorry for my bad advice. Phosphorous is used every day in anergy cycling. Going from ATP to ADP to AMP, and waiting to add more phosphorus. The drugs they made for osteoporosis, don’t work, and they make people real sick. They all sound kinda like phosphorous too, like phosomax. Too much phosphorous can cause kidney failure, too little can lead to real weak metabolism. I hope there is a happy minimum, as this is my own idea about how the veins can actually eat through bone with hunger.What kind of measurement are you using when saying most of our bones are made of phosphorous and not calcium? What’s your source?Please see http://www.doitpoms.ac.uk/tlplib/bones/structure.php“bone mineral itself has Ca:P ratios ranging from 1.37 – 1.87″More Phosphorus than Calcium in the mineral.Please forgive the error. I retract here. Bone is not 85 percent Phosphorous. However, Bone is a store house of Phosphorous, as 85 percent of it is in the bone.http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/phosphorus“About 85% of phosphorus in the body can be found in bones and teeth, but it is also present in cells and tissues throughout the body. ”Source: Phosphorus | University of Maryland Medical Center http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/phosphorus#ixzz3Ug84dfY2 University of Maryland Medical Center Follow us: @UMMC on Twitter | MedCenter on FacebookPhosphorous is an essential element in nutrient cycling and I believe we know the body robs the bones for a nutrient. I do not think Calcium is as well used.Thank you and please let me know if there is any additional information I can provide.MatthewX:Y > 1 means that X/Y > 1 means that X>Y. That is, your quoted ratio implies more calcium than phosphorous.The opposite! if you had 50 grams Calcium to 100 grams Phosphorus The ratio would be .5 50/100. In this example, 50 grams of Calcium would mean 68 – 93 grams phosphorous. The second divisor in your example inverts that inequality sign as you have it written. All apologies!Sorry. I see my error. You have 37 or 87 percent more Calcium than phosphorus in the bones. Phosphorus is still a main component of bones.No animal products for 8 weeks now no milk products for 15 months, and I ordered a vegetarian plate for the first time in my life today, clueless what it was supposed to be, what do I get? CHEESE on bread :( I guess my food ordering skills need some work. :)What a hoot!Unfortunately vegetarian means no meat but dairy and eggs are ok. I’ve been invited to vegetarian potlucks and it has been very difficult to find something to eat.I am wondering what it is in dairy galactose that is so detrimental as opposed to vegetal or mushroom galactose.My understanding as someone with a vague knowledge of sugar polymers: In dairy lactose, galactose is connected to glucose by a β1→4 linkage that is rapidly cleaved by lactase so the galactose is available in the small intestine. In vegetal or mushroom arabinogalactans the linkages are β1→5 and β1→6 and in galactoligosaccharides (stachyose, raffinose), the galactose(s) the linkages are α1→6, which can only be digested by bacterial enzymes in the colon. In other words, milk galactose gets absorbed, while much vegetal galactose functions as prebiotic.Thanks Darryl for this reply.I still don’t know if yogurt is good? Is there video done on Yogurt as I can’t find one. ThanksHi, Kris. Here are all videos where Dr. Greger talks about yogurt. Not sure about homemade yogurt? Some studies have seen an increased risk of prostate cancer with yogurt consumption. It may not be the added or natural sugars in yogurt, but the actual dairy protein itself that may be harmful.hi i am 7 years old childHi MilkTeaShake! Welcome to learning about good food.thank you for informationHi all- First post! I take a PPi for Barrett’s Oesophagus which drains calcium from my bones. I have a small frame and my mother has osteoporoses. So was advised by doctor to take citrical + D for calcium . I have also decided to take magnesium and vit K after doing my own research. I have been vegan for 2.5 years. I try very hard to eat whole foods every day at every meal. I get no praise from any Doctors or specialists who find I am vegan although my blood work is always fine. I have taken up more exercise classes as of January 2015. I am 46 years old. Is there anything else I should be monitoring for bone health? Many thanks for your input.Kym: I don’t know what a PPi is nor Barrett’s Oesophagus, but you mentioned osteoporoses and bone health. I think the following book is so helpful in understanding what we can do for bone health: “building bone vitality: A Revolutionary diet Plan to Prevent Bone Loss and Reverse Osteoporsis”. The answer is basically a whole plant food diet, but the book has a lot of general information about bones and specific nutrients as well as recipes that might help you tweak your diet. Maybe some of this information would be helpful to your situation???If you are interested, this is the book: http://www.amazon.com/Building-Bone-Vitality-Revolutionary-Osteoporosis–Without/dp/0071600191/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426875889&sr=1-1&keywords=building+bone+vitalityHi Thea. I will definitely get that book. It sounds like a great reference for both myself and Mum. Thanks!Kym, One other factor might be the amount of phosphorous in your diet, especially the type that is highly absorbable. By eating a WFPB diet, you are definitely moving the right direction since meat, meat additives, and dairy contain very high levels of bio-available phosphorous. Another source is sodas which use phosphorous to stabilize them so that they don’t form so many advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Dr. Greger did a three video series on phosphorus. The key with respect to bone health is that excess phosphorous disrupts the activation of Vitamin D from its storage form to its active form. This is the first in that series.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/Thanks for your reply. I will look into phosphorous. Thankfully I dislike sodas, so that isn’t an issue for me. Cheers, Kym.Well, if we are trying to avoid galactose (and I agree we should), let’s not forget to avaid the foods with the highest amounts: Celery; Beets; basil; Honey & Sweet Cherries! :-)Hi Dr, McAnsh,I looked into this and to my knowledge plant sources of galactose don’t seem to be problematic. More of my comments below, if interested. Thanks for your post.JosephThank you Dr. Gonzales. I’ve read where they use galactose to accelerate aging in animal studies and wondered how it might affect humans?…Are there ways to remove the less desirable parts of milk other than fermentation? Such as, heating or boiling?what about yogurt? has the same problems with th D-galactose? thank´s.Not sure. It may be dairy protein in particular, at least regarding prostate cancer risk I commented below. See if my links help?Thanks, JosephOk perfect, thank you!Hi Dr! I want to known, what do you think about this relation between phosphate dairy products and cancer?:Nutr Cancer. 2010;62(3):297-9. doi: 10.1080/01635580903407221.Dairy products and prostate cancer risk.Newmark HL1, Heaney RP.Author informationAbstractIncreased calcium intake from dairy products has been suggested as a risk factor for prostate cancer. We propose that the high dietary phosphate of dairy products may more readily explain this risk rather than the increased calcium. Several epidemiologic correlations have indicated an increased risk of prostate cancer with long-term, high intake of dairy products in male U.S. physicians and males in Sweden. This relation has been mechanistically associated with the higher dietary intake of calcium in dairy products. We propose, however, that the high dietary phosphate of dairy products affects much larger fluctuation in serum phosphate and may be a more likely source of prostate cancer risk from high dietary intake of dairy products.Thay suggest more relation between cancer with phosphate than calcium.thanks.http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/milk.shtmlThe dairy board is not going to like these findings. Can you hear ¨class action suit¨ being muttered in the wings after hearing ¨Milk does a body good!¨ for the zillionth time?Aniseed to help prevent bone loss? This study might be worth a look by Dr. Greger. http://nwpii.com/ajbms/papers/AJBMS_2011_1_06.pdf I guess this herb is sent packing (to my mother ^^ :)Aniseed may be super healthful as a spice, but I am not sure about bone health? I hope it is! I think that study was conducted on rats? Do you see any others focusing on human populations? Thanks, Holden!Glad to help.I’m positively surprised that Dr. Greger didn’t let his vegan agenda get in the way of mentioning (albeit briefly) the positive effects of fermented dairy observed in the Swedish cohort.Before the publication of the Swedish study, I wrote a summary here providing an extensive list of pubmed papers showing beneficial effects of dairy for CVD and metabolic syndrome/type II diabetes. Those studies usually didn’t discern between milk and fermented dairy, but those who did found more benefits from the latter. This is the first epidemiological study however, showing such significant opposite effects of milk vs. fermented dairy.The authors’ conclusion is that the reduced galactose content due to fermentation may be responsible for these effects. This may be true for cheese, which usually contains only trace amounts of lactose and galactose, but does not explain the magnitude of difference in the outcomes with regard to yogurt, as the galactose content of yogurt is reduced only by about 20-30% by fermentation and in low- and non-fat yogurt the lactose content is usually even higher than in milk because additional milk powder is added to improve taste and texture. My take is that we should not once again step in the reductionist trap here and reduce the health effects of a complex food to one of its main compounds. It may be that reduced galactose levels contributes to the health benefits of yogurt over milk, but there have to be some additional beneficial compounds derived from fermentation being responsible for the observed difference.That’s actually good news for vegans, as it now seems likely that fermented plant-based milk may provide similar health benefits as traditional yogurt, without having to worry about galactose.I quit drinking cow’s milk over a decade ago. http://alkalinehealth.net/creamy-smoothie-dairy-free/The jury is out whether it’s good for bones or not. Milk has too many downsides for the average person. Milk is generally fed to babies to make them grow, thus if one is trying to maintain their weight or lose it, milk is not good. Also known to cause stuffiness and inflammation. If an active person is looking to gain weight, they’d probably benefit from a good portion of the 3.25% chocolate milk after a workout.Aside from that, it should probably be avoided.Fermented dairy on the other hand has many more benefits, but if you want compare it to say fermented cabbage (sauerkraut), sauerkraut wins hands down. Both provide the same benefit to the body minus the additional effects that sauerkraut won’t provide.What about milk kefir? I am taking kefir, about 3 cups per week (1 liter) a week for gut health. It is made using store bought milk as there is no organic or fresh source available. I cannot locate any study on this.One of our star NF volunteers made a comment about Kefir grains long ago. I think you can buy the grains and use them in basically any liquid to make “kefir”. There are a ton of studies on this stuff just like there are regarding probiotics, as it is basically a probiotic. More research articles on kefir can be found here.Thank you sir for the fast reply. Will do some more reading at your site and the links. I was just introduced to this site,and will send my friends over as well. Appreciate the great and informative work you guys are are doing.Reposting on behalf of Richard:“A friend asked me if there were any proven health benefits to be gained by eating animal bone marrow? Has Dr Greger done any research on this topic?”Good question, Richard. I haven’t seen any research on the benefits of eating bone marrow, but many folks use animal bones to make broth. Even there I cannot find any studies (if someone can that would be great) to support bone broth. I find Dr. Katz’s article helpful, Bone Broth and Magic Beans.	adolescence,aging,animal studies,bone fractures,bone health,bone mineral density,brain disease,brain health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,children,dairy,fermented foods,galactose,galactosemia,Harvard,heart disease,inflammation,lactose,lifespan,longevity,men's health,milk,mortality,osteoporosis,oxidative stress,women's health,yogurt	The galactose in milk may explain why milk consumption is associated with significantly higher risk of hip fractures, cancer, and premature death.	What can we do for our bones, then? Weight-bearing exercise such as jumping, weight-lifting, and walking with a weighted vest or backpack may help, along with getting enough calcium (Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, & Calcium Loss) and vitamin D (Resolving the Vitamin D-Bate). Eating beans (Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis) and avoiding phosphate additives (Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola) may also help.Maybe the galactose angle can help explain the findings on prostate cancer (Prostate Cancer and Organic Milk vs. Almond Milk) and Parkinson's disease (Preventing Parkinson's Disease with Diet).Galactose is a milk sugar. There’s also concern about milk proteins (see my casomorphin series) and fats (The Saturated Fat Studies: Buttering Up the Public and Trans Fat in Meat and Dairy) as well as the hormones (Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility, Estrogen in Meat, Dairy, and Eggs and Why Do Vegan Women Have 5x Fewer Twins?).	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/casomorphin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/galactosemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fermented-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-fractures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-mineral-density/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lactose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/galactose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/Estrogen-in-Meat-Dairy-and-Eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20949604,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25352269,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15640478,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24247817,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22525982,
PLAIN-2471	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/	Do Antidepressant Drugs Really Work?	We’ve learned that exercise compares favorably to antidepressant medications as a first-line treatment for mild to moderate depression. But how much is that really saying? How effective are antidepressant drugs in the first place?A recent meta-analysis has sparked huge scientific and public controversy by stating that the placebo effect can explain the apparent clinical effectiveness of antidepressants. But wait a second, aren’t there clinical trials providing compelling evidence for antidepressant effectiveness, in fact thousands of them? If a meta-analysis just compiles together all the best published research, how could it say they don’t work much better than a sugar pills. The key word is published.What if a drug company decided only to publish studies that showed a positive effect, but quietly shelved and concealed any studies showing the drug didn’t work. If you didn’t know any better, you’d look at the published medical literature and be like wow, this drug is great. What if all the drug companies did it? To find out if this was the case, they applied to the FDA under the Freedom of Information Act to get access to the published and unpublished studies submitted by pharmaceutical companies. What they found was shocking.According to the published literature, the results of nearly all of the trials of antidepressants were positive, they work! In contrast, FDA analysis of the trial data showed that only roughly half of the trials had positive results. In other words, about half the studies showed the drugs didn’t work. Thus, when published and unpublished data are combined, they fail to show a clinically significant advantage for antidepressant medication over a sugar pill. Not publishing negative results undermines evidence-based medicine and puts millions of patients at risk for using ineffective or unsafe drugs, and this was the case with these antidepressant drugs.These revelations hit in 2008—Prozac, Serzone, Paxil, and Effexor—they worked, but so did sugar pills, and the difference between the drug and placebo was small. That was 2008. Where were we by 2014? Analyses of the published data and the unpublished data that were hidden by drug companies reveals that most (if not all) of the benefits of antidepressants are due to the placebo effect.And what’s even worse, Freedom of Information Act documents show the FDA knew about it but made an explicit decision to keep this information from the public and from prescribing physicians. How could drug companies get away with this?The pharmaceutical industry is considered the most profitable and politically influential industry in the United States, and mental illness can be though of as the drug industry’s golden goose: incurable, common, long term, and involving multiple medications. Antidepressant medications are prescribed to 8.7% of the US population. It’s a multi-billion dollar market.To summarize, there is a strong therapeutic response to antidepressant medication; it’s just that the response to placebo is almost as strong. Indeed, antidepressants offer substantial benefits to millions of people suffering from depression. To cast them as ineffective is inaccurate. Just because they may not work better than fake pills, doesn’t mean they don’t work. It’s like homeopathy. Just because it doesn’t work better than the sugar pills that they are, doesn’t mean that homeopathy doesn’t work, because the placebo effect is real and is powerful.In this psychopharmacology journal, a psychiatrist funded by the Prozac company defends the drugs. A key issue is disregarded by the naysaying critics. If the patient is benefiting from antidepressant treatment does it matter whether this is being achieved via drug or placebo effects?Yes it matters! Among the side effects of antidepressants are sexual dysfunction in up to like three quarters of people, long-term weight gain, insomnia, nausea, and diarrhea. About 1 in 5 show withdrawal symptoms when they try to quit. And perhaps more tragically, they may make people more likely to become depressed in the future. People are more likely to become depressed again after treatment by antidepressants than after treatment by other means – including placebo.So if doctors willing to give patients placebo-equivalent treatments, maybe it’d be better for them to just lie to patients and give them actual sugar pills. Yes, that involves deception, but isn’t that preferable than deception with a side of side-effects? Maybe medical bodies need to accept that a spoonful of deception may be therapeutic.If different treatments are equally effective, then choice should be based on risk and harm, and of all of the available treatments, antidepressant drugs may be among the riskiest and most harmful. If they are to be used at all, it should be as a last resort, when depression is extremely severe and all other treatment alternatives have been tried and failed.Antidepressants may not work better than placebo for mild and moderate depression, but for very severe depression, the drugs do beat out sugar pills. But that’s just a small fraction of the people taking these drugs. That means that the vast majority of depressed patients—as many as 9 out of 10—are being prescribed medications that have negligible benefits to them.Too many doctors just quickly decide upon a depression diagnosis without necessarily even listening to what the patient has to say and end up putting them on antidepressants without considering alternatives. And fortunately, there are effective alternatives. Physical exercise, for example can have lasting effects, and if that turns out to also be a placebo effect, it is at least a placebo with an enviable list of side effects.Whereas side effects of antidepressants include thing like sexual dysfunction and insomnia, side effects of exercise include enhanced libido and better sleep, decreased body fat, improved muscle tone and a longer life.	You forgot to mention that these antidepressants can cost $200-300/month or more as dosage has to increase because they aren’t working. That is a super bad side effect!!Yes, Jane, and he also forgets to mention that food choices can have powerful effect on psychology. Please see Neal Barnard’s recent blog at PCRM.org. Dr B is a trained psychiatrist who has contributed a lot to healing diabetes with a vegan diet, but he initially got into this area by looking at the acceptability of the vegan diet. There is a lot more on this subject, too. Isn’t this the Nutrition Facts web site? Why has this link to diet been omitted from recent videos?Hi, Dr. Dave,Let me see if I can help. I respect Dr. Barnard and have worked with him extensively on many studies, including some on diabetes. Agree 100% ” food choices can have powerful effect on psychology”. This video perhaps does not discuss diet because Dr. Greger hits on that in other videos here, and here. In his last video he mentions exercise as a means for possibly reducing depression.Good point about costs, Jane.Thank you! I have saw many times friends on medication being more depressed than before at long term, and having a strong feeling of addiction towards the antidepression pills.In the last videos I watched dr greger questioned the pharmaceutical industry..and they have good lawyers, it will be good to have good ones on the side of impartial science.. Just in case.I must be an anomaly as I feared issues with the possibility of becoming addicted, but it never posed a problem for me. A combination of talk therapy and appropriate medication as well as the correct dose helped me. I have also not been meds for over 10 years now too. I am not against medication as for many people it helps.Part of the ‘addiction’ could be fear of relapse – which is reinforced by PCPs telling their patients to ‘always take your medicine’.Technically, that is not addiction. But it has the same effect: a lifetime of drugs that cannot be escaped.Thank you for your response and you’re right relapse and addiction are not the same things. It is unfortunate that it is heard that way. I find it interesting the different interpretations that people have. At the time, despite being diagnosed as clinically depressed I did clarify with the prescribing doctor. He emphasized the need for follow-up care citing that medications often need to be tweaked.Karen, did you watch the video? The research seems to show that antidepressants actually work through a placebo effect; patients think they need them, think they’ll get better, and so they do. Pointing out that antidepressants have helped you or helped others you know proves nothing about the efficacy of antidepressants themselves as opposed to the placebo effect.It is sad and unfortunate that pharmaceuticals seem to be the first and preferred choice of treatment by doctors. Even fake pharmaceuticals (placebos) are preferred to discussing diet and exercise. I see this time and time again with friends and family who are fighting chronic diseases. Medications are the focus. They are rarely asked about what they are eating and if they are moving.Or what the other conditions of their lives are like. Do they work, and if yes, do they like their job? Do they have a rich social life and friends, family, etc. or are they isolated and lonely? etc.An additional, terrible side effect of anti-depressants: “certain medications, such as Prozac have been linked to increase risk for violent, and even homicidal behavior”. Most of the school and mass shooters were taking anti-depressants. Even though these are troubled souls before taking medication, anti-depressants still seem to increase the likelihood of violent behavior. “Despite international drug regulators warning that these drugs can cause mania, psychosis, hallucinations, suicide and homicidal ideation, Congress has yet to investigate the role of psychiatric drugs in the vast majority of school shootings.” http://cassmd.com/drugs-not-guns/There was also an interesting article in the NYTimes written by Richard Friedman about the drastic increase in use of psychiatric meds in the US military and the corresponding increase in suicide rate. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/opinion/sunday/wars-on-drugs.html?_r=0Hi Julie. The sad fact about the publicity of school and mass shooters is that the story is usually written one of two ways: > the shooter was emotionally disturbed and on medication at the time of the incident. OR > the shooter was emotionally disturbed and was not on any medication or under a doctor’s care. Seems the media is opportunistic and writes the stories both ways.After trying a laundry list of psychotropic meds for depression, loosing my mojo and my wife, and loosing my sense of empathy for others from prozac, I tried what might be called bibliotherapy or cognitive therapy in the form a book by Dr. David Burns called The Feeling Good Handbook. I haven’t had a major bout since.I read the same book by Dr. Burns and it was excellent as well as many others.You are one hell of a good person and true physician! Thank you for saying what so many are paid to remain silent about.True that!It could be that depression is not one but many different diseases and so, it’s necessary to find the right medicine that works for the individual. One may work well for one person but not help another at all. At present this may mean a process of trial and error. One friend found that wellbutrin worked well for him well it made me feel sick. My sister has been on Prozac for years with good results while it lost its effectiveness in me after two years. However, I’m now of the opinion that it’s best not to trust big pharma and to use exercise, a vegan diet or talk therapy, or whatever works without drugs.Hi Kris.You bring up a great point. I agree with you about finding medications that work. In the video Dr. Greger mentioned that those suffering from greater than moderate depression (I think it was 11% of the study participants) did find success with medication. Finding the right one is important for those with depression. The purpose of this video is not to discourage people with severe depression who need medication to simply exercise and eat a clean diet to rid their problems. No way, that scenario is highly unlikely. I think there is a place for all to coincide, such as finding the right medications and the right therapy supplemented by a healthful diet and exercise. The fact of the matter is that people are over prescribed the kind of medications. To avoid publishing crucial data that deals with our mental health is completely irresponsible and unethical.Oh good grief. Most people need more exercise and more positive social activities in their lives, but finding time for this is sometimes next to impossible. And even then it’s not enough for some folks. The same way some people are more likely to dislocate their shoulders, some people are more likely to feel down. It’s biochemical diversity and eating broccoli and taking a walk is just not going to be the solution for everyone I’ve been on a plant based diet for four years and I exercise 4 to 5 times a week. It does help quite a bit, but it’s not enough to overcome the perimenopausal insomnia I’ve been dealing with for the past year. Low dose prozac, which I waited way too long to try, has changed my life for the better. Even when I only get five hours I’m able to function and be a much nicer person to everyone I care about. Too much judgement people!!!And YES antidepressant drugs really do work for some people.How do you know? How do you know it is not the placebo effect?I don’t think anyone taking psychoactive drugs can ever know for sure, but I can tell you I’m not a person that likes to rely on medication. I control my blood pressure by diet, exercise and avoiding caffeine because I don’t like the side effects of bp meds. I don’t even take Tylenol for fever because I figure my immune system should be allowed to do its job. But I’ve noticed a big difference in my energy level and coping skills on just a small dose of prozac that my family would attest to.Rumicat, I’m glad to hear the Prozac is working for you. It sounds as though you’re conservative about your use of meds and aware of when to make judicious use of them. As a psychotherapist, I’ve seen plenty of folks benefit from anti-depressants–whether or not that’s been due to a placebo effect, I don’t know. But their side effects have often been quite problematic.Sometimes it takes the medication to give folks enough energy and motivation to incorporate movement and healthier eating into their lives. There’s a lot of self-medication happening with the “comfort/junk foods.”I’m not sure if you’ve tried melatonin for your insomnia but it’s been extremely helpful for me and my middle-aged friends. Melatonin is not produced as effectively in older folks and a little supplementation often helps. I get sublingual 5 mg tabs from Trader Joe’s for just a few dollars and they work like a charm. (If you try melatonin and it doesn’t work, I’d encourage you to try different brands and dosages before you give up.)Thanks Speedy. Melatonin has helped with falling asleep sooner but not with the late night waking that started a year ago. Even the time release wasn’t of any use. Benadryl works, but it’s not good for your blood pressure. I’ve been managing sleep issues for years, but the problem became much worse recently. My mothers has been using sleep aids for decades, so I imagine there’s a genetic component. My brother has milder sleep issues. People who consistently sleep well at night should count themselves lucky. I sometimes wonder how many people who are diagnosed with depression are just suffering from an undiagnosed sleep disorder.Have you tried taking another melatonin when you do the late night waking? There’s also tryptophan, magnesium, the herbal teas . . . though you may have tried all of those. There’s a really great radio program by a brilliant functional medicine doctor, Dr. Dawn Motyka (MD, acupuncturist, etc.) http://www.askdrdawn.com You can listen (online) on Saturday mornings or via her audio archives any time. (The archives are broken down by topic so you can listen to only the ones you want. She has years worth of archives–a treasure trove of integrative medical advice) You can also email her and call in with your questions and she WILL answer them–highly recommended! On her March 7th program she talks about sleep and the use of antihistamines for sleep purposes (scary new study linking use to dementia). She gives a range of healthier alternatives for sleep. Good luck.I read an article online recently written by a neurologist. He found that all his patients with sleep problems and headaches had Vitamin D deficiencies. Lemon flavored cod liver oil before bed has improved my sleep. I take a TBSP to get 100 percent the daily allowance of vitamin E. But over the years I have had many different vitamin deficiencies…at 19 yrs old I had an iodine deficiency (?). I no longer take antidepressents bc they make me not eat. For lent this year, instead of giving up a food item, I have been focusing on detoxing my digestive tract. Antidepressents effect sleep too. I agree with you in that lack of sleep can be depressing. So how will I ever get well taking an antidepressent that causes poor sleep?So glad I happened to find this site today. I think the body, mind, and spirit is a wonderful healer if given the right care, of food, exercise and a good positive attitude. Most of the medical profession seems to turn to a heavy handed drug approach for most every ailment. Just my opinion here.Great points, rumicat. I made a post about the fact diet and exercise alone may not (and is perhaps not the most responsible choice) work for those dealing with more severe depression. In your case, insomnia will not subside by an extra serving of broccoli, as you mentioned ;) However, still important to eat a healthful diet and exercise for various responds beyond mental health. I am so happy you found a regimen that works for you! No need to suffer unnecessarily, and no need for blame or guilt :)Onward and Upward….JosephI believe that in time people will leave off dealing with the numerous issues everyone here is talking about with pharmaceuticals, which can be criticized on multiple grounds (some work through placebo effect, there are potential side effects, their function as “band-aids” that cover up the real roots and solutions to problems, etc.). I’ve dealt with severe depression and anxiety. At one point it was so bad I suffered from severe insomnia and the little sleep I could get would get cut short by nocturnal panic attacks. I was in a horrible state. I’m glad to say I didn’t turn to meds, but instead relied on support from family (including talk therapy with loved ones), good nutrition, exercise, getting outdoors, etc. I’m feeling much better nowadays. I think most people are too dismissive of all the factors that go into creating good health (including mental health): it’s not enough to just eat healthy and exercise. We need to work at getting everything in our lives in balance, and coping with what we can’t change for the time being (broader societal problems) while working to improve those conditions so that the future can be a brighter place for everyone, one where these issues are rare or perhaps even non-existent. Past hurts and traumas must be dealt with. We need good relationships, we need downtime and fun, we need meaning in our lives (whether it’s through our jobs, volunteer work, whatever).I believe our current medical view of depression and other mental illness leads people to see themselves as “broken” and damaged, to see themselves as having something wrong with them, and it makes people believe they need medication, etc. to function. People become disempowered, and see themselves as victims of their own biology. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies get to make big bucks. We’re seeing more and more people saying no to this, though.I was prescribed Paxil 19 years ago, Doctor told me I needed to be on it rest of my life! I was anxious, could not sleep, depressed, exhausted, sleeping 1 – 3 hours a night for months. I took half a pill slept 13 hours first night, was able to get to work by 8 but on weekends slept till 1 pm after going to bed about 10:30 at night 13 1/2 hours of sleep. It worked, I felt better, was recovering from divorce and death and terminal illness of both parents. After six months quit the medicine exercise and diet and time cured me and never used prescription medicine of anykind since. Medical Doctor was full of crap that told me I needed it the rest of my life along with a lot of another baloney we were told about both parents and their illness. I cannot deny however that the Paxil gave me virtually instant relief from my almost unbearable agonies at the time I took it, but I did not want to live that way, the side effects were weight gain, sweating, and the odd feeling that even though my life had gone to hell I was happy about it, I deserved and needed to be depressed to move on and so I did.Wow. SO powerful. Thanks for sharing your story, Brian. I think so many members can benefit from this. Shoot, I know I did. Such a complex issue surrounding mental health and it is so personal. Glad to hear you are doing well.Best, JosephJoseph, I resisted the anti depressant for months, but it was immediate relief, I was told it might take weeks, in 3 days it was a different world but that too was troubling, especially the strong side effects on my body. I had to gain some time away from the life tramaus of death and divorce and financial hardship but held on and recovered, I took to exercise because that was something I had always done, than got real serious about nutrition, there were a lot of factors but that little pink pill had awesome power, I certainly do not expect and do not want to ever use it again. Thanks for the compliment!I was also on Paxil, for about a year and a half, when I was in my late teens. At the time, I attributed my recovery in part to this medication, but my current view on the matter is that it was getting help and attention from my doctor, my family, and my friends, as well as my renewed faith and perceived relationship with God (I’m now at atheist, but there is no denying the power of belief to give one strength, happiness, etc.!) that got me better. Looking back, I can’t know for sure whether the antidepressant had a positive effect, no effect, or a negative one, but based on some of what I’ve learned over the years, I don’t believe it was needed at all in my recovery, and that it probably worked through a placebo effect. There are some that believe that long-term antidepressant use makes people more prone to depression, though I’m not yet convinced that this is an actual effect of the drugs rather than being attributable to other factors (for one, thinking of oneself as being “neurologically damaged” and believing that one needs medication to be normal and to function is not very encouraging stuff). The concern that it might do that is enough for people to avoid them, though, IMO. I’m, for the time being, even more concerned about people, especially children, who are being put on stimulant medications, which seems to me even more likely to have the potential to permanently disrupt the brain’s reward systems.There’s an awesome episode of “The Nature of Things” about the placebo effect. Those in Canada can watch it directly on the CBC website, others can view it here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x21rrav_cbc-the-nature-of-things-03of16-brain-magic-the-power-of-placebo_techIt touches on effectiveness of antidepressants, as well as other fascinating topics like 1) quantifying the placebo effect and 2) placebo treatment for Alzheimer’s. Deceptive and unethical behavior from industry and government aside, the actual science and potential of the placebo effect is pretty cool.There was an interesting opinion piece in the NY Times last September about Lithium: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/opinion/sunday/should-we-all-take-a-bit-of-lithium.html?_r=0It claims that the amount of lithium in the soil used to be somewhat higher, so everyone was getting some with their regular diet, but that it’s been rather depleted now, leading to the much larger numbers of people being diagnosed with depression.I’d love to hear Dr. Greger’s or Joseph’s thoughts on how solid the literature is on this, and which way it points.Whoa. Never heard of this. Lithium in drinking water? Super interesting indeed. Unfortunately I have not seen the research to point one way or the other. As of now, no lithium for me – thank you :)Thanks Benjamin feel free to continue this conversation if you find some good literature. JosephI agree. There’s enough stuff in water already that’s probably not totally needed.Do you have an opinion on Laughter Yoga (Hasya Yoga) as an alternative therapy for some types of depression? There are valid claims for its mind/body effectiveness especially for long term stress relief.HAhahahhahahahhahah! Yup, totally works! :) Oh you wanted actual research? Sure thing :) Lots on this topic and I encourage everyone to smile and laugh more, as a cheap way to boost mood and help a friend. Note that laughing cannot take the place of serious mental health disorders, as I am sure you realize.1) Validation of laughter for diagnosis and evaluation of depression2) The effects of laughter therapy on general health of elderly people referring to jahandidegan community center in shiraz, iran, 2014: a randomized controlled trial3) Modulation of neuroimmune parameters during the eustress of humor-associated mirthful laughterNot sure about “yoga” laughter but I think it’s a grand idea and so non-invasive that I would totally recommend considering the positive studies conducted on yoga.Hope these help, JosephWe knew all this over 10 years ago thanks to Kevin Trudeau. Now he sits in jail for 10 years.From Wikipedia:Kevin Mark Trudeau (/truːˈdoʊ/; born February 6, 1963) is an American author, radio personality, infomercial host, salesman and convicted fraudster who has promoted various unsubstantiated health, diet and financial remedies. Several of his books, including Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About, allege that both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the pharmaceutical industry value profit over treatments or cures. He is currently incarcerated at Federal Prison Camp Montgomery, near Montgomery, Alabama, and is scheduled for release on July 18, 2022.Trudeau’s activities have been the subject of both criminal and civil action. He was convicted of larceny and credit card fraud in the early 1990s, and in 1998 he was sued by U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for making false or misleading claims in infomercials promoting his book The Weight-Loss Cure “They” Don’t Want You to Know About. In 2004, he settled that action, by agreeing to pay a $500,000 fine and consenting to a lifetime ban on promoting products other than his books via infomercials.[1] On November 29, 2011, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a $37.6 million fine levied against him for violating that 2004 settlement. Additionally, on remand, the district court modified its final order, requiring that he post a $2 million bond before engaging in future infomercial advertising.[2][3][4] In April 2013 he was reported to have filed for bankruptcy to avoid fines and stay further Federal prosecution.[5]Is this an attempt to use Wikipedia as some sort of real info? Because it’s very hard to separate its’ facts from Wikipedia”s much more voluminous biased opinions and slanted facts. Besides Miguel already stated that he was in jail. The question is not whether he was adjudicated, but rather whether that adjudication had any merit. If you’re trying to say that it did, you failed to appeal to any legitimate authority to do so.The pharmaceutical industry is the sister industry to the chemical or pesticide chemical industry and their tactics are the same only showing the positive effects or what the corporation wants you to know.What the largest chemical company in the world wants us to know is that glyphoshate still works to kill weeds, Why then are weeds becoming resistant and why is Monsanto repeatedly asking the U.S. EPA to increase the amount of herbicide that can be used in and on food crops without showing a significant adverse effect? And, why is the corporation changing the dna of seeds to resist 3 very toxic herbicides to make killing weeds and all life even more profound. One chemical has never been used on food before but when it was ingested it caused seizures and death in no uncertain terms. Yet this chemical as well as dicamba, which is contaminated with dioxins, and glyphosate was initially patented in 1964 by Stauffer Chemical as a metal descaling agent for cleaning pipes and boilers and then bought and patented in 1969 by Monsanto and patented as an herbicide which it registered and commercialized without any chronic long term studies, patented as a mineral chelator, and as an antibiotic and sold all over the world using the rhetoric that it is non-toxic. It appears that nothing could be further from the truth, but with the disappearance of studies from the US EPA libraries between 2005-2007 including those that showed the clinical effects of herbicides used with genetically engineered crops, the U.S. EPA now has to rubberstamp whatever the corporations claim. (P.E.E.R. library closures) Glyphosate and the other chemicals used with Glyphosate Modified Organisms are now in the marketplace in white potatoes, fed to livestock, farmed fish, pet and wildlife in zoos and breeding farms, and fed to pregnant women, and their fetuses, as well as infants, toddlers, children and anyone else who does not eat certified organic crops or meat and dairy. But also according to studies coming in from around the world, Glyphosate has been identified in the urine of dairy cows, and other livestock, and in humans! In most cases in Europe it is from eating meat and dairy because unlike the USA, Glyphosate Resistant Organisms are not yet used to grow food. To learn more about glyphosate, go to: http://www.watershedsentinel.ca/content/gmo-roundup-makes-toxic-comboGood video … I suspected this for a long time. The theory behind antidepressants does not make any sense to me. There is no good theory as to how they work, why they work or that they work. It is a bit like saying if you car is broken, open the hood and pour oil in the engine compartment. There is no indication that not enough oil is the problem, or that just putting it anywhere in the car is going to help. That is what they do with antidepressants pretty much. They use these powerful drugs because they found out the same thing with other treatments, such as lobotomy or electroshock – it supposedly cures about 1/3 of the people, it harms another 1/3, and it doesn’t do anything to the last 1/3. Who would not be depressed living in an idiotic society like we have that does this to people.This is a giant scam on people to grab money, and who knows what these drugs do to people. Really the only thing you have in this world is the amazing matrix of your nerve cells that all work together to form the most complex thing in the universe … and we think we know how it works or what goes wrong with it when people get depressed? HA! How about people get depressed because the world is messed up and most people have no understanding or control over their lives and are deprived by the economic and political system – and powerlessness makes people depressed.If the medical system will do this to people on the scale they are doing it, what else are they doing as well? They put poisons in our food. They pollute our air, water and land. Everything is wrong about the way our society and economy works, but we seem to have no say, no control and like you say here – we cannot even get information to discuss things.This should be the gold standard of an economy http://www.grossnationalhappiness.comI am a person who has had a life-long struggle with depression and generalized anxiety disorder, just like my mother who chose not to seek treatment. While I fully support Dr. Greger, I think the message underplays the effectiveness for those of us who require these meds to remain vertical. I am concerned that some people who see the video will not seek treatment, when it would be advisable. One well-known aspect about psychotropic (depression meds) is that scientifically, it is unclear exactly how these medications actually work on the brain. In addition, every human being is a unique chemical plant with individual enzymes that may or may not respond to a particular medication. This would be a reason why reports are, that some drugs do not work. Second, it is not advisable to seek treatment for depression from the family doctor. Their education on these powerful medications are most likely limited to what the pharmaceutical reps have told them. This kind of illness is best left in the hands of someone who specializes in the treatment of depression and others. A good psychiatrist will know when a medication is not working for an individual and will make the adjustments in the early stages, and if a person adopts a tolerance to the treatment after a time the psychiatrist will recognize the symptoms and make the adjustments. Then continue to monitor. Third, sometimes a life-long course of therapy is required. Again, this would be people such as myself who do have severe depression. In the early years of my diagnosis, various doctors would only prescribe for a period of six months. What would inevitably happen is my mental state would gradually decline, which I failed to see only when things around me had fallen in such disrepair due to bad choices in mates, poor relationships with friends-or the wrong ones, or I couldn’t find my words to form a sentence, or had missed assignments putting me seriously behind. For people with these kinds of issues, the right kind of medication on a consistent basis is a life saver. This does not mean I have no feelings, or am unable to cry. I would suggest here that those would be signs of over medication, in my opinion. So when publishing such a powerful message to the general public, please keep in mind that they may have a relative who is genuinely depressed and do not need someone else to tell them that they heard the pills weren’t effective. Or a spouse may not be supportive and hears this kind of message and refuses to provide financial support for the prescriptions. The fact is that people like me are in the minority. And unfortunately, we are a silent minority due to the extreme bias towards our disease at every turn.I am in total agreement. While I do feel all drugs are overly prescribed and especially anti-depressants, not all cases respond to diet and exercise. Though it has drastically improved many facets of my life, the anxiety and depression that seems to be present in nearly every family member has not been mediated by it, and much to my disappointment, only resorting to the use of meds has been any help in controlling it, as proven through our own “blind” trials because i didn’t want to believe it.This is in no way a “blind trial”: you knew you were on an antidepressant, not a sugar pill. You were open to being proven wrong, and you believe you were, but of course it’s possible that you simply detected “feeling different” in some way while on the medication, and you believed it was making you better. If you’d believed the medication was making you worse off, harming you, you’d likely have felt worse. I think it’s entirely possible, and based on other data probable, that we’re still dealing with a placebo effect here.Yeah Kim, I wish it was as innocuous as “feeling different”! I know no one has ever had a shortage of Celexa for starters, I hate pharmaceuticals, and you have no idea how long I fought to stay away from the drugs and all the other routes I tried! The first time I quit taking it all was good for about a month, and when I started having paralyzing symptoms, it took me a couple of weeks to put 2 + 2 together and realize what might be going on. Even though I am not very suggestible, I didn’t want the element of suggestion to influence me so I had a friend dole out either a 1/2 of a Celexa or a 1/2 of a headache remedy per day to see if I would notice the difference, (they looked identical) and only he knew what I was getting. The first 2 days nothing. The 3rd day- unknown to me then- I got the Celexa and it was night and day. Continued this “blind trial” for 2 weeks and every time the same result, so NO, no placebo effect. There has always been asylums and mental illness, it isn’t new. What IS new is the proliferation of it in modern times, a whole different “animal”. My WFPB diet has gotten rid of diabetes, excess weight, arthritis, fibromyalgia, high cholesterol, high BP, IBS, and a host of other crappy issues. Not the mental ones. I am currently trying NAC (N-Acetyl L-Cysteine) an amino acid antioxidant and glutathione precursor, that crosses the blood brain barrier and seems to have good results with these issues, (and others) and would love to see Dr Greger do a video on it because they are finding so many applications for it. HINT HINT! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3044191/Thanks, MA. I appreciate you taking the time to write down these thoughts. I agree mental health is individualized and a complicated issue. The important thing to remember is never placing any blame or guilt on an individual who suffers from depression. I hope you realize that was not the intention of this video. Please read my comments below, as other have addressed similar concerns.I respect your opinion, but believe you to be mistaken. I’ve also suffered immensely from depression, anxiety, and panic throughout my life, and am now in the process of recovering without medication. Some might claim that my suffering must not have been that great then, but nothing could be further from the truth. I believe that what’s most likely to be happening is the people who are helped by medications are those that believe their medications will work, and their recovery can be attributed to the placebo effect. The placebo effect is powerful stuff, but that doesn’t change the fact that these medications possibly don’t work on their own and carry the risk of serious side effects, and people can and do recover from serious “illness” without medication.I believe that, just like the animal agriculture and processed foods industries lie to the public about the healthfulness of their food products, the pharmaceutical industries have a vested interest in keeping us ignorant of the real reasons people can end up feeling consistently overwhelmed, dejected, suicidal, etc. which have more to do with lack of good self-care, lack of meaningful relationships or opportunities, observing the state of the world, etc. The reasons are varied and can be different for each person. I don’t believe there’s anything neurologically wrong with any or at the very least the vast majority of these people. I believe these are normal responses to a very insane kind of society. We should very much expect that people are going to find it hard to function in the world as it is. That said, there’s a lot we can do to help us live better lives, and hopefully if we all gravitate towards saner ways of living (eating plants, rejecting consumerism, living simply, exercising, stress management, having fun, maintaining good relationships, contributing positively to this world, etc.), maybe one day our society will become more sane, too.please put a twitter link on the transcriptsLooking into this, thanks!Thanks for the suggestion! Just wondering why you’d like the transcripts linked to instead of the page itself. Our thought is with a link to the page, people can choose to watch the video or read the transcript. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!I took an antidepressant (sertraline) for mild depression for a while and felt it helped. The problem started when I got off, which I wanted to do because my symptoms went away and also because all of the articles out there like this one made me start to have misgivings about it. Despite tapering off very gradually, I’m left feeling way worse than I ever did before starting the drug – insomnia, generalized anxiety, irritability – none of which I had before starting it. Am now trying to deal with these withdrawal effects through exercise, diet, qigong classes (kind of like Tai Chi), fish oil and SAM-e supplements – basically all of the things I wish I’d tried back when all I had was mild depression. Why is this happening? Any suggestions? Does this ever end?Oh no! Sorry to hear that, PAsuburb. I am not sure what is going on, as I mentioned mental health is SO personal and must be individualized. My suggesting is going back to your doctor/psychiatrist and explaining the situation. You may benefit from going back on the medication? True, side effects exist, but let’s not forget the side effect of feeling super crummy. That one alone may trump all other side effects. I hope you find a solution as soon as possible.Best of luck, JosephI appreciate your response, but that is exactly what I don’t want to do – unless that is the only option. I feel this is an issue which very little is known about and for all I know, this will resolve with some time. I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet. I wish there were some good resources for people in this situation. I’m like Cathi – I really feel duped.There is info out there, see my post about NAC above.I had the same experience with sertraline. Although I would never have acted on my thoughts, I was so deeply depressed I felt I would rather die than continue to feel the way I did. After three plus months, I finally gave up and went back on the medicine. I did feel better rather quickly, but I don’t like the side effects or being on a daily medicine. I’d love some suggestions too. Has my brain chemistry changed after being on sertraline so long (probably 25 years)? Is there any hope to get off, or is it too late. I feel so duped!My guess is that over time these drug do change the biochemistry of your brain/body. The side effects are real…withdrawal is real when you quit. I’d try melatonin….l-theanine…a TBSP of beef gelatin before bed. Eventually try to get that refreshing well slept feeling in the morning…elusive, but possible?Ahah i’ll have to check and see if gelatin has glycine.Hi. Stopping antidepressants had a very similar affect on me. I happened upon an article online that indicated that the medicine down played the glycine recepters in my brain. I bought the amino acid at health food store, mixed 3000mg in water, it tasted like sugar, and took it at night. I got over the withdrawal side effects. I also read glycine feeds cancer. To be honest my health for the last 20 years has been so poor with regards to exhaustion and not having any true root cause that if I die, then the illness is over. Last doctor I saw recognized my blood sugar level was too low across a three month average and the hypogylcemia was causing anxiety. Antidepressants caused me to not eat. I have gained 10 lbs and no longer feel like something bad is about to happen all the time. I hope you feel better soon :)I would suggest you read Peter Breggin’s book, Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal: A Guide to Prescribers, Therapists, Patients and their Families to understand the challenges of getting off these medications. As he points out it is important to work with a health care professional skilled in this area as well as a personal support network.Another book on the issue of mental health and the rise of medication usage is Robert Whitaker’s Anatomy of an Epidemic. Good luck.I am so Thankful that I didn’t go the anti-depressant route. After doing a low carb diet 15 years ago I became very depressed. Then 3 years ago I became Vegan and my depression went away. Thanks bananas! and Thanks Doc.I plan to try and taper off Celexa which I’ve been on for 4 1/2 years. I too am concerned about the withdrawal symptoms. Can Dr. Greger share any research about best practices for tapering off anti-depressants? It would certainly be appreciated by many of us.I second that request! And suggestions for what to do when tapering off hasn’t worked so well – as well as explanations of what is going on – would be helpful as well.A very good scource to get off antidepressant medication is Dr Breggin. See his books and short videos. http://www.breggin.comGenerally speaking the more gradually the drug is tapered the lower the likelihood of bothersome discontinuation symptoms. Assuming you are on the usual therapeutic dose of 30-40 mg. a conservative tapering schedule would be to take 30 mg. daily week one, 20 mg. daily week two, 10 mg. daily week three, and 10 mg. every other day week four, after which you would stop the drug. For patients who are extremely sensitive to discontinuation issues an alternative method would be to switch from Celexa, which has a half life of 35 hours, to Prozac, which has an extremely long half life more than nine days. Acute discontinuation symptoms with Prozac are rare since it is essentially self tapering due to its long half life.Hi Drjembe. I’m not sure of any sorry. However one of our member doctors, Dr. Forrester, mentions a resource in a comment below. Please know this is such a touchy subject and there are many opinions and comments here that I feel I need to remind everyone the importance of relaying information here with your medical team. Always a good idea to share Dr. Greger’s resources with your doctors for their input. The more everyone knows the better, I feel :-) Thanks so much for your questions I wish you the best in good health.Kind regards, JosephI have been vegan for 2 years and for the last few months low fat high carb whole foods plant based, and a week ago I got my first B12 supplement and in about 4 days of taking it my face shoulders and chest had broken out with acne. I looked it up and its said to be a rare side effect of B12 supplements. I havent taken it for 3 days and I can already tell my acne is getting better. so the question is should I continue to take B12? will the acne get better? different type of B12? I have the mouth spray methyl-B12.Hi Bryce. I am not sure about B12 supplements causing acne. I do know B12 is super important if you’re following a vegan diet. Maybe lower doses could help? Or fortified foods? Dr. Greger has recommendations on B12, if interested. Check with your doctor and maybe try a different kind? Let me know what works or if can be more help.Best to you, JosephNot sure if you’ll see this given that you posted 3 months ago, but I got the same effect with my small 50 mcg supplements, and I solved the issue by crushing them and taking smaller amounts at a time. I probably take the equivalent of 10 mcg or so per dose, sprinkling the powder on my food. I’m not at all convinced that regularly mega-dosing B12 is safe, as per the lack of long-term trials demonstrating the safety of this (there do not seem to be any short-term toxicity issues). I prefer to take small amounts more frequently (anywhere from once a day to every 2-3 days).My mother took anti depressant drugs, but she still committed suicide. My brother recently started taking these pills and has recently gone on disability. I think it made his weight gain even worse. I, on the other hand, have been going to psychotherapists for years and I have slowly but progressively gotten better over the years. I can function much better on my job and in my relationships than I could before. I believe in exercise as well as a mostly Vegan diet. However, I think the skills a person learns from psychotherapy can be the most useful tool in combatting depression. It has helped me to relate to other people better. Pills don’t teach life skills, counseling can. I think the impulse control I learned from psychotherapy also helped me to improve my diet, as well as being consistent in exercising.Right on, Daniel! Thanks for sharing man.Best wishes, josephI see that some people are a bit upset by questioning the effectiveness of anti-depressants. A psychiatrist told me that medications should be part of a total regimen and that too many people neglect improving their health in other ways, kind of like taking cholesterol pills while continuing to eat a cholesterol heavy diet……the medication can only do so much. Heck, even the doctor can only do so much, then we should do for ourselves! No one has mentioned how medications can be man-made isolates of chemicals naturally occurring in whole plants, such as salicylic acid in willow. Sometimes I think of medications as “processed” food and try to use the “whole” version first (if it is practical) to see if I can get results au natural. Pharmaceutical medications can be like placebos in that they are NOT effective for everyone, and when considering the costs and side effects so many people suffer from, I believe it is reasonable to question big pharma and advocate for effective medications.years ago a dr. wanted to put me on prozac for PMS symptoms, prozac was the latest wonder drug. I refused and took tryptophan for awhile, (an amino acid) until that was removed from the market!What finally worked for me was energy psychology. There are many kinds such as EFT, (emotional freedom technique) EMDR and TAT. There is a professional association of psychologists that study and teach this work. They all work with energy points on the body, that you tap on as you tune into your feelings. It releases the traumas from your body. Mind body works for me, and now I do chi gong, which is also energy work. these methods might help people as they get off drugs. Our body holds traumas that can cause depression.Thank you for sharing your solution to depressive experience. I’m going to research these energy techniques. I appreciate your post.Here’s a great book that critiques the world of psych meds and psychiatry:Unhinged: The Trouble with Psychiatry – A Doctor’s Revelations about a Profession in Crisis Daniel Carlat (Author)(Amazon summary) IN THIS STIRRING AND BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN WAKE-UP CALL, psychiatrist Daniel Carlat exposes deeply disturbing problems plaguing his profession, revealing the ways it has abandoned its essential purpose: to understand the mind, so that psychiatrists can heal mental illness and not just treat symptoms. As he did in his hard-hitting and widely read New York Times Magazine article “Dr. Drug Rep,” and as he continues to do in his popular watchdog newsletter, The Carlat Psychiatry Report, he writes with bracing honesty about how psychiatry has so largely forsaken the practice of talk therapy for the seductive—and more lucrative—practice of simply prescribing drugs, with a host of deeply troubling consequences.I am medical director of a 62 bed community-based psychiatric hospital serving everyone from the homeless indigent to the high-functioning insured. We provide individual therapy, group therapy, activity therapy, arts and crafts, a gymnasium with exercise equipment, a basketball court, and swimming pool. All patients speak with a registered dietitian who, if I’m not mistaken, is vegan. They are all interviewed by an activity therapist whose job is to explore the patient’s recreational interests and help guide them in a healthy direction. They all meet with a discharge planner who helps coordinate appropriate aftercare. I have not read Dr. Carlat’s “expose” but I do know that our patients receive humane,high-quality treatment.Psych MD: Thanks for this overview of your hospital. Beyond having your patients “speak with a registered dietitian” how many sessions do they receive while inpatient and then once discharged? Do your clinicians do detailed dietary assessments during patient intakes? Do you order labs to evaluate nutritional deficiencies such as B12 and D? Are there group cooking and nutrition classes in your program and available for recovering patients? Does the food served in your facility model the ideal diet for people with psychiatric illnesses? Are nutritional prescriptions included in the treatment and discharge plans? If so, you are lucky to work in such a progressive, integrative hospital. I know many insurance companies approve just one or two nutrition consults when what most patients need is intensive education and regular follow-up care to change a lifetime of poor eating and related lifestyle patterns that contribute to their conditions. (There’s the other problematic issue of what many conventionally trained R.D.s advise in their consultations, but that’s another matter.)Because Big Pharm is so powerful in its drive to sell their meds and have insinuated themselves so pervasively on insurance company boards, I have found coverage for nutritional/lifestyle approaches to be sorely lacking. I incorporate nutrition guidance into my psychotherapy practice (I have received some specialized training), but I know of few therapists who do so (or are qualified to do so). Sadly, I know of no local psychiatrists who incorporate nutritional treatments based on the kind of evidence NutritionFacts shares with us. Local folks with psychiatric issues get the best nutritional support from integrative/functional physicians, but many of these clinicians are financially inaccessible for various reasons.I’m an astronaut, no really! homeless indigent to the high-functioning insured. Pffff…Can NF team start cracking down on this mystery Nazi doctor narcissist please? The man just keeps making my alarm bells go off.Perhaps the ‘mopping up the floor without turning off the tap’ analogy fits here:People leading sedentary lives filled with anxiety, anger and negative thinking keep feeding the depression. The easy way for both patient and physician is to try to “cure” it with a pill rather than addressing the root cause with: Cognitive Therapy, Exercise, Stress Management techniques, a healthy diet, a healthy social structure, etc….While it is true that those things can be hard to implement during a serious depression, they can at minimum prevent a recurrence.“Myocardial infarction in subjects using anti-diabetic and/or antidepressant agents compared to non-users: a nationwide register study in Sweden” EASD 2013.) another importanr issueI am helped with my anxiety/depression with exercise, vegan diet, yoga……and Zoloft. I have tried without the zoloft a number of times and physically see a huge difference in mood and focus. Again, I am doing all the the non medicine techniques..have been for years…. And still feel that Zoloft helps a great deal.mi am saying this so people on antidepressants don’t feel failure or regret after listening to this video. Thank you.Agreed Paula 100%. Thanks so much for sharing your experience it is so important for folks who do take medication to not feel any failure or regret after listening to this, as you said. I think the idea is just being more aware about the research on anti-depressant medications and the pharmaceutical companies.Thanks again, JosephFor an excellent result and 98% success rate for depression, please google Dr Neil Nedley, you won’t be disappointed, he will reconfirm everything just viewed and more, all the bestThis video accurately reports some of the problems with “evidence based medicine” when the industry conspires to hide “evidence.” However, like other well intentioned analyses by those looking at studies, and meta analyses of studies, instead of treating patients, it dangerously distorts and misleads the public. There are many examples in and out of medicine of the dramatic negative sequelae of covering up evidence, from the convictions of people like Martha Stewart to the enormous jury awards in cases involving the Dalcon Shield and breast implants. In both cases, the concealing of negative evidence led to the awards, even though the products themselves did not cause the many of the damages attributed to them. The studies attempting to demonstrate evidence of efficacy and evidence of adverse effects in patients, or those accepted for “studies” are themselves deeply flawed and most of them don’t involve real world patients and real world treatment strategies. Meta-analyses merely compile more bad data. Garbage in, garbage out. And the nocebo effect, the “side effects” of placebos are as likely to negate the potential benefits of medications as the placebo effect is likely to provide the benefits attributed to them. It is exceedingly difficult to demonstrate antidepressant efficacy in a “study” of human beings, given the innumerable variables that can’t be controlled and the methodological limitations of studies on people, for many reasons, but the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, any more than it is in every medical specialty, including oncology, where extremely toxic chemotherapies are employed on the basis of evidence of additional days or months of tormented survival. Those of us who treat real depressed human beings, in the real world, and the patients whose lives are literally saved, or saved from endless suffering can attest to the undeniable efficacy of antidepressants. I and many of my colleagues preach the value of good nutrition, as recommended on this site, to which I am an avid subscriber, and of exercise, both of which many of us practice as we preach. I am far more qualified to report the real world evidence, not theoretical or epidemiological or statistical evidence of the benefits to patients of meditation, exercise and healthy diet than you are to address the utility of medications for one of the most disabling, costly conditions suffered by human primates-depression. They are not mere placebos and they are certainly not among the most potentially dangerous medications prescribed by physicians. That patients treated with them are more likely to suffer recurrences is testimony to the nature of the illness and the likelihood that the sickest are the most likely to receive medication. For those of us dedicated to relieving suffering, every potential beneficial intervention, from various psychotherapies, to mindfulness to acupuncture, to nutritional supplements, to herbs and vitamins, is in our armamentarium or by referral to expert colleagues. Anti-depressant medications are clearly the most effective, alone and in combination with other treatments. We who treat the depressed know that the same way we recognize our wives, without the necessity to collect data and determine who they are probabilistically. We may need studies to demonstrate the potential superiority of actual drugs to placebo, in order to have them made available to us, but it is direct clinical experience that persuades us about which drugs work and for whom, and which treatment emergent adverse events reflect true side effects, and the relative frequency with which they occur. Fortunately, we now have genetic testing to help us take some of the trial and error approach to which we have been condemned and choose medications more likely to help and less likely to cause real side effects in individual patients. Your clever, facile video does a serious disservice to the depressed people who watch it and believe it enough to eschew potentially beneficial treatment. And the cost of depression, literally in the cost of missed work as well as treatment, and the suffering that can’t be calculated numerically far exceeds the cost of medication, though the costs of medicines in this country, at the hands of big Pharma, now for generics as well as branded drugs, admittedly often border on obscene gouging.I support questioning drug companies and making sure people are informed but we have to be careful, especially when dealing with mental illness. I took anti depressants for 5 years because I had to. I would not be here typing this message if I hadn’t taken them. They most definitely helped me come out of my catatonic depression. Now, I no longer need them and do find that consistent exercise and a health diet helps my mood significantly but please don’t dismiss real results from real people who have had to rely on them in order to survive.Thanks, Em. I most definitely agree with you. I just replied to Paula (here), a member who posted about her experience below. Thanks for adding the extra note of caution.Best, JosephI am 71 years old and don’t know what depression is. No matter. This is the best website on the planet for nutritional facts and guidance. This coming May 9th I will have been a vegan for one year. How ” ’bout them apples,” as my late uncle used to say. I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but it was surprisingly easy. Keep up the good work, NutritionFacts.com! Dr. Michael Greger and his staff are the best. It’s where you’ll find the truth.Pen and ink change to my previous comment. Change website comment to read NutritionFacts.org! Sorry folks. Hmm. Note to self: Add more Turmeric to diet this week. :-)Hi I understand that exercise helps with depression. But how do you get a depressed person that has no desire, motivation and energy to go and exercise?Hi Diana. I’m not sure there is a right answer. I think it is so individualized and depends on the level of depression, past experiences, struggles, how someone deals with stress, how they have dealt with stress in the past, what they have in their life, what they have to look forward to, their social support system, diet. Counseling can be a very good thing. Also, exercise can be defined as gardening, chasing children around, walking. I always try to encourage people who don’t necessarily enjoy going to the gym, lifting weights, or running on a treadmill, to find activities they enjoy or think of ones performed in the past, as a kid. Of course I am not qualified to really say what is best so forgive me just trying to empathize a bit. Diet has been shown to boost moods, but then again how do you get someone who is depressed to change their eating patterns? Certainly a good topic for discussion.Thanks for your question, JosephIf exercise, drugs and placebos all have the same benefit for treatment of depression, what’s the likelihood that all three are placebos?Good question, John. I am not sure they were all considered to have the same benefit for treatment, but the research Dr. Greger presents is interesting.FDA itself is a “Placebo” government agency (totally useless and more harmful than harmless). 98% of processed foods and cooked foods are “Placebo” with more harm than good (Hamburger, hot dog, fried chicken, french fries, Coke, Pepsi, Budweiser, milk, omelette, cheese, steak, bacon, potato chips, candies, etc….)I’m aware of the research. I am also one of those people whose life was saved by antidepressants. All those alternative methods were ones I couldn’t use BECAUSE I was so suicidally depressed I was almost totally paralyzed. It took several years to find the correct dose – the original one was too low – and there may have been negative consequences. But I’m alive and might not have been.As I’ve gotten older and more content with myself – as the self-loathing component of depression has eased – I find that I occasionally get a bout of depression that seems to be purely physical. The bouts can hit with no warning and seem to have no obvious trigger. As I read more about this, I may try reducing my dosage very slowly and see what happens. I’ve tried before and got hit with very severe depressions.I am not recommending this for everyone. Those who are able to use exercise or diet — more power to them. I use Prozac in conjunction with long-term therapy and it might have been less effective without that. I’ll never know. It wasn’t just the therapy that helped, however; I won’t go into details, but have many years’ experience that prove this to my satisfaction.Generic Prozac, if it words, isn’t all that expensive any more – at least if one has insurance. And there is low-priced coverage for those with very low incomes provided by some companies and many public clinics. I know there are many people who do not have insurance, but don’t be scared off before you ask if the alternate methods haven’t worked for you.Hi Cathleen. Thanks for sharing your experience that is such a powerful statement! I most definitely agree with you. Others have shared similar experiences throughout this tread and I have commented below if you’re interested in reading more.Thanks again for commenting, JosephI have been practicing psychiatry for 33 years and I have some concerns about your recent presentation about the comparison between antidepressant medications to placebos. I agree that antidepressant medications are most useful for more severe depression with significant sleep disturbance. I fear that the tone of your discussion will discourage some people who could benefit from these medications from using them. I also believe that there are historical reasons why the studies from the time period included in the meta analysis demonstrate little separation between placebo and medication response. First there are other ways of differentiating pharmacologic from placebo effect. One study looked at what happens when you randomly substitute placebos for active medications in people who are experiencing benefit from medication. A much higher percentage of those switched to placebo relapsed compared to those continued on active medication. If the medication effect is predominately placebo, this loss of response should not happen. Another approach is to look at the effectiveness of these same medications in treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, OCD. In this patient population the placebo effect is quite low where the medication effect is quite strong. Is this because we are treating a different disease of because we are treating a different patient population. I think the answer is a little of both. The evidence for a different patient population comes from looking at effectiveness studies involving Lithium over time. In the 1960s the difference between Lithium and placebo was large. By the 1990s that difference had shrunk considerably. Is Lithium loosing effect or are different patients being used in the studies. My clinical experience suggests the latter. What are the differences in the study populations. At least a couple of characteristics. First, in the 1960s we were a predominantly Freudian culture and the idea that medication could treat mood disorders was novel. There was little expectation of success to feed the placebo effect. Second, and more important, is the fact that medication responders never make it into pharmacology research these days. They have been successfully treated by their primary care physician. The people who make it into these studies have personality disorders and other complicating factors, making them a population with low medication responsiveness and high placebo response. I can attest to this characterization from my time at the University of Pittsburgh doing screening examinations for research protocols. The fact that very few patients with OCD are successfully treated by their primary care physicians means that more medication responsive patients make it into research protocols. Therefor, without an historical perspective, one may not truly understand research findings, even those provided by meta-analysis.Hi Dr. Mike. I really appreciate your comments. They are helpful for me and our members to better understand the issues with research on anti-depressants. Many members have expressed similar concerns and I have commented on their experiences here and throughout this thread. Please feel free to add to the discussing as you lay out important points.Thanks, JosephIn a talk Peter Gotzsche pointed out that placebo may not be better than doing nothing. It’s like spontaneous breast cancer remission. Depression – when left untreated – has a high rate of disappearing on its own. The drugs are addictive, that’s why people keep being hooked on meds for so long. So perhaps doctors don’t really have to lie and prescribe placebo. :-)I hope somebody quickly shuts down this idea that lying to patients is a good one.Vitamin D and Vitamin D3 are vitamins that have been recommended for depression. B12, as this site notes, should be supplemented in the diet of the Vegan. B12, the main ingredient in five hour energy, can give people a lot of power in their lives, as can these other two safe vitamins. I would argue that antidepressants cause suicide not just in teens anymore, in my opinion, they cause stigma, weight gain, and impotence in all who try them. I have a lactose intolerance and am going to start eating less milk (go Vegans!, I’ll get close to being one), but I think I’d drink Lactaid just for the D vitamins. If that still doesn’t make a patient feel better, they could drink a tea made from flower petals, such as hibiscus or elderflower tea, and eat nuts or be with a plant that they can identify. This is a great cause of the delta brain wave which can heal a person and make them feel better. If they wish to achieve more, they could drink green tea, known for causing the alpha brain wave, as do D vitamins, More than 80 million Americans live in an institution every year, most of them chronically so, all for mood disorders and what gets misrepresented as illness may for the most of them a mineral gap, such as Vitamin D, B3, or B12. Long known to be nutrition facts as the cause of illness in a growing world.I wrote a long rebuttal to the misleading blog about antidepressants after Jane’s comments and submitted it. Where is it?Hi Dr. Hoffman. I am not sure? Has a Jane commented on here? I did see your post below and I am thankful for your comments. I am sorry you feel the video is doing a disservice to those who suffer from depression, that is certainly not the intention of the video. If you scroll through the comment thread I feel many who do suffer from depression have voiced their experiences and mentioned, as you did, how we need be cautions how these results are interpreted. I certainly agree.One of the fundamental problems with this discussion and debate, it would seem, is the generally poor health and behavioral health literacy of the population at large. Medicine is an esoteric, complex, and nuanced profession founded in countless scientific studies and years of collective experience. Physicians diligently work to stay abreast of the necessary knowledge and new information and discoveries in their respective fields, and given the volume of published literature every month, this is no small feat. The problem comes when non-medical experts, armed with scientific knowledge apply that knowledge out of context. I agree with the many concerns raised in this posting that caution must be applied to findings such as these presented in this video. I absolutely agree with the video that our understanding as psychiatrists of mild to moderate depression is such that antidepressant medications are often as effective as individual therapy and behavioral interventions (such as changes in sleep, diet, and exercise), and also not very superior to placebo. However, it is dangerous to generalize this truth to all presentations of depression and the public at large. Lost in translation are such important facts that the true etiology of depression has not been completely elucidated yet, that depression may manifest for multiple reasons, and that treatment of such a complex disorder must be tailored individually to each individual. Without a comprehensive understanding of the field or the disorder arise problematic generalizations such as that antidepressants are wholly bad, addictive, always cause suicide or violent behavior, that all depression represents or can be cured by vitamin or other micro-nutrient supplements, or dismissal altogether. This of course is no fault of the public, but should be owned by society for educational neglect of such important issues, and the fields of medicine and psychiatry for not clearly disseminating correct and concise information and challenging myths and over-generalizations that lead to and continue stigma and disbelief of the veracity of behavioral health issues and their effective and rational treatments.I have to say that there are some doctors who actually keep up with all those studies, unfortunately, I haven’t seen one of them! The doctors here try to hand out the same medications for every patient and get angry, slam the door, and walk out if a patient wants more information, such as side effects. They are also unwilling to accept the fact that not everyone can take every prescription. Also when a patient presents their allergy list to the doctor, that doctor says that “that can’t be”! That has happened to many patients here. It has happened to me personally several times.I have been researching this for years. As there is no definite understanding of depression it always bothered me that we would be passing out powerful drugs for possible solutions.We now have several, double blind, independent studies that prove that exercise and or meditation are both more effective then medications.One European study had a better result with placebo’s then medication.Love your site! I was just watching/listening to your piece on Antidepressant drugs and their placebo effect and thought I’d share an experience.Several years ago I had my GP hand me a sample of Gabapentin to take for my anxiety. Of course, I’d been indoctrinated to do as instructed by my physician, so I began taking it and in less than a week, I noticed it not only helped to assuage my anxiety, but also made me feel like I could easily “check out” of my own life – like everything that mattered to me could easily be ignored and forgotten. I became scared at that point, and quit taking the drug in the second week.The aftermath is that the drug permanently altered my brain processing and I no longer process information (make connections) in the same way I used to and counted on for my career in the visual arts. I never saw anything in the literature that suggested what happened to me, but it made me realize that doctors don’t necessarily know very much about the drugs they prescribe and drug manufacturers don’t do their due diligence before putting it on the market.Ever since, I try to stay away from all drugs as much as I’m able to. I realize some of them are functional and necessary, but I also realize all drugs come with a cost.Best, R. Miller -Dr. Joseph I have 2 questions: First, if the meta studies are concluding that no one medicine works better than placebo for a “group” of depressed folks, is it still possible that each medicine is effective beyond placebo level for its own segment of the population? For instance, could it be that Prozac is amazing for 15-20pct of the population, Wellbutrin works great for its own 15percent, and so on? Maybe it’s just hard for me to swallow this idea that it’s all placebo effect, but my experience was that some meds were bad for me, some were neutral but annoying, and one or two helped me significantly. If I had been enrolled in one of those studies, measuring just one drug, the chances are that I also would have been a data point saying that one specific drug had no real benefit. Are there any studies using a range of meds the way psychiatrists actually prescribe them, versus placebo? Second question: Are there any serious studies telling us how effective St John’s Wort and other herbal remedies for depression are versus placebo (and versus Prozac et al)?HI Justin, I think you bring up important points. These medications can certainly have different effects on different people. It’s important when addressing mental heath to realize how individual a treatment must be. There is some researchSt. Johns Wort add depression. It doesn’t appear that it helped from this study, or this study, but I see no problem with looking for herbal alternatives that may help. Dr. Forrester also mentions important notes about depression, as well as others in this thread. I hope that is helpful.And I was just mulling over, this past few days, scheduling an appointment to get on an antidepressant. Mostly I’m bored and not exercising enough, and not getting enough phytonutrients.The small advantage antidepressants had over placebo effect is likely because the research being looked at here used inactive placebos. Research using active placebos detect zero difference, hinting that the effect of antidepressants really is due to the placebo effect entirely, not the placebo effect + some small help from the pill.	antidepressants,body fat,depression,diarrhea,exercise,FDA,Freedom of Information Act,industry influence,insomnia,lifespan,longevity,medications,mental health,mood,muscle health,nausea,placebo effect,Prozac,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,side effects,SSRI's,weight gain	Freedom of Information Act documents show drug companies hid critical findings from doctors and the public.	Exercise as good as antidepressants? See my last video, Exercise vs. Drugs for DepressionThere are other ways meta-analyses can be misleading. See The Saturated Fat Studies: Buttering Up the Public and The Saturated Fat Studies: Set Up to Fail.More on the ethical challenges facing doctors and whether or not to prescribe sugar pills in The Lie That Heals: Should Doctors Give Placebos?I’ve used the Freedom of Information Act myself to get access to behind the scenes industry shenanigans. See for example what I found out about the egg industry in Who Says Eggs Aren’t Healthy or Safe? and Eggs and Cholesterol: Patently False and Misleading Claims.This isn’t the only case of the medical profession overselling the benefits of drugs. See The Actual Benefit of Diet vs. Drugs and Why Prevention is Worth a Ton of Cure (though if you’re worried about your mood they might make you even more depressed!)	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antidepressants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ssris/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/freedom-of-information-act/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/placebo-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25162656,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18199864,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20962066,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2582668/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21495519,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20170046,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18303940,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25279271,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23823902,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24802771,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23341568,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21856612,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22536191,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3736946/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20051569,
PLAIN-2472	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-vs-drugs-for-depression/	Exercise vs. Drugs for Depression	We’ve known for decades that even a single bout of exercise can elevate our mood, but enough to be used as a treatment for major depression? Well we know physical activity has been associated with decreased symptoms of depression, for example if you look at a cross-section of 8,000 people across the country, those that exercised regularly were less likely to have a major depression diagnosis.That’s just a snapshot in time, though. If you look at that study, the researcher openly admits this may be a case of reverse causation. Maybe exercise didn’t cut down on depression, maybe depression cut down on exercise. The reason depression may be associated with low physical activity is that they feel too lousy to get out of bed. What we need is an interventional study, where you take people who are already depressed and randomize them into an exercise intervention and see if they get better. And that’s what we got.Men and women over 50 with major depression were randomized to either do an aerobic exercise program for four months or take an antidepressant drug called Zoloft. This is where they started out before, with Hamilton Depression scores up around 18—anything over seven is considered depressed, but within four months the drug group came down to normal, which are exactly what the drugs are supposed to do. What about the exercise only group, no drugs? Same powerful effect.They conclude that an exercise training program may be considered an alternative to antidepressants for treatment of depression in older persons, given that they’ve shown that a group program of aerobic exercise is a feasible and effective treatment for depression, at least for older people.Not so fast, though. A group program? They had the exercise group folks come in three times a week for a group class. Maybe the only reason the exercise group got better is because they were forced to get out of bed, interact with people—maybe it was the social stimulation and had nothing to do with the actual exercise. Before you could definitively say that exercise can work just as good as drugs, what you’d like to see is the same study but with like an additional group, the same two plus a home exercise group, where they were just told to exercise on their own at home, no extra social interaction. But nothing like that had ever been done, until it was. The largest exercise trial of patients with major depression conducted to date, and not just including older folks but other adults as well and three different treatment groups this time, a home exercise group in addition to the supervised group exercise and drug group as before. And they all worked about just as well in terms of forcing the depression into remission.So we can say with confidence that exercise is comparable to antidepressant medication in the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder.Putting all the best studies together, they indicate that exercise, at least, has a moderate antidepressant effect, and at best, exercise has a large effect on reductions in depression symptoms and could be categorized as a very useful and powerful intervention. Unfortunately, while studies support the use of exercise as a treatment for depression, exercise is rarely prescribed as a treatment for this common and debilitating problem.	Thank you! That’s why I am on my trainer right now. In fact, exercise saved my life during residency. :-)On treating depression with “plants”, see The New Yorker article “The Trip Treatment. Research into psychedelics, shut down for decades, is now yielding exciting results.” by MICHAEL POLLAN. Mushrooms!See also Dr Bernard’s latest blog entry (PCRM.org, 2/27/15) titled “Foods that Fight Depression.” He was trained as a psychiatrist.Tobias: That’s a ***fascinating*** article. Thank you for the tip!I’ll read it again and take notes this time. It seems that the article was published years ago yet the author has updated it.Hi Tobias, don’t know if you’ve seen this already, I saw it a while back and it was pretty interesting – a “This is Life with Lisa Ling” special about another hallucinogenic plant, ayahuasca: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJDyqqFk81Mb00mer: I thought you would be interested to know that I clicked the link and it says that the video is not available because the account has been terminated. Too bad. I was really interested.Something funny is happening, I see the same message when I try my embedded link, but when I searched for it on youtube, the account and video are still available. If you search “This Is Life With Lisa Ling Season 1 Episode 5 Jungle Fix” on youtube I think you should be able to see it.Great! Thanks for the follow up. It didn’t occur to me to search YouTube directly.what kind of exercise did they make them do?In both of the exercise studies: 3 times per week (for 16 weeks), 10 minutes of warm-up followed by 30 minutes of walking/jogging while maintaining a heart rate corresponding to 70% to 85% maximum heart rate reserve (as tested at the start of the study), followed by 5 minutes of cool down.AerobicJust standing on your feet every 30 min and move around for a few minutes already helps, and is probably the easiest thing to do. If you watch TV use the commercial time, internet use or games setting an egg timer will help jolt you out of that hyperfocussed but narrowed state of mind.I eat healthy and exercise. In fact I exercised outdoors daily and no one had to encourage me. To be frank neither worked for me as the antidote for depression. I wish it did as I’m not too keen on taking meds. What did help was a combination of talk therapy and meds and my own determination to feel better. Partnering with good doctors and medical staff who listen well and treat me as a person and eliminating “unhelpful” help was also key and beneficial to my health and well-being.Karen you make a great point. Thanks for sharing your experience. Depression is serious and it is important to know what works for you. Exercise may help, but as you pointed out it is much more complicated than simply going outside and moving. So glad you are getting the right care you deserve!Of course, you in your white coat would think so. You’ve been trained by the Big Pharma.I’ve made exercise a daily part of my life since I was a child and yet I suffer from incapacitating major depression disorder. I also eat vegan which doesn’t seem to confer an immunity on me. I was born with Gilbert’s disease which I suspect is the cause of my depression because many other people with the disease report it as one of its symptoms (other common symptoms include lethargy, stomach problems and jaundice, all of which I get from time to time; the disease acts in bouts rather than continuously). Medical doctors diagnose the disease but make no attempt to treat it. Why? I’ve also read that foods high in limonene may help with GIlbert’s. But so far, I’ve had no luck with that.Hello. Thanks for sharing your personal story. I have not seen anything ground-breaking on Gilbert’s Syndrome and diet. I have no idea if it an underlying cause of depression. Regardless, not fun to suffer from depression or the other symptoms you are experience. I can empathize with you and others who must endure these symptoms daily. I don’t know why MDs are not treating it and only diagnosing the problem. I’ll ask one of doctors and see if she knows anything. How frustrating for you!JosephMedical doctors diagnose but don’t treat the disease because it is considered a benign disease. That means that the disease doesn’t hurt you in the sense of causing serious complications or death. So money is not put into treating a disease that has no serious threat to human life. It would also be very hard to treat because it is a genetic disease and at this time we don’t have the ability to change specific genes for specific genetic abnormalities. And if depression is a symptom of the disease the only thing we can do is put in place things that we know help depression such as exercise, eating healthy, and counseling. A really good resource for looking up Gilberts disease is http://Www.Emedicine.com and type in Gilberts or unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia in the search engine. I hope this helps.Hello! So sorry to hear about all that you’ve been going through :( It sounds like you are doing all the right stuff though! Agree with Hemo about putting things in place that act as a kind of speedbump for depression. Great that you are eating a whole food plant based diet-did you get to see this piece about greens and mood? It’s one of my favorites, and this knowledge also helps me stay motivated to eat dark leafies at least once a day. It is really a commitment ;0, but I’ve noticed an improvement in my own mood since adding daily greens. Also, my first job out of school was in GI at Mayo. We always told our Gilbert’s patients to avoid fasting (to reduce any stress on the liver). Just thought I’d pass that along in case it could be helpful(?)I didn’t even think about that part about not fasting regarding the liver and stress. Thanks for the input! I also agree about the daily greens!Cool :) I always learn A TON from your posts, Hemo! You are my CME :)Hi Jen, Just for a bit of clarification for “Guest.” What is considered fasting? Should he/she eat small meals all day? Let’s say every 2 hours?Hi Veganrunner! Good question. Did a quick check of the literature. No specific time intervals given. So even though “grazing” (eating every 2 hours) intuitively seems like a good idea, I couldn’t find any science to back it up. But in addition to not fasting, as far as meals go, Gilbert’s patients shouldn’t even skip meals. So if running late and planning to skip breakfast or working through lunch, a Gilbert’s patient should carry some food (fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, or seeds for example) with them, so that they never get stuck in a situation of unintentionally making the liver work harder and therefore accidentally increasing bilirubin-which can lead to those jaundice flares.Oh perfect! Thanks. Not that I have ever had a patient with that Diagnosis–but I am ready if I do.A plant based diet combined with an efficient exercise routine dragged us from a depressive slump so we completely agree! Not only does exercise boost your mood, it can also help boost your energy levels. We regularly go for a short gentle run or perform a quick circuits routine to elevate energy levels. It really helps with productivity too – a lunch time jog can fire up your brain ready for afternoon work again. :-)We love our exercise so much we bought a resort in Desert Hot Springs California to keep pilots healthy so we can pass our flight medicals. All veggie foods from local organic farmers to our plates same day fresh… http://www.pilotsflightmedical.comJust a note to remember that some people, who try to do all the right things, are helped enormously by medication for depression and anxiety. I am one of them :). Despite years of intense cardio exercise, healthy eating, relaxation and mindfulness practice, I still suffered from terrible anxiety. It took me a long time to try medicine (which I thought was a weakness), but it has changed my life. Today, I still exercise every day, eat well, am a devoted NutritionFacts reader and am grateful every day that medication to help with depression and anxiety exists. :)Well said, Grateful. Thanks for sharing. We should never feel “weak” for taking medications that may help with mental health. If anything, feel empowered and strong that you took a stand!Best of luck and thanks for your devotion as a NutritionFacts reader! Let us know how we could improve this site. JosephI can so relate! After finally “resorting” to medication 10 or more years ago after a life-long battle with disabling depression and anxiety, I had almost forgotten how miserable life was before, until recently when I decided to try to wean off of it. Since I had drastically improved my diet and lifestyle since then, I was hoping to find I could manage without, and had a big ugly surprise in store shortly after stopping. Even though I had gone slowly, I guess it takes some time to clear from your body, and when it did, WOW, I bottomed out! There were so many mental and physical symptoms I thought I was dying at first, because of the delayed reaction I didn’t make the connection right away! I literally couldn’t get off the couch, even using the bathroom was a supreme challenge. And then it finally dawned on me what was going on, and needless to say I relented and took the quarter of the drug I had been maintaining for the longest time. By the next day it was like a miracle, I was expecting weeks! In fact, it actually woke me with the realization that the panic I was expecting didn’t occur, and I was finally able to sleep! Scary stuff! It literally felt as if some alien force had taken over my brain, just so weird and dark! Since I tend to somaticize, it makes it even worse, just a downward spiral! I’ve read of people having success taking certain amino acids and supplements to build up their stores of serotonin, etc., but that is almost as scary as the drug, and I just don’t have the funds for help! I hope I can at least stay at this lesser dose, but I just hate taking pharmaceuticals because we never know the long term side effects and I hate the idea of being so tied to something. But as you and my son say, be thankful that there is something for you that works, not everyone is that lucky!Can I ask what medication were you prescribed? My story is very similar to yours and I am also considering medication.Try Dr Nedley for a 98% success rate and rid yourself of medication http://www.drnedley.comThanks for a great review of the potential contribution of exercise in major depression. What would make the data even more impressive (ideal studies in the real world are hard to come by) is a study with a true non-treated control, no Rx or exercise, as there is a propensity (natural history) for major depression is to improve for most. I realize that with Bipolar (I or II… rapid or slow cycling) and other variant depressions certainly variety exists in improvement rates…but having a ‘natural history’ group (certainly many people/patients resist Rx, Exercise or talk/cognitive approaches) would certainly lend causality (effectiveness of treatments) to improvements offered in your review. I was also struck by the implied resolution (< HAM-D < 7) even with the psychotropic Rx quoted, which also makes me wonder of the role of supportive care over time + the Rx. Thanks for providing peer reviewed data and seeking feedback and discussion. As Family Physician of 40 years the contribution of exercise to the whole lifestyle medicine approach certainly is one of the foundations in reducing a variety of chronic diseases,… thus is an essential to good health. Thanks again for your wonderful work. bcmThankfully there are doctors like you who take into account the importance of lifestyle medicine for their patients! I appreciate your comments. Hopefully more studies will be conducted using better controls, as you mentioned.Cardio exercise has been a life saver for me for my depression, especially since side effects from the drugs meant I couldn’t take them and affordable talk therapy (which has worked in the past for me) was not available. It’s best to do it in the mornings so you get the full mood boost throughout your day rather than partially through your sleeping. And despite the fact that there are lots of articles claiming that ANY exercise will help (eg just take a walk around the block) from my experience that is not true. You have to get your heart rate up into the target cardio zone for at least 20 minutes in order for the deep anti-depressive effect (high intensity exercise doubles the release of brain endocannabinoids for example) to occur. After that type of exercise I literally feel like I have a new brain. A great book to help depressed or anxious people get themselves to exercise for life is ‘Exercise for Mood and Anxiety’.Interesting research. Re: Gilbert’s Syndrome (it isn’t actually a disease). It is generally considered a benign condition not requiring treatment and, in fact, may actually confer health benefits. It is characterized by a mild increase in bilirubin. Bilirubin is a potent antioxidant so having a little extra floating around may be a good thing. There has, in fact, been research into developing a drug that would elevate bilirubin serum levels. I, myself, have Gilbert’s Syndrome, with a total bili ranging between 1.5-2.0. It is highly unlikely to be the cause of the writer’s depression..I suggest that you do a little homework, Doctor. The illness is called both a disease and a syndrome. It was called a disease when I was diagnosed, but later it started to be called a syndrome more frequently, probably because doctors want to minimize it as a problem for whatever reason. It may be that they don’t know how to go about treating it, don’t like the vagueness of the symptoms or don’t want to bother with something that they may not succeed at. But when the whites of your eyes turn orange, your skin turns yellow, you experience excrutiating stomach pain, you have explosive diarrhea, you’re so lethargic or depressed that you can barely get out of bed, your bilirubin levels are sky high-not the mild levels you report, then the thousands of people who are on Gilbert’s forums would beg to differ with the medical establishment as to how benign it is.Sorry. Just going by the NIH and Mayo Clinic guidelines.When I interviewed for medical school, the only question I asked was, “Do you have an exercise facility?” This was in 1966, when the term aerobics had not even been coined. Started commuting by bike as a sophomore in college, and continued throughout my professional career. Always kept my bike in my office so my patients knew I practiced what I preached. I called it my pscyle-therapy. Sometimes after a long day in the OR riding home late at night, I thought I must be crazy, but always felt better after the ride.Another comment I would make is that healthy lifestyle habits benefit every organ and physiologic process, so it isn’t surprising that exercise improves mental health just as it does physical health. The same holds true for diet. A whole food plant based diet benefits every cell in the body. I liken the human body to a finely-tuned automobile. A car will get you from point A to point B just by filling the fuel tank. You don’t need to wash it, check the tire pressures, or even change the oil. It will still run, but it won’t look good, feel good, or last very long. I try to treat my body as well as I do my Mustang Boss 302. Best tires, best synthetic oil, always immaculate. The anti-aging program for my car is basically the same as it is for my car. Oh, and I exercise it daily.Your hand has been in the cookie jar again hasn’t it?This subject really piqued my interest and the thought occurred to me as to what effect exercise might have on BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic facter). BDNF is a substance critical to optimal brain health and function. It is reduced in response to chronic stress and has been found on autopsy to be lower in the brains of depressed individuals than non-depressed ones. All modalities of treatment for depression, including antidepressant medication, transcranial magnetic stimulation, electroconvulsive therapy, and vagal nerve stimulation increase BDNF. And, to my surprise (only because I never looked until now) so does exercise. Fascinating. But, enough research. Time to rumble outta here.Its probably reduced in junkies too.As one might expect, the process of neurogenesis is controlled by our DNA. A specific gene codes for the production of a protein, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which plays a key role in creating new neurons. Studies reveal decreased BDNF in Alzheimer’s patients, as well as in a variety of neurological conditions including epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.Fortunately, many of the factors that influence our DNA to produce BDNF factors are under our direct control. The gene that turns on BDNF is activated by a variety of factors including physical exercise, caloric restriction, curcumin and the omega-3 fat, DHA. This is a powerful message.Dr Perlmutter’s 4 part plan. And there was no mention of having butter in coffee or eating a grass fed cow. Thank goodness, I started doing all 4.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-david-perlmutter-md/neurogenesis-what-it-mean_b_777163.htmlLooking at the second study, the point estimate for drugs was greatest for depression remission, although the error bars all overlap each other.“Patients receiving active treatments tended to have higher remission rates than the placebo controls: supervised exercise = 45%; home-based exercise = 40%; medication = 47%; placebo = 31% (p = .057).”If only health insurance companies would cover a prescription to the personal trainer!Great idea; even an insurance discount would be welcome.From my personal experience, I believe that American’s sedentary ways are a consequence of early stage vascular disease. Before my plant-based transition, exercise was difficult for me even though I was not carrying a lot of extra weight and was only in my mid-thirties. I believe as pre-diabetes and vascular disease slowly progress, Americans get more and more sedentary (exercise intolerance increases) and, most blame it on normal aging. I believe for many it is actually the slow but insidious vascular disease and, for some, vascular disease and diabetes taking its toll. This lack of exercise due to depleted vascular, mitochondria and insulin sensitivity/function puts Americans at risk for depression and mood disorders, along with Alzheimer’s disease.I have a feeling we’re not supposed to be sedentary and meant to be active. Moderate cardio work seem to work best personally. If I skip it for more than 3 days the lethargy , grumpiness and pessimism sets in. Also prior to going whole food, I found that food containing MSG affected my coordination and mood quite badly.From my personal experience: serious weight lifting does wonders for your sleep.Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for all depression. I have dealt with chronic depression (2-3 serious bouts per year lasting weeks to months each) for my entire life, and during the most intense period I didn’t have a car, so I rode my bike everywhere. Loads of exercise (10 minutes at a time of high intensity aerobics twice a day, 5 days per week… going to work) and still severely depressed. It’s worth a try, but it’s not a sure-fire cure.Heavy metals toxicity maybe?It’s possible that it’s environmental, but it’s very predictable. It starts every year between mid February and late March. Sometimes it hits again in the summer, and nearly always again around the holidays. It could be that when I’m not depressed, I tend to eat foods that contain heavy metals and when I get depressed, I stop eating those foods and my body clears them out. I haven’t been tracking what I eat for very long. I’ve been focusing on not scheduling critical things around times of the year I know I won’t be at my best, and trying to avoid being bored when it hits… Idle minds are dangerous even in the best of times… Or is that just me? :)Any mercury amalgams?Not anymore. Got them all replaced last year.Your body is probably detoxing some mercury then, it happens for at least 6 months after a removal, you should feel better in few months/years if not you could try some safe chelation therapy like Cutler protocol?I cycle everywhere too and I agree that it doesn’t work unless you do crazy mileage and fast. For me, I need to sweat and do intense cardio of some kind, maybe combined with weights or a good swimming session. I work out at home to videos and it works, especially in the morning, it puts my mind in a different gear.And without the massive side effects of these heavy treatments….Depression is a serious and in some cases a life-threatening disease. Sometimes drugs are necessary – and given to the right patient they can be very effective. Keep in mind that antidepressants dont work against dissatisfaction with life. On the other hand nature has provided us with some natural substances that can help fight depression – eg curcumin – probably due to the anti-inflammatory properties – neurotoxicity and chronic inflammation are likely to play a role in the development of depression. Maybe the true mechanism of action of SSRI is anti-inflammatory properties.http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/index.htmlWhen I was taking an anti-depressant, it increased the depression to the point I was suicidal 99% of the time! I have since stopped the drug and found a sharp decrease in the symptoms. Now, I choose exercise instead of taking an anti-depressant and find that exercise does help, not always dramatically but sometimes, I just need to get over that “moment in time”.You should have talked about the difference between the side effects of the drugs and exercise. How terrible the side effects and the dependency that anti-depressants cause.Very interesting, but not surprising. It just feels better to exercise, especially getting outside to do so!Plant-based diets and exercise can be great for mood disorders. The wisdom of traditional cultures also included fermented foods, antibacterial spices, meditation and other relaxation respnse traditions to create mental and physical well-being. We are just beginning to explore beyond the tip of the iceberg of mood disorders and the bidirectional influence of our gut and brain. Healthy plant based diet with food-based probiotics and prebiotics, meditation, avoiding any food sensititivities, and adequate sunshine may all contribute to a real vs placebo effect to successfully treating both depression and anxiety. Many folks with lactose intolerance, celiac and other food allergies or intolerances attest that eliminating the intolerant food can completely obliterate their anxiety or depression. The gut- brain connection is strong and bidirectional. Meditation can do wonders, particularly, improving mood and lowering blood pressure.Exercise, sunshine (sunbathing) and not sleeping too much (people that sleep 8 or more hours, get depressed).thank you for the information, try this one for healthcare marketing and doctor marketing	antidepressants,depression,exercise,Lifestyle medicine,medications,mental health,mood,SSRI's,Zoloft	Aerobic exercise interventions found comparable to antidepressant medication in the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder.	Exercise may compare favorably to antidepressant medications as a first-line treatment for mild to moderate depression, but how much is that really saying? How effective are antidepressant drugs in the first place? Stay tuned for my next video: Do Antidepressant Drugs Really Work?For dietary interventions that may improve mood, see:Exercise can also help with ADHD (Treating ADHD Without Stimulants) and improve immunity (Preserving Immune Function in Athletes With Nutritional Yeast) not to mention extend our lives (Longer Life Within Walking Distance). But what we eat matters  Paleo Diets May Negate Benefits of Exercise.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ssris/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoloft/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antidepressants/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21495519,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12744913,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10547175,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8778396,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23362828,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17846259,
PLAIN-2473	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/	Improving on the Mediterranean Diet	The traditional Mediterranean diet can be considered as a mainly, but not exclusively plant-based diet, and certainly not a whole foods plant based diet, as olive oil and wine can be considered essentially fruit juices. Even if one is eating a vegiterranean diet, an entirely plant-based version, there are a number of problematic nutritional aspects that are rarely talked about. For example, lots of white bread, white pasta, not a lot of whole grains. Alcohol can be a problem, the caloric density with all that oil can be high, as well as the salt intake. Let’s go over these one by one.In this anatomy of the health effects of the Mediterranean diet, the single most important component was the high consumption of plant foods. In contrast, high cereal consumption, meaning high grain consumption did not appear to help.This may be because most grains modern Mediterranean dieters eat are refined, like white bread, whereas the traditional Mediterranean diet was characterized by unprocessed cereals—in other words, whole grains. And while whole grains have been associated with lower risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, refined grain may increase the risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. For example in the PREDIMED study, those who ate the most white bread, but not whole grain bread, gained significant weight.Alcohol may also be a problem. As a plant-centered diet, no surprise adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with lower cancer risk, but not with lower breast cancer risk. With all the fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and beans and low saturated fat, you’d assume there would be lower breast cancer risk, but alcohol is a known breast-cancer risk factor, even moderate amounts. But if you create a special adapted version of the Mediterranean diet score that excludes alcohol, the diet does indeed appear to reduce breast cancer risk.The wonderful grape phytonutrients in red wine can improve our arterial function such that if you drink de-alcoholized red wine, red wine with the alcohol removed, you get a significant boost in endothelial function, the ability of our arteries to relax and dilate normally, increasing blood flow, but if you drink the same red wine but with the alcohol added back, it abolishes the beneficial effect, it counteracts the benefit of the grape phytonutrients. So better just to eat grapes.Similarly, there are components of extra virgin olive oil—the antioxidant phytonutrients, that may help endothelial function, when consumed as oil even extra virgin olive oil, it may impair arterial function. So even if white bread dipped in olive oil is the very symbol of the Mediterranean diet, we can modernize it by removing oils and refined grains.Another important, albeit frequently ignored, issue in the modern Mediterranean diet is sodium intake. Despite evidence linking salt intake to high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes, dietary salt intake in the U.S. is on the rise. Right now we get about seven to ten grams a day, mostly from processed foods. If we were to decrease that just by three grams, which is about a thousand mg of sodium, half of a teaspoon of table salt, every year we could save tens of thousands of people from having a heart attack, prevent tens of thousands of strokes, and tens of thousands of deaths. There is a common misperception that only certain people should reduce their salt intake and that for the vast majority of the population salt reduction is unnecessary, but in reality, the opposite is true.But there is much we can learn from the traditional Mediterranean diet. A defining characteristic of the Mediterranean diet is an abundance of plant foods, and one thing that seems to have fallen by the wayside. No main Mediterranean meal is replete without lots of greens, a key part of not only a good Mediterranean diet, but of any good diet.	Good stuff! oh oh on the salt intake though. I just have to have some salt on my grains and veggies to bring out the flavor, or I won’t be able to stick with it…Maybe you aren’t getting as much salt as you fear. The majority of the salt in the SAD is from processed foods.true. I did lose a ton of sodium when i quit eating bacon and other processed meats, and pizza, I can only wonder how much salt is in one, and I ate whole ones in a meal lolHi Michael, have you tried cronometer.com yet? If you enter only whole plant foods without any added salt or sodium containing preservatives it will still list some sodium content, averaging approximately 500 mg for a full day’s calories. If you’re concerned about getting enough you can try logging your intake for a day or two and see where you stand prior to adding any additional table salt, soy sauce, hot sauce, etc. Just my two cents, personally I limit the salt when cooking, though I do use bouillon and soy sauce fairly often, add limited table salt on the surface of food, and I’m usually around 1500-2000 mg sodium total. I don’t feel as though I’m restricting at all. I don’t currently have any issues like blood pressure but if things ever come up I’ll reevaluate my intake then, but for the time being not really worried about it, especially in light of more recent studies mentioned by Daryl and Tobias.If you eat a whole food plant based diet and don’t cook with salt you will have a very low intake of sodium in the order of 500 mg as b00mer points out. That gives some leeway to add some sodium at the table if desired. Dr. McDougall and Jeff Novick RD two gentlemen whose opinions I value differ a bit on their recommendations but they both are on the low side. One researcher I heard speak at a McDougall ASW mentioned it may not be the sodium(Na) as much at the Na/K(potassium) ratio that is important. One epidemiological study showed that persons eating a plant based diet for 20 years had on average lower BP’s (20(sys)/10(diast)). The mechanism is not clear… more K, less Na, more Mg(magnesium), more phytonutrients, more soy… have all been suggested. See videos on K… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/ and Mg… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/. I’m not sure we will ever sort it all out not only because it is complex but because the funding and design of such a study would be difficult. My recommendations for most of my patients are to only add a bit of salt… although there are some other alternatives at the table as desired and then you should be fine. I think you will find that your taste will adjust to a low salt diet.I think a healthy body sorts things out for us.I know that adrenal glands excrete hormone which helps reabsorb sodium, which is usually low on a whole food plant based diet. On the ohter side there is usually enough potassium in plant foods which is easily eliminated through kidneys.The obvious problems with the salt are irritation and stimulation of our tissues. Also dehydration. Best option to avoid those problems is to minimize salt intake (as you stated) and to dissolve it in water (slightly helps).A great way to decrease salt cravings and intake is to eat “salty plants”, e. g. celery or tomatoes. Those contain higher levels of sodium.If you’re eating a whole foods diet, don’t sweat it. Get a little iodine in the deal while you’re at it.Yes! I worry that I do not get enough iodine on WFPB diet w/o added saltHope this helps.BANANAS – 1 medium banana = 3 micrograms of iodine (2% DV)GREEN BEANS – 1/2 cup = 3 micrograms of iodine (2% DV)STRAWBERRIES – 1 cup = 13 micrograms of iodine (9% DV)DRIED PRUNES – 5 prunes = 13 micrograms of iodine (9% DV)NAVY BEANS – 1/2 cup = 32 micrograms of iodine (21% DV)STEAMED/BAKED POATOES – 1 medium potato = 60 micrograms of iodine (40% DV)CRANBERRIES – 4 ounces = 400 micrograms of iodine (267% DV)DRIED SEAWEED (be careful with seaweeds, too much iodine can be as bad as too little, and really mess with thyroid function)– A quarter-ounce serving (0.25oz) contains 4,500 micrograms of iodine. That’s way more than enough iodine for the body to absorb in a day (3000% of the daily value) Consume smaller portions over time in order to gain the health benefits.Thanks! Yes, that does help!I took 3/4 teaspoon of table salt (1500 mg sodium) and put it in a small dish for my day’s cooking. When I season vegetables I just take a pinch and season the dish. I usually have plenty left over by the end of the day and plenty of tasty vegetables.Your taste adjust to sodium like your eyes adjust to light. If you have been in the full sun, walking into an adequately lit room will seem terribly dark until your eyes adjust. The same with your taste buds. If you can say cut the salt you add by say 2/3 and stick with it for just a couple of weeks, you will gradually notice all the flavors coming back out as your taste buds come out of their salt coma.Oh, and I would do it all at one time to get the period of blah food over with at one time rather than try to gradually reduce the salt which just means you have to go through the adjustment period over and over again. Plus it is very hard to exactly meter salt, so it is really hard to know if you are actually hitting your target if the step size is too small. A bigger single step is much easier to know that you have actually made the desired a change.I also follow Dr. McDougall’s advice and never cook with salt and only add it on top of my food at the table. There I can taste it more distinctly since it hasn’t completely incorporated into the food. Of course this means that I have to make an extra effort to try to find salt free canned beans and tomatoes and the like. One down side is that now when my wife, who doesn’t even add salt at the table, and I go out to eat it tastes like the chef misread the amount of salt to add as being in tablespoons rather than in teaspoons! :-pA number of recent studies suggest that overall heath risks associated with sodium intake are U-shaped, with risks minimized in the 3-6 g intake range. High sodium intake is still associated with hypertension and stroke risk, but there may be some compensatory benefits going on.Cohen HW et al 2006. Sodium intake and mortality in the NHANES II follow-up study O’Donnell MJ et al 2011. Urinary sodium and potassium excretion and risk of cardiovascular events Taylor RS et al 2011. Reduced dietary salt for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (Cochrane review) Ekinci EI 2011. Dietary salt intake and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes Thomas MC 2011. The association between dietary sodium intake, ESRD, and all-cause mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes Stolarz-Skrzypek K et al 2011. Fatal and nonfatal outcomes, incidence of hypertension, and blood pressure changes in relation to urinary sodium excretion Graudal N et al 2014. Compared with usual sodium intake, low-and excessive-sodium diets are associated with increased mortality: a meta-analysis O’Donnell M et al 2014. Urinary sodium and potassium excretion, mortality, and cardiovascular eventsHi Darryl, apologies for not reading through it myself, but in what you’ve quoted have those effects been seen directly or are they being stated as a possible explanation for the health risks observed at low intakes? That is, is a sort of reverse causation resulting from CVD patient-specific recommendations off the table in your opinion?Reverse causation in hypertensive patients would cause serious issues with these studies, which is why the large-scale prospective studies often exclude individuals with CVD at baseline. In the recent PURE study, for example the increased risk at low intakes was robust when all participants with a history CVD, cancer, diabetes, or smoking were excluded.I anticipate that salt intake will remain controversial – no randomized controlled trials to date only altered sodium intake, so intervention studies all have some confounding (even partial replacement with KCl markedly alters potassium intake). Despite this limitation, low-sodium intervention studies in hypertensives do show some benefit, while risk increases in congestive heart failure and chronic kidney disease. Ie, its complicated.The average blood pressure response to sodium is small (2 mm Hg / 2.3 g sodium), compared to other dietary factors like added sugars 1, 2, and hugely variable between individuals – BP actually rises in some with sodium restriction. I think this is a place where perhaps the perfect shouldn’t be the enemy of the good, and while consuming salt in moderation we can perhaps focus on other factors with more consistent results like reducing added sugars and increasing potassium intake with a WPBD.Thanks Darryl for all the links on your salt posts. I’ve pretty much weaned myself off of salt (for better or worse), but I do love soy sauce.Not hating or trolling but could you please explain what this means? I hear it a lot and I don’t get it. When I put some salt on something, it makes it taste like salt.if it tastes just like salt, you are putting too much on, if you can barely taste the salt, then the other flavors seem to stand out more, maybe a contrast kind of thing…Hi Fruiteddragon, have you heard of the concept of super-tasters, non-tasters, etc? I recall hearing about in regards to bitter and sweet (some people love or hate broccoli, or super sweet candies like smarties) but perhaps it’s an issue with salt as well?While I’m fully in your camp, the statement on salt goes against my most recent impression on the issue. See Pam Popper’s video on salt intake. She cites scientific studies (begins at 4:00). I can dig out other references if requested. This is one major one if I recall correctly.Is high dietary sodium intake risky in and of itself or is it just out of balance, with for example, potassium?Yes, diets high in sodium are risky in and of itself. I know potassium and sodium work together, but to the extent of raising potassium to negate high doses of sodium I am uncertain? Also, 2% of Americans obtain the potassium needed.*Note* Salt is a well-known contributor to high blood pressure; even if our blood pressure is normal, it might be wise to keep sodium intake under 1,500 mg per day and watch out for high-salt foods such as chicken. Other possible contributors to hypertension include certain banned pesticides, advanced glycation end-products, and viruses present in chicken and turkey.See hypertension for more details.Thanks, Alex! JosephThanks Joseph for the response and links. I think my Na and K levels are good, although I don’t measure. My rest pulse is <60. I don't confidently remember my BP, but is BP 103/53 dangerously low?there is a component of olive oil fat that is for building brain fibers.http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/26/upshot/dash-of-salt-does-no-harm-extremes-are-the-enemy.html?_r=1&abt=0002&abg=1 Studies are linked in the article.A similar article plus overall systematic collapsing blood pressures and a very likely Takotsubo cardiomyopathy event (I thought it was a mild heart attack at the time) made me start using salt in moderation again. At that time I did quite some cronometer calculations which pointed to 500 – 750 mg a day intake of salt. I haven’t had similar incidents again since I’m back on the salt. 3-6 gr/dayThanks for sharing that article! Interesting about salt and cause mortality. I think it’s important to take into consideration all the negative associations with high sodium diets beyond hypertension. For example, we know that salt can wreak havoc on our arteries. There may be variations of how much you should consume based on your experience and the specific testing that you are conducting? I can’t speak to the calculations or medications, but I am glad to hear you’ve figured out what works! To me that is most important.Would you care to elaborate havoc? Because he doesn’t :)After an average follow-up of 7.3 years, there were 380 cases of colon cancer and 110 cases of rectal cancer. Overall, compared to regular meat eaters, the vegetarians were 22 percent less likely to have colorectal malignancies, the study found.Pescovegetarians, which the researchers defined as people who ate fish at least once a month and meat less than once a month, had the biggest risk reduction – 43 percent.For lacto-ovo vegetarians, who consumed eggs and dairy while limiting fish and meat to less than once a month, the risk reduction was 18 percent. Vegans, who ate eggs, dairy, fish, and meat less than once a month, had a 16 percent risk reduction.Even limiting fish and meat to once a week had some benefit; semi-vegetarians had an 8 percent risk reduction.Nearly five hot summers ago (in early July, around noontime) I’m told a friend called me on the phone. I supposedly didn’t know who she was and sounded confused. She then rushed over and took me to the ER…or so she told me later. While in the ER they checked to see if I had a stroke (I hadn’t), and performed a slew of other tests. They said I was able to babble back and forth — and even flirt — with the docs, and give them my SS number, etc. And yet, where was “I” during the 3-plus hours in the ER?Later in the afternoon I found myself sitting on a hospital bed wearing a little nightie thing, with a tube stuck in my arm. It seems that, because I’d always heard we should drink a lot of water and restrict our salt intake in order to control our BP, my sodium level had plunged to around 122. It should be between 135 – 145. I spent two nights in the hospital hooked up to a saline solution until my sodium levels got higher. And now I have to ration my water intake and not worry too much about table salt. A couple of years ago a blood test showed my sodium level to be (only?) 132. So maybe I should eat more sauerkraut and celery. :-)http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/we-only-think-we-know-the-truth-about-salt.html?pagewanted=allHi, Kisty. Thanks for sharing your story! My goodness, sounds like a scary experience to encounter! You and Arjan are certainly right about the sodium buzz. One thing I forgot (the most important) to address below is Dr. Greger’s take on low sodium diets and heart disease: Could a low-salt diet be bad for your heart?. I asked Dr. Greger about your situation and his response was that drinking too much water without replacing electrolytes on hot days in people unaccustomed to the heat can lead to dangerously low sodium levels, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t in general lower our sodium intake.Right, Dr. G. (I deleted my “story,” as you can see — dunno why, actually, and it’s probably too late to retrieve it.) I didn’t know anything about keeping the electrolytes in good order at that time. I’d squeeze lemon juice on stuff instead of using the salt shaker, and etc. Well, some of us have to learn the hard way.I’ll check the other Dr. G’s “low-salt diet” video now. :-)Dear Kisty, according to Joseph, you seem to have a similar story to mine, hyponatremia? He referred me to your comment and his response but you seem to have deleted it? Would you be willing to share your story with me? I really think it could be helpful, we can learn from others experiences too! I shared my hyponatremia episode in one of my comments on the video “Salt Ok if blood pressure OK?” On the site as well if you want to read it. How did you find yourself in the hyponatremia situation and how did you recover from it? Did you change your salt habits as a consequence? Do you eat salt nowadays? Thank you so much in advance! Sincerely, JVOkay, JV, will do. :-) Back in the summer of 2010 (July 3, to be precise) I found myself in a little hospital nightie, sitting on a bed and hooked up to a saline solution. It seems that a few hours earlier a friend had called me at home about something or other, and I supposedly didn’t know who she was. She urged me to call 911, but probably knew I wouldn’t do this, so drove over as fast as she could. Yes, I was told I was “with it” enough to open the door and let her in…where we (supposedly!!!!) grabbed my phone book with next of kin information, and she drove me to the ER.I remember none of this. Nor do I remember flirting with the ER docs (“you look like a movie star!”), or telling them my date of birth, SS number, etc. Yes, part of me was able to do this, but where was the real “Me”? (Or is it “I”?) Where had I gone? Anyway, they gave me a slew of tests to see if I’d had a stroke. Nope, that wasn’t the problem. Ah, then a blood test showed that my electrolytes were off kilter. My sodium level, which should have been between 135-145 was hovering around 120. After two nights, I was discharged….with instructions on how much water to take each day. Yes, I always read (weren’t we taught this at one point?) that we should drink plenty of liquids, especially during hot weather, and — to control our blood pressure — go very easy on the salt. I never ate junk/processed foods, and most of the time used lemon juice instead of salt, thinking I was doing the right thing. Not in my case!I still don’t eat any processed (high sodium) foods, but am no longer intimidated by the salt shaker. Maybe I’m one of those people who “needs” more than others? Yes, I sort of ration my liquid intake, but not compulsively so. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck to YOU!Redwine without alcohol………man……What is the healthiest whole grain?Roman. Whole grains vary in nutrient value. They are all amazing! Often researchers do not look at specific whole grains, but rather lump them together to see what groups eat the most. What are your favorite kinds? That could be more important. Quinoa, oats, wheat berries, are all excellent choices. Sometimes I like to cook kamut, it tastes kind of like buttered-popcorn.Thank you for your response! I enjoy eating buckwheat groats, oats, and whole wheat pasta. I was just wondering if any one whole grain trumps the others in a specific category such as antioxidants.I too like buckwheat groats (kasha). What I do is cook a wholegrain cereal every morning — yeah, I’m addicted to my gruel/porridge. :-) I’ll add, say,1/4 cup kasha to 1/4 cup steel-cut oats on a Mon/Wed/Friday and the other days of the week, 1/4 cup millet to 1/4 cup organic brown rice (yeah, I’m baaaad…arsenic ‘n all). On Saturdays and Sundays I’ll make it 1/4 cup barley (gluten doesn’t bother me) to 1/4 cup one of the others, even something called “freekeh.”: Quinoa is a seed, but I always think of it as a grain. It’s considered one of the very best, antioxidant-wise (complete protein and all that).Raw Buckwheat is especially high in rutin, a nutrient helpful to the integrity of the CV system and especially as a safe anti-coagulant/anti-thrombotic.Good stuff! Although, I’m not sure about the estimate that some Men/Women are getting an estimated 7-10g of salt per day… Even with eating processed food, that’s like the equivalent of 20 hot dog’s worth of salt.I know, right, Dylan? Doesn’t seem like we could even come close to meeting those amounts. According to the study Dr. Greger cites, the numbers don’t lie. Somehow we are eating tons of sodium! If you happen to come across other estimates let us know. It would be super helpful. I hope these numbers go down.Thanks, JosephWill do Joseph. Great to see a well trained RD on the message boards with NF!Hi Dylan, keep in mind salt (sodium chloride) is only 39% sodium by mass, so 7 g salt contains about 2750 mg sodium. To go from the lower recommendations of 1500 mg sodium per day to 2750 mg would only require about an additional 1/2 tsp salt.What is the relationship between sodium and potassium? My last blood work my sodium was fine (even though I consume very little salt), but my potassium level was below the reference range (and I eat lots of fruit and veg).Hi, Mike. There are many relationships between sodium and potassium. They are both electrolytes working at the cellular level, to balance fluids, and help control blood pressure. Did your doctor comment on the low potassium levels? It’s important to know how they interpreted your lab results, as obviously I cannot. Perhaps more pottassium-rich foods may help? What kind of fruits and veggies do you eat? Potassium levels in food are easy to look-up. ON top of fruits and veggies, think sweet potatoes, red, blue, and gold potatoes and their skin, as they provide a large dose of potassium. Squash, too. The good news is your blood work on sodium is fine. Let me know if this helps. Thanks, JosephThanks so much, Joseph. I’ll try to focus a bit more on the potassium superstars and see if that does the trick.Is it possible to get too much fibre? Could too much fibre effect digestive & gut health?Thanks !Hey JakeN. Welcome. Perhaps it could. Your body should be able to tell you when enough is enough. It does seem however that lack of fiber in the diet is more of a concern.A question about salt – is there a recommended daily limit?I eat very few processed foods due to allergies, and while I try to season food with herbs and spices, I do add kosher salt or liquid aminos for some flavor. Is there an amount that is considered safe (like a teaspoon a day)? It’s hard to judge milligrams when you’re cooking from scratch. I have never worried too much about salt because my blood pressure is on the low end of the healthy range, but your video says that everyone should limit salt, no matter what your blood pressure?Thanks!http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=saltAccording to Cron O Meter, 0.55 grams or just a hair over half a teaspoon of salt is what you should aim for. Because I eat only unprocessed foods and didn’t add salt to my cooking or food, I generally came in at zero grams of sodium a day. That makes me wonder if I wasn’t deficient in sodium or chlorine, both necessary minerals to maintain life. My Physiology instructor said that salt content is closely regulated by the kidneys so that it is kept at appropriate levels. So I asked him about all this teaching among health professionals that we should “halt the salt.” He indicated that this was older thinking and that adding salt to food wouldn’t be a problem. So I tentatively started using a little salt to my food and my electronic scale showed the difference: percentage water content went up as did muscle mass, percentage fat went down although actual weight went up perhaps due to more water retention. I also felt better. Seems to me that I was sodium deficient before.Hi Chuck, when I enter only whole plant foods into cronometer it lists the sodium in those foods. For example I just plugged in about 1600 Calories of plain fruits, veggies, and rice as a test and it listed about 600 mg sodium as my intake.Chuck and Mary, the CronoMeter reading, .55t, comes to 1279mg sodium, a shade over my 1200mg limit, so I’m comfortable with their suggestion. The best sources (and here I quote the good doctor as well as DASH2 and those impressed by it) say “under 1500 milligrams” of sodium is best. Not terribly much disagreement there for the upside. For the downside, I’ve read guesstimates of 50-200mg sodium, and the comfortable low, taking account of personal differences, has been 500mg for a long time. So 500-1500/1200 is the range, and those arguing you can get ‘too little’ sodium have to offer some big evidence if their new low is outside that range, down or (more likely, given corporate preferences) up.Hi, Mary. 1500mg/d is the recommended range. The upper limit is set at 2,300mg/day. Dr. Greger does mention that less sodium is better for everyone regardless of salt-sensitivities (or hypertension). I would be cautious of not measuring salt. Actually, 1 teaspoon is 2,400mg of sodium – a whole day’s worth. Please don’t kill the messenger we are only relating what the research says ;) I too enjoy cooking with salt. I have learned to use less, and add more herbs and spices like you. We need to compare recipes or generate some buzz for an optimal recipes on nutrition facts.org! No? Ok, sorry for the rant. I also commented about this below. Here is the sits of my response with a link to more information, if interested.*Note* Salt is a well-known contributor to high blood pressure; even if our blood pressure is normal, it might be wise to keep sodium intake under 1,500 mg per day and watch out for high-salt foods such as chicken. Other possible contributors to hypertension include certain banned pesticides, advanced glycation end-products, and viruses present in chicken and turkey.See hypertension for more details.Best to you, JosephThanks Joseph! So if I use 1/2 tsp in a recipe that makes 4 servings, I’m still fine. Good to know!Unsolicited advice:If you want to reduce salt intake, don’t ever cook with it. Instead, add it to your food after. It makes all the difference in the world. I can see cutting salt intake 50% to 80% easily by doing this.I just weighed 1 gram of salt and I never come close to adding that much to my food in a day, and forget about 2.3 grams…or 10 grams.I figure I’m between 50 and 250 mg per day, and I use all the salt I want.Is whole wheat really that healthy when we consider this recent study? Any comments?http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/7/3/1565/htmThe subjects of this study, from its title, were “celiac disease patients and patients with non-celiac gluten sensitivity.” For the 1-3 percent of the population that have adverse reactions to gluten, its always a good idea to avoid wheat-if not mandatory! For the rest of us however, it’s unlikely that we’ll develop future problems with wheat. Note however, that in Asian countries where wheat consumption is less frequent, so is gluten sensitivity. Whether this is due to less detection of the diseases or due to less exposure to wheat, I can’t say.Celiac Disease Patients and Patients with Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity – See more at: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/7/3/1565/htm#sthash.cA8LY2DH.dpuf Celiac Disease Patients and Patients with Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity – See more at: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/7/3/1565/htm#sthash.cA8LY2DH.dpuf Celiac Disease Patients and Patients with Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity – See more at: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/7/3/1565/htm#sthash.cA8LY2DH.dpufFrom the conclusions of the above cited study:“This study demonstrates that gliadin exposure induces an increase in intestinal permeability in all individuals, regardless of whether or not they have celiac disease.”Is there any truth in the theory that the older generation died from stomach cancer more than people do now because they ate more preserved/pickled & smoked food ?It’s certainly interesting that all other cancer rates are going up while stomach cancer has declined. There must be a reason for this. I’d also read that the Japaneses get more stomach cancer because they like their rice very white and so they add talcum to it.Hi I did a little search and in Japan people who ate pickled/preserved fish or shell fish and fish eggs (the kind you get on Sushi) products daily had a higher rate of stomach cancer (1 in 500)than those who only consumed them occasionally (1 in 1000). When steamed rice is the staple pickled vegetables and other salty food is consumed on a daily basis with it. I also read somewhere that because the older generation had to preserve food since the fridge hadn’t been invented yet this resulted in higher rates of stomach cancer both in Japan as well as some western countries. I’m not into fatty or sugary food but enjoy savory.salty food , and was just thinking I might need to be careful with my salt intake. Here is a research (reviewed in 2014) from the UK about overuse of salt and stomach cancer. They too seem to say that consumption of pickled/preserved seafood is linked with higher rates of stomach cancer. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/types/stomach/riskfactors/stomach-cancer-risk-factorsAfter watching multiple NutritionFacts.org videos on salt and reading through all the comments on this page, I am still confused about the recent studies claiming to show that people who consume the least amount of sodium are asking for health troubles. I did a 12-day fast at True North last June hoping to cure mildly high blood pressure. And it worked. At True North they counseled me to add no salt to what I cooked and none at the table, forever more. Plus to not eat commercial foods with salt added. I have stuck to that religiously, and my blood pressure is doing great. I also found that my taste buds quickly adjusted and I don’t miss the salt at all, not one bit. I greatly enjoy my whole foods no-junk vegan diet. But here’s my confusion with recent sodium studies. I am getting no added sodium in my diet. All the sodium I get comes from the foods themselves. I eat lots of veggies, whole grains, fruits, beans, and a small amount of nuts, seeds, and avocados. I supplement with B12, D, and iodine but nothing else. I strive for variety, meaning I eat lots of different types of food in all the categories I listed. And I experience no symptoms that lead me to think low sodium levels might be a problem for me…so far. But hearing about all those studies worries me a little. Do I need to add a little sodium to my diet, perhaps by using very small amounts of sea salt or some supposedly good salt like that? Or am I doing the right thing, given my blood pressure history, by avoiding added salt entirely?I can’t blame you for being somewhat confused, Tim. I feel more or less the same way. I’m going to track my food for a day or so to see what it’s sodium content is and if it’s too low, I’ll add a little salt, using the guidelines mentioned below in Joseph Gonzales’ response to Mary Zdromewski where he seems to say that five-eights of a teaspoon of salt minus what you get in your food is the right amount.That was just a guess :) The idea is to have a total intake around or less than 1,500mg. If not using table salt I’d imagine your intake would be much less than 1500mg. Is 5/8th the calculation? At any rate — better than 1 teaspoon @ 2400mg!Just posted a comment above, maybe this new study by the American Heart Association can clear up some confusion?Great post, Tim. Thanks for adding this here. Dr. Goldhamer does great work from what I hear at True North. I am confident if the advice was to omit table salt than sticking to that advice is of value. Hard to say how much you obtain from natural foods, but I know it is very low. I can’t speak to the studies showing low salt users had more risk of death. Let me investigate and get back to the group.Stress is the game changer that leads to wasting and with it imbalances.Tim if your values are still say 20 over you might want to give 50 grams of natto through a green smoothy daily a try, you might just see those 20 BP points drop off within just a few weeks. A few peanuts and a few strawberries or raisins blended in with it masks the nastyness pretty good, for me it turns it into something tasteful actually. A bit of ground flax for nicer texture, mmm.Real heroes eat the natto whole food instead of these way to expensive pills for pussies :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZumCN9qbIpkOK, Tim. I found a better answer. The American Heart Association found issues with the low-salt intake and increased mortality research. Did you see the NYT article posted below? It discusses the NEJM research that many members brought to my attention. I think this is an awesome debate. Even the researchers are scratching there heads asking the same questions you all are. At any rate, take a look here: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2014/01/10/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.006032.abstract“Conclusions—Results from the TOHP studies, which overcome the major methodological challenges of prior studies, are consistent with overall health benefits of reducing sodium intake to the 1500 to 2300 mg/day range in the majority of the population, in agreement with current dietary guidelines”Also a great article about the two study’s findings, here(make sure to read all three pages, as they interview the researchers)Still think you are doing the right thing keeping sodium low. No difference in all the fancy salts out there, sodium is sodium.Thanks much. Excellent information. I look forward to seeing what Dr. Greger’s take on this material will be.I just read through the whole study at the link you provided Joseph (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23124030). I understood most of it (my eyes glazed over at some of the stats) and it does address my worries very effectively. Thanks again!Most important is what the abstract says, as I post it above. Quick funny story, I went back to old comments and here is a link to Dr Greger’s comment talking about the SAME THING 3 years ago! I had no idea salt was such a hot topic. Again, stay posted for more information.“Salt that kills, salt that heals ” by Dr D Mayfieldan interesting comparison between sea salt consumption and Himalayan salt as well.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6V1QKx6JLQHeym VeganK. Thanks for posting this. I cannot get it to play. Do you mind retrying to post? I would appreciate that! Also, I have not found Himalayan sea salt to be better than regular, according to the research. If you have any new stuff I am unaware of (I’ll be honest I haven’t searched very far so perhaps you can enlighten me) please post some studies! That is probably even better than the video anyway. Thanks! JosephThanks for your reply Joseph, I seem to be technically challenged this week !I will try posting the link again below. If it still does not work you may like to search for the video “Salt that kills, salt that heals-March 17, 2013″ , on YouTube by Dr D Mayfield. Dr Mayfield is talking from a chemists point of view if I remember correctly. His recommendation was to use Himalayan salt from the high Himalayas, and also said that because of the minerals you get with the Himalayan salt it is better for you, and without the contaminants from the sea. I would be interested to hear what you think. I am sure I don’t have newer info than you have: ), but I find it interesting to look at a topic from different angles and consider what different specialists in their field have to say.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6V1QKx6JLQEnjoyed the video. Just google this title — Salt that kills, salt that heals-.The next video up on you tube was “Discovering Good Health: Importance of Water and Salt” by Barbara O’Neill. I’ve heard her before and really enjoy the detail that she puts in her videos. Thanks.Great ! I’ll watch the Water and salt video which you recommended.I’d ask you to link directly to the exact time which relates some specific insight related to his specialty with a claim about nutrition and health. For me the effort to appeal to Chinese Medicine and the principle of “As Above, So Below” is enough to show me that he is not strong at thinking on nutrition scientifically: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=O6V1QKx6JLQ#t=471I understand what you mean , don’t have any interest in Chinese medicine or “alternative medicine” either. However I thought that the idea of using Himalayan salt in place of other salts because of the contamination of the ocean might be plausible, for example in places like Japan where there is concerns about the latest leakage which they haven’t been informed about for the last 18 month or so.I love your attention to Mediterranean diet from Crete, emphasizing it is a 90% plant-based with room for improvement. There seems to be a disconnect; however, even with physicians, as to what a 90% plant-based diet really looks like.In my experience, many Americans underestimate the glass of milk with breakfast, chicken breast and cheese on their lunch salad and a piece of fish with butter for dinner easily makes a 70%+ animal-based diet (<40% plants). This is far from the 90% plant-based diets they think they are achieving, or nearly achieving. People, who never really compute the numbers of their diet, tend to look at the volume of their food rather than calories when making estimations. It may seem like they are eating more plant foods, but in fact many more of their daily calories are coming from animal foods. An example: fruit and oatmeal at breakfast (with milk), salad greens and chopped veggies (with chopped chicken breast and cheese) for lunch and a side of mashed potatoes (with butter) and large serving(1/2 plate) of vegetables with a small serving of salmon for dinner. Many times people are unaware of the calorie contribution of their non-plant foods because of their extremely high energy density in comparison to their plant choices. Sometimes these animal-based calories are almost invisible: think melted cheese, cream, butter or bacon drippings added to your veggies or veggie soup at your restaurant meal! Some people misunderstand a 90% plant-based does not mean replacing your usual meal meat serving with a plant protein 9 out of very 10 meals. They do not register that dairy and eggs also factor in as an animal-based foods and even one serving of meat daily (without zero eggs and dairy) puts you over the 90%.I have a question, i don’t know if anybody knows something about it or not but. I hade an MRI scan today, does any 1 know if this is harmfull or not ?? My feet and my hands feel like ice after the scan. Don’t think that’s a good sing. CAN ONY 1 HELP ???I’m no doctor, but I’ve had a few and not had any effects, it is magnetic imaging. Were you nervous going in? It could just be a stress induced reaction possibly?Yeah verry nervous, i thought i would go in and out. But when they told me that i have to sit still for 25 minutes. I felt like being told i have to swim with crocodiles. I actually hade 2 knie’s that were going to be examined, but after the first 25 minutes i told them to stop. I was verry scared, and made a new appointment for this coming Tuesday. Thanks allot for your answerMedical procedures can be very scary, and even panic inducing in some people! I think it’s only fair we are told just what to expect in advance, to take away that element of vulnerability so many of us feel when we aren’t sure what is in store for us.Why is Mercola’s work not credible? What are his conflicts of interest? Is he associated with the Winston A Price Foundation? People always say The China Study cherry picked information and use Mercola’s data. Any advice Joseph?Is peddling everything from personally-branded whey protein to personally-branded tanning beds not enough for you to diminish the credibility of a doctor?http://shop.mercola.com/catalog/miracle-whey-protein-powder,135,0,0.htm http://shop.mercola.com/product/mercola-vitality-elite-32-lamp-tanning-bed,1157,145,0.htmThis is before we actually dive into the quality of his claims and reasoning, mind you, but this in itself represents a pretty big conflict of interest to me.One thing that Mercola believes in is there is a way to eat according your blood type. I don’t go for that. And whether or not he is associated with the Winston A Price Foundation he touts their science.I am not familiar with Dr. Mercola’s work entirely. From what I gather he sells many supplements. Does he cite sources on his website? That is all you need, references, kind of like here at NutritionFacts and then you can decide what the mounting research suggests. As a dietitian I always recommend whole foods over pills and powders.I really want to applaud the emphasis of other healthy habits and not just plant based. Namely reducing oils, refined grains, and over-consumption of salt, which has been sadly missing for the most part from your advice up to this point. Thank you!Scientists at the University of Delaware find that “…even in the absence of an increase in blood pressure, excess dietary sodium can adversely affect target organs, including the blood vessels, heart, kidneys and brain.”http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150310160033.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28Latest+Science+News+–+ScienceDaily%29I recommend the recent TV series Ottonlenghi’s Mediterranean Island Feast, where he meets and cooks with locals who still do things the traditional way. Fantastic Mediterranean food inspiration. The vegetarian cookbooks are also wonderful.If reducing salt reduced my blood pressure, i’d pass out. I have always had a low-normal BP. I’m not shy with the seasoning salt, but tend to use much less when eating plant-based diets. I was never one to salt fresh tomatoes or watermelon, but that’s how many folks do it. eww.	alcohol,antioxidants,beans,beverages,blood pressure,bread,breast cancer,cancer,cardiovascular disease,chronic diseases,diabetes,fruit,grains,grapes,greens,heart disease,hypertension,Mediterranean diet,nuts,obesity,olive oil,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,red wine,salt,saturated fat,seeds,sodium,stroke,vegetables,wine	What are the four problematic nutritional aspects of even plant-based Mediterranean diets?	This is the final video in a 6-part video series on the Mediterranean diet. Here’s the first five in case you missed them:I was happy to have an opportunity to plug Julieanna’s new book. Learn more about her work at http://plantbaseddietitian.com/I touch more on whole grains in How Many Meet the Simple Seven? and Whole Grains May Work As Well As Drugs.More on breast cancer and alcohol in Breast Cancer and Alcohol: How Much Is Safe? and Breast Cancer Risk: Red Wine v. White WineI’ve touched on olive oil in the other videos in this Mediterranean diet series, but also have an older video Extra Virgin Olive Oil vs. Nuts.More on sodium in Dietary Guidelines: With a Grain of Big Salt and Can Diet Protect Against Kidney Cancer? But what if without salt everything tastes like cardboard? Not to worry! See Changing Our Taste Buds.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24871477,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24599882,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24263037,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20089959,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23484910,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25060141,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23199451,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7754982,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10610747,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24238655,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25055810,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19549997,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20089957,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23180513,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11079642,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16481154,
PLAIN-2474	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/	Do Flexitarians Live Longer?	What accounts for the benefits of a Mediterranean-style diet? An anatomy of health effects was published and the single most important component was the high consumption of plant foods. In contrast, fish and seafood consumption, the only animal foods promoted in the Mediterranean diet did not seem to help.In fact if you look at four of the major dietary quality scoring systems, which have all been associated with extending lifespan and lowering heart disease and cancer mortality, they all share only four things in common: more fruit, more vegetables, more whole grains, and more nuts and beans. They are all built on a common core of a diet rich in plant foods, whereas opposite food patterns, rich in animal foods and poor in plant-based foods (in other words, the Western diet), is associated with higher risks So we need to optimize the food environment to support whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and plant-based proteins.That’s one of the things all the so-called Blue Zones have in common, the longest living populations, not only social support and engagement, daily exercise, but nutritionally they all center their diets around plant foods, reserving meat mostly for special occasions -and the population with perhaps the highest life-expectancy in the world, doesn’t eat any meat at all, the California Adventist vegetarians.So if the primary benefits of the Mediterranean diet are due to all the whole plant foods, what if you went back to the famous PREDIMED study and created a provegetarian scoring system? We know vegetarians live longer, but because a pure vegetarian diet might not easily be embraced by many individuals, maybe it would be easier to swallow if we just tell people more plant-based foods, less animal-based foods. But would just moving along the spectrum towards more plants actually enable people to live longer? They thought of this food pattern as a “gentle approach” to vegetarianism, figuring that if it improved survival it would be an easily understandable message for health promotion: more plant foods, less animal foods.So you get points for eating fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, beans, olive oil, and potatoes, but get docked points for any animal fats, eggs, fish, dairy, or any type of meat or meat products. Of course that means you get a higher score the more potato chips and French fries you eat. That’s why I prefer the term whole food plant-based diet since it’s defined by what you eat, not by what you don’t eat. When I taught at Cornell I had “vegan” students who apparently were trying to live off French fries and beer; vegan does not necessarily mean health-promoting. But did it work? Regardless of healthy vs. unhealthy, if you give points to people for any kind of plant food, processed or not, and detract points for any kind of animal product consumption, do people with higher scores live longer? Yes. The maximum provegetarian score is 60, but even just scoring 40 or more was associated with a 40% drop in mortality. In fact there were so few deaths in the highest category of adherence to the provegetarian diet, they had to merge the 2 upper categories for their analysis. Evidence that simple advice to increase the consumption of plant-derived foods with reductions in the consumption of foods from animal sources confers a survival advantage.This modest change is realistic, affordable, and achievable because a sizable proportion of their population was already eating that way. So one can get significant survival benefit without a radical shift to the exclusive consumption of plant foods, a more gradual and gentle approach more easily translatable into public policy. A 41% drop in mortality rates in the United States would mean saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans every year.	Yes! Great message to those feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of “all or nothing”.I agree, but myself i prefer the nothing when it comes to animal food. I have tried both ways and feel the best and perform the best on a strictly whole foods plant based diet.Me too, Alan. An interesting and unexpected side effect is that I’ve become attuned to how food makes me feel and whole plant foods support me feeling my best physically and mentally.I just switch ed from the so called paleo diet to a plant based whole foods with no animal products or processed junk. I just completed week two with sucess! Feeling more energy, no hunger, even my clothes are fitting looser. Only one side effect I am a little conerned about, some lower abdominal discomfort, frrquent gas, and somewhat mild belly ache. Is this just my getting used to thr much higher fiber intake? Will it improve if I stick with it? Thanks for the great info!Bravo Michael! “It gets better!”Yes I found it takes about 3 weeks for the bowels to completely adjust and then you’ll feel great digestion-wise too.It’s probably largely a matter of your intestinal microorganisms adjusting to your new diet. In the mean time there are things such as Bean-zyme (a vegan version of Beano) that can be helpful. Good of you, Michael – and for you!Congratulations… one of the advantages to taking a giant step to a whole food plant based diet is the positive effects are more noticeable than if you use baby steps. This is apparent in seeing the results of my patients who gradually change vs those in an immersion program like Dr. John McDougall’s Whole Foods program or his 10 day program. Your intestine will adjust over time and you might find that some plants work better than others. Over the next several months you will want to make sure that you have adequate Vitamin B12 intake see Dr. Greger’s video series beginning in February 2012… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/. Now you can lead by example… for those around you who question you about the health of your approach ask them to subscribe to NutritionFacts.org.Thanks Don, I LOVE the advice about sending them here, and I have and do, if only they would follow up! It takes active interest to even click a link, and even the few who did found all the info overwhelming, and would have no idea where to “start”, being new to it all. (A few other people mentioned this recently here also.) What I am searching for is… a positive, upbeat, video for the mostly clueless and confused, describing (celebrating) the the merits of a WFPB diet, (relatively short 5-ish minutes) sort of general pep-talk for the average SAD consumer who needs a convincing nudge. (SHOVE!) Ideally it would emphasize not veganism per se, (even though I don’t eat animal products myself, it seems to scare people away) but principles we could count on one hand…the 5 biggies that I find everyone has confusion about… 1) the myriad of benefits of adding many more WHOLE plant based foods, emphasis on whole, and a quick rundown of what a “plant food” is, like… veggies, fruits, legumes, grains, roots, seeds, etc.! (I’m amazed how many people think it just means fruits and veggies!) 2) the myriad of benefits of reducing ALL animal products, including dairy and some explanation why… 3) emphasis on eliminating processed garbage in favor of REAL food! (However it gets said) with added additional mentions of avoiding at least sugar, refined flour, & added oil/fat…especially for cooking, (and maybe the last 2 should be 3 A & B instead of 4 & 5, but…) 4) Making clear the difference between the “dreaded carbs” and complex carbs, and emphasizing the importance of the good ones! 5) Dispelling the fear of fruit sugar in contrast to processed sugar..and why. (Lots of diabetics) and then maybe further links for more specific info on any of the above, or more. Of course I know the issues aren’t this cut and dry nor as basic, but seem to be the questions I had, and the ones most people need to comprehend without being too overwhelmed about what changes they most need to make. I would love it to go on about a slew of other important issues to me, (fiber, fermentation/gut health, not fearing traditional soy products, lifestyle, etc,) but that gets too complicated, confusing and controversial for this particular agenda. If anyone knows of a good link (an upbeat video preferably…easier to watch than read, heaven forbid!) that can at least come close to the above, I would LOVE if you could post it for me! (I’m sure it is probably even right here on this site, but I can’t tease it out of the fray!) Maybe it could even be a future project as an introductory synopsis for this site’s guiding principles??? HINT HINT!!! LOL!Thanks for the good words and advice Don!As someone who became vegan overnight, I can certainly attest to the noticeable benefits. Fantastic!I made similar switch (with back to back readings of Loren Cordain and T Colin Campbell) about 5 years ago, and for about 3 weeks my movements were ahem, urgent. Persist, and the microbiota adapts.Is having bowel movements several times a day (more than 5) considered normal? I have been on a WFPBD for years and recently started experiencing this –yes embarrassing–problem.I don’t think that’s normal, but have you made any changes such as taking vitamins – magnesium and vitamin C will often increase frequency of BMs until you reach bowel tolerance. Did you recently go on a vacation, especially to a tropical locale? Sometimes we can pick up a bug or two and it can take time for the gut microbes to return to normal. Have you begun eating a new food – there may be an issue with sensitivity/allergy? If it’s a “no” to these questions, then I’d recommend you see your family doctor. In the meantime, try taking probiotics to see if that helps to settle things. I recommend the human microflora product HMF Forte by Genestra (no affiliation).Going on a plant based diet does result in changes in stooling both frequency, form and transit time. There are 19 video’s relating to “Bowel Movements” on this website with associated links to the cited studies. For frequency see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/ ; form and the Bristol Stool Scale… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/ and transit time see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/. There is individual variation and there can be plant foods that tend to cause increased or reduced frequency. It is a bit complicated and difficult to sort out at times as discussed in the video discussing stool pH… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/ and antioxidants see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/. If things have been stable for awhile and you note a persistent change in stool habits it is also good to check with your health care professional(s). Unfortunately many times we can’t tell our patients what is going on but can rule in or out diagnoses that we worry about. In my clinical experience and consistent with what others in the field report… most vegans are going to have 1-3 per day. Keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org for the latest in science.Cool! must be the fiber then, persist I will! thanks!Glad you are experiencing more energy, Michael! Sometimes more fiber can take some getting used to. The body does adapt with time, general. Some research suggests black-eyed peas may be more ‘gut friendly’ than black beans or pinto beans. However, even in this study researchers concluded “People’s concerns about excessive flatulence from eating beans may be exaggerated” as many folks eating all beans didn’t have the discomfort expected by eating more beans. At any rate, gastrointestinal discomfort is real and it includes more foods than beans, but there are many tips to help.Soaking beans before cooking, eating more cooked and less fresh vegetables (especially cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower) can help reduce the discomfort. Everyone varies a bit, find what foods work for you. Let us know if it doesn’t subside.Thanks for the reply! I will try those tips, I would love to eat beans, they used to be my favorite. hopefully my body will soon be able to handle them, not quite yet though…Maybe well-cooked lentils? Also, creamy peanut butter and tofu have less fiber so that may be nice. Do what works! Like the miso idea. Hope you feel betterI got some red lentils I will be trying monday…thanksYour energy balance is off if after 2 weeks your clothes are already getting loser. If you pre-cook half a kilogram of brown rice or something similar and just leave it on your stove you can walk by and grab a quick snack from it. Overeating vegetables will never give you the energy you need, it’s a well known beginners mistake. GL ;)I wouldn’t say this is a problem unless you don’t have weight to lose….It is called crash dieting and that never works, that he might feel full doesn’t change the underlying the energy crisis. He’ll just end up ravenous and start binging on energy dense foods.thanks for your reply. I cant in my wildest imagination figure out why you think i am doing a crash diet? I am eating the same amount of veggies now as when I was on paleo diet, the only change I made was trade my meat, fat, eggs and dairy, for starches like you mentioned at the end, and whole grain bread. i agree with you that they are great sources of energy. Beans are out for a little while longer, but i do believe i will get used to them again. they used to be my favorite, and never caused problems, but they were banned in the paleo diet, so now i got to get used to them again.There is twice as much energy per gram in fat as there is in the other two macro’s. If you were stable weight before but you switch an equal weight of fat for carbs you’ll end up with a deficit. If that belt gets too loose don’t be afraid to really shuffle in those starches. GL.I could stand to lose 30 pounds really, but my clothes fitting better is mainly due to less inflammation and swelling . if i ever start getting too skinny, then i will add some fat back in…Michael, Can you further explain your lower abdominal discomfort? I went totally plant based in January (it wasn’t a huge transition for me) and have been experiencing lower abdominal/pelvic pain for that last two months. Neither doctors nor I have been able to figure it out. I have had an ultrasound of my kidneys and bladder and a CT of my kidneys. All negative. Any ideas would be great and much appreciated!I was 80% plant based (high carb raw) for November and December and 100% plant based since January. When I first switched I had more digestive issues than in the last 3-4 weeks. I’ve only had anything I would call digestive pain recently when I ate some fried potatoes which had a lot of oil. My diet runs a max of about 12% fats for the past 4 months so the one night of much higher and oil, my digestion was quite odd. I’m sure part of the changes is related to the tremendous amount of fiber when compared to my previous SAD lifestyle.Alex, sort of like having gas, but it doesnt go away after passing it, not enough pain to take anything, or go see a Dr., as long as i don’t eat beans lol I also got food poisoning a few weeks ago from undercooked chicken, that could have done some damage that needed healing. no fun, but maybe a good thing in the long run, possibly what opened mind to kicking the meat habit…Thanks for sharing everyone! This community is awesome. I still haven’t solved my problem yet but these are great ideas to explore!I tracked some of my abdominal issues to oatmeal of all things, but I adore it and refuse to give it up. Sometimes it gave me big tummy trouble… bloating, gas, generalized discomfort…you get the unpleasant picture. I always use it savory instead of sweet, (similar to rice) mixed with all kinds of cooked veggies of whatever I have on hand, which works better than eating it alone. I recently discovered a neat “recipe” that helped the problem a lot, (and will probably work for a lot of foods to predigest them)! I cook a big bowl of oatmeal, (one cup of oats, almost 2 of water) no salt added, and once it cools down enough to touch, I dissolve a TBS or so of shiro miso (I get mine from an oriental market, but make sure it isn’t pasteurized, it has to have live cultures) in a bit of water, and mix it well into the oats. I also added some chopped nuts and flax (or try hemp or other seeds like pumpkin or sunflower too), and then leave the bowl sitting on the counter, covered with a plate or something, overnight. The miso has live cultures (probiotics) and enzymes, which change the oatmeal into something I think is even more wonderful! Within minutes you can see changes taking place, and overnight it develops a mild sweetness and a rich, almost yeasty flavor that is quite unique, and totally different than the two ingredients! Magic! It may look bubbly almost like a watery rising dough, but fear not! LOL! You can take some out and warm it lighty before you eat it, just don’t get it too warm and kill the good organisms…they are live and ready to colonize your gut! The bowl will last me all day, and refrigerated, into the next. I’ve done a lot of lacto-fermenting but the miso was something new, and so glad I tried it. Plant based nut, seed and veggie “cheezes” can be created using a similar technique, my next adventure! Totally different tastes than lacto-fermenting, which, like sauerkraut, is another whole palette of flavors, boost in nutrition and immunity! Every culture down through history had a slew of ferments I had never even heard of, and they are amazing! Who said WFPB eating is boring? I love experimenting in my kitchen “laboratory”! LOL!Is shiro miso a white miso? I’ll have to try this. Thanks for sharing!Yes, it is white miso, I looked it up. I probably should have just said that huh? Sorry for being so verbose, a bad habit. I have a little too much enthusiasm! LOL!I think it is. I also feel also types are healthful, but the white is more mild.This sounds really good! Thank you for sharing, I love the idea of fermented oatmeal.Hi Michael, for me personally too many fruits (raw in particular) can cause mild bloating. Also personally I have come to accept that sweet potatoes cause an oddly severe bloating and discomfort and now avoid them. I’ve also noticed that with pulses, some like chickpeas and lentils cause no digestive sensations at all, while others like kidney beans are a bit more “musical” shall we say. As others have said, your microbiome will adjust with time and the discomfort will undoubtedly get better. Beyond that, stay attuned to any particular reactions you notice with certain foods. Also if you happen to be eating a really large amount of fruits and veggies, generally skewing your diet towards more starches like potatoes and rice with fewer vegetables could be something to try.yeah i have been loading up on the healthy starches! I just cannot get well fed just eating fruit and veggies, and they have been giving me good energy!!! when i was relying on meat and fat for most of my calories, I needed a huge thermos full of coffee to get through the day, now i only have a cup in the morning! thanks for the reply!Sorry to read about your transition issues.. it can take several months to adjust to a plant based diet. It is also possible that you are sensitive to particular plant foods. You might benefit from reading John McDougall’s newsletter article entitled, Diet for the Desperate (Dec 2002). The articled gives a nice discussion of which foods might cause a problem and recommends an approach. If you symptoms persist it is always best to consult with a health care professional.I am getting better, thanks!Glad to read you are getting better. Tincture of time and giving your body a chance to adjust to new habits.You may have a bowel intolerance to one of more of the foods you’re eating. Before the higher saturated fat may have smeared all over your bowel offering a little bit protection. Then again you may just need to “adjust” either way I would keep it in mind until you’re sure.I think you are right, beans for one, but hopefully it is temporary, and I can get back to eating them!yet they have disease that is specific to themI am not persuaded that Olive Oil’s O6:O3 of 13.4:1ratio is health-ideal…I was just looking at some of the ratio’s. Canola oil at 2.2:1 And pumpkin seeds a whopping 107.8:1………ouch I was wondering what peanuts were.Gary, since peanuts have zero omega 3’s, an ounce of peanuts has an omega 6 to omega 3 ratio of approximately 4.5:0. However, sometimes we don’t have to rely on one nut, and can mix and match to get a healthy ratio.Thanks for responding Julie & Joseph. I just wanted to be sure the peanuts didn’t have the same outrageous ratio as the pumpkin seeds. I don’t want to have to swallow an extra Algae omega 3 or Tsp of flax seed to level that ratio out..:)Peanuts are more omega-6 geared. I am not sure the specific ratio (can someone find out?), but not as good omega-3 sources. Still a perfectly healthful food! I really hate getting caught up on numbers. I know they can be helpful to see, but when we start referring to whole foods are value signs and percentages I feel it makes eating a healthful diet harder than it should be. Sometimes I am wrong in this approach. In the past, a study participant was adamant about counting calories, even when I told them they didn’t have to. Well, they enjoyed counting and it made them feel more accountable. How can I say that is a “bad” thing? Having said that, it is just my experience that less counting and less number crunching is preferred but of course we have to have the information fist. Good talk :) Thanks for the info, Gary and BIll.Well said Joseph. You are doing a great job BTW.A fair number of people who gravitate towards sites such as NF have orthorexic tendencies, described as “an unhealthy fixation with what the individual considers to be healthy eating.” Eating should be seen as a simple, pleasurable, relaxing experience, not navigating through a minefield.I agree with your perspective about orthorexic tendencies, Psych MD. I’ve long been a nutrition wonk but I cut myself slack on my eating. I just had chips (albeit healthier variety with flax, etc.) and beer and guacamole and grapefruit juice for dinner. Go figure. I should have had a big salad but am too sleepy to make one.Been to a grocery store lately? It’s a minefield. More that half the store is cookies, chips, sodas, packaged foods high in fat, salt sugar etc. I’ll agree with the simple part of eating if by that you mean eating simple rather than processed foods. But I’m sure it would be much more pleasurable if I ate the boxes of cookies and snacks that I so diligently avoid. I do indeed have a fixation with healthy eating and as a result, I’ve lost 20 pounds, have fewer aches, better bowel habits and am more optimistic. I’d call this a healthy fixation. Of course to the psychiatrist who looks for a crazy person under every bush, I’m sure he’d be of a contrary opinion, perhaps to justify his own unhealthy eating habits.Part of my job is being able to disinguish healthy behavior from pathological. I’d say my adherence to Dr. Greger’s advice is about 98% I find this style of eating liberating and relaxing. The thought of gorging on “boxes of cookies and snacks” is nauseating. When people start stressing about how many nuts it is “safe” to eat and obsessing about whose ratio is more accurate they are overthinking.“When people start stressing about how many nuts it is “safe” to eat and obsessing about whose ratio is more accurate they are overthinking.” How right you are!!Since projecting self loathing and sociopathy traits aren’t things that usually turn around in a month or so, that pretty much leaves the detoxing scenario. It’s working wonders, good for you.I had to enter 10,000 calories worth of peanuts into CRON-O-Meter before it even registered at .1 grams of omega 3. This was compared to 241g of omega 6. As you said of course a healthy food if consumed in the proper amount, but one will have to get their omega 3’s elsewhere.“While no one knows what the optimal ratio in the diet is for these two families of fats, the current (and recommended) ratio in Japan is associated with a very low incidence of heart and other diseases. A dietary ratio of 4:1 produces almost a 1:1 ratio of HUFAs in cell membranes.”[4]Present-day diets in the developed world have departed dramatically from this ratio. One estimate is that in developed countries, the ratio of Omega-6s to Omega-3s is closer to 15:1[5] Another estimate is that “[t]he diet consumed by the typical American tends to contain 14 – 25 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids.I was checking the ratio’s here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratio_of_fatty_acids_in_different_foodsVeggies had only a trace and would not effect the ratio much.I am 17 years old and have recently switch to a vegan diet, supplementing with Vitamin B12. I do still have very bad acne, digestive issues and chronic diarrhea (despite taking probiotics for almost 1 month now). In any case, I am wondering how much Omega 6s must be in the daily diet? I understand you want to get enough Omega 3s (from flax), but what about Omega 6s? Is it bad to not get any? I was having trouble finding any RDA. Thanks!I eat beans twice a day and it took a yr to a yr and a half for the gas went away to nothing. Still the gas was not disgusting like rotting flesh in the gut.I started out with blending raw veggies (kale etc) with 2 cups of water added to make it drinkable. I soon gave up on that. It made me way too bloated and full feeling. But it does work good if your goal is to lose weight. My weight is a trim 154 at 6 ft tall, so I just maintain at this weight. At 160 lb my 6 pac abs start to disappear as belly fat returns…..lolBowl movements are now easy and daily once or even twice if I eat more.You don’t need much in the way of omega-6’s. Both flax and grains have enough. I wouldn’t worry about being deficient in them. As far as diarrhea goes, mine didn’t clear up completely for about a year after going vegan, so give it some time. The healthier you eat, the better it will get. Avoid packaged foods and eat foods in a state as close as possible to how they were when they came out of the ground. I recently saw this video on teen acne- hope it helps. Good luck.https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/stars/stars-video/nina-randa/Hi, JakeN,Thanks for your questions. Sorry to hear about the discomfort, please go see someone if it doesn’t subside. Probiotics may help, but they haven’t found to offset diarrhea from my knowledge. You may try more soluble fiber (oats, rice, toast, applesauce, etc.) but if it persists, again, seek help.This may help you find RDAs, Link to Institute of Medicine (IOM)- of National Academies. For essential fats, the IOM Adequate Intake is 11g/d of linoleic acid (omega-6’s) and 1.1g/d of alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3’s). So yes, omega-6’s are still essential and you need some, but they are not as important to focus on as omega-3’s because they are more widely available from different foods. I will say that numbers and ranges (percentage of total calories and how much should be geared towards fats, let alone essential fats) can be tricky to calculate. We don’t have to me math majors to eat a healthful diet. if you insist we can discuss these ranges but I prefer not, and the link I sent should suffice. The omega’s in flax seed and walnuts are so high, that even an ounce could cover someone for the entire day! Assuming they are eating other foods like beans, greens, and whole grains, getting enough essential fat won’t be a problem. Let me know if this helps?Thanks again for sharing your personal story,JosephJoseph this is good to know regarding walnuts ( too much flax seeds give me Jake’s issue!Thank you very much for the resource, for your time & expertise!I will just mention a couple things and perhaps you can respond….I am just over 5 11 & only 135 lbs. I am very skinny, experience fatigue quite a bit (which seemed to diminish a bit with supplementation of B12), have digestive issues, acne & trouble sleeping. Beyond stress (which is significant) I am unsure what I can possibly do..?I eat lots of greens, vegetables, sweet potatoes, yams, oatmeal, (red) rice, black beans, sometimes quinoa, ground flax, and some fruit. I work at my local farmer’s market so I take advantage of cheap / ‘free’ local, organic produce and purchase only bulk, organic whole grains (as they are fairly cheap anyways). That is pretty much my diet though, whole grains and a large diversity of (mostly steamed) vegetables. I also supplement Vitamin D3 (5000 IU / day) & B12 (500mg / day). I also did buy an iodine supplement though stopped using it because one drop is 400mg which I later found out is too high and can cause problems (?).I started using Cron-O-Meter to make sure I am getting adequate intakes based on their recommendations and make a point to score atleast 97% a day.I don’t know if you can help any further, (again I really appreciate your time and information provided), but I don’t know if you have any ideas what could be causing any of these problems. I have trouble exercising because I lack energy and the ability to recover.Lastly, I currently pay to see a therapist which I have been doing for months now which has been very helpful as well.Anyways I just thought I would share this because I have no idea where to go to attempt to solve any of these problems. It is extremely hard being in high school, working full time hours and having trouble sleeping, experiencing fatigue and it doesn’t help to have acne and digestive issues.Just thought I would mention. Anyone feel free to offer any input, resources, etc. All support is appreciated ! :)Contrary to others on this site, I would recommend introducing soy ‘meat’ analogues and beans and nuts and perhaps a little oil in your cooking. Sounds like you aren’t getting enough calories and/or fat.For more, you might want to reach out to http://veganhealth.org run by Jack Norris a Registered Dietician who will likely be of great help.Best of health to you.JakeN – I totally agree with the comment by Vee Gunne – get more protein (beans/ soy/ vegan meat products at least 3 times per day) and more nuts and avocados. Enrich your vege dishes with cashew cream sauces or dressings with lots of almond butter, and add beans/tofu etc into them. It sounds like you are short of calories, protein and possibly fat/essential fatty acids.JakeN, in addition to all the helpful responses you’ve gotten, I’d like to recommend removing gluten from your diet. Just try it for a few weeks and see how you feel! If you’d like to be tested for gluten sensitivity, the state of the art test is Cyrex Labs array #3. It looks for not just one type of gluten protein but the 10 that we most commonly react to. All 3 of the symptoms you mentioned can be associated with gluten sensitivity. http://hypothyroidmom.com/12-shocking-symptoms-of-gluten-sensitivity/ and http://drknews.com/what-type-of-gluten-intolerance-do-you-have/Good point, Julie. I do feel though that many “symptoms” are mistakingly associate with gluten sensitivity, as it is a hot topic. I have not seen good research to promote gluten-free diets. Surely, trying an elimination diet of sorts is fine to do but it takes planning. What is the testing mechanism you listed, Cyrex Labs array #3? Not that I claim to be an expert in allergy testing, but I would not suggest such tests without evidence of their efficacy. Just my thoughts. I still appreciate your post and I hope to learn more about allergy testing and the need for it.Hi Joseph. I learned about Cyrex Labs from “The Gluten Summit” with Dr. O’Bryan. Here’s an interesting interview of Dr. O’Bryan on gluten sensitivity/celiac disease where he briefly explains the various Cyrex tests. http://undergroundwellness.com/gluten-sensitivity-and-celiac-disease-with-dr-obryan-full-interview/I have not eaten gluten in like a year now. I am thinking / planning incorporate it back though; based on Dr Greger’s videos.Hi Jake N, for me the best results came after eliminating sugar followed by dairy, then refined carbs. Adding Whole food starch eg. steamed sweet potato , gave me more energy. But everyone is different so it takes a while to tweak your diet for it to work for you.You do need sufficient omega 6 fatty acids which are easily available from seeds like sunflower seeds or nuts, like pecans or walnuts,etc. Walnuts also are a source of omega 3 too. Hemp nuts are also a good source of omega 6 and omega 3. No need to actually use any oil, just stick to the whole foods. Flax and chia seed are also excellent sources of lignans and fiber. Most diets have too high a ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 due to the use of vegetable oils in salad dressings and cooking. To avoid becoming a failed vegan make sure to eat enough whole foods, ie., don’t go hungry. Check out books by Dr. Fuhrman and Dr. McDougall and T C Campbell and this website for support. You might have a food allergy that needs to be discovered through an elimination diet.I was a big meat eater 15 months ago and now I’m completely vegan and have a really clean diet. I feel amazing. I have energy. I am so much happier and more positive. This has been achieved to a large extent by following St Michael’s brilliant reports and I must thank him wholeheartedly for that. The longer I go without meat and dairy the less is my desire for it and the better I feel. I can liken this to when I stopped smoking 22 years ago (I’m 62) – even today I occasionally feel the desire to smoke but that desire now lasts for a matter of a few seconds before it passes. 15 months into my new way of eating/drinking/exercising/sleeping/positive thinking/etc I still want to eat meat, fish and the like but the desire is now short lived – it passes pretty quickly. I hope that this short post (my first) might be reassuring to somebody out there. It is worth persevering. Keep at it. It does get easier and the benefits are huge.Congratulations BRIT! This is so great to hear and so inspiring! My mother (similar age) has found the same experience from going to a completely vegan, from a diet heavy in animals and animal products. She effortlessly dropped the excessive weight she was carrying since us kids were born, and she is happier and more energetic than I have ever seen her! And it was all just in time too and she has been bombarded with grandchildren in the last few years – but no problem for grandma to keep up these days!Hello Jocelyn. It felt really good to be called inspiring. Thank you. I lost 30 lbs without trying too hard but I’ve stopped losing weight now because I eat a lot more good fats these days – nuts, seeds, avocados, etc And I feel better for it. I was so pleased to hear about your mother’s successes. There can’t be a better reason for improving your health than to enjoy your grandchildren (even though it was a bombardment !!! ).Whenever I long for the taste of meat, fish or seafood, I go to vegan restaurants that serve vegan meat. The taste is very similar.“Eating more plant-based foods prolongs life”is synonymous with“Eating more animal-based foods hastens death”…statistically speaking, of course.In the late seventies when the Pritikin plan- which you could call flexitarian, came out, I was one of the first to try it. The problem was, I didn’t stay on it for very long. He allowed 3-4 ounces of meat a day. Well, I always made sure I had a full 4 ounces since I had a compelling taste for meat. Pretty soon I started eating just a little bit more, reasoning that a tiny bit more wouldn’t make any difference. It wasn’t long before I started forgetting my good intentions and was backsliding all the way to where I had begun. The problem with a flexitarian diet, for me at least, is that I never got the opportunity to loose my taste for meat as long as I was eating even a small amount of it. When I finally made the commitment to go totally animal free (except for a little honey occasionally) about 12 years ago, I had a rough time with the temptation. They say you can break any habit in just 21 days. I didn’t find that to be true for meat. Two months after giving it up, I still had cravings when I’d smell a neighbor barbecuing his steak. I can’t say when exactly I lost my desire for meat, but five months after going plant-based I went to a pot-luck and found myself disgusted with the smell of a platter of chicken as I walked past it, realizing for the first time that I had won my battle. Now, when I go in a grocery store, I head straight for the produce section, buy some rice, barley, and beans and head on out. I don’t even take notice of the huge display of meat or dairy any more. It’s as if they’re non-foods to me now.Hi Tara I found your post interesting reading I’m not at the stage you are but I’m getting there. I feel that addiction follows a similar pattern no matter what the nature of the addiction is. You can never say that you are completely over the addiction but the desire diminishes to a point where you feel in control of it. The desire for the meat/cheese/alcohol/nicotine/chocolate just simply gets less and less the longer you go without it. I can identify with your shopping experience – I only shop in the fruit and veg section now and I’m amazed at how many shelves in the supermarket are now of no interest to me.But is eating meat an addiction or a habit? I got over the habit of sucking my thumb by the time I entered my teens with a bit of effort and masking tape. Heroin and cocaine are addictions because they mess with your nervous system and produce distinct withdrawal symptoms. Same to a lesser extent with coffee. But I’m not aware of any withdrawal associated with meat.What eliminated any craving for meat that I might have is watching the video meatvideo.com. The animals were treated so shabbily (factory farms seem like concentration camps to me) in this video that it completely destroyed any craving or desire for me to eat meat. I used to LOVE bacon and cheese, but I try to avoid both like the plague. I don’t even eat faux meats, since I don’t want anything that even resembles meat.I agree with Daniel here, one of the big reasons I try to limit meat and anything processed, is the disgusting anti-life greed that is feeding like a cancer on the human population. The people who see making food as a mean to profit end up disrespecting both the lives of the animals, but also the needs of the plants and the Earth, and the people they “feed” or poison.I was pretty much a “failed vegetarian” all my life…always felt guilty eating animals when I did, but when I was younger, (I’m 62) and had kids and family, it just was too much of a hurdle to be conscientious about avoiding it completely. Nothing like a little health scare later in life to force you to rethink that! Sad but true, and a blessing because my health improved dramatically in many areas and not eating meat or animal products actually freed me of the burden of guilt too, so a real win-win for me! It is so much easier now, with all the info, recipes and help available on the web! Back then being vegan or vegetarian was more like a strange cult than a lifestyle choice, so hurray for progress…in some areas anyway. The cumulative “progress” to the SAD diet, and processed foods, not so much!There are the stories that come out every so often about the “oldest person in the world” … and almost inevitably meat/fish plays at least a part of their diet. I may be wrong, but I don’t recall ever seeing a vegan or vegetarian in that featured spot. If the longest lived people are in vegetarian groups according to this video, how is it that they seem to never show up as the oldest living person when their time comes?My guess is that the statistical computations are biased by things that screw up the average, like lots of other people dying in larger groups, like lots of poor, stressed out people, who eat poorly or who are exposed to things that more simple populations are not. My guess is that vegetarianism is most indicated for people who have overindulged their entire lives and not gotten enough activity and exercise or enough social support and have diseases from these factors, mostly atherosclerosis, COPD, etc. I would speculate that most of what these statistics are measuring is the possibility for some people in those societies to eat poorly and unhealthy lifestyles – so they tend to drag the averages down, while the people who do not have these “opportunities”, the people who live far away from the American food distribution system or who avoid it as a group fair much better. I just have a hard time to believe the deciding factor is not eating meat, because I think it would show up materially in the people who live the longest.You are missing a very obvious statistical effect, to the point where I’m tempted to give you a parable as a mnemonic device. But I’ll restrain myself.Among those who are likely to be recorded as the longest lived because of the general society in which they live (which includes at the very least accurate record-keeping), how many long-time vegetarians are represented in comparison to long-time non-vegetarians? If, for example, 99.9% or so of the French population ca. 1890-1900 is nonvegetarian, don’t you think that this will affect the relative numbers of French nonvegetarians alive at 2015?You guys are so zealous you really cannot resist being insulting or condescending in your rhetoric, and I don’t really appreciate that. If you have something that is relevant to the discussion, by all means, but comments like “you are missing” whatever I think are personal comments best left out. Because for the simple reason when you get all superior like that, you don’t sound very nice, and you come off as circling the wagons in your group and being defensive instead of being interested in discussing the issue rationally.You make a good point, but my counter-point would be these individuals are pretty much global these days. If some society struck on something that is significantly life extending, why would it not show up? You vegans tout the China study, which has its validity, and yet was so overly broad. Your point signifies to me that it is likely that being a “pure” vegan is not that huge a factor as is constantly claimed here by other statistics. That is all I am saying.I am totally onboard for many reasons of eating a WFPBD ( whole foods plant based diet ) but in the context of a forum like this the discussion becomes almost religious, and religious has NEVER settled any factual or scientific issue.Don’t you dare identify me with all vegans, or I’ll paint with a broad brush too and start talking about “you omnivores”.No one can really make a sharp distinction between very small amounts of meat intake and no meat intake, so it’s hard to say that vegan diets are strictly optimal for longevity. It is easier to say that they are among the best and that the distinctions between pure veganism and very nearly pure veganism will be small. If that’s the main point you want to make I already agree with you, but you don’t actually need to give excessive weight to world record longevity in order to efficiently make this case. The fact that you are doing so suggests a circling of the wagons to me — which may be partly warranted by the way you’ve been treated in the past, and partly unwarranted.But let’s clear away the rhetoric and start reasoning based on matters of fact and science if you still think there’s a point worth discussing. In your original post, you did an awful lot of explicit guessing. Let’s grant that no ‘vegetarian’ has yet been the oldest person recorded to be alive. What is the substantive claim that you plan to support based on this observation, and what other forms of evidence do you intend to invoke in support of it?“No one can really make a sharp distinction between very small amounts of meat intake and no meat intake, so it’s hard to say that vegan diets are strictly optimal for longevity.”That’s correct.The Japanese live the longest; they’re not vegan. They do, however, eat half of what Americans consume in meat. Some argue that it’s the abundance of omega 3’s from fish — but how can we be so sure? The Inuit eat a ton of omega 3 and live 10 years less than the average Canadian (consuming the SAD).So what’s the solution for Americans, then? Eat more meat?Enough with the silliness. Even the paleo cheerleaders who aren’t quacks know that the majority of calories should come from whole foods.I would say that the oldest person alive at any given moment is always going to be an extreme outlier. They probably have luck, genetics, and whatever else lining up in their favor.However, I can’t help but notice the large number of health-conscious plant-food eaters who have lived to an old age, such as: Ancel Keys (died 100) Jack Lalanne (died 96) Walter Kempner (died 94)as well as the several older plant-based doctors still alive today: Dr. Ellsworth Wareham (age 100) Caldwell Esselstyn (age 81) T. Colin Campbell (age 81)I suspect that in a few decades, we’ll start to see a larger number of vegetarians and vegans living to very old age, as vegetarianism and veganism becomes more popular. Give it time, and I suspect it will become obvious to all how powerful these plant-based diets are.I feel like I’m leaving some people out of my above list… if anyone can cite some other long-lived famous veg(etari)ans, let me know.Yeah, my Dad is 87 and in very good health. He drank like a fish his entire life, but he stayed very thin and controlled his weight. He was reasonably active, and never was a vegetarian, but ate pretty well. None of these anecdotal stories means much to me, and the stats are obviously interpreted differently by everyone. Common sense says that diet is not the predictor, other factors determine to the greatest percentage how long you will live and how healthy you will be, and diet can support that, but the claims being made by everyone on this subject are no different from the claims made in the past by other doctors that have been revised as well. I’ve heard pretty outlandish claims about diet and some even odder interpretations and defenses from the people who believe them or take what they say in their own way. Life is not knowing anything for sure.Well, the statistics say that heart disease and cancer kill about half of Americans. Anecdotally, that seems about right to me, if not an underestimate. If people like Caldwell Esselstyn are right, cutting out the animal products could reduce a person’s chances of having a heart attack to nearly zero. If people like T. Colin Campbell are right, cutting out animal products and increasing vegetable consumption could reduce a person’s chances of developing cancer by 80% or so. It’s all a probability game, but it would seem that the plant-based diet takes a multi-pronged approach to protecting the human body.Of course, if you have a congenital heart defect, or if you smoke 10 packs per day, or if you shoot yourself in the head, then diet will not be the determinant in your life span. But, all things being equal, the plant-based diet is pretty powerful from where I sit.In my case, I also find it effortless to maintain a healthy weight on a plant-based diet. When I was omnivorous (up to 2012), I ate so much meat and cheese that I gained about 50 pounds during my 20s. I loved meat and cheese, and preferred them over most other foods. By becoming strictly vegan, I now maintain a normal BMI automatically, without having to worry about it. So, by not becoming overweight or obese, the plant-based diet is indirectly helping people like myself when it comes to longevity. Of course, everybody’s different in that regard. Some people have self-restraint when it comes to the fattening foods. I didn’t.Lets keep it real about Jake Lalanne who I respect very much and enjoyed reading about.He was only a vegetarian for 6 yrs of his 96 yrs. He most always included salmon and boiled egg whites in his diet daily. He was concerned about getting enough “quality protein” after all he does super strongman feats. Like 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes. Or 1,000 chin-ups in an hr and 22 minutes till his palms were bleeding. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_LaLanneIn his television programs, he recommended the following meal plan; Breakfast: fruit, eggs and/or meat, and whole wheat toast . Lunch: Big salad, and meat/fish. Dinner: Big salad, two vegetables, meat/fowl, and fruit.He ate two meals a day and avoided snacks. His breakfast, after working out for two hours, consisted of hard-boiled egg whites, a cup of broth, oatmeal with soy milk and seasonal fruit. For dinner, he and his wife typically ate raw vegetables and egg whites along with fish. He did not drink coffee.LaLanne said his two simple rules of nutrition are: “if man made it, don’t eat it”, and “if it tastes good, spit it out.” He offered his opinion of the average person’s diet:He was also religious about taking 40 vitamins a day.Does everyone hear agree with his favorite quote? “Exercise is King and Nutrition is Queen” together you have a Kingdom… I wasn’t sure about that one myself…lol“I hate dying, it would ruin my image.” His father died at age 58. Jake died at 96 I believe after he went to a Dr to get a “minor heart problem operation” and ended up dying of respiratory failure due to pneumonia.Similar to Joan Rivers dying after getting one more minor younger face job.Thanks for the info on Jack Lalanne, GaryS. I knew he wasn’t a strict vegetarian for his whole life, but I knew that he thought about health all his life, and he did lean vegetarian toward the end of his life. I remember listening to his interview with John McDougall, and the only nutritional point they seemed to disagree about was the importance of egg whites. Jack was adamant that they are the “highest quality protein,” while McDougall was obviously skeptical, but polite out of respect for Jack.I think Rip Esselstyn once quoted Jack Lalanne’s kingdom analogy, but said he would reverse the King and Queen roles. I think Jack was way ahead of his time, but in my experience I would reverse the roles as well. Diet keeps me thin, and exercise always makes me feel better. If you have a terrible diet and get fat, then it becomes that much harder and less enjoyable to exercise properly.Here’s a really interesting blog. According to it, of the ten oldest people to ever live (at least those we have verifiable records of) two were vegetarian and at least one was semi-vegetarian. Most all of them were very short and so probably produced less IGF-1, they tended to be lean, optimistic, moderately active physically and few smoked. There were exceptions, but these may have had exceptional genes and I think that although eating healthy and moderate exercise may get you into your late 80’s with a little luck, virtue alone won’t make you a centenarian. To live past 100 probably requires great genes that may not even be phased by fried food, whiskey or tobacco.http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/26418-supercentenarians-facts/“To live past 100 probably requires great genes that may not even be phased by fried food, whiskey or tobacco.” Not to mention the chemicals, pollutants and toxins we are bombarded with these days in everything from our water, land and air, to the actual ones we inadvertently or otherwise, ingest or slather on! It’s a nightmare!A cautionary tale…Quote from a newsletter…“The decline in physical function results directly from a loss of muscle strength. Let that sink in for a moment…the loss of muscle strength is the primary reason we institutionalize older people. It gets worse.Studies have now shown that three simple tests involving muscle strength can predict with astounding accuracy which middle-aged adults are less likely to live a long and healthy life. (BMJ 14 Apr 29;348:g2219)Dr. Rachel Cooper from the University College of London performed these tests on a group of 1,355 men and 1,411 women (all aged 53). She then analyzed their mortality data through 2012, when they turned 63 years old. During that period, 177 died.After evaluating the data, Dr. Cooper and her colleagues adjusted for all kinds of complicating variables, such as lifestyle, health status, socioeconomic position, etc. Even after the adjustments, those in the lowest quintile (1/5th) of physical capability were 3.68 times more likely to die than those in the highest quintile. Those who were unable to perform any of the tests had a death rate 12 times higher than those able to perform all three tests.”So basically, muscle loss won’t just get you institutionalized, it also significantly increases your risk of dying earlier.”In my case…I know that a regular exercise program (2 – 1/2 hour sessions per week plus walking) makes a lot of difference….i.e….being able to get around without thinking a lot about it…though caution is in order.Another quote…“In September 2012, I devoted an entire issue to the importance of adding meat broths and/or gelatin (10–25 grams a day/1–2 tablespoons) to your diet. After a couple of months of incorporating these essential raw materials for joint repair into my diet, the positive results I’ve witnessed have been nothing short of amazing. And to make sure I’m covering all the bases, I also use a daily joint supplement.Joint deterioration is one of the most common and fastest-growing health problems in our society. It occurs in all joints, but since the knee is the largest and most complex joint in the body, knee problems have soared. And we’re not just talking about in the elderly. Between 2001 and 2006, there was a 130-fold increase in total knee replacement surgeries in those aged 30 to 59.In just the last decade, the number of total knee replacements performed annually in the US has doubled. And this number continues to skyrocket. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2010, more than 719,000 total knee replacement surgeries took place. It is estimated that, by 2030, knee replacement surgeries will rise by 643 percent to 3.48 million procedures.There are now more total knee replacements done than total hip replacements, coronary artery bypasses, coronary stents, hysterectomies, intestinal biopsies, balloon angioplasties, and even bone fracture reductions.More than 2 million fractures annually in the US are directly attributable to osteoporosis. In 2001, osteoporosis-associated fractures were responsible for $17 billion ($47 million per day) in hospital and nursing home costs.”3rd quote…“According to two dose-response studies, young men required 20 grams of quality protein (whey) per meal to stimulate muscle growth following exercise, but older men needed twice that amount–40 grams per meal–to achieve the same stimulation. (Br J Nutr 12 Nov 28;108(10):1780–8) (Am J Clin Nutr 09 Jan;89(1):161–8)These studies used whey protein because it has a higher concentration of the branched-chain amino acids including leucine, which is the key to repairing and gaining muscle tissue with age.While fruits and vegetables are an important part of the overall diet, they don’t provide the amino acid profile needed to build or retain muscle. And while soy might be touted as a great protein, whey or even milk protein (which contains whey and casein) is far superior at putting on lean muscle tissue. (Am J Clin Nutr 07 Aug;86(2):373– 81) (Med Sci Sports Exerc 10 Jun;42(6):1122–30)”This last one is probably antithetical to the studies detailed in the videos? Especially the leucine?From what I can gather…older people have somewhat different issues..so that possibly by age 65 or so…different factors might be more important as far as extending lifespan and healthy lifespan? IF you have some muscular strength and flexibilty…you are more likely to exercise and thus help yourself cardiovascularly? *is that a word?What newsletter are you quoting, Fred?Actually all from the same NL though I subscribe to several others…http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/alternatives-newsletterIs there a good follow up for the “40 Year Vegan Dies of a Heart Attack! ” video? I am wondering if the new knowledge of b12 and Omega 3/6 ratio has filtered into longitudinal studies yet.I asked about this recently too! I’d love an answer!I found this chart quite helpful with regards to plant based sources of omega 3 . It also explains how vegetable sources of DHA (ALA) is converted by an enzyme in our body in plain language.http://www.dhaomega3.org/Overview/Dietary-Sources-of-Omega-3-Fatty-AcidsThanks to someone who commented about the ratio of peanuts , 180:1 (!!) , It’s’s now going to be put at the back of my pantry. Congratulations to Michael , stick with WFPB and you will see amazing improvements !I think it’s worthy to note peanuts and other nuts with poor omega 6:3 ratios still offer a great source of protein, zinc, iron and other protective components. Just don’t rely on them for omega-3’s ;)I found this chart quite helpful with regards to plant based sources of omega 3 . It also explains how vegetable sources of DHA (ALA) is converted by an enzyme in our body in plain language.http://www.dhaomega3.org/Overv…Thanks to someone who commented about the ratio of peanuts , 180:1 (!!) , It’s’s now going to be put at the back of my pantry. Congratulations to Michael , stick with WFPB and you will see amazing improvements !Chart seems to be a bad link.Hi the “Guest” post about plant based sources of DHA was mine, my apology about the repeats . Hope this link will work this time. http://www.dhaomega3.org/Overview/Dietary-Sources-of-Omega-3-Fatty-AcidsOtherwise you can search for “Dietary sources of omega – 3 fatty acids ” at http://www.dhaomega3.org They don’t specifically recommend Plant based but it was well explained.“and the population with perhaps the highest life-expectancy in the world, doesn’t eat any meat at all, the California Adventist vegetarians.”This, despite the milk and eggs that most of them do eat? http://www.nutrition411.com/articles/seventh-day-adventist-dietRight! About half of the Adventist population in the U.S. is vegetarian and use dairy and eggs. Only a tiny minority of these are vegan. the often consume processed foods high in salt and fat. The official teaching is to avoid pork and shellfish among those who do eat meat. What this means that if even on a less than ideal diet, Adventists live ten years longer, then just think of the untapped potential that we can reach on a truly clean whole foods plant-based diet!What is your opinion about the book titled “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet” by Nina Teicholz? This book was published in 2014, and was listed as a New York Times bestseller. The author reveals that everything we thought we knew about dietary fat is wrong. She documents how the low-fat nutrition advice of the past sixty years has amounted to a vast uncontrolled experiment on the entire population, with disastrous consequences for our health. She claim that more, not less, dietary fat—including saturated fat—is what leads to better health and wellness. The low-fat, whole plant based diet and her meat, cheese diet are very confusing to say the least! Your opinion?Shirley: I feel like this whole website is a response to that book. But in particular, these videos might be helpful: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/And then related videos: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/I also recommend Plant Positive to understand what is wrong with Nina Teicholz’s “logic”. He has really great videos, but here is an article to get you started: http://plantpositive.com/blog/2014/6/28/how-time-magazine-sacrificed-its-standards-to-promote-satura.htmlIn short, Nina’s “documentation” seems pretty bogus. I totally agree that it is confusing. But I think it is confusing only because some people are misrepresenting the science – not because the science is actually unclear on this point.I’m not surprised in the slightest that Teicholz’s book is a bestseller. The whole point in publishing it wasn’t to promote public health, but private wealth. As Dr. McDougall is fond of saying, “Folks love ‘good news’ about there bad habits. I prefer “there’s a sucker born every minute.” I hope you don’t get fooled by this book, Shirley, and that no one else who reads this site will either. If they do, they’ll have a big fat surprise waiting for them at the end of a few years, probably on the cardiologist’s cutting table.I switched to WFPB 5 days ago. I feel like poo. No energy and brain fog is worse now than ever before. I feel like i may have the worst indigestion ever since starting this new diet. I know 5 days isn’t much time to see how this will really benefit me but… What gives? Also, can anyone tell me if its a good idea to have 1 cup of Eden Organic Soymilk daily? or do I really not need it? I’ve been using it as a base to a spinach/berry/mango smoothie. I feel like without the soymilk my calories are too low. I’m finding it hard to get my calories up(even with the Soymilk). What my days have looked like so far: Smoothie breakfast Beans rice and salsa for lunch with a banana or apple for dessert Banana or apple for snack Sweet potato and steamed broccoli for dinnerA little about me, if it may help you help me. Im 30 years old, female, about 30 pounds overweight.Hi FMS, that sucks that you’re not feeling great with your change in diet. Your food choices look really great – high micronutrient content, high fiber, low fat. Though I ran a quick guesstimate on your example menu (using standard servings, which may be different from what you’re actually eating), and it only added up to about 900 calories, which could be part of your fatigue and brain fog. Which of course leads to the next part of your comment, which is that you clearly state that you’re struggling to get your calories up. Just a few suggestions that I could think of offhand:-Adding chia seeds and/or banana to your breakfast smoothie could add ~150-200 calories -Making sure you’re eating a full serving of both rice and beans. I used to eat much less than 1 cup of rice, until I actually measured it out one day, I was surprised what a big portion it is. Change from 1/2 cup to 1 cup of rice would add about 100 calories. -Try including more calorically dense processed (but still whole grain) starches like bread or pasta in lieu of intact starches like rice or whole potatoes -Perhaps for now, try more starches instead of/with your fruit snacks/desserts (a low sugar/fat fruit cobbler with oats and flour, or granola bar would be a more calorically dense dessert/snack option) -Sweet potatoes are great for weight loss since they are so incredibly filling, but as a result your dinner appears to be very low in calories. Adding a higher calorie component e.g. hummus would be an option, or you could swap for some less satiating foods like bread, rice, or pasta. -And also, all of the whole foods plant based doctors/RD – Greger, Esselstyn, Fuhrman, Novick, Barnard, Popper, Gonzales? ;) promote or allow 1-2 oz nuts/seeds per day. This can easily add a couple hundred calories as well.As for soy, it has numerous health benefits and one serving is in no way too much, unless you’re severely restricting fat or added sugars (if it’s sweetened). General soy info: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/ “How much Soy is Too Much?”: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/As for indigestion, again more easily digested starches and less veggies/unblended fruit could possibly help with that. I weirdly get discomfort from eating sweet potatoes in particular, but that’s just me. For immediate relief, I have found a slurry made out of powdered slippery elm bark in water to be highly effective. A side effect is that it also relieves any digestive discomfort. It can be found at health stores/co-ops.Best of luck! Keep us posted on how you’re doing :)Boomer give a smoothy high in red cabbage a try when faced with indigestion, I had to use 2 – 3 omeprazole a day or I would feel very awful, but haven’t touched a single one for a year now. I attribute most the turnaround to high fiber intake and red cabbage smoothies.Hi b00mer, thanks so much for the response. Should i worry about consuming too much fruit? I did order some flax seeds to add to my smoothies, so that’ll add calories too. Thank you for your input! I truly appreciate it.Add nuts! I could easily go over my 2,500 calorie limit from walnuts alone :-)Add more starches as well. Beans, too.Use myfitnesspal to keep track of calories.No doubt you’re loosing weight. When the fat goes, fat-soluble toxins stored in the fat are released into the bloodstream. That can also make you feel lousy at least until your weight starts to stabilize. Hang in there, in a month or two you’ll feel like a new person.Yes, i have lost about 5 pounds already just this week. Thanks for the encouragement!Hi FMS , for some reason Chick pea salad gives me energy without the drowsiness I feel after lunch. I agree with Mike about adding nuts & seeds to your daily snacks , eg. walnuts. You might already have a coffee grinder , you can grind your flax seed until they’re powdery and add a few teaspoons full to oats and fruit in the morning. You’ll also pickup good recipes as you go , and good advice at this site which helped me too !Hi FMS. Congratulations on your decision to at least give WFPB living a try. I hope you stay with it long enough for your body to adapt; however that may manifest for you only time will tell. This presentation from Dr. Michael Klaper may be of benefit to explain why you are feeling worse for your dietary change and not better. All the best to you going forward. Let us know how you are doing as time goes by, if that is your pleasure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tJyb1wTxg4Hi, FMS. Sorry to hear you are not feeling well. First thing I suggest is seeing aregistered dietitian who can personalize a WFPB diet and can walk you thru a quality solution. Second, (if that is not an option), maybe try thinking back to how you ate before making the switch? Were you having smoothies for breakfast? Drinking soymilk? Were beans and rice staples? How much broccoli are you having and are you eating it daily? If you brought in tons of new foods that may be throwing the body off a bit. Hard to really say and I so wish I could be more help :( Hope you are getting some good advice here I see some constructive comments.Dr. Greger presents so many compelling reasons to eat a WFPB diet and avoid animal foods that being Flexitarian is not an option for my husband and IMy husband and I were on Fuhrman’s nutro WFPB for two years and were strict- – however rather than feeling better I felt worse (tired, bad constipation and had cravings for sugar) and unfortunaely my TC, LDL and Glucose while not really high did not lower. If anything they edged up a bit. I decided to go to 80% nutro and incorporate meat )do not like fish) about twice a month, had blood drawn several months after that and to my amazement my TC, LDL went down and my CRP went down to 0.5. I also felt better which I have no clue about?? Before this we did not even own a Barbeque! My IGF-1 was also really low, and my Dx told me to get it up to at least 100, so go figure. My husband on the other hand, his TC, LDL were unblievablely low while on Fuhrman, but he also felt tired and he unlike me craves meat. especially on Fuhrman- – So I have no clue??? I have the utmost respect for both Dx Gregor and Dr. Furhman. BTW- – Fuhrman either visited the seventh day adventists or knows more about the research, but he indicated in one of his posts on his board that even the veggie adventists were eating processed crap, so I am taking my changes with 100% whole foods and incorporate some meat into my diet and hopefully I will be OK along with my husband. I do know one thing is that I am much more relaxed about going “off the reservation” or being a food nazi if the food choice is not strict vegan or no oil.Do what makes you feel best.Don’t get trapped in vegan/paleo/raw-food/primal/fuhrman/flavor-of-the-week dogma.Just like not everyone does well on a high fat diet, not everyone does well on a high carb diet either.I completely agree with Mike.I resent you describing my lifestyle of non-harm as a dogma. Veganism is not a diet and deserves the same respect and as other belief systems, such as religions.The consensus seems to be plant foods heal, and animal foods harm. Though I choose to be primarily vegan, I will eat fish or seafood in very rare or special circumstances, because eating is more than just a physical need. I do really feel however, though we are all different, as individuals, we need to strive toward the most plant based end of the spectrum to counter-balance the multi-layered negatives of any flesh consumed…after all, it isn’t just ourselves we are hurting.It is not just about health. It is not wise to consume any fish when the ocean’s fauna population has reduced by 90% since the 1950’s.I realize that. I am talking maybe 2-3 times a year if I go out with friends who aren’t vegan.I followed a high vegetable vegetarian diet for a while and felt terrible: I think that is the kind of diet Fuhrman advocates. I believe the problem is that on a high vegetable diet you’re not consuming enough carbohydrates and often too much fat. When I switched to a more high carbohydrate vegan diet I began feeling fantastic and full of energy. Cravings are normally caused by lack of carbohydrates (starches). Check out John McDougall’s program or Colin T. Campbell or Neal Barnard: they’re the best vegan doctors in my opinion.Low fat WFPB diets as promoted by many here might not be ideal for everyone.I don’t like them. I like to eat some processed soy ‘meats’ and such and I use olive oil in my cooking and eat nuts as well vegan ‘mayo’, use margarine etc.I don’t think adding fat and processed ‘meat’ analogues is a bad idea for folks who are struggling with a low fat WFPB diet. I prefer the approach offered by the likes of Jack Norris RD and Vesanto Melinda RD in their book Vegan For Life.Take a look at http://veganhealth.org for an alternative approach to healthy vegan eating that allows for nuts, oils and processed ‘meat’ analogues. It might help some who are struggling.That should be Ginny Messina RD, not Vesanto, though she is great too.Apologies for the confusion.Paradoxically I think it’s actually much easier just to do all plant foods: you get used to it and it becomes completely normal. Humans generally work better when things are black and white. Excellent video though.Excellent video.Web-admin: The menu covers the video when my browser is between 630 and 850 pixels wide. When my browser window is less than about 850 pixels, then menu items don’t fit on one line, the menu expands vertically and covers the video. It fixes itself (adaptive) again at about 630 pixels wide.Hey Alex, thanks for the feedback! Any chance you could shoot me a message at info@nutritionfacts.org? We’ll get some more info from you to try and fix this. Thanks!2:26 PREDIMED Scoring criteria: 1 Veg, .. 4 Cereals, 5 Potatoes, 6 Nuts, 7 Olive oil.Is that an unordered list or does the order mean that vegetables are weighted differently than nuts and olive oil?Did the researchers score individuals before data was taken or did they first monitor participants’ eating habits and health, then score their eating later? Were the scores and weighting optimised based on the data (non-blind)? I ask because the study seems to frame the possible results (f.ex. “olive oil vs saturated fat” without considering “no oil”). Foods are provided by the olive oil, walnut, almond, and hazelnut industries. Rather than pursuing optimal health, they likely only hope to demonstrate their products’ qualities (nuts) or that they are better than competitors (oil).Alex, they scored PREDIMED participants according to 12 criteria: 7 ‘positive’ provegetarian, which you list, and 5 ‘negative’ or antivegetarian which basically relate to animal products.The scoring system gives you an extra point each time you go up a quintile in one of the positive categories, and one less point each time you go up a quintile in a negative category. Scores were taken for each point at which PREDIMED followed up in asking participants about their current diet. The scoring system can be assumed to be non-blind, though it looks that it is partially blind in the sense that the researchers only selected categories to be used in defining the ‘provegetarian’ score, rather than numerical weights (which were arbitrarily set to 1 per quintile). In table 6 they try their hand at building a simpler scoring system based on numerical cutoffs that might more easily be used to predict risk in other populations.Yeah I grok the ‘good’ list vs. the ‘bad’ list. Thanks for clarifying the +1 vs -1. With all that data, I bet we could find groupings and weightings far superior to their score, albeit after the fact. Sure it would be ‘cherry picking’ but would be easy enough to follow up the hypothesis blind.It sounds like you have access to the study. I only found a single ‘about’ page. Is the study publicly available?No, this study has closed access.And indeed, one of the things that they report as part of their sensitivity analyses is that toggling eggs and dairy to the ‘good’ list still yields a statistically significant model with similar hazard ratios.Part of what the authors are suggesting with their analysis is that a very coarse a priori selection of some sort of vegetarian pattern explains mortality in this study quite well. Their model really sucks from the point of view of predicting risk in a variety of populations (and the authors pretty much knew this in advance), but it helps to make one point quite well: PREDIMED was based on favoritism toward a particular kind of MedDiet idea, but there’s an alternative hypothesis to contend with that says that really, relative success in this study population was through adherence to a vegetarian pattern.Also even we granted that it’s a deceptive or manipulative tactic to use a lot of free parameters to try to find the best available model here, it’s not cherry picking. I’d be very cautious about using the term accurately, even in scare quotes, if only because the charge of ‘cherry picking’ is fashionable as the last resort of the weak in certain arguments about diet. I’d like it if we worked to limit confusion in this area by choosing words carefully.I sympathise with your reluctance to assert CPing, but that’s precisely what *I* propose to do, if I had access to the raw data: to find the minimal combination of data that provides the best results. It’s not deceptive, though, if we compute all gazillion possible combinations and select the optimal results (rather than the results ‘we want’).It’s truly sad to me that thousands of participants and millions of dollars is thrown at a study while the most useful findings are not extracted even tho the data is just sitting waiting to be mined.Read up on the definition of cherry picking. It is not seeing what the best model is according to some a priori statistical criteria; it is suppressing evidence in order to bias the conclusion. When Keys chose the best fit regression line through six countries’ data, he was not cherry picking; but if he selectively chose which countries’ data to include in his plot in order to get a particularly high slope to the line, that would be cherry picking.You make a good point. However, selecting some biased criteria is nearly unavoidable. Given thousands of participants, dozens of recorded data points each, trillions of permutations, finding true stat sig optimals is computationally intensive. Before modern parallel computing it’d be impossible; Even today it’s difficult.Much easier is to start (or end) with a theory (X,Y,Z good while A,B,C bad) and compare it to other reasonable theories. The more competing theories the better.What this study/findings seems to have done (in my reasonable opinion*) was decide to group known benefits (nuts, veggies) with known neutral/negatives (oils, wine) to get a pre-intended desired result (that nuts, veggies, oils, and wine are healthy). Of course, I haven’t read the study nor data (no access), so perhaps “vegetarian” was just one of many groupings tested (as implied by the next video “Improving on the MeDiet”). Maybe there’s a no-wine group and a no-oil group and a 2x nut group and hundreds of other groups tested. They certainly have the data and such calculations would be of obvious interest. I assert that failure to do so would be intentional suppression of evidence.* Funded by Spanish nut and olive oil industries.Perhaps my critique is extreme. Martinez-Gonzalez et al’s proveg FP (2:26) was just a sub-study/analysis of the PREDIMED which itself focused on Med+EVOO vs Med+Nuts vs AHA/Control. Similarly in the first Med video (2:20-2:40) Francesco et al’s meta-analysis scoring system weighted fruit, veg, legumes, cereals, fish, and olive oil positively; 12-2 g alcohol was moderate/middle-weighted; meat and dairy reverse-weighted. Very similar scoring systems but for fish and alcohol. There’s an insistence that the Med diet must contain olive oil, fish, and wine. I suppose because an optimal subset by any other name would not smell as sweet.0:12 (Greek EPIC study) total mortality reduced by veg 16.2%, fruits and nuts 11.3%, legumes 9.7%, moderate alcohol 23.5%, low meat 16.6% and [replacing saturated fat with] olive oil 10.6%.Has there been an interventionist study demonstrating non-alcoholic red/purple grape juice’s advantage over wine?I understand monoun- is less bad than saturated fat, but only some omega-3 and -6 PUFA’s are actually required by the human body. Is there any evidence that humans would thrive if they obtained all or the majority of fats as EFAs? Is any other fat source required?Does anyone have any idea how much meat is okay based on those numbers? I went from 3 servings of meet or more per day, to a couple per week. I am concerned about other studies that Dr. Greger presented that seems to show that any meat at all is extremely harmful. This may suggest otherwise.Martinez et al did not crunch the numbers in a way that would be likely to answer this kind of question, and the context of the PREDIMED data (fat people eating for the most part badly, no matter the intervention, with a median followup of only 4.8y, and the best-scoring quintile still consuming an average of 105 g meat a day) is not the best for assessing where ‘low’ risk from meat begins unless you have a very loose standard of ‘low’ risk.If you are contemplating an even greater reduction in meat intake for health reasons, this video should probably not be that important to you in making that decision, although it does suggest that there are some important effects which improve health the more and more (whole-food) plant-based you are.I didn’t quite understand what you were saying. Are you saying that 100 G per day is a large quantity of meat? I used to eat 500 g per day. IT seems that 100G is not too large. But I am eating far less. Perhaps 50G per day.100 g (about 1/4 pound) meat per day, and a variety of other animal products in addition. The fact that you are eating much less in comparison is my point. You are in a region where the actual variation between quintiles doesn’t very well explore what will happen by reducing meat intake even more. The window of the study is very short compared to the timescale in which relatively small amounts of animal products will have effects on cardiovascular events in non-obese people.Hard to say, Richard. Some groups like the American Institute for Cancer Research claim there is no safe intake of processed meat and red meat should be < 18 oz per week. It is really up for you to decide. From what I take from this video is that the more plants the better, and of course whole plant-foods not fries and beer. I may point out this blog on the ratio of animal to plant protein and cancer risk. And this one on meat intake and mortality. I hope these help.Thanks for your question and being patient, JosephI just heard on the radio that the oldest living person in the world is a woman in Tokyo at 117..Man, that is one old lady and it appears she has seen better days going by her recent picture…..lol But pretty awesome none the less.http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/misao-okawa-world-oldest-person-turns-117-japan-article-1.2137139An exciting solution for those experiencing problems with a meat based diet… Could this be called the “whole” meat based approach? http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/16571759815_a6c1252523_h.jpgThis is good news! Glad my “economic vegan” principle (not purchasing meat, diary, fish products), allows me to not be a PITA (Pain in the Ass) vegan and still not be measurably harmful to self or others!I understand what you’re saying, but it is discrimination and bigotry that causes necrotarians to consider us “a pain in the ass” just for being different to them, and you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your preferences just so snobbish meat eaters don’t go in on you. Screw their inverted snobbery and double standards.Does anyone have the english language links for the Predimed Study questionaires? All the links I have found download the PDFs in Spanish.off topic – I wish the doc would look in to Raw Hemp Seed and share his opinion.Never off topic! I’ll check thanks, nodelord. Did you have anything in particular you’d like to know? I only see a handful of studies. The fatty acids in hemp seeds are comparable to flax and chia. Some research suggests hemp seed and evening primrose oils caused an increase PUFAs in MS patients and improvement in the erythrocyte membrane fatty acids composition. This is not surprising, as folks eating more sources of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) should have more in the membranes of red blood cells. If you like them, I see no concern eating hemp seeds.Well, just looking for the usual stuff that we get see here, on the qualites of a food item, like does it have an effect on cLDL, how does it compair to othe food in its catagory or can it do something special? I realy appreicate you asking.You’re welcome! I don’t see any studies on hemp seed and cholesterol. Other members may find more info on this. If anything pops-up I’ll be sure to post. Thanks again.Josephlove um… we agree on this. I like hulled help seeds in place of flax in my oatmeal. It has a better omega 3:6 ratio plus omega 9s… Only problem is there is a unfounded social stigma around hemp products. That’s too bad, hemp is a super-food.This is one of the best videos I have watched. Thank you. This video encourages me to continue making a lifestyle change to eating more vegetables because it shows that incremental changes have health benefits. I now have something I can share with my wife and family to get them moving in the same direction as me.I read an article in the Wall Street Journal that I thought was interesting: To prevent colorectal cancer, the second most deadly cancer, a vegetarian diet with some fish might be the best protection according to a new study of 77,659 people. Wall Street Journal article here (you may have to Google it): “Vegetarian Diet Lowers Risk for Some Cancers” by Michael OrlichAlso, this is the abstract of the study from JAMA: http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2174939I realize that you recommend a plant-based diet, but how about squid? Is squid better than other meats like chicken or fish? Squid has almost no saturated fat and is near the bottom of the food chain. So far, there is nothing on your website that specifically addresses squid. For better or worse, one of my favorite recipes is a squid dish, http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/03/dinner-tonight-stir-fried-squid-ojinguh-bokkeum-recipe.htmlThanks for reposting. Yes, squid is low in saturated fat but 3 oz has 198 mg of cholesterol. Squid seems more like shrimp. I would be leery of the high amount of cholesterol in squid. It has even more than beef and chicken! One video on squid can be found here. Let me now if any of these resources help? Thanks again, Joshua.Whoa, wait a minute. My impression was that bad cholesterol was caused by ingestion of saturated fat, not by ingestion of bad cholesterol. Am I missing part of the mechanism?You are correct that saturated fat boosts blood cholesterol more than dietary cholesterol, but dietary cholesterol still raises blood cholesterol slightly. This British Medical Journal blog explains. Dr. Greger commented at the end stating “Indeed the Institute of Medicine did not set a tolerable upper intake limit for cholesterol “because any intake level above 0% of energy increased LDL cholesterol concentration.”[1] So the optimal intake may indeed by zero, as heart disease remains the leading killer in both the UK and US. [1] Trumbo PR, Shimakawa T. Tolerable upper intake levels for trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Nutr Rev. 2011;69(5):270-8.” See if that helps explain? His video on Optimal Cholesterol Levels may also help.These two resources were very helpful in clarifying the issues. Thank you very much.I have been a strict Vegan for close to a year after I discovered your videos. Thanks for making a huge difference in my life! Recently I was listening to John Tesh radio and he asserted that a pescatarian diet has more anti-cancer benefits than a vegan diet. Is this truly “intelligence for my life,” or does the science say otherwise? Please advise.Hey Kevin. Thanks! I am not sure if you can compare vegan and pescatarian diets in a randomized controlled trial. Of course you could make arguments depending on the make-up of each diet, but I don’t think there is any hard science. The best example might be observing outcomes between the diets within the Adventist Health Studies. Women following a vegan diet were found to have the most protection from female-specific cancers. There could also be many reasons for not including fish. Ultimately it’s up to the consumer to decide what’s best for their body. I am happy to explore other studies or literature. Thanks again for your nice comments and question.	alcohol,animal fat,animal products,beans,beer,cancer,cardiovascular disease,dairy,eggs,exercise,fish,french fries,fruit,grains,heart disease,junk food,lifespan,longevity,meat,Mediterranean diet,mortality,nuts,olive oil,plant protein,plant-based diets,potato chips,potatoes,PREDIMED,processed foods,seafood,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Does just reducing one’s intake of meat, dairy, and eggs significantly reduce mortality?	This is the fifth of a 6-part video series on the Mediterranean diet. Here’s the first four in case you missed them:Last but not least I’ll cover Improving on the Mediterranean Diet next.I’ve done a few videos on the health of so-called semi-vegetarians or flexitarians (“flexible” vegetarians). See how they rate in:The Provegetarian Score reminds me of the animal to vegetable protein ratio in Prostate Cancer Survival: The A/V Ratio. My favorite dietary quality index is the one in Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score. How do you rate? Even the healthiest among us may be able to continue to push the envelope.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shrimp/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/predimed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potato-chips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25055810,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24871477,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21403883,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24572039,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24210636,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11434797,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19549997,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24717365,
PLAIN-2475	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/	Which Parts of the Mediterranean Diet Extended Life?	How might adding a few nuts to one’s daily diet, in this case about 4 walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts cut one’s stroke risk nearly in half? Well olives and nuts are plant foods, and as such packed with antioxidants, raising the antioxidant level of our bloodstream, resulting in lower fat oxidation and free radical DNA damage, but what’s happening inside people’s arteries?Researchers measured the amount of atherosclerotic plaque in the neck arteries going to the brain in folks who for years were eating the added nuts, or added extra virgin olive oil, or neither to their daily diets. In the control group, the plaque got worse, which is what happens when one continues to eat an artery-clogging diet, but there were no significant changes in the added extra virgin olive oil group, and the plaque in the added nut group appeared to get better. The nuts appeared to induce a regression of the disease, or at least a significant delay in the progression. Now the nut group was still suffering strokes, but only half as many, perhaps because the reduction in plaque height within the arteries on extra nuts was indicating a stabilization of the plaque rendering them less likely to rupture.Adding nuts to our diet may also improve endothelial function, boosting the ability of our arteries to dilate naturally by about 30%. If you look at the baseline adherence to Mediterranean diet principles, and control for things like smoking and exercise, there were only two factors significantly associated with reduced heart attack and stroke risk, more vegetables and more nuts. No significant association with the olive oil or the wine or the fish or cutting back on soda and cookies. Among the individual components, only increased consumption of vegetables and nuts were related to reduced cardiovascular events.On the one hand, cutting stroke risk in half just by eating a handful of nuts a day is pretty amazing, but those in the added nut group didn’t appear to live any longer overall. And other studies have suggested that frequent nut consumption may extend life, for example the Harvard health professionals studies, involving a whopping 3 million person-years of follow-up over decades, found nut consumption associated with fewer deaths from cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, and most importantly fewer deaths overall, confirmed by all the other big major prospective studies, as of 2014, with a new one just published. 17,000 people followed for 5 years and those who ate nuts had less than half the risk of dying.Maybe this is just because people may eat nuts instead of meat, eggs, and dairy, and that’s why they live longer? No, since vegetarians that frequently eat nuts also have a dramatically reduce risk compared to those that don’t.So what’s going on here? Did they just not wait long enough? Well, just because people were randomized to the nut group didn’t mean they actually ate more nuts, and those randomized to the other groups didn’t necessarily stay away. If you re-analyze the data comparing the death rates of those who actually ate more nuts to those who actually didn’t, nut consumption was indeed associated with significantly reduced risk of death. If you do the same kind of post hock analysis with olive oil, even with the extra virgin, there is no benefit in terms of living longer. This is consistent with how Ancel Keys, the so-called Father of the Mediterranean diet, viewed olive oil. He thought of its benefit more as a way of just replacing animal fats, anything to get people to eat less lard and butter.What are the best kind of nut? The greatest benefits were attributed to walnuts, particularly it seems, for preventing cancer deaths. Those eating more than three servings of walnuts a week appeared to cut their risk of dying from cancer in half.Now it’s just a matter of communicating the research to the public. All the major cancer groups emphasize a more plant-based diet, remarkably consistent with the World Health Organization guidelines for healthy eating. The far-reaching positive effects of a plant-based diet—including walnuts—may be the most critical message for the public.	Aweseome, delicious, and informative. Thank you for helping to clarify “the noise”/some from “the nuts” ;-)))How might adding a few nuts to one’s daily diet, in this case about 4 walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts cut one’s stroke risk nearly in half?Wondering? Four of each. Just four nuts on any given day/serving. Being high in fat and calories/albeit good calories, I am hoping you can help clarify approximately how many should be consumed.Best time of day, if any. With a meal? With a combination/ala Greens?Nutrition, as we know is “simple”/but it’s not that simple……Thanks so much for this four part series!!!!David K.Vegan also. To absorb all the nutrition in a plate of veggies (e.g. a salad), you need a tiny bit of fat. With the salad that we eat before dinner, we add about 1/2 ounce of chopped walnuts. For salad dressing, we just use an aged, sweet balsamic vinegar (which has no fat). Compared to other nuts, Walnuts are high in ALA (short-chain omega 3 fat).Another great source of ALA is flax (see multiple Greger videos on flax). I use a tablespoon of ground flax on my morning oatmeal.Hey there, Committed Vegan.I think it can be that simple. A few handfuls a day is fine, eat them when you most enjoy :) Sometimes toasted walnuts over a salad is a good way to go, tasty! Could mix it up, walnuts one day, almonds the next. Perhaps 1 brazil nut for selenium. If you combo nuts with greens you may receive benefits, as the fat soluble vitamins and phytochemicals in greens appear to be better absorbed with a bit of fat, in this case 5 walnut halves.I agree that it is always good to keep it simple. However the devil is in the details. I believe it is important for folks to apply the science to their own situation (e.g goals). FDA Serving size for cashews is 30 grams or about 19 nuts. My hand holds 45 cashews or 2 1/2 servings. I’m not sure I would agree with a few handfuls a day. For those folks who are trying to loose fat it might be a good idea to not overdo the nuts which tend to run 2600+ calories/pound. While it is true that weight gain in most studies show at the very least no weight gain. These studies usually involve 1 or 1 1/2 servings per day. See video’s in the series starting with http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/. If one has clinically apparent coronary artery disease you might want to avoid nuts altogether as Dr. Esselstyn recommends. He has had the most success with patients reported to date. Some nuts are better than others as it relates to arterial function. Dr. Greger discusses some of the issues with studies in http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/. There is a difference in the Omega 6 to 3 ratio for instance in cashews it is about 100 to 1 whereas with walnuts it is about 4:1… flax seed on the other hand is almost all Omega 3. As Joseph mentioned the fat in the salad helps absorb the phytonutrients just as adding citrus to tea helps see video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/ and the other video’s on tea which appears to be the healthiest beverage… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/. Keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps coming.Thank you, Dr. Forrester. Correction: Look at the size of you hand before taking “a few handfuls” per day. My hands may be smaller than yours ;) At any rate, based on disease state, current body weight, activity level everyone will have a different intake level.Small hands here, too, don’t hold a full serving. So I weigh my nuts/seeds to make sure I get at least one ounce. Ground flax by tablespoon.Nut consumption should not raise concern with people with coronary artery disease, rather it’s the type of nuts consumed. More correctly, as Nathan Pritikin stated and knew, plant-based oils and cholesterol and saturated fat from animal products raises ones risk of coronary artery disease. Hence, raw nuts – not nuts cooked with plant-based oils – is fine for people with and without coronary artery disease. The issue with most cooked nuts in retail stores – they are cooked with lots of plant-based oils. Read the label on a can of Planters Peanuts, for example. Raw nuts lowers – not raises – the amount of lipids in the blood stream, lowering ones risk of heart disease and stroke. As the link you provided corroborates, fat from nuts does not causes weight gain.Hence we should encourage – not discourage – raw nut consumption in patients with and without coronary artery disease, despite what “Dr. Esselstyn recommends.” I doubt a little plant-based oil in cooked nuts will harm those without coronary artery disease, especially if they are on a healthy, whole food, plant-based diet.Some of our closest cousins – the primates – consume a lot of raw nuts, and they do just fine. Why do I mention our cousins? Because we have very, very similar physiology and nutritional needs, we need look no further than our cousins to discover what the diet we are supposed to be consuming – a plant-based diet. Our cousins consume mostly fruit and raw nuts.“There is a difference in the Omega 6 to 3 ratio for instance in cashews it is about 100 to 1 whereas with walnuts it is about 4:1… flax seed on the other hand is almost all Omega 3″You and Dr. Greger need to have a discussion concerning omega 3s, as his stance on omega 3s and 6s has changed.Hi Fiat, When dr Don says “Dr Esselstyn recommends” it was a statement based on the very sick coranory patients he was treating. Until we have research that states your belief that raw nuts are ok for sick coranory patients it is probably a good idea to follow Dr Dons recommendations.It’s not a “belief.” My statement is, more correctly, based on numerous studies. Familiarize yourself with the studies Nathan Pritikin brought to light. Thank you. Moving on.You make excellent points about the use of plant based oils and consuming a plant based diet. I’m also aware that Dr. Esselstyn’s comments on nuts and oils. He like most of us clinicians change our approach to patients as new science becomes available which is why I believe that NutritionFacts.org is so important. I agree we have a very similar physiology to our cousins. They most important differences that I have heard are Nathaniel Dominy’s work showing our increased number of amylase genes which allows for digestion of starches and Katherine Milton’s work showing increased small intestine volume by 40%. So I agree our biologic systems are adapted to a plant based diet. Of course we aren’t trapped around the equator eating nuts and fruit… courtesy of the ability to digest starches, grow and store food, cook (which allows for the assimilation of 10-15% more calories) and weapons… used for hunting. Prior to our use of weapons I believe we could most likely be classified as “hunted gatherers”. Many of us whose ancestors came from northern climes such as Europe are able to digest milk sugar courtesy of a mutation about 10,000 years ago. As in many things just because we can digest it doesn’t mean we should or it is healthy for us or the planet or the animals. I believe Dr. Greger and I would agree on the Omega 6/3 science. My only caution is that recommending specific nutrients is fraught with many of the pitfalls of prescribing medications. There is a difference in prescribing Vitamin C for an individual with scurvy and making a recommendation for the entire population to take Vitamin C. Even if it doesn’t have much potential to cause harm as a water soluble vitamin it does cost money and supports a belief that there are “special” nutrients. I see the same in my patients with heart disease who think by consuming Omega 3 supplements… best from algae sources see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/ they can continue to consume diets with large amounts of Omega 6 in there diets. I guess my caution comes from 40 years of clinical experience where I have seen many drugs and nutrients touted as helpful only to be shown not helpful or even harmful. I do believe the science supports the use of supplemental Omega 3 in specific populations at this time especially if they are consuming a standard american diet or a poor plant based diet with alot of processed foods with added oil and sugar. I think Omega 3’s like all isolated nutrients need to be recommended with caution. I avoid across the board recommendation for entire populations with some exceptions like Vitamin B12. Of course all this is susceptible to change as new hypotheses arise and are tested so we need to support commercial free science based resources such as NutritionFacts.org. Thanks for your post.Dr. Forrester: This is a really wise post. I wanted to say something especially because of the end where you talk about omega 3s. I’ve been struggling for a very long time to try to figure out if I should be taking an omega 3 supplement or not. I feel the information on NutrtionFacts is contradictory and unhelpful. You just gave me a framework for helping to make that decision for myself. Thank you!Hi Thea…I think a reasonable recommendation for those who want to insure adequate Omega 3 intake is ground flax seed. Based on what I’ve been told by others it appears that a teaspoon a day is more than adequate. Of course even that might not be necessary given the rest of your diet. As I mentioned for specific populations (e.g. women with fighting hot flashes you might need to go up to for the most benefit) recommendations might need to be adjusted. The nice thing about flax seed is it comes with other helpful nutrients. Yes the science can appear contradictory but it is science and given what we knew in the 1980’s we have come along way. The journey continues….Thanks for the further clarification. The key for me is the part about “given the rest of your diet…” I’m not always getting flax in my diet. It really varies. And the rest of my diet is no where near good enough I think. (Though I do get better all the time.) I haven’t actually purchased the omega 3 pills yet, but for someone like me, I’m thinking taking an algae based omega 3 would be wise. In other words, I feel now like I have a clearer idea about what would be ideal for my current situation. Whether I do it or not remains another issue. Taking pills is really hard for me.Thanks again!The Omega 3 pills at least the ones made by Zen are capsules and not small. Ground flax seed meal on the other hand might be worth a shot before investing in something you won’t be apt to take. It is as you are finding out a journey… so keep on plugging away. Best.Exclamation Point for the very last line in this great eduvideo.“Wow, that was fantastic!” was what I kept muttering to myself after watching this video. Thanks Dr. Greger!How should we interpret the table at 1:45? Is HR = Hazard Ratio? Are the frequency values “the best” for each given question? For example, (3) How many servings of veggies? ≥2 HR=0.65. Is 1 serving worse? What about 3 servings? Olive oil (HR=0.77) in cooking seems nearly as significant as 30 g of nuts (0.75) and more hazardous than <12 g of butter daily.You need to look at the 95% CI, i.e. the confidence interval. For example, the line for Olive Oil in cooking was 0.77 (0.54 – 1.16). Statistically speaking, this means that there is a 95% probability that the “real” HR (hazard rate) was between 0.54 and 1.16. Below 1.0 is healthful and above 1.0 is harmful. Thus, we can’t say that cooking with olive oil is either helpful or harmful with a high-degree of confidence, based on the results of this study.On the 14pt Med Scale at 1:45, only Veggies and Nuts were statistically significant, e.g. with a CI below 1.0 or above 1.0. There are a few that came close – 5, 6, and 14.The confidence interval (CI) for olive oil ranges from 0.65 to 1.10. Since 1.0 is in this range, certainty can’t be justified and the hazard ratio or risk of eating that item in the amount reported may be the same, better or worse than doing nothing. The same is also true of butter. Since the CI for nuts stays under one, saying that nuts in this amount is beneficial is statistically justified. A larger or better designed study might clarify these issues, but probably not, since this was a large study and fairly well done. However, notice that fruits and legumes also fell into the uncertain category, while other studies show them to be helpful. It’s not possible to say if other serving amounts would be helpful unless a study is done on them and the results are reported.Thanks Fred and Douglas for your clear answers.The left column questions sound open ended, f.ex. “How many servings?” So, I wonder why the findings don’t display 2 servings of veggies with X HR+CI but 5 servings daily have Y HR+CI.Hey Alex, HR means hazard ratio. not sure if what frequency values are best? Researchers were using food questionnaires and they simply came up with those ranges/cut-off points. At any rate, they are validated questionnaires. It has to do with statistical significance why some HR’s may still show less than 1.0 yet not be significant, in this case, olive oil. The olive oil may have helped a bit (just like eating <12 g of butter/d) but it could have been by error.Thanks Joseph,My statistics knowledge is rusty to non-extant. Am I correct to understand that the researchers threw out the 5% anomolies and found unadjusted ranges correlating to each questionnaire answer? If so, “95% confidence in 0-12 g of butter halving or slightly increasing risk”, makes sense but strikes me as unnecessarily vague considering 7447 participants and modern computation.I would assume it would be easy to twease out other factors/answers. I’d expect we could group many of the unique combinations of answers and get very precise risk values with tiny P values for most. Even simpler: show the risk of, for example, consuming above 12 g vs below 12 g of butter, unadjusted.Any idea if the raw data is available?Most of your videos focus on increasing lifespan, but do not necessarily make the connection to quality of life. I think many more people would be willing to consider these suggestions if there were a way to prove that they will likely feel better on a vegan diet. The sad truth is, many people would rather die than live in the amount of pain that they have daily. So for those individuals, the only studies that even matter are the ones that demonstrate improvement of health to a point of well being; not the ones that simply lessen your chance of death. Can you make a strong correlation to convince people living in chronic pain to adopt a vegan diet?I guess it all depend on the type of pain. If the pain is in the lower back because the discs are being deprived of blood flow, then a vegan diet may improve the blood flow and, at the very least, slow the progression of the disk degeneration – maybe reduce it.Likewise, angina may be lessened or eliminated by opening up the blood vessels by switching to a vegan diet.Switching to a vegan diet doesn’t guarantee that past problems will go away, but there’s a very good chance that the progression of the problems will slow and possible reverse.There are no negatives to switching to a vegan diet – only possible positives. If you wade through the zillions of Dr. G’s videos, you’ll see that many deal with quality of life, not just length.Malcolm while I believe the improved quality of life aspect may be self evident, sometimes I’m too optimistic. e.g. Reversing obesity, type 2 diabetes and its associated problems of impotence, blindness, neuropathy, renal failure, arthritis et al certainly implies improved quality of life. Other aspects are dramatic as well. Still I think your point is a strong one. Many people have told me that I make a good case for longivity but they then will then respond that without their steak and associated fats and flesh they would rather cut things short because of the reduction in quality of life. So studies showing significantly improved quality of life would, I think, be helpful.In my case, I eliminated inflammatory arthritis with a wfpbd and that alone is so compelling an improvement in quality of life that I would have great difficulty eating animal even if stranded and starving.Great to hear these kinds of testimonials!In addition to the helpful replies you’ve received here, I seem to recall that Dr. Greger has a number of videos on studies about the relationship between a plant based diet and various painful diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis; you might want to look through the archives for some of those. Personally I feel I have pretty good anecdotal evidence for a plant based diet leading to vastly improved quality of life, but that’s a longer story than anyone wants to hear…We love those types of stories here! Please share! :)Indeed! We often start telling our stories and start to think no one is interested. So when someone else has an interesting anecdote it reaffirms that ours is not just a random improvement. I for one am always interested.Hi b00mer and Stewart – I don’t really mind sharing but as much of a supporter of advocates as I am and as valuable as shared experience can be, I think a lot of these stories are complicated and my natural habitat is sort of in the murky realm of the complexity. Though I have little doubt that my vegan diet has been the major contributor to a number of health improvements (lack of colds and flus, loss of chronic rhinitis, loss of muscle pain,…) it also provided additional energy for exercising more which itself is helping. So there are a number of interacting factors and given that I tend to shy away from doctrinaire proclamations I’m usually not particularly vocal about any one of them. But that doesn’t mean that when asked I’m not an unabashed supporter of the efficacy of a vegan diet both anecdotally via my own experience, and clinically via the numerous studies like the ones Dr. Greger reports on.Good to hear about your health improvements Karl. I agree, anecdotal evidence is definitely murky and should not be the basis for definitive proclamations. However you never know, your story might be the little kick in the pants that helps someone make a change in their life for the better. Sometimes all the research in the world can be convincing on an intellectual level but not necessarily motivating for certain personality types. Anyway, congrats on your improved health and for the purposes of a particular loved one dealing with the same issue, if you care to elaborate on your chronic rhinitis journey I would I would definitely be interested. Cheers!The rhinits story is pretty simple. For most of my life I had severe congestion, occasionally bordering on asthma type symptoms re. difficulty breathing. When I went vegetarian that changed a little but not much. The rhinitis “diagnosis” was a self diagnosis after a friend with similar symptoms told me that that’s what they had. When I ran that by my doctor at the time she basically concurred but didn’t feel there was much that could be done about it. When I went vegan about 7 years ago things improved drastically. I occasionally still have some very minor congestion that I assume is probably some antigenic response to a plant protein but given that it’s hardly noticeable compared with my previous state I haven’t worried about tracking it down.I’d love to see the sheer number of “dittos” to your last sentence, though I have gone on about it here before! I KNOW I’m not going to live forever, my major concern was improving the quality of my life, which following a whole foods plant based diet has absolutely done! My big issue was that even the recommended diets from leading “associations” didn’t come close in conferring the quick and obvious benefits that a WFPB diet offers! This info NEEDS to be universal, not shrouded in myths by those with an agenda to protect! Thank you Dr Greger!Charzie your story is one of the most inspiring I’ve seen in the comments sections here. I wish I could bottle your enthusiasm and pass it on to some of my loved ones :)Wow, thanks! I often almost forget how far I’ve come in making major changes because it is second nature now, but watching others I care about suffer, knowing they could easily do the same, is so painful and frustrating! I hoped my enthusiasm and results might have rubbed off a little, but no such luck, for the most part. I don’t even get invited out to eat anymore because apparently by comparison I make everyone feel guilty? Food can be such a complicated and psychological attachment issue, and it often takes some event to shake people into awareness. I can totally relate, I was there too. It’s a shame it took a diabetes diagnosis to slap me out of my stupor, but in retrospect it was a blessing in disguise because I was in big trouble had I gone the traditional route. I wasn’t oblivious to the issue before, I just avoided dealing with it, like most do. I wish I could figure out how to make that “AHA” moment tangible and pass it on. I enjoy coming here and reading the comments as much as the videos because most people here “get it” and are encouraging! With a few exceptions in real life, I so often feel like the outsider because my family and friends are all about “food”. You know…live to eat vs eat to live? They just don’t make the connection! I don’t preach or proselytize, just my presence seems to remind them of things they don’t want to deal with! I always try to contribute tasty and healthy choices at get-togethers, and it always gets eaten…*as long as they don’t know WHO brought it*! It’s crazy, and really cuts into the wonderful social aspect of sharing meals with loved ones…something I feel is a critical part of overall health too! But I try to remember that I am certainly not the only one dealing with these issues, and I am also reaping the rewards!Charzie, I agree with b00mer that your story is inspiring. And your point is well taken that unfortunately nutrition issues in the US are completely shrouded in agenda protecting myths. Though as you’ve probably noticed I’m not much of a proselytizer, trying to make sure that people at least understand the agendas that go into various arguments is pretty important to me.Thank you so much Karl, I appreciate the support! I won’t repeat my last (too lengthly) post, but it is also important to me to try to at least make the facts available, but because of all the phony garbage circulating on the web and elsewhere, it becomes “my opinion” a source of conflict, and nobody really wants to listen anyway, so I rarely say a word, unless directly addressed. Forget about sharing links, even entertaining videos…I’m not into the social media thing, but occasionally I will post something really important on FB, and it gets totally ignored! It doesn’t alter what I do for myself, but it does get to me sometimes. I got past my emotional connection with food, but we don’t get past our emotional connection with people! Or maybe I’m just a wimp. LOL!Actually this isn’t accurate. Dr. Greger focuses again and again on what promotes a longer healthy lifespan. Perhaps “longer healthy lifespan” sometimes gets shortened to “longer lifespan”, but the intent is very clear as so many of the videos focus on eliminating the root cause for so many of the chronic disease that, as you correctly point out, afflict so many on our society with a years of pain and disability to the point where death is a relief.In fact Dr. Greger put together an entire hour long video (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/) that focuses on the ability of a plant based diet to not only reduce the common causes of mortality (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/) and morbidity (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/) in our society, but to heal our painful conditions and bring us back to leading a life worth living. All three are always at the bottom of the home screen and so are just a click away.Is it not clear in the public’s mind that a reduction in diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and overall mortality is synonymous with an increase in quality of life?I understand the point and the question, but part of me wonders if I’m missing something because the answer seems so obvious.There is an abundant amount of evidence that shows that adopting a whole food plant based diet (WFPB) can not only increase our years, but can also increase the quality of those years. In Dr. Michael Greger’s video: “ From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food”, he explains how WFPB diets can reduce disability caused by our most common chronic diseases. (ie. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), stroke, Type 2 Diabetes, and various cancers). You may be surprised to discover the science he shares revealing that our diets can actually be used to alleviate lower back pain, treat blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy, treat pain from diabetic neuropathy and prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Greger also discusses why this information remains largely hidden from most Americans.This study didn’t really look at quality of life. You make a great point about the importance of quality of life! I mean, why do anything at all unless we feel healthier and good doing it? Chronic pain is widespread and people suffering have the right to know the research, and how modifying their diets may help. I checked out a few studies. Here is a one on vegan diets and rheumatoid arthritis “The results showed that an uncooked vegan diet, rich in lactobacilli, decreased subjective symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Large amounts of living lactobacilli consumed daily may also have positive effects on objective measures of rheumatoid arthritis.” And another one looking at antioxidants in a vegan diet and rheumatic disorders, showing similar findings. Oh and this one I just found, looks at a mostly vegetarian diet and fibromyalgia. Here are the results on Quality of Life Survey (QOLS), “The QOLS, scaled from 0 to 7, rose from 3.9 initially to 4.9 at 7 months (n = 20, P for trend 0.000001)” showing significance. Anywho, important questions you’re asking! Here is more on Chronic Pain from NutritionFacts. You might find more intervention studies in the citation of these videos.Great question, Malcolm fleX! You have solid points. I mean, why do anything unless we feel good doing it? QOL is very important and I think others who are not feeling well (perhaps they are overweight or diabetic) can have dramatic improvements in health and be convinced to do so once they see these results.! I have witnessed this in clinical research and lifestyle intervention studies. If interested, read these studies:A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial of a Nutrition Intervention Program in a Multiethnic Adult Population in the Corporate Setting Reduces Depression and Anxiety and Improves Quality of Life: The GEICO StudyAnd, Nutrition intervention for migraine: a randomized crossover trialOther research exist . I feel it takes the right attitude and commitment, but you are right it is ultimately in the hands of the participant and less in the data on “risk of death” . Who knows? Let’s assume everyone can and will make these changes even if 1:100 actually do. Ok, stepping off my cheerleader horse – sorry for the rant.Best, JosephAm I wrong to interpret or over simplify; I heard today as it doesn’t matter, healthwise, whether you eat paleo or vegan style as long you eat your veggies and nuts life goes on equally well.There may be temporary gains from eating paleo such as weight loss- from fewer calories. But with all that saturated fat and pollutants from eating at the top of the food chain, in the long run, I don’t doubt that there will be a higher incidence of heart disease, cancer, stroke, hemochromatosis and other chronic ailments. Still, eating more veggies and less refined flour and sugar as the paleo diet recommends probably makes it a better diet than what most Americans are presently consuming.All diets contain things that promote health and others that detract from health. The overall healthfulness of a particular dietary pattern depends on how much the health promoting aspects off-set the health detracting aspects. We lay folk know, in large measure thanks to Dr. Greger and this website, that whole plant foods on balance tend to promote long term health and animal foods on balance detract from long term health.From this perspective the SAD is a perfect storm of bad dietary elements. Very little or no whole plant foods and tons of animal and refined plant foods. So eating paleo can be healthier than the standard american diet because it does have a focus on whole plant foods and avoidance of refined foods which do help to off-set the health impacts of the animal foods. But I don’t see how it could be healthier than a diet that only contained plant foods and avoid the negative health impacts of animal foods. So to me WFPB and paleo diets are not equally healthy just because both promote eating vegetables and nuts.The problem (if you can call it a problem?) with non-vegan diets is that you’re displacing whole plant foods with non-whole plant foods.. Your opportunity to eat health-promoting foods is being lost by choosing to eat unhealthy, or at least unhelpful foods. You’re far better off eating a diet of 70% whole plant foods and 30% animal carcass and carcass accessories than you would be eating only processed foods and meat, but you’d be better off still even only whole plant foods. For optimum health, you need to eat the optimum diet, which is whole plant foods. If you just want pretty good health, then add some animal products in. Only you can determine how important your health is to you vs how important eating meat is to you.Interesting? I’m not sure it can be that simple! There are so many other foods that go into both of those diets. And variety of foods will make an impact. I think these studies just lead us in the right direction thinking a few nuts may go a long way… If interested, here is a great comparison of the dietsand argument for why paleo diets don’t necessarily add-up heathwise.Hope that helps! Joseph.Dear Dr. Greger.I have been astonished by the ever increasing evidence that so many parts of the Mediterranean Diet are associated with health benefits. I certainly believe we have not reached the end of this road, there is still much to explore when it comes to the preventive effect of this diet.Let me ask you if you also have found any reliable research on the effects of the flavones – e.g. in thyme and oregano. Do you know of any epidemiological studies or even better, clinical interventions with thyme and oregano? There are a couple of pre-clinical model studies pointing to positive effects of the combination of these two spices on the inflammatory response, and also of the combination of thyme, oregano. coffee, walnuts and clover. Would be very interesting to see if this part of the diet also could be shown to be of importance in studies with a higher level of evidence.Or have you seen any evidence of prevention of chronic disease associated with the consumption of the kinds of cheese common in the Mediterranean area?Best regardsflavapava“I have been astonished by the ever increasing evidence that so many parts of the Mediterranean Diet are associated with health benefits. ”Actually from the video there are only two parts of the Mediterranean diet that are associated with health benefits, vegetables and nuts. All the rest, including the media darling olive oil, had no health promoting effects and many had negative effects on health. The diet as a whole is healthier than the standard Western diet because the health effects of vegetables and nuts is strong enough to not be offset by the negative impacts of the other components. So the real message is that to have even a better diet keep the veggies and nuts and get rid of the rest of the crap.As for flavones in particular foods, this type of reductionist thinking usually leads nowhere. Food is a package deal. thyme and oregano contains thousands of bioactive molecules in them. Trying to pin down the health effects to a single molecule or class of molecules is like trying to nail jello to the wall. Or another analogy is trying to understand why a particular piece of orchestral music is so pleasing by identifying which particular instrument is responsible for the effect. You have each instrument play its piece while the rest are silent and are baffled when none are responsible for the harmonious effect that you experienced when all were playing together. My bet is that research into isolated flavones will suffer the same fate. They may be like the violins, the most prominent part of the thyme and oregano orchestra, but they will never be able to play a health symphony without the support of all the other sections.Well said! And also the same principle involved in the contrast between food and pharmaceuticals.Although sometimes multiple factors can be shown to work together, for better or for worse, reductionist studies are how most science is done. In double-blind placebo-controlled studies, an experimental group is treated exactly as the control group except for just one factor in order to see what difference that one molecule makes- this often produces statistically-justified results and is hardly like trying to nail jelly to a wall. Instead it may well nail down very securely the results of a nutritional study.Or it might produce completely misleading results. Or be misused to make dietary recommendations. Just look what was done with Omega-3s, especially DHA. True, very important to the body, no doubt at all. And perhaps in the context of the studies showing benefit it might be useful to give insight into a specific molecule’s functioning in the human body. But it is an enormous leap from these laser focus studies to a universal recommendation that we should all eat more fish. It is bad science to do this. Fish aren’t little swimming bags of DHA and EPA. They have animal protein, which other studies are finding to be an issue with cancer. Also they have all the environmental contamination, not to mention cholesterol and saturated fat. As a package, fish has many more negatives than positives. But the reliance on this highly reductionist thinking leads to this type of conclusion if applied out of context.It is like the story of a guy who comes across another guy in a dark parking lot crawling around on the ground under a light pole looking for something. “What are you looking for?”. “My keys”. “Where did you loose them?”. “Over there” pointing into the dark. “Why are you looking for them here?!”. “Because this is where the light is!”.If the only type of light you can see is double-blind, placebo-controlled light, then you only find answers that it can illuminate. In my opinion the quest to maximize human health and longevity will never be fully or even substantially illuminated by this type of research light. The subject is enormously too complicated.To mix metaphores, it is like using a pen light to try understand the architecture of a huge building. Sure you can determine the details of some of the bricks that make up the building as well as exactly determine what type of steel gets used in certain places. But it is exceeding difficult to get the bigger picture. For that you need to bring in some big flood lights and light the whole thing at once. Sure you’ll miss some of the finer details, but you will more than make up for it in whole-istic understanding. Of course the greatest understanding comes from a bunch of investigators with their tiny pen lights and those with their flood lights. One isn’t a better approach than the other and both are critical to a complete understanding.Jim Felder: *Really* well said. My favorite line is, “Fish aren’t little swimming bags of DHA and EPA.”I also like your analogies. I’m a big fan of Campbell. I recently ordered his Whole book. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet though. I’m not sure I need to now. You summed it up so beautifully. :-)Hi Peter,Have you seen Dr. Greger’s previous videos on herbs and spices? Several include observational studies and may be of interest to you:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/As they say on other forums, “Search is your friend.” Dr. Greger has done numerous videos on the benefits of spices. Enter the word spice in the search box and you’ll find plenty of entertaining and informative material.WEBMASTER, We have just noticed the “someone is writing” and a new comment has just arrived features on the right of a given comment and the blue banner at top of comments notifying us of new comments since we came to the page. These are wonderful. As is your entire site! We know you work hard for us as do the unknown number of volunteers. Thank you!What miracle happened overnight that FDA changed its rating of EGGS from being bad for you to being a food good for you? Please share your views on the mainstream media….SUGGESTION for NEWCOMERS SECTION ON HOME PAGE: I have sent so many to this life-giving site! I tell them to go to the home page, scroll down to the Year-In-Review section lower half of page… etc. (too long) Do you think it worth your effort to have a photo (Say a couple sitting together looking at a computer screen with anticipation) welcoming newcomers that links to a good introduction and places to start? A paragraph about the site and Dr. Greger, including Kaiser’s esteem for the site and referrals to it. Then, “Here are a few good starting points:A B C. I would vote for the 2012 Y-in-R and suggest they follow on to the others. Then suggest they search a topic of interest by doing XYZ.This is a great idea, Gayle. The NF site is now so rich with information that it could be daunting to a tentatively interested newcomer.Thanks for the tips!Thanks!Great idea. I found my way here with a link to Dr. G’s leading causes of death video. I was hooked soon after, watching most of the videos here within a few days or so. For others though, a short video on a specific topic related to them may be hook that gets them in, so a brief but prominent explanation of how to use the search feature may help? :DI really like this idea. In addition to this I would love to see an attempt at a single blog post with a permanent link on the home page that compiles the strongest research results supporting eating a WFPB diet and the strongest ones for eliminating animal foods from your diet (they might be one in the same!). This would be great for us that aren’t new to the subject, but don’t have a full mastery of the subject to have a single place the strongest research results and why they point towards a whole-food, plant-based diet and away from one with much if any animal products.And I know it might be asking for too much, but it would be great if there were a coda to the above that contains a discussion of those papers that seem to make a strong case for eating animals and why/what is wrong/weak about them. A great example is plantpositive’s review of the the 2010 Siri-Torreno (sp?) and the 2014 Oxford (?) meta analysis that purport to show that saturated fat was OK. I know it took plantpositive several intensely researched videos to tear these studies apart and show why the studies they used did not support or actually showed the opposite of what their conclusion were and that there were a number of highly relevant studies that were simply omitted that would have changed the results considerably, but a shorter summary with perhaps a link to a longer explanation would be invaluable place to point those who have been hoodwinked by the animal food industry who funded these studies or at least the scientist who performed them. Gary Taubes might get his entire own page devoted to debunking his distortions and outright lies.Such a compendium would be a great place to point friends and family and maybe some frienamies to as a place they can get a really good understanding of the science for and against in one coherent package.Oh and while I am asking for the moon, rather than a simple link to the papers after the videos, if there could be a link to a page of perhaps Dr. Greger’s notes on each study pointing out their strengths and weaknesses, who funded it, did the researchers have reported or unreported conflicts of interest, are the results very narrow or do they have broad applicability, have the results been firmly supported by subsequent or prior research or is this a strong break with prior research .I am sure that by this point Dr. Greger has some kind of ranking review system worked out when he reads all those thousands of papers. How else could he winnow them down. In addition giving a great short summary, especially if the paper is behind a paywall and most of us can’t actually get it it, such a review summary would help all of us learn what questions to ask when were are out there reading papers for ourselves.Thanks so much for this website! Even without a single change it is bar none the best source of health and nutritional news I have yet to find.What a wonderful wish list, Jim! Yes, gathering the most cogent and powerful arguments in one place would be a big help. I could see giving or sending it to people who give me grief and just say this is what has convinced me; it may or may not lead you to reconsider what you eat, but at least you will understand why I made the shift to WFPB. P.S. I the 3-4 main questions that people bug us with(but never believe our answers) were listed with brief responses and references (How do you get enough protein, calcium, omega3, do vegans live longer?), that would help too.The answer is walnut balls! Combine walnuts with a bunch of other super healthy things, shape into a small ball, bake. Totally blows any meatball away. Serve to friends and family when you want to show them that eating plant based isn’t paying penance for past dietary sins. The great thing is that they are easy to make and freeze well so you can make up a huge batch, freeze in single recipe sized portions and never have to worry about what exactly is in the Trader Joe’s meatless balls ever again. Here are a couple of recipes that looked especially tasty. And with the recent focus on the awesomeness of tumeric, I wonder if I could slip a little into these.http://ohsheglows.com/2013/11/13/lentil-mushroom-walnut-balls-with-cranberry-pear-sauce/http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/walnut-meat-less-balls/This is probably my favorite veggie meatball recipe. Being tofu/walnut based, it’s higher in fat than some readers here will like, but I don’t mind something like this once in a while. Also I leave out the salt. Plenty salty with just the soy sauce added. They have a lot of umami flavor, come out crispy even though they’re baked, make a ton per batch, go with nearly any type of sauce or gravy, and are easy to make.http://healthiersteps.com/vegan-tofu-meatballs/I’d be concerned about cooking walnuts. The heat may damage the delicate oils, turning them into dangerous chemicals similar to what we find in rancid oils. Perhaps someone could come up with a recipe that adds raw walnuts to the rest of the ingredients after they’re cooked.It is possible to cook them directly in a sauce. In fact I did that in my initial foray into making walnut balls. The only down side is that they tend to fall apart easily. But those first ones didn’t include ground flax seed in hot water as egg replacer. And even when they do, the sauce still tastes great, so no big loss. Just the baked ones stay together better and impress the hell out of folks who think that they will never experience food like they are used to eating and will subsist on “rabbit food” if they go plant based when you put a plate of spaghetti and “meatballs” in front of them especially when the meatballs are better than meatballs, if you know what I mean.But, while cooking temperature matters, it is even more important what type of food it is. Animal foods form thing like AGEs and Hetrocyclic Amines to a much higher degree than plant foods.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/So while baking the walnut balls might form more AGEs than cooking them in liquid, it will still be a lot less than the equivalent panfried or baked cowball.The recipe from the Oh She Glows site looks amazing for a holiday feast, but for everyday cooking the Veg Kitchen recipe would be more to my taste. I would adjust the recipe to not saute the onions, etc. in olive oil but instead just use a bit of water. And I’d lay down some parchment paper instead of oiling the baking sheet. And voila, oil-free walnut “meat” balls. Thank you for sharing this, I will be cooking this tonight!Walnuts are really expensive. Imagine if “the public” – all 320 million of them…and that’s just here in the US – got wind that eating them may extend their lives.Ay, caramba! Did you see what happened to the price of quinoa?Well if the public started to consume walnuts in bulk, then wouldn’t part of the subsidies that goes to raising farm animals shift over to the production of walnuts?NopeMaybe walnuts should be considered staple food like some think meat is :) I’m sure then it would become cheap real quick. And I always thought quinoa is so expensive because it was not intended for poor people anyway (well except in Andes that is). It would be like saying caviar is too expensive or something…Quinoa is healthy for everyone to eat – rich and poor – but it is expensive because the demand for it is high. That means poor people are less able to afford it – even where it is grown. There have been a few stories about this…how farmers and people in countries where Quinoa is grown can no longer afford to eat it because of the demand here in the US.It’s not fair to compare the two because quinoa is cultivated only in the Andes and walnuts can be grown nearly all over the globe (if you check the list of top ten walnut producing countries on wiki). I don’t know how much wikipedia is a reliable source but they always cite their sources so according to wiki if you compare the production in metric tonnes, in 2011 the world production of quinoa amounted to 80,400 metric tonnes versus 3,282,398 metric tonnes of walnuts produced worldwide in 2012. Also quinoa was introduced to developed markets as some kind of super food from the beginning, as it offers much higher margins of profit as plain old walnuts. Maybe americans should eat more walnuts, as again if wiki is to be believed “The United States is the world’s largest exporter of walnuts” :)I could make several points, but in the end the bottom line is that both quinoa and walnuts are food products subject to the same law of supply and demand, so comparing the two is totally fair and appropriate. That the circumstances around their production or introduction or consumption differ doesn’t change my point, which is that if that health claims lead to an increase in demand for walnuts, like they did quinoa, I will not be able to afford to eat them.If you believe, however, that an increase in demand for Walnuts will lead to lower walnut prices, I would love to hear more about how you think that would work.Which is a huge shame because it grows like a weed! (But I eat those too! LOL)My concern is not so much the price (more trees can be planted), but the resource consumption. Every almond requires 1.1 gallon of water, and every walnut 4.9 gallons, in the California central valley where most are grown. Its still only a fraction of the water requirement for meat, but I diversify my nut consumption to others like pecans that grow well in places that don’t require irrigation.I don’t eat meat so I allow myself to splurge on nuts with the knowledge that my dietary choices are a net positive for water use and the environment.I just looked up water use/crop in CA and it appears alfalfa uses 2.5 times the water as almonds, to which 10% of California’s ag water use is dedicated. As far as I know, alfalfa is mostly used for livestock feed.I think there’s value in marginal improvements like switching up nuts to reduce environmental impacts, but for me that’s low on my list for the reason above, and because walnuts appear to be healthier than other nuts…though I eat others too.I’ve read about the same concern, but even moreso because so many nuts are being consumed indirectly in faux milks made from nuts. Tell me, why do soy milks have 6-8g of protein per serving but almond and now cashew milks have 1g or less? Alergies aside, that’s just plain nuts!!Unsweetened almond milk has 30-40 kcal/8 oz, the caloric content of 4-5 almonds, and I imagine the other ingredients (chalk, thickeners, emulsifiers, salt, vitamins) may constitute more by weight, which is certainly true for the sweetened varieties.. The fiber and pellicle/skin where all the almond polyphenols reside are both discarded. I still use almond milk very sparingly on shredded wheat + bran when too rushed to prepare breakfast, but I’m under no illusions that it’s a whole plant food, or a good way to consume nuts.Chalk?MacSmiley: re: soy milk and additives FYI: In the stores I shop at, Trader Joes and Market Of Choice, I’ve been buying boxed soy milks with nothing but the ingredients: soy beans and water. That’s it. And they taste very fresh/good. I find that they make really excellent bases for the sauces I make in my new favorite cookbook: Vegan Casseroles.Personally, I get conflicted on which type of on-diary milks to get: On one hand, I do want the chalk/calcium. On the other hand, I may not want the carrageenan and other stuff that goes with it. I haven’t seen a non-dairy milk that has the calcium, but not the other additives.Just sharing.Thea, Market of Choice must make you Oregon based?Or there abouts. :-)Calcium carbonate, the most common calcium form in soy & nut-milks. Evidently others can’t taste it, but I can, particularly when I’ve added these to soups.I’ve just started making my own almond milk, bought a nut milk bag from amazon for less than $15 Canadian (and this nut milk bag is strong and will probably last for years), and it is so easy to do it myself. I could kick myself for not getting into this sooner!My recipe is to soak 1 cup of almonds in hot water for at least 3 hours, rinse and put in the blender with 3 pitted dates and 4 cups water. Blend on high speed, pour into nut milk bag and “milk” the liquid into a large container such as a bowl. Mix in a tsp of vanilla extract if you like, and keep refrigerated – lasts for 4-5 days in a covered container.I just made my 3rd batch, and I am really loving it. I found a recipe online today for crackers using the leftover pulp. It looks good but there is 3 tbsp of oil in it – any ideas on a low to no fat way of making savory crackers with the pulp? I’m not interested in making muffins and cakes, etc., as I am staying away from sugars. Here’s the link for the recipe: http://detoxinista.com/2015/01/easy-almond-pulp-crackers-vegan-paleo/Very good point Darryl. I would sharpen that with another point about irrigated agricultural. I do not consider sustainable irrigation to be much of an issue. But when water is mined i.e. depleting a water table that may have taken thousands of years to charge, it is certainly not sustainable. A better allocation of agricultural activities is something we must strive for as a society for all crops. I do know that non irrigated and sustainably irrigated walnuts can thrive but not with curren short sighted practices.The general public is strapped for grocery cash. Not many will fork over $9 for a lb of walnuts when they stretch their $ by getting 7 Totino’s pizzas for the same price or many bags of rice and beans. I noticed dark chocolate is getting pricey too on top of organic veggies. Poor folks can’t afford to eat healthy.Yes, and that brings us full-circle back to what I was saying initially…which is the more aware the “average person” becomes of how food choices impact health and well-being, the more inaccessible those healthy foods will become to people without the means to buy them.In macro terms, it might be necessary to address food subsidies simultaneously with increased education and awareness because as awareness comes, and I believe it is coming, “real” food choices like the ones this website promote will become less of a reality for more and more people due to an inability to afford them.Wow, I paid something like $11/lb the last time I bought walnuts. Still it is cheap compared to animal sources of similar fat and protein profile like meat since you seldom eat a quarter of a pound, let alone the half pound of walnuts in a single meal like is common with meat, so cost per meal will be a lot lower.And then much, much cheaper foods like rice, beans, wheat, potatoes become the focus of the meal with nuts as a flavor enhancer.But you are right if tomorrow if the scales fell from everybody’s eyes and overnight those eating plant based jumped to 100%, the price of every non-meat item would sky rocket because none of the supply train is sized to supply the need. Some like wheat, corn and soy would immediately adjust as animal feed was redirected. But others like Walnuts and other tree nuts as well as things like apples, citrus would take a lot longer for additional supply to come on line.Still it might be worth the trauma in food price to break the nation of its fatal food addictions.How do pecans compare to walnuts? Were pecans among the nuts tested in this study?I’m really surprised that legume consumption wasn’t associated with reduced cardiovascular events.Regarding ‘Which Parts of the Mediterranean Diet Extended Life?’ is there any evidence that walnut oil would be more healthful than olive oil?Hmmm not sure. Not much I could find. Sticking to the whole-food like walnuts or even whole olives, is perhaps better. Fiber, more antioxidants, etc.I would think that like olive oil is olives with none of the nutrients and just fat with a few low molecular weight aromatic compounds that give it its distinct flavor, walnut oil too would have little if any of the nutrients of the whole food. Unless of course the aromatic compounds responsible for the unique flavors is where all the nutritional content of the whole food comes from, but I am pretty sure that is not the case.I am pre diabetic, with insulin resistance, and would like to lower my hg A1c & prevent it from progressing. There appear to be 2 camps – the WFPB & the very low carb group, high protein paleo type, ways of eating for diabetes. I would like to eat plant based for both health & ethical reasons, but am concerned about the whole grains & legumes raising blood sugar levels & also causing weight gain. Currently, I still eat fish & egg whites occasionally, have gained a few pounds & my A1 C is not coming down. If it’s true that fats are responsible for insulin resistance in the cells, how can the low carb, high protein paleo type diet, which usually contains fair amounts of fat, be as effective as it seems to be in controlling blood sugars? According to Ornish, McDougall, etc. they also say most fats should be eliminated – is it for the same reason or is their opinion based on cardio protection mostly? Their position on fat also raises the questions re healthful nuts & seeds. I no longer know what to eat!I have tried the paleo diet properly for 6 months and it caused my cholesterol to shoot through the roof I went from 170 to 280 total cholesterol. I lost a bit of weight and my A1C came down initially just from cutting refined sugars but soon at the 4 month mark my A1C was worse than when I started. The only way I found to get control of my cholesterol and A1C is to go to a plant based diet. It seems to be the only thing that works long term. I tend to focus more on eating legumes with less grains and I eat lots of veggies, take a b12, vit D and algae tablet daily. I have learned to stay away from sweets and processed vegan foods. I feel better than ever and my numbers are great. There are videos pertaining to the science on the mechanism of diet and diabetes on this site. I know this testimony is anecdotal but I felt like sharing. All research shows that the ADA diet for diabetes and the paleo diet may slow diabetes progression it does not reverse diabetes like a whole plant food diet.Hi, Confused ;) SO many dietary approaches it seems. I know it can get confusing. I feel like the main theme here in Dr. Greger’s video points to the health benefits of nuts. The studies are not talking about adding huge amounts, just a handful a day or so. not sure the research supports prediabetics avoiding nuts completely. Also, beans, barely, and oats are all very low in the glycemic index and shouldn’t spike blood glucose. These foods don’t appear to lead to weight gain either, if anything, all these fibrous foods may help lower body weight. I have seen it in clinical studies. The fish may play a role in diabetes progression. I don’t think it is true that fats are directly responsible for insulin resistance in the cells, or that low-carb/high-fat diets are good for controlling blood sugars.You say “I don’t think it is true that fats are directly responsible for insulin resistance in the cells” In this video Dr. Greger describes how fat causes insulin resistance in cells. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=whatGood catch! Let me clarify. I don’t think fat is the whole issue. Depends on type, perhaps? Nuts and seeds don’t seem to increase diabetes risk, and they have fat. In the video you linked, one study found more insulin resistance when infusing fat into muscle cells . The other showed low-carb high-fat diets also increasing insulin resistance. So my mistake, fat DOES have something to do with insulin resistance, clearly, but i believe the type of fat and amount is important to identify before making a claim that “fat causes insulin resistance” which is untrue.Agreed, claiming “fat causes insulin resistance” is a bit too extreme and not specific enough.Isn’t it the saturated fat that one finds in meat and dairy that causes insulin resistance? I thought saturated fat caused this, but the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that we find in nuts and seeds help make it better. Some nuts have some saturated fat, but most of the fat in nuts is not saturated.I think so too, come to think of it , my back pain stopped after I began eating vegan PBWF (omnivore diet previously) as this site suggested, and no saturated fats. I eat Walnuts daily now. I forgot all about the back pain until I read this discussion ! Better control of my blood glucose level too.The plethora of evidence presented by Dr. G in his videos point to the effectiveness of the WFPB diet.I “discovered” the good Dr. about 5 months ago and have been following the advice presented in his videos. In the beginning I was 210 lb (I’m 6’1″). Very quickly 20 lbs melted away with no calorie counting or going hungry. My A1C had been nudging the upper limit at 5.6. My total cholesterol had been 174 with the LDL portion at 122. My local Dr. put me on a low-dose statin (20mg Simvastatin). Now 5 months later my A1C is 5.3, my total cholesterol is 106 with the LDL portion at 55. One wonders if I really need the statin at this point – maybe continuing it will help to remove the arterial plaques build up over a lifetime of bad eating habits.My point with all of this rambling is that it’s well worth following Dr. G’s advise as presented in his videos. In my case it’s been easy-peasy. I never have to stay hungry. Just stay away from junk food and get 30 minutes of very moderate activity most days. For people with worse blood-chemistry numbers than mine, progress may come slower. But, I believe, progress will come.Hi Richard. As was mentioned above, we love hearing success stories! Well done and thank you for sharing your story with us. From my layman’s point of view, your point about staying on statins may have merit as this paper suggests: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15878865 The effects of statins on reverse cholesterol transport is also an area of research: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22706233:Good job, good health and good luck!What was responsible for the improvement in blood lipids? The statin or the diet or both?I would guess both.So – you do not know. Have you had a CT scan to determine the extent of the plaque? Also – what are your triglycerides? Have you tested your LDL-P?There’s a whole lot I don’t know.My Dr. noticed some arterial buildup in an X-ray taken for another problem. No big deal but noticeable. From what I’ve been reading, most of us who have grown up on a standard Western diet have some plaque buildup. Triglycerides are 120.An abundance of caution dictates that since all my numbers are getting better, that I continue on this same path. I may reconsider the statin use in the future.Your triglycerides are too high. S/B <100 or lowerTriglycerides are a secondary risk factor for CVD. If the primary risk factor, total cholesterol, is below about 150 total, triglycerides do not appear to be a risk factor. Basically if you already have high total cholesterol, then high triglycerides can make it worse. But if cholesterol is low, then triglycerides level doesn’t seem to make much difference.Any proof for the statement – “if cholesterol is low, then triglycerides level doesn’t seem to make much difference”Confused, you mentioned Drs. Ornish and McDougall. I wonder if you’re aware, too, of Dr. Barnard’s studies on & approach to diabetes; it’s fully laid out in _Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes._ There’s also a lesser known book/approach called _The 30-Day Diabetes Miracle_ by Drs. House (No, not *that* Dr. House!) and Seale that is also WFPBD-based. In the latter book, focus is on carb-counting within the vegan approach, so while it allows whole grains it does so in lesser amounts than do Ornish/McDougall/Barnard. House/Seale do include nuts as part of a healthy eating approach to diabetes as well as pre-diabetes & metabolic syndrome (which I, for one, consider to be pre-pre-diabetes). I hope this may help dispel your confusion somewhat in that you allow yourself to make small adjustments (nuts vs. no nuts) within the general framework of WFPBD and see how your system deals with them.“[…] how can the low carb, high protein paleo type diet, which usually contains fair amounts of fat, be as effective as it seems to be in controlling blood sugars?”My answer to this is that the low carb diet is not controlling blood sugars, it is simply limiting them. A healthy human body is equipped to digest sugars and use them for energy. If your body is not capable of doing this, it is in a diseased state. You can eat a low carb diet to restrict your sugar intake and thus your blood sugar, but you still have diabetes. Your body has lost its capability to properly process sugar, and consuming it will result in dangerously high blood sugar. Contrast this scenario with a low fat/high carb whole foods vegan diet, which has the capability to actually cure the underlying disease so that when you consume carbohydrate, your body has the capability to process it properly and maintain appropriate blood sugar levels.Very well said.Confused, this is a topic with a seemingly counterintuitive answer. As a type 1 diabetic I have studied this question extensively and in depth. First, the paleo crowd is right about one thing, you, we, all should not be eating much in the way of simple sugars. From there on they part ways with science. The apparent reason for so many Americans developing diabetes is the growing epidemic of obesity. But that does not explain it all. It happens that people who go on a WFPBD often reverse their diabetes without first loosing weight. So why is this.OK, carbohydrates will raise blood sugar levels but meat and and animal fats will increase insulin resistance. Meat increasing insulin resistance comes from a variety of factors but the glycotoxins or Advances Glycation End Products are a major contributing factor. (Dr Greger has several videos on AGEs that are excelent but I especially like this article at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3953708/ which concludes; “several studies have shown that dietary restriction of AGEs is feasible in patients with diabetes or renal failure as well as in healthy persons and results in marked decrease in circulating AGEs and markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance.” So the appropriate answer is to reduce your glycemic index and reduce your insulin resistance.Carbohydrates are necessary as our most basic food, We just don’t need spikes. So a diet emphasizing beans, greens, whole grains, fungus, fruits and roots will accomplish the moderated blood sugar levels with little spiking while increasing insulin sensitivity. When I went with a whole food plant based diet my insulin intake was reduced by 25%. (remember, I produce no insulin myself so I can monitor insulin usage with my pump computer.). I attribute that to higher fiber, which certainly helps, and increased insulin sensitivity.For a very full discussion of the effect of paleo on insulin resistance I would suggest the link http://plantpositive.com/35-how-to-become-insulin-resis/ . Also note his discussion glyconeogenesis which may accompany a high meat low carb diet. These presentations are very well researched. He starts the discussion with a study done on two men in the 1920s who went on an all meat diet for one year. They both developed chronic hyperglycemia while on this diet and recovered when they began consuming carbs again. I really suggest you listen to that and read the transcript.Also just put in “insulin resistance in the search field on this site and you will get ample information on the effects of animal products on insulin resistance leading to metabolic syndrome and ultimately type 2 diabetes. Dr Greger has impeccable sourcing and by design is very easy to follow.Now one more thing. There is a growing numbe of individuals in adulthood who have metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes who in reality have an autoimmune disease which is slowly destroying the beta cells but just has not completed the job yet. There are many many pro-inflammatory factors in animal product which can provoke the autoimmune response. Again just note the above quote on dietary restrictions of AGEs or glycotoxins. If in fact your metabolic syndrome is a result of an autoimmune response, you will help yourself a great deal and possibly stop the development of diabetes by eliminating animal products. If your metabolic syndrome is simply the result of insulin resistance, then you will help yourself a great deal and probably stop the development of diabetes by eliminating animal products. (Hmm, same answer to two different cases. I guess that’s convenient.)Hope this is not too long winded.Thank you Richard. Appreciate your response – not too long winded at all – & will definitely follow-up on the links you sent. I had not heard about the autoimmune response, but that is certainly something to look into. I m a newbie to WFPB & having a difficult time giving up my fish protein. Will have to try harder.I eliminated my diabetes on a WFPB diet in 2 weeks, literally. I also went on to lose half my body weight, but the changes happened fast sticking religiously to the program, all plants, nothing processed, no added fat, no animal products. Try it…just start out with a 30 day trial like I did. That was 5 years ago and I have never looked back.Great report!!!You might try reading the book “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes”. This book talks about the science behind diabetes and how a plant based diet can completely reverse it. Included are suggestions on the steps to take and what low glycemic index plant foods you should focus on to keep your blood sugar from spiking so high as your body heals. Note it is often said that the answer for a lot of diseases like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, even cancer and autoimmune diseases is exactly the same low-fat whole-foods-plant based diet. And that is true in outline, but Dr. Barnard has some specific suggestions for plant foods to focus on as your sick body heals that are somewhat a subset of the larger diet.All the low-carb diet by their very nature have to be very high fat because there is just so much protein your body can handle (about 30-35% of calories). So if you are already eating animal products, then you are likely at the top end of the range of protein your body can handle. The only way to further reduce carbohydrates then is to replace them with fat, and fat is the root cause of Type II diabetes.As for how such a diet keeps blood sugar down, it does it by simply not allowing much sugar/starch to be eaten. If it isn’t in the food, it can’t show up in the blood. But this doesn’t reverse diabetes. All that fat is making it worse. It is just that you aren’t getting food that can be readily converted to glucose so it will even out your blood sugar level over time. But high blood sugar is a symptom of the disease, and not the cause. So simply controlling your blood sugar does nothing to reverse your disease.Your body can make glucose from protein by a processes called gluconeogenesis as well as from the glycerin it makes when breaking down the fat. So even if you eat zero carbohydrates, you will still have some blood sugar. Which is good because the red blood cells can’t use anything but glucose for energy and you would simply die if your body wasn’t able to do something about the lack of carbohydrates in your diet. But it can’t make a lot, so other tissues that would rather have glucose, like your brain, have to make do with ketone bodies, like acetone (also known as nail polish remover) which are also created from fat. As you can imagine nail polish remover doesn’t make the best fuel for your body and causes all kinds of other health problems can result if you stay in a ketogenic state for a long time. A ketogenic state, also known as starvation mode, was evolved as a way to live off stored body fat when no food at all was available and allow fuel to be made out of something other than protein so your body would have to break down a minimum amount of your muscles to survive the extended famine. But it is supposed to be temporary and you go back to the body’s preferred mode when you find more carbohydrate containing food. BTW, this shows definitively that we evolved to be plant eaters, because just eating meat while starving doesn’t get you out of ketogenesis as the Atkins diet amply demonstrates. Anyway I digress.So Paleo (and Atkins and South Beach and Wheat Belly and Grain Brain and the rest) are taking you deeper into insulin resistance, the root cause of Type II diabetes, not getting you out. A whole food, plant based diet addresses the root cause of diabetes, the insulin resistance caused by myocellular lipids (fat in the muscles). By making a specially focus on low glycemic index foods during the initial phase, you should be able to keep the sugar spikes to a manageable level. And those spikes won’t be around long enough to cause any lasting damage.But do take a commitment to go 100%. Partial adoption is likely to keep enough of the wrong kinds of fats in your diet to keep the insulin resistance in place even if it is not progressing. Then the addition of carbohydrates then will cause higher blood sugar that will persist without the elimination of the muscle fat and attendent insulin resistance. Then as the sugar spikes don’t diminish because of the persistent insulin resistance, your A1C levels will start to rise.And it is OK if in the beginning your diet is pretty repetitive as you learn your way around. Your focus is on the foods that will help you heal your insulin resistance. There isn’t any risk of deficiencies developing in a few weeks to a month or even two. Dr. Walter Kempner was reversing diabetes in the 1940 with a diet of just white rice, white sugar and fruit juice which his patients sometimes ate for months without issue. Not that I am suggesting his Rice Diet. I think it worked because it was essentially fat free. You can do the same with a much more nutritionally sound diet.Oh, and if you are on medications, please, please, please work with your doctor. This diet can sometimes work so well and so fast that unless your doctor is ready to start reducing some of your medications, especially those that directly lower your blood sugar like injected insulin, you could experience dangerously low blood sugar. Everyone varies in their response, but it is my understanding that this is the only diet that directly addresses the root cause of diabetes and so the only one that actually has a chance to cure rather than just try to slow down the progression of diabetes.Good luck.i got Nutfungus.com , i will aim to farm nuts and fungus in the future! Thanks for this!“Nut fungus”I don’t know if I’d want that name in my browser history, let alone to buy nuts and mushrooms from itI hope you can do something with it. It has the sound of a great domain name! Nuts and Fungus are two of my favorite things! I am going to try to grow my on mushrooms this spring with one of Paul Stamet’s grow structures that has the mycelium already inoculated throughout the medium. I am trying pink oyster mushrooms first.I would like to have a template for what I should be eating everyday. E.g., which nuts and how many; how many cups of hibiscus tea, etc. I already eat 3 tablespoons of flaxseed mixed with yogurt and one tablespoon of chia seeds mixed with yogurt daily for breakfast. I also eat a cup of blueberries daily and one Brazil nut. Mould love to have a good daily template.One thing I can tell you is to drop the yogurt along with all other dairy products, unless your yogurt is made with soy instead of dairy. If you have any questions about the negative affect of dairy, see T. Colin Campbell, PhD’s book, The China Study.Dear Jim Felder.You might be missing the point that Dr. Greger actually posed the question “Which Parts of the Mediterranean Diet Extended Life”, not me. I find the question most appropriate, as you indeed also seems to do, judged by your comment. So there seems to be no reason to argue about that.My question regarding the flavones is based on the simple fact that the scientific literature clearly point to the conclusion that this is a class of polyphenols that has been investigated a lot less than the others, e.g. the flavanols – like the different sorts of catechins – and the flavonols, represented above all by quercetin, the isoflavones like genistein and of course all the different kinds of anthocyanins. Much research has also been done on other polyphenols like curcumin and resveratrol. But on the flavones, almost nothing.My opinion would be that this kind of research – some of it epidemiological, some interventional – could be of great value, as it brings to the table useful knowledge on what kind of bioactive substances in plants are preventing disease alone or in combination. As thyme and oregano are known to have large amounts of flavones in them, and are a common part of the Mediterranean diet as well, it would be at close to ignorance not to consider their potential for health promoting effects. My question is a real one, I would very much like to get to know if there has been done serious research on thyme and oregano, in all sorts of combinations that could provide more knowledge of their effects. To ask for the effect of the flavones in them would be only one place to start.From time to time I also like to remind myself of the fact that aspirin actually is a compound derived from the bark of the white willow – and a polyphenol as well. It definitely seems to have interesting effects on human health, to the benefit of millions during the last 250 years of history. I do agree with you, plants have marvelous properties and we should more than double the consumption of plant-derived food, but also include the herbs, tubers and berries together with fruit vegetables and nuts. In all sorts of combination of course.My first questions might have been misleading, I hope that this explanation could provide some clarification.Best regardsflavapavaSorry I missed your reply to me. I do agree that there is indeed value to research into specific nutrients and their effect. My concern is that this type of research is often wildly extrapolated by people who want to make money off of selling the isolated nutrients, namely the vitamin and supplement industry. As a result the general public is completely mislead by these modern day snake oil salesmen into thinking they can purchase health in a bottle or even better health in a whole bunch of separate bottles, when in fact the benefits often only show up when the research nutrient is consumed as part of the whole food.There are exceptions of course, such as the fact that many drugs including aspirin originated from plant extracts. But aspirin is also a counter example. Sure it was originally extracted in large amounts from willow bark, but it is naturally occuring in many foods. Here is a list http://www.livestrong.com/article/296049-list-of-foods-with-suspected-salicylates/Doctors often prescribe low dose aspirin for people at risk of a heart attack. But if they instead prescribed a diet high in foods that naturally contain acetylsalicylic acid people could get the benefit of this particular compound while also gaining the health benefits from everything else in the food. So by taking acetylsalicylic acid out of context and reducing it to a pill it gave doctors and patients a discrete, easy to understand way to address a health issue. In the process they have lost all the other benefits that they would get from whole foods if instead patients were to get their aspirin by eating some fruits and vegetables. I would imagine in fact by this point that very few doctors even know that aspirin is present in commonly consumed foods since as a group there seems to be almost no interest if it doesn’t come in a pill or require a procedure.Your videos on the Mediterranean Diet are so informative and sensible. My question is about your strong endorsement and suggested value of nuts in a good plant-based lifestyle. Is there a valuable and equal alternative for those of us who have serious nut allergies?Hi Sunnyite, can you eat seeds? Magnesium, phytosterols, and omega-3 fatty acids are all implicated in cardiovascular health, and are found in seeds in even higher amounts than in nuts.Regarding phytosterols, from whfoods.com: “Sesame seeds had the highest total phytosterol content (400-413 mg per 100 grams), and English walnuts and Brazil nuts the lowest (113 mg/100grams and 95 mg/100 grams). (100 grams is equivalent to 3.5 ounces.) Of the nuts and seeds typically consumed as snack foods, pistachios and sunflower seeds were richest in phytosterols (270-289 mg/100 g), followed by pumpkin seeds (265 mg/100 g)” http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=84Also in a listing of foods with the highest magnesium content, three types of seeds are among the top contenders, with no nuts making the list: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=75 For more on magnesium and heart health: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/For omega-3 content, of course flax and chia seeds have high levels: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=84Agree with b00mer’s links on flaxseed, can you tolerate seeds?I have histamine intolerance, and walnuts contain a lot of histamine. In addition, they’re a histamine liberator. Eating walnuts means suffering to me. In place, I eat a lot of flax and hemp seeds, although I prefer the taste of walnuts.Hi Folks. I think this bit about walnuts is interesting and I commend Dr. Greger for bringing this to our attention. We have a tendency to think about ‘superfoods’ and ‘silver bullets’ that we should be incorporating into our diets. I have to wonder, however, how many walnuts our ancient ancestors (the ones whose DNA is floating around in our cells) had access to. My guess is not too many. I think, rather, the benefits of walnuts in the present context is to decrease the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids more in line with what our ancient DNA is used to seeing, and thereby conferring health benefits in the here-and-now. Therefore, I am not so much inclined to run out and buy walnuts (food ‘magnets’ in my pantry, I don’t know about yours…) thinking about superfoods. Rather, I will continue to eat my WFPB diet, believing my n-6/n-3 ratio is more tuned for the ancient DNA floating around in every cell. And, my microbiome seems to be happy with it as well-if ya know what I mean ;-)For more on this notion of ‘superfoods’ vs. diet totalityand the effects of diet on our microbiomes, have a look at this interesting lecture by Daphne Miller, M.D. Thanks and have a Plant Strong day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_VC4Ya6i1IIt is strange that the “Baseline adherence to the Mediterranean diet and major cardiovascular events: Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea trial” found no benefit to eating fruits and legumes. This is contrary to some studies that I have seen elsewhere. So if I accept the conclusion that nuts are good for preventing cardiovascular events, should I also conclude that fruits and legumes are not helpful. Note the legumes were statistically close to being a detriment.I don’t think so. As you mentioned, there are loads of studies supporting the inclusion of beans on cardiovascular health.Dr. Gregor, I am anxiously awaiting your fact-finding with regard to the Paleo folks. They seem to be armed with their own justifying research. Should be not only interesting and entertaining, but enlightening. Perhaps a debate with Dr. Kesser?Terry: Dr. Greger already has quite a few videos and articles on the paleo topic: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=paleoA debate is always fun, but I would say that Dr. Greger definitely has this topic covered.yippee….raw walnuts are a VERY staple part of my diet…I add a palmful of them, ground up, to my oats 3-4 mornings each week…great stuff! My dad and brother both died of colon cancer, both smoked, and were pretty depressed at time of diagnosis, but heck…my dad’s side of the family has cancer all throughout, so am glad to eat a whole food plant based diet for many years now AND avoiding alcohol, on my mom’s side; she died of it, her only sibling died of it and her dad died of it and it’s all through their Irish heritage on our family tree…easy peasy for me–just don’t drink alcohol. Thanks Doctor Greger for ALL you do!Wow, Val. Powerful words. Thanks for sharing. I wish you the best and we appreciate your support.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-03/acoc-mdc030315.php Mediterranean diet cuts heart disease risk by nearly halfWASHINGTON (March 4, 2015) — Adults who closely followed the Mediterranean diet were 47 percent less likely to develop heart disease over a 10-year period compared to similar adults who did not closely follow the diet, according to a study to be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific Session in San Diego.Among the study’s paacrticipants, adherence to the Mediterranean diet was more protective than physical activity. The study, conducted in Greece, bolsters evidence from earlier studies pointing to the diet’s health benefits and is the first to track 10-year heart disease risk in a general population. Most previous studies have focused on middle-aged people.“Our study shows that the Mediterranean diet is a beneficial intervention for all types of people–in both genders, in all age groups, and in both healthy people and those with health conditions,” said Ekavi Georgousopoulou, a Ph.D. candidate at Harokopio University in Athens, Greece, who conducted the study along with Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos, Ph.D., professor at Harokopio University. “It also reveals that the Mediterranean diet has direct benefits for heart health, in addition to its indirect benefits in managing diabetes, hypertension and inflammation.”The study is based on data from a representative sample of more than 2,500 Greek adults, ages 18 to 89, who provided researchers with their health information each year from 2001 to 2012. Participants also completed in-depth surveys about their medical records, lifestyle and dietary habits at the start of the study, after five years and after 10 years.Overall, nearly 20 percent of the men and 12 percent of the women who participated in the study developed or died from heart disease, a suite of conditions that includes stroke, coronary heart disease caused by the buildup of plaque in the heart’s arteries, acute coronary syndromes such as heart attack, and other diseases. Other studies have shown Greeks and Americans have similar rates of heart disease and its risk factors.The researchers scored participants’ diets on a scale from 1 to 55 based on their self-reported frequency and level of intake for 11 food groups. Those who scored in the top-third in terms of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, indicating they closely followed the diet, were 47 percent less likely to develop heart disease over the 10-year follow-up period as compared to participants who scored in the bottom-third, indicating they did not closely follow the diet. Each one-point increase in the dietary score was associated with a 3 percent drop in heart disease risk.This difference was independent of other heart disease risk factors including age, gender, family history, education level, body mass index, smoking habits, hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, all of which the researchers adjusted for in their analysis.The analysis also confirmed results of previous studies indicating that male gender, older age,diabetes and high C-reactive protein levels, a measure of inflammation, are associated with an increased risk for heart disease.While there is no set Mediterranean diet, it commonly emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish, olive oil and even a glass of red wine. Earlier research has shown that following the traditional Mediterranean diet is linked to weight loss, reduced risk of diabetes, lower blood pressure and lower blood cholesterol levels, in addition to reduced risk of heart disease.“Because the Mediterranean diet is based on food groups that are quite common or easy to find, people around the world could easily adopt this dietary pattern and help protect themselves against heart disease with very little cost,” Georgousopoulou said.Among study participants, women tended to follow the Mediterranean diet more closely than did men. Despite the fact that Greece is the cradle of the Mediterranean diet, urbanization has led many Greeks to adopt a more Western diet over the past four decades, he said.The study was limited to participants living in and around Athens, Greece, so the sample does not necessarily reflect the health conditions or dietary patterns of people in more rural areas or the rest of the world. However, previous studies have also linked the Mediterranean diet with reduced cardiovascular risks, including the Nurses’ Health Study, which included nearly 75,000 American nurses who were tracked over a 30-year period. Additional studies in other adult populations would further advance understanding of the diet’s influence on heart disease risk.The study, “Adherence to Mediterranean is the Most Important Protector Against the Development of Fatal and Non-Fatal Cardiovascular Event: 10-Year Follow-up (2002-12) Of the Attica Study,” will be presented on March 15 at 9:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. UTC at the American College of Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific Session in San Diego. The meeting runs March 14-16.Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is “the Most Important Protector Against the Development of Fatal and Non-Fatal Cardiovascular Events”? A more important protector than following SAD, certainly. But more important than heart-attack-proofing oneself with a WFPB SOS-free diet and a total cholesterol <150? I am doubtful.I wonder what Jeff Novick would say about some of these pro-nut studies. I’d love to watch a Jeff Novick – Michael Gregor or Jeff Novick – Joel Furhman debate on this topic.Somehow I got blocked by Jeff Novick on Twitter, though to my knowledge we’ve never had a conversation or exchange there or elsewhere online. (I don’t do Facebook.)Could it be the nuts?They all do seem, however, to agree on Olive Oil not being so healthy.vegetables including fruits i guess~Hi Joney, those are interesting finds. It seems much of the research in regards to phytosterols is examining the effects of supplementation through enriched foods, as in the first two studies. In that sense, we might consider the negative side effects from phytosterols mentioned to be along the same lines as those seen with vitamin A and E supplements, the latter not necessarily being good evidence to reduce spinach and carrot consumption. A serving of phytosterol supplemented margarine may contain ten times the phytosterols of a serving of sunflower seeds, without any of the fiber or other phytonutrients found in the seed. While I’m not sure of the composition of the sterols used in supplemented foods, another possible issue is that they may not be an accurate reflection of the composition of various sterol or stanol compounds found in the natural whole food source, in the same sense of vitamin E and A supplements not containing the natural range of tocopherols/tocotrienols or carotenoids.In regards to the possible atherogenic risks seen in the general public with moderate elevations examined in the third paper, this 2014 review (free access) offers pleiotropy as a likely explanation: http://www.atherosclerosis-journal.com/article/S0021-9150(13)00694-1/pdfThe third article focuses on a rare genetic disorder, which won’t affect most people.Nonetheless, I do agree with not “going crazy” with any particular nutrient or food and I hope my comment wouldn’t be interpreted as a recommendation to do such. Most whole foods plant based advocates generally recommend 1-2 oz nuts or seeds per day for most people, and with the exception of advanced heart disease patients, this appears to be a beneficial dosage for the general population. Is it due to the phytosterols? Maybe, maybe not. I think it’s important to remember the direction of the scientific process, in that once a food is observed to have beneficial effects, it’s then that researchers attempt to isolate the responsible individual compounds [which unfortunately are then typically isolated and recommended as supplements to a crappy diet]. My point being that if nuts/seeds themselves are shown to be beneficial, one shouldn’t worry about eating the nuts/seeds. Yes, one should worry about supplemental forms of isolated nutrients which reductionist research has determined to be the sole conferrer of such benefits, but negative side effects from those isolated compounds do not necessarily contradict the evidence seen in consumption of the whole food.walnut is particuar high in methonine amino acid and that is determining factor in how high is your motality !!!Smith, what is your reference for what you consider relatively high or low in terms of methionine? While high in caloric density itself, walnuts are not high in methionine by caloric percentage. By calorie, they have half the methionine of black beans, a third compared to broccoli, and are equal to cucumbers. Do you think eating all of those foods will raise mortality risk? Contrast that with chicken, tuna, and beef, which have 13, 17, and 9 times the methionine respectively compared to walnuts. Walnuts are not a practical concern in regards to methionine consumption.a more useful comparision would be by servings. And the recommended servings is a cup or handful.As pointed out in the orginal article, there were no life extension, and the high methonine content may be a factor here.And why is a by-‘serving’ comparison more useful? By the way, a cup is a pretty greedy handful, in my opinion, and amounts to about 770 calories, which is a large fraction of daily calorie needs for most people.Actually smith, nutritional science as a whole favors recommendations by caloric percentage as it is much more meaningful. As largelytrue pointed out – your “serving” of walnuts is a cup??? This is four times the standard defined serving for nuts and seeds. No wonder you think they’re high in methionine. Can you see why quantifying nutritional characteristics by servings in regards to general recommendations is problematic?Aside from obvious problems in variations in interpretation on an individual level, another reason that stating content by calorie is more meaningful is that caloric intake differs among individuals. A person’s requirement for caloric intake, protein intake, and yes even methionine intake as it is an essential amino acid, is proportional to their size and activity level. Stating absolute values and amounts per serving is thus meaningless. A five foot tall sedentary person and a six foot tall athlete will have very different requirements for calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients, and those requirements will be proportional to their overall caloric intake. By stating requirements or recommendations by caloric percentage, each person can tailor those recommendations to their personal requirements.Another contrast can be seen in diet composition. Someone the same size as me with the same caloric requirements eating an animal product rich diet will be eating a fraction of the number of servings as I eat, since my diet is much lower in caloric density. Stating recommendations by serving would thus make the animal product rich diet appear more favorable than it really is in terms of methionine content, and would make the plant based diet appear worse than it is. If I’m eating a 2000 calorie diet, it doesn’t matter how many servings of food I’m eating, or what the volume of each food I ate was, it matters that the calories at the end of the day will total to 2000 and that a certain number of those calories came from methionine.A lot of studies, like those in this discussion, don’t distinguish between ischemic strokes (clotting) and hemorrhagic strokes (bleeding). Why is that? Does this mean that both kinds of strokes are equally affected by eating nuts, etc., or do they focus on ischemic which are the the most frequent?Hi plsteiner,I am not sure that is a good question. I think reducing stroke is reducing stroke and that is a good thing. So a few nuts can go a long way if these study hold true.Of course reducing stroke is a good thing. Maybe mine is not a good question in the epidemiological sense, but if you’ve had a hemorrhagic stroke, then it is a very good question, and an important one. So I’ll ask it again: why are all strokes treated as one kind of illness, when they have opposite ways of occurring (blockages vs. bleeds)? I understand that you’re interested in the general statistic–more or less strokes. But people reading and watching Dr. Greger are, I’m pretty sure, less interested in the overall prevention of disease than they are in the prevention of their own particular disease. Finally let me say, there are no bad questions, and labeling a question as not good is not likely to encourage discussion.Ugh. Silly misuse of a period. The first sentence above should have a big PERIOD between. Fro example”I am not sure. That is a good question!”That changes the way it comes off, doesn’t it? I did not mean to say you asked a wrong question, goodness, no!! I simply missed a period and capitalization, as you can see from my original response. So sorry. Now I feel obligated to look into your question :) It is totally valid and important to you therefore it is important to me. Give me some time I’ll investigate. And very sorry for the improper grammar. Please forgive me.JosephMistakes happen. Thanks for clarifying. And I’ll look forward to your response.Dr. Gregor seems to allow natural fat in his recommendations and recipes. Dr. Esselstyn screams at his audience, No oil. No oil. Is he being a little extreme? How much fat is recommended in a vegan diet?Vegcurious: Dr. Greger doesn’t recommend oils either. He just doesn’t yell about it. Both Dr.’s recommend that we get fat from whole plant foods rather than highly processed foods such as oil. Dr. Greger might be more comfortable with including more of the higher fat plant foods in our diet, but then again, Dr. Greger is making recommendations for the general public and Dr. Esselstyn is making recommendations for extremely sick heart patients. And Dr. Esselstyn has come right out and said that nuts are healthy. He’s not completely against even higher fat whole plant foods. His heart disease cookbook even includes a dressing with walnuts. This is why I really don’t think the Dr.’s are all that far apart in their thinking.To address your question about extremism – My take is that “no oil” is no more extreme than “no sugar”. I eat sugar, but I don’t kid myself that it is healthy. And I make a point of highly restricting sugar intake – or a least I try to. The same goes for oil. And in neither case do I consider it extreme if someone else wants to (and even better manages to) eliminate those unhealthy foods entirely. Good for them!I think fat intake varies widely in any diet so I cannot say what is best. The IOM guidelines say anywhere from20–35 % of calories from fat. Many folks find the lower end is a better fit, especially if they are reading the works of Dr. Esselstyn and others who have highly valuable materials on lower-fat diets. The purpose of this forum is to discus the science not label any diet by macronutrient percentages. But I like how you think, “natural fat” which means whole plant fat sources and we don’t require tons of it.i eat squash who follow me?and apple,mango,pineapple,grapes.Dr. Greger, you’ve seriously misunderstood the studies in which you say “If you re-analyze the data comparing the death rates of those who actually ate more nuts to those who actually didn’t, nut consumption was indeed associated with significantly reduced risk of death. If you do the same kind of post hock analysis with olive oil, even with the extra virgin, there is no benefit in terms of living longer.” Those two studies didn’t re-analyze the data from the trial: they actually weren’t trial data at all. These studies only evaluated baseline nut and olive oil consumption (respectively), before the trial had even begun, and only from a single food-frequency questionaire: it doesn’t tell you anything about how they ate after they were assigned to their diets, which was obviously the whole point of the trial. Also, even in these studies, “Higher baseline total olive oil consumption was associated with 48% (HR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.29 to 0.93) reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality.” It’s interesting that there may have been a “carryover” effect of earlier nut consumption on total mortality, and of olive oil on cardiovascular mortality, but don’t confound their earlier dietary habits (somewhat fuzzily assessed anyway) with what they did during the course of the trial itself, which is where the power of experimental science comes to bear.No misunderstanding; I just didn’t describe the study design as well as I should have. Indeed, these are effective cohort rather than interventional data. I am often torn between trying to make things short and simplified for the broader lay audience, while maintaining enough of the complexity and nuance to satisfy the more technically minded. That’s why I provide links to all the cited studies to inspire professionals who want to dig deeper. The links are up in the Cited tab, but here’s the direct full-text links to the nut and oil studies. Thanks so much for writing in!I am a type 2 diabetic still on insulin following Neal Barnard’s suggestion of only eating 20 grams of fat (plant based vegan diet) per day. I also follow Dr. Esselstyn’s advice of “NO OIL”. My weight has dropped from 240 pounds to 185. I still have 25 pounds to go. I have greatly reduced my insulin injections and would like to end the need to take insulin. I want to eat a very small package of walnuts and almonds a day but the 1/2 ounce packs contain 9 grams of fat… almost half my prescribed limit of fat per day. How does the fat from the nuts affect my insulin resistance? Do I as a diabetic need to avoid nuts?Thanks for reposting! I address many of these concerns in this comment. Also, as I mentioned before Dr. Barnard has had great success with Type 2 diabetes. I worked with him for 4 years. It is of course up to you if you want to include some nuts. The research seems to lean toward their inclusion in the diet for diabetics. I don’t think Dr. Barnard is against 1 ounce of nuts per day. 20 grams of fat seems very low, but of course many doctors still recommend low-fat diets and find great results. At any rate your weight is coming down and you are feeling better. I would stick to what is working!For more on Dr. Barnard’s research, study participants received either a low-fat strict plant-based diet or a typical diet for diabetes and found significant changes in weight loss and insulin levels. Dr. Greger presents the study in this video.Thanks again! Joseph	alcohol,almonds,Ancel Keys,animal fat,antioxidants,butter,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cookies,dairy,DNA damage,eggs,fat,fish,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,hazelnuts,heart disease,heart health,lard,lifespan,longevity,meat,Mediterranean diet,mortality,nuts,olive oil,olives,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,PREDIMED,soda,stroke,vegetables,walnuts,wine,World Health Organization	Of all the components of a healthy Mediterranean Diet, which are associated with a longer lifespan?	This is the fourth of a 6-part video series on the Mediterranean diet. Here’s the first three in case you missed them:And then there were two:Think the effects of adding a few nuts to one’s daily diet is too good to believe? Check out my video Four Nuts Once a Month. For more on Walnuts and Artery Function check out the video, and for more on nuts and cancer prevention, see Which Nut Fights Cancer Better?Nuts May Help Prevent Death and so may beans, see Increased Lifespan from Beans. What about Fruits and Longevity: How Many Minutes per Mouthful?More on protecting ourselves from “brain attacks” in Preventing Strokes with Diet.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cookies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/predimed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ancel-keys/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hazelnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10479222,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23866098,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4121755/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23484910,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24322654,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24285581,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19647416,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25110552,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24847854,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24976427,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22999065,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24886626,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2882379,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25111658,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23432189,
PLAIN-2476	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/	PREDIMED: Does Eating Nuts Prevent Strokes?	The Lyon Diet Heart Trial showed that a Mediterranean-type diet could significantly reduce the risk of having a second heart attack, but since many first heart attacks are fatal, better to prevent heart attacks in the first place. But no randomized controlled trial has ever been conducted to test the Mediterranean diet for this so-called ‘primary prevention’ until now. The PREDIMED study, from the Spanish PREvencio ́n con DIeta MEDiterranea in which a whopping 7,447 patients were randomized into three groups. These were folks at high risk for a heart attack, about half were obese, diabetic, most had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, but had not yet had their first heart attack or stroke. A third were told to eat a Mediterranean diet and given a free quart of extra virgin olive oil every week. The second group were told to eat a Mediterranean diet and given a half pound of free nuts every week, and the last third were told to follow the American Heart Association guidelines and reduce their fat intake. No portion control or exercise advice was given, and they were followed for about five years. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.The first thing you do when you look at a diet intervention trial is see what the groups actually ended up eating, which can be very different from what they were told to eat. For example the so-called low fat group started out at 39% of calories from fat, and ended up getting 37% of calories from fat, which is high fat even compared to the Standard American Diet, which comes in at 33%, something they plainly acknowledged. In fact the control group didn’t change much at all over the years, so can be thought of as the what-if-you-don’t-do-anything group, which is still an important control group to have. Though the two Mediterranean diet groups didn’t get much more Mediterranean.They were told to eat more fruits and vegetables, for example, less meat and dairy, but didn’t accomplish any of those compared to control. The biggest changes recorded were, not surprisingly, in the consumption of the freebies. The group that got a free jug of extra-virgin olive oil delivered to their home every week really did start increasing their consumption, in part by replacing some of the refined olive oil they had been using, they would continue to have to pay for. And those that got a half pound of free nuts sent to them every week for four years straight did start eating more nuts (too bad they couldn’t have slipped a little free broccoli in there too).Basically they designed a study to test two different Mediterranean diets versus a low fat diet, but ended up studying something very different, in essence what happens when thousands of people switch from consuming about three tablespoons of olive oil a day, half virgin, to four tablespoons of all virgin, compared to thousands of people who all the sudden go from eating about a half an ounce of nuts a day to a whole ounce, compared to thousands of people who don’t make much of a change at all. It may not have been what they were hoping for, but these are important research questions in and of themselves. Let’s say you’re at high risk for heart disease, eating like this, what would happen if you started to add an extra half-ounce of nuts to your daily diet, or more unrefined olive oil? We didn’t know, until now.With no significant differences in meat and dairy intake, there were no significant differences in saturated fat or cholesterol intake, so no surprise there was no significant differences in their blood cholesterol levels, and their subsequent number of heart attacks. In the five or so years the study ran, there were 37 heart attacks in the olive oil group, 31 in the nut group, and 38 in the neither group. No significant difference. Same with dying from a heart attack or stroke, or dying from any cause—but, those in the olive oil and especially the nut group had significantly fewer strokes. All three groups were eating stroke-promoting diets; they all had strokes after eating these diet for years, and so ideally we’d choose diets that can stop or reverse the disease process, but the diet with added extra virgin olive oil caused about a third fewer strokes, and adding nuts seemed to cut their stroke risk nearly in half. If this worked as well in the general population, in the U.S. alone that would mean preventing 89,000 strokes a year. That’s would be like 10 strokes an hour around the clock prevented simply by adding half an ounce of nuts to one’s daily diet.	Here is another study on the benefits of nuts consumption: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1307352Sorry if you’ve addressed this somewhere else, but this question has been bugging me for a while and this video is tangentially related to it!In the video below you mention that a the ratio for omega 6 to omega 3 ratio should be 4-1:1 for optimum health, but you regularly mention that nuts have a protective effect on health even though the high omega 6 offset even a high amount of omega 3 in diet, at least according to anything I could find online(e.g pecans are about 22.1 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3129/2 )Does the fiber prevent an excess of omega 6 from being absorbed or does the fat in nuts work differently to the more refined omega 6 people would consume on a standard diet?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH0440 Year Vegan Dies of a Heart Attack! Why? The Omega-3 and B12 Myth with Dr. Michael GregeFrom my understanding the fiber does not inhibit omega 6 absorption. The fatty acids in fresh raw nuts/seeds are whole and unadulterated, while the fatty acids in refined oils have been altered and damaged during the complicated process of extracting oil from a seed/nut. So it’s definitely recommended to get fats from whole sources (nuts, seeds, avocados) but even then I think it’s important to follow the 4-1:1 omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. Excess omega 6 will flood the pathway that promotes inflammation.That video was recorded more than a decade ago (you can tell by how much hair I have :). Much has changed in the field of nutrition. For example, doubts have been raised about the cardioprotective benefits of omega-3’s. See for example, my video Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil?. If nutrition was a static field, a site like NutritionFacts.org wouldn’t be necessary :)Okay, than if I recall, this video was all about why plant based diets don’t seem to extend life expectancy or protect us from the effects of SAD as expected. So this begs the question of WHAT exactly is the current explanation to replace this theory, if any?Good point, there’s a damn lottery’s worth of variables in play so I should keep checking back. Thanks for getting replying so quickly :)I first watched this presentation a couplefew years ago as I transitioned to WFPB and the takeaway message I got was simply 1) take a B-12 supplement regularly and 2) eat two tablespoons ground flax seed every day. And, nothing I have seen since then has contradicted that advice. But, you have to keep processed oils (loaded with omega-6’s) to minimal/zero as they will gobble up all the enzymes necessary to convert dietary omega-3’s (flax seed) to EPA/DHA.Test. New tag added to name.Dr Hemo you officially joined the team! Cheers! GaleThat’s right, I’m officially unofficial. :-)Excellent!I’m not surprised; your input has always been very good, many times I’ve checked your links or agreed with your advice. We need more doctors like you. Thanks for volunteering.You are too kind. Have a great day! :-)Looking good!I was avoiding nuts for a long time since I thought they got caught in my diverticulosis pouches. That and the high omega6/3 ratio of most nuts/seed outside of flax and hemp (4:1-3:1). But after listening to doctor Greger talk about the cardio benefits shown in these studies I’ve thrown caution to the wind and started adding daily nuts/seeds to my diet. I soak them raw along with some apricot kernels in water over night. Another great video Dr. G.Veggie Eric: I’m intrigued by your consumption of apricot kernels. I thought they contain a compound that breaks down in the tummy into a cyanohydrin, which reacts with water in the presence of HCl to give hydrogen cyanide. Am I missing something?Hey George, apricot kernels have been touted for Vit B17 and having strong anti-cancer properties. I’m aware of the cyanide issue but just like apple seeds what is truth and what is hyperbole? That’s why I’d love to see a video to clear up the public confession. Here’s some reading to confuse you and me even more. ~~> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/opinions/9940There is no vitamin B17. Laetrile and amygdalin are promoted as such to try to give them an aura of legitimacy, but if the deep fringe weren’t calling them ‘vitamin B17′ nobody else would have a reason to identify them by that name. To add to your “confusing” reading: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22071824 http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198201283060403 http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Cancer/laetrile.htmlYou lost me when you posted a reference to “Quakewatch.org”… That is a blog opinion site set up by a not so trustworthy guy and is a know anti-alternative medicine site that has ZERO credibility. I’m all about ncbi… but “Quakewatch”? no… just no.Quackwatch provides some counterpoint on the history of the treatment that you wouldn’t get if you stayed deep in anti-mainstream sources. What blemishes its credibility to ZERO while also allowing non-zero credibility to a random discussion on Medical News Today?True, you have a point about not shooting the messenger. I personally would have given the article more credibility if it had not come from quackwatch though. Barrett and that site have a shady history… did you notice there is no message board or forum or comment section? That’s on purpose because he’s not looking for input or spirited debate. He’s using the site as a saop box for his own personal opinion about non-alopathy treatments of any kind.If you’d like to read up on him ~~~> http://www.quackpotwatch.org/quackpots/quackpots/barrett.htmIt’s been some time since I visited that page — which from the looks of it, doesn’t have a forum or comment section either, in case that matters to you. From what I recall I also looked at Barrett’s response to Tim Bolen: http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/bolen.htmlWell, lets keep it in perspective… Barrett is a diet denier, meaning he does not believe diet has any medical validity along with chiropractors or any natural alternative treatments. He would not approve of this site or its contributors. See for yourself… Send him this video on strawberries and cancer and see what he has to say about it…~~~> http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/The problem when you make such sweeping and unqualified statements is that they can be easily picked apart as not aligning with what the person actually says. See for instance an article by Barrett here: http://www.quackwatch.com/04ConsumerEducation/nutritionist.htmlIt doesn’t seem to me that he’s arguing that nutrition has no medical validity.You can openly speculate about what Barrett might do and declare your confidence in that opinion, but it does little to inspire confidence in the idea that he’d actually do that. ‘Greger’ has 0 hits on both Quackwatch and Nutriwatch, so it’s not clear to me that he really has his guns out to destroy the site: http://www.quackwatch.com/search/webglimpse.cgi?ARCHID_1=1&ARCHID_7=7&query=greger&rankby=DEFAULT&errors=0&age=&maxfiles=50&maxlines=5&maxchars=2000&cache=yesThe strawberry treatment has gone to a Phase II trial, by the way: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22135048Of course I think that the “outspoken skeptical doctor” or “quackbuster” genre carries some important biases, and biases about nutrition in particular, some of which are legible in the article I linked. I also think that there is enough nonsense out there in the alt-med world that an adversarial model is sometimes appropriate. When you need to examine both the available indicating evidence and the available disindicating evidence on a treatment, you are often limited to those who care enough about the topic to invest their time in an extensive argument. Where people are willing to accept a therapy on little to no evidence, they rely implicitly on other standards like sound character, intellectual thoroughness, and lack of monetary bias. It’s entirely reasonable to look for blemishes in the promoter’s character under such circumstances.I don’t think that Quackwatch is always right, nor do I think that someone is a quack just for being listed on the site. The articles deserve a skeptical reading in which one gives greater credence to verified citations and less credence to mere opinion. Moreover, I think that like most sites advocating Skepticism of Nonsense, the use of Quackwatch is strongest when investigating comparatively simple questions where the available evidence is relatively unambiguous. They are less good at addressing issues like nutrition, not only because of any bias to declare that diet is not that important, but also because the topic is inherently complex and there is a lot of available research to consider. People who are strong at poking holes in stuff are not so strong in a situation where one can selectively cite research to superficially make just about any case. Still, though in erring toward the mainstream, a site like Nutriwatch is not necessarily going to land far off from the general ideas of this site, because the mainstream view actually is that the best sorts of diets emphasize unrefined plant foods.I still don’t visit the site much or try to hang on Barrett’s every word, in large part because very few bits of medicine interest me (I’m notWell, I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. I’m not a fan of quackwatch and apparently a lot of people share the sentiment.see here ~~> http://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.quackwatch.comBarrett is not an expert any more than you or I. He is an internet blogger with a site he built to share his opinions on what he personally deems quackery. You could go out and make a personal blog site just like him or Jimmy Moore or any other blog site and soap box your opinions too.We are all on our own health journey to find what works best for our unique health situation. Some folks are farther along in that journey than others. I personally stick to more credible resources like nutritionfacts, McDougall, PCRM and tend to stay away from sites like his… to each his own. Thanks for responding.If you stick to those sources, then how did the idea of ‘vitamin B17′ enter your brain? Did you get the idea from an expert?You appeal to popularity in justifying your opinion of the site. How popular is McDougall? How many of those negative reviews on SiteJabber (of all random places to look for an opinion) were focused criticisms based about the quality of argument with legitimate examples? Is there a reason why a website listed under “alternative medicine” which is actually very anti-alternative would tend to gather negative reviews, apart from the non-veracity of its claims?Characterizing Quackwatch as a ‘blog’ is pretty disengenuous, in my opinion. It certainly doesn’t meet the criteria for a personal blog, which is the prototypical type of blog. Do blogs publish newsletters? And if we want to call it a blog, then is NF a blog? Is McDougall’s site a blog?not sure where B17 came up, but I would take serous caution here. An accidental swallow of an apple seed is not the same as cooking-up apricot pics or however they used them. Just dont think the science is there. this is old but relevant. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7237379Thank you good sir, I appreciate it. Looks like I will be discontinuing the apricot kernels and sticking to just good ol nuts n seeds.Dr. Greger has a video on this very topic: Diverticulosis & NutsThanks Darryl! Appreciate it.I like many others suffer from diverticulitis and have for decades, first being diagnosed when I was about 14 (almost 60 now). The only time I’ve ever had issues with nuts (never having been told there was an issue) was from 1993-2013 when I had a bowel intolerance to peanuts. No other nuts caused the same problem, and the issue went away somewhere around 2012/2013 and was never there before 1993. I have to say that having no understanding of how bad my DV is compared to others that have nut issues I have to say I find no issue with nuts. Maybe if you have a low fibre diet and have nuts there are issues? I have no idea, but welcome insight from anyone who might know.etmax, I am 77 years old and have had DV for about 25 years. I have no problems with thoroughly chewed nuts except peanuts. (Nut crunchiness satisfies my psychological craving) Through trial of elimination, time and reintroduction I have learned peanuts cause diverticulitis in my colon. I have also learned through this same trial technique that I am also sensitive to GMO foods ( pesticides on/in them?) Gluten ingestion will put me in the Hospital with acute inflammation of G I system, cranial nerve 6 and acute diverticulitis. All very painful. G I and neurological symptoms are distinct, consistent and constant with GMO food ingestion, only prednisone, time and a “clean” diet will make them go and stay away. Being very aware of how foods I eat affect my body is a obsessive necessity in my life.? peanuts cause DV or the pain and inflammation associated with it? Seems like you have a multi-source sensitivity. Gluten intolerance causes a lot of bowel damage. A pharmacist once told me that peanuts support a particular mould growth that some people can be sensitive to. Anyhow, like I said my sensitivity has magically disappeared.Note to Admins: Transcript is from another video from last week.Thanks, RJ! Just fixed it.Thanks, RJ! Just fixed it.Please clarify: If we’re eating an excellent plant diet, is adding nuts important? Many of us find that we can’t stop eating them until the bag is empty. So, we simply keep them out of the house? Should we train ourselves to consume nuts moderately? Are they that important, adding that much of a health benefit?Good question. I consider nuts and seeds to be an essential element of a well designed vegan diet. In my practice, I elevate nuts and seeds to be an official food group. The underlying logic of food groups is that each food group has a broadly distinct nutrition profile, high in some nutrients and low in others. By including all the food group is your daily diet, you have the best shot of getting all the nutrients your body needs. Since nuts and seeds, as a category, have a unique nutritional profile (particularly regarding healthy fats and certain minerals and other phytonutrients), that makes them a great candidate for official food-group-dom. (People who lump nuts and seeds into the “protein” food group [of course protein is not a food, it’s a nutrient] must be smoking who knows what. Nuts and seeds have the same proportion of protein as do grains, and I don’t see anyone assigning grains to the “protein” food group.) Another way to answer the question as to the importance of nuts and seeds in the diet, just take a look at all the NutritionFacts videos on the health benefits of nuts and seeds. It’s mind-boggling. You would not want to be without them.Regarding the danger of overeating nuts and seeds, they are “dangerous” in that regard since they pack so many calories in a small package. The solution I recommend is to use nuts and seeds as an ingredient, not as a snack. I recommend making a mix that fits your tastes (mine includes almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds -plus some raisins for a little sweetness). Add a small handful to your oatmeal in the morning, to a salad, to a stir fry (after cooking), to a dessert parfait of soy yogurt, mixed cut up fruit and a little granola. Used as an ingredient, you avoid the danger of sitting in front of the TV with a bucket of nuts and mindlessly eating that bucket of nuts. About one ounce (between 1/4 and 1/3 cup) is a good amount for the day. Also, that mix gives you “instant variety” within the nuts and seeds food group, which is a corollary to the eat-all-the-food-groups daily advice.I seem to remember some video here where they tested giving people more nuts and finding that they either lost weight or did not gain weight, so perhaps there is not a problem with eating more nuts than one intends?Yes, there is something surprising and not fully understood about adding more calories from introducing nuts and seeds to a diet but not gaining weight. But do not be deluded into thinking that more and more nuts and seeds leads to more and more weight loss. Keep the nuts and seeds to 1 to 1.5 ounces a day. That will deliver the benefits without overdoing the calories.Thanks for these great responses! Nuts and seeds can certainly fit into a healthy diet. I think for some, eating too many nuts and seeds can be a problem, especially as some of you noted when they are covered in candy or roasted in tons of oil.Here is a great video by Dr. Greger that explains the research between nut intake and body weight. Make sure to checkout the bottom of the video’s “Doctors Note” to see more links and info. Lastly, a follow-up to that video is “Solving the mystery of the missing calories”which may also help.Best! Joseph Gonzales R.D., Nutrition DirectorSwitching to raw unsalted nuts may solve this for you.I can easily overeat roasted & salted or candied nuts. Raw nuts as a snack do not have the same appeal to me. I sure wish all the plant based dr’s could agree on the nut issue. We just started adding them back to our diet…my skin was getting so dry from zero fat. I also felt like I was having more memory issues after being following a fat/nut free diet the last few years. We plan on using the nuts mainly in our salad dressings.I probably eat 5 oz. of nuts a day and don’t find I’m gaining weight. I guess it all depends on how big the empty bag was when it was full :-)Doesn’t this level of nut consumption drive your omega-6 level through the roof? Inflammation, no? Unless you eat lots of ground flax seeds. But do you want to consume such a high level of fat 20%, 30%. Maybe you’re 6′-5″.Dunno. From looking at all of Dr. G’s videos on nut consumption, one theme emerges – mortality and cardio problems in general go down as nut consumption goes up. How far this curve remains valid is unknown to me. The highest consumption I noticed in one of the videos was 100g of almonds. And, at that level, it was so far, so good. I suspect my 5 oz consumption is OK but maybe we need further clarification as to how much is too much. Also, as Dr. G commented above, maybe Omega-3’s are not what they’re cracked up to be. Thankfully, Dr. G will keep reading the reports and will let us know of updates.I second that emotion. :)Hey Richard, can I weigh-in? 5 oz may be fine for you depending on what kind of activity you are doing and what other foods you eat. It’s easy to get caught up in studies like these and focus only on the fats. I think what you said and how you framed it is spot on ” From looking at all of Dr. G’s videos on nut consumption, one theme emerges – mortality and cardio problems in general go down as nut consumption goes up.” but you certainly dont wanna overdo it. 5 oz gives you a whopping 821 kcals, 70 grams of that fat! 5 oz almonds facts Many folks dont need that much, and that could be far too much. An once or two for the average person daily is probably best. Again, really depends on the other foods you combine with this, your lifestyle, activity levels, etc. So glad you are reading and watching videos here. We’ll try to post more info on nuts! Thanks!Hmmmm. Got me thinking. I’m going to cut back to 2 oz. or so.Hard to say, Tobias! As I am responding to others about this it seems to be a theme that these suckers are super high in fat and easy to overdue. Surely, the right kinds (flax, walnut, Brazil nuts) and right amounts are important, but that goes for all food groups. I would say there is something to be said about eating nuts/seeds moderately, about 1-2 ounces a day. I posted a few comments above regarding the benefits of nuts and seeds.For those of us on the Dean Ornish Cardiac Reversal Plan, nuts are not allowed. At this point I am very confused given mention of the heart benefits of nuts in this discussion thread. It is also very puzzling as to why nuts would decrease strokes but not heart attacks (according to the video). Is there an explanation for that?Hi Susan J. If you look at Table 3 at the end of the video Dr Greger specifically is mentioning strokes because it was statistically significant for strokes. (P value) It doesn’t mean another bit of research wouldn’t be statistically significant for heart attack– just not this particular reference. Does that make sense?I really appreciate your quick response to my query. I do apologize for still not understanding. Why wouldn’t cardiac and stroke events share the same issues biologically?I really appreciate your quick response to my query. I do apologize for still not understanding. Why wouldn’t cardiac and stroke events share the same issues biologically?Susan Johnston Mobile: 714-658-6970 sjohnston94129@gmail.com http://www.sjohnstonconsulting.com http://www.susanjohnstonphotography.com http://www.botanicalphotoart.comIt seems as though it should right? But that isn’t what was determined in this particular study. Maybe Dr Greger has another video coming out. He does that often. But either way the study he is referring to had significant findings for stroke only. It is unfortunate it wasn’t a better study. To have that many participants is not an easy task. But promising for stroke all the same. And if you go under topics you will see other videos on the benefits of nuts.Fascinating! Puzzling as to why nuts would decrease strokes but not heart attacks. Is there an explanation for that?Thank you for this 3rd video in the Medi-Diet series. Since each member of the nutty (!) group was give 8 oz. of nuts per week, didn’t you mean to say at the very end that x-number of strokes could be prevented simply by eating *one* ounce of nuts per day rather than “by adding half an ounce of nuts to one’s daily diet”? Sorry for being such a nut-picker … er, I mean nit-picker, but it seems that this is a significant different, no?Fat soluble vitamins = A, D, E, K Mmmmmm nutrient dense fatTry googling what foods these vitamins were discovered in. Id bet more of these vitamins were in the meditteranian diet than SADVery significant findingsNo lower cholesterol or lower heart disease risk from nut consumption? I thought that’s where we stood on nuts. Is it because nuts couldn’t overcome the negative effects of a high fat diet, or maybe something else? And in spite of the high fat diet and the negation of all the other nut benefits, stroke risk still decreased? I’m kind of confused about what this study means.The amount of nuts consumed in this study (25 g.) was a fraction of that consumed in the dozens of other studies cited in previous videos. Therefore, I suspect it may have been a dosing issue.I don’t think so. I’d have to look it up, but my recollection is that a very small number of nuts – less than a palm full a day – was associated with the benefits I mentioned. I recall that some benefit – I believe using NHANES data – was found with one serving a week or at least less than one serving a day. What I am certain of is that 25g per day is way, way more nuts than was shown beneficial in the past studies Dr. Greger showcased. I don’t have the time right now but it seems like it would be easy enough to look those up.Here is the link to the study referenced which looked specifically at the effect on lipids, not mortality. Mean consumption was 67 g. per day and the cholesterol lowering effect was dose dependent.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20458092Of those on a Med diet, the group eating 1-3 servings of nuts per week ate 4.9 grams of nuts per day and enjoyed a hazard ratio of 0.38 with respect to all-cause mortality compared to those eating a Mediterranean diet and no nuts.Good point. You would think they may have seen lower risk of heart disease in the nut group since the stokes were significantly decreased. Not sure about seeing lower cholesterol because of the high-fat diet. I think you’re right, the nuts couldn’t lead to any benefits (besides reduced stoke risk) most likely because the high-fat diet. I am sure other factors were involved. What I see from this study is, adding a half ounce of nuts to an already fatty diet may even still help prevent stoke risk. I would certainly look to other research on nuts because you are 100% right about where we stand on nuts. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/Okay, so this study shows that nuts can occasionally prevent a few strokes in people who are candidates for cardiovascular disease, “folks at high risk for a heart attack, about half were obese, diabetic, most had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, but had not yet had their first heart attack or stroke.” Further comments in this video indicate that they ate a high fat, high cholesterol diet replete with meat and lacking in fruits and vegetables. My question is what does this diet have to do with me? I eat a whole foods plant based diet, am at normal weight, spectacularly good blood pressure, good fasting blood sugar, have no risk factors for heart disease and get sufficient exercise. Why should I eat nuts? Contrary to the studies, I gain weight on them and what further benefit would they be to me, an already healthy person?Good questions, James. It’s hard to say how this study links to your diet, directly. Not sure it can. You clearly wouldn’t qualify for the study, which is a good thing! :) The whole-foods diet must be working. I think so long as you get the right fat intake you’re fine. Plenty of fat and even omega 3s in soybeans, other beans, leafy greens and broccoli. Vitamin E in mango, etc. Really depends on the amounts you eat, right? I’m not saying they don’t cause weight gain for you and I am sure many folks can overdo nuts and seeds in their diet, but it is interesting to see from the research in this post I made about nuts and weight gain , they appear to not cause substantial weight gain. Also, nuts and seeds offer antioxidants and phytochemicals, so perhaps another reason to eat a tad.When I was a kid there was another child in my younger brother’s class who had an allergy to oranges and milk. He was the only kid I know growing up with who had a food allergy. Now days, it seems like every other child has food allergies, especially allergies to nuts. Seems to me also that the rate of autism and attention deficit disorder have also substantially increased. Anyone know what gives here? Could it be air or water pollution, all the vaccinations kids get these days or the food additives and colors that they consume?Hi, Pat. Agreed, lots of “allergies” these days. Not sure about the causes of autism. Perhaps there are many factors? Have you watched Dr. Greger’s videos on autism? Milk and dairy could be even more allergenic than nuts. One review article on lactose intolerance that is of importance Review article: lactose intolerance in clinical practice–myths and realities And another study looking at asthma and food allergies in regards to autism found a connection, Asthma and Allergies in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Results From the CHARGE Study. “Our results suggest food allergies and sensitivities may be more common in children with ASD, and that these issues may correlate with other behaviors” of course this is just one study, and I didn’t even see what food allergens were worst (forgive me – I can find you’d like?), but there is something to be said about air pollution and food allergies and autism. Not sure what, we need more research.My problem with nuts is I have difficulty putting them down. I consume a pound of almonds in 1-3 days. One handful just isn’t enough. At least they are unsalted. I indulge about 3 times a year. I have a cup of almond milk on my cerealHow does a type 2 diabetic back off of R and N insulin to adjust to vegan or plant based diet?Hi Cassv, thanks for the question. I know this probably isn’t what you want to hear :(, but here’s the short answer: when I saw Dr. G. answer this question live, he said he doesn’t recommend that we try adjusting our own insulin at home! The reason? Because the whole food plant-based diet (WFPBD) is SO effective at reversing diabetes (and therefore eliminating type 2 diabetics’ need for insulin), the risk is that after starting a WFPBD, blood sugar can get normal (yay!) in less than 2 weeks, but in those interim 10-14 days, people still usually need insulin, just in lower amounts. And it’s very individualized, so to avoid LOW blood sugar (from too much insulin) during the transition, best to let your doc know what you’re doing and let her/him adjust insulin accordingly. It’s a delicate balancing act in the couple of weeks it takes to completely get off insulin, and if not done safely, low blood sugar (from too much insulin) could lead to dizziness or imbalance (leading to falls). Too risky to try on one’s own. We want to keep our awesome viewers SAFE and healthy and happy! :)) Hope this helps–and wish there was a one-size-fits-all magic algorithm :( Good luck!I have a general question about interpreting stats used in so many of these videos. Statements like, “eating so and so cuts your chances of so and so by a half/third/ or whatever.” I’m already WFPB and if I add up all those stats in my situation, I’m in the “negative” chances for acquiring half a dozen diseases which doesn’t make sense. Can you clarify this anomaly. As a practical example that spurned the question, nut are suppose to reduce heart attack or stroke (can’t remember which one) by something like a half. If my chances of getting a heart attack are already in the netherworlds, will nuts really cut the chances significantly more or do these stats only apply to those on the SAD? Even if I was on the SAD, can one combine these stats to actually come up with a number representing their particular chances of getting so and so disease? Thanks for your help.We need a clarification about what percentages really mean. Not much. I have heard Dr McDougall talk about the percentage used in statistics in research. Don’t have the time to find how he explains it. As I understand it 2 people in a 1000 versus 4 in 1000 results in a 50% better outcome. Would like some one with better knowledge explain this to us.As I understand it most if not all studies are done on unhealthy people not WFPB. Please correct me if I’m mistaken.You are thinking right! The numbers can be manipulated as you laid out, and when we discuss epidemiological research there can be no “cause and effect” such as, eating A leads to disease B. However, what is great about Epi data is that we can see trends. For example, those who ate more of A, typically identified with less B, compared with those who ate less A. You get double points because not all studies are done on healthy populations. Some conducted on WFPB diets are the Seventh Day Adventist studies, which show promising results for WFPB diet and lower disease risk.Hi, JJ. I may have a better answer for you. There is a difference between relative risk reduction and actual risk reduction, and Dr. Greger talks about the latter in this video. You can say there’s pros and cons to describing it each way, but either way a reduction in risk is a reduction in risk, especially when the side effects are all good! And to the second part of your question, study populations vary widely depending on what researchers are studying.Hi JosephOlstad, I too have trouble deciphering statistics. You are not alone! When Dr. Greger mentions stats within this study he simply is referring to the trends in the literature. The folks who ate nuts, added about 1/2 ounce per day, seemed to cut their risk of stroke in half. You are absolutely right that these folks in the study were not following a WFBP diet (if you recall folks ate a pretty high-fat diet) so in theory folks on a WFPB diet cannot compare themselves to folks in this study. It is hard to say what your risk would be if adding an ounce of nuts to the diet while already eating WFPB. This is why we need more research! I don’t think you can combine these stats and apply it to other diets or people, unless the diet and population in the study were comparable. When you mentioned the SAD diet, perhaps there are some similarities between that diet and the high-fat diet seen this this study, but that is a hard comparison seems how this was a Mediterranean-style diet not an American one. I wound’t use this study alone to compare disease risk. Hope that helps! JosephThanks so much for the reply. Sorry I did not read further down the post. I would have seen that you answered a similar question. Feel free to direct us down the blog post so we don’t eat up your time answering duplicates. BTW, welcome to the party.You’re welcome. Good plan for future :) Thank you!So the new US dietary guidelines will say cholesterol is not a dietary nutrient of concern for over-consumption. As I understand it, 1 in 4 people do experience a significant rise in serum cholesterol from consuming cholesterol in their diet. So this seems to be an irresponsible blanket statement to make. But more importantly, based on everything I have seen and read on this site, research generally supported the notion that dietary cholesterol raises serum cholesterol in humans – full stop. Is this research now out-of-date, superseded by newer research that negates it or what?I don’t recall if Dr. Greger addressed this question on this site already, but he did in the conference I attended last week. My understanding was that for the typical American eating the SAD, additional dietary cholesterol is not a big deal because the average adult cholesterol in this country is already in the unhealthy 200+ range. On the other hand, someone who eats a healthy diet and has a cholesterol of 150 would have a very significant rise if the same amount of cholesterol were added to the diet.Hmmm good question, Psych MD. I didn’t hear the lecture so I cannot say for certain, but here is a video that refers to your comment “the typical American eating the SAD, additional dietary cholesterol is not a big deal because the average adult cholesterol in this country is already in the unhealthy 200+ range.” It seems there is this plateau-effect with cholesterol where one may “max-out” on cholesterol intake. Another awesome video on the cholesterol here, when low risk means high. You are thinking right. Awesome post — thanks for your input!Thanks Joseph & Psych MD. I think I get it: When the norm is abnormal, normal is not optimal. In fact it’s dangerous. I think I’ve been maxed out for years…….”until now”. I’ll find out from my next lipid profile next week :)Wow my LDL is down to 2.33 after only 2 weeks of whole food veganism. My triglycerides still need work though – not surprising at a BMI of 30.Good questions, JackXXL, and a tricky discussion. The actual 2015 DGFA has not been released, what has been released are the findings by the scientific committee appointed to review current guidelines and literature for the USDA. Dr. Greger talks about optimal cholesterol levels, here. It is true that dietary cholesterol itself does not significantly raise blood cholesterol. It seems saturated fat has a much more of a dramatic impact and may significantly boost blood cholesterol. Dr. Greger mentions the 2010 Dietary Guidelines when he discusses information on cholesterol . Some health groups are also confused by the committee’s findings, you can read more about their take here.Can you direct me to one of Dr. Greger’s video where he describes how prospective and case-controlled studies are done? Thanks.Good question. not sure there is a video on research methods or statistics. Try this link by fellow Registered Dietitian, Jack Norris. He does a great job laying out how to interpret studies, standards in research, and definitions of what you are asking. Should totally help.Best, JosephI’ve been wishing Dr. Greger would post a permanent page explaining types of studies and their relative importance. This link you’ve provided is so helpful. Thank you for posting that.Hi Mr Gonzales & Dr Greger Do you know of any research on neutropenia and specifically how to treat it either through diet or other mechanisms? (low white blood cells/underpeforming bone marrow function). The condition is chronic and illness (viruses mainly) revolves around a 4 week cycle. Any feedback greatly appreciated.Hi, SDrake. Hard questions to answer. We don’t have any info on neutropenia from what I see. I am part of an Oncology Nutrition dietetic practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This is a great article about neutropenia and diet. Very important you discuss foods with your doctor, however. Also suggest seeing a dietitian if able. Let me know if this helps?Best, JosephI don’t know what to think. Some people say reverse osmosis is healthy while some don’t think it is. Here’s a study on demeralized water from WHO. . http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutrientschap12.pdf. This is an article about it: http://www.vega-licious.com/best-water-filter-home/.Is there scientific evidence that distilled water and reverse osmosis pulls nutrients from the body and is unhealthy? I’m wondering what I should do. Fluoride is harmful as it is added to the water supply and all the pharmaceuticals.Hey Derrek. Thanks for your post. Another member, Jonathon, mentioned this very same thing today! He had a great post. I commented here. I don’t have all the answers to your questions. Perhaps the research has not been done? And even so it remains inconclusive. I am thinking we need a water post in the future. Stay tuned…hereUsing the other NF (ie. Netflix) rating system as a guide, the expansion of staff here has added an additional star.Hi Dr. G, Had you previously referenced these same studies (funded by Spanish oil and nut industries) months or years earlier, wherein you discussed the poor methodology, and are now only reinterpreting the protocol and findings? Sincrely, Mr G.This is more of lifestyle but also would about like deadorant? I have a bad body odor and my parents insist I use Axe. They say the homemade stuff and healthy stuff doesn’t work. Any opinions?Lots of studies on anti perspirant and aluminum in deodorants,. Kind of a mixed bag. There is enough research to avoid aluminum-containing deodorants, and of course no risk other than smelly armpits :)Vote up for Dr Greger to do some videos debunking the junk science people use to claim humans “evolved” to what we are because we ate meat.Will look into, thanks!Hello friends. Please feel free to offer your advice, expertise, support, etc!I am just over 5 11 & only 135 lbs. I am very skinny, experience fatigue quite a bit (which seemed to diminish a bit with supplementation of B12), have digestive issues, acne & trouble sleeping. Beyond stress (which is significant) I am unsure what I can possibly do..?I eat lots of greens, vegetables, sweet potatoes, yams, oatmeal, (red) rice, black beans, sometimes quinoa, ground flax, and some fruit. I work at my local farmer’s market so I take advantage of cheap / ‘free’ local, organic produce and purchase only bulk, organic whole grains (as they are fairly cheap anyways). That is pretty much my diet though, whole grains and a large diversity of (mostly steamed) vegetables. I also supplement Vitamin D3 (5000 IU / day) & B12 (500mg / day). I also did buy an iodine supplement though stopped using it because one drop is 400mg which I later found out is too high and can cause problems (?).I started using Cron-O-Meter to make sure I am getting adequate intakes based on their recommendations and make a point to score atleast 97% a day.Any ideas what could be causing any of these problems. I have trouble exercising because I lack energy and the ability to recover. I recently went to get a physical check-up and CDC and everything cam back totally fine.Lastly, I currently pay to see a therapist which I have been doing for months now which has been very helpful as well.Anyways I just thought I would share this because I have no idea where to go to attempt to solve any of these problems. It is extremely hard being in high school, working full time hours and having trouble sleeping, experiencing fatigue and it doesn’t help to have acne and digestive issues.Just thought I would mention. Anyone feel free to offer any input, resources, etc. All support is appreciated ! :)“Digestive issues” is good as euphemistic language, but unfortunately it is probably too vague to help in refining hypotheses around diet. You explain that you experience a lot of stress, that your schedule is busy, and that visiting a therapist has helped with your problems somewhat, so I think there may be a strong psychological component here.That said, you still may want to search for dietary sensitivities. It could be that one of the things that has made you a skinny person is a tendency to some sort of inflammatory digestive disorder such as IBD or celiac’s, which (along with your age and sex) could help explain the tendency to break out as well as the “digestive issues”. Working through that possibility, preferably with the help of a physician or dietician, may be useful insurance. Temporarily shifting your starch consumption to something less optimal, such as white rice, would be useful in the long run if it helped to find items in your current diet that are causing you problems at present.No, I am not qualified to diagnose you and you haven’t given enough information to have a chance of diagnosis anyway, but I am still suggesting an elimination diet as a possible strategy. While these are not diagnostic and can lead people to wrong conclusions about how diet affects them (underlying sensitivities can fade with time, for example, and an irritant may only be present in certain varieties), if there is something in your diet that is causing inflammatory symptoms at present, a trial-and-error approach may be able to modify your diet into something that doesn’t cause these symptoms. I’d be cautious, and prefer to rely on credentialed experts to guide you, but if nothing else an elimination diet is a low-tech strategy that you can conceivably implement for yourself and IF your problem is largely dietary then you may be able to patch it this way.I know I’m not giving you the highest-quality information here, but since you hint that you are in a difficult situation, sharing my thoughts seems like it may be better than nothing. Of the iconic plant-based doctors, McDougall is one of the most focused on a general practice and is also pretty keen on the idea of seeking out food allergies using elimination diets (in part due to the strong preference to avoid medication). You may read some of his thoughts about the matter here: https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/common-health-problems/allergic-reactions-to-food/As an aside, your supplements are pretty huge given your age. You may want to try to review recommendations, and while acne is a pretty non-specific symptom and may simply be explained by age, sex, genetics, and imperfect cleanliness, the dietician Jack Norris is willing to state that acne-like symptoms may occur with large doses of B12 in some people: http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/recYou may also review your vitamin D needs, particularly if your weekly schedule routinely gets you out into the sun. Greger did a nice series on the topic, and maybe you’d find this video particularly interesting: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-difficulty-of-arriving-at-a-vitamin-d-recommendation/Anyway, keep going, and intellectually growing.Hi Jake, Sorry for the delay I meant to respond. For starters, I think it is a complex issue and very personal. Gosh man, hard to go through all of this, let alone in high school!! I have to say, check with your parents/guardians and your family doctor, but I always recommend a dietitian. Your doctor can help find one or I can. I can only give suggestive advice, okay? Promise me you only take note of my thoughts and share them with the right people before making any drastic diet changes. II read largelytrue’s comments and agree an elimination diet could help if that is your main concern, but keep in mind it can be very restrictive and perhaps cause even more stress to an already stressed environment, from what you tell us. One thing at a time perhaps…Iodine Recommendations150/mcg = 1,050/week. So maybe 2.5 drops per week? not sure absorption or other foods eaten.Digestive issues can be triggered by many things. Diet is not always the answer, but it may help. Simple foods can be healing. All depends on the bowel movements too, bud. ;-) Maybe you are getting too much fiber? I sw you mention that elsewhere. It can be a thing, as seen with tons of cruciferous veggies. If so, maybe try more tofu, creamy peanut butter, white rice, Cream of Wheat, or grits, well-cooked fresh or canned vegetables, sweet or white potatoes without skins, non-dairy yogurts. I am not saying ditch all the fiber or other foods you mentioned, but to balance the fiber intake it may help. Some herbs like slippery elm and marshmallow root (mucilaginous herbs) have been found to coat the stomach. You could also look into a probiotic.Changing gears, you mention a lower body weight as well, so it’s hard to say eat more when you are feeling crummy. Perhaps when you are feeling better, focusing on more variety and more food in general can help maintain a healthy body weight. A few nut creams or mushrooms gravies could be good. Especially on top of potatoes. If this is an allergy or food sensitivity thing you’ll have to do more work. We ran a trial looking at food triggers. You may be able to glean from that paper’s dietary protocols.Most important. Manage the stress, buddy. however that looks best to you, try to manage the daily grind of school, work, and play.I wish you the best of luck, so glad you come here and ask such important questions as a young smart lad. Thanks, JosephHi, Jake. My commenting is mostly to express encouragement to keep doing what you’re doing, which appears to be, in part, eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet. I do wonder how long you have been eating this way, to still have acne (which WFPB is to be generally expected to correct). Perhaps you had not been on such diet very long at the time of your posting (2 months ago now). I would think your working full time hours at a farmers market would involve a good bit of exercise, if you are shifting crates of veg around and such like, not to mention scooting from class to class in high school (I suppose you do?) and getting to and from work and school, etc. However, perhaps you can add in some basic exercise to your daily activities, like getting up and down more, you know, taking stairs instead of elevator type things, doing stretches, doing a few ‘curls’ with the crated veggies as you carry them from one place to another, whatever. You don’t need to be working out on machines at a gym to be exercising adequately. You don’t define the ‘digestive issues’ you mention as a concern. Am wondering if you are getting enough calories and nutrients; I think we all ‘grow’ until — what is it — 21 or so? Whereas, I think cronometer and similar recommended intakes are probably for full-grown adults (physical adulthood, I mean). Am also wondering why the Vit D3? Are you in the far north, like Alaska, maybe? Deprived of sunlight? Anyway, I hope the past two months has meant improvement for you. Hey, the school term must be just about over, things should ease up a bit.Dear Jake N, Keep looking for answers. Food allergies/sensitivities are worth exploring and if they are the cause you will feel much better in short order. It may be something else entirely, so keep looking for answers until you are satisfied. All the best BillBack to nuts in the Mediterranean Diet: What type of nut, What portion of nut, How often should nuts be taken? I did read a caution from Joseph Gonzales RD as to how energy dense nuts are and to keep the portions small. Would it be possible to have the nut intake described as a total of daily calories? This would make my life easier when I’m working with vegan endurance athletes. Keep up the good work. BillHey Bill Franks RD! Thanks for posting this. I like all nuts and seeds because I feel they all have something different to offer nutrient wise. For example, Brazil nuts have selenium. Walnuts more omega-3s. It seems you don’t need much to reap the benefits, maybe an ounce a day (a handful). ​Honestly, I am not sure what endurance athletes need? I would assume they could have more. I am no “athlete” but I play hockey and before games I eat more than a handful. Easy for my to blend them into smoothies and I fin that works for me. Everyone varies. Do you know any of the plant-based RDs out there? Matt Ruscigno RD works with athletes and he may have more tips.Here is a great video by Dr. Greger that explains the research between nut intake and body weight. Make sure to checkout the bottom of the video’s “Doctors Note” to see more links and info. Lastly, a follow-up to that video is solving the mystery of the missing calories, which may also help.​What kinds of nuts are alluded to in this video, just walnuts or other?Hi CJ. All of the studies can be found in sources cited. I check the links and this is what I pulled. Hope this helps!“Participants were randomly assigned to three interventions: MeDiet with VOO, MeDiet with mixed nuts or control group (low-fat diet). The two groups allocated MeDiets receive intensive education to follow the MeDiet and supplemental foods at no cost. VOO (1 l/week) is provided to the first group and 30 g/day of mixed nuts (15 g walnuts, 7.5 g hazelnuts and 7.5 g almonds) to the second group. In the control group, participants do not receive education on the MeDiet, but are given advice to follow a low-fat diet.”	alcohol,American Heart Association,brain disease,bread,butter,cancer,canola,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,chronic diseases,dairy,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Dr. Dean Ornish,exercise,fish,fruit,Greece,heart disease,Lyon Diet Heart Study,meat,Mediterranean diet,mortality,nuts,olive oil,omega-3 fatty acids,plant-based diets,PREDIMED,saturated fat,smoking,walnuts,wine	A randomized controlled trial found that a Mediterranean-type diet can dramatically lower the risk of subsequent heart attacks. How does it compare with plant-based diet data?	This is the third of a 6-part video series on the Mediterranean diet. For some historical backdrop, check out out the first two at Why Was Heart Disease Rare in the Mediterranean? and The Mediterranean Diet or a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet? Here’s the next three to come:The PREDIMED study got a bad rap because of how it was reported, but it’s an extraordinary trial that continues to churn out useful results.More on nuts in:But what about nuts and weight gain? See Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence.I’ve got lots more on olive oil coming up, but I did do one already: Extra Virgin Olive Oil vs. Nuts	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-caldwell-esselstyn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/predimed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greece/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lyon-diet-heart-study/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9989963,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21172932,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24285581,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23432189,
PLAIN-2477	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/	The Mediterranean Diet or a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet?	Recent studies have shown that higher Mediterranean diet adherence scores are associated with a significant reduction of the risk of death, heart disease, cancer and brain disease, but the problem with population studies like these is that people who eat healthier may also live healthier, and so how do we know it’s their diet? As the American Heart Association position states “Before advising people to follow a Mediterranean diet, we need more studies to find out whether the diet itself or other lifestyle factors account for the lower deaths from heart disease.” How do you do that? Well there are ways you can control for obvious things like smoking and exercise, which many of the studies did, but ideally you’d do an interventional trial, the gold standard of nutritional science. Take people, change their diet, while trying to keep everything else the same, and see what happens. And that’s what we got 20 years ago, the famous Lyon Diet Heart Study. About 600 folks who had just had their first heart attack were randomized into two groups. The control group got no dietary advice, apart whatever their doctors were telling them, and the experimental group was told to eat more of a Mediterranean-type diet, supplemented with a canola-oil based spread to give them the plant-based omega-3’s they’d normally be getting from weeds and walnuts if they actually lived on a Greek isle in the 1950s.The Mediterranean diet group did end up taking some of the dietary advice to heart. They ate more bread, more fruit, less deli meat, less meat in general, and less butter and cream, but other than that no significant changes in diet reported in terms of wine, olive oil, or fish consumption. So less saturated fat and cholesterol, more plant-based omega 3’s, but not huge dietary changes, but at the end of about four years, in the control group, 44 individuals had a second heart attack, either fatal or nonfatal, but only 14 suffered another attack in the group that changed their diet. So they went from having like a 4% chance of having a heart attack every year, down to like 1%.Now a cynic might say yes, less death and disease, but the Mediterranean diet continued to feed their heart disease, so much so that 14 of them suffered new heart attacks while on the diet, Now their disease progressed a lot less than the regular diet group, about four times less, but what if there was a diet that could stop or reverse the disease.Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic recently published a case series of 198 consecutive patients with cardiovascular disease counseled to switch to a diet composed entirely of whole plant foods. Of the 198, 177 stuck to the diet, whereas the other 21 fell off the wagon, setting up kind of a natural experiment. What happened to the 21? This was such a sick group of patients that more than half suffered from like a fatal heart attack, or needed angioplasty, or a heart transplant. In that same time period of about four years, of the 177 that stuck to the plant-based diet only one had a major event as a result of worsening disease. As Dean Ornish noted in his response to the latest trial, a Mediterranean diet is better than what most people are consuming, but even better may be a diet based on whole plant foods.Now this was not a randomized trial, so can’t be directly compared to the Lyon study and included very determined patients. Not everyone is willing to dramatically change their diets, even if it may literally be a matter of life or death. In which case, rather than doing nothing, eating a more Mediterranean-type diet my cut risk for heart attack survivors by about 2/3’s. Cutting 99% of risk would be better, if Esselstyn’s results were replicated in a controlled trial, but even a 70% drop in risk could save tens of thousands of lives every year.	As Dr Ess says, “No oil” – here’s a couple of videos linked to this topic….http://youtu.be/GfBKauKVi4M?list=PLB36821E9F8765784http://youtu.be/lbALgjmZUekhttp://youtu.be/1pD3-j0GWdo?list=PLB36821E9F8765784http://youtu.be/AYTf0z_zVs0SO – you believe in a dictatorship? You’re insane.I will redress my comments in layman’s terms, such that a person of your abundant intellect will be able to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.My one and only point was that the vast majority of western societies (those that choose not to eat a healthy PBD) have only ever adopted a healthy diet when forced to do so, be that through lack of financial resources or in times of occupation. I don’t profess to know the answer (there are simply far too many variables to consider).I appreciate your concern for my sanity, but may I just point that there are laws that exist re libel, I know that as I’ve been in the legal profession for twenty years – I provide you with that snippet of information for free, as I doubt you could afford my hourly rate :-)For future reference…Would the sentence, “That’s insane” instead of You’re insane” have different legal ramifications?Have a nice day. I’m otta hereMy apologies – I was having a bad day…..No problem – we all have our good and bad days.You are correct – your idea was insane not you – nevertheless I do not wish to associate with you anymore so I’m gone:-) so annoying when one is taken out of context :-) never thought I’d see it happen to a lawyer :-)One is not amused :-)The only reason most people can buy all that crap so cheap anyway is because the government’s pay so much money supporting the farmers. If they stopped meat would probably rise 4 times in price and people would stop eating it so much and hospitals would be visited less frequently. In the end as always it all adds up to greed.What you want would happen naturally and just maybe our children would have a planet to live on. What was it they said? 5 Years ago it was a mathematically impossibility for a newborn to reach retirement if continue to consume animals the way we do now.To me it seems logic that this has to happen rather sooner than later. – The “party” is over, its time for humanity to take some responsibility for the planet we call home and not just push our shit to the next generations.Legal prohibitions against common bad habits always backfire and lead to a black market controlled by ruthless criminals. IF the government were ever to pass laws against the production of meat, I can pretty much guarantee that there would be armies of people taking to the streets to kill squirrels, rabbits, cats, dogs, and any other animal they could get their hands on, in order to take the corpse home and cook it up. Then there would be people raising cats, dogs, rabbits and whatever other innocent animals they could find — packed in tiny cages inside their dark garages — in conditions much worse than today’s factory farms.Eating dead animals is a disgusting habit, and the way they are currently raised and killed is cruel and immoral. But you cannot convince people by force. The government pointing a gun at their heads and forcing them to change their habits would only make them more stubborn — and more determined to stockpile automatic assault rifles to prepare for an armed revolution. It would be bad all the way around.What the government can and SHOULD do is to Stop Subsidizing Meat and factory farm animal abuse. AND charge them big bucks for land use and their horrible pollution of waterways. Subsidize organic farming of soyfoods, and also provide subsidies to small family farms that raise animals humanely and agree to random government inspections. That way, meat prices will rise to a point where it is not so affordable, and vegetarian and vegan foods will be a bargain. (Which is the way that it should be.) Hitting people in their checkbooks is a very effective way of getting them to rethink their bad habitsYou used the word ‘redress’ wrong.Wait a second…Do you believe people should be forced to act in ways their government determines to be “best” for them?If so, do you not see any problems with your position?If not, how about this: Someone who doesn’t share your values is in charge and the thing you value is illegal. If you doubt that could happen, ask yourself who has power in this country at this moment? Is it corporations, or people? Is it billionaires who can now give unlimited money to politicians, or is it people? Is it the military industrial complex that keeps getting tens of billions of dollars of funding year after year after year such that our military is bigger than the next ten largest militaries combined, or is it the people?See above reply to Charles…..It is true that some modern Western societies adopted a “healthier” diet during times of economic hardship, but from my perspective that only serves to point out the association between the “Western diet” and disease. It’s not in my mind an invitation to pass laws forcing people to eat what I want them to eat.And, we don’t have those “libel laws” here in the US, so you can call someone “insane” all you like. Maybe the fact that you aren’t allowed to say “negative” things about people in Europe is why you think it’s the government’s role to make people eat what you want them to, by force of law.I don’t though. It’s a slippery slope. I love many things about Europe but given its recent history I would think they would be compelled to pass fewer laws limiting people’s personal choices, not more.You have consider probably the issue of the bulk of health care in Europe being covered by the public purse. I for one can understand that people might consider ways of reducing the impact of people’s life choices on the cost of health services.In Oz we don’t cover cosmetic surgery and the likes but we do cover patching up cosmetic surgery gone wrong from a maintaining of life perspective. Interesting way of dealing with this are e.g. taking cigarettes and alcohol to the point that relates to the actual additional cost of smoking and excess drinking and then putting this into the health budget.Our government has done the first part but put the money into consolidated revenue so they have a reason to wince about the rising cost of health care. So rather than fines for bad food choices just tax the bad choices and put it into the health budget.That way people that make bad choices pay for correction of those choices and people that don’t, don’t. Very fair I think.There’s no force or threat of punishment involved, it’s only cost recovery.It’s not unlike having the cost of roads covered by fuel takes.Yes but people pay one way or another so it doesn’t matter if they live in a country with socialized medicine or not. In fact, the costs of poor health choices are higher in societies without national healthcare. Though you may have a point if people don’t understand that they bear the financial burden of ill health, and they may not when government isn’t paying directly for medical care out of the taxes they collect.That aside, I’m certainly a fan of economic incentives via tax policy. I happen to live in the one city in the US that passed a soda tax, and I supported that measure wholeheartedly.I will also say, however, that while economic incentives work on the population level, they are rife with problems at the individual level. I see them as a brute force method to affect social change, where ideally that would happen through facts and education. But, the sugar tax counteracts the subsidies we’ve given the sugar industry for longer than I’ve been alive, and sugar does seem to be killing us rather effectively, so I suppose it’s a good first step. Changing our farming subsidy program and adopting sensible dietary guidelines and habits based on science instead of industry propaganda is next.:-) don’t get me started on ridiculous subsidies, we subsidise our tobacco farmers and then tax cigarettes to discourage smoking, what is that? One thing you have to remember is that at the individual level people are basically too stupid to be educated. take smoking for instance. smoking has dropped here more because of the price than than because of plain paper packaging. PPP helps but it’s a small drop on a hot stone.“we subsidise our tobacco farmers and then tax cigarettes to discourage smoking, what is that?”That, I’m afraid, is politics. We do the same thing in the US because farmers have powerful friends in Washington who cry “job killer!” every time someone wants to cut a subsidy to what are now all multimillionaire farmers who can afford to lobby their politicians. It’s a horrible system we’ve set up, and it would be easy to overcome if this…“people are basically too stupid to be educated”were not so darn true.But, I am optimistic. Collective action problems can be overcome. I am seeing the beginnings of change.Again, I wasn’t promoting Government interference, I was highlighting the Great Depresssion and occupation as being examples in recent history whereby those eating a SADiet have increased their longevity.On that we can agree. I think people on the whole will always indulge their sweet tooth or fat tooth or whatever, and I have no problem with that, but right now people don’t know what’s healthy and what’s not. Even if they did many don’t have choices, and really, how much choice do you have when you don’t have all the facts? And, we also have major structural hurdles that make unhealthy food choices cheaper and more available while healthy foods remain relatively expensive. I think the solution is in economics and public policy, and if that is going to be the solution, then education will have to be the foundation…and so here we are at nutritionfacts.orgUh… public healthcare (the five best in the world), high cigarette tax, trans-fat bans, food labelling in consistent units and sizes, strict health claim restrictions, not rounding values down to 0%. Yeah, Europe is terrible. What recent history are you thinking about?It would be refreshing if industry were ethical and only made and sold those things that were known to support life, rather than to try to fool the people into buying and eating things that do not support a healthy life. That is, I believe, how a sane world would operate. The quest for profits over life is insanity. Maybe that is what was meant by “thou shalt not commit adultery” – don’t adulterate those things meant for human (and animal) consumption. It is a pity that government ever entered the picture, but it’s obvious that industry is not very good at self-regulating. Self-regulation of any slice of society is ‘iffy’ as long as the greed factor is present. Unfortunately, government regulation of industry merely adds another level of corruption.Government regulation of industry is all we’ve got, so we better make it work. If corruption leads to failure then the game is lost. That’s why the smart money is on making government work rather than throwing the whole thing out.And what about exemple and education????Hi Veganchrisuk! Please, could you be more specific about? So I’ll be able to answer to you. Thank you.Providing education of the masses by giving them information about what is really killing us all; that is a very good idea Bridgit!Some day my country may begin to invest in education and infrastructure again. I hope so, be have become such a dumb, rude arrogant crowd of people.The one thing that veganchrisuk assumes it that our government cares about the overall health of our society. In the USA it does not. Our politicians are behind the big agricultural corporations because that is who gives them money. Americans are eating what they are supposed to eat as far as our politicians are concerned.Now that the Affordable Care Act has been established health insurance companies may take action to give incentive the medical community. They are the only ones with a profit motive to make us healthy.I find it telling that he does not understand your point.Hi UCBAlum! That’s my feeling too, but what point does he wants me to explain? I need a real question to answer to! I’m not an english speaker and, to read and express myself in english takes me a lot more time and energy than in french. So, thank’s for your understanding!You’re welcome. I understood what you were asking without any trouble and I wouldn’t have guessed english is not your first language.Thanks a lot, UCBAlum, for your encouraging reply!“Say Hello to America’s First All Vegan School, Thanks to Suzy Amis Cameron and James Cameron” http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/all-vegan-muse-school-james-cameronThat is certainly a step in the right direction.I don’t want to appear too negative, but with reference to the leadership they are encouraging, one can only hope that children raised and schooled in this manner will be less likely to succumb to perils of absolute power (with reference to those that are politically minded, and the future of the environmental movement). I say this based upon my own experiences, as I’ve found that in the majority of cases that those who think they know the answer or want to be in charge are quite often the ones that should not be so. Only this week we had two conservative MP’s step down for asking for payment to ask questions in the Houses of Parliament, not to mention all the recent scandals that involved some members of parliament taking up free board and lodgings at Her Majesty’s pleasure.For me, I always remember a famous comedy sketch from the 70’s or 80’s, whereby a man walks into a police station in London with the intention of obtaining a shotgun licence. The first question on the apllication is, “Do you want to own a shotgun?”. If the applicant answers “Yes”, then he is refused a licence and forceably removed from the building. I can’t help but apply this logic to the majority of politicians, based purely on my own life experiences – maybe I am just too negative, but life eventually wears you down when you see the worst people in society on a daily basis – you soon come to the realisation they they are not the worst people in society, they are simply society. Lets hope the Cameron’s have started a revolution……I do not agree with being forced. Eating is a personal choice. I do not care if people find themselves at a point where they have to make a choice of what to eat or die. If you’re able to follow good reason of medical research, but choose not to, knowing the outcome, but please do so and make room for those that do care about healthier living. Having said that I am vegan, and I have been for 2.5 years. And my GP doctor agrees that I do not need medications to keep me alive. Now, how many think that the government isn’t already tell you how to live? I do not like paying taxes and why should you wear a seatbelt? Not much choice there either. No, let’s not have the Feds telling us how to eat, but the use of animals as a source of food it not a necessity. It is, however, the greatest injustice perpetuated on another innocent living being.I don’t agree with being forced either, I was simply making the point that only in times of financial hardship or occupation have those of us eating the SADiet increased our longevity.I don’t like to pay taxes either (does anybody), but this is the system that we have voted for or against. I fully understand that you feel like giving up with people when they exhibit akrasiac behaviour, knowing the possible consequences, but we will not change the general publics perception by adopting a selfish attitude – I always remember this quote, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing”. It applies to ladies too……You may not like wearing a seatbelt, but that is not just for your own safety. If you were to come to a sudden stop by way of a head on collision with another vehicle, or stationary object (turning signs, traffic lights etc) you could become a human missile and not only likely kill yourself, but also others on your flightpath – I saw a cyclist kill a padestrian directly outside a police station in London once, so these things do happen…..Apologies for the misunderstanding. Maybe I should read my comments before I post…veganchrisuk: This topic has probably run it’s course, but your statement, ” I was simply making the point that only in times of financial hardship..” really struck a chord with me, and I wanted to comment too.I think you are making such a valid and important point! I have long advocated for simply removing subsidies and using laws to make sure the full cost (including environmental externalities) of meat, dairy and eggs is incorporated into the price of the animal products. I think that would go a long way to naturally solving the problem without making the stuff actually illegal. Basic economics at it’s very best.If the full costs were incorporated, I think only the very top say 1% of people would be able to afford to eat the stuff. Not that I’ve done the math. I’m just guessing. Anyway, that’s my take on it.I would like to see that happen, but do not believe i will. The politicians have sold their souls to the meat and dairy industry through Lobbying which is nothing more than bribery.Alan: I’m with you on that. But hope springs eternal….I understand your points and I agree with most…but in the interest of education and accuracy, seat-belt laws are state laws – at least they started off as such – and they save millions of lives, billions of dollars, and they lower your insurance premiums just like mandatory helmet laws and mandatory auto insurance laws…and like the new requirement that everyone have health insurance.That last one is a federal law by necessity.A legal ban on meat production would be a VERY BAD THING — especially for ANIMALS..Legal prohibitions against common bad habits always backfire and lead to a black market controlled by ruthless criminals. IF the government were ever to pass laws against the production of meat, I can pretty much guarantee that there would be armies of people taking to the streets to kill squirrels, rabbits, cats, dogs, and any other animal they could get their hands on, in order to take the corpse home and cook it up. Then there would be people raising cats, dogs, rabbits and whatever other innocent animals they could find — packed in tiny cages inside their dark garages — in conditions much worse than today’s factory farms.Eating dead animals is a disgusting habit, and the way these innocent sentient beings are currently being raised and killed on factory farms is cruel and immoral. But you cannot convince people by force. The government pointing a gun at their heads and forcing them to change their habits would only make them more stubborn — and more determined to stockpile automatic assault rifles to prepare for an armed revolution. It would be bad all the way around.What the government can and SHOULD do is to Stop Subsidizing Meat and factory farm animal abuse. AND charge them big bucks for land use and their horrible pollution of waterways. Pass serious legislation to protect animal welfare — ALL sentient animals, not just the ‘cute’ ones, and with NO exemptions for labs or farmers — and then ENFORCE those laws rigorously, with ten-year prison sentences for the felony crime of animal abuse, and 20 years in prison for the second offense. Subsidize organic farming of soyfoods, and also provide subsidies to small family farms that raise and slaughter animals in ways that are truly humane, IF they agree to submit to government inspections at random. If all of these measures are taken together, meat prices will inevitably rise to a point where meat is simply not affordable for most people; and vegetarian and vegan foods will begin to look like a bargain. (Which is the way that it should be.) Hitting people in their checkbooks is a very effective way of getting them to rethink their bad habits.In addition, public schools should provide vegan, vegetarian, and/or pescetarian lunches to all schoolchildren, free of charge, every day. That way the next generation won’t grow up with the stupid belief that they just can’t live without chewing on dead animals. Changing the public’s meat-eating habits is something that will not happen tomorrow. It will take many years or decades, including educational campaigns and exposure to vegan foods that people are irrationally afraid of. (Like tofu.) It’s something that will shift with the coming generations, and we should do whatever we can to accelerate that.Force is not the answer. Although it would be best for the individuals to not have meat and dairy, but it needs to be a choice. Now i can see a restriction put on people on food stamps as it is not their money, but the tax payers, Then we, the tax payers have to foot their Dr bills also after they eat the poison and get sickSo we could call the 1950s Mediterranean diet the ‘weeds and walnuts’ diet. =) I dig it!Esselstyn says that smoothies are bad and that we should avoid them. Is the information below (from Ess’ website) hold any weight? Will you please address this in a future “Ask the Doctor”?“Avoid smoothies. When the fiber is pureed, it is not chewed and does not have the opportunity to mix with the facultative anaerobic bacteria which reside in the crypts and grooves or our tongue. These bacteria are capable of reducing the nitrates in green leafy vegetables to nitrates in the mouth. When the nitrites are swallowed, they are further reduced by gastric acid to nitric oxide which may now enter the nitric oxide pool. Furthermore, when chewing fruit the fructose is bound to fiber and absorption is safe and slow On the other hand, when fruit is blenderized, the fructose is separated from the fiber and the absorption is very rapid through the stomach. This rapid absorption tends to injure the liver, glycates protein and injures the endothelial cells.”“On the other hand, when fruit is blenderized, the fructose is separated from the fiber and the absorption is very rapid through the stomach. ”How can that be? When a smoothie is made the resulting liquid is a combination of all the nutrients; the five is not separated from the rest of the food matter. In which case both the fibre and fructose and all other nutrients will be in the stomach at the same time.Or is it that the fructose will some how collect together and be digested first before the fibre?I don’t know the answers but that would seem unlikelyYou need a blender and a centrifuge to separate the fat from the fiber. I’ve also heard recommendations to slowly sip smoothies and be sure to mix them with your saliva to ensure better absorption of nutrients. I imagine there would be a small difference between using a straw as opposed to drinking directly from the glass.For what it is worth ! I have noticed that when i drink or eat a smoothie – I do like to make them thick – that i do not feel as well as i do if i eat the same food without blending it. I figured that somehow the smoothie effected my blood sugar more so than the chewed food in its original form.The one thing I’ve noticed over the years of taking a smoothie almost everyday for 6 years is that sometimes flatulence can be an issue due to the extra air added to the mixture caused by the high powered blender. I’ve recently been blending on a lower speed setting and it seems to improve the situationI know some older people who use smoothies to get the fresh veggies and fruits into themselves because they have issues with teeth or jaws not being able to masticate their food properly. Surely sipping smoothies are better than not ingesting these foods at all, no?That is my case. I can’t chew the greens like kale, collards, etc. (nor do I like their taste). By blending them in a smoothie (ala Nutriblasts) I get the benefit of the nutrition I otherwise would not get – or so I thought. I can eat spinach raw in salads and like it well enough, or can add it to cooked meals. Is that what I should limit myself to, then?I have heard/read somewhere that chewing the smoothie or even juice to get saliva mixed in helps digest and intake the nutrients better.THere is another solution to this problem. It’s called soup. John S PDX ORYeah but I meant RAW food specifically, for the properties inherent in it.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22831286I looked at the abstract for this study, provided in your link. but I don’t see why you’re providing it. What’s your point relative to Brett’s question?To elaborate on Mark G’s comment… the study indicates benefits from smoothies, but doesn’t compare consumption of smoothies to consumption of whole fruit.For anyone who isn’t inclined to click on the study above, reading through it will be worth your effort. Spoiler Alert:“RESULTS: FVPD [fruits and vegetables as puree-based drinks] significantly increased dietary vitamin C and carotenoids (P < 0.001), and concomitantly increased plasma α- and β-carotene (P < 0.001) with a near-significant increase in endothelium-dependent vasodilation (P = 0.060).CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings obtained in the present study showed that FVPD [fruits and vegetables as puree-based drinks] were a useful vehicle to increase fruit and vegetable intake, significantly increasing dietary and plasma phytochemical concentrations with a trend towards increased endothelium-dependent vasodilation."And this was only after six weeks of drinking less than one cup of a fruit and vegetable smoothie a day. Had the study gone on longer with a more normal amount of smoothie, I'm sure the increased endothelieal function would have been significant.I’m afraid I have no idea what this means:>> significantly increasing dietary and plasma phytochemical concentrations with a trend towards increased endothelium-dependent vasodilation.” >>I know in general what phytochemicals are and that they’re good, but the rest? For gosh sakes.Since the phytochemicals (healthy plant pigments) were higher in the blood, it means that more were absorbed when drinking a smoothie vs eating the whole fruit. And one of the many health benefits of phytochemicals is that they help our arteries be supple and less likely to constrict blood flow (increased endothelium-dependent vasodilation), thus reducing stoke and heart attack risk.Endothelium-dependent vasodilation has been a topic of considerable interest, as non-invasive tests can provide an indicator of how responsive the inner lining of arteries is to flow and dilation signals like nitric oxide, in response to meals and dietary interventions. Its highly predictive of cardiovascular outcomes (1, 2, 3)The basic test (brachial tourniquet test for flow mediated dilation) is fairly simple. A pressure cuff is placed on the upper arm to block blood flow, and the diameter of the downstream brachial artery is measured before and after the pressure is released by ultrasound. A larger response to restored flow is greater flow mediated dialation (FMD), and is a proxy for endothelial function.Thanks, you guys answered my question!HOORAY! Thank you.Just noting a couple of typos to ward off possible confusion: or our tongue -> of our tongue to nitrates in the mouth -> to nitrites in the mouthI imagine you would certainly get more of the bacteria with chewing that just swallowing. The whole nitrate to nitrite to nitrous oxide is an interesting story see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/. I’m not sure that simple sugars such as fructose or glucose or sucrose (one glucose and one fructose molecule) are bound to fiber or not. It is clear they are rapidly absorbed but their adsorption is moderated by the presence of the phytonutrients as opposed to the fiber see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/. I think Dr. Esselstyn’s point is that blenderizing foods is not as healthy as eating whole foods. I believe he would agree that eating smoothies made with healthy plants is a much improved approach than the standard american diet. As far as liver damage goes it is the dose that makes the poison. Our bodies can handle fructose and sucrose in lower amounts but many persons are getting it in higher amounts without the associated phytochemicals… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/. Of course their are some conditions such as fructose malabsorption syndrome where fructose is a problem. If you are having problems or symptoms it is always a good idea to work with a knowledgeable health care professional.Video on it’s way–stay tuned!Hi Dr Greger! What happens to the nutrients after the blending? Is it interesting to wait a while before eating it? Or the opposite? The fresher the better? Thanks again for your research and teaching. Very helpful!Dear Dr.Greger, Can’t wait for this video. Closely related unanswered question I posted 1.5 yrs ago: After about a happy two months of daily very green (raw Kale, collards,spinach,tiny bit of watercress, red cabbage, seeds, banana, blueberries, almond milk sometimes lettuces, smoothies, I drank 2 (c. 50 oz) with straw and my tongue felt an “acid burn” as when one has too much pineapple of which there was none in my drink. Deep furrows too. I drank less daily and soreness regressed, but never did the acid burn feeling go away even when I had no smoothies for 3 days (during which time me 30-yr eczema came back that had disappeared after a month on WFPB diet. I can live with this feeling, but wonder if I should. Sometimes my tongue looks like what I see online, “geographical tongue.” My Kaiser doc had no clue. I tried a few days of using steamed greens in my smoothie, but noticed no difference. Has no one else reported a tongue reaction to green smoothies? It is such a delightful way to consume veggies!Looking forward to it, Doc. I’ll reserve judgement and refrain from expressing an opinion until then.There is yet to be any scientific proof that Esselstyn does not have it right. Studies do show that very small fiber is only 2% less effective but that does not address the lack of allowing the saliva do it’s thing while chewing. Esselstyn has reversed heart disease so he must be doing something right…The pendulum swings. First olive oil was a health food and now it’s a poison. Probably the truth is in between.All meals should include some form of fat. It’s needed because some vitamins and nutrients are fat soluble and are thus better absorbed when fat is present. Curcumin comes to mind but there are lots of others.Of course, it may be best if the fat comes from whole foods as opposed from separated oil, but absent whole food fat, a bit of oil is just fine – and actually beneficial.all whole foods contain all 3 macros (carbs, protein, fat). even a banana has 8% fat. a diet absent of whole foods is not a healthy diet, and bringing separated oils into such diet is not beneficial but detrimental.So far all I have seen is proof the more is not better.It’s well known that reducing calorific intake to low levels improves life without any regard for other factors. The figures sit around the 10 year mark.So what actually matters? All this talk about what we eat or how much we eat??The problem with the Esselstyn diet is it is HIGHLY restrictive and very difficult for most people to follow. You have to have a real scare such as a major heart attack or heart procedure to be motivated enough to follow this diet in my opinion. Remember this is a no meat, no fish, no dairy, no nuts, no oils diet. Yes, the diet can reverse heart disease but it does take some time. What can you do if you can’t handle such a restrictive diet? You can take a supplement that can replace what the diet will do. I have found that Nanobac TX is an effective way to eat normally and still have a substantial reduction in arterial plaque. Most people need a heavy dose for six to 12 months then they can go on a lower maintenance dose.EVERY patient in the Esselstyn study used a statin for the ENTIRE length of the study!I always thought the reverse was the case, and that he was able to ween them off their doses……Esselstyn addresses the issue of drug (specifically statins) use in _Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease_ (p. 74-75). Quoting selectively from p. 74, I share this: “My own preference is one of the statin cholesterol-lowering drugs, which should be started when you begin the program. … If you reduce your total cholesterol to well below 150mg/dl, you may … reduce the drug dosage–and in some cases, eliminate it altogether.”http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/study02/Epidemiologic and evidence-based research has identified a lipid threshold for preventing the coronary artery disease epidemic. We have demonstrated that this threshold can be achieved and maintained with a plant-based diet and lipid-lowering medication when indicated, and that maintaining low lipid levels arrests and often reverses coronary artery disease.Thanks for clarifying….veganchrisuk: As thorn324 says, he does ween them off the drugs when he can. But he likes to start with drugs and diet, because “With severe coronary disease, we don’t always have the luxury of time.” He hits these very severe cases with both diet and drugs to make sure there no more cardiac events.It’s so perplexing to me when people point out that his patients were also taking drugs like that fact is some kind of smoking gun. They seem to be missing: The patients who chose not to make diet changes acted as a sort of control group for the study. Those patients didn’t make the diet changes, and they went on to have heart attacks even though, presumably, they were still taking the drugs. Esselstyn’s patients, those who stayed with the diet (and yes, also took drugs) did not have heart attacks. Also, Esselstyn sites a separate case study where a quarter of the people who were given massive amounts of statins and redued their LDL, *still* went on to have heart attacks. It’s clearly not the drugs which reverses heart disease. It’s the diet. You just sometimes might be wise have to give people drugs also if their disease is so far progressed that they very, very quickly need a lowering of LDL. The drugs assist with that.Thanks for the clarification.Yes, and Statins are sheer POISON! They are mycotoxins. Essetially fungal toxins. Any physician who prescribes them is misinformed and doing the patient a great disservice. And that is putting it mildly. A holistic MD I know told a cardiologist friend outright that he was killing his patients with this drug. I agree.The sheer stupidity of that statement is off the charts. You are so uninformed it’s pathetic.It’s obvious from your retort that you never even bothered to look up the information. A mark of true troll that they get hostile and call names rather than address issues.Charles spends his whole day looking up information. You should see his Twitter feed. ☺️“Give him a break.” Not sure I will do that as he has absolutely no manners, behaves like a troll, and is obviously NOT up to date on the dangers of Statins! What ever someone’s dietary preferences or thoughts on the cholesterol issue, the literature on the danger’s of statins are piling up by the day. Diet, lifestyle, and natural supplements can all help with cholesterol issues. I would NEVER take a statin even if my life depended upon it. Higher rate of type 2 diabetes,http://www.drugwatch.com/lipitor/diabetes/They block the pathway that manufactures CoQ10,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096178/and they activate a gene called atrogen 1 that causes muscle breakdown (Last I heard the heart was muscle!)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2735363/http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/11/scientists-identify-gene-responsible-for-statin-induced-muscle-pain/And these drugs are indeed derived from isolating mycotoxins“In the late 1970s, researchers in the United States and Japan were isolating lovastatin from Aspergillus and monacolins from Monascus, respectively, the latter being the same fungus used to make red yeast rice but cultured under carefully controlled conditions. Chemical analysis soon showed that lovastatin and monacolin K are identical. The article “The origin of statins” summarizes how the two isolations, documentations and patent applications were just months apart.[5] Lovastatin became the patented, prescription drug Mevacor for Merck & Co. Red yeast rice went on to become a contentious non-prescription dietary supplement in the United States and other countries.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_yeast_rice#Red_yeast_rice_and_drugsTo each his own, but personally, not only would I never ever take a statin, I would never take red yeast rice either.And here is a great article on the dangers of statins the medical profession simply does not want to tell patients. (Whatever one’s views on cholesterol, the subject here is the extreme dangers of statin drugs and the manipulation of statistics and the minimizing/ignoring of side effects to sell them. So read the article and all of its references with that in mind.) If you believe in lowering your cholesterol there are safer ways to do it! Including diet! :/http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/cracking-cholesterol-myth-how-statins-harm-body-and-mind?page=1andhttp://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/cracking-cholesterol-myth-how-statins-harm-body-and-mind?page=2I think all of us can agree that statins, like any drug, have their negative side effects. And I would agree that most of us who frequent this site would prefer not to take them. If we can get all our lipids down to protective, atherosclerosis-reversing levels with a WFPB diet, more power to us. But it is important to recognize there are people who literally are not able to survive healthfully eating strictly plants.Not even PlantPositive, and especially not Drs. Greger or Esselstyn, have an anti-statin stance.Statins have saved the lives of many who have genetic familial hypercholesterolemia. There are some who despite following an optimal plant-based diet have dangerously high cholesterol levels and must take statins to further protect themselves from CVD.Furthermore, statins have pleiotropic effects which may have benefits beyond their cholesterol-lowering effects. Anyone following Thomas Dayspring on Twitter is becoming more aware that there are other particles and proteins in the blood that can be atherogenic, and statins may have benefits protecting against those. LP(a) is a prime example.As for Charles’s personality, that’s his responsibility not mine. But there are times when he helps me see through my vegan-oriented filter bubble, countering my confirmation bias, and enabling me to have a more balanced EQ (emotional quotient) and open-mindedness about diet. Sometimes a little bluntness can be a valuable wake up call to other points of view.See: http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1991/pdf/1991-v06n02-p079.pdfBy the way, hyperlipoproteinemia type II-A is a form of familial hypercholesterolemia. See:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperlipidemia#Familial_.28primary.29When people tell me that there are no natural ways to treat familial hypercholesterolemia, I have to disagree. That is what drug companies want people to believe. Not directing this at you, but here we are on a vegan site purporting to almost claim that veganism can cure or prevent almost every kind of disease and they fail to look into other natural methods including orthomolecular medicine.The future of medicine will NOT be in designing new drug after new drug after new drug. The reality is that it will be looking into “INDIVIDUAL” biochemistry and figuring where the genetic snps lie and devising ways to give the patient the proper substrates, products or co-factors to bypass those genetic snps. Simplified way of looking at but hey.The last time I talked about individual biochemistry on this list, one of the “Team Members’ proceeded to throw a bunch of double blind studies at me claiming this was biochemistry. I guess they did not see the word “individual;” Double blind studies can be useful but they only apply to the percent of people the drug or intervention worked for. Say the 20, 40, or 60% as an example for which the intervention worked. What about the other 80, 60, or 40% the intervention did not work for.I suggest if you want more information on how this type of functional medicine deals with individuals as opposed to statistical populations, get the book “The Disease Delusion’ by Jeffrey Bland Ph.D.I had a friend with familial hypercholesterolemia for whom large doses of Vitamin C and flaxseeds did the trick without having to resort to statins. For others, other solutions might help depending upon their individual biochemical snps.BTW, here are some more links to Vitamin C and hypercholesterolemiahttp://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/NHC/studien_pdf/old/marginal_vitamin_c_deficiency_lipid_metabolism_and_atherogenesis.pdfAgain, not specifically directed at you, but yes, the idea that a vegan diet is right for everyone is just plain folly. The fact that Plant Positive, and Dr. Gregor and Esselstyn do not have an anti-statin stance is not indicative that this stuff is not devistatingly bad. IMHO they have not looked far enough for alternatives because they cannot get past their vegan biases. Once again for those reading, I am neither pro vegan, nor pro paleo. I am pro-nutrition and pro REAL science that takes into account biochemical individuality. Most of the studies, blind, double blind or otherwise, that are passed off as science are really nothing of the sort when one digs deeper. My views only. Peace, LindaCharles: Linda has a point. The biosynthesis of cholesterol and of coenzyme Q10 share some steps and statins lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting one of these steps. The unintended consequence of this is the potential deficiency of coenzyme Q10. Coenzyme Q10 is essential for energy production, besides being a powerful antioxidant that inhibits oxidation and glycation of LDL, two processes thought to contribute to cardiovascular disease. The sad thing is that doctors don’t even tell patients to take supplemental CoQ10 while on statins.I’m in total agreement with that. Statins also deplete Vitamin D as well. That’s why I take CoQ10, Vitamin K1, K2 as MK4 and MK7, D3 and other supplements as wellPetition for civility on this site. Being patient, kind, informative and/or supportive as the post demands makes being here so much more pleasant.Agree on thatGet veganchrisuk • a day ago to agree alsoIt appears that the only way to persuade the majority of the population to adopt a healthier diet is to remove/restrict meat and dairy by force or other meansCharles, having spent the last few minutes reading through your comments, I have to agree with Linda N above – it is one thing to have an opinion, however there is no need for you to be so obnoxious and derogatory with other members simply because you disagree with them, notwithstanding your earlier comment re my post that I have subsequently answered this evening.+1I am really glad that you shared that statins are a dangerous natural product. The really strange thing is, there has been a nearly free cure for high LDL, low HDL, and high triglycerides for decades: Niacin. High doses of vitamin B3 (3 grams a day) can raise HDL by 30 percent, lower LDL by 40 percent, and lower triglycerides. I thought drugs, to be approved, must be better than what is available. Current LDL medication really only lowers it by low double or single digits according to this site and have dangerous side effects. It doesn’t work well. There was a smear campaign against niacin (the flushing, the burning) because it is so cheap and can’t be patented. Niacin can raise liver ALT test results. There have been reported cases of liver damage, which orthomolecular proponents say is an unrelated disease. It can cause nasuea, numbness, and tingling, the same symptoms as a Niacin deficiency. It also can “cure” schizophrenia according to Dr. Hoffer, who in a report said the only side effect is longer life. People are skeptical of taking more than minimum amount of vitamins, an avenue of despair for those who believe in orthomolecular medicine.Hi Charles.http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/study01-methods/Participants were asked to adhere to a diet that derived less than 10% of its calories from fat. They were to avoid oils, meat, fish, fowl, and dairy products, except for skim milk and nonfat yogurt. Grains, legumes, lentils, vegeta bles, and fruit comprised the major portion of the diet, which contained adequate amounts of vitamins, minerals, protein, and iron.’6~’7 A list of fat-free recipes taken from cookbooks and other resources that focus on weight loss, nutrition, and lifestyle changes to improve heart health18-26 was provided to each participant. Daily food diaries were kept and reviewed with the physician during biweekly visits. Participants were also encouraged to take a daily multivitamin and were asked, but not required, to moderate their consumption of alcohol and caffeine. There were no prescribed exercise requirements.Each participant also received an individualized prescription for a cholesterol-lowering drug. The most frequent regimen included cholestyramine, 4 g twice daily, and lovastarin, 40 mg to 60 mg daily. Time-release niacin was prescribed for a short while but was discontinued when many patients reported nausea, vomiting, and swollen ankles.Statins + skim milk and nonfat yogurt!Charles: The following is a direct quote from the book, page 20. “I asked them to eliminate from their diet almost all dairy products (in the beginning, I allowed them to have skim milk and nonfat yogurt, but have since eliminated all dairy products because of the potential tumor-causing properties of caseine and the contribution of animal protein to the process of atherosclerosis),…”It is important to understand the full situation.“eliminated all dairy products because of the potential tumor-causing properties of caseine”Statement has NO basis in factI consider the evidence from the China Study to be compelling evidence supporting the statement. Plenty of basis…Note that what you are citing is from 1995; it isn’t the 2014 paper cited in the video.Hi Charles. What do you think of Dr. Esselstyn’s larger study?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/25198208/http://www.jfponline.com/fileadmin/qhi/jfp/pdfs/6307/JFP_06307_Article1.pdfInteresting study – curious at to why the do not show lipids for participants before and after.Charles, you read too many comic books, try staying with the facts….Ornish has also reversed heart disease without statins…Ornish used multiple co factors in his paper. How much was diet – how much was exercise, smoking cessation, relaxtion techniques, etc?Nice follow up to the comments calling for civility, kindness, patience, informativeness, and supportiveness.Jim , I believe that anyone can handle a diet that restricted if they so choose. Problem is a lot, if not most people choose a bad diet over good health. It is all about choice not whether they can or not.highly restrictive? i guess you haven´t seen Esselstyn´s cookbook, many recipes to choose from to eat. re-learning process is always hard, but that doesn´t mean that the diet is restrictive. on the other hand, mainstream weight-loss programs of 1200calories – where they DO eat meat, fish, dairy, nuts, oils – ARE highly restrictive and very difficult for most people to follow, as many people binge out.Exactly. It’s not restrictive to eat low fat, whole food, plant-based. It’s just different. There is an abundance of variety to be had. Tasty and heart healthy!I sooooo agree! Not only are calorie reduction diets seriously restrictive, but they do NOT work for the long term, and only cause rebound, guilt, and a lot of issues that compound instead of help the problem. I “dieted” my way up to 300lbs eventually, feeling like a lost cause with no self respect, because I couldn’t live on such a restricted diet. When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I hit the wall and had to find a better way, and the American Diabetes assoc. diet certainly was not it! Even adhering to it 100%, (similar to what I image a Mediterranean diet would be), I was still needing medication. Upon learning about a WFPB diet and giving it a trial for just a month, two weeks into it my blood sugars were normal, and I never looked back! There is definitely a period of adjustment and learning, but it is totally doable and very satisfying once you make the effort! My ONLY problem is that everyone eats differently…so it can be hard to deal with some issues, but it’s their loss, as I have come to accept. It’s frustrating watching people destroy themselves, but no one can be made to change their minds, no matter how badly I want them to! It has to be a personal decision, and is mine!Jim, I know that I (and suspect that other regular followers of Dr. Greger) really wish you would define what you mean by “to eat normally.” If you mean the Standard American Diet (SAD), then I (and, again, perhaps others here) would disagree with your “normally.”It’s not difficult at all once you make the mental shift! If a person will let their tastebuds run their life for them, oh well, it’s on them. Meat, cheese, eggs, all these things are simply flavors and textures we are familiar with and have emotional ties to. Most can be closely replicated or replaced with much better choices, but why won’t the majority do it, even when they fully know the facts? Because of the emotional connections that they refuse to deal with, yet try to defend with nonsense alibis! Why else would someone continue to eat a SAD with diabetes and lose his limbs, KNOWING full well there is a better alternative? I used to be diabetic, obese, and on tons of medicines, but woke up. Yep, and I am married to the guy who won’t!!! Nothing like a little lethal illness to drive home a concept’s reality in practice! Don’t kid yourself either, no pills are going to stand in for food! Food isn’t about just vitamins and minerals, there are all sorts of co-factors, enzymes, antioxidants and many other beneficial properties, some of which we aren’t even aware of yet! Again and again, they’ve shown that food does not equal supplements, yet everyone wants the easy fix, so they can justify and appease their needs. It is your life, after all…right?Hi Charzie. I really like your attitude and I congratulate you for making so many changes with such great success! You are so right about the taste bud and emotional ties to comfortable , yet oh so destructive, foods. I really wanted to share with someone who could appreciate this PBS Newshour report from this evening’s (2/27/15) show, and your comments seemed like the right place-thanks.. I’ll bet after watching this you’ll want to get your reluctant husband to take a good look at what happens to people who refuse to get over their taste bud and emotional ties issues or whatever it is (not presuming anything here). I wish you much success and really hope your husband comes around to following in your much lighter and healthier footsteps. All the best! http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/extra-costs-extra-weight-older-adults/Thanks Lawrence, I appreciate your comments and the link, I am going to view it now. If I could get some help tying him down, maybe I can make him watch it too! LOL!It’s not just emotional ties, meat and dairy contain opioid compounds that are physically addictive. This is why animals that grow up eating cooked meats will refuse to eat anything else. It is very difficult to get a domestic carnivore such as dogs and cats to switch to a raw meat diet. Even herbivores like sheep that have been raised eating cooked meats will refuse to eat anything else.I’m already taking around 90% of those supplements individually. I do use EVO and eat fish…I especially love the Fukashima radioactive salmon as caught by the Chinese. I have maybe 2-4 oz meat at each meal. Nuts…minor amount of bread…little dairy…Ingredients list:http://www.rayandterry.com/nanobactx.htmlI will say that I doubt that very many people could handle 5G of arginine at bedtime(the Egyptian study)…let alone the glutamine some recommend. I can manage maybe 2G of arginine/ornithine in the morning…couldn’t handle it before bed.My total chol is around 145.If reversing your heart disease is too difficult for you Jim please die without being a burden to tax payers. That is freedom of choice, on the other hand, so many sick and obese people who refuse to change their diet are a burden to society and it just is not right.Wait a minute. They are a profit center for our current social structure. The pharmaceutic companies profits, the meat and dairy industry profit, the fast food industry profits, big food processors (Kellogg, and others) profit, and members of the medical profession who are willing to participate profit. And best of all our lawmakers profit by taking campaign contributions from all of these people. You need to look carefully and who and what you are judging. Next time you walk down the street and see a homeless person, ask yourself what kind of society refuses to take care of the least of us. Why do we set up our poor and marginalized to become ill so that corporate entities and politicians can profit. You need to be nice and learn to have more empathy. Every person you see and meet deserves your understanding and respect no matter how fat, ugly or dirty they may appear to you. They are where they are because of the choices we have ALL made. Oh yeah, and you shouldn’t tell people to die. It’s not a nice thing to do either.Thumps Up. 2tsaybow! Well said!Very well said indeed. Thanks 2tsaybow!I think you make good points and everyone has to decide for themselves how to help prevent heart disease. I would be a bit cautious with supplements and multivitamins. Sure, I am all for folks doing whatever they can to help prevent and reverse heart disease. Even if you feel the diet is restrictive I think the fact the research exists and we know it’s possible to actually prevent heart disease thru diet and lifestyle changes is absolutely amazing and yet still not enough folks know about it! Thanks for your comments here Jim they are warmly welcomed!Best, JosephI would like to get more information about whether unheated extra virgin olive oil is a healthy addition to a diet. I love to eat air popped popcorn drizzled with unheated extra virgin olive oil. It has lots of polyphenols, right? So what is the problem? I know it’s not a whole food. Is it just a too highly concentrated source of calories? Or is all oil, even healthier ones, taxing on the cardiovascular system?Esselstyn has found that all oils are bad for heart disease, even olive oils.So glad you bring this up, and thanks to Boomer for giving me something to send to my oilers! Dr. Fuhrman uses tiny amounts of olive oil in some of his delicious recipes and is not worried that if we have a tsp we’ll take a ¼ cup of it. Rip Esselstyn, son of the great researcher said on a video (sorry I don’t know the link) that his dad works with such sick people that he takes the no oil stance as does Dr. McDougall, but Rip said it was fine in his diet to have tiny amounts. If I have this wrong, I would welcome correction.Rip Esselstyn is not a medical doctor. he´s a firefighter, as far as i know. and his dad´s research and recommended diet is primarily for those with cardiovascular diseases. yeah, a tiny amount of oils won´t kill you, but the best results are with no oils whatsoever. besides, oils are completely unnecessary for health, they´re used just for palate pleasure. you´re better off eating whole olives.What’s wrong with pleasure? If someone finds veggies more palatable and therefore eats more if them bcz of taste, I think that’s not a problem if the alternative is few or no veggies at all.Personally, I prefer whole fat sources like nuts and avocado, but others should do what works for them.“What’s wrong with pleasure? ” uhm, everything. your taste buds does not equal health. although, food does need to be enjoyable for us, but there are healthier ways how to make veggies more palatable than drizzle oils on them. if someone does not care about their health, than they can do what they want with their own bodies. but passing on the mantra that “others should do what works for them” is very irresponsible health-wise, because it´s a slippery slope. better would be to give people the best option (which is no oils), or there are other options – vinegar, using just water with different types of cooking, or using herbs for taste, or you can make a dressing.Preaching to the choir, Nicole. I prefer homemade dressing, too. But the people in real world is not going to go to those extremes. They have too many conflicting demands to balance.Pleasure is a survival mechanism. It’s basic human physiology. And enjoyment of food is a prime characteristic of the Blue Zones where many consume olive oil and (gasp) meat and even eggs fried in lard. So let’s be a little understanding that our way is not the only way to be healthy.Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Is it a slippery slope of that Dr. Greger is a supporter of Reducetarianism?http://www.reducetarian.com/supporters/i don´t understand why are you even replying to me? you´re the one who´s preaching to me in the first place. i don´t care about people calling esselstyn´s diet to be “extreme”. if they´re so emotionally addicted to those food items, that doesn´t mean that i should comfort them in what they do. all i can do is give them information and they decide whether they care about their health enough to try it or they don´t. i´m not going to yell at them or physically force them to, just like i said, give them information and they decide. so i don´t understand how can you claim i´m preaching to the choir.Preaching to the choir = I personally am on the same page oil-wise.But I’ve become less myopic in my dietary perspective.In the real world, your wealthy Whole Foods Store types have the wherewithal to live up to an ideal. But reality for the majority of the population is quite different, both in the wealth of finances and wealth of time.There are tons of ppl working 3 minimum wage jobs just trying to make ends meet. Helping such ppl to eat more healthy foods at home vs fast food in between jobs is difficult enough. Badgering them about olive oil is counterproductive, IMO.again, all i can do is give people information. what they do with it, is on them. but i´m not going to comfort them in what they´re doing. and buying oils AND basic foods like rice, potatoes requires more money than buying rice, potatoes only. so people working 3 minimum wage jobs will even save money. definitely not counterproductive from my stance, actually the opposite money-wise.Yes, Nicole, that is my understanding too. But a little (a tsp a week) seems like an acceptable amount for us who have no detectible heart disease or symptoms, and my brain scans of a fractured skull ( ice skating) showed that the arteries in the brain looked “clean as a whistle,” rare in a 62-yr old. My weight is fine, so now and then, just a tiny bit of olive oil seems ok. In 1979 I went on the Pritikin ultra low diet for 4 years, so giving up oils and being free to eat nuts and seeds feels like luxury on WFPB!i don´t understand the need to consume oils. just like i said, we´re better off eating whole olives, avocados, nuts, seeds. if palate pleasure is where you draw your line, than it is on you. but no, i don´t support “but just a little won´t hurt you” mantra.I think it just depends where you’re at. Certainly a little could hurt you if you are already damaged and trying to fight heart disease. And yes it can add up fast, even in little bits unless careful, but on occasions when dining out or cooking with a tad of oil seldom at home is probably not going to be super harmful in healthy persons. I can understand the habitual concerns, where the more you get used to it the more you do it and some people do better simply avoiding oil completely. I always think overall diet it most important to consider. I totally understand your concern with oil and I commend you for being strict and following a well-respected program like Dr. Esselstyns. Thanks for your thoughts and giving such great tips for how to replace oils in your other posts!.From my understanding from watching Esselstyn, McDougall and others in the get well on a plant based diet movement that it is all fat. The plant based fat is not as bad as the animal fat but does cause problems with the cardiovascular system and can be a cause of weight gain.Good points, Alan. I will discuss this more, but the problem is that am Esselstyn approach with the inclusion of nuts has not been conducted, so we are left with good results from his studies (Ornish, too) and other RCT on Mediterranean-type diets showing health benefits of nuts. I wonder what nuts would do? Until we have that kind of data it is probably best to still recommend diets such as Esselstyn’s for patients with heart disease.Hi Joseph – I am thin and always have been. I myself do use some nuts and seeds. I try to limit them to 1oz maximum per day. I think that most people would benefit from a few nuts and seeds. But also i have read on posts by people that had lost weight while eating nuts but had to give them up to loose the few extra pounds to get to their desired weight. I also would like to see a well done study on the effects of nus on heart disease.Forgive my delay but I’ve posted this in many places that reflect what you say about nuts. An ounce a day seems very appropriate based on the data. ​Here is a great video by Dr. Greger that explains the research between nut intake and body weight. Make sure to checkout the bottom of the video’s “Doctors Note” to see more links and info. Lastly, a follow-up to that video is solving the mystery of the missing calories, which may also help. explain the research on nuts and heart disease.Thanks for your reply and forgive me for my delay. I i looked at the posts you mentioned And some from Doctors notes also. I will continue with my nuts and seeds as the science shows the benefits from them.I may be mistaken but in terms of cardiovascular health, I think I heard from one of Esselstyn’s talk that vegetable oils are actually worse than butter.I think it was hydrogenated vegetable oils specifically, which are altered to be solid at room temperature.“It has lots of polyphenols, right?”Unfortunately this is a very popular myth. It does technically contain polyphenols, really any food product no matter how processed will likely contain some residual nutritional qualities of the whole plant, however for comparison:Green leaf lettuce: 4.4 mg total polyphenols per Calorie Extra virgin olive oil: 0.062 mg total polyphenols per CalorieThis is about a seventy fold difference. Of course this doesn’t take into account other nutrients, with green leaf lettuce having infinitely more fiber, vitamins and minerals, and about eleven times less fat.Excellent use of metric, lining up the dots gives a even more dramatic effect BTW. ;) Keep up the good work! :)For spritzing oil though, you usually need a pressurized sprayer to force the oil out, a regular hand sprayer won’t quite do. They have a little pump on top to add air pressure inside the container. I used to use one quite a while ago, but they tend to clog if you don’t maintain and clean them regularly.I want you to follow me around on my internet wanderings and post for me!!! Love it!I can see the WFPB (Whole foods plant based diet) is an effective intervention for those with heart disease. Half of those who die of heart disease didn’t see it coming. Does that mean we should eat less meat in our lives and less meat as we age? Cocoa has a very powerful effect in reducing heart disease, as can tea, nuts, aspirin*, one drink*, kiwi, exercise, whole grains, berries, citrus, soy, tomatoes, beans, (spinach, broccoli, or kale), flax seeds, apples, and beets. *not recommended here. Every piece of meat we eat can shorten our lives, add to blood pressure, add to weight, this site argues. Some plant foods can have the opposite effect. Some life style choices can add life to us, like meditating, swimming, being married, listening to classical music, going to church or prayer service, eating nuts, getting exercise, not smoking, flossing, and eating less food. I don’t think eating a WFPB is going to make anyone life forever, but can add quality to life. Beans, nuts, green tea, cocoa, berries, whole grains, fresh fruit, and vegetables can be a factor in adding to healthy lifestyles.Great points, Mr. Smith. Regarding your question ” Does that mean we should eat less meat in our lives and less meat as we age? ” I am not sure. What do you think? May be worthwhile, according to the heart protective effects you mention.To set the good doctor straight on his facts. The Lyon Heart Study was a randomized trial. Dr Esselstyn’s amazing n=198 case series is not even controlled – he uses non-adherent dropouts as his control group (I’m sure you’ve heard of “healthy adherer bias”; the converse is also true – “sickly nonadherer bias”). The bias is very clear in this presentation. Disdain the Lyon Heart Study, even though it was a randomized trial leading to a very large reduction in cardiovascular events, and favor Dr Esselstyn’s small, uncontrolled, nonrandomized, retrospective case series.The good doctor was pretty straight at least in regard to the fact that the case series was not an RCT. Still though, I’d challenge you to pull out an ‘adherent’ group as sick as Esselstyn’s was at baseline that has anything like Esselstyn’s results.I think his study should be replicated as a better controlled trial. My main question is why, given how horrible the burden of heart disease is in the world, this is not being done? With or without small amounts of select animal products, the low-fat whole-food plant-based diet has all kinds of plausible grounds for thinking that it may be extremely well-indicated for heart disease. Exploring that possibility could lead to extremely empowering results for governments, individuals, and all kinds of private entities which bear the costs of poor health.If you review this video, I think you will see that what Largelytrue says below is largely true. Your post reads a bit, well, snarky.I don’t think “Heart” is as important as “BRAIN”. I personally rather have a heart attack than a Brain Stroke. Meat Eaters eat meat for “Protein” and think their BRAINS need meat protein to function properly. I think science will prove the REVERSE. That our IQ drops by eating cooked-burnt meat, dairy and eggs. Once the information is passed on to masses, they will stop eating meat automatically. No one would intentionally eat foods that lower their IQ – that is a no brainer !Oh Ray, I wish that were always, or even often true! I have the impression, reinforced by my friends’ eating habits even after quadruple bypass, breast and prostate cancer surgery, and diabetes diagnoses, that many people do not change their eating habits. This makes me very sad. Dr. Greger has certainly persuaded many to make the switch and to maintain it. We are very grateful to him for his work that has changed our lives and those of at least a FEW friends.Since this is the latest thread, I’m just going to put this here – I’d love some feedback from the good Doctor – http://www.actahort.org/books/841/841_21.htmI was in a sprouting mood last night and couldn’t find my broccoli blend, so I remembered the nutrionfacts assessment that radishes have the myrosinase that cooked broccoli needs to create sulforaphane so I looked up the relationship between radish sprouts and sulforaphane and found this study.Not really Mediterranean diet related, but WFPB related. Apologies for being a bit off-topic.I have the same question. I have been eating broccoli sprouts, but if radish sprouts are, in fact healthier, maybe I’ll switch.I think variety is key. Perhaps one is not healthier than the other, it is just that broccoli receives more attention? Still, that dies not discredit the amazing research and support for broccoli and broccoli sprouts in the diet.Looks promising. When looking at what daikon radishes can do, it would make sense that other sprouts have high doses of sulforaphane. I think you’re onto something and there is more research on this topic. Your not too far off topic, I appreciate you joining the discussion!Hey Team / Everyone !I have a question (somewhat unrelated to this video):I generally steam my vegetables as the only way of cooking them, and this has happened a number of times now; the water runs out on the bottom. Essentially the vegetables look fine but smell burnt. I am wondering about the safety in consuming these vegetables?Thanks in advanced!!Jake, I don’t have an answer to your safety query, however do you have a microwave? I like to steam my veggies in a glass bowl with loose fitting glass lid in the microwave. A quart of broccoli takes about six minutes this way, and the water doesn’t run out so longer cooking vegetables like cauliflower never burn. And they turn out perfect and tender, not rubbery or weird at all. I have some 5 cup bowls which I consider good for two servings, and also some of the 2-cup bowls that are nice for a single serving.http://www.oneida.com/storage-organization/food-storage/bake-n-store-anchor-hocking/anchor-hocking-5-cup-bake-n-store-dish-w-glass-cover.htmlhttp://www.oneida.com/storage-organization/food-storage/bake-n-store-anchor-hocking/anchor-hocking-2-cup-bake-n-store-dish-w-glass-cover.htmlSo I am not sure if you can answer this or send me some links to studies but I am very curious about microwaves and cancer risk? A lot of people claim that microwaving food causes cancer while a large number of others say it just causes water molecules to boil inside the food (or somthing like that) and that there is zero risk / link. Could you possibly point me in some direction to find out more about this topic ?JakeN: Allow me to jump in here as this is one of my favorite questions. A few years ago, I did a lot of research on microwaves. I found a bazillion sites all repeating the same bad news about microwaves. But no real support for those views. Then I stumbled across some sites that seemed to have solid evidence to back up their position on microwaves. Here is my favorite site since it is pretty comprehensive and read-able: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmI hope that helps!Hi Jake, microwaves are perfectly safe, according to every legitimate scientific source I have seen. The exceptions really are burns resulting from food heated in the microwave, since food tends to heat less evenly in the microwave and a hot spot can catch someone by surprise. I’ve seen plenty of people claim that they’re dangerous, but have seen absolutely zero substantiation to back up those claims. Below is a link from the World Health Organization that should put your mind at ease:http://www.who.int/peh-emf/publications/facts/info_microwaves/en/I appreciate the balanced comment that we cannot compare the case-series with the randomized controlled trial. The evidence points in a certain direction, but I’m glad that the limits of the research have been addressed so transparently. Great job, Dr. G!Dean Ornish, sited in this video, suggests obtaining 70% of your nutritional needs from carbs and 10% from fats (assuming these are all whole nutritional foods). This low fat diet proposes that nuts and avocado be eaten very sparingly. Dr. Greger extols the virtues of both nuts and avocado. I’m assuming his suggestion would be for a more balance allocation of carbs/fats…perhaps 50%/30%. Would be nice to reconcile these differences as walnuts and avocado have become a part of my daily fare.As far as I know, Dr. Greger has only ever recommended up to a handful of nuts a day. A handful of nuts a day is still easily compatible with the idea of getting 10% of calories or less from fat when the rest of your diet is still mainly fruit, grains, beans, and vegetables, which are all normally pretty lean. Adding oil to the diet is an easy way to go over the 10% recommendation, but just having some nuts most likely wouldn’t do that as long as you’re not treating nuts as a meal. It doesn’t take a huge amount of nuts to see benefits from them, just an ounce a day or soHate to get picky but this doesn’t really compute. Imagine a 1600 calorie/day diet. 10% would be 160 calories from fat which equals about 18 grams of fat. That oz. or so of walnuts is already there. You can’t wake up to oatmeal with almond milk, have a salad with avocado for lunch, and black bean with tofu and quinoa for dinner. Way too much fat? Perhaps healthful according to Dr. Greger but heart disease in the making according to Ornish. Unless I’m reading all this wrong.?Good points. I think an ounce of nuts and/or 1/4 of an avocado (or a few slivers) is more on the cautious side regarding fat content. I personally do both, if not even more avocado or nuts due to physical activity needs. I think the differences are so minor, as long as we are filling up on whole plant foods.Vegan-nut:Before you post again, read the original study (Leon) on the med diet. You will note that in this study, the independent variable was the consumption of “olive oil”. No other food was an independent variable…nothing but olive oil.If you don’t know what an independent variable is in a study, read the study to find out.Sharon Ph.D. (University of Chicago, Biochemistry)Try to post an educated and scholarly comment if you want to claim that you have a biochem doctorate and can use it in a useful way, Sharon. Myself, I’ve seen many references to biochem-type people with quite loopy ideas about diet and medicine. I suspect that they often have the engineer’s zeal and think that a small scale understanding of chemistry gives them mastery in understanding the pervasive effects of a chemical on the entire complex human body.Your misspelling of Lyon and lack of citations suggest that you aren’t really that familiar with scholarship on this topic, and your talk of a olive oil as the single independent variable in a trial that explicitly tried to explore contrasting dietary patterns suggests that you are ignorant of how this type of flagship study is conducted and the range of specific relationships between secondary variables that people will try to analyze over the course of many papers.I’ll give you the chance to explicitly link to the study that you have in mind and/or explain yourself clearly, though, before judging you as a fake persona or simply a crazy (or nutritionally deluded) person with a PhD in a topic that is only quasi-relevant and whose research methods are of limited use for exploring the nutritional epidemiology of complex chronic diseases. In case you were just referring very lazily to the 1994 study in the video sources, let me give you a snippet of the text to underscore what I mean when saying that the intervention (the independent variable in the trial design) was multifactorial:If you make claims to have achieved a educational grade M.D., Ph.D or whatever other achievement, and you use it to empower yourself and elevate your opinion in the eyes of others, at the very least show backbone and sign with your own full name so that that can be verified.A persons words tend to be inherently worthless if that person cannot stand by them.And before you go off like ahh what the hell do you know, I’ve been a life long 38/40 point ADHD sufferer with almost no control what I blurt out sometimes, had my brain scrambled in a 9 month full blown psychosis once, went from 3 years curled up in a corner to more recently manic bouts, and still I own up to my actions and words.If I can do that, there shouldn’t be an academic on Earth, with his or her proven capacity for organized thought and self discipline unable to do that. If not, than what you are throwing up into the world isn’t worth the paper you write it on.I value Freedom in society over everything. Educate but don’t force! Those same government do gooder’s want to regulate the CO2 you exhale with carbon taxes. They start with a good idea and end with crushing regulations and taxes. Just look at the tax code. Now they are taking over the internet. Hold on to your wallet! It’s all great if you like government dependency.In these trials, I don’t understand how researchers are able to get folks to adhere to a protocol that could mean adverse affects or possibly death. For the sake of the public’s need to know, a stat is a stat; but is it not immoral to have folks eat in a way that is highly suspect, and even more so given a particular person’s health issues? I have to wonder who signs up for this!Lilly, I had similar thoughts and also a somewhat different perspective on this study. When the slide with the numbers of heart attacks, strokes, and deaths came up I found it heartbreaking, since an evidence-based protocol for heart disease reversal in the form of a low fat plant based diet could have been employed to prevent the vast majority of those events. I do hope that very soon, medical research prescribing any dietary treatment other than low fat vegan to heart disease patients will be considered unethical and be phased out. On the other hand, I don’t quite see the researchers here as getting these folks to sign up for the unhealthy diet; I feel like the researchers were able to at least get some of them to make a tiny improvement in their already horrible diet, but it seems the patients themselves were resistant to the idea of making big changes (towards the low fat protocol at least). On the other other hand, I’m betting most of these patients have never been fully educated on the potential of a truly low fat plant based diet and perhaps if they were, there would have been significant participation in that. It’s sad all around. But with large insurance programs and medicare getting involved in promoting wfpb diet, and increasing awareness through social media and high-profile wfpb eaters, I do think we’ll hit a turning point soon. Not soon enough for many, unfortunately.Hi Lilly, When researchers run these studies they always must gain approval from an Institution Review Board, who assure the subject’s safety. Nobody did anything wrong. These participants were already on their existing diets, and they signed up willingly, knowing that they may just be followed around in the study and not be asked to make diet changes. This is called the “control group”, and sometimes they are even upset that they didn’t get randomly selected to enter the trial (at least I have seen this in my own experience). The other half (the intervention group) are asked make the changes laid out in the video. At anytime the control group folks could change their diet, if is not preferred by the researchers, but it is always the participant’s choice.Hello! I just read this article http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read… and could not believe. There is any scientific background to support this? It so crazy! P.S: Im a vegan, just would like to know your thoughts on this case.Davi can you repost the article I cannot seem to link to it. Thanks, Joseph.	alcohol,American Heart Association,brain disease,bread,butter,cancer,canola,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,chronic diseases,dairy,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Dr. Dean Ornish,exercise,fish,fruit,Greece,heart disease,Lyon Diet Heart Study,meat,Mediterranean diet,mortality,nuts,olive oil,omega-3 fatty acids,plant-based diets,PREDIMED,saturated fat,smoking,walnuts,wine	A randomized controlled trial found that a Mediterranean-type diet can dramatically lower the risk of subsequent heart attacks. How does it compare with plant-based diet data?	 This is the second of a 6-part video series on the Mediterranean diet. For some historical backdrop, check out out the first one at Why Was Heart Disease Rare in the Mediterranean? Here’s the next four to come:For more on Dr. Esselstyn’s amazing work:If the short-chain plant-based omega-3s in flax seeds and walnuts appear so beneficial, what about the long-chain omega-3’s found in fish and fish oil? There are pros and cons. See, for example, Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development and Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-caldwell-esselstyn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/predimed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greece/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lyon-diet-heart-study/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7911176,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25198208,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15455656,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24105622,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9989963,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20810976,
PLAIN-2478	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/	Why Was Heart Disease Rare in the Mediterranean?	The Mediterranean Diet is an “in” topic nowadays, in both the medical literature and the lay media. 450 papers published in the medical literature over just the last year alone. Uncritical laudatory coverage is common, but specifics are hard to come by: what is it? Where did it come from? Why is it good? Merits are rarely detailed; possible downsides are never mentioned, so let’s dig in.After World War II, the government of Greece asked the Rockefeller foundation to come in and assess the situation. Impressed by the low rates of heart disease in the region, nutrition scientist, Ancel Keys, after which K rations were named, initiated his famous seven countries study. In which he found the rate of fatal heart disease on the Greek isle of Crete was 20 times lower than in the United States. They also had the lowest cancer rates and fewest deaths overall. What were they eating? Their diets were more than 90% plant based, which may explain why coronary heart disease was such a rarity. A rarity, that is, except for small class of rich people whose diet differed from that of the general population—they ate meat every day instead of every week or two.So the heart of the Mediterranean diet is mainly vegetarian, much lower in meat and dairy, which Keys considered the major villains in the diet because of their saturated fat content.Unfortunately, no one is really eating the traditional Mediterranean diet anymore. Even in the Mediterranean. The prevalence of coronary heart disease skyrocketed by an order of magnitude within a few decades in Crete, blamed on the increased consumption of meat and cheese at the expense of plant foods.Everyone is talking about the Mediterranean diet, but few are those who do it properly. People think pizza or spaghetti with meat sauce, but while Italian restaurants brag about the healthy measuring in diet, they serve a travesty of it.So if no one’s really eating this way anymore, how do you study it? Researchers came up with a variety of Mediterranean diet adherence scoring systems to see if people who are eating more Mediterranean-ish do better. You get maximum points the more plant foods you eat, but effectively get points deducted eating just a single serving of meat or dairy a day, so no surprise those that eat relatively higher on the scale have a lower risk of heart disease, lower risk of cancer, and a lower risk of death overall. After all, the Mediterranean diet can be considered to be a near vegetarian diet. As such, it should be expected to produce the well-established health benefits of vegetarian diets. So less heart disease, cancer, and death and less inflammation, and improved arterial function, a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and it reduced risk for stroke, depression, and cognitive impairment.How might it work? I’ve talked about the elegant studies showing that those who eat plant-based diets have more plant-based compounds, like aspirin, circulating within their systems. Polyphenol phytonutrients in plant foods are associated with a significantly lower risk of dying. Magnesium consumption also associated with a significantly lower risk of dying, found in dark green leafy vegetables, as well as fruits, beans, nuts, soy, and whole grains.Heme iron, on the other hand, the iron found in blood and muscle, acts as a pro-oxidant and appears to increase the risk of diabetes, whereas plant-based, non-heme iron appeared safe. Same thing with heart disease, animal-based iron found to significantly increase the risk of coronary heart disease, our #1 killer, but not plant-based iron. The Mediterranean diet is protective compared to the Standard American Diet—no question—But any diet rich in whole plant foods and low in animal-fat consumption could be expected to confer protection against many of our leading killers.	Despite all the fad diets and misinformation flooding every media outlet, the only proven method for extraordinary health and longevity is a whole foods plant-based diet! Thanks again Dr.Greger and crew. ;)I’ve always avoided the Mediterranean diet fad because I thought it was just an excuse to eat tons of olive oil and cheese and claim thats somehow healthy. So many people fry everything in olive oil or drown their salads in the stuff because they read some pro-fat article about eating your “heart healthy oils”…No thanks, I’ll stick to cooking with water in the frying pan and skip the oil.Veggie Eric, Note that at 2:19 the chart the researchers used to determine a healthy diet gave the most points to those eating olive oil regularly.With 1.52 grams of palmitic acid and 120 empty calories per tablespoon, olive oil is tasty, but it is not your friend. You are much better off getting your fats from nuts and seeds, and water sautéing your food like Veggie Eric.Hey, don’t shoot the messenger! I just pointed out the criterion used in the study discussed by Dr. Greger in the video. Yes, I totally agree with you that whole nuts and seeds are a better choice than olive oil as they are a whole food retaining all their nutrients.But no salt and not fried in oil.I worry when I see people say “no salt”, instead of low salt. I was using no salt until recently, and twice in the past few years I developed horrible pain in my shoulders 24/7, fatigue and a general feeling of un-wellness and misery that was just ongoing. My doctor noted each time that my sodium seemed low. This last time I went straight home and ate some food and added salt. Within an hour I felt better. This last time it took me 3 or 4 weeks to fully recover. Even my tears didn’t taste salty. I now make sure I get a little salt every day. So, for me, it’s low salt, not no salt. I’ve learned the hard way that my body needs some, and mine can’t get all of it through whole food alone. I mention this so that if others develop similar symptoms they can consider this as a possible reason. I don’t want others to suffer what I suffered.Besides, no oil or salt! Just got a cardboard taste in my mouth.I eat a lot of food with no salt and hardly ever use added oils and my taste buds are used to it and i enjoy my food.Mark, I took it that Rob was talking about how to prepare and eat the nuts and not saying that he was advocating a low salt diet.You can get plenty of sodium from plant sources like celery and we don’t need salt. Even the iodine can be found in some plants depending on the soil they grew in. Here in the Northwest U.S. We have lots of iodine in our soil.While we would both agree that mainlining olive oil would not be advisable for most people, I think we could also agree that olive oil is not “empty calories”. Fat is a nutrient. Polyphenols and antioxidants affect the body.I don’t find “all or nothing”, “good or bad”, “empty or full”, or myriad other binaries helpful. In fact, I think they are at the root of humanity’s confusion about diet.People eating traditional diets are not confused. People looking for “good” food ingredients and avoiding “bad” foods or ingredients are the ones that are confused. Fat is not “bad” and its calories are not “empty”.That said, I avoid saturated fat altogether and use very little oils in my cooking because I think eating fewer processed oils is healthier than more. I can’t even imagine what I would do if I bought into the notion that oil like olive oil is “empty calories”. I just don’t see how that’s useful and It’s not true.UCBAlum: re: “I think we could also agree that olive oil is not “empty calories”. Fat is a nutrient.” By your reasoning, sugar is not a junk food. Sugar has carbohydrates and carbs are a (macro) nutrient.Everyone I know defines sugar as the ultimate junk food. Sugar is a highly process single-macro nutrient food with little else–hence “empty calorie”. Olive oil is the same thing, but with fat instead of carbs. When you compare olive oil to sugar, as Jeff Novick does in this very helpful clip, the olive oil looks worse than the sugar. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbALgjmZUek&feature=youtu.beIt’s true that appropriate amounts of the *right types of* “fat” are not bad for us. Just as it is true that appropriate amounts of the right types of carbs and protein are not bad for us. But when it comes to oils, including olive oil, we are not talking about fat that comes naturally in a whole food. We are talking about a modern, highly processed ingredient that gets put into our food. It’s helpful for people to understand where oils fall on the health spectrum.re: “I don’t find..binaries helpful.” misses the opportunity to talk about reality when something really is good or bad. Do you really mean to say that say Twinkies are not bad for us? That you can’t say that anything is good or bad?You’re interested in my argument? Really? Hmmm. I’m not feeling it.I think making healthy choices is actually quite simple: It’s a _Whole_ food plant based diet. Whole food fats like nuts, seeds, and avocado are packed full of nutrients, fiber. Oils, even cold pressed, are a different story. They are 100% extracted fat with relatively little to no nutritional content. It takes over 400 olives to make 1 jar of olive oil — we should call it what it is…olive juice. Cold pressed, virgin, organic or whatever…it’s definitely not a health food. I think that’s what we mean when we say olive oil is empty calories. To quote Dean Ornish: “It’s 100% fat and 14% of it is saturated. At 120 calories a tablespoon it’s very easy to eat too much of “a bad thing”. It won’t raise your LDL as much as butter or other saturated fats will, so it might look like it’s reducing your cholesterol, but it’s still raising it. It’s just not raising it as much other fats would! It’s the omega-3’s that reduce inflammation and are “heart healthy”, and olive oil has very little omega-3, maybe 1%. It’s mostly omega-9, which has been shown to impair blood vessel function. “I agree with you completely.For me, problems arise when someone takes that information and says “olive oil is bad”…or empty or whatever. Eating olives is certainly the healthier choice, but olive oil is arguably healthier than palm oil or butterfat or beef tallow.Olive oil has more nutrients than many foods Americans consume, and when someone substitutes olive oil for one of them their health will likely benefit. So, “bad” is an absolute that only makes sense in context, which means it’s relative, which means it’s not helpful for most people. Besides, olive oil has polyphenols and phytosterols and vitamin E & K, and that’s not “empty”.Say we should cut down on processed oils in order to limit our saturated fat and overall fat intake and replace those fats with whole, unprocessed foods for greater health, and I’m all in.Someone with some common sense, I love it! Cheers.Wrong Wrong and again Wrong. But then again you are quoting Ornish and he and Essylstein only had it part right. If you use it as intended, in salads and not heated up so it does not oxidize, your are fine! There are is high and low density LDL, and the dense LDL is the bad guy that comes from heated or oxidized oils and transfats etc, the large fluffy LDL is NOT an issue and is helpful and needed by the body. So cook with organic hard pressed olive oil, no way. Put it in your salad or as a marinate, all day long! It has a higher ration of Omega 3 to Omega 6 ration true, but Omega 6 is only bad in fast food or heated forms!! If you are eating right, and all organic you will have a hard time even getting Omega 6 in your diet!! Hope this helps.So sugar is “bad” and its calories “empty”? How about for the ultramarathon runner at mile 85 who needs to replace glycogen stores quickly?“everyone knows” is not an argument. in fact, it’s a caution sign that there probably is no real argument.Life is complicated and binaries can be destructive…as I said in the post that you glossed over in favor of defending a binary.Wrong Wrong Wrong…. uncooked organic pressed virgin olive oil is ‘outstanding’ for you, do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Of course, moderation with everything, two tsp in your salad with balsamic vinaigrette, no problem. All the salt talk is over rated, if you have no issues with salt use it sparingly and make sure it is pink Himalayan salt only, that salt is not contaminated like basin salts. Enjoy your good quality oils not heated up, and a little Himalayan salt is A OK>I hear ya… Olive oil is a confusing issue. I can’t help but think about the good Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn yelling at his audience “NO OIL!!!”. =) Effective I must say because to this day whenever I think about using olive oil I hear Dr. E in the back of my mind saying… “don’t you dare drown your food in that muck!” hahahaha.Here ~~~~> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_o4YBQPKtQVeggie Eric: I so agree! That talk was so dang effective. I’ve seen lots of people mention that scene/talk, and it is something that stuck with me too. It’s not just a clear statement, “No oil”, but the passion with which it is spoken and then backed up with the science is something that goes deep into the brain.I admire all the plant-based docs (Michael “Until Now” Greger, Caldwell “No Oil!” Esselstyn, John “Starchivore” McDougall, Neal Barnard, Joel “Nutrient Density” Fuhrman (don’t think he’s 100% PB), Michael Klaper, William Harris, etc.) and their message. They are all characters in their own right.Ohh that makes me laugh so hard, Michael “Until Now” Greger. Truth! I love it. His videos are so fantastic.Lol—My favorite part. When you hear that you know the rubber is about to hit the road.Jeez, I forgot Dean Ornish!Esselstyn, while I admire his push for plant based nutrition, is an idiot when it comes to holistic health. Him and Ornish I think got together for coffee one day and decided to use flawed study data (the china study) to prove there case, just Like Keys screwed everyone up with his 7 country study and started the ‘fat and cholesterol, meet is bad’ fad in the 50’s that has gripped america thru today. Kick him out of your mind, he is ‘old’ no pun intended, news.It has been recommended that coconut oil be considered healthy even though high saturated fat.It has been recommended that ppl melt a stick of butter in their morning coffee, too. But that doesn’t make it healthy.When I want coconut oil, I eat coconut.“It has been recommended that ppl melt a stick of butter in their morning coffee, too.” yeesh, I can’t imagine how crappy I would feel after that! What a horrible way to start the day. It boggles the mind that people could honestly find the sensations associated with stimulant+decreased blood flow pleasant or energizing.This is due to the high proportion of medium-chain triglycerides by comparison to other saturated fat sources. As Dr. Greger has covered elsewhere, coconut oil has still been demonstrated to raise cholesterol. When proponents tout its heart healthy qualities, they are speaking only in comparison to other sources of saturated fat, such as butter, which indeed have a more pronounced impact on cholesterol levels. Although the extra virgin form of coconut oil (as opposed to the more heavily processed forms) may impart some additional benefits via phytonutrients, overall it is not heart healthy.Jeff Novick article on Coconut Oil http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Articles/Entries/2008/4/10_Marketing_Junk_Food__Dont_Go_Cuckoo_Over_Coconut_Oil.htmlTruth! Just think about the notion of “superfoods.” How could any heavily processed extraction from a whole food be considered a superfood?? It’s pure marketing magic. Everyday superfoods are simply whole vegetables, leafy greens, berries, etc.it’s a misleading article!http://www.bioriginal.com/page-articles/the-science-behind-coconut-oil/Studies show that MCTs are easily digested and rapidly absorbed into the blood stream from the GI tract upon consumption, and are efficiently utilized by the body for energy production, improving performance of athletes.ReferencesNutr Hosp. 2012 Jan-Feb;27(1):103-8. doi: 10.1590/S0212-16112012000100011. Influence of the dietary intake of medium chain triglycerides on body composition, energy expenditure and satiety: a systematic review. Rego Costa AC, Rosado EL, Soares-Mota M. Instituto de Nutrição Josué de Castro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.Eur J Nutr. 2013 Sep;52(6):1579-85. doi: 10.1007/s00394-012-0463-9. Epub 2012 Nov 20. Combined medium-chain triglyceride and chilli feeding increases diet-induced thermogenesis in normal-weight humans. Clegg ME, Golsorkhi M, Henry CJ. Functional Food Centre, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK.also, coconut oil has many of the same qualities as breast milk, namely lauric acid. “A healthy diet contains mixtures of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The unique composition of human breast milk contains about 45 to 50 % saturated fat, about 35% unsaturated and 15-20%polyunsaturated. Lauric acid and capric acid comprise about 20% of total saturated fatty acids found in breast milk. Lauric and capric acid have potent antiviral, antibacterial, and parasiticidal (kills parasites) properties that support the immune system. These fatty acids offer the nursing infant protection from illnesses, viruses such as herpes and HIV, protozoa such as giardia lamblia, and bacteria such as chlamydia and heliocobater.Coconut oil is high in saturated fat (but not cholesterol since it is from a plant) containing about 50% lauric acid. Other components of coconut oil include capric acid, caprylic acid, tocopherols and tocotrienols. (Vitamin E lipids that act as potent anti-oxidants that can help maintain healthy cell structure and function). A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that lactating mothers who eat coconut oil and other coconut products, have significantly increased levels of lauric acid and capric acid in their breast milk, creating milk rich in health promoting nutrients. Coconut oil is easy for an infant’s immature digestive system to absorb and utilize. It also provides energy in the form of medium chain fatty acids to help the baby grow and develop properly.”http://birthtouch.com/2014/08/coconut-oil-breastmilk-and-lauric-acid/Not recommending this, but it’s the esteemed Walter Willett at the Harvard School of Public Health who pushes olive oil.Don’t have the reference handy, but in at least one of his papers, he claimed Italy had less CVD than Japan, and thus it was better to swap saturated fat for “healthy oils” instead of carbohydrate.Below is the Harvard food pyramid and newer healthy eating plate. I believe the pyramid had oil at 40%!!!Jeff Novick on the Mediterranean diet is a weight gaionerhttps://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2013nl/mar/med.htmNovick – Olive Oil is Not a Healtj Foodhttp://www.wholefoodplantbasedrd.com/2013/08/oils-not-well-with-oil-even-olive-oil/Dr. John McDougallhttps://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2013other/news/oil.htmDr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr.http://www.dresselstyn.com/spanish_study.htmThat’s interesting about Italy and Japan… For me personally, I still resonate back to what Dr E said about the Blankenhorn (sp?) study where both groups showed the same level or disease progression after a year, regardless of weather they ate SatFat or Mono(olive oil) even though the HDL/LDL ratiios were better in the mono group, didn’t matter…still the same disease progression.Mediterranean diet is ok Eric… you are right about cooking with oils, limit that to coconut oil only because it is a medium chain oil, most all other oils will oxidize when heated and oxidation is the enemy, not the fats. And you have to go organic with everything, the real horror not widely being published yet is the effect of Glyphosate, the active chemical in round up that is sprayed on 90% of the US GMO crops, so anything you eat that is not organic and cooked by you, well …. down yourself some poison. And sadly that is most every american daily. Get rid of Glyphosate and Statins and you could cure alot of diseases.Dr. Greger, I’d love to see an article on “natural flavors”. Even though I try not to buy much food with a long list of ingredients, it is listed in even simple items like tea bags – even Zinger tea! Thank you for your work – I hardly even have breakfast without Nutrition Facts!Careful about “natural flavor” it could be castoreum which extracted from the anal glands of beavers; yuck!Natural flavors can include MSG and probably does.The score card at 2:19 gives more points for eating fruits, vegetables, legumes and cereals and it lowers one’s score for consuming meat and dairy; all good so far. However, fish consumption is also awarded more points as is regular use of olive oil and frequent use of alcohol. And I see no mention of nuts and seeds. This seems to imply that fish, olive oil and some alcohol usage is healthy, which seems not to be the case from previous videos. So, on these points, I think most for Dr. Greger’s regular readers would disagree with the Mediterranean diet.I wonder if there’re any studies that compare the general health and life span of those who eat a traditional Mediterranean diet to those of whole-food vegans? In other words, is there an advantage to occasional inclusion of high-quality animal products in the diet?Why the assumption of a possible advantage? In other words, why would you not expect whole food vegans to do even better than the traditional Med diet, given everything we know about both animal products and whole plant foods at the epidemiological, clinical, and in vitro levels? Do you think occasional consumption of foods with inflammatory/carcinogenic/etc qualities would confer some benefit? If so, why?b00mer: What I think doesn’t matter. What does is what people experience. I personally know people who consume animal products, in moderation, who are very healthy. The relationship between human health and nutrition is too complex to be reduced to a simple equationI wholeheartedly agree that evidence trumps theory. I was merely commenting on the apparent assumption in your first comment that in a study of Mediterranean vs whole foods vegan, Mediterranean would be superior. My questions were trying to get at the thought process behind the assumption, not the question of wfpb vs med itself.No vegan nations exist, but you may find this chart informative:http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/world-life-expectancy-mapThanks Dr. G for another interesting and informative report. How is that so many keep missing the mark, when so much evidence for herbetarianism (that’s my new label, because I’m not a Vegan per se) is right there? Herbetarian food tastes so much better than all the things I used to think were vital and tasty and all that. I’m so perplexed.What is your opinion and thoughts about the fact that Dr. Ancel Keys examined 22 countries for the correlation between fatcholesterol consumption and heart-disease ,but in the end excluded the 15 that did not show such corrrelation?Pan: That one is easy. Plant Positive addresses this point in detail in a couple of his videos. Here is one of them: http://plantpositive.com/4-the-journalist-gary-taubes-4If understanding cholesterol and heart disease is interesting to you, I recommend taking a look at more of Plant Positives videos, as well as more videos on this site.ThanksAdditional points on that supposed missing countries data, from a moderate low-carber committed to scientific and historical accuracy:Ancel Keys ~ It’s Time to Appreciate a Real Researcher …http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2015/02/ancel-keys-its-time-to-appreciate-real.html?m=1Spoiler alert: The missing info didn’t exist at the time Keys allegedly ignored it.As far as i am concerned the Weston Price foundation is a scam. I often wonder if they are not funded by the meat and dairy industry !!There is also a very interesting post here discussing the appalling lies about Keys included in works by Taubes, Teicholz and their ilk. https://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/tag/hilleboe/Thanks, Tom. I’ve posted Seth’s blog here several times, and Doc G has commented there. He’s now been cited by Marion Nestle’s blog on her own blog.It’s a truly sad state of affairs when independent bloggers are doing better fact checking then bona fide news organizations.Hi Dr Greger, I definitely think the ‘real’ mediterranean diet is good for having good health. And it’s an option for those looking for stop eating too much meat and processed foods. I also think that the problem with people trying to follow a vegetarian diet is the lack of information in regards to what they will actually need to eat in order to have good health. Meaning they may be missing vital minerals and vitamins their bodies are somewhat not deficient in. Let’s say, how does a young boy or girl become a vegetarian? when there is a high risk he/she just doesn’t know how to do it right. It seems to me it may turn out to be an exact science for many.David: I disagree with your assumption that getting it “right”, especially for children, is difficult/may be an exact science. Here are some pages that show just how easy it can be: http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/pplate/power-plate http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/And here is a NutritionFacts video showing that your typical omnivore is more likely to be deficient in nutrients than your typical omnivore. What this means is that the people who need a warning about their diets and “…what they will actually need to eat in order to have good health” are more likely to be the omnivores. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/Here is a great site for addressing nutrition in children specifically. It’s just not that hard to find: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htm http://www.vrg.org/family/kidsindex.htmI bring this to your attention, because I think it is a very important point A lot of people are like you in that they think that there is something scary or difficult about changing to a whole plant food based diet. I used to think the same thing. But in truth, eating the way Dr. Greger and PCRM recommends is easy for anyone to understand and doesn’t require any extra complication than any thought-out diet would.Hi Thea, I would agree with you if there was the case that people had it easy for eating right in the first place (let’s say, conventionally). In fact, they don’t. Grown ups. Most people do not have it clear about macro or micronutrients, now imagine having them get the right nutrient ratios with ‘only’ a plant based diet. I’m not saying it is not possible. It certainly is. But it is certainly not easy as well. That’s why a good way to start, at least, is going for a ‘real’ mediterranean diet approach. Hope I make more sense to you now.David: I still think you have an inaccurate picture of the difficulty of getting the right nutrient ratios with a plant based diet. Did you check out this page?: http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/pplate/power-plate It’s terribly easy to load up your plate or day with 1/4 legumes, 1/4 whole grains, 1/4 fruits and 1/4 veggies. I would agree with Dr. Greger that a side of 1-2 ounces of nuts and seeds is in order. And viola! You have the right set of macro and micro nutrients. It’s super-easy.What is it about the “real” (I’m glad you put emphasis on the word “real” as I think that most people do not understand what the diet is supposed to be) mediterranean diet approach that you think is easier to understand or implement correctly than the whole plant food based diet?Thea: I have checked the website before and usually read it. And I still believe it is not easy to change from a wrong ‘conventional’ diet to a plant based diet. Because of that, the mediterranean diet is not necessarily easier to understand but easier to follow. And probably it’s a good starting point for those aiming to change their diet to a plant based diet, or just to improve their health. On the other hand, being a nutrition coach myself, the biggest issue and challenge is having people change their processed food eating habits and the wrong ‘emotional’ relationship they have with food. At the end, we focus so much on the foods we eat or the ones we ‘must’ eat and we forget the ‘who’ is eating and why. Eating right is not so technical after all.David: Your latest post makes more sense to me. re: “… the mediterranean diet is not necessarily easier to understand but easier to follow.” I presume by “easier to follow” you mean from a psychological perspective. I think that statement is very arguable, but I can see why you/someone would take that stance. It’s reasonable/logical.I don’t think this is the same argument you started with by mentioning a worry about nutrient ratios and plant based eating being an exact science. But I understand where you ended up. Thanks for your clarification.Thea: I didn’t want to start an argument but express my point of view. It ‘seems’ an exact science for many but I know it is not. I do not like telling people they are wrong or right. I like to speak from my own experiences and training with myself and others. The MD is easier to follow not only from a psychological perspective (it is) but also from a physiological perspective. Again, not saying a plant based diet is wrong. If we want to help people improve their health, the MD is a good strategy and hope next videos show it is. It was nice talking to you. I will be more active in these forums and hope we can chat some more on other topics (or on this one!) soon,If we learn from the video that a “real” mediterranean diet is in reality a 93% plant based diet, I don’t understand either where exactly the perceived difficulty lies. Is a plant based diet + a few servings of meat/dairy per week really that different from… a plant based diet?Hi. The MD includes moderate to high consumption of fish and other seafoods as well as low consumption of meat and diary. It includes olive oil. Fats are important in the MD. So, calorically there is no way only 7% of total calories come from that. So it is probably around 50/50.“[…] foods of animal origin (e.g. meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products) made up only 7% of energy in the Cretan diet.” Did you not watch the video or do you disagree with the Nestle figure? Did you find your 50/50 figure in the literature or is it a guess based on personal opinion?I would not agree with the numbers in the study only guided by common sense (for what I stated in my first reply) but I also need to disagree based on my own experience of following a mediterranean diet, studying about it and knowing other people who follow it. It’s not good to guess when talking about good nutrition. I did say ‘probably around’ so it’s not a fix number, depends on each person but it’s close. In my case, fats accounts for about 20% and Protein about 25%. Hope it’s clearer now.Since the main point of the video is that the real Medi diet is different from what many people who follow it consider it to be, I assumed we were both referencing the actual diet. What you or your friends eat does not have any bearing on what the historical Medi diet (with accompanying health benefits) actually was.So if we are to discuss the real Medi diet according to research, it was almost entirely plant based, with 7% of calories coming from animal products, and a few tablespoons of oil per day. I agree that addition of a few tbsp of oil will change macronutrient ratios drastically, so the historical Medi diet is not a low fat plant based diet.However the original premise of this conversation was that it is more difficult to eat a plant based diet than a Mediterranean diet.The question remains, is a [whole foods] plant based diet really that much more difficult than a plant based diet [plus 3 tbsp oil per day and a few servings of animal products per week]? In practical terms, the difference is a basically a matter of cooking techniques and condiments.In nutritional terms, whole plant foods rank highest in nutrient density, while animal products and oils are at the bottom of the list. Substituting additional whole plant foods for oils will increase micronutrient intake. Substituting additional whole plant foods for animal products will increase intake of most vitamins and minerals, with a few exceptions. However if all of the calories of the diet are consumed through whole plant foods, 100% RDA can be achieved for every micronutrient with the exception of vitamin B12 (with supplementation necessary for everyone over 50) and vitamin D (a matter of latitude and season more so than diet). So it still is not clear where the perceived difficulty is. I can understand if it’s a psychological difficulty in that one just really enjoys oils and animal products and doesn’t want to give them up, but the difficulty in execution or nutritional adequacy is still not apparent.I forgot saying again that fats, coming from all sources, usually account for 35-40% of all calories in a mediterranean diet. I have read that study and I’m pretty sure it states some similar data.plant based YES,- but not WHOLE FOOD plant based. If it were, they wouldn’t use oil.David, I get what you are trying to say, but honestly, most people I’ve talked to or heard of think a Mediterranean diet pretty much means to eat whatever you want that’s Italian, make sure to load up on the olive oil, and have a glass of wine or two for good measure. The idea that it is a primarily plant based diet is lost on the average person entirely! Sad but true! (Jeff Novick did a great video about it!) With the possible elimination of the cholesterol warning in the new dietary guidelines on top of that, I really am concerned it will just be a disaster for all those who will see it as another green light to eat all the meat, eggs and dairy they want. Of course…I guess that may well be the intent…business as usual.Hi Charzie, hope the next videos show what the mediterranean diet is really about. Definitely not all that’s Italian! Now, olive oil is part of this diet and in spite of what Mr. Novick thinks, there is enough strong evidence and studies showing its benefits. But I also strongly believe that the most important factor in the MD is that around 50%-60% of it is whole and plant foods based. Real magic comes from that. I agree with you that the cholesterol warning should be kept, mostly because people tend to go crazy when they are green lit and not all individuals are the same (metabolically) when dealing with cholesterol. Besides, most people really don’t know how to differentiate when there is too much of a bad fat in a food or food product. Let’s see what happens.As a whole foods plant based vegan, and a former diabetic, I don’t use free oils that have been processed out of food because it is not a whole food, just empty calories devoid of it’s nutrients and a direct contributor of T2 diabetes. ..a disease most people equate with sugar. Despite being predominately vegetarian previously, (what I considered “Mediterranean”) I had to eliminate free fats and all animal products in order to get off the medications and get my glucose into the normal range, which took about 2 weeks, so it was pretty clear what got me there in the first place. A high fat meal will raise my glucose higher and longer than even sugar, so I more than proved it to myself initially. Obviously not an option for me and the escalating numbers of other T2 diabetics out there. Nobody has all the answers I’m sure, but we each need to take responsibility for our own health, in general, and muddying the message with all the conflicting opinions helps nobody. What a person *chooses* to do is her or his own business, but at least present them with the clear facts, as best as they are known, to be able to make that choice. This site and others like it giving me that info saved me a whole lot of grief, and maybe even my life.David: The book “Becoming Vegan” has one full chapter – all research based – on raising vegan children.Hi George. I’ll check on it. Love reading new books. Thanks.There’s also Carol Adam’s great book “Help, My Child Stopped Eating Meat!”Thanks for the book recommendation!You’re most welcome, David. I love all of Carol Adams’ work. ‘The Inner Art of Vegetarianism’ and its companion workbook are really wonderful.Just want to comment that I think I understand what you’re saying. When one first makes the choice to try and follow a vegetarian diet, more than likely, one is missing critical information (awareness of foods, cooking methods, utensils and overall planning) on what a healthy vegetarian diet actually looks like and that’s why the MD might be a good starting template of sorts.For me, in 2001, I just thought, “stop eating meat”. So rather than change my entire diet, I compensated by eating more pasta, bread, dairy, eggs and added frozen processed vegetarian foods. I thought by just giving up meat, I was making a great health choice and never considered delving further into nutrient needs. I rarely ate whole fruits let alone whole vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. Someone gave me a cookbook and many of the core ingredients were foreign to me. I remember opening the first can of beans I ever purchased and thinking, “this is going to be disgusting”. *sigh* And, I didn’t love them after the first try.For several years I was repeatedly sick with colds and sinus infections, gained weight and felt – blah. It wasn’t until I moved to an urban area 10 years ago and was exposed to ethnic foods that I’d never before tried and a macrobiotic food bar near my new home that it finally clicked with me that the way I was eating was inadequate, that I should approach my diet thoughtfully and put forth effort in learning what my body needs and from which foods I can obtain the nutrients.That’s conscious eating. So good you accomplished it.Dr Greger Thank you for all the invaluable information you provide. I watched a video that you did over 10 years ago and it said to avoid vegetable oils such as safflower. Is high oleic safflower oil the same and should it be avoided as well?Hi Kathryn. As a fellow seeker of knowledge, I have become very skeptical of ingesting any processed oils, especially those used as paint solvents: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-96-safflower.aspx?activeingredientid=96&activeingredientname=safflowerOn the other hand, it looks like safflower seeds may be a pretty good whole food (I mean why should our pet birds get all the good stuff?): http://skipthepie.org/nut-and-seed-products/nuts-almonds/compared-to/seeds-safflower-seed-kernels-dried/Finally, while I do use spray canola oil for my waffle iron to make otherwise healthy whole-grain waffles, I remain mindful of the fact that this stuff is still an industrial product, as is likely safflower oil as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfk2IXlZdbIhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/magazine/the-island-where-people-forget-to-die.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/10/25/a-greek-islands-secrets-to-long-life-in-11-bullet-points/ Mediterranean diet: Olive oil, goat’s milk, wild greens, wine, and coffee are all cited for health benefits. “Subjects consumed about six times as many beans a day as Americans.”http://www.bluezones.com/2014/03/ikaria-exploration-lessons/Drink some goat’s milk Adding some goat milk to your diet could provide a great source of calcium, potassium, and the stress-relieving hormone tryptophan. It’s also hypoallergenic and can usually be tolerated by people who are lactose intolerant.Eat a Mediterranean-style diet Ikarians eat a variation of the Mediterranean diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, potatoes and olive oil. Try cooking with olive oil, which contains cholesterol-lowering mono-unsaturated fats.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/15/ikaria-blue-zone_n_5990406.html Eat locally, seasonally and sparingly. The octagenarians, nonagenarians and centenarians I spoke with on Ikaria all described the eating habits of their early years — years of dire poverty, dearth and isolation — not so much in terms of what they ate but of how little they ate, because there simply wasn’t that much food.Meat was rare, for some as rare as two to three times a year on the big holidays. For others who may have had animals (mainly chickens), they could afford to slaughter a few times a month. Fish was accessible if one fished; gardens were carved into terraces along Ikaria’s steep slopes and watered sparingly.The 100-year-olds ate what they found in nature, from snails to mushrooms to wild greens, as well as what their gardens provided. There was and is still virtually no processed food on the island, except in some restaurants.It was their lifestyle more than their diet. They were physically very active, religious and fasted a lot. They probably benefitted from calorie restriction.This has been said (as I’m scrolling through the comments) but it can’t be said enough: thank you for all your work. It is your daily posts and videos that has kept me as on track as I am about eating plant-based. Occasionally hearing and learning what’s good or harmful for the body doesn’t compare to study after study supporting a whole-foods diet that you post.Jeff Novicks take on the Med diet makes me laugh – the same conclusions but with a bit more comedy…..http://youtu.be/GfBKauKVi4M?list=PLB36821E9F8765784http://youtu.be/lbALgjmZUekthere studies that after age 65 a low protein diet lower your mortality. below age 65 it increase mortalityThere is one study to my knowledge. It only demonstrates an association: there is no mechanism demonstrated that would explain such an association. Perhaps the most obvious explanation is the common observation that many people take up (low protein) vegan and vegetarian diets after they have been diagnosed with a serious and/or chronic illness. Older people are more likely to be diagnosed with a serious and/or chronic illness than people under 65. People diagnosed with a serious and/or chronic illness are more likely to experience higher mortality. The mechanisms by which animal foods adversely are however known. We also know from other studies that low carb high animal food diets adversely affect mortality whereas low carb high vegetable protein diets don’t.my own theory is base on methonine as life fuel.So if you comsume less of the fuel , u last longer.However at the end of life , the body suffer from other deficiency so u need extra fuel or more protean to patch things up.the balance point diet encourage olive oil but ban all grains.it is tested to be able to reverse your arteries age by 20 years.smith,This website teaches for free how to regain health by eating a whole foods plant based diet.No one is going to buy your $400 two week diet plan. Lay off on the spam.I have no commercial links with the company. I only wish to point out an alternative view that is plausible and science and evidence based.Then point out good evidence, together with some sign that you have processed it carefully.the basic theory and verified experimental facts are that if u eliminate grains from diet , your LDL and TRIGLYCERIDE drop to extreame levels. It is all in the book.We know protean are bad.So is high glucose. which is grain.all that is left in diet are veg and oil and nuts and fruits.which is what the balance point diet are mostly made up of.By, “together with some evidence that you have processed it carefully”, I mean something more than the ability to point to the book touting the diet. Or the ability to make raw claims about grains without any reference to scientific evidence.I mean showing that you have some detailed ideas of how scientific research is supposed to support your claims. If you believe the Balance Point Diet book is mostly correct, that’s fine, but because mere opinion is often wrong, you need to understand how that argument relates to actual scientific research. If the book was written well then it should refer to actual studies and if you read it carefully then you can present what you think to be some of the most important ones for making a point here (about grains for instance).Otherwise you give no indication that you didn’t simply read the book, accept its scientific claims uncritically, and then go online to parrot the book’s beliefs.Go troll elsewhere, the folks here are smarter than that!I noticed that people who frequently ate fish and olive oil received higher Mediterranean Diet scores. Does the evidence really support the belief that these foods add protection to that provided by grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables?Yup! People have no idea what the “Mediterranean” diet means. Thank you for clearing that up Doc!Great videos! Thanks so much, Michael! You’re not just a contributing factor but actually one of the main reasons for me becoming a vegan. :) I have one question if you got the time.. Here in sweden there is a bit of a hype about a mushroom called ‘chaga’ which is good for tea making and supposedly packed with antioxidants. Is there any way to know if this is true or not? Have you maybe heard about this? I have searched the web for scientific evidences but can’t find any..Thanks again! All the best, // DanielHi Daniel,You might be interested in perusing this site’s information on various types of mushrooms. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/They are indeed a powerhouse of nutrition, but most unprocessed edible plants/fungus are! They are undoubtedly a great addition to every diet, including a vegan one, but one should be careful when elevating one particular food above all others as a “superfood”. Plain old carrots, apples, and broccoli for example are all superfoods in their own right, and may be cheaper, more accessible, or even more enjoyable to some than something labelled as an exotic (and often expensive) miracle plant. As you’ll see with the videos on this site, different mushrooms show different health benefits so it’s probably a good idea to consume a variety, or of course, simply consume whichever one you like best and you’ll receive numerous health benefits. And of course there’s no reason to limit yourself to tea. Stir fry, stew, pizza, etc are all great ways to increase your mushroom consumption.I bought Hericium Erinaceus (Lion’s Mane Mushroom) recently after I realized my nervous system could have been under a half year long mild auto immune attack. It might help with re-myelination and nerve growth factor so I thought what the hell lets give it a try.Years ago I’ve used Cordyceps for a period, it certainly didn’t hurt me any one the contrary I’m still convinced it had some mild positive effects though I cannot be more specific or really recommend it for a specific reason. The powder is becoming less expensive nowadays so there might come a time I acquire it once more.I’d also love to know more about mushroom options, if NF has opinions to offer I’d be an eager reader.Hi Arjan, is your question in reference to the Medi diet in this video? The Nestle paper states 93% plant based by energy.The 1950s Mediterranean diet with a trace of meat sounds similar to the 1950s Okinawan diet I chose to follow, minus the cheese, wine and olive oil. I was impressed seeing all the old ladies and men tending to their small gardens with their brains still intact at 100+ yrs old. And doing group exercises. But I have a fondness for Okinawa, I was the youngest US Marine stationed there in 1974 at age 17. You’re supposed to be 18 before you go overseas. While I was there I ate a lot of shrimp fried rice with hot sauce of course.I like to keep diet and things simple like back in the good old 1950s or until something new is proven to be better. So far, good luck with that…I don’t know what the 1960s Okinawa diet was but you may be interested in this paper about the diet in 1949-50. The paper is primarily about calorie restriction but it has an interesting table (Table 1) showing the both the amounts and percentages for each foodstuff type.http://okicent.org/docs/anyas_cr_diet_2007_1114_434s.pdfTom: I’ve seen some of those figures before, but I don’t remember seeing the original study before. Thanks!Thanks Tom. I haven’t seen the full study. Took a while to read through it, but you can get some good tips on the diet. Lower calories are at 1,785 vs 2,000 average. Higher flavonoids in soy products and sweet pots. Sweet pots = 50% of calories and then some rice for grains. More antioxident rich veggies. Low glycemic index carbs. Less salt. Energy poor but nutrient dense foods, like sweet pots, veggies and beans. Fish or meat product of 2 oz per day average and maybe a tsp of oil per day. Of course there’s no need for fish or meat every day.I include a portion of sweet pots a day in my meals and beans in 2 meals with raw and cooked veggies and some fruit.GaryS: re: “I was impressed seeing all the old ladies and men tending to their small gardens with their brains still intact at 100+ yrs old.” Cool to hear a first hand account of this. Thanks for sharing!Table 3 in Trichopoulou et al 2003. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and survival in a Greek population is fascinating. While only fruit & nut intake and MUFA/SFA ratio were statistically significant, it does offer some insight as to which factors are likely important: increment g/day mortality HR Fruits and nuts 200 0.82 (0.70–0.96) Vegetables 230 0.88 (0.74–1.04) Legumes 5 0.92 (0.83–1.03) Cereals 60 0.95 (0.83–1.08) Olive oil 20 0.96 (0.83–1.10) MUFAs 15 0.98 (0.84–1.15) Nonalcoholic bev. 220 1.00 (0.85–1.17) PUFAs 5 1.00 (0.92–1.08) Sweets 15 1.01 (0.90–1.13) Fish 15 1.02 (0.92–1.12) SFAs 10 1.05 (0.89–1.23) Meat 50 1.06 (0.93–1.22) Potatoes 50 1.07 (0.95–1.21) Eggs 10 1.07 (0.98–1.17) Dairy products 140 1.11 (0.98–1.26)A larger or longer study would have been welcome to tighten up confidence intervals, but mainstays like olive oil, fish, and feta cheese don’t appear protective. The benefit is all from the fruits and nuts, and very likely vegetables and legumes.Eat simply for health. Whole plant foods are the way to go. Thanks for the clear, concise info. ;)For the benefit of the no-oil devotees I have a tale to tell. I managed to get the oils and fats out of my diet for a time, say a few weeks. I was experiencing arthritic like pains in my joints–I am 72 years old. While driving down a street I spotted a sign offering 2 Jack-In-the-Box tacos, dripping with fat, for 99 cents. As if by magnetic force I was drawn to the drive-through window. I consumed both tacos by the end of the driveway. I hadn’t gone two blocks before the pains abated, as if by magic. Now I do use olive oil, frequently but sparingly, along with two or three fish and/or krill oil softgel capsules, for Omega-3’s to balance the Omega 6’s in the olive oil, and all’s well.I’ve been veg for awhile now and at 45, have never felt better. What I think the Okinawan, Mediterranean and the Ornish and Esselstyn patients have taught us is clear: taking out mammal meats, dairy and processed foods and replacing them with whole plant foods: legumes, veggies, whole grains and fruits brings the best health known to date. If 100 percent vegan, be sure to have Omega-3 sources: flax, walnut, tempeh, cooked cauliflower etc… I have experimented and found, for me a lower fat version of Med diet with influence of Okinawans: tempeh, cruciferous veggies, turmeric and a little sardine fish as condiment 1-2 per month work best for me.Again, another info based off false pretenses and to even mention Keyes in any video is a joke, he hand picked 7 countries that fit his hypothesis and thru out the rest. If your worried about Iron in the blood, thick blood, etc then worry about Heme or Non-Heme Iron, it has little to do with disease especially cardiovascular disease. The Paradigm of how heart disease is caused (LDL and clogged arteries) is another falsehood to help Big Pharma make more money. And Keyes started this entire process and underhandedly has brought down America. Most illnesses today are simply due to inflammation, or a state of acidosis, not LDL or Iron! That is like saying the fireman at the fire caused it, when we all know he is only there to put out the flames … LDL same thing. Want to know more about the real cause of heart disease, go to http://heartattacknew.com and learn about lactic acid, how Quabain, not available here in the USA, turns lactic acid into pyruvate, and how the autonomic nervous system is responsible for most heart issues if not all. Quabain duplicates the normal hormone int he human body responsible for squelching this inflammation… and guess what is needed to produce this in the adrenal glands?? You guessed it, CHOLESTEROL. Learn more at that link provided, Dr. Sroka and this info should be mandatory reading for all cardiologist. Good Health.	Ancel Keys,animal fat,animal products,beans,brain health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,chronic diseases,cognition,cruciferous vegetables,dairy,depression,diabetes,fruit,grains,Greece,greens,heart disease,heme iron,inflammation,iron,meat,Mediterranean diet,mental health,mortality,nuts,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,soy,standard American diet,stroke,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	What was it about the diet on the Greek isle of Crete in the 1950s that made it so healthy?	This is the first of a 6-part video series on the Mediterranean diet. Normally I’d split these up so it’s not day after day of the same topic, but I figure there is enough general interest in the subject that it was worth the Mediterranean marathon. The next five are:I’ve mentioned the Mediterranean diet before, but never in this depth:More information on heme iron: Risk Associated With Iron Supplements.More information on magnesium in How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death? and Mineral of the Year—Magnesium.And more on polyphenols in videos like How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years and Juicing Removes More Than Just Fiber.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greece/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ancel-keys/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24401818,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24476641,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24787907,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7754981,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7754982,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24188615,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24931280,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24886552,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24259558,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24238655,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3684452/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23720230,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8546344,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3776973,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23102775,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21392646,
PLAIN-2479	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/	Stool pH and Colon Cancer	More than 30 years ago, an idea was put forward that high colonic pH promoted colorectal cancer. A high colonic pH may promote the creation of carcinogens from bile acids, a process that is inhibited once you get below a pH of about 6.5. This is supported by data like this, showing those at higher risk for colon cancer may have a higher stool pH, and those at lower risk, a low pH. There was a dramatic difference between the two groups, with most of the high risk group over 8, and most of the low risk group under 6.This may help explain the 50-fold lower rates of colon cancer in Africa compared to America. The bacteria we have in our gut depends on what we eat. If we eat lots of fiber then we preferentially feed the fiber eating bacteria, which give us back all sorts of health promoting substances like short-chain fatty acids that have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. More of these organic acids were found in the stools of native Africans than African Americans. More acids, so lower pH. Whereas putrefactive bacteria eating animal protein are able to increase stool pH by producing alkaline metabolites like ammonia.The pH of the stools of white versus black children in Africa was compared. Children, because you can more readily sample their stools, particularly the rural black schoolchildren who were eating such high fiber diets—whole grains, legumes, nuts, vegetables, fruits and wild greens—9 out of 10 could produce a stool on demand. Stuffed from head to tail with plants they could give you a stool sample at any time, as easy as getting a urine sample. Hard to even get access to the white kids, though, who were reluctant to participate in such investigations, even though they were given waxed cartons fitted with lids, and all the black kids got was a plate, and a square of paper towel.What’d they find? Significantly lower fecal pH in those eating the traditional rural plant-based diets, compared to those eating the traditional western diet, who were eating far fewer whole plant foods than the black children. But remove some of those whole plant foods, like switch their corn for white bread for just a few days, and their stool pH goes up, and add whole plant foods like an extra 5 to 7 servings of fruit every day, and their stool pH goes down even further, gets more acidic. Makes sense, right? What happens when you ferment plants, fruits/veggies/grains, they turn sour, like vinegars, sauerkraut, sourdough, because good bacteria like lactobacillus produce organic acids like lactic acid. And those who eat a lot of plants have more of those good bugs. So using the purple cabbage test, we want blue pee, but pink poo.No surprise, then, if you compare the fecal samples of those eating vegetarian or vegan, to those eating standard diets, plant-based diets appear to shift the makeup of the bacteria in our gut, resulting in a significantly lower stool pH, and the more plant-based the lower the pH dropped. It’s like a positive feedback loop. Fiber-eating bacteria produce the acids to create the pH at which fiber-eating bacteria thrive while suppressing the group of less beneficial bugs.How long does it take to bring stool pH down on a plant-based diet? As little as two weeks. A dozen volunteers carefully selected for their trustworthiness, and randomized to sequentially go on regular, vegetarian, or vegan diets and two weeks in, a significant drop in fecal pH was achieved eating completely plant-based.But there are plant-based diets and then there are plant-based diets. Remember these two groups? Dramatically different stool pH yet both groups were vegetarian, but the high risk group was eating mostly refined grains, very little fiber, whereas the low risk group was eating whole grains and beans, packed with fiber for our fiber-friendly flora to munch on.Just as a reduction of high serum cholesterol contributes to the avoidance of coronary heart disease, so a fall in the fecal pH value may contribute to the avoidance of bowel cancer, and through the same means, eating more whole plant foods.	So if most drug absorption studies are performed on people who have alkaline poo and acidic pee, does these have an affect on vegans taking pharmaceuticals whose absorption and secretion is dependent on pH?That’s a very good question and I don’t think anyone has every looked into this potential since vegans represent a relatively small portion of the population. 60 Minutes ran a piece last year that looked at how some drug studies are only performed on men since women have “pesky hormones” that interfere with how the drugs react in the body. I would say it’s possible that the drugs react differently in vegans as well.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0DBnzLML4cDamn!!! It was a little unsettling that the start of your video make me think of a certain basic instinct scene. I need to get out more…….Wow, vive la différence! That is a fascinating story. Allopathic medicine is in the business of developing and delivering substances and procedures to treat symptoms as one would fight a war, head on, guns a-blazing where disease is the enemy and the patient is all to often the casualty.We have certainly come a long way from let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.Assuming drug companies performed such studies, they would likely suppress any negative findings:http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_what_doctors_don_t_know_about_the_drugs_they_prescribeVery interesting, I had no idea PH played such a major roll in colon health. Looks like beans & greens for the win again!Question on the Swank diet. I went back to very low fat 4 days back (<15%, 5-6gr sat.) , and I seem to experience quite bad disruption in BP and maybe sugar homeostasis. I feel faint, dizzy and brain-fogged like hell, like a very bad hangover but without the stomach upset and headache. Anyone have experience with this and how long this phase might persist? Would be great to know so I can plan around it.Sounds a bit like hypoglycaemia to me. If you have reactive hypoglycaemia you need some fats in each meal as it slows absorption of carbohydrates. Maybe you increased carbs too ?Swank diet is low saturated fats but still supposed to have unsaturated fats.I would prefer my stress hormones tone down instead of slowing my absorption rate by adding fat. I’ve observed a noticeable change in hue of some tissues (nails/tongue/gums) more towards pink, which is a really good sign. Those effects will be body wide so there are bound to be a few re-balancing issues. For now I’m not to worried about a few days of brain fog yet, I would be comforting to know though that this overshoot will re-adjust itself if given a little time. Stress and a history of it appears highly involved in autoimmune disease, so the situation and question shouldn’t be a unusual one.try cranberry to balance the hormones and some cleansing type foods like ice berg lettuce, romaine lettuce, spagetti squash. perhaps the nut butters will give you good assess to the fats that you are eatingSo I have read some information about colonoscopies. Dr. MCDougal infers that https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2010nl/aug/colon.pdf that sigmoidoscope exam is a much safer exam procedure vs most colonoscopiesjob minus the prep, mess, expence, and dangers of a perforated colon and possible issues with Anaesthesia. Additional I would assume risk factors decreased eating a Vegan lifestyle and further decreased consuming a balanced organic diet.Absolutely!Gary Brown: I can’t thank you enough for your link to that Dr. McDougall article! I’m a few years off from having to make that decision myself, but I’ve been starting to think about it. After reading information about mammography that I got from Dr. McDougall (from the Cochrane fondation), I have to wonder how many other tests are a bad idea. The article you linked to above was extremely helpful not only for helping me make my own decisions, but for giving me something I can share with my loved ones. Thanks!What if i drank a tablespoon of vinegar with every meal?What if you ate more fiber rich whole food forms of fruits, grains and vegetables?This is linear thinking that assumes that your alimentary canal is as inert as a garden hose and the acid in vinegar would pass unchanged through the stomach and small intestine to acidity the large bowl. As professor Campbell has pointed out, we need more whole-istic thinking and focus on whole foods and even more on whole diets and less reductionist thinking on single ingredients or worse single nutrients.I so agree with this statement.“we need more whole-istic thinking and focus on whole foods and even more on whole diets and less reductionist thinking on single ingredients or worse single nutrients.”How does all this relate to the “alkalize or die” stuff we’ve previously been hearing for years at places like alkalizingnutrition.com ? Is this another one of these 180-degree reversals that keep happening in the popular nutrition press?Bruce, we need both, alkaline blood and acid poo. And as the video points out, the exact same diet does both! Once again strong compelling evidence that evolution has set us up to eat plant and avoid animal foods.The same food is the perfect solution for all the ideals: whole plant foods cause more alkaline urine and more acidic stools. It’s not a 180, it’s the same message. Whole plant foods are an alkaline diet. And the fiber in the alkaline diet, as stated in the video, has the fiber to make the fermented results in the stools more acidic, as is desirable.Please see here for Dr. Gregers take on alkalinity in food http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/and in water http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/I just read interesting article of women in france eat 3 eggs a day live to 115 and she say that is the secret of her longevity.Looking at individual cases can be highly misleading. You have to look at populations of centenarian’s diets to get a more accurate representation of the diet for the “secret of longevity”. For example, Japan a huge population of centenarian’s and they eat a mostly plant based diet.And how does she know that it’s the 3 eggs a day?There are those that smoke cigarettes there whole life and live a very long time. This in itself is not evidence that cigarettes promote longevity. Please see here for more on eggs http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=eggs“—9 out of 10 could produce a stool on demand. Stuffed from head to tail with plants they could give you a stool sample at any time, as easy as getting a urine sample.”They’re loose cannons, is that what you’re saying? They could explode at any moment? Eeeeww. ;-)As Dr. Greger jokingly says in one of his annual speeches, “Vegans are just regular people.” Even before I began my study of nutrition it was a no-brainer that regular elimination is far healthier than “holding” it in for days.Excellent video, thank you!WOW!!Here’s an apparent argument for not taking baking soda or any alkalizing substances or supplements into your food or gut!!Here is an apparent argument for not taking anything that claims to alkalize your system!! – as so many people who are into healthy eating do every day.Now I can see a possible explanation for why so many people who have been eating healthy for years still develop bowel cancer?jmWatch the video again. That is not the message, as is stated in several of the preceding comments.I realized what you’re saying when I posted. I saw the preceding comments.However, we will just have to disagree on the interpretation of the science. My comment stands, at least for me.Your original comment does not make any cogent points on the interpretation of the science with which to agree or disagree:“Here is an apparent argument for not taking anything that claims to alkalize your system!!”What system? We are talking about the colon and stool samples here. There are other bodily systems. The body is not one big “system” with one single desirable pH.“[…] as so many people who are into healthy eating do every day.”If we agree to define the “system” in this case as the colon/stool, then no, people who eat healthy are not creating an alkaline environment in the colon. Though again, you include no indication of what “healthy” is – is this standard american “healthy” e.g. chicken, fish, greek yogurt and limited starches?If we define a healthy diet as a diet rich in high fiber plant foods, this leads to increased acidity in the colon, whether pseudoscientific health gurus out there want to believe it or not. This is not a point up for varied interpretation.“so many people who have been eating healthy for years still develop bowel cancer”Again, who qualifies as healthy, and where exactly is this population of healthy eaters who are developing bowel cancer at some significant rate? All the research points to those eating a high fiber plant based diet as having lower risk of colon cancer. Of course, even if eating such a diet could reduce your chances by 99%, there will still be some who eat healthy and get colon cancer. However using that as a line of reasoning to question the results is like questioning the impact of smoking on lung cancer since there are still people who get lung cancer who don’t smoke. It’s not a productive or sensible line of reasoning.We’ll just have to agree to disagree.Many viewing the video will agree with my thoughts. No amount of the above circumlocution or degreed names will weaken their take of common sense.Peace.My entire post was based on requests for you to be more specific in regards to your own quoted statements, and yet you characterize my post as vague? Rovian projection at its finest here. There is no conversation if you don’t make clear, specific statements, and don’t respond to requests for clarification. It’s a shame we couldn’t actually discuss anything of substance, maybe next time.I love it when you talk about colon health!Groupy spotted! :)Stop taking drugs made by big Pharma! Stop drinking Homogenized milk! The animal protein gets squeezed down to nanoparticle size and absorbed into the blood stream in excess and causes inflammation which clogs the arteries.Stop imagining that non-homogenized milk is magically better in all crucial ways. Stop supposing that all drugs patented by large corporations are bad in all circumstances.Reading these non-stop pseudo-psycho-sociopathic comments is beyond my tolerance. Was it Clemens who said, “It is wrong to teach a pig to sing, it wastes your time and annoys the pig.” Cripes is there anything so ignorant as the north american peasant? I know this will get me booted off. I hope my rancor rattles just one person into learning to practice critical thinking and onto a path to some self reflection… as I hold my breath…good bye my NF friends. Coacervate, the primitive pre-biotic life form has pupated. I’ve turned into a large and noticeably clumsy beetle, living under the couch on rotting food scraps. (Hear this next bit in the voice of Inpector Clouseau: ” He who don’t know nothing must know something, eh?” Live long and proliferate!I am GregorYou are either at the end on your enlightened phase already sensing the darkness coming or you already find yourself in it. Either way I hope you can find the strength to fight it once more.If you haven’t tried something like my egg timer method before, consider trying it for a few weeks, it is not perfect but it has helped me. Every 20 – 30 min kick yourself in the butt and a quick 10 exercise repetitions that involve most of your body, to reactivate yourself. It is a grueling tour de force but re-enlightenment is worth fighting for.This uneducated fool hopes to see more of you after your battle is done, may the life force be with you!Coacervate I doubt this comment will get you kicked off. Thank goodness because I enjoy your comments and humor. We can only hope that as people are exposed to the science they start to understand how to think critically. I run into this all the time as people send me info on new supplements. Should I take this? I say, “just eat your veggies.”Samuel also had a few other things to say, and since you seem to appreciate his intellect:“Likewise tolerance and charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in our corner of the earth.”This one’s almost axiomatic to Greger’s site and philosophy of challenging ‘settled’ health beliefs – “Never let your schooling get in the way of your education!”Mark Twain (1835 – 1910)“What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other’s folly – that is the first law of nature.”Voltaire“Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.”– Mohandas K. Gandh“It is wiser to find out than suppose.”– More Maxims of Mark, Johnson, 1927What a beautiful iridescent exoskeleton! Can you still type with your little beetle tarsi? I hope you stick around. Say it with me, serenity now…http://www.anti-agingfirewalls.com/2014/06/09/glucosamine-for-longevity/The bottom line is that glucosamine supplementation lowers human mortalityGlucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate have already been shown in a large epidemiological study to lower overall mortality and reduce cancer risks – a 5-year study of 77,719 elderly residents of Washington State. We found several publications based on different analyses of data based on this population.Conclusions:For most of the supplements we examined, there was no association with total mortality. Use of glucosamine and use of chondroitin were each associated with decreased mortality.”Both of these papers were done on the same group of 77,719 people. We note that this is as great an effect as combining vegan diet and fish consumption! We find this quite surprising. Glucosamine appears to have a comparable or greater effect on mortality reduction and lifespan extension than Metformin, Rapamycin, 2DG, Veganism, and Resveratrol in nematodes and rodents.RESULTS: Persons reporting use of glucosamine + chondroitin on 4+ days/week for 3+ years had a non-statistically significant 45 % lower Colorectal Cancer risk than non-usersEpidemiological evidence exists that glucosamine and chondroitin supplementation reduces inflammatory biomarkers.Glucosamine supplementation may be protective against lung cancer.* A 2010 publication suggests that taking high doses of glucosamine or prolonged use of glucosamine reduces levels of SIRT1, leads to apoptosis of pancreatic cells and could increase the risk of developing diabetes.…* caution….study probably done with people on SAD diet and/or eating institutional food as provided in nursing homesNON-statistically significant means there is NO REAL difference. Sometimes people just die or don´t die, it´s just part of rolling the cosmic dice, so you can expect that sometimes more people die in one group doing something, than in an other doing something else, this can be predicted using statistical methods. Results are ONLY relevant, if the difference is greater than what is expected by chance. In the studies you (how are these related to the topic anyway???) cited, the researchers have no significant results, so basically what they really say is: we saw no difference if one took these suplements or not, only they do it in a way that shows that they would have wished they saw something, but they didn´t. The buttom line is save your money and the poor shellfish, sharks etc.The limitations of the current study should be considered in the interinterpretation of our results. The generalizability of our results may be limited to the extent that characteristics that modify the associations differ in the broader population compared with the VITAL cohort (44). Further, although the HRs were adjusted for many many factors associated with supplement use and mortality, confounding by unmeasured factors may be present. If this confounding was due to unmeasured healthy behaviors being more common in supplement users than nonusers, this bias would cause the HRs to be spuriously low (ie, the estimated benefitMaybe this has been overreadby the author of the page you cite.“Significantly lower fecal pH in those eating the traditional rural plant-based diets, compared to those eating the traditional western diet, who were eating far fewer whole plant foods than the black children.”Okay, here’s a “what if.” Let’s say somebody scarfed down lots of plant-based foods every day — veggies, especially — BUT, no more than 2 or 3 times a week, added a small portion of organic animal protein to a meal. In other words, the eater follows neither a strict WFPB diet nor a paleo one. Would the research results change all that much, do you think?the issue is always keeping the amount of animal protein to this level as these foods can be addictive…….It’s easier to keep your taste buds adapted to a WFPB diet. What difference it would make would be towards the alkaline for poo just like the white bread and opposite to the orangeTo be honest, I think this is what the traditional rural plant based diets are, ie plant based foods every day and the occasional small piece of meat on holidays/feast days. You’d need to look at the papers referred to in the video to see if there is a detailed food list but my understanding is that traditional rural plant based diets are not completely vegetarian. They are just very low in animal foods. The old “Sunday Roast” style of eating was similar in that basically you ate potatoes, cabbage and bread in the week but on Sundays you ate some meat and fruit if you had the money. Like Rosemary Guy says though, you’d need to make sure your portions are very small and infrequent. Even then, a regular small serving could have consequences. As the Harvard meat study found:“One daily serving of unprocessed red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) was associated with a 13% increased risk of mortality” http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/red-meat-consumption-linked-to-increased-risk-of-total-cardiovascular-and-cancer-mortality/Now this was a daily serving but but regular meat eating every 2 or 3 days will probably also have consequences.Well, all I know is I must be doing something right. I haven’t had a cold or the flu since the winter of 2000. Sure, there’s more to good heath than so-called right diet, and I could give a list of the things I do every day (for instance, avoid docs and their deadly prescription drugs), but my way certainly isn’t the highway. Everybody is different.Flexitarian I’m calling myself now because that’s how i was able to be (flex) fruitarian a few years back. Very strict 5 days, not so strict on the weekend. WORKS GREAT for me. I only quit that to get through the process of killing the nicotine addiction. But never could get started back. Now i eat beans, greens, nuts, tea, and fruit all week long, and have some “nasties” on the weekend-which makes things SO much simpler when dealing with the SAD rest of the world. That’s how I encourage folks to start eating better–one meal at a time, then a day, then a week–but you never have to feel “trapped” if you leave some “cheat” days in the schedule. Doesn’t mean you have to. More plant foods, more better-it is NOT an all or nothing proposition.Back to what was known about pH and cancer long ago : acidosis (an acidic cellular environment) is unfavourable to the development of cancer cells [1]. Nobel Prize Laureate Warburg further explained a low pH makes cancer cells unable to use sugars therefore to produce energy required for their survival.[1] Reding, Rene, L’Equilibre acide‑base et L’Equilibre ionique dans le Cancer et le Precancer. Le Cancer, No. 2, 1928, Brussels. Reviewed by Elnora C. Folkmar in Jour. Amer. Assn. for Medico‑Physical Research, October, 1928. — More recent research on acidity and apoptosis :Williams AC, Collard TJ, Paraskeva C: An acidic environment leads to p53 dependent induction of apoptosis in human adenoma and carcinoma cell lines: implications for clonal selection during colorectal carcinogenesis. Oncogene 1999, 18:3199–3204.Park HJ, Lyons JC, Ohtsubo T, Song CW: Acidic environment causes apoptosis by increasing caspase activity. Br J Cancer 1999, 80:1892–1897.Has anyone ever done a Meta-Analysis to see if GI cancers were statistically more prevalent in those using long-term antacids and or with HCL gastric deficiencies?Have you looked for one yet? I haven’t, but it rings a recent bell. If my memory is correct, it was epidemiologist Devra Davis [1] who refered to a particular pattern in digestive cancers. The pattern looked at comparable countries, and pointed out that from a country to another the distribution of digestive cancers was different but the total was similar. From that, it was hypothesized that when a part of the digestive tract doesn’t do it’s work properly, other parts overwork to compensate, and statistically develop more cancers. The hypothesis may not have been tested, but you may find in her book pointers or names of epidemiolosgists in this particular field that may be able to answer your question precisely. [1] The Secret History of the War on CancerIn this video you say, “Significantly lower fecal pH in those eating the traditional rural plant-based diets, compared to those eating the traditional western diet, who were eating far fewer whole plant foods than the black children.” I thought the lower the pH the more acidic (with “7” being neutral). I’m confused.Neal, you’re right, the stool was more acidic. I didn’t review all of the sources cited (see the button beside the video), but the few I did review correlate lower pH with more fiber in the diet and/or with lower incidence of colorectal cancer. Several of the articles are full text so you might be interested to take a look at them.Got it. Thanks. I just confused myself in my reading of the transcript.Hello,I was just googling about Vermox which was prescribed for my fiancee and me to get rid of possible parasites. I was very sceptical about this drug as I don’t like drugs at all, but what I found is a bit shocking. Accidentally I found that Vermox can be used to cure cancer. Here’s the link to the Medpub: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4096024/#!po=8.43023I’d like to know if this could be possible that Vermox can be helpful against cancer while it’s just lack of tests being done on humans. Would be great to get any advice regarding this drug, whether it can be used as additional method to treat the cancer and even more important whether it can be used as regular precaution method to keep cancer away?I trust my pee test results well enough (as well as my diet) to avoid attempting a poo test.So what about people who consume of high plant based diet as well as multiple serves of meat a day? Is the plant based component of the diet protective against rising acidity levels? Also how many grams a day are we talking about to provide some type of colon protection?What’s the risk, if any, of eating too much dietary fiber foods? (Getting too much fiber)Interesting video but it helps to dig deeper into the details. Resistant starch is getting a lot of press because it is naturally in foods like beans and legumes, underripe bananas, and cooked and cooled starchy plant foods, it is fermented in the gut (which lowers the pH) and massively shifts the microbiota, changing the expression of hundreds of genes. The pH is only one variable in the massive shifts occurring from the fermentation of resistant starch – changes in bacteria, changes in the quantity and type of short-chain fatty acids, etc. I think you’re focusing on the wrong biomarker. The reduced pH is a side-effect, not a driver of the beneficial effects. #resistantstarch #metabolism	acid/base balance,Africa,African Americans,animal protein,beans,bile acids,bowel movements,cabbage,colon cancer,colon health,fecal bacteria,fiber,fruit,grains,gut flora,pH,plant-based diets,rectal cancer,sauerkraut,standard American diet,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vinegar	Fermentation of fiber in the gut may help explain the dramatic differences in colorectal cancer incidence around the world.	So in the purple cabbage test we want blue pee, but pink poo. The what test? See: Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple CabbageMore on colon cancer prevention in:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/african-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acidbase-balance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sauerkraut/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vinegar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2011405/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36672,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25156389,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6112450,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21811294,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7120255,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23719549,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1374083/,
PLAIN-2480	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/	Preventing Ulcerative Colitis with Diet	What has driven the dramatic increase in prevalence of the inflammatory bowel disease Crohn’s disease in societies that are rapidly westernized - a disease practically unknown just a century ago? What has truly changed in our internal and external environment that has led to the appearance of this horrible disease?Well, Japan suffered one of the most dramatic increases, and of all the changing dietary components, animal protein appeared to be the strongest factor, an exponential increase in newly diagnosed Crohn’s patients and daily animal protein intake, whereas the more vegetable protein, the fewer the cases of Crohn’s, which is consistent with data showing a more plant-based diet may be successful in both preventing Crohn’s disease and treating Crohn’s disease. But what about inflammatory bowel diseases in general?The largest study of its kind, 60,000 followed for over a decade found that high total protein intake, specifically animal protein, was associated with a significantly increased risk of the other big inflammatory bowel disease as well, called ulcerative colitis. Not just protein in general; the association between high protein intake and inflammatory bowel disease risk was restricted to animal protein.And since World War II, animal protein intake has increased not only in Japan but also in all developed countries, this increase in animal protein consumption may explain some of the increased incidence of IBD in the second half of the 20th century.And it’s not just this study, but what most other studies found as well, but why? What’s the difference between animal protein and plant protein? Well animal proteins tend to have more sulfur containing amino acids like methionine, which bacteria in our gut can turn into the toxic rotten egg smell gas, hydrogen sulfide.Emerging evidence suggests that sulfur compounds may play a role in the development of, ulcerative colitis, this chronic inflammatory disease of the colon and rectum characterized by bloody diarrhea.The first hint as to the importance of our gut flora was in the 1970's when analysis of stools showed that their bulk was made up of mostly bacteria, not undigested material. We’re pushing out trillions of bacteria a day and they just keep multiplying and multiplying. They do wonderful things for us like create short chain fatty acids such as butyrate from the fiber we eat, but unfortunately, the bacteria may also elaborate toxic products from food residues such as hydrogen sulfide in response to a high-meat diet.Hydrogen sulfide is a bacterially derived cell poison that has been implicated in ulcerative colitis. We had always assumed that sulfide generation in the colon is driven by dietary components such as sulfur-containing amino acids, but we didn’t know for sure, until this study.They had folks eat five different diets each with escalating meat contents from vegetarian all the way up to like a steak a day, And the more meat the more sulfide; 10 times more meat meant 10 times more sulfide. They conclude that dietary protein from meat is an important substrate for sulfide generation by bacteria in the human large intestine.Hydrogen sulfide can then act as a free radical and damage our DNA at concentrations way below what our poor colon lining is exposed to on a routine basis, which may help explain why diets higher in meat and lower in fiber may produce so-called “fecal water,” that causes about twice as much DNA damage. Fecal water is like when researchers make a tea from someone’s stool.The biology of sulfur in the human gut has escaped serious attention until recently. Previously it was just thought of as the rotten egg smell in malodorous gas, But the increase in sulfur compounds in response to a supplement of animal protein is not only of interest in the field of flatology—that is the formal study of farts, but may also be of importance in the development of ulcerative colitis.	In an earlier post, an NF member enlightened me to the benefits of lacto fermentation of foods – I’m wondering if this method might prove useful for this topic……Fermenting meat? I do all kinds of veggies, grains, legumes, even make cheeze out of nuts and stuff…but I don’t do meat. LOLI’ve just watched the video again – I see what you mean – I was trying to suggest that the eating of fermented foods might alleviate the symptons of those with Crohn’s or inflammatory bowel – I know what I meant, it’s just my grasp of the English language often lets me down…..On a different tangent, I’m about to experiment with fermentation this week – I will try soya beans and black beans. As is usual with the interweb, I’m reading conflicting information on almost every “experts” page, so can you stear me in the right direction as to what has worked for you.Here’s my cunning plan – I have to pre-soak, then cook the beans. Once cooked you place the beans into a saline solution (sea salt) of 2 tbsp of salt to 1 litre of purified water. Add the beans to the container, add the saline solution to the beans, cover with a cabbage leaf (or other suitable vegetable) to immerse the beans fully. Close the lid, burp the container regularly, after 7-10 days either place in the fridge or freeze.I intend to freeze my beans after fermentation – do you know if it is safe to eat them from the freezer without re-heating them, as by doing so will destroy the benefiical bacteria.Also, can you leave the beans fermenting at room temperature for say one month, or do they have to be put into the fridge after 7-10 days,,,,,,ThanksHey! I love your adventurous spirit! Be warned fermenting beans can be quite “fragrant”! LOL! You have the procedure down fine, definitely cooking them first, but I might be inclined to “burp” the beans more often, maybe even daily, unless you fit your jars with an airlock, similar to the ones used in wine making. Remembering to “burp” is also a good opportunity to taste your bean brew to see where it is at. Preferences vary. Remember, lacto-fermenting tend to “sour” food (think sauerkraut) and the longer it ferments the more pronounced it becomes…but also the higher the microbes! I find here where it is warm in FL, a week is usually more than enough, but results can vary widely depending on the temperatures. I hear that beyond a certain point the beneficial microbes decrease, but not sure what that point is for each food. Yes you can freeze and defrost them afterwards without heating, but know too that they will keep in their jars in your fridge for quite a while! This slows fermentation to a crawl, but doesn’t stop it. Oh, and good to keep in mind….If you are new to eating fermented foods, start slow and work up. Our bodies seem resistant to big changes, even when it is beneficial, so don’t over-do at first. The pay off is great and well worth it!!! I used to hate vinegars, kraut, anything sour flavored, but since starting this I have become addicted and have been fermenting everything in sight! Even the wild cactus in the yard became an ingredient in fermented salsa! LOL! Lots of fun, economical and healthy too! What more can I ask for! My next venture is using fungi to ferment beans, as in tempeh! I was excited to find out I could use any kinds of beans and even grains, I just have to find a good source for the innoculant! Then I discover I can make a totally convincing range of vegan cheeze from nuts, plant based yogurt, seeds, etc. using various culture media to create (like a little liquid from your lacto-fermented brews, miso, PB yogurt, etc.) You could not believe how awesome they are! Miyoko Schinner has a book out called “Artisan Vegan Cheese” that details it for you. She also has quite a few videos on Youtube and her own website and forum. For all the very best general fermenting info, I would definitely send you here: http://www.wildfermentation.com/who-is-sandorkraut/ Sandor Katz has literally written the book(S) on reviving the art of fermentation from all over the world! The above link will give you a bit of info and also has links to his forum and other resources! Enjoy and best of luck to you! PS…you said English wasn’t your native language? Could have fooled me! I wish I had your fluency! Where are you from?Hi CharzieThanks for the info – I came across some videos re making vegan cheese (how amazing!), and also one with Sandor Katz already – I’ve spent a few hours watching them last night and this morning.Apologies for throwing you a curve ball re my nationality – I’m a Londoner, I was just being self deprocating, sorry…….C’mon down! LOL! Glad you are having fun with the microbes! Once you have a few good outcomes, it’s fun to just mess around and experiment a bit! As long as it’s vegetable matter, and isn’t growing too much hair, you’re safe! (Exaggerating a wee bit! LOL)Sprouting the beans will unlock the natural enzymes that will aid in digestion.I sprout a LOT! But some beans (and I’d have to research the exact reason again) like kidney beans, soy, etc. are always recommended to be cooked before eating even when sprouted.I ferment my beans regularly. Many people claim that beans are hard to digest. I figure fermenting them will make them easier to digest and give me some pro-biotics. I always soak dry beans in non chlorinated or chloraminated water for 24 hours first and pour off the water. At first, I cooked beans, added kefir and left them out over night and for one day until I could smell it. Now I take out just a bit-like 2 golf balls worth of the last batch and backslop it onto the new batch. Yes that is a fermenting term. I spread it around but put it into the fridge. It is fermented enough the next morning. WHen Dr. Greger and others started saying, “YOu should eat beans every day” I started worrying, “How am I going to do this? ” I also eat a lot of Trader Joe’s hummus with sesame seeds, amla powder, and freshly chopped garlic in it. John SHi John – thanks for the info – here’s my cunning plan.I intend to soak my soy beans overnight in filtered water. I will then sprout them for 3-5 days and then lacto ferment them for 7-10 days. I have read that the beans should be cooked at some stage, but I’ve also read that they don’t require cooking, so I’m not going to cook my first batch to see how they come out. I will then freeze them, and then eat them (de-frosted) without re-heating as suggested by Charzie above (thanks again Charzie)……Oooo, let me know how THAT version goes! I also like to sprout, but not all legumes digest real well even afterwards for me, and certain ones if I recall, they tell you, you need to cook. Soybeans for sure… not too clear on the others off hand. I was curious to try on the ones I have eaten sprouted raw, but never have yet, so I’d love to know how it goes! I hear the raw fermented beans smell so bad, they are hard to tell from rotten…so be prepared! LOL!if you are absolutely eating them raw, just a few the first day to see what your tummy thinks: I went to a veggie conference in ’97 that poisoned dozens with raw sprouted beans, sadly.I bet that curtailed the sale of sprouting products for a few months……lolWhere’s your spirit of adventure? You can’t call it fermenting if you do it all in the fridge! LOL!I also make kombucha, sour beer, miso and natto. The natto i get spores and steam the beans in the steam oven for 3 hours add the spores when cool and incubate fo r 24 hrs at 104F in a closed container with water in the incubator to keep from drying out. Then refrigerate and eat with mustard (made by fermenting mustard seeds in the kombucha) and some of my sauer kraut. The natto is truly an acqiired taste, used to buy it frozen at HMart (throw the sauce packet aeay – it is usually fish and chemicals). Will try some adzuki beans next. The Miyoko book mentioned earler is a good one I make the almond yogurt all the time it is like creme freishe. The miso takes forever. Today I am trying to make my first batch of sake!I’d never heard of Natto until yesterday, I’m such a vegan philistine……I would have to agree, it’s an acquired taste – the beans look like they are covered in spiders webbing – how someone first discovered this and thought it would be edible is beyond me – maybe it was in a dark cave long before electricity.In saying that, I’m tempted to try making it, but I will probably buy an off the shelf version first – and throw away the fish chemicals as per your advise….Good advice, toss the chemicals! LOL! My first natto experience… I bought a package of 3 little servings to try because I was leery, liked it enough to use the last one to culture my own beans! It worked too, though they weren’t soybeans, and they weren’t as stringy, I enjoyed them and will try again!Fermenting is so cool! I LOVE natto, I don’t see why everyone thinks it’s so gross, even the stringy part is doable! I guess we all have different tastes for sure! We should all get on a fermenting board and trade tales and spare these poor folks! LOL!What happens to the sulfur in allium and cruciferous vegetables?That was my question! Did a whole video about it–stay tuned! If you haven’t already you can subscribe here (for free like everything on the site).My question too! I look forward to the findings.Dr. Greger, while you’re at it, it would be of great value if you could comment to your NutritionFacts followers regarding the announcement today that the U.S. dietary recommendations no longer suggest limiting dietary cholesterol intake. What are we to think? What does the science say? You are the go-to man for guidance.Hello Steve! If you look and search at nutritionfacts for “cholesterol”, you will find the answer about your question on Dr. Greger thoughts about cholesterol. I think he can’t say much more about that, since he already show us almost everything that science have to say about cholesterol and health.Filipe. Thanks for your thoughts. Here are more of mine. I did review past NutritionFacts videos and found very little on dietary cholesterol. The only explicit statement I found on the connection between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol was the 35 year followup of the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, and that type of study can only show an association, which is confounded by the alignment of total fat, saturated fat, dietary cholesterol and eating patterns. [The whole new dietary cholesterol guideline may be moot since the guidelines continue to limit saturated fats and most sources of dietary cholesterol are also rich in saturated fats (with the exception of fish and eggs).]But still, I believe a targeted, through response to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee would be valuable, both for me as a nutritionist, and for the lay public. I’m not as jaded as Dommy’s post, below. I assume there are bright minds and committed scientists who sit on that committee. This is a puzzlement and I’d like to know what’s going on. As Dr. Greger has stated, confusion is the tool of choice of the industries that produce unhealthy products, from tobacco to eggs. Those with standing, like Dr. Greger, can help clear up the confusion.Here, the latest one: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/And here (all the videos (and they are so many) where this topic is also approached): http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/Filipe,The video you indicated, The Optimum Cholesterol Level, is exclusively about SERUM cholesterol and does not mention dietary cholesterol, which is the issue with the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s new recommendation.And Dr. Greger’s essay on cholesterol you provided a link to, updated just two days ago, also does not provide any science on the contribution of dietary cholesterol to serum cholesterol, particularly LDL.So, I’m still hoping for a science-backed statement, as Dr. Greger does so well, that clarifies the confusion.These recent articles from Dr. Neal Barnard are some of the best responses I’ve seen to The Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee’s latest recommendationshttp://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/cholesterol-confusion-lets-make-sense-of-it/http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/new-dietary-guidelines-the-good-the-bad-and-the-downright-confusing/Dominic, Thank you so much. This is exactly what I was hoping for, an authoritative, respected spokesperson addressing the issue head on and clarifying it. Dr. Bernard does an excellent job. I hope is it distributed far and wide.Not to answer for the doctor, but who really trusts what ‘the government’ says about anything anymore?My question too! I look forward to the findings.Dr. Greger, while you’re at it, it would be of great value if you could comment to your NutritionFacts followers regarding the announcement today that the U.S. dietary recommendations no longer suggest limiting dietary cholesterol intake. What are we to think? What does the science say? You are the go-to man for guidance.Hmm, reminds me of that joke, how to you keep an @$$#Ø£€ in suspense? LOL! Can’t wait!!!Yet sulphur seems to be important…“In your body, MSM provides the mineral sulfur. You need sulfur to build skin, hair, cartilage, ligaments and tendons. The sulfur in MSM also helps heal and repair injured, overused or damaged joint tissues. And it relieves joint and muscle pain.In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 118 people with knee pain tried four different treatments. After 12 weeks, MSM decreased pain 52% compared with a placebo. And when it was combined with the amino sugar, glucosamine, it decreased pain by 79%.In another study, doctors gave patients with sports injuries either MSM or a placebo. MSM reduced symptoms by 58.3% compared with just 33.3% for the placebo. MSM also reduced the need for doctor visits by 40% and reduced disability time.You can get MSM naturally from foods, such as milk, eggs, meat and seafood. The best sources are sulfur-rich vegetables, like onions, garlic, asparagus, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. But you probably won’t get enough from food. ” Al Sears, MDI already get 300 mg MSM from an arthritis supplement…and am considering taking more. Plus onions, garlic, asparagus, cabbage, broccoli…Excellent question Arjari! It is a shame when only one side of a story is reported just to support one’s position. ALL sources of COMPLETE protein have the the sulfur-containing aminos, not just animal. Found this while researching some of the “sources” used here. BTW-the last source from the journal GUT in 1997 had only 5 subjects. Accurate conclusions CANNOT be drawn from such a small sample size. Furthermore it appears that is certain members of the population have a genetic alteration makes them susceptible to this. Easy to Google. Please look at these lists of foods and recommendations: http://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=1938770As far as i know they help to clean the body. But i just read that somewhere and can’t remember where.There is also another interesting factor in our diet which isn’t regularly eaten but contains sulfur – antibiotics. This kind of sulfur (i am not sure for the sulfur in meat and dairy) acts like a cement inside our “cell sewer” – lymph veins. This creates more blockages all over our bodies, leading to tissue degradation and all kinds of symptomes – dis-eases. High fruit diet and therapeutic fasting seem to deal with this problem very well.I hope the doctor will have more time to reasearch fasting.I so look forward to these videos every day… I learn so much here! Being a colitis sufferer myself, this was of particular interest to me. When my symptoms flair the drill is… boiled vegetables, fresh cabbage juice and a starch till it goes away. You da man Dr. G!Hilarious, you took the words right out of my mouth with the first sentence! I was just about to write a separate post and saw yours! LOL! Cool find on the cabbage juice!1.Just as omnivores consume too much methionine, do vegans consume too little? In that case, what if a vegan take a methionine supplement? (Methionine is an essential amino acid; we need to get it from external sources.) Would gut bacteria generate H2S from supplemental methionine in vegans? Or, is it like the case of choline? Do only the meat eaters harbor in their guts bacteria that can convert methionine into H2S?2. Bacteria lives in the colon. In a healthy gut, the material reaching the colon should not contain any proteins or free amino acids because the digestion and absorption should be complete by the time it reaches the colon. If this is true (This is just an argument; I don’t know if it’s true), then isn’t impaired digestion the root of the problem?Regarding methionine, it’s very easy to track your food intake and see if you are consuming enough. Cronometer.com is a useful tool to do such. I don’t track every day, but do spot checks from time to time to see micronutrient levels. Provided I have consumed enough calories that day, I have never consumed <100% of my rda for methionine or any other essential amino acid. In anyone consuming a typical well balanced wfpb diet and consuming enough calories, I don't think it would be mathematically possible to do so.But how does the body generate H2S in managing blood pressure and in immune signaling? How is that molecule controlled and disposed of in the vasculature?excellent question! Sadly, its my wrong area of science, so hopefully someone here can share some insight on that for us. :)When I switched from SAD to WFPB, it totally put my ulcerative colitis in remission. I’ve had no problems in 6 years. :-)Ditto for me and my IBS! You are right! It happened over time and I attributed it to a big weight loss, but DUH!!! No more locating the bathroom as a priority everywhere I go!My father-in-law (a big meat eater) has severe Crohn’s disease. My husband often intuitively attributes his own healthy digestion to being vegetarian (for the last 30 years since we met). I always thought he was giving his diet too much credit, but after watching this video, realize that he may be right. And to think all those years my in-laws have criticized me for being vegetarian!Julie: Over time, I went through a similar change in my thoughts. I started out believing phrases such as “everything in moderation”. I used to believe that people could eat any food category except for junk food and still have very healthy diets. By that reasoning, eating vegetarian or vegan would be strictly an ethical decision, not one about health.But over the last few years of nutrition study, including what I have learned here on NutritionFacts, I have come to see that there really is a huge health advantage to eating a whole plant food based diet – and that animal products are really not healthy. (Or put another way: that moderation when it comes to animal products means eating a very, very small amount. Way smaller than most people realize.) It is amazing how much credit we can give to healthy eating and being healthy. Yes, your in-laws have a lot to take back. ;-)It sounds like animal products harm our gut via the microbiome in a number of ways. From this video I learned that animal protein is broken down into toxic sulpher compounds by gut bacteria, and from The Digestion Summit I learned that saturated fat from animal products feeds and promotes unhealthy gut bacteria.As a mom with a daughter who was diagnosed at the age of 6 months with Crohn’s Disease who never even had anything other than breastmilk I struggle with the fact that you can “prevent” IBD. I would also add that I am a vegetarian and fully support a plant based diet. Also I am Registered Dietitian so my knowledge and personal interest in nutrition has always been important to me and based on science. I think you have to look a little further then eating animal protein to explain IBD. With the identification of more than 160 genes associated with IBD and specifically NOD2, science is showing more and more that there is a strong genetic component. I think you oversimplify this disease when you suggest that the only thing a person needs to do is not eat animal protein. I say this with all due respect to Dr. Greger, this is very distressing to read articles like this when you have children suffering from IBD and living with only half of their intestines or an ostomy and a very poor quality of life. It just is not that simple.Check out this new Scientific American article regarding IBD:http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/among-trillions-of-microbes-in-the-gut-a-few-are-special/Loren: What a fascinating read! I just skimmed that article, but it sure does stir the imagination. Thanks for sharing it.Great article. Thank you. CCFA is also doing some great research on their Microbiome Initiative. I believe they are entering into their last phase. Hopefully they will be able to shed more light on the altered interactions between gut microbes and the intestinal immune system.Sara, I completely agree with you, it’s not that simple. It’s painful as a parent with a child suffering from a chronic disease to hear all the supposed ways it can be prevented; I understand your feelings of resentment (my child is type 1 diabetic). Since there are so many factors that can cause a chronic disease, and those factors are usually unique for each individual and often unknown, we have to be careful taking an association in a study and pointing a finger telling someone “That’s what caused your condition”. I think the point Dr. Greger is trying to make is that ONE of the many factors that can be related to UC is meat consumption.Thank you. I’m sure you face many of the same situations I face as a parent. I don’t want to come off as negative or bitter but it is a very complicated disease. IBD is a debilitating disease, leaving you with a very poor quality of life.I agree, see my reply to Sara, above. (Below? Whichever!) Why are we, as parents always made to feel such a burden of guilt? Even if it did turn out there was a way to prevent X, how could we possibly have done it if NOBODY knew how! As a mom and now gramma myself, I know I would sooner take on their burdens than see them suffer, so the idea of letting harm come to them is insane. As a parent, you do your best…don’t take it to heart when doubt is cast in your direction! It’s always easy for others to stand in judgment and point fingers…it makes people feel like it’s your fault so it couldn’t possibly happen to them, ya know?Amen. Well said, Charzie.I totally understand your pain, there are so many issues here. I’m certainly no scientist, though I always had a yen to get into research, but I can definitely see how this disease can have a dietary component AND/OR a genetic one. The end result and maybe even some of the mechanisms in play are the same, but a different cause. If say, one was born with an inherited inability to process certain “compounds” …say in this case, methionine… they would develop symptoms similar to average folks taking in too many of these…or something along those lines. I hope you get my train of thought here. In essence, I think then that though the symptoms can be identical, work needs to be done to isolate and identify the genetic component for diagnostic purposes. Though in a case like your daughter, it seems obvious. I wonder though…you said you were vegetarian and your daughter had nothing but breast-milk? If you DO eat animal products, is there a possibility that with her inborn exquisite sensitivity to “whatever”, there was enough crossing over into your milk to set off a reaction in her tiny body? Sorry, I am not trying to pry, but after living with IBS most of my life, and being a mom and gramma, I empathize with both of you!I had not eaten animal products for probably close to 10 years. I’m not saying that there is not a nutritional component there I just don’t believe it is the cause of the disease . If what you are saying is that it is genetic but by eating animal protein it develops into IBD? That could possibly be one route to develop IBD. I do believe there is some connection between genetics and the micrbiome and nutrition does play a part in our gut.I think it can work both ways, either entirely genetic, or with the dietary factor. My point is, like you, I don’t think the cause is only dietary, and it would be important to make that distinction in cases like your daughter’s. I hope they get to the root of it so that she, and others like her, can have an improved quality of life. Best of luck!MAP. That’s now the number one suspect. The microbe can be picked even in the air in some rural areasAnd to clarify… the acronym, I assume, means?Mycobacterium paratuberculosisvery very hard to isolate for a diagnosis. current treatment also unsatisfactory. new tests and an actual vaccine is in the works for prevention and CURE http://crohnsmapvaccine.com/global-warming-mycobacterium-avium-subspecies-paratuberculosis/Thanks, very interesting.Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosishttp://crohnsmapvaccine.com/global-warming-mycobacterium-avium-subspecies-paratuberculosis/Hey Sara. Just out of curiosity you mentioned you are a vegetarian. Does that mean that you likely consume dairy products?No dairy, including cow’s milk, cheese and yogurtSo you are Vegan then not Vegetarian right?Hi Sara, I was wondering the same thing about this disease being preventable as I was just diagnosed with Crohn’s and Mild Colitis via a recent colonoscopy and endoscopy procedure. When I asked my G.I. doctor (who was rated BEST in my town) he said it was GENETIC. I asked him if I should strictly be on a plant based diet and he replied NO. His only dietary restrictions were to stay away from RAW vegetables and spicy or greasy foods. He said we want to blame ourselves for this condition but “most likely” it is all Genetics. My Grandmother and her 3 sisters have all had bowel issues and all of them have had intestines and parts of their stomachs removed. My last living Great Aunt has almost no large intestine left and her insides are held together with mesh- how she is still alive is beyond me. I am definitely going to do a Plant based diet from now on for many reasons, but hoping this helps with the inflammation issues especially. I have had stomach issues since I was a child and now I am 43. I am terrified of having a flair up because if it’s anything like the pain I experienced in the emergency room- no thanks! Sending healing thoughts for your daughter…and you!19 years ago I lost my colon. If I knew then what I know now, I would still have my colon. Stop eating animal products. I feel great now. I live partly raw and partly cooked, because of the climate here. Every day I getting stronger. It is important that you eat enough, you have to eat a lot to have enough energy. It may take some time for your body to accept to life from plants. Animal proteins and fats cause UC and Crohn’s.It’s not Genetics!!!!Thank you. The pain that people with IBD experience is excruciating , I wish you and your family healing thoughts as well. So often you see several people in a family with IBD. You have a 20 percent higher risk of developing the disease if you have a first degree relative with IBD. And it goes up from there based on how many people have it. This supports a genetic component. My daughter’s pediatrician is one of the leading GI doctors in the country and he too believes there is a genetic link. And in talking to others with IBD I have never come across anyone who doesn’t believe there is a genetic link ( and people are saying this is what their GI has told them). I think eliminating animal products can only help with the inflammation and also trying to include the anti-inflammatory spices in your diet could help. I truly wish you the best of luck, this is a painful and frightening disease.Since I have been diagnosed, I have told everyone in my family and it’s surprising to me how many of my family members also have it but never speak about it! When I was first having really bad pain, everyone wanted to diagnose me as Gall Bladder- the Dr. would push so hard in that area like they were trying to convince me it was that so they could do surgery. It was extremely frustrating. Thankfully an Emergency room Dr. sent me for a CT scan. I’m looking at anti-inflammatory everything right now!!I think you need to look a little further than genes to explain why IBD rates go up and down in populations over time. For the most part, we still aren’t in the position to prevent sensitive genes. Really it’s only the title that I think you may have an issue with, the video seems clear enough that this is only a partial explanation. In context, we know that Greger is specifically exploring nutritional causes, nutritional problems, and nutritional cures, and that there are therefore some topic areas which he won’t cover in detail.I’d be interested to hear feedback of macro nutrient ratio’s among nutritionfacts disqus readers. After shortly considering the rice diet for a while I settled on 15% fat 15% protein, staying below 15% fat is hard if you want to consume 20 gr walnuts and 20 gr flax. I haven’t noticed any negative effects of 15% protein in my bulk so I’m going to try 10 protein 15 fat (around 5-6 gr sat.) and 75 % carbs. What ratio did you settle on?Could it just be the antibiotics in the meat and not the protein?As the devils advocate, isn’t it possible to swallow a pill that binds to the sulfur and does away with all that negative effect?I wonder how hydrogen sulfide relates to indoles and skatoles?….Speaking of animal proteins…I can and should probably go study my biology, but I have a question for one of the resident geniuses that I’m sure is going to sound tremendously ignorant, but inquiring minds want to know. If allergic-type reactions are caused by our immune systems reacting to foreign proteins, and animals are especially foreign and yet confusingly similar, and it is known that the body secretes all kinds of protective factors to protect a potential fetus from being rejected, could all these things tie together to explain some of the issues that are involved with ingesting animals?Dr. Greger has suggested IGF-1, Insulin Growth Factor, a human growth factor that is made by the digestive system and precursor to insulin, as just such a particle. IGF-1 can leak out of your digestive system after any meal containing meat causing damage to not just the meat but also to you. It digests animal tissue. It can also clog receptors in the body making you less sensitive to insulin. The body makes more IGF-1 in response to diets rich in meat, and IGF-1 damage can build up as premature aging. It is not perfectly held by the digestive system and can leak out. IGF-1 spikes can also make people hungry, sometimes for more meat causing more damage. People who do not eat meat, for instance, the Lora Dunning Adventist Vegetarians, have been known to live 4-10 years longer than the general California population, perhaps because they have less IGF-1 damage in part. Stress can also create IGF-1. People who handle stress better can limit damage caused by IGF-1. Drinking ten daily cups of green tea can also add ten years to your life, as can swimming, going to Church, or being happily married. Eating nuts, whole grains, and exercise also can add years to life. What would the benefit of all these things be, including being a vegetarian? Could it be Fibonachi years based on your adherence? 1,1,2,3,5,8,13, or even 21 extra years? Some of the doctors whose research is presented here lived very long lives. I am hoping to read Dr. Greger’s forthcoming book on the subject.Well thank-you Matthew, you are a virtual encyclopedia of information! I’ve read that but didn’t make the connection!Search sialic acid and i think you’ll find his video on the tagging of epithelial proteins with a particular type of animal glcnac or some such that leads to a chronic low-grade inflammatory response. very interesting.I looked it up: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/Wow, I had never seen THAT video, that is fascinating! Going to look into it further, thanks so much. Heh heh, animals revenge.It may not be just the animal protein. In mice, high fat diets virtually eliminate gut barrier-protecting Bifidobacterium, while markedly increasing hydrogen sulfide and endotoxin producing Desulfovibrionaceae family 1. In another study, butter fat in amounts comparable to the Western diet provoked hepatic taurocholic acid synthesis, and this bile salt provided the substrate for hydrogen sulfide producing Bilophila wadsworthia 2. Ie, consume enough shorter chain C4-14 chain saturated fats found in dairy, and our own fat emulsifying compounds may provide the sulfur.Fellow flatologists will also note that hydrogen sulfide is one of the major malodorous compounds, so while a high fermentable oligosaccharide & fiber diet may increase volume, by beneficially modulating the microbiota it also dramatically reduces pungency.re: “Fellow flatologists will also note that hydrogen sulfide is one of the major malodorous compounds, so while a high fermentable oligosaccharide & fiber diet may increase volume, by beneficially modulating the microbiota it also dramatically reduces pungency.” OK, that was just fun to read. :-)there’s a geek band I’ve heard before, and some of their lyrics read like that. Wish I could remember the name of them.She blinded me with S-s-science!I’m sure you haven’t read the following locked article which reported a 55 yr old white male living with the principal investigator for 15 yrs demonstrated a marked reduction of H2S in flatulence, as measured by the PI’s own nose, after switching from a diet high in animal protein, to a diet high in plant protein (and no animal protein). Vegan R. Thank god his farts stopped asphyxiating me. Dear Diary. 2014:40:10-12.Great info Doc! Please keep reporting on these links to IBD! I lost my colon to Crohn’s Disease and if knowledge can prevent future generations from getting this horrible illness, I’ll spread the news far and wide!Hi all, I’ve just heard about the benefits of sulfur in crystallized form, (I use plenty of garlic but my friend swears by taking this product), can anyone help with any more info on this. Thank you in advance.I used to eat sulfur but it made my skin scaly.Do you mean MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane)?There’s been some recent studies showing it has some antioxidant effects and a lowing of inflammation. It’s promoted by the supplement companies as a way to help arthritis suffers. Seems more human studies are needed. It also looks like it has a positive effect on cancer cell apoptosis.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25461402 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25211405 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24523764 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24575169another amazing video of course! interesting the connection between meat>sulfur>hydrogen sulfide>gut damage>and UC/chrons. but heck, i thought sulfur, especially the organic form, was great for us…you know those natural hot springs that have all kinds of magical healing properties..those reek of sulfur! i even take MSM and chondroitin suflate for joint health and immunity. theres got to be all kinds of organic sulfur tied up in the veggies bc good soil should have sulfur in it..so is the sulfur in meat somehow converted to Hydrogen sulfide but in veggies its not??? anyway, am interested in dr. g.’s perspective on dr. stephanie senuf, MIT researcher, who attributes most of modern diseases to sulfur deficiency…she has a very interesting take on cholesterol as well….thanks so much!http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/17/stephanie-seneff-on-sulfur.aspxVegans often add Nama Kalak or Black Sulfur Salt, (naturally found near hot springs), to tofu scrambles, vegan chickpea flour omelets, or any recipe that replaces eggs. Is adding sulfur to our vegan foods unhealthy?Dr. Greger, I have been studying the link between diet and inflammatory bowel disease for years, especially the link between diet and Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis (UC). To add to the evidence that high consumption of animal protein causes inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), check out these recent studies on how animal protein produces a bacteria that promotes inflammation in the bowels, potentially increasing the risk of IBD: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/12/10/250007042/chowing-down-on-meat-and-dairy-alters-gut-bacteria-a-lot-and-quicklyScholary source: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v505/n7484/full/nature12820.htmlI’m sure these studies will help you produce another video on inflammatory bowel disease.As someone with Ulcerative Colitis, this theory of animal protein causing UC is not very substantiated in my own dietary experiences. At the beginning of 2013, I went on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. The first few days was nothing but meat (I remember I did that for at least five days). After the die off phase (of bad fungus and bad bacteria), I had no issues. Once I started adding other foods back into my diet, then I started having issues again. Experimenting with my diet for over two years now, I have found plenty of non-meat foods that irritate my colon. Can eating too much meat cause issues? Yes, ass is eating or drinking too much of anything will.This short video did leave out questions about diet and the performed studies that are vital to understanding UC. First, and foremost, where can we obtain these studies? I am not out to discredit this perspective because of some bias against scientific studies. I have a bias in favor of scientific studies and am genuinely curious about their content. But, the video only skimmed the study and maybe only chose certain studies to fit the conclusions presented. What made up the rest of the diets of people eating meat? Did they include a variety of fruits and vegetables? What was the fat makeup of their diets? How was the meat prepared that the subjects ate (cooked all the way, with sauce, soaked in preservatives, breaded, lunchmeat)? Were any of the subjects tested for food allergies? Or the makeup of the organisms living in the subjects’ colon? Or genetic testing for breakdowns in the correct processes of the digestive system? What kind of stress were the different subjects exposed to?I can say that there are certain non-meat foods that aggravate my colitis. Foods that are considered some of the best foods to eat, such as carrots, tree nuts, sweet potato, apples (just a partial list I of what I cannot eat). The composition of my gut bacteria is not that of what you may find in an average sufferer of UC. I also have a couple of bad genes that cause issues with my body’s digestive processes. And during college and grad school, I used to go out binge drinking, and usually not on a full stomach. Could alcohol have played a role in my developing UC? (In my case, I’d say yes.)There is also a large community that believes large amounts of carbohydrates cause UC and (plain) meat is perfectly fine to eat. Did the studies being alluded to try to disprove the theory of carbohydrates causes UC? Did the video’s author compare the two theories? Do some people develop UC from meat and others from carbohydrates? Given the large number of people who eat meat and/or carbohydrates regularly, why is UC not more common than it is? I would conclude that genetics plays a large role in the development of UC (as numerous people in my family have digestive issues – mine is the worst, though).I am not a doctor. I am just a UC sufferer. And the questions I pose above are from my personal experiences and amateur level of research on the subject. However, I do believe the above questions (and of course countless other questions) are needed to be answered by anyone claiming they know the cause of US and how to decrease its intensity, or cure it (if you believe that is possible).Regarding sources: see “Sources” tab next to/below the video.A plant-based (vegan) diet will not “cure” inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), rather it will help those with the disease achieve and maintain remission longer than those consuming an omnivorous diet; a few yet remarkable studies corroborate this (see Dr. Greger’s videos on Crohn’s disease, for example). IBD is a disease of severe inflammation (hence the name); therefore, because studies have conclusively proven that those on a plant-based diets have the lowest inflammation markers compared to those on omnivorous diets, it’s wise to stay away from animal products.You will always be genetically susceptible to relapse, especially if those with IBD continue consuming animal products. In addition to the studies that Dr. Greger provided for this video, numerous old and new studies have conclusively shown that a diet high in animal products (e.g. meat, dairy, and eggs) puts its consumers at a heightened risk of inflammatory bowel disease. Hence why Japan has seen an increase in inflammatory bowel disease since its adoption of the western diet – a diet high in animal fats and proteins. IBD in Japan was almost – if not completely – rare prior to the adoption of a western diet (again, see Dr. Greger’s sources for this video).Humans on an omnivorous diet have a bacterial flora vastly different from those on a plant-based diet. Unfortunately, the bacterial flora of those on an omnivorous diet have been proven to invoke inflammation throughout the body, including the bowels: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/12/10/250007042/chowing-down-on-meat-and-dairy-alters-gut-bacteria-a-lot-and-quicklyThe bacteria flora of those on a plant-based diet, on the other hand, reduces inflammation. Hence more and more studies are proving that nasty bacteria that is produced from liver bile – which only occurs when you eat animal fats – causes inflammatory bowel disease, and this may be the reason why fecal matter transplants (FMTs) have been beneficial for those with IBD.If your colon is inflamed, it’s best to stay away from animal products and insoluble fiber. Consume soluble fiber (e.g bananas) and juice. In a last ditch effort to save your colon if diet and medication fails, consider smoking 4 cigarettes (an old medicine doctors use to prescribe for IBD) a day, because it will put you into remission: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2201475/Doctors-dont-know-best-Student-claims-cured-debilitating-bowel-disease-taking-smoking.htmlI’ve been researching IBD for years. Based on new findings, I believe researchers are very, very close to solving the underlying cause of IBD, potentially coming up with a cure and/or better treatments. Do whatever you can, therefore, to save your colon.My son has autism and and a fair amount of fowl smelling stools which we typically associate with a change in gut flora. In fact we sometimes do an extra probiotic when it occurs. The smell is typically acrid and ammonia in nature. Completely different animal than the rotten egg smell?Is this the same mechanism that contributes to carcinogenesis in colon cancer?It might. See page 7 of this review.Dear Dr. Gregor:I have just been diagnosed with IBD even though for the past 3-4 years, I eat 80% plant food – no eggs, or dairy. I do sometimes have fish or once in a while chicken. If fiber irritates my colon and I have been advised by my Kaiser doctor to avoid wheat and fiber, how does eating fiber then cure my condition.? Or maybe it is better to wait until I am better and then add fiber.Thanksvegans who opt to reduce ingestion of garlic, onions and cruciferous veggies might want to consider not taking their b12 in the form of cyanocobalamin since the body might require sulfur compounds to remove cyanide. the vegetarian hare krishnas don’t eat garlic or onion, believing they increase lustful desires.I noticed that you don’t have any videos discussing Candida Albicans overgrowth. Can you talk about that a bit? I’m doing my best to treat it with diet; avoiding sugars (alcohol, sweets, processed foods, easy starches and breads), and eating a lot of ginger, turmeric, coconut oil, yoghurt and fermented foods to try to get the good bacteria to fight of the bad yeast. Anything you can add? There is so much contradictory information out there.I don’t know if it’s my computer, but I cannot watch your videos without clicking on the “play” button every 2 seconds. The video keeps stopping. It happens every single time I watch a video here, and it doesn’t happen with any other video of any type anywhere else. It’s pretty annoying. Anyone has the same experience? I love Dr Greger’s videos, but cannot watch them properly.Dr. Greger –Do you use nutrition as a first line in your practice? Ive been having PVCs and 3 doctors have said they are harmless, but could start me on a beta blocker. None want to entertain a nutritional angle I wish it could be solved with food … One “doctor” (a chiropractor) said I should stop eating all grains & beans because they are anti-nutrient foods and I should be drinking bone broth daily.Joe, I’ve had the same problem for over 35 years, and though they are disturbing it is apparently a fairly common problem that may even have a genetic component, as both parents and my son also suffer from it. It’s maddening when it gets bad, and every third beat skips, and then “magically” can go away for short or long periods of time! I only wish I could help with the nutritional angle, nothing I’ve found specifically helps with any apparent regularity, but hopefully someone will figure it out! Sometimes foods high in magnesium seem to help, and it seems strongly associated with digestive issues in relation to the vagus nerve. A WFPB diet has been helpful for sure, but I still don’t have a solid idea of what triggers it! I would LOVE to hear some professional opinions because all I have ever gotten medically as you said was beta-blockers, which apparently are NOT all that effective for most people. I can’t even be clear on that, though I did cut way back on them, if I go below a certain dose, or skip one, the PVCs will always increase. They also keep migraines at bay, so getting off them has mixed blessings. I kind of wish I never started because I hate feeling like I rely on them, I’ve never been a fan of pharmaceuticals in general, but….tough call!Thanks Charzie – Which one are you one? I hear sometimes it takes a couple tries to find the one that has the least amount of side effects and Im starting to think this is my only path forward :( I think traditional medicine has tunnel vision to only stick with their ingrained tools they learn in med school, beta blockers, etc. Going with something else perhaps they feel vulnerable to lawsuits from negligence. I suppose that is what what a naturopathic doctor is for (have not seen one yet), but did see a nutritionist.Propanalol, generic Inderal. One of the few drugs that didn’t give me obvious side effects, though I hear some people say it makes them feel almost sedated, it never affected me that way. I am in total agreement with you on traditional medicine, and my being here is a “side effect” of being a former diabetic and relearning what I was mis-taught by the above! Good luck, I’d like to hear how it goes for you.joe: I think NutritionFacts does a pretty darn good job of proving just how grains and beans are incredibly healthy and full of good nutrients. I personally have a hard time taking advice from someone who clearly doesn’t know the science about something as basic as food.I can’t comment on your main question. But I do think you might see if you can find a good lifestyle medicine doctor in your area? One who understand what nutrition can and can not do for your problem?Good luck.A provocative paper just published in Nature: Chassaing et al. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndromeCarboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80 are commonly used in ice cream, processed cheese, gluten free baked goods, and reduced fat processed foods,Darryl: This is interesting to me. But I don’t know what Carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80 are. You mentioned gluten free baked goods, which made me think of xantham gum, which I used in other types of recipes. Is xantham gum the common name for Carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80? Or are these completely different things?Thanks, – JJEmulsifiers are detergent-like compounds that coat fat globules and allow them to coexist with water in processed foods, without separating out. Dozens are approved additives.Xanthan gum is a thickening agent like corn starch – it provides a network of long molecules that increases the viscosity of liquids. There’s some evidence that its a prebiotic selectively feeding friendly bacteria, but I learned to my dismay that nearly all is produced by fermentation on whey – its generally not vegan.Darryl: Thanks for this explanation!That news about xanthan gum is very disheartening. Much dismay happening here too.So would xanthan gum that’s fermented on whey pick up any of the biological properties of the whey?Darrly, I am not certain Xanthan gum is not vegan. It seems to be produced from corn/fermented sugar. http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.phpNeed the fruits & vegetables lists to reverse someone’s liver cancer (stage 4) I want to help a sibling..thank you!Hello. Not sure what fruits and vegetables list you are referring to, but here is all of Dr. Greger’s videos aboutliver cancer. I am so sorry to hear about your sibling.Warm thoughts, JosephDr Greger: what do you think of recent research out of Georgia State University showing that polysorbate 80 (P80) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) eroded mucus membranes in the gut? I realize the study was done in mice, but do you think it advisable for people with UC, Crohn’s, or a family history of IBD to avoid these emulsifiers?Sure. You can always avoid additives and it’s probably a really good idea! The only thing is research conducted on animal models cannot translate into humans. I suggest avoiding the stuff and see if flares are reduced. Again, avoiding any type of food additive is advisable, if possible.	animal protein,bile acids,butyrate,colon health,Crohn's disease,DNA damage,fecal bacteria,fiber,flatulence,gut flora,hydrogen sulfide,inflammatory bowel disease,intestinal health,Japan,meat,plant protein,plant-based diets,steak,sulfur,ulcerative colitis,vegans,vegetarians	The toxic rotten egg gas hydrogen sulfide may explain why animal protein is associated with inflammatory bowel disease.	For the other major inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s, I’ve got Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease and Preventing Crohn’s Disease With Diet.There is so much new amazing science about our microbiome I’ve got another dozen or so videos queued up on the subject—stay tuned!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/intestinal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steak/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulfur/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flatulence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ulcerative-colitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hydrogen-sulfide/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17475672,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10590225,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18043233,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11101476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22055893,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20461067,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24913390,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8615358,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10198924,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9274475,
PLAIN-2481	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/	Optimal Cholesterol Level	No matter where we live, how old we are or what we look like, health researchers have discovered that 90% of having a first heart attack can be attributed to nine modifiable risk factors. The nine factors that could save our lives include smoking, too much bad cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, abdominal obesity, stress, a lack of daily fruit and veggie consumption as well as a lack of daily exercise.Dr. William Clifford Roberts, though, Executive Director of Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute and long-time Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Cardiology, is convinced that atherosclerosis has a single cause, namely cholesterol, and that the other so-called atherosclerotic risk factors are only contributory at most. In other words we could be stressed, overweight, smoking diabetic couch potatoes, but if our cholesterol is low enough there may just not be enough cholesterol in our blood stream to infiltrate our artery walls and trigger the disease. Thus the only absolute prerequisite for a fatal or nonfatal atherosclerotic event like a heart attack is an elevated cholesterol level.It was not appreciated until recently that the average blood cholesterol level in the United States, the so-called “normal” level, was actually abnormal, accelerating the blockages in our arteries and putting a large fraction of the normal population at risk. That’s cited as one of the reasons the cholesterol controversy lasted so long, an unwillingness to accept the notion that a very large fraction of our population actually has an unhealthily high cholesterol level. Normal cholesterol levels may be terminal cholesterol levelsThe optimal cholesterol level, the optimal “bad cholesterol” LDL level, Is 50 to 70. Accumulating data from multiple lines of evidence consistently demonstrate that that’s where a physiologically normal LDL level would be. That appears to be the threshold above which atherosclerosis and heart attacks develop.That’s what we start out at birth with, that’s what fellow primates have, that’s the level seen in populations free of the heart disease epidemic, but we can also look at all the big randomized controlled cholesterol lowering trials. This is graphing the progression of atherosclerosis versus LDL cholesterol. More cholesterol, more atherosclerosis, but if you draw a line down through the points, you can estimate that the LDL level at which there is zero progression is down around 70. You can do the same with the studies preventing heart attacks. Zero coronary heart disease events might be reached down around 55, and those who’ve already had a heart attack and are trying to prevent a second one might need to push LDL levels even lower.Atherosclerosis is endemic in our population in part because the average person’s LDL level is up around 130, approximately twice the normal physiologic level. The reason the federal government doesn’t recommend everyone doesn’t shoot for even just under 100, is that despite the lower risk accompanying more optimal cholesterol levels, the intensity of clinical intervention required to achieve such levels for everyone in the population would financially overload the health care system. Drug usage would rise enormously. But they’re just assuming drugs are the only way to get our LDL that low, but those eating really plant based diets may hit the optimal cholesterol target without even trying. Just naturally nailing under 70.The reason given by the federal government for not advocating for what the science shows is best was that it might frustrate the public, who would have difficulty maintaining a lower level, but maybe the public’s greatest frustration would come from not being informed of the optimal diet for health.	Informative video as always. Thanks dr g!!I have never seen those linear regressions on ldl lowering studies. Interesting.I find it hilarious that paleofantasist Loren Cordain co-authored the paper showing that optimal LDL-C is between 50 and 70…Comes in handy when discussing diet with paleoistas.I just used this as an argument in the comments section here. O’Keefe is also listed as an author. He is Paleo and is notorious for suggesting that exercise causes plaque buildup in the arteries. Of course, saturated and trans fat does that, NOT exercise. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/cholesterol-unscrambled_b_6692940.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-livingInterestingly, in my experience, I have had a couple of patients that have had very low cholesterol levels with one having a stroke and another having multiple MI’s. They both, however, ate the SAD way. I will find one of the files I have on the carotid Ultrasound of the gentleman with the stroke and post his cholesterol levels in a follow up. I think I remember his Total cholesterol at 125 or something like that. Stay tuned. . . Point being in my experience it doesn’t matter what your cholesterol levels are, if you eat the SAD way you increase your risk tremendously of cardiac and vascular disease. Nice work Dr. G and crew!Umm. HIPAA?No Hippa Violation if identifying data is not disclosed.Mac, HIPAA is violated only when patient IDENTITY is given. Otherwise the simple medical facts could be applied to anyone and, hence, anonymous.“SAD” ??? What’s that please.standard american dietThe Standard American diet is rich in animal protein, fat, salt and sugar; and low in fiber and health-protecting plant foods. Check out Dr. Greger’s video discussing the SAD diet and how to calculate your healthy eating score: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/Ooooh good post!Thanks for your answer.Possible high burden of Lp(a)?? I have a gentleman with pristine lipids, 6 time ironman, ultrarunner etc.. Who is just ate up with CAD. CAC score was over 2500. His Lp(a) levels both Lp(a) mass and Lp(a) are sky high. Infact most of his LDL is Lp(a).High carb load will drive Lp(a) and Insulin Response problems, which cause atherosclerosis problems. High endurance exercise program e.g., marathon is a driver of inflammation and is particularly troubling for the cardiovascular system with lactic acid buildup. LCHF and eliminating grain oils, among other things help.SAD diet definitely increases your risk of developing vascular diseases, yes. One of the main reasons is due to increased cholesterol. What were the serial measurements of your patients’ cholesterol over his life-time? That is very important. His most recent tc of 125 is not of much consequence, but rather the totality of cholesterol his arteries have been exposed to since childhood (in addition to hyperglycemia, htn, etc).This is a nice article talking about the causal exposure model: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22187965The SAD diet is a disaster but saturated fat and protein is not the problem. The biggest problem is the high carb load of the average American and the resultant epidemic of inflammation, insulin resistance and diabetes. Some other factors are the quantity of food, factory foods i.e., edible product, with high levels of Omega 6, particularly grain oils and low levels of Omega 3s, both of which are essential for life but the proportions are all wrong. Look into the low carb high fat i.e., Paleo lifestyle for solutions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuj6nxCDBZ0I don’t think you’re going to find much of an audience for the “Paleo Diet” here.What is a SAD diet?? What does SAD mean?It’s the standard American diet, which contains a typical amount, by American standards, of meat, dairy, and processed foods, and fewer servings than optimal of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.Thanks for replying! I work full time, two teenage boys in sports and a wife that also works full time and goes to school part time, so it is hard for me to always get back to my comments. I appreciate your help!You’re very welcome!Could just be a rare statistical outlier. Or, it could be that the reading of 125 is not representative of their typical cholesterol, or that they experience large fluctuations. Also worth considering is the possibility of undetected cancer or some other such disease known to have cholesterol lowering effects.I’ll try to find that study today and post it. The number for T Chol was their typical cholesterol number. But in my experience he is a statistical outlier. I like your thinking about the possibility of cancer. I will never know that answer because I don’t see him as a patient anymore but great thought.You mention total cholesterol was typical for that patient, but how was the HDL/LDL ratio? A patient could have a low total cholesterol while still having a high LDL and really low HDL, which would be problematic. Obviously, you know this, I’m just clarifying my train of thought.To your point look at the image I posted above. Pt’s HDL/LDL ratio was very low 1.8. Crazy stuff. I appreciate your input and thoughts!Synergy, below is the follow up Carotid Duplex scan (Ultrasound) of the carotid arteries. The Red arrow on the left of the image shows the Right Carotid artery where a plaque ruptured and was the most likely cause of this patients stroke. On the right is the patients cholesterol level and it is very low: Total Cholesterol of 129 and LDL of 75. Remember goal of T. Chol: <150 and LDL: < 70.Interestingly as Synergy mentioned above maybe the low cholesterol was because of cancer. As you can see on the image of the Carotid scan he had a history of Throat cancer but it was removed and "in remission" as far as we knew at the time. And you can also see he stopped smoking at age 16 and pt was then 65.Again my point is eating the SAD diet definitely increases ones risk for SAD outcomes.Stay healthy my friends! * *Was this patient taking statin drugs to lower their cholesterol numbers? Those drugs are only about 5% effective over 5 years [see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/ so it wouldn’t be surprising that they still suffered a stroke. I went 100% WFPB and got down to the same total cholesterol with a better HDL/LDL ratio and an empty medicine cabinet.LDL cholesterol provides the building blocks and endothelial inflammation the wrecking ball in cardiovascular disease. The standard American diet contributes to both, and its a lot safer to stand next to even tall walls when there’s no demolition crew.And the endothelial inflammation is due to the oxidation of the LDL cholesterol?My understanding is that other stimulants of innate immune response (endotoxins, saturated fats, Neu5gc etc.) initiate endothelial inflammation and migration of monocytes into the vascular wall, which differentiate into macrophages releasing free radicals and inflammatory cytokines, and foam cells sucking up LDL and becoming plaques. Most of the oxidation of LDL is catalyzed by the macrophage free radicals, but from there OxLDL further contributes to differentiation into foam cells. Its considerably more complicated, but overall not a purely linear progression: some products later in the disease mechanism provide positive feedback to earlier steps, and is a canonical example of the pathological cycles of inappropriate innate immune response we’ve discussed elsewhere.Was it an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke?Ischemic stroke from a ruptured plaque. See posted image above showing the Carotid duplex scan of the pt’s carotids. Check out his cholesterol as well.Below is the follow up Carotid Duplex scan (Ultrasound) of the carotid arteries. The Red arrow on the left of the image shows the Right Carotid artery where a plaque ruptured and was the most likely cause of this patients stroke. On the right is the patients cholesterol level and it is very low: Total Cholesterol of 129 and LDL of 75. Remember goal of T. Chol: <150 and LDL: < 70. Interestingly as Synergy mentioned below maybe low cholesterol because of cancer. As you can see on the image of the Carotid scan he had a history of Throat cancer but it was removed and "in remission" as far as we knew at the time. And you can also see he stopped smoking at age 16 and pt is now 65. Again my point is eating the SAD diet definitely increases ones risk for SAD outcomes. Stay healthy my friends!Jeff Novick has pointed out that while being below a total of 150 is highly beneficial, it does not make you 100% protected. Those in the framgingham heart study (where the idea of 150 or below came from) had about 5-6 patients who still got a heart attack. Its all about risk reduction. https://www.facebook.com/JeffNovickRD/posts/209774152382716This is a very good point to raise, thank you. I also noticed in the video above, the vegan average was just under 70 for LDL, but the deviation was almost 30 points. I’m not sure if that is the range, or a standard deviation – my research skills are rusty. Even so, that means a significant number of vegans have LDL that is too high. I wonder what the factors are – probably too much refined fat, but perhaps sugar also plays a role.A great way to improve your HDL/LDL ratio is exercise, and I suspect most vegans (and everyone else) are sedentary. After going 100% WFPB I added regular exercise to shift that ratio.I should be safe, then, as I do sprint triathlons. It gets me exercising pretty frequently.Very interesting. I wonder (a) how the gentleman’s cholesterol was so low on the SAD diet, and (b) why his low cholesterol levels were not cardioprotective.We now know that if you eat the SAD diet that your HDL is dysfunctional. I learned that from Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. Dr. Greger may have a video on that as well. It was very interesting to learn that it’s not the cholesterol level that seems to matter. IT’S THE DIET! (I’m not yelling just placing extreme emphasis on ‘It’s the FOOD.”)Cholesterol is useless. It’s the protection provided by the plants….phytonutrients, vitamin C, etc.If this is the case, (and I suspect you are right) I would like to know the mechanism of action. Just quite curious about this. What are the phytonutrients (or other plant nutrients) doing to the blood vessels exactly?What about for people with familial hypercholesterolemia. Could they improve their condition by eating a whole-foods plant based diet?I am a layperson, I would think so. I think you have asked in the right place, but nobody has answered you with the research to back it up. Pretty sure a plant-based diet helps everyone who has hypercholesterolemia, whether familial or not.Dr. G, I attended two Engine2 conferences last year, one at which you spoke. I have been following Dr. Essylsten’s diet and one thing that I believe that is not stressed enough is to not eat any sugar. I just got my cholesterol checked and it jumped to 250, and this is while eating only plants, no added oil, no nuts, no avocado. But I have been putting a lot of sugar in my tea. So now I have jettisoned the sugar, and will get retested in two to three months. I am really scared, as before my first Engine2 conference a year ago, my doctor found via a Calcium CT scan I have atheresclerosis.What were your lipid numbers before you started the Engine2 diet?What’s so weird is that my cholesterol went down 100 points when I first started the diet to 228. I gave up the nuts and avocado and was really excited to get my blood results and am so discouraged (just got the new results a few days ago) that due to my genes maybe I need statins. But I read something by Dr. Essylsten recently about how sugar also needs to be jettisoned (something I’ve been ignoring) so I have stopped it. I am also now trying to eat at least one head of kale a day. My bad cholesterol this go round jumped SIGNIFICANTLY and is up to 198!! I am really scared.In my experience and in Dr. McDougalls and Dr. Neal Barnards, in people who eat a whole food, plant based diet very low in fat (and take B12) just don’t have Heart Attacks. I have people with Total cholesterols in the 250’s and LDLs of 150 (familial hypercholesterolemia)Thank you, HemoDynamic, M.D! That makes me feel better. My internist found that my thyroid level was low (I had skipped a few doses of my synthroid) and he thought that also had something to do with the spike in my cholesterol. I want to be heart attack proof: My dad had his first at 56 and died of a massive one at 72, my mom survived hers, my dad’s sister dropped dead of a massive one at 60.I agree with HemoDynamic MD that stabilizing arterial disease is more about diet with some help from regular exercise and of course not smoking. We don’t have studies on persons who eat a whole food plant based diet and still have “elevated” cholesterols by today’s recommendations. In my clinical experience elevation of cholesterol can be partly due to fruit and sugar in some individuals. Remember sugar is one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule. The latter is metabolized primarily by the liver see.. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/. Thyroid is another factor as your doctor pointed out. I’m not sure it is possible to be “heart attack” proof but the data is clear you can certainly lower your risk to a very small number through proper lifestyle interventions.Dr. Forrester. In browsing your website I came across Lupus. I’ve been a bit under the weather past week and in this weakened state I pretty much have that butterfly pattern on my face now where I only had 2 stripes on my cheeks past year. History of high protein in urine, sensitive for psychosis, photosensitive, knee problems, flare ups inflamed toes & finger tips, all in all pretty likely. I’m going to contact an old friend who I squatted a building with in the study years he is a M.D., this is just becoming too ridiculously complex now, I hope he’ll have me because the next doctor who says go do something with how you plan your day is gonna have a very rough day himself.My question, is there something in WFPBD that might make this condition worse? Would blueberries and acaii be bad for me now?Have you seen this link? http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/ A doctor was so sure that animal saturated fats were related to the explosion of MS in the post World War II world that he showed that they were the cause. He found that the vegan diet was effective as any treatment for MS. Lupus, Parkinsons, Fibromalygia and other neurological disorders might be related and the WFPBD could help. In World War II they used to treat emotional health with Niacin (VItamin B3 and Vitamin C). Dr. Hoffra, deceased, turned this into his profession in Psychology and had great numbers of patients in remission.. See this link http://www.altmedrev.com/publications/13/4/287.pdf Between the plant based diet and Vitamin B3 I think this site gives people hope.Hmmm, I’m watching the McDougall video linked by Adrien about the Swank diet, and unaware of this but after the rice diet video on this site I started giving that a try a week before Christmas. With adding 3 days before magnesium I was able to go visit my mother 175 km drive away, this move to the rice diet was after I noticed myself physically recoiling when I made eye contact with women, lovely creatures don’t get me wrong. I was so overloaded that the slightest of extra stimulation of the brain literally stunned me, that was very worrying. The magnesium had the same (side)effect as diazepam, I loathe downers in general but not taking it wasn’t an option anymore. Choline a week later made me open for input again after the sedation and the hot scalp and glowing upper spine went away.Now from what I take from McDougalls presentation the low fat, I settled on 15% instead of 5%, might have been a solid contributing factor too. I did let the low fat slip a little bit again past 3 – 4 weeks, still moderate in almost all definitions but more around 20 I’d guess, 15% was pretty trying combined with the flax and 30 grams of walnuts. Had to settle on 20 – 20, and start measuring the sesame oil grams to get keep within the 15%.Update: My old friend offered to take me into his practice 70 km from here, I’m much relieved already. Had a nice conversation, tinker time.Thank you, Don Forrester MD. Dr. Essylsten told us that being exact is the key and I have not been exact when it comes to sugar, including that in fruit.Is Esselstyn telling people not to eat fruit now?Pretty sure he means added sugar.Dr E has said that for some people they may need to limit to 3 fruit serving a day to lower the tri #… I am one of those people. Maybe because for years I was a raw foodist with a diet the contained almost all raw fruit… not what my mentor recommended… for me it was just easier to eat… So, no, Dr E does NOT recommend NOT eating fruit…Thank you, Don Forrester MD!You’re doing great! Keep it up! And even if you unfortunately meet an untimely demise (it does happen to some) you are living with the highest quality of life by taking care of yourself!I hope i don’t meet an untimely demise!!I hope so too!Low thyroid hormone will increase your cholesterol.We are behind you. Do well keeping you hypothyroidism under control.Thank you. I am going to be more diligent in taking my synthroid.Hi newsjunkie, I just wanted to share my tea experience when going vegan. I used to drink a pot of black tea with (dairy) milk every morning. When I first went vegan (apparently before I figured out how to buy non dairy milk) I immediately switched to green since it doesn’t require milk. Eventually I got sick of the green because it’s just a bit too astringent for me first thing in the morning, so I switched to white. To me the white tea with nothing added is as smooth as black tea with milk added. There’s very little astringency. Also I get a fruit/vanilla flavored blend and it actually tastes slightly sweet without any sugar. Years ago in my black tea with dairy milk days I would also add nutrasweet. Now tea with any kind of sugar/non-sugar sweetener actually tastes worse to me, and has a noticeably unpleasant aftertaste compared to plain tea. So if you can get your taste buds readjusted without the sugar, who knows maybe you’ll grow to like it better that way too. Fyi there are several varieties of white tea and I’ve found some are just as tart as green, but if you can find a nice smooth variety I think you might really enjoy it. It can look quite expensive by the pound, but it’s also much less dense than black tea. I can get about a 2 month supply for $18 at my local tea shop and I use a tablespoon per day.Also, if you want to go the commercial almond milk route, I personally think the blue diamond unsweetened has the least pronounced almond flavor of any I’ve tried. However, if you want to decrease fat altogether, keep in mind that almond milk, while low in calorie, is still mostly fat by caloric percentage, which might add up if you drink a large quantity of it. If you want a much lower fat milk, you might consider rice or oat milk. While they can be more expensive in the store, they are both dirt cheap if made at home. Personally I’ve found the oat milk to have a little too much oat flavor and also a gelatinous quality which I didn’t care for. However homemade rice milk I find quite dandy.A couple years ago I stopped consuming sugar or anything sweet. The first month was challenging, after that it was quite easy. During that first month, I realized that I had developed (over many years) a habit of eating something sweet after each meal. As time went on, my taste buds changed I was able to taste sweetness in plain oats, lettuce, spinach…I’m not advocating that you avoid fruit entirely, there are certainly nutritionally dense fruits (that I now consume) in my daily smoothie. Best of luck to you.I have been putting Westsoy unsweetened soy milk in my tea and decaf coffee, and drink about a carton a day (32 oz). Could this be a contributing factor too?I think it might be. Wastsoy unsweetened has 5 g of fat per 8 oz serving, one of those is saturated. Esselstyn recommends non-fat soymilk or oat milk in his Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease book.I am going to give that up too. Do you know of any good-tasting almond milk? I REALLY don’t like it!newsjunkie: Chef AJ shows a ***super*** easy way to make your own almond milk in the following video. She says it tastes way better than anything you can buy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9FGtbkQ0v4&feature=youtu.beSorry I don’t have the minute mark where the recipe is. You’ll have to jump around, but hopefully can find it pretty easily.Minute 28:00. Spoiler: AJ uses almond butter. Very quick!Thanks MacSmiley! I didn’t have time to find the spot. Very kind of you to do it.My pleasure, Thea! Chef AJ is quite amusing.Try the unsweetened Silk almond milk, and let us know what you think.I will and let you know!Make your own – it is SO much better! Half a cup of almond meal (Bob’s Red Mill makes a great one), packed tightly, to 2 cups of water. Blend for two minutes, then strain through a nut milk bag. Delicious!It’s really hard giving up added sugar but worth it. The “withdrawal symptoms” and headaches lasted 8 days for me but you won’t have cravings after that. It also helped with going Whole food as you tend to eliminate the other kinds of food naturally, like refined flour for example. The immediate and long-term improvement in my health(including energy, skin , sleep and mood) was quite unexpected. Seeing a documentary about how people’s blood-flow turns “sticky” with sugar consumption was more than enough to make me give it up.Thank you, I haven’t had sugar now for a few days and don’t miss it! Drinking tea with erythritol or nothing, and finding I prefer nothing :)In this video, Dr. Ornish says he takes 3 to 4 gms fish oil a day. I just bought some in the hopes it will help.Hmmm. Interesting that your numbers went up AFTER giving up nuts and avocado. Those are heart-healthy foods, especially the nuts (1 ounce/day). Perhaps adding them back into your diet will get you back on track?Nuts and avocado, according to Dr. Essylsten, should not be eaten by people with heart disease and should be eaten in limited quantities by others because they are not heart-healthy.I’m familiar with Dr. Esselstyn’s position on nuts. And I respect where he’s coming from. However, if you watch Dr. Greger’s videos, you’ll see an alternative viewpoint based on the science. And you’ve got to deal with the reality that the changes you have made according to Dr. Esselstyn’s program may not be the best for you as an individual.how about your TSH?exactly right. My doctor said my TSH was low and wants to retest me in two to three months. I had skipped my synthroid a few times in the week before the blood test last week.I ask because my friend went vegan two years ago, and TSH values quickly jumped massively and cholesterol raised. She’s was able to fix these problems by supplementing iodine, gradually increasing the dose and was able to get her tsh back to a normal value with a massive dose of iodine(100mg/day) and its cofactors(selenium). Not sure but synthyroid I guess solves the same problem but I think you can take both.I noticed with the vegetarian adventists study that the pesco-vegetarians women faired quite a bit better than vegan women. I this might be because women require more iodine and seafood has it.The LDL receptor is thyroid mediated. If TSH is off than you cannot really trust your lipid panel results.Thank you, rob! That is what my doctor said.Thats a relief!I had a shock last week. I got my blood test back and it was TSH 5.8 LDL 177. No symptoms, well my hair is a little dry. T3 and T4 levels are within range. I assumed I was super healthy because I had been eating mostly vegan for years, then vegan for the last year. I don’t use salt, I totally stopped eating fish about a year ago, I eat seaweed but not all the time. The medical establishment says wait and see for subclinical hypothyroidism because there is no such thing as iodine deficiency in the developed world. Wait and see until you need our drugs that is. I ordered Iodoral and will take 1/2 a tablet per day for a month then go up from there. Of course it could be autoimmune so I am avoiding gluten in case there is any truth to that connection. If it turns out it was the iodine I will eventually switch to a daily serving of dulse. With flax and amla and turmeric and blueberries etc. I wonder how widespread iodine deficiency is and how many failed vegans it caused.THeres a video here that says 80% of vegans are deficient. Although Greger is very conservative when it comes to what he says about iodine and warns about the dangers, but those dangers seem to only come from other nutrient deficiencies… mainly selenium.We are behind you! Taking sugar out of the diet is tough. Dr G at some point recommended eryrithritol as being the best sweetener if you are having a tough time.Remember to supplement b12zThank you, tbatts666, I am using erythritol now (although yesterday was my first day using no sweeteners, and it wasn’t so awful)…newsjunkie, Just a reminder that stress itself is not good for us. I learned recently that just being stressed when getting our blood drawn will alter the results (for the worse). Meditation, relaxation exercises, walking in nature–anything that relaxes you should help improve your health and cholesterol numbers.thank you! I am taking a mindfulness-based stress reduction class based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s teachings.The average American consumes 156 pounds of sugar annually. It is prevalent in processed foods, soft drinks and a common add in for coffee and tea. Sugar has an adverse effect on the body and puts us at risk for diseases such as obesity, heart disease and especially Cancer. While there are sugar substitutes, the best is to completely eliminate added sugars from our diet. Once the addiction subsides so do the cravings. You might consider adding cinnamon or cardamon to your tea.Thank you! I have started using a great substitute called erythritol after seeing a video on this site. Is there a study that shows that too is bad for me?newsjunkie,While Dr. Greger has highlighted erythritol as a safe alternative sweetener, he does address three ways that using alternative sweeteners can still contribute to weight gain here: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/09/how-to-gain-weight-on-diet-soda/Additionally, Dr. Greger published a note of caution about using erythritol in this Q & A post: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/09/how-to-gain-weight-on-diet-soda/ (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22118754) that found erythritol can increase “gastrointestinal symptoms” depending on how much fructose is also consumed.I’m confident Dr. Greger will let us know if additional concerns are found too! Hope that helps.thanks!KWD: ooh, you have helped me! Your posts have been really fantastic. This one just happens to be one that has helped me personally. :-) Thanks!Thanks, Thea! I’m glad to hear that.fyi I just had my first completely unsweetened cup of tea and it wasn’t so bad.newsjunkie: That reminds me of my own progression to drinking tea. When I was a kid, my only exposure to tea was in Asian restaurants and I was allowed to put in as much sugar as I wanted. I wasn’t shy. But that first, over-sweet exposure to tea turned into me liking tea naked many years later. I honestly don’t think I would enjoy tea the way I do today or be able to drink it at all if I hadn’t had the early sweet exposure.I’m glad you gave the sugar-free version a try. You may never like it as much as you like the sweetened kind, but you may find you can tolerate it well enough.It is best to cut out all added sugar. Do you know what your fasting glucose level is? I eat a whole food plant-based diet hardly ever use added sugar but I consume plenty of fruits, which probably make up 70% of my diet. My glucose level is 92mg/dl in the range of 65-139mg/dl. My HDL is 51 and my LDL is 51. Cut out the added sugar and drink plenty of water.wow, awesome cholesterol! I don’t know what my fasting glucose level is. I am cutting out all added sugar for sure!Thanks. It is good that you are cutting out additive sugar but you should also know you glucose levels. Ask your doctor for your most recent blood test. Your glucose level should be on there.[reposted as a reply]Are people not being told what are the optimal cholesterol levels so they will become cardiology patients?No. It’s that most providers have a very rudimentary understanding of lipidology.I believe it would also be worth mentioning ApoB or LDL particle number as well. We do know that both of these are better indicators of CV risk especially when the LDLc and LDLp are discordant. Ultimately it’s the number of ApoB containing lipoproteins that’s drives CV disease and not just the cholesterol they traffic. It’s the entire Lipoprotein that penetrates the vascular wall, becomes endocytosed by the macrophage ultimately forming the foam cell etc.. Granted folks who have “normal” LDLc but yet high LDLp typically have elevated triglycerides.Hi Rob, if you haven’t seen Dr. Greger’s discussion on cholesterol size, please see here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/Rami,Rob is not talking about lipoprotein size but about the number of particles that shuttle the cholesterol. He’s referring to the number of vehicles, not the size of the trucks.He’s talking about a subject Thomas Dayspring champions: When LDLs are busy trafficking triglycerides, the body generates more lipoproteins to compensate for the shortage of vehicles in order to get the same cholesterol transportation job done.Although I tend to believe Dayspring on this matter, I am suspicious of the financial interest he has in the company that makes the NMR machines needed to assay the particles.I also vehemently disagree with his buddy-buddy relationship with Gary Taubes/Peter Attia/Nina Teicholz (can’t the man do a minimal amount of fact checking, for goodness sakes?) and hid endorsement of Atkins/LCHF animal-based diets to counter IR/discordant dyslipidemia. That’s the diet he is personally following.I misinterpreted his post and assumed particle number was a reference to size. Thanks for the correction. Also, this is my new profile name MacSmiley. You may know me as “Toxins”.Oh, hi , Toxins! What’s up with the change in handle?To come off as less aggressive, my name and thumbnail was changed.Sounds good to me.Ditto on what Macsmiley said. When I draw a lipid panel (Atherotech) I do focus more on LDLp. Size is not relevant once you know how many particles you have. Even a large LDL particle is plenty small to penetrate the vessel wall. An example of this would be people who have Familial Hyoercholesterolemia, they are at a very high lifetime risk of CV disease and will typically have large particle size. I also try not to get caught up fretting over HDLc. Typically it’s low due to elevated Trigs and will rise as Trigs go down. I do dislike though referring to LDL as bad and HDL as good. Cholesterol is cholesterol. It’s the vehicle that is different. Very little of your HDLc is derived from cholesterol that has been pulled from the vascular wall.How many years does it take for LDL to base once you start on a strict plant diet? My first few months were amazing. The next two years squeezed only 10 additional points. This isn’t bringing me quite as low as I want to go (but I’m close). McDougall’s interview with Pritikin suggests that it can take up to five years.Are home tests for cholesterol levels effective?I’m confused, this video says low cholesterol is the most important, but then this video says the SBP > 115 is.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/What gives?Clem, Thanks for posting this as it made me go back and review the content more closely. It seems that the two videos focus on different risk factors to major life threatening events; namely hypertension vs. atherosclerosis.In re-watching the “Flax Seeds for Hypertension” video, the reference to SBP > 115 is this statement from Dr. Greger: “Because having a systolic blood pressure over 115—that’s the top number—may be the single most important determinant for death in the world today.” Death, per the transcript, refers to death from strokes and heart attacks: “a drop like that could cut stroke risk 46%, heart disease 29%”.In today’s video, the reference to cholesterol being the single cause of atherosclerosis is the opinion of, “Dr. William Clifford Roberts…. Executive Director of Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute and long-time Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Cardiology.” Further, the transcript summarizes, “thus the only absolute prerequisite for a fatal or nonfatal atherosclerotic event like a heart attack is an elevated cholesterol level.”So, I would say that it’s not that one is more important than the other but that elevated measurements of either SBP or cholesterol are indicators of separate risk factors to be considered in maintenance of overall health.My numbers were 200 total, 110 LDL, 36 HDL prior to my diet change. 2 years later my numbers are 170, 90, and 53 respectively. I haven’t seen a change since the first 6 weeks of a plant based diet. I’ve gone over my diet with a microscope and can’t find anything else to change. What next? How do I hit the numbers they are suggesting?How much fat are you consuming in your diet? Tracking your intake with https://cronometer.com/ can be an extremely helpful tool.Siberspeer, What are your triglycerides? Your HDL is 31% of total cholesterol which is awesome (up from 18%; should be above 25%). Triglyceride to HDL ratio should be below 2, so if your triglycerides are below 105, you’re good. Now LDL is only 20 points away from 70. Exercise and omega 3 supplements (vegan algae is very bioavailable) can help reduce LDL.My triglycerides are 62. I do a tablespoon of flax meal every day for omega 3 and I don’t think I can do more cardio. But thanks for the reply.Your lipids are better than the vast majority of folks out there. It sounds like you’re really making positive health changes. Keep up the good work, keep watching the great info that’s posted here and don’t fret over your LDL of 90. Chances are its a calculated LDLc and inaccurate anyway.My original numbers were Total 200, LDL 110, HDL 36. After 2 months on a plant based diet they were 170, 90, and 53 respectively. That was 2 years ago and they haven’t changed. I’ve gone over my diet with a microscope and I can’t find anything else to remove. I try to be very strict but something isn’t working. My numbers are good, but they aren’t in the ranges that are suggested above. 50 to 70??? I wish. What else can I do?PLEASE comment on the new cholesterol guidelines when they come out — I wonder who is on the comittee?Does anyone here question the validity of the lipid theory? Clinical data do not support the lipid theory.You’ve been listening to Gary Taubes/ Nina Teicholz perchance? If yes, I suggest you check out the fact checkers:Evelyn Kocurhttp://carbsanity.blogspot.com/Seth Yoderhttp://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.comAnd James Krieger has done an excellent job deconstructing Taubes on the subject of insulin.http://weightology.com/Why did you assume everyone questions the lipid hypothesis was in Taubes camp?What about “Honolulu Heart Program” study? http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673601055532/abstractWhat about ” Japanese Lipid Intervention Trial”? http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/22/6/1038Because of their recent prominence and influence in the matter. The whole “lipid hypothesis” denialism started with Uffe Ravnskov, and all his inaccuracies have been echo-chambered by Taubes/Techolz/the anti-vax Weston A Price Foundation and others. What they say certain studies suggest is often just the opposite.Plant Positive addresses the Honolulu and Japanese studies you bring up.http://plantpositive.comMost heart attack patients’ cholesterol levels did not indicate cardiac risk http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/majority-of-hospitalized-heart-75668This is true, though much of that is just the guideline levels are not physiologic. As Dr Greger said in the video physiologic LDLc levels are around 40 or so though for a low risk person the guidelines consider 130 to be normal. The other reason is related to what I said earlier about the particle number. You can have a low LDLc but still have a huge number of athrogenic particles trafficking that cholesterol. And then there are other factors such as Lp(a) levels.There are many papers showing the association between stress and high LDLc/Lp(a). Shouldn’t we ask if the diet factor is not as nearly important as physical and psychological stress?MacSmiley: I thought your first post was so helpful because you gave references to specific fact checkers. I was going to ask why you didn’t include Plant Positive. Happy to see you snuck him in here. :-) All those sources together make for some really powerful evidence.What do you mean by “the lipid theory”? the theory that lipids do what?What do you mean by “the lipid theory”? the theory that lipids do what?Quote from Wikipedia:The lipid hypothesis was described in 1976 as the premise that “measures used to lower the plasma lipids in patients with hyperlipidemia will lead to reductions in new events of coronary heart disease”.[1] Another formulation is that “decreasing blood cholesterol… significantly reduces coronary heart disease events”;[2] this discussion is also referred to as the “cholesterol controversy”.[3] It is closely related to the saturated fat and cardiovascular disease controversy.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipid_hypothesisQuote from Wikipedia:The lipid hypothesis was described in 1976 as the premise that “measures used to lower the plasma lipids in patients with hyperlipidemia will lead to reductions in new events of coronary heart disease”.[1] Another formulation is that “decreasing blood cholesterol… significantly reduces coronary heart disease events”;[2] this discussion is also referred to as the “cholesterol controversy”.[3] It is closely related to the saturated fat and cardiovascular disease controversy.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipid_hypothesisI am totally puzzled. Not long ago, I attended a conference of a very trustworthy doctor, specialized in nutrition and plant based diet. He assured that the numbers for high cholesterol risk were exaggerated, and that Big Pharma has been lowering them in order to get more clients for their statins. He said that you can have 350 total cholesterol and be fine. So I stopped worrying about cholesterol. Now that I read this, and I remember my last blood test showing HDL 74.8, LDL 136 and total cholesterol 223, I wonder… how? and do I really have to worry? I eat a good, balanced, varied plant based diet. Why is my cholesterol that high? I only make little exceptions like dark chocolate every now and then, I love bread and cereals but always dark and organic. I love coconut milk as well, but surely that doesn’t give you cholesterol as there’s no cholesterol in vegetable foods? Please help!Hmm. Who is this “very trustworthy doctor”??Any doctor who speaks against bigpharma is a trustworthy doctor to me. As for Christina’s point, I wonder if the reference range for cholesterol is different in other countries.Any doctor who speaks against bigpharma is a trustworthy doctor to me.Sounds ideologically dogmatic to me. Anti-Big Pharma ideology has directed people to bogus supplements and all kinds of alt-med woo, some of which can be quite harmful.Dr. Greger would agree that lifestyle change should be first line defense and prevention, but that drugs have their proper place and can even save lives.Excellent point. It is interesting how “Big” has somehow become synonymous with “Bad.” If it weren’t for “Big-Pharma” we’d still be lobotomizing psychiatric patients.“We” are chemically lobotomizing psychiatric patients? Patients “appear” to be improved…but they are subjectively zombified. They have no real interior life. Makes it easier for the nurses and orderlies? The patient is in a form of suspended animation…zombified. I think that around 40% of people in nursing homes are psychiatric patients? The other 60% probably get some of the same drugs. Makes it easier for the nurses and orderlies?Hi Mac! Well, he is a Southamerican doctor, expert in nutrition (plant based), I can’t remember his name now, but at the conference he was presented as an expert with more than 30 years experience, everyone was saying how good he was, and everything he said (basically most things Dr Greger says), made lots of sense to me, so I was surprised to hear about the cholesterol thing, which I have heard from other Naturopathic doctors as well.Remember that saturated fat raises cholesterol, even vegan forms. Coconut and chocolate (cocoa butter) are very high in saturated fat. Also, I’ve heard ratios are important. At 34%, your HDL is well above the recommended 25%+ of cholesterol. Triglyceride/HDL should be below 2 so if your TG’s are below 110, you’re good. Exercise and DHA/EPA (vegan source = algae oil) also help reduce LDL.Thanks very much Julie! The thing is my HDL is just above the recommended level, and my LDL is within the safe limits, but my triglycerides are very low. Does that make sense? I excercise quite a lot, and regularly, and take a vegan DHA/EPA. Thanks again!Cristina, there are a lot of factors that can play into your lipid numbers. Reducing saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and animal products in your diet will be the best way to reduce your total cholesterol. Ideally, you want total cholesterol to be <150 mg/dL. Studies show that in populations where cholesterol is <150 mg/dL, heart disease & heart attacks are very rare.LDL cholesterol is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The lower your LDL the better. Ideally LDL should be <70 mg/dL, as these are the levels shown to correlate with reversal of atherosclerosis. You can reduce LDL by increasing consumption of beans, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, & seeds. Decreasing processed oils, saturated fats, trans fats, & cholesterol intake will help reduce LDL.HDL is your “good” cholesterol. It is involved in transporting cholesterol back to the liver, which ultimately results in less cholesterol buildup in plaques in the arteries. For every increase of 5 mg/dL in HDL, there is a decrease in risk of 11%. HDL may be increased by weight loss, quitting smoking, & increased exercise (ideally 1,500-3,000 calories burned per week).Triglycerides are fats that may be stored or burned for energy. High triglycerides are an independent risk factor for heart disease and can contribute to atherosclerosis. Ideally triglycerides should be maintained <90 mg/dL. Weight loss, decrease in intake of refined oils, animal fats, alcohol, sugar, and processed foods can reduce triglycerides. Exercise, fiber rich foods, fruits, and vegetables also help to reduce triglyceride level.Studies on children show us that the sooner we start making these types of changes the better. This Dr. Greger video explains how heart disease actually starts in childhood and that kids as young as 10 years old have fatty streaks inside their arteries. Unbelievable but true!Tara, the amount of cholesterol that is trafficked by HDL that comes from the vascular walk is infatisimly small. Reverse cholesterol transport is a minor roll of HDL. It’s likely main purpose as far as lipids go is transportin CE to the steroidogenic organs. HDL also gives a fair amount of its cholesterol to LDL particles via CETP.Thanks very much for your detailed explanation, Tara, much appreciated! The thing is I am vegan, and have been for many years, my LDL is low and my HDL is high, but my total cholesterol is 230. I am really not that worried, as my vegan diet is very balanced, but you can’t help getting confused when you hear respected professionals say the very opposite thing from one another. I guess I’ll just continue with my ways and eat what I like without worrying too much. Probably the stress of wondering if you are doing the righ thing is worse than anything else. :)A plant based diet may not lower your cholesterol, but a low fat (10%)whole-food plant based diet may help. Coconut milk has a lot of saturated fat…not good for lowering cholesterol.Thanks Joe! Still, coconut products have good press as being the only saturated fat that is good for you. I really don’t know what to believe anymore. I think I will just eat anything I please (plant based, of course) in moderation, and that will probably keep me healthier than worrying about if this or that is good or bad.Many cardiologists also recommend LDL below 70. But what about ratios, LDL particle size and number? Cardiologists place importance on these as well. HDL should be 25%+ of total cholesterol and the triglyceride/HDL ratio should be below 2.Not everyone who eats a plant-based diet will get their total cholesterol under 150 or their LDL below 70. At 3:37 in the video Dr. Greger refers to this study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17364116 which found “Mean and standard deviation for TC were 208.09 +/- 49.09 mg/dl in the group of omnivores, and 141.06 +/- 30.56 mg/dl in the group of vegans (p < 0.001). LDL values for omnivores and vegans were respectively: 123.43 +/- 42.67 mg/dl and 69.28 +/- 29.53 mg/dl (p < 0.001)." The mean and deviation values indicate that in this study vegans had TC ranging from about 110 to 171 mg/dl, and LDL ranging from about 40 to 100 mg/dl. IMO stating that we all should have cholesterol under 150 mg/dl is like saying that we all should be less than 5'8" tall because research shows that shorter people live longer. The fact is each of us is a unique individual with a signature low cholesterol just like a signature fingerprint. Eating a plant based diet will probably get your TC as low as YOU can go, but it might not be as low as someone else's. That doesn't mean you won't have protection against atherosclerosis. All of these reports deal with means and averages, Your own mileage may vary.Thanks Donmatesz, this is helpful! I also have to say that my tryglicerids level is very low, so that must mean something.My guess is the reason that they do not lower the ideal cholesterol level is because of the money that would be lost by the meat and dairy industry !!!!I eat a whole food diet that includes meat, dairy and eggs in addition to fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, etc. I take 10 mgs Atorvastatin/day in addition to other supplements.Last blood test was 9/2/2014 – I will be going for another blood test next monthResults Fasting Glucose – 83 mg/dl hs-CRP – 0.9 mg/l TC – 120 mg/dl HDL – 54 mg/dl TG – 50 mg/dl LDL (calculated) – 56 mg/dlLDL-P – 1011 nmol/l LDL small – 184 nmol/l LDL medium – 164 nmol/l HDH large 5946 nmol/lApoA1 – 138 mg/dl ApoB – 59 mg/dl ApoB/A1 ratio – 0.41HA1C – 5.7% of total HGBHomocysteine – 9.9 umol/lCAC – 47 (taken 2/14 – up from 30 in 12/07) so the rate of progression has slowed to a crawl) Plaque is on the LAD (the widow maker)I shouldn’t be surprised someone would try to sell a “take a pill and eat whatever you want” solution over eating right, but I am. I think your post is an implicit acknowledgement that your diet is “eating wrong”, am I correct….or would you like to backtrack a bit? Or, maybe it’s just someone passing along information to others…in which case I would like to point out the following:I get the same result eating vegan, and for that I get a ton of health benefits…unlike those who take Atrovastin, which face a ton of potential harm, including:Cough difficulty with swallowing dizziness fast heartbeat fever hives itching muscle cramps, pain, stiffness, swelling, or weakness puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue skin rash tightness in the chest unusual tiredness or weakness wheezing Blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin chills dark-colored urine diarrhea joint pain large, hive-like swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or sex organs red skin lesions, often with a purple center sore red, irritated eyes sore throat sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth or on the lips Headache hoarseness lower back or side pain pain or tenderness around the eyes and cheekbones painful or difficult urination stuffy or runny nose Abdominal or stomach pain back pain belching or excessive gas constipation general feeling of discomfort or illness heartburn, indigestion, or stomach discomfort lack or loss of strength loss of appetite nausea shivering sweating trouble sleeping vomiting Appetite increased black, tarry stools bloody nose bloody or cloudy urine blurred vision continuing ringing or buzzing or other unexplained noise in the ears difficult, burning, or painful urination difficulty seeing at night excessive muscle tone or tension fruit-like breath odor groin or scrotum pain inability to have or keep an erection increased body movements increased sensitivity of the eyes to light increased sensitivity to touch or pain increased thirst increased urination loss of bladder control loss of sexual ability, drive, or desire menstrual bleeding occurring earlier or lasting longer than usual mental depression nervousness nightmares pale skin paranoia pinpoint red spots on the skin slurred speech swollen or tender lymph glands in the neck, armpit, or groin unable to move or feel face unusual bleeding or bruising weight lossZERO side effects.I did not mean to imply that side-effect free equals risk-free. The drug you are so pleased with carries substantial risks…and for what….so you can continue to eat the foods that caused your disease in the first place and caused the situation in which you now have to take Atrovastin?Do you see any problem here?I have more information than you could possible imagine and I choose not to follow a vegan diet/lifestyle whuich I believe is not the healthiest. If my next CT scan shows plaque regression what will you say then??Putting aside for now the issue of whether or not I can imagine the amount of information you possess, I would welcome a comment from you in the future letting me know that a CT scan shows plaque regression. If that happens, reply to this comment and we won’t have to deal in hypotheticals. I have only seen that happen to people on diets far stricter than yours, so I would certainly have to cross that bridge when and if I came to it. For what it’s worth, I certainly hope that for you, but based on your diet I don’t think it will.I will save this page and reply when I take it. However, there are studies that show plaque regression with ultra low LDL with statins.Effect of a Combined Therapeutic Approach of Intensive Lipid Management, Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation, and Increased Serum 25 (OH) Vitamin D on Coronary Calcium Scores in Asymptomatic AdultsWilliam Davis, MD, FACC,1* Susie Rockway, PhD, CNS,2 and Mary Kwasny, ScD3The impact of intensive lipid management, omega-3 fatty acid, and vitamin D3 supplementation on atherosclerotic plaque was assessed through serial computed tomography coronary calcium scoring (CCS). Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction with statin therapy has not been shown to reduce or slow progression of serial CCS in several recent studies, casting doubt on the usefulness of this approach for tracking atherosclerotic progression. In an open-label study, 45 male and female subjects with CCS ≥50 without symptoms of heart disease were treated with statin therapy, niacin, and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation to achieve low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides≤60 mg/dL; high-density lipoprotein ≥60 mg/dL; and vitamin D3 supplementation to achieve serum levels of ≥50 ng/mL 25(OH) vitamin D, in addition to diet advice. Lipid profiles of subjects were significantly changed as follows: total cholesterol -24%, low-density lipoprotein -41%; triglycerides -42%, high-density lipoprotein +19%, and mean serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels +83%. After a mean of 18 months, 20 subjects experienced decrease in CCS with mean change of -14.5% (range 0% to -64%); 22 subjects experienced no change or slow annual rate of CCS increase of +12% (range 1%–29%). Only 3 subjects experienced annual CCS progression exceeding 29% (44%–71%). Despite wide variation in response, substantial reduction of CCS was achieved in 44% of subjects and slowed plaque growth in 49% of the subjects applying a broad treatment program.Our findings lend support to the concept that dietary changes and the addition of omega-3 and vitamin D3 supplements to pharmacological therapy targeting LDL cholesterol 60, HDL 60, and TG 60 mg/dL may slow or reduce progression of coronary calcium scores in a substantial proportion of patients. The precise parameters that will be necessary to achieve consistent reductions in coronary calcium scoring have yet to be determined. Whether or not reductions of calcium score will also yield concomitant reduction of coronary events is a tantalizing, but unproven, prospect.Thanks for the citation. I will check it out. And thanks also for being open to revisiting this conversation if you get some plaque regression.The fact that the plaque burden has only gone from 30 to 47 in 6 years plus the fact that I lowered my SFA consumption and started the statins 2 years ago leads me to believe that the progression has slowed dramatically. Arterial plaque normally progresses at a rate of 20-35% per annum so the next step should be regression. We shall seeBased on what I know those are indeed far better than average numbers, but it sounds like your goal is reversal, which is admirable and I believe likely doable based on studies done over the past decade that to my amazement still don’t get as much attention as they should given the prevalence of heart disease in the US. But, you’ve no doubt seen them, and you’re here at nutritionfacts.org, which is a great resource. You’ve probably also run into doctors like Esselstyn and McDougall who promote diets that do the very thing you’re trying to do. I look forward to hearing how it’s going down the road.I would think your LDLp would need to get somewhere below 750 before you saw regression.I’m curious as to why my LDL-P is slightly over 1,000 even though my ApoB and LDL-C are both <60. Any thoughts?Ha1C number is a bit high.You’ll hear no argument from me about the negative impacts of cholesterol on artery health…but is it true that dietary cholesterol has no significant impact on blood cholesterol, and what do you make of the government’s plan to withdraw its warning about eating high amounts of cholesterol or high cholesterol-containing foods in its official dietary guidelines?The USDA has massive conflicts of interest. Its job is to promote U.S. agriculture industries, not public health. We’re idiots to accept dietary guidelines from the milk and meat industries.They are being influenced by the egg industry and a couple poorly interpreted studies by david katz I believe. Hence, they’re just loosening their recommendations on dietary cholesterol intake.It is in fact very true that dietary cholesterol impacts blood cholesterol – but only does so substantially when blood cholesterol is not high. So if you have high cholesterol (lets say from eating meat dairy and eggs everyday) and you add 1-2 eggs on top of that unhealthy diet, you will not see a significant rise in blood cholesterol. However, if you give someone on a whole food plant based diet 1-2 eggs, you’ll see their cholesterol rise considerably. Just like if you took a 1pack a day smoker and gave him a few extra cigarettes, think it would make that much of a difference to his lungs? No, but give someone who’s never smoked before a few cigarettes a day and you’ll see significant damage pretty soon.Makes perfect sense but it also makes me fear for the future of humanity.You raise an important question in light of the recent news that the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans may drop the recommendation to limit dietary cholesterol. I wanted to expand on the points that pbdoc brought up in response to your question.One issue with the research on the relationship between dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol is that many studies have not accounted for the effects of baseline dietary cholesterol. Serum cholesterol rises if you add foods high in cholesterol to a diet that was low in cholesterol to begin with. However, if you are already eating a diet high in cholesterol, adding more may not raise your serum cholesterol further. This meta-analysis illustrates the problem when baseline dietary cholesterol is not accounted for.As Dr. Greger discusses in this video the Institute of Medicine has not set a Tolerable Upper Limit for cholesterol (or saturated fat and trans fats for that matter) because any intake of dietary cholesterol above zero is linked to an increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol.One of the arguments that is being made for changing the Dietary Guidelines for cholesterol is that, compared to saturated fat, dietary cholesterol does not have as much of an effect on heart disease risk. This may be true, as this meta-analysis shows, reduction in dietary cholesterol by 200 mg per day did reduce serum cholesterol, but replacing saturated fats in the diet had a greater effect. However, saturated fat and cholesterol are often found together in the same foods, and one can argue that it may be just as useful, if not more so, to study the effect of whole foods, rather than focusing on a single nutrient.I think the major response of the media to the news about DGA dropping its cholesterol restriction has been, “Woo-hoo, eggs are safe to eat again!” So it may be of interest to look at some of the studies on egg consumption. The Framingham Study did not find an association between egg consumption and serum cholesterol levels, however they also note that none of their subjects actually had a low dietary cholesterol consumption. The Physician’s Health Study did not find an association between egg consumption and increased risk of heart attack or stroke but did find a significant increase in all-cause mortality with higher egg consumption and the effect was greater for those who have diabetes. Egg consumption has also been shown to increase atherosclerosis and diabetes as Dr. Greger discusses here and here.Hope you find the information useful!I did find it useful – thanks. I’ll look forward to the longitudinal study of 20 vegans that measures changes in cholesterol that result from feeding ten of them eggs daily.Personally I think, and this has no validity, that in our reductionist way of thinking that stressing the cholesterol level has taken too much importance over emphasizing a healthy diet and lifestyle.OFF subject. Had a hair analysis. Slightly raised arsenic level. What does anyone know about the validity of hair analysis and how to lower arsenic levels? There are several videos about arsenic in food products but nothing I found that says how to reduce the levels once they are in the body. Will have my water tested again but it has never shown any before.Arsenic Concern: See Dr. Greger’s video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/ which has the latest information in it. The best we can all do is limit as much as possible further consumption of chicken and foods poisoned from the environmental dumps.I’ve been WFPB for 5 years McDougall style, no processed food. No meat for 20 years before that. Last 5+ yrs have been very careful about eliminating food with toxins.That’s wonderful, Arsenic: I hope you’ve realized many health benefits; relax, then: no need to worry :)Thank you, Lauren.Don’t organic farmers sometimes use chicken poop for fertilizer? Fortunately some of the arsenic in chicken feed was recently outlawed.Arsenic, if present in the groundwater, clings to the outer layer of rice. The reason it’s present in some areas in dangerous amounts is due to run-off from the chicken industry. Unfortunately, in the U.S., much of the rice grown (in Arkansas and Louisiana) happens to be downstream from poultry farms. To minimize the amount of arsenic in rice, rinse it before cooking, and then cook it in lots of extra water (like cooking pasta) and drain off the water. Or buy rice grown in other parts of the world, such as India or Pakistan, where arsenic amounts are negligible.The study referenced in the clip showed the mean LDL for vegans was 69.28, right at the cutoff for optimal LDL levels. So, It appears half of all vegans will need to be on statins in order to lower their LDL to the optimum range.If so many vegans on a strictly plant based diet need cholesterol lowering drugs to reach the recommended target LDL, there’s no doubt it would prove frustrating to the average person to try and lower their LDL cholesterol with diet alone. And sadly, even if the entire population went vegan, in order to bring everyone’s LDL down to the heart attack proof range, drug therapy would still be necessary for half of us. Am I missing something?It’s much more optimistic, actually, Adam: the whole food plant based only, or vegan diet, is optimal: Dr. Greger says vegans ‘nail it’ under 70, and ends with saying that all folks deserve to know this WFPB lifestyle answer to our epidemic, so they don’t get frustrated finding out they weren’t informed of this vital true answer :)Being vegan says nithing of exercise. I would feel comfortable assuming that most vegans could get their LDL down to an optimum level with significant exercise. Vegans can be unhealthy as crap.So if my LDL is in the 40’s or lower, should I be worried at all? For example…37… :) (total cholesterol 99)That’s right, dogulas: no worries at all should you have; just maintain all you are positively doing in your daily lifestyle!I wonder if people who tend to have lower cholesterol have ancestry who lived on greater amounts of meat long ago. That would sure be interesting.Interesting thought, who knows? The great news is you have a healthier than most cholesterol, which reduces your cancer risk too; good for you :)dogulas: The following NutrionFacts video addresses the question of low cholesterol numbers: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/Interesting. Yay for vegan diets! Now, we need to get our loved ones on board.Dr. Greger has shown that the vegan diet, whenever you can use it, for as long as you can use it, can reduce your heart disease and improve your life and fix heart disease risk. This video suggests only vegans, a minority in today’s society, have ideal numbers for LDL, but does again validate their lifestyle choice for heart health and suggests that they alone will never have a heart attack. Only vegans though have this benefit, in contradiction to the federal government’s assertion that eating cholesterol does not raise cholesterol, something that ironically seems to be the opposite of truth, that cholesterol eaten is jealously guarded. To lower cholesterol, this site recommends: nuts (particularly almonds), whole grains (like Cheerios), flax seed meal, kiwi, grapefruit, red yeast rice, dried apples, amla, and beans like chickpeas. Perhaps eating some of these foods can endow a partial benefit. There are some activities that can reduce heart disease risk, like eating beans, drinking tea, eating nuts, eating whole grains, taking an aspirin a day*, drinking one drink a day*, eating cocoa or dark chocolate, eating kiwi, getting 10 minutes of exercise a day, eating soy, eating citrus, eating tomatoes or juice or paste, eating leafy vegetables (spinach, broccali, or kale), eating flax seeds, and eating beets. *not highly recommended here for the healthy. This video offers specific advise on how to lower heart disease risk. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/Thank you to everyone who has commented on my post. It has been so incredibly helpful and have already decided to make further changes in my diet, namely to stop my final guilty pleasure– putting Westsoy unsweetened soymilk in my tea or decaf and adding sugar or erythritol. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions, as you know it is very difficult in our society to eat a whole food, plant-based, no-oil added (and for me no sugar added) diet. Anyone know of a decent-tasting almond milk? I can’t STAND it!!Newsjunkie: I hope it gets easier for you — are you noticing any health benefits? I find it easy at home, since it’s just what’s okay to consume, instead of all the bad choices to avoid ‘out there’. Do you like almond butter, or have whole almonds at home – and a blender? 2-3 tablespoons of either in a blender with water — whirls up to a nice almond milk you might like. Just enjoy trying each until you find what you like, or a different nut milk like hazelnut, hemp, or oat, etc. — you might like more :)Thanks for the suggestion! I am noticing health benefits such as feeling great!Sure thing! Awesome ~ happy for you!I don’t get that you are trying to cut out nuts from your diet and want to drink almond milk.I’ve been eating WFPB/non junk food vegan for 3 1/2 years now and my LDL is 98 with triglycerides at 208. I exercise 2-3 times a week and weight only 145lbs at 6″ tall. It’s a bit frustrating to see these numbers but the hell if I’m going to start eating meat again.I hear you editor_d — I do the WFPB non junk food vegan lifestyle too and still need lower numbers. I agree, and the science supports not going back to meat: that would certainly be the wrong direction to go, for all the preventive reasons. What I am going to try is daily exercising half an hour, at least, by walking nonstop outside. Want to be my cyber partner on this?My question is: does’ high body-fat’ generally mean ‘high-cholesterol’, and therefore ‘low body-fat’ generally means ‘low cholesterol’…?I try to keep my body fat levels at around 10% via WFPBD and daily exercise.Say a person stays on the standard American diet… How strongly is cholesterol level correlated with BMI or body weight? Or, do skinny people who eat SAD have similarly high cholesterol levels as heavy people?My neighbor slim on low-fat SAD cholesterol runs 225-250.Please need some help… and it help other like my case too…My total cholesterol level were 6.8 mmolL and I was told that is from my gene and there is nothing I can do much about it, so I decided to go vegan for the last 7 months … and guess what …. the Cholesterol when up to 7mmolL I WAS SHOCKED.Now the doctor wants to put me on Statin as I have family history of heart attacks.I am 42 and never smoked and I have lost 15 Kg and I am planning to lost another 5 Kg so that I will be in my optimal weight.Do I need to continue with the Vegan diet or should I take the Statin…Thanks Dr. GIt could be that the thyroid issues are making your numbers look high. Are you eating seaweed for iodine?I am eating sushi from time to time.Thanks to you, Dr Gregor, Dr McDougall, Dr. Esselstyn, et al; my labs came back today and my LDL is 85. So grateful!Has it been proven that for people with high cholesterol… taking statins will lower their heart attack risk? Live longer?A doctor at the Red Cross where I go to give blood tells me this: vi) “Cholesterol in food has no impact on cholesterol in the blood and we’ve known that all along.” Ancel Keys.He is in his late 70’s. and eats 3-5 raw eggs a day.Ancel Keys, the same man who did the brilliant Minnesota starvation experiment, spent the 1950’s trying to show that cholesterol in food was associated with cholesterol in the blood. He concluded unequivocally that there was not even an association, let alone a causation. He never deviated from this view.Cholesterol is only found in animal foods (it is a vital substance for every living creature). Hence the only foods that Keys could add to human diets, to test the impact of cholesterol, were animal foods. Given that he concluded that eating animal foods had no impact on blood cholesterol levels, it follows that animal foods per se have no impact on blood cholesterol levels (not that high cholesterol is a problem – quite the contrary – but that’s another story).There is no need, whatsoever, to avoid liver, red meat, other meat, fish, eggs, dairy products etc for any cholesterol that they may contain, or for any other reason.The body makes cholesterol. I worry about a number of things, but I don’t worry that my body is trying to kill me.Ref 1: EH Mangiapane, AM Salter, Diet, Lipoproteins and Coronary Heart Disease: A Biochemical Perspective, Nottingham University Press, (1999). (See reference 159 The Obesity Epidemic)My total cholesterol hovered in the mid to high 200’s all my life. 40 years…until I went vegan…and it dropped and stayed below 150.That must be because animal foods have no impact on blood cholesterol.“There is no need, whatsoever, to avoid liver, red meat, other meat, fish, eggs, dairy products etc for any cholesterol that they may contain, or for any other reason.”UCBAIum…I don’t buy it either, but this info is out there and being given top billing by ‘experts’.It’s unfortunate. The USDA is tasked with promoting US agriculture in the US and throughout the world, which means it’s a business advocacy group, and there exists a revolving door between the chemical and processed food industries and USDA senior management, which means corporate managers driven by maintaining and increasing the profits of their companies and their industries are setting public policy.Their bunk permeates other groups like the AMA, the result is death, and that’s just for starters.Death is literally the cost of setting dietary guidelines not by the guidance of health promotion but by the benefit of the food and agriculture industries. And the benefit is what? What are “we” getting in return for all that death? That would be protecting the profits of some companies, so “we” aren’t really getting anything. “We” just suffer the cost of this public policy failure.The result is also massive human misery. I wonder if the millions of teens now obese with what we used to call “adult onset diabetes” but stopped because we’re in the midst of an epidemic of childhood-onset diabetes are happy. I wonder if the person who can’t walk a flight of stairs because of their diet-caused diabetes or heart disease or obesity is happy, or an optimally productive member of society.I would strongly suggest they are not, and our public policy – specifically the promotion of profits over health – is clearly to blame.Out of disgust, people are beginning to revolt against the tobacco company-esque tactics of processed food, chemical company, and beef, dairy, and other industry advocacy groups. GMO labeling laws, sugar warning labels, A sugar-sweetened beverage tax in my city and I’m sure in the future others, and of course the myriad dietary advocacy groups and websites like nutritonfacts.org that exist to fill the void left by a failed public policy.And when it’s all said and done, you know who will be the casualties? That will be the millions of people – men, women, and children – who sickened and died, or lived in misery because our government failed to do the thing a government needs to do, which is advocate for the health of its citizens and set policy accordingly. It will also be society as a whole, because untold trillions in human capital and national wealth will have been squandered as they were replaced by misery and disease.And the casualty will also be faith in the idea of collective self-government itself. If our government lied to us…failed to step in and give us the truth…failed to give us information to protect us and protect our health…and not only that, our government actually told us stuff they knew to be untrue because doing so led to higher profits for some, and they did so knowing it would lead to disease and death…well, I’m afraid that’s something that just can’t stand, and you can make a strong argument that our 250 year old experiment in self-government has failed.Dramatic, yes, but not overly so. There is in my view just one thing that could end this country as we know it. That thing is a loss of faith and distrust that results from being lied to repeatedly, covertly, and intentionally, by people looking out for their own self-interests willing to do so even if it leads to death and misery for millions of men, women, and children./rant, though I could continue.A doctor at the Red Cross where you give blood “tells” you material that is exactly as if it were copied verbatim from this site: http://www.zoeharcombe.com/the-knowledge/we-have-got-cholesterol-completely-wrong/ ?YesHmmm, as in lifted word for word! This myth? BUSTED! Thanks LTWasn’t lifted. Was attempting to ‘quote’…neglected the ‘quotes’. Reference at the bottom of unquoated quote.“Attempting to quote” with a fictional story inserted about being told all of this by a raw egg eating red cross doctor?I would agree that our bodies are designed to help us survive. I believe that the balance of science over the last number of years supports that we should minimize the intake of animal products. Looking at it from a systems perspective our biological system is a “hind gut fermenting herbivore” who was a “hunted gatherer” until we invented weapons to hunt. Our food has changed substantially over the last 100 years. Given processing and the addition of chemicals to our food either directly or via the environment we need to minimize the intake of persistent organic pollutants. We can consume many things that are harmful but we don’t get sick immediately. Not only is it a matter of time but also amount (i.e. the dose makes the poison). Cholesterol is necessary for our bodies but taking in more than we need may not be the approach which leads to the best long term health.There’s most definitely an effect of dietary cholesterol on serum cholesterol as determined in metabolic ward studes, only the effect size within “normal” dietary variation is small (100 mg add’l might be expected tor raise TC 2.2 mg/dl) compared to the effect size from other modifiable factors, like dietary saturated fats. For those of us on cholesterol free diets and with very low blood levels, dietary cholesterol is more efficiently absorbed.The current wave of Mendelian randomization studies, in which genetic predispositions to elevated risk markers are correlated with clinical events, offers best evidence to date that elevated LDL plays a major causal role in cardiovascular disease in humans: (1, 2, 3, 4).Your body isn’t actively trying to kill you, but nature seems indifferent to our fates after our reproductive years. The modern era, with increased dietary cholesterol and saturated fats (both of which increase blood levels), and decreased dietary phytosterols and intestinal worms (which formerly reduced cholesterol levels) have dramatically increased life long exposures to elevated LDL.I might have already asked this. What is a metabolic ward study?Metabolic ward studies are medium term (days to months) nutrition studies where all food is provided to subjects, commonly conducted with volunteer prisoners in prison hospitals. These are the most “controlled” studies in humans, but due to their high expense and some ethics concerns with incarcerated subjects, are less common than in their 1950-70s heyday.tkramer: re: “The body makes cholesterol. I worry about a number of things, but I don’t worry that my body is trying to kill me.” Your logic escapes me. The body makes bone and cells and blood too. And too much of any of those things or when put in the wrong place will kill you. We are talking about disease, which could be thought of as a natural process going awry. For example, when a body makes say too many red blood cells or not enough of them. The fact that your body makes cholesterol is irrelevant.Another way to think about it: Your statement is a strawman argument when the questions are: 1) Does dietary cholestrol lead to increased cholesterol in the body? and 2) Is increased cholesterol in the body an indication of increased risk for heart disease and early death? We have clear answers to both of those questions. You can find out some of the science behind these questions and answers here on NutritionFacts. This video is one great example. But since Ancel Keys work is so important to you, I highly recommend taking a look at the videos from PlantPositive.com who directly addresses Ancel Key’s work as well as the questions being discussed. It will be an eye opener for you.http://plantpositive.com/display/Search?moduleId=19496100&searchQuery=ancel+keysMy LDL is 51 after one year of being a vegan.there is this diet call balance point diet that cut out grains ( which is a staple of all vegan diet ) and the heart turn back the clock by 30 years.Then, for two weeks, he played the guinea pig. He drenched everything from kale salads to steamed okra with olive oil and ate only the most low-fat proteins such as fish and egg whites. Every day, he kept his dietary intake within the above percentages and cut out all grains, starchy vegetables and saturated fat — fat originating from an animal sources — to solve his cholesterol problem.Cholesterol, a soft, fat-like substance both manufactured by the liver and supplied by diet, helps maintain health by circulating through the bloodstream to generate cell membranes and some hormones. But too much cholesterol can stick to vessel walls and clog blood flow enough to produce a heart attack or stroke.Doctors measure cholesterol in two basic ways. High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, carries cholesterol away from the arteries and is therefore dubbed “good cholesterol.” Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, clogs arteries and is considered “bad” cholesterol. Those with unhealthy cholesterol counts ultimately aim to bring good cholesterol numbers up and bad cholesterol numbers down.Selby’s doctor balked at measuring his cholesterol counts after just 14 days. But the results seemed to back the Boulder man’s health hunches.His “bad” cholesterol LDL levels dropped from 117 mg/dl to 75 mg/dl, and the “good” cholesterol levels rose from 83 mg/dl to 106 mg/dl. The American Heart Association recommends that people at high risk for heart disease keep LDL numbers below 100 mg/dl and HDL numbers for men at 40 mg/dl and 50 mg/dl for women.“This has sort of been like my DaVinci code,” Selby said.When he shared the good bill of health with his coffee klatch at 6:30 a.m. the next day, they probed him for more information about his BalancePoint Diet.By this spring, 10 of them — five women and five men, ages 28 to 69 — decided to try the diet for two weeks and get their before and after cholesterol counts measured at Boulder Community Hospital. The two participants already taking statin drugs to improve their cholesterol continued taking that medication in conjunction with following the diet.Like Selby, they carried around olive oil and scales to accurately weigh foods to the gram. Then, they logged their food diary information into a data base. By the end of the two-week pilot trial, all reported improved cholesterol readings, Selby said. The participant reporting the most dramatic numbers dropped 81 points in the LDLs.On its Web site, the AHA notes that some studies show monounsaturated fats such as olive oil lowering LDL cholesterol “slightly when eaten as part of a low-saturated- fat diet.”Spam troll copying and pasting from a website that sells $400 “programs” to lower cholesterol.I was diagnosed a type 2 diabetic years ago and went vegan about 6 months ago. After my last annual check up the Simvastatin was removed from the daily pills and the Glucophage reduced by half to 500mg a day. Another check up in 3 months to see how i am doing.Andrew: Awesome, keep up the great efforts! I wonder what lifestyle are you doing each day. Have you looked up and watched the videos about the whole food plant-based way, ground flax seeds, cinnamon, and today’s about fiber? All exceptionally stabilizing for blood sugar …Doctors in Spain encurrage patients to eat eggs and meat when total cholesterol is under 70 ml-dl.. actually its call it hypocholesrolemia (and doc take it that way from 160 ml-dl). Knowing that the normal cholesterol should be lower, when it will be to low acording to the new studies?the argument it is that low cholesterol level drow to depresion.. but if you check thats studies they didnt look in the leveles of Omega 3, and it may be that low fat eaters also eat low leveles of other nutrients aswell. sorry for my english!I understand that Spanish studies showing links between low cholesterol and suicide were contradicted by a subsequent US study which actually showed a lower risk of suicide in people with low cholesterol. https://www.aacp.com/pdf%2F0811%2F0811ACP_deLeon.pdfStatin studies show no increase in suicide in people with resulting lower cholesterol. In the light of this and the US study above, it is likely that associations between low cholesterol and depression.suicide are due to confounding factors. Possible confounding factors include malnutrition, heavy drinking, heavy smoking, cancer and other chronic diseases …all of which are believed to result in low cholesterol.Noe Marcial: I understand your English :) . I agree, they probably weren’t putting ground flax seeds on their whole plant foods every day! And, good ideas for more whole research. In the meantime, for your interest, see videos Can Cholesterol be Too Low? and, Don’t Forget FiberWhat if your LDL is on the high side (134) but your HDL is very high and you have a low ratio (2.6), should you be concerned if you have a total of 234?Nice to hear William Burroughs again.Hey Dr G and others!So I 17 years old, and have recently become a vegan having watched your videos. No, not a vegan that eats vegan bags of chips but a diet with a lot of fruits and veggies. I recently found out though I was not consuming nearly enough calories per day (only 1500 generally). In any case I have started to consume a lot of brown — and now — red rice to bring up my caloric intake.In any case the reason I am commenting is because I am seeing mixed messages about how much cholesterol we need. I don’t think I am getting ANY from my diet and am wondering if this is a bad thing and how to get it to optimal levels?Beyond this if anyone could point me in the direction of a video demonstrating a meal plan almost to help me figure out what to get. I have been consuming a ton of vegetables, but never getting full and not enough calories. I also have chronic diarrhea, (with undigested food in my stool sometimes), really bad acne and other issues. These all started much before I became vegan; though I have been working at farmer’s markets and into the health food world for a while and was under the impression I was eating healthy.If anyone could help me out that would be amazing & very much appreciated !ThanksJakeHi Jake, I’m curious, how long now without dairy? And are you eating plenty of beans?Hi, I have been dairy free with a a few (10 maybe) uncontrollable dairy intakes. So it has been quite a while. Just started consuming beans. I am curious though how much beans per week is ideal? I would really LOVE to find some sort of plant based meal plan (ie. Breakfast – rice & beans & veggies , lunch – sweet potato & beans, etc.)Hi Jake,Let me say that there are a lot of variables here (physical activity, time being vegan, medications (esp. antibiotics), typical day of eating, etc), but let me try to give you some general help and let me know if it sounds good.It is very rare for you to not have enough cholesterol in your body. Our bodies are extremely efficient and would never let our cholesterol get so low that it could hurt us. It is just up to you to eat a well balanced diet, so along with lots of fruits and veggies make sure to throw in some whole grains, beans, legumes, etc. Here is a great resource to help you on your new journey to a plant based diet. Definitely use this as a guide for your meals.As for you never getting full, i would say that depending on your plate size, this is a good thing. We never really want to eat until we are “full” just eat until you are satisfied. How you eat can have a big effect on your fullness and digestive health. If you are a very fast eater you will not feel as full and you may have diarrhea and see chunks of food in your stool. This is especially true for high fiber fruits and vegetables (they need some good chewing). Practice some Mindful Eating techniques and really chew your food to see if that helps.At 17 years old, I say that acne is pretty common, but keep up the clean eating and living, and you might see a change. If you ever think about consuming dairy again, watch this. What we eat is a huge part of our health, but our environment also plays a huge role. Environmental toxins from our home, hygiene products, etc can have an impact on our health as well. Check out the EWG website to see which products are best to use. They give great science based guides on all of our everyday products. The idea here is that acne is an immune response, so decreasing potential autogens or pro-inflammatory chemicals can decrease acne.Well Jake, I threw a boat load of info at you, so let me know if you have any questions or need some further clarification. I wish I was as health conscious as you when I was 17, so I definitely admire your thirst for knowledge and health! Wish you all the best.Thanks a lot for taking your time to respond ! I really appreciate the information and resources.Mainly right now I just want to make sure I am getting a balanced diet, getting all the nutrients, etc. that I need. Honestly, I haven’t taken any B12 so I am certainly deficient but plan to order some online to get it nice and cheap.Thanks again for the resources, it is very much appreciated and extremely helpful !Some helpful advice from Dr. McDougall and two young vegans regarding acne:https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/stars/stars-video/nina-randa/https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/common-health-problems/acne/Thanks, Dr Mcdougall has some great info !JakeN: This is one of my favorite questions! You have made a decision to make a change. Now you want to know how to do it right. Good for you!!I have some resources that I think you will find very helpful. First, here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations. It’s not quite the meal plans you are looking for, but it gives some great general advice that you will want to keep in mind, including B12: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/As for how to put together meals that are good for you, check out the following graphic from PCRM, Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine. What I like about this graphic is it’s simplicity. It shows how you don’t have to make healthy eating be all that complicated. I would recommend adding a side cup of 1-2 ounces of nuts and seeds to the graphic. But other than that, it is really helpful. http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/pplate/power-plateIf you generally follow the PCRM guidelines, it should help eliminate your hunger issues. You need to get enough calories, and that is hard to do *only* eating such bulky foods as veggies. You want at least half of your food to come from whole starchy foods of grains and legumes. Plus, as an active teen, who may need more calories relative to your body weight compared to an adult (I think), those nuts and seeds may be especially important for you as they are calorie-dense foods.I can do even better than the Power Plate to address your meal plan request. How about 21 days worth of meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions! 21 Day Kickstart is a free program, from PCRM, which you can sign up for in the following link. You don’t have to follow all of those recipes/plans. But it will give you a good idea of what a healthy diet looks like when it comes to the details of what to actually eat: http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)I have a couple more suggestions: Check out the book, The Starch Solution. This seems to work very well for lots of people, is very healthy, and includes recipes in the back of the book.Get a copy of Jeff Novick’s Fast Food DVD series. Jeff does a great job of giving simple (10 mintues!), tasty, extremely healthy recipes, all in a mini cooking show format. Here’s one to get you started: http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Novicks-Fast-Food-1/dp/B00466DP42/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1418772380&sr=1-1&keywords=fast+food+jeff+novick The burgers and fries DVD is a good one too. ————— I believe that other people have addressed your cholesterol concern. Since your body makes all of the cholesterol that it needs, you don’t have to consume any in your diet. In fact, consuming cholesterol is not healthy.I hope this helps!Thank you SO much for the response ! I will check out these resources and really look forward to putting all of this incredible wealth of knowledge and information to practice. I want to make sure I do it right ! After all, it is my health (which isn’t doing great— largely due to stress) which is the greatest investment I can make.Thanks again!awesome-you just made all of the peeps who want to push statins extraordinarily happy. and cholesterol levels that low have been associated with many other disease-Love plant-based diets with adequate protein but this video is slanted and garbage. those levels are currently only part of the guidelines for people that have already had a cardiovascular event or have a “cardiac equivalent” like diabetes….plenty of patients who get their levels here still have heart attacks and strokes- I have seen it… simple carbs are the REAL problem…Sure, people can get their levels down low and still have heart attacks and strokes, especially if levels over the lifetime were very high and if the diet still has factors which advance the disease process in a more acute way. LDL is a major substrate of atheromas over the long term but I don’t think that anyone would propose that it is the only thing that can cause existing plaque to rupture.You seem to be proposing an all-or-nothing fallacy. Just because some patients still face risk when lowering LDL through statin therapy does not mean that lowering LDL to low levels is unimportant, let alone that statins’ lipid-lowering effects aren’t valuable in the therapy of some patients. For that, you do have to look at the amount of cardiovascular risk reduction and weigh it against the risks posed by the statin. I would be among the first to say that statins have some bad effects and that a healthy diet is preferable, but for patients who do not change their diet, a statin may be prudent. Or at least, you haven’t presented evidence which would move my views further away from that position, given that your post really hasn’t presented any evidence at all.You seem angry and you aren’t convincing. The “real” problem? As opposed to the fake one we’re focusing on here? And what are you arguing about the “association” between low cholesterol and certain diseases? I can’t imagine your point. Honestly, your post comes off as reactionary and overly simplistic.“cholesterol levels that low have been associated with many other disease” – you aren’t aware then that many chronic diseases (including cancer) and traumatic injury cause low cholesterol? Not to mention some viruses, parasitic infections and heavy smoking and drinking? As for statins, obviously they are not an ideal solution but this meta analysis indicates net benefits and shows that there was no consequent increase in cancer or other all-cause mortality (also indicating that the observed associations between low cholesterol and “many other diseases” is probably not causal):“This meta-analysis included individual participant data from 22 trials of statin versus control (n=134,537; mean LDL cholesterol difference 1·08 mmol/L; median follow-up 4·8 years) and five trials of more versus less statin (n=39,612; difference 0·51 mmol/L; 5·1 years). Major vascular events were major coronary events (ie, non-fatal myocardial infarction or coronary death), strokes, or coronary revascularisations. …………..Reduction of LDL cholesterol with a statin reduced the risk of major vascular events (RR 0·79, 95% CI 0·77-0·81, per 1·0 mmol/L reduction), largely irrespective of age, sex, baseline LDL cholesterol or previous vascular disease, and of vascular and all-cause mortality. The proportional reduction in major vascular events was at least as big in the two lowest risk categories as in the higher risk categories (RR per 1·0 mmol/L reduction from lowest to highest risk: 0·62 [99% CI 0·47-0·81], 0·69 [99% CI 0·60-0·79], 0·79 [99% CI 0·74-0·85], 0·81 [99% CI 0·77-0·86], and 0·79 [99% CI 0·74-0·84]; trend p=0·04), which reflected significant reductions in these two lowest risk categories in major coronary events (RR 0·57, 99% CI 0·36-0·89, p=0·0012, and 0·61, 99% CI 0·50-0·74, p<0·0001) and in coronary revascularisations (RR 0·52, 99% CI 0·35-0·75, and 0·63, 99% CI 0·51-0·79; both p<0·0001). For stroke, the reduction in risk in participants with 5-year risk of major vascular events lower than 10% (RR per 1·0 mmol/L LDL cholesterol reduction 0·76, 99% CI 0·61-0·95, p=0·0012) was also similar to that seen in higher risk categories (trend p=0·3). In participants without a history of vascular disease, statins reduced the risks of vascular (RR per 1·0 mmol/L LDL cholesterol reduction 0·85, 95% CI 0·77-0·95) and all-cause mortality (RR 0·91, 95% CI 0·85-0·97), and the proportional reductions were similar by baseline risk. There was no evidence that reduction of LDL cholesterol with a statin increased cancer incidence (RR per 1·0 mmol/L LDL cholesterol reduction 1·00, 95% CI 0·96-1·04), cancer mortality (RR 0·99, 95% CI 0·93-1·06), or other non-vascular mortality." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22607822Statin Drug Scandal: Cholesterol-lowering Drug Researchers Start Backtracking;By Health Impacthttp://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41045.htmYou might be interested in Plant Positive’s critique of the first episode in that infamous two-part series on Catalyst:https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Rc0fRxFcLHgAlso, the article you linked to has a very manipulative and biased headline. There is nothing in the text about any alleged “backtracking” by researchers.I just wanted to add a few figures based on the current recommendations for the USA & UK.According to this video by Dr Greger, the latest research shows that optimal LDL cholesterol levels should be between 50mg/dl – 70mg/dl (in the UK that equates to 1.29mmol/L – 1.81mmol/L).The UK’s cholesterol guidelines show the desirable levels to be below: – 5mmol/L (193mg/dl) for Total Cholesterol. – 3mmol/L (116mg/dl) for LDL.The USA’s cholesterol guidelines show the desirable levels to be below: – 5.18mmol/L (200mg/dl) for Total Cholesterol. – 2.59mmol/L (100mg/dl) for LDL.Again, I thought this might be useful for others reading this to know what the current UK & USA cholesterol guidelines say are desirable levels.Scott: What a helpful post. It does a great job of pointing out how problematic the USA and UK’s guidelines are. Those guidelines claim to be “desirable levels”, when in fact, they are way too high.These bad guidelines lead to confusion. They lead to people understandably making the argument: “Look at the stats show that a huge percentage of people with ‘desirable levels’ of cholesterol still get heart attacks! So, cholesterol has nothing to do with heart attacks.” Instead, what is really going on, as you point out, the official guidelines are way too high. The NutritionFacts video on this page shows where the safe levels are. Those government figures are more like “averages in our sick society” levels. That’s not helpful for people trying to figure out how to eat healthy.The ATPIII report for the US National Cholesterol Education Program comments:“low LDL-cholesterol levels are well tolerated. LDL cholesterol as low as 25–60 mg/dL is physiologically sufficient.8 Animal species that do not develop atherosclerosis generally have LDL-cholesterol levels below 80 mg/dL. The LDL-cholesterol concentration in the newborn infant is approximately 30 mg/dL, indicating that such low levels are safe. Moreover, persons who have extremely low levels of LDL throughout life due to familial hypobetalipoproteinemia have documented longevity.9″The optimal cholesterol level for every individual is unique for the reasons outlined below.China study data suggests that it is relative: “What made this so surprising was that Chinese levels were far lower than we had expected. The average level of blood cholesterol was only 127 mg/dl, which is almost 100 points less than the American average (215 mg/dl). …Some counties had average levels as low as 94 mg/dl.”In the China study those that ate a lot of animal foods and had a total cholesterol 130 had heart disease because their natural baseline was closer to 90. Furthermore, Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol are important factors but a recent studies implies that HDL cholesterol level is perhaps the most important factor. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19081406One can surmise that the “optimal” blood level for each individual is unique and dependent on different environmental factors and ethnicity. For example, one study noted that “shorter adult leg length” was associated with higher LDL and total cholesterol. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17325398Also of note, lipid levels vary depending on ethnicity. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3721871/Based on the above data, personally, I have no concern with heart disease. I have been vegan since 1998 and I run about 50 to 70 miles per week. I am 5’ 11’’ and 163 pounds and have been the same weight since high school. My lipid panel checked this week was HDL 88, LDL 87, Total cholesterol 188 and TG 60. I am 38 years old and have been checking my lipid panel every year for about 15 years and it has always been excellent and I have NEVER had a total cholesterol below 150. Currently, I am not convinced that a global policy of driving everyone’s total cholesterol below 150 is prudent. I evaluate each patient’s lipids in a case by case basis and help them find their baseline.I don’t really see what in your post points to the hypothesis that adults have widely-varying levels of critical serum cholesterol, where I mean ‘critical’ in the sense that would identify the worst levels possible that still carry minimal risk. Yes, the ‘baseline’ cholesterol under fixed developmental and pharmaceutical conditions will vary from one person to another, but what makes you conclude that this variation in this baseline level doesn’t modulate risk?You present a cross-sectional study showing that more people being admitted for CAD have HDL below the recommended target than those who have LDL above the recommended target for LDL. About the same numbers of people have LDL<70 as are on lipid-lowering medications, and the authors state that high LDL was associated with the non-use of lipid-lowering medications. Is there perhaps a confounding effect here, where people with low LDL tend to be unhealthy in other ways, which is why the statin bandaid was put on their still-unhealthy lifestyles?I’ve been vegan for five years and still have an elevated cholesterol level, so apparently just following a no-cholesterol, plant-based diet is not enough. Dr. Greger, what else do you recommend as a way to lower my levels? I would like to avoid drugs. Do you ascribe to Dr. Esselstyn’s regimen? FYI, I am 56 and overweight.Ursula2007: I think it is worth considering Esselstyn’s diet because he has been proven so successful. Sticking with whole foods and low fat (with the exception of nuts) makes sense to me.But I have another idea too. How about tweaking your diet to include those plant foods which have been shown to lower cholesterol? In other words, when you went vegan, you gave up foods that are bad for your health. How about now, focusing on *adding* particular foods that are likely to help with your particular concern. There are several videos on this website that lists these foods. (I can’t get a good enough search to bring up only those videos. So you have to look around.) I think that trying multiple of these foods/approaches rather than just one makes the most sense. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=lower+cholesterolGood luck.Thea’s advice is sound. However, you may also need to lose weight before your your cholesterol improves:There is an interesting article on being overweight and its effects on lipids like cholesterol. It is quite technical but it concludes:“diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol are less effective in the obese. The most effective way for obese people to normalize their blood lipids is to lose weight”.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu…It is therefore possible that your system and metabolic response to eating a healthy diet won’t result in optimal cholesterol numbers until you are in a healthy weight rangeSince being a vegan the past year with increased exercise, reduced calories, legumes at every meal, my cholestrol has gone up. While my good HDL has gone up , my bad has as well (tri’s took a dive as well as BP). I’m wondering how this is possible to go from a guy who ate steak and pizza 4 to 5 nights a week, to someone eating nothing but veg’s, cooking without oil, and juice fasting for the first part of every day( actually I did the same as an ominvore ) , eating nuts, and a gluten/ soy based mok meat now and then, lost 40 lbs as well. Any advice ? I’m totally confused as to how this would be possible and was shocked when I just got my numbers. Makes me wonder if something else is wrong systemically, but blood tests didn’t indicate anything.That is a puzzle. But it was only one test, I assume? It may just be an outlier. Also, is it possible that you were in some way stressed at the time? Stress can raise cholesterol in some individuals eg http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/34047.phpAnother possibility is the mock meats, I gave up eating mock meats when I saw the ones I had been using, and which were advertised as suitable for vegetarians, actually contained eggs. Trans fats and sugar are other possible possible causes of raised cholesterol and may be found in some margarines in the US http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/understanding-cholesterol-problems-basicsHyperthyroidism is also a possibility (as is anorexia bit I’m assuming your “reduced calories” aren’t that reduced!). http://cholesterol.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Conditions-and-diseases/Can-Diseases-Cause-High-Cholesterol.htmYou should really discuss this with your physician.Unfortunately my Physicians advice is to go on statins, something I became a vegan to avoid. As for the Mock meats ( beyond meat and litelife ) ,the ingredients don’t appear to be bad. And the use is a few times a week and minimal in quantity. I don’t do sweets but infrequently ) As for Hyperthyroidism wouldn’t a complete blood work up indicate that ? Lastly stress is always a given when I visit the Dr.. My old diet was super carnivore and loaded with pizza, cannot imagine how that gave me better cholestorol than eating legumes and veggies till them come out my ears. Perhaps it was a fluke , but I was expecting very low cholestorol, not higher.I am sorry to hear that. I have a couple of thoughts:1. Stress, smoking, alcohol and coffee (if you don’t use paper filters) all raise cholesterol.Re coffee see thishttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070614162223.htm Also trans fats in margarines and some vegan/vegetarian foods raise LDL cholesterol The figures show that wholefood vegans have on average very low cholesterol. But not all of us are average. Perhaps you could focus on foods that actively lower LDL cholesterol like oat groats, steel-cut oats or rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)? This link might help .. .http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/guide/cholesterol-management-food2. I don’t know what your weight is (or was) but this could be a factor if you are overweight. There is an interesting article on this. It is quite technical but it concludes: “diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol are less effective in the obese. The most effective way for obese people to normalize their blood lipids is to lose weight”. It is therefore possible that your system and metabolic response to diet won’t work normally unless you are in a healthy weight range http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16256004I was on Liptor for about 10 years and my total Cholesterol was 4.5 mmol/l ( 174 mg/dl ) then I decided to change my diet and be vegan and eventually stopped the Statin.I was shocked to see my Cholesterol when up I have being doing the blood test every 3 months :6.6 mmol/l ( 255.22042 mg/dl), 6.8 mmol/l (262.9 mg/dl) 7mmoll (270.68 mg/dl).Really confused and I don’t want to take the statin again on the same time I don’t know how to lower my munbers.I knew that smoking and alcohol can also raise cholesterol but I didn’t know that (black) coffee can do this also. Perhaps this might be a factor in your case? “….cafestol is the most potent dietary cholesterol-elevating agent known, said Dr. David Moore, professor of molecular and cellular biology at BCM, and Dr. Marie-Louise Ricketts, a postdoctoral student and first author of the report. Cafetiere, or French press coffee, boiled Scandinavian brew and espresso contain the highest levels of the compound, which is removed by paper filters used in most other brewing processes. Removing caffeine does not remove cafestol, however.” http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070614162223.htmI have scar tissue on both kidneys, because of this I have HBP, and my cholesterol is over 200. I am 129 pds and on a vegan diet with excerc ise 3x a week. I am seeing a ND for help trying to lower these numbers, What else is there to do, my numbers havent gone down.Wondering if it’s a matter of losing enough weight, getting to within your BMI to get down to the optimal cholesterol 140?Does anyone have a comment on the federal dietary guidelines committee removing the recommended restriction on dietary cholesterol?CDAHealth: I think Dr. Barnard’s response is well done: http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/cholesterol-confusion-lets-make-sense-of-it/Thank you for posting the article Thea it was very helpful. In the news I am reading that there is no correlation between cholesterol and negative health effects. How are they getting away with this? They are stating that Cholesterol is no longer a “nutrient of concern”.In my lay opinion, your post exemplifies the problem with the new dietary guidelines.They actually aren’t saying there is no correlation between cholesterol and negative health effects. They’re saying the effect of dietary cholesterol on blood cholesterol is such that people don’t need to be concerned with dietary cholesterol…and the critique I’m seeing is that this leads to confusion in the public’s mind between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol, which we do need to be concerned about.interesting, thanks for the feedback. That makes sense.I think that this decision is based on a lot of recent “research” funded by eg the American Egg Board which appears to show that additional dietary cholesterol has no effect on the serum cholesterol of people eating a normal US diet. However, it has been known for many decades that the effect on serum cholesterol of additional dietary cholesterol is dependent upon baseline dietary cholesterol eg“Serum cholesterol concentration is clearly increased by added dietary cholesterol but the magnitude of predicted change is modulated by baseline dietary cholesterol. The greatest response is expected when baseline dietary cholesterol is near zero, while little, if any, measurable change would be expected once baseline dietary cholesterol was > 400-500 mg/d. People desiring maximal reduction of serum cholesterol by dietary means may have to reduce their dietary cholesterol to minimal levels (< 100-150 mg/d) to observe modest serum cholesterol reductions while persons eating a diet relatively rich in cholesterol would be expected to experience little change in serum cholesterol after adding even large amounts of cholesterol to their diet." http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.longMost Americans already consume significant amounts of cholesterol. This "old" cholesterol science has therefore allowed producers of high cholesterol foods to fund modern studies that they know beforehand will produce results that appear to show that added dietary cholesterol has little or no effect on the serum cholesterol of Americans. To be fair though, we also know that there is considerable individual variability in the response to dietary cholesterol – some people are hyperresponders while others are hyporesponders.I am 54 and have been a vegan for over 3 years now, am not overweight, and exercise moderately and yet my cholesterol levels are still fairly high: Total 206 and LDL 123. What gives? Any ideas?wow this one really clears up a lot of confusion out there, and yest i have watch all of plantpostives videos, which were amazing of course. HOWEVER, can anyone comment on idea that cholesterol does not cause heart disease??? the argument is that the brain is mostly made up of cholesterol and if you lower cholesterol too much, you start to have memory problems, decreased brain function,etc. : those such as dr david perlmutter (grain brain), dr. mercola, the entire weston a. price foundation, and dr. stephanie senuf. they would probably say that you can eat all the eggs you want bc cholesterol doesnt cause heart disease…in fact, heres a CNN report that says cholesterol doesnt matter! http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/19/health/dietary-guidelines/. anyway, wonder if dr g could comment or maybe do a video as a rebuttal to these theories. thx.That’s why I don’t trust the government – it’s like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Lecturing about lower and middle class, but caring only for super rich and Big business monopolies.What would you say to an individual whose total cholesterol has not budged from the 280 range (HDL about 110) despite being on a rigorous whole food, plant-based SOS (no added sugar or salt and almost no added oil) diet for more than four years. I have heard of a number of cases, especially among females, of people whose cholesterol numbers don’t move despite an optimal diet and a well above average, consistent exercise regimen. The recent release of research results dealing with the issue of the amount of dietary cholesterol compared to that naturally produced by the individual is very interesting in this light.A week or so ago, NBC news said that the gov’t was going to drop the recommendation to avoid cholesterol from its dietary recommendation. They were keeping sat fat… and sat fat and cholesterol tend to be in the same animal based foods. It has been known for quite awhile, though, that a person’s cholesterol is not a good predictor of heart disease… and that cholesterol lowering drugs don’t increase life expectancy. There is just no substitute for eating a plant based diet.“a person’s cholesterol is not a good predictor of heart disease.”…that is when the average is already dangerously high. A single bullet loaded gun is a poor predictor as to who will die from a game of Russian Roulette. While an unloaded gun (low cholesterol) is an excellent predictor as to who will survive.Or like my father says “I’ve been eating this way all my life and I’m still alive”. Existential indeed. I expect Atkins said the same until the last.Good comment. I have known people, like my wife, that do not eat well and have low cholesterol and low blood pressure. I hope she lives a long time, but I would feel a whole lot better if that low cholesterol was from following a plant based diet (it isn’t),I’m kinda in the same boat. My lady is in perfect shape (perhaps too thin). I suspect she’s very healthy, but I’d like her to go (semi-) vegan for my sake. I’m tired of cooking twice and eating the ‘other option’. We have no idea our cholesterol levels.It seems like it is usually the female of the couple eating healthy and the male eating steak and eggs. Glad to hear there are at least 2 of us.I’ve given up dairy and need to replace the 1/2 qt of milk daily with some other form of protein for my post workout protein shakes. I’m using Whey protein now but it is still dairy. What should be the base for my protein shakes? Eating a bowl of beans after the gym doesn’t seem interesting. Age 72 and still damn healthy eating fish and plants and working out 6 days/week. Thanks in advance for help.I use a pea/rice protein blend. You can buy them separately and mix them. Both together rival whey in amino acid richness.rhart: Good for you for doing so well. I wish I really worked out 6 days/week.I’m wondering why you think you need a protein shake at all? How about just a healthy shake/smoothie? If you work your way through the following article, you will get a very good idea of the needs humans have for protein, including active humans. http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlI would say that there’s doesn’t appear to be a need to add special protein to the diet. Contrary, it seems more likely that we would be wise to make sure we don’t get too much protein. Older people may have higher protein needs than younger people. But that still doesn’t mean that older people can’t over-dose. >> Check out the January 2004 newsletter and the article on protein overload: http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/Something to think about. This could free you from both your worry of needing to have protein over-rich foods and from eating that whey.rhart: I meant to also add: If the above information doesn’t seem compelling to you and you still want a protein-ladden shake, some people like to add hemp seeds, which are supposed to be high in protein. Other people use vegan protein powders *marketed* to athletes or just for general health. Here is page that lists 7 brands of vegan protein powders: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-health/7-must-try-vegan-protein-powders/Again, I wouldn’t recommend or use them. But if someone felt that they really needed it, I would expect these products to be a whole lot healthier than whey.Good luck.Wow. I read carefully the Bluejay article and learned a lot. I did not realize the level of protein in veggies. I still need extra protein to get to my 75g per pound but I’m now comfortable kicking the Whey protein and going with pea protein or tofu smoothies. Very Very helpful and informative. Thank yourhart: Awesome. I refer people to that article all the time. You are one of the very few people who actually read it. I’m so glad you did. I found it so incredibly helpful myself. Best of luck to you.Will Dr. Greger comment on the latest government pronouncements about cholesterol?There is a large number of heart specialists that rely on oxidized LDL measured with the VAP test, not total cholesterol. The claim in this video is way out in left field, unlike most of your vegan claims, which I can confirmed from unrelated sources. Claims like this require multiple studies, preferably, Cochrane meta-analysis. The likelihood of a single cause for heart disease is nil given the complexity of human metabolism. Too low a cholesterol number is much more of a risk factor, since vitamin D is produced from it.“Too low a cholesterol number is much more of a risk factor, since vitamin D is produced from it.”I challenge you to support that, specifically with a numerical cutoff about what may be too low. Leaving aside the subtext behind your appeal to what is basically the vitamin-cure-all du-jour, what evidence is there that the body can’t regulate its cholesterol well without exogenous forcing from saturated fat and dietary cholesterol?There can be very important causes in complex systems. Wildfire has complex structure, but without oxygen in the air, there’s no fire. Similarly, cholesterol is a large fraction of plaque, and LDL is the vehicle which delivers most of the atherosclerotic material to the intima where macrophages respond. LDL is a rate-limiting step in much of the atherosclerotic process and we’d expect that by lowering the concentration, lower atherosclerotic progression would result and that the regressive processes would be larger in comparison, all else being equal.Your admission that the body is a complex system is precisely why you should be cautious in extrapolating from preferred biomarkers for distinguishing people with high risk of CVD from those with imminent risk. When the usual biomarkers are already bad, of course you may have to use something else, but that doesn’t mean that these sort-of “tie-breakers” should be used in other circumstances where the more reliable risk factors differ vastly.LDL less than 70mg/dl is probably good, and even if there aren’t large amounts of controlled experimental data to show this, you should consider the many other ways in which this idea is plausible. You should also consider that the most recent Cochrane meta-analysis of 5 statins for the primary prevention of CAD concludes that this treatment is indicated, and that the treatment of the hyperlipidemic patients in the studies resulted in LDL lowering of around 40mg/dl on average. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23440795The Lifestyle Heart Trial by Ornish et al also got fairly close to LDL of 70mg/dl in the treatment group (mean 86.56mg/dl), though their sample was small. On the other hand, weight loss during one year was not exactly ideal and it looks like many of the experimental patients were still overweight at the end of 1 year. http://www.ornishspectrum.com/wp-content/uploads/Intensive-lifestyle-changes-for-reversal-of-coronary-heart-disease1.pdfIs it possible to have too low cholesterol? My husband’s doctor told him that his was the lowest he had ever seen. My husband also has low blood pressure. He does get light headed dizzy spells regularly. We are vegan and eat a wholefood plant based diet and have done for many years. Any suggestions what would pick up his blood pressure? It is 90/55. My husband is 58 years old. He is 5’7″ and weighs around 60 kg or less.Thank you.Please see here regarding cholesterol being low. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/One would have to be below a total cholesterol of 10 or even less to begin experiencing the ill effects of cholesterol deficiency. this occurs only in those that have genetic disorders.Is he on BP medication?Beef Magazine contributors and comment section shows an impending sharpening of knives to cut off any medical information regarding cholesterol. The government itself is sending two messages. Saturated fat bad, cholesterol OK; http://beefmagazine.com/blog/3-ways-government-committee-got-it-wrong-dietary-guidelines How can anyone decipher the real truth and not get frustrated and day the heck with it? For me, what I eat isn’t just about me but most others it is.CVD is a nutrient deficiency, which is guaranteed in the SAD. Cholesterol is just a side effect of damage caused by inflammation, it is the repair substance the body uses to patch the damage caused by inadequate vitamin C and the proper amino acids needed to maintain the large coronary arteries. Diet has very little to do with cholesterol levels, the body makes it. The brain needs it…..decrease your cholesterol with drugs and studies show you get increase suicides and violent behaviors. Eating a plant based diet means higher nutrients, vascular protection and your body isn’t inflamed so you need less cholesterol to patch up any damage. High cholesterol indicates hypothyroidism…….look it upCite reasonably high-quality research backing some of your claims. For instance, show me a study showing that treatment with statins is associated with violent behavior. Identify the “proper” amino acids which are somehow abundant in comparatively low-protein plant based diets which lower cholesterol. Show me studies where vitamin C supplementation lowers cholesterol. Explain why it is that adding egg yolks to a diet containing zero cholesterol would raise serum cholesterol. Last I checked, this wouldn’t do anything to reduce amino acid intake and it wouldn’t do anything to lower vitamin C intake, so what’s the deal, there?Lastly, but most importantly, what’s your credible reference for the claim that cholesterol is a repair substance. If it’s a repair substance, why is plaque jammed full of it, and why does it provoke an immune response where the macrophages ultimately die on-site and inflammation worsens?I suggest you read the book, THE GREAT CHOLESTEROL CON, which lists the research studies I am referring to. It will answer of your questions better than I can here. And like me, make you angry for the lies. After teaching the ‘low cholesterol diet’ prescribed by physicians for over 25 years I have been enlightened to the scam. As the media and then MD awareness catches up to the facts it will be every interesting. As far as vitamin C, look up the patent Linus Pauling, 2 time noble prize winner, was granted in the 1990’s which uses Vitamin C, L-Lysine, and L-Proline to heal the arterial damage and remove the plaque within the artery…essentially resolving CAD without Big Pharma profits. (Which is why doctors don’t know as they are educated and controlled by Big Pharma (and their swat teams the FDA & CDC) BTW, cholesterol is a response to inflammation, not the other way around. A study done in the late 1970’s by a Dr. Margaret Flynn at the Univ of MO found that 3 eggs daily, did not raise cholesterol. I was her student.The New York Times admitted last week that “there is no real evidence that eating dietary cholesterol is bad for you”. Could you please comment on this news article?Do you mean this one, from the Opinion pages, by a journalist who has written a low-carb book?http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/21/opinion/when-the-government-tells-you-what-to-eat.htmlI think so…I have seen more comments like”see! Told ya so! Even they dont know !!!” I am staying WFPB….dont care what the latest is…Teri: As Dominic pointed out, Dr. Barnard has some excellent responses to this development:http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/new-dietary-guidelines-the-good-the-bad-and-the-downright-confusing/http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/cholesterol-confusion-lets-make-sense-of-it/Excellant…thank you!I agree that physicians still look at this incorrectly. I have adopted a plant based diet for about a year and have had high LDL and cholesterol levels for some time. My HDL is also high, and my physician says that due to this I am not a risk for coronary issues. I disagree. I had my lipids checked 3 months and 6 months after adopting a vegan diet, and do not eat junk food, yet my levels have only decreased minimally and remain elevated. I am concerned as to why, and my physician does not seem concerned as he feels I am not a risk. I plan to recheck again in May, but wondered if you had encountered this in others or have thoughts as to why!!I was listening to NPR yesterday and this interviewer was discussing “no direct link between eggs and dietary cholesterol to heart disease”. Two doctors bantered back and forth discussing how “people” (presumably the public) jump to conclusions and that eggs and other high cholesterol foods have NO bearing on our heart disease risk. I almost fell over! I am interested in hearing what everyone thinks of new cholesterol recommendations.Marjorie: Here are some great responses to these new recommendations:http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/new-dietary-guidelines-the-good-the-bad-and-the-downright-confusing/ http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/cholesterol-confusion-lets-make-sense-of-it/Also, if you ever want to dive in deeper into the issue, Plant Positive does a good job of explaining the vast amount of evidence we have linking foods like eggs to heart disease. http://www.plantpositive.comhttp://www.npr.org/2015/02/11/385537426/new-dietary-guidelines-may-lighten-caution-against-cholesterol Link to the NPR story.Hi, what’s your opinion on the new dietary guidelines for cholesterol. Now all of a sudden they are saying they got it all wrong and eat as much eggs butter and so on because cholesterol is all of a sudden good for you.Paul: Here are some great responses to these new (misguided) guidelines:http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/new-dietary-guidelines-the-good-the-bad-and-the-downright-confusing/http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/cholesterol-confusion-lets-make-sense-of-it/I wonder if you could comment on the recent FDA and earlier AHA proposals to de-prioritize or eliminate dietary cholesterol (DC) labelling? Is it really not an issue? Is there only a typical correlation between DC and high saturated fats in the same foods? What is the current understanding of the direct and indirect causes of high levels of bad cholesterol in the blood?Alex: Here are some great replies from Dr. Barnard of PCRM: http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/new-dietary-guidelines-the-good-the-bad-and-the-downright-confusing/ http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/cholesterol-confusion-lets-make-sense-of-it/Thanks Thea. Very useful info. I wonder if consumption to results have been quantified/iable. A la >X mg/kg of dietary cholesterol tends to raise while <X mg/kg tends to lower blood cholesterol levels.Alex: re: “… while < X mg/kg tends to lower blood cholesterol levels." Dr. Greger has identified foods which have been shown to lower cholesterol, but none of those foods actually have cholesterol in them. I think the best you could hope for is trying to find an X amount of dietary that at least doesn't raise cholesterol.re: Showing that dietary cholesterol tends to raise serum cholesterol I think we have a lot of evidence of this, but it does get complicated since dietary cholesterol almost always comes connected with saturated fat, animal protein, and other undesirables. Food is a package deal. So, how much of the problem of an increase in cholesterol and related increase in heart disease risk is directly related to the dietary cholesterol and how much is related to the other factors of eating animals?Or (what I think) how much is related to the entire animal food with all those factors working together? We do have *plenty* of evidence that eating animal products raise cholesterol. Since only animal products have cholesterol in them, telling people to avoid eating cholesterol is a no-brainer and a reasonable way to work around political injunctions against educating people on the science that links animal consumption to various diseases, including heart disease, stroke, etc. That's one reason the new guidelines are such a travesty.If you are interested in details of the scientific evidence we have that links dietary cholesterol to serum/blood cholesterol, I recommend checking out Plant Positive: http://www.PlantPositive.comI'm not sure which video would specifically interest you, but you might start with this one: http://plantpositive.com/23-cholesterol-confusion-6-dieNote: There were some weird characters in the post above that probably got sent out/included in the related e-mail for anyone who got it. I was able to fix/get rid of the characters for the post on-line here. So, if someone wants to read my reply without needing a decoder ring, come here directly to the page/site.“weird characters in the post above”Yeah, my greater-than/less-than signs cannibalised the HTML. I corrected my own post with & lt ; (no spaces) but messed you up downstream. Sorry.Thanks again, Thea, for generously offering your time, expertise, and links. You’re fighting the good fight!”Wow. It’s amazing such studies pass peer review. Are the peers also drinking buddies? Thanks for the link.I can’t wait to hear Dr. G respond to the removal of cholesterol as a “nutrient of concern” by the 2015 Dietary Guidlines Advisory Committee.Ok, let’s cut to the chase. This video is 2 weeks old now, so my query may not have a wide response. What are the LDL-C numbers of the commenters to this video? Mine is 87. I’ve been vegan for 3-1/2 years. How long does it take to get below 70? Is anyone’s LDL-C lower than 70? Even here north of the 49th, Health Canada specifies a number higher than 50-70mg/dL.Maybe the newest member of Dr. Greger’s staff, Joseph Gonzales R.D. could comment, perhaps offering his personal LDL-C #.Could you please respond to this recent article that seems to be making a lot of headlines. I have a feeling that it is very misguided but I’m concerned that an uninformed public will take it at face valuehttp://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/70147Thank-you for all you do!!!!@Theresa. Your page link is an advertorial for W.Gifford Jones M.D. An advertorial milady is an ad dressed up as an editorial. There’s nothing free about canadafreepress. It, like facebook and Google, are ad companies first and foremost. Hey it’s nothing personal, it’s just business. When the USDA wants to delist cholesterol and the GOP wants to desist from science in their new bill, you know that these criminal corporations will do anything to remain in the black.lolMaybe you will have enough interesting research some time to do a video on Sphingolipids. Here’s a fun start: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/129/7/1239.full#T1 –relates to Plant Ceramides, which apparently relate to aging, heart health & cancer.I received this information from AARP this morning:http://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2015/cholesterol-myths.1.htmlI believe it to be quite contrary to the information that you provide on your website.The article was written by what appears to be a journalist and does not have any scientific references. I would appreciate if you would comment on the article.I very much appreciate the work that you do.Best Regards,Don PittsThanks for reporting this, Don. I think you hit the nail on the head that this is not a scientific evaluation of all of the evidence. The article does throw out some references, but again, not enough to claim saturated fats and butter is “back”. So much information on cholesterol here.Dr. Gregor, can you please debunk this reference I found indicating no link between saturated fat and cardiovascular disease?10. Siri-Tarino, P.W., et al. Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:535-546.It was referenced here.http://www.faim.org/brainhealth/do-low-fat-diets-cause-alzheimers.htmlInteresting. From the conclusion I think the researchers explain “our meta-analysis showed that there is insufficient evidence from prospective epidemiologic studies to conclude that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD, stroke, or CVD. However, the available data were not adequate for determining whether there are CHD or stroke associations with saturated fat in specific age and sex subgroups. Furthermore, there was insufficient statistical power for this meta-analysis to assess the effects on CVD risk of replacing specific amounts of saturated fat with either polyunsaturated fat or carbohydrate.”Hope that helps. Also, Dr. Esselstyn published research showing how a plant-based diet can be a way to reverse CAD. Meat can cause inflammation and saturated fat appears to have other deleterious effects such as increasing the risk of heart disease.I’ve been vegan for about 17 years, and my LDL is about 69.5 mg/dl (measured last year at 1.8mmol/l). My GP said it was the lowest cholesterol level he’s ever seen… But if the “optimal” range is 50-70, why is mine so high?According to Dr. John McDougall and many others, all veganism is not created equal and fat consumption, even non-animal, still matters. If you check out his website drmcdougall.com you’ll see he even recommends against eating any isolated oils (soybean, olive, coconut, etc.) or even certain high-fat plant foods many consider extremely healthy such as avocados. Maybe lowering your fat consumption would lower your LDL even further?I am so confused here. If you look at the article on Dr. Mercola’s website today titled “Why You May be Better Off Ignoring Conventional and Low-Fat Dietary Guidelines,” I just don’t get it, and I’m trying to understand. There must be another factor for atherosclerosis related to endothelial dysfunction. I not arguing either way, I am simply completely at my wits’ end with the polar opposite presentations of endless studies on fats and cholesterol related to heart disease. Again, I suspect there has to be another variable we are missing. What explains the incredibly low heart disease rates among non-Westernized diets of, for instance, the native Eskimos who ate almost exclusively meat and saturated fat, or the the Masai people of Kenya who eat large quantities of ruminant milk and meat, and the Jamaicans who eat large amounts of saturated fat in the form of coconut oil? All three of these populations, all consuming high saturated fat diets, were relatively free of heath disease, when especially compared to the epidemic happing in America. So I am in quite a quandary here given the multitude of variables that exist (and maybe it does not matter in context to the SAD with respect to simply lowering cholesterol as the only answer here in the states???). For example, is it inflammation caused by pollutants, pesticides and herbicides; could it be conventionally grain-fed, contaminant laced feedlot raised animals and products derived therefrom; an imbalance of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, the elimination of omega-6 fatty acids by the inclusion of saturated fats and exclusion of omega-6s; GMO’s with RoundUp, refined carbohydrates, sugars, fructose, etc., etc., etc. I’m simply trying to understand what is the underlying variable that confounds the seemingly endless research, studies, and conclusions drawn therefrom on the polar opposite sides of the spectrum.Does anyone else here feel whipsawed with all this?Nutrition research is very complex, but eating food doesn’t have to be. Our site differs widely from Mercola. He sells stuff. We don’t. We like folks to make up their own mind based on the research provided. I think Dr. Greger does an amazing job offering the latest science, for free, and giving dietary suggestions.Here’s a link to the article where I pulled some of my commentary from. Please, I am NOT trying to do dueling studies B.S. here. I simply am trying to figure out what is going on with the two polar opposite conclusions based on the studies.http://www.mercola.com/article/carbohydrates/scientific_evidence_low_grains.htmI am raising a lot of this because of my own research into Lipoprotein A. Incredibly enough, I switched to a vegan regimen recently and then read this about soy (it raises Lipoprotein A???). Can anyone see why I am genuinely struggling with this subject? Any help or advice?http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/01/02/soy-increases-lipoprotein.aspxDear Dr. Greger,I have been following a whole plant low-fat diet for over 2 years now with lots of fruits, berries, legumes, sweet potatoes, veggies, greens, nuts, no processed foods etc., but my cholesterol levels have not improved, e.g. total cholesterol was and still is around 220, LDL around 150, triglycerides 150-200, A1C 6.0 to 7.0 etc. I was never overweight (at 5’7″ I am 145 lb), never smoked, exercise daily. Still I had a quadruple bypass 7 years ago.I am completely puzzled why the diet had virtually no expected effects. My doctor is puzzled too, so I am planning to start to take statin drugs (Lipitor).Is there any hope to make diet work for me?Hi Alex. Someone at the top of this tread has similar concerns. I think my comment to her will serve you well. Let me know if it helps?Thanks, JosephHi Alex. Let me see if I can help. For those who have tried everything and still have high LDL, try focusing on the saturated fat sources (coconut oil; cocoa butter, and yes even nuts). I would also make sure you’re doing the Jenkins portfolio diet, including foods like (beans, okra, flax, etc.) and get thyroid function tested. Dr. Jenkins developed a portfolio diet for lowering cholesterol, and it does include some nuts but I would try avoiding or keeping to a single ounce a day. Weight loss is important if there is too much abdominal fat (abdominal circumference exceeds half height). So check with your doctor about these measurements. And if your diet is top-notch and LDL is still too high then try Dr. Esselstyn’s 6 servings of greens a day to keep nitric oxide flowing. If you still find it’s not coming down consider a statin. See if any of those tips help. How frustrating if doing everything right and still not having success.I am a type 1 diabetic and also have an elevated level of lipoprotein (a). The information I have is that lipoprotein (a) may be a particularly pernicious form of cholesterol and that one’s level is determined by genetic factors and is not affected by exercise or diet (or statins). The only thing that can reduce it is niacin. My level was initially 64, but taking a dose of 3,000 mg of niaspan originally brought the level down to just below 30, in the normal range. However, in more recent years, my level has incrementally increased and is now up to the 80s, even though I am still taking 3,000 mg of niaspan daily (which is quite expensive).Have you seen any information in your reviews of nutritional studies that questions that lipoprotein (a) levels are not affected by diet (or exercise)? I understand that as a general matter of coronary health, if I can’t keep a normal or healthy lipoprotein (a) level, it is especially incumbent on me to do anything else to put the odds in my favor, so in that sense, eating a plant-based, whole-foods diet can be effective. I’m wondering if you have seen anything that suggests that diet might have some affect on lipoprotein (a) levels? Or perhaps, in the alternative, have you seen anything suggesting, as in the video, that if one’s LDL level is kept sufficiently low, then plaque buildup isn’t triggered, so perhaps an elevated lipoprotein (a) level isn’t such a concern?Hi Bawaite, sorry you’re dealing with that-but so happy to hear about all of your healthy lifestyle choices. PubMed search showed of the 2015 literature showed that daily exercise and almond consumption may improve lipoprotein A levels. Dr. G. plans to make a video about lipoprotein A in the future…till then, here’s a favorite NutritionFacts.org piece about a bonus benefit of almonds.Hi Bawaite thanks for reposting. Jen gave some hints below and I might also suggest Dr. Forrester’s comments and links on diabetes, here. See if these resources help?Also, PCRM has a fact sheet on type 1 diabetes. And one study found a connection between risk of type 1 DM and cow’s milk protein in infants. This study does not reflect adults and how they can manage Type 1 DM, but I use it to show there seems to be a link between cows milk and risk of Type 1 DM in infants. If this study holds true I think avoiding cow’s milk and dairy protein may be helpful for those with type 1 diabetes.Brenda SomersJun 1, 4:31 PMI know Dr. Gregor says that the amount of sat fat in the diet should be Zero or as close to it as possible. I have an intake of about 7gm daily from the following: 32g peanut butter (peanuts & some salt and I pour off the oil on top), 1/2 oz almonds, 1/2 oz walnuts, 1 tbsp hulled hemp seeds and 1 tbsp either sunflower seeds, chia seeds or pumpkin seeds. All seeds and nuts are raw and certified organic if possible.I eat a very healthy whole food plant based no oil added diabetic diet. Five months ago my total cholesterol was 159 & LDL 88. I’m trying to get cholesterol below 150 & LDL below 70 and don’t want the plant sources of sat fat to work against this.Also, I’m 69, weight 130 (have kept off a 100 lb weight loss for 15 months) and was diagnosed Type II diabetic in Nov 2010. My A1C has been 4.9-5.0 for the last 18 months.Thank you for your help and for such a wonderful, informative blog.Hi Brenda,Thanks so much for reposting. It’s impossible to have zero saturated fats, as all foods have a bit of fat in different ratios. You are wise to keep it low, though. My go-to Dr. Greger answer (paraphrased) for those who have tried everything and still have high LD, try focusing on the saturated fat sources (coconut oil; cocoa butter, and yes even nuts and seeds). I would also make sure you’re doing the Jenkins portfolio diet, including foods like (beans, okra, flax, etc.) and get thyroid function tested. Dr. Jenkins developed a portfolio diet for lowering cholesterol, and it actually includes some nuts. Weight loss is important if there is too much abdominal fat (abdominal circumference exceeds half height). So check with your doctor about these measurements. And if your diet is top-notch and LDL is still too high then try Dr. Esselstyn’s 6 servings of greens a day to keep nitric oxide flowing. If you still find it’s not coming down consider a statin. Maybe some of our doctor’s who help reply on our site can help answer better, but I’d start there. Let us know if anything helps and do make sure to check in with your doctors about all of this.Best, JosephI have cholesterol of 198 with an optimum plant based diet. Is it recommended to use statins to get the ldl below 70?	blood pressure,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,chronic diseases,diabetes,dietary guidelines,Dr. William Clifford Roberts,exercise,fruit,heart disease,hypertension,LDL cholesterol,obesity,smoking,statins,vegetables	Why don’t authorities advocate a sufficient reduction in cholesterol down to safe levels?	It’s imperative for everyone to understand Dr. Rose’s sick population concept, which I introduced in When Low Risk Means High Risk.What about large fluffy LDL cholesterol versus small and dense? See Does Cholesterol Size Matter?More from the Framingham Heart Study in Barriers to Heart Disease Prevention.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-william-clifford-roberts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15715328,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2773805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15995167,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15172426,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16585781,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17364116,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1312295/,
PLAIN-2482	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/	Reducing Glycotoxin Intake to Prevent Alzheimer's	Each of us has 6 billion miles of DNA. How does our body keep it from getting all tangled up? There are special proteins called histones, which act like spools and DNA is the thread. Enzymes called sirtuins wrap the DNA around the histones and by doing so silence whatever genes were in that stretch of DNA, hence their name SIRtuins, which stands for silencing information regulator.Although they were discovered only about a decade ago, the study of sirtuins has become one of the most promising areas of biomedicine, since they appear to be involved in promoting healthy aging and longevity. Suppression of this key host defense is considered a central feature of Alzheimer’s disease.Autopsies of Alzheimer’s victims reveal that loss of sirtuin activity is closely associated with the accumulation of the plaques and tangles in the brain that’s characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. Sirtuin appears to activate pathways that steer the brain away from the formation of plaque and tangle proteins. Because a decrease in sirtuin activity can clearly have deleterious effects on nerve health, they’re trying to come up with drugs to increase sirtuin activity, but why not just prevent its suppression in the first place.Glycotoxins in our food suppress sirtuin activity, these so-called advanced glycation end products, or AGE’s. Our modern diet include excessive AGE’s, which can be neurotoxic. High levels in the blood may predict cognitive decline over timeIf you measure the urine levels of glycotoxins flowing through the bodies of older adults, those with the highest levels went on to suffer the greatest cognitive decline over the subsequent nine years.As we age our brain literally shrinks. In our 60's and 70's we lose an average of five cubic centimeters of total brain tissue volume every year, but some lose more than others. Brain atrophy may be reduced in very healthy individuals. And a few people don’t lose any brain at all. Normally we lose about 2% of brain volume every year, but that’s just the average. Although the average brain loss for folks in their 70's and 80's was 2.1%, some lost more, some lost less, and some men and lost none at all over a period of four years.Researchers in Australia provided the first evidence linking AGEs with this kind of cerebral brain loss. So limiting one’s consumption of these compounds may end up having significant public health benefits.Because sirtuin deficiency is both preventable and reversible by dietary AGE reduction, a therapeutic strategy that includes eating less AGE's may offer a new strategy to combat the epidemic of Alzheimer’s.Some glycotoxins are produced internally, particularly in diabetics, but anyone can get them from smoking and eating, particularly foods high in fat and protein.In a previous video I listed the 15 foods most contaminated with glycotoxins, mostly chicken, but also pork, beef, and fish, which may help explain why those that eat the most meat may have triple the triple the risk of getting dementia compared to long-time vegetarians.	Wow! Another nail in the coffin for beef and chicken. I am so glad I gave up animal foods and switched to a plant based diet. I would love to see a list of the top foods for brain function and plaque reduction through diet. Way to go again Dr G! Another awesome video.I agree veggie Eric! I’d say that fruits & vegetables have to be amongst the top brain foods simply due to their antioxidant content! The brain is highly susceptible to oxidative stress which occurs when the oxygen we breathe picks up an extra electron and becomes what is known as a “free radical.” These free radicals are highly reactive and damaging to DNA. Much of the aging process is attributed to oxidative stress, including age spots that often show up on the backs of people’s hands, which are actually oxidized fat. In order to combat this, it is really important to eat a diet high in antioxidants. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of antioxidants, as well as legumes, seeds, nuts, and spices. Animal products just cannot compete – iceberg lettuce has by far more antioxidant units than the same amount of milk, eggs, salmon, chicken, or beef! When researchers averaged the antioxidant content of plants vs animal products they found that the average content of plants was 1,157 antioxidant units per 10 grams, while that of animal foods was a mere 18 units. Here is another Dr. Greger video that discusses prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease with plant-based eating!My grandmother in law got Alzheimer or dementia at around age 85 and was Adventist on a vegetarian strict diet… what can you think about that? I think that moderation in all is the key and for some vegan diet may be the key but not for allMany Adventist vegetarians eat too much fat. Lots of cheese, eggs, milk, ice cream and fake meats.What did your grandmother eat? I’m only curious because even a vegetarian diet can be unhealthy if you consume highly processed food items. A friend of mine had to go on blood pressure medication because he was eating so many of those highly processed and salty Morning Star breakfast meals.Are there studies on people who followed the high-protein diets (Atkins) when the diets were first popular in the late 60’s? I have friends who followed those diets while we were in junior high school and they are now obese and have heart disease. Many have died from dietary diseases. I wonder how many may have Alzheimers disease. I have friends who more recently have followed other high protein diets (Zone, Paleo) and although they lose weight at first, I have noticed later weight gain most likely from all the fat they eat. Long-term these high fat and protein diets prove to be harmful, but short-term people are pleased because for a time, they can lose weight and eat as they please. Scary what the future holds for them.I’d be interested in knowing if those kids from junior high continued to follow the Atkins diet throughout their lives. That would give you a bit more semi-accurate anecdotal evidence.Yes, they still follow an “avoid the carbs” plan except when they don’t. They gain weight when they include mostly the junk carbs and then go back to the high protein when they want to shed the weight. It doesn’t work, they don’t see it and they always stare at my baked potato when I eat with them……They stare at your baked potato? Longingly?I know this is totally anecdotal, but I learned of a woman who’s in her late 50s diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers. I sent her adult daughter some Nutrition Facts videos about Alzheimers and her daughter responded that her mom had been on Adkins or high protein/low carb “for decades”. Again, one anecdotal case, but boy, it solidified my belief that vegetarianism/veganism is the only way to go to stay healthy far into our senior years.The high-fat, low-carb diet is a well-known smoke and mirrors trick often used by people who are unqualified to deliver professional nutrition advice. The average person stores 100g of carbs as glycogen in their liver and another 400 in the skeletal muscles. Since 3 grams of water are stored per gram of glycogen, that’s another 1500 grams. Taken together that equals 2000 grams, or about 4.5 pounds. So it’s easy to see why cutting carbs results in a number change on the scale. However, it does not result in reduced body fat, increased energy, better metabolism, or increased athletic performance. The best book for anyone tentative about carbs is “Carbophobia” by Dr. Greger. It’s short, entertaining, highly informative, and is even available to read for FREE at http://www.atkinsexposed.org.Yup, scary. We will be their caregivers. But here’s a comforting thought: Nobody stays on those diets for long. The lure of carbs is too great.Excellent video and topic here Doc! Thank you for all you do!Even better, avoiding glyoctoxins may improve oxidative stress, inflammation, kidney function, insulin function, and may increase overall life span, according to the American Dietetic Association report that Dr. Greger cites in this video. I’m loving this! I was a lifelong addict of fried foods, and it’s really only this year that I’ve begun the process of weaning off the fried foods and breaking that addiction. Some days can be a little rough, but knowing the benefits I’m doing to my body by cutting out the chips, fries, and sesame tofu (a double-fried dish) is a HUGE source of encouragement!Evidence suggests that vegetables and meat be eaten together for optimal nutrition.Do you happen to have a study citation or link for that evidence?Its possible green vegetables prevent some carcinogenic effects of meat 1, 2, 3, 4, begging the question…Hi Mark G. and Coacervate: http://authoritynutrition.com/5-studies-on-the-paleo-diet/So, where are some replies to Alan’s link?This link summarizes a few short studies where individuals went on a “paleo” diet, and improved their blood work. No where on the page, however, is it explicitly stated that meat and veggies equal optimum nutrition. One perhaps could imply that because the paleo diet improved the blood work compared to those eating standard diets. Of course, going from a standard western diet, and going to some form of “paleo” by cutting out all processed foods, highly processed grains, added sugars and oils, and dairy will obviously improve your blood work. That does not suggest, however, that eating meat and veggies is “optimal.”You’re welcome you vulturesYes Alan…what Mark G. said pleaseThis vid made me donate again. I have so much critical information for which to thank Dr. G et al. Very grateful.Dr. Greger…You’ve strongly advocated consumption of nuts. Yet many of the most common forms are absolutely off the charts in terms of AGE content. Where does that leave us?Here’s where I found the data: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3704564/table/T2/That chart doesn’t have nuts listed anywhere.Here’s the complete PDF:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3704564/pdf/nihms482555.pdfGot a source for that statement?So the benefits of walnut, almonds, cashews and pistashio, don’t exist?To anyone asking for a source for mitch’s statement, check out one of the sources Dr. Greger has included in today’s video, the report issued by the American Dietetic Association’s list of the AGE content of foods. On p. 7 of 18 of that report, you’ll find that the first item in their list is solid fats—butter of course, but also avocado and nuts. There you’ll see that roasted almonds, for instance, contain nearly 2,000 AGE units per serving. That’s actually less than a serving of butter, which comes in at around 1,300. Of course, a huge reason for that is that a serving of butter is 5 grams whereas a serving of almonds is 30 g, but that’s how the numbers work out. Similarly, a serving of peanut butter contains over 2,200 AGE units, and pine nuts contain over 3,000.30g is nice portion size if you’re nibbling with a martini. But if you don’t eat meat, and are getting a lot of calories from nuts, it’s not much. I might easily have 90g. 90g of almond or walnuts has the same AGE content as a single 90g standard serving of “McDonalds Crispy Chicken”.I guess raw nuts are good. Some people like them, but I find them kind of bland. Roasted almonds are, to me, better than a burger.So this is a major bummer!I agree; this is definitely upsetting news. As far as raw nuts go, they’re too rough on my stomach and I can’t eat them. And I definitely agree with you about roasted almonds being so delicious. Oh well. I guess I’ll try to increase my intake of beans and cut back on the peanut butter.In the largest survey to date, for nuts only the ‘representative’ AGE compound Nε-carboxymethyllysine (CML) was assayed. Nuts do have significant amounts of AGEs, though as serving size is smaller they tend to have intermediate amounts per serving. AGE kU Food per 100 g per serving Cashews, roasted 9,807 2,942 Walnuts, roasted 7,887 2,366 Almonds, roasted 6,650 1,995 Peanuts, dry roasted 6,447 1,934Bacon, fried 5 min 91,577 11,905 Frankfurter, broiled 11,270 10,143 Steak, pan fried 10,058 9,052 Turkey burger, pan fried 8,938 8,044 Chicken thigh, roasted 8,802 7,922 Fish sticks, oven fried 8,774 7,897 Big Mac 7,801 7,801 Chicken nuggets 8,627 7,764 Chicken, dark, broiled 8,299 7,469Most AGEs are formed at the amine sidechains of arginine or lysine (the latter generates CML, among other AGEs). Estimating AGE content from CML measurements alone can lead to over-, or in the case of high arginine meat, under estimates of total AGE content.So what you’re saying is that the meat products actually most likely have more than what is listed, and perhaps the plant products might have less if measured by a more balanced type of test? What about non-roasted nuts? I try to get plain unsalted bags of peanuts, pecans, almonds, and walnuts. Does roasting increase their age content?Judging by the data provided by the American Dietetic Association it would appear that roasting does increase the AGE content of nuts and that raw nuts are lower in AGE than their (dry and oil) roasted counterparts.All foods have more dietary AGEs than listed, simply because every assay only looks for a subset of those produced either by cooking, or by non-enzymatic glycation during the organism’s lifetime. Nε-carboxymethyllysine became a popular marker because its stable and easy to detect. Its not the major AGE in living animals (that honor probably goes to glucosepane).The import of dietary AGEs in inflammatory diseases (Alzheimer’s, but also other chronic diseases like atherosclerosis, diabetes, arthritis etc.) appears to be that it stimulates the receptor for AGES (RAGE), amplifying inflammatory and immune responses. RAGE plays an important physiological role in stimulating macrophages (and other immune cells) to clear cross-linked proteins in the extracellular matrix, but exogenous AGEs are absorbed and likely cause persistent inflammatory cell activation.Non-roasted nuts will have fewer AGEs, and non-salted raw nuts are very likely the healthiest way to consume them. Personally, I purchase them unshelled, as cracking the shells slows and reduces intake, preventing binges.I never even thought of getting the unshelled ones to add some exercise and portion control into my diet! That is genious! Right up there with parking far away so you have to walk more. Thanks, although for busy days I’m sure I’ll have to keep some regular nuts on hand.Darryl, what do you make out of the criticism of Vlassara’s et al. work regarding the ELISA assay they employed to determine the CML content being highly non-specific? It seems to make some sense when looking at protein-rich foods, but the supposed high CML content of plant oils seem odd. Where does all this CML in olive oil come from? Even if the olives contain some protein and sugar, any CML produced during storage should have poor fat-solubility and not show up in such massive amounts in the oil. Given its residual protein content, it seems more intuitive that butter may have some AGE’s but then, why is it higher than that of cheese despite a much lower content in both protein and sugar and the lack of maturation? I have to bring up Chris Masterjohn’s blog here:http://blog.cholesterol-and-health.com/2011/10/trouble-with-measuring-ages-butter-and.htmlI’m not Chris’ biggest fan, but Thomas Henle is a renowned researcher and his verdict regarding Vlassara’s papers is pretty damning. It seems to confirm Henle’s objections that the few studies which directly measured AGEs by mass spectrometry have come to entirely different (and intuitively much more plausible) results than the ELISA method. One such study found the highest levels of CML in bread crust, low levels in raw meat and no CML at all in olive oil. Another one found high levels levels of Amadori products in soy milk and infant formula, but none in butter and margarine.Darry, I reviewed the link you posted and it shows “dried figs” to have a very high level of AGEs, which surprises and concerns me. Does this imply, in your mind, that maybe excessive consumption of dried fruit could be a significant concern, as far as AGE ingestion? How about the dried fruit that is baked, liked baked mango slices and pineapple, bananas, dates, etc.? Even in the absence of baking these fruits with fat, thus, just baking them alone, maybe this is not wise, huh? I’m sort of new to the AGEs issue, and the cooked sugar thing seems concerning. Interestingly, raisins do not appear so high in AGEs, it seems to me. Thank you for any thoughts and insight on this.While figs appear to have more AGEs than other dried fruit, its still fairly trivial per serving, and as a contributor in most diets, compared to the amounts in fried/roasted meats. I think we can say here, “Don’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good.” Yes, practically everything you eat will have some components of concern, but if that dried fig prevents you from sating a sweet tooth with candy, its probably well to the positive side of the ledger.If I’m not mistaken high levels of AGEs are associated with roasted nuts. Eat raw nuts. Needless to say roasting likely affects the nutritional content and fats as well.This discussion reminds me of DOE and POEM that I learned way back in medical school. POEM stands for “Patient Oriented Evidence that Matters” and DOE stands for “Disease-Oriented Evidence.” In other words, if a patient asks me, “Doc, are nuts good for me?” My response will be, “yes, they are.” My answer will not be “don’t eat nuts because they have a high content of AGEs (advanced glycation products).”Instead of getting fixated on the theoretical harms of nut consumption based on their content of AGE products, I like to focus on the current human studies that have shown nuts to be healthful. We know from the Adventist Health Study, Physicians’ Health Study, and Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study that nut consumption is associated with decreased mortality from coronary heart disease. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis “indicates that nut intake is inversely associated with IHD, overall CVD, and all-cause mortality…” http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2014/05/21/ajcn.113.076109Possibly there may be a link here:A 2013 Study on milk by Dr. Karl Michaelsson suggested that milk is good for body nutrition up to 20-something then the nutrient is no longer necessary. Maybe meat proteins are beneficial in development to body maturity and should be reduced or eliminated by age 30?If a certain food is not safe for human consumption, it is not safe in any part of life.“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19562864Please see Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/See more information on why cow’s milk is not food for humans http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/And why animal protein carries more risk than benefit http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/ at any stage in life.From an article I wrote about AGEs for bodybuilders – who eat a LOT of protein> ( “Optimizing Protein for Long-Term Health,” Ed Kellogg, Ph.D. Frank Zane’s Building the Body Newsletter, pp 20-21, Summer, 2006.) If you want a copy, send me an email. It includes a table of AGE(kU) / 100g Protein not available elsewhere that I calculated and that some might find useful. I’ll try to post it below))“High protein foods cooked at high temperatures have high AGE levels. Fortunately, simply changing the method of cooking can decrease AGE content many fold. A 3 oz serving of chicken breast has about 5,000 kU when broiled, but only 1,000 kU if boiled. Also, because of chemical reactions, high protein foods cooked with sugar or fat have much higher AGE levels than high protein foods cooked alone. For example, although a fried egg has over 1200 kU, a boiled egg only has 200 kU. Boiled egg white by itself – almost pure protein – only has about 15 kU. (Goldberg et al, “Advanced Glycoxidation End Products in Commonly Consumed Foods,” J. Am. Diet. Assoc., 104, pp1267-1291, 2004. Supplementary tables provide AGE values for over 250 foods.)“Many people can cut the AGE content of their diets in half simply by changing how they cook what they eat, rather than by changing what they eat. AGE content increases with cooking methods as follows:(LEAST) Raw < Boiled < Microwaved <<< Baked/Roasted < Broiled < Fried (MOST)Also, the longer you cook a food, the higher the levels of AGEs. If you decide to decrease the AGE content of your diet by more than half, you will need to change not only how you cook but what you eat. You will need to avoid some foods, such as butter and cheese, almost entirely. One tablespoon of butter has about 4,000 kU, a single ounce of American cheese, 2,500 kU. Even an ounce of a lower fat cheese, such as part-skim mozzarella, has 500 kU. And a single slice of thin crust pizza weighs in at almost 7,000 AGE kU!"Does your list have raw walnuts? The link in the PubMed study that Mitch cited lists only roasted walnuts.Hi Mark –The table I shared focuses on AGE values/100g protein for a few high protein foods. This table does not include values for many foods of interest, simply because their AGE values remain untested. For example, one can assume that raw seeds and nuts  freshly harvested – such as almonds, flax, pumpkin, and sunflowers seeds, have relatively low AGE values. A 100 g serving of these foods would provide 20- 25 grams of protein, with many other beneficial nutrients, as well as having cardioprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. However, like all high fat foods, you need to store them properly, in the refrigerator to prevent oxidation and rancidity. Other foods when cooked at high temperatures have their AGEs increased about 5 fold, the same should apply to nuts. Just take the value of AGEs for the roasted nuts, and divide by 5 to get a ballpark estimate of the raw value.. I suspect tyhat value would seem quite a bit lower for freshly harvested raw nuts, but would climb significantly with time, especially if stored at room temperature.Thanks. That’s interesting. Any guess what levels would be in coffee, which is off course roasted?AGE/Protein Table Food with AGE(kU) per 100g of Protein (estimates)Milk,fat free 12 Yogurt, nonfat 70 Milk, whole 150 Egg whites, boiledX10 min 406 Oatmeal, instant 568 Salmon, raw 2,953 Eggs,boiledX10 min 3,421 Beans,red kidney, cooked 60 min 3,465 Chicken breasts, boiledX60 min 3,611 Mozzarella,part skim 6,797 Tofu, raw 9,779 Chicken breasts, broiledX15 min 18,732 Peanut butter, smooth 28,188 Almonds,roasted 29,556 Cheese, American processed 38,562 Hamburgers, fast food 40,633 Tofu, broiled 50,980 Pizza,thin crust 56,875 Frankfurters,broiledX5 min 94,794 *Values calculated for my article using data from the Goldberg et al paper (“Advanced Glycoxidation End Products in Commonly Consumed Foods,” J. Am. Diet. Assoc., 104, pp 1267-1291, 2004), and protein values for the same, or similar foods, given in Bowes & Church’s Food Values of Portions Commonly Used, 1998 edition. Some values seem approximate, as I could not find an exact match, or where values for the “same” foods from different sources (frankfurters, salmon) varied, and where the Goldberg et al paper did not specify which brand, or type, they used.You read my mind! This is exactly what I was looking for :)Hi Ryan –If you or anyone else would like a copy of the article, just send a request to alef1@msn.com. I’ve also include two PDF files, one has the latest 2010 research summary and an extensive set of food tables with AGE values, the other a paper showing the effect of a low AGE diet on diabetics.EdI will be sending an email shortly. Thanks!Reporting AGE’s per 100 gram of protein would seem to me to guide folks to consuming more protein in their diet and thus may lead to an increase in overall AGE consumption. For instance a food such as nuts which tend to have very low protein would tend to have a higher AGE/ 100 grams protein than AGE/ 100 grams of nuts. I think it would be better to report AGE’s/amount of food. Of course this raises the issue of why anyone would want to go out of their way to insure adequate protein intake. Dr. John McDougall has written three excellent newsletter articles on protein intake, A brief history of protein (Dec 2003), Where to I get my protein (Apr 2007), and Protein Overload (Jan 2004). As Dr. McDougall has pointed out there has never been a case of protein deficiency in history with adequate calorie intake. With intense or prolonged exercise you need to increase your calorie intake but that also increases the intake of your essential amino acids that the body needs to build the proteins it requires. Any additional intake needs to be eliminated via the kidney and other pathways. See the video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/. So the question isn’t how to get protein but how to minimize it. The video also points to the value of fiber. Eating plants will allow you the protein and dietary fiber in the most beneficial package. Of course recommendations for those engaged in intense or prolonged activity as opposed to the general population may have to be modified somewhat but for those interested in the value of plant based nutrition with endurance training I would recommend Scott Jurek’s book, Eat Run or reviewing the success of body builder Robert Cheeke. I believe it is important for persons to become educated about the science and then work with their health professionals as they begin a journey to improved health and quality of life.Hi Don –I agree that despite the American obsession with getting enough protein, and their predilection for eating high protein foods (such as meat and dairy), that a plant based diet provides plenty of protein for health and long-life, and packaged in a way that provides many other benefits as well. I especially like the fact that most plant proteins (but not all) have a relatively low % of the amino acid methionine, a bonus for cancer prevention and possibly for life extension as well.However I wrote that article – and made up that table – for bodybuilders, who generally eat huge servings of protein or the purposes of building muscle mass, which it does. For this group especially, highlighting protein sources low in AGEs to me seems a gilt-edged priority, so in my article I made that table to provide them with healthier protein options.For those that want to look at AGEs per serving, check out:Advanced Glycation End Products in Foods and a Practical Guide to Their Reduction in the Diet JAIME URIBARRI, MD; SANDRA WOODRUFF, RD; SUSAN GOODMAN, RD; WEIJING CAI, MD; XUE CHEN, MD; RENATA PYZIK, MA, MS; ANGIE YONG, MPH; GARY E. STRIKER, MD; HELEN VLASSARA, MD J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110:911-916.EdHi Dr. Don. Great video reference and refresher training. From the Doctor’s Note section in that video, I will add my own ‘must see’ recommendation: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/Slightly off-topic…apologies: I love this website and I recommend others to it every chance I get. The only problem I have in doing so is that there isn’t a ‘User’s Guide’ or ‘Welcome to the Wonders of a Whole-Food Plant-Based Lifestyle’ to which I might refer them so that they may get an introductory, high-level perspective on why this website even exists and what it can do for them if they adopt its myriad recommendations.I know you folks are busy, but maybe down the road you may be able to put together a page of this sort that will guide the uninitiated into this encyclopedic amount of information in a way that will capture their imaginations and allow them, as I have, to take ownership of their health and wellness through this remarkable lens which continues to evolve. Thank you.Hi Lawrence… I avoid directing folks to my website but since you asked if you go to http://www.DonForresterMD.com>resources>resources for everyone I have put together on a single page some of the information that I refer my patients and other persons to for information. It is a free resource and I have no financial interests tied to any of the recommendations. Sorry for any errors as I only get around to updating every 1-2 years. Hope this helps.Hi Dr. Forrester, I was browsing your link and under immune disorders there is link on a book about lupus. It seems to be a term people love throwing around, I do however have a very mild form of butterfly rash next to my nose. I’ve never had that before I started tweaking my diet, and it has been with me now for a year or so, my skin is actually thinning there now. It heals till its gone and then immediately flares up again. I eat nothing but whole foods in general, haven’t touched anything animal based in two weeks now. Is this something to worry about? And then especially in relation with that feeling of heat in my upper spine and scalp in combination with such feeling of mental overload that just looking in a woman’s eyes would make me physically recoil. Could these two be related and my nerves have been inflamed? That cerebral effect mostly disappeared with the choline but the rash did not. . . Regards.Does eating more plants help with the removal process of excess age’s via protein consumption? Is it possible that even though some plant foods may contain a lot of age’s, they, along with other plants, help to remove the age’s through whatever pathway the body does so normaly?I don’t think anyone has done research in this area specifically. However in mine and others experience they like to think that if you remove the injurious substances from your diet your body is always working to heal itself. That said there are times the “horse is already out of the barn”. For me it is about risk so that if you consume 10% animal products you are at more risk than if you consume 5% animal products. After 8 years on plant based diet with my wife we are still making changes. As vegetarian was running BP’s of 120/85( Normal??) and now 110/65(More normal!). So i might have a stroke but I’m less likely too all things else being equal. Two terms that require context for me are NORMAL and OPTIMIZING. The latter has very little meaning when approaching adaptive systems especially with reductionistic science. The best you can do is not violate the design of the system. Our biological system is a hind gut fermenting herbivore. So provide the right nutrition and get regular exercise and maintain fitness and keep on trucking. But since the devil is always in the detail keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org for the latest in science!Off Topic: European Commission Alert system for foods on the market that are potentially dangerous. (RASFF)http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/rasff/reports_publications/index_en.htm“RASFF – Food and Feed Safety AlertsThe EU has one of the highest food safety standards in the world – largely thanks to the solid set of EU legislation in place, which ensures that food is safe for consumers. A key tool to ensure the cross-border follow of information to swiftly react when risks to public health are detected in the food chain is RASFF – the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed.Created in 1979, RASFF enables information to be shared efficiently between its members (EU-28 national food safety authorities, Commission, EFSA, ESA, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Switzerland) and provides a round-the-clock service to ensure that urgent notifications are sent, received and responded to collectively and efficiently. Thanks to RASFF, many food safety risks had been averted before they could have been harmful to European consumers.Vital information exchanged through RASFF can lead to products being recalled from the market. A robust system, which has matured over the years, RASFF continues to show its value to ensure food safety in the EU and beyond.”I read about it in Italian here: http://espresso.repubblica.it/attualita/2015/02/09/news/cibi-pericolosi-ecco-cosa-c-e-in-quello-che-mangiamo-1.198546?ref=huffpo This article said the 2014 annual report is out, but I can find only the 2013. Nevertheless, I thought some might be interested in both the findings and in the system.A look at the 2010 Uribarri et al list of AGE’s in foods reveals that nuts are high in AGE content rivaling fried meat. Are nuts good or bad for us?In this video, Dr. Greger shows that DNA damage could be responsible for brain decline or even Alzheimer’s disease. In another article, he shows that spices ginger, tumeric, and rosemary can reduce DNA damage 25-50 percent. Dr. Greger discusses a particular type of brain decline where people lose the spools on which their DNA threads, causes by spool damaging glycotoxins. Perhaps spices like tumeric, ginger, and rosemary in particular are good at replacing these spools or in some other way bolster damage to restore DNA. Perhaps DNA damage can and brain loss could be treated by spices. The vegetarian diet should be very good at reducing risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Greger argues, because plants are not rich in glycotoxins. He has already suggested that tumeric is good for Alzheimer’s. Perhaps there are plant foods that could replace damaged spools, and perhaps they are the best performers in their categories already, like beets, garlic, kidney beans, black beans, walnuts, pecans, cranberries, lemons, tumeric, ginger, and matcha, hibiscus, or dandelion teas.And then there are the cannabinoids…http://www.alternet.org/drugs/pot-could-save-your-life-4-ways-cannabis-good-your-brainNow there is no doubt that cannabinoids cause new brain cells to grow in the hippocampus. This helps explain previous research showing that cannabinoids effectively treat mood disorders like depression, anxiety and stress – they are all related to a lack of adult neurogenesis.This confirmed earlier studies, such as one from 2008 which found that THC “simultaneously treated both the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.” This study concluded that, “compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, THC is considerably superior.”Several recent studies have found that cannabinoids protect the brain from permanent damage after trauma or stroke.One exciting use of cannabinoids is in the treatment of cancer. Repeated laboratory and animal studies have shown that cannabinoids kill cancer cells and shrink tumours, while helping to protect normal cells.joke: A cop and a politician went into a bar…so which was dumber?Marijuana known to cause schizophrenia in those who are susceptible. It’s a game of russian roulette for a teenager to smoke pot even once. Once is enough to trigger this disease later in life. Trust me, go talk to the neuro doctors studying this as esteemed US universities: smoking pot is not benign as far as mental illness goes. Legalization of pot will likely trigger a dramatic increase in mental illness down the road.http://www.schizophrenia.com/prevention/streetdrugs.htmlAll the paleo freaks are going down an unknown path. Such excessive meat and fat consumption can not be good. It is amazing that so many people throw scientific opinion to the wind and follow the dietary advice of marketers.My strategy will be eating Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets to lessen my risk of alzheimers … I’ll be dead way before alzheimers strikes … lolHere is another perspectiveHere is an excerpt from mercola article …His book, Grain Brain, reveals how and why sugars and carbohydrates destroy your brain, and how to eat for neurological health. He notes Mayo Clinic research that reveals diets rich in carbohydrates are associated with an 89 percent increased risk for dementia while high-fat diets are associated with a 44 percent reduced risk. This combination of very little sugar and carbs, along with higher amounts of healthful fats is KEY for addressing not only Alzheimer’s, but diabetes and heart disease as well.All of these conditions are rooted in insulin and leptin resistance, and the dietary answer is identical for all of them. Understanding this can make your life easier, as you don’t need to memorize the dos and don’ts for each and every disease you seek to avoid. Instead, what you need to do is shift over to a mindset that is focused on optimizing health. Disease prevention then becomes a beneficial “side effect.”Dr. Perlmutter suggests that anything over 92 or 93 is too high. He believes the ideal fasting blood sugar level is around 70-85, with 95 as the maximum. If your fasting blood sugar is over 95 mg/dl, it’s definitely time to address your diet to lower it. If you’re fat adapted, there’s no reason to shun fasting blood sugar levels below 70, as your body is then able to tap into body fat as an energy source. According to Dr. Perlmutter:“This notion that your brain needs sugar is really old news. Fat, specifically ketones, which your body produces by metabolizing your fat, is now called a ‘brain superfuel.’ There is even a pharmaceutical product; a medical food that you can write as a prescription, which raises the level of ketones or fat in the bloodstream of patients, offered up now as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Who knew? The point is the brain loves to burn fat. That’s what we have to shift it over to…”Intermittent fasting is a great tool to help “reset” your body to burn fat as its primary fuel again. Dr. Perlmutter also recommends starting off with a period of fasting, and he’s particularly aggressive about it in patients who are insulin/leptin resistant. I typically recommend keeping your fasting insulin level below 3. The so-called normal, however, is anywhere from 5-25 microU per mL. As with fasting blood sugar, please do not make the mistake of thinking that the “normal” insulin range equates to optimal! As noted by Dr. Perlmutter:“If somebody has an insulin level of 26, they need a lot of work. They need to fast; drop the carbs; add back the good fat. They need to add in some anti-glycating agents like benfotiamine and resveratrol. We need to hit these people aggressively. This is what works. This is what reduces their risk of converting to diabetes, and therefore has a huge role to play in protecting their brains.”Here is an excerpt from another articleTo be effective, in the case of daily intermittent fasting, the length of your fast must be at least 16 hours. This means eating only between the hours of 11am until 7pm, as an example. Essentially, this equates to simply skipping breakfast, and making lunch your first meal of the day instead.You can restrict it even further — down to six, four, or even two hours if you want, but you can still reap many of these rewards by limiting your eating to an eight-hour window each day.This is because it takes about six to eight hours for your body to metabolize your glycogen stores; after that you start to shift to burning fat. However, if you are replenishing your glycogen by eating every eight hours (or sooner), you make it far more difficult for your body to use your fat stores as fuel.If you look at the list in the video, chicken in the form of chicken skin is mentioned, and BBQ and fried forms. –Followed by lots of other junk meats. Avoiding these seems like common sense.However I’m not so sure it debases limited healthier meat consumption.IMO the practice of heating up foods contributes to this Milliard reaction. Perhaps sprouting ones beans might help and be the healthiest course. I have found this article on consumption of sunflower sprouts as way towards inhibiting AGE formation. J Agric Food Chem. 2012 Mar 28;60(12):3260-5. doi: 10.1021/jf300737y. Epub 2012 Mar 19. Cynarin-rich sunflower (Helianthus annuus) sprouts possess both antiglycative and antioxidant activities. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22394088Unless aggressive steps are taken, many aging adults will suffer the devastating effects of glycation to proteins throughout their bodies. This fact was established recently when it was shown that even healthy people with slightly elevated glycation levels are at higher risk for heart attack.Vegetarians have higher levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in their blood compared to those who eat meat.58,59 This is because an exclusively vegetarian diet would lack carnosine, nature’s most potent anti-glycating agent.When you state that vegetarians have higher serum levels of AGEs than omnivores perhaps you are referring to this study? From what I can find, this is the only study to report this finding. I think it is important to note that this was a very small study, and the vegetarians studied were primarily lacto-ovo vegetarians and semi-vegetarians. You go on to state that the reason for higher AGE levels in vegetarians is a lack of carnosine. That is a theory which has been put forth by the author of this review however it has not been studied directly. The study which found higher levels of AGEs in vegetarians did not study carnosine at all.The review I linked above references many articles which show some possible benefits of carnosine. But as the author of the review notes, “There is little clear evidence to either support or refute the proposal that a carnivorous diet or carnosine-supplementation suppresses glycation and secondary diabetic complications in humans.” He also notes that while omnivores consume more carnosine, “any accompanied increased intake of animal fat may mask any benefit which carnosine might exert.”You may want to check out this article which provides a comprehensive list of AGE content of foods. Of note, some of the most significant sources of AGEs are butter, cheese, fats, chicken and other meats, most of which might be frequently consumed by lacto-ovo vegetarians and semi-vegetarians.AGEs are certainly a real concern and hopefully will be studied further, but in the mean time it seems to make sense to limit our dietary intake as much as possible!Glycotoxins are also produced with plant-based foods when they are cooked at high temperature (above 110oC) – Maillard reaction. In fact, the formation of glycotoxins and other toxic compounds occurs when cooking and can be reduced by decreasing the cooking temperature (boiled in water, low-pressure vapor,…) to avoid the coloring of the products : animal or plant ! (cookies, cakes, toasts, chips, french fries… as well as bacon, chicken, beef,…)If there is a better place to as an Team Member this question, please let me know.I’m looking for information/the video about the harmful, rather than helpful, effect of taking antioxidants, specifically vitamin C, in pill form.Try this or just go to the search feature and type in vitamin c.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/Yeah unfortunately that search brings up not only every video that says the word “vitamin” but also every word that begins with C…dogulas: I believe that Dr. Greger has addressed the topic of vitamin C pills in more than one place. And I agree that it is hard to find them. Here is the one place that I find pretty easily that will probably interest you: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/Since this is one of Dr. Greger’s earlier videos, there isn’t as much background as we get today. But it still gives you a starting place. Hope that helps.dogulas, search tip: quotation marks around a phrase, e.g. “vitamin c” in the search bar, retrieves focused search results of all posts tagged as such . Hope that helps!OK, this is of particular interest to me as a type 1 diabetic. Certainly bouts of hyperglycemia suggest an increase in AGEs that I produce myself. But I would like to know to what extent the internal production of AGEs is of more or less importance than dietary AGEs. Looking at Dr Greger’s videos and this article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3704564/ I noted that they had shown that increased AGEs increased insulin resistance in both type 1 and type 2 diabetics. I suspect this is another factor in the elimination of type 2 diabetes with a low AGE diet.All this is a tremendous argument for the elimination of animal products in the diet for type 1 or type 2 diabetics. I suspect that even with frequent hyperglycemia things improve for me tremendously by dramatically reducing the dietary AGE. Oh yeah, while cholesterol is still the primary determinant of atherosclerosis development this work on AGEs is a strong indicator of why there is a recommendation to treat all diabetics as though they have already had one heart attack.So again, my question; though I have reduced my risk by reducing the dietary AGE, just how much elevated risk remains?I would like to access the database that was referenced in the video. Can you describe how I can access the video?What about this? Seeing as I am on vegan diet should I take a taurine supplement to prevent internal AGE formation? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15607576“The low-AGE content of low-fat vegan diets could benefit diabetics – though concurrent taurine supplementation may be needed to minimize endogenous AGE production.”“An alternative or additional possibility is that the relatively poor taurine status of vegetarians up-regulates the physiological role of myeloperoxidase-derived oxidants in the generation of AGEs – in which case, taurine supplementation might be expected to suppress elevated AGE production in vegetarians. “Well… should I or not?I wonder if anyone here has an answer to a question that I have: Are there any negative effects to eating only vegetables and no fruits? I have been plant-based for five years and absolutely love my life. I never have had a sweet tooth, and therefore rarely eat fruit; I gorge on vegetables almost without exception. There was a time that I ate a banana a day, but that was three years ago, and if I buy them now they go to waste. [If you think I’m missing out on potassium, I eat a ton of parsley and other potassium-rich greens.] I have found that I have no problem between meals and never get “hangry.” I attribute this to the fact that I eat so little in the way of sugars. What think you?It seems like what you are doing is working for you. I don’t know of any good reason to add fruits to what you are doing. There are some patients with fructose maladsorption syndrome that have problems with fruits and seem to do well without them. The sugars in fruits seem to be less of an issue due to the “company” they keep see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/. I’m not sure I would be able to tie your success to lack of sugar. In complex systems it is generally impossible to attribute our success to specific nutrients. By eating consistent with our biochemical processes you can generally trust your “systems” to make adjustments for you. Do to complexity in this area it a good idea to eat a variety of plants. Doing that will minimize your likelihood of getting sick but as always you need to see a health care professional for symptoms. You do need to make sure you get enough Vitamin B12… see the series of videos by Dr. Greger in February 2012… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/.Thank you so much Doctor Forrester for your thoughtful and reassuring response. I do pay special attention to B12 and my blood tests have shown that the only thing I struggle with is vitamin D, so I take supplements for that as well. I also am very conscious of my iodine, choline, iron, calcium, zinc and DHA fatty acids.Remember that the best treatment for low Vitamin D is exposure to sunlight. Sunlight not only makes Vitamin D through the UVB light but also improves arterial health through the nitrous oxide by liberating stored nitrates, nitrites and other compounds from the dermis.Agreed. I’ve struck what Mcdougall has said about vitamin D pills: DON’T TAKE EXCEPT UNDER RARE SITUATIONS. GET ALL VITAMIN D FROM SUN. I had no idea he was so emphatic on this issue. He says there are actually very very few situations that would ever warrant supplementing with vitamin D. Those darn pills maybe altering human immune system in not so natural way.The Okinawans tend to eat very little fruit but eat plenty of vegetables. They also have the most cenetarians per capita and are largely plant based. It should not be a problem for you.As a type I diabetic, I am particularly concerned with AGEs. The question I have had is “what risk from excess AGEs remains if I eliminate most dietary source?” (I think I posted that question elsewhere in one of these discussions.) Certainly on the face of it what is presented here is a great argument for going all plant based. But I would like more info. One thing I did find was an article here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3953708/ . I found this to be a very useful article and it did have some very suggestive points about countering AGEs by means other than diet. Still the most important factor they found was this:”,,,several studies have shown that dietary restriction of AGEs is feasible in patients with diabetes or renal failure as well as in healthy persons and results in marked decrease in circulating AGEs and markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance.” Now we know the dietary means for reducing AGEs and reducing inflamation, endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance and oxidative stress.TaDah!!!. This statement alone makes it inconceivable to me that any diabetic would continue with other than a whole food plant based diet if they are educated on this.It’s obvious, but people roll their eyes at the thought of living longer. We all want to live WELL longer.How come you don’t mention sugar? That headline “avoiding a sugary grave” was in your video but you don’t speak of sugar at all. There are many researchers who are blaming high sugar consumption for Alzheimer’s disease. (Type 3 Diabetes). Are you saying there are no vegetarians with AD? Come on. Many vegetarians consume nothing but bread and pasta along with fruit juice and an array of pesticides from produce, but they’re good right?	Advanced Glycation End-products,aging,Alzheimer’s disease,Australia,beef,brain disease,brain health,chicken,cognition,dementia,fish,glycotoxins,histones,lifespan,longevity,mental health,nerve health,pork,sirtuins,vegans,vegetarians	Advanced glycation end-products in our diet may suppress sirtuin enzyme activity and play a role in age-related brain volume loss.	I’m so glad I was able to finally cover sirtuins. Such important enzymes, but I was waiting for a dietary tie-in.I’ve covered advanced glycation end-products previously in:More on slowing brain aging in How to Slow Brain Aging By Two Years.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/australia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/advanced-glycation-end-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/histones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sirtuins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21900628,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23661364,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22254007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21930182,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21651395,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12716936,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22327552,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20458180,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22079406,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11677879,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19104446,
PLAIN-2483	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/	The Cilantro Gene	One sign of changing U.S. demographics is that salsa has replaced ketchup as America’s #1 table condiment, one of the popular ingredients of which is cilantro, one of the most polarizing and divisive food ingredients known. Some people love it; some people hate it. What’s interesting is that the lovers and the haters appear to experience the taste differently. Individuals who like cilantro may describe it as fresh, fragrant or citrusy, whereas those who dislike cilantro report that it tastes like soap, mold, dirt or bugs. I don’t know how people know what bugs taste like, but rarely are polarizing opinions about flavors so extreme. Maybe it’s genetic.Different ethnic groups do seem to have different rates of cilantro dislike, with Ashkenazi Jews scoring highest on the cilantro hateometer. Another clue came twin studies, that show that identical twins tend to share cilantro preferences, whereas regular fraternal twins do not have such a strong correlation. Our genetic code is so big, though, containing about three billion letters, that to find some cilantro gene you'd have to analyze the DNA of like 10,000 people, and obviously genetic researchers have better things to do, or maybe not.Here we present the results of a genome-wide association study among 14,000 participants who reported whether cilantro tasted soapy, with replication in a distinct set of 11,000 people who declared whether they liked cilantro or not. And lo and behold they found a spot on chromosome 11 that seemed to be a match. What’s there? A gene called OR6A2, that enables us to smell certain chemicals like E-(2)-Decenal, a primary constituent of cilantro and also the defensive secretions of stink bugs. So maybe cilantro does taste like bugs! But cilantro lovers may be genetic mutants that have an inability to smell the unpleasant compound.That may actually be an advantage, though, since cilantro is healthy stuff. In fact that’s the justification to do these kinds of studies to see why some people don’t like the taste of healthy foods.Are the cilantro haters really missing out on much, though? Mother nature has been described as the oldest and most comprehensive pharmacy of all time, and cilantro, called coriander around most of the world, is one of nature’s oldest herbal prescriptions, credited with anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-anxiety, anti-epilepsy etc etc properties, but these are all from preclinical studies, meaning on cells in a test tube or lab rats, studies like the anti-despair activity of cilantro in mice, testing animals placed in a despair apparatus.Finally, though, a human study, on the anti-arthritis potential of cilantro. There was a study performed in Germany of a lotion made out of cilantro seeds, showing it could decrease the redness of a sunburn, showing it had some anti-inflammatory effects, though not as much as an over-the-counter steroid, hydrocortisone, or prescription strength steroid cream. Well if the cilantro plant is anti-inflammatory, let’s give it to people with osteoarthritis and see if it helps. They gave about 20 sprigs of cilantro daily for two months, and reported a significant drop in ESR in the cilantro group, a nonspecific indicator of inflammation. How did the patients do clinically, though? They didn’t say, but did report a rather remarkable decrease in uric acid levels —a 50% drop, suggesting that huge amounts of cilantro may be useful for those suffering from gout.	Off Topic – I’m embarsassed to mention this, but I hope I’m amongst friends. I consume about 400gms of beans per day (soya, black beans, red kidney beans, and also chickpeas and lentils). I’ve been a vegan for less than a year, but I’ve noticed a considerable increase in the production of love-puffs generated throughout the day. I’ve tried soaking the beans in baking soda prior to cooking, but this has not worked. I cook with a teaspon of ginger, this hasn’t worked, neither has fennel seeds. Can any of you recommend a product that could help alleviate my symptons (without reducing bean consumption) as I thought my symptons would decrease with time (8 months vegan now), but if anything they have increased. My apologies in advance for mentioning this off topic, but I’m guessing I’m not the only one in this position.ThanksHave you seen my blog about it? Beans and Gas: Clearing the air.Yes – just read it again – I would rather avoid medication, I think I will try ?alpha-galactosidase as it doesn’t appear doesn’t appear to have any side affects (I’m not diabetic) – a natural source of it appears to be yeast – does anyone know if that applies to all types of yeast?I knew naming your child’s hamster Golda was no accident. Looking forward to meeting you in Camarillo.What do you think of this http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/chi-cholesterol-fda-warnings-20150214-story.html#page=1Instead of cooking with the fennel, try toasting it with some dill, cumin, and coriander and nibble the mix after eating. It helps my digestion and freshens my breath. Also, a bit of asafetida (found at Indian markets) in your cooking may help, particularly with lentils. And I know it sounds odd, but try eating sprouted lentils, they really helped my gut adjust to eating beans (constantly). I know it may be imaginary on my part, but my flatulence really decreased after I started nibbling on them every week.I will experiment with the sprouting lentils. I might even sprout the beans as well.I think most people experience that the problem diminishes over time (months, years). Trust me – I am a doctor…….. :-)Had you told me that before I discovered your profession was the third, (possibly second) leading cause of death across the pond I may well have believed you…………. :-)Nice one……Come on! Don’t be too harsh, we are all entitled to make a few mistakes. :)Are you quotoing the last words of Mengele, Swango, Shipman and Crippen…….. :-)Talk about acidic!No, that was John George Haigh – he wasn’t a doctor, otherwise I’d have crowbarred him in there too……My bad. I should have said acerbic.No probs – I knew what you meant…..One death is a tragedy. A million is statistics.Best reply yet, lol !Try chewing thoroughly. Actually better to eat whole beans because you have to chew them than to eat pureed beans, like humus. I always doubted whether this could help, but I find it does.I only eat whole beans……..I thought it could be the pressure cooking, but I’m not sure how that could affect digestion….Have you try adding Epazote herb, we had used that since Prehispanic times in México.Never heard of it – I’ll put it on my reserve list – thanks.I agree it tends to get better with time (personally and professionally speaking) but there are other things that might be contributing if your symptoms have been increasing rather than getting better… Maybe something else you’re eating along with the beans, like onions, broccoli, or more wheat products? Some people are sensitive to those foods and have trouble breaking them down. Just a thought!Yes – that’s certainly part of the reason – I eat one red onion, 2-3 cloves of garlic, at least 7 broccoli florets, about 10 brussel sprouts minimum, a handful of nuts (peanuts/walnuts/pecans), 100gms each of spinach/kale each day – all goes into the pressure cooker with the other ingredients…..also, dried chilli seeds, Italian herbs and other spices.veganchrisuk: Dang. Sure sounds healthy to me!I think you have gotten some great replies/ideas so far. One idea I had was to focus only on small beans for a while. I’ve heard that say lentils can create less of a whirlwind. So, my idea is not to cut down on bean volume (although as one person suggested, ***maybe*** that is a good idea???? – hard to believe given the big benefits we know come from beans), but to change up the bean type for a while just to see if that makes a difference.I’m not personally a fan of the standard say, red lentil. I hate the mushy texture. But I’ve become a big fan lately of the black beluga lentils. They come out as just tiny little beans with a wonderful mouth-feel (in my opinion). The green french lentils are similar in texture, just happen to be green. But I like the black ones because I think they may have that stuff that is good for the eyes. (I can’t remember the details. It starts with an “a” I think and is impossible for me to pronounce or spell. It’s in one of the NutritionFacts videos. As you can see, I could never be Nutrition Director. ;-O )That’s one idea. Another idea I have may be something I am completely making up,. but here you go: try using a slow cooker instead of a pressure cooker. I’m personally a big, huge fan of pressure cooking. But I think I remember reading somewhere that you might get better body results post-eating beans if you slow cook them instead.Finally, I suggest trying multiple ideas, not just one. In other words, maybe your body is super-sensitive to beans. So, while soaking beans in baking soda water may be plenty sufficient for most people, you may have to implement several ideas before you find a combination that is strong enough to fully get rid of the starches that cause gas and thus will work for you. I don’t know if this last idea has any scientific validity. But it seems worth a shot since you are committed to eating such healthy foods and yet quite understandably, would rather not have the world know about it. :-)Good luck! If you find a combination that works for you, please let us know. I’m sure other people would benefit.I eat the red lentils, as they were shown to be the most nutrutious, taste/texture or aesthetics are not something I take into account, I just try to consume as many nutrutious antioxidant rich foods/drinks as my body will allow in a given day.Re the slow cooker – I did buy one, but I returned it, just tooooo slow a cooker for me (I know the clues in the name).I’ve consumed less beans today and supplemented brown rice – there was an almost instantaneous effect whereby I estimate a reduction from a category F5 to an F3 on the Fujita scale – maybe that should be a reduction from a B5 to a B3 on the Beaneater scale…… :-)veganchrisuk: :-) Glad you are finding something that works!http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/diana-herrington/pass-on-the-gas-7-ways-to_b_3080786.htmlThanks – that was an interesting read that has given me a couple more ideas…..http://www.meghantelpner.com/blog/how-to-eat-more-beans-and-fart-less/http://www.rebeccawood.com/recipes/beans-legumes-dried/ Add seasonings to aid digestibility. Cook beans until softened and then add 1 teaspoon salt per cup of dry beans. The herbs asafetida, cumin, epazote, fennel, ginger, and winter savory enhance bean digestion. I also add a 2-inch strip of the seaweed kombu per cup of dry beans; a natural source of glutamic acid, kombu tenderizes, enhances flavor and adds invaluable vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals.ThankyouI’ve read that slow-cooking does not destroy some of the harmful lectins–the ones in kidney beans, for example.Harriet Sugar Miller: re: “I’ve read that slow-cooking does not destroy some of the harmful lectins–the ones in kidney beans, for example.”Huh. I’ve never heard that. I’m certainly no expert, but I wouldn’t be surprised if low-temperature cooking destroyed less lectins compared to high temperature cooking. The question for me would be whether the difference is significant or not. And by significant, I mean : whether the lectins that are left in slow cooked beans cause any harm to a human. I would be surprised if slow cooked beans were really (as in real life, full human studies) less healthy than higher temp cooked beans. It seems to me that the opposite would be true since I’ve heard that high pressure cooked beans might have a bigger effect glycemic-index wise.I’ve never had reason to fear lectins personally. The following Plant Positive video doesn’t address slow vs fast cooked beans, but the information about lectins I think helps answer my questions about whether the lectins in slow cooked beans would be something to worry about: http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/24/tpns-24-in-defense-of-beans.htmlThis is what I mean: “On page 91 of The Paleo Diet, Loren Cordain tries to blame beans for rheumatoid arthritis because of their lectins.Here is the paper he published to make the same point.Now if you are really concerned about lectins, you can read this helpful blog post on the subject. The blogger gives us a particularly nice little quote I included here.If Cordain is right that beans cause rheumatoid arthritis, you might expect it would be easy to find epidemiological evidence of this since some countries eat so many beans. These would be poor countries. Unfortunately for Cordain, the parts of the world where bean consumption is highest have the lowest rates of rheumatoid arthritis.”Here is another Plant Positive video that addresses lectins: http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/24/tpns-22-23-thin-gruel-on-grains.htmlAnd a quote of interest:“Cordain actually published an article called “Whole Wheat Heart Attack.” Haven’t you heard that whole wheat causes heart disease?Probably not. His idea is based on the hypothesis that lectins in grains hurt your arteries, but only fellow Paleo promoter Staffan Lindeberg will join him out on this limb.Search “whole wheat atherosclerosis” and with the exception of Cordain’s article, it looks like it’s a rather positive story for whole wheat. That last one found no relationship between whole grains and inflammation. Notice it appears no one has cited Cordain’s article. Why won’t anyone buy into his hypothesis?Probably because there is a consistent inverse association between whole grains and heart disease, as stated in this study of studies.Actually, whole grains seem to lower your LDL cholesterol.”———- Thanks for your post. It is interesting to know that lectins might be yet one more difference between slow vs fast cooking.I’ll locate the references and post them this weekend. Thanks for your thoughts, Thea.For the info on cooking kidney beans, see page 254/phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) here:http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/UCM297627.pdfAccording to Dr. George Grant, University of Aberdeen, PHA can also cause bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine.Here are dietitians Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina (authors of “Becoming Vegan”) with advice on how to cook beans: http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/healthy-way-good-fortune-new-years/Harriet: Thanks for these links. I’m a big fan of Brenda and Vesanto.I meant to also say: The information on cooking kidney beans is very interesting. I haven’t heard of this before and wonder how much of a problem it really is. But it sounds like a good idea to at least be aware of the potential problem. So, thanks again!There’s a spice that can be bought at Indian markets called Asfetida that you put just a pinch in with the beans while they’re cooking and it helps with your issue.Thankyou – another one for the reserve list….Asafoetida stinks to high heaven. It smells like a man-fart! In other countries, it’s name translates to devil’s dung. I bought some once and it stunk up the kitchen so bad – even while it was stored in a sealed plastic bag in the cupboard! This probably “works” because you burn out your fart sensors in your nose by smelling asafoetida all day, so you can’t smell your own farts anymore.ReluctantVegan: Very interesting reaction. I bought some asafoetida to use in some veggie burgers some time ago. I thought the smell was a pleasant, onion-y smell.It’s so interesting how differently humans react to the same food.LOL – you’re not recommending it then…….400grams of legumes may simply be too much. I assume you mean dry weight. That is 1400kcals and 100g of protein. Do you believe that a ton of protein will turn you into the hulk? It’s that life stock supporting myth that many people still believe in, after changing to a plant based diet.I have found that legumes are best combined with at least 50% rice, but if i were in need of 2800kcals and had nothing but rice and lentils, i would rather eat 75% rice and 25% legumes.Do you think the protein is satiating? I found that brown rice, unlike white rice, is as satiating as lentils, so the ratio of rice to lentils is irrelevant in that regard.I have found that brown rice with paradina lentis, both cooked for 25 mins, is considerably more easy on digestion than a meal with comparable amounts of any other legume i have tried. I have since drastically reduced bean consumption and stick to lentils.I am from europe and i believe that lentils are a traditional food in my genetic line, but other beans are not, if that matters at all.Okay, the argument can be made that red lentis and white rice would be even more easy to digest, but i reject this degree of processing, because it is severly messing with my blood sugar on most days.My past experience with beans is that i would often undercook them, which would drastically increase climate destabilisation.As a former nut lover, i like al dente legumes, but al dente does not work well with beans that i have tested. With paradina lentils it’s no problem.Generally much farting comes from food combining.Brown rice and lentis go well together, but white rice and beans not so much, they are too different in terms of what efforts it takes to deal with them.My memory is not good enough to give accurate examples of bad food combining from the past but i can give an example of good food combining.For the whole winter i was beginning the day with one or two meals of 3 red’n’yellow apples or sometimes bananas, at noon i eat brown rice with paradina lentils (my idea of what a satiating portion is has come down to 150g), 3 hours later i eat 400g cooked vegetables, perhaps with 10g of flax seed or 10g of coconut meat.I found that adding something like 40 grams of ground flax seeds to a rice and legume meal would drastically sabotage digestion.However i enjoy 4 or 5 walnuts along with such a meal.Starting the day with low GI raw meals like 3 apples per meal is ideal for weigh loss, because burning fat is optimized in the night and until noon or until interrupted by large portions of low GI or small portions of high GI foods.While my stool is rather out of shape and a bit soggy, my digestion has improved from this steady routine, which shows in how i have less hunger and cravings, feel less concerned with food, feel clean inside, when waking up in the morning and never experience bloating.Gut flora needs a long time to adapt and consistent habits help a lot with creating a stable fauna.No, 400gms is the cooked weight, so you can roughly reduce the protein content down by half. As for the comment re brown rice, this very evening I decided to eat 400gm of brown rice with blueberries and cinammon, something I haven’t eaten for a while. I’ve got a fancy Japanese Zojurushi rice cooker that makes Gaba brown rice. When I started eating, my stomach was churning over and I was very bloated with wind, but within a few minutes these feelings reduced, and so did my air pollution – how strange and what a coincidence that you mentioned it.I think you may be right, I’d like to consider reducing my bean intake, or just add more rice – unfortunately I’ve got 25KG of soya beans on the way to me this week that I’ve already paid for….How many cups of cooked beans is that?400gms worth – sorry, but I really have no idea (how big is a cup?)….HOLEY MOLEY – WOULD NOT LIFE BE A LOT EASIER IF YOU CHUCKED A T-BONE STEAK ON THE BARBIE WITH A TOSSED SALAD AND A BAKED SPUD – THIS IS NOTHING SHORT OF INSANITY – PSYC MD ..INVESTIGATE !!! THISI took a blood test to find what foods I am intolerant to, not allergic, just intolerant. One of the foods was wheat. I took 90% of the wheat I eat out of my diet, No problem with “love poofs”.It is a good thing you caught on to that. Most people who have an intolerance have no idea that they exist and there are so many signs and symptoms like digestive tract distress, itchy skin, and headaches. It’s always a good idea to keep track of foods that can trigger discomfort with a food journal. That way you can pinpoint possible issues!it is only wind. a fart is a fart is a fart. so nothing to worry about. it is normalI would argue that it depends on the odour and your working environment….Hi veganchrisuk, Do you take any probiotics? They may be able to help, and here’s a brief explanation of why: Most people do adapt to eating beans over time, but there are variations in how well someone’s body will turn on (upregulate) the production of the enzyme needed to digest the complex carbohydrates in beans. Also, some of these carbohydrates are attached to proteins (glycoproteins) and fats (glycolipids), making it even harder for the body to break them down. The undigested components make their way to the intestines, where bacteria ferment them, and produce the dreaded gas.So, here’s where variations in producing certain digestive enzymes comes into play. The enzyme needed to break down some of these stubborn little molecules is alpha-galactosidase, and it is what we call “inducible.” Inducible means it isn’t produced in very large quantities if you don’t eat a lot of beans. However, over time, as you eat beans, the body will turn up the production of the enzyme. Unfortunately, for some people, it’s easy to “out eat” the body’s ability to produce enough alpha-galactosidase to handle the load. Chalk it up to genetics. Some people just have a better ability to produce this enzyme when they present the body with a load of tough-to-digest components found in beans.The recommendation to chew your beans very thoroughly is a great one, because some alpha-galactosidase is produced in saliva. The pancreas also produces some, but of course, there isn’t much you can do to spur your pancreas to make this enzyme beyond what it’s genetically capable of. This is where probiotics come in.Some bacteria can produce alpha-galactosidase to augment what your body is producing. This means that the tough-to-digest carbs will be more likely to be digested, instead of fermented. Beano operates on a similar principle – it provides extra alpha-galactosidase.For probiotics, the strain of bacteria with the most evidence for helping with alpha-galactosidase production is Lactobacillus fermentum. You can find products on Amazon that have this probiotic strain, though be sure you read each label carefully; I have found that a search for this term will pull up some product results that do NOT have this particular bacteria in them. Also, I have found a couple of products that have the word “gas” in the supplement name (yep, they exist), and these seem to either contain L. fermentum, or other species that, anecdotally at least, may help cut down on gas production related to eating beans. Good luck!Hi SusanThankyou very much for taking the time to answer in such detail. I was very much trying to avoid taking any supplements – I read somewhere today that yeast provides alpha-galactosidase, can you confirm this, and if so which variety……….Hi veganchrisuk,There is a non-pathogenic yeast strain (Saccharomyces boulardii), which a 1996 study found increased enzyme activity of lactase, alpha-glucosidase, and alkaline phosphatase in the intestinal tract of healthy human volunteers. Non-pathogenic means “non-disease-causing” in healthy individuals. S. boulardii is readily available in supplemental form, but that means you’d need to take a dietary supplement, which you’ve indicated isn’t an option for you.I am not aware of any dietary form of yeast (such as nutritional yeast or brewer’s yeast) that would provide any measurable amount of alpha-galactosidase activity in the human body. If I can think of anything else that may help, without the need to take a dietary supplement, I will certainly let you know!Thanks again…..You’re very welcome!You can eat your beans partially pre-digested by eating natto.you need to soak your beans for 48 hrs minimum and no fartsI will try this – thanks…..it may even take longer than that. took me ages. try consuming them at night instead of during the day.Hi Marlon – I had considered the evening meal option – with regard to the soaking of the beans, maybe I should start throwing away the water they are soaked in rather than using it in the cooking process. Most “experts” advise that you do this, but I think it is such a waste to pour away all those antioxidants and nutrutents…. :-(No point in soaking if you cook the legumes in the same water.There is – if you do not soak them they take 40-45mins to cook – if you soak them and use the same or clean water then they only take 5-10 mins to cook (less energy used, reduction of cost so better for the environment) – but from a strictly wind generating perspective I will experiment and see if the extra soaking/cooking in clean water helps……I’m not sure, but to me 400 grams of beans sounds like a lot – almost a pound. So, maybe back off on the beans until you can find an amount that doesn’t cause you problems. (I believe it is Jack Norris, RD, who noted that as long as you stick to a variety of whole foods and eat enough calories, you will eat enough of every amino acid to get all the protein you need). Another possible factor might be swallowing air, which contributes to gas accumulation in the GI tract. This is common with rushed eating and gulping liquids.I need my protein – I train 45mins to an hour every day.Protein is in almost everything. I’m a triathlete, sometimes training 2-3 times per day, and I don’t worry too much about protein. Do you have any problems with soymilk? I try to limit myself to 5 servings (of total soy( per day, but it is so much higher than almond or rice milk, which have almost no protein. I also eat grains, which are high in protein (bread, pancakes,etc. White rice has less protein than brown, but still has 7%). You may find that lentils and/or tofu are easier to digest. When I started with tofu, I started with 1/2 serving and gradually increased it. When you are talking about getting enough protein, it really means you have to get enough calories. If you get enough calories and stick to mostly whole foods, you will get enough protein. (This from RD Jeff Novick, but you may wish to consult an athletic-specialized vegan RD for an opinion on nutrition for your sport (powerlifting vs. running). You may like the website/book The No Meat Athlete. I have another book: Vegan Power, but I haven’t read it…its on my stack of must-reads. I hope you find that helpful!You need to stop eating so many beans. You’re body is telling you to stop…eat more fruits and veggies.Less than a year ago, almost every meal I ate had a mother and a father – it’s going to take a while before I can accept comments like this. You may be right, who know’s, but how can you be so sure, my body may be saying go back to eating meat and fish, or eat more nuts and seeds….May you wouldn’t mind them if they smelled like chocolatehttp://www.theverge.com/2015/2/13/8033015/christian-poincheval-interview-fragrant-flatulence-pillI would bottle them and sell them on Ebay….I don’t know your diet but I know that being vegan doesn’t mean that the diet is healthy. Soluble fibre (probiotic) is what feeds the beneficial gut bacteria and may help crowd out methane producing bacteria. Increasing green leafies has been proven to do more for improvement of gut flora than eating yogurt. Pleas look into recommended amounts. I believe that 3 cooked cups per day is recommended. That would be about 4-5 bunches of spinach. An amount most would find ridiculous. An entire prewashed bag of lettuce cooked down probably amounts to about half a cup cooked. Not much and it’s claimed as 3 servings.100gms of kale/100gms of spinach minimum per day – I now buy a 450gm bag of spinach which I make last for three days so on average it’s about 150gms of spinach per day now……surely that’s enough.I have recently tried lacto fermentation of pressure cooked beans. After 2-3 days of fermentation I freeze them for future use. GI gas production has been largely eliminated. I also have made sauerkraut and include it in salads. And made soy milk kefir to drink once daily. The different probiotics reduce gas an aid digestion.Thanks for the info – I have to admit that I had to look up lacto fermentation as I had never heard of it – looks like a very good idea that I will be experimenting with.I also cook and freeze my beans, then add the frozen beans to my meals and cook in the pressure cooker for 1 minute.Do you re-cook your beans after fermentation or do you eat them as they are from the fridge – I’m guessing they do not need to be re-heated due to the salt solution….Have you tried soaking in plain fresh water overnight or for at least 8 hours? I noticed that when the beans are soaked for at least 8 hours a film appears on top of the water. I believe this is the release of the chemical that makes them gassy. Before cooking rinse one more time really well, then place beans in a pot with the appropriate amount of fresh cool water. You can add a piece of kombu to the pot while cooking. Kombu helps to tenderize the beans and also adds minerals. I remove the kombu after cooking but you can eat it if you like. Hope this helps good luck!Thanks BarbaraYou could also try better food combinations. Even raw foodists consider that. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=467313680026930&set=pb.219273021497665.-2207520000.1389366901.&type=3&theaterExp.: Dont mix protein with starch. Dont mix sugars with fat. Avoid eating high protein anyway. Eat fat with salads. Bad combinations promote fermentation and thus gas formation.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHJveckr-SUDad nightmares on nights where i eat cilantro. Blood brain barrier toxin for some, cilantro?“Bad” nightmares, I meant.Probably moving mercury inside your brain since cilantro is known to do it~Scientific proof and studies that have professional looked at this? I yet to find anything credible, but would welcome reading anything you provide.This may seem a little “off topic,” but research does show that cilantro can bind and remove mercury from aqueous environments. That does not mean aqueous environments in the body. It refers to removal from the environment, in a way that suggests it may be useful for environmental remediation purposes (I was an environmental engineer in a former life :-). One study from 2005: “Removal and preconcentration of inorganic and methyl mercury from aqueous media using a sorbent prepared from the plant Coriandrum sativum.” (J Hazard Mater. 2005;118(1-3):133-9).From these findings (and from other research as well), unscrupulous medical practitioners made the leap to, “use cilantro to detox the body from heavy metals.” I’ve not seen any good research to support this.I have come across one rat study showing that cilantro seeds (coriander) alleviate “lead-induced oxidative stress” in the rats’ brains. But humans aren’t rats, and the research “trashbin of history” is rife with over-enthusiasm about animal study results that never panned out in humans. And, who knows, maybe it’s the fact that cilantro/coriander is an excellent antioxidant source and contains other potent phyto-nutrients (beyond antioxidants). That may be the reason coriander can alleviate oxidative stress in the brain (and body).It does point to the fact that active components of cilantro/coriander may cross the blood brain barrier in humans. Maybe the nightmares are nothing to do with toxins, but it is simply some bioactive constituent of cliantro that doesn’t agree with your brain chemistry!I’m with Val… I love cilantro too and eat it often. I plan to continue to do so. Perhaps AnnWezz, you’ll stick to daytime cilantro consumption only. I do think it’s smart to stick to locally grown cilantro if possible, or at least grown in the US. There are regulations that would make it less likely (though not impossible) that cilantro grown here has been grown in heavy-metal contaminated soils. As this study out of Iran (http://tinyurl.com/opdhbfd) shows, if the soils are contaminated, the cilantro will likely be as well.I dont have one but you may find some if you look at Andrew Cutler PHD chemist work and probably at Dr Klinghardt but i dont like Klinghardt method because it is not very much science based like Cutler~Yeah, I’ve also heard and read that cilantro “pulls heavy metals out of our bloodstream”…but as far as foolproof data that supports it? I love cilantro anyway…I eat it all the time…have not had much luck GROWING it but hell, it’s a GREEN herb…so it’s gotta be beneficial!This anti despair activity sounds interesting. When I’m coming down from feeling up/normal I tend to switch my focus to comedy. Probably instinctively to keep the misery away as long as possible, a fight against the inevitable probably and a pretty exhausting one at that actually.First hit to down was a very tiring session at my psychiatrist 3 weeks back, anger and other behh, comedy comedy comedy, till that stops working. Then it only takes the slightest of pushes. And yesterday that happened when my dentist brought up carnival and how she couldn’t join this year. That make me think back, of how long ago has it actually been since the last few times I enjoyed an evening out with my girlfriend. And that was the push into the dark pit, unrecoverable darkness.I’m so very tired, so incredibly tired, it will just never stop will it. Well today will be the first fight my way back routine, egg timer on 20 minutes and just will myself up to do an exercise till my legs can’t carry me anymore. Goddamn it.If there is anyone with more on anti despair I’m all ears and would be grateful, seems a temporary thing though in my experience.What an awesome scene. Gary Marshall is great. And that whole story-line was so good.I love Louie!Having issues with depression at various times in my life I can tell you one thing….that mentally…once you give into negative thoughts…you are digging a hole that you will HAVE to eventually dig yourself out of…one step or claw at a time.In my part of the world…where the sun still shines…women are notorious for wanting men to want something maybe they don’t really need.The price of freedom is really….eternal vigilance….meaning that you have to stay on top of things for the most part….lest some lead you astray.The clue to happiness is probably realizing that you need to allow yourself to experience the joys of life DIRECTLY without intermediaries.To paraphrase a saying….”men need women like a bicycle needs a fish”?So now…if you aren’t totally confused…you’ve probably seen the light? LOLI’ve lived in similar conditions as the monkeys have in the link for 3 years, and I’m showing the same behavior. A good week is when I get to see a few friendly faces at my dentist or supermarket. Even if I do encounter kindness I don’t know how to interact with it anymore. If I would be offered a talk over a coffee at lunch the next day I’d most likely be unable to sleep because I’d feel to exited. You talk women, but can you imagine even the thought of a sexual encounter would do to me? That whole dimension of inter-human relations is just gone, all I have left are the memories of my former girlfriend 5 years separated now. I can probably count myself lucky that I have only the fondest of memories of her, and every time I think of her in any way I can still feel her warmth. Any new emotion in this regard to me is lacklustre in comparison. All very troubling, a bit beyond a mere mild depression.“That whole dimension of inter-human relations is just gone, all I have left are the memories of my former girlfriend 5 years separated now. And I can probably even count myself lucky that I have only very fond memories of her, when I think of her in any way I can still feel her warmth.”Shouldn’t you just let go all that? :)The reason of suffering is clinging. Is not what happened to you what makes you feel bad (in that situation in your life and any other), but the fact that you keep holding it.This is a complex topic and we would need a lot of time, but I’ll try to go fast to the basics.As Lee Smolin (the theoretical physicist) explains the universe is not made of things, just processes. Everything is a process.Which means everything is in constant flux, so it is impermanent — Inevitably, trying to hold to anything will make you feel bad, because it will change no matter what. Yourself, every person you know, every situation in your life, perhaps a fleeting moment of happiness, and the bad moments too, all will pass away.We’ll experience everything that is inconstant, as stressful. Trying to hold to it, to hope for permanence where there is none, will only lead to unhappiness.Only by letting go, to see things for what they are (just processes) and observe it from a neutral viewpoint as much as possible you’ll gain detachment and be free of them. I know is far easier to say than done, but here some small point from where to start.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMYJoY5gPKg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fixvb3s25UkI can suggest reading material if you are interested.I wonder how this fits into the gene discovery about cilantro: I love fresh cilantro, but dried cilantro tastes like the smell of vomit to me.I had my genetic testing done with 23andme and I had a couple genotype markers that put me at “slightly higher odds of disliking the taste of cilantro”….I can’t say that I’ve actually had it all that much so hard to tell if it’s accurate.Did they hand over your full data in addition to their interpretations of it? Like if you wanted to submit your data to another group of geneticists, they could give you newer up-to-date info?Well they give you a profile of a number of traits, inherited conditions, etc that show genetic predispositions. The data I was given was fairly recent, couple of months old.I don’t know if I could hand the data directly to other genetic teams but there are some apps out there that allow me to share my data with them, so they can perform some tests on the data that weren’t covered by the initial provider.I thought it was an interesting exercise.What about some love for Jerusalem artichoke (sunroot, sunchoke, earth apple or topinambour)? I recently found a higher quality version of this root plant than is normally available in the supermarkets and found them to be quite delicious cooked. Then I tried them raw and almost became addicted to them. So crunchy and tasty. John McDougall lists them as a go-to starch food. However, I’ve stopped eating them because they cause huge gas. Any solutions to this? Evidently, they are high in inulin, which as the Wikipedia article states on inulin, is notorious for causing gas. What’s a civilized human to do?Tobias: I don’t have an answer to your question, but I wanted to thank you for your post. I had heard of Jerusalem artichoke’s before, but I really had no idea what they are. Your post prompted me to look up that Wilipedia article. Very interesting stuff. Now I want to try it – but maybe only on the weekend. ;-)I continue to eat the sunchokes despite the fact that I’ve promised myself not to… for said reasons. But I don’t eat as many and this seems to help but unfortunately not entirely. Bear in mind that I don’t like the ones I buy in the regular supermarket. They are too course. I only started to enjoy them because I found a more delicate variety sold at Jean-Talon Marché in Montreal, which is a massive food market. These are just under an inch in diameter and the cracks on the outer flesh have some red coloring. If not for the gas, I would eat these as a major staple. Now it just two or three per day.Tobias: re: ” I only started to enjoy them…” That’s a really great tip. We have a farmer’s market in my smallish city. I’m going to see if they carry them this summer (the only time our farmer’s market exists). It’s a good tip because I know that size, time of harvest etc can really make a difference in a food. So, now I know that if I don’t necessarily like the first one I try, I might consider trying again. Thanks again.i wonder what it means if i used o think cilantro tasted like soap when i was a teenager, but now i love it and eat it regularly in pretty large quantities. i guess liking cilantro can be an aquired taste, like coffee. if i have the genetic marker to taste the soapy aspect of cilantro, how was i able to get over that? weird!Maybe there is also an epigenetic element to the soapy flavor.Kevin and I have had the same experience. I wonder how many of the cilantro haters tried to learn to like cilantro over time through 20 or more tastings?Maybe the gene stopped being expressed as much or at all. Like my head-hair hormone genes that used to make hair grow there…Maybe that’s part of the reasons adults like a lot of things kids don’t like. Evolutionarily, maybe kids have to be more careful what they eat. And with the adults, it doesn’t matter so much anymore…I absolutely love the smell of cilantro. I don’t like the taste of it, unless it comes in Vietnamese fresh vegetable rolls or vietnamese pho (I’m lucky, there is an asian restaurant near me that has a vegan menu, including this famous vietnamese soup). I think that if I eat it more regularly, I’ll probably like it more, especially if I learn how to cook with it properly. I find that even a little too much can destroy the taste of a whole pot of soup. :(I have several children who all love cilantro save one. My husband and I both think it’s delicious. How is it possible that one child of a large brood of cilantro lovers with cilantro loving parents hates it with a soapy passion? Gene studies boggle my mind.http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Punnett_square_mendel_flowers.svg/250px-Punnett_square_mendel_flowers.svg.png Assuming there are no delivery boys involved, here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendelian_inheritanceEverybody seems to like peppermint because it’s everywhere -candy, gum, toothpaste, mouthwash, ice cream and on and on.. I never liked the taste of peppermint, not even as a kid. I can’t even stand the thought of the flavor and smell of peppermint. I’m in my 50s now and about four years ago, I found that I have Gilbert’s syndrome. Guess what? The class of defective enzymes (UGTs) is responsible for getting rid of peppermint from the body.Don’t know if this is helpful, but I no longer test as high bilirubin (Gilbert’s) since I began eating a lot of cruciferous vegetables and curcumin supplements. According to my naturopath, both help to supply the missing enzyme. Isn’t that interesting??Eileen: Thank you so much for the tip. I knew about sulforaphane in crucifers (The challenge is eating enough of them raw everyday.) but not about turmeric. Can you please tell me how much turmeric a day you take? You said “curcumin supplements”. Is it whole turmeric or the extract? Can you also please tell me the brand you use? (Doctors say that Gilbert’s is symptomless and inconsequential, which is not my experience.)I am glad this was helpful! I was astonished to begin getting totally normal bilirubin counts out of the blue! It has stayed normal. Not sure if I am allowed to give a product name here for the curcumin. The supplement says it contains turmeric root extract 1000 mg along with bioperine (pepper) extract of 5 mg. I take one tablet either 2 or 3 times each day, I also do a lot of broccoli and broccoli sprouts. They seem to be keeping the Gilbert’s under control. (The supplement is available at Whole Foods under the brand name Vibrant Health.)Eileen: To my knowledge, it is fine for normal users to share the specifics about products that work well for them.Eileen: Thank you so much for the information. I’m intrigued by pipeline because it’s a known UGT inhibitor, which should aggravate Gilbert’s. Maybe the inhibitory effect of pipeline is outweighed by the longer presence of curcumin.My mother hates peppermint. Not sure if she has ever had her bilirubin tested, but I also find it too peppery. She likes hot, spicy food, but I can’t handle it at all. I really wish they made toothpaste watermelon flavored, or anise flavored, or heck, fennel might even be nice. I actually bought some that was cilantro flavored and since I’m not so good with the taste of cilantro (love the smell though), it made me gag so I stopped using it after about the 3rd try.I love cilantro!! eat lots of black beans, curries, wraps with lime etc! love it!!I’m with you Allison – Love the fresh flavor of cilantro! Funny – I also think stink bugs smell bad at all. I get it though – I can’t stand the smell or taste of beets. They taste like dirt to me, and I can’t imagine how anyone could eat them. Different strokes for different folks!I agree that beets taste like dirt and I love them! My dad loved them too and my mom and brother hate them. :)there are newer cultivars of beets that are free(er) of geosmin, the source of the earthy flavour…and some have even higher amounts of the red antioxidants. betalains are a whole nother class of antioxidants unto themselves so eat yor beets! a touch of vinegar gives a nice lift. boil whole, then peel and slice.So good to know! Thanks – I usually just pass them by in the produce dept, but I’m going to stop and do a smell test now, and hopefully try them again :)Whew! As a European descendant, I narrowly escaped my delicious cilantro taste existence !!! Well done video, Dr. G !!!Not European. Dr. Greger wrote “Ashkenazim.” There’s a big difference; although we Ashkenazim settled in Europe, only a tiny minority of Europeans are Ashkenazim. I suggest you read the Wikipedia article on Ashkenazim at a bare minimum.Pat and Guest: I’m talking about myself; where my great-grandparents were from in Europe :) Hope you enjoy cilantro, too :)Ashkenazim are not European except for their place of residence. They originated in the Middle East, specially in the Levant.Only 14% of Ashkenazim dislike cilantro aka Chinese parsley or in Hebrew/Arabic kuzbara. In Yemenite Jewish cuisine it accompanies almost every meal in the form of hhilbei (a soup dip of fenugreek, lemon juice, red pepper & kuzbara, either cooked or whipped) with soup garnered with hhawaij (cumin, black pepper, turmeric & cardamom). Good to know that coriander is from kuzbara, I didn’t know that. In Hebrew “kuzbara” means both “cilantro” & “coriander.” 1 Ashkenazi, 2 Ashkenazim. 1 Cohen, 2 Cohanim.I like cilantro leaves but not coriander seeds. The seeds taste like soap. Go figure. Maybe it’s the concentration?I love cilantro too so we must be “genetic mutants!” Have you seen this video Nitrates In Vegetables? This is another great video that speaks about how cilantro contains nitrates, which reduces blood pressure and is protective of cardiovascular disease.As an interesting aside I’ve also heard that one reason for differences in taste preferences is attributed to the number of certain taste buds. Apparently some people have a higher concentration of the taste buds for bitter or sour. Apparently this makes them more sensitive to foods which are bitter or sour. These are the people who don’t like Broccoli or cabbage, and members of the cruciferous family of plants in general. I’m not making this up, I read about tests which were conducted some years ago which discovered differences in the types and concentrations of taste buds. The researchers lumped people in to three rough groups. The first were called super-tasters, the second average tasters, the third were dubbed, non-tasters.The names are pretty descriptive and self-explanatory. This kind of test was often used in high school biology classes to demonstrate differences in people’s perceptions. A very bitter substance was placed on a strip of paper and various people were asked to taste it. Some were highly sensitive and found it over whelming. Others didn’t taste it at all, and most found it slightly bitter. I am curious to know if there is a correlation between the genetic findings for Cilantro and these previous findings on taste buds.Have you seen the blog post <a href="http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/Change Your Taste Buds? I teach whole foods, plant based nutrition classes and encourage the attendees to try a 21 day challenge to only eat plants. Many report by the end of the challenge that they enjoy foods that previously they would describe as “yuck!”Cilantro tastes like soap!Try tasting it with your nose occluded. If the issue is in the olfactory glands, then you should lose the soap taste.the list of stuff I hated is very long. If you want to learn to like something I suggest you grow some. Once you’ve raised up a little sprig to maturity you wont be able to resist a chomp. thats the magic moment…for me at least.I enjoyed cilantro for many years but suddenly experienced the soap taste that I’d heard others complain about. This lasted for a few months and now I’m back to enjoying cilantro. I can’t really say what precipitated this change in taste and subsequent reversal, my only thought is that at the time cilantro began to taste soapy to me I was consuming a high raw vegan diet loaded with leafy greens. Once I began eating more cooked foods the soapy taste went away.coriander… :PThe first few times I tasted cilantro I thought it tasted like soap or chemicals and did not like it. For whatever reason, I decided to add a little to a Spanish rice and beans recipe I liked to make for pot luck contributions, and it seemed to add magic! I was hooked! This zucchini season when inundated with blessed freebies, I finally found something super easy I love! Instead of baking zucchini bread and muffins galore, make some really easy and healthy probiotics! It sounds scary if you’ve never done it, but it is really safe because of the way the microbes preserve the food! Just grate up a bunch of zucchini into a big bowl, a few carrots are great too, sea salt it to taste, and season with fresh diced garlic, jalapenos, plenty of cilantro, cumin seeds, the juice and zest from at least one lime, and some grated fresh turmeric is pretty nice too! With really clean hands, mix it all up really good, and squeeze and bruise the grated zucchini so it starts releasing it’s juices. Let the flavors meld for a while so you can taste it for salt and spices before putting it into jars. (If you have any other veggies or seasonings you think would work, feel free! I love to experiment with flavors and will often make each quart jar an entirely different flavor! Just keep in mind fermentation usually enhances potency.) Once you are happy with the flavors, ladle the mix into a canning jar or a special fermentation jar, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of head space for the expansion that will happen when fermentation begins. (Some people use a starter, but I never find it necessary. I suggest looking online for more details, if you are interested! Here’s a great place to start… http://www.wildfermentation.com/whats-so-wild-about-fermentation/) In average house temps, in few days you should see some bubbling starting, and should “burp” your jars daily to let some of those microbe farts out! LOL! In about 5-7 days you will have some awesome pro-biotic magic salsa/chutney-like stuff to use on anything and everything you could imagine! Now you can refrigerate it to slow the fermentation to a crawl, and it will keep almost indefinitely. Just don’t heat it above 115 F or you’ll kill the little beasties you worked so hard to make! Fermentation is a lost art, but it is fun, easy and addictive, so good for you, and will save you a ton of moolah!I loathe cilantro (to me it smells like a washcloth that’s been used for six months without being laundered and it doesn’t taste nearly as nice) but am able to eat and enjoy dried coriander, which is the ground root of the plant. That seems a good way to get at least some of the nutritional benefits of cilantro without dry-heaving and rinsing my mouth with vinegar.Anyone who finds that coriander tastes like soap has obviously never had to taste saw palmetto berries :-)The soap taste question kind of skews these results. For example 21 percent of East Asians report disliking cilantro but only 8.4 percent think it tastes soapy. I’m with them. When I’ve been asked the soapy question in surveys I’ve had to reply no, even though I hate cilantro. Rosemary tastes soapy to me but I don’t mind it. Cilantro tastes genuinely rancid.I actually have some Cilantro and it actually does have a fishy smell to me as well as a weird taste. I never have used it, and someone else who lived with me must have bought it. I use mainly Cumin seed, garlic powder, turmeric, curry powder, chili powder, red and black pepper and Italian seasoning as seasonings. I also used fresh garlic in my beans as well.It’s strange – I used to hate straight cilantro but now I love it. I can taste the soapiness, but now I find it compelling, almost addictive. Learned response?Cooking beans with bay leaves helps.About 20 yrs ago, I thought cilantro tasted like sucking on a wet washcloth. Then since I became vegetarian about 10 yrs ago, I love cilantro and always ask for a big pile on my Mexican food!This is the first article I’ve seen on osteo-arthritis (OA) on this website. Yeah! Please tag it! The thing with science is when you discover something, it raises more questions. In particular, I was wondering if there would be any differences between vegetarians/vegans on a cilantro-free diet and/or cilantro eating diet. I was also wondering what the compliance level was like – 20 stalks a day is a huge amount! How did people managed to eat that much?Tagged! Just without the hyphenDon’t really like taking supplements but with chronic daily migraine I’m desperate. CoQ10 and magnesium are recommended by the migraine community. Where can I find unbiased information about them? Especially since magnesium supplements are poorly absorbed what is better and best? What about this Magnesium carbonate and citric acid (when water is added, ionic magnesium citrate forms.)? Have been getting stiff neck as part of the migraine and don’t sleep well either.Thanks! I’m sure this will help others in the future. I’m just reading Rethink Food: 100+ doctors can’t be wrong by Shushana Castle and Amy-Lee Goodman. There’s a couple pages on OA, in case others are looking to learn more about diet and OA. Basically, avoid animal products, go for green veggies and peaches, apples, cantaloupe and apricots. Would love to see the source for that, however (perhaps it is in the “notes” for the chapter, I haven’t checked yet).When I was in my teens, I saw cilantro in the store (actually, I smelled it walking by, and sniffed until I located it and read that it was cilantro). I had never had it before (that I knew of). I thought it smelled like a very pleasant soap, so I bought some to put in my bath water. I also rubbed it on my skin before drying off to keep the nice smell on me. [Yikes – I didn’t know some people thought it smelled like dirty washcloth or stink bug juice!!!] I didn’t know how to cook with it till decades later. I eat it all the time now (and don’t bathe with it anymore). I love its flavor and smell!A reincarnated water nymph :)When you don’t throw away the soaking water that has all of the God-given protein-digestant inhibitors in it, you will always get gas. The little beans, seeds, nuts, and grains all have this natural protection against insects, birds and other hungry organisms chowing down on them. This not something we need to ingest. Your plants will appreciate the soaking water.Doctor’s Note? Hey Doctor, make a note of this: One Ashkenazi, two or more Ashkenazim.Funny thing, I was just telling a friend that I LOVED cilantro but I thought coriander tasted like detergent sort of..but somehow still like it. Strange I get the soapy reference for the seed but not the plant.On topic cilantro: I first didn’t like it and it tasted soapy to me (19 years ago). Now I love it and it tastes fresh and citrusy. I guess my genes didn’t change . . .. It took a few times trying, I think my taste had changed in less than a year.23 and me said I have the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap, but it doesn’t to me. I wonder what turned off the gene.Wait then, I love cilantro but also do not love the agitated stinkbug. Genetically confounded at 2:22.Well now I know why I’ve never been able to smell “stink bugs”	alternative medicine,animal studies,antioxidants,anxiety,arthritis,cilantro,complementary medicine,coriander,gout,herbal remedies,inflammation,joint health,mental health,osteoarthritis,salsa,spices,steroids,sunburn,taste buds,uric acid	Why are there such polarizing opinions about the taste of the fresh herb cilantro (also known as coriander leaves)?	This reminds me of the video Pretty in Pee-nk about the phenomenon of “beeturia,” pink urine after beet consumption seen in some people.The flavor compound in tarragon may not be as benign in large doses. See The Safety of Tarragon.For those that don’t mind the taste of bugs, I have some nutritional info: Good Grub: The Healthiest Meat and Bug Appétit: Barriers to Entomophagy.As an Ashkenazim myself, I’m excited to have narrowly escaped a cilantro-less existence!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coriander/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-remedies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cilantro/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gout/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bug-appetit-barriers-to-entomophagy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3577155/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22977065,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18371049,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23281145,
PLAIN-2484	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/	Plant-Based Workplace Intervention	The food, alcohol, and tobacco industries have been blamed for manufacturing epidemics of chronic disease, but they’re just trying to sell more product like everyone else. And so if that means distorting science, creating front groups, compromising scientists, blocking public health policies, they’re just trying to protect their business.It’s not about customer satisfaction, but shareholder satisfaction. How else could we have tobacco companies, for example, continuing to produce products that kill one in two of their most loyal customers?Civil society organizations concerned with public health have earned a reputation for being ‘anti-industry,’ but the issue is not industry, but that sector of industry whose products are harmful to public health. We like the broccoli industry. In fact, the corporate world might end up leading the lifestyle medicine revolution.The annual cost attributable to obesity alone among full-time employees is estimated 70 billion dollars, primarily because obese employees are not as productive on the job. Having healthy employees is good for the bottom-line. Every dollar spent on wellness programs may offer a $3 return on investment. And if you track the market performance of companies that strive to nurture a culture of health, they appear to outperform their competition.That’s why companies like GEICO are exploring workplace dietary interventions. The remarkable success at GEICO headquarters led to an expansion of the program at corporate offices across the country, with test sites from San Diego to Macon Georgia. Given that previous workplace studies have found that workers who ate a lot of animal protein had nearly five times the odds of obesity, whereas those that ate mostly plant protein appeared protected, obese and diabetic employees were asked to follow a plant-based diet of whole grains, vegetables, beans, and fruit while avoiding meat, dairy, and eggs. Compliance wasn’t great. Fewer than half really got their animal product consumption down, but there were definitely improvements, significant reductions in saturated fat, an increase in protective nutrients, but enough to make a difference? Yes- weight dropped, blood cholesterol dropped, and there was better blood sugar control in diabetics.And this was with no calorie counting, no portion control, no exercise component. The weight reduction appears to result from feeling fuller, earlier, due to higher dietary fiber intake. The difference in weight loss could also be the result of an increase in the thermic effect of food, allowing a small extra edge for weight loss in the vegan group. Those eating plant-based diets tend to burn off more calories in heat.Eating plants appears to boost metabolism. This may be due to increased insulin sensitivity in cells, allowing cells to metabolize carbohydrates more quickly rather than storing them as body fat. As a result, vegan diets have been shown to increase postprandial calorie burn by about 16%, up to three hours after consuming a meal.	Off Topic – just FYI for those with access to BBC1 – this evening at 9pm, there is an hour long Panorama special entitled “Can you cure my cancer?”.“Panorama special reporting on the cancer patients who are pioneering a new generation of drug treatments. Patients given just months to live are keeping the disease at bay for years – for some there is even talk of a cure. Huge advances in genetics are transforming doctors’ understanding of the disease and how to combat it. Reporter Fergus Walsh visits the Royal Marsden and Institute of Cancer Research, talking to the patients, their families and medical teams.”Sounds interesting…..Oh my…..is this true. I sure hope there is some mistake.http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/10/feds-poised-to-withdraw-longstanding-warnings-about-dietary-cholesterol/?hpid=z4i was shocked as well. especially after dr greger’s eloquent presentation before this committee.http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/16/2015-dietary-guidelines-committee/This is fantastic! I have posted it to FB.Yes it appears to be true. The problem I see is that cholesterol only comes from animals and eating animals is a package deal exposing us to way too much animal protein, carcinogens, saturated fat, arachidonic acid, etc. So the problem arises when a powerful advisory board says Cholesterol isn’t that bad (they’re correct in a skewed way) that people will start taking in all these other problematic molecules which we do have very hard facts on their toxicity to the human body.John McDougall, MD states it well:Significant amounts of cholesterol are found only in animal foods. Plants (starches, vegetables, and fruits) are “cholesterol-free” foods.The problem is “the animal foods” – blaming individual components (i.e. cholesterol) is a risky business:In common, animal foods (meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, and seafood) are: High in fat and/or high in protein Contain no dietary fiber Contain no energy giving carbohydrate (mammal milk is the exception) High in environmental contaminants (POP) Transmitters of microbes (zoonosis) – bacteria, viruses, parasites, prions Expensive (money) sources of caloriesMeat, poultry, eggs, and dairy are: Deficient in essential fats (omega 3 and omega 6) Deficient in vitamin C A (the) major source of global warming gasses and environmental damage (land and water) Loaded with allergens that cause autoimmune diseases through molecular mimicry Meat, poultry, and fish are deficient in calcium and dairy is deficient in iron*Deficient means that they are unable to meet dietary needs of children and adults John McDougall, MDWhat next? Nicotine is not poisonous, so cigarettes are A-OK?Exactly!Great analogy! Just what we need, something else to give everyone yet another excuse to do what they shouldn’t already!Exactly. And the problem is that people will be more confused then they already are. I just left a patient who said oh that’s great I can start eating steak and eggs now. What it does is undermine the science of nutrition. The general population is not buying into the lifestyle changes that are required for good health. They’re getting fatter and they’re exercising less. To confuse them more is a travesty.Agreed!And of course they wouldn’t come out with a statement like, “Just stay away from animal food. It isn’t good for you.”YES this is the Main character (Villian) missing in the play as described by the Advisory Council.!So the nutritional powers that be can’t tell when they’re being bamboozled by number-fudging meta-analyses and faulty comparisons?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/These are some very good points, we need to be focusing on the food as a whole and its effects on health or chronic disease risk factors rather than the individual components. If we look at diabetes, there could be a number of factors in meat effecting blood glucose levels or insulin resistance such as fat, saturated fat and environmental toxins as can be seen in the videos here http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/. Or take a plant-based food such as coffee, there can be both positive and negative factors effecting vascular health as in the video here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/. It is important to ask what does this actually mean for the health of the individual and to focus on whole foods as alternatives such as beans and green tea rather than trying to remove individual components.I totally agree with you. I think this is a step in the right direction. Rewarding employees for healthy choices is a great way to boost morale. Not only that, it definitely will cut back on the medical bills! There are so many factors contributing to disease but focusing on plant-based foods that offer a multitude of benefits is definitely key.This is a great response by Dr. McDougall. I would just add that meat, poultry, eggs, dairy and seafood also lack health-promoting phytonutrients.As I explain to my patients, health isn’t about just one nutrient like cholesterol. In fact many people have healthy cholesterol levels. Instead, we focus on reducing inflammation for results that extend beyond the cardiovascular system while better managing those LDLs and HDLs. The bottom line is if you don’t eat enough plants any aspect of your health could be at risk. The effectiveness of an anti-inflammatory diet stems from the foods you INCLUDE, as much as the foods you avoid. I think Dr. Greger did a great job with this post and of course the entire NutritionFacts site explains how incredibly beneficial a plant- based whole foods diet is to the entire body. Here’s one of my favorites: Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Diseasehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/10/feds-poised-to-withdraw-longstanding-warnings-about-dietary-cholesterol/has anyone seen this? I saw it on the news this morning! This stuff just makes me angry!Mark I just linked the same article. Can you imagine the confusion this is going to create?Unbelievable! People will go out and eat 4 eggs for breakfast because “they don’t have to care about cholesterol anymore” The government is so corrupt, anything for the good ole Greenback!Agreed! seems to be ALL ABOUT THE $$….sick shit…(sorry but it is)Your bi party system is rigid and has lost the ability to listen to its citizens. Take a glance if you will at this map: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/files/2012/09/Krouwel-Fig-1.jpgIts pretty much open mike all the time and if the little voice gets ignored but finds favor among the people the big parties start losing support fast. This pretty much forces the bigger guys to keep listening and adapting to popular demand. This is represented by the movement on the political spectrum map of the individual groups.Yeah its messy, but better messy than getting ignored and overpowered by finance and industry. Time for an overhaul maybe?It’s my impression that the effect of dietary cholesterol on serum cholesterol and on end points such as CHD are relatively small and subject to genetic variation. Of course dietary cholesterol is very often “packaged” with saturated fat and animal protein; but what the Feds are talking about is singling out dietary cholesterol per se as distinct from saturated fat.That said, this paragraph does seem odd with respect to eggs……as eggs contain about 20% of calories from saturated fat. Whether this oddity is due to the article’s author or the committee I can’t say.This is a HUGE victory for the American Egg Board. Dr. Greger has in the past warned us of the egg industry and its power to mislead the public. Apparently now it has misled the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. This is a SAD day for public health.Sad day for chickens, too. :-(Factory Chickens have a sad day everyday of their miserable lives.This article raises red flags in us nutritionfacts dwellersMark, these special committees appear whenever special interests need to shore up their corrupt agendas. Happens in all matters from governments to board rooms to sports.[“Almost every single nutrient imaginable has peer reviewed publications associating it with almost any outcome,” John P.A. Ioannidis, a professor of medicine and statistics at Stanford and one of the harshest critics of nutritional science, has written. “In this literature of epidemic proportions, how many results are correct?”]Coa: This fellow exemplifies why i quit the food science game. big shots like this, who are unable to distinguish good research from shlock papers by mediocre scientists, these guys run the show. “Confusion to the enemy” is their toast, creed and motto. We are the enemy. It is like being trapped in a science fiction movie.[Cholesterol has been a fixture in dietary warnings in the United States at least since 1961, when it appeared in guidelines developed by the American Heart Association. Later adopted by the federal government, such warnings helped shift eating habits — per capita egg consumption dropped about 30 percent — and harmed egg farmers.]Coa: harmed egg farmers?? there it is in black and white…the feds agenda is to keep egg consumption high.To say nothing of the chin-strokers at the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. The alimentary canal is the Rio de Oro with all its tributaries. Trickle-down economics indeed!Lawrence, I like your turn of phrase. Never thought of it quite like that but the alimentary canal as the “Rio de Oro” is so true and outstanding imagery.What is “Coa”?I believe Coa-cervate is distinguishing his commentary from his quoted sources.Dr. McDougall just responded to that article with this: http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5e58f59d97611f910916b6276&id=5585cd1760&e=e9dbd1e3eb.I would like to see a more specific response to the controversy and the Time and Washington Post articles from Dr. Mc Dougall… and of course from Dr. Greger! Specific critiques of studies, outcomes, and emphasis. What IS true and reasonable in the new perspectives on cholesterol, and what needs to remembered to follow a healthy diet?While some companies are taking measures to improve the health of their employees, back in April 2008 the Japanese government implemented their own “fat tax”, requiring most employees between the ages of 40 and 75 in large businesses to have their waists measured once a year. Men would be considered fat if their waist size exceeded 33.5 inches, and women are fat if their waist exceeded 35.5 inches. The nation would be required to have a reduction of overweight employees of 25 percent by this year. Non-compliant companies would have to pay extra money into the national health insurance program. Well, 2015 has arrived, and everybody in Japan is anxiously waiting to hear if the country has slimmed down. Of course, some people are excluded, including sumo wrestlers.35.5″ for a Japanese-sized woman? That’s HUGE!So when low-carbers present information thats shows an increased number of mitochondria in the brain, as well as a decreased amount of ROS, while eating high-fat….they forget to also offer the information that there exists a total-body decrease in the functioning of mitochondria as well as a total-body increase in ROS. What they see as benefit from high-fat is actually a protection mechanism against high-fat, not improvements.Laypersons with enquiring minds want to know, what does ROS stand for?Reactive Oxygen Specieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_oxygen_speciesThank you for this video!!! I run workplace wellness plant-based programs for companies and what you said is absolutely true! This video is so timely as I am presenting to a potential new client tomorrow and will definitely include this video! Thank you so much for making my job tomorrow even easier!!! ~TerriAre they hiring? Just kidding, but I would add that I used to work for a USA company that was amazing in “walking the talk”. They had a beautiful Gym and personal trainers that people actually used, the whole place had this atmosphere that said “we are all in this boat together so lets help each other AND our customers be safe, healthy …happy. There are some good things happening in the USA and wouldn’t it be just like the yanks to do it on their own while the gov dithers away at who knows what? As my grandpappy used to say “the best way to get a tough job done is to tell [a US American] it can’t be done. Best wishes Terri.Awesome to hear, Terri! I was so impressed by the results of this GEICO study on workplace wellness. The improved cholesterol and blood sugar levels of study participants gives me hope that plant-based programs will succeed. One major solution to improving health among employees is as simple as making healthy food available to employees. And perhaps most importantly, making sure the food tastes good and is offered it at a decent price. If more companies invested in this GEICO model, I feel we would see healthier individuals and more profits for the companies themselves.Good luck in your position! I hope you continue to influence your clients.JosephWe’ve just been invited back for a second year of pro plant-based power for an Integrated Worksite Wellness program in Michigan! The body composition results and laboratory biomarkers results are nice to see, but it’s enhanced quality of life that really highlights the every day benefits of lifestyle change!Yes, it seems to be true; it’s a great opportunity to remember to watch the Forks over Knives documentary if one hasn’t already, and use this site as the best reference for unadulterated, un-skewed, unbiased up to date nutritional science for health.Something just hit me about the new dietary guidelines that say cholesterol is OK but trans fats and saturated fats are not healthy. The problem is that the foods ppl eat that are high in cholesterol but low in saturated fat are eaten WITH trans fats or saturated fat!!!Eggs + sausage/baconLobster + butterShellfish like shrimp fried in oil that is constantly reused (transfats)Yes, they are emphasizing the importance of plants in the diet and acknowledging a healthy vegetarian diet in the same par as the Mediterrean diet pattern, but the lack of cholesterol guidelines will prove to be a disaster in practice despite articles like this:http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/02/12/proposed-dietary-guidelines-not-a-green-light-to-eat-what-you-wantReminds me of atherosclerosis researcher JD Spence referring to the “bacon and egg effect.”http://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g7654/rr-18Kyle,In December, I was informed that the article Dr. Spence responded to is in the Christmas edition of the BMJ, which is a spoof issue. It mixes spoof articles in with legitimate articles which often trip up the media that’s clueless about the Onion-esque nature of the issue.Therefore, I am confused. Is this the original article author’s apparently serious endorsement of Nina Teicholz’s book Big Fat Surprise, a full-on gag, a semi-serious essay written tongue in cheek, or a sincere and dead serious academic document?I have just sent an email to the original author asking as much. I’ll try to remember posting here if I get an answer back.Very cool that Dr. Spence included Dr. Greger’s videos along with his academic citations.Also sort of off topic…has nothing to do with the workplace, but I need some advice! I feel so betrayed. I just called my brother to wish him a happy 70th birthday and his message box was full. I called my DH to get see if he had my brother’s home phone # on his cell, since I couldn’t find it, and lo and behold, he says, here, you can talk to him, and hands him the phone. I wish him happy birthday, and he mentions DH is taking him out to dinner for his birthday! Just the two of them…without me. No mention prior! Yes, they are close, but um, so am I…but I don’t eat like they do. I opted to turn my poor health around 5 years ago with a WFPB lifestyle and they are both still diabetic, my DH has lost a leg to it, and my brother is in poor health and uses a walker after multiple knee replacements… In one sense I feel silly for feeling “left out” of their twisted “club”…if you get me, but on the other hand, I am being shut out of the short time we have left together because I chose to eat differently. I really need guidance right now because I am feeling really confused and hurt. I would appreciate any responses. TIA!Ouch. That hurts. Could you explain that you really want to be with them, and it’s important to you to take care of your health with your eating habits, and just say you’ll eat before, or after, but you just want to come along? You could even sneak some almonds in your purse and nibble while they eat. I feel ya, girl. Sometimes the choice to eat healthy comes with costs that we never thought of.Yes, LYF and Charzie! The unexpected costs! We have found friends avoiding including us at food-related events because they just don’t know how to provide for us. It helps if we tell them 5 times that we want their company and are very happy to eat before, bring our food and something nice to share, or suggest a simple dish that would really, honestly be great for us even if they find it odd!Hi Charzie. Your dilemma brings to mind a recent talk given by Patti Breitman. Here’s her book: http://www.amazon.com/Never-Too-Late-Vegan-Plant-Based/dp/1615190988 and here’s her presentation. All the best and good luck!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt9NGskh5Qw&feature=youtu.beBless you all and thank you so much for the kind words and understanding! I wish you all lived next door! Great presentation too! I normally have a handle on all this, I just got caught off guard. I guess I just needed to take my ego out of the equation and try to understand we all are just trying to cope to the best of our ability. Thanks again!Charzie: You already got some great replies. I just wanted to add my sympathy and 2 cents worth. You are in a very sad and unfortunate position. I can just imagine the hurt.I am guessing based on your description that voicing that hurt isn’t going to get you anywhere. Here’s my suggestion: Call your brother and say something like, “Hey, it’s great that DH took you out for your birthday and you got to have some one-on-one time. I love you too and want the same thing. I’m taking you out for dinner [or breakfast or lunch] this ___. Where do you want to go?” Or if budget is an issue, you can present a couple of places that will work for your budget. Or just take him out for “coffee”. Once you get there, keep the conversation away from food an health. Just enjoy your time together. If the restaurant has little that you can eat, you can always eat before you go and just order a drink and maybe a side salad for yourself when you get there.Just a thought. I think it is really wonderful that you want to spend time with the family you love and are looking for ways to make it happen even though you are hurt. Lots of people can’t get past the hurt. So, good for you.Thanks Thea! I actually invited him over for dinner, but since he has issues with access here, he hemmed and hawed. I love my “bro” dearly, but we are very different people and even sitting over coffee would be awkward for him, sad to say, so social events are better. I did go visit him on his day, and talked to my SIL about it. Their kids are coming down from the frozen New England area (we are in S FL) soon, so we will all go out and celebrate together belatedly, which works great! Like I said, I usually figure out a way to maneuver through the maze of issues that can arise with the differences we face, when I have the chance. This “problem” happened before I had a chance to think, and for me was mostly about jumping to “confusions”. They basically wanted “guy time” and freedoms from whatever, but I guess my ego/emotional overload was bigger than my sensibility. Being human can sure be confusing, huh? I was just watching some lovely egrets flying overhead, thinking, I wonder what THAT life would be like? LOL!Charzie: re: “I actually invited him over for dinner…” You are ahead of me then. Good for you.I can say from my own family issues (not around food, but other things), navigating family is extremely difficult. I admire you for sticking in there and keeping the big picture/your ultimate goals in mind.I am so sorry to hear that you are being left out. I have been in similar situation for many years. I have been vegetarian for 12 years (quickly going to an even more plant-based diet), and I am from a small town in Indiana. My family does not understand my choices and lifestyle and label me a weirdo. Fact is, we cannot change everyone’s minds, and it seems the closer we are to people, the less we can change their minds.I have started just inviting people to my house and preparing food from the Forks over Knives http://www.forksoverknives.com/ cookbook and most of them do not miss the animal products!! Love and persistence is all we can do!!!Also, send them to these links…sometimes, family members tend to believe and “hear” those on the outside! http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/I occasionally post links on my FB page, (which I rarely use), but they almost NEVER get read, no matter what tact I try to take! :( I LOVE F.O.K., (nice acronym), it was probably one of the major influences on my huge lifestyle change! Thanks for the kind words, you are so right!http://www.businessinsider.in/We-should-never-have-told-people-to-stop-eating-fat/articleshow/46218442.cmsIts like being stuck in “The Day of the Triffids”. Most of the people have gone blind and they keep getting bad information about plants!Great study! GEIOCAs a nurse coach, I find that the workplace programs are generally well-appreciated by employees. They enjoy the individual attention to their wellness work which coaching provides for them.So, can anyone explain why many people with diabetes (I speak primarily of Type 2) are encouraged to eat carbs WITH protein, or carbs WITH fats, when so many of the studies presented here show that, over time, high-carb, low-fat, plant based, whole food diets can, in essence reverse the disease?I hear fellow diabetics say that it is to prevent post-prandial blood glucose spikes. The thought is that the post-prandial hyperglycemia is lowered because the fat or protein slows down the digestion process, causing the carbs to not rush into the blood stream. I know that hyperglycemia damages delicate blood vessels and nerves.Has anyone studied or addressed this? As in, is it better for the newly diagnosed person with diabetes to focus on having *every* blood sugar reading within an ideal range (70-140)? Or is it better for the newly diagnosed person to eat a whole-food, low-fat, plant-based diet (maybe avoiding high-glycemic fruits & focusing on high-fiber intake, per Dr. Neal Barnard)? The strategy of the second tactic is based on the assumption that this diet 1) is healthiest overall, 2) causes the person to quickly reduce their weight, which frequently restores insulin sensitivity, often within months.Not sure why? Perhaps so many diets for diabetes are bing studied and many can show weight loss and involve blood sugars. The question is what diet is best long-term and how can diabetes educators learn about the different dietary methods so they can give the patient a choice? Maybe educators might not know about Dr. Barnard’s research or have the same mindset that their patients wont follow even if they knew? Hard to say what is best, however working on the studies with Dr. Barnard I have seen how plant-based diets can be beneficial. Vegan diets help improve diabetes even better than standard diets prescribed for diabetes. Same for this video above, the GEICO participants also had improvements. These are promising results and the more research we have the better this dietary approach can be recommended.Does metabolic damage exist?	alcohol,animal products,animal protein,beans,blood sugar,body fat,broccoli,calories,cholesterol,chronic diseases,dairy,diabetes,eggs,exercise,fat,fiber,fruit,grains,industry influence,insulin,Lifestyle medicine,meat,metabolism,obesity,plant-based diets,prediabetes,saturated fat,tobacco,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,weight loss,Workplace intervention	Employee wellness programs may help boost the corporate bottom-line.	I detailed the pilot study that started it all in Slimming the Gecko.Imagine how much money companies can save! See, for example:More on some of the downsides of corporate influence in videos like Collaboration with the New Vectors of Disease and Taxpayer Subsidies for Unhealthy Foods.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16164885,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22745605,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21802560,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23942177,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20881629,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20075081,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23695207,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22802734,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14641942,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24013656,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22915664,
PLAIN-2485	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/	Lipotoxicity: How Saturated Fat Raises Blood Sugar	The association between fat and insulin resistance is now widely accepted, so-called ectopic fat accumulation, the accumulation of fat in places it’s not supposed to be within our muscle cells. But not all fats affect the muscles the same The type of fat, saturated or unsaturated, is critical. Saturated fats like palmitate, found mostly in meat, dairy and eggs, cause insulin resistance, but oleate, found mostly in nuts, olives, and avocados may actually improve insulin sensitivity. What makes saturated fat bad? Saturated fat causes more of those toxic breakdown products and mitochondrial dysfunction and increase oxidative stress free radicals and inflammation, establishing a vicious cycle of events in which saturated fat induced free radicals causes dysfunction in the little powerplants within our muscle cells, which causes an increase in free production and impairment of insulin signaling.Fat cells filled with saturated fat activate an inflammatory response to a far greater extent. This increased inflammation, along with eating more saturated fat, has been demonstrated to raise insulin resistance through free radical and ceramide production. Saturated fat also has been shown to have a direct effect on skeletal muscle insulin resistance. Accumulation of saturated far increases the amount of diacyl- glycerol in the muscles, which has been demonstrated to have a potent effect on muscle insulin resistance. It doesn’t matter if the fat in our blood comes from our fat, or their fat.You can take muscle biopsies from people and correlate the saturated fat buildup in their muscles with insulin resistance.While monounsaturated fats are more likely to be detoxified or safely stored away, saturated fats create those toxic breakdown products like ceramide that causes lipotoxicity. Lipo meaning fat, as in liposuction, and toxicity. This fat toxicity in our muscles is a well-known concept in the explanation of trigger for insulin resistance.I’ve talked about the role saturated and trans fats contribute to the progression of other diseases, like autoimmune diseases, cancer and heart disease, but they can also cause insulin resistance, the underlying cause of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. In the human diet, saturated fats are derived from animal sources while trans fats originate in meat and milk, in addition to partially hydrogenated and refined vegetable oils.That’s why experimentally shifting people from animal fats to plant fats can improve insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity was impaired on the diet with added butterfat but not on the diet with added olive fat.We know prolonged exposure of our muscles to high levels of fat leads to severe insulin resistance, with saturated fats demonstrated to be the worst, but they don’t just lead to inhibition of insulin signaling, the activation of inflammatory pathways, and the increase in free radicals, they cause an alteration in gene expression, leading to a suppression of key mitochondrial enzymes like carnitine palmitoyltransferase, which finally solves the mystery of why those eating vegetarian have a 60% higher expression of that fat burning enzyme. They’re eating less saturated fat.So do those eating plant-based diets have less fat clogging their muscles and less insulin resistance too? There hasn’t been any data available regarding the insulin sensitivity or inside muscle cell fat of those eating vegan or vegetarian, until now.Researchers at the Imperial College of London compared the insulin resistance and muscle fat of vegans versus omnivores. Now those eating plant-based diets have the unfair advantage of being so much slimmer, so they found omnivores who were as skinny as vegans to see if plant-based diets had a direct benefit, as opposed to indirectly pulling fat out of the muscles by helping people lose weight in general.They found significantly less fat trapped in the muscle cells of vegans compared to omnivores at the same body weight, better insulin sensitivity, better blood sugar levels, better insulin levels and, excitingly, significantly improved beta-cell function, the cells in the pancreas that make the insulin. They conclude that eating vegan is not only expected to be cardioprotective, helping prevent our #1 killer, heart disease, but that veganism is beta-cell protective as well, helping also to prevent our seventh leading cause of death, diabetes.	This is all truly interesting but, in my case, I’m very frustrated with my results. I’ve been following a strict vegan diet for about 4 months now. My weight has dropped to 190lbs from 210 (I’m 6’1″) but my blood sugar still hasn’t budged from the 110-120 level that’s it’s been for several years now.Does it take a fair amount of time for the fat in my muscles to dissipate? Some encouragement would be appreciated.Richard. I’m not qualified to answer your question from a professional standpoint but I would ask how you would characterize the term “strict vegan.” I’m not an ethical vegan. I adopted the change in my diet (for health reasons) approximately 4 years ago. During the first year, I continued to eat whole grain breads, some pasta, regular potatoes, white and brown rice, salt, oil, and sugar. Like you, my weight dropped but my fasting blood sugar levels remained constant. (In my case, in the 100-110 range)It is possible to be vegan but still eat very poorly. There are many processed foods that qualify as vegan (Oreos!?) but will not help you gain control over your blood sugar levels. Since that first year, I have become more focused on whole plant foods and I’ve virtually eliminated salt, oil, sugar, potatoes, pasta, rice. Over time, my levels have dropped further but my own research suggests that this will take some time to fix. After doing it all wrong for 55 years, I guess that makes sense. Here’s hoping someone can give you a bit more conclusive answer.same here. In addition to what Jeff described I found that things improved when I stopped using a tomato based sauce (even though homemade with no added sugar) in any cooking. Raw tomatoes in salads for some reason does not affect my blood sugar though. Avoiding packaged food, bottled condiments etc and going whole food/homemade gave me more control over what I consume. Exercise helped immensely, minimum of 20 mins per day and when I have the time I exercise twice per day and train with weights. it’s definitely worth persevering long-term.I’m glad things improved with you, and I can see why. Exercise goes leaps and bounds in improving insulin sensitivity, as does avoiding bottled condiments (absolute killer due to the sugar), and going more home made.Most of the time it’s easier said than done. All people have to do is eliminate sugar and grains, that’s it. In theory though, its’ very difficult; in reality though once they do it, their blood glucose stabilizes.I agree that cutting out added sugar is not enough , to reduce insulin sensitivity we needed to reduce white rice , potato and bread etc as well. It is not easy but worth it. Personally, Golden sweet potato on the other hand seems to have no ill effects on me, I remember Dr Greger recommending the purple variety but the lighter texture of the Golden variety is my favorite substitute for rice & bread. Exercise seems to speed up the process when we need to regain/maintain our energy throughout the day, and prevent insulin sensitivity.Just as I mentioned in the post above, same goes with you Jeff. If your having difficulties removing the glucose from the blood, you need to eliminate all forms of sugar, and in this case, all grains.The only way to clear out the glucose in the blood to stabilize it is to improve insulin sensitivity. You can’t eat foods that keep it chronically elevated like whole grain breads, pasta, potatoes and rice, and especially not sugar. Eat foods that have little to no effect on insulin like healthy fats and protein foods like fish, poultry, beef, and eggs. Green veggies are also vital. Spinach and broccoli should be replacing all those insulin elevating foods like I mentioned above.I was able to reverse my severe diabetes in only 10 days by following low fat raw vegan. Eating 100% raw will help your body heal faster, focus on fruit and leafy greens. Do not add in nuts/seeds or overt fats or dates until the diabetes is completely gone. My blood sugar used to be in the 300s regular. Now, it stays in the 80s fasting.How many grams of sugar do you ingest each day from the fruit? Can you provide us with a daily intake, on average, of the fruit you eat, kinds, amounts, pieces, etc.? Would be thankful to see this.A fair amount. 2 apples, 1-1/4 cup blueberries, 1-1/4 cup mixed berries, 5 dates, 1 banana. Yes, that does seem to be a lot but from watching Dr. G’s videos, I thought it would be OK.Richard, that is a lot of fruit!! You describe eating about 8-10 servings of fruit a day. That would be a lot of fruit for a non-diabetic.I put your list in the website cronometer and it reported that would be 151.9 grams of carbohydrates (provided medium sized fruit). Subtracting the fiber (22.8 g) you are left with 129 g (106.9 of which are sugars).And that is just from your fruit! What about the rest of your diet?You may want to consider cutting the fruit until your weight and blood sugar drop to a normal level.Best wishes,David100% raw doesn’t work for those with a compromised digestive system (which is most Americans). Don’t tell people to focus on sugar looking to reverse diabetes, you mine as well tell them to consume table sugar.I would also get your blood sugar tested again as it’s well know that within 4-6 months after it’s stabilized that if not enough fat has been consumed, it will vault up to even higher levels.Hi Richard. I’m not a doctor and my comments are based on my own experience in turning around my pre-diabetes. First off, way to go! You’re doing great and don’t give up! Second, I highly recommend Dr. Neal Barnard’s book: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107While you’re waiting for this book, have a look at Dr. McDougall’s free plan for restoring health and being a successful plant-based person: https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/free-mcdougall-program/Finally, if you have not done so lately, consider having your hemoglobin A1C tested by your doctor. I hope you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was to learn that, while your blood sugar may seem elevated by doing home testing as I was, your average blood sugar is not as bad as you fear. (Based on all my reading and learning in the past few years, 110-120 ain’t all that bad, especially considering the margin of error in home testing technology.) http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/A1CTest/All the best and keep coming back. Let us know how you’re doing if you choose to; we love success stories!Does it matter what your blood sugar tests at one or two or three hours after eating, or just the fasting blood sugar when rising in the morning? Sometimes my blood sugar gets above 190 after eating just fruit, but 4 hours later it drops down to 95. I’m concerned that having it in the high 190’s for three hours long is a bad thing, causing tissue damage longterm and inflammatory disease, but others say this is not the case. Do you have any knowledge of if this is true or not?Hi guest. I am not qualified to comment on your particular situation. But, here’s the advice I give to myself every day: 1) eat high starch and high fiber plant foods enough to satisfy my hunger. Don’t use processed oils and take 2 tbls ground flax seed every day. Take a B12 supplement regularly. Minimize junk food (no one’s perfect, right?) Have a look at this master work of Dr. Greger’s. I think about this video every time I go to the grocery store to buy vegetables: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/ 2) get more daily exercise http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/factsheetprof.aspxIf you want to get into the weeds regarding blood sugar, have a look at this paper. The discussion section has some nifty graphs and some numbers that may stimulate your thinking about the questions you pose. Good luck! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769652/What matters most in testing blood glucose is what happens in the first 2 hours after eating. there is a normal glucose curve and the peak is somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes. Diabetes is diagnosed when the fasting glucose is high, yet the imbalance has been going on for a long time before that. Ideally the peak is 110 or less and by 2 hours level is down to baseline. Studies show that peripheral nerve damage begins to happen at 120 and retinal damage at 140. some studies show even prolonged glucose above 100 damages the beta cells in the pancreas which produce insulin, which is likely part of why type 2 diabetics go from over production of insulin and insulin resistance to pancreatic insufficiency.So yes having your glucose 190 for hours is indeed a bad thing. SO i recommend my patients check their glucose curve on all their standard meals for a week. It requires testing every 15 minutes at first to capture the peak. if it seems to usually occur at approximately the same time after meals, you can slow it down.Then eat only the foods that keep it under 110 at peak for 30 days. The resutls are amazing.I have lots of resources on my website about this.Lastly, it’s more than just diet that controls glucose levels – sleep, stress, movement and even the timing of your meals makes a differenceDr. Ritamarie LoscalzoYes, it does matter. Blood sugar should not be higher than 140 one hour after eating or higher than 120 two hours after eating. You should avoid foods that cause it to go higher than this, or eat those foods in smaller amounts so your blood sugar does not spike. You can find much reputable information about this on the web. I also recommend a book titled “Blood Sugar 101″ by Jenny Ruhl.And I wonder if the pancreas eventually gets tired and run down from having to constantly pump out so much insulin for me to get it down from the 190’s to 95.Bernard and McDougall are so anti-fat that they have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. The latest research supports benefits of small amount of nuts and seeds. Also Mcdougall’s high potatoes, rice, and grain approach is simply not optimal because of glycemic load and poor nutrient profile. Watch Dr Joel Furhman debate McDougall on YouTube before wasting your money on the books recommended.I don’t know anything about your regular diet, but you may need to examine the glycemic impact of foods you eat. Many processed foods, including white flour, white rice, pasta, and so forth can have a dramatic impact on blood sugar levels. It might be worth doing some research about the glycemic index and evaluate how it applies to your diet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index). I have no medical background or professional qualifications on the matter, so my suggestion is based on my limited knowledge of the subject.Richard: I think you have gotten some great responses to your post already. I just wanted to add to the discussion by framing the response slightly differently. I think what people are trying to say is that being “strict vegan” doesn’t tell us anything other than you aren’t eating animal products. That’s not the same thing as saying that you eat a diet that is optimal for fighting Type 2 diabetes. So, the suggestions that people have made to you, such as checking out Dr. Barnard’s book, could be really helpful. It could be that an additional tweak or two in your diet is all that you will need to make additional gains.That said, let’s pause and appreciate the gains that you have already made. And wow, changing one’s diet and being strict about it is very hard for a lot of people. You have stuck to a different diet for 4 months. That’s really great. And even if you haven’t met all of your goals yet, it seems like you are on your way. I’m going to keep my fingers crossed for you that you will make it all the way.Again, many thanks. It’s actually been quite easy. My wife makes a variety of yummy bean soups which we slurp up gleefully. Her support has made all the difference.Richard: :-) That’s so awesome. With that kind of support, I’m sure you will succeed.For high blood sugar, this site has some specific recommendations. hibiscus tea, cinnamon, flax seed meal, amla, and beansThule has produced another list of recommendations from this site:Indian gooseberries (amla), coffee, soy, flaxseeds, green tea, pulses (dried beans), chamomile tea, purple potatoes, sprouts, whole grains, vinegar, and beans. If you eat some of each of these foods two to three times a day you might be able to blunt any blood sugar spike you have from eating. Have you considered if your high blood sugar is a side effect of some medicine you are taking? Some of America’s most profitable medicines have high blood sugar as a side effect.Thanks to all the responders. I basically follow the advice put forth in Dr. G’s plethora of great videos – including the Alma. I intend to keep at it (actually , it’s easy). Maybe I should cut back a bit on the fruit.Fruit is a whole plant food so I would not cut back on it. The issue is not the amount of Glucose you consume but rather the amount of animal fat which causes the insulin resistance which causes high blood glucose. Get rid of the insulin resistance and the amount of fruit won’t matter. High Blood glucose is not the problem it is the symptom of the problem. Treating the symptom won’t help.Richard, I read that you eat dates. I love dates and I make a spread out of dates and ground flax seed. You may want to try this too. I really like it. I remove the seeds from the dates, cut them up then gently simmer them in some water, let them cool then combine them in a food processor with the ground flax seeds. This way, I get some healthy lignans and ALA Omega 3s with my fruit…This keeps really well refrigerated.You might like to watch “Raw for 30 Days”. It follows 6 diabetics (type 1 & 2) for 30 days. They are placed on a raw vegan diet and encouraged to be more active (eg go for a walk). Results are very positive.Congratulations on your success with your weight loss, Richard. Ideally, your strict vegan diet is composed of whole plant foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, with a bit of nuts and seeds) and you have omitted processed foods. If so, you may also consider emphasizing low glycemic sources of carbohydrates. This includes opting for the most intact whole grains (whole quinoa, barley, oats, for example) as opposed to flaked, ground, or puffed versions, choosing foods particularly high in fiber, especially legumes (beans, lentils, and peas), and avoiding refined sugars, flours, and similar products.From my experience as a plant-based dietitian I found that in clients who were producing adequate amounts of insulin that it helped when they started removing all sources of added fats such as oils and increased their consumption of some of the foods that reduce insulin resistance especially beans and lentils and other whole starches as can be see here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/. Not only are beans great to improve insulin sensitivity by they also protect against CVD one of the major risk factors for people with metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes and diabetes type 2 as can be seen here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/Richard, I have given your situation a lot of thought though I have become a bit reluctant to enter anything because you have received so many good responses. But my perspective is a little different. I have type 1 diabetes. I control it well with diet, activity and insulin.First I should say that I have never known a doctor to mention insulin resistance when discussing type 1 diabetes. I think this is a serious problem. Yes my beta cells were kaput long ago, but the issue of insulin sensitivity still remains For many years I have consumed animal products at much lower portion of my total than the average and I was well controlled with an average insulin intake of 44 to 46 units per day. However, when I discovered the pressing need to go completely wfpbd, and did so, my insulin usage dropped to an average of 36 units a day. I don’t eat less and still don’t produce insulin, I just use it more efficiently.There is one comment here that you are consuming a lot of fruit. I need to keep a source of emergency glucose at all times due to the constant struggle to keep insulin and sugar at the right level. My preferred source is an apple. I know that one medium apple will raise my blood sugar about 50 mg/dl. This is not much of a rise and probably helps overall control due to the added fiber helping to move everything through the system more efficiently. The bottom line is, I consume lots of fruits as well. I have found that the effects of the sugar from fruit has a modest impact and the fiber probably more than compensates.Still, I do not consume even complex carbohydrates with a scoop shovel either. But I eat enough so that I never feel deprived. Excess consumption of complex carbohydrates at bed time may cause elevated overnight sugars but that leads to the question of insulin insufficiency (which is my problem). I assume you have looked at that so there are two more phenomenon to consider (that I know of).First is the“dawn phenomenon.” The first thing in the morningour bodies will release added cortisol which stimulates gluconeogenesis. This counters the overnight lows we all tend to develop simply as a result of an 8 hour sleeping fast. How much this happens seems to be different in everyone. I evidently release a lot of cortisol in the morning and therefore need about twice the insulin morning basal rate that I would have in the middle of the night and my insulin bolus will need to be fairly substantial as well. In other words, I am suggesting that your modest fasting highs might simply be a result of your release of morning cortisol rather than lingering insulin resistance.To answer this more fully a few middle of the night blood tests might be in order. It could also point to the possibility of insufficient insulin production which might suggest type 1.5 diabetes. From what you have said if type 1.5 is the case it would likely be in the early stages and might even be reversable.In any case good luck and congratulation on having a live in chef.Hi Richard, I’m an RD and I can try to give you some advice, but it’s difficult for any medical professional to provide the kinds of answers you’re looking for in a forum such as this. My first question for you is whether the blood sugar numbers you referenced are fasting or following a meal? If you’re taking your numbers within two hours of eating, that is well within normal limits.Regarding your weight, there are many reasons It is quite common for people who controlling their diet well to “plateau” periodically and have difficulty losing additional weight. Often they can become discouraged, go back to old habits, and their weight can start going back up. Don’t let that happen! If you are incorporating regular exercise into your lifestyle, as you should be, here are several reasons you may not be seeing the changes you’d like to see on your bathroom scale. The most likely is that you are burning fat at the same rate you’re gaining muscle. Since muscle is more dense than fat, you may not see a difference in your weight, but you should start noticing clothing to fit more loosely, and maybe moving up a notch on your belt. Additionally, your body has likely adapted to your current routine and has become more efficient, meaning you’re able to do more work with fewer calories. It may be time to “mix things up” a bit so your body has something new to adapt to. This can be done in any of three ways: increasing the time you spend exercising (either length of individual workouts or number of times you work out during the week), increasing the intensity of each work out, or changing the activity you are doing.Check with your doctor to see if it’s okay for you to change your exercise routine in one of these ways. The easiest may be to add in different forms of exercise a few days per week. You could try a bike ride outside, or exercise to a workout video inside. You can easily find free workout videos on YouTube.Remember, keep up the good work, your body will thank you later!In my clinical experience it varies between individuals and depends on how well you adhere to correct diet, exercise and weight loss. A tool you might use is a “run chart” which consists of values for fasting morning blood sugars measured each morning. Vertical numbers might range from 90 to 150. It is easiest to use one sheet per month giving the horizontal axis values of 28-31. This is the best way to display data over time. I would venture over to Dr. McDougall’s website and eat a diet emphasizing starches and whole foods (i.e. vegetables, fruit, starches and beans). Realistic weight loss is 1/2 to 2 pounds per week depending on diet and exercise. Once you have about 7 days of baseline data make a change and note on your chart. You might also benefit from reading his article, Fat Vegan, in his December 2008 newsletter. I have found that it can take several months for the fasting blood sugars to come down. Of course if you are on medications you need to work with your health care provider. If you still haven’t begun to see a downward trend you should check with your provider. Congrats on your weight loss thus far. Good luck.Perhaps substituting beans for all all grains may help, since even wholewheat and rice are high glycemic compared to beans, quinoa and oats and barley may be lesser so, but none of these compare to beans just discover the comfort quality of (low glycemic ) split pea soup with a dollop of black beans with fresh onions on top, actually more comforting than bread.I had pre-diabetes last year. Since i’ve been vegan i eat fruit smoothies in the mornings (4-6 bananas with mango/pineapple/berries and flaxseeds) and rice/potatoes/pasta/vegetable soup for lunch and dinner. Last i checked my blood glucose level was 79.28 mg/dl. In the first 5 months of eating vegan i lost around 20kg. Atm i weigh 77kg (180cm tall)What you need to do is eliminate sugar from your diet completely. Forget the vegan approach, it’s dangerous, it’s causing a stressor response in your body, cortisol. The cortisol response your body is giving off due to this is causing your blood glucose to sky rocket. Here is a copy/paste statement on cortisol and it’s effects on weight loss:“Under stressful conditions, cortisol provides the body with glucose by tapping into protein stores via gluconeogenesis in the liver. This energy can help an individual fight or flee a stressor. However, elevated cortisol over the long term consistently produces glucose, leading to increased blood sugar levels.Theoretically, this mechanism can increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, although a causative factor is unknown.1 Since a principal function of cortisol is to thwart the effect of insulin—essentially rendering the cells insulin resistant—the body remains in a general insulin-resistant state when cortisol levels are chronically elevated. Over time, the pancreas struggles to keep up with the high demand for insulin, glucose levels in the blood remain high, the cells cannot get the sugar they need, and the cycle continues.”I’ll bet dimes to dollars Richard this is exactly what’s happening in your body. The vegan approach is causing undue stress in your body causing your cortisol to be chronically elevated. This is causing your cells to become insulin resistance which is causing your blood glucose to remain idol.What you need to do is eat primarily meat and veggies and healthy fats, and make sure eggs are included in your diet. Eggs are absolutely essential for funneling fat out of the liver. If your looking at a plate, 50% of it should be veggies, 30% meats, and 20% healthy fats. No fruit, at least not for a month or 2.If your also looking to improve insulin sensitivity to help clear the glucose out of your system, start intermittent fasting. The simplest way to do it is only eat between 10am and 6pm per say (depending on what your work schedule is). If you can handle it, start eating lighter throughout the day and loading up more food at night. Basically graze throughout the day (a bit of veggies, an egg or 2, but no more), then have a satisfying dinner at night. That will drastically improve insulin sensitivity.Thanks for the great information! Could you also continue posting your videos on YouTube? The vimeo player is not running well on my computer.hi lauritz, do you subscribe to the nutritionfacts.org channel on youtube? i continue to see the videos posted there as well as on vimeoLauritz: NutritionFacts has had some problems with the YouTube site. So, what you are talking about may be related to those problems. I’ll forward your comments to the NutritionFacts staff.Thea, is it true that youtube was suppressing the videos from nutritionfacts or is just a rumor?Filipe: There have been two incidents with YouTube where something about our videos or features for our videos were suppressed–as I understand it. At least one of situations was explained to me, but I never quite understood the details. So, I don’t know if I’m describing things correctly even with this terribly vague statement. But I think I can safely say that due to actions of YouTube, we can’t rely on YouTube to make the NutritionFacts videos available. Vimeo may not have all the features that YouTube does, but it’s my understanding that we have more control over content on Vimeo. I’m not sure we have an ideal solution at the moment. I think we are just doing the best we can with the options available.I wanna thank you for the honest reply! I completely understand your position and I am with NutritionFacts!Can you please do a video about PCOS with insulin resistance? High insulin levels cause follicles in the ovary to become more sensitive to LH, causing cysts in the ovary instead of ovulation, which can lead to high testosterone and low progesterone. I think many women with PCOS could really benefit from whole food plant based diet and if you made a video explaining that, it would be very helpful. Thanks!Unfortunately, there have been few studies on plant-based diets and PCOS. While researchers have suggested optimal diet for PCOS as one “low in saturated fat and high in fibre from predominantly low-glycaemic-index-carbohydrate foods”, the one feasiblity study of vegan diets in PCOS was small and had high dropout rates. The vegan arm reported higher quality of life after 6 months, but due to the study size these effects weren’t statistically significant.I gave a presentation to a Ob/Gyn department on nutritional advantages to various diets a number of years ago. There is good literature to support going on a starch centered whole plant diet to treat PCOS. Darryl is correct that there aren’t alot of studies. When looking for appropriate studies I also go back historically. Alot of the best studies were done years ago when we didn’t focus so much on drugs…. see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/. Weight loss, improved hormone levels and reduced insulin resistance are all to be expected on a proper diet. The mechanism is not clear. Inositol may be a factor. Low fat intake is certainly in the mix as is less per cent body fat. I reviewed the abstract for the feasibility study cited by Darryl. Intervening with a calorie restricted diet makes no sense. The low fat vegan diet is the ticket but in recruiting patients to follow the new diet it has to be done skillfully. Based on their results I doubt if that was done. Not only explaining the benefits of improved PCOS but also the concepts of calorie density as it relates to weight loss would improve their success… since obesity is clearly a major factor. The fact that they were using social media to help with compliance is a sign that they might be trying to keep their budget low by avoiding phone calls and face to face return visits with skilled health care professionals. I will admit to not reading the whole study but I would not pay $35 dollars to check it out. I would add my vote to PCOSgal for Dr. Greger to do a video on PCOS since it seems to affect between 5 and 10% of women. However until then there are plenty of video’s on weight loss and improving insulin resistance. Good luck.Well for the benefit of my mitochondria and further inflammation suppression I’ll give full dietary vegan another go. And why wait, Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. ^^Cash receptors in your doctors wallet…… great comment! :-)Notifications aren’t showing up on YouTube. Can we fix that?It seems like they’ve ditched YouTube as a platform for Vimeo.Thank you.Right on, Dr. Greger! A whole-food, plant-based diet is what works for me. But how do you respond to someone like Dr. Joseph Mercola, who claims a high success rate treating T2D with a low-carb, high-fat diet, and who recommends animal, dairy, and fish (albeit the organic, grass-fed, free-range, wild caught versions of these)?One of the two is lying to you. Maybe watching the video linked below, can help you decide who of the two is the corporate tool.Why does it have to be that one is automatically lying. Perhaps both are correct. Maybe the takeaway from all of this is that you your diet should be built around one energy source or the other for optimal health.If you eat high fat, you’ll be fine so long as you keep your carbs low and protein moderate. Your body will burn the fat instead of storing it in your muscles and causing lipotoxicity.If you eat a high carbs you’ll be okay as long as you keep your fats low and your protein moderate. With fats kept low, you never develop lipotoxicity.It seems as though a diet high in both fat and carbs causes the body to choose the source easiest to burn leading to an excess of the source that it uses less often which then starts to cause issues with how the body metabolises either.I’d love to see a debate between Dr. Greger and Dr. Mercola on this issue; high carb vs high fat is where these two doctors vehemently disagree. In the end, it’s what works best for you, and from my family’s results Dr. Greger is closer to the mark.Dr. Joseph Mercola has ‘The World’s #1 Health Website’…!How can you argue with that?You keep firmly fixed on the good scientific studies. When investigating claims by “experts” if they are not citing references then beware especially if commercial interests are involved. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not their own facts… although you have to understand statistics to help sort out the studies and even with a good statistics background it is hard to believe some studies. One doctor who is involved in legal issues says you can’t believe the data in studies unless it has gone through litigation.Dr. Forrester, I feel like there’s a lot of information thrown at us in this video but insufficient explanation of the logic behind the various mechanisms. For example, Dr. Greger discusses a ” vicious cycle of events in which saturated fat induced free radicals causes dysfunction in the little powerplants within our muscle cells, which causes an increase in free production and impairment of insulin signaling.” Could you clarify how the free radicals induced by saturated fats affect the mitochondria of muscle cells? Is it just muscle cells that have impaired mitochondria due to sat fats? And how then does impaired mitochondria lead to an increase in free radicals and impairment of insulin signaling? I’m trying to understand what is going on within the body. Thanks for your wisdom.On the final point you raise in this post, I like to keep an eye on the Retraction Watch website, led by NYU’s Dr. Ivan Oransky. http://retractionwatch.com/about/Good point. I think we’ve pretty much figured out that it’s possible to fix the “facts” around the agenda (Iraq).Maybe you want to look here:http://plantpositive.com/PlantPositive do not specifically talk about Dr Mercola claims, but Paleo’s arguments about cholesterol and other issues that in some ways are similar (Dr Mercola is a cholesterol denialist just as Paleo).Hello dear people! As always, when I have a question about nutrition I run to this awesome forum here on NutritionFatcs and to the great minds that hang out here. The question is: I know that real published research about treatment (not prevention) of cancer with a plant-based diet is still scarce (maybe because the corporations that have the money to found this kind of study don’t want to know about a cheap way to win the “war” on cancer), however I wanna know what are your opinions about this topic.Dean Ornish published research demonstrating that a WFPB diet can reverse prostate cancer. Dr. Ornish was working with men that had opted to take a “wait and see” approach, which is pretty common for prostate cancer as it is usually very slow growing and often benign. Many states have laws prohibiting the treatment of cancer with anything other than conventional therapies (surgery, radiation etc) so it has been difficult to set up clinical trials for nutrition. To be fair, if those laws didn’t exist every quack in the country would claim that they could cure cancer with a variety of non-effective treatments and many people would die unnecessarily (although many people are being injured from conventional therapies). I personally know of several people that have reversed prostate and breast cancer with various forms of a plant based diet.Yes, I already knew about the Ornish study on prostate cancer and I am excited to see the final results! Thank you for the reply masobel! I agree with your personal view, however I think in terms of plant based diet, there are already so much amazing results in health care, that we could do more research on cancer, but as I heard, is really expensive to do without fundings from governments and others institutions.I wonder about a few questions in regard to success treating or working with cancer, when it comes to fruit. I have been to the Optimum Health Institute, and there, if someone is suffering from, or recovering from, cancer, they have them on a strict, raw, vegetable diet, without any fruit. Their explanation is that cancer grows in a sugar environment. (don’t even get me started about the misunderstanding of “sugar” and fruit.) Dr. Greger’s view is that fruit (particularly berries like blueberries) are so high in antioxidants that they are a powerhouse against cancer.My feeling is that leaving out berries and fruit is a flawed concept when battling cancer. Also, vegetables are great, but there are many problems with eating only raw vegetables, without any fats (except they (OHI) give you an occasional chunk of Avocado) which help you absorb the actual nutrients from the veggies. So you may be getting a ton of fiber from all those raw vegetables, and stuff is moving through your system and cleaning out your colon and other parts, but you aren’t getting the health benefits of them, nor of any high antioxidant fruits. Plus I haven’t ever seen a single berry served there, it is always melon or citrus.I know this is a complex subject, but I still find it problematic that so many places tell you they have “the answer” when it comes to health, healing, and food, yet they are just readjustments to fit their own theory, and not necessarily backed by much science.OHI pushes Colonics like it is THE answer to all of life’s ills, yet I do not agree one bit. I believe the body is a master at cleaning and ridding itself of problematic items, in its own time and way, and inserting some foreign object into your body and then shooting water up inside to “clean it out” like we are a giant metal oil drum, is just the most insane idea. And never has it been proven, or even supported by science that colonics help or do anything positive.There’s also research showing that many polyphenols in berries (and other fruits) actually slow down the blood sugar surge you get after eating. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2871121/ That would mean berries make a healthy dessert, eh? https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/anti-cancer-strategies-3-better-ways-of-eating-berries/In the video Dr. Greger mentions that palmitic and stearic acid increase insulin resistance more than other fatty acids. While meat, dairy and eggs are high in these saturated fats so is chocolate! Cocoa butter contains over 50% palmitic and stearic acid.Julie: re: chocolate/cocoa butter. That’s just such a serious bummer.Someones boyfriend just got re-evaluated and uprated! :):-) LOL!Cocoa powder good; chocolate bad.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/This is why cheese is EVIL!After finding Dr. Greger’s site I decided to go vegan except for cheese (I would eat those big frozen pizzas you cook yourself and microwave nachos all the time). I was eating more cheese than ever before since I replaced my meat with it. So my saturated fat consumption went up. But all my other foods were extremely healthy.Well my back pain got worst and my cardio got worst (sore muscles wouldn’t heal).Of course, I saw Dr. Greger’s video showing cheese to be the number one course of saturated fat and wanted to slap myself. And this one makes even more sense for my situation.Giving up meat was super easy (don’t miss it at all), but cheese is so hard! I crave it so much. :(Don’t be hard on yourself. Casein… the main protein in milk is converted to casomorphins and absorbed into the body. So many of my patients have alot of trouble with getting off dairy more so than meat. So in addition to being associated with a number of disorders see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/ including asthma see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/ the casomorphins in some respects act like an addictive substance.What about the opiates (or similar type stuff) in wheat? I am vegan, and am not bashing grains, but boy are there a lot of references out there regarding opiates in wheat. I’m going to assume you’ve read them if you also come across the one’s on dairy. And the addictive properties of grains, because of this. What do you think? Some people feel the mind-numbing subside when they get off wheat.I wasn’t aware of studies demonstrating that wheat products contain opiates or stimulate the release of endogenous opiates. I did a PubMed search and couldn’t come up with anything. That said, there are some interesting issues with wheat such as the industries use of spraying pesticides days before harvest to increase yield and of course processed wheat is very calorie dense. There are also some folks who don’t have celiac disease but don’t do well on wheat. Let me know if you have a citation.I know what you mean; cheese and yogurt seemed hard to give up :( but then I did, and my taste buds changed so I don’t crave it anymore and don’t miss it since I keep an abundance of whole plant foods around for easy consumption. Everything tastes cleaner and better now without cheese, even vegan cheese, on top :)Sometimes a Strick Vegan diet can also mean eating foods that are high in sugars: White foods like white rice, pasta, bread and even potatoes. Try to cut these out from your diet and if you cannot then at-least try to eat these foods a whole -grain products that also contain the fibre.Remember, sugar is found in most foods, whilst of-course, refined sugars are usually found in processed and industrialized foods that are not natural foods found in nature. Fruits do have sugar, but their sugar contents is very low (around 2-6%), except for bananas (18-20%) that has natural sugar. Try to eat foods that contain high amounts of fibre with sugar and i presonally never peel the skins of fruits (apples, pears, peaches, etc). the skins of fruits contain the highest amounts of nutrients and antixoidants, including dietary fibre.Remember, at Michael greger said ” Saturated fat, refined fats and refined sugars are the real enemies towards diabetes and the risk of heart disease, etc.Also remenber that not all people are the same, as some are more resilient to disease than others and some persons have lower/highter LDL receptors than others, that may being forth the risk of atherosclerosis and plague formation.I hope you would hire Darryl if he appliesI’ve had this discussion before on this blog. There are still reports about exercise at a high level being counter productive, such as this one. http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleID=2108914 I think it is IF the person is eating a lot of saturated and trans fats and refined carbs, because as stated on the video about Paleo diets and exercise http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/, any bad diet, including the Paleo diet can negate the positive effects of exercise. I lost a lot of weight by exercising a lot by bicycling, but since going into weight maintenance close to 5 years ago, have increasingly become plant based while continuing to exercise everyday. I lost even more weight, my LDL went down even further and my glucose levels, even though normal, have gone down even more. I wonder if these studies that purportedly show how harmful a lot of exercise is really control for DIET. I would bet those who eat a whole foods plant based diet (a la Scott Jurek) don’t show any deleterious effects from doing a lot of exercise. Darryl mentioned O’ Keefe, who is a Paleo advocate who even stated that exercise causes plaque buildup in arteries. It is HIS HIGH ANIMAL FAT diet that causes the plaque build up. The exercise just cannot overcome the ill effects of the diet that he advocates and is himself on. If a person eats a lot of animal fat, the exercise by itself won’t clean out the arteries. And because the clogged arteries make the heart have to work harder, then a lot of exercise can become unhealthy. Exercise can also help reduce insulin resistance, but it can’t totally overcome the effects of a high animal fat diet.I’m eating mostly vegan, only occasional cheese or egg that might be in something. I do eat a lot of coconut. Is the saturated fat in coconut as bad as the saturated fat in animal products?Hi Pat, there are some other helpful videos on this site which you might want to check out. In this video Dr. Greger gives a great summary of some of the recent studies on coconut oil, which seems to be as harmful as other saturated fats on our arteries. The one difference may be that a single meal with coconut oil does not have the same immediate inflammatory effect as meat does, because this may be caused by factors other than saturated fat. Another video looks at coconut milk (which also has a harmful effect) and whole, flaked coconut which seems to be harmless in populations that eat a lot of whole coconut.The good news is you are already doing a lot to protect your health by eating a mostly plant-based diet and you can definitely pick up many more useful tips for optimizing your diet on this website!Dr. Greger. This is terribly confusing. There is a respected popular medical site, now run by Medscape: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/839360 which is confusing the public with articles claiming that the jury is still out with regards to saturated fat. It goes so far to claim milk fat is protective. As a lay person, I can only do so much to clarify this obfuscation. All of your painstaking research can be blunted and set back in terms of public education unless you respond to these outlets of doubt.Last fasting blood sugar was 83 – yet I eat meat, eggs and dairy.Doesn’t sound like you are diabetic.No – but everyone here says my diet should raise my fasting glucose and A1CGenetics plays a role. So does the aging process. My mother didn’t become pre-diabetic until her 70’s, my father, never, while my 30 year-old son already is. As I understand it, insulin resistance builds up over time as one constantly assaults the body with sugar and fat in the Western diet. I think Dr. Greger explains it pretty well.Well – I don’e eat a standard western diet. All my meat is purchased at local farms – grass fed/finished. Drink raw goat milk, goat milk kefir, duck eggs, nuts, seeds, fruit, etc.Sounds like you’re in pretty good shape compared to the rest of us on western diets. One of the messages from this site is that if you do eat lots of plants, many of the deleterious effects of eating animal products can be blunted. There are the ethical and environmental sides – such as buying meat from local farms is not possible to sustain if everyone did it. And killing animals for our pleasure is difficult to justify. But this is a health-focused site…And I’ll be 61 in JulyGot you beat! 66 in March :-) I’m too busy discovering incredible new plant-based dishes to miss meat and dairy.Genetics don’t play a roll in blood sugar unless your pre-disposed to diabetes due to your insulin receptors being partially resistant due to your parents (if that’s even possible).Insulin receptors get resistant over time due to the constant flood of insulin in the body. This is in response to foods that get converted to glucose quickly like sugar. We know carbs convert quickly, so obviously using common sense, carb foods like grains are the issue.Yes, some folks are more susceptible than others. From what I’ve read here and elsewhere, insulin resistance is due to the blocking of the transfer of sugar into the cells by the presence of fat in the cells despite the presence of insulin. I suppose if one overeats with too many calories from any source, protein, carbs and especially saturated fat to the point of adding body fat, this would lead to insulin resistance. So you need to support your claim that carb foods are the issue. Its pretty easy to look up – Wikipedia for starts.Maybe it doesn’t raise it because you are eating very little sugar. However, when a person eats a lot of saturated fat, as you do, any sugar that you eat will raise your blood sugar more than it would otherwise and your body will become less able to handle it. Jimmy Moore (a famous low carber) is on a high saturated fat, high cholesterol diet and he is very insulin resistant. He even gets a bad reaction to spinach. If a person doesn’t eat carbs, glucose intolerance isn’t an issue temporarily. Possibly many low carbers are opposed to grains, because they eat so much saturated fat, that they become more glucose intolerant and unable to handle the grains.You are correct, his fasting blood glucose is lower because he eats little sugar (imagine that). Our bodies were also not meant to handle grains. Experts have already said it would take our bodies millions upon millions of years to evolve to eat grains and sadly we are no where even close to that yet.In regards to Jimmy Moore, Cortisol. It also manifests itself as insulin resistance. Instead of me going into that, look it up yourself, it’s quite interesting. It’s what the body secretes in response to stress.Prehistoric man did not become a serious meat-eater until the invention of weapons for hunting. The ability to “handle” grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables existed prior to that.The largest source of saturated fats are the tropical fats: palm, palm kernel, coconut. The FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 91, “Fats and Fatty Acids in human nutrition”, report of an expert consultation held in Geneva, 10-14 November 2008 (published in 2010, available online: http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/nutrientrequirements/fatsandfattyacids_humannutrition/en/), shows that three fatty acids are atherogenic: lauric, myristic and palmitc (12, 14 and 16 carbon atoms, respectively) and that lauric is the most effective in raising blood cholesterol. Now, palm kernel and coconut fats are about 70% atherogenic fatty acids (about 45% lauric), while palm is 43% (mainly palmitic). This is more than any animal food. We should avoid also these (widely used by the industry), albeit they are of plant origin. I have one question, though. While the atherogenic effect of lauric and myristic acid is proved, do we have studies about their effect on the blood sugar, as it is for the palmitic acid? Also, stearic acid is rather neutral from the atherogenic viewpoint, while it seems to have a negative impact of blood sugar. A bad news for chocolate lovers, then?You guys should look into the blood viscosity theory of cardiovascular disease. It answers the question why everything seems to be a cofactor in heart disease, but nothing seems to be the single factor. Its because everything alters the viscosity of the blood. Everything IS a cofactor. If you have chronic elevated viscosity, over time the arteries are stressed and toughen up. As to the debate between vegetarian high carb and low carbers. Its obvious at this point that the body can utilize carbs efficiently or fats efficiently, but struggles when fat and carbs are eaten in high amounts together. The blood fills up with fat AND sugar, becomes toxic. But this also seems to be the combination that gives you that High after you eat. Think about it… a baked potato is good by itself. Cheese n butter is ok by itself I guess. But a baked potato doused in cheese n butter? Eyes roll up in the head good. Foodgasm. You get a high from eating it. And in nature, what animal ever eats carbs and animal fat simultaneously? Milk is the only thing I can think of. So is a low carb diet just as good as a vegetarian diet? Nope. Totally unsustainable over the long term. Works great in the short term but lack of fiber n nutrients will eventually destroy you. As to the vegans and vegetarians. Same thing. Occasional animal fat and meat is extremely healthy. And so many lifelong vegans have had to just stop due to the exact same health problems surfacing. And why are any of us still so confused about what we should be eating? The largest ‘study’ in human history has already been done proving what the best diet is. Its called JAPAN. Where they have amazingly low rates of cardiovascular disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis, obesity, skin problems…. you name it. Everything they eat seems to thin the blood. natton, veggies, ginger… And they eat a high carb mostly vegetarian diet, but also with healthy animal proteins and meats. I always hear about the Mediterranean diet. What about the Japanese?Richard: I just want to add one other option that I did not see mentioned here — FASTING. Done properly it is AMAZING for overcoming insulin resistance. It can clear out the receptors and literally “reboot” your system — in a fraction of the time it would otherwise take if you just ate optimally. You can read Joel Fuhrman’s book on this, “Fasting and Eating for Health.” to get a great introduction. Then I would encourage you to visit True North Health Clinic http://www.healthpromoting.com If you go to their website and fill out the intake information, you can then have a free phone consultation with the director and he will answer all your questions and together figure out if their program would be helpful to you. I’ve sent many people to them — but they have not encouraged all of them to come — but those that they have, had amazing results. They are also quite affordable too. I think the cost is about 150/day which covers the basic program (lodging, food, consults, educational program) Your wife can go with you and just eat their health-promoting diet and take the cooking and exercise classes (included).What about the difference in odd-chain (found in dairy) and even-chain saturated fat (formed by de nova lipogenesis in response to for example alcohol). Apparently the odd-chain have an inverse association with Type 2 diabetes in contrast with even-chain ones. This would explain why dairy is not associated with diabetes at all.“With its varying dairy products intake, the EPIC-InterAct study reported that intake of total dairy products, or of milk, was not related to future diabetes risk, but the consumption of combined fermented dairy products (yoghurt; cheese; thick fermented milk) was associated with a reduced risk of incident diabetes (HR 0.88, 95 % CI 0.78, 0.99) [21].”http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/310/art%253A10.1007%252Fs13668-014-0098-y.pdf?auth66=1424596189_073a1d6af601657d8d8b76d511e58f65&ext=.pdfEspecially yoghurt seems to have a inverse association.I guess I knew this series had to be too good to be true. I find it disappointing to see this third video promoting unsaturated fat, relying on a “study” using indirect metrics and loosely controlled control groups. By far, the best test subject for insulin resistance is a Type-1 diabetic. The only difference between a Type-1 diabetic and everyone else is the inability to make their own insulin. This makes their metabolism control open-loop, which means all of their insulin must be injected and so is directly metered. The Type-1 diabetic also must test their blood-sugar in order to calculate their required insulin dose making the ratio between blood-insulin and blood-sugar a direct metric – without a functioning pancreas dulling the results. In all my years of 24-7 direct measure experience as a Type-1 diabetic, I have never, ever experienced any fat, even avocado, that did not elevate my insulin resistance and certainly has never reduced it.What about Coconut Oil saturated fat? Same effect?Could fat buildup in the muscle cells, thus increased Insulin resistance be a causation for elevated triglyceride levels in people switching from a standard american diet to a Vegan diet high in fruit? I.E. would the increased insulin resistance lead to excess calories in the blood that the liver would be changing to triglycerides? Thus you could have low cholesterol from a low fat, high carb diet, but still have high triglycerides?I agree! But I have a friend with Type 1 diabetes who swears that low carb high fat diet makes it easier to control her blood sugar. Can this be true?? Seems like it can’t be healthy. She says her cholesterol is low and her LDL. Any thoughts?Could be. Depends on her overall diet make-up. A low-carb plant-based diet has been shown to be helpful for those with high blood lipids, but perhaps as Dr. Greger explains the source of macronutrients may be most important.Lies. Sat fat does not raise blood sugar. Don’t listen to Big Pharma’s lies. Carbs are the culprits.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7270479?dopt=AbstractI posted this link to another video as well looking for feedback.Thanks for sharing the study. Not sure what kind of feedback you are looking for? I don’t think this study from 1981 is reason to change saturated fat requirements for Americans or other countries with high risk of heart disease. Similarly, in the Marshall Islands where folks ate more calories from fat they did not have more risk of disease. However, now their diets are so filled with added sugars, trans fats, and sat fats that their levels of type 2 diabetes are skyrocketing at alarming rates.Thanks. It seems the refined carbohydrates are the likely culprits to the diseases.“The association between fat and insulin resistance is highly accepted” no it isn’t. Scientists have been trying to prove this for 60 years and have been unsuccessful. Every single study that tried to prove this went unpublished because the researchers were displeased with the results. Furthermore, those who funded the research (corporations) refused to do comparison tests to show that sugary and high carb foods are associated with it.“Saturated fats cause insulin resistance whereas unsaturated fats improve insulin sensitivity”????? How old is this video? I mean come on. This is such a crock.Fats have little to no effect on insulin, while protein foods have a moderate effect because it’s needed to drive amino acids into the muscles. Carbs have a much larger effect on insulin depending on what type you consume. Simple carbs spike it while complex carbs are a bit slower. Fats blunt the insulin response just as proteins do, and that is exactly why all the SUCCESSFUL weight loss diets out there choose a paleo approach that combines CARBS with PROTEIN foods to minimize the insulin response. The protein foods always contain some saturated fats in them for that very purpose.It is still very hard to believe that some doctors to this day still try to lay out this garbage on the populace. Even most run of the mill doctors now (ones you’d expect to follow the food pyramid) tell people saturated fats are ESSENTIAL to create the right hormone balance in the body for weight loss.Saturated fat does not raise blood sugar the way a carbohydrate does. Glucose enters the blood stream thus increasing blood sugar. So obviously foods with more sugar in them or those that get converted more rapidly (like carbs as everyone will agree), create a much larger blood sugar spike.Now the problem with videos like this is it gives false information & doesn’t cover side effects. You see, the body’s primary source of fuel is fat, that is why we store so much of it. If carbs were are primary source, we’d store more of it than fat, but we don’t. The average 185lb male only holds about 225-250 grams of total carbs (70 in the liver and rest in the muscles).Now the body has a natural tendency to want to stay in balance, this means if it’s lacking in one area, it will use something from another to compensate. What this means is if you deprive your body of fat it will think it’s starving itself and the end result is your body will not burn off fat but choose protein instead. It’s not as simple as just eliminating one nutrient to prevent it’s storage. The body is a complex structure that constantly struggles to maintain homeostasis.What this ultimately means is you cannot starve your body of fat, otherwise it won’t burn it’s primary fuel source (fat). You can’t starve your body of protein because it needs it for it’s muscles and organs. Your body in fact doesn’t need carbs, only your brain requires a bit of glucose and it can take that from your fat stores because your body can indeed convert fat into glucose.My understanding had been that, regarding atherogenicity (clogging arteries), stearic acid -18- had been given a pass (but not lauric -12-, myristic -14-, and palmitic -16) . Even if that is true, I now see that stearic acid does not get a pass for type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. Is that correct?On a related matter; it is my understanding that, when faced with excess dietary carbohydrates and protein, the body synthesizes it into stearic acid for storage. True? If true, it’s another good reason not to eat too much.How about coconut oil? Where does that fit into the good- bad spectrum since it is saturated fat?k	animal fat,autoimmune diseases,avocados,blood sugar,cancer,cardiovascular disease,carnitine palmitoyl transferase,ceramide,chronic diseases,dairy,diabetes,diacylglycerol,eggs,fat,fruit,heart disease,hydrogenated fats,inflammation,insulin,lipotoxicity,meat,milk,monounsaturated fats,mortality,muscle health,nuts,olives,omnivores,oxidative stress,pancreas health,plant-based diets,prediabetes,saturated fat,trans fats,vegans,vegetable oil,vegetarians,weight loss	The reason those eating plant-based diets have less fat buildup in their muscle cells and less insulin resistance may be because saturated fats appear to impair blood sugar control the most.	This is the third of a 3-part series, starting with What Causes Insulin Resistance? and The Spillover Effect Links Obesity to Diabetes. I wish I could have fit it all into one video, but it would have just been too long.Even if saturated fat wasn’t associated with heart disease, the effects on pancreatic function and insulin resistance in the muscles would be enough to avoid it. Despite popular press accounts, saturated fat intake remains the primary modifiable determinant of LDL cholesterol, the #1 risk factor for our #1 killer heart disease. See The Saturated Fat Studies: Buttering Up the Public and The Saturated Fat Studies: Set Up to Fail.How low should we shoot for in terms of saturated fat intake? As low as possible, according to the U.S. National Academies of Science Institute of Medicine: Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avocados/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carnitinepalmitoyltransferase/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diacylglycerol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hydrogenated-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lipotoxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/monounsaturated-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ceramide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17346204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18772587,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11317662,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23509418,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15523486,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15983191,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19646010,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24149445,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22385956,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22360800,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23778318,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10426379,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18460913,
PLAIN-2486	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/	The Spillover Effect Links Obesity to Diabetes	Free fatty acids, meaning free fat circulating in the bloodstream not packaged into triglycerides, result in inflammation, toxic fat breakdown products, oxidative stress, which can gum up the insulin receptor pathway and lead to insulin resistance in our muscles. And insulin resistance is what causes prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.As the level of fat in the blood rises the body’s ability to clear sugar from the blood drops. Where does this fat in our blood that's wreaking all this havoc come from? It comes from the fat that we eat and from the fat that we wear.The number of fat cells we have stays constant in adulthood. It’s interesting, the way they figured that out is by measuring the amount of radioactive carbon trapped in our DNA from all the nuclear bomb tests. Anyway, after massive weight loss, our fat cells shrink as they offload fat, but the number stays the same. Conversely, when we gain weight, our fat cells just stretch as we pack more and more into each individual fat cell. So when our belly, butt or thighs get big we’re not adding more fat cells we’re just cramming more fat into each cell. At a certain point our cells become so bloated that they spill fat back into the bloodstream.This is an illustration of the so-called spillover effect. Not only does an obese person have more fat, but they’re constantly spilling that fat into their bloodstream. So that could be the link between obesity and diabetes. Fat is spilling out from our fat cells and gets lodged in our muscle cells, leading to the insulin resistance that promotes the onset of type 2 diabetes.Or the fat can enter our bloodstream through our mouth. If you put people on a low carb diet, fat builds up in their muscle within two hours, compared to a low fat diet, and insulin sensitivity drops. And the more fat in the muscle, the lower the ability to clear sugar from the blood. It doesn’t take years for this to happen, just hours after these foods go into our mouths. A fat-rich diet can increase fat in the blood and this increase is accompanied by a decrease in insulin sensitivity.Studies clearly demonstrate that fat in the blood directly inhibit glucose transport and usage in our muscles, which is responsible for clearing about 85% of the glucose out of blood. These findings also indicate an important role of nutrition, particularly increased consumption of fat, for the development of insulin resistance.Normally we only have 1 to 500 micromoles of free fat floating around in our blood stream at any one time, but those who are obese are constantly spilling fat out into their bloodstream. But we can reach those same levels in our blood eating a high fat diet. So a skinny person eating a low carb diet can have the same level of fat in their blood that obese people do. Similarly being obese is like eating some horrible bacon and butter diet all day, because obese persons are constantly spilling fat into their bloodstream no matter what goes in their mouth.	Never heard of the spillover effect. Sounds like a detoxing mechanism if you combine it with the bile cycle.Let us know when/if you’ve watched the video or read the transcript.Bucket 1 is still spilling isn’t it?“Energy balance” by definition means that some fat will come out of the fat cells over the course of time: exactly as much as goes in, in fact. This isn’t necessarily the poorly-regulated ‘spilling’ that you see in Bucket 2.So tell us the story of fat soluble pollutants and their fate please.You first. What’s the problem that you are identifying with the accumulation of pollutants in fat tissue? Do the fat cells suddenly get sick and burst when the levels of pollutants are too high, or what?I’m going to watch a movie or something, have a pleasant evening.Heh. I’m just looking for a good way to say that I’m not offended; that I understand about the difficulty of managing trains; and that taking a break and coming to a different conclusion is the sort of courage that the world needs, especially in people who take the time to advocate for what they believe to be right.Why thank dear Sir, for this most generous of compliments! Please allow me to return in kind, I am much obliged for your magnanimity. I bid you a good night, it was a pleasure! http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1rszfz7Kv1r5gvu2.jpg (male curtsey ;)I think your question is regarding fat-soluble pollutants, like PCBs. Would the spillout effect help the body rid itself of any fat-soluble pollutants we have acquired over our lifetimes? My thought is, the fat cells would need some sort of transport mechanism to get the pollutant out of its cells. Vitamin D is also fat-soluble, and can get depleted, but can other toxins get transported out of the fat cell? I think it may depend on many factors, including the shape of the pollutant. Looking at whales, their blubber has high levels of PCBs, sometimes at such high levels that their bodies are considered hazardous waste when they die. They are bio-accumulating these toxins by eating fish, which also bio-accumulate. I am not an expert in this area of toxin accumulation in fat cells, so I can only speculate whether a detoxifying process exists in humans. In the absence of this knowledge, prevention would seem a logical place to start. I would also wonder if the free fatty acids might be containing toxins, and if so, whether these are absorbed into the muscle cells.Hello, let me jump in here with some personal data. Several years ago, at age 51 and overweight at 235 lbs, I learned a method of juice fasting – about 400 calories per day of fruit and vegetable juice along with a home made vegetable broth. My first fast I went for 68 days! Seriously, it wasn’t that hard just very boring. Essentially it was a high fat diet (living on appetite suppressing keytones) consuming my own stored fat – and what ever accumulated fat soluble chemicals they held. About two weeks into the fast I developed a rash across my back and shoulders that eventually became painful like a bad sunburn. This rash gradually subsided and by the end of the fast it had mostly cleared up. I didn’t think a great deal about it until I repeated the fast a year later (yes, I’m a slow learner and regained most of the weight I had lost by returning to using dairy and oils.) But during the second fast, again dropping around 50 pounds of body fat, but that time, there was NO rash – none at all as my skin stayed perfectly normal. In hindsight, I decided that the rash during the first fast was caused by the life time accumulation of fat soluble chemicals being released to my bloodstream and being expelled via my skin. Even though I regained the weight, it was over a shorter period and accumulated less fat soluble chemicals, so the second fast my skin stayed clear. Actually, I repeated that cycle several times (very slow learner) and my skin always stayed clear on subsequent fasts. Only the first one resulted in the bad rash. I noticed no other side effects of shedding those chemicals – at least none I was aware of. Yes, it was a “toxic load” but not nearly as serious a fear as people describe. I don’t know what harm those “toxins” might have done had the remained, if any, but I’m glad they are gone. I will note that I’ve consumed a pretty clean and sometimes organic diet for the latter half of my adult life prior to the fast. A different diet with more fat laden foods might be considerably worse. I’m convinced that the only valid way to remove these chemicals is to consume and metabolize all ones body fat. Without causing the fat cells to release ALL their stored fat, I doubt the chemicals would ever come out – regardless of how much one spends for “detoxing” products or procedures. Simple message – if you want to lose fat soluble chemicals, lose the fat.So what are you doing now now to regain the weight? Have you ever thought using a smart phone app like Lose it, or my fitness pal?James, Luckily I learned to give up dairy and oil several years ago and no longer regain the weight. 100% whole food starch centered diet as described by Dr. John McDougall – did the trick for me.So no flax seed oil or olive oil either? So what would a typical lunch or dinner look like for you. ThanksI started today with a large (170g dry weight) bowl of oatmeal with maybe 15 to 20g of lightly ground flax seeds, and soymilk. Lunch was a large plate of shredded red and green cabbage with a homemade dressing, a couple of carrots, followed by an apple then a few raisins. Yesterday, I made a large batch of an FOK recipe – Spinach-Potato Tacos (http://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/spinach-potato-tacos/). We will have that filling again tonight with home made corn tortillas. I’ll probably have frozen blueberries with soymilk for desert. I tend to eat very starch centered meals for breakfast and dinner, and concentrate on vegetables for lunch. I never use any extracted oils. All the essential fats I need are right there in the food.Can eating sugary foods result in these sugars being turned into fat in the bloodstream, even in the absence of eating fatty foods? I think i’ve read that some junk food carbs that are void of fat actually create a fatty profile in the blood. True?Yes. De novo lipogenesis occurs in the liver and fat tissue, producing some of the more hazardous fatty acids (for insulin resistance) like palmitate and stearate. However, avoiding both dietary saturated fats and obesity may offer results like this.Can improper or faulty digestion of FODMAP fruits and other carbs, if in eaten in too large quantity, create lipogenesis?On the contrary, some FODMAPS like inulin have been investigated for potential benefits in preventing high-fat diet induced diabetes and associated inflammation (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), primarily through their role as prebiotics. FODMAP content may account for some benefits of whole grains and some vegetables in reducing diabetes risk.Darryl While you absolutely correct about Vegetarians having lower risk of Diabetes compared to Nonvegans but there risk is still higher than Vegans.In India where majority of population is Vegetarian the incidence of diabetes is still rising rapidly because of high intake dairy products especially butter and gheeWhat about the high-fructose-corn-syrup many of us have been eating for years … is there a different more dangerous type of fat involved in the digestion of HFCS? Or the different types of fat, i.e. hydrogenated or trans-fats? I seem to recall Dr. Lustig talking about the different routes different sugars take in the body to be digested?re: HFCS; Thats only a problem in America, most of the rest of the world consume only a fraction of the amount Americans consume.Thanks for writing all Americans off. That is a typical Internet thoughtless comment.No one writes anyone off. Simply, food companies in USA tend to use high fructose corn syrup. For example here in Europe many companies use fructose glucose syrup instead and even classic sugar (from beets)In some recent studies, it was shown that it’s not high fructose corn syrup that causes obesity but just the excess amount of sugar we consume throughout the day. Unfortunately, any type of sugar is digested the same way and absorbed the same way in the liver. This causes the storage of fat in our bodies. We can’t particularly blame HFCS even though it is so prevalent in food products.Yes. Your body converts any excess sugar to fat in the liver. This is also why non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is on the rise. Many people eat so much sugar, the liver doesn’t know what to do with it and causes excess storage of the fat in the tissues and organs of our body.there was no mention of the types of fat. So should I stop taking fish oil? Should I stop eating coconut oil? Dr. Atkins is turning over in his grave.There are a number off videos here that reference the high saturated fat content of coconut butter and that it should not be eaten. You can search it within this site and you’ll get a good selection of info. But the short answer is, put it in the garbage, not in your mouth.I have heard that coconut oil and cocoa butter, even though they are both high in saturated fat, could be good on one’s skin or face. So maybe instead of eating these, just put them on our skin. I have used cocoa butter as a hand moisturizer for years.I’ve thought of using it for that but read that any natural oils on the skin creates an environment for bad bacteria to grow. What’s been your experience?I’ve had very positive effects with coconut oil and matcha green tea power. Google green tea coconut oil. I used matcha tea since it was the highest antioxidant until Greger posted the video on Hibiscus. I microwave the coconut oil until it starts to melt. Then I stir in matcha green tea powder. When it cools, it’s like a bar of soap. I use it on my face and hand when I get out of the shower. http://healthimpactnews.com/2012/coconut-oil-for-skin-health/I looked at that site you link and it did seem a bit paleolithic, as it denies the lipid hypothesis. Actually, I got the idea of using coconut oil on skin or hair because of what a coworker of Neal Barnard stated in a comment on Huffington Post. And she actually got the idea from Caldwell Esselstyn!!! I have hardly ever used coconut oil in any way, but cocoa butter as a hand moisturizer for years.Mark G: I can’t speak to the concept of oils on skin creating an environment for bad bacteria to grow from scientific perspective. But I can share that lots of people use a combination of coconut oil and baking soda as a natural deodorant. I can say from personal experience that it works pretty good. In other words, it seems to do a pretty good job of preventing stinky bacteria from growing. I’m thinking that “stinky bacteria” is not what you were referring to when you said “bad”. However, I would think that if the oil allowed “bad” bacteria to grow that people would be reporting problems with using this natural deodorant, and I haven’t heard anything like that. Again, it’s not scientific, but it gives you something to think about.Hi Thea!Maybe it’s due to the stong effect of baking soda against “smelling bacteria”. Personnally, I use baking soda alone. A pinch under the moist armpit after the shower, ( both sides!) and that’s it- no need of oil!Brigitte: I think you are right in terms of the main active ingredient. On the other hand, I have heard that coconut oil has some anti-bacterial properties. If true, then the coconut oil might play a small part in addition to the baking soda. Just a thought.That’s very interesting how you go straight for the baking soda. Thanks for sharing.Just like Charzie said I also find the use of coconut oil as a skin moisturiser (body, face and hair) excellent. I’ve been using it for years now and love it.I’ve also used it as a nappy/diaper cream instead of the standard mineral based ones for my three children and it’s worked brilliantly. Only when they are teething have we had to resort to a “stronger” non-mineral based one that has zinc in it and some natural herbal extracts to aid healing and enhance the barrier protection.My wife doesn’t use the coconut oil herself though as she’s not overly keen on the smell (personally I love it) and also I think ladies would need to use it more sparingly on the face as it can give an oily/shiny appearance which is an undesirable look to have so I am informed.I also use it as a sunscreen and it works well. Only if I am out for a long time in the summer and at peak sun strength would I use specific sunscreen. But then I do live in Northern Ireland, UK, so hot sunny days are sadly quite rare lol.I am extremely sensitive to odors (migraines) but need to use coconut oil on my cats skin issues and mine. Found a brand “refined from the meat of mature coconuts so there is no coconut flavor or aroma”. It works for me.I have had lots of issues in the past with commercial moisturizers that cause me to have breakouts on my face. Even as I need some moisturizing of my (unwelcome geriatric 62 y o) complexion, the tradeoff wasn’t worth it. I heard about some positive results with coconut oil from a few sources and gave it a try, and was very pleased! No breakouts either! What people seem to forget is the moisture for your skin does NOT come from the oil, it comes from plain old WATER! You have to hydrate your skin well first, (both internally and externally!) and then apply the oil to form a barrier to prevent that water from evaporating. Best to apply the oil straight out of a hot shower, but some people either splash water on their face and wait a few for it to hydrate, lean over a light steam source, or just incorporate the water into the oil like most commercial products do. Living in FL as I do, coconut oil will often become semi-liquid at room temps, so I never try to mix it with water or it will just separate, but maybe it’s the binders in commercial products that cause me issues, who knows? Who cares, simple is better, I have a great solution that works for me!You can mix coconut oil with olive oil to get a texture wich is more “lotion like” at room temperature (~20° C) makeing it easier to apply it on the skin – especially in winter time or in places where indoor temperaturs seldom reaches more than ~20° C (like in my native Scandinavia).However, I have been wondering about if there might be potential side effects from using coconut oil on your skin since some preliminary studies suggest that fatty acids can be absorbed through the skin:http://medind.nic.in/ibv/t05/i3/ibvt05i3p255.pdf http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/4784/can-the-human-body-absorb-calories-through-the-skin http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v21/n1/full/jid195367a.html(skin absorbtion or skin metabolism might be a cool subject for a video.)Hey, according to Neal Barnard Coconut oil is good for waxing your car! :)I have found personally that it helps me to heal mouth ulcers by swishing it around and spitting it out. :)Or maybe hide it in the bedroom? https://glowingolder.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/sex-lubes-a-tantric-oil/There hasn’t been a human trial, but high coconut oil diets appear to impair insulin sensitivity in rats, (more rats), hamsters, and rabbits.>> high coconut oil diets appear to impair insulin sensitivityWhat does that mean?I think he was saying that diets that include a large amount of coconut oil seem to increase insulin resistance. It seems like everyone in my neck of the woods is going all out for cocoanut oil but I’ve never seen any good science on it. Where did this idea come from I wonder?The coconut oil industry? ;)Yeah, coconut oil just magically appears on supermarket shelves, there is not anyone who grows it, processes it, markets it and sells it and tries to think of reasons to tell other people to buy more of it. … none of that.Maybe I should just wait for the next video, but it sounds like the focus will be coconut OIL when my question is about WHOLE coconut, the food. I don’t use free oils as a rule, except for the occasional drops of flavoring oils, so I get any fats from the whole food that they are native to. I have mostly avoided whole coconut because of the associated negative press regarding it’s saturated fat content, (a concept I am still struggling to comprehend satisfactorily), specifically of it’s oil or “milk”, but I can’t find any info here about the WHOLE FOOD. I can’t help thinking that island and/or tropical people would have vanished long ago if eating coconuts as a staple was so unhealthy, (though I get that reproduction, good health, and longevity are related, yet separate, issues). Not that I would ever make it a staple, but I would at least like to be able to use some freshly grated coconut in my nonfat papaya muffins without feeling like I’m nullifying all the health benefits I am working to attain! I would really appreciate any feedback on this because I have so much respect for the knowledge and opinions of this group! TIA!The national dish of Malaysia, and popular in neighboring countries, is nasi lemak, rice cooked in coconut milk. Unfortunately, it impairs endothelial funtion as much as a McDonald’s meal.Many oceanic cultures consumed coconut in good cardiovascular health. However, this was usually as part of relatively low fat diets where taro and yams were staples and the lifestyle was strenuous. It seems that substituting coconut fats for other fats within a Western high-fat diet and sedentary lifestyle isn’t a step forward.So I guess if I wanted to grate some coconut into my muffins they should be taro or yam muffins, but I’d need to shimmy up the tall palm tree and snag a coconut and then run to the farm and harvest the taro or yams from the field, run back home with the ingredients … LOL!I’m an immigrant from southeast Asia. Where I come from coconut is not just a staple; it’s a way of life, a big part of culture. People use every part of the coconut tree for something necessary in life. People consider rice and coconut a gift from God. I’m sure my first meal of solid food contained coconut milk. I’m 56 now and have been consuming coconut products all my life. My coconut consumption has gone down since I moved to the US due to the unavailability of fresh coconut, but I still use coconut milk and oil in cooking regularly. I don’t have heart disease. Coconut hasn’t made me fat either (I could gain 20 lbs and would still be underweight) . By the way, rice cooked in coconut milk Darryl mentioned was my first solid-food meal – it is every baby’s. It’s the center of every celebration.You know, you made me think of a friend I had in high school who came here from Thailand if I’m remembering correctly, it was a long time ago! I loved to go to her family home because there always seemed to be a large bowl of coconut rice available, and it was delicious! They didn’t speak much English but would laugh and giggle at my obvious enjoyment of what they seemed to consider a staple. Her extended family including her great-great grandmother all lived together, and also enjoyed coconut regularly, so it does make me think. Thank you.I apply whole foods plant based to my choices of foods to ingest. So unsweetened shredded coconut meat is a whole food so where is the problem. Probably in dosage.jj, for better or worse, that is exactly the approach I have come to adopt. I am totally vegan and very basic in using food as it comes from nature, or with minimal processing, as in cooking or fermentation, and vary my selections as much as possible. I am trying not to stress too much over limited and occasional use of “questionable” foods like coconut, especially in context of what is passing as “food” on the plates of most people I know these days. The dramatic improvements in my health and weight speak volumes about why I need to just embrace the big picture and quit worrying about the fine print. (5 years ago I was a 300+ lb diabetic so I’m a bit jumpy sometimes.) And you are certainly on target with the dosage issue, a few tablespoons is certainly a whole different “animal” than a pound!Thanks Darryl. So, let’s apply the precautionary principle!That’s my next video–stay tuned!Dr. Atkins went to his grave very over weight and very ill. His diet certainly didn’t work for him. Look at vegan Docs who tell us about heart disease. Fit and thin and well!There is no nutritional need to consume oils of any types for the majority of the population (exceptions including athletes or those who are unable to consume adequate calories for medical or other reasons). In fact, the easiest way to decrease total fat intake is by minimizing or avoiding oils in the diet, since oils are processed, composed of 100 percent pure fat, and contain 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon and nearly 2000 calories and 216 grams of fat per cup. Healthy fats include the essential omega-3 and omega-6 fats from sources such as nuts, seeds, and soybeans as well as from monounsaturated fats found in olives and avocados. For more information on types of fats, see Good, Great, Bad, and Killer Fats and these other videos on specific types of fats.Much of the research that the high protein movement leans on is truly misleading. The videos posted below does an incredible job breaking down the information step by step!http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/Am I the only one that spent time trying to figure out what “belly-butter thighs” were?Well, what is it?We laughed at the way bellybutterfat rolled of Dr. Greger’s tongue!So, does that imply that even a vegan that ate lots of sweet things like fruit, along with say many carbs, and just too much in general could get to be overweight, be spilling fat and then get type-2 diabetes?Doesn’t diabetes means sugar in the urine? So, having lots of fat in your blood or whatever other process that happens in your body to keep one from processing sugar would keep that sugar in your system to be excreted in the urine, no?Any ideas as to the root cause of high blood pressure?http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/basics/causes/con-20019580Primary high blood pressure has no identifiable cause tends to develop gradually over many years. .Secondary hypertension, tends to appear suddenly and cause higher blood pressure than does primary hypertension. Various conditions and medications can lead to secondary hypertension, including: Kidney problems; Adrenal gland tumors; Thyroid problems; Certain defects in blood vessels you’re born with (congenital); Certain medications, such as birth control pills, cold remedies, decongestants, over-the-counter pain relievers and some prescription drugs; Illegal drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines; Alcohol abuse or chronic alcohol use; Obstructive sleep apnea.>> Primary high blood pressure has no identifiable cause tends to develop gradually over many years. . I’ve heard that … how can that be .. there must be something out of spec. when these people are studied, or something that changes over time to result in high blood pressure. This really bugs me (not your comment) that I have heard they say there is no reason for HPB.One interesting PBS Series I watched called “Unnatural Causes” (which everyone should watch by the way) talked about how the very social positions of people in society can effects on their health, even if they eat the same and live the same. I think they did statistical tests on British Civil Servants to determine this.I speculate that really our medical industry does no want people to understand how the social and economic system affects peoples bahavior, lives and health, as well as the amount the government has to spend on them because the people who runs things resist any kind of democratiation process.I figure someone knows or has good numbers and a good ideas as to what causes high blood pressure, and it is probably certain kinds of stress, and human beings are very susceptible to stress because our minds can induce stress that other animals might not every consider or be able to think about.Dr. Robert Sapolsky’s baboon studies really show this as he followed a baboon troop and took stress hormone samples from them at different times in their lives depending on what was going on.I think “no identifiable cause” really means it is something they just don’t understand yet.I understand this column is largely about food and nutrition, but now we’re discussing diabetes could you touch on regular “long exercise” and its effect on insulin resistance?Being fat = bad! Got it…I think a diet that encourages around 10% body fat is ideal. Dr. Esselstyn comments that his diet produces body fat of between 9-11% in his patients.I roll around about 15% and feel weak when I get lower. When I bloated over 20%, I felt fat and experienced slight health issues. I am thinking about just getting down and holding at around 12% to see what happens over the course of a year. Maybe the body adjusts over time.So when I was diabetic and weighed 300 lbs, that is certainly obese! How is it then, that in a matter of weeks on a WFPB diet, my blood sugars were virtually normal, when I had only lost maybe 15 lbs? I would image there would be “tons” of free fat circulating, so how do I conceptualize what was going on there? Anyone?Good basic diet choice. I applaud your efforts. My guess is that your dietary fat and overall macronutrient calories decreased significantly. This likely decreased your bodies need for higher levels of insulin. At the same time your body started to receive the micro-nutrients that it needed to better function. Also, this improvement in blood glucose does not mean that your insulin levels have returned to a normal (healthy) level. They could still be high. Only now your pancreas is able to keep up with the demand.For example, a newly diagnosed Type 2 may have 4 times the amount of insulin as a non-diabetic. He had “normal” blood sugars when his body only need 3 times the amount. Now that it needs 4 times it is unable to keep up with the demand.Positive changes in diet can quickly decrease the the demand. Our pancreas may still be called upon to produce extra, but now it is enough to keep our sugars closer to a “normal” reading.Thanks for the explanation! Since then (about 5 years ago) I have lost about 150 lbs total and would still like to lose more, but that is another chapter. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I, like many others, “dieted” my way up to that weight by following the standard dietary plan they used to hand out to every “chubby” in the Dr.’s office that told you to eat this not that and count and weigh and measure. Wrong, wrong and wrong. Lose 25, get tired of the unnatural and restrictive patterns and gain back 40, etc etc etc. Add into the mix all the non-food “diet” food that was pushed and you have a bunch of fat, undernourished, guilt-ridden, sick people, wondering what the hell happened! Of course there are also those who just don’t care too, but I think you’d be surprised at how many really do, and just don’t have a clue! I wish I learned how simple and effective WFPB eating was in my twenties instead of my sixties! “Forks over Knives” and the like should be mandatory viewing in every classroom, even just to plant the seed…pun intended. Dr Greger and his colleagues are truly the unsung heroes of the era! Thanks so much for all you do!!!Hey Doc, What about Systemic Candida. Whats the best cure. I hope you can help. Best regardsCandida is caused by an overgrowth of bad bacteria. Eating a whole foods, plant-based diet has been shown to boost good bacteria in the colon and saturated fats may increase the risk of bacterial vaginosis.One thing I hope someone can shed light on for me: so high fat in the diet causes insulin sensitivity to go down and blood sugar to go up.Yet, the diet that is taking South Africa by storm (largely because Dr Tim Noakes of University of Cape Town, Sports Nutrition) — the Banting Diet — which is basically a high fat medium protein low carb plan, causes people with Diabetes Type 2 to have their blood sugar IMPROVE. My sister is one of these and I don’t have much to counter her on because she is living it. She claims to have more energy, her diabetes is getting ‘better’ and she is losing weight.Now I am a firm believer in plant based eating instead – and I ALSO have a lot of weight to lose (although I am one of the ‘lucky’ overweight people not to have diabetes) – but I don’t know how to change her mind.Anyway, the question is, why DOES high fat ALSO seem to improve blood sugar?I have not seen any discussion of the omega-6/omega-3 ratio.You already had the answer. “She claims to have more energy, her diabetes is getting ‘better’ and she is losing weight.” Any diet that causes you to lose weight will improve diabetes to some degree. The problem is people can’t lose weight forever, and a diet that avoids carbohydrate (which is an unhealthy diet to begin with) doesn’t really fix the underlying problem of insulin sensitivity/resistance, it just avoids the issue. It’s like if you had a broken toilet and you hired a plumber to fix it, and the plumber claimed to have fixed the toilet but that you also can’t use the toilet anymore because his “fix” is that you just have to poop somewhere else instead. “The toilet won’t bother you anymore as long as you don’t use it. Problem solved.” Likewise, a diet that tries to fix a broken glucose metabolism by having you not eat glucose anymore isn’t a cure, just an unsustainable workaround.There is great article on this topic on Dr. McDougall’s site: https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2003nl/sep/030900proofpositivepf.htm The Banting Diet suppress appetite -> she is eating less calories -> she is losing weight -> her blood sugar improves, cholesterol drops, insulin sensitivity drops too. But these improvements are temporary.BTW, Dr. Tim Noakes has Type 2 diabetes and is taking metformin daily to control his blood sugar. He said that he has diabetes because of high carb diet which he followed earlier in life. Not because of his high fat diet for last 10, may be 20 years. :) Probably he should read Dr. Barnards works.When you first eat a high fat diet it clogs up up your cells ability to deal with blood sugar using insulin pathway, as described by Dr Greger. However, if you keep on with a high fat low carb diet your body learns to convert fatty acids into ketones, over a few weeks, and use this as fuel instead of glucose. Just like Tim Noakes’ Banting diet. The body can always manufacture all the carbohydrates it requires without having to eat it and your insulin stays low as a result. This means you can “cure” Type 2 Diabetes either way, just choose which you prefer. As to which is best for long term health I think the jury is still out!!This has a lot to do with how well our muscle Mitochondria is working to convert fatty acids into energy. Mitchondrial failure to drive the muscle must be looked at as a reality here. https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&gws_rd=ssl#q=+mitochondrial+failure+and+free+fatty+acid+driven+diabetes+why haven’t the videos been posted to youtube lately?:) thanks for all the great content!When watching this and similar videos, its sounds like diabetes is reversible. I hear different people stating this, but is this marketing for their products/books or is there real evidence. I know of Dr. Bernard’s works, Dr. Fuhrman, and Dr. McDougal, but these people sell their books/products. I think many people would really appreciate clarification on that.I am not a physician and there are volunteers on this site who are probably more qualified to speak to this issue, but my experience says yes you can reverse type 2 diabetes by changing your diet. I switched to a whole food plant based diet in September of last year and my body has been able to process insulin much better since that change. I still take a teaspoon of amla in the morning to keep my blood sugar low, and to gain the other health benefits of the plant, but this way of eating will reverse your type 2 diabetes. By the way, I’m still fat. I need to lose 50 pounds and I am losing weight, but very slowly. You don’t have to get thin before you see the benefits of this diet. It took only three days for me to start feeling the difference.DaMali: I think it depends on how you define “reversible”. If you define “reversible” as being able to get off type 2 medications and stopping the progression of the disease and where possible, reversing symptoms (it’s not always possible. For example, if you have a foot amputated, a good diet is not going to grow back the foot…) and likely restoring a portion of insulin sensitivity, then it appears that Type 2 is indeed reversible. I can’t speak to Dr. Fuhrman or Dr. McDougall, but Dr. Barnard has done clinical experiments that got published in peer reviewed journals. It doesn’t matter if Dr. Barnard has a book or not. He’s got some pretty good science to back him up. In Dr. Barnard’s case at least, it’s not a matter of just anecdotes.Unrelated but WOW, sometimes watching a TV show does prove useful, I was watching The Blacklist s02e10 0:11:45 in and they talk about tet1 gene and its role in erasing trauma/memories. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266368.php Matthew Lattai, associate professor of behavioral neuroscience at Oregon Health and Science University, who was not a part of the study, says the findings could pave the way for treatments for PTSD.OMG moment, could there still be hope for a few decades of normal life? On the other hand the U.S. Army will be on top of it and abuse the shit out of it. Mmmmm crap, that’s a Faustian bargain if ever there was one.Thank you Dr Greger for also explaining why thin people may end up with the spill over effect or Type 2 diabetes. I’ve been wondering about this for years. It made me wonder if this is also why when indigenous people or people who move to western countries and adopt the standard diet often develop type 2 diabetes and or other problems (because their system isn’t used to it or simply can’t deal with it).The Counterpoint study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609491/ gives a demonstration and good analysis of how Type 2 diabetes can be reversed. It is well known that many diabetics undergoing gastric bypass surgery see their Type 2 diabetes reversed within weeks of surgery. This study replicated that effect by restricting their Type 2 diabetics to a very low, 600 calorie diet for 8 weeks with no exercise. Fasting plasma glucose normalized within day 7 of the diet, and within 8 weeks insulin response and secretion were normalized. The study authors hypothesized: “Too much fat within liver and pancreas prevents normal insulin action and prevents normal insulin secretion. Both defects are reversible by substantial weight loss. A crucial point is that individuals have different levels of tolerance of fat within liver and pancreas. Only when a person has more fat than they can cope with does type 2 diabetes develop. In other words, once a person crosses their personal fat threshold, type 2 diabetes develops. Once they successfully lose weight and go below their personal fat threshold, diabetes will disappear. Some people can tolerate a BMI of 40 or more without getting diabetes. Others cannot tolerate a BMI of 22 without diabetes appearing, as their bodies are set to function normally at a BMI of, say 19. This is especially so in people of South Asian ethnicity.” http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal.htmVery interesting and helpful reading, thanks. People with type 2 would benefit from these and possibly the “notes for your Doctor” although I really doubt mine could have been bothered. My GP and Cardiologist both think the wonderful drugs made me healthy enough to become more active and drop the lard. She (my Cardiologist) takes credit but admires me for being a “star patient”. Nice enough people I guess but I don’t miss them much.Dr.: “Is that Doctor [Esselstyn] trying to take you off your medication?” San Dera Nation: “Well, yeah. I’m hoping that’s the goal!”…we still have a ways to goYou know the image of the fat belly “spilling over” at the beginning of the video is really offensive and disgusting. Its not productive to use fat shaming and objectification to get a point across about nutrition and healthy eating. The person who’s body is being shown has a face and is in fact a person. They are more than their body. This man may in fact be the father of a happy, loving family and/or maybe a renowned world expert or leader. Of course the message of the video is productive and important, but this image is not. If you are an overweight person coming to this site, is feeling shame about your body the first step to getting healthy? I don’t think so. This image is also damaging to the rest of society. It encourages people to be disgusted by fat. And by showing just part of a body, it encourages us to see overweight people as fat first and people second.The picture in full screen is very unappealing and not something to have to look at. But there it is everytime one comes to this video.I already upvoted your comment, but feel the need to comment again in agreement. I came here to share the url for this video with someone, and not knowing if the person I’m going to refer to it themselves struggle with body weight, I do wish it had a different screenshot. There is plenty of shame already for an overweight or obese person in this world. They don’t need more shame or objectification, but hope and encouragement. Which this site certainly provides in spades, but in this situation, I feel has missed the mark. It would be great if the image could be changed. How about the buckets figure? I thought that was a nice eye-catching schematic.Forgive me for not seeing this earlier! Let me ask Dr. Greger about changing the picture. I would hate to offend folks who come here for support, as you kindly stated. Thanks, b00mer.How does that fit with the finding that patients with bariatric surgery are (nearly immediately) cured from diabetes? They are still morbidly obese and the spillover effect still should cause insuline resistance.Let me start by pointing you to suepy’s comment, in case you haven’t seen it:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/#comment-1840946005I can give you my layperson’s understanding of the Counterpoint study and hypothesis, and please, anyone correct me if I misunderstand it. http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/documents/BantingDiabeticMed.pdf In the fasting state, you’re not consuming any food to be converted to glucose, but your liver is constantly producing glucose in order to keep your body functioning, unless that production is suppressed by insulin, which your pancreas releases in either a small steady amount or a large amount in response to food. When the liver is stuffed with fat (nonalcoholic fatty liver), it becomes insulin resistant and keeps producing glucose and is unresponsive to insulin. Eventually the excess fat spills over to the pancreas, leading to beta cell dysfunction, reaching a trigger level, and causing clinical Type 2 diabetes.After a sudden drop in calorie intake, by either gastric bypass surgery or dieting, the body must suddenly draw upon it’s reserves. The liver fat is burned first, before visceral or subcutaneous fat, as shown in the study where liver fat dropped 30% after one week on the hypocaloric diet. After 8 weeks, the liver fat had dropped 80% and pancreatic fat gradually decreased. Since fasting plasma glucose concentration depends entirely on the fasting rate of liver glucose production, that dropped also after one week because the liver was now becoming responsive to insulin. The study authors suggested that the road to Type 2 diabetes starts with muscle insulin resistance, which is the first detectable signal of risk for Type 2 diabetes. In people who are relatively insulin resistant in muscle, and therefore have higher insulin levels, chronic excess calories are more likely to be turned into fat and stored in the liver. This seems to be the mode of operation for the majority of Type 2 diabetics who are consuming more calories or fat than their bodies can handle. For those of us who are lean vegans with impaired glucose metabolism or prediabetes, I wonder if other factors are responsible. We generally don’t have insulin resistance, and losing weight is unfortunately not an option!For those of us who are lean vegans with impaired glucose metabolism or prediabetes, I wonder if other factors are responsible.Look into choline, done some reading on that recently and that might be the culprit.(off topic) I’m curious about quercetin and berberine as treatments for brain cancer, and how to get enough for therapeutic treatment. I’ve read that Goldenseal contains berberine, and many plant based sources (inc. capers) contain Quercetin, but I’m not sure whether I could get enough to be significant through natural sources. TIA :)highest food sources of quercetin (according to US govt database): wild arugula, capers, yellow chili/ancho peppers/ coriander/ dill/ fennel leaves/ kale/juniper/ lovage leaves, dried oregano/ radish leaves/ outer layers onions. Top berry sources: elderberry (you could buy the drops or maybe a dried powder), also some in cranberry, blueberry, goji. Also Black Diamond plums. Or you could purchase a supplement.I want to know what percentage of calories from fat was used in the studies mentioned. I can’t find the information in the sources cited. Anyone have any suggestions?I want to know what percentage of calories from fat was used as “high-fat” and “low fat” in the studies. I can’t find the info in the sources cited. Any suggestions?Did I hear that correctly? .. Low carb diet increased fat in the muscles ? at 1:59Well, Dr. Greger is presenting here that a high saturated fat consumption with low carbohydrates — promotes a spillover effect for inducing diabetes. A whole plant consumption prevents and reverses diabetes, weight falls off, and carbohydrates and fat don’t have to be counted or focused on at all :)If you have not seen the previous video in this series, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/ ,do take some time to view it, as it will help clarify some of the concepts presented in this video.Spillover in a nut shell:– your liver holds about 70 grams of glycogen (carbs) – your muscles hold about 1-2% of their volume in glycogen (about 150-220 grams for average male).The more muscle you have, the more glycogen they can hold. Either way, it isn’t a lot. If your not burning the glycogen out of your system and continue to eat carbs, you’ll spill over and they’ll be stored as fat. Even if you exercised your butt off and burned out all that glycogen and were about as insulin sensitive as you can get, a simple plate of pasta, potatoe, and some fruit juice will top you up and spill over.The problem with the studies the doctor is describing here is the diets of those patients mentioned actually were consuming about 200 grams of whole grains during the study. I know the study he is talking about and it was a vital part left out, the whole grains caused the spill over.Put it this way, if researchers were trying to prove that say meat caused brain damage and they followed 100 people, 50 people ate meat and 50 didn’t, then the 50 who ate meat turned out to have brain damage, so the researchers automatically chalked it up to meat. What they failed to mention is that the 50 people who ate meat were also boxers who obviously had been clocked in the head one too many times.You see, it’s things like this that need to be mentioned, the actual causing factors.	bacon,blood sugar,butter,calories,diabetes,fat,insulin,low-carb diets,obesity,oxidative stress,prediabetes,spillover effect,sugar,trigylcerides,weight loss	Being obese may result in as much insulin resistance as eating a high fat diet.	What does “gum up the insulin receptor pathway” mean? See the prequel video: What Causes Insulin Resistance? And the sequel, Lipotoxicity: How Saturated Fat Raises Blood Sugar, goes into the types of fat and their effects.The fat leaking into our bloodstream may also contain fat-soluble pollutants that accumulated from our diet: Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat        The spillover effect may also help explain the increased heart disease risk associated with obesity: Low Carb Diets and Coronary Blood Flow.       	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-carb-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spillover-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trigylcerides/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17346204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14693970,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11679437,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15143200,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23550081,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18454136,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18460913,
PLAIN-2487	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/	What Causes Insulin Resistance?	Studies dating back nearly a century noted a striking finding. If you take young, healthy people and split them up into two groups, half on a fat-rich diet, and half on a carb rich diet, within just two days, this is what happens. The glucose intolerance skyrockets in the fat group. In response to the same sugar water challenge, the group that had been shoveling in fat ended up with twice the blood sugar. As the amount of fat in the diet goes up, so does one’s blood sugar spikes. It would take scientists nearly seven decades to unravel this mystery, but it would end up holding the key to our current understanding of the cause of type 2 diabetesHere’s a group of athletes carb loading before a race. They’re trying to build up the fuel supply within their muscles. We break down the starch into glucose in our digestive tract, it circulates as blood glucose—blood sugar—and is taken up by our muscles to be stored and burnt for energy.Blood sugar, though, is like a vampire. It needs an invitation to come into our cells. And, that invitation is insulin. Here’s a muscle cell. Here’s some blood sugar outside waiting patiently to come in. Insulin is the key that unlocks the door to let the glucose in the blood enter the muscle cell. When insulin attaches to the insulin receptor, it activates an enzyme, which activates another enzyme, which activates two more enzymes which activates glucose transport, where it acts as a gateway for glucose to enter the cell. So insulin is the key that unlocks the door into our muscle cells.What if there was no insulin though? Blood sugar would be stuck out in the bloodstream banging on the door to our muscles and not able to get inside, and so with nowhere to go sugar levels would rise and rise. That’s what happens in type 1 diabetes, the cells in the pancreas that make insulin get destroyed and without insulin, sugar in the blood can’t get out of the blood into the muscles, and blood sugar rises. But there’s a second way we could end up with high blood sugar. What if there’s enough insulin, but the insulin doesn’t work. The key is there but something’s gummed up the lock. This is called insulin resistance. Our muscle cells become resistant to the effect of insulin. What’s gumming up the door locks on our muscle cells, preventing insulin from letting glucose in? Fat. Intramyocellular lipid, fat inside our muscle cells.But fat in the bloodstream can build up inside the muscle cell, create toxic fatty breakdown products, and free radicals that can block the insulin signaling process. So no matter how much insulin we have in our blood, it’s not able to open the glucose gates and blood sugar levels build up in the blood.This mechanism by which fat induces insulin resistance wasn’t known until fancy MRI techniques were developed to see what was happening inside people’s muscles as fat was infused into their bloodstream. That’s how they found that elevation of fat levels in the blood causes insulin resistance by inhibition of glucose transport into the muscles.And this can happen within three hours. One hit of of fat can start causing insulin resistance, inhibiting glucose uptake after just 160 minutes.Same thing happens to teens. You infuse fat into their bloodstream. It builds up in their muscles and decreases their insulin sensitivity, showing that increased fat in the blood is an important contributor of insulin resistance.And then you can do the opposite experiment. Lower the level of fat in people’s blood and the insulin resistance comes right down. Clear the fat out of the blood, and you clear the sugar out of the blood. So that explains this finding. On the high fat, ketogenic diet, insulin doesn’t work as well. Our bodies are insulin resistant. But as the amount of fat in our diet gets lower and lower, insulin works better and better, a clear demonstration that the sugar tolerance of even healthy individuals can be impaired by administering a low-carb high-fat diet. But we can decrease insulin resistance by decreasing fat intake.	This is an excellent video that gives a clear description of the cause of insulin resistance. I have several family members who are unstable diabetics and they have been advised by their doctors to go the low-carb approach. They try to shun sugar and carbs and often fail, all the while eating lots of fat in the form of oils and animal products. They don’t want to give up the animal products as the belief that they need protein (meat) and calcium (milk) is so ingrained. The only thing that would help them is a comprehensive in-house program such as Dr. McDougall provides. It is not so much what they have to learn as what they have to UNLEARN.I have had the good fortune and remarkably rewarding professional experience to see Whole Foods patients at the McDougall clinic. I have also benefited from Dr. McDougall’s mentoring and information on his website. Immersion programs have the advantage of giving patients a wide range of education… in this case 27 hours of outstanding education by experienced health care professionals like Dr. McDougall, Doug Lisle PhD, and Jeff Novick RD plus practical skills by Mary McDougall and others on cooking and shopping. The environment provides access to exercise and the experience of seeing dramatic results. Additionally they are given delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners plus 24 hour access to snacks. The challenge comes when the patients go from this nurturing supportive environment to their everyday environment. Many patients don’t have the time or money to attend this type of program. By obtaining the correct information and working with the local resources… family, friends and physicians… they can be successful. Physicians need to be involved especially if someone is on medications. In my experience it is an ongoing journey so it is important to keep up with the science which is always changing. So keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org… encourage your family, friends and physicians to review pertinent posts or subscribe. The beauty of this website is that individuals can go to topics of personal interest but you never know when a video will touch on an issue of importance for you or yours… so keep tuned.Don Forrestor MD I agree completely with your comments.But what I see as a problem is that most physicians either do not know about mechanism of insulin resistance or they never spend time to discuss importance of diet with the patients.Sadly I have some of physicians comment that vegan diet may be good but “who wants to live to be a vegan”. I have tried to explain to one cardiologist that his job should be to educate patients about diet and let them decide whether they can live to be vegan or not.You might also point out that contrary to non vegan expectations, vegans overwhelmingly report loving the food they eat.DarylT, you are correct but pointing this out to non vegans is very difficult especially living in south Texas.I find that many physicians once they find out about NutritionFacts.org become subscribers and then start to use it as a reference. You might suggest that to health care professionals that you know. Remember Michael Greger MD reads in the vicinity of 10,000 articles annually. Health care providers need to be aware of literature covering a wide variety of topics. This is overwhelming… that is why this site is so valuable as it allows easy and quick access to abstracts and articles.Don Forrester MD Thanks for your suggestion. I had converted three of the doctors to vegan, i have given them the info. re: this website but i seem to be giving 90% of patients the info. re: this website. I practice in relatively small town in south Texas so most of my patients are ranchers who get lot of misinformation from the industry.But i keep working at it in hope that this website will help some of them.I think i need to start to give more physicians the info. about this website.Another way I have found to make a difference is to give educational presentations to physicians. If you are in a position to do I found it was a good way to reach a larger number of health care professionals at one time. In the last 8 years I have done almost 50 CME presentations. I recommend that health care providers first start working with the patients with type two diabetes. Dr. Neal Barnard’s book on Reversing Diabetes is a great resource for patients. My parents were born in Oklahoma and I had relatives in northern Texas so am a bit familiar with the challenges you face. Good luck at spreading the word and keep up the good work.Don Forrester MDThat is great suggestion.I am a general Internist with fairly large Diabetes practice.Before we had an endocrinologist arrive in town I gave several CME presentations about Diabetes and Hypertension but that was several years ago. I guess i could restart with nutrition talks any suggestions how I can acquire some slide material or I should prepare my own slides.I would make your own slides and use some of your own patient’s successes as case studies. I would be glad to send you my most recent reference list for my Medical Staff presentation on Diabetes/Obesity. I have found combining the topics is better. I do a separate Medical Staff presentation on Arterial Disease where I talk about hypertension which is a follow up to the first. I have also found letting several months go by between talks. I would be glad to share some other information and suggestions for your presentations and practice if you like. Best would be to contact me directly at donforr@gmail.com.Don Forrester MD thanks for your kind offer. I will take you up on it.Please record and post your CME presentations to YouTube!G-Man. I have lots of family in Texas where BBQ as a sport is only surpassed by football. My suggestion is to not recommend a totally WFPB diet immediately, especially to ranchers for whom beef eating is the source of their livelyhood. Instead I would use the visual idea of “turning your plate inside-out”. By that I mean move the plant foods to the center of the plate and the animal foods to the side or as flavoring. Don’t try to get them to not eat bacon, but suggest that one or two slices can flavor an entire pot of beans rather than eating four slices at one sitting (along with a couple eggs and a mess of hashbrowns cooked in the bacon fat). A way to reinforce that is to suggest that the first question they ask themselves when planning a menu is not “beef, chicken, pork or fish?”, but “potato, rice, pasta, etc.” and then “kale, broccoli, huge salad, etc.”. Stress that they these foods are where all the nutrients come from and that it is healthy as well as filling to eat a large amount of these. And then stress that they can have steak, or a pork chop, or bit of fish as long as it is there for flavor rather than the primary thing they fill up on.Also most people focus most of their culinary efforts on the first item on the menu with the rest of the items usually being much simpler dishes. So having the vegetable/starch be the first item on the menu means that they will put more time into it and so are likely to fix something tasty with vegetables/starches rather than the usually spoonful of steamed peas with butter on the side when the meat dish is primary.After eating this way for awhile they will realize that plant based foods are tasty and filling in their own right and that they don’t need meat to make something taste good or to fill them up. The biggest trouble I have found is convincing people to eat enough. The “carbs are evil” message is so strong that even people who don’t eat a low-carb diet feel uncomfortable eating high carb foods as more than side dishes. Eating side dish amounts vegetables and starches with an ounce or two of meat leaves them so hungry they start seeing this as punishment they have to endure to try to get healthy and will likely revert to their previous diet.Good luck!Thank Jim, I do follow some of what you are suggesting and have been successful getting people to eat less meat. The key has been that once they try eating more plant based diet they are impressed by change in Cholesterol and A1C that makes them more convinced.But problem is to get them to start.Jim, I think this can be great advice! Thanks for helping people make a transition toward healthier eating. So good to hear!JosephDr. Forrester, you can tell them about my husband, who is in remission from Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer for 3-1/2 years now. He changed his diet immediately when he was diagnosed and it has saved his life. Going Vegan is the answer to cancer! Detoxing by eating organic, nonGMO, preservative free, dye free, MSG free is the answer.One of my ex-doctors told me that he would never recommend a heart healthy book, like those by Pritikin, McDougal, etc, because they are dangerous diets. I asked what about them is dangerous. He said, “because most people won’t stay on them.” Huh? So I guess it’s better to stick with a deadly diet and not try it than to try it and go back to some degree.Doctors have been amazed by my annual lab results. One even suggested I blog about my diet. But I’ve been suggesting to all my doctors for over 25 years that they suggest a vegan heart healthy book to their patients with severe cardio or metabolic diseases. All have declined. None want to read one themselves.In my 20s, I told one that my cholesterol test would come in low because of my diet. Later, he skipped over my cholesterol in my lab results. When I asked about it he told me it was low. When I kept pressing to know the number he angrily said, it’s 117 total cholesterol, satisfied? I said, yes, I’m satisfied. Then I got a new doctor. The sad thing is, he was otherwise a nice guy and a very young doctor, but committed to drugs that he gave out like lollipops. He saw diet as quackery. I wish I had also know then what I know now: that I have low cholesterol with HDL higher than LDL, in spite of genetic tests indicating that my genes show I’m prone to high cholesterol. My dad died of a heart attack at 64 and my brother had his first of two at 48. I won’t be going the way of my family.I remind myself that these physicians are products of their environment. Most haven’t been exposed to nutrition in their training and even if they had it is difficult to keep up. I would suggest that they try subscribing to NutritionFacts.org for regular exposure to the most practical and useful articles in nutritional science.So true! We’re all products of our environment and we all like to do what we know best, and is easiest. For too many people, that means taking a pill so they can go about their regular routine – or prescribing a pill because it’s easier. Hopefully those of us who go into healthcare to learn and change with the research can gradually influence not just our patients, but also medical professionals who clearly need to be updated! Change takes time…Mark G: re: “because most people won’t stay on them.” Wow. I agree that’s pretty crazy. At first I was thinking, that that’s some pretty fuzzy thinking. But then I wonder if he was thinking, “If I *only* recommend diet and the patient doesn’t stay on it, then the patient will be in trouble. Whereas, I know they will take this little pill that I can prescribe.” That interpretation gives the doctor the benefit of the doubt, but doesn’t help a hole lot to make him/her look better. That reasoning supposes that there are only two options: only discuss diet or only discuss pills. Seems crazy not to have a full discussion with a patient and then let the patient make an informed decision. Doing that would not be not dangerous. That would be called responsible.Anyway, I wanted to thank you for sharing your story. It was a lot of fun to read. (Though I am sorry to hear about your dad and brother. That part, of course, was not fun.)Patients are more willing to comply to a plant based diet than many providers realize! Providers need to be more proactive in recommending lifestyle changes. In Dr Esselstyns recent work published in the The Journal of Family Practice | JULY 2014 | Vol 63, No 7 (“A way to reverse CAD?”), several remarkable findings were revealed. First, and quite compelling, is that 89% of patients were willing to make a substantial lifestyle transition to plant-based nutrition and sustain it for an average of 3.7 years (for some patients up to 13 years). Patients can and will make lifestyle changes if given the option.ok so just throw in the towel and die at a young age? How ridiculous! I enjoy being a vegan, because I learned how to prepare meals, how to make an awesome “kitchen sink” salad, and how to shop. And BTW, my husband reversed Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer by going on a 90% vegan diet (sometimes we have cheese and eggs). I can show you the CT Scans, and I can show you the blood work. He was also pre diabetic. He reversed that too.thanksBB: re: “unlearn” Well said. I don’t have any trouble convincing people that veggies are good for them. It’s helping them to see that meat, dairy and eggs are bad for them that’s the hard part. And one of the reasons for that difficulty is the need to unlearn what they have been taught from the very beginning of their lives.I like the part of Dr. Forrester’s reply that it is possible to be successful outside of a program like Dr. McDougall’s. It gives people hope and an understanding of what is helpful to have in place in order to be successful. But as many on this site have acknowledged, there is only so much a person can do to help someone else. They have to want to be helped to make much progress. Good luck.Is it any fat that is leading to type 2 diabetes or is it saturated fat in particular?Under “Doctor’s Note” above, it says that this is the 1st part of a 3-part video series and that part 3 is all about saturated fat raising blood sugar. I’m assuming then that it’s just saturated fat (and probably trans fat and cholesterol) that has this insulin-resistance effect, but I’ll admit I’m a little nervous about eating my avocado today!I’m not worried about a couple of ounces of avocado a day. Avocados come from an area of the world where obesity and diabetes have had low rates historically.Me looking down with a suspicion at my flax crackers too!Dont be. If you eat an avocado every few days you still get less than 10% calories from fat.I believe it is any fat. When advising patients with type 2 diabetes the first thing is to avoid animal products and refined oils. This dramatically reduces the fat in the diet. I have patients monitor their am fasting blood sugars to reinforce success and help them move from diabetes to prediabetes to “normal” to even “more normal”. It is important for patients to work with their physicians as patients on diabetic medications can drop their sugars too low. The same can be said for monitoring blood pressures in patients on blood pressure medications. Most physicians haven’t had experience with intervening with appropriate nutritional therapy. This is not a new approach see the video on the Kempner Rice Diet… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/. Physicians aren’t generally aware of the science because the research is buried in lots of articles focused on treatments with drugs and procedures. It is important to give patients realistic time frames as it may take months to reach normal blood sugars. Exercise and activity can be helpful and affects how rapid is the improvement. Of course it is always better to intervene earlier in the course of type two diabetes then wait until complications set in. Once again important to gather the correct information and if on medications work with your physicians to obtain the best medical advice for you.It’s good to see another doctor that embraces food as medicine.The chart displayed at 3:00 shows free fatty acids activated to become Long chain acyl-Co-enzyme A. This would indicate that fatty acids with a backbone of at least 14 carbon molecules would adversely affect insulin receptors. For example, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid (saturated fatty acids) along with linoleic, linolenic and oleic acids (unstaturated fatty acids). Long chain fatty acids are the most common fats in our food, found to some extent even in coconut and palm kernel oil. So it seems that virtually all foods containing fat would have this effect. Of course, the quantity of fat is important. If we want to limit ourselves to 10% of our calories as fat, as recommended by many life style doctors, two tablespoons of whole flax seeds and one ounce of walnuts (14 halves) would put us about there. So would an avocado and 1 1/2 tablespoons of whole flax seeds.“It is important to give patients realistic time frames as it may take months to reach normal blood sugars.”Lol. From the first half of the sentence I was more expecting to hear it followed by “…as it may take years to reach normal blood sugars [from a diabetic state]” If you can do that in months, then that’s impressive.The sited study in this video showed 40 grams of fat for a base line 2680 Calorie diet for the lowest fat intake group which comes out to be about 13.4% of calories coming from fat which is positively liberal by Pritikin and Esselstyn standards although it is considerably lower than most westerners are accustom to. I am of the opinion base on the studies I am familiar that refined oils and fats are a much greater risk than fats that one ingests with fiber in a whole foods plant based form. Refined oils are to fats as refined sugars are to whole foods, full fiber forms. The fibers in whole foods ameliorate nutrient absorption rates eliminating spikes and normalizing serum levels enabling the body to better cope while extending satiety duration from a given meal. An ideal diet would be one devoid of any refined foods.Stay tuned for Friday! Saturated fat is indeed the culprit more so than unsaturated.Good question. Here is a study that says it indeed is saturated FFAs (stearic and palmitic, which are the kinds of fatty acids the body makes and stores when it has more calories than it can use) that are the culprit. Omega 3,6 and 9 (mono and poly unsaturated) FFAs did not impair glucose metabolism or mitochondrial function. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19780047 Which means avocado (84% unsaturated, 16% saturated) is OK, in moderation.In part 3 he makes it clear that it’s saturated fat that’s the problem and that unsaturated fat may even be beneficial to insulin resistance.This is what I call solid work towards upping the value per minute watched, very good work on this much easier sell.And they ask you to fast before testing, while one should be imbibing a standard solution before. Caregiver level medicine just well ………. sigh ahh never mind!Excellent, excellent. Thank you for clearly and succinctly explaining insulin resistance. Another example of why I looking forward to your bookPeople with Type 2 Diabetes receive insulin injections to lower their after eating blood sugar spikes. Are these temporary spikes harmful? Can diabetics safely eat sugary food so long as they control their blood sugar with insulin injections?Those with type 2 diabetes don’t need more insulin; they need to use insulin more efficiently. Injecting more insulin doesn’t address the metabolic causes of insulin resistance and may be harmful. Eating healthy whole foods (not sugary ones), exercising, maintaining normal weight, along with stress reduction and anti-inflammatory spices and supplements can all go a long way to curing type 2 diabetes.If people with TIIDM are getting insulin that means they’ve have DM for so long they’ve destroyed at least part of their pancreas. They effectively become Type 1 diabetics if they don’t change anything. If they eat less fat, they will be better able to use insulin, whether they’re injecting it or not.How does one stay sated for hours after a bowl of oatmeal (low fat)? I’m ravenous after 15 minutes, even if I eat a large bowl. Whereas if I were to have steak and eggs, I can last until lunchtime.Try adding 1 to 2 tbsp of ground flax seed, 1/2 to 1 cup berries, and a glass of a plant milk (coconut, almond, soy…). Still hungry? Break out a skillet with 1 tbsp of olive oil or spray add 3 to 4 oz firm or extra firm tofu. Next add turmeric, black pepper, baby spinach, a pinch or cayenne pepper, and some peppers (frozen are ok) Break up tofu with spatula while cooking for 5 to 15 mins on med high. Top with favorite salsa and/or nutritional yeast. ;)Brian, coconut milk is very high in saturated fat, which Dr Greger keeps warning against in the research he presents. A glass full of the stuff seems to hold exactly what this video is warning against.Have you seen this video on Coconut Milk? I found it to be very thought provoking. As much as possible, eating the whole food, rather than the more processed version is better because you retain the fiber.Hi Matt, it seems oatmeal just doesn’t work for you since you posted a very similar comment on the last diabetes video. If oatmeal doesn’t keep you sated, despite it’s objectively high satiety rating, how about trying some other plant foods for breakfast? Different preparations e.g. granola, different add-in’s as have been suggested both times, different grains, beans for breakfast as they do in the UK, breakfast potatoes (boiled potatoes having the highest satiety index rating). Think outside the box. If you try everything and nothing but unhealthy foods keeps you at a level you consider satisfied, maybe you need to eat more healthy foods more often.Another thing to consider is that sensations and perceptions of hunger change when you change your diet. If you were to go on a low fat whole foods plant based diet, you may feel what you consider “hunger” for the first day or so, since your fat receptors aren’t getting what they’ve been accustomed to getting, and gastric emptying occurs faster with lower fat foods. However if you were to stay on this diet for a longer amount of time, you may find your perception changing. I remember what I used to consider “full” feeling on a non-vegan diet, and now it’s a feeling I can’t stand. Now if I eat a high fat plant meal I still get that overly full sensation and it remains for inordinate amount of time. If I go out to eat for lunch and have french fries, I won’t be hungry for the rest of the day. That doesn’t convince me that french fries are the healthier or more natural type of food to eat. Perhaps what you currently interpret as “ravenous” is just a lack of excessive fullness. It sounds like you want encouragement to eat objectively unhealthy foods, but I’m afraid I don’t think you’ll find it here. You will find plenty of suggestions if you really want to give it a go though.We used to feel exactly the same until we started fasting for longer periods. It really helps with balancing hormones and getting on top of what are true hunger feelings and what is just addictive patterns of eating. :-)Matt K, I have steel cut oats 3 or more days a week and add ground flax regardless of the preparation. The savory version always has beans and salsa and I like to add cilantro. The sweet version always has almond milk and a variety of nuts and seeds (walnut, chia, sunflower, pumpkin) with the sweet coming from dark berries, currants and/or goji as well as date sugar. Even still, I’ll have steamed greens as an accompaniment (usually about two cups worth) regardless of which version I’ve prepared.Personally, I’ve found I eat a greater volume of food overall as a mostly plant-based foodie and that I eat more often throughout the day.Good to hear someone else enjoys a savory version of oats! Though I usually end up with old fashioned rolled oats, I have come to love the savory versions so much more than I ever did the sweet ones, especially in the morning….beans and greens or whatever veggies I have on hand, usually with turmeric and other spices and cooked with some broth. I let it cool down a bit (so the good microbes don’t get cooked) and add either miso or one of my ever present fermented concoctions for my daily probiotics and added flavor! Speaking of concoctions, this year I had a blast with the usual dreaded surplus of zucchini we usually run out of ideas for! I simply grated it, sea salted it to taste and added a varied mix of herbs and spices to each jar, and in about 4-5 days here in Fl I had some amazing stuff for the cost of a few minutes of my time! I’m not sure what to call it but I use it in and on everything and anything! One of my favorites was the lime-cumin-cilantro-garlic-chili combo! Spread on a toasted tortilla it makes a great, healthy, and filling snack when the crew is munching those deep fried unmentionables! In fact, I made some unlikely converts! LOL! Recently I have been foraging for nopale cactus and have just included them diced up in a fermented salsa! Awesome! Free food on a fixed income is always welcome, especially when it is health promoting!Great ideas, Charzie. I need to experiment with making my savory oats more diverse.I had the same experience with oatmeal for breakfast. This is what I eat now while waiting for my steel cut oats to cook: small bowl of raw greens (baby kale, spinach, sliced rainbow radish) drizzled with lemon juice, cup of rooibos green tea, two whole walnuts. I also add a little unsweetened almond milk to the oatmeal.Other hot, filling breakfasts: Cooked roasted buckwheat (vegan bouillion added while cooking for more flavor), steamed greens, lentils or beans or tempeh (I drizzle a few drops of lignan flax seed oil and red pepper flakes on the greens, and black pepper on the buckwheat).Also: Raw green salad again, followed by two slices of toasted quinoa/millet bread (nongluten, nonwheat), with about a quarter of an avocado.Experiment!You’re going from extremely calorie dense foods to oatmeal… even a huge bowl of oatmeal only has about 300 calories. Unless you’re just eating a 3 oz steak and a single egg, you’re not getting the same number of calories. Also, 15 minutes isn’t enough time for the oatmeal to leave your stomach. I’m thinking what you’re feeling isn’t really hunger. I don’t know what it is, but I used to get a feeling very much like hunger almost immediately after eating an apple or carrots. Goes away after eating healthy for a while.As others have suggested, add some flax seeds and some fruit. Maybe have a bowl of oatmeal made with soy milk instead of water and a banana. Or take a cue from Mexico and England and have beans for breakfast. You’ll get more protein, which might work better for you.Sounds to me like you need to try a bigger bowl of oatmeal. A typical bowl (8 ounce volume) of oatmeal has only ~160 kcal. 100 g of sirloin steak and 2 poached eggs would have more like 525 kcal, assuming lean steak with no visible fat and little fat used in cooking the eggs. You might need to eat 3 times as much oatmeal, or more. Use an app like cronometer.com to track your caloric intake. When you eat whole plant foods low in fat, you have to eat larger volumes of food to meet caloric needs.Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I do find eating some raw food prior to a meal very helpful. I’ll take all of your suggestions into consideration for breakfast tomorrow :)I too find eating raw prior to a meal to be very beneficial and satisfying! Have you seen the video on Raw Foods? It’s an older video but a good one!It takes three months to become neuro-adapted to a low-fat lifestyle if coming from a typical lifestyle. You can eat all you want but your brain is so used to the fat sensors being fully stimulated that it thinks something is missing. Just keep eating if you feel famished, and soon you’ll adjust and feel fully satisfied.Can too much nuts and seeds create this fat-induced insulin issue?I haven’t seen anything in the literature to say it would be a problem. I typically don’t eliminate nuts and seeds initially as they typically make up a small percent of fats in the diet. I think initially limiting to 1-2 ounces a day would be a prudent. Oils… all oils including olive and canola are a much bigger problem along with the high fat in dairy and animal products. It may be that nuts like fruit are not as much a problem due to the company they keep as a whole food… see the video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/ . I have seen patients where fruit can be a problem. However it is possible so if patients aren’t progressing restricting nuts and fruits might be beneficial.Any idea why the fruits would be causing an issue in some of your patients? Would it be directly caused by the fat consumption, or is it just an inability of body, in these select patients, to handle these kinds of carbs and sugars?I would guess it is due partly due to individual variation in metabolism and partly due to the amount consumed. The issue was a significant elevation in triglycerides with alot of fruit intake. It was not fat consumption as the patients were on a less than 10% fat diet.Triglycerides… this is what fructose gets converted to in the liver when certain thresholds are overridden. No wonder here.And for some individuals we are talking even above 20g fructose per day.Dr Neal Barnard MD author of Dr Neal Barnards Program for Reducing Diabetes feels that avocados and nuts shoulds in general should also be be limited due to the role of fat in insulin resistance. And olive oil is a big no no…if your goal is to regain as much insulin sensitivity as possible, you will want to eliminate not only animal fats but also added vegetable oils. Cleaning the animal fat out of your cellular “locks” does no good if you are going to clog them with vegetable grease.Barnard, Neal (2006-12-26). Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes without Drugs (p. 50). Rodale Books. Kindle Edition.At one time I thought it was important for patients to stay away from too many nuts because I believed they would aid in weight gain (and more insulin resistance!). Have you seen this remarkable video on Nuts & Weight Gain?A recent reviewWhile some fatty acids, like the saturated fat palmitic acid and its preferential metabolism to ceramide may be particularly hazardous, others, like the oleic acid that predominates in almonds, hazelnuts and pecans may have a beneficial effect.Are you familiar with stem cell biologist Bruce Lipton’s book, “The Biology of Belief”? He talks about cell “mem-brains” and how they’re the interface between a cell and the environment, sort of a satellite dish for receiving and sending signals both within and among cells.The membranes are composed of a layer of fat encased in proteins, and from what I understand (and correct me if I’m wrong), dietary fat pretty much gets directly deposited in those membranes. (In contrast, our bodies have to break down proteins and carbs to use them.) You eat butter, you get hard buttery membranes. It could be worse. You could be eating Crisco!Saturated and trans fats–hard fats saturated with hydrogen atoms–muck up those membranes and make them insensitive to insulin. PUFAs and MUFAs do not; in fact they (or some of them) may increase sensitivity. That’s my understanding thus far from lots of reading– Is it accurate? It makes sense that the more liquid fats would not destroy the function of cell membranes like hard sat fats do.Dietary fatty acids are indeed taken up by cell plasma membranes, and the composition of red blood cell membranes offers a better measure of dietary intake than plasma fats, especially for the fats we either don’t produce (trans-) or produce little of (DHA). In general, the more saturated fat, the stiffer the membrane, and the less saturated the more fluid – cold-water algae and fish need highly unsaturated n-3 PUFAs like DHA in to prevent membrane crystalization in their environment.Some studies have found membrane saturated fats positively associated with, and polyunsaturated fats negatively associated with metabolic disease (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)And how does dietary cholesterol relate to the cholesterol composition of our cells?Cholesterol doesn’t offer markers of its origin: the cholesterol synthesized by our cells is indistinguishable from that found in chicken or shrimp. In general, endogenous cholesterol synthesis (700-900 mg/d) is greater than the amount absorbed from diet, though the liver does produce less when dietary intake is high. There’s a constant turnover as the liver synthesizes and uptakes cholesterol in LDL particles, and as bile acids are formed from cholesterol, secreted into the intestines, and reabsorbed. Certain saturated fats (12-16 carbons long) interfere with LDL reuptake in the liver and elevate blood levels.And could you explain “rafting” in lay terms?A lipid raft is simply a patch of plasma membrane where receptors and other transmbrane proteins are held in close proximity (increasing the likelihood they’ll bump into each other and pass their message on). Think of how coconuts might “raft” together in gentle waves.This is the sentence I’m trying to better understand: “Besides imparing signalling diffusion by membrane bound molecules & enzymes downstream of the insulin receptor (eg PIP3, Akt), high saturated fat membrane content may cause rafting of other signalling molecules involved in metabolic syndrome and inflammation. ” So is this a correct understanding? Sat fat in membranes a/ impairs cell signalling, thus leading to insensitivity to insulin, and b/ can cause cells in the membrane to stick together in close proximity, thus allowing them to feed off each other’s inflammatory messages. I really have no idea if that is a correct paraphrase.The rafting comment mostly cites this and related papers, where saturated fatty acids enhanced, and highly unsaturated fatty acids disrupted, the rafting between membrane proteins involved in inflammatory response. An analogy might be saturated & trans fats are shaped like toothpicks, and cis-unsaturated fats curl like pencil shavings, and its much easier to stack toothpicks compactly.There are more competing theories of how fatty acids impair insulin signalling. The primary one covered in this video (diacylglycerol, acyl-CoA and ceramide metabolites accumulate, activate PKC and JNK, which in turn phosphorylate and inactivate insulin receptor substrate-1) doesn’t appear to rely on rafting effects, but other theories (inflammation as above, or endoplasmic reticulum stress) may.And might lipid rafts also block the signals that proteins are attempting to pass on?I’m wondering about why whole milk appears to be protective against development of prostate cancer in that recent meta-analysis but low fat milk appears to increase risk of getting prostate cancer. Could that difference, assuming it’s real, have anything to do with the lipid rafts’ effects on leucine signalling? Or maybe there’s more Vitamin D or CLA in the whole milk? And whole milk also appears to increase risk of dying after diagnosis of prostate cancer. Any thoughts on the mechanisms behind these distinctions? Here’s the link to the abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25527754It’s saturated fat that is the problem with insulin resistance. Nuts and seeds have relatively small amounts of saturated fat, so they are OK In fact, they are excellent. But they are still high in calories so keep it to 1/4 to 1/3 cup a day, about 1 oz.. Mixed (for variety) and not salted or oil roasted is best.My understanding is that nuts and seeds still contain fat and are very high in calories. Fat will cause you to gain weight and the added fat in body can “gum up” the cells causing insulin resistance.Dr. G and any of the other folks in the know here, what do you think about the information in the link below attributing avocado consumption to impaired insulin ability/functioning? Seems, according to this, that consumption of avocados leads to higher blood sugar levels. Tell me this isn’t so!http://blog.sethroberts.net/2010/09/21/avocado-raises-blood-sugar/It’s the fat.If you are having trouble sticking to the program try reading this: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/all_forms_of_life_are_sacred_20150104Hey, thank you for this post.Pathways like the insulin one are my daily bread… :-)Five years ago lab tests showed that I was pre-diabetic and my doctor prescribed the usual medications. I did not like my future prospects of increasing medications and the inevitable physical decline. Fortunately I found: “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes” book. In that book Dr. Barnard talks about the same thing. Now, as a striving vegan, I am synonym free. This has not been easy. I live in a very meat centered area and all of my relatives are such. NutritionFacts is my ammunition for fighting back.RC Conklin: Thank you for your post. I’m a huge fan of Dr. Barnard and that book. It’s great to hear your story, and also feedback about NutritionFacts.I also wanted to say, “Good for you!” for taking responsibility for your health even though it is hard. I can understand how it can be so hard without emotional support. I don’t know if this is possible or of interest to you, but thought I would recommend that you check out the Meetup.com site. They have vegan (or at least vegetarian) groups all over. You may think you are the only person trying to eat healthy in your area, but you may be surprised to find others. If you can hook up with a new class of friends, at least some of the time, it can go a long way making life easier. Good luck!This is my story as well! Although, I did not find out about Dr. Barnard until after I was vegan. Instead, I had done some research on an alkaline type diet and have been living the lifestyle for a few years now! It’s quite amazing!My only experience with the alkaline type diet is when I looked at raw vegan. Raw is a part of my diet but not a major part. My problem with raw and now the alkaline diet is stomach acid: it all get broken down the same way. I like John McDougall’s “Starch” book. Simple and inexpensive. As Paleo is a commercial scam, one must be careful about the same thing in the Vegan world.I can relate RC, as I went the same route. I’ve posted about it here before, and don’t exaggerate when I say being diagnosed with diabetes probably saved my life. It saddens me though to watch the decline of loved ones who chose the other way…even when I made it clear there are better options. Frustrating!Great video as always! Looking forward to parts 2 and 3.Thank you for these videos on diabetes! Telling me the truth on how to reverse my type 2 diabetes.For diabetes, this site recommends hibiscus tea, cinnamon, flax seed meal, amla, and beansThule has produced another list of recommendations from this site: Indian gooseberries (amla), coffee, soy, flaxseeds, green tea, pulses (dried beans), chamomile tea, purple potatoes, sprouts, whole grains, vinegar, and beans.This site strongly recommends a vegan low-fat diet for those with diabetes.The failure to understand that a high fat diet in the presence of high carbohydrate is very different from a high fat diet in the presence of low carbohydrate is the reason there is so much confusion. Because of the lack of agreement on definitions, a “high fat diet” can still have high carbohydrate. Carbohydrate, directly or indirectly, via insulin and other hormones, is catalytic, that is, it encourages deposition of fat. It is fatty acid in the blood that is the trigger for insulin resistance but that is not directly tied to dietary fat. In the classic study by Volek, et al., people with metabolic syndrome ate a very low carbohydrate diet with 3 times the saturated fat as those on a low-fat diet but after 10 weeks, saturated fat IN THE BLOOD, was actually lower in the low-carb group compared to the low-fat group. How is this possible? Well, that’s what metabolism does. Saturated fat in your blood is more under the control of dietary carbohydrate.Low-carbohydrate diets are effective because they redirect fat to oxidation rather than storage. In terms of heart disease it is established that the biggest risk of CVD in people with diabetes is HbA1c, that is, the diabetes itself. That is better treated with low carbohydrate than anything else. Everybody agrees that low-carbohydrate will lower your blood glucose and that is still the main thing. We’ve laid out the case in a multi-authored paper at http://bit.ly/1tyFh89. Possibly also of interest in which I explain this further is my book “The World Turned Upside Down. The Second Low Carbohydrate Revolution” http://nmsdocs.com.For lacto ovo vegetarians (not vegans) eating high good fats in conjunction with very low carb and moderate protein is a very viable approach to managing diabetes and eliminating insulin resistance. Also see the facebook group, “The Vegetarian Low Carb Diabetic Healthy Diet Society” (veglowcarb).restricting carbs is a terrible idea… Good carbs like rice and potatoes should make up 80% of your diet. Turns out high fat, high protein diets will open you up to chronic disease in the long run regardless of how it affects blood glucose. All that fat will take it’s toll on blood capillaries as seen here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3igKW6bl3FEGuest, are you diabetic? Have you ever tested your blood sugars in half hour intervals after eating rice and potatoes? What did you find?Blood Sugar is supposed to rise after eating.. Did you know that ? Rice and potatoes don’t cause diabetes, nor high blood sugar nor insulin resistance. People eating the most rice and potatoes have the lowest rate of diabetes in the world. Keep in touch as you learn more on the science behind this observation.Try finding and replying with one source that will validate your claims.Just trying to help Barry. I have first hand experience and knowledge of diabetes. My father was diabetic and I would sit at the breakfast table and watch him prick his finger every morning just before he ate his eggs and bacon. He died at 58 after a quad bypass. Also, I was pre-diabetic myself when I ate fats and oils. My fasting glucose was 110. It’s now 80 after I removed the fat and upped my good starchy carbs. You need to hear this if you think low-carb is a cure for anything.Truth is… a HIGH carb-plant based diet CURED me just like Dr Greger said it would. Did you watch the above video? Did you see the part about capillaries size and fat in the blood? Low carb is a terrible diet for long term health. You are doing much more harm than good eating low-carb.Bottom line… Low carb diets can CONTROL blood sugar levels like medications, but that stratagy does not CURE the underlying problem… It only masks the insulin resistance… Whereas a LOW-FAT diet devoid of animals and oils CURES the condition by removing the fat that is interfering with insulin’s ability to let sugar into the cells. Is that really that hard to understand? Have a good day.Would you advise the same for type 1 diabetics?Not directed to me but…. Type 1 Diabetics usually have a problem with insulin. So, they must make sure their bodies use it very efficiently (high insulin sensitivity). Yeah, a diet for this cases should be foods with a low glycemic load, but mostly carbs (little fats). Really, insulin sensitity skyrockets on a WFPB diet, and insulin sensitivity is a very important topic for people with type 1 diabetes. So, I would advise the same type of diet (of course, trying to avoid high glycemic foods). You just mentioned rice and potatoes, two very glycemic carb foods. There are LOTs of other foods with a low GLoad, packed with carbs, vitamins and minerals.Please name one low glycemic food that is packed with carbs please!Vegetables. Carrots. Broccoli. Spinach. Kale. Seriously. Go into any diabetic 1 forum and you’ll see that most have problems with fatty meals. A lot of them say it messes their control of sugar for 12 hours. A lot of them tolerate oats and whole grains. A lot of them tolerate beans. Most cannot tolerate milk.It all depends on how serious is the thing. But i would’t give a type 1 diabetes person a diet that is known to cause type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance + diabetes 1 = double diabetes. Not a very good combination.By definition one cannot have a high carb food and also be low glycemic food at the same time. Carrots? Well, I must say this has all been very fascinating and entertaining, but also a very sad, uninformed, and misleading dialogue.One might then wonder how the Merck Manual (which has been reputed to be the world’s most widely used medical textbook) can speak of “carbohydrates with a low glycemic index.”In the classic study by Volek, et al., Low fat was 24% that’s not exactly low fat. I didn’t read the study, what were the carbs? Whole grain or white flour? Let me guess, did Volek, et al. Have an agenda? Do you?I got as far as the Beer Knowledge part:“RDF wrote the original draft and incorporated changes and corrections from the other authors. All authors approved the final manuscript. AA is consultant/member of advisory boards for the Dutch Beer Knowledge Institute, NL, Global Dairy Platform, USA, Jenny Craig, USA, McCain Foods Limited, USA, McDonald’s, USA, and Gerson Lehrman Group, USA (ad hoc consultant for clients). He is recipient of honoraria and travel grants as speaker for a wide range of Danish and international concerns. He has conducted research funded by a number of organizations with interests in the food production and marketing sector. RDF writes reviews for Fleishman-Hillard, whose client is the Corn Re- finers Association and he has received grant support from the Veronica and Robert C. Atkins Foundation. EJF has received grant support from the Veronica and Robert C. Atkins Foundation. TK sits on an advisory board for Eli Lilly and gives lectures for Lilly about the diabetic diet. NW has written popular-audience books on low-carbohydrate diets and is a consultant and promoter for Leberfasten/Hepafast, a specific low-carbohydrate meal replacement program. JW is on the Scientific Advisory Board of Atkins Nutritionals Inc. with paid retainer, honoraria, and travel costs. None of the other authors have anything to declare. * Corresponding author. Tel.:þ1 917 554 7754; fax:þ1 718 270 3732. E-mail address: richard.feinman@downstate.edu (R. D. Feinman).”In the Volek study you’re referring to, plasma saturated fat was only very slightly lower during the low carb phase than the highest carb feeding phase and it also correlated with weight loss, so it’d be misleading to imply you’d lower your plasma saturated fat by eating more saturated fat. At best you could say that in obese diabetics, there’s no immediate benefit in the way of insulin sensitivity to eating junk food carbs over saturated fat in the context of an already fatty diet. With diabetes already being a risk factor for heart disease, telling people the best option to treat it is eating a lot of saturated fat rather than healthy carb sources that can improve insulin sensitivity and lower cholesterol sounds like the worst possible option.You may have more luck shilling your book on a low carb or paleo website.I’m sorry but your post is one big SPAM advert for your unhealthy and dangerous fat-atarian keto book. High fat diets are unhealthy and cause a marid of health problems such as insulin resistance.Please have a read through plant positives site so you know what you’re up against. This is an educated bunch and we definitely don’t buy into the Keto con job. Get the animal fat and protein out of your diet and watch your health improve.Knowledge is power… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bSdnQ1MKGoDon’t be dupped by the great Keto Con… (eat healthy whole grains, bean, seeds, nuts, fruit and veg) no meat, eggs, dairy and keep fat under 10% for optimum health.The explanation is so simple and straightforward and likewise the treatment – yet scientists and government spends millions of $ and € trying to identify the genetic cause of type 2 diabetes, so they can find a cure (a pill) with tons of side effects, but you can keep eating your greasy burgers, butter, cheese, pizzas, chips and so on, and you can become even fatter than your fat dad, without becoming diabetic! Oh yes – science is doing so much good for mankind….I would blame that on money, status and inadequacy issues more than I would on science. Science itself well … pretty nice me thinks :)Just the new politically correct form of slavery! Money over life and compassion. Education based on science is the tool needed to counter this. Thank you so much Dr Greger and team, and commenters!Awesome video! Is there an evolutionary reason why this happens? Does it also happen in carnivores and omnivores?Good question. The last video on Paleo diets showed that carnivores like dogs don’t develop atherosclerosis from high-cholesterol diets. But I have heard of dogs getting diabetes. Apparently dogs typically get a form of diabetes similar to human type 1 diabetes, where they don’t produce enough insulin. This would to me suggest it is more of an autoimmune disease promoted perhaps by leaky gut. I don’t think there have been any studies on why dogs get “type 1 ish” diabetes.Just the facts? I can read the transcripts but until I SAW that cartoon I didn’t really connect the dots. WOW and thanks once more for this motivating work.An artist is great when hir work changes changes people…for the better. The same can be said for a researcher. How many lives have you improved, we can not know but the numbers continue to grow. Sincere thanks Dr. G. Can we get this into our local skools?It says it all on the last part. This elevation is found on a “ketogenic diet.” A ketogenic diet is a very high fat diet with practically no carbs whatsoever. This is not a normal diet with moderate levels of good fats! I can only imagine the amount and type of fat given these test subjects to get these types of results. (With no doubt, practically no veggies or fruits to get them into ketosis, and having, as a result, the diet “quality” being totally unbalanced and atrocious.)Triglycerides can also be raised by eating way too much refined starch and simple sugars over time. (white sugar, white flour, desserts, pastries etc., and isolated fructose seems to be a huge contributor/offender here.) High triglycerides can also cause insulin resistance. And a few weeks study probably isn’t going to show this. We are not talking about a whole foods plant-based diet here. We are talking about such a high saturated fat intake that ketosis is induced. And to do that the veggies and fruits and whole grains have to be severely limited or eliminated altogether. When the pancreas has to over produce insulin to compensate for a high refined grain/sugar diet year after year after year to low the blood sugar, the insulin receptors get pounded and eventually they “turn off” to the insulin stimulus“Even if people have not been diagnosed with triglycerides outside the normal range, if they eat too many simple sugars (refined grains, added sugars and alcohol) their triglycerides will 2 increase. Everyone – whether or not they have high triglycerides — should focus on fiber-rich complex carbohydrates, such as vegetables and whole grains, instead of simple sugars.” https://my.americanheart.org/idc/groups/ahamah-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_425988.pdf “No other food types yielded significant individual associations with diabetes prevalence after controlling for obesity and other confounders. The impact of sugar on diabetes was independent of sedentary behavior and alcohol use, and the effect was modified but not confounded by obesity or overweight. Duration and degree of sugar exposure correlated significantly with diabetes prevalence in a dose-dependent manner, while declines in sugar exposure correlated with significant subsequent declines in diabetes rates independently of other socioeconomic, dietary and obesity prevalence changes. Differences in sugar availability statistically explain variations in diabetes prevalence rates at a population level that are not explained by physical activity, overweight or obesity” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23460912 And here are some more links on the impact of refined sugar and carbs on triglycerides and the incidence of diabetes. http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/can-high-intakes-carbs-cause-triglyceride-levels-rise-2495.html http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/86/4/899 http://authoritynutrition.com/11-graphs-that-show-what-is-wrong-with-modern-diet/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23594708 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673878/ The cherry picking continues. On both sides of the isle.Well said! I was thinking cherry picking when I saw the title of the video. Very happy to see someone on this site who pays attention, can see nuances and hate cherry picking as much as I do. Al though Dr. Greger has some pretty good info some of the time, cherry picking happens quite often as well, as with followers of other dietary camps. So I very much appreciate your comment and the links to the articles. Although, I don’t quite understand why triglycerides (and that includes MCT as well) is a problem when running the body on ketones, as some children with epilepsy – as far as I know – have lived healthy lives without seizures, while being on ketogenic diet. • “The total diet duration is up to the treating ketogenic diet team and parents; durations up to 12 years have been studied and found beneficial.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_dietYou were already thinking cherry-picking before you saw the video? Do you see any irony there?Not really, given the track record I have seen so far on subjects regarding ancestral health on this site, and the debunks I have posted on YouTube regarding some of these. (Although I haven’t seen them appearing on the comment feed for some reason, so I stopped posting.) If I were a newbie and didn’t have any prior experience with videos covering subjects like these made by NutritionFacts.org /Dr. Greger, you would have been right.First arguing that refined sugars and grains are unhealthful is a bit of a red herring. It is not within the realm of possibility that both refined sugars and high fat consumption can be detrimental?Second, if you object to results using a ketogenic diet in the initial graphs, you should enjoy the subsequent graphs which show continual improvement at every step:carbohydrate increased from 19 → 30% (fat reduced from 70 → 58%) carbohydrate increased from 30 → 41% (fat reduced from 58 → 47%) carbohydrate increased from 41 → 52% (fat reduced from 47 → 36%) carbohydrate increased from 52 → 63% (fat reduced from 36 → 25%) carbohydrate increased from 63 → 75% (fat reduced from 25 → 13%)The results of the 1934 study which every subsequent study is trying to elucidate the exact mechanisms for, were obtained using dietary mixtures of fresh cabbage, oats and bran, and soy bean meal, which actually does represent a pretty decent whole foods plant based diet.Nearly every other study is using the “gold standard” clamp test and/or NMR to determine insulin resistance as a result of lipid infusion or correlate insulin resistance with intramyocellular lipid content.Most of the research accepts lipid-induced insulin resistance as an established phenomenon, as shown in the quotations below, all provided as background material in the sources cited. To insinuate that the lipid-insulin resistance connection exists only as a result of one man’s cherry-picking is to ignore an entire landscape of meaningful and high quality diabetes research. Critiquing exact diet composition is fair, as often the means to distinguish between the effects of fat and carbohydrate involves diets quite poor in nutritional quality, and we see that in many nutritional studies. However wholly and summarily dismissing nearly 90 years of research is unfortunately incurious as well as disrespectful to a large number of competent researchers, and discrediting the person presenting it as nothing more than a “cherry-picker” is a bit dishonest as well.___________________________________________________________________________“It is now established that the sugar tolerance is impaired by starvation or the taking of diets with a high content of fat, whilst it is improved by taking diets containing an excess of carbohydrate.”“To examine the mechanism by which lipids cause insulin resistance in humans”“Skeletal muscle is the primary site of the FFA-mediated decrease in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Lipid accumulation within muscle cells (intramyocellular lipid, IMCL) is associated with insulin resistance”“The initial effects of free fatty acids (FFAs) on glucose transport/phosphorylation were studied” [to contrast with the possible pyruvate dehydrogenase inhibition mechanism]“Recent muscle biopsy studies have shown a relation between intramuscular lipid content and insulin resistance.”“Here we examine the latest evidence as to why lipids might accumulate in muscle and the possible mechanisms for lipid-induced insulin resistance.”From the data in the table from the Sweeney paper, the best glucose tolerance was achieved with diet 7 which was ~13% of calories from fat, and diet 6, which was only ~25% fat resulted in significantly lower tolerance and glucose stability. The full article is behind a pay wall so I am not sure what type of fat was used in diet 6, but from the data appearing in this video it appears that consuming more than ~15-20% of calories from fat will result in significant impairment of glucose metabolism.Dr. Greger, where can I find the studies that you have on this video so I can read them myself? You did not say anything about the type of fat. Thanks.Rob: To the right of the video is a button called, “Sources Cited”. Click that to see a list of the studies referenced in the video.Just to the right of the video is a click-able “sources cited” listingOop, Thea just said that :)Thanks. Silly of me to not see that button.Oatmeal is supposed to be low G.I ., slow releasing but I find that after about an hour or two my energy seems to plummet. Dried fruit is also a problem because of the sugar spike I seem to get. I find that beans on the side or Tofu in Miso with steamed sweet potatoes work best. For me fat is not likely to be the culprit as I am on a very low fat PBWF diet but more likely to be the issues Dr Forrester suggested Re:some people having problems with fruit. The tricky meal is lunch, as we often do not have the time, and need something quick and ‘portable’ rather than a meal we sit down to eat. Maintaining a stable glucose level seems more difficult in the afternoon for some reason, I don’t know if anyone else finds this too. In a nutshell Yes! we need to experiment until we find what is right for our individual needs. Thank you Dr Greger for this excellent presentation. The visuals worked for me.I was just wondering what type of fat really shows to cause the most insulin resistance, because avocados, nuts, and other plant based fats play a good role in health.I shared this video with a friend at work and he sent me this link: http://www.livestrong.com/article/472539-will-fats-raise-my-blood-sugar/. It says “While eating fat does not directly raise your blood sugar, it may play a positive role in glucose metabolism”. Then the article has a heading “I Can’t Believe It’s Butter”. I believe Dr. Greger’s videos, so I’m wondering about the conflicting information.“Nutrition and Metabolism” has been criticized as a low-carb-biased source by Plant Positive:https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LsZgTtqfV5k#t=275I will only sketch an idea about how the findings might be reconciled, without digging into the potentially dubious source behind LS’s ambiguous citation. The increase in intramyocellular lipid was found to increase insulin resistance in as little as 3 hours. However, over the short term, fat is transported to tissues as fat; it doesn’t transform into glucose, so neglecting other issues about calorie balance, it doesn’t raise blood sugar over the short term. And indeed, fat mixed with carbs may slow the absorption of the carbs somewhat, lessening the peak level of blood glucose in that three hour window.However, the peak level of blood glucose is not really what diabetics want to control in managing their disease symptoms: the area under the curve also matters, meaning that simply smoothing out the blood sugar spike by eating more fat may not be so great. Moreover, given that type II diabetes is fundamentally a disorder of advanced insulin resistance, it seems that restoring insulin sensitivity would be the ideal goal, since this would tend to roll back all the other metabolic problems which flow downstream of insulin resistance. Regardless, improved insulin sensitivity of value to all diabetics with irreversible insulin-dependence, and especially valuable to nondiabetic people who don’t want to get even near the risk of diabetes.largelytrue: Thank you for this thoughtful response. I hadn’t thought before about the concept of “the area under the curve”. I have previously only heard about people being concerned with flattening out peaks. Thanks for giving me something to think about/look into.I have to respectfully disagree with you. I work with diabetics and have found the low carb, high fat way of eating to be exceptional! Many of my patients are off oral diabetic meds and one came off insulin. I work with a lipidologist who completely agrees. My patients’ lipid profiles are excellent and I use the VAP cholesterol profile. I follow the LCHF way of eating and have never felt better. My labs are perfect. I’ve been able to get patients off statins with this way of eating.If you’re going to be detailed enough to mention the method of cholesterol profiling, you should also include numerical information about those ‘perfect’ labs, and give us some idea what you mean by an ‘excellent’ lipid profile.thanks so much!When you say fat do you mean “saturated” or all good fats as well.No matter what kind of fat ( saturated or unsaturated) is it anyways detrimental for insulin sensitivity? Thanks!This study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15297079 states, “Insulin sensitivity is also affected by the quality of dietary fat, independently of its effects on body weight. Epidemiological evidence and intervention studies clearly show that in humans saturated fat significantly worsen insulin-resistance, while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids improve it through modifications in the composition of cell membranes which reflect at least in part dietary fat composition.”Thank you so much @danielwagle:disqusI have a question… If fat causes blood sugar to rise, and thereby contributes to diabetes, then why do pistachios help to lower blood sugar? don’t pistachios have lots of fat? see link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25396407Good question. Not all fats are created equally and pistachios have good fat. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, 100 grams of pistachios have 23.8 grams of monounsaturated fat, 13.7 grams of polyunsaturated fat, and only 5.6 grams of saturated fat. Check out Dr. Gregor’s video Lipotoxicity: How Saturated Fat Raises Blood Sugar for more information.Thanks Linda.. I will check out the video.Also pistachios are a whole food and more than just their fat content. In fact their health promoting effects might be do to everything they contain but the fat. Or it might be the fat in combination with all the thousands of other nutrients in whole food that is the source of their good effect so defatted pistachio flour might not be effective either. Beware reductionist thinking.Great video! Any chance we can have that quantified? What is a “high fat diet” leading to the short term insulin resistance above? 40/30/30 (fat/protien/carbs)? 50/30/20?Interesting but based on this information how do you explain the apparent success of the Atkins diet?Success at what?Hi Darren, The HCG Diet? Seriously? I think you may have come to the wrong forum to sell either ketosis or the HCG Diet. Buyer Beware! http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/expert-answers/hcg-diet/faq-20058164However, to answer your question, please 1) watch all three of Dr. Greger’s Nutrition Year In Review presentations found at the bottom of this site’s home page and 2) watch the following lecture by Dr. McDougall. Thanks for the question and keep coming back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iosoXlr3ZVILawrence, I am not trying to sell anything, and think you should be a bit embarrassed by your response. I asked about Atkins, which, by the way I do not “sell”, and you respond about hCG, what are you selling?Hi Darren. Normally, I don’t get involved with back-and-forth postings. But, in this case I am making an exception. Are you not the Medical Director of the Vibrance Medical Group? http://bevibrance.com/ Does not the Vibrance Medical Group sell the Vibrance SHAPE Program that promotes the HCG Diet? http://bevibrance.com/our-services-2/hcg-weight-loss-program/ Has not the FDA declared HCG Diet products to be illegal? http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm281333.htm Q.E.D. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q.E.D. Re Atkins, it is simply a losing proposition. Drs. Greger and McDougall are quite explicit on this. And none of us who put their teachings into practice will waste their vitality on ketogenic diets, I’m fairly certain. Thank you for your reply and keep coming back.I would like to try and answer your question. I did atkins for over 2 years, as well as plant based whole food for 2 years. Excess dietary fat blocks insulin receptors from responding correctly. If you remove the carbs from the equation, the insulin receptors remain blocked, however the lack of carbs keeps blood sugar stable, helps with weight loss, and temporarily seems to make diabetics feel better. Unfortunately, as the excess fat continues to build, over time blood sugar is stable, but continues to rise higher and higher. Low carb high fat diet actually made my type 2 diabetes more severe over time, and other health conditions developed. In the beginning, I felt better because my blood sugar was no longer swinging back and forth, but overall made things much worse because it was making me more and more insulin resistant over time. I still required metformin to keep my blood sugar down and my A1C gradually rose to 7.4 on a low carb diet. When I changed to a whole foods plant based diet and brought my fat % down to 10%, my blood sugar normalized and I was able to get off the metformin in only 10 days. By clearing out the fat, my insulin response returned to normal and my last A1C was only 4.7. Atkins diet affected more than my blood sugar, it caused me to have yeast issues, autoimmune disease, acne, constipation, and high cholesterol. All of those problems went away quickly by switching from atkins to plant based. So in conclusion, Atkins temporary hides the symptoms, while making the cause worse, and any success on Atkins is only temporary. In the end, it raises the risk of many other diseases and is not worth it.MyDiabetesisCured: This is such a great post, because it not only gives a personal story, but also includes a very easy to understand explanation of what was happening and why. Thanks for this post! I hope others can learn from your experiences and avoid the first mistakes.Can getting tired after you eat cause Insulin Resistance or just being overweight in general? I’m vegan and have gone down 4 sizes now but still low energy esp after eating. I do a smoothie for my first meal with nuts usually. A meal is usually cooked veggies with potatoes. I’m thinking it just from still being overweight.Congratulations on taking control of your health and improving your diet! Improving your diet should lead to more energy, not less. Is it possible that you are not getting enough vitamin B12? Check out Dr. Gregor’s answer to What is the best way to get vitamin B12? for more information.I take 250mcg a day like Dr. Greger suggests :) I’ve check my sugar too and everything is normal esp after eating.Wonderful! So, on to the next question: Do you eat a variety of plant-based foods? Many deficiencies can lead to ill health and a variety of food is needed to obtain a variety of nutrients. Some of the nutrients that come to mind are Iron, Vitamin C, and the other B Vitamins. Check out these videos and let me know what you think: Apples and Oranges: Dietary Diversity Risk Associated With Iron SupplementsI thought I ate a variety of veggies lol. I was thinking of adding a b complex supplement though. I know I get enough iron we use a cast iron pan & vitamin C we drink juice & eat a lot of broccoli. I will do some research on it though. I’m bound to find a link. Thank you so much Linda for helping me. You are very kind to help :)This is the presentation I have been longing to see for the past twenty six years. My disappointment is that this has not been common knowledge for such a long time. From personal experience, insulin resistance should not be such a mystery. Type-1 diabetics are the perfect study subject because they cannot produce insulin and thus have to inject it on their own. This means insulin requirement relationships per food intake is very obvious – without interference from a functioning pancreas. As a Type-1 diabetic, I learned about the relationship between fat and insulin twenty six years ago. Even though the effect is 100% repeatable and obviously documented in my diabetic logs, I still suffered resistance from my doctors about my diet.I truly hope this video- this information – gets widely dispersed and accepted. There are millions of diabetics, not to mention the average American, suffering from needless ignorance and misguided by established medical practice.If interested, I have been posting my Type-1 diabetic story and blogs about insulin resistance on the Starch-Smart.com website. (https://www.starch-smart.com/blog/blogger/listings/kenscircus)Ken Thomas: Your post was so interesting to me because you have Type-1, which is often given a backseat on the research it seems to me. (Or maybe just what I know of the research.) But your idea of using a Type-1 person to do certain types of research that might inform us how to proceed with Type 2 is very intriguing.Why is it so difficult to answer my question? What has anything to do with Vibrance have to do with my question? Do you only take seriously people who agree with your opinion? Please do not forget, Lawrence, doctors in the past have been persecuted for suggesting things like the importance of hand washing so your condescending obsession with Vibrance is totally inappropriate. I am trying to understand the science behind the weight loss achieved on an Atkins type diet which is high in fat and so should cause insulin resistance and weight gain yet does seem to cause weight loss. Never mind, I am not interested in learning anything from someone with as closed a mind as yours. I will not be responding anymore.Darren, could you please repost your comment so that it is a reply to Lawrence, if Lawrence doesn’t respond to you within a few days? You are addressing him most directly and continuing the earlier discussion, but by not responding in the thread notice won’t get notice of your comment in Discus.When you restrict your definition of ‘success’ to weight loss I am a bit puzzled why you are unaware of plausible explanations. Cannot a high-fat diet result in calorie restriction, especially when compared with the baseline diets of the highly obese? Wouldn’t this result in weight loss, at least initially? I’m fairly confident that ketogenic and near-ketogenic diets have an appetite suppressant effect during weight loss, e.g. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25402637Also, what has you so confident that increased insulin resistance would have a large obesogenic effect in those who are already obese, or that the partial effect of increased dietary fat on insulin resistance would be large in an obese person? Have you seen the next video in which weight loss itself is suggested to reduce insulin resistance?Drinking vinegar can help with blood sugar and insulin resistance, see this link. http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/1/281.full There is a review at this site: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/ Perhaps Amla is more powerful when taken with meals.Is it true that IGF-1 also factors into insulin resistance?Several people on my forum are debating this video. One said the following and others of us would like Dr. Greger’s response to this. Thank you.This [lecture by Dr. Greger] is based on old, discredited science bought by drug manufacturers. One of those papers linking intramyocellular lipids to insulin resistance that proliferated in the late 90s contained this delightful footnote:“All authors are employed by and hold stock in Aventis Pharma, which manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals related to the treatment of diabetes.” (http://m.diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/52/1/138.full).Specifically, which pharmaceuticals? Glad you ask. Many of these late-1990s studies were advertorials for rosiglitazone, aka Avandia, a drug that killed thousands before being outlawed in most of the world (but not in the US, which is cool because unlike those foreigners we have the FDA to keep us safe).You might find this 2012 revisit of the 1999 study Mr. Gregor goes on about interesting:“In the mid-1990s, researchers began to re-examine type 2 diabetes from a more ‘lipocentric’ perspective; giving strong consideration to the idea that systemic lipid imbalances give rise to glucose dysregulation, rather than vice versa. At the forefront of this paradigm shift was a report by Krssak and colleagues (Diabetologia 1999; 42:113-116) showing that intramyocellular lipid content, measured via the (then) novel application of proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, served as a robust indicator of muscle insulin sensitivity in healthy individuals. A subsequent wave of investigations produced compelling correlative evidence linking ectopic lipid deposition within skeletal myocytes to the development of obesity-associated insulin resistance. But this relationship has proven much more complex than originally imagined, and scientists today are still left wondering if and how the intramyocellular accumulation of lipid droplets has a direct bearing on insulin action. Originally viewed as a simple storage depot, the lipid droplet is now recognised as an essential and sophisticated organelle that actively participates in numerous cellular processes. This edition of ‘Then and now’ revisits the connection between intramuscular lipids and insulin resistance and looks to future research aimed at understanding the dynamic interplay between lipid droplet biology and metabolic health.” (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22660796)This kind of propaganda would be fascinating indeed, at least in the way Jackass movies and YouTube motorbike wheelies crash videos are, if some folks didn’t ruin their health watching them.I tried to open that last link you posted–and the article did not appear. Would you mind re-posting the link?OK the link worked on my second attempt.Do all fats work the same way once they reach the bloodstream? Would trans fats and ground flax seeds have the same effect on blood sugar?Good question. No, all fats do not work the same way. Check out these videos for more information: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/.I’m a type 1 diabetic who eats entirely vegan, but I talk with many, many type 1’s who eat ketogenic, and I know what they would say. They’d say that because they’re eating so few carbs, there is less glucose at the door of the cells, so it doesn’t matter that the fat causes insulin resistance.Food and Loathing: Here’s what I would say back: “Suppose I agree with you that insulin resistance by itself is no problem because you aren’t eating carbs. It’s still a very bad idea. Ketogenic diets are associated with other health problems, such as lower cognitive performance, kidney damage, osteoporosis, etc. And if the fats you are eating include any significant amount of saturated fats and/or a large omega 6 to omega 3 ratio, you are setting yourself up for heart disease down the road. What is the point of eating in a way that helps you manage your diabetes, but gives you long term poor health and increases chance of early death?”I don’t see how it would ever be a natural diet, and I would never advocate it, but have there been any studies on high-fat whole-food plant-based diets and diabetes? Does it really matter all that much what the source of fat is, when it comes to the reduction of insulin insensitivity? For example if someone at a diet that was at least 50-60% fat, chalk full of nuts and avocados, would they still develop or maintain type-2 diabetes? See, that much fat is clearly not good for the heart and cardiovascular system. We know that. So of course, there’s no reason to advocate such a diet. But people still bring this up regarding diabetes, so it would be cool to have an answer.My current answer is, “Who cares?! If it isn’t a good idea for other facets of health, it doesn’t matter. Even if an avocado and coconut-based diet were fine for diabetes (which I doubt it is), you’ll have cardiovascular disease. So the question is a fairly irrelevant.”thanks for this video dr Greger. As I understand from this video, high fat and ketogenic diets increase insulin resistance. How would you explain a certain Dr. Attia, that was included in a Mercola’s article, who consumes 80 percent of his calories from fat and continuously monitors his metabolic markers (blood sugar, percent body fat, blood pressure, lipid levels). He has done that for 10 years, and he reports lower fasting blood sugar (75-95 compared to starting 100, and increased insulin sensitivity by 400%). This are completely opposite findings, that makes me really confused :( http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/02/ketogenic-diet-health-benefits.aspxHigh fat diet does block insulin receptors from working properly. However, if the person is not eating any carbs at all, the blood sugar may still remain low. 90+ fasting blood sugar is still considered insulin resistant. It may work as a bandaid for some people. In my experience in eating a very low carb diet for over 2 years, my blood sugar no longer was swinging up and down, but gradually over time, my blood sugar and triglycerides rose a lot. I would like to have that person eat a plate of spaghetti and see what happens. He also may be eating less calories, exercising more, and possibly taking medication to lower blood sugar Personally, my results are great with eating low fat vegan. I have increased my calories, but my fasting blood sugar went from 220 down to 80. Body fat% from 33% down to 20% (lean for a woman). Waist from 29 down to 27. Blood pressure down to 105/71. Triglycerides from 200 to 86. So you see, my change is greater than his when going from low carb high fat to a low fat vegan diet.Would a patient with type 2 diabetes/insulin resistance and strong will power likely cure themselves within a day by drastically reducing their fat intake? My understanding had been otherwise.How about a couple of months? In that case, quite a lot would no longer show symptoms of diabetes but remember that most T2 diabetics have lost half the beta cells in their pancreas by the time they are officially diagnosed. So their ability to produce insulin is much reduced. The beta cells have burnt out trying to keep up with the apparent need for more insulin. In fact their blood insulin levels were probably off the charts for a decade before their diagnosis, which is a great shame because that can be easily tested but usually isn’t. However, if they live a 100% low fat, plant-based diet then they will not need that much insulin and therefore could remain symptom-free. The other factor though is obesity. There is another video on this site that uses the same principles shown in this one but further suggests that (in simplistic terms) that the fat cells of obese people are full to overflowing and this allows free fat to get into the bloodstream and float around – not packaged into lipoproteins like LDL – and that this fat can get into the muscles and cause insulin resistance too, regardless of diet. I’ll try to find it.Here it is : http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/Good video, but is there another reason for insulin resistance? According to Dr. Jason Fung insulin causes insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes can be cured by fasting or bariatric surgery. The surgery outcome has been documented as eliminating Type 2. Since for most people with type 2 would not opt for the surgery a fasting program is the next best option. I would like to see another video on the cause of insulin resistance showing this research. This was a YouTube video and I thought it was very good. Jason Fung was speaking to an audience of doctors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oZ4UqtbB_gAny thoughts?The quoted studies refer to animal fat sources. What about vegetable oils – olive oil in particular? Do they also promote insulin resistance?To answer my own question, saturated fats are the problem: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/So how about coconut oil which is the only major plant source of saturated fat? Not so bad but not that good from a cholesterol standpoint: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/Everyone is different. Here is another opinion by Prof. Noakes.http://realmealrevolution.com/the-facts/prof-tim-noakes-talks-about-discovering-the-forgotten-dietIs it dietary fat, or body fat, that causes the insulin resistance? Does body fat cause fat to get in your muscles and resist insulin? Or does eating a fatty meal cause fat to get in your muscles, even if you are thin?Hello, I have a question regarding what is called ‘carb cycling.’ I haven’t been able to find studies about it, but there are many people who claim that carb cycling improves metabolic function. The basic idea is to alternate low carb days with high carb days. There are many variations of this. There could be, for example, two low carb days followed by a high carb day, etc. However, a problem is that when going low carb for a day or more, and then introducing carbs the next day, there is an abnormally high blood sugar spike. This is because going low carb, even for a day, increases insulin resistance, especially if this low carb day is high fat. However, what about alternating high carb days with reduced carb days, but not low carb days? For example, a person could alternate a 400g net carb day (high carb day) with a 150-200g net carb day (reduced car b day). The reduced carb days would probably not be enough to cause insulin resistance. Do you think this would have any benefit to the metabolism, or would there hardly be any effect one way or the other, neither positive nor negative? Thanks!Triathlete/weight loss surgeon Dr. Garth Davis just posted a fantastic detailed blog on diabetes being caused by animal protein, cured by carbs https://www.facebook.com/drgarth/posts/942670975753811“Lower the level of fat in people’s blood and the insulin resistance comes right down…” If that were true in most cases, wouldn’t medical treatments like statins raise insulin sensitivity? Or, is it because statins sourly work to lower LDL cholesterol.Does this apply to all fats (think nuts and avocados as well as animal-based)?What causes insulin resistance? Easy.Think of insulin as this really annoying fellow knocking at the door. Think of your insulin receptors as the person who opens the door. The more the person knocks at the door, the more the person inside is less inclined to answer it. So the more insulin in your system, and the more it comes knocking at the door, the more likely your receptors will ignore the knocking.Ideal situation, it’s a simply a suttle knock that your receptors are excited to hear and open the door (insulin sensitivity).Now go to your glycemic index and either avoid or minimize the foods that cause greatest amount of insulin release: Sugars, pop, candy bars, rice, pasta’s, potatoes, fruit, and grains.I’ve seen Dr McDougall mentioned quite a few times in this article so I figured I should step in. Dr McDougall has been diagnosed with a fatty liver due to his diet. He also looks like he is on his death bed because his thyroid is suffering.Whatever diet he is following should be avoided like the plague. I know his diet and what he preaches, things like starches and grains need to be avoided.This is a over simplistic view of insulin resistance. Yes fat is associated with insulin resistance but the fact that you simply eat more fat and you’ll have insulin resistance is misleading. Fat is not absorbed into your blood stream after you eat. At least not all types of fat. Saturated fats or short chain fatty acids are not absorbed and are digested. Long chain fatty acids such as hydrogenated oils are digested like carbohydrates and enter the blood stream. But the main mechanism for fat production which could possibly cause the “cell gumming” refereed by Dr Greger is the carbohydrate digestion which causes spikes in insulin production therefore causing it to store fat since one is one the chief functions of insulin. http://www.diabetesreviewer.comExcellent and KudosShow me articles that confirm that fats are the cause of insulin resistance; I’ve seen nothing. All I have seen are just correlation not causation. No one knows how insulin resistance really works.The problem with all these diets is that there is really no scientific basis. All are based on conjectures and no scientific proof. That’s why you have so many diets that works with some but not everyone.For me I follow the Gerson therapy as it is the only one so far that works for my type 2 diabetes. That and hiking in mountain trails of Arizona 5 days a week.	athletes,blood sugar,diabetes,fat,insulin,lipotoxicty,low-carb diets,muscle health,pancreas health,prediabetes,saturated fat,sugar	Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are caused by a drop in insulin sensitivity blamed on “intramyocellular lipid,” the buildup of fat inside our muscle cells.	The most concerning downside of low-carb diets, though, is heart health: Low Carb Diets and Coronary Blood FlowThis is the first of a 3-part video series on the cause of type 2 diabetes, so as to better understand dietary interventions to prevent and treat the epidemic. Next, in The Spillover Effect Links Obesity to Diabetes, I talk about how that fat can come either from our diet or excess fat stores, and then in Lipotoxicity: How Saturated Fat Raises Blood Sugar, I show how not all fats are equally to blame.Here are some of my recent diabetes videos with a bunch more on the way:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-carb-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lipotoxicty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10027589,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/0010480616,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10334314,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC507380/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18460913,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23122836,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1394223/,
PLAIN-2488	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/	The Problem With the Paleo Diet Argument 	Our epidemics of dietary disease have prompted a great deal of research into what humans are meant to eat for optimal health. In 1985, an influential article was published proposing that our chronic diseases stem from a disconnect between what our bodies evolved eating during the Stone Age during the last 2 million years and what we’re stuffing our face with today, advocating for a return towards a hunter-gatherer type diet of lean meat, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.Though it may be reasonable to assume our nutritional requirements were established in the prehistoric past, the question of which prehistoric past remains. Why just the last 2 million? We’ve been evolving for 25 million years since our common great ape ancestor during which our nutrient requirements and digestive physiology were set down, and therefore probably little affected by our hunter-gatherer days at the tail end. So what were we eating for the first 90% of our evolution? What the rest of the great apes ended up eating - 95 plus percent plants.This may explain why we’re so susceptible to heart disease. For most of human evolution, cholesterol may have been virtually absent from the diet. No bacon, butter, trans fats and massive amounts of fiber, which pulls cholesterol from the body. Now this could be a problem since our body needs a certain amount of cholesterol, so our bodies didn’t just evolve to make cholesterol, but to preserve it, recycle it; our bodies evolved to hold on to cholesterol. And so if you think of the human body as a cholesterol conserving machine and plop it into the modern world of bacon/eggs/cheese/chicken/pork/pastry, well then no wonder artery-clogging heart disease is our #1 cause of death. What used to be so adaptive for 90% of our evolution, holding on to cholesterol at all costs since we aren't getting much in our diet, is today maladaptive, a liability leading to the clogging of our arteries. Our bodies just can’t handle it.As the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Cardiology noted 25 years ago, no matter how much fat and cholesterol carnivores eat, they do not develop atherosclerosis. You can feed a dog 500 eggs worth of cholesterol and a stick of butter and they just wag their tail; their body is used to eating and getting rid of excess cholesterol whereas within months, a fraction of that cholesterol can start clogging the arteries of animals adapted to eating a more plant-based diet.Even if our bodies were designed by natural selection to eat mostly fruit, greens and seeds for 90% of our evolution, why didn’t we better adapt to meat-eating in the last 10%, during the Paleolithic? We’ve had nearly 2 million years to get used to all that extra saturated fat and cholesterol. If a lifetime of eating like that clogs up nearly everyone’s arteries, why didn’t the genes of those that got heart attacks die off and get replaced by those that could live to a ripe old age with clean arteries regardless what they ate?Because most didn’t survive into old age, they didn’t live long enough to get heart attacks. When the average life expectancy is 25, then the genes that get passed along are those that can just live to reproductive age by any means necessary, and that means not dying of starvation so the higher the calorie foods, the better. So eating lots of bone marrow and brains, human and otherwise, would have a selective advantage, as would discovering a time machine stash of Twinkies for that matter. If we just have to live long enough to get our kids to puberty to pass along our genes, then we don’t have to evolve any protections against the ravages of chronic disease.To find a population nearly free of chronic disease in old age, we don’t have to go back a million years. In the 20th century, networks of missionary hospitals in rural Africa found coronary artery disease virtually absent, and not just heart disease, but high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, common cancers, and on down the list.In a sense, these populations in rural China and Africa were eating the type of diet we’ve been eating for 90% of the last 20 million years--a diet almost exclusively of plant foods. How do we know it was their diet and not something else?In the 25 year update to their original paleo paper, they tried to clarify that they did not then and do not now propose that people adopt a particular diet just based on what our ancient ancestors ate. Dietary recommendations must be put to the test. That’s why the pioneering research from Pritikin, Ornish, and Esselstyn is so important, showing that plant-based diets can not only stop heart disease but have been proven to reverse it in the majority of patients. Indeed, it’s the only diet that ever has.	The paleo diet dogma is just a proxy for the meat industry to continue to sell their products while it has repeatedly been shown to cause cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke (and much more). Time to face the truth..Its also a proxy for those of us who can’t bear to think of not eating a hamburger or turkey dinner. For many, its food and the rush of pleasure from eating familiar fatty food that gives life meaning. Sad. Also sad to deprive oneself of the amazing plant-based dishes – closed off from a whole new world of pleasurable eating.I don’t understand why people don’t realize that beef stew any animal dish can taste just as good or better without the animal.Mark – Its because no one ever offers them the option.Come on over, I will cook anything you want in a vegan version :) You don’t need to kill cows or turkeys for your dinner. :)I’ll be right there! :-)Sadly, for you, humans are omnivores and the decision to leave that lifestyle is just as dangerous, if not as immediate, as deciding that you no longer like drinking water.JustMe2013: Here is a great document explaining where the humans fall in the herbivore-omnivore-carnivore spectrum based on basic biology: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.htmlCombine the above information with the information you learn here on NutrtionFacts.org and you will see which lifestyle is best for long health and life.False belief. Sadly for vast majority of humans they falsely believe we are “Omnivores” (Like I did from childhood). Omnivores (dogs, bears, possums, etc…) are physically more similar to carnivores than to herbivores (humans) with flat uniform teeth, long intestines, etc…. Lots of physical evidences that we are not omnivores, but of course “Belief” trumps science.Agreed. We are not herbivores.“Sadly”? Why to be sad when it’s demonstrated again and again that a whole plant based diet makes you much healthier? And that animal products are a big source of trouble, including heart disease and cancers?We are omnivores in the sense that we CAN eat animal products, not that we MUST eat them.We are created so flexible, that we CAN eat animal products in case we don’t have a choice, but it’s not the best diet.Comparing animal products with water, in this age of abundant information, it’s ridiculous. Keep reading nutritional information on this site.Because they DON’T. They do taste good, but they still taste different than dishes with meats or fats. Many plant-based dishes have amazing flavors and textures and colors, but they are DIFFERENT than meat based dishes, not better tasting, necessarily. Even after two years, I long for the genuinely mouth and brain and tummy satisfying experience of a good meat-based meal, complete with unhealthy fats. There is nothing that is as enjoyable in the plant-based spectrum. I accept this…I eat plant-based for health. But it annoys me to no end that not one single whole-foods, plant-based advocate will admit out loud that plant-based foods are only wonderful if your palate isn’t that fussy to start with, and if your eating disorder isn’t severe, and you can also brainwash yourself. Because food doesn’t get better, tastier, more filling, or more satisfying just because your plate doesn’t contain excess fat or animal products…It’s a “mind over matter” thing, unless you are one of those lucky people for whom eating is and always was nothing more than a necessary interruption of your day. Plant based is healthier, that I’m sold on. But it still doesn’t taste better. Quit telling people it does. That only leads to anger and disappointment from those trying to improve their diet by avoiding processed food, fats, and animal products.Hi Badgers Magpies,I completely understand your feelings. I changed my diet 13 years ago, initially to lose weight and it was a challenge at first. I was a real cheese addict. When I first adopted a whole food plant based diet, I missed cheddar, brie, gorgonzola – I loved it all! But, yes, the health benefits are so worth it (I lost over 40 pounds, lowered my cholesterol and feel so much better!). I learned that certain foods including meat, cheese, sugar and chocolate do indeed stimulate pleasure centers in the brain. For instance, the consumption of sugar releases oxytocin, known as the love hormone, while the consumption cow cheese contains casomorphins, which break down into morphine, an opiate. This video by Dr. Greger on how fatty foods are addictive shows how overindulging in these foods actually deadens the dopamine pathways in the brain, which may be one reason plant foods might not taste as good to you as animal products. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/ You may also enjoy the book, Breaking the Food Seduction by Neal Barnard, MD. It’s very illuminating in describing why these foods are so addictive and how we can help change our palates.For me, I found certain transition foods to be very helpful as well. They may not simulate animal products exactly, but meat analogs like super firm tofu and seitan, as well as the new gourmet nut-based cheeses from Kite Hill and Miyoko’s Kitchen (her recipe for fondue minus the oil in her Artisan Vegan Cheese cookbook is a special occasion treat and is divine!) certainly make it easier than ever to eat healthier.Emily :)Thanks for the suggestions, Emily. You have described the problem both more eloquently and accurately than I did. My primary point is that for many considering leaving animal foods behind, the frequent assertions about the deliciousness of their endeavor are a big attraction–if non-meat foods still taste fantastic, then OF COURSE a plant-based way of life is worth doing! But then they get hit with the reality of withdrawals and unsatifying foods…and they throw in the towel and go back to bacon and eggs, frustrated and convinced their non-meat-eating friends are crazy or else have more will power than they do. I just think that in order to avoid alienating the masses, all the “but vegan food tastes so much better!” assertions should be amended with “once you retrain your brain and your tastebuds, which might take a while, so hang in there.”I would add two thoughts to Emily’s excellent post. When withdrawing from anything you go through a time period which in the case of food can last up to 3 weeks but is usually shorter. Doug Lisle discusses this in the book he coauthored with Dr. Goldhammer entitled, The Pleasure Trap. You then come to “equilibrium” with your new environment. People experience this when they get into water that at first seems chilly but later is fine. That is why I like the monthly 21 Day Kickstarter programs from PCRM (i.e. available in spanish, mandarin and tailored to India). Additionally the program provides excellent practical and factual information. Based on my experience with the McDougall Whole Foods program folks often see a benefit within days and get away from their “addictions” in a week or two. The other point is that for most folks it is a journey. They make incremental changes that work for them and those around them. The transition foods can be very helpful. They are not necessarily healthy but are much better than the foods they replace when looked at from a health, environment and animal suffering viewpoint. I think it helps if people are given realistic expectations and support in their changes. Once the change is made you need to learn techniques for “Getting Along without Going Along” as Doug Lisle outlines in his excellent presentation by that title.Hi Badgers,You make an excellent point. Sometimes, at first, whole plant foods do, indeed, taste kind of boring compared to meat, dairy, eggs and sugar, but if you are really motivated, like we are, you push through that withdrawl period. I agree with all of Don’s suggestions, too (below). Doug Lisle’s presentation on The Pleasure Trap and PCRM’s 21-Day Kickstart are both fantastic and for most people 3-4 weeks of being really strict helps to break the addictions to the SAD diet foods, but for some people it can take longer. I think that the more new whole plant foods you try with different tastes and textures, the more helpful it can be. For instance, before I went plant-based, I had never tried any winter squashes and I didn’t like beans. Now, those are two of my favorite foods! I wonder if many of the people who say that vegan food is just as delicious as animal based food are not talking about healthy whole foods, but instead are talking about processed vegan versions of animal based recipes using oil, sugar and meat analogues. There are plenty of those that taste very similar to their animal-based counterparts and I think they can help some people through the transition period of withdrawl.Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I’m sure you’ve helped some readers by sharing your opinions.Best wishes for your continued journey of good health! :)Thank you for your input, Dr. Forrester, and Ms Honeycutt. However, your advice relates to the issue of withdrawing from unhealthy foods, which is difficult, and I don’t think it gets quite enough press about HOW difficult it can be. However, a much greater issue, which prompted my original post, and one which is also shared by some of my aquaintances, though not all, is this: Long after withdrawal “symptoms” have passed, even years after following a completely whole foods, plant-based diet without added fats, we continue to actively pine after animal products and, specifically, animal and dairy fats. We all agree that while we may be committed to animal-free foods, and enjoy many vegan dishes, life simply isn’t as pleasurable without fat, nor is anything we eat anywhere near as tasty. Some rely more heavily on plant-based fats but still struggle. Fatty foods triggered our pleasure centers, and vegan food does not. Vegan food is not, therefore, particularly enjoyable, not matter how basic, or creatively, prepared. I have therefore come to believe that food and flavor enjoyment “equilibrium” for some people is simply not attainable. If we have indeed reached a point where this is “as good as it gets” then we are doomed to continue to struggle with food issues for the rest of our lives, as most of us have for as long as we can remember. For us, the “promise” that we could break free from the “pleasure trap” of unhealthy food has not proven to be true. For some, that promise was the whole reason for changing our way of eating, and outlook on food. For all of us, the frequently reiterated assurances that this food or that recipe was just as “delicious” or “tasty” and every bit as fantastic as the food we used to eat was a lifeline that we clung to as we began our journeys…if we just kept at this long enough, the food would taste awesome eventually. But that has not been the case. Not for some of us, anyway. So I repeat my assertion that those who eschew animal products comfortably, once they get past the “withdrawal” stage, and who are genuinely convinced that plant-based foods are every bit as tasty or better, possibly haven’t suffered the same multifaceted depth of attraction for animal foods or fats that I suffer. Or they truly have different metabolic responses, perhaps. This phenomena is rarely, if ever, acknowledged within the plant-based community, and I (and friends) find this lack of acknowledgement frustrating. We can’t possibly be the only unhappy vegans in the world. We can’t be the only ones wanting to scream when plant-based advocates insist, even promise, that committing to foods without fats and meat will in and of itself, eventually create total food satisfaction and enjoyment of this manner of eating. Collectively, I cannot believe we are all “doing something wrong.” So I think a little more “it’s not necessarily the tastiest way to eat, but it’s SO good for you (and the planet) that it’s still worth doing for the rest of your (longer) life” would be more helpful encouragement once in a while, instead of simply insisting that food tastes better without animal products in it. Please understand, I am a total advocate for a whole foods, plant-based life…but not because this way of life is in any way satisfying to my tastebuds. I generally try to avoid engaging in this discussion, because it inevitably degenerates into an assertion that I’m not eating the right food, or the right variety, or that I must “cheat” and be re-activating cravings. Have people gone back to the SAD because they can’t find support for trying to live within vegan principals when they don’t much like what they are eating? I would imagine so, because the “official” message, found everywhere, is that the plant-based food is so much better. Where does that leave those of us who don’t agree?Hi Badgers,I’m so sorry for your struggles. I wish there was something I could say or do or some fantastic recipes I could create for you to help you feel better. I guess we each have our own journey, but you are very strong and are doing the right thing in caring for your health.Regarding enhancing pleasure in your life, I’ve been doing a lot of research lately on this topic. Food and sex effect the same neural pathways in the brain and for many reasons including blood flow, your plant-based diet should be enhancing your sexual health. While this is a sensitive and complex topic, since you are experiencing less pleasure through food, you may be able to experience more pleasure in the bedroom. If you are interested in this topic, you may want to check out the book, Sex on the Brain by Dr. Daniel Amen.For now, the only thing I can offer is support and a virtual hug. :)Thanks! I love your suggestion…I will be checking out that book!Saturated fats are good for you. We are omnivores not rabbits.Badgers Magpies – well said. I’m with you by choice for best health and like you said, don’t talk to me about how great it tastes and full of flavor and don’t call vegan dishes by meat names and say it tastes the same or better. It is nothing like it to those of us who became strongly addicted to sugar, salt, oil/fat, meat, and processed foods. I eat plant SOS free and my body rewards me by healing and feeling amazing everyday. That is why I stick am sticking to it, but the taste range varies from barely tolerable to bland by comparison for even the most gourmet vegan dishes.I think a book like this one will give you good suggestions.http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91ysefIfDVL._SL1500_.jpghttp://www.amazon.com/But-Could-Never-Go-Vegan-ebook/dp/B00M9P7JJY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_topIf you eat a vegan diet like that you might as well stay on the SAD healthwise.Don’t judge the book by its cover, its against fake food. I am not necessary against it tho, for cases like the above poster, as transitional foods.I am a natural vegetarian (means, I never liked meat, is in fact repulsive to me, as is for all my family — father’s side) Nor liked fish particularly either, so I was ovo lacto vegetarian before being vegan.Don’t rush to judge people you don’t know.Also not being American, even people that are omnivores from our area are better off than people in the SAD. (Cantabric regions FYI) In diet, you could say share a lot with Mediterranean regions.I just meant to point out that eating vegan does not necessarily imply eating healthy. You can eat french fries and processed meat substitutes within a white burger bun and wash it all down with a big gulp of Coke. OK, the Coke on the cover is susbtituted by a glass of red cabbage but otherwise… and well, yes, I do judge books by their cover. If a book has a cheesy cover I won’t give it a further look. That’s a rough but efficient filter to cut through the c**p.Anyway, you shouldn’t think that I make a personal judgement about you when I simply write a sarcastic comment about a book’s cover you posted ;)Yep, totally based on familiar taste and textures and based on EMOTIONAL attachment, not reality. Why else all the denial and imaginative evasions…they are just tastes and textures than can usually be replicated or even improved on otherwise?For those who truly follow the Paleo Diet, they do not financially back the meat INDUSTRY, because factory farmed meat does not fit into the paleo diet. Unless you really think that the local farmer selling you grass-fed beef at the farmer’s market is part of the “meat industry,” your statement is inherently flawed. And as you stated, those types of animal produces certainly contribute to (but perhaps not “cause”) cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, etc… Naturally raised and wild game meats are a different class of food entirely.Sure, they advocate grass-fed beef. This option is, indeed, healthier. It has higher omega-3, CLA, no added hormones/antibiotics, etc. However, the magnitude of these differences are actually quite marginal, and the overall health benefits pale in comparison to more plant based alternatives. The majority of early health benefits are attributable to elimination of processed foods. (Promoters exploit an infamous half truth — refined carbs are bad — that leads people to the harmful, fallacious and invalid conclusion that all carbs are therefore bad.)Moreover, there simply is not enough space on earth for everyone to eat pasture raised livestock, period. More to your point, with that last point considered, I think the meat industry has a lot to do with this, as they clearly had with other low-carb trends in decades past. I have had more than one friend go on the paleo diet. Believe it or not, while many paleo dieters believe in the ideals of factory-farm-less meat, they find it difficult to sustain financially or logistically. As a result, the majority of paleo dieters only pay it lip service, while resorting to factory farmed animal products by convenience.If you go around asking paleo dieters where they buy their food, they might lie to appeal to their ideals, but often times they admit outright that they just buy the same animal products they always did before. That is not to say that there aren’t many that DO make the effort! However, the overall trend is an increase in factory farmed animal consumption that is bad for the animals, bad for human health and bad for the environment. (Imagine the acceleration in rain forest devastation were we to pursue such land space to sustain such ideals in spite of better alternatives!)For those who truly follow the paleo diet (the fantasy of a paleo diet, that is, because there’s nothing authentically paleolithic in content or style about any paleo diet), they do financially back the meat industry. Factory farmed meat is most of what most paleos eat, because there isn’t much of any alternative and on most occasions it’s not possible to find non-factory farmed meat. So paleo eaters buy the factory-farmed meat at the grocery store that’s there, they go to restaurants and order the meat that is served there, which is factory-farmed, they are guests at the homes of their friends who serve them the factory-farmed meat that they bought at the grocery store. Non-factory meat is a fraction of a fraction of the meat available anywhere. And the “free-range” and organic meat product lines at grocery stores are still factory meat.“Grass-fed” meat is grass-fed for part of its life, and then goes on a factory-approved corn and soy diet at the end. Then it goes into a factory to get slaughtered sloppily, cruelly, and filthily.This is all aside from the fact that the differences between “grass-fed” or free-range animals and factory animals are minuscule. No commercially sold meat is “naturally raised,” and none is even close to being a natural animal. All the animals modern humans eat, other than the less than a tenth of a percent that is hunted down during hunting seasons, have been bred for the qualities humans found economical and palatable–they are fatty, clumsy, and nothing like their progenitors before animal husbandry.This is all aside from the fact that paleolithic man did not eat a meat-heavy diet any more than today’s primitive tribes do. Meat was very difficult to get historically before agriculture and husbandry. The meat source tends not to want to be turned into food, and so runs away–more skillfully than man can shoot an arrow or throw a spear. So paleolithic man ate a diet with a little meat occasionally and massive amounts of vegetation (which is why paleolithic man consumed massive amounts of fiber).Factory farmed or not, it all come back to the same. The industry sells what consumers want or believe they want. If the demand for grass feed goes up the industry will follow. Also, animal protein is damageable wild or not. It is leaner but still damageable. Fat, antibiotics, pesticides and hormones are not the only issue.The “meat industry” doesn’t get much from the paleo followers. The feed lot operations produce food as horrible as GMO grains. “Whole (GMO) grains”. I’ve been on a pretty strict paleo, letting go virtually all grains and legumes. I don’t eat much meat, but what I do eat is grass feed (and not just grass feed until the last few months when they end up in a food lot with grains to eat, which they are allergic to, and makes them put on all kinds of fat).What I do know, is that eliminating grains and legumes and eating complex carbs and lean healthy meats and fish, is that it made me realize I had not, in my entire life (68 years) ever felt good until I went off grains and beans. I don’t wake up anymore scrambling to get a big bowl of grain down to make me feel better for a while. Without grains and the sugar high/lows, it is easy to fast. My energy levels now are high and steady throughout the day. And my health checkups put me in the teenager category. I use both low level exercise and wind sprints. I’ve never felt so good. And I’m just getting started.Humans are omnivores. In the wild they are master foragers. Which brings me to something seldom mentioned on forums such as this: plants have toxins. They are used to ward off pests. Eating widely of many different plants keeps the individual toxins to a minimum.And here is a quote from “The Paleo Manifesto.” “The only truly nonessential macronutrient is carbohydrate. People can subsist on a fat and carbo diet (lack essential amino acids), but they can’t subsist on a fat and carbohydrate diet or protein and carbo diet (lacks essential fats).The “meat industry” doesn’t get much from the paleo followers. The feed lot operations produce food as horrible as GMO grains. “Whole (GMO) grains”. I’ve been on a pretty strict paleo, letting go virtually all grains and legumes. I don’t eat much meat, but what I do eat is grass feed (and not just grass feed until the last few months when they end up in a food lot with grains to eat, which they are allergic to, and makes them put on all kinds of poisonous fat).What I do know, is that eliminating grains and legumes and eating complex carbs and lean healthy meats and fish, is that it made me realize I had not, in my entire life (68 years) ever felt good until I went off grains and beans. I don’t wake up anymore scrambling to get a big bowl of grain down to make me feel better for a while. Without grains and the sugar high/lows, it is easy to fast. My energy levels now are high and steady throughout the day. And my health checkups put me in the teenager category. I use both low level exercise and wind sprints. I’ve never felt so good. And I’m just getting started.Humans are omnivores. In the wild they are master foragers. Which brings me to something seldom mentioned on forums such as this: plants have native toxins. They are used to ward off pests. Eating widely of many different plants keeps the individual toxins to a minimum.And here is a quote from “The Paleo Manifesto.” “The only truly nonessential macronutrient is carbohydrate. People can subsist on a fat and protein diet, but they can’t subsist on a fat and carbohydrate diet (lack essential amino acids) or protein and carbo diet (lacks essential fats).” Think Inuit, who thrive on meat and fat.And if you are in a moral delimma about killing animals, read the books by Stephen Buhner, such as The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature. It is the best science writing I’ve ever read. You’ll learn how to communicate with plants. Plants and the plant world (a la Avatar) form neurosystems greater than any animal. We’re all in this together.Treat everything as sacred and you can’t go too far wrong.Sorry about part duplication. Please read from the second “The meat industry” to the end. Site wasn’t allowing proper editing. So I added a text file that should have replaced the original.The statement from “The Paleo Manifesto” is nonsense on stilts. It takes a biological fact–carbohydrate is a nonessential nutrient–and draws the invalid (and false) inference that people cannot survive on a diet of fat and carb or protein and carb. People can and do–because no carbohydrate food (and by “food” is meant not refined sugar) lacks protein, and most do not lack fat either. A diet based on starch foods, such as potatoes, rice, corn, and the like, has fat and protein sufficient for humans.The use of the word “essential” in nutritional terms means that the body cannot synthesize it. It does not mean that the nutrient is unhealthful. Some are, some aren’t. The body needs protein and fat; it doesn’t need the fats in meat, and for the most part those are harmful. There are two essential fats: Omega-3 and omega-6. The rest of the fats–the saturated, the monounsaturated–are “truly nonessential” and harmful.A carbo diet does not lack essential amino acids; all carbohydrate foods that are not pure sugar have all the amino acids.And face it–most “paleo followers” (fantasy paleo dieters) buy most of their meat from factory-farming sources, and have no alternative but to do so.You might want to check your facts there Da St. Potatoes, rice, and especially corn don’t contain enough protein for the human body nor do they contain enough fat. Our bodies are also incapable of breaking down beans to extract the nutrients out of them so their impressive nutritional profiles are irrelevant. No not all carbohydrate foods that are sugar free contain amino acids, which begs the question, do you have any clue what they even are?You are right about one thing, most paleo followers do not buy “unprocessed meat” like you find in factor farms. Price is usually the problem.Would you mind listing a few of the plant toxins you are most concerned with? Or is this simply something you have been told and have failed to investigate further? In my experience, WAPF and Paleo supporters tend to list things such as phytoestrogens and phytates, which are actually health promoting.WAPF and Paleo salesman like to use big words like protease and trypsin inhibitors and the like to sound authoritative to the layperson, but they rely on partial truths to sell you a lie. For example, they will commonly criticize phytic acid as an “anti-nutrient” and decry its inhibition of mineral absorption — ignoring the marginal magnitude of this action. Could this lead to deficiencies? Of course…. assuming you live in a developing country with limited food variety and chronically under consume calories. Otherwise, this is nothing but scare tactics. And, of course, they will always omit the demonstrated benefits against diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.These charlatans are profiting off of the information gap between them and the consumer, playing to our fears and catering to our desires. It is an outstanding business model, but terrible science.The Miocene diet is likely to be much more health-promoting.Dr. David Jenkins tested three diets on human volunteers (himself being one of them) in a randomized crossover trial. The first diet was standard therapeutic advice. The second was starch-based with more fruits and vegetables. The third had 55 servings of fruits and vegetables per day and 67 g of nuts per day with over 150 g/day of fiber. Within two weeks, serum LDL on the third diet was reduced dramatically- as much as Statins (or more). Other inflammatory markers (APO-B and APO B/A) were also highly reduced.If the paleo people were really serious about their health, they might consider a diet based on a much earlier time, about 5 MYA, before we diverged from the great apes. Dentition studies suggest that those diets were similar to the diets of today’s great apes. Katherine Milton has written a number of thought-provoking papers on the lessons we can learn from wild howler monkey diets, and these are great, also.Sources:Jenkins et al., Effect of a Very–High-Fiber Vegetable, Fruit, and Nut Diet on Serum Lipids and Colonic Function Metabolism, Vol 50, No 4 (April), 2001: pp 494-503Kay R: Diets of early Miocene African hominoids. Nature 268:628-630, 1977Milton K, Nutritional Characteristics of Wild Primate Foods: Do the Diets of Our Closest Living Relatives Have Lessons for Us? Nutrition Vol. 15, No. 6, 1999Do you realize the nuts and seeds in that 3rd diet mask the results? They hide the inflammation while the amount of fiber in that diet is pro inflammatory? Do you have any idea how bad it is on your cells to have that much fiber crashing around?Just simply stemming from common sense here.. think about it..False. Big Pharma propaganda. Paleo diet is the same as Dr. Atkin’s diet, that helped hundreds of his patients, including himself. Low fat diets have made many dieters sick and even died over time. You have been lied to.False, Paleo diet is not the same as Dr Atkins diet. Dr Atkins diet allowed for processed foods, paleo does not. This is an outright simple fact.Paleo is basically 60% fats, 20-30% protein, and 10-20% carbs from unprocessed sources. Atkins is eat however much meat you bloody well want from any source because it has little effect on your insulin. See the difference?Paleo is based on the false theory evolution.Sugar causes cancer, diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and much more,end thread/Ignorance… Ketogenic diets have been studied for 200 years..dating back to 1797. And have been shown to reduce inflammation and neuronal degeneration and as a possible help in reduction of many forms of cancer. Simple Carbs on the other hand depending on ones genetic propensity to get fat, cause inflammation. It depends on many factors from genetics to what the mothers diet was like through gestation. Some people have such a huge response to insulin the carbs in broccoli can start the insulin surge. While others can eat a ring ding can be fine. And after digestion the type of acid created by a slice of bread is more acidic than the acid created by meat….anthropomorphism looks at current natives… How many tribes are plant eaters only? Very few. Eat the organs… Eat grass fed (so the fat profile does not cause oxidation) not grain fed, and don’t cook on high heat denature get the product… And eat plenty of green stuff… And for crying out loud saturated fat is not the devil… It’s the simple carbs that cause high triglycerides and heart disease… And yes Martha , whole grain is begging for whole pre diabetes based on your genetic preponderance for such a thing.You’re ignoring the most important aspect of the paleo diet. Eliminating grains and legumes that cause leaky gut. It’s not meat alone that causes heart disease and cancer but rather combining it with massive amounts of carbs and sugar. I eat 2 whole eggs and pork everyday and my hdl’s are 71 and ldl’s are 52. If paleo was so bad wouldn’t I have high cholesterol and triglycerides. What I believe is that we should eat paleo but emphasize more greens with it and less fatty meats and more fish as I may be an anomaly with my extremely low cholesterol. However, grains and legumes should be severely limited because of there effect on zonulin release which opens up the membranes of the intestines, which in turn over time can lead to autoimmune issues. Most of ancestors didn’t live long enough to develop autoimmune disorders but since we are living longer we need to pay closer attention to the consumption of grains and legumes.Are you sure you watched the video? And did you see the ones about beans? And about leaky gut? You seem to have naturally low cholesterol. I wonder what your level would be after two weeks on a vegan diet?I went vegan for a month at the advice of one doctor because of fatty liver, went in for a blood test and most of the inflammatory markers sky rocketed. The biggest alarm was the fatty liver got worse. I swapped doctors, and the other told me (thankfully), that vegan was the absolute worst thing someone can do with fatty liver. It not only promotes it, but makes it worse.Fast forward to now, I eat 3-4 eggs per day, 1-2 servings of lean meat, healthy servings of nuts and seeds, and a good portion of raw veggies. My weight dropped, heart rate dropped, health drastically improved, all the markers are now normal. The best part is, the fat in the liver was reduced 85% after 10 weeks. The only reason that happened is because I stopped going vegan and started adding eggs and saturated fats back in.Congratulations on having the genetics to eat eggs and meat and maintain low cholesterol. But cholesterol is just a marker and does not mean your arteries are not building plaque. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/What I find disconcerting about paleo promoters is their total disregard of the preponderance of science. Your assertions of the problems of grains and legumes are theories. The fact of the matter is the consumption of legumes are associated with long life spans. The one common denominator food of the “Blue Zones”, locales of high concentration of centenarians, is legumes. This has been confirmed by other studies: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/The same longevity case is valid for whole grains: http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2087877Now if you want to argue about Dr. Greger’s presentations, just bear in mind that he is the messenger, and all his presentations include the sources cited. Real studies, not conjecture.The consumption of legumes are not associated with long life spans. One of the longest living cultures out there (ancient eskimos) if you want to call them that had lifespans well into their 90’s eating primarily fat.Even today, those who eat primarily plants don’t usually live past 67.You have to bear in mind that the things you are trying to point out and the things Dr Gregor have been trying to “message” are things scientists have been trying to prove for approximately the past 60 years. Every single study out there has either proved them wrong or had no effect (with most proving them wrong). Nothing was published because in their own words “the results were not what they hoped for).If you want to talk about a messenger, go read Gary Taubes work. He is a real messenger who just reports on all the studies ever conducted. He even points out ones popular doctors of today like Dr Greger completely fail to take into account, other causing factors in the studies.Sorry Martin but that assertion about the Inuit is pure fantasy. Pre modern Inuit tended to live no more that 53 years, had accelerated osteoporosis, excess kidney disease and numerous strokes. Advanced atherosclerosis and osteoporosis have been found in frozen mummies of young women of 20 and 40 that were more than 400 years old. This disease of affluence came with a high meat and fat and low vegetable diet. Adding in the standard American diet has scarcely been an improvement though.The non scientist Gary Taubes is a pretty good polemicist and good money maker. Taking his paleofantasy recommendations on diet would be akin to taking recommendations to go play in the traffic.I’d be interested to learn more about the link to which you refer between eating grains & legumes and leaky gut. Would you post links to research studies please? Thanks.dr axeGo read Gary Taubes work, he touches on every single study out there in the past 60 years. Audio book is cheap, go listen to that, you’ll gather all the info you need. You’ll even noticed studies touched on by Dr Greger here are completely thrown in the light of just how cherry picked the research is for scientists trying to prove their point.. even though all have failed in the past 60 years.Nice to hear that the diet works for you, my own LDL number rise on sat fat intake, prob because I’m apoe4.Would be interesting to know what your LDL-P numbers are.Good luck with it.There is no valid scientific support for your claims… They sound like the kind of nonsense you read in Paleo books, written by non-experts in the fields in question. Grains and legumes have never been shown to have the effects you are claiming, except in obese individuals who are already sick (and whole grains and legumes didn’t make them sick). Your “low-fat” meats are around ~50% fat by calorie–a complete misnomer (actual low-fat meats with under 20% fat calories are considered unpalatable, because they taste terrible). You make no mention of whole grains… and finally your anthropological discussion of autoimmune disorders is wrong and full of fallacies. Many paleo societies had autoimmune diseases, they are protective against tuberculosis as a genetic advantage. Also: Paleo life expectancy at birth was not great (30s maybe), but paleo life expectancy at 15 was easily in the 60s. High infant mortality doesn’t mean there weren’t old Paleo peoples. Auto-immmune disorders are also far more prevalent at younger ages than you seem to be aware of… pediatric autoimmune disorders are around 310,000 in the US (that’s under 18) and a lot of people develop them in their 30s-60s. The idea that Paleo cultures didn’t live long enough to get them is just silly.Scientific research is just cherry picked data which is why the studies of the past 60 years trying to promote vegan, low fat, and whole grain diets have failed miserably. Your entire point went completely out the window when you said paleo life expectancy was 30’s, you are completely beyond wrong, it was 70-80’s. This has been know for the past 5 years at least and you only posted 3 months ago. Some cultures like eskimos lived much longer and their diets were primarily fat.If you want true “scientific” research, do the test your self, spend 9 months doing the test. First 3 months, eat only vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Next 3 months eat only processed foods, next 3 months, go paleo, eat 60% of your calories in fats (nuts seeds, avocados and saturated fats, but no vegetable oil fats), 20-30% in proteins (poultry, beef, fish), and 10-20% in carbs (vegetables only with little fruits). Completely eliminate grains and do all your own cooking, don’t eat out.Do that study yourself and I guarantee you, you will find your last 3 months the best you will have ever felt.https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=85114404&x-yt-ts=1422579428&v=McJjIf7x2mkAs a type I diabetic and former sufferer from psoriatic arthritis, I can’t recommend these videos enough. It was not until I eliminated all animal products from my diet that the arthritis completely disappeared. The diabetes is for life though. I found the paleo response to plant positive to be fascinating. It was the most juvenile bunch of ad hominem attacks I may have ever seen. If they have the science behind them they should not be afraid to present it. Instead those attacks merely serve to lend more credence to “plant positive”. Actually these two videos together are very powerful.Totally agree. Those guys are just quack and snake oil seller.. I’m glad that your condition has improved. I wish you the best.In Health.I feel it is because they are emotionally attached to their food preferences and feel the need to justify them to appease themselves.Good point. And I think that in addition they are not looking at anything with any scientific standard.Your diabetes doesn’t have to be for life. Add the animal products back in and eliminate the sugars and you’ll find an even never renewed life.You seem to be determined to demonstrate your lack of knowledge with that assertion. It has been shown repeatedly that your beta cells will handle complex carbohydrates that are necessary for life if you do not have an abundance of advanced glycation end product (primarily source from cooked meat), saturated fatty acids from those animal products you recommend and excess animal sourced amino acids. These factors will cause insulin resistance. Therefore eliminating animal products and eating a balanced whole foods plant based diet can and usually will cure type two diabetes provided the beta cells have not deteriorated beyond repair.Having said that, let me further elucidate my point about my situation with diabetes. Over 45 years ago as a teenager, I consumed ample meat and began exhibiting auto immune problems. First it was plaque psoriasis and then my beta cells failed. i.e. they croaked, died, went away. This is known as type one diabetes and unlike type two diabetes, can only be cured with an unknown magical process that will cause them to regenerate. About 10 years ago I developed inflammatory arthritis. My doctor prescribed methotrexate to suppress the immune system. I thought this a bad idea so studied the factors that might be provoking the immune system. Turns out the heterocyclic amines, IGF-1, TMA, molecular mimicry, various animal sourced excess amino acids et al are all associated with provoking the immune system. So I changed my diet and now my arthritis is gone and I use 25% less insulin than previously. Too late for my beta cells so my diabetes cannot go away but I do get greater insulin efficiency.A favorite citation by polemicist Gary Taubes has to do with Vilhjalmur Stefansson who with Karsten Andersson went on an all meat diet for a year. They survived but what he doesn’t point out is that they had numerous problems ranging from gingivitis to intestinal stasis. Most importantly they had hyperlipidemia and greater insulin resistance. And yes on an all flesh diet they were getting elevated blood sugar that was coming from a combination of insulin resistance and glyconeogenesis. Taubes in the “cherry picking” mode that he is usually in fails to deal with the whole picture. Oh and when they went off this absurd diet their symptoms of metabolic syndrome (aka pre diabetes) disappeared.Just one more thing. I do agree that keeping simple sugars out of the diet is a good idea. They are empty calories and will provide a gratuitous excess oxidative load without the antioxidants necessary to counter that load.if one wishes to live a moral and ethical life, one must be just as concerned about the life and health of those beings classify as “food” as we are about our own health and well being. the bottom line is that humans do not require any animal to suffer and die in order to be healthy.“I did not become a vegetarian for my health, I did it for the health of the chickens.” –Isaac Bashevis SingerBRAHMA KUMARIS WORLD SPIRITUAL UNIVERSITY and GOD SHIVA are waiting for you!I did not become a vegan for the health of the chickens, but for my health. I have nothing against chickens, but the point of my actions is my benefit. If a vegan diet were unhealthy, I would not eat it just to spare other animals. Human nutrition is not for suicide.true veganism is about more than personal health or a mere dietary choice. it is about non-violence and adherence to the Golden Rule for all sentient beings. if someone were to gain a perceived benefit from harming and killing you or your family, would they be morally justified in doing so? how then can one justify harming and killing innocent, helpless others and using them as a means to one’s own end? for example, it would greatly benefit many people if the organs of a healthy human were forcibly taken and distributed to other humans who’s own organs were failing and who needed them to live but this would never be considered as justifiable.as human’s we are so very concerned with our own suffering and death, yet at the same time so very apathetic to the suffering and death we so willingly force upon others.“Unless we live with non-violence and reverence for all living beings in our hearts, all our humaneness and acts of goodness, all our vows, virtues, and knowledge, all our practices to give up greed and acquisitiveness are meaningless and useless.” “He who harms animals has not understood or renounced deeds of sin… Those whose minds are at peace and who are free from passions do not desire to live at the expense of others.” – MahaviraThe word Vegan does imply non-violence towards other creatures in addition to eating plant foods. I tend to refer to my diet as plant-based rather than vegan since I started and continue to eat this way because of my health.I tried the Paleo diet you describe to solve some odd symptoms. All it did for me was raise my total cholesterol from 117 to 218 and drop my hdl to be below my ldl. My blood pressure went up too. All reversed when I went back to my vegan ways. (Ultimately my symptoms were due to a bad parathyroid, which has been removed).1. You can’t go by one person’s results, only group results.2. Paleo has never reversed heart disease. Only a plant based diet has, usually vegan.3. Scientific studies suggests that leaky gut has other causes, not grains. (Same as the now debunked theory that phytic acid is bad for you–see the video here on NF for more in that).Several food components demonstrably increase intestinal permeability in animal and human models, notably fats, excess fructose, and alcohol. I’ve searched and failed to find any indication that legume intake increases gut permeability in vivo, which could be readily observed from a lactulose/mannitol challenge or plasma LPS. Indeed there are good reasons to suspect legume intake should decrease gut permeability, as polyphenols, fermentable oligogsaccharides, and resistant starch from beans modulate gut microbiota to favor beneficial strains like Bifidobacteria over pathobionts.The closest I’ve found to a human clinical trial of beans on intestinal permeability is this study, which found a Chinese medicinal gruel of Job’s tears, oat, buckwheat, white bean, yellow corn, red bean, soybean, yam, big jujube, peanut, lotus seed, and wolfberry changed gut microbiota, improved gut permeability, lowered endotoxemia, and improved inflammation markers.Excess fructose fruit and excess nuts,seeds and avocados increase intestinal permeability?Mia, Darryl’s comments includes links to the studies (in green). If you were to click the links to the studies you will see that the studies on gut permeability found that diets high in animal fat (butter and lard, for example were used in the two of the studies) caused gut permeability to increase. Conversely dietary fiber was found to improve intestinal health…The study related to fructose, utilized high fructose corn syrup. Another of the studies referenced found that a lack of micro-nutrients (fruits and vegetables) resulted in hepatic inflammation.I commented on this in an earlier video Juicing Removes More Than Just Fiber. Most studies on fats or sugars in intestinal permeability use refined products to isolate effects and reduce the chance of confounding. However, whole foods like fruit and nuts are a very complex mixture of compounds, many having a beneficial effect by modulating gut microbiota or directly inhibiting inflammation in gut epithelial cells.How about saponin content in some beans and seeds somehow causing intestinal permeability? Quinoa, even when it is soaked, creates great digestive pain in some people as a result of high saponin content. Longterm saponin excess is the one thing that worries me about quinoa and too many seeds, some beans, and nuts. If saponins cause such pain in some people, I’m guessing that alone might be a sign that they might be causing intestinal permeability issues. Just an assumption. What do you think?Saponins are a diverse set of bitter compounds most abundant in legumes, but also present in oats, spinach, squash, eggplant, yams, asparagus, garlic, tea and cocoa – if you ate a plant today you probably ingested some saponins. They’re toxic to insects and fish, but apparently harmless at even high (3%) concentration in mammalian diets, and have demonstrated enough cholesterol lowering, anticarcinogenic, hepatoprotective, and anti-viral activity that considerable effort has has been made to improve their limited bioavailability.Quinoa saponins indeed appear to increase mucosal permeability in mice, though the effect isn’t huge, even under unnatural conditions (no microbiota or mucus ex vivo), so its plausible these may increase permeability to allergens in some individuals. On the other hand, all saponins are not equal, and healthy mucosa and intestinal microbiota likely strongly influence whether food saponins exert net positive or negative effects.Great information by Darryl, as usual. As I personal anecdote I might add that eating a whole food diet supplemented with pre- and probiotics, polyphenols, HUFAs and vitamin D resolved all of my food allergies, and that had been quite a few. I’m still positive on the IgE or prick tests, but the allergens don’t seem to make it into systemic circulation anymore and I remain nonsymptomatic even for the worst offenders. This is why I think that some elimination diets (which I have tried before) – particularly the avoidance of FODMAPs – might do more harm than good in the long-term.OK Timar that is, to me a fascinating point. I was very gluten sensitive to the point of of having inflammatory arthritis. I went with a WFBBD and the gluten problem has all but disappeared. Oh yeah, my doctor had serious problems understanding that diet had cured the arthritis without the drugs.Wow! Mindblowing stuff with all the references to scientific data to back up your claims and even more importantly; looking from several viewpoints to make your argument. I wish you made some videos for NutritionFacts.org so it can get less biased. :-) Anyway, I see that you mention whole wheat for its resistant starch content, but doesn’t mention the amount compared to stuff like yams, plantain, cassava, potatoes or legumes (though you mention oats). They seem all to outperform wheat and other corn based products. http://freetheanimal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Resistant-Starch-in-Foods.pdfAl though I aware that resistant starch is only one of several things to look at nutritionally, but at the same time I haven’t seen that much of a change breeding-wise to the plants I mention above, as I have to wheat (done mainly by Norman Borlaug).• Frankenwheat, a scientifically engineered food product versus Spelt http://www.st-hildegard.com/en/home/28-english/169-frankenwheat-a-scientifically-engineered-food-product-versus-spelt.html (<- commercial site, so biased somewhat probably, but with references to scientific findings) • Norman Borlaug: humanitarian hero or menace to society? http://theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/apr/01/norman-borlaug-humanitarian-hero-menace-society • What’s wrong with modern wheat? – How an ancient food staple became toxic junk food, and what we can do about it (without going gluten-free) http://grainstorm.com/pages/rant (<- commercial site, so biased somewhat probably) • Against the grain on Norman Borlaug http://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/sep/15/norman-borlaug-legacyThanks Palmer, for the great references. As someone who cannot get near wheat, I kind of tire of those who try to tell me that it is not a problem. I also cannot eat rice, corn, millet, rye, or sorghum. I am not against grain eating, I just cannot eat grains. I can eat the pseudo grains, quinoa and buckwheat, thankfully. I am not celiac but am gluten intolerant. I also cannot eat nuts and most dried legumes, although frozen peas and lima beans are fine.I think for me and many people the changes in wheat are part of the problem but the other problem is MOLD. The way modern grains are stored they easily collect mold, and one of your links talked of “modern “dwarfed” wheat growing so close to the earth that fungi can contaminate the naked grain producing the world’s most poisonous aflatoxins which destroy fertility. Dried legumes also contain a lot of mold. Can’t eat them either. And nuts also are often very moldy but it may not be just the mold that is the reason that I cannot eat them. Tree nuts especially are life threatening allergens for many.All of this may go along with the over use of antibiotics ruining our gut microbiomes and causing yeast overgrowth and other forms of dysbioses. So many people have such severe mold and food ensitivities these days.Having studied functional medicine along with nutrition, methylation, nutrigenomics and more, it amazes me sometimes that those pushing veganism simply cannot understand that there are many of us who simply cannot eat these starches. (I eat a ton of veggies but I cannot eat any underground veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots etc. due to exquisite mold sensitivities as well) I do not eat paleo and I find both camps to be biased and cherry picking most of the time.But I do believe in individual biochemistry, and that healthy diets come in a lot of different varieties.Very well said. I am sorry to hear about your allergies. As you mention the microbiome yourself, I am wondering if you have researched probiotics, soil based organisms or probiotic lysates for allergies, as they seem to be one of the keys to eliminate them, either that their introduction replaces the bad guys in our guts or because it educates are gut cells how to properly behave to food allergens or also by eliminating /digesting them. Also, if you have leaky gut, you should eliminate the condition, although you probably have already checked that out.• Fatal peanut allergies could be cured by probiotic bacteria, say Australian doctors http://telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/11374305/Fatal-peanut-allergies-could-be-cured-by-probiotic-bacteria-say-Australian-doctors.html • The Bacteria That May One Day Cure Food Allergies http://time.com/3175909 • Is Dirt the New Prozac? “Some studies have found that treatment with M. vaccae, the inoffensive soil bacterium, eases skin allergies, and other reports—such as the cancer study—show that it can improve mood.” http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jul/raw-data-is-dirt-the-new-prozac • A gut microbe that stops food allergies http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/08/gut-microbe-stops-food-allergies • Certain Gut Bacteria Protect Against Food Allergies http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/09/10/gut-bacteria-protect-against-food-allergies.aspx • Probiotics Linked to Reduced Risk of Allergies, Psoriasis, Colitis, Periodontal Disease and More http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/02/probiotics-allergies.aspx • Parents’ Saliva On Pacifiers Could Ward Off Baby’s Allergies http://npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/06/180817114/parents-saliva-on-pacifiers-could-ward-off-babys-allergies • Microbiome/microbiota and allergies http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25326106 • Commensal bacteria protect against food allergen sensitization http://pnas.org/content/111/36/13145.abstract • Antiallergic Effects of Probiotics http://jn.nutrition.org/content/137/3/794S.full • How I Reversed My Food Allergies with Probiotics http://cheeseslave.com/food-allergies-probiotics • More than a Few LAB Alleviate Common Allergies: Impact of Paraprobiotics in Comparison to Probiotical Live Cells “The evidence in this paper indicates that the alarming increase of common allergies can be reduced by the intake of particular “probiotics” or “paraprobiotics” along with food.” … “Preliminary experimental and clinical data indicated that the cell lysates of L. rhamnosus V are highly effective in prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, common allergies (food allergy, bronchitis, hay fever, and asthma), hepatitis C, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia.” http://scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?paperID=46547 • Oral administration of bacterial lysates attenuates experimental food allergy http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21597300 • Health Benefits of Organic vs. Conventional Milk “Loaded with healthy bacteria that are good for your gastrointestinal tract.” … “It is not uncommon for people who switch from drinking pasteurized to raw milk to experience improvement or complete resolution of troubling health issues—everything from allergies to digestive problems to eczema.” http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/14/conventional-vs-organic-milk.aspx • Kids Who Drink Raw Milk Have Less Asthma and Allergies http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/12/raw-milk-benefits.aspx • Allergies and Leaky Gut Syndrome http://leakygut.co.uk/Allergies.htmHi Palmer,Thanks for the great links. Yep take a ton of probiotics and have been for years (Renew life brand seems to work the best for me) but will research more some of the specific ones that your links mention but some of them I am already taking.I did try a soil probiotic supplement recently that is highly recommended and did not do well on it at all. I plan to retry it again in a few months.My twin and I suspect our problems began long before birth with my mother throwing up throughout her pregnancy, being born very premature, and then being given tons of antibiotics throughout our childhood for various ear infections etc. Our mold sensitivities are exquisite and we suffered from candida overgrowth for decades without knowing how it was making us so ill.I’ve been profiled on the front page of the local state paper and had 3 other news stories done on me as well. My alternative physicians did not know if I would even live let alone get better and I figured out that if I did want to live, the only one who was eventually going to help myself was me, so I went back to school in both the UK and US by distance learning to study nutrition, biochemistry, herbalism, methylation issues and the like.DNA testing revealed a ton of singular polymorphisms in the methyl cycle and addressing those really helped more than just about anything else. I am still taking courses but I also gather information anywhere I can find it as new stuff is always coming out.For me veganism just did not work. I could not eat the beans and grains and nuts needed to keep it varied enough to meet my high nutritional needs, plus, as I stated earlier, the mold in the grains was completely intolerable and I also could not keep my blood sugar level. There is more to it but too much to go into now. Lets just say I am lucky to be alive. I have recently moved to AZ to get away from climate mold (the northeast was horribly moldy) and am hoping the dryer climate will help my system to recover enough that I will be able to add more nuts and seeds and fruits to my diet (And yes, maybe grains as well. I do so MISS oatmeal!)I find both the vegan and paleo camps to be very judgemental and both sides unwilling to look at any data that does not support their belief systems.Humans have adapted to and lived on varied diets for centuries, if not millenia, but research seems to highly suggest that it is our switching to a diet of highly processed and chemically grown and polluted foods (including now toxic GMO’s) that is fueling such an epidemic of allergies, leaky gut, and chemical and food sensitivities. Not to mention our polluted air and environments.Some people thrive on veganism done with knowledge and expertise (Kris Carr of “Crazy Sexy Cancer” fame comes to mind as she is keeping her liver cancer in check with this type of diet, wisely using vegan protein powders and supplements ), and some people seem to need close to a paleo diet to stay well (Dr. Terry Wahls come to mind getting herself out of a wheel chair, and putting her MS into remission with a paleo diet.), and others, like me, have a diet that fits into no particular camp but works for me.Once one starts studying nutrition in depth, it becomes quite clear that no one diet is right for everyone, but staying away from processed chemically polluted foodstuffs, and sticking to real food and making sure that all your nutritional needs are met, (including the use of supplements where necessary to compensate for genetic snps loss of nutrients in food due to soil erosion and chemical fertilizers, should be common ground for both food camps instead of the bickering and childish “one-up-“that goes on now.Again, thanks for links, and also for your balanced posting.LindaGreat info, thanks! I have heard of the people you write about, but have not have any time to get to know their stories, so I am happy to learn about them a bit now. And also thanks for sharing your story. Sorry to hear it though. But glad you have taken charge of you health, as this is the way to go. A week ago I started on a three and a half year long nutritional bachelor-degree education, fueled by my own chronic illness in ulcerative colitis and thus interest in nutrition and health. The best way we can help others is from helping ourselves. Then why not share our knowledge by getting somekind of paper/degree which we can use?I am now so tired of this disease – especially now going to school and stuff – that I am now using something which I have kept for the last resort (because of its dangers in use, drawing stuff it comes in contact with into the body through the skin) called DMSO, which you probably have heard of. If no, then you should check it out to see if it could be a complementary adjunct for helping you, as it does so much good for the body. I use it in conjunction with colloidal silver (Argentyn 23 which I think is best) in a 50/50 solution to eradicate mycobacterium I suspect that I have living in my gut cells and which is causing the infection and bleeding.Why DMSO may help some of your symptoms may be because it seems to boost and ease immune functions as it can go through any cell membrane in the body and make it easier for macrophages, NK- and T-cells and the like to do their job.Regarding SBO (soil based organisms) I have tried and still take Kiki Body Biotics, AOR Probiotic 3 but the best have been Prescript-Assist. It halfed my toilet visits from 7-8 pr. day to 3-4. Which is I guess what you have tried, because it is the most promoted one, but in my case also the most effective one. I have not yet tried MegaSporeBiotic because you can only buy it from the US (and I live in Denmark in Europe) and have tried so many, I skipped this one, although it looks pretty neat. The only place I have found where you can buy it in the world, without having a doctor: http://drsechler.com/istore/2766_digestive_support.htmlThe best lysate have been hands down the Del-Immune V. I can feel it, with even less toilet-visits and my chronic sinusitis seemed to behave strange, my ear closing like on an airplane – on and off – when taking Del-Immune V for the first 2 days. CytoFlora and Pro-Symbioflor – both lysates – I haven’t had any effect off. Russian Choice Immune is on the way in the mail, but should be the same or a bit less effective than Del-Immune V.Another thing you should check out – if not already done so – is Epicor. I have not had a measurable effect of it, but the discovery of its immune enhancing properties makes it very interesting.If you have done DNA analysis, I guess I shouldn’t mention comprehensive stool analysis and parasitology test, as you surely must have checked that out already. I have thought about getting my genes tested to optimize my health and getting healthier, is there one you could recommend more than another? Thanks.Yeah and I agree with the clean, whole food bit. But since it doesn’t have a name or diet type designation in the common knowledge, I usually call it paleo, as I think that comes closest to the unprocessed whole food bit, and explain if people ask more about it.As it seems you have had your problems since birth, so you should probably take all the unfair advantages (there is a supplement from Dave Asprey called this, I like the name, so I used it here) you can, regarding health. That means – beside boosting immunity with lysates and things that have worked for you in the past – taking Vitamin C in bowel tolerance doses 2-3 times and megadoses (10-30.000 IU) of Vitamin D with cofactor vitamin K (full spectrum) so you can’t overdose it because of the cofactor, every single day, for the rest of your life, to boost your immunity. If you are not already doing this. I know I will. http://vitamincfoundation.org/www.orthomed.com/titrate.htm http://vitamindwiki.com http://amzn.com/B005FCKN2SHi Palmer,Wow, starting a 3 1/2 year nutrition degree! And sorry to hear about yourown health struggles. DMSO is not something I want to try right now givenmy severe chemical sensitivities, precisely due to its dangers in use. ButI will keep it in mind. Yes I do know of Argentyn 23. It is the onlycolloidal silver that I feel is safe to use due to its very small particlesize.With multiple chemical sensitivities my immune system can be both undereffective and over reactive (autoimmune) but since addressing the snps in mymethyl cycle, my body cleaned out some long standing infections, includingviral and fungal. Because the cycle was not working and I could not make myown neurotransmitters, nor repair my own DNA, and was taking synthenticfolic acid supplements, the build up of the synthetic folic acid (due to aDHFR snp and more) inhibits natural killer cells. Also snps in themethycycle can cause one to have trouble making new T cells, in particular, T suppressor cells, which then causes the immune response to become moreheavily weighted in the direction of B cells. A B cell skewed individual hasthe ability to respond by making antibodies (or autoantibodies)in highnumbers to attempt to overcome the T cell deficiency that fights infectionbut the response in always over done. Hense the insane amount of allergiesand chemical and food sensitivities.I also have snps in both types of MTHFR genes, as well as methioninesynthase, BHMT, PEMT, CBS, GAD and many more. Taking courses in Methyationand nutrigenomics and addressing these snps made a world of difference. Notcured by any means but so much better than before.“The proper functioning of the methylation cycle is essential for a numberof critical reactions in the body. Consequences of genetic weaknesses(mutations) in this pathway are increased risk factors leading to a numberof serious health condition…defects in methylation lay the appropriate groundwork for the further assault of environmental and infectious agentsresulting in a wide range of conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, thyroid dysfunction,neurological inflammation, diabetes, chronic viral infection, neurotransmitter imbalances,atherosclerosis, cancer, aging, schizophrenia, decreased repair of tissue damage, improper immune function,neural tube defects, Down’s syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, ADD, ADHD, Huntington’s disease,Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and autism. Appropriate supplementation with vitamins andnutrients will bypass these mutations to allow for restored function of the pathway.”http://www.drkendalstewart.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Methylation-Overview-for-Professionals-10.11.pdfI think it is very worth your while to look into whether or not you havesignificant snps in this critical pathway. And since so many people do,there is a good chance you may as wellHere is Dr. Ben Lynch’s site on methylation defects. He is the topresearcher in this area right now and it is his nutrigenomic courses that Itook.http://mthfr.net/You can get genetic testing through the website 23andme,without a doctor’s prescription, and yes you can do it from overseas inEurope as it is done with a saliva sample in a kit they send you. When theresults are done, you can download them from the site but the format is insort of gobbly gook. But you punch in the results file at two otherwebsites and if you know how to read the code (I do) you can easily see whatgene snps you might have for creating the enzymes that run the methyl andother cycles and then begin to address bypassing them with the rightnutrients in the right forms. At least a perfunctory knowledge of biochemistry is defiinitely useful here.Yes, Prescript Assist was indeed the SBO supplement that I tried. My twindid wonderfully on it but at least at first try I did not seem to do sowell. But I might have been having some really bad days, so I am going totry it again. If I still have a bad time with it I will try some of theones you suggest, definitely.I really do not have toilet issues anymore unless I get exposed toformaldehye and even then I have less of a problem than I use to sincegetting the candida under control and addressing the methyl cycle. I alsodon’t get sick anymore. I use to get 3-4 serious respiratory infectionsevery winter but once I addressed the methyl cycle snps, these are gone forthe most part because I am able to mount an immune response and repair myDNA a lot better.The Del-Immune looks very promising. I checked it out. Epicor is made withbakers yeast so I would not be able to go near it. I am homozygeous for theMAO gene as well, which makes me very sensitive to ferments due to thehisamine and other amines in them. MAO means Monoamine oxidase and it isthe enzyme that helps break down histamine and other amines like dopamine.It finally made sense to me when I found out I was homozygeous for MAO as towhy I could never tolerate fermented foods or yogurt. Until then I was justbeating myself up for not knowing why I could not tolerate these seeminglyhealthy foods full of probiotics and had to constantly resort to pillsupplements. Now I know and I do not beat myself up for it anymore. I justtake extra co-enzyme B2 (the enzyme’s cofactor) and just stay glad theprobiotic supplements are out there (so far).To address the other things you said in your post, I agree that the wordpaleo has sort of gotten a bad rap. To my understanding to most people itmeans a high-meat high-saturated fat diet, and really sort of what itbasically means is REAL food,including plenty of fruits and veggies (It isnot an Atkin’s diet) and including starchy root veggies. Grains and legumesare usually eliminated because it is believed that they are too far up theevolutionary latter and problematic for that reason.But plenty of traditional societies have eaten whole rice, oats,legumes, andwheat with no problems and excellent health. I think the problems withgrains started with refining them and then with altering them (like yourpost with wheat), then with the over eating of them to the exclusions ofveggies and fruits, and also with the over use of antibiotics and gutdysbioses. Now we have all sorts of people that cannot tolerate variousgrains and have to be on specific carbohydrate or low Fodmap diets and thepopulation is plagued with an epidemic of gut and immune disorders. Legumesare very high in FODMAPs (meaning a fermentable type of carb that fermentseasily in the gut) as well as moldly when dried. I still have to limitfrozen lima beans.Also yeast overgrowth might be another one of the reason for the upswing inceliac disease (along with the mirad of alterations to modern wheat, non ofthem good) See:http://www.denvernaturopathic.com/news/celiac.html and http://gluten.lovetoknow.com/Symptoms_of_Celiac_Disease_CandidaYes I do take Vitamin C to bowel tolerance (which got much much lower once Iaddressed my genetic snps). I also find out I have snps on the gene thatcodes for Vitamin D receptors so I take a hefty dose of vitamin D.Lastly, good for you for going for your 3 12 year BS in nutrition! Someday Ihope to be able to get a degree but for now the financial cost is just waytoo high and my health would not be able to stand the strain. My twin doeshave a Ph.D. in nutrition education. However, for me I had to settle for amultitude of fully government accredited (Level 4) Diplomas in ClinicalNutrition, and other Nutrition Therapy disciplines from both the US and UK.So instead of going for a degree that would include nutrition, anatomy andphysiology, pathology, biochemistry,etc. I opted for separate diplomas inall of these supplemented with self-study.I have no desire to be an RD. And non-RD nutrition degrees are very limitedin the US as the RD’s have lobbied to have laws enacted in most states thatlimit licensing and the practice of nutrition counseling to only RD’s. Ifind the RD industry sponsored control of the curriculum not to my liking(too many courses in institutional food management (not Clinical Nutrition)and their endorsement of so many highly processed and GMO foods a sell outto real nutrition education. So I am limiting my search to England,Austrailia, Ireland etc.I am presently looking at an Advanced Diploma in Nutritional Medicine fromAustralia which is a 3 year Advanced Diploma with the option of one lastyear at Uni to complete a degree, but I am still also looking into a way toget credit for the Diplomas I already have (YEARS of study!) so I won’t haveto take so many courses all over again, and I still have to find one that Ican do all by distance education.I also do not regret one bit all my Certificates and Diplomas in HerbalMedicine as it gives me an edge in evaluating all the many (often dubious)claims of herbal supplement manufacturers because I know what is in thebottle!Keep learning, keep questioning, and keep posting! And again, good luck inyour university studies.LindaWow. Overwhelming and amazing stuff at the same time.It seems that checking the DNA is what I should be doing, as I haven’t though it would make that much a difference as you write about. I have heard about it before, but functional medicine doctors have said that they used it as a last resort, to check their patients DNA, when everything else have failed. I have also seen this video last year: • Methylation: How 1 Carbon Affects Your Brain, Your DNA and Everything http://youtube.com/watch?v=cbOFosxv8qs and liked as it contained amazing stuff, but can’t remember anything from it anymore. Also, I didn’t know that methylation had a direct connection to epigenetics – as is the only way we can affect our genes – more precisely – through gene expression, so it is pretty cool stuff, to say the least. I knew about epigenetics but didn’t about the methylation bit and how it can affect it, before I read what your wrote. (And of course we can affect the genes of our microbes as well aka. replace them.) I will now seriously consider doing the test. Thanks. Really glad to hear you have had so much good come out of it as well.Re. FODMAPs I just want to mention – but I think that you know this as well – that it depletes bifidobacteria, which is not good, but GOS (galactooligosaccharide) repletes them or if on the low FODMAP diet, it can keep them alive and it is not a FODMAP.. I have had problems taking most prebiotics but when taking Bimuno and raw potato starch first thing in the morning, I think I have had succes moving bugs to my large intestine aka. resolved SIBO. When taken before food, these prebiotics works as a transport mechanism which bacteria can use. • Fermentable Carbohydrate Restriction Reduces Luminal Bifidobacteria and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome http://jn.nutrition.org/content/early/2012/06/26/jn.112.159285.full.pdf • “Healthcare Professionals could consider the use of Bimuno IBAID as it is structurally different to FODMAPs.” http://bimuno.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Fact-card-IBAID-27sep10.pdf • Galactooligosaccharide “They do not contribute to flatulence and gastrointestinal discomfort, when taken at the recommended dose. For this reason, they are not classed as FODMAPs and should not be restricted on the low-FODMAP diet, contrary to fructose, fructans and alpha-linked galactose-containing oligosaccharides such as those found in various legumes and beans.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GalactooligosaccharideI hear ya re. becoming an RD. I haven’t gone mad either. :-) I would like to help to make supplements that help people or be working with farmers or growers to grow as nutritionally packed and healthy produce as possible, reviving forgotten food crops, and the like. Not even mentioning how brainwashed – as you mention yourself – you have to be to tolerate the profession and to get accepted by parroting what the teachers want to hear (which really is the lobbyism shining through, as you also mention). I didn’t know that RDs are pushing GMOs in the Sates, but I am not surprised either. Crazy. Denmark is luckily the country where most people and institutions, schools, nursing and elder homes use organic food in Europe (http://en.fvm.dk/focus-on/organic-production/organic-production-and-consumption), but unfortunately because of the famous danish butter and export and because the dairy lobby as strong that it is, they push toxic, cancerous aka. pasteurized, homogenized, A1 beta casein, medicated, corn-fed, cow-milk products down peoples throats. (http://freefromharm.org/health-nutrition/21-experts-on-the-dairy-breast-cancer-connection) I have no idea yet how I will cope with this through my education, but I know I will have to try to suppress it and only slightly mention it in a low and soft voice if at all.Thanks for the good wishes. Good luck to your educational choices as well. It is nice to see that you have that many options regarding where to take your education around the world. And I’ll check the book you suggested, thanks. Take care.Wow, thanks for the links of Bimuno and the rest. Going to look into trying some right now. I did not mean to imply that somehow your educational choice was wrong. Yes, I get it, I know you did not go mad just by your posts. Many people go for the RD degree in the US, swallow what they have to swallow in in terms of bad nutrition advice, and then go on to use the degree to do the kind of nutritional counseling that they know is right anyway. Some get in serious trouble for it but many more just manage to stay off the radar. And the basic sciences are still worth it. I did not know that Denmark was so into organic foods. Good for them despite the dairy lobbying. Most countries will have to come around eventually as the public is demanding pure unadulterated food because the public is tired of getting sick. Just from your posts, I have no doubt that you will use your degree very well! A lot of hard work that will pay off in the end.PS/ I highly recommend the book “No More Heartburn: Stop the Pain in 30 Days–Naturally! : The Safe, Effective Way to Prevent and Heal Chronic Gastrointestinal Disorders” by Environmental Medicine Physician Sherry A. Rogers MD http://www.amazon.com/More-Heartburn-Days–Naturally-Effective-Gastrointestinal/dp/1575665107/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423439680&sr=1-1&keywords=no+more+heartburn Addresses Colitis and every sort of gut disorder that you can think of. Great book. Also do look into seeing if you have methylation gene snps. See my other reply to you below.Hi, I’ve been on a raw food life style to just over a year, so still very new to all the complexities! But part of what I have learned, is that we humans have very long digestive systems, compared to a traditional meat eater, say for instance a dog that only has a ‘short chain ‘ internally. Do when a dog eats animal food, it’s short chain allows much speedier expellation of the waste from its body. However, as us humans have small intestines & large intestines, so much more slower. So potentially meat fish etc rots within your body. I was an average sort of meat eater historically, but having researched why we should be raw foodists, I’m horrified about my previous diet. This is awful, coz I always cooked homemade foods , & kept away from oven ready or microwave food, so I THOUGHT I was eating healthily, how wrong could I be? Since the raw food lifestyle I have lost 28lb & no longer need to take meds for oesophageal reflux- hooray! I just need to chance on the right foods to take away my chronic migraines, then I truly will have my life back ;) Hope the above info helps you, or at least anyone that reads it. I know I might not have put my points across in an academic way, but as long as you all understand w’chair I mean, then it’s cool. If you want a more in depth understanding of the subject, there are documentaries on YouTube! Good luck & good health, from a raw foodist in England ;)Sorry to read about your chronic headaches but happy to read about your other successes. It is important to have the correct diagnosis. I had occasional patients who thought they had migraines but whose headaches were actually due to muscle skeletal issues usually in the upper neck, eye muscles or Temp/Mandibular joint area. For migraines the most success my patients had was to follow a low tyramine diet. Tyramine is a normal breakdown product of the amino acid Tryptophan. It is in many foods especially processed foods. It goes up in leftovers. You should be able to find a good low tyramine on line. There are some plant foods that are high in tyramines. I found each person was a bit different and it can be dose dependent. I’ve had patients who can eat a small amount of chocolate but going above a certain amount triggered a migraine. I had one patient that peanuts were a trigger, another was meat tenderizer. It is helpful to keep a food diary and track what you are eating at look particulary at foods/drinks consumed 24 hours prior to a headache. This is easier with a lower frequency of headaches where you have longer asymptomatic periods. We also have a variety of drugs which can be helpful but I always felt best about having the patient avoid triggers and minimizing medication. Given the complicated nature of chronic headaches especially chronic migraines it is important to work with your health care provider(s) to find out what works for you and make sure the diagnosis is correct. Good luck!Just in case it helps someone: before WFPB, I used to regularly experience episodes of pain-free migraines. Weird jazzy lines, quite beautiful, but accompanied by a dulling heaviness and blind spots …not pleasant. As soon as I changed diet those events became history.In line with Dr Forrester, my allergist suggested I try eliminating overly ripe banana and avocado. I dropped my daily banana for breakfast and avocado for lunch and my daily ocular (vision based) migraines stopped. I have since found I can enjoy small amounts of these if they are not too ripe. Both foods have high levels of tryramine when ripe. Other foods, especially meats and cheeses do too.Good luck to you finding what to avoid for your triggers.No disrespect intended Peter, but these are ideas of people with something to sell and not real science. Food fads come and go and tend to pander to the tastes of the majority and/or benefit some facet of industry. Within any population there may certainly be some who will have issues with any food, but to extrapolate that to the broader population is just ridiculous. Proof bears out quite the opposite of what you state… legumes and grains are healthful, life extending foods that are a vital part of the diet, and the leaky gut issue is a huge leap! There is so much we don’t know about the gut yet, that to attribute such a complicated issue to such a basic food is silly and simplistic at best. In the blogosphere, someone “discovers” an idea, and it gets recycled as “fact”, ad nauseum, within the same circles. Please, research the REAL science! I sure wish everyone would stop joining the latest club that adheres to what suits their taste, and listen to the message of this darn video! Gad!“Eliminating grains and legumes that cause leaky gut” –Oh, looks like you forgot something here.Eliminating grains and legumes… which are consumed by all modern day blue zone populations who enjoy the lowest rates of chronic disease and longest life/healthspans.I need to add something to the comments following yours. I am not a medical person so I can’t honestly blast you with the fact proving against the meat and dairy food. My personal experience – veganism is the best thing that happened to my health! Enough about me.I my home country, some 1-2 centuries ago, when people lived just from food they grew alone, monks in monasteries had to eat beans EVERY DAY, every meal! I suppose it’s quite boring at some point, but these guys lived looong lives, and we one of the healthiest in the nation back then. Bless them!And one last thing. I am starting to see the flaw in today’s science. It will always find one thing, and tomorrow it will be the reverse. The public will wonder which is true, and start to doubt everything. I believe in the past generations’ experience. Yes, people ate meat and dairy. Fine, BUT they ate it a few times a year. They just couldn’t afford it eat more. Meat was luxury, and rich people died young of gout and obesity, because they ate meat and dairy every day. Now, that’s wrong.My great grand-mother had a huuuuge garden will so much greens, roots and fruit trees. She had several chickens and a pig. For Christmas the pig would be slaughtered (I’m sorry, but they did it because the pig wouldn’t survive the winter, people were poor to build good barns for farm animals) and the meat will be eaten for several days. And that’s it. Throughout the year my great grand-mother would make homemade cheese (again, rarely. they had only one cow), and eggs from the chickens. That’s it guys! She was healthy with all her own teeth in her mouth to her last days. That’s what I believe in! I am tired of science chopping the food to its atoms trying to find how it affected the body. I know it’s about curiosity, but it confuses people so much that they get sick of it and stop caring. I read and watch only Michael Greger’s videos because they are short and very very informative, based purely on research. I love that!Grains and legumes are a crucial part of a health-promoting diet, as has been shown in thousands of scientific articles over the past several decades. They provide healthy doses of essential fibers – both soluble and insoluble – which promote gastrointestinal health, including autoimmune disease such as Crohn’s, as seen in Preventing Crohn’s Disease with Diet. On the contrary, the saturated fats found in animal products promote leaky gut (among other chronic diseases). A single meal that is high in animal fat can cause inflammation immediately in the body, leading to endotoxemia, which causes the gut lining to become leaky. See Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation for more information.The evidence on plant based diets in the promotion of health and disease prevention is vast and has stood the test of time over many years of research (much of which you will find on this web site). I do not negate your your concerns as you’ve listed but I am yet to see solid repeated research in this area. On the other hand, take a look at this very nice outline done by Dr Greger comparing the paleo diet to vegetarian diets. The answer seems to be quite obvious. Will the Real Paleo Diet Please Stand Up?The evidence on plant based diets in the promotion of health and disease prevention is vast and has stood the test of time over many years of research (much of which you will find on this web site). I do not negate your your concerns as you’ve listed but I am yet to see solid repeated research in this area. On the other hand, take a look at this very nice outline done by Dr Greger comparing the paleo diet to vegetarian diets. The answer seems to be quite obvious. Will the Real Paleo Diet Please Stand Up?The evidence is clear that a well-planned whole food, plant-based diet is best in terms of one’s own long-term health. In practice, however, you never see primitive cultures eating a vegan diet. This observation is likely due to the limitation of (plant) foods available to those cultures which could provide them essential nutrients In terms of getting satisfactory essential nutrients, one needed access to animal foods, especially in the colder climates where there vegetable growing was limited. A slice of 68g of beef liver has %DVs of 431% vitamin A, 137% Riboflavin, 60% Niacin, 800% Vitamin B12, and other important minerals.Some nomadic tribes have subsisted on horse milk, blood and meat and would dislike being “tied to the ground” by horticulture. While reports say they were fit and active until old age, there is no documentation or studies on their arterial health. It’s unclear how long these people actually lived because infant mortality is much higher among those groups and as a result, drop the life expectancy down dramatically.For these reasons, I prefer to look at existing societies today that have the best longevity statistics like in Okinawa, Japan. There’s no question humans have adapted to eat a variety of foods, but when longevity and well-being are in one’s best interest, I’ll be sticking to plants.The problem with looking to primitive societies that exist today as a means of trying to understand where we came from (and for some people, to therefore justify our habits today), is that these societies are products of their environments, and many of their environments are marginal to say the least. This is why they can maintain their primitive existence without disruption from the rest of society – they don’t live in places many others seek to be. These marginal lands are tough places, where no doubt these cultures NEED to eat animals in order to get adequate calories. However, that is hardly an argument for someone living where they have full access to fresh and nutritious plant based foods all year round. Plant Positive (www.plantpositive.com) has some amazing work explaining why we shouldn’t use models of these marginalized societies, or of assumed genetic or evolutionary requirements to determine our eating habits (one being that genes are passed on only by those that live long enough to procreate, and are not affected by the longevity of that individual – it just isn’t important for “survival of the fittest” in the evolutionary sense). On the other hand, we should look to what the mass body of scientific knowledge points to as a method of maintaining optimal health.All of Plantpositive’s work is fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone.There is information on the nomadic tribes who eat mainly meat and it is not good with regard to obesity, gout and heart disease.“These findings suggest that the diet of these nomadic pastoralists of the Central Asian Steppes was almost exclusively animal based, virtually devoid of grains, legumes and refined carbohydrates. This should make these populations also suitable to study the hypothesis that naturally raised animal foods protect against cardiovascular disease. However, not only did Kuczynski observe that these nomadic pastoralists suffered from high rates of obesity and gout similar to the Mongols of the 13th century, Kuczynski’s observations further extended to the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and other dietary related disorders. Kuczynski asserted:They get arteriosclerosis in an intense degree and often at an early age as shown by cardiac symptoms, nervous disordes, typical changes of the peripheral vessels, nephrosclerosis and, finally, apoplectic attacks. Even in men thirty-two years old I frequently observed arcus senilis.32It was also observed that in the 1960s the prevalence of coronary heart disease among the nomadic pastoralists in Xinjiang in northern China who consumed large quantities of animal fat from grass-fed, free-ranging animals was more than seven times higher than that of other populations both within Xinjiang and throughout China which consumed significantly less animal fat.33 These observations support the suggestion that cardiovascular disease was common among the Mongols of the 13th century who subsisted almost exclusively on a diet based on grass-fed, free-ranging animals.”One argument for the meat-based paleo diet is that yes, we ate plants as apes but we REALLY started to evolve and get smart (use tools, etc) once we started eating more meat/fat. Thoughts?Ilana, you may want to check this out:http://freefromharm.org/common-justifications-for-eating-animals/examining-claim-brains-evolved-eating-animals/Thanks Mark! I hadn’t seen that Nature follow up study. However, I think in this case, the point of “just because we can doesn’t mean we should” is moot, as is “well neuroscience is still evolving,” since both those are irrelevant to people arguing that the diet we ate as we became more “human” is the most important diet to eat for “optimal” health. Do we have any ideas what caused the redirection of energy mentioned?This blog post has a great in-depth look at the expensive tissue hypothesis, and looks into those questions: http://paleovegan.blogspot.com/2011/11/its-curtains-for-expensive-tissue.htmlThat’s a great post, except that (note I’ve been vegan for years) whether or not it is correlation or causation, the fact that are GI tracts got smaller hypothetically could be argued that thus our “optimal” diet is not in line with apes, but rather the more meat-heavy diet that our more recent ancestors may have eaten (“calorie dense”).It also could just be a response to the fact that our foods got a lot more calorie dense and easier to eat. Which could be also explained by things like cooking. I think it’s great to never lose your skepticism! The great thing for me about being on a WFPB diet is that I’ve never seen a convincing argument against it, no matter how much scrutiny I put it under, it always comes out the healthiest way to live. If you have the time, check out http://plantpositive.com (someone else linked it above too)Basically the site is a treasure trove of videos by a scientifically-literate skeptic who was once considering trying the Paleo diet, and who decided to really do his due diligence and look at the evidence. If you ever want to be able to counter the arguments of people who talk about how great Paleo is: that website has the facts to demolish every argument, every “study” and every “expert” you will find supporting Paleo. Even the author himself was surprised at the relative lack of any credible scientific response to his work by supporters of paleo (they just called him a crazy vegan propagandist).not sure about your question regarding energy IIana as my area is more in the moral and ethical aspects of veganism. as far as the optimal diet, i still feel strongly that it is never justifable to use another sentient being as a means to one’s own end. veganism is about MUCH more than a mere dietary choice-it is about non-violence and adherence to the Golden Rule for ALL species, as opposed to limiting our compassion and concern to a select few. how can we ever be truly healthy if we are exploiting and brutally murdering innocent, helpless others?Mark, I completely agree with you!! However, when arguing with paleo dieters, they don’t care about that. They argue that eating an “optimal” diet full of meat and lacking in grains eliminates all sorts of diseases/health issues and that is more important than any animal or environmental concerns. (My personal opinion is that most people who go on a “paleo” diet lose weight quickly and feel better in the short run because they are essentially eating less processed crap, but it does not prevent/reverse any diseases, as shown on this site obviously. Personally, I’m vegan for all the reasons – health, environmental, and compassion.)I read a few weeks ago that it was the introduction of calorie-dense foods in our diets (i.e. cooked starches, especially tubers) that had that impact on our brains. Besides, the expensive tissue hypothesis is still under debate.Not exactly. All large populations of trim, healthy people, throughout verifiable human history, have obtained the bulk of their calories from starch. Examples of once thriving people include Japanese, Chinese, and other Asians eating sweet potatoes, buckwheat, and/or rice, Incas in South America eating potatoes, Mayans and Aztecs in Central America eating corn, and Egyptians in the Middle East eating wheat. There have been only a few small isolated populations of primitive people, such as the Arctic Eskimos, living at the extremes of the environment, who have eaten otherwise. Scientific documentation of what people have eaten over the past thirteen thousand years convincingly supports this claim.Can’t cite it off hand but I’ve also seen it said that learning to cook our food allowed us to do same by concentrating energy..I’ve seen that as well, but I’ve heard a corollary argued that learning to cook allowed us to eat meat (because we can’t really digest raw meat), and thus get bigger brains, etc etc.IIana: I don’t necessarily buy the argument, but let’s say for the sake of argument that I do buy into the idea that eating meat played a part in allowing humans to get bigger brains. The theory is that we needed more calories to support these huge brains of ours. (Side note: I saw on TV the other day that human brains have shrunk something like 10%? over the last 5,000 years. Now, *that’s* something to think about.)Even if true, it is still a huge fallacy in my opinion to conclude that eating meat is necessary or healthy for humans to do today. If eating meat in the past was a trade off to get bigger brains, but lower life expectancy, then we can have the best of both worlds today by getting those extra calories from cooked healthy foods instead – ie, foods that don’t increase our risk of crippling disease and early death – ie, whole plant foods.That would be my response to the theoretical argument.That’s a really good point! The video mentions the short lifespan such that they wouldn’t have noticed the problems that would arise after eating a meat heavy diet for several decades. You’re right that MAYBE it helped us evolutionary wise at that point in time, but our GI tract never actually adapted. The argument that our GI tract IS better adapted to a meat heavy diet than otherwise (ie the paleo argument) empirically isn’t true since we DO obviously get high cholesterol.IIana: I think you articulated the argument better than me. :-) Thanks for your reply.I’m not trying to be a jerk, but I think cooking meat has more to do with killing undesirable organisms and preservation than it does digestibility? I know the “cannibals” in my family almost all prefer their meat “still mooing”, just briefly seared, but totally raw in the middle and barely warm. I would remind them it was risky behavior and they would remind me I ate sushi. Touche! (Maybe twice a year, if that, but still…guilty!) But in fact I was told and have read that searing meat actually contributes to creating additional harm by the chemicals formed in reaction to combustion. Steak tartare and other raw treats would probably be a lot more popular if it weren’t for the risks of infection involved, but I am pretty sure raw meat is digestible, and may even be more digestible than when it is cooked. I’m sure not the expert though, since I don’t even eat it!I thought humans should cook meat to make it more digestible as well as kill pathogens, but I have absolutely no idea either. :-)It has not been determined whether the increase in calories came from meat or starches. Starches like tubers and grains were easier to catch and gather, so I’m comfortable assuming meat made up very little of what was eaten. Chimps kill and eat each other, they don’t need to be on the ground to find meat. They just don’t eat meat often at all.What about grains and starches? Are they less essential parts of the human diet compared to other vegetables and fruit? Repost of my question in a different forum: Starch and grain foods are vehemently rejected by both the Paleo and raw plant food diets. However, one of the most successful medical dietitians Dr. John McDougall, not to mention the many famous researchers and doctors in his circle (Dean Ornish, for example) place starch and grain foods at the center of their diet regimes. McDougall argues that civilizations were all constructed via the energy provided by starch foods (which includes grains). The implication is that cooking food also plays an essential role in human nutrition. (Raw plant foodists include Douglas Graham, Loren Lockman, and others.) So, the question is rather simple: Is optimal human health attainable with or without starch and grain foods? Optimal health means living without degenerative diseases or other maladies for as long as possible.Early in our history man did not eat meat, however he did not eat grains and legumes, either. If we don’t do well on meat because it wasn’t our “first food”, maybe we don’t do well on grains and legumes, either.Why? Grains and legumes are plants, meat isn’t. They two very different things, no? Also, it’s easy to imagine ancient man coming upon some natural pea-pod like plants or tubers like sunchokes and eating those raw, and eventually cooking them.On the other hand, they are seeds are were not sensed to be eaten unlike fruits~Whole grains are all from the grass family. We, as people, are from grass and our biggest invention in the history of our planet and the rise of humans as articulate life has been to domesticate grass crops. Are we farmers, or are we servants of the grass we keep? Corn, rice, and wheat feed half the world. In parts of the world to eat literally means to eat rice. Barley, oats feed much of the rest of the world, rye, sorghum, and millet almost 90 percent of it. Yet, 40 percent of Americans will never eat a whole grain. Almost all, 98 percent, are not getting the daily minimum. Eating the recommended minimum 48 grams of whole grains daily can reduce your risk of heart disease by more than one third and reduce your risk of diabetes by 18 percent. Most sweetened breakfast cereals are now made from whole grain. I think suggesting grains are bad for us is bad policy and is counter to the recommendations of medicine and this site, which suggest putting a priority on getting fiber, whole grain, and nine servings of fresh fruits and vegetables. Any diet that would involve getting this fiber, whole grain, and nine servings of fresh fruit and vegetables would really fill a gap given deficiencies in our current diet. Whole grains should not be shunned because they are modern. Should we not write because it is not based on primates? Should we not speak on theology because it is not a mating call? I think rather the invention of grain makes us better as a species that has evolved rather than worse. Milled grain, however, is a step backward as are refined fiber sources like beans. Many animals like us would love to eat grass seeds until they are blue in the face. It is just as biological to like fried sweets as it is to like crushed wild grain seed, the crushed moldy grain seed would be easier on the teeth and may taste better. Animals that could force feed themselves whole grass seed probably live longer. How about a diet based on fruit, or even specific kinds of fruit, the ones that were made to be eaten by animals, things like lemons and berries? Why is there no fruit designed to satiate all animal needs including protein? It seems the plants want us to keep a clean ecosystem for them by eating the things that hurt them. Whole grains can be part of a whole ecosystem diet.Why are we “from grass”? I thought we were from reptiles from the sea. Anyway. Before, crops, I imagine we were eating tubers, where are high in starch. So, maybe those were are our initial engine for development, and maybe not even in “crop like” harvesting, but just digging them up where they grow naturally. I get your point though. Second item: Reduce your risk for all those disorders if… if you’re eating what? What if you’re a fruitarian, as Doug Graham is… Will eating grains improve your profile then? He and many like him claim it’s not so. (I’m searching for a way to reply to those people.) I am starched based but I don’t have a strong reply to the raw crowd who seem to do well without grains/starches/cooked food. I’d like some insight on this issue. Thanks.Every major geographic region of people seemed to have co-evolved with a grass crop. Northern Eurasians with Oats, American Indians with corn (maize), people from the holy land with barley and wheat, Asians with rice, anyway these grains or grass crops were part of what tamed us before we could sample from all of them. Our ancestors would note that we had many cultural traditions with these crops, and the fact that we do not today may be at our peril. America is primarily a corn growing country. We now also grow a lot of soy, which is not available in the grocery store perhaps at our misfortune. I think whole grain is very nutritious and is in many ways like a bean and has similar benefit on health if eaten long term. If you eat whole grain every day (at least 48 grams) you can reduce your risk of almost every chronic disease including Alzheimer’s (it is believed) and stroke. Six to 11 servings of whole grain are recommended what if they were all whole grain and 160 grams to 300 grams of whole grain were eaten by the world everyday? This would lead to a much healthier future. Beans, nuts, matcha, cocoa, whole grain, berries, fresh fruit and vegetables, and spices are recommended by this site for long life and can be used proactively to battle expected disease at any age.The neolithic revolution has been a doubled-edged sword, though. Agriculture enabled an unprecedented population growth but also brought severe malnutrion for many generations, until we finally adopted the crop to our nutritional needs and our own genome to the crop. Moreover, the need for fertile soil to feed the growing population, the division of labour and the hierarchical society growing out of it initiated the period of human warfare. With the transition from the paleolithic to the early neolithic era, avarage life-expectancy dropped by almost by half from a 30-odd to a mere 20 years due to those hardships, and only fully recovered about 10,000 years later, in the classical antiquity, to its former figure, to finally rise again steeply with the onset of industrialization in the 19th century. So much for the romantization of any former period of human history.In Mark Plotkin’s book, the Omnivore’s Dilemma, he states that Americans are made of half corn, or half of the Carbon in their body was derived from corn, which has been determined both by calorie counts as well as by the C14 ratio of Corn as a C4 crop. If half of the carbon, the skeleton of our skeleton, of our life, is from one crop, I would say we are intertwined with grain. Most of the phosphorous in our bones and the carbon in our bodies is from soda. Corn Syrup and Phosphoric acid. Americans are very reliant on corn. We, eating a diversity of whole grain, could be better insulated against disease. The productivity of grain is tied to the development and framework of our culture.You’ve got the initials right. That’s Michael Pollan, not Mark Plotkin. ;)Well except for this…http://www.eater.com/2014/7/21/6183911/eat-pork-three-times-a-day-to-live-basically-foreverI feel like maybe a magazine article about a single woman’s opinion doesn’t quite hold the same weight in a debate as the body of medical research done over the decades pointing to plants as the dietary indicator of health and longevity, across all factors like gender, nationality, or level of activity. Nutrition is not the only health factor: this woman may be fortunate enough to have lived a long life full of social support, exercise, and adequate rest, and a lack of environmental toxins (like pesticides, car exhaust, or cigarettes) – and may be blessed with some amazing genes.Thank you for your predictable response. Why is it when meat eater live a long life it’s due to lucky genes, yet vegans living to age 100 is due to diet?Because anecdotes are meaningless when you can look at more data? The analogy goes like this:If you smoke and get lung cancer, smoking killed you. if you didn’t smoke and get lung cancer, you had really bad luck. If you did smoke and didn’t get lung cancer, you had really good luck. The existence of lifelong smokers without cancer doesn’t disprove that smoking causes cancer.There is good luck and bad luck, and you can’t control for it… but if you do something that is actively bad for you and get a good result, you were probably just very lucky. If you do something that is actively good for you, and get a good result… that’s probably just the result of your healthy choices.There are also false equivalencies. People who live to 100 are fairly rare. Meat eaters are common, vegan/vegetarians are not very common. If you can find a 1:100 ratio of vegan to carnivorous centenarians… the vegans would still be dramatically over-represented statistically. You can also make fun arguments based on silly things like this: The term vegan itself is from 1944… a child born and raised vegan in lets say 1945 would only be 70 years old now… Therefore we don’t really have any life-long vegans who are 100 years old. Now watch as you can find someone arguing that this means that vegans aren’t healthier, because there aren’t’ any people who were born and raised vegan who lived to 100.And luck have nothing to do with it, it is just a word for things we dont understand~ ;DAnd oh, Dr. Greger admits vegans don’t live much longer than meat eaters…. http://youtu.be/q7KeRwdIH04?t=5m53sThat is quite an old presentation by Dr. Greger. There has been a lot more studies done since then, particularly the Adventist studies:The more recent 25 year follow-up of the Mormons may allow for a more informative comparison, as like the Adventist study, it included both men and women from California, and examined the effects of other lifestyle factors on mortality. Mormon men and women over the age of 25 with four favorable lifestyle factors associated with significantly reduced mortality were expected to live about 9.8 and 5.6 years longer, respectively, compared to U.S. whites.8 In comparison, vegetarian Adventist men and women over the age of 30 with three favorable lifestyle factors were expected to live about 13.2 and 8.9 years longer, respectively, compared to non-Adventist Californians whites.5 9 Compared to the average U.S. white however, this difference in life expectancy would be expected to be closer to about 14 and 10 years.7 However, and more importantly, a later paper on the Californian Adventists found that those who adhered to a vegetarian diet for at least 17 years were expected to live 3.6 years longer than those who adhered for fewer years.10 This suggests that when restricting the analysis to long-term vegetarian Adventists, the difference in life expectancy compared to the Mormons would be even greater.One of the 30 videos that is directly on point to longevity and meat eating is: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/The video is about making sure you get enough b12…. which was the reason that vegans didn’t live longer.Whole-foods plant-based dieters are healthier and do live longer… this video does not contradict the science on that conclusion.That first paragraph is quite a bold assertion and based on conjecture rather than evidence.Vegan does NOT mean Whole Food Plant Based Diet – that is the very point. Many vegans are such due to ethical reasons – not nutrition and health purposes, so there is no reason to assume a vegan will have good health (just a clear conscience ;)). Whole food plant based is specific and is key for health.Right, UNLESS, as he concludes and as is the point of his video, that one keeps homocystine down by taking B12 and making sure you get enough B6, folate and omega 3. Then vegans will exceed meat eaters.I haven’t watched that video for a while, but I believe the take-home message was that vegans need to take consumption of certain nutrients, like B12, seriously, or ignore them at their own peril. Healthspan is more important than lifespan, so “don’t live much longer” is still longer, and hopefully with good health until the end.You can keep believing…. It’s your decision my friend.This is essentially the same argument I made in my book Powered by Plants: Natural Selection and Human Nutrition which was published and made available on Amazon and given directly to Dr. Greger more than one year ago. This video also includes some of the same 300+ references I used to support the argument in Powered by Plants. However I went into far greater depth to document the many human biological adaptations to a plant-based diet. http://www.amazon.com/Powered-Plants-Natural-Selection-Nutrition-ebook/dp/B00JUEEU3A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422897755&sr=1-1&keywords=powered+by+plantsDon, looks like a great book. Your transition from paleo to plant-based I found compelling (in the book sample in the link).I want to know what Methulselah ate.Don’t know about Methulselah…how about Daniel?“The first published report of a clinical trial has biblical origins. In the Book of Daniel, reference is made to the unwillingness of the Israelite Daniel to accept the diet offered by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. The king’s official had put a steward in charge of Daniel and his three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego):”Daniel said to the steward . . . “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s rich food be observed by you, and according to what you see deal with your servants.” So he hearkened to themin this matter, and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh* than all the youths who ate the king’s rich food. So the steward took away their rich food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.”2* “Fatter in flesh” refers to better nourished, not being overweight.I have to object that this trial hasn’t been double-blind and placebo-controlled. Morever, the Book of Daniel is not an established, peer-reviewed journal (although it arguably has had quite an impact-factor).In the future Golden Age, that is very near, again drama is a cycle that constantly repeats every 5000 years, we are not here millions of years, human beings, called deities, eat flowers, fruits, grains and cow’s milk. There is no cooking there. All the food is eaten fresh and raw. Vegetables do not exist there. That world, that Paradise, is God’s creation. So you are able to compare how you are near to a one 100% healthy diet. Also, beside healthy diet, the most important for our complete healthy and happy life is our awareness or consciousness with whom we eat that food. When we keep awareness in our intellects that we are the human souls, the points of light, the spiritual brothers, and that we are children of only that one God, the Father, and that we eat only from His treasure store, we should say to God, thank you God that you sustain us then, our bodies will blossom with health and will be in excellent condition. There, the life span of deities were 150 years long. And they, those royal souls, leave their bodies in happiness after receiving, in advance, a vision of a new baby body they go in their next birth. Dead, useless bodies are cremated in a matter of seconds, by the press of a button, with the electric current and, what is the best, no soul cries there. Because, there are no vices there. That is the Land of Happiness. Regards BRAHMA KUMARIS WORLD SPIRITUAL UNIVERSITYOtzi the Iceman, found frozen in the Alps, had hardened arteries and gallstones. Even his climbing mountains couldn’t protect him from heart disease. He had goat and grains for his last meal…He also had mushrooms on his person! These are very medicinal. Dr. Greger suggests in this website large white button mushrooms are very anti-cancerous and that an Asian population study found that one half cup of green tea a day and one half white button mushroom reduced breast cancer risk by 90 percent. Mushrooms are very medicinal. I everyday would like to know what his healing spices and worshiped plants were.Today one of Dr. Greger’s videos (top anti-inflammatory foods) is highlighted on a popular Paleo website–mercola.com. Congrats! I’ve been linking some of Dr. Greger’s videos in the comments section of mercola.com for a few months now to help blend the discussion.Thank you so much Julie!Dr. Mercola is an interesting guy. He markets himself, with heavy emphasis on the word “markets”, as an anti medical establishment practitioner and as such embraces the pro-saturated fat, anti-grain wing of that movement. He goes far beyond diet, promoting, among other therapies, “earthing” and tanning beds, both of which he gladly offers in his store, along with his line of supplements. He also advocates intermittent fasting, a pattern of eating which I have adopted and one for which there is exists ample scientific evidence in favor of. One of his strengths, no pun intended, is exercise. He is the one who introduced me to whole body vibration exercise as well as brief high intensity training and super-slow resistance training. I find this type of activity preferable to slogging away on a treadmill for hours.You say there is scientific evidence for fasting so you fast. But FYI there isn’t for the “vibration” machines. Just saying.I always try to separate what I know from what I’ve been told. Pritikin, Ornish, Esslestyn Greger et al TOLD me that IF i changed to a whole foods, plant-based diet I could cure my heart disease. I KNOW that is true because I did switch and it DID CURE me. My clan has the worst possible genes for health (although we all pretty smart and good lookin) and I’m the one who, like PAM POPPER, decided not to go the way of my siblings.A lot of high falutin theory passes through here. If YOU are “in the trenches” facing a long list of “lifestyle diseases” I THINK you should try WFPB for 1 exact month and see if you, like me, decide to never go back. And you’ll be smarter and better lookinHey you know I was just thinking about dogs. You know, they don’t live very long. Maybe that figures into their lack of atherosclerosis too. My cats get the chook eggs now. They be fine. How long does a lion live? How old is the oldest wild carnivore? Just wondering in case it turns out to be something smart to say.The bowhead whale is the Methuselah among the mammals. It feeds mostly on krill and other zooplancton and can reach an age of about 200 years (surprising that the marketers of krill oil haven’t come up with that yet, isn’t it? ;) The lobster eats a similar diet and may be, in fact, biologically immortal (although we really don’t know for sure).Regarding carnivores and omnivores (cats and dogs for example) while they are adapted to a diet that is low in antioxidants and other plant nutrients, and their lifespam is set by their genes, stills it is clear that oxidative damage gets them; anecdotally some of the oldest dogs in the world are following quasi vegan or vegetarians diets, being omnivores is not that hard to get them what they need, and as humans, seems to get less autodegenerative diseases.There are cases of vegan cats, with added taurine in their diet too, I would need to check more to see how they fare, in principle far less people would try this with them, because cats aren’t omnivorous… but after so many millennia with humans, we see them eating a lot of things other felines wouldn’t touch. In mammals, herbivores species tops the longest living species chart. Which makes sense.What a shame that such an educated man believes in the infantile theory of evolution!I’m waiting to hear Dr. Greger refute the scientific claims made by the Paleo folks. This video basically challenged the claim that Paleo best represents human traditional diet through history. Which history, he asks?Check out http://plantpositive.com/ – this guy has done a tremendous work refuting all sorts of Paleo claims.I am curious about one thing. If as this video states that vegetables are the main diet (to which I agree) what about B12 – where did this come from. In other videos the Dr recommends taking a supplement,Good point. It serves to show that evolutionary human diets were largely but never exclusively plant-based. There are some precious nutrients – most importantly B12 – only animal foods provide. Hence, even chimpanzees consume about 5% of their calories from animal food, mostly insects but sometimes small mammals as well (incidentally, that matches with the 95% plant-based figure from the cited paper). They get additional B12 from the bacteria inhabiting the large intesttine by grooming, but that is probably not an option for most people.B12 can be found in soil, in untreated water sources, and in poop. That last one a popular source among some apes. All fantastic sources, but personally I prefer a weekly cherry chewable.B12 is not found in significant quantity in natural soil, unless it is agricultural soil fertilized with manure. It is a myth for which there is little factual evidence that “eating dust” can be significant, let alone reliable source of B12. Most herbivores meet their B12 need by grooming or even eating their feeces, like rodents do. I agree that cherry chewables are much preferable those natural vegan sources of B12 (except, perhaps, for those who are into some really gross sexual practices ;)“It is a myth for which there is little factual evidence that “eating dust” can be a significant, let alone reliable source of B12″I never claimed as such. However, there are indigenous soil microbes that produce/require B12. Also, animals tend to poop on the ground. Stating B12 is in soil and stating that soil can be considered a reliable source of B12 for humans are two separate non-mutually exclusive statements.Well, I said that regular dirt is not a significant or reliable source and hence cannot supply us with adequate amounts of B12, which you only half-ironically implied. My objection may seem nitpicky but I think it is not. There are many myths about B12 among vegans, unfortunately, and if those myths are uncritically believed, they may lead some people to forgo their B12 supplements and thus pose a real threat to their health.Seems like Timar hasn’t heard about all the cobalt supplements his meat’s been eating, so he thinks he’s getting his B12 from natural sources.Ah, here we have an example of someone uncritically believing in such myths and now suffering from paranoia induced by B12 deficiency. His paranoia drives him to think I would promote meat consumption!Seems like Timar is now on record as saying that cobalamin has nothing to do with cobalt. Splendid.Well, obviously cobalamin is named after the single cobalt atom at its center, but this has no biological significance whatsoever, because that tiny amount of elementary cobald (the molar mass of cyanocobalamin is a whopping 1355 g/mol, it is the largest and most complex of all vitamins) can never, ever be liberated in a biochemical reaction. Elementary cobalt is a highly toxic trace element that has indeed nothing to do with cobalamin. Next time, please try to educate yourself first and comment later.It seems Timar is completely unaware that most pasture-based livestock farmers give their animals cobalt supplements in order to prevent B12 deficiency.It seems that you are unware that one uses the second and not the third person when talking to someone.Unlike other animals, ruminants have the ability to absorb the vitamin B12 produced by the bacteria in their rumen. The bacteria need traces of cobalt to synthesize B12. Some regions have soil low in cobalt as well as other trace elements (i.e. due to eluviation from ice age glaciers), so those trace elements have to be supplemented in order to keep the livestock healthy. Just as idodine has to be supplemented to people if they don’t eat seafood. There is nothing wrong about both.So it seems that Timar has done a complete 180, initially stating that cobalt has nothing to do with B12, and now admitting that it is in fact essential for B12 synthesis in the animals he eats and that it is often given to those animals in supplemental form.Of course when we take this fact into consideration, coupled with the fact that every factory farmed animal on the planet is given turd-loads of B12 supplements, we realise that the B12 status of meat-eating humans is greatly skewed by indirect supplementation. But for some reason this nice fact does not stop people like Timar from coming on this website and wagging a finger at vegans for taking B12 supplements !Worse still, he compounds his buffoonery by stating that only ruminant animals have the ability to utilise trace elements to manufacture vitamin B12. Apparently he’s completely unaware that non-ruminant animals also have this ability. This study for instance (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11110865) found that cobalt supplementation significantly reduced hyper-homocysteinemia in pigs. Interestingly, nickel supplements had an even greater effect, not only reducing hyper-homocysteinemia but also significantly increasing B12 levels in the blood and liver.Perhaps Timar’s most obscene blunder is his assertion that hominids do not speak to each other in the third person. Unfortunately for Timar I’ve been through the anthropological literature with a fine tooth comb and found absolutely no evidence that this is (or ever was) the case. Perhaps when Timar next graces us with his presence he’ll provide a citation to back up this claim. In the meantime I think I’ll add it to the now sky-high pile of B.S. theories put forth by him and his fact-shunning paleo brethren.Well, maybe I was wrong about the B12 in your case (contrary to the impression your first comment gave, you seem to know a bit about it, so I guess you take your supplements) but then your conspicously aggressive and paranoid behaviour must have another cause. It is funny that you continue to suggest I would promote meat consumption, even calling me a “paleo breathen”, because I do not only eat an almost exclusively vegetarian diet (not that that this would matter much, though) but have in fact extensively argued against Paleo diets in this forum and even recommended the vegan site plantpositive.com as a good source for dispelling paleo myths.Yeah I’m taking my supplements very nicely, and my point is: so are you. Whether you realise it or not.Well, I take a B12 supplement too. And I’m still puzzled why you address me with your moot point. What I wrote here certainly shouldn’t have left the impression that I would have a penchant for “apeal to nature” type of arguments.Timar, I really don’t think there’s enough people still reading this thread to make it worth my while explaining matters further. I look forward to resuming this debate with you when this issue comes up again on one of the newer threads so that a wider audience will get to see how flawed your reasoning is. Until then, my very best wishes.It came from streams and dirty (soil) food. We no longer eat that way. Might give us a bad case of…..you name it!A bad case of you know what, which in itself can be recyled as a good dose of B12. Or flung at your friends. Ah, the circle of life.You’re funny Boomer.Dysentery, cholera etc…. used to kill in huge numbers. Better stay clear.I would say that vegetables are an important aspect of the diet. A diet of mainly vegetables that average 100 cal/pound may not provide enough calories unless other more calorie dense foods are consumed. Fruits at 300 cal/pound will help us get the calories we need but we may need more calories. This is where starches (complex carbohydrates) such as whole grains, corn, potatoes( 500 cal/pound), beans (600 cal/pound) and nuts (2800 cal/pound) can help us get the amount of fuel that we need. The other important factor is how much exercise and activity. Hopefully folks are getting the exercise along with good nutrition. There are many videos relating to the value of exercise for weight loss http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/… cancer see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/ and heart disease… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/.An organisation that calls itself nutritionfacts should stick to facts.Excellent rebuttal.First I’d like to second the thanks that has been mentioned recently to the site-keepers here for maintaining one of the few pleasant comment areas on the web. One tiny request though: a policy against religious spam/trolling? For instance paragraph long futuristic utopian sci-fi rants and comments from rabid evolution deniers. If this is a place that recognizes science and reality, there should be no qualms about requesting that comments also focus on science and reality, regardless of whether modern science and observable reality are at odds with any particular person’s favorite books.b00mer: I’ve been on the fence about those posts myself. I was hoping it would just go away as I’m not sure the posts break our rules. But I think you have a point. I will make a point of passing this concern this up the (plant) food chain and let staff decide how to handle it. Thanks for voicing your concern.I must have gotten up on the wrong side today…I strongly disagree! This is where the woo factor falls flat. Juxtaposed between the scientific study, scholarly analysis and real-life success stories, these wacky ideas are revealed for what they are. Afterall, what is our goal? Hearts and minds, literally!Coacervate and b00mer: Thanks to Tommasina, this matter has been taken care of in a permanent way. (Or as permanent as we can get.) At least for the specific poster that I believe we are talking about. Peace.They can be good for a laugh I suppose. I just wish they had provided more details. I’m left wondering if the baby cows get the benefits of reincarnation and automated no fuss cremation. I would imagine the deific futurehumans aren’t going to want to take time away from frollicking in the fields to take care of the bodies. WAIT, of course, I’m sure they’re magic virgin lactating cows. Or the baby calves live forever on fields aplenty, but then who gets poop detail?? Also, will the 5,000 year cycle be affected by climate change? So many questions. Maybe I need to attend the University??I think I missed that one. lucky me!I had to luck this one up for you – you can google “brahma khumaris info” if you’re interested to see some of the top-notch creative writing we had before that commenter went bye bye.Boomer (and Thea and Tommasina)…I take back my high moralistic verbage. This outfit is so wacked out they should be on Laudenum or ludes dudes..Reminds me of Mark Twain when said: “High breeding consists of how much you think of yourself and how little you think of others. ak ak ak ak akThis video is great. I particularly enjoyed the dog explanation on cholesterol. I never knew that. Nutritionfacts makes me so smart!I was glad he shared that bit as well. I had heard it before phrased generally in terms of “carnivores”, but that always led me to imagine the work being done with cats, and it seemed like a jump in logic to me to go from cats are carnivores so humans are herbivores. What about true omnivores? Can they tolerate cholesterol? Well, apparently so. Amusing that some humans like to think of themselves as equally or even more omnivorous than dogs or bears.Hate to be nit-picky, but in anthropology as well as zoology, hominides are unequivocally classified as omnivores. This is not only based on by the digestive physiology (teeth, the proportion of the large vs. small intestine) but also on all recorded and archaeological history. No hominid population ever studied – be it homo, pongo, pan or gorilla, – has ever followed an exclusively plant-based diet, though most of them have eaten a largely plant-based diet most of the time, bordering on a herbivorous diet in the case of gorillas. Or own genus is a notable exeption in such that it is by far the most omnivorous of all hominid genera. Zoologic classification is based on factual observation, not on withful thinking. Fact is, humans are ominivores, or otherwise they wouldn’t have survived the hundred thousands of years until nutrient-dense plant foods and B12 supplements became widely available. This classification has nothing to do with the question whether today, one should eat a largely or even exclusively plant-based diet for optimum health up into old age. We are ominvores – period! – but we may still do better on a plant-based diet today.And cows are being fed cows, and works and make them grow faster… just the fact that a given species can digest any given food doesn’t change what they are. What matters is the anatomy and physiology. For example, the teeth you comment are for defensive purposes, not because of their diet.Take a look:http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.htmlAn absurd straw man. We are talking about free living species in their natural environment, not about cows in feedlots or men in fastfood restaurants. Ask any renowned anthropologist or zoologist. Anthropologist notoriously have a hard time to agree on anything, but if there is something entirely uncontroversial it is the fact that humans are omnivores. Denying reality has never helped a good cause.I agree that denying reality is never been a good cause — But also see that you didn’t bother to read the link, because you didn’t answer a thing. Here another one that was referred in my previous link, which is a full rebuttal of your theory.http://www.scribd.com/doc/94656/The-Comparative-Anatomy-of-EatingIt is no “theory”, it is reality. Go to any traditional living people in the world. Look up any archaeological record ever made about nutrition in past societies. People have eaten animal foods everywhere, always. Therefore, we are omnivores. The digestive physiology of course corresponds to that, but is really of little importance.“Humans are most often described as “omnivores.” This classiﬁcation is based on the“observation” that humans generally eat a wide variety of plant and animal foods.*However, culture, custom and training are confounding variables when looking at human dietary practices. Thus, “observation” is not the best technique to use when trying to identify the most “natural” diet for humans. While most humans are clearly “behavioral” omnivores, the question still remains as to whether humans are anatomically suited for a diet that includes animal as well as plantfoods.* A better and more objective technique is to look athuman anatomy and physiology. Mammals are anatomically and physiologically adapted to procure and consume particular kinds of diets. (It is common practice when examining fossils of extinct mammals to examine anatomical features to deduce the animal’s probable diet.) Therefore, we can look at mammalian carnivores, herbivores (plant-eaters) and omnivores to see which anatomical and physiological features are associated with each kind of diet. Then we can look at human anatomy and physiology to see in which group we belong.”(Never occurred that to you) Answer please every point exposed in the article — because anatomically and physiologically we aren’t omnivores. That is a FACT.You didn’t present any evidence beyond of customs.This text represent a fundamentally flawed approach to natural science. Zoology or anthropology, as all other natural sciences, are descriptive. To expect them to follow a normative approach totally mispresents their purpose and would leave the door wide open to all sorts of ideological interference.Again you didn’t answer a thing, just evasives. Don’t you understand that cultural customs don’t necessarily represent (and in fact they don’t) what we naturally would eat as a species?I content that in fact for political reasons is more comfortable to keep saying that we are “omnivores” but anatomically and physiologically have nothing in common with them. Go ahead and see the evidence.And as I say, if you leave humans among their supposed peers, other omnivores… humans behave uncomfortably as prey. And generally are attacked as that.I know is not sexy, we rather like to think about ourselves otherwise, euphemism like the kings of creation etc.. but go back to nature and see the species for what it is.You really seem determined to ignore basic reality, so I think it is of no use to repeat myself. I do it one last time, though: free-living humans have eaten an omnivorous diet – everywhere and always. Therefore, humans are omnivores. Cultural customs don’t fall from the sky, there are rooted in biology. Cultural contingency may be assumed if an observed trait appears in an erratic or random manner among different populations. The consumption of animal products is neither erratic nor random, but without any exception in all populations at all times. Therefore, it is not a custom but a basic human trait. Heck, you could as well say that having sex is related to cultural customs and thus doesn’t “necessarily represet what we naturally would do as a species”. That would be only slightly more preposterous.And no, I won’t bother to further discuss a text based on such a fundamentally flawed understanding of science.Of course you’ll refuse to discuss any empirical evidence, if by now you didn’t catch that the root of the health problems that are presented in this very site, are precisely because we aren’t true omnivores, otherwise as is presented in the video in the present page, we could eat as much cholesterol and saturated fat as we wanted, as true omnivores do:“You can feed a dog 500 eggs worth of cholesterol and a stick of butter and they just wag their tail; their body is used to eating and getting rid of excess cholesterol.”Clean arteries, try that with any hervibores including humans. Explain why among all the omnivores species only humans gets the same problems that herbivores get when feed that sort of diet. But let me guess, another fact you won’t want to face.What you comment regarding sex is interesting, see any species are hardwired for survival and reproduction — atavistic behaviours, you wouldn’t expect that any external pressure could change such basic instincts wouldn’t they?If you check history you will find out that even that is modifiable in humans, culture and customs are able to change even that. A couple of examples:First ancient Greece, let’s see Sparta, the society was arranged like this for males:To foster solidarity, young men between the ages of twenty and twenty-nine were assigned to boys over age twelve as mentors and sexual partners. These relationships were seen as “a positive contribution to the solidarity of the homoioi,” the Spartan citizen-hoplites.(We are talking there that ALL males were set from the beginning as homosexuals, as you can imagine is statistically impossible that 100% would be homo, instead of hetero, yet they saw having sex with women so unappealing that their marriages consisted in having the bride, dressed as a male, waiting in the dark so not be seem by the groom.“For starters, they began the big day by shaving their heads. Second, they donned men’s clothes and sandals. Then, instead of participating in a ridiculously expensive ceremony with family and friends, prospective brides laid alone in the dark on a pallet, waiting for their grooms to come and steal them away in the night. Once a groom had his way with his new bride, he deposited her shaved, man-clothed self back at her parent’s home. Done. Married.She wouldn’t see him again until the next night, or the night after that. Sometimes, years could go by before these married lovebirds actually saw each other in the daytime.Why?According to some historians, to help ease the Spartan groom into heterosexuality.”A similar situation happened in Japan, check Samurai culture. And there a lot of more examples.The interesting fact here is that these people didn’t feel forced out of their natural impulses, and actually developed a distaste for the opposite sex (again keep in mind that is statistically impossible for so many people to be naturally homosexuals, we are talking in several cultures where practically all male population was raised like this, and they would never guess there was something odd with all this… and we are talking about something as atavic and hardwired as reproduction) Same happens with food… This species is a bit *too* gregarious.Nature didn’t intend us to routinely live to an old age. It “expects” us to die in our fourties or fifities from some injury. That is the “root of the health problems that are presented in this very site”. Living to an old age in good health is a cultural achievement. Why do people always feel inclined to romanticize Nature? We don’t get sick because we don’t eat the (vegan, paleo or whatever) way Nature intended us to do. We primarily get sick because Natures has shown little interest in keeping us healthy into old age. Evolutionary, it has been more advantageous to let the old and frail die off to make place for the young and strong. Nature made us omnivores and granted us an avarage lifespan of at best 40 years (during the neolithic period and in traditional agricultural societies). If we choose to eat a vegan diet and to follow a preventive life-style in order to maximize our health-span we are acting against Nature, not according to it.Effectively as with any organism, the target is to survive at least until reproduction, but that doesn’t change one bit what kind of animal you are anatomically; we are herbivores pretending to be something else, and paying the health consequences. As I say above, a true omnivore can do a lot of things that we cannot, I left there an example that once again you didn’t answer. Could go one by one, and you will keep refusing to see. But the case is there for everyone to see.For pity’s sake, Moderators. The poster Timar is just repeating the same nonsense opinion over and over again and completely avoiding Thule’s specific points. I went through the exact same circus with Stephan Guyenet not so long ago, to the point that I’m wondering if this Timar is really just that little fart Guyenet in disguise. What is stopping you from banning him exactly ?Theodore: While I agree that the conversation had stopped being productive, I saw nothing major in Timar’s posts that broke the rules for this site. Your post above, on the other hand, had to be deleted because you called Guyenet names, which is not allowed.Please note that “It takes two to tango.” Not sure what country you are from, so I will expand and explain that what I am saying is that if a conversation stops being productive but keeps going on and on, it is because two or more people keep going on and on. It doesn’t matter if the other person is refusing to address the issues you want to be addressed. If you are in a conversation with someone that stops being helpful, you can simply stop replying yourself. If you keep going, that’s on you.I’ll also take this opportunity to say that your recent posts to Timar are rude. You need to dial back the attitude. We don’t always give people a warning when they break the rules of this site. I only take the time to dialog with someone if I think they are worth my time. So, please take this notice for what it is meant to be – an attempt to keep you as a member of this community. This is the only warning you will get–at least from me.TheaGiven the widespread practice of administering cobalt supplements and/or B12 supplements to farm animals, I’m deeply concerned that none of the NF team picked Timar up on his misleading claims about the unnaturalness of a vegan diet. I also note that on at least one occasion you personally have promoted the Vegetarian Resource Group, a group whose material often goes against what doctors like Dr Greger are saying. I recently became of aware of the phrase “throwing the flag” and wonder if you’ve ever heard of it. Here’s a link that explains more about it: (https://k9zw.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/throwing-the-flag-when-forum-moderators-are-in-cahouts-with-the-trolls/).It’s essentially when a moderator (or team of moderators) is covertly working against the aims of the forum that they’re moderating. I guess one of the problems with sites like this is that the creator/ founder is so desperate for help that they really aren’t that choosy about the volunteers who work for them. Which leaves the gate wide open for people with industry ties to come in and work their magic so to speak. I don’t want to put anyone on the spot here, but I’d definitely be interested to know more about your financial and/or campaigning background, if you’d care to share.Theodore: Please go back and read my original post to you. My objection was not with your B12 information. The problem is not what you said, but *how* you said it. Make sense?I participate in no political activity (other than voting), and the only money I earn is in a basic job is not even remotely related to food or politics. I am a volunteer for NutritionFacts, because I have passion for this site and want it to succeed. One ingredient of success for NutrtionFacts is basic politeness in the comments section. You can see the specific wording for posting rules here: http://nutritionfacts.org/faq. Scroll to the section: What are the rules for posting comments on this site? Do you really think your recent posts have met the posting rules for this site?I do my best to moderate the comments section following the posting rules, regardless of which diet a person supports. Such efforts ultimately make NF stronger. If I only cracked down on people who I disagreed with, there would be no integrity to this site. In other words, just because you support the information given here at NutritionFacts like I do, does not give you a free pass to break the posting rules. I hope that clarifies things for you.Well, in Timar’s first reply to me he accused me of suffering from B12-induced paranoia. That’s pretty offensive by any standards, but I don’t recall you making any fuss about it. Not that I’m asking anyone to stick up for me, but if you’re going to slap people on the wrists for the slightest insult, the least you could do is be even-handed about it.He also littered this entire thread with false information about the naturalness/unnaturelness of a vegan diet which none of you NF volunteers picked him up on. I’d be grateful if you could explain why none of you picked him up on it.Also, I didn’t ask you which industries you DON’T work in, I asked you which industry you DO work in. For instance copywriting isn’t related to food or politics, but if a copywriter was moderating a forum about nutrition I’d sure want to know about it.Thea, by the way I just did a search on all your posts and I notice that the Vegetarian Resource Group features quite a bit in your writings. I hope you don’t take offence but I think I might email Dr Greger personally and point this out to him along with some evidence of what I believe is subtle-negative moderation on your part. Perhaps Timar was right and I’m just a paranoid vegan lunatic, but I’ll mail my thoughts to Dr Greger just in case, because you can’t be too careful these days.Thule: I generally agree with you on this issue. One *could* classify animals into herbivore, omnivore, and carnivore categories based on cultural practices. But in my opinion, using culture/observation is not a meaningful distinction and not what most people mean when they refer to those classifications. Most people are talking biology. A classification based on anatomy is meaningful and far more interesting as well as practical.I’m also of the opinion, that by looking at biology, most species fall along a continuum rather than just being one thing (herbivore) or another (omnivore). Ie, there might be some species who are so extreme that they could be classified as 100% herbivore or 100% carnivore. But I think that most species fall along a continuum. In other words, I think that you could probably classify just about everyone as omnivore. But again, that isn’t every helpful/meaningful. Based on our biology, humans fall so far to left/herbivore side, I agree that it makes sense to classify us as herbivores, or hind-gut herbivores as the wonderful Dr. Forrester says. Such a classification is helpful because it helps people to understand what a healthy diet is for our species. That doesn’t mean that humans are 100% herbivore. (I understand that there are some few anatomical indications of some “meat leanings” in humans.) It just means that it is most helpful in discussions to understand that human biology mostly links us to herbivores.Having said all that, I can see times where it would be helpful to talk about species’ categories based on observations/culture. And if someone only finds a cultural definition helpful, then it is kind of pointless to argue with them about categories when you use one definition and the other person uses another. In other words, you are talking oranges, and Timar is talking apples. Not sure the discussion could go anywhere from here. What we really need is a new set of terms. I would keep the herbivore/omnivore/carnivore classifications based on anatomy and come up with three other terms that are based on observation and a specie’s cultural practices. That would be most helpful.Aside from sharing my own take on the topic, I also wanted to thank you for your post about old human cultures and some of those sexual practices. Wow! I learned a lot today. I had no idea… Thanks.Thank you for your post Thea. :)What I wanted to show there is that cultural customs can shape pretty much anything in humans, you would be surprised that was only an example, but shows that even something as hardwired as reproduction can be manipulated.And if you study humans only by observation, you would reach nowhere eventually, see the problem with diets, you could find whole societies that were vegans (for example in India Jainist for thousands of years, a great proportion of Buddhists also), and in general a big proportion of indians even today, are vegetarians or vegans. Similarly you’ll find some in Africa, and in the Andes… but them you observe Inuits, and most of their diets are animal products.Further, as you know there has been some widespread cannibalism in some societies.So you would have a lot of trouble trying to find any dietary patters in humans. Thus makes more sense to see what kind of anatomy and metabolism we have, otherwise we would never be able to ascertain anything.If you don’t like humans classified as herbivores, take it up with Dr. Roberts. Again, I never really made that claim. I do not think humans are *as* omnivorous (i.e. closer to the carnivorous end of the spectrum) as dogs or bears. I think any humans who consider themselves as such while pointing to their canine teeth as evidence are laughable. I’m not trying to sound combative, but you have a tendency to twist words to invent claims to then argue against which makes for awkward conversation.Personally I find the herbivore vs omnivore debate and trying to classify all animals in one of three little boxes as quite fruitless and reductive. Depending on one’s perspective and field of study, parameters of focus, differing but equally sound arguments can be made for the same animal. Wolves eat grass and berries, so one might call them omnivores. However they eat mostly meat and seem to be overwhelmingly classified as carnivores. That’s fine with me. Most of the apes eat mostly plants yet some insects. Most would classify them as herbivores, but some would say omnivore. Good arguments on both sides, sounds good to me. Even chimpanzees who are recognized as eating meat occasionally are by various estimates 97-98% herbivorous. If people want to call them omnivore or herbivore, I really could not care less. It seems like most people would accept ambiguity, nuance, and the existence of a spectrum of dietary classifications if we’re discussing gorillas, but make passionate unwavering declarations of three and only three types of eating patterns when it comes to discussing the human diet. Whatever the reasons for that behavior, again doesn’t really matter to me. If you say omnivore, Timar I agree with you. If Dr. Roberts or another commenter says herbivore, I agree with them too.This video is so right on in identifying two of the major fallacies of the paleo concept. Since evolutionary pressure (survival of the fittest, dying of the less fit) must occur before the next generation is born and raised, the genetics of stone age humans was disinterested in life after the children are launched, which is the time when the chronic diseases of our time emerge. Further, the physical, social and nutritional environment of stone age humans is so different from the environment of our time, we might as well be talking about a different species.Based exclusively on argumentation – this is very convincing. The paleo-people base their ideas on (poor) argumentation. If you only listen to argumentation the paleo-people must now be convinced that Michael Greger is right…..Yes, I do agree but also disagree. Should this issue be a debate? arguing with logic against an illogical premise?…However vast the window into deep time may be, I would ask which is more relevant to the matter of diet selection: Archaeology or Nutrition sciences? I would argue that even if we had accurate data on diet from proconsul until H. sapiens, although informative it would not be nearly as useful as the accumulating knowledge base in nutrition, biochemistry and exercise.These theory-based diets rank with phlogiston, universal aether and spontaneous generation as testable ideas that sounded good to some but failed the unbiased test of science.I also dis- and agree…90% may be generous. Our last common ancestor with Carnivora is estimated from molecular clocks at 96 million years ago, and nearly all of our nearer cousins are primarily herbivorous primates. The earliest evidence of tool use in animal butchery dates to 2.5 million years ago, so a 97% predominantly herbivorous ancestry is a equally defensable claim.I don’t really see the point of playing such numbers games. Go back to the first vertebrate and you can probably come up with a 99.7% herbivorous history. You can choose whatever arbitrary reference point in evolutionary history suits you best.Low-carb Paleo guru dies at 77. Heart attack suspected, coroner report being kept under wraps similar to Atkins… Sad that so many who have been duped into thinking low-carb is safe or healthy will follow suit. We will be seeing more and more of these low-carb gurus in this same situation unfortunately the longer people stay on these dangerous low-carb paleo diets. 77 is actually quit long lived for such an unhealthy diet I suspect…http://undergroundwellness.com/barrygroves/Oh my goodness. My curiosity got the better of me, I just had to check out the presentation to see “How a gorilla’s low-fat diet is NOT a low-fat diet…”. Wow. The level of stupidity is unbelievable. That people listen to it and believe it is astoundingly sad. I guess I should watch the rest of the presentation to see the “Incredible Vegan Shrinking Brain” segment because I definitely feel like I lost a few brain cells just now.Spoiler for those interested, but I’m warning you it is definitely the most facepalm-inducing thing you will read today. Says Barry Groves: a gorilla’s diet is 58% protein, 37% starch/sugar, 5% fat. But the huge amount of fiber consumed gets transformed into short chain fatty acids by gut bacteria. He then assumes 2 cal/g for these SCFAs, incorporates them back into the original macronutrient breakdown as if the gorilla were eating them directly, and claims this “changes” the dietary breakdown to be 64% fat, which is apparently along the lines of the diet he recommends. He wittily mentions that these SCFAs are saturated. Oh ho ho. Totally the same thing as long chain saturated fatty acids. So do JUST LIKE the gorilla, and go eat some steak and bacon to get that saturated fat level up to 64%.What’s your opinion on this study? I need to come up with a reason to combat my professor and the discussion. Espeically with the coconut oil, and promoting meat. She mentioned and promoting whole milk and its health benefits. Also how meat is on the happy list. What are some reasons against these studies and why they are flawed? I’m vegan and follow a WFPBD.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23674795http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3680013/ Any ideas and thoughts on these studies? It is unfortunate that schools are promoting false information on nutrition. Meat and dairy isn’t healthy!Both of the articles you cite are review articles and not studies. First, I always look at conflicts of interest by authors. It is of note to me at least that the author of the first “study” you cite didn’t mention that in 2013 the same date of the published article he wrote a book on fats. I have never written a book so I’m not sure of the rules but when I give educational talks to health care professionals I am required to cite conflicts of interest. If I ever write a book published or accepted for publication in an area I’m speaking on I would surely mention it. That doesn’t mean his hypothesis is wrong but certainly raises my concerns. Second to raise issues with your professor I would go to the science and use the actually studies and abstracts you find on NutritionFacts.org using the Sources Cited button. For saturated fat start with http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/. There are many video’s on dairy also. You might see if your library carries a copy of “Whitewash”, by Joseph Keon. You might consider taking a statistics course along the way that is oriented to understanding the pros and cons of different type of studies. Good luck with your educationIn my own experience I’ve since changed my diet almost 8 months now; to pursuing a vegan dietary eating choice (fish) left to go. Some would probably say or have said ” What the hoots are you eating?” To which, I break out into gut wrenching laughter. I can honestly say that I haven’t missed eating meats period. Wine and cheese is a wee bit tougher, hold the cheese please and fill me up with an extra drop of wine. I wasn’t a beef eater anyway, mostly chicken, pork, fish and dairy. Lots of dairy, which probably explained by skin issues and acne. I think I discovered my attraction to meats was based on the coverings of it. Meaning, the sauces, the salties, or sugaries as I like to call them. I found this to be the case one time when preparing some extra firm sliced tofu and portobello mushrooms; in a bit sesame oil, low salt soy, and chili pepper baked in the oven. I couldn’t believe how good it tasted. I thought, wow this is really good; it was as if a light bulb went on while I reflected on my past attraction to eating meat. I can honestly say that I haven’t eaten raw, tasted, and cooked from scratch with such an array of species, herbs, and veggies in me life. I love me baked parsnip fries, and seriously I can’t say I feel like I’m missing anything, and I do love my healthier looking skin.wendy price: Thanks for posting your story. We all have our story into how we came to be where we are not regarding diet. But it seems like we all have these little light bulb moments that end up not being so little after all. I have long felt that if people could just be exposed to foods that they like, but that just happened to be animal-free, they would have that same kind of epiphany. Keep going!Does anyone know how frequently chimpanzees eat meat in the wild?Thanks Michael, So glad you have done a video on the Paleo diet as it’s the big fashion and answer to all problems at the moment here in Australia. Go to a naturapath an they want to put you straight onto a Paleo diet. They say that is the only way you will get healing, that includes eating 4 Eggs and greens for breakfast every morning. How could anyone face that for breakfast every morning!Have you tried starting a fire without a lighter or matches ? It’s not easy. It takes a lot of brain power (and we are already fully evolved). My point is#1. Cooking requires starting fire which requires super intelligence – no other animal can do it. Therefore our brain must have already fully developed BEFORE we invented fire to be able to use it for cooking.#2. we can only eat RAW fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables. We cannot hunt, physically tear down pray and eat it raw. Even if we are starving, we cannot eat an injured sparrow, frog or mouse that is alive and cannot move. We have to cheat (burn it first).As the video suggests, humans have not adapted/evolved to be able to process meat. Our digestive systems are too long! The graphic on this link is a good summary. We are indeed herbivores. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-creQ8XbNl0U/UE_Cm1rSroI/AAAAAAAAAoo/8Z_jJ0fKrsc/s1600/comparativelookvegetarian.jpgOf course there is another model, the proposed in Genesis. Man was given plant foods there. However, the conclusions are the same no matter which model of origins you accept.K. First off this guy discounts the evolution of mankind. Lol!! Wow, the whole reason we evolved, aka. “SURVIVED!” was because we started eating brains, and hearts (meat). Our bellies grew smaller, brains larger and our line of species survived. So let’s get that straight first.Second, cholesterol. He blames heart disease on eating meat!? bahahahaha. I mean c’mon, so he’s just going to ignore the whole last 60 years of carb binging and its effect on insulin and leptin?? Heart disease is an inflammatory disease, where yes, cholesterol blocks the bloodflow in your arteries and hardens on the walls. But its not cholesterol that’s causing this.There is so much more to this its a joke. Genes, methylation pathways, lifestyle, quality of food, stress levels, sleep patterns. Food is one part of the equation. You want to label meat as “bad”, well ok. I agree that most meat is bad, the majority of it, but pastured raised, wild game, wild fish etc is some of the best food on the planet. The funny thing about being a vegetarian is you end up supporting the folks that you despise the most (monsanto, syngenta etc), because they make %80 of your vegan crap. But hey by all means, stay vegan, more meat for me and my family.You wanna grow tits, ruin your b12 levels, ramp up your toxic load, mess up your methylation pathways then keep being a vegetarian. Seriously this isn’t an opinion, its the truth. Lierre Keith, the vegetarian myth is a good place to start. Dr. Ben Lynch is another. Good luck if your a vegetarian, I really truly hope you can lead a healthy life…but it gonna happen. (Unless you supplement like mad) You’ll feel pretty good for first few years, then shit will get weird.Peace1. You are trying to use the expensive tissue hypothesis as an argument, however a) you do not understand it and are misstating its premise, and b) it has since been debunked anyway.2. “Carb binging”? Either you are introducing a red herring by stating that refined sugar is unhealthful, which all dietary camps would agree on and is a non-issue, or you are seriously convinced that complex carbohydrates i.e. starch causes inflammation and heart disease. If that is your conclusion, wouldn’t you find it at odds with this line of reasoning that the only diet that actually reverses heart disease (and is covered by medicare for such treatment) is at its core an extremely high carbohydrate diet? Not just prevents, or retards the progression, but actually reverses advanced, terminal, and inoperable heart disease. A high carbohydrate is the only diet that has been shown to do this.3. Veganism and monsanto? You realize this is a whole foods plant based diet promoting website right? Vegan/nonvegan, processed/unproccessed food, big ag/small ag, etc are all entirely separate concepts, so conflating them is an invalid argument. Like mom and dad always said, if you can’t say anything that isn’t a painfully obvious logical fallacy, don’t say anything at all.4. So many individual falsities brought up, I won’t bother but if you are interested in learning, feel free to peruse this website to see how vegan diet confers fewer biomagnified pollutants, lower inflammatory markers, and protection against chronic diseases like heart disease, cancers, and diabetes. Your assertion that health will suffer on a long-term vegan diet is simply at odds with the evidence.However I will address one, which is your apparent fear of soy, which again is a red herring and is not necessary to include in a vegan diet if one doesn’t want to eat it, any more than any other particular legume. However, it may be of interest to you that vegan men have higher testosterone levels, higher ejaculate volumes, and as far as I have seen, the overwhelming fear of “growing tits” does not seem to be a factor in real life. In fact with vegans representing the only dietary group with an average healthy BMI, one could argue that the prevalence of “man boobs” is if anything, lower in the vegan population. More to the point however there is an overwhelming convergence of evidence that soy-rich diets are preventative against cancer. In vitro studies show direct antiproliferative effects of soy isoflavones in cancer cells, favorable epigenetic effects regarding BRCA genes, and inhibition of several enzymes important for cancer cell growth. Current research is largely focused on harnessing the actitivity of these phytoestrogens to create new therapies and adjuncts for existing therapies, and to elucidate the mechanisms by which these protective effects occur. The existence itself of these protective effects is established and accepted.Your one valid concern is vitamin B12 intake. However anyone who’s been vegan for longer than five minutes most likely knows to take it. My personal “crazy supplementation” regime as you describe involves: one B12 cherry chewable once per week, and a few vitamin D caplets per week. All other essential fatty acid, essential amino acid, vitamin, and mineral intakes in my diet range from sufficient to off the charts. Vitamin D is required at my latitude regardless of diet, and you should also be aware that if you are over 50, vitamin B12 supplementation (specifically as supplements or fortified foods) is recommended for everyone regardless of diet due to decreased absorption of protein bound B12 with age.I think your parting statement with typo actually says it best: “if your a vegetarian, I really truly hope you can lead a healthy life…[] it gonna happen”Just to clarify, when you talk about growing tits, are you talking about growing them on our own bodies or growing them in the ground, like in a community garden or something.So good to laugh first thing in the morning! Thank goodness I didn’t have coffee in my month!First of all, if you want your video to be taken seriously, hire someone whose voice has finished changing and who can read a script. A plant-based diet is fine as long as you don’t recommend over-eating grains, which most plant-based diets do. “Plant-based” means most of your meal is comprised of plants…with good healthy oil and various sources of other protein included. If you want to go down the road of gross generalization a,d one-size-fits-all advice, here is something for you: The real reason people are developing chronic disease in this day and age is because of our increase in the consumption of grain…refined grain AND whole grain in gluttonous quantities. Grain, one of the key ingredients in many alcoholic beverages, when eaten in quantity triggers a reaction very much like alcoholism in a large percentage of the population. The “Paleo” diet (such cute names you dieticians-for-hire come up with for your various plans) IS plant based, just as you recommend. Healthy oil and a variety of protein sources in crucial for most humans. The oil-free junk I have been seeing on so-called healthy eating sites is a fad. Don’t eat processed food. Buy from farmers you know. Withdraw your support for the chemical agriculture conglomerates….but don’t buy into dietary fads delivered by an amateur actor in ninth grade.This video is so wrong it is hard to even imagine people spending time on making it.For example, you can not simply feed a carnivore unlimited amounts of TODAY’S meat and eggs and expect them to be healthy. Breeding wild carnivores in captivity shows us, clearly, that the meat of today is BAD for carnivores and omnivores alike.There are too many logic clangers to go step by step through this rubbish. I will offer this one thought that this video might be ‘right’ about even though it does not really say it:The longer a food has been in a species evolutionary background the more dependent that species will become on that food. That said, the most important aspect of human diet is the consumption of a large quantity and wide variety of plants. And not just any plants, but plans that humans evolved to eat. i.e. Not corn, wheat, etc.Where did you get 2.5 million years from ? Starting & using fire discovery was according to my google search only ~250,000 years ago. People ate RAW meat before that ? I doubt it.Sure, the Inuit for example. I believe eating the liver of a butchered seal while it was still warm was considered a great delicacy.The key word is “believe”. That’s what bothers me. It’s all based on “Belief”, Supposition, estimation, etc…. How often did they eat raw seals. Every day ? Once a year ? What % of humanity was intuit ? .05% ? Did they eat raw meat because they had no choice (other than eating snow) ? How long ago 1000 ? 100000 ? It’s all based on estimate, guesswork and theory.Do you believe Anthony Bourdain?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGVdYiM5IXwCow eating live chicken : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXhElaGCZVULivestock commodities have been fed non-plant based foods since WW2 (livestock waste products, fish pelletes, etc…)Legend has it……”I believe”, etc….That’s not PROOF. The only foods with can eat RAW in Excess are fruits, vegetables, and nuts-seeds. Sure we can eat RAW liver, but in very small amount and so can all Herbivores. My cats eat vegetation too (but in very small amount).Let me upgrade that “I believe” to an “I know for a fact”. This is one Anthony Bourdain assignment I do not envy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2WjblJnpUs….as I said we can do what all herbivores can do too. Eating RAW meat in small quantities is possible. You can look at video on Utube of a cow eating a live chicken. There is another video of a deer eating a live bird. Cow’s are routinely fed fish pellets and meat. We eat mostly BURNT (cooked) meat for psychological reasons (tradition, culture, religion, superstition), etc. Most people don’t eat steak, bacon & chicken RAW. They burn it and eat it with vegan spices to block the bad taste of burnt meat. You will find plenty of exceptions (people that eat raw bacon for example on internet – mostly for showmanship & to show how Tough and masculine they are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPa-NetXeUkThe Organic Consumers Association agrees with the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) that Americans should eat “less red and processed meat.” BUT the OCA also says grass-fed, pastured meat is good for you, in moderation…as do all the Paleo crowd.Sure these animals have a more natural diet, free of the glyphosate-laced corn,etc. forced on factory-farmed animals. But their meat still contains animal fat and cholesterol. How are they rationalizing this? Any scientific basis at all?I am not sure. I agree that the fat and cholesterol could still be problematic. A new study found that organic meat was just as contaminated with pollutants when compared with conventional meat. I suggest writing the OCA and politely asking how they rationalize their recommendations, as I am not familiar with their work.But taking the evolutionary perspective, if we spent all those millennia consuming an almost exclusively plant-based diet, how come we never figured out how to manufacture vitamin B12? How about the other great apes?JackXXL: I can’t remember who I heard say this, but it is my understanding that *no* mammal makes B12, that includes herbivores such as elephants and gorillas. Thus, like humans, non-human animals get their B12 from their diet, which probably includes dirty streams, some termites or other bugs, feces, etc.re: “But taking the evolutionary perspective… How come we never figured out how to manufacture vitamin B12?” I like that you are thinking in terms of evolution. The thing is, bodies would only need to make our own B12 if we couldn’t easily get it from our diet. People just need to understand that “get it from out diet” does not necessarily equal “get it from meat.” And meat isn’t a good source for B12 for humans when you take the whole picture into account and that so much meat is tainted with feces – which *is* a great source of B12.For some good bullet points about B12, you might want to check out the following page, scrolling down to the section, “Vitamin B12. End of story.” http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.htmlI’ll add that the page I link to above covers several evolutionary arguments concerning humans, not just B12. I think you will find it really helpful to look at other sections on that page.Delightful! Especially right after lunch. A supplement sounds much more appetizing :):-) Agreed!REPOSTING QUESTION (from Brittany):Was wondering if you could present the research regarding persons in ketosis. I recognize the physiological implications of this diet – to switch from carb burning to fat burning during periods of starvation, but there seem to be quite a few people in the health circuit who have found this fat-based way of eating to be very successful for them. It would be enlightening to gain a deeper understanding of why these successes are being attained and if this way of eating is healthy in any way. Although I am a plant-based vegan, I am having a difficult time having a scientific discussion with these people because it is such a new “diet”.I have viewed the paleo videos several times. Despite the evidence against high intakes of saturated fat, I am very curious as to whether there is research on specifically the state of ketosis and its effects on overall health. You are welcome to post my question in the public questions section. Thank you for your time!Hey Brittany. This study may discuss the metabolic pathways of ketosis. They define ketosis as a blood beta-hydroxybutyrate level between 0.5 and 3 mM (check out reference #13 for more on ketosis). Sure, low-carb diets may work for short-term weight loss and blood glucose reduction, but the thought is long-term maintenance on a low carb diet can be super harmful. I am not convinced even short-term is completely safe. Check out the blood flow in low-carb diets vs plant-based. See the “Doctor’s Note” at bottom of the video for more videos on Atkins-like diets. Glad you have seen the paleo videos, as we have a lot! I cannot speak to others in that heath-circuit who choose to follow a low-carb diet. Of course, that is for them to decide what is best and perhaps the quick weight loss is what attracts this group (not to mention if people are told bacon and steak are best it may be easier to follow a “diet”). My experience is limited little with ketone-based diet, however more research on brain tumors and keto-diets are being explored. I hope this helps and other members can weigh-in.Thanks for your question. JosephSo let me get this straight. A few million years (more than just two) is enough time to develop an entirely different method of locomotion, increase brain size, increase intelligence, and make all kinds of adaptations all over the body, but not enough time to get us used to eating meat? Preposterous.All of the traits you mention benefit chances of survival during pre-reproductive years. There’s a reason most men don’t go bald until their later years: you don’t need to be so attractive after the babies are born. Same reason for our vulnerability to high-fat and cholesterol diets: it doesn’t make a difference until well after the babies are already born.Sorry but this is an example of circular thinking combined with wishful thinking.They added years so that the probabilities increase and they can justify the theory. Because we know nothing like that happen in a few thousand years. Add billions of years, and you can say anything.Big Pharma and the medical establishment wants you to stay sick. As long as you’re alive they can get your money. There is no research proving saturated fats cause cancer or heart disease. Polyunsaturated fats and trans fats are the culprits. Diabetic drugs cause the disease to get worse over time. Exercise, high sat fat, moderate protein and low carbs will lower blood sugar. I am a type 2 Diabetic, and I know this is true. Proteins and fats do not need insulin to metabolize. Coconut oil is very good to loser blood sugar.Do you have any studies comparing paleo (no beans and no grains) and vegans? Or paleo and low-fat raw vegans (80-10-10 fruitarians)? My woman friend I’ve been hanging out with is enlivening in our dialogues (she is paleo and I’m a vegan that likes to eat lots of fruit). We wish there were some clinical peer-reviewed nutrition studies, and not just some pod-cast by a self-defined expert trying to sell their books.Hi 808david. I sure wish there were more studies comparing paleo and vegan diets. I think it’s important to find foods and dietary patterns that make us feel the best. If folks enjoy beans and grains I highly recommend their consumption. The research on these foods are extremely positive, as they have been found to reduce the risk of several diseases. If I come across any new studies I’ll post them here. I recommend “Becoming Raw” by Brenda Davis RD for the most peer-reviewed, comprehensive guide to raw food diets. Hope this help!95% + Plants…Sure tell that to the cultures who lived in the colder climates of the world who were incapable of growing plants 5% of the time let alone 95% plants. Care to enlighten us doctor on what these people might have eaten considering plant foods weren’t an option?You, me, as well as everyone else posting down here, we are here because of what our ancestors ate, which included meat. Sorry to break it to you folks, there is no way around it.Most paleo cultures consumed animals at 75% of their diet and included the whole animal, nuts and seeds accounted for 15% while plants and fruits accounted for up to 10%. How do you know this? Common sense, go try and grow any type of plant at -30 below.Good points. Thanks for sharing. When you say “75% of their diet included the whole animal” do you have any resources to share? I would assume colder climates may have led to more meat eating. However, when you consider the world we live in today…. For example, I live in the cold mountains and although I cannot grow food in winter I can surely go to any store and find nearly any food year-round. Very different times. If a 95% plant-based and 5% animal-based diet makes sense to you, awesome! I think that’s great. Much better than any standard diet. Dr. Greger has a great video on flexitarian diets. I think the point of this video was to discuss existing research, where one study claims during the first 90% of our evolution we consumed 95 plus percent plants.In the past 10+ years, conjugated linoleic acid (i.e., a naturally occurring trans fatty acid found in higher concentrations in grass fed beef and lamb, as well as in extremely high concentrations in kangaroo, etc.) has been touted with many health benefits. I have a number of health issues, and I think it has a very inflammatory effect on me (as does saturated fat).I enjoyed your article on why saturated fat (also currently popularized as being healthful) causes inflammation, and was hoping something on your site regarding CLA.Let’s dig right in:Favourable effects of consuming a Palaeolithic-type diet on characteristics of the metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled pilot-study.This was a cool one because researchers were interested in the effect of paleo style eating on the metabolic syndrome absent weight loss. Everyone knows that weight loss on any diet improves symptoms of metabolic syndrome (hypertension, poor lipids, blood sugar disregulation, etc), so this study sought to uncover any effects unique to paleo eating. How’d it go?First off, it was hard to keep paleo dieters from losing weight. Seven of the 17 subjects in the paleo group lost enough weight that researchers had to provide extra snacks to keep their weight up. Once they got that under control, good things happened:Waist circumference decreased by 3.1 cm — an indicator of reduced belly fat, which is remarkable especially given the lack of significant weight loss (just 6 pounds on average). Systolic and diastolic blood pressures dropped by 8.5 and 8, respectively. Both fasting insulin and glucose decreased, indicating better blood sugar control and more fat burning. Insulin resistance dropped. Blood lipids improved, with total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides decreasing. Takeaway: By all indications, metabolic syndrome patients can benefit from going paleo. If they were allowed to also focus on losing weight, I have no doubt that the numbers would improve even more.Obesity and cardiovascular risk intervention through the ad libitum feeding of traditional Hawaiian diet.At first glance, the abstract of the study suggests a diet at complete and utter odds with paleo. It’s low in fat (under 10% of calories) and protein, and high in “complex carbohydrates.” Complex carbohydrates, in modern parlance, are hearthealthywholegrains: breads, pastas, porridges. But in this study that attempted to recreate the pre-contact Hawaiian diet, complex carbohydrates meant roots and tubers like sweet potato, yam, breadfruit, and taro. In fact, grains were restricted because those were unavailable in the islands before Europeans arrived. The traditional Hawaiian diet used in the study, called the Wainae Diet, consisted of unlimited amounts of sweet potatoes, yams, breadfruits, taro roots, poi (a mashed and fermented taro), fruit, seaweed, and greens from sweet potato, yam, and taro plants. About 200 grams, or roughly half a pound, of chicken and/or fish were also included each day. All cooked foods were steamed, similar to traditional forms of Hawaiian cooking.The macros are a bit different from what you’d expect from a paleo diet, but the food quality is in lockstep. No grains, legumes, dairy, seed oils, or processed junk food. No acellular carbohydrates (pulverized grains: bread, pasta, flour, etc). Lots of leafy greens and nothing but whole, unrefined foods.What happened when a group of obese Hawaiians were placed on such a diet for 21 days?Energy intake dropped by 41%. This is crucial, since food intake wasn’t restricted (except for the fish and chicken). Subjects were encouraged to eat to satiety, indicating this diet was pretty good at keeping them full. They lost an average of 7.8 kg. They were still obese, but far less so than before. Blood lipids improved. LDL and triglycerides dropped and even though HDL reduced slightly, the TC:HDL ratio improved. Blood pressure improved. Systolic dropped by 7.8% and diastolic by 11.5%. Blood glucose dropped dramatically. Takeaway: Paleo diets can be high or low carb. Low carb does have a bit more clinical backing, and in my experience is more effective for the severely obese and easier to adhere to, but the important thing appears to be grain/junk food/seed oil avoidance. They had “sugar,” but it was in the form of fruit. They ate “complex carbs,” but in the form of starchy vegetables. Paleo is a framework and this paper illustrates that.Three paleolithic ketogenic diet case studies.And last, but not least are three case studies. Because these involve a total of three patients (being case studies), I’ve grouped them together. Alone, a case study does not an argument make. Three separate case studies showing massive benefits for the individuals involved, on the other hand, raise even the most skeptical eyebrow.In the first, a 19 year old male newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (blood glucose levels of 384 mg/dL!) was placed on a ketogenic paleo diet after spending 20 unproductive days on the traditional low-fat, high-carb diabetic diet. This new diet consisted of meat (mostly red and fat-rich meat), eggs, organs, and fat, with insignificant amounts of non starchy vegetables for a fat:protein/carb ratio of 2:1. Plant-based oils and artificial sweeteners were restricted. The only supplement given was 5000 IU of vitamin D3.Upon going paleo-keto, his blood sugar normalized, even postprandially (after meals). He was able to stop insulin treatment following his first meal. On the original diabetic diet with supplementary insulin, his average blood sugar was 119 mg/dL. On the paleo-keto diet without insulin, his average blood sugar was 85 mg/dL. Blood sugar fluctuations also reduced from a standard deviation of 47 mg/dL to 9 mg/dL.After 6.5 months of the diet, he had maintained his progress without side effects. His LDL-C and total cholesterol had gone up, but that’s fairly standard on ketogenic diets.In the second, a 65 year old obese female with high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, angiopathy (likely diabetic), and a history of gall bladder surgery and colonic polyps was placed on a ketogenic paleo diet. She was taking anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive meds as well. On her new diet, typical foods included broth, stews, pork bone marrow, bacon, steaks, calf liver, and pork greaves (or cracklins/chicharrones). Vegetables like cabbage, onion, and root vegetables were used as garnish.How’d it go?Over the course of 22 months, she was able to discontinue eight medicines, her BMI dropped from 37.1 to 31.6 (lost 14 kilos and counting, at the time of the study’s conclusion), and a normalization of both blood pressure (along with no blood pressure spikes in the final six months) and blood sugar. That was purely from diet; no supplementation, no exercise.In the third, a 7 year old with absence epilepsy was placed on a ketogenic paleo diet. Before the diet, she was socially withdrawn, hadn’t gained weight or height in two years, and wasn’t toilet trained; she was effectively developmentally disabled.Based on meat, organs, fish, eggs, and animal fat, along with some vitamin D3 and fish oil, the new paleo-keto epilepsy diet had an approximate fat:protein ratio of 4:1, with very little (if any) carbohydrate. And it worked incredibly well. Seizures stopped six weeks in. She grew 3 kilograms and 6 cm in four months. Her mood and social function improved enough for her to attend regular school by study’s end.Takeaway: A paleo keto diet using whole foods is just as, if not more effective, than a clinical ketogenic diet using refined, processed foods, whether the patient is a youngster with epilepsy, a young man with type 1 diabetes, or a middle-aged woman with metabolic syndrome.However old (the Hawaiian diet study), limited in scope (the paleo-keto case studies), or small in scale (the metabolic syndrome study) these studies might be, they remain effective ambassadors for the efficacy and diversity of the ancestral approach to diet. So the next time someone says “Yeah, but what about those low-fat native islander groups?” or “But no studies exist showing you can safely eat bone marrow!” or “Ah, it’s just the weight loss helping,” you can direct them kindly to this post.Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-the-paleo-diet-supported-by-scientific-research-part-2/#ixzz3fIyx7u90Paleo diet it’s a diet based on myths, fiction and guess. We don’t have enough information about how men were feeding themselves long time ago, how prevalent that diet was, and why they adopted it. Even the “evolution” is something hypothetical.But of course “paleo” is a good marketing keyword.	Africa,bacon,blood pressure,brains,butter,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cheese,chicken,China,cholesterol,chronic diseases,diabetes,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Dr. Dean Ornish,eggs,evolution,fiber,fruit,greens,heart disease,low-carb diets,meat,Mioscene,nutrition myths,nuts,paleolithic diets,plant-based diets,pork,prehistoric diets,Pritikin,seeds,stroke,trans fats,Twinkies,vegetables	The Paleolithic period represents just the last 2 million years of human evolution. What did our bodies evolve to eat during the first 90% of our time on Earth?	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/23/will-the-real-paleo-diet-please-stand-up/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-caldwell-esselstyn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/twinkies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mioscene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-carb-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prehistoric-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11157335,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10906529,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10702155,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10506562,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14527636,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139123,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2220599,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2981409,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23865796,
PLAIN-2489	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-prevention-is-worth-a-ton-of-cure/	Why Prevention is Worth a Ton of Cure	Yes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but a pound isn’t that heavy—why change our diet and lifestyle when we can just wait and let modern medicine fix us up? Previously, I noted that patients tend to wildly overestimate the ability of cancer screening and drugs like cholesterol lowering medications to prevent disease. So much so that if patents were told the truth about how little they’d benefit, 90% said they wouldn’t even bother taking them.The reason we eat healthier, rather than just counting on a medical technofix, is that same over confidence may exist for treatment too. In a massive study of more than 200,000 trials, they discovered that yes, pills and procedures, can certainly help, but genuine very large effects with extensive support from substantial evidence appear to be rare in medicine and large benefits for mortality, making people live significantly longer, are almost entirely nonexistent. We're great for broken bones and curing infections, but for chronic disease—our leading causes of death and disability, modern medicine doesn’t have much to offer, and in fact can sometimes do more harm than good.In my Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death talk, I noted that side-effects from prescription drugs kill an estimated 100,000 Americans every year, in effect, making medical care, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. But that’s just from the deaths from taking medications as prescribed. Another 7,000 deaths from getting the wrong medicine by mistake, 20,000 deaths from other errors in hospitals. Hospitals are dangerous places. An additional 80,000 of us die from hospital-acquired infections. More recently estimated at 99,000 deaths. But can you really blame doctors for these deaths? You can when they don’t wash their hands. We’ve known since the 1840’s that the best way to prevent hospital-acquired infections is through handwashing, yet compliance rates among healthcare workers rarely exceeds 50%, and doctors are the worst. Even in a medical intensive care unit, even if you slap up a contact precautions sign, signaling particularly high risk, less than a quarter of doctors washed their hands. Many physicians greeted the horrendous mortality data due to medical error with disbelief and concern that the information would undermine public trust. But if doctors still won’t even wash their hands, how much trust do they deserve?So we could go in for a simple operation and come out with a life-threatening infection, or not come out at all. And 12,000 die from surgeries that were unnecessary in the first place. For those keeping score, that’s 225,000 people dead from iatrogenic causes, meaning death by doctor, death by medical care. And that’s mostly just for patients in a hospital. In an outpatient setting, adverse effects can send millions to the hospital and result in perhaps 199,000 additional deaths. And this is not including all those just non-fatally injured, like oops, we just accidently amputated the tip of your penis. And these estimates are on the low end. The Institute of Medicine estimated that deaths from medical errors may kill up to 98,000 Americans. That would bump us up to 284,000 dead, but even if we use the lower estimate, the medical profession constitutes the third leading cause of death in the United States. It goes heart disease, cancer, then me.One responder pointed out that it was misleading to call medicine the 3rd leading cause of death since many of those we kill also had heart disease or cancer. Doctors aren’t out there gunning down healthy people. Only people on medications are killed by medication errors of side-effects. You have to be in the hospital to be killed by a hospital error, and the most common reasons people are on drugs and in hospitals is for diseases that can be prevented with a healthy diet and lifestyle. The best way to avoid the adverse effects of medical care is to not get sick in the first place.	First comment from me… :)Oh yes! … great video as welll… very insightful! :)Well done ! Me too I was in the race ;) The video btw, is just astonishing !Just thinking that diet and preventive medicine could save millions of people by avoiding disease which in fact will make them avoid hospital and prescriptions drug that will greatly reduce hospitals error and side effects and just by that can save another three hundred thousand people from unnecessary death – because the third cause of death is actually modern medicine – is absolutely astonishing ! Big Problem though, Big Pharma would not allow that to happen, nor Big Meat, Dairy and Eggs.. Why ? Because of the system that created them ! A system where short term profit is more important than human life and well being. That is in fact the real problem here.. Is there solution ? Yes, but will required a Big Revolution in our way of thinking human life on this planet..Any revolution would help right now. My husband who has been a vegan for over 35 years, was just diagnosed with bladder cancer and surrounding areas called a squamous cell cancer! Now trying the reishi fungi treatment hoping the mycelium will take out the cancer cells. The next step will possibly be a colostmy buying time for radiation to shrink the cells unless the mycelium gets there first. He has been fit, playing tennis daily, eating well, inventing a new process for making tempeh…..For all the years that we have known about cancer and not to have a cure that can actually go after the correct one, I think there are about 200 kinds of cancer, says that there is way too much money for the drug companies to keep us healthy.An example that a Vegan diet is not a promise of no disease. Sorry for your husbandWe have lots of people sending good thoughts, etc. It’s interesting how the spiritual ends up being similar to magic, miraculous, a miracle, etc. At this point we will take all the help we can get since I think he can make a recovery from a colostmy…..does your husband smoke? because it is a risk facto for cancer.. also how old is he?It will also require a change in how most Americans define good health. I hope this recent experience will clearly explain my point.I was recently screened as part of a Health Evaluation Program provided by my employer. As part of the program, participants are given a personal health score based on a health index developed by the wellness company that conducts the screening.The score is designed to help each participant understand where he/she stands for future risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and type II diabetes – leading causes of premature death and disability in the US. The score is comprised of five modifiable risk factors: tobacco use, blood glucose, blood pressure, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol – all potential causes of serious health problems. The stated purpose of the health score is to help participants identify medical risks that can be improved, therefore increasing chances for a healthy future.This seems reasonable. Yes?The stated objective is for each participant to keep his/her personal health score between 0 and -20 (the lower the score the better)I was delighted, though not surprised, to receive a score of -20. Although it’s very difficult to precisely quantify individual risks for chronic disease, I initially thought that the criteria included in the health index can be expected to provide a reasonably accurate assessment of future risk for developing CAD and/or type II diabetes.However, upon further reflection, I realized that this health index has one major flaw – it does not include information on medications taken by participants.The best way to illustrate this flaw is by creating a hypothetical situation where another 54 year old guy (John Doe) was screened on the same day as me and his screening results were identical to mine. This guy would have also received a health score of -20. Therefore, if this was a competition, he and I would have tied. This guy would have achieved his -20 score even if he was taking a gorilla dose of a statin drug, some diabetes and blood pressure medications and perhaps some other common medications, such as meds for gastroesophogeal reflux, constipation, depression etc.. Therefore, he required chemical assistance to achieve the illusion of health. By definition, he cannot remotely be considered healthy. Yet he would have received the highest personal health score possible.What’s wrong with this picture?My thoughts:My competitior’s high personal health score is the result of a twisted view of what constitutes health – a view that appears to be held by the majority of Americans. This shouldn’t be surprising as most visits to a physician usually result in the patient leaving with a prescription. If the prescription is for a drug meant to treat a chronic disease, it’s often a drug that the patient is told that he/she will have to take for the rest of his/her life. This fact, and the current reality of Americans being constantly urged to ask their doctor about the latest miracle drug advertised on television and in magazines, has successfully created a distorted view of health in America.Most Americans are told that in order to be healthy, you must schedule various tests/screenings based on recommended guidelines. If these tests reveal a diagnoses of CAD , Cancer, or type II diabetes, the magic carpet ride of drugs, surgeries and procedures begins. Health is rarely recaptured – what results is a patient who remains sick and gets used to carrying around what eventually becomes an increasing number of medications. Medications are often added to treat new symptoms created by the initial medications.Is this the best we can do? I don’t think so. The paradigm for preventing and treating chronic disease has to change to treating the cause of disease rather than the symptoms.The main cause of the chronic diseases that afflict Americans is what they eat on a regular basis – a diet dominated with animal and highly processed foods.The paradigm of promoting people to:· transition to a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet · begin or maintain a reasonable exercise regimen and · avoid unhealthyhabitsis the focus of lifestyle medical doctors. As more and more physicians begin specializing in lifestyle medicine, more and more patients will be informed that they can truly recapture their health and will be encouraged to do so.I’m afraid this paradigm change will take a long time to occur. The medical and pharmaceutical industries that benefit from the current treatment paradigm of drugs and procedures do a masterful job at keeping the known benefits of WFPB diets from the public. The economic might of these industries is hard to fight and is the main reason the American philosophy on health is so warped.This philosophy allows a wellness company to use a health index that can conclude that John Doe has the same personal health score as me. If my employer offered a monetary prize for all 50 to 54 year olds who achieve the highest possible health score, but the money came from a pool from which all perfect scorers would share, I’d be ticked off.Luigi Fontana has shared some data from a large dataset of Italian patients seen by general practitioners through the National Health Search Network. It shows that excess body weight is associated with large increases in health-care costs. The figure is here. http://cdn.f1000r.com.s3.amazonaws.com/manuscripts/1232/4c101576-be30-43b0-97cb-f3fd52525a7b_figure1.gifHmm interesting, maybe the threshold for being of too low a weight should be lowered as this chart shows people with BMIs of 17 need some of the least medical care.This video is meaningful as I have a family member who is having aggressive treatment for a cancer all logic and statistics say she won’t survive. I think most of the family know this is true, but they are all riding the treatment train with her and following the doctor’s encouraging recommendations. After two treatments, she has been in and out of the hospital twice to treat side effects, is bald and this week is gravely ill from an immune-boosting drug. All of this is to prep her for surgery to remove the cancer. They don’t really know where it has spread, but will find out in surgery. Before the treatments, she was in a little pain, but could go to lunch with friends. Now, when not in the hospital she is in bed or laying in a recliner barely able to eat. When the disease does take her, the doctors will say how they extended her life. People accept this course of treatment as normal because they are given the hope of recovery. Knowing the truth about the effectiveness and possible damage of treatments would give patients a clearer picture to make choices. .She is being “Milked” by the surgeons, hospital and doctors for her insurance MONEY.If you look at the surgeons fees they average about 300 dollars per hour. Out of that they have an over head of over 50%. Heck my plumber makes more per hour. I think you project your poor ethics on others.Yes I have very poor ethics, I am vegan atheist and proud of it. My personal experience with Doctors and hospitals is extremely negative. They always prescribe the MOST expensive (safest, worst case scenario) route. They are masters of “Scaring Patients” & manipulating them into submitting their wallet. Always ask for 2d, 3rd and 4th opinion. If I had submitted to their prescription I would by now have an unnecessary eye and back surgery, in poor health and bankrupt.Dr. G, this is very depressing to me, as a cancer survivor of going on 14 years now. I changed my diet after reading “The China Study” and at this point, although I’ve had lots of x-rays in my life, I don’t know what else I can do, diet-wise, although I am sure I am at risk from the x-rays.Live your life to the fullest, eat a whole food plant based diet, move your body, have a positive attitude, smile and love! Forget the cancer that you have and believe me that he (the cancer) also will forget about you. Have a nice ride! :)Are you qualified to give out medical advice? I’ll bet you’re tying to be helpful, but how do you know what it is this person needs to hear? Forget about the cancer may not be applicable or received from her in the same way you meant it. Sorry, but I think unless you have some medical experience, and have been in the same situation you don’t know if you are helping or not. Liisa, I can only wish you well. From what I’ve heard 14 years is a pretty good record.Sounds more like life advice to me. Medical science isn’t exactly batting 1000 on cures for cancer (although promises have been made since 1971). A very interesting book on attitude and belief is “Mind Over Medicine,” by Lissa Rankin, MD. This book scientifically demonstrates how the mind can positively or negatively affect medical outcomes.Filipe was implying that if only we don’t worry about the cancer and take a variety of actions other than seeking medical treatment, then surely any cancer we have will go away. That is not well evidenced at all. That is quackery, however important a positive attitude may be to bodily health.I don’t think Filipe’s post indicates that he feels we should necessarily preclude all medical treatment outright. From the book I mentioned in my previous post, it seems that the body must reside in a parasympathetic mode to heal, and not in a sympathetic or “fight-or-flight” mode. Your state of mind has a lot to do with what mode predominates—that is, try not to worry.His post suggests that medical treatment isn’t necessary for a total cure of any cancer. Even adding in conventional medical treatment to his list, it would still be a quackish idea. There is no good evidence of a totally curative regime for any and all cancer.And again, this is true even if it helps a great deal not to worry. Saying that a “parasympathetic mode” is necessary to heal looks a lot like gross overstatement to me. Depressed people still recover from colds, angry shouting bosses still recover from paper cuts, and so forth.Depressed people also get more colds to recover from, but I do agree healing, though perhaps somewhat compromised, does de facto occur in stressed individuals. Lissa Rankin, MD, puts it this way regarding optimal healing:“In my medical training, we were not taught that the body knows how to heal itself. It is equipped with natural self-repair mechanisms that repair broken proteins, kill cancer cells, fight infections, prevent aging, and maintain the homeostasis of the body. When the body gets sick, whether from the common cold or something more serious, like heart disease or cancer, it’s almost always because the body’s self-repair mechanisms have broken down, usually because of stress.When the nervous system is stressed, as it is during the “fight-or-flight” stress response that is so commonly triggered in modern day life, these self-repair mechanisms are disabled and the body is at risk for disease. Only when the counterbalancing relaxation response is activated, when the sympathetic nervous system is turned off and the parasympathetic nervous system is turned on, can the body heal itself.”Your use of the words “implying” and “suggests” regarding the intention of Filipe’s post don’t of themselves constitute strong evidence for what you’re saying. Perhaps Filipe himself could expand on what he meant by his original post.The passage you quote shows the obvious dichotomous thinking that you seem to have picked up from her but have perhaps started to back away from. The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems don’t “turn off” or toggle from one to the other. Both systems are active to some extent at pretty much all times. She claims that she was not taught about homeostatic mechanisms or infection-fighting processes in her medical training, which is absurd. People usually learn the beginnings of this stuff in high school.Suppose I said, “just drink water and eat balanced meals, and you’ll pass chemistry for sure”. By omission, I’m implying that a studying well is either not necessary or important, or that the issue of studying is already settled somehow by the context so that talking about it is unimportant. In context, it actually does matter that the issue of medical treatment isn’t necessarily settled in the mind of either of Filipe’s audiences: directly, the person he is addressing, and secondly, everyone involved in the public forum discussion. There actually are people who say or think that by avoiding medical care and smiling and so forth, cancer will go away.When we talk about what someone says, we often have to talk about what is implied. Intentions matter, but the quality of a statement is judged by what it could reasonably imply to readers. I can recognize that there are at least a few ways in which a general audience might interpret a phrase while still pointing out that the statement very reasonably allows for a bad interpretation, and is hence a bad statement.Not sure if you have read Dr. Rankin’s book (“Mind Over Medicine”), but the science in her book is well-referenced. Her father was a hard-nosed evidence-based physician as well. But there’s a lot more to being or becoming well than solely the medical science aspect. And medicine’s success rate with cancer has been particularly dismal.If Filipe doesn’t further elaborate on his post, then we will have to agree to disagree on our individual interpretation thereof. It’s just as reasonable to assume he meant avail yourself of available medical technology, but maintain a positive attitude as well, as your interpretation that he meant, “Just smile, and all will be okay.”Again, we can allow that a statement could be interpreted many ways while still claiming that it doesn’t do enough to exclude a relatively straightforward, bad interpretation.And again, I don’t dispute the importance of low stress to overall health, given that much of what plagues society at present is chronic disease. For example, systemic inflammation is good over the short term against many forms of infectious disease, but is a bad thing in the etiology of heart disease and seems to make the body more susceptible to infection if sustained over the long term. But I do dispute extreme views to the effect that the relaxation response is all that matters, which is the same reason why I don’t present the view that chemo and surgery is all that matters, either. We are in a video that discusses the value of taking preventive measures against disease before it gets to the point where a cure is unlikely. I agree with that general idea wholeheartedly, even if it’s quite unlikely that we can prevent cancer completely through lifestyle.So eating lots of fruits & vegetables is “Quackery”, but following the medical advise is not “Quackery” as evidenced by scientific study of # of deaths associated with hospital, doctor errors and wrong diagnostics ? Not to mention intentional errors for MONEY.No, eating fruits and vegetables is not quackery. Nor is following medical advice in treating a particular form of cancer when evidence backs the treatment.Saying that eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, smiling, and moving your body is guaranteed to cure any cancer is quackery, full stop. Why? Because evidence doesn’t indicate that this would be the outcome of the treatment.Yes, BUT a lot of medical advise and treatment is Quackery (it’s FRAUD to steal money from patients to enrich Doctors and Hospitals). A lot of evidence is Quackery – like “Milk does the body Good” government propaganda and Lies. At least smiling and moving your body does not damage your wallet, enrich a doctor, torture an innocent animal nor put your health at risk.Which is why it should be GOOD evidence and people should be careful about making universalizing claims.thank you Filipe, great advice.Hi Lisa, it is true that we live in a very toxic environment. In early 1900’s around 1/100 men were expected to develop cancer. Today it is 1/2 in their lifetime. The body is incredibly designed and is constantly fighting off cancer, so the best thing to do is put the best quality food and supplements into it, enjoy different types of exercise weekly, cut out as much refined sugar and processed foods as possible, and take steps to boost our immune system. Many great natural treatments out there for boosting immune system and I would recommend talking to doctors / more natural physicians about options. It sounds like you are doing a great job already! There is much we can do to help our bodies so never stop learning.It definitely can be frustrating but it is important to do things that make you feel good. Science is always changing and we never have direct answers otherwise we would all be living until we are 300 years old. The important thing is to eat a well-balanced diet, get plenty of sleep, drink lots of water, and exercise daily. Preventing disease starts with a healthy lifestyle first!An inconvenient truth :sDr. Greger: I greatly admire your candor. The first step toward solving a problem is to admit the existence of the problem, but most doctors are so full of themselves and think they can do no wrong. If I went to a doctor, noticed that he hadn’t washed hands before touching me, and asked him to wash his hands, how would he react?When my aged mother was in the hospital (NYC 1990’s) I put a small sign on the wall above her bed which simply said “PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS FIRST.” Someone on staff kept ripping it down.Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean my doctor isn’t out to get me. I just knew I was right! :)Whoo-hoo! You hit the ball out of the park with this one Dr. Greger. Thank you so much! What a concept – Prevention. Don’t get sick in the first place. The video makes an excellent case supporting this.“Only people on medications are killed by medication errors of side-effects. You have to be in the hospital to be killed by a hospital error, and the most common reasons people are on drugs and in hospitals for diseases that can be prevented with a healthy diet and lifestyle.” Good one, Dr. G. :-)This is a really important thing to tell people. We are so used to watching these amazing TV doctor programs and dramatic shows like “Marcus Welby” or “House” that we have very few facts in our heads when we talk or think medicine and health care. No wonder health care is the number one cost in our country and is rising steadily even with ObamaCare.Then lately to back that up we keep hearing about celebrities that say they have cancer and then beat it. Who knows that the real truth is about this, or is it just more fakery and giving advanced extra care treatments to some to sell others on these treatments for cash.This mental attitude is killing the economy and the country. Very important video.If side effects from prescription drugs are the 6th leading cause of death in the US why is that not listed in the CDC’s leading causes of death table? What is the source for that astonishing number?http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htmSource is here. Note that’s just in hospitalized patients. Adverse effects of medical care in outpatient settings may cause an additional 199,000 deaths. Read Dr. Starfield’s tragic report for all the details.Why use a 2000 report in 2015?Maybe because it’s the best report so far ?I think that it has been even worse since 2000…Thanks for the reference source.Thanks for the link to Starfield’s editorial. It contains excellent information but would I disagree with one comment and add an additional perspective. Many authors tend to fall back on the “factors for poor health are multifactorial and complex”. In this physician’s opinion it isn’t even all that complicated. The science is relatively consistent… avoiding chronic disease is helped by eating a whole food plant based diet with adequate Vitamin B12 intake, regular exercise, maintaining a “normal” body weight, not smoking and minimizing alcohol consumption. The two reports by the IOM, To Err is Human and Crossing the Quality Chasm showed the problems with errors in tertiary prevention (i.e. the use of drugs and procedures). It is clear as others on this blog have stated that if if you maintain health where you don’t need drugs or procedures you can avoid these errors. If we hold the medical industry responsible not only for preventable errors but also for not giving patients the best information about preventing and reversing chronic conditions you can easily make a case for medical care being the leading cause of death in the country. A good reason to stay tuned to NutritionFacts.org for the latest in science… you never know when some new science will help you improve your health or that of a family or friend.In France, I learnt prevention when I was in medical school. Respect for body care and food is included in French lifestyle , may be it is part of the so called “French paradox”Quand je parle de prévention en France, on me renvois souvent au plaisir de la table et à la culture française. Et vu le matraquage médiatique absurde et mensonger sur les risques de carences, ça risque pas de changer. Heureusement que j’ai du sang froid et de la réparti :) . En réalité, je suis très souvent bien accueillis et les gens apprécient mon discours, mais tout le monde n’est pas prêt à changer.Ici un exemple frappant d’absurdité : https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1422579428Le pire c’est que ce nutritionniste sait très bien qu’il raconte n’importe quoi : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x12ah2v_jean-michel-cohen-evolue-sur-le-regime-vegetalien-et-vegetarien_newsMerci Adrien pour ce lien ( dailymotion) qui me sera bien utile pour rassurer mon entourage non anglophone!Tout le plaisir est pour moi :)Je crois avoir connu Jean Michel Cohen , quand il etait etudant. Il est vendu en super marche et ne publie pas dans la presse a comite de lecture. Il le pouvoir de convaincre et a pu ainsi devenir aise. Mon experience , la prevention ne marche que quand il y a obligation . Il y a des familles francaises et americaines qui depuis des generations prennent soin de leur sante pour soigner leur image de marque, ceux qui ont des professions ou l’apparence importe. les autres en minorite sont averties d’une affection de carence, et la sont en face d’un probleme vital. Tous les autres ne prennent la nourriture et la sante que comme tres secondaires dans leurs ambitions, d’ou les resultats actuels.Dr. Greger I notice that all of the citations for this video were dated from 2000 to 2005. Does more recent research show any improvement in these trends?I agree… The medical profession has made a tremendous push in hand care with alcohol gel at every room.Cannabis oil v organic hemp seed oil for curing cancer??If it was real we will know it by nowWell we can say the same thing for heart disease and a plant based diet, the fact that very few people know about it does not mean that it’s not true.. Think about that: how many thousand of years we believed that the earth was flat ? That being said, Cannabis actually possess proven cancer fighting property, indeed. But so does garlic, onion, mushroom, green leafy vegetable, beans, berrys, citrus fruits and so on.. Cannabis should be in our arsenal for fighting cancer, just like everything that have a scientific basis and is proven to work (including modern medicine of course), but this should not be the only one thing we do. Like I said nutrition can be powerful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njCiE9XFdggThank you for this presentation. It is extremely interesting to open new opportunities for treatment and may be for prevention. A very well balance nutrition in a healthy lifestyle is still general and accurateI fully agree with the statements of my colleague dr Greger that the combination of unhealthy food with often used medications is a disaster and aggravate many afflictions on later life. So called chronic diseases of our modern lifestyle.Voluntary dietary restriction will probably never gain popularity as a life extension strategy in humans. More acceptable will be a diet with less methionine. Vegetable proteins – especially those from vegetables or nuts – are lower in methionine content than diets containing animal protein. Several animal studies of the plant-based diets have been shown in cell growth inhibition of cancer cell cultures and extend the life span of the experimental animals healthy.When everyone is eating more and more meat …shall soon die out the chimpanzee. see also http://www.lastchimpanzee.comThe population explosion and the famine on earth has also led to the breeding of animals solely for consumption. Genocide, the accelerated extinction of species, and Ecocide, large environmental damage are the consequences.We have the technology and knowledge to support a population of a 100 billion with a lower footprint that we make today. But that would require us all getting involved in making smarter choices instead of more profitable ones, that’s not how the dice get rolled nowadays. We need a revolution for that, it will come, I mean its in the name right?I disagree. The fact that humans cannot and won’t try to control population increases precludes any possibility that they will manage anything else of any real effect.Would you ask a bacteria in a petri dish for it’s opinion about bacterial population growth…no…it’s too busy overpopulating and using up limited resources. Some bacteria even have religious and political beliefs.The end result is always the same….a crash.Its pessimism, expecting huge loss of life, uncertainty of future wealth and security that has traditionally fueled population growth. Populations all over the world have stabilized after reaching a certain level of health care, education and wealth. If you give people these things growth slows down to a crawl, stops or goes negative, people opt for a lower number of offspring.On the other side, famine need not exist at all. Switching to growing algae and fermenting yeasts and what not, do a little tweaking here and there and you can generate an almost limitless amount of food. It requires some space but not a lot, it would allow us to hold on to the very best farmlands and return most back to nature. I do not understand why all the doom and gloom, take in even a little history and you’ll see there has never been a better time to live in than right now.Fred is right. That’s called to overshoot the carrying capacity of your environment. Whether you are some bacteria in a petri dish, caribous on an island, worms on a dead body or human on earth, it’s the same thing. It goes as follows, when energy (resources such as food) are plentiful, population growth is exponential until it collapse due to energy reserve being exhausted. The population graph look like a bell curve. The human population grew exponentially since we discovered fossils fuel, and today there is 10 calories of hydrocarbon in every calories you and I eat, in the industrial world. But we have passed the pic and energy resource will collapse in the not so distant future and exotic extracting method (technology) won’t change a thing (conventional oil had already passed his pic), except buying us some time while polluting our environment even worse. Now back to the population graph, the predicted outcome will be that the human population will severely shrink due to food scarcity. I sincerely hope that I’m wrong. The future is not written indeed, but the laws of the physique are ! And the human race is not on top of them. Beleiving the opposite is just human arogance. Soon or later though, we’ll need to figure it out that nature is a dictatorship not a democracy.. Prosperity come from being in line with nature not fighting it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOMWzjrRiBg It’s not a pessimist worldview but rather a realistic one, we need to face the truth whether we like it or not..Is there solution ? Short answer, Yes. Basically we got two choices to make, in order to keep the population level and continue to live in a high energy society (and hence more civilized..) we need to switch energy production from fossils fuel towards liquid fluoride thorium reactor (up to 10,000 years of energy available and the capacity to produce carbon neutral liquid fuel for combustion engine – renewable are not up to the challenge, they simply can’t replace fossils fuel and never will. Period.), if we don’t, we are probably going back into the dark age, as social institution like slavery will be back to fill the void (remember every american got hundreds of slave worth of energy thanks to fossils fuel..) and the second thing is to change the whole economic paradigm for a sustainable one (good luck for that !). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2vzotsvvkwThat’s why it is such a shame a project like ITER only gets 15 billion in a world where we spend a few trillion a year fighting each other...”Voluntary dietary restriction will probably never gain popularity” – very good point. Without subsidies 1 hamburger would cost >20$, similar with dairy. Cutting these subsidies, that make the western societies sick, would make an immediate difference.I love this webpage and I appreciate the work of Dr Greger very much. The idea of promoting healthy eating habits using evidence based approach is just great. Thank you for this.Dr Greger, why focus on medical errors as causes of death, isn’t it a bit out of topic? It is a complex issue and you are not able to discuss it in a 4min video. Even with a perfect diet you can get sick; would you like to be given diurectics if you come to a hospital with symptomatic left ventricular failure due to myocarditis? Probably yes, but there are no trials to confirm its efficacy. Neither for this, nor for many other procedures, see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14684649Why don’t you discuss, for example, the extensive literature on ginseng instead? ;)That article on the iatrogenic penile glans amputation was false. Urology is not the primary field that practices the procedure of “circumcision,” it is the quack OBGYN industry that illegally performs this. It is not performed commonly at all in Europe, and men internationally, 85%, are intact and living proof that it isn’t needed. In fact its a downright lie. It is illegal to perform an unnecessary procedure on anyone, especially minors, and “they” have known its unnecessary for decades. Some will even admit this claiming that “its icing on the cake, or candy in the pocket” monetarily.The narrative focused upon seems to always end up with “most commonly performed surgery,” or “practiced for thoooouuusands of yeeeears.” So what, on both of those statements. It isn’t surgery because it doesn’t repair any deformity, or fix and/or prevent anything that can’t be prevented or fixed without it. I know because I’m an educator on this subject for 20 years and have heard the rhetoric about UTI, HIV, STD, “we don’t like the way it looks” BS. Also, it is NOT commonly practiced on the scale of the world’s standard as 85% of men worldwide are intact. Its only common in America, and these articles always seem to mislead any American into believing that America is the only standard for male genitalia. The commonality of it in America is as a result of the ease of the insurance companies to reimburse for this fraudulent and unnecessary procedure. “Doctors” have confessed to me that it is financial “icing on the cake.” But that is in fact medical abuse and fraud.“Circumcision” IS one of the unnecessary procedures that is highlighted earlier as causing death at around 200-300 annually. They go unreported in the media, and noted as other causes because the medical industry doesn’t want you to know that genital cutting can lead to death. And just how many deaths have to happen before its considered dangerous? Airbags killed 6 children in 1996 and the government stepped in to tell the auto industry it had to revise the device. What is wrong with this dysfunctional, twilight zone-esque picture?The article goes on the describe that “‘circumcision’ in unprofessional hands can have major complications impacting the emotional and sexual life of patients.” Well this is true, but all “circumcisions,” the euphemism for genital mutilation, can and do lead to a negative impact on the emotional and sexual life of men, either conscious or unconscious. Notice how I used the word “men” in lieu of “patients.” One hundred percent of them end up in some degree of damage because natural penile skin is necessary for functional and proper sex. If subtraction of Meissener’s corpuscles, mucosa tissue, venous structure, and dartos muscle in exchange for a scar isn’t damage, I don’t know what is. Losing one’s glans is bad, and its never reparable, but cutting the genitals of an individual under the age of consent is abhorrent especially when that child can lose his entire organ, or at least grow up and wish he’d been born in Europe so he could have the autonomous choice as an adult for HIS OWN BODY.Could be dangerous pushing Muslims and Jews into such legislation. And I’m not talking about the gun toting nut bags that are crying for so much attention nowadays.I’m talking about added peer pressure within social groups. Increased indoctrination during the formative years in order to achieve greater compliance in having the procedure at the age of consent. This would have its own human toll, I would not be surprised at all if it outweighs the number you mentioned. If not in deaths than certainly in misery suffered.Somehow this discussion has gone from iatrogenicity to anti-semitism. Interesting.What I’m anti-Semitic because I use the word Jew? You are joking right?The term “semitic” is broad, quoting from the Jewish encyclopedia:In modern times the highest criterion of kinship between nations is the possession of a common language, or languages which have a common derivation. This criterion is not infallible; but when checked by other tests, kinship in speech is most important evidence of kinship in race. When determined by this test, the catalogue of Semitic nations differs somewhat from the Biblical list. It includes the North-Arabians, South-Arabians (Minæans, Sabeans, etc.), the Abyssinians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Arameans (consisting of many widely scattered tribes extending from the Persian Gulf to Lebanon and the Hauran), the Phenicians, Canaanites, and Hebrews, together with the kindred of the last-named, the Moabites and the Edomites. The list in Gen. x. classes the Phenicians and Canaanitcs with the Hamites; but the linguistic and historical evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of their kinship to the Semites.http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13414-semitesThey are welcome to return their countries of origin and abuse all the children they want once the laws are passed to formally outlaw male genital mutilation, although technically its already illegal when reading the 14th amendment to the constitution.I so agree! Keep up the fight with all you know. As an older mom now, I made that mistake when my baby boy was born. The doctors made me feel that he had a better chance of getting cancer if kept intact…Makes me sad.You have something in common with Marilyn Milos who had three boys who met with the doctors “advice.” She is one of the founders of NOCIRC. Its unfortunate, but we can go forward with breaking the cycle of medical and religious abuse.poor Nigel. I can hear your pain and suffering. Circumcision is a religious and not a health practice. Those doctors who tell you so are misleading you and the public. As for “normal” sexual functioning being affected by circumcision for boys, this is patently false. The emotional scar seems to be far deeper for those who feel it has been an assault upon an unwitting child. The physical scar is the sign, and the loss of foreskin the evidence. However feeding the emotional wound doesn’t allow it to heal. Acceptance and surrender to the reality will promote emotional and mental health going forward. Don’t focus on what is missing but what gratification can be had from even an uncircumcised penis. Blessings of peace, love, and joy.Are you assuming I have a loss or suffering? Poor pranic Roger. I can hear your pain, suffering, and denial from your obvious loss. Do you know who I am? I’ve been re-educating on this subject for 20 years.“Circumcision” is NOT a religious practice, although Jews and Muslims like to think this. Many Scandinavian and Russian Jews don’t practice genital cutting, which includes some American Jews who are opting for the alternative brit shalom. Their children are intact and still quite Jewish. It is the cycle of sexual abuse when performed on non consenting minors because the only ones doing it are the ones with the scars. Religion is not an excuse to abuse children.Acceptance and surrender to the reality that in nature ALL BOYS are born intact for a reason. Eighty five percent of men internationally are, as well as the majority throughout history have been, intact. This fact is living proof that this barbaric holdover from ancient superstitions is a lie, and your defence of male genital cutting is proof of your status as the minority.If you are so confident in the idea of religious justification for this act, and for the scar on your own penis, then why are you here attempting to counter me? Do you think you will have any power in convincing me otherwise? Why are you assuming I am in the minority? Why didn’t you simply ignore what I wrote? It obviously hit your regret nerve.The majority of the most highly receptive nerve functions are in the prepuce tissue called Meissener’s corpuscles. The glans is an internal organ requiring moisture to retain sensitivity, especially the coronal ridge.Regardless to what you would like to believe to quell your loss, every boy has the right to grow up and experience an unedited version of maleness. Considering the hundreds of deaths, and a few dismemberments, would you have liked to have lost your entire penis? How about the ones who have died as a result of this unnecessary phenomenon? How many before you can consider it wrong? C’mon, what’s the magic number?From the very first time you posted that drug side effects were the defacto 6th leading cause of death, I have been waiting for you to use the 225,000 number and say doctors are the #3 killer. If you include those outpatient numbers, the medical profession shoots up to #1. Going to the doctor is literally the leading cause of death in the USA. I would be interested if you could dig into the disability numbers and see if doctors are the leading cause of death AND disability. I would hope that non-medical causes of disability are higher, but if the reverse is true, that would be a pretty astounding statistic to tell people about.UNDERSTATEMENT: in this video Dr. Greger cites the figure that 106,000 people are killed by prescription medicines taken as prescribed, “making medical care the 6th leading cause of death…” This is incorrect; it makes prescription medicines the #6 cause of death. If you add in hospital infections and doctors’ and hospital errors thefigure is closer to 180,000, making medical care the #3 cause of death in the United States. (Per the book Whole, articles in JAMA, Forbes, NYT, and the CDC data if you add them up.) This is REALLY sobering!Did you watch the video? From the transcript:“[…] side-effects from prescription drugs kill an estimated 100,000 Americans every year […] Another 7,000 deaths from getting the wrong medicine by mistake, 20,000 deaths from other errors in hospitals. [..] An additional 80,000 of us die from hospital-acquired infections. More recently estimated at 99,000 deaths. […] And 12,000 die from surgeries that were unnecessary […] In an outpatient setting, adverse effects can send millions to the hospital and result in perhaps 199,000 additional deaths. […] deaths from medical errors may kill up to 98,000 Americans. That would bump us up to 284,000 dead, but even if we use the lower estimate,the medical profession constitutes the third leading cause of death in the United States.”Thank you Dr. Greger. A few years ago, after gaining a lot of weight, I had started losing with a plant based plan. I went to a new doctor to ask if I’m in good enough shape to exercise. I asked if he could work with me as a raw vegan which I was practicing at the time. After some discussion and orders for blood tests etc, he said that prevention is the most important thing I can do to stay away from doctors and to stay out of the hospital. He said that they will kill you. I was pretty impressed.Wow, some awesome candor there by your doctor! And YES, this is one of Doc’s most impressive videos…! What we *choose* to eat every day can keep us from becoming ill. I never miss an opportunity to tell someone about Nutritionfacts.org if they even *mention* feeling tired all the time or aches or pains. Even if only ONE person checks it out and then changes to healthier eating, it’s worth it!First time – in medschool – I heard of NNT (Number Needed to Treat) I nearly fell of my chair, especially when I heard the numbers for “popular” drugs against lifestyle induced diseases. 50, 100, 200 – meaning that you have to treat 50 or 100 or 200 and only one patient would benefit !!! This was NOT what I expected from modern medicine…..I bet that serious lifestyle changes works better…. From a medical point of view, the good news is that the sicker you are, the lower the NNT gets – meaning that medicial drugs are for sick people, not something you can use to correct bad lifestyle choices before you get sick. A cheeseburger and a statin drug wont help you….Does anyone know how many persons are saved by Medicine is US each year ?Is it possible to make such calculations ?ER’s are useful if you’ve broken a limb and need a cast, cut yourself and need stitches, of course you better hope your medical professionals washed their hands and their equipment. Drugs and their side effects and mis-use or accidents in administration are realities in hospitals. So like the author says: be preventative, eat better so you don’t get high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease and avoid visits to the ER. Sugar,gluten and salt- our three main assailants of health. And if you add meat, well that means there’s little hope for most of us from avoiding hospitals. atherosclerosis, smoking, and stress are killers. Let’s focus on eating greens and fruits and mostly raw. There’s still hope.Steve Jobs tried Lifestyle medicine and didn’t get his surgery as recommended by his doctor. Look where he is now. This video is very misleading. If you compare the number of lives saved vs the number of medical errors… the doctors win by a long shot. (there are millions of doctor encounters every month in this country) If you all believe this video, I dare you to eat spinach the next time you are ill and not go to the emergency room. Car accident.. eat cabbage. Lung cancer…. eat an apple. Remember that Dr Pritikan who started all this Vegan stuff died of Leukemia in his 60’s. (actually he committed suicide because of the pain of the leukemia) I believe in a healthy lifestyle. But what are you going to do if you get a cataract… stay blind? Break a hip…. get a wheel chair for life. Doctors perform complex and difficult procedures when they open you up. Crap happens. most of the time everything goes well. Doctors are the brightest and the best of the human race (try to get into medical school) and undergo 12-18 years of education and have constant continuing medical education with recertification. No other profession is as well policed and as dedicated as doctors. They are on on call day and night for emergencies. I agree with Dr Greger on lots of topics. Everyone has a stupid moment and this is his.“If you compare the number of lives saved vs the number of medical errors… the doctors win by a long shot.”A point that probably needs to be made, though part of the complexity is that the cause of death can be labeled in a number of ways. When doctors fail to advocate lifestyle enough, does that lead to lives killed?Part of the issue is that you are criticizing him as if he explicitly said what he doesn’t actually say. He does not advocate eating spinach as an alternative to acute care or being crippled as an alternative to hip prosthesis, so your challenge is perhaps better targeted to those who believe certain comments in the comment section.Acute care has probably saved my life about 2 times: once at birth and once or twice with appendicitis — though complications with an abscess after appendectomy might be attributed to the hospital, so there’s some give and take there. I can agree that Greger is not being upfront about his position about the positive aspects of the medical system, which are legion, and that he may be choosing ambiguity so that he can appeal to an irrational anti-med constituency.That said, simply claiming that doctors are the best of the human race because it is hard to get through medical school is absurd. The content of continuing education, the qualities needed to pass the program, and the reasons driving doctors’ behavior all matter; how many people do you think are strongly incentivized to become specialists because of the money? Refusing to wash your hands when going from patient to patient despite obvious evidence that it can help prevent serious infections is quite reasonably an example of the lack of professional ethics that can be found within the medical profession. It doesn’t matter that they now do a better job of it after the introduction of more convenient alcohol gels, if indeed a little extra discomfort and meniality to the task was all that it took to make many doctors fail to keep their patients’ interests at heart.Goulligo: Steve Job’s diet did him a world of good. He lived with what is normally a very fast growing cancer for years and years. By the time doctors recommended surgery, it was already far too late. And the doctor’s should have known or already knew this. To learn more, check out the very interesting and powerful talk from Dr. McDougall called: Why Did Steve Jobs Die? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81xnvgOlHaYI actually agree with parts of your argument. No amount of eating healthy will grow a cast on my arm if I should break the bone. At the same time, there are very serious diseases, including cancer, for which risk can be greatly lowered by eating a healthy diet. Through numerous videos, this site gives the evidence backing this idea. Here’s a start for you: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/Question… How many family visitors wash their hands before they bring the patient the McDonald’s quarter pounder with cheese and a shake after their heart attack? How about the hospital’s therapy dog?? After it licks it’s rear, it licks the patient. How about the visitors on the elevator picking his nose and touching the buttons? How many people wash their hands after using the rest room (doing number 2)? I have watched over 1/2 the people coming out of the restroom not going near the sink. If they do wash their hands, they sprinkle some water on their hands and wipe it off. NO soap for these people. Maybe we all need to follow this rule including the doctors.Very good point Goulligo: as a nurse for 33 years, I am vigilant to remind, model and show proper handwashing :)Here is a link to an excellent article that really gets to the heart of the health crisis in this country. It relates to a topic discussed previously by Dr. Greger, ie. hormesis, though in this discussion the author explains how half a century of “anhormesis” is reversing millions of years of evolutionary adaptation.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4267452/Here is an excerpt: “Intermittent fasting, regular exercise and consumption of dietary phytochemicals can have a major positive impact on health by bolstering adaptive cellular stress response pathways that protect against and counteract a range of major diseases. Why then are these pillars of health crumbling in many industrialized countries? Unfortunately, the United States has been the major source of the epidemics of obesity, diabetes and associated chronic diseases (cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancers, neurodegenerative disorders and others). Compared to all other countries, the US spends more money on health care and yet has poorer outcomes (US Burden of Disease Collaborators, 2013). Most of the poor outcomes are the result of “anhormesis”, a lack of hormesis resulting from unchallenging diets and lifestyles. Among the US States, and within large cities, there is a strong association of diet and lifestyle (and socioeconomic status) with the incidence of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Technological advances have greatly reduced the need for exercise in the workplace, as well as the need to walk or ride a bicycle to work.”Focusing on that last sentence, I would take it a step further. Societal “advances” have reduced the need for the workplace, period. Whereas earning a living at one time meant if you wanted to live you had to earn it, now that is no longer the case. Thanks to our “safety net” work is optional. SSI and disability are very viable alternatives, effectively attenuating intelectual stress along with the aforementined biological stress.Yes! Excellent video! Lifestyle medicine is the answer! It is so much simpler too! Less likely of a need for complicated interventions for disease if you eat simply whole plant foods, sleep well, get regular exercise and spend time with friends and family!Prevention is better than cure! :-)	cancer,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,chronic diseases,hand washing,heart disease,iatrogenic,lifespan,Lifestyle medicine,longevity,medical education,medical profession,medications,mortality,penis health,side effects,statins,surgery	More people might be open to changing their diet and lifestyle if they knew how little modern medicine has to offer for combating chronic diseases.	This is the video I mentioned about how we wildly overestimate the efficacy of pills and procedures as well: The Actual Benefit of Diet vs. Drugs.Here’s a link to the live presentation I mentioned: Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. That’s about avoiding our deadliest diseases, More Than an Apple a Day addresses some of our most common and From Table to Able some of our most disabling.For more background on how scandalous our handwashing history has been, see my Q&A What about Semmelweis and medicine’s shameful handwashing history? It’s truly an unbelievable story.	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-history-of-handwashing-and-the-spread-of-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iatrogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hand-washing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23149525,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15900009,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20189682,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11056580,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23093165,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17357358,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10720365,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10904513,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12528966,
PLAIN-2490	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/	The Actual Benefit of Diet vs. Drugs	One of the reasons people may undervalue diet and lifestyle changes is an overconfidence in the ability of pills and procedures to prevent disease. For example, people tend to wildly overestimate the power of things like mammograms and colonoscopies to prevent deaths from breast and bowel cancer, or the power of drugs like Fosamax to prevent hip fractures, or power of cholesterol drugs to prevent fatal heart attacks. Patients believe statin drugs like Lipitor are about a 100 times more effective than they actually are in preventing heart attacks. Most people wouldn’t take multiple blood pressure medications if they knew the truth, which raises a dilemma for doctors. Most patients want to be told the truth, want to be told what the chances the drugs will actually benefit them, but there’s this tension between the patient’s right to know and the likely reduction in patient’s willingness to take the drug if they were so informed. If taking a cholesterol-lowering drug would reduce your risk of getting a heart attack over the next 5 years by 100%, then of course everyone would take it. Even if there was a 50% chance of benefiting, most would still want to take the drugs, but if the chances of benefiting is just a few percent, hardly anyone would be willing to take the drugs every day for the rest of their lives. And that’s the actual benefit.For most people the chance of benefit is normally less than 5% over 5 years for cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood thinning drugs. Its no wonder that doctors seldom share these figures with patients. So even high risk patients have less than a 5% chance of benefit, whereas patients don’t want to take drugs unless they have at least a 1 in 5 chance—even those who just had a heart attack. The study therefore suggests that informing patients of the percentage chance of benefit from preventive drug strategies will substantially reduce the uptake of such drugs. They recognize that for the individual, this is unlikely to be detrimental; after all there’s a 95% chance it won’t do anything for them, but for the population at large, it would make a difference, so doctors and drug companies oversell the benefits by conveniently not mentioning how tiny they actually are, knowing that most patients wouldn’t take them if doctors divulged the truth.The best cholesterol-lowering statin drugs can do here is an absolute risk reduction of 3.1% over 6 years. A whole foods plant-based diet has been shown to work twenty times better, an absolute risk reduction of 60% after less than 4 years. Overall, 99.4% of patients that stuck with the diet avoided major cardiac events, such as death from heart attack.So when we have to decide whether we want to go diet versus drugs, it’s not a choice between eating healthy to prevent a heart attack, or taking a pill to prevent a heart attack, because in 97% of cases the pills don’t do anything —we’re risking side-effects for nothing, whereas if we treat the underlying root cause of the disease, by eating this healthy cholesterol-free diet, we may even reverse the progression of the disease. Stop eating an artery-clogging diet and our bodies can start dissolving that plaque away, opening up arteries in some cases without drugs, without surgery. This wasn’t an Ornish study, so no exercise requirement, no meditation, no stress management, no yoga, just a healthy whole food plant-based diet may work 20 times better than drugs to combat our #1 killer. Now that’s something doctors may want to tell their patients.	I showed this video to my neighbour (he’s 71, he has prostate cancer and also takes statins – he’s 5,7″ tall and 17 stone) – he thinks it’s a load of rubbish – now matter how good the information, you can lead a horse to water etc etc……My dad’s the same way. He actually says he’s known that diet can cure his health problems for a long time. Then he adds, “Change my diet? Never!” Well, I’m going to do everything in my power to live out my days as painless and healthy as possible eating wholesome plants. Nothing tastes as good as being fit feels.I feel your pain – it’s like trying to herd cats….At least you can take some comfort from knowing that your father has made his own choice, whereas my neighbour takes his Dr’s word as gospel and refuses to accept any other opinion, as do so many others of his generation…….All we can do is keep trying……Yeah, trying to help others with this info can be so frustrating! My mom wants to believe that the meds she and my dad take are helping them. It upsets her world too much to even consider that her doctor is doing a disservice by not informing them that diet can be way more helpful and medication more toxic than they’ve been led to believe. She told me that she’d respect Dr. Greger more if he offered a broader picture, stating both the pros and the cons. Aargh!Wow. You cannot get more PRO/CON than this video.Yes, some people will accept the conclusions, others will not – and there are people like your parents that require additional proof in many different formats – c’est la vie….Thinking takes energy. And thinking against your beliefs takes tones of energy. Associating the food with love makes it even harder.Coincidentally, love does have something to do with it – he’s a comfort eater, he loves his wife but she hates him (long story).He is the definitive example of a person displaying akrasiac behaviour – smoking, drinking, comfort eating (all the wrong processed foods – are there any right ones?), refuses to exercise, just sits on the sofa watching TV all day – and his cancer has metastasized to the bones…..I hope that I never find myself in a similar situation.I’d say loving wrong things and the lack of love (from others) are two great reasons why someone will never change. My dad knew about healing power of vegan, raw vegan food and fasting long before his gallbladder was taken out and long before he got colon cancer.No love = no motivation = no change. I too hope i will not end like this. Suffering and felling sorry for myself. In fact i will do more than just hope. I will do anything in my power to make myself and the world better.I share your enthusiasm for the future – I have told my neighbour that I will do my utmost to avoid finding myself in his position. To his credit he agrees, and says that if he had his time over again he wouldn’t make the same mistakes (we all must say this at some point in our lives), but now he feels he is too old for a lifestyle change. I don’t agree with this choice, you hear this type of comment all the time, and I interpret it as “I’m too lazy to change”, as there are a number of videos on NF that tell you it’s never too late, but then again I’m a few decades away from my 70’s, who knows whether I’ll live that long, and if I do, whether I become his clone……..You are your own creator ;) And you can’t change others. Maybe you can pinch someone … but still they have to become aware themselves.My grandfather was the same way. He refused to try anything new, even though he eventually came to admit that the statins weren’t actually helping. There isn’t much to do if the person in question isn’t willing to help themselves. It certainly reinforced my thoughts on the whole foods I eat everyday, however!It’s tough.It is pretty clear to me that a whole food plant based diet is great.But go back to when you weren’t vegan. You probably would be pretty uncomfortable with someone else trying to shit on your lifestyle. Maybe you would have a defensive reaction.It is important to remember that we as human beings don’t know reality, we just make “mental models’ for what reality can be. Your neighbor had probably lived his whole life having risky habits reinforced. You can expect a defensive reaction if you state something that challenges someone’s mental models.I am studying medicine and I am struggling with motivational interviewing… And when to wear the doctor hat and when to just listen.Encouraging change without eliciting defensive reactions is an art I hope to learn. Thanks for posting about motivational interviewing (just looked it up) as I’ve not yet studied these techniques. Good luck in your studies.Well I don’t have to go back far, and when I think about it, if I hadn’t stumbled across a comment on a bodybuilding forum re protein intake and “The China Study”, I would still be eating about 150-200gms of animal protein per day – maybe you can provide me with some motivational techniques for my neighbour – any involving chocolate, dairy, meat and lack of exercise should work……I hope you are spreading the NF word among your fellow students – reading what some of the other medical practitioners have written, I believe I’ve had more Health and Safety training on how to lift a box correctly, than you medical students have re nutrution – good luck with your studies.I would still consider myself mediocre at motivational interviewing.There are some videos on YouTube about it.But you could check out “the fifth discipline” by Peter Senge. I think it provides a philosophical framework for leveraging positive change.Thanks, I will take a look…..For prostate cancer, this site recommends fenugreek, amla. strawberry. black raspberry, mushrooms. seaweed. flaxseed. matcha. walnuts. pecans, cranberry, lemonade, apples. rosemary, tumeric with pepper. ginger, garlic, cloves, beets. spinach. collards. broccoli, kale. chamolle. dandelion. hibiscus. Nuts, beans, matcha, cocoa, Whole grains, berries, fresh fruit, fresh veggies, and spices are recommended. I think when presented with data on how effective fenugreek, amla, and other advice from this site are on a long term battle with prostate cancer, you could be a real game changer.Although your list sounds daunting, it is amazing how many of those things are incorporated in Ayurvedic medicine. eg. a single product called Hingvastak contains:cumin, ajamoda, black cumin seed, black pepper, ginger, pippali (another type of pepper), asafoetida, and fenugreek. I dump it on my food and it is absolutely delicious. I also turn my green tea into super tea by adding Tulsi powder, another Ayervedic herb with extensive scientific evidence supporting it.I know…I am trying to get my GP to NOT prescribe drugs to my hubby. He has gone 90% vegetarian…he struggles some days, but his blood sugar is coming down and his weight is coming down…but they still want him to take statins and bloodpressure meds. Le sigh. If I tell him not to take them, my doctor thinks I am nuts.Try expanding your Dr’s nutrution knowledge by pointing him in the direction of NF – you could always consider changing your Dr (extreme – but if you feel so strongly about it, this it may be your only option).Good Luck…For hypertension, this site recommends beets, hibiscus tea, seaweed, grapefruit, beans, brazil nuts, whole grains, and flax seed meal. For high cholesterol, this site recommends nuts (particularly almonds), whole grains (like Cheerios), flax seed meal, kiwi, grapefruit, red yeast rice, dried apples, amla, and beans like chickpeas. For high blood sugar this site recommends hibiscus tea, cinnamon, flax seed meal, amla, and beans. Thule has produced another list of recommendations from this site for high blood sugar: Indian gooseberries (amla), coffee, soy, flaxseeds, green tea, pulses (dried beans), chamomile tea, purple potatoes, sprouts, whole grains, vinegar, and beans. Congratulations on your decision to be a vegetarian couple. One of the biggest sources of high blood pressure and rapid pulse is caffeine in the diet. You should be really prepared for heart disease. Dr. Greger in this site shows and states that lifestyle intervention should be front line or a main treatment and intervention for diseases that involve accumulated wear and tear on the bodies cellular machinery like heart disease. Intervention should be in one to two months, one year for full effect, based on Dr. Ornish’s results. Good luck to you and your family. In another video, Dr. Greger said that these medications have a low chance of working, below placebo effect, and have risk of side effects that could further hurt health. Lifestyle intervention is safe whether or not it works for you and you have already taken positive steps with it for health!Andrea…I had a similar thing happen to me as a Type 2 diabetic. However, there was a point where it became dangerous to KEEP taking meds because my blood sugar got too low. My doctor was amazed and took me off. Since then, I found a doctor here in Dallas that PROMOTES whole foods plant-based eating instead of meds. The Happy Herbivore has a list of doctors who support this way of eating. You might want to check it out! http://happyherbivore.com/2014/09/plant-based-vegan-doctors-list/Hi Andrea. Your concern is so valid. When you see the facts as they are outlined above by Dr. Greger it is very hard to not want to throw the pills in the garbage can. It has been said that young doctors entering medical school want to take care of the “whole” patient but by the time they graduate medical school they want to only focus on the “hole” that’s in the patient, meaning that the practice of medicine is so narrowly focused and “super subspecialized” that we’ve lost the forrest for the trees. And as we can see – we’re not doing a very good job at focusing on the “hole”. It’s going to take a movement (that we are in the midst of) and patients like yourselves asking questions over and over again combined with doctors who really want to treat the patient and not the symptom. I certainly have hope. What about vitamins to replace plants? ……you might ask. Take a look at these studies reviewed by Dr. Greger a few years ago Produce Not Pills to Increase Physical Attractiveness There are certainly exceptions to every rule……..Vitamin Supplements Worth TakingI see this reaction often! I think much of it stems from fear: fear of change, regret that we may have been doing it wrong all this time, fear of the unknown diet we are afraid we could not comply with. Having our lifetime personal beliefs challenged can be difficult to handle for some individuals. The truth sometimes hurts but we need to push thru all that.almost everybody I know thinks like that. However I see many young people have switched to a plant based no oil diet. I think the old generation must die off before something new will start. Question is: will the biosphere survive long enough?Why is it that that Dr Greger neglects to mention that in the trial he refers to 5 patients on the vegan diet died of non cardiac events while none of the standard diet patients died of non cardiac events – an important caveat even if many more patients were in the vegan group. Why is death ignored????Hi Herb,I believe you are misreading the publication. There were two groups, 177 that followed the vegan diet and 21 who did not. Of the ones following the vegan diet, 81% improved, 8% remained the same and 10% got worse. 5 of them (3%) died indeed, but not due to cardiac events (3 cancer-related deaths, 1 fatal pulmonary embolism, and 1 case of pneumonia). Of those who didn’t follow the diet and only took medication, 0% improved, 38% remained stable and 62% got worse. 2 of them (9.5%) died due to cardiac events.It’s all detailed in Table 2 of the manuscript: http://dresselstyn.com/JFP_06307_Article1.pdfYou can play with the numbers all you want, but the picture is very clear. Much more so than with any other study involving medications. The only thing missing here is a study with much larger numbers to make the statistics more convincing (with the authors themselves suggest).Regards,FlorenBattle of the critics, and…….. truth wins!!!Welcome aboard FlorenIt may or may be statistically significant, as you yourself point out by your use of the word ‘probably’.My point which seems to be studiously avoided by all commenters it that the 5 deaths vs zero should have been disclosed in the video. Particularly since there are a number of trials that show a high all cause mortality associated with a significant reduction in cholesterol, which a vegan diet certainly results in.You’re not being honest about the stats here. All cause mortality was 5 to 2, not 5 to zero. It’ll take a larger randomized controlled study to determine if your cholesterol “deficiency” hypothesis is has any validity.You’re correct -non cardiac mortality is 5 to 0. All cause is 5 to 2. I meant to say non cardiac instead of all cause as I correctly stated in other comments.Which trials?What I tend to note is that the major meta-analyses to date indicate no serious risk of excess non-CVD mortality from statins:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23440795 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25579834Given that Greger was principally comparing different treatments in terms of benefits to CVD and did not take care to specifically mention any non-CVD mortality in any of the drug studies he cites, I don’t really see what has you in knots about this one omission versus all the others.“It may or may be statistically significant, as you yourself point out by your use of the word ‘probably’.”‘Approximately’ is perhaps a better adverb for what Arjan is doing, because that comparison is grounded in a relatively standard statistical test. 5/8.4 is the expected number of non-CVD deaths for the non-adherent group if as a null hypothesis, you assume they have the same non-CVD mortality estimated for the adherent group. However, 5/8.4 is substantially less than 1, meaning that there must be a substantial probability of getting 0, meaning we fail to reject the null.More formally, if the expected number of deaths under the null hypothesis is 1-x and the probability of zero deaths is p, then 1-x >= 1-p. So in this case x is 0.40476 and p > 40%, and is thus clearly not significant at the 95% confidence level.I’m not playing with numbers. 5 people on the vegan diet died of non cardiac causes and none of the others. That’s a fact which you acknowledge. I am not questioning that the vegan diet was much better at preventing cardiac events. What most people also want to know is whether their overall chance of death is better or worse on a particular diet. By omitting the fact that 5 vs 0 people died of non cardiac causes on the vegan diet, he is omitting a very material fact. One can have a reasonable debate about whether a vegan diet leads to more cancer, embolisms, pneumonia etc, but one can’t have have that discussion if the facts are not revealed can we?“What most people also want to know is whether their overall chance of death is better or worse on a particular diet.” With all due respect Herb, every last one one of us, regardless of diet, has an infallible 100% chance of death.Your comment takes the grand prize for a non sequitur. I appears that you can provide no substantive rebuttal to my comment. The logical result of your comment would be – Why bother doing any trial if we all have a 100% chance of death? Thus this – and every health – site might as well shut down. Is that what you’re suggesting?It seems what you meant to say is “What most people also want to know is whether their overall chance of death in a specific manner is increased or decreased on a particular diet”. My reply was fair based on what you wrote.Today’s video addresses the conflict doctors face prescribing medications with efficacy rates that could be significantly bested if our treatment paradigm was to encourage and support lifestyle change when a patient is a candidate for Rx treatment. The study of 198 people that you’re referencing focuses on already very sick people with CVD who’ve agreed to change their diets from omnivorous to plant-based with the support of intensive nutritional counseling – and for which there were significant positive results for those adhering to the new diet.Yes, there were people in both groups who died (5 in the adhering group from three different manners of death and 2 in non-adhering from similar manner of death). And yes, of course, the question can be asked, did adherence to the new diet contribute to the three other manners of death in that group? Or did non-adherence contribute to that cause of death? We can also ask, would these patients have died from those same non-CVD events, or even CVD events regardless? Would it have been sooner? But, that’s all we can do is ask questions so it’s not that as you said, “death is ignored”….but in the context of this video, highlighting the outliers of the study doesn’t add one way or the other to the point of the video.There are studies showing that at least 70% of us will die at some point in our lifetimes.It was a royal use of the pronoun “you”, I was not accusing you personally of playing with the numbers. My apologies for the lack of clarity.I will insist that the really important numbers are how many people improve/don’t get worse with the vegan diet+drugs vs the drugs-only group. Those numbers are incredibly clear. But if you want to focus on deaths this is what I see:– 5 people died out of 177 with a vegan diet+drugs –> 2.8%. NONE of them for cardiac events.– 2 people died out of 21 with only drugs –> 9.5%. All of them for cardiac events.As a percentage, more people die when they take only the drugs. To be honest, with a population of only 21 individuals the 9.5% percentage is pretty meaningless to me. But it is significant to me that out of 177 patients with a vegan diet, in several years, NONE died of a cardiac event.As I see it, people dying for causes other than cardiac events is not relevant to this study. If there had been 20 people dying of say, liver cancer, I would be worried about the effects of the vegan diet. But they didn’t, so I won’tWe can discuss to the end of days about what is relevant/material and what is not, but I guess it is a subjective matter. For me it is pretty clear that those deaths were unrelated to the study and therefore I would also leave it out of a 4 minutes video that discusses many other things. If someone is really interested in the details, he/she can look at the paper, which is cited in the video.If you wanted to have a discussion about the effects of diet on some other disease, then you should look at a study looking at that particular disease.Regards,FlorenFloren,You’re concluding that the other deaths were not related to a vegan diet. I’m saying you can’t a priori assume that and thus the numbers should have been disclosed, particularly given the many studies that show cholesterol lowering drugs (which I know is not the same as a vegan diet) often lead to higher non cardiac deaths. I would feel much better if the Dr had disclosed the excess deaths and attempted to explain why they should be disregarded. I guess at this point we’ll have to agree to disagree but I certainly respect your viewpoint.Herb,You are right, no one can positively conclude those deaths are unrelated to the diet. But you do not have not enough data pointing in that direction in this study either. If you take 177 people with cardio vascular disease (CVD) with a mean age of 63+/-10 years, after 3.7+/-2 years (these are the numbers from the study)it is perfectly within expectations that 5 of them will die of a number causes.So, I cannot say with absolute certainty that those deaths are unrelated to diet, but I can say with great confidence that statistically speaking there is nothing suspicious in those 5 deaths and that the only observation with any statistical significance (and a great one for that matter) is the fact that nobody died of a cardiac event in a group of 177 people that were already sick at the beginning of the study.I still think that since the video was about the low efficiency of drugs, looking at the nitty-gritty details of 5 deaths with no statistical significance in a study that is mentioned as an counter-example, is really going to far.As you say, I will agree to disagree :)Have a great afternoon Herb.FlorenHerb, Do you honestly expect no deaths from people who are this seriously ill? I don’t think anyone who reads studies (testing vegan diet or not) with this population would even assume there were no deaths. I don’t imagine a layperson would either.The issue isn’t that people died. The issue is deaths in each group. I don’t think most people would expect 5 vegan deaths vs 0 non vegan deaths (non cardiac). As I’ve written above I believe it should have been disclosed and discussed. That’s the only point I’ve been making.Surely, you’ve met people in your life who have had 5 more people die in their lives than yours. Is this statistically significant to draw some conclusion that that person may be the cause of death? Or how about that thing called chance? Now, if it was 50 in 2000, 500 in 20000, etc then it would warrant consideration. Much ado about nothing. Run a larger study (or fund it) and then we can move the conversation in a serious direction.Hey Herb,I think it is good that you pointed out a possible neglection of information here. Always need to question what people tell you. Anyway – on the matter I do agree with Floren and others. You can’t really compare the total numbers of 5 vs 0 for two reasons. First -> there were a lot more vegans in this study – so if the mortality rate would be the same it would need ~0.5 deaths in the non-vegan group (which is not far off from 0 actually. Second -> You can’t really discard the two cardiac deaths either, since they couldn’t die of any other cause since heart attack had them first, eventhough they might have been stage 4 cancer patients or something else.In my opinion stating the fact of 5 deaths vs 0 deaths in non cardiac deaths for vegan vs non-vegan seems to be more misleading than saying nothing at all, considering the above. No offense.Great answer Floren!Herb… 177 were those that followed the vegan diet and 21 who did not. More people equals more possibility of deaths…what’s not to understand? If those following the non vegan died would have been 177, the deaths (in proportion) would have been 16!!!You know, I had no idea that drugs were that ineffective! My husband and I haven’t taken any medications for 30 years, and we know that healthy lifestyle come first. It’s obvious that medications have some nasty side effects, however I never imagined the effectiveness rate could be as low as 3%! And you know those effectiveness rates are usually from the drug company’s own research, which means that’s a generous 3% (aka possibly 0%).That 3% can be misleading. Let’s say 6% of people in the trial who take the placebo get the disease without treatment. If 3% of the trial participants get the disease there is an absolute risk reduction of 3% (6-3%). Yet the relative risk reduction is 50% (half of the 6% who were expected to get the disease did not get it). Drug companies almost always publicize the 50% number rather than the 3% number for obvious reasons. Both numbers are important however to inform one as to what to expect from taking a drug.Good point. Worth keeping in mind, though, that in this video Dr Greger is comparing high risk patients (who have a 5 % reduction in absolute risk taking pills) but a 60% chance of major cardiac event (using Esselstyn’s group of high risk patients). So the relative risk reduction of the pills would still only be about 10%. Correct me if I’m wrong.All of Esselstyn’s patients in his 15 year study took statins!Yes, but so did the control group. Diet made all the difference:“Major cardiac events judged to be recurrent disease totaled one stroke in the adherent cardiovascular participants—a recurrent event rate of .6%, significantly less than reported by other studies of plant-based nutrition therapy. Thirteen of 21 (62%) nonadherent participants experienced adverse events.”“There are lies, damned lies, and statistics”, but any doctor should be capable of clearly explaining to you what your expectations should be when taking a drug prescribed by her/him. It’s their job to give us the pertinent information and ours to make a decision.Then Tom ran into Huck. Huck was carrying a dead cat. (Not at good sign) What are you gonna do with the cat? Gonna cure ma warts. – Yr a hoot :)Dr. G., I was hoping you’d stress (more) the dangerous side effects from those horrible drugs you mentioned in the article (Fosamax, etc.). When I was a kid, I used to hallucinate from swallowing even a spoonful of cough medicine, Some people are highly sensitive to medications, and I think I’m one of them. Therefore, I try to live in such a way that I’ll never have to be prescribed any. Avoiding doctors is one of the ways. :-)“With record numbers of patients suffering or dying as a result of prescription drug side effects, many wonder why medications that are considered dangerous are allowed on the market. The truth is that nearly all medications, both over-the-counter and prescription, have some kind of undesirable and sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death.”http://www.drugwatch.com/side-effects/Dr. Greger has addressed this issue in other videos, including his year in review videos.I’m a 72 year old female with a blood pressure that runs in the 130-145 systolic with a diastolic usually in the 80s and have been on 2 blood pressure medications for probably 15 years. My cholesterol is around 200 but I do not take statins. I’ve been a vegetarian for 47 years, a vegan for about 8 years and the last 3 1/2 years have not been using added fats or oils . I do eat nuts, avocados and olives in moderation. I limit my salt intake as well. Do you have any suggestions to bring both my cholesterol and B/P down?May I suggest at least walking around the block once a day but as much exercise as you can reasonable tolerate. Another physician wrote a book called How to grow younger as you grow older as I remember. Also do not smoke.You need to work with your physician(s) to decide what is best for you. You need to balance the risks of the drugs with the benefits. If you have been on two BP medications and have changed your diet it is reasonable to revisit the need for your medication. First step is to understand what your goal for BP should be. At your age your BP results would be considered acceptable by all current guidelines. You might be a good candidate for a trial off going off done of your medications. A home BP monitoring kit will help you and your physician test this out. I would suggest that you read Dr. John McDougall’s article, “How I treat patients with elevated blood pressure” in his November 2009 newsletter… go to his website. He has the most experience and understanding of the clinical literature that I am aware of. He is very good at avoiding over diagnosing and treating patients as well as the most appropriate medications. Good luck.Already tried high carb low fat raw vegan? which mean based on fruits if you want calories and easy digestion~Have you watched Dr. Greger’s videos on amla?For blood pressure, this site recommends beets, hibiscus tea, seaweed, grapefruit, beans, brazil nuts, whole grains, vegan diet, and flax seed meal. For high LDL, this site would recommend: nuts (particularly almonds), whole grains (like Cheerioes or oatmeal), flax seed meal, kiwi, grapefruit, red yeast rice, dried apples, amla, and beans like chickpeas.Take a closer look at your vegan diet – if you are eating any foods made from flour (bread, pasta, crackers, etc.), then eliminate them completely and only eat whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, millet). Also, you may not be getting enough greens. Blend yourself a greens smoothie daily. My recipe: 2 handfuls of fresh greens (kale, arugula, or spinach), 1-2 fresh fruits (usually 1 banana or 1 apple with core removed or 1 cup berries), 1-2 medjool dates with pits removed, juice of 1/2 lemon, about 1.5 – 2 cups water. Blend well and enjoy – it’s really very tasty and easy to digest. Exercise, usually a 15-30 minute daily walk will work in addition to your regular activities. I also suggest that you look at taking a probiotic supplement at least 3x/week. There has been research showing that gut flora may be an important factor in hypertension: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/279909.phpUnrelated, anything on puerh tea? Curious to know which of its many claims are substantiated.As I sit here in my office enjoying my lunch of carrots, celery, apples, hummus and nuts I am reading the chart of a patient admitted yesterday for depression. 52 y/o woman, BMI 34. Here is her list of home medications: colace, Reglan, Ditropan, Inderal, Protonix, Neurontin, Compazine, Zoloft, Seroquel XR, lorazepam, Lipitor, Dilaudid, Antivert, aspirin, Evista, and, finally, Zofran. Oh, and she said she was having a migraine during our interview and requested a shot of Imitrex. Lest one might think she is an outlier, I can assure you that this is not an atypical patient. I’ve discussed lifestyle changes with her in the past. She prefers pills, especially when someone else, ie. the taxpayer, is footing the bill.She most certainly could benefit from a lifestyle change, but I don’t know that it’s realistic for a person in the grips of depression to take on the taxing task of changing their diet. I have suffered from chronic depression since I was a child, and before the last time it got bad, I was doing really well losing weight and eating healthy. But it’s a lot of effort to avoid the things I want to eat, and when I really don’t care whether or not I wake up in the morning, I’m certainly not going to choose the long-term benefit of a salad over the immediate benefit of a box of cookies.But you do have her admitted…. so… she eats what you give her or she doesn’t eat? :)I learned long ago that there is little to be gained by forcing a diet for a few days in the hospital on someone with a lifelong history of unhealthy eating. I do draw the line when 300 pounders demand double portions. Our hospital actually does offer healthy alternatives, at least for snacks. That is where I get my supply of veggies and hummus.2 years the clip is on youtube and within 18 hours after my attack its gone for copy right reasons. Hit a nerve hard huh? You must have a very low opinion of everybody here indeed if you think them incapable of seeing right through that move. I’m done here, what a joke.Sorry. I confused your name with Ariel.Some people are unwilling to give up the unhealthy lifestyle because this is who they are. This is the life that they are uncomfortably comfortable in. “Who would I be if I weren’t this sick person seeking medical attention?” “This is the way I was brought up.” And they won’t break out.Adrian, In my opinion you are way out of line.Arjan, In my opinion you are way out of line. Sorry for getting your name wrong.I am out of line, and I’m sorry if I caused you upset. But this person Psych MD is a charlatan, who asserts himself as a person of importance and station, while he is not. Talks the talk of caregiver but has repeatedly shown disdain to lesser beings, this is not a good person.Arjan, Thank you. We all have regrettable ” moments”.She prefers pills, especially when someone else, ie. the taxpayer, is footing the bill.NOT the first time I noticed something weird about you, maybe you should put some effort into finding a different occupation. This one is clearly not one that comes natural to you, the role of care giver I mean.Arjan, That is an extremely aggressive reaction!Yes it is, but I suspect this person doesn’t just study nutrition facts here, I think decent people mannerisms have his interest too, to better mimic.In light of your previous tirade, “exposing” Dr. Greger for what he really is, I consider myself in good company.That was not exposing for what he really is, I pointed out inconsistencies that could cause harm to either people or his reputation. And as person of good character he pointed out that any help toward maintaining quality control was most welcome, and offered his email to all to do just that. You are quite delusional if you think yourself of anywhere near similar caliber.Dear Arjan, in the recent study about antidepressants, they found people who take them are more likely to attempt to kill themselves with an antidepressant overdose than people who are not on antidepressants. They dressed this up to say people who do not take antidepressants are not likely to kill themselves and that antidepressants save lives. We are pretty sure antidepressants cause anxiety and depression and cause suicide attempts. These are very powerful and very dangerous pills. Almost all of them cause a loss of libido, weight gain, and impair some type of brain function. Many people who come to this site believe that the vegan diet can, at least biochemically cause happiness in the mentally ill. These are people who are told they will not be in control of their minds for the rest of their lives and will have to always be on these medicines for ever. The people who take them know there are terrible debilitating humiliating side effects and that the pills don’t work very well. I was happy to run into this report, vitamin B3 and Vitamin C for the treatment of mental illness, as a counter point. http://www.altmedrev.com/publications/13/4/287.pdf by Dr. Hoffra.There are two schools of thought. the old school who are products of their parents and social environment and the New school, willing to break free learn why we are sick and do something to change their life. The best advise is don’t waste your time and choose to not own the outcome from people who are not interested in getting well. Let them experience their life the way they chose to learn from it to grow their spirit and soul whether its healthy or not. To own their misery is just an negative energy drain on you. Concentrate your efforts on your own health, wealth and wisdom and share only when others ask for it. Tell them….”don’t ever eat anything green, you might get well.”Great video. I wrote a blog post on Supplements a couple weeks back. http://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/why-you-dont-need-vitamin-supplements/I was tod by drs maybe 6 yrs ago i had to start taking pharmaceuticals for extremely high bood pressure n cholesterol, or i would die.changed my diet instead to whole foods,now they say i have blood pressure of a teenager. I feel 20 yrs younger,actually went 100%vegan about a yr ago.i am 58.friends n family tell me how awesome it is n I’m the healthiest person they know but they continue their lifestyle of destruction. Never will understand the logic.Congratulations Jimmie on how you’ve taken control and turned your health around over the past six years. It is a huge accomplishment, and a path that few are willing to take even if gravely ill. I think that the lifestyle of destruction you’ve mentioned is because most people are addicted to their high fat, high sugar, and high processed foods diet. There is research showing how processed junk foods light up the same areas of the brain as heroin: http://www.scripps.edu/news/press/2010/20100329.htmlThe age of convenience we live in, at least in the West, is a blessing and a curse.There is an interesting website on evidence-based medicine based on a concept of “Number-Needed-to-Treat” for one person to benefit from a treatment and with reviews of quite a few different treatments: http://www.thennt.com/thennt-explained/When I was diagnosed with heart disease ,I was already organic vegan that did not stop my heart attack and being stented in one artery and found out the other three artery’s were at 90 , that was two years ago ,unfortunate for me my dad died from high cholestrol at 49 yrs when I was 13 ,I had my heart attack at 51 yrs I did not want to take statins I had no choice because my body produces high cholestrol ,and since that drama I now have other health issues ,so I never eat meat I am vegan and still in for more stenting .Comparing trials is possible (=meaningful) only if they are comparable. A single trial w/ no control group nor other interventions, based on an already very selected & motivated individuals vs a large amount of large, comparative trials (comparing the efficacy of statins against best known treatment) … There is no meaningful comparison here.Esselstyn’s diet may be more effective than current treatment options. Or it may not be. This cannot, however, be shown without a PROPER trial. Greger’s video is – simply put – useless.What happened to the video? All Black!Never mind, I needed to update on my computer..oops!Can anyone please tell me exactly just how is plant-based diet is better? Every time I want to be a vegan, people around me always say that ‘plants’ (vegetables and fruits) are GM foods, are using lots of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, etc. Now I don’t really know what to eat. Thanks in advance!Commoner: Your confusion is understandable. First, please note that there are only 9 legally authorized/commercially available GMO plant foods in America. So, your friends’ idea that vegetables and fruits are GMO foods in general is simply not true. Some people even question whether GMO foods are a health threat at all, but if GMO foods bother you, those foods are quite easy to avoid.One way you can avoid GMO foods AND limit exposure to harmful chemicals is to eat organic when you can. But even if you can’t eat organic all that often, check out this information, which puts the question of “pesticides, chemical fertilizers, etc” into perspective:“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.” from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/So, this idea that eating plants = eating chemicals = extremely harmful is a false equation. It is even more false when you understand the concept of bio-accumulation. If your friends think that those chemicals are bad for health, then they definitely shouldn’t be eating animal products since those chemicals get concentrated the higher you move up the food chain. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=bioaccumulationThe above quote from Dr. Greger is also helpful because it starts to get at your first question: ” just how is plant-based diet is better?” A whole food plant based, such as the one that Dr Greger recommends (see link below), minimizes your risk of getting the major diseases of our time. Including: cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc, etc, etc. You can see proof of this claim by watching the many videos on this site. I would summarize by saying that in general, whole, intact, minimally processed plant foods promote health and protect against diseases. Animal foods are strongly linked to increasing our risk of getting debilitating diseases and early death. The good thing is that you can get all this benefit while still eating great food! http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/I hope this helps. Let me know if you would like some advice on how to get started.Today I spoke with an oncologist with 30 years of experience. It was a casual conversation, I was not his patient. He said some positive things about the progress made on cancers and how rewarding his career has been, etc. I have SUCH skepticism now but I was polite and did not tell him I thought he full of bologna. My work in healthcare is becoming more and more uncomfortable for me. I am not sure what to do or what my next step could be. Doctor’s and hospitals scare me!totally. I’m a Feldenkrais Practitioner, which means I’m very far down the tree of treatment plans. I get back-pain patients who had surgery and 60-100 sessions of PT already, still all covered in sweat and taking strong pain medication because of high pain. It’s shocking how they have been treated. Doctors are very quick to take out the knife and to cut through flesh and bones. It’s their fav. They are butchers. Not all of them, of course, but too many of them.Dr. Greger, I want to educate people about nutrition, specifically about vegan nutrition. I know nutrition is nutrition, whether or not it’s vegan, but I personally want to teach people how to eat vegan in a healthy long term way. My conflict with this is what is best? Doctor, dietitian, nutritionist? I know you’re an amazing doctor when it comes to nutrition, but most doctors don’t learn about treating people through nutrition. What do you think is the best path? I’m sort of at a cross roads, because currently I’m majoring in mechanical engineering, and my engineering interests seem to have been high jacked by vegan education interests. It seems I can help more people, the planet, and animals, through health education…especially my close family. Thank you for taking the time to read and reply to this.Hi Erika. I think it really depends on where you see yourself working in the future. I think any position in healthcare would be important if you were to focus on nutrition. We sure are in need of health educators so I would recommend seeking out where you see yourself in a job setting (hospital, school, non-profit) and what that position may look like. Of course, medical school is 7+ yrs, and dietetic school perhaps on 4 depending on programs. Whatever you choose best of luck and keep us posted! If it’s helpful my journey started off cooking food for breast cancer survivors and lead to becoming a dietitian. Family will be difficult to help regardless of your profession ;-) They’re family.Thanks for your nice post and good luck with schooling moving forward! JosephI’m confused. Before statins my cholesterol was 219, then after I started, it dropped to 109 – prompting a switch to a milder statin, but that drop is not a 5% drop.I think everyone will have a different reaction to statins and the video is just talking about the benefits on average. I hope that helps clear the confusion. The good news is that your levels plummeted and now you are prompted to go on a lower dose! That is the direction you want to see…Best to you, Jospeph	bone fractures,breast cancer,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,colon cancer,Dr. Dean Ornish,exercise,Fosamax,heart disease,heart health,Lifestyle medicine,Lipitor,medical education,medications,meditation,plant-based diets,rectal cancer,side effects,statins,stress	The medical profession oversells the benefits of drugs for chronic disease since so few patients would apparently take them if doctors divulged the truth.	Yes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but a pound isn’t that heavy—why change our diet and lifestyle when we can just wait and let modern medicine fix us up? Turns out we overestimate the efficacy of treatment as well, the subject of my next video, Why Prevention is Worth a Ton of Cure.Sometimes preventive medicine procedures can even be harmful. See Cancer Risk From CT Scan Radiation and Do Dental X-Rays Cause Brain Tumors?I’ve previously noted how an honest physician-patient interaction might go in Fully Consensual Heart Disease Treatment. What should we be saying? See: What Diet Should Physician’s Recommend?So why don’t more doctors do it? See Barriers to Heart Disease Prevention.More on Dr. Esselstyn’s heart disease reversal study in: Evidence-Based Medicine or Evidence-Biased?Of course then there’s just the brute force method: Kempner Rice Diet: Whipping Us Into Shape.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-fractures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meditation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fosamax/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17433602,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23149525,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11849200,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25198208,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12528966,
PLAIN-2491	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/	Flax Seeds for Hypertension	A recent article in the journal, Meat Science, acknowledged that a sector of the population perceives meat as a food that is detrimental to their health because of studies associating meat consumption with heart disease and cancer. For these reasons, these meat consumers look for healthier food alternatives as a means to maintain good health, so this represents a good opportunity for the industry to develop some new products. Natural foods could be added to meat to reach those health-oriented consumers by boosting antioxidants levels, for example. Foods like flax seeds and tomatoes are healthy, associated with reduced risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease. So by making flax-y tomato burgers, they figure they can reduce saturated fat intake and maybe eat less sugar somehow? It’s like their flaxseed-fed pork idea, to produce “enriched lard.” Wouldn’t it be easier to just cut out the middle-pig and eat flax seeds ourselves?Flax seeds have been described as a “miraculous defense against some critical maladies.” I’m a fan of flax, but this title seemed a bit over-exuberant; I figured something just got lost in translation, but then I saw this study, and realized maybe that title was not too far off.Rarely do we see a dietary study of this caliber. A prospective, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial—you know how hard that is in a nutrition study? For drugs it’s easy: you have two identical looking pills, one’s active, one’s placebo, and until the end of the study neither the researcher nor the patient has any idea which is which, hence double blind. But people tend to notice what they’re eating. So how did they sneak a quarter cup of ground flax seeds into half of the people’s diets without them knowing? They created all these various flax or placebo containing foods, and even added like bran and molasses to match the color and texture so it was all a big secret until 6 months later when they broke the code to see who ate which.Why test it on hypertension? Because having a systolic blood pressure over 115—that’s the top number—may be the single most important determinant for death in the world today. If you take a bunch of older folks, most of them on an array of blood pressure pills and don’t improve their diet at all, despite the drugs, they may start out on average hypertensive and stay hypertensive 6 months later. But those who were unknowingly eating ground flaxseeds every day dropped their systolic blood pressure about 10 points, and their diastolic, the lower number, by about 7 points. That might not sound like a lot, but a drop like that could cut stroke risk 46%, heart disease 29%, and that 10 point drop in the top number could have a similar effect on strokes and heart attacks. And for those that started out over 140, they got a 15 point drop. In summary, flaxseed induced one of the most potent antihypertensive effects ever achieved by a dietary intervention. In other words, the magnitude of this decrease in blood pressure demonstrated by dietary flaxseed, is as good or better than other nutritional interventions and comparable to many drugs, which can have serious side-effects. And their not exaggerating about the comparable to drugs bit. The flax dropped systolic and diastolic up to 15 and 7. Compare that to powerful ACE inhibitors like Vasotec, which may only drop pressures 5 and 2. Calcium channel blockers like Norvasc or Cardizem, 8 and 3. Side effects include… Compare this list to that to the side effect of flax seeds, its pleasant nutty flavor.During the 6-month trial there were strokes and heart attacks in both groups. Even if the flax seeds can cut risk in half, though, any avoidable risk is unacceptable. Isn’t high blood pressure just inevitable as we get older? The prevalence of hypertension does increase dramatically with age, but not for everyone. People who eat more plant-based diets or keep their salt intake low enough tend not to exhibit any change in blood pressure with advancing age. So always better to prevent the disease in the first place.	Glad I bought some Milled Flaxseed the other day for my cereal. I noticed in the transcript, it repeats itself. Was that supposed to happen?It’s fixed now. Thanks Matt!Too sad that I drop my flaxseed intake in the past few month.. Now it’s time to boost my consumption again. Even if I know that I’ll probably never suffer from hypertension, flax are still the highest food source of plant-based omega 3 and cancer fighting lignan.. Anybody got tips to boost one’s flaxseed intake ?These oat squares have a lot of flax in them as well as chia, no oil, and are super delicious: http://www.recipage.com/new_pageCreator/viewRecipe_2.0.php?recipe_id=6013884&rand=290&rurl=http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6013884 I added 3/4 cup currants and 1/2 cup walnuts.kind of a lot of sodium in those oat squares1/4 tsp for a pan of oat squares? That’s not a lot at all. You don’t even need to add it.1 tsp baking powder – .5 g 1/4 tsp kosher salt – 1.4 gYour kosher salt sodium estimate looks about 2.5x too high. By my calculations, it’s more like 1 g total for both baking powder and the salt, making it about 110 mg sodium per serving. Not very high if you’re eating 1500-2000 mg/day and eating it as a meal (breakfast) replacement. Anyone who’s restricting sodium severely would know to omit it as Raisa suggested.the salt brings out the sweetness in any dessert!I make flax seed flatbread. I used to make gluten free rice flour bread, but switched due to interest in going low carb. Here’s a recipe http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/breads/r/flaxbasicfoc.htm I usually add garlic/onion powder & spices to give it better taste. I use this recipe for pizza crust as well.Thanks for your reply, but sorry I’ll pass on the 5 eggs recipe.. this is almost 1000mg cholesterol for a piece of bread.. I plan to keep my healthy cholesterol level, so I’ll put oats instead.Put freshly ground flaxseeds in your smoothies. Keep your freshly ground flax seed in the fridge at other times.Better to grind flax seeds as you need. Will still go rancid in the fridge!I soak whole flax in water in my blender overnight.add them to your smoothies and/or oatmealHi Adrien! you can add 1 TS (10 g) grounded flaxseed to a cup of turmeric milk, and eat it as it is, or add it to buckwheat flakes or oatmeal. Here’s the recipe of my turmeric milk: Mix in a pan: – some black pepper, -1/2 ts turmeric, – 1/2 ts cardamom, – 1/2 ts cinnamon, – 1/2 ts ginger, – 1 cup of non-dairy milk.Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then.Grind up 2 tablespoons daily and add to mashed banana, dry oat, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, handful of ground nuts, and your favourite plant-based milk (soy, almond, coconut) or add 2tbs to your favourite smoothie! All you need is 2 tbs to get recommended daily intake! Hope this helps!Flax seed oil! Add a tsp to your toast, use it as a dipping oil or even drizzle it on salad! It is a delicious way to add this healthy super seed to your diet! Be sure to never heat flax oil, it has a low smoke point and will become rancid! Enjoy!A quarter cup is a lot of flax seed. I do have a tendency to high blood pressure, but a quarter cup is 4 times more than I take. If I take a quarter cup, don’t I also have to increase omega 6 fats to balance out the omega 3s?Ok this time I’ll say it, NO OIL :)Yikes!I would say that depends on where you are in omega 6s. I think recommendations run from 4:1 to 1:1 so you have a lot of latitude (and it is possible that missing on the 1:1 side is healthier than missing on the 4:1 side…)Yeah, how can anyone eat that much flax seed, and what does it do to your digestion?Nina Teicholz was interviewed today on the CBC Radio program “The Current”. In her book, “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet” she seems to argue with some persuasiveness that saturated fat from meat, diary and eggs can form part of a healthy diet. Dr. Greger, I would be very grateful to have your comment.I stopped reading the book when I saw that early in the book the author had given the structure of a hydrocarbon as the structure of a fatty acid, proving that she doesn’t even have the basic knowledge of the pertinent science.See the Doctor’s recent video The Saturated Fat Studies: Buttering Up the Public Everyone is on the butter and bacon bandwagon now. It’s all based on contrived research which is explained in the above video and the desire to make a buck by appealing to the gullibility of people wanting to hear good news about their bad habits.I’ve been blocked by Nina on Twitter. Like Jimmy Moore, she blocks everyone who disagrees with her openly on social media. I had to laugh at her comment that those who challenge her “don’t make sustained arguments”. Blocking people just makes it look that way.Follow the money. Nina is.https://mobile.twitter.com/bigfatsurprise/status/468576257643667456Fortunately, there are several NON-vegetarians who have done a fair bit of fact checking Teicholz’s primary references. Most of her study citations and many of her other references don’t say what she claims they do.Seth Yoderhttps://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/tag/nina-teicholz/…and Evelyn Kocur. You can plug Nina Teicholz in the search field at her blog :http://carbsanity.blogspot.comOr follow the first several links in this Google search.https://www.google.com/search?q=nina+teicholz+carbsanity.blogspot.com&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safariI’ll leave it to you to decide if her problem is journalistic integrity or flat out incompetence.Thank-you all for the responses here.I suspect it will not be easy for the lay person to decide which side has the better science.As I look at the debate, two things stand out. First, Dr. Greger is outlining what genuinely seems to be a path to better health, whereas Ms. Teicholz’s agenda seems to be more about blame shifting (i.e. from fats to carbs). Second, I think Dr. Greger has been fairly transparent about the economic interests surrounding his work, whereas Ms. Teicholz’s seems not to have been.I heard the interview, too. I wasn’t particularly convinced by her arguments, although she is articulate. She sounded like a politician sticking and repeating ad nauseum her speaking points. CBC had a bureaucrat in from Health Canada as a rebuttal, and I don’t believe the reporter treated him fairly. They really should have brought in the new President of the American Cardiological Association who has said that to eliminate heart disease and put cardiologists out of business, doctors should be prescribing the vegan diet.‘A systolic equal to or over 115’? When did 115 become the new norm?I suppose if you want to include people scoring the norm its probably a good idea to go a little below the norm.I actually found this video upsetting. I’ve been eating freshly ground flax seeds in my breakfast cereals since I started on the WFPB/no-oil regimen over a year ago. Yet, my BP has remained elevated. Doctors, even those who offered me prescriptions for lisinopril, never told me that my fairly consistent systolic—in the 130s to 140s—was dangerous. I’ve found indifference. Clearly, the two or three TBLS of flax that I’ve been grinding is not adequate. I didn’t take the drug, but perhaps I should? Not a drug taker, which is why I was so glad to learn about WFPB/no oil eating. I’m old/been over many hills, but hadn’t been aware of healthy eating.Congratulations on switching to a healthier diet. Your BP is probably lower than if you had not changed your diet. In following patients who have switched to a plant based diet we often see an initial lowering in of BP in the first week or so. My guess is that this reflects improvement in the nitrous oxide system. Studies suggest that you will see continued improvement over months and years. One intervention study showed reduction of 8/5 in the first year. Another study showed greater improvement over length of time. You might benefit from reading Dr. John McDougall’s November 2009 newsletter article, How I treat patients with elevated blood pressure. Many physicians are over-treating patients with blood pressure. Each person is a bit different but if you keep following NutritionFacts.org you will certainly be aware of what constitutes healthy eating. You want to make sure you are getting adequate Vitamin B12… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/ plus the other four video’s from February 2012. Good luck.I have high blood pressure, and like Bj nothing seems to do much for it. I tried completely vegan for maybe 6 months and in general eat more vegeatable and less meat now, and did not notice any change, but I did not really know what to eat or how to cook, so what does someone like me do to naturally get my blood pressure down?Is there any way to figure out why blood pressure is high and do something about that? I’ve read a bit on it and they all seem to say no one really knows why BP is high, but implication seems to be atherosclersos? I just get to the point where I don’t see an upside is worrying about it other than to just try not to eat back stuff and get exercise. Cooking good stuff would be nice, but I just do not know much about cooking, need to learn from the start?There is circulating fat and cholesterol, there is inflammation and the Nitrous Oxide System. For me inflammation is and probably will remain the mayor vulnerability. Taking http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/01/20/the-top-four-anti-inflammatory-spices/ all 4 of them notably reduces a redness in my finger tips like this : http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fd-ZMBBI6yQ/UYmod0He6kI/AAAAAAAAD-4/vJLvJ7SYdl4/s1600/Origins_MegaBright_3.jpgI have had the exact same issue with my fingers. and with Adrenal Axis issues.I have had every single kind of test you could do to figure out what is going on.You might want to read a book titled ADRENAL FATIGUE. (I don’t agree with a lot of it, but it has some good info also)The writer talks a lot about it, but there is one spot in particular where he describes REAL physical signs you are having adrenal issues. One of two things happen, either your palm gets a fatty lump on it, or The TIPS of your FINGERS turn RED! while the rest of your hand looks normal. I also have Reynaud’s Syndrome, where the back of your hands and feet can look purple, but your fingers and toes look white. It is weird, because my hands on the palm side have red fingertips, yet my fingers on the other side are white. I have had 20+ doctors look at what is going on, and no one seems to have a clue. Everyone has just made something up, given me some various medication, or laughed and said I am a hypochondriac and to have my head checked. Yet it is OBVIOUS on my hands and INTENSE. You cannot mistake how different it looks. There has only been one doctor who took me seriously and has talked at great length about it. He was a Rheumatologist. I have had so many inflammation tests done to make sure I don’t have an Autoimmune disease problem, which could cause inflammation and therefore the redness. I DO NOT. The redness, is NOT from inflammation. It is from what he calls: VASOMOTOR DYSFUNCTION. and as he says, “it isn’t a diagnosis or a disease, it is only a descriptive explanation of what is going on in the body.” Basically, usually from extreme overt stress, the Sympathetic (fight or flight) and Parasympathetic (cool down, relaxing) nervous system go haywire. They seem to lose their understanding of when and how to smoothly pump blood through your veins. If you have WAY too much Cortisol (the fight or flight hormone) pumping through your veins for too long, and especially if you suffer from PTSD so your body can’t stop feeling in danger, well, it messes up the nervous system. (and the Adrenal Axis as well) These systems are the central systems for figuring out when and how much blood to pump through your veins. So, sorry for all this information, but it took me 5 years, hundreds of doctors, a hundred books to decipher all the info and come up with an understanding of what was going on. I don’t have an answer as to what to do or how to resolve it. Meditation, Yoga, sleep, getting out of town on vacation, nothing works. If you find something that helps, please, let me know.http://www.amazon.com/Adrenal-Fatigue-Century-Stress-Syndrome/dp/1890572152/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422590624&sr=1-2&keywords=adrenalMy physiology professor said that there is no medical treatment for Renaud’s disease. Perhaps not, but psycologists have been treating it for at least 35 years using biofeedback. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s all in your head, just that you can learn to use your head to control it.Hi, sorry for the late response but when my head or body gets overloaded I have no choice but to stop and drop everything. I read your reply and started a few searches, and I came across broken heart syndrome, read it and from that point on I pretty much had to drop the topic for a while. This happened to me, what I now suspect very very low grade multiple times in the gym, but one time in a really bad way at my psychologist. I was in a clonidine experiment, and months in very low blood pressures, had a very very nervous session, he asked about my father and I turned grey felt wet but could wipe dry and very uncomfortable in my stomach, not really very nauseous but had to keep swallowing to stop anti movement, that jolted me again but my heart didn’t race, drove home. At home had like 90-50 with a 45 heartbeat while maxed out on adrenalin. Pretty much accepted I might have a heart attack at that moment, felt an enormous urge to stay as calm as possible and with it chose this option over calling an ambulance. Felt horrified by the idea my 2 cats would have to starve if I were to die, called a woman that helps me normalize my life a bit once a week, asked her to call me the next day and pick up the guys if I didn’t respond. Then I fell sleep exhausted within 10-15 min flooded with adrenalin (very very weird). Stopped with the medicine. Felt better pretty fast somewhat weaker maybe, easier lightheaded by elevation changes. Had a similar episode but way less intense a few weeks later. It all happened during the downhill the brain fry stuff I’ve reported on else here on Disqus, I do not think these two conditions are linked in any way. It didn’t happen again why the choline problems only got solved 3- 4 months later, and that was something that just got worse and worse and worse till I couldn’t do anything anymore. At the time of shock I didn’t even have the heat sensation in my upper spine and scalp yet.There are some causes of elevated blood pressure that are called secondary and some folks who can benefit from treatment. If you haven’t already view the video by John McDougall posted by tkramer. Once you get the concepts regarding healthy eating you need to develop some skills like label reading… good resource is Jeff Novick’s DVD, Should I Eat This and then learning to cook gives you control over what you eat. Jeff Novick has a straightforward approach in his first Fast Food DVD. John McDougall’s website has many free recipes. Good luck.Many paths to the ultimate goal. After seeing this one : http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/I condensed all animal based food intake I still consumed to one single point of time in day, leaving the remaining 18 hours in the day open for limited damage control. And it worked, that did in fact make a difference. There are many different roads to Rome, this could also be one.BruK Join McDougall Friends on FB – you’ll learn a ton about what to eat and recipes, recipe, recipes. However, that said, I have been oil free vegan for two years and my blood pressure is just getting higher. I’ve been trying to cut back more on salt and sugar, although its not like I eat a lot of it to begin with. I avoid gmo food, try to eat at least the worst offenders organic, even avoid gluten. The thing I think is surprising is that I had my blood vessels checked by ultra sound and they were clear. I really suspect that my blood pressure is high due to my COPD. I think my body needs the higher pressure due to not enough oxygen (although I am on oxygen 24/7). I wrote Dr. McDougall and he said I could be right. One thing I haven’t tried yet is exercise. That may be my missing link.Have you ever tried drinking beet juice? Beets contain a high amount of inorganic nitrates. When we eat these nitrates present in food, they are metabolized in the body, first to nitrite, and then subsequently to nitric oxide (NO). NO is essential for normal functioning of the vasculature of the human body. It is synthesized by the endothelial cells and is a potent vasodilator. Reduced production of NO has been linked to hypertension, atherosclerosis, and stroke. More and more studies are showing benefits of consumption of nitrates (in the form of beets & beet juice) on various cardiovascular diseases. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out Dr. Greger’s video Hearts Shouldn’t Skip a Beet which talks more about the blood pressure lowering power of beet juice.Ground flax seeds, and all the health benefits they bring to the plate, are a great addition to one’s diet. But, of course, the rest of the diet needs to be great too. With the bulk coming from greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, and seeds (G-BOMBS as Dr. Fuhrman would say). With little or no sugar, salt, or oil added (I myself prefer 0%). Adding in daily 30 minutes or more aerobic exercise, and at least one day per week for anaerobic exercise, will benefit you greatly as well. Plus good amounts of sleep, feeling in control of your life, etc. Then all that is required is time. That is, it took a long to get your body in the condition that it currently is in, it will take time to bring it back to a healthful state. But, you’ll get there. Just consistently strive every day to make every choice you make a healthful one. :-)For hypertension or high blood pressure, this site would recommend beets, hibiscus tea, seaweed, grapefruit, beans, Brazil nuts, whole grains, the vegan diet and now flax seed meal. Even a single cup of coffee can raise your blood pressure many points. Meditation, prayer services, listening to classical music, swimming and other exercise, and being married can lower blood pressure. Each of these activities can individually add many years to your life, along with flossing. Donating blood can lower blood pressure when done regularly. Other techniques can include pretending to have tourettes for someone of the opposite gender as you or visualizing an attractive or distressed individual. Others have recommended the art of mindfulness, which is like or moving yourself through the stages of grief towards acceptance. Or to think of things that are stable, or based as fundamental, things like food, color, atoms or elements, weapons, cities, an action unto G-d, an item, or a profession,I’m trying to figure out what you mean by this, Matthew; “Other techniques can include pretending to have tourettes for someone of the opposite gender as you or visualizing an attractive or distressed individual.” Are you talking “tics”?Yes, I think tics are a very effective means at dealing with anxiety. They can be turned to be an ally of yours, if you do a loved one’s ticks. Perhaps you should ask what they would do or say if they are nervous. Men for instance, say they explain profanities, women snap their fingers and make facial movements with anxiety. Perhaps if you train yourself to trade you would be more in control of your emotions. Football quarterbacks, snipers, fighter pilots, gamblers, and people who try to beat lie detector tests are trained extensively in controlling their blood pressure. They are told to think of their mother or making a winning pass in a football game. That seems to be too exciting. Thinking of a loved neighbor or saying something really dirty as a girl is more of a way to be in control of your emotions. These techniques have been relegated as dishonest, without regards to the fact that they would be the key to controlling mental health, being happy, and handling anxiety all day. They would be powerful tools for intelligence. If you had a frustrated crush on a neighbor, and imagine her failing, perhaps you should visualize her being married, this is a path to happiness and a control for anxiety. It would help to avoid traps. I am doing mine right now. “Illegal Laundry” “Vase Baster” “Marriage for you, rabbit,” These help me deal with things not in my control. Some Buddhists monks are taught to fake death. If everyone could be that in control of their blood pressure, as it says here in this video, they would live a lot longer. Your blood pressure being your best indicator of health. You can hold your breath and count to ten, you can put your arms in cold water, you can admit to yourself deep visualization of marriage and oneness for health. It can add up. I wish you a very happy life and a great deal of stability. What do you do when you are just too nervous, like after four cups of coffee? Can I visualize you having a perfect life? Can I imagine you winning in school or in a sport you were subjectated at? This helps me. Imagining friends winning is winning and makes your whole body win.You certainly do Think Outside the Box. Or something. :-)Sometimes something really helps. Many people live in terrifying anxiety, knowing that depression and anxiety are highly linked and anti-depressants can cause both and are used to treat both. I think we should study tics. I think they are natural and healthy signs of an active mind. Sometimes people use tics against the desperate, saying something like “towers.” How often do you feel you have to explain yourself even when alone? The mind can handle externalities, they are something. A true path to understanding the nature of a conscious sentientcy with human language. The brain can do its own risk assessment, and tics are a path to discover what it is really saying. The brain uses everything at its disposal to handle problems it is presented. I would like to present my brain with more. I hope the mind can work better within universally handled parameters. I think the brain would like to see more about the present. I think it would also like a richer past and a more successful future. The brain can use any type of training or word game to get at its own goals.lolA diet high in magnesium magnesium magnesium!! Supplementation may be necessary for some people.“and being married” haha thanks for laughs Matthew!Some psychology majors report that they are taught that happily married couples live more than ten years longer than their single peers. Marriage is very salubrious for health. Mothers are known to have less cancer than childless women. Ironically, people with large strong social networks are healthier than those without. How does one balance a desire to be separate with the ideal that having more stronger friends is healthier? That the married live longer than the monastic? These are questions for a religious human ecologist and theological demographer! I should be grateful for my friends and this group.Make sure your diet is high in magnesium and that you have a high potassium to sodium ratio as well. Sometimes magnesium supplementation is necessary. Flax seed are fine to eat if you tolerate them but magnesium kicks butt when it comes to regulating BP. However 115 systolic is way too low for a lot of people, especially the elderly. Also for once I agree with a NutritionFacts Team member that many physicians or over-treating patients with higher BP’s21st Century Medicinehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsgt1DJQuccGreat video by Dr. McDougall. I appreciate that he explains that HBP is a symptom and at what level it should be treated by drugs. And that it is not a quick fix to repair the system. I do everything correctly but migraines raise my BP. Doesn’t go up to or over 150/80 very often so I don’t worry. Worry only makes all of it worse. Then some of the time the BP is 115/60. Am off turmeric now as it seemed to worsen the migraines. Use 2 heaping Tbsp ground flax seed mixed in with cereal for breakfast added after cooking. Add that much to an evening meal of veges and legumes. Also use flax in baking as egg replacer. Great stuff.Magnesium, Dr. McDougall, magnesium!!! Magnesium is nature’s natural calcium channel blocker and also increases nitric oxide. No conversation about blood pressure should be had that does not include discussing magnesium’s role. Shame on you, doctor!!! Maybe you should read Dr. Carolyn Dean’s book The Magnesium Miracle and get some tips. She is both an MD. and and ND and knows her stuff.Magnesium is not everyone’s miracle.Certainly worth a try before drugs! The entire diet and lifestyle eventually has to be looked at, usually including genetic snpsThere has been alot of speculation about the causes of “primary” hypertension. It is clear from one study that persons on a plant based diet can realize a 9/5 decrease over the first year and in one study showed that folks on plant based diet for 20 years were about 20/10 less than those of SAD. Magnesium is one thing that lowers blood pressure as any women who has been hospitalized for preeclampsia and put on iv magnesium will attest to. See… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/. Other considerations are lowered sodium intake, elevate potassium intake, maybe the sodium/potassium ratio. phytonutrients or soy. The jury is still out on causation but it is clear that eating a whole food plant based diet with adequate Vitamin B12 will lead to lower BP. In fact it has been estimated that 90 per cent of persons with elevated blood pressure would not have elevated pressures if they ate a WFPB diet… exercise, weight loss, relaxation are other lifestyle issues that will decrease BP. If on medications you need to work with your physicians as some patient’s blood pressures drop too low with “proper” eating.How about drinking excessive (lots of) water ? Would that help clear the arteries and dilute the blood ? Also would multi-vitamins containing adequate ratios of magnesium and other minerals and vitamins help ? I may be deficient but not sure.I have tried it, and I do take it for more than one reason but it hasn’t done a thing for my hbp.Maybe I’m not taking enough. How much should I take?Try before drugs for sure! What are the best forms for supplementation?I am somebody else caught this little tidbit as well. As far as I am concerned the drug companies keep lowering the norm to be able to sell BP lowering drugs. A systolic of 115 is often too low for many elderly people, predisposing them to dizziness and falls. 130 systolic use use to be the norm for the elderly.Seems that benefits accrue down to 110/70. Got a bunch of videos coming out on that–stay tuned!I wonder if there’re any studies that compare the effect of flaxseed on hypertension to that of flax oil.Flax oil is not recommended. Unlike flax, it is unstable, goes rancid easily and rapidly and then causes inflation and worse. It is associated in some studies with increased prostate cancer. Also, it is not a whole food as the fiber and some nutrients are removed.I saw a study that said the oil isn’t effective.I’m guessing that was a 1/4 cup a day? I can’t seem to find specifics as to amount/day…30 g (approximately 3 Tbsp) of milled flaxseed or placebo were added,Incidently, this is the amount of whole flaxseed I add to my blender to powderize before adding wet ingredients for mornings smothies.Thanks30g is 2 tablespoonsby the Vitamix Blender it’s not important in wich position you add the flaxseeds because he is so strong – but important is to add flaxseed indeed. ;-)In chronometer, 30 g of flaxseed, ground (USDA) is 4.29 Tbsp. 30 g of Bob’s Red Mill ground flaxseed (CRBD) is 2.31 Tbsp. CRBD designates Cronometer user supplied data; looks like this entry can be discounted. 30 g of flaxseeds, whole and ground (Canada) is 4.23 15ml or International Tbsp. (15ml = 1.014 U.S. Tbsp. according to http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/volume/ ) And 4 Tbsp = 1/4 Cup Also some seeds may be dryer or damper than others, especially from opened packages, which would affect weight and volume (minutely). Just sayin’Any thoughts on whether cooked flax (eg. porridge, muffins) and raw flax have similar nutritional value? I like to eat it at a place with no stove…Research suggests that flaxseed’s and the omega-3 fatty acids are remarkably heat stable. While heating flax seeds does seem appropriate, the same may not be true of flax oil and I’d only recommend using the whole food seed! for a further discussion of flax and some tips for adding it into your diet check out the video linked below! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/I had ground flax seeds in my breakfast smoothie for years. I started to have some digestive problems, and my doctor said to stop the flax. The digestive problems cleared up pretty quickly. So, i quit the flax. I am on a plant based diet, and before that was a vegetarian for all of my adult life – I’m now in my 70’s. My dietician suggested substituting hemp, but that probably doesn’t have the same blood pressure benefits that flax does? I have had high blood pressure for over 20 years. Both of my parents had high blood pressure. Now I’m wondering if I should take flax because of the benefits and just deal with the digestive problems?Maybe add some ginger at the same time?We find it easy to grind seeds ourselves and store it for maximum 7 days in deep freezer in a stainless steel closed vessels and consume 3 heaped tablespoons of this flaxseeds powder over juicy fruits like papaya or melons or grapes or pomegranate and in season mangoes. Fruits hide the woody taste of flaxseeds powder.It’s not necessary to freeze ground flax seeds. It’ll last for weeks or months in the fridge.conflicting research/data re: flax. is it the wonder drug filled with dha or the potentially harmful host of ala that is nearly impossible to convert to dha/epa and can increase risk of prostate cancer. definitive medical research would be welcome.Gandhi noted that in areas where the people ate flax seeds they were healthier.Could you share your source or reasoning as to why you consider ALA harmful? Frankly it sounds like perhaps you’ve fallen victim to some animal product pushing paleo pseudoscience if someone is claiming not only that ALA can’t be converted but that it’s “potentially harmful”.In short, yes flaxseeds are filled with ALA and this is a good thing. ALA is an essential amino acid, and provided you are eating a healthy diet low in omega-6 fatty acids, there will be successful conversion to EPA and DHA. However for someone eating animal foods rich in omega-6 fatty acids, then in fact their ability to convert ALA to long chain omega-3 acids will be impaired.Some additional commentary on conversion rates in vegans and non-vegans as well as the impact of lower DHA levels itself in vegetarians, provided originally by NF Team Member Toxins in a different comment thread:“‘Comparison of the PLLC n23 PUFAs:DALA ratio between dietary-habit groups showed that it was 209% higher in vegan men and 184% higher in vegan women than in fish-eaters, was 14% higher in vegetarian men and 6% higher in vegetarian women than in fish-eaters, and was 17% and 18% higher in male and female meat-eaters, respectively, than in fish-eaters This suggests that the statistically estimated conversion may be higher in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters.’http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20861171In addition, another study showed that despise this “theoretical” low conversion rate, there is no evidence of any harm so, the problem may not be in the conversion rate, but in the assumption that it is low.‘There is no evidence of adverse effects on health or cognitive function with lower DHA intake in vegetarians’‘In the absence of convincing evidence for the deleterious effects resulting from the lack of DHA from the diet of vegetarians, it must be concluded that needs for omega-3 fatty acids can be met by dietary ALA. ‘http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500961 “really appreciate your time in sharing this data. obviously not a ton of research on the topic but glad you presented this. would be reassuring for a vegan to know more precise/specific numbers (conversion from ala to epa/dha…just for peace of mind. but thanks to you, this will hold me over till more extensive studies are done.“Wouldn’t it be easier to just cut out the middle-pig “… I love your style, Dr Greger! Thanks a lot for giving us all that very serious information in such a clear and entertaining way!Hello so how much should we eat each day? I’m confused and if we eat flaxseed do we also have to take omega 6 fats?1 Tbsp ground flax seed (7 g)Total Omega-3 fatty acids 1597 mgTotal Omega-6 fatty acids 414 mgRead More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3163/2#ixzz3Q5Ckhlc2Great video about natural alternatives to Big Pharma therapies. I think this NY Times article will give you an insight into new updated HBP data and research re medical knowledge and treatments. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24126178/Your link was to one of Dr. Greger’s cited sources, not to a NY Times article.Is it ok to grind pre-roasted flaxseeds? in other words is it ok to consume roasted flaxseeds as long as they are whole and you grind them yourself?I mix 2/3 cup flax with 2/3 cup chia and 1/3 cup of seaweed and sprinkle it on most food. Seaweed can be bitter so add it slowly to get the right flavor for you. I cut up the sheets of dried seaweed 1st and grind. Then 1/3 each flax and chia twice. Divide the sea- weed in half and add to flax and chia and tumble it in your dryer (just kidding about the dryer). I have named it Fla-chi-sea. My other mixture I call Pepturm. 3 parts turmeric and 1 part freshly ground peppercorns. It turns green when it hits the cooked wet meat but I also use it on my breakfast of mashed 1/2 avocado and 1 boiled egg. Turmeric can take some getting used to, I started putting it on my cereal 8 years ago and now am used to the flavor. So adjust the mix until it meets your taste buds.Can you only use flax seed for these results or can you use flax oilAlways use the whole food for the whole effect.Totally intolerant of flax seeds. Cannot detoxify the cyanogenic glycosides in them. However, Frankly this is one video of Dr. McGregor’s that wasn’t half bad. Better to change the diet rather than just rely of flaxseeds to lower BP. Plus some in both groups suffered strokes and heart attacks. I’ll place my bets on a diet high in magnesium for BP lowering, with supplemental magnesium as needed. Plus making certain that I have a nice sodium to potassium ratio. But stating that any systolic measurement of BP > 115 is risky is pushing the envelope, in my view. If the elderly have too low BP’s they are at increased risk of falls. A 120 systolic is fine, and for some elderly people maybe even a bit higher.Flaxseed is not common in Nigeria, direct me where I can buy it online. ThanksHi Lawal, I’m not familiar with which companies offer shipping to Nigeria, but as an example, a product like this http://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Flaxseed-24-Ounce/dp/B000ED7M2Wcould be shipped with a third party service like DHL to Nigeria in case Amazon doesn’t. If ordering online is troublesome and you don’t want to have to do it too often, I would recommend purchasing whole flaxseeds as shown above and grinding them yourself, rather than purchasing the already milled variety, as the whole flaxseeds will stay fresh longer. Still a good idea to keep them in a cool location or fridge/freezer just in case.Perhaps an Indian grocer would have it if you’re in a larger city. Flaxseed is known as Alsi (Gujrati, Hindi Punjabi), Jawas (Marathi), Tishi (Bengali), or Agasi (Kannada) in Indian languages.Flax seed is also unavailable in Japan. a small amount of genetically modified seeds (one in 10,000) was found in flax imported to Japan from Canada and as a result, it was banned in accordance to Japanese law.Dr. Greger has also done several videos on the blood pressure lowering effect of hibiscus. Black chockeberries, which are among the most concentrated sources of anthocyanins in Nature (but also contain a fair amount of other polyphenols), have been shown to have a similar or even more powerful effect on blood pressure. Remarkably, both an open trial in patiens with metabolic syndrome as well as a double-blind trial in patients already receiving a statin drug have shown not only a significant drop in blood pressure but also marked improvments in a whole host of other important risk markers (LDL, triglycerides, hsCRP – you name it).Although I am not a medical doctor, I regularly give dietary advice to people with hypertension, which is based on a predominantly (but not exclusively) plant-based, sodium-reduced, whole food diet, but also “prescribes” these most potent specific dietary interventions. Everyone that I counseled and from which I received some feedback has seen marked improvements. In one case, a middle-aged woman with familial hypertension, who took large doses of three different anti-hypertensive medications and still regularly had a systolic blood pressure in the 150s wrote to me that after three months of religiously following my advice (which included 30g of milled flax seeds daily, 50ml aronia juice, a cup of hibiscus tea and a magnesium supplement), she was able to reduce her medication to the minimum dose of only one drug and safely maintain her systolic blood pressure in the 120s or below.Timar: You have mentioned chokeberry. I’d like to add chokeberry to my diet for its anthocyanin content but can’t find it at supermarkets. Dried chokeberry powder is available online but all products I’ve found contain maltodextrin, which I don’t want to consume on a regular basis. Have you found any sources of chokeberry? Thank youI don’t really know about the availability in the US, sorry. Here in Gemany you can get a variety of chokeberry products in most health food stores: juice, dried berries, tea and so on. I did a quick search on amazon.com and there are some chokeberry products available but unfortunately many of them are insanely expensive. The juice concentrate (it is really only the juice, which is naturally highly concentrated) by Superberries is about ten times(!) as expensive as it is in Germany. But it is interesting to know that it has an ORAC of 52,000 per tablespoon.Not saying the benefits of this report isn’t valid. However weren’t these studies funded in part by the Flax Council. Why do you point that out in other studies when they are funded by the Dairy, egg, etc organizations but not here. Does lack of disclosure or consistency lead to skepticism on the credibility of the report or study?Does flaxseed oil have the same benefits? I take a tablespoon every morning of lignan-enriched oil with high ALA…Hard to tell. The authors of the cited study wrote another paper, theorizing that the effect is indeed due to the ALA. On the other hand, I know of no trials suggesting that the relatively small amount of ALA present in 30g of flax seeds (about 6 g) alone could have such a pronounced effect. My guess is that there may be a synergy between the ALA (which is protected from oxidation in the seed) and other constituents – the lignans and maybe even the soluble fiber present in the whole food.I would hesitate to recommend flax seed oil as a substitute for flax seeds. Firstly, even lignan-enriched oil contains only a small fraction of the amount of lignans present in the seeds and secondly, once the oil has been extracted from the seeds it is extremely susceptible to oxidation, even when kept in the refrigerator. The oxidation products present in any but freshly pressed flax seed oil may well negate at least some of the health benefits of the ALA. Last but not least, you miss the fiber.I add ground flaxseed to my daily morning oatmeal. The nutty flavor enhances the taste not to mention the increased fiber omega 3, proteins and lignans.Does eating straight flax seed oil have the same effect? If you cook flax doesn’t that diminish the health benefits? I had read that in the past.Any advice on a high fiber diet? I am vegan and eat a whole foods plant based diet but fart a lot and they stink. It’s embarrassing and my family calls me “stinky.” That’s the one downside to a plant based diet I have found. Any suggestions on supplements or anything I can do? I’ve been vegan almost 2 years now so no it is not because I just started being vegan. Sorry, i don’t intend to be rude but that is what most people say if I ask them about suggestions.Should you eat flax if you tend to be lowish already? (90s/50s).I think it also needs to be taking into account that some people (like myself) eat the healthy WFPB diet yet have really high blood pressure. I don’t drink, don’t smoke. I walk or hike 2 hours a day or more.The issue is I suffer from PTSD of an extreme nature, and it reflects in my body as stress, anxiety, fear, even terror at things I have no reason to be afraid of. The lasting effects are that my blood pressure, No matter what my healthy eating / living level is at, STILL runs really high.So constant anxiety / PTSD / fear affects the adrenal system, which then pumps up the blood pressure and keeps it there. You can’t take blood pressure lowering meds because they don’t work (since you don’t have diet related blood pressure issues) and can really hurt you.I took an Anti-Anxiety med for a while and it helped a tiny bit, but you don’t want to be on that for very long because they are highly addictive. If you are on it for 2+ years you become an addict and the number of people who are able to get off of them at that point is almost ZERO.Hi, I’ve read your other response thank you for that. I will reply but I need a little time to recuperate before I do, it is a complicated issue. Just a quick comment though, I think the best anti-anxiety med wasn’t a med but actually my former girlfriend. I was just to busy following narcissism fueled dreams at the time to fully appreciate that, maybe the second best gift in my life was that narcissism got just beaten out of my system for a good part, which happened during the 3 years lying eyes closed curled up depressed and shaking like a leaf from anxiety. But losing that “protective shield” opened a Pandora’s box of horrors of a different kind, which I’ll just have to conquer 1 by 1. And there is a lot of sadness involved in dealing with it and the realization of what has been lost.i eat low sugar yogurt or applesauce with a tablespoon of GROUND flax seed in it a day, 2 would be better I’ve already heard. Ground is important cause I really don’t think that the stomach processes these sharp little seeds properly, what a waste!pulverize them yourself in a cheap little coffee grinder and keep in an air tight container in the refrigerator. no, i don’t drink coffee.I beg to differ with Dr Greger — the study used 30 grams of flax seeds (ground). That is NOT 1/4 cup. Hang with me fellow fans. 1/4 cup of flax seeds (whole) is about 40 grams. 10 more grams than the study used, or about a tablespoon more. The measure un-ground for 30 grams would be 3 Tablespoons. And since fresh ground is best, get out your clean, small coffee bean grinder (the one you keep for grinding spices, right?) and grind to your liking, then eat. By way of comparison, 1/4 cup of ground flax seeds (at least in my kitchen) averaged 25 grams — 5 grams less than the study amount. They fluff up when you grind them. If measuring pre-ground flax seeds, aim for 1/3 cup. Since buying ground flax requires cold storage (freezer is best), while the whole flax seed is shelf stable, I am recommending grinding your own. As for measures, more is likely better, and they taste good, but if you want to be exact, 30 grams is 3 tablespoons before grinding, or about 1/3 cup after grinding.The Flax seed shown above are for commercial use in industrial solvents…bad choice in using for healthy treatment/preventative of health challenges..it is a start in obtaining the omega one is looking for…a better choice is “Golden Flax Seed” North Dakota seeds are of the finest for health…I purchase in bulk a 10lb bag for $50 usd…keep it in freezer when stored…use this as a seed topping once ground along with Plain Yogurt on my formulated oat meal…best health to those whom are on the journey of discovery…Your flax seed seems a bit high priced. I don’t buy this because I buy locally but this is from North Dakota also. 25 lbs. Golden Omega Whole Flaxseed in Resealable bag – includes Measuring Scoop, Recipes + FREE SHIPPING. $65.00 Packaged in bulk box with plastic liner. Retains freshness without refrigeration. Our unique and patent pending cold milling process provides you with the highest quality milled flax available. Cold milling seals in the Omega oils and our stay fresh re-sealable pouch maintains their quality. Experience the convenience and quality of Premium Gold True Cold Milled® Flaxseed! Organic.thanks for reply..will look more closely at suppliers and cost..again thanks keep well and enjoy life..Mr. RonHow much flax seed a day should a man or a woman take a day?In the study mentioned in the above video, the participants were eating 30 grams of flax seed per day, which is about 4 tablespoons or 1/4 cup. In Just the Flax, Ma’am, Dr. Gregor mentions the benefit of eating 2 tablespoons per day.Dr. Greger —- Important —-**** Indonesia’s department of communications has blocked your videos ****That said, it may be part of a blanket ban on more dubious video sites, and your video hosting site has the luck of being one of those, rather than a ban on your content. Further, the entire description area (sources cited; transcript; acknowledgments; topic) are disabled as well, presumably because their url shares that of the video. I am still able to watch them via a proxy service; however, this isn’t something that the average user can or should have to do.I will write to the department of communications here in Indonesia as soon as possible, but it will probably get me nowhere. Which video service are you currently using? If it’s Vimeo, I know that they have blocked that one.I’m including my screenshot from this morning highlighting the issue. There is a translation into English directly under the referenced communications’ regulation in Indonesian. As you can see, this is just for the video section alone.http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh82/mjlwaimea/Mobile%20Uploads/nutrition%20facts/nutritionfactsblocked.pngThanks for your time and tireless effort,MichaelMichael Lederer: What a bummer this is happening. I asked the NutrtionFacts staff to look into it. Here is the reply:“Yeah there is a ban on Vimeo in Indonesia because they have an anti-pornography law. Basically if a few videos are guilty of it, Indonesia will block the service. They have blocked a lot of major websites and providers there. It’s not really anything we can do anything about as long as we use Vimeo and unless we are targeting Indonesian traffic considerably, it’s a small loss. (GA reports 0.14% of our users.)”So dang. I’m glad you have a work around. I agree that the average user will not know to do what you have done. It’s a bummer for everyone when “the baby is thrown out with the bathwater” as the Indonesian government appears to be doing.An earlier poster raised an important issue that ground flaxseed meal can go bad even if refrigerated. I would like some clarification on this point — other than freshly grinding on an as-needed basis, does ground flaxseed meal (I use Bob’s Red Mill, for the most part) need to be refrigerated? I already seal it in a bag when I’m not using it. Are there any pros / cons to golden flax vs. regular? Etc.Check out Just the Flax, Ma’am to answer all of your questions.Such a great video and a simple intervention! Adding 1/4 cup of flax meal per day would be an easy addition with big results! Whole flax is not digested very well so be sure to use ground flax. One tablespoon of flax meal mixed with 3 tablespoons of water makes a great egg replacer in a recipe as well!!I read somewhere that most of the flaxseed in stores today is GMO. Is that something we should look out for when buying flaxseed? I buy Certified Organic, but it doesn’t say anything about non-GMO.From what info I found there was too much resistance to gmo flax in 2001 and 2004. Europe will not allow its import. Some renegade gmo flax was discovered in Canada in 2013 so Canada has implemented rigorous testing of any flax put into the commercial market. Would give the link but I lost it. There are a lot of sources of non-gmo flax available. Certified organic should be non-gmo. http://gmo-awareness.com/2011/05/05/is-organic-always-gmo-free/is 1 Tablespoon a good amount to eat daily if the diet is comprised of all sorts vegetables,beans,fruit ,starchy vegetables but no other added fats from seeds/nuts?I think it is hard to say. Fat needs depend on many factors. I general, folks do not need much, but it depends on overall diet.Why do I feel so tired when I take 2 tablespoons a day?Not sure. I have never heard of flax making someone sleepy?I am drinking plenty of water. I am a vegan.If you have borderline good high blood pressure (120/80) is it still helpful to lower it? What is the optimal goal?Hi SF Jeff! Yes, the evidence suggests 120/80 good, but (naturally) lower may be even more protective. Check out this piece Dr. G. did about rural Kenyans with blood pressures at 110/70 and lower…no heart disease! Hope this helps!Thanks for the response. I have been trying veganism the last couple of months and have been on a diet as well (20+ pounds) and I dropped from 122/80 to about 122/72 or so. I guess I will have to see how far this goes.I read on a website that, altho flax meal is a good source of Omega3, it is in a form (ALA?) that the body cannot easily use. Is this true? Do I need to buy fish oil instead?Yes. Harder to convert ALA from flax to EPA, but it still occurs! I would not recommend fish oil based on Dr. Greger’s latest blog on fish oil. Here is a study looking at DHA/EPA levels in both fish and non-fish eaters. Researchers found “Total n-3 PUFA intakes in non-fish-eaters were 57-80% of those in fish-eaters, but status differences were considerably smaller [corrected]. The estimated product-precursor ratio was greater in women than in men and greater in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters.” And to conclude “Substantial differences in intakes and in sources of n-3 PUFAs existed between the dietary-habit groups, but the differences in status were smaller than expected, possibly because the product-precursor ratio was greater in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters, potentially indicating increased estimated conversion of ALA” It appears vegans have a high product-precurser ratio, (women even better than men) making their conversation of ALA to EPA/DHA acceptable. ​Dr. Greger discusses, How to achieve a good omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acid ratio. I mention sources of DHA and EPA from algae sources here. Lastly, Dr. Greger mentions how golden algae is used to make algae-based omega 3 supplements without some of the contaminates that are found in fish oil.Please, could you report on Nigella Sativa seeds? Also called black caraway, they are said to be even better than flax for so many reasons. Thank you.Hi Sylvia. Caraway seeds are used in many populations. I’m not sure their omega-3 content, but they have been heavily researched and appear to have many health benefits. This review mentions possible therapeutic roles.I see I am not the first one to ask this, but see no answer… my blood pressure is normal (110/70 or lower), and just a tea spoon of flaxmeal per day drops my blood pressure to unbearable levels all day long… What in flax seeds is responsible for lowering BP? and what can I do about it, besides not consuming flax seeds?Hi dorange. Good questions there seem to be studies on flax and blood pressure. I am not sure the exact mechanism of how flax makes BP goes down. If BP is already low I have not heard of it going lower. I suggest asking your doctor about that and if there are any concerns.Humm… maybe it’s something else then – thanks!Does Udo Omega 3:6 Oil which has some flax seed oil help?I can’t seem to find the answer to this question: Is pre-ground flax seed good enough to get the benefits or is it better to grind your own on a ddily or weekly or monthly basis?	aging,animal fat,antioxidants,blood pressure,burgers,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,fat,flax seeds,hamburgers,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,lard,meat,medications,molasses,mortality,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,salt,saturated fat,side effects,statins,stroke,sugar,tomatoes	Extraordinary results reported in a rare example of a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of a dietary intervention (flaxseeds) to combat one of our leading killers, high blood pressure.	Hibiscus tea may help with high blood pressure as well: Hibiscus Tea vs. Plant-Based Diets for HypertensionDiet can also play an important role in preventing heart disease (One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic) and diabetes (Plant-Based Diets and Diabetes). In some cases diet can even reverse some of the worst ravages of high blood pressure: Kempner Rice Diet: Whipping Us Into Shape.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/molasses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24012977,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20881867,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23261749,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24126178,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24509360,
PLAIN-2492	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/	Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease With Plants	Intake of saturated fats and added sugars, two of the primary components of a modern Western diet, is linked with the development of Alzheimer's disease. There has been a global shift in dietary composition, from traditional diets high in starches and fiber, to what has been termed the Western diet, high in fat and sugar, low in whole plant foods. What’s so great about fruits and vegetables?Plant-derived foods contain thousands of compounds with antioxidant properties, some of which can traverse the blood-brain barrier and may have neuroprotective effects by assisting with antioxidant defense. There’s this concept of brain rust, that neurodegenerative diseases arise from excess oxidative stress. But Nature has gifted humankind with a plethora of plants—fruits, vegetables and nuts, and the diverse array of bioactive nutrients present in these natural products may play a pivotal role in prevention and one day, perhaps, even the cure of various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease.Accumulated evidence suggests that naturally occurring plant compounds may potentially hinder neurodegeneration, and even improve memory and cognitive function, as I’ve shared in my videos about blueberries and strawberries, and treating Alzheimer’s with spices such as saffron or turmeric.Vegetables may be particularly protective, in part because of certain compounds we eat that concentrate in the brain, found in dark green leafy vegetables, the consumption of which are associated with lower rates of age-related cognitive decline.Yet when you look at systemic reviews on what we can do to prevent cognitive decline, you’ll see conclusions like this: “The current literature does not provide adequate evidence to make recommendations for interventions.” Same with Alzheimer’s. Currently, insufficient evidence exists to draw firm conclusions on the association of any modifiable factors with risk of Alzheimer’s disease. They cite the lack of randomized controlled trials as the basis for their conclusions. RCTs are the gold standard used to test new medicines. You randomize people into two groups, half get the drug, half don't to control for confounding factors. The highest level of evidence necessary because drugs may kill a hundred thousand Americans every year, not overdoses, not medication errors, not illicit drugs, just regular, FDA-approved prescription drugs, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. So, you better make absolutely sure the benefits of new drugs outweigh the life-threatening risks.But we’re talking about diet and exercise—the side-effects are all good, so we don’t need the same level of evidence to prescribe them.A modest proposal was published recently in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, an editorial calling for longitudinal study of dementia prevention. They agreed that definitive evidence for the effectiveness of dementia prevention methods was lacking, so we need large-scaled randomized trials. Let’s start with 10,000 healthy volunteers in their 20’s and split them into five groups. There’s evidence, for example, that traumatic brain injury is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s, because people with head injuries appear more likely to get the disease, but it’s never been put to the test. So let’s take two thousand people, and beat half of them in the head with baseball bats, and the other half we’ll use Styrofoam bats as a control for the others. Until we have randomized controls, we can’t have physicians recommend patients not get hit in the head.We should probably chain a thousand people to a treadmill for 40 years, and a thousand people to a couch before recommending exercise. A thousand are forced to do crossword puzzles; another thousand forced to watch Jerry Springer reruns. Lots of meat and dairy or not for the next 40 years, and we can hook a thousand folks on four packs a day just to be sure. We help our patients to quit smoking despite the fact that there’s not a single randomized controlled trial where they held people down and piped smoke into their lungs for a few decades. It is time to realize that the ultimate study in regard to lifestyle and cognitive health cannot be done. Yet the absence of definitive evidence should not restrict physicians from making reasonable recommendations based on the evidence that is available.	Great video Doctor!!! When is that one on fruit coming??If you were subscribed you would have seen it in my newsletter yesterday!Hi Dr. Greger, this question is really going to sound strange. But have you ever seen studies done on human feelings of motivation and nutrition? I’ve been seeing a kind of inability and in my mother to accept and confront the link between food and exercise and deterioration of the body and mind. It is not depression persee, but more the inflexibility that comes with older age, but with that rigidity comes inability to effect changes it seems. I do not think a doctor would be able to pick up the change as problematic yet, but every few months or so I see her and I am beginning to notice something like old age AD(-H)D.Have you come across studies were maybe smells or foods help reconditioning habits and thought patterns? Making thinking of healthy foods/habit akin to smelling roses might be enough to slowly settle in a new pattern and change course before deterioration to the point of disability.I’m aware this is a very strange question, one for which there might not even be an answer, if so thanks anyway.Your question is a good one but somewhat difficult to answer. As we age our cognitive abilities change. Current evidence suggests that Alzheimer’s disease is related to factors such as saturated fat, simple carbohydrates, cholesterol, some metals (i.e. iron, aluminum, zinc, copper) and sleep. Of course having very small strokes over time can lead to another form of cognitive decline (i.e. multi-stroke dementia). This poses challenges as both of these conditions which account for most cases of dementia are difficult to diagnose. Of course we have a pretty good handle on how to avoid strokes of which there are three types (i.e. ischemic, hemorrhagic, embolic)There is some research into aromatherapy you may want to look in to. In school, we were told that lavender helps with memory, and I believe most people find the smell of cinnamon to be uplifting and possibly nostalgic. I would look into evidence-based sources on aromatherapy, rather than ones that are just a regurgitation or based on folk wisdom. I think back to Pavlov’s dog, where the sound of a bell would stimulate salivation. Same thing can be done with nearly any stimulus. Good luck with your mom, I can see you love her a great deal.Thanks for replying, I was kind of avoiding mentioning Pavlov though, so thank you for that. In all seriousness though, she can enjoy the joke in this as much as we can :)While familiar with Pavlov, it was actually a smell that triggered a pictorial of a past scene in my mind and subsequently an emotion set that made me think damn this might actually be cascading askew through otherwise quite linear unfolding thoughts, memories and details. # Kind of like a hash tag. If memories from different senses travel the same pattern but cascade at a different angle that might explain some of the weird memory effects we sometimes experience.There is some research into aromatherapy you may want to look in to. In school, we were told that lavender helps with memory, and I believe most people find the smell of cinnamon to be uplifting and possibly nostalgic. I would look into evidence-based sources on aromatherapy, rather than ones that are just a regurgitation or based on folk wisdom. I think back to Pavlov’s dog, where the sound of a bell would stimulate salivation. Same thing can be done with nearly any stimulus. Good luck with your mom, I can see you love her a great deal.Bravo.Not to mention that for someone my age…about 1/2 of the people of the same age will be dead in 15 years. Though I’d really like to wait for those double-blind studies…well maybe not? I try to take the best available info from a variety of sources…and APPLY IT. Problem is that there is a wide variety of recommendations…but then again most distill down to diet (mostly veggies)…exercise for sure…avoiding pollutants where possible…some supplements or not….and avoiding getting hit by a bus. Also try to stay interested in things…even when some around you are the walking dead…or work for the walking dead. May they rest in peace.The Modest Proposal For Longitudinal…..editorial is in full text in the link above. It is great and I have sent it out to a couple of friends who always remind me about the need for a RCT in regards to consumption of fats. Great find Dr. Greger.Well spoken, Dr. Greger.Another great video. I had to laugh this morning when I saw the health news: now they’re saying that it’s okay for pregnant women to eat fish because the omega-3s prevent the mercury from causing fetal developmental damage. I’m thinking, “Dr. Greger has already COVERED this! Why not just take the omega-3s and skip the mercury with a good algae-based DHA/EPA supplement?”how does youtube manage to minimize the slow jerky buffering/downloading of videos but nutritionfacts.org (and many other websites ) can’t do it?This particular one is Vimeo, if viewing from this site. Google must have magic.patrick, not sure why you’re experiencing buffering problems. It doesn’t seem to be a problem we’re having reported from other users, at least not that I’ve seen. I’ve had occasional buffering problems myself in the past using google chrome, but it’s because I have multiple browser windows open simultaneously and am often streaming music from youtube – that tends to create buffering issues for me. I’ve always figured it’s a result of having opted for the cheapest data package my ISP provides.I’ve always had buffering issues with vimeo no matter if I use – AOL, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. Less so with Google Chrome.Hoping this link might be helpful…dealing with playback issues from vimeo: http://vimeo.com/help/faq/watching-videos/playback-issuesI also have issues with vimeo and my probably antiquated system, no matter what I do, but not with youtube. Not only buffering, but stutter, and other odd delays I don’t experience non-vimeo. Not to say I never experience delays on youtube, they are just more frequent and more varied with vimeo and my system. Just the nature of the beasties I guess! Until I can afford an upgrade, I guess I will just be grateful to connect at all!This video should be shown to every new medical student on the first day of classes.I think EVERY SINGLE video of Dr. Greger’s should be shown to med students, period! Holy heck…his work is tremendous!http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130205131629.htmVitamin D, omega-3 may help clear amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer’sHi Dr. Greger! Your video was interesting and as always, advocating a healthy, plant-based diet and exercise. I have worked in Alzheimer’s research and clinical trials, both big pharma and NIH – sponsored, for many years, and follow the ongoing research, of which there is not a lot of. Sadly, AD research does not seem to be a priority these days, with dwindling funds and a much larger emphasis on other diseases. All of us baby boomers (and our kids!) are going to be in big trouble in the next 15-20 years. There is NO cure and there is NO prevention known to date for the plaques and tangles that are the hallmarks of this devastating disease. Yes, staying healthy with a plant-based diet, exercise, and social interaction is crucial for so many reasons and for so many other diseases and afflictions, even NORMAL brain aging and memory issues (senior moments!). But Alzheimer’s disease is different. Its onset is slow and insidious, and it strikes even the most active and engaged and healthy. It is truly the saddest affliction to humanity, for it takes away our memory and our mind. It is a disease that I hope will begin to get the attention it deserves in my lifetime. But a plant-based diet won’t help with this one. Regards, LinHow do you know that someone who consumes no added oil, no added sugar, gets plenty of sunshine, eats zero animal products throughout their life, eats whole plant foods, and is active…can eliminate their potential for Alzheimer’s. Those studies have not been done. Is it too much of a stretch to wonder if the same thing that can prevent heart disease can prevent Alzheimer’s? Even though heart disease is reversible to an extent and plaques and tangles in the brain are not reversable, it does not mean that Alzheimer’s cannot be prevented. No normal person eats and lives that way. Normal is not optimal or even close to it, most of the time.Yes! It has been amazing to me (though really when you think about it, not all that surprising!) that a diet filled with whole plant foods pretty much fixes everything! Thanks Dr. G! Our bodies truly are amazing when we treat them right.Only one way to find out! As you say yourself, their is such limited research in the field…. And since there are no negative side effects of a whole foods plant based diet, and actually there are myriad other benefits to look forward to, it only makes sense to me to give it a shot!Lin, Thanks for posting. Given your stated research experience, it would be interesting to learn why you feel strongly that “a plant-based diet won’t help with this one.” Dr. Greger has published a number of videos on the subject of Alzheimers disease and dementia, presenting compelling considerations that seem to point towards non-genetic factors that may very well be influenced by dietary choices.Besides the sampling list of videos Dr. Greger added in his commentary for today’s video, I find this one to be interesting also: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/And in Dr. Greger’s yearly summary presentation he talks about AD and dementia broadly but nevertheless, it’s worth a listen – the relevant commentary begins at 18:30: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/Hi Jocelyn! I am not suggesting that a whole foods plant based diet isn’t the way to go – it is!!! But sadly, the numbers of Alzheimer’s victims are going to skyrocket in the coming years. There are a LOT of claims out there based on unsubstantiated research and heresay about how to prevent AD (omega-3 fatty acids, crossword puzzles, avoidance of aluminum, a MILLION other things) that I believe are reckless and give false hope. And many other things can mimic AD. For example, a deficiency of Vitamin D, urinary tract infections, and even some statin drugs prescribed for high cholesterol can cause dementia-like memory problems, but this is NOT the same as AD! Sorry – I get upset about this. For sure, eat right – it can only help not hurt. And advocate for greater awareness and research on Alzheimer’s! LinWhat is your opinion on why “going to skyrocket in the coming years?” To make a statement like that you must have an opinion why that would be true.Interesting.Lin, I recommend that you read Neal Barnard’s book, Power Foods for the Brain – http://www.nealbarnard.org/books/brain/ Following the practices he recommends goes a long way toward preventing AD. He’s got a couple videos on You tube. The presentation at UNE Center for Global Humanities is a good one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxtRilvU5s0 Thanks again for the great video today Dr. Greger!Seems like doubt is Lin’s product.This was hilarious :) And a great point. I especially loved the placebo head injury!A very small study out of UCLA is offering a glimmer of hope for those with what is often a hopeless diagnosis. Nine out of the 10 patients involved in the study, who were in various stages of dementia, “say” their symptoms were reversed after they participated in a rigorous program. The program included things like optimizing Vitamin D levels in the blood, using DHA supplements to bridge broken connections in the brain, optimizing gut health, and strategic fasting to normalize insulin levels.Full article,http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/08/health/alzheimers-reversal/Dr. Abram Hoffer, who is announced as “discredited” by Wikipedia, has successfully been treating patients with pyschosis for 50 years with vitamin B3, Niacin, which was successful in pyschitry’s first placebo control double blind study. Taking 3,000mg or more of Vitamin B3, together with a very large dose of vitamin C, seem to clear patient’s heads, reduce suicide risk, reduce hospital stays, and put people back to work. http://www.altmedrev.com/publications/13/4/287.pdf This might be a miracle or break through for people who have had to deal with so much less. He, now dead, has known about it for years and even proposes a mechanism of action, the inactivation of oxidated endorphins, but modern pyschitry does not believe in supplements turning to more expensive pills. Niacin, or NAD, is the fuel of mitochondria, the power house of the cell, and can stir the soul or what our life force is. If it can do this even in the mitochondria in the brain, maybe, in my opinion, it could help those with Alzheimer’s. Thank you for your reservations.Webmd has made a list of brain smart foods. http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/eat-smart-healthier-brain It includes blueberries, wild salmon, nuts and seeds, avocados, whole grains, beans, pomegrante juice, freshly brewed tea, and dark chocolate. All of these foods are believed to be good for the brain. Do any of these foods reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s? With the addition of dark leafy greens here, if these foods have any benefit on the brain, it could be worth while to eat them to help the brain if it gets Alzheimer’s.Thanks for putting some focus on the tyranny of RCT`s. Touted to be the golden standard of proof in medicine, it does exclude things like nutrition in science. Most medical and surgical procedures has not been subjects to RCT`s anyways. While being a brilliant concept, it`s foremost the brilliant for Bigpharma in excluding anything that is not a drug in being researched for its potential health benefits.I miss the subtitles.Me too Am. Watching on Youtube somehow isn’t the same. :( Kind of like having to go out to a movie when you just want to stay home and watch something good with your family!I really miss the 2x speed feature. Now, it takes me twice as long to listen to one of these mini-lectures, so I listen to about half as many.Sorry it’s taken us so long, but SUBTITLES ARE BACK!! :) We think we got them all, so please email me at tommasina[at]nutritionfacts.org if you spy a video without the CC button at the bottom of the screen. As for the 2x speed feature, we’re seeing what we can do. Thanks for the feedback!Off topic: My (very limited) understanding is that flax seed is a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids. However, your optimum nutrition recommendations include “250 mg daily of pollutant free (yeast- or algae-derived) long-chain omega-3′s (EPA/DHA)”. Do we need to take an EPA or DHA supplement daily, or is a heaped tablespoon of ground flax seed enough? TIA :)Is maple sugar derived from maple syrup ok? Its a sugar like date sugar.NoHi Derrek, date sugar usually means the entire date dried and ground. So date sugar, while a high-sugar food, also has the same amount of nutrition as the whole fruit – vitamins, minerals, other phytonutrients, and fiber. Maple syrup is not considered a whole food to begin with. Both the original substance and the dried form would both be considered refined sugars. Most whole foods plant based advocates recommend limiting refined sugars in the diet.So Dr. Greger doesn’t recommend maple sugar because it isn’t a whole food? It is organic and someone bought it for me.None of my business I guess, but if I had it, I would use it in small quantities, the same way I sometimes use even white sugar. I know, gasp! But I use it so rarely and in small amounts to sweeten the very occasional dessert or decadent tea. I have tested my blood sugar levels afterwards, (formerly diabetic) and the increase is negligible, so I don’t stress about it. Sometimes I wonder if the stress we cause ourselves worrying about every perceived “offense” isn’t more damaging than what we are ingesting! Don’t get me wrong, I am a strong proponent of a WFPB diet and am also vegan… my diet has been, and will always be, a life saver, so I don’t advocate for unhealthy habits!Charzie, “stress we cause ourselves…..more damaging than what we are ingesting ” There is something to that. I’ve heard it talked about by a researcher. Don’t remember which lecture of his but it was very interesting.Hi Derek, I would second Charzie’s response. You won’t find any WFPB diet advocates actually *recommending* the consumption of any type of refined sugar. I believe most would classify it in the “use sparingly” category, but not necessarily something that needs to be banned from your diet completely for the rest of your life. Personally I don’t think a small amount in the context of an overwhelmingly healthy whole foods diet is going to make too much of a difference in overall health for the average person. My personal philosophy to refined sugars is similar to Charzie’s I think: I limit it to the extent that the differences between e.g. maple syrup, brown rice syrup, corn syrup, beet sugar, sugarcane sugar, etc, become negligible and are really just nuance. I think that if a person is eating so much sugar that the mineral content in maple syrup vs table sugar becomes meaningful, then they’ve got bigger issues to deal with, first and foremost, reducing the sugar.I completely agree that fruits and veggies help our brain and our health. However, my husband who has always eaten plenty of fruits and veggies (we are vegetarian) seldom ate anything with sugars and ended up with dementia last year. His blood work showed low Vit D and B12 so we should all be aware of the danger of being low on these nutrients as this may be more importantGood point about low vit D levels. I read somewhere that low vit D ups your risk of dementia or AD by 50% to 125%. I got my first blood work done at age 59 a yr ago and my vit D was the only thing that was out of range and low at 18.8. Range is 30-100. So now I take a supplement and eat 2 or 3 cans of sardines in the Louisiana hot sauce a week. (the only kind I like on a bed of rice) I should get another test done to see if there has been any improvements.Brit, you say you are vegetarian? Does that mean you are ovo-lacto eaters? Eggs and Dairy? You did not say vegan – or, Whole food plant based. Cutting out the high fat and cholesterol animal products will make a positive difference. They say, “What’s good for the heart, is good for the Brain”.It seems that greens are the medicine that we all should be consuming but is it possible to eat too many green veggies? I would say that about 70 – 80% of the food I eat is green leafy veg. Is this too much? I feel great, a little extra gas but I don’t mind because I want to keep my mind :)Yikes! That does sound like too much! It may be fine, but I would worry about kidney stone formation (oxalates). I’m not an expert in the area of greens, but keep doing your research, and perhaps consider increasing the variety of whole foods you eat (beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables of other colors, berries, mushrooms, etc.).Hi Maree,As Dr. Greger says in the video Overdosing on Greens, “you can overdo anything.” You may also be missing out on important nutrients that come from other types of food. Try eating other plant foods to add some variety to your diet.Can you have a diet too high in leafy greens? I eat a lot of greens.Vitamin K2 is supposed to be quite important too I have heard, difficult to find any plant based source but apparently Natto (Japanese fermented soy beans) has the Vitamin. Not sure how this would apply to the male population with the theories about soy and cognitive decline in males over 65.I laughed in my grave!Jonathan SwiftAbout a month ago, I ceased putting 2 Tablespoons of flaxseed meal in my morning oatmeal because of having been on a weight plateau for about a year now. I need to lose about 50 lbs. more, so have been plugging my food into cronometer.com fairly consistently and found the flaxseed meal is one of a few high-fat components. I’m still including 2 T of walnuts, though – also high-fat. I know I also need to exercise, but somehow never quite get to it with any consistency. In any case, although I’ve got lots of information, much of it garnered here, there’s been no budging more than a pound or two with rebound not long after. Maybe I’ve been taking Dr. McDougall’s “eat all you want” of the right stuff too literally? I really would like to get back to thinking about other things than food! (Just venting.)MarthaLA: I don’t have a definitive answer, but when it comes to weight loss, I highly recommend taking a look at the free talk from Dr. Lisle: How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind. It is a really great help in figuring out how to tweak your diet so that you don’t have to worry about portion control and are still eating healthy and can still lose weight. If nothing else, it is very educational and entertaining. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQIf the talk interests you and you want to get an even more thorough grounding in the concept, then I highly recommend Jeff Novick’s DVD on Calorie Density: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423085081&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density+how+to+eat+more+weigh+lessIt’s a bummer that you are going through a frustrating time. I hope you are able to figure it out without too much more pain.Thanks, Thea. In re calorie density, I have read Jeff’s posts on the McDougall forum and/or watched clips on You Tube. Have not yet watched the Dr. Lisle video. Thing is, I am nearing the end of the 5-year recovery after breast and uterine cancer surgery. AND after chemotherapy and radiation therapy. I was a lot healthier going into surgery than I have been after treatment. So, I was more interested in anything that would help improve health (you know, like flax seed, cinnamond and cloves per Nutrition Facts, etc.) and more minorly interested in weight loss (though needed). I did lose 42 pounds early on, and then weight loss seemed to stop dead, though I’m pleased to say that I no longer feel like I am or have been dragging an elephant around, but have some energy, and pain from osteoarthritis and cervical spondylosis attacks has eased off, due, I think to the general plant-based diet. So now, reluctantly, I’m trying to reduce those higher fat plant foods (flax seed, walnuts, avocado, darn it!). It’s amazing how much percentage of fat calories chronometer.com shows me when I enter my meals. I hope to get there eventually, but am, indeed, rather frustrated. But not in the least hopeless. Ciao.MarthaLA: My heart goes out to you. I do recommend the Dr. Lisle video, but it sounds like you have a good handle on things and have been dealing with a lot very well. Glad you are not feeling hopeless, because it is definitely not that!! Ciao. :-)Is it possible to eat too many leafy greens. I have 4/5 big smoothies of mixed greens everyday to help prevent Alzheimer’s. I also eat green soups and steamed greens at meal times. My husband jokes that I will turn green like people do when they eat too many carrots.Maree, actually, yes, it is possible. Particularly if you consume lots of raw cruciferous veggies and don’t get adequate amounts of iodine.Check out this video from Dr. Greger on the topic: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/ And this one on iodine: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/Hope these are helpful.Is age related dementia have the same risk factors and causes as Alzheimer’s?	aging,Alzheimer’s disease,antioxidants,berries,blueberries,brain disease,brain health,cognition,dairy,dementia,Evidence-based medicine,exercise,fat,FDA,fiber,fruit,greens,lifespan,longevity,meat,medications,mortality,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,saffron,saturated fat,side effects,smoking,spices,standard American diet,strawberries,sugar,turmeric,vegetables	If foods like berries and dark green leafy vegetables have been found protective against cognitive decline, why aren’t they recognized as such in many guidelines?	I’ve previously discussed how drug-centric approaches to evidence-based medicine may neglect some of the most convincing data: Evidence-Based Medicine or Evidence-Biased?A sampling of some of my recent Alzheimer’s videos:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evidence-based-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22583954,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22390915,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22986779,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22614926,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22836704,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20547887,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23291218,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23053547,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21555601,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23517914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21167850,
PLAIN-2493	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-vs-exercise-for-artery-function/	Turmeric Curcumin vs. Exercise for Artery Function	The average American spends most of their waking life sitting down, which is associated with an increased risk of death even among people who go to the gym after work and exercise regularly.“Sedentary” comes from the Latin word meaning to sit, but just because you’re sitting doesn’t mean you’re sedentary. They aren’t sedentary, she isn’t sedentary, we’re talking about just sitting and not doing much of anything. And doing lots of that may double our risk of diabetes and heart disease and significantly shorten our lifespan, even at the highest levels of physical activity. Sitting 6 or more hours a day may increase mortality rates even among those running or swimming an hour a day every day - 7 days a week. Why though?One factor may be endothelial dysfunction, the inability of the inner lining of our blood vessels to relax our arteries normally in response to blood flow. Just like our muscles atrophy if we don’t use them, when it comes to arterial function it’s a use it or lose it as well. Increased blood flow promotes a healthy endothelium. The cells lining our arteries can actually sense the sheer force of the blood flowing past. That flow is what maintains the stability and integrity of the inner lining of our arteries. Without that constant tugging flow, it may help set up for heart disease.What if sitting all day is part of our job, though? Well I’ve talked about using a standing or walking treadmill desk. We actually have some data now, suggesting that treadmill desks may improve the health of office workers without affecting work performance, and walking may be preferable to standing, in terms of clearing fat from our bloodstream, which can play a role in endothelial dysfunction.What if our office can’t accommodate a standing or walking desk? Within an hour of sitting, blood starts pooling and blood flow starts to stagnate, so the more we can take breaks, where we take a stand for our health, join the wellness uprising, the better. Preliminary evidence from observational studies, and interventional studies suggest that regular interruptions in sitting time can be beneficial. And it doesn’t have to be long. Breaks could be as short as 1 min and not necessarily entail ‘exercise,’ just like taking out the trash during commercials or something, may be beneficial.What if we have a job where we’re sitting down and can’t take frequent breaks, like truck driving. Is there any way to improve our endothelial function sitting on our butts? Well, first we need to get rid of our butts. Smoking a single cigarette can significantly impair endothelial function. Lifestyle modification is a desirable way to prevent or treat endothelial dysfunction without the need for drugs.I’ve talked about the effects of different diets on endothelial function, and certain foods in particular- nuts and green tea, well recently researchers tried out Curcumin, the yellow pigment in the spice turmeric.They showed that regular ingestion of curcumin or up to an hour a day of aerobic exercise training significantly improved endothelial function. And the magnitude of improvement in endothelial function was the same. So does that mean we can just be a couch potato as long as we eat curried potatoes? No, the combination of Curcumin and exercise may work even better, than either alone.	Ordering the third new motor instead of replacing the whole thing for a newer model, things like that are so telling of the lack of drive toward monetary gain. I’ve noticed that on several occasions in the past year, and something that creates trust somehow. That is a good thing as long as the info is solid off course.Is nutritionfacts planning to revise or retract mistakes made in the past any time soon? I raised issue on the Alzheimers video’s and PCB’s in fish oil a while back which were clearly erroneous. Making mistakes is fine, realizing a mistake and going with it anyway is misleading and has nothing to do with science period.Also published articles with truly remarkable/unbelievable results like the saffron studies, all done in Tehran Iran BTW, should be followed up by checking for the results of duplicated studies by peers. Especially important if those extraordinary results are paid for by industries or governments producing the subject matter.New video’s are nice, and this really was a nice one, but continuously reexamining if the preached gospel still holds true should not be neglected for it. Especially considering that the body of information and video’s is so large, it can engage a new person for months on end. It would be in this site’s best interest to keep revising and keep upping the value per minute viewed.I don’t remember seeing anything on Alzheimers or PCBs from you–sorry I missed them! Anytime you or anyone finds any errors, please email me asap: mhg1@cornell.eduIn perusing older videos there are some really important ?’s in the comments asked but never answered. Just wish this were a more perfect world where the ?’s got answered.We have big plans to solve this problem and answer those questions–stay tuned! If you’re interested, feel free to compile a list of important questions (you can grab a link to a particular comment by hovering on the Share button under the comment and then clicking the Link button) and email them to me at tommasina[at]nutritionfacts.org. I’ll see what we can do! :)If one does not enjoy eating turmeric in curry, what dosage would you recommend in supplement form? Also would you accompany it with anything to boost the absorption? Thanks for your incredible work!have you tried putting the turmeric and a pinch of pepper in a glass of tomato juice? you can hardly taste the turmericThere is pretty good data out there on this subject, Jeff. In fact in a study that Dr Greger has already addressed (see attached) the dosing was so safe that it was really only limited by the number of pills that the patients were willing to swallow. It’s also available in tincture form. Tumeric Cucumin and Pancreatic Cancer I have personal experience with a tumeric tincture and it’s very pleasant tasting. Oral absorbption of tumeric does seem to be enhanced by black pepper (piperine). There has been concern expressed in the past that this combination might interfere with drug clearance and should be used with caution but other studies haven’t shown this concern, as noted here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22725836Another point to in Dr. Greger’s favor is that he allows dissent and civilized alternative discussion on his site. Just try to contradict or offer alternative views on Jimmy Moore’s and other LC/LCHF/Paleo websites, Twitter, and Facebook ( likely Google+/YouTube), and you’ll quickly find yourself blocked no matter how politely you go about expressing yourself.Jimmy Moore blocked me on his website for simply informing him that the meat/dairy/egg industries have lobbies, too, not just the processed “carbage” and Big Seed Oil industry. My brief comment never made it past his moderation. This results in sycophantic, confirmation biased threads and forums which permit nothing but rose-colored narrative.(To be fair, I suspect the same in Dr. Fuhrman’s online community, but I’m not willing to pay for the privilege to find out for sure.)Yes indeed, the moderation style deserves a lot of credit.I have had ADHD my whole life and am constantly “jiggling”. I work at a desk job which does keep me on my butt for hours a day. But pretty much the entire time my legs are bouncing (which drives my wife nuts at home when my legs are in contact with a table leg and everything on the table begins to dance). Besides giving me great toned calf muscles, I wonder if this type of physical activity while sitting has any impact on endothelial function.Systems of inflammation seem to be involved in ADHD, to inform yourself on this do a search on histamine involvement and 3 & 6 fatty acid ratio’s in ADHD. People with a nervous or hyperactive streak will burn trough magnesium faster, depletion of that will help inflammation too. The extra activity in your calves will probably not compensate for this extra vulnerability towards inflammation. I was diagnosed with 38/40 points on a ADHD test @ 20 years old, as a consequence I’ve had plenty of that leg restlessness in my teens an twenties, however if I compare my WFPB diet erections now with those in my teen years I have no doubt my endothelial and vascular function in general now is far superior than it was 20 years ago and astronomically better than it was 14 months ago when i started.Maybe that’s what’s wrong with my wife? she has terrible restless leg literally wearing the carpet out where she sits, and due to a sitting job has back pain. Incidentally she has a BP of 95/70 when resting.Massage and self-massage can ease the symptoms of restless leg syndrome, which I suspect you have. If you decide to try self-massage, I recommend you book at least a half-hour appointment with a massage therapist and have him or her explain to you how to do it. More info here: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/restless_legs/detail_restless_legs.htmActually my wife has restless leg syndrome, so I know what that is and I don’t have it. Mine is just the inability to sit still. But thanks for the tip on massage. I used to do this for my wife, and it did help. However about 3 months after switching to a plant-based diet her RLS symptoms nearly disappeared. The RLS will still pops up with she is overly tired or interestingly had a high fat meal for dinner. Then she might have to march in place for a few minutes to get it to calm down.My speculation is that RLS has something to do with atherosclerosis and a resulting reduction of blood flow to a key part of the brain involved with initiating movement. It tends to follow a similar trajectory of atherosclerosis where it starts showing up in a person’s 30s to 40s and gets worse and worse as they get older. And the observation that a high fat meal can bring on a terrible RLS episode for up to 6 hours, gives more evidence to me that the root cause is vascular. This is since we know from brachial artery tests that a single high fat meal can substantially stiffen ones arteries for 4-6 hours postprandial. This stiffening might be sufficient to cause the blood flow to drop just enough cause the brain region to start to malfunction again.So with some research we might be able to add one more condition to the list of ailments that can be addressed with a low-fat whole food plant based diet. True RLS isn’t as life threatening as say CVD, but it sure can suck the joy out of life when you have to spend one to several hours through out the night marching in place to settle your legs down so you can try to catch a few hours of sleep before the alarm drags you out of bed so you can slog through your day like the sleep deprived zombie you are.Thanks again!Dr. G, any idea how MUCH Curcumin is necessary?In the Akazawa (curcumin VS exercise) and Sugawara (curcumin + exercise) trials, the dose was 150 mg of Theracumin complex (containing 25 mg total curcumin dispersed with colloidal nanoparticles) daily for 8 weeks.Its difficult to compare the high absorption curcumin formulations (Meriva, Longvida, Cavamax, Theracurmin, BCM-95, C3 Reduct and C3 Complex) directly, as they claim 10-27 greater bioavailability than unalloyed curcumin found in turmeric, but often sacrifice curcumin amount so that most of the capsule is adjunctives to improve absorption.that’s great to hear! Hopefuly both the anti inflammatory and some of the dna repair properties can be derived from eating regular turmeric. Although I will try to figure out how to heat it in a way that’s pleasing in the future.Thanks so much for your informative videos! Going to toss some turmeric on a head of cauliflower tomorrow night for dinner! : )I have always had the kind of job where I am up and down a lot and have not had that much of a problem with health. But now I am on the computer almost all day. I have a raising and lowering desk, but I don’t use it so much as I should. I get up and move, but I can feel it makes a difference.I think there are big differences in digestion. When I am sitting a lot during the day and then say go for a walk, I find myself have to go to the bathroom within 20 minutes or so as stuff in my gut that was just sitting there starts to move. I can see this is not good for that, and I imagine the same for circulation. I wonder if there is a correlation between Abdominal Aortic Embolism and sitting as well.I always feel much better after I walk and I try to get out walking for 2 hours everyday.The other benefit with regular walking if you are healthy is that evenrtually you get to the point where you just feel good and feel like running. I had never run before my 40’s but with daily walking soon I was running short bursts, and then able to run my whole course … 5 miles a day. I never felt better. It is just hard to do this.It seems ridiculous I guess but one way to get people healthy would simply be to have someone come in and supervise their activity, Force them to walk daily, like a coach, Has anyone else done studies on the benefit of a sort of supervised schedule of activity. Remove someone from their live, install some new habits until they feel better, and then let them go back in and try to support those good new habits?I am almost sure not because the cost is high, but how do our celebrities in Hollywood go from being really overnight to buffed inside of a year.People cannot change their lives and behavior overnight without some kind of support. I think exercise is more important than diet personally. Couldn’t prove it, but diet is good when someone doesn’t exercise and can make the change.Wondering about Turmeric and Curcumin. Would it be better to get straight curcumin or is it better with other phytonutrients in turmeric.Lonvida Curcumin is highly recommended. Also Curcumin comes from therooy of the TurmericMake SURE to add some ground black pepper to the turmeric for better absorption! It’s a FACT that the piperine in the black pepper helps our bodies absorb the beneficial qualities of turmeric by 2000%!!!!What about absorption issues? I was going to order some curcumin and got bogged down in which absorb better or whether you should take with a fat or black pepper etc. Help! (please).Turmeric root and turmeric powder doesn’t require you to take other foods, such as black pepper or fat, to absorb it. Curcumin on the other hand does require some fat and it also helps to have black pepper. The answer in my opinion and understanding is to use fresh turmeric root if you can get it and/or powdered turmeric. A teaspoon a day according to Dr G. I spread out the doses during the day.There are other nutrients in turmeric that I’m sure will be studied and I’m sure proven to be beneficial to our health.Whole Plant Based Foods ftw :-)Thank you for the answer. Been wondering what to pair turmeric root powder with for absorption as black pepper is a no for me. It seems to make sense that the whole plant would be sufficient in itself.Excellent! Thanks for sharing! :-)So it wasn’t my imagination that I concentrated better on my reading while standing !Yes, do take the trash out between commercial breaks! The stuff they put on either side of them is not worth watching anyway. What a hoot!I invented a shear stress laboratory device to determine the human endothelial cell culture in 3 dimensions, under shear stress. It was interesting to observe the changes of shape and secretion of the cells. The conclusion was the need of movement to maintain the endothelial cell function.Off Topic: Could this that came to me today be true? After 65 do we suddenly thrive on high protein and wither on low?A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study following 6,000 adults over age 50 for 18 years found the following.“…those from 50 to 65 years old who ate a diet with a lot of animal protein were more than four times as likely to lose their lives to cancer or diabetes, two times as likely to die from any cause over the study period (18 years) compared to those who ate a low protein diet.”“Moderate amounts of animal protein intake brought a three times higher risk of cancer. The effect dropped or disappears for those participants who got the protein in their diet from plant sources. For those over 65, the effect was nearly opposite, high protein intake was associated with a 60% lower risk of dying from cancer, 28% lower risk of dying from any cause. The effects were similar for moderate levels of protein intake in this age group.”“Fascinating that what’s bad for people at one point in life might be good in another.”( this line might be from my friend.)NHAMES from their site: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations. NHANES is a major program of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). NCHS is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and has the responsibility for producing vital and health statistics for the Nation.I think I’ve seen a video made of a presentation by Cynthia Kenyon where she talked about certain genes getting turned off at an older age. And with those genes shut off things like IGF-1 became less of a threat to longevity. But I’m grasping too much at long term memory straws now for me to be more exact. Her body of work and presentations will be very interesting to you considering your earlier posts about calorie restriction tactics.Thank you, Arjan. I’ve sent our a request to my friend in Vienna for a link to the article he sent me. I’ll look up Kenyon too.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT4PWu43e9U&list=PLE928E9BE55C0DE53If this is the study that was published in Cell Metabolism a while back, keep in mind that “high protein” was defined as 20%. Moderate was 10-19% and low was below 10%. On my diet of lots of beans, vegetables, and grains, I’m often at the higher end of moderate and often into the “high” protein. This message of “high protein” being beneficial for older people could be dangerous if it gets interpreted by the public as encouragement to increase eggs/meat/etc.I’ve been aware of and “practicing” limited animal protein intake and also using some amino acids. Primary reason is to maintain strength…exercise is ESSENTIAL…don’t leave home without it.Squaring the curve?http://www.ergo-log.com/argininebestantiaging.htmlIf you’re over forty and starting to notice signs of aging then, according to the Egyptian biochemist Mohamed Gad, there’s a very simple way to restore your youth and vitality. Every evening before going to bed, take 5 g L-arginine and your body will soon start to function better.Will be moving from argine/ornithine (2 G in morning) to SOME of these amino acids…claim here is that arginine is not life extending…whereas carnosine is…. I’d caution against anything containg glutamine…too excitatory.http://www.vincegiuliano.name/10topsupplements.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140311163101.htmResearch suggests that as people age, their ability to absorb or process protein may decline. To compensate for this loss, protein requirements may increase with age. Megumi Tsubota-Utsugi, PhD, MPH, RD, of the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Japan, and her colleagues in Tohoku University and Teikyo University, Japan, wondered whether protein intake might affect the functional capabilities of older adults. They designed a study to investigate the relationship between protein intake and future decline in higher-level functional capacity in older community-dwelling adults in Japan. Their analysis included 1,007 individuals with an average age of 67.4 years who completed food questionnaires at the start of the study and seven years later. Participants were divided into four groups (quartiles) according to their intake levels of total, animal, and plant protein. Tests of higher-level functional capacity included social and intellectual aspects as well as measures related to activities of daily living. Men in the highest quartile of animal protein intake had a 39 percent decreased chance of experiencing higher-level functional decline than those in the lowest quartile. These associations were not seen in women. No consistent association was observed between plant protein intake and future higher-level functional decline in either sex.to me you are a continuing inspiration. I just got tumeric, cloves, ginger and rosemary and plan on alternating them on a daily basis to put them with my food. Thank you so much.We grow rosemary, it’s a lovely hedge plant, has lovely flowers and a wonderful aroma. It’s hardy and grows almost anywhere. I’m going through my herbs and spices and seeing which ones are viable pot plantsDavid, Kevin and I enjoy putting about a ¼ tsp in our coffee and then frothed of a blend of cloves, ginger, cardamom, a bit of pepper, turmeric, and cinnamon. Delicious in coffee and lattes.One thing I found beneficial for reducing blood pressure brought on by the constant sitting of my job is the alternate the contraction of but muscles. Just sit there and contract the right, and then release and do the left. Set a timer on your computer (if you have one) to 30 minutes and do the but wiggle for 30 seconds. Also good for long haul flights.You may want to add to that ankle flexion movements. The calf muscles are referred to as the third heart, as the contraction of these muscles helps to push blood flow back to the heart.Would be very interesting to hear your opinion on Bemer’s technology and microcirculation improvement. I have been using it for almost a year and it did improved among other things the quality of my sleep… http://www.bemeramerica.com“I just burnt out my second treadmill motor. This last one lasted 7,000 miles though. Could have walked back and forth across the country! Was up to 17 miles a day before the poor thing died. New motor on its way though!”Maybe we *should* walk back and forth across the country! I would join that campaign, but would have to fly across the Pacific from Hawaii first.Where can I buy amla gooseberries online? Also, watercress and lycium berries?I can buy watercress at my local produce store. It’s just called cress, and is a bitter green used in soups and salads, but I’m sure there are other uses as well.Wonderful video! I just have some questions based on previous videos on the site about curcumin. (1) A previous video pointed out that tumeric / curcumin has an issue with high oxalates (that have 94% bioavailability) and that it should be limited to 1tsp a day to avoid problems (e.g. oxalate caused kidney stones)(given that I eat lots of leafy green stuff so I’m already high on oxalates as it is). —- 1(b) doesn’t tumeric require cooking to make the curcumin bioavailable? (2) Is supplementing curcumin then a good idea? (3) Are the oxalates removed by processing it into a supplement? Also, wouldn’t a supplement need black papper / piperine to bring the bioavailability back? Are any of the “high bioavailability” curcumin supplements actually effective in elevating circulating plasma levels of curcumin and its two main metabolites?Dr. Greger intelligently points out that people who are at low risk for heart disease are at high risk of getting it or dying from it. Eating beans, drinking tea, eating nuts, eating whole grains, taking an aspirin a day*, drinking one drink a day*, eating dark chocolate, eating kiwi, getting exercise, eating berries, eating citrus, eating soy*, eating tomatoes, eating extra virgin olive oil*, eating a leafy green (spinach, broccali, or kale), eating flax seeds, and eating apples can eat individually reduce your risk of heart disease by 33 percent or more. If you do all of them, would that finally move your from a low risk to a high prevention category? Would it mean heart disease, perhaps the ultimate cause of death for most people regardless of genetics, could be prevented and death made irrelevant? Cumulative damage on the heart, starting from conception, is an ultimate cause of death for everyone. How would you recommend helping your heart daily with this accumulating risk of damage that culminates in end of life? Perhaps we could do all these things for extra life. Perhaps this risk could be reduced by using these foods and we could make extra life good for us. Together with life style choices like swimming, listening to classical music, flossing, meditating, donating blood regularly, going to religious service, and being married can ease every beat your heart has to take to make an investment in your future. *Not highly recommended here.I know how difficult it can be with fighting weight problems. Trust me, it is something I’ve struggled with my whole life. What is right for one might not be right for another, and so forth.What personally worked wonders for me was the ‘Burn that fat away’ version. I know it sounds basic, but oh god I thank it everyday. Really, because it worked for getting into the right mindset as you saw instant progress and that kept me going for sure.It’s so so good for starting off with.http://www.prowellfitness.com/excersise/burn-that-fatPerhaps airlines should start adding turmeric to their meals to help avoid DVTFitDesk – the cycling alternative to treadmill desk!!!I’ve had one for about 4 months now and I really enjoy it! Seat is comfortable and my alertness and creativity is much higher! They now have a desk extension too (although on backorder). I’m trying to get my hospital to sponsor having a couple on my floor.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI32ukrgOlcTurmeric is one of the greatest foods we should include regularly in our diet. Not only can it improve arterial function but there is evidence it can help prevent cancer and this is maybe one of the reasons why Indians have lower rates of cancer who include turmeric regularly in their cooking particularly in curry powder(http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/)	cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,curcumin,diabetes,endothelial,exercise,fat,green tea,heart disease,heart health,Lifestyle medicine,mortality,nuts,spices,treadmill,turmeric	For those who sit most of the day and are unable to use a standing or treadmill desk or take frequent breaks from sitting should consider the regular ingestion of the spice turmeric to protect endothelial function.	I just burnt out my second treadmill motor. This last one lasted 7,000 miles though. Could have walked back and forth across the country! Was up to 17 miles a day before the poor thing died. New motor on its way though!Background on treadmill desks in Standing Up for Your Health.Amazing how much beneficial just simple walking can be: Longer Life Within Walking DistanceMore exercise versus diet comparisons in Is it the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? and How Much Exercise to Sustain Weight LossWho Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric? See the video!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endothelial/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/treadmill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23146777,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20650954,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22890825,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6874492,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21224291,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22421908,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3404815/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18252901,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22895871,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23197245,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23803893,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23417995,
PLAIN-2494	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/	Enhancing Athletic Performance With Peppermint	Ever since smoking was prohibited in night clubs, customers have increasingly noted unpleasant smells, such as body odors, so researchers in Europe thought they’d try to cover them up. They measured the effects of peppermint, for example on dancing activity and asked people to rate their energy level from calm and quiet to what looks like suicide bomber level, and indeed people felt more cheerful, danced more and so environmental fragrancing may be expected to have a positive effects on club revenue. And so innovative nightclubs are already inviting aroma jockeys to smell the places up.The business community caught whiff of this and thought hey, maybe we can get our secretaries to type faster. And it worked! Improved performance on clerical tasks associated with the administration of peppermint odor. They also used an electronic memory device to measure memory, Milton Bradley’s Simon —remember that? But it didn’t work. Still, if the scent of peppermint can increase typing performance, what about athletic performance?In an age where athletic competitions are frequently won or lost by mere hundredths of a second, athletes are continually looking for new ways to excel in their sport. They threw some collegiate athlete onto a treadmill and piped different smell into their nostrils, and those on peppermint reported feeling less fatigued, more vigorous, less frustrated, and just felt they performed better. But did they actually perform better?The first study was just about the psychological aspects of athletic performance. This study measured actual performance, and participants were able to squeeze out one extra pushup before collapsing and cut almost 2 seconds off a quarter mile dash with an odorized adhesive strip stuck to their upper lip. Interestingly there was no significant differences in basketball free throws. They think the reason is that free throws actually require some skill, and all the peppermint can do is really improve athlete’s motivation. If an athlete does not have the skill to make the free-throw, increasing the level of motivation will merely result in a more motivated athlete who still does not have the skill to make the free-throw.Unfortunately follow-up studies were not able to replicate these results, showing no beneficial effect of smelling peppermint on athletic performance, so how about eating peppermint. The effects of peppermint on exercise performance, measured before and after 10 days of drinking bottles of water with a single drop of peppermint essential oil in them. And all their performance parameters shot up, churning out 50% more work, 20% more power, and a 25% greater time to exhaustion. With improvements across the board in all those fancy physiological alphabet soup parameters that all the exercise geeks love, indicating increased respiratory efficiency. They attribute these remarkable results to the peppermint opening up their airways, increasing ventilation and oxygen delivery.Now you can OD on the stuff. Some woman tried chugging a bottle in an unsuccessful but nearly successful suicide attempt, but a few drops shouldn’t be toxic. I’d rather see folks blending fresh mint leaves in water rather than using the oil, kind of like a mojito without the rum and sugar.Now heavy mint consumption may lower libido. There are reports of men drinking 4 cups of day of spearmint or peppermint tea losing their sex drive, though that may improve athletic performance even more—helping to keep their heads in the game. Because of the antiandrogenic, researchers decided to try it out on hairy women, and in a matter of just 5 days were able to drop their free testosterone levels by about 30% with two cups of tea a day. There’s actually a syndrome called PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, which can result in abnormally high testosterone levels in women, which can successfully be brought down with mint tea.	Is it possible that the benefits we see from a plant based diet are simply the benefits of eating whole foods vs. processed?If that were true, then the paleo diet should show the same or similar benefits. In the literature, it doesn’t even come close. This can also be refuted by studies that look at vegans, who often consume a lot of processed foods, but no animal products. While many vegans eschew processed foods, most do not. Whole Foods admits that 60% of their sales are vegan junk foods. Again, if it was just processed vs not, processed-food eating vegans wouldn’t have better health outcomes than whole food paleo folks.Yea, I figured just wanted to ask because I was thinking about it. For the record, I am a vegan and have been for 2 years. Thank you RKNGL.Sorry if I came across as brusque! It’s not a bad question, and one well worth bringing up. Cheers.Maybe if all of the men of the world drank some peppermint tea every day we’d live on a safer and more peaceful planet.That probably has as much to do with how females choose who is attractive and worthy, as it does with the males their drive to stand out from the crowd. Two sides of the same coin. Wanna solve world peace? Louie ck has a suggestion but you are not gonna like it ^^: http://youtu.be/Ohbv6haI1aQHilarious! Love Louis CK, the blunt reality! LOL!Some are God’s instrument but this soul, from this video, is Satan’s instrument. It is the best, in all this circus show, how crowd are laughing at his spoken words of non-sense and his words of disregard of others. Even by watching and hearing those abominations, some poor, skinny, un-informed so called smelly guy could take his life because he can’t stand to live his life without even touching boobs on some female body or can’t have regard for himself because there is no a single being in this world, who could touch his genitals. But world doesn’t know that just single souls are those more lucky souls who have settled majority of their karmic debts so now, when all we live our last lives, they live freely, not totally, indeed, because the worst bondage is that bondage of the mind but it is better for the human soul to have only that subtle bondage in it’s mind then to live with also that subtle bondage and also with that real, physical bondage with a partner with whom they, those degraded sinner souls do that monkey business. Poor brother souls. Lustful souls will pay the highest price at the end. They even can’t imagine why our the Spiritual Father, God, says that His children are now worse than monkeys. For example, the souls who reside in the male bodies, they just received, from God, their genitals to be touched by the hands of other human beings! You may think about it! This is complete ignorance. Also, we received our lips not to do dirty things with them (which exclusively sinners do), but we got them to speak sweet words of respect, words of eternal spiritual wisdom to other brother souls, also that we give a smile to others. Did you hear a term, a lotus lips? Only such lips give happiness. People are all turned upside down. It is visible from, again, this video that the end is near and that so many will get what they deserve. This soul who wrote this text every day is writing and writing the God’s message everywhere on the internet but one such ignorant soul as this up above makes huge damage in just a half hour of it’s circus show. They say, The knowledge is might! But those souls, from up above, out of some deep reasons, don’t have a right to it. So pity.Well o.k., thank you for that, I never looked at it that way, I feel much enlightened. Indebted to you for proving some points.Dear brother soul, do you know that your name, only written a little differently “Aryan” means “a reformed one” so this your brother soul hopes that God will definitely find you in this world where ignorance and sorrow rule for so long. But all that is finishing now. Thank God! :) Regards BRAHMA KUMARIS WORLD SPIRITUAL UNIVERSITY with GOD SHIVAROFLOL!!!I agree!Well, on second thought, if we ALL grew in our relationship with The Lord and truly put Him first the world would be what God intended it to be filled with peace, love understanding, grace etc!Oh dear god woman!What did you mean by your comment? Oh dear god woman!He may have been stunned by your arrogant proclamation that we could have world peace if everyone would follow your religious beliefs.These comments are not sticking to the subject at hand! I will not comment further. I want to be respectful to others!Thank you so much! Lots of different people use this website, from all kinds of regions and circumstances. It helps the comments be pleasant and productive when we can be respectful of that diversity.If anything I am always stunned by the ease with which religious people unburden themselves of all earthly reason and accountability. All for the sake of personal peace of mind, so they can enjoy their food without stomach upset.BRAHMA KUMARIS WORLD SPIRITUAL UNIVERSITY is the right place for the rare humble souls as you are, dear soul!Feminist bullshit. This is the wrong thread for your sexist delusions.I’m unclear – can you obtain the same results drinking peppermint tea as from using the oil or leaves?Useful for bearded ladies and lady boys ^^ Not so much for older men and gynecomastia vulnerabilities.You, it seems, imagined that you are God. Please, be silent, because by living in this dirty world you can’t extract a piece of wisdom from anywhere. Also, onion goes in the category of tamasic, impure food and it helps, if any, only to those who eat meat. That is Devil’s product. In that Paradise that is in front of minority of us, such smelly things even didn’t exist. So, please, in the name of that your Spiritual Father, God Himself and in the name of this your brother soul, save yourself and others by not spreading words that are not confirmed by God Shiva. Because, a return will be that of repentance. BRAHMA KUMARIS WORLD SPIRITUAL UNIVERSITY together with GOD SHIVAI wonder if this could help with hormonal adult acne. (When other dietary causes have already been eliminated, like dairy.)So it’s all good.Uh Oh! Does this mean that the 5 leaves of peppermint I put in my daily green smoothies is reducing my libido??Any suggestions on dandruff? I tried most of the common shampoos like Selsum Blue and etc nothing seems to really help. I’m doin ACV and tea tree now. It helps. Still really bad.Try Coconut oil. It has strong anti-fungal properties. Leave overnight and wash off in the morning.I know this sounds really weird but I wanted to cut back on chemical exposure (and costs) and was trying to experiment with eliminating shampoo, so tried the suggestion of using a tsp of baking soda in a cup of water instead, and “shampooing” with that, (no lather, just feels kind of slippery) and then rinse that out, followed by maybe another tsp or a bit more of cider vinegar in a cup of water, followed by a final rinse. The lack of lather feels disconcerting, but I was really surprised at how well it worked not only on my hair, but the dandruff problem I had for so long! I bet infusing the vinegar with some herbs noted for their specific benefits might help even more if you still needed it! Give it at least 2 consecutive tries, preferably more, and see if it helps! Serious!Baking soda is extremely alkaline, and this is damaging to your hair. The chemical bonds of your hair are breaking, then the vinegar (very acidic) is re-setting your hair by balancing the pH.Processing your hair with baking soda and vinegar is akin to any other chemical process, like relaxers, permanent waves, or haircoloring. And if you “shampoo” every day, that’s even worse.Before anyone moves to using baking soda/vinegar as their hair wash X times a month, please ask yourself if you would get a perm or color your hair that many times per month.Do you have any idea how many peppermint leaves should be blended with water to equal about one drop of essential oil?Just a question, although unrelated to this particular video… It’s known that absorption of certain vitamins and minerals (iron, calcium..) is limited to so much at a certain time due to various factors, one being the availability of transport proteins/carriers in the intestine. If these carriers can reach a transport maximum and become “saturated” then not as much can be absorbed at once, so therefore it’s better to spread out intake throughout the day rather than in one meal. Would this rationalizing apply also to phytonutrients such as sulfuraphane? Would it be better to spread out cruciferous vegetable intake rather than together in one giant salad for example?Cannot watch any of ur videos. Get a black screen with a message that says..oops this wasn’t suppose to happen…Are you using an older version of Google Chrome? My work computer has that, and the videos don’t play. I have no problem at home with my Mac Mini and Safari.No I wasn’t using Google Chrom as it is Safari on my new IPad. It was fine a day or so ago. It just occurred this morning….DianeSeems to be working ok now. Thanks….DianeIn case anyone is curious, I did the calculations, and a drop of peppermint oil is approximately 1/4 a cup of fresh peppermint leavesI wonder what other benefits have been proven with peppermint. Anybody know? I see from another video that they are very high in anti-oxidants.I use it for stomach problems sometimes, for some types of discomfort of the stomach it can be very powerful and fast acting. Its not suitable for continuous use though, it is to harsh an irritant for that.Sorry for my ignorance, I’m just learning about what constitutes a “good” vs. “bad” study. It’s my understanding that a randomized, placebo controlled, double blind study is the gold standard and that studies with few subjects (like two of the studies mentioned here; one only had 20 and the other 40 subjects) are not very “good”. Am I missing something with the studies cited here? Are they “good” studies or just “ok” studies?… Thanks so much!Hi Tara, I don’t think your question is an ignorant one in the least! I would agree that a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with the descriptors you mentioned offer plenty of benefits including the potential to infer causality. We can learn a whole lot from other types of studies as well though. One prospective study for example (note that this is different from an RCT) offered the scientific community a hint that perhaps vitamin E supplementation might increase the risk of heart disease in women, a helpful finding that encouraged further research. As Dr. Greger notes, follow-up research later confirmed that vitamin E supplementation “reduces healthy, illness free months from your lifespan.” So while RCT’s can be great, other types of studies have their place as well. I appreciate your curiosity about study design and hope this helps clarify things a bit!Great video! I usually have water with lemon in the morning to give me a boost of energy. I will definitely try this out with my peppermint essential oil!So does mint affect women’s libido as well as men’s?Can you please give me information about Maca Root and how it effects the body? Is it healthy? Is it safe? Is it actually good for hormones/fertility? What about PCOS, would it have a positive effect? I have PCOS, Insulin Resistance & High DHEA are my only known imbalances. I have read Maca will make me more masculine & I have also read it can cause heart palpitations & is a stimulant. I also read gelatinized is best, but concentrated. Please help.Hi Ava. Thanks for reposting your question. Maca root may be used to improve sexual function. In a petri dish there appears to be antioxidant activity. ​There seems to be some concern with psychological symptoms​ from taking maca. ​I am unsure how much is deemed unsafe. I would speak with your doctors about their recommendations for usage. We have information about women’s health on our site. I think you’ll find some valuable resources. ​ Lastly, one study The optimal diet for women with polycystic ovary syndrome?. The researchers conclude more studies are needed, but it appears “a diet low in saturated fat and high in fibre from predominantly low-glycaemic-index-carbohydrate foods is recommended.” ​. ​​Is there anything that can lower DHEA? Also, is there any information about the cause of PCOS? I keep hearing it is Insulin Resistance, but my Insulin/Glucose were only midly resistant, but my DHEA is three times too high. I don’t see Insulin as preceeding the high DHEA due to DHEA being so high and Insulin/Glucose not as bad. I have read about Spearmint Tea being able to lessen hirsutism in PCOS women, but by what mechanism? Does it lower a particular androgen or all of them? I also read both Spearmint and Peppermint tea are unsafe, is this true and what is the safe amount? Also, what about Saw Palmetto? I read it can cause sterility/impotence/permanent loss of libido. Is this true and were any of these effects reported by women? Does it lower all or a particular androgen? Thanks.Hi ava ~ I also have PCOS and I have found that changing my diet (cutting out sugar and meat and really reducing carbs) and getting more exercise, along with taking cinnamon tablets and sprinkling cinnamon in things often, has pretty much stopped my pcos! For me at least, the most important thing was to eat low glycemic. I don’t know anything about DHEA but it is an interesting connection that I would also like to know more about.I posted a lot of new information about PCOS on my Q&A page if interested. Thanks, Coir!Thanks Ana I posted what you requested on a new page about PCOS, if interested.Best regards, JosephIs there anything that can raise low estrogen and progesterone? Can Raspberry Leaf Tea do this? Anything else?Is there a difference between peppermint and spearmint? Specifically in regards to treating PCOS. Thanks a bunch.Hi, Cori. Not sure if you were asking me or the dietitian, but yes. Spearmint tea was shown to reduce hirsutism in women with PCOS. Peppermint has nothing to do with that study. I don’t recall if they just theorized the Spearmint lowered T due to the hirsutism reduction or if they actually measured. Surely they measured it.Thanks for your advice. Exercise and good diet hasn’t decreased my androgenic symptoms…at least not yet. I recently went low fat. I’ll see.For me, fat became my new friend. Maybe not saturated fat from animal products (although I do still use butter a fair bit), but lots of nuts and nut butters and olive oil and avocados ~ all those things helped lower my glycemic load and helped me feel full and less hungry. Usually when you take the fat out of a meal it spikes the blood sugar a little more. I think it is also really helpful to loss a little weight (I did not loose much, just a few pounds, but it helped a lot) Apparently all the wigged out hormones are produced in stored body fat. But we all have to find what works for us. Good luck! Thanks for answering my question!Hi Cori. I posted a lot of new information about PCOS on my Q&A page if interested. Don’t think there is a huge difference between the mints, but Ava is right is did not look at peppermint. It still may be a good choice.Is myo-inositol best for woman with PCOS to restore fertility?Hi Dr Greger, Whats your opinion on the safety with spironolactone as a treatment for hyperandrogenism? I don’t have high total or free testosterone , but I do have some of the symptoms of hyperandrogenism. I definitely see that a low fat plant based diet and exercise helps tremendously, but I don’t know if it will be enough to cure all the symptoms and how long it will take. I am considering taking spiro for a few months while working on diet and exercise and then weaning off of it. I was wondering how safe you think the drug is and if there is a rebound effect. I thought maybe bec. it blocks rather than reduces testosterone levels it may be better for me since despite having symptoms of hyperangrogenism my levels are on the low side. Thanks for this video (and all your videos) I drink spearmint tea and will now start eating mint leaves :)	aromatherapy,athletes,body odor,Europe,exercise,fatigue,herbal remedies,herbal tea,lung health,mint,mood,PCOS,peppermint,peppermint oil,sexual health,smoking,spearmint,suicide,tea,testosterone,women's health	Study finds remarkable improvements in exercise performance drinking homemade peppermint water, but there may be side-effects.	Sometimes aromatherapy may actually help, though:Beet juice can also enhance athletic performance. See the dozen or so video series starting with Doping With Beet Juice. Other ways healthy food can synergize with exercise:I use peppermint in my Pink Juice with Green Foam recipe and talk about using the dried in Antioxidants in a Pinch.Some other tea caveats, though:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppermint-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aromatherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-remedies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spearmint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/suicide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14738372,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3607906/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15302514,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19585478,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3546250/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3106157/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17310494,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20196473,
PLAIN-2495	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/	Never Too Late to Start Eating Healthier	A hundred years ago the New York Times reported on a rather sophisticated study for the time, 4,600 cases of cancer studied over 7 years, suggesting that the increased consumption of animal foods was to blame. A century later, the latest review on the subjects concluded that mortality from all causes put together, ischemic heart disease, and circulatory and cerebrovascular diseases was significantly lower in those eating meat-free diets, in addition to less cancer and diabetes.I’m surprised they found such significant results given that people in these studies typically didn’t stop eating meat until late in life. For example, in the largest study done up until that time, up to a third ate vegetarian for less than 5 years, yet they still ended up with lower rates of heart disease whether they were young or old—under 60, or over 60, whether they were normal weight or overweight, whether they used to smoke or never smoked, those that had stopped eating meat had lower risk, suggesting that decades of higher risk dietary behavior could be reversed within just years of eating healthier.If you look at countries that switched from eating traditional, more plant-based diets, to more Westernized diets, it may take 20 years for cancer rates to shoot up. It takes decades for most tumors to grow. For example if you look in Asia, their dietary shift was accompanied by a remarkable increase in mortality rates of breast, colon, and prostate cancers. For example death from breast cancer in Japan or from prostate cancer, the line just goes straight up, but again it can take years of a cancer promoting diet and lifestyle. Same thing shown with migration studies. Men moving from rural China to the U.S. experience a dramatic increase in cancer risk, but tumors take time to grow.So it’s remarkable to me that after most of a lifetime eating the standard western diet, one can turn it around, reverse chronic disease risk with a healthier diet, even late in the game.So, should we all start eating vegetarian? This was the editorial that accompanied the results from the largest study ever published on Americans eating plant-based diets that found vegetarian diets associated with lower all-cause mortality, meaning those who started eating vegetarian live, on average, longer lives. Now this analysis included so-called semi-vegetarians, who ate meat at least once a month (but no more than once a week), so it’s not yet clear how bad eating meat a few times a month is. What we can all agree on, though, is that we should limit our intake of junk food and animal fat, and eat more fruits and vegetables. Most authorities will also agree that diets should include whole grains, beans, and nuts. Instead of fighting over who’s diet’s the best, it’s time to acknowledge these common features of diets associated with less disease and instead focus our attention on helping patients avoid the intense commercial pressures to eat otherwise.	Biochemical systems can be the most seemingly ingenious, efficient, and sophisticated works of art. Like a finely choreographed ballet that’s been continually honed since our ancestors were nothing but primordial soup. When allowed to function as it should, the body has a remarkable capability for healing.This video reminded me of the analogy in Table to Able. It’s never too late in life to stop whacking your shin on the coffee table. Can you imagine being convinced otherwise, while the entire medical establishment does nothing to inform you of the “radical” alternative to your harmful behavior (or more accurately to inform itself of the alternative)? Unfortunately in our culture that attitude, that it can be “too late” when it comes to chronic disease, is far too prevalent. All the nutrition information in the world won’t make a difference if people don’t think their actions will make a difference. Great video with an important and often overlooked message.PBDs (plant-based diets) are a great start and fortunately, scientists are starting to unravel the important nuances. How you choose and use, including how you cook various plants, is key. Some plants have more health-promoting properties than others. Some may even be detrimental. New research on peanut butter, for example, shows that in lab animals, it helps cancers that are already in the blood to spread even further.https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/breaking-anti-cancer-news-ditch-the-peanuts-and-spread-the-word/How can we citizens help direct funds to the reputable scientists studying nutrition and disease? Shall we organize a campaign to lobby our leaders? Who wants to take charge?The best group at effectively advocating for improved nutrition among the politicians in Washington is PCRM. If you join they send out emails with links to send messages to legislators. They also provide expert testimony when able. Beyond that I think individuals can vote with their buying and eating habits. Keeping up with the best science is important so encouraging friends and family to subscribe to NutritionFacts.org will provide them with the best science on which to base their decisions.You’d have a hard time convincing Walter Willett at the Harvard School of Public Health that peanut butter is an unhealthy food.Lectins! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! (Hiding in the corner cowering in fear.I think you are referring to Lectoids from Planet 10, not Lectins! :)Haha!!! Good one.Being afraid of lectins which are eaten in abundance in the centenarian-rich Blue Zones is just about as silly as fearing fictional creatures from the 8th dimension.When i read Harriet Sugar Miller’s post i make a quick (very quick) search and found out that there are many studies in vivo about potential prometastatic effect of a component of peanut, but there was another article focused on epidemiology and the results were the opposite.So as usual i think that this is another issue to search better.But it’s really strange to me that peanut could help cancer.Aflatoxin is a real problem, a mycotoxin from a fungus which can affect more than just peanuts.http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AflatoxinThe toxin can also be found in the milk of animals that are fed contaminated feed.Dietary context has s bearing here, as does age. In fact, Dr. Campbell observed the incidence of liver cancer was higher in Philippino children of more well-to-do parents whose diets included greater amounts of animal products and fewer plant foods.My flippancy about lectins in peanuts comes from the unreasonable position of Paleo gurus who indict all grains and legumes as unhealthful because of their lectin content. Cooking deactivates these so-called anti-nutrients, so make sure your peanuts have been roasted.I know that. :-)Wow! Great find on peanut butter. My current jar will be my last.Great! More for me!!Bear in mind, peanuts also contain cancer preventative compounds like β-sitosterol. Moreover, only some cancers express MUC1, the cell surface molecule that forms aggregates with peanut agglutinin. So this news may have more relevance to those with diagnosed metastatic cancer.Yes, as I pointed out in my comment above and in the article I wrote, the news is particularly relevant to those with metastatic cancer. The authors of the peanut study also point out that their research is relevant to all cancers that originate in epithelial cells (which account for 85-90 percent of cancers, they say.) As a survivor following the precautionary principle and weighing the likelihood as well as gravity of risks, I’ve ditched the peanut butter.That is reassuring as I think I am about as cancer-proof as one can get with respect to lifestyle. I bounced over to Pub Med and did find a fair number of studies regarding aflatoxin in peanuts. However I further read that, at least as of 2011, there had never been a case of aflatoxicosis reported in the US. I think I’ll continue to enjoy my Kirkland (Costco) organic peanut butter.And the study being refered to isn’t even published yet if I read it right. I will hold judgement until I am able to read it.It has been published. Here is the link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25326505Thank you Harriet. Yes it appears from this study that if you have metastatic cancer it is not a good idea to ingest peanut butter. Nice find for those with metastatic cancer.I do think a problem can occur from this message if people take this to mean peanut butter is bad for everyone. Trust me….we will read that somewhere based on this study.Almond butter is so much tastier. Would not like for it to be found detrimental to health.I just returned from visiting my mother-in-law who has terminal ovarian cancer. She has always been a big consumer of animal products, especially butter and ice cream. The whole family is overweight. Several have diabetes and are classified as disabled and unable to work. My husband and I who have been vegan for over 10 years are healthy and thin. They just will not make the connection because they are afraid of change and not enjoying their regular comfort foods. It was very hard to see my mother-in-law consuming milk shakes and in the hospital they gave her milk to bring up her blood sugar. Her diabetes is also out of control. All my husband and I can do is set the example and give the facts about nutrition when appropriate. Hopefully, some of them will start to think about their health and maybe later in life make the needed changes.BB, thanks for sharing. I hope your good example helps motivate your loved ones.Leading by example is a great first step. Dr. McDougall has articles in his newsletters that can help… see Dec 2009 on diabetes and Nov 2009 on blood pressure. Folks on medication need to work with their physicians. PCRM has excellent resources for patients with type 2 diabetes. It would be nice if physicians would inform patients that it is possible to stabilize, reverse and cure chronic diseases such as diabetes. You might show them some NutritionFacts.org video’s pertinent to their individual situation. You might start with… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/. Good luck… it is frustrating to watch loved ones eating themselves to poor health. I had the same experience with my parents.Dear Dr. Forrester, this site offers hope to millions of people who have sickness from lifestyle and makes some specific recommendations for treatment for diabetes: hibiscus tea, cinnamon. flax seed meal, amla, beansThule has produced another list of recommendations from this site: Indian Gooseberries (amla), coffee, soy, flaxseeds, green tea, pulses (dried beans), Chamomile tea, purple potatoes, sprouts, whole grains, vinegar, beansThis site also makes some recommendations for high blood pressure: beets, hibiscus tea, seaweed, grapefruit, beans. brazil nuts, whole grains.Thank you,MatthewTaking fenugreek supplements (it’s a spice) with a little bit of exercise could really cut down on body weight.@MatthewIf you are referring to me, I must say I don’t remember giving any specific list of recommendations, but anyway everything you recommend is a great idea.Still I would always take cocoa over coffee. :)(I seem to be allergic to coffee, and never was a fan of it anyway) Also from a health point of view cocoa is vastly superior, in particular raw cocoa.No such thing as raw cocoa, it’s a sales gimmick. In order for cocoa to have the flavor it has it needs to be cooked.Actually to develop the flavour, it needs to be *fermented*, not cooked. Cocoa can be processed at very low temperatures, so for all purposes can be keep raw. Yet the fermentation process takes a toll to the total amount of antioxidants.And yet they remain sky high, an integral part of the best food in the world. :)When we discuss the information from nutritionfacts.org, the family members take it in and do add some healthy foods, but they won’t give up the toxic foods. It is habit, tradition, and they love their comfort foods. They are convinced they must consume dairy products and meat and their doctors are not telling them anything different. My mother-in-law’s doctor told her she was healthy enough to take the chemo and possible surgery. I felt that was irresponsible and unethical. She has had diabetes and heart disease for decades. If a doctor did sit down with her and explain the harm of animal products and direct her toward a healthy plant-based diet, she might follow his directions, but she is not getting that advice, just drugs and more drugs.Hi Don, i agree, in my experience though there are more psychology issues and cognitive behavior that prevent a person from those choices and making steps to right choices. Beliefs are of most importance and trust even more so, I have found that Genesis 1.:29 and 3:18 to be very convincing and now today all the science confirms this right choice. God bless, WymanYes, but unfortunately there’s Genesis 9:3.My grandmother, her daughters were obese, all died from diabetic complications. They went blind, had their feet and then their legs amputated. Like your mother in law, they never stopped eating their comfort foods. Cooking with lard, plenty of salt, sugar in everything. It took a terrible toll on their lives and they paid with their lives. Heart Attacks, diabetes, terrible skin conditions, size 20 dress. They became a burden to their families, themselves and society. Their legacy was interrupted because their children did not follow in their footsteps. The example of the terrible effect that their diet had on their lives, turned their children into very health conscious adults. The daughter of my aunt, Margaret, who cared for her mother when her mother went blind and had to have her left leg cut off, scared Margaret. She radically modified her diet and the diet of her children. Incorporated lots of vegetables, fruits, etc. She told me, at her mother’s funeral, that she just did not want to go through that or have her kids go through it.What a powerful testimony, Gadea! It sounds like the children were deeply inspired by their parents’ illnesses and wanted to create a better future for their kids. It’s unfortunate we must endure so much pain and suffering for our loved ones; however it gives me hope younger generations are learning and creating healthier lifestyle choices.Thanks for sharing! Best to you and your family. JosephThank you. Their diets and the havoc it wrecked in their lives, was a lesson to us all. What you eat is really what you are. All that illness, suffering could have been averted if they just fell in love with vegetables,stopped all that sugar, salt and lard. But they didn’t listen and paid with their lives.Dear BB, for cancer (or at least cancer prevention) this site recommends fenugreek amla white button mushrooms nori strawberry black raspberry flaxseeds matcha walnuts pecans peanuts cranberry lemonade apples rosemary tumeric with pepper ginger cloves garlic beets kale collards tomatoes carrots broccalli brussels sprouts chamomille dandelion hibiscus matcha white tea with lemonI hope you will recommend some of these foods to your mother-in-law. One-quarter of those who get cancer will change their life style upon diagnosis. For many of them, it is an effective treatment plan that adds years to life. The only effective treatment plan for you is the one you are on. I hope you will use any of these foods for health with the consult of the oncologist. Particularly fenugreek, flax seed meal, garlic, broccoli, kale, spinach, beets, walnuts, pecans, chamomile tea, have been effective in vitro at treating cancer.Matthew, you forgot BROCCOLI…huge cancer fighter! ;-)Thank you, I should have included Broccoli, correctly spelled. Broccoli was recommended by this site as the number one most effective treatment for those on cancer for reducing cancer incidence, recurrence, and extending lives. Broccoli could extend lives of many cancer patients, according to this link. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/even bigger then that, GARLIC!! But Matthew is amazing how he can remember and organize info.Thank you, excellent list.Too bad they don’t know they are addicted to their foods…Then perhaps they could simply begin adding live foods to their regular diet and then at some point the live nutrient dense foods would begin to crowd out the crap. Keep being an example!How many meet the simple 7 is a broken link. fyi.Looks like missing dash (-) after “How” and “Simple” in the URLFixed. Thanks! :)After my Mother was diagnosed with colon cancer and thankfully survived, my best friend was sadly not as lucky, I decided to really take control of my own health and adopted an organic and vegan diet years ago and feel amazing. I found that so many Doctors don’t treat the cause, but treat the symptom thus creating more toxicity in our bodies so this is wonderful to see this information and the change in the medical industry. In addition to what we put IN our bodies, I hope in the future Doctors will also guide us to using only safe products ON our bodies as our skin is our largest organ and absorbs up to 60% of what we use on it. With that said, most people use 8-12 products daily and since the US bans only 11 ingredients from our Health & Beauty products all that work of eating right needs to be in conjunction with using SAFE products. There are some great options, but I personally joined Beautycounter after much research as they work directly with The Environmental Workings Group to provide the safest and most effective products and I can also get most of what I need for myself and family in one place with an estimated 25 more products currently in development to release this year(deodorant and hand soap topping the list). Please steer people towards safe products and feel free to send them to karenpearl.beautycounter.comKaren: Good for you for taking your health into your hands!Since you mentioned products used on the body, I thought I would share that I have been experimenting with home-made deodorant made out of baking soda, coconut oil, and some kind of starch filler like corn or potato starch. Some people have reactions on the skin to baking soda. So, then you may have to combine the home-made deodorant with swabbing your underarms with vinegar first or the night before.What I can say so far is: The home-made stuff I have been using for the past 4-5 months is at least as effective as normal deodorants/antiperspirants that you get in the store, and a bazillion times more effective than the “natural” (aluminum-free) store bought products I have tried.Just a thought for you. If interested, do a search on “coconut oil deodorant” and you will get ideas for several variations on the recipes. I put mine in an empty store-bought deodorant container and so I get convenient application too!I am only using natural products as far as is possible (by the way, for anyone reading this, natural products, like argan oil, rosehip oil and a few others, are far better than any commercial creams — they don’t get the same promotion than commercial products, because they cannot be patented) Instead people get stuff with Hyaluronic Acid, which is being used pretty much in everything, and worse, is being injected as filler in cosmetic surgery… Which is for me beyond belief, people don’t know/don’t care about this?In some cancers, hyaluronan levels correlate well with malignancy and poor prognosis. Hyaluronan is, thus, often used as a tumor marker for prostate and breast cancer. It may also be used to monitor the progression of the disease.[10][11]As shown in Figure 1, the various types of molecules that interact with hyaluronan can contribute to many of the stages of cancer metastasis, i.e. further the spread of cancer.http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Metastasis.jpeg/800px-Metastasis.jpegHyaluronan synthases (HAS) play roles in all of the stages of cancer metastasis. By producing anti-adhesive HA, HAS can allow tumor cells to release from the primary tumor mass, and if HA associates with receptors such as CD44, the activation of Rho GTPases can promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of the cancer cells. During the processes of intravasation or extravasation,the interaction of HAS produced HA with receptors such as CD44 or RHAMM promote the cell changes that allow for the cancer cells to infiltrate the vascular or lymphatic systems. While traveling in these systems, HA produced by HAS protects the cancer cell from physical damage. Finally, in the formation of a metastatic lesion, HAS produces HA to allow the cancer cell to interact with native cells at the secondary site and to produce a tumor for itself.[51]Hyaluronidases (HAase or HYAL) also play many roles in cancer metastasis. By helping to degrade the extracellular matrix surrounding the tumor, hyaluronidases help the cancer cell escape from the primary tumor mass and play a major role in intravasation by allowing degradation of the basement membrane of the lymph or blood vessel. Hyaluronidases again play these roles in establishment of a metastatic lesion by helping with extravasation and clearing the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the secondary site.[52] Finally, hyaluronidases play a key role in the process of angiogenesis. HA fragments promote angiogenesis and hyaluronidases produce these fragments.[53] Interestingly, hypoxia also increases production of HA and activity of hyaluronidases.[54]The hyaluronan receptors, CD44 and RHAMM, are most thoroughly studied in terms of their roles in cancer metastasis. Increased clinical CD44 expression has been positively correlated to metastasis in a number of tumor types.[55] In terms of mechanics, CD44 affects adhesion of cancer cells to each other and to endothelial cells, rearranges the cytoskeleton through the Rho GTPases, and increases the activity of ECM degrading enzymes.[56] Increased RHAMM expression has also been clinically correlated with cancer metastasis. In terms of mechanics, RHAMM promotes cancer cell motility through a number of pathways including focal adhesion kinase (FAK), Map kinase (MAPK), pp60(c-src), and the downstream targets of Rho kinase (ROK).[57] RHAMM can also cooperate with CD44 to promote angiogenesis toward the metastatic lesion.[58]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyaluronan#Role_in_cancer_metastasisRemember, we all have cancer cells in our bodies, I think little else needs to be said. And the industry not happy just putting this in the skin of hundreds of millions of people, is also being injected massively.I wonder how this is not common knowledge by now when this stuff is everywhere, I see it even in products that are labelled as “natural” :/Besides this, there is the matter of natural and vegan makeup, is out there too, but limited choice, at least where I am, but you take what you can.Thule: Great post! And certainly well taken by me. I am so often scratching my heat (when I’m not pulling hair and screaming) over what our society allows as non-criminal.Thank you Thea.What puzzles me is that no one seems to care, this is not some hidden information — you can see it right away with the most basic of searches, yet people only seems to care if this is “effective”. I am afraid the public is lulled in a false sense of security, thinking that governmental agencies would never allow anything dangerous to be commercialized; instead of taking care themselves. Pretty much what we see here every day.Interesting Thea, I have been just “dusting” with a mix of baking soda and cornstarch for years, but have been using the coconut oil as my go-to skin lotion, I’ll have to check it out! I also shampoo with about a heaping tsp of baking soda in a cup of water. I was very reluctant to try this because I have always had kind of an oily, flaky scalp and was convinced only “special” shampoos would suffice, but was really trying to cut the chemicals from my life. It was very disconcerting at first to have no lather or other feedback to convince me I was actually washing my hair, so I just went through the motions anyway. It did feel kind of “slippery”, but no suds. When I’m done I rinse as with shampoo, and then use at least a tsp of my own home made apple cider (rosemary infused) vinegar in the same 1 cup of water and pour that on like a final rinse, rub it in a bit and let it sit a minute, and then rinse it out under the shower. If you are into scented hair products I suppose you could add a few drops of essential oil to the final rinse, but I’ve been told afterwards by others my hair smells clean, not like a salad! LOL! I even brush my teeth with baking soda. The only “specialty” product I still buy and use is a mild glycerin soap, and though there may be ways around that too…I dunno how I’d feel about going totally no soap! It’s so funny, I share my home with a platonic male friend, and his bathroom looks like an advertisement for male toiletries…he has all kinds of various stuff everywhere from multiple bottles of shampoos, rinses and deodorants to shaving lubricants, skin lotions, liquid soaps, oral products, you name it! Not to mention all the various appliances and apparatus that goes with it! My “girl bathroom” the diametric opposite of what one might expect, looks spartan in comparison, with a jar of coconut oil, a pretty blue bottle of vinegar, a cute container with baking soda inside, another of cornstarch, and my toothbrush, taking up at most a square foot of space, and a clear bar of soap and 2 little stacked cups (add ingredients just before showering) that sit inside the shower! (Not that there aren’t books, magazines and asst clothes taking up space however! LOL) We always joke we are gender mutations because we don’t fit any stereotypes..(.which to me is a good thing!) The point is, we get so hung up in what we do by habit, but because of exposure to advertising. STOP! They want to make sales and money vs you want to be healthy and meet an end. Often these two objectives can be mutually exclusive! In my personal quest to remove chemicals and pollution from my sphere, I have learned that simple basic products are often much more effective, safe, versatile, inexpensive, easy, and sustainable. I live on a tight budget and it is liberating in so many ways and on so many levels to eliminate so many totally unnecessary products from my life!While I try to use natural products too, I am loyal to antibacterial soaps, I know the debate about they being good or not, but I just don’t trust washing hands with anything else. A few other products are convectional, but I try to go with as few chemicals as possible when the product is going to keep in contact with the skin for a long time.Thule, please do some more reading! At this stage of the game I think the only positive press that can be had for antibacterial products is by their advertisers. We are victims of a germophobic culture and are brain-washed. Pun intended! We are all here only because our ancestors did it right, prior to any of our amazing science! Antibacterial soaps are a huge scam that are not just ineffective, but can be outright dangerous. All the speculation aside about it increasing bacterial resistance, (which makes perfect sense because bacteria always find ways around whatever we throw at them) the fact is, it has been shown that they are no more effective than good old soap and water, just more expensive, with ingredients that have negative health implications,(just google triclosan and read the search titles) so why would you want to expose yourself to that? Oh, and it does NOT kill viruses, which are what most people are most afraid of! Too bad it isn’t nutrition related, I’d love to see Dr G do a warning on this stuff!When I was in the US yep, I certainly used products with triclosan, but the product I am using now, only have lactic acid as antibacterial agent. Lactic acid favor good bacteria and creates an hostile environment for the bad ones.The rest of the ingredients I see are pretty neutral, would be more worried in this would be something that would keep in contact with the skin for long period of time, like lotions or cosmetics.In the other hand I use a 100% natural toothpaste, even if I wanted to use something more conventional, I cannot. (My mouth reacts to them badly, I became progressively sensitive to them)Huge difference, glad to hear it! See it? Whatever!Charzie: Great addition to the discussion. Thanks for sharing other similar do-it-yourself ideas. I’ve already changed my shampoos and soaps to much more natural products, but am still buying pre-made stuff. That may be my next project.If you think your skin is big as organs go, you should see your gut lining. Your innards have the same area-wise capacity as a tennis court. That is the largest interface we have with our environment. Skin comes next.I’m rather disappointed by the occasional video that show the good doctors clear bias (even though I share that bias ;) ) The tag line says “Since many tumors take decades to grow it’s remarkable that cancer risk can so dramatically be reduced even late in life.” but the evidence cited for reversal of disease risk points toward reversal in cardiovascular disease risk, not cancer risk! The only cited study which is implied as saying cancer incidence is reduced by a switch in diet (Effect of the vegetarian diet on non-communicable diseases) for the most part shows only a minor improvement in hazard ratio of vegetarians and vegans of unspecified dietary history and only a moderate improvement for lifetime vegetarians. No evidence was presented showing a reversal of cancer risk.Interesting, Kal. Got links to the studies you have in mind?They are up in the sources cited tab by the video ^ Although, the full text of ‘Effect of the vegetarian diet on non-communicable diseases’ is only available to people that subscribe to that journal. Basically what I meant by minor improvement in that paper is around 8-18% less risk, and moderate was 23% less. Its just a short summary of numbers from other studies, like the adventists study. The abstract barely mentions cancer and the full text shows no reversal of cancer risk by change of diet, just lower risk in vegetarians and vegans.Eat a raw fruit based diet and you will reverse most cancer~ :Dmany fruits have a high glycemic index so how could that be good and like vegank said pancreatic cancer, which no doubt is sensitive to HGI blood suger, insulin probs etcThere is a difference in how the body deals with industrial sugar versus the same chemicals (i.e. glucose, fructose, sucrose(glucose+fructose)). To help understand this further see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/. The connection between industrial sugar and cancers may be due to the association of being over fat to cancers. So it helps to maintain ideal body weight. As recent science is showing there are many factors associated with being overweight ranging from hormones to viruses to caloric density.Thats totally wrong and against science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRbj3n-1CUMI am wondering if cancer of the pancreas can be preventable in the same way.Greater consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grain products, nuts, and green tea, and lower consumption of doughnuts, candy, and soft drinks have been associated with a lower risk of pancreatic cancer. Mother was right.yes mom’s are always right !I like to think in terms of avoiding rather than preventing. It is all about lowering risk. Agree with eating correctly and the points made but other lifestyle considerations include not or quitting smoking, avoiding exposure to carcinogens (e.g. whole food plant based diet is important here) and avoiding heavy consumption of alcohol. Pancreatic cancer is something best avoided. The treatments are getting much better with the efforts of researchers such as Dr. Vincent Picozzi.Yes I like the term avoiding better , it is much wiser! My father was the post war generation and probably went for excess in terms of eating rich food, smoking and drinking as well as over-working because they went through childhood in semi starvation. Then at age 60 it caught up with him, he was not obese before, but seeing him reduced to a stick like figure dying from pancreatic cancer put me right off alcohol and smoking. It was sad to lose him so early and so quickly (within 6 months from diagnosis) but it was an unforgettable lesson in terms of the choices we make. What I am wondering is, if it is known yet in the medical world whether someone could have a genetic make up which makes him/her susceptible to or have the disposition to develop pancreatic cancer if they are exposed to the wrong things , but stays “dormant” if they live a healthy life style, to put it in layman’s term. There were other men of my father’s generation who had a similar life style but didn’t develop pancreatic cancer (Although they probably developed something else). My paternal grand father on the other-hand lived a much more traditional and healthy/active life style, and didn’t die from pancreatic cancer . My paternal grand mother did even better, she did not consume meat or dairy, didn’t smoke or drink, was active and lived independently right up to her late 90s.This site shows that the vegan diet is good at preventing pancreatic cancer, as are legumes, dried fruits, and veggie burgers. For the cancer, this site recommends tumeric with pepper, fenugreek (it’s in the cited source on the video on fenugreek), nuts, beans, matcha, berries, whole grain, fresh fruits, and veggies.My grandmother, her daughters were obese.They all died from diabetic complications. They went blind, their feet and then their legs had to be amputated. First one leg, than the other leg. They were wheelchair bound, using adult diapers. Skin discoloration, their legs were purple. So fat they could not take a bath without help. They never stopped eating their comfort foods, plenty of White rice, cooked with salt and lard. Roasting Pork Roast in the oven. They especially loved the crispy crackling pork skin. Liberal use of salt and sugar in everything. Plenty of butter, lard. Fried pork chops, steak, chicken with the skin on. It was really gross.In the last decade of their lives became a burden to themselves, their families and society.Not only did they get diabetes, my grandmother also got Alzheimer. She could not recognize anyone, not even her own children.They never made the connection between their carb, salt, lard rich diet, lack of vegetables,fruits and their size 20 dresses.Very fortunate for us, one of her daughters, my mother rejected that way of eating. My mother threw out the white rice, instead used brown rice and in small amounts. My mother served spinach, dandelion roots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, onions, squash, radish, beets. My mother used raw garlic, onion, dill, oregano to season meat. Never fried anything, broiled everything. She also made meat a small portion of the meal, not the center of the meal. Plenty of oatmeal, oat bran, plain yogurt. She brought strawberries, bananas, blueberries and blended them into yogurt. Threw out the salt and sugar, just did not buy it so it was never in the house. My mother gave her children a gift, the gift of knowing that what you eat affects your body, your health. I buy nothing without reading the label and that is my mother. I taught my children the same way and they in turn taught their children. The example my mother set, has made a very positive difference in my life and the lives of my children and the lives of their children. Because we followed her example and taught it to our kids. What you put in your mouth has a direct affect on the state of your health.This video shows that it is never too late to benefit from a vegan diet. Is there any way to fake it or get some of the benefit until you’re ready to make the plunge to not eat meat? To balance out meat consumption? Dr. Greger has another video that shows being a vegan longer is better. This site recommend beans, nuts, matcha, berries, whole grains, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and cocoa. Maybe nori sheets, mushrooms, flax seed meal, amla, dark chocolate, and walnuts in particular can help improve heart health while anyone eats meat. This site, world’s healthiest foods, http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php, has a list of the healthiest plant foods, each of which should be eaten several times weekly. The video has an editorial asking if we should all of us be vegetarians? Evidently, with some the data, the answer is yes. If you are not able to, perhaps you should consider being married, going swimming, going to religious services, mediating, flossing, or doing any of several activities that each alone add ten years to your life, like being a vegetarian.In his book, “Whole”, nutrition researcher Dr. T. Colin Campbell says that he believes up to 95 percent of all cancers can be prevented by eating a whole foods, plant-based diet. He believes that only about 5 percent of cancers are caused by genetics, and the remainder caused by the western diet, smoking and other lifestyle factors. He found that cancer promotion can be turned on or off by certain foods. So there is hope that cancer growth already present in the body can be halted or reversed by diet modification. Obviously there is a lot more research that can be done in cancer prevention or treatment through diet.I wonder if I’m reading this right? The Adventist Health Study found that:Vegetarians in general had a Hazard Ratio (HR) of 0.88 compared with non-vegetarians (omnivores), meaning they had a 12% lower chance of dying. Specifically:Lacto-ovo vegetarians had a HR of 0.91, indicating a 9% lower chance of dying, compared with omnivores. Vegans had a HR of 0.85 (indicating a 15% lower chance of dying, compared with omnivores). But…Pesco-vegetarians had the lowest HR of all: 0.81, indicating a 19% lower chance of dying, compared with omnivores.So the way I read it, it’s best to be Pesco-vegetarian, then vegan. Being Lacto-ovo vegetarian is only about half as good as being Pesco-vegetarian.Must be the Omega-3 and Vitamin D in the fish?In Dr Greger’s 2003 video, entitled, Forty Year Old Vegan Dies of a Heart Attach, he explains research findings to explain why vegans were dying at a higher rate than meat eaters, from all causes. It’s a long video and I wish he’d make a short version. But it comes down to taking B12, a balanced ration of 1:4 or less of omega-3 to omega-6 fats, B6 and folate (although not the synthetic version: folic acid). The video is available on youtube at this link or by searching youtube for the title. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04Thanks. I already watched this video–in fact, it was about the second video of Dr. Greger’s I watched, after the 2012 summary (Uprooting the Major Causes of Death).What’s particularly revealing about these Adventist statistics is that:1. Vegans did quite well, compared to Lacto-ovo vegetarians and omnivores, indicating that Omega-3 and Vitamin B12 are not such big issues anymore. Perhaps word has gotten around to the vegan community that they should ensure they’re getting adequate amounts of these two nutrients. (Probably wise to include Vitamin D here as well).2. Pesco-vegetarians did so much better than L-O vegetarians (0.81 compared with 0.91 HR). Part of the reason may be in the definition. Some studies term somebody a ‘Pesco-vegetarian’ if they eat not only fish, but eggs and dairy products–in other words, if they’ll eat anything that isn’t meat (e.g., beef, pork) and fowl (e.g., chicken, duck, turkey, etc.).But it’s possible to call someone a Pesco-vegetarian who only eats fish (fin and shell-fish) among all animal products–in other words, someone who abstains from meat, fowl, eggs, and dairy. That variety of vegetarian probably eats more fruits & Vegetables and less saturated fat & cholesterol than other types of vegetarians–let alone omnivores. So there would be a logical reason for the Pesco-vegetarians coming out on top–they get the best of both worlds. The only question in my mind is: How Much fish? One serving a day? One serving a week? One serving a month?It no doubt depends on the individual’s needs.If I remember correctly there was something about DHA , i.e. Vegans need to take vegan DHA as well as the other things mentioned.Is it not possible for strict vegans to make their own DHA (convert it from ALA)? I read somewhere on this blog that if you have the proper amt. of Omega-3 relative to Omega-6 fatty acids–what mbglife was talking about with the 1:4 ratio–, you’d be able to make this conversion internally. If you are eating too much Omega-6, you wouldn’t.Maybe that’s an oversimplification?I think I also read that getting DHA from animal sources–say, from a fish oil supplement–hurts our ability to manufacture our own DHA.It seems that there are views out there that although vegans can get DHA and EPA by eating a wide variety of whole food including nuts etc. On the other hand, some think that we don’t always make enough of our own. Because DHA and EPA is so important for our brain function , I choose to take supplements because I try to be a strict vegan for health reasons. This research below shows the symptoms of DHA deficiency , and how imperative DHA is for health and brain function. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2838627/Another good read I found was http://www.drfuhrman.com and some articles at nutritionfacts.org. too. It is possible to get vegetable sourced DHA , made from lab grown algae (so there are no toxins) from Amazon or any other online pharmacy. I have not looked up EPA but it is probably available too. I hope this helps.It is pretty much entirely wrong to interpret the results as having the credibility that you have given them. There is a reason why the study limits its conclusions to a claim that vegetarian patterns were associated with better outcomes than the nonvegetarian pattern in this cohort. They simply do not have the statistical power that they would need at this time in order to comment confidently about which vegetarian groups are doing better than others:“This analysis is limited by relatively early follow-up. If dietary patterns affect mortality, they may do so with moderate effect sizes, via complex pathways, and with long latency periods. Early follow-up analysis may thus have bias toward the null, and true associations may remain undetected. Observed mortality benefits may be affected by factors related to the conscious lifestyle choice of a vegetarian diet other than dietary components. Potential for uncontrolled confounding remains. Dietary patterns may change over time, whereas the analysis relies on a single measurement of diet at baseline. Caution must be used in generalizing results to other populations in which attitudes, motivations, and applications of vegetarian dietary patterns may differ; dietary pattern definitions used may not reflect some common uses of these terms.Further study of the possible association with mortality of specific foods and nutrients that characterize the different diet-pattern groups is a major future goal of the AHS-2 study. Later follow-up may yield more statistically robust results; allow direct comparisons between vegetarian groups and enable subgroup analysis, particularly by race/ethnicity; and allow for analysis by more specific causes of mortality.”If you really want to conclude that it “must be” the fish, you not only need to attribute unusually high credibility to the given HR estimates, but you also need to unpack the various differences between the vegan and pesco-vegetarian groups and show that the fish is likely the most powerful effect. The dietary information which they present is too sparse at this stage to tell us what accounts for the differences between vegetarian groups.I agree that the population was not statistically large enough and that there are too many potentially confounding factors to make a straight dietary inference from this study alone. However, as these results pretty much affirm what we already knew from other epidemiological studies, that have shown that populations consuming more fish and less saturated fat (e.g., the Japanese) generally were longer lived than their meat and dairy-eating counterparts in similarly developed nations, I think it is fair to assume that being Pesco-vegetarian is more healthful than being Lacto-ovo vegetarian, and that any type of vegetarian would be better off than an omnivore. Of course the latter result might be attributed to what Taubes refers to as the ‘Girl Scout effect’–namely, that people who are careful enough to avoid eating meat probably are also careful to avoid most other harmful behavior–so they probably smoke and drink less, do Yoga, meditate etc.This all came up in his review of the Harvard Meat and Mortality Study–the principal investigator of which was Walter Willett, who is on the record warning about meat, but not fish. Of course Dr. Greger has warned us of the environmental toxins in fish, so it’s important to realize that fish is potentially harmful, and should not be consumed in great quantities, or perhaps very often. But at least it apparently WAS healthful, as reflected in epidemiological studies. Either one gets uncontaminated fish or eats it very sparingly, I suppose. And we should also consider the environmental impact of our fish consumption, and the dwindling fish stocks in the ocean. I can certainly understand the impulse to become 100% vegan. But I don’t think that eating one or two fish meals per month is going to break the (environmental) bank. But would that be enough, or do we need the artificial sources of DHA, EPA, etc? We probably couldn’t get enough B12 unless we ate fish at least a couple times per day, though only very small amounts of shellfish would be necessary. Since many people living in temperate climates already need to supplement their Vit. D, it probably makes sense to also supplement B12, and perhaps DHA as well.If they are truly following the Adventist guidelines the only fish eaten would be fish with both fins and scales. Shellfish is prohibited because it is a scavenger.“But at least [fish] apparently WAS healthful…”This invites an all-important question in nutritional epidemiology. It was associated with health when compared to WHAT?One thing that the 10-year-followup did show with about 95% confidence is that combined mortality for the vegetarians seems to be better than that for non-vegetarians. This is significant because in context some of the usual “Girl Scout” confounders are not available to explain this difference. The entire population is health-conscious in the sense that they avoid smoking and drinking at very high rates.I also wouldn’t be so certain that this Adventist 2 vegan cohort is in accord with basic recommendations for implementing vegan diets healthfully. For example, take this 1999 study of vegans (mean age 36) connected with Loma Linda University. In a sample that has been fully vegan for only 4.2 years on average, 10 out of 25 showed some sign of B12 deficit: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/70/3/586s.fullIf you want to see what some of their cooking class recipes are have a look at the link below. Some people eat healthier than this but this is the main stream stuff. Full of soy margarine, oils, vegan sour cream etc products, vege burgers, franks, sausages. A lot of processed junk. There is a lifestyle center in California that is after the McDougall model diet called Weimar but most people think that cutting out oil is really radical and not necessary.Each week on 3ABN you can find delicious, healthy, vegan vegetarian recipes presented by talented cooks. Below is a collection of recipes from our 3ABN Today cooking segments. http://3abn.org/recipes/Thanks for the link. Interesting study, though very tiny sample (45) and some arbitrary exclusions–e.g., they didn’t include anyone who exercised more than 7 hrs/wk, drank more than 7 drinks/wk, smoked, were > 20% over ideal body weight or older than 60, etc. Not sure what we can conclude from this small study. 40% having B12 deficiency after 4.2 years average abstention from animal products sounds scary, but remember–many of these same people had been vegetarians for 12 years on average prior to becoming vegans and only 9 (out of 25) of them took B12 supplements. I’m sure that lots of vegetarians also aren’t getting enough B12 unlerss they supplement. In fact, since we can only absorb about 1.5 mcg. per meal and need about three X this amt. daily, probably lots of omnivores are deficient in B12. Ironically–pace Gary Taubes–it was the omnivores who tended to take supplements (7/20) more than the vegans (4/25). So maybe the omnivores were the ‘Girl Scouts’ here?I never gave much credence to Taubes’ Girl Scout effect, since not only this Adventist study contradicts it, but the Harvard Meat & Mortality study to which Taubes applied this epithet explicitly took account of all kinds of factors: not simply smoking, drinking, and drug use, but for example the education level of spouses. It was a pretty thorough study, and quite huge (millions of person-years), therefore highly significant–unlike this very small Adventist study.It is noteworthy that so many of the vegans (9/25) were extremely slim (BMI < 19). I'm not sure this healthy. A 20 year old with a BMI of 18 is fine, but with a 40 or 50 year old, there could be something wrong. One can be TOO thin, and optimum BMI's (associated with the lowest mortality rate) are generally located between 20 and 25 until age 65 or so, when being slightly overweight (e.g., BMI of 26) seems to confer lower mortality status. Not sure why this is.I meant that eating fish used to be healthful before the oceans and streams got so polluted with toxins. I say 'healthful' because it was associated with longer lifespans, relative to populations that ate more meat/dairy (e.g., almost all Europeans and N. Americans) and also longer relative to populations which mainly ate vegan out of economic necessity (e.g., most of the poor in developing nations). True, many of these poor vegans probably died prematurely from infectous disease, and so are a poor comparison.Bottom line: I think vegan eating probably is best for most people, given a reasonable variety and attention to nutrition, and it is certainly the best for the environment. But the optimum amt. of fish consumption may not be zero, since large populations around the Mediterranean and Japan seem to thrive on it. However, due to both environmental and pollution concerns, it should be very limited, I think. There doesn't seem to be any need or justification for meat, fowl, or dairy except in very small amounts or very occasionally unless we are living in Arctic climates.Dr. Greger…Would you kindly set a time frame for how long minimum-to-maximum time frame it takes for plant food lifestyle to reverse health issues. Sidebar: Esselstyn’s research points to a minimum of 30-months to reverse cardiovascular pathology when the whole plant food lifestyle is strictly followed. Your thoughts sir!I am also interested in this question. Dr. Greger frequently sites Dr. Ornish, whose research reports regression after one year on this diet. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=188274 The longer the better, the sooner the better. Dr. Greger has also sited research that there are immediate health benefits from quiting smoking, and after say 20 years, the health damage is eliminated. I think the plant based diet is just as reassuring, perhaps more so. The idea that one piece of meat a week is so damaging to health perhaps is cutting into the benefits from a mostly plant based diet.According to this video, the benefits of a plant based diet are in as little as 12 days. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/The pilot trial evidence is that plaque reductions are visible during angiography after 1 year (in the 1990 Ornish study) or 2-5 years (in Esselstyn’s first study) of a very low fat plant based diet. However, case reports from these and other lifestyle medicine doctors report that symptoms of angina (chest pain) and claudication (leg or arm pain during moderate exercise) are dramatically reduced within weeks, and the dramatically reduced incidence of cardiovascular events in those first years suggest risks are reduced even before plaque reductions become visible.The modern consensus on the cardiovascular disease is that the major danger arises not because plaques progressively occlude the artery, but because the fibrous cap of even minor plaques can rupture, with the cap flopping into the stream while spilling contents and clot forming agents downstream. Sometimes the precipitating cause is unaccustomed physical exertion or even emotional stress, but the weakening of the plaque is caused by inflammatory activity of immune cells (macrophages), which release compounds like proinflammatory cytokines like IFN-γ which inhibit collagen formation, or proteases like MMPs and cathepsins which digest the collagen matrix of the cap. These processes are essential to the tissue remodelling of wound healing, but deadly when they occur in a coronary or cerebral artery.Many medical interventions that reduce cardiovascular risk do so at least in part by reducing inflammatory signalling, and low fat, plant based diets appear to do the same. Partly this is due fewer dietary inflammatory compounds like saturated fats and endotoxins, partly its due to modulating gut microbiota, and partly because a number of plant compounds, particularly polyphenols and isothiocyanates in berries, citrus, cocoa, spices and cruciferous vegetables, inhibit inflammatory signalling at a cellular level.When everyone is eating more and more meat …shall soon die out the chimpanzee.The population explosion and the famine on earth has also led to the breeding of animals solely for consumption. Genocide, the accelerated extinction of species, and Ecocide, large environmental damage are the consequences.Dr Greger is a brilliant life style medicine doctor. He translates very well with modern insights to the general public what Albert Einstein already have told before.“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”— Albert EinsteinI cannot access any of your videos. The screen is all black and blank. Not just video but all of them. Thanks	animal fat,animal products,Asia,beans,breast cancer,cancer,cardiovascular disease,chronic diseases,colon cancer,diabetes,fruit,grains,heart disease,Japan,junk food,legumes,meat,mortality,nuts,plant-based diets,prostate cancer,rectal cancer,smoking,standard American diet,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Since many tumors take decades to grow it’s remarkable that cancer risk can so dramatically be reduced even late in life.	How amazing the human body is if we just treat it right! This reminds me of videos like Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Disease or How Many Meet the Simple Seven? where simple changes can lead to tremendous differences in health outcomes. So please don’t allow the perfect to become the enemy of the good. Any movement we can make towards improving our diet can help. Though the earlier the better: See Heart Disease Starts in Childhood and Back in Circulation: Sciatica and Cholesterol.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22682827,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23836264,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23965907,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23364007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22677895,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3916854/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22357483,
PLAIN-2496	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-raisins-good-snacks-for-kids/	Are Raisins Good Snacks for Kids?	Raisins, like all fruits, have a variety of health benefits, but dried fruit is higher in calories per serving than fresh, so might they contribute to weight gain? This study helped set people’s minds at ease. Men and women assigned to consume a cup of raisins a day for six weeks were able to successfully offset the consumption of other foods in their diets such that they experienced no significant change in weight or waist circumference. What about in kids?Leave it to the California Raisin Marketing Board to dream up a study like this. An after-school snack of raisins lowers cumulative food intake in young children. Sounds good, right? But that’s compared to potato chips and chocolate chip cookies. They gave kids raisins, grapes, chips or cookies and said they could eat as much as they wanted and, surprise surprise, kids ate less fruit and more junk, but I guess naming the paper Kids Prefer Cookies would not have garnered the same kind of sponsor approval.Reminds me of this study they did. Regular consumption of raisins may reduce blood sugar levels…compared to fudge cookies and oreos. Or how about this one: Raisins were found to cause less of a blood sugar spike than coca cola and candy bars. Though you can tell it was not funded by Big Raisin by their conclusion, whether the general public should be advised to snack on fruit rather than on candy bars requires further debate and investigation.Comparing raisins to chips and cookies was similarly unhelpful. This is the study I was expecting. Nine to eleven year old boys and girls were told to eat all the grapes or raisins they wanted 30 minutes before a meal in which they could eat all the pizza they wanted. If you just gave them the meal, no snack, they ate 837 calories worth of pizza. If you gave them all-you-can-eat grapes before the meal, they ate 128 calories of grapes, but that seemed to fill them up a bit so they ended up eating less pizza. But because they ate the snack and the meal they ended up getting more calories over all. Still, grape calories are better than pizza calories, but check this out. When given raisins instead, they ate even more snack calories, but the raisins were evidently so satiating, so filling that they ate so much less pizza that they ate fewer calories over all.Now I know as parents there’s a concern that if our kids eat snacks it might spoil their dinner, but when the snacks are fruit and the meal is a pepperoni and 3 cheese pizza the more we can ruin their appetite, the better.	Raisins are great, but not for your teeth. They coat the teeth with sticky sugar film that does not come off. Major brushing has to follow…Good point. Overall oral health is supported by plant based diet… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/ and for periodontal disease… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/. Periodontal disease less of concern for kids then caries see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/ for information on drinks. I will try and run down video on timing of swishing vs brushing teeth.Thanks to Dr. Greger for helping me find the video I was looking for… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/ Take home message best guess is swish mouth with water after consumption of acidic foods and brushing about 1 hour after meals seems reasonable until new science comes out so keep tuned…Dr. Forrester: I was wondering if we might update that advice to “swish with green tea”? (instead of water) The video you are referring to in your post immediately above (concerning citrus) was released long before the more recent video which talks about the best mouthwash being green tea (a video which you referred to in your first post). And the video about swishing with water is just speculation to begin with. A “best advice so far” that is not based on studies. So, why not recommend swishing with green tea instead of water? After seeing the latest video on the green tea mouth wash, I was thinking that it superseded the earlier video about swishing with water for acidic foods. Not true?I’m just trying to figure out if I’m missing something. (ie: green tea is also acidic? and so swishing with tea immediately after meals hurts more than helps in terms of enamel erosion??? So here is how we reconcile the two pieces of advice…) Or do we really just not know and we can take our pick on which advice to follow???Any thoughts?Green tea is antimicrobial, but also a little bit staining. Some context is required, I would think.Actually raisins may not contribute to tooth decay. They even contain a variety of antioxidants that inhibit the bacteria that cause cavities. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23789933You’d think, wouldn’t you? But turns out not to be the case–have a video coming out on it. Stay tuned!How about “Dr. Greger Raisin Toothpaste?”The GL for 1/4 cup of raisins is approximately 19. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2050/2That seems really high. What do you make of that?Major brushing? A little coconut oil and some baking soda takes care of that quickly. Enjoy the raisins.In reference to ruining your appetite, if you want to also ruin your appetite for meat you could read everything on nutrition facts.org (gently ruins) or watch the documentary Earthlings (disturbingly ruins)- warning! Not for the faint-hearted. I made my children watch this so they could understand where their fast food and meat comes from. (Get the Kleenex)Great piece of showing how some “science” is portrayed.Hi Jim, Nice post hope things going well. Another good movie which you might have seen is Cowspiracy which comes at the diet issue from the Environmental angle. Have a healthy and successful 2015.Good to hear from you too! Thanks about Cowspiracy, I’ll check it out. Happy and successful 2015 to you too!Our local Eat Smart, Live Longer has shared the Cowspiracy video with about 100 of us and everyone took to heart the message conveyed.HemoDynamic, thanks for the suggested Earthlings documentary. At what age do you feel the edited version is appropriate?I would say it is an individual judgement but I showed my children at ages 11 and 13 (now 16). My 11 yo that is now 15 is still mostly Plant Based. The hardest thing I have found with both my kids is Pizza (Cheese) even after showing them Dr. Gregers Mite/Cheese Eduvideo (Edudeo?) ( http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/ )At least you are influencing them by providing them the best information. I can’t think of how many soccer pizza parties I held when I was coaching youth soccer when my kids were young… they are now in mid to upper 30’s. Working on your grand kids through your kids and their spouses is a different challenge… fun but also not always successful. I like to point out to my patients who have trouble giving up dairy that they are just suffering from addiction. Marketing by cheese industry classifies 40% of consumers either as cheese cravers or cheese enhancers. Casein (main protein in dairy) is metabolized to 8 casomorphins which are absorbed. Meat and sugar have been shown to release endogenous morphine like substances in the brain. A good book for those interested in a broad overview and specific references is Neal Barnard’s, Breaking the Food Seduction. For my patient’s who really have trouble with decreasing or eliminating dairy I advise them to read, Whitewash. Or you could take another tact in influencing their habits such as… if they are athletic and don’t want to have mucous interfering with their breathing show them.. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/ and of course an ace in the hole is to take advantage of the adolescents distain for acne by showing them… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/ with the added knowledge re: mTORC1. A good resource resource for navigating peer pressure at any age is Doug Lisle’s DVD presentation, Getting along without Going along, one of the three presentations on his DVD, The Pleasure Trap, available via John McDougall’s website. Back to my soccer coaching days… I try not to be too hard on myself for the things I would have done different in the past since most of the science supporting the best way to eat has come out over the last 20 years. Just another reason for folks to subscribe to NutritionFacts.org to keep up with the latest in science. Good luck with working with your teenagers… always a challenge.Thanks….my grandkids aren’t old enough yet but I will save this for future. And yes, cheese would be the hardest for them too.Are there any foods we can eat that increase levels of Brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF)?A report came out today showing that increasing BDNF can greatly help the brain, heart, energy, mood, etc.Really? And you are already convinced? Can you cite?http://www.livescience.com/49420-mind-body-protein-bdnf.htmlI’m not convinced but this report I read today, and it makes me wonder if certain foods or even avoiding certain other ones might help increase BDNF. I remember some of the notable regulars on this website chatroom of ours here mentioning BDNF in the past.I see that caloric restriction can do it, and maybe certain vitamins, nutrients, foods.Lion’s Mane medicinal mushroomFoods rich in flavonoids such as dark berries, type “flavonoids bdnf” in Google Scholar for more info. Generally foods rich in flavonoids (while not necessarily studied in regards to bdnf) are tea, cocoa, red wine, berries, nuts and beans, fruits and vegetables (often colorful) – most of the healthy stuff. Also perhaps most reported way to increase levels of BDNF is to exercise (aerobic type, data on anaerobic is very limited). Generally I get a feel that BDNF is rather tightly negatively related to brain inflammation and oxidation, so here you go…Here is an interesting report about how saturated fat raises oxidative damage reducing BDNF and how vitamin E protects BDNF level from falling: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-9568.2004.03246.x/abstract;jsessionid=8348A493B8D52C9DCC34E4452C0FE01C.f04t03?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false.Animal studies indicate diets high in saturated fat and refined sugar reduce BDNF (1, 2), while similar diets also appear to cause cognitive decline in humans (3). Supplemental DHA (4) and curcumin from turmeric (5) appear to normalize BDNF, while exercise (6, a synergy with DHA 7), learning (8), caloric restriction (9) and for those that need them, antidepressants (10, 11) are all linked to preserving BDNF levels.Just the opposite. Fasting increases BDNF.I think I head this through the grapevine! LOL! ;-)Seriously … I can’t believe they are spending, probably overspending, so much money on these kinds of studies …. just to create a misleading headline … guess that’s just America.Unbelievable where the money go for research – raisins vs junk food! It is very heartbreaking to watch that in regards to children who don’t know better… we have 4 little ones ( 11, 9, 7 and 3 ) and we try our best to feed them plant based diet, no junk and we take one day at the time, everyday… very challenging process – so far the most challenging in our lives but I won’t give up.HemoDynamic, thanks for the suggested Earthlings documentary. At what age do you feel the edited version is appropriate?Dr. Greger claims every study that doesn’t agree with his personal agenda is fixed and every one that agrees with his agenda is accurate. Word is that he got completely demolished by Chris Masterjohn in a debate in regards to his claims and the fact that Greger didn’t even understand the studies he was critiquing.There must’ve been a rematch that I don’t know about because the debate I heard had Dr G splattering every bit of b.s. that came out of Masterjohn’s mouth. Admittedly I was laughing so hard after Masterjohn’s “beta carotene is not harmless” line that I did actually miss a few minutes of the debate.I saw your post and was curious about this interview so I just listened to it. Demolished? Hardly. I thought both parties made good points, were respectful toward each other, and spoke intelligently.To say that Dr. Greger’s opinion doesn’t evolve with new data is completely inaccurate. I’ve watched a number of his videos in which he updates or changes position on various foods based on new studies.If you’re posting as a troll, at least be honest about your agenda.To get a sense of Masterjohn’s qualities as a scientist and educator with respect to dietary fat and cholesterol see plantpositive’s very informative video Cholesterol Confusion 5 Cholesterol Is Necessary for Life 22: http://plantpositive.com/22-cholesterol-confusion-5-cho/ . It’s a bit long (28 min.) but well worth the time to examine closely. In my opinion Masterjohn is quite disreputable, perhaps incompetent if not downright dishonest.Thanks for sharing this. What baffles my mind is how this guys ever even became considered an authority in nutrition? I guess if you tell the masses what they WANT to hear, you win every time. Especially if you have a personal anecdotal story as proof.I love organic raisins as a snack. There is something perfect about them as they are both satiating and satisfy any sweet cravings, keeping me away from desserts and junk.Well done and witty! Appreciate your insights! Weird that my daughter had what appeared to be an allergic reaction to raisins when she was young – eventually grew out of it. Is this common?please, Dr. Greger, when are you going to get on board with the fuller story with articles such as this which potentially speak to such a large and impressionable audience? — people trying desperately to zero in on the important subjects which need to fuel our personal life changes. This was another perfect missed opportunity to address the other (albeit more controversial) elephants in the room such as alerting parents to the FACT that grapes (raisins), unless USDA Certified Organic (or home-grown without harmful chemicals) are ranked #3 on EWG’s Dirty Dozen list of contaminated produce sold in the US. It is not easy to get on this list People! And EWG does not test for all the agricultural and other chemicals which are bioaccumulating in our food stream and bodies! This is what is behind the skyrocketing respiratory disease rates, serious reproductive incapacities, increasing cancer in younger people, Autism and other cognitive, mood, perceptual disorders — we have known for decades there is a direct link to pesticides in foods, and that the end result is species destruction – the bees are the “Canary In The Coal Mine,” and we need to pay attention. Conventionally grown grapes/raisins is not a safe food and this is the story which should have been told — Grapes are so saturated with harmful agricultural chemicals that it trumps the good fiber, antioxidants, and potentially healthful phytochemicals….so discussions about tweeking kids’ calories through snack feeding schedule changes is not so important, is it? Why go down the rabbit hole with the mental gymnastics of glycemic index or comparisons between tomato lycopene vs. grape flavanoids — consider the out-of-control agricultural practices used on grapes! This again, distracts people who are seeking real help with the avalanche of “information” coming at us — we need help to order by real importance, our food and health change priorities. If, out of literally a thousand produce items that have been studied by EWG’s expensive testing lab, the FACT emerges that the THIRD most harmful produce food we should NEVER eat if conventionally grown, is the little box of raisins we give to our little kids, then why would this not be the most important story to publish? The level of saturation of known harmful chemicals has reached a critical mass stage on this, our Only Planet. We are at a critical stage of our survivability as a species. The primary cause of this threat is the fact of our continued unabated increase in chemical contamination and exposure to all living things. We are bombarded from morning to night with misinformation, irrelevant information, and lies. We need your superior intellectual and technical resources and capacity to hlep us plow through it all.Ariel: Here is one quote from Dr. Greger on the topic of conventional vs organic:“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.” from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/The above quote does not address all of your concerns about conventional produce, but it points to some evidence which puts the issue into perspective. Your perspective seems very different. Do you have evidence to back up, for example, this statement?: “Grapes are so saturated with harmful agricultural chemicals that it trumps the good fiber, antioxidants, and potentially healthful phytochemicals.” Is that a gut feeling or do you have studies to back it up? While I disagree that this video was off target, I do agree that the topic of conventional vs organic is very important and worth keeping an eye on. So, if you have some studies to share, I would be very interested in general. Thanks.thea, you too miss the entire point of me bothering to speak in this way through this important food and nutrition platform. Dr. Greger continually opts to avoid controversial subjects for fear of being further marginalized as a pseudo-scientist. It frightens me that you do not seem to actually understand what is being said to you when someone directly points out the science-based facts, as reported via the EWG platform – it would be your job Thea, to go to that site, study the point being made by this contrarian reader, then go to Dr. Greger and present the opinion I have given. The opinion I have given does not involve the facts about contamination of grapes! It involves the wasted resources – nutritionfact.org platform, expended to discuss things related to raisins which just don’t stack up in importance. To reply to me that in some other article somewhere some time ago, that Dr. Greger (again) failed to get it right about the widespread contamination of agricultural chemicals and what is destroying life on the planet, is further evidence you are just not connected, paying attention, or your own misplaced loyalty is getting in the way of your scientific education. Granted, Dr. Greger has his business model, and it is to consistently choose non-controversial topics – to wit, todays focus on raisins in the way he has, while avoiding the most glaring information which literally millions of American adults need to realize. The amount of chemicals in CONVENTIONALLY GROWN grapes trumps the importance of them as a legitimate food source for anyone, much less little kids. And by the way, when a food gets on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list it means something, then when it is CONCENTRATED by processing such as the making of a raisin, that means even more! This is similar to the FACT of how agricultural chemicals in conventionally grown apples (conventionally grown apples are the #1 on EWG’s list of contaminated produce item in the US Food system) will CONCENTRATE when turned into a juice. How you and Dr. Greger do not know, or refuse to understand the significance of this is unfathomable. This is the universally agreed upon reason why no thinking caring adult would choose to NOT purchase Certified Organic Apples for any mode of consumption – and the same applies to grapes, although they are #3 on the death list of known carcinogen foods. Imagine the moral choice being made – not the financially expeditious choice – this should have been the story! The ubiqutous box apple juice that 99% of American kids drink nearly daily is just another version of the same discussion for grapes/raisins –apples are the #1 produce item contaminated and that is out of 1000+ items tested, grapes are #3. Your insistence that I prove something, that I do the work, is precisely why I wrote to you in the first place. EWG’s work matters and is for the world to use, certainly Dr. Greger would appreciate someone pointing out this glaring lapse in his research and publications.Ariel: I assure you that I have done nothing to come between you and Dr. Greger. Dr. Greger reads many (if not all?) of the posts. The NF Team helps out the site by participating in conversations, but we never bring specific posts or issues directly to Dr. Greger’s attention. He reads the posts himself. So, no worries. He just can’t respond to the majority of posts given constraints on his time.I was prompted to respond to your post so that you would feel heard. Also I thought you might appreciate my response because you may not have known that Dr. Greger had already addressed your issue.Note: I am already familiar with EWG. I have read a great deal on their site in the past and refer people to them all the time here on NutritionFacts. Last I looked at the EWG site, though, they had no references on their FAQ page to back up their claims linking the eating of conventional crops to human health problems. (It may be there and I just missed it?) That’s why I asked if you had any such studies. I wasn’t criticizing you. I was asking an honest question. I wasn’t insisting you provide references. I was just asking if you had any. There’s nothing wrong with you expressing an opinion. I was just wondering if you had more than an opinion.I’m sorry you feel that I don’t understand your point and that my post came off as criticism. I hope you understand that reasonable people can understand each other’s points, but still disagree with each other. I agree that the real environmental problems due to conventional crops (and the eventual consequences on human health resulting from environmental issues) need to be addressed by society. But my opinion is that the scope of *this* site is to point out those studies which are relevant in showing direct links between consumption of food to human health. Environmental and other ethical topics are generally outside the scope of this site. This has nothing to do with missing grand opportunities nor shying away from controversy. That’s just my opinion. I understand that you feel differently.thea, I think the reason why Dr. Greger’s topics and writing fails to include so much of the cutting edge of outside science is that he (apparently) feels too comfortable referring to the cutting edge of conventional medical research publication platforms. Professional ostracization is rampant and ruthless in American medicine and health care for the conventionally trained M.D., and Dr. Greger is trying to survive like everyone else. But by sticking too much with the mainstream research platforms, will automatically restrict subjects to non-controversial outcomes (to stay too cozy with industry). Whatever stories he has put together about ways the food industry hurts us, that story idea was already covered in alternative news often years ago, and he misses (such as this raisin story and failing to incorporate EWG’s findings into all his writing) the most important contributions he could make to mainstream America, which are researched and published via the non-mainstream self-healthcare platforms. How do I dare to say this? Because I am also constantly reading a dozen other “nutrition facts” type of websites, newsletters, AP-platform stories, and they also cite their sources, and I have never seen Dr. Greger draws from these truly cutting edge research opportunities until the story hits mainstream research facilities, year(s) later. By that time, it has been re-hashed, abused, discredited, and “un-proven” (such as the pesticide-autism connection) by multiple industry financial empires or the story is now simply old news, and there is already a product on mainstream retail food shelves! Dr. Greger needs to take a look at just what his niche is in – if his goal is to speak to the mostly conservative, risk-aversive doctor who will read and thank him for helping with today’s story because of his avalanche of reading material (that all doctors are confronted with — Continuining Education service for mainstream doctors), or if he wants to really serve the public interest and choose to collaborate and cooperate with the many other food and nutrition researchers and writers who are doing the next generation of Food Education that I thought nutritionfacts.org started out to be. We are at the precipice and Dr. Greger is failing to understand the magnitude of the problem, and clearly reflects an intellectual bias in favor of mainstream science. Far too much of his work and topics have degenerated into academic nit-picking on lower level topics which are presented with more effort put into the clever language than the original thought of what the average non-scientific American needs him to process. I say this because so many other Health Advocacy Writers, with much less education, are doing a far better job weeding through the noise and putting together original science-based stories on the most relevant topics to the average non-medical person. They are also not spending so much time pouring over the conventional medical publications. The cognitive bias is a non-issue if Dr. Greger’s target audience is his peers.Very well, and kindly put, Thea! Rants are not useful in general, but you have a gentle-yet effective way of asking for evidence backing up such global statements.Thus even rants can be triggers (int the right hands) for new learning including helping people learn to ask themselves what evidence backs up their own opinions and those of others. This can liberate us all.It would be so nice if we could have a site that expresses, curiosity, explanation, requests for clarity and information on even tangential topics without the anger and fervor that diet issues often give rise to. Thank you for helping to keep this site so very informative and interesting.Gayle: Your feedback is so very much appreciated. What you wrote is exactly what I was trying to do! Thanks for taking the time. :-)Pointing out ill-conceived and misleading studies seems to be a mainstay of your research. I think this is exceptionally valuable work because it alerts even the less informed how studies can be used to support any argument provided the study is designed to do so. The media seems especially gullible and often use well published studies as real news items, without doing any research at all. You on the other hand and in direct contrast put in the work to make sense of often technically complex issues. You have my continued admiration for offering up honest information which really is intended to help us make good choices.You are a devious man Dr. Greger, suggesting parents manipulate kids appetites while they are kept none the wiser! Thanks for the laugh! :)NF Team, please enforce the “Common Etiquette” rule. Rants and personal attacks are offensive. I can see this discussion devolving into a contest of who gets in the last word.I have not in my life seen better and more respectful moderation, towards differences in opinion or level of informedness ever anywhere. From hyper focused experts to high school drop outs, if you want to voice concern or have any question or any statement at all it seems you can post it.How despite of that they maintain a respectful environment seemingly without scrapping comments left and right is a bit of a mystery to me. As someone who habitually gets into trouble with censors, fallout of my pathological incapability of keeping my trap shut, I can’t say I’ve been limited much here at all. And I have been highly critical on a lot of things on this site, I assure you! Still never been gagged that I am aware of.With disqus moderation on this site I cannot seriously find any fault at all, quite the reverse I think the people responsible for this are doing a exceptionally good job. And they deserve credit because of it.Off topic: We just visited a wonderful video on preventing macular degeneration and tried to follow a link to “alternative healthy eating index” of which we had not previously known. The link did not work. Does anyone know about this index? Thank you!They’re doesn’t seem to be a standalone Healthy Eating Index, but this seems to be the main info page about it: http://appliedresearch.cancer.gov/hei/I assume this is what you are referring to Gayle? Or maybe there is another Index that has the “Alternative” word in it??Thank you, Scott. This looks like what Dr. Greger might have been referring to.Dr, Greger has recommended golden raisins, dried apples, and dried pomegrantes seeds. He said he eats the first two of the three daily as a snack when on the go. One snack box a month of raisins can help pregnant women, according to this site. He also recommends garlic and nori sheets to pregnant women. The March of Dimes recommends beans or folate or folic acid supplements, such as from oranges. This site says to eat one cup of berries a day, as does “Superfoods Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life” by Steven Pratt and Kathy Matthews and that can include some raisins. Did you know that dried apples may be very cancer preventative? I am very interested in the brain healthy diet and have collected some links for long health Web MD Brain Healthy Diet: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/eat-smart-healthier-brain Dr. Oz Longevity Prescription: http://www.doctoroz.com/article/dr-oz-longevity-prescription “Superfoods Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life” by Steven Pratt and Kathy Matthews http://www.superfoodsrx.com/products/superfoodsrx-books/superfoods-rx.htmlThese resources all gave some common advice. Did you know that the diet of prisoners and prisoners of war is supposed to be something that would make them live longer? It seems to be a by law of the U.S. Constitution. No one knows what they would use for such food. You using resources such as these and this site, could come up with that diet. Sometimes they feed prisoners nothing not knowing what that diet would be. That’s worse! I think some common elements include beans, nuts, whole grains, tea, chocolate, berries, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables.Is there any research on whether peanut butter is more nutritious than whole peanuts? If so could you do a video?Okay, odd question here. Does anyone know how our prehistoric ancestors teeth fared? (Before the invention of tooth-brushing?) I realize they showed more wear from the tougher plant fibers and perhaps didn’t always have the ultimate in nutrition or the longest of life spans, but here’s what got me curious. I’ve noticed after 50 something years of being exposed to and owned by pets, mostly cats, that periodontal disease is not, unfortunately, a rarity in them either, though they seem to lose teeth rather than suffer cavities. When I lived in the city, the feral cats who scavenged human leftovers looked mangy and had horrible teeth…though I don’t make a habit of prying open feral cat jaws, the missing teeth and abscesses are painfully obvious! Yet, in the woods beyond the rural area I now live in, where the cats hunt and feed themselves, all the cats, even the older ones we’ve trapped to spay and re-release, seem to have remarkably sound choppers! They even look healthier than the “city” cats, maybe slimmer, but with clean shiny coats. Though I love them all, the braver ones that come to homes to be fed by domesticated humans maybe should run the other way! Why does it seem that the more “domesticated” a species becomes, the sicker it gets?Turkana boy died of an infected socket -> septicemia. Interesting topic.http://australianmuseum.net.au/How-do-we-know-how-they-died/I think it was Barnard who pointed out that 3 species of animals commonly get type 2 diabetes: humans, dogs and cats. get it? I’d bet the same 3 have similar oral health issues. But how much did early humans suffer without refined foods?Coacervate: re: “I think it was Barnard who pointed out that 3 species of animals commonly get type 2 diabetes…” Dr. Lisle (in his talk How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind) says that there are only three animals on the planet who are overweight for our species – yep same 3.Thank you Thea. I was so amazed by Doug’s artistry that I forgot his nameoOYou made me laugh. :-)Thanks Coacervate, interesting article in that it also helped answer my question by stating: “This individual was unusual because ancient humans rarely showed such significant dental decay, probably because human diets were generally low in sugar until the beginnings of agriculture about 10,000 years ago.”I found the article following it interesting also, about the woman who died from a painful condition of being “Poisoned” by Vitamin A. They said she consumed too many carnivorous animal livers! (Another plug for veganism… or that carnivores will get you one way or another? LOL) Your comment about the 3 species also applies to other diseases including obesity, heart disease, skin, respiratory, digestive and psychiatric disorders, etc.. I reiterate… domestication comes with it’s perks, but good health isn’t necessarily one of them! Obviously, that doesn’t have to be true though, quite the opposite! That’s what this site is about! Thanks doc!If you take that a bit further, as self-domesticated animals, the “newly affluent” humans SHOULD be expected to go through a phase in their continuing evolution when they suffer from these metabolic life-style diseases. It is only natural that they fall into the pleasure trap as they reward themselves, minimize energy burn and avoid pain. Then after a few generations they start to smarten up. Those big fat cerebrums slowly start to twitch and they impose intelligence upon their self-satisfied emotional reptile brains. I am sure a day will come when historians explain the sad story of the “era of the Flesh Eaters” to a revolted and disgusted public. O! happy day.Meanwhile my assignment on this most unbright cinder continues ;)Snacks are not good for kids . Teachig childre how to eat imply also to master hunger ad not snack .My sister-in-law is a teacher at a rural elementary school in central California, the area mentioned in the video. Apparently to relieve parents of the burden of actually having to feed their children, all the kids are given breakfast and lunch. As in most well-intentioned government programs, waste is rampant. Whatever is not eaten, or in essence ignored, must be thrown away and this consists mainly of the fruits and vegetables. My sister-in-law, who started out in life as a migrant farm worker, hates to see such waste so she occasionally breaks the rules and brings some of the food home. As a result I have lots of little boxes of raisins.I think many of us share your sister-in-law’s concern. Food waste is a huge issue in this country and worldwide. It is especially troubling because we “subsidize” so much of the food that ends up in the trash. To save your sister in law some trouble down the road, have her contact her school district to inquire about connecting with a local food bank to come and pick up their leftover food. Most food banks will gladly pick leftovers (packaged and unpackaged) items from schools. There is zero liability thanks to the “Good Samaritan Food Donation Act” and how the food banks operate. Also, have her check out this “video” to get some ideas on how to get kids to eat healthier foods with less waste. :-)“the more the we can ruin their appetite, the better.” I want an inspirational poster of this	blood sugar,California Raison Marketing Board,calories,candy,Coca-Cola,cookies,dried fruit,fruit,grapes,industry influence,junk food,obesity,pizza,potato chips,raisins,soda	The California Raisin Marketing Board need not have funded such misleading studies given the healthfulness of their product.	Raisin marketers aren’t the only one’s trying game the scientific method. Check out:How to help get our kids to eat their fruits and veggies:More dried fruit studies (my fave is dried mango):	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raisins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pizza/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cookies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potato-chips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california-raison-marketing-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23789934,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3541564,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23789935,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24393750,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21745628,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2329638/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23713530,
PLAIN-2497	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/	Plant-Based Diets and Diabetes	Decades ago we started to get the first inklings that a plant-based diet may be protective against diabetes. Studies going back half a century found that those eating meat one or more days a week had significantly higher rates of diabetes, and the more frequently meat was eaten the more frequent the disease. And this is after controlling for weight. Even at the same weight, those eating more plant-based had but a fraction of the diabetes rates, and if anything, vegetarians should have had more diabetes just because they appear to live so much longer so had more time to develop these kinds of chronic diseases, but no, apparently lower rates of death and disease.Fast forward 50 years to the Adventist-2 study, looking at 89,000 people and we see a stepwise drop in the rates of diabetes as one eats more and more plant-based, down to a 78% lower prevalence among those eating strictly plant-based. Protection building incrementally as one moved from eating meat, to eating less meat, to just fish, to no meat, and then to no eggs and dairy either.We see the same thing with another leading killer, high blood pressure. The greater the proportion of plant foods, the lower the rates of hypertension. The same with excess body fat. The only dietary group not on average overweight were those eating diets composed exclusively of plant foods, but again this same incremental drop with fewer and fewer animal products. This suggests that it’s not black and white, not all or nothing, any steps one can make towards eating healthier may accrue benefits.Followed over time, vegetarian diets were associated with a substantially lower incidence of diabetes, indicating the potential of these diets to stem the current diabetes epidemic.What about eating a really healthy diet with just a little meat? Is it better to eat none at all? We have new insight this year from Taiwan. Asian diets in general tend to be lower in meat and higher in plant foods compared with Western diet, but whether a diet completely avoiding meat and fish would further extend the protective effect of a plant-based diet wasn’t known, until now.Traditionally, Asian populations have had low rates of diabetes, but a diabetes epidemic has since emerged, and appears to coincide with increased meat, animal protein, and animal fat consumption, but the Westernization of Asian diets also brought along a lot of fast food and junk, and so these researchers at the national university didn’t want to just compare those eating vegetarian to typical meateater, they compared Bhuddist vegetarians to Bhuddist nonvegetarians, eating traditional Asian diets. Even the omnivores were eating a predominantly plant-based diet, consuming little meat and fish, with the women eating the equivalent of about a single serving a week, and men eating a serving every few days. That’s just 8% of the meat intake in the U.S., 3% for the women. The question is it better to eat 3% or 0%?Again, both groups were eating healthy, zero soda consumption, for example, in any group. Despite the similarities in their diet, and after controlling for weight, family history, exercise, and smoking the men eating vegetarian had just half the rates of diabetes, and the vegetarian women just a quarter of the rates. So even in a population consuming a really plant-based with little meat and fish, true vegetarians who completely avoided animal flesh, while eating more healthy plant foods, have lower odds for prediabetes and diabetes after accounting for other risk factors. They wanted to break it up into vegan versus ovo-lacto like in the Adventist-2 study, but there were no cases at all of diabetes found within the vegan group.	What i feel is wrong with some of these studies is that they group all vegans together. Vegans fall into two very different groups. Wholefood vegans who do not eat processed foods and other vegans who still eat junk food, processed food, etc. It would be very interesting to see studies done for diabetes and other diseases where junk vegans and wholefood vegans were seperated. As you video states at the end when studying wholefood diets, the vegans in those studies had no incidents of diabetes at all.My personal view is that if it needs a label on it to say it’s vegan then it’s junk food and not edible. An apple doesn’t need a vegan label.Just wondering what your thoughts are on this?Love your website – you should get a nobel prize for health or something – seriously! I discovered you through your Rich Roll podcast interview.Rip Esselstyn ( author of “My beef with meat”) has the same logic that you have in that the word vegan is not specific enough. Dr. T. Colin Campbell is usually pretty clear when describing his diet as a “whole food plant-based” and Rip just says he eats a plant strong diet, which is supposed to mean the same thing as whole food plant-based. Perhaps in the future there will be vegan subtypes, perhaps we can start it right here!Miss Creant, I agree with most of what you’ve written, but there is a middle ground between junk food and unprocessed fruits, veggies and grains/legumes. Few people will eat 100% unprocessed, so we all need to become better label readers. When I’m buying crackers, cereals, soups, nut butters, dips, etc., I’m scrutinizing the label for animal products, trans/sat fats, types of grains, sugars, salt, and other ingredients that are not only not-vegan but unhealthy.I agree. But there are still plenty of vegans drinking coca cola and eating food with HFCS and other adulterants added to it. Essentially, there are plenty of lazy vegans who only take notice of the label that says ‘Suitable for Vegans’ and only consider the ease with which they can cook and consume it. To group all vegans into one group totally destroys the science, IMHO. If there were studies done separating the vegan groups then people could make far more informed choices.If, as the studies suggest, that wholefood vegans showed no signs of diabetes at all whereas when all vegans were lumped into one group they did show evidence of diabetes then that clearly suggests that some vegan diets could still be very high in diabetes risk. These could be easily isolated and revealed for what they are by further studies.I’m totally with you here . . . I’ve got a friend who has been vegan for 10 years whose diet is mostly chips, boca burgers, fries, beer, and the like. Very few green items touch her plate. Or fresh fruit or legumes or beans or nuts or whole grains.Not all (actually probably most) vegans are vegan for health reasons…That’s me. And I still have low blood pressure, stellar cholesterol, awesome triglycerides.I’ve changed it up since the beginning of the year, so I’m excited about that, but eschewing animal foods on it’s own has kept me relatively well.“To group all vegans into one group totally destroys the science, IMHO. ”Except that they’re studying the effect of animal protein, not processed foods.Agreed I eat modest amounts of fish and poultry. But I also eat large quantities of dark greens, red cabbage, berries, beets, beet greens, asparagus, turmeric, spices….etc–basically anything good I can get my hands on. I avoid junk food. You just can’t have me negatively pitted against vegans, whose overall diet choices are questionable.The problem is most people confuse veganism with a dietary choice, when they really just mean a strict vegetarian diet or a whole foods plant based diet. Veganism is not specifically or wholly related to diet. Veganism is rather a lifestyle choice that seeks to limit the suffering caused to animals by a variety of means not only dietary.So really, vegans don’t fall into two groups. Veganism is specifically related to an ethical stance not dietary, though that is just a component of it. Perhaps we need a better term for strictly plant based food eaters or strict vegetarians who indeed are likely to eat either whole or processed or a combo.Personally, this is a real issue for me, as veganism is getting watered down to a dietary approach, when it was never only about diet but about ethics, and as such, the public is getting confused as to what a vegan really is.I do see still vegans as falling into two groups. You can still be vegan, ethically, and also focus those ethics to include your own health and wellbeing, not just be a junk food eating vegan because it’s nice for the animals. What’s the point in destroying your own health just to make an ethical point that can be even more validly made by looking after your own health.Junk vegans do nothing for their cause if they become ill because all it does is put others off becoming vegan – too many, ‘I knew a vegan once who….’ stories. A wholefood vegan promoting a totally healthy lifestyle supported by an incredibly healthy wholefood diet does encourage others to jump on board.I’m 50 years old and am training happily and easily towards my first full length triathlon this summer, and making fantastic progress through a wholefood vegan diet. I couldn’t do this on a junk vegan diet. People can see my health and fitness levels and what allows me to train like i do, and i happily spread the word about it without needing to get all political, while at the same time being ethical and caring about the environment and animals is an added bonus to one’s personal health, fitness and wellbeing.Miss Creant, your point is completely valid and inspiring: that studies should pursue optimal health rather than just throwing broad dietary patterns into a competitive pit. But comparing vegans alone is not interesting: It’s tautological that a healthy vegan is healthier than a junk food vegan. We’d really like to see that healthy vegans are healthier than healthy pescatarians and other ‘healthy’ carnivores. But in the name of true science we must be prepared to learn that perhaps even the healthiest vegan diet is not healthiest overall (despite our bets and hopes).Good point, Alex. I suppose healthy carnivores/Omnivores and vegetarians could all make the same complaint about being lumped in with the junk versions of the same. Would be an interesting experiment to isolate all these specific groups. I’d still put my money on the wholefood vegans winning out overall with junk meat eaters coming in last, but one never knows. I do think it would be fascinating to see where the rest would line up – would a junk vegan be healthier than a wholefood meat eater? Probably not! :-DMy bet is the same as yours. Land flesh and egg eaters don’t have a chance in the health game. I expect after more investigation into heavy metals and toxic pollutants fish eaters will lose any advantages; Similar with dairy. As far as I know, all the later two groups have is n3 (EPA, DHA), calcium, and B12 — all intentionally obtainable through cleaner, safer, and healthier sources: algae, plant, bacteria, and synthetic.FYI, the USDA’s 2015 Science Dietary Guidelines spell it out pretty clearly for any with open ears to hear and eyes to see: Increase veg and whole grains, and decrease sodium, sat. fats, and refined grains (Summary page 15 line 70). Limit or remove sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets, and desserts (line 72). Increase fruit and veg in schools and worksite (p18 line 226) and decrease energy-dense nutrient-poor foods and beverages in schools (line 231). Increase veg and fruit (p19 line 241). Lower sodium, added sugar, better sat. fat to polyunsat. fat ratio, reducing portion size in retail settings (p22 line 361).Current US diet is low in veg, fruit, whole grains, and high in sodium, calories, sat fats, refined grains, and added sugars (Recommendations page 38 lines 27, 44) and underconsumption of vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and fiber (p38 line 28). The overall body of evidence…a healthy diet…is higher in veg, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, seafood, legumes, and nuts; moderate alcohol; lower red and processed meats, low in sugar and refined grains (p39 line 43). A Healthy diet is higher in plant-based foods, such as veg, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and lower in calories and animal-based foods…favorable environment (p40 line 86).Food pattern modelling process…hypothetical effect on nutrients…for example…lacto-ovo-veg eliminating legumes or choosing varying levels of fat as percent of calories (p64 lines 508-519, Appendix E-3 page 528).( http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/PDFs/Scientific-Report-of-the-2015-Dietary-Guidelines-Advisory-Committee.pdf )While the 571 page report recommends increasing plants and reducing animals, it doesn’t go so far as to suggest that eliminating dietary animal is optimal. But we’re moving in that direction. There’s always 2020. :)I can see your point Donald. I have chosen a vegetarian diet (working towards vegan one day) for a multitude of reasons and obviously want to see less meat consumed around the world. I have always been conflicted about the best approach to promoting this change and have come to the conclusion that although ethical reasons are among the top reasons I don’t eat meat, convincing a meat eating person to stop eating meat or to decrease their meat consumption based on ethics just doesn’t fly and flawed logic such as “animals are bred to be eaten” is used to justify the meat eating position (What do they say about the puppy dogs in S.Korea bred to be eaten, does the fact they were bred to be eaten justify killing them for food)… however it is a LOT easier to appeal to one’s self interest rather than their compassion (or lack thereof).. and so while I would argue that ethics and environmental reasons are strong motivators for people like me, the dietary/health aspect is one that will most likely invoke change among the masses if any. Where does that leave us with the subtypes and labels? Good topic for discussion.I understand where you are coming from Miss Creant, and it is always better to be the most specific we can be. In the context of the video I took the vegans to be whole food vegans. Dr. Greger promotes a whole food plant-based diet.Only the last study was wholefood vegans – no diabetes at all!!! The first studies just lumped all vegans in together, wholefood through to complete junk food – they did show evidence of diabetes.I’ve been primarily vegan for over 33 years, and yet have still managed to develop pre diabetes. It’s hard to say exactly how this happened, but my hunch is that because of a high metabolism and slightly hyperactive thyroid, my diet has been based on high levels of semi-processed carbs like whole wheat spaghetti, large bowls of rice, or vegan pizza for my primary source of calories, and to maintain weight. (BMI has always been low, around 21-22). I think the takeaway is that we vegans can still eat unhealthily if our carbs are excessive, and if they contain significant amounts of flour as many of my former selections did.I continue to be vegan today, but have replaced almost all of my grains with proteins like tofu, seitan, and lots of high-fat nuts and seed butters that don’t have significant impacts on glucose. Even though Drs. Esselstyn and Greger warn about excessive fats, these have not raised my inflammatory markers in the least. Carotid exams show zero plaque. Fingers crossed, but so far, so good… And a good lesson for those of us who overeat flour-based products, even if they are so-called “whole wheat”!What percentage of your calories comes from fats? Do you use coconut (oil, whole, ground, etc.)? Thank you. This is interesting to me that people are able to manage diabetes even on high fat plant foods.I am most interested in knowing….what did you consider high blood sugar readings when you were pre-diabetes? Did you get above 200 Blood sugar level on the skin prick blood test? How about a first thing in the morning blood sugar reading? And what do you consider a healthy range of blood sugar after one hour or two of eating?Yup, I tested at 206 at one hour, and 175 at two hours on the oral glucose tolerance test. Currently getting about 60% of my diet from fats but I avoid saturated fats as best I can (though I do get about 8-12 grams a day of them from nut and seed oils, avocados, seitan and tofu (which usually contain canola oil), but no coconut oil).My fasting glucose ranges from about 85 to 111, depending on what I ate the night before. A BIG salad will drive it WAY UP. But a small to moderate-size meal will hold it down nicely. I find the morning glucose test to be almost irrelevant though. The spikes are the biggest concern. Studies show that keeping under 140 at all times is the most important factor in preventing future disease. This can be done on a plant-based diet, and high-fat plant foods really help to control and slow the peaks.I am certainly no professional, but was diabetic. I was always a “near vegetarian” prior to my diagnosis, and ate a “healthier” diet overall than most, but was dramatically overweight. Finally hitting on the right food combinations caused my A1C to go from 7.5 to 6 in the next follow up appt. even before substantial weight loss, but 5 years and -150 lbs later, it stays in the low 5’s, my fasting blood sugars are around 80 and postprandial can be 120-130 but have gone as high as 160 on a bad day. In my research and subsequent personal trials I found that keeping a low fat, whole foods, vegan, program was the combo that worked best for me…high fat in any combo was problematic, not just animal, though that was the worst. Ideally I try to keep the fat <10% which means I never add free fat to anything, I only consume it as part of the food it is native to. Since I only eat whole unprocessed foods, all my carbs are complex, and can range from 50-75% of my diet and possibly more I would guess, if you include all plants, whose various parts make up my entire diet. Another key behavior I had to focus on was trying to consume smaller, more frequent meals, because my tendency was to skip meals and consume the majority of my daily intake in one or two sittings. When I neglect to do this, my readings are often higher. I feel so much better overall than I used to, and I'm thrilled I no longer have to rely on pharmaceuticals for control. Though initially I considered myself "cured" because I had no symptoms and take no medicines, I realize that I will always have to remain vigilant to my diet and at least occasionally monitor my status. Whatever you call it, it is wonderful because the change in diet has also liberated me from a host of associated issues such as: morbid obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, IBS, edema, arthritis, back problems, fibromyalgia, depression, and so on. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but changing your diet changes your entire world, your health, your outlook, everything! I had been on 12 medicines including narcotics, that I no longer need! Yet the people all around me, some who have already lost limbs to diabetes, go on as always, oblivious to my example except to flag my WPFB vegan diet as so EXTREME, totally missing the HUGE irony in their emphatic criticism! As if it is NOT extreme to lose limbs to a disease you can treat by altering your beloved dietary habits? I am so puzzled and clueless! And heart-broken. I am married to one of them. :(I enjoyed reading about your success. Congratulations. The clinical key is to realize that it is the fat in the diet that contributes most to type two diabetes. The fat gets into the blood stream causing insulin resistance and intracellular fats downregulate genes causing reduction of the mitochondria’s ability to burn the glucose… take home message… fats cause glucose processing problem. Dr. Kempner was reversing type two diabetes with white rice diet in the 1940’s as Dr. Greger has pointed out in previous video… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/. In my clinical experience it can take several months for sugars to normalize depending on where you start from and your diet, weight loss and exercise programs. You have to be careful if you are currently on medications for diabetes and go to low fat diet as they amount has to be reduced along with other meds such as those for blood pressure. Your example can prove to be a good lesson for those around you. Keep up the great work and good luck with your spouse.An interesting study published in the journal Diabetes Care echoes your message that too much fat within the liver and pancreas prevents normal insulin action and secretion, with the finding that it can be reversed by substantial weight loss.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609491/For those of us who are lean (my BMI is 19), WFPB vegans with glucose intolerance, losing weight obviously isn’t a solution. After carefully tracking my postprandial glucose spikes, I’ve found that a modified Eco-Atkins diet works very well for me, which necessitates a higher fat intake from nuts and avocados – no added, processed oils. My glucose meter is my guide to how many carbs I can handle in smaller, frequent meal, usually in the 30g range, to keep my blood sugars from rising over 140 after an hour. An essential part of this routine is also exercise, about an hour daily, which I’ve found has a wonderful effect on lowering and stabilizing blood glucose.Maybe other factors besides insulin resistance are in play for lean T2 diabetics? A recent article suggests that beta cell dysfunction precedes insulin resistance, other than that due simply to obesity, and is a product of both genetic and environmental or acquired factors. http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/51/suppl_1/S117.fullThere’s much to ponder and wonder on our road to health!Thanks so much for your support and encouragement, it does feel good to hear from someone who “gets” it! I just wish I knew what the secret was to get my loved ones to realize that I’m not trolling for their compliments, I want them to join me in an adventure that isn’t the battle they perceive it to be!Dr. Forrester, Could you be more specific about the types of fat that cause insulin resistance? Are all saturated animal fats the problem? Or all saturated fats, from both plants and animals?” Yet the people all around me, some who have already lost limbs to diabetes, go on as always, oblivious to my example except to flag my WPFB vegan diet as so EXTREME, totally missing the HUGE irony in their emphatic criticism! As if it is NOT extreme to lose limbs to a disease you can treat by altering your beloved dietary habits? I am so puzzled and clueless! And heart-broken. I am married to one of them. :(” It’s such a conundrum, isn’t it? You can say, “I went out last night, ate a whole bucket of KFC and drank a six-pack of beer” and people will say, “Sounds like fun!” but say you don’t eat animal products and you get, “where’s your protein/iron/B12 etc. That’s not healthy!”So true and so frustrating! Make me nuts! (As if I had far to go! LOL)There was a story about two fellows at the wake of a deceased friend. “Ah,” says one, “what took him away so soon?” “Oh, it was the drink…cirrhosis of the liver don’t you know,” said the other. “Well, why didn’t he go to Alcoholics Anonymous?” The other replied, “Oh no,he wasn’t THAT bad!”LOL! Oh that is great! I raised two sons long ago in the inner city, and you develop a twisted sense of humor to deal with life, so I especially appreciate this brand of humor! We can never laugh enough! Thanks for sharing!I too am a type 2 diabetic. I’m a 71, active female. I was on a statin for awhile, but had to discontinue it because of muscle/joint pain. My total cholesterol went from 220 on the statin, to 401 off the statin!!! I’m going to try the Dr. Esselystein vegan diet, but how do I keep my blood sugars from soaring while eating all the carbs required? I weigh under 130 lbs., exercise almost daily, do weight training & take one Metformin a day. Any advise would be appreciated. By the way, my doctor doesn’t seem overly concerned about my cholesterol & says I don’t need to have it checked again until a year from now! Help!Honestly, complex carbs shouldn’t spike your blood sugar, it is the processed carbs that causes problems. I never have figured out the % of my carb intake because all vegetables as well as starches have carbs, so it is up there! In the beginning I was cautious because of the carb phobia, so I ate smaller portions more frequently and saw my numbers drop to non diabetic level in less than a month. Esselstyn, McDougall, Engine One, Campbell, Forks Over Knives, are all quite similar and all excellent. Because I tend to gain weight, I try to eat a lot of calorically spare foods to fill up on, but those starches are so satisfying! I was also taking statins but don’t seem to need them following the right diet! I wish I had known this YEARS ago, but it’s never too late. Really try to stick with whole foods, and avoid free fats and oils, which are just the caloric and fat portion of what was once a whole food. T2 diabetes is all about fat intake. Of course we need some, but get it from food…nuts, seeds, veggies, etc! Good luck!To me this is very scary and indicates there is something, maybe huge that is unaccounted for here.The “marketing” info always says eat vegan and in a few weeks or months your blood pressure will reduce and diabetes will go away. Well, that is quite disheartening for those of us who tried hard to do this and saw no change in things.I know you cannot know everything that is going on or the fix for everyone, but that is not what the endless health videos say. Everyone wants to see a miracle, and it ain’t there.Plus, it’s hard to eat Vegan when you are busy and don’t really cook.I have gone now as far as cutting out all refined sugar. I eat many more veggies and fruits, nuts, beans, etc than I did before, but I have not cut out all meat through I don’t eat it every day. No soda, sweets, which were my big problem with weight.Lots of people see huge hope when they see these and other videos, but to me they are kind of depressing because it is not so easy as the upbeat videos say, and as far as Essylsten I really do not like these guys, they are a business, and having bought their cereal product once, I was insulted by it. A plastic bag filled with broken up chances that were so small you could not tell what they were … looked like floor sweepings, and no taste. This is a scam in my opinion.Those of us who want to do better are just looking for the truth and something specific and possible to do to eat better.BruK, there’s a difference between someone with high blood glucose who is thin versus overweight. In the latter case, there’s actually quite a bit of hope as the problem may simply be insulin resistance. Once you reduce or eliminate carbs and sugars, you lose weight, and insulin response may return to normal or close-to-normal. In my experience, thin diabetics don’t usually have insulin resistance and therefore can’t “reverse” the condition.Esselytyn, Barnard, Ornish, and a few others recommend that diabetics or pre-diabetics go on whole grain, plant-based diets to “reverse” the condition, but they fail to note that the grain part may actually contribute to further deterioration, especially for those of us who are already thin.Bottom line: in my humble opinion, if you are overweight with the condition, start by reducing your weight and see what happens to glucose response.Russel, thank you for sharing your experience. I have come to the similar results and conclusions. I still don’t know how to fix this problem. If i eat starches and whole grains which are supposed to keep me full and maintain my weight I get a huge sugar spike after meals. If i cut out grains and starches and live mostly on fruits and vehetables i get weak, skinny and feel a constant feeling of light hunger. If i add fats to my diet i’m starting feeling a lot better. For me carbs are a root of all evil not fats.Just curious, are you thin or do you have some excess weight? If you are the former, then welcome to the club :-) three of us who follow the site regularly are eating between 45% to 65% fat and at least 20% protein. Carbs are actually the lowest part of our dietary mix, and in my case, under 15%. All of us have substantially dropped our A1 C readings because of this. For us at least, carbs and sugars (and I’m including fruit) were clearly not the solution. Now all we have to worry about are our LDL values… Fortunately, our HDLs are all over 75 so maybe it’s okay…I’m thin and never been overweight in fact have struggled to maintain my weight most of my life. So I think I’m definitely in the club you mentioned :)In my humble opinion, the vegan diet is not a good option for preventing diabetes type 1 if a person is genetically predisposed to it. It really can help with the type 2 though primarily due to weight loss.I’m thin also. So if weight loss is not the solution, what is?Adding to my earlier post in response to Charzie I would suggest two resources to help understand how to lose fat… Doug Lisle’s free You tube video… How to Lose Weight without losing your Mind and Jeff Novick’s DVD Calorie Density: How to Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer. My patients have found these two resources to be valuable in successful long term fat reduction. Jeff ties together exercise and weight loss better than anyone else I have seen. Once you have the concepts down you can move on to improving your eating habits via improved label reading, cooking, shopping and eating out. Of course the science is always changing and is proving to be interesting but clinically the successful approaches are pretty clear. Good luck.There IS more to the equation, I also struggled with it. For so many years I felt sorry for myself as I thought I so carefully monitored my food intake and diet, and yet I was still fat and unhealthy. In my case I had to eliminate ALL animal products completely, and ALL added fat that wasn’t already a natural component of food, and ALL processed crap. I’m not saying it was easy, but the rewards are so worth it! I don’t want to sound flip, but it’s all about attitude too. When I realized my boundaries, living within them became much easier once I embraced the idea instead of getting hung up and feeling resentful about my “limits”. There are so many easy, quick, and healthy vegan meals I would have never found if I was still stuck focused or pining about what I had to avoid! It’s all in my perspective, a choice each of us is free to make, or not. It really is not hard to eat vegan, and it has certainly cut the food budget in a big way! Cheap beans replace meat, no dairy, no eggs, no pricey packaged concoctions! I grow some greens in pots on the deck and do a lot of sprouting…takes seconds, costs pennies! When I have the time, I love to forage for wild greens too…we have tons of nopales around here that are more prolific than anything I try to grow! LOL! I live on a tight budget, but where there’s a will there’s a way!There is a video about the vegan paleo diet on nutritionfacts.org, you seem to be following it.Your case is annecdotal though and doesn’t disprove the HCLF vegan diet that has been so succesful for so many.I thought my case might be anecdotal too, but then two other thin vegans from the Nutrition Facts postings told me they had similar glucose issues. We’re all now communicating directly off-line and following a high fat plant-based diet.Also, I agree that for many, a HCLF diet may be an ideal solution towards reducing BMI and insulin resistance. But I think the issue has a bit less to do with a plant-based diet per se, and a bit more to do with body weight than its proponents claim. Clearly, lower body weights are associated with much better insulin responses and lower A1c readings. How much is it the plant-based diets, and how much is the lower BMIs? Everyone is different, so its hard to know…I’m in the same situation–thin, pre-diabetic, and eating whole food plant based with relatively low fat hasn’t helped by blood sugar spikes or A1c. I’d like to begin communicating with the rest of you in a similar situation. Thanks.Anna, it’s nice to hear from you. Yes please send me an email and I will hook you in with our growing group of prediabetics who are succeeding using high-fat vegan diets. I’m at Russelllong@me.comRussell, 1. What to you mean by primarily Vegan? 2. What is the source of your fat intake (very high)?Would be hard to consume more than 10-18 % fat (>3-5% saturated) on a whole food plant based diet unless eating a lot of seeds, nuts or avocados.TrentTrent,I mean that over the years, I’ve occasionally had small amounts of dairy products, and an occasional fish, but many long periods when I had zero fish or dairy. My fat intake is primarily nuts, seeds, avos, and oils (lots of canola oil found in seitan and tofu products). I sometimes enter it all in cronometer.com, a very nice site for this sort of thing, and that’s how I arrive at my dietary intake numbers.Maybe your promblem, Russell, is that you were eating processed foods. The video is fairly clear that when wholefood vegans were checked there was no diabetes (final study), diabetes was only found in the studies where processed/junk food vegans were included.There seems to me to be too many people blaming a vegan diet for their illnesses when in fact they were eating a processed food diet (albeit vegan according to the label stamped on it by the food corporation that made it – which is no guarantee of anything). What you should be looking at is the processed foods you were eating and blaming processed foods.Seriously, you say you are/were pouring canola oil into your body and then suggesting a vegan diet is the cause of your problems? Can’t you see the absurdity of that? You, like a lot of vegans, eat tofu like it’s somehow guaranteed to be healthy. Tofu, like seitan, is a heavily refined, unnatural product that is not in any shape or form available in Nature. It’s not how Nature intended soya to be consumed by animals, ergo, it’s not Natural and it’s not healthy.You could be right, Miss Creant, and perhaps my consumption of oatmeal or granola for breakfast, whole grain veggie sandwiches for lunch, and whole wheat pastas for dinner were the causes of my pre-diabetes. But life without oats, sandwiches or pasta…? I don’t know many people, vegans or otherwise, who can do that unless there is a health problem. Are you really considering that a processed food diet??You misunderstood the canola oil part. I didn’t have many oils until just recently, and only now because I’m trying to find ways to get 2000 calories a day without glucose spikes above 140.Your third point, I just addressed to someone else — gotta get 50-60 grams of protein somewhere. Beans (similar to grains) spike my glucose a LOT. A half-cup of steel cut oats or brown rice sends me over 160 on the glucose meter. If you have other suggestions, I’m wide open.Btw, Dr. Greger has a video on tofu that suggests it is fine under 3-5 servings a day. Sounds like you agree with his diabetes analysis, but not his tofu analysis.Yes, i do consider those processed foods.I don’t agree with any analyses that says tofu is ok. It’s highly processed and has chemicals in it. If others wish to eat it then that’s up to them, i won’t put it in my body. It’s not what Nature made so it’s not wholefood. I think it rather silly to call something healthy if you’ve removed all the fibre out of it. I like my fibre, fibre is good!I accept your point that you need the protein without anything causing the glucose spikes because of your current condition, but why not whole soya? Whole nuts? Avocado? At least then you’re not losing the fibre that you do with tofu which slows carbohydrate absorption thus minimising the glucose spikes.I don’t eat wheat as i’m allergic to it. I don’t miss it whatsoever, even though i’m a fully qualified baker who can bake excellent bread the proper way. One thing i learned long ago, there’s plenty of better, and healthier, things to eat than bread and pasta. Anyone can live without them, i, and many others, can’t live with them.It would take four servings a day of nuts to get to 20 grams of protein, far below the minimum 55-60 needed, so other sources are required. Tempeh would definitely help as you point out, but the calorie-to-carb ratio isn’t ideal — about 350 calories for 24 carbs — a lot fewer calories than I need for a meal. At 5’10 and 142 lbs., I’d prefer to get higher caloric intakes if possible while staying under 20-30 grams of carbs. :) Seitan has double the calories-per-gram of carbs, and tofu has four times. Strangely enough, tofu doesn’t have many carbs, a plus for my situation.Anyway, I share some of your concerns about tofu… the science isn’t completely settled on this. Though I disagree with you on seitan. I like to take the wheat, wash out the bran and just bake it. That seems pretty natural to me and my body seems to like it.I’m with you on avocados, and have at least one daily. No protein, but lots of fiber and carbs and healthy fats with minimum carbs.In case you’re interested, here’s a comparison of nutrients in tempeh, tofu, and seitan: http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Nutritional-Comparison-Tofu-Tempeh-Seitan-Recipes-18692390You just make me think that you don’t want any fibre in your diet. You wash out the bran from wheat as well as eating tofu. One of the biggest causes of insulin problems is lack of fibre in diet and you’re saying you’re washing the fibre out of the wheat and buying soya products (tofu) which also has the fibre taken out. Each to their own!You’re right that my homemade seitan has almost no fiber, but I also eat commercial brands which have lots. Field Roast is a regular favorite, and it has more fiber (4grams) than a cup of brown rice (3.6 grams), but without the grains. I also have Wildwood Tofu burgers — one serving has the same fiber as a slice of whole wheat bread. So while I appreciate your concerns, I’m probably getting sufficient fiber from those sources as well as my daily salads and other veggie dishes.Btw, insulin problems are not “caused” by lack of fiber — I think you probably meant that there may be a link to insulin resistance. There’s some good studies on this showing a possible link. Fortunately, my tests show that I don’t have insulin resistance.Btw, you might find this Chris Kesser piece interesting. Kesser is controversial, but he makes the interesting claim that if anything, we are all getting too much fiber in our diets and that this is linked a a lot of bad health outcomes. I’m not agreeing or disagreeing, but just sayin’…. the jury is probably still out on the fiber issue.http://chriskresser.com/myths-and-truths-about-fiberI browsed through that, thanks, and it seemed to be making the point that supplementing added processed junk undigestable stuff was the problem not wholefood natural fibre as in fruit and veg. Which i don’t find very surprising.Do people really think that if mcdonalds add some kind of undigestable stuff (that they call fibre simply because it’s undigestable) to their toxic food, that it would make it healthy food? I suppose some people probably do.Natural fibre in wholefood cannot be considered anything like the same as processed undigestable crap in processed junk foods. That is so obvious, so why would anyone even think it will work the same in the gut?I will stick to my wholefood diet and take all the natural fibre it gives me.Can we get GMO free, or organic, soya?Yes, you can buy non-organic gmo free soya beans and also organic soya beans. Can range hugely in price depending on where you live and where you buy them. African/Asian grocers are usually the cheapest if you’re lucky enough to have any near you. Possibly even give eBay a try – surprising what gets sold on eBay these days.Thank you. We have Asian grocers and I don’t know why I didn’t think of eBay which is usually the first place I go for anything.Dr. Gabriel Cousens does a raw food vegan diet and all 6 patients were of meds in 1 week. Raw for 30 is the name of the video. You can see it on you tube for free. Raw green foods with nuts and seeds, all you can eat. Sprouts and green juices and no fruit for a while. Raw food gives your pancreas a rest.Thanks Eric. Actually, I eat a lot of raw foods, avoid all sugars and fruits, and generally support this approach. But unfortunately, it is not a panacea. For example, when I have more than two cups of green salad with low-carb veggies, my glucose can get out of control, e.g. 140-200. So for me, the issue is more about limiting carbs to 20 grams a meal, and less about the actual food selection. That said, I think the raw food approach is excellent for those who are insulin resistant because they need to lose weight. For those who are lean already, this only works if you eat smaller-sized meals.Have you heard of Victoria Boutenko who healed her entire family through a raw diet. Her son had type 1 and reversed it on a raw high fruit and greens diet. Hope this will help.I forgot about cinnamon, turmeric, american ginseng, pau’d arco, fenugreek,reishi mushroom, chaga, burdock root, and dandelion root is probably the best. Dandelion and burdock act like insulin in the bodyHi Russell, Have you noticed any difference when weren’t eating processed tofu and seitan products? Some of the ingredients in those products are scary. I believe some ethical vegans don’t eat a particularly healthy diet and switching to the concept of a WFPB diet might be an interesting experiment for you to try.After I cut out whole grains and most bean products due to the huge spikes they caused to my glucose, I failed to add in tofu or seitan and within a few months, my energy dropped pretty badly and muscle strains wouldn’t heal after the gym or running. I discovered that I was only getting about 20-25 grams/day of protein, about half of what is needed. After adding back seitan and tofu, my energy and my body’s ability to heal returned. Lately, I’ve started making my own seitan, which is pretty easy, and there’s nothing unadulterated in there — just pure organic wheat gluten which thankfully, doesn’t seem to cause me any problems.Have you tried using beans and lentils as your primary protein source? These are supposed to help with blood sugar control, possibly in the way that they interact with you gut microbiome. I would try two servings a day and maybe throw in some barley, bulger, and sweet potatoes. And some people really need to exercise to keep their bodies working optimally as they age. For the most part it sounds like you are being very conscientious about your health, and there are definitely things about our bodies that we just won’t be able to control. Keep up the good work.Actually, I did try that as an experiment. Unfortunately, just a modest portion of beans sends my glucose soaring, so those are pretty much off the list. Same thing for grains, sweet potatoes, and other starchy vegetables. Basically, I can handle about 20-30 grams of carbs per meal and still keep my glucose in a healthy range. That’s three to four tablespoons of beans, not enough caloric content to maintain my weight. Anyway, I think the high fat approach is working pretty nicely. Thank you for your thoughts.That is really interesting. I think you have something unusual going on, it’s not your typical insulin resistance. Wish you could get in touch with one of the experts, sounds like it goes beyond being plant based and maybe they would be able to get it figured out. If nothing else it would be informative to see what happens with a strictly high fat, plant based diet. My best wishes to you.Not that unusual. There’s a bunch of us who are lean without insulin resistance but with glucose problems nonetheless. Its a beta cell burn-out thing… low insulin production either from previous diet, genes, or environmental sources, according to studies. Hard to determine which, for each individual. Thanks for your thoughts.I am also a lean vegan with glucose intolerance, like Russell, and I love beans, lentils, barley, and sweet potatoes, but need to limit them to 1/2 cup per meal. I’ve found through extensive self-testing of my post-meal glucose levels that I can eat 30-40 grams of carbs per meal before blood glucose goes too high. If I just eat that 1/2 cup of beans per meal, along with enough low GI veggies and fruits to reach my carb limit, then by the end of the day I’m short 500 calories. i can’t afford to lose any weight, but I can make up the extra calories with nuts, seeds, avocado, tofu, and seitan – all fairly low carb. My A1c is now down to 4.8, weight good, and lipids test fine. It works!I appreciate that most people with diabetes have type 2, but can we PLEASE make some distinction in these discussions between type 2 and type 1 diabetes?The simple explanation to my best understanding – Diabetes type 1 you are born with and is a problem that your pancreas cannot produce insulin. Diabetes type 2 is a result of the so-called metabolic syndrome where your body does not use the insulin your pancreas produces to break down sugar so you have high sugar in your blood.Type 2: that’s mostly correct, but for those of us who are already very thin and not insulin-resistant, it may be that a significant amount of beta cells have burnt out in the pancreas, and therefore there is insufficient insulin production to offset the glucose loads after meals.Are some of us going to have challenges with the insulin resistance issue no matter what we do, due to genetics ? I am between thin ~ normal weight and also have average BMI, so it is good to see that thin type 2 diabetics do exist. A doctor I once went to scoffed at the idea of someone with a normal weight having type 1 or 2 diabetes but I was doubtful.Lol, my endocrinologist was very reluctant to give me a 2-hr glucose challenge test, and he made me a bet that I was not pre diabetic. He lost the best, and apologized for his incorrect assumption.I’ve read somewhere that of all people with pre diabetes or diabetes, we thin-types only represent 4-5% of the totals. Anyway, I cannot address the genetics issue… its hard to tease out the genetics piece from the dietary piece.I’m glad your endocrinologist was at least gracious enough to apologize! I think for me it’s time to get a second opinion.If you buy a glucose meter, and keep a log of your post-meal readings, you can probably convince your current endo that he or she needs to do a two-hour challenge test. That’s how I convinced mine.Thank you Russell, yes that will convince a Dr . Needless to say I had to change my Dr. It’s been nearly 10 years and the symptoms are still there. The symptoms seem to show about 1 hour after eating if I am not careful about choosing low G.I ingredients, the symptoms which we know all too well show up. After an hour or so of eating, or if I’m late for lunch, and once it starts it takes a long time to recover even after replenishing with food. Does this sound like what you experienced? Perhaps I notice it more now because I improved things recently by cutting sugary food, dairy completely and also high G.I food as much as I can manage but I’m still going through a learning curb. It’s definitely time to test my glucose and see another Dr !Sounds like you have hypoglycemia symptoms. I’ve never had those so really can’t help on this, but Bernstein’s books go into it in detail also. He’s a 70+ year old guy himself with Type 1, and was responsible for popularizing the glucose meter worldwide. As for your question below about starches, Bernstein convinced me to cut them out, so its pretty much salads with avocado, veggie stir fries, a handful of oats at breakfast mixed with almond or peanut butter (and flax!). Lots of veggie proteins especially seitan and tofu. Very limited diet actually, but the reward is seeing A1c dropping from high to low 5s. Its worth it. Dining with friends is a bit problematic, but everyone sort of understands when you stick to salads, or bring your own.You should write a book or an ebook on kindle about how to survive and eat like this. I know I need it and many others probably do too. I end up eating lots of chinese food stir fry, or just raw whole foods, like tomatoes, lettuce, veggies, salads … but I buy most stuff in stores cause i don’t know how to cook really.I’m not a big chef either, so lots of salads which are very easily thrown together at home in about four minutes flat. Just get a big bag of mixed greens, kale or spinach, lots of good organic veggies like mushrooms, tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, some nuts, avocados, tofu, summer squash, zucchinis, etc. and throw in the vinaigrette! You only need about four different items.. not all of these at once. And then test your glucose. Some people can handle two cups, some three or four. Everyone’s insulin challenge is different and you’ll find your balance.I like to add a nice glass of red wine to the meal, which delays the glucose peak, but also adds lots of anti-oxidants.Honestly, clean foods like this leave me feeling very refreshed and healthy. Just avoid the starchy veggies like potatoes, yams, winter squash and you”ll be okay.I looked up the symptoms in the American diabetes association website, and I have all of the symptoms of hypoglycemia. It’s surprising that people of thin to normal weight are more at risk of dying early if it is not managed properly , that is something I did not know. The glucose meter & carb counting books will help, since measurements do need to be taken into account. I too hope that you’ll write an e-book ! Thanks.Russell, I do have another suggestion regarding your condition that you might check out. If you would see my post above regarding a combination of type 1 & 2. (I think it’s clear that you are mostly aware of this.)There is now being discussed something called type 1.5 diabetes. The doctors see what they think is insulin resistance and diagnose type 2 when in fact the patient is developing type 1 but isn’t there yet. It sounds to me like you pegged it correctly, that you normally are ok but do not have adequate insulin production for any post prandial glycemic load. Indeed that would seem to suggest beta cells under attack either now or in the past. How old are you and how long have you had this condition? If it has been a while and you have changed your diet significantly to something much less inflammatory, you might will avoid ever developing type 1. Still, alas we don’t yet know how to regrow those cells.Thanks Stewart. I’m 59 and was diagnosed a year ago after decades on a plant-based diet. Yes, I’ve read about Type 1.5 and your comment just prompted me to fire an email off to my endo asking for the type 1.5 tests, including islet cells, GAD, and insulin anti-bodies (there’s a good Wiki article on Type 1.5 mentioning all of these). Also a C-Peptide test to check out insulin production. Not that it necessarily matters because I’m probably doing all one can reasonably do to hold glucose down in the low 5s A1c range… plus I’ve got all the inflammatory markers down nicely… so we shall see. Btw, I assume you are familiar with Dr. Richard Bernstein’s work? I’ve basically adapted his super low-carb approach to a plant-based regimen. He’s been quite brilliant with his work. Obviously, you’ve done great work with your own diet as well to stay healthy!Russell what kind of starches do you consume? I’m new to this and wondered how you manage to keep the inflammatory markers down. I’m also going to look up Dr R. Bernstein’s work, Thanks.Hi Stewart,I ‘ve seen similar researches from Japan, showing that some of us have a lower capacity to deal with insulin issues, some people have 50% less capacity than others apparently. This can also lead to gum disease as well as pre and type 2 diabetes according to them.Russell, Only reason you get type 2 diabetes is because you have insulin resistance.Being thin means insulin resistance is not as bad.Being thin also means loosing weight to cure Diabetes is not possible.I still do not think that is type-2, it is just type 1 caused later in life by a different problem. When the issue is your body does not produce insulin, it is type 1 … I think.There are exceptions to the “born with it” theory, BruK. http://www.everydayhealth.com/type-1-diabetes/understanding-adult-onset-type-1-diabetes.aspxFor instance, Mary Tyler Moore was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes around the start of her TV series, The Mary Tyler Moore Show.Good point … type 1 is caused by a misfire, mostly i think autoimmune problem that destroys the insuling producing part of the pancreas. and it can happen at any age I suppose. i just listened to an audiobook on this so thought to answer. Have to be careful what i say! ;-)Gotta make a correction here Bruk. Type 1 is rarely something one is born with. It might well come at a very young age or rather later in life. I developed it at age 21. My business partner developed it at age 46. My brother’s step daughter developed it a age 3. You are certainly right that it is a problem of my beta cells not producing insulin. None the less it is predominantly a disease caused by diet. The development of type 1 depends on your body’s immune system. Generally it missfires and attacks your own parts. This can take many forms including lupus, arthritis, et al and type one diabetes. The dietary factors are numerous.I first noticed this when having had diabetes for over 30 years, I developed psoriatic arthritis. They wanted to put me on something to suppress the immune system and I refused. Instead I found that I had a gluten sensitivity. When I eliminated gluten the arthritis disappeared. The arthritis did return on any exposure and I continued to have some associated swelling.When I began reading about all the pro inflammatory factors in animal products, I made the decision to go with a whole foods plant based diet. Within 6 weeks all swelling disappeared as did the gluten sensitivity. Later I found that this is very common.Dr McDougall insists that it all stems from dairy. Indeed there is substantial evidence from numerous studies that dairy is frequently a factor. Still, the excess arachidonic acid, heterocyclic amines, TMAo and other pro inflammatory factors is animal products are, I believe, candidates as individual and collective culprits along with the leaky gut and molecular mimicry from dairy that McDougall emphasizes.OK so that was very complicated but what does it have to do with type 2 diabetes? Well you can have both. Type 2 and metabolic syndrome are characterized by insulin resistance. This has been shown repeatedly since 1922 to be substantially exacerbated a combination of animal protein and fats somehow working in tandem. High PUFA tend to have little impact on insulin resistance whereas the saturated fats do. Furthermore though, plant sources such as avocados seem to have little if any affect on insulin resistance. So is it just the animal protein?I find this particularly interesting since I monitor my insulin usage very carefully with my pump. When I did go whole food plant based, my average insulin usage dropped from 46 units per day to 35 units per day. I have since found that this too is not unusual. And I do eat plenty of carbohydrates. Mostly of my carbohydrates are complex. The simple sugars are from fruits, occasionally juice and occasionally emergency tubes of glucose.Yes … I should not have said born with … not a doctor OK. Basically there is some auto-immune problem that kills your insulting producing cells so you do not have insulin. Is that more in line with what you are saying? You can have this happen for various reasons I suppose at any stage in life, but usually they are younger.Didn’t mean to try to be hyper correct BruK. Indeed, in the past it would have seemed very reasonable to say that one was born with type 1 and it wasn’t discovered until a year or two latter. Regardless of the accuracy that was the perception. The reason this is important though is that we have a public health crisis going on today that is basically malnutrition with excess calories. As an economist I will say that this is likely the greatest single economic hazard facing the world. The onset of a growing number type 1 diabetes at any age and the massive numbers of type two diabetics we are now seeing are two different markers of the same underlying disease. And these are only two in a very very long list. Having had inflammatory arthritis in the past and having type 1 for the rest of my life I tend to want a comprehensive approach to all these things.No problem, thanks for the information, I appreciate it.Agreed. The script would have been better had the first sentence or two specified Type 2 diabetes, in my opinion.I was a strict whole-foods vegan for 5 years and this diet absolutely wreaked havoc on my health. I had been a whole-foods omnivore my whole life and never struggled with any health issues. I have never been on any medications and will be 50 years old this year. As a vegan my diet included lots of fruits and vegetables, seitan, tofu, legumes, whole grain breads and pastas and some healthy fats, such as olive oil. I consistently was gaining weight – a problem I had NEVER struggled with before – and was suffering from fatigue, headaches, hypoglycemia, depression, and low libido. I had wonderfully low levels of blood glucose and cholesterol but I felt like crap. I thought, like many others, I was having thyroid problems and so went to a naturopath for some blood work. What we discovered was that I was deficient in many micronutrients: iodine, B12, Vitamin D2, selenium to name a few and despite supplementation. We also found that my morning cortisol level was in the tank and my Reverse T3 thyroid hormone was off the charts. I was in late stage adrenal dysfunction and seeing concurrent effects in thyroid hormone, sex hormones and blood glucose management. And herein lies my greatest complaint and disappointment with studies and posts like this: they are far too narrow. Not one word has been said about the drastic effects of the chronic high stress lifestyles we lead on metabolic processes. My personal and clinical experience as a functional nutritionist show time and time again that a diet composed of higher healthy fats from both plant and animal sources, high complex carbohydrates such as vegetables and some fruits, no to small amounts of grains and moderate proteins from both plants and animals restores adrenal rhythm, improves glucose and fat metabolism by dousing inflammation at the cell membrane, restoring receptor sensitivity and maintains muscle mass. Is this appropriate for everyone? Absolutely not, but for anyone who is suffering from the effects of chronic high stress on metabolic process, a plant-based diet, especially one that contains grains and high glycemic fruits, can be disastrous.Any idea why the supplementation alone did not correct the selenium and B12 issues/levels?Yes, because adrenal dysfunction was at the root of these other issues. Chronic stress is amazingly inflammatory and depletes essential nutrients. I was self-administering the supplements because I understood that as a vegan I needed to. But the amounts I was taking were not sufficient to replete very low levels and chronic stress. B12 is a primary donor of something call a methyl group which is needed for methylation, a reaction used in many processes in the body, including cell energy production and Stage II liver detoxification. Methyls are easily depleted by chronic stress (and by stress I mean physical, emotional or chemical stress). Now, whenever anyone comes to me with diabetes, high cholesterol or other metabolic dysfunctions, I always check the adrenals. This is of course also true with thyroid problems, sex hormone imbalances and neurotransmitter imbalances. It all works together.Thanks for this. This is a curious thing to me because from what you are saying, it seems, one could take in supplemental amounts of B12 and selenium that far exceeds that found in food and still not be able to get their levels up, but if these nutrients came from food, the levels would go up. This what you are saying?…..and any idea why you found people that were not able to fully benefit from an excessive amount of B12 in a vitamin pill (far higher than that found in food)?No, sorry to confuse you. Nutritional supplementation is not an exact science, that is to say, there is not a direct correlation of what we take in to what we find in the body. For example, even if you take 100mg of B12 a day, there are any number of factors that could influence how – or even whether – it gets used in the body. A leaky gut or bowel dysfunction, a micro biome problem or a genetic mutation for MTHFR, an enzyme used in the methylation cycle, for just a few examples could impact how much or even whether the B12 is available in the body. Adrenal or thyroid dysfunction can do the same thing. So, you could be eating foods that have these nutrients and even taking supplementation but still not have sufficient quantities to carry out metabolic processes. Does that make sense?Yes, that makes sense. My gratitude to you for taking the time here. I’ve had no choice (at this point) but to eat some shellfish for B12. Frustrating, but my reality. B12 pills and vegan B12 sources have not seemed to work for me.Yes, I understand. Given my susceptibility to stress, I can no longer eat a strict vegan diet, but have had to all but eliminate grains and simple carbs from my diet. I do eat some, but I try to keep it below 100mg a day, and less if I’m under a lot of stress. I’ve replaced those calories with healthy fats and with my plant-heavy (few legumes) and some fish, chicken and beef a couple times a week. It’s a tremendous conflict for me emotionally and spiritually, but I could find no way around it…and as a nutritionist, if there was one to find, I would have found it. You may want to try a sublingual form of B12 if you haven’t already. It will bypass the gut which is often a primary driver of symptoms in other systems. If you haven’t worked on gut integrity, could be a good place to look.I assume you mean 100 mcg of B12/day? 100 mg sounds like a huge dose. (Note to readers: Dr Greger recommends 250 mcg/day or 2500 mcg/week.)I sympathize with you. My wife went WFPB a couple of years ago, lost a ton of weight (not literally!) but developed hyperthyroidism in the fall. It could be totally unrelated to the diet (as vegans have half the rate of hyperthyroidism as I recall). In any case, her medication now seems to be helping greatly.Yes, I did…trying to type to fast. :-) Agree with Dr. Gregor’s recommendations, I was using that number only in the greater point I wanted to make about the unpredictability of nutritional supplementation. Your wife’s hyperthyroidism could be related to diet, but then again not. If you haven’t looked at adrenals, sex hormones and neurotransmitters as drivers of her thyroid dysfunction, highly recommend, especially as hyperthyroid can and often does progress into hypothyroid. Also, determine if the thyroid dysfunction is auto immune in nature by testing for antibodies. Good luck!Thanks! Yes, she is diagnosed with Graves. Will pass on the info!.I’ve been battle-ling with terrible imbalances past year. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/ In that disqus thread @the bottom I talked a bit on how near vegan almost fried my brain.http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.nl/p/map.html This psychiatrist paleo lady pointed me towards magnesium and new to me choline with really remarkable results stress wise. Resolving the choline deficiency especially was just amazing for me effect wise.While I’m still committed to cleaning up my circulation with WFPBD going a 100% is problematic for me like it was for you. I hope you can fill in a few blanks with the link and my story. Good luck to you!.How can one be deficient in selenium? I was warned to watch my intake due to selenium overdose. lol I have been whole food vegan for 6 years and have never felt better with more energy than ever before. The clinical studies have been done on b12 and availability does depend on the type and method of intake, but omnivores are still deficient in b12 despite their animal product consumption. I am always skeptical about the vegan diet wreaked havoc on my health story especially when it does not correlate with science.How can one be iodine deficient. Again I was warned not to overdose on iodine from too much seaweed. Oysters will concentrate their environment 70,000 times, how is this healthy all for some b12? Anyone can say I tried it and it didn’t work for me without any reasoning. People do it all the time with exercise saying the gym doesn’t work or lifting weights doesn’t work for me at building muscle as if their some anomaly of nature.> And herein lies my greatest complaint and disappointment with studies and posts like this: they are far too narrow.I think this too. These studies all sound great until you start to hear too many of them and they conflict or seem to indicate you must eat way too many individual expensive foods – more like a medical prescription to be sure to get the right nutrition. Humans never had to do that before and I don’t buy it now.Best I can see for me is that I should cut way way down on carbs and sugar stuff. I seem to be OK with fruit but I don’t eat to much of it, but carbs really bloat me and I can feel terrible for days and my stomach can hurt and my whole chest feels full and unpleasant. This is true of grains and rice.I can go to Chipotle and get a bowl with veggies or some meat and I feel good, but if I eat a burrito, ugh. Same with sandwiches.Plus I always feel better when I exercise,especially long walks at a moderate pace.Leslie,At what point during the 5 years did you suspect your diet was wreaking havoc on your health? Was it in the first year? And why would you then continue for 4 more years? Or if it was the 4th year, why did you continue for another entire year, and were the symptoms just too mild for that time to address? What is a functional nutritionist? Most nutritionists I have encountered do not advocate plant-based diets – what made you decide to try it?Thanks for your help. I’m two years eating nothing but plants, hardly any oil and limited processed foods. I’ve never felt better in my life and look and feel 10 years younger than when I started eating this way. But alas, I’m reaching 50 like you pretty soon, and perhaps I’m actually doing more harm than good, and don’t even know it.Note: I do not know what a chronic high stress lifestyle is, but I don’t think I have it; just medium stress. Could this be my saving grace?NickOf course high stress is an important consideration but in my clinical experience folks in high stress conditions are often time stressed as well. They eat very different in periods of stress… skip meals, more processed foods, more meals on the go or eating out. So the devil is in the details. Folks who are having symptoms need to seek evaluation by knowledgeable health care professionals. The interpretation of tests and the recommendation of supplements needs to be done correctly and based on the best science. I always start by reviewing the diet in detail and doing some preliminary blood testing before resorting to tests that are more difficult to interpret. I guess the devil is in the details. I have found Dr. McDougall’s newsletter article… The Sick Vegan… see his October 2002 newsletter on his website… to be of help to some of my patients. Of course Vitamin B12 needs to be adequately maintained… as outlined in Dr. Greger’s series of video’s from February 2012. I maintain that short of avoiding starvation the science doesn’t support consumption of animal products. Of course we can seemingly do well on low doses of just about any natural product but that doesn’t mean it is advantageous over the long haul.Here’s ‘The Sick Vegan’ article Don refers to… http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/021000pusicklyvegan.htmThanks Don. Good read and confirms my thoughts on the subject.Yes, I see that too with regards to eating habits – it was my own personal experience and one I see frequently in my practice. In my case, my appetite diminished and I would skip meals, become hypoglycemic and then crave those vegan carbs such as bread and pasta, stimulate an insulin surge which would then become hypoglycemic again. And of course, this placed even more stress on my adrenals. A vicious cycle to be sure and one that only aggravated my already imbalanced sex hormones and neurotransmitters, especially serotonin. And I absolutely agree about assessing before addressing. I use Parmesan Labs and especially like their Comprehensive NeuroEndocrine panel to assess not only adrenal function but also neurotransmitter levels and sex hormones. I can add melatonin if sleep is an issue. Is there a specific panel you like? I’ll check out the newsletter for sure. I can’t say at this point that I agree about the complete avoidance of animal products from a nutritional perspective but tend towards your last statement. The research does support a plant-based diet as very beneficial for many chronic or degenerative conditions and I do use it in certain circumstances, such as cancer. But there is equally compelling research that supports the therapeutic benefits of a higher healthy fats, low carbohydrates, and moderate protein diet from both animal and plant-based sources. The source of our food is, of course, paramount to its ability to nourish and heal or poison and destroy and that is true regardless of what diet one chooses. The devil IS in the details! :) One of the things that I admire and am so appreciative of about this site is that healthcare professional, specifically MD’s, come here and are embracing nutrition as a major healing therapy for chronic and degenerative conditions. It is not the norm where I practice, which is frustrating, especially for patients who have taken your advice and sought out evaluation from their doctor, only to be told they are “fine” or sent home with a medication to alleviate a symptom, rather than a plan to really identify the root cause of their problem and heal. For many of my patients, I am their last resort.Bread and pasta is not a wholefood, neither is tofu, neither is olive oil. So you weren’t a strictly wholefood vegan. A wholefood vegan diet wouldn’t cause the problems you are claiming. And as you weren’t actually on a wholefood vegan diet then you can’t claim it did.Nice video. I will share it. I WISH, however, that you had specified in the first sentence or two that you were speaking of TYPE 2 diabetes.Not specifying leads to misconception about Type1 diabetes and very much hurts those people and their families.Thanks.Lori HopkinsYou are right Lori. But over time one generally learns to discern that if type 1 is not mentioned they mean type 2.Even so much of what he said here has been shown to be true with both types in terms of the dietary patterns and disease development. The auto immune phenomenon which causes type 1 has been repeatedly shown to be aggravated or even completely induced by animal products. This has been shown both in epidemiological studies and in cohort studies.My beta cells are gone and not coming back. But my insulin usage is down about 25% as a result of going WFPB. Also the side effects such as accelerated atherosclerosis, neuropathy, retinal neovascularization et al are much less likely with a whole foods plant based diet.So in defense, as a type 1 diabetic, I believe there is a great deal in this video and others on this site to give me a great sense of empowerment. I can control things better, I just can’t reverse this the way I did my arthritis.wonderful comment Stewart.Anyone that knows anything about Type1,, knows it can not be cured with diet.Given the comments that the families of T1 children endure, apparently many people know nothing. I believe specifying is better. Thanks.Hello, for all peoples with blood glucose problems, fat was the initial problem not carbs even for your current diet.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N636ftTJ10Fruits is much better than grains(even whole) for everyone and even peoples with blood glucose problems, even better with a very low fat diet.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRbj3n-1CUM“Whole” bread(the worst starchy food) and pasta doesnt exist because they are always made with flour which is never a whole food, does nutritionfacts scientists and researchers understand and agree with it?I wouldn’t trust this Nick Delgado (http://nickdelgado.com/ ) character in general. He claims somewhat impressive background and apparently worked for the Pritikin center at one time, but is also open about kitting himself out in other forms of pseudoscientific care such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Time Line Therapy (http://www.timelinetherapy.net/repairing-a-time-line/ ). What he’s doing in that video looks like Live Blood Analysis, a form of quackery which has been around at least since the days of Chronic Lyme. What people showing you the pretty pictures on the screen won’t tell you is that there is a confounding factor which can also cause blood to clump up: just focus on the edge of the slide where the smear is starting to dry out.Now, maybe this isn’t what he’s doing, but because he’s also not doing much to acknowledge the fact that triglycerides and blood sugars rise after any large meal, he’s not being sufficiently forthcoming with the best forms of evidence in that video. And, true to form, he has a website hawking patent supplements: http://delgadonaturals.com/So while he may perhaps be a charismatic fellow, there are plenty of them in the WFPB world. It’s better to stick with one who’s also good at sticking to the facts.It makes sense that even a small amount of meat contributes to diabetes and illness. In one of Dr. Greger’s previous videos about meat eating he quotes a study which proved that each time you eat even a little amount of meat it shocks your arterial system for 6 hours! (Don’t recall which video, was within the last 6 – 9 months or so, but I’ve never forgotten this.)In this video, Dr. Greger says that “Vegetarians live so much longer.” One study found that they live ten years longer. If vegetarians live “so much longer,” how do Americans justify eating meat? In this video, Dr. Greger shows that vegans have a 78 percent lower risk of diabetes, 75 percent lower risk of hypertension, 5 BMI lower index, that’s maybe 20-40 pounds. It seems clear meat causes diabetes, perhaps via long term exposure to IGF-1. People who didn’t eat a single serving of meat a week had half for men or a quarter for women the risk of diabetes compared to someone who ate one piece of meat a week. There doesn’t seem to be any safe amount of meat. There were no cases at all of diabetes in vegans in one study.For diabetes this site would recommend hibiscus tea, cinnamon, flax seed meal. amla, beans. Thule has produced another list of recommendations from this site: Indian gooseberries (amla), coffee, soy, flaxseeds, green tea, pulses (dried beans), chamomile tea, purple potatoes, sprouts, whole grains, vinegar, and beans.The study you mention, where the vegans had absolutely no diabetes, was the only study with only wholefood vegans. The other studies included junk food/processed food vegans thus elevating the risks. I would love to see a study done with vegans alone that seperated them into their various diet types. I think it would be incredibly interesting.Let’s be clear, some vegans think that coco cola is vegan. Some vegans eat food with HFCS in it. Hardly surprising to me that some vegans are still prone to get diabetes and become obese.ok but there risks too.from pubmed…RESULTS:Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were positively correlated with serum IGF-1 concentrations as well as mean blood pressure or body mass index and were negatively correlated with age, serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) concentrations, and carotid IMT. Serum IGF-1 concentrations had a significant inverse correlation with carotid IMT. Analysis across the IGF-1 quartiles revealed a threshold effect of low IGF-1 on MMSE score in subjects with the IGF-1 levels of 140 ng/mL or less (50% percentile) versus those with IGF-1 levels greater than 140 ng/mL. Multiple logistic regression concerning AD and VaD retained serum IGF-1 concentrations of 140 ng/mL or less and carotid IMT of 0.9 mm or more. Patients with AD and VaD had significantly lower IGF-1 concentrations and greater mean IMT than nondemented controls.CONCLUSION:These results suggest that decreased serum IGF-1 level and the progression of carotid atherosclerosis could play a role as independent risk factors for dementia.risks of dementia from pubmedOBJECTIVE:To relate serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) dementia and to brain volumes in a dementia-free community sample spanning middle and older ages.METHODS:Dementia-free Framingham participants from generation 1 (n = 789, age 79 ± 4 years, 64% women) and generation 2 (n = 2,793, age 61 ± 9 years, 55% women; total = 3,582, age 65 ± 11 years, 57% women) had serum IGF-1 measured in 1990-1994 and 1998-2001, respectively, and were followed prospectively for incident dementia and AD dementia. Brain MRI was obtained in stroke- and dementia-free survivors of both generations 1 (n = 186) and 2 (n = 1,867) during 1999-2005. Baseline IGF-1 was related to risk of incident dementia using Cox models and to total brain and hippocampal volumes using linear regression in multivariable models adjusted for age, sex, APOE ε4, plasma homocysteine, waist-hip ratio, and physical activity.RESULTS:Mean IGF-1 levels were 144 ± 60 μg/L in generation 1 and 114 ± 37 μg/L in generation 2. We observed 279 cases of incident dementia (230 AD dementia) over a mean follow-up of 7.4 ± 3.1 years. Persons with IGF-1 in the lowest quartile had a 51% greater risk of AD dementia (hazard ratio = 1.51, 95% confidence interval: 1.14-2.00; p = 0.004). Among persons without dementia, higher IGF-1 levels were associated with greater total brain volumes (β/SD increment in IGF-1 was 0.55 ± 0.24, p = 0.025; and 0.26 ± 0.06, p < 0.001, for generations 1 and 2, respectively).CONCLUSION:Lower serum levels of IGF-1 are associated with an increased risk of developing AD dementia and higher levels with greater brain volumes even among middle-aged community-dwelling participants free of stroke and dementia. Higher levels of IGF-1 may protect against subclinical and clinical neurodegeneration.Whoa! I love the ending. It is like you dropped a bomb, dropped the mike and exited left! Whoa. No diabetes found in the vegan group!Cocoa has positive effects on health. Cocoa intake, blood pressure, and cardiovascular mortality: the Zutphen Elderly Study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16505260/ In this study, the authors show that after 15 years, cocoa intake was inversely correlated with blood pressure and all cause mortality. (More intake meant lower blood pressure and less all cause death). Chocolate consumption is inversely associated with calcified atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries: The NHLBI Family Heart Study http://www.sacredchocolate.com/docs/sacredpdf/chocolate-consumption-reverse-atherosclerotic-plaque.pdf People who ate chocolate has less hypertension and clinically diagnosed CHD (Chronic Heart Disease). The more chocolate the research subjects ate the less calcium or hardening their there was in their arteries. In the discussion of this paper the authors summarize a report that diabetics who were fed cocoa had a 30 percent increase in blood flow to their brachial artery. Balzer J, Rassaf T, Heiss C, Kleinbongard P, Lauer T, Merx M, et al. Sustained benefits in vascular function through flavanol-containing cocoa in medicated diabetic patients a double-masked, randomized, controlled trial. J Am Coll Cardiol 2008;51:2141e9. They also summarize a report that dark chocolate reduces risk of heart disease by 40 percent in medium levels of consumption. Buijsse B, Weikert C, Drogan D, Bergmann M, Boeing H. Chocolate consumption in relation to blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease in German adults. Eur Heart J; 2010 [Epub ahead of print]. Another study shows that chocolate is inversely correlated with prevalent heart disease and eating it 5 times a week can reduce your risk of heart disease by 57 percent. Chocolate consumption is inversely associated with prevalent coronary heart disease: the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20858571Chocolate is a very heart healthy food, even for diabetics.chocolate myth dissolves: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/chocolate-health-myth-dissolves-1.2879898Chocolate may not have that effect on memory, but it does have pronounced effect on heart health and heart disease. Fifty percent or more reduction in heart attack risk and heart disease at moderate levels of consumption. Fifty percent or more reduction in mortality (all risk) in a fifteen year study. Beans and exercise are thought to be just as effective but did not have those results. Chocolate is a life saver and favored as a medicine for the smiles at least. If there was chocolate without saturated fat, it would be one of the healthiest foods in the world.Mathew: re: ” If there was chocolate without saturated fat…” You may know this already, but cocoa powder is essentially chocolate with the fat removed. And no sugar added, so it is not editable as-is. But there are recipes around with cocoa powder and no fat. For example, for a while, I was making a chocolate oatmeal dish for breakfast that was made up of stealcut oats, bananas, cocoa powder and dates. As you can see, no fat. Some people also like to make a “chocolate soft serve” out of ground up frozen bananas with cocoa powder added. So, you can work in the benefits of the cocoa beans without the saturated fat and sugar drawbacks if you want.Just some ideas/thoughts for you.Thank you so much for your comment. Heart disease is sudden, 50 percent of people who die from heart disease die suddenly. Dark chocolate may be (my opinion) one of the most effective means of eliminating that risk based on the 50 percent reduction presented here. Walnuts, beans, green tea, and berries might also be effective, but people might remember to keep up the dark chocolate.In addition to Thea’s delicious suggestions, I would also add: cocoa powder mixed into mashed/whipped sweet potatoes for pudding, mixed into chia/non dairy milk pudding (though added sugar is required for this one), and one of my favorites, adding cocoa powder to any heavily seasoned “tex-mex” style food, e.g. chili. I always add 1 Tbsp cocoa powder to chili. You can’t really taste any chocolate flavor, but it does contribute to a very subtle enhancement in the undertone of the dish.You can also get ground cocoa beans in the same manner as ground coffee beans, and brew them the same. Though a longer brew such as using a french press is necessary for full flavor. It’s completely bitter, just like black coffee, without sugar or whitener. I tried it and loved the flavor, but it made my head a little fuzzy the same way too much coffee or very dark chocolate does. I got the Crio Brü brand which I can vouch for being delicious, though I’m not sure if it would be any different from the regular cocoa nibs in the bulk section of my co-op.b00mer: Great ideas! I was thinking about mole (a Mexican sauce with cocoa) later that night after I wrote my post. You covered the general idea with your post. And so much more.I have to say that I think it takes a brave person to drink brewed cocoa beans straight. I’m impressed.Thank you very much for your comment. Did you know that Dr. Greger said that people who are at low risk for heart disease are very likely to die from it? I think this means everyone should eat cocoa or dark chocolate with its benefits presented here to prevent the disease and put them in a prevented risk category.Panchito: Interesting article. Thanks.Seriously, Authority Nutrition?!Chocolate has an ORAC value in the top ten and its specific complement of antioxidants and flavinoids can benefit any diet they are very stress responsive properties. Chocolate, specifically pure chocolate or dark chocolate is one of the most nutritious foods in nature based on the ORAC chart. If you go to the research and read the claims for yourself you can see it is a very youth inducing food. Yes, I think this is authority nutrition.So why is it that when I eat an omlette for breakfast, I feel more sated and in a less cranky mood than when I eat oatmeal with some fruit topped with nuts?Because all that protein and fat sends different signals to your brain than carbs. Also, if you eat eggs regularly your microbiome will be suited to that food, so if you occasionally eat wholefood vegan breakfast with an egg fed microbiome you’ll upset your microbiome and therefore feel cranky.If you only ate wholefood vegan meals then your brain would adjust to the new signals (it takes a few weeks to do this) and your microbiome would also change (again, a few weeks) and you wouldn’t feel cranky at all after a few weeks, totally the opposite, you’d feel totally energised.Just type II diabetes or all diabetes?reversing type I diabetes with the amino acid GABA: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/286121.phpMuch as I respect Dr Greger’s work, I think his comments about the Taiwanese Buddhist study are a little misleading. The vegetarian and omnivore groups differed in several dietary respects other than just meat consumption, with the vegetarians eating more vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, fibre, calcium, magnesium and so on. These differential factors were not controlled for in the analyses. So it is highly likely that the difference in diabetes rates is attributable to those differences in diet, rather than, or in addition to, the difference between the groups in meat consumption. It is clear from the Discussion of the paper that the authors think so too. This study takes us no closer to determining the answer to the question of whether a 100% vegan diet has advantages over a 95% vegan diet matched in all respects other than a serving or two per week of animal products.Dr. Greger, is there any mention of type 1 vs type 2 in this study? My friend who is type 1 responded that “This may apply to Type 2 diabetes, but not Type 1.” when I linked the video. Is this true or false and why?I am a thin diabetic. I was thin before my diagnosis. Most advice is associated with losing weight and early less. What recommendations do you have for someone who is already thin.	Adventist Health Studies,animal fat,animal products,animal protein,Asia,blood pressure,cardiovascular health,chronic diseases,dairy,diabetes,eggs,fish,flexitarians,heart health,hypertension,junk food,meat,plant-based diets,prediabetes,soda,Taiwan,vegans,vegetarians	We’ve known for a half century that plant-based diets are associated with lower diabetes risk, but how low does one have to optimally go on animal product and junk food consumption?	More on preventing and treating this terrible disease:The reason I keep going back to that Adventist-2 study is that it’s not only the biggest study of those eating plant based diets in North America, but the largest such study anywhere anytime. We owe those investigators a great debt (not to mention the 96,741 participants!). One thing I’m happy my tax dollars are going towards (via the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health). More from the Adventists in Caloric Restriction vs. Animal Protein Restriction.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taiwan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21983060,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19321569,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5100965,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3985239,
PLAIN-2498	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/	How Many Meet the Simple Seven?	In public health school, we learn there are three levels of preventive medicine. Primary prevention would be like trying to prevent someone at risk for heart disease from getting their first heart attack. Secondary prevention is when you already have the disease and are trying to prevent your second heart attack, and tertiary prevention is like cardiac rehab, where we’re just trying to reduce the complication rate. A fourth level was suggested in 2000, quaternary prevention, trying to reduce the damage from all the drugs and surgery from the first three levels. But people seem to forget about a fifth concept, introduced by the World Health Organization back in 1978, termed primordial prevention, which is being embraced by the American Heart Association’s 2020 strategic impact goals.Primordial prevention was conceived as a strategy to prevent whole societies from experiencing epidemics of the risk factors. The corresponding strategy at the individual level is to prevent the development of risk factors. Instead of trying to prevent someone with high cholesterol from getting a heart attack, why not prevent them from getting high cholesterol in the first place.So the American Heart Association came up with the simple seven, seven simple health behaviors or factors. Not smoking, not being overweight, being “very active”, defined as walking at least 22 minutes a day, a few fruits and veggies, below average cholesterol, normal blood pressure and normal blood sugars.Their goal was to reduce heart disease deaths by 20% by 2020. Why so modest an aim? An improvement of 25% was deemed unrealistic, 15% was considered insufficient so they decided on 20. If 90% of risk can be dumped in the trash by engaging in simple lifestyle modifications, why is just 25% considered unrealistic? To understand, one must realize just how bad our diets have gotten.The most common reason patients give for not complying with a cholesterol-lowering diet may be the presumption that they’re already eating healthy and so didn’t need to change. But if you look at the status of cardiovascular health in U.S. adults, only about 1% have a bare minimum of healthy eating behaviors, such as five-a-day fruits and veggies, eating beans, whole grains, drinking less than 3 cans of soda a week. What percentage of Americans hit all seven of the simple 7? 14,000 men and women were surveyed, and most had 2 or 3 but hardly any had all 7 simple health components. Just how low a prevalence was having 7 out of 7? Only about 1 out of 2000 Americans had all 7 factors intact. And the one they were missing the most? Diet. That should give us pause.Unfortunately unhealthy behaviors extend into the medical profession. Just like smoking doctors are less likely to tell their patients to stop smoking, and couch potato docs are less likely to push exercise, or things like more fruits and vegetables, we need to role-model healthy behavior. This greatly enhances our credibility and effectiveness. Gone are the days of traditional authority when the fat physician, dropping cigarette ash down his gravy-stained vest, could credibly prescribe a change in behavior.	In summary: Be the example you want others to follow.Now it’s our choice.Another great video! This one got my heart jumping….no wait is that the coffee…..?LOL!A clear list of the 7 factors would be helpful.Under transcript above–3rd paragraph.So the American Heart Association came up with the simple seven, seven simple health behaviors or factors. Not smoking, not being overweight, being “very active (defined as walking at least 22 minutes a day), a few fruits and veggies, below average cholesterol, normal blood pressure, and normal blood sugars.I was going to make a post with the simple seven, but you beat me to it. :)It took me a while but I found them:http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/My-Life-Check—Lifes-Simple-7_UCM_471453_Article.jspIt’s kind of disappointing that they list “eat fish 2-3 times a week” given all the toxins.I meet “The Simple 7″!Excellent Veganrunner. I am right along with you, and I am loving it!!!So only 1 in 2000 meet the simple 7. Isn’t that like…less than the population of vegetarians?316 million / 2000 = 158,000 There are about 8 million vegans in the country now, that means only 2% of them meet the “7”.Excellent math :) I am in the simple seven group. Yippee.Do you ever drink coffee, caffeine or chocolate drinks?Your posts on this website have been worth reading.I am humbled martygobi. I don’t drink coffee, but I have had a green or black tea once or twice last year and I don’t make a habit out of it. I don’t drink chocolate drinks, but I eat a cacao and almond butter that I have once in a while. I probably made it around 4 time last year, so I don’t make a habit out of it either.Unfortunately, the recommendations appear to include daily meat and oily fish at least twice a week, in addition to 2-3 servings of dairy a day.If 316 million Americans, by that account 8 million vegans represents about 2.5% of the population – not sure it is that high (though it is a LOVELY thought!). Regardless, the choice to eat vegan often isn’t related to health – may be ethical or environmental etc – so a vegan isn’t necessarily a good model of healthy behaviours (a point made often in Dr. G’s videos). However, a vegan who does have good health habits (WFPB and moderate exercise) would indeed represent a person of pinnacle health! Cheers!I get so irate over this issue.Why?I’m from Vermont and our state had to drop it’s plans a state-wide health care plan this past week because it’s too expensive, we can’t afford it, and I can only assume it’s because so many of us are so unhealthy that the costs of taking care of ourselves has gone out of reach. This is a immense human tragedy. I feel a profound displeasure with my fellow citizens who for the vast majority, food has little to do with satisfying nutritional requirements and everything to do with entertainment, or what makes them feel good, because it tastes good, because they can’t put any effort into knowing any better. And the problem seems so huge now that it is beyond ever being reversed. Call this pessimistic and you are right but is this not reality? Is there any hope of turning this problem around in 20-30 years? Add the social context of 10,000 baby boomers retiring each day, likely requiring more and more health care. Those of us who take care of ourselves pay dearly for those who don’t. Talk about being in a minority. (I guess the only solace I have is that I’ve realized this situation and removed myself as part of the problem. But little recompense in this given the big picture. Yeah, food and eating habits is a front line issue. It’s significance in terms of human suffering far exceed issues related to terrorism. But look at the money we spend on that… Irate!Eating behavior is socially conditioned. Habits and believes are persistent. And the food industry knows this too well, and uses it to make profit at the expense of our health and money if we don’t react! “Man is a wolf to man”! And the same with tabacco… I understand your irritation, Tobias, when it comes to pay for the unhealthy by solidarity. But don’t blame the victim to much, and consider the responsability of the predator. That’s the one to neutralize in the first place to reverse the global situation. It’s disgusting, revolting… People mostly buy and eat what they are driven to buy and eat.It’ so sad… Thank’s to Dr Greger and team, for working at reversing that!Thanks for the encouragement. (I realized a new dimension to this whole problem these past few weeks when I started taking a longer trip to get groceries, out to Montreal’s Marché Jean-Talon, which is the central food commercial food hub… and finally found a very good fruiterie (fruit and veggie store) Chez Louis. He takes extra care to source quality produce and it shows. Had tastes from potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes that I never knew existed. It’s worth paying extra for quality, at least in this case.Thank’s Tobias.I’m glad for you that you know this great market! It happens that I know “Chez Louis”, for I go to the Marché Jean-Talon when stay in Montreal. There, you can find two other great places for shopping spices, “Olives & Épices” and “La Dépense” (full of treasures for exotic cooking, with a thousand of products you can hardly find elswere). They were created by a couple of spices hunters, Ethné and Philippe de Vienne, who founded the “Épices de Cru”. Very interesting. It’s worth the trip for the adventurers in creative cooking!Merci beaucoup pour vos conseils! Je suis en train de repérer tous les bons endroits au marché Jean-Talons. Maybe you haven’t seen The Camellia Sinensis Tea House there yet. Very nice.OH yes, I know them. Very kind people, and the quality of their products is irréprochable (in my experience)… not like my english! Sure you can hear my french accent in my writings!For spices, my go to provider, at least until now, has been penzeys.com. Will check out these two places next trip, early next week…Thanks, Tobias, for the link, I’ll look at it. And here’s the one for the”épices de cru”: http://epicesdecru.com Have a nice trip!Thing is, my spice cupboard is already overflowing.I live next to Marché Maisonneuve so J-T is about 20 minutes by car.)I only recently started eating bread, as I couldn’t find my idea of a healthy brand… though since I’ve found Food for Life, I’ve been eating the Ezekiel one(s) regularly. But last trip to M-M I checked out Au Pain Doré. I found it mostly filled with treats but there was a big round crusty bread in the corner. He asked if I wanted it sliced and I declined thinking it would last longer whole… Well, this loaf was so good that I ate the whole thing by the time I returned home. I was saying to myself that it was impossible, it has to have some bad ingredients. Low and behold, it appears not. I have to ask them next time I’m there but it appears that I’m adding a new bread to my menu. It really tastes too good to be true.In J-T, you also have Première Moisson with a great choice of very good bread. You can find many other good bakeries in Montreal. A tip to make good bread last longer: have it sliced, keep some slices… and freeze the rest when very fresh, and you’ll have fresh bred when needed. Freeze it wrapped in paper before you put it in a plastic freezer bag. Before dooing this, if you turn the slices two by two a quarter turn, it’s easier to separate them.( Two by two because it takes less time than one by one- and it’s the right number for a good sandwich!) Bon appétit!Fellow Canadians, who may be reading this, may know One Degree. It is a brand that sells veganic bread brand and some veganic cereals. I really love it, the texture is great. I have no problem with gluten, and if you enjoy bread as I do, I recommend their breads (lentil bread(!), flax and spelt, ancient grain whole wheat, and sesame sunflower) . Not as good as fresh, but I find it in Ottawa in the frozen food section of select health food stores (e.g. Natural Food Pantry, Rainbow Foods). I have asked Costco to carry it, but so far, they just carry organic white baguettes by another company. (As for One Degree, I do have a major reservation, and that I believe they are trying to water down the definition of veganic to include bee products, so that does concern me. The bread is very tasty however, with great texture).Part of the problem is education. I wanted to eat right but for many years did not know how to eat right–and I’m still learning. My daughter brought the China Study home during a college break, and I picked it up and read it. I was very angry that this information had been kept from me. We are not taught anything about nutrition in school.Dr Oz and The Doctors do their share of misinforming the public. That should be a crime.Tobias always remember that you are blessed that you understand the problem and you do something about it. That’s is my outlook and it stopped me from getting frustrated. I can only change me, so I have to just change me and I am loving it.‘…for the vast majority, food has little to do with satisfying nutritional requirements and everything to do with entertainment, or what makes them feel good, because it tastes good, because they can’t put any effort into knowing any better.’One has to wonder whether entertainment doesn’t in fact trump taste.I’ve largely given up dining out, not just because of the excessive use of salt and sweeteners, but mainly because people don’t stop talking long enough to taste what the chefs have gone to considerable trouble to prepare. A little mindfulness might be in order!If we went to restaurants to savour the fare (slowly, deliberately) as though it were a Renoir painting, and if we saved the compulsive chattering for after the meal, we’d eat less, digest better, enjoy the meal far more — and derive more energy and nutrition from it.Otherwise what is the point? Being seen? Scoring points for having dined high on the food chain?do the s7 have parameters or are there wide ranges for each listing on what is considered healthy for that factor?I’m trying to make a concerted effort to change my diet since I have high cholesterol and high normal BP. The bottom line on these studies, as good as they are, is that I know what I have to do to get to where I want to go but I’m sometimes too lazy or I slip up or just make the choice to have that crap food. And it’s all on me, I get that.I think the time is long overdue where we don’t need more studies telling us the obvious but maybe it’s time more more behaviour modification studies to help morons like myself stick to a healthy plan for the long run.As always, enjoy your informative videos.Well said Clem! We don’t need more studies telling us what to do, we need more programs and studies to help us actuallydo it.Clem, give yourself at least a little bit of a break. Yes you do need to make the change definitive. But in my experience it is not the attraction of eating flesh and its products but a cultural phenomenon of moving to the easiest foods that is important. Most of us don’t cook and when we do, we go for something easy like seared flesh or processed foods that we have learned to think of as good.The first step in my opinion should be knowing the implications of our dietary behavior and this web site is outstanding for that. There are many more good healthy alternatives from the plant world so it’s not just a matter of what tastes good. But we generally need help in making these fantastic foods taste good In other words, I think a huge component in any behavior modification should be cooking classes.And yes behavior modification is important. If you haven’t already you might check out http://www.healthpromoting.com/. That’s the web site for TrueNorth Health Center in California which specializes in exactly this type behavior modification.Thanks for the reply. I’m actually going to be starting some cooking classes in the next few weeks to include more healthy options.Clem: Good for you! I found that cooking classes (along with other supports) was a great help to me in making changes. But I know I need to make more changes too. So, I can sympathize with your feelings about needing that behavior modification.As an idea for you (not to replace your classes, but to supplement): Consider going through the free 21 Day Kickstart program by PCRM. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos (including “how to cook this” videos), inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. You don’t have to follow the program exactly. I recommend just signing up for it and getting out of it what you want. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)Good luck!Well said! It is definitely a shift in cultural values that is required. Going from a culture that rushes through meals, gives little consideration to what or who we put in our bodies, and that considers convenience above all else, to one that says food is important, so are its origins, and so are the impacts (be that to my health, to the planet, and to others) of eating it. Another thing to consider is Clem, is that the energy comes WITH the shift. WFPB diets are extremely energizing. It may take a little time and commitment at the beginning, but eventually it becomes second nature. And personally, I wouldn’t give up the time my husband and I spend in the kitchen, chopping fresh veggies and prepping these beautiful healthful meals, for anything in the world. It is part of our life and it is something that I don’t NOT have time for. In our house, it was the removal of television that really helped this step become a reality. I think this was two fold – for one, we are virtually free of commercials pushing the cultural values of fast food, but we also have taken our time back that used to be stolen as we clamoured in front of the TV for the latest episode of *insert show here*. Anyway, good luck with all!We need to continue these studies even though it is obvious to you, and is not obvious to many other people.I am personally able to stick with my vegan diet because I haven’t been sick since I adopted it and I love not being sick. I am always super energized and I allow love that. Internally I am closer to God/The Source/Nature and this makes me feel awesome.Clem, I feel your struggle and agree that behavior modification is the toughest part. It’s not an easy task to completely overhaul your diet. It requires an investment of effort to learn new ways to cook, trial and error with new recipes and foods, and dedication to the time and planning commitment that healthy eating necessitates. I know, I’ve been working on it myself since 2001. Hang in there and try not to be hard on yourself. I applaud your effort to change and read below that you’re taking cooking classes – this is a great thing to do. I was bumbling along and then a few cooking classes with a vegetable-based chef really put me on track! Wishing you good health.Thx for the encouragement.For high cholesterol this site would recommend nuts, whole grain, flax seed meal, kiwi, grapefruit, red yeast rice, dried apples, amla, beans like chickpeas, and a vegan diet for any period. For high blood pressure this site would recommend beets, hibiscus tea, seaweed, grapefruit, beans, brazil nuts, and whole grains. Perhaps drinking no or less coffee or caffeine could lower your blood pressure by 20 points alone. I wish you long life. Congratulations on your health conscious decision.Thanks for the input Matthew, greatly appreciate the suggestions.Yeah, I just had a mini cupcake, oops. I’m not beating myself up or anything but it was there. These videos help to keep me honest most of the time through brainwashing but the pervasiveness of evil food makes it hard to be good. I’m able to say no to most of it now, it’s been a long process, but cupcakes are hard, and it was there. Anyone who isn’t on the email list and doesn’t regularly watch these videos is willfully ignorant in my opinion.Well dang. Now I’m craving cupcakes. There is a cupcake place two blocks form where I work which sells the best cupcakes I have ever had. And they happen to be vegan. I hadn’t thought of them in a while, but now… Now we will see if I stay firm and in my office, or take break… ;-OWhenever I look at a food I shouldn’t be eating, I ask myself whether I want that food or whether I want Then I find the choice easy.Liisa: That is a good mind set.For the record: I resisted getting the cupcake. But then again, it wasn’t right in front of me. That would have probably been a different result.. :( I will have to work on remembering the diseases.I have a price limit $1.00 for any goody that i usually don’t eat but crave. Wanted a pecan pie the other day $1. The long ingredient list wasn’t deterring me as it usually does but the calorie count did. Whew!jj: Funny you would mention $1. Those mini-cupcakes I was fantasizing about used to be $1. I would get one a week. But they raised the price and I decided it was no longer worth it. I haven’t had one in quite a few months. But I can still crave them…Same with Snickers ice cream bars. Had a short fling with them last summer but it just reminded me that they are way too addictive and I don’t live that way any more!!! I can go home and make something healthy.It’s a good mind set, Liisa, because you move from restriction to choice. And you make the long-term consequence weight its real value in bringing it to your mind. You don’t indulge in the attitude “I’ll behave myself tomorrow!”.Hey clem, what worked for me was having a heart attack and 4ple bypass. not to be a smart A** but I wonder if it could help you to watch a bypass video and imagine your arteries all gooey and yellow?If you can throw away the idea that every meal is a feast, make them nutrition opportunities. And maybe make a deal with yourself… 21 days. That’s how long it takes most folks to break the physical (!) addiction to the crap. 21 days of the horror of eating really great and tasty meals. Make alist, get the indredients and make a lentil/rice casserole from the FoK FB recipes. make it fun.Finally, what works for me is to trick myself into just doing one thing. Just plant one flower or move some junk …just one little job. LardA**es in motion tend to stay in motion. ;) also there is something compelling about eating the veg you grow. Even the stuff i used to hate I now love. Even a few container plants if your space is limited…all helps.Nope it is not all on you. You ain’t heavy bro. Youre among friends. We are turning that corner together. Fight the power. Thunderbirds are GO!I’ll pass on the video but point taken.ThanksHi Coacervate , this is a bit off topic but do you have any suggestions for keeping the courgettes mildew free without using commercial sprays? I always find reading your posts worthwhile.Hi Vegank, Thanks for the compliment! We have exactly the same problem. Really, we’ve always sorta lived with it.Our strategy has been to keep them as well fed, watered and HOT as they like it…Then they seem to grow faster than the mildew. Learn to spot it early and burn mercilessly, never compost diseased tissue.This year we are trying out a small greenhouse to try controlling the environment. I play with small microcontrollers (Arduino?) with the goal of controlling all the factors water, temp, fans *remember i said goal”. We are mid summmer now and so far they are looking good but producing less. Anytime I see a yellowing leaf or anything not perfect I lop it off. BUT greenhouses are weird environments…now our little kefir lime is infested with white fly which will spread disease right through the house so I’m going in with the neem oil.~Oh Love to eat them Zukies. Zukies what I love to eat, bite they little heads off, nibble on the tasty meat.~ Sorry Gary ;)“Then they seem to grow faster than the mildew” ..I like that idea ! Thank you Coacervate for your tips. Now that I think of it I probably did miss the signs. I agree that we tend to eat even the vegetables we didn’t like before, when we grow our own. It must be in our DNA, the delight of growing and harvesting one’s own produce. Children seem to react in the same way once they learn to grow vegetables. Hopefully I will be able to meet the Simple Seven if I keep trying, the one that didn’t quite make it was my blood sugar, but I know this is because I sometimes succumb to temptation and consume white rice now and then, even though I know it won’t be pleasant later.HI, you are in the southern hemisphere I think? Teach your children well…that is the key!I don’t meet or even worry about the simple 7. I eat whole plant foods …and spend as much time in laughter as possible. Give in, eat some white rice. you know what I mean? we all gon die. die happy. the best way I figure to die happy is to die as healthy as possible so make white rice and freakin sour kraut and bratwurst your guilty pleasure and then have some fries to boot. screw it. If our biochemistry is so high strung that we have to eat freakin bilberries instead of yummy blueberries, then eat a goat or some ham or something once in a while. eat my landlord, you know?Eventually the truth will out. Someday they people will look back upon us and say hokey smokes, didn’t they understand that the facts were right there for so many years? Must be they were caught up in some sort of “Pleasure trap” … oh look, one of them even wrote about it. They gon live till they die, didn’t they know? ” Help us mister wizardI lost 5 close friends this damn 2014 year. glad to see the end of it and scared shitless of the the next 12 mo. ha ahahaha, I laugh. Laughing I am this sweet life. Marcello! Come here!Don’t worry, I read before the comment was removed it but did not find any “offensive material” ! I do have some Irish in my DNA anyway : ) Thanks for your sense of humor, some of us need it !Remember when food was a family/community affair? It is hard planning and cooking every single meal to stay healthy so why not enlist help? One very-allergic friend has a neighbor make up a batch of tamales for his freezer once a month. I cook big pots of beans to share with my sister and mother. My neighbor always makes extra soup… Even sharing the shopping can be a help when you can’t make it to the Farmer’s Market. Mom of my daughter’s friend wants to start cooking more so for Xmas received a slow-cooker; now I pass along split peas and barley to make sure it gets a good workout!You really hit the nail on the head with this one! I work as a registered dietitian and it is part of my personal philosophy that I work with my clients to address why they are making the choices that they are. People have to want to make changes, and in order to get to that place behavior change models must be put into place. There is no question that high fat foods and refined sugars make people feel good. They have drug like qualities on a hormonal level. We need to look more thoroughly at the barriers that exist for people in today’s society and how to address them in the most effective possible way. (You’re not a moron)I remember how I hated conferences in Medical School whem all the doctors, especially surgeons, would light up and I would be left choking. Most MD’s I know now do not smoke. We received no education in nutrition, but after seeings hundreds and hundreds of stroke, MI, amputee, ischaemic bowel patients, etc., I started consulting nutritionists on all patients as well as learning from them myself. I started reading the Tuft’s nutrition letter, The China Study, and more recently subscribed to you. Even from medical school on I was aghast at what hospital cafeterias and patients were serving and I vowed never to eat hospital food. Finally, smoking was banned on hospital campuses. I am now retired in a Blue Zone in Guanacaste Costa Rica. I noticed right away the strength of families, spirituality, people, even 90-100 walking or riding bikes up steep hills. The food was locally grown and the little meat they ate came from cows grazing up and down very steep hills thin and looking like long distance runners. Small amounts of seafood, dairy, and eggs were also consumed. Egg yolks here are beyond yellow to orange with happy little chickens scrambling all over the place, keeping tics, that carry Erlichosis down. The water is loaded with magnesium, calcium, and all kinds of minerals, making it impossible to keep filters on taps. My wife and I walk or bike, no car, surf, play tennis, run and make all of our food from scratch, with no additives. At 4 feet 10 inches my wife has ost 36 pounds over three years and I have lost 20. My HDL went from 19 to 72 and my LDL from 70 to 19. My triglycerides once > 2,000, at age 26, are down to 164. My plasma and urine at 26 were white with fat but are now clear. I am soon to be 66. We decided to retire where we could prevent heart disease rather than be where futuristic surgery is needed to treat it. Thank you.Robert: Thank you for posting your story. It is inspiring. We know by the good doctors who visit this site, that there *are* good doctors out there who care enough for their patient’s health to do the necessary research. Sounds like you were/are one of those people.A bit of what you said reminded me of a book from a couple of years ago aimed at American medical students (“First Aid for the Wards”), which admonished its readers that hospital food is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. I’ve noticed an elderly friend of mine, with serious atherosclerosis (I think he has now had one MI and three CVAs) being fed such things as hamburgers and bacon in the facilities he has been in. Plus of course you have things like McDonald’s in hospitals, which was subjected to a bit of snark in the film “Supersize Me” about a decade ago (“at least you’re close when the coronary kicks in”). Though more recently I read that in US teaching hospitals Krispy Kreme is actually #1.Interesting. I’ve never seen anyone with an LDL of 19. If I saw that I would probably consider it a lab error and repeat the test.Robert: Are the lipoprotein numbers you’ve given in units different from those used in the US (mg per dL)? As I understand, LDL is not a waste product; the body needs some LDL. I’m astonished that you and your wife are so healthy with such a low LDL level. Thank you.Great story, thanks for sharing. And since you bike and run already, perhaps you can find a triathlon (!) or duathlon in Costa Rica. I did my first one last year and discovered it was fun (and re-discovered swimming after a hiatus of almost 30 years!)I love this video! I appreciate all the work you put in your videos, too, compiling several studies. Let’s root for the docs to get healthy, too.I meet it, vegan for 10 years, walk my dogs an hour and half every day and rollerblade 3 times a week, at 51, no smoking, no drinking, whole food plant based diet, very healthy, happy and fully functioningThank you…this encourages my like so many of your videos. I’m doing everything on the list.My husband and I meet the 7/7!! But, we are definitely known as health nuts. This is quite sad because it implies that to meet the 7 you basically have to be a social deviant – saying no to foods everyone else eats, being super picky at restaurants, etc. thank goodness smoking is no longer the norm in North America. That’s a plus.Right! I’ve discovered I don’t get invited out to eat with friends anymore because I make them feel too guilty and apparently they don’t want to go to the “kind of places” I would be able to find a decent selection! Sad commentary, but that’s okay, I can’t afford eating out anyway! LOL!Yes sometimes a change in diet leads to a change in friends! Sad but true. By I guess same if you give up alcohol – you’re not going to bars anymore very often.Hi Charzie! Thanks for sharing your not so uncommun experience. Maybe you don’t know the following book. It could help with that problem. “Living among Meat Eaters, from Carol J. Adams, is a very interesting book on the subject. It provides advice and tools to foster understanding. A must-read practical guide for discussions questioning vegetarianism as a lifestyle choice.Cool, thanks! Going to head to the library soon, I now have it on my list!“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” Jiddu KrishnamurtiI totally agree. Normal does’t mean healhy. Nonconformism is safer when considering eating habits in the SAD style!Apparently doctors, with no nutritional training and a business model that feeds on disease, may lead us to believe we are eating and doing all the right things. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/09/opinion/skip-your-annual-physical.html?smid=fb-shareDanielFaster: Cool article! Thanks for sharing.I love the direction of this video. Walk the talk, don’t talk the talk!You should create your own medical school in which one of the requirements to graduate is that you have to live a perfectly healthy lifestyle.The American Heart Association recommends seven things to prevent heart disease. These include not smoking, not being overweight, being “very active”, defined as walking at least 22 minutes a day, a few fruits and veggies, below average cholesterol, normal blood pressure and normal blood sugars. This site has more specific recommendations, to lose weight, they say the vegans are the thinnest group in the country together with marathon runners. You could also take the recommended dosage of fenugreek, recommended here for cancer, with a small amount of exercise to lose weight. To eat a few fruits and vegetables, you could eat dried apples or golden raisins, eat beets, broccoli, kale, spinach, garlic, tomato, pumpkins, cranberries, lemons, carrots, blueberries, strawberries, or grapes, a salad a day is recommended. To lower cholesterol this site recommends nuts like almonds, whole grain, flax seed meal, kiwi, grapefruit, red yeast rice, dried apples, amla, beans like chickpeas, for normal blood pressure fhis site recommends beets, hibiscus tea, seaweed, grapefruit, beans, brazil nuts, whole grains, to normalize blood sugar this site recommends hibiscus tea, cinnamon, flax seed meal, amla, and beans.AMAZING VIDEO. I am in. What are we waiting for.? Dr Gregger Thanks again for underlining the important thingsHey there, you must be a fellow Antipodian! Good on ya!This video is true on so many levels. For 90% of physicians, ordering halibut instead of steak at a pharmaceutical-sponsored meeting is the defining act of healthy eating. My primary colleague is a psychiatrist from Russia. His wife is a hospitalist at Kaiser, Their son, a genius, entered med school at 19 and is now in his second year of residency. I can’t help but be amused when I observe their eating habits. They all employ exactly the same technique of scraping the vegetables to one side, as if they are a contaminant. The dad looks like he is 8 months pregnant. The son maybe six, but he is on his way. Mom is about 30 lbs. overweight. Their attitude is: I will eat what I like because no one lives forever. Hypercholesterolemia? That’s why we have drugs.Whole Foods Market this month offers its E2 vegan diet for healthy eating. You can sign up for cooking lessons & lectures about shopping, cooking & eating healthy. Whole Foods uses the Aggregate Nutrient Density Score (ANDI) score created by Dr. Joel Fuhrman to rank order vegetables, fruit, beans, seeds, nuts. Dr. Fuhrman emphasizes food choices based on GBOMBS: greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, nuts & seeds.After I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrilation my health and mental attitude spiraled downhill for about two years. My doctor chastised me for gaining weight in the midst of this, by the way, but offered no assistance in addressing that issue. A-Fib is ‘manageable’ with meds, yada, yada. Finally, I decided that if I was going to die that I might as well enjoy the trip. I read Eat to Live and went cold turkey, then I got back to running. I lost nearly 80 pounds, dropped all prescription medications and feel great. When I asked my cardiologist why he didn’t just prescribe diet and exercise for my condition (the a-fib went away, too) he said that most people don’t take that advice anyway so he’s just given up offering it! I’m still annoyed that I spent two years in purgatory to figure it out but I’m on my way now.My total cholesterol went from 181 as a vegetarian eating eggs and dairy every day to 141 as a vegetarian eating little eggs and dairy to 115 as a vegan eating moderately low fat/high carb and quite a lot of whole foods.FullyRawKristina.com Great video…shared..alwaysThese seven behaviors are so simple, so minimal, it really is a wonder that only one out of 2000 meet them. It’s surprising to me that so many folks lack even the basics of health consciousness.“Be te change you want to see in the world”It is not because I am a MD, people are observing what I buy when grocery shopping, it is because I am still size 4, still playing at the monkey barre with young kids and ready to play tennis.They hate us cuz they aint usI’m interested in clarifying some information i’ve seen in other posts; the first being on eggs and the assertion that cholesterol raises cholesterol. I was taught that saturated fat can increase cholesterol – but that cholesterol does not. Also interested in the post stating that meat increases insulin significantly. Was very interested to hear that – but also wonder it that’s not a bit of an oversimplification as protein also raises Glucagon – which is Insulin’s antagonist. Curious as to what others have to say.Who in the world taught you that cholesterol doesn’t raise cholesterol? Prominent bodies ranging from the USDA to the WHO recommend limiting dietary cholesterol. Were you also taught that they have another harmful mechanism in mind when they make this kind of recommendation?http://www.choosemyplate.gov/dietary-guidelines.html“Cholesterol in the blood and tissues is derived from two sources: diet and endogenous synthesis. Dairy fat and meat are major dietary sources. Egg yolk is particularly rich in cholesterol but unlike dairy products and meat does not provide saturated fatty acids. Although dietary cholesterol raises plasma cholesterol levels (15), observational evidence for an association of dietary cholesterol intake with CVD is contradictory (16). There is no requirement for dietary cholesterol and it is advisable to keep the intake as low as possible (2). If intake of dairy fat and meat are controlled, there is no need to severely restrict egg yolk intake, although some limitation remains prudent.Dietary plant sterols, especially sitostanol, reduce serum cholesterol by inhibiting cholesterol absorption (17). The cholesterol-lowering effects of plant sterols has also been well documented (18) and commercial products made of these compounds are widely available, but their longterm effects remain to be seen.”http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/5_population_nutrient/en/index10.htmlthanks for the reply! My thoughts stem from the fact that 70-80% of our serum cholesterol is endogenous, made in the liver. As mentioned in my initial post I’m aware that saturated fat increases cholesterol – as does dietary sugar, but i’m still not willing to call all foods which contain cholesterol as unhealthy. Personally, I’m in the we all have tremendous biochemical individuality camp. I think it’s important to note that cholesterol is a potent anti-inflammatory, an important component of cell membrane stability and the precursor to all of our sex hormones. I believe that not all fats are created equal and that diets that create inflammation increase the endogenous production of cholesterol.Whoa! That’s some really sparse reasoning on which to doubt a scientific consensus. Of course, it may be that your reasoning is more detailed than that and you do have plenty of opportunity to respond with sources. But from the feel of the conversation so far I really recommend that you spend more time getting familiar with the consensus position.For CVD, I recommend this as a place to start: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2184951As for the other points, you really need to put the rubber to the road with more specific citations, and hopefully with observations of disease as well. Cholesterol may be anti-inflammatory in some circumstances (and a citation is needed for that) but does low serum cholesterol lead to observable problems in most populations with low cholesterol? Is increasing consumption of meat and eggs associated with lower levels of systemic inflammation? How much does sugar raise cholesterol, and how, and in what types of people? We can all have substantial biochemical individuality, but still get heart disease in basically the same way; the appeal to unspecified biochemical individuality too often used as a covert way to justify an unhealthy diet as “healthy for me”.Good points all. This is from Web MD “Part of the confusion comes from the fact that cholesterol in food isn’t the same thing as the cholesterol that clogs arteries. To be sure, foods high in cholesterol can cause blood levels of cholesterol to rise. But only about one in three people seem to be especially susceptible to the effects of cholesterol in food.“And even then, dietary cholesterol isn’t the biggest worry when it comes to heart disease,” says Kathy McManus, MS, RD, director of nutrition for Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. “Studies show it’s only about half as important as saturated fat and trans fat in raising serum cholesterol levels.”Would seem to add some justification to my point of biochemical individuality. As an aside I eat significant portions of red meat, butter, and dairy….and my cholesterol as a 50 year old male is 140 (I also pound the vegetables and exercise consistently). There are many risk factors for CVD; Homocysteine, inflammation, obesity, fibrinogen levels, triglycerides are all important risk factors. I’ll look for that cholesterol as an anti inflammatory citing when I have more time.Hey, i’m just trying to figure this all out with an open mind. Ancel Keyes was the worst cherry picker of data! He came up with the cholesterol hypothesis and then only used data that supported his hypothesis. Read Cholesterol Myths by Rashnikov (sp?) for that story.“Ancel Keyes was the worst cherry picker of data!”This, together with the reference to Uffe Ravnskov reaffirms my feeling that you have spent too much time studying the arguments of the cholesterol-denialist fringe and not nearly enough studying the scientific consensus on the lipid hypothesis.You can look at a counterargument to the ‘cherry-picking’ claim here:http://plantpositive.squarespace.com/blog/2012/3/25/tpns-36-39-the-infamous-ancel-keys.htmlEven your quote from the webMD article takes care to use hedging language in saying that only 1 out of 3 is “especially susceptible” to dietary cholesterol. 3 out of 3 are recommended to limit dietary cholesterol, in any case.It also happens that when you actually look at metabolic ward studies under controlled conditions to see how serum levels respond to dietary cholesterol, you find that it does, and that the marginal increase in serum cholesterol decreases with increasing baseline intakes:http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.longThis diminishing marginal return, together with the variability in biochemical sensitivity to cholesterol which you refer to, tends to mean that some study designs are better than others for showing how the population is likely to respond to various changes in dietary cholesterol on average. When a population eats high levels of cholesterol and cholesterol consumption doesn’t vary that much on average, variation in genetic susceptibility will be comparatively large and the noise will tend to dominate the signal, making a statistically null result more likely. Even worse, if the group under study tends to make reductions in dietary cholesterol in response to poor lipid scores, then within the group, lower dietary cholesterol will correlate with a genetic propensity toward higher cholesterol. This correlation would tend to reduce the effect size and could even give you a harmful association if you are doing a raw cross-sectional analysis that doesn’t correct for “biochemical individuality” in the model.It helps to provide links to your supporting material so that people can see what you actually have in mind. I would also be cautious about sources that say that “studies show” something. It’s an extremely lazy approach to science writing and usually represents an effort to handwave away the author’s responsibility to support their claims with specific sources.Your good! I’ll use one of your references;observational evidence for an association of dietary cholesterol intake with CVD is contradictory (16)So? Do you not accept that elevated serum LDL is a cause of heart disease? What’s your point in pointing out this one statement to me, out of context? Remember that the passage also says that there is no dietary is no requirement for dietary cholesterol and it is advisable to keep the intake as low as possible.wait a minute, wait a minute! My argument was never about LDL as a risk factor for heart disease my argument was how much dietary cholesterol effects serum cholesterol and more importantly heart disease. I look at lipid profiles as a very effective way to look at a persons diet and overall health. If someone has high cholesterol and high triglycerides I immediately think that’s a diet that’s not working for that person…The Standard American Diet or SAD is way to high in refined foods, way to high in sugar, way to high in trans and saturated fats. My point was that you can’t throw all fats under the bus (eggs, avocadoes, nuts/seeds, grass fed beef, wild fish et al. We have gone low fat as a nation….and we’re friggin’ huge – because we replaced those calories with processed foods, sugar, and any other manner of sheisse foods! Do you remember when we used to consider John Belushi fat? Look again – he’s downright svelte by today’s standards.Chris: re: ” We have gone low fat as a nation…” From every article I have seen, this is not true. From what I have seen, our fat intake has largely been unchanged for decades. Instead, we have increased our overall calorie count, where most of the increases are in protein and carbs. While the ratio of fat may have gone down slightly, that does not mean that we have “gone low fat”.Here’s a page with some actual data. I don’t know how good this data is, but if good, it both supports what I was saying and requires a correction on my part. This page shows that total fat consumption remains very high over decades (going down slightly, but still *very* high). The increase in calories comes mostly the carbs, not carbs and protein, as I said in my post above: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/12/us-weight-lifestyle-and-diet-trends.htmlWhen all is said and done, weight is a function of having more calorie input than output. There’s more to it than that when you factor in what is likely to make a person over consume calories, but any argument that includes the idea of, “We tried low fat and it failed…” is not backed up by the evidence.I’m not here to throw all fat sources “under the bus”. We are talking about cardiovascular disease. There is a sizable benefit to CVD from cutting out cholesterol-containing foods, insofar as they contain cholesterol (and often saturated fat as well). That alone is not a complete argument for eliminating a particular class of foods.Once more, I invite you to do your own research from reputable resources that are reasonably close to the scientific consensus on diet, though a substantial fraction of this is still subject to scientific debate insofar as exact recommendations are concerned (i.e, “to Egg or not to Egg?” Some research still says that an egg a day is okay, though I disagree). Like smoking and anthropogenic climate change before it, the debate is complex not only because of the complexities of the science involved, but because of our human biases and their immediate relevance to vested social interests. The scientific findings on these topics directly affect the sanctity of our lifestyles, and threaten the profits of large industrial markets.Even if I were the most capable person to lead you through a complete argument, I wouldn’t have the time to be your personal secondary source about What Foods to Throw Under the Bus.The view transcript button isn’t working. Anyone know how to get it to work?So interesting to hear your presentation. I wrote the AHA’s consumer-facing Simple 7 education, and am studying the habits that lead to Simple 7 adherence. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your video. I’ll be reading more about your ideas.Dear Amyindallas,Thanks so much for writing the AHA’s consumer-facing Simple 7 education! How great to receive that feedback. Please let us know what recommendations you have for adherence once available. Keep up the good work.Joseph Gonzales, R.D. Nutrition Director	American Heart Association,beans,beverages,blood pressure,blood sugar,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,exercise,fruit,grains,heart disease,heart health,Lifestyle medicine,medical education,medical profession,mortality,smoking,soda,vegetables,World Health Organization	The American Heart Association came up with seven simple lifestyle goals to combat the leading killer of men and women, heart disease.	So What Diet Should Physicians Recommend? Watch the video!Lifestyle medicine, the use of diet and lifestyle changes to prevent and treat disease, cannot only be cheaper and safer, but also more effective. See, for example:I’ve previously noted just how sad the Standard American Diet is: Nation’s Diet in Crisis. See how you compare: Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22095826,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3825914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20860642,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11125774,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18774670,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21321154,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10979319,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21321158,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23177484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20089546,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23382404,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15364185,
PLAIN-2499	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/	The Saturated Fat Studies: Set Up to Fail	Where did these consensus guidelines to dramatically lower saturated fat consumption come from? From literally hundreds of metabolic ward experiments, which means you don’t just ask people to change their diets you essentially lock them in a room, for weeks if necessary, and have total control over their diet. You can then experimentally change their level of saturated fat however you want and see the corresponding change in their cholesterol levels. And the results are so consistent you can create an equation, the famous Hegsted Equation, where you can predict how much their cholesterol will go up based on how much saturated fat you give then. So if you want your LDL cholesterol to go up 50 points all you have to do is eat like 30% of your calories saturated fat. When you plug the numbers in, the change in cholesterol shoots right up as predicted. The experiments match the predictions. You can do it at home with one of those home cholesterol testing kits, eat a stick of butter every day and watch your cholesterol climb—it’s not rocket science. And look at this, this was 1965; we’ve known about this for 50 years that even if you keep calorie intake the same, increases in saturated fat intake are associated with highly significant increases in LDL bad cholesterol. Now your good cholesterol goes up a bit too, but that increase is smaller than the increase in bad, which would translate into increased heart disease risk.So if you feed vegetarians meat even just once a day, their cholesterol jumps nearly 20% within a month. To prevent heart disease we need a total cholesterol under 150, which you can see these vegetarians were, but then even just once a day with the meat and their cholesterol shot up 19%, but the good news is that within just 2 weeks of returning to their meat-free diet their cholesterol dropped back down into the safe range. Note that their HDL good cholesterol hardly moved at all, so their ratio went from low risk of heart attack to high risk in a matter of weeks with just one meat-containing meal a day. And indeed randomized clinical trials show that dietary saturated fat reduction doesn’t just appear to reduce cholesterol levels, but subsequent cardiovascular events like heart attacks.Randomized clinical trials, controlled interventional experiments, our most robust forms of evidence—no wonder there’s a scientific consensus to decrease saturated fat intake. This is going to be a toughie for Big Cheese and Chicken. You’ll note, though, that the Y-axis here is not cholesterol, but change in cholesterol. That’s because everyone’s set-point is different. Two people eating the same diet, the same amount of saturated fat, the same number of chicken nuggets a day can have very different cholesterol levels. One person can eat 10 chicken nuggets a day and have an LDL cholesterol of 90; another person eating 10 a day could start out with an LDL of 120. It depends on your genes. But while our genetics may be different, our biology is the same, meaning the rise and drop in cholesterol is the same for everyone. So if both folks cut out the nuggets, the 90 might drop to 85, whereas the 120 would drop to 115. Wherever we start, we can lower our cholesterol by eating less saturated fat, but if I just know your saturated fat intake—how many nuggets you eat, I can’t tell you what your starting cholesterol is. All I can say with certainty is that you eat less, your cholesterol will likely improve.But because of this extreme “interindividual variation,” this wide variability in baseline cholesterol levels for any given saturated fat intake, if you take a cross-section of the population, you can find no statistical correlation between saturated fat intake and cholesterol levels, because it’s not like everyone who eats a certain set amount of saturated fat is going to have over a certain cholesterol. So there’s like three ways you could study diet and cholesterol levels, controlled feeding experiments, free-living dietary change experiments, or cross-sectional observations of large populations. As we saw there is a clear and strong relationship between change in diet and change in serum cholesterol in the interventional designs, but because of that individual variability, in cross-sectional designs you can get zero correlation. In fact if you do the math that’s what you’d expect you’d get. In statistical parlance, one would say that a cross-sectional study doesn’t have the power for detecting such a relationship. Thus because of that variability, these kinds of observational studies would seem an inappropriate method to study this particular relationship. So since diet and serum cholesterol have a zero correlation cross-sectionally, an observational study of the relationship between diet and coronary heart disease incidence will suffer from the same difficulties. So again, if you do the math, observational studies would unavoidably show nearly no correlation between saturated fat and heart disease. These prospective studies can be valuable for other diseases, but the appropriate design demonstrating or refuting the role of diet and coronary heart disease is a dietary change experiment. And those dietary change experiments have been down, they implicate saturated fat, hence the lower saturated guidelines from basically every major medical authority. In fact if we lower saturated fat enough, we may be able to reverse heart disease, opening up arteries without drugs, without surgery. But wait a second. Let’s put our Big Cheese and Chicken hat back on. Observational studies would show no correlation, mathematically could show no correlation. We’ve known since 1979 that observational studies simply don’t have the power to show the relationship. Bingo!All we need now is a friendly researcher. How about Ronald M. Krauss? Funded by the National Dairy Council since 1989, also the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, as well as the Atkins Foundation—perfect. Then you just combine together all the observational studies that don’t have the power to provide significant evidence and what do you know, no significant evidence was found.This 2010 meta-analysis was basically just repackaged for 2014, using the same and similar studies. As the Chair of Harvard’s nutrition department put it, their conclusions regarding the type of fat being unimportant are seriously misleading and should be disregarded, going as far as suggesting the paper be retracted, even after the authors corrected a half dozen different errors.But it’s not like they falsified or fabricated data—they didn’t have to. They knew beforehand the limitations of observational studies, they knew they’d get the “right” result and so they published it, helping to “neutralize the negative impact of milk and meat fat by regulators and medical professionals.” And it’s working, brags the dairy industry, perceptions about saturated fat in the scientific community are changing. This is a welcome message to consumers, who may be tired of hearing what they shouldn’t eat. They don’t need to convince consumers, just confuse them. Confusion may easily be misused by the food industry to promote their interests.It’s like that infamous tobacco industry memo that read “doubt is our product.” “Doubt, is our product since it’s the best means of competing with the body of fact that exist in the mind of the general public.” They don’t have to convince the public that smoking is healthy to get people to keep consuming their products. They just need to establish a controversy. Some science says its bad, some say it’s not bad. Conflicting messages in nutrition cause people to become so frustrated and confused they may just throw their hands up in the air and eat whatever they want, which is exactly what saturated fat suppliers want, but at what cost to the public’s health?	This video is complicated so I’ll have to rewatch it to understand the details. But the implications are clear. This video is super. Thanks Dr. Greger!Now I get it.I still don’t quite get it. I see why cholesterol and saturated fat don’t correlate, because people naturally have different starting points of cholesterol. If only 4% of the population have hypercholestemia, why doesn’t saturated fat correlate with heart disease?I think what it means is that not everyone who eats saturated fat gets heart disease because enough people have naturally low cholesterol so that eating meat and dairy may not affect them in that way. Even though it’s the number one killer?Or is it that pretty much everyone in this country has heart disease???I think the point is that when you are testing for significant correlation you are comparing the pattern with the noise to determine significance of the pattern. When the pattern is large compared with the noise, we say the correlation is significant. When the noise happens to be large, then it is much easier for the pattern to hide.Add to this the fact that “normal” people are generally studied and that our population tends to have fairly homogenous behavior, the pattern gets hidden even better.This good explanation and the excellent video itself get to the truth of the matter — but how to get the average person to understand? The message that many people have solidified in their own minds recently is that there is no correlation between dietary saturated fat and heart disease. Therefore saturated fat intake doesn’t really matter — so why limit it if it improves the taste of food? The mainstream media has done their part to make a real mess of nutritional science, but why do editors of scientific journals allow for the publication of such deceptive studies?Here it is: re-quoting Walter Willett, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, here is the problem:This paper is bound to cause confusion. A central issue is what replaces saturated fat if someone reduces the amount of saturated fat in their diet. If it is replaced with refined starch or sugar, which are the largest sources of calories in the U.S. diet, then the risk of heart disease remains the same. However, if saturated fat is replaced with polyunsaturated fat or monounsaturated fat in the form of olive oil, nuts and probably other plant oils, we have much evidence that risk will be reduced.And the next line in that same article is:“Dr. Willett emphasized that because this meta-analysis contains multiple serious errors and omissions, the study conclusions are misleading and should be disregarded.”The art of reading… such an undervalued skill…If you had read the transcript you would have known that.So… you post a quote out of context and I catch you red handed on trying to mislead and then reply with this?Wow! You seriously have no self respect.You can sure dish it out can’t you? You don’t make any sense to me.Worth the wait…..This is such a powerful piece that it should absolutely be presented on something like dateline! Everyone should share this video to his many people as possible! The confusion you referred to in the general public in regards to saturated fat is exactly what I experience every single day with my patients.I think you might mean Frontline and I totally agree!! Luckily there have already been a number of refutations of this bad research but a Frontline presentation would portray the necessary touch of evil drama that is going on.I think you both mean Nightline, frontline is for animal fleas, lol.OK, I trump the Front, Date and Night’lines’ and raise you 60 minutes! :)Frontline is a series on PBS….not just for fleas anymore (heh-heh).OK, I trump the Front, Date and Nighte’lines’ and raise you 60 minutes! :)Does anyone know if “bitters” are safe to ingest? They are a popular supplement in the natural foods industry but I’m not sure if they can cause more harm than good. It has been told that I should consider these “bitters” as a drink to help with constipation and digestion.And I like today’s video. Avoid animal products, and saturated fat in excess.If you study all the various cures for cancer – real cures – you will notice they all feature something with a bitter flavor. Nature’s cyanide is a bitter flavor that is effective against out-of-control cell division. In the US, we eat sweet, salty, sour, but not bitter. We have an epidemic of cancer. Swedish bitters are a common tonic in Europe. And you don’t have to take bitters. You can simply eat raw seeds, nuts, greens… and you will get plenty of what you need to be healthy. Bitters are everywhere… safe to ingest bitters. We Americans – and Brits – avoid the bitter flavor and our bodies are therefore not well-equipped to resist cancer.Some people rely on the the hydroxocobalmin form of B12 to get their daily B12. Hydroxocobalamin mops of the cyanide in the body and turns it into B12, thus ridding the body of cyanide. This might be a bad thing, according to your logic. What do you think?I wonder how they determine such a thing – “Hydroxocobalamin mops of the cyanide in the body and turns it into B12.” That has to be based on an in vitro study, There are always interesting effects from manmade chemicals. What do I think? I think Mother Nature knows best. First food… and if you still need supplementation, take a natural form of the vitamin, I avoid manmade chemicals/vitamins. If you listen very closely, your body will tell you what it needs and wants. Also, observe animals… they are good mentors for humans. They know how to eat for their species – and they know how to lie down and let it all go after they’ve been stressed.I hear you, but what is your “natural source” of B12? Is it possible to get a natural source on a vegan diet?There are two things I supplement… B12 and D3. I do not use synthetics. And yes, you can get B12 from miso, from nutritional yeast, from tempeh… probably from a lot of cultured/fermented foods.What kind of B12 supplement, methylcobalamin or the cyanocobalamin? I do very much enjoy and appreciate your comments on this and on your other postings.Hi, Marty. Thanks for your kind words. I use Kind Organics by Garden of Life.Sure it is. Pick up a carrot straight from the ground and it eat (dirt and all) there’s your b12 (we let the animals eat dirt whilst they eat grass etc then we eat the animal therefore using them as a nutrient filter) when we could easily get it straight from the source (like I do because i care about animal, the planet and my health). You can also get b12 from nutritional yeast, non dairy milks, tempeh, spirulena, soy and coconut yoghurt.Eat it *Careful — spirulina contains a useless B12 analog. That’s not the real thing.I don’t consider Hydroxycobalamin a “man made” form of B12. It is made by bacteria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxocobalamin, and then converted to cyanocobalamin in the production process http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanocobalamin#Production. But like anything, even if natural, actually treats a disease state, in this case cyanide poisoning, it can be labeled a drug by the FDA. Whether it work same/better/worse/ than methyl- or adenosyl- probably remains to be seen.Do you take in any caffeine? Think it is safe and healthy or no? Thanks.Me? I have an occasional cup of coffee, an occasional cup of green/black/white teas, and usually i prefer some sort of herbal concoction. At this moment, I’m drinking a “chai” type turmeric tea. I’ve been enjoying the detox dandelion tea from the “Yogi” teas. What are your ideas about caffeine? The better my diet, the less my cravings. And currently I must be 90% ‘raw’. :)Would you mine sharing a sample menu of what you eat on a daily basis? I’m sure it changes from time to time but I do get the feeling that there a people in this community who would greatly benefit (I know I would).Caffeine is healthy for all but those sensitive to it or who have it close to bedtime and keeping them up. It’s been found to greatly reduce the risk of Parkinson’s in those with the genetic pre-disposition. Coffee of all forms reduces risk of diabetes, and those with diabetes type II should only have decaffeinated, which helps them control blood sugar as well.Tea has antioxidants, but it unfortunately is tied for first place for the highest naturally occurring fluoride content of any food. Black and red have the most, green tea has almost as much, and white tea has slightly less. The other food in first place is grape products, wine, leaves, grapes, raisins, etc.. Many don’t know this and drink way too much tea and wine.Long but clear. Two thumbs up!I agree that this is the best educational video pieces I have watched on your website, Dr. Greger, and it will help me in discussions with “knowledgeable” friends and colleagues regarding the saturated fats controversy. Thank you!This video addresses saturated fat from animal foods (meats, butter, etc.) What about saturated fat from plants, say, from coconut oil? i know Dr. Greger has videos on coconut oil, but he hasn’t convinced me yet that coconut oil is bad for people. To be fair, nobody has convinced me that it’s good, either.Why not see if it is bad for YOU? Get a home lipid test (or go to one of the anylabtestnow franchises), if you currently use CO go two weeks without it, two weeks with it and then two more weeks without it (or if not using CO, 2 wks with, then without and then with again), and see what your LDL levels are at the beginning and end of each time period? (I’m not responsible for any CVD events during the test fyi)David, Jen, Mark, Daniel: Can you kindly refer me to a definitive study or meta analysis that shows that high blood LDL levels, as measured by a standard home or clinical blood test, causes heart disease?You realize how you sound, right?I mean, can you kindly refer me to a definitive study or meta analysis that shows that high levels of smoking, as done outside with clove cigarettes, cause lung cancer?Before you asked that question, could you even have named 3 types of evidence that are thought to link high serum LDL with heart disease in the scientifically mainstream view?Dear Largelytrue: Had I known, I wouldn’t have asked. I thought this site was all about education, not people trying to impose their beliefs on others.You can ask questions, but do you understand my point? You seem to have been assuming that there’s a ~10 page report that all scientists point to about the definitive reasons why high LDL is thought to be a significant contributer to heart disease, and your question was framed in a way that suggested that if such a report could not be produced, then surely the evidence for the connection between serum LDL and heart disease is not strong, in spite of the fact that a wide consensus of professionals are organized around managing the disease through an approach that centers in part on LDL lowering.If you are coming from a position of general ignorance about what the science says, it helps to get the lay of the land. You might want to have a look at William Roberts’ (the presently vegan cardiologist who is editor of the American Journal of Cardiology) manuscript of 20 common questions about heart disease, which aims to give the lay of the land for a more general audience:“What evidence connects atherosclerosis to cholesterol?The connection between cholesterol and atherosclerosis is strong (9, 10):Atherosclerotic plaques similar to those in humans can be produced in nonhuman herbivores by feeding them large quantities of cholesterol and/or saturated fat. It is not possible to produce atherosclerotic plaques experimentally in carnivores.Cholesterol is found within atherosclerotic plaques.In societies where the serum total cholesterol is 150 mg/dL, the frequency of symptomatic and fatal atherosclerosis increases as the level above 150 increases.The higher the serum total cholesterol level, and specifically the higher the serum LDL cholesterol, the greater the frequency of symptomatic atherosclerosis, the greater the frequency of fatal atherosclerosis, and the greater the quantity of plaque at necropsy.In placebo-controlled, double-blind, lipid-lowering studies of adults without symptomatic atherosclerosis, the group with lowered serum LDL cholesterol developed fewer symptomatic and fatal atherosclerotic events compared with controls.In placebo-controlled, double-blind, lipid-lowering studies of adults with previous symptomatic atherosclerosis, the group with lowered LDL cholesterol levels after the event had fewer subsequent atherosclerotic events than did the group that did not lower their cholesterol levels (controls).LDL receptors were discovered in the liver by Brown and Goldstein, and the absence or decreased numbers of LDL receptors in patients with quite elevated serum cholesterol levels indicates a genetic defect in an occasional patient (3–5).”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1312295/So that’s a broad range of claims for you to investigate, some of which come with ready references for further reading.Please check that short video.Dr Esselstyn did several studies, see the autopsies results:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_o4YBQPKtQNo one else is achieving what he does these days, as you know is able to heal terminal coronary patients just with diet, every day. :)It’s not scientific, nonetheless, it’s rational to assume all saturated fats have the same effect , until proven otherwise. (Aside from that, isolated fats/oils of _any_ type aren’t truly healthy.)That is what I’m going with too. I’m just going to eat the fats that occur in plants, with the plant, and nothing but the plant, thank you very much.Hi James :) Did you get to see this video yet? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/ If you like to follow the science, you’re gonna love it. Cheers!Look at that coconut oil video again. As I recall, only studies funded by the Coconut Industry show no LDL rise with coconut oil.I would stay away from CO as well. Here is a study that shows in general how bad some of the popular oils are. (Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17174226). Once I stopped eating oil, I honestly did not see any difference in taste and moreover, food started to taste better, once you remove “the glove” from your tongue, as Lindsay Nixon from Happy Herbivore calls oils. You taste buds adjust pretty fast and go back to 100K of years of no-oil genetics that is still present in our body.Saturated fat in animal products has stearic acid which keeps it from clogging arteries. Clogged arteries are a product of oxidized LDL’s damaging artery walls. High serum LDL is only bad if much of it gets oxidized. When it’s not oxidized, LDL is better for the body than HDL, as a recent study showed, where they raised HDL and stroke risk went up with it so much they had to stop the testing. Coconut Oil, with its MCT’s, is even safer than saturated animal fat. It doesn’t oxidize. Oxidized unsaturated fats turn rancid, and like hydrogenated fats, can damage arteries. The calcifications are made worse with high intake of calcium supplements.Well meaning people take extra calcium or large amounts of dairy, trying to get more, and it clogs arteries and actually makes bones more brittle. High Vitamin D intake is also meant to do well, but it causes the blood levels of calcium to rise, also causing heart disease. It MUST be taken with Vitamin K2, which guides calcium from the blood to the bones where needed. There, magnesium helps it bond with bone tissue. So Magnesium, K2 and D3 are what strengthen bones, not calcium supplements or even dairy. The typical diet has enough calcium in it.Mark. Please provide sources of those studies, those quoted and any more you might have that shows the LDL, HDL and the CO, as I am interested in seeing the evidence. Thanks.Another awesome video. Great support as always. Super video to use in my Statistics class !!! Question: I miss having the option to “save” this video to “my favorites” list. Any plans to make that option available again?The truth is that lots of people are simply waiting for an excuse to continue eating whatever they want… there was that ridiculous Austrian study that came out at the beginning of last year and the whole world was on to it in no time. These industries are continually producing lies. Great video, thanks.Couple questions if anyone can help out. I notice in the video that the HDL levels were down in the low 30’s. I’ve read that a vegan diet will lower HDL because of the high carb component and will also turn the type A LDL’s to type B. Is a high HDL more important than a low LDL? And is this true, or even important about the type A versus type B particles? Lastly, any idea what LDL-P look like for Vegans? I assume it must in the range of optimal(i.e <1,000) ? Thanks in advance.When total cholesterol is over 150, it doesn’t matter how low the LDL is, it’s simply too high a total. The real advantage of a low LDL is actually when it’s part of a low total. Perhaps it’s possible to have a total below 150 and still have too-high LDL, but certainly not common.LDL/P is not a commercially reimbursable expense under most insurance plans and circumstances. LDL-C is therefore the only surrogate we have for now.That doesn’t answer any of my questions.Hi Clem. If you have high LDL and low HDL, you are at greater CVD risk than someone with high LDL and low HDL. If you have low LDL, your HDL numbers are basically irrelevant. This is because the purpose of HDL to to remove excess cholesterol in your bloodstream and return it to the liver. I had a professor in college who is an extreme whole foods vegan athlete, His total cholesterol is 65, HDL is Zero. This gave his physician great consternation (because the blood tests say HDL should be 60+), however my friend also has a PhD in biochemistry with an emphasis on human physiology. He explained that his HDL was zero because his body didn’t have any excess cholesterol floating around that it needed to scoop up and transport back.So the truth is, if your Total is under 150, it doesn’t matter what your HDL is. All the big emphasis you hear about high HDL is based on the idea that “normal people” have a cholesterol of ~200, give or take, and for them (way over that 150 point) high HDL is more important. For example if your HDL is 80 and your total is 230, that’s better than having HDL 30, total cholesterol 200.I hope that helpsrkngl: That story about your professor is really interesting. Thanks for taking the time to write all that out. I learned something. :-)Thanks for the informative reply, much appreciated.The videos will not show on my computer. What do I need to do? all I get is a black screen with nothing to click to start a video.Check this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ftoy6jqxm8Thanks, this link works great, but how do I look at any of NutritionFacts videos?Anyone else having this problem?just a reload of the page will usually fix that problem.Yeah, me too. Part one video would not play either.The link Zoermoos provided works.Yes, starting a few weeks ago, I cannot play the videos. Thank God for the transcripts.Maybe it’s ‘Java’ you have to install. https://www.java.com/en/ You can verify on the site if it’s already installed.May help if people update flash and flush your cache. Please let me know if those help!If that doesn’t help, what operating systems and versions of browsers are people using who are still having problems?You did a video recently on sweet potatoes, how the undigested protein from the sweet potato is beneficial for some people. I have autoimmune issues and have been told to stay away from any food that has protein that does not digest completely, as this protein might get into blood and others areas in a form that causes harm or triggers more issues. Do you feel that this un-digested protein in sweet potatoes could be a cause for someone staying away from these?Sounds like that this undigested protein is good the reason you highlighted, but bad for others? I do not tolerate sweet potatoes well (swollen glands within day) but would like to add small amounts from time to time with hope my body will adjust. Thank you.I’m using an older version of Chrome on this computer (perhaps the reason for the no-play). I’m having no problem on my Mac.Try installing Google Chrome from http://www.google.com/chrome/Fred Pollack did a remarkable evaluation of the Chowdhury meta-analysis for the McDougall Newsletter: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, supplement. Remarkably few (2-3/20) of the included studies had both enough dietary diversity to adequately test SFA guidelines, and avoided overcorrecting for blood cholesterol, believed to mediate much of the atherogenic effect of high dietary saturated fat.Travis at Healthy Longevity went still further, correcting a systematic error in the Siri-Tarino paper and recalculating the metaanalysis.Those were great, but way too complicated for the general public to understand. Heck, Pollack’s treatment was too detailed for me, an informed consumer, to use myself much less explain to others.Dr. Greger puts it in a nutshell. Take a bunch of studies that don’t have the power to determine causality and then truthfully yet misleadingly publish that no causality is determined. Voilà! TIME Mag cover article.MacSmiley – Great summary of a brilliant video that deserves awards for public service and teaching excellence.Saturated fat has a high correlation with animal protein consumption (about 90%). Dr Colin Campbell believes the problem isn’t sat fat, but the animal protein causing damage to the arterial endothelium, or associated TMAO. I still don’t feel like we’ve gotten to the bottom of this issue? Are vegetable sources of sat fat, like olive oil ok? Of course, processed oils and fats contain a lot of calories and few nutrients, so are not healthy regardless of their direct effects on arteries.And why don’t population studies have the resolution to discern changes in sat fat consumption affecting serum cholesterol? Does practically the entire population eat enough sat fat to saturate their serum cholesterol levels?i think that is better to stick to whole sources of food, so e.g. use little oil and enjoy whole olives instead, avoid “refined” juices for whole juices (with all the part of fruits/vegetables).While for your questions about resolution, i have not enough experience to give an answer, but i think that if you look into the article cited by Dr Greger http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/313701 you could understand better the issue, or search a biostatistic, it’s part of their job.Skeptic That is an interesting question whether all the increase in the risk of atherosclerosis is mediated through cholesterol. In my experience intake of animal proteins may play a bigger role.For last seven years i have followed CIMT results in patients with pre-existing CHD. I have had some of these patients with LDL-C levels as low as 50 with statins but see no regression in plaque as long as patients do not make life style changes to reduce red meat and dairy intake. Also in my own case being Statin intolerant my LDL-C is still 140 on 99% vegan diet but CIMT continue to show regression. My artery age is 45 at my age of 64.An interesting post G-man. Hardly surprising that CHD patients who don’t reduce red meat and dairy don’t regress. Curious what your full cholesterol profile is; Total, HDL and LDL… and do you know your omega 6:omega 3 fatty acid ratio. What level of thickening and narrowing are you talking about and what constitutes regression?D.R. Before I became Vegan my total cholesterol was 345 with LDL-C of 236. On vegan diet total cholesterol is 245 with LDL-C 135.My initial CIMT showed Thickness at .682 and three years later it was .608mm. My HDL was 48-52 before I started regular exercise of walking on treadmill 4-5 days a week now it is 70. I never checked omega6:omega 3 ratio.Since I never had any plaque regression is decrease in CIM thickness.In conversation with Drs Esselstyn, Campbell they almost dismiss the significance of high LDL genetic variants. You obviously have a specific profile and I have wondered what the reduction potential is for this type through diet and exercise. Thanks for sharing. I myself am on the other end of the spectrum and have never recorded above 148 Total, and a vegan diet has dropped it to 113. Available genetic research suggests my profile leads to a typically lower LDL than average. While TC Campbell maintains >150 is an indicator of greater disease risk, thankfully there are exceptions as I am sure you’ll agree.D.R. I agree.I became vegan after reading CHINA STUDY by Campbell.Based upon my clinical experience it is difficult to dismiss high LDL and I still use Statins to lower LDL but it is difficult to establish cause and effect relation to cholesterol.It may be just a marker of bad diet and life style.I wonder what role epigenetics plays in high LDL aetiology, either in your patients or your own.D.R. Most of my patients like me have Familial Hyperlipidemia. So epigenetics does not play any role. Mixed Hyperlipidemia on the other hand is associated with obesity perhaps epigenetics plays some role in that.The problem of course is that primary hyperlipidemias are no more than 4% of the population and what is regarded as the acceptable level of cholesterol for the rest is way too high. Many in the 96% are being told they have a familial trait (unqualified) and are ready to take statins while continuing to thickly butter both sides of their bread! Over and out.D.R. You are absolutely right but the problem is patients refuse to change their lifestyle and diet therefore prescribing statins becomes necessary to help them.I appreciated your post and story. It is a dilemma for clinicians counseling patients who are eating a whole food plant based diet with no added oils and limited fruit intake who still find their LDL’s above recommended. We need studies on this population to decide if statins or other measures are beneficial. At this point without the studies it is a bit of a guesstimate. It is also nice to see the sharing of your improved arterial wall thickness and the time frames involved. Congratulations on your improved diet and lowered risk status and best of luck with your health.Don Forrestor MD Thank you for your post.You are right that we have no studies on people who are vegans and still have high LDL. In my limited experience I find diet is most important component for lowering atherosclerosis.Unfortunately I find that some of physicians i work with comment like “who wants to live to be vegan” they therefore do not even counsel patients about diet.Here’s a link to Dr Campbell’s article; he thinks its the animal protein, and that sat fat and cholesterol are basically just markers of high animal protein consumption-essentially lipids correlate with dyslipidemia but aren’t casual.http://nutritionstudies.org/fallacious-faulty-foolish-discussion-about-saturated-fat/Skeptic,Dr. Campbell states there is high correlation with both fats (particularly saturated fats) as well as animal proteins in promoting a host of problems, including atherosclerosis and tumor inititation/promotion. He has stated this numerous times during all his lectures I attended. These lectures were at conferences and may not be readily available online. Specifically, he stated there is no safe level of saturated fat intake below which there is no risk for the plethora of disease conditions to occur. The body of research cited is expansive.“Saturated fat, mostly found in animal-based foods, is not and should never have been considered the chief cause of heart disease and certain cancers (the same is true for the dietary lipid, cholesterol).” Dr Colin Campbellhttp://nutritionstudies.org/fallacious-faulty-foolish-discussion-about-saturated-fat/Campbell seems to flaunt his own ignorance in that article:“Very simply, I am not aware of any serious evidence on function, which suggests that dietary saturated fat or cholesterol are causes of heart disease or cancer.”Serious evidence on function which suggest that dietary cholesterol is a cause of elevated serum LDL? Yes, for instance the work on the LDL receptor by Brown and Goldstein. Not easy to miss.Serious evidence on function which suggests that elevated serum LDL is a cause of heart disease? Yes. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is an ongoing topic of research, and LDL concentrations are a factor: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2044253Methinks Campbell is a bit too enamored with his animal protein idea.That citation discusses the role of LDL in atherogenesis, but really doesn’t establish causality. LDL is always present to some extent, but what advances the lesion cascade for some people and not others?What could make the lesion cascade advance faster for some people and not others? LDL concentration. The concentration of the atherogenic particles modulates the rate at which they infliltrate the artery wall. It’s basic chemistry that all else being equal, higher concentrations lead to higher rates of infiltration, and that higher rates of infiltration would increase the equilibrium level of cholesterol particles in the arterial wall, no? When these concentrations are greater they will tend to drive the lesion cascade at a greater rate, all else being equal. Is there some special property of high LDL concentrations which discourages oxidation within the intima and/or macrophage recruitment?It feels almost as if you have entirely missed references to functional evidence of a causal role for serum/intimal LDL concentration to play, at each step of their attempt to describe the atherosclerotic process. Look at:1. the second paragraph in “Initial Events…”2. the part beginning in the left column of page I-5 with the words “The scavenger receptor pathway was initially identified functionally by Goldstein et al”, as well as the last paragraph of that section3. the second paragraph of “The Fatty Streak” up to the bottom of the page, together with the third paragraph of that section4. the second paragraph of “Lesion Progression”The 2 meta-analysis studies that Dr. Greger refers to are the Siri-Tarino et al one in 2010, and the Chowdhury et al one in 2014 – Right Click on “Sources Cited” to the right of Greger’s video to get links to these. The 2014 study used 20 observational studies, the 2010 one used 16 of these 20.Both studies effectively said that the current guidelines on saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake (<10% of calories from SFA) were not justified by the evidence and should be reconsidered.These results surprised me since it went counter to all the research that I had previously read. Thus, back in March 2014, I decided to read and analyze all 20 of the studies cited by the 2014 paper. AND, write it up.My overview article was part of Dr. John McDougall’s May Newsletter that went online June 1:http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/may/140500.htmThe details are in my supplement (100+ pages). My overview article provides the big-picture view and summary of my findings, and there is a link there to the supplement for download (in case you need something to fall asleep to), or https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/may/chowdhurysupp.pdf. There is one section for each of the 20 studies. Plus, there is one additional section on Finland (begins on page 20). The Finnish story was fascinating. Here are the main points of it:In 1973, Finland had the highest country death rate for men from CHD. By 2007, the CHD death rate for men dropped by 80% – 3/4 due to a reduction in risk factors. The decrease in serum cholesterol was 2/3 of that reduction. Saturated fat (SFA) intake went from 22% of dietary energy intake to 13%. From 1965 to 2005, butter consumption fell from 40lbs to 7lbs per person per year.I was shocked how bad all 20 of the studies were. In a few of the papers that I analyzed very deeply, I found evidence that the authors omitted important relevant information from their papers that would have changed the key findings (JACC [Japan] and KIHD [Finland], specifically). It is unlikely that these were mere oversights. I was also surprised that the peer reviewers of these papers did not pick up on this.Wow, thanks Fred for the link to your thorough dissection of all these studies. I appreciate the time and effort this must have taken. A very interesting and eye-opening read!Pure review is not what it used to be, Fred. Recently Cambridge press couldn’t even get the proofreading done properly on DeNicolantonio’s most recent outing!Fred: You rock! Thanks for taking the time to do the work – and to post here to help us too! Much appreciated.Thank you Fred for this amazing contribution!It doesn’t take much confusion for most people to “throw up their hands and eat whatever they want”. People _seek out_ whatever “facts” they can find that allow their dietary habits to remain unchanged.Maybe so, but for me personally it was the confusion caused by conflicting “science”. I put it in the “too hard” basket. Nothing made sense. That’s because I had degrees in “Food Science” and biochemistry. Along with hard science, I got a full load of received wisdom from the special interests that control the $ flow. So everything was simultaneously true and false. Good and bad.We can look to lay blame. I blame our inner apes. That monkey who cant pull his hand out of the cookie jar because he just cant bring himself to drop a few cookies. If we can constrain the human drive toward irrational self-interest we win.Greger did you see this article by Katan et al (2010)? The authors pinpointed Krauss for not disclosing his dairy connections. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/92/2/459.2.fullHowever, its worth pointing out that despite the limitations inherent in diet-heart epidemiology, as Stamler (2010) calculated, the RR for SFA and fatal CHD was 1.32 based on 11 prospective cohorts studies. For example, in Honolulu heart study SFA was statistically significantly correlated with MI and CHD death, yet the association with SFA to CHD got diluted when softer end points such angioplasty and chest pain were taken into account. The Krauss team used an RR of 0,86 for the study indicating that SFA protects from CHD :) The very authors of Honolulu themselves stated: “When interpreting these results about whether the nutrients relate differently to the different manifestations of coronary heart disease, one should keep several problems in mind. The diagnostic certainty of the soft end points (angina pectoris or coronary insufficiency) is much less than that of the hard end points (myocardial infarction or coronary heart disease death).This could result in attenuation of a true relationship”.I’ve seen a regression analysis published in a major medical journal (can’t find it right now) that shows a hyperbolic vice linear relationship between dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol. People like vegans who eat almost no cholesterol and then eat even a small amount, experience large increases in serum cholesterol. People who regularly eat substantial amounts of cholesterol and then reduce it a little, experience essentially no serum reduction. The characteristic curve is essentially flat (top of the hyperbola) once a normal level of dietary cholesterol consumption is maintained, so incremental increases or decreases have almost no effect on serum levels, giving the impression dietary consumption levels don’t matter. Perhaps this also occurs with sat fat?Dr. Mercola claims saturated fats are good, not sure which to believe.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/06/saturated-fat-phobia.aspxDr. Mercola is not highly esteemed in the evidence/science-based medical community nor by the FDA. He has been cited several times for making illegal claims.I don’t really trust the FDA as I have heard many things about them, and believe they are more bothered about protecting companies like Monsanto than peoples health.I think you’re confusing the FDA with the USDA?Possibly, as i actually am not from the US, im from UKI sympathize with your distrust of the FDA. How about a collection of Harvard nutrition researchers? Mercola cites both the Siri-Tarino (2010) and Chowdhury (2014) meta-analysis. The Harvard researchers (Drs. Walter Willett, Frank Hu, Frank Sacks, Dariush Mozaffarian) were so upset with the Chowdhury paper that held a teach-in last May (http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2014/05/15/saturated-or-not-does-type-of-fat-matter/). From that weblink, you can download the powerpoint foils from each of these 4 doctors. For a quick summary of their views in chart form, see 3rd slide of Frank Hu. Also, from the 1997 Nurses Health Study paper (by Frank Hu et al, http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199711203372102), “Replacing 5 percent of energy from saturated fat with energy from unsaturated fats was associated with a 42 percent lower risk (95 percent confidence interval, 23 to 56 percent; P=0.001).”Your first link is broken.Try this…http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2014/05/15/saturated-or-not-does-type-of-fat-matter/Yeah, that works. Editing your original link so that there is a space between the address and the ‘)’ would do the trick.Then let’s just go with Dr. Mercola has been discredited by every reputable source.True but that doesn’t make Dr. Mercola (the beef seller on internet) worth trusting.. http://shop.mercola.com/catalog/organic-meats,55,0,0.htmWho to believe ? Easy ! Just pick the one that have no conflict of interest..I see that he’s still trotting out the Ancel Keys cherry-picking charge. Reminds me of this …http://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/2014/04/21/fat-in-the-diet-and-mortality-from-heart-disease-a-plagiaristic-note/whos trolling me or mercola?That link has too much writing not gonna look lolThe referenced blog post is a bit long, but let me make it easier for you. Skip the intro. Start with the “The Facts” and read just 10 para’s, which describes how Gary Taubes misrepresented Ancel Keys’ research. Following that is how a long list of “low-carb”/paleo diet folk “copied” Gary Taubes’ mistake. You can skip all that, until you get to the Mercola part.Ill have a look when i get some spare time. So just so im understanding correctly, you guys are agreeing that Saturated fats are bad and this article from the science foundation is explaining how people like mercola are wrong for claiming its good?Yes, saturated fats are bad. The referenced blog post is by a guy named Seth, who has an MS in Nutritional Sciences. It only makes one point: Gary Taubes misrepresented the pioneering work by Ancel Keys on diet, and that several low-carb/paleo folk (including Mercola) effectively copied Taubes. If Mercola had actually read the Ancel Keys research and the Y&H research, he would have known not to repeat the mistakes that Taubes has made.And, well before Seth, Plantpositive made the same points as Seth. The best the source (with detailed references) to debunking the low-carb/paleo diet folk is http://www.plantpositive.com.hmm, will defo hav a look when i get a chance. I’ve been trying to look and diet and health in terms of evolution, as it only makes sense our bodies will have adapted to what we have been eating for thousands of years. So thinking of it like that, straight away I would say anything not natural or organic is bad for you (harmful chemicals, additives, preservatives), also things like aspartame, pesticides, fluoridated water etc.So that aside I would have thought animal fat would be good for us as humans have been eating animals for a while, and as hunters I can imagine they would eat nearly everything of the animal, organs, meat etc and possibly make bone broth out of the bones. So if sat fat is actually bad for us then that means our bodies haven’t adapted to use it well.I know we need high veg and decent amount of fruit and nuts in our diet as well as omega 3 via fish oil. But getting conflicting theories about how your calories should be split up, Currently im under the impression that fat high (not trans fats, vegeatable oils, margarine ,soy oils etc instead replace with cocounut/fish/nut oils and butter), protein moderate, carbs moderate (low sugar and wheat).I know im going a bit off topic but interested what you guys think about what ive mentioned?Just another vote of confidence for Seth Yoder and his well-qualified blog. His most recent post truly underscore the dishonest LCHF propagandism by “investigative” journalist Nina Teicholz and LCHF proponent Adele Hite. Once you read about the games with words they’re playing, you’ll start to recognize others doing likewise elsewhere.Speaking of Nina Teicholz, I was shocked to find that one of my senior level college classes had her book listed as “required” reading. The instructor had been brain washed by gary taubes and the whole low carb bandwagon came with class lectures. It was a difficult semester to say the least.Vomitrocious!! Which university has such monstrosities as part of their curriculum?Taubes has a brother in academia. The number of professionals he and his entourage has persuaded is astounding. Even skeptic Michael Shermer has suspended his disbelief.https://twitter.com/michaelshermer/status/484796381660336129Wow oh wow. I’m glad you survived. That would indeed be very, very tough.nrostaie: Your understanding of a healthy diet is not supported by the evidence. If you have some more time to check out the videos on this site, I would recommend it. You might want to start with the summary videos:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/Here is what a healthy diet looks like based on the available evidence: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/ Butter and fish (or fish oil) are not part of the recommendations.When I menioned fish oil I meant in the form of krill oil. And also if we don’t consume butter then where do we get our vitamin k2? I had a quick look for Vitamin B12 I was under the impression organ meats would be the choice, like liver?nrostaie: I’m sorry it took me so long to respond to this. I’ve been wanting to respond for days.Your question about K2 was interesting since I haven’t seen anyone ask about that before. I went to my trusty reference for specific nutrient questions, “Becoming Vegan Express Edition” by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. These are two extremely knowledgeable (about the science) ladies who care very deeply about people getting the nutrients they need to be healthy, including meeting RDAs (recommended daily allowance).I don’t have time to type out the entire section on vitamin K, but this bit was too interesting not to share: “If you follow popular lay health gurus on the Internet, you may wonder if you need supplemental vitamin K2, since little of this form is present in a vegan diet. At this time, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that vegans need to worry about supplementing with vitamin K2.”What the push for vitamin K2 reminds me of is other stories where out of the blue, with no scientific backing, certain “experts” start proclaim some national crises due to some “deficiency” in the people that is simply untrue. I think Dr. Greger (and/or was it Plant Positive?) has a video on this topic regarding some other substance. It simply defies common sense to tell people that humans need butter (part of the breast milk of another species) to be healthy.I’m not saying that other forms of vitamin K aren’t important. K is very important, including for healthy bones. But here are some healthy/safe foods to get your vitamin K from: 1.5 cups raw spinach or 1/2 cup raw or cooked kale. According to the book I mentioned above, “Leafy greens are vitamin K superstars”. The book includes some nice tables, including a big list of foods and how much nutrients are in them – including a whole column for vitamin K. The book is worth checking out.Thanks for the response. Leafy greens do have Vitamin K but thats K1 which isn’t for bones, its more for helping with blood clotting etc Although the body does convert Vitamin K1 to K2, but I think its a tiny amount.I’m sure Vitamin K2 is beneficial for majority of the public to supplement with. I have checked reviews of Vitamin K2 products with people mention it took there bone pains away, solved teeth problems and many more. If you require scientific backing here is one of the best sites i’ve come across as it is all based on scientific articles,all cited.http://examine.com/supplements/Vitamin+K/#howtotakenrostaie: You referred me to that website before in a different post. After I found that other post again, it was the next one I was going to reply to. I’ll just reply here instead:In the video on this page, I think Dr. Greger did an excellent job of explaining how just because a study is published, that doesn’t mean that the study means anything/has any valid information to share with us. When I looked at the site you referred me to, it seems that they have fallen for just the type of study that Dr. Greger has been warning us about for years. The types of studies that are fatally flawed.My bottom line is: Being able to back up one’s claims with studies is the first level to legitimacy. But that is only the first level. The second level that is equally important, is being able to understand and evaluate studies based on the body of evidence. That’s where a lot of sites fail.If K2 were really important for bone health, there would be a whole lot of whole plant food based eaters, those who have been eating healthy for years or decades now, who have bone problems. They just aren’t. Brenda Davis, one of the authors of that book I mentioned, gets all her vitamin K from dark leafy greens, has been doing so for decades, and has some of the densest bones the tech had seen at her last test. That’s just an anecdote, but my understanding is that bigger studies have shown that vegans who get enough calcium (at least 500 mg a day) have no problems with bone fractures. I just don’t think its true that *dietary* K2 is some big need. At least not for those people skipping the organ meats. ;-)Ok thanks I’ll keep that in mind, as yes I am aware that some studies will be distorted, since there funding source may want them to find something specific. e.g Cereal companies funding experiments and only shining light on any positive they see.Another thing i was curious about, I may have asked already. What do you think should be the distribution between the macro nutrients?Mainstream nutritionists and the NHS here in the UK will advise High carbs, med protein, low fat approx 70/20/10 I believe. On the other hand some nutritionists like Dr Mercola advise high fat, low protein, moderate carbs (mainly from veg) probably something like 65/15/20.I do realise that a lot of nutrients like Vit A, D, E, K are all fat soluble and so they need to come with a fat source to be properly absorbed but not sure how much fat is needed.Your input will be greatly appreciated thanksnrostaie: I follow a set of experts who generally don’t care too much about percentages of macro nutrients, with the possible exception of fat. The experts I follow generally feel that if you just focus on eating all of the right kinds of foods, then you will naturally end up getting the percentages that are good for you – especially of carbs and protein.For examples, here are Dr. Greger’s recommendations: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/ And here are PCRM’s recommendations: http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/pplate/power-plate Bottom line: Stick to *whole* plant foods in about the proportions PCRM recommends (with B12 supplement) and you get not only what you need, but a diet that is optimum for long term health/disease prevention. It’s very simple!Now having said that, I do have some additional information concerning the various macro nutrients and percentages. Several experts have been able to reverse (in clinical, published trials) some serious diseases like T2 diabetes and heart disease with a low fat diet. Low fat is typically defined as being around 10 to 15%. Those fat soluble nutrients that you mentioned need only a very small amount of fat to get into the body. A few nuts or seeds on a raw salad does the trick. So, that 10% does nothing to hurt your body’s ability to get the nutrients it needs. On top of a whole plant food diet, add a couple tablespoons of ground flax seed to your diet and 1-2 ounces of say walnuts, and I hear from others that that gets them right in the range for a healthy fat % as long as they leave out cooking oils (and of course, animal products and other junk foods).To put the fat question into perspective: My country, America, is dealing with a whole lot of overweight people. So, focusing on diets that are less calorie dense (generally whole plant foods without oils or high fat content) makes a lot of sense. While I don’t know if science has determined for sure that say a diet that is 20% fat is harmful in general (if it comes from whole plant foods), we do know that the more fat people take in over a certain percentage, the harder it is to have a healthy weight (for many people).For an even better perspective on fat, consider this: One of the longest lived and healthiest populations on the planet are the traditional Okinawans. Their diet was about 6% fat. That’s it.I’ll talk about protein and carbs in a separate post.nrostaie: To address your question about the best percentages for protein and carbs, I would start by addressing protein. Here are the resources that I consider to be hugely helpful in understanding protein needs. These are basic primers that I think everyone should have “under their belts”: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.html …> AND > Dr. McDougall article from December 2003. http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ You might also check out the January 2004 newsletter article, Protein Overload.Those traditional Okinawans I told you about had about 9% protein. But to drive home the point I was trying to get at earlier, they weren’t interested in eating a protein percentage. They simply ate the right foods in general. It just turns out that their percentages boiled down to about 9%. (I’ve seen other quotes of 12-15% for protein for the traditional Okinawans. So, the 9 number may not be exact. But you get the idea of the range involved.)———————–If the traditional Okinawans were eating 6% fat and 9% protein, then the rest would be carbs at 85%.My big “beef” (or should I say “banana”?) with people talking about carb percents is that they are lumping table sugar and flour products with whole foods like steamed broccoli (which also has protein, etc.) and beans. It’s a big problem because the nutrition labels on products say, “carbs” without any distinction between what might be healthy and what is not.So, if I were going to suggest to someone that they eat say 75% “carbs” (I’m basically pulling that number out of thin air), I would be severely misleading them. Because cookies and cake have a lot of carbs in them.Which leads us back to my original point. If every day you eat whole (and largely intact) plant foods so that volume-wise over the course of a day, you get about: 1/4 beans/legumes, 1/4 grains, 1/4 veggies, 1/4 fruits (including lots of berries), 1-2 ounces of nuts and seeds (including 1-2 tablespoons ground flaxseed) and vitamin B12, then you naturally get the percentage of carbs (and fats and protein) that you need to thrive with the lowest risk of diseases (as far as diet is concerned) — all in the percentages that you need and with the micro nutrients that you need. You just don’t have to stress about percentages (or calories). (I got the suggestions in this paragraph by combining the advice from Dr. Greger and PCRM based on my own ‘this makes sense’ internal guide.)To do this, it means no or extremely little: meat, dairy, eggs, oils, simple sugars/sweeteners, and highly processed foods.I hope that provides some food for thought for you. I would recommend that you take a look at the movie Forks Over Knives. And these free videos from Dr. Greger: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/nrostaie: re: “…for Vitamin B12 I was under the impression organ meats would be the choice, like liver?” I like your “choice” of words. :-) All I can say is, that organ meats would not be the choice for me! I want to be healthy and eating organ meats would not be the safest way to get B12. I don’t know how much you know about B12, but there are some excellent videos and articles on the NutritionFacts website to learn more.lol whats up with my choice of words like? hmm ‘main organs of animals’ (better :P) have a lot of vitamin b12, much more than most other foods.I do use another site to read up on as well, that is all based on scientific studies, its pretty useful:http://examine.com/faq/is-saturated-fat-bad-for-me.htmlHi nrostaie,A couple points I would make about what you’ve mentioned:Evolutionary health of a species and longevity for an individual of that species are very different things. What we evolved eating that got enough of us to childbearing age to propogate vs what we now know through modern science that we should eat to enjoy a long lifespan and more importantly a long healthspan, may be different.What various peoples evolved eating is highly variable and dependent on where they lived. Though one study Dr. Greger has shared shows that a likely paleolithic diet included over 100 g of fiber and 1000% of the modern rda for vitamin C, both nutrients found exclusively in plants. So, the idea that the hunter half of the hunters and gatherers tribe were supplying the majority of the food at that time, may be flawed. Further, it is somewhat arbitrary to pick a point x years in the past and say that that is the ideal diet. What about the millions of years of evolution that occurred prior? What about changes that have occurred since?Keep in mind that trans fats which you wisely choose to avoid, are naturally occurring in meat, and the recommended intake is zero.Short chain omega-3s can be obtained via flax and chia seeds, and long chain if desired can be obtained through algal supplements, without the biomagnified pollutants (e.g. PCBs) found in fish oil supplements.Many of the readers here follow diet recommendations based on Dr. Greger, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jeff Novick RD, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Neal Barnard, and others. They advocate a plant based and overall low fat diet. You mentioned macronutrient (carb/protein/fat) ratios. If you would like some information from a very different perspective than you have likely encountered previously, check out Dr. McDougall, who specifically recommends a very high (complex, starch-based) carbohydrate diet. He has a few books, but also countless newsletters, lectures, and other resources available free online. Best of luck in your health journey!https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/One of the best I’ve seen you put out. Thank you for tackling this.Thank you for this video! I’ve been wondering about this question.At least we learned a thing that i think nowadays is obvious: never trust a corporation .Fantastic video Dr. Greger. Thank you so much for your important work clarifying the scientific literature.I want a bumper sticker: “Although our genetics may be different, our biology is the same,…” This statement is profound. This video should win a prize. Understanding these basic facts are key to blowing away the smoke generated by commercial interests.This is the one. If you don’t learn another thing about nutrition this year, this is the one to know. Plus other stuff.Coacervate: great idea! I forwarded your idea on to staff to make sure they see it. Some people have asked for a t-shirt with Dr. Greger’s famous “We didn’t know…until now. NutrutionFacts.org” I thought we could add your contribution to the list of purchasable options. :-) Some day…May have to make an alternate t-shirt for those videos when the situation is more along the lines of“we didn’t know… until… oopswe’ve known since 1979″Maybe a Got Lentils? on the back. :)b00mer: You made me laugh!I would totally buy one of those t-shirts too. I’m going to end up with an entire wardrobe. And the beginnings of a whole lotta questions with random people on the street. :-)b00mer, Coacervate and Everyone: I have heard that Dr. Greger and the staff at NutrtionFacts.org have been really excited about the t-shirt/sticker ideas that people have come up with. They are researching the idea, starting with an informal pole on Facebook. The following page is a post asking people what designs they would like to see on a t-shirt and to “like” designs that others post that you like also. Everyone (who has Facebook–you can see the page without a Facebook account, but not vote) is welcome to participate!https://www.facebook.com/NutritionFacts.org/posts/1019332464749929What about this study? http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0113605 where the conclusion was “The results show that dietary and plasma saturated fat are not related, and that increasing dietary carbohydrate across a range of intakes promotes incremental increases in plasma palmitoleic acid, a biomarker consistently associated with adverse health outcomes.”Just looking at it superficially, this line from the authors of the study can sum up the results:“isocaloric high-carbohydrate diets and high-carbohydrate meals also promote DNL and hypertriglyceridemia in individuals with insulin resistance. The major product of DNL is palmitate (16:0), a saturated fatty acid (SFA)”So they can get away with saying “plasma and dietary saturated fat are not related” by doing a study on 16 obese diabetics being fed carbs of dubious quality, which causes them to synthesize saturated fats even when they’re eating less of them through diet. This also leads to the production of the mono-unsaturated palmitoleic acid. It’s pretty common for these people to use diabetics, who have an impaired tolerance for glucose, to make a misleading study about the supposed benefits that we should believe a healthy person would experience if they were to restrict carbohydrates, even from healthy sources. To make it even more confusing, they confounded much of the data by having the subjects lose weight at the same time.Of course this study was performed by industry researchers, with names like Jeff Volek, Maria Luz Fernandez, and Stephen Phinney standing out. The funding disclosure also puts this study into context: “This work was funded by a grant from Dairy Research Institute, The Beef Checkoff, the Egg Nutrition Center, and the Robert C. And Veronica Atkins Foundation.”Volek’s shenanigans are wonderfully taken on by Kevin Klatt here:http://nutrevolve.blogspot.com/2014/11/carbs-sfas-and-circulating-fatty-acids.html?m=1And finished off with a great chaser by Evelyn Kocur…http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2014/12/that-new-volek-phinney-study-part-iii.html?m=1Not everything that glitters is gold.So, I am correct in thinking that even non-animal sources of saturated fat are likely to raise our cholesterol levels? Increased saturated fat intake of any type will result in our bodies generating the production of more cholesterol?Excellent! Thanks for sharing!Hi Dr. Greger,I’m a big fan of you and admire your effort in sharing literally vital information with us.Could you make a video or write an article on the website, explaining the difference between the effects of saturated fats derived from a plant-based diet (excluding hydrogenated vegetable oils) and an omnivorous diet?Thanks and keep up the good work!Check out the effects of coconuts on arterial health, it appears total saturated fat intake is more important than specific type in terms of heart disease prevention. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=coconutSeveral years ago, in trying to diagnose what trimmed to be a medical, not a diet problem, I left veganism for a year and tried Palo, including no grains. My cholesterol went from 117 with HDL higher than LDL, to 218 w/HDL higher. Other metabolic problems too. All corrected when I returned to veganism.One note about this great video, we should also remember the related impacts on dementia, strokes and cancers.Excellent explanation for all the conflicting theories about saturated fats. On concern that I still have is re hormones. Some are stating that, men especially, need cholesterol to be able to produce adequate amts of testosterone. ie eat more meat and be more manly!Whoops. Wrong text box. Try my comment to you here:https://disqus.com/home/discussion/nutritionfacts/the_saturated_fat_studies_set_up_to_fail/#comment-1777135951Ken: NutritionFacts addresses testosterone and vegan men in this article: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/I think that article makes it clear that one does not need to eat cholesterol to produce “adequate” amounts of testosterone. The vegan men (who by definition ate no cholesterol) had slightly more testosterone.To top it all off, the article explains why men would not want *too much* testosterone anyway – higher levels are correlated with more cancer.Does that address your concern?It’s quite easy to check it out yourself as i did not long ago experimenting with a vegan diet. I ate pumpkin seeds, walnuts and even consumed a zinc supplement besides various whole grains and legumes. Yet my libido went down as well my strentgh and weight. I asked for advice and was told to eat more…. those same starches, legumes, whole grains etc :-) Then I googled for other people’s experience and found many mentions about lower libido, losing muscles and strengh on a plant based diet. So it’s easy to check it out yourself and find out the truth. A few months on a vegan diet will do just to make right conclusions ;)Ken, I did not experience reductions in strength or libido on whole food plant based diet although I did lose 20 pounds (175 to 154 pounds). Started Jan 1, 2010 after reading China Study (age 48).Three years later weight 172: still eating earth balance margin, 1+ quarts soy milk daily, generous peanut butter, you get the point.Starting Feb 2014 started true low fat whole food plant based after McDougall conference and reading old Pritikin book. The really low fat part required an “adjustment”. However, without really dieting or counting calories weight just slowly melted away over about 8 months. I really did wear the fat I was eating. Currently eat fruits and complex starches ate each meal, fruits for snacks and several servings of greens/nutrient dense low calorie veggies a day. Occasional (not daily) nuts in moderation. B12 but no other nutritional supplements. I live in So Cal and get plenty of sun.Interesting part to most men: I’m 5’6″ tall; chest went from 48″ expanded to 46.5″, arms same size (I don’t measure but fit t-shirt same), waist 34-35″ to less than 31″ (three belt notches). I did not look “fat” then but was. Buttocks a lot trimmer. BMI went from > 28 to 25 on the nose.Power/Endurance: dead lift 480 pounds (2010) to 460 pounds (2015)- had not dead lifted since 2010; squats don’t know max (max reps @ 225 lbs about same ~ 30)- don’t do often (>20 years knee issues). Chin-up/ pull up: 17 then/26 now (full clean legit chin-ups). Max endurance time using elliptical or treadmill (65% VO2 & 80 % VO2 estimated by HR/Max HR): more than double. Before diet change I completed treadmill stress test through Bruce stage 6 at 172 pounds- have not retested this but expect would perform better.I’m former college wrestler, restarted submission grappling from 2006-20011. Using retrospectroscope (youth wasted on the young)- wish I had this diet starting back in high school or college.Libido ~ same Do feel less aggressive and don’t feel urge to work out as much (don’t have too). But do make myself work out- both aerobic moderate intensity, brief high intensity several times a week, isometric and actual weights at least once a week.This was my experienceFats in general do not promote heart disease, cooked fats (particularly animal fats) and excessive omega-6’s promote heart disease because they are highly inflammatory, and inflammation is what causes heart disease. Raw, plant-based high-fat diets that have a well-balanced omega fatty acid ratio do not promote heart disease.The substitution of 2% of energy from meat SF with energy from dairy SF was associated with a 25% lower CVD risk. No associations were observed plant or butter SF and CVD risk”. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3396447/“Similar intakes of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids between the cases and controls indicated that the consumption of total fat or saturated fat, including that from coconut, was not a predictor for CHD in this food culture. However, the intakes of animal foods, total protein, dietary cholesterol and less plant derived carbohydrates were predictors of CHD”. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15563444Tokelauans obtain a much higher percentage of energy from coconut than the Pukapukans, 63% compared with 34%, so their intake of saturated fat is higher. The serum cholesterol levels are 35 to 40 mg higher in Tokelauans than in Pukapukans. These major differences in serum cholesterol levels are considered to be due to the higher saturated fat intake of the Tokelauans. Analysis of a variety of food samples, and human fat biopsies show a high lauric (12:0) and myristic (14:0) content. Vascular disease is uncommon in both populations and there is no evidence of the high saturated fat intake having a harmful effect in these populations”. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7270479http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15329324 – “”RESULTS: VCO obtained by wet process has a beneficial effect in lowering lipid components compared to CO. It reduced total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, LDL, and VLDL cholesterol levels and increased HDL cholesterol in serum and tissues. The PF of virgin coconut oil was also found to be capable of preventing in vitro LDL oxidation with reduced carbonyl formation.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3687594/ – “This study showed that VCO supplementation is capable of preventing elevation in blood pressure and also decreasing deactivation of nitric oxide in male rats fed with repeatedly heated palm oil. In addition, VCO does not influence relaxation but DECREASES vasoconstriction of the endothelium”.So the first study doesn’t tell you the baseline cholesterol of the rats, and in particular, no low-fat diet is explored. Look at Table 1 of this study, for example, where control Wistar rats on rat chow have an LDL of ~8mg/dL.http://www.biochemj.org/bj/234/0493/2340493.pdfThe second rat study seems interesting, but the array of positive results reported is fairly limited. VCO may be protecting the rats against repeatedly heated oil, but that’s something that no one should be consuming to the tune of 15% energy anyway. Benefits on vasodilation under ad libitum feeding conditions seem real enough, but the baseline diet is probably deficient in the polyphenol fraction, which could be among the things driving the apparent benefits to blood pressure and vasoconstriction. There is no strong indication that VCO would be a good addition to a low fat diet already rich in other sources of polyphenol.Assuming that the good would outweigh the bad in some diets is not that hard to imagine, but it doesn’t mean that VCO is a superfood that does something which non-oily foods cannot. The authors report feeding the rats by gavage an amount corresponding to a 10ml dose in humans. 1 T of coconut oil is 117 calories (http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/636?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=coconut+oil ) so 10ml coconut oil is about 117*10/14.787 = 79.1 calories, or 3.9% energy. This is not the hugest increment in the world, so in a polyphenol-poor, low-cholesterol diet of ‘human pellets’ the added polyphenol fraction might well offset the negative effects of the added SF.First study:The full quote from the abstract is, ” No associations were observed between plant or butter SF and CVD risk, but ranges of intakes were narrow.”That part at the end refers to the authors’ belief that the statistical power may not have been sufficient for finding a substantial association between plant or butter SF and CVD risk even if it were there.SF from non-butter dairy sources seems to be better than SF from meat sources in this study, but that doesn’t mean that it’s good. They do some very wonky adjustments in their choice of models. For instance they don’t ever correct for dietary cholesterol, and an advantage of dairy SF over meat and egg SF is that it comes with comparatively less cholesterol. The authors say the association for benefits of increased SF in a regression model strengthens when they go from model 2 to model 3, but note that they are also adjusting for PUFA consumption as they do this. One of the most mainstream recommendations of all is that exchanging SF with PUFA tends to be good for the lipid profile. Model 3 also adjusts for fiber, so the range of things for which the SF calories can be exchanged in a way that would attribute reductions in risk to the reduction in SF is greatly reduced. If decreasing SF consumption is most frequently accompanied by increases in refined carbohydrate, SF won’t look so good in either model. Correcting for trans fat would further amplify the association if the authors’ hypothesis that trans fat in milk is comparatively good is correct.The basic fact that they never explore nutrient exchanges between dairy SF (or dairy itself) and unrefined carbohydrate makes this study pretty poor for your contention that high fat diets are better than low-fat diets with respect to CVD risk. Also, looking at table S2, the results for dairy are statistically non significant for CHD risk by, so it’s not clear that the dairy SF is even benefiting all aspects of CVD. It is, at any rate, not shown to be simply a matter of one array of saturated fatty acids versus another. In the words of the authors,“In conclusion, we showed that associations between SF and incident CVD depend on the food source; the consumption of dairy SF is inversely associated with risk, and the consumption of meat SF is positively associated with risk. Our findings raise the possibility that associations of foods that contain SF with health may depend on specific fatty acids present in these foods or the complex admixture of other food constituents, in addition to SF.”The fact that they didn’t control very well for other food constituents strongly raises the possibility that it is substantially a matter of patterns of nutrient consumption that correlate with dairy SF versus meat SF.Second study:The population under examination does not eat much of a high fat diet: only 24% energy. They consume pitiful amounts of fiber so the primary exchange for coconut oil and palm oil is probably refined carbohydrate, meat, and eggs. Coconut milk is primarily consumed in fish and vegetable dishes according to the authors, and additional long-chain omega-3 may reduce the CVD risk in this population. In the words of the authors:“In this population, coconut (a saturated fat source) is used in the cooking of fish and vegetables. Hence, any potentially adverse effects of coconut-derived saturated fat may be offset by the cardio-protective role of the coconut-associated fish and vegetable intakes in the Minangkabau food culture. ”Above all, this is a case-control study, making it only marginally better than a raw cross-sectional analysis. Any associations linking plant sources of SF to CVD are likely to be biased toward the null.Third study:The Tokelauans eat a high-fat diet more coconuts and have higher cholesterol. How does this support your contention? “No evidence of high saturated fat intake having a harmful effect” may sound definitive in the abstract, but with remote islanders like this, how hard do you think they actually looked? If there were a moderately harmful effect, did they have the power to detect it? The authors themselves have this to say, if you actually read the study:“The influence these traditional diets may have on development of atherosclerosis is an important question. Twelve lead ECGs have been taken in both groups and the rate of subnormal Q waves, Minnesota Code 1 and 12 was very low in both groups. The samples of adults on the two atolls are, however, too small for definitive studies of coronary heart disease and vascular disease.”In other words, they don’t have a definitive study on coronary disease in this population. Their sample is too small. Combine this with factors particular to the island natives but not general to the postindustrial world, such as genetic drift or cholesterol-lowering parasites, and it is hard to see how you can reliably generalize this to a statement about the healthfulness of plant-based SF for the general population of the developed world.Plant Positive made a number of these same criticisms about the study and a few more. You can watch here: http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/27/the-tokelauans-the-samburu-and-the-masai-again.htmlTo talk about your style of argumentation currently, one problematic pattern is that you don’t seem to be giving much indication that you have actually read the studies in question. For each study you mine out a single quote, often one from the abstract, and at times selectively, dropping out an important part of the sentence. Even if your quotations were all complete, you show no synthesis. You don’t actually talk about how your studies relate to each other, how they work together in a chain of reasoning to support your claim, and you certainly don’t discuss where your argument could be weak.The sort of things that I would like to see to really give credibility to the claim that high-SF whole plant foods like coconuts don’t affect coronary risk would be:1. systematic observations (preferably controlled trials) that more coconuts don’t worsen the lipid profile of people with good lipid profiles 2. cohort studies of reasonably large populations in which substitution of coconuts for unrefined starches is shown to not substantially increase rates of symptomatic CVD or CVD mortality 3. strong mechanistic arguments that most types of saturated fatty acids have little effect on LDL in humans, provided some aspect of a healthy diet (such as low dietary cholesterol) is in place 4. intervention trials in which high-SF WFPB diets markedly reduce CVD in high risk groups.Otherwise I will tend to assume that coconut oil is, like other refined oils, a relatively suboptimal food from a health standpoint; and that while one could probably do much worse than eating coconuts, the health of high-fat WFPB foods as a major component of the diet is a bit less evidenced than, say, legumes.Also, I don’t think you’ve presented any coherent evidence at all for your idea that raw foodism is important for optimal health.The Omega 6 = inflammation theory is not panning out.Specific omega-6’s and excessive omega-6’s are highly inflammatory. Some omega-6’s, such as GLA, are anti-inflammatory but most are not. High amounts of raw, omega-3 fats (walnuts, chia, flax, hemp) do not promote heart-disease.I think this video from plant positive is relevant. http://plantpositive.com/41-pufas-oxidize/Eat more meat and get ED from atherosclerosis. Won’t matter how much testosterone there is.Modern medicine has made a consensus health recommendation that supports the recommendations of Dr. Greger in this site that meat, and particularly the saturated fat in meat, is unhealthy.people should only get 5%-6% calories from saturated fat people should reduce their percent of calories from saturated fat people should reduce the percent of calories from trans fatSaturated fat and cholesterol has a linear relationship. With LDL = 1.5 times saturated fat intake. Each extra gram of saturated fat you take increases your LDL by 2/3 gram.In the study presented here, feeding vegetarians meat just once a day raised their cholesterol 20 points in a month to a risk level (LDL about 150 units) for heart disease. After they stopped eating the meat, within two weeks their cholesterol fell the same 20 points. This was just on one piece of meat a day. There doesn’t seem to be any safe level of meat consumption.To lower bad cholesterol, this site would recommendnuts (particularly almonds), whole grains (like Cheerioes), flax seed meal, kiwi, grapefruit, red yeast rice, dried apples, amla, and beans like chickpeas. The vegan diet is very recommended for heart disease, however, according to Dr. Greger, it is “maybe too effective,” with some people having to add diary or meat back.In my book Cheerios may start with whole grain oats but then adds modified corn starch, sugar, Tripotassium phosphate, wheat starch and then a variety of synthetic vitamins, hardly making it a natural healthy food. Read the ingredients on the box. http://www.cheerios.com/Products/Cheerios.aspx Why not just cook up some steel cut oats overnight in the crock pot? Even rolled oats would be a better choice than Cheerios.Yes of course. Rolled oats are a very good choice. Eating 48 grams of whole grain is very beneficial, and as you say, unprocessed whole grain should be better! Almost 40 percent of America will never eat whole grains. A single bowl of rolled oats would be statistically more whole grain than most Americans eat in a month. Eating a bowl of oatmeal a day could add as much to your life as jogging four hours a week or eating four handfuls of walnuts a week, according to this site. The FDA claim that Cheerios lower cholesterol is asserted by this site and uses this source: Maki KC, Beiseigel JM, Jonnalagadda SS, Gugger CK, Reeves MS, Farmer MV, Kaden VN, Rains TM. Whole-grain ready-to-eat oat cereal, as part of a dietary program for weight loss, reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in adults with overweight and obesity more than a dietary program including low-fiber control foods. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Feb;110(2):205-14.Well that last part is the key to understanding the entire study. “Whole-grain ready-to-eat oat cereal, as part of a dietary program for weight loss, reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in adults with overweight and obesity more than a dietary program including low-fiber control foods. ” If you compare those who ate whole grain ready-to-eat cereals as part of their dietary program for weight loss to those whose dietary program for weight lose included low-fiber foods, of course the ready to eat cereals would reduce LDL more. But cheerios is still a processed food with sugar and corn and wheat starch. Still like plain steel-cut or rolled oats as a healthier choice. Cheers! LindaAnd I myself am not too fond of red yeast rice either. Basically a natural statin, which (although to a much less degree) interfere with CoQ 10 production and “possibly” activate the atrogen 1 gene like the statin drugs. This gene promotes muscle breakdown.The “study” used by those advocating the use of saturated fat was not really a study at all. Instead, it was advertising dressed up as a study.There is an old saying in sales: “If you can’t convince ‘em, confuse ‘em.”This is one of the best videos you have ever posted! Thank-you. I agree with those that say this needs to be on Dateline or something. It is shameful that influential magazines and even journals are publishing such fraudulent and misleading reports without challenge.This is gratifying that the Today show would say here, http://www.today.com/health/avocado-day-lowers-cholesterol-1D80410564 “The findings are similar to a batch of studies that showed people who were given olive oil and nuts and told to add them to their diets ended up healthier. They were less likely to have strokes or heart attacks, and they were less likely to die over a period of years than people who didn’t get the extra oils.Saturated fat – the kind found in meat and butter – has a different chemical structure from the unsaturated fats found in plant products. Repeated studies have shown it raises the risk of heart disease.”This must have the same metabolic ward studies that Greger mentioned in mind. It also makes me think of how the calorie theory has been proven by similar kinds of studies in which diet is totally controlled. Usually these studies show similar weight loss to similar calorie deficits. The calorie theory is true for everyone, but similarly to cholesterol levels, the required calorie intake level varies by individuals quite a bit. I am interested in refuting the low carb crowd on the saturated fat issue, the calorie theory which they deny, as well as their view that exercise is totally inefficacious for weight loss. I lost a lot of weight by controlling calorie intake and exercise. Once I added in an almost completely plant based diet, I lost even more weight and my LDL and triglycerides continue to drop. By the way, being almost entirely plant has not lowered my HDL score as Clem K below noted, which is around 80 now. Exercise is infinitely better for raising HDL than eating saturated fat. I used to have HDL below 20 and it has shot up much further by daily bicycling than eating saturated fat ever could. Probably eating plants is better for lowering LDL than exercise, but exercise is better for raising HDL. Losing 100 pounds has also helped in improving my numbers, but further improvements in diet improved it even more.Why not put utube link to all videos? Utube videos easy to share on WHATSAPP.Astounding analysis! This is what you do best. You should really be proud of this sort of work because it not just promotes science, it defends it against its worst enemies: pseudo-science and praying on common misunderstandings.I have been wondering about these very things for some months now and every time that people like Gary Taubes speaks, I feel less confident about the subject. Perhaps I should take this quote from him more sceptically than in the past: In the Epilogue to Good Calories, Bad Calories on page 454, Taubes notes ten “inescapable” conclusions, the first of which is:[13]Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease, or any other chronic disease of civilization.How is this video NOT telling me that it is better to eat lean skinless chicken breast than walnuts? I really need an answer to this since I regularly encourage folks to eat walnuts.Yesterday (1/7/2015), Dr. Greger posted a short article on walnuts at the care2 website: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/walnuts-improve-artery-function.html Excerpt: “Eating at least one serving of walnuts per week may drop our chances of a cardiovascular-related death by 50%.”And, he has a good summary about the problems with chicken on this website: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/ Excerpt: “Chicken is deficient in antioxidants, phytonutrients, and fiber, while potentially containing excessive salt, flame-retardant chemicals, AGEs, arachidonic acid, paralysis-causing bacteria (that can cross-contaminate other foods and surfaces), and cancer-causing agents.”From the USDA website 3oz of skinless roasted chicken breast (about 1/2 of a chicken breast) has the exactly the same amount of saturated fat (0.87g) as 1/2 ounce of walnuts (which is what I eat daily). The chicken breast serving has 73mg of cholesterol vs. 0 for the walnuts. The chicken has 0mg of fiber vs. 1mg for the walnuts. The chicken has ~0.04mg of omega-3s, whereas the walnut serving has 1.3g (as alpha-linolenic acid, ALA).Posted this y’day and got no answers. So I’ll try again.Couple questions if anyone can help out. I notice in the video that the HDL levels were down in the low 30’s. I’ve read that a vegan diet will lower HDL because of the high carb component and will also turn the type A LDL’s to type B. Is a high HDL more important than a low LDL? And is this true, or even important about the type A versus type B particles? Lastly, any idea what LDL-P look like for Vegans? I assume it must in the range of optimal(i.e <1,000) ? Thanks in advance.W.r.t. HDL, Dr. McDougall set it best 10+ years ago in his newsletter, “When one eats more garbage (saturated fat and cholesterol) one may need more metabolic garbage trucks (like HDL) to get rid of it. Eating a stick of butter may raise one’s HDL, but that doesn’t mean chewing one down is good for one’s heart.” Thus, when one switches from SAD (Std American Diet) to a low-fat whole-food plant-based diet (WFPB), one may notice a drop in HDL. On a personal note, when I did this, my HDL dropped ~10%, but my LDL dropped ~30% (6 years ago). My latest numbers: Total Cholesterol is 141; LDL, 75; HDL 47; Triglycerides, 75. No Medications. Only supplement is B12.Thanks for the reply Fred. Out of curiosity, what constitutes low fat in your diet as a %?Between 10 and 15%. <10% is optimal (per Ornish and Esselstyn published research) for someone who has heart disease. The most important aspect is to keep Saturated Fat < 5%, which is easy for me to do.thx againClem: Fred did a truly great job of answering part of your question. I believe that the following NutritionFacts video will answer your question about type A vs type B. The video talks about the size of cholesterol particle. I could be wrong, but I think that “LDL size” is the same argument/issue as A vs B: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/Bottom line is: worrying about size/A/B of LDL cholesterol is like worrying about whether you should eat beat sugar or cane sugar … or … canola oil vs olive oil, etc. It’s not an argument worth having. None of it is terribly healthy. Keep the focus on the big picture, which is: having an overall healthy eating pattern leads to lower risk factors. In the case of heart attacks, the way to be heart-attack proof is to have a total cholesterol under ~150 and an LDL under ~70. The evidence shows that the best way for most of us to get those low risk factors is with a low fat whole plant food based diet.If you want a more detailed look at the issue, here are some great videos from Plant Positive: http://plantpositive.com/25-cholesterol-confusion-8-a-l http://plantpositive.com/apob-at-the-eating-academy-nusThanks Thea, I’ll have a look at the links you’ve referenced.regardsIf you will scroll all the way back to your previous posting, you will find a few answers and discussion input. You will not be emailed an answer, nor alerted when you enter the site. If you have posted a question and want to check for replies, from the top of the appropriate video page try Ctrl F to Find Clem K. Works on PC, don’t know about Apple.IN.CRED.IBLE. But also very sad to see the intentional misleading information spread by certain food industries to keep profits up. And the worst thing is that people WANT to believe this stuff, so few look deep enough to find the truth.Thank you Dr. G for finding the truth.I could only comment on the “video” after reading the transcript first. Please, why the change in video format? I am hearing impaired and before I always had the option of CAPTIONING. (Capitalized for the captioning impaired! LOL!) It hasn’t been available for a while but I was hoping maybe it was just a temporary thing, but not so. Help, this is not good!!! Anyone?Hi Charzie, Thank you so much for getting in touch about this. We are working on this as fast as we can. Right now, we’re waiting for Vimeo’s authorization to load all of the captions which are still hosted on YouTube. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience! Switching to Vimeo was an unforeseen event, so we’ve been working hard to get everything back up as quickly as possible. You can still view the closed captioning on YouTube. Our channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/user/NutritionFactsOrg I hope that helps!Oh yes Tommasina, that does help immensely, thank you soooo much! In the meantime, may I suggest posting this info in the space adjacent to the video until this is resolved, if possible, so others won’t miss it? I saw the change to Vimeo and didn’t even think of checking YouTube. (I guess ’cause I like it here best! LOL) I really appreciate the quick reply, this is such an awesome site! Thanks again!Hi Charzie, sorry for our delay. All of the captions should be back up now. Hope that helps! :)I noticed! YAY!!! Thanks!What this video fails to tell you is that there are three different types of LDL. Small dense, Medium and Large fluffy. It has been verified by a multitude of studies, that the large fluffy LDL is actually good for you. What turns your LDL into large fluffy particles? Saturated Fat. What raises your HDL (good cholesterol)? Saturated Fat. What lowers your LDL and turns it in to small dense particles? Sugar, Wheat or any high glycemic carbohydrates. More and more studies are showing that the higher your cholesterol actually means you have a chance at living longer. Thousands of people that have heart disease have shown to have optimal low cholesterol. So why does it still happen? Because its the type of cholesterol you have. Next time you get a blood test, ask for a particle test as well. Vegetables are fantastic for you, don’t get me wrong, but don’t get the wrong idea about saturated fat. There are no controlled studies that actually prove the connection between saturated fat and heart disease.Here’s a video (mentioned above by Thea) on the LDL size matter: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/…in which you will find, for example, this: “Cholesterol, largely transported through the body as LDL-C, has clearly been established as a causal agent in atherosclerosis over many decades of extensive research (10). Regardless of size, LDL particles are atherogenic.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S073510971204942XI look forward to the citations that “large fluffy LDL is actually good for you” …Hi Josh, Not to be a stickler but when you make a comment like “It has been verified by a multitude of studies, that the large fluffy LDL is actually good for you” you should cite your source. That source should be a well done study.Josh: As kylemeister posted so well, the idea that fluffy LDL “is actually good for you” is not supported by the evidence. After watching the video that kylemeister pointed you to, I recommend taking a look at the following pages/videos for more details:http://plantpositive.com/25-cholesterol-confusion-8-a-l http://plantpositive.com/apob-at-the-eating-academy-nushttp://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/50-latest-coconut-oil-benefits-backed-scienceInteresting. Someone may have mentioned this already, but the Hooper et al. review paper you discuss only shows a modest decrease in cardiovascular events in men, but no decrease in either cardiovascular deaths or total deaths from all causes. Also very important for 1/2 the population, no changes were seen in women. I also believe that there is a body of research that shows that cholesterol lower than 150 is associated with more cancer deaths. So you are correct, nutrition data is VERY complicated, and I don’t think the answer is actually clear yet. It is complicated to study though, that it seems like it may be a long time before the answer is really clear. One thing I do believe though is that one should eat LOTS of fruits and vegetables no matter what you believe about fat/animal protein.Regarding the cancer thing, I wonder if you could be referring to stuff which suffers from such problems as reverse causation or survivorship bias, as brought up in about the first third of this video/transcript: http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/27/cholesterol-cancer-and-depression.htmlIf you read the review, a lot of studies with low risk populations were included and with such short trial duration, I anticipate that this would tend to attenuate the benefits. Women in particular were not in the interventions for high risk groups. When SF intakes are only modestly reduced cholesterol levels will only be modestly reduced, and especially over the short term, cardiovascular events may be driven more by the inflammation of plaque than its gradual buildup per se. The authors have this comment about the cholesterol reductions actually achieved:“Rather surprisingly much of the total cholesterol reduction in the dietary trials comes from a low risk trial, the Minnesota Coronary trial, as modified institutional food was provided to a vast number of low risk people over only one year on average, resulting in a large reduction in total cholesterol, but with little change in cardiovascular events and a slight increase in mortality. If the Minnesota Coronary trial is excluded the initial total serum cholesterol level within the dietary trials is 6.46 mmol/litre and the mean change in total cholesterol between the control and intervention groups is a fall of 0.47 mmol/litre (7.3%) in the intervention groups, only a third of the total serum cholesterol fall expected with statin therapy.This relatively small degree of lipid lowering may be a reason that no significant effect of dietary fat intervention was seen on total or cardiovascular mortality in the short term. The larger number of total cardiovascular events than of deaths provides greater statistical power. There was a suggestion from the meta-regression that a greater degree of reduction of total serum cholesterol resulted in a greater reduction in events.”Plant Positive has also covered the Minnesota Coronary Study, and centers much of his attention on this comment about the diets:“Procurement of suitable foods for the treatment diet, (with the desired polyunsaturated fat, which were yet palatable, stable, and indistinguishable from the corresponding components of the control diet) presented a great challenge. It was achieved through cooperation of the study nutritionists, the hospital dietitians, manufacturers of food products, and the Food Inspection Division of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Products that proved particularly useful were filled milk and ice cream, a whole egg substitute, soft margarine, whipped topping, filled cheese, low fat ground beef with added vegetable oil, and filled sausage products.”http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/9/1/129.full.pdf+htmlThat is, given the time at which the study was conducted and the lengths to which they were processing oils to make them seem similar to S, one can expect a lot of trans fats, which probably have negative effects on cardiovascular risk above and beyond their effects on the lipid profile. At 45% E from fat and only about 8% E from S with P:S = 2.5, that’s a lot of unsaturated oil to act as an entry point for trans fat. There are probably some good reasons to exclude this study, therefore.This issue with trans fats is just one example of the variables which may have confounded the effect of saturated fat reduction.Thanks for the reference Kyle. I need to think about reverse causation more, but as for survivorship bias, the Hooper et al review paper did not demonstrate a difference in either cardiovascular mortality or overall mortality in the “less sat fat” group, so I’m not sure that the “survivorship bias” argument would hold here. I think the data is actually very conflicting, and I’m still trying to figure it all out. Some papers support, some do not. So confusing, and I don’t think it’s just the dairy/egg industry that is trying to make it confusing, I think it just IS confusing. And again, it seems that for women, there is no clear evidence that higher sat fat diets cause increased cardiovascular events, cardiovascular mortality or overall mortality. At least not in the review paper that Dr. Greger cites in the video.Seems like doubt is Janet’s product.Thanks for the reference Kyle. I need to think about reverse causation more, but as for survivorship bias, the Hooper et al review paper did not demonstrate a difference in either cardiovascular mortality or overall mortality in the “less sat fat” group, so I’m not sure that the “survivorship bias” argument would hold here. I think the data is actually very conflicting, and I’m still trying to figure it all out. Some papers support, some do not. So confusing, and I don’t think it’s just the dairy/egg industry that is trying to make it confusing, I think it just IS confusing. And again, it seems that for women, there is no clear evidence that higher sat fat diets cause increased cardiovascular events, cardiovascular mortality or overall mortality. At least not in the review paper that Dr. Greger cites in the video.Thankfully I’m writing my thesis so I understand the statistical power issue, great video!This is the same principal as using exam league tables in UK schools to judge how well schools are doing. There is no recognition of the fact that children from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds have a different starting point than those of their wealthier peers. This misinterpretation of data allows government to blame teachers rather than spend additional money to give these children the support they need to fill the gap. Use and abuse of data. Must teach my pupils about this tomorrow.Dr Greger, what about this group of “doctors” who are saying that cholesterol is NOT the problem, inflammation is. They claim they’ve seen people with cholesterol levels above 500 who are “healthy”. The “Cholesterol Myth” they claim, is false. They are saying that sugar is the reason our bodies put down plaque to protect our arteries from the inflammation. There seems to be a pretty big camp promoting this. I left a doctor because of it. (he himself was obese, not a good example!). My chiropractor is promoting this lie even now. The Atkins diet is a no sugar diet isn’t it? Those people have to have cholesterol levels through the roof, is there any study showing the heart disease rates and other disease rates for people eating a high fat, no sugar diet? There is a big enough group of them out there, they seem to be popping up everywhere because people love to be told that they can indulge in all the meat/dairy they want and still be healthy and trim! http://www.naturalnews.com/035514_cholesterol_myths_heart_doctor.html#there is a growing fashion about eating more “healthy fats” eg the bulletproof diet. Is there any data justifying this?The current “healthy fats” thing is just a really lazy but surprisingly effective way to sell a bad diet to people. “Healthy fats” used to mean things like nuts and avocados, for which most of the benefits probably actually come from the polyphenols than the actual fats, but you could still say they were a healthy source of fat compared to obviously unhealthy sources like lard and butter. Now fad diet promoters have hijacked the phrase and label high saturated fat foods “good fats” or “healthy fats” to make them sound nice.Like I said, it’s just a really lazy way to convince people that obviously unhealthy foods should be considered healthy. Add a “grass-fed” or a “pasture-raised” too and people will think it sounds natural enough that it must be good for you.thank you for this. i have tried many diets and fitness but stay stubbornly at the same weight. I have to admit that i have recently been trying the bullet proof diet and find the butter laden coffee in the morning satiates me and i am losing weight as a result. You are saying I shouldn’t be doing this?I’m saying for health reasons, drinking coffee mixed with a stick of butter isn’t a great thing to do. For weight loss, if it’s working, I can’t argue with the results, although I don’t think it’s the only option and probably still not the best option. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, and fiberous whole grains would be more sustainable diet choices for long-term weight loss/management.Thank you so much. I am very lost in the diet debates and i know quite a lot of science. are you an expert in this stuff? paleo vs vegetarian vs vegan vs dr hymn’s vs perlmutter etc?Hi Khawar, below is an excellent presentation by Dr. Doug Lisle, which describes a way of eating that will not only facilitate weight loss, but will also improve those aspects of our health which may not be visible, e.g. protecting us from diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. If you haven’t watched them yet, I would also highly recommend Dr. Greger’s year-in-review lectures (~1 h long): “Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death”, “More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Our Most Common Diseases”, and “From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food”. They are all linked to at the bottom of the nutritionfacts home/front page.Dr. Doug Lisle: “How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQthank you so much. I will read / watch all of these. It is very kind of you to respond.What I don’t understand is the following. If it is al one big conspiracy of the industry. Why does red-meat comes out so bad in all the meta-analysises on cardio vascular disease? Is the red-meat industry not able to hide the results? Dairy comes out not so bad, chicken not bad too (in these papers) however red-meat does comes out bad. I kind of trust the results about dairy, because the researchers ARE able to find a very bad relationship with red meat and CVD… dispite the industry.It is not One Big Conspiracy. There is good science and there are good scientists. Industry doesn’t have a limitless power to distort the science, and distorted science tends to be more effective on naive consumers than on experienced academics. There are conflicts within industry and many industries (like the chicken industry) have much to gain by saying they are better than beef or by allowing other people to say that beef is bad. Even pork, a red meat, has promoted itself in the US as “the other white meat”.There are in fact meta-analyses out there stating no association between red meat and CHD. Here’s one:http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/121/21/2271.fullIt’s making that conclusion based on a grand total of 4 included studies. One of the two studies which found a relative risk less than 1 also found a strongly protective association for sweets, cakes, and puddings. The other is based on a limited questionnaire of eating habits for a population of Australian Aborigines, during a time when they were known to be on a very poor diet linked with poverty, poor education, and low social status in an industrial society — probably part of the reason why none of the items on the questionnaire actually asked about vegetable consumption. I wouldn’t call it a high-quality or particularly informative meta-analysis, but it’s a meta-analysis.Attention: Doctors Michael Gregor, Caldwell Esselstyn, Dean Ornish, John MacDougall and others. I COULD USE YOUR HELP!! Not for Myself, but for many thousands of others who will likely follow the same path as my husband and I have. Here’s why.Timely video. Yesterday, The Vancouver Sun newspaper (Vancouver, BC) published a story in their “Health” section titled “St. Paul’s to launch Mediterranean Diet Course”. Sounds like a lofty goal that should be beneficial to someone eating a standard North American diet. The problem is that St. Paul’s Hospital cardiology department is setting up this course. St Paul’s also happens to be arguably the premier cardiac center of British Columbia, Canada. Quoting a study published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine which apparently shows that the two groups of patients eating a higher fat Mediterranean diet did 30% better than the low-fat diet group(and who also apparently happen to be more prone to diabetes because they are eating the low-fat diet). For any one interested in reading the article, here is the link http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Paul+Hospital+launch+Mediterranean+diet+course+public/10716642/story.htmlI wanted to write a letter to their cardiology department and am having difficulty pulling together enough information quickly and compiling it into a compelling case for them to give their heads a shake – to take the time to get the truth. Over five years ago, my husband had a heart attack and had two stents put in. He was never told there was any other option. He was only told to eat less and exercise more but with no actual guidelines or parameters. He chose to go on an Atkins type diet. A friend chose the same path. Although they both lost weight, the friend dropped dead of a massive heart attack within a year. So, he went back to the old way of eating, trying to consume less. And of course, he had to take several drugs for blood pressure, cholesterol, blood thinning (all the usual and then all the subsequent additions and modifications until everything was regulated to their satisfaction). He also had to see the doctor every six months for follow-up including bloodwork. He was given copies of the blood work and told everything was in order. But, we now know it never really was. Five years later he was having heart attack symptoms and although he didn’t actually have a second heart attack, he did require a second round of stents. It is to be noted here that the stents were for blockages in arteries that had not been occluded initially. There still remained occluded blood vessels that were insufficiently blocked to require stenting but that after five year also hadn’t gotten any worse. This time the operating cardiologist told him this outcome was to be expected because, afterall, heart disease is a chronc condition that continues to progress throughout one’s life.Then I had a stroke. I decided to look for information I needed to improve my health on the internet. And guess what I found? I got real answers. Yes there was the usual rhetoric and confusion on the issue but I found information backed by real studies with real results. I now eat a low fat vegan diet (whole food plant-based and organic as much as possible). Because I discovered that my blood pressure was sodium driven, I eliminted it from my diet. Of course that ruled out virtually every processed food – even vegan. Of course I pay no attention to the sodium found naturally in foods as it doesn’t seem to drive my blood pressure. You won’t actually find much advice to completely stop adding sodium. I have even seen articles stating that to do so could be dangerous. But my intuition told me that if human beings were supposed to eat as much sodium as recommended, well we wouldn’t even exist on this planet. Because, except for people consuming a lot of sea vegetables and sea water, most humans could not consume a level much higher than 500mg per day from real food sources. The drugs I was initially prescribed have all been abandoned in favour of nothing other than food. And my blood pressure and blood work numbers are all in the very best range. The 50 extra pounds I was carrying around literally melted off my body in just over 3 months and has never come back. I can eat as much as I want, whenever I want. No calories to count. No diet to follow. And I feel great. We walk 30 minutes everday.Bev, congratulations on your success! Regarding the St. Paul program, this article by Dr. Dean Ornish describes the shortcomings of the NEJM article quite well:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-dean-ornish/mediterranean-diet_b_2755940.htmlThanks so much for the link.Regards, Bev BrysonThanks for your other posted reply! Further to your reply somewhat similar to here, well organized community elbow grease with appropriate levers of power can accomplish much with less effort. Metaphorically totally in line with your own new found lifestyle Some offline contact in face of all the delusional stuff going on might make for a better prep regarding this fall. I can be contacted at my full name dot comNext time get a narrator who is serious about speaking English.You talk as though cholesterol was a disease. We all want to avoid heart disease but, since that doesn’t correlate with cholesterol, who cares? Big pharma has conned us into buying their drugs, not for good health, but for low cholesterol. Billions wasted!Citation needed for your non-correlation between heart disease and cholesterol.How do these experts address the curious fact that half of the people that have heart attacks have high cholesterol and half have low??? How about the study in Denmark that showed the higher the cholesterol, the longer people lived?How about citing the actual study or the actual fact with links? Also, it helps to define what you mean by ‘low’. It’s hard to respond to your language at present because it is lacking in important details.karl arman: For low to have any meaning in regards to health, “low” has to mean the level which does not cause disease. To truly have low cholesterol, someone needs to have a total cholesterol under about 150 and LDL under 70. At that level, people do not have heart attacks.The problem is that the medical establishment has taken the stance that low should be defined in relationship to populations which are dying of heart attacks. In other words, it is not true that half the people who have heart attacks have low cholesterol. Instead, what we know is that the definition of low in the medical community/testing labs is meaningless and that almost all of the people who have heart attacks have high cholesterol. Make sense?I don’t know anything about that study in Denmark. As largelytrue requested, it would be necessary to get a link to that study in order to be able to comment on it. And I’ll leave it up to largelytrue if you do. She/he has a great handle on the studies out there.You can make all the same arguments about studies funded by the Vegetable Oil industry, the Statin industry, or any others (vegetarians) who have a vested interest in a specific outcome. What you are saying is that your diet-heart theory cant be proven by Observational study so we should accept on faith that SFA’s cause heart disease, even in light of a multitude of other studies that show no correlation. According to your analysis cross-sectional studies present inaccurate conclusions because they are not tightly controlled. However, given the massive amount of data and studies conducted you would have to assume some valid information could be extracted, its silly to suggest otherwise. And yet no correlation can be shown between SFAs and CAD/CHD. We now know that cholesterol is much more complex than originally thought with HDL, LDL particle size ( and fat vs sugar’s affect on it), etc. LDL may be an indicator for coronary risk but its not a very good one relative to others. For this reason its possible that SFA’s affect on LDL may not be as detrimental as once thought.What Greger is saying is that one type of statistical study design is generally inappropriate for testing one aspect of diet-heart: namely, the connection between diet and serum biomarkers such as the LDL fraction. There are other study designs which are better for studying the relationship, such as prospective cohort studies or metabolic ward studies.Got any references about a biomarker that is a better marker of coronary risk in those who don’t already face a relatively high risk?Both HDL and Triglycerides are beginning to get more attention as the superior measures of coronary risk. See the link below (hopefully this site accepts them).http://www.functionalmedicineuniversity.com/public/796.cfmAlso, Metabolic Syndrome has proven to be a very good indicator of risk (HDL, Hypertension, large waist, etc). It does not measure LDL. Lastly, resting heart rate may also be a good predictor. Although not widely used there is compelling evidence that it can predict coronary risk. With every 10 bpm rise in RHR there is a dramatic increase in risk. I like this one because its intuitive. if you have narrowing of the arteries your heart has to work harder to supply blood to the body, hence it beats faster. Both of these are well documented by reputable sources if you google them. Sorry but I am short on time to provide additional links.I was specific in asking for a predictor of the variation in risk for comparatively low-risk groups because when LDL is lowered by means of lifestyle, most measures put people in a low-risk category. My last basic lipid panel indicates TC:HDL as ideal according to your source, for example — and on sight alone, it would be laughable to claim that I have metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome is meant to pick out people with relatively high risk (for diabetes especially) within a group of people with fairly high CVD risk on average, as far as I know. A measure that is principally validated in high risk groups over the short term is not the measure that I want for determining my risk over the long term.Just look at the table for the controls’ lipids in your references reference about TG/HDL (http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/96/8/2520/T4.expansion.html ). Normotensive, nonsmoking males with the median scores of the lowest-TG quartile would have 10-year MI risk of 1% at age 40(!) according to the Framingham model. Females would have 3% risk at age 70. In reality we know that these basic, well-validated risk factors would probably get worse for these people as middle age progresses. The situation looks even uglier for the other quartiles, to say nothing of the matched cases who actually had MI (whose risk factors and plasma characteristics were for some reason not reported in this study).The concern about robust causation is important, too. Something that best signals a problem in the free-living population is not necessarily the best target for treatment or lifestyle management. Resting heart rate may be ‘intuitive’ to you (isn’t LDL concentration also ‘intutive’, especially over the entire lifespan?) and is probably a sign of good health when it’s on the low side, but there are highly relevant ways in which RHR may improve without seriously affecting the risk of MI. After all, you say that it is a marker for stenosis, but functional impairments due to stenosis are not necessary in order to yield a major thrombotic event. And while cardiovascular exercise is generally good for you and a stronger heart can help a lot in giving a lower RHR, the tissue in a strong heart is just as prone to dying as that in a weak one when a feeding coronary artery is plugged by thrombus.I could go on in trying to unpack the circumstances in which HDL changes are likely to be good for you versus those in which the changes may have null (or even harmful) effect on LDL risk (something that I’m not fully settled on), but as you say, you don’t have much time even to point to strong reviews of the literature, so I probably can’t expect to get much for myself out of the conversation on this topic. I’ll leave it with my above comments for now and perhaps we can come to this topic eventually if you turn out to have enough of both time and expertise for a useful conversation.Intuition is not science, just a personal comment.http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20111220/study-increase-in-resting-heart-rate-over-time-linked-heart-disease-death“Increase in Resting Heart Rate Linked to DeathThe study included nearly 30,000 men and women without known heart disease. Researchers measured their resting heart rate twice about 10 years apart. Compared to healthy people whose resting heart rate stayed less than 70 beats per minute during a 10-year period, those whose pulse was less than 70 beats per minute at the first measurement and then greater than 85 at the second were more likely to die from heart disease and other causes after 12 years of follow-up.Participants whose heart rate was between 70 and 85 at the first measure and then greater than 85 the next time it was measured were also more likely to die from heart disease or other causes.Further study is needed, but the findings may help identify a group of seemingly healthy people who are at risk for heart disease before they develop any other signs or symptoms, the study authors conclude.”Note the last paragraph. If your question is how to identify risk in otherwise healthy, low-risk people this shows promise. Like I said, not as widely used.Another link, more academic:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109707018232With that, I am not sure I completely understand your question/concern. If you are in a low risk group and TG/HDL looks good there should not be a concern. Obviously, nothing in life is guaranteed. Low LDL levels don’t seem to guarantee survival either. BTW, the Framingham risk score has been critisized, I wouldn’t put too much stock in it.http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/14/rethinking-the-framingham-score-is-there-a-better-way-to-predict-heart-disease/Lastly, I don’t believe these things get worse as you get older. I am 48 and my cholesterol and blood pressure are exactly what they were over 10 years ago. The primary reason they get worse with age in some people is because of inactivity. I am an endurance cyclist and I have no doubt this is why my numbers are stable.The exact optimality of the Framingham model was not my primary reason for using it. Use your chiropractic reference’s standard of HDL/TC if you like; the study population is still less than ideal, on the whole. I don’t really see what it is in that news article that has you questioning the predictive power of the Framingham model so strongly, and one of the most notable ways in which the model was suggested to underperform in that article — namely. the increased tendency to respond to a poor score with improved behavior — is essentially irrelevant to a discussion of what should be considered a poor score in the first place.The paper on HR is interesting, and as a risk factor which can be readily measured without any special equipment or physician’s help, it has some promising potential. I’m not sure that the extent of the causal underpinnings is yet well understood, but this could be a factor which impacts risk somewhat independently of other factors such as LDL, thus improving predictive power in epidemiological models and the overall causal theory.I’m not really sure I understand your concern about misunderstanding my concern. If I’m in a ‘low’ risk group that nonetheless experiences some risk, that means that I would want to understand what causes risk to vary within the group so that I could move toward the shallow end of the pool. Even if I thought myself to be in a zero-risk group, I still have some basis risk because my theory might be wrong; I’ll want to be alert to any sufficiently plausible thing that may knock me out of the group. Even if I have low risk of ischemic stroke and MI so long as I continue as I am, I’m also concerned about more subtle risks (like transient ischemic attack) that could impact my quality of life but haven’t been studied in depth because the symptoms don’t always stand out acutely.The reality is that I’d agree with you that much of the climb in TC and LDL with age is probably connected with increasing adiposity and concomitant inflammation. Those without the fat gain will tend to do better. Still, age appears as an independent risk factor in many epidemiological models, largely because atherosclerosis continues to progress on an atherogenic diet and because plaques become less stable as other aspects of aging progress. I’m a bit of a halfling, having eaten an atherogenic diet for much of my life. To the extent that I can help it, I do not want the plaque that I have to become a liability later in life. Because of this and other risk factors which I cannot modify so easily, I’m interested in having a highly protective diet that may also regress some aspects of the physical disease. As long as I’m relatively indifferent to what I eat (healthy food is plenty tasty, cheap, and not that hard to prepare) and as long as I’m not compromising my ability to protect myself from other diseases through diet (the evidence seems to be that the dietary prescriptions for limiting the risk of the most common diseases are largely compatible), I can let my risk-aversion toward CVD run relatively freely so long as I am working with credible evidence.What the heck is up with this study: http://www.latinpost.com/articles/20511/20140901/benefits-of-a-low-carb-diet-beat-low-fat-in-nih-study.htmDr. David Katz gave the most complete and sensible critique of the research design of which I’m aware:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140902121017-23027997-diet-research-stuck-in-the-stone-ageWhat are the risks of plant-based saturated fat like coconut, nuts, etc.? Are there concerns about those?can you debunk this? http://vitals.lifehacker.com/contrary-to-belief-saturated-fat-isnt-bad-for-your-hea-1684749042/+whitsongordonWhat total drivel! Call yourself a professor? There is not connection between cholesterol level and heart disease, that is the point! Read the research and stop being biased. Bias in science renders it non-science, otherwise known as nonsense.Dr Gregor, What is your opinion of the book by Dr Malcolm Kendrick – he is claiming that cholesterol levels are not an indicator for heart diseaseDavid: I think this would be at least part of Dr. Greger’s response: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/Saturated fat and cholesterol don’t cause heart disease. The people who told you this for years aren’t happy with the truth coming out. The only thing that is “bad” in cholesterol is oxidized LDL, not HDL or even LDL. Weston Price studied people eating massive amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol in places where their intake of high antioxidant foods kept the LDL from oxidizing. High LDL cholesterol is found in people with low rates of cancer.It is more important to our health than HDL. In fact, studies where they raised HDL increased stroke risk so much they had to stop the testing. The oils they try to push on you, unsaturated (polyunsaturated) are in fact the quickest to oxidize and become rancid. Rancid oil can make LDL bad. There is so much to it, and this desperate attempt by the nature folks to tell you they were wrong for decades condemning non-oxidized LDL and saturated fat is sad to watch.Eat a low meat diet, include coconut oil in place of polyunsaturated oils. It’s a source of energy, doesn’t clog arteries, and the high medium chain triglyceride oil does not go rancid, even at room temperature storage for long periods. In fact, it keeps nearby unsaturated fats from rancidity. Get a lot of anti oxidants from healthy fruits and vegetables or supplements. Eat low glycemic load foods. High glycemic high calorie diets are the top cause of weight gain and that resulting fat storage caused by too many simple carbs is the top cause of heart disease and strokes.The video tries to say higher saturated fat intake raises LDL (it calls “bad”) as if it’s bad. But higher LDL levels are found in healthier people, LDL cholesterol is essential for our immune system, and those with higher LDL have lower cancer risk. Oxidized LDL is what is bad, not getting enough anti oxidants in fruits / vegetables, or supplements to prevent oxidation, and high intake of rancid oils (unsaturated oils go rancid, saturated oils like coconut do not) oxidizes LDL. High simple carb / high glycemic diets are also a problem. Eat low glycemic, high organic fruits and vegetables and fiber. Eat low dairy and avoid meat in general (but don’t abstain from it) and try to get more safe fish (low in mercury) or take Omega 3 fish oil supplements.Dr. Greger addressed LDL size in this video, if interested. ​Does LDL size matter? Thanks for your comments, Mark!Excellent video. Thank you Dr. Greger.Okay, but one thing that those that rec. saturated fat recently have stated, which I agree with, is the negative effects of all the vegetable oils that are often extracted with hexane. So then are we supposed to have no fats? Fat is a necessary ingredient for a host of body functions, hormone regulation, etc… so what’s left?Right. Vegetable oils are not healthful be it the hexane or the rancidity or the fact they are pure fat with no fiber and little antioxidants, if any. Nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, coconut flakes, etc are fibrous plant sources of fat containing antioxidants so those could be a choice, as you are correct fat is a necessary component of the diet. Keep in mind even beans, grains, and leafy greens have fat just in smaller amounts, which appears to be the advantageous. We really do not need much fat in the diet.Great suggestions. I guess it really boils down to not having ANY processed foods in the diet. Including even the supposed ‘healthy’ options for chips and crackers. I have zero meat, but still some cheese and yogurt, but I will look at that as well. Thanks for the information.Study: Saturated fatty acids may directly damage your heart: http://www.science20.com/news_articles/saturated_fatty_acids_may_directly_damage_your_heart-155141I kinda understand the dogma of cholesterol. I see it as though plaque build up starts as early as childhood. If you as a child and even into your younger years have high cholesterol, the damage is done then. Then later in life you start a healthier lifestyle or by accident just choose a healthier diet, you still have the reprecussions of what you did in early life. Then when these individuals have cardiac events, whats recorded is the NOW. The cholesterol is good. The saturated fat intake is minimal as recorded. The given is they had already done what was needed as far as plaque and then given that age progresses smaller arteries, you get recorded as a healythy lifestyle but had an cardiac event. I dont know this as fact, but I do know from medical journals that state that arteriosclerosis starts in your youth. I remember the guy that started the running revolution for better health and lifestyle and wrote many books on running, died of a HA while running. Even though he had changed his lifestyle, he had been a chronic smoker and overweight most of his life into middle adult hoodHello,I have seen your videos on the ‘Saturated fats study’. One question that I believe is worth addressing is the effect of grass fed non-pasteurized milk and its relation to the negative effects of saturated fat consumption.Many pro raw milk enthusiasts claim that the butterfat from organic grass-fed non-pasteruized milk is substantially different than normal everyday butter. The differences include a claimed significant great amount of Vitamin K2, omega 3 fatty acids, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA); all of which apparently mitigate, and even improve heart health.Can you speak to this claimed difference?ThanksI wonder, maybe it’s you who refuses to accept that you were wrong and not the people who designed these studies. Here is another one for you, and this one isn’t sponsored by any “big butter” industry: https://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/ How about you show a study that saturated fat increases the number of heart attacks, not just LDL cholesterol (because while it increases LDL-C it also increases HDL and decreases LDL-P), but actually reduces the number of heart attacks. You cannot. There was only one old population study that did it, but it was very flawed because it selected the countries for comparison that supported that saturated fat is bad, and deliberately omitted countries like France and Skandinavian countries where consumption of saturated fat was higher but the number of heart attacks is lower. The truth is – there is ZERO evidence that saturated fat is bad.” this one isn’t sponsored by any “big butter” industry”Actually it’s supported by a lot more than Big Butter. Here’s the study: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0113605“Funding: This work was funded by a grant from Dairy Research Institute, The Beef Checkoff, the Egg Nutrition Center, and the Robert C. And Veronica Atkins Foundation.”As for the study itself, the industry funded researches took diabetics and played around with amount of (presumably refined) carbs in their diet, and found that circulating levels of saturated fat were similar even when dietary saturated fat was lower. These lines from the study explain the findings:“A consequence of consuming dietary sugars and starches above levels that can be directly oxidized is that a greater proportion is converted to fat (i.e., de novo lipogenesis). isocaloric high-carbohydrate diets [4] and high-carbohydrate meals [5], [6] also promote DNL and hypertriglyceridemia in individuals with insulin resistance. The major product of DNL is palmitate (16:0), a saturated fatty acid (SFA),”So the industry funded researchers did their study by feeding junk food to people who have a disease that doesn’t allow them to process glucose properly, then noted that this caused them to produce high amounts of saturated fat from the carbohydrates they were fed. The concern raised by the study essentially admits that high circulating levels of saturated fat is a bad thing, but they still try to make a high saturated fat diet sound like the winner.As for that “old population study,” this article can clear things up for youhttp://plantpositive.com/blog/2014/6/28/how-time-magazine-sacrificed-its-standards-to-promote-satura.htmlThe work of Ancel Keys obviously isn’t the only studies scientists have considered to say that saturated fat is bad for you, but it’s worth clearing up how that study was actually conducted. Certain countries were excluded from the final analysis because their data simply wasn’t reliable/usable. Keys also dropped data from some countries that would have supported his fat hypothesis because he knew it might be flawed and skew his results. You need to have some skepticism when you read the claims of the saturated fat deniers. They don’t give an accurate view of the science.Dr Greger, I’m not sure I’m following your logic: you are saying that there is great variability between different people in their LDL levels. Well, if this is the case, then people with genetically low LDL baseline, can safely eat saturated fat? If the noise is so large that you cannot observe health as a function of the saturated fat intake, it means that a lot of people can enjoy croissant… They just have to check their baseline LDL before. I’m not sure that’s what you meant to present.	animal fat,Atkins diet,butter,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,dairy,dietary guidelines,fat,Harvard,HDL cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,Hegsted Equation,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,meat,milk,National Beef Cattleman’s Association,National Dairy Board,saturated fat,tobacco,vegans,vegetarians	How might Big Butter design a study (like the Siri-Tarino and Chowdhury meta-analyses) to undermine global consensus guidelines to reduce saturated fat intake?	Dairy industry campaign to “neutralize the negative image of milkfat”? If you missed my last video, check it out here: The Saturated Fat Studies: Buttering Up the Public.If that “Doubt is our product” memo sounded familiar, I also featured it in my recent Food Industry Funded Research Bias video. More on how industries can design deceptive studies in BOLD Indeed: Beef Lowers Cholesterol?and How the Egg Board Designs Misleading Studies.And last but not least, this is the first NutritionFacts.org video featuring the work of professional illustrator Sara Marchetto, who has so kindly offered to donate her talents to forward our mission. I hope you’ll see more of her soon!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hegsted-equation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hdl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-beef-cattlemans-association/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7019459,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24222015,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2904039/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5846902,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21906408,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2125600/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11424547,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11687015,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/313701,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20071648,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0063835/,
PLAIN-2500	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/	The Saturated Fat Studies: Buttering Up the Public	Time magazine’s recent cover exhorting people to eat butter could be viewed as a desperate attempt to revive dwindling print sales, but they claimed to be reporting on real science, a systematic review and meta-analysis published in a prestigious journal that concluded that current evidence does not clearly support cardiovascular guidelines that encourage cutting down on saturated fat, like the kind found in meat and dairy products like butter.No wonder it got so much press, since reducing saturated fat intake is a major focus of most dietary recommendations worldwide aiming to prevent chronic diseases including coronary heart disease. So, to quote the Center for Science in the Public Interest, “What gives? Evidently, shaky science...and a mission by the global dairy industry to boost sales.”They interviewed an academic insider, who noted some researchers are intent on showing saturated fat does not cause heart disease. In 2008 the global dairy industry held a meeting where they decided that one of their main priorities was to “neutralize the negative impact of milkfat by regulators and medical professionals.” And when they want to do something, they get it done. So they set up a major, well-funded campaign to come up with proof that saturated fat does not cause heart disease. They assembled scientists who were sympathetic to the dairy industry, provided them with funding, encouraged them to put out statements on milkfat and heart disease, and arranged to have them speak at scientific meetings. And the scientific publications we’ve seen emerging since the Mexico meeting have done just what they set out to do.What’s the key barrier to increase worldwide demand for dairy? Yes, there’s global warming issues, other milks competing out there, but #1 on the list is the “Negative messages and intense pressure to reduce saturated fats by governments and non- governmental organizations.” In short, the negative messages are outweighing the positive, so indeed, their #1 priority is to neutralize the negative image of milkfat among regulators and health professionals as related to heart disease.OK, so how are you going to do it? Imagine you work for Big Butter. You’ve got quite the challenge ahead of you. If you look at recommendations from around the globe, there is a global scientific consensus to limit saturated fat intake with most authoritative bodies recommending getting saturated fat at least under 10% of calories, with the prestigious U.S. Institute of Medicine and the European Food Safety Authority recommending to push saturated fat consumption down as low as possible.The latest guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recommend reducing trans fat intake, giving it their strongest A grade level of evidence. And the same with reducing saturated fat intake, and since saturated and trans fats are found in the same place, meat and dairy, cutting down on foods with saturated fat will have the additional benefit of lowering trans fat intake. They recommend pushing saturated fat intake down to like 5 or 6%. So that’s what you see when you go to the American Heart Association website, no more than 5 or 6% of calories. People don't realize how small that is. One KFC chicken breast could take you over the top. Or, two pats of butter and two cubes of cheese and you’re done for the day—no more dairy, no meat, no eggs. That’d be about 200 calories, so they are in effect saying 90% of your diet should be free of saturated fat containing foods. So that’s like the American Heart Association saying OK, two meals a week can be packed with meat, dairy, and junk, but the entire rest of the week should be unprocessed plant-foods. That’s how stringent the new recommendations are.So this poses a problem for Big Cheese and Chicken. The top contributors of cholesterol-raising saturated fat is cheese, ice cream, more cheese, chicken, then non-ice cream desserts like cake and pie, and then pork. So what are these industries to do? We’ll find out, next.	This video will prove very useful in the coming months when I find myself defending my viewpoint….What happened to the old signoff line, “More on that in tomorrow’s video”? : )It got cut off! I’m going to re-upload it. Thanks so much for pointing that out!Stay tuned for tomorrows video which is the sequel to this one! If anyone is interested, here is plant positve’s dissection of the TIME article featured in this video. I think its great supplementary info. http://plantpositive.com/blog/2014/6/28/how-time-magazine-sacrificed-its-standards-to-promote-satura.htmlThe cliffhanger is too goodlooking forward to the next one! Thank you Michael!Okay, I don’t want to be the crankypuss here, but on the BIG issues, (meaning important, arguable, controversial, whatever) what is wrong with a bigger, longer video? Apparently it may be about actual production rather than attention spans, but I personally would love to see some longer videos on relevant topics instead of having it split in two! Like someone else suggested, this argument will come in handy, and it would be easier to link to a single video rather than multiples…and a lot more likely to get watched.It will certainly be in a playlist on youtube, so a proper link to that should have the videos play automatically, back to back. I agree with you though. I don’t really see the point of the split.I imagine nutritionfacts has thought about it.I would second your thought for share-ability…It is easier to share a longer video.I like both the long and the short videos. I think the short ones are useful for getting people to actually *watch* them – when I am linked to an hour long video, I know I will often abandon it before it has even started if I’m not strongly interested in the topic already.I would also like to see longer videos, maybe with the Dr. talking more slowly. I’m in no hurry. Thank you, nevertheless.I got some really nice pointers toward mental health from this butter pushing psychiatrist: http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.nl/p/map.htmlHer bits on magnesium and choline (zombieland prt 2) have already proven a big help in dousing the fire/heat that was raging in my upper spine and brain past few months. Yes I’m aware of the choline is bad bits on nutritionfacts, but low choline from near vegan diet might actually have caused mania in me. Supping my already high magnesium from foods with an additional 600-800 mg and 3-4 250mg choline already completely changed my outlook. Unexpectedly locking a gaze looking someone in the eye was like looking in a high powered light for me even 6 days ago, made me actually recoil as if in disgust, so overstimulating. 2 capsules of choline and I could mingle and look people in the eyes again. Completely bizarre! I hope this experience of mine can help somebody else, just paying it forward.PS: I just can’t shake the feeling her pushing saturated fats is killing people though ^^Missing from this story is the value of the low and mid chain saturated fatty acids. Seems we’re going backwards. The Texas A&M study (see http://www.frytest,com ) showed clearly that trans fact was the main culprit. The American Heart Assoc. was given $4 million to advertise and they pulled a fast one by attacking the “Bad Fat Brothers – Trans fats and saturated fats”. They went silent on saturated fats for a while and now are back with their standard confusion of the issues. Coconut oil is probably the healthiest fat in the world. The 50% fraction is lauric acid which is a natural antibiotic and it’s found naturally in mother’s breast milk. The 2 chain saturated fatty acid is vinegar. Lauric acid can be bought as “Monolaurin” in 600 mg and 300 mg. capsules.Coconut slams my veins shut the same as does other overly fatty food. As a male you can use the firmness of your erections as a barometer of this process. You can check your d*** Dick to see if your theory holds up. For me it has the same effect as have other high fat foods.Do some food experiments and change something every week or few weeks, some changes will give you solid feedback. Then ride the wave of stacked good effects, it is worth it even though it takes some discipline.Coconut oil is not the healthiest food in the world. Please provide studies to back up your claims. Every study I have seen with coconuts show increased LDL and total cholesterol, never the other way around. Please see here for more on coconuts.http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=coconutWhat is the other 50% ??????? Watch the videos Toxins references below!Just because mothers’ milk has some of that type of fat in it to help an infant grow quickly, doesn’t mean it’s good for an adult, and it doesn’t mean that consuming a significant percent of it is good either. To me, what’s in breast milk is irrelevant. The question is, what’s ‘optimal’ for adult human health.I bet the dairy industry’s tactics will ultimately backfire.with all these vegan and vegetarian diet , there is a danger of Niacin deficiency as well as missing out of the goodness of lactic acid which comes mainly from yougurt !!Huh? Lactic acid? (Which we make ourselves) I thought the main selling point for yogurt was the bugs.Yeah, a good run should solve that ^^As MacSmiley says, at least know what you’re pointing out if you’re going to make a comment. Not only is lactic acid produced by the human body (excessively as a byproduct of strenuous exercise), but lactose (which is what I think you’re trying to say) is actually a sugar that is present in all milk products (not mainly yogurt), and often a source of dietary distress. It’s one of the major food intolerances that leads to gastric issues. Lactose, even if you like and eat a lot of dairy, is hardly goodness. Oh, and regardless of which spelling of yogurt you prefer, you spelled it wrong.As for your comments below, you can cherry pick all kinds of studies about dairy being or not being healthy. Cherry-picked science never makes a point. Peer-reviewed, data-driven and empirically valid science and the volume of studies which support a particular finding/position, do make a point. Longitudinal studies that cover many years, like the Framingham heart study, are better cherry pickings than one that lasted two years. You can’t possibly draw a conclusion about long-term effects and health from one two-year window.Why are you concerned about deficiency. If you eat properly, from a variety of sources, you should be fine. Besides, you don’t say what kind of deficiency. B-12 is likely the only realistic potential issue, and it’s a stored vitamin, not one you need to replenish all the time. Calcium, protein and virtually all other nutrients are very plentiful in well-planned veg diets. In fact, most research suggests the SAD provides way more protein than needed, which often contributes to issues such as osteoperosis, when calcium is obtained by upping dairy intake. Processing excess protein leeches calcium from the bones and blood, often creating a vicious circle.A harvard study = heart problems is the biggest killer and milk seem to help a big deal here ——————A recent study, which followed more than 5,000 Spanish university graduates for about two years, found a link between dairy intake and risk of high blood pressure.”We observed a 50% reduction in the risk of developing high blood pressure among people eating 2-3 servings of low-fat dairy a day (or more), compared with those without any intake,” Alvaro Alonso, MD, PhD, a researcher in the department of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, said in an email interview.Although most of the low-fat dairy consumed by the study subjects was as milk, Alvaro believes low-fat yogurt would likely have the same effect.to clarify , I am a vegetarian but concern about deficiencyOh, and referring to your first comment, it’s niacin deficiency you’re concerned about? Really? You only need about 16mg a day and can easily obtain that from grains, nuts and many other vegetarian sources. A well-balanced diet can’t possibly leave you deficient. Sorry, but you really need to become better informed about nutrition. It’s not ideal, but if you’re really worried, take a multi. Lots of people do, even though most of it gets flushed out of your system when you pee and isolated vitamins have very little evidence of efficacy.Mr. Smith, Niacin deficiency is unlikely to occur if eating whole unrefined plant foods. This means whole grains, beans, fruits, veggies, tubers and the like. If you go to cronometer.com, you can track your nutrient intake., You would be surprised how much you are getting of each nutrient.Mr Smith: Your concern is quite understandable. Concern about developing a deficiency is one of the reasons people fear adopting a whole food plant based diet. Given all of the mis-information out there, I totally get why people are afraid. However, as NutritionFacts shows/as the body of evidence currently shows, a whole food plant based (WFPB) diet is the optimal diet for disease prevention for the majority of people (ie, baring some unique/rare issue with a person). A well planned WFPB diet is the one that is least likely to leave you with a deficiency. You are in the right place to educate yourself on this topic.Here is a nice, short video that talks about common deficiencies in vegans vs omnivores. You will notice that niacin is not among the problems that vegans typically face. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/I would also refer you to a great book by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina called Becoming Vegan, Express edition. These are extremely knowledgable registered dieticians who have taken a close look at the evidence in nutrition, and put together a great reference book for people who are concerned about particular nutrients. (It also has menu plans for putting it all together.) The book has a section on niacin that would interest you. It includes a list of the many easy ways to get plenty of niacin from a WFPB diet – so that you can get it in a safe package (as opposed to yogurt which has plenty of drawbacks).This site is a great place to educate yourself about the problems of eating any form of dairy: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/Let me know if you would like some additional references that put it all together to show you how to eat healthy so that you avoid deficiencies. It’s not as hard as you might think!As a nutritionist, I have a real problem with these types of studies. And those who are promoting such biased, and fractionated information/disinformation. No wonder the public is confused!Nutrition is about biochemistry, enzyme function, and the nutrients in food needed to run those enzymes and our bodies. I applaud the poster below who had the intelligence to look to more than one site to solve his health problems. He or she could have a PEMT gene snp or any of the other gene snips that would take extra choline to make him feel better.All of us as a species need essentially the same nutrients, but biochemical individuality will make some people have to take more of some nutrients to get specific enzymes to function better or function at all. It is the reality of the human condition. Some people actually will need more animal protein and/or saturated fat in their diets because they will have snps on their LDL receptors that will make it more difficult to get cholesterol into the cell or other snps. (Yes, Virginia, cholesterol is a necessary molecule.) Vegan diets will make these people ill. Others thrive on a vegan diet (but B12 is still an issue here).The cholesterol theory of heart disease is dead. But that does not mean one should shun fresh veggies for nothing but huge steaks. It also does not mean that a little butter on one’s veggies or some beef in your diet is going to kill you either. NO ONE diet is right for everyone, and in my view, anyone who promotes that a vegan diet (or a paleo one) is the ONLY diet that everyone should follow, (albeit with all good intentions and ignorance of the true science of nutrition) is committing gross malpractice. Period.P.S. By stating that anyone or anything “seeks to undermine latest guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.” implies of course that the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology know what they are talking about. And of course they don’t. Heart disease is at an all time high largely due to their recommendations , plus statin drugs are most likely the cause of the huge increase in congestive heart failure since their prescribing has become (too!) routine! Cardiologist Stephen Sinatra finally woke us as have other forward-thinking cardiologists.YOUR analysis of this is just so biased!!!1See how we’re not having a discussion? Slow down the dismissive rhetoric and bring some credible evidence for some of your claims, and we can have a more effective conversation. We need to get beyond mere expressions of our opinion. At the rate that we are going this probably means that the discussion should focus on actual references to peer reviewed literature that either you or I (or any other party to the discussion) think were well-conducted, because it seems that we simply may not trust each others’ authorities enough to follow them as closely as the other party wishes.I, for one, am not so interested in the fact that you trust Masterjohn’s narratives (or a substantial part of them). I want you to highlight some of his central claims that you think to be strong, and give some indication that you have thought carefully about how he has supported them. If you can do that, you will also have shown us some of the stronger evidence for his position and that actually will make me more interested in following his point of view if I can verify that the evidence is of good quality.Stephen Sinatra? You mean THIS Stephen Sinatra?http://youtu.be/XumPQLTzPWIWhat a pseudoscientific joke.“[…] implies of course that the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology know what they are talking about. And of course they don’t. Heart disease is at an all time high largely due to their recommendations”How can the current heart disease epidemic be the result of the AHA’s recommendations if no one is following them?“How Many Meet the Simple Seven” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-meet-the-simple-seven/“[…] in U.S. adults, only about 1% have a bare minimum of healthy eating behaviors, such as five-a-day fruits and veggies, eating beans, whole grains, drinking less than 3 cans of soda a week. What percentage of Americans hit all seven of the simple 7? 14,000 men and women were surveyed, and most had 2 or 3 but hardly any had all 7 simple health components. Just how low a prevalence was having 7 out of 7? Only about 1 out of 2000 Americans had all 7 factors intact. And the one they were missing the most? Diet.”“How Many Meet the Simple Seven?” Boy I agree with you on this one! I go above and beyond the simple seven with platefuls of veggies at every meal. Yes even breakfast. Huge veggie smoothie. Even most vegans I meet don’t meet this guideline. Lots of white bread and white flour and a few green beans with a lot of beans or rice at supper and think they are eating healthy. Heavy on the starches, skimpy on the veggies. And most non vegans don’t meet this guideline either. But this is where I think the two sides are arguing over the wrong things. I don’t think whether someone eats some animal protein or not is the real problem or bashing each other because someone dared to eat something that had a face or came from a face. It is that vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores all need to be eating more veggies. Pile them on, baby!Linda, if you are unfamiliar with the issues of animal products detailed in Dr. Greger’s previous videos I would encourage you to view them. The reason to avoid animal products has pretty solid evidence and is not based on ethical arguments. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=endotoxemiaOnce you view most of the evidence available on this website I find it rationally impossible to continue considering animal products a healthy part of a diet.Irrationality is in eye of the beholder. I have viewed these videos, and I still find that both camps cherry pick the evidence. I am not a vegan, cannot be a vegan, and will never be a vegan. I do not follow a paleo diet, cannot follow a paleo diet, and will never follow a paleo diet. I see followers of both camps in viciously poor health every day. And they are unwilling to change their thinking because they are blinded by whichever guru they have decided to follow. Real nutrition education lies in understand nutritional biochemistry. I think it bodes well for any lay person to do his or her own research in the area. I do so hope whichever diet you choose works for you in the long run. Most consequences don’t show up for years.I am confused by your response.“I have viewed these videos, and I still find that both camps cherry pick the evidence.”What evidence to the contrary can you present that a plant based diet will lead to ill health outcomes. Vegan does not equate to whole foods plant based, the discrepancy is important. You cite cherry picking, so please present studies to show how the studies presented here are at fault.“Real nutrition education lies in understanding nutritional biochemistry.”Most of the studies presented on this website are in regards to biochemistry. I don’t quite understand what specifics your asking for.” And sadly it is MD gurus doling out most of the misinformation because they get no training in nutrition in medical school and think that double blind studies are the be all end of evidence-based knowledge.”Dr. Greger is not giving us his medical opinion, he is presenting evidence available for the public to view. It is important to use the available evidence and view it in its entirety. Dr. Greger has never claimed that double blind studies are the only usable studies, he has stated otherwise on several occasions about the importance of longitudinal and cross sectional studies, and presents these in his videos. Based on your response, I get the idea you are not quite familiar with the evidence presented on this website. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of studies shared here supporting a plant based diet, along with contrary evidence presented and examined. There is no cherry picking. I have said this before. but because the evidence points towards a plant based diet does not mean that the science is biased. Its just how our body works. Our biology is the same.If you have studies to share then please do, I have not seen you share any evidence thus far in your posts.This will be my last post on this subject because the wars between the diet gurus gets old after awhile.The links you gave me led me to a menu of videos one of which was here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/“The Answer to the pritikin puzzle” with McGregor’s [fractionated] analysis that “Lower cancer rates among those eating a plant-based diet may be a result of reduced blood levels of IGF-1 and enhanced production of IGF-1 binding protein.”Cancer is a complicated disease and boiling it down to IGF-1 and citing in vitro experiments where they drop blood on cancer cells in a petri dish and then implying that this proves that blood of those on vegan diets stop cancer growth in its tracks “in vivo” is ridiculous at it’s core. It’s cherry picking AND its misleading.Of course the blood of anyone eating any healthy diet pitted against the Standard American diet would win out in almost any nutrition study. Healthy diets should be full of veggies and moderate levels of fruit but they do not have to be vegan to be healthy,Also McGregor seems to conveniently forget to mention that Pritikin himself suffered from leukemia and eventually committed suicide due to his pain and suffering. It is postulated that while he had clean arteries, Pritkin’s diet may have been too low in protein which may also be one reason why it was so hard for adherents to stay on the diet. Cancer stresses the body, and cancer patients may need more protein especially if they are undergoing treatment which Pritikin was.http://www.livestrong.com/article/428130-calories-and-protein-needs-for-a-cancer-patient/ Written by Erica Wickham, M.S., R.D., C.D.N. and http://www.livestrong.com/article/264906-protein-for-cancer-patients/And here is a study Claiming that “A Low Carbohydrate, High Protein Diet Slows Tumor Growth and Prevents Cancer Initiation”http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2011/06/10/0008-5472.CAN-10-3973The Pritikin diet has also been shown to be too low in essential fatty acids which why some modern promoters of it often modify it to include a variety of omega-3 fat-containing fish at least twice a week and that those with coronary heart disease consume one gram of omega-3 fats per day.http://www.medicinenet.com/diet_plans_and_programs/page3.htmNutrition studies have to take into consideration the TOTALITY of nutrition and biochemisty. By this I mean biochemical pathways, individual genetic snps, the totality of someone’s nutrition, whether they have all the necessary co-enzymes for proper enzyme functioning etc. etc.This is the totality of nutritional biochemistry. Not the continuing hammering and cherry picking of data between the diet gurus who want everyone to believe that their dietary beliefs with their cherry-picked studies are the be all end all of nutrition research.Linda“”The Answer to the pritikin puzzle” with McGregor’s [fractionated] analysis that …”This video is one video of an entire series on IGF-1. To look at this video alone and to come to wide conclusions would not be proper. Dr. Greger has shared studies how those with the lowest IGF-1 do not develop cancer (little people) and how elevated IGF-1 is linked with various forms of cancer. After all, IGF-1 is, in terms of biochemistry, responsible for cancer proliferation, survival, migration and angiogenesis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19075184Hence, why IGF-1 is such an important hormone and lowering it would aid in cancer prevention.A systematic review and meta-analysis found strong associations with elevated IGF-1 and prostate cancer. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2743036/17 prospective studies found strong associations with breast cancer and elevated IGF-1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3113287/It goes beyond blood dripped on petri dishes, and extrapolating that lower IGF-1 in vivo would result in lower cancer rates is not based on strict in vitro experiments. Researchers in the field of nutrition and cancer research recognize IGF-1 as a cancer promoter. This is not Dr. Greger’s own workings.Yes, cancer is a complicated disease, which is why that a diet with animal based foods does more than merely raise IGF-1 for cancer risk. By the same token, a plant based diet helps to prevent cancer by more then lowering IGF-1. There is a reason why there are a large quantity of association studies linking vegetarian diets with lower mortality from chronic diseases and meat intake linked with higher mortality and chronic disease. Good luck finding studies linking increased meat intake with lower cancer rates, these types of studies do not exist, because human bodies do not work this way. Here are some more cancer links in regards to meat based diets. You can see the studies cited in the sources cited section yourself, this is an easier way to present the studies though for your benefit.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/ etc. etc.“And here is a study Claiming that “A Low Carbohydrate, High Protein Diet Slows Tumor Growth and Prevents Cancer Initiation””How much that can be extrapolated from these genetically altered, immune deficient mice in this study is extremely limited. After all, we have human data showing the opposite effect in the real world. For one that claims that studies are not the end result, I would have hoped a better portrayal of the contrary evidence, because this is not it. Studies must be viewed as pieces of a puzzle in the big picture. This is not what you are doing here.Your concern of those on a plant based diet not getting enough protein is also not based on the evidence. A recent study comparing 33,000 nonvegetarians to 4,000 semi vegetarians, 6,000 pesco vegetarians, 21,000 pesco vegetarians, and 5,000 strict vegans found that they all consumed about the same amount of protein, and all groups exceeded 70 grams per day. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23988511Less than 3% of adults in this country do not consume enough protein as table 1 shows in the below cited study. This perhaps could be due to caloric restriction, as protein deficiency cannot seem to exist without other nutritional deficiencies. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/5/1554S/T1.expansion.html“The Pritikin diet has also been shown to be too low in essential fatty acids which why some modern promoters of it often modify it to include a variety of omega-3 ..” If you are unaware, whole plant foods have plenty of omega 3. Even without flax seed and walnuts, the entirety of the diet over the course of a day can still have plenty of omega 3 as long as total omega 6 is low. Needs are 1.1 grams for women and 1.6 for men. There is no need to supplement fish oil.“Interest in the cardiovascular protective effects of n–3 (omega-3) fatty acids has continued to evolve during the past 35 y since the original research describing the low cardiovascular event rate in Greenland Inuit was published by Dyerberg et al. Numerous in vitro experiments have shown that n–3 fatty acids may confer this benefit by several mechanisms: they are antiinflammatory, antithrombotic, and antiarrhythmic. The n–3 fatty acids that have received the most attention are those that are derived from a fish source; namely the longer-chain n–3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n–3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n–3). More limited data are available on the cardiovascular effects of n–3 fatty acids derived from plants such as a-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n–3). Observational data suggest that diets rich in EPA, DHA, or ALA do reduce cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death; however, randomized controlled trial data are somewhat less clear. Several recent meta-analyses have suggested that dietary supplementation with EPA and DHA does not provide additive cardiovascular protection beyond standard care, but the heterogeneity of included studies may reduce the validity of their conclusions. No data exist on the potential therapeutic benefit of EPA, DHA, or ALA supplementation on those individuals who already consume a vegetarian diet. Overall, there is insufficient evidence to recommend n–3 fatty acid supplementation for the purposes of cardiovascular protection; however, ongoing studies such as the Alpha Omega Trial may provide further information.Combined with the lack of convincing clinical data in favor of n–3 fatty acid supplementation for cardiovascular endpoints and the lack of data in those that consume a vegetarian diet, it is difficult to make the recommendation that vegetarians should consume fish to optimize their cardiovascular mortality.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/5/1597S.long“Nutrition studies have to take into consideration the TOTALITY of nutrition and biochemistry. ” Again, we are dealing with humans who are extremely similar with little genetic variation. To assume that everyone is genetically broken is a leap in logic. You have provided several articles to livestrong and random websites, these are not studies, nor sources of evidence. This website is not about propping up Dr. Greger’s dietary regime, it is about sharing STUDIES. That is its main function.I agree, but I post as a layperson who reads and eats, nothing more. I’m always interested in professionals who do post, their affiliations and how they’re paid. I’m not at all suggesting anything, but to suggest this information is any more biased than dairy/meat industry funded research, is a little bit of kettle and teapot stuff. Your Disqus history suggests you regularly attack this site’s posts and other things, like the benefits of grain, which is fine. Anything public should hold up to scrutiny and debate. You could easily link your Disqus profile to your website or some professional profile. You do seem to have a strong paleo-oriented approach. I’m totally open about a largely plant-based bias, but I also don’t think diets with some meat and dairy can be perfectly health (personally, not ethically or environmentally).The only thing I’d say about paleo is not so much whether a high protein/high fat/grain-free diet is healthy or not, rather that the notion that current paleo is anything close to how cavemen ate has been debunked. I’m not a vegan myself, but statistically I think you’re likely to find a lot less disease (via long-term studies) with it than you will with a paleo style of diet (which needs more time for any decent level of evidence).Also, the fact that people speak totally about ‘personal’ health and not holistic health is problematic to me. Meat and dairy production is inherently cruel and environmentally problematic. In terms of what we do to the planet we live on, and its inhabitants, focusing totally on nutrition and not the others is a lapse in logic. Current animal-derived food production is very damaging. ‘ethical’ or ‘sustainable’ or ‘humane’ meat is a serious fallacy due to lack of enforceable standards and the actual definition of free-run and free-range.They don’t like me on the paleo blogs either! LOL. I think grains are toxic, but not because they are grains. It is the mold in them because they sit around gathering mold in the grain bins. Thus I use quinoa and buckwheat as my grain substitutes. (Something the paleo bloggers go nuts about and trash me there for because they are so carb-phobic. I do agree that current animal-derived food production is very damaging. And these meats do contain more saturated fat than wild counterparts. Thus I look for naturally raised/organic animal products. I do not eat/drink dairy. Too allergic. I do think that most all industrialized nations eat too many grains to the exclusion of veggies!! I know paleo eaters who just down the commercial steaks and butter and if there are 3 asparagus on the plate they think they have had enough veggies for the day. I also know vegans living on rice and beans and sugar-laden fruit pies that are convinced that they are never going to get heart disease who become very surprised when the heart attack comes. (If they survive it!) I myself favor a mostly Mediterranean-style diet but again no one diet is right for everyone.If both camps don’t like you, you’re probably doing something right ;-) I don’t preach (or try not to), but do come primarily from the animal welfare side of the equation. I don’t distinguish between rights and welfare because the distinction is meaningless if we have a strong standard of care for all animals. Anyway I digress.Organic meat is definitely a step in the right direction and if it suits you personally, then it’s certainly an improvement. For me, there is simply too much suffering and/or pollution no matter which direction one goes for meat and dairy. I don’t eat any eggs, meat, fish or fowl but there is a very small amount of dairy in my diet. Cream in my coffee and occasionally some cheese, but very little. In most cases I use almond milk – love the flavour but not the consistency for many things. The best we can do is what works for us, while hopefully reducing the impacts of our choices.I like quinoa but it’s another potential digestive mess and I do find it causes gut problems for me. I’d agree we use too many grains, and in particular, the vast majority of commercial cereals and related products are so processed and sugar-laden that they’re not healthy. Plus, there’s so much sugar in so much of it. As for meat and veggies, the reason cardiovascular disease is so much lower with traditional “3rd world” and many Asian diets, is that meats augment a largely vegetable dinner plate, not the other way around. There’s just too much meat in most diets.Just like we often don’t talk about the holistic impacts of food choices, the other piece is exercise, of course. As a 50 year old with some family diabetes history, that’s my biggest concern and I’ll admit to something of a sweet tooth. It doesn’t absolve me of course, but I’m also an avid runner and cyclist. Depending what time of year it is, I’m doing anywhere from 10-20 hours a week. You can’t outrun a bad diet, particularly as you age, but you can sure use up some of the excess calories your body will convert to fat and you can do a lot to keep your blood pressure, blood sugar and triglycerides fairly normal by getting a good amount of fitness in.I’ll agree on the mostly Mediterranean style diet and that one definitely doesn’t fit all, but again, between food choices and lifestyle, regardless of what we choose to eat, a lot more thought about where it comes from and what else we’re doing is very important.I don’t have any problem eating animals as long as they are raised humanely, had a nice life before I ate them, and were killed humanely as well. I obviously do not want antibiotics and chemicals in my food either. These become necessary in Confined animal raising methods.I do agree that for most people using animal protein as more of a condiment than as the main dish is very wise, as most Asian countries do. But there are always biochemical exceptions. Those with genetic defects that require more methionine are but one example.Everything on this plane of existence eats and is eventually eaten. Bugs will eat us too when we are put into the ground. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. Just moved around. Such is the cycle of life. Total veganism is a relatively new. Even Vegans in India eat bugs (if inadvertently) in their grains and veggies, thus getting more complete protein than is otherwise calculated for in todays charts.I understand and totally sympathize with your ethical concerns. But for me the nutrition is the main focus.Processed grains and cereals and sugar and GMO’s Yuck! And, yes, exercise is another key factor, as is lifestyle. One overlooked aspect of health is all the toxic chemicals we put in and on our bodies today and that is a discussion for another day~You said this: “I don’t have any problem eating animals as long as they are raised humanely, had a nice life before I ate them, and were killed humanely as well.”By the same token, you shouldn’t have any problems if a more intelligent species arrives and does that to you. If you are raised “humanely” and killed “humanely” for the sake of their gluttony.But I suspect that seeing yourself in the other end you would claim against that “arrangement”Well those animals know and feel exactly as you, the IQ difference doesn’t change a thing.And if you feel that my example is extreme, know that in meso America people were raised as catlle (in great numbers) exactly for this end.Linda, instead of buying into the myths and lies fed to us by our culture and society, not top mention a few words on a label, why not investigate the matter for yourself. btw, you may be surprised to know that there are cultures who have been vegan for thousands of years-veganism is only a “new concept” in the western world.youtube.com/watch?v=R-W3xi2jMYIfreefromharm.org/animal-products-and-ethics/factory-farming-alternative-farming/bitesizevegan.com/ethics-and-morality/vegan-nugget-7-humane-free-range-cruelty-free/This is quite enlightening. What happens to the waste matter on factory farm. http://www.upworthy.com/a-drone-flew-over-a-pig-farm-to-discover-its-not-really-a-farm-its-something-much-more-disturbing?c=aol1&icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl27%7Csec3_lnk4%26pLid%3D593426 North Carolina Pig FarmDrones are a valuable tool to root out environmental degradation like this. They have many other positive uses as well.As long as you eat animal products knowing the side effects for them and the environment, that has to be your call. I would dispute though, that even in a so-called ‘humane’ environment, they can possibly have a nice life. Again, humane meat is really a pipe dream. Intentions are part of being humane. It’s simply a value judgement to me that raising an animal to kill it is inhumane, no matter how I treat it.“were killed humanely as well” Is there really such a thing as humanely killed? Sounds like fantasy.As a dietician, (if you that’s what you mean by nutriitonist), it is your duty to have an evidence based approach and not fall for fad dietary trends. It is an indisputable fact that not a single person needs dietary cholesterol (unless with a rare genetic deficiency) or saturated fat. These are simply undebatable facts.“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions; they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither an AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids.There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acid intake increases CHD risk.”“Given the capability of all tissues to synthesize sufficient amounts of cholesterol for their metabolic and structural needs, there is no evidence for a biological requirement for dietary cholesterol. Therefore, neither an Adequate Intake nor a Recommended Dietary Allowance is set for cholesterol.There is much evidence to indicate a positive linear trend between cholesterol intake and low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, and therefore increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A Tolerable Upper Intake Level is not set for cholesterol because any incremental increase in cholesterol intake increases CHD risk.”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=542Elevated cholesterol is also required for heart disease to occur, there is no other factor more important that can result in plaque build up other than cholesterol.Go read Chris Masterjohn on this issue. He has a Ph.D in in Nutritional Sciences. When he stopped eating meat and eventually all animal products, his health took a real hit. He had to go back to eating animal products. Eventually his 23andMe profile showed genetic snps that explained why he became so sick. He has it all over RD’s whose training is designed by the USDA, which is, of course, beholden to all food industries.“Elevated cholesterol is also required for heart disease to occur, there is no other factor more important that can result in plaque build up other than cholesterol” Bologna. Dr. Sinatra (cardiologist) found out how false that statement is when he went into practice. He found people with very low LDL”s and cholesterol just full of clogged arteries when he did tests, and found others with cholesterol numbers as high as 350 with whistle clean arteries. Only then did he start to look deep and found that there was much more to the biochemistry of heart disease than we have been led to believe. Remember, an awful lot of money is made on drugs that lower cholesterol, and drug companies run the health care show in this country. Yes, they even dictate to the government. And they will threaten anyone whose views they think will rain on their gravy train.Chris Masterjohn is a classic paleo “confusionist” spreading misinformation and claims without base. His anecdotal account of being vegetarian also has little value for this discussion and his advice is hardly scientific regardless of his pedigree. You can see all about that here. http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/26/tpns-42-the-confusionist-mind-and-the-good-old-days.html http://plantpositive.com/22-cholesterol-confusion-5-choYour last paragraph is also not based on the evidence. Here is the link between cholesterol and heart disease that has been proven in hundreds of studies.http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=363237http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=373603“This systematic review and meta-regression analysis of 108 randomised controlled trials using lipid modifying interventions did not show an association between treatment mediated change in high density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths whenever change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol was taken into account. We found a statistically significant, substantial association between change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths, adjusted for other lipid subfractions and drug class.” http://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b92This study looked at 13,148 participants using an ultrasound to measure arterial wall thickness. “In general, wall thickness increased with increasing intake of animal fat, saturated and monounsaturated fat, cholesterol and Keys’ score and decreased with increasing intake of vegetable fat…the association between diet and wall thickness was in the expected direction in all race-sex groups.”http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/139/10/979.abstractThere has never been a single study showing that increasing saturated fat leads to less heart disease. Not one. In addition to the many other studies showing this link, animal models clearly show that a pattern of high fat diets leads to heart disease. There has never been an animal model showing that atherosclerosis was created with carb feeding but many with saturated fat feeding. A high fat diet has never reversed heart disease. The only diet to ever reverse heart disease is a low fat, plant based diet very high in carbohydrates. http://www.jfponline.com/fileadmin/qhi/jfp/pdfs/6307/JFP_06307_Article1.pdf http://www.pmri.org/publications/1761.pdf“Chris Masterjohn is a classic paleo “confusionist” spreading misinformation and claims without base. ” This is a classic example of attacking the messenger, so I pay it no attention. Whatever you think of Chris Masterjohn, he has a Ph.D in Nutrition Science and you do not. That makes him better at understanding the limitations of most nutritional studies, including those posted here by Dr. Gregor. As far as I am concerned NO MD is qualified to give advice on Nutritional matters unless they actually have studied nutrition. They studied disease (symptom clusters) and drug therapies for suppression, not cure.Masterjohn is not the messenger of truth Linda, he is someone who is spreading misinformation. Like I said, his degree does not make him an authority. It makes no difference what someones degree is in, they have to use studies and evidence to back up their claims regardless of who they are. That is what I have provided you with and that is what you are depriving me of. If you viewed the links to plant positive you would see how Masterjohn does not have a coherent view of the evidence.I have viewed the links to plant positive. Find them incomplete and cherry picked. Both sides of the diet wars have this same problem. If you believe that Dr. Masterjohn does not have a coherent view of the evidence, that is your choice of course. I suspect, however, that your being a NF team member can cause you to be biased to any evidence that does not support the views of this site. That would make you not be able have a coherent view of any evidence that does jive with your own beliefs. The very thing of which you are accusing Dr. Masterjohn.As I stated to James. I am not a paleo promoter. Nor am I a promoter of vegan diets or any other diet. I thought I knew all about nutrition from physician blogs too…until I went back to school.I don’t need to tell you where to find opposing evidence. I am sure you can do that for yourself.Is this Dr Sinatra you mention, reversing and totally curing heart disease JUST with his diet? Present the cases, then.Dr Esselstyn does exactly that, he has hundreds of cases, terminal ones, and brought them back to heal and yes, of course clean arteries with a WFPB diet. Show the evidence that the diet you promote HEAL hundreds of terminal patients. Not hearsay or anecdotal evidence, but as a treatment that is being done every day. We are waiting.If you’re going to start pushing Masterjohn as some sort of authority, you’re losing any possible goodwill you were building with me. Hardly the ‘science’ you claim to value, and validating (as I initially suspected) your paleo leanings. Most claims of paleo have zero longitudinal shelf life for validity and have nothing to do with how our forebears actually ate. I guess Robb Wolf is next? Or what about the claim that everyone can have grass-fed meat, despite the fact that our planet could come nowhere near producing enough grass-fed meat without making it inhabitable.I am not pushing Dr. Mastejohn as some kind of authority. But he does have credentials. As do some vegan nutritionists I knows. Believe what you will. James. I do not eat paleo, nor am I a vegan, Also I need no ones’ good will. I don ‘t get destroyed just by blogger’s opinions of me. I just am interested in nutrition. That is why I went back to school. But I have also found that cholesterol is not the boogie man either. As I stated before, some people do well on a well-planned vegan diet and thrive on it. For others it is disastrous and wrecks their health. It all depends upon biochemical individuality. If you want to shoot the messenger because you do not like the message, be my guest. I thought I knew all about nutrition too…until went back to school.I’m not going to debate you any more Linda, as you’re passive-aggressive in your approach. This is twice now you’ve made a statement like, “I thought I knew all about nutrition too…until went back to school.” First, I’ve never suggested I knew all about nutrition, though this kind of comment suggests both I’m clueless and you’re educated and well informed. Neither is true, and your bias toward a paleo diet comes through in everything you say, though you keep saying you don’t have one.You keep claiming things for which little empirical evidence exists and try to veil that fact by suggesting you’re educated and everyone who doesn’t think your way, including government agencies, are idiots.Whether you look at the Framingham study, much of the work of ‘real’ doctors like Dean Ornish (who’ve not only been able to stop, but reverse heart disease through lifestyle changes which include low fat vegan diets) and countless others, plant-based diets have longitudinal data that shows they work.Thousands of nutritionists/dieticians and health professionals understand that healthy, natural carbs are our primary fuel source, yet somehow you’ve got magic knowledge that suggests more fat, more protein and fewer carbs is healthier. High protein diets are hard for our bodies to manage, fat is harder to access as fuel. That’s simple body chemistry. And, no I don’t need to go to school to understand that, as I’ve got solid reading skills. Paleo proponents, through how they cherry-pick and conduct themselves, are akin to climate change deniers, in everything from science/evidence denial, to finding random and uncommon conditions for which standard dietary evidence doesn’t apply, then claim that’s why the approach is completely invalid.Until you actually indicate what your credentials are and link to some kind of resource on the web as proof, you’re just coming off as a crackpot with a chip on your shoulder.“Yet somehow you’ve got magic knowledge that suggests more fat, more protein and fewer carbs is healthier” I Never said any such thing. So this is a straw man argument because you have determined with no justification that I have Paleo leanings. I did say that for some people having a lower carb diet can be useful and I stand by that statement. And I will add now that diabetes and/or obesity are two good examples. In other ways, most people could use more carbs in the form of veggies rather than grains, especially processed grains. But most people can and do eat a balanced diet which includes grains with no problem. I do believe that Beans are great as they are very slow absorbing and most people could stand to eat more of them. The Paleo people would obviously not agree with me, however. If I did have paleo leanings it would be my concern, but since I lean neither towards paleo nor vegan, passive aggressive allegations that imply that to have Paleo is irrelevant. and ridiculous. It is like calling someone a women to insult them. It is what it is, The paleo people throw out the accuasations about vegans that come to there sites and it serves no purpose in my view. I do have credentials (both from the UK and the US) but feel no need to justify myself here, nor post them on the internet where they can be stolen or altered.On paleo blogs to be called a vegan is an insult. And of course on vegan blogs to be called a paleo follower is an insult. What nonsense. I think both sides do themselves an injustice by playing this sort of game and failing to look at nutrition as a whole or nutritional biochemistry as the science that it is.I do also see a lot of bloggers on both sides of the isle making statements that have no basic in nutritional biochemisty. And I defended one blogger with a Master’s degree on that issue. If we could not get energy from fats by turning them into ketones or turn proteins into glucose by gluconeogenesis we would be in pretty bad trouble. Our bodies have several pathways for getting the energy that we need. Eskimos lived for long periods on a high fat, high protein diet and adapted, but there is a study some place on the internet in a clinical nutrition journal that talks about how they probably were able to do that because of the high level of potassium and minerals in water supplies near by. The Citric acid cycle pathway does need a small amount of glucose to prime the pump so to speak but that would be a biochemical discussion for another time.And I am not in agreement with some paleo proponents that ancient man lived solely on low glycemic leafy veggies and meats he could hunt or eggs he could gather. There is some evidence that ancient man knew very well how to dig up roots and tubers.And, a diet without plenty of fruits and veggies (Veggies in my book more than fruits as they were always seasonal before modern times.) is deficient in so many nutrients that I do not think good health can be obtained without them.What bothers me about most posts on both the paleo and vegan blogs is an unwillingness to look at nutrition as whole and unwillingness to look at anything the other side has to say because the posters appear to so wedded to their believe systems that they are blinded to any other views. There are plenty of studies on both sides of the isle.Sad. Sad for them, Sad for Dr, Gregor, and Sad for the paleo proponents as well.Masterjohn is not really paleo. He’s been a Weston Price apologist since 2005 or before. His PhD is a RECENT acquisition, for which he was motivated by WAPF to obtain for the purpose of lending some legitimacy to his advocacy of their organization and dietary tenets.That hardly makes him the most reliable of sources.Agreed, the paleoechochamber is hardly anything you want to bother with.Hey Toxins, Lawrence posted a link to a Klaper presentation below, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tJyb1wTxg4#t=133, explaining his theory as to why longtime meat eaters taking in exogenous choline for several decades from childhood have permanently downregulated endogenous choline genes/enzymes and that is why they have a hard time quitting meat – quite simply it is a very physical addiction, hard to break like heroin.The Economist has fallen as well. https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist/posts/10152978299379060Aren’t healthy saturated fats (ex. coconut milk) ok if you’re on a low carb diet (20% of your foods are from carbs) since cholesterol isn’t oxidized on a low carb diet?Sorry, but why would you target only 20% carbs? While paleo and vegan folk will argue percentages endlessly, this is pretty low for most kinds of energy needs. A healthy lifestyle includes moving your body and healthy carbs are the best fuel for that, due to conversion to energy. Your body has a much harder time converting fat into energy.Agreed, James. Having said that however, some people might indeed have to go on a relatively low carbohydrate diet for a while to rebalance. Insulin resistance due to obesity comes to mind here.Yes, but we have to speak in generalities when we’re discussing here. There are always edge cases that require special treatment. Vegan can’t work for everyone, but based on current research, well-planned vegan diets will provide very solid nutrition and much less chronic disease than either the SAD or what is currently called paleo to make it more palatable.Hi phil, coconut milk and oil actually raise cholesterol levels. In addition, about a third of the saturated fat is long chain. Cholesterol oxidation is not necessary for heart disease to occur.LDL does not have to be oxidized to enter the endothelium and become foam cells, the beginning stages of heart disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2877120/Nonoxidized LDL’s typically precede accumulation in aortic lesions, thus LDL does not have to be oxidized. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1850639/In human models,LDL is higher on a saturated fat rich diet, saturated fat increases insulin production, the accumulation of liver fat was also present on a saturated fat diet. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/95/5/1003.longPlease see here for morehttp://nutritionfacts.org/?s=coconuthttp://plantpositive.com/ , watch even parts and you will never go low carb again ^^ ( I liked his Taubes series much better that his bro science series Toxins, well till part 8 at least ^^)His taubes series is really good, as well as the “drivers of the heard” and the cholesterol confusion series.Dr. Greger at NutritionFacts.org shows that a vegan diet is “maybe too effective” at treating heart disease, obesity, and most numbers (“biometrics”) of internal medicine, inside and out. A diet without animals can even reverse cancer and has immediate and lasting effect on heart disease. This site both recommends no saturated fat from animals and recommends limited plant saturated fats and less cholesterol just from animals and more fiber just from plants. Walnuts, which are almost entirely fat and have saturated fat, are so heart healthy not eating them is a risk factor for heart disease. Eating Cocoa several times a week can reduce your risk of heart disease by half, although Dr. Greger doesn’t like the industry funding of dark chocolate research. Dark Chocolate is also high in saturated fat. This site, and many people who post here, do not recommend olive oil or coconut oil (one of the most purchased grocery items on Amazon.com) because they add calories without nutrition or have dangerous amounts of saturated fat. Pistachios, almonds, walnuts were very hearth healthy. Meat is very heart unhealthy, and cholesterol from diary and meat should be eliminated or drastically limited according to this site and Kaiser Permanante. On the nutrition label, less than 20 grams of saturated fat a day are recommended. Perhaps we should get half that from nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate. Diary has been linked to prostate cancer. If that’s true, there doesn’t seem to be any safe animal product. Eating less plant fat, while maximizing health benefits of plant fats like nuts, maybe is healthier than eating a high fat plant diet, based on the fact that posters here do not find coconut oil and olive oil. Less meat and diary has been linked to lower amounts of disease and can treat disease at any point in life, and beans, nuts, cocoa, green or matcha tea, berries, whole grain, fresh fruits, veggies, the best spices, mushrooms, nori, flax seed meal, less of more plant based meals all year, could add life to your years and value to your life.First, let me say that I have a Master’s in Nutrition and am a licensed nutritionist. I am also no stranger to the sway food/chemical/pharmaceutical industry conglomerates impact our lives via what they pay the goverment and what we see at grocery stores and in advertising. That being said, of course the dairy industry wants to drive sales, all businesses want to drive sales. I may be digressing here, however, unlike this video, there is a lot of evidence supporting a high-fat, low-carbohyrate (grain) diet, namely a ketogenic diet or high fat, paleo-type diet for improving overall health (50-80% of calories from fat). Low fat diets tend to be to high in grains, gluten and added sugar which is fueling our chronic disease epidemic. This year, as a country, Sweden openly rejected low fat diets: http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/sweden-becomes-first-western-nation-to-reject-low-fat-diet-dogma-in-favor-of-low-carb-high-fat-nutrition/This eating style helps the body tap into it’s fat stores for energy (ketosis) and not rely on sugar (glucose) for energy. Benefits include better satiety, better blood biomarkers and ketones are a preferred source of energy for the brain (see Dr. Perlmutter’s website, author of Grain Brain or Dr. William Davis’ website, author of Wheat Belly). I am not saying that fat should solely come from animal products as they are acidifying, but rather from a variety of 100% grass-fed, full fat dairy (because grass-fed is higher in omega 3 fats vs conventioally raised animals), avocados, olives, a variety of nuts, coconut milk/oil, MCT oil, chia seeds, flax oil, 100% pastured eggs, etc. This also encompasses a diet high in fruits and vegetables, at least 30% raw, little to no grains, high-quality meat products (again, pasture raised) and plenty of water. Anecdotally I have witnessed my own HDL increase to 65, LDL stay the same, triglycerides plummet to less than 50, inflammatory markers decrease and fasting glucose stabalize at 82. This also reflects what is demonstrated in studies: Long-term effects of a ketogenic diet in obese patients: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716748/ Low-Carbohydrate Diets: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/low-carbohydrate-diets/Meta-analysis’ are also disproving the AMA’s (American Heart Association) guidelines. From March 2014 in the Annal of Internal Medicine: Association of Dietary, Circulating, and Supplement Fatty Acids with Coronary Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: http://annals.org/mobile/article.aspx?articleid=1846638 reviewed 49 observational studies and 27 randomized controlled trials concluded “Current evidence does not Cleary support cardiovascular guidelines that encourage high consumption of poly-unsaturated fats and low consumption of total saturated fats.”I hope this is food for thought.You said:“This eating style helps the body tap into it’s fat stores for energy (ketosis) and not rely on sugar (glucose) for energy. ”No, it doesn’t “help” the body — You are starving it of its natural fuel, to be in permanent ketosis is by no means what nature intended.And is strongly linked to many autodegenerative diseases.See this one just to begin:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/I really like your comment here. Did you know that Dr. Adkins was fat? Did you know that he died of heart disease? You have shown that people can live without cholesterol. Are vegetarians real? Could it mean you eat one meal a day without meat? Do you think veganism is extreme? Are you proud of your diet? Would you share some of your fasting asceticism with everybody by saying you can say you are a vegitarian if you go without meat one meal a week to start? I was hoping if you are so self-denying you share your humble with the rest of us by giving us a place to start. Just they say to exercise five minutes a day at a moderate pace would be better than one half an hour a day because not a lot of people can do that. If you would share you kind indulgences by saying going with less meat would be better of us more of us would be like you. When the threshold is too high people will just eat pork! Everybody wants to be like you. So cool.@Matthew, frankly I would think that you were very sarcastic there, if wasn’t because I see your other comments on this site.First, despite that the Atkins foundation tries their best to hide it, it is well know how Dr Atkins died, so yes I knew it.Second of course vegetarians are real. :)India is largely a vegetarian country, and East Asian countries have large segments of vegetarians, pretty usual among Buddhist and Jainist, even if is just a cultural legacy, as happens in India. And they were vegetarians for thousand of years, isn’t a new thing.We as a species are naturally herbivores, as all primates — there is nothing extraordinary in eating as you were designed to.I don’t get from where you get any fasting asceticism on my part? Since you are interested, I am vegan. Nothing of meat any day of the week or anything like that, nor any other animal products.I never liked meat tho, none in my father side of the family do. So I have the advantage that before being vegan I was a natural, ovolacto vegetarian. Mostly lacto vegetarian, I didn’t eat a lot of eggs, neither I liked fish… Because all this for me is pretty easy being vegan. Yet, I would do it anyway because of health reasons (if you check the data as you are doing here, there is only one reasonable way to go) And also, I would keep from contributing to nightmarish industries. I don’t think we have the right to do what is being done to billions and billions of animals. We kill them, but what goes around comes around, people are paying the price for it.I didn’t mean to be sardonic, I really think vegans like you are cool. Frankly, some of your prestige drives people away, or rather we are surprised at your stoicism. Thank you for telling me there are vegetarian cultures, like in India. They must be a culture of cool people. They must also be very healthy! Would you welcome people to eat less meat like you, for partial health benefits or do you not proselytize? I find you inspiring. I frequently find myself questioning how a doctor would actually recommend the diet. Dr. Ornish had such great success, but most doctors are too floored by your integrity to believe they too eat mostly plants.You don’t need a lot of stoicism to change your diet, try substitutes first. Instead of dairy, try the many varieties of plant milk in the market, so with meat and other products. There are even vegan cheese and ice cream, a lot of varieties. Check labels tho, to make sure they don’t have coconut oil, but if you are between dairy ice cream, and cheese, vs vegan version that might include coconut oil… still this one would be the better option. (Just as last resource) Try versions without that kind of oil if you can.Take a look to this:http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/kickstart/kickstart-programs/Thank you so much for your recommendations and your links. I can quick start my life at any time with them and if ever anyone had heart disease these could be a go-to guide. I have heard that some people plan on converting to devotion on their death bed. This is an okay strategy, but what about sudden death? I am planning on converting to veganism if I have heart disease, but Dr. Greger said that half of heart diseases are sudden. What a similar situation! The less meat I eat the healthier my heart is. Thanks to your help, I have put a vegan plan in place for myself for heart health. Thank you for peace.This actually could be an extremely long response but I am replying from my phone so I don’t want to type an essay. I will argue that the body does need a small amount of glucose, but runs very well on ketones. There is also a varying degree of ketosis- ranging from mild to severe. A mild range would still incorporate 50-100 grams of carbs/day. Ancestorally, I will also argue that our predecessors were not baking of bread, drinking soda or making noodles. They also didn’t get 3 square meals a day (check out intermittent fasting). Just these things require the body to adjust to tap into the fat stores for energy. It’s very efficient. On a cellular level more mitochondria are created. This is indeed a form of ketosis. Fast forward today- we have obesity, diabetes which are sugar regulating disorders. These people have plenty of glucose and are parodoxilly starving. They have plenty of body fat but have trained their bodies (aka hormonal cascade) to rely on sugar so much that it can’t even access it’s own fat for energy. These people literally feel starving all of the time. Enter to ketogenic diet. It works wonders.Thank you Miranda for your post. All views need to be aired here. Today’s diets do indeed promote sugar regulating disorders. One can indeed be obese and malnourished at the same time. See it all the time.Our ancestors, as all primates were eating plant food, which is complex carbohydrates. That is the natural fuel for the body. If you starve it of its natural fuel, before dying would use anything, like trying to use fat in a very inefficient conversion. And you are in an unhealthy starving mode.Regarding diabetes, it is exactly the opposite of your tale. You can completely reverse type II diabetes with a WFPB diet. No insulin needed anymore. It heals it and prevent it. While animals products trigger it. The direct relationship between high meat, eggs and milk consumption and diabetes — the rich western diet. Every place since, as they adopt the same diet, gets diabetes, heart disease and cancer among other degenerative diseases, exactly as happened in the West before.Dr Greger:” Plant-based diets (especially whole foods) may successfully prevent, treat, and even reverse type 2 diabetes (see also here, here).Excluding meat, milk (see also here), and other animal products may reduce the risk of diabetes and gestational diabetes by boosting our hormone-binding proteins, helping to prevent obesity, and reducing exposure to arsenic, BPA, dioxins, nitrites, and PCBs.Eggs may be particularly risky – eating only one egg a week may almost double the odds of getting diabetes. Fish, especially salmon, is one of the primary sources of PCBs and other industrial toxins, which may play a role in the development of diabetes.Indian gooseberries (amla), coffee, soy, flaxseeds, green tea, pulses (dried beans), chamomile tea, purple potatoes, a href=”http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/”>broccoli sprouts, whole grains, vinegar, and beans may be protective. Beans may be especially beneficial when replacing meat or refined carbs, such as white rice. Cinnamon, depending on the variety, it may be either too toxic for consumption at high doses or ineffective at treating diabetes. Diabetes drugs, on the other hand, have been found to increase the risks of heart attack, heart failure, and death, and regular exercise and weight-loss may work just as well against diabetes. Erythritol is a nontoxic sugar substitute. By eating plant-based and living a healthy lifestyle, 90%-95% of type 2 diabetes is avoidable. If left untreated, diabetes can cause blindness. Untreated type 1 diabetes can even be fatal. Babies fed baby formula seemed to have a higher risk of obesity, type 1 and type 2 diabetesDr. Greger covers diabetes in his full-length presentations: • Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death • More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases • From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food ”For all the embedded links in the article, check http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/I agree with all of that. The Ketogenic diet encompasses lots of vegetables, some fruit, lots of non-animal fat choices as well as animal meat/fat. I listed the foods included in an earlier post.Except these things: Ketogenic diets have been shown in a number of studies to be more effective, faster and easier to follow than diets that are low glycemic and have 55% calories from food to treat diabetes http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1743-7075-5-36.pdfEggs are not dangerous and do not promote diabetes. And actually the body makes about 80% of our cholesterol so the diet only plays a small role in cholesterol levels. This site cherry picks data. Further, higher cholesterol levels are cardio protective for older women. Also there are different types of cholesterol with some being more atherogenic than others and lipoproteins that are worse than others EX LP(a) AND our ancient blood testing from PCPs doesn’t routinely test inflammatory markers which are directly correspond with cardiac events like CRP or homocysteine nor do PCPs routinely check insulin levels which happens to be a faster indicator of blood sugar dysregulayion. Oxidized proteins and cholesterol stick to arteries. Oxidation is largely from excess blood sugar (carbohydrates) floating around creating advanced glycated end products; caramelized blood. A1C actually measures this. Oh, here’s the egg articles from Harvard and webmd. http://www.m.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20141009/eggs-type-2-diabeteshttp://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/eggs/“And actually the body makes about 80% of our cholesterol so the diet only plays a small role in cholesterol levels.”Given the academic credentials and professionalism that you claim, this comment displays a profound lack of curiosity about the mainstream position to which you must respond. Dietary cholesterol is not proposed to be dangerous simply because it is absorbed and added to the serum concentration. That is a straw man. Dietary cholesterol is proposed to raise serum LDL in good part because it alters hepatic circulation of LDL, meaning that less serum LDL is cleared by the liver, meaning that endogenously produced cholesterol builds up in the blood:“Once LDL receptors become saturated, the removal rate of LDL is proportional to the number of receptors. Whenever the number of receptors is reduced, plasma LDL levels must rise. Experiments in animals indicate that the consumption of a high fat diet decreases the number of LDL receptors in the liver (123, 124). We believe that this mechanism operates through feedback suppression as described above. That is, when excess dietary cholesterol accumulates in the liver, the liver responds by decreasing the production of LDL receptors (Fig. 13C). The entry of dietary cholesterol into the liver is mediated by a receptor, termed the chylomicron remnant receptor, whose activity is genetically distinct from the LDL receptor (125). The chylomicron remnant receptor is unaffected by cholesterol accumulation (126), and it causes cholesterol to accumulate to high levels in the liver when the diet contains excess fat.The combination of saturation and suppression of hepatic LDL receptors contributes in a major way to the buildup of LDL in plasma when a diet rich in saturated fats and cholesterol is ingested. Insofar as such a diet also may increase production of LDL in the face of a fixed or declining removal capacity, the LDL level would rise even higher.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3513311Given that the work toward illuminating this kind of mechanistic pathway was awarded a Nobel Prize, I find your apparent ignorance of it quite baffling.There is also of course the empirical evidence that dietary cholesterol raises serum cholesterol, and a likely explanation why some schools of public health and NGOs don’t think it raises serum cholesterol very much is because they are looking at extant variation in a population that already has elevated cholesterol as a result of diet, and forgetting that there is a regime of diminishing marginal effect:http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.long“Eggs are not dangerous and do not promote diabetes.”If your statement to the effect that dietary cholesterol cannot effect serum cholesterol levels very much is based on a tacit admission that raised LDL is generally a bad thing, then the paper cited above also challenges your beliefs about the non-harmfulness of eggs. Egg yolk feeding was the source of dietary cholesterol in many of the controlled feeding studies used at the base of Hopkins’ meta-analysis.Great post! Thanks for your well thought out and evidence based contributions.Miranda: Sadly these posters cannot listen. And apparently with that mind set, they feel free to imply that since your thinking is not what they call mainstream with respect to cholesterol etc. that you may not have the credentials you claim to. (Where have I heard that before?!) If Dr. Gregor says it, it has to be true. If a non vegan or anyone else with a different view says it, it has to be false. Regardless of their knowledge or credentials.Thank you for your post. I think you need fiber to feel full. I think your body really counts fiber. Really fills you up. Maybe without fiber a person really is starving!“Meta-analysis’ [sic] are also disproving the AMA’s (American Heart Association) guidelines. From March 2014 in the Annal of Internal Medicine: Association of Dietary, Circulating, and Supplement Fatty Acids with Coronary Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: http://annals.org/mobile/artic… reviewed 49 observational studies and 27 randomized controlled trials concluded “Current evidence does not Cleary support cardiovascular guidelines that encourage high consumption of poly-unsaturated fats and low consumption of total saturated fats.”Plant Positive gave a brief response to this particular meta-analysis: http://plantpositive.com/blog/2014/3/23/recent-articles-by-drs-chowdhury-and-dinicolantonio.htmlhealthy-longevity, another blogger in a similar genre to Plant Positive, covered the study more extensively: http://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/2014/03/saturated-fat-heart-disease-meta-analysis.htmlHis language is a bit more tortuous and his work is a bit dryer, but his quantitative analysis is generally more sophisticated than that of PP.If only I had a nickel every time Toxins and Thea shoot down paleo-ish posts from “licensed nutritionists” (I’ve heard of Registered Dietitians or RDN’s, not aware of any ‘nutritionist’ license) and refer the readers to http://plantpositive.com/ . . . (see below) . . .Fear not, it is a real license issued by my state. http://mn.gov/health-licensing-boards/dietetics-and-nutrition/applicants/applicationnutritionist.jspMIranda, are you actually suggesting the flake-fest healthimpactnews.com you linked to (which is a cover for a nut-job religious fundamentalist) is a source that anyone should pay any attention to? Regardless of the license application form you linked to and whether you have any credentials or not, you’re not helping your case by citing the previous Sweden example. The guy who writes that ENTIRE site has a BA in Bible studies and an MA in linguistics. Puhleez. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but the study he cites is from another paleo-promo Swedish blog.Okay, I apologize for that. I was searching for the information to show that it was adopted in Sweden and typing this up at work, so my time was limited. I don’t always like healthimpactnews.com either. Here are some other sources to refer to instead about Sweden adopting the high fat diets:http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/low-carb-high-fat-diet.html http://journals.lww.com/nutritiontodayonline/Abstract/2014/05000/The_Swedish_Review,__Dietary_Treatment_of.7.aspx http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20140916/high-fat-dairy-diabetesBut the Scandinavian countries doesn’t have any stellar numbers in hearth disease and cancer. And also what’s new? Sweden eating few vegetables, grains and legumes..? It was always like that. Their statistics will keep as bad as they always were.The ideology recently changed about 6 months ago. It would make sense for a country to choose support what would be healthiest for it’s citizens, but it can’t force people to eat that way.I had thought that the Sweds have a very Western like diet and drink fruit juice as a health choice. The Western diet is taking over the world! Is this a good thing? Yes, more of the world is now obese than starving and more people live in suburbia than in rural areas. Many less people are hungry than before and people have more wealth. I think people on Western diets, offered healthy information, make healthier choices than people who are poor and not offered health choices. Giving people options I think is actually good for right now for life extension. In Dr. Greger’s cited example of vegetarians of Uganda, he showed that their diet of only vegetables and roots, the people didn’t have a single case of heart disease. However, as a country, they currently have a median life expectancy of only about 55 in Uganda. The doctor who described and used this diet lived to 93. Using the plant based diet as prevention could combine both life styles. I think fast-food mostly makes money selling french fries and salad and really only makes money selling ice cream. I would like to acknowledge my mom for her deep devotion to life, oh, that the Earth loves the wealth of plants. As the western diet spreads, there is going to be more heart disease and obesity related death. The plant based diet here can help. Just one bottle of fenugreek spice could help many Americans lose five pounds with a small amount of exercise.is saturated fat from plants anything to worry about? i eat a lot of nuts and seeds this time of year. I’ve never actually seen anything that specifically says all saturated fat is bad, just that of animal origin.Hi justin, Check out these videos from William Harris, M.D. long-time vegan doctor and co-founder of the Veg. Society of Hawaii. I think you will find ample discussion of whole-food plant fats that will help you make an informed decision about your diet choices. http://www.vegsource.com/harris/My%20Videos.htmDr. Greger: Can you review the research studies (many of which were done in Europe) cited by Dr. William Li MD who says that hard cheese particularly Gouda, Edam, Emmenthal and Jarlsburg prevents cancer and atherosclerosis.Contributor: William Li MDDr. William Li is President, Medical Director, and Co-founder of the Angiogenesis Foundation, and is a highly-sought international lecturer, advisor, and Fortune 500 consultant for his predictive insights into medical breakthroughs. –The following information is stated on his web site.“The Surprising Truth about Cancer, and an Arsenal of Weapons to Fight ItA Surprising WeaponBut this arsenal also contains surprising weapons. Here is one: Cheese.Eating certain types of hard cheeses, including Gouda, Edam, Emmenthal, and Jarlsburg, can lower your risk of developing cancer. Why? Because these cheeses contain a form of Vitamin K called Vitamin K2 (the scientific name is menaquinone) that is both antiangiogenic and also kills cancer cells directly. The studies indicate that eating as few as two slices of these hard cheeses a day can lower your overall risk for cancer, including lung cancer and prostate cancer. You can find these cheeses in your local grocery store.You might be wondering whether eating cheese frequently is such a good idea? Well, in this case, it turns out that vitamin K2 also protects the heart by preventing hardening of the arteries. Many of the medical studies I’ve cited were done in Europe where cheese is regularly eaten, even on a daily basis, including breakfast. Personally, I think the research is so compelling that we should all find ways to add vitamin K2 into our diets. If you are a cheese lover, Gouda and the other types I listed above are good choices. For people who are lactose intolerant or who just don’t like dairy, chicken is another good source of Vitamin K2. Not the whole chicken, but the dark meat like the thighs and drumsticks. There many tasty chicken recipes that let you substitute dark meat for white breast meat.” – See more at: http://www.eattobeat.org/frontlines/3/the-surprising-truth-about-cancer-and-an-arsenal-of-weapons-to-fight-it.html#sthash.nimh5Ikj.dpufThere are much better/healthier sources of non-animal, cruelty free, environmentally responsible vitamin K, e.g. kale, spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens, parsley, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, avocado and my fave, the culturally popular/unpopular natto! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10874601 Available frozen in most Asian grocery stores, throw the sauce packets away (never mind the ingredients listing the soy beans are always plain and those scary ingredients are only in the flavor packs) and use your own soy sauce, mustard, miso, ketchup etc.My takeaway from this video comes from the Harika paper. Bangladesh had the lowest fat intake (11.1%) of 40 countries. Judicious ‘modernization’ of their diet plan to improve micro-nutrient intake seems like a good target to shoot for to lower total fat intake while maintaining a well-planned WFPB diet. Here’s a look at what they eat in Bangladesh: http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ag126e/AG126E05.htmAs for the claims that some people cannot thrive on a WFPB diet, Dr. Michael Klaper, M.D. has some interesting thoughts on this topic that I (a layperson) find thought-provoking and probably correct: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tJyb1wTxg4The facts that someone has an interest doesn’t mean he is wrong… I prefer more scientific arguments.Latest from PCRM:Low-Carb Dieting Takes Another BlowPeople who consume more whole grains live longer, according to a new study from Harvard. Researchers analyzed the diets and mortality of more than 118,000 men and women from both the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and found that, after an average of 25 years follow-up, more whole-grain intake was associated with lower death rates and that every whole-grain serving was associated with a 5 percent lower risk for death in general and a 9 percent lower risk for death from heart disease. Whole grains, for this study, were defined as the whole grain (whole wheat, oats, brown rice, etc.) as well as its pulverized flour form (whole-wheat flour, oat flour, brown rice flour, etc.), which may be found in products such as breads and cereals. The benefits were independent of other lifestyle factors, including exercise and other dietary choices.These findings support other studies (see https://pcrm.org/health/medNews/low-carb-diets-increase-heart-disease-risk) that show avoiding healthful carbs and consuming more animal products increases the risk for dying.Wu H, Flint AJ, Qi Q, et al. Association between dietary whole grain intake and risk of mortality: two large prospective studies in us men and women. JAMA Intern Med. Published online January 5, 2015. http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2087877Margarine is a plant-based food, it contains plant oils. However, it has trans fats, it is a trans fat derived product. Is Margarine, with its trans-fats, healthier than butter with its cholesterol and saturated fat? Margarine may soon be banned by the FDA, or at least is now in a nebulous category as a food that uses trans fats that cannot be served in the restaurants. Perhaps you could use extra virgin olive oil as a spread or shortening, which is slightly recommended by Dr. Greger. It is not a matter of which is healthier for you, butter or margarine, but which is worse. The saturated fat in butter and its cholesterol raise LDL, the trans-fat in margarine very much hardens arteries. Maybe even peanut butter should be your spread. Maybe there is no healthy fat except for that which naturally occurs in some plant foods.Mathew: re: “Margarine is a plant-based food, it contains plant oils. However, it has trans fats…” This is true of traditional margarines. However, in the past few years, a couple companies have come out with plant based margarines that are free of trans fats. Two American brands are: Smart Balance and Earth Balance.As you noted, it is still not very healthy. However, if you are indulging in a special treat, like a favorite dessert for a birthday or something, and you need to use margarine, there is definitely the option of a a plant based margarine that does not have trans fats.Just a thought for you.Thank you! I like your comment. Do you think canola or rape seed oil is healthy? It is said the healthiest oils are olive, sunflower, and canola. Maybe non of them are healthy compared to what you can find in a sheet of Nori and flax seed meal. Patiently, olive oil is neutral or only slightly recommended here. This site recommends a very low fat and very low saturated fat diet with nuts and seeds as a treat. This is very much the opposite of many fad diets! (Low gluten high Adkins). I think this site would more recommend oatmeal, and whole grain rice than lean ham and a cut of steak.Oil despite its plant origin is not healthy. If one wanted to use a little oil for some reason canola sounds like a good mix of fats but its chemical extraction and processing makes it very unhealthy.Mathew: re: ” Do you think canola or rape seed oil is healthy?” I don’t think *any* oil is healthy. Period. In fact, I think oil is less healthy than sugar. But even though I don’t think sugar is all that healthy, I still eat it. (More than I should!) I look on oil the same way. It’s not healthy. But as a rare treat in the context of a very healthy diet (that normally doesn’t have any oil), it shouldn’t be a problem.To understand why no oils are healthy, I *highly* recommend the following talk by Jeff Novick: From Oil To Nuts. I’ve watched this talk multiple times and keep picking up new info. And I’ve shown it to many family and friends: http://www.amazon.com/Oil-Nuts-Essential-Facts-Oils/dp/B003UYAQIY/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420838132&sr=8-1&keywords=from+oil+to+nuts+jeffHere is a free excerpt from the talk where Jeff compares oil to sugar. If you like this bit, you will love the whole talk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbALgjmZUekAll that said, if I had to pick an oil to use in a recipe, I would pick say canola oil over olive. You will find out why in Jeff’s talk. :-)What do I say to ppl who recommend a high fat diet or paleo? Why is 80/10/10 best diet? Any evidence?Hi Derrek this website is full of videos that support a plant based diet. Under each video there is a sources cited area. All research will be the evidence you request.In the acknowledgement of the referenced article by Aranceta and Perez-Rodrigo we find the following statement: “The preparatory meetings for this series of reviews on fat and health were funded by Puleva Food. Neither Javier Aranceta nor Carmen Pe´rez-Rodrigo have conﬂicts of interest to disclosure” (the grammar mistake is theirs). The website of Puleva Food identifies a company producing a large variety of milk with various supplements. No conflict of interest???Off topic: I’m curious what your position is on fasting?I know you are not polling me, but Dr. Greger has a video on how a restricted calorie diet can add many years to your life. “Eat until you are eight tenths full,” is a common expression among some 100 year old cultures. You could also eat peanuts, whole grains, green tea, or spinach, for a similar benefit. I thinking fasting has many definitions. Some go without eating meat once a week or for 40 days in lent (Cathloics), or do not eat for two meals in a row (Mormons) some go without eating for 24 hours once a year (Jewish peoples) or more often, the most extreme people, the orthodox do not eat meat or milk most of the year on any Saint Days. Being mostly Vegan, these people should have many heart benefits. The people of India are mostly vegetarian but they do not consider themselves to always be fasting, Hindu people will never eat the cow, as it is Devine to them. Fasting is healthy. Christ said to not show off your fast, although the religions and the religious leaders sure should. Christ knew many people fasted, at least then. I think all the vegetarians and vegans here are to be complemented on their fast and thanked for allowing us to benefit from reading their writing as it adds to our lives. I am hoping to share in their diet for the health benefits, learning from such heart healthy people. I sure wish I had the will power to fast like that. http://lds.about.com/od/basicsgospelprinciples/f/fasting.htmI’m happy to get useful information from anyone, so thank you :) I was thinking of people who promote not eating any food for one or more days, e.g. once a week. I’m not interested in the “weight loss benefits” as I am already on a WFPB diet, so I’m lean by definition ;) So my question is should I consider fasting as a way of increasing my health?Off topic: The video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/ seems to cut off before it is finished.The only thing that worries me why so many vegans (especially raw ones) end up having health problems? it doesn’t make sense. For example, maybe you have heard of Victoria Boutenko (author of ’12 Steps to Raw Foods’ and other books) and her family. Not long ago she admitted to eating eggs and fish because of health problems after being vegan for 10 years..Maybe our optimal diet should be patterned after that of chimps (our closest DNA relative from mammals and primates) or something like that?I’ve recently watched a few documentories about their life. They are about 90% vegan. But they hunt other species (including other monkeys) and eat eggs and insects too though they have plenty of plant foods choices around. Doesn’t that mean that if animal foods were the root of all evil chimps and baboons would instinctively avoid it? The Mother Nature always proves to be wise so there must be an explanation to that.There is a big problem with a 100% raw food diet. The body needs nutrients that are not bio-available from raw food. Legumes and grains need to be well cooked. These are very important for good health. Perhaps someone will direct you to videos that explain the matter better.“The only thing that worries me why so many vegans (especially raw ones) end up having health problems?”One might speculate. For one, anecdotal evidence is not really that good and can give you a distorted picture of the world even when the cases are true. Many people will be keen to report on people who report that they abandoned a vegan diet for health reasons, regardless of whether those health reasons are solid and solidly connected with veganism. The story feeds other dietary ideologies.Raw foodism is highly restrictive, and as far as I know is not really based on sound science when rejecting cooking. It’s harder to implement healthfully and it is attractive to some people who perhaps are not so great at implementing it, or so attracted to restricted diets in itself that they do other weird things. Some few people may have food intolerances of the sort that they have problems when their grocery store becomes effectively limited to a few fruits. Veganism itself won’t work if you don’t have half a brain; you can’t get your B12 from a feeling of smug superiority or a dogmatic dietary ideology.“Doesn’t that mean that if animal foods were the root of all evil chimps and baboons would instinctively avoid it? The Mother Nature always proves to be wise so there must be an explanation to that.”This is dichotomous reasoning. Animal foods aren’t the root of all evil but there aren’t particularly good reasons to consume significant quantities of most animal foods. I don’t know why you think Mother Nature is always wise. Baboons will instinctively try to eat the Western diet of junk food when they get the chance, just as bears are known to seek out campers’ food once they have tasted it and know what its all about. Humans instinctively seek out a diet of junk foods too because they are calorie dense. It’s not good for us as modern people with an abundance of high-calorie nutrient-deficient junk, but it would have been good for fitness in an environment where the chief dietary barriers to reproduction were things like starvation before sexual maturity.Maybe it’s better to eat 5-10% energy from select animal foods such as insects or mussels, but there’s really not much systematic evidence in favor of this idea — and in some important ways, it’s much easier to work out a basic pattern for home cooking that has 0% animal food. AND, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which is often charged with bias in its curriculum due to food industry influence, has nonetheless stated clearly that well-planned vegan diets are not deficient for any stage of the life cycle: http://www.eatright.org/About/Content.aspx?id=8357Was there a link between the actual study mentioned at the beginning and the dairy industry?How would you respond to people who think organic, free range eggs and organic meat is healthy? Then they use a source like this: http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/ to try to debunk The China Study. And they don’t believe cholesterol causes heart disease. Here’s there source they use: http://chriskresser.com/cholesterol-doesnt-cause-heart-diseasePlease reconcile your work with Gary Taubes’ work. You guys should be forced into a room together until a consensus is reached for the sake of the public.Yvan: If you are dealing with someone who intellectually dishonest, it would not be possible to come to a consensus. If you are interested in a discussion that directly addresses Taubes’ “work”, I highly recommend taking a peak at Plant Positive’s work. All of his videos really address Taubes directly or indirectly. But here are 50 videos that mention him by name: http://plantpositive.com/display/Search?moduleId=19496100&searchQuery=gary+taubesThe Plant Positive videos are not only interesting, but entertaining.Given that many self-described vegans try to be careful to not become Omega 6/3 unbalanced, but that most nuts (Almonds, Peanuts,) and Avocados are very High in Omega 6s — How can vegans, especially their children growing up, be assured — they are getting enough FAT in their diets, and converting ALA to EPA & DHA — Without maxing out on Omega 6s (Inflammatories)? In other words, if we want to avoid avocados, peanuts, and nuts, to avoid very high Omega 6 imbalance to 3s, as most plant-based researchers now recommend — then where do plant-based children need to get their fat? How much fat do children need for DHA and brain growth and function? The corollary question is therefore: Does ALA convert at a much higher rate to EPA & DHA, once on a plant-based 1:1 Omega 6:3 balance diet? Some studies show yes, other studies point to – no? But who knows who’s eating ‘oil’ on these studies? Because, being vegan, doesn’t mean they don’t consume vegetable oils – which is the No. 1 offender for Omega 6:3 imbalance. What’s a plant-based parent to do, but worry about developing brains? Thank you!Thanks for reposting this question. I think even though some of those foods you mentioned have more omega-6’s they do not take into account the entire daily diet. For example, once beans, whole grains, and tons of fruits and veggies come into play the ratio of fats balance out a bit. Their are many conversion factors and I think to be safe taking a DHA/EPA supplement is best if that is a concern. Note that children are a different ball game. They certainly need that fat and energy to grow if they are following a vegan diet. The best place for info on kids is perhaps the Vegetarian Nutrition dietetic practice group and the Vegetarian Resource Group.You ask extremely important questions. i am going to make a Ask the Dietitian Q&A about this and post soon. In the meantime. See these links for more info. Vegetarian Resource Group.Some vegetable oils like canola and flax have a good ratio of essential fats. More to come…Thanks, JosephI understand that saturated fat from animals is bad. Is the saturated fat from organic cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil as bad as the saturated fat from animals? I’ve read that saturated fat has some beneficial effects.Hi pat thanks so much for reposting this question. Dr. Greger points out the differences in this video. From the transcript “Unlike saturated animal fats, coconut oil doesn’t cause that spike inflammation immediately after consumption of animal foods, which makes sense because as you’ll remember it may be the dead bacterial endotoxins in animal products ferried into the body by saturated fat that are to blame. ”I am not sure of the benefits from saturated fats. Feel free to post any studies here to support that claim and we can look and see why the researchers came to that conclusion. Here is more info on saturated fat, if interested. Thanks again for your post!JosephDr. Greger! There’s been a few articles floating around the uk at the moment in regards to this ‘study’ http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-09/d-ssc091214.php that suggests, ” in contrast to animal fats in general, fats specific to dairy products may have a role in prevention of type 2 diabetes.” ?!?! Would it be possible to have some light shed on this? Or maybe you could point me towards a video you have already done on this. Surely this study is misleading…. dairy preventing type 2 diabetes?!Hi t1planteater. Thanks for the review of the study would be to read it in full. I wonder if they looked at lipids, heart disease risk, or what kind of diet people in the intervention consumed? Just last week a study came out showing high amounts of dairy products increases risk of advanced prostate cancer. We have so many videos on dairy. Also, Dr. Forrester’s thoughts on diabetes. See if any of these help?You didn’t provide evidence that saturated fat is bad. And if that evidence is merely that it raises cholesterol, then please provide evidence that this is bad. It’s not enough to say “that’s how it’s always been and what most doctors believe.”	American College of Cardiology,American Heart Association,animal fat,animal products,butter,cake,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,Center for Science in the Public Interest,cheese,chicken,dairy,dietary guidelines,European Food Safety Authority,fat,heart disease,heart health,ice cream,industry influence,Institute of Medicine,junk food,meat,Mexico,milk,National Dairy Board,National Dairy Promotion Board,pie,processed foods,safety limits,saturated fat,trans fats	Dairy industry campaign to “neutralize the negative image of milkfat among regulators and health professionals as related to heart disease” seeks to undermine latest guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.	So how did they do it? Sorry for the cliffhanger, but then the next video, The Saturated Fat Studies: Set Up to Fail, would have gone from too long to way too long.For those unfamiliar with Trans Fat in Meat and Dairy (and refined vegetable oils), that’s why I made a video about it.The U.S. National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine “as low as possible” position, echoed by the European Food Safety Authority, is described in my video: Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero.What happened when a country tried to put the lower saturated fat guidance into practice? See the remarkable results in Dietary Guidelines: From Dairies to Berries.Don’t think the dietary guidelines process could be undermined by underhanded corporate tactics? Sad but true:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/institute-of-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mexico/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/center-for-science-in-the-public-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/european-food-safety-authority/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ice-cream/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-college-of-cardiology/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-promotion-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pie/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24192557,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24222015,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22591906,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0063835/,
PLAIN-2501	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/	Which Dietary Factors Affect Breast Cancer Most?	My favorite cancer-specific charity is the American Institute for Cancer Research, shown here lauding the China Study and the documentary Forks Over Knives, with which they share the same bottom-line message. The healthiest diets are those that revolve around whole plant foods. This increased awareness of the importance of plant-based eating is something all of them at AICR welcome.They then translate that advice into their Ten Recommendations for Cancer Prevention. Do we actually have evidence, though, that those that follow such advice are actually protected against cancer? We do now.Breast cancer risk was reduced by 60% in women who met at least five recommendations compared with those who met none. The most important dietary advice was be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight, eat mostly foods of plant origin, and limit alcoholic drinks.What about other cancers? Greater adherence to the AICR dietary guidelines was associated with significantly less breast, endometrial, colorectal, lung, kidney, stomach, oral, liver, and esophageal cancer. In other words, adherence to dietary recommendations for cancer prevention may lower the risk of developing most types of cancer. The drop in bladder cancer did not reach statistical significance, but a larger follow-up study following 469,000 people for 11 years, the largest to date, found that just a 3% increase in the consumption of animal protein calories was associated with a 15% higher risk of bladder cancer whereas just a 2% increase in plant protein was associated with a 23% lower risk.AICR recommendation #10 is that cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention. The same diet that can help prevent cancer in the first place and be used to help save your life after diagnosis.Adherence to the guidelines for cancer prevention was found to be associated with lower mortality among older female cancer survivors, or breast cancer and other cancers in general.A cancer diagnosis is considered a teachable moment to get people eating and living healthier. They revel at the growth in the number of cancer survivors in this country, now 10 million strong and growing. It’s great that those with cancer are living longer, but even better to prevent it in the first place so we can all live longer.Not only does adherence to the guidelines lower cancer risk, but extends our lifespan, because they’re also significantly associated with a lower hazard of dying from heart disease and respiratory disease, suggesting that following the recommendations could significantly increase longevity.Just like eating to prevent cancer helps to prevent heart disease, eating to protect your heart helps prevent cancer. I know it sounds self-evident, but adherence to a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of mortality. And the more healthy behaviors we have, the longer we get to live. That can mean not smoking, or walking every day, or eating green leafy vegetables almost daily.To help differentiate the effects of diet from other lifestyle behaviors like smoking and drinking on cancer incidence, Adventists was recently compared to Baptists. Both discourage alcohol and tobacco, but the Adventists go further, encouraging a reduction of meat. In general, the Adventists had lower cancer hazard rates than the Baptists, and within Adventist populations, the vegetarians did even better, and those eating the most plants did the best.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	Please, some of the great minds that I always see here can comment this study and declarations/conclusions? Based on my background knowledge I think this is so untrue, however I want to know your thoughts.http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/bad_luck_of_random_mutations_plays_predominant_role_in_cancer_study_showsHi Filipe – every other day there is a new or continuing topic re adopting a healthy lifestyle and the benefits thereof, including eating healthier to reduce your risk of cancer and CHD, among many others.It might help the “great minds” if you gave your reasons for disagreeing with these conclusions.Playing devils advocate, there was an article today on the BBC Health site stating that the majority of cancers are caused by plain old bad luck – the results were published in the journal, Science, and the results showed that two thirds of the cancer types analysed were caused just by chance mutations rather than lifestyle. It went on to say that some of the most common cancers are still heavily influenced by lifestyle.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30641833Did you see the link that I posted? Your article is based on mine.No I didn’t – thanks for pointing that out as there’s some additional info in your link. I thnk you have also proven conclusively that I’m not one of the “great minds”.What a coincidence that we were both referring to the same report………Happy New Year…How is it then that places like:GersonAn oasis of healingHippocrates health instituteAll heal mosts cancers with lifestyle changes/adaptations and mainstream don’t even want to look at their positive results. Why you ask? We’ll the reason I would say is the same as for that article. The people who earns money by creating/selling allopathic medicine earns more money when the public believes they’re victims with no power/control over their own ability to control chronic illness. In other words – if holistic medicine is correct then the allopathic thesis falls apart. The biggest industry on this planet can’t have that. Everybody should know the place called cancertutor.com – a great article is written here: http://www.cancertutor.com/conventional-medicine-vs-holistic-a-world-of-difference/I think that bad luck story was designed to stimulate even more chemo, radiation and surgery as the only means of dealing with cancer. It also carries a heavy dose of helplessness for the patient, when research shows that cancer patients who take responsibility for their own healing fare much better than those who simply hand their lives over to oncologists. And why are Americans experiencing so much bad luck with regards to cancer? Many countries in the world have lower to much lower cancer rates than we do. And we didn’t always have those rates of cancer, either. It has become a growing epidemic in America. Calling it bad luck is actually bad science.I have just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Have been a vegetarian for 50 years and vegan for 5 years. Never smoked, hardly ever drank alcohol. No history of breast cancer in the family. I am puzzled so thought perhaps it is luck.Hey Janet,Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It’s unfortunate that some women develop breast cancer even after living a healthy lifestyle for many years. Because of this fact, I was compelled to write the following article:Susan Voisin , in addition to being dismayed, was also shocked to hear her physician tell her that she had breast cancer. You see, Susan is the creator and administrator of the “Fat Free Vegan” web site and she has followed a low fat vegan diet for 20 years. A breast cancer diagnosis would be traumatic for any woman, but it must cause a special psychological torment for health conscious women who promote low fat, whole food plant based diets (WFPB).Whenever I discuss the health promoting powers of WFPB diets, I always try to mention that there are no guarantees in life, but that a WFPB diet along with reasonable exercise and avoidance of bad habits give us the best chance to avoid chronic diseases. I am aware of other women who have followed WFPB diets who also have been diagnosed with breast cancer so Susan’s story does not shock me by any means. There are always going to be outliers. However we must never make the mistake of identifying an exception as the rule.We must remember that there are many examples of cigarette smokers that never develop lung cancer and there are many examples of lung cancer victims who never smoked a cigarette, cigar, or a joint. Avoiding smoking will not guarantee that you will not develop lung cancer. But avoiding smoking will cut your risk of developing lung and other cancers in addition to reducing your risk of developing our # 1 killer – Coronary Artery Disease (Heart Disease).Dominating your diet with fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes will not make you impervious to developing chronic diseases, but it will provide protection against them.Women like Susan may have such a strong genetic predisposition for breast cancer, that its development may be inevitable. It’s likely that a healthy, plant-based lifestyle delays its development. In her wonderfully written article, Susan explains how she went through periods where she blamed herself. Were there certain cancer protecting foods that her diet lacked? Did she not exercise enough? Did her failure to reach her goal weight increase her risk? Eventually she realized that it’s never a good idea to blame any woman for developing breast cancer, regardless of her lifestyle habits. Once diagnosed, the focus should be on working with healthcare professionals to make the best treatment choices.After receiving her diagnosis, Susan did not question her WFPB diet. In fact she believes it helped her withstand her chemo treatments as she suffered only minimal side effects.Robin Quivers, from the Howard Stern show, came to the same conclusion about how her WFPB diet allowed her to suffer very few effects from the powerful chemo treatments that she received for her endometrial cancer. She said that her Doctors were shocked!I wish I could tell people that a healthy lifestyle could provide full protection against the scourge of cancer. If I did, I’d be lying. However in the “2012 Cancer Facts and Figure Report “ the American Cancer Society stated that “scientific evidence suggests that about one-third of the 577,190 cancer deaths expected to occur in 2012 will be related to overweight or obesity, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition and thus could be prevented”. That’s over 192,000 people who didn’t have to hear the terrifying words “you have cancer”.Cancer is such a complex and mysterious disease that comes in many forms. We still have a lot to learn. However, we do know that a WFPB diet can help save lives and reduce human misery. The evidence is very clear about this. We should all do what we can to prevent this insidious monster from wrecking havoc.I wish you the best in your battle.Link to Susan;s article – http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2014/10/my-unexpected-diagnosis.htmlLink to 2012 Cancer Facts and Figure Report – http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@epidemiologysurveilance/documents/document/acspc-031941.pdfThank you Dominic that is very helpful. I will certainly be continuing my vegan lifestyle.Dominic: I just wanted to say how impressed I am with your reply. It is so helpful and full of good information. Thanks for your post.Hi, Janet. What a puzzling question indeed, and my goodness how frustrating when we seem to do everything right and still develop cancer! The American Institute for Cancer Research responded to this study about “bad luck” in a nice blog post (1). I’ll attach a link at the bottom if you are interested. I agree with everything Dominic said in her post about blame. One book I find incredibly helpful is The Cancer Survivors Guide by Neal Barnard MD (2).Here are a few lines from his book pertaining to your comment:[If foods can affect cancer risk, they ask, does that mean I am somehow to blame for my illness? Did the foods I ate as a child cause this problem? Is our culture causing these problems?It is natural that concerns like these will cross our minds. However, let us encourage you to set blame aside. The fact is, some people do their very best to follow health-promoting lifestyles and still develop cancer. And you may have known people who smoke, drink heavily, and eat with abandon and yet manage to live to a ripe old age. Unfortunately, it is easy to get cancer, and we cannot predict with certainty who will be affected by it and who will not. So let’s focus not on blame but on what foods can do for you. As Jack Nicklaus said, “You can spend all day trying to fig- ure out why you hit your ball into the woods—or you can just go in and get it out.”1) http://blog.aicr.org/2015/01/06/no-cancer-isnt-just-bad-luck/2) https://pcrm.org/pdfs/health/cancer/Cancer_Survivors_Guide.pdfBest wishes,JosephThank you Joseph I have had a quick look at the attachments and will read them. I am currently reading a book by Janette Murray-Wakelin, “Raw can Cure Cancer” which is very interesting.Thanks for sharing, Janet. Warm positive thoughts during this time. I don’t think anything is “set in stone”. We can take many precautions and still end up with a scary diagnosis and it is totally frustrating and puzzling! I can empathize as I’ve worked with women with breast cancer. In our comprehensive study at MD Anderson we helped women understand the importance of “mindfulness.” Whatever that word meant to them. To me, it means simply being mindful of our situations, our day-to-day lives, what we eat, how we move our bodies, what kind of social support is around us, how we deal with anger and stress, etc., all factor into survivorship. So much to consider forgive me for saying too much. Just let me know if you’d like more information about survivorship I think there are some wonderful groups that can help.Warm wishes, JosephThank you Joseph. I would be grateful for any more information about survivorship.Cheers, Janet.Certainly! I worked hard to publish this review on diet and cancer. There is nothing ground breaking here, but something that may be of value? Applying the precautionary principle to nutrition and cancer.It’s best to discuss diet with your health care team. I always suggest a personal consult with a registered dietitian, especially one who is certified in oncology, known as a CSO (certified specialty in oncology) credential. I can help you find one if interested, or visit the oncology dietitians group, here.The American Institute for Cancer Research has some good literature. I suggest utilizing their website, especially their page “foods that fight cancer”.There are over 140 videos and blogs on cancer and survival by Dr. Greger. See what stands out.Another great book I can suggest is Dr. Barnard and Jen Reily’s “Cancer Survivor’s Guide.” Don’t feel like you need to buy it unless it speaks to you. The entire purpose of our website is to be helpful and let folks decide what’s best for them. I am sure Dr. Barnard feels the same way as he offers a free PDF to his book and lots of other information, as well.Lastly, a few links I posted on my blog page about the work I performed at MD Anderson Cancer Center. I worked closely with stage 3 breast cancer survivors in a comprehensive lifestyle study.​Phew! ​Forgive me I am not trying to ​overwhelm. I’ll ​stop here. I hope to continue this discussion in the future. I think it helps others who may be in a similar boat? At least that is my intention. Don’t hesitate to ask more questions or post comments.Best regards, JosephThanks for this Joseph. I am working with an oncology dietician at the local hospital. She wants me to eat high fat foods and more biscuits and chocolate as I am underweight. I have currently lost my appetite I think due to the radiation treatment which has just finished. I will be looking up some of the reading you recommend. Thanks again. Cheers, Janet.That is great! Continue to work with her. I encourage transparency and would never want to go against her advice. Putting on weight is important if underweight, but I may suggest healthful higher-fat foods (or simply eating more calories) and not just flooding the body with tons of saturated fats and cholesterol.Great points! Have you seen this blog post by AICR and their response to the “bad luck” study? I feel it explains the errors in that study very well.I think the study is saying something very true and very important… Cancer is caused by random mutations, and is a matter of bad luck in individual cases. However, there are tons of things present in the standard american diet (Meat, Eggs, Dairy) that have high levels of hormones, pesticide accumulation, fecal contamination, etc that cause a dramatic rise in the number of these bad mutations (the luck part is if they happen to be one that leads to cancer). Conversely, Plant based diets rich in fruits and vegetables not only don’t promote these mutations in the first place, but they actively assist and aid your body in detecting and fixing them before they turn into cancers (if you are lucky, your body will catch and fix an extra mutation that would have lead to cancer).If getting cancer is like “winning a lottery”, where the prize is disease and possibly death and not $100 million, eating a standard american diet, is like buying a bunch of extra lottery tickets 3 times a day plus snacks, while a whole foods plant based diet (and exercise!) is basically like not buying tickets, and even tearing up and invalidating some of the tickets you already have, 3 times a day, plus snacks.The study seems to be promoting the idea that on the individual level of risk, your lifestyle is only ~34%, and bad luck ~66%. Since they don’t make mention of it, I imagine they studied a group of standard people eating normal diets… in which case The effect on cancer of “whole-foods plant-based vegans who get daily exercise” wouldn’t really be accounted for in their estimates.The real nail for me is that they excluded Breast cancer and Prostate cancer. That’s a huge omission when you are generalizing about all cancers. I am also fairly confident that they failed to account for the fact that your lifetime cell replication rate can be heavily influenced by growth hormones from food. I think they have produced a not very useful paper that pushes the idea that cancer is less under your individual control than it actually is. I think it is important to remember that cancer does have a substantial “bad luck” component, and it might still get you despite doing everything humanely possible to prevent it. However this study seems be overstating the bad luck effect, possibly simply due to a design philosophy that left out some important factors.TL;DR This study has some basic flaws and large omissions that make the results not very useful, It does nothing to contradict the prevailing theory that a whole-foods plant based diet will dramatically and beneficially impact your cancer risk.Exactly! I agree with you! So, in the end, we can say that this study doesn’t add anything to help the improvement of science and can even have detrimental effects for lay people that read this article. I feel upset that a prestigious jornal like Science publish articles with such large omissions and flaws.imho it is not flawed, it is simpy stating the obvious and thus superfluous.Cancer promotion (eating animal products) is more significant than random mutations. For example, cancer needs its own blood supply (promotion) in order to grow and become dangerous. In my opinion, the article is based on simplistic suppositions like from math class.Well put, my thoughts exactly. I would like to know the group assessed. I think this is a very harmful paper as it will be used by many to abdicate responsibility for their bodies.Check out http://www.Chrisbeatcancer.com for a refutation of that bad luck cancer report. It wasn’t even a study – but was based on the studies of others.The study, which found two-thirds of cancer initiation events to be beyond our control, strikes me as a reasonable figure. However, to become dangerous, cancer cells must also be promoted by growth factors, further mutations, and a pro-inflammatory/angiogenic environment, and our lifestyles can make a major impact on that promotions.Everyone who lives long enough gets cancer, in the sense that some stem cells will accumulate enough oncogene mutations to start outcompeting their untransformed neighbors for nutrients and space. Most Japanese elderly men who die of other causes have microscopic prostate tumors, and the incidence of thyroid cancers determined by autopsy approaches 100%. Most cancer initiations don’t result in fatal metastatic disease, however, because our tissues usually provide an inhospitable environment for uncontrolled growth. If those microscopic tumors grow slowly enough, due to lack of hormonal growth stimulation, culling by immune surveillance, or a less inflammatory environment that prevents them from securing a blood supply, then we may never know about them, due to dying of some other cause before the tumor is detectable.Well said!That is probably, the best, most concise and well explained truth of the whole picture as I have ever heard. It should be in the forward of every nutrition and cancer prevention book or guide.“The study, which found two-thirds of cancer initiation events to be beyond our control…”Not so. The authors say that “65% (39% to 81%; 95% CI) of the differences in cancer risk among different tissues can be explained by the total number of stem cell divisions in those tissues”, and even this seems on dodgy footing to me since they are quoting based on a linear correlation between logged data. The most salient point here is that this is variation in cancers between tissues for the ‘general’ population which has been investigated by research. The absolute numbers of cancer initiation events was not assessed in this association. To give you an example of the difference between these ideas, consider a world in which the rates of almost all cancers follow a linear relationship with the number of cell divisions, except for one cancer X which is the most prevalent by far but is many times more prevalent than the line predicts. The correlation is nearly perfect and almost all of the variation in rates of cancer by tissue is predicted by the variation in the number of stem cell divisions in the tissue. But we’d say that X is an outlier and that probably the rate of cancer X is mostly explained by other factors. But since the vast majority of all initiation events are for cancer X, the fast majority of cancer initiation events are not well explained by the number of cell divisions.Now, the point about correlations between logged variables is important. Just eyeballing Fig. 1, the idiosyncratic variation in the risk for the various tissues is about one order of magnitude — or maybe a little less, like 4 or so. This means that about a factor of 4 in the relative risk of each of these cancers is explained by other factors than “dumb luck”. If these are mostly environmental risk factors and they all can be consistently reduced by a particular kind of change in the environment, then it would not be unreasonable to suppose that you could reduce the risk of each cancer by around a factor of 4 or so, which is a lot more than a reduction of cancer by 33% through primary prevention.You could also have other modifiable risk factors which act on the number of cell divisions overall. Even if the number of cell divisions were the sole determinant of cancer initiation risk, if you could find a way to reduce the number of stem cell divisions per year without sacrificing health in other ways, you would lower the risk. Similarly, if we systematically raised the number of cell divisions, we’d raise cancer risk. For example, there are chronic risk factors for various cancers which cause actual injury to the relevant tissues, and the increased rate of regeneration may necessitate more stem cell divisions per year.Actually not much new information in the study besides BIG HEADLINES (telling people that they can live and eat exactly as they want – and thats what people want to hear – but it is untrue). It shows what we have known for many years. Namely, that we do not know the cause of approximately two-thirds of cancer forms. That’s why scientists are doing research. I dont think that their research can deny that it is possible to find the causes.It’s amazing how you putted every word in the right placeThe study was pretty much debunked herehttp://ameyer.me/science/2015/01/02/vogel.htmlusing some of the same arguments as largelytrue.Neat. I’m glad I’m not the only one who was appalled by the level of statistical analysis in this paper, which relied very heavily on statistical analysis in order to make its central claims. Given the broad importance of statistical understanding in the sciences, we can’t really attribute this weak publication to Science’s multidisciplinary nature. A top-tier journal should have a peer review system which prevents such weak statistical studies from getting through very often.Still, that day-of blog post is really just the tip of the iceberg. It does not pinpoint all the major problems in the paper’s statistical analysis and interpretation, nor does my comment below.Just to put it in perspective. T. Colin Campbell showed that rats given aflatoxin and fed 20% casein were dead or near death from liver tumors at 100 weeks, but rats given aflatoxin and fed 5% protein were alive and active at 100 weeks. This is 100 to 0 score! As good as it gets! This highly suggests that diet plays a major role in tumor formation. Did it hit the headlines? No. Why? People dont want to hear this.Agreed! Very misleading. Have you seen this blog post by AICR and their response to the “bad luck” study? I feel it explains the errors in that study very well.I’ve requested clarification from AICR on how they measure one recommendation that is perhaps the most demanding (minimal weight without being underweight). The institute confirmed they measure this guideline using Body Mass Index. If we eliminate bodybuilders and other special minorities, that means that the great mass of humanity is being advised to reduce there weight to just above BMI 18.5 which is considered under weight. This means a lot of us have a lot of weight to lose to minimize our cancer risk. Do you interpret this recommendation the same way?My wife was underweight all her life. She was underweight while she was pregnant (twice) . She was not a vegan constantly, but would eat animal products -mostly fish – an year or two and then would be a vegan an year or two. She never drank, smoked, or did drugs. Well, she died of breast cancer in her early forties ten years ago.Jim, my condolences. I’m a 48-year-old healthy vegan who drinks high nutrient green smoothies every day. Oh, and who was recently diagnosed with breast Cancer. I start chemo next week. It’s frustrating to be the “healthy minority” with cancer.Valerie: I’m so sorry to hear this. It so sucks to do everything right and find out that it wasn’t as protective as it should have been. I’m hoping that your healthy lifestyle helps you beat the cancer and thrive afterwards.————– You may already know that this site has a *ton* of videos on cancer. Some of those videos won’t be applicable to you because they are about prevention. But some of them might help assist with your traditional treatments (chemo, etc) by focusing on foods that have been shown to be particularly helpful in fighting cancer. So, maybe this site could help you tweak your diet for quicker and longer lasting recovery. Just an idea. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that thigns go well for you.I hope you win the fight Valerie. May I ask how long you have been eating a WFPB diet?I would like to know is there anyone who came across a RAW vegan person getting the same kind of a problem?Even if there isn’t a RAW vegan who has “this kind of problem”, that doesn’t make it a fail-safe prevention method – maybe it reduces the odds, maybe not. We can do studies to help reduce cancer rates in the future, but unfortunately, we can’t change the past.Sorry to hear this Valerie. My father in law is having chemo at the moment for bowel cancer and is doing well. I do hope it’s succesful for you. Stay positive and keep doing the right things.I also have cancer – brain cancer. I’ve been vegetarian for 20+ years, never smoked, drank, or took drugs, eaten mainly plant based for many years, so I can relate to your situation. It just isn’t fair. ;)I am so sorry to hear you have cancer. Would you examine this link? http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=23446#.VKhhwCvF_tk “More importantly, rosehip extracts may serve as an alternative or compliment to current chemotherapeutic regimens for glioblastomas.” Rosehips were effective at treating one kind of brain cancer. You can buy some rosehips tea here: http://www.swansonvitamins.com/alvita-tea-organic-rose-hips-tea-24-bag-s?SourceCode=INTL405&CAWELAID=530002460000050798&catargetid=530002460000094564&cadevice=c&mkwid=ogXiDZ6U&pcrid=67697603287&gclid=CjwKEAiAw56lBRCs29jB9uOvkygSJADnD3-6uUoHE8bxVg7DlNxU40ZsFYSL-HbwlJRk5xB54Kw-1xoC_4jw_wcB This site does not recommend anything specific for brain cancer, but the basics recommended for illness are a vegan diet with beans, nuts, cocoa green tea, whole grains, berries, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Particularly powerful for cancer were white button mushrooms, two sheets of seaweed, amla, strawberries (cancers of the throat), flax seed meal, and tumeric with pepper. The class toppers according to this site, at least in vitro, were apples, cranberries, lemons, tumeric with pepper, cloves, ginger, rosemary, hibiscus tea, white tea with lemon, matcha, green tea, dandelion tea, chamomile tea, beets, garlic, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, spinach, kale, collards, broccoli, pecans, walnuts, and peanuts. I hope to live as cleanly as you did. The story “Death Be Not Proud” by John Gunter is about a child with brain cancer. This story is inspirational to us all, as is yours. You have much better chances with your illness because of your choices, according to science.Thanks very much for that, I am consuming quite a few of those already, but I’ll check out the rest soon :)Thank you! Congratulations to your health consciousness. I wish you the best of luck. In this video, Dr. Greger said that of vegans with slow growing prostate cancer treated by Dr. Ornish, not one needed surgery. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/ This video shows that women who exercise and eat fruits and vegetables increase their survival rate by 4 times. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/ “there’s a new experimental treatment that can cut your chances of dying in the next few years from like 16% down to just 4%” This is just true of breast cancer, however. If you beat cancer, and if you eat broccoli, you chance of getting cancer again is diminished by half in breast cancer patients. “For women on tamoxifen, for example, if one of their 5 daily servings of fruits and veggies was broccoli or cauliflower/collards/cabbage or kale, the risk of cancer recurrence may be cut in half.According to this video, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/ Beets and Garlic are in particular the healthiest vegetables for anti-brain cancer activity. Thank you and good luck.This looks very promising, so thank you VERY much :)My cancer is an anaplastic astrocytoma (grade 3), which in my limited understanding is “related” to glioblastomas. (?)I have taken a few rounds of temozolomide (=temodar), which is the drug that the study compared rosehips with (and rosehips won hands down!)I’d like to try it, but since this was an in-vitro study, I’m not sure how much I would need to take to get those sorts of levels in my blood stream. Also, would rosehips in my blood stream reach the cancer cells, or would they be blocked by the blood-brain barrier?Another concern for me is that both the drug and the rosehips only slow down the growth of the tumour; they don’t induce apoptosis. Do any plant-based foods enhance apoptosis in brain cancers (specifically anaplastic astrocytomas)? I have started taking black pepper and marjorum capsules that I make myself.Out of the foods that you list, I had already started taking (or was intending to take shortly) most of them, except: cranberries, white tea, chamomile tea, dandelion tea, collards and peanuts. Some of the others are recent regular additions to my diet. I will do some more “research” and will probably start taking them regularly too ;)Thank you again very much!Bruce.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BTGye7kA6rM Absolutely worth a look! It’s incredible that there are cures out there with herbs, but big pharma really tries to get rid of it.Dr. Greger shows that medicine can go hand in hand with good nutrition, and offers hope to people who are sick.The following foods are believed to induce cancer cell death, at least in vitro: turmeric with pepper Turmeric Curcumin Reprogramming Cancer Cell Death http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/ “the anticancer effects of curcumin mainly result from the multitude of ways it regulates programmed cell death.”Cancer Reversal Through Diet? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/ “Eating a plant based diet made their bloodstream eight times less hospitable to cancer.”Which nut fights cancer better http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/ “which may explain some of the mechanisms by which nut components induce cancer cell death” Pecans and walnuts were particularly powerful.flax seed meal Flaxseeds for Prostate Cancer http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/ “…put them on a relatively low fat diet with three tablespoons a day of ground flax…they found significantly lower cancer proliferation rates and significantly higher rates of cancer cell death.”Boosting Natural Killer Cell Activity http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/ blueberry: “The effect of blueberry ingestion on natural killer cell counts. Natural killer cells are part of our immune system’s rapid response team against cancer cells, taking them out through the activation of cancer cell suicide via death receptors.”Amla Amla Versus Cancer Cell Growth http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/“As you drip more amla on, the cancer cell growth rates cut in half and then stopped completely, and then amla starts killing the cancer off—the growth goes negative. By the end more than half the cancer cells dead.”Vegan diethttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/“The blood of people on a vegan diet, though, knocked the cancer growth down 70%.” I believe Dr. Greger said the extra veggies kill cancer too.Anti-Angiogenesis: Cutting Off Tumor Supply Lines http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/“Here’s the effect of fisitin, [shows death of cancer veins] a phytonutrient found in strawberries and other fruits and veggies. It just shrinks the beginnings of new blood vessel formation right down.”Amla, nuts like pecans and walnuts, blueberries, the vegan diet, tumeric with pepper, can induce cancer cell death. An ingredient in strawberries call kill unwanted new cancer veins, at least in human umbilical cords. Beets and Garlic were recommended for killing brain cancer cells. Good luck!Hi MatthewI am taking nearly everything on your list regularly, most daily, as part of a Plant-Based Diet: – Curcumin – Black Pepper & Marjoram – Pecans & Walnuts – Flax Seed Meal – Blueberry – Strawberries – Beets – Garlic (raw)Also, most days: – Apples (inc. skin) – Beans – Cinnamon – Broccoli or Cauliflower – Baby Spinach…and a few other goodies here and there :)I have ordered Amla powder; it will probably arrive soon.So hopefully with all that firepower, the cancer will be doomed :DThanks again, BruceMatthew, they are getting amazing results with many deadly cancers, including brain and pancreatic with the use of GcMAF. Check out the site: http://www.gcmaf.eu. They have three clinics in Europe, but you don’t even need a prescription to order it online and use it at home because it is a chemical your body makes. It does two things. First, it gets rid of Nagalase, the enzyme which hides cancer and viruses from your immune system, and it supercharges your own immune system to go after the cancer or virus.Thanks for your very helpful summaries, Matthew. New research suggests that people with cancer should avoid peanuts. https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/breaking-anti-cancer-news-ditch-the-peanuts-and-spread-the-word/Did you try cannabis oil? I heard it works good on brain cancers!Thanks Klarissa. I have done some googling, and read a little bit about it. However, the evidence doesn’t look good enough to me: http://skepdic.com/ricksimpson.htmlI thought about Ayurveda as well. And I would for the cannabis oil. I don’t think the side effects (being high) is too bad. Did you YouTube it? Some videos out there I find highly interesting!To be honest that article you posted about that guy… Well I found it very imprecise. It’s more about that guy than the oil. I would recommend to watch YouTube videos about and actually hear some real stories about patients who healed with it. I mean, what can you loose?I could lose my mind. My family has a history of schizophrenia, and cannabis is known to often trigger schizophrenia. Having seen what it did to two of my relatives, I think I would rather die sane than live insane. Also, I much prefer scientific studies to anecdotal evidence, which is why I get my information from sources such as this. There is also the legal aspect, and the difficulty (and money) that would be involved in this potential treatment. It might work fine for some, but I’m not prepared to go down that path.Thanks again, BruceI totally understand. Did you do some research on Ayurveda? It’s indian medicine based on whole plant diets and herb medicine. It’s very successful in detoxing the body. Or even juicing fresh juices for a couple of weeks. Mostly green juices and juices only. How about a 100% raw food diet? I think it’s all about detoxing when it comes to cancer. I hope you’ll find your way!We were having a veggie juice daily until recently, when we converted to smoothies, mostly due to the info on this site – get more nutritional goodness (+fibre) out of the pulp that juicing discards. I’ve been eating more raw fruit and veggies recently. I think detoxing probably helps with prevention more than treatment. My focus is on slowing the growth of, and killing the cancer cells, while maximising my health. Thanks again :)I think you are on a good way! :) all the very best, Bruce!Bruce, Just saw this thread. Have you become aware of the work of Prof. Thomas N. Seyfried, a researcher at Boston College? He has published a book on the metabolic theory of cancer. He claims to have cured brain cancer in animals and in a woman with glioblastomas using dietary interventions to eliminate the “fuel” that tumor cells require to stay alive and grow. He is considered a maverick scientist although he publishes in peer-reviewed, respected journals. Here is a link to a recent interview in which he summarizes his latest research findings: http://bit.ly/1zyIr8b You can search him and find his presentation to the 2012 Ancestral Health Symposium in which he presented the case study of the woman whose brain tumor regressed. Interestingly, in the newer 2014 interview he discusses the importance of a calorie-restricted diet combined with aspects of a ketogenic diet. I am not recommending him nor espousing his theories. I find them interesting but I am not scientifically knowledgeable to determine if there is a major flaw in his research ideas. Since he appears to have had some documented success in gaining remission of brain cancer in selected cases, there may be some validity to his dietary approach geared toward disrupting the metabolic pathway of cancer. You can read his work for yourself and consider contacting him. There was an email address for him on his facebook page, Cancer as a Metabolic Disease, which is also the title of his book published by Wiley in 2012. I find his approach fascinating. He argues that cancer is not just genetically caused, and that by ignoring cancer’s metabolic pathways, some traditional chemotherapy treatments inadvertently enable certain cancers to proliferate. If I were to adopt his ideas, I would probably try to do them with a plant-based approach but I don’t know if it’s possible to do a plant-based ketogenic diet. However, the calorie restriction aspect is interesting and may be the more important factor. Let us know how you make out. You have many options to consider in crafting your own life-sustaining protocol. Good luck!I see you are in a tough spot between your brain and your fathers. While I’m not a schizophenic I can be pushed into psychosis. I have found magnesium and especially choline extremely helpful in regaining some measure of sanity. I now supplement 500 – 750 mg on a otherwise very low choline WFPB diet, I need it otherwise I’ll quite literally go insane. I took that tip from here and choline might benifit your father in the same way as it does me: http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.nl/2011/01/zombieland-2-you-are-what-you-eat.html Other mental strains tips and magnesium you can find in the map: http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.nl/p/map.htmlSome caution!: Choline could prove very bad for cancers, so you watch yourself please :) Also this Paleo Psychiatrist Emily Deans has no regard whatsoever for the implications of a high fat diet on the circulatory system.But this might help you find some peace and quiet from the stresses of your own predicament, and maybe alleviate some of the stress you no doubt have to suffer dealing with your father.Good luck to you in your battles, Bruce Cropley.It’s actually an uncle and a cousin, and since I’m over 40, I’m unlikely to get schizophrenia now. But I don’t want to risk it. I’m coping with the stress quite well – I’ve gone from thinking I’m going to die shortly, to not, and then back again, so many times that I just take another flip in my stride. Thanks again :)Valerie, a not insignificant number of cases are over diagnoses, that’s one of the problems with mammograms.https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl/may/mammography.htmhttp://www.amazon.com/Mammography-Screening-Truth-Lies-Controversy/dp/1846195853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338305445&sr=1-1(I only hope that that is your case too) But if you still didn’t, check for a second opinion. I wish you the best of lucks.Don’t forget the influence of environmental toxins on cancer. It’s not all diet.Dr. Greger says he recommends flax seed meal to all his breast cancer patients. He said the diet of prevention is useful in treatment here, including one half mushroom a day and one half or more cups of green tea. A sheet of Nori or other seaweed could be helpful. Berries, particularly black raspberries (not in season, maybe blueberries, strawberries or cranberries) could be helpful Amla would be very healthy for you. The best anticancer foods presented here include apples, cranberries, lemons, pecans, walnuts, peanuts, cloves, tumeric with pepper, ginger, rosemary, garlic, beets, broccoli, spinach, collards, kale, carrots, and tomatoes were very healthy. Garlic, beets, broccoli were cancer intolerant. So were tumeric, amla, and ginger. Walnuts and pecans were very anti-cancerous. Perhaps you could drink some cranberry juice with the juice of a lemon. I hope when you are in chemo you will consider drinking tea or taking some adaptogenic herbs like ginger or lemon balm to reduce your risk of damage to other cells. Please, my prayers and good luck.There are also some teas recommended including hibiscus, matcha, white tea with lemon, green tea, dandelion, and chamomile. Amla, as a tea, can be found at http://www.dragonherbs.com/prodinfo.asp?number=697 it’s also in Republic of tea’s Get Clean PM tea. Dragon Herbs sells the most stress responsive tea, according to them. http://www.dragonherbs.com/prodinfo.asp?number=601 Thank you, stay well.Flax seeds is said to act as fitoestrogens. ER+/PR+ breast cancers are fed with estogens/fotoestrogens. I don’t think it’d be a good idea to eat those seeds.To see the recommendation with your own eyes see this video:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/“I’ve previously discussed the role of dietary lignans in the reduction of breast cancer risk and improvement in breast cancer survival…” “A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial of flaxseeds, the world’s most concentrated source of lignans, in breast cancer patients found that flax appears to have the potential to reduce human breast tumor growth in just a matter of weeks.” “Similarly, high lignan intake was associated with reduced breast cancer risk”… Dr. Greger said he has been “recommending ground flax seeds to breast cancer patients,”Dr. Greger has an extensive list of references in this study, three of which are summarized here:In menopasual women, those with the largest intake of lignans had the lowest risk of all mortality in this five year study. This study summaries that their results suggest that higher lignan intakes may be associated with improved survival among postmenopausal women with breast cancer.S E McCann, L U Thompson, J Nie, J Dorn, M Trevisan, P G Shields, C B Ambrosone, S B Edge, H F Li, C Kasprzak, J L Freudenheim. Dietary lignan intakes in relation to survival among women with breast cancer: the Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer (WEB) Study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2010 Jul;122(1):229-35.Lignans were effective in reducing cancer cell growth in MCF 7 and BT 20 cells lines, according to this study.S Abarzua, T Serikawa, M Szewczyk, D U Richter, B Piechulla, V Briese. Antiproliferative activity of lignans against the breast carcinoma cell lines MCF 7 and BT 20. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2012 Apr;285(4):1145-51.Flaxseed was associated with a significant reduction in breast cancer risk in this study.E C Lowcock, M Cotterchio, B A Boucher. Consumption of flaxseed, a rich source of lignans, is associated with reduced breast cancer risk. Cancer Causes Control. 2013 Apr;24(4):813-6.Thank you.Valerie, I’m so sorry to hear of your diagnosis. I, too, developed breast cancer five years ago. It was an aggressive triple negative cancer, one standard oncology doesn’t have any drugs for. I, too, had done all the things I knew to do over the years to maintain health, but still, there I was with breast cancer. Fast forward three years: I met a new oncologist who read my chart notes, looked up and said, “We don’t meet many people with your diagnosis three years later.” She would have expected me to be dead by three years later! Well, the two other women I have met who followed their oncologist’s advice of chemo, surgery and radiation, did only live about three years. But did that oncologist want to know why I was thriving instead? Of course not! And here I am two years later. Wonder what she would say now…Valerie: Thank you for responding to my post and i’m very sorry to hear that you have breast cancer despite having being health conscious. There appears to be this randomness to cancer. For example, we know what causes heart disease and how to prevent, even reverse it. Cancer is not like that. Some people eat junk food, smoke, abuse alcohol and drugs, never exercise, but never get cancer. Others who eat healthfully, don’t smoke,nor drink, nor do drugs, and exercise get cancer. Is it genes or environment or karma – who knows? My wife was diagnosed in 2000 and died in 2004. There was no nutrition facts.org then, nor were other great sites that have made cancer treatment a holistic process, not just chemo, radiation, and surgery. I wish you and your family all the best.Jim,The AICR guidelines are based on huge volumes of statistics. Some individuals will always fall outside the statistics. The best plan seems to be to avoid as many risk factors as possible. Excess weight is one of them. But the AICR target of BMI 18.6 is an aggressive one.How valid is this study? http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30641833You can see my reply to Felipe above about this same study. I think the study is “valid” in that the results it got are consistent with the results one would expect it to give. In terms of how accurately does the BBC’s article headline reflect a factual interpretation of the results that should be handed out for a lay-person to read about? Not very.I had the same question. The Hopkins study description says it measures the randomness involved in a cell mutating into a cancer cell, but the study appears somewhat/very dismissive about the role a healthy diet plays in preventing such a cell from developing into a larger cancerous mass. If as the article suggests “environmental factors” (diet) play such a minor role cancer formation, how do they explain the substantial difference in cancer rates between populations that eat a healthy diet vs. a Western/S.A.D. (as described in The China Study and numerous studies since)? I would love to hear Dr. Greger’s opinion.Christopher: I think you got to the crux of the matter with, “…the role a healthy diet plays in preventing such a cell from developing into a larger cancerous mass.” I haven’t read the study myself, so I don’t know how well or whether they adequately addressed this point. But I suspect that they are missing the key point that Dr. Greger brought to our attention years ago: That a single cancerous cell never hurt anyone by itself. We only actually get cancer when that single cell multiplies to about a billion cells.For anyone with a question about the study under discussion, I *highly* recommend this NutritionFacts video all the back from Volume 1: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/So, as long as our bodies are really good at killing single cells and/or growing cancer cells at an extremely low rate, then we are golden. Regardless of what the latest study shows, we have a lot of really good evidence showing that diet and other lifestyle factors *do* have a very big impact on whether that single (randomly mutated or not) cancer cell lives long and/or grows quickly.Some other videos related to cancer growth rates: (there are several others too) http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/The China Study book is another great place to learn about the various stages of cancer and how diet can affect those stages – especially how diet can slow down cancer growth – so that we die *with* some cancer cells in our bodies (even those randomly mutated cancer cells), not *because* we actually have fully actuated cancer.(An aside: As others have pointed out, diet and lifestyle is no guarantee against cancer. So, I’m not saying that we can 100% proof ourselves again growing a cancel cell into a billion cancer cells. However, I believe the body of evidence clearly shows that diet and lifestyle do make a huge difference statistically. In other words, I fully understand that I could still get lung cancer even if I never smoke. I have heard the upsetting statistic that 20% of the people who get lung cancer do not actually smoke. But that doesn’t mean that smoking has nothing to do with lung cancer… So, I do what I can to give myself the best outcome and then whatever happens, happens.)See the OP’s original link below.http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/bad_luck_of_random_mutations_plays_predominant_role_in_cancer_study_showsI would estimate that a few hundred reports are published every day, and quite often the results are conflicting. Add into the equation that we are all biased by our own personal views/opinions, and will normally cherry pick the information which best reflects our own viewpoint, and you will find yourself in what can only be referred to as paralysis by analysis. My conclusion from this report is that it is very likely that some cancers (if not the majority) are caused by bad luck, but this will not stop me from leading a healthy lifestyle to help prevent the others….Hi Joyce, I read that article too. Whenever I read any journalism now, I’ve taught myself to sort out the catch-phrases that are designed to get you read or click as the writer wishes. So the title “Most cancert types ‘Just Bad Luck’ is a better hook than ‘Eat vegetables to promote health’. Although the article is loaded with little zingers that have no logical fit with the main theme, the message that comes across is consistent with the results of the study. I’m trying to suggest that we all need to re-learn for whom the written word is meant to serve. As my sainted mother used to tell me, “Paper will hold still for anything”.Also, If I can paraphrase what Pam Popper said, “If we blame it all on [bad luck and] genetics, then we are all helpless victims”.We love your posts, Coacervate! Your wit and your reasoning is much appreciated by many on this site. In this study RANDOMNESS was the working hypothesis, the assumption, and the conclusion. The study did not in anyway test the effects of lifestyle or environmental toxicity on the likelihood of getting cancer. The conclusion that lifestyle and environmental factors influence only ⅓ of cancers is unfounded. This is not the finding of the study.The study did a statistical analysis that found a correlation. The existence of this correlation says nothing about causation.THE PRESUMPTION OF RANDOMNESS by scientists allows for so many leaps in conclusions! I see this all the time in my field, the understanding of the language of dreaming. Here, the biggest scientific press coverage has gone to those who claim that the bizarre, and to them, unintelligible imagery of dreams is due to random firings in the brain. Because they make this assumption they completely dismiss the body of research that (for example) shows how independent judges can identify the dreams of particular dreamers dealing with particular issues in their lives. Dreams use the language of metaphor, one that often makes sense only when the dreamer is interviewed about his life perceptions and experience. Greek would seem Random to those who fail to recognize it’s underlying structure in letters and grammar. Assuming Randomness SHORT-CIRCUITS openness to more subtle, complicated causes and influences. In nutrition research, we find correlations and sometimes causes when we look more deeply. Sometimes things that are not understood appear to be random, god’s will, or Voo-Doo!Gail: Fascinating post. Thanks for sharing that bit about dreams. The topic really interests me.Just wanted to raise the same question… The full paper is here: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6217/78 Basically, the main conclusion is that for most cancers prevention (though not all): diet won’t help. It’s all random in any case.While the initial study discussed relates to breast cancer, taking around fifteen seconds, the rest of the video relates to other cancers and cancer in general. No problem, except I think removing “Breast” from the title of the video might increase viewership significantly.thanks so much!One of the recommendations was not to take supplements to prevent cancer. This is absurd. Check out The Vitamin D Council.org.You beat me to it by mere seconds. At (1:48) #8.”Do not use supplements to protect against cancer.” Why not? Are they saying supplements per se are antagonistic to being cancer-free? That they cause cancer? Makes no sense. As you say, Vit D, vit C, NAC (glutathione), etc, etc.These are all excellent recommendations. Thanks for adding them.3:30“Both discourage alcohol and tobasco”I didn’t know hot sauce was so dangerousThat is funny. Does sound like tobasco. That’s good we all need a good laugh.I did not have tobasco with that salad. And if I did I did not inhale.Prof. Jane Plant, CBE, extensive scientific analysis “The No Dairy Breast Cancer Prevention Program”. She had breast cancer, surgery, chemo, all were failing. She was eating yogurt to replenish probiotics when she remembered rurual Chinese don’t get breast cancer. They call it “Rich Woman’s Disease”. She’s had quite a number of women in England successfully go on her program. More scientific analysis is in “The China Study” by Cornell nutritional biologist prof. T. Colin Campbell. Do note the high breast cancer (and prostate) regions of the world are exactly the dairy and meat regions. Duh.If I may add to this conversation, I am a breast cancer survivor who did it without surgery, chemo and radiation of any type. Since I contracted breast cancer in my R breast (2 tumors) at 73 years of age in 2011, my last battery of tests in December 2014 indicate that I’m clean. I co-designed my protocol with my managing holistic physician. However, some day I will die from something, but in the meantime, I’ve not been sick a day and recently retired from research and writing books. My last book was published in Oct. 2013. Personally, I do not believe the genre/type of food, i.e., meat, dairy, plants, etc. is/may be responsible per se, even though some science is trying to blame cancer on foods rather than the chemicals that contaminate foods thereby causing foods to become suspect. It is my contention, and other science researchers indicate, that all the chemicals — man made, i.e., pharmaceuticals, vaccines with neurotoxins, food preservatives and processing chemicals, fluoride in drinking water, insecticides, herbicides, formaldehyde impregnating everything from clothing to scented products, chemtrails sprayed over our heads containing horrendous toxic metals, etc. — all act as and have become epigenetics impacting cells and hormones. How about BPA and its replacement BPS, which is even more problematic as a hormone disruptor. I’ve been a consumer health researcher since the late 1970s and demographics consistently indicate that cancers have escalated proportionately with the rise of toxic chemicals permitted into food, air, water, etc. by the very federal agencies that should have banned toxic/carcinogenic chemicals: CDC, FDA, EPA, USDA!!! OSHA designates chemicals as carcinogens, but no other agency in government listens to them nor takes them seriously AND chemical companies keep making and adding thousands of chemicals into agriculture, medicine, cosmetics, food processing, and the scent industries. Eating non-GMO foods and organically-grown foods are the key to keeping toxins out of our bodies! Yet very few in mainstream medicine promote that key factor for preventing cancer. Drinking non-fluoridated and non-chemicalized water is pertinent to good health, not drinking 8 glasses of chemicalized water or soda pop a day. Cancer can’t be avoided or beaten IF we don’t get away from the chemicals that negatively impact our health. My book, A Cancer Answer, Holistic BREAST Cancer Management, available on Amazon.com, discusses how to beat cancer using dietary changes and other holistic modalities. It may not be for everyone, but it sure worked for me, and I’m sharing it for whatever it may be worth. Cancer is no fun, especially chemo and radiation! Cancer can be treated and cured without the patient being poisoned and fried. I have seen radiation burns on patients. Chemo changes the body into an acidic organism that too often succumbs. Many people are opting to go the unconventional cancer treatment route and are getting well. The most important KEY is to be found in the diet one eats; how the food is/was raised and cooked–sans chemicals of any kind. I wish everyone a cancer-free life.Hear, hear! — Well done.What does the research say about drinking water with/without floride etc? What is the best drinking water filter, osmosis machine etc? I have been unable to get a credible response from San Francisco, Marin County agencies who all reassure us our water is just fine.Off topic: I’m interested in whether there is any research into treatment of Candida by (presumably plant-based) diet?Plant foods rich in chitinase enzymes is probably your best bet. There should be loads of them everywhere otherwise the earth would be covered with chitin sediments much like coal or limestone.Quick wiki: Presence in food: Chitinase occurs naturally in many common foods. This is at least one cause of the cross-reaction phenomenon in latex-fruit syndrome. Bananas, chestnuts, kiwis, avocados, papaya, and tomatoes, for example, all contain significant levels of chitinase.But as I said its probably almost omnipresent otherwise there would be no resources left on the globe to sustain life ^^Thanks :) I eat a few of these regularly, and my symptoms are not too bad – just a coated tongue, so I think it’s probably not worth my worrying about it. Thanks again for the info :)Plant foods rich in chitinase enzymes is probably your best bet. There should be loads of them everywhere otherwise the earth would be covered with chitin sediments much like coal or limestone.Quick wiki: Presence in food: Chitinase occurs naturally in many common foods. This is at least one cause of the cross-reaction phenomenon in latex-fruit syndrome. Bananas, chestnuts, kiwis, avocados, papaya, and tomatoes, for example, all contain significant levels of chitinase.But as I said its probably almost omnipresent otherwise there would be no resources left on the globe to sustain life ^^So how do you explain that the French eat cheese and drink wine and still have lowest heart disease than Americans??Dear Dr. Greger, Thea, Toxins, and All the TEAM, We can never thank you enough for your work and for this site. My (then 58 yr. old) sweetheart and I (then 63) had adopted some of Dr. Fuhrman’s recommendations and bought a Vita-Mix after donating to PBS to receive his book and many CDs. Somehow, this led us to NutritionFacts.org. We first watched The Year in Review 2012 and were wowed. Immediately, we watched the 2013 video. At its end, we looked at each other and one said: “Well! That’s it for our healthy salmon, yogurt, and quart+ of milk a day. I guess we are vegans!” OMG! We never looked back; and we thank you for the research that we needed to convince us that vegans weren’t just too precious and picky! Done!Now for a suggestion I have been trying to get through to Dr. Phillip Tuso, Kaiser, and many others. The visuals most often chosen by our esteemed docs and their wonderful teams are extremely unappetizing, especially to those who don’t already know of the wonders of veggies. Look at this stock photo above of plain forks and bits of raw veggies.Stock photos in general are cold, lacking in cozy context and FAKE. The people in them are mercenaries and the fake-ness is palatable. How about photos of real WFPB eaters, revelers enjoying themselves? Who cares if the lighting, cropping etc. is not just right? Let’s have life in the photo! Photos that make the viewer WANT to be there! Above all, i think photos of food at a real table, and at banquet tables, and pretty dinner table with the docs and all the folks who love this food eating and enjoying dishes that show in the photo. Not un-prepared ingredients, but the finished dishes that look scrumptious as they do on so many sites of WFPB cooks, and on sites of restaurants like Millennium in San Francisco. Seduce people not just by the facts, but by the wonderful food and the results as in the before and after photos. IMHO. Thanks to every one of you here, including the members who add so much with your comments! You are a daily delight and inspiration to us and to our friends when we can get them to watch.Best, GayleGayle: Thank you so much for such nice feedback. You have totally made my day. And I’m sure the others are equally happy.Your idea about the importance of good pictures is well received by me. A thought for you: I don’t know if you follow any of the vegan food blogs, but some of those people take a lot of time framing and dealing with lighting, etc for pictures of their food. I see people commenting on how great those pictures are. And some of the blogs are for healthy food (not just vegan). I can’t judge such things myself, so I won’t try to pick a blog as an example. My point is just that such pictures of awesome healthy food *does* exist. People at Kaiser, etc. could think about taking cues from or purchasing those existing pictures.————–The kind of change that you and your sweetheart made is a huge decision for many people. Good for you both on not just educating yourself, but actually taking that next step to put the information into action! It’s really inspiring. Thanks for sharing.Oh Thea, I have indeed suggested looking at certain beautiful WFPB blogs to Kaiser and the brave Dr. Tuso, lead author on the Permanente Journal (summer?’13 article featured by Dr. Greger about Kaiser’s decision to train their 15K docs and 9 million patients in WFPB). And I have contacted some of those bloggers/photographers asking them to contact, Dr.Greger et al. Eventually! Does anyone else dislike stock photos for their fake-ness when people are in them? Now let me and Kevin say that MANY if not most of Dr. Greger’s photos are a blast: funny and engaging. But look at the Kaiser blog photo provided by Kaiser. Would it not have been more engaging, ESPECIALLY for non-WFPB eaters to show a social scene with fun, conviviality and gorgeous plates of food? Sooo many people fear they will have to give up many dimensions of social interaction in our foodie culture. And let’s face it, looking with longing at plain raw veggies in a basket is an acquired taste for many!Gayle, Check out Nakedfoodmagazine dot com. http://nakedfoodmagazine.com/ Gorgeous photos of food, plus recipes and WFPB diet advice. Next month I celebrate 2 years on WFPB diet, and my 60th birthday. Like you, I started with one of Dr. Greger’s hour long presentations. I was stunned at what I learned so I studied the videos on NutritionFacts further, reviewing source documents until I was satisfied that Greger was the real deal. I thought I was eating healthily but soon realized how damaging animal products are for humans. I cut out my yummy salmon, egg white breakfast sandwiches, and post work out chocolate milk. Later eliminated olive oil and bread snacks after reading Esselstyn. I have not looked back, either. It pains me greatly, though, to watch my friends and family continue to eat animal products and really don’t want to know what the research has to say. I am just astounded that so many people are more worried about being attacked by terrorists (or name any other other remote threat) than the damage they do to themselves everyday by what they eat. Best wishes to you and yours for vibrant health.Forty percent of Americans will get cancer and it is our second leading cause of death. One quarter of cancer survivors will attempt to begin a diet of intervention, according to this site, and for them, this is an effective treatment. Cancer survivorship is only about 50 percent at five years for some kinds of cancers. In this article here, “AICR recommendation #10 is that cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.” What are those recommendations? This site in general would say that they including eating a diet rich in nuts, cocoa, tea, berries, whole grain, fresh fruit, and vegetables. There are some super cancer fighters like flax seed meal, mushrooms, amla, seaweed like nori, and matcha tea. The specific best foods recommended at this site include beets, garlic, red onions, tomatoes, broccoli, kale, collards, tomatoes, carrots, lemons, cranberries, apples, dandelion tea, chamomile tea, hibiscus tea, white tea with lemon, matcha tea, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, cloves, tumeric with pepper, rosemary, and ginger. According to this video, as it states at the end, the less meat you eat the better you do. A religion of vegetarians? The Adventists are America’s healthiest cultural group, with the more adherent they are to their vegetarian diet the healthier they are. I am glad to be in the company here of so many devoted vegetarians!I heard you say to avoid tobasco. Didn’t you mean to say tobacco? HahahahaaaIt’s not only he food, but the whole environment we live in. Maybe cellphones give cancer because of radiation, all the hygiene products are full of chemicals, cleaning products, maybe the water in the area, our clothes… It could be son many things!I see that many comments here are surrounding the same report that we received here in Canada, from CBC News no less, ostensibly based on a report from the ‘esteemed’ John Hopkins University. A search shows that this ‘U’ is a private research facility . . . Surely this must be deficient science at it’s best, bordering upon wayward. Dr. Greger has spent much of the last several years since Nutritionfacts.Org came into existence, showing conclusively, along with work from Dr. John McDougall, the Forks Over Knives people and so many others in this factual nutrition pioneering work, that many of these western cancers are diet related. What controls would such a study set up? That this must involve some devious extrapolation to be sure is suspected. Who paid for the study in the first place? We now know that corporations are extremely complicit with their funding of university programs that extend their reach in society. One thing’s for certain: — follow the money.Good one. There is a comment by Darryl further down that nails it. I think This kind of paper could have been done with dice and a scratch pad. “The probability of getting snake eyes is just bad luck”.This study, in my opinion is an example of an LPU, a “Least Publishable Unit”. In the science game you publish or perish so the Machine drives the literature to be peppered with thousands of low value publications. Then there is the interesting evolution in the way the “new” internet media snatches bits here and there, repulps it into attention grabbing blurbs along with a clickable “weird secret to turn bunions into six pack abs”.It is, as the French guy on Close Encounters said, an event sociologique. I do believe this is all a good thing because whenever truth and fiction collide in social media the truth always wins. No really, everytime. Mostly. More than somewhat. Eventually.I’m probably the only one old enough to remember but these “news” stories always remind me of Perry White on the TV superman show: “Olsen, get me a byline on cancer. Make everyone a helpless victim…and get me some pictures of Superman!”This study was published in Science, a top-tier multidisciplinary journal whose brand is big enough that a large portion of nonscientists either know about the journal, follow its affiliated materials (such as the Science podcast), or maybe even try to follow the journal directly.Science may be particularly plagued by a large number of weak submissions, but on the other hand probably has the financial resources to weed out most of them if they really wanted to. The problem is in part that even when they weed out the bad studies, they have far too many well-conducted studies to choose from when deciding what to publish. Accordingly they choose using other criteria such as the scope of the claim and general newsworthiness, which in turn can create editorial policy which starts to distort the peer review process itself. Once a journal becomes addicted to making a big splash, it may feel inclined to cut corners on peer review for a study that seems personally relevant and particularly timely (such as an argument to the effect that lifestyle can’t prevent cancer around the time of the New Year).You might be interested in some of the coverage on Randy Schekman, the Nobel-prize-winning cell biologist who has criticized the top-tier multidisciplinary journals on both grounds: humdrum research desperate for a place in a ‘luxury’ journal and a non-scientist editorial staff which tries to select studies which will have high impact in the media:http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/dec/09/nobel-winner-boycott-science-journalsGood reading…sums it all up. I started thinking critically when the punny headlines seemed to become mandatory. Science is not about market share.Good points! Forgive my delay but if you have not seen this post by AICR and their response to the “bad luck” study feel it give a great explanation.I wonder what would happen if the participants in the study went with all of the recommendations instead of just 5. Either way, 60% is a HUGE decrease. Diet is incredibly important for overall health and the prevention of disease :). Great video!AVOID TABASCO…!I disagree with recommendation #8 – don’t use supplements. Their reasons are very shaky and are not based on any scientific evidence. I’m curious as to why they put that in there. Hmmm…please read…http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/cancer-and-random-genes-f_b_6420408.htmlHi, how come some of the least animal consuming countries in the world, like india have such a high prevalence of diabetis compared with the rest of the world and europe, Australia from what i’ve head has probably the highest meat consumption per capita in the world yet its dibetis rate is very very low. African countries like Sudan have some of the highest diabetes rates in the world and i doubt they eat much animal products at all.This is a 2014 map from the Internationa Diabetis Federation…..i’m a bit confused.http://www.idf.org/atlasmap/atlasmap	Adventist Health Studies,alcohol,American Institute for Cancer Research,beverages,bladder cancer,breast cancer,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,China Study,endometrial cancer,esophageal cancer,Forks Over Knives,greens,heart disease,heart health,kidney cancer,lifespan,Lifestyle medicine,liver cancer,longevity,lung cancer,mortality,oral cancer,plant protein,plant-based diets,smoking,stomach cancer,tobacco,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	American Institute for Cancer Research recommendation compliance associated not only with cancer prevention and survival but less heart and respiratory disease mortality and a longer lifespan.	Why do plant-based diets appear to lower the risk of cancer? A number of fascinating mechanisms:Specific to breast cancer:Though plant-based beverages may be harmful: Breast Cancer and Alcohol: How Much Is Safe?In terms of foods associated with breast cancer survival, see:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/forks-over-knives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-institute-for-cancer-research/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23462914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23509058,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23169929,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16043826,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22618737,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22735042,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23780838,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23553166,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22592101,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22910035,
PLAIN-2502	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	Ciguatera Poisoning & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome	Ciguatera is one of the most common forms of food poisoning, which occurs after the consumption of fish contaminated with neurotoxins, produced by certain microalgae that build up the food chain. Just a few bites can be sufficient to induce the condition. Disturbingly, affected fish looks, smells, and tastes normal, and ciguatoxins are resistant to all forms of cooking, so there is no straightforward method to predict whether your tropical culinary dream will be followed by a ciguatera nightmare.Literally can cause nightmares; about 1 in 6 may experience signs of hallucinatory poisoning: lack of coordination, hallucinations, depression and nightmares. Most suffer some kind of neurological symptoms, tingling, numbness and a burning cold sensation. For instance, ciguatera sufferers have reported that a refreshing dive in the ocean actually caused burning pain, or that drinking cool beer felt like too hot coffee.Sometimes a reversal of temperature sensation occurs, such the cold objects feel hot and vice versa. The toxin may also be apparently sexually transmitted either direction, or as one of my favorite public health bloggers put it, when hot sex turns, cold and painful, blame it on dinner.And the symptoms can persist for months or even years. Ongoing research has shown that people with chronic fatigue syndrome may actually be suffering the long-term effects of this fish food poisoning, or a condition called polymyositis, which causes diffuse muscle aches, pains, and inflammation. Some individuals intoxicated by fish consumption 25 years previously experience a recurrence of the main neurological disturbances during periods of overwork, fatigue or stress. You can still find the toxins stuck in their body decades later.Recent outbreaks in New York City have drawn attention to the problem. Man eats grouper at a Manhattan restaurant and goes from swimming 2 miles a day to having difficulty walking that lasts for months. But these aren’t just rare anecdotes. Ciguatera fish poisoning affects an estimated 15,000 Americans every year, causing hundreds of hospitalizations and a few deaths. And the toxins are colorless, odorless, tasteless, and are not destroyed by cooking. Therefore CDC scientists suggest education efforts aimed at the prevention of seafood intoxication by avoidance of high-risk fish altogether. The AMA put out a similar advisory, suggesting that the only way to prevent it is to avoid eating fish like red snapper or grouper, but the problem is that a third of fish sold in the United States is mislabeled, so you don’t know what you’re getting. You could always feed a large fish flesh meal to a cat, treating them like a court tester, and if they’re OK 6 hours later you can dig in, but this is considered inhumane. But if it’s inhumane to feed it to your cat, how is it not inhumane to feed it to other members of the family.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	Wow! That’s an amazing report. One more reason to simply stay away from fish!What proportion of all cases of reported chronic fatigue are related to physical causes?, such as this type of food poisoning, versus psycho-social causes, such as depression-related disorders? On a recent visit to my family doctor, while she was willing to do a full blood profile to exclude some possible physical causes of fatigue, she reported that very often there’s no physical cause and that fatigue is normally psycho-social… I mentioned Fibromyalgia and she accepted this as a possible exception.How much we know about the root causes of feelings of chronic fatigue? Maybe a lot more of such problems are based on physical causes. Maybe viewing them as psychological simply makes for easier diagnosis and treatment with medication (anti-depressants). What the story here?Great comment, and real important.A couple of things I find irrelevant. One, the fibromyalgia diagnosis is a warm blanket diagnosis. Covering the bases for insurance coding to get paid. If a dr. Diagnosis is fibromyalgia, then you can bet an on going future of taking something like lyrica is on your chart. So, they get perks pushing the pill, and you’re no closer to health, or answers for poor health then when you walked into the office.Two, this world has become toxic, there is hardly anything you can consume that has not been affected by pollution and Toxins. There are ways to mitigate the destructive levels of toxins in your environment by choosing eco friendly products for your house hold, placing a water filter for the entire water supply to your home.And what does any of this have to do with avoiding fish?Sorry, I can’t accept that fibromyalgia isn’t a real disorder, as you imply here. I’m not an expert but it clearly appears to be a real problem.I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and I assure you that it is not a psychological/social disorder. It is physical, it is real, and it has made me disabled. I am not depressed. I was working in my dream job when I became ill. I am part of a very supportive family and social community. Many doctors do not understand Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and do not want to accept that there are illnesses that Western medicine is pretty clueless about at this point. I have found the most relief from Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. There are some excellent resources on the web if you want to learn more about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.This might be of benefit to you. Cocoa may be helpful. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/Thanks! I saw this when it was originally published. I found a wonderful recipe – I think it was on Dr. fuhrman’s website, for hot cocoa that uses almond milk, dates, cocoa and vanilla- and my Vitamix! I treat myself to it on a regular basis.Is your level of fatigue similar day to day? I’m curious about conditions where you’re fine one day but fatigued the next day.There is a base level of fatigue day to day, but then there are other symptoms in addition that vary day to day. That may be a more debilitating fatigue, or what we call flu-like symptoms, or cognitive impairment or muscle pain… There are many. But I never feel “fine”- there is always a base level of symptoms. Some days I feel better than others, thank goodness! I find that,for me, a predominantly plant-based diet of whole foods has helped enormously. And no sugar.I have the same illness – daily fatigue, flu like symptoms, cognitive issues, varies from day to day, but I am working in the field of environmental research, so this is really killing my ability to work. Doctors are trying to treat it with antidepressants, doesn’t help much :( Switched to a plant based diet about 7 moths ago, a bit better but not so much… Hanna, maybe you have some advice?I am wary of offering advice because we all vary so much. I am so sorry that you are suffering with this. i would recommend that you start with solvecfs.org. This is the organization that advocates for us and has many useful articles about treatment and how to take care of yourself. it also sponsors research to try to learn more. As I said above I also found acupuncture and Chinese herbs to be very helpful, but you have to find a good local acupuncturist and, sadly, acupuncture is often not covered by health insurance. I wish you a heartier new year!Thank you, all the best for the upcoming year as well!this may be way way off but if you smoke anything including weed it can causes all of those above issues- the fatigue, the flu like symptoms for sure obv cognitive issuesmany think that weed can be helpful and it can but it can also go the other way- also inflammation from allergies could be bypassing typical ENT receptors and going straight into your system manifesting in whole body flu like symptoms and fatigue.get your allergy tested by ENTOne of the problems in diagnosing CFS is that the symptoms are so similar to so many other things, including Lyme Disease, Depression, mono, and so on. It is important to work with a good doctor to rule out other possibilities. There is also the possibility that CFS can be masking another illness with similar symptoms. It took me two years to get a diagnosis, and my experience is not unusual. In addition, there are often concurrent illnesses – in my case, for example, I have multiple chemical sensitivities. This is not instead of CFS, but rather, in addition to CFS.There are doctors and GPs who specialise in chronic fatigue (it is called a syndrome because it basically describes a list of symptoms not a specific disease), sometimes the causes can be identified; sadly often not. Different people can respond quite differently to different management programs. Self-care is really important, especially in terms of not pushing yourself. It is a serious and debilitating condition that even many health professionals are confused about. I would recommend contacting a local support group (often run by ex-suffers or people caring for those still dealing with it, as the people themselves usually don’t have the energy) to find out who they recommend you see who has the background necessary to really help with a diagnosis and if not at least a realistic management plan.Advice is hard if not impossible. While it seems discovering an absolute single cause I perfer to focus on what may help. I researched testing and found I had high virus loads (Epstein barr/HHV6&7 etc) Still not the root. Dumped sugar especially since it feeds virus. Then we discovered the mysterious reason B12 helped was the genetic issue of MTHFR. I have a base functioning much better than the last 5 years but all virus testing is the same along with diminished natural killer cell function. Currently since this has landed me with the lack of effective digestion Im using Ayurveda when other dietary paths made it worse. They aren’t bad-just didnt work for my body. The body is so complex one has to do the best guess of what direction might help. While NOT a psychsomatic illness still can consider attending to the emotion/mental/spiritual well being for coping positively. Take good care!I would like to know about the Chinese herbal.medicines…. Pls advice me regards sandyHi Sandy. I see an acupuncturist who is also a Chinese herbalist. Many acupuncturists are trained as herbalists as well. the combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbs has been very powerful for me. You will need to find someone who is local to you. The problem is that often acupuncturists are not covered under health insurance. In my experience, it is most important to find someone who understands the Chinese medicine approach, rather than a Western doctor who does acupuncture as just one more trick to pull out of the treatment bag. You may find that someone in a local support group can recommend a local acupuncturist. Sorry I can’t be more specific, but the herbs are recommended in the context of the larger treatment plan.Hi, I am aware of a few people who have been diagnosed as Fibromyalgic for years only to go to Dr.s outside of the area and found to have tick bite illnesses. One being my vet’s wife who now after about 20 some years of fibromyalgia diagnosis is unable to walk because of the debilitating diagnosis of a second tick disease which eats away cartilage.I am wondering if any of the people reading here have been tested for tick bites. Worth a shot for some people.i think that sometimes the two are hard to separate because it is not as simple as one against the other. As someone who has CFS I think that the ups and downs have been related to both. I got sick again over 2 years ago when I caught a cough and haven’t worked fulltime since. I was vegetarian and at that time felt good and so probably was eating the worst that I had for a while. Probably some of the stress in my life contributed to me being vulnerable as well. I had been unwell in my twenties as well with chronic fatigue and back then it was so uncool…….everyone assumed that it was something in your head I went whole food plant based about 15 months ago since it works for so many illnesses and did the plant based nutrition course through the T.Colin Campbell foundation. I’ve tried short fasts since I’m in NZ, the first for 7 days and then this year for 5 days. Some Chinese medically trained people have suggested that meat is an easier form of energy. However, I’m also ethically vegan now. Because i have trouble with keeping warm, particularly my Chinese friends suggest i eat nothing raw or cold…..sometimes not even fruit (I’m not good at this). I have drunk a lot of ginger tea which is a good detox (thanks Dr Greger)……..the traditional chinese version with the dates in it. Because I thought there was a stress component, I’ve also been studying and doing the emotion code and body code work. It measurable to me because I’m using muscle testing to find what I need to clear – whether it is emotional, toxins, spiritual, or things that you need to change about your diet and lifestyle. At the moment the muscle testing is telling me to include nettles, cranberries and use an infrared sauna to detox (fun). I also have a background in counselling and pyschology and have seen people with these issues long term which is really depressing. I wouldn’t want to get stuck there. Personally I don’t feel depressed….maybe traumatised and anxious…..so haven’t used anti depressants. I up the food which help create neuro transmitters if I feel down. I’ve seen people who haven’t trusted anything alternative to those who have spent too much money and hope that muscle testing will point me in the right direction. I hope to put together some ideas on how to deal with CFS when I’m feeling better and what has helped from the whole food plant based perspective.Do you have much face-to-face contact with caring people? Touch?Bad memory of a former colleague being fobbed off with ‘psych-social”: took years for the Epstein-Barr to get diagnosed and treated. Didn’t have anything to do with her being female, no?Hey Tobias, if you want to learn more about the state of the science on chronic fatigue syndrome, check out this lecture given at the Stanford School of Medicine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCowKm4N2Ow Like others, I have CFS and can assure you that it’s not psychosocial. It can make you feel depressed in time, but that’s true of any chronic, debilitating illness. Anyway, thanks for your curiosity about this illness—I hope more and more people become curious too and that a growing public concern will get research money flowing to finding cures and treatments. Take care.Can the below linkstudy be trusted? It claims that chlorella (algae) contains a real and true vitamin B12, in the form of methylcobalamin. But videos like today’s video make me think I might be better off staying away from all algae.http://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/140915/chlorellaI am a vegan, and I use a B12 supplement, eat a lot of B12 fortified yeast, and also take chlorella daily. In my last panel, my B12 level was actually a few points higher than the high end of “normal” (something my doctor was not concerned about). Perhaps my B12 level is in part coming from chlorella. But after this scary video, I am also wondering about chlorella. I’ve never experienced any of the symptoms mentioned here, and I’ve taken it for years – the Sun Chlorella brand (sorry, don’t mean to make this an ad). I would also like to know if it’s prudent to avoid all algae. Are there any cases traced to algae supplements? Are the supplements ever tested for this toxin?Please see here for more info on algae http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=algaeNice Piece! I really love the opening artwork I have been seeing on your videos. Looks like today was a color enhanced electron micrograph of ciguatera. Really cool looking.According to a recent article published by the AMA, people who eat fish lived the longest. People in Japan also eat fish and live long, so their MUST be something beneficial in fish. What do YOU think it is?…http://www.ecardiologynews.com/specialty-focus/epidemiology-prevention/single-article-page/latest-studies-fine-tune-accaha-dietary-guidelines/49301e2b4a5706f96b7405f7655bcf94.html?tx_ttnews%5BsViewPointer%5D=2I’m picking its the Hg, what do you think?The longest living population in Japan, the Okinawans, get 4% of their calories from animal sources and 70% of their calories come from sweet potatoes. They have the most centenarians per capita, fish clearly is not where their longevity comes from, as it comprises a total of 1% of their total caloric intake. Basically, its a condiment.Caloric Restriction, the TraditionalOkinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life SpanAnn. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785Total weight (grams) 1262Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9)Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85)Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6)Saturated fatty acid 3.7Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)GrainsRice 154 (12)Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7)Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1)Sugars 3 (less than 1)Oils 3 (2)Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1)Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1)Eggs 1 (less than 1)Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69)Other potatoes 2 (less than1)Other vegetables 114 (3)Fruit less than 1 (less than 1)Seaweed 1 (less than 1)Pickled vegetables 0 (0)Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.What I find most revealing is that they pull this diet off with very little fruit, thus very little fructose sugar. I sometimes wonder if that is what has helped them, but I am not sure if sweet potatoes would raise the blood sugar in most people to a the same degree (less or more) than modern-day overly sweet fruit that is bred {grown} to pack in the sugar dose. Do you think this minimal fruit intake might have helped the Okinawans to a significant degree?I thought that was interesting too. But I don’t think so, every study I know of (except for a couple outliers that show neutral benefit due to improper methodology) with fruit intake show better health outcomes and protection from chronic disease. If you haven’t already, you should see this video on fructose http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/And these few on sweet potatoes http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/In the first link on sweet potatoes you provided, Dr. Greger mentions “Remarkably, though, this class of proteins doesn’t just survive digestion, but may be absorbed into the bloodstream intact,..”This is likely the reason my body reacts poorly and suffers greatly when I ingest sweet potatoes (and maybe this is why for regular potatoes as well). My GI specialist theorizes that when proteins are ingested and not completely digested and absorbed, they are left to wander into the blood and possibly other areas of body and these proteins can wreak havoc in some patients. Autoimmune reactions, food sensitivities, neuro-issues, etc.Really upsets me as I love the taste of sweet potatoes and would prefer to eat several a day over many other plant foods, to get calories, but I get exhausted like I am coming down with the flu after eating these. Maybe it is these undigested proteins, while good for most people, not so for a few. Maybe this is why I can’t eat wheat and rye as well, undigested proteins traveling into blood. I wanted to doubt the GI specialist but now that I’ve seen the video you mentioned, I have to further consider that these undigested proteins might not be good for me. Thanks for now, and maybe you know of a way to cook sweet potatoes so that there are no undigested proteins left.Interesting point of view. I can’t give you any clear answers on that one. I can tell you that the leaky gut theory usually applies to animal proteins, not plant, because animal proteins resemble that of human proteins which is why it is troublesome. I am sorry about that though, this would be a question to email Dr. Greger about.I have found that steam cooking works best for me and i feel the smallest degree of symptoms you described. But the best way i found so far is still to reduce carbs.i think that what people react to can be quiet individual and it can depend on what antibodies are formed rather than necesarily whether they have passed into the blood stream. It could suggest some sort of efficiency too. There is still little known about what makes the gut lining healthy though Dr Greger has an article on brocolli thats interesting. I think that when there is an auto immune response to animal based foods the results are more extreme because fo the confusion with our own flesh and blood…..MS and type 1 diabetes are examples. However anything that we have developed antibodies too, it is a good idea to eliminate until this type of reaction clearsJust because fish is “only” 1% has nothing to do with it contributing to their longevity. Maybe they are getting some important nutrient that the fish is providing. :-)So far in Adventist Health II, vegans and pescetarians are [running neck and neck. As with just about any whole food, one can point to beneficial components in fish: B12 and EPA/DHA (both of which Dr. Greger recommends), and taurine, carnitine, creatine, and carnosine, which like the long chain omega-3s, are semi-essential, with lower status in vegetarians and possible health benefits. Alas, fish also bioaccumulates methylmercury, persistent organic pollutants, and ciguatera toxin, as well as being a major source for biogenic amines, and perhaps most importantly, current global seafood consumption isn’t sustainable and is decimating long-term viability of ocean ecosystems. If an optimum diet for healthy aging ensures adequate amounts of beneficial components while minimizing harmful ones, it seems reasonable to eliminate the harmful ones wherever practicable, adding back in alternative sources of beneficial components. Matching omnivore intakes of the so called “carninutrients” can be done for pennies a day, so its unfortunate that none of the supplement manufacturers offer a convenient product aimed at the health oriented vegetarian market.I read through these links. Interesting stuff. I was not aware that the research/science used in “The China Study” showed that eating fish was actually beneficial “.Vegan admirers of the China Study, which provided important evidence for the protective merits of plant-based diets, should be aware that this study also correlated increased fish consumption with improved health outcomes, likely reflecting a protective role of long-chain omega-3s.83″Such irony but yes, it lends credence to your thoughts above, and the potential merits of the need to supplement certain carninutrients for vegans who fail to thrive. My biggest concern is ingesting factory made amino acids in order to be 100 vegan.That reanalysis of China Study data found incidence of most chronic diseases was lower, though diabetes and liver cancer were higher, in coastal Chinese villages where fish intake, determined by blood DHA, was higher. The correlations were in general smaller than that seen for reduction of total animal protein/saturated fat intake in the earlier Campbell authored papers.Cool. I get it now…..it is not the protein from fish that helps but the DHA and the DHA alone.Which of these carninutrients do you supplement with? All of them? I’m sure the B12 is on your list, but curious about the amino acid types.I’ve read through the entire website where the last link you provided in the last post “carninutrients”.http://catalyticlongevity.orgReal interesting stuff these guys have to say. I was a bit thrown off by their strong belief in spirulina, but other than that they seem to have put together some thought provoking and informative ideas and data. My guess is is that they feel that amino acid supplementation (certain amino acids) might be a necessity for a 100 percent vegan diet.Bear in mind Mr. McCarty owns a small supplement firm, so there is possible bias, and I take his more unusual recommendations with a grain of salt. On the other hand, I’ve learned a great deal from his wide ranging “medline synopses” and perusing his hundreds of publications, most appearing in the non-peer reviewed Medical Hypotheses, offers a useful introduction to some likely mechanisms for plant based diet benefits. There are few on the planet who’ve read as much of the biomedical literature, so McCarty’s advocacy of whole-plant based diets was very reassuring.Besides B12, none of the so called carninutrients are essential, but as with EPA/DHA, strict vegetarians have lower tissue levels of all of them. Omnivore daily intakes in the literature run: 655 mg creatine (1034 mg in males), 332 mg β-alanine, 60 mg taurine (but > 125 mg better according to WHO-CARDIAC), 64 mg carnitine. A two year supply at near those levels was about $70 in bulk powders and a slow night with a capsule filler. I can’t claim any striking benefits after a year, but my blood results remain fine and I don’t experience the malaise some strict vegetarians report, so this n=1 experiment appears to have done no harm.Hi Kirk, since the meltdown of the nuclear reactor a few years ago that polluted the Pacific ocean with nuclear waste, the fish now around Japan would be best avoided. After the melt down from the tsunami, indicators in Hawaii had a 18000% increase for nuclear waste. Please read http://www.drapsley.com All the best and God blessHow about the seaweed?Hi Wyman, i agree 100%! In fact, I spoke with a butcher at a Whole Foods in Rochester Michigan within a few months of the nuclear meltdown and he informed me that a customer came in with a Geiger counter and tested some of the “fresh” salmon that had just come in from the Pacific Ocean. The butcher said the customer got a hgh reading and turned around and walked out. :-)I think there is more to Taurine than meets the eye. I know it may have saved my life on at least one occasion after I found out through some testing I did on myself with the world’s most advanced LONGEVITY Nutrition BioSurvey via my Zyto ELITE technology. :-)Is there also a possibility that the Japanese may have some sort of immunity against these neuro-toxins after a few thousand years of eating a plant based diet with fish?I suppose anything is possible. :-)Pick a typical sushi dinner apart. Put the fish on one side and the rice and veggies on the other. 1/4 to 3/4 ratio.Dr.Kirk MacAnsh, yes, Japanese live long lives but the interesting fact is that in the last 20 years the mountain men have been living the longest, while mountain women took the lead about 5 years ago. Okinawa people were number 1 in longevity when they were eating as per what Mr.Toxin mentioned below, in 1950!!!! Do you know that MacDonald was introduced in Japan in 1967 and also early on in Okinawa? So the kids and parents switched their preferences from traditional healthy food to the new and appealing playground having American imported fast food restaurants. The result, 60 years later: Okinawa loses the lead in longevity for both men and women. Nagano prefecture, with no access to the sea is number one in man and women longevity. But again, the difference is small.Thanks for your good thoughts…. The “Blue Zones” are changing… and narrowing. :-(Plant-based diabetes pre-diabetes help!!!I’m finding that if I eat a diet of beans and grains and fruit and plant vegetables my blood sugar goes up high and stays up for 4 hours if I am sedentary, but if I go for a walk – 45 minutes – rest for a while, and then do more physical activity off and on for next few hours, BS levels stay normal and low for the entire four hours.Is it normal not to be able to eat a bowl of beans and barley and steamed greens and not be able to go back to work (sitting down for hours on end) and get my BS levels down without constantly exercising after each meal?I assume humans are designed to be in motion. Sedentary work not normal I guess. Anyone here – including Dr. Greger, who can help me understand this I would be thrilled to read your advice. I do wonder if I will develop diabetes if I continue to eat my plant-based foods (low in fat) and don’t take up the exercise routine.Go to postings under the Greger video “How Fatty Foods May Affect Our Love Lives” and look at the comments that some of us have made on this. Lots of info to share there that will help you!Even if I eat low fat I am dependent on lots of exercise. Is this normal to have to exercise after every meal for vegans in order to keep blood sugar stable?This site recommends for diabetes hibiscus tea, flax seed meal, amla, beans, and cinnamon. Dr. Greger said that a teaspoon of cinnamon a day can bring blood sugar down to normal levels, but only the specific toxic variety, if it helps, he has recommended cinnamon elsewhere. He has a video which said that amla is effective as the leading prescription without the side effects. Whole grains like whole grain rice can reduce your risk of diabetes by 18 percent, Dr. Greger said in one video, and so could be useful in treating or limiting it. Whole grain rice is available at Walmart or in Minute Rice form at most grocery stores. Many medicines have pre-diabetes as a side effect. Fenugreek can cause weight loss which can limit the effect of diabetes. Amla http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/ Lifestyle Intervention http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/ Lifestyle as medicine http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/ Dr. Greger shows that the Vegan diet is effective at treating diabetes after just two weeks. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/How Fatty Foods May Affect Our Love Lives http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/28/how-fatty-foods-may-affect-our-love-life/martygobi , i have the same very problems. if i eat starches which are supposed to keep me full my sugar level goes up and i start feeling bad without physical activity thereafter. if i eat leafy greens the sugar is significantly lower but that way i have to eat very often bc it doesn’t keep me full long enough.if you or someone find an appropriate solution and share it that would be much appreciated! Oherwise I have to eat dairy and eggs as they have little carbs and i don’t feel that feverish with high sugar in my blood after after meals :(What starches are you consuming?Dr G has a video on sedentary work and mentioned treadmill desks.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/You can make your own if you are handy with an old treadmill.You can also just put your chair on top of your desk to make a standing desk!martygobi: Have you read the book, “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The scientifically proven system for reversing diabetes without drugs”? The diet is high in bean and grains and veggies, BUT many of the people in the clinical trial were able to get off most or all of their diabetes drugs AND the program did not require specific exercise. (Which isn’t to say that exercise isn’t great and important.) And their cholesterol levels went down, so that they didn’t have to worry about statins. If your diet is truly in line with the diet in the book (and the devil is in the details!), the data suggests that you wouldn’t get diabetes. If you are interested, here is the book, with recipes in the back!: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420244493&sr=1-1&keywords=dr.+neal+barnard%27s+program+for+reversing+diabetesIt’s very affordable and I suspect that many libraries carry it. Good luck!I appreciate the suggestion.There are some great recipe books (also available on kindle) for Plant based(vegan) & diabetic /pre-diabetes on online book stores that you may find helpful. Having portions which are no bigger than the size of my fist, and grazing several times per day instead of having 3 square meals worked quite well too. Making the time to walk at least twice per day in the morning before breakfast and after dinner (30 – 40 mins) and work-out sessions with weights (short/frequent workout routine)also helped. Good luck.Thank you for the exercise advice. I’ll do it.My apologies …In my haste I typed “no bigger than the size of my fist” – I meant the portion for beans or starch .but for other vegetables and fruit I consume whatever portion I can without feeling too full. I avoid pumpkin because of the high G.I.Wow! I don’t even know what to say or think. Could fish I ate years ago before become vegan be the culprit of the crazy energy crashes I am privileged to experience from time to time?Is the potassium sorbate listed on the label of my soy sauce just another way of saying polysorbate 80?All his videos are amazing but there is an ulterior motive that has nothing to do with health. He is an animal rights advocate and commonly leaves out contrary evidence when it does not suit his arguments.What contrary evidence are you talking about? Please, give us the facts, show us the links to studies you’re talking about. Thanks in advance.Recently the USDA’s Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) removed the USDA ORAC Database for Selected Foods from the NDL website due to mounting evidence that the values indicating antioxidant capacity have no relevance to the effects of specific bioactive compounds, including polyphenols on human health. sure: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=15866“There are a number of bioactive compounds which are theorized to have a role in preventing or ameliorating various chronic diseases such as cancer, coronary vascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. However, the associated metabolic pathways are not completely understood and non-antioxidant mechanisms, still undefined, may be responsible. ORAC values are routinely misused by food and dietary supplement manufacturing companies to promote their products and by consumers to guide their food and dietary supplement choices.A number of chemical techniques, of which Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) is, one, were developed in an attempt to measure the antioxidant capacity of foods. The ORAC assay measures the degree of inhibition of peroxy-radical-induced oxidation by the compounds of interest in a chemical milieu. It measures the value as Trolox equivalents and includes both inhibition time and the extent of inhibition of oxidation. Some newer versions of the ORAC assay use other substrates and results among the various ORAC assays are not comparable. In addition to the ORAC assay, other measures of antioxidant capacity include ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and trolox equivalence antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays. These assays are based on discrete underlying mechanisms that use different radical or oxidant sources and therefore generate distinct values and cannot be compared directly.There is no evidence that the beneficial effects of polyphenol-rich foods can be attributed to the antioxidant properties of these foods. The data for antioxidant capacity of foods generated by in vitro (test-tube) methods cannot be extrapolated to in vivo (human) effects and the clinical trials to test benefits of dietary antioxidants have produced mixed results. We know now that antioxidant molecules in food have a wide range of functions, many of which are unrelated to the ability to absorb free radicals.For these reasons the ORAC table, previously available on this web site has been withdrawn.”You make the above statement based on the antioxidant chart being removed? This video has nothing to do with antioxidants. That being said, this is the most important part of your post.“ORAC values are routinely misused by food and dietary supplement manufacturing companies to promote their products and by consumers to guide their food and dietary supplement choices.” Supplements are the key here. Companies take advantage and make pills to “supplement” our diets.If everyone who owned a dog, cat, bird, fish, hen, rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, gerbel, ferret, racoon, possum, lizzard, snake, turtle, horse, goat , llama, or duck, or whatever, were somehow prejudiced in their views and thus not qualified to make such comments – well, there would be no blogosphere, no newspaper editorials, no…..errr……wait……I temporarily forgot…….I own a yellow lab, I’d better say no more………………………………………………..Your argument makes no sense. It is possible to own an animal and have unbiased views about diet.You misunderstand – that’s exactly the point I was making, somewhat facetiously.PS – And to be more clear: your above comment therefore, unintentionally, some might say, by extension, agrees with my ‘pet’ premise above that it is possible to be “an animal rights advocate” in Dr. Greger’s case (though I have no idea if he is or not) (but in my example above; be a pet owner who by assumption presumably loves pets/animals) and still be objective in presenting ‘whatever’ studies. I appreciate your right to voice your belief, and your courage in doing so, but I don’t see your critique acting in Dr. Greger’s work at all. Your dog may not agree with me, probably preferring to consume a rare steak over black bean curd with oregano sprinkled on it, but he doesn’t get a vote, or in his/her case a ‘WOOF’. LOL. Peace.It isn’t possible to have unbiased views about diet. Food is a cultural force. It’s central to most of our lives.Identifying that, and trying to avoid defensive reactions is critical if you are trying to do research into nutrition. Don’t try to defend your beliefs… instead suspend them and consider others point of view. It’s a better way to live life.Ima44: I disagree. Dr. Greger doesn’t bother us with invalid information or information that doesn’t fit the body of scientific evidence. But that is not the same as leaving out actual good evidence. I think Dr. Greger does a good job of addressing this criticism on the FAQ page. Check out the section titled: “Why does the site seem biased against certain foods?” http://nutritionfacts.org/faqWow Thea, great link. I am surprised I haven’t even glanced at the FAQ page in my years with NF. I like that tobacco reference and the studies FOR tobacco analogy.Toxins: I agree. I asked Dr. Greger to address this particular criticism in the FAQ page, and he not only did it very well, but also very succinctly. Ever since the new site went up, I’ve been dying for someone to post this criticism in just such a way that it would make sense for me to point out the FAQ section. I’m grateful for Ima44’s post for that reason. :-)What contrary evidence would you point to? Please do shareHi Toxins–Happy New Year! She seems to be upset about Dr Greger using the antioxidents chart to rate foods. I am not sure what that has to do with fish but that is ok. I think it was appropriate for the USDA to remove that list. Supplement manufacturers probably were using that link to sell their products.From what I’ve observed Dr. Greger always notes conflicts of interest regardless of bias. That you are aware of his activism proves the point – nothing to hide.Examples please of omitted contrary evidence.Dr. Greger,Is it reasonable to consider the possibility that the microalgae Ciguatera toxins that grow on seaweed and other surfaces also buildup on blue green algae and spirulina and contribute to those making people sick when they ingest them as supplements? (And this may account, at least in part, for why those make people ill neurologically?) Perhaps at least contributing to sub clinical levels of mass cases of illnesses? And because they’re sub clinical illness levels this phenomena has never been medically recognized? Potentially, this then could account for many forms of illness over mass populations (especially as more and more yard pesticide runoffs into lakes contributes to algae growth?) Since it’s a microalgae wouldn’t it be even more susceptible to being aerosolized and thus spreading out into the larger population around lakes? (see Scientific American article below regarding lakes and aerosolization of algae). I realize this is considered a sub-tropical blight, but perhaps not in the warmer Northern months or warmer areas?After all – if you can get it just by swimming – why not in this manner also? – Or just by living near lakes as it gets aerosolized? (see FYI below).JMFYI – Re: Dr. Greger’s warnings to avoid spirulina and blue green algae – once again confirmed herein. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-algae-blooms-linked-to-lou-gehrig-s-disease/Since the meltdown of the nuclear reactor in Japan a few years ago that polluted the Pacific ocean with nuclear waste, the fish now around Japan would be best avoided. After the melt down from the tsunami, indicators in Hawaii had a 18000% increase for nuclear waste. Please read http://www.drapsley.com All the best and God blessFor students of human prehistoric migration:Rongo, T., Bush, M., & Van Woesik, R. (2009). Did ciguatera prompt the late Holocene Polynesian voyages of discovery?. Journal of biogeography, 36(8), 1423-1432.So many people suffering from chronic fatigue could be suffering from this. How horrible!Here’s an interesting “twist”… Meat “sugar”!http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/new-connection-between-red-meat-and-cancer/ar-BBhoY8nNeu5gc has featured on this site.I find difficult to stay away from fish because a “report” at this one, I have eaten fish for years, lots of friends, family, neighbors, thousands of people in my area eat fish in all kind of preparations, eat it raw is common, I have seen not a single case of anyone being sick as a result. Probably the algae that produces ciguatera is not present in the area I live (yucatan, Mexico), in any case it would be good complement of this video to show where is the algae is known to be present, where the known cases took place and any extra info that helps avoiding fish from that origin. The author mention red snapper and grouper as the varieties that can carry the desease whereas most other sources mention barracuda as the only variety that transmit ciguatera, evidently more research has to be done.There are other reasons to stay away from fish that affect everyone. Please see here http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=fishDr. Greger would you mind commenting on the recent study by Dr. Bert Vogelstein from Johns Hopkins about how cancer is all just random chance and lifestyle doesn’t matter. The journalists name was Will Dunham and it was published by Reuters. I believe this is irresponsible journalism as it gives people permission to get their bacon could cheeseburger!¿Hi there Dr. Greger, I wrote a question in one of your youtube videos…. I know, I know this qestion has nothing to do with this specific subjec, but hey, it’s all connected to food so here it is….:I wanted to ask you a serious question, that I probably already know the answer about, but i do want a more specific answer to: I am a vegan (luckily because of you) yet my boyfriend and his kids are not… His kids, 7 and 10 are like the American (no offense to Americans..) kids in Jamie Oliver’s tv series that have Noo idea what a tomato looks like or god forbid spinach… They eat mostly mostly breast chicken (with no oil salt or pepper), chicken wings that are already peppered from the supermarket, clean white pasta with tuna (and the oil of the tuna) or with heavy cream, french fries and also eating out McDonalds, drink a lot of juice (that one you don’t even put in the fridge it can stay outside…), eat juck like cerious, candy, olives in salt, Cheese (a lot of fatty cheese…Italians…) kinder delice….. junk junk junk. Anyways… MY QUESTION ISWhere do they go from here? kids that their menu looks just like that? how long can they keep on going? Oh p.s one kid 10 y/o is a bit overweight and the little one, 7 y/o is actually underweight (he’s teeth are startign to fall out just now)Coral: You are in a difficult position, and you are not alone. We see posts here all the time from people who are trying to eat healthy themselves, but who are surrounded by loved ones who have terrible diets. It is particularly difficult when the people being discussed are children.I don’t fully understand your question. No one knows how long a person “can keep going” on a terrible diet. We see example of people who manage to make it decades. And some who are no so luck. But a bad diet usually catches up with people at some point.But if your question is: Can anything be done? I would say, “yes”. At 7 and 10, it is not too late! But unless the kids have adults in their lives who will help them change to a healthier diet, they are certainly not going to change on their own. And I’m guessing that you have limited influence. So, if you real question is, “What can I do about it?”, then I think the best you can do is little things like: Continue to be a good role model. Encourage the kids to taste healthy food. Sneak healthy food into less healthy food. (Dr. Greger has a video about sneaking extra veggies into sauces and how changing the names of healthy food can make kids eat more of it.) Etc. It’s not much. And you have to be careful not to cross boundaries that will get you in trouble with biological parents. But I think it is all you can do. Actually, I guess one other thing you can do is try to educate the biological parents. Showing some of the videos on this site might help. But if there is no interest in learning, then again, there is not much you can do.Not sure if I answered your question, but I hope that helps. Good luck!It’s scary how much geography this toxin covers, all tropical waters, according to the map shown on: http://floatingdoctors.com/uncategorized/ciguatera-poisoning/So I’ve read a lot of the comments here and there is no mention of treatment or detox. Is there no way to neutralize or counteract these toxins? Do they just live on in your body forever?Fish seems to “work” for LaPallo (or at least did work prior to the entire Pacific ocean becoming radioactive from Fukoshima).http://naturalsociety.com/110-year-old-man-says-5-foods-essential-longevity/?utm_source=Natural+Society&utm_campaign=2da30ff699-Email+638%3A+1%2F2%2F2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f20e6f9c84-2da30ff699-324115869http://bardofely.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-have-a-long-life-according-to-109-year-old-Bernando-LaPalloDr. Greger, this video opens up the possibility of fish oil DHA supplements possibly containing ciguatera, does it not? And there are lots of other supplements that use fish innards for “inactive” ingredients. I wonder if they even test for ciguatera in these supplements, as often they do not even list on the label the source of “inactive” fish ingredient, just that it was sourced from fish.And farmed raised salmon possibly being fed fish pellets from fish that had ciguatera? Interesting possibility, no?Thank you, Dr. Greger, for posting another video about CFS. I’m a CFS sufferer, going on 7 years now, and I’m grateful when doctors treat this debilitating condition with respect and when they work to raise awareness. I don’t think that I was ever exposed to red snapper or grouper, but who knows. I hope that you’ll keep your eye on CFS in the medical literature and share with us any little thing that we CFS folks can do to get even pieces of our life back. Anything we can do to get, say, 10% or 15% of our old energy back really can mean the world for us, and most of us seem to adopt this kind of piecemeal strategy to dealing with our condition. Thanks again for this and for everything you do, Dr. G.Our bodies can heal themselves if they are given what they need and if we get our gallbladder, liver, kidneys and bowel cleaned. If you are not clean in these organs it’s helpful to go to the vegan foods. Organic vegetables would be the best to start helping but when your clogged it takes forever. Just a suggestion but check out The Herb Doc website and read his blogs. A little expensive but hey, we’re only talking about your health, it’s worth the try I feel. Good luck to you allFYI – I would not suggest anyone to go vegan if they are healthy with a balanced diet and minimal red meats, chicken and fish but if you do contract a disease or syndrome then YES, vegan would be the best way. Another study that was interesting. Stay away from hydrogenated oils (vegetable which is just soy (all history shows no consumption of it only used as a condiment on occasion and not a lot at that), canola (rape seed-poisonous) and only use coconut, grape, peanut and extra virgin olive oil. All soy based products-which is in everything packaged, corn, and wheat-which is in everything packaged are not healthy. All three if not Certified Organic are genetically altered and are most of the cause of diseases because the whole food has been changed from its original good source of nutrition to not being able to be used by your body. Soy is recommended by the medical establishment due to the protein but you can get loads of protein from lentils. Soy is associated with all kinds of bad health because it acts as false estrogen in our systems. How many of us, men and women, need more estrogen? LOL Research, research and research again on everything that you are told before you do it if possible.Lets hope we find a way to get these toxins OUT of the body or mitigate the effects. As someone suffering from chronic fatigue can attest to it not being a barrel of laughs. Will defiantly be keeping an eye out over the next 10 years to see what happens with research in this area.	AMA,brain health,CDC,chronic fatigue syndrome,ciguatera,cooking methods,depression,fish,food poisoning,foodborne illness,mental health,neurotoxins,New York City,pain,pets,polymyositis,seafood,sexual health,sexual transmission,zoonotic disease	The effects of the neurotoxins that can contaminate fish like red snapper and grouper can last for decades.	Many more are killed by more conventional food poisoning bugs (Chicken Salmonella Thanks to Meat Industry Lawsuit), but isn’t that crazy? Reminds me of my Amnesic Seafood Poisoning video.Other neurotoxin videos include Preventing Parkinson’s Disease With Diet and Essential Tremor and Diet.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-city/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polymyositis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-transmission/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ama/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ciguatera/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3463853/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1898267,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23800938,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11078162,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8843579,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7667980,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24093307,
PLAIN-2503	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/	Preventing Crohn’s Disease With Diet	Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects more than a million Americans, an inflammatory bowel disease in which your body attacks your own intestines. There is currently no known cure for Crohn’s disease and current research focuses on controlling symptoms. There is no definitive medical or surgical therapy. In fact, the best we have is a semivegetarian diet, which has afforded the best relapse prevention to date. They got the idea to try it because diets rich in animal protein and animal fat have been found to cause a decrease in beneficial bacteria in the intestine, and so they designed this semivegetarian diet to counter that, and 100% stayed in remission the first year and 92% the second year. These results are far better than those obtained by current drugs, including these new so-called biological agents that can cost $40,000 a year, and cause progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a disabling and deadly brain disease, whereas with diet you may get greens stuck in your teeth or something, but it’s worth it because it appear to work better.But what about preventing Crohn’s disease in the first place? Well a systematic review of the scientific literature on dietary intake and the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease, found that high intakes of fats and meat was associated with an increased risk of Crohn’s disease, as well as ulcerative colitis, whereas high fiber and fruit intakes were associated with decreased risk of Crohn’s. This was supported more recently by the Harvard Nurse’s Health Study. Three million person years of data revealed that long-term intake of dietary fiber, particularly from fruit, was associated with lower risk of Crohn’s disease. Women who fell into in the highest long-term fiber consumption group had a 40% reduced risk leading the accompanying editorial to conclude that advocating for a high-fiber diet may ultimately reduce the incidence of Crohn’s disease. The irony is that the highest fiber group weren’t even eating the official recommended daily minimum of fiber intake, but even just being less fiber deficient has a wide range of benefits, including, evidently a significant reduction in the risk of developing Crohn’s disease, but why? The authors suggest it’s because fiber appears to play a vital role in the maintenance of our intestinal barrier function.Our skin keeps the outside world, outside, and so does the lining of out gut, but in Crohn’s disease this barrier function is impaired. You can see it under an electron microscope the tight junctions between the intestinal cells have all sorts of little holes and breaks. The thought is that the increase in prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases may be that dietary changes lead to the breakdown of our intestinal barrier, potentially allowing the penetration of bacteria into our gut wall, which are body then attacks, triggering the inflammation.We know fiber acts as a prebiotic in our colon, the large intestine, feeding our good bacteria, but what does fiber do in our small intestine, where Crohn’s often starts? We didn’t know, until this landmark study was published. They wanted to find out what could stop this Crohn’s associated invasive bacteria from tunneling into the gut wall. They found that the invasion is inhibited by the presence of certain soluble plant fibers, such as from plantains and broccoli at the kinds of concentrations one might expect after eating them. They wonder if that may explain why plantain loving populations have lower levels of inflammatory bowel disease. But they also found that there was something found in processed foods that facilitated the invasion of the bacteria. Polysorbate 80, found predominantly in ice cream, but also found in Crisco, Cool Whip, condiments, cottage cheese—you just have to read the labels.What about maltodextrin? Found in artificial sweeteners like Splenda, snack foods, salad dressings, and fiber supplements. Maltodextrin markedly enhanced the ability of the bacteria to glom onto our intestinal cells, though other additives, carboxy-methyl cellulose and xanthan gum appeared to have no adverse effects.But this may all help solve the mystery of the increasing prevalence of Crohn’s disease in developed nations, where we’re eating less fiber-containing whole plant foods and more processed foods. What we need now are interventional studies to see if boosting fiber intake and avoiding these food additives can be effective in preventing and treating Crohn’s disease. But until then what do we tell people? The available evidence points to a diet low in animal fat, with lots of soluble fiber containing plant foods, and avoiding processed fatty foods that contain these emulsifiers, as well as making sure you’re not ingesting traces of dishwashing detergent, which could have the same effect, by just rinsing dishes well. They found that some people wash dishes and then just leave them to dry without rinsing, which is probably not a good idea. Now do we have studies that show that avoiding polysorbate 80 and rinsing dishes well actually helps? No. Nevertheless, advice based on ‘best available evidence’ is better than no advice at all.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	Great video! Controlling a serious disease just by changing your diet to a mainly plant based diet, instead of taking drugs where you risk progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Given the choice most patients would probably prefer broccoli over hazardous medication.I’d probably disagree with that…I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked to who turn their nose up and even get angry when you mention dietary changes (and I’ve been med free for 2 years with diet and supplements). The problem is that their doctors tell them that diet has nothing to do with it and load them up with medications.And we really shouldn’t be surprised to learn that diet has EVERYTHING to do with it! How could the food we take in every day for life, not greatly impact our health….?Also the business end of the medical / health industry has a profound impact on decisions made for public health since it has become incredibly profitable. I don’t see the current system going away any time soon…WHAT A SHAME!!!!!!However, most people who are not in remission in Crohn’s can NOT eat high fiber diets. What can you tell them to do?I believe the general recommendation to avoid animal products still stands; lower-fiber foods while in a flare (like skinned potatoes or skinned sweet potatoes) are great options; so are blended salads and smoothies.Yes i agree. Eating lower fiber plant foods will still provide the fibers needed to protect/heal the lining of the gut. Plus if that is done and animal products are avoided, then it will help. Try telling to consume less animal fat and protein all together.Are organic corn corn chips ok to include in a healthy plant-based diet? Even the organic store-bought corn chips are fried, and the frying process heats sunflower oil and/or canola oil to very high temperatures, and for long times, in order to make the chips. Is there any science that shows that eating foods derived from frying these vegetable oils is harmful to us? Do they alter in a bad way our macrobiome? Do you ever indulge in servings of corn chips, Dr. Greger? Anyone else out there include these, or avoid at all costs?Frying foods always destroys oils, producing highly reactive substances that wreak havoc in our bodies. These damaged oils literally fry our arteries. Even before frying, the refined oils themselves are already quite damaged from the multi-step process of extracting the oil from seeds. http://simplicityofwellness.com/2012/03/trash-the-vegetable-oil/Interesting. I also see elsewhere that some people feel oils such as coconut oil are safe to fry (stable, not deranged by high-heat/extraction) but coconut oil has way too much fat for me. I like the idea of Dr. Greger’s below….the lightly toasted sprouted corn tortillas.What I do is lightly toast (organic sprouted yellow) corn tortillas–taste better than fried and healthier too! Give it a try and let me know what you think.Oh this sounds tasty. Such a cool idea. I’ll try these soon.Are you adverse to the occasional fried tortilla, taco shell, etc. when these sprouted gems are not what is being served? Or do you avoid 100% the traditional fried tortillas, taco shells, etc.?same can be done with pita bread and flour tortillas ( I usually use the oven for big batches).Link where to buy these?We like Food For Life Organic Sprouted Corn Tortillas. http://www.foodforlife.com/product/tortillas/sprouted-corn-tortillasThanks!yes, I’ve seen these sprouted corn tortillas at Whole Foods by the way…and have bought them a few times…I do like their store brand 365 organic yellow corn tortillas which are only $1.19 per pkg too!Thank you for sharing! I’ve taken particular interest in this data, since I have Crohn’s disease, and have found the same recommendations when I’ve done my own research:http://www.veganostomy.ca/2014/06/diet-and-ibd-what-the-research-says.html http://www.veganostomy.ca/2014/06/environmental-risk-factors-for-ibd.htmlIn light of this data, it seems counterproductive for people with IBD to go on paleo or similar high-meat, low-fiber diets (which are VERY common diets among IBD’ers). I am optimistic that current and future research will shed more light on this topic.The three folks I know with Crohn’s all got it after turning vegan, and went into remission after adopting an essentially paleo diet. I think it depends on the individual.They would make for an interesting case study. Were they all whole-food vegans? How long were they vegan before they developed IBD?The benefits I’ve seen from people who go on paleo-type diets (to help with their Crohn’s/Ulcerative Colitis) is often due to the fact that they don’t eat junk food, not because they are eating more meat. I’d be interested in knowing what their long-term outcomes are in the next 5, 10 or 15 years.One of the people was vegan for 15 years and developed Crohn’s a couple years later. Yes, whole foods. The other folks were both veg whole foods, one for a year or two, the other for 5-10 years. They are all now in remission on a paleo diet. I myself am vegan, and I know turning veg has helped others, but after seeing my friends’ intense suffering come to a screeching halt within a few weeks of eating paleo, I have come to believe it really depends on the individual – as much as I hate to admit.I wonder what factor plays a role in this, since the science is contradicting their outcome. Unfortunately, since there are likely many factors that contribute to Crohn’s, it’s hard to say why someone would have those experiences, it seems very unlikely that someone would develop Crohn’s within a “couple of years” from starting a whole food, plant based diet, and there are usually symptoms that show up many years before an official diagnosis is made, which would mean their illness began well before they became vegan.In my case, I went vegan in 2000 (wholeheartedly a junk-food vegan for the first 8 years!) and was officially diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2008, but looking back – all the back from birth to my teen years, I could see that something was wrong with my digestive system and it took a very long time for those problems to manifest into full blown CD.I believe from personal experience with crohns and trying to do get better naturally, the reason people may get better on paleo is not really because its “better” but the simple fact about 25% of people with crohns are also celiac. Paleo cuts out grains, if you have crohns and are following a whole foods plant based diet, also go gluten free..VeganOstomy: Best of luck with your condition. I hope you are able to beat it.Thank you =) I don’t know if I can “beat” this type of illness, but I’m certainly making an effort to keep myself in the best health possible, and the information that Dr. Greger provides is invaluable to this process!I have developed Crohns disease while being on 100% vegan diet one year ago. But 8 months ago I had to start eating meat because vetables and fruit past throu me undegested and starch was to blouty. Now that I have stoped inflamation with havy medication I am going back on vegan diet. I will report my experiance.Thanks Henrik, I would love to hear about your experience as you progress. I feel it may be rather informative.I was diagnosed with mild to moderate Crohn’s colitis in 2009. For a number of reasons, it has never been medically treated. But I went vegan in 2010 and after two years or trial and error with extremely serious occasional flare-ups (up to 30 visit to the toilet with a lot of red and tarred blood) I have been able to achieve complete healing with no flare-ups in two and a half years. When I first started researching my condition, I found that the European consensus on Crohn’s recommended low-fibre diet. I was intuitive enough to stick to my gut instincts. And it was a wise decision. A vegan-diet (supplemented with B12) is, from my personal experience, the right choice to heal yourself. I have colonoscopy and histolopathology data from 2009; I haven’t seen a doctor for 6 years; and should I ever decide to do a colonoscopy at 50 or 60 I’m thinking of posting the data online for everyone to see that a whole plant food-based diet works. You can not just maintain remission – you can achieve remission!And just to clarify – I follow a very high-fibre diet with lots of greens, beans, lentils, fruit, berries, nuts, dried herbs, and spices..Maku, thanks for sharing your experience so that others may benefit. I wish you continued good health.Maku: I second KWD’s comment. Great post! Thanks for taking the time to share.It may not have been Crohn’s disease. It may have been Celiac Disease which is another autoimmune disease but is caused from wheat. Many people that go vegan/vegetarian experience gut issues because they start eating a lot more wheat and never realized that they were allergic before hand.The decision to go vegan wasn’t a calculated one. It was purely intuitive. I had no access to medical care. So I had to figure out how to live with it. The first two years or so were the most difficult ones. I had long periods of very restricted diet – one or two types of grain, oatmeal and nothing else. It took years to slowly introduce a wide variety of foods into my diet. And everything is fine now. I must also thank Dr Greger for his website because it emboldened me to be more adventurous with my diet. And it also might saved my life as I wasn’t properly supplementing my diet with B12 in the first 3 years and started developing bad symptoms – it’s the shortness of breath that reignited my interest in looking at nutritional information. And I came across this website. All problems solved now.To Justin Bosley and his celiac comments – I can only say that the Crohn’s diagnosis was made at the respectable John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, UK – the gastroscopy results (with multiple biopsies) were fine. And I like and eat grains including wheat, rye, and the like from time to time.Maku, can you contact me? You haven’t setup a profile, so I can’t reach you directly, but I’d love to ask you a few questions about your decision to go vegan and your Crohn’s disease.I got your message, but the email fails. Can you email me directly please?I think this is highly dependent on the individual. I know three people who got Crohn’s AFTER turning vegan – yes, whole vegan foods only. They are now in remission after returning to eating meat and greens and some fruit – no grains, sugar, starchy foods, etc. They all wish they could stay vegan, but they just can’t.It may not have been Crohn’s disease. It may have been Celiac Disease which is another autoimmune disease but is caused from wheat. Many people that go vegan/vegetarian experience gut issues because they start eating a lot more wheat and never realized that they were allergic before handI know what celiac is, and it was not celiac for at least two cases. Two tried at various points to eliminate soy, wheat, sugar, etc. Nothing helped. I realize anecdotal stories cannot negate science and that was not my intention. I was just sharing my experience of a few incidences where a vegan diet did not help, and in fact, seemed to trigger GI problems.I think that you are making an excellent point here. The symptoms and severity of Crohn’s is highly individual. I work as a registered dietitian in an IBD clinic. Many of my clients have similar complaints, while others experience drastically opposite ones. The point I am trying to make is that it all depends on the person. While challenging, I often recommend an elimination diet and slowly introduce each food back in. Paying attention to symptoms during this time is crucial. This video provides even more information on dietary treatment of Crohn’s Disease. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/I don’t think a diet like this would help someone like me that has a Fructose Malapsorption. Some of the veggies that this doctor that says is good to eat(like broccoli) give me abdominal cramping and cause bloating.There should be plenty of plant-based foods to eat, even with fructose malabsorption issues. Have you spoken to a dietitian who specializes in plant-based diets and IBD?I’ve spoken to a dietician about my fructose malabsorption but not going vegetarian.The list of recommended veggies lists 10 different ones and also lists salad greens. I’d go crazy on a diet that was that restricted.Yeah, sometimes those lists are fairly generic and are meant to be well tolerated by the greatest number of people. If you notice similarities between those 10, perhaps you can expand on them on your own.Dear Dr. Gregor–Thank-you for all your excellent work here and for discussing the results of these new studies on Crohn’s disease and nutrition in this video.An important question still remains: What should patients who are experiencing a Crohn’s flare up to do while it lasts? Despite being a long-term vegan (WHPB), I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease four years ago and was able to control my symptoms until a recent and severe flare up. It became impossible for me at that time to consume high-fiber (and raw) fruits and vegetables. What would you recommend that IBD sufferers do when they have a flare up? I am echoing several other members’ questions when I ask this, and I cannot seem to find your response to this question on the site so far. It would be immensely helpful to have your thoughts and advice.Thank-you!Dr. C.Z. KrzakowskiI’m not sure there is a correct answer that fits everyone. I would recommend trying the approach suggested in Dr. McDougall’s December 2002 newsletter article, Diet for the Desperate. It contains no raw foods and eliminates plants that can cause problems. Here is the link… http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/021200pudiet.htm Good luck hope things settle down for you.I echo that recommendation to check out Dr. McDougall’s elimination diet. When I was flaring, skinless potatoes and white rice were all I could handle, and high-fiber foods came well after that. I also tend to focus on smoothies, soups or broths for nutrients when roughage was difficult to handle.Thanks so much!Thanks for your response and for this link, Dan. Very helpful.Dr. Greger has shown that vegans are more likely to have more regular and bigger bowel movements, and that this digestive activity has health benefits.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/In this, video, Dr. Greger shows that colon cancer triples with smaller sized bowel movementshttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/In this video, Dr. Greger shows that “Vegans for example were about 3 times more likely to have daily BMs”Eating more fiber to increase bowel size can improve health. I am glad to hear that the semi-vegetarian here is shown to be a cure for Crohn’s disease with 100 percent remission in the first year and 92 percent remission in the second year. I am glad that is available to me in the future, should I have digestive health problems or this autoimmune disorder ever.Semi-vegetarian, and even vegetarian, is not VEGAN.I just read an interesting report Dec 23 2014 About roundup killing gut bacteria,and half of the children being autistic by 2025.http://www.anh-usa.org/half-of-all-children-will-be-autistic-by-2025-warns-senior-research-scientist-at-mit/print/I read a couple of weeks ago that 80% of conventionally grown wheat is sprayed with Roundup just before harvest to increase crop yields. I’ve put wheat on my list of edibles that need to always be organic.Yeah it looks like buying organic is pretty important even if just to stay away from roundup. I already limited my bread intake, I guess I’ll also look for an organic loaf for the freezer. Buying organic is not easy for me living in a rural area, plus in a unhealthy state in general. Might have to move to California..lol I’m lucky to get organic carrots and sometimes broc with the crowns already turning yellow….grr But thanks to the good work and info of Dr Greger and his team and eating mostly plant based whole foods I was able to get rid of the arthritis in my knees that gave me problems for 15 yrs climbing stairs and mowing the lawn. So that’s a big improvement for me.Snopes.com addressed this rumor.Moreover, no no GM wheat is commercially grown in the United States. Compared to animal feed (corn, soybean) and cash crops (cotton), there’s never been much demand.I am going with MAP virus as the cause of Crohn’s. My daughter had a small bowel stricture resected last January that, beforehand, was assumed to be Crohn’s. They kept trying to bend her symptoms to fit but with our WFPBD, I couldn’t believe she had inflammation. None found tip to tail.Has your daughter tested positive for MAP? There are anti-map therapies, and even an anti-map vaccine being developed, which could help if she in indeed positive for MAP.Did get a lot of my info from Crohnsforum.com. Do hope that the MAP research/vaccine project keeps going. Also had input from geneticist microbiologist friend in NZ where they acknowledge the MAP problem. There they do the best available tests for MAP, not generally available here. So, I buy that my daughter has had exposure to MAP and perhaps the beastie made a nest in her Jejunum resulting in a thickening and narrowing as her body fought it. In any case, it has been cut out and won’t be bothering her again -much to the consternation of her medical team!ToBeAlive – Can you advise where I can reference more info on MAP Virus please? I am coming up with nothing using most isearches.http://www.redhillbio.com/product-pipeline/rhb-104/ are developing treatment/prevention based on the work of Professor Thomas Borody. That’s the name to watch!Now I understand it is mycobacterium avium, it is not a virus (thus no vaccine). Interesting hypothesis. I am looking for a root cause in an individual that was caring for a cancer patient (immunocompromised from chemo and radiotherapy) who had acquired mycobacterium avium intracellulare that a rough course of antibiotics could not remove and remained as a constant residual infection. Could this individual have picked it up from this person? A bit of a stretch, and also that gut issues are mediated by the mycobacterium avium complex not just MAP. I hope your daughter is doing well. Surgery would not necessarily have eliminated MAP as you know, so a positive MAP diagnosis would still be necessary. The individual I am looking at has just completed a course of antibiotics prescribed by his gastroenterologist and a few weeks on has developed three additional food intolerances! Where did I hear about this antibiotic “side-benefit” before? This whole field of gut health is a minefield. Where to next?!So sorry to hear that! My daughter’s entire tract tip-to-tail is clear of inflammation going on a year. No other good explanation for that stricture (granular bodies present) so we will keep an eye on possible Crohn’s the rest of her life. Really believe that our naturally anti-Crohn’s lifestyle has something to do with it. She also has inherited my strong immune system which we have tested in grubby corners of the world. I agree gut health (in medicine) is a minefield. Best to research research research and find the best Dr.s out there.If I stick to a whole foods plant based diet, my ulcerative colitis is without symptoms. It appears I can make it active again most easily by eating cheese. If you have ulcerative colitis, you will know that this is a huge deal.An aside: Dr. Greger has addressed antibiotic abuse in animal agriculture in numerous venues as well as videos here. They’re also abused in human medicine – every time a patient asks for antibiotic prescriptions for viral infections like the flu. Antibiotics are as effective against beneficial bacteria that promote gut barrier integrity as they are against pathobionts, and there are interesting associations, especially in the very young, between antibiotic use and subsequent development of inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn’s (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).If Dr. Greger questions the role of polysorbate 80 in the diet and its possible connection(s) with Crohn’s disease, then please question the FDA, vaccine makers and Big Pharma why polysorbate 80, i.e., Tween 80, is an ingredient in many vaccines [Rotavirus vaccine RotaTeq; HPV vaccine Gardasil; Influenza vaccines Fluarix, Flulaval; Pneumococcal vaccine PCV13-Prevnar 13; Tdap vaccine Boostrix;] as per the FDA’s Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary published online. Polysorbate 80, therefore, is injected into children and adults! What adverse events can polysorbate 80 do when it gets into the blood stream via injection and vaccinations?Dr Greger – The mention of increased beneficial bacteria with reduced animal protein and fat caught my attention and I wonder how much further evidence/studies of this you have seen. I would appreciate any comments you have on this.I recently came across a study (albeit off the Crohn’s topic) where association between diet, exercise and positive microbiome diversity was being examined. I am aware some of these scientists are leaning towards the justification for the use of milk protein isolates for “health improvements” (cringe).http://www.natap.org/2014/HIV/Gut-2014-Clarke-gutjnl-2013-306541.pdfI have not seen enough data to know, but the supplementary data associated with this work I find a bit surprising; TNF-alpha and cytokine values so high in the < 25 BMI control relative to the elite athletes. Is this plausible? Noted of course their protein intakes are very high across the board with concomitant elevated Total cholesterol and high LDL. Interesting how the authors avoided charting the LDL at all! Surely the oxidative stress and the potentially increased inflammatory state of the athletes would get expressed in the numbers? Oh yeah, one more thing are these coefficients what pass for positive correlations today?Please see here, Dr. Greger highlights several studies showing this http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/ http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=probioticsThanks Toxins for this. The basis of my question was centred on how much we actually know, or don’t know about what is good healthy gut microbiome diversity. I am quite familiar with the area but I have the impression that some investigators bias gets the better of them and their conclusions from findings are a bit of a stretch. So when one group reports that a low or non-meat diet leads to a greater diversity of healthy bacteria, and then another attributes a greater diversity of healthy bacteria to the high consumption of animal protein, then both clearly have very different perspectives on what good is. Given that it is an emerging area of study it merits further reporting here going forward, reference Martin Blaser’s team at NYU etc.. I would still like to hear Dr. Greger’s take on the attached. ciao..and Happy New Year!Where are the subtitles?Giacomo, Just to the right of the video you’ll see the row of icons for social media and sharing tools. Just below that row of icons, if you select “View Transcript”, the full dialogue of the video will appear just below the video in your web browser. While the transcript isn’t set up to display as actual subtitles as the video runs, I hope this helps.Ok, Thank you very much. But I liked more the previous website version with the subtitles on videos.Indeed, the loss of subtitles on the Vimeo platform is a drawback. I’m not sure if you’re aware but the NutritionFacts.org YouTube channel was targeted well over a year ago and temporarily shut down. At that time, it became clear that a second platform was needed to host videos to ensure no lapse in material being available to the public. So now, videos are uploaded to both platforms.While I’m not involved with the technical aspects of the site, it seems to me that the Vimeo format is much nicer aesthetically integrated into the website because YouTube overlays annoying ads and presumably that’s why it has replaced YouTube as the prime platform embedded on the site but rest assured, you can also find the videos on YouTube with subtitles. Thanks for your understanding.Thank you.You’re quite welcome!Giacomo: Here’s my understanding: Vimeo can do the subtitles, but it takes time to set up. The staff plan to get to that step, but are still working on converting the videos to vimeo to be the default play on this site. I could have misunderstood, but I believe that you may see the subtitles again in the future. You are not the only person who likes them, so I hope it is a feature we can offer again in the future. And of course, as KWD says, we have the transcript as work-around in the mean time.Great!! Wonderful news..i was diagnosed with UC after i had been a raw vegan. now i follow paleo and am able to control my symptoms better. this seems to be the trend. get massively sick as a vegan and then improve once animal products are introduced again. makes total sense since all the research knows the benefits of low residue for our diseases.Many people can not tolerate a raw diet and it actually isn’t the healthiest.That is interesting… I was diagnosed with colitis and cancerous colon polyps in 2009. At the time I was eating high fat paleo. Lots of grass fed bison, bulletproof coffee, etc… my symptoms kept getting worse the more paleo I ate… As soon as I went low-fat plant based and cut out the animal foods and fats, my colitis went away on its own. As long as I stick to beans and greens and no animal foods my health is perfect.i’m glad you are doing better!! it’s such a toss up of what works for people. it’s like whatever you are eating when you get sick, eat the exact opposite and get better!I’ve always wondered if Omega 3:6 ratio had anything to do with crohn’s disease. I’ve been in remission for around 5 years now, and have only had one very bad flare up. I was diagnosed with moderate-severe crohn’s. Now, prior to that I tried a vegan diet for a few months, so I doubt that could really have anything to do with my flare up, I believe it was caused by stress. My diet for the past 5 years has been completely omnivorous and not as clean as I would like. Anyways, I know that Omega 3:6 ratio can cause inflammation, so if your omega 6 is very high and your ratio is way up, would you be more likely to flare? If I switched to a vegetarian or vegan diet (I would like to for ethical and health reasons), would this throw me off and possibly cause a flare up? Thanks.brydon10: I’m not a doctor and can’t say anything about crohns. But I can say that a primarily whole food vegan diet with 2 T ground flaxseeds (and maybe 1 ounce of the right kind of walnuts each day) generally has very favorable omega 3 to 6 ratios. To learn more, I recommend the following talk: From Oil to Nuts by Jeff Novick. This talk is a very comprehensive (and entertaining!) look at the topic of fats and oils, including the omega 3 to 6 ratio issue. Jeff explains how it all works on a whole plant food based diet. You can buy the talk here if you are interested: http://www.amazon.com/Oil-Nuts-Essential-Facts-Oils/dp/B003UYAQIY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421191716&sr=8-1&keywords=from+oil+to+nuts+jeffGood lucks with the crohns.I would second Thea’s recommendation about Jeff’s Oil to Nuts video. Going on a plant based diet doesn’t always lead to an “appropriate” 6:3 ration of 2 to 4:1. Some plant oils especially corn oil are very high in Omega 6’s so that some studies have shown ratio’s of 6:3 much higher than 12:1 in vegans. This is not a problem if you stick with whole foods and avoid oils. Good luck with your Crohn’s Disease. Keep tuned as the science keeps coming.While the information is interesting, I don’t believe it all. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease after being vegetarian for 17 years (vegan at the time of diagnoses and for at least three years leading up to it). A plant based diet did not help me avoid it, nor has it helped me since the diagnoses. In fact, many veggies make matters worse with my stomach. The only thing that has helped it at all has been doing juice fasts and taking daily probiotics. I know people want to believe that plant based diet is the answer to everything, but it’s not, especially when it comes to Crohn’s. It’s just not that simple… at least not for what I’ve experienced.Dr. Gregor, many thanks for this video. Are there similar studies and results on UC? Many thanks in advance.Hi Loretta, I just wanted to post this more recent video in case you didn’t see it:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/Is diet can treat genetic disorders ?I was diagnosed with Crohn’s 12 years ago. I had to have 2 bowl resections with a total of 28 inches of large and small intestines removed. They had me on a high dosage of prednisone for a long period of time and the steroids caused my hip bones to deteriorate and now I have necrosis of the hip bone and had to have a decompression done on my left hip. I’m currently 29 years old and the doctors want to do a hip replacement within the next 2-3 years and I would have to have another replacement again when I’m between 55-60 years old. The meds for Crohn’s do help but you have to be careful that it will not cause another problem.Dr. Greger-What is the difference between a leaky gut from eating animal products and crohn’s disease? Does someone have to have a leaky gut in order to receive the negative effects of animal products…for instance, is that the only way for bacteria(to cause arterial inflammation) or proteins(that cause autoimmune diseases) to get into the bloodstream?I have had Crohn’s for at least 14 years now, and currently taking Humira which I would like to stop after using it for 7 years. My current doctor will not continue to see me if I stop using biologic medication (He wanted me to use Tysabri which carries the risk of PML but I decided against it). Have any advice for my next step? I have been about 80% plant based since January with great results and would like to use the lifestyle change instead of drugs.	animal fat,animal products,animal protein,artificial sweeteners,autoimmune diseases,bile acids,brain disease,broccoli,carboxy-methyl cellulose,colon health,Crisco,Crohn's disease,dairy,dishwashing detergent,fiber,fruit,greens,gut flora,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,junk food,maltodextrin,meat,plant-based diets,plantains,Polysorbate 80,processed foods,Splenda,ulcerative colitis,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,xanthan gum	Diets centered around whole plant foods may help prevent Crohn’s disease through the benefits of fiber on the maintenance of intestinal barrier function and the avoidance of certain processed food additives such as polysorbate 80.	Here’s the video I mentioned about using a more plant-based diet to reduce the risk of relapses: Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s DiseaseI get a lot of questions about additives like polysorbate 80. I’m glad I was finally able to do a video about it. Here are some videos on some others:If you, like me, used to think all fiber was good for was helping with bowel regularity you’ll be amazed! See for example, Dr. Burkitt’s F-Word Diet.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crisco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carboxy-methyl-cellulose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polysorbate-80/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dishwashing-detergent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xanthan-gum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/splenda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maltodextrin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plantains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ulcerative-colitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crohns-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23251695,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1856677/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24063942,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21468064,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25083238,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24969285,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21542068,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21171217,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24321565,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20813719,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24913390,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23912083,
PLAIN-2504	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/	Why Do Vegan Women Have 5x Fewer Twins?	Foods of animal origin in general naturally contain hormones, but cow’s milk may be of particular concern. The hormones naturally found in even organic cow’s milk that may have played a role in the studies that found a relationship between milk and dairy products with human illnesses, such as teenagers’ acne; prostate, breast, ovarian and uterine cancers; many chronic diseases that are common in Western societies; as well as male reproductive disorders. Milk consumption has even been associated with an increased risk of early puberty and endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women, but hormonal levels in food could be particularly dangerous in the case of vulnerable populations, such as young children or pregnant women. To this critical population, even a small hormonal intake could lead to major changes in the metabolism.Children are highly sensitive to sex steroids. Because their levels of sex steroids are very low, even a small variation would account for a major change in the total activity of the involved hormone. Because no lower threshold for estrogenic action has been established, caution should be taken to avoid unnecessary exposure of fetuses and children to exogenous sex steroids, even at very low levels.In the AMA’s Pediatrics Journal recently, the Chair of Boston Children’s Hospital’s Obesity Prevention Center along with the chair of Harvard’s Nutrition department questioned dairy industry recommendations that children should drink three glasses of milk a day. Dairy milk evolved to promote the growth of grazing animals at high risk for predation when small, so needed to put on a few hundred pounds in the first few months of life. But the consequences of lifetime human exposure to the growth factors in milk have not been well studied. Milk consumption increases serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor 1, which is linked to prostate and other cancers. In addition, modern industrial methods maintain dairy cows in active milk production throughout their pregnancies, resulting in a milk supply with high levels of reproductive hormones.Pregnant cows excrete significantly higher levels of sex steroids into their milk then non-pregnant cows. The subsequent consumption of such dairy products may mean an unnecessary risk, but that could be easily avoided. But it’s not just dairy. Although dairy products are an important source of hormones, other products of animal origin must be considered as wellAll edible tissues of animal origin contain estrogen. This may explain why, in a study of over a thousand women eating plant-based diets, vegan women have a twinning rate that is one fifth that of vegetarians and omnivores.Why is that a good thing? Because twin pregnancies are risky pregnancies. Complications are more likely to occur. Many parents and physicians underestimate the negative consequences of multiple pregnancy, but women with a multiple pregnancy face greater risks for themselves and their infants. Twin babies may be 10 times more likely to die at birth.To avoid these complications, this research team writes, women attempting conception should avoid milk and dairy products.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	Good morning, This seems to be a video about IBD not twin pregnancy. Whoops.Are you sure veganrunner you watched the right one? I just watched it and it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with IBD.Vegan runner is correct. There must be a messed up link or somethingWhat is everyone else seeing?I’m seeing the intended video: Why Do Vegan Women Have 5x Fewer Twins?As long as I was requested to comment, here’s the smallest typo ever: grocer’s apostrophe in the first sentence of Doctor’s Note (“dad’s”).Fixed–thank you!Hi Dr Greger On my iPad it is showing IBD. It is a great video!It started out right, then it started talking about fiber and Crohns. Then I started it over and it was the right one.Dr. Greger: For what it’s worth, I’m seeing the correct video – the one that matches the transcript. Maybe the problem, whatever it was, has been fixed?On the iPad we are seeing the video on IBD.That’s weird, I am seeing something completely different. What I am seeing is the correct video regarding twins and estrogenic compounds and animal flesh. I am not sure what technical issues could be causing the discrepancy.Weird. I’m still seeing the fiber and Crohn’s disease video. I’m on an iPad too as others have mentioned. I have no idea what could be causing this, sorry. I’ll have to watch on a computer instead!Hi VR! What is “IBD”, please?Forget my question, I found the answer on Google.For the benefit of others…IBD = Inflammatory Bowel DiseaseThanks MacSmiley!This video is timely for me. My mother-in-law who has eaten a terrible diet with tons of dairy products especially during later years (gallons of ice cream) has been diagnosed with reproductive cancer. Her counts were incredibly high and doctors are not sure how much cancer, where it actually is or where it has spread. She has had poor health for years with diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Even at 83 years and a weaken condition, she is scheduled for chemo and surgery. Not a word about diet was mentioned by her current doctors or the doctors who have been treating her chronic health problems.For cancer, this site would recommend not smoking and a plant based diet. They would also recommend exercise or losing weight (fengreek pills are effective at losing weight). They would also recommend apples, cranberries, lemonade, cloves, tumeric with pepper, ginger, rosemary, broccoli, spinach, carrots, beets, collards, kale, chamomile tea, hibiscus tea, dandelion tea, matcha tea, white tea with lemon, pecans, walnuts, and peanuts. Dr. Greger might recommend she take flax seed meal as he does his breast cancer patients. Other than flax seed, their are some super cancer foods, like black beans, strawberries or black raspberries, pomegrantes or goji berries, amla, and nori. For diabetes, this site recommends amla, flax seed meal, cinnamon, whole grains, beans, hibiscus tea. For heart disease this site recommends beans, walnuts, whole grains, a vegan diet, pure cocoa and exercise. Beans, cocoa, nuts, green tea, whole grain, berries, fresh fruit, vegetables are recommended for long life. Good luck to your mother. Ginger and lemon balm mint could help mitigate the negative effects of radiation chemo. Praise to her long life.Thanks Matthew. When we visit, we will try getting her to eat some healthy stuff, but she is resistant. She wants her dairy products! That is the reason she is in such poor health and facing the cancer treatment. Hopefully, she will be a little more open-minded and let us make her some good food. The Ginger and lemon balm is a good tip….Thanks!The typical SAD diet and a larger boomer population means means the money gravy-train is coming for the established medicine crew. If it was me…since I subscribe to several alt health newsletters (I’m an honorary MD…LOL) I’d just eat lots of veggies…enjoy what time I had left…and tie up some loose ends….take some pain meds. From what I read…chemo/radiation is a miserable way to go….and for what? Sad to say that we’ll all have some difficult decisions to make towards the end. I suspect that those who have subscribed to the corp/govt controlled reality matrix will have it a bit rougher.This is very true! Medicine is going to lose many Americans, Doctors, and money in the millions of deaths that are happening and will happen every day for the next decade (it’s statistical the mean age of death is 78, which means half will be dead and dying in the next four years and over the course of the next few years). However, if they have made it this far they will likely have another two decades of life. This site says there are factors in reducing mortality that you have the control over, including eating beans, nuts (walnuts in particular), cocoa, berries, whole grain, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables. There is a good list of fruits and vegetables here: http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php. I love this list and wish I could eat some of these foods every day.When i gave up Dairy about 25 yrs ago i had a side effect. A good one though. I had reoccurring sore throats most of my life. I quit the dairy and they disappeared.First i tried to watch it on ipad and it was abot IBD then i switched to pc an it was about twin pregnancy. The url was the same in both cases.I saw in the cited material, “TR in vegans is .8 percent, TR in general is 1.9 percent” G Steinman. Bovine Hormones and Spontaneous Twinning in Humans. Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Long Island Jewish Medical Center New Hyde Park, NY. That’s definitely more than twice as many twins! For how long should a mother not drink milk before she plans a pregnancy? Is hormone free milk any better? This site recommends for pregnancy a DHA or EPA algae based supplement, garlic, one snack box of raisins a month, and the March of Dimes has long recommended folate such as from beans or orange juice to reduce the risk of birth defects.“Is hormone free milk any better?”Hi Matthew, aside from plant-based milks, there is no such thing as hormone-free milk. Milk from cows not injected with *additional hormones* is still in fact breastmilk, is designed for a rapidly growing infant, and is still full of naturally occurring hormones.Thank you Boomer! If 90 percent of Asians are lactose intolerant, and there are hormones in the milk, and there is cholesterol even in skim milk, and milk protein is hard to digest as many say, does that mean milk is bad for the intestine microflora? Dairy seems to be something people should limit if not eliminate. Some people become less milk, soy, and gluten tolerant in their lives. Does this mean they are bad for us as we age? Are they a mixed bag? How unsafe is animal product? O draw hope from this, because there are some cultures that live long lives on both entirely plant based diets and heavy animal based diets that use plants as for balance. There are cultures like the Eskimo, French, Nepalese, and some African herders that only eat meat and butter. They have some plant secrets, like berries, red wine, root crops, and others that grant them long life. I think these cultures should be studied and rewarded so we can find their special plants to treat high cholesterol throughout our lives.Mathew: re: “… there are some cultures that live long lives on … heavy animal based diets… There are cultures like the Eskimo, French, Nepalese, and some African herders that only eat meat and butter.”I think you are implying that there are cultures which heavily rely on meat, such as the Eskimos and which live long and healthy lives. From what I have learned, this is simply not true. You are so great at absorbing complex information, I have no reservations about recommending the lecture series from Plant Positive to you. You can do a search and just watch the videos on say Eskimos. But you might even find all of the videos to be of interest to you. (Though that would be a serious project.) Plant Positive has done *extensive* research on this topic and cholesterol denialism in general and has put together the results of his research into a series of videos.If you are interested, here is Plant Positive’s home page. You can search the website (there is a search box on the right) for cultures like “Eskimos” or just pick one of his series and start watching. http://plantpositive.com/Thank you very for your response and your link! In Michael J. Balick and Paul Alan Cox’s Plants, People, and Culture, he describes the people of Kenya, specifically Masai and Batemi peoples who only eat food that comes from their cattle, including meat, milk, and blood from cows. In the book, the two authors write that they eat more than 2,000 grams of cholesterol a day (more than the 300 recommended for us). The authors write that they have one third the cholesterol we do. Dr. Greger said that 70 percent of health is environmental, and that 30 percent is genetic. They think the people of Masai and Batemi have genetic controls on cholesterol. However, the authors go on to say these people add bark to their meat. The bark of an Acacia and a mimosa. These trees could be scouted for cholesterol drugs or could be made into food additives. Maybe it is dietary or environmental that they have lower cholesterol. Thank you for correcting my error. The inuit in particular, living on ice sheets, only have seal fat to eat in the winter, the same as some Greenland people. Many Russians have to eat 4,000-5,000 calories a day in the winter, mostly of dairy, because being cold burns so many calories (3/4 of your energy budget, calorie intake, goes to the Mitochondria to shake to make heat, the brain regulates this, it is a physical shaking that makes heat inside every cell, driven by Osmosis). These people are not known to have cholesterol problems late in life. Dr. Greger has described the Asian paradox, that Asians live so much longer in Asia and live so much longer than any other race here. How do we get that benefit for everybody? Is it green tea? Is it mushrooms? Is it meditation? Is it rice? Is it fruit? There is a similar problem called the French paradox. Why are the French so healthy when they smoke and eat so much beef and dairy, and yet live as long as Asians do in America? Some think it is the red wine. The French have less disease then us, and yet smoke and eat meat and heavy cream and butter more. They weigh less too. We do not think this is entirely genetic, but it might be in part. It might not even be dietary. It might be lifestyle based. The Irish, who I think helped create the vegan movement in this country, also have been told they have a terrible diet. They could be studied for the plants, lifestyle, and attitudes they have to overcome any shortcomings. I will go to your link now, thank you.I would like to add some clarifications for you regarding the Masai. They did autopsy studies on the Masai and found that 40 year olds had advanced atherosclerosis. They concluded that you don’t see heart attacks because their life spans are not long enough. In addition, they walk a lot and live at high altitudes so they have dilated vessels. While there is plaque, the vessels still get flow. http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/95/1/26.shortSo it appears their diet is not heart healthy indeed.Thank you! Plant based diet for the win. Less meat for heart health.Thank you for this, Toxins! I am so tired of hearing this “But what about the eskimos and the Masai?” argument. I have always opined this answer, but had never seen any research. Now I have a good answer! You are such a great help. How about writing a short (10-page) booklet and selling it online? A title like, Why your odd friend eats the way he does. Answers (and sources cited) to the the latest research to the questions the smart people always ask.Thank you sharing your link. I did a search on the Eskimo there and found an intensification of your claims!. That the Eskimo live longer on a plant based diet than their historical blubbery meat diet. That they had horrible heart disease form 1,600 years ago from eating mostly raw animal fat and eating more plants helps them live longer, now. The Eskimo have been used to justify the Paleo diet, but they had been sick with hardened arteries based on three Eskimo mummies from 1,600 years ago. Perhaps the Asian and French paradox are actually quite racist, that Asians and French have terrible lung disease from smoking and heart disease from eating meat and our concept of them being healthy and living longer is preventing them from getting help that they need. The video begins by saying that refined carbs were bad for the Eskimo people, but goes on to say that the Eskimo have always lived with parasites, heart disease, and arteries damage from their diet of raw meat. http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/25/tpns-27-28-the-eskimo-model.html Thank you. I should be plant positive and stick to a diet that is not hard on the arteries, I should stick to a plant based diet.Mathew: It is refreshing to converse with someone like you who is willing to do some research!Concerning the “Asian paradox”, NutritionFacts has a video that I think you will find very interesting. It’s very short and speculative at the end, but some good food for thought: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/Thank you! Did you know that Asians live almost ten years longer than white people in America, as a median? Why is this? Is it genetic? Is based on wealth, as Asians are very slightly wealthier on average? Is it the green tea mentioned in this video? Seventy percent of health is environmental, according to Dr. Greger. Does that mean that seven of the additional years are based on healthy choices, my opinion, or do Asians genuinely live longer genetically? I admire Asian culture for its reliance on family, celebration, happiness, and its deep and enduring love of time. Could we embrace green tea, mushrooms, nori seaweed, soybeans, or any other cultural trait like sesame seeds for our health? There was a South Park episode in which they asked, “who wants to live to 90, anyway?” I think everyone does, if they can maintain their health, wealth, and life they will be happier throughout their lives. Choosing to live shorter can really add to end of life expenses. I am really interested in how to reduce end of life, nursing home and dying hospital bills (which often get into the hundreds of thousands of dollars), and I think this plant based diet is key. Thank you Thea, you have help clarify my thinking on how to add to my life and reduce the last hospitals bills I will pay and my nation is facing in the coming years.And you can add the practice of mindfulness , very effective for the stress reduction.Thank you Brite, I would like to study the practice of mindfulness. Reducing stress is a very salubrious way to add to life. Not just diet, but lifestyle intervention to add life to your years. I would love to research it. Filling your world with an attitude to benefit everything we see.Matthew, you could read Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of the Program of the Stress Reduction Clinicat the University of Massachussetts Medical Center. For exemple, he wrote in 1990 “Full Catastrophe Living”, a very readable and practical book, and in 2012 “Mindfulness for beginners: reclaiming the present moment- and your life”. Those are two among many other very interesting books he wrote. I wish you a good life in mindfulness!Thank you very much for your recommendation, Brite. I would like to read these books. I read an except online and found it is very much a way to cope with stress and always meditate. The process seems to speed through grief. I am interested in a similar concept, a word that cannot be changed through any movement. These are things that you eat or places, many common names are based and grounded. “Worship yellow banana potassium, Washington D.C. ghost sword” An action unto the devine, a color, a food, an atom, a location or city, a type of person, and a weapon are all things that do not change and are grounded in reality. I like to mediate on them and use them to repent. Perhaps the more extreme the food for health the more it is a way to repent. “Amla” to health. “Rosehips” to praise. “Matcha” to sin. “Black Raspberries” to anger. “Ginger root” to pain. I would love to achieve this serenity. Long life!I was able to view without difficulty. The link is http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/.Thanks so much!I think that the association with twins may be due to the fact that vegan women are slimmer by about 4 BMI units than meat eaters and hence are less likely to experience infertility due to lack of ovulation. Clomiphene and other SERM drugs used to stimulate ovulation will increase twin rates by about 10 times.Vegan women are less likely to conceive with fertility drugs? That is very clever. Very elegant. Fertility drugs are very much a source of multiple birth in this country. Many multiple births in the country beyond triplets are due to fertility drugs, you say these SERM drugs like Clomiphene increase twinning by 10 times. Vegans aren’t using them? Very testable and feasible explanation as to a confounding variable as the reason why multiple births are more common to women who eat milk and dairy. Perhaps Dr. Greger could also report, “Vegans are less likely to be infertile” he has already said vegan men have semen quality 30 years younger than their peers.It is because vegan twins are more polite so it takes them longer to come out:“Apres vous” “Oh no, you first, sie vous please” “I couldn’t possibly, really I insist, you first.” “How thoughtful, but “You really deserve first crowning…”Now you know the rest of the story, giddae!Thanks for the laugh. I needed that.Dr. Greger. Is it plausible that excess sex hormones injested during pregnancy could cause a developing male or female fetus to choose the opposite sexual orientation? To me it seems possible that a pregnant female who consumes large amounts of estrogen etc. animal flesh, eggs, and dairy could inadvertently cause her unborn child’s homosexuality. If this were indeed possible we should be encouraging all females who are trying to conceive to adopt a plant based diet / stay away from meat/dairy and eggs as homosexuality is clearly a scientific abnormality. If it were the ideal/normal state for mammals than all mammalian species on earth would die off.Hi Dr. Greger, what is the effect of a vegan diet on female fertility?	acne,adolescence,animal products,breast cancer,cancer,children,chronic diseases,dairy,endometrial cancer,estrogen,farm animals,fertility,hormones,IGF-1,men's health,menopause,milk,organic foods,ovarian cancer,plant-based diets,pregnancy,prostate cancer,puberty,reproductive health,twins,uterine cancer,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	The hormones naturally found in foods of animal origin may help explain why women who eat conventional diets are five times more likely to give birth to twins than those eating plant-based diets.	Minimizing dairy, our nation’s #1 source of saturated fat may be a good idea for dads too: Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility.What about the endocrine-disrupting xenoestrogens--how do they compare with the natural hormones in our food supply? That was the topic of my last video, Estrogen in Meat, Dairy, and Eggs.Then once they’re born, best to stick to human milk:Then as young children, dairy can sometimes cause another problem: Childhood Constipation and Cow’s MilkHere’s a selection of other pregnancy-related videos:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uterine-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovarian-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16672247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15279817,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23818041,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22713496,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15749071,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16779988,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12758102,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22332636,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20977246,
PLAIN-2505	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/	Estrogen in Meat, Dairy, and Eggs	Recent observed feminization of aquatic animals has raised concerns about estrogenic compounds in water supplies and the potential for these chemicals to reach drinking water. While much attention has been focused on the environmental impacts of xenoestrogens, the endocrine-disrupting industrial pollutants, relatively little research has examined the ecological consequences of environmental loading of actual estrogens. This is somewhat surprising given that the potency of some estrogens can be thousands of times more estrogenic than typical endocrine disrupting chemicals.Estradiol, for example, is at least 10,000-fold more potent than most xenoestrogens, and dietary exposure to natural sex steroids (in meat, dairy, and eggs) is therefore highly relevant in the discussion of the impact of estrogens on human development and health. And chicken estrogen is identical to human estrogen—they’re identical molecules. So it doesn’t matter if it ends up in our drinking supply from women taking birth control pills excreting it in their urine, or cows excreting it into their milk. The source doesn’t matter; the quantity does.And a child’s exposure to estrogens in drinking water is about 150 times lower than exposure from cow’s milk, so our day-to-day estrogen exposure levels are more likely determined by whether or not we happen to eat dairy products that day.Human urine is often cited as the main source of natural and synthetic estrogens in the aquatic environment, but the level of estrogen even in the urine of heavy meateaters, who have significantly higher levels, pales in comparison to the estrogens excreted by the farm animals themselves. Pig, sheep, cattle, and chickens produce literally tons of estrogen every year.Women may excrete 16 mcg every day, but farm animals may release 10 times more, or in the case of pregnant cows thousands of times more. Animal waste may contribute an estimated 90% of total estrogens in the environment. Five gallons of runoff water contaminated with chicken manure may contain a birth control pill’s worth of estrogen.Estrogen levels in poultry litter are so high that when farmers feed chicken manure to their animals to save on feed costs it may trigger premature development. Poultry manure has among the highest hormone content, quadruple the total estrogens, and nine times more 17 beta estradiol, the most potent estrogen, which can be considered a complete carcinogen, as it exerts both tumor initiating and tumor promoting effects.Who cares, though? From a human health standpoint, do we really care about feminized fish, or the appearance of intersex cockroaches? The problem is they get in our food. Endogenous steroid hormones in food of animal origin are unavoidable as they occur naturally in these products.It’s not a matter of injected hormones, which are banned in places like Europe in order to protect consumers’ health, they are part of animal metabolism, and so as a matter of fact, all foodstuffs of animal origin contain steroid hormones, and the presence of hormones in food has been connected with several human health problems, which we’ll look into next.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	In addition to fish having gender confusion, could estrogens in meat and other foods also lead to more cancer, particularly estrogen sensitive cancers? If so, what can be done to prevent this. I understand that even plastic water bottles contain estrogens. Perhaps we should avoid these.Yes. Search Diethylstilbestrol (DES) on the net. You’ll find DES Daughters and DES Sons. It took the former years to get the CDC to admit DES was causing their diseases.Yes and we should also avoid chicken wings, because that’s where the growth hormones are injected, and those cause tumors in the femal organs. Plastic bottles are the cause of infertility and a lower IQ in children.or even lead to gender confusion to humans or even homosexuality? taboo taboo….The first link in the note is brokenPretty good guide on what to eat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI6tBwVjyOYThis isn’t exactly on subject but it is about food marketing especially meat. The power of willful ignorance. Just a 7 min. clip.http://www.upworthy.com/no-one-applauds-this-woman-because-theyre-too-creeped-out-at-themselves-to-put-their-hands-together?Great script! Loved the secret weapon.jj: Powerful talk. Thanks for sharing.Thanks so much!Since I stopped eating dairy last summer my periods have gotten lighter and easier. I am assuming this is related? Anyway the deterioration of our food supply makes me angry, and here is another example. Ugh.Indeed, dairy is a cocktail soup of hormones, and this is not dependent upon the growing conditions of the cow, but an inherent product in milk. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/Excited to hear about you pursuing nutrition as a career. We need you. And Happy Holidays. GaleThank you, and happy holidays to you too!Generally women find decrease in flow, frequency and less pain during menses for a number of reasons… less estrogen, more fiber being two of the most significant. For more information and references see the video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/. Keep tuned in as the science keeps coming. Happy Holidays.Isn’t it sad (and ironic) to see people eating a paleo diet and avoiding soy because of beneficial plant estrogen,but they’ll gladly consume the real stuff?Why don’t animal products come with warning labels like you see on the packages of pharmaceutical drugs?It’s obvious because the question of their detrimental effects is far from decided.Take dairy, for example, you can find studies which say it is bad for you (can promote cancer etc.) And you can find studies which actually say dairy prevents cancer.It depends on your bias what to believe.unf, please share these studies linking dairy with decreased cancer rates. I am curious.Here are just a few examples‘Kefir extracts suppress in vitro proliferation of estrogen-dependent human breast cancer cells but not normal mammary epithelial cells.’ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17887934‘Fat from different foods show diverging relations with breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women.’ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16573374‘Cultured milk, yogurt, and dairy intake in relation to bladder cancer risk in a prospective study of Swedish women and men.’ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18842797‘Propionibacteria induce apoptosis of colorectal carcinoma cells via short-chain fatty acids acting on mitochondria.’ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11840168The common theme in these studies seems to be when the milk is fermented it shows benefit either by association or in vitro. Perhaps this may be a function of the bacteria rather then the dairy itself being protective. In the abstract of it is stated that “Unfermented milk extracts stimulated proliferation of MCF-7 cells and HMECs ” which leads me to this conclusion. Perhaps the positive change in gut flora may account for these attributions. Short chain fatty acids are already produced by the bacteria in our gut if a healthy flora is present. I would still not count out the effects of saturated fat and trans fat (from kefir) as well as the IGF-1 raising effects of dairy itself. I doubt that the fermentation would negate this. Either way, it is interesting to note the effect of fermentation on foods.i think we can at least conclude that the safest dairy products are low-fat fermented ones which have been consumed traditionally in some cultures like kefir. It resembles the situation with soy products where it appears fermented ones like tempeh are safer and better than not fermented. Any food has its bad and good sides. I don’t think demonizing any food is a good idea.The difference is, soy is good either way. Food is a package deal, and its important to recognize good components and bad ones and weigh it out. Dairy is overall harmful, and even if fermented, the IGF-1 raising effects of dairy are not negated. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/In addition, we really don’t know what the in vivo effects are in terms of xenoestrogens. Perhaps when consumed, digested and absorbed, the xenostregens are more pronounced then when pure Keir is dripped on cells. The studies you provided are extremely limited in scope so extrapolating too much from them is unwise and difficult.>soy is good either wayIt is VERY controversial. You can find studies supporting pros and cons about soy.A great lot of science backing the videos on the site is based on such ‘in vitro’ studies with a petri dish, you know that. And a lot of respective conclusions are drawn from such studies. So, as I said in the above post it depends on your bias what to believe.If we don’t follow any vegan agenda and really want to help people get comprehensive information about health nutrition (not vegan nutrition) then we should at least mention such studies about products we tend to demonize like dairy etc. as well as we ought to provide various views on soy because there are many conflicting study results about it.The negative effects of soy are generally found in studies involving soy isolates / soy protein concentrates, such as hydrolyzed soy protein. This is where the “whole” in “whole-food, plant-based diet” becomes important.Women consuming the most soy products have a lower risk of breast cancer recurrence, according to a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.Kang X, Zhang Q, Wang S, Huang X, Jin S. Effect of soy isoflavones on breast cancer recurrence and death for patients receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy. CMAJ. Published ahead of print October 18, 2010: doi:10.1503/cmaj.091298.A study in this month’s Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics shows that soy products have a marked anti-inflammatory effect. Researchers examined the diets and measures of inflammation in 1,005 middle-aged Chinese women who were part of the Shanghai Women’s Health Study.The more soy products the women consumed, the less inflammation they experienced. Inflammation is linked to cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.Wu SH, Shu XO, Chow WH, et al. Soy food intake and circulating levels of inflammatory markers in Chinese Women. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012;112:996-1004.A new study looking at more than 1,500 Asian-American women living in California and Hawaii showed that those with the highest intake of soy during childhood (younger than 12 years old) had a 60 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer later in life. Regular soy consumption in adolescence (12 to 19 years old) and adulthood (20 years old and older) also had a protective effect but with 20 and 25 percent reductions in risk, respectively.1Korde LA, Wu AH, Fears T, et al. Childhood soy intake and breast cancer risk in Asian American women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009;18:OF1-OF10.unf, the evidence in regards to soy is complete and coherent. Soy is beneficial. You can find many studies showing this. The controversy lies in the media and misinformed individuals, not the evidence. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=soy Also, your response does not address my main point, that being, food is a package deal. There is good and bad, and bad outweighs the good for dairy products due to a variety of reasons. Fermentation from bacteria may be helpful, but it does not negate the negative consequences of consuming this food (i.e. IGF-1)Toxins you are absolutely right about soy. Controversy created is by the American Dairy Association. To me it appears that they have some people like unf to keep controversy going. NIH has study going to see if consumption of soy reduces risk of breast cancer while there are blogs talking about estrogenic effects of soy may increase the risk.If you haven’t seen them yet, Dr. Greger has shared several studies showing just that.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/in addition to thesehttp://nutritionfacts.org/?s=soyThank you Toxins for providing the links. I will save them for some of patients who still believe benefit of Soy are still controversial.I think you should check out this link also. Soy is not completely safe even according to Dr. Greger http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/ There’s a continuing fighting berween soy and dairy corporations. Both parties sponsor studies etc.unf13 thanks for sharing the link.I advise my patients to limit soy servings to 5 per day. that appears safe by most studies.Soy protein increase IGF-1 more than cows milk… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12629084Soy protein isolate yes, soy in large amounts too. Please see here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/I am wondering if the IGF-1 in dairy, is the same growth hormone touted in the growth hormones they sell to help you lose weight, gain more muscle, and extend longevity.It likely is, I have seen “human growth hormone” sold as supplements.my problem is getting enough calcium on a vegan diet. I don’t want to eat artificial dairy products or artificial yogurts full of sugar or non dairy milks with horrible ingredients. I know greens are great but there are only so many I can eat in a day :( I do soak almonds and make a glass of almond milk daily and eat a serving of greens daily but otherwise I cannot say my vegan diet is full of calcium :(brit: Many tofus are set using calcium. So, tofu can be a great source of calcium. Just another suggestion for you.I am guessing that you are concerned about calcium because you are concerned about your bones. There is no doubt that calcium is important. However, by focusing so much on calcium, some cultures have lost the point: that bone health is *far* more complicated than just how much calcium one takes in. Bone health is a matter of how much of all the bone minerals one takes in, plus how much we avoid “calcium thieves” (a term in the book “Becoming Vegan”), and how much weight bearing exercise we get.To make sure you balance out the various factors for bone health, I highly recommend one or both of these resources: 1) Becoming Vegan – Express Edition by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melaina (a great overall reference book) and/or 2) Building Bone Vitality: A Revolutionary Diet Plan to Prevent Bone Loss and Reverse Osteoporosis–Without Dairy Foods, Calcium, Estrogen, or Drugs (wonderful book focusing solely on bone health)If you are interested, here are the links to buy the books:http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Vegan-Express-Plant-based-Nutrition/dp/1570672954/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419465869&sr=1-1&keywords=becoming+vegan+brenda+davishttp://www.amazon.com/Building-Bone-Vitality-Revolutionary-Osteoporosis–Without/dp/0071600191/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419465810&sr=1-1&keywords=building+bone+vitalityI hope that helps and good luck!Personally, I rather survive on 300mg of calcium rather than consume tofu or dairy… Better to take plant calcium supplements if you are worried about more calcium but I suggest also considering other items like D3,K2,zinc,B12 and iodine if you consume little salt.Richard: Personally, I wasn’t much of a tofu fan myself when I first started trying to eat healthy. But I’ve come to like it a lot in many dishes.re: dairy – I certainly wasn’t recommending that!I did not say anything about the taste of tofu….sugar taste great to most people also, should we all eat more of it? I ate loads of tofu in Japan and China but in the US I would stick to fermented soy…Calcium needs for humans are not as high as the DRI may recommend, and if we consumed a low sodium diet low in animal protein, our calcium needs can be as low as 450 mg per day as discussed more extensively in this article from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. As represented in the figure below, and citing from the article “In a western-style diet, absorbed calcium matches urinary and skin calcium at an intake of 840 mg as in Figure 14. Reducing animal protein intakes by 40 g reduces the intercept [calcium balance] value and requirement to 600 mg. Reducing both sodium and protein reduces the intercept value to 450 mg.”http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y2809E/y2809e0h.htm#bm17Eating beans, greens, veggies, and tubers can provide quite a bit of calcium!Some fruits contains a lot of calcium also, citrus, figs and more~Don’t forget Blackstrap molasses, which has 20% of the RDI for calcium in just one tablespoon.I still need to buy it Daniel, I remember you telling us about that a while ago.Sesame and poppy seeds have probably the highest calcium amount. But it also depends on what RDI you believe is right. The official 1000 mg or the possible 450 mg as Toxins pointed out. 450 mg looks achievable to me. Otherwise a supplement is a way to go. Unless you a chimp eating all day long it’s highly doubtful that you can get a 1000 mg from greens.No more subtitles on the videos or is it temporary? i had to go on youtube to have them~@julotjulott:disqus, we’re working to get the subtitles back on as quickly as we can. I’m glad you realized you can still see them on our Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/NutritionFactsOrg). Thanks for your patience!What about animal manure put onto fields, and then organic produce grown in that soil? Do the plants absorb the hormones?So I eat, drink low fat dairy for calcium, and I love cheese. Had my hormones checked and I am normal/low estrogen, low testosterone. What’s up?If you’re concerned about the “low normal” levels, a healthy exercise program can help increase levels of certain reproductive hormones. If you’re wondering why your levels aren’t higher than normal given your diet, this could be simply because our bodies have regulatory systems in place to keep hormone levels within a specific range. If your consuming a significant amount of a hormone your body’s own production of that hormone may decrease as a result.Also, I had total hysterectomy including ovaries 12yrs. ago, I am 56 now.I have a question. Do these animal estrogens and hormones in Milk get converted to simpler compounds when you make yogurt at home from organic milk?can going vegan mess with your hormones? there are a lot of hormones in the meat, dairy, and eggs I ate and now I no longer eat them. I’ve been vegan since august 2014. My skin is breaking out horribly on my back chest and face and I’m having hot flashes. I was on Byaz birth control and now I’m on Camres but things seem to be getting worse. All my doctor wants to do is keep trying new birth controls and of course is trying to give me the “vegan is bad” talk every time I see her. I refuse to quit my vegan diet, but I do not know what to do about my crazy hormones. advice?Hi shayna, Thanks for your question. it is hard to say how your new diet is impacting hormone levels. A whole foods plant-based diet certainly has lots of fiber, which can modulate hormones. Generally, this is a good thing and women eating fiber-rich diets tend to have several health benefits. Is the main concern is dealing with the hot flashes and acne? Was this not a concern before August 2014? I am afraid I have more questions than answers, I’m sorry. Are their specific reasons why your doctor is saying the a vegan diet is bad? That is a very general statement. I feel all diets have the potential to be “bad”. I’ll check with one of our star volunteer doctor’s to see if she has further input. Maybe some of these videos can help in the meantime on hot flashes and acne.Best regards, JosephHi shayna, Thanks for your question. it is hard to say how your new diet is impacting hormone levels. A whole foods plant-based diet certainly has lots of fiber, which can modulate hormones. Generally, this is a good thing and women eating fiber-rich diets tend to have several health benefits. Is the main concern is dealing with the hot flashes and acne? Was this not a concern before August 2014? I am afraid I have more questions than answers, I’m sorry. Are their specific reasons why your doctor is saying the a vegan diet is bad? That is a very general statement. I feel all diets have the potential to be “bad”. I’ll check with one of our star volunteer doctor’s to see if she has further input. Maybe some of these videos can help in the meantime on hot flashes and acne.Best regards, Joseph	animal products,birth control pills,cancer,carcinogens,chicken,children,dairy,eggs,endocrine disruptors,estrogen,Europe,farm animals,feed additives,fish,hormones,industrial toxins,meat,milk,persistent organic pollutants,poultry,steroids,water,women's health,xenoestrogens	The sex steroids found naturally in animal products likely exceed the hormonal impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemical pollutants.	What kind of human health effects? Check out the sequel, my next video: Why Do Vegan Women Have 5x Fewer Twins?What effects might these female hormones have on men? See Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility.The implications of this relatively new practice of milking cows even when they’re pregnant is further explored in:More on xenoestrogens in:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-control-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xenoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16672247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21472385,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24050121,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20354692,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22332636,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20977246,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20194073,
PLAIN-2506	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/	Can Diet Protect Against Kidney Cancer?	58,000 Americans are diagnosed with kidney cancer every year, and 13,000 die. And the numbers have been going up. Approximately 4% of cases are hereditary, but what about the other 96%? The only accepted risk factor has been tobacco use, but cigarette smoking has been declining.Nitrosamines are one of the most potent carcinogens in cigarette smoke. So much so there’s a concern that nonsmokers may be inadvertently exposed through so-called thirdhand smoke. See, the risks of tobacco exposure do not end when a cigarette is extinguished. Residual smoke particles can contaminate surfaces. About 80% of these nitrosamines in secondhand cigarette smoke stick to room surfaces and are not removed under normal ventilation conditions. That’s why it’s important to only stay in smoke-free rooms in hotels. The bottom line is that there is no way to safely smoke indoors, even if there’s no one else there. Nitrosamines are considered so toxic that carcinogens of this strength in any other consumer product designed for human consumption would be banned immediately. If that were the case they’d have to ban meat.One hot dog has as many nitrosamines and nitrosamides as 5 cigarettes. And these carcinogens are also found in fresh meat as well: beef, chicken and pork. So even though smoking rates have dropped, perhaps the rise in kidney cancer over the last few decades may have something to do with meat consumption. But would it just be the processed meats, like bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and cold cuts that have nitrate and nitrite additives, or fresh meat as well? We didn’t know, until now.The NIH-AARP study is the largest prospective study on diet and health ever, with over 4 million years of follow-up—about 500,000 followed for 9 years. In addition to examining nitrate and nitrite intake from processed meat, they also looked at intake from other sources such fresh meat, eggs, and dairy. There are nitrates in vegetables too, should we be worried about those? No. Nitrite from animal sources—not just processed meats was associated with an increased risk of kidney cancer. Total intake of nitrate and nitrite from processed meat sources was also positively associated with RCC risk. We found no associations with nitrate or nitrite intake from plant sources. But nitrates from processed meat was associated with cancer. That’s when they advertise their bacon or lunch meat is “uncured,” no nitrites or nitrates added, except for the celery juice they added which is just a sneaky way to add nitrites. See, they ferment the nitrates in celery to nitrites, then add it to the meat, a practice even the industry admits may be as incorrect at best or deceptive at worst.But that same fermentation of nitrates to nitrites can happen thanks to bacteria on our tongue when we eat vegetables. So why are nitrates and nitrites from vegetables on our tongue OK, but nitrates and nitrites from vegetables in meat linked to cancer? Because the actual carcinogens are not nitrites but nitrosamines and nitrosamides. In our stomach, to turn nitrites into nitros-amines, andnitros-amides we need amines and amides, which are concentrated in animal products. And vitamin C and other antioxidants in plant foods block the formation of these carcinogens in our stomach. That’s why we can safely benefit from the nitrates in vegetables without the cancer risk. In fact some of the highest nitrate vegetables like arugula, kale, and collards are associated with decreased risk of kidney cancer. The more plants, it appears, the better.Plant-based diets and fiber-rich diets are recommended to prevent cancer directly, as well as chronic conditions associated with kidney cancer, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes, so a plant-based diet may help protect against kidney cancer directly or indirectly. It’s like sodium intake and kidney cancer. Sodium intake increases kidney disease risk, but is that just because it increases blood pressure? No, it appears the salt is associated with increased cancer risk even independently of hypertension. What about plant-based diets? Turns out the protective association remains even in people who aren’t obese, with normal blood pressure. So overall, plant-based and fiber-rich diets appear to do both, decreasing cancer risk both directly and indirectly.	Do the vapor e-cigarettes release these nitrosamines? People are smoking them everywhere indoors these days! It really worries me.Great Question – somebody on here must know the definitive answer – failing that we’ll have to ask Santa, ho ho ho….People smoking these electronic devices with drugs other than nicotine these days. Scary. You’d think you were (somewhat) safe, that it was just nicotine second-hand vapor, but they are able to smoke hardcore-drugs now in these electronic devices. Avoid places that allow (or can’t prevent) indoor electronic smoking devices so we don’t have to breath in this second-hand vapor.Most of the vaporizers for pot combust the actual herb, and are very different than regular e-cigs, which vaporize liquid. I’d imagine by now though they probably have a work around!See my comment below. :)Considering that drinking the liquid from an e-cig can be lethal, especially for children, nicotine being an unquestioned poison…http://pix11.com/2014/12/11/ny-toddler-dies-after-ingesting-liquid-nicotine-for-e-cigarette/…e-cigs should not be considered merely harmless alternatives to conventional cigarettes, but perhaps less harmful. They are still addictive in and of themselves, and they’re candy-coated youth oriented marketing is disturbing.Meanwhile, nobody knows what’s in the stupid things besides nicotine, so until studies are done, or until some intrepid investigative journalist (a vanishing breed) digs up some internal documentation, we can only say we don’t know what we don’t know.Yes, drinking liquid from an e-cig could be lethal for a child, but so could pulling a boiling pan of veg off a cooker. I don’t think that warrants treating cooked veg as harmful. Harms from intended use are a different category to secondary unintended consequences.If e-cigarettes effectively get smokers to quit smoking conventional cigarettes, and then they are able to quit the e-cigarettes, then that’s a good thing.If eCigs become a permanent nicotine addiction instead of a transitional step, that’s harmful.If non-smoking, non-nicotine-addicted kids start vaping ecigs instead of cigarettes bcz they come in bubblegum and cherry flavorings and are being marketed with the claim or implied perception that they’re healthier than real cigarettes, producing a fresh crop of nicotine addicts, that’s harmful.I can only reply for myself, but being an ex-smoker who turned to e-cigs hoping for a better alternative and possibly a way to quit, I can say unequivocally it is a better option! Though it took me a while to make the switch totally, when I did there were a lot of physical improvements: I could take a deep breath again, my lung capacity increased, the coughing ceased, I quit getting colds regularly, wasn’t out of breath, etc. Since it was also more cost efficient to create my own fluid, I also know exactly what goes into that: flavoring, such those used in cooking; glycerin, a sweetish, colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is widely used in pharmaceutical formulations; and/or propylene glycol, an ingredient used in asthma inhalers and air filtration systems (and not the supposed toxin used in older antifreeze, ethylene glycol); and finally, nicotine, (which in itself is not as gratifying as all the whole tobacco alkaloids, but possibly less toxic as nicotine is similar to caffeine and even used for some medical applications). Whether you make the fluid yourself or buy it ready made (much costlier) those are the basic ingredients, and you can also determine the strength of nicotine to use depending on what and how much you smoked. For example, coming from a nearly 2 pack a day habit, I started at 24mg. of nic. and have gradually reduced it to 6mg, with the eventual goal of zero. I think vaping (vapor as opposed to smoke) has been a wonderful option to have access to, as I had tried to quit smoking unsuccessfully so many times by various means, including cold turkey and nicotine patches and lozenges, which use the same nicotine we utilize in vaping. I belong to ECF, the biggest electronic cigarette forum with millions of members, so I know my story and success has been echoed by multitudes of people who faced similar frustrations previously. It makes me sad that they are grouped together with cigarettes because they really are just the opposite in that they rescue smokers from a vastly more dangerous habit to themselves and everyone near them. I don’t say they are completely harmless for sure, and I certainly wouldn’t want to see anyone start to use them who hadn’t been a smoker previously. But I know they work for what the original developer intended…a less toxic alternative to smoking, and a way to eliminate the addiction. Yes, people can also just switch habits and never truly quit, but I strongly feel vaping is a vast improvement over smoking…and it smells a whole lot better too! As for the “second hand” effect of vaping…our house was once literally foul with the residues from second hand smoke…and after years of vaping, there is really no issue at all, so I wouldn’t worry about being around vapers, especially in a social setting. Sitting around a campfire or grilling your meat is probably more lethal. Just my 2 cents!Good luck with reaching your goal Charzie – I can’t say that I’m convinced that the vapour is less dangerous than smoke, it certainly appears to be to a layman like myself, but I’ll wait for the independant results, which will no doubt be followed by or pre-empted by the industry results, and totally contradict each others findings making me none the wiser. However, now I know of all the skuldugerry that industry contributes too, I’ll be sat in the independants camp – we’ll wait and see.As for the intentions of the original developer, (I don’t know of them) I would firstly have to make the assumption that they are in business to make a profit as their number one goal – I don’t believe their goal was to help smokers from quitting. If your intention is to develop a product to stop people from smoking, then you are reducing your market until eventually there is nobody buying your products and you are haemoragging profits. If I were a cynical person, I’d conclude that the developers identified a niche in the market (with smoking being banned in public places around the world) and moved in. They will obviously not market their product in this way, instead they spend millions of pounds/dollars on a marketing campaign that leads you to believe they are helping you – but going back to my original point, if that was there intention, they would eventually have no customers – yes it can be argued that they would have made a net profit by the time there are no more smokers, but the cynic in me tells me that’s not the case.I can not remember when the smoking bans started to come in, or when the Ecigs were developed, but if it was at roughly the same time, wouldn’t that be a coincidence!!!On what basis are you asserting that nicotine consumption is harmful? What are the specific harms that you are alluding to?It’s Not The Smoke, It’s The Nicotine: E-Cigarettes May Damage Arterieshttp://www.medicaldaily.com/its-not-smoke-its-nicotine-e-cigarettes-may-damage-arteries-265498Scientists are only finding out now that caffeine can kill in large enough doses, even the doses in energy drinks. Aside from its addictive properties, nicotine is poisonous enough to be used as an insecticide.This is a website about health. There’s no way Dr. Greger would suggest that long term consumption of an insecticide is health-promoting.http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/medical-uses-of-nicotine-explored/ http://www.columbia.edu/cu/21stC/issue-3.1/benowitz.html http://discovermagazine.com/2014/march/13-nicotine-fixThe dose makes the poison.Would Dr Greger give the go ahead on garlic, onions, cayenne/chili pepper, citrus, peppermint or chrysanthemum tea, perhaps? They are all used as insecticides. Caffeine is also used medically, I have plenty of links for that too. This could be debated ad infinitum. Life can be addictive and poisonous too… and that’s why I come here!With the exception of the chrysanthemum tea (pyrethin) which I’ve never heard of humans consuming, the other natural “insecticides” are actually used to deter insects, not to kill them. And no one gets addicted to onions or garlic. No comparison.A more apt but not yet proven comparison may be foxglove and other poisonous plants which yield lifesaving medications. A non-addicting derivative of nicotine may just prove valuable in the future, but that is speculation at this pointE-cigarette use more than doubles among U.S. middle and high school students from 2011-20121 in 5 middle school students who reported ever using e-cigarettes say they have never tried conventional cigarettes.http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/p0905-ecigarette-use.htmlYou may find your grandkids doing what you do instead of what you say. Remember why the sale of “harmless” candy cigarettes was halted.Instead of self-justification for continued use of a product which is now stalling your progress (partially because it feeds the behavioral aspects of cigarette addiction), pat yourself on the back for the wonderful progress you’ve made thus far and hurry on to your goal of nicotine freedom.Congratulations!Given that the article you pointed to stated that more work would need to be done before e-cigarettes could be determined to be harmful, it doesn’t exactly support your assertion that e-cigarettes are harmful.As for this:This is a website about health. There’s no way Dr. Greger would suggest that long term consumption of an insecticide is health-promoting.You appear to be setting up a false dichotomy between “harmful” and “health-promoting” to bolster your argument, when of course, something can be neutral.That aside, while I’ve no wish to join you in putting words into Dr. Greger’s mouth, I would point out that he does promote caffeine containing drinks on this site.A substance being harmful to insects tells us little about its potential harm to humans. Avocado is harmful to rabbits – would you argue that humans should therefore be avoiding consuming it?Considering the harm that nicotine addiction has done in regards to tobacco use, I would say that the burden of proof rests on the nicotine pushers to prove addiction per se, of any substance in and of itself is harmless.It is you who is stating that nicotine is inherently harmful, so the burden of proof rests with you.Sorry, buddy. No it doesn’t.Sorry, but it does.Nope.It’s the crack and meth and other street drugs that they are being able to smoke in vapor devices. These devices resemble an e-cigarette, and when someone smokes this electronic device that is full of crack or meth or whatever, innocent people will breath this second hand crack in. This is the main reason to ban electronic smoking devices.All the research I’ve seen has found no significant level of nitrosamines in e-cigarette vapour. Personally, I’ve seen nothing to suggest that e-cigarette vapour should be any more a concern than the steam off a cup of coffee.References?Here’s a great place to start: http://casaa.org/ >The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association. Lots of info research and intelligent information, from advocates of NOT smoking!You mean “Consumer Advocates for Continued Nicotine Addiction via an Alternative Source”.My comment above stands. Getting off tobacco is a good thing. Staying on e-cigs for a protracted length of time or getting on them without a prior addiction is still a nicotine addiction. Candy-flavored marketing is meant for kid$. That’s just WRONG.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/#comment-1755383272You have my sympathies. Nicotine is the most addictive substance in the world. But you will not be your own master until you get 100% nicotine-free.I don’t particularly want to be a “master” of anything, least of all righteousness. I’ve made a number of positive changes in recent years that I wish I had done much earlier, but should I flagellate myself for waiting so long?By all means, feel good about quitting traditional cigarettes.Telling you that your journey to health is not complete without quitting nicotine entirely is not a judgment that has anything to do with “righteousness”.The fact that you’re still a slave of an addictive, poisonous substance used as an insecticide has to do with the inability to choose the freedom to be as healthy as possible. For example…In many cases, where finances are tight, some people feed their nicotine addiction instead of their children and themselves. I’ve seen it happen.Even where kids are not involved, look up at the name of this website. $$ spent on nicotine are better spent on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts and seeds.And as far as children go, it is also a fact that kids, adolescents and younger, ARE getting hooked on e-cigs in lieu of tobacco because they think they’re “safe”. No business is as altruistic as you seem to believe. They will make their profits wherever they can.As for myself, I took one puff of a cigarette when I was 4 years old. I was smart enough never to repeat the experience. I feel truly sorry for those less fortunate than me in that regard.Thanks Mac, but seriously, if I wasn’t aware of the obvious, or didn’t care, would I be here or making the effort to change? Though I wasn’t as ‘smart’ as you, I’m trying! Please, I’m 62, but this horse isn’t dead yet, I don’t need to be beat! I get it!Formaldehyde. E cigarettes are loaded with formaldehyde, and second-hand vapor emits considerable formaldehyde that innocent people then breath in.Not convinced.Spoken like a true addict. So the article below is for visitors who actually care about their health.E-Cigarettes Expose People to More Than ‘Harmless’ Water VaporFirst Comprehensive Analysis Shows that Industry Health Claims are Unsupported by Datahttp://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/05/114301/e-cigarettes-expose-people-more-‘harmless’-water-vapor-and-should-be-regulatedRemember not to breathe when you’re around other people.Spoken like a true addict.As it happens, I’ve never used an e-cigarette, let alone become an addict, but, based on the rest of your comments, I suspect that kind of banal ad hominem is the best you have to offer.Just stop, Pablo. I suspect the moderators are on vacation for the holidays. It’s a waste of my time to offer articles and PubMed references to someone who’s entrenched in a position for ideological issues.All you have referenced are articles which state that we cannot say something for sure and pointed to them saying “see, we can be sure.” As for you reference to the moderators, given that the comments policy on the site advises against ad hominem, which is something you use liberally, you would be well advised to examine your own conduct before pointing the finger at others.Although the conversation thread has become unnecessarily quick witted on both sides, I think this study has some very interesting and useful findings. This was within the article Mac Smiley shared. The link I am providing takes you to the direct study and the section of it that I found applicable and interesting. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/129/19/1972.full#sec-6I apologize for any unpleasantness. That’s not my usual modus operandi.Addictions of a number of substances, all first initiated by nicotine as a gateway drug, have caused untold misery and death in my family.I thank Toxins his dispassionate intervention. The linked study he provided is enlightening. (No pun intended.)I never thought of kidney cancer as a separate entity, but I guess no organ in the body is exempt from cancer’s reach. There was a segment on 60 Minutes a few weeks ago about a self-funded researcher who is attempting to classify cancer I need genetic basis instead of on the basis of originating organ.Of course, I don’t think I heard the word prevention during the whole segment. It wasThis site for cancer and cancer prevention recommends fruit like lemons, cranberries, (or cranberry lemonade), apples, nuts like pecans, walnuts, peanuts, vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, garlic, beets, kale, collards, spices like cloves, tumeric with pepper, rosemary, ginger, tea like chamomille, hibiscus, white tea with lemon, matcha, and dandelion tea. The NIH-AARP study specifically tested meat as a cause of cancer. I think eating some of these foods everyday would eliminate that risk. The benefit of quitting smoking is immediate and grows. Eating less meat also diminishes risk and grows throughout your life. The benefit of eating these foods does not diminish in your life, and grows with interest.Your comment reminds me of the sad case of David Servan-Schreiber, M.D. who wrote a very personal book called Anti Cancer a New Way of Life” which became an international bestseller and went through two editions. In it, he describes how he discovered his cancer, how he changed his eating habits to veganism including many of those foods you mentioned, along with exercise, filtered water and certain supplements such as vitamin D and melatonin,resveratrol, avoidance of cell phones, household cleaning products and toiletries containing carcinogenic materials along with “positive thinking” and meditation. Even after this herculean effort, leaving no stone unturned, I read that he was able to keep his cancer in remission for most of the19 years he survived after his diagnosis. After that he lost his battle with it. Although he lived much longer than expected, I think his example teaches us to take steps now and live in a way that prevents rather than attempts to cure this horrible disease.Thank you very much. This is a very sad story, very much like that of the boy described in the book “Death Be Not Proud,” by John Gunther. I hope death will not be proud. Over 40 percent of Americans will get cancer in their lifetime, and one quarter will attempt to treat the disease with diet when they get it, as Dr. Greger said. They have found that this is an effective path to improve survivorship. Broccoli in particular was healthful. Perhaps also beets and garlic would benefit, or the other listed foods. Even small amounts of lemon and cranberry were very harmful to cancer in the petri dish. Even very small amounts of berries were very harmful to vein creation in cancer cells in the perti dish. I hope my dietary choices now will help me prevent cancer. I hope these foods prevent cancer. I am glad his story is in two editions, he must have encouraged many of the Americans who get cancer to fight it like him, a strategy that adds whole life to real people. The tragedy of losing battles! Praise the doctor who would help others who have his problem!Great story Pat. Where was the cancer?Dr. David Servan-Schreiber had brain cancer; I don’t recall what type. I highly recommend his book to those who enjoys NF and especially to anyone with a cancer diagnosis. The book is in good alignment with Dr. Greger’s perspective.Thanks SCThey say rosehips are a treatment for brain cancer. Some herb teas have rose hips. There is a pure rosehip tea. This site calls rosehips dog rose, and says their benefits rival those of amla, the healthiest food discussed on this site. Dog rose is rose hips and can be found in many herbal teas. I would ask it Dr. Servan-Schreiber had tried rose hips. Dog rose or rose hips are the second healthiest food on this site and are considered to not be available. http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=23446#.VJjIlF4BwThere are many types of brain cancer. If a person gets a diagnosis of any kind of cancer and wants nutritional consultation, probably the country’s top nutritional oncology consultant is Jeanne Wallace, Phd. Like Dr. Greger, she is well-versed in the current research findings in the broad field of cancer. She can be reached here:http://www.nutritional-solutions.net/index.php/about-usWith cancer, it’s incredibly important to get expert advice (Wallace treats people around the world via phone, Skype etc.) and not just patch together treatments based on articles about rose hips, amla, etc.Is your name a pun on plants? Thank you for providing the name of the expert oncology nutritionist in the country! Forgive me, I hoped to codify the advice on some of the best plants to use to treat cancer. Dr. Greger said that 25 percent of people who get cancer turn to diet to help themselves, in addition to medicine. He has found that this is particularly healthy and increases lifespan, but is not a cure. In some slow grow wait and see cancers, like prostate cancer, diet was a successful treatment and Dr. Greger recommends flax seed to all his breast cancer patients because of its health effects. Many patients do not stick to their treatment. Many treatments work by making patients sicker, specifically with regards to cancer. Cancer treatments hurt worse than the disease for many. Treatment is health science that many people do not stick to. Sharing information on diet for cancer is really valuable among survivors. Perhaps diet could in this regard could add lifespan to cancer patients. Perhaps if rose hips treat brain cancer in one study they prevent it for those who drink herbal tea, which is what I had hoped to demonstrate. Dr. Greger said it is important to pick the best foods for health effects, those being lemons, cranberries, apples, broccoli, garlic, beets, spinach, collards, carrots, pecan, walnuts, peanuts, dandelion tea, chamomile tea, hibiscus tea, white tea with lemon, matcha tea, cloves, ginger, rosemary, and tumeric with pepper. There are some super foods too, like large white button mushrooms, amla, flax seed, and others. The idea being if you stick with any treatment plan, that will be the treatment plan that will work for you. You can take Dr. Greger’s test on the best foods here. http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/I’ve consulted with Jeanne Wallace and her team for years. She’s terrific!Rosa Canina is available at Mountain Rose Herbs (dog rose). I use it and didn’t realize it was that important.Welcome, BV!Does anybody know which type of brain tumor Dr. David Servan-Schreiber had? I am asking because the prognosis vary a lot. Glioblastoma multiforme with a very poor prognosis (survival around 1 year), astrocytoma grade 2 (survival around 8 years) and tumors with even better prognosis.In the end ‘Stage-four Glioblastoma’. You can read a brief extract about his brave journey as documented in his last book ‘Not the last Goodbye’ here – http://browseinside.harpercollins.ca/index.aspx?isbn13=9781443410885Thanks! I am a neurologist and have seen to many with this terrible disease. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy probably only adds a few months to the patients survival. This could offer some hope (I know, this is just a case story, but very interesting).There are some super cancer preventers and maybe fighters too, things like black beans, nori sheets, mushrooms, matcha tea or green tea, black raspberry jam, flax seed, whole grains like oatmeal or brown rice, these have not been tested in the same way as nuts, fruits, vegetables, spices, and tea. What is the best berry for cancer prevention? What is the best seaweed? What is the best bean? What is the best grain for cancer prevention? White cap mushrooms are the second best for cancer prevention, the other might not be immediately available. What are the best seeds for cancer prevention? I can’t wait for that literature to express this as cancer fighters not just in a petri dish but in a person with real recommendations for prevention and maybe treatment. Strawberries were so much more effective for esphogial cancer perhaps their dose should be standardized for that purpose. Beans, nuts, green tea, berries, whole grain, fresh fruits and vegetables are good for long health. Soon we’ll now the best of all these things.One of my best friends died of kidney cancer. It was a long, horrible process to witness. The sad part is, even if he’d known about the risk of eating meat (which he loved), I’m not sure he would have changed his behavior to save his life. Sigh.So does taking Vitamin C before and after consumption of nitrates ameliorate the amine-forming risk?Antioxidants reduce the risk, and one reference suggests vit c. Strongly prefer whole plant sources.Reduce your blood amine levels by not eating animal foods.Hi Dommy, there is a previous video that addresses your question: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/“[…] nitrosamines preform in the meat before it even make it into our mouths. It’s not so much that we’re eating the nitrites added to the meat, but the nitrosamines formed in the meat when they added the nitrites in the first place. Nitrites in the absence of plants turn into carcinogenic nitrosamines.”The whole video series is quite fascinating:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/All I can say Is Thank You!!!Analgesics are the most commonly used over-the-counter drugs worldwide and some data suggest that acetaminophen and non-aspirin NSAIDs are associated with a significant risk of developing kidney cancer.Sent a message via “contact”, then read to ask here… Wondering if Dr Greger saw this study finding dramatically reduced autism symptoms whilst taking sulforaphane: http://www.pnas.org/content/111/43/15550.fullThe incidence of autism is associated with late fetal and infant exposure to pollution. Might benefit found be a result of detox?I hope you will consider treating autism with diet. Beans, nuts, green tea or matcha, whole grains, berries, vegetables, and fruit could be effective treatments. The plant based diet might help the autistic. TIckling, laughter, love, encouragement for troublesome behaviors, acceptance, rewards, and nostalgia have been life patterns that let parents be themselves again. Autistic children are so honest, so free from the worry of judgement! Many are quiet and silent, and some choose to put their expression someplace else. All are often so gifted. They have strong left brains and connect easily to webs that make sense to their parent’s purpose. They are always so dedicated. Yes, a mother going through detox could help her child, as could the diet of beans, nuts, matcha or green tea, whole grains, berries, fresh fruit and vegetables. Dr. Greger recommends pregnant women eat garlic, one snack box of raisins a month, and the March of Dimes recommends beans and orange juice or Folate, Dr. Greger also recommends an alga based Omega 3 supplement (like DHA or ECG) from a Nori sheet. Pregnant women eating these foods could stop some autism in their children. Walnuts, rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, could also help.Nicely put and please don’t take this the wrong way but referring to a person with autism as “the autistic” is a little offensive. Small changes in our vocabulary have a ripple effect on public perception.Please accept my humble apologies. Will you accept this as a correction: “The plant based diet might help people with autism”? Thank you very much. I am truly sorry. They are human beings, not a diagnosis, and they are not a logical grouping of people in any way. They are not a type of people, and there are no common characteristics among them. People with autism are perhaps one of the most neglected, under served, over competent groups of people in the world. People with autism also suffer terribly, and have been so horribly thrown away. People with autism now, in particular, with the federal funds rate so low, are invisible to society and have made such a difference and suffer so constantly in silence. People with autism are always all around me, they are some of the most successful people I know, they are the stars of sports and Hollywood, and I love people with autism dearly.Wow…”humble” is an understatement. Thank you Matthew. If you want the real insight on what people with autism that have a hard time verbally communicating are thinking, please take a look at “The Reason I Jump.” By Naoki Higashida. The best book I have read on autism in the 21 years I have been trying to really understand my youngest son. Mind blowing to say the least. Enjoy.There is also “I am Intelligent: From Heartbreak to Healing–A Mother and Daughter’s Journey Through Autism” http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13203018-i-am-intelligent An incredible book about a girl with autism who had profound communication challenges.Can you provide sources for your claims other than broccoli?Great advice for expectant mothers to help prevented the condition! … Much better than reducing symptoms after the fact.I hope these references are of use.“This is not even negotiable for all pregnant and breastfeeding women. Just within the last year, mothers given DHA supplements had infants with significantly better vision at two months, significantly better problem solving at 9 months, and were significantly smarter at 4 years old—it bumped their IQ as well.”http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/“which means your water breaking prematurely, before 37 weeks.And it didn’t seem to take much. The so-called “high” garlic intake associated with the lowest risk was just about one clove a week or more, and “high” raisin intake was defined as just like one of those mini snack boxes of raisins a month.”http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/Folic Acid or Folate in Natural foods is recommended by the March of Dimes. This is their food recommendation:Beans, like lentils, pinto beans and black beans Leafy green vegetables, like spinach and Romaine lettuce Asparagus Broccoli Peanuts (But don’t eat them if you have a peanut allergy) Citrus fruits, like oranges and grapefruit Orange juice (From concentrate is best)http://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/take-folic-acid-before-youre-pregnant.aspxI am unable to find a recommendation that the vegan diet or less meat can help with childhood autism. This site here says they are smarter, though.“First let me share a little background. We’ve known for nearly 30 years that vegetarian children test smarter than omnivorous kids. First shown in a 1980 study at Tufts University, the IQ of vegetarian children is found to be about 16 points above average. And their “mental age” was a year ahead of the rest of their classmates. Of all the veg kids, the vegan kids appear the smartest. The pediatricians, psychologists knew the veg kids were bright but the researcher noted that they were puzzled that they were so much superior.”http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iq-of-vegetarian-children-2/Less meat is recommended here for most conditions. A woman was recently threatened with imprisonment for feeding her baby a vegan diet. Her child was malnourished. I think less meat might help children with autism, but that is mere extrapolation, no meat would probably be cruel to an unwilling and un-sick child.Thank you. Women not eating high on the food chain…toxins in animal products…should be expected to help reduce the chance of the having an autistic child. Unfortunately research wise, that is opinion. I wish there were lots of whole plant eaters to facilitate studies!Yes, thank you. It is an opinion. Thank you for your good oversight.Do nori sheets actually have significant and considerable amounts of DHA and EPA? I do not see any reputable sources online showing specific amounts.Hello, Leslie, only using this stie, Dr. Greger does not recommend fish for pregnant women because of the mercury but does strongly recommend the DHA fish contains. He has a video showing that fish are unhealthy because of mercury but DHA algae supplements are very good. The answer to this problem is algae or seaweed or yeast derived DHA including supplements. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/ Just holding onto one Nori sheet it is physically greasy with sea omega 3s. Perhaps this site does not recommend Nori for DHA specifically, they recommend algae supplementation. I believe Nori, or another seaweed of your choice does have DHA and are another option for your consideration, because they are also recommended for reduction in breast cancer risk.4,000,000 years of follow up!! ?It makes perfect sense. It is a medical term – you follow 1 patient for 4,000,000 years (duh!), or you follow 4,000,000 patients for 1 year or (more achievable) you follow 400,000 patients for 10 years.I just came across the concept of “resistant starch”, and wondered if you have seen any papers on it? TIA :)I’ve got some videos coming out on it–eat your beans and join the resistance :)May the force be with you !!!Resistance is usefulI live in Canada and I am from Spain-Canary Islands and my theory is that the majority of north Americans here in Vancouver Canada drink colas and like we European drink wine ! I think coca colas consumptions it so big here in Canada and when I go shopping Most people carry frozen junk food , pizza and can macaroni in their shopping basket ? Why people in north America are lazy to cook decent meal ? why they eat mostly factory man made food ? people becoming a lazy to cook ! the farm animal in my village back home eat healthier than north American people . Also every one puts stupid chemicals all over their skin , sun lotion …How they get vitamin D ? the average old person in my village lives to 95 and no no one has wheel chair . In Vancouver Canada I see every old people in wheel chairs ? why ? The people they pop stupid vitamin pills like candy and they’re so unhealthy !! in my village no one pops vitamin pills ! and live a healthy old age .This might be off track, but I’ve got more than a few friends on this site and It is now Christmas eve here and I’m moved to wish everyone of you the very best holiday and good health. Regardless of whether we agree or agree to disagree we are learning together and that is all I require of life. Sincere thanks for helping make this place so fine. Peas on Earth, heh.Merry Christmas Coacervate!I think someone else has suggested this before (please chime in for due credit, whoever it was), but I wanted to put it out there again – If NF were to offer a t-shirt with some form of “we didn’t know… [perhaps on the front], with “…until now” [on the back], I would definitely want one. Love that phrase! NF logo, maybe some visually intriguing educational schematic. Not sure if t-shirts are worth it in terms of profit margin for fundraising purposes, but I think it would certainly be a conversation starter, and I’d wear one.I agree, I was thinking about this yesterday. Id buy one in a heartbeat.Love it. Definitely a conversation starter. And it would be very cool to run into strangers wearing a NF t-shirt. Where do I order mine? :-)re: NutritionFacts original t-shirt.I remember this conversation from before. I forwarded this/b00mer’s latest post to Tommasina. Tommasina thinks it is a great idea. I don’t know how soon we could actually get something like this going, but I’m sure the staff are going to talk about it and give it a try if it is at all possible at some point.Thanks to everyone for chiming in. I would guess that that kind of enthusiasm will have an impact on what happens.I’ve been smoking for the past 45 years. For the past two months I have been vaping. Started when I was 16 bases on the advice of an adult who said smoking was good for weight control. Which is wrong. I exercise and obviously erudite regarding nutrition, or I wouldn’t be here. My transportation mod of choice until my mid 20’s was riding a bike. For six years my commute was 40 miles a day. I smoked a pack a day and more when performing intellectually challenging tasks. Nicotine increases concentration, memory, fine motor skills and…….. opps highly addictive. No kidding. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NicotineThe first time I tried to quit I was 19 years old. In fact I cannot think of time since then when I haven’t been in some stage of trying to quit smoking. The prescription pills, lozenges and patches ( which made my addiction worse btw) didn’t help. There is no pleasure in smoking, other than quenching addiction craving. It takes a psychological toll when 25 times a day one pauses, to think, “I have to stop doing this. It’s going to kill me.”True story, two months ago I was on my way to get my two week supply of smokes from a native reserve in the Province where I live. No tax. So instead of $10.00 a pack it’s $3.00. Yeah I know….. On this particular day, I made three stops on the way. Never seen a vapour device and bumped into a person at each stop using one. They told their stories with religious conviction. I had to give it a try.In the past two months I’ve gone from 25mg to 18mg. With drawl symptoms about nothing. I sleep through the night now for the first time in a zillion years. When I weight lift monster sets, my breathing is deeper, heart rate lower and recovery to normal in an amazingly short time compared to before. I lift more a result. ( fyi, how ended up here. Wasn’t sure my weight lifter diet was all that good, six eggs a day, litre of chocolate milk after a work out and uno at least 4 chicken breasts a day. After all that I was feeling a bit weepy. Must have been all the estrogen :-) After three weeks going plant based feeling better. Though getting enough protein is a concern. Was using a soya protein supplement for 150 grams of protein per day. After the last video on how much soya is too much concerned. Any body builders using a plant based diet I’d appreciate your advice.I did some research on vaping and asked my GP. GP said, “Anything is better than smoking tar and smoke are killers” I also researched harm to those around me for vapour. I found nothing other than indignation of the pious. I am grateful to the innovators like Charzie and pablo for having the fortitude to set the record straight. Banning nicotine vapour devices is short sighted.This looks like an interesting site, it came with solid references. I am saddened to see it seems to come with it’s own mc troll, that appears to have done a fine job of sidetracking what would otherwise be a neat exchange.Click sources cited and the studies are available for your viewing. Dr. Greger simply synthesizes the evidence, if you don’t like what he has to say, see the studies and you can come to your own conclusions.Have you ever noticed how the produce in the grocery store practically screams at you to choose them for whatever ails you? Kidney beans shaped like our kidneys are good for our kidneys. Celery looks like our femur and the minerals within the celery help strengthen our bones. A tomato has 4 chambers just like our heart and the lycopine the the tomatoes is great for our heart. A walnut looks just like our brain and the omega 3 fats in walnuts are fantastic nutrients for our brain. Just saying.Don’t forget the formaldehyde.	animal products,antioxidants,bacon,beef,blood pressure,cancer,carcinogens,celery,chicken,collard greens,dairy,deli meat,diabetes,eggs,fermented foods,fiber,greens,hot dogs,hypertension,industry influence,kale,kidney cancer,kidney disease,kidney health,meat,NIH-AARP study,nitrate,nitrite,nitrosamines,obesity,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,pork,processed foods,processed meat,sausage,smoking,tobacco,vegetables,vitamin C	Plant-based diets appear to protect against renal cell carcinoma both directly and indirectly.	I briefly address kidney health in Preventing Kidney Failure Through Diet and Treating Kidney Failure Through Diet, but have a whole series of more in-depth videos like this one dealing with various kidney issues.More on the fascinating nitrate/nitrite story in my 17-part series about improving athletic performance with nitrate-rich vegetables such as beets and arugula. Here are a few short highlights:More on carcinogens caused by cooking meat in videos like:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fermented-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nih-aarp-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrosamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/deli-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24489722,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25036615,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22445489,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22857852,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23169285,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23716171,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20616354,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23859034,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24806664,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23515007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24327014,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11743810,
PLAIN-2507	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/	Paleo Diets May Negate Benefits of Exercise	Much of the low carb and paleo reasoning revolve around insulin. To quote one random blogger, “carbohydrates increase insulin, the root of all evil when it comes to dieting and health.” So because carbs increase insulin we should stick mostly to meat, which is fat and protein—no carbs, so no increase in insulin, right? Wrong. We’ve known for half a century that if you give someone just a steak, no carbs, no sugar, no starch, and their insulin goes up. Carbs make your insulin go up, but so does protein.In 1997 an insulin index of foods was published, ranking 38 foods on which stimulates higher insulin levels. What do you think causes a larger insulin spike, a large apple and all its sugar, a cup of oatmeal packed with carbs, a cup and a half of white flour pasta, a big bunless burger—no carbs at all, or half of a salmon fillet. The answer is the meat.They only looked at beef and fish, but subsequent data showed that that there’s no significant difference between the insulin spike from beef, versus chicken or pork—they’re all just as high. Thus, protein- and fat-rich foods may induce substantial insulin secretion. In fact meat protein causes as much insulin release as pure sugar.So based on their own framework, if they really believed insulin in the root of all evil, then low carbers and paleo folks would be eating big bowls of spaghetti day in and day out before they’d ever touch meat.Yes, having hyperinsulinemia, too high levels of insulin in the blood, like type 2 diabetics have, is not a good thing, and may increase cancer by like 10%. But if low carb and paleo people stuck to their own theory, it it’s all about insulin, they would be out telling everyone to go vegetarian, as vegetarians have significantly lower insulin levels even at the same weight. It’s true for ovolactovegetarians. It’s true for lactovegetarians and vegans. Meateaters have up to 50% higher insulin levels.Put someone on a vegan diet- man, woman, young, old, skinny or fat, and you can significantly bring their insulin levels down within just 3 weeks. And then just by adding egg whites back to the diet, you can boost insulin production 60% within 4 days.What if you take people and add carbohydrates, double their carbohydrate intake, you can bring their insulin levels down. Why? Because they weren’t feeding people jellybeans and sugar cookies, they were feeding people whole plant foods, lots of whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables.What if you put someone on a very-low carb diet, like an Atkins diet? Low carb advocates assumed that it would lower insulin levels. Dr. Westman is the new Dr. Atkins after the old Dr. Atkins died overweight with, according to the Medical Examiner, a history of heart attack, congestive heart failure and hypertension. But Dr. Westman was wrong. No significant drop in insulin levels on very low carb diets. What they got is a significant rise in their LDL cholesterol levels, the #1 risk factor for our #1 killer, heart disease.Atkins is an easy target though. No matter how many new, new, extra new Atkins diets that come out, it’s still old news. What about paleo? The paleo movement gets a lot of things right. They tell people to ditch dairy and doughnuts, eat lots of fruits, nuts and vegetables, and cut out a lot of processed junk. But this new study’s pretty scary. Took a bunch young healthy folks put them on a Paleolithic diet along with a Crossfit-based, high-intensity circuit training exercise program. Now if you lose enough weight exercising you can temporarily drop your cholesterol levels no matter what you eat. You can see that with stomach stapling surgery, tuberculosis, chemo, a cocaine habit—just losing weight by any means can lower cholesterol, which makes these results all the more troubling. Ten weeks of hard core workouts and weight loss, and LDL cholesterol still went up. And it was even worse for those who started out the healthiest. Those starting out with excellent LDLs, under 70 had a 20% elevation in LDL, and their HDL dropped. Exercise is supposed to boost your good cholesterol, not lower it. The Paleo diet’s deleterious impact on blood fats was not only significant, but substantial enough to counteract the improvements commonly seen with improved fitness and body composition. Exercise is supposed to make things better. Put people instead on a plant-based diet and a modest exercise program—mostly just walking-based, and within 3 weeks can drop their bad cholesterol 20%, and their insulin levels 30%, despite a 75-80% carbohydrate diet whereas the paleo diets appeared to negate the positive effects of exercise.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	I think my major concern with the paleo diet is it’s name. It really appeals to people who use evolution as a mental model.Can we really be so sure that cavemen ate a certain way?It appears to me it is a dangerous oversimplification.Don’t look for logic in Paleo. It is classic “Hear what you want to hear” style ignorance. Say it is 30,000 years ago. We are a small band of noble savages. If we survive long enough to reproduce then it doesn’t really matter what we ate. We find a billion ways to die in the past. I know, I was there. When I was young I couldn’t care less. More brontoburgers please. Now I want to see my grandchildren grow and so I stalk the wild asparagus (and so do they – thanks Mum…and Dr G!)Of course you were there !! :-)We just watched “The Man from Earth” :) Pretty cool flicThat’s one of my favorite movies!“What you’re saying, it offends common sense.John Oldman: So does Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, that’s the way nature works.”:)My favorite line is the one with the talking snake.Not posting it here in case there’s an “Edith” around. ;)“We could have a holy war in our living room any day of the week!”The funny thing about that movie was we both kinda turned our noses up and then about a week later we realized we were still talking about it. It is so unusual (for us) to find thought-provoking movies that havent been CGI’d to death. And it was GREAT to see Imogene Coca after more years than i can count… Any suggestions welcomed. “Coffee and cigarettes” if you want a laughWe had the same experience–not realizing the psychological truths in that film until later.You might also enjoy “K-Pax.”Thank you! I’ll see if they have it on rental here.You can watch it free on You Tube.Sure. I am fairly convinced that the Paleo diet is counterproductive, but it’s widely popular.People don’t have the time or initiative to do much research about their diet, and I can attest to that. Dr. G is like my only source of nutrition knowledge.In terms of the narrative we make for nutrition mental models are incredibly important. The idea that Paleo is somehow proven through natural selection is appealing. It’s important that public health type people remind us that modern day Paleo is not really historically accurate (This is covered somewhere on Nutritionfacts).Is Paleo an unhealthy fad diet? If so we should constantly be reminding people that the Paleo diet is probably not what ancient humans ate.I think you miss my point: I don’t think we should remind people about Paleo probabilities at all. Human nutrition does not depend on what cave folks ate. The whole idea is wacky. But I would never try to convince anyone that I know what the myriad geographically isolated populations of paleolithic humans composed for their various diets. Anyone can believe whatever they choose to believe but anyone wishing to live a long and healthy life needs good nutrition based on good science.I hear a lot about narratives these days. and metrics and lots of other neat sounding werds. Called buzzwords right? What is important is getting people to believe that science should work FOR them and to believe that good science is good for them. And to learn to recognize good and bad science.All the stories about the Garden and Gandolf and pills and majic potions lead folks down a pretty path to the land of Woo. No offence intended but isn’t scientific nutrition the only proper paradigm for a “nutrition mental model”? All models are wrong, some models are useful.For more info, pick up the book “Paleofantasy”.tbatts666: re: “Can we really be so sure that cavemen ate a certain way?” I think you are on the right track as well as are the replies you have gotten. The only thing I would add is a link to the following NutritionFacts blog article. If you haven’t seen this one yet, I highly recommend it in terms of a partial answer to your question: http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/23/will-the-real-paleo-diet-please-stand-up/I also highly recommend plantpostivie.com This blogger has outlined in detail, in a format much like the good Doctor G, the science completely debunking paleo and atkins. It is not to be missed for those interested in good health through good-science-based nutrition. As we proceed to the end-game of this nonsense about humans eating animals, expect the witless and emotional-based paleo attacks to increase.DoctorD: Thanks for your post. I’m a huge fan of Plant Positive. I recommend him all of the time too. I agree that his work is very high quality.re: attacks. Yep. But for the most part, I don’t think it is attacks so much as really misguided people who really believe what they say and thus are passionate. The best way to proceed with such people is gently. (Note to anyone reading this: I’m not talking about anyone in particular or on this threat at all. I’m just making general conversation with DoctorD.)Indeed. Especially when you consider how inaccurate the term is, since modern foods are hybridized versions of what would have been eaten then. And what might the average lifespan and activity level looked like then?Paleo advocates have some good insights. We should all eat whole foods with minimal processing, avoid added sugars, and pay attention to reducing glycemic loads by choosing lower glycemic index starches (whole grains, legumes & sweet potatoes rather than baked goods and white rice). That said, the modern paleo movement also has a lot of dogma that isn’t supported by the evidence, particularly regarding whole grains, legumes, and curious assertions of which fats are and aren’t healthy. Many advocates have more the character of political or religious extremists than scientists, as anything that doesn’t fit a preconceived worldview is discarded as irrelevant, and some go out of their way to choose diets opposite to the nutrition consensus as a means of “giving the finger to the man”. You won’t have to look far in the ancestral health community to find characters whose diets are full of the decidedly non-“paleo” options of bacon and butter, who then seem surprised that like any lab animal fed these they’ve become insulin resistant and hyperlipidemic.As someone who embraces evolutionary models, I’ve no problem with the term “paleo” diet, though I find some willful ignorance among many proproponents. Some scientific problems with modern paleo movement include:1) dogmatic insistence on the Raymond Dart model of “man the hunter”, which has been contested and supplanted in paleoanthropology for decades; 2) ignorance about the speed of evolutionary adaptation, for example our very recent acquisition of lactase persistence and high amylase gene number; 3) focus on the diets of 80-10,000 years ago, dismissing the 40 million years when our lineage were predominantly herbivorous forest dwellers. 4) focus on the diets of remaining hunter gatherers pushed into extreme environments, whereas several contemporary African savannah & forest hunter gatherers eat predominantly plant-based; 5) the unfounded assumption that the same diet that maximizes growth in youth will also maximize healthspan free of chronic disease, which experimental gerontology has resoundingly dismissed.Yes! This is exactly what I have been told as well! You are so right mr. darryl! We have been apes for far longer than we were cavemen, so it makes no sense to model our diet off of them. You should write a paper on that subject and submit it to them. Maybe that will get them to see reason.Paleolithic people did NOT eat that way. Here’s an excellent TED talk which debunks the paleo diet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMOjVYgYaG8this does NOT debunk the “paleo” dietMaybe low intense and anaerobic training is healthier, no matter the diet?Low intensity is NOT better. Many runners get injured due to chronic cardio.I completely agree, why should we base what we believe to be a healthy diet on what our ancestors did 30,000 years ago. Today we have markets filled with foods we never had access to. The paleo diet is good on behalf that it encourages lots of vegetables and fruits, but wrong in the sense that it encourages us to eat more meat. Meat continues to show time after time to have negative effects on human health. Dr. Collin Campbell a pioneer in the plant based revolution brought this to life with his book the China Study, a book i would recommend to anyone who wants to see the research on animal foods and their many affects on our overall health. The paleo diet is coupled with a the fitness industry/crossfit lifestyle. There is a large disconnect between being healthy and looking fit (e.g. skinny/ripped). The fitness industry focuses mainly on physique breaking food down to macronutrients only. They consume protein like like medicine because they are told they need more protein, protein, protein to help them build their muscles. However, 20 grams per meal is really all athletes need to initiate protein synthesis (anabolic muscle growth). Protein can be found a a large number of plant foods including nuts, beans, quinoa, oats, rice and as long as you are consuming a good amount of these foods you should have no issue in building muscle. Their needs to be a collaboration between the fitness industry and what truly being healthy inside the body looks like. The paleo diet will fall as do all fad diets, and the plant based revolution will rise to the top because its benefits to life are endless: weight loss, prevention, longer life, happier life, and overall healthier body.I can’t lose the chance to remember about Plant Positive’s work on the diet issue:http://plantpositive.com/While talking about paleo diets… i think there were many paleo diets in the past and not only one diet for all the young mankind.Probably depending on environment and situations there were populations heavy on meat and fish, and others practically vegetarian and probably a lot of bad periods in wich food was scarce and life was really hard.And i don’t know why, it’s only a feeling that i have, but i think that insects play a major role in ancient times for our diet.Lots safer hunting insects. They don’t typically turn and try to gore you to death when you have the bad manners to stick a spear into their sides. Even ferocious predators will eat insects when they get a chance. Look at Grizzles. In some places and at certain times in the summer they can get nearly all of their calories eating the insects in mass congregations (army cut worm moth, ladybird beetles, etc). It looks like they are grazing, but in fact are licking up pound after pound of insects. So I would say that it is a very safe bet that paleo humans ate insects any time they got a chance. A rotten log was probably an early version of a smorgasbord board with all of its tasty crawly things and grubs. In fact I think everyone starting a paleo diet should be required to eat a plate of BBQ crickets (something easily found from street vendors in Bangkok) in order to get an idea of what real paleo eating was like.I was thinking that if we as mankind were in some way intelligent, probably we would have created a bug meat industry instead of the current animal meat industry.I mean it’s really easy (compare to cows, chickens etc) to raise insects than animals.As an entomophobic, I am getting sick only imagining. But aren’t most folks entomophics to some degree?Evolutionary pays off to keep your distance from the animals that kills more humans than all other species combined.Also as a species we are frugivores, that later got more enzymes to digest cereal than the other primates, it is true that primates do eat some lice or similar they might have in their fur, but they don’t go out of their way hunting insects. They go for the fruits. :)Yes, fruit is definitely the king of foods out there.:-)I remember seeing a study of some primates in some zoo that weren’t thriving because the fruit they gave them didn’t have the requisite bugs in it.Why cook bug meat when you can eat an ExoProtein bar made from cricket flour? That’s Paleo, right?But, do not forget parasites !! :-)Not sure processed parasites have the same effect.XDWay off topic, but Dr. Greger, with the holidays around, I am wondering if you partake in “any” amount of spirits. And wondering about others here as well. If one does some reading via google, much has been said that even minimal ounces of alcohol can harm the gut barrier. Heck, maybe even the brain barrier. And I will guess that booze wipes out the natural bacteria in our mouth, throats, all the way down…..So wondering here, even after looking through the videos, I do not get a clear picture on a glass or two of organic beer, an organic red wine (4 ounces), as having no chance of causing internal harm. I know that there are benefits to booze, but the benefits are mutual exclusive to the harm.I know it is not for me to answer to your concerns but it’s an interesting topic. I don’t think a glass of wine or two around Christmas and New Year is any problem whatsoever. There are countries where some strong alcoholic drinks actually act like garlic – they do kill bad bacteria and I know from personal experience that these people haven’t had a flu throughout their lives, they live up to 90 years of age (and even more) and are lively folk. And, they drink these drinks in very moderate amounts, and only when needed (if they suspect a flu or feel low in energy). And of course, I am talking about home-made grape alcoholic drinks (not only wine). So, again, one-two glasses of wine or a bit of beer isn’t going to destroy your health. Just do it a few times a year. Personally, I avoid alcohol because I don’t need it. I am cheerful without the booze :)))))) and I am not ashamed to say that I will not drink something if I don’t want to no matter the peer pressure.Spill the wine, eat the grapes.In the conclusion of the Paleo study they mention several studies showing how glucose tolerance is better for Paleo eaters and how wonderful dairy is. Do they even read the studies they cite? I looked at one of the Paleo glucose studies by S. Lindeberg et al. ( which may be why Sweden embraces paleo) The Mediterranean group ate a lot more low fat dairy and not much less meat than the Paleo folks. What they didn’t even mention in their conclusion is that the Mediterranean group drank a whole lot more juice and sweet beverages (soda?) another worthless study IMO.Just for the record, the Swedish government never issued guidelines endorsing Low Carb of any ilk.https://experiencelife.com/newsflashes/debunking-news-of-swedens-low-carb-high-fat-guidelines/But what the gov’t recommends and what ppl do can be miles apart:Swedish Atkins Diet Blamed For Cholesterol Surge And Heart Disease Riskhttp://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/1585766I just finished being >99% vegan for three months, which involved eliminating my regular consumption of fish, fish oil, egg whites, and yogurt. At the end of the experiment, my fasting glucose and HbA1c improved (both lower than at start). But while my total cholesterol also became lower, this was exclusively a result of a lowering in HDL, so (under the assumption that the HDL: total cholesterol ratio is an even stronger indicator for risk of heart disease than total cholesterol alone) it seems being vegan didn’t improve my lipid profile as it did for people in one of these experiments.Your LDL did not drop?HDL is only protective when TC is low. HDL cannot perform its antioxidant efflux function when cholesterol deposition into the intima is high because it too becomes atherogenic and lodged into the intima. Don’t worry too much about HDL.You are assuming all LDL is the same – it isn’t. Type A is beneficial – Type B is not. However, no one does the differential analysis between the two – therefore, your argument is flawed.gordotl: I think you are referring to large vs small LDL. The following NutritionFacts video explains why small vs large is irrelevant based on the actual data/science: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/Plant Positive goes into the issue in more detail with other sources. He has a series of videos, some of which talk about apoA vs apoB. I think this one may be the one that would interest you, but I’m not 100% sure: http://plantpositive.com/apob-at-the-eating-academy-nus/ and/or this one: http://plantpositive.com/25-cholesterol-confusion-8-a-lBoth small dense and large fluffy are atherogenic. This is a distraction. So is LDL-P. Read the totality of evidence and you’ll find that, your argument is flawed.I think it depends very much if you, by switching to a vegan diet, had missed on some important ingredients, nutrients, etc. Being a vegan requires extra attention and knowledge gathering. I’ve been doing this for almost 2 years (veganism) and throughout that time I read lots and lots of studies, watched medical videos, etc, and still keep learning new things, and finding out things that can slip out of the attention of a vegan person. Of course, you may have gathered the info before you began being a vegan, but in my opinion veganism is the perfect lifestyle choice. And the reason why some vegans show bad test results is probably because they have missed something. There is no way anyone can make me believe that eating meat ad dairy is something humans cannot live with and be healthy till the end….I agree. I have been a Vegan Plus now for about 3 years. When I started this journey, I quickly realised that you can be a vegan and still be unhealthy. Being a vegan is about not eating any animal products but some vegans still consume too much salt, sugar and processed plant based foods such as white bread. So, I decided I needed to be a Vegan Plus and differentiate myself from ordinary vegans. I also gave up alcohol as it was just another processed food and a real poison. That also meant giving up an alcohol based mouthwash. I also gave up toothpaste and now clean my teeth with green tea. My mouth tastes so much better now.How do you clean your teeth with green tea? I’m guessing you grind the green tea into a powder, add some water to make a paste and use that?Very nice choices. I also use home-made toothpastes with cosmetic clay and lavender oil extract. Other times we just buy an organic toothpaste from a not well-known danish company that uses only organic products in it. I like the term Vegan Plus :) It really means that you’re not just excluding some foods, but consciously including others and improving your lifestyle even further. Being a vegan requires proactivity, it’s not just a decision to be something and go with the flow. Today it may be tough to be a vegan since all food too contaminated with chemicals and heavy metals… but, that’s it.What is coming to light in recent studies is that it’s not the amount of HDL that counts so much, but it’s ability to function. Unfortunately, HDL functionality is not something that can be tested for in a routine clinical setting.Milano Apolipoprotein Targets Atherosclerosis: A Newsmaker Interview With Steven E. Nissen, MDhttp://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/464291Here is a much more detailed account of my 3 month vegan trial, which I posted a few days elsewhere on Disquss:I have just finished an experiment in which I tried veganism for 3 months. Prior to this experiment, I made a drastic change to my diet in order to drastically reduce my elevated cholesterol (by strictly limiting meat, egg yolks, butter, coconuts, and refined sugar). Since I have in the past changed my dietary habits to achieve a massive reduction in my cholesterol, I was curious how taking the next step and becoming vegan would affect my physiological parameters. Prior to starting this experiment, I was consuming a healthy omnivorous diet. Therefore I didn’t expect veganism to improve my health as profoundly as it would improve the health of someone formerly consuming a typical American diet.Basically the changes I made to my previous diet were:Eliminated about 3 daily servings of nonfat Greek yogurt, whey protein, and/or egg whites.Eliminated about 2-3 weekly servings of sardines and/or canned salmon.Eliminated all meat, which I previously ate about once or twice a month.Replaced daily triple-strength fish oil capsules with daily Ovega-3 algae capsules.Increased consumption of beans, peas, lentils, and potatoes.Although it was very easy for me to avoid junk food at the grocery and relatively easy for me to avoid eating junk food at home, I usually failed to resist treats at parties. During this experiment, I did violate veganism on a few occasions at parties by consuming baked goods containing dairy products and eggs. But at least I was completely vegetarian – having consumed absolutely no meat or fish – for 3 months. I’m quite certain that at least 99% of my calories during this experiment were from vegan sources.Thus I have been consuming less protein, less saturated fat, and more carbohydrates over the past 3 months. I predicted this would slightly lower my total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and (unfortunately) HDL cholesterol, and slightly raise my HbA1c and fasting glucose.My starting status as compared to optimal values were:Weight 167 148-160 Height 5′ 9” Waist 32” Hips 37”Triglycerides 72 60 LDL cholesterol 118 <80 VLDL cholesterol 14 Ratio chol/HDL: 2.97015 <2.5Blood pressure 108/70 <120/80 Fasting glucose 90 <90 Fasting insulin 4 <3 HbA1c 5.1 <5.8 hs-CRP 0.2 <1.3 Homocysteine 8.8 <7.5My ending status as compared to optimal values were:Blood pressure 112/78 (+2/+8) <120/80 Fasting glucose 87 (-3) <90 Fasting insulin unavailable <3 HbA1c 5.0 (-0.1) <5.8 hs-CRP unavailable <1.3 Homocysteine unavailable <7.5Weight 161.8 (-5.2) 148-160 Height 5' 9” (no change) Waist 31.5” (-0.5”) Hips 37” (no change)Triglycerides 69 (-3) 60 LDL cholesterol 118 (no change) <80 VLDL cholesterol 14 (no change) Ratio chol/HDL: 3.4 (+0.43) <2.5My hypothesis that my cholesterol would get slightly better (lower) and that my fasting glucose and HbA1c would get slightly worse (higher) were refuted by this experiment. Although my total cholesterol did indeed decrease, this wasn't a welcome change because the decrease was the result of a reduction in exclusively HDL. The highest my HDL has ever been was about 1.5 years ago when I was consuming lots of saturated fat from coconuts, eggs, and dark chocolate. My prediction that my fasting glucose and HbA1c would increase due to higher carbohydrate consumption was also wrong because these values dropped. So in conclusion, it seems that for me a healthy vegan diet is no better than a healthy omnivorous diet low in saturated animal fat.I found a vegan diet pleasurable, although it was an inconvenience when going out to eat with friends and family because vegan options in most restaurants are very scant. At no time during this experiment did I have a craving for meat, eggs, or dairy. Since the end of this experiment, I have eaten animal flesh on three occasions. The first occasion was turkey on Thanksgiving, which was enjoyable but not as thrilling as the mashed sweet potatoes or onions it shared my plate with. The second occasion was a tin of sardines a few days later, which wasn't as pleasurable as the turkey. The third occasion was steak at pop's birthday party, which tasted too greasy. It seems that by avoiding meat, my taste preference has shifted and I enjoy eating legumes and potatoes more and animal flesh less. This a welcome change because I believe these plant foods are healthier and I know they are certainly less expensive. Recently I've been eating home made split-pea soup almost every night and it is always tastes terrific.Perhaps coincidentally, I had less heartburn and less involuntary muscle twitching and night cramps in my calves during this experiment. My athletic performance didn't seem to change much during this time. In fact, I achieved a new bench press PR of 180x5x5 and a new deadlift PR of 305x5x3 while being vegan. However, this is the beginning of wintertime, when I deliberately emphasize strength more in my training than cardiovascular endurance in order to avoid becoming vulnerable to the common cold. I predict that decreasing the amount of intense cardiovascular exercise is the main reason for my reduction in HDL.Now that the experiment is over, I'm going to make it a point to eat a tin of sardines and a big bar of dark chocolate each week. After the holidays, I'll emphasize intense cardio and HIIT more at the gym, even though it might make me more susceptible to colds. Hopefully these changes will increase my HDL. And I will allow myself to indulge in pancakes once a month. I will continue to strictly limit my consumption of meat, eggs, sugar, and dairy products.In conclusion, I'm glad I did this experiment and highly recommend other people try it. For many people it will feel like a drastic change, but I think you will adapt in a few weeks. For those who do try it, it is important to take vitamin B12 because plants don't have this essential vitamin. For those who are into weightlifting, creatine and perhaps beta alanine supplementation become even more beneficial because plants don't contain much of these compounds.My staple foods during this experiment:“Vegetables”: 5+ servings dailyLeafy greens, onions, scallions, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, green beans, beets, carrots, celery, eggplant, zucchini, tomato, avocado.Fruits: 2-4 serving dailyBerries, lemons, grapefruit, oranges, apples, bananas, grapes, watermelon, pineapple, mango.Legumes: about 2 cups dailyLentils, peas, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, tempeh.Starches: about 4 servings dailyPotatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, quinoa, corn.Nuts and seeds: 1-2 oz dailyChia seeds, flax seeds, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, almonds, filberts, Brazil nuts.Drinks:Water, black coffee, tea, herbal tea, cocoa, beer/wine (max 4 per week).Spices/vinegar: lots!Turmeric, curry powder, garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cayenne, black pepper, chili powder, cumin, sage, basil, oregano, cinnamon, clove, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar.Supplements:B complex, D3 4,000 I.U. (wintertime), Ovega-3 500mg, zinc gluconate 30mg.Thanks for sharing your experiment with us. I found it intriguing and, like yourself, found the cholesterol results surprising. It seems you are on a very healthy path, and at least cholesterol did not increase. I don’t know if you were using oil, it doesn’t sound like you were. But if so, this may be a reason for lack of decrease in LDL cholesterol.BenzoSt thanks for sharing. I did something quite similar from September to Thanksgiving this year and my results were on par with yours –although my cholesterol numbers were better –probably because I also eliminated all refined oils, nuts, caffeine and sugar. I would be curious to hear what your diet consists of now as our statistics are similar and it sounds like we also have similar lifestyle and fitness goals.My next annual physical is April 2, so I’ll get another round of bloodwork done on that day. So for the next 3 months, I think I’ll try the strict version of the Ornish Spectrum diet. Despite never having a carotid ultrasound or similar test, I have little doubt that more than three decades of eating a SAD (standard American diet) has left me with a bit of plaque in my arteries, and the Ornish diet is supposed to reverse atherosclerosis. So for the next 3 months, I’ll try limiting fat to about 10% of my calories by cutting back on nuts, seeds, and avocados. I was thinking about going back to eating fish once or twice a week, but since I’ll be cutting back on nuts and hence omega-6, I think I’ll be fine just taking an Ovega-3 and eating 2 tbsp of flax daily. Aside from that, the little fat I will consume will be from a little dark chocolate and a daily Brazil nut.As for caffeine, I have learned that UNfiltered coffee elevates cholesterol, but filtered coffee does not. Nevertheless, I’ll try to swap out my daily 1-2 mugs of coffee for green tea, as recommended by Ornish. As was the case for the three months of my vegan experiment, I’ll continue to strictly limit refined sugar, flour, and oil.I’ll also be emphasizing cardio more and strength less in the three months to come. Aerobic exercise is supposed to be a little better than weightlifting for fighting anxiety and depression, and January-March are the most dreary and depressing months here in Massachusetts. I suspect this emphasis on cardio will help boost my HDL. And if, come April, my lipid panel isn’t better, I can try eco-Atkins by eating less starch and more nuts, seeds, avocados, and chocolate.I had my blood lipid levels tested in June 2012 and June 2013. My total serum cholesterol levels were 99 mg/dl in 2012 and 119 mg/dl in 2013. (I’ve been eating a WFPB diet since March, 2009)My HDL (“good cholesterol”) levels were 29 mg/dl and 31 mg/dl respectively. Each time, the student nurse commended me on my low Total Cholesterol numbers, but then lectured me on ways that I could increase my HDL levels. (ie. increase exercise and eat fish).Although the Mayo Clnic and the American Heart Association state that an HDL level under 40 increases the risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD) in men – I am not concerned.One of HDL’s roles is to remove cholesterol from cholesterol-loaded macrophages, the sort that accumulate in arterial plaque. This is known as its cholesterol efflux capacity.Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., (of heart disease reversal fame) sites research that high HDL efflux capacity protects against atherosclerosis and that HDL blood levels are NOT indicative of HDL’s efflux capacity. He also mentions that statins do not increase efflux capacity.1HDL’s second role is to modulate inflammation. Epidemiological studies show that HDL-cholesterol levels are inversely correlated with the risk of cardiovascular events. However, many patients who experience a clinical event have normal, or even high, levels of HDL cholesterol.Measuring HDL-cholesterol levels provides information about the size of the HDL pool, but does not predict HDL composition or function. The main component of HDL, apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I), is largely responsible for reverse cholesterol transport. Apo A-I can be damaged by oxidative mechanisms, which render the protein less able to promote cholesterol efflux. HDL also contains a number of other proteins that are affected by the oxidative environment of the acute-phase response. Modification of the protein components of HDL can convert it from an anti-inflammatory to a proinflammatory particle. Small peptides that mimic some of the properties of apo A-I have been shown in preclinical models to improve HDL function and reduce atherosclerosis without altering HDL-cholesterol levels.2 Eating the typical western diet appears to damage apo A-I and renders them proinflammatory and atherogenic.In populations where CAD is just about nonexistent, people have both low LDL and HDL levels. These populations follow diets that are higher in whole plant foods and lower in fat and saturated fat than the typical western diet. Studies have shown that it does not appear that low HDL levels provide any vascular risk in individuals who attain very low concentrations of LDL – through diet alone or on extensive statin therapy.3,4.In essence, when looking at your lipid profile, it’s best to focus on your Non-HDL number. To calculate your Non – HDL level, just subtract your HDL level from your total level. This will give you a number that represents your cholesterol that is likely to be atherogenic – your LDLs and VLDLs. Strive to keep your Non HDL levels to below 100.So if you’ve been following a WFPB diet and both your LDL and HDL levels decline, but your Non HDL number is under 100, don’t be surprised if your physician is unconcerned that your HDL level is under the current guideline.1. Khera, AV et al. Cholesterol Efflux Capacity, High-Density Lipoprotein Function, and Atherosclerosis. NEJM 2011; 365: 127- 1352. Navab M et al. HDL and Cardiovascular Disease: atherogenic and atheroprotective mechanisms. Nat Rev Cardiology Advanced Publication; Feb 8, 20113. Brinton E et al. A Low-Fat Diet Decreases HDL Cholesterol Levels by Decreasing HDL Apolipoprotein Transport Rates. J. Clin. Inves. January 1990; Volume 85: 144 – 1514. Ridker P et al. HDL Cholestrol and Residual Risk of First Cardiovascular events after treatment with potent statin therapy. The Lancet, Volume 376, Issue 9738, Pages 333-339, 31 July 20910Looks like you know what you are typing about. In case you didn’t preemptively notice that I posted a more thorough description of my experiment and blood work a little bit further down this page: as a result of switching from semi-vegetarian to vegan, my total cholesterol dropped but this drop was due exclusively to a reduction in HDL(my LDL didn’t decrease at all). My goal is to reduce LDL and improve my HDL:LDL ratio, and a “balanced” macronutrient vegan diet didn’t accomplish that for me. So I am currently trying limiting fat to 10-15% of calories (fewer avocados, fewer nuts and seeds) in favor of more carbs. This is easy during wintertime because I copulating love split-pea soup, bean burritos, kabocha squash, and hot oatmeal with warm berries. I’ll see what comes when I have my annual physical in April.Boom.I have two friends who are paleo. Yes, there are benefit; no processed food, most food made from scratch but I’m don’t think this has to be exclusive to the paleo diet. They eat a lot of vegetables but no fruit because of the sugar content so this video makes especially interesting viewing. As a vegetarian I would also be interested in what Dr Greger makes of this study that was mentioned to me by the same friends.http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0088278&representation=PDFAs it goes against most other research I’ve read, I can only assume there is industry bias behind it.“….. no statements can be made whether the poorer health in vegetarians in our study is caused by their dietary habit or if they consume this form of diet due to their poorer health status.” They may be trying to heal themselves with plants.Thank you to JacquieRN the NF Team Member who shared the following response to the Burkert article by Dr. Garth Davis on another video thread. Also fwiw the same research group also published another study using the same data source and came up with the opposite conclusion. Very poorly designed research, meaningless conclusions in both cases.From Dr. Garth Davis: “Social media, and its infinite viral wisdom, strikes again. A ridiculously bad article was published in an online crappy journal and it is now spreading like wildfire as if it is the truth handed down by God.The article states that vegetarians are less healthy than meat eaters. What?! There has never been a study that has been so bold as to state such a fact! They must have something big, right? I mean this goes against the vast majority of recent science. Anytime an article is an outlier it needs to be well understood, and for it to have meaning it should be replicated. So lets take a look.This study is from Austria. They looked at over 15,000 people. So since this is a comparative study I would imagine there must be quiet a few vegetarians right? WRONG!!!! 0.2% where vegetarian. That is it. A few measly vegetarians. With such a low amount there is no way that you can do an adequately powered statistical analysis, so the authors didn’t try. Instead they matched the few vegetarians they had with age matched meat eaters. Some of the vegetarians had no age matched counterparts so they were dropped from the study!!!!! Even fewer vegetarians now.OK so we are going to take these few vegetarians and compare them with meat eaters and follow them for years and see how the do, right? WRONG!!!!! They just did one interview with them to assess their health and their eating habits. So do we know how long they have been vegetarian? No. Could they have turned vegetarian because they were sick. Of course. Many people facing a diagnosis of heart disease turn to vegetarian diet. In this case the heart disease would have been equated with being vegetarian. This was a 1 day study not a multiple year prospective study like the Adventist Health Study.Well at least we should be able to discern exactly what “vegetarian ” means, right? We should at least know that these vegetarians are in fact eating vegetables, right? Wrong! They applied labels on people but never assessed their exact meal plan. There is no mention as to how many fruits and veggies they were eating. In fact, they noted that the vegetarians were less likely to pursue preventative health, which in itself could explain their poor health. What this means is that these people were unlikely vegetarian for health reasons. In predominately meat eating populations when you find very few people abstaining from meat, and not going in for regular doctors visits, it could be that they are “ethical” vegetarians. In other words, they do not eat meat because of the cruelty aspect. Often times these people eat quite a junk food diet. Lots of processed carbs and not much actual fruit and veggies.In the end this is just bad science. Their conclusion is not worth the paper this would have been printed on had it actually been printed. Instead this wound up on an online journal known for poor peer review. This was not debated at a large scientific conference. This study would have gotten F had a student turned it into me, regardless of the findings, just based on the poor experimental design. In the end, this study would have been never looked at again, except that social media loves a good controversial study that confirms what everybody wants to believe. Now it is showing up all over the internet as if Harvard had just released the study in The New England Journal of Medicine. And this is why people get so confused!”Yes, I also suspect the Austrian sample of vegetarians was biased with people who switched to vegetarianism because they were sick. A recent Dutch study found: “75% of vegetarians with a prevalent cancer at baseline had changed to this diet after diagnosis”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4220685/Yes, that Austrian article is odd. I didn’t realize the sample of vegetarians was 0.2%. I noticed that obesity is 1/3rd of what it is in the US (http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Obesity-Update-2014.pdf), so their population is likelier healthier overall. Compare their health status to average Americans and we might find opposite conclusions, I don’t know. That said, there are so many studies done on vegetarianism that the evidence is overwhelming on the health benefits, although we each have to take personal responsibility to ensure the vegan foods we eat are health promoting. It is easy to slide into junk food veganism. At least that is my experience.Not sure I agree we can make these sweeping statements based on my own personal observations. I have been monitoring my lipid progress for over decade. I was a vegetarian for 5 years (I am a nutritionist so it was a high nutrient density balanced vegetarian diet) and my HDL was low (20’s) and LDL borderline. Then I started eating meat again after I was tested severely nutritionally deficient (apparently all that fiber actually trashed my GI tract). LDL did increase but HDL soared (over 65). I can’t remember what my levels are of all the numbers–just reporting the ones that are important to me. I was even able to get pregnant after being told I would not be able to get pregnant (3 years of infertility treatments) ON and off again, I’d try Meditteranean Diet or go back to vegetarian and inevitably my lipids were NOT behaving the way the studies indicated they should be behaving. (I am also a university professor, with an expertise in obesity). Most recently, I tried the Mediterranean Diet again for 3 years. I gained over 20 pounds. My blood sugar levels soared to 99 and my lipid profile (including LDL and HDL particle sizes) indicated severe heart disease risk, small dense LDL and HDL. After this my doctor put me immediately on a grain free, corn free, sugar free diet. I brought back my coconut oil. I’ve always eaten nuts everyday in my diet (vegetarian or not). I wouldn’t say I ate a tremendous amount of meat, but at least 1 serving a day. My vegetable intake has always been pretty high–much more than 5 servings a day, but I did lower fruit intake to 2 pieces a day. After 2 months, I lost 20 pounds, my cardiovascular lipid profile was markedly better –on many parameters an improvement of over 300%) and completely turned around than it was when I was in my twenties. ON this diet I ate lots of fat: coconut oil, cheese, avocado and was even able to indulge in daily 85% dark chocolate. My HDL rose dramatically, LDL actually changed its profile to being the large fluffy versions (actually switched patterns) and also lowered. Before the diet, my Lp(a) was 55 (limit suggested was 75 on the printout). That was pretty good to begin with. After the grain free diet (which I call a modified Paleo) it was 12. TWELVE! My doctor told me to get out of his office because my heart was disgustingly perfect at age 45 (this was also after having EKG, stress test and echo). I think we need to explore the impact of eating sustainably raised meat vs conventional, grains, sugar load and how fat interacts with sugar/carbs before we make these sweeping recommendations of everyone going vegetarian. Time has proven itself to me that vegetarian and high grain consumption (even if it’s ancient grains), is not the best diet for me. If you go this route, then you’re eating lots of grain–and many people today have issues with their GI tract. They improve dramatically when grain leaves the picture. So for these people, fat or meat isn’t even an issue–they have no choice but NOT include grains. Then there are the people who have been vegetarians their entire lives and are pictures of health–while others have been Paleo for over a decade and are also pictures of health. Maybe I’m just a freak of nature who doesn’t follow textbook case. But I have a feeling if I’m one, then there are others out there. Bottom line, we are individuals and we need to track our own personal outcomes and adjust to a diet that works for US personally. No on disputes the health value of vegetables–I think we can all agree on that one and most people need more of that prescription. But when it comes to proportion of grains/meat etc, we need to follow our own individual lab tests. And place a higher emphasis on sugar–even the type that converts from the complex kind.We need to making sweeping statements because we’re talking about the majority of the population, not extreme examples. Billions of people have no problems with grains in their diets. If you have issues with grains (like people have issues with peanuts, or eggs), then stop eating them. It’s that simple.Thanks for sharing, very interesting.I was going to say…grains are great! Nothing wrong with oatmeal, lowers cholesterol and helps remove toxins. Wonderful stuff.Even the wheat and grains sprayed with Roundup at harvest? When I dropped whole grains and what few sugars I used my waist went from 42 to 38. Then I restricted fruit, milk sugar rich milk products and started running and then working out the waist is now 33 to 32 inches, For a time my carb intake was quite low and then I added carbs from nuts and legumes but no grains worth mentioning. I limit fruit and prefer berries.Insulin is useful for building muscle. I can out work, out lift and out run men 40 years younger than me.Nungiver, lets be honest. it probably was not brown rice, oats, whole wheat pasta, and the like you were consuming. These foods are healthy and promote weight loss and control. Refined grains from white bread, white pasta, cakes and cookies, etc. cannot be compared with whole unrefined grains.It was mostly whole grains that I consumed with any regularity. I did eat the occasional loaf of sourdough bread. I checked my BG after both the bread and other carb sources and that was enough for me to drop the grains and many of carbs. The inches dropped off and added exercise and more inches dropped off and then the waist kept getting smaller and the weight stabilized…..muscles.I emphasize organic when I use grains in my diet. I can’t do it 100% of the time, and I know there may be small amounts of drift if nearby farmers doing areal fogging (spraying), but it will reduce my exposure to pesticides.When you were vegetarian can you describe what your diet was like? I’m very surprised that your blood work wasn’t better… And I’m not saying that I don’t believe you; please do not mistake me for someone looking to start an argument. We are all here to learn and am grateful that you shared your story.Were you lacto-ovo-pesco? or vegan? You mentioned that you included nuts in your diet at all times. Dr. McDougall has taught us that dietary fat paralyzes the effect of insulin on blood sugar forcing the pancreas to secrete many times more insulin (typically resulting in an overshoot) than would otherwise be required…What about avocados, olives, coconut, nut butters and oils?Could you have been overindulging in fruits? Some people’s triglycerides rise from moderate levels of fructose…I’m a personal trainer and for the last decade have been teaching my clients “the truth” about food and haven’t seen any case of someone who, when eating 15% fat or less on a whole foods plant based diet, had anything other than stellar results. But I have seen how the inclusion of even small amounts of rich, fatty foods can curtail results. Did you calculate what % of calories were coming from fat?Dr. Greger, if you can provide some insight here it would be a privilege!Congratulations on your health, your child, and your career! I have Dr. Greger many times saying on this site “Calorie restriction” can add to life and be a health benefit, and he is trying to help people get that benefit while not sacrificing calories. I have been drinking tea and eating many less calories. Eat until you’re 8/10 full is an expression among the long lived. Dr. Greger would like everyone to have this benefit, the benefit of starvation. Perhaps it is nuts that give you this benefit. Women have the opposite problem, those who eat well at times in their life can live longer. Perhaps it is the nuts that have made a difference in your life. Perhaps it is the fact that you eat so much less meat than most Americans. I am glad you found a balance that is working for you. Remember if you have a health problem in the future veganism is one of the most effective interventions. It sounds like you have been a vegan for most meals, if not almost all in your life. Please stay well!I am sorry Mr. Boscato, I met that message to go to Maggie.Most nutritionists that have went and got a degree do not know anything about true nutrition. The curriculum comes from the mainstream. If a person would eat the diet recommended by Dr McDougall, or Dr. Joel Furhman, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr Esylsten just to name a few they would prosper in their health. Each of the above disagree on some minor points but basically they recommend a starch based diet with lots of fruits and veggies, especially greens. Some of them recommend nuts and seeds and some none at all and some a few. Esylsten recommends none, but he works with serious heart patients. Those that follow his program do not have any more heart issues after being on his program. It will work for any disease. I personally follow Dr McDougalls plan very close, except i eat a few more nuts and seeds than he recommends, yet not to high. It is a very high carb diet. I do not go for regular checkups to have blood work done, but i feel fins and do not remember the last time i was sick. And i do not take any flu shots and do not get the flu.You lost me at “apparently all that fiber actually trashed my GI tract”.Totally agree. How is that even possible unless she was eating wood?Grains are not the enemy… GMO grains and pesticides are. But good old oatmeal? I love it and eat it every morning. Brings only good health and a happy tummy.The only genetically modified “grain” available is corn. Wheat and other grains are not genetically modified.I have heart disease, osteoarthritis, and am borderline diabetic. For the past year I’ve been on a high fat food plan emphasizing meat and vegetables. For nearly a year I ate no grain products or sugars of any kind, and only 1 cup of fruit daily. I began the experiment at 302 lbs; as of this present date I weigh 258. My last blood test showed blood pressure normal, cholesterol levels normal, kidney and liver functions normal. Now, a year later, my weight loss has slowed to a stop, however, so I am experimenting with portion control, have cut out all dairy but Parmesan cheese, and I am seeking to add sustainable exercise to the plan, not because it will help me lose more weight (it won’t at the levels I am able to do it) but to encourage my heart to build new blood vessels. My point is that people’s bodies are unique communities, and different bodies behave in different ways. On the other hand, it is clear that long term damage is possible with such a high fat, high protein eating plan, and that is why I am having myself monitored closely for negative changes.I wonder if you would get the same results by being a high fat vegan from whole food sources. this would create a better world where we don’t destroy the planet and you might get the same results taking out the grains for you?What does the fat and protein in nuts, seeds and avocados do to insulin levels?Elizabeth, you might be interested in my experience. I am type I diabetic. Since I made my diet entirely plant based my insulin usage has dropped about 25%. My understanding is that this is fairly typical. I did not eat much fat before and I do eat a fair amount of nuts, soy and flax seeds so I do get a fair amount of oil though I only occasionally add any to food. Bottom line is; I think my fat intake is almost as high as it has ever been. Still that is only somewhat indicative based on the experience of one individual and not on carefully measured portions. You might also check http://plantpositive.com/36-how-to-become-insulin-resis/ for a good analysis of the impact of saturated fats and proteins on insulin. The author of that maintains that both raise insulin resistance and that plants and PUFAs do not. By the way, he also does an exhaustive review and debunking of paleo diet “science”.For Diabetes, this site would recommend alma, beans, flax seed meal, hibiscus tea, cinnamon, and whole grain. The Amla alone was more effective than one kind of pill without the side effects. Good for you eating the nuts, soy, and flax seed. You have been doing what your doctor said you should! What a great improvement, a 25 percent drop in usage. Great job.Just one correction Mathew. Sadly, no I have not been following my doctor’s recommendations on diet. They’ve generally been patronizing and oblivious to diet and only mention exercise as an afterthought if that. My information and experience on insulin sensitivity with low fat, low or no animal protein, and high fiber seems to leave them incredulous. But I keep repeating myself.I do still have plaque psoriasis and did have psoriatic arthritis. With my current vegan diet the arthritis has completely disappeared. My dermatologist was incredulous but at least took note. She had never seen psoriatic arthritis do anything but get worse unless controlled with an immune suppressant.The power of pant, that’s amazing. Thanks for sharing. Its too bad that MD’s are not even aware of the research relevant to their field.Like Stewart, my daughter is a type 1 diabetic. When she eats a lot of nuts or seeds, insulin needs increase. For her, dairy fat requires the MOST insulin of any food fat, and avocados the least. Overall, on days she eats more than ~50g of fat, she will use significantly more insulin than on days where fat intake is lower. So different from what she’s been taught by endocrinologists and diabetes educators. Nice to see some validation here from Dr. Greger in this video.For Diabetes, this site would recommend alma, beans, flax seed meal, hibiscus tea, cinnamon, and whole grain. I should watch how much fat I eat if it causes insulin spikes. I think this shows that animal fat are every expensive for the body to process. You have said it all, great to find validation. Your frustration and patience make you a great mother.If one was to read the study by Smith et al. 2014 “Unrestricted Paleolithic Diet is Associated with Unfavorable Changes to Blood Lipids in Healthy Subjects” There were zero controls whatsoever as all subjects all ate Ad libitum (as much or as little as they wanted) within a “Paleo” framework supplements were also not restricted. The exercise was also Ad libitum of the Cross Fit type. The subjects were not in what I would call fit, I would describe as a normal “healthy” average. Men had an average weight of over 200 lbs with 22% body fat the women in the study total weight was over 150 lbs and body fat 26.6% the average VO2 max for all in the study was only 39.82 ml/kg pre and 44.90 post 10 week testing period not obese but IMO all fairly sad. I have had many athletes that I have coached over the years that have came to me with that previously were “over trained” to use a term that most people think they know what it is. I won’t go into the semantics of that as there is no consensus as to what “over trained” actually is. Besides high rates of chronic injury’s, decreased performance one of the results from the blood tests of all of these athletes is that their cholesterol profiles all showed high total cholesterol, high LDL and lower than expected HDL, along with other abnormalities in the blood tests. Of all the athletes I mentioned most were eating a traditional diet. So you see basing any assumption on a highly flawed study is a flawed assumption no mater how qualified the presenter may seem.If the study shows that Paleo is not tolerated by the average non-athlete, that is a great reason for the general public to avoid it.Who cares what our ancestors ate – they ate what was available – their goal was to avoid starving to death – not to prevent degenerative diseases and improve quality of life – heck most of them died before the age of 25 because of accidents, infection, violence, heat, frost or starvation. Arguments based on evolution makes no sense. High protein advocates don’t even know basic biochemistry……I just gotta add to your outstandingly succinct summary: Most on true paleo diets had what would be considered reasonable cholesterol levels but as your comment suggest. This is in spite of the fact that they ate all viscera and organs (ie guts including feces) and were generally calorie restricted and infested with parasites from their raw diet. That’s true of the Inuit as well as the hunter gatherers who might have been closer to vegan. And too the archeological evidences shows clearly the fact that there was atherosclerosis and other chronic health issues that simply did not have time to kill them in their short lives.Stewart, Thanks for your comment. Evidence suggest health benefits on calorie restriction – even on a diet including meat – but impossible to follow for most people – and they look to skinny to me…. And again – who cares about cholesterol – its a pseudo marker – hard endpoints count – death, stroke, heart attack, cancer ect.This site has advocated for common themes in diet, medicine, exercise, and lifestyle for long life based in scientific literature shunned by medicine as unprofitable by those who fund research. The paleo diet is the diet before we invented agriculture, I imagine. What would you eat if we were still hunter-gathers? I think this diet acknowledges we’d get meat rarely and should eat nuts, roots, beans, some seeds, and only every now and then the meats and milk from domesticated animals. Some people take this more extreme. What would a hunter gather eat in the Eastern region of America? Or a hunter gather in North America Eastern Region before trade? Would it be tomatoes, blueberries, cranberries, pumpkins, and pecans? Could we live without agriculture or trade? I think that the paleo diet loves whole grains, because we could find some of them. Was agriculture bad for man kind? I actually think it made us live longer, but made us very dependent on grain and grain feed meat. If you had to live in a forest how would you live? You’d eat more roots, nuts, and berries with only some meat. I also think you’d be hungry. Is grain really that unhealthy? Are grasses bad? Whole grains, like oats, were so productive we took them into our homes and used them as wealth. They are a great source of heart health now, and yes, hunter gathers would eat any grass seed that they could find. Perhaps the enemy is in the refinery, not the grower. I think refined product is not paleo, and they are more into whole food. Christ mentioned mill stones. Perhaps grain has to be milled. Is it too milled? Would paleo and vegans agree that we can find a diet for friends, family, and loved ones? Whole grains would be part of a paleo diet and are good for the health. Too much enriched bleached flour would not be in many diets and maybe you’d agree that they shouldn’t be in any diet today. Why, for instance, is it harder to find whole grain parboiled rice (try minute rice brown, very expensive), knowing how much healthier it is, and why is it so much more expensive knowing how much cheaper it is? Thank you for saying whole grain is good for insulin levels, enriched wheat flour drum pasta not so much.Is it high insulin that is the problem in type two diabetics (insulin dependent in my husbands case) or high blood sugar for which the insulin is ineffective. (Insulin resistance due to excess weight aside) Measuring blood glucose levels after eating seems perhaps better than measuring insulin levels when making/recommending food choices on a daily basis, or are the two essentially the same? Does eating steak increase blood glucose more than pasta?both the glicose and the insulin are bad in excess amounts in the blood, however if you look at the basis of the pathophysiology and pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes you will see that was not the excess in glicose consumption that caused the disease, but manly the excess fat and animal protein and the consequence pro-inflamatory factors that this two folks cause in the human body. (sorry for my english, i’m trying to get better)and you can cure your’s husband diabetes if he goes on a whole food, plant-based diet. I hope you the best!For diabetes, this site would recommend amla, hibiscus tea, cinnamon, flax seed meal, beans, and whole grain. Yes, according to this video steak increase glucose more than pasta. Whole grain pasta might increase your insulin the least. The Republic of Tea sells a tea that has amla in it, Get Clean PM. It is made mostly of amla, Amla tea is also available from Ron Teaguartener’s Dragon Herbs site. if you can’t find it elsewhere.This is your BEST video of the year. I love it, great work. I hope the low-carb insulinophobic camp sees this.Nice video. Can you debunk Matt Lalonde’s approach or the ADILAN study. Thx.If our bodies had a mechanism to signal, immediately and sense-wise, when we put anything harmful in them, health would be a no-brainer. But we are either shocked by the scientific research or by the impact of painful disease which for some of us comes later in life, hence the “It can never happen to me” lifestyle.I believe most people DO have immediate signal mechanisms, but they either ignore them or take a pill instead of addressing the cause. Got indigestion, bloating, heartburn or constipation? Don’t change your diet, just take Tums, Lactaid, Pepto Bismal or Ex-lax. Your child gets hyper and out of control after ingesting candy or soda? He must have a Ritalin deficiency. :(I was thinking of the simile to a “red hot iron on skin” rather than the comfortable transitional form-causing illness gradually-that we have.Yes, that would be a great benefit–immediate feedback so extreme it can’t be ignored. Though I suppose that would have been an obstacle to our ancestors’ survival when healthy food sources were unavailable. During the Nazi siege of St. Petersburg, some people survived starvation by ingesting things like linseed oil which was used to restore paintings.Does anyone know the biochemical mechanism for an elevated blood insulin after meat meals? Sugar, insulin and glucagon I “get”. But Beef? not so muchI think Dr. Greger said it takes a lot of Insulin Growth Factor 1 to digest meat, because it is a complex and tough food source. The IGF-1 is very damaging to the body, and leaks easily through the intestines. The body has to make a lot of IGF-1 and IGF-2 to make insulin, or rather, that is the ultimate product of making these digestion particles or proteins to dissolve flesh, which can dissolve our own. This is perhaps the mechanism he would suggest as to why meat ages us.. Insulin in itself can not digest meat. Same particles are made by the body to dissolve meat, which is tough and like us, and those same particles can hurt our vascular system over time. A single cup of Green Rooibos tea may have 100 days worth of antioxidants and can help repair this damage at any time.Here is the point (and, I am a Paleo / Primal eater), you assume that we are eating tons of meat – WE AREN’T. By far, the highest amount (by volume) that we eat are vegetables! Nor, do we espouse a high intensity cardio program – far from it. Hard core works outs are difficult on the body. Ancestral man didn’t run long distances (unless chased by a saber tooth) – he DID move though as that was part of the lifestyle.Dr. Greger doesn’t seem to provide references to any of the studies, so – I can’t verify (nor negate) any of his findings; but – I will tell you that many nutritional studies have a very poor statistical power – and, the studies in and of themselves are flawed. I will continue to enjoy my diet style which is high in vegetables, healthy proteins and fats. Unlike his reported studies – I can say this – my insulin level has decreased substantially, HbA1c is down, triglycerides are down, LDL is down, CRP and homocysteine are down. I lost 23 pounds and my energy is through the roof. So, I question his Nutrition Facts – as they are conventional wisdom and conventional wisdom once thought the earth was flat.gordotl: Dr. Greger provides references in the “sources cited” section. Just click to see that data. It is a link to the right of the video. Enjoy.Congratulations on the improvement in your health with your current diet and exercise regimen. It is obviously working better than what you were doing before. One of the advantages to Dr. Greger’s website is that he does provide not only references but abstracts or articles if they are available for free. If you look at box to the right of the video and click on sources cited it will give you the list of articles. In this case 15 by my count. Click on the study and you will get the abstract at least or the full article if it is available for free. The articles are available about 30% of time. This is a tremendous resource for busy professionals as there are over 10,000 peer reviewed articles every year relating to primary and secondary prevention and lifestyle issues (e.g. diet, exercise). For me, both as a clinician and quality improvement expert, it boils down to how much risk do you want to accept and whether you want to challenge your beliefs consider further improvement. I’m not sure what a “healthy” protein is for example. We, of course, need to consume adequate essential amino acids but if you consume adequate calories you can not be protein deficient. The “quality” of protein as measured by the essential amino acid profile is the same in eggs, broccoli and asparagus. Since given adequate calories we all consume excess protein and our bodies don’t store it our livers and kidneys must get rid of it. Studies have shown that higher protein is harmful. You can browse through the 66 videos relating to protein and pick the ones most appropriate to your situation and interests… all are referenced. Outside this website the best articles that I have seen are the three newsletter articles written by Dr. John McDougall… Protein history(12/2003), Protein Sources(04/2007) and Protein Overload (01/2004)… all have cited references but you would need to go through PubMed to read abstracts. So I would disagree that this video deals in conventional wisdom. If you continue your present diet and exercise program I hope you continue in good health but keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps changing.Very happy to see you getting more engaged with the site again. While its clear that Dr. Greger is the vanguard, I think it very important the supporting peers especially the ones with a medical degree can sign their contributions with their given name, it just adds so much more value. A pseudonym can be dropped at a moments notice, a name shows a preparedness to close ranks when the going gets tough. I salute you for that.Great presentation. Two different studies not quite apples to apples. The CrossFit group appeared to be very healthy to start out with as LDL-cholesterol levels were well under 100. I’ll need to look at studies but would guess participants healthy fit college students. Even with the moderate increase and LDL levels follow the Paleo diet the numbers were still good. That doesn’t mean I would advocate bacon butter and other meats as a basis for diet as not good trend. The other group in one study cited that followed plant-based diet experienced definite improvement; however, baseline LDL’s quite a bit higher-perhaps an older group that was not as physically active.When you compare the insulin response to protein in the 1984 article in this video…………. “F Q Nuttall, A D mooradian, M C Gannon, C Billington, P Krezowski. Effect of protein ingestion on the glucose and insulin response to a standardized oral glucose load. Diabetes Care. 1984 Sep-Oct;7(5):465-70″ ……….with the response to a high protein low carb diet in the 2004 journal ‘Effect of a high protein low carbohydrate diet on blood glucose control in people with type ii diabetes Diabetes Vol 53 2004…..what you find is that the current article shows that a high protein/low carb diet (30% PRO, 20% CARB) reduces blood glucose and insulin levels compared to a control diet of higher carbs (55% carb, 15% PRO). This is probably because of a rise in glucagon.Or maybe it’s that the control diet was constructed to be worse than the low carbohydrate diet in ways that wouldn’t occur if the controlled study exchanged dietary protein for dietary carbohydrate in a plausibly healthful manner. Note that the dietary fiber is somehow 50% greater for the test diet in table 2, something that would not happen if you were exchanging calories from meat, eggs, or dairy for calories from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, or legumes. It might be expected to happen, though, in a study that captured funding from the beef industry: “This study was supported by grants from the American Diabetes Association, the Minnesota Beef Council, and the Colorado and Nebraska Beef Councils.”These researchers lost me when they started asserting (toward the end of the study) how good dairy is for your health.Debunking of the Paleo diet from an expert. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMOjVYgYaG8Thanks for that. What an interesting presentation. Because of animal products I’ve had a heart attack, 4ple bypass and years of misery…but I’m gonna give it one more chance! NOTThe study: No evidence of insulin resistance in normal weight vegetarian (http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-005-0563-x) compares the level of vegetarians to non-vegetarian who consume a traditional “western diet”. I do not see how he can use this as a comparison when looking at people who consume a “paleo diet”. Obviously people who consume a western diet would have worse insulin resistance based on current literature. How ever he some how ties in that study to talking about people on a “paleolithic diet” compared to vegetarians. Does anybody know any studies that would directly compare the “paleolithic and vegetarian/vegan diets, and maybe a group such as “western diet”? That would be a much better way of assessing the situation. Also the study citing insulin (response http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/66/5/1264.full.pdf+html) shows that beef/pork/meat actually does have a much lower insulin response than white bread, the number he cites as being higher is the ratio of Insulin under curve/ Glucose under curve, but than states that it is directly insulin response. If i made a mistake in appraising this please let me know, how ever it seems as though there may be a good amount of extrapolation from these studies to make these conclusions.Thank you for writing in! I do cite the direct insulin response as I note in the video, not the insulin/glucose ratio. The numbers in the graph come from column 6 in table 4 on page 1269 (available free full-text here), the insulin per gram of serving weight. So for example a large apple weighs about 200 grams, so 20 (pmol)(min)/(L)(g) times 200g = 4000 (pmol)(min)/(L) = 40 (micromol)(min)/daL, which is what I have in the graph. So servings of apples, and oatmeal, and even white flour pasta cause less of an insulin spike than servings of beef and fish (and chicken and pork accordingly).If insulin is the root of all evil, as mentioned in the Paleo discussion above, then how much is too much if you have cardiovascular disease and are not diabetic or pre-diabetic? I have not found a NutritianFacts discussion on this, and would be interested to see what Dr. Greger can dig-up.I am a strict Esselstyn vegan with high normal fasting blood glucose and CVD. I have noticed that my blood sugar spikes to alarming levels if my portion sizes are large, or if I eat reasonable portions of certain types of plant based foods, such as Ezekiel bread, sweet potatos, or grapes. Why not use metformin to control glucose spikes and allow larger portions and greater variety of whole foods?I have just been looking for the best eating life style and the more I look the more I get confused. Lately I have been discussing the Paleo and found it to be more than just a meat fest. Recently I found this http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/04/08/wahls-veggie-protocol-qa/“If you aren’t familiar with Dr. Terry Wahls, check out our interview. She’s a leader in the paleo movement, having reversed her multiple sclerosis through dietary intervention. A cornerstone of her protocol is feeding the mitochondria in our bodies, with 9 cups of vegetables/fruit daily. P.S. If you have people in your life who think paleo is a meat-only diet, feel free to direct them to this article, or any article about Dr. Wahls. Paleo people LOVE their vegetables and often eat more of them than vegans/vegetarians who get a bulk of their calories from grains. – See more at: http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/04/08/wahls-veggie-protocol-qa/#sthash.Ao6YuDzp.dpuf Any thoughts?I have read some of her stuff years ago. Isn’t it truly amazing she was able to go from being in a wheelchair to returning to walking around her office and treating patients? Wonderful outcome from changing her diet. She stopped eating processed foods and begins eating a ton of fresh fruits and veggies. I am not sure we can say that switching to pasture raised meat made a contribution but it is all really interesting. Doesn’t the statement “feeding the mitochondria” sound a bit odd? What do you think that means?I really enjoy reading all of the testimonials about patients whose autoimmune diseases have been in remission from Drs Furhman, McDougall, etc recommending diet change to their patients. Fascinating.The focus of this and other health-oriented websites on whole-plant based diets is in effect combining the best of the two, seemingly opposite approaches to nutrition. There are a number of recent paleo-vegan recipe books, and some research on a vegan “Eco-Atkins” diet by the very respected Dr. Jenkins.“Paleo people LOVE their vegetables and often eat more of them than vegans/vegetarians who get a bulk of their calories from grains.”Source: a blogger who did a google image searchThere are other discussions that have occurred previously about the topics you’ve posted links to and you’re able to search disqus within the site, I believe, to find them.I think it’s great that you’re trying to make changes to your diet to make it “best” for you. It may be less confusing if you simply look at your current diet and pick one thing you know could be better. As an example, focus on more fiber (presuming you need it as you may not), and work on just that item for a period of months. There are lots of resources available on fiber http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=fiber and focusing on just that aspect will help you feel your body respond to the gradual change of incorporating more of that nutrient.You might also find Dr. Greger’s “Nutrition Year-in-Review” video series of interest/usefulness in your efforts. If you go to nutritionfacts.org homepage and scroll to the bottom, there are links to each of the three videos. While longer in duration, they are nice high-level summaries of important topics in nutrition and health.Also, if you’re serious, I recommend setting up an account at one of the free online nutrition trackers to gauge your baseline of nutrient intake and how it compares to standard recommendations for your demographic. Then, you’ll have a better idea of what you need to focus on.Cavemen live now. Even that word “live” is not appropriate. The word “cave” is connected with the word “stone” so you are maybe able to understand when was in fact that so called cavemen age when our Spiritual Father, God Shiva says these days that now His children have stone intellect and that majority of them are not able to understand anything of His knowledge, He also teaches us that we were pure deities with the pure diet almost 5000 years ago, that we became more and more impure by indulging in vice of lust and other vices so today our stage is such that there are no such degrees of purity in the soul and our intellects became stone-like! In the future golden age perfect human beings, that is deities will eat only fruit, flowers, grains and cow milk and ghee as fat! But surely it wasn’t ghee as we know it today because there all food we ate were fresh and raw. Even vegetables weren’t grow at that time. In eating meat there is so much violence, diseases and sorrow. Majority people of today are not able to understand and realize that eating meat is not their free choice but that bad habit is in fact their punishment!!! They are now like in a circle where they can’t find the way out. This is called by God, a bondage of negative karma. A sensible being who wants happiness for yourself couldn’t eat something such impure, something that truly isn’t food but the product of violence and blindness. It is – Giving and taking of sorrow. Hope at least few of you, my brother souls, will understand this!“In the future golden age perfect human beings, that is deities will eat […] cow milk and ghee as fat!”Count me out. If you think dairy does not involve violence and sorrow, you are ignorant of the basics of the female mammalian reproductive system. And if you think it does not involve disease, you haven’t been following this site for very long.Thank you! I have been waiting for a video like this for a long time! Way to knock it out of the park again Dr. G!HIPPOCRATES HEALTH INSTITUTE.I wish this place wasn’t such an echo chamber, far to sudo religious for me, lot’s of great info here but we don’t need the ideology inserted into the argument of diet, it’s confusing enough. Why does this site censor contradictory evidence as well?!Love this site!! but I’m not comfortable recommending it to people who don’t have many many hours to devote to reading and investigation in order to sort through the selective bias here =(Dr. Greger often presents contradictory evidence and shows us how this evidence may not be strong or relevant. What exactly do you have issue with? The paleo diet itself is a fad diet and most credible health organizations advocate a diet opposite to what is advocated on a paleo diet. Dr. Greger is simply sharing the studies and facts. Science doesn’t operate on popularity. If what is presented goes against what people perceive to be healthful, this does not equate to “bias”.I am sorry you think this website is a cult! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I think there is some conflicting evidence in health. Milk was thought to be slimming, Dr. Greger here said it’s fattening. Dr. Greger only approves of tomato juice, saying too much of the fruit is lost in processing and filtering, perhaps he would approve of unfiltered grape juice (Trader Joe’s) or Apple Cider, made with more apples. He does not recommend juice and suggests fresh fruit. Dr. Greger believes most of the benefit of Cocoa is from Industry funded bias but 85 percent dark chocolate can reduce your risk of heart disease by half, he does recommend pure cocoa, maybe as a drink or Rooibos tea additive (chocolate has one of the highest ORAC values of any food tested). . Many of the long vegans here believing olive oil to be bad for you or at least neutral, even extra virgin, I think this would make most plant fat sources bad except for raw oil from walnuts. I do not believe it is reasonable to assume all Americans can be vegan for all meals, however, this website says at any sickness, at any point in your life, when ever or where ever you try it, for as long as you do, for as much as you want, it will make your life better. There are other foods that may help too and Dr. Greger wants every American to have the benefit that comes from eating less. Maybe nori, flaxseed meal, white button mushrooms, walnuts, or garlic could help with this..I take issue with his ideological selective bias, it creates an echo chamber on this web site that is more like a religion then science. It should be obvious to anyone taking a remotely unbiased position on nutrition when viewing and reading content/comments here.I am not here taking notes about it all so I can argue with people and cause a scene, it’s just an observation. There are some very strong, knowledgeable science backed critiques of his work if you use Google to explore varying sources of information before you make a decision.I also find a great deal of amazingly good information here and he is UBER charismatic which certainly helps digest the content. Especially his work with antioxidants, as an example.Stating: “most credible health organizations advocate a diet opposite to what is advocated on a paleo diet. ” so as to conclude paleo is all bad is exactly the kind of logical fallacy I’m talking about.Just off the top of my head this is a decent example of what I’m talking about, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eREuZEdMAVoThe head researcher is a 20 year vegan as well, for what it’s worth.Most of what I find regarding negativity towards Dr. Greger on google are also other paleo proponents who do not appreciate the studies shared on this website. Regardless, other opinions of Dr. Greger do not matter, as I will explain. Yes, Dr. Greger shares a large number of studies showing how beneficial a plant based diet is (there are literally hundreds on this website throughout the videos and the articles). But that is not to say there are an equal amount of studies showing that animal products and the like are also beneficial to health. The opposite is true based on the available evidence. Hence, why I am saying that it doesn’t matter what others say about Dr. Greger as a person, the studies he gathers are peer reviewed, published studies and have applicability and value. It is different if he is making claims with limited or no evidence, (as is the case with many of fad nutrition protocols out there) but every video and article presented here is purely a review of studies. If you pay attention to his word choice, nothing he says is absolutest, qualifiers are often used. Nothing is 100% definitive.My negative comments regarding the high fat low carb paleo diet are based on a review of dietary guidelines around the globe in regards to SFA. Most recommend limitations of less than 7-10% of calories. The paleo diets promotion of a high fat diet and promotion of saturated fat as healthy is a damaging message and simply not based on sound science. See Table 1 http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FBJN%2FBJN107_S2%2FS0007114512001444a.pdf&code=b7e130e134f198fe954f7b01a59f9543Of course paleo has its positives, limiting refined carbohydrates and processed foods, but to follow a paleo diet to its entirety would be harmful to health.I should add that I have seen every video on this website and actually look through many of the studies he shares. If the comments seem to lean a certain direction, its based on previous knowledge of other studies. Evidence has to be viewed as a whole against other evidence. I am familiar with many other studies that conclude positive health outcomes with animal based foods and they are generally conducted in such a way where it has to be so. Several come to mind, especially in regards to eggs.The same can be said for some of the pro vegan studies listed on this site. I am not trying to denounce a vegan diet, it is healthy and works very well for many but it is obviously not the be all/end all of the dietary discussion like this site proclaims in every video and article.The bias is very obvious and that is unfortunate because it undermines trust.Again, the studies are not “pro vegan”. They are not funded by big PITA. They show these conclusions because that is how the human body works. Studies evaluate the natural world, they are not popularity contests, I feel that you are not understanding this concept. Studies that are “pro meat” and “pro saturated fat” are hard to come by and when they do come to these conclusions, the methodology makes it so, and the quality of the studies is not high. The BOLD study is a prime example of this. You will not find a study showing increased whole grain consumption is linked with chronic disease. Inversely, you will not find studies showing those with the highest saturated fat intake have the least chronic disease. These conclusions simply do not exist in the literature. That is not “pro vegan”, that is just a tested and repeatable theory that tends to be true for the human population.I would like to publicly thank you for sharing this medical literature. I do not have access to all the medical journals and you are publishing the results that are subjectated and sequestered by medicine. I have accepted that eating one Brazil nut a week, or rather, four in one day a month, could raise my HDL granting me a better quality of life. Dr. Greger said this review was from a smaller group of people but should be used as there is no evidence that they are bad. I found this empowering. Many people would ask why Germany has better psychiatry than America or Japan a better health care system. It seems they rely more on preventative measures as treatments than American medical pills. Before World War II, it was perfectly acceptable to proscribe a cup of tea or a tincture for a disease. After the actions of Dow Corning and other chemical companies, only pills, and only single compound pills, were the way to treat people. I often think that medical doctors are trying to find the right nutrient or right essential atom to treat a disease, and use a complex mixture instead. This has made a great but complicated medical system. For instance, bones are made up mostly of Phosphorous. Would it make sense to treat a bone disease like Osterperosis with Phosphorus? Maybe, but doctors say Phosphorus is bad for bone density. Yet, Phosphomax, the active treatment for osteoperosis, has Phosphorus in the name. There is lots of phosphorus in diet soda. Would that treat osteoperosus? Would a heavy dose of Phosphorous supplements? I think so. I don’t think the medical literature agrees. Much of medicine is about the placebo effect of a pill. Nobody takes pills, the average prescription being 4 pills with a standard deviation of about 3 pills and almost nobody filling their prescriptions. People might take the Brazil Nuts for Osteoperosis if it was just one a week. I am really grateful you are sharing the gems of medical and nutrition research. They have made a difference in my life. This website has a treatment with nutrition for most illnesses already. The idea is they work, because if they don’t you can’t blame the diet. Here, we can always seem to blame the meat. They say it is always possible to not help the diagnosis. Adding for health, not taking away. Thank you!I think this might be going over your head.This site is ideologically pro Vegan and nearly all the commenters as well. We know this because it/they ignore and even censor contradictory evidence. This site and most, not all, it’s supporters do not simply go by the evidence like you say, that is the problem I have with it. I have no problem with the claim that a vegan diet is very healthy, there is sufficient evidence to support that. However to claim that this is the end of the story and the only, or even the most, healthy diet is also a false claim that the evidence does not support.Please share counter evidence, as I have yet to see evidence that a diet high in meat and fat will lower risks of chronic disease. Population studies show just the opposite.When did I say a diet high in meat and fat will lower the risks of chronic disease?– I do remember saying that this site ignores contradictory evidence. -I do remember saying that this site is like an ideological echo chamber. -I do remember saying that I don’t want to start an argument, I have no interest in arguing with ideologically positioned people, it is an utter waste of effort.If you wan’t to learn more about diet then this site has to offer all you have to do is use Google, you can find plenty of good information if you can stomach evidence that is contrary to your held beliefs.In all the possible respect I can muster, I do not know why you are having such a hard time understanding this. This is simply my experience with this web site, if I am having this experience then you can bet PLENTY of other people are as well, something to consider if you want to be taken serious instead of seen simply as ideologues.Let me explain to you why I am asking for counter evidence, so that this discussion can go somewhere useful.I have told you that I have seen counter evidence, and my definition of counter evidence is that saturated fat and cholesterol are negligible. It is also that a low carb diet is more effective in weight loss. If we are using that as counter evidence against a plant based diet, then the evidence to support those arguments is dismal. The evidence for a plant based diet is by far the most vast and clear cut, some misconstrued studies showing otherwise are simply not applicable. There are hundreds of studies showing that the tenants of a paleo diet are simply false, which is why I am asking for counter evidence. Using Google to find blogs is not exactly how we should come to conclusions. I am asking for clear cut studies. A bloggers opinion are negligible, which is why nutritionfacts.org does not operate on opinion or misconstrued studies. The evidence is clear in each “sources cited” section of each video, available for everyone to see for themselves. I encourage you to explore this website further.disqus_GB8lUuziuG: re the claim of censoring: I am not aware of any censoring. Quite the opposite. As long as people follow basic courtesy rules, they are welcome to post any contradictory evidence they see fit. It happens all the time. We don’t censor it. We just have knowledgeable people who are able to explain the difference between good studies and bad. We often respond to such posts to help people understand the “evidence” they are presenting. Healthy, respectful debate is encouraged on this site and always has been.re: “…over your head.” If this sentence doesn’t break our posting rules, it sure comes close. You can debate ideas, not attack someone’s personal character. Consider this a warning. Here is a link to our rules: http://nutritionfacts.org/faq/#sources-citedThe part of interest is: “What are the rules for posting comments on this site?The intention of the comment section under each video and blog post is to allow all members to share their stories, questions, and feedback with others in a welcoming, engaging, and respectful environment. Off-topic comments are permitted, in hopes more experienced users may be able to point them to more relevant videos that may answer their questions. Vigorous debate is welcome so long as participants can respectfully disagree.To make NutritionFacts.org a place where people feel comfortable posting without feeling attacked, we have no tolerance for ad hominem attacks or comments that are racist, misogynist, homophobic, vulgar, or otherwise inappropriate. We’ve gotten more sensitive to this after a physician who graciously donated his time to answer people’s questions stopped contributing because of negative comments. So please, for everyone’s benefit, help us foster a community of mutual respect. Enforcement of these rules is done to the best of our ability on a case-by-case basis.”Thank you for your compliance.I witnessed it happen first hand, a friend of mine made a very well articulated post with supporting evidence and it was removed from the site. Perhaps this was some kind of fluke but that was my first experience with this web site.The “over your head” comment was in the same spirit and tone as when Toxic said: “I feel that you are not understanding this concept” are you going to scold him as well or just me because I don’t fall in line with this web sites ideology? I am being respectful.“Studies evaluate the natural world, they are not popularity contests, I feel that you are not understanding this concept.” Is not mean spirited. It highlights the point. I am sorry you found it derogatory, that was not my intention.The two statements are very different as far as I’m concerned. It’s not about “spirit”. It’s about conversing.Please note that I left your comment up, but just gave you a warning. It has nothing to do with your ideology. If you follow this site very much, you will see that I go after anyone being disrespectful (when I can) regardless of whether I personally agree with that person’s content or not. And I’ll just state again, unless your friend had rude comments in her/his post or the post broke some other rule, it is not the policy on this site to remove posts of different ideologies.I don’t know why half my posts are not being posted but what ever…I do not want to argue with anyone, I was just making an observation based on my experience and the experience of other critiques to this site I have come across, if you don’t want to alienate people because of ideology then perhaps what your critiques say might be of some use to you but if people want to reject it that is also fine, it’s your site after all.I like to think we are all on the same side here, better health through diet and all that… Anyway I am done with this conversation, peace out.re: “I don’t know why half my posts are not being posted…” I’m guessing it is a disqus issue. We have seen this before. To my knowledge, any missing posts of yours has nothing to do with any moderator’s actions. We do not preview comments, and we only delete comments which actively break our posting policies. And even that is very rare.There have been other times when people were unable to find their posts. And then when they checked back later, the post appeared. Disqus may be one of the best options out there, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. And there isn’t anything we can do about it at the moment. I hope your posts appear.I also forgot to mention that you have completely taken my “pro” comment out of context. I mean “pro” as in the observed results of the study happen to support what we would call a vegan diet. I did NOT mean “pro” as in it’s a popularity contest.http://www.humanewatch.org/hsus_doc_exposed_as_schlock/ – If you believe anything this guy posts, step back from your keyboard and go eat a nice grass fed steak as quickly as possible. Your brain obviously needs some nice saturated fat to be able to think again.FLAGGED and REPORTED. geez… Dr G must be doing something right, looky how mad the low-carb paleos are. Keep up the great work Dr G! We are with you 100%! Plant based diets for the win!Typical wah wah wah response. Did you read the link, or just press your wittle flagged button? But, hey, keep scarfing on your GMO soy burgers. More meat for those who read both sides. The amount of propaganda coming out of the vegan side of things is adorable.Oh, and you don’t have to yell. I can read “flagged and reported,” just as easily if you don’t do the whole, LOOK, I’M IMPORTANT – I USE ALL CAPS thing. From the comments here, it’s obvious that most of the info on Paleo is coming from sources who describe it fairly wrong. Try Chris Kresser or Mark Sisson, for some easy to understand real info. You can even read the PHD diet which uses an apple (those are still plants, right?) for it’s graphic.And to the poster who wrote that cooking makes a thing processed – well, we all know that isn’t true in the Veggie community. From all the frozen veggie garbage sold at Whole Foods, it’s quite apparent that “healthy” to some just means no meat. After all, the cow you eat might have grown up to be president. Or a brain surgeon. Does soaking beans also make them processed?Lastly, my post wasn’t angry. LOL. No nerve was hit. Logically to me, any eating plan (veganism, though not vegetarianism) that needs to supplement with B12 because it can’t be found in its food is a mistake. Our ancestors didn’t have online supplement purveyors. And just to keep up with your post: !!! <— Exclamation points after every sentence makes you right.IAteBambie, please tone down the caustic nature of your post. You are walking a fine line in terms of posting ethics.In regards to your comments, the issues with a paleo diet are vast and numerous. This single video with its few studies is a piece of the larger picture. “Vegan propaganda” is an interesting way of viewing peer reviewed research. This reaction seems like a premature dismissal rather than a critical view of the evidence. In addition, GMO is a non issue in terms of the chronic disease epidemic. It is a bandwagon distraction from the major issues, that being, too much processed foods, a high intake of animal products and a high intake of fat. Please see here on the evidence for and against GMO. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=gmoIn addition, the harms of animal product consumption extends far beyond associations within populations. Please see here for some biological mechanisms http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/ http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1As a final note, if you are truly interested in having a complete understanding of the evidence, then you will see the videos I shared and look into the cited research. It is not vegan propaganda, it is peer reviewed research. Because the research points towards a plant based diet does not mean that the research is biased. The premise to assume that would mean that you believe with certainty that animal products are healthful, in which case it would seem like vegan propaganda. But you should be more critical than that. I have seen the evidence for a paleo diet and studied both sides extensively, and frankly, what supports a paleo diet is dismal and the primary claims are unsupported. If you would like to share studies to back up your points then please do, but lets keep it civil.Of coarse I clicked the link Mr Bambi eater (Nice Troll name too BTW). Why do you think I flagged it? You posted a mean-spirited attack link against Dr Greger himself… It was disrespectful and disgusting. I’m all for debating issues based on peer reviewed science, but what you posted was uncalled for and Juvenal. I have great respect for this site and its contributors and if you post another disgusting attack link like that again… I will indeed flag it again. Have a good day.Paleo diet is against eating “Processed foods”. Isn’t meat processed food ? People don’t eat RAW chicken, RAW bacon, RAW hamburger, etc…They BURN it at extreme high temperature and then eat the burnt meat with vegan spices. Also most meat in USA is full of chemicals and hormones.I do not believe that Cholesterol has anything to do with your risk of dying of a heart attack. Could the reason a vegetarian diet is effective in reducing your risk of heart disease be it’s high content of vitamin C? Vitamin C is important in the bodies formation of collagen keeping arterial walls intact. If Cholesterol was the problem, wouldn’t we have plaque everywhere? Yet they use the large arteries in the legs in CABG surgeries because they are clear of plaque. Check out Linus Pauling’s work, he patented the cure for heart disease using large doses of Vitamin C, L-lysine, and L-proline which together reverse plaque and clear arteries. Look it up while we still have a free internet…….But are you willing to risk your life on that doubt? The low-carb paleo folks try to sell ‘doubt’ about the lipid hypothesis same as the tobacco industry did when they claimed cigarette smoke had not been ‘proven’ to cause cancer. I don’t buy into the “doubt’ selling tactics the cholesterol deniers employ…. We’ve seen it before from big tobacco. I’d rather play it safe and keep overt fats and animal products off my plate.Stay tuned, Dr. Greger has an upcoming video regarding Dairy using a similar tactic in regards to saturated fat.Thank you for this heads up! Dr. Greger has said that animal saturated fat is the cause of many diseases in this country and that the vegan diet is maybe too effective at treating many illnesses in America. I would ask, how would you compare Uganda where there is no heart disease at all but the average age of death is 50-55 to America where there is lots of heart disease but the average age of death is 77? Clearly this is a diet attitude that is shared by those who feel meat is an indulgence and plants only can extend health and age. Your site, as advocated for both by name and by shared ideas by Kaiser Permante, the largest Health Group in the nation, says the plant based diet can add years to life and is strongly recommended. This advice can reduce the burden to medicine by tens of billions of dollars a year and can also end endless tears for millions of families.While your brain represents about 2-3% of your total body weight, 25% of the cholesterol in your body is found in your brain, where it plays important roles in such things as membrane function, acts as an antioxidant, and serves as the raw material from which we are able to make things like progesterone, estrogen, cortisol, testosterone and Vitamin D. Every cell in your body has the ability to make cholesterol. What I am saying is it’s not the cause, it’s a symptom that something isn’t right in our bodies.In the past, before the huge profits seen by drug companies hypothyroidism was diagnosed by an elevated cholesterol levels and treated with iodine and/or thyroid replacement….cheaply. That said, I’m with you on not eating animal products, a plant based diet is the way to go! The hormones, toxins, radiation contamination, herbicides and pesticides, GMO, etc. etc. ……..everything found at the top of the food chain is best avoided. Dr G presents that argument very well and after over 30 years in the food and nutrition profession I am so grateful to have this website as a reference. Thanks for you comments. I really appreciate the discussion.Lack of control group, lack of dietary control and analysis, combination with high intensity exercise, statistically significant but clinically irrelevant results, title shows bias (no mention of aerobic improvement). Low quality study, not worth the attention.Are you disputing the idea that it’s well-established that high intensity exercise (of the sort that improves aerobic fitness) tends to improve the lipid profile (raising HDL and lowering LDL)? Do you think that the lipid profile would have been better on transition to the ‘paleo’ diet under study if only the subjects hadn’t exercised so much? What’s your point?Check the bibliography, it is not always as you mention, sometimes there is a transient worsening of lipid profile. And the study design is full of flaws and uncontrolled, and mixes variables. Check either crossfit or diet, not both. This study does not allow to come to the conclusion the researchers state. What is needed is more studies, but well designed. By now the issue is not solved.There’s good evidence that these infrequent ‘transient’ worsenings will show up 10 weeks after an intervention such as this one? “Check the bibliography” is a bit too vague for me. Which references about transient worsening do you have in mind?Seems like ye old paleo sour grapes to me.Oscar I am not sure you can conclude as you have. It may not be a RCT but it has value. Do you think the researchers were surprised by the increase in aerobic capacity of the subjects?“Unrestricted Paleolithic Diet is Associated with Unfavorable Changes to Blood Lipids in Healthy Subjects” you would have liked to see “but showered improvement in VO2 max” added to the title?Wouldn’t that have been something if they had participated in an exercise program for that length of time and showed no improvement….I would hang up my shoes!Maybe not the greatest study in the world, but still ten times more scientific than anything coming out of the pro-paleo camp.Not by far, compared to the design quality of the studies by Lindeberg, Jönsson, Frassetto. There is need for more quality studies, not this sub par design.OK. This from the (3-month / 13-patient) Jonsson study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2724493/): “the Paleolithic diet was lower in total energy [than the Diabetes diet]”. Bingo.In the (12 week / 29 patient) Lindeberg study (http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00125-007-0716-y), the paleo people ate less food again and the main composite difference between the two diets was that the paleo diet contained significantly more whole plant foods.The Frassetto study only had 9 participants, lasted 10 days and had no control (http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v63/n8/full/ejcn20094a.html).So it seems like what we have here is yet another instance of someone wearing the living sheed out of their paleo goggles.If you like Frassetto so much, why not get your chops around this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11034231While you’re at it, try and speak to some decent anthroplolgists who don’t have a diet book to sell and ask them what they think paleolithic man actually ate. Because if there’s one thing worse than being stuck in the past, it’s being stuck in a past that never existed in the first place.This is fantastic. I’m forwarding to family and friends who remain stubborn about the dangers of consuming animal products. Thanks Dr. Greger!Double source citing. “S H Holt, J C Miller, P Petocz. An insulin index of foods: the insulin demand generated by 1000-kJ portions of common foods. Am J Clin Nutr November 1997 vol. 66 no. 5 1264-1276.”Thank you! Fixed.In the youtube video about paleo diets the claim is made that meat causes a higher insulin response than oatmeal or pasta. There are even fancy graphics and a chart showing this. I cannot believe that people are dumb enough to believe this nonsense. All a person has to do is look these foods up in any glycemic index to discover that this is absolutely false. Eating protein causes very small increases in insulin and eating fat almost no response.John, have you seen the glycemic index of the said foods? The meats tend to spike insulin as much and more in some cases then most of the carbohydrate containing foods. See for yourself. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/66/5/1264.full.pdfWhat good does it do to spike insulin after eating meat, a low starch/sugar food? What is in meat that triggers this response?That I do not know, and as I look through the study, I cannot find a clear explanation for this either.Your “study” is BS. Proteins and fats do are not high glycemic. There are none so decieved as the willingly decieved. You have made up your mind then look for “evidence” to support your view. Dr. Gregor happily provides the false “proof” you need. If you want the truth ask a real doctor without a anti-animal products polital agenda.John did you look under sources cited? The studies that Dr G refers to are all listed there. If you click on the link you can read the studies and comment specifically what you found in the study that you think was subpar. But without that insight it makes it difficult to converse.The Dr. is selectively choosing “studies” in order to mislead people into thinking that eating meat has a higher glycemic load than pasta. Anyone who is a real doctor would know that Proteins and Fats have completely different metabolic pathways than Carbohydrates. The role of insulin is quite different for an amino acid than it is for glucose. Paleo and low carb diets focus on insulin as the primary trigger of fat storage. Protein not only increases insulin but also glucagon levels, which actually inverts the role of insulin to raising blood glucose levels and converting protein to glucose. Your Vegan doctor is misleading you into believing that an apples to oranges comparison can lead to a scientific conclusion about diet. He is wrong. The body has a very complex chemical and hormonal balance and it adjusts itself accordingly to food intake. The fact that the body has a predetermined response and meatabolic pathway for proteins and fats by itself proves veganism to be against nature.Maybe the word lying is too strong. How about “deliberately misleading by selectively citing information in order to appear as supporting a foregone conclusion”? Is that less offensive?Easy bro…You sure do like to stomp around here calling people liars John. Not cool… Yup…It’s true, beef spikes insulin MORE than white flour pasta. I looked it up on the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition site and the numbers I found were Beef spiked insulin more (51) as opposed to white flour pasta (40). Kinda proves the whole keto diets framework is flawed to begin with. Apperantly you haven’t been introduced to plant positive yet? Have a read though this first to bring yourself up to speed. ~~~> http://plantpositive.com/You are a troll of the worst type. Veganism does not benefit from your activity on the internet. Try just sticking with the facts. Eating a steak does not cause insulin induced fat storage as pasta does. Align yourself with facts, rather than attempting to make facts fit your own foregone conclusions.John, I have had to delete one of your comments because it was purely mean spirited. If you would like to prove your point, please use studies. I have already provided you with a study showing clear evidence that yes, meat does raise insulin, and more so in many cases than carbohydrate containing foods. These studies have not been altered in any way and are not “veganism” studies. Please be open minded. If you have conflicting evidence, then please share.Lol@u calling others mean spirited. Do me a favor, delete all my posts. It is obvious there are no objectively minded seekers of truth here anyway. Or if there were, they would be quicklu run off by the troll.Adopt your own statements to your posts John “Eating a steak does not cause insulin induced fat storage as pasta does. Align yourself with facts”. This is simply false, its not zeal, its science. You have yet to provide a reference (studies please).Easy John, please try to keep it civil. I’m not insulting you. I’m a proud vegan who supports plant based living. This is a vegan site that I like to support and comment on. So who is the troll here? You have been provided with information about the deleterious effects of meat and you simply won’t accept that meat and fat are bad for health and that beef spikes insulin more than pasta. The whole paleo low-carb framework is flawed bro-science at best. I wish you would open your mind and read through plantpositives.com. It is a great resource to pick you up to speed on the the diet/health debate. Have a good day.Please try to keep it civil John. I’m not insulting you. I’m a proud vegan who supports plant based living. This is a vegan site that I like to support and comment on. So who is the troll here? You have been provided with information about the deleterious effects of meat and you simply won’t accept that meat and fat are bad for your health and that beef spikes insulin more than pasta… Like I said paleo diets are a dangerous fad based on misleading bro-science. did you have a chance to read through plantpositive.com. It is a great resource to pick you up to speed on the the diet/health debate. Have a good day.John, how exactly is that study “bs”? They fed people these foods and did direct measurements. That’s exactly what we are trying to determine isn’t it? Because your favorite paleo doctor Dr. has another “opinion”, does not mean that his opinion is right. Here we have direct evidence that meat indeed raises insulin. If you won’t take that evidence then you are simply blinded by dogma.I just looked up beef vs. white pasta on the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition site and the numbers I found were beef=51, pasta=40. So at least for this comparison, yes… beef spikes insulin more that white flour pasta.It is sad to see the same old lies are still being told about the cause of Dr Atkins death. Someone sent me a link to this video thinking that it would convince me veganism is superior to low carb. After hearing this along with the outright lie that meat causes higher insulin reaponse i cannot see any reason to consider this dr credible at all. If veganism is really superior there would be no need to tell lies to prove it.John, Dr. Greger never claimed that atkins died from these conditions. He showed his medical record which showed that he had experienced these complications. Nothing in this video is a “lie”. It is from peer reviewed research. You can see the sources cited section yourself and find the papers.Hi John, no lies going on about Dr Atkins death. His death report is freely available to the public. You can look it up for yourself. It states very clearly on the report that Dr Atkins suffered from cardiovascular disease and hypertension. No doubt from his high protein and animal based diet… atkinsexposed.orgAccording to his death certificate, the “immediate cause” of Atkins’s death last April was “blunt impact injury of head with epidural hematoma.” He was critically injured when he struck his head in a fall on an icy Manhattan street. Anyone attempting to link his death with his diet is not only guilty of a shameless ad-hominem attack, but is telling an outright lie.Dr. Patrick Fratellone treated Dr. Atkins from 1999 until 2002, and also worked with the doctor at the Atkins Center. He says Atkins suffered from cardiomyopathy, a chronic heart weakness. But this condition, he says, was caused by a virus not his diet: “I was his attending cardiologist at that time. And I made the statement… When we did his angiogram, I mean, the doctor who performed it, said it’s pristine for someone that eats his kind of diet… Pristine, meaning these are very clean arteries. I didn’t want people to think that his diet caused his heart muscle – it was definitely a documented viral infection.”Now you know the truth. Will you be honest and consider that those with a militant vegan agenda may have stretched the truth a bit?Yes, I believe the truth was stretched, but not by Vegans, rather it was stretched by Atkins wife to protect the Atkins fortune. To really understand what happened you have to go undercover and get the inside scope, as the Atkins camp is very strict on not letting out any negative information to the public.In fact Atkins had his first heart attack in 2002 and tried to cover that up as well… When Katie Couric pressed him to talk about it on NBC Atkins became defiant and claimed it was an infection.We know now that an infection could not have caused Atkins health problems as told by Dr. Fuhrman here ~~~> QUOTE “Ketogenic diets have been shown in the medical literature to cause a pathological enlargement of the heart called cardiomyopathy,” and “The Atkins Corporation denies that Dr. Atkins’ own cardiomyopathy-induced heart attack, hypertension, and blocked arteries had anything to do with his diet. But it is important to counter these ridiculous claims with reality. Atkins had not only cardiomyopathy but high blood pressure and aththerosclerosis according to his medical record. These diseases are not caused by viruses. In fact, even viral-induced cardiomyopathy is thought to be caused by low levels of fruit and vegetables in the diet.Now fast forward to 2003 when Atkins had his 2nd heart attack… This is where Dr Fratellone comes into play. A friend and mutual patient of both Atkins and Fuhrman tells this story…“April 2003 and Dr. Atkins dies, slips on ice? I see Dr. Fratellone about a month later and during the visit, I express my sorrow for the death of Dr. Atkins. I said that was some accident, slipping on the ice and hitting his head and dying. He looked at me with a questionable stare and pointed to his heart. I said, “He had a heart attack?” He said no more after that.So weather he slipped on ice or had a heart attack that made him slip on ice is irrelevant. His death report states that he was obese, with hypertention and heart disease. The man was a health mess.ref ~~~~> http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/diet-myths-responding-to-comments-about-dr-atkins.htmlWell I tried to get you to be honest. Your response was to dig up even bigger lies. Sad. You lie about Dr Atkins personally. And you lie about his diet when you presume that it doesnt include vegetables. Lies lies lies.I take offense to being called a lair. That was Juvenal and uncalled for. I have no need to lie, I am interested in the diet/health debate and I do my own research and report my findings. I simply quoted what Dr. Furhman and his patient said in his blog about Atkins. I even provided you with the reference link so you could go read the whole article for yourself. Did you even click the link?Maybe you yourself are so blinded by the low-carb dogma that you can’t accept the truth about Atkins yourself. I know a great deal about Bob Atkins, I’ve studied his life… So your attempt to cover up his poor health will not fool me or others ‘in the know’. Some fun facts for you… Did you know ol Bobby Atkins was a resort entertainer and salesman before he made up his crazy diet?Read all about it. ~~~~> atkinsexposed.org.Your hatred for Dr Atkins is pretty amazing. If you resent being called a liar, try this: stop lying.It is sad to see the same old lies are still being told about the cause of Dr Atkins death. Someone sent me a link to this video thinking that it would convince me veganism is superior to low carb. After hearing this along with the outright lie that meat causes higher insulin reaponse i cannot see any reason to consider this dr credible at all. If veganism is really superior there would be no need to tell lies to prove it.Recently I challenged a paleo blogger to give up his blood test results. Apparently this is where he’s at:TC 158 (had tested a few weeks later to get NMR and was 170s), LDL-C was in the 70s with LDL-p around 1,100 if I recall. HDL was 85 or so. hs-CRP was 1.X which was slightly above low into the moderate level. Fasting sugar was low 80s with A1C of 5.2.I was shocked. Could his results just be an anomaly? However, more people came to the party saying their cholesterol levels were low too. Assuming everyone is telling the truth, could the reasoning here be just that some people are more predisposed to lower cholesterol? These people apparently eat copious amounts of butter, coconut oil, meat, etc… Baffles me. Any thoughts as to why this might be? Recently I dropped my total cholesterol by 27%, my LDL by 37% and my CRP by 54% – in TWO months, simply by going vegan. Was thrilled (and it’s thanks in large part to this website). But I’m just so confused as to how people who eat paleo can claim to have such great blood work? Thanks!LDL-C is not the whole story, and is only small dense LDL. Many paleo folk think that large LDL particles do not matter, but this is false. Please see here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/“The results indicate that when the cholesterol and particle measures of LDL disagree, the clinical and subclinical outcomes track with LDL-P more so than with LDL-C” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3070150/Dr. Greger, I’m curious if you were aware of the backlash against this study? Any response either from the authors or from you? http://therussells.crossfit.com/2014/09/08/acsm-fellow-publishes-bad-science-on-crossfit-and-paleo/Thanks so much for all of your work!BYOL that is a scary website. Those guys are true believers in the crossfit/Paleo craze. They talk about injury from crossfit being untrue and I will tell you in my practice I have treated many people who practice Crossfit. The problem is that a particular exercise is done as many times as possible in a given amount of time. My the end the form is gone and people are injuring themselves to get more reps in. I don’t have a problem with the exercises the program uses just the timed aspect. It encourages injury. I just had a new patient last week who injured her neck.As far as the study they should have done a better job getting the people to fill in the food diary instead of abandoning them altogether. Phone calls could have been used to encourage compliance. But the Russells in their claims about what was eaten is as problematic. They ask one guy to retrospectively explain what was eaten during the study. That is ridiculous. If you want to debunk a study you don’t do it with a equally blatant mistake.That site is one of those low-carb Paleo sites Dr. Greger warns to take with a grain of salt. They are ‘doubt’ sellers like the rest. I wouldn’t put to much faith in their personal opinions of the study in question. I’d like to hear what Plant-Positive has to say about it. He usually does a great job dissecting the data for us.Veggie Eric, I completely agree, but if what they say is true about the study not actually looking at people following a diet, it’s a bit misleading. The same way many journals attack low fat diets (but they set low-fat at 30% of calories)…This is FANTASTIC NEWS! I’m an animal lover but I was diagnosed 3 years ago as a “borderline diabetic” (I’m insulin restistant) and was told to eat a high-protein, low carb diet. It’s been a difficult emotional struggle for me as my heart tells me to be a vegetarian but my doctor tells me all the carbs will spike my A1C. Just days ago, I finally decided to go with my heart. Coming across this report is the universe’s way of telling me I make the right choice in all aspects. <3Jackie: I have more good news for you. Dr. Neal Barnard was able to use a low fat whole food plant based diet to help many Type 2 diabetics reverse their condition – most lowering or eliminating their medications. He did this in a clinical, published peer reviewed study that showed his diet is 3 times more effective than the ADA diet. Dr. Barnard wrote a book about his diet that even includes recipes. The book is an easy read. And very inspiring. I’m thinking that this book will be perfect for you. I think it is an awesome book myself: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419360664&sr=1-1&keywords=prevent+and+reverse+diabetesGood luck! And let us know how it goes for you.It’s very easy to cherry-pick studies. The fact is that people don’t all react to carbohydrates equally, and many studies you don’t cite reflect this.Where are these studies? Please do share.“Although some of the protein-rich foods may normally be eaten in smaller quantities, fish, beef, cheese, and eggs still had larger insulin responses per gram than did many of the foods consisting predominantly of carbohydrate.” http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/66/5/1264.full.pdfOK, I’ll bite. Have to at least add some alternate perspective to this, hoping it won’t fall in a black hole. A few things:1) Paleo isn’t necessarily low carb and I eat more fruits and veggies than some vegetarians I’ve known. No corn is not a veggie :-)2) I could be wrong but insulin itself is typically not blamed for health issues other than fat storage (which is good) by most paleo advocates, and we know protein spikes it too. Fat much less so, but that’s not the issue. We blame spikes of the glucose itself, as that is what causes inflammation. Here’s a study: http://content.onlinejacc.org/mobile/article.aspx?articleid=1138298 and a well written article sighting that study asking others http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carbs-against-cardio/3) Picking some recipes “at random” from “a popular site” to get total average nutrition facts is pretty unscientific. I was especially concerned when the author ended up with an 11:1 omega 6:3 fat ratio. That’s not what we strive for. Fish, grass fed beef, pastured eggs… Look it up.4) Stop the cholesterol myths. The lipid hypothesis is still completely unproven. Most cholesterol related studies linked lowered cholesterol to reduced heart attacks by way of statins, that’s a classic logical fallacy.5) Sight your quotes. I’ll admit some interesting stats were shown here but if I can’t go read the study myself and draw my own conclusions from the methodology of the study, I can’t assume you’re assertions hold water. Typically it’s not the facts/numbers that are wrong, but the conclusions drawn by either faulty/bias logic (such as the cholesterol myths) or via assumptions based on other “facts” ascertained the same way.1) The bulk of the calories come from protein or fat. Veggies are mostly carbohydrates but the total caloric load is low so the overall diet tends to be low carb. I doubt fruit comprises a large percentage of calories. Even so, a high fat, or high protein diet is not healthful, as will be detailed.2) Considering that the participants had high saturated fat intakes, low fiber intakes and low folate intake, this does not point towards a healthy diet that even meets the minimum dietary recommendations. The relevance of this study is low.Pure glucose alone causes inflammation, yes. But in terms of a healthy diet comprising of whole foods, this is not a realistic scenario. Carbohydrate containing foods tend to be anti inflammatory. Lets look at the research. I apologize for the length in advance.Four groups of 12 people that were healthy and of a normal weight were assigned to ingest 300 calories of glucose, orange juice or cream. There was a water control group. The researchers examined the effects of these items on nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB), suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS3) and Interleukin 6 (IL-6) in mononuclear cells (MNCs), endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and Toll-like receptor-4 expression (TLR-4). All of these factors represent inflammation when present in greater quantities than normal. The measurements were taken at baseline, 1, 3 and 5 hours after intake. It was found that glucose and cream increased all inflammatory factors, except glucose did not increase LPS concentrations nor did it increase TLR-4 expression. It appears the orange juice, a source of carbohydrates, did not increase the inflammatory markers, whereas pure glucose did. The cream increased all inflammatory markers and resulted in endotoxemia. Endotoxemia is an important inflammatory factor that will be discussed further. The fat content of the cream, particularly the saturated fat, is acting as a pathway for bacterial endotoxins to enter the bloodstream and result in an inflammatory response. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2858203/To examine the effect of endotoxemia further, it is necessary to identify what foods result in endotoxemia. An in vitro study examined the effects of various foods on the inflammatory markers characteristic of endotoxemia, including TLR-4 and LPS http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20849668The food categories included fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat and processed foods. Of these food groups, in vitro, pork, turkey, and ice cream resulted in the greatest inflammatory response due to the endotoxins. It has been identified that this response is a result of the bacteria that has fermented or colonized the foods, and then subsequently killed and ingested. The dead bacteria leave behind a toxin that the body responds to with an inflammatory response. It appears that in vivo based on the previous study with the cream, saturated fat is necessary to enable the gut permeability and translocation of the endotoxins. Cooking and pH did not have an influence on diminishing these endotoxins, so choosing the right foods is necessary. An in vivo assessment of the inflammatory nature of animal based foods comparing the saturated fat content in varying degrees is in order to determine how significant the effect of saturated fatty acids are on inflammation. A preliminary trial of ten subjects provides some insight into this question. Traditional domesticated meat and kangaroo meat were compared with each other to determine the levels of inflammation.The domesticated meat was 25-30% fat and 40% of this was saturated. The kangaroo meat was <4% fat and of this, 400-500 mg/d. People desiring maximal reduction of serum cholesterol by dietary means may have to reduce their dietary cholesterol to minimal level”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.full.pdf“The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al., 1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432 So yes, dietary and cholesterol and saturated fat influence serum cholesterol.Here is the link between cholesterol and heart disease that has been proven in hundreds of studies.http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=363237http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=373603“This systematic review and meta-regression analysis of 108 randomised controlled trials using lipid modifying interventions did not show an association between treatment mediated change in high density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths whenever change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol was taken into account. We found a statistically significant, substantial association between change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths, adjusted for other lipid subfractions and drug class.” http://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b92In addition to the many other studies showing this link, animal models clearly show this pattern of high fat diets leading to heart disease. Which I can also happily share if need be. A high fat diet has never reversed heart disease. The only diet to ever reverse heart disease is a low fat, plant based diet very high in carbohydrates. http://www.jfponline.com/fileadmin/qhi/jfp/pdfs/6307/JFP_06307_Article1.pdf5) click “sources cited” next to the video and see the studies yourself. The premise your coming at this with is false. A paleo diet is not based on the available evidence.Merry Winter Holiday, Toxins! Your detailed responses like the one above are such generous and informative gifts to us all! Thank you very, very much. As a psychologist, I am fascinated and seeking to understand the dynamics of a person’s openness or defensiveness to information about diet. Food opinions and information are something like political convictions. The need to be right, the possibility of asserting one’s “rightness” about a complex topic pushes many assert X, Y, or Z is true with inadequate evidence and to experience helpful, but contradictory, information or opinion as an attack. Much as with religious opinions/beliefs. This is a real problem in a democracy, health, and education. Thank you for doing your part and helping us get the facts that ARE available straight. I have even noted some of this feeling attacked when an experienced dancer is trying to help beginner ballroom/tango dancers (men). When more experienced men offer to help the new dancer the insecure male responds with defensive hostility! The thought cloud may read: How dare you point out that there is something I do not know or that I am wrong!” Insecure people are sometimes so desperate to show mastery in one or all aspects of living that they can’t be learners from others. Instead, they do their own “research” and reject the help from generous people who are more experienced and who do not claim to be 100% right, just better informed to help one along in his or her search. I think one of the cruelest things our society does to men especially, is to give them the expectation that it is manly never to be lacking in mastery, to always be good at things, and well informed. This happens less to women, but to an even grater extent in some other cultures, such as the French one. ( I have taught in Europe and French men have explained this to me in some sad detail.) What a thievery of new learning and new experiences it is to rob one of a sense of dignity, delight, and exuberance in learning new things, sports, arts, new anything! And here, new information that could dramatically improve the quality of one’s life and that of one’s loved ones.Thank you Gayle and Happy Holidays to you too! The information I provided above is available on nutritionfacts.org in several of the videos, I just take some of the studies that are of particular interest to me and synthesize them myself to gain a greater understanding of them.What you are observing is very interesting and I would agree. I think food and diet is a sensitive topic and it can be almost religious in dogma. Diet is so personal because it regards our health and what we believe to be good for us. If we find out our diet is harming us, that can be shocking, denying it may be a better alternative. Thanks for sharing your interesting viewpoint.Hello Toxins and Gayle,Happy Holidays to you both. I’m almost 2 years strictly eating whole foods plant based diet since I began to study this wonderful NF website. Once I absorbed enough evidence from Dr. Gregor’s incredible video library and could find nothing to seriously contradict it (I searched extensively for rebuttals to Dr. Gregor’s video presentations as I was vetting this site) I completely cut out all animal products overnight. Later as my knowledge increased I dropped all refined oils, too.I find the scientific evidence overwhelmingly compelling that plants promote health and animal products degrade health. So why do so many people resist the overwhelming evidence pointing to the root causes of poor health in western societies? I recently came across the idea of “solution aversion” or “motivating reasoning” as a device our human minds use to block undesirable solutions. See this fascinating study at Duke University. http://today.duke.edu/2014/11/solutionaversionLast year the Cultural Cognition Lab at Yale Law school revealed similar conclusions to the recent Duke findings. Yale Law study, entitled “Identity-protective Cognition Thesis” (ICT),” treats cultural conflict as disabling the faculties that members of the public use to make sense of decision relevant science. Find more in their paper here: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2319992Given your recent comments on this site to which I am responding I thought both of you would find these studies of interest as you try to help other people improve their health through changes in diet.Toxins, I also want you to know how grateful I am for your numerous, thoroughly researched and even-tempered answers to so many questions on this site. You and the others, both NF Team and frequent commenters, help to make the entire NF website an incredibly valuable resource for me. Many, many thanks.I have noticed a positive change in my life as a “Paleo” eater. Really I don’t care if it is based From our ancestors way of eating but it feels right. Vegetables, some omega 3 fish, fruits and maybe some sort of seeds. I took away rice, Milk, and processed meats. Humans are in fact the only mammals who consume milk as adults, and we are the only specie who drinks milk from another animal. Don’t take me wrong, I also like to have some cheat days, grab a burger, eat some great cheesy pizza, drink a coke. I work out three times a week and eat paleo Monday to Friday. My goal is to live a life of abundance in health, and be able to put good things in my soul and body.Humans are also the only mammals to cook their food.What I can say, and it is easy to see for everybody without doubt is “veganism” is useless for hair loss :-). See the dr.I am a long time supporter, thanks Dr. Greger but I might disagree on part of your video. It is my impression from reading the original paper ( which is also the graph that Dr. Greger showed in the video) that meat/fish increased “insulin to glucose ratio” higher than fruits and other carbs, not the actual insulin level (which was the other way around). Is that right? thanks.Yes, your interpretation seems to be correct. The numbers for the salmon and the beef seem to come from the numbers for whitefish and beef steak in the paper, rescaled. The values are for the ratio between the insulemic response to the glycemic response. In terms of absolute secretion of insulin per calorie, apples generate a slightly higher insulin response per calorie than beef steak, as can be seen in Fig. 2.Hopefully a team member will see.It has been noted, thanks!Please see my response to Dr. Malquez–I used the insulemic response per serving as I said in the video, not the ratio. I appreciate you chiming in–sorry I missed the original post 9 days ago!Ah, thanks for the clarification! Part of why I missed the obvious here may be that comparing foods by weight is pretty unusual, and as far as I understand, does not meet the paleo argument(s) head on. Any paleo framework that can adapt enough to recognize that beef induces an insulemic response as well as pasta will tend to turn toward the idea of the insulin index: the total insulin spike per calorie of food.Simply showing them that the insulemic response per unit weight is greater for meat than for pasta does not immediately suggest that they should be eating meat rather than pasta. After all, the insulin score for meat is lower than for pasta. If they have a Big Idea that insulin spikes disrupt satiety signals and cause people to eat more and more food in general, as they often do, eating more meat would naturally tend to cause people to consume fewer calories and would also reduce the insulin load of the total diet. This citation of the insulin index paper tends to contradict the idea that insulin on a pasta-only diet would be ‘better’ than that of a meat-only diet, as far as a low-carb-paleo framework is concerned.No I do cite the actual insulin level not the ratio–sorry if you were confused! The numbers in the graph come from column 6 in table 4 on page 1269 (available free full-text here), the insulin per gram of serving weight. So for example a large apple weighs about 200 grams, so 20 (pmol)(min)/(L)(g) times 200g = 4000 (pmol)(min)/(L) = 40 (micromol)(min)/daL, which is what I have in the graph. So servings of apples, and oatmeal, and even white flour pasta cause less of an insulin spike than servings of beef and fish (and chicken and pork accordingly).The study found these changes in Blood Lipids with “concurrent improvements in body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness”. The Blood Lipid theory is less and less helpful and may be completely obsolete. To date, reduction of Blood Lipid levels has been extremely helpful to the Statin manufacturers and has not reduced Cardiac events.Your statements are false. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17408535 http://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0115/p309.htmlI saw the paleo video and ask myself, what if the sudden change of a usual diet to paleo or any other diet stresses the body and metabolism so much that insulin and bad cholesterol would go up…how would the numbers be after exercising and eating paleo after 2 month, half a year and one year? Still the same ‘bad’ results? … And I wonder how effective plant based protein powders are in any diet combined with exercise?This was a very interesting video…. but, being the logical thinking person that I am, I have the following question… If Dr. G’s video was correct, then it would follow that the masses of paleo eaters would become diabetics with extremely high cholesterol levels! If this were the case, I think there would be headlines about how terrible the paleo diet is.. causing diabetes and high cholesterol… I haven’t seen these headlines! MarkMark, paleo dieters do indeed have extremely high cholesterol. They do not think that high cholesterol is an issue though, which is one of their primary tenants. I can’t find the link now, but I saw a chart of the paleo advocates leading the movement publicly displaying their cholesterol numbers. LDL was commonly in the 200 range and many went into the 300’s. This is LDL, mind you, not total. Atherosclerosis takes some time to develop. Also, many paleo dieters are into ketogenic diets. On ketosis, your body burns fat over carbohydrates. In this state cells do not require glucose. The cells are still insulin resistant, the pathway for energy is just different. Being in ketosis though is not a sustainable health solution and will indeed lead to a variety of health issues.Please see here http://plantpositive.com/35-how-to-become-insulin-resis/ http://plantpositive.com/36-how-to-become-insulin-resis/ http://plantpositive.squarespace.com/blog/2012/3/26/tpns-58-61-ketosis-is-natural-natural-is-good.htmlPlant Positive cited the Perfect Health Diet’s list of high profile low-carb Paleo people (the good guys, in their view) with high LDL scores. Perhaps this was the sort of thing that you were referring to:http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2011/03/low-carb-paleo-and-ldl-is-soaring-%E2%80%93-help/It was, thank you! Im still horrified that people think this is ok.Toxins, thank you very much for these links. Wow, they are deep and very informative and clear up many myths on saturated fat, cholesterol and heart disease. After listening to many of the videos from the links, I am now convinced that meat does cause an increase in diabetes and cholesterol and heart disease.. I am wondering something that you or anyone reading this may be able to answer for me. I am vegan but eat lots of nuts – about 3 to 4 handfuls a day. Its no secret that nuts have lots of saturated fat. So my question is… does the saturated fat from nut consumption cause the same heart problems that the saturated fat from meat consumption does??? thank you in advance for any insight you have on this. MarkI am glad you found plant positive helpful. As I have said before on this website, plant positive is my #2 to nutritionfacts.org. You should explore some of his other videos, they are equally informative and enlightening.In regards to your comment on nuts, if your cholesterol is higher than you would like, then reducing nut consumption may be beneficial. Choosing certain nuts/seeds over others may prove beneficial as well. Walnuts and flax, for example , are some of the healthiest nuts you can eat.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=flaxAnother possible concern is consuming too much omega 6 rich nuts (peanuts, almonds, brazil) over the omega 3 rich nuts (chia, flax, walnuts). Too much omega 6 does not allow adequate conversion of omega 3 ALA to DHA and EPA. A good ratio is 1:4 or less of omega 3:6.thank you very much for those links Toxins. If I think of other health questions, is there a way to reach you? MarkYou’re welcome, you can just reply to my comments on this website. I will see it on my Disqus notifications more readily than the moderating dashboard.Hi Dr Greger, I have been following your nutritional advice for the past year or so and I feel healthy, however I have just watched a documentary called ‘Cereal Killers’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dON-fPp5Hy0I have seen Forks over Knives and read the China Study and this documentary seems to contradict much of what I have learned, now I’m confused?, are they misrepresenting the data? drawing false conclusions, cherry picking?as vegans should we be eating more nuts and seeds, and fewer carbohydrates?if you have seen this documentary I would love to hear your take on the information that they put forwardguest: I haven’t watched “Cereal Killers”, however I would bet that it uses the exact same arguments and “information” that you get from books like Grain Brain and Wheat Belly and any ole paleo or atkins type site. These arguments are not based on the body of evidence – and often twist evidence. And then there are the times that references they use to back up their claims do nothing of the sort.I would argue that Dr. Greger has already answered “Cereal Killers” and all of those other arguments with the body of work on this site. You can find videos on this site that show the powerfully healthy effects of eating whole, intact grains and beans.But if you are looking for direct counters to those arguments, I suggest you check out Plant Positive’s work. He has put together indepth research in the form of videos where he directly addresses the claims of cholesterol deniers and usually by extension, those that claim that grains and beans (carbohydrates) are bad for us. http://plantpositive.com/Here is one video from Plant Positive (as part of a big series of videos) which might begin to specifically address your concerns: http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/24/tpns-22-23-thin-gruel-on-grains.htmlI understand and sympathize with your confusion. I hope this helps.I meant to provide a link to the NutrtionFacts video on Grain Brain and Wheat Belly: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/And here’s an interesting example of the positive effects of whole grains: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/AMAZING!!Potatos and Baked Beans have a higher insulin index then meat… Another misleading video…more on the study… http://www.mendosa.com/insulin_index.htm still no references just hear say.Thanks for your opinion. Can you prove it? oh, and do you mean baked beans with all that tasty brown sugar or just beans?so the paleos say the study was flawed?“The insulin index, which first made its appearance in a 1997 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article, was primarily the creation of Susanne Holt, a graduate student at the time and now a doctor. Interestingly, Holt, her supervisory co-authors, or other researchers haven’t chosen to conduct further research to update the “preliminary” results of their insulin index study since its creation eleven years ago now.While Holt and her co-authors found a high correlation between glycemic index and insulin index measurements, they stumbled upon an intriguing exception. High protein, virtually no-carb foods like meat and eggs, while low on the glycemic index, measured high on the insulin index. In other words, while the meat and eggs didn’t cause a spike in blood sugar the way most carbohydrates do, they did result in an unexpectedly significant rise in insulin. (Baked goods, with their high levels of refined carbs, elicited a very high rise in insulin as well. Of course, this comes as less of a surprise.)Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/insulin-index/#ixzz3Q9iMPG1l” The above is from Marks Daily Apple! Is it true? The didn’t offer any references to any retractions. Does anyone have a official update to the study?I remain unconvinced. LDL and HDL counts are not accurate predictors of a person’s risk for heart disease. Using only these as a measure can produce a false positive and/or false negative. A person’s LDL and HDL particle numbers are a more accurate predictor of heart disease risk. A study measuring the participants’ particle numbers would have me more convinced.This may address your request.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/Quick question. We know that foods high on the glycemic index are classified as high glycemic foods because of their ability to drastically elevate blood sugar levels. We also know that insulins responds to this spike in blood sugar to calm it down. So if insulin spikes the same when a piece of meat is consumed as when sugar is consumed, would that piece of meat be classified as a high glycemic food? Is our blood sugar spiking when we consume meat products, or is there another reason for the release in insulin?See the video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/ Also note that GI was developed eating fixed (sometimes unusual) amounts of foods independent of each other, which is NOT how folks usually consume meals. Combining foods generally changes the GI, condiments and drinks will change GI as well. The best practice might be to develop your own GI by composing your meals as you eat them and testing your own blood responses. Or just go WFPB and let the “magic” happen.This makes a lot of sense. I was put on a high protein “paleo” type diet by my former nutritionist…and gained a ton of weight! Now I’m back to vegan and trying so hard to lose it… but it isn’t coming off through clean eating and daily moderate exercise. (How much damage did that horrible paleo diet do, anyway???) I’ve been trying to avoid counting calories. It tends to stress me out and I get overly concerned about it. But now I’m worried I’ll have to go back to calorie-counting since I’m not getting any results. (Even though I eat leafy greens at every single meal and limit the more calorie dense things like beans, grains, and potatoes.) The theory of “calorie density” is that keeping your calories per ounce below 25 should cause weight loss. Mine has been between 14 to 20 every day. I force down large quantities of greens to keep it that way. But the extra fat remains!! It’s becoming so frustrating… any suggestions? Not sure what to do at this point.veganballerina: How frustrating! It certainly sounds to me like you are doing everything right. At 25 calories per ounce (400 calories per pound) or less, you would expect to loose weight even without exercise.Since you are already eating the way that works for so many, I don’t have too much more to suggest. I wanted to express my sympathies for you. But I also did have one idea. It sounds a bit counter-productive since I too believe in the concept of losing weight by paying attention to calorie density, but Dr. Greger has a video on this site showing how some people actually lose weight when they incorporate 1-2 ounces of nuts into their diet.This doesn’t work for everyone. Some people seem to gain weight on any amount of nuts. But since you have already tried paying attention to calorie density and whole plants foods so well, maybe adding some nuts is just what you need?I don’t have that NutritionFacts video link at my fingertips. But hopefully it won’t be hard to find. It was part of a series of videos on nuts that was done some time ago.I also have one other suggestion. You may already be following this general eating pattern on your own, but maybe Chef AJ’s program will help you tweak your diet just enough to help you start losing? Here is a link to Chef AJ’s program, which is essentially a calorie-density program. But maybe the devil is in the details for you?: http://eatunprocessed.com/dvd.htmlI hope you are able to find a system that not only works for weight loss, but is healthy and results in food that you enjoy. Good luck!1) He lumps low carb and Paleo together in the first sentence, which is bothersome as Paleo has no set macronutrient ratio.2) His point that meat raises insulin levels is not necessarily relevant. The context would be looking at which foods raise blood sugar the fastest, causing insulin secretion quickly, followed by a fast drop off. Furthermore, while people eat a bowl of oatmeal by itself, an apple by itself, etc. they rarely eat meat by itself. Meat eaten with vegetables and fat is going to have an even slower effect on blood sugar. And most relevant Paleo people should be proponents of fruit and starch, so this is a false argument.3) His insulin sensitivity study has nothing to do with Paleo or real food diets. It compared chinese vegetarians with “omnivores.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14749752 — Who the hell knows what these “omnivores” were eating?4) He compares the fasting insulin levels of vegetarians. And since this is a video about Paleo, he leaves you to assume these studies compared vegetarians with real food eaters. But no, all of them compare vegetarians to “meat eaters.” This is a common occurence that presents an exponential amount of confounding variables. Vegetarians tend to be people concerned about their health. A random “meat eater,” probably not so much. They’re basically taking people who are on the SAD and comparing them to vegetarians and touting around the “findings” as something spectacular. So…your diet beat out the standard american diet, congrats!5) “Put someone on a plant based diet and you can bring down their fasting insulin levels in 3 weeks.” — Put someone on ANY diet that doesn’t include processed foods and you’ll do EXACTLY the same thing. It’s not a case for vegetarianism, it’s a case AGAINST processed food.6) Very low carb diets can cause an increase in the fasting insulin levels as a physiological response to the lack of glucose. It’s a defense mechanism. This is called “physiological insulin resistance” and is in no way related to metabolic insulin resistance of diabetics. His argument against low carb diets for not reducing fasting insulin levels is out of context.7) His argument against the rise in LDL cholesterol on low carb diets is also out of context. There’s no information on the particle type and size and there’s also no information on the quality of food consumed. I’m not defending the long-term use of low carb diets, but he’s not adequately arguing against them.8) LDL cholesterol levels alone have nothing to do with heart disease.9) He argues that a study showed Paleo increased people’s LDL and decreased their HDL. This was a 10 week study in patients “asked to eat Paleo” (no details). The study notes that their weight and body fat percentage decreased. Well…this is problematic as anyone who has done blood testing during significant weight loss knows that it elevates cholesterol, particularly LDL. This is a poor time to test cholesterol as lots of excess fat is being dumped into the blood stream. This study would need to be months long in people whose weight was stable to be relevant.10) The entire premise of the main argument in the headline is false based on these issues.It all comes down to what part of the world our ancestors lived in. They lived off the land which included meat, veggies, fish (if close to water), and fruit. Colder climates yielded more fatty types of meat from animals.The premise of paleo is not eating processed foods which they wouldn’t find however many thousands of years ago. To further simplify it, if you can’t kill it, pull it out of the ground, off a plant, off a tree, or out of the water, you don’t eat it. Grains weren’t included in this as you don’t just pull grains out of the ground and eat them.You also have to keep in mind for those saying we evolved to eat grains, no we didn’t. Scientists have already stated it would take millions of years for humans to evolve their diet from a plant/meat style diet to incorporate grains.Something I always like to tell people who say were not meant to eat meat. We evolved to have incisors so we can rip and tear at meat. If we weren’t meant to eat meat, we wouldn’t have them :)Yet another asinine video.Paleo is the staple of crosfitters. Look at them and tell them paleo negates their gains.Absolutely stupid. In reality, it’s video like this where the posters should be accountable for jail time for such ridiculous spread of misinformation.But what means the “Unrestricted” in the study is it representative of a real and well-executed paleo diet?But what means the “Unrestricted” in the study is it representative of a real and well-executed paleo diet?	animal products,animal protein,apples,Atkins diet,beans,beef,blood pressure,burgers,cancer,candy,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cholesterol,dairy,diabetes,doughnuts,eggs,exercise,fat,fish,fruit,grains,hamburgers,HDL cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,insulin,junk food,LDL cholesterol,legumes,low-carb diets,meat,nutrition myths,nuts,oatmeal,paleolithic diets,pasta,plant-based diets,pork,processed foods,protein,salmon,sugar,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,weight loss	The deleterious effects of a Paleolithic diet appear to undermine the positive effects of a Crossfit-based high-intensity circuit training exercise program.	I touched on paleo diets before in Paleolithic Lessons, and I featured a guest blog on the subject: Will The Real Paleo Diet Please Stand Up?I wrote a book on low carb diets (now available free full-text online) and touched on it in Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up and Low Carb Diets and Coronary Blood Flow.And if you’re thinking, yeah, but what about the size of the cholesterol, small and dense or large and fluffy? Please see my video Does Cholesterol Size Matter?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/23/will-the-real-paleo-diet-please-stand-up/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pasta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-carb-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hdl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/doughnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2168124,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4161584,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21056606,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24843658,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6389060,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16441925,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14749752,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1736602,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23651522,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20815907,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8969280,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15940383,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22971786,
PLAIN-2508	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/	Aspartame and the Brain	A Harvard study of hundreds of thousands of people compared coffee drinkers to non-coffee drinkers. Those drinking up to four or more cups a day only appeared to have half the suicide risk. What about more than four? A Kaiser Permanente study of a hundred thousand people found that suicide risk continued to drop, 80% lower at more than 6 cups a day. Eight or more cups a day, though, is associated with increased risk. Perhaps those with more severe forms of depression try to use very high doses of coffee as a form of self-medication to make themselves feel better but, nevertheless, it is insufficient to elevate their mood.It may also matter what goes into the coffee. The NIH-AARP study of hundreds of thousands of Americans followed for years, found that frequent consumption of sweetened beverages, especially diet drinks, may increase depression risk among older adults, whereas coffee consumption may lower the risk. Whether soda, fruit-flavored drinks, or iced tea, those artificially sweetened drinks appeared to carry higher risk. Same with hot tea or coffee. There was a benefit in coffee drinkers compared to non-drinkers, but add sugar and much of benefit disappears, and add Equal or Sweet-and-Low and the risk may go up. Various effects of artificial sweeteners, including neurological effects, have been suspected. For example, aspartame—the chemical in Equal and Nutrasweet—may modulate brain neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, although data have been controversial and inconsistent. Scientific opinions range from “safe under all conditions” to “unsafe at any dose.”The controversy started in the 80’s soon after aspartame was approved. Researchers at the Mass College of Pharmacy and MIT noted that given the very large number of Americans routinely exposed, if only 1% of the 100,000,000 Americans thought to consume aspartame ever exceed the sweetener's accepted daily intake, and if only 1% of this group happen coincidentally to have an underlying disease that makes their brains vulnerable to the effects, then the number of people who might manifest adverse brain reactions attributable to aspartame could still be about 10,000, a number on the same order as the number of brain and nerve-related consumer complaints already registered with the FDA before they stopped accepting further reports on adverse reactions to the sweetener.Who might be especially vulnerable? Those with a history of depression. Researchers at Case Western designed a study to ascertain whether individuals with mood disorders are particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of aspartame. Although they had planned on recruiting 40 patients with depression and 40 controls, the project was halted early by the Institutional Review Board for safety reasons because of the severity of reactions to aspartame within the group of patients with a history of depression. It was decided that it was unethical to continue to expose people to the stuff.It’s interesting, normally when you study something, a drug or a food, the company usually donates it to the researchers because they’re proud of the benefits or safety of their product. But the Nutrasweet company refused to even sell it to them, but they managed to get their hands on some, and within a week there were significantly more adverse effects reported in the aspartame group than in the placebo group. They concluded that individuals with mood disorders may be particularly sensitive to aspartame, and therefore its use in this population should be discouraged.In a review of the direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain, it was noted that there are reports of aspartame causing neurological and behavioral disturbances in sensitive individuals, such as headaches, insomnia and seizures, but they go further and propose that excessive aspartame ingestion might be involved in the development of certain mental disorders and also in compromised learning and emotional functioning. They conclude that due to all the adverse effects caused by aspartame, it is suggested that serious further testing and research be undertaken to eliminate any and all controversies, to which someone wrote into the journal that there really is no controversy, aspartame really is potentially toxic stuff.But what do they mean by excessive ingestion? The latest study on the neurobehavioral effects of aspartame consumption put people on a high aspartame diet compared to a low aspartame diet. But even the high dose at 25 mg/kg was only half the acceptable daily intake set by the FDA, so the FDA says one can safely consume 50mg a day, but after just 8 days on half that, participants had more irritable mood, exhibited more depression, and performed worse on certain brain function tests. And these weren’t people with a pre-existing history of mental illness—these were just regular people. They conclude that given that the higher intake level tested here was well below the maximum acceptable daily intake level—40mg in Europe, 50mg here—careful consideration is warranted when consuming food products that may affect neurobehavioral health. Easier said than done, since it’s found in over 6,000 foods apparently making artificial sweeteners impossible to completely eradicate from daily exposure. While that may be true for the great majority of Americans, it’s only because they elect to eat processed foods, another reason to stick to whole foods. Then you don’t even have to read the ingredients lists, because the healthiest foods in the supermarket are label-free, they don’t even have ingredients lists.	Yes, consume whole foods and far fewer processed foods. However, you still have to be concerned about the pesticides and herbicides that might be on the apple, for instance. Possibly one way to be even better than whole foods is to grow one’s own whole foods without the use of chemicals. I don’t personally do this, but this is how to be really safe.I haven’t been concerned as yet; do I “have to be”? Can anyone kindly share (links to) some evidence that there are dangerous levels of pesticides on store-bought produce?Maybe this?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/Please see my comment over there as to why I was not persuaded by that video. Summary: Seralini.Why subject your liver to “any” level of pesticides?Cost-benefit. I regard growing my own food as hugely expensive (not just monetarily), even more so without pesticides. Much easier to rinse store-bought.Then I guess that is your choice to make. All Dr. G and others can do is show you the data. No one will/can persuade you. So, do what you feel is best for you, and others will do the same.You can’t wash of the phosphate fertilizers (plants on steroids!) that plants absorb as nutrients (artificial) that end up getting absorbed by you.Is the rock phosphate used by organic farmers artificial?Anyway, still looking for evidence that grocery produce contains dangerous levels of pesticides.Brec…This might give you an answer about rock phosphate:http://www.floridahistory.com/phosphate.htmlMost organic farmers use compost as both fertilizer and to add workability to the soil. As an organic gardener, I used to add green sand, poultry manure, blood and bone meal –but that was 40 years ago. Today, I don’t because of the possibility of genetically modified organisms and herbicides contaminating it. Now red wiggler worms eat my garbage and turn it into gold. My plants love it.Because pesticides are EVERYWHERE. Even if you eat nothing but organic foods you’ll get pesticides walking down the street in any city that maintains parks. If you don’t toughen up your liver you’re weakening your overall health.So you’re going to down a 12 pack of beer every night to “toughen” up your liver? Sounds like a brilliant theory…Eating organic isn’t ONLY about our own bodies and health. Just because you may still be exposed to pesticides because they are so rampantly used is, in my opinion, not a good reason not to support organic producers. It is about supporting business that do not pollute the world we live in (as much), and I personally think that is a worth while goal. Maybe not for our health, but for the health of the earth and future generations.Indeed… I agree and I eat mostly organic mainly because its a signal that these farmers care more about the big picture than profits, and thus are less likely to screw me over as a consumer.brec: Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) measures actual pesticide levels in store-bought fruits and veggies–after those fruits and veggies have been prepared in the way people would normally eat them. (For example, peeling a banana or washing an apple first.) If you scroll down on the following page, you will see a list for the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean Fifteen”. But more than that, I believe you can find the raw data in a detailed report somewhere on that site. They are up-front about their methodology…http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.phpKnowing the levels of pesticides in store-bought conventional produce is of course, only half the question. The other half is deciding whether or not those levels are harmful to your health (or the health of the plant and fellow people if that sort of thing matters to you). I can’t answer that for you. The EWG has this to say:“Pesticides are toxic by design. They are created expressly to kill living organisms — insects, plants and fungi that are considered “pests.” Many pesticides pose health dangers to people. These risks have been confirmed by independent research scientists and physicians across the world.As acknowledged by U.S. and international government agencies, different pesticides have been linked to a variety of health problems, including:>> brain and nervous system toxicity >> cancer >> hormone disruption >> skin, eye and lung irritation ” But they didn’t list their sources on their FAQ page.Dr. Greger has the following to say, which I personally find a compelling reason to stay away from conventionaly grown produce (at least the dirty dozen) as much as possible:“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.”from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/Hope that helps.Looks to me like it ain’t “actual pesticide levels” that the EWG is measuring. As to their “Dirty Dozen” reports and methodology, see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3135239/ — J Toxicol. 2011; 2011: 589674. Dietary Exposure to Pesticide Residues from Commodities Alleged to Contain the Highest Contamination Levels.Here’s a slice:Here’s the concluding paragraph:Two other discussions of the EWG reports on the BioFortified blog:http://www.biofortified.org/2010/07/details-on-the-dirty-dozen/ — Details on the Dirty Dozen by Anastasia Bodnar on 30 July 2010http://www.biofortified.org/2013/05/dirty-dozen/ — How Wrong Is The Latest “Dirty Dozen List?” by Steve Savage on 19 May 2013As to the study Dr. G mentions in the article you cited: TEN (10) cases of cancer among HALF THE U.S. POPULATION?! Is a risk of 10/150,000,000 — 0.000007% — per daily serving sufficient to motivate abstinence from store-bought produce? For me, it’s not.brec: For myself, I’m not qualified to know how valid those articles are that you found. For all I know, those articles are like the egg and other pro-animal studies that Dr. Greger has shown to actually be invalid. In other words, I would fully expect there to be opposition to the EWG data. What I don’t know is how valid it is.I’m glad you found information that you find compelling for yourself.How did you validate the EWG reports?The same way I validate Dr. Greger or Dr. Barnard or the China Study or Global Climate Change information or anything that is outside my area of expertise. It’s a personal process that evolves and that I don’t feel a need to justify. But I would argue that such a process is all that any lay person can do when talking about topics such as this one.I see. Not much point in discussing science then among us lay people.I disagree. There’s lots of good reason to discuss the science to the best of your ability based on your current understandings. That’s what we all do.(1) You present EWG’s article(s) to make a point. (2) I present articles that rebut EWG’s methodology (and I summarize the rebuttals here); the articles make arguments which can be evaluated without reference to the credentials of the author(s). (3) You say you have no way to validate the articles, i.e., authors, I present. (4) I ask how you validated EWG’s. (5) You say,I conclude, sorry, it’s not possible to discuss scientific issues in that way.But keep up the good work!brec: I disagree with your point #2. In fact, I could go into a detailed discussion with you about this. I just don’t want to. I did my best to help you, and I actually did. I presented you with data from Dr. Greger which you found compelling in that you found it good reason to eat conventional produce. That’s good enough for me. I’m not trying to convince you to eat organic. I was just trying to help you make your own decision. I’m not interested in going any further than that even though I could. Sorry I wasn’t clearer in how I stated things.Scientific discussion is very good. It is why most of us are here. I learn more about the science on a variety of topics every day from a variety of sources. And I discuss these topics (when I’m interested) to the best of my ability – just like anyone else.Hope that helps to clarify things for you. As I said, I was just trying to help you. Take it or leave it. :-)Thea, check this out. http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Articles/Entries/2010/7/22_The_Flaw_In_The_Dirty_Dozen.htmlArticle name. The Flaw In The Dirty Dozen — by Jeff Novick, MS, RDjj: Thanks. That’s an interesting article. If I buy everything in the article, then my conclusion would be to try to eat organic as much as possible, not just focusing on the dirty dozen. (Which is really what I do already anyway.)But more fully… there is no need to “validate” the articles I cited. They make simple arguments based on EWG’s methodologies; they are not reports of experiments or complex data analyses. Basically, EWG *counts* traces of pesticide residue without regard to the amount or level of residue. Such counts are what its rankings are based on. But the fact that a particular kind of fruit had more samples with any trace of pesticide — or traces of multiple pesticides, which they also count against a product — without accounting for the amount of pesticides potentially consumed, means nothing useful with respect to safety of consumption.Well actually I disagree. Why would believe that the level of RfDs is actually a standard of measurement that is safe. Wouldn’t you need to validate that?The level of RfDs (reference doses, i.e., EPA’s maximum tolerable consumption levels) is irrelevant to EWG’s rankings because they are based on counts of binary measurements — either none detected or any amount trace or greater detected; measurement of level(s) doesn’t enter in to their rankings. That is the only rebuttal required to reject EWG’s rankings for anyone who understands that levels are relevant to judgements of safety.It’s true that the articles I cited went on to claim that a further reason that EWG’s conclusions of “dirty” are bogus is that the levels of the supposed “dirty” products are way below RfDs. And you’re right about that being a point that could be delved into, including whether the RfDs have validity.So Brecs’ article is using the “chronic reference doses (RfDs)” as a level in which to quantify the levels of pesticides in the EWG list. So they are saying the list has low levels as measured by the RfDs standards. But I think more important are the studies Dr Greger has referenced in regards to pesticides and herbicides and how they affect the body. I agree with you Thea. If you can afford it buy organic. Support the organic farmers and keep that crap out of our soils.The Environmental Working Group uses government data which complies with a ‘Consumer Right to Know’ provision of a 1996 law. “The law, which required the EPA inform people about possible hazards to their health brought about by consuming pesticides with their food. It ordered EPA to publish and distribute in grocery stores plain-English brochures that discussed the risks and benefits of pesticides on food. These brochures were to offer recommendations so shoppers could reduce their dietary exposures to pesticides. The agency published such a brochure in 1999, but it failed to detail the actual risks of pesticide exposures and give consumers clear information about the foods with the most pesticide residues to help them reduce their exposures. EPA stopped publishing it altogether in 2007..” according to the EWG.Back in 2006, the Bush-Cheney administration allowed corporations to remove any studies they did not like from the EPA libraries and closed the libraries. The Public Employees for Environmental Regulations sent press releases to the media on these events. http://www.peer.org/news/news-releases/2006/10/30/stealth-closure-of-principal-epa-chemical-library/ This occurred before Congress was notified. P.E.E.R. says the long term goal was to eliminate the US EPA.“Today, EPA offers some information about pesticides and food on its website. But it does not list foods likely to contain the highest amounts of pesticide residues nor those that pose the greatest dangers to human health. Most importantly, the EPA does not offer the “right to know” information Congress required on behalf of consumers in 1996: how to avoid pesticide exposures while still eating a healthy diet.That’s where EWG comes in. Because the EPA has not complied with the Congressional mandate in full, for more than a decade EWG has published an annual guide to help people eat healthy and reduce their exposure to pesticides in produce. ” This information is at the Environmental Working Group website for the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.phphttp://www.ewg.org/foodnews/ The Environmental Working Group’s 2014 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.™Factory farmed livestock are fed soy and corn, both of which have been genetically engineered (or modified) to resist Roundup herbicide, but other herbicides as well, including but not limited to dicamba, 2,4-D, and glufosinate. http://isaaa.org/resources/publications/pocketk/10/default.aspGlufosinate was used with LibertyLink corn and the fields were so contaminated that many countries won’t accept any corn grown on those fields. Plus the toxicity of the LibertyLink corn. This is because of the genetically engineered LibertyLink corn, according to retired professor Don Huber (from) Purdue University and consultant to many farmers. Dr. Huber has read a mountain of studies from all over the world when he comes making his conclusions. He cited LibertyLink in an interview with Dr. Joseph Mercola in October of 2013.Brec, “..In 2009 alone, approximately 1.5 million American men, women, and children were diagnosed with cancer, and 562,000 died from the disease. With the growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer, the public is becoming increasingly aware of the unacceptable burden of cancer resulting from environmental and occupational exposures that could have been prevented through appropriate national action. To jumpstart this national effort, The President’s Cancer Panel (authorized by President Bush) dedicated its 2008–2009 activities to examining the impact of environmental factors on cancer risk. The Panel considered industrial, occupational, and agricultural exposures as well as exposures related to medical practice, military activities, modern lifestyles, and natural sources. In addition, key regulatory, political, industrial, and cultural barriers to understanding and reducing environmental and occupational carcinogenic exposures were identified. The attached report presents the Panel’s recommendations to mitigate or eliminate these barriers. The Panel was particularly concerned to find that the true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated. With nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market in the United States, many of which are used by millions of Americans in their daily lives and are un- or understudied and largely unregulated, exposure to potential environmental carcinogens is widespread…” On pages 11 and 12 is an introduction on “Exposure to Contaminants from Agricultural Sources.” On page 56, cited is “Atrazine, a widely used herbicide believed to have endocrine-disrupting and possible carcinogenic properties, was banned by the EU in October 2003 because of its ubiquitous and unpreventable water contamination.109 The same month, the EPA approved the continued use of atrazine in the U.S…”“Exposure to Contaminants from Agricultural Sources” [chapter 2] starts on page 77 of the original report.On page 83, “Phosphate fertilizers are often contaminated with cadmium and are responsible for significant cadmium soil and water contamination. Fertilized soils have been found to have two to six times the cadmium concentration of nearby unfertilized land.24 In the food supply, cadmium is most highly concentrated in grains and seafood. For decades, residents of Southern Louisiana have had pancreatic cancer rates markedly higher than the national average.2 Cadmium appears to be the common factor in the research which has demonstrated an association of rural residence, dietary factors (high consumption of rice, seafood, and pork), and cigarette smoking with higher pancreatic cancer risk, particularly among persons of Acadian (Cajun) ancestry.247 This is because rice fields are treated with cadmium containing phosphate fertilizers which are taken up by the rice, the predominant starch in Cajun diets. Then, the fields are flooded again for the growing of crawfish (crayfish)….Urinary cadmium excretion levels in studied Louisiana pancreatic cancer patients have been found to be more than four-fold higher than control subjects..” More at: http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/annualReports/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdfI’ve had same detrimental experiences (depression) using white sugar, brown-sugar, and other natural sweeteners.And another epic video.Yes, you are closing out the year in top form. I hope you continue to publish more on today’s topic, as far as how foods, beverages, ingredients, additives, sweeteners, etc. effect the brain and mood.Is Erythritol, another no calorie sugar alternative, still clear for take off? Is this a safe sugar alternative? (My local vegan store started selling date syrup recently, which is made from 100% dates. Any chance of a review in the future? Looks like date syrup isn’t anything new.)Dr. Greger’s last video on erythritol in 2012: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/ was positive on the sweetener and hopefully he’ll let us know if that changes.As far as the date syrup, I guess it would depend on whether or not the entire date is used. Dr. Greger talks about date sugar being an excellent whole food sweetener because it’s 100% whole ground dates. Not knowing how the packaged date syrup is sold – it could be made from 100% dates but have the fiber removed – I did a quick search and found a recipe to make date syrup at home that calls for soaking whole dates and then blending them with some water to make a honey-like paste – so this too would be a whole food sweetener akin to date sugar but instead of being dusty like date sugar it would be spreadable. Sounds like something I want to try!It seems too clear and sweet to be simply ground. The ingredients says just dates though.More research indicates that there’s nothing new about this syrup, though it’s the first time I’ve seen or heard of it. Shouldn’t be too hard to figure out how they make it.Yes, they simply boil dates and then strain it. So, most of the fiber is gone. I imagine it’s not much more healthy than plain sugar, though I’d love to know I’m very incorrect here. :)Tobias: After you posted about it the first time, I took a look at their website. It was interesting in that they say that the product has *nothing* added to it – not even water. So, I’m thinking that they are starting out with fresh, wet-style dates and squeezing out the juice like one would to make orange juice. I don’t know this for a fact. I’m just guessing. I’m definitely curious what sort of processing they go through to make it.My neighbor from Egypt who runs a food shop explained to me once that they have these unbelievable dates (maybe in Egypt) that have a thin crusty exterior and an interior that’s very gooey, like a nectar that pours out like honey. Though I’ve never seen these and I’ve looked for them on YouTube.Oooh. I’d love to try that!And how about Truvía sold in big boxes at CostCo? First ingredient is erythritol, second: Stevia. MUCH less expensive that Whole Foods packages of ZERO, their erythritol. Thank you all, and now KWD for your responses!Thanks for mentioning this. I’m tired of paying so much for E. And spelling it’s a bitch too. Seems Stevia isn’t rated badly. And the word sounds very cool, like hey gal, where’s your Stevia?I would suggest Organic Sugar Cane as a sweetener as well I really think is less processed than the others. I live in Costa Rica and here there is a lot of sugar caneI would suggest Organic Sugar Cane as a sweetener as well I really think is less processed than the others. I live in Costa Rica and here there is a lot of sugar cane, or the other option would be to get use to bitter taste foods or drinks and not use sugar at all.Dr. Greger, I hope you’ll continue the research on aspartame. I’ve suffered from constant tingling of my feet, hands, and face since January. Doctor’s diagnosis is peripheral neuropathy of unknown cause, but I’ve recently learned that aspartame can also cause these symptoms, as well as tinnitus, light sensitivity, and memory problems. I’ve been aspartame-free for 3 weeks, but I’ve read that it can take as long as 60 days before the symptoms improve. For more information, see:http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/Jan03/012203/02P-0317_emc-000199.txtGluten can also cause peripheral neuropathy! There is a really great description of this in Grain Brain by David Perlmutter M.D. Dr. Tom O’Brien also talks about similar effects of gluten. Good luck!Don’t mix any fats with starches or carbs. Eat fruit alone. Eat beans (no soy) with greens, steamed vegetables. But if you are going to eat nuts or seeds, eat small amounts, and sparingly. No added oils either. This has helped me. Low fat, lots of fruit, no sugar or sweeteners (even the natural sweeteners and dried fruit.Dr. Greger might suggest that saturated fat or cholesterol from animals could also be to blame. “This study indicated that, in all probability, MS is caused largely by consumption of saturated animal fat.” Perhaps MS, Parkinsons, Fibromalgia, and other neurological disorders are caused by eating animal product. The vegan diet was so effective, it was a cure. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/Just found out the migraine medicine I take, generic Maxalt-MLT, Rizatriptan, contains aspartame! Now I’d like to know who the nut case is that thought it a good idea to include a neurotoxin in a migraine preparation…“It may also matter what goes into the coffee.” Nothing whatsoever should go into the coffee. If somebody doesn’t like the taste of black coffee all by itself — and must douse it up with cow’s milk (the combo is bad for digestion), cream, or sweeteners of any kind — they shouldn’t be drinking coffee in the first place.Original Ovaltine Barley malt extract (73%), milk serum concentrate, fat-reduced cocoapowder (8%), sugar, calcium carbonate, rapeseed oil, magnesium carbonate, vitamins (C, E, niacin, A, pantothenic acid, B12, B6, B2, B1, folic acid, biotin), iron, zinc sulphate, salt.Dr. Greger is hoping to improve American mental health through his natural whole foods diets. He has another video on sweeteners were he suggests that Erythriol from pears is the only healthy artificial sweetener. This site says that artificial sweeteners are bad for your stomach cultures, and those are very important for mood. I drink more than ten cups of tea a day of various kinds, sometimes 15 or 20. All sweetened with splenda, which is bad for me and my be causing my lower body pain. Perhaps saturated fat and artificial sweeteners work together to cause joint pain by clogging pores in the body. I am so happy to hear that six cups of coffee a day can improve mood, ward of depression, and battle mental illness. I am sure that means it makes you live longer because attitude is everything. In order to cause an emotionally healthy delta brain wave, which caffeine can cause, perhaps you should eat a grapefruit or have near your bed a seed you can identify. This can improve your mood dramatically. Whole grain also can also help the stomach and intestines nerves to make you feel better. They are a mirror of your thoughts. I like drinking matcha tea and having a sweetgum fruit with me. It causes me to have alpha and delta brain waves so pleasurable I nearly pass out! The first thing they teach psychology majors is that people who have happy marriages live 15 years longer than the single.the last few sentences say it all.Dr. Greger Perhaps the most thorough studies about the effects of artificial sweeteners (specifically, aspartame) have been done by W.C. Monte, Professor Emeritus of Food Sciences and Nutrition at Arizona State University. Now retired, Monte led the research for about 30 years and has produced a book and a website by the same name, “While Science Sleeps”. The website provides the layman with sufficient knowledge to make intelligent decisions on what to induce into their bodies, or not. Monte’s theory is that methanol and its metabolite, formaldehyde, are directly responsible for much of the diseases of civilization (DOC) including M.S., autism, Alzheimer’s. Briefly, methanol is one of the ingredients of aspartame and is also found in smoked meats, and tobacco products, canned foods and other sources. As the methanol breaks down formaldehyde is free to do its job on the cells in the body such as in the lungs of tobacco smokers or in the nasal/oral cavities of smokeless tobacco users. Monte has provided about 700 studies done medical or research personnel to validate his theories. His work is worth consideration, he has covered just about every aspect of the controversy: http://www.whilesciencesleeps.com/ For the smokeless tobacco users a graphic presentation of what can happen: http://www.globalresearch.ca/addiction-to-smokeless-tobacco-in-america/5309841 http://dontdip.tamu.edu/index1.htmlProfessor Woodrow C. Monte, Food Science and Nutrition, Arizona State University, retired 2004, gives 782 free online full text references for his breakthrough paradigm since fall 2007 at his site WhileScienceSleeps — humans are the only creatures at severe risk of harm from methanol (22 mg in each can of aspartame diet drink), which stays in the blood with half-life 3 hours and so reaches every cell in the adult and fetus — methanol is made by ADH1 enzyme into uncontrolled formaldehyde right inside the cells of 20 specific tissues, and this harm gradually becomes most modern new chronic “diseases of civilization” — methanol also comes from wood and cigarette smoke, fresh tomatoes and black currants, and unfresh fruits juices vegetables preserved wet in sealed cans and jars at room temperature — scientists like Rong Qiao He of Peking, China are publishing research in 2014, using the Monte paradigm in proving the causes of Alzheimer’s Disease — ethanol (ordinary drinking alcohol) is a strong antidote, so those who never drink have twice the harm from methanol as those who drink just once a day — diabetes 2 is a methanol formaldehyde toxicity disease…There are no health benefits to artificial sweeteners – surely artificial sweeteners didn’t solve the obesity problem in America or Europe, and there are concerns regarding safety. Solution: Ban the stuff. Period. Ohh… I forgot, there are money involved…..Sounds like an all-or-nothing fallacy to me. Can you demonstrate good evidence against the reasonably plausible idea that the introduction of calorie-free-sweeteners at least helps some people to limit obesity? What about the prevention of dental caries as another possible avenue of benefit?Thanks Doctor for raising our awareness over this issues.I had severe headaches, memory problems, and my eyes became really out of focus from consuming only one pkt per day of aspartame in my coffee. My eyes were checked and a new prescription was written, but the vision problems still worsened. Then, one day after reading a finding from a registered nurse who was on a multiple chemicals sensitivities list with me, I thought perhaps it was the Equal (aspartame) that may have caused the problems. I discarded all packages and NEVER bought anything with aspartame in it again, and guess what happened. After 6 months my vision returned to near normal for me. Still poor, but I could drive without glasses but just needed glasses for reading. That was then, perhaps 10-12 years ago. Today, since my spinal fractures, my vision has become increasingly worse even though no sugars, nor artificial sweeteners are in my body. Now, I cannot do anything that requires good vision without my bifocals. But, the headaches left after I stopped ingesting aspartame. Aspartame was once made by Monsanto, who owned the manufacturing company about the same time that Michael Taylor, then a lobbyist for Monsanto, joined the FDA. He is at the FDA again going through the revolving doors from industry to the FDA and back again, due to his appointment by President Obama during Obama’s first term. Taylor seems to make policy at the FDA when it comes to anyone petitioning the agency to remove aspartame from the market. He keeps it there. Taylor also permitted Neotame to be used in stevia AND added to the feed of factory farmed livestock. Neotame has even more neurological symptoms than aspartame. During that time period, I stopped using anything including meat with artificial ingredients. Taylor urged and received neotame to be considered as a “natural” ingredient in the food for people and feed for animals, even though it is genetically engineered and created by his company’s own scientists. Big conflicts of interest at the FDA, and government in general. Our government is broken in that it only protects corporations and their products from scientific studies, not the victims of their products or public health.There is a lot of literature about benefits of coffee and tea. But is there a study of comparing the benefits of tea and coffee relative to drinking plain water ? If every day people drink lots of water instead of tea & coffee, perhaps the health benefits of drinking lots of water will even exceed those heavy coffee & tea drinkers.I have always understood that it takes water to flush out the impurities from the body. But here is another aspect of water.Preventing cellular dehydration is integral to hormonal, immune, neurological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, muscle and skeletal function. ……….. The problem is that other beverages are not as hydrating. The levels of sodium, sugars, and amino acids in milk and juice can shrink cells and trigger the release of the hormone that signals dehydration.Even doctors often apparently fail to realize the connection. A recent study found that healthcare professionals under-recognized the importance of proper hydration for mental health. Who would care enough about the importance of human hydration to even do a survey? The European Hydration Institute, founded in part by The Coco Cola company.Significant improvement in cognitive performance, but not with coke. And not with Ritalin or some new drug, either, just plain water. Think how much drug companies could make if they could sell sugar pills but just tell kids to take the fake pill with… a glass of water. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/Very true. Drinking lots of water also may help weight loss. I used to drink a lot of beer and could not kick the habit until I discovered a “Trick”. 1/2 hour before going to store to buy beer, I would drink excess amount of water. My desire for beer would completely go away and now I seldom drink.Another great video, Dr. G. Thank you for bringing clarity to these controversial subjects. I love having an educated response to those who claim that aspartame has been ‘proven to be completely safe’! Go plant foods!My husband is sensitive to aspartame. Even though he drinks junkie & processed beverages we always read the label. We have discovered that most kids drinks like Hawaiian Punch and sunny D contain a cocktail of asculfame K/potassium and Sucralose…could there be a correlation on the epidemic of depression and add in kids and artificial sweeteners in their drinks??? After all, big Pharma cashes in big on troubled kids.Research in the journal Nature recently demonstrated that artificial sweeteners (sucralose, sacharrin and aspartame) kill gut bacteria and exacerbate matabolic disease. “A team… fed mice various sweeteners — saccharin, sucralose and aspartame — and found that after 11 weeks, the animals displayed glucose intolerance, a marker of propensity for metabolic disorders.”.Maybe this affect on the gut also causes an impact on the brain as you point out?http://www.nature.com/news/sugar-substitutes-linked-to-obesity-1.15938Yet another fantastic video Dr. Greger for which we are all very grateful. So, thanks again – keep it up!How can one accurately measure and quantify the risk of depression in an experiment?I need to read that paper, but comparing “sugar and honey” as the same category seems inadequate in my opinion. Refined sugar should not be compared to honey. I have not read the paper yet though. Since I drink my coffee black and tea plain, I suppose it really doesn’t matter, but I am curious.	artificial sweeteners,aspartame,beverages,brain health,coffee,depression,dopamine,Europe,FDA,Harvard,headaches,insomnia,Kaiser Permanente,mental health,MIT,mood,NIH-AARP study,Nutrasweet,processed foods,saccharin,safety limits,seizures,serotonin,soda,sugar,suicide,Sweet and Low,sweeteners,tea	The reason artificially sweetened beverages have been associated with depression may be because of psychological disturbances recently tied to aspartame (“Equal” or “NutraSweet”).	I’ve previously touched on artificial sweeteners before:The healthiest caloric sweeteners are black strap molasses and date sugar (whole dried powdered dates). The healthiest low-calorie sweetener is probably erythritol (Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant).Coffee may decrease suicide and cancer risk (Preventing Liver Cancer with Coffee? and Coffee and Cancer) but may impair blood flow to the heart (Coffee and Artery Function).Other ways to improve mood include:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspartame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-and-low/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kaiser-permanente/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nih-aarp-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saccharin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seizures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrasweet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/suicide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8275213,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23819683,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3319565,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17684524,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198517/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8373935,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24743309,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11297219,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18604921,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24700203,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21949167,
PLAIN-2509	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/	Chicken Big: Poultry and Obesity	We know vegetarians have considerable lower obesity rates compared to meat-eaters, but why? Is it because they’re not eating meat or because they’re eating more plants? Or maybe they’re just eating fewer calories or exercising more? This study controlled for all that.In essence they took men and women who ate the same number of calories a day, ate the same amount of vegetables, and fruit and grains, same amount of exercise—but, ate different amounts of meat. Men and women who ate less than a small serving of meat a day were on average not overweight, but the more meat they ate the heavier they were and by one and a half servings a day, they crossed the threshold of a BMI of 25 to become officially classified as overweight.Which type of meat was the worst? If you remember back to that study of hundreds of thousands of men and women poultry consumption appeared to be the worst, but maybe it was reverse causation, meaning obesity lead to greater chicken consumption and not the other way around. This new study controlled for that, adjusting for dieting habits, yet found the same thing. Chicken consumption was most associated with weight gain in both men and women. And it didn’t take much. Compared to those who didn’t eat any chicken at all, those eating about 20 or more grams of chicken a day had a significantly greater increase in their body mass index. That’s around one chicken nugget. Or a single chicken breast once every two weeks, compared to no chicken at all.	and how does eating chicken cause obesity? Is it due to the hormones the chickens are fed?See Doctor’s Note section just below the transcript for links which look at this questionThanks for pointing that out Robert!thanks robertA couple of years ago, my neighbor switched to a Paleo diet (despite my warnings), and eats meat (mostly meat) three times a day, including bacon and eggs for breakfast. He lost 20 lbs, and claims he feels better than ever. I keep wondering if some day a time bomb will go off in his body. Meanwhile, how do we explain this weight loss?lower carbs equals less sugar equals lower insulin equals more fat burning. I’ve lost 10 lbs on a paleo diet, with a better lipid profile and more energy. Millions of people experience the same effect. I eat grassfed/organic meat whenever possible. And while I miss the carbs, I love the eggs, butter and meat! I know that’s heresy here but at least for me it works.The Taubesian carbs → insulin → fat gain hypothesis has been thoroughly debunked by a multitude of sources. Here’s just onehttp://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2014/12/insulin-doesnt-regulate-fat-mass.html?m=1Luckily, when it comes to Paleo/Lowcarb diets, no one is REALLY concerned with the science. Its all “good news about bad habits, and nothing you show me to the contrary will ever sway my beliefs”.Do the research and go for a vegan whole food plant based diet and you’ll feel a lot better. After a period of gaining some weight that is. The paleo diet causes severe harm to your metabolism. I bet there are people over here that can help you get of that horrible diet.There’s a certainty that borders on arrogance when someone confidently prescribes a diet for a person they know nothing about.Metabolic individuality is a basic – and unchallenged – reality. Some people thrive on carbs, others on animal products etc. Just look at the varied diets followed by traditional peoples. They ranged from almost entirely fat to entirely carb, and most were healthier than people are today.My doctor – whose nutritional prescriptions cure cancer in hundreds of people – says that I do best on a diet with lots and lots of varied vegetables and moderate amounts of clean beef, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy. It’s cured me of metastatic cancer and as I said earlier makes me feel great, while improving my blood work.i follow this site avidly as I learn much from Dr Geiger that I apply in my diet. But the absolute belief that animal products are bad for everyone is – with all due respect – absurd.Just read the stories of the multitudes of former vegans whose health improved after leaving the diet.If you feel great as a vegan that’s fantastic. I have no desire or interest in challenging you. All I ask is that you – and other true believers – respect my experience and do the same with people like me.nonsense. You don’t even know how to spell the man’s name. If you’d really heard what he says you’d go vegan. There is no group of people who benefit from eating meat.Your reply is utterly predictable. First attack me on an irrelevancy – that I made a typo. Then distort what I said by saying that if I hear what he says i’d be vegan. Well I do and I’m not. Then you assert an absolute – no group benefits from meat – without even a scintilla of evidence. Because there is no evidence that everyone benefits from veganism. Nice job!You’re selectively closing your eyes. The evidence is on this very website.And a typo usually means you mistype one character; You mistyped three. Don’t you hate it when people misspell your name? Or do you think that’s irrelevant too?Show me even one properly done large study that shows that every single person would benefit from a vegan diet over a non vegan diet. If you can do that I’ll become a vegan!Dear Herb,You are using to the nirvana falacy. This site is completely loaded with excellent studies that show the benefits of a plant based diet and the disadvantages of eating animal product. But only if veganism is 100% perfect for 100% of the human population will you change?Why don’t you try a whole food plant based diet for month and then see if it is good for _you_?Best of luckSome time ago I tried a whole food plant based diet for much more than a month and I felt quite unwell. So I went to a doctor who specializes in nutrition and after some sophisticated testing and clinical judgment he put me a balanced diet – lots of veggies and moderate amounts of animal protein. He finds that the majority of his patients do much better on a balanced diet than on a vegan diet – and he’s seen thousands of patients. I am thriving on this diet – feel great and blood tests reflect that.So many vegans treat their eating philosophy as it were a religion. Unless they’re converting people they feel like they are letting their religion down. Well there are many religions in the world just as there are many dietary traditions, and no one religion or dietary tradition has been able to prove it’s the only right path despite the efforts of their true believers.The second paragraph is really uncalled for. There is no scientific evidence for any religion and there is a shipload of scientific evidence and logical reasons for veganism. If you would be convinced eating stones would be a benefit for you I wouldn’t mind at all but you are eating animals. They also have lives and also want to live and be treated with respect incase you forgot.So please tell me how you felt unwell, and what you speficically need from meat which cannot be found in plants + a few supplements that would be in and on the plants if they were grown on a healthy soil.What exactly are you asking for Herb? Randomized controlled trials involving thousands of people is simply impossible and doesn’t exist. We don’t even have that kind of evidence against smoking cigarettes. If you are asking for a study in which 100% of people benefited on such a large scale that is also not possible. These types of standards are too high for a population bases where there are many variables that may be unaccounted for. There is much evidence of significantly lower rates of chronic disease amongst vegans and vegetarians. “Mortality from all-cause, ischemic heart disease, and circulatory and cerebrovascular diseases was significantly lower in vegetarians than in omnivorous populations. Compared with omnivores, the incidence of cancer and type 2 diabetes was also significantly lower in vegetarians.” http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsfa.6362/abstract” Our results suggest that vegetarians have a significantly lower ischemic heart disease mortality (29%) and overall cancer incidence (18%) than nonvegetarians.” http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/337301“Vegetarians had a 32% lower risk (HR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.81) of IHD than did nonvegetarians, which was only slightly attenuated after adjustment for BMI and did not differ materially by sex, age, BMI, smoking, or the presence of IHD risk factors.” http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/97/3/597.full“Vegetarian diets are associated with lower all-cause mortality and with some reductions in cause-specific mortality.” http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1710093Here is the essylsten paper showing the effectiveness of a plant based diet reversing heart disease and keeping it reversed for years. “Thus, 99.4% of adherent patients avoided major cardiac events.” http://www.jfponline.com/fileadmin/qhi/jfp/pdfs/6307/JFP_06307_Article1.pdfDrugs can never do that. No exercise regiment or anything, and diet did this. “genuine very large effects with extensive support from substantial evidence appear to be rare in medicine and large benefits for mortality are almost entirely nonexistent.” http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1386610First thanks for those links. I – like so many others – recoil at the absolutist mentality of so many vegans. That’s what I’m asking for – a bit of humility and tolerance. No one diet is best for everyone. it’s as simple as that. As far as these studies go count me a skeptic as to the need to totally eliminate all animal products from the diet. Vegans and vegetarians generally have much better health habits than do omnivores and it’s extremely difficult to control for all those factors in a trial.I’d love to see an RCT comparing a Paleo/low carb diet to a vegan diet for CVD patients. I personally think that as long as one is eating plenty of varied vegetables and nuts healthy animal protein is not harmful for most people. I don’t believe that trial has ever been done. If I’m wrong I’d appreciate finding out from someone.It is good to be a skeptic. I think you would appreciate and take interest in some of the biological implications of consuming animal products. Those here who have been with NF for a long time and who have seen much of the research contained in the videos come to realize that animal products can never truly be defined as a “healthy” meat, but perhaps a condiment to a largely plant based diet. The reason that animal products may cause harm is not unknown. Please see here for some of the biochemical implications. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/ http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1In addition, to your request, my previous comment cited a study which showed how a low fat plant based diet reversed heart disease, confirmed by imaging. You can see more on paleo here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/In addition, I can share with you a large quantity of studies that show the diet advocated for on a low carb diet will lead to unfavorable outcomes. That I will leave out of the post as to keep the length appropriate. I encourage you to view the videos I linked for you, and see the “sources cited” section and see the studies for yourself.Thanks for the links. I appreciate your fair mindedness. i suspect there’s not much daylight between my dietary approach and your ‘animal products as condiment’ approach. Eating – it goes without saying – should be about pleasure as much – if not more – than health. And for much of the human race – certainly for me – animal products provide great pleasure.Several of the first links aren’t working.The videos are being transferred to vimeo so there is a lag time for us to get the video links embedded to the right place. Here are the corrected links. http://vimeo.com/114351465 http://vimeo.com/114351466 http://vimeo.com/114354654The rest should work fine in the 4th link. Also, a plant based can be be pleasurable, I find it so. The standard American diet is pleasurable to most, which is why they consume it, but I don’t think that’s a justifiable reason to continue to eat these types of foods. We’ll carry on this conversation once you have seen some of the videos.Herb, you’re wasting you time. These folks have all drunk the Greger kool-aid. I protested the characterization of eggs as the devil a short while back and got hate male and faux concern for a week after. You seem to have a good handle on your diet and I thought your comment on metabolism was right on. I didn’t spell check this so maybe Han will find something to feel good about.Metabolic individuality does exist indeed. Some people can digest milk, some can’t. But people who thrive on animal products don’t exist. Best they can do is survive it.What an interesting world view. The vast majority of humankind simply doesn’t exist for at least one feverish vegan. My advice, move to India where the insect larva in the grain supply will give you the B12 you desparately need to be congnizant of the real world. Your reply stinks of a food-based moral superiority. You should see someone about that.When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser. — SocratesIt’s only slander when it’s false. – EggmanHow about the Eskimo and Massai?Al: I’m not sure what your question is. But if you are thinking that Eskimos and Massai are examples of people who thrive on meat, it is actually a myth. People from those native cultures which consume a lot of meat do not live very long generally due to the harsh conditions in which they live. But even by the time they reach the early ages in which they die, the people show signs of heart disease. We even see this in ancient mummies who could not have been influenced by modern diets/products.Here is a copy of a post from “xfjea” that is very helpful: “The idea of excellent cardiovascular health among inuits is probably based on inaccurate data. See this review from 2003: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12535749 ”And here is what Graham wrote: “Autopsy data on pre-westernised Inuit shows lots of data for atherosclerosis in the Inuit. http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Atherosclerosis-in-Pre-Westernized-Inuit.pdf ”If this topic interests you, Plant Positive has some wonderful details and source materials on the topic. Search for words on the following link/page such as: masai, alaska, eskimo, etc. Then click the links to watch the videos. You can also click in his search box for “inuit”. Or even better, go to the top of the list of the “Primitive Nutrition” series and watch the whole thing. :-) It’s *very* educational. http://plantpositive.com/Hope that helps.I am a long time vegan but I agree with herb here. Body’s are different. Some thrive on vegan and some on flesh. Check out the blood type dietNick: I think you will be interested to learn that there is no scientific evidence to support the blood type diet. You can learn more here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/Also, I’m not aware of a body of scientific evidence which supports the theory that “bodies” thrive on flesh. Instead, the evidence tells us that some people can get away with consuming flesh – much like some people can get away with smoking all of their adult lives and not seem to face any of the serious consequences most of the rest of face if we take up smoking. That’s doesn’t make smoking healthy…Thea, that is very good info. Thank you love!Han, I appreciate your fervor. I’m happy you’re doing well on WFPBD.However, denying reality for some does a disservice to the objective of getting more fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes, and intact whole grains into ppl’s diets. Not everyone thrives on a WFPB diet even when it’s properly planned.I would recommend letting go of diet dogma and check out the website of vegan registered dietitian Jack Norris who has been grappling with this real phenomenon.http://jacknorrisrd.com/vegetarian-recidivism-survey/There are those who wish to eat 100% WFPB but can’t. Have some empathy for them, please.An eloquintly formulated claim. Can you give me an example of such a group of people?Did you or did you not go to Jack Norris’s website?How about this? Find me a Blue Zone populated ENTIRELY by strict vegetarians.I’m sorry, but that’s a lot of data. Can you provide me with a concrete link that confirms your claim?A single blog post is “too much data” for you? Why are you spending time on Dr. Greger’s website if not for data?I’m still waiting for that 100% vegan Blue Zone.Well I read the Jack Norris website which states that people who quit veganism do it for the flimsyest of reasons so I assumed that was a mistake on your behalf. And I don’t know what you try to say with a “100% vegan blue zone,” how is that relevant for your argumentation?Flimsy?HRC sounds pleased that only 29% experienced ill health – but that’s almost one-third of people who tried the diet. I was actually hoping to find out that, say, only 1% of former vegetarians experienced poor health because it would allow me to retire from my nutrition work that, while being a labor of love, is indeed a labor, and takes away from my other efforts. At almost 1 out of 3 people, I’m not so sure it’s time to cross the finish line and declare victory.If you weren’t so focused on argumentation and diet dogma, you might’ve noticed that phrase “ill health”. You call that flimsy?All I’m asking is that you humble your viewpoint just a little, just to the point where you can admit that there are people who want to be vegans or vegetarians and just can’t be…or like myself can’t be any longer… because their health was suffering.Have a little respect for your elder and more experienced WFPBers.Consider reading the whole story, and not just a part of it.Incidentally, Jack Norris is no slouch in the plant-based world. He is co-author of Vegan for Life with Ginny Messina of http://theveganrd.comhttp://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Life-Everything-Healthy-Plant-Based/dp/0738214930/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332182475&sr=8-1I’m not familiar with the dietitian you link to so I’ll have to read about him, but want to add that in the spirit of improving health, it’s small changes we make to a lifetime of less-than-ideal eating habits that help one learn about their own health and get in touch with how food makes them feel.In intonation-less message board replies, sometimes good intentions (e.g. eat this way and you’ll be healthier) can be perceived as scolding one’s eating choices. It’s unrealistic that a person will suddenly drop what they’ve always known and overhaul their diet (let alone that of an entire family) overnight or in a week or even in a few months. It’s taken me well over a decade to get to a place where I function well in a mostly WFPB home kitchen – purchasing new equipment / tools and taking time to learn new foods, spices and preparations that I didn’t learn growing up…and I still am not 100% WFPB every day, I doubt I ever will be and that’s ok.The last statement above, “there are those who wish to eat 100% WFPB but can’t…” resonates with me because it’s true. I’m not yet versed in metabolic differences when it comes to diet but undoubtedly from a logistics perspective there are many people who would love to eat healthier but getting to even 30% WFPB each day is a tall order of change in the context of their life (routines, expenses, knowledge) and so they really never start.Better to encourage small changes maybe not so much as percentages but rather as positive behaviors. The nf.org format of focusing on specific nutrition/health topics has been effective and empowering in my life, without shaming, and as a result has motivated some fantastic dietary behavioral changes. Thanks, Dr. Greger!I hear ya! In my case, I was veg*n for 20+ years. Adding animal products back into my diet due to food sensitivities slashing the absolute amount and variety of plant foods I could eat was a necessity, and it was not a decision I undertook willingly or happily. Han’s arrogance is vegan zealotry I was once guilty of myself. It is disturbingly unattractive.After reading your comment I am left wondering if the issues you mention weren’t precisely those food sensitivities?Just because you would eat a WFPB diet, doesn’t mean you would get along right with everything, there might be a lot of things that won’t go right for different people because of any underlying problems.Yet I am highly skeptical that animal products would do much for you at all, because they are very much devoid of any nutrients (you cannot take, where there isn’t) and instead are full of toxins, and hormones that are far from beneficial. Again would be a miracle if nocive or downright dangerous components could help your health.There were (and there are) smokers who keep claiming they feel physically better if they smoke. But there isn’t any evidence to it, in fact just the opposite. Placebo effect can take people *very* far.I repeat,food sensitivities slash[ed] the absolute amount and variety of plant foods I could eatwhich prevented me from getting enough of an important MACROnutrient called PROTEIN (verified by bloodwork).All the antioxidants and micronutrients in the world do you little good if you die from a lack of essential MACROnutrients. You have to eat for survival. Dead ppl can not advocate for ANY diet.Eating animal products does not make me feel good in any way, and it causes its own set of side effects, even keeping it down to 10% of calories à la Fuhrman.Placebo? Tobacco? Give me a judgmental break. Although you mean well, Thule, you don’t know how presumptuous and rude that analogy sounds. I shudder to think I used to say such insensitive things to my friends and relatives.Sorry, no bad intention there.Ok I see you aren’t keen on a diet that includes animals, and the major issues was protein. But as you know many doctors think we need far more protein than the actual need. In fact, the protein profile of animal products is problematic, please check this to begin with:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/Doctors were formed under the mantra of the extreme importance of protein, and under the now proved false assumption that only meat had all the aminoacids.It is impossible for anyone to eat the amount of calories they need per day, and no get the quantity of protein they need. It has been more than proved.And lastly, it would be in fact good if you keep low in certain problematic aminoacids.What do I have to do, Thule? Violate my own privacy by posting my bloodwork just to satisfy your OCD over my diet?The fact was I had to restrict both the variety and absolute amount of plants that I could consume, and that prevented me from taking in enough calories, and therefore, the minimum amount of protein and other nutrients an adult body needs just on the plants that were left over.Not only did my blood work indicate a problem, but I DID THE MATH according to Dr. Greger’s videos on protein requirements.Please stop countering my comments with points and videos I’ve already watched and accepted as fact. You don’t know what you don’t know, and I have to live in the real world.(Just one question, do you have issues with all legumes?)Because outside the western world there are many that are mostly unknown here, for example see Mung Daal that I was recommending to another person here.This is given to babies and sick people, because is highly tolerated. But there are more options beyond. In any case, good luck. Hope you get better.Such an enlightening discussion thread. If we can get people to eat mostly plants, that is a big step in itself. As a future RD, I need to be wary of making dogmatic claims and really focus on the individual. As in your situation, sensitivities limiting consumption of the proper macro nutrients due to food allergies is a greater concern and trumps strict WFPB. And in your case, with your knowledge, I assume your diet is filled with plenty of plant foods along with small amounts of animal products to sustain macro nutrient needs. I look forward to reading the Jack Norris article. May I ask, what allergies and sensitivities do you have that prevented you from consuming enough food? I ask purely out of curiosity and not to look for “solutions”.Thank you for your respectful reply, Toxins. I appreciate your acknowledging my background. I’ve been frequenting Dr. G’s site and watching his videos for years. In fact, it was one of his videos which helped me pin down one of my apparent widely-encompassing sensitivities.I also appreciate your acknowledging proper nutritional priorities.In this day and age of ubiquitous data mining (even emails e.g., gmail), I am not willing to disclose every issue I have on the Internet. I have several conditions, all of which affect my food options. At this point, I’m really getting tired of the restrictions, especially since I am also intolerant of many supplements. OK with b-12 and DHA, but can’t take even a multivitamin without repercussions. Very frustrating.So I’m now reintroducing some foods, doing my best to evaluate them individually instead of as a group, reintroducing them in varying amounts to see if they can be permanent residents of my diet, which amounts and frequency.I sure wish it were as simple as “Just eat WFPBD”, but it’s just not, when almost all plants contain the component that causes me the most trouble. If wishes were fishes…It’s the typical “sensitive snowflake” troll. Tried veganism, no details about why he has to eat meat, just take his word for it.I have a friend that has colitis. Was doing well on his way of eating but not totally vegan. He had hernia surgery this year and that set off the colitis and he is really struggling with what he can eat. Legumes are a no because of the skins. Whole grains are too irritating. Is there a plant based diet for colitis?My heart goes out to your friend, jj. As I just told Thule, you have to eat for survival. If that means eating more digestible processed or animal foods, that may be a necessity. Perhaps this will be a temporary issue.How well does your buddy tolerate a fermented legume product like tofu or vegetarian “meats” like seitan, Qorn, or Boca products?If I’m not mistaken, Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat for Life book has a protocol for inflammatory bowel disease. Perhaps he can give that a try.I wish you both well!!He is hoping that this is temporary and can get back to a more varied diet. He used to like tofu recipes my sister fixed but she isn’t able to do that anymore. Not sure what recipe he might want to try himself as he is a beginner cook. I don’t cook with tofu anymore just because it takes more fixing to be palatable. I prefer whole foods simply prepared. Can’t remember about Quorn or Boca, depends on how they are spiced. He does like books so will look for Eat for Life for him. Thanks. “you have to eat for survival” I agree with that. Each person has individual struggles/issues and must do the best they can manage for their body. I used to think there was only the vegan way of life but have come to modify my thinking.Did your friend try red lentils? They are skinless and cooked to a mush. Very digestible.But here the legume that are given to babies:http://healthytips-foryou.blogspot.com/2013/02/benefits-of-split-moong-dal.htmlOf course get the skinless version. They cook very quickly, and also get cooked to a mush.But I must say that for colitis, your friend should try Lactobacillus acidophilus (only) not other organism for now. L. acidophilus is homofermentative which means that the only byproduct it forms from fermentation is lactic acid. (No other by-products as gasses, which are produced by other lactobacillus species which aren’t homofermentative) L. acidophilus NCFM produces a bacteriocin, called lactacin B that demonstrates antimicrobial activity against other Lactobacilli and Enterococcus faecalis.A brand that I recommend is this: ww.amazon.co.uk/Solgar-Advanced-Acidophilus-Non-Dairy-Vegetable-Capsules/dp/B008Q59ROG/ref=sr_1_22?s=drugstore&ie=UTF8&qid=1403770894&sr=1-22&keywords=L.+AcidophilusHadn’t thought of the red lentils. Thanks. I’ll cook some for him and see if he will try. He isn’t too open to probiotics yet as someone had him take really strong ones after surgery and the result was not good.Jack is co-author of the book Vegan for Lifehttp://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Life-Everything-Healthy-Plant-Based/dp/0738214930/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332182475&sr=8-1Is it possible that you have done well because you have increased your consumption of vegetables? The two good things that are on the Paleo diet are vegetables and nuts as well as fruits. Fruits, vegetables and nuts are correlated with good health in many studies. I don’t eat any meat, or as little as possible, because even if it is “grass fed” the slaughtering process is always an ugly thing. However, people in Okinawa eat *some* meat and still live a long time. No culture that consumes a LOT of meat, such as the Inuit are long lived. From a scientific point of view, I would say a person could eat up to 10% of their calories from non processed meat and still be healthy. The typical “Paleo” diet consists of 65% of calories being derived from animal products, which is far more than is healthy. Besides, eating tons of meat is hard on the digestive system.Eating ANY meat, in my estimation, if one has a choice is NOT kind at all. Maybe “grass fed” is not quite as cruel, but it still is for meat. Most people can do well on a Vegan diet if they make sure they get their nutrients. I remember one woman who claimed she didn’t do well on a Vegan diet because she became Vitamin D deficient. However, the sun is a good source, as well as mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light. If a person cannot make their own creatine (most people can create their own, but some can’t), then supplements are available. B12 can be derived from natural bacterial cultures. Before you assume you are healthy, you should get an angiogram, which would tell whether you had plaque build up in your arteries from all the animal products you consume. Blood tests don’t always show plaque build up. In my case, I had colon polyps five years ago (I got the colonoscopy because the stool test indicated blood), and thought I did not develop any additional polyps since subsequent stool tests showed no blood. However, today, I got the colonscopy and still had two additional polyps. I also once had a cracked tooth, which x rays won’t show. I had to go to an Endodontist to diagnose this and then get the root canal from her. So, you can’t always tell just by blood tests whether you are completely healthy or not. More invasive procedures can tell that.Meat eaters… so defensive. A meat diet may not do you any harm but it does the planet and of course the actual animals loads of harm. I am not vegan btw. I just don’t eat meat, fish, dairy or eggs because I know the harm it does.If you don’t eat meat, fish, dairy or eggs, what animal product does that leave for you to eat if you are not vegan?The term “vegan” can often include a moral philosophy beyond diet and health: no leather shoes, no handbags, or other products made of or by animals (honey). Thus the term whole foods plant-based diet was devised.Honey too is an animal product.Honey is just sugar, so it’s not healthy. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/Blossom, Your reply about the harm done through consumption of animal products takes a very narrow view. Like a lot of folks I raise backyard chickens. The birds roam the property freely and I take and use the eggs they produce daily. Trust me, they do not miss them and the eggs if left would be destroyed by vermin and the chickens themselves. Make some room in your philosophy for the many good folks who produce and use animal products humanely.Eggman: While backyard chickens are a step (or two) up from other farmed chickens, there are still a set of serious ethical and environmental problems with backyard chicken operations. I don’t want to spend the time explaining it all to you as I don’t think this is the place (my personal opinion). However, if you are interested, I highly recommend watching the movie, Cowspiracy for a beginning/beginner’s look at the issues in a manner that is entertaining.Thea, Did you read about the cow that jumped a 6-foot fence to get away from certain death at a slaughterhouse? Who knew they could do that?? Too bad it ended in her death anyway.http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2014/12/16/cow-idaho-slaughterhouse-police/MacSmiley: Thanks, yes. I’ve heard about cows that do that. There is also a video out there of a girl who wanted a horse, but her parent’s gave her a cow. So, she trained it to give her rides and jump hurdles. I’ve also seen a video of rescued dairy cows who jumped for joy after being released into a field. I’ve also read a story about a cow who made a Sophie’s choice with her twins. Incredible, true story in one of the books Karen Pryor wrote. The same book has a story about the grown, male head of a “natural” cow herd who has lunch with his mother every day. (They form life-long familial bonds.) Cows are truly amazing with inner lives that I would guess are equal too or more advanced than our dogs.I’ve also heard a lot of amazing stories about chickens. For example, one of my friends taught her chicken to “sit” on cue.The more I learn about the inner lives of non-human animals (from both anecdotes and scientific evidence), the more I feel awe and respect for them–and an obligation to treat them ethically.Of course, we can’t forgetMike the Headless Chickenhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_ChickenWow. Just wow. Now *that’s* a new one for me. :-OThe first time I ever heard of Mike was in a program I saw on PBS entitled, The Natural History of the Chicken. It’s on YouTube.http://youtu.be/NkxO91TLKVgThat’s the link for Part 1, but the story about Mike is in Parts 4 and 5. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own “eyes”!!Part 4/6 http://youtu.be/NaO1hDMgJswPart 5/6 http://youtu.be/MJFU8mjMEK0Enjoy!!!It’s amazing what animals can do. Here’s another exemple:http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/heroic-monkey-saves-dying-friend-kanpur-train-station/They are sensitive and so, for me, they deserve our respect.Saw that on TV. Jaw-dropping!http://www.theecologist.org/investigations/food_and_farming/268902/humanitys_worst_invention_agriculture.htmlThea, I’ll certainly look at your recommended source. Your answer seems to indicate an interest in the environment . As such I’ve supplied the link above to give you food for thought on the cost to the planet to bring vegetables to the table. The most interesting assertion is that agriculture is the original cause of war. Talk about your ethical dilemma.Eggman: I took a look at the article. I didn’t read it in detail, but I think I skimmed it enough to get the gist of the points. My opinion is that the guy makes no sense and is missing a bunch of key points. But if you want to argue for the moment that agriculture has a big cost to the environment and humanity (without qualifying that appropriately), then you have to stay away from meat, dairy and eggs more than ever–especially if you want to avoid war. They explain why in the movie I recommended, Cowspiracy.For a less entertaining and perhaps harder to follow explanation (and one that may not address backyard chickens (I can’t remember), so you may not be interested), you might check out the following lecture. The benefit of this lecture is that it is free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fws0f9s4Bas&feature=youtu.beIf you ever get a chance to watch Cowspiracy, I would be curious to hear what you think. Only a section of the movie addresses backyard chickens, but since you linked to the article above, it is possible that the entire Cowspiracy movie would interest you.Many people also do well smoking cigarettes & some live to late 90s smoking a pack a day and lots of alcohol consumption too. But on the whole population there is a direct correlation between cancer and smoking that cannot be denied. Also many fat people live very long productive lives. It’s all based on probability and chance. Eggs contain the highest amount of cholesterol. Cholesterol is associated with stroke, heart attack and many other diseases. Also consider innocent animals getting caged, tortured & butchered for your beliefs and the possibility that you may be wrong.“I love the eggs, butter and meat” is just like saying I love cholesterol, fat and dead flesh. Whatever spin you put on this one, it ain’t good for your tubes and senses mate.(1) Getting rid of non-satiating, hyper absorbable junk carbs and other processed foods engineered for hyperpalatability (2) Protein consumption can be satiating. Both circumstances leads to fewer calories actually consumed → weight loss.It’s not rocket science. Paleo is basically a low carb diet dressed up in a bearskin.Good point MacSmiley, while carbs go down and are depleted, protein and fat goes up, which is very satiating when consumed in high amounts, which, as you said, hunger and calories also go down, which leads to short term weight loss, but people don’t even consider the long term effects on their body systems, like clogging their arteries and damaging their GI tract.True.Forgot one other reason: for Initial weight loss in LC/Paleo diets also is caused by the depletion of the water molecules bound to glycogen that’s also lost.. Dr. Greger addresses this in Vol 22: http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/09/dr-greger-addresses-saturated-fat-confusion-in-new-dvd/Or since the video on Paleo is #8 and this is video #6, we can just wait until the end of the week until #8 goes up on the website.I believe your neighbor’s weight loss is best explained by understanding calorie density of foods. Of course as pointed out by many video’s on this site there are many factors correlated with weight problems ranging from possible viruses to hormones to persistent organic pollutants. The best resource for understanding calorie density is Jeff Novick’s presentation, Calorie Density: How to Eat More, Weigh less and live longer. The nice thing about Jeff’s presentation is he links calorie density to exercise. Another resource is Dr. McDougall’s excellent article for his monthly newsletter entitled, The Fat Vegan… see December 2008 via his website. The more animal products you consume the more risk you take on in acquiring many conditions linked to them. You can check out the calorie density of foods by using the website, Cron-0-meter. Select food, enter g for grams and 454 for number and hit enter the number of calories will give you the calorie density of that particular food (i.e. calories/pound). You do this and you can explain your neighbors success. Of course some of the subjective feelings of “feeling great” can be do to the consumption of animal products either through direct absorption of casomorphins or hormones or the production of endogenous morphines or other factors.Chicken is more fattening than red meat? Chicken has about the same or maybe a little more cholesterol than red meat, but much less saturated fat. total fat, and less calories. It is clear, from this study, that eating chicken is fattening far out of proportion to its calories. Are there things that are the opposite? Things that have a lot of calories but are slimming? Yes, nuts and dark chocolate can be slimming. I think Dr. Greger here boldly claims that being Vegan is important for long life, already saying that milk makes people overweight. The science of being vegan is so strong it seems it perplexes many doctors. Dr. Greger does not suggest that red meat is healthy, knowing the animal saturated fats in it are a cause of MS, Fibromaylgia, and other nerve related disorders, Dr, Greger is suggesting here that meat and animal product is the source of disease in the world. Killing is the cause of harm in life, and freedom from guilt of killing can ease the mind into health. I was long hoping Dr. Greger would suggest a safe amount of meat to eat, which seems to be none. Oprah advocated a beef and pork (red meat) free diet, only poultry. She received death threats from the beef industry. I think that she had studied her diet and found it was healthier. Apparently, not healthy enough. Perhaps we could adjust the BMI to be more reasonable because no one in the country is thin enough to pass it, except vegans, and they represent less than one percent of the country.Do the same effects result from eating chicken broth or bouillon?Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn has demonstrated that all animal products ( and oils) build arterial plaque. So in my mind it does not matter how much weight you lose or how much more better you think you feel, arterial plaque is arterial plaque. Let’s go get some!Would you klndly refer me to the peer reviewed study by Esselstyn – or anyone else – that shows that all animal products build up plaque in everyone? I’ve never seen such a study so please enlighten me. Thank you.Dr. Michael Greger has also conveyed numerous times through his videos that animal products promote the growth of human cancer cells. The consumption of animal products is a ‘fast track’ to heart disease and cancer…the number one and number 2 causes of death in the western world.Thank you. That is a very fair assessment. Meat consumption, smoking, obesity, and a lack of exercise are the cause of illness in the Western World. He is arguing here chicken causes obesity. I think Fenugreek is a plant that can cure obesity, as is drinking tea, eating small fruits before meals, eating smaller meals, eating nuts, and drinking hibiscus tea. I think you are saying that Dr. Greger would agree meat causes Metabolic Syndrome or X Syndrome. High blood pressure, diabetes, large waist line, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high BMI. He shows that the plant based diet is an effective treatment for this disease. He shows that this disease is a huge risk factor for any illness. How thin do you have to be to not get these diseases? What is too much hunch? He said a waistline which is half your height is desired. If I eat only plants will I have that? I am too fat on the BMI and the waist measure scale. I was only that thin when I ran four miles a day. I am developing leg injuries and can’t seem to find the energy despite the fact that I walk much of the day. Was it because I ate meat when I was younger? Anyone can be skinny if they don’t eat meat? What do you do with the overweight vegetarians? They can eat nuts, beans, matcha, berries, beans, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and the richest ones in terms of antioxidants for a fighting chance.I lost 74 lbs in 7 months embracing a 100% ‘live’ plant-based-diet. The key word here is ‘live’. Nothing from a box, bottle, can, jar, bag, container, wrapper, or bag. I eat what I want, when I want, and as much as I want. I do not need to exercise to maintain my weight at 10% body fat. However, I do exercise for other reasons. This was in 1991, and still going strong today.We all cant eat 100% ‘live’ plant-based-diet all the time. I live in a country in Europe that get very cold in the winter and we have to buy frozen veggies and even candYou can still eat plant-based all the time. I live in a place that gets cold and I buy frozen veggies, but it’s still better than eating rotting carcasses (AKA meats). Plus you can supplement with live plants by sprouting regularly in your house and eating the sprouts of beans and legumes.I do eat a 100% plant based diet but cant get fresh live so I buy frozen and even canedLG King, thats great to hear, keep it up!How come no one ever looks at the fact that most American poultry is full of hormones and antibiotics? While it seems like it may be difficult to do, I’d like to see a comparison study or two that looks at consumption of poultry (and meat) raised with and without hormones and antibiotics. Just seems like such a no-brainer to me.I have read the studies and looked at the discussion and find it very disappointing. Its not natural foods that make you gain weight but ones that are grown with human intervention. Take chicken as the example: No where in the study does it say that the chicken meat these people are eating is from free range (true free range means no grain feeding or supplementing with anything but open spaces and naturally eating what they eat). So if they are eating the usual chicken meat supplied to humans then it is fed on a diet of GMO produce and the chickens themselves have been specifically manipulated in their breeding to produce more meat. So to get a real conclusion here you need to identify the source of the problem and not label it all as bad. What is reported in the video is bad science and does not help the cause. Bits of studies presented as fact is misleading and downright dangerous to those not aware of all the details in a study and even the intent behind the study so lets present facts in full in the future and stop pushing individual beliefs of what they think a study is saying. Its so full of holes it won’t hold water.Paul and Suzanne, thanks for bringing this up, as I have thought about this many times! I opt to be vegan for many reasons, but in all fairness, our tainted and unnatural food supply, specifically regarding animals, needs to be studied separately from the traditional forms in order to fairly access their subsequent impact! It is like comparing apples and oranges and isn’t relevant to those who do opt to include some animals in their diet. I just can’t fathom that a genetically altered un-chicken fed things that no normal chicken would chose to eat, in an environment no chicken would choose to occupy, is going to be the same nutritionally as a normal, naturally fed and raised, healthy chicken! Though as I said, I chose to avoid animal consumption, I still feel this is an extreme form of diet because I think as humans our natural food choices have always been opportunistic, hence our overwhelming “success” on this planet! In nature, we ate whatever we could get into our bellies, without it killing us short term…but we have since “evolved”, eh? LOL! It isn’t hard to extrapolate that the more unnatural our diets become, the more we suffer, and specifics aside, I think it is the BIGGEST issue facing us and our declining health. We all know the huge benefits that eating a plant based diet gives us, there is no question we should all strive toward that goal, but I can’t imagine that the harm from eating some natural animal sources is in any way equivalent to consuming the totally disparate monstrosities foisted on us today! It is a glaring oversight that only serves to muddy the issues, which is totally counter to what this site is all about! Thanks Dr Greger, for all you do! I just wish it were YOU who designed these studies so we could know the whole truth!The video I am seeing is about aromatherapy/peppermint. thanks for posting the video link for chicken and obesity.Yikes, sorry about that! We were having some YouTube problems and so switched over to Vimeo and looks like we had the wrong video cued up–so sorry! Will correct asap.I just clicked on the email for the Chicken video but saw one on the affects of mint on performance…odd? Anyone else have this experience?I was just trying to figure out what happened…Thanks so much for posting! Anytime anything looks off please don’t hesitate to post or contact us asap.It seems like BMI would be a bad metric in that last study mentioned. People who eat chicken may have more muscle.Since these studies were conducted prior to 2013 when roxarsone, carbarsone and arsanilic acid (arsenic) was routinely added to feed in order to have the animals gain greater weight. Could be a plausible explanation.Off topic: Thanks very much for all these great videos. I’m curious about the healthiness or otherwise of several supplements that I have been taking: Multi B (I take B12 daily as well) CoQ10 Zinc Magnesium Creatine Thanks again :)Bruce: I don’t necessarily have a direct answer for you. But I believe that NutritionFacts has an indirect answer at least. For example, here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations. Note which supplements are included and which are not: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Also, this website has several videos/articles on the general topic of supplements beyond what Dr. Greger recommends. Usually the news is bad. Here are some examples. You can draw lessons from these and apply it to your specific questions as you see fit. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/Here’s one on creatine itself: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/I’m not a doctor. You may have a specific condition that would make it wise to take one or more of the supplements you list. I’m just giving you general information. Hope that helps.Thanks Thea. As I mentioned above, I have a brain tumour. I started taking these supplements mainly from my own internet “research”, not due to a recommendation from a cancer specialist. I think I’ll try dropping the dosage of the ones that are not clear yet, by half. And for the ones for which there is good information that it is bad for people, I’ll just drop it.I’m wondering if the studies about supplements and longevity adjust for people like myself, who start taking supplements *because* they are unwell?Thanks again :)Bruce: I’m sorry to hear about your tumor. Dang. That’s way above my ability to comment/help. It seems to me that your approach is very reasonable and that you are trying to everything you can to help yourself in terms of doing the research and taking reasonable steps. I admire that. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.Thanks :) I tried to keep my fingers crossed, but it makes it very tricky to type ;)The only supplement for the general population following a plant based diet is Vitamin B12. To understand the amounts you can view the series of 5 video’s that Dr. Greger posted in February 2012. You can start with http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/ posted on February 3rd and view the others. As Thea pointed out in her post there may be good reasons to take supplements but in general the track record for isolated supplements is not very good. You can watch videos on Beta Carotene, Vitamin A and Vitamin E to get the general idea. The physiologic and biochemical pathways in our bodies are so complex that it is difficult to fully evaluate the effects across all important areas. I would keep tuned as the science and recommendations keep changing and work with your physician(s) or other health care professionals as needed. Happy Holidays.Thank you :) I should have mentioned that I have a brain cancer (anaplastic astrocytoma in the brain stem and cerebellum). I have watched most of the videos on this site now, and I get the idea that most supplements are better consumed as whole plant foods. My experience has been that conventional nutritionists don’t have a clue, and most physicians don’t want to consider the possibility that diet can affect health.I have been taking these and other supplements for a few years now. (and I’m still alive, which is good ;) ) The supplements that I mentioned above are the ones for which I was unable to find any information about on this site. I’m wondering if I should keep taking them or stop – which is safest? Where else can I get good information?Thank you very much!Dr. Forrester, I haven’t seen you around nutritionfacts.org in a long time. I hope all is well. It’s good to have you back.I second Toxin’s welcome back!Thanks very much.I should have mentioned that I have a brain tumour. (anaplastic astrocytoma in the cerebellum and brain stem)I have been watching lots of the fantastic videos here, so I understand that generally a plant based source is much better than a manufactured “supplement”.I have been taking these supplements (listed above, amongst others) for over four years now, and I am still alive (which is good, I quite like being alive :) ) These are the ones that I haven’t found a conclusive answer for yet.In my experience, most conventional nutritionists don’t have a clue about the benefits of a plant-based diet, and most physicians seem reluctant to believe that diet could be a significant factor in the health of their patients.So my question is: what is the safest path to take: 1. drop these supplements completely 2. keep taking them at the same dosage 3. reduce the dosage to half what I have been takingI guess that 3. is the way to go for any specific supplement that I don’t get significant information on? Also, does anyone have any suggestions as to where I might get a more conclusive answer?Thanks very much :)Hi Dr Forrester! What about taking also vitamin D and iodin? Do you think it’s useless, or even harmful?Um, did anyone think of the possibility that because meat is high in complete protein (and chicken is particularly high in lean protein, which is why bodybuilders eat it) the weight gain might be due to lean mass gains (ie muscle). That would be a potentially good result. On a quick look I don’t see any control for that in the PANACEA Study, although it seems like an obvious hypothesis.Hi Lachlan, that is a great point. The study did account for the level of physical activity the participants did, although, it does not mention whether this affected their lean body mass. I will agree that BMI is not a good indicator of lean mass, which the study also mentioned could not be measured due to the nature of the study being observational.It is possible the weight gain was due to an increase in their lean muscle, but I hope you ask yourself if animal protein is really the best way to gain lean muscle. Not only does animal protein show a direct relationship with cancer promotion in the body, but eating more plant based protein is preferred among serious health professionals. If you are eating protein sources that also give you the filling effects of fiber, healing effects of antioxidants and much more, you will definintely build lean muscle.I also wanted to let you know that plants not having the “complete protein” needed is not true. Eating a variety of plants will give you more than enough protein, containing a full spectrum of amino acids. Click here to read more about the complete protein myth. I hope you take some time to check out the links in this comment. I can’t tell you how much brown rice and chicken breast I have consumed in the past while spending hours in the gym trying to get lean. Now, I hardly exercise like I used to and I am much leaner, and in way better health. This information changed my life! :-) Take care.my sister eat chicken for last 15 yrs but she dsnt get weight gain ? so how you tell chicken give as obesity ?What type of chicken ? Boiled ? Fried ? Cooked in the oven ? Chicken meat or skin ? I think that makes a huge difference too. FAT people like eating fried chicken with french fries and coca cola ! There you baby !So in switching to a plant-based diet, how long before we should see results? I feel better but I do not seem to be losing any weight and I am overweight. Is there a list/blog post or a video that outlines more specific findings on increasing weight loss?Here are some of the best weight loss tips I know of for a plant based diet. Via Jeff Novick.If you allow people to eat “ad libitum” or all they want till the are comfortably full, from low calorie dense foods, they will lose weight, not be hungry and do not have to count calories.Of course, calories still count, but it becomes almost impossible to over consume calories from the foods you choose if you follow these recommendations.These are averagesFresh Veggies are around 100 cal/lbFresh Fruits around 250-300 cal/lbStarchy Veggies/Intact Whole Grains around 450-500 cal/lbLegumes around 550-600 cal/lbProcessed Grains (even if their Whole grain) around 1200-1500 cal/lbNuts/Seeds around 2800 cal/lbOils around 4000 cal/lbWhat they found is if the calorie density of the food is below 400 calories per pound, not matter how much they eat, they all lost weight.Between 400-800 calories per pound, with some moderate exercise, they all lost weight.Between 800-1200 calories per pound, people gained weight, except for those with very high activity levelsOver 1200 calories per pound, everyone gained weight.Remember, the physical sensation of “fullness” is influenced in a large part by the filling of the stomach and the triggering of the stretch receptors. This would happen regardless of the calorie density of the food, as long as enough food was consumed.However, between 400-800 calories per pound is the range where people either maintained, gained or lost a little. It was the area that I call the “cut-off” zone and the results depending on the person and their activity level.These numbers are also inline with other recommendations.The recent WCF/AICR report on cancer recommends that the average calorie density of our diets be around 550-600 calories per pound, to avoid obesity and weight problems.A starch based diet, made up of starchy vegetables and intact whole grains along with some fruit and veggies, will have a calorie density under 500 calories per pound and maybe even 400 calorie per pound. It would be near impossible to overeat.You can also see the problem with many of the “low fat” diets that focused on processed whole grains, like whole wheat bread, crackers, dry cereals. At 1200-1500 calories per pound, if they become a large part of the diet, they can raise the overall calorie density and make it much easier to overeat on calories and easy to gain weight and/or not lose weight, even with a higher activity level. Hence the principles of the MWL program is to avoid those foods, or really limit them.In regard to how many calories to eat, that is another number, that….1) has no simple answer unless you plan to maintain the exact same physical activity, exercise, stress, temperature, etc etc every day. The concept that everyone needs a certain calorie level that can be determined is wrong.2) i do not think people need to know this number nor do I think there are any great ways to calculate it. All the forumlas have great margins of error in them. So does all estimates of how many calories there are in food. Any calorie estimate you see on any food package can be up to 20% off. Formulas can be over 40% off. Professionals trying to track their calorie intake can be 30% off. Why attempt to measure something that we have such poor ways of measuring.3) calorie density is a much better approach then counting calories as it uses general guidelines and principles to help make healthier choices.We should focus our diets on a variety of healthy foods within the healthy food groups, get enough activity and physical exercise, and not worry about micromanaging our intake.If we need to lose weight, then we can shift our overall calorie density down by focusing on and including more foods lower in calorie density and limiting the higher calorie dense foods. If we need to gain some weight, then we can do the opposite and include more higher calorie dense healthy foods. Of course, we can also adjust activity levels to coincide with our food intake and our goals.To Summarize for simplicity for those interested in weight maintenanceEat Freely:(Foods Low In Calorie Density)Fruits and veggiesEat Relatively Large Portions Without Concern:(Foods Moderate In Calorie Density)Starchy Veggies, Intact Whole Grains and LegumesLimit These Foods(Foods High In Calorie Density)Breads, Bagels, Dry Cereals, Crackers, Tortilla’s, Dried FruitExtremely Limit These Foods:(Foods Very High In Calorie Density)Nuts, Seeds, OIls, Solid Fats, Junk FoodsThe beauty of calorie density is that it frees us from all these numbers and having to count, portion weigh and/or measure anything. So, don’t get caught up in the numbers and for those who do not like numbers, just understand the principle.– Hunger & SatietyWhenever hungry, eat until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve and don’t stuff yourself.– Sequence Your Meals.Start all meals with a salad, soup and/or fruit– Don’t Drink Your CaloriesAvoid liquid calories. Eat/chew your calories, don’t drink or liquify them. Liquids have little if any satiety so they do not fill you up as much as solid foods of equal calories.– Dilution is the Solution: Dilute Out High Calorie Dense Foods/MealsDilute the calorie density of your meals by filling 1/2 your plate (by visual volume) with intact whole grains, starchy vegetables and/or legumes and the other half with vegetables and/or fruit.– Be Aware of the Impact of Vegetables vs Fat/OilVegetables are the lowest in calorie density while fat and oil are the highest. Therefore, adding vegetables to any dish will always lower the overall calorie density of a meal while adding fat and oil will always raise the overall calorie density of a meal– Limit High Calorie Dense FoodsLimit (or avoid) foods that are higher in calorie density (dried fruit, high fat plant foods, processed whole grains, etc). If you use them, incorporate them into meals that are made up of low calorie dense foods and think of them as a condiment to the meal. For example, add a few slices of avocado added to a large salad, or a few walnuts or raisins added in a bowl of oatmeal and fruit.vwill: Toxins reply was *excellent* and a great summary of the concept of calorie density. If you want to expand your understanding a little more, here are some talks that will help with this concept and should help you loose weight without feeling hungry and still getting all of the nutrients you need:[1] Free lecture available on line by Dr. Lisle. “How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ[2] Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density; Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer. Also check out Jeff’s DVDs in the Fast Food series. Great, affordable food that is easy to make. All of these are available on Amazon. Here is the first one: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392424210&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density%3B+eat+moreGood luck!I saw your recent FaceBook post congratulating Penn Jillette for losing 74 pounds in 12 weeks on a plant-based diet. On Penn’s podcast, he estimated that he might have eaten around 800 calories a day.My question relates to the idea of “metabolic damage,” which some folks online explain as an adaptation of the body to reduce the rate of metabolism during periods of starvation, i.e. calorie restriction.What do you think nutritional research suggests about the validity of the theory of metabolic damage? I guess the suggestion by the people vilifying calorie restriction is that Penn, for example, will have a greatly reduced metabolism and that he would gain back the weight quickly because of metabolic damage.Another confusing element is that Dr. McDougall says in the starch solution that excess starch calories aren’t converted into fat because, essentially, the human body is really bad at de novo lipogenesis. So, would Penn have lost as much weight, just maybe more slowly, if he had simply adopted a low fat plant based diet with more calorie dense plant foods such as potatoes and fruit (he said that he ate some rice, but not fruit and I think not potatoes, too)? And would that have been more healthy since it didn’t entail such dramatic calorie restriction and the potential for metabolic damage?I also should say that I understand that I don’t know exactly what Penn ate on his diet, but I think that it was telling that he didn’t count calories, because that likely means that he was filling himself up with low calorie density, high nutritional density foods like greens and colorful veggies with no added oils or animal foods. If he ate 800 calories a day and didn’t feel hungry, then I guess this seems like a powerful way for obese people to radically change their BMI’s and associated health outcomes, without the feeling of deprivation, not to mention the literal deprivation that comes from eating animal-based foods with low nutritional density, that normally accompanies such radical calorie restriction.I am a huge fan of your work. Thanks in advance for any reply.Hi Ian. Thanks for reposting your question. I too am not aware of what Penne ate exactly or the validity on the term “metabolic damage”. It is not found in a pubmed search, but I found a few websites of course coining the term. That seems like rapid weight loss I hope he was eating enough to feel full and not deprived of nutrients! At any rate he seemed to see great results and I am happy for him. In this study, A multicenter randomized controlled trial of a plant-based nutrition program to reduce body weight and cardiovascular risk in the corporate setting: the GEICO study participants followed a plant-based diet with no portion control and still found significant weight loss. I am not certain what is the healthiest approach, but to me if you can achieve weight loss healthfully by not depriving the body of nutrients and feeling full that is a better option than calorie restricted diets. I hope that helps, maybe someone has more to add. A few more videos on calorie restriction and diet from Dr. Greger if interested. And here. The latter video may be more helpful. Let me know if it helps?Thanks again for your comments! Joseph	animal products,calories,chicken,exercise,fruit,grains,meat,obesity,plant-based diets,poultry,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Chicken consumption is associated with more weight gain than other meat.	The prior video that compared different types of meat and found meat consumption to be associated with weight gain even at the same calorie intake can be found at Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study.Why poultry though? We don’t know, but here’s some possible contributing factors:Other surprising discoveries in the field include:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20592131,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22223576,
PLAIN-2510	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/	Coffee and Artery Function	There are dietary guidelines for food; what about for beverages? A Beverage Guidance Panel was assembled to provide guidance on the relative health and nutritional benefits and risks of various beverage categories. They ranked them from 1 to 6 and water was ranked #1.Soda ranked last at #6. Whole milk was grouped with beer, with a recommendation for zero ounces a day, in part out of concern for links between milk and prostate cancer, as well as aggressive ovarian cancer thanks to IGF-1. #2 on the list, though, after water, was tea and coffee, preferably without creamer or sweetener.Even without creamer, though, lots of unfiltered coffee can raise cholesterol, but the cholesterol-raising compounds are trapped by the paper filter in brewed coffee, so filtered coffee is probably better.But about 10 years ago a study was published on the effects of coffee on endothelial function, and the function of our arteries. Within 30 minutes of drinking a cup of coffee there was a significant drop in the ability of our arteries to dilate, whereas decaf did not seem to have a significant effect. This was the first study to demonstrate an acute unfavorable effect on arterial function of caffeinated coffee, but one cup of decaf didn’t seem to affect performance. And two cups of decaf appeared to have a beneficial effect. So maybe it’s a battle between caffeine and antioxidants. Something in caffeinated coffee appears to be hurting arterial function, whereas something in decaf appears to be helping—maybe the antioxidants.It’s like the story with red wine. De-alcoholized red wine significantly improved arterial function, so there’s grape components trying to help, but the presence of alcohol counteracts and erases the benefit.Drinking really high antioxidant coffee, by preparing it Greek style, for example, where you actually drink some of the grounds, coffee drinkers may actually be at an advantageThat something in caffeinated coffee that appears to hurt, though, may not be the caffeine. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, researchers found that caffeine alone—about 2 and a half cups of coffee worth—significantly improved arterial function in both people with and without heart disease.See coffee contains more than a thousand different compounds other than caffeine, many of which are also removed by the decaffeination process, so there must be something else in the coffee bean that’s causing the problem. In fact caffeine may even enhance the repair of the fragile inner lining of our arteries, by enhancing the migration of our endothelial progenitor cells, the stem cells that patch up potholes in our artery walls.But how might we get the potential benefit of caffeine without the risky compounds in caffeinated coffee? From tea. Tea consumption enhances artery function. Substantial beneficial effects for both green tea and black tea. Instead of other components in tea leaves undermining caffeine’s potential benefits, they appear to boost the benefit in healthy individuals, as well as heart disease patients, reversing some of their arterial dysfunction, both immediately and in the longer-term.Now all the measurements in this and the other studies were done on the brachial artery, the main artery in the arm, just because it’s easier to get to. What we care about, though, is blood flow to the heart. And caffeine appears to impair blood flow to our heart muscle during exercise even in healthy folks, but especially those with heart disease. Thankfully caffeine in tea form appears to have the opposite effect, significantly improving coronary blood flow, suggesting that tea consumption has a beneficial effect on coronary circulation, though the addition of milk may undermine the protective effects.	So, if i have understand correctly is better to drink deca coffe and (black, or green) tea right ?What about the deca process to minimize caffeine ? Are there solvents involved ?It depends on the process. Swiss water process or Mexican water process uses only water if I understand correctly.Thanks for the reply.Doesn’t decaffienation remove antioxidants? Not that it is a big deal if you eat your fruit & veg anyway.Buy Swiss Water processed coffee. It is a patented process that uses only water to remove caffeine. No chemicals whatsoever. Also another side benefit is that SWP Decafs generally indistinguishable taste-wise from caffeinated coffee. Grocery store decafs will be almost certainly be chemically processed using a benzene like fluid (dry cleaning fluid). I buy mine online here (look for the green logo with “SWP” : http://www.toomerscoffee.com/buy-toomers-coffee/Great topic. And timely for me. I just read in Dr. Neal Barnard’s book that he feels that tea consumption should be limited due to “significant” levels of aluminum in tea. I know that that there are different beliefs on this, but Dr. Neal Barnard is highly regarded in this community, as well as amongst many other vegans I know.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/Yes, I’ve watched this video before, and took it into consideration. But I also take into consideration the fact that not all people excrete/eliminate things as effectively as others, and that so many diets out there are dense in fat, primarily saturated fats, and these fats might somehow increase intestinal permeability, allowing aluminum into areas of the body where it does not belong, before the GI tract/organs have even had a chance to eliminate the aluminum. For Dr. Barnard to state his message so clearly, it is enough to make me pause and consider that there are many different views, and that maybe tea is simply not for everyone (as far as aluminum safety).Hi Elsie – I’m not from the medical profession so I wouldn’t know – just thought the video would be of use.ChrisA study in Japan found that drinking green tea is a factor in Asian longevity and that each daily cup of green tea can add a year to your life. Those drinking five cups gained five years, living to 80, those drinking ten cups lived to 85 years, gaining 10 years. There was more of a benefit for women than men. Can you imagine drinking five or even ten cups of matcha a day? This site seems to recommend 7-10 cups of tea a day, and matcha as well. Do you think that tea limits you to ten years beyond average? This would be about one to two standard deviations above normal for Japan. Many of the doctors described here who are vegans live to 93 or later. How do you think you could gain two or even three standard deviations of years to your life, knowing that 70 percent of lifespan could be implied to be environmental? By eating a plant based diet, not smoking, getting exercise, and staying trim. Perhaps by eating the healthiest foods and dosing antioxidant rich foods throughout the day and maintaining a healthy mood we could get to 93. Demographers today believe that the average Australian girl born today will live to 100. There is a way to make that true for you too, we think it is beans, nuts dark chocolate, green tea, whole grains, berries, fresh fruits and vegetables. We think the famous cultures of 100 year olds have some common characteristics. Not eating meat, drinking light alcohol, lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, light fish consumption, and eating less are all common traits. Perhaps its simpler, perhaps they all eat peanuts. Perhaps beans could be more powerful than that. Picking carefully among these fruits and vegetables, as this site makes possible, could extend longevity and reduce health burden.Just let me know as soon as you have the answer…….If the largest study of it’s kind, Harvard researchers found that nuts make you immortal. In all seriousness, eating a walnut a day could add ten years to your life, which in addition to green tea, could profoundly add to life. The benefits of walnuts mean that they should be in every diet. Some people were recommended a 1/4 cups of nuts a day. The benefit of nuts was so profound, some people think maybe three hand fulls of nuts a day would be better. Lora Dunning researchers found people who replace 200 calories with 14 macadamia nuts lived longer and better. There were similar results with pistachios and peanuts. Whole grains were just as protective. Dr. Greger said that eating four bowls of oatmeal a day could dramatically improve your lifespan. The only thing more effective than nuts is beans. Even string beans or peas should be in a daily diet. Black beans really add to life. Peanuts are a nuts and a bean, maybe they add life to all who eat them daily, knowing that people think of them as an indulgence. Those who see them as the spartan item they are, and eat them with others live longer (like those who eat peanut butter, much longer lived people). Dark Chocolate also virtually destroys your ability to get heart disease. I think the only problem with nuts and dark chocolate is trying to manage the saturated fat. Beans, nuts, whole grain, green tea, dark chocolate, berries, fresh fruits, and vegetables can glean live for all cost effectively.English walnuts being the best variety for fighting cancer – http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/I eat all the supposedly heart attack proof foods. Still had a heart attack and heart disease in my late 40’s. There just aren’t any guarantees in life.I am so sorry to hear about your heart disease. Thank you very much for eating all the heart healthy foods. They perhaps made your heart attack more survivable. If eating beans cuts your risk of heart disease in half, if drinking tea cuts your risk of heart disease in half, if eating nuts cuts your risk of heart disease in half, if eating whole grains cuts your heart disease risk in half, if taking an aspiring a day cuts your risk of heart disease in half, if drinking one drink a day cuts your heart disease risk in half, does that mean if you do all of them you have 1/64 the risk of heart disease? Add dark chocolate for 1/128 the risk? Add kiwi for 1/256 the risk? Add exercise for 1/512 the risk? Apparently it does not because there are no guarantees in life, as you say. However, there are superfoods that can add to the benefits of the food you already eat. Foods like green tea, mushrooms, black raspberries, nori seaweed, walnuts, black beans, peanuts, sweet potatoes or pumpkins, garlic, broccoli, and others that can bind in health benefits. Dr. Greger said that you can be 14 years younger on the plant based diet, exercise, losing weight, and not smoking. He said some Vegan men have had their semen tested at more than 30 years younger! Beans, nuts, dark chocolate, whole grains, berries, fresh fruit, and fresh veggies can add to heart disease survivability. For heart disease, this site recommends nuts, whole grain, beans, cocoa, exercise, and fresh vegetables like garlic and fruit like apples.Sounds so great but how did they know when they would have died without the tea? They did not of course…They did not know that they would have died earlier without the tea. The idea is that tea fights inflammation, oxidation, wear and tear, dilation, clogging. diffusion, inconstancy, erratic changes, uneven pathways, stress, damage, missing chunks. nerve movement, and pain. The more of it you drink the more it reduces damage inside of you, the more it keeps you whole. Perhaps friends have commented on feeling fitter after eating some nuts or drinking some tea. This benefit really adds up, as opposed to letting medicine really break down when people are sick to let them get better. Is that an okay paradigm for medicine? To let the fittest survive, to let those invest the most in their health stay the fittest? The economics of medicine. I think doctors have to treat all patients the same but they should be very diligent in telling everyone to try to prevent all disease with the most plant based diet, exercise, not smoking, and losing weight. Drinking more tea, eating more beans, and eating more nuts based on how you feel can dictate your health. As you say, people don’t age without some sort of stressor and that stressor isn’t always time or space, but all people can respond to it to prevent disease with adaptogenic (stress relieving) plants like tea, nuts, beans, whole grains, berries, fresh fruit, and vegetables.Do you know if Green Rooibos Tea (Aspalanthus linearis) has the same health benefits as Green Tea? It is unfermented and very palatable whereas I don’t enjoy Green Tea.Hello, Dr. Greger highly recommends Rooibos tea on this site, saying it is “wonderful stuff.” It has many of the same health benefits and none of the caffeine as green tea. It has anti-aging, anti-oxidant, and heart health properties superior to green tea. I have read that green Rooibos tea has many times as many antioxidants as you’d need in a day. You could certainly drink it instead of green tea. It is a delicacy in Japan. I actually think we should campaign for green rooibos matcha, Green rooibos is a bean and a tea, making it an ideal health drink. Rooibos tea is relatively new to the health sciences so long term benefit is difficult to assess or unknown. Perhaps it will take many years to show that green rooibos is better for you then green tea, but for now it is just as healthy. Drink 5 to 10 cups a day instead of any other beverage you’d like as you wish.According to this site, green rooibos has 100 times the antioxidants you’d need in a day. http://turtlewoman.hubpages.com/hub/Rooibos-tea-health-benefits-lose-weight-and-cure-insomnia-naturallyThank you for the information. I bought some from Mtn Rose Herbs but had forgotten about it. It will be a great warm drink for the winter.Where do I find de-alcoholed wine?? HahaGrape juice..Hi Elsie, did he mention what the limit should be?Dr. G covered this interesting topic here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mB4j5Iof0c His analysis comes out pretty much “no worries”He simply stated to “minimize the use of tea.”I’ll be offline for the rest of today, so if anyone replies I won’t be returning until to this post until maybe sometime later this weekend.Another issue with tea is fluoride, which can cause all sorts of problems in the body, depending on the individual, and depending on buffers such as milk. Pineal gland, thyroid, and kidneys are at special risk, from my last research on the topic.In know that this is really off-topic, but I invented my best friends for a christmas dinner at my new place, and almost all of then are meat-eaters. So, I wanna make a great a delicious dinner with only whole plant food for convincing that it’s delicious eating this way. Anyone have a secret recipe that can share with me?Cheater Pad Thai is fabulous: http://www.thechinastudy.com/endorsed-by-t-colin-campbell/happy-herbivore-series/recipes/hmm… sounds great! I will make one this week to give it a try :)yes. I advise you do all that and also have a barbie in the back making the flesh crispy on the outside and tender on the in so they can eat what they feel they need, and puruse the other delectables. deny them the meat and they wil feel slighted and hungry and in the end annoyed or angry you fed everyone else and left thme judged and starved and shamed since they do not even merit consideration in your mind. Like a christian who makes like they accept you though you think you have the truth they do not, pretends to be friends just to convert them. Seems manipulative and passive aggressive and unfriendly. I’m a grain free vegan and my meat eating friends LOVE everything I make, but they want it with meat because that’s how they feel fed. And they always think of the health benefits eating from less meat, and get to contemplate how awesome all the other food there is to eat is. . . . my 2 cents.My friends and relative know that I do not use meat and if they want it they are welcome to bring their own already cooked. Just as I take my beans to their gatherings. No problem.As JJ said, I also told them that they can bring their own food if they want. In my house I don´t cook meat (not only because of human health issues, but also because of the environmental situation of our great home (planet Earth).Hello Filipe, Chef AJ has a video of holiday dishes to make that are delicious, eye-appealing, and tasty to omnivores. Her hearty lentil loaf is great! Below the video, click on “show more” where the notes are to see the recipes printed out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHqKMY8mf4kAnother idea that is easy to prepare is to use Butler soy curls. http://www.butlerfoods.com/products/soycurls.html I rehydrated and cooked them in veggie broth with some herbs and diced onions. Then add favorite barbeque sauce and you’re done. They look and smell like pulled pork or chicken. Serve on a bun with some cole slaw and everyone will be happy. I made these for my daughter’s new Texas relatives at her wedding and they were a big hit. Great prepared and served in a crock pot for a low-stress holiday buffet. Good luck!P.S. Yes, we also love Cheater Pad Thai mentioned by Mike S. Make the sauce and add lots of veggies, such as bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, bean sprouts. Squeeze lime juice on top when all is assembled. I serve this over plain brown rice instead of rice noodles; filling and easy to prepare.Sounds great!I agree with Sunshine and Thea, a lentil loaf is a great idea. My personal favorite is Dreena Burton’s. There are lots of ingredients but most are seasonings and it comes together pretty quick and easy in one pot.http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/04/dreenas-no-fu-love-loaf.htmlI made fatfreevegan’s Mushroom Seitan Roast for thanksgiving, and while it’s a great recipe and I would highly recommend it, at the dinner table to be honest I kind of ignored it, as I was much happier to fill up on all of the sides. I had mashed white potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, a side roll, mixed sauteed veggies, corn, all topped with delicious and super easy blended bean gravy:http://glutenfreevegan.me/savory-white-bean-gravy/People love starch! Fill em with starch and you’re off to a good start. For another “entree” style recipe, Isa Chandra’s lentil stuffing burgers are another favorite of mine. Instead of eating them as burgers, I prefer to eat them on their own as patties with gravy, mashed potatoes, etc. Personally I omit the oil, use commercial bagged bread cubes (which I believe prevented the sogginess issues some of the commenters had) and use walnuts instead of hazelnuts.http://www.theppk.com/2013/11/stuffed-thanksgiving-burger/Good luck! I’m sure whatever you end up making it will be delicious. Have a great holiday :)Thank you b00mer! I will take a look at your options. After the fest session, I will try to tell you what was my options and the results.b00mer: Thank YOU for this post! I have made a bunch of recipes from Let Them Eat Vegan. That book is on my short list of go-to books. So, I’ll have to look up the no-fu loaf. Also, thanks for the stuffing burger link. Looks really, really good.So many recipes to try! So few meals in a lifetime!Sunshine99: I made that lentil loaf for Thanksgiving and it went over really great. I made it in a bundt pan which gave it a great shape. And then I used a cranberry-balsalmic glaze to put in the center and dribble on top that I got from a different site.Filipe: I also suggest recipes from the following book if you can get your hands on a copy: http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Holidays-Celebration-Thanksgiving-Through/dp/1570672849/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418426538&sr=1-5&keywords=vegan+holiday+cookingI haven’t made recipes from the Christmas chapter, but I’ve made several other recipes in the book and they almost always come out perfect – with great taste, texture and presentation. I make those recipes outside of holidays too, I like them so much. The main drawback to this book is that those recipes are bit more involved than some people may want to do. But I think : hey, this is for special holiday cooking. So, a few more ingredients and effort are called for to make it special. (That’s just my approach. Of course, holiday cooking does not have to involve more effort.)Good luck. I hope your event goes off great!Thea, love the bundt pan idea for the loaf! While I don’t have a regular sized one, you’ve reminded me that I happen to have a mini bundt pan that makes little cupcake sized bundt shapes (have never used it, lol!), which I think could make some pretty adorable little loaves. Might have to try that. Also the cranberry balsamic glaze idea. Have bookmarked a recipe for one to try out next week.Also thank you for sharing that cookbook link. From the few recipes I could view, the Garlicky Chestnut Butter is definitely calling my name! I made regular cranberry sauce for thanksgiving, and the Cranberry Pear Compote sounds like a nice change of pace to try for Christmas. Whether I pick up the book or not I think I’ll try those out next week as well.b00mer: I can’t take credit for the bundt pan idea. Chef AJ suggested it in her Unprocessed cookbook. I have a big silicon one with ridges, and it really did work great and look fancy. I think mini-ones would be very cute, though. No reason not to give that a try.I really like this thread/exchanging ideas for holiday cooking. It sure can help when you want to try to impress more “traditional” (?less sophisticated) pallets.The book is a real winner. I have *lots* of cookbooks, but only a few that I would really praise highly. If you end up making some recipes from that book, I would be interested in knowing how it goes. There is a recipe in the book for a savory yule lot made of chickpeas if I remember correctly. But there is no picture. I’m really interested to hear from someone who makes it.Moosewood vegetable tofu lasagna. Get the new Moosewood cookbook at the library. Takes about an hour to make even non vegans like it. DELICIOUS!Google Vegan Black Metal ChefThat’s not whole food vegan.Yeah, I agree his stuff isn’t all healthy. I don’t cook it that often.But if you know someone who has a palate accustomed to salt, sugar and fat his stuff usually works.most of my non-whole food friends tend to think the stuff I regularly eat is bland… I think there is room for compromise when cooking for other people. I consider it gateway food to a better diet.Lots of yummy vegan recipes here, including a winner soy whipped cream (really delicious!) http://www.godslastwarning.comDe-alcoholized wine sounds terrible!Isn’t this what you’d have when using it in cooking? I’m pretty sure the alcohol evaporates upon serious heating.Not even at high temperature, it seems it does evaporate around 80°C~Surface temps achieved with a pan on the stovetop are much greater than 80 C.no doubtThis is very confusing. One study shows we should filter coffee to remove the negative effects on cholesterol levels. (Should this matter if cholesterol is below 150?) The next study shows a negative effect of coffee on endothelial dialation. The next study contradicts that one by suggesting that drinking some of the grinds (which is what we’ve filtered out in the first study right?) offers benefits to endothelial functioning. So, those studies contradict each other, no? The next study suggests caffeine helps heart function. (The coffee in that test evidently didn’t have the non-caffeine elements of whole coffee right?) A final study on coffee suggests it impedes blood flow to the heart. So, I guess given the contradictory information, it’s best to drink tea.Would using some soy milk in coffee be considered a creamer?Just drink water. Simplify your life.Tea is in the clear, too!This is a link –> A cup of Joe has many benefitsI`m in!Thanks for this summary, Tobias, to which I’d add research on longevity. As the Mayo Clinic, e.g., summarizes the research: “most studies find an association between coffee consumption and decreased overall mortality and possibly cardiovascular mortality,” which raises questions about the meaningful effects of coffee on endothelial function found in the research cited in this video. Dr. Gregor?Having no idea what “Greek coffee” was, I did a little research and found out that it is actually Turkish coffee, artificially renamed for political reasons. ( Just like “freedom fries” are actually French fries )Great video. The mention of aluminum below does intrigue me, especially the discussion of intestinal wall permeability. As a raw foods vegan, I have given thought to intestinal wall health; i.e., is the intestinal tissue enhanced, as I would imagine, or, might it be weakened by particular vegan diets that include raw foods. The matter of tea consumption is timely for me, in that I have elected to eliminate fermented tea from my diet, opting for only green.Am I the only one who would be very grateful for a video on the latest news about what we can add soy milk to without any or much suppression of beneficial nutrients? Fruit and veggie smoothies, coffee, tea?I have the same question. I put a splash of soy milk in my tea, and add almond or soy milk in my smoothies. It would be great to know if that is good, bad, or indifferent.Yes, I’ve been wondering the same thing. Why does Dr. Greger feel that soy in his smoothie is appropriate? Doesn’t that negate the anti-oxidant benefits of all the berries? I still put soy in my tea and coffee, but sometimes, I reach for the hemp milk instead, despite the less pleasant taste. Not sure that’s a benefit, but maybe…. A video on all this would be great!Abover 14% daily energy from proteins you get a massive rise in cancer vulnerability (china study), with 10 % a good bit safer then 14%. 14 to 20% representing a doubling or even tripling of growth rate, the graph really shoots up after 14%. S0 extra soy protein is probably safe if your daily total is around 10 % of your caloric intake, and reasonably safe at 10 – 14%.Hi Arjan! Thank you. Since the China study treated casein, the safe percentage of protein pertained to animal protein, no?A single cup of coffee can raise your blood pressure by twenty points, before blood pressure screenings. It can increase your heart rate. Drinking coffee in such a way, long term, might raise blood pressure chronically and even damage the vascular system. Switching to Hibiscus tea could lower blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force with which your heart pumps blood, the harder the worse long term. Expresso has almost as much antioxidants as matcha tea. Coffee has anti prostate cancer benefits. However, for immediate help with heart disease, going of coffee could improve your heart rate. So could going on a berry, greens, and beans diet.The best thing we can do is eat, and drink, a diverse set of plants! Videos like this one are perfect for helping us tune the intake specific plants over time to maximize the potential health benefits. It’s the best game I’ve ever played!How about almond milk in smoothie vs soy milk? I have been adding soy milk however, it seams like it is not the best idea.That is really strange, I like my tea very much but I’ve observed a very strong relation between my tinnitus and tea. Stress worsens it A LOT, and to much coffee and tea both literally amplify it too. So from the point of endothelial dysfunction this doesn’t add up, is there anyone here who can fill me in on the missing piece and or pathway, these stimulants can be responsible?I’ve had tinnitus for over 40 years…there are some supplements that claim to help it….those that improve micro-circulation. Main thing is to not fight it…learn to live with it until if and when you find a solution. Mine comes and goes in intensity…stress is probably one factor for sure.One thing that might help is l-theanine…the amino acid found in tea…the sun theanine brand is best…one cap might relax you for 12 hrs or so. I can’t take one every day…makes me too relaxed over time…does give a “sunny disposition” though.My tinnitus is at least partly related to migraine. It comes and goes or it’s louder and softer. I have learned to ignore it.This isn’t the nail in the coffin, but the strength of the evidence supporting coffee’s health benefits has been slowly losing ground over the years. Based on the latest evidence that we have, I’m going to take action and swap one or two of my morning coffees (currently 3 – 4 per week) with tea, which I already drink habitually. Hibiscus, green, black, and chai. I’ll keep drinking a few cups of coffee per week as a treat, and keep an eye on the developing evidence.In the assessment of coffee’s benefits, it is important to remember the basics : coffee is an organic food that has been roasted* and therefore also smoked. High-heat on anything organic is known to create clinically relevant amount of tars, polycyclic hydrocarbons, aldehydes…which is exactly why BBQing is unhealthy. Important occupational risks for coffee roasters that directly involve the gaseous by-products of this “charring” process. http://www.epa.gov/ttnatw01/hlthef/acetalde.html Without even the need to dive into pointy studies, there are predictably going to be pros and cons on anything high in anti-oxidants yet that has been roasted (and therefore smoked) on high-heat, something which tea doesn’t suffer from. Coffee, as much as we love it, is no different from roasted-smoked broccoli or kale :)Correct me if I am wrong, I assume the coffee drinkers did not drink their coffee black? I assume they drank it with sugar, yet they did not measure the amount of sugar. Could it be the sugar and not the coffee itself that spiked the rise in TG?IS ALMOND MILK A CREAMER? I ran through the comments quickly and didn’t see this answered: Is almond (or other non-dairy milk replacement product) considered a creamer? I am a very healthy 59 year old WFPB commercial pilot but have had creeping up BP that is intermittent. I DID drink a lot of black coffee too (2-5 cups a day). Undoubtedly some stress issues can affect BP I understand. But I switched to tea a few months back (trying to stay away from any medical prescription intervention) and have noticed my blood pressure creeping back down to the normal range mostly with no other lifestyle changes. But I do add almond milk because in the early morning after I wake up, the tannins in straight tea make me nauseas and the almond milk seems to keep that from happening.Very interesting. I’m a vegan, and I stopped drinking black tea years ago because I read that unless you add cow’s milk to black tea, the tea leaches iron from your system. True? Not?What a difference a year makes! According to other recent “studies,” caffeinated coffee is great for our arteries.http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20131120/does-caffeine-in-coffee-perk-up-heart-healthI wonder if cold brew caffeinated coffee would have the same effect. Maybe it’s the heating process that we use to brew the coffee; or it could even be the roasting of the beans and decaffeination clears away whatever we’ve done to the bean during that process. Interesting…“But about 10 years ago a study was published on the effects of coffee on endothelial function, and the function of our arteries.”Dr. G, have there been any recent studies regarding this? We know how “things change” from day to day, especially in the nutritional advice department. :-) I myself drink 2-3 cups of black coffee a day, part of which is decaf. The famous psychic Edgar Cayce said that coffee is a “food,” but only if it’s taken by itself, with nothing added to it. There’s something in cow’s milk, especially, that goofs up the digestion.There haven’t been further brachial artery tourniquet tests of endothelial function comparable to Papamichael et al 2005, but I do think these uncited studies merit attention. Coffee consumption and markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in healthy and diabetic women (2006) Long-term coffee consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies (2013)Oh thank you extremely much for these extra links on the subject. My google-fu isn’t so strong. And this is such a wonderful topic for the good doctor to cover with his followers because for many of us vegans, coffee is one of the few hard-hitting sensory pleasures we have left. I personally think that since most coffee for people and research is prepared with classic coffee makers, a lot of the toxins from the plastic lining can get into the hot water and possibly corrupt the coffee’s benefits.Would appreciate a report on the many coffee alternatives based on chicory, rye, barley, etc. There are tons of these and it appears that they are more popular in Europe, especially France.Chicory is a traditional coffee “extender” in New Orleans (about a third of blends with coffee). Given chicory root is ~40% inulin and ~20% oligofructose, and these prebiotics are commercially extracted with hot water, I’d love to see if chicory brew might offer similar benefits for healthy gut microbiota as the extracts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.I’ve purchased 15+ different types of these products for tasting purposes. They often also use rye or barley. Some say malted. Some are instant, others require brewing. The powders, though often having a bitter taste, is very pleasing to consume, I mean just dipping your tongue in the powder. I find it hard to stop eating it. One brand, which appears to be the biggest producer in France, is must more sweet though they add no sugars.I gave up coffee a year ago and never missed it since. Was actually very easy. Benefits? Less stinky armpit sweat, no headaches anymore, whiter teeth, less expenses. All upsides, no downsides.Any actual info on fluoride toothpaste and in water?I realize this was not tested but I wonder if drinking black tea with almond milk would avoid the “undermining” aspect they found when dairy milk was added? I need almond milk in my tea and coffee….Getting too complex. I’ll stick with water.I am a black decaf coffee drinker with heart disease. Too bad I can’t stand the taste of tea. Maybe another thing I must force myself to acquire a taste for? Ugh.Here’s my big question for the Doctor. Everyone is going on about Dave Aspray’s Bulletproof coffee, and how they are losing weight and feeling energized etc. The thing that gives me pause is the whole idea of adding butter (albeit grass-fed) etc to his supposedly mold-free coffee. I would love to get everyone’s feedback, especially Dr. Gregor on this huge trend.The bullet proof diet is another play on the paleo diet and has no scientific bearings. Kale, chickpeas and quinoa are considered “suspect” foods, according to the author of this dietary plan. I would not pay attention to this fad diet.Really, after hearing all that I’ll just stick to clean pure water. No B.S. thanksSorry, some of these studies simply sound ridiculous. I drink coffee when I want to and I think I will be fine. I am healthy at 67 and plan to live a little longer but really who the hell wants to live forever?Prediksi bola palermo vs Atalanta .. http://198.50.133.242/prediksi-palermo-vs-atalanta-10-mei-2015/Dr.Greger, where is the video where you said we may be attracted to coffee for good reason? I’ve been searching, and it’s driving me nuts not finding it. Someone please reply.	alcohol,antioxidants,beverages,caffeine,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,coffee,cream,exercise,grapes,heart disease,heart health,IGF-1,milk,phytonutrients,prostate cancer,red wine,soda,sweeteners,tea,water,wine	The new dietary guidelines for beverages recommend tea and coffee second only to water in healthfulness, but what about concerns they might impair the function of our endothelium?	I’m fascinated by how complicated such a simple question can get. The take-home is that water is the healthiest beverage, followed by tea.It also matters what goes into the coffee. A new video next week on aspartame and brain function will explore the potential benefits of coffee in reducing suicide risk that may be undermined by the addition of artificial sweeteners.I’ve previously covered Walnuts and Artery Function and Dark Chocolate and Artery Function.Stay tuned for a few more coming up further exploring the effects of tea, olive oil, and plant-based diets on our lovely endothelium.Low Carb Diets and Coronary Blood Flow is one of the few other studies I’ve done that measured blood flow within the coronary arteries themselves. For more background on the brachial artery test, see my video The Power of NO.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cream/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23882716,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21394199,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11207153,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15165919,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18757291,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21349479,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15799717,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19479069,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19550428,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10610747,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22591295,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18525384,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16522898,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11447078,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20664622,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23509088,
PLAIN-2511	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funded-research-bias/	Food Industry Funded Research Bias	Just like mosquitos are the vectors of spread for malaria, a landmark article published last year in one of the most prestigious medical journals described large food corporations as the vectors of spread for chronic disease. Unlike infectious disease epidemics, however, these corporate disease vectors implement sophisticated campaigns to undermine public health interventions. Most mosquitoes don’t have as good PR firms.A key message was that alcohol and ultra-processed food and drink industries use similar strategies to the tobacco industry to undermine effective public health policies and programs. What they mean by ultra-processed is things like burgers, frozen meals, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, potato chips, doughnuts, and soda pop.Ultra-processed foods and drinks can be thought of as a menace to public health all over the world. The best recommendation on all ultra-processed foods, irrespective of their nutrient profiles, is to avoid them, or at least to minimize their consumption.But how is the food industry like the tobacco industry? The first strategy is to bias research findings. For example, Philip Morris implemented the Whitecoat Project to hire doctors to publish ghostwritten confounder studies purporting to negate links between second-hand smoke and harm, publishing biased cherry-picked scientific reports to deny harm, and suppress health information. This is the actual industry memo describing the Whitecoat Project, designed to reverse the scientific “misconception” that second hand smoke is harmful.Similarly, funding from these large food corporations biases research. Studies show systematic bias from industry funding, so we get the same kind of tactics—supplying misinformation, use of supposedly conflicting evidence, and hiding negative data.The same scientists-for-hire that downplayed the risks of second hand smoke are same hired by the likes of the National Confectioners Association to say candy cigarettes are A-OK as well. Of course Exponent declared no conflict of interest.The similarities between strategies used by the tobacco, alcohol, and food and drink corporations are unsurprising in view of the flow of people, funds, and activities across these industries, which also have histories of joint ownership—like Philip Morris owned both Kraft and Miller Brewing.So what’s their strategy? As a former FDA commissioner described, the tobacco industry’s strategy was embodied in a script written by the lawyers. Every tobacco company executive in the public eye was told to learn the script backwards and forwards, no deviation was allowed. The basic premise was simple— smoking had not been proved to cause cancer. Not proven, not proven, not proven—this would be stated insistently and repeatedly. Inject a thin wedge of doubt, create controversy, never deviate from the prepared line. It was a simple plan and it worked.Internal industry memos make this explicit. Doubt is our product, since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the mind of the general public. See the general public is convinced that cigarettes are in some way harmful to health. They believed their own propaganda. Objective #1: To set aside in the minds of millions the false conviction that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer and other diseases; a conviction based on fanatical assumptions, fallacious rumors, unsupported claims and the unscientific statements and conjectures of publicity-seeking opportunists. We need to lift the cigarette from the cancer identification as quickly as possible, and to establish -- once and for all -- that no scientific evidence has ever been produced, presented or submitted to prove conclusively that cigarette smoking causes cancer, similar to what’s now coming out from the food industry, from that same folks that bought us smoke and candy.	Great bit of work here!When I talk to others about my nutrition choices and I make the comparison between the tobacco industry’s deceptive marketing and the meat and dairy industry’s deceptive marketing, I can see people thinking. The light bulb goes on when they consider that they are being mislead by meat and dairy as we were mislead by the tobacco industry. People still smoke, but few deny that it is harmful. People may still eat animal products, but if they learn the facts and acknowledge that eating these products is harmful, it could be the first step toward change.Vegan junk food promotion seems like a big problem as well. Chips, cookies, sugar and fat mixed together. Candy. Promotes addiction to junk food (itself). These products are so readily available, and cheap. You do not see kids reaching for a breast of chicken to get their fix, they go to the kitchen and start gorging on cookies, sugar, cakes, fried chips, processed flour products saturated with salt (and fat).I don’t think any junk food – vegan or otherwise – were excluded from the message of this video…..personally, if people want to eat junk food, as long as it’s vegan, i say let them have at it. the torture and murder of innocent, helpless others who have no choice is a FAR greater issue than someone who is only harming themselves.My problem is how much easier it is to get junk food than a healthier alternative in our societies.The tobacco industry found a new inroad. Be warned this article contain lies, big lies, half truths and corruptions:http://www.vapornation.com/vaporizer-health-benefitsWow. Just wow.Thanks for sharing that link.Another example: http://rawfoodsos.com/ for example here she’s calling for an edit war on wikipedia: http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/08/27/fat-diabetes-and-sinister-involvement-in-wikipedia/Um, not sure if you are aware of this, but that site was not about tobacco, it was about marijuana!And now that site won’t even load. :-BB, this analogy is genius!! It will prove to be super helpful to so many of us I am sure! Yes, when people learn the facts… It will get them thinking. Food is just as much of an addiction as other drugs… The goal is, to get our minds as well as our hearts right. Change is coming… I just know it.I would normally say something like “You have to admire their deceit, underhanded methods, skulduggery”, etc, but increasingly I just find myself despairing over the way we put profit before everything else. Come on world, the sooner we do away with money (and dare I say religion), and make the pursuit of knowledge a priority to benefit us all, the sooner all this will stop. We’d have cured cancer years ago if obstacles like research money and big pharma profits weren’t in the way – the list is endless……..Research money and profit before health, yes. Religion? I think not. We must employ a foundation of morality in order to network higher ideals.Religion does not equal morality and vice versa, but that is beside the point.I fully agree with the excellent points regarding religion and morality; however, it is a traditional barometer by which we can quantify or measure our moral stability as a culture. Without some sort of accountability and discipline structure, I fear that the culture of humanity would certainly spiral into a “do what is easy and feels good” state. Perhaps I should have referred to the concept of religion as a necessary evil of sorts. Managed by humans, religion will always exhibit flaws. In dealing with healthfulness, we accept a responsibility to lend care and hope to the human condition.I use the barometer of “treat others as I want to be treated”, that one works every time!I use the barometer that other’s lives/well being/needs are as important as mine. The practice of “treating other living beings as I want to be treated” gets it right every time, no discipline required! I highly recommend it! :)Indeed, this does work every time. It is also, however, a highly refined discipline in itself and is a result of life in a nation founded upon religious principles.Again – not the place for a religious discussion………I love this website and think it could be part of a whole lifestyle to increase health. The religious live longer. Going to church once a week can lower your blood pressure for that whole week. People who have sex live longer. People who mediate live 14 years longer. Yoga is also very healthy. Gardening is healthy for you. Having a pet is good for you. Swimming is so healthy everyone should be recommended it. Reading is very good for you. Long term relationships with a big social web is better for you. Snuggling is very healthy. Having a family is very good for your health. People who are single can live fifteen less years than the married. More people have heart attacks Monday morning than any other day, showing the important of home. Construction toys and games can keep the mind young for every. I like the numbers reported in this health site and think they can keep my mind young.Or maybe religion is founded on principles innate in all of us?I would like to believe and hope that you are correct. When I witness the modern beheadings, crucifixions, burnings, beatings, etc. I become less optimistic.There is true religion and then there is fanaticism.Indeed, we live in a nation fanatic with anti-religious zeal.Hi Apprin – As much as I’d like to debate with you re your views, this is neither the time or the appropriate place, notwithstanding Wegan stole my thunder…….ThanksChrisAgreed. I once taught theology and could go on for weeks, but would of course be my only audience early on – LOL !!Hi Apprin – I just looked at your profile out of curiosity, and to say I am stunned would be an understatement. Have you really made the following comments in other discussions as follows;1. Racism isn’t a crime. 2. That we should teach our children to carry and be skilled with firearms – that the public is safer because you carry everywhere you go, that you’re trained and ready to engage. 3. You are a life long hunter but you don’t eat what you kill.If the above comments are yours, (I only looked at your most recent eight comments and that was enough), then I’m guessing I’ve just experienced my first right wing christian, and fully paid up member of the NRA from across the pond – on the one hand I’m very scared of you, but yet the psychotic side of my brain is asking for your hand in marriage as we are so diametrically opposed.Thank Not God for warm beer and wet English summers – I’d much prefer that than being shot by a child for taking away his Playstation….ChrisIndeed, this is me. Racism is not a crime, the last that I inquired. This does not indicate that I admire or support racism in any form; however, it is not a crime. It is embraced by some cultures; however, it has no place in ours. Racism the right of those who chose this way of thinking. Indeed, I am of a racial minority. You are correct in that I indicated that society is safer with sound, skilled and well armed individuals that can and will oppose forces of evil. Note … “sound, skilled and well armed.” We do not all live in the Utopian dream world that some seem to envision. Yes, I have always hunted but am a devout vegetarian. I teach my children to hunt but also allow others to make their own decisions regarding consuming animals. I am also a pilot but personally have no wings. Please look further into and investigate the lives of others. One day you will have one of your own. By the way … Your point is??I have to disagree with your opinion. In most, if not all Western countries throughout the world, Racism is a crime. In the UK for example, racially aggravated offences (whereby you discriminate re a persons, race, ethnic origin, nationality, colour or religion), if convicted carrier a lengthier sentance, quite often the sentence is doubled.In some countries, race based action a crime, at least on paper; however, in others it is encouraged and embraced as a matter of national identity and pride. It is race based actions that are a crime, not the hysterical feeling or mindset of racism. Humans are quite diverse in their social posturing. It is not possible to identify racism since it resides and propagates in the mind. In several Asian, African and mid-eastern societies, for example, racial purity is regarded as national purity. In my own country, the very definition of racism has been skewed by social and political infighting, actually evolving into legislative power grabs. Race-based assault, for example, is prosecuted more aggressively than assault for another reason, diluting legal effectiveness for one and amplifying it for the other when assault alone is already illegal and equally damaging to any race. Racism is a matter of hysteria and personal opinion, thus it would truly take a mind reader to prosecute a person for racism. Thus, racism is not illegal. If so, it would take a jury of physics to prosecute the thought. The focus upon and indeed, the obsession with race has caused great race-based discrimination, resentment and crime. Not to mention, race hysteria has become a lucrative industry and quite an effective political lever of social and political manipulation. Society in my country walks on eggshells because of the unrealistic expectations and race obsession. Being of a racial minority, I attempt to steer clear and do not buy into race baiting and the hypnosis of race that seems to dominate media and minds.No, I completely disagree with you – your argument is very flawed. I have personally prosecuted, and convicted many defendants in the UK for racially aggravated/homophobic offenses. You certainly do not require a jury comprised of physics professors/mind readers to assess a defendants mens rea, a simple jury will suffice. For example, A attacks B. Prior to, during or following the attack, A makes reference to B’s ethnic origin by calling him a derogatory name, – the case is complete – racially aggravated. If you burn down a mosque and paint a nazi sign on the wall, it is a racially motivated offence. If you get drunk with your friends and go out one night looking for gay men to attack this is a homophobic attack. There are of course too many examples to mention.In addition, your argument is that we would need to know what the person was thinking to prove his/her guilt – this is where the police intervene and gain evidence via questioning, CCTV, covert methods, DNA, fingerprints, witness statements etc. This procedure is the same for all offences, it doesn’t just apply to racism as you suggest. Our whole legal system can be simplified as follows. Two people enter Court, one is telling the truth, the other is not. Or neither is telling the truth. If we knew prior to a trial whether A or B was the guilty party then we would not go to trial.I hope I have explained my position without over complicating the issue – failing this I think we should just agree to disagree.An excellent job of describing hate crime; however, racism resides in the mind and is not hate crime. hate crime is an action that may result from any variety of stimuli, only one of which is racist hatred. Racism is not an action but an opinion. Many racists never take criminal action and thus, never commit a crime. Racism in and of itself is not a crime. If it were, it would be impossible to prosecute without looking into the mind. I trust that this is simply explained and easily understood.You said: “If you burn down a mosque and paint a nazi sign on the wall, it is a racially motivated offence.”Anecdotally those two groups get along perfectly alright, Hitler even had them in their army. If instead you would say a Star of David on a mosque, yep… things would get horrible — But I mean most surely for the Jews living in the area. Some people constantly stand out by their violent ways, others not.I saw that you are scandalised by people having arms, so thought Hitler too, and hurried to take all weapons from the population. Any unarmed population are powerless, consider the problem of giving the monopoly of violence to the state (and the criminals, who won’t be squeamish about breaking the law of possessing weapons) In Switzerland the population is highly armed, and you don’t have a high crime rate because of is, so in Andorra and other places. :)If you have a violent population in a given place, they will be violent regardless if they have firearms or not, in fact the more criminally minded, will get them, in the knowledge that they are safe to attack anyone else, who won’t be able to defend themselves from their attack.Also, crucially, individual rights, among them stands prominently the right to defend your own life.Don’t misquote me, I did not at any point write that I was scandalised by firearm possession. You also don’t except my example of a racially motivated offence and have substitued your own. I’ve only been in the legal profession for two decades so why would you. Finally, if you are from Switzerland, although not a member of the EU, I believe (not certain) you are signed up to the Human Rights Act, therefore Article 2 of the Act applies to you, “A Right to Life”.Lets just agree to disagree.So…more socialism and less capitalism?Viva la revolution…….That entails to concentrate even more power in a few people (the ones governing) Ugly. No one should have the right to confiscate anything from other people, nor hamper their economic freedom. But don’t imagine for a second that I support corporativism either, which is more of the same, you only get that with powerful lobbies and the state working together. Devil’s marriage.IMO, mutated food plants and religion are the two greatest frauds in all the history that I’m aware of. You dare say, I second.I guess we can conclude Dr. Greger is not a turn the other cheek kind of guy ^^In 20 years we will look at meat eaters the way we look at smokers today – we will accept occasional social meat eating, but everyday use is a no go…….and the meat eaters will have to dine outside :-)I say that too, but it may just be wishful thinking on my part. Poor eating habits are so ingrained in our cultures that to deny people meat denies their identities. All I hope for is that plant-based whole-food folks will achieve a place in society where we have the same options and access to the foods we want that the carnivores have. That we are paying the medical bills due to their addiction is troubling though.yes, infact the meat requirements of several countries are going up and up! I guess people there are closing their eyes to the deadly diseases around them and just yell…”My chicken nuggets please”…!Its hard to know what people would do if they really understood what their food is doing to them. There are very effective sources of misinformation that so confuses people that they don’t know what to think.I agree. I would really like society to make room for us herbivores. It’s just like with smoking. A while ago, smoking was so deeply ingrained into the nation that there was almost no room for non-smokers to breathe. Today, people have recognized the harmful effects of smoking and have placed restrictions on smoking to give room for non-smokers.That’s why they should pay their own medical bills, if you willingly keep a diet and/or smoke, which most surely will make you seriously ill, you would be in your right, but also be responsible for the consequences.You see, if people would need to pay for their heart interventions, medications and so on, they will be much more receptacle to the link between diet and health. And insurances will go sky high if you keep endangering yourself like that.There is also the matter if we are in our right to torture and kill animals as is being done, clearly we don’t. And far from being necessary, is in fact the gateway to all kind of diseases that plague the western world.Very compelling argument. As a person who believes in universal free healthcare it presents a dilemma. I believe people should be responsible for the consequences of their actions but I have to draw the line when it comes to society needing to come to the aid of fellow humans – at least the compassionate society I want to live in. Withholding life-saving medical treatment is more reprehensible and cruel than having to pay for the foibles of people who make bad health decisions.Think how we would kill two birds with one shot (nasty reference sorry!) :DWell, think of this, people will be much more conscious about their actions — If you eat horribly knowingly, you know you can get into a lot of trouble. And definitely the silent victims of all this, what about the staggering number (trillions) of animals that live and die in horrible conditions? If you mention compassion, there is nothing good for anyone in the present deal, animals die, people die also because of it, and I don’t know if you already heard, but the industry that singlehandily emit by far more emissions, is this industry. It is in fact not sustainable. We need to cut this somehow. That entails to educate people, people are receptibe when they aren’t treated as children, grownups must understand the weight of their actions, and be responsible. Otherwise we keep contributing to a culture of carelessness, that only favors these criminal industries, and the ones that get beneficed by the results (healthcare, drug companies) that are extremely happy with the situation, and for that reason all of these groups control the state with their lobbies.Finally, while charity is perfect, (you would do perfectly right if you donate for free healthcare for others) but another matter is if others decide where your money should go, I defend your right to decide that by yourself.I agree very much with what you are saying but from a bigger picture I would draw the line on punishing people by withholding medical treatment (which is in effect would happen to the poor who can’t afford medical insurance). The state of being morbidly ill is bad enough and if we,as humans, don’t care for each other, how are we going to then profess to care for the animals. We have gotten people to stop littering, stop smoking, wear seat belts and helmets, recycle – we have to use the tools of persuasion, protest, democracy (such as it is), not cruelty to change society. People like to complain, but how many of us will call in to a talk show, write to a newspaper or confront a restaurant chef or grocery store manager (e.g the Whole Foods hypocrite “vegan” CEO)? We are like sheep (without having to fear being turned into a lamb chop)And I agree with you at large too, you mention the problem of poor people and medical insurance, I agree they should be helped, but it must be voluntary. See in one side, the state heavily subsidize these industries, so poor people (and everyone else) gets stuffed in what should be expensive if they were to pay the real price. Instead the whole society is forced to pay these industries, and society gets ill because of it. To top it, society is also forced to pay for all the medical treatments, another industry that is happy to keep with the status quo.Are we really helping people keeping these things going? Even if they get free medical treatment we aren’t stopping the diseases, the suffering and dying.What you mention there, about tobacco, littering etc, was done by laws. Direct prohibitions. Good luck getting meat and related industries in that situation. We need to get people informed — battling against the fact that everyone lives in a sea of confusion, those industries have billions to promote themselves.Well, nothing new. :(Not really following you. I’m not talking about private health insurance – Obama Care is a give-away to these corporations. I believe “society” is “us”. I do want to look after my fellow human beings and am willing to pay for it. I want to organize the way we “govern” ourselves in a compassionate way. We don’t govern ourselves now and “government” is not my representative. The littering laws didn’t change people’s behavior – other than Arlo Guthrie in Alice’s Restaurant, I don’t know anyone fined or jailed for littering. It was social pressure that did it with the help of good propaganda. This can work for changing society’s view on food as well. Its just much harder.All the studies concerning detrimental effects of meat have been mostly observational. And the researchers have never really taken into account what kind of meat people had been consuming processed or not. It makes a big difference though it’s like comparing chips and fresh potatoes. Also, there’s a continuing scientific debate between low-fat and low-carb diets proponents and there are conflicting studies results supporting both sides. There are also conflicting studies results about vegetarians posessing better health. Most vegans and vegetarians are generally more health concious meaning they usually have less smokers and more physically active people among them. Also they are predominantly much skinnier than the average man. So you never know what factored most into that statistics they had less diabetes, strokes etc. like in the adventist’s study and the like. We shouldn’t forget there are a lot of longlivers meateaters and even some cultures who based their diet on meat consumption.You proved the point of the video :-)Oh yes I’m an agent of the food corporations :-) If you want any science backing my view you can take a look at this http://authoritynutrition.com/8-ridiculous-myths-about-meat-and-health/To be fair, I dont think that there are sufficient data to claim that 100% plantbased is better than say 95% plantbased, but for some people 100% is easier. On the other hand, I think that there sufficient data to claim that a mostly plantbased diet is better than a standard diet. In science you sometimes have to accept probable evidence, because definitive proof is impossible to obtain. A study proving that a plantbased diet is the best, will take 80-100 years. There will always be a lot af confounders when you study people in the real world. Of course processed meat is worse than lean meat (but broccoli is better…)I think that the most balanced diet should be close to that of primitive cultures of some wild places still existing on earth. Basically those diets are based on plants but include some unprocessed animal foods. That way you don’t have to take your b12 pills or be worried about adequate ferritin levels in your blood if you are a female etc. At the same time you get the minimum of saturated fats while getting some benefits that animal products still offer.can you tell me one (or more) benefit of consuming animal “products”that a plant food don’t give? (sorry, my english is not great)Dr. Greger has a video here on supplements. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/ Animals give more complete protein than plants, and cholesterol is required in the human diet in small amounts, though Vegans seem to live without it. Soy is as complete a protein as meat, and the body can make some cholesterol. He says Vegans need to supplements with three minerals, B12, Vitamin D, and Iodine. He says meat eaters need to supplement with seven. There is a link here on Vegans. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/All of you arguments are totally wrong (the complete protein story, the cholesterol story, the vitamin D, iodine and mineral story) when we talk about whole food plant based diet (and not simple vegan diet). The vitamin B12 is other story for ALL OF US in a sanitized world. Try to learn a little bit moreWell, what about b12 or vitamin D (if no adequate sun exposure is available)? Can you get them from plalnts food? Or just take a look at RDA of calcium or zinc or iron and try to calculate how many kilograms of ‘leafy greens’ a day you must consume to get the adequate amount.For example, take a look at this video about zinc deficiency http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/First of all: I try to study and learn more about physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, biochemistry, human physiology and anatomy, pathophysiology and human nutrition almost every day. So, everything I know is not only from nutritionfacts.org (i love this source by the way). Vitamin D – get some sun exposure, period. If you can’t, then maybe you will have to take supplements. Vitamin B12 – unless you eat some dirty stuff here and there, then you have to take supplements. Neither of this situation have something about meat vs plant-eaters discussion. About the mineral issue – you will NOT have any problem with calcium, zinc, iron, or any other mineral if you eat a WHOLE FOOD PLANT BASED DIET, choosing the best that you have around you (i’m not talking about eat a simply vegan diet).Ok, could you tell me how i can get the adequate calcium amount (1000 mg) from a whole food plant based diet on a daily basis? Eating 70 grams of poppy seeds or 140 grams of sesame seeds is not an option for an everyday life. Can you imagine how much KILOGRAMS of broccoli one has to consume daily to get his calcium?Did you watch Dr. Greger’s video about zinc deficiency? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/Haven’t you ever heard about anemia in female vegetarians?check this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3854817/ and then read the references too, to have a broader view about the topic.Just ONE tablespoon of blackstap molasses has 20% of the RDA for calcium. There are many good plant sources of calcium, such as unhulled sesame seeds, green vegetables, almonds, beans and even oranges. Many plant foods have plenty of iron- including blackstrap molasses. Whfoods here lists the best sources of iron, and none of them are from animal sources. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=70 Eggs and dairy are NOT good sources of iron. Salmon and chicken don’t have that much iron. Maybe beef does, but the heme iron in it may be more absorbable, but it is more toxic. Plant iron is more absorbable if a person takes it with Vitamin C.Anemia is complicated. i have been anemic for 20 years, taking iron pills on and off. I was anemic even when eating red meat. I now need less iron for two reasons: 1)as a vegan my periods are no longer heavy – dramatic change 2)as a vegan I am not eating dairy which interferes with iron absorption That’s just my personal experience.You can get plenty of calcium from plants like kale. You keep talking happily about heme iron, the worse possible version for humans, because we cannot regulate how much is absorbed, and excess is as problematic as deficiency, while we handle perfectly alright how much we absorb from plants (as herbivores we evolved to handle that source). Also heme iron is strongly linked to intestinal cancer. Nothing like that happens with iron from plants.Thank you very much for this comment. How do you recommend people diminish the impact of their meat eating? Is it with beans? Or nuts? Dr. Greger has presented data that the only people in the country who are fit enough to pass both BMI tests and blood pressure tests are vegans. I did not believe that being a vegetarian could make you live longer (for instance, the Lora Dunning Adventists say they live about 4-8 years longer than other Californians but that is the same benefit as going to Church and being Pious and they live shorter then the people of San Francisco), until I saw this site. I can see that vegetarians are much healthier. How do you suggest to eat plants to get rid of having eaten a little meat? If Milk causes cancer, then does that mean only Vegans are testable for cancer causing foods? What is the maximum meat you would allow? I know Chicken and Turkey are low in saturated fat, but they are rather high in Cholesterol. Is it possible to get the most with Chicken and Turkey, knowing that Dr. Greger says these are the most fattening meats and contain the fattening chicken virus? I have always been quite a bit overweight despite great physical ability. Should I blame the milk and poultry? Much less than one percent of the country is vegan. They must be very studied! I think we could eat walnuts and macademia nuts and pistachios, dark chocolate, and beans, beans, beans to live forever. Matcha, whole grains, berries, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables are really great for health. Is there a way to study that eating the healthiest foods suggested here could cause the best life? Thank you so much for your help.Once you understand the best science and its clinical application you have the foundation for success. The two resources I recommend as starters are Doug Lisle’s YouTube video, How to Lose Weight wiithout losing your mind” and Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density: How to Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer. Both Doug and Jeff have worked with John McDougall for a number of years. Jeff was the first person I ever saw who linked exercise to calorie density. You can be a fat vegan or a thin omnivore but if you want to go on a successful journey to lose fat start with those two resources. Good luck.And Michael Klaper: Food That Kills (you can find it on youtube)Jeff Novak is a funny guy – see also this from Jeff Novakhttp://youtu.be/GfBKauKVi4M?list=PLB36821E9F8765784 re The Mediterranean Diet http://youtu.be/1pD3-j0GWdo?list=PLB36821E9F8765784 re Fat Free Oil (That’s 100% Fat) http://youtu.be/lbALgjmZUekThere’s plenty more…….Its easy to tell someone else what to do but there are some common sense concepts to think about.Forget about the weight – focus on how you feel, your quality of life. Do you have more energy, can you perform the physical and mental activities that you desire?If you do have more energy – are you taking advantage of it and being more active?Do the arithmetic. Fat has almost twice the calories as carbs and protein. Fat that is trapped in whole foods is less available to your body than added oils. So just stop the olive oil. Read the labels – stay under 3 grams per serving.Give yourself a fighting chance. Go 100% no-oil vegan for just two months. Its not something you can just “ease” into – but two months? Give yourself a present!Stay away from challenging social situations initially. Recovering alcoholics don’t go to bars. On the other had, proclaim your personal choice to friends and relatives. Its your life.I believe that while it is true, for ethical reasons we can’t design the perfect human experiment to confirm 100% plant-based is better than 95%, there are other “inputs” that a reasonable person can consider and come to the conclusion that eliminating all meat is best. The biological in-vitro experiments, the biochemistry and genetics should all be considered too. And then there’s the bigger picture – is eating meat good for the health of society? Resources like the movie “Cowspiracy” barely touch on individual health issues and rely on simple arithmetic to put the nail in the coffin of the claim that eating animals has a place in our world.Oh man, too good…don’t you see? You ARE proving the point of the video!Your cited source is farcical at best.Ok, take a look at this and share your thoughts if you don’t call it ‘farcical’ too http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/death-as-a-foodborne-illness-curable-by-veganism/Maybe you should immerse yourself in Medicine and become a physician that has to treat chronic disease. Then you might gain the understanding of why we as physicians that have truly treated chronic disease support eating a whole food plant based diet as the best diet we know of to date for preventing, stopping and reversing chronic disease. That’s the reason that Kaiser, the largest Managed Health Care Organization in the United States in 2013 made a position statement that states A Plant Based Diet as the best diet to achieve the healthiest body you can obtain. http://www.thepermanentejournal.org/issues/2013/spring/5117-nutrition.htmlIt has been my, and many others experience (interesting it correlates directly with the plethora of evidence supporting a plant based diet) that our patients can prevent, stop and reverse their chronic diseases (eg. Cardiovascular disease such as CAD, Carotid stenosis, Peripheral Vascular disease, Diabetes, and Carpal Tunnel syndrome, Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Crohns disease, Ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, Cancer, Fibromyalgia, reduce chronic pain, all the while losing weight, increasing energy, improving sleep and ultimately improving their quality of life) if they follow a plant based diet. No other diet/lifestyle (and I have seen them all) has EVER shown all these benefits.If you want to eat animal products then eat them for your own enjoyment but remember you are increasing your risk of all the chronic disease I have previously listed and more.And who knows maybe you will be one of the lucky ones and be at one of the far ends of the bell shaped curve and live an amazing life while feeding your body high levels of poisons; but please do not tell others that ‘poison’ is good for your body because it’s what you like to ingest.This is hands-on experience! As good as it gets.Thank you. To join your thought, is it realistic to ask people to be Vegetarians or Vegans? It is cheaper and more efficient for the world. This diet, administered at any time and for any length of time according to this site, could dramatically heal the sick. It could save those who are elderly millions of dollars. It could save millions of people from the retirement homes. It could postpone death save the nation (like Medicare) tens of billions of dollars. It could instill mobility and self-sufficiency at any age for the baby boomers. While the plant based diet could reverse heart disease, one half of heart attacks occur without warning and so eating less meat should be a priority for the elderly. I am sure the plant based diet helps with mental illness and substance abuse as well, which affects 40 percent or more of the country. The population centers of the world that are known for longevity are based on vegetarianism, like Lora Dunning, California, and Okinawa, Japan. Perhaps the longest living of them also eat peanuts, considered a nut and a bean. If beans and nuts could be a part of every diet. If dark chocolate was made a part of the diet, with it reducing the risk of heart attack and disease by half. I think there is a way to get the benefit of eating plants and only plants for those like me with deficient will power and it is with things like beans and nuts and tea. Probiotics, lemons, cherries, green tea, and berries could limit the affect of meat and dairy and add to the impact of the plants we do it. Knowing the benefit of veganism, why do you think people like me still eat meat? It is not for pleasure and I am wary of losing childhood tastes. Thank you very much!Did you try meat substitutes? The market has more and more products, now there are “meats” out here that have fool even chefs.And from there I think you should try good WFPB books, with all kind of recipes.Thank you! I can’t keep my appetite for the vegan diet very well, but that is starting to change. With your suggestion I’ll be really having a great time here and with this diet in no time.Sorry to butt in but I just want to give all you said some personal validation. I was morbidly obese and unhealthy, and at 58 I was saddened, but not surprised, to be diagnosed with diabetes too. Ironically, it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me! Reading about the new drugs I had to add to an ever increasing list, I learned that they themselves could be nearly as bad as diabetes. In the few months of taking them, I not only felt worse than ever, I also quickly gained another 20 lbs, pushing me over the dreaded 300! Something inside me snapped and spurred me on a determined mission to find a better alternative! All research pointed me to the critical aspect of diet, but surprisingly, not the one recommended by the Diabetes Association, but a strictly whole foods, plant based diet. Even though I never consumed much meat or dairy, I stopped eating all animal products completely, and eliminated anything processed, including any free fats or oils. My simple rule was eat it as it comes from nature! Maybe extreme, but simple and straight-forward to start out. I won’t say it was easy at first, because instead of easing into it, I dove into it! I could barely believe in less than 3 weeks my blood sugars were below what is considered diabetic and I was able to quit taking the medications! I was not only thrilled, I was ecstatic because the weight I had battled my entire life was dropping off too! I began to notice other positive changes happening…like a reduction in pain from arthritis and fibromyalgia and other issues, my blood pressure dropped to normal and my cholesterol, always high was steadily declining! I was mentally clearer and just felt so much better overall, it was amazing! My tastes even changed and I lost the compulsive cravings that an overfed, but under-nourished body tries to compensate with! For the first time EVER I could pretty much eat all I wanted, when I wanted, and continue to lose weight! I always start with foods that are nutrient dense but low in calories, and proceed from there, keeping my intake about 50/50 plant/starch…of the right kinds of course. Five years later, I weigh half as much as when I started on this fantastic journey, my health has improved in so many ways, no more pills, and I feel so much better than I can remember! I have NO questions at all about the best diet, and wish I had been able to do it ages ago! Better late than never though! I certainly don’t expect to live forever, I just want to make the best of my allotted time and be around as long as possible in good health! Quality over quantity. (But I’ll take both! LOL)That is fantastic! Thanks for sharing. It’s what I see everyday in my office when my patients adopt a low fat, wholefood, plant based lifestyle. I’m glad you got your quality of life back. Congratulations!!!!!!!!!Congratulations at beating diabetes. Dr. Greger said here the best foods for diabetes are hibiscus tea, cinnamon, flax seed meal, amla, and beans. These are lifelong treatments for the disease. When I was 23 I was put on a medicine that made me gain over 30 pounds in a year and developed pre-diabetes, despite running five miles a day. I like that there are plant food options to treat that illness should it ever come back. Generic older medications eliminated that side effect for me. I found fenugreek helps me lose weight. This site used to seem to have a vegan weightlifting audience, I am glad others have found hope here.I did – the guy’s totally biased. I looked at a key reference (by Barnard et. al.) that he claimed disproved the benefits of a vegan diet – just the opposite. He’s either a liar or just plain ignorant.And if you don’t deem Dr. Weil to be the agent of the System check out this info about low-fat vs low-carb.http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA401531/Low-Carb-or-Low-Fat-Diet.htmlfor sure, “Dr.” Weil is a supplement pusher!re: “…some cultures who based their diet on meat consumption.” Yes, but those cultures are not as healthy as the cultures which base their diets on plants. You can learn more about that from videos on this site as well as from PlantPositive.com.re: “… there are a lot of longlivers meateaters…” I don’t know about “a lot of”. There certainly are some. Just as their are some smokers who live to be 100 and smoked a pack a day every day of their adult lives. That doesn’t make smoking healthy. The point is: the existence of some long-lived meat eaters (or short-lived vegans for that matter) is irrelevant when you are trying to figure out what is healthy to eat and what is not for the majority of humans.re: “…conflicting studies results about vegetarians posessing better health…” You can certainly find conflicting studies, but as Dr. Greger shows, when you analyze the validity of the various studies and when you look at all of the studies as a whole, then you see that the body of evidence is pretty clear – as clear as any question when it comes to nutrition and human health anyway. It is pretty rare to impossible to get 100% proof of anything. The point is: we have enough very strong evidence to be able to say with pretty good conviction that a whole plant food based diet is the healthiest diet for normally developed humans. (ie, baring some genetic deficiency, etc).I would encourage you to watch more videos on this site as well as the PlantPositive videos.Thank for your comment.Nobody to date disputes the benefits of whole plant foods as well as the harm of processed foods (be it animal or plant based whatever). But to say that animal food has only detrimental effects on the human health is wrong. Anything is bad if we overconsume it.Most people in the Western societies have been historically meat eaters. So the increase of diabetes, strokes, cancer cases etc. in the last 50 years cannot be solely attributed to meat and dairy! It’s just ridiculous!I’m grateful to Dr. Greger for his invaluable work and information. But any information should be considered critically.Could you (or someone) take a look at this Dr. Greger’s ‘The Leading Causes of Death’ critique and give your opinion?You said: “Most people in the Western societies have been historically meat eaters. So the increase of diabetes, strokes, cancer cases etc. in the last 50 years cannot be solely attributed to meat and dairy! It’s just ridiculous!”It goes from more than 50 years now, and I have the answer, meat consumption and other animal products skyrocketed as societies became richer, and then you see the direct relation between the increased consumption and the degenerative diseases climbing alongside.Check this very site, for example during WW II in places like Norway that were left without meat during those years got all these diseases down, and got back where they were as the “normal” diet resumed. I encourage you to check the details.I like the “health conscious vegan” argument. Well yah, we know that meat and dairy is unhealthy so we don’t eat it. Because it is unhealthy. Hello? And we are generally skinnier and healthier for all the reasons you find on this website.I mean that if you reduce processed junk foods and eat whole plant foods as well as unprocessed meat and dairy (in moderation), exercise and drink enough water etc. you stand a good chance to be quite healthy. That way you don’t have to take your b12 or iodine pills etc.And to be fair, most male (especially raw) vegans often bear some resemblance with Auschwitz inmates. Yes, we have some vegan soy-based bodybuildres (who are in fact generally thinner than their meat eating counterparts). But what if i don’t want to consume soy?Oh goodness. You are obviously new to the concept of WFPB. Keep reading.Really?! Auschwitz?! Your claim is ludicrous!Below are the images of:First: Billy Simmonds 2009 Mr. Natural Universe2nd: Patrick Baboumian broke world record for most weight carried 30 feet in 2013 Worlds Strongest Man Competition. 555kg (1,224 lbs). He beat all the Meat eaters!!Lastly an image of some WWII concentration camp inmates.Really?!? You see a resemblance there? And don’t tell me you are using hyperbole. It’s bombastic conjecture.If you really want to know more, read and watch this website in it’s entirety and look up the links and educate yourself about the peer reviewed science. On this journey you will answer all your questions you have stated here and discover all the current science about which is the best lifestyle to participate in to become the healthiest you can be.Read “Merchants of Doubt” – it will make you sick. The same “deniers” have been at work since the early 50’s. Tobacco, pesticides, ozone depletion and now, global warming. The book details the meticulous strategy employed by corporations and their champions over the years.Also read “Appetite for Profit” by Michele Simon and “Food Politics” by Marion Nestle–both exposing the corrupt politics of food. The problem is that the majority of people who read these books are members of the “choir” and our numbers and influence are small. I hold out some hope that sources such as NF.org and Center for Science in the Public Interest (they publish the magazine Nutrition Action and do nutrition lobbying) are making a positive difference over time.My hope is that the “choir” will expand – but its awfully deflating to stop at a state-run rest area on the interstate. I believe it will take an visionary entrepreneur to start a chain of PBWF restaurants with lots of incredible tasting no-oil options to expose to the public. That there are millions of recipes out there is great – but our food “culture” is defined by restaurants. Any enterprising chefs out there want to jump in?? :-)I have to comment because of a revealing experience I had today! Just for some quick and simplistic background, I am what is generally considered a WFPB lowfat vegan. Other than places like this, or local meet-up groups, sadly, it is a lonely endeavor in our society, though in my case, a totally worthwhile and life-saving one. Since as Paul mentioned, it isn’t easy to find suitable food when eating out, and combined with monetary issues, it almost forces me into eating at home. I accept it, but I’m not necessarily thrilled about it! It is nice to have options! I know there are a few places I can go to eat the foods I want, but the rare occasions I would be be going out to eat would be social ones, which would mean majority rules, and I am a minority of one. My dietary “restrictions” really seem to make everyone uncomfortable, since their nod to “health” consists of ordering a diet soda with their meal. I wish they would do better, but I am not there to judge! I am there to enjoy myself as well as they are! I decided quite a while ago that since I eat out so rarely, that I could relax my standards somewhat without abandoning my principles entirely, but apparently even that wasn’t enough to eliminate their issues, since there was always questions and commentary…and it rarely felt positive no matter how I tried to steer it.In an unintentional conversational insight today, I learned that the group continues to indulge, minus the ‘stick in the mud’, me. (My words) I’m not angry, not even hurt, as I get it, but it is kind of disconcerting. I can’t help but feel if there were better options available and I didn’t have to single myself out from the crowd, I wouldn’t have to be in the same position. These are both family and friends, and otherwise good people who just don’t seem to get it! I do because I was one of them not so long ago! We need so many changes I don’t even know where to focus, but glad that I learned in time!A quote I just saw today seems to go well with this video: “A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.” ~Saul BellowYes – and: “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” Søren KierkegaardAn excellent one indeed.Margaret Heffernan calls it ‘Wilful Blindness’. Her TED talk is great. And her book is on my reading list.Well saidGreat research. When you actually read and understand each study design it’s easier to decide what to accept, but the average person is uninterested and usually too busy to do this and they like to hear good things about their bad habits.You see… those corporations act completely out of control.It is simply impossible to trust them.I think it’s time to think how to split up those Agencies of diseases and make them unable to spread lies on lies on lies.Another wonderfully assembled notification of truth by Dr. Greger. This brings to mind the Jonathan Gruber situation wherein the public is led to support the sophisticated campaign to undermine public health interventions through misunderstanding and meticulously crafted ignorance. Thus. “the stupidity of the American voter” becomes the catalyst. The difference is, unlike mosquitos, the U.S. government can afford the top notch P.R. firms to present their biased research findings. Thus, we have the unholy alliance between food manufacturers (processors), the USDA (cattle, dairy, egg, poultry, etc.) and the FDA. I see countless parallels to the tobacco battles of the 1950s through the 1980s. We even endured a “White Coat Project” of sorts. Mr. Gruber has become a hero of supplying misinformation, use of conflicting information and hiding negative data, leaning upon the thin wedge of doubt supplied by lap dog media. Indeed, we could elevate human health to remarkable levels, were we not such darned “stupid American voters.”I have been calling processed foods and their advertising as vectors for obesity. They manipulate the physical strings of addictivity (fat, salt and sugar), with the psychological ones through advertising and economic ones through tax subsidies to growing 80% of our crops for animal agriculture. Advertising is the viral vector that has made fast and processed foods infectious leading us into an obesity “bubble” due to false foods becoming toxic assets.The Universities that do the studies would not be able to without the grants from industry. This leads to the bias and slanted results that you point to in your vlog. Yet, most journalists, bloggers and authors cherry pick data from these studies to make their particular case. How do you, who use these studies, feel confidant in their conclusions based on the mis- and disinformation, and then file your report. We all look to you for the truth in nutrition. Please re-confirm your belief in the data so we all can rest easy.Dr. Greger is again changing the paradigm deftly and bravely by showing conspiracies at the very top of the Food and Drug Adminsitration at how we eat and what we can say we eat. The Federal Government and the U.N. recommend 30 minutes of vigorous exercise a day, knowing that with that recommendation many less people will attempt to get any at all and knowing how few people currently ever get exercise. If they said instead jogging as little as five minutes a day, two or three laps around a track, could improve your heart health by half and add five or more years to your life, I am sure more people would do it. To say, jog 30 minutes a day is to say to be a near professional athlete and run 5 miles or so a day, which is unreasonable, not statistical, and unscientific. This would what a competitive runner would do, and is an unrealistic standard. There is a conspiracy against drinking green tea, the idea being that the FDA does not recommend tea for cancer prevention when everyone knows that green tea almost assuredly a fountain of youth with marvelous anti-cancer properties, some doctors are recommended 7-10 cups a day, as Dr. Greger is here. Drinking juice is currently much maligned, despite its great convenience and availability and cost effectiveness. Perhaps if there were less interest in straining juices, people could get nutrition year round, given that we can only get fruits in the summer or fall in this hemisphere. Some juices can store better. McDonald’s is running a campaign that they use 100 percent beef without comment from the FDA knowing that there is a PubMed article that shows that fast food beef is only 2-14 percent beef (with 12 being average). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18995204 This is the established science of the land, that fast food is not using beef. Perhaps people are unaware of just how good walnuts are, and perhaps there is reason to doubt the federal government will cause awareness for nuts, knowing how much they add heart health. Thank you for your advocacy.Because of this video (and all the incredible work you have done) I am donating $100 to NutritionFacts.org. (I wish I could donate more–soon though) Your work is invaluable to the education of our public and all humankind.I hope many others will find the amazing work of NutritionFacts.org just as valuable and donate what they can to help educate everyone in the field of Medicine, Nutrition and Health!With my utmost gratitude. Thank You!!!!!!!Me too then! XoxoThat was easy. It only took a minute. Thanks for reminding me Dr Hemo!HemoDynamic: You are very generous! We all do what we can. For myself, I’m on a (low) monthly plan. I agree with you that NutritionFacts is worth supporting. And as regular reader of NutritionFacts, I’m appreciative of your personal support/time/posts too! We all work to make this a really great resource. Thanks for this post. I hope it encourages others to join in too.What a great conversation~~As far as I am concerned, all anyone needs to do to start on your journey of true and attainable “HUMAN HEALTH” is to fully embed yourself in the documentary “Forks Over Knives”; THIS HAS NOW BECOME A PART OF EVERY PATIENT ENCOUNTER I NOW HAVE.It is avail on Amazon and Netflix~~Caldwell Esselstyn, MD and T. Colin Campbell, PhD have figured it out the path to optimal and honest to goodness human wellness — AT ANY AGE — through their respective of 40 years of research each.Remember, the human genome itself has not changed much since caveman times…what has changed from that time until now is what we eat and the amount of activity we get. The early people lived off the land and hunted and maybe had access to a “kill” weekly or monthly–who knows–but they got a lot of exercise and ate non processed food…people back in the times of the prophets did not walk the earth with lipitor in their pockets…they too ate nuts and berries and the flesh of animals if and when they could afford it~~which was not often unless you were royalty.“Forks Over Knives” is about returning to that level of simplicity in our food consumption~~raw, whole foods with minimal processing with no animal product and minimal oil–the good doctors have the science behind the destruction of the endothelial lining of our blood vessels and the development of cancer and vascular disease when these animal products, processed foods and oils are consumed. When your blood vessels are damaged, it is clear that all kinds of diseases ensue from the resulting inflammation; remove the impetus for the inflammation, and cure the disease.Dr. John Mac Dougall said it best in the film right around minute 1:28: “…let’s get rid of the problem which is the sickness which is caused by the food”… I could NOT have said it better myself…I implore everyone reading this to watch the film and pass it on to as many people as you know, and to join us to fight this UGLY corporate greed AND LIE one educated and healthy human at a time!tobacco industry was tiny compared to livestock industry. Only half the US population at the most used tobacco, but 98% of people eat at fast food chains and supermarkets and watch TV Ads bombarded with manufactured food advertisements. Livestock industry is also hugely influential in congress and controls the media & the US government from the inside out.As a physician, I am fully aware of the biased science we have to deal with in medical journal articles. Editors have a hard time finding reviewers who do not have some form of conflict of interest through financial connections with the pharmaceutical or other industries. I only wish that Dr. Greger had been as forceful when he did his series on GMO foods. I am sure he can find plenty of White Coat Projects among the science coming out of that industry. I am still bothered by his unscientific statement, on which I commented in the GMO series, when he proclaimed: “So I’m sympathetic to the biotech industry’s exasperation about GMO concerns when we still have people dropping dead from everything else they’re eating.”This where health and politics meet. If you are of the belief that one should champion corporate-sponsored research over government-sponsored, then this is what results – Bias. Good nutrition should not be a left-wing or right-wing issue – but the reality of it is, that it is.	alcohol,beverages,burgers,cancer,candy,chicken,chronic diseases,doughnuts,Exponent Inc.,FDA,hamburgers,industry influence,junk food,Kraft,lung cancer,National Confectioners Association,Phillip Morris,potato chips,potatoes,processed foods,smoking,soda,tobacco,ultra-processed foods,Whitecoat project	Using the tobacco industry playbook, food companies have been caught trying to undermine public health policies by manipulating the scientific process.	This is part of a series of “political” videos I’ve put together. Collaboration with the New Vectors of Disease was the previous one with a bunch more coming up. Why don’t I just “stick to the science”? When there are billions of dollars at stake, the body of evidence can be skewed and manipulated. Funders can determine which studies are performed, how they’re performed, and whether or not they get published at all. That’s why I think it’s important to take a broader view to account for the ways the scientific method can be perverted for profit.Here are some examples:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-confectioners-association-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exponent-inc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potato-chips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ultra-processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phillip-morris/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/doughnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/whitecoat-project/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kraft/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC437157/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23631725,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19732488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23410611,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19298423,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17119200,
PLAIN-2512	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/	Kempner Rice Diet: Whipping Us Into Shape	Franklin Delano Roosevelt brought us through the Great Depression and World War 2—who knows how history would have been different had he not died in his fourth term as President from a massive stroke. In the following days and months, we learned that Roosevelt had suffered from severe high blood pressure for years. In spite of this, he was on no medications or other treatments. The reason for the lack of treatment is stark and simple: there were none. The state of the art at that time was death. Death from so-called malignant hypertension, out-of-control high blood pressure for which, it was thought, there was no remedy, but they were wrong. There was Walter Kempner and his rice-fruit diet.This physician-scientist trained with the best. He fled Nazi Germany and set up shop at Duke, where he began treating “malignant” hypertension patients with a radical diet consisting of only white rice and fruit, with strikingly favorable results. A rapid reduction in blood pressure, rapid improvement in kidney failure, eye pressure, heart failure and other manifestations of this previously fatal illness.He figured that if a low salt diet helped with blood pressure, a low protein diet helped with kidney function, and a low fat and cholesterol diet helped the heart, why not take it to its logical conclusion and design a no-salt, no cholesterol diet of almost pure carbohydrate. So he designed a diet with less sodium than any low-sodium diet, less protein than any low-protein diet, and less cholesterol and fat than any other low-fat diet.His hope was that it would just stop progression of the disease. Instead, something miraculous happened. In about two-thirds of cases the disease reversed. Reversal of heart failure, reversal of eye damage, reversal of kidney failure. And remember this was effectively a terminal disease, people just had a few months to live and then they got better. Before and after. Those round pictures are the back of people’s eyes swollen, bloody, and leaking, and then nearly normal in a matter of months. Kidney disease cured.A striking fact is that in some patients, after being effectively cured by the diet over many months, they could then relax the diet to more conventional plant-based diet and go on to live a normal active life. The rice diet may actually drop blood pressures too low, so you have to add back other foods to bring the pressures back up to normal.An editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine described Kempner’s results as little short of miraculous. Practically speaking there’s probably no more effective diet for obese decompensated cardiac patients. The problem, though, is that most physicians lack the extraordinary persuasive powers required to keep the patient eating such a restricted diet.When Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn presented his study results demonstrating in some cases reversal of near end-stage heart disease with a whole food plant-based diet, the Chair of Cleveland Clinic cardiology department asked, "How can we expect patients to stay on a strict diet like this when we can't even get them to quit smoking?” Just like penicillin drugs don’t work at all…unless you take them, plant-based diets don’t work unless you actually eat them.I think the answer is that the physician must have a zealous belief in the diet and must convey that passion to the patients. For Kempner, to keep his patients on the rice diet, Kempner brow-beat, yelled at, and castigated them when he caught them straying. And he didn’t just browbeat them, he sometimes actually beat them. It came out in a lawsuit in which a former patient sued Dr. Kempner, that he had literally whipped her and other patients to motivate them to stick to the diet.Reminds me of the famous diabetes physician Arnoldo Cantani back in the 1800’s, who knew the remedy for diabetes is not in the drugstore but in the kitchen. To ensure compliance, if necessary, he would lock a patient up in a room for 6 weeks.Thankfully, in terms of personality, Dr. Esselstyn is the opposite of Dr. Kempner. Polite, soft-spoken and gentle—able to keep his patients on track without whipping them. And last but not least, Esselstyn walks the talk, following the diet himself, whereas Kempner died of a heart attack, though at the age of 94. His work continues on in Durham, where they continue a relaxed version of the diet, allowing actual vegetables.A year before Roosevelt died, Kempner had already published his miraculous results. It seems highly likely that, had the rice diet been provided to President Roosevelt a year before his death, his disease might have been controlled before his fatal stroke, and that this fatal event could have been averted.	I have family and friends who seriously need to adopt a plant based diet, but are seriously resistant. What would work for them and many others is a residential program such as the Rice House or the McDougall 10-day program. I have met people who attended the McDougall program and said it was the key to changing their perceptions about food and health. These programs are expensive, although probably not as expensive as the co-pay on a heart attack or years of medications. Instead of just managing disease, these programs can reverse disease and should be covered by medical insurance.Another epic video. Two in a row.Curious though….eating rice on a daily basis (arsenic) might be a big no-no in our modern day? I’ve seen the arsenic data and videos and all, and it still seems that one can’t fully escape it. One is left to choose the rice that has “less arsenic” than the other, but it still seems to have considerable amounts that I’d think would add up on a daily basis.Another low protein, low fat starch would have worked just as well in place of the rice for Kempner, it seems? Or was it even necessary and could the patients have healed on nothing but fruit?i think that the point is to focusing on complex carbs like those found in potatoes, rice, grains etc.So i think rice could be replace without problem.Anyway it will be interesting to see if a fruit based diet could make the same favorable effects of the Kempner diet.In the 18th century people used arsenic the way people use cocaine today, and they were able to develop a tolerance for it. I don’t know how much arsenic is in various types of rice, but judging by the population of Asia, it can’t be too much of a problem.You can always grow your own rice.Rice only contains arsenic if it is irrigated with contaminated groundwater. This is only a problem in a few countries such as Bangladesh. It is not a problem in any Western country.I’ve read that rice fields in America are contaminated with arsenic from being grown on old cotton fields and being fertilized with chicken poop, and they feed arsenic to chickens to keep parasites down.First thing: i saw the video. Second thing: i save it in my favorites NF videos.:-)It seems that carbs are not so bad after all.It depends on the source.More like it depends what you eat with them lol….and if you remove the fibre, and nutrients from them..Yes, nature already made “pharma drugs”.And without charging anything.It is interesting that both a very low carb high fat diet and a very low fat high carb diet both work well. It seems that that combination of fat and carb is bad for the body.High animal fat diets push up your cholesterol. They will make you sick.Absurd generalization. Many of us do great on high-animal fat diets. I am a mid 50S male, been eating a LCHF diet (approx 60-70% of calories from fat) for over 30 years. My HDL has always been higher than LDL and TG. Probably 1/2 of those fats are saturated, mostly from full-fat cheeses, yogurt, butter, lard, and beef. I also eat several handfuls of mixed nuts daily, and use olive oil generously. What do I avoid? Junky, simple carbs, and most flours and grains, with the exception of oats. Latest lipid panel? HDL 85, LDL 67, TG 36, VLDL 7. Eat the fat!Your numbers are very impressive and suggest relatively rare genetic profile not found in vast majority of population. Most people/patients do not do nearly as well as you do on this type of diet.Full disclosure: Paul is also lobbying to re-introduce whole fat dairy products back into school lunch menus.Maybe he should watch the video on fatty streaks found in children as young as 10 due to the high cholesterol diets typically eaten these days.James, Thanks for mentioning the petition, which is entirely my own effort. I receive no funding from dairy or any other industry. I suspect big dairy isn’t concerned about the ban because low-fat/non-fat yogurts, cheeses, and milks tend to be highly-sugared and highly-processed to make them palatable. Sugar sells. And therefore, probably higher profit margins.Trent, agree I might have the CETP or HL mutations, although the CETP mutation is uncommon except in people of Japanese ancestry. I have found that my TC:HDL ratio improved as I reduced carbs and added fats, primarily saturated fat. This is precisely the change one would expect based on most of the literature. Here’s a good bibliography of the recent studies that challenge the (rapidly crumbling) conventional paradigm regarding dietary cholesterol and heart disease risk: http://tinyurl.com/owa2gukFootnotes: Zoë Harcombe (linked) sells diet books.Great genetics! Unfortunately your biomarkers say nothing about your cancer risk and other protein-related disease. You are a freak of nature my friend.Great genetics or great lies. That would not be the first low carber to lie about his cholesterol numbers, since they are utterly convinced that animal food are good. I’m guessing it’s fasting cholesterol by the way not postprandial cholesterol.. ;) Just like the eggs industry want us to believe that dietary cholesterol does not raise blood cholesterol.. A lie repeated in choir by the low carbers.. For me It’s just as saying sugar does not raise blood sugar levels. A ridiculous claim that serve only the bottom line of big meat, big dairy, big eggs and big pharma industry. Not the health of the people.. Low carber can be sincere, but they can be sincerely wrong and mislead.Yes – it is the passion for and addiction to the taste of meat that leads them to concoct the most bizarre justifications of their addiction. That’s human nature – don’t confuse them with the facts.These are not necessarily heart attack proof numbers (total cholesterol should be below 150), you are at grave risk (is there any other kind?). Hope you don’t get cancer! Besides, that which is gratuitously asserted may be gratuitously denied; such is the fate of individual anecdotes such as this.Paul, Good genetics and appropriate diet. The numbers are not as important as the trend, which clearly improved with carb-restriction and fat addition. This trend is in accord with the latest literature I cited, so in that sense I don’t think I am a freak of nature. I will write about this in detail on my own blog in the near future.Regarding cancer, the literature clearly suggests an inverse risk between LDL and the risk of developing cancer: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326113713.htmNot sure what you are referring to regarding protein-related disease, except to note that the appropriate diet for me is low-carb, moderate protein, high fat.Daniel,Every good medical writer understands the power of the anecdote or case study. Anecodotes aren’t science, but they are helpful in making a point. Your point is well-taken as I am old enough to remember Jim Fixx, the running guru who died of a heart attack at a very young age. So I am using myself as an anecdote very reluctantly.James, I was hoping you woulld take a look at the studies on Zoe Harcombe’s site. I disagree with her about fruits and vegetables but that’s beside the point. She did a fine job compiling the literature so it;s worth a share.Lastly, I’m glad I “came out” on a vegetarian/vegan website. This is interesting. Thanks to everyone for the debate.Hi Paul, Just one suggestion. How about using the term “simple carbs” in your next “coming out.” It isn’t accurate to say in one sentence you believe in carb restriction and then in another you are ok with fruits and veggies.Also Jim Fixx was obese and used running to lose weight. Although people like to bring him up he probably isn’t the best analogy.Yes, simple carbs are the ones we all agree are harmful. But broadly speaking the diet that works for me is (relative to the standard American diet & the MyPlate.gov recommendations) a low-carb diet. Carb restriction to the point of ketosis probably wouldn’t be good for me, but it is appropriate for some.My point about Jim Fixx was that he should make us all just a little bit humble about our agendas. No one has this all figured out. That’s why I keep saying “the diet that works for me…” I got started on this conversation a couple days ago became someone posted “High animal fat diets push up your cholesterol. They will make you sick.” Good grief.If vegan works for you, that’s great. My concern is that myplate.gov and the USDA National School Lunch Program Guidelines are pushing a high carb, low-fat agenda for everyone.How do you figure they are pushing a high carb agenda? The plate consists of fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and a side of milk. No where on the plate is there a spot for a piece of cake. So again you are against complex carbohydrates not just junk food. You have a problem with grains, fruits, and veggies and I have a problem with the milk and the “protein” section suggesting a chunk of chicken. It should have legumes in that spot.Have you ever gone to school and had lunch with your kids? The first day I went was when they were in first grade. It was the last day they bought school lunch. None of the food was remotely healthy or fresh. It all came from a can. You might want to make that lunch date before you come out so passionately about full fat dairy being included.My daughter is lactose intolerant and my son breaks out in ache. Obviously another animal’s milk is not good for human consumption.Paul are you sure you aren’t working for the dairy industry?Here is what the plate should look like.http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/Dr Greger has a great suggestion for those school lunches that include milk and animal protein in todays blog. Berries!http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/Thanks Veganrunner for this clarification. And for the suggestion for using the term “simple carbs when talking of the specific carbohydrate foods that low-carbers avoid. When most low-carbers talk about lowering carbs, they are usually referring to grains, beans, and starchy veggies like potatoes and tubers. But what most people do not realize is that all fruits and veggies are carbohydrate foods. Even low Glycemic index veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, green beans etc etc. etc. are all carbohydrate foods. For clarification, I am not a promoter of either a vegan or a LCHF diet.Paul – how do your heart cath angiogram results look?Paul, paul, paul…….how unscientic of you dude. I am sure you can find millions of people in this country who are healthy on a high animal fat diet as you put it. The science is over whelmingly clear plant based diet is best. Sure you can be healthy on your animal diet but your over all health is nore than likely better on a good plant diet.Congrats Paul, may your good fortune continue, I sincerely mean that. My husband’s diet and medical history sounds very similar to your own at the same age. He is ten years older now, but about 7 years ago his “luck” changed. A short time after a radical prostectomy for an aggressive cancer, he suffered a mild heart attack. The following year he learned he was diabetic. Two years ago he lost most of his leg below the knee to complications of diabetes, and is danger of losing the other, in great part because he still persists in preserving his dietary preferences. I was also diagnosed with diabetes shortly after he was, and opted to adopt the recommendations I researched myself, (eventually finding this site a lot easier) making a concerted effort to read only the legitimate actual studies, and not the misquoted, bastardized, selective misrepresentations and double speak from all the “experts” populating the web and books who have an agenda to sell. I opted to dive in and give it a fair trial even though it seemed intimidating at the time. I had amazing results, but my effort to get him on board as well, sadly, failed. It tears me up because I am losing him a piece at a time! Paul, I respect your right to live as you wish, but seriously, what is your point in coming here to spout your agenda that is counter to the one encouraged here? I hope you are the exception, but most of us frequent this site because don’t want to gamble with our health when the stakes are so high. My step-grandmother smoked a pack a day and lived to be 92, so should we all light up and disregard the fact that millions of others have died horrible protracted deaths gasping for air from the same habit? I don’t get it?A book that helped me eat brown rice and veggies and get VERY healthy was “You are all SANPAKU” by William Dufty. What he wrote made a lot of sense and I went for it. Of course it was a Japanese peasant diet and a diet that many people around the world eat on a daily basis. Now, I eat “raw” because it’s even more “simple” and “back to nature”. Enzymes are my friends. But if I had to go back to cooked foods, brown rice and veggies would be my choice. It’s important to get people back to “neutral” so they can then notice the effects foods have on their minds and bodies. From there, they can choose what to add to the basics. Eating the standard American diet, it’s difficult to figure out what is helpful and what is not.i remember that book. dufty made a persuasive case for what was a macrobiotic diet. “sanpaku” refers to being able to see whites of the eyes underneath the iris, & this meant that you were too yin. i used to have a macrobiotic restaurant in nyc & was very involved with that life. HOWEVER, the couple who brought macrobiotics to the u.s. & opened a school in boston (where my cook was trained), both died relatively young (60’s & early 70’s), one of heart disease & the other of cancer. both of these diseases were supposed to have been prevented by that diet. ever since then i’ve stopped paying attention to food religions. at 67 i’ve outlived a lot of health fanatics. at 92, my mother has outlived even more. i know health is big business, but it is an area where the scientific method cannot be used, & all theories are just speculations. what i’ve noticed is that it doesn’t seem to matter what you eat. heresy, i know. but there it is.I’m the same age as you, Irene, and I feel similarly… no religious eating… but it’s good, as I said, to get back to “neutral” so you can begin to listen to your body. So many of us are totally out of touch with our bodies. My body is very happy now. I listen to it when I shop and prepare meals. I am not afraid to give it what it wants, because it no longer has toxic desires. But my interest in foods is not so much longevity… to me, foods are drugs and they affect my moods… so I like to make sure that I don’t eat things that aggravate my body, because then I get cranky and am difficult to live with (for myself AND others). I simply want to live a happy, healthy, peaceful life while I am here. Umm… I think I’ll have a bit of chocolate… home made, of course. :)I think they took the macrobiotic idea too far and they were cooking EVERYTHING. You do need at least SOME raw food in your diet. Like Fuhrman says, a 100% raw diet is not an optimal diet, same is true of a 100% cooked food diet.One of the problems I see with all these different diet ideas is that they tend to look at animal vs vegetable, low carb vs high carb, high fat vs low fat, plant based vs animal based, high insulin vs low insulin etc. But most adherents of any of these seem to looking at the totality of nutrients contained in their chosen diets. I would wager if any of them put their diets into diet analyzer programs or sites they would all find that they are lacking in some or several nutrients. Then they all wonder why their chosen diet didn’t save them from heart disease, diabetes, or whatever disease or diseases they are looking to avoid.A plant-based diet is ideal for most people but to me “plant-based” means just that, a diet based on plants; not necessarily excluding all animal products, and all diets have to included essential fats. Beyond getting the macro nutrients, our soils are seriously depleted in vitamins and minerals today and so are the foods grown in them or the animals eating the foods ground in them. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/I think the adherents of all these diets ought to be looking more at whether their diets contain all of the know essential nutrients in at least the RDA amounts (as ridiculously low as they are and the FDA is about to lower the amounts even lower.Enzymes are not our friends, they actually don’t care about us. That’s for the funny part. For the serious part you can watch people from the raw food community talking about the enzyme myth, here a good exemple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QytmKcH_GV4With a few exceptions : Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True.I don’t know who you are and I don’t know what your point is here. But I think it’s best to go with experts, rather than people who are rather new to the subject. This runner is rather young and has been on raw foods 9 years. I’m quite a bit older and have been vegan for most of my life. I go by how I feel. I feel ok on cooked food, but not good. When I eat cooked food, I need to eat MORE and even when I do, I don’t feel satisfied. I need to use MORE SALT, MORE SEASONINGS, and I don’t feel as good on cooked foods as when I eat raw foods. Raw foods taste better to me. They digest more easily – I attribute that to the enzymes, for every food contains enzymes or it would do the “eternally young McDonald’s hamburgers thing” even after 7 years. When foods are cooked, they lose texture, color, nutrients and flavor – and we haven’t even touched on enzymes yet. That is a waste of food.At any rate, here is a guy whose doctorate is in enzymes… “What Your Doctor May Not Know About Enzymes” by Devin Houston, Ph.D. – and what your favorite runner might not know either… Even this author was taught erroneously in med school, as probably most MDs are still being taught. Few classes in nutrition are offered in med school. And the ones that are, are very different than what I have learned over the past 45 years using my body as a laboratory. Try this: http://www.houston-enzymes.com/learn/articles/doctor-may-not-know.php – Read up on the myths doctors are taught about enzymes and what is true from the viewpoint of someone who works specifically with enzymes and who teaches med students what is true about enzymes.I think the main point missed by many is that carbohydrates are designed to be digested in the mouth. There are enzymes in the mouth for that purpose. All foods contain enzymes to assist in their own decomposition – so they COMPOST. What is supposed to go to the stomach to be broken down by HCl is the cellulose or other proteins that remain after thorough chewing in the mouth…. in other words, we are meant to chew our food and it will be largely digested before we swallow. Most people eat quickly and carbs end up in the stomach… where they can clash with the acid.Starches are (partially) digested by an enzyme (maltase) on the mouth. Sugars are no affected. Maltase is destroyed by stomach acids.There are sugar and starch digesting enzymes in the small intestine.Gandhi said, “Chew your water and drink your food.” Have you ever chewed rice until it becomes sweet? I wonder if that is how digestion is meant to be. When I learned to do that, my health improved significantly. When thoroughly chewed, rice became as delightful as candy had been when I was a child. Most people do not chew very much and the food goes to the stomach before it is really finished in the mouth. Is it possible that inadequate chewing puts a heavy burden on the pancreas? If we do our part more thoroughly, then the pancreas might be happier.I’m so delighted to read your reference to our Mahatma Gandhi! You make me remember the ‘meals discipline’ imposed by my parents upon me, right from my childhood: ‘एक घास ३२ वेळा चावून खावा!’ (Marathi language): meaning, you should chew every mouthful of food 32 times.Do you still do that, Chandrakant? How is your digestion? Counting is a good way to make sure to chew well. :)It’s very kind of you, Patricia ji! Well, I’m running 70 now and practically all teeth belonging to my mouth have taken early ‘voluntary retirement’. However, I didn’t go for all that ‘oral furniture’ (= dentures etc.) in spite of pressing requests from my home people. Losing teeth is an indirect signal from Mother Nature to reduce your diet to easy-to- digest & soft / liquid foods. By grace of God, my digestion is good till today. Thank you 32 times!I am curious about what do do when blood pressure goes too low as was mentioned happens with some people eating this way? I know usually people say add more salt, but are there there other ways to increase it?These segments confuse me when I reflect on previous topics. Nuts and seeds are high fat. Where do they fit in this story?Nuts are one of the most powerful factors in protecting against future disease and increasing lifespan. One handful of walnuts a day can have the same benefits as eating four bowls of oatmeal everyday. The only thing more beneficial for long life is beans, with each few ounces reducing your risk of dying from various common kinds of death by eight percent. Not eating walnuts can double your risk of heart disease. Seeds are also effective at improving heart health.Dr. Gregor has at least one video addressing this concern: you can find it by using the search function.Oooh, I was all set to share this video, to supplement my pitch for WFPB diet in response to another share of “A nurse has heart attack and describes what women feel when having one:” — but then came Dr. Kempner’s whipping of his patients and I though that this might not be the best NF video to share with my relatives! ;-)P.S. I shared Cavities and Coronaries, instead.Very funny! How did that go over?No reactions displayed. I rather bombard them with such shares on FB, but that’s the usual [non] reaction. Maybe they’ll read or view some of these shares one day. Unfortunately, it seems about 80% of the recipes shared amongst the group prominently contain CHEESE!A close to one year ago I started PlantBased diet because of my husband fibrillation that really took from us all activity from our life. Even though dr. Esselstyne said that this diet would not cure this disease it helped my husband a lot, but it really hit me: kidney stones I never felt if have any before, my HB is killing me it would not going down, back pain it was not before that severe as now, my cholesterol down but triglyceride now so high( before was within normal), I have now a breathing problems as well. I considered myself before the diet stable, only one problem bothered me is my HBP. Through the tears in my eyes I still believe in this diet.. still search the way to rid of all this side effects of this diet and still be within, just because I like it mentally:). Only time to time I allow myself small piece of organic chocolate and 2-3 pieces of nuts. My husband though looks at my struggles and ready to quit. My friends searching for comments on this diet and I could not advice them to accept it. Is any advice someone can give me to encourage my journey?Dear Marina! Do you have some healthy foods which you can eat without problems like breathing problems? I have found out that some foods cause my nose to close, simply said. And some foods cause me itching and other problems. Maybe you should try a piece of a fruit or a vegetable or nut or something else and see how you feel some minutes later and then one or two hours later. It is a hard work, but maybe it helps you like me to shun the things my body does not tolerate (even healthy things like most sorts of apples) and to eat more the things my body tolerate. In the last time I have also found out that it is easier in the first time to eat some “unhealthy” foods/ meals and some “healthy” foods/ meals to be full and to switch slowly to a more healthy eating, adding more and more healthy and new foods/ meals. My body apparently needs time for adaption. EstherThank you Esther for good advice. I probably took it in a very radical way. I will try to do what you suggested. You are right the breathing is bothering me the most. It is difficult to understand the reaction of separate foods in cooked meal though, but it is really good advice to think about. I do appreciate it very much. MarinaHi Marina! Yes it is very difficult to understand the reaction of separate foods in cooked meals, and I almost never try to do it. I am happy when I can eat something without problems. Milk with sugar and eggs (like pancakes) are a big problem for me, unfortunately. It took me a long time to discover that and also to accept it :). But it is nice to have less symptoms. Best wishes for you, Esther.Are you taking B-12 supplements? Should be monitored by a physician who understands the plant-based diet and figure out what is wrong.Dr. Greger, I have been very bad and I must be punishedIt’s probably it:)Coacervate: I don’t know why, but this video struck me as being very funny. I mean it’s not really funny to hurt someone. But I just have this picture in my head of this doctor running around in a white lab coat, arm high in the air, sounding like a sincere mad man, telling people how important it is to be healthy — and then literally beating the idea into them. It’s just so comical in a sick way.And then I read your comment and laughed again. :-)It lives, IT LIVES! Half the time i want to laugh but then I see my precious loved ones fading away and I want to tie them up and beat them into submission because I know…we are cut from the same cloth. If they just do it for a month they will get better like me and are less likely to backslide. Ich fershtayen nicht!BTW, Esse is nice but I have it on good authority you toed the line or “there’s the door” to death…a pretty big stick yes? God bless them all!Oh Coacervate, I so know how you feel! How am I supposed to react when my significant other is getting his legs hacked off in increments due to diabetes because going WFPB vegan like I did is TOO EXTREME!??? I’m ashamed to admit one day I freaked out on him and threatened to save us all the grief and amputate at the neck! Aaargh!There’s a great, funny, screenplay waiting to be adapted from Dr. Kempner’s unusual life, though the secrecy of most of his intimates may make it largely fictional. Bound to have more frisson The Road to Wellville.Darryl: Fascinating article. Thanks for sharing that!I would go to that movie! (re: “One can imagine…”)The Hippocratic oath says to first, do no harm. This is the first rule of medicine. I think Dr. Greger and his volunteers and colleagues here are very brave for writing what they are saying that medicine as a system does harm. I think a higher priority of medicine is to not force medicine upon them. Some doctors hate “living wills,” saying that they are being forced by them to do harm from inactivity. Some doctors like to work in hospitals that have them, saying that a more important rule of medicine is to not force actions. Some doctors feel bad because of the crippled nature of their medicine, that their best activities would hurt their patients. Some doctors feel that they didn’t intervene enough given who they are. Some doctors are Christian Scientists or Adventists, who either don’t believe in medicine at all or believe it should be handed by faith in G-d. I would like to thank Dr. Greger for this site because it could help Christian Scientists more than intervention, it is the best reading room of its kind, and could help the Adventists see the Hand of G-d in health. I think the idea that forcing people cold turkey to eat 1,400-1,600 calories of rice and fruit is bad medicine and masks the true success of the foods not being eaten. This is a bad study, like a great idea being funded poorly presenting bad results or less good results. I would love to hear more specific recommendations of the food to eat like the recipes presented here.Do you really think that Adventist hospitals are any different than any other hospital? They are not. Nor are too many of the Doctors different than any other AMA doctor.Thank you, I have made an error. Adventist doctors are not different than any other. They have found that people who believe in G-d live longer than people who do not, people who go to Church live longer than those who do not, and people who pray live longer than those who do not. It is possible that doctors who believe in G-d and are involved in religious activity are more successful than those who are not. Forty percent of American hospitals or more are affiliated with a Church, and one would ask if they are more successful then other hospitals. Being in larger social webs can be better for you, as can being in social webs that involve prayer and meditation. I am glad I am here, as a web of vegans, being here probably will increase my lifespan and improve my health more than other club. I am glad you are here too.It’s not punishment if you enjoy it.Like bicycling, when you are really good at it you are miserableNutritionfacts.org offers aggressive help to those facing chronic illness by way of dietary intervention and offers hope to those who believe modern medicine is not effective in instances of illness. This website offers some specific help on lowering blood pressure with some foods including beets, hibiscus tea, seaweed, grapefruit, beans, brazil nuts, and eating whole grains. I have found that eliminating coffee or any caffeine in the diet can lower blood pressure and heart rate by 20 percent all by itself. Switching coffee to Hibiscus tea and drinking decaf green tea can lower your blood pressure quite a bit. However, caffeine has some health benefits and can help with the heart. Matcha tea is not available without caffeine and caffeine free green tea may have half the antioxidants. The traditional treatment for high blood pressure is a diuretic, a water pill, a pill that makes you pee. Drinking 8 cups of water a day or more can really improve your blood pressure. Meditation and regular exercise is extremely useful. Some people train to have low pressure, like fighter pilots and snipers. Their techniques can include thinking of a beautiful loved one or saying or doing something exciting to a peer. People with tourettes seem to have clear memories and less blood pressure, perhaps because they are dealing with anxiety and nervousness and sating the right kinds of ill words can help calm the mind. We could study them for heart health. These techniques are similar to those used to beat a lie detector test, and can be adapted for long life. Beans, nuts, and dark chocolate all is very good for heart health, and your site says that beets, seaweed, hibiscus tea, grapefruit, beans, brazil nuts, and whole grain can help lower the blood pressure. I think the all rice and fruit diet is missing whole grain, mineral nutrition, and the antioxidant rich superfruits Dr. Greger speaks so highly off, like apples and golden raisins and alma berries and blueberries. Violence is not a good strategy to help people stick to a fast and varied diets with many meals are more effective than actual sacrifice.Consumer reports latest issue seems to be trying to scare everyone about rice consumption. I would like to see something addressing the allegations in Consumer Reportd.These are my favorite books for heart disease and health ;Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. The Revolutionary, scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure by Caldwell B. Esselstyn; Your Body’s Many Cries for Water Paperback – November 1, 2008by F. Batmanghelidj (Author), M.D. (Author) ;The Vitamin D Solution: A 3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Health Problems Paperback – February 22, 2011by Michael F. Holick (Author), Andrew Weil (ForewordHi, my name is Liad, I’m a medical student, and I am following your site a lot.For the last 6 years I have been taking 1mg of finasteride every day as a treatment for men hair loss. The drug had a good effect on my hair, and I didn’t suffer any side effect yet (like fertility damage), but there are more frightening side effect like a higher risk of prostate and breast cancer (and it also costs 75 dollars a month), so I think to stop taking the drug.In the last year I am vegan, and keeping a healthy diet and a moderate exercise. I would like to know if there is any evidence that a healthier life style may improve men hair loss.Thank you!Go grain fee and soy free. White sugar free. Give it a try. And no cooked nuts seeds or heated oils. No fried food.eating rice , wheat , bread , pasta (high cab-diet ) will make you insulin resistant ! then you get type two diabetes and more heart disease and fat !Mikke, your statement is absolutely incorrect. And it’s puzzling that in another comment you list Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn as one of your favorite authors since the diet prescribed in “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” is a high carbohydrate diet.“[…] whole-grain or traditionally processed cereals and legumes has been associated with improved glycemic control in both diabetic and insulin-resistant individuals. Long-term cohort studies have indicated that whole-grain consumption reduces the risk of both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease” http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/78/3/610S“In an analysis controlling for medication changes, a low-fat vegan diet appeared to improve glycemia and plasma lipids more than did conventional diabetes diet recommendations.” http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/5/1588S.full“Both a low-fat vegan diet and a diet based on ADA guidelines improved glycemic and lipid control in type 2 diabetic patients. These improvements were greater with a low-fat vegan diet.” http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/29/8/1777.abstractNote that a low-fat vegan diet => a high carbohydrate dietI can vouch for that! :)It would probably have worked even better with whole rice!Great point. You can get whole grain parboiled rice in Minute Rice form or from Uncle Ben’s. It’s more expensive but healthier. White rice can increase your risk of diabetes, whole grain rice can reduce it.This diet, the Duke diet, was featured in Sixty minutes and is still being practiced there today. They sell people confinement to eat rice and fruit and make them walk or pace. I think this is an unfortunate practice. A rehab for the overweight. Your website has shown that the only people who meet basic weight and blood pressure standards are vegans. The Duke program forces people to be vegans, knowing this efficacy. Knowing the promise of beans, nuts, matcha or green tea, dark chocolate, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, I think anyone can get better in their own time. What is unfortunate is I think they are selling Veganism to people who may be overweight as a side effect of their medications, like Zypreza, Haldol, or Prozac. I admire some cultures for how they handle with nervousness and the mixed desire to pace or sit, eat or drink, store water or metabolize. I think eating several small meals a day when hungry and drinking tea (knowing that water, caffeine, and activity are the number one cause of and treatment for anxiety), and being on your feet an hour a day are very healthy ways to live. Dr. Greger has presented data than any animal product is less healthy than a lifelong vegan diet, noting his regret at eating meat long ago. Eating less meat and less animal fat is a great strategy for intervention. Eating lots of the best foods (lemons, cranberries, apples, broccall, beets, kale, spinach, carrots, garlic, onions, matcha, white tea with lemon, hibiscus tea, chamomille tea, tumeric with pepper, cloves, oregano, ginger, rosemary walnuts, pecans, peanuts, beans, seaweed, whole grains, mushrooms, amla, rosehips, ground flaxseed) should present an immediate intervention in helping the body, not abstaining by taking a pill and hoping the body will miss something. Some times blocking a biological pathway can make overcompensation by other pathways more harmful, as many pills do. How do you recommend compliance on a vegan diet? I think more nuts and beans and dark chocolate would make people more satisfied, not less.A question for someone. I noticed chloride was mentioned early in this video. I buy no salt added canned beans quite often, and a lot of them are canned in a calcium chloride “sauce.” Is this liquid okay to consume?Never ingest the liquid inside of canned beans. Rinse this chemical laden sauce out. Even the BPA free cans are lined with chemicals. Who is to says they are safe chemicals that humans should be drinking, eating, consuming. These chemicals are not food. Rinse beans twice.Better yet, cook ‘em yourself. It’s not difficult. Just soak a bunch of different kinds in a pot of water overnight. The next day rinse the water, and boil ‘em up the old-fashioned way. Sure, it takes a few hours out of your life, but you can work it out somehow. After they’re nice and softish, put 1/2 cup or so in glass jars and freeze ‘em. Set aside the 1/2 cup or more you plan to eat that day. Easy peasy….and a lot cheaper too.I grew up around the corner from Duke–and knew lots of people who went there for the rice diet. Problem was: They had to keep coming back. Once they went home, they put the pounds back on again. Glad to hear that the Duke folks finally put vegetables on the menu! White rice and fruit are not sustainable–and white rice is no nutritional prima donna.Great diets as you suggest are sustainable. I went to the rice diet website, and, opposed to what I said below, they have closed according to their website. http://www.ricedietprogram.com/ According to both wikipedia and webmd the program is very much like the USDA food pyramid. With 6-11 servings of grain, 5 servings of fruit, 5 servings of vegetables, and a 2-3 servings of beans and maybe some lean meat. I think if you had gone to the clinic they would have put you on a restricted diet of 800-1,200 with only rice and fruit. Is forced starvation, knowing the benefits of veganism, an effective treatment? I think selling people anorexia is bad for health, as evidenced by your comment that they had to keep coming back. Perhaps the ideal diet would be whole grains, super fruits, super vegetables, beans, and a very restricted approach to cholesterol and only plant saturated fats from nuts and cocoa, known to be good for the heart. I used to be on a very strict diet, but I would wake up screaming with hunger and walk into my fridge. I found caffeine helped me with that. I was overweight compared to how much I felt I ate. Fenugreek is helping me with that, making me lose weight. I like this site, they tell me to add foods for health, not remove them.Yes, I like this site too! Dr. Greger and his team are first rate. I’m a health journalist and cancer survivor and try to tweak the recommendations here in order to follow an “anti-cancer” diet. For example, I’m practicing the pre-cautionary principle and avoiding peanuts now because of a new study in animal models showing they promote metastasis. There are a couple of other foods that may be similarly suspect. https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/breaking-anti-cancer-news-ditch-the-peanuts-and-spread-the-word/Great health journalists like you want to get the story out so people can make an informed decision as early as possible. Dr. Greger has a site about people who clean up their diets after they get diagnosed and the efficacy of this plan. http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/ It seems broccoli can increase your chances of surviving cancer by four fold. This site says the best anticancer vegetable is garlic or other onion crop followed by broccoli or other cruciferous mustard crop, beets, kale, and spinach are also helpful. He says the best anticancer fruit is lemons and cranberries (even in small amounts) followed by apples, black raspberries are very effective at preventing colon cancer. He says the best anti cancer nut is pecans and walnuts, followed by peanuts, which you say here cause cancer. He says the best anticancer spice is cloves, tumeric, ginger, and rosemary. He alludes that the best anti cancer tea is chamomille, hibiscus, dandelion white tea with lemon, matcha, and green tea. There are other foods that can help reduce cancer, like carrots and tomatoes. Berries are very anti-cancerous, as are beans, particularly black beans or lentils. Some surprising all stars in cancer prevention are mushrooms (the white button varitety), nori seaweed, soybeans, flax seed and green tea. He has shown that strawberries can effectively treat throat cancer. I have long thought that prevention is the best medicine and if it prevents the disease, it could treat it. Many cancer doctors are offended that treatments to cancer will almost assuredly cause more cancer down the road, as that is their method of efficacy, DNA damage. I was hoping to find medicines that work in the opposite manner. This site helps. Thank you, and praise for your mission to empower people to treat and prevent cancer. Are you making a news story on how to beat cancer?I write articles on diet and cancer for Zester Daily, Huff Post and my own blog–and will be publishing a guidebook (with recipes) soon. I should clarify: I did not mean to imply that peanuts actually cause cancer; the study focused on their ability to spread cancer cells once the cancer cells are in your blood. While white button mushrooms can inhibit aromatase (good!), they also contain a type of lectin similar to peanuts. Peanut lectins survive cooking and digestion; the lectins in the ‘shrooms may more likely be destroyed by cooking. Ah, there’s so much we do know and so much we don’t know, and in the face of imperfect evidence, I strive to help people make good decisions. Love those broccoli sprouts! http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/how-to-prepare-broccoli-to-fight-cancer/I think your book is a great idea for cancer patients and doctors alike. Although suppressing a disease is a bad policy, the fact remains that most people still do wait for cancer to make a change and that is what medicine is. Your book could clarify what to do. I wish your book well and hope that you tell people, garlic, garlic, garlic. Beets, broccoli, spinach, carrots, and tomatoes have lots of health effects. I like that you are writing a book that says, “I have cancer. Here’s what I can do from my kitchen,” a guidebook for the last resort which is what many people do. Dr. Greger should definitely get credit for this site and showing that if you stop eating meat and get exercise you can greatly improve your chances of survival. Plants have many adaptagenic (stress responsive) properties and can aid the body in chemo or in the damage caused by cancer. There are some foods that stop cell growth, like chamomile and garlic, stop creating veins for the cancer, like Strawberries, that tell the body to stop feeding the cancer, like oranges or orange juice (I think), tell the body to remove the cancer like whole grains (I think), or that say to hunt cancer like tea (I think). There was a House episode were someone was eating a breakfast knowing he had cancer. It was orange juice, whole grain rice, and some other fruits and vegetables. I think the man who asked about the food thought it was unpleasant even knowing that it could save the life of a cancer patient. Perhaps with recipes and attitude changes this could be normal and part of a healthy lifestyle. It’s what the government recommends! Those foods are filled with RNA and uracil, which mimics the DNA molecule Thymine, and possibly causes cancer to abort when it steals food from the body to divide, I surmise.Thanks, Matthew. Actually, the book focuses on prevention and also offers suggestions for what to do if you have cancer. Usually, the two strategies coincide. Sometimes they don’t. If you have cancer, for example, most sea vegetables would not be a good choice. They contain lots of iodine–and currently studies show that people with cancer and low thyroid function have better outcomes than people with cancer and full thyroid function.Is anyone else out there interested in having a discussion specifically about plant-based diets and cancer? https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/chat-with-others/If your interested in cancer prevention, this is a great site! I have found that eating tomatoes and soy twice a week can restrict your risk of getting most cancers (with broccoli, watermelon, beets, garlic, and flax seed as side kicks). Also, six cups of coffee a day and a serving of beans would dramatically reduce your risk of colon cancer, a surprising killer (with black raspberries, sunflower seeds. strawberries, and billberries all being sidekicks), Thank you, Matthew.Dr. Greger knows alot about nutrition– Economics and history, well not so much…My mother at 92, has kidney failure resulting from diabetes and has been on dialysis for a year. Doesn’t seem to be any way to follow a plant-based diet in terms of potassium and phosphorus restriction and an increased need for protein. The WFPB medical advocates are silent on this. Dietitians are vehemently against. Stuck on a diet of cream of rice, chicken and blueberries :-(For Diabetes, Dr. Greger’s site has recommended hibiscus tea, cinnamon, flax seed meal, amla, and beans, Hibiscus tea regulates blood sugar, and cinnamon is effective at one teaspoon full a day although it has some toxicity, flax seed meal lowers blood sugar, as does Amla, which was found as effective as the leading drug, beans lower blood spikes. The blueberries should already be helpful so don’t stop those. Some people have noted that treatments for dementia like Zypreza or Haldol raise blood sugar. I hope your mother won’t slip through the cracks, it sounds like she is missed and needed!!Thanks for the guidance. Unfortunately, once one is on dialysis, most of the veggies that prevent kidney failure are now severely restricted. Machines can’t get rid of potassium from the blood so beans and peas, for instance, are not allowed.Your mothers life is ending, maybe you should start accepting that and have a discussion with her about what is going to happen. Maybe you can both still take away some nice moments from a few of those talks, good memories you can carry with you for the rest of your own life. Best of luck.Yes. We all do. The hope is for her to be as healthy as possible while alive. The research shows those on a plant-based diet while on dialysis fair better than those who eat inflammatory animal products. As usual, the renal dietitians seem clueless.In 1959, after I had been diagnosed with Type I diabetes, my parents and I drove from Maryland to Duke to meet with Dr. Kempner and learn about the Rice Diet. I remember him telling us I had to eat salt free bread, but as a consolation, I could eat an extra apple per day! I have no memory of him, just the fact that I had to eat tasteless bread, though I think that didn’t last long. My doctor at home, Dr. Sugar (yes, that was his real name) must have said I could have my salty bread back.MSR: I’m curious. Did you feel that Dr. Kempner’s diet helped you?re: Dr. Sugar. Too funny!I was only nine and am now 65 so I really can’t remember. I don’t think I actually stuck to it very long, and rather just ate what we normally ate, minus anything with sugar in it, which wasn’t a very big part of the food in my house to begin with. We ate fruits, vegetables, grains, bread, cheese, nuts, minimal meat, milk, lots of salads – actually pretty good for back then. My mother never fried anything and we ate very little in the way of processed foods so I didn’t have to change much of what I was used to other than cut out the sugary things. As time has gone by I have changed to an even healthier diet – no milk, very little cheese, even less meat (only chicken or fish occasionally), very little bread, beans, lots of fruits and vegetables. Having diabetes so young made me aware of the effects of food on health and has influenced the way I have eaten almost all my life. Yes, Dr. Sugar if funny. I have an even better one. I had Legionnaire’s disease in 1978 and nearly died. My doctor then was Jeff Life! True story.MSR: Thanks for your reply. Wow, you sure have had the jackpot on fun Dr. names.“The Kempner diet[2] was tasteless, unappetizing, monotonous, and insipid. Very few patients were able to tolerate it for significant periods. It consisted of boiled or steamed rice in plain water with no salt, and of fruit (except nuts, dates, avocados, and dried or canned fruit). Water and fluids were restricted. Even among the very few who could tolerate this diet, the reductions in blood pressure were of doubtful significance and probably did not exceed the random spontaneous variations in blood pressure.[3] The only other alternative to the Kempner diet was a bilateral lumbar sympathectomy, a major procedure during that period, and one that was limited to only the relatively young and fit.”http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/421419I wonder why the kempner diet excluded dates?I think I should get a whip for my family.“Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still.” It’s not easy watching loved ones and friends poison themselves. I know. Lead by example and spread the good sources of information is about all one can actually (legally) do. NamasteAmazing. My grandfather died of long-term heart disease. If only he knew of this miraculous way of healing his health. Many blessings to you!A plant-based diet isn’t enough for health and longevity. After all, a diet of potato chips and beer, while plant-based would be very unhealthy.You are correct. Whole-food, plant-based is what is advocated here (WFPB). It is advocated because of the fantastic results and that the science supports it. Please read around and look at a few more videos. It’ll come clear to you. Bests.Changing to WFPB is SOOOOOO much easier than quitting nicotine. Quitting nicotine drives you crazy with frustration and craving and anger and moodiness for weeks or more and then months later, you DREAM of getting your nicotine (I did this twice). Contrast when I stopped eating animal foods on a daily basis*, which only took 48 hours before i began to feel better. And no cravings. No dreams. *I still may have game or fish (both procured and processed by me), but I find myself wanting to “cheat” to be less and less frequently. Not missing it or the exposure or the bad direct effects. I eat 4 times per day, never hungry-never count, and am still losing fat.	blood pressure,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,chronic diseases,diabetes,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Dr. Walter Kempner,eye disease,eye health,fat,fruit,grains,heart disease,heart failure,heart health,hypertension,kidney failure,kidney health,lifespan,longevity,low-carb diets,mortality,plant-based diets,protein,rice,salt,smoking,stroke,vegetables,vision	Dr. Walter Kempner was a pioneer in the use of diet to treat life-threatening chronic disease, utilizing a diet of mostly rice and fruit to cure malignant hypertension and reverse heart and kidney failure.	For those unfamiliar with Dr. Esselstyn’s work, check out:Kempner was a lifestyle medicine pioneer. What’s lifestyle medicine? See, for example:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-caldwell-esselstyn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-carb-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-walter-kempner/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4908628,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10946450,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25001270,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14906133,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14771097,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24996514,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15393016,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4595397,
PLAIN-2513	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/	Back in Circulation: Sciatica and Cholesterol	Low back pain became one of the biggest problems for public health systems in the western world during the second half of the 20th century. The lifetime prevalence of low back pain is reported to be as high as 84%, and chronic low back pain is about 1 in 5, with 1 in 10 being disabled. It’s an epidemic. Are people just lifting more heavy stuff? No. Mechanical factors, such as lifting and carrying, probably do not have a major role in this disease. Well then what causes it? I’ve touched on it before, atherosclerosis can obstruct the arteries that feed the spine and this diminished blood flow can result in the various back problems. This can be seen on angiography, showing normal arteries on the left and clogged on the right, or on autopsy, where you can see the openings to the spinal arteries can get squeezed shut by these cholesterol filled plaques.Autopsy, because back pain may predict fatal heart disease, just like clogs in the penile arteries—erectile dysfunction, can precede heart attacks, because it’s the same disease, we build up plaques throughout our entire vascular system.Now we have MRI imaging, that can show the occlusion of spinal arteries in people with back pain, and the degeneration of the discs. Normal blood flow in someone without back pain, versus constricted blood flow in someone with. They showed that patients with long-term lower back pain had these kinds of occlusions, and those with high cholesterol appeared to suffer with more severe symptoms. Those with narrowed arteries appear about 8 and a half times more likely to have suffered from chronic back pain.This makes sense. The discs in our lower back are the largest avascular tissue in the body, meaning our discs don’t have any blood vessels. Thus, its nutrition just kind of diffuses in from the margins, making it especially vulnerable to deprivation. Using MRIs you can measure the effects of impaired blood flow on that diffusion, and see how this can turn into that. Although disc degeneration has multiple causal factors, with genetic, occupational, and mechanical influences, alteration in nutrition has been proposed as the final common pathway. By age 49, 97% of the discs of those eating the standard American diet show at least grade 2 degradation.Cholesterol plaques in the wall of the aorta obliterate the orifices of lumbar and middle sacral arteries and may decrease blood supply of the lumbar spine and its surrounding structures. Structures with precarious nutrient supply, such as the intervertebral discs, may suffer and gradually degenerate, as well as herniate. Not only is there a relationship between cholesterol levels and disc degeneration there’s an association between cholesterol levels and disc herniation.This compromised blood flow may also damage the nerve roots that come off the spine, causing sciatica. Sciatica is back pain that radiates down the legs, causing additional pain, numbness or weakness, and prolonged disability and may affect as many as 1 in 20 people. And independent of weight, and some other factors, clinical sciatica may be associated with cholesterol as well. See, the nerve roots, which are most commonly associated with sciatic pain, are supplied by some of the arteries most vulnerable to atherosclerotic plaque formation. Obliteration of these arteries by cholesterol buildup results in compromised nutrient supply to the nerve itself. And that lack of oxygen to the nerve may be playing a role in sciatica pain.Reduced blood flow also hampers the removal of waste products, such as lactic acid, which can in turn irritate the nerve endings, causing pain and deterioration.Because of this vulnerability, discs degenerate far earlier than do other musculoskeletal tissues; the first unequivocal findings of degeneration in the discs of the lower spines are seen starting around age 11. By the early teen years you can already see the disks starting to deteriorate.This makes sense. As I’ve talked about, nearly all kids have the beginnings of atherosclerosis by age 10.And sadly, low back pain is now common in children and adolescents, and it is becoming a public health concern. And it’s getting worse. It’s like kids now getting disorders like adult-onset diabetes. Teenagers starting their lives out with a chronic disease. That’s why it’s never too early to start eating healthier.	Oh this is such a cool and vital video. One of my my all time favorites. Thought provoking and far reaching in what it speaks (IMHO). The ED science you have published was on par with this as well.We are made of tubes.And when these tubes start to close we’re gonna have big problems.It seems to me that a man’s life on a SAD diet and similar is nothing else that a story of tubes that slowly closed up ’till the point of no return.:-(Can’t agree more!Oh me too! I mean the connections (once realized) seem so obvious!And the best way to restore tubes fonction is to eat tubers and plants ! ;)Oh yes ! I have a dream: that one day the first line therapy for a vast amount of diseases will be diets.I hope that Dr Ornish and others could find more evidence about WFPB diet applied to cancer.No more pills, but veggiesThough, the real problem is not in red tubes but in yellow ones. I mean the blood just supplies our cells.. but they poop into the lymph. And when the “sewer” gets backed up. Well, that’s a sh*tty situation. The tissue around that blockage degenerates, the popular expression is ” gets sick”. The type of disease depends on which tissue is affected. There is more reasearch to be done (as always) but a huge part of reasearch is already done – on glymphatic system, a lymph system of the nerve system.A big discovery is that there is a big player among all acid waste in lymph. It is a protein. Apparently it does great damage to the body, especially to the kidneys. The kidneys seem to filter and pull the lymphatic waste out of the body. (i think that is not in these references)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glymphatic_system http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/labs/nedergaard-lab/projects/glymphatic_systemI think the red ones (talking about atherosclerosis) are the principal actors here damaged by the inflammatory process that affects the intima layer ’caused by many mechanism but surely with a pivotal role for LDLs.Anyway i will check you sources in future.On kidneys: “”… the weight of the kidneys in these rats increased by 22%, the capillaries filtering blood to the kidneys increased in size by 13%, and the collagen around the capillaries by 32%.” “Eating large amounts of fruit and vegetables reduces the risk of kidney stones forming,” advises Dr. Aparicio. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/271663.php“However, proteins from the blood can leak into the urine when the filters of the kidney, called glomeruli, are damaged.” “People with diabetes, hypertension, or certain family backgrounds are at risk for proteinuria. (People on high protein diet.)” http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/KUDISEASES/pubs/proteinuria/index.aspxAll those findings indicate that kidneys are a filtering system in our body (nothing new here) and the protein (that damages our tissues, provokes inflamation, ect.) hurts them. If we put all that together – the lymph system has to pull all excess protein out of the body, except the kidneys cant handle the load of a SAD. The result is kidneys wont filter waste anymore. Beacause they cant.“Regression analysis showed an association between increased consumption of animal protein and a decline in renal function suggesting that high total protein intake may accelerate renal disease leading to a progressive loss of renal capacity. (In people with pre-existing renal condition.)” There is still lack of evidence for pepople with normal renal function. But disease doesnt come from thin air, there is a progress from a healthy kidney to a total failure. On mice those changes are easily detectable. There was a study on overweight people with supposedly healthy kidneys: “In this study, 65 overweight, but otherwise healthy, subjects adhered to a low or high protein diet for six months. In the high protein group, both kidney size and GFR were significantly increased from that measured at baseline.” http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/2/1/25Researchers conclude with “not enough evidence”, i disagree with that. Evidence is there it just hasnt been put togheter correctly.My conclusion – high protein diet is as bad as high fat diet. Kidneys appear to filter lymph system as well as the blood, we dont know for sure. Waste has to come out somewhere.Logically – the body wont put waste in the blood system. If acid waste was put into the bood stream it would radically change its pH. Therefore waste is put into the lymph (as shown in Rochester reasearch and HERE (http://www.alzforum.org/news/conference-coverage/glymphatic-flow-sleep-microrna-are-frontiers-alzheimers-research)) so kidneys must filter the waste from the lymph or/and it is pulled through the bowels.Before I made the cold turkey switch to a low fat plant based diet 1 and 1/2 years ago I know this was a main prohibiting factor to healing my lower back pain. I had a history of high blood pressure & used to experience multiple heart palpitations during the day due to my overly carnivorous ways. I couldn’t even lie on my left side at night with my heart facing down because I could feel my heart beating harder than normal! 1 and 1/2 years later all of that is history with the help of proper diet, light exercise and inversion therapy I can run again, sleep however I want, and not worry about the onset of a sudden heart attack from my constantly palpitating heart!It is a shame that more people do not focus on diet as part of their recovery efforts! I have had multiple chiropractors agree with my decision to change my diet and they have told me how little their usual patients actually apply themselves in their own recovery or even realize the role that diet plays in their back troubles!Thanks!Thanks for this video Dr. Greger! I’ve had lower back pain before but I haven’t experienced them again after turning vegan. I’m just 25 years old by the way. I have a question though. Is it possible for the damaged disks to repair themselves or is the damage permanent?It is possible for them to repair depending on the issue and the severity. I would advise you find a good chiropractor to help you determine what the root cause of your pain is and also to find out what therapy will work best for you. I use an inversion table and have had excellent short term and long term results (pain goes away after 2 minutes on it) but everyone is different.Great video Dr. Greger! I’ve had lower back pain before but I haven’t experienced them again after turning vegan. I’m just 25 years old by the way. I have a question though. You say the clogs in our arteries can be reversed but can the damage to my spinal disks be reversed or are those permanent?THIS IS INCREDIBLE! My father, and most of his family, as well as my husband’s father, all suffer from chronic back pain. It is something that has been disabling for some. Actually, I used to suffer from it often, but now that I think back, since I became vegan 2 years ago I haven’t had a single bout! AMAZING! Dr. G thank you so much for all your amazing work!same thing happened to meDr. Greger, This video makes me wonder about osteoporosis in the lower lumbar spine too. Do you think this condition would contribute? It seems logical.See here: http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/ See here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/ See here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/THANKS WITH ALL MY HEART!This has been revolutionary for me!!!!! In 1991, I caught a 600 lb patient falling out of bed, couldn’t walk well for the next 3 years until I had what was called the Vermont Fixator Procedure. Post op, I continued to have debilitating back pain. I was an omnivore at the time. My pain levels were so bad, I was unable to work, and was given large amounts of narcotics to control the pain. Well…several years later, yup, I found myself addicted to those narcotics. I went to rehab, stopped all pain meds, and CHANGED MY DIET at the same time. Within 6 months, all my pain was gone. I always attributed the loss of pain to having stopped the narcotics, and am now wondering if the dietary changes (vegan) actually had more to do with it than anything else. That’s my current guess…..I’m now a massage therapist, and tell all my clients who present with low back pain about my experience. One of them has taken the info to heart and has joined the vegan “ranks”!!! Her back pain is much better!!!Thank you for all you do!AMEN!Connie: That’s an amazing story. Good for you for trying to help others too. And good for you for changing your life around.Being vegan,mostly raw foods for several decades didnt stop me from having lower back pain every time I flew long distance,now exercise on an inversion table with two 5k weights;ten minutes a day, havent had the problem since.I am with you on this. The inversion table saved my life! If you don’t take the pressure off discs that have been narrowed then how are you supposed to heal!I have terrible sciatica pain. Mine is literally a pain in my….butt! I don’t have any lower back pain, but it is definitely my sciatica. It starts at my butt and travels down my leg, No numbness or tingling, it just hurts. Sitting makes it worse. Some days are fine and other days it hurts like crazy. I’m 50 and I’ve been whole food, oil-free, plant based for almost ten years. My cholesterol and blood pressure are both very low. I don’t take any medications. I’ve never had a weight problem. I do try and walk five miles a day and that is always on cement sidewalks. Should I be concerned this is somehow related to a plaque buildup?http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/sciatica/what-piriformis-syndrome – check this out when you have a free minute. I had this as a result to nerve issues with my back and your symptoms sound exactly like what I had! I saw a deep tissue massage therapist that was able to release my piriformis muscle from clamping down on my sciatica nerve. Once she did that it was instant release and my butt instantly warmed from blood flow! The piriformis muscle can cut off blood flow to the nerve causing pain and numbness down the leg!Thanks, Mark! I can definitely get behind a deep tissue massage!No problem! When you go just let them know you that you think you may have a piriformis issue because this type of thing is very common but it wont heal unless you work it out (deep tissue). From my personal experience I had to go back a few times each week to keep working it.Oh yea, and it defiantly does not sound like your issue is diet related! This sort of thing can occur as your body’s natural reaction to any kind of physical stress! And I do mean ANY kind!Ditto that Thanks for the link. Reminding me to do my stretches and to ask about pirifomis. I’ve had a bad case of (I thought) sciatica this week and a round of steriods just takes the edge off. I’ve been WFPB low/no oil for 3 years am hoping it is not cholesterol (still haven’t gotten under 200 yet though). I do get monthly massage, but sit a lot when home – on my feet all day teaching.Welcome, glad I could be of help!Try a 3 month period of zero gluten grains and no soy. I’d even suggest going grain free. Eliminate all nightshade fruits and vegetables (goji berries are in this group!). Maybe go raw vegetables and fruits and some seeds and nuts. I know that oats are gluten free gut they caused me worse issues than even wheat and other gluten grains.I am already gluten free. I won’t give up nightshades unless I can’t move. I eat potatoes almost everyday and wouldn’t be happy without them in my life. If I was truly in massive pain, I’d try it, but while this is a literally a PITA, I can deal with it.I don’t recommend giving up nightshades particularly, but sweet potato is much better for you, and not in that family :)Usually the foods we are most reactive to are the ones we think we can’t live without. Are you open to eliminating ALL nightshades for two weeks just to see if and where it makes a difference for you? I developed a reaction to nightshades when I ate an usual number of them during a week when I had a mild stomach virus. My body’s reaction was to retain water. I gained 8 pounds in one week, mostly in my legs. I lost the wait within 3 days once I stopped eating nightshades!Have you had your vitamin-D level checked? Low vitamin-D levels can cause all kinds of intractable health problems when one gets older.Yep! It is fine. Thanks for the suggestion, though.I hope you have good shoes that can soften the impact of walking on concrete. Can you walk in the woods, or on a beach where you live? That might also help. A dirt path is easier on the back than concrete.Nutritionfacts.org has suggested that eating less animal meat is a path to true wellness and ability at any age. For high cholesterol, this site might recommend a vegan diet, a grapefruit, beans, a Brazil nut once a week, a handful of hands most days (almonds), some cocoa or maybe dark chocolate, whole grains (Cherrios or oatmeal), Strawberries, kiwi, red rice, and amla powder or tea. These are powerful ways to lower LDL, and help blood flow. Definitely less smoking, more exercise, a healthier plant based diet, and less haunch could save your life and modulate your pain and health costs.This is truly INCREDIBLE! Thanks for the info, Dr. Greger!I dealt with chronic sciatica for 6 years. Since I switched to a vegan diet 6 month ago (thanks to Mr. Greger) it went away within weeks. After 49 years on a SAD diet I am amazed that my body was able to heal so fast. It is not always easy to stick to a vegan diet, but the benefits are undeniable.It gets easier. I struggled in the first 6 months, after 1 year my mind/senses completely turned off animal products and gave me the ability to resist junk food!I SO respect and appreciate all the information you post – thank you! I have combed the site, and internet for that matter, for information about cold sores and best foods to eat to lessen outbreaks, to no avail. i have only been able to stave off outbreaks by being sensitive to the tingling feeling prior to one erupting, at which point I pop a few Lysine pills for a few days. If I catch it in time it works, but surely there must be certain foods I could be eating daily so I would not have a ….Lysine deficiency?! …or is that not a logical conclusion? Anyway, what could I add to my diet to help lessen outbreaks? I’m a vegan, but overweight by 30 lbs because this is a new way of eating for me.Nancy, I’m not sure if the following video is talking about cold sores, but I thought it might help: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/If eating whole plant foods is new-ish to you and if the above video is talking about the same problem you are talking about, then maybe your problem will disappear after a while simply due to your new diet and the antibodies going away??? (I don’t know if that’s a true or not. I’m not a doctor. I’m just guessing.)Good luck. I hope someone more knowledgeable will also answer you.Thea, I used to get those Apthaus Ulcers once or twice a year (didn’t know what they were until the picture in the video). Very painful for two to three days. I’ve been plant based for over three years and now realize that I haven’t had one of those ulcers since going plant based.Joe: That’s awesome. I hear stories like that all the time: “I went plant based for reasons X and Y. But you know, it actually fixed W and Z, and I had no idea that would happen. I’m really happy about that.” Eating plant based is not a guarantee that anything will be fixed, but it sure does up one’s chances.Thanks for sharing Joe!Here’s my cold sore story. I hope it helps. Pre-vegan: If chicken skin touched my lips, I got cold sores within hours. Post-vegan: I still get them occasionally and I can only tie it to citrus foods and drink. I’m very careful to not let an orange slice or citrus dressing touch my lips as I put it in my mouth. And I drink citrus juices through a straw, if I drink them at all. Also, I make sure I’m not eating too much salt and letting it touch my lips, like salted nuts. My tastes have changed now and I don’t like such salty things. If I do feel the tingle, I instantly put Blistex medicated ointment on the area and it doesn’t break out.Even as a vegan, I had to eliminate all grains — especially rice and gluten grains and corn —in order to prevent cold sores from occurring. I still eats pecans and macadamias and some pumpkin seeds (all raw seeds and nuts, never heated or roasted!) and have no problems with cold sores. I also avoid the high omega 3 seeds like flax and chia. But both brown and white rice, all the rices and most other grains – – – – triggers the cold sores. I’d forgo the soy bean and all its products, just to be safe.I’ve had chronic back pain for 17 years. It started when I was 13 and progressively got worse ever since it started. Doctors said it was a weight problem (I was overweight), but no one would tell me how to lose weight. “Diet and exercise” isn’t helpful without additional details. I eventually figured it out myself and lost the weight years later. I’ve been 165lbs for 6 years which is healthy considering that I’m 6′ tall, but my back pain kept getting worse. Doctors suggested pain management (drugs) but I refuse to take pills for “comfort,” but I do take B12!Although US medical practitioners did convince me that losing weight was important, I would still consider my case to be a complete failure. I essentially gave up and continued living with a progressively worsening lower back. Tried yoga, weight lifting, stretching, surfing, rock climbing, and switched to a very firm mattress but nothing helped prevent mornings of excruciating pain. I went vegetarian 2 years ago but that didn’t help either. If anything, my back pain got noticeably worse, as did my cholesterol thanks to cheese and oil.Finally, I discovered this website about 3 months ago, watched every single video (nearly 1,000 of them) and went 100% whole food plant-based, very low / borderline-no oil, salt, etc. Every vital stat has *dramatically* improved. My back pain still persists at some points throughout the day but I have become much more functional and often wake up pain free. I was even able to return to yoga over the past few weeks and continue to practice every day. I feel as though my back is finally healing itself, often accompanied with a subtle sensation of warmth.Dr. Greger, “thanks” is an understatement.A powerful story, thanks for sharing! Watching all of the videos is truly a noteworthy feat in itself. I have seen every video too but I have been here a lot longer then 3 months. Having all this information available to us for free is incredible.I pray it stays free!I’m sure every tax deductible dollar that we send goes a long way, even if it just convinces more powerful donors to contribute. I’ve also offered engineering time to help maintain the website. There’s few resources as valuable as this one for me and my family.It is incredible and extremely valuable, and for that reason staff guys like you should help keeping it credible by proof reading upcoming video transcripts.There have been a number of video’s in the past year I was here that were either wrong, pushing things as fact that were at most plausible or not even that. It would be a shame if that were to backfire and have Dr. G end up in court of discredited.Arjan, which videos in particular do you take issue with?PCB’s in fish oil supplements being responsible for the IQ difference, and the graph in one of the Alzheimer’s rapidly pulling itself to the front of the pack as cause of death. Those two I really had trouble with and come to mind straight away.First topic, concluding and claiming PCB load in fish oil being responsible for the difference in developmental IQ vs breast milk while breast milk carries a load 192 times higher than the fish oil is just ridiculous. In fact the fish oil 50 ng number compared favorably vs tap water acceptable numbers if I remember correctly.On Alzheimer’s, there have been graphs presented seemingly showing an alarming increase in Alzheimer’s numbers, conveniently forgetting the post education knowledge updating campaign on the subject. Off course this will result in higher numbers of reported cases. A scientist cannot seriously assume that an illness did not exist before we discovered it. That same type of mistake was commented on and subsequently ignored, which is even worse BTW, by explaining a bump in the line cause by a redefinition of the disease and then filing it under “a rise in true numbers” instead of previously missed diagnoses.And again on the topic of Alzheimer’s an average rise in mean age of death of 6 years was not taking into account in explaining the rise. All in all when all the diagnoses problems, awareness re-education and higher average age per 100.000 gets factored in you get an extremely flat line and maybe a very modest rise in actual numbers. Certainly not warranting words as alarming rise, epidemic proportions, fast becoming something it wasn’t before. Completely irresponsible in the way it might upset people terribly and could even trigger panicky avoidance of who knows what.Then with all this alarm bell ringing you look for ways to help prevent this and to end up with saffron among other things. And you see no follow ups on those promising saffron studies done in Iran, Iran the producer of 95% of all the worlds saffron. With those Iranian results researchers should be jumping on saffron if only to safe their own grandparents and parents.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/The same graph in this clip was used in a video this year, but for the life of me I can’t remember which one (not a joke).I clearly commented on this one which I only now notice is older, I though I commented on the newer one, my bad. I’ve slept only a few hours last night, I’ll try to find the more recent overselling of Alzheimer’s as an emerging threat tomorrow. My apologies for having to cut it short for this evening but my mind is shutting down. Regards.GREAT! It took me just over a year to be back pain free on a WFPB diet! Stick with it and you will not be sorry! I too am grateful to Dr. Greger for putting out the science that explains why I feel so much better on a day to day basis compared to my many yeas on the SAD diet!“I went vegetarian 2 years ago but that didn’t help either. If anything, my back pain got noticeably worse, as did my cholesterol thanks to cheese and oil.”Interesting. Two gals I know are dairy eaters and both have miserable pain not only in their back but also leg joints, etc. I keep urging them to just chuck the yogurt for a few weeks and see what happens. Nope, they’re too hooked. You can lead a horse to water…….I was also eating about 8 eggs a week and making smoothies with yogurt. I’m sure it was all contributing in some form or another. Dropping eggs and all milk derived products makes a big difference right away. My wife’s total cholesterol dropped from 215 to 156 just 3 weeks after switching to whole plant foods, and she’s been vegetarian for 15 years.Thanks Dr.Greger. I’m 48 years old with chronic lower back pain for more than 15years. At this stage of my life I’m disabled with 6 surgery including a spinal Cord stimulator. I’m in pain 24’7 to the point that some times I just give up and want to end my suffering. Can you give me some advice.?Read PREVENT & Reverse Heart Disease By Dr Esselstyn and follow the plant based low fat diet and it will help your back problems. I t has a lot of recipes to get you started. Good luck.Yes. This is fantastic information and I am living it. Since I have gone SOS and plant-based I have improved my degenerative back disease and feel improvement in my lower back health. I have had two back surgeries and I think this life style change is the only answer to my lower back degeneration. Once again thank you for giving me the tools to improve my health and quality of life.I’ll ‘back’ you up on this data! ;)Pain in the back is the most common presenting complaint in my patients. It is also the single biggest reason that patients are on Opiates (Morphine) or Semi-synthetic Opiates (eg. Norco or Vicoden).And the only thing that I have seen that consistently helps recover these patients is eating a whole food, low fat, plant based diet.AMEN sir! Now all this great country needs is more Doctors that get it!I always thought a sedentary life style is a major cause of lower back pain.I had severe lower back pain to such extent that my Boss did not allow me to continue working & sent me home (I was bent to one side). I saw a neurologist and he want MRIs and said I may need surgery and suggested I rest in bed for a week. But it got much worse and I then went to a chiropractor who straightened my back and said exactly the opposite, that I should not rest, but instead do exercise and go back to work. Within a week I was normal. Since I became vegan and swim, I have lost 40# and have no physical aches.Dr Greger, I wasn’t sure where to post this question, but here goes :) Is there scientific research to support the wearing of long sleeves and long pants all year round? I have heard that the heart and other internal organs can become overworked if the limbs and extremities remain uncovered. Is this the case in temperatures above say 25*C? Supposedly the heat gets trapped under the clothing and therefore the limbs are chilled and the torso over heated. I can see this could be true in the colder seasons, but how about in Spring and Summer? I believe the theory behind completely covering the body is to create and maintain a perfect circulation.Many thanks.Drinking 7-10 glasses of green tea is recommended. It can extend your life ten years. The skin needs to breath so be sure you allow some of your skin to breath. Even your intestines need to have exposure to air. There are strange reports of performers dying of skin poisoning when their bodies are completely painted and men dying from leaving opiom suppositories in too long. I hope you feed your mitochondria with a nice B vitamin, as I would like to do.thanks so much!	adolescence,angiography,back pain,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,children,cholesterol,chronic diseases,erectile dysfunction,heart disease,heart health,lactic acid,lower back pain,nerve health,pain,sciatica,standard American diet	Atherosclerotic plaque clogging the arteries feeding our spine may lead to low back pain, disc degeneration, and sciatic nerve irritation.	There’s a condensed version of this in my live disability presentation From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food. I’m glad I’m finally able to lay out the entire thing.I noted how it was like impotence as a predictor of an early demise—here’s the video: Survival of the Firmest: Erectile Dysfunction and Death.The beginnings of heart disease by age 10? Sad but true: Heart Disease Starts in Childhood.Thankfully, the clogs in our arteries can be reversed! See, for example:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lactic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sciatica/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angiography/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2541802/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23351394,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9389219,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11719678,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12461389,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17825307,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3406837,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19328027,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15454707,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC165040/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21387192,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15564919,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21982256,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17260394,
PLAIN-2514	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/	If Fructose is Bad, What About Fruit?	If the fructose in sugar and high fructose corn syrup has been considered alcohol without the buzz in terms of the potential to inflict liver damage, what about the source of natural fructose, fruit?Only industrial, not fruit fructose intake was associated with declining liver function. Same thing with high blood pressure. Fructose from added sugars was associated with hypertension; fructose from natural fruits is not. If you compare the effects of a diet restricting fructose from both added sugars and fruit to one just restricting fructose from added sugars, the diet that kept the fruit did better. People lost more weight with the extra fruit present than if all fructose was restricted.These deleterious effects of fructose were limited to industrial fructose, meaning table sugar and high fructose corn syrup, with no evidence for a negative effect of the fructose in whole fruit. This apparent inconsistency might be explained by the positive effects of other nutrients (e.g., fiber) and antioxidants in fresh fruit.If you have people drink a glass of water with three tablespoons of table sugar in it, which is like a can of soda, this is the big spike in blood sugar you get within the first hour. Our body freaks out and releases so much insulin we actually overshoot, and by the second hour we’re relatively hypoglycemic, dropping our blood sugar below where they were when we started out fasting. In response, our body dumps fat into our blood stream as if we’re starving, because our blood sugars just dropped so suddenly.What if you eat blended berries in addition to the sugar? They have sugars of their own in them, in fact an additional tablespoon of sugar worth, so the blood sugar spike should be worse, right? No, not only no additional blood sugar spike, here’s the critical part, no hypoglycemic dip afterwards. Blood sugar just went up and down without that overshoot, and without the surge of fat into the blood.This difference may be attributed to the semisolid consistency of the berry meals, which may have decreased the rate of stomach emptying compared with just guzzling sugar water. In addition, the soluble fiber in the berries has a gelling effect in our intestines that slows the release of sugars. To test to see if it was the fiber, they repeated the experiment with berry juice that had all the sugar but none of the fiber. As you can see, a clear difference was observed early on in the blood sugar insulin responses. At the 15 minute mark, the blood sugar spike was significantly reduced by the berry meals but not by the juices, but the rest of the beneficial responses were almost the same between the juice and the whole fruit, suggesting that fiber may just be part of it. It turns out there are fruit phytonutrients that inhibit the transportation of sugars through the intestinal wall into our blood stream. Phytonutrients in foods like apples and strawberries can block some of the uptake of sugars by the cells lining our intestines.Adding berries can actually blunt the insulin spike from high glycemic foods. Here’s what white bread does to our insulin levels within 2 hours after eating it. Eat that same white bread with some berries, though and you’re able to blunt the spike. So even though you’ve effectively added more sugars, in the form of berries, there’s less of an insulin spike, which has a variety of potential short and long-term benefits. So if you’re going to make pancakes, make sure they’re blueberry pancakes.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	But what about all those raw vegans who eat, say, 50 bananas in one day? Surely that’s too much of a good thing.Not many people eat that many. I started doing smoothies about 8-9 bananas plus strawberries, fills me for hours and is light on the stomach.Yes it is too much of a good thing. And here’s what happened to him :)I am very offended HemoDynamic! because I celebrate “50 banana day” once a month and do not look close to this. OK, just kidding. this is funny!Joking aside, do you really do one day a month of 50 bananas? Cause that sounds kinda awesome.. once monthly “Monkey Day!”Nooo… never dared till now! :)I’d be concerned about possibility of eventual SIBO, B12 deficiency.He covers B12 in other videos. It’s in lakes & rivers. Though you can’t drink from them now, the point is B12 is not exclusively in animal foods and it’s not part of ‘the natural order’ to eat them. The data shows of three groups 1 Omnivores who don’t supplement B12 2 Vegans who don’t supplement B12 and 3 Everyone that supplements B12 The last group has the highest levels. I have the best video on the topic of going vegan. It’s a light year from the other advice and recipe drivel out there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOW5eljyjmsThank you for your video. One point that I have to make. Animals do not produce B12, only bacteria do. This must be made clear. We all get our B12 from bacteria. Whether in a pill form or a ferment that contains B12 in it. Your video can help millions of people. Certainly everyone can benefit from it.This link is great, but you need to update your link, as he has updated his video! Go to this video to find the new link on it… Thanks :)https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VI6tBwVjyOYCertain fruit phytochemicals reduce the uptake of sugar through the intestinal walls – more fruit means more of the phytochemicals that reduce sugar uptake… bottom line – you can’t really eat too much fruit. I’ve heard for decades that too much sweet fruit makes you fat… I’m eating so much more fruit now specifically for weight loss and it works like a charm, more fruit, more weight loss…50 bananas isn’t good though… because you are missing out on so many other nutrients you need… so the problem with 50 bananas isn’t the sugar but the lack of a balanced diet.Agreed. The whole X bananas is just a marketing thing and is very limiting… there’s way more nutrient dense fruit out there, like berries or pomegranates.Marketing of bananas?? LOLThe “30 Bananas a Day” people.If you are eating for nutrients, berries or pomegranates might be more nutrient dense. But bananas are eaten too for calories (carbs) and it would be hard and expensive to get the same amount of carbs eating berries rather than bananas.No you’re not missing out on a thing. Cite your evidence.I actually have a video coming up called How Much Fruit is Too Much, where they study people eating that much fruit–stay tuned!Same Banana Time, Same Banana Channel! :)Totally psyched for this next video!!!Dr. Greger, This one video has some of the most valuable and interesting information that I have ever seen. There has been much confusion on this topic and this helps to clear it up. Your work and this site are fantastic! I wonder how dried fruit compares to fresh fruit. Does it have the same benefits?Dear AA, I am sure Dr. Greger would say no with some exceptions. Much of the vitamin C is lost in the drying process as are some of the other phytonutrients. Drying is not as bad as juicing, according to him, and the more fruit the better, so apple cider is better than apple juice and unfiltered grape juice (Trader Joes) is better than regular grape juice. He specifically recommends green raisins, dried apple slices, and dried pomegrantes for phytonutrients, and some fruit he recommends are only available dried like goji berries or maybe rosehips. Dried fruit, if it is more accessible as a way to get fruit on the go is a knightly luxury but it is not as healthy. To the FDA, a serving of juice is no longer a serving of fruit. This might hurt fruit consumption but the ease of dried fruit might make it a good source of nutrients if you’re on the go. This site recommends dried superfruit as a source of nutrition. http://www.superfoodsrx.com/superfoods/dried-superfruits/dried-superfruits-overview.html Amazon has a dried fruit mix of cranberries, blueberries, goji berries, raisins, and cherries, and a tropical fruit mix. He said ginger is one of the best spices and dried ginger is now wildly available. However, dried fruit like cherries usually shows up lower and I guess the method he would recommend is buying freeze dried fruit.Can’t wait for this video!Thank you, thank you Dr. Greger! I have been wondering about this topic for a couple of years since I saw Dr. Esselstyn in a lecture, in person, say that we should only eat 3 servings of fruit a day a day because more than than that would probably cause non-alcoholic liver failure. Whew, what a relief! Now there’s more food choices in my diet.I wonder what science Dr. Esselstyn is basing this on? This is a very bold statement of his, if he actually did say it. If I get the chance I will ask him in person, as I just don’t see him throwing around statements like that unless he has seen science to back it up. I hope he is mistaken on the 3 fruits per day max.That’s a total exaggeration. They promote 25-30, if you are a woman or man, and they do that to detox you from bad food. I’ve done it and it’s fabulous. I eat all fruit all day, then a big salad late afternoon, then a cooked vegan carb at night and every day I look more lean.For your consideration, in addition to durian and freelee, This video has lots of new, easy approaches to veganism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOW5eljyjmsSpell check would have SUPER helped the professionalism of this video!!!!You mean for Brussels sprouts?and how about the microwave oven?Simple, easy and straight to the point. Big thanks, I liked it very much.If you train like Durian rider, it’s fine. However, I wouldn’t recommend 50 bananas only because you get a limited nutrient profile. I’d suggest 10 bananas, some kiwi, some mango, some berries, a big salad etc… You get a host of other phytonutrients, you get more amino acids, vitamins, minerals etc…It is very important to know your body. Eliminate processed foods, purchase the best quality food you can afford, and if you feel awful after eating something stop eating it!!! Some bodies can process gluten some bodies cannot. Some bodies can process lactose some bodies cannot. For a body that has trouble processing protein Atkins and other high protein diets are horrific. For a body that has trouble processing carbohydrates, simple and complex, Pritikin and other carb friendly diets wreak similar havoc. I flourish on a vegan diet, my mother tried and was sick all the time. My mother can no more flourish on a 50 bananas a day or other type of carb heavy diet than I can flourish on the Atkin’s or similar high protein diet. There is no one particular eating style that will work perfectly for everyone.Bananas are genetically modified to be sweeter therefore have a higher sugar content.While the fad diet scene has been flooded with dietary approached focusing on one specific food, the key to longevity and successfully adopting lifestyle changes seems to lie in incorporating a variety of whole foods in the diet. A variety of foods is necessary for many reasons, but the video below outlines a great starting place in terms of diversifying our dietary antioxidant profile!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVjTKBw7_Tonope, there are many 811 and fruitarians that live happy healthy lives. Some of them cured seriously chronic illnesses that way. The Boutenko family is one such story They started out just eating bananas because they didn’t know what rawfood really was: http://www.rawfamily.com/about-the-raw-familyBerry interesting!yes ! Lettuce all benefit from this grape new info !I founf out that is not difficult to make pancakes without animal products.The only problem is they are too good.:-)E.g. http://ohsheglows.com/2014/02/25/easy-vegan-and-gluten-free-pancakes-strawberry-shortcake-w-whipped-cream/Anyway i don’t follow a strict recipe.I always know it is sunday because I hear ann grinding the buckwheat in the coffee mill. Top with homemade applesauce. BellaYou know food really change name from language to language.E.g. “Buckwheat” = “Grano saraceno”.I love it, but for now i’m not using it.Need time to make my own cookbook.:-)I can speak for what I know, French.The funniest : vegetables mean “légumes” wich is not the same as legumes wich mean “légumineuses” or “légume sec” literraly dry vegetable wich mean dry “légume”, that make lot of people confused :)What did you eat for lunch ? Lots of légumes with a dry légume soup ! Your soup was dry, what a concept ! What kind of legumes ? It was courgette. What the hell is a courgette ? It’s bikini.. euh zucchini sorry ! Ah.. but it’s not a legume ? Yes it’s a légume ! NO ! It’s a vege-table ! I didn’t knew they used leather or fur to make table now.. Duh.. *knock is head on the wall*LOL !In Italian –> vegetables = verdure; legumes = legumi/leguminose (so no problem); grains = cereali.The problem are spices, or single types of food.E.g. cinnamon = cannella ; ginger = zenzero; cloves = chiodi di garofano; wheat = grano; oats = avena…and so on ad endlessy.XDMerio: I remember being so surprised at how easy and *good* vegan pancakes are! There’s really no reason to use eggs.Thanks for sharing the Oh She Glows recipe. I thought you (or others) would be interested in knowing about cookbook on vegan waffles. If you don’t have a waffle machine, you just make them into pancakes, which is what I do. So far, I really like the recipes I have tried from this book, which includes some nice savory/lunch/dinner ideas: http://www.amazon.com/Global-Vegan-Waffle-Cookbook-gluten-free/dp/0981776434/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418243755&sr=8-1&keywords=vegan+waffle+bookYou’re totally right.And i want to say that i really love the OhSheGlows site, her photos are amazing and i really like her style.Thanks for the link, i think it will be useful in future.Are there any appreciable differences or benefits from sticking to whole fruit versus blended? Are there ANY downsides to blended? (Also, is the “fat dumping” response mentioned here related to possibly higher triglyceride levels from sugars?)Curious about that myself…the blended part (Dr. Greger eats a breakfast smoothie, if I recall) and the part about fat dumping. That sounds like triglycerides to me. Very interesting if fruit doesn’t cause that fat dump, as I have seen elsewhere that it does (not necessary a reputable source, can’t remember).I fix my wife a spinach/banana/blueberry/flax smoothie every morning, and she says it holds her to lunch with no problem. If she stops and eats a McMuffin or something similar, she’s hungry halfway through the morning and often sick on her stomach from the McCrap. (We’re both limiting that sort of thing now, thankfully).Sounds like my default go-to smoothie…Although lately I’m getting pretty crazy with mine: Berries, banana, spinach, kale, swiss chard, watercress, juice of lemon, ginger root, amla, cinnamon, pinch of cloves, rice/pea protein, flaxseed, ice.It’s strong (lemon and ginger), but oh man does it get you going!That sounds good. We’re trying to get back to basics in a lot of ways in my house, so that’s too busy. For instance, my lunch usually consists of cold boiled potatoes (white, yellow, sweet, purple, whatever) and whatever non-starchy veg is handy. Sometimes it’s taters and another smoothie. Since I needed to make some major changes in my lifestyle, simpler was better. Exercise is some push-ups + lots of walking. I also use a standing desk now (aka, a bunch of boxes). My employer is actually purchasing me a desk for that (raises/lowers for sitting and standing), although no treadmill yet! :^)I find that removing complications has allowed me to improve my health dramatically over the last several months. Since the solution is as simple as move more and eat plants, I’ve avoided complexity and have found success.However, since I enjoy sipping on lemon water all day, adding the lemon and/or ginger to the current mix sounds tasty!Lots of steps in the right direction — congrats on the health improvements!Sounds like my default go-to smoothie…Although lately I’m getting pretty crazy with mine: Berries, banana, spinach, kale, swiss chard, watercress, juice of lemon, ginger root, amla, cinnamon, pinch of cloves, rice/pea protein, flaxseed, ice.It’s strong (lemon and ginger), but oh man does it get you going!Good news! Carb the f*** up! as durienrider says on youtube :-)what an amazing info. I was thinking sugar is sugar and hence has to be kept an eye on. While we certainly have to watch out against 50 banana days there clearly there is a big difference between natural and artifical sugars. Just keep adding natural fruits where possible and avoid artifical ones and you will never go wrong!!!What to make of this? http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/12/how-the-unlimited-fruit-myth-can-become-detrimental-to-our-health/If this was true, then why do DATES, which are essentially pure sugar, IMPROVE triglyceride levels?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19681613Eat your fruits, people!PS. None of the sources in that article are about fructose from whole fruit.Yes, I agree to “eat your fruits” and I wasn’t advocating on behalf of the article. I was more pissed off that it even exists.There are better sources of health advice than Marketeers like Virgin and Mercola.true enough, shame on me for reading it, I guess.This is such a COOL information to take! Thanks, Dr. Greger!Dr. Robert Lustig, the author behind the “Fructose: it’s “alcohol without the buzz” article, stated in a recent article to “Eat all the fruit you want.”Even Lustig knows that it’s not the fructose in fruit that’s the problem.A lot of people like to quote out of context.All of it just strengthens the evidence for the benefits of whole foods and not for a single culprit in the refined foods department; be it fat/oil, protein or sugar.http://nutritionstudies.org/fallacious-faulty-foolish-discussion-about-saturated-fat/T. Colin Campbell derides the reductionist approach whenever possible. He is a smart cookie (of course, a whole-food plant-based cookie!).Still need to get and read his new book Whole. Loved The China Study.The book “Whole” is positively one of the most excellent and healthfully-enlightening books I’ve ever read… actually, I listened to it as an audiobook because I don’t enjoy sitting in one place reading books. The audio version lets me do other stuff … like walking, rebounding, treadmill/elliptical at the gym, chores in the house/yard and (hee-hee) tuning out TV while listening to something REALLY good. If you have a subscription to “Audible.com” you can download it and listen to it. Not meaning to promote that website, except to tell you the audio version’s there and it’s great!But not Mercola, I have heard him say many times to limit fruit intake because of the fructose. What an ignorant fool that Mercola.Sorry, Doc, but I have to question here whether it’s the fructose driving the insulin spike and hypoglycemic response, since pure industrial fructose is the lowest substance on the Glycemic Index. Sucrose is half glucose, and HFCS is nearly half glucose. White bread is high GI starch.Very cool about weight loss with the fruit versus no fructose at all.Also of interest is the biochemistry of fructose:http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2013/06/why-fructose-is-not-like-alcohol.html?m=1i think you’re right ’cause insulin respond to glucose and not fructose if i remember correctly.There is two very distinct relations between insulin and fructose:1- Fructose doesn’t need the insulin to enter cells, in opposition to glucose 2- High fructose intake causes insulin to be released by the pancreas and will also lead to insulin resistance in the long term. See the video Sugar: The Bitter Truth by Dr. LustigI have seen Lustig’s talk. Millions have. I am not advocating we throw caution to the wind and consume a Bug Gulp for Breakfast.His talk and subsequent TV and media interviews have been peppered with inaccuracies and confounders. He’s not only been called out on these errors by plant-based proponents but by more moderate voices and even by his alLIED LCHF comrades.(1) Aside from sugary beverages, how is most fructose consumed? With an even bigger dose of highly refined white flour and added oils, many of which are man made transfats. Highly refined grain products make insulin soar even more than the sugar.(2) Most fructose does not get into body cells with or without insulin. IN FACT, fructose is by itself has very little effect on insulin levels. Fructose is in the bottom basement of the Glycemic Index. Most fructose is processed by the liver where it is converted to glucose and lactate plus some VLDL.(3) The obesity epidemic continued to worsen even as sugar consumption decreased.(4) You can easily end up insulin resistant without eating a single molecule of sugar. That’s what has happened to many who follow a severe carb restricted diet.What about dried fruit? What are the health benefits compared to fresh fruit and has the sugar in them become too concentrated that it will be unhealthy?Sugar sure is food for a lot of strawmen. Thanks for lighter, Dr Greger!Instead of trying to combine a bunch of different foods together at one meal, how about making it easier on your digestion system by having only one or two foods at a meal and then a different, and complimentary food, at the next meal. Seems that animals mostly do that?This is great news. I am still wondering about cancer and fruit. I hear about how sugar feeds cancer. I would love to see studies that address how fruit affects cancer. Are there any?JuliaKathleen: I think you will find this video very interesting: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/I think there are some other videos along these lines too, but I don’t have a specific one in mind in order to look it up. The bottom line for me is that I have seen more evidence that fruit – or at least certain fruits – do more good in fighting cancer rather than bad.This video can be of interest ;) Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better? In HealthPerfect. How on earth did I forget that one?!? Thanks Adrien!Yes I’m wondering about cancer and fruit too as I eat much less fruit since I was diagnosedI prefer the videos grouped on the same topic. Thanks for asking.Wondering about smoothies. I tried to do green smoothies every day for a while but stopped because I felt an unhealthy blood sugar spike. Do you think the pureeing of fruits, making the fructose more available, can contribute to this, even if the fiber is still present, because it makes the fructose more easily digestible than a whole fruit? Or maybe it’s that pureeing makes it so that I was eating larger serving sizes of fruit in one sitting than if I were just munching on the whole thing?Hi Lauren. Smoothies are so good! I am glad that you are trying to incorporate this healthy green drink in your daily regime. The symptoms you described could be insulin resistance. It is possible that your diet consists of excess saturated fat, which blocks glucose from entering the cells. See Dr Greger’s video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/As far as fructose goes, I would say that you are on the right track. Fiber does in deed slow the absorption rate, but if you gulp it down all at once, you lose that benefit. When you eat fruit, you chew one bite at a time which is the natural rate in which we were supposed to absorb its nutrition, chewing it, mixing it with our saliva, stimulating stomach juices, etc. When you gulp down your smoothie, you will put all of its content (2 bananas and 2 oranges?) into your system, all at once.What you can do is try to chew smoothie in your mouth, allow your saliva to do some job and take your time to enjoy it. Considering your glucose spike, I would use lower glycemic fruits and look into a whole-food, plant-based diet to reverse insulin resistance and in the future, enjoy your fruit or green fruit smoothie without a problem. I hope this can help you!I think you may be particularly spot on about the fat. I’ve been logging my calories via MyFitnessPal for 130 days now, and my calories are consistently from about 45% fat. Way too much, even if most is plant based! Trying to bring it down but for whatever reason, fat is my downfall. In dressing, sautees, roasting…the more vegetables I try to eat, the more my fat intake goes up. So it’s a balance I need to work on. And then maybe after I’ve tackled that I’ll be able to stomach a smoothie.I have a question because I suffer from hypoglycemia several hours after consuming fruit or other rich sources of sugar, unbuffered by a more complex meal. I know the liver responds by converting the excess fructose to glycogen or triglycerides for storage. But is this flood of triglycerides, whether it be from the fructose or the body’s reaction to “starvation” mentioned in Dr. Greger’s video, harmful? Can it lead to or exacerbate Coronary Artery Disease? I know Dr,. Ornish and Dr Esselstyn both touch on this but I would also like to hear Dr. Greger’s take based on what the research says.What has Ornish said on this (hypoglycemia)?I’ve seen quick digesting melons crash some people I know, really bringing down their blood sugar within 10 minutes. Either too much insulin produced in reaction to the melons digesting too quickly/easily, or something else occurring?But I am curious about Ornishe’s take re: heart disease in relation to hypoglycemia.I have not seen anything from Dr. Ornish or Esselstyn directly making these connections -but there is plenty of information already in the medical literature discussing the different biochemical pathways of fructose metabolism, hypoglycemia and fatty liver disease for example -so I am sure they are aware of this. I would definitely like to hear what Dr. Greger has to say based on the research but I would also like to point out that what makes this that much more complicated is that while the biochemistry is the same, each individual’s body reacts in its own unique way to their environment ( look into epigenetics). So while one individual may be able to basically live on fruit -it may be detrimental to another.Nutritionfacts.org has addressed treatments to diabetes. Cinnamon, although toxic at high doses has great benefit with regards to lowering blood sugar. One teaspoon a day. Some amla powder would also be very effective. Flax seed meal is shown to mute blood sugar spikes, as are some berries. Hibiscus tea helps to regulate blood sugar. Whole grains are always helpful. Some people feel that obesity is a cause of diabetes. Some medications, like Zyprexa and Haldol and most of the psychiatric medications that one third of Americans take at some point (one fourth or so take chronically) can increase blood sugar and increase weight. There are specific foods that can help people with diabetes, and diets that can prevent diabetes. Diabetes that include whole grain, beans, and brocalli can help prevent diabetes, perhaps prevention is the best path to handling that disease.I wonder if the blood sugar spike blunting effect is just limited to berries.. For example, with the white bread observation, if you were to take that same white bread and add dark green leafy vegetables and make a “greens sandwich” would you still observe the blunting effect? They established it’s not just the fiber in whole plant food but that there is also something more.. Is it a phytonutrient limited to the berry family or something more widely spread throughout the plant kingdom I wonder?Yes, could somebody with a good grasp of the subject please answer this question? How accurate is it to make generalizations about all fruits from work on berries?Hi Harriet, If you glance at the articles referenced one uses apples. When you consider the findings together we can comfortably say our bodies responds differently from the fructose in whole fruit vs the fructose in sugar water. This becomes important when you hear some people saying fruit servings should be limited. I am really looking forward to the next video! What surprised me was the juice findings.re: ” What surprised me was the juice findings.” Me too!!!From a 2010 review: ” Apple juice contains polyphenols such as chlorogenic acid and phloridzin, with higher levels in cloudy juice compared to clear juice. When nine healthy subjects consumed a 25 g glucose load in 400 mL of commercial apple juices, the mean plasma glucose concentrations were significantly lower at 15 and 30 min after ingestion of clear apple juice, and significantly lower at 15 min but significantly higher at 45 and 60 min after ingestion of cloudy apple juice compared to control drink [45]. The effects of apple juices on plasma glucose, insulin, GIP and GLP-1 concentrations were consistent with delayed absorption of glucose.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2871121/I’ve asked the author for an update on the studies re fruits and fruit juices. Anybody have access to other full articles discussing effects of fruits and juices on glucose absorption? Anybody recall that orange juice study citation?Does delayed glucose absorption still trigger insulin production? Daryll, are you there and could you help?re: “Before, I would have these long series on single topics, … Let me know what you think…”Personally, I prefer to have the videos all together. That way, I (or someone else I want to refer to the topic) can start at the first video in a series and keep hitting “Next Video” to watch the entire series. Given the way the NutritionFacts search engine currently works (including no dates on the return search results), the current practice of spreading out videos makes it extremely hard to go back and watch the videos of a series in order — or even to find the first video in the series.An alternative to keeping the series together in terms of publishing order: would be to keep the current practice of spacing videos out – but add a new “series” feature to the website. So, on any particular video in a series, users could click to go to the next or previous video *in the series*. Each video page in a series would also need an easy link to get to the beginning of the series, and a clear indication when the end of the series is reached. Also, the search feature would need to be altered to be able to filter to series. (Actually, it would be kind of nice to have something of a series feature even if you do publish the videos in order.)I like the alternative idea as the best of both worlds, but the alternative idea could mean a lot of work to the website. The easiest thing to do would be to publish a series in order…publish a series in order… It doesn’t make sense not to. Why aren’t they?no dates on the return search results… Wish all videos and blogs had dates of publishing easily available.jj: re: ” Wish all videos and blogs had dates of publishing easily available.” Me too!I prefer presenting things in chunks too, although I could be wrong about some of my beliefs:1. It’s easier for the viewer to think deeper about the topic if the videos are close in proximity. 2. It’s no big deal being bored with the site’s videos for a week or two. Loyal people will not leave because of this. 3. I’m concerned that video series won’t be as well crafted if Gregor and co. produce videos in the series piecemeal. It suggests that they’ll be thinking less about the research cited in the prior videos, and there will be more pressure to publish news on ‘big’ topics immediately rather than letting it marinate and talk to other findings. 4. I think it helps to cover controversial subjects in a largish, contiguous series. This allows skeptical guests to have an extended conversation over several days and several facets of an argument. I fear that if you waited before publishing the next video in the series, these relatively non-committal viewers will have lost interest and moved onto something else.That said, part of the way blog posts work currently is to summarize and index a lot of previous work that touches on a single topic. This is almost all the way to a see-all-the-videos-in-a-series feature. Therefore I suppose there is some reason to think that at least the thoughtful viewers will still be able to find all parts of a long argument in one place. There also may be a few bits of news which are so contemporaneous that the site could capture more viewers simply by making a video comment while the topic is still hot and people are actively trading links.I think introducing the topics in “chunks” is the best way to implant a concept into the brain. If someone is bored with a certain topic, then perhaps she can spend her time that week perusing older videos of interest until a new topic comes up. There is so much amazing information on this site that I think it would be difficult to get bored.tedster: re: “…the best way to implant a concept into the brain… perhaps she can spend her time that week perusing older videos of interest until a new topic comes up. There is so much amazing information…” I agree with all of your points!I’m pretty sure that Dr. Greger reads the comments, even if he doesn’t have time to answer them. So, hopefully he will see that all of the “votes” so far are for “chunking.” :-)Any info on dried fruits ? – raisins , dried ( unsweetened cranberries), figs, those wonderful Greek (unsulphored) apricots from TJ’s . I assume the only difference the lower concentration of water, but substantially no change in the chemistry of fiber+fructose.Dear Dr. Greger, thank you so much for your information which I share with my patients at the Lydian Center for Transformational Healthcare in Cambridge, Mass. While you’re talking about insulin and blood sugar spikes, can you help me with my patients who have an insulin pump and simply eat whatever they want (white sugar, white flour) then dial in the carb count to their pump to get the appropriate amount of insulin? I’m sure this can’t be good, aside from missing nutrients from the empty calories. What effect are all those insulin spikes having on the body? Their endocrinologists certainly aren’t warning them about it!Thanks for the quick info about sugar + berries, but that seemed quite obvious… good thing it is now proven by some researches !I found the fructose part a lot more interesting as its effects seems worse than glucose, and I was wondering if the “berry effect” applied to fructose too? Also, I thought the fatty acid peak after the fructose intake was actually the fructose that was transformed into fat by the liver, as its metabolic pathway is more similar to ethanol than glucose. Now, Berry + industrial fructose mixture: what do you think the result would be ? :)Here’s an educational video that compares ethanol and fructose long term exposure effect, along with detailed liver function for fructose metabolism (by Dr Lustig PhD): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM&feature=youtu.be&t=51m50sis there data on other types of berries?So juicing fruits and removing the fiber is not good for our triglycerides?What does he mean by this:“In response our body dumps fat into our blood stream as if we’re starving”.Where does that fat come from?Our fat cells. Adipose tissue. They store fat, ready for release and use at any time we’re running low on energy.What is the impact of fruit fructose on triglycerides? And what about fruit juices?Great video. What happens to the fat that is eventually dumped into the blood as a result of eating table sugar? Why is that increase in blood fats a problem? Thank you.The takeaway message is how it is best to eat whole berries; in fact, include them in every way we can — the natural fiber and phytonutrients are used slow and well by the body — and avoids ‘freak out’ responses by the body, which stress out our insulin and fat tissue mechanisms.Hi. I´d like to know what Dr. Gregor thinks about this. Cancer cells having 70 receptors more for fructose than any other form of sugar. This is very interesting. Maybe he can debate with Brian Clement at the event, Orlando, 22th may. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsjppiOOprY Thank YouuuuuuuuuuuuHI Emmanuel. The concept that sugar feeds cancer cells is misleading. Processed and refined foods can be health depleting foods for cancer patients, whereas health supporting foods are food rich in fiber and antioxidant. Fruits fall into this category, often the dark berries are best and also low in fruit sugar as is. I cannot comment on Brian Clement. He was in the news recently poorly representing diet and health. I understand news stories can be misleading, so that devastating story besides I have seen one of his talks and I am not convinced of his dietary approaches until more research is known.Thanks, JosephHi Dr. Greger. What do you think of the Eu’s ban on american apples because they contain dpa? Should I avoid eating conventionally grown american apples as well? I just bought a bunch of them and I don’t know if I should throw them away or eat them.Hmmm. Not sure? Have you seen his latest video on organics? I hate wasting food, period. I cannot say what to do. I recommend what Dr. Greger mentions. Basically eat organic whenever possible. Consuming conventional produce has more benefits than risks.How does fructose, from whole fruit or otherwise, affect the growth of cancer cells?Fruit may reduce the risk of several forms of cancer. The exact methods are not known. My study link gives some ideas regarding mechanisms involved. See if that help? I also recommend information from the American Institute for Cancer ResearchBest regards, Josephit’s very cleansing. If apples cn clean your teet they can clean your insides! Tey r also full of nutrition and eaten raw usually!If your trying to lose weight, fruit is bad no matter which way you look at it, even if it is a complex carb.Think about it.. it’s already been proven that diseases like gout did not manifest from diets high in meat but rather high in sugar, so how exactly did gout get labelled as the Kings disease if meat was ruled out?What’s the one food that ancient royalty seemed to snack on all the time? Come on it’s easy, it’s been documented that they always had big plates or platters of this around because of it’s sweetness…. fruit. Your common peasants never had gout, neither did soldiers, gladiators, or workers. It was always those lazy whip crackers with the giant platters of fruit beside them.	antioxidants,apples,berries,beverages,blood pressure,blood sugar,bread,fat,fiber,fructose,fruit,fruit juice,glycemic index,high fructose corn syrup,hypertension,insulin,intestinal health,juice,liver disease,liver health,pancakes,phytonutrients,soda,strawberries,sugar,water,weight loss	Does the fructose naturally found in fruit and fruit juice have the same adverse effects as excess “industrial fructose” (table sugar and high fructose corn syrup) and if not, why not?	Alcohol without the buzz? That was in reference to my video How Much Added Sugar Is Too Much?—make sure to check it out for background. I have lots more fructose videos on the way.Before, I would have these long series on single topics, like a dozen videos in a row on vitamin D or something. The advantage of that is you aren’t left hanging; the downside is that for those uninterested in the topic there can be no new videos of interest for weeks. So I’ve tried breaking topics up. So every few weeks there’s a new turmeric or diabetes video instead of grouping them altogether. Let me know what you think…Surprised about the juice results? Me too! More on juice:A few videos I have on industrial sugars:How else can we blunt the glycemic spike?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/intestinal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/high-fructose-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycemic-index/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21621801,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20564476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22854401,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24065788,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15757656,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23493539,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23933265,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23365108,
PLAIN-2515	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/	Eliminating 90% of Heart Disease Risk	Medical myths and dogmas die hard. Researchers creating a new body of knowledge for prevention and control of heart disease had to disprove and displace a bunch of doozies, like we used to think that heart disease was just an inevitable consequence of aging, or that cholesterol and blood pressure just naturally go up as we age. All these are now bygone notions, refuted by massive data, but other long-standing myths and dogmas about our #1 killer epidemic persist, for example this notion that major risk factors like cholesterol account for a minority of risk and that many people have heart attacks with no risk factors, so it’s just kind of a crap shoot - not much you can do about it.There are rare genetic conditions that give people high cholesterol no matter what they eat, but such genetic defects occur in no more than 1 in 200 people. This means, of course, that most persons with atherosclerosis acquire it by what they put in their mouth.The INTERHEART study showed that for men and women, old and young, and in all areas of the world, 9 potentially modifiable factors like diet, exercise and smoking, accounted for >90% of the proportion of the risk of having a heart attack. And this has been confirmed in prospective studies.Follow men over time and those making healthy lifestyle choices are associated with a 90% drop in risk. Same with women, 92% of the risk gone. Same with diabetes—91% of cases could be contributed to bad habits and behaviors. And the same healthy lifestyle, which includes not smoking, eating a healthy diet, exercising, and maintaining an optimal body weight, may reduce the risk of multiple chronic diseases—not just heart disease and diabetes but stroke as well. Up to 80% of strokes avoidable with simple lifestyle changes.How does this all compare to drugs? Why change our diet, lose weight, start exercising if we can just pop some pills? Pharmacological therapies, including cholesterol lowering statin drugs and blood pressure pills typically only reduce cardiovascular disease risk not by 90% but only by 20% to 30%. So even on drugs, 70 to 80% of heart attacks still occur.One of the great things about this study, the Harvard Health Professional’s Follow-up, is that they also looked at the effect of lifestyle changes on people already on medications. Even those on cholesterol and blood pressure lowering drugs may be able to get a further 78% drop in risk by eating and living healthfully. So the choice isn’t diet or drugs. Cardiovascular medications should be used as an adjunct to, not just a replacement for, healthy lifestyle practices.It takes time for new science to trickle down into mainstream medical practice. The practice of cardiology and medicine in general may correspond, on average, to what was being published 10 or 20 years before. So it’s important to know if our doctors are still stuck back practicing 20th century medicine.	Hard data, hard facts, hard to swallow. As many in the John Q. Public would say, “stop telling me bad news about my bad habits.” This is the stuff that should be shown at EVERY medical conference regardless. Great editorial!Where are the hard facts? Certainly not in the field of nutrition. It might well be another 50 to 100 years before we know exactly how much dairy, eggs, fish, meat and animal products in general we can consume on a daily basis. What exactly does a healthy diet mean? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of diets and all the proponents claim to be cutting edge science…the hard facts are staring you right in the face. Health care costs from usage for chronic ( preventable) disease are skyrocketing, causing municipalities to scramble finding ways to cut costs when the WAY stares them in the face three times a day when they look at their plates!!! The obvious is overlooked for the absurd. If you step on glass, you take the glass out, you don’t go to a cardiologist for tests and procedures. Eliminate CAUSE for the cures… Beside curing preventable disease, a plant strong diet heals the environmental ecocide from animal agribusiness and eliminates the violent slaughter of sentient beings whose lives are brought into the world to fatten for slaughter. Sodom and Gamorrah.You are listing the symptoms like they are detailed facts which is not the case and how animals are treated does not help me know how much milk, eggs, meat or even sugar I can consume on a daily basis. The fact that following a diet designed by Furhman, Ornish or Esselstyn reversed disease does not prove how every food in their diet helps nor does it prove that food left out would not also allow disease reversal. Maybe you just do not know what science is?I also think you are reading something into my comment that is not there. I am not suggesting people should continue following the Western Diet which has been proven in total to be unhealthy. Personally, I follow Furhman rather closely and am happy with my personal health but that does not eliminate that fact that we are a long way from knowing the full nutrition details of eggs, milk, meat and fish.When you can show me the science that tells me if I should have any olive oil, eggs or milk in my diet I will believe there are at least some hard facts but they do not exist on those items today…But you said down there that olive oil was an “obvious” thing to eliminate. So then, you must think the science is pretty hard against olive oil. I agree, and watching videos here, as well as reading books and articles seems to indicate (to me), that the hard evidence shows that we don’t need any eggs or milk in our diets. I’ve been egg and milk free for over a year and a half now, and I’m okay. I’m personally not that interested in exactly how many eggs or ounces of cheese I can “get away with.” I realize they’re just not necessary for health.The only people who seem to be incredibly hostile toward this whole foods, plant-based diet, are the Paleo and Atkins fad-diet promoters and internet bro-science bloggers. And, I don’t really care much what these people have to say.I did not say there is science showing olive oil is bad for us except for the fact that it is 100% fat. There is no science showing it is good for us so I do not add any oils but get my fat from vegetables, seeds, nuts and avocado. People are confused about the Mediterranean Diet which really existed a long time ago and not today in that region where today people still consume large amounts of olive oil but are diseased and overweight because the diet is more Westernized. During the war and a few years later meat was not available and people in that area consumed more vegetables and fruits along with the olive oil. Saying it was the olive oil that made them healthy is good business but not good science…“how much dairy, eggs, fish, meat and animal products” just don’t eat them. It really itches me why some people are so dense.I’m sorry “Doctors” are practicing twentieth century medicine?!! You have got to be kidding me for as long as I have been in medical school and practicing medicine (about 20 years now)we have known and told our patients that obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and smoking increases your chances of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and death. Which means if you are fat, don’t exercise and smoke then your chances are very high you will have a heart attack, get diabetes, have a stroke, or die. However, most people don’t want to hear or believe this and that these factors are well within their control and THEIR responsibility. They would much rather have a magic pill that takes it all away. In this day and age with so much information readily available, I can assure you most people readily know this information and few Doctors do not freely give this advice daily to their patients.Ahh…, but it is easy but imprecise to tell a patient, “don’t be fat, and exercise more.” It is much more to the point (and indeed mainstream medicine’s failures) to inform your patients that research shows “if you continue to eat meat, dairy, eggs and other animal-based products, your health problems will continue, and in spite of modern medications, your condition will continue to become worse. Instead, why not tell your patients to move their eating away from meat, dairy and eggs to a plant-based diet, so they can enjoy abundant health.” Do not put your failings and ignorance of the current research at the feet of your patients. Remember the Hippocratic oath? It’s the FOOD – let it by thy medicine!!! ‘Fix the food’ and health will follow. I reversed my Type II diabetes by changing to a plant-based diet in 90 days (without any increase in exercise), and so can (nearly) everyone else!Amen.The point that the physician is making is that the responsibility for making major and lasting lifestyle changes does remain ultimately with the patient. Doctors can only inform. All of my primary care physicians have counseled a balanced low fat diet and regular exercise, avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Now that I have multiple sclerosis, which is not caused by poor lifestyle choices, it is that much more important for me to be responsible for these good choices. My physicians, both primary care and neurologist with a combined 45 years of practice do recommend this, do answer questions, and practice up to date 21st century medicine. If you want or need a nutrition specialist for a particular medical condition, a referral to a registered dietician or clinical nutritionist ought to be an available option. Physicians and other healthcare providers regularly deal with patient non-compliance. Personal responsibility begins as soon as anyone leaves the exam room.Agree 100% that ‘personal responsibility’ belongs to the patient. But, as has been my experience and that of most others, is the vast majority of doctors are ignorant on the use of food to treat chronic conditions, and therefore, unable to point their patients on the absolute best path. I hope you do well managing your MS. Here are some specific resources from Dr. McDougall’s site, as Dr. Roy Swank was one of his personal mentors. https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/hot-topics/medical-topics/multiple-sclerosis/Shanna, watch this video, if you haven’t already. Click on subtitles, to get English captions. It is quite remarkable.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOfO29rL-gI The guy who made the film has MS and has been treated by Dr Coimbra, as have about 3000 other patients over the last 12 years.Good luck.You, as the great patient, are the goal of all doctors. You’re right. A very intelligent woman told me that every year millions of doctors write many prescriptions that go unfilled. The standard deviation on the number of pills a patient actually takes might be 3 and the average number of pills taken might be 4. Lifestyle modification that is acceptable to the patient should be the only medicine available. I am so sorry to hear that you have MS. This site has shown that a completely vegan diet was so effective at treating MS, more so than any treatment available, that a doctor pronounced animal fat to be the cause of the disease. Perhaps it is animal cholesterol. I like nuts and dark chocolate, which are rich in saturated fat but are so healthy at preventing heart disease they should be in any diet. I will pray for you.But maybe the effect of changing to a plant-based diet was mostly because of reduced sugars and saturated fat in your diet? There are millions of non-vegans who are quite healthy. There are a lot of long-livers among them eating meat and dairy on a daily basis.As you probably know even chimpanzees our closest relatives by nature are NOT 100% vegans!The primary issue (and cause) of Type II diabetes is saturated fat in the diet that then becomes part of the lipid layer of one’s cells, clogging things up and keeping sugar in one’s bloodstream rather than allowing it to freely enter the cells as it would normally. Dietary sugars are a secondary issue. Once you remove specifically the saturated fats from one’s diet (primarily found in animal products), one’s condition can improve in fairly short order. It is amazing to me that the overwhelming majority of doctors do not know this and instead believe that Type II diabetes is not reversible. My own GP was shocked at the result, as he’d never seen it reversed before (a 20 year practicing doctor). Because they do not know this nor tell their patients, their patients just continue to get worse and take more and more medications until they do not work anymore.Regarding what chimps eat, yes, they have an interesting diet. In addition to a preference for fruit, they munch on green leaves, seeds, various live bugs, etc., and they do love the raw, bloody flesh of a few other smaller animals on occasion that they themselves and their pals kill. To my knowledge, they don’t cook their meat. :)An interesting and informative series to view over several days is ‘Plant Positive’ ‘s Youtube series on Primitive Nutrition. Pretty much skewers the Paleo diet logic.For diabetes, this site would recommend hibiscus tea, cinnamon, flax seed meal, amla, beans, whole grains like oatmeal, a vegan diet, exercise, and losing weight such as with Fenugreek. Taken daily, these might be more effective than any prescription without the side effects. The most profitable prescription in the world, Zypreza, is a major cause of diabetes and obesity. Almost all mood disorder medicines damage blood sugars and one third of the country is on them.That doesn’t change the fact that millions of people with heart disease, strokes, migraines, Alzheimer’s and other dementias, cancer, Parkinson’s, diabetes, arthritis, Crohn’s, MS, lupus and/or cataracts etc. could have AVOIDED their diseases by eating a whole foods, low fat, plant-based diet. As a matter of fact, virtually no one I know over the age of about 45 does not have one of those diseases, and I bet you would call some of those people “quite healthy.”Chimpanzees are much closer to vegan than they are to what your diet probably is. You even admit that reducing saturated fat can help with healing. How do you avoid saturated fat while still eating animal products?I don’t think complete avoiding saturated fats is nesessary or healty. The problem with them is like the problem of moderation with all foods. People overeat meat especially processed ones. And if we take a look at some traditional diets in cultures having less ‘deseases of civilization’ we’ll see the same principle. The diet consists mostly of plants but includes some minimum processed animal based foods. And that type of diet is relatively close to chimpanzeeses one. This way you don’t have to take b12 pills or be worried about adequate sun exposure etc. It is the right balance diet.Is saturated fat in nuts and cocoa bad? The fact that walnuts are so healthy means that not eating them puts you at risk for heart disease. I can’t seem to understand the contradiction. Certainly get your daily minimum of saturated fats through nuts. Should you eat less than this? Should you not worry about the saturated fats from nuts?Hi Matthew,That’s a great question. I would not say that the saturated fat in nuts and cocoa is bad, though of course it depends on your current health just how many nuts and how much cocoa powder you should consume. For instance, I’m at my ideal weight and I enjoy a tablespoon of cocoa powder in a green smoothie a couple times a week and I use nuts in recipes several times a week, but I don’t snack on them.Yes, nuts are calorically dense, but the fats found in nuts are a mixture of types of fats – monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated, and omega-3 fatty acids (one type of polyunsaturated fat). This varies by the type of nut. As you probably know, nuts also contain protein, fiber and minerals. This video on how saturated fat raises blood sugar may help to clarify things: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/, while this video on how Nuts May Help Prevent Death may help as well: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/.If you’re really interested, I also recommend Jeff Novick RD’s very long and detailed video on Nuts & Health available at http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Nuts_%26_Health.html.Many studies also indicate the health benefits of cocoa powder. There are small amounts of fat in cocoa powder, but this is negligible. You can buy a brand of cocoa powder with the fat removed called Wondercocoa, but I prefer organic fair trade cocoa powder. (You can learn more about why it’s important to buy fair trade at http://www.foodispower.org/slavery-chocolate/). However, cocoa butter (the ingredient that makes chocolate solid) is very high in saturated fat and of course is usually found in chocolate with sugar as well. It would be best to keep consumption of dark chocolate to a minimum and enjoy cocoa powder without the cocoa butter, for instance, blended with silken tofu with erythrital or stevia to make a delicious chocolate mousse or blended into a green smoothie. Check out this great video for more: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/I believe the real heart of the contradiction is twofold: 1) The amount of saturated fat consumed in a whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet is much less than that in a standard American diet (SAD) and 2) the baggage that comes along with a WFPD diet including fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc. is beneficial, while the baggage that comes along with a SAD diet including cholesterol, processed sugar, chemicals, etc. is harmful. Therefore, considering a risk/benefit analysis of nuts and cocoa powder, the science seems to indicate that the benefits outweigh the risks. Bonus – both taste great! So, enjoy! :)I hope this is helpful! :)EmilyThank you very much. I found this very elucidating. I hope to eat a diet that a plant based dieter would consider healthy with regards to saturated fat rather than the average American dieter’s standard intake of saturated fat.And remember that thre are no scientific evidence that it is animal based diet that solely causes all that deseases. There’s a continuing debate between low-fat and low-carb diet proponents and there are studies supporting BOTH sides! So it is all very controversial.Ditto here! It makes me so sad to see all the people who would just rather take their pills or shots and think they are fine!Exactly.People have been able to reverse disease with diet for a long time but that does not provide the exact information required to avoid getting disease nor does it prove that all the conditions of the diet are necessary to even reverse the disease. You said moving away but some suggest total elimination of your list to reverse heart disease. Although research has shown that nuts and seeds may help to lower the risk of heart disease Esselstyn eliminates those to reverse heart disease but others like Furhman and Ornish do not… Personally, I have almost eliminated animal products from my diet but I still feel that there is fifty to one hundred years of research needed before we really know what to consume on a daily basis. That is not to say that there are not obvious things to eliminate like most processed foods, trans fats and even added oils (olive included).Dr. Greger said a vegan diet was maybe too effective at treating people with heart disease. I certainly hope I am not moving away from the plant based diet!Of course it has been known for a very long time that cholesterol et cetera are major heart disease risk factors, and you as doctors tell patients this, but there is a big difference knowing something is unhealthy for you and knowing just how very bad and easily modifiable a risk it is! “Unhealthy” has become a word that is pretty much considered the norm. I eat a piece of fruit and people tell me that I’m eating healthily! “No, not particularly, I’m just not killing myself, unlike you”. People bandy the word “healthy” about like it is a extreme! What is continuing to come to light in the 21st century is just how effective removing many animal products, and certain others are from your diet is for your health and well-being. It is crucial that people know the extent of the unhealthiness of each lifestyle factor in their life so that if they continue one, they actually know just how much harm they are doing themselves, rather than just “being unhealthy”, which I say again, people see in their minds as “normal”. One only has to look at the term “health freak” to see this. Someone doesn’t have to freakish at all in health devotion to come under this category. Simply to follow the recommended government guidelines.In short, the work Dr Greger is doing is ace, and just what is needed. What we need to do is support him and spread the good news, namely just how much hope there is in combating these self harm epidemics.Dan, I’ve started writing Doc’s website on the back of my business cards…when I’m at Whole Foods or Farmer’s market and someone asks me about the fresh turmeric I’m buying (“what do you use that for?”) I’ll discuss it briefly but with great enthusiasm and then give them the business card and ask them to check out this website. We DO need to spread the word!Doctor, that is a minuscule portion of the nutritional information people need to be healthy. It does not answer the mother’s question of how much, if any, milk to give to her fourteen year old children. I do agree that most people prefer a magic pill and not many follow diets suggested by Fuhrman, Ornish, Esselstyn and others. There has been way too much bad information put out by USDA and even the medical field. The role of cholesterol and LDL levels have changed over time and even now may not be relevant. Presently the thought is that LDL should be below 100 but it is not backed by science.How do you get your HDL above 60? That has been medical advice for decades, but to date, there are few recommendations. Like Chocolate covered nuts, cranberry juice, red wine, maybe peanuts, and some fish, I guess here we’d recommend Nori. Does it work? The single best guess at longevity is HDL, and we have been silent on how to improve it! Or lower triglycerides.Reduce significantly or eliminate simple sugar like Corn syrup, honey, sweetened soft drinks, candy, baked goods, jam/ jelly. Same with refined carbs like grains. Focus on whole plant-based foods. Exercise at moderate pace at least 150 minutes a week. Up your Omega-3 fats with wild salmon, chia seeds, flax seeds. Have a few nuts daily, especially walnuts and almonds.Thank you! I can’t leave this advice! I’d come home to it!I loved the observation about doctors practicing what they learned in medical school versus what the most cutting-edge science is saying. It reminded me of all of those TED talks and whatnot given by Ray Kurzweil, and I for one can’t wait for the day that IBM’s Watson is who we go to when we need the advice of a general practitioner. Watson won’t be prone to the old bias of “What I learned in my twenties is gospel truth”; Watson will be connected to the cloud and will be able to tell me, when I ask for the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome, “Glad you asked. A research article was published 17 seconds ago. I’ve just read it, and it’s really going to help you out. Here’s what you do….”I’m guessing NF readers could all tell stories into the night about having to bring the latest articles into our doctors’ offices. I was diagnosed with osteopenia and had to be the one to press to get my vitamin D levels tested. Guess what? Super low. Then I had to research appropriate supplementation dosages and when my levels still didn’t rise, had to research why not. Many folks are happy to merely have a doctor who will order the tests they want, but rarely do we have practitioners that take the lead with education. I’m weary of being my own doctor and there is NO one on my medical insurance plan that has an integrative perspective. So, I can choose to pay out-of-pocket for an actually knowledgeable practitioner or stick with the doctor who will comply with my request for blood panels, etc.How did you get the D levels to rise?I learned I needed to take D with the largest meal of the day (one with fat). I needed to take 5000, not 2000 IU daily. I may not having been getting enough vitamin K. I also took a sublingual liquid rather than pill . . . I finally responded and got out of the low 20’s into the high 40’s.My last D test came in at 39 (5,000 iu /day)…going for 70-80 or so….8,000 iu per day. Also take a K supplement. Magnesium…strontium.The saying among doctors is…don’t be your own doctor. I say that when you get older…it’s probably a good idea to emphasize your health first…and who is going to be most interested in your health? You are…If one is under extraordinarily high stress, through illness or unfortunate life events, how would that put an extra tax on a body? What can be done to provide the maximum possible support apart from more antioxidants?Stress has been implicated in triggering heart attacks. Try yoga, meditation. http://www.nature.com/news/bacteria-implicated-in-stress-related-heart-attacks-1.15396Meditation can add more than ten years to your life, the same benefit as being married and more than the benefit of being in Church. Maybe I should meditate about being married at a Church!Someone to share with (friends or professional therapist). Aerobic exercise like running or cycling. A very personally engaging activity. Yoga, guided meditation, qigung, martial arts. Pema Chodron’s books and videos.Wondering if you have any insight or opinions on the safety and value of COQ10 SUPPLEMENTS for both heart health and energy support/generation. I hear good stuff of this supplement, but do have concerns regarding its safety and overall “synthetic” nature.Co Q10 appears helpful for some heart patients, particularly with respect to endothelial function and hypertension. That said, Co Q10 has also proven dissappointing as a longevity agent, indeed it may slightly shorten mice lifespans (1, 2, 3).How do we find a GP who is “with it”?vegdocs.com“So even on drugs, 70 to 80% of heart attacks still occur.” I wonder what percentage of the heart attacks are due to the damn drugs themselves. Following a plant-based diet is a small price to pay to avoid those deadly things and their many side effects. Such as those mentioned here: http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=76180&name=LISINOPRILThat is a salient point. If you know a grapefruit would lower your bad Cholesterol as much as a pill why do they put you on the pill? Is it because they think you’re more likely to take the pill? The doctors actually know you are less likely to take the pill than the grapefruit. The pills are poison and come with recipes for meat for the guilt of not taking the medicine. Then they start a panic circle that might mean the literal pill is what killed the patient.Superior doctors discuss health attitudes that work. Your website suggests veganism or at least vegetarianism as an intervention at any stage in life. So is eating Soy nuts or soy products, drinking green tea, eating tomatoes, eating a salad every day with olive oil and vinegar or pickle juice, eating probiotics, eating cocoa, eating a half cup or more of nuts (or two half cups of different nuts), could really improve your heart health. Beans are extraordinarily good for heart health and there’s no upper limit on how much of those we should eat. Whole grains can be conveniently found in breakfast cereal, oatmeal, and maybe kind bars. They are important for heart health. These are immediate strategies to battle heart disease and eliminate it at any age. Cholesterol by definition comes from animals. Some is recommended in the daily diet, some is in milk and cheese and chicken and turkey, but the body can make its own cholesterol. Saturated fat is in plants too, like Chocolate and nuts. Are too much of these fats bad for you even though they come from plants? I think they should be consumed in moderation, despite the fact that they seem ironically slimming.If you’re truly concerned about ‘what to do’ about it all, why not consult a good plant-based nutritionist? Jeff Novick is one of the best, and is available for consultations. http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Home.htmlYou seem to be confused about the health benefits of consuming olive oil, whether or not a salad/greens should be consumed daily, and/or have a distorted view of the ‘correct’ amount of nuts to consume daily. Jeff can help.If i understood correctly the research points towards life style changing which every doctor today say to their patient that they should eat healthy foods and do exercise. The problem is that healthy foods changes depending who you are asking.Ya so? It takes time, but the health and well-being of you and your family is worth it.What i mean is, the research doesn’t talk about plant base diet. Like everyone els they are saying we should eat better foods and do exercise. If you went to your family doctor he would say that you still should eat meat, chicken eggs fish and milk, but beware from junk food and do exercise because in their point of view this is what it means healthy lifestyle. However we do know that it simply isn’t enough.No doubt doctors have been telling patients to eat healthier ever since the beginning of the obesity epidemic back in the mid 1970s. Clearly, it doesn’t work for the majority. That medicine does not acknowledge this, but continues to do the same ineffectual thing year after year, points out that doctors don’t know and don’t care, enough. If not, why the hell are they practising medicine?And I wonder when NutritionFacts will address that what we put in our mouth is determined in great part by our psychoemotional state, which is determined by our values. Will doctors eventually be telling people to change their values?My oldest sister (78) was diabetic, etc for years. She was more obsessed with indulging herself than caring about her health. She would change doctors rather than listen to healthy advice. Finally she came to the hard fact of change or die. She started changing and then went to an 18 day lifestyle center (4yrs ago) similar to McDougall’s program. The renal stenosis did not resolve because the veins were too damaged even for a stent so that portion was replaced this year because her blood pressure wasn’t controllable.Her daughter is about 300 lbs and no one dare mention anything to her about her weight or health. Thanksgiving at her house was – turkey, ham, lefse, mashed potatoes, gravy, candied yams, green bean casserole, pumpkin and apple pies with whipped cream. Her husband does the cooking and is slim (eats 1 meal per day) but has no say in how she eats either.My neighbor thinks she is eating healthy by cutting down on fat and eating mostly chicken/fish instead of beef, using 1% milk. I have shared info with her but to no avail.I could go on and on about the people around me. Even the ones who hear/know the truth but WILL NOT change to better their lives/health. My doctor practices and teaches a wfpb diet. His wife teaches cooking classes. BUT you can not make people change. A few change before it’s too late but most do not. Very Sad Fact.You are soooo right. I recently had a conversation with John Mackey, co-CEO of Whole Foods, where he revealed that in spite of going vegan a number of years ago, his brother-in-law resists all logic and persuasion attempts. It is indeed (as stated here by Dr. Greger) a cultural, social and traditional problem in families/society. My sister-in-law and her sister have type II diabetes, but would evidently rather have a foot amputated (seriously under consideration right now) than give up cheese. Casomorphins rule!Can relate. I have two sisters…one with 2 knee replacements…obese. The other with one knee replaced…overweight and diabetic. An obese brother who doesn’t want to give up on “the foods he loves”. Another brother… a doctor who is obese and who lives by his “drug bible”. Can’t make much of a dent in these people. Like most they are egos with a lot of inertia…don’t want to change. Most are retiring early mostly due to health issues?Probably important to protect ones self from the retrograde ideas they espouse? It’s not easy to make real changes in ones own life…let alone change those who don’t have a clue?You may be reading this Doug…but are you learning anything?You may be reading this Doug…but are you learning anything?The problem perhaps is the influence of food manufacturers’ marketing , claiming that this or that food is so “healthy” for you, and well meaning health professionals do say “eat more healthy foods” but not How-to, because they’re either too busy or not familiar with nutrition/science. This website is so helpful for those who are interested in making a positive change to their diet and health.People genuinely don’t know what healthy really is, and I think that, for example, kids should be taught the government guidelines, and told“This is a standard american diet, this is not ok to eat at all. This will probably kill you!”“This is a standard human diet. This is ok to eat, and you must eat at least like this (food pyramid)”“This is how to eat if you want to be healthy and live a long life, the more you eat like this the better!”Government guidelines are not that great, either. Too much bread, grains…. which the body turns into sugar, and without exercise, turn into fat and diabetes. In addition to the genetically modified grains (they may not have permission to modify grains, but that doesn’t prevent us from finding 10 acre field after 10 acre field of GMO wheat which crosses pollen in the wind with other fields of wheat nearby) and the fact that wheat is sprayed with roundup the day before being harvested, to make the plants softer so they aren’t so hard on the harvesting equipment…. No I would put grain at the top and green vegetables on the bottom, most abundant level of the government’s food pyramid.We see now how ineffective the ” food pyramid ” approach to education has been. The research on animal Vs plant based diet was not as well known as it is now. People who are not overweight or have diabetes carry on following the national guidelines and the consequences seem to show up at around age 60 – 70 unfortunately.I’m arguing that kids should be taught that the food pyramid system should be taught as a minimum diet for healthfulness, rather than the optimum, and shown that the more plant based they eat etc the healthier they will be.Guerrilla advertising has memes all over facebook and pinterest claiming saturated fat coconut oil is good for you and cures everything if you just eat enough of it, using it in your wheat and sugar laden baking…. and the latest is now butter.. curing everything.. healthy and good for you. We need to bring back truth-in-advertising that was taken away in the Bush administration.Statins are often recommended as the global answer for CVD. For those with secondary prevention issues…they are considered a necessity. Should those with secondary prevention issues necessarily become reliant on statins?Whenever there is a conflict of interest between “Science” and “Capitalism”, “Science” is pushed under the rug. A good example is tobacco industry fighting against scientists with proof that smoking is very addictive and unhealthy. The same may be said of genetically modified foods, global warming, and vegan diet and lifestyle.I have just finished an experiment in which I tried veganism diet for 3 months. Since I have in the past changed my dietary habits to achieve a massive reduction in my cholesterol, I was curious how becoming vegan would affect my physiological parameters. Prior to starting this experiment, I was consuming a healthy omnivorous diet. Therefore I didn’t expect veganism to improve my health as profoundly as it would improve the health of someone formerly consuming a typical American diet.Basically the changes I made to my previous diet were: 1. Eliminated about 3 daily servings of nonfat Greek yogurt, whey protein, and/or egg whites. 2. Eliminated about 2-3 weekly servings of sardines and/or canned salmon. 3. Eliminated all meat, which I previously ate about once or twice a month. 4. Replaced daily triple-strength fish oil capsules with daily Ovega-3 algae capsules. 5. Increased consumption of beans, peas, lentils, and potatoes.Although it was very easy for me to avoid junk food at the grocery and relatively easy for me to avoid eating junk food at home, I usually failed to resist treats at parties. During this experiment, I did violate veganism on a few occasions at parties by consuming baked goods containing dairy products and eggs. But at least I was completely vegetarian – having consumed absolutely no meat or fish – for 3 months. I’m quite certain that at least 99% of my calories during this experiment were from vegan sources.Thus I have been consuming less protein, less saturated fat, and more carbohydrates over the past 3 months. I predicted this would slightly lower my total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and (unfortunately) HDL cholesterol, and slightly raise my HbA1c and fasting glucose.My starting status as compared to optimal values were:Weight 167 148-160 Height 5′ 9” Waist 32” Hips 37”Triglycerides 72 60 LDL cholesterol 118 <80 VLDL cholesterol 14 Ratio chol/HDL: 2.97015 <2.5Blood pressure 108/70 <120/80 Fasting glucose 90 <90 Fasting insulin 4 <3 HbA1c 5.1 <5.8 hs-CRP 0.2 <1.3 Homocysteine 8.8 <7.5My ending status as compared to optimal values were:Blood pressure 112/78 (+2/+8) <120/80 Fasting glucose 87 (-3) <90 Fasting insulin unavailable <3 HbA1c 5.0 (-0.1) <5.8 hs-CRP unavailable <1.3 Homocysteine unavailable <7.5Weight 161.8 (-5.2) 148-160 Height 5' 9” (no change) Waist 31.5” (-0.5”) Hips 37” (no change)Triglycerides 69 (-3) 60 LDL cholesterol 118 (no change) <80 VLDL cholesterol 14 (no change) Ratio chol/HDL: 3.4 (+0.43) <2.5My hypothesis that my cholesterol would drop a little and fasting glucose and HbA1c would increase was refuted by this experiment. I predicted that my total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol would all decrease from veganism. Although my total cholesterol did indeed decrease, this wasn't a welcome change because the decrease was the result of a reduction in exclusively HDL. The highest my HDL has ever been was about 1.5 years ago when I was consuming lots of saturated fat from coconuts, eggs, and dark chocolate. My prediction that my fasting glucose and HbA1c would increase due to higher carbohydrate consumption was also wrong because these values dropped. So in conclusion, it seems that for me a healthy vegan diet is no better than a healthy omnivorous diet low in saturated animal fat.I found a vegan diet pleasurable, although it was an inconvenience when going out to eat with friends and family because vegan options in most restaurants are very scant. At no time during this experiment did I have a craving for meat, eggs, or dairy.I'm looking for suggestions to increase my HDL and drop my LDL. This might be hard because I spent quite a lot of time perusing Nutritionfacts.org and implemented most of the suggestions found there.My staple foods during this experiment:“Vegetables”: 5+ servings daily Leafy greens, onions, scallions, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, green beans, beets, carrots, celery, eggplant, zucchini, tomato, avocado.Fruits: 2-4 serving daily Berries, lemons, grapefruit, oranges, apples, bananas, grapes, watermelon, pineapple, mango.Legumes: about 2 cups daily Lentils, peas, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, tempeh.Starches: about 4 servings daily Potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, quinoa, corn.Nuts and seeds: 1-2 oz daily Chia seeds, flax seeds, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, almonds, filberts, Brazil nuts.Drinks: Water, black coffee, tea, herbal tea, cocoa, beer/wine (max 4 per week).Spices/vinegar: lots! Turmeric, curry powder, garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cayenne, black pepper, chili powder, cumin, sage, basil, oregano, cinnamon, clove, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar.Supplements: B complex, D3 4,000 I.U. (wintertime), Ovega-3 500mg.Here in lies the problem with why people turn away from health and diet. One day something is good for you or causes cancer and the next its totally new information. I have joined a really good gym and am doing High Intensity Interval Training. The membership came with an hour with a “Nutritional Expert”. Our meeting ended 2 hours and 15 minutes later…:) They pounded in to me that I was to eat Eggs, Butter and red meat and vegetables every day and that all the research has shown that in fact sources were wrong with cutting these staples out. They have up on the wall the cover I think to Time Magazine with show a scoop of butter and says “Butter is Back”. I was making a shack every day with 50 grams of Acai berry pulp, One stick of cinnamon, half a cup of blueberries, half a cup of cranberries and one cup of Kefer. Do I cut the cinnamon out now? I eat a cup of steel cut oats every morning with 50 grams of walnuts and a banana. The “nutritional Expert” says if I do not stop eating oatmeal I will make no gains no matter how hard I work out. Do you see where I am going with this? Google is butter good for you. Google are eggs good for you.I think you have the healthiest diet! The walnuts and oats may eliminate heat disease and you are getting more antioxidants each day than millions of Americans, maybe combined. Great work.By the way for what ever it means Richard I really enjoyed your feedback.To Beth wasn’t it discovered that PETA has killed 100 of thousands of animals that were brought to them by people thinking they would be saved? I think the issue is you do not value peoples freedom.Thanks Matt. It’s during the day when things break down. Do you see my point about hearing different things from different sources?Stick to your “oats” and prove them wrong. It is up to you to decide what is the more reliable scientific source of information that you want to go by. I have listened/read for several years. I no longer listen to anyone who says that animal products are healthy. Besides all the unhealthy aspects of animal products think of the prions and other things that used to be animal diseases that are now found in humans. Also water is becoming a precious resource and too much is wasted on raising and slaughtering animals.Can anyone recommend a good cookbook to get me started?Yes, here are 2 great ones http://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Cookbook/dp/1583335587/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419780705&sr=1-2&keywords=prevent+and+reverse+heart+diseasehttp://www.amazon.com/Forks-Over-Knives-Cookbook-Plant-Based/dp/1615190619/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419780737&sr=1-1&keywords=forks+over+knives+cookbookThis video is part of a series, the story is not over. Please see “watch next video” on the right hand panel. Dr. Greger has gathered much of the research on gmo.Riz Juan Choonara: Great question! It’s one of my favorites. I’m a bit of a cookbook junkie. I have tons and tons of them. I can’t just pick a single one. But here are a few of my favorites. Just leave out the oil if the recipe calls for it (I can tell you two methods on how), and then most of these are filled with pretty healthy options:Vegan Casseroles (my current favorite) Everyday Happy Herbivoir Vegan On The Cheap Let Them Eat VeganAlso, you might consider going on the free 21 Day Kickstart program. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)Hope that helps. Good luck!So, the main action of statins is that of an anti-oxidant which they don’t want to advertise as most people are away that there are many natural anti-oxidants found in food or nutritional supplements which are less expensive and safer than prescription statins. :-)http://dr-lobisco.com/the-dirty-rumors-about-cholesterol-say-it-aint-so-lipid-foes/Sarah is selectively reporting. While writing in 2015 she cites the 2011 Cochrane review and not the 2013 update, probably because she did not like the update’s statement that risk of bias was low and/or the abstract’s statement of the Authors’ Conclusions which simply said:“Reductions in all-cause mortality, major vascular events and revascularisations were found with no excess of adverse events among people without evidence of CVD treated with statins.”	aging,blood pressure,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,chronic diseases,diabetes,exercise,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,INTERHEART study,Lifestyle medicine,nutrition myths,plant-based diets,smoking,statins,stroke	Preventing and treating chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke with diet and lifestyle changes is not just safer but may be dramatically more effective	Chronic disease, then—the leading cause of death and disability—may be a choice. See for example, Cavities and Coronaries: Our Choice. What do you choose?Why reduce a preventable disease just 90%? How about 99.9%? See One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease EpidemicMore from the field of lifestyle medicine:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/interheart-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17389284,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18697819,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17954808,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18725502,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16818808,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16389367,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15364185,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11556298,
PLAIN-2516	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-activation-with-tomato-seeds/	Inhibiting Platelet Activation with Tomato Seeds	In the prevention of cardiovascular disease, the consumption of fruits and vegetables is crucial. Yes, preventing the oxidation of cholesterol may be one of the mechanisms by which fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. However, hyperactivity of platelets is also critically important in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, as I’ve covered before.In recent years, it has been shown that platelets are not only involved in the arterial clotting process, but also that they play an active role in the inflammatory process of atherosclerosis from the beginning. And that means from childhood. By the end of our teens atherosclerotic lesions are present in most people living in industrialized societies, and so suppressing the overactivity of platelets may be beneficial not only for heart disease but for cancer and allergies, and disease for which inflammation plays a major role.The antioxidant properties of fruits and veggies are well-known. However their anti-clotting effects on platelets are less known. Preliminary studies have demonstrated the platelet activation suppressing activity of a variety of fruits and vegetables, so much so they can mess up platelet function tests. And the effects are so long-lasting, just fasting the morning of your blood test may not be sufficient.Out of 16 different fruits tested, tomatoes came out #1. The anti-platelet activation components in tomatoes are water soluble, so you don’t have to eat them with fat, heat stable, meaning you can cook tomatoes without losing the benefits, and concentrated in the yellow fluid around the seeds, which is why tomato pomace beat out tomato juice, sauce or ketchup. Pomace is basically the seeds and the peel, which the industry throws away, and it may be the healthiest part. And the more tomato seeds the better. But this was measuring platelet activation in a petri dish. Grapefruit came in #2 here, and grapefruit juice at least didn’t appear to help when people actually drank it. Would drinking tomato juice actually help? Yes.Platelets of patients with diabetes are characterized by intensified activation, so 20 diabetics were asked to drink a daily cup of tomato juice for three weeks —or a tomato-flavored placebo beverage and there was a significant drop in platelet activation.Works in healthy people too. Within 3 hours of consumption, two tomatoes are good, but six tomatoes are better. And the effects were more wide-ranging than those of aspirin in that the tomatoes targeted multiple pathways of platelet activation. About 1 in 4 people are aspirin resistant, meaning aspirin doesn’t work to calm down their platelets, whereas only 3% of study subjects were found to be tomato resistant.This finding indicates an advantage of the tomato extract’s broad antiplatelet activity profile over single-target drugs such as aspirin, and when researchers stuck tubes into people while they were eating them, they found no changes in blood clotting times, implying that supplementation with tomatoes should not result in a prolonged bleeding times, so one might get the best of both worlds, less platelet activation without the bleeding risk. But if tomatoes don’t thin our blood do they work?Consumption of tomato products has been found to be protectively correlated with a lower incidence of acute coronary events, less development of early atherosclerosis, and lower mortality from heart disease.If you don’t like tomatoes, kiwifruit recently beat them out in a test tube study of platelet activation. Strawberries may help too, but we have data showing kiwis may actually work in people too, and two kiwis appeared to work just as well as three kiwis. It appears to work for green-on-the-inside kiwifruit; and for yellow-on-the-inside kiwifruit. In this case, though, one a day seemed to help whereas two-a-day did not, which seems a little strange. And there haven’t been any studies to see if kiwifruit eaters actually have fewer strokes and heart attacks, so the best evidence for a dietary intervention to decrease platelet activation currently rests with tomatoes.	That heirloom tomato reminded me of my new favorite summer sandwich. Toasted whole grain bread with Chipotle Vegenaise and a 1/2-inch thick slice of tomato. I know added oil (Vegenaise) isn’t good, but the spice of the “mayo”, the sweetness of the tomato, and the nutty crunch of the toast made this sandwich irresistible.Nightshade fruits (tomatoes) and veggies create inflammation in me, arthritic joint pain also. I wish it was not the case. Happens every time!But thanks for today’s video….. I’ll go with the kiwi and strawberry options you’ve listed.Same for me! Surprisingly, I could eat cooked tomato soup (home made with love, I assume) without any joint pain. Nice surprise :-)! Cooking destroys the lectins, I learned afterwards. Still no night shades for me apart from a few cooked goji berries and occasionally egg plant.Raw, ripe, fresh and organic vegan is best against inflammation and for alkalizing your body :-)!I can’t stand tomatoes but love tomato paste, buying organic in 6 oz cans. There usually is a golden fluid on top. Would that be from the tomato seeds or simply added oil colored by the tomatoes?btw @ 1:30 I’m surprised blueberries did not make the list.Its possible they didn’t test them. There are so many fruits and vegetables one could test after all.My wife is on Pradaxa for afib, a blood thinner. Is this an issue to be recognized since it helps prevent blood clotingMy Doctor recently expressed a concern with my platelet count. The normal range is between 150,000 – 400,000 platelets per micro liter. My count is currently at 131,000. It was at 237,000 as recently as 18 months ago which coincides with when I began my whole foods plant based diet including my consumption of spices which are anti oxidant in nature. From what I’ve read they also appear to have blood thinning qualities. As a result I have reduced my consumption of items like tumeric, cinnamon, cayenne, paprika, oregano, ginger, garlic, onion, berries, along with a number of other spices and foods. Any opinions on this? While I like the anti oxidant properties associated with these items the blood thinning effects does have me worried.My count was 166,000 recently and I take various herbal supplements like turmeric…garlic…and several others…also a good amount of veggies….including tomatoes and onions. Be interesting to know what count a woodland gorilla has since they graze on vegetation all day? Or the count of the avg vegetarian vs the SAD diet?Looks like I should stay off the 81 mg aspirin….which I’ve avoided since reading that it might lead to bleeding in the eyes.Hi Bob. Aspirin does not affect platelet count. It affects platelet function. Just a random fact I thought I’d share with you.Hi. I am a Clinical Laboratory Scientist with a specialist in Immunohematology. Fancy-schmancy words to say I spent 6 years at university to then work in a hospital lab most of my life. Of course, I can’t comment on your specific case, since I do not know enough details, etc, but I will say these two things that may be of help to you and your doctor. 1. There are a number of reasons that the 131,000 value could possibly have been an incorrect, or even a transient, value. I suggest having your plt count repeated before sacking your healthy eating choices over one lab result. 2. There is generally no risk of spontaneous bleeding until about 10,000 / microliter (in an otherwise healthy patient).If it were me (which it is not), I would continue my healthy diet with all the herbs and spices and berries you mentioned, while also having the count repeated and having a discussion with my doctor about the OTHER reasons platelet counts can rise and fall. (I’m assuming you are using those spices at culinary doses – not using them at “supplemental” doses.)I’ve had low platelets for years, before I became a healthy-food vegan and after. They’ve gone as low as 107,000. The doctors don’t seem concerned – but it is hard for me not to be.Nice, them poor tomatoes needed a little bit of a P.R. bump, till now they got a bit of a raw deal on this site.I am vegan and developed hypothyroidism. Any advice?Also should I be taking EPA/DHA if I’m vegan based on this new study?http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/vegans_dha_epa.aspxDr. McDougall (vegan) actually gives reason to consider NOT taking EPA/DHA supplements. As in possible harm, suppression of immune system in an undesirable manner. Who knows?Just curious, what study is it? Do you have a link?Thank you very much for this post. I intend to add tomato products to my diet. They are a key component of the Greek diet even though they are native to the new world. A can of tomato paste a week could dramatically add to health. I have been making a snack with your advice with the specific goal of invoking longevity. It includes a few dark chocolate with super fruits (like Brookside or Costco), one half mushroom, some nuts (including one Brazil nut a week), one sheet nori (there’s some on Amazon), some dried golden raisins, blueberries, or other dried superfruits, (maybe also some Costco beans and or a whole grain or Kind bar) and a drink of tea or cranberry lemonade. I think this small snack, taken every day, could dramatically add to lifespan and reduce some of our most common diseases in a single simple inexpensive serving.A comment on aspirin resistance: This may actually be very rare. The issue is the enteric coating. This prevents adequate absorption for many people and thus platelets activation is less inhibited. Why this form of aspirin is continued to be used is a mystery to me.My understanding of the coated aspirin is to prevent leaky gut. This is where the uncoated aspirin affects the lining of the stomach such that it disturbs the connections between the cells. Hence stomach fluid leaks out. Nasty stuff.Fruitflow® – the EFSA supported natural heart health ingredient from Tomatoes.http://www.plantenstoffen.nl/public/jaarevent2014_berndmussler_dsm.pdfNice food safety picture of mouse in the link ^^ : http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1579135394/-font-b-Safety-b-font-Helmet-Mouse-Mousetrap-32-x24-Art-font-b-Posters-b.jpgEditing only seems to add more pictures, feel free to remove 1 of the 2 NF staff. Sorry ^^Cute pictorial comment on food safety in your link, mouse with helmet, maybe nutritionfacts can use it in a dangers of milk video/blog ^^ :http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1579135394/-font-b-Safety-b-font-Helmet-Mouse-Mousetrap-32-x24-Art-font-b-Posters-b.jpgCute pictorial comment on food safety in your link, mouse with helmet, maybe nutritionfacts can use it in a dangers of milk video/blog ^^ :Now I know why I naturally love raw tomatoes with my boiled potatoes.The video relates specifically to a product now available as Fruitflow which has been scientifically proven and awarded with EFSA and GRAS certifications. It is now widely available around the world in over 37 products including Optiflow (Bricker Labs) and Swansons.Finally, an effective and healthy alternative to aspirin.I’m quite confused by the contradictory information about the inflammatory vs anti-inflammatory effects of tomatoes when I look around the web. I’d appreciate Dr. Greger’s commenting in a future video about what might lead to those conflicts. Differences in how different people react to tomatoes and other foods (some indication of that some places)? Other reasons? I see from the comment that some people do find tomatoes/nightshades inflammatory. I have never noticed anything one way or the other, though of course I can’t measure my platelets by how I feel. Ideas? Thoughts? (By the way, I’m signed in but my comment isn’t being accepted except as a guest. Why do I have to sign in additional to social networks I don’t use.)I have had chronic hives for over 5 years. I have them daily. Skin burns this very minute. The more i move toward a plant based vegan diet it seems that the nightshades are bad for me. When I ate like everyone else, there were too many foods to try to blame. I can say i am vegetarian but haven’t kicked butter and cheese. The more veg I eat the more i find that tomatoes seem to be hurting me a lot. Hives don’t show up till about 6 hours after eating something so it is hard to pin down, but I am thinking a test where I eat what i think is ok and eliminate tomatoes, potatoes and bell peppers and see what happens. I burn constantly, 24/7/365.	allergies,antioxidants,aspirin,blood clots,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,fruit,grapefruit,grapefruit juice,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,kiwi fruit,mortality,oxidative stress,platelets,strawberries,stroke,tomato juice,tomato sauce,tomatoes,vegetables	The yellow fluid around tomato seeds appears to suppress platelet activation without affecting blood clotting. This anti-inflammatory effect may explain why eating tomato products is associated with lower cardiac mortality.	The video that I set up the background on the role of platelet activation is Inhibiting Platelet Aggregation with Berries.One of my favorite videos, The Tomato Effect, is actually not about tomatoes at all, but talks about the power of a diet composed entirely of plants to combat the heart disease epidemic. After all, Heart Disease Starts in Childhood.I do have some others that really do touch on tomatoes, though:More on kiwis here:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-sauce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-clots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/platelets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21586177,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22969932,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24749953,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11454256,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15315994,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23394993,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16287614,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16960170,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24048285,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16960171,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21455854,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22035630,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12587984,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11897042,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15370099,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24617520,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24325459,
PLAIN-2517	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-diet/	Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease with Diet	Up to half of Alzheimer’s cases may be attributable to just these 7 risk factors, and that’s not including diet, just because there are so many dietary factors that they couldn’t fit them into their model, but they acknowledged that diet might be another important modifiable risk factor for AD. In particular, there is growing evidence that dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, are associated with lower Azheimer’s risk, as well as slower cognitive decline, but which constituents of the Mediterranean diet are responsible?The traditional Mediterranean diet is a diet high in intake of vegetables, beans, fruit, and nuts, and low in meat and dairy. When they tried to tease out the protective components, fish consumption showed no benefit, neither did moderate alcohol consumption. The two critical pieces appeared to be vegetable consumption, and the ratio between unsaturated fats and saturated fats, essentially plant fats to animal fats.In studies across 11 countries, fat consumption appeared to be most closely correlated with the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, with the lowest fat intake and Alzheimer’s rates in China to the highest fat intake and Alzheimer’s rates in the United States. But this is grouping all fats together.Harvard researchers examined the relationships of the major fat types to cognitive change over 4 years among 6,000 healthy older women, and found that higher saturated fat intake was associated with a poorer trajectory of cognition and memory. Women with the highest saturated fat intake had 60 to 70% greater odds of worst change on brain function. The magnitude of cognitive change associated with saturated fat consumption was equivalent to about 6 years of aging, meaning women with the lowest saturated fat intake had the brain function of women 6 years younger.What if one already has Alzheimer’s, though? Previously, this group of Columbia University researchers reported that eating a Mediterranean-style diet was related to lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease, but whether a Mediterranean diet—or any diet for that matter—is associated with the subsequent course of the disease and outcomes had not been investigated, until now.They found that adherence to the Mediterranean diet may affect not only risk for Alzheimer disease but also subsequent disease course: Higher adherence to the MeDi is associated with lower mortality. And the more they adhered to the healthier diet, the longer they lived. Within 5 years, only 20% of those with high adherence died, with twice as many deaths in the intermediate adherence group, and in the low diet adherence group, within 5 years, more than half were dead, and by 10 years, 90% were gone, 80% were gone, or less than half. And by the end of the study, the only people still alive were those with higher adherence to the healthier diet.	Plant-based fats a causation? 2 avocados a day — 2 ounces of cashews — 10 macadamia un-roasted —maybe some coconut oil also. Could this daily intake increase the odds of Alzheimer’s as effectively (or at all?) as the animal based fats?Dr. Greger has a number of videos on coconut oil which can be searched for on the NutritionFacts.org page. The bottom line, though, is that coconut oil is essentially 100% saturated fat and is therefore just as bad for you as the fat you get in animal products. You’d have to ask someone else (i.e., someone not me) about the other fat sources you mention.Check on Cronometer.com for the Omega 6:3 ratio in many nuts, seeds, avocado and of course oils. They are not great, so a little of those foods goes a long way. All oils are highly inflammatory to the endothelium of the arteries. Vogel’s brachial artery tests showed a 31% constriction after ingestion of olive oil as an example. Coconut oil has absolutely no Omega 3 or Vitamin E – it is 100% fat most of which is saturated.Lots of data on the benefits, here is one link, many others.http://www.healthysmoothiehq.com/health-benefits-coconuts-coconut-oilAlzheimers and second-hand ingestion of drugs? Vaping devices are not just being used for nicotine. These gaping-electronic-devices are being used to discreetly smoke crack, pot, meth, you name it. What are the implications of second-hand breathing in of these drugs, as far as alzheimers? Public transportation……the guy in the bathroom might be smoking crack (what you think is an electronic cigarette filled with nicotine, but it’s filled with crack.) The lady in the airplane bathroom using her electronic cigarette to smoke meth, and there’s no way to detect it, or even prevent it. Innocents breathing it in. Someone in the restaurant smoking what we think is an electronic cigarette, full of nicotine, but it is packed with speed and coke, and here we are assuming all is ok, the air is fine. Dementia, alzheimers….this could get scary in the days, years ahead. It already is. The guy in the doctor’s office bathroom smoking who knows what out of his electronic-device. Yes, it’s time to take back our air. Many addicts don’t fit the “profile” of what we often assume. Lawyers, judges, doctors, fortune 500 executives, priests, professors, etc., drug addiction does not discriminate. It can happen to anyone. And these devices are allowing these folks to now subject us to their second-hand exhales.Make an appointment with a psychologist for an evaluation, it sounds like the pipe has hit you too hard and there is a budding psychosis going on in your brain. This kind of internal rhetoric is a dead giveaway. Leave it untreated and your mind might deteriorate to the point it becomes useless.Disagreed. Do the research. The technology is fully available for hard-core addicts to now put illegal drugs in these electronic devices that were designed to be used for nicotine-inhalation purposes. The second-phase of this is that what was once a society of addicts having to discreetly and privately take their drugs, well, they can now do it out in public, at work, wherever, and there is no “smell” detection. This is no small issue, and I think it might just pertain to dementia and alz’s, as I could very easily see breathing in second-hand crack in the restaurant bathroom might be an issue.I don’t know where you live, but in my locality, No Smoking areas also means No Vaping.People smoke these in public bathrooms and there is no way to detect it or even know they are doing it. We are breathing it in. I see people discreetly doing this even out in the open in places where it is banned. All it takes is a few seconds to take a hit. Sure, they are banned on airplanes, but we go into the bathroom alone, and these second-hand vapors have no “smell”, yet their chemical residue lingers, breathed in by……kids, all of us.well, if you are hanging out in public bathrooms all the time, then you’ve probably got bigger problems than a few isolated incidence of second hand crack smoke.What a depressing disease.They may live longer, but most importantly, do they live with a higher quality of life? Just because living longer doesn’t mean better.I have had some Dementia patients stabilize and slow the progression but I haven’t seen any “miraculous recoveries” once the disease shows outward signs of manifestation. So prevention is key!Prevention is key to all of it. (chronic disease).I cannot think of any worse fate than living longer with (true) Alzheimer’s…. There are other forms of dementia (now also often called “Alzheimer’s”) that do not have the steady progression of true Alzheimer’s. True Alzheimer’s slowly robs a person of their humanity and eventually kills them, slowly… It is a horrible disease. Other dementias do not have those characteristics….“The risk of getting Alzheimer’s was 3.3 times greater among people whose blood folic acid levels were in the lowest one-third range and 4.5 times greater when blood homocysteine levels were in the highest one-third.” Clarke et.al. Arch. Neurol. 55 (1998) Ref. 76 Chapter 10 of The China Study by Cornell nutritional biochemist T. Colin Campbell. Folate comes from foliage (deep green leafy vegetables) and homocysteine comes from animal-based foods. Study published whithin the last week 2 years with dementia people with high homocysteine levels taking synthetic folic acid pills did not help. Duh…. Amazing how many nutritional researchers don’t read in their field.Would someone in the know please clarify for me, are “Alzheimer’s” and “dementia” used interchangeably here? And am I correct in thinking that Alzheimer’s is but one form of dementia?It’s unfortunate that many (most?) people incorrectly equate “the Mediterranean Diet” with high intakes of fish, wine, cheese and olive oil rather than of vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts… And of course, a wide variety of countries, cultures and cuisines are “Mediterranean,” so which “diet” is THE Mediterranean one? I’m glad this video cites studies that help clarify that (as usual) it’s whole plant foods that are beneficial.You’re right… there are many kind of dementias and Alzheimer Disease is one of the most “famous”…http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.aspWhile for me the true Meditarrean diet its really high in whole plant foods while animal foods are kept low, but i think it really depends on the location… populations next to sea tend to eat fish and probably not in moderation, but i’m not sure of this.Location, location, location:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mediterranean_countriesOh, yes we have a lot of locations… :-)Exactly. Which is why I have issues with the term (and (mis)interpretation of) “the Mediterranean diet.”i think you should study the books about the blue zones, or Ancel Keys works about diet.My thoughts about the “right” Mediterranea diet is probably a WFPB, but olive oil it’s use only as a condiment and one/two times per week there are serving of meat/fish.Stables are whole grains, legumes, veggies and fruits.I think that the BOMB diet could fit well for the purpose.My thoughts about the Med diet (and any diet) is the same as yours, Merio – WFPB! Thanks for your recommendations, but I’m good! :-) My husband and I have been ethical vegans for 14 years, and we came to it via a health issue, when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 20 years ago this month. That’s when we started learning about health and nutrition and changing how we ate, and in 2007 I attended Dr. McDougall’s 10-Day Live-in Program. The more we learned, the more reasons we found to change our perspectives and habits, and our only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner. (As for the MS, I’m symptom-free and have been for many years, without drugs. So I take no convincing about the huge health benefits of a WFPB diet!)My mom has dementia (but not Alzheimer’s), as did her parents (the Italian side of the family!) She’s been doing much better since moving into Assisted Living last summer; living alone had her depressed, paranoid, disoriented, hallucinatory… it was bad. She’s suffering memory issues, but everything else is vastly improved, it’s like night and day. Now if only the place would feed them WFPB diet! :-)Probably you have much more information than me since you have beeing study the diet issue for > 14 years right ? XDGreat that you succeed in beating the MS.Hope that your mom continue to improve :-)Ps I’m italian.Actually, it’s been close to 20, since someone put me onto Roy Swank’s “The MS Diet” shortly after my MS diagnosis, and that’s what started the ball rolling for me. Grazie mille for your kind words and well-wishes for my mom and me! (I figured you were Italian, paisan. :-) (Mom’s name is Possenti, my grandfather was from near Pisa). Ciao, Merio, buona giornata!It is always a pleasure to meet on english’s blogs someone who can talk italian :-)I live near Milan and practically all my parents lived in Lombardy.Le auguro una buona serata !You give me more credit than I deserve, as I can only speak the few words and phrases of Italian my grandfather taught me, and can write far less. I didn’t have an opportunity to study it till college, and by then I had five years invested in studying Spanish. But I’d love to learn to speak it – it’s such a beautiful language! – and since learning another language helps stave off dementia, I think that sounds like a great idea for the New Year. :-)Even more than I want to learn Italian, I long to visit Italy someday!The MIT could help you ! :-)http://youtu.be/5AjzlkahiL0?list=PLUl4u3cNGP62GsvB-6EwEE0F0frXtyhYqBon giorno! And thanks for this! Not only will I learn to speak Italian, but will be able to do so with my mouth full (“mangia, mangia!”) AND be able to tell people I’m an MIT grad. Not bad! :-)I found four different “Learn to Speak Italian” courses on CDs at our local library, plus they participate in the free Mango Languages program. So between all that and Paola here, I should be fluent in no time – and dementia-free for life! :-)Perfetto !!:-)Essentlally the study used a 9 point scale, with points awarded for higher than median intake of 5 categories [fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, and fish], lower tnan median intake of [meat, dairy], and high MUFA:SFA ratios and moderate alcohol intake. Whole food plant based diets would automatically score at least a 7 (8 with moderate alcohol), and fall into the high adherance tertile (6-9) with the best outcomes.I had been wondering about Omega-3´s. If they are so critical in our biochemical pathways, why are they so hard to come by? Oh, I know, flax and walnuts, but after a little reading, seems like in the biochemical conversion a lot gets lost (ALA into DHA, EPA). And how were the ¨hunter-gatherers¨ getting so much flax or walnuts, anyway. So…fish? I didn´t imagine much fish in the long ago history, until I watched a little youtube yest on the history of man. Just a glimpse, really, but they showed how almost all of the beginnings of mankind were around the sea. Fish was easy(ier) to harvest and eat. If someone can help with the dilemma, I´d appreciate it. I am now a WPFB person who eats 100g sardines every other day. I don´t like the mercury implication, but…Unfortunately even if i’m (also) a biochemist i’m not able to answer that question (it’s not my field).From my point of view, past population (hunter gatherers) never were “vegan”, maybe they ate very little animal food, but indeed some % of calories derived from animals/fish… probably even insects (that are ubiquitous and easy to “hunt”).But fish i think was indeed a great option for ours ancestors.Here an interesting post from Jeff Novick : http://209.204.155.28/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=19443&start=0The rate of conversion of ALA to DHA is two time better when you are on a WFPB diet. Flax and walnuts are indeed great source of ALA and very healthy food in the same time. Flax for exemple should be consumed not solely for it’s omega 3 content. There is small amount of omega 3 in many food including beans and greens that contribute to your omega 3 intake. Flax and walnuts are just the most concentrated source. Our ancestors probably get more omega 3 from greens than from fish over long period of time.Here a quote from John Langdon of the departments of Biology and Anthropology of the University of Indianapolis : “[b]There is no evidence that human diets based on terrestrial food chains with traditional nursing practices fail to provide adequate levels of DHA or other n-3 fatty acids.[/b] Consequently, the hypothesis that DHA has been a limiting resource in human brain evolution must be considered to be unsupported.”More on this great paper from McDougall : https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/jun/confessions.htmI think you should focus on what is the best that you can do today for your health rather than to think how ancesters did in the past.. Today we can have the best food everyday, not so in the distant past.. and if you still want – like me – a source of DHA without mercury, PCBs and so on, there is good algae-based supplement on the market.Chris KesserHowever, research clearly indicates that the conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is extremely limited. Less than 5% of ALA gets converted to EPA, and less than 0.5% (one-half of one percent) of ALA is converted to DHA.A common misconception, especially amongst vegetarians and vegans, is that our need for EPA and DHA can be met by consuming flax oil and other plant sources of ALA. But the conversion numbers above clearly indicate that this isn’t the case.Studies have shown that ALA supplements (like flax oil) are unable to raise plasma DHA levels in vegans, despite low DHA levels at baseline. (ref) So unless they are supplementing with an algae-derived source of DHA, it is likely that most vegetarians and vegans are deficient.FROM WHFOOD in summary If you choose to avoid all animal foods (including seafoods), we recommend a discussion with your healthcare practitioner to determine possible supplementation with omega-3s.I know there are omega 3´s in veggies in addition to the walnuts, flax, but it´scant. Again, I ask, if omega-3´s are so critical, where did they come from? We could never have eaten enough flax seed, walnuts, etc. way, way back yonder to supply our bodily requirements. I´m not even sure there was such a thing as walnuts, but there was fish. Just my take.Omega 3 comes from plants always, even in the sea. Fish cannot create omega 3, just like us. We, just like the fish, are just able to elongate the molecule. Only plants can synthesized omega 3.Read the two articles I pointed out, there is scientifique study backing what I’m saying. The post from Jeff Novick and the one from McDougall. From start to finish. You’ll find anwser to all your question.Adrien: Great post! Thanks for this specific information.Jackie: As Jeff Novick says: To know whether or not you can get enough omega-3s from your food, you have to know: a) how much omega 3s you need, and b) how much you are getting from your food. Then proceeded to answer both questions, including showing a great chart with how much omega 3s you can get from various foods, including greens like broccoli. It turns out, if you eat enough servings of whole plant foods (say 9 a day), all those servings of veggies etc, and skip the meat/fish, diary, eggs and other junk food, you end up getting enough omega 3s. No fish is needed at all. Seems like our ancestors would have easily met their omega 3s that way.With the better conversion levels that true vegans enjoy, some added flaxseed gives plenty of insurance on top of a true WFPB diet.You can see all of the charts and learn more in Jeff’s talk: From Oil to Nuts. I haven’t had a chance to look at Adrien’s links yet, but I’m guessing that information will be helpful too.It’s interesting that vegans who eat absolutely no animal products are much more efficient at conversion of linolenic acid.Thanks, Merio – I knew one of them was an “umbrella” term, and thought it was most likely “dementia,” but they do seem to be used interchangeably and I still wonder if that’s happening in this video.I think that clinicians could be too used to this particular term and simply use it without thinking that the average man is ignorant to the fact that dementias are a spectrum of disorders:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DementiaAny neurologist out there could say if i’m wrong ?http://www.naturalnews.com/047799_cocoa_flavanols_memory_loss_brain_health.html“Not all researchers agree that there is any such thing as normal memory loss, however. A study conducted by researchers from the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and published in the journal Neurology in 2010 followed 350 Catholic priests, nuns and brothers for an average of 13 years and then autopsied them after death. The researchers found signs of brain damage in all participants who had exhibited signs of memory loss. Not all the damage, however, was due to Alzheimer’s disease.”I have one word….PREVENTION.I agree that prevention is where the action is, and plant foods are where the prevention is! :-)… And exercise. The brain needs a huge amount of nutrients and oxygen and aerobic exercise gets it there and strengthens the cardio vascular system to keep it coming. And resistance training builds the muscle that helps keep excess sugars under control.Yes (and nice timing, we just returned from a good brisk walk, yay!) :-) And I’ve read in several articles that learning challenging new skills, like a foreign language, quilting, chess… all good for staving off dementia too! (Plus they keep life interesting!)Yes! That great! and “brisk” is key… While a stroll is better than nothing, it is important to get the heart rate up – even to sweat a little – at least 30 minutes every day.As one person put it: “Only eat on those days that you exercise!”To often it splits into the nutrition camp vs the exercise camp. We need BOTH!I couldn’t stroll if I tried. :-) I’ve always been a fast walker, and it’s my favorite form of exercise (bike riding is 2nd.) Trouble is living in northern WY, where the weather and the walking paths are so often treacherous! And I don’t have a treadmill. So I miss some days at this time of year… guess I can’t eat on those days now. ;-)I thought you might enjoy this PCRM article I just read yesterday – it has to do mainly with cancer prevention and survival, but as you know it applies to plenty of health issues: “The Roles of Exercise and Stress Management”.EXCELLENT article! Thank You for sharing that!As I was reading it I was struck by how much it sounded like Dean Ornish talking about the prevention and reversal of heart disease.Isn’t it amazing (not to mention convenient!) how the things that reverse or prevent cancer also do the same for heart disease as well as dementia.I’m glad you enjoyed it too, and you’re most welcome!Yes, it’s very handy how the same relatively simple and readily available preventions & remedies are effective against so many seemingly complex diseases, and wonder why so many insist on making it seem so complicated and unattainable.By the way, inspired by the article I sent you and your replies to me, my husband and I have decided to treat ourselves to an exercise bike (would prefer a treadmill, but lack the room) so we can get our aerobic exercise no matter the weather! And Merio has inspired me to grab some “learn Italian” CDs from our local library. So thanks to the two of you (and Dr. Greger), I should manage to hold on to my wits for a couple more decades, at least! :-)Happy Thanksgiving!Best of luck with the exercise bike! That’s great news and a good decision! One suggestion to consider is getting a regular bike and mounting it on a trainer for the winter. I don’t know how the cost compares – but that would provide you with year round cycling (assuming that you have a safe place to cycle outside).Happy Thanksgiving to you!We’d actually considered that idea (mounting our bikes on a trainer) last year, but rejected it for various reasons I won’t bore you with. :-) After doing some further research this afternoon, we’ve decided on an elliptical (better cardio than a bike, lower impact than a treadmill), and have been researching the reviews and consumer reports ever since. Might even brave the madding Black Friday crowds (urgh) to check one out at our local Sears tomorrow.We have a wonderful walking/bike path system here (we think it’s the best thing about our town), and I sure do miss our almost-daily bike rides and long (5+ mile) walks when winter arrives!Thanks again for your help, advice, and support – it’s much appreciated! :-)Best of luck with the elliptical! Good Choice! Last winter I started to move from cycling to running on my treadmill. But a torn cartilage in my hip put a stop to running. Unfortunately, my slave driver (oops! I mean my cardiologist) wanted me to start HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) on the treadmill — which I couldn’t do because I couldn’t run. But, after joining a gym, I discovered the elliptical and love it! That’s partly because, like a cycle, it doesn’t bother my hip and also because it is all manual, I have complete control over the intensity: I added the cardiologist’s suggested heart rate intervals into DigiFit on my IPhone and then simply connect the dots with my heart rate — when the next 4 minute block calls for a higher heart rate I go faster, and when the next block calls for a moderate heart rate, I slow down. Love it! I hope you get the same benefit I have been getting from it! I showed the results to my cardiologist when I saw him a couple weeks ago and he was VERY pleased!This is great to hear! Most importantly that your progress has so pleased your whip-cracking cardiologist (lol), but also that you really enjoy using it. I was particularly happy to hear it doesn’t hurt your hip, since I have an old hip injury/trigger points that I sure don’t want to aggravate. Our neighbors have invited us over to check their elliptical out today, which we’ll do – she said they both experience numbness in their feet when using it, which is an issue we’ve been reading about. Apparently the higher-end ellipticals have successfully addressed it with adjustable foot pedals, and since gyms have professional-grade ellipticals (and since you love it and voiced no complaints), I assume you haven’t experienced that problem.Thanks so much for sharing your experience – and your enthusiasm! :-)Yes, Alzheimer’s is technically a unique disease characterized by plaques, tangles and a predictable progression starting with memory loss and ending with death (while the interim is too horrible to speak of). Unfortunately, the Alzheimer’s Association has begun to blur the boundaries and definitions between Alzheimer’s and other types of dementias. That may help their funding and it may help validate their claim that 80% of dementias are of the Alzheimer’s type. But it really hurts both understanding and scientific research: if you don’t know what it is you are researching, you will not come up with any reliable answers: Researching dementia/Alzheimer’s is like researching ‘diseases of the chest’ — it could be any number of actual, unrelated diseasesThank you! That was very helpful.BTW, Keep the, “Until Now” coming! I love hearing that statement but I am not sure why. Maybe becasue I know I am about to get a good dose of current research. I think it has become your signature statement.Thank you so much for posting!!! I hope you do more on this subject. Everybody on my mom’s side of the family got some type of dementia (mainly Alzheimer’s) in their old age, and it is so encouraging to see that it can be avoided. I hope this vegan diet/jogging thing does the trick, and thank you so much Dr. Greger, for all that you do. If anyone can save our country from this mess it is in I believe you will be at the forefront. I’m a Democrat, but unfortunately Obamacare is a total joke and will do nothing to help healthcare (except more than double our premiums!!! And I speak from experience), and will drastically hurt the Democrat party unless Hillary can put some sense back into our leadership. Our health and our nation can only be saved through sensible lifestyle changes, not through taking more money from peoples’ wallets and slamming it into more “sick care.” A vegan nutritarian diet and our jogging shoes are our only hope.Am I missing something about the whole obamacare thing? When I´m shopping for health ins., (supplemental, actually), they can´t ask me anymore about my ¨past history¨, so my prior cancer isn´t on their radar anymore. No questions about past health issues. Wasn´t the elimination of pre-existing health issues done away with when Obamacare became law? If that´s a case, it sure as hell isn´t a joke for me! Oh, yes, here it is. http://obamacarefacts.com/pre-existing-conditions/ I don´t want to get political here on this site, but…Dr. Gregor has shown that a plant based diet can make you biologically 14 years younger than any other diet. Perhaps this is customizable to you as a person, in terms of fibonachi based on how adherent you are. That you could be 1,1,2,3,5,8,13, or even 21 years younger depending on how much you participate in the healthy foods he suggests. Knowing that the best of these foods includes brocalli, garlic, beets, lemons, apples, cranberries, alma, rosehips, blackberries, strawberries, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, heavy bean consumption, rosemary, turmeric with pepper, cloves, ginger, hibiscus tea, dandelion tea, and chamomile tea, the more of them you consume the healthier you can be. Perhaps heavy doses of these foods can help beat aging. Since Alzheimers isn’t exactly genetic, maybe diet plays a huge role. It is hard to assume Alzheimers is genetic since it strikes the elderly and they seem to know that they are happy. Perhaps it is because they are missing children or grandchildren from their spirit and lack the ancestors to make up for them. Perhaps they are struggling to see something they are missing. Some people turn to medications to see more of their family. I think a major cause of diabetes and obesity are the most profitable medicines in the country, Zypreza and Haldol and antidepressants which make people really gain weight and can raise their blood sugar. Maybe they can damage the brain too when used wrong or over used to treat genius ideas, not mental illness. Whole grains can prevent stroke and dementia, and berries can make your brain two years younger. Grapes and cherries are also effective at battling the aging of the brain. Diet can play a role in slowing the shrinking of the frontal lobe, and so can language and memory games like Legos and gardening. People with Alzheimers can perform the most complicated tasks that are stored in different parts of the brain. Nuts, beans, dark chocolate, matcha tea, whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables might be our most effective treatment for Alzheimers, it already seems to be for Parkinsons and some other neuroligcal disorders.We really have no idea have no idea what Alzheimer’s is – we are only knows it symptoms. So prevention can only be determined by trial and error: “We tried ‘this’ and it usually worked”.But many, I believe most, dementias are brought on by vascular insufficincies – the brain does not receive adequate nutrients and oxygen. We DO know how to prevent that: Diet & exercise!This is a good article and good studies. But it is important to first define what one is talking about when speaking of Alzheimer’s. Just a few years ago Alzheimer’s was defined as a predictably progressive deterioration of the brain characterized by plaques and tangles — and it was specifically differentiated from other forms of dementia. But, more recently, those boundaries are being greyed to where Alzheimers and dementia have become synonymous. Are we speaking of plaques and tangles or dementias caused by vascular deficiencies? Mixing the two is like speaking of “diseases of the chest” — is it an MI, CHF, COPD, pneumonia? It makes a difference!we all lose its alright wForty percent of Americas over 85 will get Alzheimer’s. Dr. Greger recommends saffron and tumeric with pepper (based on a very small case study). for Alzheimer’s, maybe aroma therapy with lavender and citrus would help. Perhaps if their minds need more energy to hold onto all the memories they could be feed more B12 or Phosphorous or even plant protein. The brain is made up mostly of fat, and the body always digests its own fat in time. Telling the difference between different fats has a lot to do with metabolism and Phosphorous and Adenosine (the stuff of ATP, the food source of the body) could keep us going. Spinach must really help the mind. Does copper help control the brain?I have recently heard some positive things about Silica and Alzheimer’s. Could someone from NutritionFacts comment on that?Hi jspeed thanks for reposting. I found one review that may help. A review of epidemiologic studies on aluminum and silica in relation to Alzheimer’s disease and associated disorders. And Aluminum and silica in drinking water and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or cognitive decline: findings from 15-year follow-up of the PAQUID cohort. That is reason enough to suggest avoiding silica and aluminum. This link may also be helpful, if interested. Dietary and lifestyle guidelines for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.	alcohol,Alzheimer’s disease,animal fat,beans,brain disease,brain health,China,cognition,dairy,dementia,fish,fruit,meat,Mediterranean diet,nuts,saturate fat,vegetables	The role of the Mediterranean diet in preventing and treating dementia.	What seven risk factors? That was covered in more detail in my previous video: Preventing Alzheimer’s with Lifestyle Changes.There’s been an explosion of research on the Mediterranean diet recently, with about 500 papers published in the last year alone. I’m going to be doing an in-depth series taking a deep dive. To date I’ve only done a few that dance around the periphery:I do have a bunch on dietary factors in cognitive decline, though:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturate-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21775213,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23680940,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22605573,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24749953,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17846408,
PLAIN-2518	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-lifestyle-changes/	Preventing Alzheimer’s with Lifestyle Changes	It is safe to say that Alzheimer’s disease research is in a state of crisis. For the past two decades, over 73,000 research articles have been published, averaging 100 papers per day, yet little clinical progress has been made. The reason a cure may be impossible is because lost cognitive functions in Alzheimer’s disease patients are due to fatally damaged neuronal networks, and dead nerve cells cannot be brought back to life. Consequently, replacement with new brain cells—even if it were technically possible, cannot be done without creating a new personal identity. They may live, but is it really a cure if their personality is lost forever?Developing drugs that try to clear out the plaques from advanced degenerated brain tissue makes about as much sense as bulldozing tombstones from graveyards in an attempt to raise the dead. Even if drug companies figured out how to stop further disease progression, many Alzheimer victims might not choose to live without recognizing family, friends, or themselves in a mirror.Thus, prevention of Alzheimer’s may be the key. Just as a heart attack or brain attack (stroke) can be significantly prevented, one can think of Alzheimer’s dementia as a ‘‘mind attack." Mind attack, like heart attacks or strokes, needs to be prevented by controlling of vascular risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol, controlling that chronic brain hypoperfusion, the lack of adequate blood flow to the brain over the years before the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, which means a healthy diet, physical exercise, and mental exercise.Here’s the potential number of Alzheimer’s cases that could be prevented every year in the United States if we could just reduce diabetes rates 10%, 25%, because diabetes is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s. And so is high blood pressure, depression, not exercising your body, smoking, and not exercising your brain. Altogether, a small reduction in all these risk factors could potentially prevent hundreds of thousands of devastated families.If modifiable factors such as diet were found conclusively to modulate the risk of AD to the degree suggested by this research, then we would all indeed rejoice at the implications.	Is there any chance that synthetic vitamins, vitamin and mineral fortification of foods, pills, etc. has been a contributing cause to Alzheimers in some cases? These synthetics are actually brand new to humans…our bodies never had to process these sort of reactions before, and who knows what the long-term consequences are, brain-wise, etc.Excesses of certain minerals have been linked to neurodegeneration. A key study found an interaction between high saturated fat diets and copper in supplements in cognitive decline. Morris, M. C., Evans, D. A., Tangney, C. C., Bienias, J. L., Schneider, J. A., Wilson, R. S., & Scherr, P. A. (2006). Dietary copper and high saturated and trans fat intakes associated with cognitive decline. Archives of Neurology,63(8), 1085-1088.Awesome. Thanks for posting this study. I’d read something mentioning this a ways back, and had gotten the feeling that some vegan diets, if very high in saturated fats, could be worrisome as far as neuro-issues because most vegan diets tend to be far higher in copper than zinc, and, regardless of zinc, copper is pretty darn high in beans and nuts and grains. It is in no way difficult to greatly exceed the daily RDA for copper. Heck, eat too many grains and beans consistently, while at the same time indulging in coconut oil, overdosing on nuts and seeds, and there might be some red-flags for vegans.my girlfriend told me about a year ago to stop taking any multivitamin or supplement with vitamin E in it because she read somewhere that it caused strokes of the brain in men. Its been hard to tell you the truth, because tocopherols are put into just about everything for freshness or something. But aside form food sources, I have done away with anything pill related with vit E.Interesting. Makes me wonder if high intake of vitamin E rich foods, – too many avocados, nuts, palm oil, etc., on daily basis, could also cause these strokes. Aside from vitamin E, the blood thinning properties of DHA-algae, fish oils, etc, (if taken too much daily) could cause strokes in susceptible folks.The most interesting hypothesis I’ve seen to account for issues with high-dose vitamin E supplementation is that high doses of the alpha-tocopherol form found in supplements may interfere with absorption of other forms of vitamin E. And those other forms, like the most common vitamin E from diets, gamma-tocopherol, may serve important roles that alpha-tocopherol doesn’t.When I use a little bit of red palm oil I seem to have way better memory recall, a totally different experience than what I have had with other vitamin E foods. But too much red palm oil (too much saturated fat!) and memory recall seems way worse than without red palm oil). For now I assume that there is a special/unique highly-absorbable form of vitamin E in the red palm oil.Breathing is much deeper as well, with a little bit of red palm oil, but too much and I experience the opposite as well.How about the aluminum chaff (http://www.stopsprayingcalifornia.com/Aluminum_Coated_Fiberglass_Particles_(CHAFF).php) and (http://proliberty.com/observer/20060704.htm) sprayed from Air Force planes (http://csat.au.af.mil/2025/volume3/vol3ch15.pdf) and commercial airliners for weather geoengineering (http://www.geoengineeringwatch.org/geoengineering-weather/). Aluminum definitely has been attributed to brain and mental health deterioration. (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/165315-overview) and (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140212093300.htm)All that stuff raining down on our crops, plants, waterways.And don’t forget the aluminum linings used in canned beans, even BPA-free canned liners and cardboard box beans (aluminum liners heated to high temperatures for long cooking times. Rinse your canned beans several times!I’d like to see an article/video showing the link between AD , risk for CVD and the apoe4 allele. Apparnetly, there’s higher risk for both if you carry at least one copy.reminds me of a horrible joke I heard a long time ago about how people with AD look at a bowl of corn flakes after they just had one and really can taste it again for the first time. I probably lost some karma cause I laughed just a bit. Oh well.this was meant to reply to HD’s comment below. I blame my cat for quantum interference.I was just going to tell you something, but I can’t remember.Dr. Gregor could you please comment on the use of long-term HRT’s as a means prevention of Alzheimer’s? This would be in addition to a lifestyle of exercise and whole food plant-based diet. And thank you so much. You are a source of great encouragement and education.Dr. Greger, please look into this. JHU has as good a reputation than any in the world. For them to be making the below statement is to be taken seriously. Who knows what other autoimmune issues are being possibly made worse (or caused?) by garlic:“The Johns Hopkins Lupus Center has recently listed garlic as a food to be avoided by persons diagnosed with lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE).”Not seeing anything in the literature: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=search&term=garlic%20lupusI think “John Hopkins Lupus Center” is “literature” in itself. Obviously the doctors there (some of the most respected and looked up to on Earth/there seems to be a consensus on this in the medical community) are possibly onto something regarding suggestion abstinence of garlic for lupus patients. Hopefully you have an “in” at JHU and can inquire as to what they are basing this bold and emphatic statement on. They are not the sort of medical and scientific community to throw around unsubstantiated statements, recommendations, and claims.Garlic(From John Hopkins Lupus Center. Link below)“Scientists believe that three substancs in garlic—allicin, ajoene, and thiosulfinates—rev-up your immune system by enhancing the activity of white blood cells, particularly macrophages and lymphocytes. Scientists also believe that the sulfur components of garlic help to prevent and suppress cancer in the body. For this reason, garlic is often used as a supplement to combat colds and infections. Unfortunately, the enhancement of immune response is counterproductive in people with autoimmune disease such as lupus, because their immune system is already overactive. As a result, people with lupus and lupus-like signs should avoid cooking with garlic and adding it to food. Of course, a tiny amount of the herb will not harm you, but try to consciously avoid purchasing and preparing foods with garlic.”http://www.hopkinslupus.org/?s=garlicI know the mechanism to chronic inflammation is much more complicated than this simple explanation JHU states. Eliminating animal foods (Pro-inflammatory and immunostimulating) should be the first advice with all autoimmune diseases because they are the main cause of chronic inflammation, but I don’t see why one should prevent one from boosting your immune system that fights infection. (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/)If eliminating animal foods doesn’t help than an elimination diet such as the Rice Diet from Walter Kempner, MD from Duke University would be a good idea. Then slowly add foods back to the diet and see which cause flare-ups and remove those from your diet.And unfortunately some people still have to go on immunomodulating medications to reduce their chronic inflammation.Many plant foods have immune boosting properties such as Broccoli on your gut wall (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/) just do a search on Nutritionfacts.org about a specific food and immunity and see the plethora of plant foods that boost your immune system in a healthy way.I hope this helps.I very much appreciate your posting this Doc. It needs repeating early and often. I had inflammatory arthritis and “cured” it by eliminating gluten. In spit of great vigilance it would return if even the slightest amount slipped into the diet. I then came across this website and all the pro inflammatory factors in meat really jumped out at me. I went whole foods plant based with almost no added oil. Now there seems to be no gluten sensitivity at all and my immune system has kept me without a cold for the past two years. So the auto immune disease is gone and the gluten sensitivity is gone as well. So I will contend that enhancement of the immune system by making it more powerful and less indiscriminant is a monster benefitNow, interestingly enough, when someone with an auto immune disease asks me how I cured myself without methotrexate they want to seize on my gluten free story and talk about how hard that is but they say they will try it. I point out that wheat is very healthy if you do not have a specific problem with it. If you do have a sensitivity that can frequently be alleviated with a WFPBD. I’ve heard of numerous accounts of this other than my own.I believe the resistance to going beyond the gluten free idea has to do with the paleo diet nonsense that so permeates our public discourse. Overwhelming evidence is important but repetition really helps knowledge get through to the practical levels.I appreciate your reply! A WFPBD has amazing benefits as you have experienced! Cheers!Thank you for this review. Could you elaborate a bit on how to avoid “Cognitive inactivity” that’s a risk factor for AD? Are there any studies to guide us on what types of mental exercise are most beneficial, how much, and how often?Off the cuff I’d wager that non-intellectually-stimulating TV and movie watching is where the majority of cognitive inactivity is happening for most people.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130415151439.htm“This review provides some evidence to help clinicians and their patients address what strategies might prevent cognitive decline,” said Dr. Raza Naqvi, a University of Toronto resident and lead author of the review published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.The issue is of particular importance given that mild cognitive impairment affects 10 to 25 per cent of people over age 70. Mild cognitive impairment is characterized by reduced memory, judgment, and decision-making skills compared to someone of a similar age, but not enough to interfere with daily activities.The annual rate of decline into dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, is about 10 per cent. Given that rate and the aging population, it’s estimated the number of Canadians with dementia will double to more than 1 million in the next 25 years.They found no strong evidence for pharmacologic treatments such as cholinesterase inhibitors that were developed to improve the effectiveness of acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that assists memory, thought and judgment.Nor was there strong evidence that herbal supplements such as gingko improved cognitive functions or vitamins and fatty acids such as vitamin B6 or omega-3 fatty acids.Some studies on estrogen actually indicated an increase in cognitive decline and dementia.Evidence on the value of physical exercise, such as strength-training, was weak.The strongest evidence was for the value of mental exercises such as computerized training programs or intensive one-on-one personal cognitive training in memory, reasoning, or speed of processing.…I take a supplement called Cognitex…some MCT oil…and turmeric….among others. A main issue for the elderly is loss of muscle strength that can cause falls….so I exercise. As far as exercising the brain…mostly watch PBS…play video games…do art….not wasting time on politics (humans have been f*cking it up for thousands of years?)…etc. I think one needs to have a “passion” for whatever is “intellectually stimulating” to make it effective….that is find some meaning…sometimes hard to do. There might not be any overall meaning…so if it means something to you and it’s reasonably healthy…do it?Thank you very much for sharing this literature review of great worth to the scientific community. I am sorry to hear of the loss of your mother. I have been watching your website. You say whole grain and maybe berries can prevent this disease, and that saffron, and maybe lavender and citrus (aroma therapy) can treat it or at least its depressive symptoms. Most people’s frontal lobes shrink with age. What I thought was interesting was that a published study said that the brains of the mentally ill shrink up to 9 percent in their lives. Was was strange was this was less than for other people. Is there a diet for the frontal lobe? Is it tea or matcha, and nuts, beans, berries, whole grain, salad and fresh veggies and fresh fruit? I have often thought of absent loved ones. I sure hope that I can remember where they are in my life. Is it possible Alzheimer’s is related to inhalant abuse or drug abuse to get back to a loved one? I think Alzheimer’s is a disease of love and one ups manship trying to out love the disease. There are more nerve endings in your intestines then in your brain or in your nerves. Perhaps probiotics can help the brain heal. Perhaps there are contours in the body that can make us whole. I always thought the brain diet, blueberries, unfiltered grape juice (Trader Joes), whole grains, nuts and seeds, and spinach, might help the heal, and I am eagerly awaiting your video tomorrow.Prof. Woodrow Monte’s website >http://www.whilesciencesleeps.com/references/&lt; has an extensive list of research studies regarding the effects of methanol and its metabolite formaldehyde in our modern diet. According to Monte and his colleagues, areas of the world that have the highest incidences of DOC (Diseases of Civilization) such as Alzheimer's, MS, Cancer, Autism, etc, are likely to consume or use tobacco products, diet products, canned foods and smoked meats. Lifestyles in the Blue Zones probably don't include too many of those products. To eliminate as many DOC's as possible is it worth it to ride into the "Blue" on a plant-based diet? Yeah, think I'll sit in the no-smoking section and cut the methanol and formaldehyde please!Improve your memory and support Mars?http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141026195046.htmThe high-flavanol group also performed significantly better on the memory test. “If a participant had the memory of a typical 60-year-old at the beginning of the study, after three months that person on average had the memory of a typical 30- or 40-year-old,” said Dr. Small. He cautioned, however, that the findings need to be replicated in a larger study — which he and his team plan to do.Flavanols are also found naturally in tea leaves and in certain fruits and vegetables, but the overall amounts, as well as the specific forms and mixtures, vary widely.http://www.swansonvitamins.com/mars-botanical-cocoavia-cocoa-extract-60-veg-capsSince the 1980s there has been research into the role inflammation plays in the development of Alzheimer’s: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10858586 And recent investigations are still looking at inflammation, particularly with looking at how inflammation initiates the onset of Alzheimer’s disease: http://dana.org/News/Details.aspx?id=43258My mother and my uncle, my grandmother and two of her siblings, my great-grandmother, and who knows how many others in my maternal side of the family, all ended up with Alzheimer’s. For all of them, it began in their 60s. A whole foods, plant based diet is probably the best anti-inflammatory diet one could follow, in my opinion. Based on what researchers are looking into, I’m betting on eating plant based as the best way to prevent AD.Thanks Dr. G. for highlighting the results of the Barnes/Yaffe paper. Rather than getting into the weeds as some of the commenters have done, I’d like to take a step back and look at the big picture. The greatest risk reduction for preventing AD is shown to be first physical activity and second not being depressed. Well, without proof, I think it is easy to show an inverse relationship between physical exercise and lack of depression; Nutritionfacts has videos on this I’m sure. Moreover, if people follow a WFPB diet (which presumably many folks who would be frequenting this site, let alone get to reading this comment, already do), then their chances of being obese, T2 diabetic or hypertensive are fairly low. I can’t say much about cognitive stimulation, but I think being on this site constitutes mental exercise; and vegans tend to be an educated bunch to begin with (again, without proof, but not difficult to find).This gets back to physical activity as being the most important risk reduction activity. I assure your readers I am not affiliated and have no conflict of interest in what I am about to say, but rather am speaking from my own personal experience. Want to get fit and stay that way? In the comfort of your own home? Any time day or night? Silently and with no complicated, bulky, super-expensive equipment? Check out the Bellicon Rebounder. Go to their website and study up on the benefits of rebounding and the equipment on offer. I have been rebounding nearly every day for the past several months. 30-45 minute sessions and getting my heart rate up to around 125-140 bpm, being able to carry on a conversation without being winded. My sciatica has cleared up. My balance has improved. My legs and core muscles have firmed up. My visceral body fat has reduced (still working on the subQ). My blood pressure and glucose are normal. And, my mental outlook has improved; I look forward to my workouts every day and am really happy to be doing them. And, of course, I do follow a low-fat, whole-food, plant-based diet.My best wishes to all of you as we enter the ‘silly season’ and all its stresses and pressures. I know how stressful it is to know how important it is to exercise, but being pulled in every direction but the one that leads to you getting a decent workout on a regular basis. The Bellicon Rebounder may be just what you have been looking for. Peace.Dr. Greger recommends tumeric with pepper, Saffron, and maybe aroma therapy with lavender and citrus peel for the treatment of Alzheimer’s,conceding that this disease is a death sentence. Perhaps it is a survivors disease, that there are people who serve different purposes in our mind and when they die we lose a little of ourselves. Perhaps there are types of people, and different types of people do different activities that help our own minds, and we can feel them leave and lose some of our selves when they are gone. Perhaps whole grains, berries, and grapes can help others cope with the burden of serving someone who is losing so much of their society. Perhaps, rather, their mind is growing with responsibility as they age and they need to remove the extra fat it takes to run an older mind with more memories. Maybe efficient use of energy would help these people, as with exercise, fenugreek, and beets. Maybe these people need to use energy more efficiently with whole grains and fresh vegetables, green tea, or barley. A diet rich in enzymes and essential atoms would make a big difference in our lives.thanks so much!	Alzheimer’s disease,blood pressure,brain disease,brain health,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,cognition,dementia,depression,diabetes,exercise,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,mortality,smoking,stroke	Lifestyle changes could potentially prevent hundreds of thousands of cases of Alzheimer’s disease every year in the United States	My mom’s mom died of Alzheimer’s. It is worth preventing at all costs.Up to half of Alzheimer’s cases may be attributable to just those 7 risk factors, and that’s not even including diet, because there were so many dietary factors that they couldn’t fit them into their model. What role does diet play? That’s the subject of my next video, Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease with DietSo far these are some of the videos I’ve done on dementia prevention and treatment:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21775213,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20182017,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22422426,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11176918,
PLAIN-2519	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/	How Much Added Sugar Is Too Much?	In 1776—at the time of the American Revolution—Americans consumed about 4 lbs of sugar per person each year. By 1850, this had risen to 20 lbs, and by 1994, to 120 lbs, and now we’re closer to 160. Half of that is fructose, taking up about 10% of our diet. This is not from eating apples, but rather the fact that we’re each guzzling the equivalent of 16-oz soft drink every day; that’s about 50 gallons a year.Even researchers paid by the likes of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and The Coca- Cola Company, acknowledge that sugar is empty calories, containing no essential micronutrients, and therefore if we’re trying to reduce calorie intake, reducing sugar consumption is obviously the place to start.Concern has been raised, though, that sugar calories may be worst than just empty. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that the fructose added to foods and beverages in the form of table sugar and high fructose corn syrup in large enough amounts can trigger processes that lead to liver toxicity and other chronic diseases.Fructose hones in like a laser beam on the liver, and like alcohol, fructose can increase the fat in the liver, increasing the risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is one of the most remarkable medical developments over the past 3 decades—the emergence of fatty liver inflammation as a public health problem here and around the globe.These may not be messages that the sugar industry or beverage makers want to hear. In response, the director-general of the industry front group World Sugar Research Organization, replied “Overconsumption of anything is harmful, including of water and air.” Yes, the overconsumption of sugar compared to breathing too much.As one author expressed, I suppose it is natural for the vast and powerful sugar interests to seek to protect themselves, since sugar takes up the single greater percentage of our daily caloric intake.The American Heart Association is trying to change that. Under their new sugar guidelines, most American women should consume no more than 100 calories per day from added sugars, and most American men should eat or drink no more than 150. That means one can of soda could take us over the top for the day. The new draft guidelines from the World Health Organization suggests we could benefit from restricting added sugars to under 5% of calories. That’s about 6 spoonfuls of added sugar. I don’t know why they don’t just recommend zero as optimal, but you can get a sense of how radical their proposal is given that this is how many we consume right now.	I eat 30 dates a day, 15 bananas a day. 1 mini watermelon. 5 apples. This is not my whole diet – I eat a low fat diet, with some grains and veggies. Is this too much sugar? Too much fructose in these fruits?if you are active I don’t see a problem with it. In an interview Usain Bolt says he eats 5-10 a day and Yohan Blake around 16! They also eat lots of yams and sweet potatoes. However it could take a toll on your teeth. (the dates)Love yam jamaicaUsain Bolt and Yohan Blake are also elite athletes.So you are saying that unless we are fit we shouldn’t be consuming this amount of fruit? So… if you want to be an athlete…. you consume a healthy diet and then once you are labelled an athlete by people like yourself it is ok to eat heaps of fruit? I don’t see the logic. If you wanna be an elite athlete you should consume the fruit before, not after you are an athlete.What you want to do is have your triglycerides checked. The way the liver disposes of excess fructose is to convert it to triglycerides. If your triglycerides are high then you’ll need to either cut back on the fruit or up your exercise to burn off the fructose-based glycogen in the liver before it can get converted to triglycerides.Actually, fructose metabolism has been traced: the human liver converts 50% of fructose into glucose and 30% into lactate. In humans, only 1% is converted into fat (triglycerides), whereas rat livers convert 50% to fructose into fat. Earlier studies of fructose was done on rats which overstated the dangers to humans.That doesn’t mean that we should flood our livers with massive amounts of HFCS, because it may keep the liver preoccupied doing fructose conversion to tend to its other detoxifying duties.Mmmmm that might be the variable to monitor in relation to dry then red patches just next to my nose every now and then. Does it work like that, liver work overload, and liver then postponing other work in favor of your example fructose?According to Scientific American, yes.http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/brainwaves/2013/07/15/is-sugar-really-toxic-sifting-through-the-evidence/However, another source I read gave the potential toxic dose of fructose at 100 g per day. Since nobody eats pure fructose, and since it is usually paired with an equal amount of glucose, that would mean an intake of 200 g of table sugar or HFCS. That’s between 6-7 oz of sugar. That’s the equivalent of 5 cans of Coke.OTOH, Kempner’s Rice Diet included huge amounts of sugar. Some patients consumed up to 400g of sugar per day.Can you provide the sources for this info? Thanks.The sources are linked to the article. Just search the page for the word fructose. It appears only twice.Is Sugar Really Toxic? Sifting through the Evidencehttp://blogs.scientificamerican.com/brainwaves/2013/07/15/is-sugar-really-toxic-sifting-through-the-evidence/I’ve got another video coming up called How Many Fruit is Too Many? Stay tuned!Really looking forward it. Fruit indulgence ****excess consumption has a divided jury, and maybe you’llhelp clear the division. I think a lot of heavy fruit eaters aren’t sure if they are causing themselves long-term harm –***by heavy I mean the amount of fruits listed in the top post “30 dates a day, 15 bananas a day. 1 mini watermelon. 5 apples” a day.Every time I binge on fruit…like a bag of oranges….I end up having what I assume is yeast overgrowth. I’m doubting that it is healthy.Likely you are indulging in a post-prandial sugar high that you are trying to maintain? Kids like sugar…it’s a high. Real men go out and kill something. LOL.If I indulge too much…I can have a hypoglycemic reaction. I notice older people don’t like sugar so much…probably can’t process it as well?That’s nice, but I’m breathlessly awaiting your “How Much Air Is Too Much?” video. ;-)ROFLOL!!Hyperventilation can be a serious health risk! :PI don’t think it’s the quantity per say, but rather the degree to which it is “Hot” that is the real thing to watch out for.LOL, good point. :-)Looking forward to see your fruits video. However: you need to work hard to convince me that there is a large difference between dates / bananas and sugar. In the end, both contain mainly sugar (fructose, sucrose & glucose). Fruits contain also dietary fiber, but that does not convince me that that it’s good enough. If you eat 3 dates it’s like eating 8-9 tea spoons of sugar. If sugar is bad then at least some of the fruits are bad.Agreed. Biochemically there is no difference. The reason fructose “hits” the liver is because liver cells are the only cells in the body that can convert fructose to useable glucose and other sugars.Alarmist Lustig MD has been influenced by patients whose hypothalamuses have been damaged by brain tumors. He’s wrongly extrapolating to the general public. His rhetoric is peppered with inaccurate statements. Mark Hyman’s statement that sugar is 8x more toxic than heroin is just plain irresponsible.BTW there is a concerted effort by the animal food industry to shift the blame for heart disease and diabetes on the saturated fats and cholesterol in their products to sugar and carbs in general, which includes the funding of headline-grabbing junk science studies one of which was just published in PLOS One. The attached image comes from the Beef Checkoff Program…Mr. Lustig must have built up a formidable tolerance to heroin, 24 hr a day drip for the past decade? ^^On a serious note, I do hope the limit on fruit will be a high one. I suspect eating zante currants as candy up to and every now and then over a 100 gr a day might be pushing the limit.Eating fruits is okYes, too much sugar natural or not. Look at JJ Virgin’s new book, Sugar Impact DietI’m illiterate — what’s the gist of the book? Sugar bad — high fat good? Exercise more? Lose X pounds in a week?J J Virgin is marketing, pure and simple.I wouldn’t be concern about varied whole food sources of sugar. The video was focused on added sugars to foods which is much different than just the compound we call sugar.According to Lustig, the fiber in the fruit is the antidote to the toxicity of fructose.And do you believe that?There is no reason not to beleive it. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is one of the least controversial thing somebody can do for health promotion. Fruits and refined sugar are not the same thing..Lustig’s premise is faulty. The difference between fruit and the sugar in processed foods not fiber but dosage.I think you’re missing the Lustig’s points in that single statement. 1. You’d have to eat a lot of fruit to get the same impact as in a glass of cola or fruit juice. 2. The fiber releases the sugar slowly so it hits the liver slowly. The higher doses in cola & fruit juice hit the liver all at once. 3. He also distinguishes between HFCS and other sugars, including old fashion sweeteners like Karo syrup. I’m not sure how much of what he says is correct, but I think he has some good points.I understand Lustig’s points better than you think I do. (Google “Robert Lustig criticism”. Search for Lustig’s name at http://carbsanity.blogspot.com) The man is a buddy of Atkins/low carb high fat proponent Gary Taubes, and just like Taubes, he oversimplifies and misrepresents facts. To Lustig, it is sugar ALONE that is responsible for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. (Taubes blames pretty much all carbs.)The problem with sugar in any form, including HFCS, is not that it is toxic in and of itself but that it is used to make non-satiating but calorically dense processed foods more palatable, causing passive overconsumption of calories, anywhere from 300-700 calories/day. Those calories include flour and added oils (carbs + fat + protein). Add that to sedentary lifestyles, and you have a perfect storm of caloric excess. THAT’s what’s toxic.Satiety counts. Refined carbs are not very filling.Fiber and water in fruit can curb the amount of fructose consumed and slow down its release somewhat. But nullify toxicity? Nope. Lustig is SOOOO inaccurate in his biochemistry. Even practicing low carb high fat biochemists have called him out on his epic wrongness. One can only wonder at the sensationalist publicity he’s gotten. Must be because he’s such a buddy with Gary Taubes.The difference is dosage. Sugars by any name, be it glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose, etc., are all biochemically identical regardless of the source.The difference is source.Yes, chemically a sucrose molecule is the same regardless. However, just looking at sugar as a problem means that one has to ignore the rest of the food and thus, all the other benefits or bad things.Example – is eating two apples as bad for you as drinking a soda even though they have about the same sugar content?Clearly not. Focusing on a single nutrient will lead to malnutrition. This is why many supplements don’t work well or at all. They are missing other key compounds that they normally arrive in the body with when they are in whole food sources rather than a single compound isolated from thousands in a food.I didn’t say a can of soda is nutritionally superior or comparable to a couple of apples. You miss my point.People are freaking out about sugar because of saturated fat apologists/sugar alarmists like Lustig and sugar-is-8x-more-toxic-than-heroin Hyman.My own cardiologist eats UNRIPE fruit for fear of the sugar content. This is just crazy!Plus…This anti-sugar campaign is all part of the animal food industry’s objective to frame carbohydrates as THE primary cause of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes while exonerating their own products with pay-to-publish junk science studies that grab the headlines.I apologize for misunderstanding.I think I read your post with my inner monologue whispering into my ear that you were another sugar fighter regardless of source.I might need to go eat a few more carbs and then re-read the post again :-)To add up a bit to the conversation – I watched a pretty nice experiment with two identical twin brothers, both doctors. They decided to live, for a month, one on a high-fat diet, and the other on high-sigar diet, and see in the end who ends up sicker than the other. The result was interesting, the high-fat diet guy (who ate no sugar in any form) actually ended up prediabetic. The guy with high-sugar content (no fat) had a pretty stable insulin release levels. Of course, before the experiment both had measures of blood sugar, bla bla.. they were both with identical measures. Both had lost weight after the experiment, the guy on fat had lost more weight from muscle tissue than from fat stores. The guy on sugar, lost 1,5 kg of fat. Of course, these two diets are both unhealthy either way, but it clearly shows who the culprit is. Oh, the guy on fat had problems with memory and concentration and when they had to go cycling for 1 hr, the guy on fat gave up very quickly, he was breathing terribly… The final experiment was with mice though. They gave one group of mice only sugar. The mice ate just a normal amount of calories and stopped eating until they felt hungry. They remained lean and behaved normally. Another group of mice were given fat. They also restricted their consumption and didn’t overeat. A third group though was given both fat and sugar in one meal (cheese cake). They gorged until they got lazy and in the end fat. They ate constantly, without being hungry. I am not a sugar advocate but you’re attacking sugar too much. It’s everywhere in nature and animals eat it, and I don’t see why we shouldn’t eat it, or restrict it. My great-grandmother and my mother ate loads of fruits during the summers. My mother has only a few cavities. My great-grandmother died with her own teeth in her mouth, not having lost even a tooth. For me, the bottom line is, if it is a fruit, with all the nutrients and fiber etc, I’d not think about the sugar. I’d consider it when it is out of its natural form. Of course, I am very curious what the next video on too much fruit will show :) (oh, and 15 bananas… I can’t imagine that but you definitely don’t need 30 dates a day!!! There’s plenty of other fruits, you need to have a variety in your meal).Wow! That’s fascinating about the twins. Got a link for documentation and tweeting??Agreed about the fat + sugar being a problem, because it’s not the sugar itself, or even the fat itself, that causes overconsumption. It’s the FLAVOR, the texture, and other physical properties of the food. If it were just sugar alone, we’d all prefer lemons over oranges and Granny Smith Apple’s over other varieties because they are highest in sugar in their fruit categories.I watched the documentary on a swedish tv channel, and it had a swedish title, which I don’t remember, but here is an article about the two guys – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2546975/One-twin-gave-sugar-gave-fat-Their-experiment-change-YOUR-life.html Anyway, really a fantastic experiment. I loved it! It explained so much about why we overeat and why our appetites are just uncontrollable… and who is in fact the bad guy :) Oh, and it also explains why there is no such food, high in fat and high in carbs in nature. These two are almost always separated, where either fat or sugar is higher in content, and the other reasonably low. I prefer to make my dietary choices based on what the plant world gives us. I am avoid processed fats (even olive oil, since it’s not in its natural form, I just prefer to eat more olives or avocados or nuts for the fatty content) and I am conscious about mixing too much fat and too much carbs in one meal. I believe these are simple guidelines for people struggling with illnesses and obesity.I found the documentary!!! It’s BBC Horizon: Sugar vs Fathttp://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1amh2t_bbc-horizon-sugar-v-fat-h264-1280×720-aac-rmac_lifestyleThanks so much for the heads up, Eva. It’s well worth watching!!! I love the way it blows Taubes/Lustig’s dogma out of the water, what ↑ Evelyn “CarbSane” Kocur calls TWICHOO or Taubes’ Wrong Insulin-Carbohydrate Hypothesis of Obesity.:) I hope you like it, for me at least it was a brilliant experiment, and most of all the conclusion where it all comes down to,the mix of the two that makes it so addictive…The take-away from this documentary is good (besides the negative effects of a LCHF diet): The synergistic effect of sugar + fat is hard to resist.However, it still is incomplete. There is no fat in soft drinks. But there is flavor from other components… and that fizzy tingling sensation. There’s more going on with man-made foods than sugar and fat.I think Michael Moss has enumerated the complexities of human junk food quite well. (1) Salt (2) Sugar (3) Fat (4) Convenience, plus some sub-features like texture, crunch/crispness (including sound), and that melt-in-your-mouth quality. The studies on rats and human junk food also pointed to variety as a factor, as well.Thank you Eva for bringing this up and MacSmiley for the link! There were some aspects of that movie that drove me nuts, but over all, I thought it was very interesting–especially the parts related to diabetes. Thanks!There will never be a complete video or movie for about 1hr in length. :) I understand many people may be disappointed. But in the end, one can always get some conclusions for oneself, and find something meaningful and important from the whole movie. I enjoyed the whole of it, but the conclusive experiment on the mice was what made most sense to me. :)Eva: I completely agree that there is only so much one can cover in an hour. The problem I had with the movie was the way they actively promoted some important misinformation. So, instead of dispelling myths like they claimed, they dispelled some and contributed to others.For example, they equated simple sugars (like jello) to “carbs” to whole grains and fruits and veggies. They did this multiple times in several ways–including leading people to believe that whole plant foods do not make one feel full–at least as full as protein. (When in fact the doctor was eating simple sugars, syrup and powdered sugar, and refined foods without the fiber.) Another example is that they outright said that eggs are a “good fat” and do not have saturated fat. That’s just so wrong it took my breath away because I wasn’t expecting it on a show like this. They did some good things to clear up some myths, but that one hour could have been a so much better by simply being accurate within it’s own scope.A knowledgeable person can learn a lot from that one hour. But a newbie is just going to end up with a lot more confusion in the end. That’s why it “drove me nuts”. But as I said, I really did appreciate you pointing it out for me. I found certain parts of it fascinating.I can’t agree more with you, Thea. It’s just that personally I already know some things for myself (like ‘eggs are not healthy, meat is not healthy’, etc) and I just dismiss sentences like ‘Eggs are healthy’ etc. I watch something or read something only as long as I read something new, or see a new experiment. Usually what fascinates me is when someone tries something on themselves. I won’t believe science completely until I see results after experiments on real subjects. It may sound cruel (and it is for mice at least), but when it comes to humans, I can’t wait to see it. After all, the movie was produces by Horizon, they are pretty mainstream, I am well aware of that.Again, the last bit was most interesting for me, personally, because I realised WHY actually we are so blindly drawn towards fatty sugary food, why we can’t control ourselves a bit more. That question haunted me for years, and the movie’s end hit me! :) Again, I just dismiss the outrageous parts and move on. It may be very very misleading for a newbie and I will definitely not recommend it to such a person.I take out what’s new for me, I always search for what is untested, or unknown. The Horizon series has other such videos with test subjects (the controvertial and widely hated Michael Mosley), which also show interesting discoveries.Mosley is widely hated?Yes, at least that’s what I read all over the internet, forums, discussion groups, etc… I find his movies interesting, but it seems he’s really controversial for many people.He is fascinating though! I loved it when he swallowed that pill/camera and we got to see the inner workings of the human digestive system. :-)I haven’t seen his “meat” documentary yet. Have you?Yup, I saw it out of curiosity, but it kind of didn’t show any new unexplored perspectives…. it always comes down to eat less meat or none. He doesn’t like the idea of no meat so he seeks a healthy doze of meat daily. I think you won’t miss anything if you don’t see it. I didn’t learn anything I don’t already know.Good points, Thea.Experiments with mice/rats and human junk food started back in the 1970’s. ( Search PubMed for “cafeteria diet”) Hard to believe it’s taken this long to get that information out to the general public!When rat chow is spiked with high amounts of sugar, in any form, the animals may binge on the chow, but then they eat less later on. So their caloric energy balance does not change. Even when fat and sugar is added to the chow, they may binge, but they do not overeat.But give them human junk food and Ohh Là Là!!!:)) Yeah, there’s clearly more than just fat and sugar. And if we add the chemicals, the flavours…. well… things get messy. It’s true that if I eat (I’ve tried that these days) 100 grams of pistachios mixed with 1-2 tea spoons of honey, I feel pretty full when I’m done. Well, I guess I can keep eating since it’s not exactly a wholesome meal, but I definitely don’t have an uncontrollable appetite after that. I guess you have a point… By the way, actually wheat has some chemical that has an addictive effect on the brain. So, if they gave mice cheesecake I think that explains why they never stopped eating it… Thank you for pointing out the junk food part :)I hope those are organic apples you’re eating. According to the Environmental Working Group, apples are the number one or two food most polluted with pesticide residue, depending on the year of their annual report.Correct, but I’ll love to see a list of pollutants in animal product to compare. Because I hear lot of people saying that to justify the fact that they don’t eat enough fruit and vegetable. The solution is organic apple, not beef. Even if it’s grass feed.The vast majority of studies showing the benefits of fruit and vegetables in the diets are done with conventional pesticide-laden produce. Organic produce has organic pesticides. Buy organic for other reasons.I eat mostly fruit too, but 30 bananas in one day is A LOT. And there are SO MANY better fruits out there that have more water and more goodness in them.The UN’s Food & Ag Organization website, at http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5102e/y5102e04.htm states:“The importance of bananas as a food crop in tropical areas cannot be underestimated. In Uganda, for example, annual consumption per capita was some 243 kg in 1996, and between 100 and 200 kg in Rwanda, Gabon and Cameroon. In these 4 countries, bananas account for between 12 percent and 27 percent of daily calorie intake of their populations.”Hi guest,Wow, that sounds like a lot of fruit, but it’s great that you’re enjoying a variety of fresh whole plant foods. Whether or not this is too much sugar or too much fructose for you depends on a number of factors. Dr. Greger is coming out with a video discussing how much fruit is too much, but in the meantime, here is one video that may shed some light on the topic: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit/.Here are just a couple of my thoughts:1) Are you at your ideal weight or would you prefer to lose weight? What is your activity level? That might be too many calories and too much sugar for someone who is sedentary, but may be fine for someone who is extremely actively like a marathon runner.2) Do you know your trigliceride or cholesterol numbers? While dates don’t seem to raise triglicerides in studies despite their high sugar content, excess sugar is converted to triglicerides (fat in the blood).There are many studies, including this one: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15370099 and http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5001 showing that the consumption of whole fruit reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, while fruit juice does not. However, these studies do not study people who consume the volume of fruit you have described.I really can’t judge without knowing your overall health or activity level, but for most people who only get a moderate amount of exercise, I would advise trying less fruit, more vegetebles and the addition of some beans, legumes and nuts and seeds and see how you feel. Regardless, it sounds like you are eating a very delicious and nutrient-rich diet.I hope that helps,Emily :)P.S. Please be sure you are taking B12 too! http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/18/the-vitamin-everyone-on-a-plant-based-diet-needs/I recently started using date syrup as a sweetener in my cocoa drink made with nut milk. Is that okay?How does Erythritol fit into this picture? Do we get a by on this sweetener?So happy to see this topic, and I’m glad to see that it will be revisited. Now that researchers have finally demonstrated a causative link between sugar consumption and diabetes risk I’d love to know just how much one’s risk for diabetes increases given x teaspoons of daily sugar intake (or x% of daily caloric intake, whatever the standard measurement is).Jane, the video doesn’t mention diabetes. It says that excess refined sugar leads to liver toxicity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.It other words, refined sugar is bad for your liver, but it doesn’t make you fat. Fat makes you fat.Fat makes you fat.Actually, calories in excess of the body’s metabolic needs makes you fat, whether those calories come from carbs, proteins, or fat.And as I recall, studies presented on NF show that environmental toxins, pesticides, bad diets and other triggers can change the body’s rate of metabolism, thereby affecting how many calories the body holds onto from the same amount of calories under optimal conditions.Even if something other than food is affecting our metabolisms, that does not negate the energy balance equation. Calories in (digested and absorbed) must equal calories expended or weight gain will result.Right, what we think we need in terms of calories can change because of environmental factors, however, that does not change the validity of the CICO equation. It just changes the values of the variables. Get it?Sugar causes diabetes?? Not so fast.Have you seen this BBC documentary pointed out by Eva…? Horizon: Sugar vs Fat. It’s the twin eating NO SUGAR for a whole month, who loses MORE weight, who ends up pre-diabetic. Diabetes is more complex than just sugar, as it involves fat and protein metabolism as well as carbs. It’s diabetes which causes problems with carbs, not carbs that cause diabetes.Article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2546975/One-twin-gave-sugar-gave-fat-Their-experiment-change-YOUR-life.htmlThe documentary: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1amh2t_bbc-horizon-sugar-v-fat-h264-1280×720-aac-rmac_lifestyleWhile I’m not justifying the extreme processed carb side of the experiment (or the similar amounts of heavily refined carbs in the SAD), this is no surprise to those eating all or mostly whole plants.http://plantpositive.com/35-how-to-become-insulin-resis/http://plantpositive.com/36-how-to-become-insulin-resis/In the book about Blue Zones, there’s even a story of a centenarian cooking up his own refined sugar from sugarcane grown in his own garden! Context is everything.Hi Jane. I think that a good point to bring up here is one that Dr. Greger addresses in another video. All fructose is not considered to be equal- Industrial fructose vs. fruit fructose are different birds. There have been different theories on this but it seems that the fiber within the fruit as well as the phytonutrients (maybe more important than the fiber) seems to blunt the diabetic response, if you will. Check out the video here, and remember to eat blueberries with your pancakes as Dr Greger says! (wink) If Fructose is Bad What about Fruit?I’m really starting to look at NutritionFacts.org as the Discovery Channel for Nutrition!Sweeeet information! I’ll see your Granny Smith and raise you a Honey Crisp!!!I love the image!!! Thanks for the visual joke!Ooops, I just at 5 bananas today.I am so glad to hear that you will be addressing the effects of sugar in fruit. I have been really wanting some solid information on this. Thanks.I agree with this when it comes to refined processed sugars, but I can’t see this applying to whole fruits. There are people like Michael Arnstein who eat mostly fruit and are in great health. In fact Arnstein is breaking long distance running records living on a diet of mostly fruit and his blood work is perfect. How do you explain him and other thriving fruitarians? Like those eating 30 bananas a day and doing great also.They are burning their calories everyday doing an amount of exercise that 99 percent of humans could never imagine. It is such a specialized group of athletes such as Arnstein. There is concern that the person who exercises normally, everyday, maybe for an hour, might be causing harm by eating over 2500 calories per day from fruit, especially high sugar fruits, fructose fruits, – dates, bananas, apples, watermelons…… – even 2 or 3 hours of exercise, is that enough to burn off this amount of sugar?Talk to or just look at any fruitarian and you’ll see that’s not true. Inactive high-calorie fruit eaters who aren’t athletes stay lean and healthy long-term.It’s called lean body mass wasting. I have a hard time believing that inactive fruitarians get enough protein and other nutrients. Generally, with 1g or less of protein in each serving of fruit, only endurance athletes can pull off an enormously high fruit diet because of the massive amounts of calories they expend. Even Harley Johnstone has mentioned having difficulty holding on to his LBM.Dr. Lustig notes that the adverse effects of fructose occur in sedentary (“glycogen replete”) individuals. His arguments centered around the de novo lipogenesis pathway don’t apply to our ancestors climbing trees for widely separated fruit, or modern endurance athletes. In an alternative hypothesis that high fructose loadings lead to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, gut barrier permeability, and liver and systemic exposure to endotoxins, the dose makes the poison, as absorbed fructose isn’t available for pathobiont fermentation. Individual fruit are well below our limited absorption capacity for fructose of around 25 g, which is not the case for even 12 oz portions of many sugar sweetened beverages. Moreover, poorly absorbed components of whole fruit, such as polyphenols (1, 2) and fermentable dietary fiber (3, 4, 5) may serve a protective role in gut dysbiosis and permeability.This must all be true. I won’t lie in saying that I completely understand all the science cited. But he’s right. If you simply watch our closest living relatives, the monkeys and chimps, they will often lay around all day if they’re not moving anywhere and food is abundant. Meanwhile they are still eating their normal amount of mostly fruit and greens and maybe some nuts and bugs.If you have some time: here’s a nice analysis of Lustig’s claims http://plantpositive.com/25-cholesterol-confusion-8-a-l you can watch the video (30 minutes) or just read the transcript. the TL;DW/DR is simple: Lustig is a blithering moron, and he often has no clue what he is talking about.I’ve great respect for the person behind the Plant Positive videos, and no, I’m not especially fond of some of the nutrition company Dr.Lustig has been associated with, but I’ve worked through many of the sources cited by Lustig and think they’ve got very legitimate points. Lustig himself would probably admit the main thing that he’s brought to the discussion on fructose/sucrose (which has been going on at least 3 decades in the literature) is the analogy with alcohol metabolism. Regardless of Lustig’s media persona, high-fructose feeding has very similar outcomes to high-saturated fat feeding in experimental insulin resistance/NAFLD/diabetes.Why Fructose Is NOT Like Alcoholhttp://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2013/06/why-fructose-is-not-like-alcohol.html?m=1While true in a sense, Gail doesn’t address the key metabolic issue with fructose, which is that it bypasses the main rate-limiting step in glycolysis, catalysed by phosphofructokinase. Its the reaction inhibited (denoted by the ‘⊣’) by ATP and citrate in her first image. Whereas glucose metabolism is tightly regulated by its own products, fructose continuously and uncontrollably is metabolised to pyruvate and lactate, precursors to acetyl-CoA, de novo lipogenesis, triglycerides and VLDL. Ethanol metabolism also bypasses the negative feedback of phosphofructokinase enroute to acetyl-CoA.Dr. Lustig has had a minor role in the fructose debate in the literature, and none before Sugar: The Bitter Truth was initially presented in 2009. Ignore him entirely, and indeed everything written after his presentation, and a pretty damning case can still be made:Isocaloric exchange of dietary starch and sucrose in humans. I. Effects on levels of fasting blood lipids (1979) Isocaloric exchange of dietary starch and sucrose in humans. II. Effect on fasting blood insulin, glucose, and glucagon and on insulin and glucose response to a sucrose load (1979) Serum insulin and glucose in hyperinsulinemic subjects fed three different levels of sucrose (1981) Metabolic effects of added dietary sucrose in individuals with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (1985) Blood lipids, lipoproteins, apoproteins, and uric acid in men fed diets containing fructose or high-amylose cornstarch (1989) Metabolic effects of dietary fructose in healthy subjects (1992) Dietary fructose effects on lipoprotein metabolism and risk for coronary artery disease (1993) Western diets induce insulin resistance in LDLR- mice but not atherosclerosis compared with fructose fed mice (1999) Effects of dietary fructose on plasma lipids in healthy subjects (2000) Fructose, weight gain, and the insulin resistance syndrome (2002) High dietary fructose induces a hepatic stress response resulting in cholesterol and lipid dysregulation (2004) Dietary fructose reduces circulating insulin and leptin, attenuates postprandial suppression of ghrelin, and increases triglycerides in women (2004) Fructose, insulin resistance, and metabolic dyslipidemia (2005) Adverse Effects of Dietary Fructose (2005) Dietary fructose – implications for dysregulation of energy homeostasis and lipid-carbohydrate metabolism (2005) Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain – a systematic review (2006) Potential role of sugar (fructose) in the epidemic of hypertension, obesity and the metabolic syndrome, diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease (2007) Fructose intake is a predictor of LDL particle size in overweight schoolchildren (2007) Fructose-induced leptin resistance exacerbates weight gain in response to subsequent high-fat feeding (2008) Fructose consumption as a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (2008) Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in humans is associated with increased plasma endotoxin and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 concentrations and with fructose intake (2008)Gail?Excuse me, Evelyn (CarbSane).Ah. She’s a college professor and invites intelligent discussion. She’ll understand your comment much better than I. Have you posted it there?Darryl, may I suggest the following post: http://evolvinghealthscience.blogspot.com/2012/05/fate-of-fructose-interview-with-dr-john.htmlThanks.An issue one can take with Dr. Sievenpiper is that, at least when supplied in refined form to animals or humans, fructose isn’t an isocaloric substitution for other caloric sources in the real world. 1, 2. So hypercaloric fructose intake may be the more realistic experimental condition.Actually, hypercaloric fructose intake is the unrealistic experimental condition. Doesn’t exist in nature, and I don’t think I missed the fructose-only sweetened beverage bonanza.Yes, thanks for bringing up the gut barrier permeability as a possible result of excess fructose consumption. For now I have to consider as a possibility that yes, 15-20 medjool dates a day, along with lots of other high fructose fruits could, long-term, lead to gut permeability and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.Darryl,The link for the study you referenced…..I can’t seem to make sense of whether or not they are including whole fruit fructose in the 25 g (limited absorption capacity figure). One of the beloved medjool dates contains 7grams of fructose, and yeah….in whole fruit fiber package, but this 7g figure makes me wonder, at what point does the human intestine have limited capacity for even whole fruit fructose, as 10 medjool dates would be a whopping 70 grams of fructose in one sitting. Fiber or no fiber, I’d think that at some point we humans could exceed a threshold, no? Throw in a bag of apples and watermelon and what ever else and by the end of the day you’ve blown through well over 175 grams of fructose.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1994910/The study used a single rapidly drunk liquid solution (with varying amounts of pure fructose 15-50 g). While these amounts and form are comparable to sugar/HFCS sweetened beverages, fruit may be a different matter, both from the slower digestion of bits, the stimulus by solid food of gastric acid and bile production (which are how bacteria are normally excluded from the small intestine), and the phenol and fiber content of the fruit.Personally, while recognizing that there are some very healthy people on 80/10/10 mostly fruit diets, I avoid added sugar and take my fruit in the form of 3 servings of black & blue berries spread through the day, as berries have the highest ratio of flavonoids to fructose. This amounts to 4% of my daily energy, less than half of the average American intake from fructose.The exercises from sun-up to sun-down, 7 days a week, 365 days per year. Not something most indulging fruit eaters are doing, I’d have to think.My metabolic specialist says that fruit is for kids, not adults. To use in moderation. Fruit juice is filled with sugar.Yes, Fruit juice is full of sugar, and fruit should be consumed in it’s whole form.Does your “Metabolic Specialist” have any hard evidence for this assertion, or is just silly fad BS he/she read somewhere? From the majority of “metabolic specialists” I’ve interacted with, many buy into all kinds of bunk and should not be used as a reference for much of anything.Does this only apply to ADDED fructose? I would think fructose in a fruit isn’t nearly as harmful since it comes with so many other nutrients.I don’t eat as much fruit as a fruitarian, but I do eat usually about 3 bananas a day, as well as some other fruit, such as a kiwi or orange. Even so, my glucose level recently went down from the highest acceptable level of 99 down to 90. My LDL cholesterol is now 81- it is slowly going down. My triglycerides are 43 and my HDL is 77. I think fruit is not only not harmful, but positively beneficial, but fruit juice can be harmful (because of the lack of fiber). This study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22882905 found a inverse relationship between whole fruits and the development of type 2 diabetes and a positive relationship between fruit juice and type 2 diabetes. From what I remember, Lustig stated that fruit wasn’t harmful, because it had fiber in it. I would certainly think processed sweets, such as cakes, donuts, cookies and pies would contribute to both type 2 diabetes and heart disease. I noticed last night reading labels, that some brownies for sale at the store had some trans fats in them. Just 1 or 2 tablespoons of ready to spread frosting has 1.5-2 grams of trans fat. I not only have cut out the meat, but I have really made an effort to drastically reduce my consumption of processed trans fats, as well as sweets. Everyone agrees that trans fats are especially harmful.The concern is not having “normal fruit consumption.” The concern is that some vegans are consuming over 2000 calories a day of fruit, some over 3000 calories a day, and what are the long-term consequences of this? 3 bananas, no big deal. 15 bananas….? @0 dates? Sugar addiction? Maybe it is OK for someone exercises for 8 hours a day.Here is an article http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/making-the-case-for-eating-fruit/ which quotes David Ludwig as stating that the amount of fruit does not matter, “Dr. David Ludwig, the director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, said that sugar consumed in fruit is not linked to any adverse health effects, no matter how much you eat. In a recent perspective piece in The Journal of the American Medical Association, he cited observational studies that showed that increased fruit consumption is tied to lower body weight and a lower risk of obesity-associated diseases.” It even quotes Robert Lustig as saying, “Another nutrition expert, Dr. Robert Lustig, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, who has called sugar “toxic” at high doses and fructose the most “actionable” problem in our diet, is still a fan of fruit. “As far as I’m concerned, fiber is the reason to eat fruit,” since it promotes satiety and the slow release of sugar. He adds a third benefit from fiber: it changes our “intestinal flora,” or microbiome, by helping different species of healthy bacteria thrive.” This article also states something which has been stated on Nutritionfacts.org, which is, “Fiber provides “its greatest benefit when the cell walls that contain it remain intact,” he said. Sugars are effectively sequestered in the fruit’s cells, he explained, and it takes time for the digestive tract to break down those cells. The sugars therefore enter the bloodstream slowly, giving the liver more time to metabolize them. Four apples may contain the same amount of sugar as 24 ounces of soda, but the slow rate of absorption minimizes any surge in blood sugar.”In the 1970’s I developed a condition called reactive hypoglycemia. Unlike base line low blood sugar, the reactive type involves the improper reaction to the consumption of sugar. The reason for this I learned was in part due to a fatty liver. The liver is an essential part of maintaining normal blood sugar levels. My physician at the time practised holistic medicine which included putting patients on a plant based diet. One of the side affects of this was to return my liver to normal function.Eventually I regained my health and have never returned to my old eating pattern. A part of my healing process involved learning about nutrition and how various food affects that body. From personal experience and lots of research I can say without exception that refined sugar, and high HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) are 2 things which are highly dangerous and destructive in the human diet.Reading through the comments I noted some some confusion about fructose found in nature and those found in processed foods. It’s important to note that get get sugar from fruit requires that the food be digested first. This involves breaking down and separating the sugars from the fibre, as well as all the nutrients and micro-nutrients in the food. Refined sugar is absorbed quickly with little or no actual digestion involved causing the blood sugar to spike quickly, and challenging the body to quickly react to normalize the levels of blood sugar.Such a spike in blood sugar is less likely when eating fruit and vegetables because of the work involved to extract the sugars during digestion. In addition, it is my feeling that the body recognizes and distinguishes between sugar derived directly from food, and that which has been processed in advance.HFCS on the other hand does not exist in nature and so creates a whole series of other issues, one of which is development of a fatty liver. This is not simple conjecture of political spin, it is a product of extensive research. According to one of the leading researcher HFCS damages the liver in much the same way as does alcohol. This has to do with a very complicated process which is far to detailed to describe here.If you want more detailed information you should search for videos or articles on the subject. Several excellent videos were available for free on Youtube. The better ones contain very detailed and technically specific information about biochemistry from a world expert. However there are others which are more intended for the lay public.I would also pay close attention to Dr Gregors advice re HFCS.Not defending HFCS: It’s problematic because of its ubiquity and amounts used. Yes, the free glucose/fructose in HFCS is not found in nature, but replacing it with sucrose (Mexican/Kosher Coke) is no improvement because of the swiftness of with which the body uncouples the disaccharide. Practically instantaneous.Lustig’s comparison of fructose to alcohol is one of his alarmist inaccuracies. Another inaccuracy is fructose’s contribution to blood sugar spikes. Fructose is the lowest substance on the glycemic index.In addition to Plant Positive’s videos about Lustig, you can find more of his science #FAIL at Carbsanity’s blog.http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/Just search the blog for his last name.I have had 0 grams of added sugar in the last 8 months. This is one of the best decisions I have ever made! Together with the other changes my body has been transformed from sickness to success!There are so many opinions and conflicting research that I find the more I read and learn the more eating what is good and healthy these days becomes one of the hardest things to do. Everything seemingly needs an ‘nth’ degree of control, and to the health conscious food and it’s many complexities is fast becoming an obsession. Sometimes there is just so much you can do with the knowledge you have and the time available. Personally we love fruit and vegetables alike and we do not eat meat. I would like the preparation of food and the consumption of it to be less fraught and stressful than it is becoming and more of a delight and a pleasure to share with friends and loved ones.Its amazing how if one just cuts out all processed food and allows natural, whole foods to provide natural sugars we would not have such epidemics. Thanks for your work Dr. G. Such an inspiration.With regards to the sugar content of dates, Dr. Greger posted a video (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/) addressing the high sugar content (80% sugar by weight) and what we would PRESUME to be an adverse effect on blood sugar levels post-consumption. The conclusion given in the video is very hard to accept (believe?) and seems to contradict what would intuitively make sense…that given the exceedingly high sugar content of dates, there would most definitely be a a negative impact on blood sugar level after “stuffing oneself with the things”. Having a hard time reconciling this. Thoughts?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/Sorry about that, but I can’t seem to paste in the link to the video. Again…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/Just do a search on “dates” and you’ll get the video titled, “Are Dates Good for You?”Did two interesting (to me at least) calculations to get a clearer view. First, Dr. Greger cites 1776 as 4 pounds sugar per year. This sounded low enough that I guessed he meant that little *added* sugar per year, not total sugar, but to check up on this, calculated this way, to compare to bananas:4 pounds in grams (b/c 1776 4 pounds sugar per year) = 1814 1814/365 = 4.9698630137 grams per day (just type any arithemetic or units convertion into Google search and it spits out the answer)Which rounds very very well to 5 grams of sugar per day.Also given that: medium banana: 14.4 grams sugar (includes skin but I imagine there is little sugar in the skin) (per http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-fresh-fruits-bananas-raw_f-ZmlkPTczMzI5.html )So that means that if the figure cited in the paper Dr. Greger quotes *includes* in-the-fruit sugar, then they ate the equivalent of only one-third of a banan per day and NO other sugar at all in 1776 (no other fruit with sugar, like apples etc)? That sounds too low they must be talking about ADDED sugar, right?eating the proverbial “Apple a day” would include 10.6 grams per day, more than TWICE the “5 grams per day” cited for 1776.So I’m pretty sure this means “grams of added sugar”…either that or they had less than a half apple a day (and no bananas or any other fruit) on average, which is conceivable, but certainly NOT what we condier healthy today (eating *more* than a half apple per day in terms of fruit consumption equivalent is recommended..and I say this as a person who doesn’t like fruit that much and prefers veggies..)Either way for all future videos being clear on “grams of sugar from all sources” versus “grams of added sugar, not counting those in fruit” would be helpful to clarify.Second calculation was the quote by Zuppkko that: “The importance of bananas as a food crop in tropical areas cannot be underestimated. In Uganda, for example, annual consumption per capita was some 243 kg in 1996, and between 100 and 200 kg in Rwanda, Gabon and Cameroon. In these 4 countries, bananas account for between 12 percent and 27 percent of daily calorie intake of their populations.”Was scratching my head to make more sense of this in terms of fruit consumption again. “sfgate.com” says “avg” banana is 4ounces, the Calorieking says 4.2 ounces for “medium “banaa is including the peel…which might weigh more than 0.2 / 4 = 5% of the weight..but close enough so say “4oz” per medium banana.Say 150kg per year (middle of the 100 to 200 kg range for the latter two countries) and converg kg to grams and from annual to daily to get (150*1000)/365 which is 411 grams per day.google “411 grams in ounces” and google’s built in calculator spits out: 14.5 ounces (per day)14.5 ounces / 4ounces per med banana = 3.625 bananas per day..That is finally a figure I can comprehend (as opposed to kilograms per year).Sounds like a high but reasonable consumption level…But also wanted to know sugars: 3.625*(14.4 grams/med banana) = 52.2 grams of inside-the-banana sugars per day.Whether that’s optimal or even healthy is another question, but I think we can be pretty sure it’s *not* “very unhealthy” or they would have some diabetes problem in that country.Still, I noticed that the “30 bananas per day” philosophy is 827% of (or a 727% increase) over the “high-fruit consuming African countries” stats showing a bit over 3 and a half banans per day. It might be (probably is) healthier than the SAD, but…sounds extreme (also more than 4 or 5 in a half day and my mouth tastes too sweet, based on the very rare times I’ve used 4 bananas in a smoothie (just water and ground flax seed added, no other sweeteners)but now I’m gonna get the Wrath of the 30 Bananas a Day falling on me right? All I really wanted was to get, mostly a clearer picture of 1776 (see above comment this replies to) and sugars in whole foods versus added/refined sugars (and to get a handle on what those Uganda stats meant in “bananas per day” terms as supplemental info)Haven’t used NF in many months…let’s see if I can do html like the charismatic Hemodynamics here?And not sure if I’m donig something wrong but why do I need to login with user name and pw at the top right of the website and then separately log in via disquis to comment? Or do I not have to do the former if I do the latter?Why is there so much discussion about fruit when the video is about ADDED SUGAR?Sorry was trying to make a general comment not reply to econdemocracy.Fructose? I’m wondering how much protein you’re getting with that % of fruit in your diet. Typically, fruit has 1g per serving, many less than that.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-protein-recommendations/I’m interested to hear the video too, I have recently started healthy eating and I must say i am so confused about fruit. When I started eating this way, I first had to decide what I was and wasnt going to eat. Paleo, vegan, it was all really confusing. Finally I made the decision that anything natural I would eat, anything that God gave us to eat basically. I am not a particularly religious person, but I am looking at food in a totally different way. I had a serious sugar addiction and had to kick that, the only way I could give up sugar was to eat sweet fruit, for the first few weeks I overate, I ate a full punnet of strawberries in one sitting and then felt so guilty, hardly daring to goggle how many calories was in a punnet of strawberries, then I had to check twice to make sure it was really only that amount. Over the weeks I have calmed down and now only eat fruit twice a day and a huge variety of all different fruits. I’m never hungry and have found a real love for fresh produce, fresh veges, huge salads, huge fruit salads. Nuts, almond milk, are all changes I am slowly making. I feel better, my health is improving, I am losing 1kg a week with no effort. I find it very hard to believe that we were given these beautiful fruits to eat but they would make us fat? Not sure that makes any sense. I am trying to eat balanced full healthy meals and I intend to keep on including as much fruit as I want. I’m also a little tired of the pesticide debate, people are okay about putting toxic ingredients that cant pronounce into their bodies but worry about what might be on their applesI have so many dietary issues that I don’t know where to start….hiatal hernia, type 2 diabetes (due to losing half of my pancreas to remove a large cyst) gluten intolerance, reddened esophagus and a colostomy. I hear and read so many conflicting things that I don’t know what to believe. My VA nutritionist tells me one thing, and the diabetes nurse says the opposite. The doctor, of course prescribes pills. I flushed my metformin, lisinopril, and amlodipine down the toilet in lieu of a plant based diet. My high BP is down, but I still get blood glucose spikes after meals, even though I “graze” and get up at 3 AM to avoid a dip to 70 or lower in the morning. The “spikes” are more like nails as after a meal of 1/2 greens, 1/4 beans and 1/4 meat I go from 90 to 140 after 75 minutes. I’m told that this is TOO HIGH and that bad things will result…..any help?I forgot to add: I’m six feet even, 140 lbs of muscle and bone. I exercise twice daily after lunch and dinner, drink a pot of coffee and green tea a day. I take vitamin D and wheat grass and milk thistle, and put turmeric on everything. My refined sugar intake is low. I eat no junk food, wheat, restaurant food or milk.I do eat eggs and cheese. I have 2 rum drinks or light beer a day.carter le grand: I think the following book from Dr. Barnard is just for you! He did a study that showed that his diet is 3 times more effective at reversing diabetes than the ADA diet. I highly recommend the book, not only for the great info, but because it includes recipes too. That will help you get started on fixing your diabetes problem. http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425083858&sr=8-1&keywords=program+for+reversing+diabetesGood luck!How many grams a day would be Ok for a healty balance?Guidelines vary. The World Health Organization recommends less than 5% of total calories (less than 25 grams of added sugars per day). The USDA recommendations vary based on age and sex. See if these suggestions help?Best regards, JosephThanks Joseph I don’t have any weight issues but do like to keep my sugar down – 25 grams is about what I shoot for if not less. i have just been cured from Hep C for its important for the live to keep sugar at a mimim. It has left me with Stage 4 crisshois but have no sides as a result ( yet ) My Dr has me on Xilfrman for HE – anywhere thats way off the discussion I do thank you for your replyAre there any sources of added sugar that don’t contain fructose? Or contain less than table sugar? Any nearly pure glucose that isn’t expensive?Hey Douglas check out the “healthiest sweetener” video in the Doctor’s Note. Dates and molasses tend to rule!If you have any doubts about the sugar problem (and causes) in America, see “Fed Up” (2014). It’s on Netflix. Just watched it. Horribly sad, but maybe will enlighten some of the massive masses.	alcohol,American Heart Association,apples,calories,chronic diseases,Coca-Cola,empty calories,fatty liver disease,fructose,high fructose corn syrup,industry influence,liver disease,liver inflammation,soda,sugar,World Health Organization	Are table sugar and high fructose corn syrup just empty calories or can they be actively harmful?	This underscores why a whole foods, plant-based diet is preferable to a plant-based diet that includes processed junk.I’ve touched on the harm of refined sugars before in:For healthful alternatives in baking, see The Healthiest Sweetener, and for beverages, Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant.But what about the fructose in fruit? How much fruit is too much? I’ll be addressing these questions in a series of videos coming soon. And I’ll also be doing more videos on the burgeoning epidemic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and what we can do about it.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/empty-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/high-fructose-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11988062,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24622183,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24652725,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23053554,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19704096,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24652726,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23493538,
PLAIN-2520	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/	Caloric Restriction vs. Plant-Based Diets	Hundreds of thousands of deaths in the United States every year are attributed to obesity, now overtaking smoking as perhaps the main preventable cause of illness and premature death. In particular, excess body fatness is an important cause of most cancers, according to a meta-analysis of studies done to date. For some cancers, about half of cases may be attributable to just being overweight or obese.What’s the connection, though? Why do individuals who are obese have increased cancer risk? To answer this question we must consider the biochemical consequences of obesity, like IGF-1, insulin like growth factor one is a cancer-promoting growth hormone associated with a variety of common cancers in adults, as well as children. Kids who got cancer had about four times the levels of IGF-1 circulating in their bloodstream, whereas people growing up with abnormally low levels of IGF-1 don’t seem to get cancer at all. Zero cases of cancer out of 300 people.I’ve talked about this cancer-proofing mutation, the role animal protein intake plays in boosting IGF-1 production from our liver, which may explain plant-based protection from cancer, and how plant-based one has to eat, but our liver is not the only tissue that produced IGF-1, fat cells produce IGF-1 too. That may help explain this 21st century cancer epidemic caused by obesity.So of course drug companies have come up with a variety of IGF-1 blocking chemo agents, with cute names like figitumamab, but with not-so-cute side effects such as early fatal toxicities. So perhaps better to lower IGF-1 the natural way, by eating a plant-based diet, as vegan women and men have lower IGF-1 levels. Maybe, though, it’s just because they’re so skinny. The only dietary group that comes close to the recommended BMI of 21 to 23 were those eating strictly plant based diets, but so maybe it’s the weight loss that did it. Maybe we can eat whatever we want as long as we’re skinny.To put that to the test, we’d have to find a group of people that eat meat—but are still as slim as vegans. Long-distance endurance runners, running an average of 48 miles a week for 21 years. If you run 50,000 miles you too can maintain a BMI of even a raw vegan. So what did they find?If you look at blood concentrations of cancer risk factors among the groups of study subjects, you see that only the vegans had significantly lower levels of IGF-1. That makes sense given the role animal protein plays in boosting IGF-1 levels.But the vegan group didn’t just eat less animal protein, they ate fewer calories. And in rodents at least, caloric restriction alone reduces IGF-1 levels. So OK, maybe low IGF-1 among vegans isn’t due to their slim figures, but maybe the drop in IGF-1 in vegans is effectively due to their unintentional calorie restriction. OK, so let’s compare vegans to people practicing severe calorie restriction.They recruited vegans from the St. Louis Vegetarian Society, and went to the Calorie Restriction Society to find folks practicing severe caloric restriction. What did they find?Only the vegan group got a significant drop in IGF-1. These findings demonstrate that, unlike in rodents, long-term severe caloric restriction in humans does not reduce the level of this cancer-promoting hormone. It’s not how many calories we eat, Protein intake may be the key determinant of circulating IGF-1 levels in humans, and so reduced protein intake may become an important component of anticancer and anti-aging dietary interventions.	This is a great informative video. Thanks for this Dr.This latest research appears to contradict earlier Caloric Restriction (CR) results re the reduction of IGF1 (for example, “Eat, Fast and Live Longer” – Michael Moseley BBC). I will personally sit on the fence on this one until all the numbers are crunched, notwithstanding the fact that I practice both veganism and about 16hrs of fasting per day.Any additional info re the length of CR in hours required to reduce IGF1 would be appreciated.I don’t see any contradiction, Veganchrisuk. People in the CR society limit their calorie intake to around 1800 calories a day- and in my mind, they look terrible-way to skinny! They’re probably cold all the time, can’t exercise much and get sick often. I wonder if they have any libido or good bone and muscle mass- although I understand that their blood lipid levels are as good as a vegan’s. What you practice- and I practice it too, is called intermittent fasting, not to be confused with calorie restriction. I’ve read that it may result in healthy brain aging and it’s possible that it promotes autophagy- the removal of garbage from the cells. The benefits seen in CR seems to be in the body producing ketone bodies from the breakdown of fat, which also happens around 16 hours of fasting, but without depriving yourself of the daily calories you need. Thanks for the Michael Moseley reference; I’ll have to read it.Hi Pat – thanks for the reply. I certainly think you will find the BBC documentary very interesting – I’ve just searched for it and it’s available free on a site with the intitials D M (not sure if I can promote it here). The Cronies (calorie restrictors on optimal nutrution diets) do appear to be aging better than the average person, however I have not seen any comparisons made re vegans or vegetarians therefore I wouldn’t be so quick to discount them, as like all things in life, certain factors affect different people in a variety of ways; what will work for you may not necassarily work for me, and so on.Re the IF, I think you’ve got me slightly confused – what I practive is a daily regime (last meal about 7-8pm, next meal about 12 midday (following a gym session). If I were an Intermittent Faster I would be fasting on an intermittent/irregular basis – you say potatoe, I say potato…..If you’re interested in science as well as nutrution you will also be able to find other BBC Horizon documentaries re The Wonders of the Solar System, and The Wonders of the Universe – fortunately for me they are presented in laymans terms, whereby you are presented with such facts as the human body being comprised of 99.9999% empty space due to the composition of the atoms that we are made of. Or that by jumping from the height of 2 metres on a neutron star (exploded sun), by the time you hit the ground you’d be travelling at 4 million miles per hour – if only we devoted more money to science and the pursuit of knowledge.The key phrase being “in my mind”. It is all in the mind.Cronies who do it right follow a healthy diet that is based on minimally processed roots and tubers, starchy vegetables, grains and legumes, with the addition of vegetables and fruits. These foods are low in caloric density, high in nutrient density and high in satiety (potatoes and sweet potatoes are by far the most filling foods). Cronies eat whenever hungry, until they are comfortably full. They are as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight, as the WCRF/AICR recommend. They wear extra clothing for warmth instead of extra fat reserves, but they are more comfortable when it’s hot/warm too. By definition, optimal nutrition is essential for optimal energy levels, immunity, sexual function and bone and muscle mass.Caloric restriction is the most powerful intervention to extend healthy lifespan in mammals. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acel.12207/fullhttp://www.impactaging.com/papers/v5/n7/full/100581.htmlThe longest-lived populations have all practiced caloric restriction. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17986602http://www.cmj.org/ch/reader/view_abstract.aspx?volume=114&issue=10&start_page=1095http://www.hindawi.com/journals/crp/2011/679187/Hey Pat – It’s interesting to read about fasting from your perspective. I am in a Master of Nutrition and Integrative Health program right now. I’m studying physiology, and I can’t see a benefit to fasting – except that it creates a routine that is satisfying to you. However, I’m no expert (yet! :-) ). Mostly I wanted to write to correct your information about ketones, as they are not made from the breakdown of fat. Ketones are formed from the breakdown of amino acids to feed the cells energy when glucose availability is severely restricted. Amino acids are used for hundreds of physiological functions, including structural – bones and muscle. It is from muscles (skeletal muscle, heart, and kidney muscle) that the body sources the amino acids it needs to make ketones. They are particularly provided to the brain, nervous tissues, and kidneys, which have the enzymes that can transform them into energy. The body produces ketones when there are not enough fatty acids to recreate into glucose, or when that limited supply of glucose must be used by red blood cells (as that is the only source RBCs can use for energy). It’s the body’s emergency back-up for energy resources. It’s certainly useful, but it’s easy to let get out of hand if utilized too persistently.Ketones are formed to produce energy under certain, usually extreme, circumstances, mostly during severe carbohydrate restriction, starvation, or when diabetes is present. The risk of using ketones as a dominant energy source instead of glucose and fatty acids (as our bodies are designed to do) is that it can progress to ketoacidosis, resulting in lowered blood pH (acidic blood), nausea, and even coma and death. So, it really is wise to provide your body enough fuel along and along so that your body has a steady, regulated stream of glucose. Adipose tissue balance is created when 1) food provides glucose for the few hours after eating. 2) Then as those glucose levels dip during the post-absorptive state, the body accesses fatty acids in adipose tissue to provide the steady levels of glucose needed for continued energy through the day. Then it’s time to eat again. Insulin and glucagon provide this energy homeostasis in response to our food intake. Excess glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids are turned into adipose tissue (fat), so that’s where amounts of macronutrients needs to be considered to create adequate energy without packing on the pounds.Nevertheless, there has been increasing evidence that extending the post-absorptive state (which is short of fasting, which technically lasts 24 hours) contributes to long term brain health and longevity. It sounds to me as though what you and veganchrisuk practice is the extension of the post-absorptive state. There’s got to be a snappy term for that!Actually, ketone bodies are created by the breakdown of fatty acids, (ketogenesis), like Pat said:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KetogenesisThe human body doesn’t convert fatty acids to glucose in any appreciable amounts.Perhaps you’re confusing ketogenesis with gluconeogenesis, which is the production of glucose from glucogenic amino acids?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GluconeogenesisHi Ed, thanks for your response. As I mentioned, I’m still working on becoming expert – clearly not there yet! :-)I’m pretty sure I understand gluconeogenesis, so I don’t think that I mixed up the two. In looking back over my text and notes, I think the presentation didn’t draw enough of a distinction between the use of fatty acids vs. ketogenic amino acids. The concept of ketogenesis is obviously still new to me, so I didn’t pick up on the primary use of fatty acids in that process. Still, I understand that under extreme conditions when fatty tissue is used up, lean muscle tissue is converted for energy as amino acids are taken from them for ketogenesis. Those are not the conditions of the post-absorptive state or even fasting.My text describes that fatty acids are tapped by “many cells” during the post-absorptive state as an energy source to produce enough glucose for red blood cells (gluconeogenesis). “Many cells” is pretty vague, but it does make it sound as though fatty acids are routinely tapped to make glucose. Also, during the post-absorptive state, declining insulin and rising glucagon stimulate lipolysis and the release of free fatty acids into circulation. At this point would you say that the fatty acids are being used for gluconeogenesis or ketogenesis? Ketogenesis is explained by my text as being stimulated primarily in response to starvation (starting as one hits a state of fasting, which is much longer than the post-absorptive state), persistent low carb intake, and diabetes.Under the fasting state, the body must rely on gluconeogenesis when glycogen is depleted. Muscle tissues contribute amino acids, lactate, and glycerol to that process, and adipose tissue contributes fatty acids. I’m guessing this is the point where I lose touch with what happens next. I know that ketogenesis begins when glucose sources run dry.Thanks for clarifying and enhancing my education! I think that I will copy this post and put it on my class forum as well. This is one of the few spots in my physiology and macronutrients courses where I still need to shake out misunderstandings before I move ahead. I’m studying nutrition mostly to be able to work with people with allergies and mental illness, but the facet of energy metabolism is critical to any study of nutrition, so I need to be sure I’ve got it!I’d say, vegans today are not skinny exactly, they are as they should be. I have seen loads of old black-and-white movies where we can see how people actually looked like in the past, like 50-60 years ago for example. Some women were chubby, others and most of the population, including men, were extremely skinny and bony. And I am not talking about malnutrition, I am talking about structure, they looked healthy, they smiled, etc… So I think the human body is not supposed to be that meaty, if I can say so, to be that heavy (if you were in the wild after a dear would you be even able to run after it if you weighted 80 kg… tough job, I think :) ) These latest videos here were really interesting, I always watch them after receiving the daily newsletter. And finally, I never count my calories, but when it happens to do so in days when I had huuge appetite and didn’t restrict myself, I would go beyond 2000 calories per day, in the end I feel bloated, heavy, even breathing is a bit hard…. thanks, but I’d stick to below 2000 calories/day… my best days are around 1500-1800… I can’t even understand how other women are supposed to eat 2000+ daily (and most people eat more than that)… I’d be permanently obese…In most japanese regions, and I believe chinese too, people are always skinny because they have smaller portions. Oh, and in some japanese rural areas people live the longest compared to other countries. So, again… I’d stick to lower calory intake. I won’t starve on 1800 calories, but raise the chances of being healthier at older age and maybe even living a bit longer than average. Physical food is not the only food in this world.I know my post gets very long, but I’d like to share something else. I love mountaineering. My country’s mountains are just breath-taking, and every time I go there, strangely, the scenery being that beautiful, I honestly forget about the food. I enjoy the trekking and climbing so much that it fills me constantly with joy and adoration for this beautiful nature… and then… when after hours and hours of climbing, I sit after all to have some lunch or such, then the food tastes the best!!! It never tastes so good when at home or work, or the city…. never…. while in the nature, after hours of beauty, the food is almost godly… although it may be just a silly sandwich… In such trekking days I may even eat lest than usual and the feeling of tiredness is actually even pleasant…Since then I know that eating physical food is not the only thing.i dont limit calories because plant calories are already low and i eat plenty (i am Polish with big appetitie). At 65, I go to the gym 6 days a week for strength and cardio. Did my first sprint triathlon at 65 (3rd place–only 3 women in my age group LOL). I dont get sick and can chase my grandkids around like crazy. Dont generalizeThanks very much for that BBC Moseley link. I watched the video and found it interesting.Good, I’m glad you liked it…..Apologies for the late reply BTWI love that I can get up in the morning and in 4 to 6 minutes learn more information about nutrition than I learned in my whole seven years in medical school and residency. That’s not saying much because the residency programs should be teaching this but it is truly awesome that you put this information together so I can pass this information along to my patients! Especially during this month of Noshember. (No Shave November)Lookin’ good Doc!You are too kind. That pic ended up being too big. Your beard looks better!!!About those well-trimmed beards! Do women like kissing you? Of course, they like you You are both handsome and wonderful men from whom I have learned much, but I am asking about the greyed thistle-texture of the beards? I could not resist asking!You say such wonderful things and you are too kind. Actually I have never grown a beard before. It’s only on my face because of the Noshember idea which I use to bring awareness to cancer and reducing ones risk by eating plant based. Interestingly, I wasn’t going to do it but my wife liked it so I will keep it going but you are right about the texture. She doesn’t like the feeling of the thistle-texture on her. ;(It is sort of embarrassing.I am in my second year as a med student. We know nothing about nutrition. It isn’t covered on step 1 (that looming standardized test) so we have trouble finding the motivation.Without dr g’s videos my nutritional knowledge would be terrible.Some residencies are changing but not fast enough. I had to stay in the “fire” (residency) until I was able to get out and make my own “water”.Hang in there because it is worth it! There is nothing better than watching your patients actually reverse their chronic diseases and improve their quality of life!!I have some years of training ahead.In my education I’ve only really heard veganism be mentioned as a connection with B12 deficiency.How did you improve your motivational interviewing, patient interaction type skills? I still quite often leave patient interactions feeling like the visits are unfocused.When you have chronic disease staring you in the face daily, the same people coming back, and you know you are not helping them, believe me you will find the motivation, (if you love medicine and people) otherwise you might be tempted to quit medicine…Oh I am concerned about it.Motivational interviewing is a practiced skill.It’s hard to figure out all the social causes of disease going on in people’s lives. I hope some things I’ve said in patient interactions have helped people make “better” lifestyle choices. But when someone is weighed down by so much of the stuff of life I’m not sure where the best place to start is.You start where the patient is.Meaning you meet them wh10 PMere they are. Some people will never be able to accept a lifestyle Change and that is OK. I always find ways to bring up plant based eating and “test the waters” so to speak.If I feel like someone is staunchly against changing their lifestyle I don’t push it (you’re meeting them where they are). But if they give me an inch, I will take a mile and educate them about their personal benefits if they change their eating habits.This means if they come in for diabetes u ask them if they would like to get off their medication regarding diabetes. I don’t tell them about lowering their blood pressure. You see? I met them where they are. That is what u call motivational interviewingAt least you know enough to know you don’t know anything. Most people haven’t even learned that much. :)Since we “nosh” so much on turkey day, we have other reasons to call the month Noshember.Thank u doctor, it is so nice to see sometime for change some open minded M.D.The last statement in this video:“It’s not how many calories we eat, Protein intake may be the key determinant of circulating IGF-1 levels in humans, and so reduced protein intake may become an important component of anticancer and anti-aging dietary interventions.”doesn’t make any sense in light of http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/ which tells us that vegens get as much protein as everyone else. I myself, get about 80 grams of protein a day, much of it from beans. And I don’t think it would be a good idea to stop eating beans to reduce my protein level. So, it can’t be the protein that reduces IGF-1 in vegans, unless the quality of protein in vegetable food is different somehow than in animal “foods.” Other videos indicate that vegans get less leucine and methionine, two components of protein, than do meat eaters. Perhaps that, along with reduced body fat is the reason for the greatly reduced cancer rates in vegans.Animal protein and isolated soy protein will both increase IGF-1 levels, whereas regular plant protein will not. So avoid anything made out of isolated soy protein such as soy “chicken” and protein bars.What about whey isolate?Whey is dairy product disguised by a different name. Any isolate is processed, and it is best to steer clear of processed foods in general. Being that it is a dairy product, it is also a cancer promoter. If you haven’t seen “Forks Over Knives” (the documentary on Netflix), I highly recommend watching it.from where do you take this fact?! it`s not true at all, soy protein are ok, in reasonable quantities, of course…Isolated soy protein is extracted from the soybean, and is about 95% protein. Dr. McDougall discourages eating it: https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/april/050400pusoy.htm .Also, Dr. Fuhrman recommends minimizing consumption of it: https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/Animal_protein_IGF-1_colon_cancer.aspx.Information on soy is diverse and contradictory. Try better a review: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257705/.Isolated soy protein is nothing more than concentrated protein from soy grains! If added in small quantities from time to time, when needs for proteins are high and one has not the capability to eat enough, they are not at all harmful.When I studied nutrition I learned about complementary proteins, which are plant proteins/amino acids that, when combined, are equivalent to animal source proteins, e.g., peas and rice combined can equal animal protein amino acids. Not much is said anymore about complementary cooking and combining at meal time. It is my opinion that many are under the impression that plant protein is high quality protein, which is not factual UNLESS or UNTIL complementary cooking and eating is practiced.May I suggest this site http://www.nutrition411.com/patient-education-materials/allergies-intolerances-and-special-diets/item/2282-complementary-proteins-origins-and-recipes/ for a ‘crash course’ in complementary proteins.Hi, Catherine. The complementary protein mythology has long since been proven incorrect. See here: http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/diet-myths-complementary-protein-myth-wont-go-away.htmlyeah, Catherine. I thought I read about a year ago that this thing is a myth. Glad to see you dispel it.It is not at all a myth. You don`t have to eat them at the same meal. However, you have to eat complementary proteins.Just think cereals don`t have enough lysine. Without legumes, which are complementary to grains and nuts, it will be very hard to fulfill your necessities in essential amino acids.Corina-Aurelia: The information on the following page contradicts your post. I don’t believe there is anything in the following article that is disputed. As long as you eat enough calories in a whole plant food diet that includes more than just fruit, you don’t have to worry about protein combining or getting enough of certain amino acids. As explained in the following article, the person who originally came up with the idea of needing to worry about complementary proteins has long since retracted it: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlHi Catherine! Thankfully, we now know that carefully matching complementary protein within meals is not necessary. You may find this resource from the vegetarian dietetic practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics informative: http://vegetariannutrition.net/docs/Protein-Vegetarian-Nutrition.pdfCatherine: You have already gotten some great replies to your post. Here is another resource that is wonderful for understanding the big picture about protein. In other words, it does more than dispel that one myth. It’s a very good education about protein in general: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlIs IGF-1 a standard test my doctor can order AND, as testing procedures vary leading to varying nominal results, how would we best use that information? I would guess we’d want our IGF-1 levels to be below normal, as normal would be what a western diet produces.IGF-1 testing (also known as somatomedin C) is not routinely used in clinical care. It’s possible that reference ranges haven’t been established, and, much like a blood glucose level, one isolated reading wouldn’t be very informative due to normal fluctuations. It is occasionally used in some pediatric diseases (to which I cannot speak), but generally, this test is only used in research protocols.Thanks Kerri. I am a bit of a numbers nerd so I like stuff like this. I take your point that a single data point is not useful, but, if the test were inexpensive (unlikely) and available I would have it done as a curiosity, even out of pocket. Also I have another interest in the test. My family doesn’t sucomb to heart disease. Cancer is our achilles heal, and, in the first instance brought me to veganism 4 years ago. Since then, the moral and ethical issues have made it a lifestyle easy to maintain.It would be really useful to have a video on protein, less from the chemistry building blocks (amino’s, etc) and more from the practical dietary viewpoint. What plant proteins can be listed as best and worst? It seems there’s some question about soy-derived products vs animal proteins, and this question is always coming up. Dr Greger’s videos and blogs are the first thing I do in my email every day, and I even post them on Facebook, contribute, buy the DVD, etc. It’s wonderful, I urge everyone to connect up, give and take from this bounty.bobluhrs: I totally agree with you that NutritionFacts is awesome. Thanks for your post.Concerning the topic of protein: I think you would find the following articles to be real eye openers. By the time you work your way through these two articles, you will have your answer, and so much more. Why Protein Is A Non-Issue: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlTo fill in yet some more details is Dr. McDougall article from December 2003: http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ You might also check out the January 2004 newsletter article, Protein Overload.Hope that helps!Thea, Thanks for posting the, “Why protein is a non-issue” article. I’ve never seen that article before and it is very good.Your welcome! That article really helped me when I was first thinking about going vegan. It really helped allay my fears about protein concerns so that I could focus on what really matters.A plant based diet may unintentionally create calorie restriction. How about the feast/famine complex. A person in famine may develop fat cells to survive. Isn’t a base number of calories necessary? Granted that eating fruit and vegetables may seem like a feast but does it meet minimum required calories. Also, fat cells carry estrogen but, don’t plants have estrogenic reactions as a defense mechanism? I have been a vegan for the last 20 years.More great information! One question re. plant protein: As a vegan bodybuilder, I have a pea protein drink ea. day. Does that form of plant protein also increase IGF-1 levels?i was about to post an almost identical question but then just in time saw this. I’m not body building but i’m a long distance runner and have a protein enriched shake a day, containing about 30g of plant based protein isolates (pea, brown rice and hemp protein) and was wondering as much as Gerald if those protein isolates also have the potential of increasing IGF-1 levels?Only animals produce IGF-1. But plant protein, specifically soy protein, also seems to trigger our body (muscles and liver) to make it: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21711174https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/protein_powders_muscle_growth.aspxDr. Fuhrman suggests that if one wants to eat plant protein isolate (although one doesn’t need it; eat more whole plant foods that are high in protein rather than processed powders) then pea protein is a good choice (as is hemp and rice).In addition, plant protein in general (excluding soy apparently) seems to bring our IGF-1 levels down: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16201743They believe the issue with soy is that it’s amino profile is too similar to animal protein.very reassuring :)thanks!I’ll 2nd that Olaf. I too am very active and prefer to use pea protein from time to time. All the research I have done has since shown nothing but good health benefits and no adverse change in cardiovascular markers and common blood panels. Nevertheless, I am not a researcher. If there is other evidence out there, someone please post.I use pea protein as well. PS. Combine brown rice and pea proteins :-)Methionine-restricted mice have lower serum IGF-I, insulin, glucose, and thyroid hormones. If you wish to downregulate IGF-1 levels, you could consider lentil, kidney bean, adzuki, and split pea instead of soy. To be prudent, you should still meet your RDA for methionine. We don’t know what level of lowered intake is safe in the long term. You can track your micronutrient intakes at a number of free sites (cronometer.com, nutritiondata.com).source Miller RA, Buehner G, Chang Y, Harper JM, Sigler R, Smith-Wheelock M. Methionine-deficient diet extends mouse lifespan, slows immune and lens aging, alters glucose, T4, IGF-I and insulin levels, and increases hepatocyte MIF levels and stress resistance. Aging Cell 2005;4:119–25.This is not a snark, but why does someone need more protein when they are physically active? I can understand more calories are burned but why do you need more than the usual proportion of protein found in whole plant foods? thanksI include a protein drink for three reasons: one, observational: vegan bodybuilders are smaller than non-steroid carnivore bodybuilders (one big difference, protein consumption, I think); two, research: lots on protein amt & synthesis & muscle growth (as Casey Stengel said, “You can look it up”; three personal: I feel better & my muscles are a tad bigger with my protein drink. Your observation is reasonable, Coacervate, & I’ve wrestled with it myself, but I do think I’m a bit more buff with the protein drink (I’m not a big guy — 165 lbs. — so I want all the power & muscles I can pack in & on)There are a few reasons why I add some extra protein to my post workout shake. Not that I can quote any studies here but it appears that there’s a window of about 30 – 90 minutes after a strenuous workout during which the body is more ‘open’ to absorb nutrients. So I mix carbs (bananas, dates, etc) with oat milk, some blueberries if I have some, raw almonds, once in a while even leafy greens as spinach and 30g of protein powder. That is much quicker done and digested than boiling rice and lentils – so it can be regarded as a convenient thing.It does fill me up and it also lasts much longer as if I skip the protein. Without the protein, I’m very often extremely hungry within 1,5 – 2h max after that shake.Above average workout does call for above average nutrient intake. So I thought that 30g of extra protein won’t hurt but this particular video raised some doubt.I, too, subscribe to the “window open for absorbing nutrients.” There is research supporting it (I’ve come discussions of it in bodybuilding magazines), but I’ll also add, just with respect to personal experience, that when I’m lifting, I sip my pea protein drink (mixed with pomegranate juice, a banana) throughout my workout, and it definitely adds endurance & zip to having a good workout, in contrast to times when I don’t have the drink. When I do aerobic work (powerwalking) every other day, I have the drink after the workout, primarily for the reason you explained.Hey, Olaf. Anecdotal evidence aside, it seems, according to this study, that the belief of an optimum after-workout window in which to digest protein is an urban, or rather gym, myth: http://www.jissn.com/content/10/1/53/abstractWhat Coacervate may have been getting at is that we can get all the amino acids we require, and can use, through eating whole plant foods. If we exercise more, we burn more calories, requiring us to eat more. If we eat more whole plant foods as a calorie source, we naturally consume more amino acids (aka proteins).Here is a very in-depth article on protein requirements from the World Health Organization: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/who_trs_935_eng.pdfIt states:“A more active person expends greater amounts of energy, consumes greater amounts of food, and hence has a higher absolute level of protein consumption.” p.12And, as this study out of MIT shows, it is a myth that we cannot easily get our protein requirements from plants. It is also a myth that we need to mix protein sources at the same meal. Our body stores, intracellularly, amino acids that our bodies do not make. So when we eat foods with these limiting amino acids, like lysine, our body stores them, and uses them as needed. See page 1209S, last full paragraph here: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/59/5/1203S.longThe other critical misconception is that we, as a society, see nutrition as compartmentalized: proteins, carbs, minerals, etc. We don’t realize how that there are thousands of chemicals and hormones and micro and phytonutrients at play in ways we may never understand. Muscle formation, in other words, depends on so much more than just taking in more protein because there is so much involved on making muscle tissue. Here is one more quote from the WHO study: “The pathways of amino acid metabolism and interchange are critically dependent on adequate micronutrient status, and hence upon the amount and quality of food consumed. *** In addition, with either supplementation or food fortification, disposal of any excess consumption of micronutrients can impose . . . stress on the body.” See page 12.In other words, pounding our body with supplements (like protein isolate in any form) in excess of what we need only makes our body work harder to get rid of the excess. This doesn’t happen if we just get our calories (and hence amino acid requirements) from whole plant foods.Point being that supplementing your diet with more protein is not needed. But since it is plant protein, there is no harm, whereas doing the same with animal protein (whey, dairy, meats, etc.) does have harmful effects.Thanks for putting it into words. On a personal level my family and closest friends are so concerned that äm I getting enough protein”. Cripes, I’m building green houses and installing water pumps around the farm…what do they want? I’ve never felt better. I think some confuse vegan with Whole Foods, Plant based. The two can be lightyears apart. WFPB = health. Blood simpleNo problem. I enjoy researching this stuff. I always learn something. You can have your family read the MIT article on protein myths. Also, show them these two vegan/plant-based athletes, just as examples: MMA fighter Mac Danzig, and one of the world’s strongest men, Patrick Baboubian, who recently set a world record in one event. These guys can achieve and maintain their endurance, strength and muscle mass although they are training harder than 99% of the population ever will. In other words, if they get enough protein without animal products, I’m sure the rest of us will be alright.http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/09/08/vegan_strongman_shoulders_550_kg_a_record_perhaps_at_vegetarian_food_fest.htmlhttp://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=bio_danzigI agree that vegan and whole food, plant based (WFPB) are different. I try to make the distinction with people all the time. They see that I don’t eat animal products, and they say I’m vegan. At the most I could say I eat like a vegan almost all of the time. Vegan, to me, however, means a lifestyle based on the moral and ethical issues behind the killing of animals for food and clothing (no wool, no honey, no leather, etc.). Whole Food, Plant Based, for me, means a primary focus on my personal health through the consumption of whole plant foods, although secondary issues are definitely environmental, ethical, and moral issues that deal with factory farming specifically. With health not being the primary focus with some vegans, they may tend to eat a lot of processed “vegan” food, and be just as unhealthy as someone on the SAD diet. This is why I don’t like calling myself a vegan. I eat honey, have leather clothing, have recently eaten venison from deer that friends have gotten. Calling myself a vegan only takes away from what the word really means.Your post reminded me of this cartoon: http://www.sexyfitvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/protein-cartoon.gifoh crimmony! what a great ‘toon…I’m mass distributing asap.Remember the catch-phrase Ïts the economy, stupid.” Well, I’d leave out the “stupid” because people are brainwashed, but I would love to drill everyone with Ïts the Nutrition”! Leave the belief systems out of it. The science is about nutrition and that is what we ALL should be adopting as the common denominator …. he said, preaching to the choir :)Yeah. I love that ‘toon. You should read Michael Moss’s book, “Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us”. Incredible. Pulls the curtain back on how the food industry, as you say, brainwashes us.http://www.amazon.com/Salt-Sugar-Fat-Giants-Hooked/dp/0812982193Yes, nutrition should be the common denominator. Health costs, environmental issues (less factory farmed animals) and other issues would fall in place if people adopted a mostly whole food plant-based diet. But people on this site are the “choir”!! Which is why I try to get people on this site and watching documentaries about nutrition and where their food comes from. Chipping away one person at a time…Coacervate, here is my response to Olaf, but it actually addresses your question, too, so I’m replying to you.Hey, Olaf. Anecdotal evidence aside, it seems, according to this study, that the belief of an optimum after-workout window in which to digest protein is an urban, or rather gym, myth: http://www.jissn.com/content/10/1/53/abstractWhat Coacervate may have been getting at is that we can get all the amino acids we require, and can use, through eating whole plant foods. If we exercise more, we burn more calories, requiring us to eat more. If we eat more whole plant foods as a calorie source, we naturally consume more amino acids (aka proteins).Here is a very in-depth article on protein requirements from the World Health Organization, http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/who_trs_935_eng.pdf It states:“A more active person expends greater amounts of energy, consumes greater amounts of food, and hence has a higher absolute level of protein consumption.” p.12And, as this study out of MIT shows, it is a myth that we cannot easily get our protein requirements from plants. It is also a myth that we need to mix protein sources at the same meal. Our body stores, intracellularly, amino acids that our bodies do not make. So when we eat foods with these limiting amino acids, like lysine, our body stores them, and uses them as needed. See page 1209S, last full paragraph here:http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/59/5/1203S.longThe other critical misconception is that we, as a society, see nutrition as compartmentalized: proteins, carbs, minerals, etc. We don’t realize how that there are thousands of chemicals and hormones and micro and phytonutrients at play in ways we may never understand. Muscle formation, in other words, depends on so much more than just taking in more protein because there is so much involved on making muscle tissue. Here is one more quote from the WHO study:“The pathways of amino acid metabolism and interchange are critically dependent on adequate micronutrient status, and hence upon the amount and quality of food consumed. *** In addition, with either supplementation or food fortification, disposal of any excess consumption of micronutrients can impose . . . stress on the body.” See page 12.In other words, pounding our body with supplements (like protein isolate in any form) in excess of what we need only makes our body work harder to get rid of the excess. This doesn’t happen if we just get our calories (and hence amino acid requirements) from whole plant foods.Point being that supplementing your diet with more protein is not needed. But since it is plant protein, there is no harm, whereas doing the same with animal protein (whey, dairy, meats, etc.) does have harmful effects.Thanks for another video to keep me plugging along at this.“But the vegan group didn’t just eat less animal protein, they ate fewer calories.”That sentence reads like they did eat “some” animal protein. Not so, though, right Dr. G?They did eat “less” animal protein than the other group to the tune of zero (or they wouldn’t be vegans).Yes, that’s the point I was trying to make. A female can’t be “less” pregnant, say, than Suzy. Either she IS pregnant or she AIN’T. Same with vegans They don’t touch animal products, so IMO the sentence came off as awkward. “Less” should not have been used.You should make a video explaining how statistics work, in layman’s terms. I’m curious about the exact meaning of “metastudy,” for example.for a definition of what a ‘metastudy’ or rather a meta-analysis is, have a look at the linked wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-analysisIgf 1 seems to be of benefit to older people. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14563498If this is true, a vegan could consume more isolated soy protein to increase his/her IGF-1 levels.I’ve gained weight since going vegan. I wasn’t overweight before but now i’m about 10 pounds overweight. Help! any ideas? I really want to stay on a plant based diet but this is frustrating.Check your fat intake as well as how much of your food is processed. Chronometer is a good place to keep a diary. Also, you might be gaining water weight, as plant foods, more simply carbs, require water molecules to travel to your cells. Make sure you get enough water so that you don’t become bloated. My 2 cents.I’m experiencing analogous problems. I have noticed that eating cooked foods make my abdominal fat grow especially if i try to get some muscle mass on. Trying to get enough plant protein I eat a lot of whole grains and legumes. But they are very rich in carbs. Ol of them contain more carbs than protein. I’ve also noticed that I’m gettin skinner when eatin more raw foods.cindy: Most people lose weight when they go vegan. A small, but noticeably “lucky” few gain instead. I can understand your frustration. Usually the weight gain is easy enough to fix if you tweak your diet using the basic principles discussed in these talks:1) Free lecture available on line by Dr. Lisle. “How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ2) Try Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density; Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer. Also check out Jeff’s DVDs in the Fast Food series. Great, affordable food that is easy to make. All of these are available on Amazon. Here is the first one: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392424210&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density%3B+eat+more ———————— There are some good resources/cookbooks that give more detailed guidance on putting the above ideas into action. So, after you watch one or both of the above lectures, you might take a look at: > The Starch Solution (Dr. McDougall) > Breaking The Food Seduction (Dr. Barnard) > Consider going through the free 21 Day Kickstart program by PCRM. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)Hope that helps.So how would athletes perform / build strength if they limit igf1? Sounds like you can either have close to 0 risk and be learn, small and have the body run in a maintenance mode do to speak but to build strength size or have increased ability your risk rises…Unfortunately, the connection between IGF-1 and cancer is not as simple as Dr. Greger would have us believe. For example, the older we get, the MUCH HIGHER our risk of developing cancer but the MUCH LOWER our blood levels of IGF-1. Also, a person who needs to increase their bone density and muscle strength would greatly benefit from eating extremely healthy foods such as natto, tofu, edamame, unsweetened soymilk, soy yogurt, soy sprouts, fenugreek seeds, wheat germ, and/or wild ocean fish, all of which are high in the amino acid, methionine, and therefore will successfully raise our blood levels of IGF-1, thereby increasing our bone density and muscle strength.Meanwhile, here’s an interesting scientific study that links LOW blood levels of IGF-1 with INCREASED risk of developing aging-related diseases and SHORTER lifespans in real human beings. Strangely enough, when this same experiment was done with worms, flies, or mice, researchers got the exact opposite result: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19913048I wonder if there is any statistics about the longevity and general health of meat eating bodybuilders since they apparently should have relatively high blood levels of IGF-1 due to constant consumtion of animal proteins either from foods and protein supplements. I personally know a couple of amateur bodybuilders in their 50 who seem to be quite healthy and vital.This study in mice suggests a possible causal link between reduced IGF-1 with aging and decreased survival. Specifically, the authors suggest that it’s a combined relationship, with high GH in the face of low IGF-1 being what is driving the extra mortality in these mice.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acel.12188/pdfThere is also this:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140311163101.htm“Research suggests that as people age, their ability to absorb or process protein may decline. To compensate for this loss, protein requirements may increase with age. Megumi Tsubota-Utsugi, PhD, MPH, RD, of the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Japan, and her colleagues in Tohoku University and Teikyo University, Japan, wondered whether protein intake might affect the functional capabilities of older adults. They designed a study to investigate the relationship between protein intake and future decline in higher-level functional capacity in older community-dwelling adults in Japan. Their analysis included 1,007 individuals with an average age of 67.4 years who completed food questionnaires at the start of the study and seven years later. Participants were divided into four groups (quartiles) according to their intake levels of total, animal, and plant protein. Tests of higher-level functional capacity included social and intellectual aspects as well as measures related to activities of daily living.Men in the highest quartile of animal protein intake had a 39 percent decreased chance of experiencing higher-level functional decline than those in the lowest quartile. These associations were not seen in women. No consistent association was observed between plant protein intake and future higher-level functional decline in either sex.”My impression is that up to age 65 or so…being a vegan pays off in reduction in cancer…after 65 see the above?Also this:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2090123210000573l-Arginine: anti-aging pilot study“In an open-label randomised limited study conducted by the author, 5 g/day l-arginine base was administered orally once at night for 28 days in 21 subjects with age ranging between 41 and 75 years old (14 between 41 and 49 years, 4 between 50 and 59 years, 2 between 60 and 69 years, and 1 between 70 and 79 years), 16 were males and 5 females, 17 were non-smokers and 4 smokers, and 18 of the 21 subjects were taking other medications to control either hypertension, myocardial ischemia, diabetes, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hyperacidity, hypothyroidism, neuritis, or rheumatoid. All recruited subjects gave written informed consent that complied with the principles of the Helsinki declaration.” ……The cohort of people over 65 is increasing daily…yet there’s not a lot of research related to healthy aging? Younger people are going to be so distracted by trying to survive the effects of resource depletion and global warming that they won’t need to worry? Please…do not harm the messenger.What about this?http://www.newswise.com/articles/calorie-restricting-diets-slow-aging-study-finds“Our study shows how calorie restriction practically arrests gene expression levels involved in the aging phenotype — how some genes determine the behavior of mice, people, and other mammals as they get old,” says senior study investigator and NYU Langone neuroscientist, Stephen D. Ginsberg, PhD. Ginsberg cautions that the study does not mean calorie restriction is the “fountain of youth,” but that it does “add evidence for the role of diet in delaying the effects of aging and age-related disease.”Thank You. Always great infoHi everyone. Thanks Michael Greger M.D. for this video. Very interesting :) I am just struggling to understand why you presented the last frame, which I find rather misleading (from “These findings” to “interventions”).The conclusion on rodents/humans seems invalid, unless the studies on rodents compared CR and non-CR using a western diet both with animal protein. More importantly, when it comes to the benefit of protein reduction, this cannot be concluded without the important protein distinction (animal vs. plant), which we know to impact IGF-1 metrics. Also, quid of soya consumption?New question: Why is there such a focus on the IGF-1 by-product instead of the GH that it came from?Dr Gregor. I have a related question. I am a 100% high carb vegan. Presumably i have lower serum IGF-1 levels than the meat & dairy eating population. If i switch from endurance exercise to weight training am i likely to weaken that advantage?May be not all the proteins have the same effect in IGF-1 levels… There are some papers about the differences of the effect of meat protein and milk proteins and it seems that only milk proteins have this effect…http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19423514http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15578035http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15054433hello Dr i am suffering from diabetic nephropathy with creatinine 2.2 plz suggest me what should i eat and how muchDoes the link between “reduced protein intake” and decreases IGF-1 apply any protein or just animal protein?What diet do you follow and why? 80/10/10? And any research?Is the source of protein relevant here for IGF-1 in terms of animal or plant-based? I currently supplement with several scoops of vegan plant-based protein powder each day. Should I be concerned about cutting this to a certain level or is this only relevant to a certain type of protein? thanks.Well, this still ends with a big maybe.This guy is extremely knowledgeable but why does he speak like he has marbles in his mouth? The facts are great but it’s difficult to listen to him for longer than 30 seconds.At the end of the video, the Dr. says something to the effect of people with high protein intakes generally have a higher IGF-1 levels. Does this include plant based protein sources? I can’t imagine the doc saying that protein from beans, for example, are just as unhealthy as protein from an animal source.Thanks for all your efforts and informationIt’s very controversial. What about this study? “A study from Tulane University published this year (2014) showing that people who went on a low-carbohydrate diet lost more weight in one year than did those in a group who followed a low-fat diet for the same amount of time. More importantly, the study showed that the people on the low-carbohydrate diet ended up with fewer cardiovascular risk factors. ” http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA401531/Low-Carb-or-Low-Fat-Diet.htmlHere’s the study being referencedhttp://www.normanmarcuspaininstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Effects-of-Low-Carbohydrate-and-Low-Fat-Diets.pdfFirst thing to point out is “lost more weight” and “ended up with fewer cardiovascular risk factors” tend to mean the same thing in these short term studies. Losing weight alone improves bloodwork, so the way this and many other trials like it are designed, it’s simply whichever group loses the most weight will look the best on paper.Second thing to point out is that 30% of calories coming from fat isn’t “low fat,” and the 15 grams of fiber a day (the same as the low carb group, even though fiber itself is a type of carb) points to refined carbs in the low fat group rather than whole foods that are associated with lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. These studies aren’t very useful for determining what we should eat since they basically just put people on the standard American diet and another group on a slightly less bad diet and then see who loses more weight. It doesn’t mean you should eat less carbs and more fat, it means if your diet is already terrible, reducing the amount of refined carbs you eat (and the calories you consume) will give slight health improvements that may ultimately do nothing for you.I have a question for Dr. Greger What is your recommendation regarding how many calories one should consume? Of course when on a plant based diet. Thank youTal, as long as you consume whole, unprocessed plant foods, calorie needs will be dictated by hunger needs. Eat when you are hungry, till you are full. Counting calories is not necessary.Thank you very much :)Tal: Just to underscore/support what Toxins just wrote to you, here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations. http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Note how the recommendations do *not* specify a calorie count. That’s because, *if* you eat the right foods, you naturally consume the correct number of calories for your needs. That instinctual ability is built into all animals. Dr. Lisle does a great job of explaining this concept in the following entertaining lecture (which was a great eye opener for me when I first heard it!):“How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQIf you get a chance to watch the above video, I would be curious to hear if you feel that it answers your question to your satisfaction.I can’t get anyone to answer me regarding the latest diet war on youtube, perhaps the NF team can?! The big claim is adult women can eat 1600 calories per day (and even lower, I have seen people doing 800-1000) with lots of exercise, and this is a healthy weight loss plan. I wonder if this is true, because online calculators put me at needing 2400 a day to walk my dog, and I am a 31 year old woman who is 5’8″, 115 lbs, and have always had a bmi of only 18 which I think classifies me as one of those “naturally tiny people”. I do not understand how it could be healthy to eat less than what is needed to sustain a tiny body like mine. Can you guys help me understand this?Hi Nia. Calorie needs are vague and confusing. There are many ways to calculate energy needs using a plethora of equations that take into account age, activity level, disease states, etc. I cannot crunch your individual numbers, but I might add it may not be necessary. Here is the DRI for energy intake, if interested. Here is more information that may help: In this study, A multicenter randomized controlled trial of a plant-based nutrition program to reduce body weight and cardiovascular risk in the corporate setting: the GEICO study participants followed a plant-based diet with no portion control and still found significant weight loss. A few more videos on calorie restriction and diet from Dr. Greger if interested. And here. Let me know if this helps? I tend to avoid youtube wars :) as there are so many different approaches to diet and health it’s hard to know who is “wrong” or “right”. That’s why we have the research here free and available so everyone can make up their own mind.Thanks for your questions, JosephHow many calories should a person eat? I feel a lot of people (plant based and not plant based) argue on what really is calorie restriction and what is considered over eating therefore gaining weight.Hi Courtney. I touched on this below. Please see my comments and let me know if they’re helpful? The short answer is am not sure what the perfect amount of daily calories, especially because what we eat varies daily and we’re all different. Most of the studies I have been a part of discouraged calorie counting and portion control. I cited that study below. See if it helps.Thanks, Joseph	aging,animal protein,animal studies,athletes,body fat,caloric restriction,calories,cancer,chemotherapy,children,IGF-1,liver health,mortality,obesity,plant-based diets,protein,side effects,smoking,tobacco,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss	What is the best strategy to lower the level of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1?	That same data set that compared plant eaters to marathon runners was also featured in Hibiscus Tea vs. Plant-Based Diets for Hypertension and Arteries of Vegans vs. Runners.More on the caloric consumption and longevity:What exactly is IGF-1 and what is the relationship to animal protein consumption? View my 9-part video series:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21748299,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18280312,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9354418,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21721959,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17158430,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673798/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23983688,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19502008,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18280327,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24073332,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17166755,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15110491,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17986716,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22870112,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12433724,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12699704,
PLAIN-2521	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/	GMO Soy and Breast Cancer	In response to concerns raised about the toxicity of Monsanto’s roundup pesticide, which ends up in GMO foods, Monsanto’s scientists countered that these in vitro experiments used physiological irrelevant concentrations, meaning dripping roundup on cells in a petri dish at levels far above what would be realistically found in the human body.Sure, it’s probably not a good idea to mix up your alcohol with your roundup and chug the stuff, or try to commit suicide by drinking it, or injecting it into you. And the rare cases of Parkinson’s reported were after getting directly sprayed with the stuff, or working for years in a pesticide production plant, but that’s not your typical consumer exposure.Some of the researchers responded to the accusation saying look, we used the kinds of concentrations that are used out in the fields. Therefore every little droplet you spray worldwide is above the threshold concentration we found caused adverse effects. Monsanto’s folks responded saying yes, that’s the concentration we spray, but that’s not the concentration that human cells are bathing in. Once it gets into drinking water or food, it’s highly diluted. And, they’re quick to point out, if you look at people with the greatest exposure—pesticide workers—the vast majority of studies show no link between the use of roundup and cancer or non-cancer diseases. There are a few suggestive findings suggesting a link with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. One study of pesticide applicators suggested an association with multiple myeloma, and one study of the children of pesticide applicators found a tentative association with ADHD, but again these are folks expected to a much greater exposure level the general population that may just get a few parts per million in their food. But there had never been any studies done on the tiny levels found circulating in people’s bodies, until now.The maximum residue levels are set at parts per million. The concentrations found within human bodies is measured in parts per billion. This study found glyphosate can activate estrogen receptors at a few parts per trillion, increasing the growth of estrogen receptor positive human breast cancer cells in a petri dish. These results indicate that truly relevant concentrations of the pesticide found on GMO soybeans possesses estrogenic activity.But consumption soy is associated with lower breast cancer risk, and improved breast cancer survival.That may be because most GMO soy in the U.S. is fed to chickens, pigs, and cows—it’s used for livestock feed, whereas most of the major soy food manufacturers use non-GMO soy. Or it could be because the benefits of eating any kind of soy may far outweigh the risks, but why accept any risk at all when you can organic soy products, which by law exclude GMOs.The bottomline is that there is no direct human data suggesting harm from eating GMOs, though in fairness such studies haven’t been done, which is exactly the point, critics counter. That’s why we need mandatory labeling on GMO products so that public health researchers can track whether GMOs are having any adverse effects.It is important to put the GMO issue in perspective though. As I’ve shown, there are dietary and lifestyle changes we can make that could eliminate most heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and cancer. Millions of lives could be saved. A healthy enough diet can even reverse our #1 killer, heart disease. So I’m sympathetic to the biotech industry’s exasperation about GMO concerns when we still have people dropping dead from everything else they’re eating. As one review concluded “Consumption of genetically modified food entails risk of undesirable effects… similar to the consumption of traditional food. In other words, buying the non-GMO Twinkie isn’t doing our body much of a favor.	I think that Dr Greger manage pretty well this issue even if, of course i think that real answers will need time and the labeling of GMO food.I really can’t understand why people chose to kill the propositions in that sense.I mean everyone should have the choice to decide to avoid that kind of food.It’s a no brainer.And by the way even in this case i think as i said before that choosing a WFPB diet would probably solve even this “problem”.Labeling makes sense to me, though I am not like a super strong advocate for it.It seems to me like dr g is reporting that any potential danger likely is because of the roundup.Maybe instead of gmo labeling we could get roundup labeling.It seems there is a lot of corporate opposition to labeling. I guess we need strong advocates for labeling to overcome to money in politics.In any case it seems to me avoiding gmo foods is a lower yield dietary strategy than other things, like increasing fruit and veg consumption.“It seems there is a lot of corporate opposition to labeling.” No doubt, as well as a lot of corporate support — organic food production and marketing is not, in aggregate, a small business and trade associations spend money on politics and lobbying.Roundup is already highly regulated. The “weaker” version is sold to the public for gardening. the commercial stuff requires a commercial license to even use.Oh I didn’t realize there was a difference beyween the stuff I use on my sidewalk and the stuff they use on our food.It’s a violation of Federal law to possess some of the Monsanto poisons without a license to handle it. That’s how dangerous it is. You can buy the “weak” version and even it’s DEADLY.Wow!Here’s a: Mosanto vs Farmers report from The Center for Food Safety. Chapter 3 zeroes in on the lawsuits against farmers. The entire report is very extensive in coverage. http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/cfsmonsantovsfarmerreport11305.pdfCommercial potato growers use a lot of poison too. Before potatoes are harvested the skins must toughen. Crop dusters spray poison on the leaves of the potato corps to kill the plant. Once the plant is dead the skin toughens and they can be dug with less damage to the skin…but much damage to the food as a result of poison the plant.I drove for hours in Idaho with nothing but potato crops on both sides of the road. The pilots were busy killing the crop with poison.It appears that way because this post was a result of Lobbying. I bet Dr Greger’s “peers” from the Soy industry sat down with and told him what he could or could not say in this video. And This was the result.Well, the worst case scenario for me was that Dr Greger would not cover the issue, or covered poorly.He dedicated four videos on a subject that is higly controversial and showing that there could be problems.He is not like Dr Mercola that scream on the blog-o-sphere about GMO dangers and then promotes cholesterol denialism.Speaking for myself, i’m am against GMOs in agriculture from an ethic and historic prospective since i believe Monsanto (AKA Monsie) is like a sort of “Spectre”.But this is not good since this thoughts create a bias that “poison” my reasoning.And rember that Dr Greger is a promoter of a WFPB diet that is practically free on animal products.And guess what ?The meat industry is probably the biggest customer of Big Soy since they need this legume to feed their “endless” amount of animals.http://www.sustainabletable.org/260/animal-feedhttp://www.soyatech.com/soy_facts.htmAnyway i agree with you that one can’t trust blindly Monsie and his workers, since this company practically poison the world with PCBs:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_biphenylhttp://www.chemicalindustryarchives.org/dirtysecrets/annistonindepth/intro.aspOd course Monsie it’s not the only one.Big Pharma probably is worse.http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)60139-2/fulltexthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDbQNBla6aUYou are absolutely right. I just don’t think comparison with Mercola makes sense. Atleast Dr Greger is not doing…. Is not a justification. And I think it would have been better if he had not covered this issue at all. He is being very vague and is also giving an opportunity for GMO lobbyists to comment here (and their brainwashed minions). I wonder what he has to say on Canola oil claiming to prevent and reverse cancer, blood pressure, obesity, Diabetes and what not, all their studies are based on Petri dish and animals. Since they somehow got these studies peer reviewed I guess Dr. Greger will lap it up. But it would be ironic cause its the same reasons he defend GMO and the industry Defends GMO saying that the studies were in petri dishes and on animals.Its so convenient.About Soy, You already know a lot more than regular folk, get ready for more. The Soy and meat industry is practically the same industry. Deans Diary also owns major Soy Brands. (this many know and they have ready made excuses for it) What people don’t know that if not for the soy industry Meat, dairy and poultry industry would not be that profitable.Soy Industry has bribed the GOVT and got a lot of subsidies(which are only on 1000 acres of land or more so the small farmer does not get these subsidies). Then the meat and dairy industry are already subsidized. Now Cargill the biggest producer of Processed soy products is also one of the biggest producers of processed meat. Monsanto not only feeds soy to the industry but also invented rBGH for dairy.What is Mindblowing is that soy “was” not a complete protein(not that I believe this myth). But the formula was changed so that soy could be included. Now why would the meat/dairy industry do this? If Soy was their enemy. What we don’t know is that a lot of lentils went off the complete protein list due to this change. BUT there are still enough of lentils that are complete protein like chickpea, Blach eyed peas. Yellow Peas, Horse gram I had a list of 18. Basically Monsanto wants to feed the world Soy one way or the other. Either through meat and dairy or directly to vegans. I think vegans should get over this Soy mania. Chickpea should be the next soy cause not only its complete protein but its also very healthy and no controversies at all. It only cause flatulence if you don’t soak it and cook it the proper way(that is soak it for 12 hours rinse the water first after half and hour then after and hour for 3 times. You discard the water before cooking You cook it without baking soda and you keep removing the scum you can discard that water too. Don’t worry whatever nutrients are lost in that water is negligible compared to the phytic acid that is in it. You can add a little Kombu while soaking and while boiling, for almost all lentils)Indeed it’s a big business, i think that nations should not permit companies to became more powerful than them, and decide the health and agriculture policy.We need an equilibrium.Anyway i tend to think that soy is really important for them since it has many industrial applications, it’s like a “food” petroleum. The best way to hit “Big Soy” and related companies it’s to minimize animal food consumption.And stop to subsidize junk food.Thanks for the other informations.Always Welcome. Yes that is the best way but we should also not replace it with Soy. There are enough grains and beans that taste so much yummier. If we need to eat soy lets eat Locally grown Organic GMO. This is a good read of what the Soy Industry has in store for us.The Era of Soy Imperialism and what your tofu is not telling you“The American Soybean Association is promoting “analogue” dals–soybean extrusions shaped into pellets that look like black gram, green gram, pigeon pea, lentil and kidney bean. The diet they envision would be a monoculture of soybean; only its appearance would be diverse.” Read the rest here http://worldpresses.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/the-era-of-soy-imperialism-and-what-your-tofu-is-not-telling-you/Agreed, save the planet by lowering consumption of products of animal origin and send a message to big soy (and corn) at the same time!Ha no I think it was the Broccoli lobby right Dr. G?!Let’s say this is true. How would labeling end products help find it?Help to find what ?GMO’s ?Well, there are already tests to assess the presence of GMOs in food:http://eprints.icrisat.ac.in/109/1/TrendsInBiot__20_5_215-223__2002.pdf?origin=publication_detailThan after you know that a food contain an amount X of GMOs than you could try to see if there is some correlation with patologies or other contditions.But my point is simply to know is a food contain GMOs so that i can decide to avoid it.For example maybe you are just following a particular diet w/o simple sugars, so you want to know if a product contain simple sugars so you can avoid them.You can already avoid them through the organic and non-gmo labels, just like devout Muslims and Jews can avoid non-kosher products via kosher labeling.SO, again, i ask, how will labeling end products help find these real answers that need time to tell? After all, no one saves the labels of what they’ve eaten.Indeed that is my hope, that labelling could lead to better understanding of the possible problems, but i do not know if i am right.To me the labeling GMOs is just a no brainer.In response to Monsanta those, “what’s the worry, by the time you get the glyphosphate in your body it’s diluted down.” (Paraphrased)And a great line from my old organic chemistry teacher, “the solution to pollution is not dilution!”Certainly the solution to some forms of pollution is dilution. I think you’d have to work fairly hard to get a definition of ‘pollution’ for which dilution is never a solution, and by the time you were through your definition might be more narrow than you’d like.I used to work for a chemical company. 100 gallons of toxic waste in a river is still 100 gallons, even if you dilute it in 10,000 gallons of water on it’s way down the drain. Gratefully, we never did that (on my watch). We paid Clean Harbors HUGE sums of money to truck our waste away and dispose of it according to regulations.Never said that there wasn’t a problem with persistent pollutants accumulating in the water supply or the world’s oceans. Some pollutants are clearly not that persistent, however, and minimally harmful in sufficiently low doses; and this in spite of the unfortunate fact that so many aren’t, and many others degrade into persistent, potent, harmful compounds.Since glyphosphate is an endocrine disruptor, the dose no longer makes the poison. Now even the tiniest amount can cause harm by binding to cell receptors.Apparently, you have not read the latest independent study from the Arctic University of Norway, which has detected “extreme levels” ( they used Monsanto’s word for the significant levels) of the biotech giant’s RoundUp herbicide in our food, proving that the agricultural herbicide manufactured by Monsanto has utterly changed our food supply. And it is anything but safe, no matter the propaganda. See more at: http://naturalsociety.com/food-found-extreme-levels-monsantos-round-norwegian-study/#sthash.7DOS2EI8.dpufYou’re “sympathetic to the biotech industry’s exasperation about gmo concern’s”? Poor little Monsanto is so picked on for no reason. Are you kidding me? They are desroying the planet and trying to kill us all. All those “studies” by the biotech industry are all lies, and they own the FDA and keep changing the “safe” allowable levels at their convenience.We are huge fans of NutritionFacts.org and of Dr. Greger however we concur with Joe “Are you kidding me?” with regard to Dr. Greger’s sympathy for scientists on the payroll of Monsanto whose job it is to further the goal of all corporations to maximize profits for the shareholders – all externalities be damned! We would have thought Dr. Greger would sympathize with the lab rats – us the public – who are being experimented upon without our permission by a company whose ruthless pursuit of money is legendary. We personally know Percy Schmeiser who had his non GE canola fields contaminated by pollen drift from Monsanto’s genetically engineered canola and was then sued by Monsanto for hundreds of thousands of dollars for patent infringement something that was not very good for Percy and his wife’s health. Additionally, the thousands of farmer suicides in India that are directly related to the bankruptcy the farmers experience as a result of failing GE crops, the need to repurchase seed, and the escalating exponential need for more and more Roundup is also not very good for their health. All in all, we would classify Greger’s treatment of this issue as, at best superficial, but really pathetic.Actually he said he was sympathetic but, …. and came back with labeling. So more a probably nothing, but caution is in order view then an probably nothing so leave us alone view.Some sectors of the anti-GMO fringe are loud and crazy and exasperating to many.“They are desroying the planet and trying to kill us all.”I find this comment a bit exasperating, myself. How is it that one can seriously argue that Monsanto’s goal is to “kill us all,” as if it were a mustachioed villain twirling its mustache and deliberately trying to do what it knows to be evil for evil’s sake?Well, “trying to kill us all” the end result is an expensive, cruel, unnecessary death. They want to make us sick so we will use the prescribed drugs are creating to fight cancer, cholesterol, leukemia, etc. and their drug pushing drs. are prescribing after they scare us mindless. The last chance at survival from cancer, after radiation, chemo is nutrition and a healthy diet. The cure is the same as the prevention (quote: Dr.Greger). But tens of thousands of dollars are spent on medications also treatments. Therein, you will likely die from the treatments, than survive. Yes, it will be the side effects of the toxic drugs, of which the big pharma is making millions on your treatment/ sickness, that will kill you dead. People are looked at as profit till death. This is very sad. And there is no shortage of people in the line up to take a dead person’s place.LT, I’m not so concerned about Monsanto’s perceived intent as I am about their effect on society and my health. It’s hard to prove motive. It’s not so hard to see results.I totally agree with the point about motive, perhaps especially in the case of large groups such as nations, religions, corporations, clubs and so on, the behavior of which is the result of a complex mixture of motives in their members. It’s generally less hard to see results, but that also doesn’t mean that all results are easy to see. We can easily be in agreement here so far since we are talking in fairly loose-fitting terms.Thats the problem with Tin-Foil hat conspiracy theorists who unfortunately are anti-GMO. The motive is not to kill, why would they kill their own customer. The motive is simply to make money. In the process if people die they don’t actually care profit is the main concern. The best example is the Ford Pinto case. Ford was not trying to kill anyone. They messed up and they just though it was cheaper to let people die in accidents instead of issuing a recall and fitting a steel protector to stop the engine from crashing into the fuel tank. The only motive of GMO companies is to replace all natural seed with GMO seed. Farmer has too keep buying. Also is to sell roundup. GMO is very sound science. But that is not a justification. Nerve gas, the atomic bomb are all very sound science but that does not justify killing people with these bombs?GMO could be used in my opinion to protect the environment. Lets take a gene of fast growing grass and splice it with a teak tree and a bamboo too. So we have Round huge pillars of wood growing every 24 hours. We would never have to cut trees in the wild again. We could build everything from trees.Instead Monsanto is really doing something ridiculously. I mean what sort of an approach is Round Up to weeds. You just spray like a mad man a poison that willl kill off anything in the vicinity and will have effects on all the flora and fauna (killing small fragile creatures) in the 10 mile radius(and even more if it makes it way into a river) You create a crop that is resistant to that. WOW!! Anyone would be stupid to believe that Monsanto Came up with that solution to save Mankind. Its very easy to see they came up with such a solution so they could kill 2 birds(Actually 1000s) with one stone. Sell GMO SOy and Roundup too. I think the approach and the type of products GMO is creating makes it obvious that the intention of GMO is to only maximize profits by fooling the consumer. Why is this so hard to believe. I am pretty sure you @slider1:disqus and many other intelligent people have come across so many products ranging from cosmetics to slimming drugs that have fooled the consumer just to make profits. Its not new and its legal.Sounds like this must be a Monsanto employee doing his/her public relations thing. How many of you are there here?U got it right, that’s why I took the time to explain and elaborate on the truthGMO’s are not sound science according to retired chemical engineer, Thierry Vrain. It is random science. More is known now than after he received his Ph.D.. In fact, there are many things that he and many other scientists, have discovered they don’t know about the human gnome. Thierry Vrain retired from Agriculture Canada some 14 years ago, and is now learning to garden organically.Thats like saying Modern Medicine is not Sound Science. Just because they are just churning drugs that don’t work and kill people. What I meant is the subject of Bio engineering is sound science GMO don’t give a damn they are just creating hogwash just like pharma industry They are not bothered to do real reasearch and find a real solution(or cure in case of BIG PHARMA). They are just creating stuff they can get approved so they can sell it. They use fraudulent fake studies to do that. Yes anyone person who is worth their salt will know that nothing can beat organic farming. So GMO are using sound science to try and fix something that is not broken(or you can say their puppet masters broke it long ago with the “green revolution” its all interlinked). Let me give you the skinny on how food shortage and pests were created. Even right there are so called non-profit organization who visit third world countries and teach them how to farm “better”. They pose as experts and they do charity. Then after the hell breaks lose these GMO and pesticide fertilizer companies come in with “solution” Its a classic Problem reaction solution where they create the problem.There are no such thing as pests. If there were they would have wiped out our food supply thousands of years ago. Pests were created by modern farming. 3 practices of Modern farming 1.allowing the land to breath by opening it which diestroyes the microbial flora fauna inside as it gets exposed to the sun and air. 2. Use of artificial fertilize that affects the PH of the soil and also kills a lot of microorganisms and small insects and animals 3. CLEAN Farming. This is the main culprit they said to increase yield let us remove all other plants from the field as they will compete for the nutrition in the soil and also you get more land to grow the single crop so more yield. What this does it remove the food source of many normal insects who play an important role in the ecology. These insects are content eating a few leaves or stalks of “weeds” like the dandelion which we all know is rich in nutrients. But when that food source is gone, they have no option but to eat what is left. Since these are not dense in nutrition and these insects don’t have a fixed diet system they follow. They just keep on chewing on anything they get until they get the required nutrition out of it. So this results in them eating plants they would never eat and eating lots of it as it was not as dense in nutrition as the “weeds” they would feed on. Another simple example is the BEE business. These farmers have been advised to remove all trees from their farms. Where the hell will the butterflies and bees who pollinate the flowers live?The best trees to grow in a field are Moringa, they are nutrient dense so all insects just love to eat it and check on out you will see the highest number of caterpillars and other larvea on this tree.So all of this is created I am not sure if this was deliberate maybe it was a mistake but it sure is the cause of all current agrarian problems.In India a group of farmers rejected the “green revoluion” 60 years ago. Today while in the rest of India Farming is a high risk business, these farmers are growing 4 crops a year(and growing their own vegetables and fruits so they don’t have a to spend any money on food) with 0 input.While in other part of India its so worse that a farmer commits suicide every 30 minutes. The only reason they do so is because they cannot pay the loan they took to buy fertilizers, pesticides and high yield GMO seeds.When I first began to grow using the organic method in 1970, I learned the hard way that saw dust while an “organic” waste depleted the nitrogen in plants. Everything turned yellow. To remedy the problem, I picked up two garbage cans full of poultry manure, feathers and all and mixed it with the saw dust. The high nitrogen content of the poultry manure created a rich, black humus out of the wood wastes, and after it cooled down, this was turned into the soil making everything ready to plant. I added bone and cottonseed meal, not realizing at the time how high in pesticides cottonseed meal is, but it seemed to make little difference to my garden. Now, I’ll have to find other ways of creating the same nutrients because I don’t want complete genes from antibiotic bacteria and high levels of herbicides depleting the minerals in my soil and blocking their way to be taken up physiologically into the plants and the people who need the plants to repair or heal their bodies. But back in 1970, I grew my garden not knowing anything, except that I did not want manmade chemical pesticides or toxic metal fertilizers. And I found that composting can do both, add nutrients to the soil and at the same time help beneficial organisms grow so they could fight disease, pests, and mulching eliminated most weeds, I found out what insects were attacking my plants and learned what their predators were. The predators were mail ordered and they controlled insects in my garden. A bountiful harvest of veggies, fruits and strawberries were ours for the picking, and all without DDT, chemical warfare agents, or other “Economic Poisons, which is what pesticides were regulated as back then when the cancer rate was far lower than it is today. Peer reviewed science used to be used to grow crops. It is no longer. And now, more and more people and animals are getting sicker and dying younger. GMO seeds do not yield more than growing organically, peer reviewed science has shown this. Plus, I did not buy toxic fertilizers or toxic chemical pesticides. I gardened with my brain and used common sense working with Nature rather than against her. This is missing in the way crops are grown today. And, the damage to our health, our central and peripheral nervous system, our immune system and the new diseases, allergies, and ailments are the proof of the pudding created since the first GMO crops came into the marketplace in 1996.India used to grow crops using the organic method. Then their elected officials were wined and dined by the biotech-chemical industry and deceptive practices were put into place as the farmers mortgaged their land to buy expensive large machinery, agrochemicals, and everything died when a drought came. Because without water, life cannot grow and genetic engineering cannot grow sustainable food that repairs and sustains life without the right ingredients –healthy soils, rich in organic humus, which increase water holding capacity and increase yield. Those from India were not allowed to farm using common sense, because common sense did not make the biotech-pesticide companies wealthy. The result was they were losing their farms and had huge debt from borrowing for unneeded big equipment. In the end, failed promises caused debt, depression, and lost farms, as well as suicides. That is, until the truth started coming out and the government stood with the small farmers and against massive agribusiness.On what basis do you characterize Dr. Greger as “sympathetic” to the biotech industry? He reported a few studies accurately. That’s not an opinion! Fact is, Dr. Gerber reported that GMO foods in the human body simulated estrogen. Doesn’t that mean, even in very small amounts GMO can play havoc with women’s (and men’s) hormone secretion? Pre teens are experiencing puberty when generations past it didn’t occur until age seventeen. Each decade for the last several beginning puberty has started one year earlier. Sounds llke GMO’s are just another trigger for hormonal upheavalLike Joe, Jeff, and Karen, I too find Dr. Gregor’s treatment of this issue pathetic. Buying into any of the Biotech industries manipulated studies and lies, is not something I would expect any good scientists or physician to do. Shame on you Doctor for giving credence to such self-promoting slop.Sadly I agree.Well said!“[W]e need mandatory labeling on GMO products so that public health researchers can track whether GMOs are having any adverse effects.”And on mutagenic products as well? If not, why not? And labeling of all used herbicides and pesticides (including on organic foods)? If not, why not?Also: how will labeling help public health researchers do the tracking? (Not saying it won’t, but I’m unclear as to how it would.)“Labeling” is permission to market GMO’s. I prefer to stop GMO’s.well, I´d like to stop the selling of automatic guns, but ain´t gonna happen. If the American public won´t go into overdrive and have their congressmen pass laws on gun control, like background checks, then…Yes, but labeling is the best way to do so.Good point, Rick. I’m for stopping GMO’s and if labeling shines enough sunlight on the problem to do that, why not? I’d hate to see the movement relax because labeling is practiced. Cigarettes are labeled. So is meat and dairy.As to labeling, be careful what you ask for. In the video: “I’m sympathetic to the biotech industry’s exasperation about GMO concerns when we still have people dropping dead from everything else they’re eating.” Indeed. But I’d like some sympathy for my worry about mandatory labeling stomping on GM-food sales, hence quashing biotech R&D investment, and thus reducing prospects of improvement in the healthfulness and affordability of food.brec: re: “quashing biotech R&D investment, and thus reducing prospects of improvement in the healthfulness and affordability of food.” From my perspective, we don’t need biotech for healthy food. The NutritionFacts site shows how very much our existing whole plant foods are all that humans need for maximum health. Thinking that we need biotech to artificially create healthy food is not something that makes any sense to me. And as for affordability, whole plant foods are pretty affordable as-is. I guess I don’t understand your worry.In 1970: “We don’t need computer systems for communication; we have telephones, radio, and TV!”An example of one kind of thing I’m thinking of is so-called “Golden Rice,” which is a GMO that provides beta-carotine (hence, Vitamin A) in rice. Proponents claim it could prevent hundreds of thousands of early childhood deaths per year. (GMO opponents claim otherwise; I’m not agitating for this specific cultivar, only using it as an example of a type of possibility.)Yes, for you and me, whole plant foods are pretty affordable. For billions of others, any significant improvements in crop yields could mean a big difference in their lives.We don’t know what the future of bio-technology might bring, so let’s take some care before stunting it.brec: It sounds like this is your argument: It doesn’t matter what concerns people have about an existing product. As long as there is a theoretical potential for something related to be beneficial in the future, then we should do nothing to protect people from (or even label) existing products. Again, this just makes no sense to me.I would argue instead: There is nothing to stop industry from coming up with a biotech product that is proven to be good for the planet and the long term health of humans, even if existing products (80%! of which are made to withstand extra pesticides?) are labeled and maybe even stunted.No, that’s not my argument.If mandatory labeling succeeds in fulfilling many of its proponents’ [see note below] hopes, sales of existing and new GMO-containing products to consumers will plummet, and researchers will not get R&D budgets for developing new ones.By all means, specific concerns about any existing products should be voiced and researched. But as is evident both in comments here and across the ‘net, there is a lot of sentiment that GMOs should be avoided or banned across the board.I don’t object to whatever a supplier wants to put on a label, as long as it’s true. But mandated labeling implies that GMOs are unsafe and many — I believe most — consumers will reflexively avoid the labeled product based on that alone. On that point also see same note below.(You seem uncertain of the 80% figure; I don’t have a number myself, but in view of the GMO cultivars which enable the *reduction* of extra pesticides, I wonder if it’s that high. While I believe use of herbicides such as Roundup is up, GMO cultivars such as Bt corn have enabled a large decrease in the use of artificial insecticides.)Note: “many” is not “all”. But in monetary terms, a lot of the advocacy for mandatory labeling is from organic food producer trade groups.brec: Labeling is not banning. Yet it sounds like you are against labeling, because people may then choose to avoid eating the food for reasons you don’t approve of. And if they avoid eating the food, then that could mean that ultimately companies do less research, which you would consider to be a problem.I’m still not buying it. I’m not buying that consumers will all of a sudden stop buying products that they have been consuming for years. And I’m not buying that we need the technology that creates GMOs. Nor that if there was a real need for biotech foods, that the need wouldn’t be seen to one way or another. With a real need (not defined as a corporation wanting lots of money), the money would be there for the research.That’s just my opinion. I understand that you have a big fear about that research going away. It looks like you have nothing to fear, though, because GMO proponents, who want the food unlabeled, are definitely winning.For me, labeling is just labeling. For example, we label whether or not an ingredient is “artificial”. You can’t just say that a product has lemon in it if the lemon flavor is artificial. It has to be labeled as such. People then have a right to choose if they are going to eat that product with artificial lemon or not. Some people choose not to eat food with artificial ingredients. You may disagree with their reasons, but they have the choice. And that some people choose not to eat artificial food doesn’t stop companies from making a ton of money (and thus having money for more artificial research?) off of those products. GMO food should be no different.Thea– We’ve gotten into two separable issues: #1 mandatory labeling, and #2 whether that will lead, indirectly, to less bio-tech research. #2 started from a thought I happened to have for the first time when considering this video and its comments. It’s not an “argument” that I had previously developed and researched, and you are right in saying (in my paraphrase) that the size of the effect, if any, of labeling on future research cannot be determined. It seems reasonable to infer that some people without any other knowledge will say, “Hmm, if the government requires this label, this GMO stuff must be dangerous, or at least risky, so the hell with it — I’ll buy something else.” But I can’t estimate the size of this effect. So I’d like to let #2 go and respond only as to why I’m against mandatory labeling.One aspect of my opposition is off-topic to this site: it’s a general opposition to making positive acts (as opposed to negative acts, i.e., refraining from actions) that some people want other people to perform into laws applicable to everyone. Because it’s a political/rights issue, not a nutrition science issue, yet it’s important to me, I’ll just mention it and move on to the specifics of GMO labeling.Why are GMOs singled out for mandatory labeling? As I commented more briefly yesterday, what about, for example, mutagenic crop varieties? Plants or seeds are bombarded with chemicals or radiation to induce genetic mutations — possibly hundreds or thousands of them — to see if any desirable traits emerge. Since the 1930s more than 2,000 mutagenic crop varietals have been released. Some of them are farmed and marketed by organic producers. I know of no one advocating for mutagenic product labeling, or for “the right to know” that they’re buying mutagenic foods or foods containing such ingredients. I’ve never heard of any proposition requiring such labeling being put on a state election ballot. Why is a technique inducing thousands of unknown genetic changes in a plant never mentioned for labeling, while an engineered technique introducing one or two specific genes with specific well-studied effects suddenly (within the past several years) a target for mandatory labeling? This, to me, is crazy. It makes clear, to me, that the mandatory GMO labeling movement is not based on science, i.e., on actual dangers, risks, or unknowns, but on sociology, politics, and (for organic producers) on economics.And mutagenic varieties are just an example. Why are the “right to know” promoters not advocating for mandatory labeling of all the herbicides and insecticides used on a food product or any of its contents?There’s another argument against mandatory labeling which I’ll just describe briefly: expense. Many products that have ingredient lists have long supplier chains. Labeling will require audit trails along the entire supply chain. The cumulative cost to the final packager who’s responsible for labeling may in some cases be significant and require an increase in consumer pricing. (But I have no quantitative knowledge in this area.)For these reasons, I’m disappointed that my go-to guy on nutrition science, Dr. Greger, has jumped on the mandatory labeling bandwagon.brec: re: labeling mutagenic crops. I’m all for that. In fact, the GMO process was originally described to me much the same way that you described mutagenic crops, except that GMO foods could also involve inserting genes from other species. Just because we aren’t labeling the mutagenic crops right now does not mean that we shouldn’t label GMO foods. In other words, the argument, “You should do all or nothing” makes no sense to me. Similarly, hopefully some day we can get some labels on the pesticides used.Also, I disagree that there is no science behind health concerns specific to GMOs. Which may explain why there is the focus to label GMOs and not the crops you are talking about. But even if what you believe that is true (ie: GMOs are as healthy as conventional crops), then there is also the issue of those pesky sociology and environmental issues which are not trivial. For example, I consider it to be morally reprehensible to Montanto be allowed to enforce a contract which does not allow a farmer to replant seeds from plants they have grown. With labeling, I can vote with my dollars on that very important issue. Without labeling, it can be very hard.Expense: It is my understanding that none of the many countries which already enforce GMO labeling have seen a rise in food prices. The expense argument has never held up.re: “…it’s a general opposition to making positive acts (as opposed to negative acts, i.e., refraining from actions) that some people want other people to perform into laws applicable to everyone.” This argument (made by many people – so I have thought about it a lot) does not make sense to me in regards to GMO labeling. As just one example, we force companies to put nutrition information on their packages because as a society, we have decided that this information is important. People can do whatever they want with the info. But it has to be provided. I consider that a huge public good. Same with forcing car manufacturers to provide seatbelts. But I don’t believe in enforcing seat belt laws. In other words, a better model for society in my opinion is to provide information and opportunities for safety. And then people can choose (no forcing positive acts) what they want to do about it. Provide the GMO label. Then let people decide if that’s what they want to purchase.I can understand your arguments from an intellectual standpoint. I even respect your opinion because you have thought it through so well. I just *strongly* disagree with you.“I don’t believe in enforcing seat belt laws.” Most sat on their seat belts until the laws were enforced. Driving without using the safety equipment endangers not only the driver, but passengers, other drivers, and their passengers, and pedestrians. Seat belts help keep drivers in front of the steering wheel during an accident. How can you be for a law but against enforcing it? I’m for everyone not eating meat and dairy but don’t want it make it a law. That’s different from avocation non-enforcement of valid, beneficial laws. Sounds like the old big brother paranoia that causes million to fear loss of gun rights. Society is conditioned to demand what government wants by suggesting otherwise is a loss of freedom. Over a million babies are aborted every year by proclaiming, “A woman’s body, a woman’s right to choose.” The baby has little protection under the law. We profess fear of big brother to commit immoral acts as a pseudo rebellion against “control”. Keep in mind it’s with Governments blessing Americans are fed the garbage processed by big business and sold as food. We are alrady controlled by big business…they are truly the food police.Larry: “How can you be for a law but against enforcing it?” That may have been poor wording on my part. What I should have said was that I’m against any law that forces people to wear seat belts. Similarly, I’m against helmet laws. Let’s not get into the abortion issue. This is getting completely off topic.Your new wording doesn’t help your argument. It’s not likely a baby will survive a car wreck without a seat belt holding the car seat in place. How do you feel about other vehicle safety laws, for example, do you oppose laws that force people to stop at intersections? I’m guessing you don’t oppose those laws. Government also dictates how strong concrete has to be in a building, etc. I bet you aren’t even aware of most Government mandated safety laws. Without them we’d be a third-world country. Therefore, why single out one safety related law? How often do we here, “and the diseased was not wearing a seat belt.”? Also, when motorcyclists crash and damage their brain it’s taxpayers who pay the medical bills. Helmets reduce the injuries. I bet brain injured hard core anti-helmet bike riders have a change of heart after the damage is done. I know their children wish they had them back in one piece.re: “Therefore, why single out one safety related law?” People have a right to endanger themselves and their families. (Parents have to choose what risks their children take all the time.) That’s a good part of what a mature life is all about. Making choices and taking risks and keeping your pinky toes crossed that the risks will pay off. Accepting consequences when the risk does not pay off. On the other hand, people do not have a right to significantly and negligently put other people’s safety at risk.So, there’s where I draw the line. Does the law allow multiple humans to live together peacefully without tromping too much on the rights and safety of others? That law – such as obeying traffic signals – is necessary. On the other hand, are we talking about behavior that mostly just endangers ourselves or our immediate family and say those with us at the time? (Driving without a seat belt.) Have the risk taker(s) been informed of the risks? (Good education and labeling). Have they been given safe alternatives? (Seat belts mandatory in cars.) OK, then go for the risk if you want. It’s not up to me to say otherwise, and I don’t want others telling me what risks I can and can not take.The taxpayer argument also holds no water with me, but again, we are way off topic. So, I think it’s time to let this rest.“People have a right to endanger themselves and their families.” Child abuse laws say otherwise. Parents don’t have a “right” to not educate their children…because it hurts society. Your argument is valid in one respect. If someone is dumb enough to risk their child’s life based on a senseless claim based on her “right” then maybe society is benefited by the offspring dying so as not to reproduce such an ignorant line of feeble-mined thinkers.We have the right to feed our kids GMO, meat and dairy… none of which benefits society, all of which is destructive and costly to society. The only true rights we have are those guaranteed by our Constitution. I point out it does not protect us from seat belt laws or GMO’s.I already pointed out a driver flopping around in his car; out of control endangers others. I was personally in a car hit by another (before seatbelts) and went flying across the interior to the passenger side….unable to control the car. You have no idea how helpless we can be flying around in a car as it careens out of control. Nothing is gained by not using a safety device like a seat belt…or air bag, or sensors, or whatever other device is placed on a 3,500 pound automobile to protect the contents and those in the path of the vehicle. There’s nothing mature about risking a child’s life based on a stubborn attempt to emphasize some silly perception of “individual rights”. Society has rights too. If I have to live around stupid people I want the law to protect me from their ignorance. A brain -injured child is a burden to society for a lifetime…because an ignorant parent didn’t buckle up. Imagine looking at your brain-dead baby and saying, “I was exercising my right to not strap her in.”You are ignoring (or are unaware) of the risks you are already prevented from taking. It’s illegal to commit suicide, spray poisons without a license, build a room addition without a permit, prepare food in a restaurant without obeying hygiene rules, including washing hands and not touching food. I have a “right” (by law) to not buy a sandwich touched by someone’s dirty hands. The list of legal constraints is seemingly endless; necessitated by man’s desire to live close to each other, otherwise laws are not needed. Thea does not have a right to not use a seat belt. It’s mandaded by law.Thea does have the right to move to a lesser country where government doesn’t take such an interest in the safety of it’s citizens.Same here I don’t know why the GOVT allows me to kill myself smoking or drinking alcohol but not give me the choice in the case of not wearing a helmet. I wanna take the risk just like a smoker wants to take the risk of getting cancer.Mangalore: Well, I personally always use safety equipment. I just don’t believe in forcing others to when for the most part, all they hurt is themselves. I support you to have that right to take that risk for yourself if you want.I like your analogies. That might be a helpful addition for me to add in the future when I am trying to help people understand this particular value.I made that comment as an argument. Not advocating people be careless. There are times when you are just cruising on an empty road at night and you just want to feel the breeze in your hair. You remove your helmet and a cop stops you and fines you. I think its paranoia to expect an accident to happen every single second you step out of the house. Its very negative too. So I guess its up to us if we want to use safety equipment. IN the case of a seatbelt it affects other passengers in a car it keeps the driver in the seat. Otherwise he could go forward hit his head on the steering wheel and then drive forward and crash or run over someone. But in a helmet it only saves you, after the accident you hit the ground. You have already crashed there is nothing you can do about it anymore. if you had a helmet on it won’t help you control the bike and save a co-passenger or something.For example, I consider it to be morally reprehensible to Montanto be allowed to enforce a contract which does not allow a farmer to replant seeds from plants they have grown.Aren’t contracts voluntarily undertaken by two parties? Why should it be morally reprehensible to enforce (via civil law) the terms of a contract?And then people can choose (no forcing positive acts) what they want to do about it.Requiring someone who offers a product for sale to provide certain features, that you (or I, or anyone) like(s) to have, upon penalty of imprisonment, is forcing a positive act and something I cannot condone.(Thanks for your kind words — and thanks for the work you do here.)brec: “Aren’t contracts voluntarily undertaken by two parties? Why should it be morally reprehensible to enforce (via civil law) the terms of a contract?”It’s never that simple. As a society, we have already decided that certain agreements simply can not be part of a contract, whether both parties agree or not. A person can not sell themselves into slavery. A person can not sell their own organs. A person can not sign away their constitutional rights. We have decided that there are lines to be drawn in order to live in the kind of world we want to live in. If I can have any influence at all, our society would develop a similar sense of decency around food and the seeds that grow it. That’s obviously just my opinion and plenty of people see no problem with corporations owning seeds. But I feel very strongly about my view of what a good world looks like and will work hard to make it happen.“I don’t believe in enforcing seat belt laws.” The horse thief, pacing in his jail cell waiting for his destiny at sun up, prayed, “Lord, I’m all for laws again horse thievin…but I pray they don’t enforce it.”brec: There was one other point I wanted to make and left out. You make it sound like changing just one or two specific genes should be no big deal. But the tiniest of changes in biology can have huge impacts on the final product. So, the number of genes that we are talking about is immaterial to the issue in my opinion.Stop it! Ridiculous! I have a right to know what I am eating and already grow a lot of it myself. Whether it be GMOs, pesticides, irradiation or mutagenesis, if I am ingesting it, and have any hesitation about what it contains because we don’t know what the possible effects are, I have a right to know that! My children and grandchildren have the right to decide their future, this is deceitful and deceptive! You sound like a shill, man cannot outsmart nature, our species has done fine until we started messing with the food supply! Even a lot of WEEDS are more nutritious than our damn food supply because no man bothers to get involved with it’s nature! These people are trying to make a profit at any cost, wake up!Hear hear !Charzie: It is fine to be passionate about an argument. But it is not OK to call people names. Your post goes against the rules of this site, and I am deleting it.In the past, you have been such a great contributor to the comments section. I hope you will do so again in the future.Thea, I’d like to know how is it that the unnecessarily repetitious, and excessive belaboring of his/her opinions are fine throughout, and yet stating my opinion was not? I was NOT engaged in “name calling”, however, I DO think it IS ridiculous that anyone could possibly find objectionable the disclosure of processes or ingredients foreign to the food in question! I or anyone have a right to know what we are putting into our bodies, as do my children and especially my grandchildren! Why would I ever be concerned how having to label something truthfully might dissuade a potential purchase from some manipulative corporation , based on an ‘unfair’ appraisal? It is a BIG issue to me when man messes with nature, we cannot assume we are so superior that any industry needs to “improve” our food, look where that has taken us already, with rampant disease as reality! Our weeds are more nutritious than our “food”! You yourself argued your points in disagreement numerous times throughout, making your opinions obvious…in fact it was the sheer volume of this banter that prompted my remark! Please clarify as I am rather baffled by the incongruence here.Charzie: Calling someone a “shill” crosses the line, and you did so in more than one comment. I disagree with brec, but I kept my responses respectful–as did brec. Rather than attack brec’s character, I argued against his ideas. (And the reverse is true too.) That’s a huge difference. The prior is against the rules. The latter is encouraged when it is honest, healthy debate. Just because something is a big issue to you (it’s a BIG issue to me too) does not mean that you get to be rude, call people names, attack their character, etc.If the volume of comments bothers you – don’t read them. I mean that seriously. brec and I were engaging in respectful dialog that interested us. If it stressed you out, you could have ignored it. I hope going forward you will be very careful of the line as I would hate to loose you as a commenter.I hope that clarifies the rules for you. I took the time to dialog with you about this instead of just deleting your original comments without notice, because I hope this will help others as well as you avoid future problems.Labeling is more than just labeling, though, no? It means segregating crops that look exactly the same by eye (and most other properties) throughout the entire international food system and complying with regulations that would provide reasonable assurance that no cross-contamination has occurred. Does that seem like a trivial and inexpensive process to you? Should there be mandatory labeling that non-organic food is non-organic? A labeling model in the United States will probably follow from the ‘organic’ or ‘whole grain’ or ‘gluten-free’ model in that country, where the government defines what a food must be like in order to label itself in a certain way and empowers an organization to certify foods that want that label and verify that they meet the qualifications. Asking to put a scarlet ‘A’ on foods containing genetically modified organisms as ingredients may be asking for a little bit too much in terms of expense, and has the wrong idea about who should pay what. If you want a non-flouridated alternative to tap water in your home, you can get it, but you are the one who must pay extra in opting not to use that service. If consumers want non-GMO food to be clearly labeled, then the companies that market these foods should be the ones to put up most of the cost of labeling, so that they may pass on the cost to those consumers who actually value the labeling system by selecting non-GMO products despite their higher cost.Also, the USDA Organic label basically already embeds non-GMO within its definition (http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3004446 ) so at present there is not so much to complain about in the US, except perhaps to the extent that you are willing to consume either conventional non-GMO food or GMOs that are otherwise ‘organic’, but not both. Labeling GMOs specifically seems to me to be more of a political wedge by people who have realized that an outright ban on GMOs would be unpopular and untenable. The next best thing would to put a badge of shame on GMO foods and to forcibly separate GMO crops from all other foods at the expense of the taxpayer or the general consumer.LT, the crops are already segregated. Just mix them and Monsanto will sue you. We’re just saying make it public knowledge, full disclosure.They are not segregated throughout the entire food system, Larry, which is what I was getting at. Once grain is collected at a distribution center and put in hoppers for food processors down the line (or animal feed), the GMO fraction tends to get mixed with the non-GMO fraction. In order to keep the crops separate throughout the entire food system, there would need to be a separate distribution and processing channel for certifiably non-GMO stuff. In that Seralini study, if I recall accurately, they state that they use mixtures of 11%, 22%, and 33% GMO maize. That they don’t use 100% GMO maize is presumably because they don’t have it easily available.Certainly you are saying to just ban GMOs, Larry. I recall you stated your intention in an earlier comment. Have you changed your opinion?It must be tough, LT. How do you suppose they keep ingredients segregated when they bake a cake or bottle aspirin? If “they” are so dumb they can’t keep GMO corn from being mixed with normal corn then they should limit their careers to McDonalds. A buyer for GMO would buy X contracts to be delivered on X day and month. All the little people who want to buy GMO and process “food” would buy from him. those who want to continue buying non-GMO would buy from a broker who bought X contracts of non-GMO. That’s how it’s already done. Companies who are non-GMO are already labeling their food to protect themselves from the backlash from consumers. Ever operate a business? We have different grades of diamonds, paint, fuel, motel rooms, etc. We’re not breaking new ground saying GMO can’t hide behind a feigned attempt at complicating the labeling.Life is only as hard as you make it. We recycle most anything and separate the trash form the treasure. Samo for GMO and natural food.I bet you insist your beans not touch your carrots on the dinner plate. How do you keep them from mixing once their in your belly?Separating stuff and keeping it separate still costs money, particularly when you are dealing with massive crops. Contracts and different scheduling will deal with some of the segregation task, but fundamentally you have to spend more money in order to achieve the extra constraint. If some distributors decide that they have to build an extra vessel or run another vehicle for non-GMO stuff because they can’t reliably schedule their existing resources so deliveries are always on time and always segregated, that’s a real additional cost. I suppose that already the cost of segregating out non-GMO found is part of the added cost structure of firms marketing non-GMO-labeled products, and it will be that way so long as it is not externalized to other parties.Imagine what you wish, LT. It starts off separated and MIXING it costs money. GMO goes one channel and non-GMO goes another.And how many channels do we have? Does adding 1 more cost money? How about the next 1? How about 10^3?The channels for distributing natural food already exists. Nothing new is required. Do you know that 50% of our food is wasted? If it weren’t wasted by the grocer and the consumer then it wouildn’t matter how much was lost due to bugs.I farm both GMO and non-GMO. What you say is not true, currently most GMO’s are mixed. Some GMO’s I don’t have to separate. you have it backwards, separating crops is expensive.largelytrue: re: ” Does that seem like a trivial and inexpensive process to you?” Yes, absolutely. It is the responsibility of anyone who sells food to know where their ingredients come from. Moral arguments aside, without good tracking that is already in place, you wouldn’t be able to figure out where (which farm) sickness comes from when there is a contamination outbreak. And they are currently able to do that.The expense argument holds no water anyway. None of the countries which currently enforce GMO labeling saw an increase in food prices after the label law went into effect. Plus, at the moment, we are talking about all of 9 ingredients that could be GMO. If we hurry up and put a labeling system in place now, it will definitely be of minimal cost now and in the future compared to trying to get a system in place in the future when more foods are GMO.There are a lot of times when an organic choice for a product is simply not available. In those cases, we could still choose between conventional and GMO. So, the existence of an organic label is irrelevant. It is the GMO foods that need to be labeled in order to give consumers informed choice.Okay, but what about for informed choice about everything under the sun? At some point you stop tracking every single input to a crop. What about the concerns about particular types of pesticides and so forth? How about lead concentrations? Does all this need to be on the label? Do we need to separate out ultra-low lead foods just because we have an inkling that low levels may be more problematic than we currently think?“The expense argument holds no water anyway. None of the countries which currently enforce GMO labeling saw an increase in food prices after the label law went into effect. Plus, at the moment, we are talking about all of 9 ingredients that could be GMO”It would help if you came with a citation for this. Some types of labeling may be very easy and nondiscriminate, and some countries may have very little in the way of GMO inputs into their food system, and a system that labels imports from select countries as ‘GMO’ just to be safe, withoutlargelytrue: re: “what about for informed choice about everything under the sun?” Happily, people aren’t asking for everything under the sun. We are asking for what is important to us.re: “It would help if you came with a citation for this” I first saw this information in the political ads in Oregon. I never looked closely at the source. But since you asked, I did a quick internet search and came up with the following which would get you started if you were really interested in finding out where the info comes from:The second bullet point on the following article is a nice summary. “2. There’s also no evidence that GMO labeling increased food prices in the 64 countries that have adopted it. Indeed, David Byrne, then European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, declared that “It did not result in increased costs, despite the horrifying (double-digit) prediction of some interests.” American food companies are already labeling their GMO products for export without increasing consumer costs.” (That last sentence is *very* telling.) http://www.juiceladycherie.com/Juice/gmo-labeling-will-not-increase-the-price-of-your-food/The other bullet points in the article are also good.The following article explains where the idea came from that labeling GMO products would actually cost any significant amount of money: http://grist.org/food/would-gmo-labeling-increase-food-prices/This page lists the 64 countries where GMO labeling is required: http://gmoinside.org/64-countries-around-the-world-label-ge-food/——————– I am sorry to say that I’m not following the logic of your last paragraph. But I’m pretty much done with this topic myself. It doesn’t seem like we are going to understand each other on this one no matter how long we talk about it. Time for me to move on to posts where I can make a difference. And you can be happy that so far the anti-labeling movement is winning. :-)I don’t take an unsupported quote by a single bureaucrat as particularly authoritative, and I haven’t yet been able to get to something solid backing it. A department of Health and Consumer Protection seems unlikely to have much authority over what different labeling policies actually cost and why. I note that indeed the department is shifting in some way and that relatively recently a research group has been called to actually do serious research into economic issues (https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/eseb ) though there is not much documentation of what has happened there so far. Though widely quoted, this seems mostly like a case of drawing out one quote for making a particular claim, then copying and pasting from other sources in the media ad infinitum.The reliable sources that I find seem to suggest a range from $2 to $15 per year to the consumer as fairly reasonable to implement in a mandatory labeling scheme. Assuming that’s the cost level to detect in many of these other 64 countries, does it seem reasonable to you to just assume that a political official is clearly backing their statement with evidence of absence rather absence of evidence? How hard did the group preparing that speech actually look for price increases in countries where they were likely to be found before declaring that it “did not result in increased costs” flat out? You can see that this helps those in the public debate who want an easy way to dismiss ideas about there being an economic cost to labeling as a total myth, of which there are furiously many. The economics of GM regulation remains a topic of academic research and I don’t think that it got into researchers’ heads that it may be relevant because of some propaganda piece by industry. It seems to me that there is some ground for believing at the outset that it’s plausible that a complex scheme of segregation would cost money, especially when voters are imagining a scenario of increased choice (GMO and non-GMO options becoming equally available on store shelves) . Coexistence costs related to processes that keep neighboring plots from contaminating one another are an example of a relatively recent topic of research within this area (for example, http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/23150509/coexistence-rules-regulations-european-union )Before you complain to me that these costs are small, remember that you have already said that one of the reasons that the system needs to be implemented now is that costs will magnify in the future if more GM crops come into play. I’m not opposed to mandatory labeling because I think that industry is guiltless or that it won’t at times try to introduce potentially dangerous technologies at low cost with the support of a misinformation campaign. I’m opposed to it largely because I think that there is a relatively limited area in which I think the consumer has a “right to know” some fact about a product to the point where producers are required to find it out and put it on the label. Consumer safety is definitely one of them, but “GMOs R Evil” is not an appropriate category for defining what innovations are potentially hazardous. The measure both singles out GMOs as the only potential hazard (giving pesticides a free pass in labeling, for example) and wrongly brands relatively innocuous genetic modifications as potential hazards.I am perfectly fine, however, with having an industry-independent part of the bureaucracy tasked with taking the potential hazards of a new food production technology on food quality seriously, and rolling a labeling scheme into that on a case-by-case basis. Some specific alterations in the chemistry of a food are conceivably dangerous and can be at a point where they are safe enough to go on the market, provided that they are labeled for some time so that consumers know how to avoid them if they wish and so that further safety data may be gathered more effectively. This is largely a matter for science to decide, and scientific claims are not something that should be decided by popular vote, any more than they should be decided by a revolving door between government and industry. From my vantage, endorsing a categorical labeling of GMOs just because GMOs are popularly thought to be harmful is like giving political ground to a movement of climate change denialists just because it’s popular.If you want me to take a more brutally democratic “(majoritarian) Might makes Right” approach to the political question, let me also say that it’s not that the case that I don’t share some important food-related goals with the anti-GMO crowd. But rather than let them expend their broad enthusiasm on what seems to me to be a stupid and unprincipled project, I’d prefer that they remain frustrated enough to actually work for a more significant goal, like reforming the USDA.“People with a right to choose”, choose Camel cigarettes and abortion. My standard is much higher. Monsanto should not be allowed to market GMO’s designed to toughen plants so the new super strong Roundup poisons don’t kill the plants. That is deadly wrong. We profess to protect freedoms (of individuals, supposedly) by letting corporations use us as consumers of their poisons.@brec:disqus You just convinced me GMO is going to save the world. I want to support GMO in every way I can. I think that is why I need Labelling because I need to buy only GMO so that my money can go into the pockets of these big corporations who will save the world…YAY! I am saving the world. So Labelling is a must Don’t you agree I bet even you want to support GMO in everyway you can. right?A lot of the advocacy for labeling is from free citizens who do NOT want to be governed through corporate tyranny !brec GOLDEN rice was created just as an argument. LOOK we created something Good. I only ask one thing..Don’t Carrots grow in Africa? I mean all you have to do is grow carrots on the edge of the rice field and kids in africa will get their Beta carotene. Much higher and in sufficient quantities. The problem is you guys(and the GMO LOBBY) put words in peoples mouth. I bet you must have got influenced by the lobby(if you are not a part of it) but being anti-GMO is not being against Bio-tech. The problem is how bio tech is being used GMO is very sound science. But that is not a justification. Nerve gas, the atomic bomb are all very sound science but that does not justify killing people with these bombs?GMO could be used in my opinion to protect the environment. Lets take a gene of fast growing grass and splice it with a teak tree and a bamboo too. So we have Round huge pillars of wood growing every 24 hours. We would never have to cut trees in the wild again. We could build everything from trees.Instead Monsanto is really doing something ridiculously. I mean what sort of an approach is Round Up to weeds. You just spray like a mad man a poison that willl kill off anything in the vicinity and will have effects on all the flora and fauna (killing small fragile creatures) in the 10 mile radius(and even more if it makes it way into a river) You create a crop that is resistant to that. WOW!! Anyone would be stupid to believe that Monsanto Came up with that solution to save Mankind. Its very easy to see they came up with such a solution so they could kill 2 birds(Actually 1000s) with one stone. Sell GMO SOy and Roundup too. I think the approach and the type of products GMO is creating makes it obvious that the intention of GMO is to only maximize profits by fooling the consumer. Why is this so hard to believe. I am pretty sure you and many other intelligent people have come across so many products ranging from cosmetics to slimming drugs that have fooled the consumer just to make profits. Its not new and its legal.So called “Golden Rice” is NOT an answer for anything. You “brec” have got to be a shill for MonsantoRick: brec is a valued member of this community. Just because you disagree with someone does not give you the right to call them names or disparage their character. Your post violates the rules of this site and I am deleting it.Thea, I did not call him names. If you search on “shill” you will find a wiki which states ” a person who publicly helps a person or organization without disclosing that they have a close relationship with the organization” and urban dictionary states “a person engaged in covert advertising who attempts to spread buzz by personally endorsing the product in public forums.” I suppose you can say that is disparaging so I’ll give you that. I find the Monsanto GMO issue to be one full of extremes and see the company as evil incarnate. It’s interest in “science” only goes so far as it’s interest in money, and it is willing to pervert the one for the other.brec, when we had “just” telephones for communications, our phones were free and they always worked. Is it progress to type hundreds of short messages with two thumbs instead of talking on the phone? How is that communicating? Vitamin A is easy to obtain. No one in the USA dies form it’s absence. It takes little of any vitamin to be healthy.. When you talk about hundreds of thousands needing vitamin A (or perish) it’s happening in a war torn country where food, in general, is absent. Millions starve from lack of corn and rice, which the USA has in abundance and feeds to animals. Monsanto’s business is growing more feed for animals.I don’t believe labeling of GMO-containing food is necessary so long as people have the legal right to label food as free of GMOs. If you want non-GMO food, just purchase foods labeled as free of GMOs.And I agree with Dr. Greger that the GMO issue largely distracts people from the real issues which are animal-based and high-fat diets.It is probably safer to eat GMO soy than to eat non-GMO beef and dairy. The latter foods are clearly proven to promote heart disease, whereas the harm from GMO soy or Round Up on it is hypothetical at this point.Thank you! Mandatory labeling is wrong. It’s a cynical ploy for unfair rent-seeking practices upon agriculture by BigOrganic food interests. Before you ask for the “right to know,” know what’s right. http://www.vegangmo.com/?p=1369And all the fear-mongering of GMO isn’t helping. Scaring people away and raising the bar for access to perfectly safe nutritious protein sources like soy because “frankenfood” isn’t helpful for the animals. We should be encouraging efforts to produce and improve upon soy and other plant crops to make them as widely available as possible.Isn’t “VeganGMO” an oxymoron? It’s like “prime steak” or “premium hot dogs”. Even McDonald’s had the good sense to turn down GMO potatoes.How is it an oxymoron?McDonalds hesitancy to adopt Simplot’s Innate potato shows to which the extent of how irrational fear mongering is keeping food solutions from coming to fruition. http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/11/09/mcdonalds-mulling-embrace-of-simplots-bruise-reducing-innate-gmo-potato/“Vegan” is someone who avoids meat and diary and generally avoids harmful foods, like processed products with chemicals and artificial ingredients in it.“GMO” Is, for example, Monsanto’s attempt to make plants more tolerable to their more powerful poison, Roundup so farmers stop complaining the poison is killing their corps. True Vegans would not want to eat plants that had a super strong poison on it.VeganGMO = OxymoronYou keep saying “irrational fear mongering” as thought it might get traction if you say enough. Monsanto is the company that invented a new chemistry that caused cows to double their milk production. Farmers didn’t want it because they already produced too much milk and the government had to buy the surplus. Monsanto forced dairy farmers to buy their drugs and increase milk production anyway. Likewise, small farmers, surrounded by Monsanto farms, have been sued by Monsanto when Monsanto GMO’ seeds blew over in the small non-GMO fields contaminating them. Genuine fear causes small farmers to sell out or abide by Monsanto’s settlement terms…rather than lose family farms after generations of ownership. Again, that’s real fear.Ah, see there’s your problem. Vegans avoid animal products as far as practical and possible. Genetic engineering can help with this in many ways. The rest of your screed is immaterial.Genetic engineering isn’t preventing meat and dairy from causing heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, or any of the other epidemic diseases affecting Americans. fact is, it’s man messing with our food that created the majority of illness in the USA. They’ve already engineered us into a very sickly existence and now you say, “But wait, there’s more!”It’s expected that the same rational behind defending GMO’s by calling issues and concerns “fear mongering” would also avoid examples of Monsanto’s criminal behavior by labeling Monsanto’s atrocities as “immaterial”.Issues and concerns raised with no basis in fact is indeed fear mongering and keeps the technology well-placed in the hands of only the largest corporations who are able to overcome them.You keep talking about “fear mongering” but haven’t presented any cases. Even if you could dream up one would I be entitled to dismiss it as “immaterial”? or is that rule just for you?However, I have, in fact provided you with two example of Monsanto greed directing their policy to the detriment of individuals and society…to which you proclaim, “What me worry?”You remind me of the fella from Rhode Island who goes to Texas, buys a cowboy had and then goes around saying “Howdy partner.” The Texan’s say he’s “all hat and no cowboy”. You make empty accusations and ignore genuine facts. You and I exchanging postings has no purpose. Shouldn’t you be doing your home work?Are you kidding me? Are you not familiar with a certain disgusting picture of rats with tumors? If that’s not fear-mondering i don’t know what is. The examples are so numerous as to make your denial absurd.Your Monsanto allegations are myths btw. Show one example of a suit for inadvertent cross-contamination. Good luck with that.VeganGMO,”Rats with Monsanto Roundup induced tumors”, I agree, are as you describe, “disgusting”. And I suppose since it is true, Monsanto’s only ‘defense” is to whine about fear mongering. Since by definition, “fear mongering is using non-truths to influence opinion, this example does not constitute anything but making the public aware that Roundup causes tumors in rats. Knowing so would cause fear in an intelligent person. I don’t walk across the highway because of fear. Nor do I put my hand on a red-hot stove burner…again, because of fear. Fear keeps us safe if we listen. You may ignore the fact roundup causes tumors in rats, I choose not to.I never used the term, “inadvertent cross-contamination”. That is your gift. In that you have a technical name for it suggests you know it is fact.You should know then that study was retracted. And please don’t come back with conspiracy theories.You lack cites of examples, where “small farmers, surrounded by Monsanto farms, have been sued by Monsanto when Monsanto GMO’ seeds blew over in the small non-GMO fields contaminating them.” Even in court they could not provide any.VeganGMO, I’m not familiar with your study. My source was originally a couple documentaries and a couple articles. However, why don’t you check out Monsanto’s own article, “Why Monsanto Sues Farmers bla bla bla”. I’m sure Monsanto will frame their lawsuits in their explanation so the lawsuits are palatable to you. If they say they are suing farmers for patent infringement then I’ll take their word for it. I do, however, question their motive.And there you go. Your sources of information are not credible yet you persist in perpetuating the myths. Par for the course with anti-GMO conspiracy theorists.Again, vegangmo, “the source” is MONSANTO. They posted a story on their Monsanto web site explaining why they sue small farmers. Is Monsanto conspiring?Quote: “My source was originally a couple documentaries and a couple articles”.As for Monsanto lawsuits they have as much to do with GMO as suits by any other corporation. But what do farmers think? I Occupy Our Food Supply Everyday | The Farmer’s LifeExcellent article, VeganGMO. It won’t change the posturing of those here to promote GMO but it does frame the farmer’s experience wirth Monsanto. If Monsanto were a country it would be a third world dictatorship.Every company then is a “a third world dictatorship”. #WeAreAllMonsantoI don’t follow your logic. Most companies do not have the power, influence, and resources of Monsanto.My point is Monsanto isn’t doing any insidious any more than any other corporation. It’s called capitalism. Check out the link to my article.I’m really not interested in your article. All the link proves is that you are easily influenced. “Capitalism”, with government support and lobbyists intervention, is different from capitalism. Most capitalist companies do not wield the power of Monsanto,You moved goal posts. Here’s what you claimed above: “Likewise, small farmers, surrounded by Monsanto farms, have been sued by Monsanto when Monsanto GMO’ seeds blew over in the small non-GMO fields contaminating them.”The article you now cite via Monsato’s own site says nothing about suing for contamination: Why Does Monsanto Sue Farmers Who Save Seeds?That’s a patent issue, nothing to do with GMO. Ask a farmer what they think of Monsanto’s technology/stewardship agreement: I Occupy Our Food Supply EverydayDid not! Just provided Monsanto’s propaganda for those who wanted to support GMO. I didn’t endorse it. Your previous article sums it up well. Consider my Monsanto link “reverse psychology”, after all you came up with a great anti-GMO article. Does tht mean you are contradicting yourself?Do you still stand behind your claim below? “Likewise, small farmers, surrounded by Monsanto farms, have been sued by Monsanto when Monsanto GMO’ seeds blew over in the small non-GMO fields contaminating them.”It’s common knowledge. I make no claims, just repeat the facts.Hiding behind semantics now? This is the claim you made: “Likewise, small farmers, surrounded by Monsanto farms, have been sued by Monsanto when Monsanto GMO’ seeds blew over in the small non-GMO fields contaminating them.” If it is fact please cite your sources.I further refined it as “common knowledge”. An entire population of people are aware of those facts. VeganGMO (chuckle) It’s obvious you are attached to me like a tick. Based on your bird dog attention to my posts it’s clear any “source” would be disputed and only serve to as fodder for more of your pro GMO and Monsanto nonsense. ANYONE who wnts to read for themselves need just do a search and find all the material they care to read. I think the link you provided about small farmers and Willie Nelson is an excellent start.VeganGMO is truly an oxymoron. Seems to me a possible legal strategy would be for the small farmers to sue Monsanto for contaminating their land with patented seeds.Here’s the true story of the Canadian farmer you (someone) mentioned.The most famous of all the Monsanto patent infringement cases involve Canadian canola farmer Percy Schmeiser.73 Monsanto’s genetically engineered canola was found on Schmeiser’s land, but it is undisputed that he neither purchased nor planted the company’s seed. For seven years Schmeiser fought to prove that the seed arrived on his land through genetic drift or from trucks carrying seed to grain elevators. Unfortunately, the lower courts were not concerned as to how the seed wound up on the land, only that Schmeiser knew he possessed Monsanto’s intellectual property and had not paid for it.74 As Schmeiser’s attorney Terry Zakreski, explained: “Monsanto has a problem. It’s trying to own a piece of Mother Nature that naturally spreads itself around.”75 Even the vice president for Monsanto Canada, Ray Mowling, concurs: “[Monsanto] acknowledges that some cross-pollination occurs, and acknowledges the awkwardness of prosecuting farmers who may be inadvertently growing Monsanto seed through cross-pollination or via innocent trades with patent-violating neighbors.”76 The Supreme Court of Canada heard Schmeiser’s appeal of the lower courts’ decisions on January 20, 2004, and on May 21, 2004 publicly announced its decision. Schmeiser was found guilty of patent infringement yet not liable to pay Monsanto any damages.77 We can assume that Schmeiser is just one of many farmers who has been targeted for possessing a technology he neither bought nor planted.When you read the actual court documents (and not cut-n-paste spin by anti-GMO activists) you will find that Schmeiser intentionally pirated seed. Regardless, this issue is about patents and not GMO (non GMO breeds can be patented as well.)“Seems to me a possible legal strategy would be for the small farmers to sue Monsanto for contaminating their land with patented seeds.” Funny you should say that because a buncha organic farmers pre-emptively sued Monsanto for just that and when the court asked for historical evidence, they could produce none. Monsanto, Patents and Seeds – Part 3Your link “actual court documents” appears to be an assembly of stories into one article complied by an unknown author. Your link does not bring up “actual court documents” as the reader would expect. Your alias should be “PinocchioGMO”.Likewise, your link, “Monsanto, Patents and Seeds – Part 3″ is the same anonymous story. Farmer Schmeiser was technically guilty because of the way the laws are written. However the Court ordered him to pay ZERO in damages. The Court is sending a message to Monsanto.Links 6,7,and 8 all link to actual court documents in the article I previously posted: David vs Monsanto – Part 2 of “Patents and Seeds” I would appreciate if you now apologize and stop with the name calling.Let’s keep our eye on the ball here. You claimed: “Likewise, small farmers, surrounded by Monsanto farms, have been sued by Monsanto when Monsanto GMO’ seeds blew over in the small non-GMO fields contaminating them.” The narrative is that patented GMO (nonGMO can be patented as well, making this a nonissue) is being used as a ploy to willfully contaminate non-GMO fields and then run farmers outta business or sue them for contamination. In fact, if a farmer discovers this they can call Monsanto and have them come out and remove them.Neither of your links bring up “actual court documents” as you suggest. Instead, both bring up an unanimous story painting Monsanto to be gentle as a lamb in Court,and as pure as a new fallen snow. Monsanto “argued this or that”, the story points out, but no facts are supported by Court documents. A legal argument is not a fact. It’s the presentation of one side’s theory, so the Court will decide what is fact and what is not. Those facts are used to reach averdict and the entire case has a unique number. None of which is provided in your unanimous story.The pre-emptive lawsuit you reference was not based on my premise. Although Monsanto filed and settled over 700 lawsuits or complaints, none were against the group bringing the “pre-emptive” complaint against Monsanto. In effect, those complainant farmers had no Court standing. In my opinion the lawsuit was ill-advised by some attorney. Which side the attorney was actually on I do not knowRegardless, that lawsuit does not meet the criteria I suggested, that being a non-GMO farmer who actually discovers Monsanto’s patented GMO crop seeds growing on their non-Monsanto GMO field. That would be an entirelydifferent theory than the one you claim. In your example, the farmers merely feared their non-GMO fieldswould be contaminated. I can’t sue you because I fear you might drive into my car…regardless of any previous wrecks you’ve been involved in with others.If your commercial crop showed up in my filed, unwelcomed, thus threatening my legally defined “organic” status, reducing my ability to qualify as organic, I believe I’d have a reason to sue. That scenario isn’t even “pre-emptive”‘. Even non-GMO crops have requirements to be “pure”. Non GMO plants sold in garden centers are labeled by species and name. Without some assurance the plants aren’t cross pollenated, or otherwise compromised, none of us could grow the species we choose and pay for. Who wants to plant yellow tomatoes and get red? Oh, your links aren’t numbered and none I checked are as you claim. How ’bout I call you “Mr. GMO”? It’s silly to pretend you are a vegan. BTW, Schmeiser was found to be guilty of the statute as written. A sympathetic Court ordered Schmeiser to pay ZERO dollars in damages. That’s a strong message to Monsanto.proGMO, exactly how does a small farmer determine whether small amounts of GMO has blown into his fields? My understanding is Monsanto sends teams to investigate the small farmers befor3e suing them. In fact one team was fired when they didn’t find a problem and a second team found a “violation” and Monsanto sued.Of course plants can be patented but not with the money and power behind a Monsanto patent.Your story is a bit silly. It keeps talking about making the plot into a movie staring Clint Eastwood. It’s not a serious response to anything. But when you’re grasping for straws I guess it will have to do. OK, to stay on your point, I think Clint Eastwood would be a good leading man for this movie. Again, all your links go back to this same story. Do you have a case number (and state?)Neither of your links bring up “actual court documents”. Both bring up an unanimous story painting Monsanto to be gentle as a lamb and as pure as a new fallen snow. Monsanto is alleged to “argue this or that, but no facts are supported by court documents.The pre-emptive lawsuit you reference was not based on my premise. Although Monsanto had suet or settled over 700 lawsuits or complaints, none were against the group bringing the “pre-emptive” complaint against Monsanto. In my opinion it was ill-advised by some attorney. Which side the attorney was actually on I do not know. Regardless, that lawsuit does not meet the criteria I suggested, that being a farmer who actually finds Monsanto patented GMO crops growing on their non-Monsanto GMO field. That would be an entirely different theory than the one you claim.VeganGMO, THE MODERATOR IS DELETING MY MOST EXCELLENT REPLY. ( I guess Monsanto needs all the help it can get.) I’LL REPOST AFTER SHE GOES HOME.Now you are calling the moderator a shill?!The moderator is selective with enforcement. Jus this week she ended a discussion of hers claiming it was off topic…after posting a lengthy argument of her views. Ironically another post by Dr. Greger states, “Off topic is OK. I don’t have the power to voice my views ad nauseam and then claim the topic is closed.Percy Schmeiser a small farmer……LOL. He has over 1000 acres.Monsanto is a multi-billion dollar international corporation. They would starve trying to live off what they could sell to a 1,000 acre farm. Many farms used to be 1,000 acres. Today they have been combined by big business to be even bigger. Others are smaller.hyperzombie, do you suppose a farmer with 1,000 acres has the financial resources to match Monsanto, a multi-billion dollar corporation? It’s truly David vs Goliath. The difference is greater than if a farmer of 1,000 acres was suing you, a gardener with one potted plant.He never paid his own legal costs, and he makes a comfortable living nowadays renting out his land and going on speaking tours.Do you suppose he’s grateful to Monsanto for all his good luck?He made out like a bandit, unlike the poor kids that got sued by the record companies for downloading songs.I dont get you Anti-GMO folks, so you are against GMOs yet you support a farmer that is trying to grow and sell his own Roundup ready crop.Monsanto was awarded ZERO money damages from Percy Schmeiser. What farmer is trying to sell his own Roundup ready crop? BTW, Does “roundup Ready” mean the seed has been modified so the stronger Roundup poison won’t kill it anymore? Will Monsanto spice my genes so I’m Roundup ready? Otherwise how do I protect myself from the stronger poison, the latest Roundup concoction?Does “roundup Ready” mean the seed has been modified so the stronger Roundup poison won’t kill it anymore?Roundup is not a stronger poison, unless you are a plant with the EPSP S pathway. All they did with RR crops is replace that pathway (one gene) with one that glyphosate can’t bind to, making the plant somewhat immune to Roundup.Will Monsanto spice my genes so I’m Roundup ready?Nope, because you are already Roundup ready. You would have to drink quite a bit to be harmed, most people that die from ingestion die from the soap that is in it not the active chemical.I’m anti Monsanto poison and anti GMO’s wherein the genes are spliced specifically so the plant can be saturated with stronger Monsanto Roundup poison. This is so Monsanto can facilitate more sales and stop farmer complaints from Roundup killing their crops. If the Monsanto poison intended to kill bugs, for example, kills the plants but isn’t effective against the bugs, is it wise for Monsanto to make a stronger poison to kill the bugs and also genetically modify the food crops so the super poison doesn’t kill the food crop? Sounds to me like we’re going in the wrong direction, motivated by greed. The poison is stronger. The food crop is more resistant to the stronger poison. But humans have not been modified to resist the stronger poison. Why doesn’t Monsanto just modify humans so we can eat garbage? Am I missing something?saturated with stronger Monsanto Roundup poison.Roundup is the least harmful herbicide out on the market, look up paraquat if you want to see a nasty herbicide. The application rate for RU is only 8-32 oz/ac, not even a drop per square foot, hardly saturated.This is so Monsanto can facilitate more sales and stop farmer complaints from Roundup killing their crops.Hmmm??? What farmer would complain about Roundup killing the crop? Roundup doesnt drift much, and it becomes inert once it hits the soil. I dont get this.If the Monsanto poison intended to kill bugs, for example, kills the plants but isn’t effective against the bugs, is it wise for Monsanto to make a stronger poison to kill the bugs and also genetically modify the food crops so the super poison doesn’t kill the food crop?Larry, Monsanto does not make any insecticides, and herbicides like Roundup only kills plants. It doesn’t harm insects at all, and I don’t know of any herbicide that kills insects. There is no super poison used at all in agriculture, some insecticides back in the old days were pretty nasty (nicotine sulphate, lead arsenic) but they were banned long ago.Why doesn’t Monsanto just modify humans so we can eat garbage?Monsanto is an Agriculture company and does not GE people, but the very first genetically modified humans are graduating high school this year.We can assume that Schmeiser is just one of many farmers who has been targeted for possessing a technology he neither bought nor planted.He admitted to planting it and spraying it with Roundup.I haven’t seen his “admission”. Where did you see it? I’d like to check it out.Here is the federal court decision.http://decisions.fct-cf.gc.ca/fc-cf/decisions/en/item/38991/index.doHe admitted to spraying the crop with glyphosate (roundup) and only saving the seeds that survived to plant again(and spraying again). He had about 1000 ac of RR canola (99%), that he was going to sell as Percys RR Canola, when he was busted.He was a poor chemist and a poor criminal. Is he representative of the farming community? For eons farmers and gardeners have saved seed to plant next year. I do too. Now that Monsanto has patented their canola seed he was indeed “stealing” if he saved seed from a Monsanto GMO crop. However wasn’t it non-GMO he tried to toughen up with Roundup? It’s hard to follow how that is a crime. Regardless, one would hardly conclude GMO’s make for healthy humans because a farmer stole some Monsanto seed or otherwise attempted, in a crude manner, to toughen up seeds by spraying them with Roundup and saving the survivors. That’s an interesting side story. Petty thieves are everywhere. Monsanto steals health on a mass level with heavy duty poisons.Is he representative of the farming community?Certainly not, he was most likely turned in by honest farmers in the area.For eons farmers and gardeners have saved seed to plant next year. I do too.Yep, and for eons farmers have also bought seed. How do you switch crops, or grow a new crop if there is no one selling seed? THere are farmers that only grow seed, and farmers are willing to buy it because it is better (less weeds, better germination and disease protection) and it makes them more money. Farmers have been buying seed yearly since the mid 30s or so for most crops and some crops you have to buy seed yearly (cotton, etc).However wasn’t it non-GMO he tried to toughen up with Roundup? It’s hard to follow how that is a crime.Well it is not possible to toughen up a crop with Roundup, and if he used any other herbicide he would have not been prosecuted.He planted what and sprayed what ? “It’ is a pronoun…referring to what, if anything?Oops sorry, he sprayed Canola with Roundup or Glyphosate.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto_Canada_Inc._v._SchmeiserPercy knew what he was doing. It was not accidental in 1998 like the 1997 contamination was.VeganGMO: Concerning cited examples, I believe there is only one example of an actual suit. But Montanto has fought hard to be able to do suits like this again in the future: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/01/14/169318303/monsanto-lawyer-suggests-new-standard-for-suing-farmersHere is an example where a farmer has not been sued, but “just” harrassed. I haven’t studies this case, so I don’t know what the actual details are. Just thought I would share the example. http://www.nelsonfarm.net/issue.htmMonsanto has no interest in suing their customers for trace accidental contamination. Court ruled against Schmeiser. Again, patent infringement, not a GMO issue. Still waiting for a citation for Monsanto using GMO seed to put farmers outta business for accidental contamination.Holy guacamole, the GMO shills are coming out of the woodwork! LOL!Charzie, you nailed it.“Fear mongering” has nothing to do with who possesses technology. Technology, by law is protected by a seventeen year patent. Afterwards anyone can use the technology. The patent itself may or may not be a large corporation. For example, I can hold as many patetns as I care to pay for and get accepted.Monsanto is fear mongering all the time by claiming that we have to have GMOs to save the world food supply.Citation(s) please.Yes I agree with you Genetic Engineering can help But not GMO Crops. They don’t help. Round Up Corn and soy only kills animals. You are supporting the wrong products. Its like saying science is great so we should allow Nuclear warfare as that was created by Science. Same way everything created by GMO is not good. Hypothetically they can do a lot good but they won’t. There is very less profit in that. I think maybe if you protested against these Crops that are unhealthy and Roundup that kills animals and flora fauna. GMO companies might give up on this idea of controlling the food chain. Instead focus on creating artificial meat and dairy/cheeseVegangmo as the article points out the problem of world hunger isn’t caused by Monsanto not growing enough GMO’shttp://www.foodmanufacturing.com/news/2014/11/governments-pledge-more-prevent-malnutrition?et_cid=4274173&et_rid=281014954&location=topAgain, GMO is a technology that can help. For example, Golden Rice for which, as the article mentions, is a problem.That’s convoluted logic, not based on fact, but on a false premise. You’re implying food is lacking vitamin A sufficiently for good health. Vitamin A is abundant in food. the problem is food is in short supply in poor countries that are war’ing over diamonds, gold, and power. You keep ignoring the facts and use every opportunity to promote Monsanto. If a lack of Vitamin A were the cause of folks starving then a vitamin pill would solve the problem. I just posted an article about hundreds of countries meeting to discuss starvation and a lack of vitamin A. It’s form lack of food, not from not having Monsanto’s next pricy mutatnt food substitute..That’s a stunningly inaccurate and cynical take on world hunger and vitamin A deficiency. Here are some links that can help.I hope Monsanto doesn’t pay you more than minimum wage. As shills go, you are very ineffective. Eacdh has to decide for themselves. I doubt you’ll win any support for Monsanto’s chemical and gene splicing operations.lAgain, GMO is a technology that can help. For example, Golden Rice for which, as the article mentions, is a problem.It will help Monsanto make more money but do nothing positive for society.Golden rice would bring an essential nutrient to malnourished people. What does Monsanto have to do with this?Any rice would help a starving nation. Monsanto is primarily supplying chemicals and gene splicing to grow more crops for feeding animals, not people. As you must know it takes ten times the grain to feed a cow that is eaten by humans as it takes to feed the human’s directly. That diversion of food could feed the world.The “avoids harmful foods” portion of your “vegan” definition is not in any definition at reference.com.… plants that had a super strong poison [Roundup] on it.To which species is this super-strong poison harmful? If homo sapiens is one: how many human deaths from the consumption of this super-strong poison have been documented?How did Monsanto force farmers to buy their drugs?…small farmers, surrounded by Monsanto farms, have been sued by Monsanto when Monsanto GMO’ seeds blew over in the small non-GMO fields contaminating them.I claim this is untrue, pending any documentation you can provide of this ever happening even once.brec, I’ve been know to comment without first consulting your internet site, “reference.com.” I’m sure they appreciate the plug thought. brec, do you define “harmful” by death count alone? For the Monsanto story I suggest you read up or watch a video or two on the facts. I’m not chasing down links for you. Since you found at least one article supporting my words I’m sure you can find others. It’s telling that the only story you found was one you present as favorable to Monsanto. More than one farmer has gone belly up suing Monsanto. Since you aren’t well read on the topic take a moment and educate yourself. Then we can chat.It is an oxymoron Because GMO kills “animals” (flora and fauna and some small animals too like frogs, They also kill fish in water bodies around the fields its being sprayed). Do you forget round up is a toxic poison. While we consume very little of what is being sprayed as argued in the video above…but the animals insects fish in the farms are ingesting a lot more almost everything that is being sprayed. I don’t even think you are vegan. Cause a vegan should support Organic food only. Because pesticides also kills animals.It’s like saying OrganicGMO. I’m sure Monsanto would love the organicGMO category.LOL, that’s a scary thought, :organicGMO”. But Monsanto couldn’t sell their poison!Monsanto contracts companies who shill for them on websites and social media.I’m not surprised, Crider. Public relations is a big part of getting their poisons and other chemicals accepted by government and consumers. They claim they want to feed the world but the corn their farmers grows is for cattle, pigs, and chickens…all sold at a premium for people with money. The rest go hungry. Too bad Dr. McDougall looks the other way.donmatesz, by that logic cigarette companies shouldn’t have to label their products as long as people who make tobacco free products are allowed to label them as tobacco free. Sorry, that is upside down logic. The label is the responsibility of the proponent of the product. In the case of genetically engineered organisms since their safety has never been established and many many doubts exist as to their safety they should not be allowed outside of a secured laboratory setting. It is a sign of the tremendous power of propaganda that we have allowed ourselves to become lab rats in this experiment rather than putting the burden of proof of safety on the proponents of the activity!Sorry I do not agree. If you want to avoid GMOs, look for products labeled GMO free. If the product doesn’t say GMO free, assume that it does have GMOs and avoid. Companies are clearly willing to label their products “GMO free” to make them appealing to consumers like yourself.“by that logic cigarette companies shouldn’t have to label their products as long as people who make tobacco free products are allowed to label them as tobacco free.” First of all, cigarette companies have never to my knowledge ever tried to hide the fact that their products are made from tobacco. Their labels have always proudly proclaimed the tobacco content. Secondly, if you don’t want tobacco don’t purchase a product made from tobacco.I strongly object to using force of arms (that’s what government is) to make anyone do anything. Mandatory labeling means creating a police force to monitor the labeling. How are you going to pay for this? By putting a gun to my head and forcing me to pay taxes so you will have money to pay wages to the police. I strongly object to being robbed of my hard earned money to fund a police force monitoring a hypothetical threat.As I said, if you don’t want GMO you avoid it, just like if you want to avoid animal products, you avoid animal products. When in doubt, leave it out. How will you know? In a free society there is a thing called the press, with private organizations like Consumer Reports, who gather subscriptions from people who want to know what to use and what to avoid. These organizations are the privately funded police who will monitor the food supply for you. They will compete with one another for your trust and your subscription money.Mandatory i.e. government enforced labeling is not required for consumer education or monitoring of food safety nor is it consistent with a voluntary society.If you want a police force monitoring these foods, either give your own money to one of the independent (non-government) watch dog organizations, or start such an organization yourself and gather donations to fund it. Don’t use thugs to rob me to get the money to fund what you want, but I don’t. That’s called robbery and extortion.On top of that, I would be surprised if you did not know that the FDA (the police force) and Monsanto have a revolving door for executives. Monsanto execs include many who have worked at the FDA, and the FDA staff includes or has included people who came to the FDA from Monsanto. Whenever you create these police forces, it is in the interest of the corporations at the effect of the police to infiltrate the police and to hire former policemen, because it enables them to manipulate the laws and the enforcement of the laws.In contrast, it is highly unlikely that any corporation would be able to control all of the watch dog organizations. The history of the organic movement is a classic example of how corporations use the government to get what they want. Before the government got into “labeling” organics and “organic standards” organic foods were monitored by private certification organizations. These had high standards and relatively low costs of certification. After the government got involved, costs of certification went up, and standards went down. Why? Because corporate farms that would not have been able to satisfy private certification standards wanted to cash in on organics. So they influenced the police (the USDA) to set lower standards and higher costs for certification. The higher costs made it impossible for many truly organic small farmers to get certified, despite meeting higher than USDA standards; while the lower standards allowed the large corporations to call their products “organic” even though they didn’t meet the standards held by private certifiers.“rather than putting the burden of proof of safety on the proponents of the activity!” As I said, if you don’t think eating GMOs is safe, don’t eat them. If you think everyone should avoid them, then educate everyone. And if you really want to weaken corporations like Monsanto, think about getting the government out of agriculture policy (there’s the police-y again) altogether. Why does Monsanto invest in GMO crops that it does? Because corn, soy, and so on are all subsidized by government. In other words, Monsanto is on the dole. It is big and dangerous because it is being fed by the deep pockets of politicians who steal money from you and I (i.e. impose taxes and borrow money causing our dollars to devalue) to fund their pet projects so they can influence public opinion and get “re-elected.” Eliminate the subsidies to crops and Monsanto won’t be interested in controlling those crops anymore because it will no longer be a cash cow for them.Meanwhile I will just patronize the vendors I trust and leave the others alone.Do you think fraud should be legal?I already do eat a WFPD, and have a right to know what is in my food. Period!You must work for Monsanto.I WANT MY GMO LABELED! I have been spending a fortune on groceries buying only organic in the effort to avoid all GMO. GMO FOODS cause infertility, cancers and organ failure. They are poison. In American we do NOT have a right to safe nourishing food. This is a crime, especially against the poor and minorities who can not afford organic foods. Dr. Greger is obviously concerned about stepping on toes even if he does not take money from BioTech industry, or does he? I’m so disappointed!!!I have a difficult time whenever ‘Big Pharma’ Or ‘Big Pesticide Chemical companies’ tell us that it is not their manipulation of our food supply that has caused the increase in cancers and tumors in humans and animals. Something is causing it and instead of putting all of their billions into telling us not to worry could they please work on telling us why the incidence of diseases has increased? People are trying not to each as much meat as our ancestors but to replace it with a different protein that does just as much harm is not really getting us to where we need to be.We don’t need a ‘substitute” for meat protein. Humans need very little protein. It’s already in most every plant we eat. Please name one example of a human being diagnoses with a lack of protein.Am I the only one that does not care at all about this from a nutritional standpoint? I eat a whole foods plant based diet: no canola oil, no cottonseed oil, and I don’t think I could find GM tofu if I tried. Perhaps if I ate more papaya I’d be concerned.This comment has nothing to do with any ecological or social justice issues, for which there is room for vigorous debate. I just find it funny how so many health conscious people, whose diets probably contain zero to little GM food to begin with, are so concerned with the nutritional ramifications of GM oil and corn in the twinkies and cheezits.If GMO’s are safe, why the great effort, expense, and intimidation tactics by corporations to prevent labeling? Just label it! We all have a right to know what is in our food. For myself, I buy organic. I think unless it says organic, assume it is GMO.The island of Maui has taken a vote to ban GMO food production on their island. They are being heftily sued by Monsanto. This corporation is bullying communities around the world, and it will only get worse. The most Draconian action is to ban non-GMO seeds, causing farmers in many areas to go bankrupt, having to rebuy GMO seeds every year, and purchase all the pesticides and fertilizers to support their GO crops. Non-GMO farmers are sued if any pollen or seeds from GMO crops are found in their fields. This is an obscene affront to nature and the natural cycle of food production and life. Stop GMO, stop Monsanto’s truly evil plan to own the world’s seed stock and control the world’s food supply.I found the bombardment of articles flashing across the screen while the doctor spoke to be annoying and distracting. I do however, believe what he has to sat and have been spreading the word about GMO corn and soy to my co-workers.This is all well and good, but how about the effect of the continued accumulation of Roundup and other pesticides in our environment? The same question applies to GMOs. We just don’t know, but since it is our descendents that will have to deal with it, we should avoid pesticides and GMOs completely until we have some solid data. I don’t think labeling goes far enough since many people don’t even consider their own health let alone their children and their children’s children.OMG! I just weep for the entire Vegan Community who trusts you. You just believe the industry sponsored studies of the soy industry. That is the problem you just take fraudulent industry studies read it. If its peer reviewed(which is not very hard for the industry orchestrate) and then you try and convince us. I don’t know if its this documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNf4o60LCus but I watched a small town where they used roundup and the entire community had symptoms that were clearly effects of round up. Because before that they were healthy. So no it does not cause the same symptoms as traditional food. The industry orchestrates studies, they will take two groups give them highly processed diet one with GMO other without GMO. THe non-GMO group is given a highly processed NON-GMO but a very unhealthy diet. This is how they get results such as the above.I still remember you have not removed the Coconut oil Study from your website. The study that show Coconut oil is not better than butter when it comes to cholesterol. Even though My friend had written to you pointing out the flaw in the study. The study fed hydrogenated coconut cream to the group. Its pretty conclusive that Hydrogenated Trans fat causes cholesterol increase. You hydrogenate Olive oil or even Hemp oil and it will become healthy. You did respond and admit to my friend that the “cohorts were wrong” But you never removed the study or the vidoe Even now you are just sifting through old industry sponsored studies never questioning them.Was that the study where both the coconut and safflower oil groups were receiving margarine in their diets, and the coconut oil group still showed worse effects on lipids than the safflower oil group? It’s not the strongest study in that the trans fats are present but not quantified, but it still does hint that coconut oil is worse than other unsaturated oils. This is confirmed by other studies of a similar type:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4025191 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6631232Margarine and bread spreads are given in the first study, but coconut cream is not, so that cannot be a source of trans fat in the coconut oil group. There is no particular reason to think that safflower bread spreads will have lower trans fat content than coconut oil spreads as the more saturated oil would require less hydrogenation to make it firm.The latter study makes no mention of margarine at all, nor bread spreads. It’s a 75% formula diet, actually, and the muffin component is stated to include oil, not margarine. Even if it’s hydrogenated and this is not stated, you’d once again have to state a good reason why the hydrogenated coconut oil would have more trans fat than the hydrogenated corn oil.What I tend to see is that coconut oil is pretty bad for you in comparison with unsaturated oils, even those which are poor in n-6. At best, this places coconut oil between things like beef fat and butter on the one end, and corn oil and safflower oil on the other; and I don’t really regard corn or safflower oil as particularly heart-healthy foods, either, so coconut oil looks pretty unhealthy to me at this time and I pity the followers of some of its promoters.You just arguing off your cuff. Because Not only was the Coconut oil group given two sources of transfat The coconut cream for some reason was hydrogenated. There is no such things as safflower cream or butter cream. So these two groups go only one source of Transfat. That is what I remember of the study. Well whatever you say is moot cause Dr Greger agreed in the reply to my friends email.Yes you obviously just “see” stuff..you judge it by the looks LOL Coconut oil has been consumed for thousands of years in many community. There are plenty of peer reviewed studies that show coconut oil is not only healthy but is almost like medicine. Unfortunately for the rest of the world these studies were conducted in India so they don’t feature on the Lancet and AMA journals.There was a big attack against coconut oil by the “vegetable” oil industry 30 years ago so they could get the baking and food industry to switch to margarine.The irony is they used hydrogenated coconut oil in all studies to prove its unhealthy and then replaced it with margarine.Seriously I think its a waste of time trying to spread the truth. I have given up all hope when I saw the latest advertisement of Canola oil. Apparently is cures/prevents everything from Blood pressure to even cancer. And the ad end with..Now you can eat as much oil as you want. I search the net and see the snopes article saying Canola is not toxic because Rapeseed is not toxic. They source that information from the Canola association website. They say Rapeseed was used as cooking oil in India. People used to die when Rapeseed was adulterated with Mustard oil in India. Mass poisoning which led to bans by Govt. Its so easy to lie, especially when you have people like you and DR Greger who will believe these lies. So I am just waiting for the lot of you to simply gorge on Canola oil eat tonnes of soy and become extinct so we the health conscious lot can take the human race forward ;-)I see stuff after reading scientific articles fairly carefully. Were you aware of the margarine in the coconut oil study which you state was so wrong it should be removed from the site? There are some studies stating a neutral effect on LDL in obese or sick people, but I don’t know of many that are well-controlled and show coconut oil to really be favorable for the lipid profile:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.gsu.edu/pubmed/19437058 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.gsu.edu/pubmed/23105811Note that the group of women in the first study is obese, and the study is done under conditions of weight loss and as far as the variability in these small groups is able to resolve, the effect of coconut oil on serum LDL compared with what is probably a lousy baseline, under conditions of gradual weight loss, is essentially null. That doesn’t look good. Moreover, there is this bit to consider:“The reduction in HDL levels within group S observed in the present study may be explained by the high content of linoleic acid (51%) present in the soy bean oil, which may have undergone conformational changes during cooking. The process of heating transforms cis-linoleic and cis-linolenic acids into their respective trans isomers leading to alterations in lipid metabolism and to the under-expression of LDL receptors and, consequently, to an increase in blood LDL”Those pesky trans fats may be showing up again, perhaps due to high temperature cooking practices that make the soy bean oil more dangerous than it would be otherwise.In the second study the design is relatively weak (this is a small retrospective study based on a questionnaire about past habits), and the study focuses on overweight men. Given the variability in lipid profiles within groups, they can’t confidently resolve a difference between the two oils’ effect on LDL. Remember that my position is that all these oils are not so good for the heart anyway, so I’m not exactly cheering to see that one refined oil is not much worse than another. In the discussion section, the authors of this study suggest a study showing coconut oil to be favorable, but it’s a rabbit study:Carlson TL, Kottke BA. Effect of coconut oil on plasma apoA-I levels in WHHL and NZW rabbits. Biochim Biophys Acta1991; 1083: 221-9.And I don’t intend to dive into the rodent literature immediately. I imagine it is somewhat equivocal and harder to interpret for humans. I am cautious about interpreting literature on the obese as well, since I tend to assume that they’ve been consuming stuff that is bad for the lipid profile at baseline and that the marginal effect of increased saturated fat is therefore somewhat diminished. Since some of the bad effects of saturated fat may be due to animal fat in particular, the effects of plant saturated fat may be a bit smaller and harder to detect experimentally.You sound mega-dogmatic with your tirade about canola in response to criticism about coconut oil, including the apparent gloating over the idea that I should die soon — which I think is rhetoric that you should not treat lightly or nudge and wink about. At least bring citations for some of your new claims here.“…snopes article saying Canola is not toxic because Rapeseed is not toxic”Also, as an aside, when I look here (http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/canola.asp ), snopes is clearly not saying that rapeseed is categorically nontoxic. They are essentially saying that commercial canola oil is nontoxic because it’s a low-erucic acid variety of rapeseed and the chemicals which have mutagenic properties when cooked at high temperatures have been refined away from the product.Grist for the mill and the good, great Dr: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/Quote: “The maximum residue levels are set at parts per million. The concentrations found within human bodies is measured in parts per billion. This study found glyphosate can activate estrogen receptors at a few parts per trillion, increasing the growth of estrogen receptor positive human breast cancer cells in a petri dish. These results indicate that truly relevant concentrations of the pesticide found on GMO soybeans possesses estrogenic activity.”:I am confused. If these results would have been found in any other study not involving GMO or glyphosate, Dr. Greger would have made a really big deal of these findings with respect to the potential of increasing the risk of breast cancer. However, in this video he wants to put possible dangers of glyphosate in perspective by indicating that we can improve our health by eating more healthy foods in general. That is not how research is done. We study the potential problem of one agent and report on this. Trying to sugarcoat the unpleasant results of the study with general statements as Dr. Greger did can be trusted to be done by the industry that produces the toxic chemical under investigation. Do I have to worry about objectivity when Dr. Greger states: “So I’m sympathetic to the biotech industry’s exasperation about GMO concerns when we still have people dropping dead from everything else they’re eating.”?Of course Monsatan and friends are spending so much to defeat bills against GMO labeling…because that way GMO’s CAN be identified and tested properly! Afraid much?It’s not just the RoundUp-ready GMO soy, it’s also the RoundUp-ready GMO corn, the RoundUp-ready GMO sugar beets, the RoundUp-ready GMO canola, the RoundUp-ready GMO alfalfa fed to the farm animals. Pretty soon, we’re talking about a real pile of crap in the belly!For credibility’s sake it would be worth describing Roundup as a herbicide rather than a pesticide as that is what it is formulated, marketed and applied to crops for. I know its also a broad spectrum anti-biotic but If read plenty of critical articles sugesting objectors are ignorant of science for not knowing the difference between a herbicide and a pesticide. Pesticides are formulated to target animal pests. It would also be nice to se some seperation in the analysis of health impacts of Glyphosate “Roundup” ( which is used to kill NON-GMO bread wheat pre harvest) from the possible hazards of distinct individual gentic modifications and the technology in general. Obviously GMOs designed to survive continual high applicationa of Roundup such as the “Roundup Ready” range will not ordinarily produce crops with no glyphosate residue. So unless they are deliberatly grown without applications it will be impossible to filter out the effects of the genetic modification from those of the herbicide residue.First of, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides are all pesticides. Herbicides kill plants, insecticides kill insects, pesticides kill pests. Second there is NO GMO wheat grown commercially, so all wheat is non GMO. They only use Roundup to burndown wheat in rare circumstances, wet fall and or short growing season.Your personal conclusive statements at the end contradicted the scientific evidence that you presented. I guess smoking 1 or 2 cigarrettes a day is also relatively harmless (and the same for consuming a little milk, egg and meat). A little rat poison, ain’t that bad.Dr. G. tells us that the research hasn’t been done on whether GMO soy is safe for human consumption. I don’t eat much junk food, and certainly no animal products. I don’t want to learn in 15, 20, or 40 years that GMO soy is why I am dying of X, Y, or Z disease, or why I might have some other chronic disease. When I go out to eat with friends who want Chinese food, for example, I am stuck eating generic tofu that is genetically modified. I feel I don’t even have a choice to get organic, unless I stay home alone and be a hermit. But what kind of life is that?! Plus, there are broader issues about the ecosystem – i.e. what some call genetic pollution. We may lose the heritage soy (and corn, etc.) seeds, and basically have GMO force extinction on some non-GMO foods. If we should uncover a dangerous correlation between GM and disease, we may have nothing to turn back too.I have been a fan of this website, “UNTIL NOW”, Very disappointing conclusions here. Dr Greger obviously has not read Seeds of Deception, by Jeffery Smith.the video is no longer there….. :(oppsAnd then there is the RoundUp and its generic kin that is sprayed near harvest time on non-GMO crops to kill the crop plants such wheat and legumes as this makes them easier to harvest. Unless of course the crop is going to be used as seed for another crop.Unless long term studies are not done, GMO’s should not be marketed for public use. We have enough processed foods and chemicals in our food supply causing various chronic diseases, I don’t think there should be more introduced. Our health care system is going to pay a bigger price in the future for our mistakes today.The point is not whether GMOs are harmful or not. The issue is that companies do not want to give consumers the right to decide whether they want GMO food or not. By not labeling foods, we are prevented form exercising our choice.Hello Dr Greger and NF team! Would be great to see your analysis of any research on soy (pure or processed, gmo or not) during pregnancy/lactation. Lately I came across some speculation, without any reference, that it it’s not recommended for pregnant women and babies. Wonder if it’s just another myth or there’s something to it. Thanks a lot in advance!Hi Polina, When I read something with no references I always question the material. Soyfoods for pregnant women appear safe and healthful for those who enjoy it. We mention tofu and tempeh in our soy section. There you can see more videos on soy if interested. I also wrote a post about soy “Should I stay away from soy if I have breast cancer?”	ADHD,alcohol,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,breast health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,chicken,children,diabetes,estrogen,farm animals,feed additives,glyphosate,GMO,heart disease,Monsanto,multiple myeloma,non-Hodgkin lymphoma,organic foods,Parkinson's disease,pesticides,Roundup,safety limits,soy,soybeans,stroke,women's health	The hormonal effects of the Roundup pesticide on GMO soy put into perspective.	This is the final installment of a 4-part videos series on the latest science on the public health implications of genetically engineered crops in our food supply. Check out the first three here:For more on soy and breast cancer, see Breast Cancer Survival and Soy and BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy.To put the GMO issue in perspective in terms of the death and disability resulting from the standard American diet, see Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Disease and my live presentations Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death and From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/roundup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glyphosate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gmo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/monsanto/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1740618/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24719846,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15626647,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21367645,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24069841,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21721959,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22683395,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1241196/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21798302,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15228468,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10227281,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23756170,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22571219,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18787996,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22202229,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22681907,
PLAIN-2522	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/	Is Monsanto’s Roundup Pesticide Glyphosate Safe?	GMO soy has been found to be contaminated with pesticide residues, but are these levels anything to worry about? The researchers described these levels as “high,” but compared to what? Compared to the maximum allowable residue levels. The legal limit for glyphosate in foods had been set at .1 to .2 mg/kg, so OK, maybe that is high, exceeding the legal limits by an average of about 2000%, whereas organic and conventional nonGMO soy both had none.So what did Monsanto do? Did the industry ditch the whole GMO thing, go back to using less pesticides so that residue levels wouldn’t be so high? Or, they could just change the definition of high. What if they could get authorities to raise the maximum residue level from point one or point two up to say. 20. Then the residue levels don’t look so high anymore, problem solved. The acceptance level of glyphosate in food and feed has been increased by authorities in countries that use Roundup-Ready GM crops. In Brazil, they went up to 10 and the U.S. and Europe now accept up to 20. In all of these cases, the maximum residue level values appear to have been adjusted, not based on new evidence indicating glyphosate toxicity was less than previously understood, but pragmatically in response to actual observed increases in the content of residues in GMO soybeans—otherwise it wouldn’t be legal to sell the stuff.What evidence do we have, though, that these kinds of residues are harmful? For 12 years we’ve heard that Roundup interferes with embryonic development, but the study was about sea urchin embryos. For 14 years that Roundup may disrupt hormones, but that’s in mouse testicles.Blogs will dish about concerning new studies implicating roundup in male fertility, but if you look at the study, it’s about rat testicles. Some blogs cite studies with disturbing titles like "Prepubertal exposure alters testosterone levels and testicular shape," but they’re talking about puberty in rats, though doesn’t make as catchy a blog title.Why not use human tissue? Women are having babies every day—why not just experiment on human placentas, which would otherwise just get thrown away and in 2005 researchers did just that. And despite all the negative effects in rodents, glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup didn’t seem to have much of a toxic effect on human cells even at high doses, or have much effect on a hormone-regulating enzyme, leading Monsanto-funded reviewers to conclude that regardless of what hazards might be alleged based on animal studies, glyphosate is not anticipated to produce adverse developmental and reproductive effects in humans.But pure glyphosate isn’t sprayed on crops, Roundup is, which contains a variety of adjuvants and surfactants meant to help the glyphosate penetrate into tissues. And indeed when the study was repeated with what’s actually sprayed on GMO crops, there were toxic and hormonal effects even at doses smaller than the 1 or 2% concentration that’s used out on the fields.Similar results were found for other major pesticides. It took until 2014, but 8 out of 9 pesticide formulations tested were up to one thousand times more toxic than their so-called active ingredients, so when you just test the isolated chemicals you may not get the whole story. Roundup was found to be 100 times more toxic than glyphosate itself. Moreover, Roundup turned out to be among the most toxic pesticide they tested. It’s commonly believed that Roundup is among the safest, though, an idea spread by Monsanto, the manufacturer. However, this inconsistency between scientific fact and industrial claim may be attributed to the huge economic interests involved.	I knew there was not much data on human, but I didn’t knew about this study on human placenta. Thanks for sharing it and to explicitly say that Glyphosate isn’t Roundup®. Because it’s a common tactic to deny the toxicity of Monsanto’s product. It was important to speak out.I was just talking about that two days agoindeed this is weird since animals should eat GMO’s for years, and the same for us.What if problems starts to present after 1, or 2 year ?At least i want a long term trial test.Seralini urges that we press for long term peer reviewed studies.Dr. Don Huber, retired professor from Purdue University where he taught soil and plant pathology and microbiology says that Glyphosate/Roundup is the most chronically toxic pest control ever permitted and should have never been registered in the first place.I’m unable to locate that interview, but here’s another that speaks of the diseases glyphosate has caused to livestock.http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/ExpertInterviewTranscripts/InterviewDrHuber-Part1.pdfThanks for the informations !Sorry for your spine injury, but i’m happy that you manage that.Apparently, Monsanto does not want a long term trial test because it will tell the truth about Glyphosate or Roundup (with all the added ingredients that make it more toxic) and the GMOs.As for studies on people, Monsanto has blocked such studies for decades. Either they would not let their patented seeds be used in independent (of Monsanto) studies, or they put a retired Monsanto CEO in charge of the journal to which the study was sent, thus guaranteeing a rejection of the study.There have been many studies worldwide on GMO soy and corn used with glyphosate and how glyphosate is affecting animals, including wildlife, and some people (notably infants). For starters, go to gmoevidence.com.Effects of field-realistic doses of glyphosate on honeybee appetitive behaviorLucila T. Herbert, Diego E. Vázquez, Andrés Arenas and Walter M. Farina.I’m quite sure that Monsanto got the long term data in their files that of course are far away from their public.I think that some in a distant future someone would release that data and probably we will say “Look here, we were right to be suspicious”.I have to say that i have my bias against Monsanto.I can’t trust that corporation.Here’s a link that has links to a dozen long-term studies. http://www.skepticink.com/smilodonsretreat/2012/10/24/a-survey-of-long-term-gm-food-studies/There is a report from the EU from 250 euros and ten years showing no evidence of harm too. http://ec.europa.eu/research/biosociety/pdf/a_decade_of_eu-funded_gmo_research.pdfI’d shy away from “cells in a dish” reports. They are a good first start, but are kind of meaningless. Anything you put in the media will cause a response. These things are looking for a reason to die. Sugar, salt, distilled water… all would do the same thing. Not to say they are bad reports or bad data, you just can’t interpret them beyond the data and system. The authors, and the doctor, do.“Not to say they are bad reports or bad data, you just can’t interpret them beyond the data and system.”The same thing can be said of the individual studies in the Snell review that your first link directs to. How can you interpret and extrapolate data from quails, broiler chickens and Atlantic salmon to safety of GMOs to human health, when humans are very different physiologically from these species?? For example the 10-generation study of quails feed Bt corn, looked at parameters like Hatchability and Laying intensity!! Unless humans are laying eggs, I don’t understand how this is relevant to human health, long-term or not.There are so many glaring issues with the individual studies of the Snell review, I’m surprised a scientist such as yourself has not seen them and is touting them blindly as proof of long-term safety of GMOs. I’m getting rather tired of repeating it, but I will for the readers here who might fall for the ‘appeal to authority’ fallacy of believing what you say based on the fact that you are a scientist (a plant scientist, I might add):-The Snell review has studies done on chickens, fish and quails that are physiologically very different from humans. -Several are production studies that look at things like body weight and production of eggs, meat etc. Not toxicological or carcinogenic studies that are more relevant to human health. -Some are on GMOs that are not currently approved and commercially cultivated like transgenic rice. -It has many studies that don’t use isogenic lines and even omits mentioning which specific transformation event is being studied -It has studies that use 10, 5 or just 3 animals! -It has many studies whose authors actually mention negative results and suggest further long-term studies that have not been undertaken. -None of the individual studies provides statistical power.And I could go on….but, instead I will provide you with a link that highlights the many drawbacks of this review and how it does nothing to prove safety of any GMO (hopefully as a scientist, you will respond to the points raised on this website instead of attacking and dismissing the website that it is posted on):http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2014/15513-does-the-snell-review-show-gmos-are-safeThe strain of rats used in the quantities used is unsuitable for end of life studies as they get too many tumors on their own. Too much noise swamping out any signal.So where are biotech’s studies that were correctly done, using a suitable strain of rat in the correct quantities? Would love to see them.That was by Monsanto and Monsanto shills. Seralini tested them longer and that’s when the development disorders, the humongous tumors all occurred. Monsanto uses published studies to put out results it wants the public to know, it is not TRUE science, from what I’ve read and heard discussed in podcasts.Seralini’s control also developed humongous tumors. Why do you think it was retracted and not submitted for peer review and instead republished in a pay to publish journal that anyone can publish in?Hmm, Greger cites Séralini papers in the climax of a video. I’m about to swoon from cognitive dissonance.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9ralini_affair (The “affair” paper is not among those cited in this video.)As a bee keeper we have long known the detrimental effects Monsanto has had on the Bee population in the US, so it only stands to reason why should they stop there?Not only in the USA, but everywhere in the world where round up is used!!! I might add.This fantastic video should anger the consumers of the world, but how does one go about changing the ways of ginormous, greedy corporations?One consumer/patient at a time.The more the individuals in society choose not to consume GMO’s (the same goes for meat, dairy, eggs, etc.), the more the stores won’t carry those products. Why? Because a stores bottom line, is it’s bottom line. If they aren’t making money off a product they won’t carry it. So education is key!That’s why Monsanto, and other large conglomerates (PepsiCo, ConAgra, Kraft etc. Black List of GMO Supporting Companies) that make money selling GMO’s spend millions of dollars every year to keep people from voting GMO labeling into law.How does one educate the world? One person at a time. Think globally, act locally.GMO labeling lost in Oregon 49% to 51%. Really disappointing. Was surprised it was that close as I heard mostly anti-labeling propaganda. But very disappointed that it lost. I don’t eat processed or GMO foods just want others to be aware of what they are consuming.Lost in Washington too. Billions of $ spent to claim it would increase grocery prices. Geez…The purpose of the anti-GMO labeling was to control people and force them to eat GMO foods. It may not be the GMO that is the danger per se. But crops grown with GMO generally are sprayed with more herbicides than those that are not because Monsanto dictates to the farmer how much must be sprayed. And, at least in the case of GMO soy, Roundup/glyphosate was identified at levels that Monsanto called extreme a decade ago in food. Now the corporation is pressing for my glyphosate to be used on non-GMO crops. The reason is to boost their profit margin!Monsanto has lost money by fighting labeling initiatives like Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, as well as those on the East Coast.http://naturalsociety.com/monsanto-losing-millions-gmo-labeling-push-grows-sorry-monsanto/If food prices go up, it means more herbicides may be used on those foods. Avoid them, for your health.The safest food out there is grown by the organic method be it by you from certified organic seeds, (to be certain that the seeds are not contaminated with GMOs and Roundup), grown by local organic farmers and CSA’s (community sustainable agriculture). Talk to local farmers and ask how they have grown the fruits, vegetables, livestock? In the case of livestock, how was the feed grown? With glyphosate (Roundup), 2,4-D (Weed-B-Gon or other tradenames), dicamba [Roundup Ready Plus]. Monsanto has increased the so-called tolerance levels to make up the money they spent fighting the ballot initiatives. But you don’t want to eat their toxic crops anyway. They will destroy your health even if they are not GMO created.Remember, there are basically two types of genetically modified crops. Those with the soil pathogen, B.T. (bacillus thringensis) such as corn, cotton, and potatoes; and those with a bacterium grown in the presence of Roundup at a hazardous waste site, which Monsanto has put into food, which is in soy and other crops. Some portions of the study are very readable. The study is entitled“Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans” by Bohn, M. Cuhra, T. Traavika, M. Sanden, J. Fagan, and R. Primicerio.“Organic soybeans are expected to represent a control group with zero residues of glyphosate, AMPA and others chemical pesticides. Such pesticides are not allowed in organic farming.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814613019201The only way glyphosate and AMPA would get into organic is from drift and from runoff of toxic agriculture into waterways from which agriculture is irrigated, and livestock drink, Organic farmers would not use those toxic chemicals. And the Center for Food Safety will sue the USDA, EPA if it permits those chemicals to be used on organic food crops.You can help! I’ve contributed to CFS, and you can also.Oregon voter: Measure 92 was *really* close. So close that the number of contested votes, some 13,000, could make a difference in the final count according to one e-mail that I got. And new this year: people can check to see if their ballot was not counted because of some error. And then they can work to fix it. Here is the website to check and see if your vote was contested or not. Spread it around if this interests you. But I understand that the contested votes must be fixed by November 18, so the timeline is very short.http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/12/2014-oregon-contested-ballots-database/18944625/Which states: “Oregon’s Secretary of State is trying something different this year to encourage voters with ballot signature issues to fix the problem — she’s naming names.Thanks to a law passed in 2013 the full list of approximately 13,000 Oregonians whose votes weren’t counted because they failed to sign the envelope or their signature didn’t match the one on file was made public Wednesday.”And just click the top link to, “View the database of problem ballots:”I don’t know if we can really fix this in time, but it seems worth trying.In both Oregon and Washington, The move to label GMOs was winning handily. THen wealthy out of state corporations poured literally millions into each state, dwarfing the money of the pro-label side. Predictably, on either side, the uninformed in the middle were gradually convinced due to constant drumming of the wealthy and powerful to their side. It’s a sad current state of American politics. They’re auctions, really, not elections. The Republican Supreme Court has declared that no one has the right to stop the wealthy from crowding out the media sources. John SOregon is actually not lost yet. Check out GMwatch’s twitter, or GMOfree USA Facebook page for updates. Right now there is a dead heat with indications labeling will win. Monsanto & co outspent labeling advocates, I think, like, 30 to 1. Rarely does a position win against those odds.Spending wasn’t anywhere near 30 to 1.http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/11/measure_92_gmo-labeling_initia.htmlYes, according to the article it was only 2.5 to 1. $20 million (against labeling) to $8 million. Interesting.http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-11-05/maui-defies-monsanto-passes-ban-on-gmo-farming Interestingly Monsanto and Dow sciences outspent a banning imitative in Maui 87 to one, but the Maui ban (unless GMOs and their associated pesticides could be proved safe) has pulled throughA position will win against those odds at a statistically insignificant level.Unless of course pot is on the ballot. What do you think of legalizing pot but requiring GMO labels as necessary (and oh, by the way, on other GMO foods too)?Actually, as of last count, Measure 92 was trailing by just about 4,500 votes. And there are many, many contested ballots still left to count. So keep your fingers crossed! :)http://oregonvotes.gov/results/2014G/2013928344.htmlGlyphosate is thought to be harmless to humans since it disrupts the shikimate pathway to kill weeds., a pathway not found in humans. However some research has claimed that the shikimate pathway is found in gut bacteria and eating gmo foods sprayed with Roundup disrupts the proper function of beneficial gut bacteria, leading to many diverse health problems.See articles by Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a researcher at MIT. Her home page: http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/Thought to be harmless by whom?” Maybe they haven’t seen the research! Or maybe they are hired to promote Roundup. by whom?This is probably where we should be looking for adverse health effects from glyphosate in humans. The work here has been benchtop or on domesticated animals, but I’ve got Google Scholar alerts on these papers hoping for the obvious human trial.Krüger, M., Shehata, A. A., Schrödl, W., & Rodloff, A. (2013). Glyphosate suppresses the antagonistic effect of Enterococcus spp. on Clostridium botulinum. Anaerobe, 20, 74-78. Shehata, A. A., Schrödl, W., Aldin, A. A., Hafez, H. M., & Krüger, M. (2013). The effect of glyphosate on potential pathogens and beneficial members of poultry microbiota in vitro. Current microbiology, 66(4), 350-358. Samsel, A., & Seneff, S. (2013). Glyphosate’s suppression of cytochrome P450 enzymes and amino acid biosynthesis by the gut microbiome: Pathways to modern diseases. Entropy, 15(4), 1416-1463. Schrödl, W., Krüger, S., Konstantinova-Müller, T., Shehata, A. A., Rulff, R., & Krüger, M. (2014). Possible Effects of glyphosate on Mucorales abundance in the rumen of dairy cows in Germany. Current microbiology, 1-7.If you ignore Kruger, who’s papers have no good statistics and curious design, and Seneff, who does no do research, but rather assembles cherry-picked reviews, there’s not much evidence to support your claim. Seneff’s papers are not primary research, so don’t be fooled. All of these are journals that just about any scientist could consider, well, junk. Check their impact factors, and they are not indexed on PubMed.Glyphosate is a pretty cool compound and all actual assessments show it is “low/very-low toxicity” both acute and chronic. And it does not “disrupt the function of beneficial gut bacteria”. There is no evidence that it does, and there’s no way that it can get in you in relevant amounts, unless you drank the concentrate. Do the math. It is really clear. Thanks .I don’t disagree. If you look at my history here I’m generally a lone voice for a balanced view on GMO (and surrounding issues) vs the alternatives. All agricultural methods have both costs and benefits.However, the gut microbiota is emerging as a fairly important mediator for health, particularly with respect to the majority of chronic diseases with inflammatory etiologies. For the most part, humans aren’t exposed to nearly the concentrations of glyphosate that domesticated animals are. I think it would be straightforward to do a crossover trial with organic and non-organic foods (say tofu, or corn tortillas) and see if there’s a marked change in microbiota profiles, and measures of intestinal permeability like serum LPS. If such a trial is done it might either confirm or dismiss the concerns of Kruger and Seneff.Hi Darryl. Such trials are simple. It is easy to detect glyphosate, we’ve done a few trials over the years in comparing different items and never have detected it in food items. It was not the central goal of the work, but we ran the standard to find it if it was there. The USDA checks it too. So it is not there, and when it is detected it is not there in any level that could affect the microbiota. We know how it is metabolized and excreted. Plus, do the math. Worst-case scenario there’s 20 ppm. Let’s say you eat a kilogram of soybeans (good luck with that) at that level. That’s 20 milligrams of glyphosate. It just does not seem like it could be close to relevant, since 95% moves through in urine and stools. Just from a back-of-the-envelope calculation it seems pharmacologically impossible. Plus, if it was actually happening you’d see it published in real journals, leading journals, and thousands of scientists piling on to work on it.Thinking in a vacuum though. Consider the assault on the human body not simply from this substance. Factor in how many other toxins are being absorbed into and through the placenta. Arguing is moot. Our health care system grew from sick people, sick babies, sick children. That we accept disease as normal and part of life, is the disease. The moral argument in favor of using chemicals that number perhaps 80,000, all contributing to suffering in humans and animals…Well , there is no argument. Personally, I think it’s cruel and absurd to profess protecting children or anything alive, while arguing for the use of this crap.Dr. Stephanie Seneff of MIT is a computer scientist and anti-GMO activist. The article (cited in the HHE blogpost about ‘der chemerkils on teh wheat’) is a hypothesis, not a study, that correlates an increase in celiac incidence with increase in glyphosate use, which became widespread in the 1980s. Well, before 1990, celiac disease was not on the radar. Suppose a disease has gone from being underdiagnosed to being correctly recognized over, say, the last 25 years. Seneff’s speculation on the inhibition of CYP (a detoxifying liver enzyme) by glyphosate as a mechanism for human health damage is speculative. There is a long list of OTC and prescription drugs that inhibit one or another of the CYP enzymes. And, neener neener, Entropy has a rather low impact factor – a rough measure of the rigour of the journal. To me it is a strange journal to publish human toxicology reports in. Isn’t entropy a concept in Newtonian physics? It is akin to claiming that vaccine deplete vitamin C, or D, or whatever, and concluding that vaccine injury is an inevitable result, a kind of instant scurvy or osteomalacia (severe vitamin deficiency diseases). But just because you suggest a mechanism, doesn’t make it a fact. ^which Seneff believes regarding autism as a “vaccine injury”. (Spoiler: it’s not.)Mind, I’m not endorsing the glyphosate+microbiota hypothesis, but its the first place I’ve seen where the potential concentrations might contribute to measurable heath effects. For all we know, microdose glyphosate may actually increase levels of sentinel beneficial species (like A. muciniphila and F. prausnitzii) by selectively impairing the competition. I think given the public interest, even a study published in a journal of negative results would be a valuable contribution.Seneff is clearly a dilettante here. I’m much more interested in followups to the Kruger studies.Polyethoxylated tallow amine:Bradberry, S. et al (2004). Glyphosate poisoning.Toxicological reviews, 23(3), 159-167.Evidently the toxicity of beef fat derived detergent has been known for some while.Taking a hint from a label on a treatment for sewer roots….I added 1/2 bottle dish soap to 1 lb copper sulphate in order to kill tree roots in a sewer line. Works well. It’s the surfactant’s…etc…that allow the penetration of the “other” toxic ingredients. I am waiting with baited breath for the new AgentOrange crops.Why would you dump a highly toxic chemical (Copper sulphate) down the sewer line, this is a very bad Idea if you are on a septic system, the copper sulphate will corrode your pipes and kill all the beneficial bacteria in the septic field.The acute toxicity of this beef fat derived detergent has been known for some whileIt is soap, and just like all other soaps it is slightly toxic (not acutely toxic). But hey you have no problem with brushing your teeth with other ethylated amines (soap).Here are at least three studies that I found regarding glyphosate and human cells (not sure if the other two studies involved human cells based on just the abstract):Glyphosate Formulations Induce Apoptosis and Necrosis in Human Umbilical, Embryonic, and Placental Cells – http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/tx800218nThe effect of metabolites and impurities of glyphosate on human erythrocytes (in vitro). – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24581382Cytotoxic and DNA-damaging properties of glyphosate and Roundup in human-derived buccal epithelial cells. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22331240Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Produce Teratogenic Effects on Vertebrates by Impairing Retinoic Acid Signaling – http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/tx1001749Glyphosate’s Suppression of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Microbiome: Pathways to Modern Diseases – http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416Dr. McDougall sez, “What, me worry?You’re neglecting the important effect on beneficial bacteria in the human biome. When the biome is disturbed it causes inflammation and intestinal permeability which allows toxins to enter into the bloodstream and to the rest of the body including the brain. This is how these sprayed crops cause autoimmune, gastrointestinal, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, etc disorders. You need to look at the whole picture.The whole picture likely includes the reality that humans are actively and speedily increasing the genetic mutation of their own species (and most others)….and NOT in a good direction. Epigenetic changes CAN be inherited….??? But corporations will find a way to profit…so all is well?Applause, applause, applause and thank you for finally exposing the real problems with GMO agriculture. Now, I think we ought to start a HUGE consumer class action lawsuit against Monsanto–how about a million concerned consumers for starters–for negligence and violating “truth in advertising” laws regarding Roundup and supposedly ‘safe’ genetically modified crops. Roundup contains much more than just glyphosate upon which Monsanto hangs their ‘safe’ label. Let’s also not forget to include the USDA, FDA, EPA and other alphabet agencies that approved GMOs.Just recently, Monsanto lost at court http://rt.com/usa/205079-monsanto-pays-wheat-farmers/ and has to pay wheat farmers $2.4 mn over the 2013 GMO-wheat scare. May I suggest that you please dig further into the GMOs, and thank you for what you do.I believe a link between lymphoma and roundup has been discovered. It lead to the field workers wearing protective gear during the spraying of the fields.EPA limits for glyphosate residues as published in the Federal Register. – http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2010-title40-vol23/pdf/CFR-2010-title40-vol23-sec180-364.pdfThe Paracelsus Axiom (i.e. the dose makes the poison) generally considers that the higher the dose the more likely the toxicity. However, when it comes to endocrine disruption this can work in reverse meaning that doses at parts per quadrillion can have an adverse effect on fetuses or children at certain developmental periods – kind of the dose makes the poison in reverse. There are about 80,000 chemicals that have not been sufficiently tested for safety that are ubiquitous in our environment which have also never been tested for safety in combination (i.e. their synergistic toxic effect). The few that have been tested for synergistic toxicity have been found to be more toxic in combinations. It is reasonable to assume that many of them if tested for combined toxicity would be more toxic and more of a health risk. That said, the idea that those being experimented on have to prove the unsafety of an activity or poison is the result of an upside down paradigm. Do we have the right as human beings to refuse to be experimented on? This is the idea behind The Precautionary Principle which makes the burden of proof of safety lie where it should – with the proponents of an activity. Clearly, if we are asking whether something is safe after the fact – in other words after we’re already part of the experiment, that in itself should be reason for real concern and in fact should not be the way safety is evaluated. A substance or an activity should be proven safe before it is allowed into use or into our environment. The opponents of genetically engineered substances were arguing this point at the advent of this technology – and many of them pointed out that the corporations that stood to profit mightily were pushing ahead of the science because profit was the motive not the health of people or the environment. It’s a form of what Edward Herman has called “producer sovereignty.” The producer reigns; consumers have to somehow defend themselves. That works domestically, too, as he pointed out. It’s not the responsibility, say, of chemical and pesticide industries to prove that what they’re putting into the environment is safe. It’s the responsibility of the public to prove scientifically that it’s unsafe, and they have to do this through underfunded public agencies that are susceptible to industry influence through lobbying and other pressures. The FDA and the USDA have had a revolving door with Monsanto executives and lawyers holding top positions with those agencies which are supposedly there to protect the public. Tom Vilsack who is the current head of the USDA is and was one of the biggest lackeys for Monsanto imaginable. In fact, he was called “Governor Monsanto” when he was governor of Iowa.Excellent points, thank you.Testis, placentas and other organs were not tested. These were on cells in a dish. These cells are rather sensitive. This is where the doctor’s interpretation goes bad. Can you generate changes based on adding roundup (glyphosate + adjuvants)? YES!! Let’s think about that. The surfactants added are essentially detergents. They are amphipathic molecules that allow things like glyphosate to penetrate membranes. In culture, at the levels used, detergents would disrupt cells and cause responses. That’s what was seen Note that no “surfactant only” control was performed. That would show likely the same effect, but that’s not so scary. The same cells would have done the same thing with distilled water, salt or copper (a heavily-used anti-microbial on organic crops) So while I appreciate the quality of these videos, I am troubled by a doctor that sort of shows an agenda and interprets data to a point that represents his assertions, and then implies industry collusion.I also like to draw attention to the fact that there are lots of cell lines researchers can use. Why do these folks only use testicular and placental cells? Is it because they scare you more? Hmmm. Plus, keep in mind that if you consumed 20 mg/kg glyphosate, the highest levels measured, your testicles and placenta would never see these concentrations. So the data from in vitro experiments are interesting and a starting point, but they are not very good evidence of harm from these chemicals. In actual animal toxicity trials they have no effect until does thousands of times higher than can be achieved by eating food with the most residues.Maybe Testes Tissue isn’t complete proof, but here is something to think about:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24762670 The above free meta analysis shows the association between lymphoma and roundup and other agricultural chemicals. So after seeing the video above and reading this why not eat organic. Even if we don’t have absolute proof isn’t it better to play it safe?Play it safe? You mean return to old herbicides? That paper is interesting but does not get me too excited. It is a meta analysis of world use, and the associations are not huge with glyphosate. They even call it an “organophosphate” which it is not. I guess chemically it might be an organophosphonite, but who’s counting?Organic has its own problems an limitations. If you can’t use a safe spray of glyphosate weeks before harvest, you have to bring in bus loads of Mexican workers to hand-weed the crops. It is horrible work, expensive work, it costs more and ultimately has a larger carbon footprint. I’m much more comfortable with an innocuous chemical.Hi Kevin, I completely agree with your point that a surfactant only control would likely show the same effect. In fact many people use surfactants (Triton, Tween, SDS,..) as a positive control (e.g. to induce cell death) in viability assays as they will easily kill cells in a dish by completely disrupting membranes. A small amount of shampoo or soap would do the same, and we still use those to clean ourselves :-). Your point about the cell lines is also spot on.. one could take a malignant line, observe the same effect and go around saying they now have a new drug for treating cancer!This description of how wheat in the USA is harvested after being doused in round=up to wither the weeds making the harvester machines work better, true? http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/No, it is not true. Roundup (glyphosate) is used to kill weeds in wheat prior to harvest on a *very limited basis* in the US. It is done to save time when planting the next crop, so that farmers don’t have to harvest the wheat, spray the weeds, and then wait for the weeds to die before they can plant the following crop. They still must apply the glyphosate at least a week before harvest. Most of the chemical lands on the leaves and glumes (protective covering around wheat kernels) and is not translocated to the grain, because the seed has reached physiological maturity. Some chemical may land on the seed through gaps in the glumes, but most is removed when the glumes are removed during threshing. This practice is more common in northern environments, such as Canada and northern Europe, and is done primarily to control perennial weeds that spread by rhizomes.http://www.glyphosate.eu/system/files/sidebox-files/clarification_of_pre-harvest_uses_of_glyphsate_en_0.pdfRead this article from the wife of a farmer that uses this practice in Canada:http://www.nurselovesfarmer.com/2014/11/the-truth-about-glyphosate-and-wheat/Any other responses to this post? If this is true, there is good reason to avoid all non-organic wheat-containing products in the USA. Below, Benjamin Edge references a site called http://www.glyphosate.eu and a farmer’s wife’s defense of the practice of spraying Round-up on non-GMO wheat before harvest. It would seem that wheat harvested in this manner would have the same round-up issue as do GMO Round Up resistant crops.Not just wheat, also pecan trees are sprayed with roundup to get them to drop their nuts. Probably many other crops as well.The supposed purpose of animal testing is to eliminate new drugs, foods and products that are unsafe at stage one. If the new products are proven safe for animals, then at stage two, further tests are conducted on humans to make sure that the products are safe for human consumption as well.If massive failure is detected at stage one, (rats develops tumors), then that is a huge red flag at stage one that proves the product is extremely dangerous.If animal testing is irrelevant and does not matter, then why test on animals to begin with ?Let us also stay sensitive to the animals who will suffer by junk science with an anti-GMO agenda. http://www.vegangmo.com/?p=1426Junk science is on BOTH side, but only one side has huge financial incentive to lie, distort & twist science and armed with multi-billion dollar advertising and lobbyists.Point me towards the junk science on the pro side please. And yes, BigOrganic IS the industry with huge financial interests willing to spread fear to fuel their imposed anti-GMO labeling scheme. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2013/10/31/genetic-literacy-project-infographic-is-labeling-really-about-our-right-to-know/I guess you did not watch the video because he explained both the animal study (resulting in abnormalities in rat testicles) and human studies after failure on animal/rat studies. There should be no human testing allowed if animal testing fails. But the tests continued. My point is that we need an impartial JUDGE (FDA for example) with SAME RULES for EVERYONE – not just a subjective rule for Monsanto because they contribute to Congressman’s vacation home in France.Citation to human trials please.ask your employer “Monsanto” – they have it buried in their safe deposit box.You cannot back up your fallacious claims with evidence so you attack my character with an ad hominem. None of us have any financial interests or ties to biotech or Monsanto. This is not conducive to a constructive dialog on GMO.I can quote 100000 web links too, but don’t get paid for it & don’t have time to waste with someone that is paid to do this crap to brain wash masses with LIES & false advertising propaganda. The fact is that if you watch the video (which you have not, even though this discussion is about the above video) it tells you that animal testing FAILED (rats became impotent or abnormality in rat’s testicles). That is PROOF that it is not safe.It seems to me that the take-away from this video, in conjunction with the last two, is not that GMO crops are unsafe per se (at least, they are not provably so to date). Rather, the problem is that 1) the bulk of GM crops are modified to withstand pesticides, and 2) the pesticides that are dumped on the crops (particularly Round-Up) cause them to be potentially unsafe. I think this is an important distinction, as direct genetic modifaction of food crops as a technique can potentially have beneficial outcomes – see The Golden Rice Project: http://www.goldenrice.org/.I think the burden of proof is on GMO manufacturers – not the public at risk. We don’t have to “prove” that GMO is unsafe. Even if it was supposedly “Safe”, it has to be “Better” than natural food with same amount of vitamins, nutrients and minerals. If it lacks any of the nutrients of natural raw organic fruits and vegetables, then it should say so prominently on the “Label” that this banana is “Fake” and lacks certain nutrients and vitamins that normal bananas do.Safety is only defined by lack of harm. Genetic engineering is as safe if not safer. See the graph here: More Frankenfood Paradox! | IlluminationIf GMO wasn’t better customers wouldn’t buy it. The market corrects for that, it’s called capitalism.Funny you should mention the banana as it’s a cultivar. What makes the traditionally cloned Cavendish any more real than say, a GMO Black Sigatoka-resistant banana? Scientists in Uganda Testing Black Sigatoka-Resistant BananasFalse. GMO’s are SECRET. If they were labeled no one would buy them. It’s NOT capitalism (unless you call corruption capitalism). You are entitled to your subjective opinion (for example that the Earth is Square) but you are not to FORCE it down the throat of others. That’s what is going on right now, a bunch of corrupt congressmen forcing CENSORSHIP down public throats.Nope, farmers know about GM products and buy them because they work. Ask them!I read Seralini’s study on rats. I found it interesting that the Roundup was placed in the drinking water of the rats. Hard water will dissociate Round-up so that it is ineffective. For this reason, applicators will usually add some form of nitrogen fertilizer to condition the water for greater efficacy. If the pH is neutral, such as in distilled water, RoundUp is not as effective and can still dissociate. So if the Roundup was fully effective in the rats’ drinking water, what kind of water conditioners were added and what effect might those have on the health of the rats?This Guy knows a little something about GMO’s….excellent video if you care to watch …… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENmc9kHnvboYou think so? A Generous Offer to Dr. Huber -Turned Down | IlluminationI posted this on another article about glyposate as well; apologies for that. This article suggests that the main reason why “gluten intolerance”/celiac is on the rise is the increased use of Roundup as a dessicant just before harvesting wheat. The authors suggest that this practice has started some 10-15 years ago, and that it has become extremely widespread. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/ Any comments?Thanks, Fangorn. I posted a question about this e days ago and your link helps!Glyphosate is the labeled ingredient in Roundup, but there are misnamed inerts, adjuvants all of which are more toxic than the labeled ingredient. Those that helped editor Caroline Cox research the files at the EPA uncovered many of the proprietary secret ingredients in Roundup. Go to: http://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/glyphosateRead what Purdue University Department of Agriculture retired professor Don Huber has to say about Glyphosate: http://www.non-gmoreport.com/articles/may10/consequenceso_widespread_glyphosate_use.php. He has also said that it is THE most chronically toxic herbicide ever permitted (registered) by the U.S. government and should never have been permitted in the first place. When Monsanto tested the product they only tested for the acute effects, not the long term chronic effects. Glyphosate herbicides are used on playgrounds, office exteriors, school grounds, golf courses, rights of way, lawns and gardens, as well as in food. There are many ways that people and animals can be exposed to Glyphosate or Roundup. And those effects all add up.Here’s some real truth about gmo’s: http://www.globalresearch.ca/genetically-engineered-crops-monsantos-glyphosate-and-the-deterioration-of-health-in-america/5414166Commercial glyphosate contains what the law calls “inert” ingredients. These ingredients are not chemically, toxicologically, or biologically inert. They are proprietary secrets and only the public and our physicians are kept in the dark. Other chemical companies can use reverse engineering to learn what is in the product, I’ve been told.When I was accidentally poisoned with a pesticide in 1982, I gradually learned that what was labeled, was what the corporation wanted labeled. It was not necessarily the most toxic ingredient, and the government did not require synergistic effects of how the chemicals worked together in our bodies or in the environment to be tested or even studied. Furthermore, what was considered as the “active” ingredient in one pesticide, was considered to be an “inert” in other pesticides. Some pesticides used the labeled active ingredient also as an inert. Everyone was kept in the dark about which chemical(s) were the greatest poison.Some of the so-called Inert ingredients in Glyphosate herbicides include: 5-Chloro-2-methyl 3(2H) isothiazolone which caused genetic damage and allergic reactions in laboratory tests. Glycerine caused genetic damage in tests with human cells and laboratory animals. It also reduced fertility in laboratory tests.Light aromatic petroleum distillate ( CAS# 64742-95-6) reduced fertility and growth in newborns in laboratory tests.Propylene glycol caused genetic damage, reduced fertility and anemia in laboratory tests/Sodium sulfite caused genetic damage in tests with both laboratory animals and human cells.Sodium benzoate caused genetic damage in tests with human cells and laboratory animals. It also caused developmental problems and reduced new-born survival in laboratory tests.Sodium salt of o-phenylphenol is a skin irritant. It also caused genetic and cancer in laboratory tests.Myriad studies demonstrated a link between non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in men. A 2003 review of three earlier studies of Midwestern farmers showed Glyphosate exposure was associated with significantly increased risk of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma.Glyphosate exposure has been linked to increased risks of miscarriages (SPONTANEOUS ABORTIONS). In a study of Ontario, Canada farm families, glyphosate use 3 months prior to conception was associated with increased risk of late (12th and 19th week of pregnancy) miscarriages. The study was carried on by Health Canada and Carleton University in Canada,Glyphosate herbicides have also caused pregnancy problems in laboratory rats.Source cited at: http://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/glyphosateGenetically engineered corn has caused pregnancy problems in livestock, according to Don Huber, Ph.D. retired professor of soil and plant pathology and microbiology at Purdue University. Bt corn is not only corn genetically engineered to contain Bacillus Thuringiensis in every cell of the plant (which is not the same as spraying the bacteria as sustainable farmers have done. In addition, Bt corn is also genetically engineered to be resistant to Roundup and an antibiotic used with Roundup, according to Thierry Vrain, Ph.D. retired from Agriculture Canada and now a whistle blower against GMOs. Listen to the podcast at: http://foodintegritynow.org/2014/05/08/dr-thierry-vrain-former-gmo-scientist-speaks/ All these studies have likely disappeared from the various governmental libraries since 2006/See this might be relevant if Glyphosate was a pesticide. The funny thing is…IT ISN’T!!!. Glyphosate is a herbicide not a pesticide. It shuts down the shikimate pathway of plants, and has no measurable effect on humans. In fact, to humans the chemical is less toxic than table salt. I am no fan of big GMO companies, but if we are to be taken seriously as a voice in the debate, we must do a better job of know what the heck we are talking about.GLYPHOSATE IS the generic term for the so-called “active” ingredient in Roundup. But Roundup also contains many other highly toxic chemical compounds, including, but not limited to: those that are causing genetic damage in people and other animals as seen only by a percentage on the label under “inert” ingredients. See page 2 of 6 at the fact sheet on Glyphosate at: http://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/glyphosateThere are many more formulations of both glyphosate and Roundup now than there were when this fact sheet was assembled. But, I doubt that we will be able to learn what they are since the studies, EPA documents on pesticides all disappeared and the chemical library was closed during 2006 when Bush and Cheney reigned over the deregulation of the U.S. during the red and orange terrorist alerts, which allowed the terrorists within the Administration and the industries to keep the public controlled and ignorant.ALL EPA STUDIES HAVE DISAPPEARED not only from the EPA, but the National Library of Medicine/Institutes of Health, Library of Congress, even the World Health Organization’s International Agency for the Research on Cancer. This is compliments of the Greedy Ole Party and the corporations who raised money for it in order to remove any study they did not like from the EPA library…compliments of Bush and/or Cheney.Meanwhile, read:Scientist raises concerns about GM crops and glyphosate http://www.producer.com/2012/12/scientist-raises-concerns-about-gm-crops-and-glyphosate/#comment-24623 Is glyphosate the cause of diseases seen in plants, micro organisms, including beneficial nematodes, livestock, and the people or animals who eat them????Check thishttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17486286http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10854122People are bad so we need a few people to dictate laws to other people. Govt is bad so we need more govt. Who is the largest polluter in the world? What are civil liberties? Who’s going to invent cold fusion? Govt, or the private sector? Revolving door of politics: http://www.Geke.US Every federal act, every law enacted is an erosion of your personal liberty. A person is intelligent; people are stupid. Mobs can do horrendous things under a virtuous guise. Stop being a sheep (in the year of).Michael Greger whose side are You on !? You sound like a pro-gmoDr. Greger,Have you seen the most recent lawsuit against Monsanto? http://www.march-against-monsa…The suit claims that glyphosate IS toxic to humans, specifically to our gut flora.The suit seems to be based on information discussed in this article by Stephanie Seneff–perhaps the suit was even spurred by this article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pm…The gist of the suit, and article, is that glyphosate robs us of critical gut bacteria and the nutrients they create. This is from the article: “Glyphosate suppresses 5-enolpyruvylshikimic acid-3-phosphate synthase (EPSP synthase), the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of the aromatic amino acids, tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine, in the shikimate pathway of bacteria, archaea and plants (de María et al., 1996). In plants, aromatic amino acids collectively represent up to 35% of the plant dry mass (Franz, 1997). This mode of action is unique to glyphosate among all emergent herbicides. Humans do not possess this pathway, and therefore we depend upon our ingested food and our gut microbes to provide these essential nutrients. Glyphosate, patented as an antimicrobial (Monsanto Technology LLC, 2010), has been shown to disrupt gut bacteria in animals, preferentially killing beneficial forms and causing an overgrowth of pathogens.” She cites an article showing celiac-like symptoms in fish exposed to glyphosate: “Thus, the evidence from this effect on fish suggests that glyphosate may interfere with the breakdown of complex proteins in the human stomach, leaving larger fragments of wheat in the human gut that will then trigger an autoimmune response, leading to the defects in the lining of the small intestine that are characteristic of these fish exposed to glyphosate and of celiac patients.“Your videos, as far as I know, do not discuss this possible impact of glyphosate. In fact, the video above indicates that glyphosate is not toxic to human tissue; it is the cocktail of chemicals in RoundUp that is toxic. Perhaps a video on this gut flora angle is warranted?Also, I discovered via the article in question that glyphosate is used pre-harvest to dessicate, i.e., dry out, soybeans, corn, all types of grains, sunflower seeds, etc. This apparently increases yields by reducing moisture that causes rot, fungus, and sprouting. Here is an article by Monsanto on it. See page 22: http://www.monsanto.com/produc…See also: http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs… file:///C:/Users/review/Downloads/GRDC_FS_Pre-harvest%20herbicide%20pdf.pdfSnopes.com doubts some of the claims made by Seneff in her article, specifically how often glyphosate is used to desiccate:http://www.snopes.com/food/tai…So glyphosate is sprayed on living, Roundup ready crops, to kill surrounding weeds. Because it is a systemic chemical, it is absorbed by the RoundUp-ready plants, and accumulates in their tissue. Then, once these Roundup-ready crops are done growing, the glyphosate is sprayed on the “dead” seeds to reduce moisture content. We’re getting a double dosing it seems. We eat these plants directly, or indirectly by way of processed oils, sugars (cane and corn syrup); processed foods in general; and by eating animal products from livestock and fish fed these grains and legumes.Is there a connection with the widespread use of glyphosate/RoundUp and the explosion of some illnesses within the last few decades? Monanto patented glyphosate in 1970, and began marketing RoundUp around 1974. Asthma, autism, celiac disease, gluten intolerance, etc., have soared. Stephanie Seneff believes so, as do others. There does seem to be some correlation with the use of glyphosate and recent illnesses. http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/13070… http://people.csail.mit.edu/se…In sum, perhaps you can address the claims made in the suit and the Seneff article regarding glyphosate.Best,Neil	animal studies,Europe,fertility,glyphosate,GMO,hormones,industry influence,men's health,Monsanto,organic foods,pesticides,pregnancy,reproductive health,Roundup,safety limits,soy,soybeans,testosterone,women's health	Higher levels of pesticides on GMO soy is a concern since Monsanto’s Roundup has been shown to have adverse effects on human placental tissue.	What is glyphosate? Please see the “prequel” to this video, Are GMOs Safe? The Case of Roundup Ready Soy. Before that I covered GMO corn: Are GMOs Safe? The Case of Bt Corn.It’s the dose that makes the poison, though. Do we have evidence that the levels of Roundup chemicals not only found on crops but also in our bodies after eating those crops actually have adverse effects? That’s the subject of the final installment of this video series, GMO Soy and Breast Cancer.Commercial interests can have a corrupting effect on the science of nutrition and hold sway over institutions that are supposed to operate in the public interest. See for example:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/roundup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glyphosate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gmo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/monsanto/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24491722,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1638308/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20012598,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17486286,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22202229,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23820267,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11896679,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15929894,
PLAIN-2523	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-roundup-ready-soy/	Are GMOs Safe? The Case of Roundup Ready Soy	There is debate on the direct threat of the inserted genes, as they are not detectable in the human body, but the real danger may come from pesticides associated with genetically modified foods. Genetically engineered seed biotechnology typically has not been used to increase crop yields, nutrition, or drought tolerance but instead for profitable pesticide-resistant products. 80% of GMO crops are bioengineered only for pesticide resistance. Not surprising, given that the top 5 biotech companies are chemical companies that manufacture pesticides.This allows farmers to spray herbicides directly onto the crops, raising a theoretical possibility that the level of residues of the herbicide on food we buy at the supermarket may have increased. Or at least it was theoretical, until now.Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soybeans are the #1 GM crop, genetically engineered to be resistant to the herbicide Roundup—also sold by Monsanto—allowing farmers to spray fields with the Roundup herbicide glyphosate, which then kills the weeds while leaving the soy standing.Monsanto maintains that Roundup Ready soybeans are compositionally equivalent to that of conventional soy, a concept that is used to argue that GMO foods are therefore as safe as non-GMO, but Monsanto didn’t report the level of pesticide residues. In fact some of the comparison tests were done on Roundup Ready soybeans that hadn’t been sprayed at all, which is the whole point of having Roundup Ready plants so you can spray them with Roundup. In contrast to real-life samples from the market, transgenic crops intended for scientific studies are often produced without the application of herbicides or at doses lower than those typically used by farmers. It wasn’t until this study was published in 2014 when the full composition of ready-to-market soybeans were analyzed.Here’s how much glyphosate was found in the GMO beans along with a glyphosate breakdown product called AMPA. Here’s how much was found in organic soy… None. What about conventional non-GMO soy where glyphosate is sprayed on the soil to kill weeds between crop cycles?... None. So GMO soybeans are really not equivalent, they appear to have substantially more pesticide residues. The debate then shifts from the safety of Roundup Ready soybeans, to the safety of Roundup itself. Are those glyphosate residues on GMO soy something to be concerned about? A question we’ll explore next.	Slightly off topic – I’ve been searching health food stores in the UK for organically grown black soy beans – I found a place in Scotland that sells them, but when I checked today they were no longer available. I was undecided as to buy them originally as they were from China, and I’d read many articles relating to contamination of Chinese soy beans, even those organically grown.Can anyone recommend a reliable supplier for the UK, and/or enlighten me re the safety of Chinese organic soy beans – thanks – Chris….Off topic (sorry!), but hope Dr. Greger can explore this issue further, and others here.In the words of Dr. McDougall:“A healthy diet allows the defense systems “to work to its full capacity” removing antigens that enter the system and removing immune-complexes from the blood. Components of the rich American diet are known to impair its function. Vegetable oils, including those of the omega-3 and omega-6 variety, are particularly strong suppressors of the immune system. This immune suppressing quality of oils (for example, fish oil and primrose oil) has been used to suppress the pain and inflammation of arthritis, but like too many drug therapies the ultimate outcome may not be best for the patient. Suppression of the immune system prevents it from doing its work of removing invading foreign proteins.Dr. McDougall is stating that even Omega 3 oils (he mentions fish oil, but I assuming DHA vegan omega 3 as well) actually can “impair its (immune system) to work to its full capacity. Is this the reason omega 3 feel so good for inflammation and other stuff, sort of like a band-aid or drug that takes away the pain but also has a dark side as well, as Dr. McDougall states concern that what these suppressing oils actually are doing is suppressing our immune system, weakening its ability in the moment. Geez, couldn’t this open us up to certain diseases, viruses, bacteria, autoimmune reactions? All everyone ever (it seems) talks about is the positive qualities of omega 3’s/oil, supplements. but is there also a potential negative side to this that should be explored. Is this the reason some people actually get sick, run down, after taking omega 3 supplements (even vegan)?Why not posting this on a Omega 3/Oil related video so ? People are coming here and the first two huge post are completely off topics..I agree, off topic, and I am not asking for it to be explored today, but the reality is is that “today” is current, and this gets into the view of Dr. Greger now, not later, so hopefully he can “sleep” on this issue I have brought to him, and consider responding with his view in a future time, video or blog. But I think it is hugely relevant, as many people indulge in these omega 3’s (even DHA vegan) because it makes their pain go away, and the level of intake to achieve this might actually be weakening the human’s innate immune sysem/defense systems.Thanks for your comment Elsie, as per our Comment Etiquette off-topic posts are fine.Long chain ω-3 (EPA moreso than DHA) fats are generally thought to reduce inflammatory signalling because they compete with the ω-6 fat arachidonic acid for conversion to eicosanoid signaling molecules. The ω-3 derived eicosanoids are less inflammatory than tne ω-6 derived eicosanoids. Modern diets commonly include far more arachidonic acid, mostly from grain fed animal products, than either the diet of our distant ancestors consuming more plant-based diets, or even relatively recent ancestors consuming smaller amounts of grass-fed animal products. Argably long-chain ω-3 supplements mostly just dilute the high arachidonic acid status in the general population somewhat closer to past levels.As overactivity of the innate immune system is implicated in many chronic diseases (including heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, obesity, and diabetes) as well as aging, many believe we can benefit from less inflammatory signalling. We also benefit from modern hygiene, wound care, and antibiotics (for the time), so perhaps an innate immune system tuned for the more common and infectious trauma (from falls or saber-tooth tiger attack) is now overkill.In general, trials of omega-3 supplements (mostly fish oil) have found no effect on overall mortality (1, 2), though benefits with certain conditions (like non-Alzheimer’s dementa appear. This indicates at least that no net adverse effect is seen from omega-3 supplements in the general population. We also lack studies of long-term health effects of DHA/EPA supplements in those consuming plant based (and hence much lower in arachidonic acid) diets.Personally, I take a high-dose algal EPA+DHA pill daily, as I’m strongly convinced that an overactive innate immune system is at the root of many chronic diseases, and hope to benefit more than those in the general population due to my much lower dietary intake of arachidonic acid. However, it is a speculative move, as the final word, as with so many health issues, is unlikely to be written during my lifetime.Do the saturated fats found densely in palm oil concern you greatly, as far as even minimal consumption, and by minimal consumption being less than 25 percent of the daily RDA for saturated fat? Are these sort of AA fats, in red palm oil (and coconut oil), detrimental in even small amounts….amounts that contain less than the 25 percent of the overall RDA for fat intake?And thanks for sharing you intent with taking the vegan DHA/EPA. Maybe everyone’s immune system reacts differently to such things. Things like flax seed seem to suppress mine, and I get sick (I do think this might have something to do with the high amount of polyunsaturated fats in flax, and for me these PUFA’s might cause problems). Same thing with vitamin D. That little pill of D seems to open me up to illnesses I otherwise usually do not get. Such a paradox from what I’ve read about D’s reported benefits.There’s negligible arachidonic acid in any vegetable oil. However the 12-16 carbon long saturated fats (>40% of palm oil and >65% of coconut oil) are known to increase LDL cholesterol via inhibiting expression of liver LDL receptors. Saturated fats also increase postprandial inflammation, oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction, likely through directly activatinginnate immune response or impairing intestinal barrier function and increasing influx of endotoxins from the gut, or both.But your question is about very small doses, which in the case of the red palm oil, may have merit given its high concentration and bioavailabiliity of carotenes and vitamin E. Compared to red palm oil, coconut oil is a poor source of micronutrients and more atherogenic in animal studies. An acquaintaince who is a regular commenter here swears by a tsp of red palm oil as a vehicle for his morning cocoa, cinnamon and turmeric. A tsp of red palm oil would have 2.4 g of saturated fat, about 1% of daily energy. I personally wouldn’t sweat this, as there are enough interesting things going on with red palm oil (though not coconut oil) that may counteract any detrimental effects from the fat content, and you aren’t exactly deep frying in it.For context though, we know that vascular diseases are rare in populations that consume traditional diets low-in animal products, added sugars, and added fats, so that only 3-4% of energy is from saturated fats. On the other hand vascular diseases are a leading killer in Western countries where those dietary risk factors are higher and 9-14% of energy is from saturated fats. However, as the recent pro-SFA media articles remind us, there’s not a huge difference in risk within the Western range that can be attributed to the SFA content. To me this suggests that 1) many macronutrient exchanges in typical Western diets offer little health benefit compared to SFAs (eg, added sugars), and 2) perhaps SFAs present their greatest risk increment in the 4-9% of daily energy range. This sort of logistic curve is very common in biological models. Unfortunately, its very difficult to test health outcomes in the 4-9% energy from SFAs range, as relatively few very low-fat plant based dieters are available to form prospective cohorts, and the pilot studies of Pritikin, Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn were either small, short in duration, or didn’t offer randomized controls (though their results speak very loudly).Thanks Darryl. As always, your posts are greatly appreciated.Interesting what you said about the red palm oil: “….red palm oil as a vehicle to improve absorption of his morning cocoa powder, cinnamon and turmeric…” It makes me wonder if the red palm oil actually creates some permeability issues in the gut and or blood brain barrier (certain fats known to do this, right?), and the good side of this is that the cocoa powder and turmeric infiltrate places in the body that they otherwise would have never had access to. So maybe red palm creates “leaks”, portals to transport certain nutrients that have now found a “loophole” in the body. Just an idea/theory, but who knows.And thanks for your response.That’s a really perceptive question which I wish I knew the answer to.Health promoting flavonoids found in fruits and vegetables have poor bioavailability, so many methods have been devised to make them more bioavailable, often involving fat emulsions or liposomes that either fuse with intestinal cells or bypass tight junctions between them and enter via the intestinal lymphatic system. Both emusions and saturated fats appear to also increase permeability to endotoxins. And curiously, oral bioavailability of the important flavonoid quercetin is associated with endotoxin bioavailability. So it seems possible that both are entering by non-canonical route (lymphatic system?), and attempts to widen this “loophole” for the phytochemicals we want could also widen it for microbial detritus we don’t want.I’d like to read the whole article or view the video where Dr. McDougall made theses comments. Could you please post the web address where I can find them, Elsie? Thanks.https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/featured-articles/articles/diet-only-hope-for-arthritis/Does that make turmeric bad? I don’t know if what he says there makes sense. I don’t agree with a lot of what Dr McDougall says. Just because people can survive on potatoes doesn’t mean it should be the main part of your diet. Non- starchy vegetables as a side dish? 1-4 fruits per day? How are you going to get all the variety of antioxidants we learn about here? Here is what Dr Greger said about fruit: “As far as I can tell, the best available science says that the more fruit the better.” http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-much-fruit-is-safe-to-consume/The supressed study I talked about in the previous video about GMO can be found here : http://www.reporterre.net/IMG/pdf/_22long_term_toxicity._22-fct_sept_2012.pdfIt is the first study ever studying the effect of Roundup® – the real chemical composition not just Glyphosate – and that is very important because testing Glyphosate only for toxicity do not show result. But Roundup® is not just Glyphosate. I hope this is understand, because it is two different composition with two different result..http://rue89.nouvelobs.com/sites/news/files/assets/image/2012/09/3-rats-seralini.jpgmy previous post here : http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/#comment-1685788470 http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/#comment-1251855603This study was retracted and if you want to understand why (even if you conclude the were nefarious pressures at work) you can’t simply source 10 facts from Seralini’s own anti-GMO website.Here’s at least one other reference on the web, to help get the ball rolling over whether the study was repressed or not:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691512005637It is interesting why so much ink is flowing when the conclusion are bad news for monsanto and when huge money and power can be lost. But all the little flawed study that do not last long enough to prove anything are used to push the commercialisation of GMO crop. Then everybody is shutting their mouth. Give me a break..I just can’t simply resume anything in a post here on NutritionFacts.org that why I just use this link (I didn’t know this website before by the way), you need to watch hour long lecture on this subject from people inside to understand the subject. If you are able to understand French I can send it to you.We are led to beleive that it is a simple petition – pushing by monsanto affiliated scientist – that made the removal of the study but it’s not. It’s only when Richard Goodman came to the editorial of the paper that the study was remove.. A coincidence ? Don’t be fool. It’s just like for the meat and dairy industry. Do you really think that Monsanto do not have any biologist in his pocket ? NO… KIDDING.. !You should be ashame and revolted to see such censoreship of true and honest scientific work. It’s remind me Colin Campbell and the dairy industry.. You should read his book “Whole” there is a great chapter about the influence of money in the world of science.“He and his team stand by their results, and allege that the retraction derives from the journal’s editorial appointment of biologist Richard Goodman, who previously worked for biotechnology giant Monsanto for seven years.” http://www.nature.com/news/study-linking-gm-maize-to-rat-tumours-is-retracted-1.14268By the way, all the raw data from his study are available.I didn’t claim that I think the study should have been retracted or that the processes involved behind that decision were good. The suggestion about Goodman is present in one of the editorial letters at the publishing journal’s site, which I recommended. I didn’t claim that science is free from industry pressure. I also didn’t claim that I knew why exactly the journal decided to retract the paper — or on that issue, are you perhaps criticizing me for not being nigh-absolutely certain?However, I’ll also point out that even if the retraction was nefarious and the journal is corrupt or laden with double standards, it doesn’t mean that the study is actually of high quality compared with its peers and it doesn’t mean that the researchers approached their research (and their preparation for publication) with the greatest of scientific integrity. Its ~24 month window makes for a longer term view of the effects in rat, maybe (I’m not strongly familiar with the literature), but in rats that evidently develop high rates of tumors when studies are conducted over the long term under otherwise normal conditions (ad-libitum feeding is evidently an important factor), you need to be fairly careful in how you interpret your quantitative data. Are these citations of the background tumor rate inaccurate or unrepresentative of the literature in your view, and why:http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/33/11/2768 (45% overall with double incidents for females as compared with males) http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0278691512008022/1-s2.0-S0278691512008022-main.pdf?_tid=2b31f1d8-6a8d-11e4 (mammary tumor rate of 25% before 2 years have elapsed in each of the control groups studied)For the two links above, I’m pulling from one of the letters to the editor that used references to back its arguments: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691512008022Thanks for another link, though Nature’s news coverage of the retraction was not very deep.My understanding is that biotech “studies” use the exact same strain of “rats that evidently develop high rates of tumors when studies are conducted over the long term under otherwise normal conditions.” Therefore, that factor is automatically controlled for.Not so if you are not presenting any statistical tests at all in your article and your control groups are only 10 rats of each sex, and both of these are things that industry actually does in their contemporary studies.The possibility of that random fluctuations caused a spurious result is not something that’s “automatically controlled for” because scientists favoring a different hypothesis ran experiments that had the same problem, anyway. You are thinking about control in scientific experimentation in entirely the wrong way.Can you point me to “all the raw data” because quite superficially I’m seeing comments like this:“A line in this piece originally read, “In republishing the paper, Séralini and his team released their raw data, for which they deserve tremendous credit.” That’s not quite right. It turns out that the Séralini group did not release all the raw data from the study. For instance, his team took blood samples at 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 months but only released the data for month 15. They released the tumor and mortality data for each group of rats, but not for the individual rats — which makes it impossible to test for in-group variation (e.g. are we talking about one rat with seven tumors, or seven rats with one tumor each?). -Nathanael Johnson at Grist”http://weedcontrolfreaks.com/2014/07/seralini-rat-study-revisited/This would be an easy claim to test if you can confirm the location of the raw data, which that webpage suggests is this supplement to their second publication and nothing more: http://www.enveurope.com/content/26/1/14/additionalThanks for sharing… if i remember correctly the first time the paper pass the peer reviewed and then was retracted… even the second journal is a peer reviewed one ? I’m suspicious of GMOs but i really want to have heavy evidence about its risks.1. Ten Scientific Studies Show that Genetically Modified Food Can Be Harmful To Human Health http://www.globalresearch.ca/ten-scientific-studies-proving-gmos-can-be-harmful-to-human-health/53770542. (another) Study Shows Dramatic Correlation Between GMO and 22 Diseases http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/its-worse-imagined-study-shows-dramatic-correlation-between-gmos-and-22-diseasesThis study points out research that has shown, “glyphosate disrupts the ability of animals, including humans, to detoxify xenobiotics. This means that exposures to the numerous chemicals in food and the environment, such as endocrine disrupting chemicals and carcinogens, could be causing levels of damage that would not occur if the body were able to detoxify them.”One of the graphs presented at the above link is copied here, relating the frequency of diabetes (the yellow bars) over time to the increasing rate of glyphosate application and to increasing GMO production. The green line is the rate diabetes would have been predicted to develop had glyphosate not been incorporated into the food chain.Thanks for the reply, i hope to look at these studies in future.Poor little rats. Their lives are short, brutish and nasty.Uh, monsanto. My sister-in-law is a microbiologist for Monsanto. I always joke that she has drunk the kook-aide because she thinks they are doing god’s work. She is 100% sincere, it’s scary. But you’re right. These herbicides are killing the environment. My s-in-law does feel bad about the bees though. She said and I quote “they’re screwed.”So i think we’re screwed too…Well, her argument is that honey bees aren’t native here, so oh well.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061211220927.htmThanks for the reply.What does she eat? Bee pollination is responsible for a minimum of 1/3 of our agricultural products, and it might be 2/3. She has no argument.Canadian Beekeepers Sue Bayer and Syngenta for $450M over Neonicotinoid Pesticides http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_30862.cfmhttp://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/canadian-beekeepers-sue-bayer-and-syngenta-over-neonicotinoid-pesticides-1.2754441The proposed class action lawsuit ($450M now, started at $400M) was filed in the Ontario Superior Court on behalf of all Canadian beekeepers by Sun Parlor Honey Ltd. and Munro Honey, two of Ontario’s largest honey producers, the Ontario Beekeepers Association announced Wednesday. “The goal is to stop the use of the neonicotinoids to stop the harm to the bees and the beekeepers,” said Paula Lombardi, a lawyer with Ontario-based law firm Siskinds LLP, which is handling the case. The lawsuit alleges that Bayer Cropscience Inc. and Syngenta Canada Inc. and their parent companies were negligent in their design, manufacture, sale and distribution of neonicotinoid pesticides, specifically those containing imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiomethoxam.I don’t know, but how much of the GMO production goes to animals ? I think that if animal foods will become a little part of our diet, GMO products will fall off the market as well.Presently, the vast majority goes to animal feed and ethanol production. GM sweet corn and wheat never got off the ground, and even for soy, niche (and hence uneconomic for GMO modification) cultivars are used for edamane and often soymilk/tofu production.However, eat anything with one of the zillions of corn wet milling products; soy, canola, and cottonseed oils, sugar beet sugar, or unblemished papayas, and its likely a GM crop was involved. In many cases, the actual processing (to cornstarch, refined oil, or granulated sugar) tends to remove less desirable compounds. However, most of these highly refined ingredients shouldn’t be a significant part of any ideal healthy diet.Universal adoption of a whole plant based diet would largely eliminate most current GM products.Thanks… it seems that one diet (WFPB) could solve many issues of our world.Yes, not to mention:http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6294Interesting information thanks !Darryl, are frozen sweet corn kernels then generally non-GM?GM sweet corn exists, but its been a market flop for Monsanto. 2-3% of sweet corn on the market in the U.S., though around 35% on the Canadian market.The absence of glyphosate on the conventional / non-organic crops indicates that glyphosate does naturally degrade in the environment and overspray/runoff into adjacent fields isn’t a common issue. The question then becomes are the residual levels of glyphosate from late season applications meaningful for human health, and how do these health effects compare with those of residual levels of herbicides used in conventional/non-GMO (2,4-D, atrazine, etc) and organic agriculture.There’s also the issue of whether we accept the tradeoff of some glyphosate residue in return for fewer tilled acres and less soil erosion from deep plowing. No-till agriculture may make the difference between arable land and dust in a few decades, in some areas. Obviously, the best solution would be to move to plant based diets, and also away from food-based fuels like corn, ethanol, to reduce the acreage impact of humanity and permit sustainable more organic practices with near current populations.If we are to truly talk about the “best solution” the first step would be to eliminate ag subsidies in all of the advanced nations. Then food products would rise in value and that would then warrant investment in countries that desperately need to develop their ag infrastructure. Nations such as Kenya for example have suitable soil and weather conditions for growing cotton but… the value of cotton has been held down via subsidies, and so, the development of the necessary infrastructure is not profitable. There is also vast amounts of land in tropical countries that can now be made fertile with biochar, and in many cases there is more than ample water available, but most tropical nations lack the financial resources to invest accordingly. But if food were being produced more locally, some of the cost increases would be offset by lower shipping costs.Naturally though, there are those who argue that higher food prices will do more harm than good. However, higher food prices would also alleviate the obesity and other diet-related disease problems plaguing the advanced nations, while providing more opportunities for poor folks who should have the option of producing ag products. Then too, higher food prices would make higher wages more necessary and at a time when too much wealth has been ‘trickling’ upward to begin with. Ultimately then, nearly all of humanities fixable problems can be linked to the fact that MNCs simply have too much influence over governments. But as things stand, a corn producing conglomerate in Iowa can undercut a Mexican peasant who delivers his crop to a local market on the back of a donkey. But that is only possible because the MNC pays little or no taxes in the US or in Mexico, and the ag subsidies can provide not only crop insurance, but also a guarantee of of ROI and that guarantee keeps interest rates low. So, in the end, Wall Streeters gain, ‘again’, while the poor lose. (this policy also keeps the world’s labor markets over-saturated with those who can’t compete, and who can’t compete with the same competitors who benefit from low labor costs)“Then too, higher food prices would make higher wages more necessary and at a time when too much wealth has been ‘trickling’ upward to begin with”Can you explain this at all? Do you mean higher wages in the food sector specifically, or higher wages generally. Because if Jane is paying Bob extra inSure. Higher prices, whether for food or whatever, can be allowed for by lower profits that in turn allow for higher wages. But of course that is rarely considered, even though productivity gains have been going to employers, as opposed to going to employees, for decades.Naturally, as the common argument goes, higher food prices hurt the poor. The truth is though, higher food prices also create opportunities for the poor as they become producers. Thus, the poor have options… and that forces employers to pay more for labor as some workers leave the labor market. Then, large producers profit less as the increased competition from ex-workers limits the large producers ability to pass on the cost increases to the consumer. And, as a larger percentage of the poor produce their own food, they are no longer subjected to the cost increases as consumers. In broad terms then, the laws of supply and demand play a central role in labor markets, and by limiting the options of workers, labor markets serve the interests of those who benefit from cheap labor. A great example of how these dynamics affect values, is that of how difficult it was for the USA to compete with Britain during the 19th century. Then, the British ‘subject’ lacked the options of the American citizen, most of which were in the ag sector, and US manufacturers could not therefore compete with their British counterparts in regards to labor costs. Anyone doubting this only need to study the transcripts from the debates in Congress in regards to tariffs and etc (the Tariff Act of 1816 is especially interesting because it stands out as the beginning of the rift between the North and the South).I so agree with this. Once studies are done (properly) to assess whether or not the direct application from the residue on food to humans is harmful or not, then we still should do as you say and try to reduce the amount of land needed for agriculture. No more plants for food-animals would help immensely, as would no more plants for fuel like you said. I also think we should start utilizing a lot of the up and coming hydroponics that allow plants to be grown in any basement or building.Perhaps the study was done before Monsanto upped the amount of glyphosate on conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. Now the amounts of herbicides have increased 200 fold according to the paper,Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans.There is a lot of excellent and very readable information in the beginning of the paper, which is located at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814613019201 The soy beans studied were from Iowa, USA.I’m eating a plant based diet, but now Monsanto has petitioned the Obama Administration and won the de-regulation of Russet potatoes from regulation. Certain Russets will be genetically modified and may show up in your grocery or supermarket. This will make the food shortage greater as more and more people seek out organically grown crops. Go to: sustainablepulse.com/2014/11/08/food-safety-experts-slam-usda-gm-potato-approval/#.VGZgdclZjWAGlyphosate does NOT naturally degrade. It is found in our drinking water, I surface waters, even in precipitation.It may mean that the study gathered data before crops were sprayed again for “ripening” in conventional agriculture. One of the articles by Bohn et al attests to that fact.Organic agriculture does not allow the use of toxic herbicides such as Roundup, 2,4-D, Glufosinate, and others. Any pesticides used in organic have to be approved by the National Organic Standards Board first. The law was written to avoid lobbying of the chemical interests, something on which the Obama Administration repeatedly ignores and is taken to court by the Center for Food Safety. CFS wins in most cases which keeps organic healthier than conventional foods, also called Natural by the USDA’s Tom Vilsack, a Monsanto shill, and Michael Taylor (Monsanto VP) and Food Czar at the FDA for the Obama Administration. This administration is full of Monsanto lobbyists, many left over from the administration of Bush-Cheney, according to P.E.E.R.Organic consumers have had problems with the Secretary of Agriculture stacking the NOSB with corporations which were once small organic farms, but grew large and were bought out by mega corporations. For example, Earthbound Farms was sold to White Wave for $600 million in December 2013 and now sits on the National Organic Standards Board repeatedly making policy decisions on synthetic ingredients in organic food. Are its decisions made in behalf of the organic food industry, organic consumers, or its new owners? White Wave was a spinoff of Dean Foods, who repeatedly allowed GM ingredients in some of its organic foods under the Bush-Cheney Administration. For more acquisitions of the organic food industry by non-organic and questionable corporations, see: http://www.cornucopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Organic-chart-feb-2014.jpgLast year, USDA Secretary undermined the Rule of the Law, and jumped over the NOSB, talking instead to agro-chemical lobbyists and added questionable inert ingredients to the National List. The NOSB at their next public meeting showed great anger, according to the watchdog group, the Cornucopia Institute. Check out there web sight. Important information may be there.For those who still eat or drink soy beverages even though a vast amount is herbicide resistant and Roundup has been identified in non-organic seeds at what Monsanto determined to be “Extreme” before they upped the amount used now on crops. http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/05/soy-report-and-scorecard/There is only one soy product that I repeatedly buy. But I have been mad ill twice because of contamination. I don’t drink the soy milk, but use it to wet my cereal. Small is safer. None is better still. However, the soy milk I buy does not contain carrageenan which is a big plus, Because that also makes me sick. http://www.cornucopia.org/shopping-guide-to-avoiding-organic-foods-with-carrageenan/ My husband set up my raised bed, but it is not in a sunny location due to his arrogance. “The vegetables will have to adapt he claims, but won’t listen to reason or read what experts say. So whenever I can afford it again, some trees have to be trimmed big time money will come out of my pocket.While Dr. Greger is free to not evaluate genetically engineered organisms with regard to areas “outside the area of my expertise” there is an important reason for the discussion to include areas that may be outside of his expertise. One such area (which in fact does not require much expertise) revolves around a very simple question – “Do I have the right not to be experimented on”? With that in mind please read the following by Noam Chomsky:The principle is that the powerful and the privileged have to be able to do what they wantIn general the principle of the World Trade Organization, the primary principle, and related treaties, is that sovereignty and democratic rights have to be subordinated to the rights of investors. In practice that means the rights of the huge immortal persons, the private tyrannies to which people must be subordinated. These are among the issues that led to the remarkable events in Seattle. But in some ways, a lot of ways, the conflict between popular sovereignty and private power was illuminated more sharply a couple of months after Seattle, in Montreal, where an ambiguous settlement was reached on the so-called “biosafety protocol.” There the issue was very clearly drawn. Quoting the New York Times, a compromise was reached “after intense negotiations that often pitted the United States against almost everyone else” over what’s called “the precautionary principle.” What’s that? Well the chief negotiator for the European Union described it this way: “Countries must be able to have the freedom, the sovereign right, to take precautionary measures with regard” to genetically altered seed, microbes, animals, crops that they fear might be harmful. The United States, however, insisted on World Trade Organization rules. Those rules are that an import can be banned only on the basis of scientific evidence.Notice what’s at stake here. The question that’s at stake is whether people have the right to refuse to be experimental subjects. So, to personalize it, suppose the biology department at the university were to walk in and tell you, “You folks have to be experimental subjects in an experiment we’re carrying out, where we’re going to stick electrodes in your brain and see what happens. You can refuse, but only if you provide scientific evidence that it’s going to harm you.” Usually you can’t provide scientific evidence. The question is, do you have a right to refuse? Under World Trade Organization rules, you don’t. You have to be experimental subjects. It’s a form of what Edward Herman has called “producer sovereignty.” The producer reigns; consumers have to somehow defend themselves. That works domestically, too, as he pointed out. It’s not the responsibility, say, of chemical and pesticide industries to prove that what they’re putting into the environment is safe. It’s the responsibility of the public to prove scientifically that it’s unsafe, and they have to do this through underfunded public agencies that are susceptible to industry influence through lobbying and other pressures.It’s all about control isn’t it? They control food, water, land, air, medical care, education, information, etc. Just keep the masses distracted/addicted with amusements and any side issue while we do what we want. And if it eliminates some so what.Yes, but also its about recruiting soldiers, and this aspect is paramount. The Viet Nam conflict showed that when the average citizen has options he or she is reluctant to ‘serve’. So, it is much more deliberate than just controlling via amusements. For example, the Immigration Act of 1965 increased immigration levels and the US has since allowed in more immigrants than ever before, and that isn’t including the illegal immigrants who have also been accommodated, and in an unprecedented way, anywhere. This during a period when the Triffin Dilemma made it obvious that the US must choose between continuing to promote its currency as the world reserve currency, or it must relinquish its powerhouse status as a manufacturer/exporter. In other words, an understanding of the Triffin Dilemma, combined with an honest assessment of what the reserve currency status is worth (the potential for global domination and a ‘get out of jail free card’ every time the global economy falters), and especially when the dollars’ value received extensive support from the petro-fix, made military backing of the status itself…vital. So, the control is vastly more comprehensive than what most folks are able to understand. But in part, this is what ‘governing’ is. There is always the ‘us or them’ question. But those who believe that ‘freedom’ is what they are fighting for, well…they are the ‘controlled’.Yes, that’s What’s it about. Now what to do about what it’s about? Find a way and pursue it. Passivity is acquiescence – that’s why this nightmare has progressed so far. They are aggressive, relentless, mendacious and rapacious. In other words, the biotech industry is a wolf and we are lambs. Find a phone booth and change your clothes.Yes! It is about control by the biotech companies of countries all over the world, and the countries are controlling the public. Presumably, he/she who controls the best, will get the most healthy foods. In the USA, the Obama Administration has been killing endangered species to either grow GM crops on public lands, while opening National Parks to hunting wildlife for those wanting more options to live animals. They are destroying animal families because the GOP and some Democrats don’t trust eating the GMO gritty crap they are selling to the American people.The flu vaccination and most of the medicines are now becoming genetically modified, herbs are being sought and changed from healthy to potentially toxic, antibiotic resistant bacteria in livestock are rampant, and to “protect both the American people and the biotech-pesticide giants, the USDA is requiring “pasteurization of organic everything, nuts, seeds, etc. to cook out the antibiotic resistant bacteria.We cannot possibly grow all our own food, and even it we could pollen moves quickly even without bees and pollinators. It moves on the wind taking the foreign dna along for a ride. It’s eliminating more than some of our food. Monsanto plans to change the dna of every plant on the Planet Earth and they are on their way all over the world! The bigger they become, the smaller we become in our power to take back our food supply.I bought an Organic Mattress, because the Memory Foam mattresses to me reeked of petrochemical herbicides. It cost me a bundle, but I’m trying to protect my health the best I can. Now the USDA, FDA (with Monsanto at the helm as “Food Czar” and EPA are stamping out new foods, fibers, trees, and pesticides as fast as the biotech pesticide industry wants them. Monsanto is now using glyphosate, dicamba and 2,4-D both contaminated with dioxins, and the latter contaminated with the most toxic form of dioxin, 2,3,7,8-TCDD such as came from Agent Orange, chemical plant explosions in Italy and across the USA, and wherever chemical companies are manufacturing organochlorinated pesticides, PVC plastics and ther chlorinated plastics. Even some plastics are now GM. I’m glad I’m 72, but I worry about our daughter and our 3 year old grandson who are doing the best they can to raise a healthy family. Even their pets our mine are eating organic cat and dog food. This means No GM corn or soy as ingredients or fed to livestock. Unfortunately, it’s raining Roundup all over Earth, wherever this toxic agriculture prevails.Oh, forgot to mention, another herbicide used by Monsanto, Glufosinate. According to the editor of the Journal for Pesticide Reform, a publication for the Northwest Coalition for Alternatves to Pesticides: “Glufosinate kills plants by inhibiting the enzyme glutamine synthetase, an enzyme also found in animals including humans. Glufosinate chemically resembles glutamine, a molecule used to transmit nerve impulses in the brain. Neurotoxic symptoms observed in laboratory animals following ingestion, dermal exposure, or inhalation of glufosinate include convulsions, diarrhea, aggressiveness, and disequilibrium.Dogs appear to be the laboratory animal most sensitive to glufosinate. Ingestion of glufosinate for two weeks caused heart and circulatory failure resulting in death. Exposure of pregnant laboratory animals to glufosinate caused an increase in premature delivery, miscarriages, the number of dead fetuses, and arrested development of fetal kidneys.Concentrations of a glufosinate-containing herbicide of less than one part per million cause mortality of oyster and clam larvae.Several species of disease-causing fungi are resistant to glufosinate, while a beneficial fungi that parasitizes disease-causing fungi is very susceptible to glufosinate. This means that use of glufosinate can have “important microbiological consequences.”Full article at: http://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/glufosinateThis newsletter was published in 1996. However, between then and 2007 during the Bush-Cheney administration, all studies at the EPA library that corporations did not like were removed and the library was closed. Not only did they disappear from the EPA library, but the Library of Congress, the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences at the National Institutes of Health, and the Library of Medicine data bases, but even some disappeared from the World Health Organization’s Institute for the Research on Cancer taken by the corporations who fund the Republican Party.For more information, go to P.E.E.R. and search for EPA Library closures. Peer said some of the files that disappeared were updated information on the pesticides to be used with biotechnology. Perhaps, this is the reason the US government rubberstamps pesticide renewals. Without studies,which were abolished by Bush and Cheney, there are no regulations/ no controls to better protect public health…only corporate welfare.You are very correct. This is the big picture… and I hope more people, here in U.S., & around the world, start reading, learning, and caring. Our average people, citizens are at greater and greater risk from a group of inhumanely greedy corporate & government “people”. I am encouraged & enjoying all the very intelligent, knowledgeable folks and comments posted here. Thanks to you all. I’ve learned much in discovering this wonderful site tonight. And thank you to Dr. Greger & the NF team.Dear Dr. Greger,I came into a research: “Saturated fats and heart disease link ‘unproven'” at the Daily Telegraph. The link is here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/behindtheheadlines/news/2014-03-18-saturated-fats-and-heart-disease-link-unproven/I was wondering whether you (or someone) can address this issue. Is there a large study that states clearly that saturated fat and large omega 6 to 3 ratio are linked to heart disease? (in some way)Many thanksThis won’t answer your questions but might help. Eating a whole food diet means no extracted oil. If you do that and keep calories from fat to less than 10% from fat, then you reap benefit. That is the mountain. If the meta analysis was done on people eating the usual high fat foods typically found in western diets then everyone is in the same boat and differences become indistinguishable.On top of the mountain is a molehill: If you make further adjustment by eating high omega3 foods or supplement then there may be benefit from this fine tuning of ratios…did you see Darryl’s comment below?Great question! I have videos coming out on just that topic–can’t wait for you to see them!Pending Dr Greger’s videos, you may find it useful to read the critique of this study (and a rather similar previous one published in 2010) which can be found here:http://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/2014/03/saturated-fat-heart-disease-meta-analysis.htmlMore recently (27 Oct 2014) Harvard School of Public Health issued a media release about a new meta-analysis which shows that replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats reduces the risk of heart disease. See:http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/replacing-saturated-fat-with-polyunsaturated-fat-linked-with-lower-risk-of-heart-disease/Dear Dr. Greger: Of course that the pesticides introduce with the modify genes are damaging, but we do not know all the changes in the metabolism of the plants with the introduction of this genes and how this changes can affect humans.I am afraid for you, Doctor. Please be careful, very careful. U r on thin ice.An article with some interesting links:http://www.alternet.org/food/dangerous-truth-about-gmos-monsanto-desperate-hideDr. Avila Vazquez blamed the biotech agricultural corporations for placing their profits over the public’s health:“The tobacco companies denied the link between smoking and cancer, and took decades to recognize the truth. The biotech and agrochemical corporations are the same as the tobacco industry; they lie and favor business over the health of the population.”The truth in a nutshell….a cover for a healthy food.note: the tobacco companies recognized the truth…but kept it from the population?The 2014 source cited “T Bohn, M Cuhra, T Traavik, M Sanden, J Fagan, R Primicerio. Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans. Food Chem. 2014 Jun 15;153:207-15.” has come under criticism.http://www.skeptiforum.org/a-critical-review-of-compositional-differences-in-soybeans-on-the-market-glyphosate-accumulates-in-roundup-ready-gm-soybeans-bohn-t-et-al-2014/Moreover others are saying that a 70 Kg person would have to eat 42 Kgs of GMO Soy to get enough glyphosphane to breach the EPA safely guidelines.thanks, AdrianIs this time to give up? Just heard that a vascular surgeon on our local hospital is on Atkins diet !? I also know an orthopedic surgeon who believes in high animal protein diet (well he is an orthopedic surgeon, so I dont know what to expect :-) ) My conclusion: The way to a healthy eating society is NOT through M.D.`s. Regarding health most doctors are morons….they know a lot about treating disease, but nothing about staying healthy…..Yes, and I assume you can attest to how much nutritional education MD’s get in med school (any ?)Unfortunately, almost nothing….Before I fractured my spine in 2012, I ate organic chicken, turkey, and wild salmon. But my bad cholesterol was out of control as well as other health damage occurred whenever I ate meat. Now the pain has disappeared and I’m getting stronger. No pain, low cholesterol levels, no heart murmur as long as I avoid food from animals. For me, it’s worth AVOIDING the severe side effects of eating potentially toxic food and then NEEDING GM pharms with really bad side effects and more pain. Even though I ate only organic, the meat itself was toxic to my body. Everything hurts when the spine is fractured. It does not hurt when I eat organic produce and beans and quinoa. I can heal my bones faster by eating collards, beans, nuts or seeds (sparingly) and a colorful diet full of fiber, And because I can absorb the nutrients better, I break bones less often. To avoid toxic biologics is a win-win for me!Thanks for sharing!Susan I so agree with you. I got “educated” a while after getting diagnosed with diabetes, and within 3 weeks after going WFPB I was no longer needing medication, but that was just the beginning! A short time later the severe arthritis, numerous back issues and fibromyalgia I had suffered from and eventually resorted to taking narcotics for, began to improve, my “worn out” knees that caused me to use a cane started functioning again and in about six months I was off all meds, eventually lost half my body weight and started biking! It’s been nothing short of a miracle to finally find the right way to eat!Food for thought Genetically modified organisms are ancient, technologically speaking. There’s a new technology on the scene, adding a twist to the already complicated conversation about GMOs in our food: synthetic biology.http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/10/03/353024980/gmos-are-old-hat-synthetically-modified-food-is-the-new-frontier?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=foodHi Dr. Greger. Given the latest science, are you still standing by your earlier statement that the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables even if non organic and pesticide ridden far outweighs the risks? I love eating cheap frozen strawberries. They are unlabelled so I think they’re conventionally grown. Thanks!“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks. ” http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/There are numerous scientific studies done around the world on genetically modified glyphosate (herbicide) resistant soybeans. You can get the names of the studies and a summary at gmoevidence.com. The papers have found Roundup (labeled ingredient, glyphosate) causes birth defects in FARM animals including piglets http://www.gmoevidence.com/dr-kru%CC%88ger-glyphosate-increases-birth-defects-in-pigs/ and humans. With the humans: “In 2002, two years after the first big harvests of RR soy in the country (of Argentina), residents and doctors in soy producing areas began reporting serious health effects from glyphosate spraying, including high rates of birth defects as well as infertility, stillbirths, miscarriages, and cancers.”I could not find the 2002 issue of Fr. Peter’s Environmental Notes online, the citation for this quote, which is at: http://www.gmoevidence.com/argentina-birth-defects-from-gm-soy/Glyphosate has been identified as an endocrine disruptor: Toxicology. 2009 Aug 21;262(3):184-91. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2009.06.006. Epub 2009 Jun 17. Glyphosate-based herbicides are toxic and endocrine disruptors in human cell lines. Gasnier C1, Dumont C, Benachour N, Clair E, Chagnon MC, Séralini GE. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19539684Some studies suggest glyphosate causes breast cancer _ check at PubMed.As fast as the scientific studies are being pumped out, the US government ignores the studies and deregulates more genetically modified grit! As of October 17, 2014, three varieties of Russet potatoes used in French fries and animal feed will be GM and released into the marketplace with a rubber stamp. http://sustainablepulse.com/2014/11/08/food-safety-experts-slam-usda-gm-potato-approval/#.VGZgdclZjWAThat’s gly-pho-sate, no “glyphosphate”. The USDA reports the presence of residues measured and they occasionally find up to 20 mg/kg. However, is rare. The paper by Bohn et al contains several authors that always find a problem with GM crops. Not to question their data, but it is good to note that they are the only folks on the planet that find such things and other independent labs don’t repeat their results. It contrasts slightly with my opening comment, as you can find some glyphosate if you look hard enough. However, this stuff is about as safe as you can get for an ag chemical, and the amounts found are biologically irrelevant based on everything we know about it.I don’t think this is a just an issue about pesticide issues. The DNA of the food is changed significantly. You are what you eat, and when tomatoes are modified with frog DNA to resist the effects of cold/freezing during transport and storage in the winter, well, it has to make you wonder. There is certainly concern of genetically modifed fish eggs that my country has approved and exported. That can change the world’s largest ecosystem. Permanently.Not to distract from the importance of the pesticide risk, but if you look at the top GMOs in the pipeline for Monsanto, they are Mendel’s yield and drought tolerant soy/corn. So these companies are looking at it – probably not just strongly enough.Thanks to Joseph for linking me to the 4 GMO videos here. I was unable to find them by searching for GMO. Now if we could have one which addresses the question of the day. “Are those Glyphosate residues something to be concerned about?”Dr. Greger,Have you seen the most recent lawsuit against Monsanto? http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/monsanto-hit-with-class-action-lawsuit-for-false-advertising-heres-how-you-can-join/The suit claims that glyphosate IS toxic to humans, specifically to our gut flora.The suit seems to be based on information discussed in this article by Stephanie Seneff–perhaps the suit was even spurred by this article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/#CIT0193The gist of the suit, and article, is that glyphosate robs us of critical gut bacteria and the nutrients they create. This is from the article: “Glyphosate suppresses 5-enolpyruvylshikimic acid-3-phosphate synthase (EPSP synthase), the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of the aromatic amino acids, tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine, in the shikimate pathway of bacteria, archaea and plants (de María et al., 1996). In plants, aromatic amino acids collectively represent up to 35% of the plant dry mass (Franz, 1997). This mode of action is unique to glyphosate among all emergent herbicides. Humans do not possess this pathway, and therefore we depend upon our ingested food and our gut microbes to provide these essential nutrients. Glyphosate, patented as an antimicrobial (Monsanto Technology LLC, 2010), has been shown to disrupt gut bacteria in animals, preferentially killing beneficial forms and causing an overgrowth of pathogens.” She cites an article showing celiac-like symptoms in fish exposed to glyphosate: “Thus, the evidence from this effect on fish suggests that glyphosate may interfere with the breakdown of complex proteins in the human stomach, leaving larger fragments of wheat in the human gut that will then trigger an autoimmune response, leading to the defects in the lining of the small intestine that are characteristic of these fish exposed to glyphosate and of celiac patients.“Your videos, as far as I know, do not discuss this possible impact of glyphosate. In fact, the video above indicates that glyphosate is not toxic to human tissue; it is the cocktail of chemicals in RoundUp that is toxic. Perhaps a video on this gut flora angle is warranted?Also, I discovered via the article in question that glyphosate is used pre-harvest to dessicate, i.e., dry out, soybeans, corn, all types of grains, sunflower seeds, etc. This apparently increases yields by reducing moisture that causes rot, fungus, and sprouting. Here is an article by Monsanto on it. See page 22: http://www.monsanto.com/products/documents/glyphosate-background-materials/agronomic%20benefits%20of%20glyphosate%20in%20europe.pdfSee also: http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/28429.pdf file:///C:/Users/review/Downloads/GRDC_FS_Pre-harvest%20herbicide%20pdf.pdfSnopes.com doubts some of the claims made by Seneff in her article, specifically how often glyphosate is used to desiccate: http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/roundupwheat.aspSo glyphosate is sprayed on living, Roundup ready crops, to kill surrounding weeds. Because it is a systemic chemical, it is absorbed by the RoundUp-ready plants, and accumulates in their tissue. Then, once these Roundup-ready crops are done growing, the glyphosate is sprayed on the “dead” seeds to reduce moisture content. We’re getting a double dosing it seems. We eat these plants directly, or indirectly by way of processed oils, sugars (cane and corn syrup); processed foods in general; and by eating animal products from livestock and fish fed these grains and legumes.Is there a connection with the widespread use of glyphosate/RoundUp and the explosion of some illnesses within the last few decades? Monanto patented glyphosate in 1970, and began marketing RoundUp around 1974. Asthma, autism, celiac disease, gluten intolerance, etc., have soared. Stephanie Seneff believes so, as do others. There does seem to be some correlation with the use of glyphosate and recent illnesses. http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1307044/ http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/Swanson_et_al_2014.pdfIn sum, perhaps you can address the claims made in the suit and the Seneff article regarding glyphosate.Best,Neil	glyphosate,GMO,industry influence,Monsanto,organic foods,pesticides,Roundup,soy,soybeans	Genetically engineered soybeans have significantly higher pesticide residues than organic or conventional non-GMO soy.	Make sure to see the next two follow-up videos (can subscribe for free here): Is Monsanto’s Roundup Pesticide Glyphosate Safe? and GMO Soy and Breast Cancer.What about the other GMO component of farm animal feed, Bt corn? See my last video Are GMOs Safe? The Case of Bt CornWhy do we subsidize animal feed more than fruits and vegetables? Check out my video Taxpayer Subsidies for Unhealthy Foods.What happens when food industries self-regulate? See, for example:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/monsanto/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/roundup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glyphosate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gmo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21338670,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24491722,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15727008,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17608426,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21898904,
PLAIN-2524	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-gmos-safe-the-case-of-bt-corn/	Are GMOs Safe? The Case of Bt Corn	Recently the prominent science journal, Nature, editorialized that we are now swimming in information about genetically modified crops, but that much of that information is wrong— on both sides of the debate. But a lot of this incorrect information is sophisticated, backed by legitimate-sounding research and written with certitude, quipping that with GMOs, a good gauge of a statement’s fallacy is the conviction with which it is delivered.To many in the scientific community, GMO concerns are dismissed as one big conspiracy theory. In fact, one item in a psychological test of belief in conspiracy theories asked people if they believed food companies would have the audacity of being dishonest about genetically modified food. The study concluded that many people were cynical and skeptical with regard to advertising tricks, as well as the tactics of organizations like banks and alcohol, drug, and tobacco companies. That doesn’t sound like conspiracy theory to me, that sounds like doing business.Minorities are blamed for conspiracist ideation for crackpot theories about AIDS, but we must remember there is a long legacy of scientific misconduct. Throw in a multi-billion dollar industry, and one can imagine how hard it is to get to the truth of the matter. There are social, environmental, economic, food security, and biodiversity arguments pro and con about GMOs, but those are outside my area of expertise so I’m going to stick to food safety, and as a physician I’m a very limited veterinarian, in that I only know one species, human beings, so will skip the lab animal data, which may inform what to feed one’s pet rat, but not necessarily what to feed one’s family. What human data do we have about GMO safety?This study was purportedly to confirm DNA from genetically modified crops can be transferred into humans who eat them, but that’s not what the study found, just that plant DNA in general may be found in the human bloodstream with no stipulations of harm.This study, however, did find a GMO crop protein in people, detected in 93% of blood samples of pregnant women, 80% of umbilical cord blood, and 69% of sample from nonpregnant women. The toxin they’re talking about is an insecticidal protein produced by Bt bacteria whose gene was inserted into the corn’s DNA to create so-called Bt corn, which has been incorporated into animal feed. If it’s mainly in animal feed, how did it get into the women? They suggested it may be through exposure to contaminated meat.Of course why get GMOs second-hand when you can get them directly? The next great frontier is transgenic farm animals. A genetically modified salmon was first to vie for a spot at the dinner table. And then in 2010, transgenic cows, sheep, goats and pigs were created, genetically modified for increased muscle mass. Frankenfurters, one might say, are based off the so-called mighty mouse model.But back to children of the corn and their mothers, when they say it’s a toxin, it’s a toxin to corn worms, not necessarily to people. In fact I couldn’t find any data linking Bt toxin to human harm, which is a good thing since it’s considered one of the few pesticides considered so nontoxic it is sprayed on organic fruits and vegetables.	Journal of Animal Science 88(2):811-4. appears to have a bad link.Thanks, Richard! I’ve updated the link.Finally, my favorite doctor is making a video about GMO food. I’ve been waiting for this for a while.. I know the opinions of Dr McDougall and frankly I think he’s right, people are overly concerned about GMO and this create hysteria sometimes, they may tried to avoid it as much as possible while being obese and still consuming animals food (same thing happen with gluten). But GMO cannot be restrained to human health only, what about environnement issue and monopoly issue (the ability of patenting life and so on) ? If we want to see the big picture on this subject we cannot restrain ourselves just on the human data or even not on the scientific literature.. Beside, we start to do study human data when we have clue that it might be hazardous to health based on animal data, but what if animal data are bias, censored or even pulled back from the scientific literature ? When they are not going in the “good” way, due to lobbying. Because this is really what happened here in France with the Séralini study. I already talked about this in a previous post here on this website.I’m curious, what would think a independant person – like Dr greger – on this sensitive subject ?I real all I see od Dr. McDougall’s work. I subscribe to his newsletter, and occasionally correspond via email. If he stated he thinks people are overly concerned about GMO’s well them I missed it. Frankly, those don’t even sound like words he’d use. “people overly concerned”. My opinion is the pro GMO crowd manipulates the good doctors who point out the problems with GMO by steering the conversation to ‘IS GMO Good or Bad?” They can argue that until the cows come home…and continue to dominate our food source while doing so. Frankly, I’m suspicious of any GMO article that does not state clearly the intended purpose for creating GMO seeds. Once you understand their motive, the rest is almost a side issue.You see, Roundup and other poisons were made stronger to kill the mutant superbugs…the ones that survived the first Roundup formulation. Those bugs bred more superbugs so in response Monsanto made even stronger poisons, and stronger chemical killer, Roundup. the only problem is the stronger poisons also killed the plants! Monsanto upped their ante by genetically modifying the plants so they could survive the stronger poisons …the ones that kill the super bugs. So, the first question I ask is, “Are the new stronger bug killers on my GMO plants healthy for ME?The modified plant is of concern but it’s just a smoke screen hiding the root problem, very strong poisons on our food…err I should say, “On YOUR food”. That’s the discussion not being had.Yes Dr McDougall said it at the end of a lecture during the Q and A segment. He said he thinks it’s a distraction from the main issues.“Distraction from the main issues” is not the same as “people overreact to GMO’s” My main issue with GMO’s is Monsanto should not be designing foods so they can tolerate Monsanto’s new, even more poisonous chemicals. Change the poison, not the food. Maybe that was Dr. McDougall’s main issue too?His main issue was there are many other issues to be concerned about. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease.. The GMO issue distracts from other deadly issues that we know the solution to.We know the solution to GMO’s too (don’t do it).I’m not distracted by GMO’s. I just add it to my list of affronts to American’s by a few billionaires, an inept government, and scared politicians. You are right, however, the solutions are KNOWN. That’s why I keep saying poor health is a political issue, not a medical one. Government policy ruins American’s health. The same policy that sells formulated food, and insures te3h medical, and supporting industries are prosperous, kills millions of Americans. The ruthless food processors sell American’s all sorts of nastiness barred from less politically immoral countries. Other’s see a problem and ban the food. Here, we study it to infinity so the billionaires can keep the easy money rolling in.One day, when the time is right, we’ll all be switched to plant foods designed by Monsanto without them risking loss of profits…only then will all agree plant food is better. But by then who will remember heritage seeds? By then society will be dumbed down to the Rachael Ray mindset…”I’m fixin fried pork chops with white beans and sausage for hubby ’cause that’s what he likes.”Beans are good, fried pork chops and sausage are foods for an early grave. Where are the healthy nutritious and fiber rich vegetables and fruit. Most of what I see you serving is animal fat full of dioxins and fat soluble pesticides.Your crystal ball is malfunctioning. I have not eaten meat in 30 years. I plant three organic gardens each year.how wonderful to be able to grow your own!I’m not in sunny California but we can still grow three gardens by planting cool weather crops in the spring and fall, like cabbage and beets. The regular summer garden is the heat loving plants like tomatoes and corn. Anyone can garden but many don’t try because they get off to a bad start adding up the cost of chemicals and seeds. Organic gardening is cheap. The soil is maintained fertile with waste and seeds are saved (free) from our heritage plants. Most serious gardeners have surplus every year.I subscribe to a magazine called “Food Manufacturing Insider” (They are shamelessly calling it ” food manufacturing”.) Granny canned food and preserved food but she never manufactured any.Here’s today’s headline from one of their articles:How does commercialized pumpkin spice latte ingredients differ from ingredients found in your cabinet?Commercial pumpkin spice latte ingredients focus on giving you a complete and pleasurable experience that is consistent every time and evocative of pumpkin pie and the holidays. Pumpkin spice mix contains at least 340 flavor compounds and these are not found in one’s kitchen cupboard. But the human brain can fill in the blanks, so commercial operators use about 5-10 percent of the natural blend of spices.What are some common ingredients/chemicals that are found in pumpkin spice lattes?The major and common ingredients/chemicals in pumpkin spice lattes include: cinnamic aldehydes for cinnamon, eugenol for clove or allspice, terpenes such as sabinene for nutmeg, and zingiberene for ginger. They may also contain vanillin and cyclotene for the burnt butter or maple notes to round off the flavor.Very scary stuff!If food manufacturers were feeling any pressure to not formulate food through chemistry (for humans) the industry wouldn’t be so brazen with their gluttony of industry articles promoting the use of chemicals instead of food for their products. Sad fact is, no one is watching. They are proud of using every part of the animal as human food or other products. A carnivore eats all it’s pray, I guess the food industry copied the wild carnivores, and through the magic of chemistry, learned how to make bigger batches cheaply by adding all sorts of fillers and chemicals to keep us salivating. I like to quote the comedian who ask, “Why does dish soap have real lemon and lemon pie have artificial flavoring?It’s not necessarily good to have chemical isolates of this sort in food without sufficient regulation of the industry, but basically all the things that you iterate are actually fThere’s nothing inherently “evil” about chemicals. “Evil” is a human condition. A gun isn’t evil. I’m sure we can find all sorts of chemical additives occurring naturally in plants. Human judgment as to how much and which ones should be “fortified” or concentrated” to create man-made foods is a Pandora’s box opened by a limited population out of sight of the rest of us. To argue they are already in our food (or other plants) doesn’t address the thousands of substitute foods created by money mongers who hire chemists full of themselves. The motive is money. Who can trust science to be objectively applied base on that?Just a thought. I bought and ate sandwich bread for many, many years. I used to think how wonderful it was of the Sunbeam (sandwich bread) people to ¨fortify¨ their bread for us, it was on their label. Silly, silly me. (Well, I didn´t know, there wasn´t an internet at the time.) Little did I know at the time that these kind folk had used destroyed everything good in wheat, like the fiber, vitamins, etc. when they bleached it, ground it up into finite particles (thus increasing the glycemic index from a good grain to a crap substitute food). (Well, guess Sunbeam people didn´t grind up the wheat, just used it. But the fortified business was still on their packaging.) So, after taking all the good stuff out, they added some vitamins back in, thus ¨enriching¨ it. They couldn´t add the fiber back in, because then it´d be all stiff and such. And lordy help the general population if our bread is ¨stiff¨. Really, I don´t know and don´t care who did the ¨fortifying¨, but it was such a ploy on the populace, and still is today. Now, when I see ¨fortified¨, I say, ¨yeah, you took it out in your processing, now you´re gonna put a little back in. ¨ And the whole wheat label is no assurance either. Read that label. If it says ¨fortified¨, ask yourself why? So, bread, generally speaking, to me, is composed of only ¨empty¨ calories, it´s a ¨hollow¨ food, and I avoid it. I realize that this is off topic.Jackie, as you know the wheat germ was originally removed from wheat grain so the oil could not spoil in long storage. Today the wheat germ is sold separately as “health food” for a premium price. Nothing is wasted. I think the food processors look around and see piles of waste in other industries, things that might otherwise end up as land fill, and study it to uncover how it might be used as filler in animal or human food. “Cellulose” is added to animal food…(it’s ground up wood or paper.) What are the fiber supplements sold to humans made of. That’s so bizarre! Humans don’t realize when they eat meat and dairy they are getting zero fiber because they choose the wrong food, as though nature has failed them. They are so grateful big business created fiber supplements to compliment their poor food choice. In the military (boot camp) we had 30 seconds to go to the bathroom…it was EZ. I talk about tht today and people think it was a punishment…something impossible to achieve. Little do they know that unwittingly they are revealing they have nutritional problems brought on by ignorance. A hundred, or so, years ago there was a doctor who lectured on a plant based diet. During his lecture he pulled a chunk of poo form his suit pocket and lectured on it…how his was different form meat eaters. That knowledge is not often spoken of today. Instead a mufti billion dollar empire is built on constipation. The best psychologists work for the advertising industry. They are in everyone’s head forming thoughts and making decisions. They are the true “food police”.thx for the great reply. And I love the “poo” message, as I am a fiber nut as hemorrhoidectomies “run” in my family, and I don’t want one! I aim for 40 g. a day of fiber, am happy to get 35, and no, it’s sure as heck not found in meat, or animal products. If I stray for ONE day even, It’s not fun. And I never thought about military having 30 secs. Wow. And being “way out in left field” is an understatement, I think my friends, relatives are looking for that alum. hat on my head. About the only way I can feel comfortable with people anymore is on these “health nut” blogs. I just heard today, sounds like an overstatement, that seniors over 60 take on the avg. 11 meds a day! My meds are green tea and legumes. so much for that.Lemon peel rubbed on the skin, repels mosquitoes without harmful mixed xylene isomers that are in insect repellants and damage the central nervous system and the brain.Seldom do I need to repel mosquitoes. Most lemon peels, whether a byproduct of commercial operations or used at home end up as waste….unless used as “filler” in a product.When I ate sandwich bread, I always had a mouth full of cavities which became silver and gold fillings, root canals, crowns, and now the teeth are weak and need to be replaced. Breads, like cake turns to sugar in your body. It’s a fast track to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, periodontal disease. Not a healthy way of eating. Now that I eat more veggies, beans, quinoa, seeds and a few grains now and then, I have zero cavities.Proper oral hygiene is the secret to healthy teeth and gums.True of manufactured bread, but not for homemade bread using unmodern strains of wheat I grind and using long rise sourdough methods instead of bromated flours and fast rising modified yeasts. Two completely different “creatures”!Not quite, vanillin for one is an artificial flavor, as may be some of the others. They may have nothing to do with the original spices.Vanillin is in vanilla, but can also be chemically synthesized as an artificial flavor. I looked at least as deep as wikipedia on all the compounds that I named, and suggest that you do the same.Wikipedia has a way of distorting the facts. Synthetic vanillin stands alone as a single compound. The vanilla bean has several hundred different compounds in it. How they function together as a food is different than the single man-made chemical. Wikipedia also mentions how vanilla bean is “rare”. It’s only rare in the sense more people don’t grow it. Lemons are rare in my garden. That doesn’t mean there is a shortage or they are difficult to get.Vanilla is an orchid and quite expensive to cultivate. This probably a good reason why there was so much industry cheering for chemical sLT, you can’t believe everything you read on the internet. Vanilla orchids need humidity and sunshine and they’ll thrive indoors. Or if you are a vanilla coinsure, buy the whole beans still in their pods. They may seem pricy but a little goes a long way. To measure it’s supposedly rare status just check ANY grocery store. Real vanilla extract is everywhere and reasonably priced. For rarity, try to find truffles.I am well aware of the point that these are single chemicals and that the foods which they are found generally have a far more complex mixture of similar compounds. I think I alluded to it adequately in the post to which you first responded, so I don’t get what your point is here. I’m not arguing that the practice of isolating single compounds to flavor food is good but nor am I arguing that the complex mixture is inherently more protective of health in all cases; not all spices are necessarily good for you, just because they are whole.Wikipedia gets flak, but it’s certainly a fast resource for finding some foods in which a flavoring chemical is found, and since you apparently did no research at all beyond recognizing that vanillin is used as an artificial(-ly produced) flavor, I don’t think you should be one to talk about being reliably informed.Vanilla bean is a relatively rare crop in part because it’s quite expensive to produce; the source plant is an orchid, recall, and the spice is its fairly small fermented seed pod. Synthetic vanillin produces an almost equivalent flavor at a far cheaper price, which is part of why it is so ubiquitous in the food industry, both as a proportion of the flavor in all vanilla-flavored products and as an absolute amount of flavorant in various kinds of foods that don’t strive to remind the taster of vanilla. As far as I know the chief social harm caused by vanillin is not that it’s dangerously toxic as an isolated flavoring agent; the main thing that you haven’t yet seen fit to mention is the simple fact that artificial flavors like vanillin are used to inexpensively make highly processed foods taste better, and these highly processed foods are generally unhealthy in a variety of ways when compared to their whole counterparts.I never said that the whole food wasn’t different in general or that it wasn’t possibly better due to its entourage of similar compounds (or some other difference). I think that my first reply was sufficiently clear on that. Wikipedia gets flack and contains distortions (as many sources do) but it is still relatively quick as a source of information on minor technical questions like the natural foods in which industrial flavoring chemicals are found, which was how I was purposing the site.Vanilla is certainly relatively rare and has been relatively rare historically. It derives from the fermented seedpod of an orchid, which should give a big clue that yields per plant are not so high and that the individual plants in a crop are somewhat finicky to grow. Synthetic vanillin is far cheaper and this is why there is so much more vanillin in the food supply presently. I don’t know of any clear evidence that vanillin-by-itself is harmful whereas vanilla or vanilla extract as a whole ‘food’ is clearly beneficial for health, but your commentary so far ignores a big elephant in the room and perhaps the greatest social harm of artificial flavorings; they make highly processed foods taste much better at relatively low cost, and the highly processed foods generally have a lot more important things going wrong with them from a nutritional point of view.LT, how is the reader suppose to know if your Wikipedia tidbit is based on fact, or “distortions” as you claim? I can guess without reading what you past from Wikipedia. I’d be more interested in hearing your opinion than suspect data from an unreliable source. At least yours’ is an obvious opinion.Of course imitation vanilla is cheaper. It’s not the real food and it’s just a synthetic part of the whole. I could build cars cheaper if I just used a hood, two wheels. and a rear fender.“LT, how is the reader suppose to know if your Wikipedia tidbit is based on fact, or “distortions” as you claim?”By checking their sources, no? Same business as usual, mostly.“I can guess without reading what you past from Wikipedia”Your guesses are wrong. I don’t think I have pasted anything so far. I do take care to cite sources where I can and you are entirely free to take my uncited viewpoints as an opinion of some form or another.Presuming that whole spices are automatically functional foods is what has me worried about your viewpoint, generally. The car analogy should not be used in all cases; it should only be used when earned by careful investigation of how the spice impacts bodily function.LT, wouldn’t it be better if you posted facts first instead of depending on others to vet your information? No one has time to finish your posts. It would be a waste of my time to verify each Wikipedia citation you offer, especially since you’ve already told me they get it wrong.How can you guess accurately that I have guessed wrong? Is it possible I might use my intellect and experience, and knowledge to form a valid and accurate view on some topics? If so then when you guess that I guess wrong it is YOU in fact who is wrong. Routinely I read a Wikipedia article and it does not ring true based on my knowledge. Do you suppose if I confined my guessing to writing Wikipedia articles you’d elevate my “correct” percentile based on your comfort level with citing Wikipedia and letting the reader figure out whether you guessed right as to whether Wikipedia got it right?“…especially since you’ve already told me they get it wrong.”Where did I even hint that I think that they get it all wrong in general, or that there aren’t areas in which they are quite likely to be correct?“How can you guess accurately that I have guessed wrong?”Because I know when I am pasting from wikipedia and when I am not. That is what you have definitely guessed wrong about, and the certainty that you put behind that opinion is one of several indicators about the reliability of your own reasoning processes, your ability to comprehend what another person is saying in an argument, and your ability to explain yourself.LT, You have access to all you have posted. Read objectively and you’ll see you almost “apologize” for quoting from Wikipedia. My comment followed yours so it was in context at the time. I won’t chase it now.So now you are saying Wikipedia is always accurate and reliable…even though caring teachers don’t allow it as a source. Can you imagine a PhD candidate turning in his paper citing Wikipedia as a source?I’m not aware of anything I guessed wrong about and you have not named one. Likewise, you aren’t qualified to ascertain my level of “ability to comprehend…”. Your argumentative nature is a detriment to intelligent discussion.It’s a style of communication to some extent. Recognizing that there are drawbacks to a source in terms of accuracy still doesn’t mean that the source isn’t reasonably accurate for the purpose for which I used it, and this type of ‘apology’ can be useful when your discussion partner is excoriating you for using Wikipedia as if you were oblivious to the pros and cons of doing so, and as if you were simply copying and pasting the bulk of the argument from Wikipedia articles.I’m not doing a PhD that touches on the topic of finding example spices that contain eugenol. Methinks you protest too much for a relatively uncontroversial issue, as you are hardly doing PhD level work yourself in making your arguments and I repeat that I did make some effort to ensure that the kind of information I was pulling would be reasonably accurate where I did. And I did not stop at wikipedia in all cases. To lay this matter to rest in some sense, let me quickly give some explicit Pubmed IDs that corroborate what I’m saying:eugenol in cloves: 24803704 vanillin in vanilla: 25344384 cinnemaldehyde in cinnamon: 25381741 sabinine (and eugenol) in nutmeg: 25238085 (alpha-)zingiberene in ginger: 24020099A scholarly reference for the amount of cyclotene in maple is harder to place quickly, but this gives me an opportunity to show that a lot of this is fairly common knowledge in a diverse array of popular/trade sources: http://books.google.com/books?id=1KeJCS0in_IC&pg=PA151&lpg=PA151&dq=cyclotene+%22maple+syrup%22&source=bl&ots=fPOzS095oV&sig=vBo4REEG_OP4hHrZeyaY0Mh2s7w&hl=en&sa=X&ei=63lrVMnIKO-QigKzpYGoBg&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=cyclotene%20%22maple%20syrup%22&f=falsehttp://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0CDkQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wineinquirer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fthe-best-little-molecule-youve-never-heard-of%2F&ei=LnxrVNTdFsyZNsmdg9AF&usg=AFQjCNEN5VfWu34ltE_dR-FmaOf9dlgDpg&sig2=xkgU-qXvSlIvWg45seUOMw&bvm=bv.79908130,d.cGEI suggested Wegan look at least as deep as Wikipedia because wikipedia is still reasonably accurate on these questions (as these other sources confirm), and much easier to check both on the side of finding sources and in verifying the sources that others claim. Where I knew that a compound was present in the spice by other means, I still took care to check that it was in wikipedia so that my suggestion would be reasonably good for satisfying Wegan’s curiousity.“Asking me how I know real pumpkin pie spice is better than fake pumpkin pie spice is like asking me how I know a real Tiffany lamp is better than a copy from China. It’s self evident”Better in terms of what: taste, health, or both? There’s a strong indication that you may be reasoning from a bad analogy here. For example there is some indication that in some goods people like vanillin at least as much as real vanilla extract:http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fchowhound.chow.com%2Ftopics%2F277855&ei=vX1rVL6SC4miNr3Ag5AI&usg=AFQjCNF2ygoiZIlHM1wwG0FLftb5sQV9uQ&sig2=lEyD-xFznoekHGSmokyfOw&bvm=bv.79908130,d.eXYhttp://sweets.seriouseats.com/2013/12/taste-test-is-better-vanilla-extract-worth-the-price.htmlhttp://www.clemson.edu/icecream/Downloads/NICRA%20Posters/NICRA%20Vanilla%20Poster.pdfhttp://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/294/what-is-the-functional-difference-between-imitation-vanilla-and-true-vanilla-extLT, my ex took what I said literally. Hopefully she’s matured. My authorities are accurate, as good or better than I’d do if writing a paper for close scrutiny. I state when it’s merely my opinion. What makes you think I’m interested in man made spice tidbits? Liking the taste of something isn’t the same as recognizing genuine quality. Red necks like rubber tires in their front yard. What they like has nothing to do with sophisticated taste. Likewise, cigar chompin bankers might have burnt out taste buds and not appreciate real spice. And why waste good liquor on a drunk…after a shot or two he’s likely to get the bottom shelf stuff. I’ve accepted you don’t care for my analogies. I don’t care for your topic. My analogies humor me. Your topic bores me. Agreed, you have a recognizable “style” but it’s not so much “communication” as it is posturing.LT, our nation’s health problem is not from eating poisonous spices and herbs. Unless of course, you’re referencing the Colonels eleven herbs and spices on his Kentucky Fried chicken? Even then it’s the meat causing the problem. Pumpkin pie spice impacts my bodily functions in a positive way. What spices impact your bodily functions negatively? How are they impacted? Does pepper make you sneeze?Have you researched coumarin at all or followed Greger’s video on cassia? It’s not unequivocally good for you if you use it very frequently as part of your cuisine, at relatively normal levels per dishes high in cassia. How about the identification of spicy food as one of a number of possible risk factors for gastric cancer in some populations?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25132766 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3124986I’m not arguing that pumpkin pie spice is destroying us all, or even that it is impacting us in a negative way. But haven’t your comments been suggesting that you think that artificial pumpkin pie spice is impacting us negatively to some extent, and that using the real stuff would be way better? What basis do you really have for claiming that to be likely?LT, I have to plead ignorance on the two spices you call out as poisonous. I’ve never used or even heard of either but since you know they are not healthy I suggest you not eat them.I’m not aware of the effects, if any, caused by fake pumpkin pie spice. Asking me how I know real pumpkin pie spice is better than fake pumpkin pie spice is like asking me how I know a real Tiffany lamp is better than a copy from China. It’s self evident.Personally I don’t enjoy cheap imitations of most anything. I appreciate a good bargain but not when quality is compromised. In my personal life I use Bosch power tools, well engineered (mostly cordless). My new employees can only access the cheap stuff from Harbor Freight…always cheaply made in China. When they demonstrate they can respect and use a tool properly, they get to use the real stuff.The car analogy was merely to illustrate the absurdity of taking a small piece of a whole food and chemically reproducing it as though it were comparable to the whole. A shrink might say, “Lemon flavoring is to a lemon as a steering wheel is to a;… *** ?Personally I don’t worry about spices. I enjoy them. And I don’t fret over you relying on Wikipedia for “knowledge”. If you enjoy reading it then why not? If there is power in knowledge, what is there in Wiki knowledge?LT, how do you conclude, “whole food is POSSIBLY better”? Why such marginal “support”? Do you prefer formulated mashed potatoes and peas? If you made a list, what concocted “food”, if anything man made, would be better than what grows in nature?Again, referencing Wikipedia does not shore up your position. Whether artificial formulated or nature provided, spices, and sauces, and other flavorings mask the true taste of meat products. In fact natural spices were used to mask spoiled meat. It was (is) called “sausage”. Beyond that, the more serious abomination is that processed foods are formulated to be “addictive” or just please the palate. That covert intent is the ruination of America’s waistline.I would think ANYTHING that “goes wrong with food” is important…it is to me! Nope, I’m not “debating” or making a point…just citing facts in response to Wikipedia.LT, how do you conclude, “whole food is POSSIBLY better”?Because I’m referring to herbs, spices and other minor flavoring agents so arguments about fiber bulk and so on don’t readily apply, and in some cases you are invoking undesirable chemistry in these. Some herbs are bad for you and some may be bad for you precisely because of the complex symphony of compounds within. In either case, it seems that there would be situations in which some chemical isolate is less harmful than the whole spice; for example, we might do better with small amounts of cinnamaldehyde than with the full cassia bark that comes with its payload of coumarin.What ‘facts’ did you ‘cite’ in response to me? I certainly missed the “citation” part. If you dispute my particular claims about the sources in which specific flavorants are found, go ahead and dispute them. But, so as to avoid hypocrisy, please bring your sources to the table.LT, I didn’t realize you included herbs, spices, and minor flavoring agents as “whole foods”. I guess that’s somewhere in Wikipedia. For me “whole foods” are potatoes, corn, peas, peaches,…that sort of food. If you wrote “whole foods/spice/herbs/minor flavoring agents” It would have been clear to me you didn’t mean “whole foods”. Yes, some whole foods, including spices, herbs, and “minor flavoring agents” whatever those are, can be, I suppose poisonous so should not be consumed. that being the case, I personally don’t desire a synthetic substitute. Herb ort spice do you crave but avoid because it’s poisonous? And which synthetic do you use instead? It was YOU who dispute your own information, declaring your source, Wikipedia, wasn’t reliable. Frankly, I’m not above quoting a phrase or two from them too except I make sure the information is correct. I pick and choose only the best and most accurate. Since Wikipedia is your source, most anything I cite will likely be more reliable.I mean, how can this mix contain 340 compounds, not that I doubt you, but it boggles my mind. No, your kitchen cupboard couldn’t hold 340 compounds. I just can’t bear to read this stuff anymore.Those aren’t my claims, it right from the manufacturer’s mouth…it’s lifted from their article. Years ago an old engineer would say, those hamburgers aren’t made to eat, their made to sell. I was just a kid so didn’t realize what he was saying for many years. His take on franchise hamburgers applies to most everything sold in grocery stores today. Dr. McDougall thinks it’s important to read the ingredients on the label. I say, “If it’s got a list of ingredients it’s probably not food. A bag of beans is labeled “beans”. My peanut butter label is printed “”peanuts”. We seem to see consumer laws as a victory, But the truth is most don’t eat a starch based meal based on ingredients in their food. They eat what tastes good, which means they crave what big business has formulated to stimulate their taste buds. Food labeling is a red herring. They are addicted to the formulated food our government permits big industry to market to the masses. In return, processing nasty food creates jobs and taxable income. That justifies all the death and disease from eating the garbage. Most meat eaters can’t imagine a life after meat is taken from them. That world is so foreign it’s unimaginable.there he is entirely off the mark – it is all ONE issueObesity may be linked to Bt corn, which is widely used in processed or fast foods. Every ingredient in Coca-Cola has the potential of being GM. And if you look at what they have spent to stop mandatory labeling from being adopted in States across the country there is something they do not want known. Diabetes, sugar, corn, gmos as well as dioxin has been linked. Heart disease the Standard American Diet, not to mention, glufosinate, an herbicide used on conventional and GM crops. But with all of this, Americans including myself, do not get enough weigh bearing exercise every day. So we regularly get propaganda over the airways and in magazines but we don’t eat enough of the correct foods. My brother urged me to have tests for diabetes (of which I have no symptoms). He showed symptoms, but look what he ate: foods our mother made for us to get us to eat more like cinnamon sugar on rice; he loved Hostess Twinkies, Donuts, and other fried junk foods. They may taste delightful, but I avoid them like the addictive poisons they are. When he was unable to control his SADiet, he had surgery for his heart. His reasoning was so he could continue to eat the foods he likes. Not me. Food is my medicine –not drug or procedures. Dr. Greger has covered diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. And if that isn’t enough, Mercola also has studies at his web site.My father had heart disease, so did my grandparents, but I looked at their diet especially when I turned to vegan. They ate an ethnic diet of rich (and delicious) heart damaging foods and had clogged arteries, they ate rich meats and cheese high in animal fat and sugar as well as salt. And they died of related illnesses. Neither they nor I get enough exercise, but my diet is better. I may crave foods of my youth, but I don’t eat them any longer. My mother cut way back on the amounts of meat she ate, and she lived until just after her 90th birthday. Whereas, my father died at 56 and my grandparents had a relatively short lifetime, as well. We are what we eat.The primary cause of obesity is growing up in the USA. As KFC continues to saturate China their obesity is climbing. The obesity epidemic isn’t caused by heredity, or the fat gene, or corn…except maybe eating too much butter on corn. Your brother exemplifies the reason a starch based diet isn’t being adopted university. Folks think they have to give up the flavors they enjoy (or are addicted to). Too bad we can’t get them addicted to greens and beans instead of fried chicken and mac n cheeze.Obesity, diabetes, heart disease may be made worse with genetically modified foods. These issues are cited in Monika Kruger’s studies and many times she also has made the link.I suppose these vegan physicians will remain unconvinced until they eat out somewhere and receive some GM vegetable protein or potatoes, fruit, or nuts and seeds. And they become ill with ailments they’ve never had before, or their children develop new allergies to foods that were previously safe to eat. The time will come when they too see the light.Some of the diseases seen in humans are posted on the FB page of Thierry Vrain, Ph.D., former genetic engineer with Agriculture Canada, and since retired a Whistleblower Opposing GM food crops. Dr. Vrain and other scientists have seen the studies and are now seeing the light. Dr. Vrain posted the information to try to get a conversation with physicians.https://www.facebook.com/thierry.vrain/posts/10152099716845825?fref=nf Dr. Vrain writes:This is from Dr. Hildegarde Staninger, Industrial Toxicologist/IH & Doctor of Integrative Medicine; Chairperson, NREP SCADA Special Task Force Committee, and Dr. Nancy Swanson, physicist in Seattle.I find this a bit long but also a well referenced manifesto.Open letter to medical professionals and the AMA: Start the conversationhttps://www.facebook.com/thierry.vrain/posts/10152099716845825?fref=nfActually, such “distractions” were also the topic of an entire lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KV2N-m4JgoLargelytrue thank you so much. I appreciate him staying with the science.Thank you for posting this here.I agree with McDougall here. I am very much for eating starches, and even if someone is gluten intolerant, they can eat other grains. He doesn’t seem too concerned about GMO’s. I don’t agree with him about exercise at all. YES, absolutely completely cut out the meat and dairy and eat whole food starches. But to say that exercise is not good for one’s health does not follow from that. I lost a lot of weight and got off of statin drugs by exercising everyday and since then, I have cut out animal products and have lost even more weight and lowered my cholesterol even more. He seemed to agree with Gary Taubes about exercise and that somehow people are exercising more but still gaining weight. People are not exercising that much, and people often overestimate how much they exercise, just as they underestimate how much they eat. Diet is completely essential, but it doesn’t follow that exercise is of no importance. Having a strong social network is also important for health and I think it would also be a mistake to suggest that because diet is important, that having friends isn’t. It also would be mistaken to suggest that only exercise is important and that we don’t need to watch our diet- very few people argue for this. I would argue that exercise enables a person to eat a better diet, because they could lose weight without drastically restricting their calorie intake, therefore they could get more nutrients in their diet. There is no conflict between exercise and a plant based diet. There is a conflict between exercise and a low carb or very low calorie diet because these don’t support exercise, but no conflict whatsover with eating only plants, except a very low calorie plant based diet.Dr. McDougall is no more an expert on exercise than on GMO’s. You’re so right, exercise is very important. Although it doesn’t burn off fat in enough volume to be touted as a singular weight loss tactic , the act of exercising does speed up the metabolism and fat continues to burn hours after exercising. Walking one hour a day is an hour I’m not eating, and I’m not hungry for two hours after walking, for example. It’s funny what one learns by observing instead of listening to opinions. I feel active after my walk and continue to be energized, unlike if I don’t exercise and just sit around. Being active, whether walking, biking , ‘blading, ballroom dancing, or whatever, keeps the metabolism high and the weight in check.Caloric restriction and exercise are the one-two punch for weight loss. Anyone can lose weight tremendously with caloric restriction alone but it’s easier psychologically if one exercises too. As a bonus, strength improves, as does flexibility, and range of motion. And we’re less likely to injure ourselves when we are active doing work. Man is not meant to sit and eat a starch based diet. Our ancestors roamed around foraging to survive. It’s part of our DNA. Back injuries heal rapidly with weight bearing motion to pump the posterior chain of muscles with nourishing blood (hyperextension exercise). The elbow has maybe a drop of blood in it so needs to move to stay lubricated and working. Weight bearing exercise also jeeps our bones denser. Dr. McDougall seems to want listeners to follow a starch based diet to the exclusion of all else. We’re not suppose to think…just do as he proselytizes. He’s getting weird. If we just sit and eat a starch based diet our bodies atrophy so when we age we don’t have any marten of strength or muscle density to carry us through any down time in the event of injury or illness. I sleep thorough the night when I walk. Not so much when I don’t. I get a high exercising…my body makes it own drugs. Their legal and free.Covet Baily is the expert on exercise. He’s retired but his CD’s are still around.Goodmorning Larry, There is no comparison between my patients who have been active and exercised their entire life and those who have not. I have to agree. Dr McDougall has this point wrong.I haven’t responded to you for a long time. I think the bottom line is that when someone spouts something that sounds like what Gary Taubes would say, then that person is mistaken. Taubes states that exercise promotes obesity, because it makes people hungry. Conversely, when someone says something the opposite of what Gary would say, then they are almost always right on the money. McDougall is usually right, because he usually takes the opposite point of view of Taubes. Starches are wonderful, because Gary Taubes claims these, such as from whole grains, make people fat. Being against saturated fat, as McDougall is is right, because Taubes is a leading denier of the lipid hypothesis. Taubes also denies the calorie theory, which I tend to believe in, although McDougall might say fat is more fattening than carbs and Taubes would be the opposite. So therefore McDougall is more right on that. I may not be on a VERY low fat diet, but it certainly isn’t nearly as high as Taubes’ diet is- my fat is less than 30% of my calories. Taubes gets about 80% of his calories from fat, and much of it is saturated. I try to limit saturated fat. Taubes believes this is good for people. I believe it contributes to atherosclerosis, as well as insulin resistance.Sorry, I don’t know Gary Taubes. I try to evaluate based on the information, regardless of the messenger. If the source is off base a time or two I lose interest…too much good science to keep reading opinionated egotists. Someone like that is only confused by facts. If they don’t advocate “plant based” that’s a tip off they are misguided or trying to complicate the issue for folks who haven’t been informed of the problems caused by meat and dairy.Agreed, McDougall is usually right. I have to wonder if he feels threatened business-wise by the attention to other issues? Taubs autopsy some day will reveal his ignorance.I received an email today linking me to a free showng of “Origins” at: origins.well.org/movie The doctor who made it ask everyone to share it so I did my part. I don’t think Dr. McDougall would like it. It’s pretty long and I haven’t watched but a few minutes yet…but I think it’s important.thank you!!!Darn, wish I had downloaded Dr. McDougall’s video before it was banned for copyright infringement. Maybe he’ll choose to re-release it without whatever is cited as copyrighted. I wan that video for austerity. Imagine, the one video where Dr. McDougall is emotionally drained and almost seething at his listeners and now we can’t see it. The blockage benefits McDougall.You mean ‘posterity’, right?McDougall often adopts an emotionally drained, exasperated, or desparate tone over issues that touch on sustainability and has a style that is generally perceived as confrontational and unsugared, at least to those who start of with an opposing view. Have you at least considered that this ‘one video’ effect in your mind has much to do with the way you view ‘one topic’ in your own?Maybe you’re right, maybe I don’t know my own mind. Maybe I agree with Dr. McDougall and I have an issue with authoritarian figures. I’ll rest my mind and see if I can understand better. I don’t see any reason for him to “sugar” his comments either. He’s fine in those respects. But he doesn’t get to decide what is important to me. Or expect me to compromise my values so he can focus on his passion. I think he needs a long vacation. His “vacations” are work seminars. He needs to go oversees and disappear for three months, return, and realize the world is still spinning in his absence. I never considered McDougall “confrontational”. I always thought he was too tame. Yep, I prefer “posterity”, my spellcheck overruled me.Dr McDougall is in denial. From what I’ve learned, it is far more of importance about GMOs than the info he spews. I’ve been poisoned with an insecticidal fogger and a chemical floor stripper. Both had some of the same chemicals as what are likely in the weed killers used on genetically modified foods. The organism used for GMO is soy was found at a hazardous waste site growing in the presence of Roundup. And, Monsanto researchers said “Let’s put it in food.” Dr. Don Huber, retired professor from Purdue University has identified the toxic organism. But I also learned that Biologics often use E-coli bacteria to make their genetically modified pharms and vaccines. And I tripped over something that Dow Chemical was considering using which was amongst the antibiotic resistant bacteria found in hospitals. They are using that in food seeds, perhaps in corn to make the seed resist 2,4-D, which itself is often contaminated with the most toxic form of dioxin –2,3,7,8-TCDD. The most toxic chemical ever accidentally created by human kind.I’m a big fan of Dr Mcdougall, in fact I completed his course and have his certificate in Starch Based Nutrition. But this is the one thing I disagree with him. We should ALL be overly concerned about GMOs. And the fact that he used to live in Hawaii really confuses me. If people are going to go starch based, GREAT, I am all for it, but if you are consuming foreign proteins, the kind that are produced by GMOs, then your body’s immune system is going to kick into high gear because it is not recognized and therefore must be destroyed. An overworked immune system means that it can’t do it’s job properly, and that is to keep us healthy. What happens next? An acidic environment. Where does all disease start? From INFLAMMATION. I am not a doctor and I can understand this. Why is this so difficult for people to comprehend? And when people respond with “show me the scientific documentation to back up your point.” I just want to slap them. As the video says, there is a lot of information on both sides, but I think the Pro-GMO side has much more misinformation. My opinion and I am sticking to it. And lets not even go to the corporate side of it, that a few massive corporations, with only their bottom line in their sights, should be in control of the world food supply. Really? Tell me how that is a good thing.I agree with you Anne. I don’t buy GMO foods. We all may be proven wrong in the future but until then I prefer to play it safe.I agree with you Larry. So here’s a question for people that might believe that GMO is ok given the reality of what it is: would you pour Round Up onto your bowl of cornflakes feeling safe because you know that the corn was genetically modified to be ok with it? Food for thought….If you know what is attacking your plantings, contact Biocontrol Network and purchase some beneficial organisms.I use the book, “Commonsense Pest Control” by William Olkowski and Sheila Daar. There are several variations of this book from when I made the purchase. The drawings help me identify the pest and then I can chose which remedy is safest for me to use. Go to Amazon.com and type in the title and the author(s) name(s). Several editions will come up. If you can shop locally, it will be faster and you can compare the editions. I didn’t have that luxury. The hardcover original book sells for $14.95 plus shipping. As a used book, it is $14.95 plus + $3.99 shipping . This book is not an easy read, but it is very thorough.Once I ID the culprit, I could go to Biocontrol Network and order the predatory insect, beneficial nematode or other control that would remedy the situation. Since I was poisoned accidentally with a flea fogger in 1982 and a chemical floor stripper in 1999, both of which had mixed xylene isomers listed as the “active” ingredient, I avoid all chemical pesticides. I know the experience I had with xylene, and it is also widely used in insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides, and well as mosquito repellants. I avoid this chemical like the plaque! This is the only brain and central nervous system I have, I need to protect what’s left of it. Good luck.Great tip, Susan. I’ll check out the book. My local gardening center can’t even identify my garden creatures. It’s time for me to take a closer look. Biological Network is a good resourse too. Thanks.My concern with GMO is not if it’s unhealthy for humans, my concern is that’s it is dangerous for everything else, like ground life, farmers, economics etc. And that it is!Monsanto is trying to get a complete monopoly over the foodchain!Our food should be as far removed from material gain as possible. And Monsanto wants to make it as profitable as possible.It is not dangerous for everything else, for example it is true that soil conditions can be better in GM fields, overall less CO2 emissions since there is no need to remove weeds which won’t grow, less pesticides can be used and organic is not always better for environment, paradoxically, we could feed the hungry if we use GM plants, yes there are disdvantages too, of course, like GM production is company’s secret, not a material for universities to study, the other problem is big companies becoming too arrogat and suing innocent people for stealing their seeds.Unfortunately everything you’ve said here is untrue. When you kill the soil with pesticides you ruin the nutrition of your food. You also increase the intake of pesticides into your own system. What’s on the plant is also in it for your consumption. Organic is always better for the environment in the long run but , like anything else, it needs to be managed propertly. It has been proven by many organizations at this point that GM seeds do not increase yields. Sometimes the first couple of years, if lucky, are better but then it is a steep decline with superweeds because the weeds become impervious to Round-up. There are millions of acres of land in this country that are now not being farmed because of the super weeds. There is no need for additional food. We can feed the hungry but there are distribution probelms and poverty that prevent the hungry from being fed. It has nothing to do with producing enough food.Soil conditions can be better because GM crop fields do not need large heavy machines to be used like in general fields, where their usage can lead to soil degradation. GM does not icrease yields? Are you serious?… There are lots of scientific research articles to disprove such a bold statement. Yes, many scientist don’t support the use of Round-up and don’t deny its harm. Yes, I agree that enough food is produced but rich coutries waste tons of good produce which could be fed to other poor countries. But in today conditions, plus global warming, huge food distribution problems, GM foods may offer benefits for those people who are in dire need of foods. It is so terrible to see some activists destroying crop fields while they could really save local people’s lives. Everything I said backed up by scince, I had a GM lecture recently in my university, and I study ecology.Miranda,I suggest you learn some facts about soil before parroting what you’ve read. Healthy soil is ALIVE with microbes and bacteria. Most anything grows in healthy alive soil. The soil on commercial farms is dead, void of microbes and bacteria, and worms, etc. For that reason artificial fertilizers are added, otherwise the dead (over farmed, therefore nutrient depleted) soil would not grow crops.Sure, add more fertilizer to dead soil and it grows more crops. The soil is still dead and still dependent on chemistry to produce crops designed for storage, and shipment, and picking machines, not flavor and nutritional value. Those chemicals require much petroleum to produce. People in poor countries can grow their own food when governments aren’t at war. Big business rationalizes their corrupt practices and you promote them by declaring they feed the world. Millions starve around the world because of politics and greed. In Africa, governments fight over gold and diamonds and their people fee their borders or die! The crops America grows that could feed them is instead used to feed cows so ignorant Americans can eat high off the hog. “Feed the world” is a marketing practice to unload surplus grains. We’ve ben feeding the world for many generations but the world is still starving. The answer isn’t more chemical farms.You know what roundup does to any other living plant in the neighbourhood? It kills it! How does that exempt the soil from harm? That’s the whole definition of harm, all those other plants and bacteria that live in the soil get killed!You shouldn’t read monsanto brochures for your factssheets.Read my post above, roundup is a huge problem, I agree, but many other GM plants could be designed with other benefitial properties which could even lead to ecosystem improvement and feed people with less energy wasted in the production. Some GM fields don’t require heavy machines which degrade soil conditions and emit lots of CO2 into the atmosphere. There isn’t only just 1 side – good or bad, we should compare different effects and different GM organisms, and no, I never read Monsanto’s brochures, just listened to peple with competence talk about their field of research in my university.Miranda, crops have always grown sufficiently in nature to feed animals, including humans. The imbalance of plant food is caused by the very practices and procedure you promote and needed to increase production. Do you know how much food is thrown in the garbage in the USA? Some estimates say about half…counting what spools at home or the groceries toss. Societal problems aren’t solved by big business having their way. They ARE the problem.Here’s more on CO2: ‘Through the use of low- and no-till farming methods, fuel use and CO2 emissions can be decreased thanks to less tillage. In 2009, this led to global emissions reductions of 17.7 billion kg of CO2, equivalent to 7.8 million fewer cars on the road for one year.’ EuropaBio You can also read the peer-reviewed article: ‘Impact of GM crops on biodiversity’ DOI:10.4161/gmcr.2.1.15086I can compare being 100% anti-GMO movement only with stubborn pro-meateaters who deny scientific data.“Soil conditions can be better in GM fields…” , you say? Well, “better” is a relative term. “Soil conditions” is ambiguous. As long as crops are grown commercially with profit the primary goal our soil will continue to be bombarded with artificial fertilizers which contaminate our soil. Millions of cows will be born and raised and slaughtered. The growing process creates millions and millions of tons of chemically treated cow manure which also ends up in our soil. Rains wash the chemicals and nutrients into our streams, ponds, and rivers to grow algae which kills off all life , poisoning humans, and otherwise pollutes our drinking water. GM’s purpose is to allow the use of even stronger poisons. How is that “better” for soil conditions?Oh, “suing innocent people for stealing their seeds” is just a legal tactic to drive the small farmers out of business or force them to tow the line, get on board, and buy Monsanto’s modified seeds…while Dr. McDougall looks the other way. I ask him, ever hear the phrase, “Throw the baby out with the bath water”?By applying gross amounts of Roundup across expansive crop lands we are creating selective pressure favouring the development of Roundup-Resistant organisms. Sounds vaguely familiar. Roundup, which is known to accumulate in resistant plant tissues could become a significant part of SAD…and the band played on.And it will ensure that soon no other crops can be grown except for GMO crops. This is really a scary prospect!Very good point!Livestock are being cloned because they cannot reproduce after eating GMO corn. This according to retired professor from Purdue University (Indiana) and long time advisor to the USDA, Don Huber, Ph.D. Dr. Huber spent 50 years publishing research at Purdue and other educational venues. “Dr.” Mercola has numerous interviews and transcripts of the interviews online. Or, at least did, until Monsanto flacks removed them. They’ve been in my computers also, removing studies and videos. (Now I copy everything I find to paper and wma’s to share with family and interested parties. For example, there were numerous documents and even some videos of how Monsanto invaded German pig farms, stole the dna of the piglets to create clones in the USA because farmers could not maintain the size of their herds due to eating GMO corn, which is also herbicide resistant..“In these results, we argue that modified Bt toxins are not inert on nontarget human cells, and that they can present combined side-effects with other residues of pesticides specific to GM plants.”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jat.2712/abstractThanksThank you for sharing! Here’s a follow-up: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2014/810490/ I’m looking forward to covering all the new Bt toxin studies in a follow-up. Keep the paper recommendations coming!Interestingly, I had a discussion with John McDougall, MD and Michael Klapper, MD about this subject and Dr. Klapper and I agreed that there is evidence to suggest that these toxins possess the ability to weaken the gut lining (punch holes in the GI tract) allowing the possibility for a “leaky” gut wall. Could be a reason that we are seeing more sensitivities to Gluten.How BT toxin works for those that are interested.Thanks for trying to tackle this subject. Sorry about the double image loading. Image wouldn’t come up when I first attached it.Hi Dr. Hemo, I understand your argument and I read the articles linked above. Have you run across any research that has been done to confirm the leaky gut issue in humans? This is such an important issue.Lectins? Too much fruit sugar?ahahahahI know of none to date. And it looks as if Dr. Greger hasn’t been able to dig up any either. I want to know who would want to volunteer for that study.Did you catch Dr McDougall’s video posted above to me from largelytrue? Excellent.Yes I have seen the video and I have had personal discussions with John McDougall regarding GMO’s. I agree with him that GMO’s are a Red Herring to the true cause of our health issues in the US that’s why I give all my patient the information about healthy lifestyles–minimizing (eliminating) animal food intake.In fact, I don’t even bring up the issue of GMO’s, gluten or salt with my patients unless specifically asked.Why, because it clouds the true issue at hand–50% of our population in the US dies from cardiovascular disease or cancer every year and everyone should know by now it’s the animal products that most significantly increase disease risk.What I don’t like about GMO’s is that they have known harmful effects on rabbits, sheep, rats, mice, and human cells in vitro but were never tested to see if there would be harmful effects on humans before dumping them into the worlds food supply.Secondly it is also very clear to me that Monsanto (they’re not the only ones) is trying to create a foodopoly in the world; for if you control the food supply you control the world! Everyone has to eat!Interestingly, I had a discussion with Jeffrey Smith (author of Genetic Roulette and vocal outspoken opponent of GMO’s) about all the evidence supporting animal products causing our chronic diseases and amazingly he hadn’t heard much about that and was very skeptical about what I said. So I had a book signed from Jeffrey to Dr. McDougall and tried to get Dr. McDougall to have Jeffrey Smith as a guest speaker at his advanced study weekends and have a debate. It hasn’t happened yet. Hmmmm.However, for me, I am already a low fat plant based eater and I don’t worry about getting cardiac disease, obesity, diabetes or cancer because I have done everything I know to place myself into the lowest disease risk category regarding lifestyle changes.What I do worry about is mucking with our planetary DNA in uncontrolled ways.Since the science is still out on genetically modified food and damage to humans form consuming Roundup are documented it’s premature to declare GMO’s benign…aka a “red herring” with regard to healthy nutrition. Conversely, I argue that Dr. McDougall’s ambition to sermonize on a starch based diet to meat eaters is a red herring which interferes with a higher goal, that of protecting the human species from more corporate dominance and deception. The whole eating healthy agenda falls on deaf ears. Most are doubters and wouldn’t give up meat and dairy if it would reverse a disease they suffered. Those folks equate “living” with “enjoying” that which they were raised to believe were “American” and right for humans, meat and dairy, Since nutrition is a political issue and these doctors want to debat3e “science” they are red herring’ing the topic to death. Why aren’t the more politically involved? American’s diet won’t change unt9il American’s perception of “American” changes, and that won’t happen by citing science to deaf ears. Lobbyist make noise and government listens. These doctors polity debate their red herrings corporate America loves them for it because while they are trying to make their point it’s business as usual. I don’t need another video or lecture to motivate me to eat a plant based diet. Those who need the info don’t hear the message. In the meantime, since doctors want to continue arguing nutrition, please step aside and let the rest of us object to Monsanto monopolizing our food sources, genetically modifying our food, contaminating milk with their chemicals, and using extra strong poisons on the modified plants. I don’t live in the country of Monsanto. Or do I?Too many lectins from grains causing leaky gut? Nuts and seeds? Some vegans base there diet on grains, and they might not have guts that can handle all these lectins. They may also have altered macrobiome due to all these grains and beans. Causing leaky gut…..worth considering.The people eating the most grains and beans are the healthiest dude. Do your homework, those idea are coming from people like Loren Cordain to confuse you believing beans are not healthful when they are the healthiest starchy food on earth. And at the same time telling you that meat are good food based on the fact that cave man eat it, not peer review scientific journals.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McJjIf7x2mkYou can also look at many videos and articles on this website to learn the incredible power of beans : http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/ http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=beansGMOs are banned in Europe, and I have patients who can’t touch bread or pasta here due to bloating and pain; yet they go to Italy and eat bowls of pasta, or France where they consume baguettes, and they are symptom free.This is interesting indeed.Interesting!Wheat isn’t genetically modified, so unless it’s cornbread or corn based pasta, linking their digestive issues to GMOs based on these particular consumption habits is questionable.That’s very interesting. Then perhaps it’s the reduced stress that people experience when on vacation?Judith: Maybe so. I’m not an expert or anything, but I have another theory: Dr. Greger has a video somewhere that talks about gluten saying that maybe people aren’t reacting to the gluten itself at all. Maybe it is something else about the wheat. (I can’t remember exactly what the alternate theory is. Was it mold or something like that?) So, maybe grains are processed differently/more responsibly in Europe? So, that people don’t react to the grains there?Another theory: Dr. Greger also has a video on gluten that talked about how people diagnosed with gluten sensitivity often “fail” (my word) a blind test – where people given gluten report no symptoms and people not given gluten report having symptoms. So, *possibly* *some* of the symptoms people report are psychological and thus if they were told that they would be fine in Europe, may actually be fine there.Just some theories to share. I don’t actually know anything.Thea: I’ve heard that there is concern about wheat hybridization with the types of wheat produced in America being of a type that we haven’t evolved to eat. Here’s an article that wonders about what I commented on previously, read the comments section – lots of interesting points! http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/gluten-intolerant-zm0z13aszmar.aspx#axzz3IykU7BocJudith: I have heard similar theories too. But for myself, I never found the theories all that compelling.I did take a look at that page you linked to. There are a *lot* of comments. I didn’t look at them all. But I did look at quite a bit. One of the things I noted was that a lot of people who felt they had a case against wheat were quoting the book, “Wheat Belly”. And I know that the book is chock full of incorrect pseudo science. So, I would need some pretty good science from a reputable source in order to buy those arguments.Here’s one comment from that discussion that I found to be very interesting: “It doesn’t make sense entirely because a lot of wheat is imported into Europe, from the US.” I don’t know if that is true or not. But if true, it suggests that wheat hybridization is not the concern that people make it out to be–not if it is true that: a) Europe does not use the same wheat that America does, b) America really does import some of that wheat, c) a sizable group of people who really can’t eat American wheat, really can eat European wheat. I don’t know if any of that is true or not.I also happened to see this comment: “Wheat in the US is treated with azodicarbonamide to speed up the bleaching process. This practice is banned in Australia and Europe (In Singapore, you can go to jail for treating food products with it).” I also do not know if this is true. But if it is true, it is an interesting thought that I find more compelling than the hybridization argument. (Which is not to say I know enough to put down the hybridization argument. I’m just giving my lay person’s opinion.)Anyway, it is a very interesting phenomenon that could theoretically be used to make the food in America safer, because the differences could be studied/tested. But I’m not holding my breath for that to happen. :-)Hi Dr. Greger, I’d like to recommend a document that I use as a “go to “ resource because I find it comprehensive, well referenced, and well organized: “GMO Myths and Truths, an evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops and foods.” The first edition, published two years ago, was 120 pages; the second edition, published last spring, has mushroomed to 330 pages. It can be read online or downloaded free by going to: http://gmomythsandtruths.earthopensource.org. A discussion of bt toxin is found on pages 180-186. It concludes by saying, “Studies on GM Bt crops show that Bt toxin is not specific to a narrow range of insect pests but can affect a wide variety of non-target organisms. Taken together, the studies on GM Bt crops and natural Bt toxin raise the possibility that eating GM crops containing Bt toxin may cause toxic effects to multiple organ systems or allergic reactions and/or sensitize people to other food substances. Aloha, KatherineThank you for this!That Damn Hippie quotes a study showing that Bt and Roundup type insecticides can damage or kill human kidney cells, while the study you cite indicates that it doesn’t harm brine shrimp. That really isn’t very reassuring. Plus, I find it odd that you would quote this particular study when you just got through saying [I] “will skip the lab animal data.” I understand that over 60 countries ban genetically modified foods based on the Precautionary Principle, that it’s best to avoid potentially harmful substances until there is proof that they’re safe. If we are going to error, let it be on the side of caution. That’s why I only eat organic corn, soy, crookneck squash and papaya. I don’t believe that GMO corn isn’t in the human food supply. There are other reasons for finding BT toxin in humans, other than contamination.check outgmoevidence.comgmofreeusa.org/gmwatch.orgWhat about fertilizers used in conventional produce? I hear these fertilizers produce synthetic properties in fruits and veggies, and when eat all conventional produce we end up ingesting the equivalent of synthetic vitamins and minerals. Is this true? I also hear that the big issue with all conventional is not the pesticides, but the synthetic growth mediums used in the soil/the fertilizers and such, we end absorbing nutrients that are completely foreign an unnatural to the human body. Like they put the plants, fruits on the equivalent of steroids. So maybe the EWG list of clean and dirty produce is not so accurate, as it is my understanding that this list mostly just refers to pesticide use.I’m still as corn-fused as ever!I’m hoping there is more info on human effects. I’m skeptical of both sides, but just because there aren’t any studies linking harm and humans doesn’t mean it’s not there. (I’m not a conspiracy theorist, just skeptical of big business.)You want to be convinced Monsanto is benefiting mankind by marketing even stronger poisons…so strong the have to modify the plants so they won’t die with the bugs? This is your lucky day…just ask Monsanto and they will tell you it’s OK; eat the corn…and soybean…and whatever else they concoct.I’ve never been convinced that GMO’s are inherently evil. I’m a natural born skeptic. Am I skeptic of Monsanto? Yes, political intentions absolutely, but not about the science. Until there is real concrete data to say otherwise, I am of the same opinion of Dr Mc Dougall (didn’t know this until I saw the video link above) – that food should be labelled as GMO, because people should have a choice, but I see no reason to personally avoid GMO’s.I haven’t seen Dr. McDougall weigh in on this (especially in “our” conversation.) Nor have I seen a quote of his on the topic of GMO’s (with regard to them not being a problem.) Although I agree, they may not be HIS problem. During our discourse I very diligently conveyed the problem with Monsanto’s MOTIVE for GMO’s but you disregard it and instead, “agree” with someone I (we) haven’t heard from. We’ve all heard the adage, “To a carpenter with a hammer in his hand, all things look like a nail.” Similarly, all “trades”, including medicine, have that tunnel-vision affliction. Within the group of maintenance personnel while troubleshooting an aluminum die cast machine, for example, the electrician looks for an electrical problem while a hydraulics expert looks for hydraulic problems, and the mechanical trades look for a broken piece of equipment, and their supervisor suspects all of what the others do plus is concerned the machine operator either operated the machine incorrectly…or perhaps even tried repairing it before calling maintenance, therefore adding to the machine’s down time. They can argue the merits of their limited view (and experience) but someone else, seeing the whole picture, realizes the root cause of all the maintenance problems is they have a greedy boss who buys junk machinery and then expects them to keep his junk running making him lots of money. Likewise, the myriad of issues evoked by the emergence of GMO’s as a predominant food source (whether for animals or humans) must cause us to see the entire picture if our goal is to truly assess the effects such a drastic change in evolutionary food consumption results in, if pursued . The relevant science is present today. The entire body of that science is lost in these discussions, I’m afraid. Suppose we all eat starch based GMO’s owned by Monsanto, will mankind be free of heart disease and not realize new, even worse health (or even social) issues? I suspect Dr. McDougall is being mis-quoted, or perhaps more is read into his comments than he would support if posting here. Regardless, GMO’s are available to all in the USA (not so much world-wide) but to paraphrase, “Eat em if you got em.”Larry look up above largelytrue posted a video to me. Not misquoted. He is very passionate about this topic.This is truly a sad day! Dr. McDougall is guilty of what he accuses his followers of (I don’t care, he says), he’s “misplaced” his focus. I’ve never seen him so emotional. He does comment on my objection to GMO’s…that the purpose of splicing in new genes is to make plants (our food) more resistant to “Roundup” (a poison). He poo poo’s it as a distraction from his great work which was listening to Pritikin tapes before the rest of us heard them. But there is more to the story than he’s telling.Dr. McDougall misstates Monsanto’s motive for gene modifications.. He dismisses the practice as harmless. Monsanto’s motive isn’t as Dr McDougall states “to resist Roundup.” Which Roundup, I ask? You see, the reason they modify our plants (food) is because the old Roundup stopped killing the bugs so Monsanto formulated a new stronger Roundup poison that would kill the new super bugs. Unfortunately,, the stronger poison also kills the natural plants and so farmers baulked at using it. Since the bugs are stronger, necessitating stronger poisons (in Monsanto’s mind), their next step was to make the food we eat and feed to animals, resistant to the poisons. What Monsanto hasn’t done is make humans resistant to their new stronger poison, the latest formulation of Roundup. Dr. McDougal would be forthcoming to state, Roundup stopped killing bugs so Monsanto created a stronger poison in order to keep their customer base…we can all eat broccoli and hopefully the stronger poisons won’t kill us too.”Dr. McDougall hasn’t explained, how human genes should be spliced so we can handle the poison he and his buddies, Monsanto, advocates. There is a movement in this country to exchange and grow “heritage seeds”, explicitly to avoid what Dr. McDougall embraces.My goal is to continue eating healthy natural plant food. Dr. McDougall is focus on followers eating any plant food, even those genetically modified by Monsanto…so long as they don’t eat meat and dairy. There is a greater goal and purpose here, to prevent corporate America from adding more artificial food to our artificial existence in an artificial environment, to block Monsanto form owning food, and to prevent Monsanto form prohibiting farmers form growing what mankind has grown for eons. Dr. McDougall himself, has been highly critical of Monsanto’s creation of injection (or pills?) causing cows to double their milk production. Dr. McDougall also is critical of Monsanto “forcing” farmers to buy their milk producing drug and give it to their cows even thought they couldn’t sell all the milk already being produced. Yet Dr. McDougall scolds others for not trusting Monsanto? How hypocritical is that? I’ve followed GMO’s from day one and there is more to the story than Dr. McDougall shares (does he even know?). Still the verdict is out on this forum…until Dr. Greger completes his series of videos on GMO’s. If he concludes as has Dr. McDougall, I will conclude both have gone over to the other side and question all “science” distributed on this site. If I change my views you should know, in advance, it’s highly likely I got a visit from Monsanto and they made an offer I couldn’t refuse.https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2013nl/aug/gmo.htmPlanet Earth faces enormous challenges regarding food safety and accessibility. Industries trying to brighten our future (and make a fat profit) have turned modern science towards the production of GMO foods. These “frankenfoods” are synthesized by inserting genetic material (DNA) from one species of plant or animal into an entirely different species. This advancement in genetic engineering allows humans to do what nature will not do: transfer genes between species. Cutting and pasting DNA in a laboratory seems so unnatural, if not unhealthy and unethical.Just to be on the Safe Side: Avoid GMO foods. Short of universal implementation of mandatory labeling, the two best ways to avoid GMO grown crops are to (1) not buy processed foods and (2) to buy “certified-organic.” Products labeled “made with organic ingredients,” are made from both organic and non-organic ingredients, but are not allowed to contain genetically engineered ingredients. Eating out should generally be avoided because restaurants rarely are concerned about cooking with GMO ingredients. Dr. McDougall uses organic non-gmo foods personally, in the foods they sell, and at their seminars, etc.Now I’m really cornfused, Jean. Do you suppose Dr. McDougall sells only non-GMO for fear of losing customers? My, my, that’s the very same reason Monsanto is making stronger bug poisons to spray on our plants. There’s nothing worse that a bunch of PO’d farmers except maybe a bunch of PO’d vegans…we vote with every purchase. Doesn’t Dr. McDougall’s personal preference for NON-GMO sound a little hypocritical? Don’t do as I do, do as I say. “Let them eat GMO”, decrees King McDougall.Sorry, Larry, you are really off base. Sounds like you have a biased mind set again Dr. McDougall and do not hear what he is saying. He does not endorse eating GMO foods but fighting against it is not where his energy and focus is. There are many others doing it so he can focus on getting people off of the unhealthy eating of the disease promoting Standard American Diet.“unnatural, if not unhealthy and unethical.” “Just to be on the Safe Side: Avoid GMO foods.” Are you intentionally ignoring these statements of his?No, I’m not off base. Even if what you say is correct, people choosing to eat meat and dairy is not a crime. But when Monsanto gets a pass from Dr. McDougall because he’s focuses on his baby, well, it’s time for someone else to l make the point. Sometimes I follow. Sometimes I lead. If Dr. McDougall wants to limit his social concern to what constitutes an unhealthy diet then so be it. But please don’t condescend others for seeing the bigger picture. No, he doesn’t have to fight it…it’s his choice, but he takes offense others are fighting it. He’s fighting a battle (HIs chosen battle) Others are fighting a war…a war they did not choose. Is he purposely ignoring Monsanto’s past behavior with drugs to produce double the cows milk?Besides, his battle is lost if Monsanto has its way.I’ve supported Dr. McDougall for close to thirty years. I own most all his books and videos. I’ve exchanged many emails over the years with him. What I have not done is go to one of his twelve day retreats in CA…which I intended to do this winter. How’s Dr. McDougall going to get the world on a healthy diet when he is at best regional and Monsanto, and his brothers are international and content to maintain the status quo? What would Vegas odds be on McDougall beating Monsanto at their game? Are you introducing new information into our exchanges that are not in the McDougall video I am referencing? I’ve listened to it three times and have yet to hear Dr. McDougall voice the words you quote. He does however, claim his mission is to change the world and somehow our failure to share his vision is somehow impeding his success. As he criticizes his viewers it’s as though he’s unwittingly describing himself. his mission s so important and our voices are so distracting. He’s not a businessman…a not in the cut-throat world of big business. The companies that control our food sources and medicines are bigger financially than many countries. Their obligation (so they claim) is to investors…not a starch based diet. Several of the really big food suppliers are privately owned (Cargill) so are closed to public scrutiny. The first thing dr. McDougall needs to remember about running a business is it’s easier (and cheaper) to keep a customer than find a new one.you know, heritage seeds are pretty hard to find. When I was planting garden, veggies and flower, it was about impossible to find them anywhere, except on internet. I lived in the country, and would get stuff at our local “co-op”, there I saw signs warning farmers that it was illegal to plant the seeds from their soy plants! I don’t know if they’d even grow or not, but it doesn’t matter. It’s illegal! I couldn’t believe that when I first saw it.I’m not really sure how anyone is going to be able to eat anything that hasn’t been touched by Monsanto. I think the only way to “continue eating healthy natural plant food” is maybe grow it yourself. Organic labels or not. And, sadly, it’s already out of the consumers’ hands, if it ever was in our hands to begin with. Corp. Monsanto marches on.Jackie, I live in Ohio and can still plant spring, summer, and fall gardens. I found a couple suppliers of heritage seeds on the internet too. Occasionally store seeds are marked “heritage”. Around here there are many local farmer’s markets. One is every Tuesday, another on Saturdays across town. I even see ads for free walnuts..just have to pick them up and shell them (I’ll pass). Of course we have organic fruits and veggies in all the grocery stores too. I’m not shy about buying canned beets either. Too bad Rachael Ray only demonstrates how to combine bacon with ground hamburger. I wonder who’ll drop first from their glutinous lifestyle, her or her husband, the sausage lover? That woman is sooo good to her man. No wonder America doesn’t hear the good news about a starch based diet, all the television and radio promotions are about meat and dairy consumption and how great it is for the body. Hmm, I haven’t seen a story on evening news yet this week aobut the latest study showing chocolate is good for our health. Well, technically it’s still Tuesday.Unhealthy does not mean “evil”. Since Dr. McDougall and you have declared GMO healthy then there is absolutely no reason to disclose tot he consumer when they consume GMO. It’s suffice to admit to a list of chemicals added to our food. The fact that the plant is a healthy GMO plant might cause Monsanto to raise prices .Since Dr; McDougall has decided the risk of GMO’s for me maybe he could post here and answer a few questions?Off topic, but Dr. McDougall just this past week circulated several “Lost Pritikin tapes”. They are pretty good actually. But I’m puzzled how he came to possess lost tapes and who lost them and how they were found and how he acquired the rights to publically distribute them? Maybe someone found a 1954 Corvette with six thousand miles on it hidden away in a barn in New England and the tapes were in the trunk? He must have a great story about his coming to possess these lost tapes. I want to hear his story. I wonder what Pritikin would say about GMO’s?Larry, Don’t attack people you aren’t capable of understanding. “Since Dr. McDougall and you have declared GMO healthy” This was not stated by Dr. McDougall or myself.Jean, don’t presume I can’t understand “people”, please. What’s to understand? He clearly stated GMO is not his battle. Then he loses it emotionally when relaying concerns of his listeners. Maybe you just don’t appreciate my satire. Of course he’s not giving a ringing endorsement of GMO’s…must I spell that out? He is, however, ticking off a lot of “followers” for his hypocritical attitude toward Monsanto. When he was attacking people he doesn’t understand he could have instead said, “So what if Monsanto doubles milk production by giving drugs to cows…does it really matter?” “After all WE don’t advocate drinking milk anyway.” But McDougall didn’t do that, did he? He took Monsanto to task for forcing farmers to use their chemicals in the nation’s milk supply. You should apply your critique to Dr. McDougall.I’d rather live in a world where some choose to eat meat and dairy based on ignorance than live in a world where we all are vegan but Monsanto chooses the plants. My vision is some doctors are so naïve they don’t see the root cause of our health problems. Here’s a hint…it’s big business. Doctors running health clinics…getting wonderful results, don’t compete with big business selling vitamins, medicine, surgeries, manufactured foods, etc. How often do these doctors advertise on television? Big business has Rachael Ray and her latest burger with bacon in front of a buying public every day. Same for all networks throughout the day. Cook show aftr cook show…they are the ones “educating” America. That’s real POWER.In the United States of Monsanto, where all humans follow a plant based diet (of GMO’s) does Dr. McDougall see our society as evolved?Did I miss the connection? It seems that this video looked only for a link such as Bt corn, which is eaten by an animal, which animal is eaten by a human. However, given the widespread cropping of Bt corn, why not a link like Bt corn eaten directly by humans, just like the lab rats? Or even airborne Bt pollen infecting humans such as those you mentioned. After all, if it’s not organic, there is a virtual certainty that Bt corn is present in the product (like chips and cereals, or frozen corn, or corn on the cob). Even if it is organic, there is some probability that it is contaminated to some degree. Corn pollen has a tendency to drift on the wind and the pollution of organic fields by GMO crops is a catastrophe unfolding before our eyes and in our courts right now. Moreover, the concentrations of Bt delivered to the gut by the GMO method are vastly higher than any spray-on method since each kernel has Bt embedded within each DNA molecule – it can’t be washed off and is not degraded by digestion or weathering in the field like the spray on stuff. Why does your video sound so apologetic to this rash science experiment on us? I have been calling for long term (greater than 90 days) testing in humans OR animals for a long time now. I believe that the industry is resisting this because it knows what will be found. Sounds like tobacco science again, doesn’t it, this time with the full cooperation of the white house and the FDA?Dave, you are right on the money!Michael missed the big picture this time in my opinion. GMO could be used for good but when inserted into the capitalist greed system, it cannot produce anything good! Bt in animals and humans alike is outside the realm of evolutionary adaptation. The cautionary principle, never embraced in the US, should be our guide. Lets not experiment on huge populations later to find out that it was a bad idea.What “good” do you speak of? Is mankind so arrogant (ignorant) we believe we can, without knowing 100% of everything about us, modify plants that will be beneficial…not knowing what we’ve evolved to need? Science is way too ignorant to go into a lab and create feed for humans. They can’t even make cat feed my kitties won’t chuck up. What a world, it’s profitable to feed plant food to carnivor pets but we feed meat to plant eating humans. Both species are sick as a result. Just what we need, more chemistry. Our food policies are much about politics. What other countries protect their citizens from, our Government condones, or looks the other way so billionaires can massage money from our wallets.No answer here. If you want to know if gmo’s are dangerous and deadly, which they are, watch the movie “Seeds Of Death” on youtube.What exactly does it mean when we say that a substance is toxic to humans? For example, I have lupus and other autoimmune diseases (in remission now!), and I cannot take dairy products without causing a whole host of problems. Nevertheless, dairy is not considered to be toxic generally. If after thousands of years of humans consuming dairy there are still many people whose genes have not evolved to handle dairy, isn’t it likely that few people are genetically equipped to handle these pesticides and “Frankenfoods”? Even if there are no immediate effects from ingesting GMOs, what are the long-term implications? I, for one, would rather not gamble with my health and, therefore, think that GMO labeling should be mandatory.Excellent points Deb.You’ve got it all wrong Deb. I suggest you read Dr. John McDougall on “autoimmune disease”. You’ll learn it’s caused by dairy. I doubt any of us have evolved to process cow milk. It’s contrary to nature. Adult cows don’t drink cow’s milk. Why not? Do you suppose humans have problems digesting cow milk because it’s nature’s way of keeping us from stealing baby’s milk? Do you drink human milk? It’s not for you either. It’s especially formulated for human babies, not you, and not cows. Why would cow milk, formulated evolution-wise, for baby cow’s benefit you? May I suggest you get a better understanding of “autoimmune’ At least read McDougall before rebutting here. Just type “Dr. McDougall autoimmune” and see what pops up. You can thank me later.It is interesting that in a discussion about the safety of genetically engineered organisms that the Precautionary Principle is not mentioned nor is the Hippocratic Oath (First do no harm). The fact that the novel genetic material can spread from plant to plant and to the soil and since once in the environment it can never be recalled it would seem that it fails the requirements of both the Precautionary Principle and the Hippocratic Oath. Additionally, we must consider the effect on human health and the environment of the added load of poisons such as Roundup that is being used in exponential quantities to kill weeds on these GE cropped lands. Of course now because, as predicted, we have super weeds that no longer can be killed by Roundup the USDA has approved the use of 2-4 D which contains dioxin, one of the most carcinogenic agents known – it was one of the main lovely ingredients of Agent Orange that continues to cause birth defects in Vietnam until this day.To identify someone as a conspiracy theorist is a form of character assassination. It is more useful to marginalize an opponents credibility, than to engage in a substantive discussion of issues where the desire effect is to deflect the conversation away from that topic.I was under the impression that GMO “Genetically Modified Organisms” could cause “leaky Gut” which would make it difficult to absorb the nutrients from our food and allow toxins to leak into our body without the protection of our liver. And that GMO’s would cause inflammation since the body would consider them to be a toxin that the body needed to protect itself from. This was not covered so I am a bit confused as to the answer if “GMO’s” are dangerous.Look at reply below by Dr. Greger to “That Damn Hippie” and my reply as well to Dr. Greger and click the links. This may help a little. ;)I am looking forward to you addressing the issue of pesticidal transgenic crops on human gut bacteria. Thanks for finally getting to this gritty issue!All discussion of GMO products resolve themselves to the basic for me. There is a strong danger to life (people have gotten sick and may have died). It is NOT (genetic) engineering, since it cannot be reversed or the results predicted As Dr. Greger points out, we still have LOTS to learn about nutrients in food. The argument for feeding starving people fails because for the past decades no one on planet Earth has starved for lack of food, only for political or economic reasons. Why do potentially dangerous business just to make a buck because large companies have more political clout than we do?I think the biggest problem not talked about often enough in relation to GMO’s is what it is doing to our environment. Pesticide run off from these crops is polluting our water table.While everyone focuses on human health issues, the environmental issues often get overlooked. But, there is another aspect of the story that is almost never even brought up. This is all about control. Plain and simple.You can’t patent food that’s been here since the beginning of recorded civilization. But, as soon as you insert a foreign gene into that food, suddenly you ‘own’ it. That is what this is about. Control of the food supply. Not only do they control the food, but, that food becomes a vehicle for the selling of their toxic chemicals.It’s the same with pharmaceuticals. Many of them are derived from plants. But, you can’t patent the plants. So, derive a pill from the plant and suddenly you ‘own’ it. That’s what all of this is about. Control, control, control. Corporations want to ‘own’ every inch of the world and make us pay for it.This concept of ‘ownership’ is humanity’s biggest failing.I think it’s called greed.I suggest you people go and watch a video: ‘Mark Lynas on his conversion to supporting GMOs – Oxford Lecture on Farming’. GMOs are not always bad, even for the environment, they can even boost genetical diversity of the systems, improve soil conditions, less CO2 could be emitted into the atmosphere, less pesticides could be used in some cases, more foods, more vegan plant food for poor countries, it’s been years since GMO launch, we would already see negative effects on human’s health if it was THAT dangerous, but we don’t see it. Some large problems lie in the use of some herbicides, effects on sensitive species, invasion, Bt resistance and shameful actions of large companies.“it’s been years since GMO launch, we would already see negative effects on human’s health if it was THAT dangerous, but we don’t see it.”Miranda, there is a diet-related disease epidemic that unfolded just as GMO-food came to be. Your assertion implies that you know the causes of the epidemic even though nobody else seems totally sure of that. You do realize that we were told that DDT was safe too, and that, along with one assurance after another, turned out to be UN-safe, and after a similar amount of time!One negative effect I see is stronger poisons on our food. Does that count?Dear Dr Greger: I read the book Genetic Roulett by Jeffry Smith where there are very good examples of toxicity of GMO”s, explain with a variety of serious studies on animals and some examples of damaging on men.One reason that animal studies are helpful here is that humans lack a birth-cycle of a short enough duration to study the ramifications related to fertility, and to any bio-accumulative effects that may be passed from one generation to another. GMO foods have only been consumed for about 20 years now, and so, there are just recently human babies being born who could begin to provide some data. But, there are studies on animals with short birth-cycles that show problems with fertility and especially so after 3 generations.There are also studies showing a long list of problems in humans. The following link briefly explains some of these studies and some done on animals:http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/04/08/10-scientific-studies-proving-gmos-can-be-harmful-to-human-health/Personally I avoid GMOs where possible. The real issue is overpopulation…and I’d suspect that humans will not EVER have the ability overall to deal with this issue…voluntarily. Obama is currently in China trying to convince them to admit GMOs.You have many countries with high populations…where organic farming would be ideal…but not profitable for Monsanto…et al. So give some $ to those in charge…get most people herded into cities where they can be sold crap…and make big bucks. GMO crops are the basis for cheap junk food.Avoiding GMOs is not a “religion”….it is a precautionary act. I’m at an age where I do not expect much to change before I pass on…considering the history of humankind?….so ask me if I really give a damn…I only try to live a relatively healthy life for the years remaining…wasting good energy and intentions trying to divert the herd from it’s headlong dash to insanity in not a good use of my resources…assuming I could…that is. One does need to closely watch the herd to avoid getting trampled.Any GMO’s. If there is nothing to hide, then hide nothing. We want labeling on products, this should not be a problem. Right. Well, it’s not happening.From your video, it sounds like GMO food is okay to eat. I looked up “GMO” on wikipedia and here is what the article said, among other things: “There is broad scientific consensus that food on the market derived from GM crops poses no greater risk to human health than conventional food.” Do you agree?That’s my general opinion, although I’d point out that this very much depends on the type of genetic modification. As with any plant, including conventional crops, there can be genes that lead to harmful proteins that lead to some sort of harmful effect in humans eating the plant material. Provided that the introduced gene doesn’t code for a protein that will interact in unexpected ways with the machinery of the plant, you can predict the change in the chemistry of the plant-as-food and judge whether the new chemicals are harmful. Sometimes the prediction task will be easy and reliable and sometimes it will be hard and fallible: a transgenic plant is sort of like a plant that has been given some sort of drug except perhaps that there’s much greater potential to control which tissues get the drug and somewhat less potential to determine the chemical structure of the drug.Conventional breeding can introduce harmful mutations that humans select for without knowing that they are harmful (or it can simply select for harmful alleles that were in the crop population to begin with). You could get more root growth, for example, but do so by selecting for genetic traits which also increase the concentration of a carcinogen in the leaves whose carcinogenic effect is not yet known. Nor is the fact that a plant has been eaten for centuries a guarantee that it is safe: bracken consumption in Korea, for example, is thought to be linked with higher rates of stomach cancer that have been observed there.There are a variety of things that can go wrong and the scope of possible change with recombinant technology is certainly much greater than it was in the past, at much lower cost to industry and therefore also at much greater possible speed. However, there is nothing inherent in the fact that a plant is transgenic that adds a harmful quality to it when consumed. Many people are also unaware of the scope of mutation breeding (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutation_breeding ) in the past and present and this needs to be kept in mind when trying to be consistent about what aspects of a crop modification technology should call for what types of regulation.Thank you!What many people choose to ignore is that almost everything we buy at a supermarket has been genetically modified to suit a number of factors concerning production, transportation or shelf life of the product. Even when a food item has been grown organically, it doesn’t necessarily mean it has not been modified genetically. GMOs are here to stay, whether many people want them or not.One of the requirements for a product to be labeled as “organic” is to not have been produced in GMOs.Thank you for the clarification Israel.I’ve been wary of the GMO hysteria since day one and I’m glad I found this video, and the Dr McDougall one (which someone linked on this page). Being skeptical of Monsanto is one thing, but trashing GMO’s in general always felt like throwing the baby out with the bath water to me.No one seems to be mentioning, Dr. Greger just said he couldn’t find any studies showing much…..Is Dr. Greger aware that GMO’s are owned property and they deny them to anyone who wants to make a study if that person is considered a potential non-GMO enthusiast? You can’t just get them unless they allow you to use the seeds. They are property. Yes, our food sources are all becoming patented property that can be denied legally for others to access. If you have ever published something that could be considered non-friendly to MOnsanto or gmo, they won’t let you use the seeds. How are you going to do that study? This is a huge issue. John SI would like to see creativity in food production being made creative commons and sharable. Then I would trust them. It’s just not possible to trust someone trying to make a profit. It’s a contradiction. And do we need GMO’s to be healthier? Even hunger is not a problem of lack of food but lack of access to food. “One Straw Revolution” is an inspiring book on this: http://www.onestrawrevolution.net/One_Straw_Revolution/One-Straw_Revolution.htmlI was so hoping Dr Greger would be the Bernie Sanders of the medical world with regard to GMOs and put Monsantos lack of long term human testing in question. Also, in the absence of long term human testings, not be so quick to throw out animal testing. We all remember the ‘smoking mice’? If Dr Greger is fine with mice/rat data in general… why not GMO mice/rat data? What about peoples concerns about GMOs and leaky gut, auto immune issues, digestive issue and DNA/gene mutation? Are not GMO free diets prescribed to some patients with digestion problems? This topic needs an hour long video in depth covering all the health and safety implications of GMOs like Dr Greger’s wonderful pandemic disease video. I don’t think the book can be closed on the debate yet. Not by a long shot… much more human trials and testing need to be done by independent testing labs outside of Monsantos influence.We are still understanding food effects on our biochemistry and now we have this GMO issue to manage, trying to separate the truth from the false.Really hard work.Has anyone ever seen or tasted Sweet Potato Leaves which the abstract below highly praises?Nutr Rev. 2010 Oct;68(10):604-15. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00320.x.Sweet potato leaves: properties and synergistic interactions that promote health and prevent disease.Johnson M1, Pace RD.Author information1Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama 36088, USA.AbstractSweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) leaves provide a dietary source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, dietary fiber, and essential fatty acids. Bioactive compounds contained in this vegetable play a role in health promotion by improving immune function, reducing oxidative stress and free radical damage, reducing cardiovascular disease risk, and suppressing cancer cell growth. Currently, sweet potato leaves are consumed primarily in the islands of the Pacific Ocean and in Asian and African countries; limited consumption occurs in the United States. This comprehensive review assesses research examining the nutritional characteristics and bioactive compounds within sweet potato leaves that contribute to health promotion and chronic disease prevention. Research has affirmed the potential cardioprotective and chemopreventive advantages of consuming sweet potato leaves, thus indicating that increased consumption of this vegetable should be advocated. Since reducing the prevalence of chronic diseases is of public health concern, promoting the consumption of sweet potato leaves warrants further and more intensive research investigation.© 2010 International Life Sciences Institute.PMID: 20883418 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]Both Drs. Gregor and McDougall, despite their massive contributions to health and nutrition, are woefully remiss, and late the discussion regarding the GMO issue. To critique this video please be aware that it is true that BT has been used for at least 3 decades in organic farming. Note that BT has been used as a topical insecticide on an as needed basis. Contrast this to genetically altering a gene to produce the BT toxoids CRY and CYT CONTINUOUSLY and realize it kills insects by lysing midgut epithlial cells causing hemolysis. Animal studies and the experience of farmers show gut dysfunction and malignancy even in animals with short life spans showing up in approximately 18 months.There is no Shut Off mechanism! Plants altered will produce BT consistently. Waiting for the smoking gun is quite frankly extremely dangerous at best, when we might have learned that these companies have already set the record straight with Agent Orange, 2,4D, 2,4,5T, Dioxin, DDT, PCB’s Aspartame, Nutrasweet, Equal, Saccharin, Polystyrene, Roundup (Glyphosate) and many others.Producing GMO seed uses as least 70 restricted use pesticides many of which have been banned. None of the details concerning use is available to any member of the judiciary much less the public. The inherent danger of this type of technology controlled by the most hated Corporation in the world ought to raise more than a few eyebrows.FYI there was a time when McDougall proudly denounced all supplements and herbs being a board certified internist. He since has had to backpedal…Glossing over the animal studies that show serious damage and deformity in animals fed a GMO diet is worse than remaining silent… Please note the fate of any scientist who dares publish any finding adverse to the Biotech industry. The examples are many… Science has in this way been so compromised that scrutiny must fall on an paper to track its origins and funding. We should be wary of assumptions based on the once hallowed peer review process.Take no comfort in your ABC government agencies, its even worse there.Not addressing food safety, pesticide contamination, destroying the meaning of the word Organic by cross pollination contamination or pandering to our Governments ABC agencies is a serious breach of credibility…That is why this video is not useful for persons concerned about the GMO issue in general or the BT producing alteration in particular…Dr Greger – I’d like to point out one important point which you skipped over:There is a big difference between the topical application of the BT toxin and the systemic application. When BT is applied topically, it gets destroyed by sunlight, and so very little actually gets into the food chain. I used it on my cabbages, and frequent reapplication is needed. But when the plant produces it in every cell, the dose is thousands of times higher because the majority avoids sunlight.The safety data for BT comes from its topical application – not from this new use. As you know – the dose makes the poison, and I suspect we will see problems arising from this when we finally get to see a decent amount of independent research, which for now doesn’t exist.This void of independent research is worrying for something so widespead – mainly because the FDA declared GMOs ‘not substantially different’. This contradicts the US government patent which says they are different enough to get a patent!! With this issue, I think we cannot avoid the political angles – and I think that thanks to this, and the massive profits involved, it will be a while before we will know the truth.I think the point is the toxin is sprayed on organic produce and not part of the plants DNA. It can break down when it is sprayed on the produce and it can be washed off. You can’t wash it off if it is part of the plant; hence it ends up in the blood stream. What tests have been done to prove that it is not harmful in the blood stream? This also does not address how the toxin is actually released from the pores of the Bt corn.Bt toxin is still found on produce sold in grocery stores. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16672488A couple Cry1Ab safety studies: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691509001392 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691506002535#You can find more online if you look.“This also does not address how the toxin is actually released from the pores of the Bt corn.”>>Why do you think this is relevant? As far as I know, Cry1Ab is retained in the plant tissue.Various comments have brought up valid points that should be addressed by Dr. Greger. Claiming safety of Bt toxin for humans merely by stating that it is sprayed on organic foods is not scientific. The article and graph by Mader et al that was referenced supporting the safety of Bt toxin only mentioned a reference of safety to bees. It says nothing about safety to humans. Comments, claiming safety because GMO’s have been used for so many years without apparent ill effects, defy the rules of proper epidemiological studies. Eventually the well-known nurses study may eventually shed light on the side effects on humans of GMO’s when one can compare those nurses that regularly consumed GMO’s and those that did not. However, even that study can be flawed because the control group of people eating organic foods may be too small. For Bt toxin we now know that organic food is also exposed to Bt toxin, compromising the validity of studies comparing GMO versus organic foods.When my German Shorthair pointer was alive, she would lie in a low part of the yard in the sun. That area collected rainwater and I tried to reduce the mosquitoes by using a variety of Bt called Bacillus Thringensis Israelinus. Purchasing the granular, it was sprinkled over the area. Its purpose was to reduce mosquitoes, gnats and other misery.When my dog slept in the sun in this area, she would receive nasty red, itchy bumps all over her skin wherever it touched the ground. Her body became so inflamed she needed to go to the Veterinarian, who put her on antibiotics and urged me to NEVER use this product again.I also recalled reading about farmers in India who developed a horrible rash all over their body where their skin came in contact with the cotton leaves, stalks, and so forth from the growing of genetically modified cotton. When the waste material was fed to livestock, the livestock sickened and died. So here we have dermal side effects to humans, and internal side effects to animals eating the Bt cotton.Bt cotton is grown here in Louisiana and other states. The seeds are genetically modified to contain the cell of the Bt soil bacterium in every portion of the dna of cotton alike corn. No matter what is done with the cotton/corn the Bt is present and when the crop is turned, all the herbicides and other pesticides along with the Bt, enters the air, soils, waters inc. precipitation from the herbicide resistant Bt crop. Negative health damage has occurred to the people and the animals who have ingested or come in contact through ski contact with the Bt in every cell of its dna crop.Perhaps, the reason that studies on people are so difficult to find is because Monsanto had put their scientists on oversight committees of various journals and screened out are commenters who bring negative results to light. This happened in the case of Eric Seralini with GM soy and maize.http://www.gmoseralini.org/portfolio-items/rat-tumour-gm-maize-and-roundup/ http://www.gmoseralini.org/portfolio-items/seralini-research-rat-tumours/The rats had huge tumors, but Monsanto scientists criticized everything about the study.It turned out that Professor Seralini was on the committee that looked at presenters studies –presenters like Monsanto, were found to only study the rats for 3 years before ending their lives and showing that no harm was created. When Seralini’s team studied the rats fed the same quantity of GMO seed/crop/herbicide as human ate in the USA, the animals were not thrown out of the study because they died, or began developing humongous tumors, but left in over the lifetime of the rat. This was something that Monsanto did not allow. They pulled the animals out of the study before the really bad side effects occurred. Was this predetermined by Monsanto? Did they know that nothing showed up at 3 months, but may have occurred at 6 months or even a year? Was the study done knowing what the outcome would be and then making certain that the study was stopped before the evidence of demise came into view?http://www.gmoseralini.org/portfolio-items/seralini-research-rat-tumours/#prettyPhotogalleryrelated/10/Séralini retraction is black mark on scientific publishing – Georgetown professors“Hundreds of studies should be permanently removed from the scientific literature, but the Séralini study is not one of them, say two professors at Georgetown University Medical Center.”Read more at: http://www.gmoseralini.org/seralini-retraction-is-black-mark-on-scientific-publishing-georgetown-professors/Dr. Don Huber, Ph.D., retired from Purdue University where he was a soil and plant pathologist and microbiologist for 50 years says that Glyphosate is the most chronically toxic herbicide every registered by the U.S. EPA. Glyphosate was registered based on the acute effects. But the chronic effects show a different story. Listen to the interview at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/06/dr-huber-gmo-foods.aspxor read the transcript http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/ExpertInterviewTranscripts/Interview-DrHuber.pdf There have been numerous interviews of Dr. Huber at Mercola.com over the years on findings in the field with livestock. There are some epidemiological studies cited by Dr. Huber on large groups of human conditions that may be linked to glyphosate, such as autism, even Parkison’s Disease,which is rising since the first GM crops came into the marketplace . Meanwhile, Monsanto has blocked studies from being published in Europe and around the world so that nothing gets out that they don’t approve first. They have their own people on the boards of various journals. Fortunately, some scientists are relentless in getting information out. I’ve taken to heart what Dr. Huber said about mineral chelators with herbicides in general, and especially with glyphosate of which 100% was seen in precipitation studies by the USGS. When I fractured my pelvis last year, I began eating even larger amounts of collard green, organically grown, of course. My former surgeon whom I requested when I was admitted to the hospital looked at my x-ray and had another one done 3 weeks later in his office. He said he would expect to see someone build bone in 3 months, but not in 3 weeks. When he ordered me x-rayed again 7 weeks after the initial fracture, my pelvis was totally healed. That’s the difference in absorbing the nutrients needed in food when one eats vegan and organic! Vegan and organically grown foods without the use of GMO’s which are herbicide intensive, and without herbicides found in conventionally agriculture is needed to repair our bodies. I avoid eating corn unless its frozen and certified organic, and even then, I use it sparingly. It’s not that I don’t like corn, but I’ve learned that the vitamin C from corn in vitamins, no longer works as well as it did before crops were gm. The same is true with vitamin E from soy. It no longer helps me. I look for other sources of vitamin E. And always eat organic.I think there’s at least one article testing BT proteins on human cells ( Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac Bt toxins (10ppb to 100ppm) on the humanembryonic kidney cell line 293). They found that Cry1Ab caused cell death from 100ppm and it seems to me that it happens trhough the formation of pores on the cell membrane as it hapens for many of the Cry genes on insect gut epithelia. Well, I haven’t read this article for a while, but I think it could be a key answer to the question of wether canadians having the protein in their tissues should worry about… Anyway, I’m not adoctor, only a biologist, but waht do you think about?Here is the reference:Cytotoxicity on human cells of Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac Bt insecticidal toxins alone or with a glyphosate-based herbicideJournal of Applied Toxicology. Volume 33, Issue 7, pages 695–699, July 2013Someone requested my opinion on some videos, so here it is. Nicely done, but the Bt in umbilical cords and fetuses needs your careful consideration. If you read the materials and methods, and reconstruct the standard curve, you see that the levels reported are below the curve– in other words, they can’t know if detection is real or background noise. They also used a kit that is not designed for human serum, which could offer all kinds of cross reactivity. Finally, let’s say it is real. Did it come from consumption of organic produce where Bt is used as an insecticide? There are no proper controls for that. However, my expert reviewer opinion is that they are measuring noise. A proper curve extending to the tiny levels they claim would be very helpful before making such claims. Nice that you mentioned it was not toxic to humans anyway.The “mighty mouse” gene was a naturally occurring mutation in Belgian Blue bulls. Not a GM thing.Conspiracy theories rise and become legitimate when ONE side is ridiculed, silenced and censored. This issue should be debated nationally and internationally, not swept under the rug and dismissed like the industry has successfully done so far (the same with USA animal concentration torture factories). The capitalist censors rule the USA media by pumping advertising dollars to dismiss any scientific fact that endangers their corporate profit and control of masses.Looks like Monsanto flacks have altered the video rendering it unable to be played and shared. They have also been attacking Joseph Mercola’s web site, as well as my own taking down studies right and left.I’ve found that Glyphosate which was originally owned by Monsanto leaves residues in (both) Animals and Humans. Get the study: Detection of Glyphosate Residues in Animals and Humans authored by Monika Krüger et al. This is not specifically on GM corn, but on the herbicide per se. http://omicsonline.org/open-access/detection-of-glyphosate-residues-in-animals-and-humans-2161-0525.1000210.pdfThe study showed that “Glyphosate was significantly higher (P<0.0002) in humans feed conventional feed compared with predominantly organic feed humans (Figure 3).'' …Glyphosate residue could reach humans and animals through feed and excreted in urine. Presence of glyphosate in urine and its accumulation in animal tissues is alarming even at low concentrations. Unknown impacts of glyphosate on human and animal health warrants further investigations of glyphosate residues in vertebrates and other non-target organisms. Glyphosate residue could reach humans and animals through feed and excreted in urine. Presence of glyphosate in urine and its accumulation in animal tissues is alarming even at low concentrations. Unknown impacts of glyphosate on human and animal health warrants further investigations of glyphosate residues in vertebrates and other non-target organisms."Bottom line in my opinion is to grow food using the organic method and only eat organic. Even though people in Germany and other European countries had low levels of glyphosate in their urine, they UNLIKE WE in the USA, had mandatory labeling and the right to know of all foods except feed for livestock. They carefully chose not to import feed from the USA, opting instead for feed from either Brazil or Argentina. But, those countries were also growing GMO soy predominantly for animal feed, so they were ingesting it regardless.GM Corn uses another organism for bacillus Thuringiensis/Bt corn, but even this transgenic corn is also herbicide resistant to Roundup, called Roundup Ready corn. And because both Bt and Glyphosate (labeled ingredient in Roundup) are intensively used in the USA on corn and cotton, the organisms they are created to control are become immune to the soil pathogens. GM Bt is creating Superbugs. And herbicide resistant glyphosate has also created weeds that are immune to Roundup.Hence Monsanto and their biotech-pesticide allies, began using 2,4-D to help control the herbicide resistance. But 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (created as a defoliant during the Vietnam war by Dow Chemical –now Dow Agrosciences) has its own herbicide resistant weeds. Hence, Monsanto and allies have added additional herbicides to the mix and genetically engineered the seeds of soy and corn, as well as other transgenic plants to be resistant to 3 or 4 different herbicides including dicamba and glufosinate. Talk about a toxic soup of poisons people and animals are eating. No one knows what the synergistic effects of these chemicals are on people, and no people know specifically what they are eating if they choose NOT to eat organic. Organic agriculture by law does not allow the use of such toxic chemicals on organic feed or produce or grains. Recall, Monsanto is now genetically modifying wheat http://www.monsanto.com/products/pages/wheat.aspx. ALSO, READ: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/3496/new-experimental-ge-wheat-contamination-in-montana-puts-wheat-farmers-at-risk. "In 2002, the National Academy of Sciences also criticized serious deficiencies in USDA’s regulation of genetically engineered crops." But nothing has changed. Monsanto still calls the shots in the Obama Administration just like the Bush Administration.In the mean time, in the Obama Administration, Alfalfa has been de-regulated in the marketplace. wheat, and potatoes, as well as sugar beets (labeled as sugar). All are GM to withstand huge amounts of various herbicides, not based on peer reviewed safety testing, but so that Monsanto can maintain the integrity of their herbicide. And where the toxicity of glyphosate shows up in ppb or trillion in humans, the tolerant levels are now 200 fold higher to maintain the integrity of the product, according to the study by Bohn et al on soy.What I also learned in my paper research is that during 2006, the Bush-Cheney administration allowed corporations to go through the US EPA libraries and remove any study they did not like for a sizable contribution to the Republican Party. Not only was the EPA library hit, but the Library of Congress, the National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicines data banks (where I was gathering research at the time) even the IARC (International Agency for the Research on Cancer). Studies on chemicals all disappeared. Included in the disappearance were new studies on the pesticides to be used with genetically modified foods/plants/herbs/ and fiber. To learn more, go the P.E.E.R. and use the search words: Library Closures.Other studies may have disappeared as well, but I was gathering information about the chemicals to which I had been exposed years previously. And, I found myself on pages where there would be a colon [:] and zero information was on the other side of the colon. When the file came back it was white washed of all data that made a particular chemical listed in the Hazardous Substances Data Bank, which included spontaneous abortions in people as well as animals.. But now, everything has been eliminated and it's as if it's a totally new pesticide that has never been tested.There was mountains of evidence on the toxicity of Glyphosate, 2,4-D, Dicamba, Glufosinate during the years before Bush. But now, that's all gone and when Dow Agrosciences re-registered 2,4-D for use on GM crops, the Obama US EPA simply took the company's word for its safety.Here is part of what was known prior to the Bush-Cheney administration allowing the studies to be stolen.http://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/glyphosatehttp://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/24d-factsheethttp://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/dicambahttp://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/glufosinateRead about the long term feeding study of rats and the increase in the frequency of adrenal medullary tumors, "but insufficient dose were used in the rats and the mice, so EPA recommended that they be repeated." "There is no publically available studies about glufosinate – containing products to cause cancer." Herbicides are not just toxic to plants, they are also toxic to other animals and people as well.The Bush Administration, according to P.E.E.R., allowed the chemical companies to test pesticides on human infants and toddlers who were orphaned and had no relatives to protect them from harm. This practice was very distasteful and was immediately halted partially because abuse that occurred by the chemical companies.There are now lots of studies of Glyphosate, and presumably other herbicides at the National Center for Biotechnology Information. But, I don't go there regularly. Copy these urls and print out the information, as Monsanto flacks regularly eliminates them from my computer. So when I get a new study, I now have to print it out. Makes it harder to share, but that's their point.The Aris and Lebanc study about Bt in blood and mother’s milk has been SOUNDLY debunked for using incorrect tests that could NOT detect what they claimed.You need to look more carefully at the paper in Reproductive Toxicology about the detection of Cry1Ab in maternal and fetal blood samples. The values detected were at or below the lowest concentration used in the standard curve. The method, and ELISA, uses a sigmoidal standard curve. Accurate results can ONLY be obtained for values that fall on the linear portion (i.e. the middle) of the curve. The findings are highly questionable.Doc, i really appreciate your analysis here. However, there’s one thing you might want to reconsider about the safety of Bt as used in organic farming. What i’ve learned is that the Bt that’s sprayed on organic crops can be washed off before consumption by people, but the Bt in GMO crops are self-generating, i.e. it’s inside the crops and keeps producing inside. That means, after humans consume food with such Bt crops, pesticides keeps being produced even inside the human body. The Bt crops are pesticide factories. These toxins ingested can then contribute to leaky gut which then causes a plethora of health problems. There is quite some info about this. Here’s one reference: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/29/genetically-modified-crops-insects-emerged.aspxWatched this video. Was amazed at the comment at the end, about how bt toxin is used on organic vegetables. BIG difference between spraying it on and genetically inserting it into the crop. You are therefore falling into the same trap that you are accusing others of doing. Citing only two research papers? Really? http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/40-2001/1058-bt-in-organic-farming-and-gm-crops-the-difference-Big difference between spraying a product that can be washed off and one that is present within the DNA of a plant cell. Animals fed this show harm. Yes we are different than those animals but if something harms them are you sure you want to eat it? 20 million Canadians are diagnosed with gut issues….double what we had 10 years ago! Could it be we are eating something that doesn’t agree with us?i really like Dr. Greger’s talks, and have also been waiting for talks on GMOs. Gladly they’re come!However, i’ve got interesting info about Bt toxin, and it seems convincing. What is said by anti-GMO experts is that the Bt used in organic farming is different from Bt in GM crops. Bt toxin used in organic farming can be washed off, but the Bt inside GM crops are produced by the plants themselves, and would keep producing the pesticide by itself. Intestinal permeability (leaky gut) is a big topic being discussed in the medical circles these days, and that is linked to GMO foods among other things. According to those experts, there is indeed a food safety issue with GMOs. i would recommend everyone to watch Genetic Roulette and see what they’re really talking about: http://action.responsibletechnology.org/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=11003i find my comments have been deleted. Does anyone else have the same experience?It was marked as spam due to the link and short nature of the postThere’s another film from the anti-GMO people: Seeds of Death: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUd9rRSLY4AAccording to what’s said there, from Dr. Pusztai’s experimiments, GM process itself is harmful, after excluding the factor of pesticides.I like what this guy has to say about GMOs. Are they just a distraction? Or.. a case of cigarette science and buried data. Worth sharing. ~~~> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6kKZmHzuTEAre we not the only developed nation WITHOUT labelling laws for GMO products? This alone shows the power of the $ to control the rules. I think even some SAD eaters would like to know what sort of genetics are involved in their produce and products.	animal studies,BT corn,corn,farm animals,fruit,GMO,industrial toxins,industry influence,meat,organic foods,pesticides,pregnancy,reproductive health,salmon,vegetables,women's health	So much of the information about genetically modified crops is wrong—on both sides of the debate. What does the best available evidence have to say about the human health implications of Bt corn?	This is the first of a four part series on the public health implications of genetically modified crops. Stay tuned for the next three:I did a similar “controversial issue” video series on gluten. See:For those interested in the genetic engineering of livestock, I published a few papers myself on the topic:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bt-corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gmo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23308036,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23936105,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21338670,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18591260,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23818886,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9139826,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21276930,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22361646,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3600613/#!po=1.16279,
PLAIN-2525	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/	Antibiotics: Agribusinesses’ Pound of Flesh	When farm animals are fed antibiotics, they can develop antibiotic-resistant bacteria in their guts and then the gut bacteria becomes manure on meat, which can spread to humans--even vegetarian humans, since drug resistant bacteria in the animal feces can also spread to people through crops or the environment. The exhaust fans can blow MRSA superbugs straight out into the surrounding area from pig operations, or poultry operations. You can find MRSA floating around outside these sheds containing thousands of turkeys or chickens. This may explain why in Europe, human MRSA infection has been tied to just living in a region with industrial pig production, whether or not people have direct contact with livestock.These findings may not just be limited to Europe though, where their factory farms pale in comparison to what we have here in the States. But we didn’t know for sure, until now. Proximity to swine manure application to crop fields and livestock operations each was associated with MRSA and skin and soft-tissue infections in people here in the U.S. These findings contribute to the growing concern about the potential public health impacts of high-density livestock production.Achievements in modern medicine, such as surgery and the treatment of preterm babies, which we today take for granted, would not be possible without access to effective treatment for bacterial infections. Within just a few years, we might be faced with dire setbacks, unless real and unprecedented global coordinated actions are immediately taken to protect these wonder drugs. So the use of antibiotics just to promote the growth of farm animals to slaughter weights should be banned worldwide as has happened in the EU. Europe stopped feeding pigs and chickens tetracycline and penicillin to promote growth about 40 years ago, something we continue to do to this day.The Pew Commission recently published a 5-year update on their landmark blue-ribbon commission report on current agricultural practices that found “the present system of producing food animals in the United States presents an unacceptable level of risk to public health.” Their #1 recommendation was to ban the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics, but agriculture lobbies are not going to give up the use of antibiotics without a fight.In December 2013, the FDA released a guide for industry, their voluntary guidance for industry. They recommend antibiotics no long be used to just fatten animals for slaughter but emphasize that they are just that, toothless, non-legally enforceable suggestions. This voluntary approach has come under withering criticism from the public health and medical communities concerned about the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens.The USDA is considering even going backwards, eliminating the requirement to even test for Staph aureus at all in the federal school lunch Program. They understand that school-aged children are considered a ‘‘sensitive population,’’ hence, more stringent requirements, including sampling and testing, may be considered to help assure safety and public confidence. However, the cost of such programs must be weighed against the cost of buying the food needed to support the program.As one University of Iowa epidemiologist said, “although human health should take priority over farm animals, farmers will be reluctant to change until researchers can come up with safe and cost-effective practices to replace the use of antibiotics.” How much are antibiotics really saving the industry? The net bottomline benefit from the use of antibiotic feed additives may only be about $0.25 per animal, which means eliminating the risky practice of feeding antibiotics by the ton to farm animals would raise the price of meat less than a penny per pound.	Voluntarily aligning ?FDA gimme a break.It’s like to ask to a serial killer to stop killing innocents and then leave him alone.Sorry for the comparison, but i think that the situation is awful.There’s no need for you to apologise. I think you’re absolutely right.. I thought the same thing !The FDA is full of people from industry anyway.. I’m absolutely not surprised. Why though ?This topic would make a great 60 MINUTES article.And my patients sometimes wonder why I get so down on Corporate Agribusiness. Duh!!!!!!!!!!!Every time is see expose’s like this I feel appalled with the majority of our government and their lack of moral and ethical fortitude regarding our health, nutrition and food supply. I’m glad Dr. Greger and Dr. Barnard with PCRM are educating the public and fighting the Good ‘Ol Boy club in DC.It really is ridiculous for me to think that corporations sit around and think, “Let’s keep producing as much food as we can even if it is at the expense of our consumers who are consuming it.”There’s no long term goal, because if there was the corporations would see that if their food is making people fat, sick and dead, then eventually they will have no more consumers. They are sabotaging and defeating themselves in the end. Non-sustainable business is a good way for any company to become defunct! That’s Business 101.What is it going to take to get many in our country to “wake up” and realize what we are doing to ourselves? Ebola worked! Is that what we need, a major bacterial and/or viral disaster created from our food supply to cause change?C.diff and MRSA aren’t “major”?Neither of those bacteria I would consider a major disaster; however, depending on your definition that subject is open for debate. They definitely do not appear to be beneficial.Both those “bugs” are of concern but to begin with C. difficile is from normal human gut flora, and humans taking antibiotics created the disease, it’s not from animal origin. Brief History of Clostridium difficile.And MRSA (which has been genetically linked to cattle from over 40 years ago) was apparently caused by humans taking antibiotics to fight the Staph. aureus infection from cows, which resulted in antibiotic resistant Staph aureus (eg. MRSA-methicillin resistant Staph. aureus). Human MRSA strain Origin. And also neither of these bacterially created diseases appears to be related to our food supply, we created them by the use of antibiotics on ourselves.I’m talking about a “major” catastrophe like the Flu Pandemic of 1918. Current world wide farming practices are creating a real potential for another pandemic and hopefully we change our ways before this happens. Unfortunately greed appears to be the motivating factor with these corporations and there is nothing rational about that line of thinking.frontline did a whole show on antibiotics in farming. ears seem to be very deaf in this country.Frontline? Isn’t that on at the same time as the Kardashians?you can DVD it :)here is a link to the FRONTLINE documentaryhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/trouble-with-antibiotics/many of the animals would otherwise die in the horrible crowded conditions of confinement. just disgusting.Daunting information, but sloppy production: Dr. Greger says less than a penny while the value on screen is more than a nickel; the big poultry producer is Perdue, not Purdue.I think it’s actually an error in the paper, and Greger is right. With savings of 25 cents per animals that weigh hundreds of pounds, I can’t see how 25 cents per animal would equate to 5 cents per pound of meat, unless these animals weigh close to four pounds… 25 cents divided by 480 pounds of meat (now we’re talking) equates to .052 cents, or $0.005. I think that is what they meant to write. Whoever did write it made an error. Why would you put a dollar sign in front of the number and then write cents after it? Dollar-cents?0.052 cents would actually be $0.0005. Less than 1/10th of a cent per pound. How the heck did the “dollar-cents” make it past peer-review anyway?The Way of All Flesh: Undercover in an industrial slaughterhouse by Ted Conover, is an article he wrote for Harper’s Magazine, May, 2013 issue (pay wall), where he describes what he encountered being a newbie USDA meat inspector. I do remember one particular section of his article where he was placed on the liver line. His job was to inspect the livers for cancerous lesions. He said he kept seeing an inordinate number of bad livers that he had to keep rejecting. He asked the line veterinarian why these livers were so diseased. She said it was because the feed ration fed to the cattle in the feed lots had too much antibiotic, and therefore caused the diseased livers. She said they were always adjusting the levels of antibiotics in the feed to maximized weight gain, but lesson making the animals sick.So, here we have a situation where a government agency allegedly tasked with the job of protecting the nation’s food supply, yet, clearly is not doing so. The FDA (as well as the USDA) is effectively there to help maximize the profits of US corporations, not to protect the populace. They are complicit in destroying, what once was an effective tool for modern medicine. We are now at the point which was projected a number of years ago, whereby modern medicine’s foundational tool, antibiotics, is fast approaching (if not there already) worthlessness.Here is an audio interview with Ted Conover on the The Leonard Lopate Show: http://www.wnyc.org/story/289316-ted-conover-goes-undercover-meat-inspector/After listening to the audio interview I referenced, Ted claimed that according to Eli Lilly, the maker of the antibiotics used, the antibiotics were used to help prevent the abscesses in the livers, not the cause of it.It’s great to point out broken organizations. Who specifically can we hold accountable for this? Who’s really in charge? Surely this will comparable to a crime against humanity at some point.A crime indeed, against animals (human and non) everywhere. No need to hold anyone accountable, or should I say so way to hold anyone accountable. The very perpetrators of these crimes are the same ones who should be holding the guilty accountable.When we stop eating the products of greed, disease, misery and despair, and remove ourselves from perpetuating the problems that are animal agribusiness, we are indeed forcing the system to change – or maybe better yet, creating a new system all together. The dollars you spend are the only votes that count.Shopping is voting!I live in France. The French consume huge amounts of antibiotics even while the government warns against antibiotics misuse. The interesting facts are that two thirds of all antibiotic production in France is for the meat producers here.Livestock production and consumption is a lose lose situation – either you die slowly (cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammation) or you die quickly (resistant bacteria) – in the end we become extinct because of ignorance….Not so much as ignorance but lack of positive action to correct this unhealthy disgusting way of corporate greed st the expense of the American consumer. And lack of compassion for human life.Good to see you still around! I thought you might like this grim comic.Just wait . . . with Republicans just winning so many governorships and Senate & House seats, we’ll be seeing major undoing of the already weak guidelines around antibiotics in animal feed. These so-called legislators are bought and paid for by Big Pharm, the Cattlemen’s Association, etc.Doctor, I would like to ask a question regarding Preworkout and Postworkout supplements. Lately I have found myself spending too much money on workout supplements (excluding protein and creatine) and it has start to become a concern to me the money I spend and if these supplements work or if everyone on the web is just posting good reviews (being paid to post them or posts are by employees). Do preworkouts containing bcaa’s, beta alanine, arginine and other ammino acids and stuff really help you during your workout and to avoid catabolism afterwards? For postworkout does glutamine (as a supplement) really help? Should I just go with some guarana pill before workout and a banana and some vegan protein afterwards accompanied by 2 pills spirulina and 5g creatine?I think to have the right site for you (thanks to CarbSane):http://examine.com/And maybe even this site could help you out:http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/Why not just stick with something for a week or so, then change it up and see how it affects your performance. By no means a blind-study, but if your performance isn’t changing, then you may be wasting your money (and adversely affecting your health). You should probably change only one variable at a time if you’re serious about this.When you have this kind of concern you need to design a nutrition plan with a nutritionist knowing your needs or your medical doctor who knows you. It will cost you less to get the proper prescription.But then, without antibiotics, the farming and slaughtering practices would have to be made safer. My guess is that would cost way more than they would ever be willing to spend!	antibiotics,chicken,cost savings,Europe,factory farming practices,farm animals,FDA,fecal contamination,feed additives,industry influence,meat,MRSA,penicillin,Pew Commission,poultry,staph infection,turkey,USDA,vegans,vegetarians	The FDA’s suggestion that the meat industry voluntarily stop feeding antibiotics by the ton to farm animals to fatten them faster falls short of the changes needed to forestall the epidemic of antibiotic resistance.	Note Purdue, our third largest poultry producer, recently stopped much of their antibiotic usage due to consumer pressure—a good sign!For those not familiar with MRSA, please see my past videos on the topic:For more on antibiotic use on the farm, see:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pew-commission/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/staph-infection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penicillin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23417001,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23462092,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24043228,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22685139,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24252483,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3810935/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23731504,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23887415,
PLAIN-2526	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hospitals-selling-sickness/	Hospitals Selling Sickness	The food industry spends billions of advertising. Promotion costs for individual candy bars could run in the tens of millions, and this was years ago. McDonald's alone spends a billion dollars on advertising every year. Such figures dwarf the National Cancer Institute's million dollar annual investment promoting fruit and vegetable consumption or the 1.5 spent on cholesterol education. And that McBillion goes a long way.Children’s food preferences are being molded by McDonald’s even before they learn to tie their shoelaces. By the early age of 3 to 5 years, preschoolers preferred the taste of foods and drinks if they thought they were from McDonald’s. This was true even for carrots. Baby carrots placed on a bag with McDonald’s logo reportedly tasted better.And then if they get sick, they can continue to eat McDonald’s in the hospital. Nearly 1 in 3 children’s hospitals had a fast food restaurant inside, leading parents to have more positive perceptions of the healthiness of McDonald’s food. Or they can just buy the naming rights altogether: The Ronald McDonald Children’s Hospital.In teaching hospitals, Krispy Kreme tops the list. Hospitals may wish to revisit the idea of serving high-calorie fast food in the very place where they also care for the most seriously ill.This is reminiscent of the fight back in the 80s to get tobacco out of hospitals, when public health advocates made radical suggestions like cigarettes should not be sold in the hospital. By working to make our hospitals ultimately smoke-free, we become part of a global campaign to completely eliminate the tobacco scourge. The task is difficult, but so was eradicating smallpox.Maybe it’s time to stop selling sickness in hospitals.	People will seldom make the food-health connection on their own unless they have had a health crisis. Getting the nutritional information out and having it shine brighter than the message the food industries can finance will make the difference. I recommend this website as well as Dr. McDougall’s, PCRM’s and the film, Forks over Knives to everyone who will open their mind and listen.Except for one point, I very much agree with Dr. Greger re lunacy of having fast food that is very unhealthy in hospitals. However, the Ronald McDonald hospitals were a life saver of sorts in that they allowed my sibling and his family to stay near their very sick newborn for months in rooms provided by the Ronald McDonald foundation near the hospital – so one parent could continue to work 100 miles away where they lived and manage half of their other kids, while the other parent stayed at the Ronald McDonald provided rooms near the hospital during surgery after surgery. They switched back and forth so both could be near their very premature and sick newborn. Bottom line- not all bad with McDonalds, despite many bad choices on their menu.Of course Ronald McDonald Houses do GREAT work, and can be an absolute life saver for many families. However, it is important to remember that the damage caused by McDonalds and other Fast Food/ Processed Food companies far outweighs the benefits from the minimum they give back in the form of charities. Rather, if we ate healthier (read: no fast food or processed foods), then we could spend less on healthcare overall, and a portion of that money saved could be used instead to support families who have children in the hospital etc.As they’ve planned, you are now part of McD’s promotional team.That’s the least they can do! – quote Michael Greger?So McDonalds helps make people ill, then they sell their brand to the hospitals trying to fix the damage. I find that extremely sick and morbid. They are doing NOTHING to help, only to make money.The term “McHealth-Washing” is coined. Hope those rooms come with showers.What’s even more difficult it is to get the doctors, especially cardiologist, to stop eating burgers and fries when they’re reading your EKGs. I’ve been in Medicine since 1992 and this is something I’ve noticed quite frequently. It’s just like the respiratory therapist stepping out to have a smoke. It’s hard to change the psyche of people. But that said I have seen the trend of physicians and healthcare workers trying to eat better. But at this rate the only solution may be to ban fast food altogether. Clearly people have a hard time getting out of the pleasure trap. What’s everybody else’s thoughts on this.?THRICE I have written to Kaiser about this and it’s undermining their PR message of THRIVE and wanting to promote health! THRICE came the impervious thank you letter. No action. The Docs, the nurses, the techs I have talked to all resist hugely. Not to mention the fear of losing whole accounts of patients from the dairy and meat and restaurant industries.The Dr. Phillip Tuso et.al. article in Dr. Greger’s video (below) is encouraging reading, but movement is VERY SLOW. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/This morning A TV station in San Francisco (CH 5?) or was it a national morning show? aired a piece on how the football stadium would now be serving healthy choices sponsored by Kaiser. BUT the interviewer and the foolish anchorpeople in studio shifted from the EXCEEDINGLY DULL fruit and veggie offerings to DROOLING over the mayo with crabmeat and aioli on BIG white bun offering. KP sponsored the TV segment. I wonder if they thought they got their money’s worth!I had a teacher in medschool (child oncologist), he always had a pack of cigarettes in the pocket of his coat, his skin was yellow from nicotine, and his teeth were discolored. Didn`t understand it then, and don`t understand it now.Dr Greger on the ‘evolving’ (maturation, development, influencing, conscious changing…) of taste – very interesting: “How can we overcome our built-in hunger for salt, sugar, fat?” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/ We don’t come out of the womb craving a glass (or a breast) of wine. How and Where does that happen? Thing is, if it can, it can happen with intent in any direction. Initially by combining with foods I like, I’ve developed a taste for a few foods with high nutrient density that I previously had an aversion to taste-wise but wished I didn’t because of their nutritional value. This is a great validation that anyone can do it.HemoDynamic: I agree that it is very hard to get out of the pleasure trap. I know this personally. But instead of banning fast food altogether, my solution is to just make sure fast food (including all meat, dairy and eggs) costs consumers up-front it’s true cost. Without all the various subsidizations, those foods would no longer be affordable on a daily basis for the vast majority of the population. Healthy foods would be the default food simply because it was affordable. And people would learn to love it.To illustrate further what’s talked about in this NutritionFacts video, back in the 1980s when I was in practice as a consulting natural nutritionist, one of the premiere hospitals in Philadelphia, PA MD’s heading up the pediatric unit invited me to the hospital to talk about nutrition and how it could be applied to children (as I had a publishing company that concentrated on nutrition education materials for children and adults) since the MD apparently thought themselves (gender neutral, please) to be progressive about healthcare. After having to wait in the hospital common area for the MD and seeing children with IVs in them being rolled into a fast food restaurant in the lobby and kids of all ages gleefully going there, the MD was not pleased when, during our conversation, I said that the first thing that needed to happen was “get rid of the fast food eatery.” The MD’s retort was, “Can’t do that, Catherine. Thanks for coming in; we don’t need your information.”Additionally, another MD, who headed up a pediatric hospital in another state, very non-apologetically said to me, “If there was something to nutrition, wouldn’t you think we’d know about it.” I’m sure glad Dr. Greger is doing what he does, and thank you, kind sir.Regarding tobacco in hospitals, I personally experienced this in one of the premiere teaching hospitals in Philadelphia, PA: After having abdominal surgery, one of the physicians on rounds (about 4 MDs) — the one who examined my tummy, had a lighted cigarette hanging out of his mouth and the hot cigarette ash dropped on my freshly-operated-on abdomen! They laughed and thought it was funny and said something to the effect: shall we take you to the emergency room? Thankfully, MDs have stopped promoting the brands of cigarettes they smoked in advertisements. http://tobacco.stanford.edu/tobacco_main/images.php?token2=fm_st001.php&token1=fm_img0002.php&theme_file=fm_mt001.php&theme_name=Doctors%20Smoking&subtheme_name=More%20Doctors%20Smoke%20CamelsYes! the medical profession needs to do a lot of soul-searching, plus ‘retrofitting’ its thinking and modalities, in what it considers “healthcare” practices and protocols. If anyone ought to know better, it ought to be MDs. Thankfully, many nurses are more informed than some MDs, but then those RNs usually are castigated by MDs.Thanks for what you do, Dr. Greger. I, for one, appreciate you and your work.It’s really sad to heard this. :-(Catherine: You have some amazing stories. Pretty shocking stuff.Catherine J Frompovich, This talk by Robyn O’Brien vimeo.com/110009677 Is a must watch. She’s a mother of four who decided to look deeper into things when a researcher friend told her that GM ingredients in the diet are a wild card in relation to her son’s issues and childhood allergies in general.There are many for whom this is the one they will understand regarding what’s happening with the food supply overall. I heard her speak before and though it was the same issue, this is much better – she’s relaxed, coherent, very organized presentation, easy to listen to. It’s a compelling cogent combination of data + conservative businesswoman background, knows about “widening margins” + maternal emotion. Listen at least up to 14:00 (re: hospital food ignorance) I’m sure you’ll want to hear it all. > vimeo.com/110009677Thank you for sharing this video. It’s very powerful, and she’s a wonderful advocate for us.You’re welcome. Please share far and wide.I’m trying to have vegan options at my local hospital, I’ve resorted to lying by saying I’ve allergies,so they will make food. I have TTP and genetic form,so get FFP transfusions every two weeks. Being in cancer clinics for 29 years I’m shocked at the diet recommendations and handing out boost or insure for meal options. Even had doctor tell patients to not eat produce for bacteria and they have compromised immune system as I was writing smoothie recipes for them. Is there pamphlet to get the word out? I would gladly share with patients. Thank you for all you do Dr. Gregor! SunniA pamphlet will not make up for years of nothing taught about nutrients in “medical school”. It will be in the trash the moment you’re gone. And of course they’ll be defensive, although a few MDs have taken it upon themselves to re-educate themselves. There is much myopathy in their allopathy. The medical industry has nothing to do with health and that includes what’s taught and not taught in medical school.I was in the hospital and told them I required vegan meals. My first meal was orange juice, a cup of tea and vegetable broth. I asked the nurse if I was allowed to eat solids and she said I was so I showed her what my meal was and she face palmed. It’s unfortunate the hospitals haven’t put the connection together yet (understatement).wow it seems like vegans would be totally malnourished in hospitals if all they offered you was orange juice and vegetable brothIt boggles my mind that nutrition is not important for treating people with illness.This is true. Same thing happened when my grandfather was in hospital. Can you imagine a sick person who needs to recover being fed not enough calories to even live on?oh no was he alright?Thanks for asking. I had a discussion with the dietitian, but also just brought him food everyday to make sure. He did recover and come home eventually.I was in overnight a few years ago for a planned operation at Kaiser in the sf bay area. Great staff. Tried hard but had limited options. So I brought my own brown rice, lentils fruits and veggies. They just had to heat up a few things. I felt bad for them because they kept apologizing that they couldn’t do more. I don’t get why healthy options are so hard to have available. And even if they did offer it, I fear it would be swimming in oil and doused in salt.Hubby was in the hospital recently. Knowing the typical midwest-USA hospital food choices, and having experienced the “juice, tea, and broth” meals, I brought a cooler in with all our vegan food, and asked the nurse(s) to heat the dishes in the microwave. I felt like I was in a 3rd world country where patient’s family is always expected to bring the food for the patient.I was NEVER so overweight as I was when I worked at a hospital and ate in the cafeteria everyday. Macaroni and cheese with ham, lasagna, bbq ribs, the menu was endless. Everyone gorged on this stuff except the nutritionist. She ate from the salad bar… Thank goodness I finally quit (not because of the food) and got back to a vegan diet. It took a good year of beans, brown rice and vegetables all in the crockpot and walking the dog twice a day to get that weight off.Exactly. The morning after I suffered an MI (2012) the staff at my local hospital brought me eggs and bacon for breakfast, having barely survived and just stented and diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. I turned it away and weeks later mentioned this when filling out their survey form. The medical system is ridiculous when it comes to cardiology. My cardiologist never asks me about diet – I bring it up.My next door neighbor is a young heart surgeon. He listens to some of the NF videos I forward him. He says I know much more about nutrition for the heart than he doesSwears be wants to eat better but has a hard time giving up meet.Also, in general people don’t understand that for most dishes, it’s not the meat, it’s the way it’s seasoned that makes it good. You could substitute with tofu or something. But if I mention this point they always ask, but then how would you get your protein?I have been disheartened that the Japanese have slowly acclimated to a more western diet, with cheese, butter and other dairy now appearing at every meal –something that was a novelty just 15 years ago when I first arrived in Japan. And yes, we do have a McDonald’s on every corner through out Japan. Unfortunately, the breast cancer rates have increased proportionately. Fortunately, Japanese medical research has always focused on nutritional cures and preventatives and we have abundant fresh produce, mushrooms and soy, so it is still easy for me to eat health promoting meals despite the creep of Western ways. And people here are quick to adapt their nutrition to treat illness. Recently, my Japanese coworker just returned from breast cancer surgery and now brings soy milk to work– a diet change recommended by her physician! This strategy was confirmed by something I read about here: (http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/). As a researcher (Ph.D.), I appreciate how NutritionFacts.org posts links to the actual research articles so that I can dig deeper on topics presented. Few consumer sites offer this opportunity. Thanks for a terrific plant-based diet web site that helps me stay on track!Why stop at hospitals? How will Americans rate in the global community once our diet-related disease epidemic is worldwide? We have quickly become a nation that pedals poisons and then the antidotes. Strangely though, vast numbers of our fellow citizens believe that the USA is too charitable when it comes to foreign relations. The truth is though, at least according to Joe Stiglitz, for every dollar that leaves this country as some form of aid, 3 dollars return via profits. And as people nearly everywhere are slowly learning, the USA is very much the same as the McDonalds corporation with their charity to hospitals, just enough is given back to ensure a promotional cloak of goodness and decency. But of course the shareholders always come first, and the corporate model that has become the norm, is that of companies that disregard the negative externalities such as health and pollution costs, and… as if that disregard isn’t enough, most of the MNCs avoid paying taxes too.Throughout my 40 year career as an MD, working most of the time in the hospital, mostly large teaching hospitals, Of the more than 20,000 mealtimes in the hospital, Iprobaly ate only 4 or 5 meals the whole time because of the fried foods, overcooked vegetables slathered in butter, excessive salt without any real healthy choices. I consulted a nutritionist for all my patients whose illness was associated with poor diet but real teaching was difficult in the hospital setting. US patients are so recalcitrant: amputees, bypass surgery, diabetics, stroke victims, those with heart attacks, cancer, etc., would even have their family bring in fast food. Before smoking was banned they would go outside and smoke with hospital staff, and even after it was banned they would find places to hide and smoke. Doctors were dinged when blood sugars were poorly controlled, despite the poor nutitional choices and cheating by the patients. Fast food and junk food should be banned in all hospitals as a conflict of interest.Fast food and junk food should be banned in all hospitals as a conflict of interest.No it’s not a conflict of interest. The food is bad for health and makes the hospital money.Wow! McDonald’s store in the hospital! Hard to fathom. But it is consistent with the absence of nutritional meals for inpatients. When I was hospitalized several years ago after having been exposed to my husband’s cellulitis, there was nothing on the hospital menu I could eat. Even the Veggie wrap was full of fat. My daughter had to bring my food in a cooler. thankfully, the wonderful nursing staff agreed to change out the cold packs so I could eat healthy. We have a looooonnngg way to go.	calories,candy,carrots,cholesterol,fast food,fruit,industry influence,junk food,McDonald’s,National Cancer Institute,smoking,tobacco,vegetables	The movement to remove fast food operations from hospitals parallels the successful movement in the 80s to bar hospital tobacco sales.	For more on health entities appeasing the junk food industry, see my video Collaboration With the New Vectors of Disease. Even the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the registered dietitian organization, has quite the shady history which I document near the end of my 2014 annual review presentation From Table to Able.Even cynical me was surprised by my profession’s hostility towards nutrition. See:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcdonalds-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cancer-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23803757,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17679662,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17142511,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1308552/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3999280,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22915664,
PLAIN-2527	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/	Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility	Why is high dietary intake of saturated fat is associated with reduced semen quality? What’s the connection? Well a significant percentage the saturated fat intake in the study was derived from dairy products, and residues of industrial chemicals may bioaccumulate up the food chain into cow fat, and some of these lipophilic chemicals may have hormone-disrupting abilities.The EPA performed a national survey of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic pollutants in the U.S. milk supply. Since milk fat is likely to be among the highest dietary sources of exposure to this pollution, it’s important to understand their levels. They tested milk from all over the country and found a witches brew of chemicals. They estimate that dairy products alone contribute about 30% to 50% of our dioxin exposure. And like dioxin, other toxic pollutants tend to be widely dispersed in the environment, bioaccumulated through the food chain and ultimately result in low-level contamination in most animal fats.This may explain higher pollutant concentrations in fish eaters. Xenoestrogens like PCBs are associated with the fats of fish or animal flesh and cannot be fully removed by washing and cooking, and so can accumulate in our fat too. Xenoestrogens are chemicals with demasculinizing or feminizing effects, but even in a nonpolluted world animal foods have actual estrogen, not xeno estrogen, but estrogen-estrogens, which are unavoidable constituents in non-vegetarian nutrition. All foodstuff of animal origin contains oestradiol, which is at least 10,000-fold more potent than most xenoestrogens, and dietary exposure—meat, dairy products and eggs—to these natural sex steroids is therefore highly relevant since the hormones in these animals are identical to our own.Estrogens are also contained in meat and eggs, but the major sources are milk and dairy products. By drinking a glass of milk, a child's intake of estradiol is 4000 times the intake of xenoestrogens, in terms of hormone activity. See, modern genetically-improved dairy cows can lactate throughout their pregnancy; the problem is that that’s when the estrogen levels can jump as much as 30-fold.Though cheese intake has been associated with lower sperm concentration, dairy food intake has also been associated with abnormal sperm shape and movement, so this suggests that dairy intake may be implicated in direct testicular damage, and not just a potential suppression of sperm production due to the estrogen.While milk products supply most of our ingested female sex steroids, eggs are a considerable source as well, contributing about as much as meat and fish. I guess this could be expected, as eggs are produced directly in the hens’ ovaries.Meat may also come hormone-enriched. In the U.S. anabolic sex steroids may be administered to animals for growth promotion, a practice banned in Europe 25 years ago. This study in New York found a progressively lower sperm count associated with processed meat consumption, but similar studies in Europe after the ban found the same thing, so it may not be the implanted hormones, but rather a consequence of other things in meat such as the saturated fat, perhaps through cholesterol. We’ve known for decades that men with high cholesterol levels show abnormalities in their spermiograms, decreased sperm concentration, about a third of the normal sperm movement and half the normal sperm shape. Twenty-five years later we’re finding the same thing. In the largest study to date higher levels of cholesterol in the blood was associated with a significantly lower percentage of normal sperm. Cholesterol was also associated with reductions in semen volume and live sperm count. These results highlight the role of fats in the blood in male fertility, and should be of concern given the rising prevalence of obesity and cholesterol problems. Though a healthier diet may be associated with healthier sperm counts, cholesterol-lowering statin drugs did not seem to help.	I think this video is really important… could be excessive animal food consumption the culprit of the fertility problems nowadays ? It could be a pivotal factor, but I have to say that women from a pure biologically point of view should have babies between 20 to 30 years… in the past this was pretty normal, but today it seems to me that there is a social push that moved women to have babies later in life (after 30 years) where fertility starts to decline… is my reasoning right ?It’s always best for women to have children in their 20s, but in populations where there is little to no animal consumption (particularly dairy), women don’t experience the sharp drop in their fertility after 35 the way it does for populations that regularly consume animal foods.Yes, it’s true that in first world, western society, the time most women start thinking about having babies is in their late 20s, early 30s. Couple that with the Standard American Diet and, in my opinion, it’s fueling the multi-billion dollar medical fertility industry that we have today. If couples were to go at least 90% plant based and completely give up dairy, then I would expect the rate of infertility to drop significantly. But that’s bad for business, and so we get fertility diet “gurus” extolling the benefits of eating high fat dairy, salmon, grass-fed beef, etc. I should know, until I had my own health problems that were cured with a vegan diet, I was one of those people on the high fat dairy bandwagon.I think you have a point, but there are conditions different from diet that could impare fertility (tubal occlusion, endometriosis, early chemo for cancer issue), and i think that in that case the medical fertility industry could be useful. But in fact those type of interventions are expensive (from 10’000 to 15’000 $ per cycle).Anyway i rember a quote from Dr Mc Dougall about some of his male “patients” that even in theirs 70’s (!!!) could have children without problems… i find it:[…]The most impressive example of the potential for extraordinary health provided by a starch (rice) based diet came from some special Filipinos—specifically, family units consisting of an elderly man, a very young wife, and their children. After saving for years and then retiring, single men traveled to the Philippines in search of a young bride. In my office every day I witnessed what can best be described as “natural Viagra.” Men in their 70s and 80s were starting new families and demonstrating physical functions many American men only fantasize about after their 50s. These Filipino septuagenarians also expected to see their young children grow into adults, and they did. This virility and optimism was from their simple diets.https://www.drmcdougall.com/about/dr-mcdougalls-story/So i think that MDs that tried to manage fertility problems should start to look at their patient’s diet first while searching for other factors.Merio: Great quote. Thanks for finding and posting that for us.You’re welcome. :-)This “really important video” as you called it was about MALE fertility, why do you insist on blaming women for having babies later in life for infertility? Clearly, the poor, low quality of the man’s sperm is also an issue. Furthermore, women delay child bearing for social reasons such as finding a husband so the child can have a father, going to college and getting a good job so the child can be adequately supported, and accruing enough time and experience on her job so she can benefit from the paltry four month maternity leave. If you want women to start having babies in their twenties, encourage politicians to make more family friendly maternity leave laws, encourage young men to think about marriage instead of “hooking up”, encourage corporations to be more flexible in work day scheduling so women and men can properly raise a family, and protest the income inequality that is rampant in America so people can actually afford to raise a family because babies are very very very expensive. Please don’t act like women are so vain and inconsiderate that they want to live a life of leisure to the very end of their biological clock. What have you done to make it easier for women of child bearing age? Do you look at them cockeyed when they need to leave work early to pick up their child from school or daycare because of illness, or do you assist them with a positive attitude?It seems like you are talking past each other to some extent. Merlo has yet to indicate that he thinks women are to blame for the societal change. Could we try to hear out each other’s position carefully before rushing accuse each other personally?I HEARD out Merio’s position. I was QUESTIONING why he felt the need to mention Women when the video was CLEARLY talking about male fertility.No, you asked why he “…insists on blaming women…”If you want to ask about why someone might want to mention female fertility on a video whose topic is most focally about male fertility, there are obvious answers. If you are interested in male fertility, you are interested in fertility, and you are interested in female fertility as well, as both female and male fertility are generally needed for general fertility. Fertility is the more general topic of the video, or it’s a related topic — whatever you want to call it, female fertility is related to the topic.Yes, I asked HIM not YOU. There are many answers for this, some obvious some not so obvious, which AGAIN is why I asked him. Please stop responding. You are not Merio.So what if I’m not? You were still being presumptuous, I still saw potential for a nasty argument to unfold, and I didn’t want that to happen. Let’s leave it at that.I TOLD YOU NOT TO RESPOND TO ME! PLEASE STOP HARASSING ME! YOU ARE BEING A BULLY! YOU ARE REALLY OBNOXIOUS! PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE!Well, i do not blame women of course, because everyone should have the choice to decide her/his future; even if the video is related to men, women are the other half of the “problem”. I tend to think at fertility problem as an unique field.If a women decide to have a career, it’s really difficult to manage the weight of work and family at the same time, and many stiil have to make a choice between the two.In part i blame society, but it’s difficult to find a single culprit, it’s a complex subject.Of course men are part of the problem ’cause even men could have fertility problem, or related to the reproductive system:http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/male-infertility/basics/causes/con-20033113Our reproductive system is “sufficient” (from 25 to 30% ) in respect to other species (eg in rabbit we have 90 %), an healthy man has a constant sperm production even if really fluctuating in quality and numbers, while women mature an ovum per month from puberty till menopause (that starts from 40 to 50 years old).A women starts at birth with like 6 millions of primary follicles… at puberty we have different situations from 1,5 millions to 25’000 follicles… but in the end only 400 follicles would be recruited and final became provulatory follicles.Then there are many other part of the story, but at the end what one could understand it’s the fact that the birth of a healthy child is a sort of MIRACLE, and i do not think to exaggerate to say that women are a sort of “God” in this scenario.Anyway talking about possible solutions, i read long ago a trilogy called “Conversation with God” by Neal Donald Walsch and there was a part where “God” suggest to let the youngs enjoy they’re lifes while children would be taken care of by grandmas and granpas. Children would not be seen as a property of parents (od course they will be stil important) but as a gift for the entire society, as the sons of everyone.From a more technical point of view, women could now decide to donate they’re ovocite to… themselves (or others) !http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertility_preservationYou are right. Fertility is a complex problem.Whenever you talk about fertility you need to talk about both genders since it takes two. It would be nice if we as a society could come up with some viable medical and social solutions so everyone who wanted kids could have them. I am so sorry if I was offensive earlier accusing you of blaming women. Again you are right, it is very important to look at the whole story when trying to understand an intricate issue. Saving or donating eggs are great solutions, however, they come with a price tag.It’s not a problem, we are talking of really important topics so it’s good to have even strong arguments.Indeed you’re are right about the price tag ‘since every solution could have pros and cons and everyone should decide freely about the subject.Best regardsI had a baby daughter when I was 31 in 1974, my daughter had a baby when she was 37. Although, I fed my family organic food and we started drinking and eating organically grown meat and dairy in 1986, for most of their lives and mine, we ate conventional dairy and meat (when organic was not available). Livestock are unable to reproduce when they are forced to eat genetically engineered corn this came after the times when I conceived. My daughter grew up on organic from 1986 though most of 2004. Then has eaten grass fed livestock and dairy after that time. Her baby son is age 3 and although he prefers vegetables to meat, he consumes a great deal of organic milk yogurt.Perhaps it matters more where the meat and dairy animals were fed and what the waters or feed contained. There are other chemicals in our environment known to reduce the sperm count, including dioxins that are widespread in the air, soils, waters and fish, as well as GMO corn and both glyphosate (Roundup) and 2,4-D (dioxin contaminated herbicide), which have also been found to reduce the sperm count and contribute to spontaneous abortion of fetuses in both livestock, pets, and people.From what i know now i think that animal food could lower the chance to have a baby for a couple, but not to completely abolished they’re reproductive ability.There are a lot of factor into play, and it’s difficult to blame only one, or two.Anyway i need references for your sentences about GMOs since i searching the subject, and the more information i find, the better is.Physically it’s better for young people to bear children, but have you been around many 21 year olds? They’re not mostly good candidates for the patience, dedication and self-sacrifice necessary to be a good parent. They also rarely have good jobs. Many of them have very little knowledge about nutrition, cooking, history, child-raising practices, or the interest in finding out. Most people don’t attain this until they’ve had some life experience, or ages say 30-35, so it’s really a balance. John S PDX ORYes, that it’s a problem indeed.I think that the role of grandpas and grandmas are really pivotal in this case, so we need to really avoid to forget them since their help could be a major factor.I agree. Have you known many adults of older onset parents ?They all have a better sense of themselves. They were raised by parents who as well had a better grip of themselves and could allow their offspring to develop and learn more in their own terms.I do agree that grandparents are important and can help where younger parents fall short.One of the studies in the video showed a detrimental effect on sperm in meat without added hormones. None of the studies say 100% of people eating meat can’t have babies, but that the probability of a decrease in sperm function is higher. One of the proposed culprits is animal fat, in which environmental toxins may also acumulate.So, it seems that it’s not the high cholesterol count that causes the sperm problems, it’s really the root cause of the high cholesterol (animal fat) that’s the guilty party.Richard, thats completely right, although we do know from many well known scientific journals that cholesterol in all animal forms (eggs, meat, liver) continues to promote an increase in blood cholesterol levels, increasing risk for cardiovascular disease (stroke, high blood pressure, heart attack etc). Therefore by avoiding animal products which are highest in dietary cholesterol we immediately cut our risk of an early death. Our body can actually produce cholesterol on its own, without the need for animal foods. A plant based diet is best not only for sperm count (making babies), but for longevity in life.Cameron SeguraSounds like the solution is to consume organic and grass fed cow’s milk and less about avoiding milk entirely.What in any of that suggested that not grass-feeding has anything to do with the issue?If cows are not being grass fed, then what do you think they are eating?Using “grass fed” as a standard is not reliable. Here in Texas for example, Coastal grass is used to bale and for use as grazing feed. That grass though is usually fertilized with non-organic compounds, and sometimes it is fertilized organically.Then too, cattle can eat a wide variety of plants, and each of these can be grown organically or otherwise. Some large scale farms, for example, will include a feed lot to make use of by-products. I’ve seen cattle fattened on carrots, and on beet tops, and it isn’t uncommon for candy by-products to be mixed into grain so as to drive up the calories. Turns out, cattle enjoy chocolate candy bars just as much as we do.However, I doubt any of this has anything to do with the topic of this video though.It does relate to the topic in terms of pollutants in our milk.Yes, or at least the title suggests that we are talking about pollutants, but the video shifts the focus to animal fat. I was a little lazy and vague too, but I meant that I had probably said enough about cattle eating candy and the like.As I said, the message seems to be to avoid pollutants and added hormones in milk but not the milk itself. Would we stop eating kale because some farmers are using pollutants like pesticides on it? Or should we just eat organic kale?I take to the video to say that cholesterol is problematic and that suggests to me that all dairy is bad for fertility in males.We at least agree the title is misleading. And the video covers both your points and mine.If any of those grasses, grains, or vegetables, including sugar has either been heavily sprayed with Roundup or 2,4-D, the livestock are taking in massive amounts of weed killers that kill life (weeds plus animal life). Sugar beets alike alfalfa (part of grasses and hay) may be genetically modified with a bacterium, virus, to cause the seed to accumulate the herbicide and the GM plant will not die. That is not the case for the sperm or the unborn animal. They like the humans that eat the GM corn, sugar beets (read sugar on the label) as well as other crops including alfalfa may contribute to the demise of the fetus.Monsanto, the world’s largest biotech and pesticide company has basically two types of widespread GM crops. Soy which is “resistant” to Roundup, 2,4-D, dicamba, and now glufosinate, and corn or cotton which contains the soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis in every cell of the new dna. Read: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/health-risksandCompositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans, which was published in Food Chemistry, June 15, 2014. The soy used in the study came from Iowa, USA. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814613019201To date, Monsanto has genetically modified soy, corn, cotton, canola, sugar beets (labeled sugar), alfalfa, and possibly some vegetables. They all resist massive amounts of herbicides and the plants don’t die. But both human fetuses have died in Argentina, where also GM soy is grown using the same technology as in the USA, and farm families who neighbored the fields in Canada and were pregnant prior to the spraying, lost their fetuses which were spontaneously aborted (miscarriages occurred). This was at a time when only one herbicide, Glyphosate or Roundup was used to kill weeds. Now, Monsanto and the other biotech-pesticide companies have amassed 3 or even 4 herbicides together by modifying the seeds further to handle more and more concentrated amounts and high quantities of herbicides. All this is not based on peer reviewed science, and NO health studies are allowed to be published in the USA.This is because Michael Taylor while a top lobbyist for Monsanto during the Bush Quayle Administration made a deal with President Bush to regulate the new GM crop until they were ready to be put into the market place and then de-regulate them. Taylor and the Bush-Quayle Administration wrote the FDA policy on biotechnology which still stands today and is without any controls, or peer reviewed studies supporting the technology. There are lots of studies published around the world which oppose the technology. Go to GMOevidence.com for more.In 2006 or 2007, W, George Bush and Dick Cheney offered any corporation that did not like any study at the U.S. EPA to remove the study from the EPA chemical library (these included biotechnology pesticides used with GM crops), for $1 million per corporation. All studies disappeared from the EPA Library,http://www.peer.org/news/news-releases/2006/10/30/stealth-closure-of-principal-epa-chemical-library/ the Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine, even the World Health Organization.http://www.peer.org/search.html?peer_custom_search_field=EPA+LIBRARY&x=0&y=0&id=3406And when Obama came into office and Dow wanted to have 2,4-D re-registered there were no studies. They were given what they wanted. When 2,4-D (dioxin contaminated) was used on corn and soy as livestock feed, they only listened to the industries and ignored the public, when 2,4-D was expanded to be used on other crops as well, it was rubber stamped even though more than 30 members of Congress and 500,000 scientists and members of the public protested.Now a coalition of environmental organizations and farmers are challenging EPA over its decision to permit use of 2,4-D. http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/2014-10-22-9th-cir-petition-for-review-of-enlist-duo2_20484.pdfNo, that is not the solution. Remember from the video that modern cows are milked throughout pregnancy. During the last 2 trimesters cows produce increasingly larger amounts of estrogen, which comes out in their milk. So the solution is to either avoid dairy or try to locate milk from a non-pregnant cow (but then you still have the environmental pollutants to worry about–even in organic grass fed milk).As studies show the bulk of the estrogen is found in the dairy fat. So to make dairy consumption as safe as we can first, we should opt for low fat dairy (also reduces cholesterol and saturated fat intake). Second, we should prefer fermented dairy products which have some health benefits (for example, kefir was found to suppress estrogen-dependent breast cancer cells proliferation http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17887934 )I am a dedicated follower of this site but… on this one, I disagree.I’m nearly 59 and my sperm count and my sex drive are exceptionally high. I also consume nearly 1 gram of protein per each pound of my body weight, per day, and most of this protein comes from non-organic sources of dairy.I also lift weights for about 2 hours per day with one day off per week, typically. I also lift intensely, with the intent of activating growth hormone. This requires a level of intensity that can only occur when muscles are stressed to an extreme degree. And, during the hours after these types of workouts, and on the following day of an especially hard session, there is a very noticeable surge in sex drive.It is also rather obvious that older men who learn to workout with a certain level of intensity, tend to look young for their respective ages, and we tend to be much more sexually active than men who are in poor physical condition. I don’t know of any studies to support this, but it seems one can find studies to support just about anything. So, with that in mind, I simply submit the anecdotal fact that I have met scores of middle-aged men who have had the same experience that I have had.If I recall, the metabolic syndrome has been linked with some ‘feminizing’ shifts in the male physiology. I could probably dig up a few sources on this as it’s a subject best studied with careful scrutiny and epistemic caution, but don’t have the time to do this right now.I’ve heard of a recent study too that revealed some evidence that testosterone levels and estrogen levels must rise in tandem. This being of course in conflict with the practice of blocking estrogen as a way of suppressing those “‘feminizing’ shifts”, or at least conflicting as to how testosterone levels can rise independently.This is however another issue that I have some first-hand knowledge on. Maybe I should say too that my son is an Exercise Science major and so we do some in-house experimentation with lots of supplements and etc. And, as the primary lab rat, I have used soy protein extensively and never have I noticed any feminizing effects. Naturally though, phyto-estrogen is different than what is being discussed on the video, but… as stated in my comment earlier, I am now using unusually large amounts of dairy-based proteins and my sperm count and my sex drive remain exceptionally high.Consider the positive effects if you’d drop your intake of dairy.My husband and I had no problem producing a child in 1974 (in fact, she came on her due date. Then, in 2011 with her husband, she produced a son. All ingested meat and dairy in large amounts. Additionally, my brother’s sperm count and mobility was very high, but his wife was unable to get pregnant, although she was older than any of us when we decided to have a family. But interestingly enough, she was a twin, and her twin sister had no problem getting pregnant or carrying a fetus to term. Could something else be involved here? No one in our family on either side has had problems with fertility, other than my brother’s wife.one word: anecdotalSince I don’t consume animal products and am well past the age of reproduction, it doesn’t directly affect me, but it still begs the question of what role all these hormones play in female fertility, specifically? Elimination is of course the simple cure to any of the issues, but just curious.Plant based diet has changed the course of my life from continuous pain/aches to manageable aches/pains and losing about 20 lbs. in about one year (from 190 lbs. to about 165-170 lbs). I expect to be around 150-160 lbs within a year. I have avoided red meat/chicken, dairy products, eggs. Occasionally eat fish and Chinese/Vietnamese food. I wish there was diet for inducing sleep for insomniacs… May the FORCE continue to be with Dr. Greger…NormanAllen: That’s great news! Contralutations on fixing yourself. :-)re: insomnia You may want to check out some of the following videos. Dr. Greger has some ideas for you to try. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=insomniaHope that helps!I guess this is a bit off topic and I know I’ll get slack for this remark, though it surely isn’t new, but even as a kid I wondered why on earth people would feel inclined to drink a fluid that is excreted to nourish the babies of another species! Even so young, there was a serious disconnect in the concept and it seemed alien, and well, just wrong to me! This stuff is not only from a different species entirely, but it is designed to make large newborns grow dramatically into huge vegetarians, in less than a year! LOL! How much irony is in that simple concept? Add to that gob of reality, all the negative practices and effects we now know about, and it just boggles me that people still try to advocate in favor of it, splitting imaginary hairs like “raw”, “not pasteurized”, “grass fed”, etc.! It is quite obvious that *we want to believe what allows us to maintain what we desire*, so perhaps my ongoing distaste for “cow mucus” gives me a different perspective, but why would anyone opt in favor of this ludicrous practice? Even if you can somehow disregard the above, it is so detestable in regards to the unthinkable numbers of sentient, feeling creatures victimized! Especially in the deplorable factory farming scenario, but even in the most positive and “natural” dairy farm setting, a newborn baby is separated and isolated from it’s mother and fed manually with “pooled resources” so humans can have “their” milk! I guess being a mom makes me relate a little too much here, but it strikes me as evil and heartless on so many levels! Just so unnecessary! I can understand in our distant past that food equated to survival and we figured out ways to survive at all costs, but that same intelligence should also acknowledge those things no longer apply!In talking to people about veganism, one of the commonest obstacles that arises, besides the obvious lack of “meat”, is giving up cheese! Even I can vouch for it’s addictive qualities, sadly, before becoming entirely vegan. The imitation non-dairy products you can buy mostly don’t cut it, and are just too pricey anyway, for me. There are a variety of plant based recipes on the internet and Youtube that can be better, but finding Miyoko Schinner’s recipes led to finding her book, “Artisan Vegan Cheese”, which is a game changer! She has recipes you can make yourself with plant ingredients and no special tools, and includes plant versions of most common cheeses, even yogurt! (No affiliation here, just a happy vegan!) They are amazing! There is a bit of a learning curve for some, and a few unusual ingredients, but many couldn’t be easier and are just wonderful! (Though most ARE concentrated calories and should be regarded similar to their dairy counterparts.) Highly recommended! And I’ll shut up now! LOL!Is Soy estrogenic or feminizing? Many claim it is. Why shouldn’t high amounts of Soy be avoided along with the foods mentioned in this video? Charzie, thank you for the plant based cheese making book reference. Do you have any favorite recipes in the book?AA: Unless you consume ridiculous amounts of soy, it is not “feminizing”. Consuming 2-3 servings of traditional soy products a day is actually a very healthy thing to do, including helping to reduce risk of cancers such as breast and prostate cancer. If this topic interests you, you can learn a lot more on this site by watching other videos and blog articles on the topic of soy.When will people start to understand that their anecdotal experiences do not negate what is being said in Dr. Greger’s videos. I know heavy smokers who lived well in to their late 80s. But I also saw my dad, a heavy smoker, die when he was 54. We know that smoking is bad for us. Now studies show that dairy products and the pollutants accumulated in them may be the reason for the declining fertility in men and people keep saying “well I didn’t have that problem and i always drink milk”. So what! You will always find people who will not have certain problems the majority of people have. But that doesn’t make the facts less true. We are all different individuals. Every body reacts different. But in this case there is still strong evidence that for most people dairy products are detrimental to their health and fertility.I just read this article on dairy consumption in relation to various cancers . . . relevant to the topic here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141104083708.htmI love this (research) video! It clearly strikes a chord with many as the comments below attest.Regarding the comments that are anecdotal, that a great deal of meat and dairy has been consumed and still sperm counts are high and no problem with fertility, it’s just anecdotal. Fertility problems are estimated to be ~15% of the overall population, so of course that means 85% will be fine. I work with the 15% who have tried “everything” – timed intercourse, IUI (Intra Uterine Insemination), and IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) – and in the two years since I’ve asked these patients to switch to plant based eating, it is clearly helping many more to achieve a successful pregnancy. (I define successful as resulting in a healthy, live baby.) Not only are the sperm counts, sperm motility, and sperm morphology parameters showing much improvement, there are other benefits being reported. GERD is gone. Sleep is better. Increased sense of energy and overall well being are common. I would also like to mention that men with high cholesterol who are being treated with statin drugs often have corresponding drops with their sperm motility and morphology. I ask them to switch to plant based to see about reducing and eventually going off the statin med that is hurting their fertility. For the gentleman who go plant based 100%, in most cases their fertility improves, and either they have success with the next round of IUI or IVF, or for some they are able to impregnate their female partners the old fashioned way, without any medical intervention. Additionally, it is estimated that in couples dealing with fertility issues, nearly 50% are due to male factor. In the incidences of low sperm count, couples are often made to go straight to IVF.These results are completely opposite of the recent Loma Linda (Harvard) study, and I wonder why. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/mens-health/11172519/Vegetarians-have-much-lower-sperm-counts.htmlI’m 100% for a vegan diet, but we must be truthful in our use of research and ensure the discussion is balanced.vegetarians drink milk. Vegans don’t drink milk. Your article discusses vegetarians, not vegans.Actually, the study is of Seventh Day Adventists, which are known for being true vegetarians (not lacto-ovo vegetarians, what North Americans usually call vegetarian). Other write ups express the same issue with the vegan men who participated in the study: e.g. http://www.adventistreview.org/church-news/vegetarian-diet-linked-to-lower-sperm-countSo it has nothing to do with milk, although B12 and/or soy could be factors, according to researcher comments in the newspaper article I linked to. That said, I did see some recent research showing that it isn’t the fastest sperm that impregnates the egg cell, but, a slower one that happens to come along at the right time when the first sperms have nearly broken down the wall of the egg. So, randomness may be more to do with sperm selection rather than survival of the fittest. Perhaps one day we will find that the issue is quality of quantity, who knows.http://www.theveganrd.com/2014/10/vegan-diets-sperm-concentrations-and-fertility-why-there-is-no-need-to-worry.htmlIt is so common to see infertility especially in women. Many women being diagnosed with PCOS in our clinic. I see PCOS in women who are at least over weight if not obese. These women do tend to eat a diet consisting of many processed foods and is low in vegetables and fruits.	animal fat,animal products,cheese,cholesterol,dairy,dioxin,eggs,estrogen,Europe,fish,hormones,industrial toxins,infertility,meat,men's health,milk,obesity,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,reproductive health,saturated fat,semen,sexual health,sperm counts,statins,xenoestrogens	Sex steroid hormones in meat, eggs, and dairy may help explain the link between saturated fat intake and declining sperm counts.	What does saturated fat have to do with semen quality? Check out my last video The Role of Diet in Declining Sperm Counts.What about the phytoestrogens in soy? See The Effect of Soy on Precocious Puberty.More on hormones in dairy in:Neurotoxic chemicals in the dairy supply have been blamed for neurological conditions as well. See my video Preventing Parkinson’s Disease with Diet.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/semen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xenoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13684475,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24681577,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16672247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24596332,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1469672/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10647074,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2613482,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24636397,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11601881,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12477510,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11392381,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35465,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23269819,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23670169,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12743612,
PLAIN-2528	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-role-of-diet-in-declining-sperm-counts/	The Role of Diet in Declining Sperm Counts	In 1992 a controversial paper was published, suggesting sperm counts have been dropping around the world over the last 50 years. However, this remains a matter of debate. It’s notoriously difficult to determine sperm counts in the general population for obvious reasons. If you just go ask men for samples, less than 1 in 3 tend to agree to participate.Finally though, a study of tens of thousands of men studied over a 17 year period. They found a significant decline in sperm concentration, about a 30% drop, as well as a drop in the percentage of normal looking sperm. Most looked normal in the 90’s but more recently that has dropped to less than half. This may constitute a serious public health warning. Semen quality may actually be related to life expectancy. In a study of more than 40,000 men visiting a sperm lab during a 40-year period, they found a decrease in mortality was associated with an increase in semen quality, suggesting that semen quality may therefore be a fundamental biomarker of overall male health. So declining sperm counts could be like the canary in the coal mine, for us, and future generations. Even when defective sperm are capable of fertilizing an egg, creating a child with abnormal sperm may have serious implications for that child’s future health.What role may diet play? In a previous video I profiled first-of-its-kind Harvard study suggesting that a small increase in saturated fat intake was associated with a substantially lower sperm count, but not all fat was bad, higher intakes of omega-3’s was associated with a more favorable sperm shape. This may help explain why researchers at UCLA were able to improve sperm vitality, movement, and shape by giving men about 18 walnuts a day for 12 weeks, though walnuts, as a whole food, have more than just omega 3’s but also other important micronutrients. In a study of men aged 22 through 80, older men who ate diets containing lots of antioxidants and micronutrients, for example vitamin C had the genetic integrity of sperm from much younger men.The antioxidants we eat not only end up in our semen, but are concentrated there. The amount of vitamin C ends up nearly 10 times more concentrated in our testicles than the rest of our bodies. Why? Because sperm are highly susceptible to damage induced by free radicals, and accumulating evidence suggests that this oxidative stress plays an important role in male infertility, so we should eat lots of antioxidants, which is to say eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Why not just take antioxidant pills? Because in pill form antioxidants may have unexpected adverse effects. So more fruits and vegetables and perhaps less meat and dairy, But the Harvard data were considered preliminary. They studied fewer than 100 men, but it was the best we had until now. The higher the saturated fat intake the lower the sperm count, up to a 65% reduction in total sperm count. These findings are of potentially great public interest, because changes in diet over the past decades may be part of the explanation for the recently reported high frequency of subnormal human sperm counts. In any case, the current findings suggest that adapting dietary intake toward eating less saturated fat may be beneficial for both general and reproductive health.	Sperm Quality and Motility seem to be, like ED, “the canary in the coal mine.” If there are problems there, there are problems everywhere! So many key issues/aspects such as this/for which most people know way to little. We are so proud and so competitive in some aspects, but in some very key aspects “we” are mostly clueless which is unfortunate. Thank YOU for helping to alleviate that. If only those who need the information the most are aware of this site et.al. Keep up the great work in all regards!!!!I’m studying embriology during this days and there are really a lot of factors that could be deleterious to our sexual functions (eg smoke).Smoking screws everything up. Good point!Yes, it is really a nasty substance.I can’t agree strongly enough. Thank god I was able to quit while still young in my late twenties thanks toy then family Dr who scared the c**p out of me with his warnings about the pill and smoking and my increased bronchitis. Now mid forties I’m sooo glad I quit when I did. A GF’s mom quit but sadly found out she had cancer months after. Hard to judge. My heart broke for her and for what it’s worth my GF mom was one of the few who took ownership of her choice to not quit earlier but just like my dad we put it aside and took care of her. Others quit because of both so there’s that. Ironically like many others Ive developed an allergic like rxn to cigarets (even just the smell on clothes, etc). My sister calls them ‘cancer sticks’ but I don’t think the term really takes in all the damage they do.Nature always has the final say when it comes to its own survival. I sense that human population is in play here. Just looking at the bigger picture.How about GMO’s. Any research about that poison in our food and sperm count?Dunno, but we could flip the question around to get some context to start with. You are concluding that it’s “poison” based on what research?So far only based on animal research. Rats and pigs. http://sustainablepulse.com/2014/01/15/gm-bt-corn-causes-infertility-rats-new-egyptian-studies/#.VFQCcYXtB0wI looked at the link and pulled the third study cited at the page to start the investigation. After a bit of a runaround from site to site I eventually got to the full document, which is apparently published by the Journal of American Science, which shows no indication of being a peer-reviewed journal. Actually the info suggests that the journal is a bit of a publishing mill: “AmericanScience.org aims to provide science community the best services in publishing scientific research findings, and providing the latest science news, jobs, and other information. We strive to provide the best service to the public, scientists, industries,and academic institutions. We plan to provides services to allow readers to subscribe and access to a large number of science journals.”The idea that they are trying to give a superficial impression of authority and peer-review is especially telling when you consider how similar the name is to the American Journal of Science, which is presently the number one peer-reviewed journal in geoscience, has long been linked with Yale, and has a fairly high impact factor. Also, having “America” in the journal name may be appealing to foreigners trying to make a career in research. Note also that on the website of the peer-reviewed journal they are very clear that there will be a review process, and give a strong impression that they don’t just publish anything, that they actually know something about the area in which they publish: http://www.ajsonline.org/site/misc/ifora.xhtmlHave you actually looked closely at these sources that in the link that you showed us? Do you know the other citations to be much higher in quality, and if so, why didn’t you tell me about the poor quality of this one?I was making the point that no human research exists – only animal studies. If The Journal of American Science is publishing hearsay to look like peer reviewed studies, then that is a separate – but extremely important issue. Certainly with politically charged topics such as this we are seeing the perversion of science from all angles.I’m sorry if you thought I was trying to blind you with pop science. That wasn’t my intention. From a research point of view we can garner precious little from animal studies in terms of long term human effects. In response to your original point – the question of whether or not GM food should be considered a poison depends on your point of view. Personally, I think all new cars should be tested before being allwed on the roads, and I think the same applies to our food. The obvious contention here is ‘new’ – while the FDA have already judged GM crops to be ‘not substantially different’.Right, so you’re saying that animal studies showing harm exist as part of that point. With that, would it not be a huge omission to not point out that the animal studies to which you are referring are not peer reviewed, and hence not meeting important criteria for legitimacy?So you’re calling into question one study (out of a handful) that may or may not be peer reviewed. You have made several assumptions to make the case that it is not peer reviewed, however we still do not know either way. I judged the study to be of value – and if you have found evidence otherwise then I am happy to hear it. At least I was, until you insinuated that I was fully aware of this possible subversion and therefore complicit in its circulation.Now you’re painting it as if the whole argument hinges on this one study; an argument which I myself do not give so much weight to anyway, given the use of ‘only’ in the original post. You are right to question the study – but please do so within the context that it appeared and without presenting your assumptions as fact. I checked each link, and judged the article to be of value to the conversation – however I am well aware that it would be impossible for me – or any other commenter – to validate 100% every study that popped up on our computer screens. Yes – this is what the peer review process is for – but that puts enormous pressure on the integrity of that process, which can and does lead to dishonesty on the part of the Journals. If you feel that the Journal of American Science is gathering unreviewed studies and presenting them as peer reviewed, the correct course of action would be to find hard evidence and take it up with them. By all means let people know (and I am please you made me aware of this) but please recognise that your assumptions about my intentions and about the validity of this study remain as such.There was also a video linked in that article which was definitely not peer reviewed – nonetheless interesting and valuable to this discussion. I never specified the peer reviewed nature of the material posted. It was you that created that criteria, and then judged me against it.I was talking about the Journal of American Science to add support beyond reasonable doubt that the one article was not peer reviewed. I could probably find other primary research in that link that has not been peer reviewed, but you can see that it has already taken me considerable time to make my case for just one of them, and even with that investment I’m meeting with heavy resistance. Not being peer-reviewed is a very very bad thing for something posturing as primary research to be.Of course some material that is not peer reviewed is worth discussing from a scientific point of view, but it’s usually stuff that tries to invoke and discuss many lines of primary research.I’m challenging YOU for linking to a site containing citations of primary research in rats and pigs and apparently not doing any fact checking at all, neither of the site, which looks to me to be more charged by politics than science, nor the articles that the site cites, at least one of which is clearly not peer reviewed. This is a blow to their scientific integrity and a blow to yours, because in this scenario, you do have some responsibility to point out that the research has not passed peer review of any kind whatsoever if you still want us to consider it. And usually we do ignore rat studies of this type that are not peer reviewed (most scientists do, at any rate), so asking people to consider it at all looks a bit like special pleading for a favored hypothesis.I didn’t “create” the idea that primary research should be peer reviewed, either. It’s a general heuristic. The more technical and specialized the material being publicized (as in a study of emerging disease in the cells of rats that have been exposed to various experimental diets…) the more you want other people doing that kind of research to be able to attest that the methods used were reasonably sound in that particular case.(said in a friendly tone) Based on my experience when questions like these are asked it shifts the conversations to conspiracy theory driven. In my opinion we simply cannot even take a clue at the consequences of gmo (even though there are numerous methods ex. matt lalonde I believe discusses this). Top researchers would need to be interviewed before speculation and fear conjuring and spreading misinformation.In the mean time it would be wise to look at much more proven and simple ways to improves one’s health (whole food plant based). Of course in a free-market anyone can go buy non-gmo products, but as a 23y.o. college student I will let others stimulate the economy $$ while I focus on getting in foods people should be eating but aren’t lol.This reminds me of a story in one of the bonus sections at the end of the Forks Over Knives DVD. They were interviewing some type of doctor (I don’t remember what type) who at least in part counsels women who want to get pregnant. If memory serves, the doctor was mostly talking about the women and how converting to a whole food plant based diet solved most of the fertility problems she saw. But my guess is that the men were eating the same food. (Maybe the video said that too. I just don’t remember.)Here’s my point: Based on what this NutritionFacts video says, I wonder if improved fertility for whole plant food based couples is actually due more to the improved diet of the men leading to better sperm rather than the direct effect on the women. Interesting thought! My real guess it that it’s probably very helpful for women’s fertility too – we just don’t have specific studies or NutritionFacts videos on that yet. :-) (As far as I remember.)Its probably both, but I do think you are right that a good part of what we thought was on the woman’s side was in actuality on the man’s. Since most men I know have a hard time keeping f/v down this doesn’t surprise me at all.My naturopathic practice is 100% fertility. In the last two years since recommending a whole foods, plant based diet to patients, I’ve seen much higher success rates. Many of the couples I work with are integrating my advice with their medical fertility treatment. The couples where both the male and female are following a plant based diet at least 5 days per week are seeing the greatest benefit. I would love to see research conducted on this. The medical fertility clinics aren’t going to promote this way of eating unless there are human trials.Judith Fiore: Thank you so much for sharing your story! It is so cool to hear that confirmed by someone who sees patients. I agree with you: It would be really nice to have some solid research on the topic. In the mean time, at least there are people like you who are helping out with the best information you have. Sounds like you are making a big difference in people’s lives.It would be interesting to converse about this with you because it seems from my perspective that anyone even close to my age of 23 simply doesn’t care about fertility. The benefits of instant gratification trumps all (my opinion about the desire to conform and also the addictive properties of foods), as evidence by health markers in the usa.Is the saturated fat talked about here being bad for sperm saturated fat from animals or plants? I am quite sure the saturated at being spoken about here is form animals and that should be clearly stated.If you can find that being specifically described in these studies you have a point.It is not addressed specifically but it appears to be alluded to. Dr. Greger presented evidence that walnut improved sperm vitality and shape and walnuts contain saturated fat. They also contain omega-3 and other nutrients that can be the reason for the support of sperm cells.Walnuts have saturated fat because they have fat. Pretty much all fat in plants is something of a mix, but in the case of walnuts the balance is overwhelmingly toward unsaturated fats, polyunsaturated especially: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3720?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=walnutsThat is, if I were looking for a way to get a lot more saturated fat from whole plant sources, walnuts would not be at the top of my list.Yes I understand walnuts have a mixture of fat leaning towards unsaturated and polyunsat fats. The point of this video is saturated fats have a negative association with sperm vitality. Walnuts have saturated fats also yet the help sperm to be strong. The question is does the saturated fat not have a negative effect on sperm strength because plant saturated fat has a different effect on sperm than does animal fat, or is it that the omega3 and of nutrients of walnuts cancels out the negative effect of walnuts saturated fat. I personally feel the animal saturated fat is the culprit and the plant saturated fat, at least in good fats of walnut, and coconut oil, almonds.There is different packaging, of course, and an association with saturated fat is just that, an association. There can be mitigating factors and there can be confounding factors, but still you are citing how you “feel” on the matter and use walnuts as an example of your feelings about saturated fat when really they don’t fit too well as an exception to the “saturated fat is bad for sperm” hypothesis that distinguishes between animal and plant sources of saturated fats. If the amount of saturated fat in a plant food is relatively small, then other effects will of course dominate.I’m not necessarily saying that I believe saturated fat is the main mechanism at work behind this association; I’m just challenging your reasoning, because it seems a bit like you may be shaping your reasoning according to what you want to believe.I am shaping my opinion based on how the saturated fat i largely eat, walnuts, almonds, coconut oil effect my health and my sperm. My plant based diet is very specific and it has removed illness from my body. When I ate meat that was a different story. Now if saturated fat is the problem I would like to know what were the sources of saturated fat that were associated with sperm weakness because the saturated fat I eat makes my sperm strong, if it is saturated fat that does actually have a cause and effect on sperm strength, but my own body I would have to say that animal fat is the problem.How do you determine the effect of the coconut oil on your health and sperm?I determine that through tests results from my dr.And the tests implicate coconut oil as the cause of favorable outcomes how?No. Before my conversion to a plant based diet based on purely alkaline, non gmo, an d non hybrid foods, my health has greatly improved. I haven’t been sick and I haven’t had any medical issues since I adopted a plant based diet. I eat highly saturated plant based foods but not gmo or hybrid foods containing saturated fats. I eat a lot of walnuts, almond, and coconut, and much more than what people generalize to be good. I posed the initial question because the source of fat that was associated with weak sperm wasn’t given. Because of my personal experience I am curious as to the sources of fat that was associated because even with my heavy use of plant based saturated fat my health and conditioning are lovely. Now I understand that only an association was given, and I would still like to know what the sources of fat were. If there is a cause and effect relationship I want to know what and if the differences between animal based fat and plant based fat are on sperm health. If there is a cause and effect relationship, and my heavy use of these saturated fats still have wonderful outcomes on my health the that wold support that the problem is with animal fat and not plant based fat in the case of walnuts, almonds, and coconut oil, and coconut meat, yummy!The better should not be confused for the best, though. It’s great that you feel better, but it doesn’t mean that eating lots of coconut oil was an intelligent facet of your multi-faceted change. People feel better adopting a Paleo diet all the time, but it’s not because eating lots of meat is good for you over the long term; it’s often because the prior diet was so bad.Here’s an example of Greger’s position on coconut oil: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/ Note that atherosclerosis is a risk whose outcomes are primarily seen over the long term, but is still very very important to consider if you want to eat healthily. Similarly, it’s also worth considering that the whole nuts do have components within them that probably help to blunt the impact of the saturated fat within. For one, the effects on the lipid profile seem partially driven by the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fat, rather than the absolute amount of saturated fat. For another, the fiber and antioxidants in the packaging may help somewhat. Coconut oil is highly refined, and highly saturated, so it doesn’t share these same mitigating factors. I consider it to mostly be a consumer fad supported by weak thinking and strong marketing.Oh my gosh are you reading what I wrote or you just trying to prove a POINT? READ the first “Is the saturated fat talked about here being bad for sperm saturated fat from animals or plants?” I don’t know if the saturated fat being spoken about IS all saturated fat are not, which is the reason I asked the question? I ASKED the question because I would like to know. I eat a lot of plant based saturated fat without any issues and MY HEALTH IS AWESOME! IF, please SEE that I wrote IF, IF the saturated fat in the study is more than an association and has a causal affect I WONDER what the sources the FAT in THE study are. The point being made in the video is that there is an association between saturated and sperm weakness. I cut out all my saturated animal fat consumption and yet I consume a lot of saturated plant based fat and have greatly improved my health, energy, and stamina. IT COULD BE THAT THOUGH FAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH WEAK SPERM, BUT IT NOT A CAUSE OF WEAK SPERM. THE POINT HERE GOES BACK TO THE FIRST QUESTION “Is the saturated fat talked about here being bad for sperm saturated fat from animals or plants?” That is what I want to know. I already understand all the points you made, but none of them answer my question. If you can answer this very specific question then I welcome your answer, but if not you are giving me answers to questions I have not asked.Your reasoning tends to embed the answer to your own question, so forgive me if I tried to challenge your assumptions:“I personally feel the animal saturated fat is the culprit and the plant saturated fat, at least in good fats of walnut, and coconut oil, almonds [is not]”It was at this point that I started to feel that you were begging the question. That is, you assume that coconut oil is a ‘good fat’, so how could it be bad? And you eat plant based saturated fat “without any issues” so how could its impact on male fertility be bad? You evidently have tests that ‘prove’ it to your satisfaction. When you say:“I am shaping my opinion based on how the saturated fat i largely eat, walnuts, almonds, coconut oil effect my health and my sperm.”It implies that you have determined cause and effect in a very detailed way in your personal case, which is a very bold claim to make.The article that you are asking about is freely available. I opened it up and it looks like they base saturated fat estimates by interpreting Food Frequency Questionnaire data. Their estimate of saturated fat is just that: an estimate of total saturated fat consumption from animal sources. They did not try to track how much of the saturated fat came from plants and how much came from animals, any more than they tried to estimate the amount from cheese and the amount from meat. These are Danish soldiers, though, so I imagine much of their plant saturated fat was from chocolate and cooking fat and similar stuff. Substituting cooking fat from plants for cooking fat from animals will tend to reduce the total amount of saturated fat consumed, though, unless it’s imported coconut/palm oil, so total plant fat probably attenuates the association in this case. Writ simply, the study was not well set up to answer your question. Greger said that his next video tries to unpack the saturated fat association in this case, so he may be able to present a plIf i may add the idea that food is a package deal as well. A ton of other things in almonds/ect sources of saturated fats other than just that fat or %/amount of a type of fat. (they couldn’t put a nutrition label on an almond bag of all the plant drugs/chemicals probably. (size 1 font) :)Those other component (even some in oil forms) could make all the difference.Are those components preventing oxidation/rancidity and ultimately damage in the body and prevention of healing?Let us forget about the anti-oxidants/plant chemicals/drugs within whole food plants that could make the difference between saturated fats of animal or plant origin.(recommend the confusing journey of understanding dr. ray peat endocrinologist. He mentions how horrible polyunsaturated fats can be within the body, but in a whole food plant based form it can be completely opposite).okay, what about this bizarre finding: http://www.adventistreview.org/church-news/vegetarian-diet-linked-to-lower-sperm-count People who eat less meat and more veggies have reduced sperm count? I couldn’t find the actual study last week, but would love to hear Dr. G’s/NF team’s thoughts on it.http://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282%2814%2901556-8/fulltextVegans and vegetarians aren’t in the infertile range, but they believe the lower numbers are due to either nutrient deficiencies (because many vegans don’t realize they should supplement b12) or chemical residue in foods.Thanks for the actual study link Bernard, and your comments. I did notice they had a much smaller # of veg ppl as well.I remember reading of the chemical residue/pesticide hypothesis… but wouldn’t that mean the omnivores would have more exposure to those since they bioaccumulate in animal tissue? And therefore.. have lower sperm count? I’d say it was more related to B12 perhaps..pbdoc: I recommend taking a look at more of the videos and articles on this site about sperm count. I can’t remember which particular video it was, but there is one video that talks about vegans (or men eating a certain plant food?) having lower sperm count only in the sense of percentage per volume of ejaculate. What they found was that the total/absolute count was actually the same. The difference is that the vegans/vegetarians/plant eaters simply had a larger volume of ejaculate. I don’t know anything about the article you are talking about, but maybe they didn’t take the bigger picture into account in their counting?Hopefully someone will be able to comment on the actual study for you.Yeah I’ve seen that vid, think it was in relation to soy consumption. ThanksConcentration vs absolute number. Right on.Also, the vegetarian group were lacto-ovo vegetarians. This could demonstrate that dairy and egg consumption can affect sperm count. I would like to see a study comparing 100% plant based or vegan males with omnivore males.Two things, first, as stated by someone in the posts on that site “it is interesting to note that all participants were actually patients to the hospital’s infertility clinic” in other words they aren’t necessarily representation of the broader population, you’d expect them to have lower counts. Second, as stated by Dr Gregor in another video, Vegans have been found to have higher overall volume for the same number of sperm, this means the lower sperm count is misleading as to what is going on.Are chicory-based coffee substitutes healthy? They’re often combined with roasted barley.I know that saturated fat is bad but what about lean cuts of meat? My family is cooking beef fillet steaks for lunch and I’m wondering if I should have my piece.skip it & eat beans & mushrooms, & a HUGE fresh green salad!!!!!All beef contains saturated no matter how lean, Also, the issue extends beyond saturated fat. Please see here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=endotoxemiaCool video could u do one on this: interesting new story on diet of roman gladiators! Apparently the poor guys drank ‘tonic of ashes’ and were vegetarian http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141020090006.htmUnsurprisingly there’s also alot of literature covering the benefits of a plant based diet for sustainability. That could also be interesting!I live in North Conway,NH and the local hospital, Memorial, has all these nice sounding health programs like Stanford based, “Better Choices, Better Health,” and soon to be a Women’s Breast Health Initiative, and CHOP, Community Health and Obesity Prevention…The town even created an ad hoc committee to look into health care cost reduction. I sat through several meetings and heard prevention mentioned maybe for two seconds , even from speakers who gave presentations on health and wellness which focused on everything but. It’s infuriating like dealing with addicts who refuse to end their addictions. Combined with emerging public health threats of communicable diseases, climate and environmental issues rooted in animal agriculture and resource depletion from it, how can these people ignore the largest looming threat to their own children, even though they spend whatever is necessary to ensure schools are safe?Retired Purdue University Professor Don Huber suggested that “Roundup Ready crops, treated with glyphosate, had higher levels of mycotoxins and lower nutrient levels than conventional crops. When consumed, the GM crops were more likely to cause disease, ‘infertility,’ birth defects, cancer and allergic reactions than conventional crops.”Read: Scientist raises concerns about GM crops and glyphosate: Cause of diseases? http://www.gmoevidence.com/latest-news-2/Getting a good dental cleaning helps, too. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8517556what about a male with Thyroid Stimulating Hormone issues that were found to be the cause of a zero sperm count. Does that factor rule out these findings as far as diet making an impact? (meaning, is there no hope for increasing sperm count because of the TSH level?)I have never heard of this connection before. If the study is posted I am sure (toxins) or (largelytrue) can either confirm or refute the study’s credibility (they are rather good at that based on my observation.) :)Sorry, I am not following part of this video. Could you give more info on the “Anti-oxidents in pill form may have adverse effects” part?From a different perspective, as a 23yo, no one even close to my age ( -10, +30) cares about sperm countWhat about fertility issues that have been blamed on TSH level in a male? Would diet still play a role?	antioxidants,fruit,infertility,lifespan,longevity,men's health,mortality,nuts,omega-3 fatty acids,oxidative stress,reproductive health,saturated fat,semen,sperm counts,supplements,vegetables,vitamin C,walnuts	The ongoing global drop in male fertility may be associated with saturated fat intake and lack of sufficient fruits and vegetables.	Why is high dietary intake of saturated fat associated with reduced semen quality? What’s the connection? Sex steroid hormones in meat, eggs, and dairy may help explain the link between saturated fat intake and declining sperm counts. That’s the subject of my next video, Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility.More on male infertility in my videos Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood and Male Fertility and Diet.Diet also has a role to play in sexual dysfunction:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/semen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8986699,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24567426,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24672311,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24636397,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10548626,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19933234,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23269819,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17425820,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24094424,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21145315,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22895856,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19635736,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1393072,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22935557,
PLAIN-2529	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	Juicing Removes More Than Just Fiber	Studies like this, in which Harvard researchers found the consumption of whole fruits such as blueberries, grapes, and apples was significantly associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas greater fruit juice consumption was associated with a higher risk, highlight the dramatic difference between eating whole fruits and just drinking fruit juice.If you eat apples, your cholesterol drops, compared to drinking apple juice, but leave just a little of the fiber behind—cloudy apple juice—and it makes a difference.We used to just think of fiber as just a bulking agent that help with bowel regularity. In fact you can get the same laxative effect with indigestible plastic particles. Feed people a couple spoonfuls of sliced polyvinyl tubing and you can increase stool bulk, frequency and consistency, so fiber was viewed as a similarly inert, indigestible substance.But now we know fiber is digestible, by our gut bacteria, who make short chain fatty acids out of it, which have a number of health promoting effects, such as inhibiting the growth of bad bacteria, increasing mineral absorption—for example, experimentally infused into the rectum of the human body, they can stimulate calcium absorption. So much so you can improve the bone mineral density of teenagers just by giving them the fiber naturally found in foods like onions, asparagus, and bananas. Our good bacteria also use fiber to maintain normal bowel structure and function, preventing or alleviating colonic-based diarrhea, and stimulating colonic blood flow up to five-fold, as well as fluid and electrolyte uptake. The major fuel for the cells that line our colon is butyrate, which our good bacteria make from fiber. So we feed them and they feed us right back.But if the only difference between fruit and fruit juice is fiber, why can’t the juice industry just add some fiber back to the juice, sprinkle in a little Metamucil. Why can’t juice with added fiber be equated with whole fruit? The reason is because we remove a lot more than fiber when we juice fruits and vegetables. We lost all the nutrients that are bound to the fiber.Way back in the 80’s a study found a discrepancy as to the amount of fiber in carob using two different methods. There was a gap of 21.5% that was identified not as fiber but nonextractable polyphenols, a class of phytonutrients thought to have an array of health-promoting effects. In the light of these results, it is worth noting that some of the effects associated with the intake of dietary fiber in plants may actually be due to the presence of these polyphenols.Nonextractable polyphenols, usually ignored, are the major part of dietary polyphenols. Most polyphenol phytonutrients in plants are locked to the fiber.These so-called missing polyphenols make it down to our colon and are then liberated by our friendly flora, and can then get absorbed into our system. The phytonutrients in fruit and vegetable juice may just be the tip of the iceberg.	Excellent presentation on a subject so widely discussed and debated. Reminds me of a phrase from the past: “Ain’t nothin like the REAL thing!”, i.e. The whole fruit and nothing but the whole fruit. God has done a magnificent job, as I often say, and there “ain’t” nothing you can do (most generally) to enhance it. As you have so ably taught us about the 100s/1000s of phytochemicals/phytonutrients in various foods, and realizing the massive complexitiy of the human body, it would seem essential to realize that our evolution over the eons has not changed that rapidly and we need that variety of fruits, vegetables, et.al. with all the goodies that are included in the original package. Thanks again for helping to understand such a delicious and essential topic. I start each of my weekday mornings checking your site, as I think that all of us, as eager students, should.Setting God aside for a minute, David, we can understand this a little better. Before we were humans we descended from primates, and during that time we had very large muscles in our head to work our jaws. This allowed us to graze on vegetables almost all day. Our digestion was also expecting this food, which was fine. However, very recently we lost a single gene of a pair http://home.gwu.edu/~sherwood/2006.MYH16.Reply.JHE.pdf which caused the muscles attached to our skulls to almost disappear overnight. This allowed our craniums to be much larger, but prevented us from chewing at the rate we were accustom. This forced us to consider sweater and meatier options, but our digestions and bodies had not adapted quickly enough for that transition. Clearly our bodies and digestions still need the large amount of vegetation, but our jaws can not deliver that much chewing. Fortunately, our enlarged brains have allowed us to create blenders and juicers to masticate the food for us. Still think God has done a magnificent job, David?I think God has done a magnificent job and it doesn’t help anyone for you to keep insulting her. JOhn SLOL, I like your perspective John!I think Evolution has don a magnificent job giving Sara Campos a nice, juicy brain and sharp whits.I’m not at all religious but I really think your superior demeanor and deprecating commentary is irksome and unnecessary. The man made a simple comment, he wasn’t preaching nor denigrating, unlike yourself. Who appointed you resident pedagogue?Genesis 1:29Well not god obviously.You should read Harvard researcher Richard Wrangham’s book, “How Cooking Made us Human.”Ben: I saw a TED talk once on that topic. It was so interesting! (And compelling) I didn’t know there was a book on the same topic. Thanks for your post.If we evolved from primates, I wonder why there are still primates?What? Not sure what your point is David. There is nothing about evolution that suggests evolutionary predecessors must disappear. We’re that some arbitrary rule, there would only be ONE life form on earth. My guess is you could benefit from reading to obtain a better understanding of evolution.Scientists predict there will be 9 billion people on the earth by the year 2050. There are presently 7 billion people on the earth. When I was a kid, there were 5 billion people on the earth. In the year 1950, there were roughly 2.5 billion people on the earth. 2,000 years ago, there were 300 million people on the earth. Notice a trend? Figure it out. It all started with two. Nothing significant has changed in the overall process since.And of course those two just happened to be created by the God you happen to believe in. Works out nice for you.It started with two? And their children had incest sex with each other since there were no others yet? And let’s take the science of the bible, sure god knows his own creation? The bible says the earth is a flat circle, stationary in space, and that the moon is a light source. Also, Jesus was ok with slavery.Um, humans are primates. Other modern primates are our evolutionary cousins, not ancestors. Carry on.Back to topic, I suppose I’ll have to start having vodka smoothies instead of having it with orange, cranberry or tomato juice. Good video – I thought I was being healthy!We evolved from a common ancestor shared by both species. Time to read a little Darwin to understand it better. Its really a pretty cool process. lolSure… so .. if dogs evolved from wolfs.. why are there still wolfs.. seriously?Gosh, I don’t know. Perhaps you should consult your 8th grade biology textbook for the answer, lest you go through life thinking you presented the world with a clever rhetorical question.“Primate” isn’t a species, it’s an order of many different species including humans, apes, monkeys, and of course the ones we all evolved from. Hope that helps clear your confusion.I am not confused. We set our clocks by the stars.Okay.The fact that you didn’t understand how there can still be primates if we evolved from (other) primates seemed a pretty clear indication of confusion.Only an idiot thinks he’s smart, the smart person is aware of everything he does not know and might never learn.All hypothesis. No facts presented above. All bold statements with no hard proof. Theories being stated as fact. Try again.A scientific theory is not the same as a belief. It is far more rigourous with young scientists trying to make a name for themselves by disproving it everyday. Been over 150 years since Darwin and the evidence only gets stronger. Faithheads bore me.You are talking nonsense. How can we have descended from primates. What an insult! Enlarged brains have allowed us to create what??? Obviously you need a little bit more then education, I hope it is not too late for you.There is creation and evolution is the process, Miji, just put your God created evolved mind to all the visual evidence. And we are still evolving mostly in the area of conscious awareness, upright posture has left us with knee, back and foot problems. That is so evident,all you have to do is really look and compare. But the variation in near anf far sightedness with the expanded brain loss of heavy jaw muscles are perfect for finding ways to spend less time simply chewing. With thee invention of blenders we now can have the best of both worlds, the garden of Eden diet while cruising our asphalt highways.I suppose God went and hid all those sneaky fossils that support Darwin. He went to all that trouble just to try and fool us. What a sneaky God. lolThe evidence is overwhelming. Time to read a book on transitional fossils. The evidence is overwhelming. Too late for what, to be forgiven by your skyGod?Sara Campos, I didn’t follow the link you shared, but you should know that any .edu webpage that contains a ~ in the link contains material not necessarily sanctioned by that institution. In other words, it’s probably not a peer-reviewed study, and more likely an opinion piece without primary source references. I’m not disputing the information contained in the link, as I did not read it, only mentioning this because it should serve to further enhance your ability to read such articles with a critical eye.God has done a great job on the human body and our earthly nutrition. Before Daniel was thrown in the lions den, he was tested by the king and God told him to only eat vegetables and fruit while the other men ate from the king’s table (meat). When it came to testing the humans, Daniel and his friends who only ate vegetables and fruit performed better and looked healthier than people who ate off the king’s table. So yeah, God is a great God. If Sara wants to believe that her relatives are primates, then let her think that.lol…if we evolved from them, they are our relatives, if god created us all, we would still be relatives, as he would be our father, mother, parent, whatever you want to call it.Let me not you forget that evolution uses the same mechanisms that this organization uses. It’s called science and unlike your god it’s much more reliable and conducive to the well being of the human(primate race). So why ever come here again, when your good book has answered all question regarding nutrition. But it hasn’t because you need science.Although I like your post and the direction you are heading I feel I must point out that Evolution is completely arbitrary. Some changes work well, some not so much. There is no grand design or direction. Natural selection weeds out the mutations that work and the ones that dont. Cheers!True, but ironically this lack of grand design is evidence (not proof) for the lack of god’s influence in this process.Yea, Good job God. Cancer, diabeties, stroke, heart attack, alzheimers, . Earthly nutrition. How many people died eating plants that were poison until they figured it out. Sheesh!You can’t argue with indoctrinated, brainwashed (fact) people who hold on to ideas that thrive on gut feeling, discourage common sense and is based on the social, male dominated society of desert tribes.God gave you an pi system that lets both air and food go in, making it possible for you to choke on food and get water in your lunges. Perfect design my ass. We are filled with flaws, diseases are no punishment from god but flaws our body cannot defend against.Awesome video! I find it fascinating that most polyphenols in plants are bound to fiber, and when the gut bacteria digest the fiber, they release the polyphenols for our use. Fructose has been so maligned recently and it makes so much sense that mother nature got it right by packaging fructose with fiber, polyphenols and other nutrients. Wonder what Dr. Lustig thinks about whole fruit being associated with a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes, since that contradicts his theory that all fructose is bad and causes insulin resistance and fatty liver.I remember Dr. Lustig saying in a video, “, the antidote comes with the poison,” when he was talking about the fiber in fruit and its high fructose content.Yes, Pat, Lustig excludes the fructose in fruit when he speaks of sugar is poison.A couple small but significant digressions to your comments Julie. First, I do not remember ever seeing the “fact” that “most polyphenols in plants are bound to the fiber.” Where did this come up? From everything I have read, most of the phytochemicals are capable of being rendered through the liquidation process of a Juicer machine. From what I have seen, other than those bound in the fiber which is a much smaller portion, one can produce a highly concentrated plant-based chemotherapy agent which is comprised of the darkest and brightest produce, with any juicer no matter how efficient they are. Coming from someone who ran a Juice Bar (Santa Cruz, 1969), I can say with conviction, a glass of blenderized produce requires significantly less produce than a centrifigal juicer requires for the same size glass. As I said, the best of all is the Norwalk Juicer which includes both the tricherator function (which is similar to but inferior to human chewing in terms of the cell breakdown and release of phytochemicals) and the 2-ton press step)….that’s a big squeeze which explains the studies as to just how little nutritional value is left behind, but not necessarily worth the near-$1000 price tag – that is why most go with the less efficient cheap Juicer, especially if they consider all that gourmet “waste” being recycled through their compost worms which comes back to us again in the produce we grow with it. Anyway, the other point here is that although Dr. Greger’s original article did not address this, people don’t chew nearly as efficiently as a machine. Although there are inherent advantages such as the spiritual practice of chewing every bite thoroughly, if getting the job done – reversing one’s cancer in the most efficient manner, I choose other means of getting the roughage one must also be imbibing (this is a whole category of kitchen medicine foods). As for the fructose (sugar) question, this too has been glossed over by default. Dr. Greger has not positioned himself as primarily a deliverer of anti-cancer food strategies, and if he had, mention would have been made about the universally agreed upon need to keep one’s sugar consumption down to a minimum (20%-40%? Depends upon which Alternative Oncologist you are listening to, where you are in the cancer proliferation cycle, type, co-existing issues, etc.). Mutated cells (cancer) crave and grow in an acidic, fermentative environment which directly relates to presence of sugar (or carbs which metabolize more slowly into sugars) That’s why it is so helpful to not forget the celery, cucumber, squashes, leaves, etc. when making any juices which has lots of the sweet stuff in it.Not to mention some of us weren’t blessed with the greatest of teeth nor the finances to remedy that, so being able to make smoothies with our cheapie blenders daily (or even juicing if you can afford the machines) is certainly a better option than bemoaning the past and foregoing the nutrients we would otherwise miss!yes charzie, I am with you on this point. As a suggestion, if you can find even 2-square feet of space in the sun, I recommend planting any self-sowing, multi-harvest “green” – it will prove to be the most cost-effective change you can make in your life. Forces us outdoors every day, can be repeatedly harvested, year-after-year, use in soups, stir-fry, smoothies. Today I discovered Komatsuma (mild mustard similar to spinach) growing in a field I planted 3 years ago! Most of the “Asian Greens” naturalize and become immortal and manna from heaven for us.Oh yeah Ariel, I sure do grow what I can! I’d love to have a bigger garden, but I’m limited physically. it’s not only cost efficient but it’s great to know HOW it was grown! I am also big into sprouting and micro-greens, nothing as cool as a garden at your fingertips in days, and a huge variety too! I also make bread out of sprouted grains, and even use my own wild sourdough instead of buying yeast. My latest passion is cultured foods…making kraut, or any lacto-fermented veggies for probiotics and other benefits! We have tons of potential food growing wild here (S Florida) in the form of opuntia cacti, known as nopales, which I often use, and have made great fermented salsa including it. Right now I am experimenting with fermenting strips of it by itself…kind of looks like skinny pickles! Fun in my kitchen lab, and the price is sure right! It makes me furious when I hear people excuse the SAD way they eat by saying it’s too expensive to eat well, when the opposite is true!A very interesting topic indeed, I only find it sad that there even needs to be a debate for people to determine whether whole plant foods are the healthiest foods. It seems intuitive to me.I find that people resent it when you criticize their eating habits regardless of their diet.Some polyphenols function as prebiotics, selectively feeding beneficial gut bacteria (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), and as other prebiotics act to reduce gut permeability to endotoxins and systemic inflammation (6, 7), perhaps this accounts for much of the anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetogenic effects of whole fruit. Meanwhile, high amounts of the fruit sugar fructose (also half of table sugar or HFCS), when given alone, may increase small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and gut permeability to endotoxins, and the liver injuries of diabetes (8, 9, 10). It seems nature provides both the peril and prevention for heathy gut flora in the whole fruit, but much of the prevention side is lost with juice.You mention that high amounts of the “fruit” sugar fructose appear to increase SIBO overgrowth and gut permeability. Are whole fruits that are abundant and/or predominant in the sugar fructose capable of doing this, or are you just referring to products that take the fructose out of the whole fruit? Could excess whole fruit cause gut permeability? I read over the studies you posted and maybe I missed something but I don’t think whole fruit was mentioned. But it seems to me that whole fruit might in fact being causative in certain people. Thanks.My comment was a consideration of the Muraki et al paper, where whole fruit intake decreased diabetes risk while juice increased it, in the light of recent studies on the gut microbiome and metabolic disorders, which I’ve been wading into of late.The animal experiments where high fructose intake induced fatty liver and increased plasma endotoxin use refined diets. Pure fructose may be added to drinking water, or substituted for starch in food pellets. The only human study to date to support these experiments was the case-control with patients with fatty liver (11), where higher fructose intake, presumably mostly from added sugars, was the only dietary variable distinguishing patients from controls (patients also had higher BMIs and exercised less).All indication is that whole fruit (and even some juices) reduce intestinal permeability and endotoxin exposure. I do have other concerns with fructose, so personally don’t consume sugar sweetened beverages, desserts, and choose fruit which have a high polyphenol/calorie ratio, like berries and citrus.Thank you. As an aside but related, there was an article published recently in one of the vegan magazines (read it at bookstore/forget name of magazine/writer). The writer stated they were a graduate of the T Colin Campbell/Cornell plant based nutrition course ( I don’t remember exact title). They claimed that there is the chance that supplemental B12 could feed SIBO, thus makes it even worse, as SIBO bacteria gobble up our B12.And one would (I assume) end up with an even lower B12 eventually (paradoxically) and worse symptoms from SIBO. Thus more weight-loss, muscle-loss, wasting….all because of B12 supplements. But it seems some vegan diets that are high in fructans/polys etc – fructose fruits, beans and such – might create the issue in the first place. But the B12 is the “grenade”. SIBO has been shown to gobble up our B12, this has been credibly established, to my knowledge. Have you any insight into this?I doubt that B12 supplementation would cause SIBO, as energy present in the microgram supplemental doses is miniscule. All the papers I’ve found that relate SIBO to B12 have the causality in the other direction. Once SIBO is established, the organisms can compete for B12 and other vitamins and prevent their use by the host, and some produce B12 analogues, inactive in humans, that may interfere with true B12 absorption. See: 1, 2, 3Daryll, That link for “even some juices” doesn’t seem to be working. What juices are you referring to? Mind re-doing the link?Fixed. I had an extra ” in the anchor html.Darryl, have you come across similar studies on other polyphenol rich juices? The implications seem pretty astounding.Here’s my collection of dietary intervention studies that appear to reduce gut permeability and plasma endotoxins. A broad variety of polyphenol containing foods (cocoa, grape seed extract, hops, muscadine grapes, virgin olive oil, orange juice), isolated polyphenols (rutin, puerarin), prebiotics found in whole wheat and allium vegetables (inulin, oligofructose, arabinoxylan), and correction of vitamin C and zinc deficiencies all seem to have positive effects.Given the limited absorption of polyphenols and generally low plasma concentrations, its possible modulating gut microbiota and barrier function may account for much of their observed antiinflammatory benefits.Agreed , Juicing alone is not enough unless you have an absorption malady. You need blending too to insure enough fibre. I use an Omega masticating juicer which is killer for greens along with a Vitamix. Cheers!When I drink a smoothie, I am ingesting everything that I have put into the juicer. Is the fiber and all of its benefits still there, or has something been lost due to the action of the blades?Good question. This points to the need for a retraction of this video. He paints a very broad brush against juicing without enough specific information to help us understand why. It would like making a broad statement against cooking, when we know that some foods benefit from cooking and even others have no appreciable impact. Juicing, blending (smoothie), cutting, cooking, and eating whole raw will have benefits and drawbacks depending on the food. I think this presentation is an odd ball out considering the nature of his previous work. A focus on the food and methods of preparation for each food is a super approach over demonizing a specific method.Disagree Sara. Nowhere are smoothies mentioned in this, read the transcript it is all about eating the “whole fruit”. He consistently reminds us that extracts (as a juice certainly is) are almost always worse than the whole food as a general principle (see vitamins A, C. E); we DO Need generalities for nutrition since the nutritive qualities have such wide variation even among the same species grown in different parts of the same field and there are so many forward and reverse feedback mechanisms and such a wide variety of gut flora species it is impossible to say one food or one extract will always have only one and just one result. The take away from this is that eating the whole fruit is generally better than juicing in respect of fiber and phyto-woo and that’s all you need to know.not that I am agreeing with everything Sara is suggesting but in her defense, the “Doctor’s Notes” says, “… this suggests smoothies are preferable.”Don’t be that guy…..(sighs)He’s saying smoothies, because they have the fiber too, is preferable to juicing. The whole fruit or veggie is preferable to both. Those who juice and blend want to believe their liquefied food is better because there is more of it and presumably because it’s already liquefied, is more digestible. (Wishful thinking)Dr Greger “generalizes” because his criticism of juicing is juicing does the same pulp separation job on all plants. The issue isn’t whether one pant is good juiced and another is bad. He’s saying the act of juicing diminished the nutritional value of all that is juiced…therefore if you’re gonna…then blenders and smoothies are the way to go. If your compulsion is in check you’re better off eating fresh vegetables and fruits.the smaller the particle, the higher the glycemic index, since there’s more surface area and can be digested much more rapidly i.e. mashed potatoes(88) over whole potatoes(72). It’s still a potato.I am also certified in plant based nutrition also from eCornell’s T. Colin Campbell course. I worked with and for Dr. Ann Wigmore for over 22 years, and one of the things she was looking for and I’m continuing to search for, is a supplier of juicers and blenders with ceramic blades. The metal blades react with the foods. As the food is juiced in a centrifugal machine, and thrown against the wall of the juicer before it’s collected in the glass, the electrical charge of it is changed from negative to positive. We need the original negative ions, which For this reason, the Gerson’s in Mexico use a screw type juicer (naming a Champion if one cannot afford a Norwalk).which apparently, according to them, is the bestSeriously? I doubt Dr. Campbell distinguishes between positive and negative ions. You picked that jargon up elsewhere. Stainless steel is used throughout the medical industry so I don’t know why it would be a problem to stir tea or pulverize veggies, if you so desire. On the other hand, no telling what is in ceramic, especially from China. Expensive ceramic blades and containers are great for use as melting crucibles and tools but overpriced for pulping veggies. Why waste the money?Good point. Check out the Omega masticating juicers. Only revolve at 80 rpm (as opposed to thousands) and its pressing mechanism contains no metal and produces no heat and does not oxidize because of the lower speed. I have tried both and the taste says all you need to know. I can juice any green with my Omega 900 and it tastes way better than the super fast machines. Sure it takes more time but it is a labour of love. Do have to add a few carrots to the kale though. lolPlease state you source for “the electrical charge of it is changed from negative to positive.” Thank you.Agreed but must add that making a smoothie IS eating the whole fruit. Cheers!Any thoughts on vegetables needing to be cooked/steamed in order to be properly digested, in today’s day and age of our GI tracts?….due to protease inhibitors and tannins, amongst other things. I doubt cooking tannin-foods helps, and I’ve read that tannins (in excess) can compromise digestion/absorption/organs, but I know of asians who feel leafy greens should “only” be eaten cooked, for proper digestion and absorption of minerals and vitamins.Sara you make good points. If I had to chew raw, cook, or blend my kale I would eat very little of it. However, with my Angel juicer I juice carrots and Kale together , while I blend my apples in iced white tea with lemon in my Vitamix. I combine them for what I consider an enjoyable blended fruit-juiced vegetable drink. This vid makes a good point regarding fruit fiber, but it does not answer the question on vegetable fiber, which many viewers seem to assume is exactly the same. There is another vid where Dr. Greger makes points on how important mastication is in certain vegetables which seems to be another positive to blending and juicing over normal chewing. Chewing to the degree a blender processes seems very unnatural to me, therefore in my opinion juicers for strong leafies and blenders for fruits and some vegetables is both more healthful and convenient.Love your comment. Are you happy with your Angel Juicer. Too expensive for me so I settled on an Omega 900. John the juicer man compared them both and the difference was not that great although the angel was better. I love the slow speed. I tried a super fast breville with my same 11 veg recipe and I could hardly finish it. There was no comparison in the taste. I attribute it to the insignificant oxidation and heat but have no proof. Cheers!Juicing is different than blending a smoothie.I am a Juicing and Green Smoothie Junkie! I have a Breville Elite Juicer and a Vitamix Blender. In order not to waste the ffiber from Juicing I make veggie brownies!! So there is still hope to keep your fiber and all the good stuff that comes along with it!!!!I wouldn’t want the calories from eating enough brownies to consume all that fiber.I think since the cloudy apple juice is healthy that smoothies are healthy too.Dr Esselstein comments on smoothies at http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/faq/ where he says “Avoid smoothies. The fiber is so finely pureed and rapidly swallowed without the benefits of mixing with helpful bacteria in the mouth. The sugar is separated from the fiber of the fruit, bypasses salivary digestion and results in a surge of glucose. The fructose enhances inflammation, hypertension and endothelial injury. Chew your food.” I recall Jeff Novick saying something similar about smoothies, that they will spike blood sugar about 10% more than the whole fruit. So, perhaps making smoothies is only somewhat better than drinking juice.I wonder if pure vegetable smoothies are okay.Pat, you posted an excellent comment from Dr. Esselstein. Why would his comment not apply to an all vegetable smoothie? Does the vegetable fiber avoid being “finely pureed”?I’m thinking that the lack of sugar in vegetables would diminish the problem described by Dr. Esselstein as a surge of glucose, along with inflammation, hypertension and endothelial injury. Maybe we should chew gum (sugarless, of course) to get more saliva in our guts.Veggies don’t lack sugar.. In fact, the body needs them. When you chew veggies the saliva is ground into the pulverized food and then swallowed. None of that action takes place when you swallow saliva and hope it mixes with the pureed veggies.Since the vegetables (kale, collard greens, celery, etc.) have less natural sugars than fruit, my guess is they would be okay. Maybe for optimum digestion though, you should “chew” each mouthful a bit before swallowing.Here’s a PDF of the fruit / fruit juice / diabetes study:http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/347/bmj.f5001.full.pdfThe article is saying whole fruit consumption is good but not fruit juice. Yes stay away from fruit juices and make fruit smoothies instead. Keep everything together.Just like there is chunky and smooth peanut butter, I make chunky smoothies. I pulse once. Don’t know if this makes any difference or not in slicing and dicing the fiber, but smoothies is where I put all the other stuff, my soy powder, walnuts, flax.I don’t think it makes a difference. The fiber is still there. I have a Blentec blender and I blend my smoothies to fine particles.Are there any studies showing whether blending fruits or vegetables to make a smoothie are less nutritious than eating the food whole? Juicing a fruit usually removes the fiber and other nutrients, but blending fruit keeps 100% of all the nutrients. The latter just tears up the fiber but all the nutrients are still delivered to the body. My best guess is that blending fruits makes them more easily digestible, and saves a few calories expended over the case of chewing a fruit whole.If the plant is predigested by juicing then doesn’t it actually add a few calories? That’s the same problem caused by processed flour. instead of the whole grain being digested for hours the process four, finely ground, therefore exposed to stomach acid, is more easily absorbed into the system. (Maybe we’re saying the same thing but differently?)What is gained for the vegetally challenged set-me for one-is making vegetable eating a bit more palatable. It has helped me enormously reclaim my health. But I am worried just in case the argument is correct that pulverizing is harmful.Good point, Neal. I suppose if I had trouble downing vegetables then pulverizing hem would be much better than no veggies. Peanut butter was invented for folks with no teeth. But I don’t understand how one person can consume veggie juice but not vegetables…unless they have some gastric problem. If it’s just a matter of not liking vegetables, well, taste preference s=change easily when the taste buds are rejuvenated by abstaining form meat and diary. Veggies explode with flavor! Funny, when I was a kid, mom didn’t ask if I wanted KFC or McDonalds tonight. She fixed dinner and that included veggies. She didn’t consult me for my favorites. I ate what was placed on the table and it never occurred to me I had the option to not like a vegetable. While I didn’t care for brussel sprouts I choked them down anyway. Today I love ‘em. Today, young mothers are manipulated by media to think they have to hide the veggies. That means they mix a small amount of veggies with bacon or cheese. Could that be why their kids are obsess?It’s true that I don’t enjoy vegetables as much as meat. However, seeing the compelling health benefits of meat, I used vegetable juicing as a means of eating quantities of vegetables and replacing meat and glycemic carb consumption. Seemed to work. Seemed to also result in a greater abiity to eat vegetables. However, it’s extremely unpalatable for me to eat raw kale-but juicing kale with tumeric, ginger, black pepper and lemon makes a nice satisfying drinkable means of drinking good quantities of healthy kale. I wish i liked the veggies more. But juicing seems to help a bit for someone raised on soda pop, french fries, hamburgers, KFC, and so on.No need to be concerned, vegetables that are whole but blended will give you the same benefits. Let’s not get crazy. :)Dr. Joel Fuhrman recommends in fact to blend vegetables like kale, to get all the benefits, since it is dubious that we chew enough to make it really absorbable.Either way, you’ll get benefits.Thule, your quote of Dr. Fuhrman is different form the Dr. Greger vis=seo talking about blended greens. It lacks saliva, important for digestion…unless you spit in the blender. The benefits form fiber is also lost. Who knows how harmful it is to the body’s organs as they try to sort out what’s going on when they are confronted with glutinous amounts of liquid nutrient to digest.I bet that since you don’t chew your food causing it not to be absorbed, the reasonable solution isn’t to start chewing but to process your food? So Dr. Fuhrman is on record claiming there is no trade off when food is liquefied instead of chewed? Keep in mind he advocated up to three servings of meat weekly. He’s not my go-to guy on all things vegan. Especially since he earns a living selling supplements. Does he sell blenders too?I can honestly say I never thought about “spitting” in my smoothie. But maybe that would help in the salivary digestion process since I don’t drink it right away. I’ll probably just say, “I added some amylase” and leave it at that.tedstar, just thinking outside the spittoon…some are anal about smoothies not having the saliva in chewed food. I bet many do smoothies because they believe it provides some extra protection against the damage done by meat and dairy. I’m guessing if you don’t eat meat and dairy then you don’t need the perceived extreme protection.. Then again, if you do eat meat and dairy, there’s no science saying the extra nutrients are going to win the battle against rogue cancer cells going postal. If you don’t swallow the poison you don’t need the super antidote.Larry: I haven’t done meat/dairy in over 19 yrs but don’t see any reason NOT to do the super antidote. It’s pretty easy, palatable, makes me feel great, is easy on the planet, and most importantly doesn’t exploit animals.You and I aren’t a statistic. I know a woman (meat and dairy eater) who puts four or five blueberries on her cereal. She argues it won’t do any harm and it makes her feel good. She believes those few blueberries are protecting her. If the population of meat eaters think similarly, they won’t realize their poor choice until the meat has taken its toll. Monkey see, monkey do.perceived extreme protection. You go ahead and down that safe steak and healthy glass of milk. lolTake that back, did not read your next post, regards. GregWhere do you think that saliva, which is produced nonstop, goes when you swallow it. Into your stomach containing an already broken up green that is way more blended than your mouth could ever do. Unless of course you can chew as fast as a blender.Neal, I’ve known a lot of meat eaters who are sick from eating animals but they still choose to take medication to hide the symptoms and they continue to eat meat.I bet if you ate chicken wings without the BBQ sauce, and fish without seasoning, and the same for red meat, you might not like the taste so much. Millions create their own myths about how to avoid meat and dairy diseases (eat some kale or broccoli), but never have I met someone who believe meat has compelling health reason to consume. We’re each an unfinished book. It’s only afterwards the fiction story becomes non-fiction as others look back on the lives we led. Only then is the true perspective seen. To each his own.We do agree on kale. I don’t enjoy eating it. But kale is just one of many healthy plants, most we don’t even know about.Larry, I agree 100%. There was no questioning of what what served at dinner, lunch, bfast time. It was there, and you ate it. The thought that a child can manipulate the mother like you mention is unreal. But then, I don’t live around young families. The mother, and Dad, set the stage early in the child’s eating habits. I suppose outside forces, like school, etc contribute, but it starts at home! I guess I’m lucky I grew up when there wasn’t fast food.Jackie, what’s missing is the “conventional roles” parents once played in their children’s upbringing. In my opinion woman have been “liberated’ so they can work and add to the billionaires’ bottom line. There was a time when one parent worked and paid the bills. Now it takes both parents, government programs, and charity to put food on the table because the parent’s money goes to pay for cheap plastic thingies made in China (and now expensive Chinese Apple products) along with catastrophic medical bills form eating the cheap food. Isn’t it ironic young people expect to pay five or six hundred dollars for a “telephone” and then used one finger to type out a text message like it’s Morris code? There was a time when telephones were owned by the monopoly and provided “free” to the subscribers…they never broke down. My parent had the same black phone for thirty years. I’m not saying bring back the good old days, I’m just observing how manipulated we are today by media. Our goal today is to make more money to buy some new version of the thing we bought a year ago. Any economy reliant on that sort of consumerism is built on a house of cards.The only ground roots solution I see is for “men” to assume responsibility for their families and stop feeding their children poisonous foods. As it, the mindset is Rachael Ray portrays a dutiful wifey who fixes her man, John, the pork chops with white beans and sausage he wants. She professes a subservient roll but in reality she’s just an actress portraying what the meat and dairy industries want American women to mirror. Men need to tell their wifes, “Let’s eat healthy, I don’t want meat and dairy…I’m tired of the food police deciding my children should eat their poison.well, speaking as a “liberated” woman, it was very, very difficult to be a great mother. I spent 7 years at university, and wasn’t about to “waste” that on being a “stay at home mom”. And I did not. I did have a daughter, but I sure wasn’t the mother that My mom was, who did not work ever. Yes, there was a time when the working husband could generate enough income to take care of the family in pretty good style. But…those days are gone. I stayed at home with my daughter when she was young until we were just about bankrupt, and it wasn’t because of those cheap plastic thingies, this was in the early 70’s. It was the basics. So, it’s a hard choice, but the women are continuing in their education, professional jobs, etc. There is no turning back.Not suggesting women should play a subservient role. Just pointing out how society has been manipulated by industry through media to attack historical (and evolutional) conventions to maximize American workforce participation and corporate profits. Now that everyone’s busy working to pay the bills, no one has time to cook dinner, or lunch, or even breakfast. The corporations sell us all the unhealthy “food” they can manipulate us to buy. Government feeds out kids once or twice each day in accordance to the meat and dairy industries mandates. What has society gained? Seems to me one income should pay the bills and the second should allow the industrious couple to accumulate wealth. Instead we pay for the services and conveniences we need in order to be a two income family. .Nowhere does the video say its harmful.. Perhaps it is missing in some lost benefits that eating or blending may convey. But harmful. Not. I juice and I blend and I eat. Love them all. Juicing, especially greens is for those who want a large dose of green goodness that would be impossible to consume otherwise. Cheers!Only at high speeds which oxidize and heat. Check out John the Juicer on youtube and the Omega or Greenstar masticating juicers. Slower, but a labour of love. Cheers!Larry, flour is more than just “pulverized” wheat. Or, guess I should say less. They take almost all the nutrients out, the fiber, etc. That’s why they call it “enriched”, is because they add all the vitamins back in, (but not the fiber) after they’ve taken them all out. So, no, don’t think there’s any correlation here. But, yes, the finer a food is ground, the higher the glycemic index is, like pureed potatoes compared to just a whole potato. Think that’s why steel oats is better than instant. etc. Agree on the juicing. Nothing to be gained by drinking orange juice, in my estimation. High sugar and no fiber to “temper”.Jackie, I read about white flour many moons ago…as a teen. I still remember the line about white “enriched” flour being so void of nutrition that insects wouldn’t even eat it. I have to refrigerate (or freeze) my bulk whole grains to keep insects from eating them. Any amount left out becomes food and nesting grounds for all types of small critters that crawl and fly. But, no insect EVER gets in whit flour. They know it’s not food… but we don’t.I used to buy steel cut oats but to save much moola started buying groats in fifty pound bags. Lintels and flaxseed come in twenty-five pound bags. My pets are healthy due to the ground flaxseed.I skip the OJ but do add some lemon juice concentrate to my drinking water.appreciate the headzup on the groats, and, like you, I would like to buy oat groats, but here in Lima, Peru, is difficult for me. I see “traigo” groats, which is wheat, but because of my Spanish language limitation, cannot seem to find anything but wheat or barley groats. And, my storage space is serverly limited, but, that’s OK, because at the markets here, I can walk everyday and buy what I need. The first image is a typical “stall” in the market that sells “dry” products. It’s all there, everything. And almost free. The 2nd image is wheat, by the way, 2.80 soles in a $, so that’s about $1.75 for a kilo, 2.2 lbs. The rear “bin” is “instant” oatmeal, I can really find nothing else. I think it’s about 4 soles a kilo too. So eating beans, lentils, grains, is a slam dunk.Sounds like Peru would be a great place to retire. Food seems to be dirt cheap! If steel cut oats are as cheap as the other foods then maybe groats aren’t so important/ If you seek groats, keep in in they may be sold as “horse feed”. I used to ride quite a lot and my horse wouldn’t go back in the stable without first flipping the feed bin door open and grabbing a bite of groats before he was put in his stall. They’re the same groats I buy in bulk for human consumption. Here in the USA veggie burgers made with beans and rice and rolled oats is pretty tasty. Also, everyone seems to crave, “mock tuna”. I have it weekly. I sometimes have the soy protein burgers and mock turkey…al of it makes good sandwiches. I recently (last year) discovered a “new” condiment, “Slawsa”. It’s cabbage (slaw) with spices. It comes in glass jars (relatively small company) in tow varieties, “regular” and ‘spicy”. I put hem on vegan burgers and vegan hot dogs…and any sandwich. I may try reverse engineering the recipe and make my own. I haven’t heard anyone else talk about it. I’m surprised Lindsay Nixon or one of the orhte vegan chefs hasn’t already come up with their recipe for Slawsa.Yes, fruits/veggies/fish is dirt cheap here. Strawberries now in season, about $1.30 a kilo! And, mangoes are back too. I love them. No, there is no chance to get any soy pretend thing, burger, hotdogs, nothing. And anything imported, like peanut butter, is pricy. So, the slawsa isn’t even available. But, we have bunches of soy beans, and have made my own soy “milk” before. Guess I could just progress and make my own “soy burger” or what. But, I don’t have room in my stomach for that, after the 40g fiber that I try to ingest every day. But, thx for headz up as usual. I might just make it back to U.S. one day and have need for the advice.Could not be more wrong. You can get the benefit of a whole head of Kale, carrots, spinich, swiss chard, apple, ginger, garlic, celery, cabbage, parsley, I use 11 different veggies,… in one BIG glass of juice. I could send you a pic of the size of the veggies I cut up and good luck eating them all at once. lolNot sure about nutrition but a while ago I came across this study which compared a whole apple, puree, and juice and as expected the whole apple provided the most satiety followed by the puree and then the juice: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19110020I agree. You hit the nail right on the head. But juicing is good for people with digestive maladies or those who want a shot of the *good stuff*, especially greens. But you need blending as well. Plenty of other ways to get fibre. Cheers!Dr. Essie is a wonderful leader regarding nutrition. I think he is a little off here. I would look into Dr. Fuhrman’s thoughts….Blending gives so many more surfaces for digestion to take place. Chewing is good…..”chew your smoothies”….but the digestive process is so complex, it is one part….and with so much goodness in what is in the smoothies/especially compared to what so many others eat/for one it is more likely that we will consume the combination/and may not have the time to chew through a bushel of such foods. Julieanna Hever, too has some great insights regarding smoothies, and one of my very favorites, who used green smoothies to recover from cancer: Caryn Hartglass, REAL, Responsible Eating And Living/many great podcasts/and talks about Greens on her homepage; a big fan of Fuhrman’s and Greger’s. Check out NutritionFacts.org.Check out the “Raw Family”/Green Smoothies are their forte: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rawfamily.com%2Fgreen-smoothie%2Fgreen-smoothie-questions&ei=6w9RVJuBH8GryATZvYDADQ&usg=AFQjCNHwlM9SbrT8_aV56DJkU1fEKPo9Lw&bvm=bv.78597519,d.aWwOne of my challenges here, is that there is so little scientific evidence for or against. Dr. Essylstyn may, therefore, as so often is the case be shooting from the hip on this smoothie issue. But so are the supporters. It seems that unless there are studies about non-fruit smoothie drinkers vs. veggie eaters that are long term we won’t know for sure.In juicing you lose all the fiber. Blending you eat everything.Not quite…in juicing you lose most of the “insoluble fiber”….but…NOT so with the “insoluble fiber”…some of the BEST fiber around!I am not sure how accurate that is. A cup of raw, unprocessed orange juice only contains 0.5 grams of fiber. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1971/2Where as an orange of near equal caloric value contains 5-6 grams of fiber http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1966/2I think he is wrong. I have been making smoothies and live of mostly fruit and veggie smoothies since I adopted a plant based diet 3 years ago. Since that time I haven’t been sick. Before that I was sick all the time. Since a kid I have had issues with nasal and chest congestion, and would get a cold and the flu often. Since I adopted a plant base diet revolving around mostly making fruit and vegetables smoothies I have lost and kept of nearly 30 lbs. A lot of that weight was in my intestines. I consume around 2600 calories a day and 1800-2000 of that is from fruit smoothies. My blood results have been coming back as excellent since I adopted a plant based diet and my sugar levels and my cholesterol levels are excellent. Actually everything is on the excellent side. At 47 years old I am back boxing and I box most of the times with kids in their 20’s and my stamina and conditioning are much better than theirs, and my stamina and conditioning was not like that before I adopted a plant based diet. The knock on smoothies is a bunch of garbage. I will be boxing in tournaments and in order to do so I had to do a stress test and I had to pass a diabetes test and other age and health related test to allow me to box at my age. The Dr was amazing and said my heart reacts like a 20 year old. The blood sugar spike is bull. All sugars spike you blood, but whole fruits and smoothies don’t keep it spiked. I am going to go on a campaign to have these Dr’s put their money where there mouth is and challenge them on health and physical tests of any kind. DON”T listen to these people. Make your fruit smoothies. At 47 I know stay energized through the whole day. My mind is clear, my breathing is clear, my heart and lungs are super strong.You may be correct, but I found that I had to eliminate the fruit smoothies, because my blood sugar did spike the next day. That was true even though I was using mostly berries which have a bit less sugar. So I am only drinking green smoothies now, and eating my fruit.Did you try making your smoothies with more than just fruits? Any nuts or seeds will lower the GI. Consider adding cocoa (I use raw cocoa), and other ingredients, no just fruits. I make them with oat milk.If you just washed your teeth before your breakfast smoothie, you wouldn’t have bacteria in your mouth anyway. There is the part of mixing food with your salivary enzymes, and that I guess can be important (if you aren’t taking enzyme supplements) So one must resist the urge to just gulp down the smoothie, if you take your time, you should get the benefits, plus in general you’ll be able to eat more fruit and/or vegetables than you would otherwise, and as Dr. Greger says, eat them the way you’ll eat the most!Also I think a good strategy is to add some ingredients in the smoothie that will lower the glycemic index, for example flax and chia seeds.I agree. This has been a concern of mine with juicing, blending, etc. Dr Gregor has touched upon this in one video that I know of. He talked about how a compound is created only when chewing broccoli in your mouth which has beneficial detoxifying effects on the liver. Like is said, digestion starts in the mouth… but you gotta chew!The main benefit of juicing and blending produce is that people who normally wouldn’t consume this much are doing so with these devices. So, it may in fact be a net gain. And you see the stories of healing from juicing. My guess is this is due to flooding the body with nutrients which may not be possible from simply chomping down whole fruit. Granted, they are missing the nutrients Dr Gregor mentions but, again, it’s a net gain.well, if you lose all the fiber, I’d think it’s more than “somewhat better”.I make a breakfast smoothie with fruit, nuts, ginger, kale and water. This keeps me satisfied until lunch.Going through bouts with Trigeminal Neuralgia thus regular food intake is impossible due to pain. Got myself a Nutribullet and throw all veggies (raw) and fruits in. Contains all fibers just in liquid form. Never keep it is the fridge make only what I consume. Open to suggestions. Thank you.What might be wrong with refrigerating it?HarryI have found that it keeps for a day in the refrigerator. Outside of hte refrigerator, it seems to quickly begin to ferment as evidenced by an increasing evervescence and slighlty sour taste.Apparently once fruits and vegetables are ground up, as in a juicer or blender, the mixture immediately starts to oxidise and lose its vitamin and mineral content.I found that I had to switch to vitamix from nutribullet. Makes the mixture smoother and more palatable.Sadly, his video was about juicing no blending; you are fine. It seems most folks here misunderstood the word juicing. He may have benefited the viewer by showing a typical juicer to illustrate his point. A bender is NOT a juicer. In your case a Nutribullet is a great tool and I use it a lot to blender fruits and vegetables for easier consumption. In fact I recall the Dr. mentioning that he makes a smoothie with habiscus tea in one of his videos.I find that putting together a veg/fruit smoothie to be quite rewarding. From spinach and kale, to adding in the various berries, I find that I am receiving what I feel to be quite fiber rich. I make it in the NutriBullet or the Ninja, not disposing of any of the fiber that we see getting thrown out with the advertised juicers. There are small bits that come through the straw as well. In addition, I am satiated for much longer. That does not mean I eliminate chewing on an apple or enjoying an orange, but the fact that I can make something healthy in the way of what I call a smoothie, has the necessary health benefits that I can appreciate. I do not agree that I am losing health benefits since I am not disposing of any fruit or vegetable fibers.Dr Greger argued here for smoothies towards the end. I heard someone say that the smoothies make sugars too readily available. Any substance to the claims? Or is it possible that the smoothies can somehow make the phyto-nutrients to easy to access. Anyone?Certainly more sugar is freed when blended. That’s why carrot juice tastes sweeter than carrots. But hey, if that’s the way you get more whole vegetables and fruits in your body, it is far, far better than not consuming them.well, I love my smoothies, although only pulse 1 time, so I call them ¨crunchies¨. Was worried about breaking up the fiber chains, and nulling it. I´ve read, don´t have the source, sorry, that grinding the fruit up and breaking the fiber up is inconsequential, that your mouth does the same thing, more or less. I´m still gonna make ´em, though, but just 1 pulse. Half fiber chains this way. ha ha. And maybe there´s a point in the slower digestion time in the whole fruit instead of the ground up stuff. Makes sense.The good doctor seems to be talking about store bought juices. I’ve read lots about all the good being removed from such juices. I would like to see something about juicing your own fruits and veggies. I have been juicing my own for about 8 months now and have lost about 30 pounds, have much more energy and have never felt better. I think he is giving juicing a bad rap without stating all the facts.I wish you had made a distinction between juicing fruits verses vegetables. Sure, juicing fruits is a bad idea considering the sugar levels and the need to retain the fiber for glucose regulation. However, vegetables have nutrients that are actually blocked by fiber. Which is why many tend to juice some vegetables in an effort to extract those nutrients and remove the blocking affect that fiber has in digestion. At this point I am getting a bit concerned with the flip/flog nature if these presentations. Not long ago you spoke of the value of kale juice. Am I supposed to now believe the kale juice is less nutritious than eating kale directly. Please refrain from stigmatizing juicing except when speaking specifically about a fruit or vegetable with supporting evidence. A general statement against juicing vegatibles runs counter to all the current information we have seen to date, and is very unnerving.“vegetables have nutrients that are actually blocked by fiber.”Source? Any studies that prove this claim?http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/40600.pdf Page 12, 6.1. Nutrients absorption. This study is typical of the well known impact of fiber on nutrient uptake, which is negative. This is why some folks choose to incorporate vegetable juicing. I personally don’t live on a liquid diet, but I do enjoy the benefits of an occasional vegetable juice, just for this reason.I think that fiber probably does reduce the uptake of nutrients, but I think Dr. Greger has presented numerous great arguments for fiber nonetheless. This video presents additional ones.Ultimately, very little is proven about diet with much specificity. Some generalities seem well supported, including the benefits of high fiber plant based diets for overall health and reduction of chronic illness. So I think arguing against fiber is almost silly.I recently saw the chief of endocrinology at McGill University medical school. I told him I seemed to be beating my diabetes with lots of green leafy vegetables in smoothies. He said “spinach has too much nitrites (he may have said nitrates)”. You shouldn’t eat so much. A resident who was one of his students said “It’s only the nitrates from prepared meats that are bad. Not the green leafy ones.” Thus correcting him, and earning his great enmity.So arguing against the prevailing evidence and therefore against fiber consumption, or advocating against a plant based diet is probably incorrect.Yeah mainly in the cellulose i think because we dont have the enzyme cellulase like herbivores~I think it’s safe to trust the bacteria in our gut to free those nutrients from the fiber. What if many of those nutrients get destroyed by stomach acid if freed instead in a blender (if that can even be effective in “freeing” for most of them), and can’t reach the small or even large intestine to be absorbed in the right areas of the gut?http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/40600.pdf Page 12, 6.1. Nutrients absorption. This study is typical of the well known impact of fiber on nutrient uptake, which is negative. This is why some folks choose to incorporate vegetable juicing. I personally don’t live on a liquid diet, but I do enjoy the benefits of an occasional vegetable juice, just for this reason. Also see Dr. Garson’s research on the benefits of vegetable juicing on cancer.Sara, I completely agree that much more clarification needs to be made by Dr Greger in future videos concerning this issue of juicing vs blending (smoothies), and fruits vs veggies used. I am curious about how much science-backed information is out there on this subject.It appears that others are as well.I appreciate your support. An up vote is always welcome.I’m curious about coffee. As I understand it, coffee has a lot of antioxidant polyphenols. So much in fact, that it is the #1 dietary sources for many people. But drip brewed coffee has no fiber. How do the polyphenols get out of the coffee beans an into the liquid coffee if they are bound to the fiber in the beans? Would ground coffee beans have a lot more polyphenols than the brewed coffee, and if so, would it be better to consume them?Ever since I’ve gotten my Blendtec, I’ve been eating FAR more veggies and fruits. For example, this morning I had a serving each of blueberries, carrots, spinach and broccoli… I’m probably getting 10 or more servings a day in now.I’ve never felt more energetic.People are saying that pulverizing fruits/veg removes nutrition, but I’m not convinced. Where does it all go then?One Word: Vitamix!Best thing I ever bought!You probably know Rich Roll – I think he was the guy who once blended an avocado pit in his Vitamix – and drank it……ewww.I have a love-hate relationship with my Vitamix, but it is more on the love side. I’ve recently had the opportunity to get to know a Blend-tec too. While the Blend-tec has some advantages over the Vitamix, in the end, I decided I liked my Vitamix much better. I thought I would share this in case someone is making such a purchasing decision now and wants a personal opinion.I’m never able to say in one word what could be said in a few hundred instead.This is out of the transcript. Hope it helps the confusion.Studies like this, in which Harvard researchers found the consumption of whole fruits such as blueberries, grapes, and apples was significantly associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas greater fruit juice consumption was associated with a higher risk, highlight the dramatic difference between eating whole fruits and just drinking fruit juice.If you eat apples, your cholesterol drops, compared to drinking apple juice, BUT leave just a little of the fiber behind—cloudy apple juice—and it makes a difference.Nonextractable polyphenols, usually ignored, are the major part of dietary polyphenols. Most polyphenol phytonutrients in plants are locked to the fiber.These so-called missing polyphenols make it down to our colon and are then liberated by our friendly flora, and can then get absorbed into our system. The phytonutrients in fruit and vegetable juice may just be the tip of the iceberg.That is the best ever video, ever, ever, ever! Getting this information is key to eating whole foods and answers so many questions that come up about the why of eating whole, unrefined and unprocessed foods. Thank you!I am in line with the comments regarding the demonizing of juicing in all circumstances and for all purposes. Let’s be clear: by far, it is nearly always better to personally process (chew) the whole food in as close to its originally harvested form. However, like a few of these comments imply, the devil is in the details, and there are circumstances and purposes where this is not the best way to consume the specific phytochemicals needed from produce and that purpose is when one is treating Cancer. If the Drinker is relatively healthy, daily maintenance smoothies with produce in it, is sufficient. You will be getting far fewer produce items per day and this will not be very expensive for a huge improvement from the SAD. But when the Drinker happens to be in the position of needing to use plant phytochemicals to reverse Actively Growing Cancer, then this is a whole other reality and the intervention plan needs to reflect this difference. Here’s how this difference in processing produce can turn an excellent daily smoothie habit into a top-tier Cancer treatment protocol…… When you are In the beginning stages of a self-administered cancer reversal diet (approximately the first few months), when everyone around you is saying you’re crazy for not going down the conventional treatment route, you need to set yourself up for some immediate positive results. It’s a matter of personal psycho-spiritual survival and its a great way to shut everyone up so you can concentrate on what you are doing – it will take a year of intense focus, retraining, and diverted resources – you did not get cancer overnight and the changes are on multiple fronts – not simply taking your silver bullets on time or showing up for chemotherapy sessions. The fastest way to shrink a tumor (or reverse internal cancer symptoms, blood work, or diagnostic tests) is to exponentially increase one’s consumption of the brightest colors of raw produce. This concept is not an Internet entrepreneur’s pipedream; it is at the core of every credible Alternative Cancer Treatment Center’s program. It is these dark/bright colors in produce which are the universally agreed upon principle treatment for reversing any cancer, and this is true the world over where people have been flying for treatment for decades, as well as with the high-end Alternative Cancer Treatment Centers evolving here in NA. Sure, if you have mega-bucks you can probably speed things up with any of a long list of adjunct therapies and doctor-formulated supplements, but the universal agreement is raw fruits and vegetables – LOTS of raw fruits and vegetables. How does one consume the highest doses of the brightest colors which are the actual medicines which reverse cancers? By using a high quality extracting juicer. The top-of-the-line is the 2-ton Norwalk press which has been shown to extract calcium out of carrots for example, leaving a very small mass of colorless, dry cellulose for your compost heap. But even a cheap centrifigul juicer bought at Wal-Mart will accomplish the same thing, albeit less cost-effectively because extractive juicing will enable you to consume exponentially more phytonutrients each day. There is just no way you could consume the volume of the deeply colored “juice” from greens (parsley/kale/spinach), purples (eggplant skin/purple cabbage/dark berries), reds, oranges, yellows (berries/beets/pomegranate/peppers/squash), and lots of white (garlic, celery, cucumbers). With this level of consumption of bright colors, nearly overnight, you can see cancer cells leaving your body and can prove it with blood work, visual exams, symptoms reversing This method of “juicing”: costs more for sure (you will be going through a bushel of organic produce per day, not a basket), but this will still be a tiny fraction of what you would be charged for this service at your better Alternative Cancer Treatment Centers – think of it as paying yourself to do your own world-class Alternative Cancer Treatment Protocol by yourself, for yourself, and to yourself for pennies on the dollar. There are literally thousands of people all over NA doing this as we speak, and what they are doing is saturating their body for weeks on end, with the most concentrated doses of plant phytochemicals KNOWN TO CURE CANCER (do your own research, own your plan, empower your life away from the medical-pharmaceutical-hosptial industrial complex). Later on, you can back off of the expensive Juicing task (takes hours/day), and can increase your whole food consumption. This is because the cancer cells are leaving your body faster than they are replicating and so the more dilute method of consuming these highly effective alternative phytochemotherapeutic dosages – through consuming the whole food – stir-fries, salads, even cooked veggies/soups will become your maintenance dose of phytochemicals. The fact is that when you need to use plants to reverse cancer, it is an immediate demand to get the highest doses of the brightest colors that produce can supply into our bloodstream the fastest and for an extended period of time, days on end. These phytochemicals work ! They work for prevention AND they work for the cure. It is true that adding key anti-cancer herbs/roots/barks/flowers/berries/mushrooms will increase the speed of a produce-juice daily regimen, but think about it: schizandra, turmeric, reishi, amla, etc., are vegetables too (just less flavorably mild than carrots, blueberies, etc.). If you already have cancer, you will need an exponentially higher level of the phytonutrients known/shown to reverse cancer cell growth in the fastest, most consumable way and other than distillation with heat or alcohol (denaturing), raw whole food extractive juicing is the #1 method to consume “Juice.” In one day of an intense cancer-reversal regimen, one can easily drink the juice (fresh extracted method is best such as with a Norwalk Press) from a bushel of produce, taking care to dilute down to around 40% carb with use of celery, leaves, cucumbers so the sugars of beets/carrots/apples do not cause insulin spikes. So, sacrificing some phytonutrients (that are bound in the fiber by using a blenderized whole food juicing process) is a small price to pay to stop cancer growth immediately. You would never be able to consume these medicinal levels of the best anti-cancer phytochemicals in any other way. Don’t get me wrong – I make and depend upon my quick whole food blender type smoothies for my everyday purposes of increasing my produce consumption, providing additional fiber, and getting more of what only whole plants can provide – phytonutrients. What I am outlining here is another purpose for these desired phytochemicals, and that is to elevate them to the level of being a phytochemotherapeutic agent which will out-perform any big pharma product on the market. And this expensive, wasteful practice of using extractor-type machines which leave behind terrific worm bin food, will not create a cancer treatment bill you will be paying off for the rest of your life, will not damage your organs and immune function as standard chemotherapy and radiation does, and as has been shown/reported recently in mainstream media, a phytochemotherapy approach to healing oneself of cancer will increase your overall lifespan AND quality of life after your self-designed phytochemotherapy period ends and you return to just being a daily whole food smoothie person.What a great presentation, Ariel, My grandfather, long ago in the fifties (I’m 73), said that the best diet is to include at least 3 different colors of vegies each day. Your account also corresponds with my own experiences coping with “cancer”. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Throat Cancer about four years ago. I consulted ten oncologists during this time. Some of the docs marveled that I was still alive. But none seemed to take into account the relatively clean and sensiblie exercise and nutritional program I had been using. I ate, blended, juiced fresh vegies and fruits with some backyard weeds, and grains, dairy and meat. The docs offered five distinct treatment protocols. All were variants of the slash, burn and poison variety. They seemed to ignore my relatively good health and dismissed my view that the primary tumor had begun to shrink after three and a half years. That was only half the story. And, we must not be bound by any dogma…..and always remain alert to our changing world. In my case, the secondary neck tumor had continued to grow to the size of a jumbo avocado. Yeah. Nothing I did seemed to slow its growth. So, I finally agreed to be shot by the new Proton Radiaion Gun, wherein the radiation can be precisely directed. After one third of the shots, i quit….. fearing the cancer would spread, as it often does, to my lungs or brain. I haven’t looked back since…. though my doc said that quitting was worse then having no radiation at all. In fact, the primary throat tumor continued to shrink and now it seems to have finally died. The large neck tumor has shrunk to the size of a small prune. And all is well. So….eat well and stress not, for that is the real killer. And for those of us that cannot afford a Norwalk….I would suggest getting an old vegie grater. You can grate carrots, apples, peppers, garlic, celery, etc. to almost applesauce consistency.This video could be misinterpreted so need some clarification Dr G. Are we talking about fruit juices as found in store shelves versus extracted from a juicer (masticating or centrifugal)? The latter form of juicing does preserve the soluble fiber in fruits and veggies and removes only the insoluble bulk fiber does it not? Are these polyphenols attached to the bulk fiber or the soluble fiber? Those of us who juice know that when an apple or orange is juiced using one of the above forms of juicing the resulting juice looks nothing like that found in the bottles at the store which are presumably squeezed. I doubt juicing can be dismissed so easily. Would love to hear your thoughts.Good post. I use an angel juicer (masticating type) and the vegetable juices it produces are dense, dark, and strong. I generally don’t do fruit juices because they are more fun in smoothies or just to eat. However, veg juices are very nutritious as you pointed out. Think this video may need to be retracted.I agree Sara. I do throw in the occasional Apple when I juice veggies but fruit hours on smoothies for sure our eaten. I have seen many shows that involve MD panels who denounce juicing based on this all in one fiber theory. I am sure Dr G had some thoughts on this but anyone who had heard of Jay Kordich knows juicing veggies is good :-)Do you give yourself coffee enemas, too?Troll alert :-)Loser aler.Loser alert. You’re the one who can’t cite evidence, ya putz.notation: I am deleting your posts. You are breaking posting rules for this site. No name calling. Also note: if your posts are not polite, your posts are not appropriate.So you DO give yourself coffee enemas! Good to know!!;)What’s the matter, Ravi? Are you upset? Why? Is it because you couldn’t refute the sources I posted? Gee, I’m so very sad for you. You’re a self-aggrandizing little twenty-something whose mommy and daddy are paying his way through charlatan-school, and you’re all fussed because you’ve been called out on your claims. Is that about right?Why aren’t YOU on the front lines fighting Ebola where it’s most deadly, honey? Get some balls and go to where the action is. Try your woo over there! I’d LOVE to see you battling Ebola with vitamin C and juicing!!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.LOSER ALERT.I see you can’t manage to show a single thing I’ve posted to be false, loser.You poor little boy.AH! So you DO! Wow. I never met anyone who did that.What a weirdo.Ii see you’ve been unable to refute the information I linked for you, Ravi.Go be a real doctor.Some forget that as we age, our digestive and absorptive efficiency decreases, due to decreased production of enzymes and acids. This fact would therefore make predigestive food preparation, such as blended smoothies, more likely to provide superior nutrient availability.Here’s another reason to stick to a VitaMix (includes the fiber when juicing) instead of a Norwalk Juicer – http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/14/why-do-heavy-drinkers-outlive-nondrinkers.aspx It appears that juice, when separated from it’s fiber, within about a half hour, has free methanol in it – and a small amount of that converts inside of you into formaldehyde – which is used for embalming – and you definitely don’t want that in your body. This is apparently why folks who drink lots of alcohol live longer too (read article for explanation).Seems like a VitaMix is a good solution.Nice Video, informative.Howdy Doc! Does this apply to juicing Leafies (greens), Veggies (celery, beet)?Please respond.Thanks in advance, Ronsorry but that is nonsense, ask Jay Kordich “the Juiceman” who is doing great at 90yo on raw and juicing. I am in my 70’s and juice veggies every day. For some reason smoothies are hard for me to digest, not sure why.I am a Juicing and Green Smoothie Junkie! I have a Breville Elite Juicer and a Vitamix Blender. In order not to waste the ffiber from Juicing I make veggie brownies!! So there is still hope to keep your fiber and all the good stuff that comes along with it!!!!Ian: re: veggie fiber brownies: Very creative. Good for you.There are a lot of recipes on-line. I just use about 90% pulp, two cups of juice from the juicing. Oats, Raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, ginger, honey, banana, cut apples and I press them firmly into a coconut greased pan and cook at 375 until the top is dry to the touch!! Simply and filling! They are good in the fridge for about 6 days.Ian: That’s very cool. Thanks for sharing some of the details. Who knew brownies could be so healthy?Once again, a video that provides me with information I didn’t know. Thank you!After reading some of the comments and criticisms below I would like to add that it seems helpful to be striving for the high bar of nutrition. Whole food > non-sugary smoothies > juice; okay, good to know!But for someone eating the typical Standard American Diet, adding a fresh green juice to their daily diet is probably really helpful. It seems like juice has a very high ratio of nutrition to calories. And sometimes doing an all juice diet for a few days helps me kick some food addictions and get back on track.So I’m not ready to dismiss freshly made juice as viable part of a healthy diet or its role in improving the health of society. It just may not be a part of the healthiest possible diet.Maybe plastic is an even better fiber substitute than suggested by the 1988 study, as it also contains a lot of phenols bound to the plastic particles, e.g. bisphenol A.;-)Question: How do they supply the juices and pomace for the studies? Is it made on the time they drink it or chilled for later? Or is it packages/bottles of juice like the ones we find in the supermarket? And if they made it with a juice machine, was it the centrifuge or the grind and squeeze method? I tried to ope the full study, beyond the abstract, but couldn’t find how. Great info!! Keep them coming, Dr. Greger!! Thousand Thank yous! : )Hey fellows! Why don’t we crowd-translate these videos into other languages and make NutritionFacts a worldaround reference? They are transcribed as they come out, which makes it really easy for anyone who wishes to put it into another language.Rodrigo: Having these videos in other languages is a fantastic idea. I believe NutritionFacts already has a system in place for doing translations. If anyone is interested in being a translator for videos, I believe that the process is to post your interest in a comment under a video. The NutritionFacts staff should see it and get in touch with you to tell you how it is done.Would you like me to pass on your name as someone who wants to help translate – to make sure the staff see your interest? Or was there a particular 3rd part website/program that means “crowd-translate” you were suggesting get used?Hi Thea! Thank you for the update. I already do translations, some of NutritionFacts, between other subjects. The NutritionFacts translations I do I send them by email or comment with the link to the translation. Would be motivating to have more people doing it in other languages too. I use Amara.org as video translation platform.Now I understand.Thanks for your original post. I hope it inspires people to help out.Also, thanks for your work! I think all of the volunteers really make a difference for this site.Hey Rodrigo! We have an active team of translators working to do just that! Feel free to email me at tommasina@nutritionfacts.org and I’ll give you more info. Thanks for your enthusiasm! :)Hi! I sent an email already, as I would like to help on translations more closely. Procedures, guidelines? Can you update me on how you collaborate on translations? Maybe I could keep a portuguese channel for nutritionfacts.org videos? Thanks for all you do too. Thank you Thea also.I think that demonizing ALL juice/juicing is over simplifying the issue and throwing the baby out with the bath water. The sugar water juice you find in bottles on store shelves that has been filtered, heat pasteurized and has added sugar and other preservatives is not the same as fresh cloudy extracted juice made at home with a juicer. When I make fresh pomegranate/apple juice at home it is this amazing purple cloudy thick drink teaming with nutrition and live enzymes… now compare that to the clear sugar water pom juice you find on shelves, not at all the same product. I bought my first juicer from watching Jay ‘the juiceman’ Kortich who is still alive and doing great today at over 90. He went 2 years living on JUICE ALONE. I juice fruits and veg a few times a week and it has only given me great health.I think this video is well done and extremely helpful. So many people, myself included before now!, think that juicing “just removes the fiber”. The understanding was: while fiber is important, you could get all the other benefits of the food (except the fiber) by juicing. And so, why not juice when you want/need a whole bunch of nutrients? That fiber just takes up so much space in the tummy. … Well, now we know one science-based answer to this question: polyphenol phytonutrients.I understand that lots of people love their juicing and that in some cases, juicing may even make some sense. But this video provides some great information that everyone should keep in mind when making decisions like: Should I buy a juicer or blender (since I can only afford one, only want one, or only have a place for one)? Note that in addition to making fiber-rich smoothies, a blender has lots of other practical uses. A blender is not a single purpose appliance, like I think a juicer.Re: The conversation here: I appreciate reading people’s take on juicing at home vs store-bought as well as their personal reasons for juicing. Those contributions are an important part of the conversation and help expand the story/issue for people who come to this site. However, those opinions do not mean that there is anything wrong with this video. The video provides helpful information on one aspect of the issue – which is pretty much what all of Dr. Greger’s videos do. NutritionFacts uses a format that I personally find helpful. By getting details on one aspect of nutrition at a time, I am able to absorb the information – and over time, I build up a very nice big-picture. I am just careful to always keep in mind the strengths and weaknesses of the format used on this site. A format that works well for many people, not just me. (Thank you Dr. Greger.)If you eat apples, your cholesterol drops, compared to drinking apple juice, BUT LEAVE JUST A LITTLE OF THE FIBER BEHIND—CLOUDY APPLE JUICE—AND IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.Most seem to ignore this sentence from the transcript.Jean: You may be right. I don’t know. What I do know and fully sympathize with is: there is often a lot of information packed into one of Dr. Greger’s videos. It is easy to miss some of the details. I know I often find it helpful to review a video multiple times – or to watch the video and then read the transcript later.Have a good weekend.How about the video on this site that mentioned a study where participants took 3-5 shots of kale juice a day and saw significant improvements in their cholesterol levels? Surely this wasn’t due to fiber, therefore there has to be some positive nutrient benefits from juicing. Those in the study most likely wouldn’t have consumed that much raw kale (30 lbs in a few months ) on their own. To me, this means juicing is a good alternative if you don’t have the time/appetite to consume that much roughage, not to mention what it could do to your digestive system.What is the ORAC (anti-oxidant) potential with fiber rich, live culture ferments. An example such as home-made sourkrout. Should a fiber be included into soy yogurt? Of coarse I’ve heard of “Natto”, a fermented soy bean. Tempeh is a ferment I believe… has fiber.Are all juices “equal”? Is there any study about fresh juices made with slow juicing machines like Tribest Slowstar or Omega juicers?Hola, disculpe pero mi ingles es pésimo asi que, a favor de la interculturalidad, emito mi comentario en lengua nativa.Dr, el jugo al parecer, segun su video, genera perdidas importantes en el valor nutricional de las frutas, pero que hay del uso de una batidora o una minipimer en vez de un “saca jugos” clásico? Muchas gracias por sus interesantes videos y recomendaciones. Desde ya difundiendo estos interesantes datos en ChileGuessing the juice they referred to was the crap sold from stores, which is sugar laden concentrate and not from using a real juicer… Too often specifics like this are not defined in studies referred to-way too often.What about home made juice made with a masticating juicer? My juicer brand is Kuvings. Thanks.Great presentation on the comparison between the whole fruit and fruit juices. I suspect that the fruit juices were pasteurized. This is very different than raw juices extracted from fresh fruit. I think that there are some key differences here. For example, diabetics respond more positively to raw juices than pasteurized fruit juices.Did the juicing research cover freshly juiced fruit and veggies or was this pasteurized processed factory made juices? I use a champion juicer and while it removes the majority of the fiber there is way more left than when you drink a store bought juice. Just wondering. Thank you.Did I just answer my own question about blending fruits for smoothies? Are they equal to the whole fruit being eaten? I’ve said “yes”, because I like smoothies. But, in answering a question yesterday, I said that mashed potatoes have a higher glycemic index than whole potatoes, that’s because the starch molecules have been broken apart in the mashing, etc. So, thinking about smoothies, is it analogous? Only not the starch molecules, but the fiber. So, in searching, I found this: ” Factors That Raise The GI Of Foods PROCESSING: The GI’s of carbohydrates can rise due to the processing of certain foods. Any carbohydrates that are puffed, made instant, or gelatinized, will have a much higher GI than if they weren’t processed. An example is a rice cake. That has a glycemic index almost as high as glucose, about as high of a GI as you can get! Can you believe that, and for all this time people have been swallowing bags of rice cakes not knowing they are recognized by the body as worse than table sugar.” from bodybuilding.com.Just a thought. We are protected from the fructose in fruit by the “packaging”, i.e. fiber. Have we just destroyed the packaging by smashing up the fiber? can someone help. Is this just “overthinking” the issue? aint’ it fun?Some of us have imperfect dentition and can’t easily chew certain whole foods. Such as apple skins just ball up in my mouth and frozen blueberry skins go down in chunks. So my way of getting the benefit is to puree apples and frozen blueberries together (I make it thick and slightly chunky) and enjoy it on my whole grain cereal. Some of us have to pick what is the best way for us to ingest the fruits and veges we need to have healthier bodies. May not be ideal but is best for us.This video validates that those slow masticating juicers are overrated and overpriced. I use a Kuvings Centrifugal juicer + a blender. Juice the hard fruits/veggies like apples, carrots, celery, beets, cucumbers, etc and then blend leafy greens with it. I used a slow juicer for 3+ years and it was a chore.does that also include the juice you make at home? or store bought juice ?When you #juice you can use the pulp in your #smoothie and add at the end the juice ( to prevent the oxidation when it’s blended ) i also add at the last 10 seconds a blend of 27 organic superfoods and the best organic brown rice protein.Wow. This topic – blending whole vs. extracting “juice” has really hit a nerve in us. I tried to introduce in the beginning of this conversation, several points which have been picked up by too few people, and interestingly, the ones who did notice what I had to contribute are Cancer Self-Treatment and/or Older Americans. First, the main question is whether one is Actively Treating Cancer(s). This one fact requires special consideration, and based on the widely reported actual “results” of millions of people (not just the few who entered this conversation here), this is what makes Dr. G’s video so provocative. “Active Cancer” happening means that unless and until one actively faces this FACT and the question of What Is My Plan To Address It?, this choice of blenderizing vs. extracting “juice” from the highest value fruits and vegetables (darkest & brightest colored ones) is really not the right question and can easily become just another stalling tactic (intellectualizating adinfinitum, seeking silver bullet answers, wanting others to tell us what to do, etc.). The Correct Question is: how can we get more of the darkest/brightest produce items down our throats every day until I can produce evidence this is turning around for me? Here is where I am coming from: As per an international study several years ago, Americans are the Lowest Consuming Vegetable Eaters out of 32 nations, and spend less time in their kitchens interacting with produce than anyone (including the economically disadvantages countries who eat to live and the economically advantaged ones with every facilitative kitchen convenience. So, the goal is to figure out how YOU can break away from the pack – how to actually change lifelong habits which are continually conditioned into us every hour. Everyone has realistic psychological, financial, social, and time constraints. So, if by using a whole food blender approach, and limiting yourself to consuming 10% of the darkest/brightest produce that one could potentially consume by using an extractive “juicer” machine (10xs the total produce consumption is an estimate – depends upon what/how much), then this would be a killer change goal for your daily life, wouldn’t it? The point is, ANYTHING we do along this line will be a step in the right direction because we have no where to go but up (#32 compared to 32 nations studied). Somewhere along the way in this long string of comments, nearly everyone missed the main point which is that getting much more of these phytochemicals into our bodies is THE ONLY ANSWER. My point has been all along, that Dr. G’s video missed this small but important detail re: Active Cancer vs. wanting to improve one’s chances of not getting cancer, increasing our anti-inflammatory eating, and stepping up our game in just getting more produce into our diets. I just hope people remember this point when they or someone they know gets cancer, because the #1 way to beat it will be to saturate your cells with the brightest/darkest colored produce in every way you can: eating them whole, juicing them (Norwalk, etc.), blenderizing them (VitaMix) soups/smoothies/sprouts, encapsualizing them in the form of powders, and if you have the money: buying known formulas based on concentrated versions of these same phytochemicals which are available everywhere now and which you will be buying at “super-retail” prices if you take off a month at an Alternative Cancer Treatment Center in Arizona or Mexico. ONE LAST POINT: when one destroys the cell wall of a plant it instantly initiates what is essentially a rotting process. Think of it – when you smash a leaf it rots first in the bag inside the refrig, right? Rotting is progressive and involves more than just loss of nutrients – includes invitation for pathogenic reproduction and harmful byproducts for someone with active cancer and/or trying to avoid cancer – not a good thing. Raw Juicing, and Raw Blenderized drinks really need to be used AT THAT TIME (not stored, frozen, etc.). The other thing is the known fact of Raw Produce carrying ample pathogens even if washed, peeled – carrot skins are famous as are around the core area of any piece of produce but all produce exterior is rampant with many pathogens. This small but significant issue can be extremely important to an Active Cancer person using raw produce in any way because you will soon find out in your Cancer self-treatment, that you have numerous other abnormal, harmful symbiotic infections and your body is tired of fending them off – cancer is the end of a long line of break-downs. As a recently retired Sustainable CSA Farmer, I can tell you it is impossible to avoid introducing various viruses, molds, bacteria, etc., into one’s body even if you pick it and walk in and juice it. Active Cancer people already KNOW they have co-existing harmful infections….already know their enzymes are out of wack or missing, and therefore, it is essential when consuming Raw Produce, to simultaneously increase the broadest spectrum of probiotics while we are rearranging our soldiers to favor the Good Guys. I have know many people who failed to add raw garlic to their juice or buy probiotics or get into kimche, etc., and could never get ahead of their dysbiosis no matter how much of the beautiful bright/dark produce they consumed every day.The subject of juicing reminds me of a similar question, that of drying and pulverizing berries and other foods. Some of the foods I eat in powder form are amla, acai, and reishi mushrooms. Are you still getting a benefit from powdered berries? Does a teaspoon of amla powder count as a serving of fruit?Good info. Thank you Dr.!I have been told that the high powered blenders “smash the cell walls” and release all the nutrients.Vegetable juice (not fruit), smoothies and whole raw seems like the way to go.Removing fiber has some good points..I can make pure ice cubes of kale juice (high speed blender/nut milk bag stainer) and get a lot of nutrients with every meal..Eating an equivalent amount of raw kale would not be easy.Sara, you need to re-read that paper as you have misrepresented the findings in there. In fact that paper has nothing to do with the current debate. The fact that people use blenders and juicers is a testament to their lack of understanding of the role that whole and real foods play in optimal nutrition.For those of you hanging your hat on your beliefs you should watch Steven Hawking’s BBC program on the Universe. You can believe whatever you want and new scientists discover or come up with new theories all the time so I wouldn’t hold on too tight as we are in the age of discovery and what is true today may not be tomorrow. I prefer to wade through the advertising and objectively look at the material being presented.Just as a quick addition to the video, a scientific study was done on the antioxidant levels of all the so-called super juices being sold and as I have suspected, none of them held up. In fact, grape juice from the supermarket came up on top and that is not a very good recommendation as it is still a very poor choice.I agree that whole fruit is best , and that juice which is produced within industry is NOT very good , but what about JUICING Whole fruits and vegetables, I’ve started juicing using a masticating juicer, but I keep getting conflicting information. so i juice my vegetables and fruit and make about 3 liters of juice in one go which lasts me about 3/4 days, I am not sure if its a placebo effect, but i feel more energized and have better workouts at the gym. however, speaking with friends who are super intelligent and graduates from Cambridge colleges say that the nutrients once masticated are of no value and that after the juice has been oxidised no minerals left worth the effort. Has any research been done on the subject of juicing as home ? What are your views of the subject of fresh masticating juicing at home ? is there any benefit ?If you want a lot of fruit the blender is generally best. If you want a lot of vegetables the juicer is probably best. A lot of people use both.	apple juice,apples,asparagus,bananas,bile acids,blueberries,bone health,bone mineral density,bowel movements,butyrate,calcium,carob,cholesterol,colon health,diabetes,diarrhea,fiber,fruit,fruit juice,grapes,gut flora,juice,laxatives,Metamucil,onions,phytonutrients,polyphenols,smoothies,stool size,vegetables	The majority of polyphenol phytonutrients may be bound to fiber, helping to explain the marked difference in health impacts between whole fruit and fruit juice.	For those that like drinking their fruits and vegetables, this suggests smoothies are preferable. I can imagine people who eat really healthy thinking they get so much fiber from their regular diet that they need not concern themselves with the loss from juicing, but they may be losing more than they think.Why are polyphenol phytonutrients important? See, for example, my video How to Slow Brain Aging by Two YearsNot that fiber isn’t important in its own right. Check out:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metamucil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asparagus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carob/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoothies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-mineral-density/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/laxatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20540148,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1834981/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22813423,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16087995,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23271615,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23095074,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22747080,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23990623,
PLAIN-2530	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/	Infectobesity: Adenovirus 36 and Childhood Obesity	This study, correlating chicken consumption with weight gain, was performed in just one country on about 4000 people. This study included 4 other countries, and included 89,000 people. Animal protein intake was associated with long term weight gain, and again poultry was the worst, associated with 40% more weight gain than red meat or processed meat. Why poultry? Yes they’re so fatty these days because of the way we’ve genetically manipulated them: up to 10 times more fat and calories than they used to have, but one bizarre theory was that it might be due to an obesity-causing chicken virus, to which 1 in 5 obese humans tested positive, and those with exposure to the chicken virus averaged 33 pounds heavier than those testing negative.This chicken virus was the first to be associated with human obesity, but not the last. It’s similar to chicken embryo lethal orphan virus, which is common among poultry in the US. The original obesity-causing chicken virus was able to effectively transmit obesity from one chicken to another when caged together, similar to adenovirus #36, a human obesity-associated virus first reported to cause obesity in chickens and mice, spreading quickly from one chicken to another via nasal, oral and fecal excretion and contamination. This of course raises serious concerns about transmissibility in people.The easiest way to test this is to just experimentally infect humans with the virus and see how fat they get. Alas, ethical reasons preclude experimental infection of humans, and so the evidence will have to remain indirect. In the absence of direct experimental data, we have to rely on population studies like how they nailed smoking and lung cancer. Can’t force people to smoke a pack a day, but there are people that smoke on their own and we can see if they get more lung cancer. Similarly, about 15% of Americans are already infected with this virus, so let’s just follow them out and see what happens. 1,400 Hispanic men and women were followed for a decade, and not only were those exposed to the virus fatter than those who were not, but over ten years those with a history of infection had a greater percentage of body fat over time.Most studies done to date on adults have found a connection between exposure to this virus and obesity, and all of the studies done so far on childhood obesity show an increase in prevalence of infection in obese compared to non-obese children. Now we’re up to more than a thousand children studied with similar findings. Obese children who tested positive for the virus weighed 35 pounds more than children who tested negative.The virus appears to increase the number of fat cells by mobilizing fat cell precursor stem cells, and then may increase the accumulation of fat within the cells. If you take liposuction samples of fat from people, the fat cell precursors turn into fat cells at about 5 time the rate in people who came to the liposuction clinic already infected. And fat taken from noninfected people exposed to the virus start sucking up fat at a faster rate, so may induce obesity without increasing food intake.Just like adenovirus 36 infection can be transmitted horizontally from one infected chicken to another in the same cage, and then they subsequently became obese. This same virus is also easily transmitted among humans, this raises the question as to whether at least some cases of childhood obesity can be considered an infectious disease. They speculate that this animal adenovirus may have mutated to become a human adenovirus capable of infecting humans and causing obesity.	Did they compare infected people who exercised with those who didn’t. If they ate the same amount of food as non-infected people, the fat had to come from somewhere, perhaps because less muscle was being made or sustained- and that, perhaps due to a lack of exercise. Or perhaps the virus slows down the rate of metabolism while leaving hunger at the same level. Exercise would likely return the metabolism to the correct rate. Even if more stem cells convert to fat cells, what’s filling these cells with fat if they eat no more than normal and especially if they exercise. I’d like to see a study done to test the effect of exercise of various kinds on infected people.I’m thinking even better would be to eliminate the virus all together….Yeah we shouldn’t be having this virus in the first place. It would be nice to know how exercise or an increase in plant intake would impact the effects of the virus though.I’m wondering how elimination of meat intake has an effect on the virus.If you don’t eat chicken meat you don’t get the virus (not so far, anyway.)So, your plan is to eat chicken and “protect” yourself by throwing in some green veggies and doing pushups? That didn’t work for the polio virus.Exercise doesn’t prevent other viruses from spreading. Regardless, it’s not likely avid exercisers were culled out of the study. Considering we are an obese population of epidemic proportion, how would we survive if the chicken fat virus could mutate and transfer from human to human.Dr G – Is this the same adenovirus that is attacking kids here in Colorado, or is it a different strain? Viruses are some of the smallest living things, much smaller than a human cell. I wonder if adv36 has adapted to the point where it can control the fat mechanisms in the human body so it is able to hide there to avoid the immune system? It is clear that viruses can and do hide in the human body – as demonstrated by the ability of the chicken pox virus to hide for decades, then re-emerge as shingles decades later. No sign of the virus in between, and the adaptation of the immune system to destroy it in the first place does not work for the later shingles version. What does this say about ebola, which is also a virus?Why poultry showed highter gains might also be due to meateaters eating more chicken nowadays in response to all the red meat scares. Either way, best to not eat meat at all.Big pharma is coming! Antiviral therapy for obesity…NOT! Even better, blend antiviral drugs into ground meat together with a statin drug.Don’t give them ideas… :-)Exactly – sad but likely this is making many see $$$Big pharma is probably already working on a therapy already.It’s probably going to be another spice again. They take the spice, modify it a bit, and then call it a drug.It may be that our immune systems are compromised due to issues with virus, bacteria and Protozoa (specifically FL1953) that live in and is protected by biofilm. Fat feeds this protozoa and makes it stronger. Until we can lower the fat not only in our diet but also on our bodies our immune systems can’t detect these pathogens that hide in this fat and biofilm. A good portion of our immune system lie in our guts. The one thing that ONLY WE have control over is our diet. But sadly it’s the one thing many sick people refuse to change. They are looking for a pill to “fix” things without making any lifestyle changes. Becoming a low fat, whole food, vegan is our key toward better health.IssieGenetic and epigenetic reproduction?http://www.nonags.org/members/nijqk/ready-to-reproduce.jpgMethylation dysfunction causing some issues with mutations in gene function, maybe.IssieWow, the implications of this are staggering, even beyond the obesity factor. The whole virus thing in relation to factory farming alone is enough to scare one away from eating animal products, even if they had no ethical or previous health concerns! HINT HINT!I’m sure it will be on the nightly news this evening so Americans are warned to stop eating chicken. Media has our backs. (snicker)The ” I’m big boned ” excuse just got a little kid sister! ^^My question is — does the virus eventually die off, or is there anything that people who already have this virus can do to get rid of it? Does dietary change make any difference after the fact? Thank you!That is my question, too. You’ve presented a problem.That many of us may already have. How do we treat/cure this?Dr. G,Steve here, in San Diego. I moved your car once to prevent a ticket.Anyway, you’ve presented a problem that many of us may already have.How do we treat/cure this?Does’t cooking the chicken kill the virus?	adenovirus 36,animal fat,animal protein,animal studies,body fat,calories,cancer,chicken,chicken embryo lethal orphan virus,children,fat,fecal contamination,liposuction,lung cancer,obesity,poultry,poultry viruses,processed meat,red meat,smoking,tobacco,turkey,viral infections,weight loss	Studies on more than a thousand children suggest that a viral infection may play a role in childhood obesity by increasing both the number and size of fat cells.	Other unconventional theories about obesity are explored in my videos Obesity-Causing Pollutants in Food and Gut Flora & Obesity.I’ve addressed the association between poultry and obesity before:More on poultry viruses:And more on keeping our children healthy:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken-embryo-lethal-orphan-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adenovirus-36/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liposuction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22848697,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22035006,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22771001,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18203674,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22848557,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19728900,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22223576,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22115071,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21905809,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22702313,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9385623,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23160725,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139559,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19593728,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1320784,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11443497,
PLAIN-2531	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/	Turmeric Curcumin and Pancreatic Cancer	Pancreatic cancer is among the most aggressive forms of human cancer with a very high mortality rate. It represents the fourth leading cause of cancer death in United States with an annual mortality of 32,000 dead. With a 5-year survival rate of only 3% and a median survival ofClinical research to test new treatments are split into phases. Phase I trials are just to make sure the treatment is safe, to see how much you can give before it becomes toxic. Curcumin has passed a number of those. In fact there was so little toxicity, the dosing was limited only by the number of pills that patients were willing to swallow.Phase II is to see if it actually has any effect, and it did, in two of the 21 patients that were evaluated, one of whom had a 73% tumor reduction. This is what we like to see. Unfortunately, the effect was short-lived. This lesion remained small, but apparently a curcumin-resistant tumor clone emerged, whereas the other patient showed slow improvement over a year, stable disease for over 18 months. In fact the only time their cancer markers bumped up was during a brief 3 week stint where the curcumin was stopped. So it does seem to help some patients with pancreatic cancer, and most importantly, what's the downside? No curcumin-related toxic effects up to doses of 8 g/d. What happens after 8? We don't know because no one was willing to take that many pills. They were willing to go on one of the nastiest chemotherapy regimens on the planet but didn't want to be inconvenienced with swallowing a lot of capsules.Anyway, the only surefire way to beat pancreatic cancer is to prevent it in the first place. In 2010 I profiled this study, the largest such study in history, which found that dietary fat of animal origin was associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk, but which animal fat is the worst?Well the second largest study chimed in in 2013 to help answer that question. Poultry was the worst—the first finding of its kind, 72% increased risk of pancreatic cancer for every 50g of daily poultry consumption. That's just like a quarter of a chicken breast. The reason white meat came out worse than red may be because of the cooked meat carcinogens in chicken, the heterocyclic amines that build up in grilled and baked chicken. These mutagenic chemicals have been associated with doubling pancreatic cancer risk.Other recent studies include one out of San Francisco, implicating the standard American diet and one out of Italy: high consumption of meat and other animal products, as well as of refined carbs was associated with pancreatic cancer risk, whereas a diet rich in fruit and vegetables appeared to lower risk.Eating meat may increase risk, whereas eating fake meat, has been found associated with significantly less risk. Those who eat plant-based meats like veggie burgers or veggie dogs three times or more a week had less than half the risk of fatal pancreatic cancer. Legumes and dried fruit were found to be similarly protective.	This type of cancer it’s a nightmare.I hope we’re going to find at least some dietary, or pharmaceutical intervention safe and effective to treat this condition.As for other disease, prevention is the best way to avoid this issue.http://www.lef.org//Magazine/2014/10/Fighting-Pancreatic-Cancer/Page-01?source=search&key=pancreaticPaul was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in October 2012. His prognosis with conventional therapy was about six months. His oncologist believes that without treatment, he would likely have been dead by Christmas of that year. Using ISCA’s resources and expertise, Paul’s condition turned out quite different.Twenty-two months after he was diagnosed, Paul continues to receive chemotherapy, but is very much alive and doing well as of August 2014.Interesting, case like this could be really important, i was not aware of this organization, maybe in future i would search more information on it.One of my friends died of pancreatic cancer a couple of years ago. She was 32 years old. It’s so hard to wrap my brain around it. She died 13 months after her diagnoses. Looking at her, you would’ve never thought she was so sick. Yes, she ate meat, but she was in excellent shape. Semi-pro tennis player. Anyway, I think about her all the time.For sure, I understand what you’re going through Paula, and I feel the same pain as you. An in-law of mine died from pancreatic cancer too, when she was in her forties, about two years after being diagnosed. Besides the standard American fare, she loved to eat kim chi, which Dr. Greger mentioned in an earlier video to be associated with pancreatic cancer. When she was diagnosed, she asked that no one would send her any article on natural cures or prevention but instead plunged ahead to death by chemotherapy. She then suffered from nausea and hair loss. The therapy trashed her immune system and she spent time in the hospital for pneumonia. A month or two prior to her death, she lost her sunny disposition and optimistic personality and became impatient, critical and insulting. She probablydied the most horrible death possible. The thing I can’t figure out is did she die from the cancer or from the medical treatment? Would it have been better to have let nature take its course than to have submitted to such a barbaric treatment? I also wonder if I should have violated her wishes and sent her info on natural treatments. But perhaps that would have been casting pearls before swineYeah, it was horrible and out of nowhere. I mean, 32! I was 33 and pregnant with my first child (who is now two) when we found out. She left behind two girls (2 and 4 at the time of her death). I can’t fathom knowing that I have a year to live and my daughter would most likely not remember. She also had chemo and lost her beautiful hair. She really struggled with her faith…and who could blame her. She was a positive person. I still can’t believe she died from this. Really scary. I know someone else who died from this, was in late 60s. Tried to go the homeopathic route. He didn’t make it much longer. Maybe a year and 1/2. I really learned to not take my time for granted. My friend was having stomach pains and thought she would get better… Not a death sentence.PC: re: “I also wonder if I should have violated her wishes and sent her info on natural treatments.” I can imagine how that decision might haunt someone. For what it is worth, I think you did the right thing. You treated your in-law with dignity by respecting her wishes. If she wasn’t interested in any other information, then all you would likely have accomplished by sending that information would have been a damaged relationship with someone who was dying (so it’s hard to make up later…) You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t cram it down her throat, no matter how much good it would do her. That’s just my 2 cents. I’ve been through similar situations myself. So, I understand how hard it is.Presumably, the best medical care on earth couldn’t save the life of Steve Jobs. Prevention is the best way to deal with any cancer.I have recently been diagnosed with IPMN which may lead to pancreatic cancer. Seems crazy after 30+ years as a vegtarian and maybe 10 as a lowfat vegan, so not opting for any treatments or surgery. I am taking turmeric and wonder what dosage Dr. Greger recommends. I feel fine and hope for a positive outcome.I believe one teaspoon a day is the recommendation. Maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong. Heat treated Turmeric in cooked dishes along with pepper protects the DNA strands. Another good idea might be to take one teaspoon of Amla powder a day. Eat G-Bombs every day. Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, Seeds (flax, chia, walnuts).BEN, HELL YES…eat those G-Bombs!!! I applaud your compassionate advice…and to KIRSTY…stay positive and eat up that turmeric…I’m rooting for you sweetie! Kick that IPMN to the curb! I buy my certified organic Amla via Amazon Smile so that Nutritionfacts.org gets a donation therefrom!What is Amla?Kirsty: I think Ben’s reply was great. I just wanted to add that I wish you luck. I hope you have a positive outcome too!I *also* wish Kirsty the BEST…fight fight fight!!!! I loved Ben’s response!Irradiated tumeric? Or non irradiated?This is the worst cancer – any treatment (that works) is wellcome. Curcumin is such an interesting “drug”Question: For someone with colectral cancer, would enemas with curcumin be useful?Turmeric has been one of the mainstays of my self-treatment cancer program I have been on for over a year. Don’t forget Dr. Greger’s earlier story about how black pepper (I use it at about 10% rate) potentiates to the max, the prevention and healing power of turmeric. The other thing I wish to point out is that someone in my position, restricted by the income of a Social Security check only (while also conducting a complex, multi-year self-treatment for multiple cancers!) needs to figure out how and where to purchase the best quality for the best price of the raw materials used for one’s alternative cancer treatment program. I use Mountain Rose Herbs for most every leaf, flower, berry, root, bark, and mushroom I buy in bulk, process these raw materials myself for whatever use I need (teas, capsules, salves, enemas, and for use in food dishes), and this self-directed cancer treatment program is a FULL-TIME job. Think of it as essentially paying oneself to do what the expensive Alternative Cancer Treatment Centers (Naturopathic Oncology programs in North and South America) would be doing for you for 100xs the cost. If you are very low-income like I am, you might need to hear this: you CAN cure yourself of cancer using readily available information, and you can figure out what your treatment regimen needs to be via copious quantities of time spent on websites like Dr. Gregers, and you can do this even if you only have a few hundred dollars a month to work with. The other point is that ingredients like turmeric, which is a mainstay for any self-treatment protocol, needs to be heavily vetted in terms of the source for that product – possible contamination issue from such countries as China (where a majority of herbs and supplements ingredients originate) become critical if one is consuming them at the does/rates needed to make a difference (24/hrs/day for extended days if not forever). The last thing I wish to say with regard to Dr. Gregers video here on turmeric is that when he finds a study or three which illustrates the efficacy of (for example) turmeric for advanced stage pancreatic cancer, one should NOT assume this vetted information applies to only pancreatic cancers and/or advanced stages. One beautiful discovery I have made is that the other advanced symptoms (of undiagnosed) cancers of GI, CR, Esophogheal, and Breast, reversed and dissolved during the year of targeting the diagnosed Liver Cancer. In other words, my proven track record of making tumeric one of my high-dose religiously administered (got up in the night and never let myself run out of it no matter how broke I have gotten), also worked for what was likely a return of the other cancers I already cured 40+ years ago. Just because he finds scientific articles for a specific application of a terrific anti-cancer natural cure does not mean it is not maybe even more powerful for another type of cancer such as my probable breast cancer. It just means no one has done that study yet or it has not yet been published.Ariel: Thanks for your continued participation on this site. I find your story inspiring.Thea, thank you for the personal contact – this self-treatment lifestyle (even if I was not living in a barn with the daily social isolation issues I must attend to), is extremely lonely. I believe I am gradually working my way toward a platform for communication – just don’t know what/where it is, to interact with/educate the many like me, who need to be communicating with one another about their individualized self-treatment plan, and need a means of social support.The healthcare system has long ago abandoned us and as we all know, supportive counseling does not exist for the 99% in America anymore. Mutual support models are all we have to work with. I approached Dr. Greger about my interest in collaborating with him to develop some Self-Treatment Cancer Information & Support Group function (esp in the area of purchase of raw materials, kitchen strategies, and self-training for one’s own plan), but he has repeatedly said he is just too busy dog-peddling his way through the daily demands of what he has going on, and although I sympathize and completely understand, I still think someone there has a clue as to where/how we can get this idea going.I am therefore, asking you to consider any way your platform (or you, or anyone you know of) and I could help one another and a lot of other people in the process. I have a long list of diverse, relevant skills and professional background, and I get physically and mentally stronger and more determined every day, to find a way to launch some kind of interactive network of self-treatment cancer people. Americans just don’t have the resources for the wonderful Naturopathic Oncology (alternative cancer clinics) programs in North and South America. The number of people who will be manifesting the current cancers in their bodies is facing a broken response system.The cancer industry is bankrupting and killing us already and the economic resources of the average American continues to plummet – most of us barely stay afloat in ordinary daily needs and cannot handle any unplanned extra expense. If I can figure this out, with so little resources and almost no social safety net except my regional recognition as a Local Food Hero through my medicine vegetable CSA, surely I have something to give and say.What is missing is the platform (and someone with technical skills on your end) to collaborate to get this conversation going among the larger audience of self-treating cancer people.Ariel Gail MacLean Ariel’s Sustainably Grown POB 541 La Center, WA 98629 360-936-5766 arielgailmaclean@yahoo.com arielgailmaclean46@gmail.comAriel: Have you considered starting a Yahoo group? I like Yahoo groups because it is a way for people all over the country (or anywhere in the world?) to e-mail each other about a topic. People join the group and then get e-mails when people post to the group. There are already a bazillion yahoo groups on a bazillion topics, so there may even be a group that already exists that is close to what you want and that you could join and participate in. You could share your information and learn from others. https://groups.yahoo.com/neoI did a quick search myself and saw that there is a group on Alternative Cancer Treatments. Sounds like it is right up your alley.I hope that helps! And I hope you are able to find the support you are looking for.Best of luck to you, Ariel. Here’s a short data base I recently saw of plants and plant extracts that clinical studies have shown to fight cancer, amazingly enough, without harming healthy cells: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/keyword/selective-cytotoxicity I was wondering if you’d heard of sour sop; my guide on a vacation to central America claimed that this native plant also cures cancer.Thank you for the continued conversation. “Graviola” (soursop) could be good for others but not me. I also manage a degenerative neurological process which is happening as a result from a lifetime of TBI’s; the way this works is that after years of getting these traumatic brain injuries which cause brain inflammation, they gradually evolve into cognitive decline otherwise known as dementia. Soursop is contra-indicated for its neurotoxic effects for someone like me. Wouldn’t it be great if someone qualified could provide online information advice for so many of us – this age of demonizing “alternative anything” is killing us all. The other thing about this is the source for purchasing this natural anti-cancer plant (soursop) would need to be very carefully scrutinized because it only thrives in places like Africa, and until we vet the the contagiousness of viruses which might sustain in agricultural products, we need to exercise The Precautionary Principle. In the retail domain, we actually already source quite a few herbal products (and raw materials which go into formulas, retail teas, supplements, tonics, etc.) from Africa. I am waiting for the day to arrive when the current supplies of one of my most favorite medicines, Green Rooibos, is no longer safe to purchase from a given source. And on this subject, I do not find even the most reputable wholesale suppliers being proactive about investigating their sources because when these things become no longer safe, it could collapse some companies to lose major supply pipelines. The last point I wish to make is that for those out there who are “prepping” for possible self-quarantine, economic collapse, or even temporary disaster scenarios, stocking up on one’s essential natural medicines needs to be up there with sufficient water and surviveable foodstuffs.Soursop thrives in many more places than only Africa and it is not necessary to get it from Africa. My mom has a soursop tree in her backyard in Florida. Soursop grows abundantly in Jamaica and other islands. Soursop is native to South America and the Carribean. Making sure you eat only alkalizing plant based foods to keep you pH @7.5 is a good way to combat cancer. Soursop, curcumin, guinea hen weed are good cancer fighters. Many different phytonutrients in many plants fight cancer. This list is a list of alkalizing plant based foods: http://www.naturallifeenergy.com/alkaline-producing-mucus-reducing-nutrional-guide/How do you get a capsule to put the Turmeric powder/pepper into? ThanksYou can by capsules at health food stores, two different sizes and even a loader. I load them by hand. Put the powder in a dish with a tiny bottom in it. Powder is better in a tiny space for loading. Break capsule apart and load one half, the smallest half by tamping it down on the powder, some powders load easier then others. Cap it and you got a pill. Turmeric makes a big bad yellow mess so be careful if you care about the dish you use or the counter top. You could even do this using a sawed off pill bottle to put the powder in, better for loading. Cut a plastic pill bottle in half and keep it as your hopper shall we say. I load turmeric, cinnamon, and many other spices, leaves won’t work, must be dried and taken down to powder. Any bits or twigs will mess with your capsule, so make it as fine as possible.Mountain Rose Herbs Eugene, OR sells an $11 hand capsule “machine” which expedites the process (creates a knitting-type of activity in my life). They also sell veggie caps (non-gelatin) which are between wholesale and retail. If you are going to experiment with homemade medicines (various herbs, barks, roots, berry powders, etc.) you are going to wish you had invested in the raw materials on price alone. Then there is the shelf life issue – items sold in retail stores are one to several years behind in terms of freshness. This matters a lot with these types of ingestibles and also avoids fumigation, preservatives, irradiation, etc. when you purchase bulk, fresh, highest quality source which supplies the “manufacturers” in the first place. You save money, get higher quality, and pay yourself to manage quality control (I store mine sealed tightly in freezer). Same goes for buying herbal teas, kitchen spices, and a whole lot of other raw material foods we all need to be consuming every day. Their prices go down as your order quantity goes up for an item, so shipping is not a deterrent to bulk purchasing with them. Once you get the hang of saving money this way, the initial cost per order issue dissolves – it is way less expensive to provide way more benefit for yourself than purchasing retail. I buy almost no retail bottles of anything anymore except as an experiment to try a new herb or supplement; then if it works, I investigate where to buy the most important component in a supplement or the highest quality of whatever it is I need as a stand-alone medicine.Meredith: Here is another option for you. The following link takes you to an example of a very affordable pill loading “machine” that comes with 500 empty capsules. The important thing you will want to do is research capsule sizes and buy the machine version that is for the size you are comfortable with. http://www.amazon.com/Capsule-Filler-Kit-Gelatin-Capsules/dp/B003RP1ABI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1414448131&sr=8-3&keywords=capsule+machine+00FYI: I know someone who has this particular device – and he is really happy with it.Amazon also sells the empty capsules by themselves.Ariel, THANK YOU for sharing your knowledge ….this is hugely helpful for everyone here!!! I wish you a total return to great health!!! and 100% healing! Will surely keep the Mountain Rose reference handy!Do you need to do capsules? Can you just take the powder?Debbie: The problem is that the turmeric is just so *strong.* It is hard for many people to take straight – say mixed with a liquid or something. So, to be able to get it down, a lot of people want to take a capsule. But if you are able to get the powder down, I can’t imagine it would be a problem. I would think it would be even better. (But I’m not an expert, so I don’t know.)I have put spoonfuls in my smoothie and it was fine. Because it is so strong, is it safe to take by the spoonful and what is the max I can take. Is there different strengths of turmeric powder?ThanksDebbie: Dang, I just don’t know the answers to that. I assume it is perfectly safe. It’s not like you are eating the powder plain. You are putting it a smoothie. I don’t think that’s any different than eating any strong spice in food. But I’m not expert enough to say. What I can say is: Good for you! I wish I could just take it by the spoonful in a smoothie.What about the need for Turmeric to be heat treated? The raw powder can protect against inflammation, but the heat treated Turmeric protects the DNA and the raw powder does not. Do you remember the Gregor videos about that?Ben: You are ringing a bell for me, but I don’t have that information at the top of my head. There can’t be that many videos on turmeric. I find that sometimes when I am looking for a specific video, it is helpful to do a search and then when I click on a particular video, to scan the transcript. That way you don’t have to listen through the entire video to see if it is the particular one you are looking for.Just for kicks, I did a quick search on the term, “turmeric heat” and came up with this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/See if that is what you are thinking of. Either way, thanks for reminding me about that video. Here’s the paragraph I am guessing that you remember: “Now why do I suggest cooking with it rather than just like throwing it in a smoothie? Well this effect was found specifically for heat-treated turmeric. Because in practice, many herbs and spices are only consumed after cooking, they tested both turmeric and oregano in both raw and quote unquote cooked forms, and in terms of DNA damage, the results from raw turmeric did not reach statistical significance, though the opposite was found for the anti-inflammatory effects. So maybe we should eat it both ways.”Yes, thanks, that’s it. Good reminder for us all that we should do both. I keep reading about people making their own turmeric capsules but that’s only going to give the anti-inflammatory benefits and not the very important DNA protection.If you research this particular medicine for your unique purposes, you will find it takes much more than we would normally be able to consume in a curry dish, for example. Calculate your dose requirements and upper limit reported by Dr. Greger and others, then measure that out with capsules and a teaspoon and you will see how it might pay to think in terms of a self-administered dose pattern with turmeric on top of any foods you could consume in a day as an added benefit. Again, if you already have an impaired immune system,. liver or organ damage, active or recent cancer, cardio-stroke, etc. symptoms or history, you are going to want to make this root a part of your consumption pattern every day for the rest of your life. So many people are not honest about what they actually do to self-treat and prevent problems – they believe their own spin or “intention” to do something they know is good. If we set up sure systems of prevention and self-cure it is much more likely these slower, less invasive, infinitely less damaging and less expensive approaches will actually work. The proof is in the pudding as my grandma used to say: ascertain the correct approach, devise a plan to execute that, and reap the motivational rewards you get with actual results. So many people just don’t give the less glamorous self-healing strategies a chance, then say: it did not work. So often someone will not settle down to this intellectually until they are confronted with the diagnosis of Cancer. So many Americans will not take control on their daily habits until catastrophe. Preparation extends into the area of self-care also because the American healthcare system is not on our side and is available anyway, to the majority of us now, and help won’t be here for us if major disasters happen down the road. We need to take care of ourselves and communicate to one another about what worked for us. Personal Responsibility is all we have left.Lord Buddha said that the No. 1 cause of death…is birth.In all seriousness here, I just read yesterday that Turmeric actually has very little absorbable (usable) curmumin in it. Is this true? As I use approximately a teaspoon of Turmeric a daycurcumin is very hydrophobic. best to eat when you eat something with a little fat in it…nuts, flax …and black pepper helps a lot too. Others here understand this better than me may be more helpful…You WANT to eat curcumin with foods that have fat in them. Fat takes curcumin straight to the liver and then the blood stream. High concentrations of pepper that is used with some curcumin supplements can be toxic. I add the contents of a curcumin capsule to a tablespoon of coconut oil and consume it.True, please see here on how to increase biovailability by 2,000% http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/Quote from Robert Redfern:“Curcumin is NOT what you put into curry. Nothing makes my blood boil as much as articles in magazines and newspapers saying ‘eat more curry to get healthy’. These articles are referring to turmeric, a spice used in Asian foods that contains a tiny spec of curcumin extract. Add turmeric to your foods by all means but don’t expect it to save your life as it would when taking curcumin. Please be aware that less than 0.1% of turmeric is absorbed in curcumin.”As Dr. Greger has shared in previous videos, the entire spice Turmeric is more effective then the sum of its parts.And you are going to believe that quack? The research shows the benefits from taking the whole Turmeric spice. Don’t fall for the supplement trap.Hi Ben, thanks.While yes I agree with your opinion of Robert, his statement…”Please be aware that less than 0.1% of turmeric is absorbed in curcumin.” has many other sources of endorsement. His was just the most accessable to me at the time. Believe him or not, that is why I posed the question. ‘Is turmeric a waste of time, as curcumin appears to be the real benefit?’Thanking Toxins for pointing out the 2000% increase via black pepper.Yes you don’t have to rely on curcumin supplements, but because curcumin is such a small amount of turmeric you need to cook with it everyday to build it in your system.Researchers have looked at populations that consume a lot of turmeric and they have found that consuming turmeric everyday does “save your life.” They then isolated the active compounds in turmeric to make it more potent.does “save your life”.I have lived in both India and the US and have observed and partaken in their eating habits. However, the turmeric rich diet of India only delivers a life expectancy of 67 years vs. the ‘overly consumptive’ Americans at 78.5 years. http://country-facts.findthebest.com/compare/1-122/United-States-vs-India.The data you shared is an overview of patterns. You can’t only take turmeric rich data and attach it to the 67 year life span indicated on the site, and compare overly consumptive diet of Americans and link it to 78.5 years. Poverty appears to play a much greater role in the health of Indians and population density. The US has a density of 32 per sq mile and India has 371 per square mile. That is many more people together in India who have to opportunity to more easily spread diseases. Having more people living together who are afflicted by properties associated with property (unclean drinking water, inadequate sewage) makes them more susceptible to Diseases of poverty than to Diseases of Affluence. That 67% is compromised of 30% of Indians to 15% of Americans who fall below the poverty line, who have less access to healthcare resources to combat their diseases of poverty.From Wikipedia — Most curry powder recipes include coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and chili peppers in their blends. Depending on the recipe, additional ingredients such as ginger, garlic, asafoetida, fennel seed, caraway, cinnamon, clove, mustard seed,green cardamom, black cardamom, nutmeg, long pepper, and black pepper may also be included. Quality curry powder will contain curry leaf. Turmeric is only part of what makes up curry so use turmeric not curry.“Turmeric is only part of what makes up curry so use turmeric not curry.”Hi Jean,Thanks for your advice.. I agree, and will follow your advice as the rest of those ingrediants in the curry you list look suspicious.“coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and chili peppers in their blends, ginger, garlic, asafoetida, fennel seed, caraway, cinnamon, clove, mustard seed, green cardamom, black cardamom, nutmeg, long pepper, and black pepper”I learn so much from this forum.Actually, I just re-read my previous response to Jean, and I realize I was being somewhat of sarcastic jerk. My apologies in advance to Jean and any others I may have offended.Jean, if you will read back a few posts you will see that I clearly state that I am already currently taking a teaspoon of turmeric a day. Actually, it is closer to a tablespoon.Igking – I didn’t have a problem with your response. Actually I was trying to respond to the quote from Robert Redfern by adding the info on curry. For some reason it didn’t go there.Don’t forget everybody – the main reason I have observed Others doing nothing is their (American pseudo-science obsessed personality?) habit of immobilizing themselves with intellectualizing about things to a fault. Fear of failure or whatever, can immobilize us and assist us in confronting the need for change. What we want and need is the hands-on feedback from making a CHOICE – choices require personal change, in order to be able to get the date to be able to observe the results. The point here in this discussion about turmeric – it’s efficacy, its “purity”, its form, its use, dosage, etc., if this: If there was ever a substance which one should experiment with, which so obviously shows no risk (when approached reasonably), which has so much impact on so many systems, which is so ordinary for an animal to consume (it is a FOOD, afterall) and which is so financially available, it would be the Root called Turmeric. Combine this with the fact that we all know by now, that the WHOLE FOOD is always the most integrated, synergistic method of delivery for any phytochemicals that plant possesses, and this puts us in the drivers seat – just do it! and see what happens! When I began using turmeric at the highest doses, right from the beginning, my body showed that whatever it is in turmeric – it works and almost immediately…..globbed on top of oozing cancerous tumors, in a mouth rinse before bed to heal my gums, inside capsules every few hours EVERY day to shrink my enlarged liver 75% in less than 3 months, and this does not even mention all the other systems I turned around as side benefits! Cognitive decline symptoms arrested….breast pain and engorgement reversed completely….a lifetime of GI dysbiosis reversed course to healing finally. The tendency is to want to vet something forever….to avoid having to embark on a Change Plan….changes which will naturally impact on one’s cherished habits….imposing change on ourselves will expose our fear of success? vs. fear of failure? and confront us with our psycho-spiritual vulnerabilities about our own mortality, will bring to light our guilt about how we have lived our life, and in order to change these core things about our life it forces us to need to manufacture the courage to do something – something different. Cancer does not come in a day and does not go away in a day. If there was ever a substance which we needed to take into our lives with eyes wide open, fully and religiously, it would be this little orange root. Turmeric is my mainstay forever. Cancer cells are in us from the start. The question is: are we going to feed that cancer cell or starve it to death. Tumeric is probably our best ally in answering to this challenge that all human beings face living on our only planet. FYI: it will not be long before you will have a hard time purchasing quality turmeric in bulk at a reasonable price – I would like to hear questions about longevity stored in freezer/cool places for multiple years. All these ground plant powders are prone to molds…..does anyone know if turmeric’s properties include also, naturally occurring food preservatives??Hey Dr. Greger unrelated to this video but I was wondering if you could discuss adaptogenic herbs such as rhodiola rosea there benifits and how much they really stand up to the claims.I live in Japan and we use a lot of curcumin here (called Yu-kon) and it is definitely viewed as health promoting. We get “Longa” tumeric root grown as a crop in Okinawa. Makes me wonder if that has something to do with Okinawan’s reputation for long life. Most people drink Yukon tea or commercial drinks marketed for hangovers and for general liver function, cardio function, and improved artery function. I just like the taste of the tea. Anyone have any idea on how much curcumin might be gained from 100% tumeric tea?Dr. Greger, with all these amazing benefits of spices, it’s nearly impossible to fit them all in your daily diet. Can’t I just put a bunch of turmeric in capsules and swallow them?Guest: Lots of people do just that. If you are fine with swallowing capsules, my lay person’s opinion is that making up your own batch of turmeric/pepper and maybe amla capsules is a great insurance policy.Dr. Greger, with all these amazing benefits of spices, it’s nearly impossible to fit them all in your daily diet. Can’t I just put a bunch of turmeric in capsules and swallow them?Hello Dr. Gregor,Wanting to read and view anything from you about Ebola and how we can protect ourselves and our families. Do you have anything on your site or others sites that would be helpful?thank you,Ann Ontario, CanadaHmm, just read that curcumin is poorly absorbed beyond the gut track . . . http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141106113204.htmmy thing is lectins which is in a lot of veg’s & fruit which puts holes in the intestine walls causing digestion discomfort and leaking toxins in the blood stream which causes inflammation and suppresses the immune system which then allows disease to progress. ex’s are beans (which are not digestible) tom,string beans, peas,peppers,mushrooms,pomegranate,grape seeds,apples,raspberries,lemons bananas etc the list is huge so i am limited to what i can eat because it all causes a leaky gut yet a lot of these fruits and veg’s have beneficial reaction for our bodies also, i thought phytates blocks nutrition but they say they are good for cancer? help i’m getting stressedModern paleo advocates claim that these foods weren’t part of Paleolithic-era diets, but new research challenges that assumption.5 They also argue that lectins naturally present in these starchy foods are harmful to human health. Consuming too many lectins can cause significant gastrointestinal distress. However, because legumes and grains are almost always consumed in a cooked form—and lectins are destroyed during cooking—eating beans and grains doesn’t result in lectin overload. Sprouting also reduces lectin levels in plants, although not as effectively as cooking. Generally, pea sprouts, lentil sprouts, and mung bean sprouts are safe to consume, as are sprouted grains, which are naturally low in lectins. Most larger legumes contain higher amounts and should be cooked.http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/23/will-the-real-paleo-diet-please-stand-up/This paragraph is almost at the bottom of the article.is there AGES formed in puffed rice or plain brown rice cakes?I am not sure those have been tested. Have you seen the list of 500 tested for AGE content?. This may help. Thanks, Gina.	animal fat,cancer,carcinogens,chemotherapy,chicken,curcumin,dried fruit,fake meat,fat,FDA,fruit,heterocyclic amines,legumes,meat,mortality,pancreatic cancer,poultry,red meat,side effects,spices,standard American diet,turkey,turmeric,vegetables,veggie burgers,veggie dogs,white meat	Carcinogens in grilled and baked chicken may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, while curcumin, the yellow pigment in the spice turmeric, may sometimes help even in advanced stages of the disease.	My grandfather died of pancreatic cancer. By the time the first symptom arose—a dull ache in his gut—it was too late. That’s why we need to prevent it in the first place.I previously touched on pancreatic cancer prevention in Largest Study Ever and Poultry Exposure Tied to Liver and Pancreatic Cancer and attempts at pancreatic cancer treatment in Gerson Therapy for Cancerand Gerson-style Therapy vs. Chemotherapy.For more on the heterocyclic amine cooked meat carcinogens:I’ve done a bunch of videos on turmeric and various cancers:And more on this amazing spice (and more to come):	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fake-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23543271,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3365678,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18628464,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23368926,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17416754,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19561318,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22610753,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23332711,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20428806,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23472089,
PLAIN-2532	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/	Can Flax Seeds Help Prevent Breast Cancer?	I’ve previously discussed the role of dietary lignans in the reduction of breast cancer risk and improvement in breast cancer survival, based on studies like this that showed that women with breast cancer who ate the most lignans appeared to live longer, but lignans are found throughout the plant kingdom—seeds, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, berries—so how do we know lignans weren’t just a marker for the intake of unrefined plant foods? For example, those that eat lots of plants, vegetarians, have about 8 times the lignan intake of omnivores, and the one that ate the most plants, the vegan, was off the charts.Well in a petri dish, lignans were shown to not only have direct anticancer growth activity against human breast cancer cells, but also prevent their migration, so it was finally put to the test. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial of flaxseeds, the world’s most concentrated source of lignans, in breast cancer patients found that flax appears to have the potential to reduce human breast tumor growth in just a matter of weeks. So I started recommending ground flax seeds to breast cancer patients, but what about preventing breast cancer in the first place?Similarly, high lignan intake was associated with reduced breast cancer risk, but maybe that’s just saying high plant food intake help in general. So they gave women at high risk for breast cancer a teaspoon of ground flaxseeds a day for a year, and they showed, on average, a drop in precancerous changes. But what about flax seeds and breast cancer itself? Outside of an experimental setting there just weren’t a lot of women eating flax seeds regularly to study, until now. Matching 3,000 women with breast cancer to 3,000 women without, they found consumption of flaxseed alone, and of flax bread, was associated with a 20–30% reduction in breast cancer risk.As flaxseeds are packed with lignans, only a small daily serving of flaxseed is required to attain the level of lignan intake associated with a reduction in breast cancer risk. As it appears that most women do not consume flaxseed and that small amounts may be associated with reduced breast cancer risk, we might want to consider interventions to increase the prevalence of flaxseed consumption.The latest review summarized the association between flax and decreased risk of breast cancer in the first place, better mental health, and lower mortality among breast cancer patients. The only other study of flax and brain health I’m aware of was an exploration of 100 commonly used drugs and supplements on cognition in older adults, that found flax to be one of the few things that appeared to help.In terms of why flaxseeds may play a role in preventing and treating breast cancer, there’s an inflammatory molecule called interleukin-1, which may help tumors feed, grow, and invade, so our body produces an interkeukin-1 receptor antagonist; it binds to the IL-1 receptor and blocks the action of IL-1. And the activity of this protective inhibitor can be boosted with the drug tamoxifen or by eating flax seeds. In premenopausal women, the pro-inflammatory profile of interleukin-1 could be counteracted by a dietary addition of a few spoonfuls of ground flax. One month of flax was able to increase the anti-inflammatory inhibitor levels by over 50%, better than even the drug.Yes, having one’s ovaries removed may reduce breast cancer risk as much as 60%, but at the cost of severe side-effects. The drug tamoxifen may reduce the incidence of breast cancer by more than 40% but may induce other severe side effects such as uterine cancer and blood clots. That’s why less toxic, even safe, breast cancer preventive strategies such as diet modifications need to be developed, and these lignin phytoestrogens in flaxseeds may be one successful route because of very recent epidemiological data.Now lignans are not a magic bullet to prevent breast cancer—you can’t just sprinkle some flax on your bacon cheeseburger—but as a part of a healthy diet and life-style they might help to reduce breast cancer risk in the general population.	Is there a recipe for that muffin pictured above?Perhaps this, though its not plant-based. You may want to use buttermilk and egg substitutes.If, like me, you were unfamiliar with the term “lignan[s]” and turned to either your dictionary (in my case, Am. Heritage 4th Ed.) or to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lignan and found — nothing! …Then here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignan or http://www.merriam-webster.com/medlineplus/lignanI was adding flax seed to my smoothies and had a six week long period – until I suspected flax was the culprit and stopped consuming it. Never had that situation since…How much flaxseed caused that issue?Two tablespoons per dayInteresting. I wonder if 1tablespoon a day would cause the same issue.To fully suspect one factor for something like that seems not-called for, especially due to the fact that it has estrogen excretion properties. I would attempt it again, but with maybe less flax ground, simply due to the fact that it has so many benefits (eicosaniod pathway) for a mass majority of the population. I hope it does not have negative effects again, but would totally understand if you would be hesitant to reuse flax.Thanks. That’s what I suspected also. I’m trying the chia seeds. Similar cardioprotective factors.That is great to hear. Stay positive, keep an open mind and always question. :)try fish oil. It’s filled with omega 3.Please see here for fish oil, it is not recommended by Dr. Greger for many reasons. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=fish+oilNo lignans in fish oil only mercury and cadmium. People just don’t get that oil is not a food group not wfpbOops, I may have accidentally deleted someone else’s comment.For the person seeking the recipe for the pictured muffin, I believe its the first link in a search for “pumpkin cranberry supremely healthy seeded muffin“, and while the recipe isn’t plant based, it can be made so with quick egg and buttermilk substitutes.hi darryl, really enjoy your posts. it would be great to get the opinion of the NF team regarding this articlehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29629761We recently had a discussion on reheating potatoes here, and there’s evidence that repeated cycles of heating and cooling increase the amount of starch resistant to in vitro digestion. Starch retrogradation, where the amylose strands align, exclude water molecules, form hydrogen bonds, and become resistant to our digestive enzymes, has been described as like a crystalization process. Cycles of starch heating and cooling perhaps are akin to annealing in metallurgy, where a crystalline structure with dislocations and other imperfections is heated and slowly cooled, permitting atoms to redistribute themselves towards a low energy equilibrium state. One can imagine the amylose strands finding tighter (and more resistant) alignments during a thermal cycle. And lo, the term “annealing” has been applied to starch engineering as well. One for the stack.well done, I enjoyed that highly.Would homemade flaxmilk provide the same benefits as just eating ground flax?Flaxmilk? Ça existe?You can buy it in stores, I believe, but I put flax seeds in a blender with water and a tiny amount each of vanilla extract and agave. It tasted ok, I’d drink some every day if it was giving me the flax benefit. I did strain out most of the pulp but some was left in, which eventually settled.Not sure if ALL the benefits of flax are received via flax milk since a good deal of the fiber is filtered out. Reminds me of commercial almond milk which lacks the protein of soy milk.Why filter it? Here’s my anticamcer morning pick me up – 2 cups rejuvalac [made with lactofermented quinoa], 1 inch fresh tumeric, 1 inch of fresh ginger root, couple of black pepper corns, juice from 1 lemon, 2-3tablespoons ground flax seeds, 1 Tbsp fenugreek seeds, a small jalapeño, just put it all in the vitamix and slam it down. Maybe add a few cranberries, juniper berries, allspice, cloves, cinnamon etc depending on how I feel. Usually fresh grind the flax and other seeds in a coffee grinder first.You are missing out on some of the fiber. Dr Greger has a lot to say on the importance of fiber.Yes – you know: Small poops, big hospitals, big poops, smal hospitals….Oh that’s so funny. :-) You are a clever guy. (I had to think about that one a minute before I laughed.)Actually, I think the author of this quote is Dr. Burkitt ?Oh! Well, I’ll still think of you as the funny guy. :-)LOL, very funny…lot of science to back that up.I don’t get it ~ big hospitals are what and small hospitals represent which ones?Laila: people who eat SAD/poorly have small poops. You need big hospitals to deal with all those people who get sick because of their fiber-poor, animal and junk-rich diets. But if people ate whole plant food diets, they would have lots of fiber and nice, big and frequent poops. They would be very healthy, and as a society, we could have small hospitals because the need for hospitals would be a lot smaller. ;-)Nice way to poop it – put it !! :-)Making homemade flax milk is a great idea to avoid buying flax milk with added sugar or other processed ingredients. Although, flaxmilk does not have the fiber content that the ground flax does. See the video Dr. Burkitt’s F-Word Diet to learn more about why fiber is an important component of the diet.Helpful Hint: I use ground flaxseeds instead of parmesan cheese. A vegan pasta dish with ground flaxseeds and Maldon sea salt tastes great!Hi Plantstrongdoc, Since we do very low salt, and are just learning to cook, do you think ground flax seeds and nutritional yeast would be good on Pasta, say, eggplant, tomato, onions, garlic, oregano, etc. on pasta)?Absolutely! I like the taste of nutritional yeast. Instead of salt try to use lemon juice (fresh) – on the food, after cooking.Roman Gladiators were “mostly vegetarian”: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29723384But where did they get their B12? There surely were not B12 pills back then.The chlorination of the water supply appears to be the main contributing factor for why vegans cannot get sufficient b12 without shots or pills. The addition to the water supply is beneficial for prevention of water born parasites/ect.., but this is an issue that can lead one to believe that humans are “meant to eat meat”, where the evidence is reflected by the diet related disease states that arise from consumption. I take the tablet once daily for all the benefit of avoidance of meat and more intake of edible plants.B12 is produced firstly in the stomach and then formed in its’ entirety as it passes through the intestines (intrinsic factor and other transporters/ ect.. are involved for simplicities sake). The animal has it within its’ tissues that you consume but at the expense of eating meat.If you didn’t live in an 21st century artificial environment you’d be exposed to B-12 constantly. Those Roman gladiators didn’t bath dairy, or even weekly, I bet. They didn’t wash their hands after using the community bathroom so B-12 was even on their dirty hands. Indeed, today we exist in a different environment, a different world. Gladiators eating plant food with “dirty” hands would get a healthy dose of B-12 every meal. LOL, like you, I prefer a pill.During battle, the enemy’s blood would get in their mouths. Gross. I shouldn’t have said that.So…all others were deficient in B-12, except for rough sex?But did they swallow?ReluctantVegan, I have an assistant who deletes for me. I don’t even have to think about it. I only type that stuff so they have a purpose.Oh dear me, Larry G Maloney, I just now clicked on your name to read your other stuff. I didn’t realize there had been issues with censorship previously. No disrespect to you intended. I tried to delete my “battle” comment as I said I would, but it wouldn’t go away. The name just turned to “Guest”, and now it won’t delete. Do you know how to fix that?ReluctantVegan: I’m not sure why you weren’t able to delete your own comment. (It would be a Disqus bug.) But it looks like I was able to do the deleting as a moderator on the site.I also wanted to say: Thank you for self-monitoring. That’s great.ReluctantVegan: One more note. After supposedly deleting the comments, I went to double-check and the comments were still there. So, I’m not sure whats going on.Well, they are gone now. Can you delete this whole exchange about deleting, please?B-12 is in germs…on dirt, dirty plants, all over in nature. It’s not in meat! It’s the germs on the meat that have B-12. Roman gladiators didn’t use Clorox to clean the kitchen, their tidy whity’s weren’t, and their environment wasn’t 100% artificial. They actually touched dirt! Today we take B-12 capsules because we are so far removed from our natural environment we don’t even come in contact with it. EVERYTHING around you is fake. You are isolated from nature (reality). Everything you accept as normal is created by man.Needing B-12 supplements isn’t a knock on veganism; mankind has never (to my knowledge) gotten B-12 from eating plants (except dirty plants). It’s always been exposure to the germs in nature. Even today’s gladiators, foot ballplayers, battle on artificial grass, wear plastic helmets, and plastic armor. Dirt is something buried beneath the concrete. Were protected from reality in a sterile cocoon. Isn’t it ironic air inside our homes is ten times more contaminated than the real stuff outside?If a Roman gladiator invented the first B-12 capsule it would be filled with dirt.numerous professors I come in contact with daily would refute that Larry G, said politely.Gar Zuzik, you don’t speak for those professors, I suspect. But why would they waste their time refuting anything I say? After al, I am but a layman…sharing what medical doctors say. For example, I was being polite about the source of B-12, it’s abundant on animal poo…which gets on plants.What would be more interesting is for you to show this video to those professors you contact daily and see if they disagree with Dr. McDougall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPmxREetE0Y Also, if you type into a search engine “Dr. McDougall, B-12″ several other articles will show similar knowledge. I suppose hidden away somewhere, NF has a comment or two about B-12. Please share this with those professors and get back with us on their views after hearing what dr. McDougall has to say on B-12. Or, is it possible you are saying the professors prefer I use the word “bacteria” instead of “germ”? If so I stand corrected. The germane point is we don’t need to (and should not) eat meat to get B-12. I don’t want anyone distracted by a straw issue (germ vs bacteria). A rose by any other name still smells as sweet as a rose.Russ: Thanks so much for this link! I’ve heard this information before, but did not have a reference for a study to back it up. I’ve been looking for just such a reference for a long time. This is great info. Thanks!I didn’t hear anything about grinding the flax seeds. Humans don’t absorb much unless the flax seeds are ground!Kat, good point. People on other web sites promoting ground flaxseed get anal about which method and brand of grinder produces the finest ground flax. How fine it’s ground isn’t even an issue as far as digestion is concerned. A few seconds of grinding breaks up the tough outer shell. Stomach acid will take it from there. My fifteen dollar Kitchen Aid, one-cup blender, does the job. Grind a little longer…fifteen whole seconds and it’s fine enough for baking. Flax oil is destroyed by heating. But baking ground flaxseed doesn’t seen to be a problem.I buy 25 pound bags of flaxseed and store in the freezer so bugs don’t infest. Ground flaxseed keeps my kitty’s fur soft and shiny and her healthy.Uhhh…where’s the recipe to that delicious looking muffin??This is probably silly sounding but men can get breast cancer too. Everybody needs their flax seeds. We grind 2 tbs for our bread machine recipe. works a treat. I’ve got to try some muffin recipes.. BTW,if you are new to them, I’d recommend that you start with a tsp and work your way up to 2 tbs per day. They gave me quite some trouble at first but backing off and adding them in gradually was the trick.(not to be picky but we do not “need” flax) {said friendly}, but it is very beneficial for numerous vitamins,minerals, micro-nutrients and also for the eicosanoid pathway, especially for the Americanized “SAD” diet that consumes practically no fiber in comparison to our past, and high 0mega-6 content (and Arachnoid Acid by animal intake).As one eats healthier, causing less inflammation, the benefit of flax will be lessened possibly.Gar, makes sense…once the poisons are removed the antidote need not be as potent.Gar, according to one (or more) of Dr. Gerber’s videos, flaxseed can not only prevent cancer but it can cure some cancer. In my opinion, someone with cancer or someone who wants to avoid cancer can benefit from flaxseed.Ya know, it’s one thing to look through a microscope and see one tiny thing and declare this or that fact, but it takes some work to put the whole body of knowledge in perspective and made intelligent decisions about what can help us be healthy and what is harmful. If you cross a busy intersection you can look up and down the street and avoid the dangerous traffic. Or you can look through binoculars and see the other side of the street up close and personal, and not see the eighteen wheeler rolling over you.Coacervate: This is a great reminder. Thanks for the post – and the helpful tip for people just starting.What was the “trouble” if you please? I’m soon to start adding them myself.Diarrhea. Combined with the high fiber i was already getting the flax tipped the balance and things came undone. Start slowly, add in multiple small hits rather than one big “plug” … well worth the effort though. oh, grind thoroughly helps too I think. Best wishesFlax seeds seem to depress my immune system. I get tired and lethargic for 24 hours. Pumpkin seeds I do better on.Shelly, perhaps unknowingly your sleeping with a very tiny pea under your mattress.cyanide content in flax seeds?Relation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I and IGF-binding protein 3 concentrations with intakes of fruit, vegetables, and antioxidants is a rather confusing study inregards to cancer prevention and seems to paint a picture of cancer rate increase due to plant food ingestion.Gar, what exactly are you talking about? Higher intakes of fruits and veggies is linked with decreased IGF-1. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1Relation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I and IGF-binding protein 3 concentrations with intakes of fruit, vegetables, and antioxidants 1,2,3I was rather confused due to the fact that numerous other studies all seem to conclude a major benefit and causation of more plant food consumed and lower igf-1/2 and more binding of the IGf’s.“Conclusion: Women with higher intakes of citrus fruit or dietary vitamin C tend to have higher plasma concentrations of IGF-I and lower plasma concentrations of IGFBP-3″By stating plasma, is that implying a benefit by not being intracellular? That doesn’t seem to be right.The methodology of the study is not that strong in my opinion. I think the direct before and after interventional feeding studies are far more compelling. A large number of studies with a similar design as the study you shared would be more interesting and more compelling.What would you state is unfavorable in the methodology section? (i am a sponge for stuff like this sorry). The doctor should take notice of this study due to the fact that he offered a challenge (and reward??) to proving negative impact of fruits/vegetables on health.I have not read every detail of the study, but here are my impressions from moderate skimming (I am currently studying organic chemistry and do not have a lot of time to read the whole thing). The fact that it was merely a FFQ and it looked at strictly plant components without considerations for other components of the diet is a drawback. In addition, citrus fruits could indicate orange juice, not necessarily whole oranges. Also, vegetables showed no association with IGF-1. This again brings me back to questioning what the other dietary components are, we just can’t know from this. Interventional studies are considered higher quality for several reasons as noted above. Like I said, if there was a larger quantity of studies with the same methodology showing the same results than that would be more meaningful.From their own paragraph detailing the weaknesses of their study:“In addition, intake of vitamin C from supplements accounts for a major proportion of the variance in total vitamin C intake (90%).”Or I should say slightly altered methodology not the same1542 subjects used,Diet was assessed with a validated self-administrated 161-item semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ; 97GP copyrighted at Harvard University, Boston, MA) (40), which included 28 vegetable and 16 fruit items.For each food item, a standard portion size was specified and the participants were asked how often,on average (ranging from“never” to “6 or more” times/d), they had consumed this item during the year preceding blood collection.“the FFQ has been shown to be valid and reliable” An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with reagent from Diagnostic Systems Laboratory (Webster, TX) was used to measureIGF-I and IGFBP-3Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Alleviates High-Fat Diet–Induced Myocardial Contractile Dysfunction states how IGF-1 is upregulated during periods of highfat/unfavorable dieting.Heart Smart Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1Reduced IGF-1 levels are associated with obesity, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, and diabetes mellitus, whereas elevated IGF-1 has been associated with longevity in humans.3New insights into IGF-1 signaling in the heartI read all that, and my points remain valid.thank you for that insight. It is rather confusing when reading over studies sometimes, even when someone has done it for a long amount of time.In terms of specific constituents it appears that all the research right now is pointing to the benefits of veganism (downregulation I believe off the top of my head) and mTor. The Leucine, methionine and arachadonic acid connections to lessened health/predisposition to cancer/disease is still in its’ researched infancy, if you feel the same.The game the meat and dairy industries plays is “were waiting on the research”. Anyone trying to discredit a plant based diet resorts to overtures about needing more research before reaching a conclusion. Meanwhile the sale of met and diary and it’s glutinous consumption continues to create the worst health crisis in our Nation’s history.. Look at the matter from a biology perspective. Humans have especially long intestines evolved so slow digesting fibrous plants can be processed and nutrients extracted over time. Our long intestines cause meat to stay inside way too long and the harmful cholesterol from eating meat and dairy gets absorbed. We have color vision so can cognize a ripe apple or banana. Our teeth are not suitable for the tasks of being a carnivore. True carnivores have sharp piercing teeth and a powerful jaw. Generally they can out run their prey. Their intestines are relatively short allowing poisonous cholesterol to pass in little time. They lack our color vision because they don’t need to know whether an apple or banana is ripe. Long before mankind had the accumulated knowledge and sophisticated tools to examine the elements of nutrition on a molecular level, observing men of science recognized the harm of meat and dairy and the health and healing form plant consumption. Relying on microscopic science to make a judgment call is a poor practice because whatever you decide it’s at risk for being trumped by yet another study. Not knowing 100% the chemistry does not invalidate the observations of several hundred years. As our ability to delve deep into the mysteries of molecular science we continue to discover why apples are good for us. Finding a negative aspect of any plant food it appears is offset by some other discovery that puts the original study in balance and perspective. Society suffers while yet another study is studied.I do agree with you Larry G about the anatomical indicators of our more/ possibly exclusive plant-based past, but I also believe that we have the ability as humans to connection non-connectible things. (The famous ice-cream consumption during summer assumed causation to increased rates of shark attacks, where we all know that more people are swimming during summer, thus more people in water to be attacked). A quick overview of the statistics would lead researchers down a completely wrong causative path.Simply stated, we assume and connect things and that is why more and larger/better studies are always needed to find a conclusion. Sadly, until the facts are several times more indicative of the negatives of less plants and more meat many people will not be influenced by the “largest studies ever” because these foods (along with processed) are convenient and instantly satisfactory.The mantis Shrimp has many more visual spectrum frequencies that it utilizes for hunting prey. Under the previous response by Larry it would be concluded that those shrimp are even more “vegan-designed” than us.I know how I would respond to my statement, and that would be, “it is the combination of plant-based anatomical indicators that shows we are plant-based and better suited for it” but if you added up a bunch of assumption my point still stands.That being said, I agree with you because the blood brain barrier breaching effect of hamain (sorry for spelling mistake) upon meat consumption appears at this time to be very detrimental for hours later. (the gut bacteria connection to meat vs. plant consumption is still in its’ infancy in my oppinion).The end message is that we are always discovering but obviously the research is not convincing enough due to the numerous of other 23yo’s that eat terribly, unlike myself.The anatomical findings are memorable and intriguing, but people will always be skeptical in my opinion due to the fall to “we will adapt” response. The better path I feel is to remind people of the short-term benefits of plant-based, and especially in a professional manner the sexual benefits.“More and larger studies” is the excuse for keeping the public ignorant about the valid studies already helping those who access them. Additional studies is the manipulative tool use by America’s most prolific science, “Marketing” to keep Americans feeing at profitable meat and dairy troughs. Folks don’t prefer meat and dairy because enough studies haven’t been completed and they still question the science behind a plant based diet. Not at all, they eat meat and dairy because it’s what’s constantly marketed to them. You see, gar, it’s not abut science, it’s about marketing. Marketers claim we need more studies. Just like marketers almost weekly release a new study showing chocolate is healthy for us (sponsored by Mars, Inc., of course) How foolish it is to argue in academia about plant food vs animal food when science proved long ago the harm of animal food and he protection provided by a plant based diet. Marketing triumphs because money is behind it.How are you claiming the manta shrimp evolved to be a meat (or is it plant) eater? Even without knowing anything about this shrimp I’d conclude evolution is by definition on an on-going process. Therefore there are exceptions to the rule. And, an exception does not invalidate the rule.The fact that 23 year olds (in the USA) might not eat healthy is not evidence the science is not in. If that were the only issue then 23 year olds would not drink or do drugs or have unprotected sex or drive without fastening their seat belts. Human’s don’t learn from other’s mistakes, if so, we’d all be perfect by now.Being “skeptical’ about a plant based diet is more a function of marketing than lacking scientific proof. Bombard television nightly and dairy with positive information about a plant based diet…comparable to the message presently promoted about meat and dairy consumption and Americans will understand why they are sickly.I built a Ferris wheel with my Gilbert 7 1/2 erector set once but I won’t detail it here.Gar, I haven’t read the challenge but is he asking for ANY negativity, for example, arsenic in apple seeds? Or is his challenge to find an edible plant which has more negative aspects than benefits? Most often The totality of the plant deals with the one negative component or effect, therefore, overall, it’s a “good” food. You usually can’t win betting against someone at their own game. (It’s in the rules.)I understand Larry about the “ANY”, although I think it is worth stating that there are conflicting studies about the negative impacts of IGF-1. Toxins is much more advanced in terms of understanding the biased nature/ completeness of studies though.Gar, YOU brought up the study. YOU brought up the challenge. I’m simply asking YOU for clarification. Your admission Toxins understands “studies” more than you does not make him knowledgeable about THIS study. In fact he already stated he didn’t read every detail about this study.ReluctantVegan, I don’t think anyone can delete another’s posts unless the “Other” is an alias and someone is posting under more than one name. If so that person might accidentally post as one alias thinking they are logged in on the other account. If so, that person unwittingly deleted their own alies post.To actually delete a post, if desired, the only “correction” I know is to “edit” the unwanted post by actually writing a different message and depleting the original part.As far as being logged in as a “guest”, I’d suggest closing out the web site and then open it again and log in your usual way as “reluctant vegan”. If that doesn’t work, the NF staff can guid you through any problems.My past posting transgressions are but a learning curve. If I’ve corrupted you in any way I do apologize.Considering that flaxseed has a similar protective effect as tamoxifen on breast cancer, what is known about a similar deleterious effect of flaxseed on endometrial cancer as is the case with tamoxifen?Hope someone can answer a question that’s been on my mind about flax for a while: is it ok to bake with it? Reason I ask is because I know using flax oil to cook with is a huge no no as it’s a very delicate oil and must be kept in the fridge and away from light. So this made me wonder; is it ok to heat the actual flax seeds (ie, when you cook with them)? Thanks in advance.Tara: While I am aware of plenty of sources that talk about how quickly flax oil can go rancid/bad, including with applied heat, I’m not aware of any sources saying that normal cooking/baking with ground flaxseed does anything to hurt the oils in the flax. I think the fiber that you retain protects the fat, even from some heat. I wouldn’t go to the bank with such an assertion, but it makes a lot of sense to me. I know that lots of very health and food safety conscious people make “flax eggs” to bake with. And I know that somehwere on this site, even Dr. Greger talks positively about flax eggs. I don’t think he would do that if there was a problem with it.While not a definitive answer, I hope it helps.Thank you so much Thea. I really appreciate your response. I’ll continue to bake with my flax and make my “flax eggs” for now! :)Grinding flaxseeds is important for allowing your body to absorb the omega-3 fats, called alpha-linolenic acid, it contains. Omega-3 fatty acids can greatly benefit your heart health. However, these polyunsaturated fats are more sensitive to oxygen, light and heat, making them more prone to rancidity. Fortunately, the omega-3 in ground flaxseeds have been shown to remain unaffected when exposed to temperatures of up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, as part of a muffin mix, for two hours. http://www.livestrong.com/article/394798-can-we-cook-ground-flaxseed/Found several web sites that say this same information but none of them sited who researched this.Jean: Thanks for sharing this info! I hadn’t known that it was (presumably) tested.If lignans are so protective and vegetarians and vegans consume so much more of them, why are there higher rates of breast cancer mortality within those populations – as Dr. Gregor himself acknowledges in his video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04 at minute 8? He brushes it off by saying, essentially, “Oh vegetarian woman tend to have less children – that explains it.” But I’m concerned that it does not. I think of Linda McCartney for example who was vegetarian for decades AND had four children yet died of breast cancer at age 56.	aging,blood clots,brain health,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,breast health,cancer,cognition,flax seeds,fruit,grains,interleukin-1,lifespan,lignans,longevity,mental health,mortality,ovary health,phytoestrogens,plant-based diets,seeds,side effects,tamoxifen,uterine cancer,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health	Flaxseed consumption may play a role in preventing and treating breast cancer by blocking the inflammatory effects of interleukin-1.	The first half of the video is basically just a review of all the flax and breast cancer work I’ve already cover:Flaxseeds may also help fight hormone-mediated cancers in men. See Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer and Was It the Flaxseed, Fat Restriction, or Both?What else can these puppies do? See:I have another 100+ videos on breast cancer if you want to become an expert and help take care of yourself and/or the women in your life. Here’s a few recent ones to get you started:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uterine-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tamoxifen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-clots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lignans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/interleukin-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20724470,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22037685,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17576639,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20033482,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24013641,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23354422,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22842186,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8392221,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22930784,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23954027,
PLAIN-2533	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/	PCBs in Children’s Fish Oil Supplements	A number of so-called case-control studies like this one have found that giving kids cod liver oil supplements may increase their risk of asthma later in life. Case-control studies are done by asking about past behavior in cases (those with asthma) versus controls (those without asthma) to see if certain past behaviors are more likely among the disease group. The problem is you’re asking people to remember what they were doing years ago, and most people can’t remember what they had for breakfast last week, and you can’t rule out something called reverse causation. Maybe cod liver oil didn’t lead to asthma, maybe the asthma led to the use of cod liver oil.So it would be nice to see a cohort study. You take people without asthma at the beginning and you see if those you know are taking cod liver oil are more likely to develop it, that gets around the problems of recall bias and reverse causation. And here it is. 17,000 people free of asthma, we know who are taking cod liver oil and who aren’t, and then we see who gets asthma over the next 11 years. They found that cod liver oil intake was significantly associated with the development of asthma. They think it may be the excessive vitamin A in the cod liver oil that was causing the problem, but there are a number of things in fish oil we may not want our children exposed to.Researchers recently looked at 13 over-the-counter children’s dietary supplements containing fish oil to assess potential exposure to PCBs, toxic industrial pollutants that have contaminated our oceans. PCBs were detected in all products. Could you just stick to the supplements made from small, short-lived fish like anchovies instead of big predator fish like tuna, or use the purified fish oils? No, they found no significant difference in PCB levels between the supplements labeled as molecularly distilled or how high up the food chain the fish were.So while children’s dietary supplements containing the long-chain omega-3’s from fish oils may claim to benefit young consumers, daily ingestion of these products may provide a vector for contaminant exposure that may off-set the positive health effects. What positive health benefits are they talking about?Infants given DHA-fortified formula may have better development of their eyes and brains compared to infants getting nonDHA-fortified formula. But what was the source of the DHA? Not fish, it was algae-derived DHA, so you can get the benefits of omega 3’s without the contaminant risks.Of course, breast milk is the gold standard, significantly better than either of the formula fed infants. So the best source of omega-3’s is mom.	This brings up an interesting point. Vegan vs Non-Vegan moms for DHA from breast milk. As you have said before in some of your research there has been question if mothers should breast feed if they eat a lot of animal products because of the toxin levels associated with non-vegan human breast milk. Regardless, however, it looks like Boobs are better! Unfortunately, I’m not an infant anymore. ;-3Dr. HemoDynamic,This is off subject, but I didn’t know how else to contact you. I need help finding a Vegan friendly, nutrition knowledgeable MD in the Kansas City area. Do you know how I find one? My husband and I became vegan Jan 2014 because of this website and have experienced many health benefits from it, but about 5 mo into it, my husband (55, fairly “healthy” and active) suddenly got a life threatening Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia with DVT and PE, during which was “discovered” hemochromatosis (which I think is spurious because I think the labs were probably incorrect due to the hemolysis and other acute phase reactants interfering with the tests). He was put on Xarelto (factor Xa inhibitor) to prevent further clotting, and 70mg/day prednisone for 2 mo with taper of 10mg q 2 weeks ’till 20mg/day reached [prednisone is working, hgb is 15mg/dL now], and antibiotics to prevent infection while on prednisone. Not finding any risk factors or “usual” causes for the DVT and PE, the hematologist referred us to the rheumatologist, who now says he has SLE (lupus) based on lab results (some of which can be false positives in those on anticoagulants). This Rheumy prescribed Cellcept (forever) to obliterate the immune system to thwart SLE organ damage, but we are very uncomfortable with a) the validity of the diagnosis, and b) with all these long-term dangerous drugs. Also, I feed us based on knowledge gained from this site, which is all about boosting the immune system – yet – in SLE, a powerful immune system may not be the best thing – so I worried my attempts to improve his health by diet may actually be contraindicated in this autoimmune case (?). I really need help, but want someone who leans first towards food as medicine, and only second towards pharmaceuticals, and I don’t know how to find that someone. Can you help me find someone, or point me in the right direction?Wow, what a crazy series of events! Congratulations of starting a healthier lifestyle! As you probably know it is hard for me to really help without seeing all the lab work etc.The ONLY lifestyle change I have ever seen anyone improve their autoimmune disorder(s) (eg. Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Crohns, Ulcerative colitis, Multiple sclerosis) was with a varied, whole food plant based diet. So food wise you are on the correct path with the dietary changes.Make sure your husband is taking at least 2500mcg per week of Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3 2000 units daily, Vegan DHA/EPA 200-300mg daily and have at least 3-4 walnuts or one tablespoon of ground flax seed daily.You are correct in that we want to boost our immune system but in a Good way. Boosting the immune system with animal products causes an inflammatory boost not an anti-inflammatory boost. Most plants work in the antinflammatory realm. I have some patients that cannot tolerate potatoes, peppers and tomatoes (Nightshade famlily) because they tend to be inflammatory in them but this is rare. Finding a doc is hard but ask around at health food stores, google, contact a local Vegan group to see who they use. Dr. McDougall used to have a listing of vegan docs but I cannot find it on his sight at this time.I hope this helpsThanks for your reply! I followed your lead to the McDougall site – neat site – glad I visited.Reluctant Vegan Have you seen this list compiled by Happy Herbivore? I wish you and your husband all the best in finding your way to health!https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fE8SDNAWkVPxhfpTaleAlZn9ZxmhlkDEomGmTOydCu4/edit#gid=609419254I hadn’t seen that list, Ponysong, thank you!ReluctantVegan,Stumbled upon this thread – you are definitely on the right track with a plant based diet. What your husband’s body needs, though, to heal itself is a steady diet of juicing. Not your Wal-Mart variety of juicer, but a powerful, masticating juicer that breaks down the cell walls of fruits and veg (we use a Champion Juicer). This allows the power packed nutrition from fruits and vegetables (more than we could possibly eat) to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream, bypassing digestion. When you free the body from the arduous task of digesting food frequently, and add the powerful arsenal of nutrients provided through juicing, it is able to begin the job of healing whatever is wrong, rather than working full-time just to keep you alive.Our family found a Naturopathic doctor in Tulsa when we nearly lost my three year old granddaughter five years ago, when the doctors ran every test imaginable and still could not find the reason she could not seem to grow and gain weight. She was literally starving to death before our eyes, and the docs all shook their heads and recommended a feeding tube. We were directed to Dr. Robbins by a friend of a friend, and he saved her life. She is now a healthy, active 8 year old. Dr. Robbins has helped twelve members of my family since then. Last year, following his diet and supplement plan along with juicing, I reversed early stage Type II diabetes, lowered my cholesterol and triglycerides dramatically, lowered my blood pressure – everything to within normal range within three months!We don’t live in OK, Dr. Robbins does phone consults. I cannot recommend him highly enough. http://drjoelrobbins.comI also recommend watching the video (available to watch online) “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead”. This was so informative for us, regarding juicing and a plant based diet. Life changing. Wishing you all the best, and God bless you both!Yes! Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead was the very first diet-health video we ever watched. That was when we were still eating SAD. We started juicing (on top of SAD) just to get our veggies – because we hated veggies at that time. But once we started actually eating (I mean chewing) more veg, and then later became vegetarian, and then later moved on to vegan, we stopped juicing thinking that we were getting enough veggies as vegetarians/vegans. Hmmm. I’ll think about your suggestion. Thanks for the link to your doc!“PCBs were detected in all products.”Yes, but how much? “The does makes the poison.”The cited source says, “When following serving size suggestions, mean daily exposure values ranged from 2.5 to 50.3 ng PCBs/day.”The EPA’s maximum contaminant level for PCBs in drinking water (note 0) is 0.0005 mg/L, which is 5,000 ng/L. So the maximum observed mean contamination level in a children’s daily dose of fish oil is about 1/100 of the ECA’s MCL per liter of drinking water.Notes: (0) http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/polychlorinated-biphenyls.cfmThe dose does make the poison except for in the case of carcinogens, which by definition have no threshold. Exposure to young children who have that much more time to allow for tumor development is even more problematic. Why deliberately expose your children to more carcinogenic substances than necessary?Agree. The safe upper limit for PCB is probably zero. “A little poison is okay” makes absolutely no sense. The problem is that you get hundreds of different kinds of toxins everyday – if you are under the threshold for every toxin, you are safe!? That is BS. There are probably a synergistic effect, making it even more dangerous.Alle Dinge sind Gift, und nichts ist ohne Gift; allein die dosis machts, daß ein Ding kein Gift sei. All things are poison and nothing is without poison; only the dose makes a thing not a poison.That synergistic effect can be argued against, in fact life is nothing but trying to get the best reproductive result out of the ocean of poison wherein it exists. The body bulk detoxifies plethora of compounds from mouth to mitochondria no matter how clean you live. Modern pollution in the longer run of evolution might actually help us evolve into more sturdy organisms even, although that won’t help the readers having to deal with the harsh end of the stick of evolution ^^.Anyway gearing up to rid yourself of one poison may very well defend against a different poison that lingers undetected. Each of every 100.000 or so plant synergy compounds are all poisons in their own right, the synergy effect could very well come from steps taken to get rid of them and along with them the less or non detected poisons.Taking different poisons at very low dose could very well make them less dangerous. If anyone has research done in that, please post!thankyou for calling into question the tapwater content of pcb’s. I would love to know the truth about that, but to question it and not simply take it as truth will benefit all watchers/readers in my opinion.As long as there are people who rely on tap water because they cannot afford better, that level should be your benchmark. Any talk of better will be a social and economic class problem first and a health issue second.If there are issues with PCB content in drinking water that battle should be fought before the tap not after the tap.The hormetic impact of chemicals should not be simplified I believe. Our body is extremely complex. You are infact benefiting greatly by consuming plant chemicals designed to hurt you and ultimately prevent you from eating them, but overtime we adapted and benefit from it when it is in an appropriate dose.Eating less meat will benefit highly by reducing lipophilic harmful toxins. I was nearly chemophobic for much of life, so this mind set has done much positive emotional/psychological benefit.So according to your logic, boomer, should these children abstain from drinking water? And I am not being sarcastic. Just following your line of reason.Hi Jamveggie, not at all. There are two central points that I would make in regards to avoiding toxin exposure and to PCBs (and other carcinogens) specifically:First, there are many different classes of toxins. In addition to whether a specific substance at certain conditions poses an acute or chronic threat, which could change depending on duration or timing of exposure, concentration, phase, administration route, etc, there are also different categories we apply to toxic substances according to either target organ/system: reproductive, teratogenicity, respiratory, etc, as well as by the action of the substance itself: sensitizer, irritant, mutagen, carcinogen, etc. All of this needs to be taken into account when describing any substance as a toxin. Exposure to the same substance in two different situations could be either completely harmless or disastrous.In addition, a given toxin at given conditions may cause a finite amount of damage, while another may have more lasting effects. For instance you might spill something on your skin, cause a burn, which then heals completely. On the other hand a substance could have a sensitizing effect, setting you up for recurring injury as a result of future exposures which otherwise would not have had any noticeable effect. In addition some substances without mutagenic character themselves, if causing irritation and inflammation can promote cancerous changes in cases of chronic exposure. However, in all these cases, a dosage at which damage occurs can be determined, and if exposure is limited to levels before that threshold, significant deleterious effects resulting from that exposure can be avoided.However when it comes to toxins specifically labeled as carcinogens, in theory, one molecule with carcinogenic character interacting with one molecule of DNA which will then go on to replicate exponentially has the potential to lead to cancer. Of course our bodies are designed to respond to carcinogenic exposure, and there are means to physically repair the DNA, as well as checkpoints designed to keep cells from becoming cancerous, proliferating once cancerous, metastasizing, etc, so we needn’t all live in a bubble. But, exposure to carcinogenic toxins is particularly problematic in a way that others aren’t and this is why there is technically no threshold for carcinogens, even though somewhat arbitrarily and unscientific safe levels of exposure may sometimes be stated.That said, I think the second main point, which becomes much more critical when discussing carcinogens as opposed to other toxins, is the necessity of exposure. Suppose you’re buying a new home, you’ve narrowed it down to two, both equal in all respects except one has a basement full of radon. Would you needlessly expose your children to a carcinogenic gas if you didn’t have to? If for some reason that house was indeed a better choice, would you intentionally choose not to have a ventilation system installed to attenuate the risk? Likewise why feed children a DHA supplement with higher levels of carcinogens when there is an option with lower levels? We don’t have the option to not consume water, so all we can do is drink up and hope for the best. Plant foods have toxins in them, albeit at lower levels than animal foods, but again we don’t have the option to not eat food, so we make our choices wisely with the information we have, and hope our bodies can handle the load.But in other areas of life, increasing our exposure is completely optional and there’s simply no reason to do so.Well done, that was a very non-emotionally driving response which was beneficial for the discussion. (let’s not forget the definition of plant’s proposed beneficial components “phytochemicals”. There are videos online that and evidence stated within NF.org about broccoli spouts and how too many consumed will cause problematic impacts on the thyroid (and cancer,metabolism ect.. as a result). {dr. Ray Peat andAncestryFoundationAlso, government regulations on maximum toxin exposure limits are notoriously generous; personally I would consider using them to inform personal decisions of consumption to be ill-advised.If this is true then it makes the PCB largely irrelevant in the context of its benefit provided the fish oil is sustainable. Why go after fish oil? Answer- Dr. Gregor is vegan.Is only one study to demonstrate the complexity and amazing synergistic nature of humans and plants when consumed in whole food forms. {We plant them, they help us is one perspective for why we benefit so highly from even tiny doses of tumeric, green tea, flax ect.} But, not in a whole food form and Dr. Ray Peat illustrates through his literature (almost painfully in depth with details), foods can have a completely different response in the body.There are numerous other perspectives that speak of the harms (risk:reward ratio), example Dr. Ray Peat in terms of poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s) and rancidity.Cancer Chemoprevention With Nuts Is only one study to demonstrate the complexity and amazing synergistic nature of humans and plants when consumed in whole food forms. {We plant them, they help us is one perspective for why we benefit so highly from even tiny doses of tumeric, green tea, flax ect.} But, not in a whole food form and Dr. Ray Peat illustrates through his literature (almost painfully in depth with details), foods can have a completely different response in the body.Among 122 mother-infant pairs, we identified four milk samples with total PCB levels that were significantly higher than the rest, with estimated total PCBs ranging from 1,100 to 2,400 ng/g milk fat compared with an overall mean of 320 ng/g milk fat for the 122 women. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/96819806 months average 750 ml 4% fat in gr 7.5 x 4 = 30 x 320ng = 9600 ng PCBs/day from breast milk. Makes the max mean daily intake with the fish oils of 50.3 ng/day now looks positively recommendable compared to breast milk, yet breast milk is still the better option.Conclusion should be that PCBs are not responsible for the IQ difference between fish oil supplements and breast milk. These numbers would suggest PCBs are not even responsible for the difference between fish oil and algea DHA, and focus should shift towards finding the real culprit and or the truly brain supporting nutritional magic that seems to come from teets.This was found in a few minutes BTW, support staff should have picked this up as not useful in the proof read. I hope that the staff can appreciate brec in pointing out the flaw, better him than extra arrows in the hands of the egg, fish, meat or dairy boards.Fear mongering by overshooting the point of practicality should not be a tool used by this site anyway. I know it is deeply ingrained in culture USA but the stress it can cause is equally poisonous for people as are processed foods. It also leaves you all open for ridicule, litigation and bad press, keep the message useful positive and focused on what actually can be changed. The field of report-able subjects must be thinning that should not mean the only option is reporting with lower standards or standards beyond practicability.Nutritionfacts boasts 1500 video’s, of those a pretty big number could use an update a little tweak here and there or combine a few. Boosting the value per minute of view time for newcomers by updating re-doing and upping graphics on older video’s, so one can actually read what is being reported on, like the newer video’s, will also be time well spent toward enhancing the site. Results can be posted as new video’s with big messages updated to the knowledge of now.We have an over-simplification epidemic, within the nutrition field especially. Ex: almonds are not only simply Vitamin E, and by stating so we are causing the true message to be lost.I would like to learn more about this as well, and I commend you for thinking of this deeply. I believe personally that is not just the PCB that is a problem within these fish oils, but also the numerous other chemicals, the combination/synergistic effect, the addiction of fat that allows for storage for long periods of time/mulch-generational, and also *the absence of fiber*, which allows for oxidation of the fish oils (Dr. Ray peat).A great point also would be the simple addition of tea to drinking water can alter the PCB and other negative impacting parts.0.0005 mg/L is actually 500 ng/L.Right; so my second para. should be corrected to:The EPA’s maximum contaminant level for PCBs in drinking water … is 0.0005 mg/L, which is 500 ng/L. So the maximum observed mean contamination level in a children’s daily dose of fish oil is about 1/10 of the ECA’s MCL per liter of drinking water.so is mom the best source of omega 3 because she is the filter? is mom bioaccumulating it for her baby’s benefit?Dr. Greger has done a nice video on breast milk actually. It goes into great detail on the subject.Nursing mothers discharge much of their lifetime’s accumulation of persistant organic pollutants in their breast milk. However, there are so many other good things going on with breast milk that on balance its still better for infant development than any formula.I get Algal DHA from Walmart. It comes in 2 capsule sizes: 200mg and 450mg. Spring Valley I’d the brand. Keep in mind the source of gelatin for the softgels is not stated in the ingredients, so may or may not be vegan.Wouldn’t the real problem with asking “how much” be to assume that anyone can know what another individuals lifetime of exposure will be?I don’t have babies anymore, but this video paradoxically makes me feel kind of relieved that I can’t afford to buy supplements overall! Even though at the core I believe if we have an ideal diet we should be able to get all that we need from our food…1) what actually IS an ideal diet, and 2) these days even if we were able to attain it, with all the stressors, depletions and toxins, how much is our vigilance going to count for? The temptation to supplement is there, as added “insurance”, but as we’ve seen many times, that often creates more problems than it cures because we simply are not sophisticated enough to comprehend the intricate biological processes that compose, enliven and maintain us. (Of course that’s why we come here, so we can stay as current as possible!) Still, with the possible exception of a good natural veg. multi-vitamin if one feels so inclined, and of course unless a specific deficiency is evident, for now it’s probably safest (cheapest for sure) to get our nutrition from food, and leave the supplements on the shelf.If your are a vegan it is essential to take a supplement with B12. Consider vitamin D as a supplement unless you get sufficient sunshine .Other supplements to consider if you are vegan are Selenium, Iodine, and calcium.WHY Selenium, when ONE Brazil Nut has 137% of the daily recommended allowance for Selenium http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3091/2? I eat two a day. Iodine is more than adequate with sea vegetables- just one tablespoon of dulse has 500% of the RDI for iodine http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=135. I have to admit, I still salt my food to get my iodine and don’t consume sea vegetables. Just one tablespoon of blackstrap mollasses has 20% of the RDI for calcium. I do use this everyday, but I still drink one cup of fortified soymilk everyday- for the protein, calcium as well as B12. I also eat almonds, and turnip greens for calcium. Zinc might be something to consider. One can get zinc on a plant based diet, but getting a lot may be more difficult. It would take about 4 or 5 ounces of pumpkin seeds each day to get enough. I take a prostate supplement which has a lot of zinc, but I also eat one ounce of pumpkins each day.Just curious Daniel, how do you eat the tablespoon of molasses? Straight up? Do you mix it in something? I love molasses in desserts and the odd barbecue style entree but I’ve never figured out how to incorporate it on a daily basis.Ruth Heidrich (a personal hero) adds it to her breakfast salad. We can perhaps take a cue and incorporate it in salad dressings.Darryl, I too am a huge fan of Ruth’s, but after reading her “daily vegan meal plan” (from the link you provided), I can’t seem to see how one could survive on such few calories and nutrients. It just doesn’t seem adequate. Maybe I am missing something here, yeah? Thanks for any thought on this.I’ve always assumed that this was sort of a base diet, as adding everything using CRON-o-meter, including 2 cups air-popped popcorn, I get only 1400 calories, about 400 short of a sedentary woman’s needs, much less those an active runner. This diet’s also about half sugars (from all the fruit and molasses) which might present problems for those of us who aren’t slender athletes. This is Ruth’s old website, the seven day meal plan in her A Race for Life appears much more starchy and likely to be satiating, though protein is still on the low side.Very interesting. That is quite the nutritarian menu if ever I saw one. Don’t think I could handle a salad for breakfast but the molasses/nutritional yeast combo as a dressing is quite intriguing. Also found a nice looking dijon/lemon/molasses based one on the search results. Thanks for the info!I put it in my Oatmeal, along with the two tablespoons of ground flaxseed that I eat everyday. The molasses is good in the oatmeal. I have to admit, I also add one tablespoon of brown sugar as well, along with two tablespoons of peanut butter, as well as a tablespoon of carob powder. I use 3/4’s cup of dry oats to make this. I am eating my oatmeal as I write this. Remember that *blackstrap* molasses has a lot more calcium than the molasses that you might buy at a grocery store. Usually the blackstrap variety is found in health food stores. You might realize this, but if you do, this can be for informing others who might not know.Thanks for the idea Daniel. :) I think I might try a gingersnap style oatmeal.Oops, that is the one exception that I do take normally, B12. The selenium I’ve considered, but for iodine I do enjoy a variety of sea veggies, and as for D, I live in Florida and spend sufficient time “photosynthesizing”. (I AM a vegan…ha ha?)Great. Lack of B12 can do seriously, irreversible damage to the central nervous system. I guess a lot af sunshine in Forida! No Health benefits in being a vegan if you lack essential micronutrients. Personally I would rather take a supplement rather than making it too difficult to plan the diet and eat highly processed fortified products – but hey thats just me!~15 minutes of sun exposure, more so for those with darker tones, and requires more with increasing age. Best for readers to not get the impression that long durations need to be used to aquire the adequate “dosage”, due to the fact that supplements are $, side effects, ect..And what are children’s fish oil supplements but smaller-sized adult supplements?Think about that one adult fish oil supplementers.We can all, babies and adults alike, get our fish oil in the form of flaxseed oil (ALA), which is a precursor the body will turn into fish oil. Its readily availably, relatively cheap, has a great taste and can be purchased organic. I sugest reading Udo Erasmus`s long standing classic on the subject of oils: Fat that heals Fat that kills.	algae,anchovies,asthma,breast milk,children,cod liver oil,DHA,fish,fish oil,industrial toxins,lung disease,lung health,omega-3 fatty acids,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,supplements,tuna,vitamin A	A study of 13 over-the-counter children’s fish oil supplements found that all were contaminated with PCB pollutants.	It’s bad enough when supplement manufacturers exploit adults when they’re sick and vulnerable with pills that are often useless or worse, but taking advantage of our parental drive to do what’s best for our children with contaminated products that may make them sick, makes me sick.More on supplements in:And speaking of which, Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil?What about omega 3’s for our child’s growing brain? See my video Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain DevelopmentWe can also be exposed to PCBs in food. See Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants.More on the polluted aquatic food chain in:What can we do to lower the risk of childhood asthma and other allergic-type diseases? See:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cod-liver-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anchovies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-a/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23281830,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9702915,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22977130,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20880353,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17240089,
PLAIN-2534	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	How Much Hibiscus Tea is Too Much?	Over-the-counter antacids are probably the most important source for human aluminum exposure in terms of dose. Maalox, for example, taken as directed, can exceed the daily safety limit more than 100-fold, and nowhere on the label does it say to not take it with acidic beverages such as fruit juice. Washing an antacid down with orange juice can increase aluminum absorption 8-fold, and citric acid was worse—the acid found naturally concentrated in lemon and limes.Just as sour fruits can enhance the absorption of iron, which is a good thing, through the same mechanism they may enhance the absorption of aluminum, raising the question what happens when one adds lemon juice to tea? Previously, I concluded that the amount of aluminum in tea is not a problem for most people because it’s not very absorbable, but what if you add lemon? No difference between tea with lemon, tea without lemon or no tea at all in terms of the amount of aluminum in the bloodstream, suggesting that tea drinking does not significantly contribute to aluminum actually getting inside the body. They’re talking about black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong tea, what about the red zinger herbal tea, hibiscus? The reason it’s called sour tea is because it has natural acids in it like citric acid—might that boost the absorption of any of its aluminum? Well, a greater percentage of aluminum gets from the hibiscus into the tea water, but there’s less aluminum overall. The question is, does the aluminum then get from the tea water into our body? We don’t have that data so to be on the safe side we should assume the worst—that is hibiscus tea aluminum, unlike green and black tea aluminum, is completely absorbable. In that case, based on this data and the World Health Organization weekly safety limit we may not want to drink more than 15 cups of hibiscus tea a day, but that’s based on someone who’s about 150 pounds. If you have a 75 pound 10-year-old, a half gallon a day may theoretically be too much. And more extensive testing more recently suggests levels may reach as high as twice as much, so no more than about two quarts a day for adults, or a quart for kids every day or for pregnant women. And hibiscus tea should be completely avoided by infants under 6 months—who should only be getting breast milk—as well as kids with kidney failure, who can’t efficiently excrete it.The study also raised concern about the impressive manganese level in hibiscus tea. Manganese is an essential trace mineral, a vital component of some of our most important antioxidant enzymes, but we probably only need about 2 to 5 milligrams a day, and 4 cups of hibiscus tea can have as much as 17, averaging about 10. Is that a problem?Women given 15 cups a day for 4 months, if anything, only saw an improvement in their anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant enzyme activity. This study using 20 a day similarly showed no adverse short-term effects, and importantly showed that retention of dietary manganese is regulated. Our body’s not stupid; if we take too much in, our body decreases the absorption, and increases the excretion. So even though tea drinkers may get 10 times the manganese load, 10 or 20 milligrams a day, the levels in their blood is essentially identical. So there is little evidence that dietary manganese poses a risk. That was regular tea, though, we don’t know about the absorption from hibiscus, so to err on the side of caution we should probably not routinely exceed the reference dose of 10 mg per day, so that’s only about a quart a day for adults, a half quart for a 75 pound child. So that’s actually changed my consumption. Given the benefits of the stuff, I was using it as a substitute for drinking water, so like 2 liters a day, and I was blending the hibiscus petals in, not throwing them away, effectively doubling aluminum content, and increasing manganese concentrations by about 30%. So given this data I’ve cut back to no more than a quart of filtered a day.	I’m really proud of Dr. G for making this video and for stating so clearly and unequivocally that he’s changed his mind and changed his recommendations. A mark of a true scientist is being willing and able to admit that one is wrong when exposed to new and better data and theories. We need more people in the world with this kind of integrity. Thanks, Dr. G.No pride or prejudice here Jane ^^This is why it’s so important to eat a *diverse* whole food, plant-based diet. Mix it up with green/white, hibiscus, and chai.Dr. G even stated on a podcast that he follows the science and when the science indicates that lamb-stuffed foigras prevents death, he’ll recommend that. Until then… “plants are preferred…”Before I started visiting this website, I drank 8 to 10 cups of black coffee per day. Now I drink 3 to 6 cups of white tea, with lemon, in the morning and afternoon; and 3 or 4 cups of hibiscus tea in the afternoon and evening. I think I’m okay in light of this new research. My thinking in developing this routine was to decrease my caffeine consumption later in the day so it wouldn’t effect my sleep.Same here. My cups are probably double-cups, but I drink 1 coffee, 2-3 cups of a variety of caffeinated tea, 1 glass 1/2 hibiscus, 1/2 concord grape juice, and 2-3 cups decaffeinated tea, with white, green, mint, chamomile most common in the rotation. (The chamomile is an accident; it seems that all the prettiest boxes seem to have it…)Dr. Greger mentioned “blending in” hibiscus tea. Is there any reason not to add tea leaves (green, black or hibiscus) into a smoothie, for example, rather than drinking it as a tea. I don’t like the taste but would like its benefits, so burying it in a beverage whose taste I like would be a solution, if it were safe and effective. Approve or disapprove?Steve, I’m pretty sure in the video on his morning smoothie he mentions blending in tea leaves along with the other ingredients. It’s the same idea as a matcha tea smoothie. Take a look for itSteve: Here’s how I interpreted the video: By consuming the actual leaf (rather than a filtered brewed tea), you significantly increase the amount of aluminum and manganese in your diet. Because we have so many unknowns concerning those two substances in regards to hibiscus tea leaves, Dr. Greger now thinks it is prudent to not consume the tea leaves themselves – at least that is how he changed eating practices for his family.That’s all we can say on the matter at this time. It is up to you to decide if blending X amount of the hibiscus leaves themselves in your tea makes sense.But note that the discussion seems to give a pass on green and black tea/tea leaves (see the previous video too). The question in this video is mainly about the hibiscus tea/leaves.Sometimes I think it helps to read the video transcript after watching the video. You might want to do that to see if you agree with what I wrote in terms of understand what Dr. Greger is saying.Good points, also, I would be a bit cautious of combining tea and hibiscus, at least in large quantities, because we don’t really know if adding hibiscus would increase the absorption profile of tea.You state the kids with kidney failure shouldn’t drink hibiscus tea. What about adults who are at risk of kidney failure and are working hard to avoid it?Drink water. Eat fruit.Good question. By the way, is there a simple test to determine if you are at risk or not?Does iodine warm you up? Ever since adding nori sheets – 3 day – I no longer feel so darn cold being a vegan. My thyroid is fine and I eat large amounts of steamed cruciferous veggies. Never iodized salt, just iodine from greens and other plants. But the nori upped my iodine up a lot.If the nori is prepared with oil, then you are increasing your calories and your fat. In my experience, increasing fat has helped me stay warmer as a vegan (and also when I was vegetarian).From a endocrinology perspective, the upregulation of thyroidal production can increase one’s body temperature, the sensation of body temperature, and also insoluble fibers can allow for removal of estrogen by the body, thus altering the whole hormonal homeostatic state.Eating five thousand calories a day keeps me on fire as a vegan. Fruits and veggies only.Don’t like it. Won’t drink it.Let us remember that Big Macs are popular for a reason. Tasty. Beer tastes like piss but people get quite used to it after a while. Eat according to science and health and your taste buds will fall right in line :)I received the results of my annual blood test and for the first time my iron level shot up to a little above high normal. This would coincide in time with my starting to use hibiscus tea (usually a large mug in the evening)? Could this be the cause?Glad you are checking your iron levels annually. Dr. Gregor mentions in his nutritional recommendations to have your iron checked before trying to eat foods to increase iron (men especially). Both my and my husband’s iron stores (as measured in a medical lab) shot up once we switched from vegetarian to vegan. Mine went from low to high normal. His went from high normal to WAY too high (dangerously high). We did not consume hibiscus tea at that time, but we HAD switched from a stainless steel pan to a cast iron pan for ALL our meals. Due to the high iron, we have now switched back to stainless steel cooking pans, but have not had iron retested yet.Good Advice. I have been using Stainless for a long time – so don’t think that is doing it. Maybe too much kale.Do you think it was the cast iron cookware that did it? My husband and I have low iron levels (we are both vegan) and have been taking supplements. I’d love to get off the supplements, but have tried before without success. If I cooked with cast iron cookware occasionally, would it be effective in raising iron levels without taking them too high? Any advice on this would be much appreciated.My personal experience, and the scientific literature, support the use of cast iron cookware to increase iron levels. I had just found and typed in a list of articles for you, and when I clicked post, the whole 5 paragraph answer disappeared. I don’t have the heart to re-find and re-type. BUT, you can go to scholar.google.com and search: Iron content of Cambodian foods when prepared in cooking pots containing an iron ingot. Open that article and go to the bottom where it lists its references. There you will find a wealth of studies on getting iron from iron cookware.Here’s one more: Mineral migration and influence of meal preparation in iron cookware on the iron nutritional status of vegetarian students.Personal experience: as a vegetarian for over a year, I had planned to switch to vegan, so I had some baseline labs done. My iron was low (40), my % Saturation (back-up supply in blood) was low (11%), and my ferritin (long-term back up supply stored in organs) was low (23). I switched to vegan AND I starting cooking 95% of our meals in cast-iron skillet (no iron supplementation). Nine-10 months later, my iron was normal (154), and I had more than enough in back-up supply in the blood (44%). The long-term storage in the organs is still low, but I presume it will gradually replenish as the back-up supply in the blood is slowly deposited into the long-term storage in the organs. Because two things changed at once (veg to vegan, AND stainless steel to cast iron), I cannot definitively say it was the skillet. Perhaps I inadvertently started eating more iron-rich plants when the diet changed, or increased absorption by serving them with acidic sauces. Who knows for sure?You are both starting out with low iron, so my opinion is that you could safely cook ALL your meals in a cast iron skillet and not fear iron overload. Women lose iron each month; men do not – so you will have different responses. So you should BOTH get your iron studies re-done in, say, 6-10 months after switching to cast iron – just to see what’s going on.You will want to do your research and bring it with you to your doctor to discuss your plan. I am not in a position to actually guide your practice here – just trying to give you info and direction to help with your discussion with your doctor.I found http://www.irondisorders.org to be very helpful. I wish you the best of luck!Another variable at work: America’s poor health. Let us remember that people in the “optimal” ranges for cholesterol drop dead of heart attacks. The ranges for many health factors are derived from the average population. They may be skewed.Very nice! I have been drinking it like water too!There is one thing in this informative video that does not make sense to me.. Dr. G says that adding lemon to tea does not increase aluminum absorption… 2 things about that.1. I could not find that in the links to the studies that were provided.2. here is a quote from one of the studies:“The estimated absorption of aluminium was 8 and 50 times higher when antacids were taken with orange juice or with citric acid, respectively, than when taken with water. Thus, measurable quantities of aluminium are absorbed from single oral doses of antacids. The absorption is substantially enhanced by concomitant ingestion of citric acid.” so I ask… if citric acid increases aluminum 8 to 50 times when ingesting antacids, why would it not increase the aluminum absorption when adding lemon to tea? And one more question about this.. even if it has been shown to not increase aluminum in the blood, what about increasing aluminum in the brain? Can we assume if aluminum is not in the blood that it is not getting absorbed in the brain? I’m still not adding lemon to my tea!“Elemental Analysis of Aluminum Accumulations in the Livers, Kidneys and Brains of Mice Observed by HAADF-STEM-EDX”, Kiyokazu Kametani and Tetsuji Nagata. Annals of Microscopy, Vol. 8, April 2008. ThIs is a great study feeding mice aluminum, adding aluminum plus citrate. Please review this study as the citrate plus aluminum added to the Mice water increase the bioability of nine times more aluminum to the liver then the brain. Also, at the 10 Keele Conference on aluminum toxicity, a study showed that Hibicus tea leaves are used as the base for most fruit teas and this plant is grown in highly acidic soils laden with aluminum. The discussion by the Aluminum Scientist was to use milk instead of a citrate. Citrate will bind the aluminum, I have lemon and warm water separately in the morning to create less acidosis, as view by OligoScan for acidosis.Thank you Mike!oops, I did find the link… which was from 1993. would like to know if there are any more studies about lemon with tea (green, black, white) and aluminum absorption..Dr. Greger – just wondering if there have been any studies on Hibiscus Tea/acidic drinks affecting Mercury leaching from amalgam fillings?Since Hibiscus enhances alumin absorption, can I conclude it will also enhance iron absorption?Dr. Greger, can you let us know approximately how much hibiscus per cup would approximate the concentrations considered in these studies? Obviously, you can add a little or a lot of hibiscus to a cup of tea, and it would be helpful to have an idea of how much we are talking about for these recommendations regarding consumption limits. Thanks!So, the obvious question stands for bulk hibiscus drinkers: How much dried hibiscus do you put per cup of water? I seem to like a little less than 1/4 tsp hibiscus per 8oz water cup, but that might be too much! I also tried 1/8 tsp per 8oz water cup, but it is too diluted for my taste.I forgot to ask how much hibiscus leaf is needed to make that quart of tea for daily use? Thank you.One possible solution to the aluminum in the hibiscus conundrum is to add a bit of horsetail to the tea. It is full of silica which binds to and removes aluminum – big time! But do your own research because some sources say some or all people should not take horsetail because of possible side effects. Mike Adams seems to like it though, as do many other health practitioners – here’s Adam’s article – http://www.naturalnews.com/043594_aluminum_dementia_silica.html If you are concerned with having ingested aluminum then Adams and others claim taking horsetail is one way to remove it from your body. But you don’t want to take too much of this either — research it first and talk with a health practitioner.Sorry but at the end of the video, I didnt understund how much Ibiscus tea is to much? a quarter of liter? at the moment we drink at least 1 liter a day..I started drinking hibiscus tea daily after watching the previous video on here. Unfortunately, I think it did more harm than good for me, I believe it created a deficiency of iron because of the high manganese content which competes with iron. I was on the lower end of iron already, but I believe this lowered it even further. Not good. I am going to get a blood test soon.Drink lots of different kinds of teas!I just read through all the comments and questions, and have some partial answers I hope will help: Dr. Greger says in this 1 quart per day; that’s 1.1 liter = 2 pints = 32 oz. = 4 cups. I cut and measured contents of a teabag: 1 teaspoon; so, 4 teaspoons in that much water — then to cold steep — then filter out — is good. Anyone with compromised kidneys, to be safe, should avoid it.A quick note: I’m watching every single video. There are thousands of chunks of gold here. Watching all of these videos puts me in a better position health wise than going to dietitian school or med school – especially considering that doctors, nurses and dietitians are taught what the pharmaceutical industry wants them to “know.” Death and doubt are America’s two most commonly-bought commodities. That is, if you think early death is a commodity. Dr. Michael Greger, you deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, the Pullitzer, Oscar and Grammy. I love you.Every time I watch a video, I shoot right over to AMAZON.comAmazon, I’ll take US dollars, thank you.Manganese in grains?I was concerned because it turns out there seems to be a large number of different vegetarian sources of manganese. For example, 1/3 cup of barley has 60% of daily rdi, and there is a similar story with other grains and vegetables.Doing a little math, though, 60% really means 1.2 mg, so if you get three such sources per day, it seems well within the buffering capability indicated in this video. So, I am deciding not to worry. Agree?Example source:http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=127Manganese 1.19mg in .33 cups barley.As a breast cancer survivor, I am very careful about what I eat especially considering the estrogen activities of some foods. Hibiscus is one of them… On the other hand, I am wondering if the hibiscus tea is beneficial to breast cancer survivors ( for those whose tumor was estrogen +) or if it is at least safe to drink for these survivors.HI Cida. I do not see any human clinical trials on hibiscus tea and breast cancer. In vitro it’s been found to promote apoptosis in breast cancer cells. I think a cup or two is fine, but any more (Dr. Greger mentions drinking under 4 cups) could be problematic. Always good idea to check with your oncologist. Let me know if you’d like any more information about diet and survivorship. Thanks for commenting!Kind regards, JosephLong-term drinking of hisbiscus tea should be avoided, unless you have a very high intake of magnesium. Why is that? Having a poor magnesium status, a high intake of competing ions (like manganese), or both leads to a higher amount of dysplasic (abnormal) cells, and therefore a higher chance of cancer having cancer later in life [1]. Unfortunately, according to WHO, most populations, including the US are magnesium deficient [2]. How does it work? Very simple: All cell divisions need magnesium (Mg) in almost every step. When other ions, like manganese (Mn) are in high concentration, they serve as substitute ions instead of magnesium (the orthoplasic ion). [1][1] CARCINOGENESIS – Mechanism and prevention (LA CARCINOGÉNÈSE Mécanisme et prévention) . p.133 -143 (only available in French for now) [2] Calcium and magnesium in drinking-water, Public health significance	aluminum,antacids,black tea,breast milk,children,citric acid,citrus,fruit juice,green tea,heavy metals,herbal tea,hibiscus tea,iron,kidney failure,lemons,limes,manganese,oolong tea,orange juice,pregnancy,safety limits,tea,white tea,World Health Organization	The impressive manganese content of hibiscus tea may be the limiting factor for safe daily levels of consumption.	This video is a good reason to subscribe (for free of course) to my videos. One never knows when new science will change my dietary recommendations.Lemon can actually boost the antioxidant content of green and white tea. See Green Tea vs. White. And for a comparison of their cancer-fighting effects in vitro, Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea.What about the aluminum content in regular tea? That was the subject of my last video Is There Too Much Aluminum in Tea? Before that I covered another potential downside of sour tea consumption in Protecting Teeth From Hibiscus Tea but then before that a reason we should all consider drinking it in: Hibiscus Tea vs. Plant-Based Diets for Hypertension.For more on the iron absorption effect, see my video Risks Associated with Iron Supplements.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/manganese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antacids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/limes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aluminum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oolong-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-tea/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1550052,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12949376,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23561167,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3100311,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16118651,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3948402,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10404421,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14583063,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11314985,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8444383,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3593665,
PLAIN-2535	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/	Is There Too Much Aluminum in Tea?	Aluminum is the third most abundant element on Earth, and may not be good for our brain, something we learned studying foundry workers exposed to high levels. Though the role of aluminum in the development of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s is controversial, to be prudent, steps should probably be taken to lessen human exposure to this metal.There are a number of aluminum-containing drugs on the market like antacids that have the highest levels, though aluminum compounds are also added to processed foods as anti-caking agents in like pancake mix, melting agents in American cheese, meat binders, gravy thickeners, rising agents in some baking powders, and dye-binders in candy. So it’s better to stick to unprocessed, natural foods. However if you cook those natural foods in an aluminum pot, a significant amount can leach into the food, compared to cooking in stainless steel.If you do the same thing with tea, though, you get a few milligrams of aluminum regardless of what type of pot you use, suggesting the aluminum is in the tea itself. And indeed back in the 1950s, it was noticed that tea plants tend suck up aluminum from the soil, but like anything it’s the dose that makes the poison. According to the World Health Organization, the provisional tolerable weekly intake—our best guess at a safety limit for aluminum, is 2 mg per healthy kilogram of body weight per week, which is nearly a milligram per pound, so someone who’s around 150 pounds probably shouldn’t ingest more than 20 mg of aluminum per day, up to a fifth of intake may come from beverages so what we drink probably shouldn’t contribute more than about 4mg a day, which is the amount found in about 5 cups of green, black, or oolong tea. So should we not drink more than 5 cups of tea a day?Well, it’s not what we eat or drink, it’s what we absorb. If you just measured how much aluminum was in tea, it would seem as though a couple cups could double aluminum intake for the day, but if you measure the level of aluminum in people’s bodies after they drink tea, it doesn’t go up. This suggests that the bioavailability of aluminum in tea is low, possibly because most of the extractable aluminum in brewed tea is strongly bound to large phytonutrients that are not easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, so it just passes right through you without actually getting into your body. Probably more than 90% of the aluminum in tea is bound up.But what about studies like this showing a large spike in aluminum excretion through the urine after drinking tea compared to water? The only way for something to get from our mouth to our bladder is to first be absorbed into our bloodstream, but they weren’t comparing the same quantity of tea to water. They had the study subject chug down about 8 and a half cups of tea, or just drink water at their leisure, so they peed a lot more with the tea, so the aluminum content was no different tea versus water, suggesting that gross aluminum absorption from tea is unlikely and that only little aluminum is potentially available for absorption.So though as few as 4 cups of tea could provide 100% of one’s daily aluminum limit, the percentage available for absorption in the intestine may be less than 10%. Therefore, it is unlikely that moderate amounts of tea drinking can have any harmful effects on humans. However, that’s for people with normal aluminum excretion. For example, tea may not be a good beverage for children with kidney failure, since they can’t get rid of aluminum as efficiently. For most people, though, tea shouldn’t be a problem. Though if you drink tea out of a can, buy undented cans, as the aluminum in dented cans can leach into the liquid boosting aluminum levels by a factor of 8 sitting on store shelves for a year.	Very concerning to me. Maybe our GI tract does not absorb the aluminum, but i wonder what other effects (detrimental) this known/factual/established aluminum in tea could have on other body organs, systems as it passes out of the body.I share your concerns, but for the time being I’m still going to drink my tea. So far, it sounds like the benefits of tea, which are many, outweigh the risks, especially if the aluminum in tea does not reach the brain but is released in the urine. That being said, I would like to see more research done on this topic and am eager to learn of new findings as soon as they’re available. So thank you for sharing your concerns with Dr. G; I second them.Dr. Neal Barnard, in his book “Power Foods for the Brain,” also discusses the controversial topic of aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease. How does aluminum potentially get to the brain? Are there any ways of possibly chelating aluminum?There is a little typo in one of the authors name of the sources linked (it’s the first that appear on the video): “Tamljenovic” instead of “Tomljenovic”…I already knew the author but for another highly controversial field that everyone could easily understand looking at other studies from her:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Tomljenovic%20L%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=21157018Unfortunately i do not cover this topic yet.Thanks, Merio! I’m fixing that now.You’re welcome :-)Does adding lemon increase the bioavailability of Aluminum?According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, retired board certified neurosurgeon and current nutritional advisor, “One test using eight normal men found that addition of citrate to the oral dose of aluminum hydroxide gel (found in most antacids) could increase aluminum absorption by as much as elevenfold. This is important to remember when you are drinking tea, which can contain high levels of aluminum. If you squeeze a little lemon (high in citric acid) in your tea, you will greatly increase the aluminum absorption.” This is from page 148 of his book, “Health and Nutrition Secrets that can Save Your Life.” For all you reference junkies out there, the study of the eight men mentioned above is from this study: Coburn JW, Mischel MG, et al. Calcium citrate markedly enhances aluminum absorption from aluminum hydroxide. Am J Kidney Dis 17(1991): 708-711. So the unanswered question this brings up is will the citrate be powerful enough to draw the aluminum away from the organic binders it is attached to in the tea and enhance its aborption in vivo? Blaylock devotes over 10 pages of his book to aluminum and its toxic effects on the brain. I, for one, am not a tea drinker. If I want the EGCG found in tea, I’ll just take an extact thank you.Adding lemon juice, an acid, to an antacid is nonsensical in normal consumption of the antacid . As part of an experiment, well it’s not necessarily going to tell you anything about normal consumption.Given that the stomach contains hydrochloric acid, that the aluminum in tea is excreted by the body with minimal absorption, I would be more concerned that adding lemon juice to my tea might lead to softening of tooth enamel. Or that an extract from tea concentrated bioavailable metals or other poisons.Regarding foodsafety, aluminium is the least of my worries. On behalf of the average consumer, I am more worried about dioxin, growth hormone, methylmercury, PCB, flame retardants, prescription drugs (like prozac in fish around NY), listeria, salmonella, cholesterol, E. coli, saturated fat and antibiotics in eggs, milk, fish and meat.Most of what concerns you “on behalf of the American consumer” can be avoided simply by not eating meat and dairy. The one-to-five pounds of food we consume daily is our most risky exposure (and most deadly) to the environment. In fact, Industry goes out of it’s way, it seems, to maximize the risk by adding chemicals and drugs to our food supply. The antibodies fed to animals to cause rapid growth on less feed creates superbugs medicine can’t combat. Are medical doctors speaking out about the practice of contaminating our food? Dr. Greger’s video exposes the presence of contaminants by revealing so many “pneumonic” or misleading names the element “aluminum” hides behind. To avoid flame retardants read the label on the furnishings you bring into your home. Dr. Greger can’t cover all these assaults on our health in one short video.Correct me if I am wrong, but you are vegan, no? If so, the fish in NY are not your concern, nor the saturated fats in eggs milk fish and meat. I mention this cause most of us here are vegan, and their seems to be some major issues with vegan foods that serve us all here as well. Hopefully the good Dr. G will continue to explore these plant foods (and drinks), and dive into the nightshade issue (so many people get off pain meds, apparently, when they abstain), as well as dive into some of the other issues out their such as salicylate sensitivity, FODMAPS, SCD-VEGAN-DIET, and much more. Just my thoughts, and I LOVE your posts, but at the end of the day one has to preserve their own health, if they want to be of help to others, and as a vegan I’d sure like to expand my knowledge base of how the plant foods might be negatively affecting me.Plantstrongdoc prefaced his comment with “On behalf of the average consumer”. He is merely being a good physician by highlighting other, more sever threats that confront us.The “threat” is big business with its freedom of choice to manufacture the cheapest, most profitable food (and other products) possible regardless of the consequence to you and me. . All those contaminants don’t just appear in our food. Someone chooses to put them there. That someone is the threat. Very unhealthy atrocities are committed against American consumers under the guise of “free enterprise”. We are so far removed from our food source it’s unthinkable. Just recently an elderly woman in the produce section of my grocery store ask me what I had in my hand and how do I cook it? I was holding a beet.It started so innocently. First they removed the “germ” (oil) from wheat so it would not spoil on the grocers’ shelf. They weren’t totally aware the nutritional part of the wheat was what they removed. The remaining lifeless white flour won’t even support insect life. The removed wheat germ was packages and sold as a nutritional supplements for much more profit that the original wheat grain it was taken from. Today, much of what we eat is broken down that way and the food components are marketed for greater profits than the whole food can demand. Other manufacturing industries have scraps of every kind remaining after their manufacturing process. those scraps are used as cheap fillers in our food. The progression to processed foods happened over decades in small increments until today, our economy is based on utilizing whatever scraps are available as food.The last one hundred years is nothing more than an experiment using humans as test subjects. Our descendants will study this moment in the history of mankind and wonder, “What were they thinking?”A contaminated food supply should be everyone’s concern. Because it isn’t everyone’s concern, the handful of billionaires who own much of the food processing business get to decide what goes in our food. Their choice is based on what maximizes shelf life and profits. The comedian summed it up when he noted we have artificial lemon in lemon pie and real lemon in dishwashing soap. Of the hundreds (or thousands) of components that make up a plant’s nutritional value, only a few give it it’s flavor. Chemists have isolated those chemicals and it’s cheaper to flavor with them than for the billionaires to buy the food with the flavor already there. It sells so well in the U.S.A. they are exporting their concoctions to other countries. Someday, humans worldwide, may think like Americans, “illness is normal”.Planstrongdoc: Once again, you do a great job of putting a topic in perspective. I think this video was needed because so many people have posted a concern about aluminum and tea. However, in the big picture, this is really a tiny issue as you pointed out. It is important that tea not become yet another distracting issue from the very serious food issues facing our society. Thanks for your post. I found it helpful in putting the issue in perspective.Can you imagine the headlines in inferior newspapers: Dont drink tea – it is filled with aluminium (drink milk instead, it makes your bones and body strong!) Some time ago a story (I think it was from England) hit the news – a child got seriously ill because of an inadequate (B12, vitamin D, protein, calcium) vegan diet. You can imagine the headlines in the news! I see no headlines regarding parents feeding their kids all kinds of junk – burgers, pizza, candy, chips, soft drinks, strange breakfast products, no vegetables, no fruit, no legumes – making their children fat, sickly, diabetic, hypertensive and actually reducing their lifespan!“Parents” aren’t as sophisticated as media, advertising, and the industrial food giants who brow beat them to feed their children meat and dairy.. Parents obediently listen to their family doctors so get little, if any, beneficial nutritional information. When medical doctors stop scapegoating their patients and act responsibly, the parents will accept their doctors’ words. There’s too much profit in sick people for most doctors to actually follow the Hippocratic oath.Tell a typical American parent “meat and dairy are harmful” and they think you are nuts. Only when they hear that message consistently from medical doctors, media, and government will they accept the science. As is, those authoritarian figures give parents (and all Americans) permission to eat unhealthy food under the guise, “everything in moderation”, which each parent defines as whatever they put in their mouth.Your “ill vegan child” story was the direct result of medical manipulation of the facts. What medical doctor challenged that nonsense? When good men who know the truth don’t stand up and voice the truth then the truth doesn’t matter.Plantsrongdoc: Exactly! That’s the issue right there.With a history of hairy cell leukemia and hemochromatosis both diagnosed in 1994, my 69 year old husband, now has decreased brain volume. He worked at every “brownfield” site in Massachusetts and I often wonder if that was/is connected to his evolving neurological deterioration from accumulation of toxins in his 20’s, 30’s, early 40’s. He also served on an aircraft carrier right out of high school. I’ve been trying to get him to take tannin products when he eats his meals because i was told tannin block over over absorption of iron. I cannot get him to stop alcohol and read meat. Help!I would be interested in the amount of aluminum we are digesting from coffee made with aluminum capsules…any studies done on that yet?Hi K.J. There is aluminum in coffee. Research Chris Exley’s group of scientist from the Keele University. Might find it in Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology. Liver is where most of the aluminum stores. Do not ever use antiperspirants or crystal style deodorant as they prevent the body from excreting yhe aluminum salts from our lymphatic system. If you use them have a Thermograpy scan taken of the armpit and see what the effects are, especially on the non dominate arm.Hi Dr. Michael, I have just listened to the aluminum in tea clip and was wondering if you have or know of any research done on the aluminum content in Red Tea. The South African “Rooi Bos Tea” ?I would like to know this as well, because the only beverages (other than almondmilk) I ever consume are green tea and rooibos.This study found low levels of aluminum in rooibos infusions, only 13% as much as in Assam teas, which happens to be the main component of most U.S/British black teas. Some abbreviated results (in mg/L brewed):Black Assam 1.73 Black Darjeeling 0.248 Green Gunpowder 0.804 Oolong 0.602 White 0.148 Columbian Arabica coffee 0.205 Yerba Mate 0.220 Red Rooibos 0.237 Chamomile 0.292Hi Darryl, Thank you for the information. Nice to know about other teas as well. Regards.Any thoughts on how the various trace minerals might vary depending on soil composition? I understand that with copper and zinc, plant genetics drives uptake more than soil composition. I don’t know about other minerals.Dr. Greger, thank you so much for doing this video. As you have seen, many people have raised the concern of aluminum and tea. It put the question in my head. Is tea really safe? I’m happy to have this answer.I was also very interested in the very last line about eating food from cans. The question would apply not just be tea, but any food in a can, I would guess. And the issue about not getting a dented can is very interesting. I would expect about the same amount of leaching whether the can was dented or not. I learned several somethings today.Yes, this is very scary. Most people I know have no idea whether or not their bodies properly eliminate aluminum. We all seem to be assuming we have these great systems that are able to safely excrete without absorbing. And to to think of all the kids who have no idea whether there little bodies are absorbing aluminum from tea – all these flavored tea drinks parents give their kids (hello caffeine!). Let’s all stick to plain old water and eat our fruit and veggies.Nancygal: I agree with you that it would be great if kids rarely drank those sugary and chemical laden drinks masquerading as “tea”. However, I walked away from this video with a completely different bottom line. Based on all of the great health benefits of green tea and the minimal risks as we learned in this video, I would try hook as many healthy kids as I can on real green tea. I wouldn’t replace all water with green tea. But I would definitely work to get kids to develop a taste for the good stuff.As a chemical and materials engineer who completed all the course work for a PhD in metallurgy, the elevated metal leaching from a dented can makes total sense. At the risk of going Full-Pocket-Protector on y’all, the dented area stretches and thins the thin film of protective aluminum oxide that is present on any aluminum exposed to oxygen. That thin film of aluminum oxide is usually impenetrable to more oxygen and so the corrosion stops and the metal is protected… same mechanism that protects stainless steel.Additionally, the deformed area in the dent creates a region of metal that is thermodynamically more energetic and accordingly more inclined to corrode than the undeformed area.As an experiment, bend a steel can, put it in water, and you’ll see that the corrosion occurs on the bent region at a much higher rate than the rest of the can.As a practical matter, it’s not likely a dented aluminum can of tea will set on a grocer’s shelf fore a year while eight times the aluminum “leaches” into the tea. Shelf space is expensive. A faster seller would quickly replace it.My old metallurgy professor would tell you aluminum oxide only forms in the presence of “moist air”. The inside surface of aluminum cans are sprayed with a coating to protect the contents from the metal. The aluminum isn’t exposed to air, moist air, or even liquid, normally. The elasticity of aluminum is likely greater than the elasticity of the coating so any dent stretching the aluminum will cause the coating to flake off microscopically exposing the aluminum, a highly active metal, to be reactive to the tea.Aluminum and steel cans have very different properties. I wouldn’t conclude what happens to bent steel will be reproduced with spray coated aluminum cans. Welds also rust first on steel. The aluminum oxide protects aluminum from further deterioration. Rust is iron oxide, the result of steel exposed to moist oxygen. Unlike aluminum oxidation, the chemical reaction continues until the steel is consumed, like a log reduced to ashes by a fire.What this study tells me is the protective coating isn’t 100% protective, even in an undented can. Since aluminum isn’t normally found in the human body I might want to brew my own tea and drink from a glass.RalphRhineau: That’s a great explanation. I really appreciate it. It makes perfect sense too. Thanks for taking the time to explain in terms that would make sense to someone who does not have a PhD in metallurgy. :-)My own experience is that stainless steel can cause problems too. I was eating from an old stainless steel plate and could taste a metallic taste. Persistent sores also developed in my mouth, which also swelled up. Once I stop eating from the plate, the sores went away along with skin rashes.someone mention lemon with tea will boost absortion ten times.there is 2 related extension to this.1. what about if u take lemon at different time from the tea ? Will the mixture be equally dangerous ?2 what about other fruits similar to lemon like oranges or most other fruits which are acidic ?Worst audio track ever on the Dr’s video, just terrible sound. Hard to decipher, bad audio, needs attention.Hi there Hollywood Resident, I’m sorry to hear that you had difficulty hearing this video. I’m thinking that there might be an issue with your computer speakers or the volume control at the bottom of the video. I’d be happy to walk you through adjusting those controls if you wanted to send me an email at Tommasina@nutritionfacts.org. Thanks for getting in touch!There is nothing wrong with my speakers, the mic Dr. Gregor recorded into was simply not set properly. A shame.I’m a little confused as to why you think that. Could you tell me, please, how this video’s sound differs from other videos? I can hear all of them well on my end but I’d like to understand what you’re experiencing in case other visitors are also experiencing it. Thanks!If you know sound technology, and I use microphones all the time, you can tell instantly why the sound on many of the Dr’s videos changes, and why the Tea video sound is particularly bad. If I unplugged my speakers, the computers tiny little speakers might thin the sound out a bit, but a lot of the words will still be unrecognizable. What probably occurred was the Dr’s mouth was too close to the mic, so distortion in low register happens and/or if they were using a sound mixer to regulate the mic inputs it was set with overload in the bass levels. It’s pretty obvious even to a listener who knows nothing about sound recording, and in fact many of the Dr’s videos have less than ideal sound. Sound is critically important and should be a priority equal to the video images.There was a study published a year or two ago that showed drinking water high in silicon, such as in Fiji and Volvic brands, can flush out aluminum from the body. The study showed that this could help Alzheimer’s patients. I don’t have the citation, but the paper was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Volume 33, No. 2That may be. Yet I can’t take anyone even remotely seriously who claims to follow a vegan diet for environmental reasons but drinks water imported from the Fiji isles or from France. (Is there any more absurd way to pollute the atmosphere than by importing water(!!!) from distant parts of the world? Not even factory farming is that absurd.)And that right there, is the problem with Vegans… most of them don’t eat a plant based diet for health reasons, they do it for political hippy dippy reasons, they also won’t wear leather shoes, or drink Fiji water, etc… I may eat a plant based diet, but it’s purely because it’s intelligent and I don’t want to poison my body, but i would never ever describe my self as a vegan, that describes something other than an educated person making dietary choices motivated by and based on science…What about organic tea?…..its the only type i buy….i think its much safer….being that common supermarket teas…contain BPA, and other contaminants in their bags….and the pesticides of courseIsn’t there a possibility of the aluminum being stored at fat cells and for this reason, not been detected on blood stream?Thank you Dr Greger for this video. But would you say tea is still safe to drink even given some other substances that were found in it, for example:-Other toxic metals, as found in this 2013 study published in the Journal of toxicology: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jt/2013/370460/-Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), see for example: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21365858Thank you.	aluminum,Alzheimer’s disease,antacids,bioavailability,black tea,brain disease,brain health,candy,cans,cheese,dementia,gravy,green tea,heavy metals,herbal tea,hibiscus tea,junk food,kidney failure,oolong tea,phytonutrients,processed foods,safety limits,tea,water,World Health Organization	The tea plant concentrates aluminum from the soil into tea leaves, but phytonutrients in tea bind to the metal and limit its absorption.	What about the levels and absorbability of the aluminum in my other favorite type of tea? Find out in my next video, How Much Hibiscus Tea is Too Much?The tea plant also sucks up fluoride. So much so that heavy tea drinking can stain the teeth of children. See my video Childhood Tea Drinking May Increase Fluorosis Risk.Why should we go out of our way to drink tea? See:Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating? Find out by watching the video!For more on metals in our food supply, see:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bioavailability/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gravy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antacids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aluminum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oolong-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-tea/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8514217,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12520766,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3511396,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8952918,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23380995,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9359993,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21157018,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18672271,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17340910,
PLAIN-2536	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protecting-teeth-from-hibiscus-tea/	Protecting Teeth From Hibiscus Tea	Hibiscus tea is so healthy, they even want to put it into meat. Consumer demands for healthier meat products are rapidly increasing, but prior attempts at adding healthy ingredients failed. Adding blackberries to burgers dyed them with a distinct purplish color, but the bloody red color of hibiscus fit in perfectly.Hibiscus tea was found to be as effective as a leading blood pressure drug without the potential side-effects, which include everything from lack of strength and man boobs, down to impotence, with a whole lot in between, including rare cases of potentially fatal liver damage. There’s even a mnemonic we learn in medical school to try to memorize the major side-effects. Hibiscus, though, may have adverse effects of its own.As I’ve reviewed previously, those that eat plant-based diets appear to have superior periodontal health, less gum disease, fewer signs of inflammation like bleeding, but twice the prevalence of dental erosions, areas on the teeth where the enamel has thinned thanks to more frequent consumption of acidic fruits and vegetables. So after we eat something like citrus we should swish our mouths with water to clear the acid from our teeth. And this includes beverages.I’m a big fan of hibiscus tea, but they don’t call it sour tea for nothing. Researchers at the University of Iowa dental school tested 25 different popular teas, and found two with a pH under 3, meaning as acidic as orange juice or coca cola, Tazo’s passion and Bigelow’s red raspberry, both of which contain as their first ingredient hibiscus, that which also brings the zing to red zinger.To see if the teas could actually dissolve teeth, they took 30 extracted molars from people, and indeed, out of the 5 teas tested, the greatest erosion came from soaking teeth in the tea with the most hibiscus. Now they left the tooth sitting in the tea for 25 hours straight, but this was to simulate a lifetime of exposure. Bottomline, herbal teas are potentially erosive, particularly fruity and citrusy teas like hibiscus, but it all depends on a variety of factors. To minimize the erosive potential we can use a straw, and after consuming acidic food or drinks, we should rinse our mouth with water to help neutralize the acid.	Does this video contradict the video that recommends using green tea as a mouthwash? That is, if green tea’s even slightly acidic, then it shouldn’t be used as mouthwash. Also, why is the recommendation given in this video to swish water after drinking hibiscus rather than swishing green tea, given that green tea has such a beneficial effect on oral health?Maybe just a stereotype but I’ve seen some dark-toothed heavy tea drinkers.I probably drink at least 48 oz of black tea daily and I always use a straw. My teeth are pearly white. Of course, I do have very good oral hygiene to help keep them that way.Green tea is not acidic (unless you add lemon) and so it can be used as a mouthwash and rinse.Thank you Dr. G! I really appreciate your taking the time to answer my question.How about aluminum content in tea? Others have raised concerns of this.Your helathy diet appears to have given you psychic powers–that’s my next video!Clean diet, clear mind.That is what I hoped with regard to some disorders of the mind I suffer, but it just isn’t happening for me. Yes big gains more lucid but also more unstable. After seeing such wonderful effects I’m having a hard time coping with issues of the mind for which I find almost no answers here. I eat my apples and ginger, fiber, natto and near zero animal fats so I’m cleaning up from inside and this will help and does help. But it far from perfect. I hunger for research pointers concerning the brain.And I am referring to green tea and black tea, not hibiscus, as far as elevate aluminum levels.“Consumer demands for healthier meat” – The only healthy meat I know of, is the meat you leave on the cow….Certain grains cause me tooth pain. When I eliminate grains tooth pain no more! Still able to be vegan without grains.So; No Pain No Grain.I was wondering where I could get hibiscus tea, and I thought I had to buy it from a specialty store or online. It’s great to know I can buy those commonly sold brands that have it. Thanks for sharing this info!I get pure hibiscus tea from my local grocery store (not a health food store, a big corporate grocery store). They sell hibiscus tea in the Latin American foods section.Your most economical choice is to purchase a bulk bag; the tea will last a long time. iHerb.com carries a 1-lb. bag of loose Hibiscus tea for ~$14. Can’t beat that. Just add a couple scoops of tea to a pitcher filled with water and stick in fridge. You will have delicious, chilled Hibiscus Tea in just a few hours.Actually, the best deals I have found is at Mexican grocery stores in my area (Santa Barbara, CA.) It is in the bulk foods section with the many varieties of dried peppers, and the bin is labeled “Jamaica.” Locally it is about $5.99 per pound, but I’ve also bought it in Los Angeles for $4.99 / pound.Thanks so much, sounds like a good deal. I’ll definitely check it out! :)I sip red zinger ice tea all day long. Is there a way to neutralize the acidity without neutralizing the beneficial effects of the hibiscus contents?Added mashed red cabbage? ^^ :)Like Joe Rickerson, I drink hibiscus water throughout the day. (I just drop a spoonful of loose hibiscus flowers into my water bottles.) If I understand the research correctly, this is a bad idea, unless I remember to rinse my mouth with pure water every time I take a sip of hibiscus tea. Or am I wrong?Well, my enamel is pretty well gone already. Dentist has no idea why.put baking soda in the water and rinse your mouth—also recommended after a drink with apple cider vinegar.Directions for Use: • Rinse for 45s-1min and spit • Rinse immediately following acidic or highly sugary meals/snacks (if you brush after meals do this first). If you brush with an acidic ph, you will damage the the tooth structure.Ingredients: • 8 ounces Tap Water • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda • 20 drops Peppermint Oil (or another essential oil to taste – Peppermint works best)I keep a tiny spoon handy to add baking soda to all of our acidic foods like canned tomato products. When cooking, even a matchhead sized hit can bring pH up to safe levels. With a little practice you can titrate pH and still have a bit of tang to suit your tastes. I would think the same goes for tea. Be aware that baking soda adds sodium.I love Granny Smith apples this time of year. The hard, sour ones have a darker green skin with white flecking, and light green flesh. I’m quite sure that my teeth are not as “enameloured” of them as I am.I’m told by my dentist I need a root canal but I am very skeptical about the procedure. I find that several sources have been saying that root canal is linked to cancer, arthritis & other diseases (root canal cover up). Do you have any knowledge on tooth root canals?What about mixing hibiscus tea with green tea. would this counter the negative effects?Another option is to add some xylitol to the hibiscus tea. Xylitol is a natural “sugar”; the organic version is derived from birch trees rather than GMO corn cobs. The xylitol not only sweetens the tea, it also raises the pH so that the tea will no longer dissolve the enamel off your teeth. On top of that, unlike almost every other natural sugar or sweetener, xylitol actually improves your dental health because it helps get rid of the bacteria (S. mutans) that cause tooth decay. Xylitol has been used for over 60 years in Finland and they have dramatically reduced tooth decay because of it. It’s also very popular in Japan. Instead of buying expensive xylitol mints or gum I buy it in bulk in a one pound bag from my local pharmacy and one pound lasts me for months. Tastes great and safe for diabetics too due to its very low GI. Can be hard to find so ask your supermarket to order it. Our local (WA state) natural foods store sells it in a bulk bin which is way cheaper than other stores that sell it pre-packaged.Tom, thank you for this tip. Using a straw could have its own problems. Straws are cheap, meaning they’re made of cheap plastic, most likely to contain BP-A. When a straw is in a very hot liquid for 15-20 mins, the chances are BP-A leaches into the tea. One or two cups a day everyday could mean a lot of BP-A consumption – another way to get man’s boobs. I’m wondering if you have checked the pH of hibiscus tea with and without xylitol.I could not find any data as to the pH of xylitol but it is alkaline and helps to raise saliva pH within minutes. Below is a link to one study showing how it raised pH in childrens saliva. My understanding is that if your saliva is at pH of 5.5 or lower your tooth enamel begins to erode. Looks like within 15 minutes xylitol will help raise your saliva pH. At home I gently rub xylitol onto my gums and teeth right after drinking anything acidic as the pure xylitol tastes sweet and very quickly raises my oral pH. http://www.jisppd.com/article.asp?issn=0970-4388;year=2013;volume=31;issue=4;spage=240;epage=244;aulast=KumarI have two glass straws but have never used them with hibiscus tea. I am going to try it.Interesting. I’ve never heard of a glass straw. Do you worry about it cracking/breaking?I have several glass straws from a company called Glass Dharma. They can break, but not easily. They’re the pyrex of straws. I had four of them for several years, and finally broke a couple by dropping them on the floor. Finally took them up on their lifetime guarantee – I emailed them and promptly received a promo code for two new free straws.b00mer: re: Lifetime guarantee: Wow. That’s standing by their product.Thanks for sharing. I’m not usually into straws, but I like the idea of a glass straw. I might look into that. I was trying to figure out how you would realistically clean the inside… I guess by good soaking? And something long to push inside. For me, if I can’t use a dishwasher, I’m not likely to use a product. So, I have to take that into account.Thanks again for your reply. :-)Just checked and found that Amazon sells stainless-steel straws.That’s interesting too! I’ve never heard of that either. Pretty cool. So, I think the benefit of stainless steel is less worry about breaking. But one of the cool things about straws is being able to see the liquid being sucked up – and where there might be a blockage. Decisions, decisions… :=)The same company sells brushes, they look like a miniature test tube brush if you’ve every used one. I put a drop of soap on the brush itself and swipe it inside. Cleans quite quickly and easily, no more than a few seconds. Not sure about the effectiveness of the dishwasher, don’t use one myself. For very watery things like tea it might work, but for things with more debris like a smoothie I think it would be difficult for the dishwasher to get the inside clean. I went through a severe de-plastic-ing of my household a few years back, and they were part of it. I used to use them for my tea in the morning to avoid teeth staining, but at some point I guess I stopped caring… :) But I do think they’re nice to have on hand. Once in a while you need a straw and it’s nice to have some good quality permanent ones around, rather than searching through the junk drawer for that 10 year old bag of plastic ones.b00mer: A brush makes sense. I’ve never had any straws in my house. But l love having all sorts of kitchen gadgets around and I know that if I had glass (or steel) straws, I’d find some fun way to use them. Thanks for the info. I’m very intruiged.Tom, I agree that xylitol helps fight bad bugs but most sugars, including xylitol, are chemically neutral. I dont think xylitol affects pH significantly one way or the other.Do you think rinsing with a little baking soda in water would be even better?Preventing tartar (calculus) build-up behind our lower, front teeth requires the opposite strategy. We need to eat more acidic foods like tomatoes and citrus to melt away the tartar. Scraping our teeth too frequently with metal implements can lead to mechanical erosion. Acidic foods tend to be high in the good bacteria (such as lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, and Bacillus subtilis). Acidic plant-source foods, if left in our mouth, will tend to encourage these good bacteria from colonizing our mouth and throat. Fluoride treatment prevents cavities extremely well. Avoiding foods that are too sugary also prevents cavities extremely well. The cavity-causing mutans streptococci begin to multiply rapidly in the presence of sugar by manufacturing powerful acids. Hibiscus tea is very high in tannins, which are a mixed blessing. Tannins kill both the good bacteria and the bad bacteria. Tannins irritate our mouth, throat, and stomach, thereby increasing the risk of cancer, especially if consumed at temperatures greater than 50 degrees Celsius. Therefore,the benefits of the acidic nature of hibiscus tea come together with these disadvantages of tannins. However, tannins have the highest ORAC scores in human nutrition and tend to reduce the number of bad bacteria in our small and large intestines. Tannins (and other plants with high ORAC antioxidant scores) do not lower the total cancer rates among real populations of real people anywhere near as well as many other foods (such as fish, yogurt, soybean foods, other legumes, mushrooms, extra virgin olive oil, cruciferous vegetables, and allium vegetables), all of which have very low ORAC antioxidant scores. Conclusion: Eat the traditional Mediterranean diet or the tradional Japanese diet. Do what has worked in real populations of real people and don’t do what might work in theory. Theories frequently turn out to be wrong. Tomatoes and citrus are acidic but low in tannins. They are excellent choices for keeping the human mouth healthy. I rinse my mouth with tomato paste regularly to encourage the growth of the good bacteria and to prevent tartar build-up in my mouth.Could you explain this line: ” Acidic plant-source foods, if left in our mouth, will tend to encourage these good bacteria from colonizing our mouth and throat” ? We want these good bacteria to colonize our mouth and throat, correct? So do you mean that the acidic foods will encourage them to colonize our mouth and throat?There’s no way (that I’ve seen) that’s correct. Could you provide some evidence in support of the claim that acidic foods are good for tooth enamel?I make a gallon of hibiscus tea (using a Mr. Coffee) with 9.5 PH (Kangen) water (and then add enough of it to my blender full of fruit (blue, black. raspberries, red grapes, apple, . . . ) and veggies (red cabbage, beets, brocolli sprouts, kale, . . . .) to make the fruit/veggie smoothie pourable. (I suppose u could use baking soda). I try to throw in tumeric and pepper and tomato paste. Will check the PH with drops and color chart (this might not work with Purple Hibiscus!!) and let u know resulting PH. Anyway, the 8 cup smoothie lasts all day. It doesnt taste bad. the only way I can get my 9 servings of fruits and veggies each day. Going to the bathroom is not a problem with all that fiber. My $450.00 VRT Omega is gathering dust under the counter while my $18.00 walmart blender is used daily. whew.who are you?I understand the notion of free radical quenching by antioxidants. I’ve read the studies showing strong correlation between antioxidant consumption and bp, CRP, and so forth. But I was challenged last night by an old co-worker to produce the evidence of the mechanism…the chemistry of free radical scavenging in vivo. Is he right? Is that still eluding us? Boomer…Darryl…anyone. I’d like to respond to him partly because he is a “heavy hitter’ in this field and active in research. ThanksCoacervate, I wonder what your old co-worker means? Oxygen metabolism produces free radicals – does he acknowledge that? If not, you have to give up here! Free radicals make fast chemical transformations – e.g. rancification af fats. Does he acknowledge that? It can be explosive and if you keep breathing, you will be turned into a pillar of rancid fat…..but that does not happen. Why not? Antioxidants! Well known are vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium. I guess a biochemist can tell us how this precisely happens? Does your co-worker have an agenda? There are abundant evidence that high intake of antioxidants reduce the risk of e.g. cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative disease. I know – he will not be satisfied with this answer :-)Thanks PSDr. He is a reliable, objective and respected food sci/biochemist currently part of an international team seeking to put a new study together. I see this as an opportunity to better understand antioxidant function. With due respect Plantstrong (which is considerable) I think you know that arguments based on correlations are not strong enough, only indicators.And, YES, we are all agreed that in the test tube, antioxidants “take the bullet” from radicals. But there is a need (perhaps only perceived to some) to elucidate the protective cascade of events at the molecular level in living cells.I am hoping to support this work, as best as I am able, towards a comprehensive understanding of the chemical mechanism(s) to the same degree as the NO series some months back: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/ Dr. G’s research on that is so important because it explains how and why nitrate from plants are good and cured meats are so dangerous. Without that knowledge doubt would remain about the whole story. Similarly doubts exist about antioxidants…remember the Finish betacarotene study that had to be stopped because it was killing smokers?In that context this could be important work. I would like to help….I’m reviewing the NF data to forward relevant videos/posts . I know that many here are “heavy hitters” in this field. If others know of current pulbished work that would be especially helpful at this early stage. No agenda other than to extend to the next level(s) of understanding the science.OK – I get the point! Sounds very interesting. We are going to help the guy, not battle against him…I am just a measly neurologist, so at this point I can not help :-)Well that is an interesting feature because I am no longer part of the “food science” club. So even an unbreakable friendship frequently ends up at odds over what is and is not fact…hence the challenge. My take on the whole antioxidant issue is that the whole gamish of whole plant foods contribute to Dr. Campbell’s symphony metaphor in ways that are too complex and synergistic to tease out with a spectrophotometer and HPLC. But if they are to do a well-designed study, would be great if we could have input to the steering committee.neurologist! Could I change gears completely and ask your opinion…I tried to persuade my dearest friend to eat WFPB to treat his motor neuron disease. He refused because he felt sick whenever he tried to change so he lived on calorie dense junk food, baby food and enteric formula until he died last christmas. I know it is off topic here, but if you have an opinion or advice on diet for people with ALS/MND if would sure like to hear it. ThanksThe antioxidant and phytonutriënt synergy mechanisms are probably too potent a career killers for most scientists to seriously consider tackling. The variables are just staggering, past research on single molecules keeps hitting walls. I’m pretty sure the next really big step in mapping benefits of whole foods needs to come from chemistry/cell/gene sim software and banks upon banks of supercomputers and just keep adding options.You remind me of Donovan:(Every)body who read the Jungle Book knows that Riki tiki tavi’s a mongoose who kills snakes (Well) when I was a young man I was led to believe there were organisations to kill my snakes for me Ie the church ie the government ie the school (but when I got a little older) I learned I had to kill them myself(I said) Riki tiki tavi mongoose is gone http://www.lyrics.com/riki-tiki-tavi-lyrics-donovan.html#D3OP1Dub7atjq9V2.99Me: Complex things are made of lots of simple things, right? I had a super who loved to say “All models are wrong, some models are useful.” I hope we don’t have to wait for the “Singularity” to see the benefits!Well the next best thing we have and are actually already profiting from since we ousted gods, kings and nobility is the power of imagination and education to stimulate and help prove what pops up in our minds. And this gives us small nudges forward here and there with physical testing and trials. But can you imagine what will start to happen if you can get your pop up ideas tested within weeks and its implications made part of the cloud and then move on from there?That is quite far away off course, as it is we do not generate nearly enough power globally to be able to do what I mentioned above, example top supercomputer sucks up 24 Megawatts. But as long as we can keep the ever present tendency of creating new kings suppressed we should see some wonderful things come our way pretty soon.If the issue is the acidity of the Hibiscus tea damaging the tooth enamel then just add a bit of baking soda to the pitcher, since the health properties of the Hibiscus have nothing to do with it’s acidity. Many, including Dr. Sircus, think this is very healthy for you anyways. Problem solved. Sometimes we over-think things. http://drsircus.com/medicine/sodium-bicarbonate-baking-soda/healing-power-baking-sodaI drink water with lemon juice in it to alkalize the body. I wonder if the acid in the lemon juice could be causing my problems with receding gums.Dr. Greger, have you ever looked into oil pulling for dental health? I keep hearing about it but am skeptical about the benefits attributed to it.	blackberries,blood pressure,burgers,citrus,Coca-Cola,dental health,erectile dysfunction,food additives,fruit,hamburgers,herbal tea,hibiscus tea,hypertension,impotence,liver disease,liver failure,meat,mortality,oral health,orange juice,periodontal disease,plant-based diets,side effects,tea,vegans,vegetables,water	How can we protect our tooth enamel from the erosive natural acids found in sour foods and beverages?	For more on the effects of hibiscus on blood pressure, see the previous video, Hibiscus Tea vs. Plant-Based Diets for Hypertension.Are there other potential downsides to tea drinking? That’s the topic of my next two videos, Is There Too Much Aluminum in Tea? and How Much Hibiscus Tea is Too Much?For more on avoiding drug side-effects by choosing more natural treatments can be found in videos like:For more on diet and oral health, see:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blackberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/periodontal-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-failure/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24479280,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15330492,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23333908,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20525244,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23714722,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15960479,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23567142,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18685605,
PLAIN-2537	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/	Hibiscus Tea vs. Plant-Based Diets for Hypertension	The latest research pitted hibiscus against obesity, giving hibiscus to overweight individuals, and showed reduced body weight, but after 12 weeks on hibiscus they only lost like 3 pounds, and really only one and a half pounds over placebo—clearly no magic fix.The purported cholesterol-lowering property of hibiscus tea had looked a bit more promising. Some older studies suggested as much as an 8% reduction drinking two cups a day for a month, but when all the studies are put together the results were pretty much a wash. This may be because only about 50% of people respond at all to drinking the equivalent of between 2 to 5 cups a day, though those that do may get a respectable 12 or so percent drop, but nothing like the 30% one can get within weeks of eating a healthy enough plant-based diet.High blood pressure is where hibiscus may really shine, a disease affecting a billion people and killing millions. Up until 2010, there wasn’t sufficient high quality research out there to support the use of hibiscus tea to treat it, but we have since seen randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled studies where hibiscus tea is compared to artificially colored and flavored water that looks and tastes like hibiscus tea, and the tea did significantly better.We’re still not sure why it works, but hibiscus does appear to boost nitric oxide production, which could help our arteries relax and dilate better. Regardless, an updated review acknowledged that the daily consumption of hibiscus tea may indeed significantly lower blood pressures in people with hypertension, but by how much? How does this drop in blood pressure compare to that of other interventions?The premier clinical trial when it comes to comprehensive lifestyle modification for blood pressure control is the PREMIER clinical trial. Realizing that 9 out of 10 Americans are going to develop hypertension, they randomized 800 men and women with high blood pressure into one of three groups. One was the control group, the so-called advice only group, where patients were just told to lose weight, cut down on salt, increase exercise and eat healthier, here’s a brochure. But in the two behavioral intervention groups they got serious. 18 face-to-face sessions, groups meetings, food diaries, monitored physical activity, calorie and sodium intake. One intervention group just concentrated on exercise and the other included exercise and diet. They pushed the DASH diet, high in fruits and vegetables, and low in full-fat dairy products and meat. And in six months they achieved a 4.3 point drop in systolic blood pressure, compared to the control, slightly better than the lifestyle intervention without the diet. Now a few points might not sound like a lot—that’s like someone going from a blood pressure of 150 over 90 to a blood pressure of 146 over 90—but on a population scale a 5 point drop in the total number would result in a 14% fewer stroke deaths, 9% fewer fatal heart attacks, and 7% fewer deaths every year overall.And a cup of hibiscus tea with each meal didn’t just lower blood pressure by 3, 4 or 5 points but by 7 points, 129 down to 122. And in fact tested head-to-head against a leading blood-pressure drug, captopril, two cups of strong hibiscus tea every morning, using a total of 5 tea bags for those two cups, was as effective in lowering blood pressure as a starting dose of 25mg of captopril taken twice a day.So as good as drugs, without the drug side-effects, and better than diet and exercise? Well, the lifestyle interventions were pretty wimpy. As public health experts noted, the PREMIER study was only asking for 30 minutes of exercise a day, whereas the World Health Organization is more like an hour a day minimum.And diet-wise, the lower the animal fat intake, and the more plant sources of protein the PREMIER participants were eating, the better the diet appeared to work, which may explain why vegetarian diets appear to work even better, and the more plant-based the lower the prevalence of hypertension.On the DASH diet, they cut down on meat, but are still eating it every day, so would qualify as nonvegetarians here in the Adventist 2 study, which looked at 89,000 Californians and found that those who instead only ate meat on more like a weekly basis had 23% lower rates of high blood pressure. Cut out all meat except fish and the rate is 38% lower. Cut out all meat period—the vegetarians have less than half the rate and the vegans—cutting out all animal protein and fat—appeared to have thrown three quarters of their risk for this major killer out the window.One sees the same kind of step-wise drop in diabetes rates as one’s diet gets more and more plant-based and a drop in excess body weight such that only those eating completely plant-based diets fell into the ideal weight category. But could that be why those eating plant-based have such great blood pressure? Maybe it’s just because they’re so skinny. I’ve shown previously how those eating plant based just have a fraction of the diabetes risk even at the same weight, even after controlling for BMI, but what about hypertension?The average American has what’s called prehypertension, which means the top number of your blood pressure is between 120 and 139. Not yet hypertension, which starts at 140, but it means we may be well on our way.Compare that to the blood pressure of those eating whole food plant-based diets. Not 3 points lower, 4 points lower, or even 7 points lower, but 28 points lower. Now but the group here eating the standard American diet was, on average, overweight with a BMI over 26, still better than most Americans, while the vegans were a trim 21—that's 36 pounds lighter.So maybe the only reason those eating meat, eggs, dairy, and processed junk had such higher blood pressure was because they were overweight, maybe the diet per se had nothing to do with it.To solve that riddle we would have to find a group still eating the standard American diet but as slim as a vegan. To find a group that fit and trim, they had to use long-distance endurance athletes, who ate the same crappy American diet — but ran an average of 48 miles per week for 21 years. You run almost two marathons a week for 20 years anyone can be as slim as a vegan—no matter what you eat. So where do they fall on the graph? Both the vegans and the conventional diet group were sedentary—less than an hour of exercise a week.The endurance runners were here. So it appears if you run an average of about a thousand miles every year you can rival some couch potato vegans. Doesn’t mean you can’t do both, but it may be easier to just eat plants.	I like this new kinds of video. A litle bit longer, more content and better context focusing on the whole story. Thumbs up for you Michael and the Nutritionfacts.org team.Adrien: I fully agree! This length of video, with the bigger picture, is so helpful to me. Having the background info gives me a lot of confidence in the main point of the video. For me, there isn’t much difference in my time between a 4 minute video and a 7 minute one, especially when the extra 3 minutes are put to such good use.Yeah I like this better too. I commented a while back in Wich Vegetable Fights Bile Best on the frequency of video’s vs quality vs rested Greger. This seems the better way to go, 2 somewhat longer video’s a week.There is the added risk with providing the bigger context in each video of exhausting the “go Vegan” message to such a point it goes counter productive. Brand Vegan© is heavily tainted by tree hugging and sheep fondling people whose moral high highroadery vs economic hypocrisy is just plain nauseating for the average person. The price difffence between normal d3 and vegan d3 can problably feed 1 cat in a animal shelter for a month, a cat they will euthanize if there is no money for food.If I would have encountered a vegan messsage in every video in the first month I came here, I very much doubt I would have stuck around.I do like the big-picture presentation, but I would also miss some of the shorties. Such as which mushroom is best, etc. Maybe mix them up? PS – I like to play the videos on 1.5 speed. So if anyone finds them long, they can go to the settings on the video screen (looks like a cog). The speed might take some getting used to, though.“Easier to just do plants.” Coming from a man who spends how many hours a day on a treadmill? How about running vegans? Now that would be an interesting study.Dr. Greger does have a video comparing sedentary standard American dieters, sedentary vegans, and runners who eat the SAD. He says at the end, “So it appears if you run an average of about a thousand miles every year you can rival some couch potato vegans. Doesn’t mean you can’t do both, but it may be easier to just eat plants.” Link: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/So, I take this to mean for for it with running or not running. The majority of our health is a direct result of our dietary choices. That being said, you’re most likely going to recover and sustain your exercise better as a vegan! Hooray! Link: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/Hi Claire, I don’t think we can say the “majority of our health is a direct result of our diet” until we have the group included that is vegan and runs 50 miles per week.You’re right, both are quite important. :)And the funny thing is that when I went vegan I started sporting a lot more­­ ­— I simply can’t sit still anymore! — and that’s what I hear from lots of vegans.I so agree! I hated sports as a child and teenager, mostly because my lungs felt like they were on fire after half a lap around the school oval :(. Now, at the age of 42 and after nearly 10 years on a vegan diet, I’m fitter than I’ve ever been in my life, and I really enjoy running.I had the same thought, that it would be interesting to see how vegan runners fared, but with multivariate linear analysis, the data in the study is enough to draw conclusions that meet the highest standard of proof, which if I remember right is one step above causal medical inference – the norm in medicine.Does he have his computers running on his mill I wonder. As a ultimate tour de force towards brain stimulation, fitness and all green powered at the same time. :)Arjan I think he does. Look at the Q and A session he did recently. The man is an inspiration!Veganrunner, Based on your name, you could probably give us a hint? :-)Oh I know. I am a bit biased.Great story! I agree: A mostly plantbased diet and exercise (and a little wine) will keep you young. In the end we are all a little biased…The way I look at it also, is that riding my bike INSTEAD of driving my car, as well as not eating animals makes the PLANET love me and everyone else who eats plants as well as those who walk or bike instead of driving for transportation. In both ways, I as well as those doing the same things, are cutting down on the greenhouse gases we are contributing to the atmosphere. I would also stress that exercise is *complementary* to a whole foods plant based diet, not a competitor. Only diet supplies nutrients. Exercise is better at burning calories and it also helps a person metabolize nutrients better- but of course we have to get the nutrients from our diet. I think of exercise as one important nutrient in our diet, but it is not the only nutrient we need. I lost a lot of weight by exercising combined with moderate calorie control. Adding the plant based diet to this added some additional benefits, such as even lower weight and cholesterol. Strangely enough, when I was obese, my blood pressure was normal. My cholesterol, however, was very high. My partner has high blood pressure, so got him started on Hibiscus tea, walking everyday, as well as eating a more plant strong diet. It has gotten better, but he is not totally cured of the high blood pressure just yet- he still has to take two medicines.Exercise is so important as we age. For coordination, balance, strength, endurance and flexibility. I don’t live on a farm so I run.My husband, some friends and I attended a running camp directed by a former world class college runner. He was a kind engaging person who created a wonderful vacation for his guests. We ate meals together in a cafeteria and although we had healthy choices, many vegetarian choices at each meal, he always selected the worse possible choice. In addition to his fatty, meaty meals, he would devour a bag of potato chips each evening during lectures and we all walked to the little town each evening to his favorite ice cream shop. I had heard friends and family warned him about his eating habits, but because he ran twice a day, biked in the afternoons and was very lean, he felt he burned off the calories and could eat whatever he wanted. A few years after that trip, we heard he was out running in the mountains and dropped dead of a heart attack. I was already convinced that diet is the most important factor in health, and his story was added evidence. Because he was young and active, he did not have strong indicators of the chronic disease that was developing. Intense exercise requires the healthiest of diets to counter the added stress and energy needs. A sad story, but a valuable lesson.BB: I’m sorry to hear about your friend.I also really appreciate you sharing this story. It is SO important. I would guess that there are a lot of people who equate skinny with healthy. It is very dangerous thinking and akin to linking vegan (without qualifying what is being eating) to healthy. This story can help people to understand how wrong that thinking is.Thank you for your post.Nicely done…I’ve seen some of this presented by you before, but this one was easier to understand. Thanks. I’ll pass it on.The DASH diet itself is a compromise, designed to provide the blood pressure-reducing benefits of healthy vegetarian and vegan diets in an eating plan designed to be acceptable to a broad range of people.Moderation kills!Longer is better in this case. Love the deeper content and analysis of data. Thanks Dr. G!Running for 20 years is never a good idea whether you are vegan, carnivore or in between. Most runners do their running on paved surfaces and.20-40 years later they have often worn out the cartilage in their knees, put huge stress on their joints and have had many injuries pre-disposing them to injury-induced arthritis. This happened to two runners I know.Look at people around the world who live to very old ages (90-100+) in excellent physical and mental health (eg Blue Zones). They don’t run, they don’t work out in a gym or use exercise videos at home but they do work hard, and remain very active their entire lives, eat a mainly plant based diet, have low stress in their life, strong family support, strong socialization and a spiritual or religious faith. Not a complicated formula to try and emulate. We may not score high in all these important areas but it’s a goal worth striving for. I do. Thanks again Dr. G.Hi Tom I am away for the computer so I can’t attach the appropriate studies but I will later. Actually that is a myth regarding joint health and running. It actually increases the strength and health of your joints. All of the surrounding tissue does their job better when you train. Runners who have knee issues as they age would have whether they ran or not. But an important point is that if runners have knees that are genuvalgus or varus they should probably pick another sport.Hey Veganrunner,Thanks for your reply. As I mentioned in an earlier, unrelated, post you can always find studies and experts on both sides of every issue. I work as a health coach. I never tell runners to “not run” I simply suggest they always try to run on unpaved surfaces whenever possible to minimize shock/stress on joints, have high quality running shoes, etc. From a biomechanical and evolutionary standpoint we know that humans are not “designed” for running ultramarathons. Short sprints and huge amounts of walking are what we have done for a million+ years.Here’s one study showing the negative impacts of long term running http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1837113/and I am fully aware of many showing positive impacts. It really is about using common sense: run on unpaved surfaces, don’t over do it, getting adequate nutrition etc.Thanks,TomIt sound like you might appreciate a good running book than. Born To Run. Good reading. I encourage all my patients to just do something. Running, walking whatever. Just pick something you will stick with. And since it won’t change your mind if I post research I won’t.What we have learned from Born to Run is that if you change your running style you can run on paved surfaces. I am a 65 year old runner who runs strictly on asphalt roads and i have no joint issues. I have learned to be a forefoot striker, meaning I run in minimalist shoes landing on the ball of my foot, absorbing the shock by the big hinge of my entire leg. I don’t depend on padded shoes to absorb the shock. There is lots of science now showing that barefoot running reduces the shock to the joints. There’s no need to ever give up running in later years.I totally agree. Just be ACTIVE in whatever format works for you. Thanks.I just had a chance to glance at your posted article. It stated that pace not mileage run was more a predictor of hip degeneration.“Among runners alone running pace in 1973 rather than milage run was the stronger predictor of subsequent degenerative hip disease.”Oh I hate to be a stickler but that was a really bad study. It doesn’t actually say what you think it does.Runners are self selected to have healthy knee and hip joints. Those of us who have bad biomechanics end up aching so badly after running that a trip down the stairs the day after a workout leaves us in agony. I love running, and I ran cross country in high school, but it’s not for everybody. Wish I could do it, but I’d be needing to invest in a new set of knees in ten years. I do low impact, even running machines (but not treadmills) work well. I envy those who can just strap on a pair of shoes, hit the open road, and get a nice endorphin rush!I couldn’t have said it better!I used to get excruciating knee pain when I ran, but an exercise physiologist analysed my muscle usage and figured out an exercise program which changed the muscles I was recruiting when running. Now I can run for miles with no knee pain.It’s a balance thing: Get a pair of shoes with a zero drop sole, converse all stars will do for example. And then bend your knees and keep them bent whenever you stand. This way you will force your leg muscles to work. Standing up straight should be like dancing while nobody can see you moving, a balance game. Then move your hips forward until you feel your weight evenly distribute between your heel and small toe and big toe. Then you can move up your breast bone. All of the sudden you can freely breeze and you’re standing up straight effortlessly.That’s the way you should stand. That’s the way you should run! You go faster by moving your hips more forward!OK VR, I gotta tell my personal experience on this. You might well have enough experience to keep it in context. I have been running off and on since age 30. However I have manage to develop some stress injuries. I was injured (not from running) a few years back, had surgery, and laid off for years. (I was dancing competitively, a lot.) Then found myself compelled to start back up just because I missed it. When I did, all my friends were saying be careful and don’t go too far or that I would probably get hurt. Well, I did start and did an easy walk run for about 3 miles and slowly built up to a run which has since increased to 4- 7 miles per day. During all this time, any time I have felt even the slightest discomfort in a knee, I walk until the discomfort disappears. Slowly all discomfort has completely disappeared.At age 65 my knees feel better than ever. My dancing friends all complain about their knees. Based almost exclusively on my own experience, I believe the running and probably a good diet have strengthened my menisci. Again though, I did take great care in building up. Today, the frequent discomfort that presented when I first started, is but a memory.Hi Stewart, Good for you! You did it perfectly. Slowing increasing your speed and distance. Running isn’t for everyone but for those who can do it, the joints get stronger.I am pretty lucky. I live close to the beach so if my legs get too tired I can switch it up and run barefoot on the sand.GaleHaving seen Dr. Greger’s previous video on hibiscus and its antioxidant content, this past summer I drank a cup a day of hibiscus tea. It was sour, meaning it was fairly acidic. Worried about my teeth, I stopped drinking it.I don’t watch videos. If you want to share something with me, write a transcript. You can’t skim the unnecessary, extraneous bleep in a video.Dr. Greger has transcripts for all videos. Just click view transcript next to the video.check out his video on the best mouth wash :)Validation for the plant-eaters over the monster exercisers! I hope to age well and this gives my hope a basis in fact. What a planet this could be, the more this message gets out. Rock on, McGreger team!I drink hibiscus tea not as my main tool of health, but so that green tea, black tea and oolong tea aren’t so bitter. I don’t want to ingest sugar. Without hibiscus, I won’t drink those teas plain. Hibiscus tea is very high in antioxidants, which is the main health bonus that it brings. It’s very common in Latin America, and it is usually called “Flor de Jamaica”. John SMy manager, as well as many people I work with, is from Jamaica. She told me that Hibiscus grew all over the place in Jamaica.Is there something wrong with the audio? The video is playing, but I can’t hear the audio. My speakers are on, everything’s plugged in. Was just listening to internet music, so I don’t think it’s anything on my end. ?Guest: FYI: the sound is working for me and no one else is reporting a problem. So, I’m not sure what to suggest.Make sure you haven’t muted the speaker icon on the panel at the bottom of the video.Nothing is muted. I listen to other stuff on the internet all the time, & I’ve listened to lots of Dr. Greger’s videos in the past. But for some strange reason, there’s no sound. Was something changed or updated recently? Don’t understand.I have noticed sometimes the mute button on the video is automatically selected. Click it and you should get the sound.Quit taking HCTZ (due to cracking skin and muscle and back pain) two weeks ago and am trying to stick more strictly with a vegan diet, daily exercise, and two cups of hibiscus tea a day. So far my blood pressure is still normal (although in the pre hypertensive range). No more back pain or muscle pain and my skin is already looking better. Drugs being their own variety of sickness. Just wish getting down to that BMI of 21 was a little easier.rumicat: Congratulations on the progress you have made so far.re: your BMI goal.I think the following resources will be helpful for you:1) Check out a free lecture available on line by Dr. Lisle. It will really help you get your head straight: “How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ2) Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density; Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer. Also check out Jeff’s DVDs in the Fast Food series. Great, affordable food that is easy to make. All of these are available on Amazon. Here is the first one: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392424210&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density%3B+eat+more3) Consider going through the free 21 Day Kickstart program by PCRM. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)Good luck!Is it more the fact people replaced their sugary beverages with tea that helped? In other words, the absence of sugar improved their health, not the tea itself.I always look forward to your daily videos and occasional written articles, Dr. Michael. However, this new length in videos does not pique my interest as much. I really enjoyed and learned plenty from the shorter versions (took notes, filed some for later reference). Having many note-worthy health articles and info in my inbox, I need to have topics and related info well-covered in the least amount of time. Since you asked, this is what meets my needs and interest. Otherwise, I tend to sigh to myself when I see the time involved and try to set aside more time later.Thank you for the longer format. More information means better understanding and motivation.This is a great video Dr. Greger did a few years back. Lots of useful info, and some good humor as well.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04Love this video, and this is what inspired me to go on a vegan, WFPB diet! I’ll never look back! :)Loving it! Thanks for all the work you do.Is there any word on whether hibiscus is good, bad, or neutral for those with normal blood pressures? Is there any danger of hibiscus reducing one’s blood pressure to dangerously low levels?When you refer to hypertension as a disease are you really talking about the underlying condition, atherosclerosis? It would seem to me that CVD, Stroke, Type 2 Diabetes and Dementia all have the same underlying cause. So, why don’t we refer to it instead of these symptoms? If we acknowledge the underlying cause then surely we can focus our efforts better on prevention and treatment.This is my favourite site but i do wonder whether the longer videos will be less appealing to new visitors and perhaps less devoted disciples.I take your point. But really, 7:30, isn’t that the same as a typical USAmerican commercial break? I wonder what the optimal time is? Just how long will a person study if there isn’t going to be a quiz?It is interesting that this post inadvertently refutes Gary Taubes’ argument that exercise and higher carb Vegan diets are totally ineffective for weight loss. Taubes claims that the amount of exercise Marathon runners do makes them so hungry, that they actually gain weight- this video shows that assumption to be false. He claims that carbs, which plants are rich in, make people fat, but high animal fat consumption makes people lose fat. Taubes’ BMI is 25, which places him in the overweight category. I, and the runners and the Vegans all have a BMI of 21, which is considerably slimmer than Taubes is. Before I really started exercising a lot, my BMI had been as high as 34.5, but now thanks to exercise, calorie control and a plant strong diet, it is much lower now. On what basis is HIS high animal fat, low plant food, no exercise approach more effective than Vegan diets and exercise? His own weight is no argument for that.As I am sure you are well aware from viewing plant positive, Tuabe’s makes many unsubstantiated claims. He is quite an untrustworthy characterYes, Plant Positive made some good arguments. But also Carbsane also has made some good arguments against Taubes as well. Carbsane thinks Taubes is a liar. James Kreiger has also refuted Taubes’ denial of the calorie theory here http://weightology.net/?p=265. Krieger has made the same argument that you made that Protein or meat stimulates insulin as much as sugar.Does anyone know, is Dr. Greger vegan for health, ethics, environment or maybe all?I have formerly avoided the videos because I felt they were too time-consuming; but the video I just watched was excellent, even if it was longer. This site is one of the best I’ve encountered, and as a researcher, I’ve seen more sites than I care to list.I wanna know is alcohol really helping some people in small amounts, like whats the different health benefits of beer vs non alcoholic beer? What does the flower of hops humulus lupulus do to us? I feel many people would love to know.I love the longer videos, for the record. I love as much exposure to the science as possible.Been struggling with my energy lavels and I think the hibiscus tea really helps with the amla that you suggested as a recipe though having a bit of trouble with the green smoothy bit on the top. Might need a better blender. You are leaving in the hibiscus leaves when you blend?Great video as always Michael. The one challenge of the longer video, is finding a proper title. This video covers much more territory than hibiscus tea.hi i wanted to ask about using hibiscus while taking the drugs treatment. is it safe or its a mess like the side effects of drugs and grapefruit?hi.. is it safe consuming hibiscus tea for lowering blood pressure while taking the drugs for hypertension?Is it safe for me to drink ANY hisbiscus tea if I am pregnant? I’m in my early second trimester.Love the format!I’ve been a very strict low fat vegan for 3 years. When I started I was taking 3 meds 3 times a day for hypertension and I was in the 150’s – 170’s over 80’s – 90’s range with occasional swings to as high as 200 over 110. Now I’m taking no medications and my blood pressure is normal but unfortunately it’s occasionally going too low down to 90 over 55 with a 45 pulse which can make me so tired I have to nap for a while. Besides the vegan lifestyle I always gotten at least 1 hour of aerobic exercise every day and usually more. I know the diet and exercise have worked really well but is this low blood pressure normal, I’m 68 and otherwise in excellent health. Thanks.	animal fat,animal protein,athletes,blood pressure,calories,cholesterol,dairy,DASH diet,diabetes,eggs,exercise,fish,fruit,heart disease,heart health,herbal tea,hibiscus tea,hypertension,junk food,Lifestyle medicine,meat,mortality,nitric oxide,obesity,plant protein,plant-based diets,processed foods,salt,side effects,standard American diet,stroke,tea,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,weight loss,World Health Organization	How do the blood-pressure lowering effects of hibiscus tea compare to the DASH diet, a plant-based diet, and a long-distance endurance exercise?	Those who’ve been following my work for years have seen how my videos have evolved. In the past, the hibiscus results may have been the whole video, but thanks to everyone’s support, I’ve been able to delegate the logistics to staff and concentrate more on the content creation. This allows me to do deeper dives into the literature to put new findings into better context. The videos are bit longer, but hopefully they’re more useful—let me know what you think!For such a leading killer, hypertension has not gotten the coverage it deserves on NutritionFacts.org. Here’s a few videos with more to come:So should we all be drinking hibiscus tea every day? This is the first of a four part series on the latest on hibiscus. Stay tuned for the next three:For now there’s just Herbal Tea Update: Hibiscus and Better Than Green Tea?For another comparison of those running marathons and those eating plants, see: Arteries of Vegans vs. Runners	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dash-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19801187,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16585662,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24566947,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23333908,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20018807,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24668839,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12928461,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19678781,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24549255,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18580887,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21983060,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15330492,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12709466,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21331065,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=The+Garden+of+Eden%E2%80%94plant+based+diets%2C+the+genetic+drive+to+conserve+cholesterol+and+its+implications+for+heart+disease+in+the+21st+century%22,
PLAIN-2538	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/	Lifestyle Medicine Is the Standard of Care for Prediabetes	For people with prediabetes, lifestyle modification is now considered the cornerstone of diabetes prevention. Diet-wise, that means individuals with prediabetes, or diabetes diabetes, should aim to reduce their intake of excess calories, saturated fat, and trans fat.Too many of us consume a diet with too many of these solid fats as well as added sugars. Thankfully the latest dietary guidelines aim to shift consumption towards more plant-based foods.Lifestyle modification is now the foundation of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology guidelines, the European Diabetes Association guidelines, as well as the official standards of care for the American Diabetes Association. Dietary strategies include reduced intake of fat, and increased intake of fiber, meaning unrefined plant foods, including whole grains.That’s based on research like this. We’ve known eating lots of whole grains has associated with reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This recent study took it further, demonstrating that whole grain consumption may also protect against prediabetes in the first place.To help prevent diabetics from dying, recommendations should focus on the reduction of saturated fat, cholesterol, and trans fat intake (that’s code for meat and dairy, eggs, and junk food), and increases in omega 3’s soluble fiber, and phytosterols, all three of which can be found packaged in flax seeds, for example, an efficient but still uncommon intervention for prediabetes. They found that about 2 tablespoons of ground flax a day decreased insulin resistance, which is the hallmark of the disease.So if the standards of care for all the major diabetes groups says that lifestyle is the preferred treatment for prediabetes because it’s so safe and highly effective, why don’t more doctors do it?Unfortunately, the opportunity to treat this disease naturally is often unrecognized. Only about 1 in 3 patients report ever being told about diet or exercise. Possible reasons for not counseling patients include lack of reimbursement, lack of resources, lack of time, and lack of skill.We’re just not teaching doctors how. The inadequacy of clinical education is a consequence of the failure of health care and medical education to adapt to the great transformation of disease from acute to chronic. Chronic disease is now the principal cause of disability, consuming three quarters of our sickness-care system. Why has there been little academic response to the rising prevalence of chronic disease?Maybe it’s because doctors aren’t getting paid to do it. Attempting to change to a rational chronic care model is practically unthinkable in the absence of a radically changed compensation model. Why haven’t reimbursement policies been modified? One crucial reason may be a failure of leadership in the medical profession and medical education to recognize and respond to the changing nature of disease patterns. How far behind the times is the medical profession?A report by the Institute of Medicine on medical training concluded that the fundamental approach to medical education has not changed since 1910.	Deplorable regarding the medical profession and insurance companies. It’s about time the fear stopped about helping patients get better.I’ve cut down on the fat and sugar, but am still confused why I get chest pains if I eat both fat (nuts and dates) together. When I eat nuts alone….no pain. When I eat medjool dates alone…no chest pain. But together = labored breathing. I am assuming this manifests in other areas of body as well, and i get diabetic nerve pain when i ingest the nuts and medjools together. Anyone here understand the mechanism at play here?Perhaps when you eat nuts and dates together, you eat more. You may be allergic to both of those but when you eat the two together, you simply consume more.http://www.healthboards.com/boards/allergies/12405-nut-allergies-chest-painwalnuts-hazel-almond.htmlHello, the issue is due to the fact that nuts and fruits make a poor food combination. The high fat content of nuts requires a longer digestive processing time than the simple sugars in the dates. This can cause fermentation of sugars and therefore digestive discomfort. Eating sugars and high fat foods can also elevate blood sugars for longer than is considered normal. Hope this helps.Thanks. Yes, I think you might be right about the elevated blood sugars sticking around for so long due to the fat.I’ve been hearing a lot about the elephant in the room most people aren’t talking about – that fat plays a big a role in diabetes as sugar. Fat traps the sugar in your bloodstream, regardless how well your insulin and sugar receptors are working.In the IT world we have “Managed Services”, where a company pays our consulting firm a flat fee and we take care of their network and devices. In turn, the company agrees to stringent guidelines regarding security, computer hardware/software updates, etc., allowing us to concentrate on preventative maintenance and overall IT strategy on their behalf versus battling viruses and old hardware. We eventually get an easy network to manage with far fewer fires and emergencies than a non-managed network, they get to keep working and making money with less interruption than they had previously. Win/Win.Why is there not (or is there) something similar in the medical world?What would you pay to have a doctor who was an actual partner in your health as opposed to what we have now?Have you heard of “Managed Care?”Looks similar at 10,000 feet but the implementation has been a failure overall from what I can see, hence the skyrocketing of sick people and associated medical costs.Done improperly, IT Managed Services can quickly devolve into “don’t spend time/money”, and the network gets “sicker” as updates are not applied, hardware is not refreshed, tickets are not worked quickly (or at all). The goal is misunderstood simply as being “efficient” (read: get more clients to give you more money, but don’t spend that money on hardware/software/labor to do the job correctly, just get the money), rather than doing a proper proactive job from the beginning. In the short term, you “lose” money since you’re not as efficient (or overloaded, really) as your competitors, but in the long term you win big because you don’t have the client churn (and you’re less likely to get sued).Doctors don’t get to spend much time with a patient, they’re driven to get in, find out what’s wrong, prescribe a medication or other course of treatment, and then move onto the next patient. The doctor is effectively penalized for giving a damn and taking a few minutes to get things right. Half the time when I go to the “doctor”, I see a PA…the doctor is nowhere to be seen!I guess I envision a doctor or group of doctors going into private practice and consulting with individuals and businesses regarding healthcare like we do regarding IT. That might be simply impossible, I do not know what legal restrictions they would find, what their potential liability might be….But wouldn’t it be great if Dr. Greger or Dr. McDougall or Dr. Barnard, etc., was managing the healthcare for you or your business? They could charge a premium to do “preventative maintenance” on you and your people, ensure and enforce compliance from the “end user” (per the terms of whatever contract), and everyone would be happy. Win/Win.Or maybe those people ARE out there already…I just started looking. I’ve turned over to a PBWF diet over the last 6 months or so, seeing some immediate benefits personally and wondering why this information wasn’t pounded into my skull ages ago. Makes me feel like Neo waking up from the Matrix…I had no idea about the machinery that has been working against us all this time!As a nutritionist, I specialize well, in food. A doctor, in our current system, specializes in the treatment of disease. If we combined efforts properly and sincerely, the outcomes for the clients would be better. What if a patient sees the doctor for triage (analysis and diagnosis) and then sees a nutritionist for the next couple of appointments for personalized nutritional care (not just a specific country’s food guide with standard portion sized food groups), then follows up with the doctor for further testing and analysis and then continues the path to health with the nutritionist, etc. I maintain that the doctor doesn’t need to know all the ins and outs of specific therapeutic food approaches, they just need to know, I mean really know (and believe) that food is true first line therapy and should be treated as such and referred to a professional that has a proven track record. Getting people to pay for this is a problem. Personal responsibility for health may be at an all time low in North America.All time low indeed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXyQUn4U3x0In spite of the fact that medical schools are not teaching lifestyle medicine/nutrition, surely there are some family practice docs out there who have come to recognize that it makes sense to address the root of the problem rather than just load patients up with more drugs. How do I find a family physician who practices lifestyle medicine and sees the benefits of a vegan diet for longterm health??? I’m in NE OH and there are plenty of docs here but I can’t seem to find one that I really feel comfortable with. Dr. Greger, please speak to this issue! Thanks!Pam Popper is in Columbus,OH with her center, The Wellness Forum. Her focus is good health using WFPB nutrition check it out. http://www.wellnessforum.com/Thank you, Rita. I will check that out.Annette153: In addition to the great suggestion you already got, I thought I would throw out another idea: Join a local vegan social or education group and ask around those members. For example, you might look into a vegan Meetup group in your area. I was able to get some great doctor recommendations by networking with the vegan people in my area.Sure, lifestyle modification works, but only to a certain extent. Furthermore, getting some people to change their lifestyle is like asking them to stop breathing; it’s not gona happen. All medical schools teach lifestyle modification where it has been shown to work but remember, medicine is a constantly evolving profession so even when you get out of school you never stop learning. The current trend for guidelines is to get away from relying on lifestyle modifications since they have been found to, in MOST cases, not have the significant effects that medications have so waiting around for a patient to implement lifestyle modifications that he/she may or may not do just delays the time to start effective treatment with medications that have been shown to save lives.The Power: re: “The current trend for guidelines is to get away from relying on lifestyle modifications since they have been found to, in MOST cases, not have the significant effects that medications have…”I would not agree with this. I know you said “most” and not “all”, but there are so many examples on this website, time and time again, on how a proper diet does the same or better than the drugs–without the horrid side effects that the drugs come with. Here is just one example: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/And while I don’t have a link to it right now, I know that lots of people would happily change their behavior if they truly understood the benefit. We know this because lots of people do so. (Of course, lots of people also do not change their behavior even to save their own lives. But those people are lost anyway…)I think the evidence shows that if doctors and the government actually sold nutrition and lifestyle instead of the way that they currently sell drugs, that would save a lot more lives than what we have now. That’s my 2 cents anyway.Please familiarize yourself with the latest guidelines regarding diet modifiable disease states, ie. diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension. Yes, lifestyle modification is regarded as important but these guidelines have come to grips with the fact that lifestyle modification is very difficult for a lot of people and it will not fix 100% of the problem even when implemented perfectly.There is no big mystery here. The current state of affairs is perpetuated by an avaricious alliance among the AMA, big pharma and the insurances industry and the influence it wields with campaign contributions in our system of legalized bribery that we euphemistically refer to as American democracy.If it is true or not is not relevant: There is this story I heard that in China doctors get payed for their healthy patients, they have to pay if a patient get sick.That system sounds like a great solution!Thoughtprovoking. ” The fundamental approach to medical education has not changed since 1910″ – imagine if this also was the case for telecommunication – we would never have met – no dr. Greger, no HemoDynamic, no Veganrunner, no Thea, no Darryl, no Toxins, no BIBI VIRO, no Coacervate and no all the other wonderful caring people on this site! My point is that there is something fundamental wrong with “medical thinking”. Where are the medical quantum leaps !? Cancers are still treated with toxic drugs, heartdiseases are still treated with old drugs and hopeless surgery, hypertension with diuretics, psychiatric disease with (sometimes dangerous) drugs with a lot of sideeffects, antiepileptic drugs does not cure the fundamental disease, but only controls the seizures, the prognosis for malignant braintumors are still very poor, treating chronic pain still doesnt work, new drugs have the same mechanism of action as the old drugs, but are heavily marketed, screening programs only helps very few AND SO ON! Within few years we have seen quantum leaps in telecommunication (my son doesnt know what dialing a number means!), computers, transportation, television, foodproduction and even sports. Only minor progress in treating diseases – the principles are nearly the same as 100 years ago. Why? Legislation? Conservatism? Money? Stupidity? Lack of innovation? Or are we simply on the wrong track in the understanding af health and disease…..why not just ban processed grains ? after all drugs are ban so anything that is as bad as drugs should be too.That will just make donuts more attractive. ;^) Hasn’t worked for any of the drugs yet, either.Seriously, however, I think for this to work over the long haul it has to be an organic thing, and as more people come on board with it, then purveyors of junk food will either adapt or (hopefully) die.rijelkentaurus: re: “That will just make donuts more attractive.” I was thinking something similar.My idea for meat, dairy and eggs is not to ban it, but to stop subsidizing it in any way *and* to start making the industry pay full costs for all their planet depletion acts. The results would a dramatic increase in the cost of those products. That’s how you get your organic change. If the cost goes up, people just naturally look for alternatives. Then we can go back to only the rich people (being the only ones who can afford meat, dairy and eggs) getting those terrible diseases.Thanks for sharing the medical know-how doc!I have had some debate on other forums with low carbers who insist that whole grains have a high glycemic index and therefore they are bad for diabetics. I quoted research which showed that whole grains help prevent diabetes, just like in this video. Some low carbers swear that cured their own diabetes by eliminating the grains. Maybe it was all the meat and fat they eat they make them more glucose intolerant, such as to the grains, and insulin resistant. I also stated that there is good evidence that saturated fat in red meat and dairy promoted insulin resistance. Low carbers seem to think that meat is good for preventing diabetes because it has no sugar in it, but they don’t stop to consider that meat makes a person less tolerant of sugar.I think people on both sides of the debate forget that meat also raises insulin, more so in some cases compared with carbohydrate containing foods. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/66/5/1264.full.pdf+htmlAlso, as Jeff Novick has argued, the Glycemic Index is not always the best tool in determining the healthfulness of a food. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=8234629Daniel, I cured my own diabetes by switching to a low fat high complex carb WPFB diet, absolutely including whole grains! It took less than a month to normalize my blood sugars eating like this after taking medication and following the ADA’s dietary advice for almost 2 years! Maybe we are different based on where our ancestors developed, I don’t know. Alls I know is, without a doubt, what worked, and continues to work, for me. I love the idea of the 30 day challenge. Commit to it whole-heartedly for 30 days, and see how it affects you. That was my initial plan but by the second week I was more than sold when more positive changes began to happen than I could count.Charzie,Like you, I’ve also taken control of my glucose over the past year (I’m pre-diabetic) but in the opposite direction to your own nutrition regime. I eliminated all grains (which I guess makes me a vegan “low-carber”) but have kept up being a vegan, which I’ve been for about 30 years and may have caused my pre diabetes in the first place. The result is my A1C has dropped to just 5.3, a truly normal value. But I had to increase my fat content to about 30% to avoid getting too skinny (BMI 20), mostly avocados, nut and seed butters, and then proteins like seitan, tofu, etc. The result — my LDL is respectable (120), my HDL is excellent (90), triglycerides too (40), and LDL particle size distribution is superb. And my carotid scan shows no plaque. So… perhaps a high-fat diet can work as well. Just sayin’.Ha ha, too skinny? I doubt I’ll ever have that problem, but that’s okay, having lost over 150 lbs. As I said, we are all different and have to find what works best for each of us…the only way to do that is to try it out and see.I find that sometimes people will only listen someone who’s attractive, endearing, and ex-vegan. For example…http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KFfK27B_qZYI think its interesting that the healthy lifestyle of a plant based diet is led by doctors in the field who have extensively researched nutrition as a career and published research or who have practiced medicine for several decades. On the other hand, the low carb movement seems to be led by bloggers, personal trainers and journalists. I think this is a telling distinction.For a split second, I was going to write, “Fair point.” But then I remembered…Drs. Grain Brain and Wheat Belly. Throw in Hyman, Mercola, Weill, and Oz for good measure.Well, actually not good. :-(Mercola and Oz are more of a quack on both sides of the debate. But yes I agree, I think my point is more of a general impression rather than an absolute truth.I think Toxins has a point. If we look at the good old plain, average, moderate, doctor – no doctor recommends increasing the meat and saturated fat intake, and lower the intake of fruit and vegetables, to prevent or reverse diabetes, hypertension, cancer, heartdisease, stroke and so on. Opposite – they recommend to lower (which is not good enough) the intake of red meat, saturated fat and increase the intake of fruit and vegetables. So 99.9% of the doctors agree on the trend! In my country we had a doctor who was famous for claiming that smoking was not bad for your health. One out of thousands of doctors – and still some fools believed in this clown. I suggest we ignore the 0.1% of doctorsHere is a great read by Campbell regarding current l;ow carb studies and pitfalls plant based proponents may fall into. Its very informative. http://nutritionstudies.org/low-carb-hot-air/Thanks. The article by C. Campbell really puts the whole picture in a more sensible light for me. Animal products vs whole foods plant based eating styles.Since when is Andrew Weil a proponent of the low-carb movement!? The fact that his anti-inflammatory diet is not vegan but essentially pesco-vegetarian, may annoy those advocating a strictly plant-based diet, but that does not make him a low-carb proponent. Yes, he warns against the dangers of refined carbohydrates and recommends to eat low-GI whole grains instead – just like Greger, McDougall, Esselstyn et al.Your are an intelligent commenter Melanie, please don’t fall for the fundementalist fallacy (i.e. “either you are 100% with us or you are against us”). It is extremely unfair lump Dr. Weil together with those shady people just because of his popularity and the fact that he doesn’t promote a vegan diet. He is actually doing tremendous work to transform the health care system exactly the way called for in Dr. Gregers video.See for yourself.http://youtu.be/aoQGRJqGQTsYou can’t take such mainstream media sound bites at face value. In contrast to most vegan diet gurus, who are content with mostly preaching to the converted, Weil is clever enough to start his sermon from were the people (which means to a certain extent: the fads) are. Judge him by the dietary advice he gives in his own lectures, on his website and in his books. Here are some quotes from his website:– “The distribution of calories you take in should be as follows: 40 to 50 percent from carbohydrates, 30 percent from fat, and 20 to 30 percent from protein.” – “Eat more whole grains such as brown rice and bulgur wheat, in which the grain is intact or in a few large pieces.” – “Eat more beans, winter squashes, and sweet potatoes.” – “Reduce your intake of saturated fat by eating less butter, cream, high-fat cheese, unskinned chicken and fatty meats, and products made with palm kernel oil.” – “Decrease your consumption of animal protein except for fish and high quality natural cheese and yogurt.” – “Eat more vegetable protein, especially from beans in general and soybeans in particular. Become familiar with the range of whole-soy foods available and find ones you like.”Sounds like your usual low-carb diet, does it? For the record: I personally think his recommendation for protein is somewhat excessive, but at least he specifies where it should come from.Sorry, Timar. I’ve seen him endorse LC on Dr. Oz as well. I remember how dismayed I was to hear him do so, because I had been to his website which stated otherwise. I just cannot take someone so inconsistent seriously. And being in front of different audiences does not cut the mustard with me.Mac Smiley is right, he believes saturated fats are better then carbs. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2010other/news/weil.htmI do not agree with her because there are so many pesticides in raw foods that it is the cause; for vegan deaths here in America. The synthetic hormones are giving us heart disease and Cancer, so she is not very good with the research she is lecturing about.Wow! She actually got it! Kewl!Do those people who have eliminated grains restrict other sources of carbohydrate as well? If they claim to have cured their diabetes, but are eating low-carb overall, then they haven’t cured anything, they’re just managing the symptoms of their intracellular fat-induced disease through restriction (paper towels as opposed to turning off the faucet as Dr. G might say). A physiologically properly functioning human can consume plenty of carbohydrate and process it efficiently without entering a diseased state.There is a group already trained in lifestyle management of chronic disease. They are called registered dietitians. Perhaps if the doctors were to refer individuals to these licensed professionals, they would not have to change their own medical education. No need to reinvent the wheel.I am currently in training to become a Registered Dietician (RD). Even with an education in nutrition, none of this is taught in school. What is taught is moderation and following the USDA food guidelines. A small percentage of Americans come close to the guidelines, and even if they did, the guidelines would not protect against chronic disease.The dietary guidelines of 1995, quite similar to today’s guidelines, do not appear to significantly prevent chronic disease risk when evaluated using the healthy eating index developed by the USDA. Women are unprotected from all forms of chronic disease while men have a 28% reduced risk of heart disease.http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/apjcn/17/s1/75.pdfRD’s currently are ineffective in preventing chronic diseases, all they can do is treat them or prolong the inevitable, not cure them or prevent them. Thus, the studies shared on this website are powerful and necessary. The strength of a plant based diet needs to be taught to RD’s. Sadly, the American Academy of Dietetics, the organization that structures the educational path of an RD, has its own biases. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/I think it was Caldwell B. Esselstyn M.D., who said: Moderation kills!I think Esselstyn also said: Heart disease is nothing but a toothless paper tiger that need never exist and, if it does exist, need never progress.There are groups within the Academy of Dietetics–Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine and Vegetarian Practice Group that are certified in just this material. The Academy has also come out with a position statement that Plant Based diets are the best way to prevent chronic disease. If you are in school to be an RD–please do your homework.And the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (DPG), amongst others. Thanks for mentioning them. I am part of a few. It is good to see the research coming out of the DPGs because we need it for our patients.I am reporting what is taught in the education system, plant based diets are NOT thought of as healthful or necessary in my experience with professors and other RD’s. In fact, several of my professors are on the low carb bandwagon, the opposite dietary protocol of a plant based diet. Please see the link I provided above regarding the once ADA.I’m completely convinced that our health is directly impacted by what we take in not only food wise but otherwise, such as; toxins (outside food sources), mental food (movies, books, music, etc.), and emotional atmosphere. Of course, we don’t always have complete control in all of these areas and so we do as much as is possible. My question surrounds the area of toxins and the medical world regarding vaccines. What science do you claim in this area, if any? I used to be pro-vaccine, unquestionably, no longer. There is a lot of science and published works that tell a very different tale than what we hear from our pediatricians and family physicians. Dr. Tenpenny and others are at the forefront of established research and offering this information to the public, much as you are doing in the area of what we eat. What is your view of the safety of vaccinating the masses?Have you ever met a smallpox or polio survivor? I have, and they might disagree with you.What happened to “do no harm”? Replaced by the compensation model that says I recommend what pays the best? Shame on you, doctors (not including the plant based advocates such as Dr. Greger of course).Whole grains? OK, but what about the genetically modified grains we eat in today’s world?Aside from corn if you consider it a grain, no other grains are genetically modified.Hello Doctor. Dr. Lustig just posted a lengthy blog saying low carb is the way to go, and that avoiding saturated fat is a dead hypothesis. He cites A study called “Effects of Low-Carb and Low Fat Diets” by Bazzano.I’m wondering what is your reaction to this study findings and his proclamation?ThanksLustig is notoriously dishonest. The study has many issues. The high carb diet consumed primarily processed carbs, they were not even low fat, and the low carb group ate less calories. This is hardly evidence for a low carb diet.	American Diabetes Association,calories,cholesterol,chronic diseases,dairy,diabetes,eggs,exercise,fat,fiber,flax seeds,grains,Institute of Medicine,insulin,junk food,Lifestyle medicine,meat,medical education,mortality,omega-3 fatty acids,phytosterols,plant-based diets,prediabetes,processed foods,saturated fat,sugar,trans fats	Lifestyle modification is considered the foundation of diabetes prevention. What dietary strategies should be employed and why don’t more doctors use them?	I hope my work is helping to fill the gap that medical professionals are not getting during training about preventing and treating chronic disease. That’s actually how this all started. I would make trips to Countway at the beginning of every month in medical school to read all the new journal issues. I felt I had a duty to my patients to stay on top of the literature. But hey, since I’m doing so much work, might as well share it! So what started as an email newsletter morphed into a medical school speaking tour into a DVD series and then now all online for everyone.For more on preventing and treating prediabetes/diabetes, see:For more on lifestyle medicine:And for insight into the sad state of nutrition in medical training, Doctors Know Less Than They Think About Nutrition and Medical School Nutrition Training.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/institute-of-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytosterols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-diabetes-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22683128,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23235198,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23953075,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25057539,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23684438,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24357209,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23598536,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23351624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20609952,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15339897,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23996285,
PLAIN-2539	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/	Cooked Beans or Sprouted Beans?	Beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils are packed with nutrients and play a role in the prevention of chronic disease, but most can’t be eaten raw. Boiling is the most common cooking method, which is what’s used to make canned beans, but sprouting is becoming more popular. Which is healthier? There hadn’t been a head-to-head comparisons, until now.The easiest way to compare is to just measure the quantity of the polyphenol phytonutrients thought to account for some of their protective benefits against chronic disease, for example the anthocyanin pigments that make these particular beans so pretty.As you can see, sprouted beans have more of some, but less than others, in fact you see that across the board with the other phenolic phytonutrients. More of some; less of others. Because the positive effects of these compounds may be related to their antioxidant capacity, you can compare the overall antioxidant power of boiled versus sprouted beans, for which boiled appears to have a marginal edge, but ideally we’d actually measure physiological effects, like what about boiled versus sprouted against cancer cells. And that’s just what they did.This is the concentration of raw bean extract needed to cut the breast cancer growth rate in half in a petri dish. Boiled beans do about 40 times better. Same cancer growth inhibition at just a fraction of the concentration, and sprouted beans do about the same.Now you can’t even eat most beans raw, but I wanted to include them just to show you a fascinating phenomenon. No amount of raw bean extract appears able to totally stop the growth of breast cancer cells, but just small amounts of cooked or sprouted beans can. And same thing with actually killing off cancer. No amount of raw bean extract works, but both boiled and sprouted beans can.Similar results were found for melanoma, processing the beans—either cooking or sprouting boosted anticancer activity in vitro, but against kidney cancer, raw and boiled worked, but sprouted didn’t at all.The researchers were also interested in brain protection. Given that elderly persons reporting always eating legumes may be significantly less likely to experience cognitive decline, the researchers decided to compare the protective effects of boiled versus sprouted beans on astrocytes.Astrocytes are the most abundant type of cell in our brain. They are star-shaped cells that keep our brain running smoothly. Should they become damaged, though, they may an important role in the development in neurodegenerative disorders such as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Alzheimer’s, or Parkinson’s. So if we’re thinking clearly, we should thank our lucky stars.To see if beans would help protect astrocytes from damage, first they had to make sure bean extracts wouldn’t cause any damage. This is the before, dripping nothing on astrocytes in a petri dish, 100% viability. And this is the after, adding boiled bean extract. Didn’t hurt the cells at all. And sprouted beans seem to even help them grow a little bit. Same thing but this time we’re going to damage the astrocytes with an oxidative chemical that killed off about a quarter of the cells. But with some boiled bean extract on board the astrocytes were protected at the two higher doses, but the sprouted beans didn’t appear to offer significant benefit.So what’s the takeaway? As far as I’m concerned, we should eat beans in whichever way will get us to eat the most of them.I do love my lentil sprouts, one of the healthiest snacks on the planet (along with kale chips). It’s amazing that I can create fresh produce in 2 to 3 days on my kitchen counter. Sprouting’s like gardening on steroids! But using canned beans I can get similar nutrition in about 2 to 3 seconds.	In the Paleo Diet world, there’s a new craze for consuming “resistant starch” for it’s positive health effects on the large intestine, where RS enables increased butyrate production. (Supposedly, the later helps to “keep the gut wall healthy and sealed.” and “benefits the body by controlling inflammation…” …Beans are a top source of RS they claim, yet as low-carb dieters, they prefer to avoid natural sources and supplement with potato starch. Is increased butyrate production useful? Can we produce enough via whole foods? Does potato starch offer any real benefits as they claim?Yeah I’d like to hear some actual science on this from Dr. G as well. My suspicion is that as per usual the Paleo people are full of it, especially since whole white potatoes are so bad for you, and I can’t imagine an extract from a food like that being good for you where the whole food is bad for you. But, like I say I’d love to hear the actual science on it. Who knows, maybe it’s a blind squirrels stumbling upon nuts situation.The issue of potatoes being bad for you is a different issue, and a very important one… It’s hard for me to accept that one doctor like Dr McDougall can endorse potatoes as maybe one of the healthiest foods on the planet while Dr Greger gives them a red light. How can two people who are so close on the big picture have opposed viewpoints on something as basic as the health value of eating potatoes? It’s very confusing…Potatoes, tomatoes, goji berries, eggplant, certain peppers are “nightshades”. Very harmful to some people. My arthritic conditions virtually eliminated after removing nightshades, as well as neurological issues. Life changing to say the least. I’m guessing you already know about nightshades.How does a person discover if he/she should avoid the nightshades? One Vietnamese grandmother warned against eating any eggplant because of her experienced observations with what she ate and joint pain and vitality.Well, I have to admit that I hadn’t heard of Dr. McDougall before reading your comment, so I don’t know a whole lot about him. One thing I have gleaned from browsing his website is that he doesn’t seem to include the research that he bases his claims on, which is something that Dr. Greger does for each of his videos. That does lower my confidence in Dr. M’s opinions, even if only slightly. To get an admittedly rough sense of where Dr. M is coming from, I watched his video “In Defense of the Potato,” and to be honest I wasn’t all that impressed. In that video, he speaks in very broad terms, and I didn’t hear anything approaching the specificity that you get from Dr. G. Dr. M talked about how “ancient civilizations” thrived on potatoes, how Ireland did well with the potato, and things like that, but he didn’t really dive into any concrete science that I could hear. Of course, there’s many reasons why he might have chosen such a strategy, but all I really got from the video is, “Trust me; I’m a doctor.” Dr. G, on the other hand, goes to great lengths to explain the science in as easily digestible a format as possible, and I can’t recall a single time when he’s used an argument from authority (“I’m right because I’m a doctor”) to justify a claim he’s made. I guess the final difference that occurs to me between the two doctors is that Dr. M seems to advocate a specific formulation of a plant-based diet, i.e., one that’s high in starches. Dr. G, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to make recommendations that are nearly that specific, and from what I’ve read that’s the more scientifically justified position. A (mostly) whole foods, plant-based diet would probably help everyone get healthier, but beyond that we either have little firm information on the ideal diet, or possibly there is simply no one-size-fits-all diet plan that a doctor is justified in recommending. So by that measure, I put my money on Dr. G. Anyway, I hope it doesn’t seem like I’m trolling you or anything. I’m just another English major who is really wishing I studied more science in college so that I could rely less on the advice of doctors, even great doctors, and read the primary source material myself. Hope my perspective on things is at least a little helpful…McDougall actually works with patients to reverse their health problems. I’m sure he studies the science as well. But he’s going from his direct experience with what works. Technically, this can be viewed as a form of science just as respectable and useful as academic “studies”.Technically? No, with all due respect, not always. The whole reason that scientific studies are organized to contain things like control groups, placebos, randomized assignment to either group and conditions that create ‘double blinds’ (where neither the patient OR the experimenter know who is getting the placebo vs the substance being tested) is in order to counteract precisely the types of unrepeatable biases that can occur in situations (like those you are describing with Dr. McDougall) where one doctor/healer/authority/person who truly believes in his/her “medicine” administers it to people who believe in him/her.I’m not saying Dr. McDougall is incorrect (I know nothing about him particularly other than what you’ve stated), I’m just saying he should state his sources or have his findings submitted to the same rigorous standards as needed for publication in the top scientific journals, then publish them for the scientific community to scrutinize and attempt to replicate. That’s how science works. It is not built on the anecdotal experiences of any one or even 13 physicians.Maybe research which we find reported in those professional journals originates from hypothesis derived from direct experiences, that is, in the context where Dr McDougall works, trying things to cure patients, finding some things actually work. That too is how science works.Dr. G could say: I’m right despite I’m a doctor !Dr John McDougall is one of the most vocal long-term advocates of whole foods plant based diet. He’s been on board for most of his career and long-term relationships with Ornish, Campbell, Esselstyne, Barnard, etc. He’s a working doctor but he’s best known for his diet strategy books, seminars and spa events designed for people who want to turn their bad habits into good. Yes, he does have a thing for “starch” but this is a minor variation singing from the identical song sheet as the others. His newsletters and depth of experience available through online publications demonstrate he’s on very solid ground. As for potatoes: they are a fine component of any diet, versatile to cook and prepare, easy to store. He is talking about whole food potatoes (not chips or powdered versions or supplement capsules). There are vitamins and minerals, some fibre, a little sugar, no fat. He recommends cooking them without oil. They are also happily filling which helps limits the ingestion of too many calories in general.Well said sir!Agree. Though McDougall and many others laud potatoes, Dr Greger cites in a video with a title on toxins in potatoes that they are bad for us, and this evaluation is based on his reading of a review article of studies on potatoes. It’s one of the few issues where I really don’t know what to think. Though someone here claims that the toxins in potatoes are something the human body can deal with well enough.But it is the white russet potatoes. The other potatoes are fine. There is also a video that shows russets to give us a 50% increased risk of cancer. But compare that to animal foods that give us a 400% increase in the risk of cancer. Just make sure to eat yellow/gold, red, purple potatoes. And, of course, you should never eat the skin of russets, that’s where the toxins are, but on the other potatoes it is advisable to eat the skin because most of the nutrition is there.I read/watch follow a lot from Dr. G, McDougal, Dr. Ornish, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Campbell and Dr. Barnard. Campbell’s books (Whole and China Study) were very interesting, but a lot of work to get through. Anyhoo…in general I don’t find too much conflicting views or recommendations. There are some, and some people will make a bigger deal than necessary over these slight differences. In general they are all pointing everyone in the same direction, none of them appear (to me) to have seriously conflicting recommendations. It can get ridiculous very quickly though. I’ve seen reader’s debate and get worried about the pro/cons of the actual size of the potato they are eating! If you are now worried about red versus green kale…you are doing just fine.I had one of my work colleagues ask me what I was eating for breakfast the other day. He started telling me that he read a study that quick oats are better for you than whole (slow) oats. I just smiled and said…hey at least we aren’t debating between bacon and eggs with gravy! I did follow that I don’t let information without peer and adversary reviewed scientific study keep me up at night though. ;)Well said, well said :) I totally agree…I bought John McDougall’s first book “The McDougall Plan” in 1983 to give me more balance as an ovo lacto vegetarian. And it was a bit of a bible for years.However, I am now a health professional myself, and I can see the cracks in Dr Mc’s presentations. i.e. He teaches that one can overfeed on carbohydrates and not gain significant bodyfat. Why? because according to his reading and interpretation of the literature, de novo lipogenesis (making of new fat from carbs) is a very inefficient chemical pathway and not used by the body significantly. This is one of his major foundations to do a high carb diet for weight loss.I’ve read John’s articles and listened to most of his videos on this topic. i have also read the literature broadly on the topic, and believe my understanding of it is better than most.What I can say is John only includes references for his articles that support his view on DNL. He has never cited or commented on the majority of articles that show DNL is a significant path in converting excessive carbohydrates into fat, nor the fact that most people who overfeed on high carb diets gain weight similar to eating any other type of diet.It was sad for me to discover this about Dr Mc. I think he is a genuinely good guy, but feel age and zeal is compromising his rationality. Further, I note in one of his articles that he says he has always been an enthusiastic and hyperactive personality. His grandmother always used to tell him he’d be better calming himself regularly. He doesn’t agree. For me, this is probably his downfall. I’ve seen signs of an uncontrolled energy, a hypomania even, in him. And this tendency is not helpful in the objective pursuit of the truth via the scientific method.Therefore, I warn all to put more faith in the scientific consensus, and less in any one doctor or scientist. The consensus is designed to protect the quest for truth, from the lack of objectivity of any one man.Love that last paragraph. Too true!Dr. McDougall offers extensive references in his newsletter pieces”>, and T. Colin Campbell was certainly impressed with McDougall’s depth of knowledge and file cabinets full of research studies in The China Study.As far as I can tell, the only major point of contention between Drs. Greger and McDougall is on fatty whole plant foods like nuts and avocados. McDougall advises patients to avoid them, while Dr. Greger has highlighted out studies on their benefits. McDougall’s position has its merits, as there are healthy traditional diets that include no fatty foods and no fatty food is completely free of problematic constituents like saturated fats. IMO the best evidence at present is in favor of daily nuts & seeds, and their inclusion makes a whole plant based diet more palatable and likely to be adhered to, long term.Nice summary (though to be fair, Dr McDougall says to avoid or limit nuts to an once a day). I wonder though, what your opinion is on omega-3’s. Dr Greger suggests a daily supplement of 250-500 mg, while Dr McDougall thinks all oils are essentially bad for our arteries and recommends no supplement. Personally I split the difference. I take a weekly supplement but also try to get some flax into my diet daily. Any thoughts?Flaxseeds have very little saturated fat. Flax also has a very good Omega 3 to 6 ratio, much better than even walnuts. Almonds only have about 1 gram of saturated fat per ounce, compared to 2 for peanuts. Sunflower Seeds have less than 2 grams of saturated fat per ounce. If a person gets all their fat from nuts and seeds, while excluding coconut, which is the highest in saturated fat, one can still easily stay below 7% of calories in saturated fat. I eat a lot of nuts, but I calculated that I am still below 7% of calories from saturated fat. It could be valid to exclude nuts and seeds, but even then, there are good arguments to eat flaxseed, even if it is the only seed or nut one eats.Your approach to this is very balanced, sensible and even methodical. Don’t put yourself down, have confidence in your intelligence girl! Your perspective is very helpful.I think that Dr. Greger does not give white potatoes a red light, but I think that all things equal, he said sweet potatoes and the colored flesh variety appear a bit better.as long as you don’t cook them in oil, butter or cream and cheese.Here Dr Greger red lights potatoes, mentioned that the natural toxins in them are bad for us, based on a major review of studies on potatoes, and says we can no longer ignore this, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJt1JGiPAAIToxins mostly in the skins~But only on the russets. You should always eat the skin on yellow/gold, red, and purple potatoes.Really? I find it weird…hmmm…. I don’t know what his comment “we already knew they weren’t good” means. But, I generally get organic, and might consider peeling them more. But given the alternatives, I’ll stick to potatoes.From an older video white potatoes were associated with a 50% increased risk in kidney cancer. Here is the video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/That’s why I stick with the gold, red, purple potatoes now.I may cut back on russets, tho.Yeah, that’s what I did. Eliminate the russets and eat all of the others which are very healthy. Skins should always be eaten.Interesting, after going raw (have been vegan for 3 years now, raw for 1 year) and ditching salt, potatoes are one thing I have found to have a bad taste. I still eat cooked lentils, cabbage, corn sometimes, but I have totally disliked potatoes. This explains it!Hippocrates Health Institute or the real truth about health.comDr Greger’s video on white potatoes SUGGESTS they are toxic and this issue needs further study. That video doesn’t really say anything worth listening to in my opinion. Don’t many plants have their own bug killer?Exactly, there is another study out there in Italy I think that found no association. I will be very surprised if a staple food like white potatoes turns out to be truly unhealthy but it is fair what Dr Gregor reports, it is not his opinion but the finding of some of the research out there. We await further studies I guess.Why shouldn’t the red light and his “bad” declaration be interpreted as a firm recommendation to not eat potatoes? That’s how I take it. Though I know that Dr Greger says that he doens’t recommend anything but just reports on the science.Tobias you are not talking about purple potatoes right? (All of the colored potatoes) dr Greger actually recommends those. Just clearing this up.Right. I’m talking about the white potato that’s so popular (minus the butter etc).Tobias: re: “…he doesn’t recommend anything…” Not to dispute your main point: I want to let you know that Dr. Greger does have a page of general nutrition recommendations: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Just in case you didn’t know that already, I thought you would be interested.Thanks. Yes, I follow this list closely. What I mean is that at some point Dr Greger says that he doesn’t advise participants on anything, eating this or that food, that he is simply reporting what the science tells us. I mostly accept this however I seem to hear direct advice coming through occasionally, as with potatoes. He takes a strong stance there, no?Tobias: Yes. :-) Err, I mean, “agree”.Don’t eat green or sprouting potatoes. The only PubMed articles I could access talked about using rats with unhealthy digestive systems. Some people should limit or eliminate their nightshade consumption. There is a lot of information and misinformation on the web about this subject. And if you just send $ to some of these people they will send you a test kit and if needed the proper treatment for solanine poisoning.There’s a large body of evidence in favor of resistant starch, and the short chain fatty acids produced by gut bacteria from it. Resistant starch and SCFAs appears to help prevent colon cancer, reduce the glycemic index of meals, displace pathogenic gut bacteria, reduce gallstone formation, and enhance absorption of some minerals, Dr. Greger has covered the topic in this video, and a recent scholarly reviews for those seeking more depth is: Resistant starch as functional ingredient: A review (2010).Raw potato, high-amalose corn, cassava, and green banana flour starches are exceptional sources, but for those who prefer food, roasted and cooled potatos, yams, cassava, Asian glass (mung bean) noodles, pearl barley and cooked beans of all sorts are also good. Many cooked starches will gelatinize and become resistant if allowed to cool slowly (eg, potato salad in the refrigerator).As is common, the Paleo advocates are half right. They’ve come around to tubers being a part of our ancestral diet, but the influence of Loren Cordain’s early work has prevented them from embracing legumes, which have been part of hominin diets since the time of Neanderthals.The Paleo gurus recommend 4 tablespoons per day of potato starch, worked up to over a period of four days. Does this sound like a very bad idea?Seems harmless enough, but it may not offer much benefit to those already consuming whole food plant based diets.Remember, paleo advocates are denying themselves most whole food sources of resistant starch, so this supplementation of a dietary deficiency may be analogous to vegan supplementation of B12. Though there are no studies of resistant starch intake in whole plant diets, in general vegans already have markedly different gut microbiota from the general population, probably reflecting higher intake of resistant starch, fiber, and prebiotics like inulin and oligofructans, and lower intakes of compounds that preferentially feed the less desirable gut bacteria.Is that Paleo recommendation for raw potato starch? In the article “Resistant starch as functional ingredient: A review ,” the author says that unripe, uncooked banana is high in resistant starch but not cooked banana. On the other hand, he says that cooked legumes retain their RS. He’s not clear about potatoes and grains. Daryll, could you clarify whether cooked grains and cooked potatoes are high in resistant starch? Are cooked banana, grains and potatoes all subject to retrogradation once they’re refrigerated? And do you know if the fermentable fiber is higher in cooked beans than in the raw bean sprouts?Hmph…not sure what to say. Which “Paleo gurus” are your talking about? Certainly not Gary Taubes, Loren Cordain or William Davis?My approach and personal take after reading books (McDougal, Ornish, Esselstyn, Campbell):1. If I hear or read something that makes me go “hmmm” I go look for the supportive data, peer reviewed by scientists and medical doctors. Start with nih.gov2. If you have to “start up” or “work up” or measure and weigh things (other than obvious like spices and things that need measuring) than you are not getting it. That feels like we have to regularly thread a needle for some magic silver bullet.Just eat for health. I don’t want to die early because of heart disease, cancer, diabetes. I’ll compare my BP or blood-work (fasting or non-fasting) to anyone. Once you make it about quality of life, longevity, everything else falls into place. Seems like everyone I “meat” that wants to debate low-carb or paleo have two things in common: a) they want to eat meat and b) they are concerned about body weight. I’ve heard the joke that low carb works perfect if your primary motive is to buy a smaller coffin.We human always want to avoid the hard choices don’t we? BTW – Dr. G’s annual leading causes of death summaries…I think anyone that watches one of those in their entirety can’t be anything curious.http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Q_%26_As/Entries/2013/8/21_The_Healthy_Eating_Placemat_A_Visual_Guide_To_Healthy_Eating_files/Healthy%20Eating%20Plate.jpgRight. There are so many Paleo gurus these days. My references are via the Bulletproof Diet guru, or someone linked to him. In this space, these guys present themselves as the bleeding edge advocates for potato starch.I’m learning a lot presently by recording everything I eat. I’m pretty sure this device will prove critically important in honing my diet so I can fall below 150 total cholesterol. It helped me see that I’ve been eating more carbs from sugar vs starches, which may have an impact on my triglycerides, so I’m adjusting… I’ll probably stop weighing at some point but I enjoy it now.Record away! That is awesome and can be very revealing for sure. Keep bouncing around here (nutritionfacts.org) and there (WFPB)…you sound like you are playing in the right neighborhood for sure. My goal when starting was to get off ALL meds. BP meds were the last and my Dr. (who admitted she knew nothing about nutritional science) made a $5 bet I would have to stay on BP meds forever, even if just a small dosage.When I say don’t measure or over-think, here is an example: I didn’t have much to cook last night (Oct 5). I didn’t feel like giving much effort either. But I hit pause on the football game, through the following in a pot and ate a big bowl an hour later:3 cans of no sodium black beans 1 can of sliced, stewed tomatoes 1 squirt of tomato paste concentrate 1 diced onion (sauteed with a little water, no oil) 5-8 cloves of garlic (sauteed at the end of the onion saute) 4-5 hands full of torn up green kale 1 large cubed russett potato (variety of spices like: salt, black pepper, cumin, turmeric, more cumin, oregano, even more cumin, parsley, cayenne pepper and a little more cumin) 1-2 cups of waterI’ll probably have that for lunch every day this week, it made a bunch.A Paxon: That’s a great story about the bet between you and your doctor. Did you doctor actually pay up?Yes she did!But I don’t think she’ll stop pushing drugs over dietary changes, mainly because I don’t think she trusts most people to be compliant. Sadly…it makes sense. To me it wasn’t about the money or inconvenience. $4 a month for BP meds, no biggie. But it was about the underlying cause, not the quick fix pill (with side effects BTW). If you eat healthy (especially WFPB) and move around some way every day, you shouldn’t have elevated BP or Cholesterol. Right?I asked her if she would read a book like China Study or FOK if I gave her a copy. She said she simply does not have the time. She has tons and tons of patients, a business to run and a family. No wonder drug reps with their free breakfasts and lunches get their attention. I know my Doc cares, but her life is a numbers game.apax: Nice reply. :-) I think you are perfectly right concerning you doctor’s situation. I think many doctors are in the same place. They aren’t bad people. They are just normal people in a bad set-up. It was nice and smart of you to offer FOK or the China Study. You did all that you could.Your story gave me a fun idea. I’m thinking if she were just a bit more motivated, she could bet all her clients that they couldn’t get off of med ____. “You can do it if you wanted to with just diet. I’ll tell you how. But I’m thinking you won’t do it. I’ll bet you $5 to prove me wrong. Otherwise, if you just want to treat the symptoms, we’ll go that route.” I wonder if that kind of approach would be fun motivation for some people and/or your doctor. Or it might offend people. I like the idea myself.Sounds tasty.I’m on the good path, only 20 points away from sub-150 total. LDL is at 99 so after almost 2 years, I’m elated!Regarding meds, my father has started to experience nerve issues on his statins (he’s 85). He went out for dinner last night with friends and their “very smart” daughter who works for a pharma company told him there’s a med for that now. Hmm. I’ve been suggesting to get off the statins, etc and change the diet. This morning at the resto he took eggs, ham, tats cooked in oil etc. Anyway. It goes to show how making a good salary can cloud your ability to give good health advice.Did you find that your non complex sugars came from fruits or added sugars? I am curiousIt was a combination of both, however since my last lipid profile (14 month earlier, when triglycerides were considerably lower, 92 then vs 135 now), I had started using refined sugar for the first time once again, in the form of maple syrup… (I’m a Vermonter :) I also at dates very liberally, as well as mango and other fruit, bananas etc. Liberally. Anyway. I set a goal, turn my pattern around over the past few weeks (details posted below) but my doctor says three months before another profile.– diet change goal – starch 158 grams historic average. keep above 200. – sugar 230 grams historic average. keep below 150 – results from 9/23 to 10/2 dietary changes – starch at 230 (was 160), sugar at 140 (was 230) – starch: 80 grams more – sugar: 90 grams less,Tobias: I’m sorry to hear about your father. It is so hard when the people we love listen to bad information.On the upside, congratulations on your own success. That’s so cool!!!Thanks. (What it actually comes down to for my father is that he depends on the person who prepares his food. If he were provided an ideal diet, he’d go for it because he likes plant-based.)On a different subject, I’m focusing now on whether high consumption of fructose in the from of whole fruit has a significant negative impact on triglycerides and thus promotes heart disease. Has Dr G covered this topic or can you suggest any resources? Thanks.Tobias: I can sympathize with your father. I have long said that when I win the lottery, the first thing I’m going to do is hire a personal chef. I know my diet would improve dramatically then.Concerning information about linking whole fruit to triglycerides and thus perhaps heart disease – I don’t have any real info on that subject. I think it is an interesting question. Anecdote wise, I started thinking about fruitarians as that would be a group that might provide some insight into the question. It’s not a natural diet, though, so I don’t know how helpful it would be to study them. That said, I’ve never heard of the fruitarians having heart disease problems. Other health problems, *yes.* But not heart attacks I don’t think. (Note I haven’t actively researched it, so I can’t say they don’t have heart problems. I’m just sharing a thought.)If you end up with some personal anecdotal info you are willing to share, I’m sure people will be interested. Good luck!I’m actively studying the issue, creating a list of “be careful” versus “it’s not a problem at all” resources. I recall Dr Greger saying eat as much fruit as you like. McDougall warns against eating too much. Anyway. I was convinced that I need to cut back on fruit to deal with my slight triglyceride issue (which is still below 150, which is quite good)… to get my total cholesterol down. But there are plenty of raw foodist who can show outstanding profiles WITH low triglycerides. My expectation is that the key is likely your body weight. Are you still storing some fat and maybe eating a bit too much for your middle BMI level… If so, triglycerides might still be higher… The other idea is that it simply takes a few years to fully settle down your numbers. Anyway. I’m doing some tests of my own… Will post if I ever conclude anything…Any new thoughts on this, Tobias?Not really but having re-watched parts of Dr McDougall’s interview with Nathan Pritikin, the later explained that it actually took 3-5 years for his cholesterol levels to base or hit their low point. I guess our body has stores that need to be used up over time once we change our diet. So, I focus on improving my diet a bit here and there and hope for the best. My doctor was very happy with my total level at 170 and I am quite close to my target of 150, so I’m not super concerned about it.Gee, I wish I had your foresight to make a bet! When I was diagnosed with diabetes, and after doing some research about the drugs I had to take and so on, I decided the medications I had to add to the list I was already taking were about as bad (if not worse) than the disease. Especially after quickly gaining 20lbs after starting them, something I could ill afford, seeing as how I was already morbidly obese (great term eh?) and had been battling that my entire life! At 55 y.o., the weight and diabetes were not the only health issues, besides the obvious high markers for everything, I also had fibromyalgia, severe arthritis, IBS, chronic fatigue, and on and on. Anyway, though she of course advocated losing weight, etc., the handout of the standard ADA diet sheet was less than helpful, so I did my own research, and questioned her about the idea of using dietary measures to replace the medications. Her reply was IF I lost weight my blood sugars would improve, but she had never seen diet replace the need for medications, though she had heard it was possible in RARE cases. LOL! On my next appointment after starting on a low fat WPFD, I became one of those “rare” cases, and she did a triple take after looking at my bloodwork! Her jaw literally dropped as she scanned it again and again! She turned to me and asked, “WHAT are you doing?” So I told her and she was blown away. Again, she had heard about it, but never seen it in her practice! What a sad, sad commentary! If I made her a $5 bet I would get off of each of my meds I could have pocketed $70! Another sad commentary! Ha, SAD (Standard American Diet) indeed! Better yet, I should have bet $1 per pound lost and made over $150! Oh well, the rewards I got were infinitely more rewarding anyway!WPFD = whole plant food diet? That’s amazing you took your health into your own hands and really turned your conditions around. Glad to hear you’re body is so much more well now. Much peace to you.Apex look at that stew! Nice and healthy.It’s important not to reduce cholesterol as it is necessary to proper brain function and cardiovascular health. It has been given a bad rap by pHARMa primarily to boost profits of statin drugs and other toxic meds. The liver produces cholesterol and it is protective for the heart, in particular, and the brain. Too little can be damaging to the heart and also cause or increase the risk of depression. Cholesterol is not the bad guy and cholesterol-lowering drugs do not discriminate between HDL and LDL no matter what the marketing $hills tell you. If the body is producing what would be considered by the medical cartel as ‘too much’, then it’s the body’s signal that the liver is producing an excess of cholesterol in order to stem inflammation which is the common denominator in all disease.So do you plan to eat more eggs, fatty meat, and cow milk and reduce carbs?It is important that you do not fall for the fad diet claims that circulate the internet. Every cell in the human body has the capability to produce cholesterol. Deficiency will never occur in a normal human unless they are born with a rare genetic condition. Dietary cholesterol influences serum cholesterol depending on how high serum cholesterol already is. please see some of these videos on egg and cholesterol. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/A friend of mine naturally has total cholesterol below 100 and feels terrific after eating eggs.As for me, my genes cause me to have high cholesterol but I have dropped it from over 300 to under 200 by swapping out eggs, butter, meat, and coconut products for LOTS of legumes – beans, lentils, peas, tempeh. I hope to further improve my cholesterol by trying smart veganism, which means no fish or yogurt until my next lipid panel.I’ve heard anecdotally that cholesterol under 150, although terrific for preventing heart disease, unfortunately is associated with increased incidence of suicide or violent behavior.The first book about health I read, TRANSCEND by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman M.D. sets a target total cholesterol between 160-180, but that includes an LDL of under 80 and an HDL above 60… and triglycerides below 100.I can’t speak to the anecdotal evidence of your friend but in regards to low cholesterol and suicide. That is a myth. Please see here. http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/27/cholesterol-cancer-and-depression.htmlIt’s reassuring to read that there is no concrete evidence for the claim that low cholesterol causes depression and suicide. I am deliberately trying to lower my cholesterol but have also been feeling mildly depressed recently. Depression has been a recurrent problem for me since adolescence. By exercising regularly and learning more about how to eat properly, I have been managing it without prescription medication. I doubt my current malaise is due to eating copious amounts of beans instead of meat, eggs, and dairy – it is more likely due to enduring the daunting process of applying for grad schools. I do miss the concrete structure my life had while I was a college student.I should also add that total cholesterol below 100 is ridiculously low. There must be some genetically lowered cholesterol at play here.My last measurement was 2.6 mmol/l (100.5 mg/dl), vegan diet, moderate exercise, no medication, early 30s, BMI 23. I can imagine it would be easy to tweak diet and exercise to get lower.Total cholesterol below 150 is heart attack proof status. I am not saying that low is bad, I am just gawking at how low it is since he is supposedly eating eggs too.I just had a big bowl of cold potato salad. Easy to make a nice mayanaise with tofu, dijon mustard, lemon juice, wine vinegar, and a little erthritol.Talk to us about potatoes.Does the resistant starch or other fermentable fiber concentrate in the potato skin (as opposed to flesh)?The GL of a medium baked potato is 17, according to nutritiondata.com. That seems pretty high. Do GL figures take into account the blood sugar levelling effects that fermentable fibers, including resistant starch, produce?Darryl: That’s a really helpful post. But I have a question. re: “Many cooked starches will gelatinize and become resistant if allowed to cool slowly (eg, potato salad in the refrigerator).” What if you cook your potato, allow it to cool, and then heat the dish up later? I prefer hot dishes to cold. As long as I let the potato cool at some point after cooking it, do I loose the benefits if I later re-heat the potato?Does the same apply to barley? Why did you specify pearl barley? I have been trying to get the hulled barley, which I understand is less processed. Wouldn’t that be just as good in terms of the resistant starch in pearl barley?Also, I love the glass noodles. I used to think they were nothing but junk food. I started allowing myself to buy them after I read an early post by you a couple months ago when you listed them as a good source of this type of starch. But do I have to eat those noodles cold?I’m guessing these are stupid questions, but I just don’t understand the topic enough to be able to figure it out. Thanks!Creating resistant starch is also known as retrogradation, a crystalization process, where the long strands of polysaccharides align, exclude water, and form hydrogen bonds. This prevents our digestive enzymes from cleaving the the strands into absorbable sugars, so the resistant starch passes on to colonic bacteria which can. Not all starches undergo retrogradation easily; amylose has a highly linear structure that aligns and compacts easily, while amylopectin is a highly branched molecule that doesn’t. A number of grains and tubers have been developed with higher amylose content to reduce their glycemic index, though I’ve not seen labelling of this in the market.Reheating will add some thermal energy causing them to bounce about and some but not all of the resistant starch becomes digestable. This paper indicates that the percentage of starch from mashed potatoes that is resistant or only slowly digestable builds up during successive cycles of heating and cooling: freshly cooked 1% cooled 10% reheated x 1, hot 5% reheated × 1, cold 17% reheated x 2, hot 9%Darryl: Thanks for your reply!! That last part is super-fascinating and good news to me. I’m happy with getting 5% or 9%.Interesting compendium…It seems that canned beans are much lower in RS than beans you cook yourself. Wonder why?Canned beans are almost invariably pressure cooked, which leads to more damage to microscopic cell structures enclosing starch granules.Butyrate (by-product of resistant starch metabolism by gut bacteria) does indeed promote healthy tight junctions and has anti-inflammatory effects.A fantastic website about resistant starch that was shared by the Healthy Librarian on facebook (she’s a medical librarian and friend of the Esselstyns):Video on the butyrate basics: http://www.csiro.au/hungrymicrobiome/video.html More videos: http://www.csiro.au/hungrymicrobiome/howitworks.html Foods highest in resistant starch: http://www.csiro.au/hungrymicrobiome/food.htmlFor most WFPB eaters I don’t think it’s anything that’s going to revolutionize their diet; most of us already eat these types of foods, but it is nice to hear yet another mechanism by which they promote good health.As for the paleos… this reminds me of when I read about how some of them take IP-6 supplements, yet refuse to eat any phytate containing whole foods. On the one hand it’s cognitive dissonance at its best, and on the other, I guess I’m happy for their colons that at least they are supplementing.“…happy for their colons…” funny“Won’t somebody please think of the colons??!?”When I read about those paleo diets, I can’t help but be concerned! Considering we’re all just walking coral reefs with a brain, it’s sad to think how those paleo reefs really got the short end of the stick.p.s. I like your picture, ALOTI remember when I first caught wind of the Paleo diet I was excited to think that someone finally had the common sense to try to replicate the way our progenitors ate as a healthy diet…it just made sense to me to nurture ourselves on the foods we evolved to eat. Until I started reading the actual information, or rather, dis-information. I’m no scientist, but some of the concepts were just too contrived and dogmatic to feel even remotely natural or sensible in the context I had envisioned. I knew it would be popular because it caters to a lot of what the population wants to believe, but it seems contradictory to me. I have a hard time imagining cavemen walking around with little cruets of oil or bottles of supplements to sustain them while they are so busy slaughtering animals every day!I know that northern European cavemen often went through the refinement process to produce potato starch to boost their butyrate production. Many archaeological digs have found the potato mills and rinsing stations. Paleo man was very resourceful. He would often make a bread of potato starch, almond meal and coconut flour.Coconuts and almonds in northern Europe?Exactly. (Hint: Da St is being sarcastic).I don’t know, the whole idea of sprouting just seems too unsafe to me. From foodsafety.gov: “Unlike other fresh produce, seeds and beans need warm and humid conditions to sprout and grow. These conditions are also ideal for the growth of bacteria, including Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli.” Another warning: “Since 1996, there have been at least 30 reported outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with different types of raw and lightly cooked sprouts. Most of these outbreaks were caused by Salmonella and E. coli.” The website does say that you can combat some of this risk by cooking your sprouts, but they still advise children and the elderly to avoid sprouts altogether. In my judgment, it’s not worth the risk–I’ll stick with my cooked beans.Here’s the link to the article I quoted: http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/types/fruits/sprouts.htmlThe contamination was from commercial operations. E-coli comes from animals. I sprout my own at home with clean Hans and jars.From the website I cited: “Are homegrown sprouts safer? Not necessarily. If just a few harmful bacteria are present in or on the seed, the bacteria can grow to high levels during sprouting, even under sanitary conditions at home.”There are people that grow seeds specifically for sprouting, which are in conditions engineered to prevent contamination that conventional seed might encounter.I play it safe and boil my sprouted beans. Yesterday I cooked up about 5kilos of sprouted red kidney beans, chick peas, brown chick peas and black beans. I had sprouted the beans for two days. Using a large stockpot (24quart, 22.7 litre) I boiled some water, then put in the red kidney beans for 30 mins, then added the chick peas for a further 30 mins (now an hour in total), then added the black beans for the final fifteen mins – so they whole cooking process took 1hr and 15mins. I left the lid on the saucepan over night and this morning I spent about half an hour transferring the beans into plastic ziploc bags (I think they are BPA free), and put them straight into my chest freezer – they should last me about a month. I re-heat them by adding them to my other vegetables that I cook in my rice cooker for the final five minutes of the cooking process.Is it harmful to the gut and other parts of the body to ingest grains that are raw and sprouted? There are a lot of protein supplements and other products that contain raw sprouted barley and other grains, and I often wondered if humans can digest things such as raw sprouted barley. Seems to me like they might harm the gut, but who knows. And, I have absorption problems so have had to supplement with these products.I too would like to know if eating raw barley (sprouted, of course), is bad for us. Is it even digestible?Any opinions on soaking beans, nuts/seeds, and whole grains such as rice and barley as opposed to sprouting? I’ve read that there are similar benefits without some of the drawbacks associated with sprouting but am not sure about this.It would appear that beans are truly “Magical.” How do I know? I sang the song as a kid and didn’t really know how much truth I was singing. . . Until Now! ;-)The starch in the beans and lentils, as far as I know, is hard on the digestive system. I’d rather cook them. They still have amazing benefits. After all, generations before us cooked them, ate them regularly and those who did that were healthy. In my country, monks would eat cooked beans daily, they get sick of eating it that often, but they hardly have health issues.Take care of your astrocytes – eat your beans….What about bean flours? Is there still the same benefit if you cook or bake with them?LWC, if the flour comes from the whole bean (no outer layer taken off, for example), yes, it`s exactly the sameWould the flour be more likely to increase blood sugar?Sorry for the very late answer. Yes, it matters even the dimension of flour particles. Coarser particles (like those obtained from stone grinders) rise less blood sugar than fine flour particles.Sadly too much sodium in canned beans most of the time, need to rinse them and it does remove some nutrients~Eden Organics beans are low in sodium. Cans are BPA-free. Worth the higher price, in my book.The BPA-alternatives are being reported to be just as bad, if not worse, in their own way. Google-it. Credible science. Call EDEN, ask them to switch over to glass containers. Many organic companies do it for tomato sauce, applesauce, certain fruits, and much more. The only reason they don’t use glass, as far as i can tell, is because canned beans are part of our culture. The time is ripe to switch to glass, EDEN.FYI: Eden already has a couple glass tomato products. So, I’m thinking they might be open to the idea of doing glass beans, depending on how much of a price increase it would entail.I think it would carry a lot of weight if Dr. Greger would reach out to EDEN and inform them of the credible science showing the BPA-free cans may not be so safe afterall. As far as cost, I think it is worth it. All we need is one company to do this. Obviously people are willing to pay for glass, they are doing it now. And as far as cost, I’ve seen bottles of cooked foods inside large glass jars for less than 2 dollars at whole foods…..bottles way bigger than a can of beans.Could you be more specific about what BPA lining alternative is harmful & how? According to the Oregon Environmental Council, the oleoresin used by Eden in bean cans is a safer alternative: http://www.oeconline.org/our-work/healthier-lives/tinyfootprints/toxic-prevention/safer-alternatives-to-bisphenol-a-bpaThen, there are also the Tetra Paks used by 365 (Whole Foods) beans.The best alternative I’ve found (after years of eating canned) is to cook them in a slow cooker. It’s very easy you just set it up and ignore it. There’s no need to pre-soak your beans and you don’t have to be there to monitor the process or turn off the stove. Cook ‘em with a bay leaf, a whole garlic clove or two and a halved onion (and no salt or they’ll get mushy) and voila they taste great.what a relief. I’ve got about 20 cans of organic lentils to get through.20 Cans! Oh sure its all fun and games with lentils until they explode. Then who’s laughing… not to mention the psychedelic hallucinations. This has all been documented here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYHEACE-v0k but does anyone ever talk about the real danger posed by uncontrolled lentil abuse? Noooo. The stigma of these little discs runs deep.Sure we keep some in the house but strictly for medicinal use here mister. 20 cans! Just for personal use?? Give over, Gary. Admit it, you’ve got a legume on your back…you’ve got a one-way ticket to …. Lentilism!Keep going Michael! I think we, soon or later, will change the world (environment, humans, and others species health) for the better. That’s my hope.This is really good to know. In fact surprised that cooked is better than raw (raw food eaters might not feel good about this, I am sure). My mom used to stress on eating sprouted than cooked but now with little difference, there is less pressure to sprout. What will be really interesting is to see the impact of both sprouting and cooking. Any guesses? :-)I just edited this article on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Greger#Criticism If someone wants to improve on that. The critisism of Harriet A Hall was left undebated, and that’s all a colleague required to completely dismiss nutritionfacts.org. And we can’t have that.Anyone that considers Gary Tuabes a “good writer”, doesn’t really know that they’re talking about. He is notorious for omitting information from studies and simply making stuff up, in addition to choosing extremely poor quality studies that do not support his theories. It sounds like someone that doesn’t like what Dr. Greger has to share wrote that one.Exactly. And it’s a shame that people take no further look than wikipedia to dismiss nutritionfacts.org, therefore it’s valuable that people take care of what is written on wikipedia about nutritionfacts.org. Please help.Han: I appreciate your effort. I didn’t even know that Dr. Greger had his own Wikipedia page. That’s pretty cool.re: “… that’s all a colleague required to completely dismiss …”That says more about your colleague than it does about the Wikipedia page. Many of the Wikipedia pages I’ve seen have some sort of “the other side of the story” section, whether legit or not. For example, there might be a section on “safety” for a food or “environmental impact” for a page on a package product. The existence of a Wikipedia criticism or even it’s content should not be enough to sway a professional ____, uh anybody. *Everyone* who is anyone has critics. And just because someone *says* that someone is say “cherry picking” doesn’t actually make it true. Wikipedia is just reporting that someone said that. It’s pretty sad your colleague doesn’t get that.I’m sure you already get this point I’m making. I just thought writing these points out might provide some helpful verbiage for anyone who ends up having a similar conversation as you and your colleague in the future.While I agree with you that the wording on the Wikipedia page needs some adjusting to be more accurate (though I’m not the person the for the job), that page is still going to be a criticism section when all is said and done. So, someone as unsophisticated as your colleague is never going to make a lot of progress, at least not from sources like Wikipedia.What bothers me more is the order of the sections. The “Criticism” section should be much further down on the page. I think that would be more consistent with other pages I’ve seen. I don’t know if you can fix that or not. I just thought I would throw it out there.Makes sense indeed. Critisism should not be the second point. It should be the last.Thanks for your feed. I moved it down a bit. Somebody else noticed my effort and removed the section I added again. And I added it again. And thus an edit war has started.I just took a peak and the Criticism section is at the bottom. Go Han!! :-)Thea, please help over here if you can: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Michael_Greger#Don_Matesz_mentionediting on wikipedia is really simple.Han: I’m afraid that all of my free time is taken up right now – a large amount of it by NutritionFacts. I just wanted to express my appreciation for your effort.Your post might encourage others to join in though. So, thanks for your post. :-)And that’s also a great job. :-)Battle criticism with appreciation I would suggest. How many universities have invited him to speak? If a list from universities to every other educational institution where lectures were given neutral facts turn into passive endorsement.The good doc is right wen he says sprouting is fun. Fun sprout song at gg.gg/sprout-songHey, Toxins, could you address the lectins issue here? (I know you’ve talked about them before–in other posts–and this seems a natural place to reiterate that info.) This issue is particularly important in light of the recent research, published by Oxford University Press, showing that lectins in peanuts survive cooking and digestion and stick to cancer cells that are already in the blood, thus contributing to metastases. https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/breaking-anti-cancer-news-ditch-the-peanuts-and-spread-the-word/To what degree are lectins destroyed by sprouting alone? By cooking? By cooking and sprouting? What temperatures must be used to destroy lectins?Are the lectins in some legumes (the red kidney bean family, for example) harder to destroy than in others? Are the lectins in smaller legumes (e.g., mung beans, lentils) easier to get rid of than those in bigger legumes?What about grains? Same questions.What about nuts and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, chia, etc.)? I’m particularly concerned about these because we usually don’t cook or sprout them. Does soaking help? To what degree are their lectins problematic?This was so helpful – thanks! After years of canned beans I’ve recently been using a slow cooker to make my cooked beans – just load it up and forget about it, so easy! And I find the beans taste much better than canned.Quick slow cooker basic bean recipe: 1 cup rinsed dried beans, 3 cups water, 1 bay leaf, 1 onion cut in half only, 2 whole garlic cloves, 1 thumbnail of peeled but whole fresh ginger. Let cook on high 4 hours depending on the age and type of the bean (older beans take longer, smaller beans less time). Don’t add salt during the cooking as it will make the beans mushy. When done discard the flavoring items (onion, etc).	aging,Alzheimer’s disease,anthocyanins,antioxidants,astrocytes,beans,boiling,brain disease,brain health,breast cancer,cancer,cans,chickpeas,chronic diseases,cognition,cooking methods,dementia,elderly,kale,kidney cancer,legumes,lentils,Lou Gehrig's disease,Parkinson's disease,phenolics,phytonutrients,polyphenols,raw food,split peas,sprouting	How do canned versus germinated beans (such as sprouted lentils) compare when it comes to protecting brain cells and destroying melanoma, kidney, and breast cancer cells.	Sprouting is so much fun! I’ve got tons of videos on broccoli sprouts, for example: Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck.But again, whichever way we like them we should eat them. Why? See:Mostly I just used canned. See Canned Beans or Cooked Beans?Other videos on practical prep tips include:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lou-gehrigs-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/boiling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/astrocytes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phenolics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/split-peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22916804,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23265523,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22659995,
PLAIN-2540	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/	Does Cholesterol Size Matter?	Maria Fernandez has received nearly a half million dollars from the egg industry and writes papers like this.She admits eggs can raise LDL, bad cholesterol, but argues that HDL, so-called good cholesterol, also rises maintaining the ratio of bad to good. This is the study she cites to support that assertion. But instead of cherry-picking this one study that she performed with Egg Board money, involving 42 people, if you look at a meta-analysis, if you look at the balance of evidence, the rise in bad with increasing cholesterol intakes is much more than the rise in good. Their meta-analysis of 17 different studies showed that dietary cholesterol increases the ratio of total to HDL-cholesterol ratio, suggesting that the favorable rise in HDL fails to compensate for the adverse rise in total and LDL-cholesterol and, therefore, that increased intake of dietary cholesterol may indeed raise the risk of coronary heart disease. The Egg Board responded by saying the increased heart disease risk associated with eating eggs needs to be put in perspective relative to other risk factors, arguing that it’s worse to be overweight than it is to eat eggs, to which the researchers replied: Be that as it may, it’s easier to cut back on egg intake than it is to permanently lose weight.Fine, eggs increase LDL, but it’s large LDL, this concept that large fluffy LDL are not as bad as small dense LDL. And indeed large LDL only raises heart disease risk 44%, instead of 63% for the small LDL. Light large buoyant LDL still significantly increases our risk of dying from our #1 killer. This was for women, the same was found for men. Large LDL only increases risk of heart attack or death 31% instead of 44%. Bottomline, as the latest review on the subject concluded, LDL cholesterol has been clearly established as a causal agent in atherosclerosis, regardless of size. Yet check out how the egg board researcher worded it. The formation of larger LDL from eggs is considered protective against heart disease, relative to small LDL. That’s like saying getting stabbed with a knife is protective… relative to getting shot!Health practitioners should bear in mind, that restricting dietary cholesterol puts a burden on egg intake and leads to the avoidance of a food that contains dietary components like carotenoids and choline. Now she wrote this in 2012 before the landmark 2013 study showing that choline from eggs appears to increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, and death, so she can be excused for that, but what about the carotenoids in eggs, like lutein and zeaxanthin, so important for protecting vision and reducing cholesterol oxidation. As I explored previously, the amounts of these phytonutrients in eggs are miniscule. One spoonful of spinach contains as much as nine eggs. And then compared the predictable effects on eye health: organic free-range eggs versus corn and spinach. But what about the effects of eggs on cholesterol oxidation? We’ve known for decades that LDL cholesterol is bad, but oxidized LDL is even worse. So, her logic goes, since eggs have trace amounts of these antioxidants, the implication is that eggs prevent cholesterol oxidation. But the science shows the exact opposite. Consumption of eggs increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidation. They found that not only does eating eggs raise LDL levels, but also increases LDL oxidizability, in addition to the oxidizability of your entire bloodstream. Was this also just published, so she couldn’t have known differently? No it was published 18 years ago, yet she still tries to insinuate that eggs would reduce oxidation.She acknowledges receiving funding from the American Egg Board and then claims she has no conflicts of interest.	I had no idea the “fluffy LDL” message was promoted by the egg industry and picked up by the Paleo proponents . I learn so much here.Veganrunner: It sure is an interesting world we live in.FYI: Plant Positive has addressed this issue in at least one of his videos. But Plant Positive’s videos are long-ish and not always for the lay person, in my opinion. So, I was thrilled to see Dr. Greger cover this issue. And the data Dr. Greger presented is something I don’t remember seeing in Plant Positive’s videos too. (It may be there and I just don’t remember.) This video is just so clear and right-on. I agree that it is great to learn so much here.Another excellent video which further erases silly paleo myths about cholesterol.Unfortunately, the foundation of the paleo diet is a myth, and I’m not sure they are very interested in facts, so much as hearing good news about bad habits. Thanks Dr. G for another great video!I see that blood sugar expert Dr. Mark Hyman also says that cholesterol particle size is important. What do you make of that? http://drhyman.com/blog/2011/01/28/seven-tips-to-fix-your-cholesterol-without-medication/The video you are commenting on should answer that question should it not?I’m trying to understand how two well respected experts have come to different conclusions. Would you mind telling us which of those many sources that Dr. G cites supports his statement that small LDL raises cholesterol 63% and large, 44%. Would you mind directing us to the source? Thanks for all the work you do, Toxins.Here are the studies Dr. Greger cites in the video supporting this claim. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2663974/ http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/113/12/1556.fullHere is another great video that examines this argument more in depth as well. Please see here http://plantpositive.com/25-cholesterol-confusion-8-a-l/It seems the doctor who was interpreting these studies for the egg Board was bending over backward to find data supporting egg consumption. Common sense tells us that eggs are high in cholesterol and it doesn’t matter how you characterize the cholesterol (fluffy), we have known for a long time that it contributes to heart disease. Maybe this doctor truly believes the message or maybe it is the paycheck that motivates the message.One of the authors is Volek. He is an outspoken proponent of the ketogenic diet for athletes. He has major conflicts of interest, including his association with the board.Yet, the ingestion of cholesterol doesn’t raise lipid cholesterol numbers in any meaningful way. So your premise is false.We can see an example of the problem of the century: corporations that can influence an entire nation policy.And the corporations had to think to their interests, so:1) MAXIMIZE profits.2) MINIMIZE losses.And the people’s health ?Well, that not fit in the equation.Ah, the incredible, inedible egg. I have been hearing a lot of hoo-ha from friends and family regarding the virtues of light fluffy LDL’s as opposed to its evil brethren, the small LDL’s and that one needn’t worry much about either because only oxidized LDL’s was harmful anyway. I often point out that if one were not consuming foods that would raise LDL’s in the first place, there would not be excess of LDL’s to oxidize. Now I come to find from the 2009 study sited in today’s video, that fluffy LDL’s raise hear disease risk by 44% as apposed the small LDL’s which raise it by 63%. What beliefs some people won’t cling to in order to justify their bad, familiar diets…Great video. The large vs small has been championed on medical “information” shows for a couple years now. Great to finally be able to discuss these claims intelligently! Thanks for showing us the numbers. I think this in another video I’ll add to my Elementary Stats class as an example of the misuse of statistics, and how by carefully wording your sentences you could actually be telling a partial truth. Reminds me of Darrell Huff’s book on “How to Lie With Statistics” written 60 years ago!Michael, the book is a free download on the internet. I just grabbed it…all 124 pages. Thanks for the mention.Having problems making comments? Disqus has been a bit wonky lately.http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2014/09/disqus-and-moderation.html?m=1This is the kind of information I’d like to see presented on the Dr. Oz show. It would certainly start a conversation. And for anyone who claims Dr. Fuhrman and Dr. McDougall are 99% in agreement, well, I guess maybe this is why McDougall says “NO meat or dairy”. Still Fuhrman accepts meat three times every week. I hope he doesn’t claim that is a vegan diet.As an added thought, one table I viewed showed one egg has between 70 and 80 mg of cholesterol while one large chicken breast has 165 mg. Meat eaters think they are avoiding fat by eating chicken. They are in disbelief when they lean how much cholesterol is in chicken.Hi slider1, yes I agree it’s unfortunate the tendency for people to think of chicken or fish as healthier. Sometimes we have comments on here with the sentiment that people are just being willfully ignorant if they’re eating unhealthily, but with all the misinformation in the lay media pointing to chicken, fish, dairy, eggs as being healthy “lean” proteins, coupled with a universal love for “healthy” fats like olive oil, and now coconut oil, I really sympathize with people who might really think they’re eating well but remain unhealthy and overweight. Especially since often those people really are putting in a lot of effort into counting, tracking, and restricting portion sizes. Whenever I talk to people about diet, it is always a huge revelation to think that including certain foods as a “protein”, or fat in the form of refined oils are *not necessary*.And not sure if you’re familiar with cronometer.com? It gets referred to a lot on here. It’s a food diary website, and links to USDA data. I find it easier to quickly look up nutritional stats then actually navigating the USDA databases themselves. It makes it very easy to manipulate serving sizes and see how the numbers change. And often they do use colloquial serving sizes e.g. 1 chicken breast, but will list the weight in g or oz along with it so you can see how they’re defining it. Could be helpful to put all these different references you’re encountering into perspective.One thing about is that Ornish actually recommends fish oil on his diet AND egg whites, but no one criticizes him for that. See this, http://ornishspectrum.com/proven-program/nutrition/ that egg whites and fish oils are in the MOST recommended food group. Fuhrman does not recommend any animal foods on his diet, including fish oil or egg whites. He may *permit* them, but he also *permits* junk food as long as all junk food and animal products are below 10% of calories- he recently changed this to 5%. Fuhrman acknowledges that animal proteins can raise IGF 1, which can cause cancer. Even T. Colin Campbell who found this truth about IGF 1 allows animal products as long as they are below 10% of calories. You might also criticize Fuhrman’s supplements, but he doesn’t sell fish oil, but rather an algal DHA supplement, and the D3 supplement is completely Vegan and not based on animal sources. I agree with not eating any meat at all, and it is great that McDougall says no meat or dairy. I try to go further than McDougall and not even eat it on Thanksgiving as you wouldn’t if you were following the Barnard diet. If you are truly following the recommendations of the Fuhrman diet, you won’t be eating animal products, but you would if you followed Dean Ornish’s recommendations.Here, Fuhrman links eggs with many diseases, such as colon cancer and diabetes. https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/eggs_cancer.aspx Another aspect to this issue is that Fuhrman wants to recommend what the science actually suggests on the subject. Does the science actually suggest that we cannot eat any animal products at all? He doesn’t for one moment claim with the Paleo crowd that animal products such as eggs are completely benign. I don’t eat animal products because there is just too much cruelty involved in it. Like I stated, even T. Colin Campbell didn’t claim that people cannot eat any meat at all if they want to be healthy. Of course, one cannot eat very much and be healthy. It has to be very limited, as Fuhrman stated about eggs. Of course, I try not to eat any at all, but this doesn’t depend on the science, but on my own value system.Dr. Fuhrman is a proponent of a “nutritarian diet” which heavily stresses greens, beans, fruits, veggies (esp leafy greens), seeds and nuts. He does not apply the word begin to his diet, although one may practice a vegan nutritarian diet. Like Dr. Greger, Dr. Fuhrman admits that there are many vegans and vegetarians eating lots of junk which is not healthy.NOT TRUE!!! I have his latest book right here–THE END OF DIETING (2014), in which he says animal protein of ANY kind should be 5% OR LESS, preferably none, of our calories. That’s NOT 3 times a week, unless you have just 1 bite!!You are right Laurie. I have never heard Dr Fuhrman say he was vegan but if I had to guess he probably is.I didn’t know where to place this insight, but I will put it here. I just realized what sets Fuhrman apart from the others is NOT that he advocates animal products any more than the rest, such as Nathan Pritikin and Dean Ornish did or do, but rather he is not in the very low fat tradition. This low fat tradition started with Walter Kempner and went through Nathan Pritikin, Dean Ornish, Esselstyn, McDougall and Barnard. All of these recommend a very low fat diet, but Fuhrman doesn’t. Fuhrman advocates eating nuts and seeds more than the others. He doesn’t recommend getting fat or anything from animals, or even vegetable oils for that matter, but rather from nuts and seeds. He is not in the high fat, low carb tradition, but just not in the very low fat, less than 10% of calories from fat tradition. He is plant based and does not advocate any animal products, but remember, some plants do contain fat.Oh yes. Good point. Actually I remember at one point while training more miles I reviewed Dr Fuhrman’s recommendation of what to do when you can’t keep the weight on while training and eating WFPB and he says eat more nuts. McDouggall would say eat more starch. Both recommendations will solve the problem. What do you think Daniel?Off for a run!I guess I would say both. However, that is not quite my problem just yet, since I am trying to maintain an enormous weight loss, But it does seem that beans and nuts both help hold the weight on. I need to get on my bike now, I have been putting it off. I am off today. When I work, I don’t put it off, since I ride to work and then ride back. I need to get going, but thanks.He must know!Dr. Fuhrman isn’t consistent. What you read in his book is different from what he says in the video and what I’ve read in his other articles. Still, how much damage can 5% meat do? McDonald’s hamburgers are “only” 1.6 ounces. One Fuhrman article says eat as much as three servings of meat each week. What is a ‘serving” The US Government says a small serving is 3 ounces. Sounds like Fuhrman is OK with five or six McDonalds hamburgers each and every week. Are we suppose to eat extra broccoli to combat the cancer cell growth? I think Dr. Fuhrman is still evolving and sometimes either forgets what he previously said or recognizes yet another standard he wants to advocate. Maybe he’ll tell us someday.Unfortunately, Dr Oz is part of the problem. He has given a platform to advocates of low carb high fat diets, including proponents of ketogenic diets. They all have asserted on his show the large buoyant fluffy LDL is supposedly benign. And Dr. Oz has played along without objection. In fact he has used his gimmicky contraptions to demonstrate the alleged “safety” of large LDL.Sounds like the egg board is taking a page from the climate denier playbook and just trying to get incorrect info out there that might sound logical to a layperson. This way, people can believe what they want to believe, or as so many omnivores I know say, “well, there’s so much conflicting info out the that I seems best just to eat a balanced diet”. Of course a balanced diet to them is some small amount of veggies with a meal, like a little squash or lettuce on a meat sandwich. It’s a sad tactic but usually works.http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/119/7/931.longLipoprotein Particle Profiles by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Compared With Standard Lipids and Apolipoproteins in Predicting Incident Cardiovascular Disease in Women“In summary, CVD risk prediction associated with NMR lipoprotein profiles in the present large prospective cohort of women was comparable but not superior to standard lipids or immunoassay-measured apolipoproteins. Thus, the present data support the use of standard lipids, in particular the total/HDL cholesterol ratio, which are highly effective and readily available, for routine CVD risk assessment.”Please explain the high TG on her raw vegan diet… .http://youtu.be/iMr7bP5IUeE?t=6mI don’t think your red herring adds much to the discussion. Also, this individual’s extremely restrictive raw food diet that includes primarily fruit is not even close to the recommendations of Dr. Greger. Equating her diet to the guidelines of Dr. Greger or Fuhrer would be like equating the Standard American Diet to Paleo.Anyways, her personal explanation is as follows: “For those who are asking, my triglycerides are OK. They show high but that’s because eating any carbs (especially fruits after you have gone some hours without eating) makes triglycerides go up. Given my perfect cholesterol levels it is nothing to worry about. Any food that had carbs will mobilize fat. Vegans often will test high in TG but have far less risk of heart disease.”Red herring? You buy her explanation? TG of 210 is not OK. HDL of 43 is not OK. She claims her cholesterol levels are PERFECT. High triglycerides coupled with low HDL increases risk for heart disease.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04Yes, it is a red herring. You seem like you are trying to associate her diet with Dr. Greger. You are also off-topic and distracting from the evidence in this video as you don’t even discuss the above evidence at all. Google “red herring fallacy” and you will see what I mean.Did you even watch the video you linked or the above video? I would ask you to note particularly where Dr. Greger discusses HDL cholesterol.I never said I buy her explanation nor do I endorse a raw food diet.Hi Eric, I re-watched Dr Greger above. Does he mention triglyceride levels? Did I miss that? Really linked the video but I couldn’t find him talking about triglycerides.Charles Grashow and I discussed this question with her doctor on Twitter. The TG number of 210 was postprandial, not fasting TG. (The doctor’s tests were actually more focused on potential nutritional deficiencies, and the lipids were tested incidentally.) Postprandially that is quite normal. That same number would be of concern if it were fasting TGs.The low HDL-C is not worrisome either under her circumstances. If her TGs were over 400 fasting, that would render the LDL-C calculation unreliable.As Dr. Ornish points out, the surest way to boost your HDL is to eat a stick of butter. Not the healthy way to go (see Seth Roberts).How much does TG rise postprandial? Assuming she did fast, would it fall to normal levels from 210? My point is the doctor was disingenuous is leaving that glaring point out of the discussion and claiming she had PERFECT levels when clearly the results said otherwise.How much do your TGs go up after a meal? Considering triglycerides of 150 fasting is considered a normal level, why wouldn’t 210 be normal after a meal? And if 210 is an unremarkable number, why would the doctor have to address it? Yes, he could have thought ahead to head off any potential confusion and debate, but he didn’t.A 40% TG increase from a raw vegan? Let’s assume her fasting TG is under 100, how much of an increase would that be? 100%?! Eating bacon and eggs wouldn’t shoot TG that high postprandial.My fasting TGs are 50 – so can we make any assumption as to what my PP TGs would be?As MacSmiley and I pointed out on Twitter as well – her VLDL was 42 which is not good at all. Dr. Davis said they will be be checking fasted LDL-P so will see if they post those results as well.Hi Really, Fully Raw Christina looks so Dog-gone healthy I can barely stand it! ( She runs 6 miles per day). Her B12 is off the chart. And if I understand correctly from your Youtube link, she took the supplement “a couple of times” in the last year. I have watched her videos in the past and she has said she doesn’t take B12. How the heck did the B12 get so high. What I noticed was her ferritin level. It is 7 ng/ml. That is low. (granted within “normal’ but just barely). But when mine is that level my legs feel heavy when running. And my endocrinologist says she would like to see it closer to 70 ng/ml. (so i take a plant based liquid iron)And as far as cholesterol and triglycerides it should be fasting since that is what the “ideal” levels are based on. I am surprised the doctor ran them. It will be interesting to see the fasting numbers. I do like the explanation from the doctor regarding HDL and how Christina doesn’t have dietary cholesterol in her diet so HDL lower is OK. I have never heard that before.So Really are you WFPB? Do you eat animal? I am just curious because Eric said Red Herring and I am wondering if you were just concerned and wanted answers or just saying “see vegans aren’t healthy”.So if any of my doctor friends read this should I not be concerned about Christina’s low ferritin (really mine)? Am I just imagining my heavy legs when my ferritin is that low?And i really enjoyed re-watching Dr Greger below. I can’t get enough of that brain.Also Christina has some great recipes for those that are interested. I am not raw but I enjoy her all the same. Her energy is off the charts. She reminds me of Dr. Greger.A study concerning ferritin. http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2012/07/09/cmaj.110950.full.pdfThoughts?Veganrunner:Interesting topic. I need to check my numbers, but I think I remember my doctor saying the thought my ferritin numbers were low. I have other issues to deal with and he wasn’t really that concerned or clear on the issue, so didn’t really address it. If you don’t mind sharing, what brand/which liquid plant based iron do you use?Thanks, – JJHi Thea, Gaia Plant Force. It works. Dr Greger has done videos on this before and I have talked with our resident doctors on this site. And they would probably tell me not to worry about it but I swear I can tell a difference when by ferritin is around 10. I have never gotten it above 45 regardless of what I do. Supplement. Eat C foods with meals. Concentrate on high iron foods. I just don’t absorb it well. But what is so curious to me is that Raw Christina must feel OK when she runs. Or at least I am assuming she does. You are welcome! GaleThanks a bunch!!!Thea a bit expensive but no gut issues for me with that particular brand.That’s really good to know. I’m willing to spend money on my health. :-)You made me concerned Really. I had to pull out my blood work. Triglycerides 79-Whewwwww!Is it okay then to eat only egg whites?Hi Normand, please see reply to paulgiomi’s comment with the same question. :)Egg whites have no cholesterol and are all protein, are they ok to eat?The following excellent comment courtesy of NF Team Member Toxins – I copied and pasted from another comment thread, hope this is ok with you Toxins. Btw this is one of those responses of yours I had in mind when I suggested an FAQ page a while back :) ________________________________________________________________________________________1. Egg whites are high in the amino Acid Methionine. Rice has 14 times less of this amino acid and beans 7 time less. When one consumes Methionine in a large quantity (like that found in egg whites), it is broken down into sulfuric compounds. these sulfuric compounds are buffered by the calcium of the bones. the result, over time, is osteoporosis and kidney stones. http://www.vivalis.si/literatu…2.Cancer cell metabolism is dependent upon methionine being present in the diet; whereas normal cells can grow on a methionine-free diet feeding off other sulfur-containing amino acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu…3. Insulin like growth factor is raised significantly by Methionine. Raised levels of IGF-1 = accelerated aging/tumor promotion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org…4. Sulfur from Methionine is known to be toxic to the tissues of the intestine, and to have harmful effects on the human colon, even at low levels, possibly causing ulcerative colitis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org…(information courtesy of Dr. McDougall)Wow! I learn so much from this website. Not just the outstanding videos but the comment section as well. Dr. Greger hit the nail on the head when he said “who has time to research this” . That’s why this site is an invaluable resource.How is methionine in nuts different than in eggs?The methionine in nuts is the same as the methionine in eggs. Methionine is an essential amino acid, and so is present in all whole animal and plant foods. The difference is in the amount: by calorie, egg whites have about 16 times more than nuts (at least the ones I checked – walnuts, cashews, and almonds).b00mer: Thanks for answering this. I was going to answer something similar, but you did a better job.Just to help supplement what you wrote, I’ll contribute a link I got from Darryl on the topic. He found a list of “Foods Highest In Methionine” from “Self Nutrition Data”. I don’t know how far down you have to go on the list to get to nuts, but it looks pretty far…http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22Per the nutritiondata link:1oz of raw english walnuts = 66.1 mg of methionine 1oz of whole, dried sesame seeds = 164 mg methionine 1oz of sunflower seed kernels, dried = 138 mg methionine1 egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled = 533 mg methionineI LOVE this man! Thank goodness he shares so much good information with us all. Thank you, once again, Dr. Greger!This is great! Responses to the most public statements on nutrition are so very needed. Has Dr. Greger made a response to the recent cover article in Time magazine on saturated fat being good for us? “Eat Butter”. Man. How they get away with that sort of thing is beyond me.Plant positive wrote a good response to this in Plantpositive.com.Daniel: Thanks for mentioning that article. I looked it up and thought it was a great piece.For anyone interested, here is the actual page that I think Daniel is referring to:http://plantpositive.com/blog/2014/6/28/how-time-magazine-sacrificed-its-standards-to-promote-satura.htmlUnfortunately Plantpositive is not picked up by main stream media. Wouldn’t it be great if Dr Greger was on the front cover of Time magazine exposing all the nutritional myths.Yes! We want dr Greger on the front cover of Time Magazine!Hi. We are not hearing from you enough. I miss your funny and informative posts.Veganrunner, I like your posts!I can take a hit and a insult to boot and keep on reading if it gets me better information. And I am no sweatheart myself even a quite difficult man to make a point come across, but Mr. Plantpositive has me beat by miles in abrasiveness and after about 60 video’s I just had to take a long break from his attitude. Still not feeling particularly jumping at resuming the torture after a 2 months break.There is a very good reason he is not being picked up by mainstream media, I suspect its a kind of a OCD/autism thing going on there, I don’t want to go full douche here on the guy, but damn he really is hard to swallow. Completely belittleling attitude towards just about everybody and towards thoughts readers/listeners might have while going through his work. He should get some proof reading support before he does his vids, to make it more palatable.There was however so much of what he put up also on Gregers site, that could conclude there is some coöperation going on between the two. In that case Greger being the face was certainly the right call.I think plant positive uses such an attitude in some situations when the offender is extremely dishonest or is hurting people’s health. Especially when they are renowned by the low carb community yet completely foolish. I think its more of a passionate tone, as his site and Dr. Greger’s are very different. Plant positive exists to debunk paleo myths exclusively, Dr. Greger is here to spread the latest in clinical nutrition. For the most part plant positive seems to restrain himself, especially in response to anthony colpo.Stuff like: I would be a fool to take fish(oil) for my fatty acids. People who prefer going to the gym instead of using their brain are %$@&^% (can’t remember) He is a primeval ape because he spends his time lifting weights, if that is how you want to spend your time you deserve …… No thank you very much, with the slight implication that everybody who at any time did take the other option was a easily gullible moron.You can make a list half a book long if you would have the patience of really going through all his video’s. And certainly only partially directed to promoters of bad science, he actually snuffs at people for just enjoying leasure time. In the end every single living person on accord of his or her past decisions gets ridiculed for some of their life choices. You can not sell something by slapping people in the face, it really is as simple as that The youtube numbers speak for themselves, 2 year old movies with less than 3000 views average.The guy should really find help, a few people who can help him filter out the condescending ego orgasms, edit his work a bit. And make his message palatable to more than just the most extreme hardcore nutrition facts junkies. I really think its a shame that he just completely destroys his own effords. Maybe there is a Amy Farrah Fowler out there for him, to just take bucked loads of shit and walk with it?Much of that is taken out of context, nor is all of that negative. It has never bothered me. I feel that the information he shares is worth hearing if I have to hear a few witty remarks.Plant positive wrote a good response to this in Plantpositive.com.How did they get away with that?Poor journalism and ad-driven hitmongering sensationalism. More specifically? By not factchecking the references in the highly inaccurate book upon which that article (and dozens like it) was based.Wow, this is one of my favorite videos so far! I love how Dr. Greger integrates the effect of eggs on LDL cholesterol, “fluffy LDL” & oxidized LDL with all the false claims out there that eggs are a healthy food. Well done!Ehwww, stabbed and shot? Must be better analogues than that particular one. Its kinda tacky.It’s all over the InterWebs, repeated by Dr. Oz, countless low-carbers rationalizing their atrocious lipids, and this pseudo-factoid has unfortunately even been repeated by Dr. Esselstyn in one of the videos on his website, as well as in “The Last Heart Attack” news special that was on a couple of years ago.Thomas Dayspring was correctly pithy when he said that fluffy is an idiotic adjective for large LDL.https://twitter.com/drlipid/status/481980713626267648Has Dr. Greger addressed the author Nina Teicholz and her book, The Big Fat Surprise? I heard her on NPR and now I am confused.Confused? Start at these two blogs which have not only documented Teicholz’s inaccuracies but also her plagiarism.Evelyn Kocur, low-carber herself, but decries dishonesty, false health claims, and pseudoscience in the low-carb community. She is a college chemistry prof with an experienced background in lab science:http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2014/05/book-review-big-fat-surprise-by-nina.html?m=1Once you’ve read that article, do a search for “Nina Teicholz” on the blog for more posts by Evelyn about the author. There’s lots of primary reference dirt.Also:Seth Yoder’s extensive review, part One and Two (which was written first):http://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/the-big-fat-surprise-a-critical-review-part-2/http://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/the-big-fat-surprise-a-critical-review-part-1/Dr. Greger, Thank you very much for providing this information. In the previous egg video, I asked these very questions. This video is the direct answer to my questions. I have always had two eggs a day. Now you have given me something to really think about.Like almost everything in life, you can line up experts on both sides of almost any argument or hypothesis. Even credible experts on both sides – which the author of this study clearly is not since she has a glaring conflict of interest, having received funding from the Egg Marketing Board and then claims she has “no conflict of interest”. Puh-lease!.So for just a minute let’s put aside our prejudices against omnivores (or vegans) and look at some facts with a truly open mind.I like to listen to both sides of an argument, look at the facts (not theories) from both sides and especially look at our evolutionary history to see what kinds of foods people all over the world have eaten for thousands, and hundreds of thousands, of years that sustain optimal health. That says more to me than anything any expert can say.So here is a fact to chew on that will likely cause some indigestion for many:1. Despite low cholesterol intake vegans and vegetarians do not live any longer or healthier lives than omnivores and carnivores.(As Dr. Gregor correctly points out it’s better to look at meta analysis (of many studies on one topic) rather than single studies which may be biased. That’s exactly the kind of meta analysis done in 1999 and again in 2009. They had identical conclusions:The 1999 meta analysis concluded “Comparing overall death rates between 27,808 vegetarians and 48,364 meat eaters there were no significant differences between vegetarians and non-vegetarians in mortality from cerebrovascular disease, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer or all other causes combined.”The more recent 2009 analysis (The EPIC-Oxford Study), reviewed the largest sample of vegetarians (33,883) ever examined and came up with identical conclusions, i.e. “Within the study, mortality from circulatory diseases and all causes is not significantly different between vegetarians and meat eaters.”So if eating eggs, meat and other animal foods is so dangerous to health, then non-vegans should be dropping like flies at much earlier ages. Despite what we might like to philosophically or morally believe, the facts prove this simply is not the case.The traditional Okinawan people have the longest lifespans in the world – plus generally excellent health until they finally die – and they eat fish and seafood 3 times a week.In southern Italy there is a blue zone where men live typically to 90 and 100 and they eat a fair amount of meat.Same in a blue zone in Greece with more emphasis on seafood and squid.That does not mean people should eat unlimited amounts of animal foods and animal food products. The Blue Zones proved that diverse people in 5 totally different regions of the world that on average lived longest (typically to ages 90-100) in excellent health ate different diets, largely based on whole plant foods, but NONE of these groups were vegans. Even in the only American group in the Blue Zones, the 7th Day Adventists in Loma Linda, California, only 4% of them were vegans.So in my humble opinion their are valid moral, ethical and religious reasons to be vegan but claiming “it’s better for your health” is simply not true as the facts show.To paraphrase Mr. Spock:“Eat a wide variety of foods, mainly whole plant foods, as well as organic wild and wild-type animal foods, then you can Live Long and prosper.”Here are the links to the two meta analyses I referred to above:Key TJ, Fraser GE, Thorogood M, Appleby PN, Beral V, Reeves G, Burr ML, Chang-Claude J, Frentzel-Beyme R, Kuzma JW, Mann J, McPherson K. Mortality in vegetarians and nonvegetarians: detailed findings from a collaborative analysis of 5 prospective studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Sep;70(3 Suppl):516S-524S.Key TJ, Appleby PN, Spencer EA, Travis RC, Roddam AW, Allen NE. Mortality in British vegetarians: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Oxford). Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 May;89(5):1613S-1619SFair points, but no comment on the main focus of this video, the harm that can be done by what some, including yourself, call ” the essential harmless ‘big fluffy’ particles of LDL versus the high density small particle LDL”?Tom Lang, you raise a good point about all of these pieces of theory that don’t fit with what really happens in various Blue Zones. As I mentioned previously the Kitavians are free of CHD with saturated fat and fish intake. But one thing that is interesting here is that I believe the Greeks, Okinawans, Kitavians, etc. all have a diet rich in plant foods. Their meat/fish consumption was very low relative to most American/European diets. Some researchers have postulated that there is a J curve for health and longevity for meat/fish consumption. A small about of meat/fish can be helpful, but if you eat too much it could be very bad. Others have suggested that meat/fish and eating tribes in Africa and the groups from frozen north that have very little plant foods are free of problems. But, I have heard conflicting information on how healthy these groups are. I would like to hear someone answer you and fit these pieces of the puzzle together. Is there one theory that really fits reality? I am not sure anyone knows what it is because of all of the complexities here.Hi Tom,Same here… from 2014:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016752731401290X“Data from observational studies indicates that there is modest cardiovascular benefit, but no clear reduction in overall mortality associated with a vegetarian diet. This evidence of benefit is driven mainly by studies in SDA, whereas the effect of vegetarian diet in other cohorts remains unproven.”What is going on here?JHHowever… this is a nice article. Eating fruits and vegtables does decrease risc…. http://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g4490.short About 5 servings a day is enough according to this systematic review, more does not provide more benefits. It also mentiones the strange result that vegetarians have no lower mortality risc.The fact that vegetarian doesn’t mean vegan. Those people eat plenty of animal products daily, all but meat.The SDA’s I know really do not have that healthy of a vegetarian diet. A few do but the majority eat rich foods, cheese covers everything, use plenty of oil, and they chow down on the desserts. Vegan or vegetarian does not equal a healthy diet.Maybe it’s because of “Subnormal vitamin B-12 status is prevalent (50%–70%) in vegetarians or vegans in Austria Germany, Italy, Australia, India and China ”http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/6/8/3259/htmHi Tom,I like your logical and scientific approach–Spock would be proud! :)) Not sure if you’ve had the chance to already see it, but here is a thoughtful piece Dr. G. made about the EPIC studies: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/re: “Despite low cholesterol intake vegans and vegetarians do not live any longer or healthier lives than omnivores and carnivores.”Here is a study showing vegetarians/vegans living significantly longer: (From PCRM Breaking News e-mail):“Vegetarians Live LongerVegetarian diets can extend life expectancy, according to early findings from the Adventist Health Study-2. Vegetarian men live to an average of 83.3 years, compared with nonvegetarian men who live to an average of 73.8 years. And vegetarian women live to an average of 85.7 years, which is 6.1 years longer than nonvegetarian women. This study is ongoing and includes more than 96,000 participants. The results further indicate vegan diets to be healthful and associated with a lower body weight (on average 30 lbs. lower than that of meat eaters), and lower risk of diabetes, compared with diets that include animal products.Fraser G, Haddad E. Hot Topic: Vegetarianism, Mortality and Metabolic Risk: The New Adventist Health Study. Report presented at: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic (Food and Nutrition Conference) Annual Meeting; October 7, 2012: Philadelphia, PA.”I know that some older studies show differently, but I believe the tide is turning as people learn how to eat healthy, not just vegan. Dr. Greger is working on a book about living longer. I’m very excited to see what he says in that book as it will be based on the latest information. For me, I think it is just basic common sense that if you are in a group that is getting less cancer, heart disease, etc, then your group is going to live longer.Hi Thea,Just a quick reply.I agree that slowly the tide is turning that some people are beginning to learn that they can heal themselves by eating healthier and being more active.For me one of the “gold standards” in living a healthy and very, very long life are the examples set by the many 90 and 100 year olds in the 5 Blue Zones. Although none of them are vegans, they do eat a mainly whole plant foods diet.Their longevity is also do to other factors aside from their diet. They do a huge amount of physical labor/activity their entire lives, have a tight knit supportive social community, have a strong spiritual base, abundant clean air, low stress, very strong family support and several other factors that all contribute toward a long and healthy life. It’s more than just the food they eat or don’t eat but that certainly plays a role.I look forward to Dr G’s forthcoming book.TomTom & Thea, here is the link to the more recent info on AHS2: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23836264It actually shows that Pesco-vegitarians may be more healthy than Vegans.Here is another Paper “Does low meat consumption increase life expectancy in humans?1,2,3http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/78/3/526S.long Both of these ideas are somewhat more supportive of the diet in these Blue Zones vs being a Vegan.I think it is important to note that a quality of a vegan diet can range significantly. A processed food vegan cannot be accurately compared with a whole foods plant based low fat vegan.These are 2 different animals.How many centenarians are or were vegans/vegetarians?Just a quick note, I saw that all the studies you mention were about vegetarians, but you comment about it as if the studies were done on vegans, like:“So if eating eggs, meat and other animal foods is so dangerous to health, then non-vegans should be dropping like flies at much earlier ages. Despite what we might like to philosophically or morally believe, the facts prove this simply is not the case.”Vegetarian in those studies are ovolacto vegetarians — and you can bet a few among them who also ate fish and still called themselves “vegetarians”, simply because they didn’t eat meat, but eat ALL other animal products.Vegans were such a tiny number that didn’t have any studies done until later.I read about the blue zones and the fact that they are consuming fish and they live longer at a comment below. That is partially true. This is not (the only reason) why people from Ikaria for example, live so long. First of all, they consume vegetables, and legumes mostly, and not so much read meat. They use olive oil to cook and not margarines and stuff like that. They drink red wine, they move, and then we have Vitamine D (we have loads of sunny days :)). We do not like the McDonalds. I know the post might be irrelevant to the subject of the video but I just wanted to answer to that comment. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/magazine/the-island-where-people-forget-to-die.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&amp;hey Dr Greger, what do you think of carbonated drinks?like caffeine free sodas, non alcoholic sweet malts, gassy water. trying to use them to get more carbs in.Are you saying that you would be calorie deficient without drinking these things? Why do you think it’s a good idea to consume empty calories?not deficient but would like to eat more, I know I know have natural juice, malt seems like a plant based low fat, kinda wholefood. I was thinking about some alternatives to plain water or fuit juice or coffee. im curious because maybe the carbonation makes the drink too acid, so that offsets the benefits of the drink.No matter how hard the egg administration tries to twist science, no matter how much they argue, no matter how loud the yell, no matter how hard they try to ignore dr. Greger (and Toxins!) – the fact remains: Eggs are a very unhealthy food…..the only positive thing you can say about eggs is that it promotes discussion….but at the same promotes atherosclerosis…..It’s not the egg, bacon, or butter that raises cholesterol, but rather the vegan muffin, pancake, waffle, hash brown, syrup, sugar in the coffee, and fruit juices in the morning.does this mean my egg beaters are not so good for me???Dan Jackson, Short answer: Stay away from anything containing any real egg, including egg beaters. There are two problems with eggs, the yolk and the white. (To paraphrase Dr. Barnard.)Long answer: According to Wikipedia, here is what is in egg beaters: “”Egg Beaters is primarily egg whites with added flavorings, vitamins, and thickeners xanthan gum and guar gum. It contains no egg yolks.”Since egg beaters do not have egg yolks, the cholesterol issue is not in play. But egg whites are just as bad for you. Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, now you know two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out some other health issues with egg whites.With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?Thank you so much for such a detailed answer….very appreciated…danThanks very much. I’m keeping a copy of these concise answers to forward to those who (as I used to) figure they’ve found a loophole to continue eating animal products without the risk. In my view the info presented by this NFteam is literally adding many healthy years to readers lives. Tell me where you live and I’ll come mow your lawn … soon.Coacervate: I don’t deserve any credit here. I’m basically just repeating what others have put together, especially Toxins and Darryl. But when I have the time, I do try to answer this particular question, because it comes up *all* the time. And understandably so. People deserve an answer.I’m so happy I helped more than one person with this answer!I’m basically just repeating what others have put together,” … Thats what we all do. except the lab boffins. Some are honest and some are just making it up as they go along. Those are the most dangerous of all!Agree. Thea is too humble. Thea adds value to this site.I agree that following a low-fat, plant-based diet is no guarantee that you will have a low or acceptable triglyceride level. But triglyceride levels can be controlled by selection of certain plant foods and rejection of others. Reject refined foods such as flours and white rice, empty calorie sugars, fruit juices. and smoothies. Some people may also have to restrict whole fruit consumption. Select foods that tend to keep triglyceride levels low, such as beans, lentils, and greens. Some people may benefit from getting most of their calorie intake from these three foods plus other vegetables, and a starch-resistant whole grain such as dark teff. Avoid less starch-resistant grains like regular corn and wheat. It would also be interesting to explore the practice of taking an amla tablet with each meal, along with a few nuts such as walnuts, and some potato starch. Potato starch, though it looks like a taboo, white, refined food, isn’t anything like potato flour; it has one of the highest starch resistant compositions of any food, and might be useful in regulating both blood sugar and triglycerides. Esselystn tells everyone to eat more legumes and greens, and he is absolutely right. The whole field of starch-resistant plant foods needs more investigation.In the website run by Dr. Ben Kim, a Canadian Chiropractor (who, while not a Vegan, advocates a diet based primarily on plant products – http://drbenkim.com/) I encountered a comment he made saying that the problem with cholesterol in eggs is eliminated (or at least reduced) by eating (infrequently) organic eggs cooked without their being subjected to high heat. Specifically he says that it is subjecting the cholesterol to high heat in the cooking process that produces the adverse effects. He recommends a Korean dish made by steaming eggs. This is would also appear to apply as well to the “65 degree” egg – that’s Celsius -, cooked for a long time at 65 degrees (150 Fahrenheit). This produces solid white and liquid yolk. They are delicious, but I now longer eat animal products. I wonder if somebody can comment on the underlying claims.Well, did he provide some sort of citation for this claim? If not I might presume that he’s just blowing steam in the way of keeping his customer base broad.Hello Judas Priest,I think what Dr. Kim is trying to get at is that oxidized cholesterol does not cause problems, although I have not seen any direct research showing the effects of low heat cooking on cholesterol oxidation. Regardless, oxidized cholesterol is not required for plaques to form, nor is inflammation. Inflammation certainly accelerates the process, but it is not the only thing that matters in the development of plaques. It has been shown that non oxidized LDL also constitutes plaque. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2877120/And also nonoxidized LDL typically precedes oxidized LDL in plaque formation.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1850639/I think its also interesting to note that saturated fat alone may produce inflammatory byproducts by your gut bacteria, thus influencing the level of oxidized cholesterol in the blood.“In a comprehensive literature review, we show that the body preferentially upregulates inflammation in response to saturated FA that promote harmful microbes. In contrast, the host often reduces inflammation in response to the many unsaturated FA with antimicrobial properties.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22970557Consuming unoxidized cholesterol will still increase serum cholesterol if your baseline is not already high.“Serum cholesterol concentration is clearly increased by added dietary cholesterol but the magnitude of predicted change is modulated by baseline dietary cholesterol. The greatest response is expected when baseline dietary cholesterol is near zero, while little, if any, measurable change would be expected once baseline dietary cholesterol was >400-500 mg/d. People desiring maximal reduction of serum cholesterol by dietary means may have to reduce their dietary cholesterol to minimal level”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.full.pdfFor these reasons, I don’t think it is supported by the evidence that eggs cooked on low heat are any healthier then eggs cooked normally.I know of one man who understood on an intellectual level that he was not making the lifestyle changes required to be healthy, but kept putting it off or backsliding. How could this one plate of eggs bacon sausage and spam hurt? Then he had the attack, the bypass, the recurring nightmare of angina. Then his understanding became more …. heart-felt. He’s doing so much better now that he got that click in his head. He that said the pleasure trap just ain’t worth it. I see him every morning when I brush my teeth.It is not easy for some to break their addiction. I had to adjust. The chopping up of the first steamed kale and potato casserole was a little difficult. After that it was just like spittin … now the angina is gone, the IBS(!), the weird mood swings, the joint/muscle pain. Just try it for a month and find out for yourself who is talking sense. WHOLE PLANT FOODS.You are living proof !! Hope you brush your teeth in the evening too :-) There is a link between poor dental health and heart disease (probably inflammation)Thanks PSDoc…message received and understood.Fernandez “chickened out” !!Can you please restore the transcript function which no longer works since the introduction of your new format. You managed to do so once, but now it does not work at all. I have mentioned this 3 times now & have been ignored. Not everyone has the speeds or likes the video format. Please attend to this. Thanks.Hi Adrian–Thanks so much for getting in touch about this! The transcript function is still available on the website (it’s just to the right of the video for most browsers), but it sounds like it’s not working for you. I’m sending you an email to gather more information about your browser set-up to see what we can do. If anyone else has issues with the website, please email me at tommasina@nutritionfacts.org. Thanks for helping us perfect the new site!So are egg whites “only” just as bad or is the yolk the culprit?Egg whites are about 95% protein and very little fat. They shouldn’t be a problem from a cholesterol stand point but intake of protein especially animal protein is a problem over the long run. There are over 60 video’s relating to protein… you might start with http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/.ifdmike: There are two problems with eggs, the yolk and the white. (To paraphrase Dr. Barnard.)Since egg whites do not have egg yolks, the cholesterol issue is not in play. But egg whites are just as bad for you. Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, there are two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out two other health issues with egg whites.With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?What about eliminating egg yokes from diet but retaining egg whites?Cappy228: There are two problems with eggs, the yolk and the white. (To paraphrase Dr. Barnard.)Since egg whites do not have egg yolks, the cholesterol issue is not in play. But egg whites are just as bad for you. Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, there are two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out two other health issues with egg whites.With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?Thanks for the reply. I understand. I like to bake. I use minimum egg white in my recipe. But I wondered what harm I was doing. Thanks again.Cappy228: Glad I could help.re: Baking. Have you experimented with “Flax eggs”? For recipes that call for 1 or 2 eggs, “flax eggs” work very, very well as a substitution. Then, not only would you be avoiding the problems with egg whites, but you would be gaining the great benefits of eating flax.A flax egg is typically described something like this: mix 1 tablespoon well-ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. I think I’ve seen recommendations about using warm water. But other times, I have seen recommendations about putting the mixture in the fridge for those say 10 minutes. And other times nothing is mentioned about temperature.I think it is worth playing around with.Thea, is there a problem with all those sensitive omega 3s in flax oxidizing when exposed to heat?Harriet: I believe that Dr. Greger has a video which addresses heat and flax, but I couldn’t find it. I’m not sure that video 100% answers your question anyway. I was able to find a post from someone else named “Jean” some time ago. She wrote:“Fortunately, the omega-3 in ground flaxseeds have been shown to remain unaffected when exposed to temperatures of up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, as part of a muffin mix, for two hours. http://www.livestrong.com/article/394798-can-we-cook-ground-flaxseed/ Found several web sites that say this same information but none of them sited who researched this.”So, I don’t know if this is true or not. If you find the actual study which says this, let me know. :-)Please help me with this problem. I went vegan Sept. 1, 2014, following the McDougall and Eselstyn eating plan. I had blood drawn 9-16-14 and my total cholesterol was 166. I was excited to try and get it to ‘heart attack proof’ of 150 or lower. I received my new blood report yesterday, 11-18-14 and my new Total Cholesterol number is now 191!!! WHat?!! I am SOOO discouraged and confused. I have been cooking totally differently without oils, eating more beans, greens and grains than ever. How can it go up? I can’t find ANY info on a vegan diet making the cholesterol rise. My naturopath told me it’s fine and not to worry about it. That it’s just my body balancing to its natural number. I can’t trust this after all the lectures I’ve watched over a lower cholesterol number and I am perplexed. Thank you for any help given.VeganMatrix: Well dang. Most of the time people experience only healthy outcomes of switching to the diets recommended by McDougall and Esselstyn (WFPB = whole food plant based). And as you describe, it sure sounds like you are sticking to that diet. So, your results are not just confusing, but sure to be frustrating.I’m not a doctor, but I have three thoughts for you. 1) incorrect results – it is possible that one or both of the tests you took gave you wrong numbers. What if your initial test was wrong and now you are lower than you were? Or what if this latest test is just wrong? Did you do a fasting test each time so that the results are comparable? Did they use the same lab for both tests? I raise this as a suggestion because, like you, I don’t remember ever hearing of a WFPB diet making someone’s cholesterol worse. So, maybe your are special (yeah? ;-) ) or maybe the tests are wrong.2) Are you losing weight? I may be incorrect on this, but I have the idea in my head that when you are in the process of losing weight, it can mess with your numbers.3) Is two and a half months enough time to really evaluate? I don’t think your naturopath’s idea of your body finding it’s natural number makes sense if your cholesterol really did go up. But on the other hand, maybe it is natural (just a wild guess here!) to have some fluctuations during a transition (which you are still in in my opinion) and after some time (don’t know how much!) you will get closer to that 150 mark. ???I really don’t know. Those are just some ideas. On the proactive side, I highly recommend taking a look at the following link. You should be able to use the foods listed at the bottom to tweak your current WFPB diet in order to maximize cholesterol lowering. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/Hope that helps.sorry for the wrong spelling- Esselstyn!Thea: Thank you very much for you response since this has me completely perplexed and discouraged. I spent the month of August vacationing overseas and it was a time of indulgence. I went from 123 lbs to 127 lbs ( 41 yr old, female, 5’3 inches) I decided upon arriving home to start a plant based diet. Spending hours watching NF videos, Esselstyn/Caldwell Lectures, and watching plant-based chefs. I stir-fry in water, eat lots of rice/veggies, vegan chili/stews, grains and started consuming lots of potatoes/root vegetables. During this time, I upped my coffee/espresso intake (4-6 a day) since my circumstance provides all the free coffee bar drinks I want. Could that be the culprit alone? The new foods I transitioned with are Gardein products (2-3x per week), soy milk daily, tofu 1-2x per week. I cut out the use of eggs, dairy, butter – but use rationed amounts of vegenaise, earth balance 1-2x per week. I have no idea…1. I have lost the weight gained over my vacation month and am down to 122 lbs. I run 3x per week usually on a treadmill making sure I complete 3.2 miles each time.2. The first test was a preventative to see my baselines from my ob-gyn. The second testing was from a different office (naturopath). Maybe one did it wrong? I am so concerned and discouraged it might be worth paying to have it drawn again but I don’t want to waste money having it done too soon. Should I wait two months, keep eating WFPB but risk another jump in numbers?3. I have read online (Harvard website) that some people turn carbohydrates in glucose quickly and it raises their triglycerides too much? Should I go back to more condensed forms of protein (animal products and lower the complex carbs) Although the idea of eating animal products is traumatizing to me, now that I’ve taken in so much information. I am truly at a loss on how to proceed. The thought of my cholesterol jumping 25 points in 2 months is terrifying to me. Especially since my husband ( who’s family is rampant with heart disease) and my 4-year old eat the same way. Am I harming my health and my family’s health in a misguided attempt to be healthier?Once again, thank you for listening and responding. It feels better to atleast type this frustration out!VeganMatrix: That coffee question is interesting. I had never heard of a link between coffee and cholesterol before, but your post prompted me to do a quick search. It turns out, there is some evidence of a link. I don’t generally follow Dr. Weil, because I think a lot of his information isn’t that good, but this page seems pretty helpful: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA401225/Does-Coffee-Raise-Cholesterol.htmlSo, it depends on the type of coffee. And also note this sentence which I think is key: “They found no relationship between the amount of coffee the study subjects consumed and an increased risk of death from any cause, including cancer or cardiovascular disease.”Note that our NutritionFacts.org site generally has positive things to say about coffee. (But far more positive things to say about green tea. So, if you can make the switch, that’s even healthier.)Your diet is not perfect, but it sure is a million times better than most people’s diet. So, my lay person’s gut feeling is that your current diet would not contribute to cholesterol raising above what your previous diet was.I do think it is key that you likely had the two tests done at different labs. And also I think it is key to try to remember what time of day the two tests were done. It’s my understanding that cholesterol levels can change over the course of a day – especially after eating. While we may live most of our lives in a post-prandial (after meal) state, I would think that one would have to do fasting cholesterol tests in order to be able to compare results from two different test. I may be wrong about that, but if I’m right and if your second test was not done say in the morning before breakfast, it could be really hard to compare results of the two test – if they are even right.Since you are so stressed about this, I would suggest doing something to ease your mind now rather than waiting. But if you at all can, I would go back to the ob-gyn because that is where you got your baseline.I would also want to make sure that when you were given both numbers, they were talking about the same thing. Were both numbers from the tests about total cholesterol? Can you double-check?Triglycerides is different than cholesterol. It is a different type of fat. If your cholesterol levels went up, that doesn’t tell you what happened to your triglycerides. Also, I would think that there is no way that adding cholesterol back into your diet would help lower cholesterol. So, there is no reason to traumatize yourself with adding unhealthy food back into your diet.I think you should be proud of what you have accomplished so far. See if you can get another test with the same lab as the first one. If waiting won’t be too big of a burden, it might help to wait so that you have some real time to see differences. If the third test shows you are right in line or just below the second test, then you would have some pretty good evidence that your current diet is not causing your cholesterol to continue to spiral through the roof. And it may show that the first test was just a freak, wrong test. Or it may be that the third test is right in line with the first, indicating that the second test was wrong… I think you just need more data before making decisions.That’s my 2 cents. I hope you will report back and let us know how it went.Thea, once again THANK YOU for having compassion for my question and giving me a better perspective! I took a deep breath and decided that it is too little information to make any adjustments back toward cholesterol-laden foods. The coffee connection is interesting. All coffee I drink comes from a french press, so I will start cutting back now. Thanks for the link. I am going to keep trying to learn the WFPB recipes and tweak our diets away from the vegan transitional foods. I think I left some really healthy habits (although I was consuming animal products) I think I have used more ‘vegan junk foods’ than is advised. (vegenaise, earth balance) I am going to cut back on all of that. I feel so much less inflammation in my body and no longer need pain relievers on a regular basis. Also my digestion has been working better than ever. My skin looks great and the lymph nodes in my neck are not swollen for the first time that I can remember! With those benefits I can’t see going backwards just b/c of some cholesterol tests. Neither one of the tests showed the differentials just TOTAL Cholesterol number. (both were fasting tests, but different times of day, with different amounts of time- 15 hours of fasting on 1st, 11 hours of fasting on 2nd) I am going to give it a few more months and test again with the 1st lab. Thanks again for all your time and thoughtfulness in your responses. Happy Vegan Thanksgiving to you and yours! ;)Can you believe this video from the Discovery channel?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhFbsvb2jbQThey even used a study from Maria Fernandez in the video (1:29).DNews usually does a great job on their research. What a disappointment…I have heard many people say that eggs and especially egg whites are good for us. You clearly show why whole eggs are bad but how do I answer the egg white issue?schki: Here is what I share with people when they ask about egg whites:There are two problems with eggs, the yolk and the white. (To paraphrase Dr. Barnard.)With egg whites, the cholesterol issue is not in play. But egg whites are just as bad for you. Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, there are two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out two other health issues with egg whites.With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! I really appreciate the time you took to answer it and all the amazing information that you all put out! I will share this with others and again THANK YOU!Dr. Greger,The liver regulates cholesterol and provides the amount that we need, so how can cholesterol have this detrimental of an effect if the liver regulates it? I am confused as to the physiology behind this. As an aside, I am a vegeterian and eat 3 eggs a day, so I don’t want to believe this is true, but am willing to change my ways.Thanks,Josh S.Is there a health argument against egg “whites”? As a vegan, I get asked this question a lot. Thanks!JR: Egg whites are just as bad for you. Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, there are two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out two other health issues with egg whites.With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources?I also think that Dr. Greger recently posted a video on how animal protein can raise insulin levels (or was it glucose?). I’m not sure if that applies to egg whites or not. And the search feature in NutritionFacts is not working right now. But hopefully you can find it yourself if you are interested.Hope that helps!Did you see in the most recent addition of the “AARP Bulletin” April 2015 Vol. 56 page 15 under the title Health Shots They say that eating eggs and shellfish is OK for healthy people to eat?Hi Peggy. No I did not see that. Feel free to post a link or any references if you’d like and I can investigate more. Some info on shellfish can be found here and here. And eggs if interested. Thanks for your post, Peggy.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21262005 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24233487You hate research that doesn’t confirm your bias, don’t you?Thanks for sharing these, Kevin. No, I think the opposite is true. We do not “hate” any research and we are glad when people post studies on our website.Had my blood test done and a bit disappointed with my cholesterol levels. My triglyceride was 89.4 (I think that is good). My LDL is 105.7(I think that is good) Total Cholesterol is 151.2 (also ok I think) BUT my HDL was only 40.5 (I think that is bad/way to low). I’ve been all plant based for 2 years with lots of greens and raw fruit and veggies, nut and seeds. I walk over 90 minutes every day and I’m not at all over weight (5 foot 6 and 120 pounds). Before going all plant based I was vegetarian. I really thought my HDL would be great	American Egg Board,cholesterol,choline,corn,eggs,HDL cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,lutein,mortality,phytonutrients,spinach,stroke,zeaxanthin	How do American Egg Board arguments hold up to scientific scrutiny, such as the concept that large fluffy LDL cholesterol is protective compared to small, dense LDL.	This is why a site like NutritionFacts.org can be so useful, because even when a paper is published in the peer-reviewed medical literature, it can misrepresent the science. But who has time to check the primary sources? I do! If you’d like to support this work, please consider making a tax-deductible donation.Here are some other videos in which I contrast the available science with what the egg industry asserts:Only the meat industry may be as bold:BOLD Indeed: Beef Lowers Cholesterol?For more on the role of cholesterol, see:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zeaxanthin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/choline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hdl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lutein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16534013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988128,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16317122,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22037012,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11815327,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19204302,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23257303,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23614584,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9001684,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2648148,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11333841,
PLAIN-2541	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/	Telomeres: Cap It All Off with Diet	What about exercise? We can't always change our station in life, but we can always go out for a walk. Researchers studied 2400 twins, and those that exercised more pumped up their telomeres along with their muscles.These were mostly folks in their 40s, does it still work in your 50s? Yes. These "habitual" exercisers were working out three hours a week, better than the younger group. The "heavy" exercise group was only averaging about a half-hour a day. What happens if you study hard-core athletes?Here's the telomere lengths of young healthy regular folks at around age 20, and then age 50, which is what we'd expect, our telomeres get eaten away as we age.But what about the athletes? They start out in the same boat, nice long young healthy telomeres capping all their chromosomes. And then at age 50? They appear to still have the chromosomes of a 20 year old. But these were marathon runners, triathletes running 50 miles a week for, oh, 35 years. That's worse than the meditation retreat!That doesn't help us with the original question, What was it about the Ornish intervention that so powerfully protected telomeres after just three months? We saw that just stress management seems to help, but what about the diet versus exercise. Was it the plant-based diet, was it the walking 30 minutes a day—or, was it just because of the weight loss? In those three months, participants lost about 20 pounds. Maybe your telomeres are happy if you lose 20 pounds using any method, you know, starting a cocaine habit, getting tuberculosis, whatever.To answer this critical question—was it the plant-based diet specifically, the exercise, or the weight loss—ideally you'd do a study where you randomized people into at least three groups, a control group that did nothing, sedentary with a typical diet, a group that just exercised, and a group that lost weight eating pretty much the same diet, but just in smaller portions. And I'm happy to report in 2013 just such a study was published.They took about 400 women and randomized them up into four groups: a portion-controlled diet group, and exercise group, and a portion controlled diet and exercise group for a full year.And here they are. This is how long their telomeres were at baseline. After a year of doing nothing, there was essentially no change in the control group, which is what we'd expect.The exercise group was no whimpy Ornish 30 minute stroll, but 45 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise like jogging. After a year of that, how did they do? They did no better. What about just weight loss? Nothin'. And exercise and weight loss? No significant change either.So as long as you're eating the same diet, it doesn't appear to matter how small your portions are, or how much weight you lose, or how hard you exercise, after a year, they saw no benefit. Whereas the Ornish group on the plant-based diet, lost the same amount of weight after just three months, exercising less than half as hard and saw significant telomere protection.So it wasn't the weight loss, wasn't the exercise, it was the food.What about a plant-based diet is so protective? Higher consumption of vegetables, less butter, and more fruit. From the latest review, foods high in fiber and vitamins, but the key may be avoiding saturated fat. Swapping just 1% of saturated fat calories in our diet for anything else can add nearly a whole year of aging's worth of length onto our telomeres. Researchers have calculated how much of our telomeres we may shave off per serving of foods like ham or hot dogs, bologna, salami, or other lunch meats. Fish consumption was also significantly associated with shortened telomeres.Saturated fats like palmitic acid, the primary saturated fat in salmon, and found in meat, eggs, and dairy in general can actually be toxic to cells. This has been demonstrated in heart cells, bone marrow cells, pancreatic cells and brain cells. And the toxic effects on cell death rates happen right around what you'd see in the blood stream of people who eat a lot of animal products. It may not be the saturated fat itself, though saturated fat may just be a marker for the increased oxidative stress and inflammation associated with those foods.With this link to saturated fat, no wonder lifelong low cholesterol levels have been related to longer telomeres and a smaller proportion of short telomeres—in other words markers of slower biological aging.In fact there's a rare congenital birth defect called progeria syndrome, where children essential age 8-10 times faster than normal. It seems associated with a particular inability to handle animal fats. They started trying lower her cholesterol levels starting at age 2, but sadly, she died shortly after this picture was taken at age 10.The good news is that even if you've been beating up on your telomeres, despite past accumulated injury leading to shorter telomere lengths, current healthy behaviors might help to decrease a person’s risk of some of the potential consequences, like heart disease. Eating more fruit and vegetables and less meat, and having more support from friends and family to attenuate the association between shorter telomeres and the ravages of aging.To summarize, here's a schematic of this constant battle. Inflammation, oxidation, damage and dysfunction are constantly hacking away at our telomeres, at the same time our antioxidant defenses, a healthy diet and exercise, stress reduction are constantly rebuilding them.Telomere length shortens with age. Progressive shortening of our telomeres leads to cell death or transformation into cancer, affecting the health and lifespan of an individual. But the rate of telomere shortening can be either increased or decreased by specific lifestyle factors. Better choice of diet and activities has great potential to reduce the rate of telomere shortening or at least prevent excessive telomere shrinkage, leading to delayed onset of age-associated diseases and increased lifespan.	Would the plant-based saturated fats, when eaten in abundance, such as those in avocado, macadamia nuts, other nuts and seeds, be causative as well? I understand the part about the saturated fats from meat and other animal products causing harm, but some of us vegans eat lots of saturated fats from the plant kingdom, and I think that is worthy of understanding regarding telomeres. Most of us have here have already eliminated animal products (that’s my guess).Believe me, you don’t “eat lots of saturated fats” if you consume a whole food plant-based diet, even if you eat avocados and nuts. However, of course you eat certain amounts of saturated fats and then your question it’s a good question. In my opinion, I believe that the synergetics effects of eating the diet that our species was made to eat (yeah, science already can show as that we are herbivorous) can easily handle that amount of plant-based saturated fats. Wish you the best (sorry, my english it’s not great)Filipe: Do you have any references that show that humans are herbivores? (i’m not challenging your claim. I just like to know so I can successfully argue with my omnivore friends.)We descend from frugivore apes, but we adapted a superior ability to digest starch, which allowed us to migrate away from the equator. I think the most accurate way to classify humans today is as a starchivore. Here is an anthropologist from Dartmouth on the subject. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0PF5R0ywp4descend from frugivore apes!! about how many million years ago ! I do have a question: what I see is that many vegetarians/vegan try to compare human diet against gorilla, bonobos diets..etc and they would say we have to eat similar diets as them. humans separate millions of years ago from a ape like animalbut really we so far separated from gorilla and bonobos. diet comparison between us and them I think has no validation. we can only look at our species as homosapiens . 98 % dna is the same is being sad. what is really meant by that. is just 1 single dna strand 98% the same. or of the billion of cells ..etc.George: I’m very fond of the following paper for information about human biology and whether we are designed to eat meat or not: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.htmlAlso, if memory serves, this video shows the many areas of human biology that supports the idea that humans are closer to herbivores than omnivores: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH-hs2v-UjIHope that helps.Fascinating, wonderful presentation! Thank you, Thea.When I said science I was saying that if you pick up all the science facts in our physiology, anatomy, evolution, human nutrition, etc. you can easily see how this come true. However, you can read and see about all this topics in the references that Ben gave. Enjoy the ride, it’s really eye opening :)The best presentation on this subject I’ve seen/heard is Dr. Milton Mills. It’s very compelling and only the most stubborn Paleo eater would not be totally convinced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee25u3YccHkActually, I can very easily eat over 200 percent of RDA for fats by ingesting too much tahini, macadamia nut butter, coconut butter, and other nuts and seeds. There are vegans who ingest these amounts of fats on a daily basis – 2 to 3 avocados is not abnormal for some vegans – and I think this is a reason for Dr. Greger to address the role that plant based fats have on telomeres. If they are bad as well, when eaten in abundance which some vegans think is OK just because they are “plant based fats”. Addressing this issue, as far as its possible detrimental role on telomeres, might end up helping some vegans stop ingesting so much reckless amounts of plant based fats.Neither saturated fat nor cholesterol has anything to do with causing heart disease, and low cholesterol is linked with a long list of devastating health problems. When blood becomes too thick, it abrades the walls of the arteries, causing inflammation. The inflammation draws the cholesterol because the cholesterol is trying to help by covering the abrasion. Cholesterol is a response to cardiovascular inflammation. It can be a predictor of heart disease because it means you are inflamed but it is NOT the cause. Neither cholesterol or saturated fat has anything to do with heart disease. Unhealthy cooked animal fats like trans fatty acids will cause lots of inflammation and can lead to heart disease, but not raw, plant-based fats. It’s not about total cholesterol when predicting heart issues, it’s about total cholesterol / HDL ratio. Also, fat is the primarily fuel for the human body, not carbs (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/a-metabolic-paradigm-shift-fat-carbs-human-body-metabolism/). Breast milk is 54% saturated fat. Low fat 100% plant-based diets will lead to major deficiencies EPA/DHA, selenium, zinc, iodine, and many times iron.Cholesterol is only found in animal-derived fats or produced naturally by the body. Plants do not have cholesterol but do have essential fatty acids and omegas fats. Note in Dr. Gregers video that telomeres were lengthened with a plant-based diet and some exercise. Animal Cholesterol causes heart disease, athrosclerosis and many other inflammatory artery ailments. please refer to the oodles of videos on the reaction of cholesterol. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=CHOLESTEROLThe saturated fat in animal-based foods may be a marker for other aspects of those foods that increase the risk of heart disease, such as l-carnitine.The composition of breast milk varies among women and is also dependent on the length of time a woman has been lactating. On average, 45% of the calories of breast milk come from fats of all types, with a percentage of that being saturated fat. 54% of breast milk being saturated fat isn’t likely.“Neither saturated fat nor cholesterol has anything to do with causing heart disease, and low cholesterol is linked with a long list of devastating health problems.”Yikes…. Are exactly the cause of heart disease. I suspect you got the “information” from paleo sites or similar, but please make sure you really contrast what you hear. Science is very clear about the direct relation of consuming saturated fat and cholesterol and heart disease (and are being strongly linked to a lot of other diseases). It is also false that is it dangerous to have very low cholesterol, as Dr. Greger commented already:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/And also see these blog entries with their videos (lots of them) regarding saturated fat and cholesterol:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/Also check Dr. Esselstyn. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/ Check Doctor’s Note in that video for an introduction.Thule, I suggest you read many of the studies I have already posted. Cooked fats (animal or plant) cause inflammation which can lead to CVD but that’s due to the inflammation caused by toxic substances produced by cooking, not raw saturated fat. And high total cholesterol has nothing to do with causing heart disease it’s the total cholesterol/HDL ratio. Someone with a 300 total cholesterol and 95 HDL is at no higher risk for CVD.Those “studies” must has been sponsored by the industry. They are going against thousands of other studies. Science already left the point settled long ago.One more for you, since you didn’t bother to check the ones referred in this very site.http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=381155“Each quartile of increased consumption of total fat and polyunsaturated fat was associated with a significant increase in risk of new lesions. Increased intake of lauric, oleic, and linoleic acids significantly increased risk.”Dr. Esselstyn didn’t reverse terminal patients by following your ideas, but by eliminating all fats. (And of course, all cholesterol) 100% WFPB diet.When the doctors you mention achieve anything like that by doing what you (and they) sponsor then you would be at the same level. But until then, only Dr. Esselstyn can talk, because he CURED them. He keeps taking people that were left to die, too sick to have more interventions. No with drugs, nor with surgery. Can your doctors do the same…? There the challenge. :)(Actually your “doctors” keep getting richer by promoting a diet what will fill their clinics with patients who will require medication for life, and expensive open heart surgeries)But Joe, the cholesterol debate to the side for a minute, there seems to be a lot of evidence that animal based fats and proteins are responsible for various diseases, such as arthritis, alzheimer’s, COPD, MS, etc.Also, the Rotterdam study, while it appeared to show that cheese was protective of the heart, it was determined that it was the various forms of vitamin K2 that was protective, which is actually a by product of fermentation and can be received through natto (if you happen to like it) or via a K2 supplement, which is how I take it. K2 was found to help direct calcium from soft tissue and organs and the blood and put it back in the bone where it belongs.So given all this, why bother with animal products, their risk and negative environmental impacts if you can just eat more cleanly and put yourself at less risk. And if you’re a good cook, you won’t miss much of anything from the animal world.Best of health to you, MarkJoe, try explaining why there is no record of someone with cholesterol levels below 150 having heart disease…http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com… – “Our study provides an updated epidemiological indication of possible errors in the CVD risk algorithms of many clinical guidelines. If our findings are generalizable, clinical and public health recommendations regarding the ‘dangers’ of cholesterol should be revised. This is especially true for women, for whom moderately elevated cholesterol (by current standards) may prove to be not only harmless but even beneficial.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/cont… – “However, convincing evidence from the Prospective Studies Collaboration meta-analysis supports that the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol is a powerful predictor of CHD (27) and that this ratio is more predictive than is LDL cholesterol.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… – “The Mantel-Haenszel method of analysis of survivorship data showed a significant inverse relation between serum cholesterol concentration and overall mortality in men (x 2/2 = 11.6; p = 0.003) and women (x 2/2 = 7.6; p = 0.02) with odds ratios of 2.3 and 1.9 respectively. Similar significant inverse relations were found for cancer and “other” causes of death. These relations remained significant when baseline age, systolic blood pressure, and the Quetelt index were controlled in Cox’s proportional hazards regression model. The results of this study provide evidence for a potentially deleterious effect of low serum cholesterol concentration. Hence, further research is needed before indiscriminate efforts are made to lower serum cholesterol concentrations in New Zealand Maoris.”Joe, you might want to post proper references for your papers. I clicked on your first link, and it just brought me to the Wiley front page. I’d like to take a look at your study, but I can’t because I have no reference, and your links are incomplete.Uh oh… incoming Paleo believer. So many factual errors in one post. Ugh.For me butters (or oils) are not whole plant-based foods, so this kind of food was not included in my comment (are a lot of vegans that eat really bad – processed foods and fake meat). I think that 3 avocados is abnormal for everyone, if the people don’t see this by them selfs…I wouldn’t be concerned about tahini, as most of the fat in it is not saturated. Macadamia nut butter is a little more saturated but is still primarily mono-unsaturated. That said, it’s possible that the saturated fat in animal-based foods is actually a marker for other aspects of animal-derived foods that are problematic.Avoid coconut butter and coconut milk, yet whole coconut seems to be acceptable. But I wouldn’t overdo it.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/Regarding avocado, see Dr. Greger comment: “This new tarragon finding reminds me a bit about the in vitro data raising questions about the safety of avocados (Are Avocados Bad for You?) that thankfully appeared to not translate out in a population study. I’ll keep an eye out for new data and post to the NutritionFacts.org Facebook page.”Check out: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avocados/Besides the we are meant to be herbivore claim you are locked into an absurd belief that what is natural is good. Natural man was meant to live to about 40. Small pox which is natural killed 100 million people, the plague, all those natural delights. It is all the unnatural things that have extended our lifespan like immunizations, antibiotics, anti cholesterol meds, etc You want to practice a vegan religion fine, but please don’t bring in science, or do a little reading outside of anti GMO and organic food sites and get educated with facts rather than slogans.Ok, it’s your opinion. I don’t agree with you. I am extending my lifespan JUST eating “natural” (produced only by nature), whole plant-based foods, so I think nature gave all living beings ways to natural prolong their stay on earth. We, human beings, have the luck to have the capacity to think, explore and learn this ways (but the general people just want the easy way – like you say: “immunizations, antibiotics, anti cholesterol meds, etc.” – and by the way, in the end, eating a healthy diet is the easiest way). Locked are the 99% of the people in this world, unfortunately :(Actually, modern technology hasn’t extended the adult human life expectancy all that much. What it did, was reduce the child and infant mortality. The life expectancy of a 30-year old adult in 2015 is not that much longer than the life expectancy of a 30-year-old adult a few centuries ago. If you want to extend your adult life expectancy, the best thing you can do is try to prevent the top 10 killers, and Dr. Gregor has published a video on that topic. It turns out that eating lots of plants prevents almost all 10 of the top killers. It seems the human body runs very well on plants… consuming meat throws a monkeywrench into our body.Fun fact: Only herbivorous mammals can develop atherosclerosis. The clues are there. Put it together!The main saturated fat in the plant kingdom is coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut butter. It is the highest saturated fat in the plant kingdom and acts just like butter in your arteries. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/There are a few things that don’t seem to add up here. First in the video above, the first few studies show that exercise lengthens telomeres. But in the study based on the question about the contribution of diet, there was no benefit from exercise. How come? what am I missing? Also in regards to coconut. In certain South Pacific cultures like the Kitava in the Trobriand Islands (PNG), heart disease and stoke are nearly unknown. Yet about 20% of their diet is from fat mostly from coconuts. So in this case were they are getting lots of saturated fat, they are free from CHD. Why the contradiction???Exercise lengthens telomeres, but plant-based diet AND exercise lengthens telomeres even more than exercise and SAD diet. Are the South Pacific cultures eating the coconut flesh only?….or are they also eating fish, pork, chicken or pressing the coconut to make oil or milk? Just recognize that Cholesterol is only found in animal-derived fats or produced naturally by the body. Plants do not have cholesterol but do have essential fatty acids and omegas fats. Note in Dr. Gregers video that telomeres were lengthened with a plant-based diet and some exercise. Animal Cholesterol causes heart disease, athrosclerosis and many other inflammatory artery ailments. please refer to the oodles of videos on the reaction of cholesterol. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=CHOLESTEROL Plant-based fats are different, and coconut has the most saturated fat of any plant-based whole food fat. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/The Kitavians eat some fish almost every day with dinner. They use the whole coconut as a whole food. They use every part of it. So they get almost 20% of calories from fat. Most of it is saturated fat from the coconut. They get plenty of saturated fat and eat fish. Their Cholesterol ratios are not so great. In spite of this, they have no CHD. When a few of them have moved to cities and eat the processed food they got CHD.Also, saturated fat from plant foods/nuts and dairy may not be associated with Atherosclerosis.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3396447/In the U.S., 37% of calories from fat is considered a “low fat” diet. So, the Kitavian diet can be thought of as relatively quite low in fat, with only about half what most Americans consume. Not as low as an Esselstyn style diet (10% cal from fat), or Okinawan (6%), but fairly low all the same.Also, if a fair amount of that fat is coming from coconuts, then they are getting the benefit of the fiber consumed with the whole food. Quite different from western diets where the main source of fat is fiber-free oils and animal foods. And if the other primary fat contributor is fish, then they may have a higher omega 3 consumption than most westerners as well.I eat a whole foods plant based diet, no oil, no animal foods, and some days I can approach 20% if I have a bit more tahini or nut butter than usual. It doesn’t take much of a high fat food to make that percentage jump, no matter how many pounds of vegetables, fruit, beans, and grains I’ve eaten that day. So for Kitavians, if they’re eating lots of coconut and no refined foods, and keeping their fat percentage to only 20%, that indicates to me that they are eating a heavily plant based diet, which really isn’t that high in coconut or fish, compared to whatever other foods they’re eating in terms of starches or vegetables.It could be that the saturated fats in animal-based foods are merely a marker for other aspects of meat and dairy that increase the risk of heart disease, such as the inflammation-promoting l-carnitine.It is possible. It is surprising that dairy in protective which means that it may have something good in it. Here is a different take on this question from Colin Campbell. Apparently, he doesn’t think that saturated fat is much of an issue.http://nutritionstudies.org/fallacious-faulty-foolish-discussion-about-saturated-fat/But, again in context of the article and a reductionist viewpoint…it is the animal-derived proteins AND the accompanying high amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol, with a less-likely consumption of Plant-Based wholefoods that contribute to shorter telomere length. The complex actions and nuances allow for recognizing the Wholistic approach necessary when choosing a dietary approach. One thing is clear, the greater the consumption of Plant-Based WholeFoods, the greater opportunity for telomere lengthening….and a little exercise wouldn’t hurt.Cholesterol or saturated fat doesn’t narrow the arteries, that’s a myth, inflammation does. When blood becomes too thick, it abrades the walls of the arteries, causing inflammation. The inflammation draws the cholesterol because the cholesterol is trying to help by covering the abrasion. Cholesterol is a response to cardiovascular inflammation. It can be a predictor of heart disease because it means you are inflamed but it is NOT the cause. Neither cholesterol or saturated fat has anything to do with heart disease. Unhealthy cooked animal fats like trans fatty acids will cause lots of inflammation and can lead to heart disease, but not raw, plant-based fatsLook at Plantpositive.com which has a long series of videos which demonstrates a very convincing case for the lipid hypothesis. Healthylongevity.blogspot.com also has good arguments against your point of view.Do you know why they call it the lipid “hypothesis” as opposed to the lipid “theory.” You would think there would be enough evidence for the lipid hypothesis to graduate to the level of theory.Plantpositive mostly refers to it as “diet heart.” He does a very thorough job through many videos of debunking the cholesterol skeptics or “confusionists.”Joe,How did you conclude that “neither cholesterol or saturated fat has anything to do with heart disease?http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=CHOLESTEROLhttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/Based off tons of scientific data… and no, Daniel, you are the one who is confused.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/535.full – “A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD.”http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1846638 – “Current evidence does not clearly support cardiovascular guidelines that encourage high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of total saturated fats.”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2011.01767.x/full – “Our study provides an updated epidemiological indication of possible errors in the CVD risk algorithms of many clinical guidelines. If our findings are generalizable, clinical and public health recommendations regarding the ‘dangers’ of cholesterol should be revised. This is especially true for women, for whom moderately elevated cholesterol (by current standards) may prove to be not only harmless but even beneficial.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/93/4/684.full – “However, convincing evidence from the Prospective Studies Collaboration meta-analysis supports that the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol is a powerful predictor of CHD (27) and that this ratio is more predictive than is LDL cholesterol.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7357343?dopt=AbstractPlus – “The Mantel-Haenszel method of analysis of survivorship data showed a significant inverse relation between serum cholesterol concentration and overall mortality in men (x 2/2 = 11.6; p = 0.003) and women (x 2/2 = 7.6; p = 0.02) with odds ratios of 2.3 and 1.9 respectively. Similar significant inverse relations were found for cancer and “other” causes of death. These relations remained significant when baseline age, systolic blood pressure, and the Quetelt index were controlled in Cox’s proportional hazards regression model. The results of this study provide evidence for a potentially deleterious effect of low serum cholesterol concentration. Hence, further research is needed before indiscriminate efforts are made to lower serum cholesterol concentrations in New Zealand Maoris.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8353914 – “The results of disclose a sizeable subset of hypocholesterolemics in this population at increased risk of cardiac death associated with lifestyle characteristics.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7772105 – “Our findings do not support the hypothesis that hypercholesterolemia or low HDL-C are important risk factors for all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease mortality, or hospitalization for myocardial infarction or unstable angina in this cohort of persons older than 70 years.”http://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2001/03000/Low_Serum_Cholesterol_Concentration_and_Risk_of.7.aspx – “These data indicate that low serum total cholesterol level is associated with an increased risk of suicide.”Your meta analyses studies showing saturated fat not linked with cholesterol compares diets who have displaced calories towards refined carbohydrates or trans fats/other junk foods. There is not a debate amongst the educated community about whether cholesterol or saturated fat is linked with heart disease. That is a debate for fringe bloggers to have and “broscientists” who think they are smarter then people who research this stuff for decades. Your evidence is incomplete and misconstrued.“Broscientists”–I am stealing that!None of the evidence is incomplete or misconstrued, saturated fat does NOT cause heart disease. When you cook fats (animal or plant) you turn them into toxic substances such as trans fatty acids and those cause inflammation which promote cause heart disease (CVD is caused by inflammation, by the way). Raw coconut (very high in saturated fat) does NOT. In regards to cholesterol… risk is not determined by total cholesterol, it’s the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL. Guess what raises HDL? COCONUT. Comparing cooked saturated fats to raw coconut saturated fat is what would be “incomplete and misconstrued” “evidence”. That’s like saying the vegan diet is unhealthy because you followed vegans who drank soda and ate donuts and oreo’s and therefore concluded a vegan diet is health damaging.Cholesterol, coconuts, and diet on Polynesian atolls: a natural experiment: the Pukapuka and Tokelau island studies – “Two populations of Polynesians living on atolls near the equator provide an opportunity to investigate the relative effects of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol in determining serum cholesterol levels. The habitual diets of the toll dwellers from both Pukapuka and Tokelau are high in saturated fat but low in dietary cholesterol and sucrose. Coconut is the chief source of energy for both groups. Tokelauans obtain a much higher percentage of energy from coconut than the Pukapukans, 63% compared with 34%, so their intake of saturated fat is higher. The serum cholesterol levels are 35 to 40 mg higher in Tokelauans than in Pukapukans. These major differences in serum cholesterol levels are considered to be due to the higher saturated fat intake of the Tokelauans. Analysis of a variety of food samples, and human fat biopsies show a high lauric (12:0) and myristic (14:0) content. Vascular disease is uncommon in both populations and there is no evidence of the high saturated fat intake having a harmful effect in these populations”. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7270479You can have what is considered a high total cholesterol but if your HDL is high enough to provide a healthy ratio, you are at not more risk for heart disease.I don’t know where to begin, there are so many things that are wrong or off base with your statements. We’ll start at the top.Cooking fats does not turn them into trans fats, that is simply untrue. Oxidizing fats (adding an oxygen) and altering the structural isomer (same chemical formula, just an alteration in structure) are 2 different things entirely.Just because saturated fat is more “stable” does not mean it is better for us, in fact, this is a reason why saturated fats are not good for us, because they are so stable.“In a comprehensive literature review, we show that the body preferentially upregulates inflammation in response to saturated FA that promote harmful microbes. In contrast, the host often reduces inflammation in response to the many unsaturated FA with antimicrobial properties.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22970557Saturated fat alone does not cause heart disease. It functions to raise cholesterol and to bring about inflammation.“The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al.,1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432HDL is not the protector of heart disease like you may think, and LDL matters far more.This study found that while genetically lowered LDL helped prevent heart disease, genetically elevated HDL was not protective.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21358543This study found the same thing, genetically raised HDL was not protective.“Some genetic mechanisms that raise plasma HDL cholesterol do not seem to lower risk of myocardial infarction. These data challenge the concept that raising of plasma HDL cholesterol will uniformly translate into reductions in risk of myocardial infarction.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3419820/HDL is known to “scavenge” LDL particles, but to have high HDL cholesterol is not something to see as a positive. A low fat diet decreases HDL because there is less total cholesterol, thus less of an HDL presence. Thus a low HDL may not be a biomarker of poor health, but a high HDL may be an indicator of a poor diet.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC296399/Evidence to find that raising HDL is heart protective is lacking, as this major review found. “This systematic review and meta-regression analysis of 108 randomised controlled trials using lipid modifying interventions did not show an association between treatment mediated change in high density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths whenever change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol was taken into account. We found a statistically significant, substantial association between change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths, adjusted for other lipid subfractions and drug class.”They note we should focus on LDL, as this is what has shown to have the most effect, not HDL.http://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b92Yes HDL can draw cholesterol out of foam cells, but LDL is causing this in the first place, and as of now, there is no evidence that raising HDL will protect you from high LDL.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1001689#t=articleTopIn regards to your paper, it should be noted that these populations were overweight, and the Tokelauans were more overweight then the Pukapukans. Interestingly the Tokelauans were the ones who ate more saturated fat, so this makes sense. In addition, the groups were too small to draw any conclusions about their rate of heart disease. “The samples of adults on the two atolls are, however, too small for definitive studies of coronary heart disease and vascular disease.” Furthermore, the only means to measure the degree of atherosclerosis was an ECG, which only measures the electrical beats of the heart. Modern methods of determining plaque was not used, nor was mortality data used to see what they died of. The study is EXTREMELY limited and is not even worth noting. Based on this study, it is clear your standards for evidence are very low.The most long lived, and healthiest populations have the lowest fat diets, this is a fact.Trans fatty acids are just ONE example of unhealthy fats and toxins created by cooking fat, not the only one. Again, you posting studies done on people eating cooked fat diets as well as not taking any consideration to triglycerides is USELESS. You can have high HDL and still be at a major risk for heart disease because the foods you are eating are very inflammatory and toxic, it has nothing to do with the high HDL.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8528755 – “Changes in total cholesterol/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios were better predictors of risk for coronary heart disease than were changes in LDL cholesterol levels alone. When assessed as percentage changes averaged during the first two months of intervention, they were among the best discriminators of risk. Clinicians selecting treatments for intervention should include among their considerations the treatment’s effect on both LDL and HDL cholesterol rather than their effects on LDL cholesterol levels alone.”http://annals.org/article.aspx… – “Current evidence does not clearly support cardiovascular guidelines that encourage high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of total saturated fats.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… – “Our findings do not support the hypothesis that hypercholesterolemia or low HDL-C are important risk factors for all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease mortality, or hospitalization for myocardial infarction or unstable angina in this cohort of persons older than 70 years.”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com… – “Our study provides an updated epidemiological indication of possible errors in the CVD risk algorithms of many clinical guidelines. If our findings are generalizable, clinical and public health recommendations regarding the ‘dangers’ of cholesterol should be revised. This is especially true for women, for whom moderately elevated cholesterol (by current standards) may prove to be not only harmless but even beneficial.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… – “The results of disclose a sizeable subset of hypocholesterolemics in this population at increased risk of cardiac death associated with lifestyle characteristics.” It would be nothing less than foolish to believe that fat, carb, and protein percentages is the reason why some of these cultures live longer than others. They eat lots of plant-based foods, exercise moderately and live happy, low-stress lives. Raw plant-based fats do not cause heart disease and you have yet to show any shred of evidence that they do. You look at studies done on people eating horribly unhealthy diets and associate that with the fat when it’s really the toxicity and inflammation caused by unhealthy foods. Furthermore, your point on how those cultures who ate lots of coconut were overweight only further proves my point in regards to saturated fat not causing heart disease since being overweight would INCREASE their chances of heart disease…. so they are overweight and eat lots of saturated fat and yet no CVD. I’m not saying go out and eat massive amounts of coconut, I’m saying raw saturated fat has nothing to do with heart disease.I am disappointed that you did not coherently read my post, and only offer a quick retort with no value. What you are saying is unjustified, and the studies you present have many issues. You must not let your zeal blind you.Not really, unfortunately you mistake unhealthy, inflammatory, toxic diets with fat content and like to pretend all fats are bad. I suggest you do some more research. Take a look at Lou Corona and Gabriel Cousens if you think high-fat diets are unhealthy. They both eat raw living fats and are in excellent shape in their 60’s. These are merely two examples. Again, your conclusions on fat are very, very misleading and illogical. What you are saying is the equivalent to saying vegan diets are unhealthy because you studied vegans eating donuts and drinking soda all day.Because you know old people who eat a certain way does not mean that eating that way will preserve health. Have you heard of 90 year old smokers? The same argument can be used. You do not understand my posts, and you are not even attempting to understand them. You only acknowledged what you like to and ignore the rest with no considerations. There is not substantial evidence that unsaturated fats are inflammatory, this is false. Saturated fats are, this is true. My posts are not illogical, you are just failing to grasp the issue because you have a preconceived idea that cooking fats results in significant harm, and that raw fats somehow are healthful. Have you looked at the nutritionfacts of coconut oil? Please point to the healthy aspects of coconut oil with high quality studies and not from your favorite blogger.Why do you keep bringing up some type of blogger? All my posts are scientifically proven, you are just experiencing some major cognitive dissonance right now. WHERE IS YOUR EVIDENCE THAT RAW SATURATED FAT IS INFLAMMATORY? It doesn’t exist, in fact, the opposite exists showing no correlation between coconut and heart disease. In regards to unhealthy diets, cooked fats are not the only culprit. Unhealthy inflammatory diets cause heart disease, not saturated fat and this has been shown in plenty of huge studies regardless of your irrelevant opinion that they don’t mean anything.It is obvious you are copying and pasting, that’s why. You keep posting low quality studies which you do not understand yourself. If you see sarcastic quotes around phrases in the article something is clearly fishy with the authors’ intentions and should be a red flag for you. I already posted studies indicating the inflammatory effects of saturated fat, cooked or not. The smoke point is high on saturated fats and thus it avoids rancidity. It is important to note that you are under the assumption that oxidized cholesterol and inflammation are necessary for plaques to form. This may not be necessarily true. Even studies that use oxidized omega 6 showed that the the participants did not have any oxidized LDL or HDL, so clearly there is a disconnect with your theory. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16270280Inflammation is a process that starts from the gut, as that is where food is absorbed. As I already pointed out, inflammation is upregulated in the presence of saturated fats and promotes harmful gut bacteria.It also appears that oxidation of cholesterol is not the whole story for heart disease. Trans fats raise LDL and lower HDL but do not stimulate oxidation. Trans fats are well known to be harmful though, so your story is not in its entirety. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/141/9/1673.longLDL does not have to be oxidized to enter the endothelium and become foam cells, the beginning stages of heart disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2877120/Indeed, nonoxidized LDL’s typically precede accumulation in aortic lesions, thus LDL does not have top be oxidized. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1850639/In animal models which are typically accurate predictors of humans, “Substantial evidence has now accumulated for a major role of dietary fat subtypes in insulin action. Intake of saturated fats is strongly linked to development of obesity and insulin resistance, while that of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) is not. This is consistent with observations that saturated fats are poorly oxidized for energy and thus readily stored, are poorly mobilized by lipolytic stimuli, impair membrane function, and increase the expression of genes associated with adipocyte profileration (making their own home). PUFAs have contrasting effects in each instance. It is therefore not surprising that increased PUFA intake in animal models is associated with improved insulin action and reduced adiposity.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10889797In human models,is higher on a saturated fat rich diet, saturated fat increases insulin production, the accumulation of liver fat was also present on a saturated fat diet. See a relationship with the review on animal models? http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/95/5/1003.longThus, your statements and beliefs about saturated fat are far too simplistic and as I have pointed out many times before, incomplete.You have not shown ONE study proving that raw saturated fat is inflammatory, nice try. You’re trying to save face because everything you thought you knew about saturated fat and heart disease got thoroughly destroyed. Raw coconut is rich in enzymes and a variety of health-promoting phytochemicals that are all destroyed when you cook them. Raw saturated fat from coconuts has been proven over and over again to not have anything to do with heart disease. I’m not going to keep repeating myself. It’s obvious you are stuck in your close-minded, delusional ways and think you know what you’re talking about because you’re an “NF team member” (lol). You are the one with very simplistic views on saturated fat, thinking it causes heart disease without taking into account the inflammatory and toxic diets of those being studied.Oh Joe, you are far too gone. Don’t mirror your insecurities on me, I am not the one who does not understand the evidence I am sharing. That was made clear with your trans fat blunder. I coherently see the big picture, and have shared multiple studies to show that the issues you fret about in diet are not issues and what you accept as health is hurting you. You are looking through a narrow key hole in regards to heart health with no desire to understand basic nutrition. It is clear you have been swayed by a book/blogger. It is highly improbable that you came to these conclusions on your own, as the studies you have presented are shots in the dark. Good luck to you JoeI know far, far more about health and nutrition than yourself. Sorry you are stuck in outdated dogma. Go tell Gabriel Cousens that he doesn’t understand the evidence, either, I’m sure you are more qualified than him as well. Typical amongst the “natural health” community, someone gets proven wrong or cant back up their claim (like that raw coconut is inflammatory or causes plaque) and then they retort to insults and misinformed/unintelligent accusations of stealing information from some random blogger. Kind of pathetic on your part. I am not swayed by any one’s opinion, I’ve shown countless studies proving my point both in regards to saturated fat in general and raw coconut not causing CVD. Your ego is only going to prevent you from learning, again I’m sorry are a victim of outdated information. INFLAMMATION causes heart disease and raw coconut does not inflame the arteries in any way, shape, or form. Again, your elementary logic is the equivalent to thinking all vegan diets are unhealthy because you studied vegans who ate donuts and chocolate chip cookies all day while drinking soda and Kool-Aid. By the way, ketones prevent oxidative stress and our primary fuel is FAT and protein, which is why there are no essential dietary carbs but there are essential fatty acids and essential amino acids.To each his own Joe, I prefer not to fall for fad diets and misconstrued science. The more you post the more ridiculous I see your view to be. You continue to report nutrition myth after myth which only circulate through the blogosphere of broscientists who like I said at the beginning, think they are smarter then people who research this stuff for decades. It is evident you have no intention of actually researching the issue. Cherry picking data is not how people should come to dietary conclusions. Good luck to you Joe, I hope your prized blogger serves you wellAgain with the petty insults because you simply have no retort for the massive amounts of evidence I have shown. Two studies with nearly a million people combined on top of all the coconut studies on top of the study proving plant saturated fat has zero impact on CVD on top of various paradoxes such as the French Paradox is not “misconstrued” science. I don’t follow any bloggers but it’s clear that you like to use that ridiculous statement when you get backed into a corner. I consider all sorts of evidence but the evidence you are posting does not point to saturated fat itself being linked to heart disease. You think it does because you fail to acknowledge that saturated fat from different sources has different effects on the human body, and you also fail to acknowledge other damaging effects from these people’s diets which are highly inflammatory and toxic and instead just blame it on the saturated fat. Have a wonderful day :) Oh and by the way, Gabriel Cousens has been “researching stuff for decades” and he has the exact same opinion in regards to saturated fat, as do many awakened health professionals who study the latest research and don’t just blindly repeat dietary dogma.Saturated fat raises cholesterol -> LDL cholesterol in elevated amounts forms plaques.Inflammation is not required for this process, nor can HDL save someone from developing plaques, as LDL is a far better predictor. That is a convenient excuse for the cholesterol raising effects of coconut oil. These are obvious things I have shared with you. I find it extremely hard to believe you have equally evaluated the research I shared. It was more likely then not ignored by you, because its not something you want to hear. And again, stop accusing me of all these negative things, this only shows the fragility of your argument. Also, look at any fad diet and you will have a leader who has been “researching this stuff for decades”. Your arguments are recycled paleo arguments.“Coconut fats account for 80% of the fat intake among Sri Lankans. Around 92% of these fats are saturated fats. This has lead to the belief that coconut fats are ‘bad for health’, particularly in relation to ischaemic heart disease. Yet most of the saturated fats in coconut are medium chain fatty acids whose properties and metabolism are different to those of animal origin. Medium chain fatty acids do not undergo degradation and re-esterification processes and are directly used in the body to produce energy. They are not as ‘bad for health’ as saturated fats. There is the need to clarify issues relating to intake of coconut fats and health, more particularly for populations that still depend on coconut fats for much of their fat intake. This paper describes the metabolism of coconut fats and its potential benefits, and attempts to highlight its benefits to remove certain misconceptions regarding its use.” – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17180807“The Case groups had significantly higher intakes of meats, eggs, sugar, tea, coffee and fruits, but lower intakes of soy products, rice and cereals compared to the controls. Coconut consumption as flesh or milk was not different between cases and controls. The cases had significantly higher intakes of protein and cholesterol, but lower intake of carbohydrate. Similar intakes of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids between the cases and controls indicated that the consumption of total fat or saturated fat, including that from coconut, was not a predictor for CHD in this food culture. However, the intakes of animal foods, total protein, dietary cholesterol and less plant derived carbohydrates were predictors of CHD.” – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15563444“”Although dietary recommendations have focused on restricting saturated fat (SF) consumption to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, evidence from prospective studies has not supported a strong link between total SF intake and CVD events… A higher intake of dairy SF was associated with LOWER CVD risk. In contrast, a higher intake of meat SF was associated with GREATER CVD risk. The substitution of 2% of energy from meat SF with energy from dairy SF was associated with a 25% lower CVD risk. NO ASSOCIATIONS were observed plant or butter SF and CVD risk” – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3396447/“Two populations of Polynesians living on atolls near the equator provide an opportunity to investigate the relative effects of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol in determining serum cholesterol levels. The habitual diets of the toll dwellers from both Pukapuka and Tokelau are high in saturated fat but low in dietary cholesterol and sucrose. Coconut is the chief source of energy for both groups. Tokelauans obtain a much higher percentage of energy from coconut than the Pukapukans, 63% compared with 34%, so their intake of saturated fat is higher. The serum cholesterol levels are 35 to 40 mg higher in Tokelauans than in Pukapukans. These major differences in serum cholesterol levels are considered to be due to the higher saturated fat intake of the Tokelauans. Analysis of a variety of food samples, and human fat biopsies show a high lauric (12:0) and myristic (14:0) content. Vascular disease is uncommon in both populations and there is no evidence of the high saturated fat intake having a harmful effect in these populations” – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7270479 This is for anyone not brainwashed by dogma and ego and who has an open mind or interest in seeing the reality of saturated fat and heart disease (which is that they SF doesn’t cause it, either directly or indirectly).You keep recycling studies, some of which I have told you why they should be discounted. It is ironic you keep calling me dogmatic. As I said before, I am not very interested in continuing this conversation on deaf ears. Good luck to you.Actually, many of them you just blatantly ignored because it didn’t support your weak arguments and others you had extremely poor responses to. What’s your excuse for the plant SF study? What’s your excuse for the Sri Lanka community? What’s your excuse for the two populations who eat massive amounts of coconut and don’t suffer from heart disease? And i’ll respond to your other post here…. coconut oil raises HDL as well as LDL, your point? As I’ve shown with many studies, it’s not high LDL that is a factor in heart disease when it comes to cholesterol, it’s total cholesterol / HDL ratio. As long as you have high HDL to go along with high total cholesterol (say 300 / 90), you are not at risk at all. And as I’ve also shown with many studies, very low levels of LDL is associated with a wide range of health problems. Funny how you call high-fat diets a “fad” even though our body’s primary fuel is FAT, again, a poor attempt at an insult. Please, tell me again what our dietary essential carbohydrates are.We’ve gone down this road before Joe. I already explained why the atoll study was extremely limited in scope, did you forget that or simply not read my response? Similar issues are seen with the other population studies you share, they just record food intake between people who have CVD and people who don’t. Saturated fat was about the same on both, whos to say that those without CVD will not develop CVD? This provides little insight. The fact that fiber is so low in both groups provides a strong indication that the carbohydrates came from unhealthy sources, such as refined carbohydrate sources. These are the types of low quality studies you find to be overwhelming evidence for coconut fat. I find that shocking.Lets go down this again, please read what I am posting this time.This study found that while genetically lowered LDL helped prevent heart disease, genetically elevated HDL was not protective.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21358543This study found the same thing, genetically raised HDL was not protective.“Some genetic mechanisms that raise plasma HDL cholesterol do not seem to lower risk of myocardial infarction. These data challenge the concept that raising of plasma HDL cholesterol will uniformly translate into reductions in risk of myocardial infarction.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3419820/HDL is known to “scavenge” LDL particles, but to have high HDL cholesterol is not something to see as a positive. A low fat diet decreases HDL because there is less total cholesterol, thus less of an HDL presence. Therefore a low HDL may not be a biomarker of poor health, but a high HDL may be an indicator of a poor diet.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC296399/Evidence to find that raising HDL is heart protective is lacking, as this major review found. “This systematic review and meta-regression analysis of 108 randomised controlled trials using lipid modifying interventions did not show an association between treatment mediated change in high density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths whenever change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol was taken into account. We found a statistically significant, substantial association between change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths, adjusted for other lipid subfractions and drug class.”They note we should focus on LDL, as this is what has shown to have the most effect, not HDL.http://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b92Yes HDL can draw cholesterol out of foam cells, but LDL is causing this in the first place, and as of now, there is no evidence that raising HDL will protect you from high LDL.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1001689#t=articleTopThe fact that you advocate a ketogenic diet further diminishes your credibility. Because ketosis is natural, does not mean it is desirable. It is our bodies way of surviving in times of starvation, and also occurs in diabetics. Ketosis is a second rate metabolism, and our body switches from glucose to ketones as I am sure you are well aware. Fat provides fewer calories in this state because carbohydrates play a role in the normal oxidation of fat. Ketone bodies yield only 22 ATP whereas carbs provide 36 and beta oxidation can provide 146 ATP. How exactly is that an efficient or more desirable system? It is wasteful, and it’s not something normal organisms do, they make use of every bit of energy they can. Normal energy metabolism in cells is not wasteful.It may be used as a short term tool for epileptic children, but it comes with a cost. Here are the noted side effects of a ketogenic diet: Acidosis, inadequate growth (children), hyperlipidemia, hypoglycemia, hyperuricemia, acute pancreatitis, cardiomyopathy, kidney stones, etc.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2007.00914.x/fullTry performing an endurance activity in a state of ketosis, your muscles will have been completely depleted of glycogen and will not last very long. In addition, the brains primary fuel source is glucose. Only in times of extreme starvation does it switch to ketone bodies. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/The brain actually runs less efficiently on ketones. Researchers randomized people to either a ketogenic or a nonketogenic weight loss diet. Although both groups lost the same amount of weight, those on the ketogenic diet suffered a significant drop in cognitive performance. After one week in ketosis, higher order mental processing and mental flexibility significantly worsened into what the researcher called a “modest neuropsychological impairment.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8589783In addition, it is a well-known fact that Red blood cells run exclusively on glucose. They have no mitochondria and absorb glucose in the blood. Systemic RBC death is not something I find appealing. I am sure you are well aware of these issue with your extensive research in nutrition and have a good reason for harming your body in such a way.Wow, you really have shown how amateur your knowledge is if you truly believe ketogenic diets cause acidosis… clearly you have no clue what you are talking about and it’s not even worth my time explaining all of this to you on a forum. Here’s a hint, there’s a difference between nutritional ketosis and keto-acidosis.Your responses to the coconut studies show a clear lack of reading comprehension, or just lots of delusion. You actually believe you are stating something significant when in reality, the evidence keeps piling up over and over again on how coconut does NOT cause CVD. Plant saturated fat is NOT the same as animal saturated fat, yet every study you post is based upon people consuming animal saturated fat. If you cannot understand this, then I don’t know what to tell you. You have in no way whatsoever shown that the studies on coconut and saturated fat were of low-quality, all you’ve shown is an unquestionable belief in dietary dogma and exemplified cognitive dissonance. Here’s another one: http://coconutresearchcenter.org/Abst-Coconut%20oil%20consumption%20and%20coronary%20heart%20disease.htm – “All available population studies show that dietary coconut oil does not lead to high serum cholesterol nor to high coronary heart disease mortality or morbidity rate”. As far as cholesterol goes… once again, the most important risk factor is total cholesterol / HDL, you bringing up studies regarding LDL without taking into account cholesterol ratios is USELESS. Moving onto the ketogenic diet, you’re so lost it’s almost unbelievable… even more dietary dogma. Can you please explain to me why there are no essential dietary carbohydrates?Cholesterol and mortality in New Zealand Maoris – “The relation between serum cholesterol concentration and mortality was studied prospectively over 11 years in 630 New Zealand Maoris aged 25-74. Serum cholesterol concentration was measured at initial examination in 1962-3 in 94% of the subjects and whether each was dead or alive was determined in 1974. The causes of death were divided into three categories: cancer, cardiovascular disease, and “other.” The Mantel-Haenszel method of analysis of survivorship data showed a significant inverse relation between serum cholesterol concentration and overall mortality in men (x 2/2 = 11.6; p = 0.003) and women (x 2/2 = 7.6; p = 0.02) with odds ratios of 2.3 and 1.9 respectively. Similar significant inverse relations were found for cancer and “other” causes of death. These relations remained significant when baseline age, systolic blood pressure, and the Quetelt index were controlled in Cox’s proportional hazards regression model. The results of this study provide evidence for a potentially deleterious effect of low serum cholesterol concentration. Hence, further research is needed before indiscriminate efforts are made to lower serum cholesterol concentrations in New Zealand Maoris”. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7357343Increased risk of coronary heart disease death in men with low total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the Russian Lipid Research Clinics Prevalence Follow-up Study – “The results of disclose a sizeable subset of hypocholesterolemics in this population at increased risk of cardiac death associated with lifestyle characteristics”. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8353914Lack of association between cholesterol and coronary heart disease mortality and morbidity and all-cause mortality in persons older than 70 years – “Our findings do not support the hypothesis that hypercholesterolemia or low HDL-C are important risk factors for all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease mortality, or hospitalization for myocardial infarction or unstable angina in this cohort of persons older than 70 years”. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7772105Good lord Joe, you have fallen for all of the recycled traps that many low carbers use to advocate their diet. Please explain how nutritional ketosis is different from keto acidosis in terms of the end result? One is a condition possibly leading to the other. Even Atkins recommends supplementing sodium and potassium to buffer the acidic ketone bodies to prevent keto-acidosis. How is this a natural state?Every coconut oil study you have shared has shown higher total cholesterol, including increased LDL and HDL. I am going to say this again, when I post something, please read it in its entirety. Higher HDL is not protective with high LDL, this has already been discussed before and you keep bringing it up. It is good to see I know where you finally get your science from. The coconut research institute is hardly the neutral source of information.Low cholesterol being linked with higher mortality is a perpetuated myth joe, and your study is one of the very few showing this. A larger body of evidence does not show this and mechanisms are understood for why this may be evident in some studies.This study showed that low cholesterol was linked with cancer initially but after 5 months this was not so. The reason for this is that some cancer cells absorb cholesterol at a higher rate then the other cells so this would be observed as lower cholesterol. They found in general that lower cholesterol was linked with lower cancer risk. They also note that high serum cholesterol can result in CVD before cancer could be identified, because CVD would kill first in this situation. http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/20/6/1113.fullIt has been identified that the rural Chinese with low blood cholesterol, they also have low rates of cancer and CVD. “Plasma cholesterol concentration was associated directly with all-cancer mortality rates measured in this study. Most notably, these associations were statistically significant for eight different cancers, including colon cancer”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/59/5/1153S.longIt has also been found in a separate study that high cholesterol is strongly linked with prostate cancer.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3146741/The Russia study is limited in value, smoking and alcohol consumption can significantly effect the results and neither of which was recorded. I am surprised you decided to share this study with this major limitation.As for your last reference, it is common knowledge that the elderly have low cholesterol. Life on the standard American diet is a bell shaped curve, cholesterol is low in the youngest age groups, is highest during middle age, and gets low again in the elderly. This demonstrates degraded metabolic function not a magic phenomenon. Thus, this evidence is not applicable to a normal healthy adult as other studies have demonstrated. I am surprised with all your touted know how you did not know this already.I’ll leave with this to give you more of an understanding on ketogenic diets… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2129159/ – Good luck on your journey and hopefully one day you will become more open-minded and actually question things instead of repeating dogma without looking at the details of the studies you are posting. Your comments on ketogenic diets have proven a lot and it’s time to go our separate ways. Wish you the bestA desperate attempt to justify the harms with ketosis, Joe. I am disappointed with you. You have done another fine skimming job of my post. Most everything Anssi Manninen publishes is about low carb diets, I wonder how you managed to scrape this from the bottom of the barrel. He is making some pretty big claims with very few references to overthrow the world of biochemistry. His discussion of glucose metabolisim is mainly in relation to protein deamination for glucose production rather than carbs directly. This is not an efficient system. The body resorts to primary protein degradation when there is not glucose present from carbohydrate sources. It is the last stage of starvation when muscles begin to whither away. He passively acknowledges that LDL does not become favorable on such a diet but follows your unjustified theory of increased HDL, so everything is ok. As I have already presented, genetically elvated HDL is not protective, and genetically raises LDL showed more CVD. A study examining 108 randomized controlled trials, those considered to be the gold standard of research, found raised HDL to not be a significant protector of heart disease, while LDL was a much stronger predictor. His study to overthrow insulin being unecessary for glucose uptake is just one, and involves 6 diabetics. 6 people is a sufficient sample size for you? Low dose insulin caused the liver to release less glucose while higher doses resulted in uptake of glucose by cells. Both doses resulted in ketone bodies not being utilized and FFA’s were not utilized for energy. The body seems quite resistant to entering ketosis doesn’t it? I find it ironic you still think I am close minded while you still share such poor studies only to bolster your claims which you do not even understand. Extravagant claims require strong evidence, and this just isn’t it.I used to get “brain fog” when I was on a high-fat Gab Cousins inspired raw vegan diet. My wife also had the issue. I wonder if it was because our brain lacked the glucose needed? We switched to a low-fat raw vegan diet and did much better… But now we are doing even better then that with a McDougall/Fuhrman/Gregor synthesis diet.. What I got from Fuhrman that really helped was eating two pounds of vegetables a day. One pound raw, one pound cooked. That really worked for us. Then just add the starch needed to fuel the days activities. Then add in the advice from Gregor to make it even better.You might have experienced brain fog indeed, as the study I presented noted, there was significant cognitive impairment from the ketogenic diet. I am happy to hear you are enjoying your diet and reaping the rewards of great health!I am curious Joe. Do you have a family history of heart disease? I think when you see family members die before the age of 50 from massive heart attacks you kinda take a different approach. (and no not obese individuals. Just old school meat and potatoes) It would be a bit absurd for me to hook onto the Paleo crowd with my family history.I’m not with the paleo crowd, I follow a 100% raw ‘beegan’ diet (vegan except various bee products). The saturated fat from meat is different than the saturated fat from raw coconut. My point is that raw coconut, despite being very high in saturated fat, does not cause heart disease, and tons of studies prove this. Saturated fat from raw coconut doesn’t cause heart disease, directly or indirectly, in any way shape or form. Also, in regards to high-fat diets, a diet rich in highly potent phytochemicals can completely negate any potential negative effects from the fat (assuming there are any). Sprouts, algae’s, super foods, etc.Well that surprises me. But nothing brings out the” back and forth” like a slam on coconut oil or eggs. The gloves come off. FYI, Toxins has been doing this for a very long time and he researches and understands this stuff completely. And he is amazing. I am a fan. Are you specifically talking about the oil or the whole coconut? We really shouldn’t be eating oil. In the comment section of Fridays video there is a great video that someone linked where Dr Greger is talking about just this issue. You might find it interesting. Let me know if you can’t find it. I will link it. (Does cholesterol size matter)Either, believe me, I’ve heard many arguments against oils and they don’t hold any ground when it comes to HIGH-QUALITY oils such as stone-ground or fresh-pressed, extra-virgin, etc. Olive oil is a top longevity food yet I’ve heard people claim oils are “empty calories”… not true. Olive oil contains vitamin E, vitamin K, phytochemicals and healthy fats… coconut oil contains anti-bacterial, anti parasitic, antifungal, etc. as well as lauric acid which gets converted into monolaurin (only other considerable source is breast milk) as well as medium chain fats which have a multitude of health benefits.And as we know there are many different kinds of vegans. I tend to eat whole foods plants based so I really only eat oil occasionally when I don’t have control of my cooking. I wouldn’t consider eating oil regularly because for example the olive is better or for a treat the coconut is better.Did you find the video I was talking about?Breast milk? What are you 1 year old?Olive oil has miniscule nutritional value and causes endothelial dysfunction. Olive oil has minimal phytonutrients and vitmains. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/637?fg=&man=&lfacet=&count=&max=25&sort=&qlookup=olive+oil&offset=&format=Full&new=&measureby=It is the definition of empty calories, as are all oils.Endothelial dysfunction of olive oil http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109706019127“Contrary to part of our hypothesis, our study found that omega-9 (oleic acid)-rich olive oil impairs endothelieum function postprandially.” http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/36/5/1455All meals, whether high in saturated fat, high in monounsaturated fat, or high in polyunsaturated fat from oil, resulted in unfavorable postprandial vascular effects. http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/17/11/2904.longAll 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing. http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/263/12/1646.abstract?sid=47d1d016-3c15-43f4-a013-0d10144ef8e3Oxidation of fat from cooking does not translate to inflammation in the body as I noted in my earlier posts so clearly it is the high fat content itself.final post of this thread for myself, just to clear up any oils confusion. you have to consider the QUALITY of oils being used and if this is not mentioned in the studies you post… they are useless. they could be using refined, non-organic, expeller pressed, etc… low quality oils and not the same as using stone-ground extra-virgin fresh oil.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19858733 – “The wide range of benefits associated with olive oil consumption could contribute to explaining the low rate of cardiovascular mortality found in southern European-Mediterranean countries, in comparison with other westernized countries, despite a high prevalence of coronary heart disease risk factors”http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/12/78 – “Olive oil consumption, specifically the extra-virgin variety, is associated with reduced risks of cardiovascular disease and mortality in individuals at high cardiovascular risk”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24787471 – “In the absence of proven interventions for the primary prevention of atrial fibrillation, this post hoc analysis of the PREDIMED trial suggests that extravirgin olive oil in the context of a Mediterranean dietary pattern may reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16488419 – “A significant decrease in inflammatory markers, namely TXB(2) and LTB(4), after 2 and 6h after EVOO (but not OO or CO) consumption and a concomitant increase of serum antioxidant capacity were recorded.” On and on this goes…. have a good dayAnother fine skimming job Joe, I at least do you the courtesy of reading your references. The first 3 only try to identify what makes the MED diet healthy, and are not interventionale trials, but we’ll get back to that in a moment. I want to address your fourth citation first. If you bothered to read my citations, you would find that my second citation used extra virgin olive oil. Regardless of this, endothelial dysfunction occurred. This was not due to a magical unknowable X factor, but the authors hypothesize that it was due to an increase in triglycerides. In your study, triglycerides increased significantly after olive oil so this is a telling sign. FMD was reduced 70% after the addition of antioxidant vitamins and by 65% after a salad. Thus, olive oil alone appears to be damaging to health but can be covered up to a degree by other factors. The inflammatory markers your study evaluated is not the same as coagulation factor VII and is more likely due to the fat content of the meal rather than any phytonutrient interactions. “plasma FVIIc and FVIIa peaks were approximately 7% and 60% higher after consumption of high-fat meals than after consumption of low-fat meals, indicating an immediate prothrombotic effect of the high-fat meal.” Although they did not use extra virgin olive oil for this study, similar effects were observed with the first one I discussed.In regards to your first three studies, it has been hypothesized that it is really the higher consumption of fruits and vegetables that are the real reason for lower CVD rather than extra virgin olive oil. “In terms of their effects on postprandial endothelial function, the beneficial components of the Mediterranean and Lyon Diet Heart Study diets appear to be the antioxidant-rich foods—vegetables, fruits, and their derivatives such as vinegar, and omega-3-rich fish and canola oils—not olive oil.”Toxins, Do you know of studies looking at the overall mortality rate of the Mediterranean type diets not just heart disease? I was at a health lecture where the lecturer showed these diet type studies did show heart health benefits but the overall mortality rate didn’t change because cancer rate was raised. Unfortunately I didn’t write anything down and have no idea where to find this info on the web.I am not sure what study specifically you are talking about. What I can tell you is that the MED diet is healthier due to less processed foods and higher intakes of fruits and veggies. It is by no means an optimal diet but definitely an improvement from the standard American diet, which is why it shows benefit when compared. I have also seen studies that compare a “low fat” diet to the MED diet and the MED diet does better. Unfortunately, the “low fat” diet is usually still high fat in these studies at 35%+ so it is hard to find it meaningful.Toxins I have to share a story with you. So I am at the Farmers Market one day and this guy is buying raw milk. Ok fine. So I am curious about his raw diet and you will not believe what he told me. He buys the chickens from the FM to eat RAW! Oh man just remembering that story is making me sick!The thought of that disgusts me, I can’t even imagine what that would feel like in my mouth.Your posts however ineffectual in this exchange will be very valuable to other readers who come upon this thread and are open to evidence based arguments.“When you cook fats (animal or plant) you turn them into toxic substances such as trans fatty acid”“Trans fatty acids are […] created by cooking fat”These statements are untrue and demonstrate a lack of understanding of the most basic natures of fatty acid structure and chemical behavior. I hope you take some time to read the information Toxins has taken the time to provide you with.Yes, I was mistaken that cooking fats creates trans fatty acids but nonetheless they DO create toxic substances. Heart disease has nothing to do with saturated fat, its toxic and inflammatory diets. Yes, maybe many of these toxic and inflammatory diets are rich in saturated fat… that doesn’t mean CVD is the result of the saturated fat. Raw coconut fat DOES NOT cause heart disease. Here’s another for you… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3396447/ – “A higher intake of dairy SF was associated with LOWER CVD risk. In contrast, a higher intake of meat SF was associated with GREATER CVD risk. The substitution of 2% of energy from meat SF with energy from dairy SF was associated with a 25% lower CVD risk. NO ASSOCIATES were observed plant or butter SF and CVD risk”. Please stop spreading misinformation without considering the entire picture.“Yes, I was mistaken that cooking fats creates trans fatty acids […] Please stop spreading misinformation without considering the entire picture” <- tell me you see the irony here.My only comments to you have been that 1) you made a claim about cooking and fatty acid isomerization that was blatantly untrue, and 2) that you made a claim about saturated FAs improving n3 conversion rates without providing any citation as evidence.How exactly is that interpreted that as "spreading misinformation"?Actually you are spreading misinformation by saying my posts are “ineffectual” which is absolutely not true. I’ve shown over and over again that saturated fat (from raw coconut or coconut oil) and high total cholesterol has NOTHING to do with heart disease. Heart disease is caused by inflammation from unhealthy toxic diets and has nothing to do with saturated fat itself. As far as the coconut oil and increased ALA to EPA/DHA, yeah, it actually does increase conversion… which is also why Gabriel Cousens uses it in his program for this specific reason.You have not shown this at all, you have merely implied it with your faulty meta analyses.They’re not faulty, your interpretation is faulty… on top of all this evidence I’m about to post, consider the French Paradox along with many other paradoxes as well… you are blaming saturated fat when in reality it is the toxic and inflammatory diets of many people that causes heart disease.http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1846638 – “Current evidence does not clearly support cardiovascular guidelines that encourage high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of total saturated fats.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3396447/ – “Although dietary recommendations have focused on restricting saturated fat (SF) consumption to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, evidence from prospective studies has not supported a strong link between total SF intake and CVD events… A higher intake of dairy SF was associated with LOWER CVD risk. In contrast, a higher intake of meat SF was associated with GREATER CVD risk. The substitution of 2% of energy from meat SF with energy from dairy SF was associated with a 25% lower CVD risk. NO ASSOCIATIONS were observed plant or butter SF and CVD risk”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17180807 – “Coconut fats account for 80% of the fat intake among Sri Lankans. Around 92% of these fats are saturated fats. This has lead to the belief that coconut fats are ‘bad for health’, particularly in relation to ischaemic heart disease. Yet most of the saturated fats in coconut are medium chain fatty acids whose properties and metabolism are different to those of animal origin. Medium chain fatty acids do not undergo degradation and re-esterification processes and are directly used in the body to produce energy. They are not as ‘bad for health’ as saturated fats. There is the need to clarify issues relating to intake of coconut fats and health, more particularly for populations that still depend on coconut fats for much of their fat intake. This paper describes the metabolism of coconut fats and its potential benefits, and attempts to highlight its benefits to remove certain misconceptions regarding its use.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15563444 – “Coconut consumption as flesh or milk was not different between cases and controls. The cases had significantly higher intakes of protein and cholesterol, but lower intake of carbohydrate. Similar intakes of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids between the cases and controls indicated that the consumption of total fat or saturated fat, including that from coconut, was not a predictor for CHD in this food culture. However, the intakes of animal foods, total protein, dietary cholesterol and less plant derived carbohydrates were predictors of CHD.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9316363 – “Consumption of coconut and coconut oil was found to be similar in both groups. The groups did not differ in the fat, saturated fat and cholesterol consumption. The results imply no specific role for coconut or coconut oil in the causation of CHD in the present set of Indian patients from Kerala. The exact reason for the high and increasing incidence of CHD among Indians is still unknown.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3146349/ – “Dietary coconut oil intake was positively associated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol especially among pre-menopausal women, suggesting that coconut oil intake is associated with beneficial lipid profiles. Coconut oil consumption was not significantly associated with low density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglyceride values”Oh and lets not forget all the heart protecting properties found in various HIGH-FAT foods… sesamol in sesame seeds, l-arginine in walnuts, omega-3’s in chia/flax/walnuts, magnesium in tons of nuts/seeds, vitamin E in almonds, and the list goes on and on. Plus SPROUTING your nuts and seeds reduces fat content and turns then fat into fatty acids.I’ll put the dagger in with this one… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23892389 – “Furthermore, VCO administration prevented the oxidative stress, which is indicated by the decreased formation of lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation products like malondialdehyde, hydroperoxides, conjugated dienes and protein carbonyls in serum and tissues compared to other oil fed rats (P < 0.05). Wet processing of VCO retains higher amounts of biologically active unsaponifiable components like polyphenols (84 mg per 100 g oil) and tocopherols (33.12 µg per 100 g oil) etc. compared to other oils (P < 0.05). From these observations, it is concluded that VCO has a beneficial role in improving antioxidant status and hence preventing lipid and protein oxidation." In summary in case you missed it, heart disease is caused by inflammation not saturated fat. Raw saturated fat does not increase inflammation and you have zero evidence it does while I have tons of studies proving that high coconut consumption has nothing to do with heart disease. Regarding cholesterol, it's TOTAL CHOLESTEROL / HDL ratio which is the most significant risk factor but of course you can have high HDL and heart disease due to a toxic inflammatory diet (not caused by raw saturated fat). Break free from the dogma and misinformation, regardless of how much cognitive dissonance you are experiencing. Gabriel Cousens and Lou Corona follow 100% raw food diets, that is part of why their HIGH-FAT diets are working, not because they are "exceptions".. because once again, raw saturated fat doesn't cause heart disease.As I pointed out in my post, inflammation is not required for plaques to form, your theory does not stand up to the evidenceShow me evidence where raw coconut is associated with plaque’s forming. Oh yeah, you don’t have any, but you tons of studies proving that people eating toxic cooked animal products high in saturated fat causes heart disease! (completely irrelevant and useless in this conversation).1) Actually I was saying that Toxins’ comments were ineffectual.2) I have not engaged your arguments regarding cholesterol and heart disease whatsoever. That topic has been discussed thoroughly and I have nothing to add to it.3) “As far as the coconut oil and increased ALA to EPA/DHA, yeah, it actually does increase conversion…”^You have provided NO EVIDENCE for this statement, yet keep repeating it.This is an EVIDENCE-based nutrition and medicine site. So when you make claims, expect people to ask for a valid source to verify your statement.Joe you might want to research some of the videos on this website and then read the articles linked with the video. I am surprised you believe as you do. There is just so much overwhelming evidence that saturated fat and cholesterol have a role in CVD. Yes inflammation plays a role but you appear to think it is the only important component. Very interesting. What makes you believe the latest goofy stuff that has been printed in the press?Plant positive uses the term “confusionist,” it wasn’t my words. Siri Tarino, who wrote the first of your studies which supposedly exonerate saturated fat stated here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2943062/# exactly what Toxins says next. It was meant that there is not a benefit to replacing saturated fat with refined carbs. There IS a benefit to replacing saturated fat with whole grains and polyunsaturated fat. Siri Tarino stated, “However, replacement of saturated fat by carbohydrates, particularly refined carbohydrates and added sugars, increases levels of triglyceride and small LDL particles and reduces high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, effects that are of particular concern in the context of the increased prevalence of obesity and insulin resistance. Epidemiologic studies and randomized clinical trials have provided consistent evidence that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat, but not carbohydrates, is beneficial for coronary heart disease. Therefore, dietary recommendations should emphasize substitution of polyunsaturated fat and minimally processed grains for saturated fat.”I think plant positive is the go to resource for those who are confused about the conflicting messages in media health. I am happy to see you found that website enlightening as well.I have lots of them saved, something is going on with the website. Just copy and paste the quotations and you can easily find the source.Yes, maybe COOKED saturated fats reduce HDL, not raw coconut saturated fat which INCREASES HDL. Using cooked saturated fat for you claims is baseless.I think you misunderstood. Siri Tarino states that *refined carbohydrates* lower HDL, she didn’t say that saturated fat does. Saturated fat raises LDL, but it sometimes raises HDL as well. Trans fats lower HDL and raise LDL. Monounsaturated fat can lower LDL while raising HDL, so the Monounsaturated fat is better. I think she is saying you get a better ratio of HDL to LDL with polyunsaturated fat.The main point is that raw coconut (high in saturated fat) does NOT cause heart disease. Cooked fats that turn into toxic substances and cause inflammation can lead to heart disease (because CVD is caused by inflammation) but not raw coconut. High LDL (from raw plant based foods, not oxidized LDL from cooked foods) doesn’t cause heart disease, either, it’s total cholesterol/HDL ratio which is the biggest concern. Take a look at Lou Corona if you think raw saturated fat is unhealthy. Gabriel Cousens also follows a high-fat diet and is doing very well.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/cont… – “However, convincing evidence from the Prospective Studies Collaboration meta-analysis supports that the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol is a powerful predictor of CHD (27) and that this ratio is more predictive than is LDL cholesterol.”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com… – “Our study provides an updated epidemiological indication of possible errors in the CVD risk algorithms of many clinical guidelines. If our findings are generalizable, clinical and public health recommendations regarding the ‘dangers’ of cholesterol should be revised. This is especially true for women, for whom moderately elevated cholesterol (by current standards) may prove to be not only harmless but even beneficial.”http://annals.org/article.aspx… – “Current evidence does not clearly support cardiovascular guidelines that encourage high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of total saturated fats.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… – “The results of disclose a sizeable subset of hypocholesterolemics in this population at increased risk of cardiac death associated with lifestyle characteristics.”I wonder if you understand these studies or if you just copy and paste from your favorite blogger. That is clear to me, since your links are out of date and do not work.All the studies are real and the links work, this website for some reason wasn’t allowing them to fully be pasted. Just copy the quotations into google and you can easily find the source. Eating raw fat is not a bad habit, you are sadly mistaken. That’s pure Natural Hygiene dogma.We would just like to see the evidence for RAW coconut fat/oils, and raw Olive oil too. We are aware of Dr Cousens viewpoint and use of raw fresh pressed oils ( which most folks don’t have access to). Maybe he will publish his results at some point.No problem… and you do realize that olive oil is a top longevity food, right? Oh, and that coconut oil can help reverse Alzheimer’s?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21669587 – “Dietary coconut oil intake was positively associated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol especially among pre-menopausal women, suggesting that coconut oil intake is associated with beneficial lipid profiles. Coconut oil consumption was not significantly associated with low density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglyceride values” – Remember, the most important thing is total cholesterol/HDL ratio when factoring risks for heart disease.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21771462 – “It is the unique source of various natural products for the development of medicines against various diseases and also for the development of industrial products. The parts of its fruit like coconut kernel and tender coconut water have numerous medicinal properties such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic, antidermatophytic, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hepatoprotective, immunostimulant. Coconut water and coconut kernel contain microminerals and nutrients, which are essential to human health, and hence coconut is used as food by the peoples in the globe, mainly in the tropical countries.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17180807 – “Around 92% of these fats are saturated fats. This has lead to the belief that coconut fats are ‘bad for health’, particularly in relation to ischaemic heart disease. Yet most of the saturated fats in coconut are medium chain fatty acids whose properties and metabolism are different to those of animal origin. Medium chain fatty acids do not undergo degradation and re-esterification processes and are directly used in the body to produce energy.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9316363 – (Third population, same results) – “The results imply no specific role for coconut or coconut oil in the causation of CHD in the present set of Indian patients from Kerala. The exact reason for the high and increasing incidence of CHD among Indians is still unknown.”…. oh but it’s not unknown, it’s a toxic and inflammatory diet, NOT raw saturated fat.Study 1: LDL increased with increasing coconut intake, how exactly does this prove your theory? I pointed out before that HDL is not a good predictor of heart health. LDL matters far more.Study 2: Yes coconuts contains antioxidants, fiber, etc. Food is a package deal, we shouldn’t consume coconuts in excess because they have antioxidants, fiber, etc when all of these components are readily available in most plant foods.Study 3: 30% of saturated fats are long chain.Study 4: It tells us nothing. It involved 32 people with CHD and 16 people who were healthy. Both consumed similar amounts of coconut oil and coconuts. CHD risk is high among this population. Who’s to say that the healthy people do not develop heart disease. How is this study a high quality representation.And no, there is not a single study that exists that shows coconut oil prevents Alzheimers. Good luck finding that one. The only one I know of that shows any small benefits is this one.Placebo and coconut fat takers scored no different on a cognitive impairment test when the subjects were randomized. If they weren’t randomized (which could represent stacking up the placebo group with very sick patients) then the coconut fat consumers scored slightly better after 45 days. After 90 days though everyone pretty much evened out. Does this seem like strong evidence to you? http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/6/1/31Again Joe, the quality of evidence you have shared is quite low.Wow, you are lost in cognitive dissonance, my friend. I’ve posted 5-6 different studies on raw coconut saturated fat having zero link to heart disease (many different populations) and also one showing that PLANT saturated fat has ZERO impact on heart disease. Now you’re just wasting my time. Please explain how study 3 is ‘low quality evidence’. And again, low LDL is not important when factoring heart disease risk, it’s total cholesterol / HDL ratio and low LDL (I’ve posted plenty of studies on this very thread) is associated with a wide array of health problems. I see how you conveniently decided to not reply to my other post showing how wrong you are so I’ll re-post some here…“Although dietary recommendations have focused on restricting saturated fat (SF) consumption to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, evidence from prospective studies has not supported a strong link between total SF intake and CVD events… A higher intake of dairy SF was associated with LOWER CVD risk. In contrast, a higher intake of meat SF was associated with GREATER CVD risk. The substitution of 2% of energy from meat SF with energy from dairy SF was associated with a 25% lower CVD risk. NO ASSOCIATIONS were observed plant or butter SF and CVD risk” – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3396447/“Coconut consumption as flesh or milk was not different between cases and controls. The cases had significantly higher intakes of protein and cholesterol, but lower intake of carbohydrate. Similar intakes of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids between the cases and controls indicated that the consumption of total fat or saturated fat, including that from coconut, was not a predictor for CHD in this food culture. However, the intakes of animal foods, total protein, dietary cholesterol and less plant derived carbohydrates were predictors of CHD.” – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15563444Hi Betty, I went to one of Dr Greger’s lectures when he was in town. He said it so perfectly. ” We take this perfectly good whole food and press it into oil and throw the best part in the trash.” (I am paraphrasing) Point being we shouldn’t be using any oils of any kind because the best parts are thrown away. The olive itself is good. Oil not. Any thoughts?Young children can have heart attacks if they’ve inherited a condition called familial homozygotic hypercholesterolemia (“homozygotic” means from both parents) in which they are born either with very few LDL receptors in their livers or with LDL receptors that are defective, so cholesterol builds up in their coronary arteries and causes a heart attack. This is pretty good evidence that cholesterol is the culprit.Yes – please address this. I wonder this every day as I continue to eat nuts, seeds, and avocados.Avocado fats are 71% monounsaturated and only 11% saturated (comparable to olive oil). Macadamia fats have more saturated fat, about 16%. But coconut oil is 87% saturated, 70% being the 12:0-16:0 saturated fats known to increase LDL cholesterol.It all make me think though, and raises a significant vegan-issue…..would someone eating a low-fat vegan diet have better telomeres than a vegan eating a high fat vegan-diet? I, too, know vegans who greatly exceed the RDA for fat. I know the bad side of fat for endothelial function, but what about on telomeres?Cholesterol or saturated fat doesn’t narrow the arteries, that’s a myth, inflammation does. When blood becomes too thick, it abrades the walls of the arteries, causing inflammation. The inflammation draws the cholesterol because the cholesterol is trying to help by covering the abrasion. Cholesterol is a response to cardiovascular inflammation. It can be a predictor of heart disease because it means you are inflamed but it is NOT the cause. Neither cholesterol or saturated fat has anything to do with heart disease. Unhealthy cooked animal fats like trans fatty acids will cause lots of inflammation and can lead to heart disease, but not raw, plant-based fats. You linked two studies to COOKED coconut milk with other cooked foods, very poor and misleading on your part. Low fat 100% plant-based diets will lead to major deficiencies EPA/DHA, selenium, zinc, iodine, and many times iron. Also, fat is the primarily fuel for the human body, not carbs (http://www.marksdailyapple.com…. Breast milk is 54% saturated fat.http://www.marksdailyapple.com/a-metabolic-paradigm-shift-fat-carbs-human-body-metabolism/#axzz3ElYmY0pM – Link got messed upJoe, How did you conclude that, ” Low fat 100% plant-based diets will lead to major deficiencies EPA/DHA, selenium, zinc, iodine, and many times iron.”Animal fat and High refined fat & oils are not health-promoting. Even raw cold-pressed plant oils can contribute to high fat loads in the body. A strong plant-based diet, whether raw or cooked is 80% carbohydrates, 10% protein, 10% fats.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/Where are you going to get sufficient EPA/DHA, selenium and zinc on a LOW-FAT 100% plant-based diet? By the way, I follow a 100% raw vegan diet. ALA to EPA/DHA conversion is very low and even lower when you consider other deficiencies in the diet which help the conversion rate. Adding coconut oil (saturated fat) to a high omega-3 meal (sprouted chia/flax/walnuts) significantly increases conversion.Evidence?“Comparison of the PLLC n23 PUFAs:DALA ratio between dietary-habit groups showed that it was 209% higher in vegan men and 184% higher in vegan women than in fish-eaters, was 14% higher in vegetarian men and 6% higher in vegetarian women than in fish-eaters, and was 17% and 18% higher in male and female meat-eaters, respectively, than in fish-eaters This suggests that the statistically estimated conversion may be higher in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20861171In addition, another study showed that despise this “theoretical” low conversion rate, there is no evidence of any harm so, the problem may not be in the conversion rate, but in the assumption that it is low.“There is no evidence of adverse effects on health or cognitive function with lower DHA intake in vegetarians”“In the absence of convincing evidence for the deleterious effects resulting from the lack of DHA from the diet of vegetarians, it must be concluded that needs for omega-3 fatty acids can be met by dietary ALA. ”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500961Okay… the issue wasn’t that VEGANS cannot get adequate EPA/DHA, it was that LOW-FAT vegans will have a very hard time doing so. Where are you going to get enough ALA to convert into enough EPA/DHA? Maximum conversion rates to DHA is about 4% for men (without adding coconut oil to a high ALA meal), women have higher conversion rates. Plus, did they do any control’s to see if anyone was supplementing?The conversion rate for those who do not get pre formed DHA and EPA is much higher as I stated above. Requirements are measly, 1.1 grams for females and 1.6 grams for males. A tablespoon of flax does that. Even without flax, a diet rich in greens provides plenty of ALA. See for yourself with cronometer. If you have a diet rich on omega 6 fats then yes, you will encounter troubles converting ALA to DHA and EPA.Wow, the people in that study supplemented with ALA… which would obviously give you more of a conversion rate into EPA/DHA. Yes, it says “Short-term dietary supplementation with alpha-linolenic acid increases the proportion of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) but does not increase the proportion of DHA in blood lipids”… but when you have higher amounts of ALA, DHA is more easily converted. This study is very weak because it isnt based upon vegans getting all their ALA via diet.It was a review of many studies“There is no evidence of adverse effects on health or cognitive function with lower DHA intake in vegetarians.”So what is your point?Then post these “many studies”… my point is you are using vegans who were supplementing with ALA and therefore giving them much higher amounts of ALA than they would get in their diet. Besides, my issue isn’t even with vegans and DHA, it’s with LOW-FAT vegans and DHA…Which as I pointed out was irrelevant on a low omega 6 diet. Leefy greens have plenty of omega 3 for the amounts needed.You didn’t point anything out, you posted a study where vegans supplemented with ALA and had higher levels of DHA… that doesn’t do anything to support your point. Needing supplements for your diet means your diet is nutritionally inadequate. Plus, you do realize that there are far more studies showing vegans with low DHA than not, right? Leafy greens have nowhere near the amount of ALA needed to convert into adequate DHA (which in men is around 4% conversion to DHA and I’ve posted the study). Just like you said above to another poster, one study, especially one that didn’t test for supplementation doesn’t prove much.The study you posted did not involve vegan men. Enzymatic conversion is dictated by availability.Hi Joe, I think Toxins already provided a thorough response to the omega 3 issue, but I just wanted to let you know that I get at least 100% of my RDA for Zinc and Selenium daily. But then, in addition to fruits and vegetables, I eat plenty of nutrient dense low fat cooked vegan foods like tubers, whole grains, and legumes. A few nuts and seeds too, but few enough to still be considered a low fat diet overall.It might be justified to raise fears of Se and Zn deficiencies in the raw vegan community, but since this site promotes cooked and raw plant based foods, that particular concern is unfounded.Hi Joe, this appears to be your thesis statement in this discussion:“Adding coconut oil (saturated fat) to a high omega-3 meal (sprouted chia/flax/walnuts) significantly increases conversion.”Could you provide a source to validate this statement? I did only a quick search, but only found comparisons of conversion rates in diets high in either saturated fat or omega-6 PUFA, with saturated fat consumption acting as a control in the context of the public often being told to substitute saturated fat in the diet with omega-6 rich vegetable oils. I found nothing to support the importance of saturated fat in ALA conversion, but rather discussions on the importance of low omega-6 relative to omega-3 consumption.Since this discussion was started based on the abilities of low-fat vs high-fat vegans to achieve sufficient ALA conversion, it seems the conversation would be more productive if you provided some evidence to this initial argument.Sure…http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9637947 – “The use of ALA labelled with radioisotopes suggested that with a background diet high in saturated fat (raw coconut/coconut oil) conversion to long-chain metabolites is approximately 6% for EPA and 3.8% for DHA.”…. compare that with…. (by the way, women have much higher ALA to EPA/DHA conversion rates)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12323085 – “Since the capacity of adult males to convert ALNA to DHA was either very low or absent, uptake of pre-formed DHA from the diet may be critical for maintaining adequate membrane DHA concentrations in these individuals.” You aren’t going to get a lot of DHA on a low-fat plant-based diet, especially if you’re a man. Women stand much better chances due to higher conversion rates. But saturated fat (which raw coconut is rich in) can increase DHA conversion up to 4% as opposed to almost nothing.Joe, the Gerster review article is precisely what I discussed in my previous comment. The abstract in no way indicates that saturated fat improves conversion. What it states is that upon introduction of omega-6 PUFAs, omega-3 conversion rates decrease. The reason saturated fat is mentioned, is because 1) it is a useful control when unsaturated fatty acids are the desired variables, and 2) in a broader impacts context, those eating the Standard American Diet are often told essentially to replace butter and lard with vegetable oils. Upon the switch to omega-6 rich vegetable oils, it is not the decrease in saturated fat that impairs ALA conversion. It is the introduction of omega-6 FAs which compete for the same conversion enzymes.The primary article the Gerster review appears to reference is this one by Emken: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7914092?dopt=AbstractAnd a better article which references the Emken study and further investigates the effect of 3:6 ratios vs absolute amounts is this Goyens article: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/84/1/44.long#ref-6You can see in all of these articles, the variables are ALA consumption and LA consumption and how those factors affect ALA conversion to EPA, DPA, or DHA. Saturated fat is a control and absolutely ZERO conclusions are drawn or alluded to concerning the effect of saturated fat on n3 conversion.Your statement “But saturated fat (which raw coconut is rich in) can increase DHA conversion up to 4% as opposed to almost nothing.” remains unsupported.The second article you reference has nothing to do with this conversation regarding the effect of saturated fat on conversion rates. It introduces a separate topic of whether high ALA/low LA diets provide sufficient conversion rates or if DHA supplementation is needed and Toxins has addressed this in another comment.Please stay on topic and provide evidence for your claim on SFA increasing n3 conversion rates, or admit that this claim is baseless.Also, framing phrases from within the article in quotation marks while inserting your own comments such as “(raw coconut/coconut oil)” is disingenuous. Articles of this sort are written in very precise language. Your own interpretations should be clearly written as comments separate from the authors’ own writing.See my response to the your comments near the top. I wasn’t trying to be sneaky by putting that in parenthesis, I put it there because raw coconut and coconut oil is high in saturated fat and increases ALA to EPA/DHA conversion. Are you saying that it’s useless for Gabriel Cousens to do so? Or maybe he knows far more than you do because he reads far more literature and works with thousands of people?I understand perfectly why you inserted your own favorite saturated fat containing food into a sentence with the phrase “saturated fat” in it. I’m just saying as a matter of etiquette, when stating a direct quotation of someone else, it’s customary to not change their wording, but rather to provide your own opinions in an obvious separate commentary.The quotation is question is from a review article from the International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research by H. Gerster. Gabriel Cousens has nothing to do with it.Fourth word in Doctor’s Note should be “see” not “say”.Fixed–thank you! If you ever see any mistakes anywhere, please email Tommasina@NutritionFacts.org to get it cleared up even faster.I am NOT Adventist, but a significant percentage of my Adventist friends are vegetarian or vegan, and Adventists stand out as having a significantly longer life expectancy than other Americans. Do you know if any studies that attempt to identify the specific aspect(s) of their lifestyles that contribute to this?hi steven,if you put “adventist” in the search box above you will see that dr greger references many studies that have used the adventist community.Even omnivorous Adventists do better than average Americans, likely due to lower rates of smoking, alcohol use, and higher social engagement. However, vegetarian, nut-eating, exercising, healthy-weight Adventists do even better. Life expectancy Men Women Californians 73.9 79.5 Adventists 81.2 83.9 Vegetarian Adventists 83.3 85.7 Healthy* Adventists 87.0 88.5* never-smoking, vegetarian, exercise ≥ 3 times weekly, eat nuts ≥ 4 times weekly, BMI < 25.90 (males) or <25.20 (females).Read “The Blue Zones” by Dan Buettner; an entire section of this excellent book is devoted to researching why Adventists live longer healthier lives.Also, what is interesting, if you fill the questionnaire on the blue zones internet page, and you indicate that you are on the whole food plant based diet, their reply is that you can add 10 years to your life by adding diary and fish…My longest living friends ( around 200) have all been religious living people. They were all lacto-ovo vegetarians and probably could have been healthier if they were vegan. Most of them lived past their 85th birthday and many verged on 100. Not all of these long-lived friends were disease, or illness free, sorry to say.Hi StevenThe video I’ve included has nothing to do with Adventists’ diets. BUT, it is by one of our favorite presenters of health research: Dr. Greger. In it he explains why a 40 year vegan died of a heart attack, and why vegetarians and vegans were found to be dying of heart disease, cancer, stroke and dementia at the same rates or higher than meat eaters. He then goes on to explain about the the findings of the Lyon France heart health study of 2003 that looked at this, and what it tells us we vegans should do to reduce our risk of all cause mortality by 70%. It’s just a few simple changes. Since the video is 1 hour 16 mins, I’ll give you the spoilers: balance omega 3 to omega 6 ratios (ideally 1 to 1, but no less than 1 to 4); and take the following supplements: B12, B6, and folate (but not in the form of folic acid). Eat a nutritious whole food diet. That’s it. The suggestions even help improve the odds for our die hard (pun intended) omnivore loved ones.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04He also recommends to add some vitamin D in wintertime.I laughed out loud so hard that I had to pause the video because I could no longer hear Dr. Gregor! I bet that’s good for the telomeres too.I also was wondering if plant-based saturated fats such as those in peanut butter or perhaps palm oil shorten telomere length? I know it’s better if we cut out palm oil, though it is in many vegan comfort foods that many vegans eat. If these fats are detrimental not only to our hearts, but also to our very DNA, then I believe that would create some impetus to finally cut them out for good for many people who currently justify consumption because it is plant-based and moderate. Thank you so much for your work! We appreciate it!http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23616516Intake of small-to-medium-chain saturated fatty acids is associated with peripheral leukocyte telomere length in postmenopausal women. ‘ Intakes of nonskim milk, butter, and whole-milk cheese (major sources of SMSFAs) were all inversely associated with TL. No significant associations were found with long-chain saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.’LCSFA seem to be ok…so palm oil n coco oil maybe ok?I hope so. [apologies for the double post]Those aren’t the same as studying raw, unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil. Very misleading.Joe – do you have any studies that look at raw, unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil? If so, Dr. Greger would be happy to read the study and compile the findings and relate them to the many studies on fats & oils that have been done and that he has read of which the links have been posted above in this string. To clarify your position and belief, my questions to you are: How do you get coconut oil other than by pressing a whole lot of them? Is that still a whole plant-based food? Is oil a food? Does the saturated fat disappear when you cold-press raw coconut flesh to produce oil? Isn’t pressing oil under pressure, a form of refining the product or extracting the product to produce something else, namely oil?Coconut oil has lots of health benefits and saturated fat doesn’t cause heart disease. Look up at my others posts where I post several huge studies showing this. Despite Natural Hygiene dogma, coconut oil is not “empty calories” and neither is olive oil.Again, where is your evidence for the health benefits of coconut oil and for saturated fat?From the same study….http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23616516 ‘Except for lauric acid, all other individual SMSFAs were inversely associated with TL (P < 0.05).'Lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid found mainly in coconut oil.Interesting Hungry shrew, but remember food is a package deal. We can get the benefits of telomere lengthening simply by consuming a plant centered diet. Keep in mind that coconut oil contain around 30% long chain sat. fats so its not pure medium chain fats.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23616516 ‘ Intakes of nonskim milk, butter, and whole-milk cheese (major sources of SMSFAs) were all inversely associated with TL.No significant associations were found with long-chain saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.’Long-chain saturated fatty acids seem to ok re. telomeres?I eat red palm oil and can’t see it’s place in this clearly??——————————–also——- random thoughts———— Dr Greger mentioned fish was inversely associated with TL. Fish no LCSFA [?]. Was the fish omega-3 rich? Was there a inverse TL relationship with fish even in the presence of omega-3 in the fish? [considering the likely positive omega-3 TL relationship]What else about animal products could be inversely rel. to TL excluding the sat. fats? [inflamation??]I am referring to chronic disease such as heart disease, cancer, etc. These foods will not protect you from that, palm oil especially is not heart healthy. Again, food is a package deal.….*inversely* associated with TL…I understand that, but I want you to understand the concept of food as a “package deal”. These foods are not automatically healthy because one study says they are associated with longer telomeres.Seriously… I don’t get some of these people’s arguments against a plant based diet just to support their own bad habits?… So if you consume those nasty products that are supposedly associated with TL, but might/probably die that much sooner due to some other disease? That’s like people who try and supplement tons of isolated vitamins and minerals… and still eat a shitty SAD diet… You know instead of intentionally killing yourself and having to work your ass off at it why not just switch to the “right” choice… Of which we all know by now.So what type of saturated fatty acids are in nuts and palm oil are they short or medium or long? The study only mentions animal sources. Are the plant sources any better, do they consist proportionally of more longer chain saturated fatty acids? Thanks.video– ‘What was it about the Ornish intervention that so powerfully protected telomeres after just three months? We saw that just stress management seems to help, but what about the diet versus exercise. Was it the plant-based diet, was it the walking 30 minutes a day—or, was it just because of the weight loss?’…or was it the 3g per day of fish oil? https://www.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/legacy_files/blackburn_and_ornish_lancet_2008.pdfI wish I didn’t have to check everything that Dr Greger tells us…still interesting video.a very valid point HungryShrew because there are all kinds of studies that do not support the use of fish or fish oil. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=fish+oilHowever, there is the work of T. Colin Campbell in The China Study which does report that staying below a 5% level of animal-derived proteins will provide a 90-100% reversal in degenerative disease compared to say the 50% or less reversal experienced with the Mediterranean diet lifestyle. http://nutritionstudies.org/clinical-tools/facilitating-change/Without knowing for sure, it is possible that Dr. Ornish may have suggested his patients in the study consume fish oil, whether they did it or not is unknown…. and, whether this 3g recommendation influenced the study and the lengthening of telomeres.‘…staying below a 5% level of animal-derived proteins’ ok, but hat doesn’t apply to fish oil.‘may have suggested his patients in the study consume fish oil’It was part of the program. Just like the plant based diet and exercise.The Ornish study is so well known, it was a mistake for Dr Greger to mishandle it as delivered in the video.How do you conclude that fish oil is not an animal-derived protein? Just because the program was conducted, does not mean that all of the subjects took fish oil, how much taken, or what brand, or if they overlooked the reporting of taking fish oil or eating fish for that matter. My understanding is the point of the Telomere Video is to show support for Eating more plant-based whole foods to increase your telomere length, and adding a bit of exercise doesn’t hurt. It is the dietary choices that improve telomere length not eating crap and exercising yourself to death. Drowning in this minutiae is complicating matters and confusing the simplicity of the Dr. G’s video.3g of fish oil daily. Not fish, fish oil. Not protein. Am I mistaken?‘the point of the Telomere Video is to show support for Eating more plant-based whole foods to increase your telomere length’Yes, that is the point of the video. Exactly; Regardless of whether it was the plant-based whole foods that increased the telomere length.fish oil is oil indeed. Dr Greger has a nice video on the subject and recommends eating flax seeds. Freshly ground or properly chewed. Stored in the fridge.I also disrecomend against fish oil since it’s killing fish, and we already are killing those beasts in such a massive scale that they are threatened species and evolving to stay small.video–‘What was it about the Ornish intervention that so powerfully protected telomeres after just three months? We saw that just stress management seems to help, but what about the diet versus exercise. Was it the plant-based diet, was it the walking 30 minutes a day—or, was it just because of the weight loss?’He forgot to mention the 3g per day of fish oil provided on the Ornish intervention.Omega-3s can be obtained from plant sources, which is much more healthful, humane, and environmentally responsible than obtaining them by eating fish. Rich sources include: freshly ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, purslane, and algae supplements – algae being the source from which fish obtain omega-3.Mary Finelli FishFeel.org‘more healthful’At best that’s disputed.For one thing, contamination with bioaccumulated toxins, such as methylmercury, isn’t nearly the risk in plant sources as it is with fish oil. Rancidity is also much more of a problem with fish oil, which results in free radicals and potential carcinogenicity. Skip the fish oil, stick with the plant sources, for everyone’s sake.There are dozens of studies suggesting fish oil omega-3 is superior, they are not hard to find.You are passionate about fish welfare; Ok, but make the argument on ethical grounds.There are many very valid reasons to avoid fish and fish oil -and all animal products- for health, environmental, and ethical reasons.And valid reasons to take fish oil, for health.We are going in circles now. I bow out.There aren’t valid reasons to take fish oil since any benefits from it can be obtained from alternatives sources that don’t cause such needless harm to others.Harvard Medical School http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/Why-not-flaxseed-oil.shtml[really bowing out now. I can see Mary is intractable]I am intractable in regard to preventing gratuitous cruelty.If you’re interested in getting concentrated doses of omega-3s, algae supplements are comparable in potency to fish oil: http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FPNS%2FPNS72_OCE2%2FS0029665113001079a.pdf&code=b2de3a4a56c8519d799cf8f415584175It just doesn’t have the saturated fat, cholesterol, potential toxins, environmental cost or cruelty that comes with fish and fish oil.a vegan diet will help keep you healthier in the first place.Thanks for the advice about the algae supplements. I shall look for them at the local vitamin store.According to the Wikipedia article on Omega-3, you are right: there is more than one kind of Omega-3 molecule, and the kind found in plant foods is not nearly as beneficial for human health as the kind found in fish. But the ethical objections against contributing to the exploitation of fish are still serious, and cannot be so easily neutralized. In fact the kinds of Omega-3 molecules found in fish are also found in krill, phytoplankton and algae, it seems, so hopefully Omega-3 supplements made from those sources will become more readily available as well as more affordable. (Krill of course are animals, viz. crustaceans; killing them would certainly not be a morally neutral action; but without more careful examination, it seems reasonable to believe that their level of sentience is a good bit lower than that of fish.)Sources please.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23616516Intake of small-to-medium-chain saturated fatty acids is associated with peripheral leukocyte telomere length in postmenopausal women. ‘ Intakes of nonskim milk, butter, and whole-milk cheese (major sources of SMSFAs) were all inversely associated with TL. No significant associations were found with long-chain saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.’LCSFA seem to be ok…so palm oil n coco oil maybe ok?I hope so.Palm oil isn’t long chain I think? So maybe not ok?Oils are basically empty calories that clog up your arteries and contribute to atherosclerosis.I wonder if this would include the saturated fat from plants, like nuts.The “WFPBD” includes nuts… You could review the study to verify if they included nuts into their diet and based on that information we could see whether or not the healthy fats in nuts/seeds/avocado are beneficial in protecting our telomere’s lengthtelemere is not the whole story otherwise u will have 50 year old runners with telemeres at 20 year old immortals.Awesome info. Would also like info on medical (and non medical) marijuana.The best way, I think, to reach the average American is to appeal to their vanity, not to their health, or to the plight of animals, or to the needs of the environment—all of these are too abstract to elicit emotions in most people, and in my experience most Americans are governed by their emotions and not by reason. (So, to people like I’m describing, medical, ethical, and ecological facts don’t matter—feelings do.) So this is where this video comes in! If you tell people, especially people in their, say, 40s on up, that butter is aging them, well then they just might put down the butter knife!Butter linked to skin wrinkling.I love this! Thank you!Perfectly said! And I agreed. Coconut oil is the best skin “lotion” out there! Love it!!I heard your skin is one of your biggest “organs” is this true and how does putting stuff on your skin, in this example saturated fat, affects your body as a whole? does it get absorbed and “digested” or is coconut oil safe to use on your skin to prevent sun burn?…There is limited evidence that babies were cured of fat deficiency (or something of that nature) by applying it topically to the skin, so there is some evidence that topical applications may translate to nutritional realizations. I don’t know the details of this though.I found this presentation to be an excellent learning opportunity in understanding some of the new research on health and longevity. It was also quite persuasive coming from a medical professional with so much knowledge and back-up research as shown on the flick. Science vs. stupid choices… can make a big difference in one’s lifespan and I, will take this information to heart.I sent this video to a friend because I’ve been telling her that “telomeres are where it’s at”….but she then sent me this excerpt from a genome study done at UCSF. In short, it states that while longer telomeres are beneficial in so many ways, they are also linked to rare but almost always fatal gliomas (brain cancer). My personal thought is that I am more concerned with heart disease and diabetes….but I am wondering what your thoughts are.oops…forgot to include the study link. it’s a very short read:http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/06/114956/longer-telomeres-linked-risk-brain-cancerSierra Science is a Company that does research on antiaging. On the ‘About Us ‘ page they state: “Sierra Sciences, LLC, an 11-year old Reno biotech company, is always looking for people experienced in Protein Chemistry, Cellular Biology, Molecular Biology, High-throughput Drug Screening (HTS) and Pharmaceutical Drug Development. We ask that interested people please apply. Our lab is located in the middle of Northern Nevada’s technology district! With over 10,000 square feet, our lab is a prominent state-of-the-art research center in the area.” They have a Proof of Concept page entitled, “Potential Therapeutic Applications of telomere Biology.” Below is section ‘I’ of that information, and the relevant citations.I. Telomerase doesn’t cause cancer (although cancer causes telomerase).More than 90% of human cancer cell lines express telomerase.19 For this reason, there has been some speculation that expressing telomerase in normal human cells could increase the risk of cancer. However, studies over the last ten years have consistently refuted this speculation.Shortly after the discovery of human telomerase, several publications reported that telomerase doesn’t cause cancer, including a 1999 paper by Jerry W. Shay and Woodring E. Wright at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center20 and a 1999 paper published by Geron Corporation in collaboration with the Salk Institute and the University of California, San Francisco.21 In 2002, Calvin Harley at Geron Corporation published a review paper on the relationship between telomerase and cancer, evaluating 86 publications and concluding that telomerase was not a cancer-causing oncogene and did not cause cells to lose growth control and become cancerous.22More recently, scientists have discovered evidence that short telomeres are a significant risk factor for cancer. In 2009, a joint study between Georgetown University and the National Cancer Institutes concluded that short telomeres lead to telomere dysfunction, which leads to chromosome-arm instabilities, which leads to cancer.23 The implication is that keeping telomeres long could eliminate this risk factor and prevent the onset of many cancers. In July of 2010, an international team of doctors compared telomere length against incidences of cancer in 787 patients, and found that subjects with the shortest telomeres had three times the incidence of cancer compared to patients with longer telomeres. Further, short telomeres increased the lethality of cancer: mortality rates of the subjects doubled with every one-standard-deviation decrease in telomere length.24This research suggests that keeping telomeres long through telomerase activation could likely prevent cancer and/or increase the chance of survival for individuals who develop cancer.19. Kim, N. W., M. A. Piatyszek, et al. (1994). Specific association of human telomerase activity with immortal cells and cancer. Science 266(5193): 2011-201520. Morales, C. P., S. E. Holt, et al. (1999). Absence of cancer-associated changes in human fibroblasts immortalized with telomerase. Nat Genet 21(1): 115-118.21. Jiang, X.-R., G. Jimenez, et al. (1999). Telomerase expression in human somatic cells does not induce changes associated with a transformed phenotype.Nat Genet 21(1): 111-114.22. Harley, C. B. (2002). Telomerase is not an oncogene. Oncogene 21(4): 494-502.23. Zheng, Y.-L., N. Hu, et al. (2009). Telomere attrition in cancer cells and telomere length in tumor stroma cells predict chromosome instability in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a genome-wide analysis. Cancer Res 69(4): 1604-1424. Willeit, P., J. Willeit, et al. (2010). Telomere length and risk of incident cancer and cancer mortality. JAMA 304(1): 69-75.I trust this answers your question. As well I have provided a particularly convincing and relatively current study that addresses this question. In brief, it states in the conclusion: “In this study population, there was a statistically significant inverse relationship between telomere length and both cancer incidence and mortality.Telomere length and risk of incident cancer and cancer mortality: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20606151The product I have been using with proven science that is 100% vegan, natural and gluten free is http://agiftfromus.com/honoryourbody/xalo-ageless/ you will hear Dr. Templeman talking about it!Any past discussion on the pros & cons of taking CoQ 10? ThanksThanks for reposting, it means a lot and saves me so much time! What I see from a few studies is that CoQ 10 is not effective, but it is not necessarily unsafe. “Coenzyme Q10 was safe and well tolerated in this population, but showed no evidence of clinical benefit.” Of course this was in spefic population of patients with Parkinson’s disease. For heart disease, there is inconclusive evidence for its efficacy. Hopefully others can jump in with more research. My thought is that Dr. Greger is very aware of the research on many supplements and until one jumps out and screams attention, it’s best to stick to whole, natural foods. If interested, click here for Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations. Thanks again for your post! Let me know if this helps?Sincerely, Joseph	aging,animal fat,animal products,antioxidants,athletes,birth defects,bologna,butter,calories,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,dairy,DNA damage,Dr. Dean Ornish,eggs,exercise,fiber,fish,fruit,ham,heart disease,heart health,hot dogs,inflammation,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,longevity,meat,meditation,mortality,oxidative stress,palmitic acid,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,processed foods,processed meat,salami,saturated fat,stress,telomeres,vegetables,vitamins,weight loss	Is the reversal of cellular aging Dr. Dean Ornish demonstrated with lifestyle changes due to the plant-based diet, the exercise or just to the associated weight loss?	Make sure you see the prequel to this video, Does Meditation Affect Cellular Aging? And for background on this area of research in Research Into Reversing Aging.I’ve asked this diet versus exercise question in a few other contexts. See:Though dietary change appears more impactful, I’m a big fan of walking. See Longer Life Within Walking Distance and for my personal favorite exercise, Standing Up for Your Health.For more on the role saturated fat may play in disease, see, for example, my videos Heart Disease Starts in Childhood and Treating Multiple Sclerosis with the Swank MS Diet.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avocados/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/telomeres/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/palmitic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salami/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meditation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bologna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22991129,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22808115,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23060172,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18227361,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22091521,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20723641,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21035949,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3111281/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14500058,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23616516,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5506943,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19012852,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23639252,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23602876,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20431990,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18799354,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22668817,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18996878,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21102320,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22407663,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23073262,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17785865,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22525489,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15574496,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23640743,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21857007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19948976,
PLAIN-2542	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/	Does Meditation Affect Cellular Aging?	In my Research Into Reversing Aging, I highlighted Dean Ornish's landmark study showing that low-fat, whole foods, plant-based diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, along with walking, stress management, and support could not only reverse heart disease, open up arteries without drugs and surgery, and potentially reverse the progression of early-stage prostate cancer, but was the first intervention ever shown to increase telomerase activity, the enzyme that builds and maintains these caps at the tips of our chromosomes called telomeres which appear to slow the aging of our cells. Yes, this new finding was exciting and should encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle in order to avoid or combat cancer and age-related diseases, but was it the diet, the exercise, or the stress management? That's what researchers have been trying to tease out in the five years since this study was published.Let's look at stress first. In the film The Holiday, Cameron Diaz, exclaimed “Severe stress ... causes the DNA in our cells to shrink until they can no longer replicate.” Did Hollywood get the science right? Do people who are stressed have shorter telomeres? To answer that question, researchers measured the telomere lengths in mothers of chronically ill children—what could be more stressful than that? The longer a woman had spent being the main carer of her ill child, the shorter were her telomeres. The extra telomere shortening in the most stressed mothers was equivalent to that caused by at least a decade of aging.We see the same thing in caregivers of Alzheimer's patients, and those suffering severe work related exhaustion. Even those abused as children may grow up with shorter telomeres. Not much we can do about our past, but if we manage our stress can we grow some of telomeres back?Well if you go off to on a meditation retreat and meditate for 500 hours you can indeed boost your telomerase activity. 600 hours of meditation may be beneficial as well, but come on, there's got to be a quicker fix, and this exciting new study delivers.Caregivers of family members with dementia randomized to just 12 minutes of daily meditation for 8 weeks, just about 10 hours in total experienced significant benefit. Better mental and psychological function accompanied by an increase in telomerase activity suggesting improvement in stress-induced cellular aging. We’ll cover diet and exercise next.	What about the effect of sleep on cellular aging?It could be that both meditation and stress affect primarily sleep, and that sleep in turn affects telomeres.Amazing how this can be empirically observed.I love this. I try to get some meditation in at least once a week, but I just might boost that to once a day. I have CFS so everything’s more complicated, and sometimes even meditation can be taxing on my nervous system. I’m totally in favor of meditation, and have been ever since the science to support it started pouring in, but I’m worried about the average god-fearing American who is afraid that meditation is a component of Buddhism or some other religion that they consider to be a false or wicked religion. It may sound funny, but there are people out there who think meditation is of the devil. How can we reach those people on the benefits of meditation? They deserve the help that meditation brings as much as anybody else does.“average god-fearing American” If they really are god-fearing they can or should be meditating on His word and trusting in Him so stress should not be a big factor in their lives.I am all of those things and yet stress is a big factor. God said He will help us deal w/ our fear/stress, not that we wouldn’t ever feel it…Did not mean to imply that there wouldn’t still be stress just that trust in Him helps us deal with what ever happens in life.Meditation is a component of many religions including Christianity, Buddhism is the religion (I don’t consider Buddhism a religion but a philosophy of life, the term Buddhist was created by western society) that has study meditation for a long time and has developed very good techniques that are even used in modern psychology.“Meditation” was also a word imposed on Buddhism by Christian-oriented European scholars. It is only an approximation of the Sanskrit words “dhyana” (concentration) and “bhavana” (mental cultivation). Many people refer to Buddhism as “a philosophy” because it’s not a god-based religion. What other “philosophies” de-emphasize intellectualism, give rigorous daily practice primacy, alter brain structure and chemistry, improve health, and have brought practitioners to a state of perceptual transformation that eliminates suffering? How many philosophies are still being practiced today very much as they were 2500 years ago?For people who have religious objections to meditation, I’d suggest that they look into “The Relaxation Response,” a completely and deliberately non-religious technique that a researcher, Dr. Harold Benson developed several years ago.Great perspective, Jane’s Addiction! I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer when it comes to interpreting ones “faith”, but I agree with your point that you can certainly have faith and still enjoy meditation, or other non-Western practices for that matter. Dr. Greger has a great video (1) on how tea can be beneficial for improving brain function, like meditation. Furthermore, when looking at some of the research in Integrative Medicine, researchers are finding meditation (2), yoga (3), deep breathing (pranyama) (4), and even music therapy (5) can be helpful for cancer survivors. These are perhaps some ways to reach others about the benefits of meditation.1) http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/ 2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23657969 3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24590636 4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25558133 5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24527052Thanks for your post, JosephI don’t see the details of the design of the meditation in the study. Does the meditation include deep, relatively slow inhales and exhales of the breath? I use a meditation recording that utilizes deep breathing as well as soft words and music.YOU ARE THE BEST! Glad I can share my family and Well-Being Community with your research!!:) Luz DeliaDoes sleep apnea count as meditation? If so my telomerase are dragging the ground. How do we quantify stress? My business burned down years ago and my thought as it burned was, “When can I start rebuilding?” Someone’s house trailer gets blow away by a storm and they are suicidal. Stress is self induced. Is meditation suppose to calm those who stress out and “overreact” to life’s bumps? I tried meditating once but found myself peeking at others to see if they were really meditating.slider1 meditation isn’t learned in 1 session and there are several meditation techniques, people should learn the ones that they feel most comfortable with. Meditation goal is that you become aware to a point that meditation can be done with your daily activities. Sleep apnea is not meditation, it is a medical condition and you stop breathing during sleep, actually induces a lot of stress and hormonal imbalance.I think slider1 was being sarcastic about sleep apnea (my husband was diagnosed and treated successfully about 10 yrs ago) and using his comment to both vent and compare/ contrast his response to what could be seen as a very negative, stressful situation and others who may not have his tools, or level of reasoning/ operating to deal with such events as calmly and or constructively. Even Ekhart Tolle teaches we are we are in terms of understanding and awareness and do the the best we can. If you take the time to find out, we all have our cross or burdens to bare in life. Some of us get hit early some late. Some of us are able to learn and grow and cope better from early on, others take more time. Sadly, some are working with other issues like depression that make it harder. It would be interesting to see a study done to show if there is evidence or supporting data for telomere length related not only to stress but to our own personal response to it.As a stressed care-giver, I often take what I call “stress naps,” sometimes even in the AM if there as been a challenging care-giving event early in the day. How would that compare with meditation in protecting DNA?Not sure, but having been a care giver I fully support your naps. Instead of adding the word stress which denotes something negative why not call them “self care” or “oxygen mask” naps? Trust me, it will change how you view them and feel when you wake up. The latter will support your right/ need to take of yourself so you DO have something more to GIVE. Great question, see my question in previous comment as it seems to be on the same line.Show me a pill increasing the lenght of the telomere – it will be a blockbuster! It is already here – within us. Mind over matter.There kinda is one, though it works no better than diet or meditation, and costs a pretty penny.Dont forget what you put inside your body is still way more important! ;DNo.I am a long term meditator, 20+ years. I am seeing the benefits now in my mental abilities. I have had less of decline in many areas of my life and I am actually aging very well. I would recommend meditation for anyone, I do it as a Zen Buddhist, but it can be adapted to almost any lifestyle and or faith. It has amazing benefits. However, the benefits are extrapolated when you add in exercise as well. After all, you need a great deal of endurance and stamina to sit for a long period of time and exercise gives you that.Very interesting video, thank you very much. A few question come immediately to mind and they are primarily addressed to Dr Greger, and everyone is warmly welcome to answer too.1) How about prayer? There’s been interesting work in the past (like the otherwise infamous François Carrel) on scientifically measurable effects of prayer.2) Has there been a study to try and see if it’s a side effect of stress (i.e. sleep patterns) that would then affect directly the telomeres activity? By analogy, in the case of the link between the decline of IGF-1 and cognitive decline, the link which seemed direct in fact appears to come from the effect of IGF-1 on sleep, and THEN of the effect of sleep on cognitive decline. In short sleep in that case was the central ruler of cognitive decline, not necessarily IGF-1. I wonder if it’s the same for meditation. [1]3) There are very many types of meditation, does it also work with all-time, continuous meditation? By continuous meditation I mean consciousness in the present moment (à la Eckhart Tolle) as opposed to practiced in dedicated meditation sessions?4) Has these been statistical comparative studies of long-term mediators and comparable non-meditators?5) I very much agree meditation can’t harm anyone. In the meantime, it is an aspect far deeper than just a “tool” for some sort of better performance. I can’t say what it is but there is something bothering me with the whole concept of using mediation as a fix or with a purpose. There’s an interesting moral debate there, but that should probably not hold people from going and experimenting with meditation, even if at first it’s with a “selfish” sort of purpose.[1] Baker LD, Vitiello MV. Growth Hormone–Releasing Hormone Improves Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Sleep On It—Reply. JAMA Neurol. 2013;70(4):529-530. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.2064For the question on how prayer affects health, I recommend the book by Larry Dossey, M.D., “Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine.” It is loaded with many references and scientific experiments and some of the conclusions are intriguing and provocative.For the question on how stress affects telomeres and aging, I recommend the following study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3394788/In my practice, work related stress causes a lot of detrimental health consequences down stream, but this study is one of the first to show molecular changes associated with premature aging from stress.As for the question about the comparison of long term meditators versus novice meditators: yes, there has been a study on this topic. The Harvard Professor Dr. Benson has shown that even novice practitioners can reap immediate benefits from one session of relaxation-response (breathing meditation). Through one session of meditation, a practitioner can alter gene expression that is associated with reduced stress and inflammation. Dr. Benson’s research showed that long term meditators had 2,000 stress reducing gene activated compared to those who do not meditate. The great news is that once novices were taught to meditate for 20 minutes per day for 8 weeks, they had activated 1,500 genes associated with stress reduction! http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0062817As for the question as to whether meditation is helpful when performed as formal sit down practice or informally as a mindfulness throughout the day. The answer is that one session of meditation has beneficial effects immediately during the session and the effects linger throughout the day. Please refer to Dr. Benson’s article for details: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0002576Also, Harvard neuroscientist Dr Sara Lazar studied 16 participants and it was found that 8 weeks of meditation strengthened the hippocampus, cingulate cortex, temporo-parietal junction, and cerebellum. In this study, the MBSR technique was used which is defined “moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness” throughout the day. This study showed that the meditators had larger brains.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004979/What about fasting and doubt intermittent fasting? Any science on this? I’m vegan but heard it can be beneficial.	aging,beans,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chronic diseases,DNA damage,Dr. Dean Ornish,exercise,fat,fruit,grains,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,longevity,meditation,plant-based diets,prostate cancer,stress,telomeres,vegetables	Dr. Dean Ornish showed that his plant-based diet, exercise, and stress management intervention could in effect reverse the aging of our DNA. What effect might the stress management component have had?	Here’s a link to the backgrounder video that presents the original Ornish study:  Research Into Reversing Aging. I’ll cover the comparable effects of diet and exercise in my next video Telomeres - Cap It All Off with Diet.I have a few videos on using aromatherapy and other modalities to help deal with stress:For life extension in general, see:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meditation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/telomeres/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22991129,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22808115,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23060172,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18227361,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22091521,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20723641,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21035949,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3111281/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14500058,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23616516,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5506943,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19012852,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23639252,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23602876,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20431990,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18799354,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22668817,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18996878,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21102320,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22407663,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23073262,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17785865,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22525489,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15574496,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23640743,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21857007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19948976,
PLAIN-2543	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/	Treating Alzheimer's with Turmeric	What about treating Alzheimer's disease with the spice turmeric? An exciting case series was published in 2012. Three Alzheimer's patients treated with turmeric, and their symptoms declined, along with the burden on their caregivers. Let me show you what these data mean in real lives. Case number one: 83 year old woman, started losing her memory, getting disoriented. Then she started having problems taking care of herself, wandering aimlessly, incontinent. After the turmeric though, her agitation, apathy, anxiety, and irritability were relieved and she had less accidents. Furthermore she began to laugh again, and sing again, and knit again. After taking turmeric for more than a year she came to recognize her family and now lives a peaceful life without a significant behavioral or psychological symptom of dementia.Case 2 was similar, but with hallucinations and delusions and depression, which appeared relieved by turmeric. She began to recognize her family again and now lives in a peacefully serene manner. And the third case, similar as well, including an improvement in cognition. This is the first demonstration that turmeric may be effective and safe for the treatment of the behavioral and psychological symptom of dementia in Alzheimer's disease patients. They call it a drug, but it's just a spice you can walk into any grocery store and buy for a few bucks. They were giving people like a teaspoon a day, which comes out to be about 15 cents.Two trials using curcumin supplements rather than turmeric, however, failed to show a benefit. Curcumin is just one of hundreds of phytochemicals found in turmeric. Concentrated into pill form at up to 40 times the dose, no evidence of efficacy was found. Why didn't they get the same dramatic results we saw in the three case reports? Well, those three cases may have total flukes, but on the other hand turmeric, the whole food, is greater than the sum of its parts.There is a long list of compounds that of been isolated from turmeric, and it's possible that each component in the mixture of curcumin-like compounds plays a distinct role in making it useful against Alzheimer's disease, and hence a mixture of compounds might better represent turmeric in its medicinal value better than curcumin alone. But why concoct some artificial mixture when Mother Nature already did it for us with turmeric? Because you can't patent the spice. And if you can't patent it, how are you going to charge more than 15 cents?	I like curry but not everyday. Currently I put about a 1/4 a tsp in my morning smoothing. If anyone has other suggestions about how to get turmeric into my daily diet I would love to here it.hi jason,dr greger has another video that shows that if you consume black pepper with the turmeric, it will boost it’s bioavailabilty by a lot ! here’s the video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/Try sprinkling it on veggies while cooking. Here is a good recipe for that http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/chana-palak-masala/Looks like a great recipe. I’ll try it this weekend. Maybe instead of reinventing the wheel, I’ll just scan through my recipe books!I stir turmeric and a little black pepper into a glass of tomato juice. It’s actually pretty tasty that way.What a great idea. As a poor student, curry powder in tomato soup was a staple, but this sounds good for a now sober Bloody Mary fan.Turmeric goes good with potatoes. So even if I’m not making an expressly Indian dish, I’ll add it turmeric to potato dishes or anything “eggy” (like when I make tofu “egg” salad, or if I make a chickpea salad in the style of “chicken” salad). It’s also a dye, so you can use it to impart a gold color to foods, like if you’re making a dessert and you want different colors (beets and blueberries are also great for this).Try adding it to a pot of mayonnaise and have it on sandwiches instead of butter or a dollop with a poached egg or make egg mayonnaise with it in.There are so many downsides to eggs, that it probably is better not to get turmeric at all, if you have to eat eggs to get the turmeric.I thought Aileen was joking!and what are the downsides? do those same downsides apply to raw eggs or just raw yokes?Eggs (pastured from local sources who also feed them organically) are VERY healthy. Check out the benefits of eggs. We eat a lot of them these days (after having avoided them for years) and my husband’s cholesterol has not gone up. I also consume many of them raw in smoothies or eggnog.I would not eat any from the stores, especially raw. The chicks are raised in deplorable conditions, never let out of the cages to see the light of day, and filled with antibiotics/growth hormones. What they eat goes into our bodies if we eat it.When I use Turmeric (often) I make sure to add some pepper with it to increase the potency.Ann: As the videos on this site show, there is no scientific reason to believe that eggs of any type are healthy. Quite the opposite. The evidence shows that you increase your risk of serious diseases the more you eat eggs – regardless of how the mothers are raised or whether the eggs are cooked or not. And note that cholesterol is just the tip of the ice burg when it comes to health risk. See below for a compelling list of problems with just the egg whites!But before I get to that, I thought I would touch on one more point: To your credit, you seem concerned about the welfare of chicks. So, you might want to consider that for almost every female chick raised in a loving environment (which is not likely to be something you would buy in a store anywhere), there was a male chick who was slaughtered – usually in a horrific manner. When you eat eggs of any type, you are part of that practice.Now for important information about the risks of eating egg whites: Since egg whites do not have egg yolks, the cholesterol issue is not in play. But egg whites are just as bad for you. Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, there are two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out two other health issues with egg whites.With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?Thea,I found this site quite by accident but didn’t realize it’s apparently a vegetarian site or I would not have signed up and posted. I realized when seeing your response that we are in total disagreement and feel certain neither one of us is going to change the others’ mind.I would like to say that I’d posted quickly, as I was involved in something and didn’t have much time, so was reading hurriedly and happened to notice the post about eggs. Naturally, since I know they are a healthy food, I wanted to express my opinion. I knew I didn’t have enough time to explain WHY eggs are full of excellent nutrition, especially the yolk, but after leaving the computer, realized I had forgotten to mention that raw whites shouldn’t be consumed as the avidin, a glycoprotein, bonds with the biotin which can prevent biotin from being absorbed, causing a biotin deficiency if a lot of egg whites are eaten raw. I consume the yolks raw and use the whites in cooked things. Also, when cooking eggs, they should be cooked only lightly to prevent the cholesterol from becoming oxidized, which can increase inflammation, which can cause many health problems.After several years of being nearly vegetarians because we couldn’t find good sources of pastured meats, eggs, etc. I realized my husband and myself both were not looking as young as we always have – skin not as taut and had lost some of the pink color, eyes not as bright, along with other issues. After finding a couple local markets where several farmers offer their organic meats, veggies, raw milk, wild caught salmon, etc. and we started eating whole food again, our skin became young and elastic again, and we both had our youth back. We also eat LOTS of veggies, avocados, healthy fats, etc., and we both get many compliments when out about our skin being so youthful and unwrinkled. We’re both seniors so enjoy the compliments, and feel wonderful with lots of exercise, no prescriptions, or chronic illness. I’ve been involved in nutrition for over 35 yrs. and after having made a few mistakes along the way, know we’re been on the right track for the past few years as we’re both healthy and strong. I have the same energy levels I did when in my 20s – 30s. I’m more concerned about all the toxic chemicals surrounding us that are responsible for several diseases, than about our food choices, as we have a very clean diet.By the way, about The China Study: I totally disagree, as you simply cannot lump all people together as one, saying the same diet is the best one for all. We are all different with different needs. I’ve known a lot of vegetarians who have chronic health issues, due to consuming sugars, grains, and lots of processed foods. They are also overweight since they aren’t eating whole foods. I have also known a couple who follow a fairly strict vegetarian diet with healthy, fresh foods and make certain to get enough B12 and other vitamins. I would not insist everyone eat as I do, nor do I believe anyone should insist I must stick to a vegetarian diet in order to remain healthy. And another extremely healthy item to consume is beef or chicken broth which is full of healing gelatin. You might want to check it. I’ve heard of several vegetarians who gave it up in order to correct imbalances and heal some issue they’d had, through the use of the broth.And one more thing: the small, conscientious farmers raise and kill the animals humanly. The animals are free to roam stress-free and are handled properly at the end, without pain or stress.Sorry this is so long. However, the folks here who read this should take a few minutes to check out some of the healthy blogs written by many of the younger generation. They have cured their own diseases, healed their children from things such as psoriasis, asthma, ADHD, and many other types of skin and health problems through a good balanced diet with lots of meat, (including bacon – gasp!) eggs, and raw milk. There are also a few alternative doctors who offer wonderful advice who were once traditional and realized they were wrong.I think you have it backwards Ann, this is not a vegetarian site, the evidence simply shows that a plant based diet is healthier for a number of reasons, thus that is what is shared. The studies are not eloquently written blog posts about the latest fad diet, they are simply collections of data we can use to make judgements about our health and what proper nutrition should be to maintain and maximize it. There is no good evidence to suggest eggs are healthy. It raises cholesterol and is inflammatory in addition to its ability to increase IGF-1 hormone which increases the risk of cancer. This is agreed upon by researchers in the field. This is by no means a complete list of the issues. Your call for people to check out blogs written by the younger generation is another path in which health misinformation spreads.I think before you make the judgement call that a diet centered around plants is unhealthy, I encourage you to explore this website further, and you will see it truly is an evidence based approach, not an appeal to emotion or bad habits. No one here is claiming that a vegetarian diet is healthy, after all, what constitutes a vegetarian diet is what really makes it healthy. There are many extremely unhealthy vegetarians out there.add a spoonful of turmeric to rice or other grains when you cook them, along with pepper and perhaps various vegetables such as onion, garlic, broccoli or tomato. And you probably won’t notice a half teaspoon of turmeric and a dash of pepper in your smoothie.Try mixing up a tasty, unforgettable drink with 1 cup V8 juice (I like Trader Joe’s Low Sodium Garden Patch or Knudsen’s Very Veggie), 1 tsp turmeric, a sprinkle of black pepper, 1/2 tsp dulse flakes (provides 115 mcg of iodine), and 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast. For extra flavor, add some lemon juice or Tabasco or whatever you like. Get creative!I’m going to start making turmeric capsules (to go with my amla capsules). I use “The Capsule Machine” and I can make 24 vegan capsules at a time. It took me about 30 minutes to make 72 amla capsules. Then I just take two a day with my breakfast. So you don’t have to taste it or put it in food.I make a coffee drink every morning that has regular coffee in it to which I add about 1/4 tsp. turmeric, 1/4 tsp. Ceylon cinnamon, and a scant tsp. coconut oil, along with a splash of almond milk. It may sound weird, but is actually pretty good!I like curry, but not everyday. Currently I put about a 1/4 a tsp in my morning smoothy. If anyone has other suggestions about how to get turmeric into my daily diet I would love to here it.Jason, that 1/4 tsp might be adequate for preventative purposes but I usually try to get more as well. I use it on anything that is savory, especially beans.I put “more” into my rice but once it’s distributed throughout the rice am I really getting more? I think not. I eat some of the rice (and some of the turmeric.) Most is still in the pot. Any hint of a heavy dose and it tastes soapy to me. I guess the key is to add it to several dishes in small amounts.Jason: I’m an immigrant from southeast Asia and eat a lot of turmeric. In small amounts, turmeric has no flavor. In large amounts it’s bitter. I add it to almost everything I cook, in small amounts: 1/4 teaspoon to the pot of rice, 1/4 teaspoon to every pasta dish, 1/4 teaspoon to every curry, and, as you do, 1/4 teaspoon to every shake and smoothie. Since the bioavailability of cur cumin is low, it’s better to consume small amounts frequently, anyway.This. Small amounts of turmeric are a happy addition to pretty much anything with a free liquid component, including things where the liquid is absorbed. My gut feeling is that it may be better to try to boost availability with black pepper, which complements the flavor of the spice pretty well anyway. Oxalates are a concern with turmeric as with cassia, although I’m unsure about the exact extent of the risk.I put it on my morning muesli (1/4 – 1/2 tsp.) along with a tsp. of cinnamon and a pinch of cloves and a twist of black pepper. Add some fruit and a tablespoon of ground flax, walnuts, pecans and a cup of almond milk. The combination works well with oatmeal, too. Enjoy!I buy it fresh, put 1/2 pc. in my morning smoothie–from what i figure it works out to about 1200 mgs. fresh turmeric.Video will not open–anyone else ?Will taking the capsules say 500mg be the same? 1/4tsp is aprox. how many mg.Never been impressed by the drugs we have against Alzheimer, so this is interesting – I know: Only three patients – but it tell us where to look – nature…..Even the two neurologists that gave me some lessons about neurological disease were not satisfied at all with nowadays therapeutical options.But they’re view is tied to drugs so probably looking in the plant kingdom to find the solution is strange to them.I am a neurologist :-)I think it’s one of the best part of Medical fields, even if if I had decided to study Medicine in the past instead of Biotech, probably i will end up taking the specialization in nephrology (like Doc House xD), or surgery.One of my two professors spent some years of training at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland working in the glutamate research and in fact he wrote a little book on the subject with another neurologist, you could read it here:http://books.google.it/books?id=hDbvxnYwTBMC&pg=PP7&dq=Carlo+ferrarese&hl=it&sa=X&ei=8gknVNP6KoPB7ga55IHYAw&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=falseWhile the other professor made some contribution for the importance of epigenetics in neurologic disease; you coul read some of the papers suggested for my course:http://neurolucio.wordpress.com/didattica/Merio, Thanks, interesting.You’re welcome.Curry & turmeric are reputed to cause unpleasant body odors. Has anyone seen studies or reliable info one way or the other? I can only find vastly differing opinions and anecdotes on the web.oh wow..I’ll add it to my smoothie every day.Anyone else having problems using the Search function on this new site design? Clicking “Done” and “Return” gets me no response.PS. What about oxalates in turmeric. Dr. G had a video on that, but as you can see, I can’t find it.Not sure why the mobile configuration is not processing the search but I’m at a regular computer and it does come up… here’s the link: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/Is it probable that turmeric would be beneficial to patients with dementia from other causes? Specifically Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease?And as coincidence would have it, just today I encounter “Promising drug candidate for Alzheimer’s found in turmeric compound” at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283109.phpThe underlying study is “Aromatic-turmerone induces neural stem cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo” published today; abstract at http://stemcellres.com/content/5/4/100/abstractWhat about using turmeric for Parkinson’s? Anybody had read anything? My father suffers from it and conventional drugs do not work anymore :(http://www.lef.org//protocols/neurological/parkinsons-disease/page-03?source=search&key=turmericWhat about the high salicylate content in turmeric? Is this a problem for some people? It seems to be for me and others, but not sure what the science has proven. Dr. G, have you looked at the research and data on salicylates, not just with turmeric (which is sky high) but in other foods as well?Dr. Greger has written about the benefits of salicylic acid before: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/We need more case studies like these.Here is our “famous” Kevin and Gayle recipe(we are NEW to cooking) for spiced coffee: Equal parts Turmeric, Cardamom, Cloves!, Ginger, 2 parts Cinnamon, and1/8- 1/16 or so (we are unclear how much does the trick) part Pepper. Yum Yum! one tsp or so in coffee or soy latte pop in microwave, and use frother to mix if you don’t want a last gulp of spices. We started with just a bit of spice and now love the TSP.Is there anything to be concerned about for those on Heparin drugs? Or any other likely pharmaceutical interference?http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-662-TURMERIC.aspx?activeIngredientId=662&activeIngredientName=TURMERICThanks Bob, that’s what I thought. It would be good to get more information though, since I can’t imagine many cases where these drugs wouldn’t be in play for the demographic in question.EXAMPLE of a tumeric supplement that would cost ~$1.50 a month at the same dose as in the study.http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-premium-turmeric-720-mg-240-caps?otherSize=SW940My mother at 90 is showing some of these symptoms.Does Dr. Greger have any videos on mineral deficiency? I’m hearing a lot about mineral deficiency and how our health is affected by the lack of minerals in our food because the soil is depleted. I really don’t want to be taken advantage of by any of the snake oil salesmen out there. So if anyone knows of any legit sources please share.Well, do you know of any legit sources on the side of the soil-depletion-is-the-main-problem argument? It’s okay to just be skeptical until the people with a very particular theory about poor nutrition can substantiate their claims about effect size.Maybe you should look at this article (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/) on Scientific American’s site and read some of the comments for context on the quality of it. I know that SA can sometimes be criticized for a fluffy and unrigorous take on scientific topics, but this article was produced through partnership with a different site, which, by the looks of the article, has nothing of even SA’s credibility.I take 2 turmeric capsules (600mg each) a day. I no longer have arthritis pain in my hand when I try to open a jar. I no longer have arthritis pain in my knees when i go up and down stairs..After reading about turmeric’s ability to balance the body and mind I tried it to help with depression and low energy. I put a whole tblspn in a hot tea toddy with black pepper, fenugreek powder, half tsp coconut oil, black seed, honey and curry.. Wow! Was up all night writing and thinking and in a great mood. Minimum dose of 1 tsp turmeric.I put 1/4 tsp in an eight oz glas of hot soy milk with a dash of pepper, cinnamon and some stevia—yummyl!I also began drinking turmeric in soy and almond milk (cold or warm) before bed, 1 tsp. turmeric in a 12-16 oz mug.Also, I have read that we should not cook with turmeric because high temperatures destroy some of its health benefits. So I began adding it to cooked foods after the food is done, but still in the pot, before serving. Course, we can always sprinkle it over the food on our plate, but lots of people resist doing that because of the taste. I have no problem with it, however.Got to try this! Thanks…The amount the curcumin is increased by black pepper seems unwieldy.. that’s a lot of curcumin! What’s in the black pepper that does that, and why are we not eating more black pepper?Do products labelled “Turmeric” in grocery stores roughly the same content or are there many different kinds (strands of the plant, ways of producing, etcetera)?I recently read an article about a small UCLA study claiming to reverse memory loss in Alzheimer patients. One of the key ingredients to the success was a change in diet. Is anyone familiar with this study and know what the patients were required to eat? I would love to learn it was plant-based. Here is the article:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2779327/Memory-loss-reversed-Alzheimer-s-patients-time-scientists-say.htmlThank you!I was so excited to see this article. As the caregiver for my 84 year old dad who has moderate to severe dementia, I am always looking for ways to help alleviate his agitation and anxiety. I checked with his doctor first, who said “it probably won’t hurt”, then started him on 600 mg of turmeric daily. I also started taking the same, to check for side effects that he might experience but might have trouble communicating. None so far after 1 week. His mood has been better, but that may just be an anomaly, since it’s only been one week.I purchased turmeric only, no added black pepper. I didn’t see any mention of added black pepper in the study. And since the researchers concluded that curcumin was not the ingredient that made the difference in the three case studies, why increase it’s bioavailability with added pepper? Did I miss something?cpgraettinger: I don’t have an answer to your question. But I wanted to say that your father is really lucky to have you. How cool that you take the same stuff yourself.One idea for you: I know some people are buying their own Capsule Machine devices and filling empty gel caps with their own turmeric. It saves money and then if you want to create your own blends, you can do so. Just an idea if you decide to continue the turmeric long term.Good luck to you both.I would like to request help for Intracranial Hypertension /Psuedotumor Cerebri. I have this as to many women and the treatment for it is not that fun. Worse is a lot of medical professionals in Ohio discount it as hysteria and a weight loss issue. I wonder if the olden days of women being diagnosed with hysteria are still with us. With this disorder come menstrual disfunction, chronic pain and migraines, weight gain, depression and a much higher rate of suicide, and in my case damage to the inner ear(perilymphatic fistula related to pressure disregulation inside the inner ear related to being born with Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome). I am very low on energy to tolerate nasty doctors who expect me to just suck it up or go see a psychiatrist. And searching here is difficult at this time. I am going to try turmeric making my own capsules which is affordable. But I am a little confused because I thought some of the properties were fat soluble as well. I would love a recipe so that I could just take a spoon every morning and it has the pepper, turmeric, fat and water soluble etc all in there. Or a smoothie. Or something. I just do not have the capacity to figure it out myself right now. I need advice for chronic pain. Thank you for the sweet cherries as that is a life saver sometimes. I have taken the max dose of advil and two cups of cherries before and that was a tremendous relief on a really bad bad day. I personally have very few pain management options because I am that one person who seems to have all the side affects listed on the pill bottles as well as rebound migraines for repeated pain medicines. Anything at this point is better than nothing. Chronic pain, migraine, and headache is very hard to live with. Thank you for your help.Here is a link to my high res ct if you are curious. I have no problem with this being shared as SCDS affects 2% of the population according to John’s Hopkins but less then 10,000 of us are diagnosed in the whole world the last time we were all counted. If this is forwarded please protect my privacy. My damage is not typical and i may be the outlier for this disorder having bilateral damage with both openings to the inner ear being 4mm by 5mm. This is not genetic, study done by Gerard Gianoli concluded scds was a congenital birth defect. I do not know if it is within the scope of your website to talk about this disorder. But if you do you have the potential of helping millions get out of psychiatric services and to a qualified surgeon instead. http://s1078.photobucket.com/user/loma9824/media/holes%20in%20head/ct0002.jpg.html?sort=6&o=3 And yes, I take boatload of calcium, magnesium, and D3.Hi, does anyone knows if using it naturally has the same effect, where i live the root is really cheap, or i have to but the powder version. Im trying everything with a familiar with alzheimer, so any advice is more than welcomeIs their a connection between prions and Alzheimer’s. What I am getting at is that Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease is passed on between cows and humans. Is it possible that cows can be infected with a prion that causes Alzheimer’s. This would partially account for the low incidence of Alzheimer’s in India since India is still primarily vegetarian.Hi Lars, I am not certain. Dr. Greger does have a great post about Mad Cow Disease here and yes a very old article on the subject here. See if these help?Thanks, Joseph	alternative medicine,Alzheimer’s disease,brain disease,brain health,cognition,complementary medicine,curcumin,dementia,depression,mental health,mood,patent,spices,supermarkets,supplements,turmeric	What a teaspoon a day of the spice turmeric may be able to do for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.	What role might turmeric play in preventing Alzheimer’s in the first place? See my previous video Preventing Alzheimer's with Turmeric.I’ve previously addressed the thorny issue of patenting natural plant remedies in my video: Plants as Intellectual Property – Patently Wrong?The whole-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts theme is one that comes up over and over:What else might the cheap, easily available spice turmeric do? It may help fight arthritis (Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid Arthritis and Turmeric Curcumin and Osteoarthritis) and cancer:But it’s not for everyone: Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/patent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supermarkets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665200/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22887802,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23107780,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23873854,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988474,
PLAIN-2544	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/	Preventing Alzheimer's with Turmeric	There are anti-inflammatory drugs that may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease but stomach, liver and kidney toxicity precludes their widespread use. So maybe using an anti-inflammatory food like the spice turmeric, found in curry powder, could offer the benefits without the risks? Before even considering putting it to the test, though, one might ask, "well, do populations that eat a lot of turmeric have a lower prevalence of dementia?" They may actually have the lowest reported prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's. OK, so far so good. But maybe because it's such an impoverished area that victims there don't live very long, so you need to know more than just the prevalence—how many Alzheimer's cases are walking around, but the incidence of the disease, how many new people are getting it every year, which reflects the true rate of disease occurrence.In rural Pennsylvania, the incidence rate of Alzheimer's disease among seniors is 19. Nineteen people in a thousand over age 65 develop Alzheimer’s every year in rural Pennsylvania. In rural India, using the same diagnostic criteria, that same rate is 3, confirming they have among the lowest reported Alzheimer's rates in the world.Although there isn’t much to go on, the lower prevalence of Alzheimer's in India is generally attributed to the turmeric consumption as a part of curry, and it is assumed that people who use turmeric regularly have a lower incidence of the disease, but let's not just assume.A thousand people tested and those who consumed curry at least occasionally did do better on simple cognitive tests than those who didn't. Those that ate curry often had only about half the odds of showing cognitive impairment, after adjusting for a wide variety of potential confounding factors. This suggests that curry consumption may be associated with better cognitive performance.Of course it probably matters what's being curried—are we talkin' chicken masala, or chana masala, with chickpeas instead of chicks. It may be no coincidence that the country with among the lowest rates of Alzheimers has among the lowest rates of meat consumption, with a significant percentage of Indians eating meat-free and egg-free diets.We've known for nearly 20 years now, that those who eat meat—red meat or white meat—appear between two to three times more likely to become demented, compared to vegetarians. And the longer one eats meat-free, the lower the associated risk of dementia, whether or not you curry favor, with your brain.	Why would it be that when I eat grains I get herpes on the lips (cold sores, not canker sores). Especially brown rice and wheat. I’ve considered it was an arginine/lysine ratio issue, but other high arginine/low lysine foods do not cause these lip sores on me. Could these grains be causing an autoimmune system issue?Many peoples have problems with grains and/or legumes even whole ones…it seems they are not that safe…Many people claim to have a problem with gluten, but don’t. Less than 1% of the population have difficulty with grains. Most people following the gluten free regimen are responding to media hype.I use turmeric routinely in my rice…which is a main ingredient in my veggie burgers.The only “down side” to this study is some will falsely assume using turmeric on their double decker bacon burgers will combat fat induced Alzheimer’s. Do a big brother campaign, like for cigarettes. “WARNING: Although this product has been proven to prevent or diminish (name the disease), in most cases, it is not intended as an antidote for meat poisoning.” Surgeon General U.S.A.Just for your info, gluten makes me very bloated and gives me intestinal issues. When I began eating gluten free breads, that all stopped. It’s not hype. It’s facts. I am on end the millions that are proof of it. So is my niece.Didn’t mean to imply your problem with gluten was hype. I have no problem with peanuts but they are deadly to some. One person (you or me) does not constitute a statistic. Gluten is hyped by food processors and TV cook shows. Sales of gluten free foods is profitable. Many folks are self diagnosing and declaring themselves gluten intolerant. “Gluten free” represents a huge portions of the products sold today while less than 1% of American’s actually have the affliction. All true statements.Fortunately for you there are lots of healthy foods that aren’t a problem.I absolutely agree with your statement. Gluten free has become big business.I agree with yourself and @slider1’s view. Let me clarify this Im NOT saying I think any food intolerance are hype and dont exist. My GI doc agrees these sensitivities are real…in a SMALL group of people. And of those who truly have them, a good effort has been made over time to rule out other possible health/ medical issues which may mimic or manifest the same symptoms. This could be dangerous if a true cause is going undiagnosed and or treated because something like a food intolerance seems too fit. In my case I actually had allergy disease go undiagnosed until a while ago. I can only encourage those who think they may have a food allergy or intolerance to do educate themselves and dont just read the mainstream media articles or others comments (even mine), do what they can/ have to rule out any other issues that may be the real problem. I had to get VERY SICK before medical doctors got red flags as to the real issue(s).At least be open to the fact that your reactions to certain foods may just be the smoke and not the real cause of the fire. Trust me.Yes, lots of people have problems with grains, but not because of gluten. A likely cause of wheat intolerance, as well as other grains, is the FODMAP issue. Foods high in FODMAP’s (yes, some delicious vegan foods, by the way), cause great distress in the gastro-tract for many people who are therefore unable to eat grains such as wheat. And wheat can both cause a FODMAP issue as well as be a symptom of a FODMAP issue.I’m not familiar with “wheat intolerance”. I DO know that foods we have trouble with sometimes become acceptable once we stop eating meat and dairy. Recent studies demonstrate peanut allergies can be reduced, even eliminated, by slowly introducing the offending food in microscopic amounts until a tolerance is created. Oddly, after I fasted my taste buds changed and I liked (loved) cottage cheese. In grade school I loathed the stuff so much I had a standing agreement with a couple other boys…they removed the cottage cheese from my pineapple before I got nauseous. I could easily eat a container of it today…but don’t.This isn’t true. 1% of the people have a problem with grains. 7% more are sensitive to some grains. Totally unfounded statement here.Hum, I think you should also revise your statement. The same group of researchers who found that gluten sensitivity exist have redone more strict studies to find out that “gluten sensitivity may not exist after all..” http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2014/05/gluten_sensitivity_may_not_exist.htmlVery well then.Interesting. Although, as we see by this new study findings are never really written in stone or final. A few years from now new, good, studies by these or other researches could very well change this outcome…again and support the diagnosis of gluten and other food sensitivities. Until then lets keep an open mind and focus on supporting others in getting the help and clarity they need with health issues which may be reducing their quality of daily life. My immunologist admits there is alot we still dont know about the immune system, or the human body for that matter. Stay tuned.Grains are safe for people who have no sensitivities to them, which, as the good doc has video’d before, is most people. The assertion that whole cooked grains are not safe is unsubstantiated and borders on the irresponsible.Rice is one of the most non allergenic foods on the planet, so it is extremely odd this would occur to you. I haven’t heard of this before.I get hardcore nasal congestion and more symptomes from eating white rice and more or less usually other starchy foods, it seems to go significantly better with whole rice though maybe beacause it is not sticky that is weird but it is fact~ Probably related to complex carbohydrate feeding yeast overgrowth, There are solid science about specific carbohydrate diet i think~What does this have to do with the subject of this video? Nothing it seems. Thus, I will start flagging as inappropriate posts like this that are off topic. If others do the same, the user may be demoted. Simply hit the flag in the upper right corner of the post.Hi Tobias– As I explained in my previous email to you, we want to create a welcoming environment for all users on the website, so we do not find it a problem when users post “off-topic” comments or questions on videos. Comments or questions like this can serve as a way to open up discussion of other videos that might be relevant to a user’s interest. I welcome you to share thoughtful responses or a link to a more appropriate or relevant video with users rather than implying a mistake on the user’s part. In any case, I think people will respond more kindly and it will hopefully solve the issue with which you’re concerned. Thank you!My comment related to the post here on “eat grains I get herpes”.If you’re telling me that Dr Greger likes it when people post things that are totally off topic and he encourages this, then I will stop leaving such comments. I’ve been using online forums for almost 25 years now and that behavior has always been considered bad form.Please confirm that you’re working directly with Dr Greger. Thanks.Don’t like an off-topic post, them skip it. Your post is more off-topic since it is not your job to be the Internet’s cop.It’s okay for someone to post off topic but not okay for me to complain about it? I have a reason for doing this. The only reason someone top posts is to draw attention away from the subject at hand and to their own subject. It’s rude. Pointing this out and complaining about it isn’t rude.Tobias, each forum has it’s own set of rules. “RagingBull” (financial forum) was a zoo because posters battled it out over most any post and for any reason, each justified in their own minds. It was shut down and later reopened under strict rules (much less tolerant than here). Bottom line is, do we respect each other and accept we aren’t perfect and we don’t all think alike or agree, or do we go to war? I have no problem matching you tit for tat but I so dominate the moderator would feel sorry for you and delete me. Do you have anything to contribute on any of the topics? Flaws are easy to find if that’s your goal. Dr. Greger will likely comply with your rules on your board. Doesn’t he deserve the same courtesy? Personally I like out-of the-ordinary comments. It’s an opportunity to explore and realize what’s in the minds of others. It’s so easy to miscommunicate. We can say the same words and have different perceptions. Tell me I’m wrong but don’t tell me not to say it.You threaten to engage in big conflict with me here that you assure you’re going to win, as a way of resolving this issue and expressing your sense of mutual respect? The post in question associating a herpes disease with eating brown rice, well that looks very close to trolling to me. So, I’m focused here on a reasoned response to a piece of data. You’re posturing for a fight. Big difference there.I understand that sometimes a topic has to be talked out before people can move on. But I feel that this topic has been thoroughly discussed. Please everyone. As frustrating as it may be, please self-govern and stop posting on this topic. If someone’s post get out before they read this one, everyone else should just ignore it. I will be deleting any posts on this topic on this thread after my post goes out. I would much rather spend my time helping others when I can. So, please don’t make me do this.You threaten to engage in big conflict with me hereI’ve done no such thing. I don’t think in terms of combat. This conversation is over.I can turn the other cheek, Tobias. Just saying…and you are affirming, that without rules of conduct this forum could easily turn into a free-for-all. Since we can’t kick each other in the shins, how do we declare a winner? Sounds like a scenario for endless bitter discourse. Should the rest of us bow to whomever is gruff so’s to avoid conflict?yep, I’d rather win than lose.“Guest” (wink wink), you remind me of Tobias Brown. Please show me where I “threatened” anything with you?slider1: I have had to delete the last 4 or 5 of your posts. You need to stop now. I mean it: now.Thea, I understand “now means “now”. Keep in mind I’m not privy to your posts until I, by happenstance, cross paths with them. I take it your emphatic insistence I stop is based on the fact I posted after your general warning that the subject is closed. Or did you post to me over objectionable content of my four posts? If so, I don’t have a clue as to what offense I am guilty of. This is not a good learning experience for me.Only after my posts were on display to the world did I read your warning to all. At that very moment, without delay or hesitation of any kind what-so-ever, I immediately did my part to be a member in good standing on this forum by ceasing and desisting from any additional posts on the matter.If my content is the problem then please tell me and I can start saving a copy of all posts and after any future deletion (provided I’m not booted) I can review my pitiful effort and improve myself to your standard, whatever it may be.slider1: Yes, my post was emphatic because after my general warning, you were the only person who kept going and didn’t look like it was going to stop. Thank you for explaining that you hadn’t seen my general warning. I did not realize that.re: “…mother.” I laughed at that. But for a bit of venting on my part: I really, really, really do not want to spend my time “mothering” on this site. Ugh. It will be great to just have mature posts on this site so that I’m not put in that position. The unproductive and immature discussion was a group effort (no one person doing all the bad posts) that spiraled downward fast. Now it’s over. Whew.Thea, thanks for the feedback and perspective. When I post I only see my window for typing and the post I’m responding to. My email shows I have a comment/reply so I view it. I don’t necessarily read all that has been written in my absence. I check in from time to time between other activities, but I don’t sit in front of my computer screen looking for new comments. Hence, I didn’t see yours until too late.I tell you all this because I don’t quite understand what screens and procedure should be present when I an using this forum. It’s confusing because typically I get an email notifying me someone has commented. The email provides a button and invites me to click it to “reply”. Well, when I click on the button all it does is take me to the Nutritional Facts web site. The landing page is the video or article under discussion. It does not take me to the post I was invited to reply to. Therefore I have to pan down the page and scan numerous new and old posts looking for the specific one featured in your email. Is that the way it’s suppose to be? If so, I’ll now understand I am not taken to that particular post. I’ll expect to see only the web site and understand I must find the post. Maybe your message should say, “Go to our web site to comment.”slider1: re: “It does not take me to the post I was invited to reply to.” I’m not 100% sure I am experiencing the same problem you are, but I may be. I find that when I click ‘reply’, I get taken to the comments section, BUT the post I am replying to will be just above the area of the screen that I am seeing. I find if I hit the up arrow a few times, I can see the post I am replying to without having to scan all of the comments. This may be a Discus problem. But since the problem did not start until the new website for NutritionFacts (NF) came on-line, I’m thinking it is a problem that can be fixed by NF. Hopefully the web person for this site will see these comments and work on it – if she can.re: “Maybe your message should say…” I don’t think NF has any control over what the messages look like. I believe the Discus e-mails are determined solely by “Discus”, the third party application which powers the NF comments section.re: “I don’t quite understand what … procedure should be present when I an using this forum.” If find it helpful to read other comments in a discussion before I jump in, especially a discussion with a lot of activity happening. (Though that doesn’t always work out.) Either way, I recommend the following for you: Only participate in discussions that are about nutrition. Leave the moderating to the moderators. (If everyone had done that, none of this painful discussion would have happened.) Also, for every post, after you write it, stop and ask yourself: Is this the *wording* I would use if I were talking face to face right now with my grandmother? My child? My best friend? My respected co-worker? If your posts are polite, with the intent to be helpful to others or asking honest questions, there should be no problems.Hope that helps to clarify. Can we let this go now?Wow! Plucked the magic twanger and your reply popped right up. Was it an accident?NF should always have control over quality. It’s a matter of understanding what you are paying for (and getting it).Sure, if you wanna be a lone gunslinger, be my guest, but peer pressure is a powerful tool. Abbot had Costello, Mutt had Jeff, and Dean had Jerry. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.My part of “we” let it go let it go already…just replying to you. Let it go Thea, you’ll sleep better.Yes, speaking of being ‘off topic’. This type of comment of string is an example of why I dont usually write comments or engage with others who seem only intent on side debates/ arguments and or the fight to be right and may get inundated with a repetitive list of studies which supposedly prove the writer’s point. To be fair I’ve read this site for a long time before commenting and even those directly associate with the site have made remarks that dont show respect for opposite view points, i.e. “well at least I can go to sleep at night knowing my food choices are in line with my values.” If this is an open forum that type of comment is not “in line’ with those values.She has “NF Team” as flair already, that should be confirmation enough for you. Also, it has always been encouraged to post any question under any video. That’s how the “Ask the Doctor” topics usually get started.Where is this encouraged?If you filter for the “first post”, you will see that Dr. Greger has stated that anyone can ask anything under the video. Not in those exact words, but it is implied.You might also check out the FAQ page and the question, “How can I get Dr. Greger to answer my question or submit an idea for future video coverage?”http://nutritionfacts.org/faqMy error. I should have read the FAQ first.It still seems like a misuse of a discussion board. It happens sometimes. Okay, that’s fine. But you’re instituting a posting behavior that traditionally has been seen to lack some etiquette. And it’s simply impractical too. If you want to address a B12 question, post it to the prediabetes thread? just because it’s more current? and you can trap everyone’s attention? Wouldn’t it be better to show a bit of restraint and go post in the B12 video areas instead? But now this great set of replies to the “gluten issue” will not appear under the gluten videos, but here in the thread on Alzheimer. Just seems like common sense to me. And also contrary to practically all of the forums I’ve ever participated in.You have to remember most people don’t know the ins and outs of this website if they are new especially, so they don’t know where to post their questions. We usually direct them to the proper video, this has been going on since nutritionfacts.org’s beginningsTobias: I’m sorry, but I disagree about what is most appropriate or effective in regards to this site. I know you are having a lot of trouble letting this go. But I suggest practicing some of that restraint and acknowledging that it’s time…Sorry, but shut up already.Tobias, I am the one who posted the off-topic question the other day, and after sleeping on it I do appreciate your sentiments, in this regard. It is unfortunate that we do not have a forum to present questions such as mine to our community here. Hopefully Dr. G. and his staff can at some point create an area on the website where users can post their questions to the general community. The way it is set up now is not perfect, and yes, it does at times divert from the day’s video at hand. And I do think your voiced opinions on this matter might spark change, so please, (if you do) do not feel bad for telling it how you see it. I think a good idea would be for this website to have a live column on the right hand side, where users could see the most recent questions asked….click on the question, and reply from there. Each question would be archived and continual. And maybe they could create a “search” function where someone could type in a keyword and up would come all the questions asked that related to the key word.Well a lot of his videos have him commenting similarly to this: http://i.imgur.com/zq3ICRO.pngShow me what forums existed almost 25yrs ago…Mr.Forum Judge!Correction. 18 years ago. That’s when I started doing web design. There were plenty of forums then. Anyway dude. Let sleeping dogs lie.Uh Oh. Someone got his Topic Police badge out this morning. Seriously, It may be off-topic but it’s valuable to someone and wasn’t meant to offend your good senses. Please try to understand that the original poster was attempting to understand what he or she was experiencing in their diet. They aren’t here to bug you. BTW, Dr. Greger doesn’t work for this or own it either. He voluntarily contributes his time to nutritionfacts.org too. Just food for thought.We’ve dropped this discussion already.Very well then. I will start posting my nutrition questions at the top of Dr Greger’s new video posts, regardless of whether it relates to the topic or not. And we should encourage everyone to do the same right?Can you please confirm that this is how Dr Greger wants it and that you work with him directly?Tobias: Unlike many of the ‘NF Team’ posters who are volunteers like myself, Tommasina is a paid staff person at NutritionFacts who indeed works directly with Dr. Greger.Please note that neither I nor Tommasina at any point said we had a goal of “encouraging” people to post off topic. What we said was that such posts were allowed and explained why in at least two different ways. Dr. Hemodynamic also gave you a great explanation of why such posts are not actively discouraged.I understand that this is a pet peeve for you and that you have had different experiences elsewhere. I understand that you think the NF policy is just wrong. You are usually a great member of this community, with helpful posts and good questions. I hope you will be able to get over your pet peeve and participate in positive ways on this site going forward. If you see a post whose topic bothers you, just ignore it. Or you can politely point the person to the video with the answer. That might have the effect of having the person post future questions on the page with the right topic–a win-win for everyone.I will stop complaining knowing now that top posting off topic subjects while not encouraged here is accepted. (A better approach for you would be to applaud self-policing like this and remove posts flagged an inappropriate. That’s what that flag is for.A public flogging is in order.This is indeed a core problem here, if not THE core problem: That this platform (Disqus) doesn’t allow the moderators to move posts, a traditional feature of discussion boards. Thanks for helping to makes sense of what happened here. (Contrary to one moderators comment, I have no problem moving on. As far as I’m concerned, the whole reactionary part which too place here reflected our broader society where political correctness reigns and we can no longer openly criticize each others actions. I have to say that I don’t think I resorted to name calling or threatening others at any point. BTW, I’ll see Dr Greger speak tonight in Montreal, about three hours from now. Very excited. 2-year plant based whole foods.While few probably saw it, the moderators did just this 2 days ago, removed Coacervate’s post on his “tumeric/oil mixture” that he uses to heal his “warty thing.” I’m surprised at this. The post was actually related to the focal topic. So, yeah, the moderators occasionally remove posts. (Not sure why they didn’t remove the entirely off-topic post on herpes caused by wheat, which now dominates this page.)No, it’s not removed. I still see it. Earlier though, it was at the top of the thread and now, in my web browser, it’s further down.I stand corrected.I just want to add that the Disqus interface doesn’t support moderator ability to move comments to different threads (that I’m aware of). This, combined with the vast number of videos necessitates that the flow of discussion be different than other thread-based message boards.Tobias, in a spirit of peace, let me offer to screen your questions. Those easily answered with a quick google search I’ll refer back down to you. Anything complex, I’ll answer. If it’s new territory I’ll kick it upstairs to Dr. Greger and see if he has any data on it.I’m guessing, like you, Toxins was replying to the previous post and failed to click on “Reply” I’m new here so maybe I’m wrong on both counts. (You WERE replying to Toxins? Toxins WAS replying to Julot Julot?)Just chill, Tobias. We have no problem with off topic posts here.On the other hand, obsessive commentors complaining about off topic posts… Well, I’ll leave that up to the moderators.As you can read above, I resolved my sentiments on this issue. Now, you come along and complain about the complainer. And you think this is helpful? I raised a legitimate issue. I got a clarification. Now, I will change my behavior here.Yes. Please stop harassing people who come to this site with legitimate questions. Nutrition Facts has no official bulletin board or forum system. So complaining about off topic comments is unwelcome and uncalled for.You want to create more “obsessive comments” here?I harassed no one. Someone acted rudely but posting off-topic, trying to draw attention to their absurd “brain drain” type theory, trashing brown rice and wheat, more paleo crap. That was a spam post. And I”m wrong for asking the poster to take it somewhere else?The real problem here is American style political correctness. No one is supposed to criticize anyone for anything. And the crowd (you) enforces strict conformity.This will be my last comment on this thread.I understand and sympathize with your sensitivity to the Paleo/grain brain/wheat belly/etc. propaganda out there. That does not mean, however, that just because heath evidently has an issue with grains that he is part of that movement. Or that he’s a troll or spammer.It’s called individual variability. Posting questions about one’s own individual sensitivities is not considered rude here.There are many vegans amongst us whose health is dramatically better when they do not ingest grains in any way, shape, or form. It is not a paleo-thing. Gluten may not be the issue, but there is clearly evidence that FODMAP’s could be the causative factor. And it is possible to thrive as a vegan when as a non-grain consumer.I enjoy the openness of posting here. As if we have our morning tea or (SHH Coffee!) and see what is on people’s minds today. Most posts are on topic, but I have learned much from responses to tother topic postings that get seen sooner than if they posted on older video spaces.BTW, I just went to your Disqus page and see there are an extensive collection of posts on this off-topic of off-topic subject.Just so you know, on my iPhone, Disqus does not seem to consistently display comments from top of the page to the bottom in chronological order, or vice versa, so I did not see any subsequent comments, no resolution of sentiments “above” before making my own comments.Maybe try an Android product then. Anyway. Extensive collection of posts? That’s an exaggeration. I posted once before about an irritating off topic post. This is second time. Since then, I’ve learned that off topic posting, even when it’s for retarded things like “grain brain” talk, isn’t a problem here. So, I will simply change my behavior, stop complaining and post off topic if I feel like it.The Android snark is rude. It’s likely an issue with Disqus’s mobile platform in general.My point there was that you were exaggerating my “obsession” with this topic via my “extensive” posting on it.So, mark my word here, I will stop all replies related to this discussion. Off topic posts are not discouraged on this site. I didn’t now that. Now I do. So, I will change my behavior, as I’ve mentioned.It could be autoimmune or might be related to the herpes. Do you have the same issue with enriched white rice?Not as much with white rice, but it does tend to cause a blood sugar high and then low. I’ve considered the idea that the brown rice as well as wheat might somehow cause autoimmune issue, which lowers my immune system’s strength, and thus the resulting lip sore outbreak. Who knows. Bums me out though since I like the taste of brown rice.Off-topic, you’re out! There seems to be an increasing influx of the paleo/non-vegan commentators on here sometimes in a subtle form and sometimes just talking pants like above :)Decades ago I had a patient with that , I learnt then it was a reactivation of the Herpes virus, locally by a chemical signal due to dry lips, it was solved by a lip balm (old recipe) to protect the surface of the lips from chemical contacts.I think it is a mistake to mix and match the terms “Dementia” and “Alzheimer’s”. Alzheimer’s is a very specific illness characterized by plaques and tangles and with a very predictable course. Dementia covers a very wide range of cognitive issues of the elderly. And, more specifically “Vascular Dementia” is often associated with various forms of stroke – exclusively.But there is another form of vascular dementia that is often overlooked and confused with Alzheimer’s : that from chronic vascular insufficiency – and I suspect that it rather than Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia. Plus, the treatments and preventions for the two are quite different. So confusing dementia from vascular insufficiency and Alzheimer’s does a disservice to those who do and will suffer from those two very different problems.Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia, so I think it is justified.I often wonder if “Alzheimer’s” is sometimes used as a generic term for “dementia” in the media at large, not just here. My mother suffers from a form of dementia, but it’s not Alzheimer’s. I can’t help but think that curcumin is helpful for staving of most (if not all) forms of dementia, along with a plant-based diet, but also wonder if it can be helpful once dementia has set in.Good points, but since there is probably no way they could know what kind of dementia someone has of what kind of other foods they are or behaviors they did I am really suspicious of these kinds of studies and this kind of data, not to mention the conclusions made. Why should I be influenced by what “you suspect” is the leading cause of dementia? What do you know about it, and why do you suspect that?Sun and too many tomatoes, and I got that tingly feeling that used to end up with cold sores. Now, I take lysine every few hours, and it passes. This works for me.Hi would anyone see the link below ? care to comment on how an anti cancer vegetarian diet is actually not so good for the brain ? ———— Elderly people with dementia are less likely to die from cancer than those who retain a sharp memory, according to scientists.The study suggests that the two diseases are at opposite ends of a biological spectrum, in which cancer causes abnormal cell growth and Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia cause abnormal cell death.In an editorial accompanying the Italian study, Catherine Roe, an instructor in neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis, said the study’s large size makes the findings exciting.“Like previous studies, they have shown that people with Alzheimer’s disease are less likely to get cancer, and people with cancer are less likely to get Alzheimer’s disease,” she said.Some months ago I mentioned that I used tumeric/oil mixture directly applied to a fast-growing warty thing. I think it is important so here are the pics such as they are. Note that the left pic was taken some 3 days after I first started treatment. I didn’t think it would work so I didn’t bother to take a “Time 0″ picture…initially it was some 5 mm in diameter.That is just *so* cool. Thanks so much for not only sharing your experience, but taking the time to show the pics too. :-) Very nice!Thanks Thea. You’re the cool one…great having you here. You keep it real and we notice/appreciate that.I wonder how much turmeric should be added to soap? I make 4 liters at a time using soyabean oil. I’ve got a ton of bulk turmeric. I might try 5% by weight unless someone has a better idea on that. I can’t describe how good it feels to have this (and other little “buds”) gone without seeing a medical professional.People asked what the yellow dot was for and I said it was the “vegan feast of the great KIR-ku-min” and start chanting anddervishing, re ally, they’re gon put me in a jackette any day now :) I’m living again, somemore.Coacervate: Your last paragraph – had me smiling big. :-)I’ve never made soap. I know you pointed out that only the growth got yellow, but I’ve stained my fingers (and clothes) yellow in the past. I would be really worried about turmeric soap. But it’s a fascinating idea. Please let us know what happens if you try it.Thanks for your nice words. You and one other person has said something very nice today and it sure made my day.My fingers and just about everything stain when I open the tumeric lid. I was very surprised when the whole area on my face did not stain. It did faintly but not enough to show up in the photo’s. I’m eating and filling capsules with it too. I don’t care if I do turn yellow, I can always back off the dose…There is some really interesting chemistry going on. I will let you know how the soap works out. Your Bro, HomerWhat kind of oil did you blend in with the turmeric?I used canola. I put a teaspoon in a small container and sprinkled in the spice while mixing until it formed a paste.Monday evening, I made a dry brussel sprouts curry with onion, garlic, curry powder, red pepper, cumin, and a tbsp of olive oil (a rare indulgence) and served it with brown rice. I tossed the brussel sprouts with the olive oil, and cooked them in a dry cast iron frying pan covered with a cast iron lid on low heat, and I only started to add the other ingredients when I got a good scow on the brussel sprouts. It turned out very tasty. If all one has to do to forestal dementia is to eat a curry like this on a regular basis, sign me up.Thanks, I’d like to try this with the minimum water saute method…umm what do mean by scow? browned?Started really using turmeric after one of the videos a few months ago. Because of its anti inflammation properties I use it for migraines and osteoarthritis. Know it has a whole list of things it helps with so this video just adds to the list. Just received a pound of it today from Mtn Rose Herbs. I love the stuff and it goes really well on any legume, many veges, rice and potatoes.Be sure to add black pepper to it for a stronger effect! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/	Alzheimer’s disease,animal products,brain disease,brain health,chicken,chickpeas,cognition,curcumin,curry powder,dementia,eggs,India,kidney health,liver health,meat,poultry,red meat,spices,stomach health,turmeric,vegans,vegetarians,white meat	Rural India has the lowest validated Alzheimer’s rates in the world. Is it due to the turmeric in their curry or their largely plant-based diets?	There’s another spice that may be useful for brain health. See my video Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s. What about coconut oil? See Does Coconut Oil Cure Alzheimer’s? In terms of preventing cognitive decline in the first place, check out my video How to Slow Brain Aging By Two Years.I’ve previously raised the issue of plant-based diets and dementia in Alzheimer’s Disease: Grain Brain or Meathead?For more on spices and inflammation, see Which Spices Fight Inflammation? and the follow-up, Spicing Up DNA ProtectionWhat about treating Alzheimer's disease with the spice turmeric?  That’s the topic of my next video, Treating Alzheimer's with Turmeric.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curry-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16870699,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23873854,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11571321,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9781520,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22471448,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10960899,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23303664,
PLAIN-2545	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garlic-and-raisins-to-prevent-premature-birth/	Garlic and Raisins to Prevent Premature Birth	The United States has one of the highest premature birth rates in the world, now ranking 131st worldwide. Even worse, over the last few decades, the rate of preterm birth in the U.S. has been going up.We’ve known that preterm delivery is associated with significant problems during infancy, and almost three quarters of all infant deaths, but even preemies who survive past infancy may carry a legacy of health issues, such as behavioral problems and moderate to severe neurodevelopmental disabilities and psychiatric disorders in half of those born extremely preterm by the time they reach school-age. There’s even evidence now that that adults born very premature are at increased risk for things like heart disease and diabetes. And babies don’t even have to be born that premature to suffer long-term effects. Even so-called near-term births at 36 or 37 weeks are now thought to be related to subtle developmental problems. So what can pregnant women do to decrease this risk?I’ve talked about avoiding aspartame and diet soda consumption during pregnancy, but what about food? 66,000 pregnant women were studied to examine whether an association exists between maternal dietary patterns and risk of preterm delivery. They compared a so-called “prudent,” which was more plant-based versus a Western or traditional Scandinavian diet. (for example, vegetables, fruits, oils, water as beverage, whole grain cereals, fiber rich bread), “Western” (salty and sweet snacks, white bread, desserts, processed meat products), and found that the “prudent” pattern was associated with significantly reduced risk of preterm delivery. The findings suggest that diet matters, but why and how?Well inflammation is thought to play a role in triggering delivery, and so a diet characterized by high intakes of vegetables, fruit, and berries can reduce both systemic and local inflammation and the lower saturated fat levels would also associated with reduced inflammation. Any foods in particular?Well since a significant percentage of preterm deliveries are thought to be related to infections and inflammatory conditions in the genital tract, what about looking into garlic. Garlic is well-known for its antimicrobial properties, and also has probiotic dietary fibers that feed our good bacteria. Speaking of which, dried fruit are packed with fiber and also have antimicrobial activities against some of the bacteria suspected to play a role in preterm delivery. So they studied the garlic, onion, and dried fruit intake of nearly 19,000 pregnant women, and indeed, they observed a reduced risk of spontaneous preterm delivery related to groups of garlic and onion family vegetables and dried fruits. In particular, garlic stood out for the vegetables and raisins for the dried fruit, was associated with a reduced risk of both preterm delivery and preterm pre-labor rupture of membranes, which means your water breaking prematurely, before 37 weeks. And it didn’t seem to take much. The so-called “high” garlic intake associated with the lowest risk was just about one clove a week or more, and “high” raisin intake was defined as just like one of those mini snack boxes of raisins a month.	I’m not convinced. The paper cited about garlic and raisins (other things as well) is simply an association. I love this website but I fear that as Dr. Greger tries to learn more about the health-nutrition link he forgets that there are still millions that need to be educated on the power of food to reverse our number one killers. Articles like this start to put this website on the outskirts of acceptable presentation of scientific literature.Please Dr. Greger, stay focused on the clear proven links between diet and health. Now a paper looking at women who have had frequent miscarriages and showing a diet change can influence the probability of a miscarriage. This would be very interesting (phd thesis anyone?). The cited paper is an association and we shouldn’t be too quick to point at a single component as the cause.I disagree. Hardcore science starts with an association which you observe, then you make a hypothesis, and if it is interesting enough (and you can raise the money) a study will be conducted. Viewers of this site are intelligent enough to figure out (from the video) that garlic and raisins are not the (only) answer to premature birth, but there is an association. In my opinion the point of the video is to show, that what your mother eats can have a huge impact on the rest of your life.I agree with you that an association can more us towards the hypothesis and so on. However, I would like us to be more prudent. I don’t want to see the website to start overstating the benefits. It would have been nicer, in my opinion, if the video ended with Dr. Greger stressing the fact that an association does in no way imply causation.It is my belief that this website can help make nutrition the mainstream treatment for our number one killers. I feel a video like this moves towards a more misleading presentation of the information for those viewers who are not versed in the great disparity between association and causation. With that said, I agree with what George said below, Pascal’s Wager is fine in the end.Generally it is “dangerous” to want absolute proof – it is hard to get and takes time – the ultimate hard endpoint is death. Of course correlation is not the same as causation, but it shows you where to look. There are firm, but not conclusive evidence, that a mostly plantbased diet, makes you live longer, better and minimize your risk for a number diseases. Thats enough for me. If you want absolute proof you have to wait 80 years….Some times we have to accept probable evidence, because conclusive evidence are years away. It takes years of training and experience to make the right interpretation of scientific evidence – thats why you can see all kinds of crazy claims based on science – meat, milk and eggs are health foods and so on. Dr. Greger has years of training and experience in reading scientific litterature.Mike: You do have a point. In cases like this I apply Pascal’s Wager. No, there’s no definitive proof that garlic or raisins can prevent premature birth. I doubt there ever will be. But garlic and dried fruits are ubiquitous, inexpensive, packed with nutrients, and tasty. I’d try it. If it works, it’s great. If it doesn’t, it’s still greatGeorge and Mike, I and my friends Alex, Ben, Charles, David, Ed, Frank, Harry, Irving, Kevin, Larry, Nathan, Oliver, Patrick, Quentin, Ralph, Steven, Tim, Ulysses, Victor, Walt, Xavier, Yuri and Zachary have been eating garlic and raisins for years, and not one of us have experienced a single case of premature birth…Actually, this is science – following a cohort for several years. And impressive results! You just have to be careful with the interpretation………:-)It is a suspiciously non-random sample in a number of respects.I asked my friends Joe, Steve, Gary, Alex, Ben, Josh, another Josh and they never eat garlic nor fruit. Two of them have never had a piece of fruit in their lives. Still, no cases of premature birth….Its all about risk going up and down. For someone who has never eaten fruit before, I can confidently say that their risk for health issues are high. Because you do not consume these foods does not guarantee premature birth.Ha ha, you’re all male…can’t have a baby. Like a comedy shoe. So funny because you have not experienced premie struggle. Not so funny when you have. Grow up some more and come back. We all have big laugh then.Since you asked, Maconochie, N., Doyle, P., Prior, S., & Simmons, R. (2007). Risk factors for first trimester miscarriage—results from a UK‐population‐based case–control study.BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 114(2), 170-186.The most apparently protective dietary factor was daily or nearly daily consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, associated with a halving in risk for miscarriage. Dairy, chocolate, and intercourse were associated with lesser risk reductions, and oddly, air travel appeared almost as potent as veggies, with a dose dependent benefit for hours of flight. Meanwhile those drinking alcohol at least once had increased risk, and with daily alcohol, three times the risk..Thanks!Yum! Two great tastes that taste great together. Garlic and raisins, together at last. Wait a minute. Perhaps it is not as preposterous combination as it would seem at first blush. Maybe a rice pilaf with almonds added, or perhaps a savory chick pea stew with tomatoes and onions, or a hot and sweet potato curry. This might actually work.Dried fruit is awfully sweet and sticks to the teeth, possibly causing cavities. Because it’s dried instead of fresh, some of its nutrition has been lost along with various phyto-chemicals. So, I think that the equivalent amount of fresh fruit would be better. Too bad they didn’t study it’s effect. But I’m sure that drying a grape doesn’t add to it’s fiber content.One garlic bulb a week and a little raisins once a month. That makes the study pretty suspect to me.actually its even less than what you said because in the video I beleive he said clove a week for garlic, which I’m pretty sure is just one of the little sections that you break off.Its a case control recall questionaire study, so rather low on the hierarchy of evidence. Its worth examining Table 3 from the paper, in particular the adjusted model in the right two columns, which accounts for some other factors which may influence preterm birth risk.With the raisins, low raisin intake was associated with a lower risk of preterm birth than high raisin intake, which itself was not significantly better than no raisins. Given this lack of dose-dependent effects, and the very low dose level, this association may reflect overall dietary patterns: expectant mothers who occasionally choose raisins over other snacks may make a number of wise health decisions. And while statistically significant, the low raisin intake result wasn’t highly significant, the P-value indicates there’s a 3.4% chance of this result occurring by chance from comparing two random samples from an identical population distribution. (P-values are important measure of confidence in meaningful non-null research outcomes, with 5% being barely statistically significant, and very small values (commonly reported down to 0.001%) offering increasing confidence in an association).There’s a similar lack of dose response for dried fruit as a whole, though there’s no question that eating at least some dried fruit was associated with lower risk.With the garlic, there was a hint of positive dose response, as only the high intake category had a significant result. This study binned every mother consuming between one clove and multiple heads of garlic per week into a single high-intake category, so its possible more dramatic protection among those who ate more than one clove dragged the the whole category. The low 0.9% P-value is fairly impressive. My concern here would be that knowing the cloves of garlic consumed is a pretty good proxy for home cooked dinners, and home cooking tends to be healthier fare than processed, restaurant, or fast food.Case-control studies are done because they’re inexpensive, and often suggest avenues for further, more conclusive research with prospective cohorts or intervention trials. It’s premature to conclude that raisins and garlic prevent preterm birth, but we have more confidence that they won’t do any harm in pregnancy and might do good.Absolutely excellent. Thank you for some good analysis on the paper. I do hope Dr. Greger changes this video because, it do believe,it is misleading in its current form.Absolutely excellent. Thank you for some good analysis on the paper. I do hope Dr. Greger changes this video because, I do believe, it is misleading in its current form.Okay, so has anybody determined whether eating four Brazil nuts once a month can get the same result? I mean, why not carry the study beyond the raisins and garlic theory? There’s a big (food) world out there.Lessee,, what do I recommend to the child-bearing women in my life? Consider eating as suggested by the associations highlighted in this video? But consider the down sides…um…garlic breath! Oh dear?Thanks, once again, Dr. Greger, for describing the possible mechanisms in this study and other work you’ve discussed that would be congruent with these results. Taken together, the massive body of your research is distilling into a rational overarching principle of good eating, good activity and positive mental health. The Symphony is in tune. Play on!What about vaccines, there is a direct correlation. Aborted Fetal DNA, viral DNA and a multitude of neurotoxins are included in the soup into pregnant mothers. The American Pediatric Association recommends pregnant mothers be vaccinated with the tDAP vaccine to pass on immunity to the unborn fetus. The FDA noted in a report November 2013, that those vaccinated can carry the pertussus organism in their respiratory tracts for 6 weeks after being vaccinated. Now babies are being born a month early….are they escaping a toxic enviornment? I wonder? Into exposure to the dangerous whooping cough virus from their own mothers.	aspartame,berries,birth defects,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,diabetes,dried fruit,fiber,fruit,garlic,grains,heart disease,heart health,oils,onions,plant-based diets,prediabetes,pregnancy,probiotics,processed meat,raisins,saturated fat,soda,standard American diet,vegetables,water,women's health	Consumption of even small amounts of garlic or raisins are associated with significantly lower risk of pregnant women going into premature labor or having their water break too soon.	Here’s the video on aspartame (Nutrasweet) and diet soda during pregnancy: Diet Soda and Preterm Birth.Some other popular pregnancy videos include:More on garlic in #1 Anti-Cancer Vegetable and Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic and Flavenoids.And my dried fruit include:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raisins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspartame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23277318,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24332842,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23700347,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22869055,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24290907,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11759674,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23521214,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24609054,
PLAIN-2546	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/	Dioxins in U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish	Dioxins are highly toxic pollutants that accumulate in tissue fat. Almost all dioxins found in humans who aren’t working in toxic waste dumps or something are believed to come from food, especially meat, milk, and fish, which account for probably about 95% of human exposure. We tend to only hear about it in the news, though, when there’s some mass poisoning.In 1957, for example, millions of chickens began dying, and it was blamed on toxic components in certain feed fats. Factory farming was taking off, and the industry needed cheap feed to fatten up the birds, and ended up using a toxic fleshing grease from hide stripping operations in the leather industry that were using dioxin-containing preservatives. A subsequent outbreak in ‘69 resulted from a pipe mix-up at a refinery that was producing both pesticides and animal feed.In the 1990s, a supermarket survey found the highest concentrations of dioxins in farm-raised catfish. The source of dioxins was determined to be the feed, but that’s surprising, since catfish aren’t fed a lot of animal fat. Turns out it was dioxin-contaminated clay added to the feed as an anticaking agent, which may have originally come from sewage sludge. The same contaminated feed was fed to chickens, so what may have started out in sewage sludge ended up on the plates of consumers in the form of farm-raised catfish and chicken.How widespread of a problem did it become? Five percent of U.S. poultry production--that’s people eating hundreds of millions of contaminated chickens. And if it’s in the chickens, it’s in the eggs. Elevated dioxin levels in chicken eggs too. When the source of the feed contamination was identified, the USDA estimated that less than 1% of animal feed was contaminated, but 1% of egg production means over a million eggs a day. But the catfish were the worst. More than a third of all U.S. farm-raised catfish were found contaminated with dioxins, thanks to that ball clay. So the FDA requested that ball clay not be used in animal feeds. They even asked nice. Dear producer or user of clay products in animal feeds, continued exposure to elevated dioxin levels in animal feed increases the risk of adverse health effects in those consuming animal-derived food products, so we are recommending that the use of ball clay in animal feeds be discontinued. They look forward to the industry’s cooperation.So how cooperative did the industry end up being? Half a billion pounds of catfish continued to be churned out of US fish farms every year but only recently did the government go back and check. Published in 2013, samples of catfish were collected from all over the country. Dioxins were found in 96% of samples tested. Yeah, but just because catfish are bought in the U.S. doesn’t mean they came from the U.S. And indeed some of the catfish were imported from China or Taiwan, but they were found to be 10 times less contaminated. And indeed, when they checked the feed fed to U.S. catfish, more than half were contaminated, and so it seems likely that mined clay products are still being used in U.S. catfish feeds. Even just small amounts of mineral clays added to fish feeds together with the fact that catfish can be bottom-feeders may lead to higher than acceptable dioxin residues in the final catfish products.The Institute of Medicine suggests strategies to reduce dioxin intake exposure, such as trimming the fat from meat, poultry, and fish and avoiding the recycling of animal fat into gravy, but if almost all dioxin intake comes from animal fat then eating a more plant-based diet could wipe out about 98% of exposure. Thus a vegetarian diet or even just eating more plants might have previously unsuspected health advantages along with the more commonly recognized cardiovascular benefits and decreased cancer risk.a	That the FDA does not simply order industrial meat producers to desist from using dioxin contaminated materials from animal feed is absurd. The deliberate introduction of a known human carcinogens into the food supply should be a prosecutable offense.In neither the video transcript nor the 2013 article’s abstract (I did not elect to pay $46 for the full text) did I see mention of the level of dioxins in the catfish — only that dioxins were found. The dose makes the poison, yes? So this alarm could be misleading — I’m NOT saying that it IS misleading.This is the source of McDonald’s and other fish sandwiches. when I would get some junk food I used to think it was the healthier choice over the burgers, but it’s apparently very dangerous. Preaching to the choir, but it’s turning out the US food industry is untrustworthy.Does it seem like the US is Europe’s sweat house, kind of like China is the world’s sweat house. In Europe they have much stricter standards and more rights for people, and somehow in the US everything is geared towards grinding down and kicking to the curb anyone that is not connected to an already existing power source and paying rent to it … and we call that Capitalism to justify it.Actually industry, food or otherwise, is very trust worthy. They can always be trusted to maximize profits. Maximizing shareholder value is in fact the legal obligation of the officers of a corporation, and they can be sued if they make decisions that reduce shareholder value. So McDonald’s would not be meeting their obligations to their shareholders if they spent more than they are legally required to to make sure that the food they serve is safe and healthy.Once we realize that corporations will never voluntarily and especially unilaterally do anything that would reduce profits, then we can stop vilifying them and start looking at them as the very useful, but dangerous tool that they are. When we do that then we will understand that we have to put safeguards in place to protect society from the dangerous aspects of unfettered corporations so we can safely benefit from their strengths. An analogy is corporations are like a chainsaw. A very useful tool, but without knowledge of proper operation and protective gear, it can also be very dangerous even life-threatening one. And certainly nobody in their right mind would just turn one on and let it run loose. Sadly that is exactly what the current crop of small government politicians have been doing and want to do more of added and abetted in this case by the chainsaw itself.If you like to eat fish, opt from among the many marvelous vegan seafood options. Affordable, convenient and delicious, they’re better for us, for the animals, and for the environment. Links to recipes, products, and more are on the Vegan Seafood Resources page of FishFeel.orgHave not tried one yet but those recipes look really good and not too fiddly. Worth the try, Thanks!How can it be that we get these almost daily revelations from multiple sources about how little people in charge of the food industry, but it also carries over to other industries, seem to care about their people, their animals, their land, their air, their water, and their customers? If this is the perfect capitalist system then something is wrong with capitalism or something is wrong with the people who decide where capitalism goes and how it changes.The issue is that capitalism does one thing and only one thing, maximize profits. Laissez-faire free-marketers take it as an axiom that allowing the Market to operate unfettered will always arrive at the optimum solution to any problem. The trouble is that the only thing that a free-market has to optimize is profits. It has no mechanism to optimize other things like social welfare or employee pay or anything else save when paying attention to those things increases profits. One prime way to increase profits is to reduce costs. It is how we wound up with the whole factory farming system in the first place. It doesn’t matter ultimately whether ways of reducing costs or increasing yield (two sides of the same coin) are ethical, moral, good for customers, workers, animals or the environment because if one producer accepts higher costs or lower yields to do it the right way they will be punished by the free market because another producer who isn’t bothered by the fact that he is poisoning his customers will take business away with lower prices. This is why pleading with industry to voluntarily do the right thing will never work, because the free market by its very nature makes sure that it can’t work.The only thing that will work is to make those hidden societal costs visible to the profit motive of producers either through regulations or penalties that apply equally to all producers. When those costs are visible, then the free market system can optimize costs within the new limits. But it has to be equal and it has to be credibly and consistently enforced. Sadly in today’s hyper-lobbying environment the big players with money and influence to throw around are always looking for ways to sneak out of the regulatory system, or through “small government” legislatures and regulators, eviscerate the regulatory system entirely.With respect to today’s topic, the only way that catfish will ever be free of dioxins is if an upper limit on the amount of dioxin in fish and fee is set and constantly checked with strong penalties for violations. Until that happens dioxin laced feed will continue to be fed if it increases profits.I think you are being a bit too conventional in your statement that capitalism “maximizes profits”. The thing about capitalism is suppose to be that it rewards better products, it gives incentives for people to do things for other people for a profit, so that has an effect of “maximizing profits” one could say, but that is not the reason that capitalism works or is suitable for our “representative democracy”. Capitalism is supposed to be the push that keeps everyone productive, but Laissez-faire capitalism with no regulation simply allows the strong and powerful to get more powerful, take over political power and subvert the political system. In our case, that has already happened, but the people who are running things now are all about how they got there fair and square, harping about the good things about capitalism, but hiding what the bad things have been used to do … permanently.I think the rule should be the same with dioxin as anything else … if it is not found in similar concentrations naturally in the environment, keep it separate from the environment, or pay to have it cleaned up.Thank you for this. Excellent, clear and appropriate.A lot of these studies are directed toward pollutants and potential harmful chemicals in meat products. What about plant products? Also, are there ANY studies showing potentially healthful effects of meat consumption?	animal fat,animal products,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,catfish,chicken,China,dairy,dioxins,eggs,factory farming practices,farm animals,FDA,feed additives,fish,heart disease,heart health,industrial toxins,meat,milk,mineral clay,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,plant-based diets,poultry,Taiwan,vegans,vegetarians	Feed contaminated with toxic pollutants thought to originate from sewer sludge fed to chickens and fish results in human dioxin exposure through poultry, eggs, and catfish.	This is a good illustration of how we can’t necessarily rely on regulators to protect our families’ health. More on dietary dioxins and what we can do about it in Dioxins in the Food Supply and Counteracting the Effects of Dioxins Through Diet.Even wild fish are exposed to industrial pollutants spewed into our waterways. See, for example:Farmed fish is the worst, though: Farmed Fish vs. Wild-Caught.Other pollutants in our food supply and how to avoid them:Though the best way to detox is not to tox in the first place, our bodies can eventually get rid of much of the toxin load:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taiwan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mineral-clay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10585021,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9745703,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1474955/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9738211,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23234292,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9828294,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17002236,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10665435,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9134675,
PLAIN-2547	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/collaboration-with-the-new-vectors-of-disease/	Collaboration with the New Vectors of Disease	When the history of the world’s attempt to address obesity is written, the greatest failure may be collaboration with and appeasement of the food industry. For instance, Yum! Brands, who owns Kentucky Fried Chicken, linked up with a leading US breast cancer charity, to sell pink buckets of fried chicken.Save the Children, an organization aiming to positively change the lives of children, was initially a staunch supporter of soda taxes. Recently, the organization withdrew its support, saying that support of the soda taxes did not fit the way Save the Children works. Perhaps it is only a coincidence that it was seeking a grant from Coca-Cola and had accepted a $5 million grant from Pepsi.Through these partnerships, the food industry seeks to emphasize that inactivity — not the promotion and consumption of its calorie-rich products — is the prime cause of obesity. Studies like this, though, showing that obesity is rising even in areas where people are exercising more, are most likely explained by the fact that the rate of physical activity levels are being outstripped by our eating activity levels. The message is plain – the primary driver of the obesity epidemic in the United States is now the food supply, and interventions targeting physical activity are not going to resolve it. So, while physical activity is good regardless, it will not address most of the burden of ill health caused by obesity. That is going to require a new focus on the root cause of the problem—the American diet.At the heart of the “energy in” side of the obesity problem is the food and beverage industry. Put simply, the enormous commercial success enjoyed by the food industry is now causing what promises to be one of the greatest public health disasters of our time. As fast as we rid the world of the microbial causes of pestilence and famine, they are replaced by new vectors of disease in the form of trans-national food corporations that market salt, fat, sugar, and calories in unprecedented quantities. So policy makers should work on pricing strategies that subsidize the cost of healthier foods.First, we need to shift relative prices to make it more expensive to consume animal products compared with fruit, vegetables and beans. Second, we need to increase demand for plant foods, which is not as easy given the hundreds of billions of dollars in annual subsidies, our tax payer dollars going to make animal products artificially cheap.The food industry will rail against the ‘’nanny state” and fight tooth and nail for its right to market a range of options to responsible individuals able to make choices for themselves–it’s the American way. For context though, these arguments are no different to those used by the tobacco industry, which also markets habituating, unhealthy products in pursuit of profit. In the case of tobacco the American people have agreed that controls must be applied to limit the harms caused. Poor diet is now responsible for an even greater burden of disease than tobacco, and food companies must be controlled in the same way if the harms are to be reduced. As unpalatable as this may be, the food industry would do well to strengthen their public health conscience, given that consumers are always going to need their goods, something that cannot be said for the tobacco industry. You hear that a lot in public health circles, how we have to work with the companies, because unlike tobacco, we have to eat. But just like yes, we need to breath, but we don’t need to breathe smoke, yes we need to eat, but we don’t need to eat junk.	I watched the documentary F U (Fed Up) yesterday evening – which was a 90 min documentary on this exact subject, written by Stephanie Soechtig and Mark Monroe.It is so unfortunate that we value money greater than our own health. I used to spend more on keeping my car on the road each year than taking care of my body – fortunately by educating myself, that has changed. Why become a politician if you are scared of saying the wrong thing and alienating some voters, or a Dr who sides with industry because he has been paid – one Dr received over $2mil in the F U documentary – funny watching him squirm when he couldn’t answer a simple question – how do these people sleep at night was a point raised in the documentary by a politician – I think the answer is very comfortaby……..Fed Up! is the equivalent of one hand clapping. Sure the incredible amounts of simple sugars and highly processed grains are half the story of why we as a nation are getting sicker and sicker, but it is only half. By ignoring the other half, the equally incredible amounts of animal products, the film goes after the safe villains, while not tackling the much touchier subject of this society’s obsession with animal foods. And in fact it is likely that “sugar” is not half the problem, it is more likely a quarter to a third of the problem. If this country overnight stopped eating refined sugars and starches but continued to gorge on meat, cheese and eggs, would we even be able to see a significant shift in health trajectories? Or is it more likely that people will still progress towards the same chronic diseases are perhaps an only slightly reduced velocity.Still it wasn’t a bad first step in a larger conversation. The only problem will be if people think they have identified the entirety of the obesity problem and ignore the larger issue of the health impacts of eating animal products.if you watch carefully, there is one child, that oh so briefly gets it right in one sentence… I think he was blond bit not sure on the other specifics Thank for the one hand clapping analogy, I hope you dont mind if I use that because I have been going crazy trying to explain why this movie doesn’t work..The problem I have with the Fed Up movie is its castigation of sugar and absolution of fat, specifically saturated fat. In a context of a mostly whole foods diet without caloric excess, even large amounts of sugar are benign.Saying sugar is inherently toxic just because it does damage in large amts is akin to saying water is inherently toxic…in large amts.And sugar by itself is not addictive as claimed. When was the last time you uncontrollably downed a 5-pound bag of cane sugar?? And Central and South American populations which follow traditional diets yet eat large amts of the stuff do not have high rates of obesity or heart disease.However, flavor the sugar, mix it up with salt and fat and starch divorced from its natural state, and the whole kit and kaboodle becomes nearly irresistible.Voilà! Obesity!Question: In the words of Dr. Doug Graham, (the 80-10-10) high fruit and veggie vegan diet, he is claiming that B12 levels, when deficient, come back to normal after fasting. Is there truth in this? I assume, for now, that if this is true, the mechanism that allows this is similar to that in which the liver releases glycogen when body needs fuel. Well, I wonder if the liver releases stored B12 but only during a fasting state, and maybe by “fasting” I mean fasting for a few days or week(S). “What I’ve experienced is people with B12 deficiency are put on a fast. They consume no food of any kind other than pure water, who three to four weeks later test perfectly normal for B12 levels. What this showed is that it was an absorption problem not an exposure problem. B12 is everywhere. It’s in the air. It’s in the mucus membranes of your nose. Every time you inhale, you’re breathing in B12, every time you swallow your own saliva, you’re swallowing B12. It’s not an exposure issue.” – Dr. Doug Graham – vegan, 80-10-10 diet.See this article from Jack Norris : http://jacknorrisrd.com/comments-on-doug-grahams-b12-statements/Jack “Credible” Norris is just the opposite extreme from Doug Graham.I have heard on the interwebs of some pretty suspect practices of Dr. Graham, e.g. people dying or almost dying at his fasts, being arrested for money laundering, though no idea if ever convicted or not. He comes off as pretty skeezy to me.On a purely intellectual level, the fact that he is against cooked vegan foods such as whole grains and beans, and even cooked vegetables, which is unambiguously in disagreement with the consensus of modern nutritional science, renders him an unreliable source for evidence based nutritional advice.I absolutely agree, B00mer! And this is coming from a person who followed Graham’s 811 diet for two years. I followed it to a TEE. I did it perfectly. I thought something magical was going to happen if I just followed the “perfect” diet long enough. Not magical ever happened. And my health only improved when I transitioned to my current McDougall/Fuhrman/Gregor type diet. It was more then 10 years ago when I did the 811rv. So glad I have moved beyond dietary idealism.Well in his book he said that he would always recommend low-fat high-carb cooked food over high-fat raw.The rumours are true – he charges extortionate amounts to do water fasts with him in Costa Rica – $11,000 just to drink water! – and then doesn’t take care of his “patients” properly. An Australian girl had a narrow escape when he wanted her to blindly keep going with a water fast, when if he’d commissioned blood tests it would have shown how close to death she was. She ended up in hospital having a blood transfusion. The very fact he recommends fasting is suspect.Also he is not actually actually qualified in nutrition – he is only a chiropractor, which is like a spine physiotherapist. His only professional experience relates to the fact that as a chiropractor he often worked with athletes. He took the 80/10/10 idea from T. Colin Campbell (author of the China Study) and trademarked it for himself.Having said that, most of the *content* of the 80/10/10 book, regardless of the author, is good. I am not 100% raw (but support people who choose to be) but it certainly hammered home the natural importance of plenty of fresh fruit and leafy vegetables, and even more so the importance having a low-moderate fat intake. The things I disagree with in the book are that he recommends a ridiculously low body fat, that everyone should be burning 40% of their calories a day through exercise, the calorie recommendations in his sample menu’s are too low (people doing this diet have found they need at least 2500 for females), and he thinks that B12 levels in the body are potentially affected by eating frozen foods! That’s 4 things that are incorrect. Otherwise, aside from annoying typo’s, the book is pretty good. I do wish he’d recommend sprouted pulses an sea vegetables though. They are highly nutritious and add variety to the diet.I too consider the 80/10/10 macronutrient levels a fine premise in isolation from some of his other more whimsical dietary edicts. If his work gets people to eat more fruits and vegetables that’s great too, but he’s pretty far off the deep end on some of his ideas. I saw a video clip of him (not sure if it was more recent than the book you mention?) and when asked about cooked low fat foods, his response was that if fruit isn’t available, one should skip a meal. It’s baseless extremism. Like you, my philosophy is whatever floats your boat and to each his own, but it bugs me when I see raw veganism being preached as *the* solution to health problems and as superior to a cooked plant based diet. Plenty of people are satisfied and happy with eating burritos, stir fry, bean burgers, etc, but significantly fewer will be at all enticed with the idea of only raw fruits and vegetables, and may think the side effects of the SAD are worth it if the alternative is fruit and lettuce.Following the 80/10/10 diet is fine if that’s what one wants to do, provided one eats enough calories, which seems to be the biggest obstacle when replacing starches with fruits. Also you need to watch iodine and selenium levels which are dependent on soil levels. B12 would naturally have been available in fresh water, so abundant that the amount accidentally swallowed while bathing in a lake or river provides enough B12 for a week. Nowadays most lakes and rivers are polluted, and tap water is chlorinated, which is a B12 antagonist, so not only does is not contain B12 it actually causes deficiencies (in an indirect way which I won’t explain here for brevity). Modern people, whatever their diet ought to take B12 supplements.An aside:A more disturbing result from the hot field of epigenetics (heritable “programming” of gene expression) is that high fat Western diets can program future metabolism in the womb, and even across generations (1, 2, 3, 4). This may partially account for observed progressive increases in obesity (and the panoply of obesity related diseases), despite diets that arguably have remained merely “equally bad” for decades. It took the better part of a century of bad diets to arrive at our current levels of obesity. I hope it doesn’t take a similar duration for our epigenetics and metabolic health to recover.Wow. That really is disturbing. But it makes a lot of sense too. Thanks for this post. It gave me a lot of food for thought.Those links are a lot to process, and I’m still going over them. but this epigenetics is really scary. I hope it is able to be turned off or reversed with proper diet. I sincerely hope so.Epigenetics needn’t be scary. It simply refers to changes in gene expression that aren’t a direct result of physical changes (mutations) to the DNA sequence. These changes can be either beneficial or harmful in terms of disease and health, or they can simply be a part of the normal development and differentiation of a cell; you would obviously expect different levels of expression of various genes in a bone cell vs an endothelial cell vs a liver cell etc. Epigenetic effects can be heritable, and this can indeed be scary when we see studies about multi-generational effects of obesity or pesticide exposure.But keep in mind a) not all epigenetic phenomena are necessarily heritable, b) the word heritable can refer to changes maintained through both generations of whole organisms as well as through simple cell division, and c) most importantly, epigenetic effects CAN be beneficial.Epigenetics in my mind is a fascinating and wonderful field, and is cause for celebration; our fates are not “determined by our genes” as is so often lamented. A few examples:http://ornishspectrum.com/wp-content/uploads/8369.full_.pdf http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18477322 http://jap.physiology.org/content/105/2/473 http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/6/3/217.fullI understand that there are time periods when are genes are the most sensitive to epigenetic changes –in the womb, early childhood, adolescence, childbearing years. Is that correct? Could you elaborate?That’s a great question, and while my impression is that fetal growth, infancy and puberty are crucial windows for epigenetic “programming”, I’m not sure if the experts in the field have quantified this. I’m going to spend this weekend reviewing the papers in my epigenetics folder to see if there’s much evidence for particularly sensitive developmental windows. Stay tuned.I would say inactivity does contribute a lot to our problems. Especially this is manifest in Americans driving their cars everywhere, instead of walking or bicycling everywhere. I personally ride my bike to work everyday. The car culture also contributes to the fast food habit, as seen in drive thrus. I also make a great effort to avoid all animal products as much as possible, as well as really cut down on sweets and trans fats. I make an effort to eat a lot of the foods mentioned on this website, such as greens, garlic, nuts etc. Activity can help, but we must remember Jim Fixx, who was a runner and died of a heart attack, presumably because he didn’t improve his diet as well. Maybe we should say that while activity is important, it doesn’t completely make up for a bad diet. Exercise, used correctly, is a tool to consume a better diet, because it enables a person to eat more healthy calories without gaining weight. It can “out train” an occasional over indulgence, but it shouldn’t be used to “out train” a generally bad diet. Maybe we should think of it as exercise can help with weight control and health, but it won’t make up for really bad habits, such as smoking or eating junk food or animal products constantly. Personally, daily exercise as well as not eating meat any day of the year are absolute givens. Emphasize activity, without letting the food industry off the hook by this emphasis.And in addition to activity, simply sitting less: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/sit-less-live-longer/?_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=health&_r=0KAISER PERMANENTE is moving in that direction, even if somewhat quietly. See Dr. Greger’s video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/. I have been told that we will see more and more proof of this shift as the year progresses. KP is surely afraid of losing its many client groups who make a living from the Meat and Dairy and Restaurant industries. But they do know how much they will save per month simply by getting their diabetics on WFPB. The article in Permanente Journal makes thrilling reading. If you are a KP client, consider asking your doc to read the article.Nutritional Update for Physicians: Plant-Based DietsPhillip J Tuso, MD; Mohamed H Ismail, MD; Benjamin P Ha, MD; Carole Bartolotto, MA, RDPerm J 2013 Spring; 17(2):61-66http://dx.doi.org/10.7812/TPP/12-085Dr. Phillip Tuso et.al. are heroes. They have had to fight for this much and would like to do more.It seems possible from the remarkable videos here on your site that massive economic savings can accrue from eating very well. Do you have any reason to doubt that if a major nutrition association were to own, create or manage a health insurance company, the likely cost savings would be so massive that the insurance company would over time have better health outcomes and lower costs and then destroy its competitors? The insurance company could buy the company called Whole Foods and give all of its health insurance customers a “savings card” to promote smart eating. It could even require patients to see a nutritionist and obtain a referral before seeing a specialist for big ticket items like heart surgery. (Why, couldn’t it even offer “free radhiccio” and reap savings later.) Do insurance companies have enough economic leverage to enable “nutrition” to “win” in society, and can they become major players in influencing societal outcomes for the better? Are they moving in the direction of using nutrition to lower costs and get better outcomes?Most information on medical costs suggest that the continuing rise is due to the influx of baby boomers being such a large category and and now moving into the high cost stage of their lives. However the fact is that in the last 20 years we have gotten significantly fatter to the point where we can reasonably say that we have a pandemic of obesity. I say pandemic because it comes from infectious cultural phenomena and it is growing world wide. Indeed, I think it is reasonable to say that this is more serious and more pressing than ebola. Ebola will kill faster but our diet is more certain to kill, or, prevent death.Insurance companies should indeed be in the lead just as the medical profession should. It is the cultural orientation away from effective utilization of the knowledge that we now have that is preventing this. I would suggest that not one in 10 doctors have any knowledge of the benefits and importance of good nutrition. The result of the cultural orientation is monumental and will be very hard to change. Sure doesn’t mean we should’t try though.Very interesting thoughts! Insurance companies have already been getting involved in promoting health to a certain degree, through reducing premiums for people willing to use exercise trackers or achieve certain cholesterol/bp/etc levels. Keeping in mind that most of the professional health and nutrition community has not caught on to wfpb eating, it’s not surprising that insurance companies haven’t either. But I do think it’s entirely possible that once they catch wind of it, it could be something they pursue. How interesting that the insurance industry, usually thought of with such disdain, is actually the one sector as opposed to the healthcare, pharma, and food industries, that would truly be [financially] motivated to improve its patrons’ health.KAISER PERMANENTE is moving in that direction, even if somewhat quietly. See Dr. Greger’s video:http://nutritionfacts.org/vide…. I have been told that we will see more and more proof of this shift as the year progresses. KP is surely afraid of losing its many client groups who make a living from the Meat and Dairy and Restaurant industries. But they do know how much they will save per month simply by getting their diabetics on WFPB. The article in Permanente Journal makes thrilling reading. If you are a KP client, consider asking your doc to read the article.Nutritional Update for Physicians: Plant-Based DietsPhillip J Tuso, MD; Mohamed H Ismail, MD; Benjamin P Ha, MD; Carole Bartolotto, MA, RDPerm J 2013 Spring; 17(2):61-66http://dx.doi.org/10.7812/TPP/…Dr. Phillip Tuso et.al. are heroes. They have had to fight for this much and would like to do more.I think the idea here is fantastic, and I don’t think it is one that is lost on insurance companies either. They know that healthier customers means more money for them. That is why they are on doctors to send diabetics or overweight individuals to nutritionists and make other recommendations such as “quit smoking”!The problem is that side of the equation does not exist in a bubble. The meat and dairy industries have done a fabulous job of making the argument about “control” rather than addressing the merits of the health argument. When you get people riled up about the possibility of being controlled, they do stupid things like serve their kids McDonald’s cheeseburgers through the fence at school because the school system is trying to serve healthier lunches. They will decide whether or not their children have the beginning of heart disease before middle school, damn it, not “the man”.Because so many people do eat meat, and plenty of them believe they need it with every meal, it will be hard for insurance companies to attempt to incentivise the truly healthy WFPB diet. The act will be quickly pointed out by the meat and dairy industry as an attempt to control the masses and all cheeseburgery hell will break loose.Perhaps very slowly over time…The make-it-delicious, cheap, fast and convenient mantras of the food and restaurant industries that enable them to be profitable are undoubtedly a nidus for the reliable, steady stream of sick people seeking help in the healthcare system, increasing the financial burden of everyone paying into that system; so yes, “strengthening their public health conscience” is something the industry should feel obligated to do.I’m three weeks into a basic food prep, kitchen essentials course that is a minor pre-req for my program. I figured taking it with my 2nd semester Organic Chem would be a good move because I’ve been cooking for years and it should be easy but it’s shaping up to be a test of endurance…not because of level of difficulty, but because of the focus on animal-derived products in the dishes we’ll prepare. The course is geared to those entering the restaurant industry so I’m the oddball. The Chef has made quite clear that, in his mind, the success of your restaurant will solely depend on the ability to prepare the animal products and techniques he uses to entice customers to come back again and again. A “get-them-hooked” mentality. The only grain we’ll prepare is white arborio rice…no legumes, no nuts, a few vegetables as side dishes, and of those, the preparations set forth are covered in butter or egg prepared sauces.It’s disheartening that these students will not learn anything about WFPB as they start on their restaurant careers. I hope that some restaurant training programs are more forward-thinking than this one. I don’t want to be “hooked”, I want to be nourished. Really wish I could drop this course and find a different way to meet the requirement but my financial situation cannot handle it so I’m going to stick it out with a personal goal of helping the Chef learn some new techniques.Great to hear from someone in the trenches! I have to tell you… our local pub is known for its great foods…Dutch and German oriented with great sausage and kraut combos…fish and chips…lots of organoleptics and mouthfeels…heh. But we heard they had a lentil loaf! So Me and the Misus walks in an everybody knows we’re plant nuts and are watching real careful to see what we order. Lentil loaf, side of veg of the day, no butter no oil no no….ok a side of saurekraut…and a pint…its a Friday. So it comes out, we are eating away and Ann says to me, “Hey that loaf is really good, not at all oily”…And suddenly theres this big cheer from the kitchen…when we looked their heads were stacked up the servering window all watching us! Moral, most folks really care about what they eat and most really care about about what they cook. Nice going Ashhurst Inn! can I say that here? NAME NAMES! If your looking to eat some decent vegan try them out next time you’re 40 degrees South and 175 east!I really enjoy your posts, Coacervate. Indeed, there are many restaurants stepping up to the plate to offer healthy dishes and finding an audience craving this. I’m lucky that I live in a major city where access to healthy food is easy and our local pubs go to great lengths to accommodate us. Lentil loaf sounds delicious to me, I made a lentil loaf last weekend and it was fantastic!KWD: That was such a fascinating post. It raises a really great point: We talk so much about doctors, RD, etc. But we haven’t talked that much about chef training on this site.I’m sorry you aren’t getting as much of an education as you deserve, but I think it is awesome that you are turning this into an opportunity to help others. Best of luck to you!!!After thought: You may be interested in the book/story Better Than Vegan, by Del Sroufe. He is a chef who lost 200 pounds eating a whole plant food based diet. He has a very interesting story at the front of the book. And a lot of experience and goal of making food taste great. I just got the book myself and haven’t had a chance to make any of the recipes. But they look great. I’m going to start soon. http://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Vegan-Favorite-Plant-Based/dp/1939529425/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411078513&sr=8-1&keywords=better+than+veganThanks, Thea. I’m very interested the book and story so thanks for sharing as I have not heard of him.Thea, so I purchased Better than Vegan and am really thankful you made this recommendation. It turns out that next week we are preparing a broccoli with hollandaise sauce and I asked the Chef if I could make Del’s recipe using (cauliflower puree or tofu) and to my pleasant surprise, Chef agreed to allow me to do this (provided I bring the extra ingredients needed) and encouraged me to do this going forward if I’d like to modify other recipes in class. So, even though Chef is teaching traditional French cooking techniques, I must give him credit for welcoming me to make changes.Wow! That’s so awesome!! Thanks so much for letting me know.After all that, I sure do hope it turns out well and people like it. :-0And I totally agree – big kudos for the Chef.Thea, Del Stroufe has alot of recipes on the forks over knives cookbook too. They are overall tasty. My new favorite cookbook is the new Essylsten one http://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Cookbook/dp/1583335587/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409189850&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Prevent+and+Reverse+Heart+Disease+CookbookThe recipes really focus on making the meals as healthy as possible and keeps them lower sodium and lower in fat then the forks over knives cookbook. Some really good recipes I had made from it were roasted roots (roasted beets, sweet potatoes, potatoes, turnip and rutabaga) in the oven with seasoning. So goodToxins: Thanks for the tip! I saw that new Essylsten book on Amazon recently. I put it on my short list of books to get. I appreciate your letting me know that it is worth the investment. Thanks.A chef who is dependent on animal products is not a good chef. First of all, an educated chef should be able to cater for all diets. They should be trained in catering for people with allergies, and they should be trained in catering for vegetarians and vegans, religious diets and various other groups. The modern western diet is not the be all and end all of food, but these chefs are being trained to think that the very modern excess of meat meat meat at every single mouthful is the only way of eating that exists. This is meat-centric and discriminatory to people who aren’t in line with what they force as the norm.Secondly, relying on animal products is sign of poor skill. Cooked animal products contain addictive opioid compounds. Any animal that has been brought up eating cooked meat will refuse to eat anything else, whether that animal is a natural carnivore that would eat raw meat, or a natural herbivore like a sheep or cow. This is also why it is hard to give up meat, and even more hard to give up dairy products, especially casein-based cheeses, which are the highest in opioids and are 10% as addictive as morphine. Therefore, relying on these addictive compounds to make your food “good” is lazy. The body simply associates the sensations that arise from consuming these foods – chewiness, the certain flavours etc – with impending opioid kicks, and therefore perceives it as “nice”. Society then validates these feelings by saying we need these things!Thirdly, relying on inordinate amounts of fat to carry flavour is lazy. I bet he also abuses the combination of a sugar+fat or carbohydrate+fat being addictive in his cooking.We vegans know how to make a nice meal by understanding what makes a meal “nice”. We understand the concept of umami, we understand the concepts of layering flavours, we understand that there needs to be carbs, some amount of fat to carry flavour and for satisfaction, and protein for fullness etc. We understand that there needs to be vegetables for colour (nature makes humans attracted to colour to attract us to nutritious foods) – and we treat them with far more respect and creativity than the average chef, who are so fixated on flavouring their slabs of meat in different ways that they neglect their sad little “side” vegetables, boiling the shiitake out of them then drenching them all in butter and salt.By having a good understanding of what is “nice” and how taste works, we make wholesome, plant-based foods that are equal to or greater than SAD food in terms of satisfaction, and always more innovative, all the while being better for our health, causing no suffering, minimising environmental destruction, using 60 times less land than animal-based diets, and doing our bit for global food security by not taking more than our fair share from the world.On a bright note, my Chef instructor has agreed to allow me to modify recipes to be entirely plant based! There is hope!What worked in the tobacco fight? First, Education…we need to educate the MEDIA. The vision should include a cadre of investigative journalists willing to take risks to blow whistles…Like a certain Dr whose name rhymes with Woodward and Bernsteingreger. But this takes more…requires a respected, previously known and objective newsperson…like …ummm …ummmm gimme a minute.Second we need to educate the EDUCATORS, fight hard and nasty by naming names and pointing fingers, ambush interviews. “Why does your school feed poison to our kids?” If teachers don’t understand nutrition then neither will their students.Third, Government will jump in after the first two. pass some laws. Jack up some taxes … help with your first 2 action points.But we need strong dedicated leadership and unity. Watching McDougal, Esslestyn et al. fight it out over how many nuts, how much starch vs. kale … I can say we aren’t any where near as organized as we need to be.We need to look at what has worked and what has not worked for tobacco. AND recognize that R.J. Reynolds is doing pretty darn good with all sorts of new products that dodge the FDA regs….in the interests of harm reduction!We need to understand that just as there are still many many people out there willing to do anything, pay anything, suffer anything for that nicotine hit…similarly we can never legislate away some peoples devotion to the pleasure trap.Finally, I worry for you Dr. G. You know, I presume, how Soylent Green ended.well, obviously they didn’t know about raw cigarettes back then ;-)Dr. Greger, in this instance you are giving the wrong impression. A sweet potato is still cheaper than a burger or even one piece of chicken. A bag of apples and a head of cabbage is cheap too. Dry beans and lentils are cheap. Any veggies that are “expensive can be grown or purchased in bulk and canned (or cheap alternatives are available). Sprouts are a most excellent nutritional bang for the buck.The greater problem isn’t a lack of cheap plant food, but ignorance. The multinational food processors market misinformation about nutrition numerous times every day. One would think we’re in danger of starving to death if Rachael Ray, Dr. Oz, and a plethora of other food and “health” shows didn’t advise us daily of yet another recipe for bacon with burgers or which green concoction to drink with our “protein”. Meat has such a bad connotation these days the marketers now call it “protein” and suggest we need more protein for good health. You guys in white hats don’t have a media presence compared to the meat and diary industries media domination. Y’all are content to hover in obscurity preaching to the choir. Your message is always excellent (well almost always) but where are the masses of converts?. They don’t know where you, and Dr. McDougall, and the short list of credible nutritional gurus are hiding out.Dr. Barnard gets around on the airwaves. I’ve seen him on his own PBS special, a TED talk, and clips from Ellen and The Doctors. Dr. Greger doesn’t have that much presence on mainstream tv, but he does A LOT of speaking around the country. Take a look at his speaking schedule. It is crazy. The Esselstyns have put out several documentaries obviously. They’ve all written books that sell fairly well. The amount of free content on this website which gets shared around quite a bit on social media is also nothing to sneeze at. I agree it would be great to see them all on the evening news, dateline, 20/20, oprah (is she still on?), etc. But that’s not entirely under their control. I think they’re doing as much as they can to get the word out, and I think over time, as the audience grows, the mainstream media makers will take note and respond in turn by providing more opportunity for coverage. Otherwise agree with everything you’ve said about cost, lack of information and misinformation, and exercise!bOOmer, Don’t get me wrong, I’d hate to be in a world without all these fine devoted nutritionists with their ability to shine a light of truth on the poisons passes off as food. However, they can all run around from one speaking engagement to the next, like chickens with their heads cut off (as granny used to say) and all that effort, from now until each departs this earth won’t even approach the exposure meat and dairy gets on one television show, on one single episode, promoting, bacon, cheese, and oil. Unless a nationally distributed unified concerted effort is regularly seen and “harder” words are used, the message won’t be heard. There’s not enough “aggressive” posturing on behalf of a starch based diet. They all talk so softly and politely, like professional respectful doctors while their opposition, the meat and dairy industries play by a different set of rules, cut-throat and deep pockets, buying polititians. In a sense, the good doctors are too passive for the fight. Women across America are killing their husbands with kindness, feeding them whatever the Koch brothers are selling. Why not say that? Why not say, “We don’t have a health insurance problem, we have an ignorance problem…don’t eat meat and dairy and heart disease goes away.” “Who needs insurance?” Hmmm, that would be the folks who eat meat and dairy.Although i agree with all on you video with the exception, that grass fed organic meat is a healthy part of a humans diet, and should not be discarded as bad for your health but on the contrary it is an essential part of maintaining good health. Doctor Gregor seems pro vegetarian.which is fine but he should not dismiss quality farmed raised beef.dmac, you’d be hard pressed to present a legitimate study advocating “grass fed organic meat is a healthy part of a humans diet”. You’re in the right place, however, to deprogram all the misinformation about nutrition you’ve accumulated watching years and years of pro meat and dairy television. Regardless of the animal’s diet, and whether it’s muscles flap a wing, wiggles a fin, or lifts a hoof, all muscles are meat and all meat is too high in protein for human consumption. Likewise for dairy products. Even meat free of chemicals and pesticides and whatever else you believe to render meat less than “quality”, well, remove all you deem to be the damaging culprit in meat, and you still have excess protein that will overload your kidneys, trigger cancer growth, and clog up arteries. You need maybe 5% protein by caloric count for optimal intake. At 20% protein cancer cells can be triggered to start dividing. What’s quality about that?For the record, vegetarians tend to eat meat and dairy fairy regularly so don’t fair any better than meat eaters health-wise. Calling Dr Greger a vegetarian exemplifies you need to read and view much more on this site. You’ll either educate yourself or find this group to be odd…very odd.Educate yourself,it’s out there all you have to do is look,you don’t have to stay with the old norms,modern science has proved Ansel Keys a farce.dmac, you are being fooled by what you choose to accept as “modern science”. Partly because you want to believe you can eat meat if it’s fed grass and partly because you don’t want to admit you’ve been wrong all these decades. Funny, the most reliable modern science IS Ansel Keys. After all these years he’s still right. You’re on the outside looking in. I bet Rachael Ray is your favorite scientist. What should the pig be raised on before it’s healthy enough to go on your cheeseburger? I’m guessing organic slop.“Seems pro vegetarian”. GASP! This is a vegetarian site. Don’t come on here forcing your unwanted opinions down peoples’ throats, and telling vegetarians what they should and shouldn’t put on their own websites.It also shows how prejudiced you are saying “seems pro-vegetarian” like its a big deal. You don’t go around commenting on non-vegetarian doctors sites saying how they “seem pro-necrotarian”.There is no evidence that meat is different depending on how it was fed. There is nothing essential in meat that is not found in plant foods. There are many things in meat that are dangerous and carcinogenic that are not found in plant foods. Vegetarians are consistently found to have better health, suffer less deficiencies, and live longer than necrotarians.And if meat was an “essential” part of a human diet, we’d be able to eat it raw without using tools to kill it, like real carnivores. We’d relish eating the feathers, scales or fur, eating the ingesta and guts, and we’d swallow it whole because only herbivores can move their jaws sideways to chew. We’d be able to eat it without our cholesterol raising – it is impossible to raise a carnivore or omnivore’s own blood cholesterol through ingesting it. All animals have low cholesterol apart from non-vegetarian humans, because non-vegetarian humans are the only animal going against evolution. In studies, in all the species that scientists have managed to raise cholesterol in (through non-dietary means for the non-herbivores) their health and life span has deteriorated.You are entitled to your opinions (but not to spew them in inappropriate environments – such is demanding that vegetarians accept your opinion on their own website that grass-fed meat is “essential”) but not to your facts. Your entire post should have been qualified with “I reckon” just to make it clear that you are repeating evidence-free supermarket science. Regurgitating “happy meat” supermarket advertising material is not proof. In some East Asian countries they market the meat of deliberately tortured animals as superior.You should visit the healthylongevity blog, which is fully referenced and dispels the the grass-fed BS sheeple have been parroting recently. Intensively-farmed meat has only existed since the 40’s, but populations that consume a lot of meat have always been unhealthy, riddled with heart disease and suffered short life-spans.Those of us who work in hospitals can see that most of our patients get where they are as a result of the American lifestyle. I currently work in rehab as a wound/ostomy specialist. Most of my colostomy patients had surgery for diverticulitis or bowel obstruction–conditions preventable by a WFPB diet. One patient’s wife asked why her husband had so much trouble with constipation. He was sitting in front of me eating food from the hospital kitchen–grilled cheese on white bread and French fries. I would love to tell them, “Don’t eat the hospital food.” I sure don’t. A large percentage of my patients are overweight and/or type II diabetics. Many are in rehab after a stroke or heart surgery. Nearly all of them have a list of meds over a page long. Staff nurses spend a disproportionate amount of their time passing meds and somehow it’s never questioned why this is OK. I would love to be able to show them a better way but lifestyle is a touchy subject with people. Many of my co-workers are overweight or obese. They know I eat a WFPB diet and they tell me I can be crazy if I want but they will eat what they want. They don’t believe me when I tell them I was fat my whole life and am thin now due to my lifestyle. At any rate, I think one intervention to improve our patients’ recovery would be to feed them some real food and maybe this would influence the employees too.Hello Nurse Kay, Wow! What a horror show. I don’t know how you manage to keep your mouth shut; professionalism, protocols, etc. is my guess. Your story is poignant for me on several levels, not the least of which is that I am a Crohn’s ‘survivor’ (in remission for many, many years and never been cut), and planning to stay that way with a WFPB diet. It is amazing to me that even when looking down the barrel of long-term recovery, disfigurement, ostomy bags and all the rest, people simply refuse to change their lifestyles drastically and permanently to save themselves and their loved ones from the ravages not only of the American lifestyle, but also from the gaping maw of the American di$ease management $ystem. Allow me to use this as a vehicle to remind readers of a recent documentary called ‘Escape Fire.’ Here’s some links. The first is a C-SPAN interview with Matthew Heineman, the film’s producer and the second is a link to Amazon where the film may be viewed. Take comfort that you are not as alone as it may seem sometimes. I think you are a hero! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-JBcVtSOcghttp://www.amazon.com/Escape-Fire-Rescue-American-Healthcare/dp/B00AJLHU80Thanks for sharing your story, Lawrence. I think you would be an inspiration to people around you. It seems that the only thing we can do in the face of the American food system and the medical system is just stand as a silent witness that there is a better way. I would love to help people who are suffering from chronic conditions but unless they are actually seeking an alternate path they usually aren’t interested in hearing about it. Hang in there!	animal products,beans,breast cancer,breast health,calories,cancer,chicken,Coca-Cola,exercise,fat,fruit,frying,industry influence,junk food,obesity,Pepsi,poultry,processed foods,salt,smoking,soda,standard American diet,subsidies,sugar,tobacco,vegetables,weight loss,women's health	Appeasement of the food industry through partnerships with children’s organizations to steer the focus to inactivity rather than our diet recalls tobacco industry-style tactics and may require tobacco industry-style regulation.	Is it our physical activity or eating activity? See Diet vs. Exercise for Weight Loss and How Much Exercise to Sustain Weight Loss?I touched on the pink buckets of KFC in my video Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken.For more on the idea of subsidizing healthy foods or at least stopping tax money to supporting junk, check out my video Taxpayer Subsidies for Unhealthy Foods.It’s sad when nonprofits collaborate with companies that contribute to suffering, but seems particularly egregious when the Registered Dietician group does it. See Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Conflicts of Interest.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepsi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/subsidies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842428,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22802734,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842197,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21282309,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21151043,
PLAIN-2548	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/	Four Nuts Once a Month	This is one of the craziest articles I saw all year. A single consumption of high amounts of brazil nuts improves the cholesterol levels of healthy volunteers. OK, that’s interesting. They gave 10 men and women a single meal containing zero, one, four, or 8 brazil nuts, and found that the ingestion of just that single serving almost immediately improved cholesterol levels. LDL, so-called “bad” cholesterol levels in the blood were significantly lower starting just nine hours after the ingestion of nuts, and by no insignificant amount, nearly 20 points within a day. Even drugs don’t work that fast, takes statins like four days to have a significant effect. But that’s not even the crazy part. They went back and measured their cholesterol five days later, and then 30 days later. Now keep in mind they weren’t eating brazil nuts this whole time. They had just that single serving of brazil nuts a month before and their cholesterol was still down 30 days later. It went down and stayed down, after eating just four nuts... That’s nuts!And no, the study was not funded by the brazil nut industry.Interestingly, four nuts actually seemed to work faster than the 8 nuts to lower bad cholesterol and boost good cholesterol. These results suggest that eating just four nuts might be enough to improve the levels of LDL-c and HDL-c for up to 30 days, and maybe longer—they didn’t even test past 30.Now normally, when a study comes out in the medical literature showing some too-good-to-be-true result like this you want to wait to see the results replicated before you change your clinical practice, before you recommend something to your patients, particularly when the study is done on only 10 people, and especially when the findings are literally just too incredible to be believed. But when the intervention is cheap, easy, harmless, and healthy—eating four brazil nuts a month—then in my opinion, the burden of proof is kind of reversed. I think the reasonable default position is to do it until proven otherwise, so now every month I eat four brazil nuts. In conclusion, a single serving is sufficient, without producing liver and kidney toxicity. I should hope not, but what they’re referring to is the high selenium content of brazil nuts, so high that four eaten every day may actually bump us up against the tolerable daily limit for selenium, but not something we have to worry about it we’re just eating four once a month.	“four nuts actually seemed to work faster than the 8 nuts”That red flag (dose-response) as to the validity of the effect is at least as large as the 30-day duration.I agree. Also, the researchers were all Brazilian – maybe they weren’t funded directly by the nut industry, but maybe their Universities funded the work through a foundation supported by the government, who also wants to promote the industry. Also, the LDL levels were pretty low to start with. This brings up the concern, as always: What was the background diet of these eaters? Was the low LDL a result of Lipitor, other meds, a good diet, or what? The food industries have a nasty way of stacking the trial to get the results they desire. For those eating a whole foods, low fat, vegan diet, this sort of food chemistry manipulation is unneeded and maybe harmful. In my view, this is the dark side of diet manipulation. Let’s get back to eating a whole foods, low fat (less than 15% of calories), balanced diet of grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes. Some daily ground flax seeds with a B12 cap is a good idea, and an english walnut now and then makes a nice treat. See Jeff Novick’s video titled “From Nuts to Oil” if you want to learn about fats in your diet.It doesn’t seem difficult to remain below 15% calories from fat while eating MORE THAN one walnut per day (assuming no or minimal fat from other sources). Seems that Dr Greger recommends two handfuls of nuts. Also, I understand below 25% from fat to be considered low-fat. No?Depends on what you want to mean by “low-fat.” Proponents of low-fat plant-based diets generally mean less than 20%, and often less than 15% when other aspects of the pattern are typical.I’ve heard McDougall estimate his diet recommendations to result in 7% energy from fat, and given his general stance on fat, I’d anticipate his bias to underestimate the amount if anything. It seems Greger regards a handful of nuts as an ounce: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-definition-of-a-handful-of-nuts/ . 2 oz walnuts is 333 calories and 90% fat: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3720?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=walnuts .So, to be 25% fat or less, a 2000 calorie diet with 2oz walnuts would have to be no more than 10% fat in the non-nut portion. I’d say that it’s not necessarily easy to be less than 25% fat with two handfuls of nuts. It would seem to impose some serious restrictions on the greediness of your handfuls and the composition of the non-nut portion of your diet.Such debates somehow remind me of the medieval Scholastics absurd quibble on the dogmas of the Catholic Church. The 11th Commandment: You must not eat more than 15% calories from fat. ;DJust one happy Catholic grateful for quibbles that lead to TRUTH! May these quibbles here do the same and can we stay on topic and be tolerant of Christians please? Many thanksHuh? Why should any Christian or even Catholic feel offended by what I wrote? Does your understanding of Catholicism exclude any kind of irony towards the history and doctrine of the Catholic Church? If so, you have a more fundamentalist attitude towards Catholicism than the Pope himself. I am tolerant of any religion but not of fundementalists incapable of irony.Brazilian researchers studying ‘Brazil nuts’? Hmmm… I maybe cannot SAY that there’s an ‘implied’ COI or background bias, but somehow, the green flag hasn’t appeared yet.Ecological benefits, to be sure. What thereapeutic intervention(s) does or might this protocol displace?The researchers are not really doing much for the Brazil nut industry, and Brazil nut consumption in general, with this study, when the indications are a very meager intake will do the job.I would try this, but would eat more than four nuts a month! My cholesterol is genetic, and I don’t think four nuts a month would do it! Doctor has me back on a statin (generic Lipitor, first time taking it!), because it had climbed again–but I don’t intend to take it for long. Back to flax seeds, B12, and coconut and other oils, and now brazil nuts. I am a vegetarian/vegan and have to be mindful to get all the nutrients I need, which is kind of difficult. I have also began to stop eating processed grains again; that affects me and my weight! Thank you for this!You may be interested in the work of Ornish, Esselstyn, and McDougall who have shown consistent success in improving cholesterol levels and overall cardiovascular health with dietary intervention. Their diet consists of no oils of any kind, limited nut consumption, and lots of carbohydrate in the form of whole grains, beans, and tubers. McDougall and Esselstyn prescribe a vegan protocol, while Ornish allows limited animal foods in the form of low fat dairy and egg whites. The books Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease by Esselstyn and The Starch Solution by McDougall are good places to start. For concerns about micronutrient intake, cronometer.com is also a very useful tool.You may also benefit from Drs Abram Hoffer and Andrew Saul’s work. It’s called ‘NIACIN: The Real Story’. A good deal of the book talks of wonderful results from Niacin (Vitamin B3) for a variety of ills but particularly cholesterol problems.If you buy in bulk, you can limit the purchase to only 4 that way you are not tempted to eat more. If it helps lower your cholesterol great if not, it’s just a little treat eaten once a month.Ummm, Doctor Dave, let’s put this into even better perspective. You’re claiming that there should be red flags because a Brazilian university published a study stating the possible benefits of eating four nuts (which happen to be called “Brazil nuts” in English) over a thirty-day period.Why would any sane government, food producer, or especially a university with its reputation on the line choose to “manipulate” or ” stack” the numbers in their research in order to get people to eat four nuts a month? This would do very little in terms of sales. Why not stack it to say four a day? Besides, for many, this would drastically decrease their consumption of Brazil nuts.Just a thought, Doctor Dave.Please state more precisely in which way eating four(!) brazil nuts(!!) a month(!!!) is to be considered as “food chemistry manipulation”!? I’d be very interested in your explanation.It is preposterous to suggest that some sort of “brazil nut lobby” is behind this study. Brazil nuts come from wild collections in the rainforest, mostly by indigenous people, for whom brazil nuts are an important income they derive from the intact forests. Sadly, those poeple have the least political influence in Brazil. As we all know, the are vastly more powerful interests in the clearance of these forests for short-term profit from wood and soy plantations which drive the goverment’s politics.Can someone say a little more about the ‘red flag (dose-response)’ ?I don’t get it.dose response is one factor that lends credibility to a cause-effect relationship..if the dose goes up, and the effect goes up, and if the does goes down the effect goes down, it indicates cause and effect. In this case, the dose goes up, but the effect goes down. 4 nuts was better than 8. This means that less of the chemical in the nuts made a larger effect than more of it. It’s fishy, or a ‘red-flag’, meaning tends to decrease credibility of cause and effect.Thank you.I remember seeing in one of the videos that the absorption of animal proteins are nearly unrestricted by the intestinal lining compared to plant proteins. Would it be possible then that nutrition would also be limited if certain nutrients were at their tolerable limit for the body? Or maybe the boost in consumption from 4 to 8 nuts caused absorption to slow with quantity due to longer digestion time as well? Just throwing in some thoughts that I had while watching the video.I don’t see how it rules out an ideal amount of 4. What of the body responds to the high selenium levels from 8 nuts and does something to halt all absorption? Eating too much of a lot of good things causes bad reactions.Hi @dogulas:disqus, I posted about just that above. Maybe it will provide some answer to your question.What about for vegans who already have low cholesterol levels, both HDL and LDL. And in vegans who have levels considered to be too low? Could ingestion of nuts actually go in the other direction, as is being implicated in causation for driving cholesterol levels too low in vegans? As well as hindering a vegan’s ability to raise up their “too low” cholesterol levels? And what exactly is it in brazil nuts that allows this drop? Are other nuts capable of causing the same reduction in cholesterol as the brazil nuts?In your opinion, how low is too low a level of serum LDL considering that cells make their own cholesterol and cholesterol in the blood is a back-up system??In the low 100’s, total cholesterol. Seems to be going even lower. Yes, there is debate on what is too low – not sure who to trust on this, but there is science implicating too low cholesterol as causation for depression, suicide. Maybe this is a non-issue, and that I should be happy to be vegan. I’d really like to know a plant-based doctor’s view of what exactly is considered “too low”?Risks of Low CholesterolWhat happens when cholesterol is too low? According to the Mayo Clinic, low levels of LDL cholesterol may increase your risk of cancer, depression, anxiety, and preterm birth and low birth weight. A study published in the Netherlands showed that middle-aged men with low cholesterol were more likely to experience severe depression, while an earlier study at the Duke University Medical Center showed that young women with levels below 160 mg were more likely to have depression and anxiety than women with normal or high cholesterol.Recent studies from Germany linked low cholesterol with increased risk of agression, impulsivity, depression, and suicide. Other research shows that extra low levels can increase risk of Parkinson’s disease, stroke caused by bleeding in the brain, infertility and decreased libido, osteoporosis, hyperthyroidism, chronic indigestion, and nutrient deficiencies of fat-soluble vitamins.Sources “Cholesterol Facts,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/facts.htm.“What is Cholesterol? What Causes High Cholesterol?” Medical News Today, May 29, 2009, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9152.php.Mayo Clinic Staff, “Cholesterol levels: What numbers should you aim for?,” Mayo Clinic, September 21, 2012, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol-levels/CL00001.Schatz IJ, et al., “Cholesterol and all-cause mortality in elderly people from the Honolulu Heart Program: a cohort study,” Lancet, 2001 Aug 4;358(9279): 351-5, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11502313.“Cholesterol Levels and Deaths: A Bit of a Shocker,” University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, August 2002, http://njms2.umdnj.edu/hwmedweb/archives/CholMortality_archive.htm.Krumholz HM, et al., “Lack of association between cholesterol and coronary heart disease mortality and morbidity and all-cause mortality in persons older than 70 years,” JAMA 1994 Nov 2;272(17): 1335-40, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7772105.Forette B, et al., “Cholesterol as risk factor for mortality in elderly women,” Lancet, 1989 Apr 22;1(8643): 868-70, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2564950.Weverline-Rinjsburger AW, et al., “Total cholesterol and risk of mortality in the oldest old,” Lancet, 1997 Oct 18;350(9085):1119-23, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9343498?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=3.Ulmer H, et al., “Why Even is Not Adam: prospective follow-up in 149650 women and men of cholesterol and other risk factors related to cardiovascular and all-cause mortality,” J Womens Health (Larchmt), 2004 Jan-Feb; 13(1):41-53, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15006277?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=10.“Cholesterol: Can it Go Too Low?”, Dr. Weil, March 14, 2002, http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA43423.Dr. Greger already has a video on whether cholesterol can be too low or not: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/The newest way to look at cholesterol is not as high or low, it’s to look at the whole diet.Regardless of whether or not your cholesterol is high or low, people who eat a whole food, low fat, plant based diet have the lowest risk of heart attack, stroke, vascular disease, etc.Those that eat a high fat, high animal food diet that is low in fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains have the highest rates of vascular disease (eg. Coronary Artery disease, vascular disease, heart Attack, Stroke, Back Pain etc.) So it’s not how high your cholesterol is it’s how clean is your diet.Are you eating a varied whole food, low fat plant based diet? If you are then you have no reason to worry. The body is meant to heal and function at an optimal level and will not inherently kill itself unless directed to do so by a chronic inflammatory diet.I have never seen, nor has Dr. McDougall (my mentor) anyone following this type of lifestyle that has had any detrimental effects from “too low” a cholesterol. I hope this helpsWow, thanks so much! This helps. I am wondering what you consider low-fat. One could eat 2 avocados a day and this only accounts for 42 percent of the RDA for saturated fat, and is 98 percent of the RDA for total fat. It seems to me that there are vegans who, by the end of the day, only take in about 20 percent or, even less, of the RDA for total fat intake. Is ‘this’ low intake healthy, safe, adequate? Thank you for any insight on this.When I say low fat I mean about 10-20% of your calories come from fat. I don’t follow the RDA for anything. They are too behind the times as far as I am concerned. My patients that eat a varied, whole food, low fat, plant based diet and take Vitamin B12 (250mcg daily) and Vitamin D if they don’t get enough sun have all done very well not following any RDA.Regarding fat: For me, I might eat a quarter of an avocado once every 1-2 weeks. I have about 5-6 walnuts per day and usually a handful of peanuts (why, cause I like them). Rarely do I use any oil and if I do it is a little Olive Oil.The best way to track your fat intake is to take the time and enter all your food into the program Chronometer. This will give you your daily Carbohydrate, fat and protein intake. When I did this I found I was following an 80-10-10 diet (80% Carbohydrate-mostly complex, 10% protein and 10% fat). Again I hope this helps.I guess that’s why those rice-eating, aggressive/impulsive Chinese soldiers with super-low TC #s (see: The China Study) rushed across the border to kick our meat-eating, fat-clogged vessel butts over in Korea. They were obviously just depressed about us repelling their aggressive/impulsive, rice-eating neighbors. Makes me wonder what the average total cholesterol number is for typical North Koreans nowadays? Maybe that’s why they make so much trouble?Sounds like the depressions stuff probably has nothing to do with the cholesterol. Maybe veg heads not takking their b12?Are these studies referring to omnivores who would be expected to naturally have higher cholesterol levels? For them lower levels may indicate a pathological state. Whereas a person on a purely plant-based diet would be expected to naturally and healthfully have lower cholesterol levels.Exactly. It’s called reverse causation. The disease state causes the low cholesterol, not vice versa.Also interesting: the 10 subjects had a *baseline* total cholesterol mean ± SD of (6 men; 4 women) of 145 ± 4.8; 143 ± 6.7, and LDL-C of 87.7 ± 9.8; 84.5 ± 6.5. LDL-C after 30 days was in the 60s.allejuiaI have been eating 1 brazil nut each day as part of a WFPB diet for over a year now to get my selenium intake for the day. Do you think this is a harmful amount and I should go to 4 nuts a month? If not harmful would it be more beneficial to go to 4 nuts once a month rather than a daily brazil nut? I do make a very small amount of raw non roasted/salted nuts and seeds a part of my daily diet (walnuts, pecans, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, cashews, pistachio, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds) but they don’t add up to more than a handful.I was using Brazil nuts to top off my daily selenium but I noticed that eating more spinach and sweet potatoes worked instead of the Brazil nut. Not sure which of those two did it… but checking CRON-o-meter now… it was the spinach.Tobias: Thanks for this tip! I hadn’t known that about spinach beforehand. Since I haven’t been too diligent about the Brazil nuts, I appreciate knowing that I have some other options too.I just checked on CRON-o-meter and there is almost no Selenium in spinach or sweet potatoes.Check the cooked from frozen variant. 238 grams (83 calories) provides almost 25% of my daily value (at 2000 calories per day).@tobias_brown:disqus @disqus_EXJURIXKLQ:disqus and Armando, I had done research on selenium in Brazil nuts so I posted above about the great variation of selenium in Brazil nuts, there’s a link to the more complete article.very interesting article youcef, thank you.I’d vote for one a week, to even out the selenium. It’s a trace mineral which the body will hoard up, so probably don’t need a daily dose just to ensure you have some. But, more interestingly, what is YOUR LDL cholesterol number like? It should be very very low if this actually works. Please post if you can….the LDL number?Haven’t had it checked for about 6 months or so but during my last annual check up my doctor did mention it was quite low. I didn’t ask for the numbers though. I should have in retrospect. I’m up in Canada so I understand the numbering system for LDL cholesterol is different than the U.S. He was a bit concerned about my very low HDL level and was recommending fish oil but I wasn’t too concerned about that since people like Caldwell Esselstyn have remarked in the past that this is not an issue among relatively healthy people and has pointed to the very low HDL levels observed among the Tarahumara Indians to illustrate his point. Will be sure to ask for my numbers during my next exam and will post it here at that time. Thanks for the feedback all. I’m thinking I will maintain my daily routine so long as I’m not having an issue with my weight which I am not. Very interesting discussion.Brazil, where this study was conducted, has low soil selenium 1. In another country with low soil selenium, Finland, low plasma selenium has been associated with more than doubling of cardiovascular risk 2. While much credit for the 61% reduction in cardiac mortality in Finland since the 70s has been attributed to their reducing dietary fat content from 38% of energy to 34%, and saturated fat from 21 to 16% 3, they also started enriching fertilizer with selenium in ’85. A plausible mechanism for the benefit of adequate selenium is the Se containing enzyme GPx4, which helps metabolize oxidized LDL4.wonder what the level of selenium in brazil nuts harvested from the ‘enriched’ selenium soil now is?Very good question, you can research it. Why don’t you look in pubmd and sciencedirect and update us?Hi @disqus_PhKM1GHehI:disqus Very interesting, I think you will be interested in my post above with a link. PS: Did you write the above or paste it from a study. If the latter could you tell me where you pasted this from please? I would like the whole article. Thanks.No, all my comments on NutritionFacts collect my own thoughts, and I try to link to the relevant sources (in this case, the highlighted numbers are links to the abstracts or full papers).Exactly, I completely agree. If the above is what you wrote yourself, it seems very publication-worthy to me, even at least on a blog. Do you publish any of that somewhere @disqus_PhKM1GHehI:disqus ? If so drop me the link. As for the variations in selenium content of Brazil nuts, if single intakes of high amounts selenium are safe, and if selenium buffers somehow and averages in the body, then that would confirm the safety of selenium intake through Brazil nuts. But the variations need to be a studied in a real life context, i.e. sampling a wide range of brands. A study mapping Brazil nuts production could give a good idea what proportion of Brazil nuts in the world are high-selenium based on what is known of soil selenium.Darryl, Could you tell us a little more about your background? Do you do private consults? How should we journalists identify you when quoting you? Feel free to answer privately at hsugarmill@sympatico.ca.Note that GPx4 is saturated only with an daily intake of ~100 mcg, roughly twice the RDA. The avarage US intake is about 100 mcg, but much of that comes from animal foods derived from animals eating feed supplemented with selenium[1].Vegans are therefore well adviced to supplement selenium – preferably in an all-natural and very tasty form. According a a study from New Zealand, two brazil nuts a day, providing 53 mcg of selenium (the actually measured the selenium content of the nuts used in the study as it can vary considerably between nuts from different regions) increased plasma selenium levels to the same extend as 100 mcg of selenomethionine. Remarkably the increase in in whole blood GPx was more than twice as high in the brazil nut group compared to selenomethionine.[2]Interestingly, selenium toxicity does not seem to occur even in Amazonian tribes eating large amounts of brazil nuts as a dietary staple and having plasma levels of selenium usually associated with symptoms of selenosis.[3] Another intruiging example where inherent safety of whole foods compared to isolated compounds challenges our reductionistic approach to nutrition.Last but not least, by eating brazil nuts you are actually helping to protect the Amazonian rain forest! That’s right – brazil nuts are hardly cultivatable and almost all of the world’s supply is from wild harvesting by native poeple. Hence the demand for brazil provides a much needed economic incentive to protect the rainforest.[4]1. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/selenium/ 2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18258628 3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21856002 4. http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/eating-brazil-nuts-protects-the-amazon-rainforest-literally.htmlFantastic references, Timar.What about selenium in alliums and crucifers? What does it bind to in those vegetables? How absorbable is it?It’s believed highly bioavailable, though unless selenium “enriched” with fortified fertilizer, total levels are much lower than in the typical Brazil nut.See: Fairweather-Tait, S. J., Collings, R., & Hurst, R. (2010). Selenium bioavailability: current knowledge and future research requirements. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 91(5), 1484S-1491S.Mustard, onion and garlic absorb selenium from soils well enough that they’ve been investigated for bioremediation of selenium contaminated industrial sites.6-8 brazil nuts provides about 8 times the daily recommended amount. 4 nuts would be about 4 times the daily amount, and the excess above the body’s needs would likely be stored in skeletal muscle. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-HealthProfessional/ excellent article for background info.Thanks for the NIH Health Professional Fact Sheet Selenium. Selenium content is highly variable – and often very much Barium & Strontium: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20646739I think if you want to eat brazil nuts regularly, every days or close, you should not eat more than 2-3 a day~I was eating four a day, and then to save a bit of money, I cut back to two. I think I’ll have to cut back to One-A-Day now.or one a week :-)@azdonald:disqus, @julotjulott:disqus See my post above with the link, the article I posted discusses the safety aspects and selenium doses in Brazil nuts.4 a month seems to be enough and possibly ideal if you really want to cut back!If you have a question for Dr. Greger please post it as a comment under any video or blog post and check back often to see if Dr. Greger includes it in his “Ask the Doctor” column. Thank you Dr. G. Today there is news about a blood filter to remove bacteria and viruses using “a modified version of the protein mannose-binding lectin (MBL).” http://post.jagran.com/artificial-spleen-cleans-up-blood-infections-1410798344 If this is a naturally occurring protein, as some sources say, what in the diet promotes production of that protein in our bodies?I coached a pastor losing 164 pounds with a nutrition plan having 1 pound of walnuts a week. The start was difficult but he is a pastor and the body is the temple of the soul 380 Lb is too much,No ?. I told him “if you lose weight all the church will lose. ” He had pathological blood tests with high cholesterol. The answer to my prescription was “and I will lose weight with walnuts?”, answer YES, and you have German blood? answer YES,and do not come back if you are not following the nutrition plan. He lost 164 lb in 18 months with some additional 6 months of weekly discussion before to start , about barbecue and the scriptures and the other religions to end by eating organic vegetables , tree nuts and meet only for special events. he did not gain more than few pounds, and the people in the church shrunk.I just weighed four of my small Trader Joes Brazil Nuts and got a total weight of only 7 grams. So I would have to eat 12 of these nuts to get the 20 grams in the study. I know it says online that the typical Brazil nut weighs 5 grams, but apparently it is not always the case. Also, I am skeptical of this study because they had the subjects avoid Selenium containing foods. Someone wrote that some of these people may have been Selenium deficient. So the Selenium could have been more beneficial to them. I know this doesn’t mean much but I eat Brazil nuts all of the time and my Cholesterol isn’t so great.it could be a general selenium deficiency that bump up cholesterol readings ?I eat TWO a day…almost every day…along with my low-sodium V-8…it’s my afternoon snack at work…yes, I’ve read that 2 a day is the limit for the selenium…and there are days when I forget to bring my Brazil nuts home from work…etc etc. so it’s NOTalways exactly 2 a day but I do enjoy them. Had my “health assessment” at work to day (voluntary health screening) and the technician sat back in her chair and said “I RARELY EVER see such great numbers! Are you an athlete?” I said “nope, I do walk every day but I eat all plant-based whole foods and those with high antioxidants.” THANK YOU Michael Greger for helping me to TWEAK my diet to include so much good stuff! The numbers: total Cholesterol 150. HDL=95. BMI=20. Non-fasting glucose=79, Blood Pressure=120/60.that’s fantastifc bobluhrs, what’s your LDL ?Just wanted to let you know, Val, that it turns out that V-8 is not vegan. The “natural flavor” is actually animal products: meat, dairy, etc. Food Babe uncovered this.Apparently their initial response which Food Babe reported on was misinformed. They have since officially stated that V-8 is entirely vegan.http://www.ibtimes.com/no-meat-used-v8-tomato-soup-campbells-addresses-controversy-1651258I eat two Brazilian nuts a day. I have high cholesterol levels and over the last ten years the nuts have not lowered my levels. However, I’m wandering if I’m getting to much selenium.Hi Roy, I answered this above.What about the Esselstyn diet. He argues against the consumption of nuts, avocados and oils; basically a very low fat diet.Four brazil nuts won’t be an issue :)I did not mean to imply my concern was entirely within the confines of brazil nut consumption, which is already limited. Dr Gregor has been recommending 2 handfuls of nuts a day!Yeah, I’ve been curious as to why two handfuls of nuts a day isn’t terrible for the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.See my earlier comment above. I actually asked the same thing.I think that edict primarily applies when one is trying to reverse heart disease. Otherwise, I thought I saw a presentation of his where he stated limited nut consumption was okay for healthy people. Oils, I’m not so sure of…But all of us who grew up on the standard American diet do have bad arteries. I’m not officially at risk for debilitating cardiovascular issues but I sure do want to clean up my arteries and reduce inflammation. The question is whether nuts improve cardiovascular health or impair it. It’s one or the other, with improvement being the claim on this site, and impairment by others. We want to know which. Every study cited here would suggest no reason to shy away from handfuls of nuts a day. I sure hope that remains the consensus after more controlled experiments.There is probably no black and white answer to the question as you have set it up. Nuts contain inflammatory omega-6 fats and cholesterol raising saturated fats. They also have cholesterol lowering phytosterols, and are an excellent source of magnesium.There are competing factors at play, and the end result may depend on the amount consumed, as well as the initial health status and quality of diet for each individual. Someone with a relatively unhealthy diet may see a significant benefit from the phytosterols if their cholesterol intake/production was high to begin with. If their diet is of poor quality, the amount of magnesium and fiber introduced by a handful or two of nuts may be a dramatic increase relative to their previous intake. Whereas someone already eating a low fat plant based diet may not see any significant health improvement from introducing nuts into the diet if their cholesterol levels and micronutrient intake are already optimal.However, even if we don’t have demonstrated and dramatic benefits for WFPB eaters, they are still allowed by every low fat plant based doc/rd: Barnard, McDougall, Esselstyn, Novick. If a small amount of nuts a) won’t hurt you (both in the eyes of the professionals; and if your own cholesterol readings, weight maintenance, etc confirm this), b) provides a unique source of certain micronutrients, and c) improves dietary enjoyment and satisfaction for many people, then I personally don’t see much room for controversy or debate.When Dr. Esselstyn talks about people with heart disease, he means those clinically diagnosed or undergoing treatment for it. Even 10 year olds have arteries with fatty streaks these days, but I can’t imagine anyone recommending zero nuts or avocado for children. We have to draw the line somewhere.On nuts and avocado, in Dr. Esselstyn’s own words: “As nuts are a rich source of saturated fats, my preference is no nuts for heart disease patients. That also eliminates peanuts and peanut butter even though peanuts are officially a legume. For those with established heart disease to add more saturated fat that is in nuts is inappropriate. For people with no heart disease who want to eat nuts and avocado and are able to achieve a cholesterol of 150 and LDL of 80 or under without cholesterol lowering drugs, some nuts and avocado are acceptable.”thank you very much. This is a great reply to my questions statements. I’m going to go eat some nuts.Just don’t overdo it. ;)I think Dr. Esselstyn is dead-wrong on this issue. His rejection of nuts as part of a heart-healthy diet is quite revealing regarding his true intention, which seems the relentless promotion a consistent no-fat Esselstyn-brand dietary idelogy rather than an objective evaluation of the actual scientific evidence which is overwhelmingly in favor of nut consumption. His “argument” against nut consumption is moot as it unduly favors dogma and speculation over epirical evidence. Besides the fact that most nuts actually contain very little SFAs, it is long obsolete thinking to pigeonhole all SFAs as equally harmful. We know, for example, that different SFAs have very different metabolic effects, short- and medium-chain FAs (2-12:0, which are usually subsummized under SFAs) are benign if not health-promoting, whereas long-chain SFAs differ in their atherogenicity (16:0 > 14:0 >> 18:0). Moreover, the metabolic impact dietary FAs depends on their stereoposition on a triglyceride molecule. Long chain SFAs on a sn2-position are much better absorbed and thus more atherogenic than those on sn1 or sn3 position. Most plant-based SFAs, however, are found in those position whether animals based SFAs are found primarily in the sn2 position. Moreover, nuts contain large amounts of phytosterols which more than offsett any adverse effects on cholesterol levels due to their moderate content of SFAs. There are plenty of human trials showing decreased LDL and increased HDL levels from nut consumption. And, since 2013, there is even a large-scale and long-term interventional study (PREDIMED) showing a significantly reduced risk of heart deaease from nut consumption. In summary, nuts are a prime example for the validity of Colin Campbell’s criticism of a dominant reductionist approach in nutrition. There are many factors affecting the metabolic and health impact of a whole food and there is always the possibility that some of them have so far eluded the analytic, reductionist method which is always prone to the “know-all bias”.Timar writes, “I think Dr. Esselstyn is dead-wrong on this issue. His rejection of nuts as part of a heart-healthy diet is quite revealing regarding his true intention, which seems the relentless promotion a consistent no-fat Esselstyn-brand dietary ideology rather than an objective evaluation of the actual scientific evidence which is overwhelmingly in favor of nut consumption.” Esselstyn does not advocate a no-fat diet; he advocates one that is ~10% of total calories as fat, which epidemiological as well as carefully controlled human studies have shown has an excellent record in lowering heart-disease risk factors. For some people with heart disease, aggressive steps must be taken, including reducing saturated fat as much as possible, which involves eliminating even nuts from the diet. Ornish has made this point persuasively, as has Pritikin.Calling these innovators “dogmatic,” “know-it-all” or “reductionistic” does not alter the validity of their ideas or the well-documented success of their diets.A gift for you nut and avacado connoisseurs.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qdwn2itsggI realize y’all aren’t teen girls but their experience does show how food, even “healthy” food can be overdone.Esselstyn does not argue against consumption of nuts or avocados. He seems to be worried about people overeating them, and so sometimes makes statements that appear to be against nuts. However when asked explicitly, he advocates for 1 ounce or less per day. This could be a small handful of nuts or a quarter of an avocado.I LOVE that nuts don’t increase weight gain! So awesome! What about the high omega-6 content though? Seems like it needs to be balanced out with omega-3 from flax as suggested here: http://m.imgur.com/a/9RY3lDoes the important omega-6 to omega-3 ratio somehow not apply when indulging on nuts? I’ve never heard any warning on any of the nut videos. Whole food plants do seem to often be an exception to the animal-source rules, but is that the case with nuts and the omega-6 to 3 ratio?Four nuts a month is just as hard as avoiding just one Lay’s potato chip. I’d eat the whole can of them. LOLI love the emphasis on nuts and healthy oils. But can we overdo it? I just realized I probably get 25-30 grams of daily saturated fats from Brazil and other nuts, olive/canola oils, flax, chia, and cocoa, which is more than my omnivore friends. Is that unwise for ideal cardiovascular and coronary health? Based on earlier videos, should we all be striving to stay under about 10 grams a day?Two things most people warn against that Dr. Greger doesn’t seem to have any concern for: eating too much fruit, and eating too many nuts. The fact that they’re whole foods make that idea sound wonderful, and I’d like to believe they’re just fine to indulge in, along with still getting plenty of greens, whole grains, beans, and other veggies. Dr. Greger seems to not discourage as much fruit and nuts as a person likes. This issue is what I’m most curious about currently. Especially because of the omega-6 to omega-3 issue he has used to promote eating 2 tablespoons of flax a day. It would seem we might need more though. I’m trying to figure it out. Should I really need five+ tablespoons of flax to balance out a cup of almonds? According to the amounts needed to keep a 4:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3, that would be the case. Still haven’t gotten a compelling response as to why not.Selenium content in Brazil nuts varies greatly (from almost 0 to at least 20 times the RDI) http://www.youcefbanouni.com/1004/selenium-content-in-brazil-nuts-varies-greatly/ Most people eat them even daily with no obvious adverse side effects. But given that some Brazil nuts can be exceptionally high in selenium (see link), far beyond recommendations, it is fair to raise the question of safety, shall one come across a batch, or brand with the highest selenium concentrations. Looking forward to a post on selenium Dr. Greger :)Doc, with the rise of the raw till 4 diet and a high carb vegan lifestyle (fully raw) I see guru’s advocating eating 3000+ calories a day for sustainability. While as an active man I have no issues with eating these levels of nutrition daily, I am concerned about the lack of scientific facts or at least opinions from someone like yourself helping the lay person decide what is right.I feel a video on this would be a great help and if you weren’t willing to put one on your own site would you consider to doing an interview with me so I can get this information to the many 100’s of thousands who I feel really need this answer addressing. I am sure you are aware of the Freelee and Durianrider brand of veganism and there is a very good raw vegan I enjoy watching called “bite size vegan”. Both of these groups tend to eat high calorie diets, my main concern isn’t the calories although it does worry me and I have questions about how the pancreas copes with the levels of natural sugars consumed. My main area of concern is the sheer volume of food albeit good clean vegan food on our internal organs. Things like the Stomach distending or the valve releasing stomach acid and undigested food into our intestines. Along with all manner of aging affects caused by overworking any system.As a healthy vibrant vegan who has no cancer or heart disease and is sold on the eating a clean plant based diet for both self and the planet. The last remaining question lies in the details of how best to go about it in a way that is optimum for my body.Does it have to be 4 at once? Or could I do 1 a week? Just curious.Note that there is another study derived from the same trial not mentioned in Dr. Gregers video, showing a significant and equally long-term improvement in inflammatory parameters from the high doses (20 and 50 g) of brazil nuts.[1]Exiting as these results are, a major problem with this trial is – besides the small size and absence of a placebo arm (it should be possible to administer ground and homogenized brazil nuts in some hidden form, which also would provide a way to ensure a well-defined, consistent intake of selenium from the nuts) – the lack of a baseline assessment of the participants’ selenium status. I hope that those weaknesses will soon be adressed in a larger, methodically more rigorous trial.1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24607303hey does anyone know where the references are? I thought the videos used to have a list of the references cited in the videoRoberto: The references still exist. They just have been moved. Look to the right of the video and click the text “sources cited”.sure enough :) thank youCome on, Doc. If you tried this, what happened?Would you expect the same positive effect by eating one Brazil nut each week instead of eating 4 per month (ignoring the slight difference in counting weeks as opposed to months)? This ought to pretty much negate any fears from getting too much selenium or fat in a single day.I’m vegan and jumped into it too quickly. I wasn’t getting enough iodine and selenium and developed hypothyroidism. However, any other soruces of selenium? I’m tracking my food and am having a hard time getting enough. Also, do you recommend taking a multivitamin? I don’t see the point, only the micronutrients I am lacking. Also, is soy bad for you?Hello Derreck, please see here for information on iodine. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/Whole grains, such as brown rice has quite a bit of selenium. Adding 1 Brazil nuts provides 137% of your DV, so that would also cover it.Here is Dr. Greger’s info on dietary vitamins. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-multivitamins-good-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/Soy is great for you, please see here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/ and more http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=soyDr. Greger! I need help for my best friend!!! She has a cholesterol reading over 300. The crazy thing is we played sports in h.s., she’s been a serious runner since college and a vegetarian since she was 16. She does yoga everyday, has a weight and cardio routine and still walks or jogs several times a week. She is a diet and exercise icon! She does eat eggs and cheese now and then. She is trying a diet related approach to her problem without success to date. Oatmeal with raisins, local honey and cinnamon to start the day. Has a kale smoothie with walnuts and flax seeds and who knows what else. She’s also taking red yeast (?) That her doc recommended. What more can she possibly do? I checked the cholesterol links here but confused. Please help!Is fluoridation bad? Also is intermittent fasting bad? Since I’m not getting as much nutrients when fasting do I need to take a multivitamin? I’m vegan.First you must decide on your goal. Then decide on the way to get there. From a general health standpoint, fasting once or twice per year has demonstrable benefits. You should NEVER take supplements or medications while fasting.Would 1 nut per day be ok for a 43-year-old pre-menopausal woman trying to promote a healthy thyroid with the selenium in Brazil nuts?Sounds okay to me, unless your doctor has different thoughts regarding your thyroid status. In fact, 1 Brazil nut per day is suggested. Oh, just to note, iodine has impacts on thyroid function and iodine recommendations are in the link I added.And one more note: If taking other medications it’s crucial we all talk to our doctors before dramatically altering our diets or taking (omitting) supplements.I discontinued simvastatin May 29th 2014 because I was having muscle weakness and leg cramps. On August 29, 2014 my cholesterol was 206, triglycerides 65, hDL-cholesterol 61, LDL 132,On January 20, 2015 I started taking one Brazil nut a week. I also take a handful or two of walnuts and almonds a day but I have been doing this since 2013 when I went on a high-protein low-carb hydrate diet. On January 20, 2015 I was seeing a different doctor and my cholesterol was 177, Triglycerides 80, HDL 59, LDL 102. I’m not due to have my cholesterol checked again until JulyI read a Yahoo news item that stated that brazil nuts were the food that contained the highest amount of radium. What do you think?Never heard of such thing! Have not seen any research on Brazil nuts and radium. A quick search and one article popped-up. I’ll retrieve at and take a look, as I am curious, but until there is a definitive study showing Brazil nuts have negative implications they remain a perfectly healthful food and good source of selenium.I am glad that dr. G. speaks of 4 Brazil nuts per month. The ‘dark side’ of these nuts is their high methionine content, while a very moderate intake of this useful amino acid seems to starve cancer (see elsewhere on this blog). See also Josh Mitteldorf’s blog about methionine intake moderation. A WFPB diet seems the very best start for longevity, but not with daily Brazil nuts….I am glad that dr. G. speaks of 4 Brazil nuts per month. The ‘dark side’ of these nuts is their high methionine content, while a very moderate intake of this useful amino acid seems to starve cancer (see elsewhere on this blog). See also Josh Mitteldorf’s blog about methionine intake moderation. A WFPB diet seems the very best start for longevity, but not with daily Brazil nuts….Dr. Greger seems to be a vegan nut. He says eating one egg is equivalent to smoking 5 cigarettes? LolHad my blood test done yesterday and a bit disappointed with my cholesterol levels. My triglyceride was 89.4 (I think that is good). My LDL is 105.7(I think that is good) Total Cholesterol is 151.2 (also ok I think) BUT my HDL was only 40.5 (I think that is bad/way to low). I’ve been all plant based for 2 years with lots of greens and raw fruit and veggies, nut and seeds. I walk over 90 minutes every day and I’m not at all over weight (5 foot 6 and 120 pounds). Before going all plant based I was vegetarian. I really thought my HDL would be greathello doc … as brazil nut has highest percentage of seliinum…. can one nut in two days help hep c infected guys for their liverHi. I am not sure about Brazil nuts for Hepatitis C, but they do supply necessary selenium. Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations include 1 Brazil nut a day.Can this be true? Un-soaked nuts cause constipation?“Wonder why those seeds, (including almonds, sunflower, spelt, oats, pecans, sesame, wheat etc.) in your cupboard don’t turn into plants, or get moldy?Well, nature is amazing, and has given nuts and seeds a special enzyme that inhibits their growth until it has all the things it needs to grow (sunlight, water, soil etc.).When we eat raw nuts, we also eat the enzyme inhibitors that prevent the seed from sprouting. This takes a toll on our digestion, since they will prevent our own enzymes from breaking down the food in our digestive tracts, inhibiting absorption of vitamins and minerals. Simply by soaking nuts in a water (8+ hours according to several sources), the nuts release these harmful enzymes, and at the same time their nutritional value skyrockets “Hi, m. For more information on this I’d recommend Brenda Davis’s book “Becoming Raw”. She did a guest post about paleo diets, too. I have not heard about un-soaked buts causing constipation. Soaking nuts can be helpful but I do not think it’s necessary.Were they controlling for all the other things in someone’s diet? It would seem to me that “eating 8 nuts” includes “eating 4 nuts” so it’s a little confusing. So if I ate 4 nuts, plus something else that had a similar nutritional profile, then what?	brazil nuts,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,HDL cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,kidney health,LDL cholesterol,liver health,nuts,safety limits,selenium,statins	A single serving of Brazil nuts may bring cholesterol levels down faster than statin drugs and keep them down even a month after that single ingestion.	I’d be curious to hear if anyone experiences similar results. Even if the study was just a fluke, Nuts May Help Prevent Death by improving the function of our arteries (Walnuts and Artery Function) and fighting cancer (Which Nut Fights Cancer?) and inflammation (Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell).Even eating nuts every day does not appear to result in expected weight gain (Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence), so enjoy!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hdl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/selenium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brazil-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/	-
PLAIN-2549	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/	How the Egg Board Designs Misleading Studies	Serum cholesterol concentration is clearly increased by adding dietary cholesterol. In other words, putting cholesterol in our mouth means putting cholesterol in our blood, and it may also potentiate the harmful effects of saturated fats, meaning when we eat sausage and eggs, the eggs may make the effects of the sausage even worse. If we ate the saturated fat and cholesterol found in two sausages and egg mcmuffins every day for two weeks, our cholesterol would shoot up nearly 30 points. If we ate about the same saturated fat without the cholesterol, some kind of cholesterol-free sausage mcmuffins without the egg, what would happen? Now the egg would have saturated fat too, so to even it out we have to add three strips of bacon to this side. Same saturated fat, but two eggs worth less cholesterol, would only bump us up to here. So yes, saturated fat may increase fasting cholesterol levels more than dietary cholesterol, but especially in the presence of dietary cholesterol.And this is measuring fasting cholesterol, meaning the baseline from which all our meal-related cholesterol spikes would then shoot. Heart disease has been described as a postprandial phenomenon, meaning an after-meal phenomenon. Milky little droplets of fat and cholesterol straight from a meal called chylomicrons can build up in atherosclerotic plaques just like LDL cholesterol. So what happens after a meal that includes eggs?Here’s what happens to the level of fat and cholesterol in our blood stream for the 7 hours after eating a meal with no-fat, no-cholesterol. Hardly changes at all. But now a meal with fat and more and more egg yolk. Triglycerides shoot up, and blood cholesterol shoots up.That’s the kind of data that’s bad for egg sales, so how could you design a study to hide this fact?What if you only measured fasting cholesterol levels in the morning, seven hours after supper, you wouldn’t see a big difference between those that ate eggs the night before and those that didn't. As the lead investigator of the smoking and egg study pointed out, measuring fasting cholesterol is appropriate for measuring the effects of drugs suppressing our liver’s cholesterol production, but not appropriate for measuring the effects of dietary cholesterol. After a cholesterol-laden supper, look what our arteries are being pummeled with all night long. And think about the day. How many hours are there between meals? Maybe four hours between breakfast and lunch? So if we had eggs for breakfast we’d get that big spike and by lunch start the whole cycle of fat and cholesterol in our arteries all over again. So most of our lives are lived in a postprandial state, in an after-meal state, and this shows that the amount of cholesterol in those meals—they actually used eggs in this study, so the amount of egg in our meals makes a big difference when it really matters—after we’ve eaten, which is where we spend most of our lives. So that’s why when the Egg Board funds a study they only measure fasting cholesterol levels way out here somewhere.	i think dr greger should get a big rubber stamp that says “Bad Science” on it and slam it down on misleading studies like this!As long as he uses it on ALL “Bad Science”, and not just science that challenges his beliefs of what a healthy diet is. I suspect corporations are supporting research and studies for both low-fat and low-carb diets.This is a reasonable summary of some research from NUSI:http://nusi.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Summary-of-Diet-Studies-Condensed.pdfThe video doesn’t talk about low-fat and low-carb diets. It talks about dietary cholesterol, particularily dietary cholesterol coming from eggs.But the original post that I replied to suggested a rubber stamp for ALL misleading studies. I was only saying that misleading studies exist in all areas, not just the pro-fat group, so the rubber stamp should be applied equally across ALL studies. This is something that NUSI seems more qualified to do IMHO.As plant positive has pointed out on his youtube channel: NUSI is a group of scientist supported by the meat industry who’s aim is to promote the eating of meat. If you believe what they say I’m afraid I have to tell you you have been misled.Other than the fact that Dr Attia and Gary Taubes are the founders, the other board members and scientific advisory board seem excellent. I’ll also wait for them to start publishing research results and reading peer reviews before I pass judgement. I don’t know enough about plant positive to respect his opinion at this point.I think you should heed Han’s warnings about Nusi. Please see plant positive for elaborated details. http://plantpositive.com/display/Search?moduleId=19496100&searchQuery=nusiI watched Plant Positives arguments against NUSI, but it wasn’t very convincing. Also did a quick search, and Plant Positive isn’t without his reputable critics either:http://anthonycolpo.com/why-primitivenutrition-aka-plant-positive-is-a-shameless-and-cowardly-liar/It’s interesting to note that Anthony is also a critic of Gary Taubes – mostly because of his comments on exercise I guess.When NUSI starts publishing results, I’ll certainly read it while understanding that 2 of the founders are low-carb diet promoters, and appreciate the possibility of bias. But if the study and results are good, and it stands up to peer review, then I’ll be willing to accept the results regardless of which position they support.As far as I can tell, Dr Attia seems to be genuine and above board, without ulterior motives.So you believe something is credible before it publish anything ? The fact that Dr Attia and Gary Taubes are behind this is a big No No for credibility. “Dr Attia a genuine above board, without ulterior motives” You mean THE Dr Attia that fake emotion on TED ? He clearly doesn’t seem to be somebody without ulterior motives.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg4mvZAw7BE#t=27Admit it, you have pick your side while claiming you’ve don’t…Actually I said I’ll wait for them to start publishing results, and also this: “read it while understanding that 2 of the founders are low-carb diet promoters, and appreciate the possibility of bias.”. Hence I’m trying to be open minded. It doesn’t make much sense to assume that is NUSI simply a facade for the meat industry promoting their products before they actually do anything.Dr Attia does have a disclosure statement on his Eating Academy site also:http://eatingacademy.com/disclosuresAnd so what ? It don’t make him a respectable person by itself. Especially if he lie like a scoundrel on his nutrition lecture…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92TjZa1tC8U“It don’t make him….” , nice.Sorry, but English is not my birth language (and I’ve learned it by myself) so if u want to suggest a correction I can edit my old comment.Actually, we are all waiting for them to start publishing results – and waiting and waiting. The low-carb community keep telling the public how healthy it is to load up on saturated fat, cholesterol and protein – only basic sanity (and science) point in an opposite direction. So I’ll stick to the whole foods plant based diet since that is what the best science points to for a healthy life. (Please do not send me any links to single studies showing low-carb is healthy, as I am talking about the body of science and not a few outliers with questionable results. It isn’t wrong to question the status quo, but if you are going to you better bring the evidence, and a lot of it, or you better stay home.)How about Sweden. Reviewed 16,000 studies up until May 2013 and concluded that low-fat diets are not the solution:http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/sweden-becomes-first-western-nation-to-reject-low-fat-diet-dogma-in-favor-of-low-carb-high-fat-nutrition/Love Taubes.Why are you sharing your uninformed opinion?Han: Personal attacks are not allowed on this site. Let’s keep the comments helpful and respectful.How should I respond to such nonsense remarks?Han: 1) You can gently, respectfully educate. or 2) Ignore. You don’t have to respond to anyone. You may end up with a bloody tongue (re the saying: “You had to bite your tongue to keep from saying anything.”), but this place will be much better for the discipline/maturity.I’ve been pleased with the results when people do choose to engage others respectfully. I’ve seen several community members who who started out very critical and ended up educated and enthusiastic. That doesn’t happen when personal attacks are involved. But you don’t have to engage when it doesn’t seem worth the effort or the logic of someone’s post is so backward that you can’t think of a way to logically respond. (I’m not saying anything specific about this thread. That’s a general point based on many a posts here at NutritionFacts.)I personally have appreciated your participation on this site. And I truly understand how very frustrating some posters can be. But the rules are important if NutritionFacts is going to be a good place for learning and support. I hope you will be a helpful contributing member going forward long into the future.I’m not exactly sure what I stated that was very frustrating for Han. Was it that I was questioning the analysis of NUSI by Plant Positive by referring to Anthony Copolo as a critic?theyfly: I can’t speak for any one else.Since you asked, I will take the time to add the following as diplomatically as I can: I think you are sincere and trying your best. And yet, I had the exact same reaction that Han did. I can’t imagine it is possible for any thinking person to actually have listened to all the massive amounts of the evidence that Plant Positive has against not only NUSI, but Dr. Attia himself, using Dr. Attia’s own words and the real science, and come to a conclusion that the man is “genuine and above board”. Wow. I meant it literally: I don’t believe it is possible–and I think you are doing your best to be a thinking person. Thus, such a sincere belief (your posts are not only polite (a big compliment from me!) but also I believe quite sincere), can not come from a place of knowledge.What I see as positive is that you are trying to figure it all out. That puts you head and shoulders above many, many others. I hope you will be able to review credible research in the future. Best of luck to you.thanks for your reply. I’ll do my best. And bite my tongue when I’m in a grumpy mood.Again, the original post doesn’t directly talk about low-fat and low-carb diets, but ok yes I agree that bad science should be criticized whether or not we happen to agree with the thesis it seams to support.If you want to know my personal opinion of the low-carb vs low-fat debate, I think it’s a false dilemna. Rawfoodists and Frugivores tend to lose more weight than either groups. In fact, if anything, these diets tend to work “too well” for weight loss, enough that adopter often become underweight, especially if they have maintained their diet for a long time, which actually create problems of its own. Notice that Rawfoodists and Frugivores have elements of both a low-fat and a lot-carb diet. Both are vegan and hence eliminate animal fat and proteins, and also they also eliminate most starchy foods like grains. I think both fats and carbs are fattening if taken in large quantity and people should lose weight by cutting back on either, or ideally on a bit of both with moderation.But frugivores generally eat about 80% of their calories from carbohydrates, and 10% from fats. That puts them squarely in the “low-fat” group. Also, it’s been shown that excess carbohydrates alone are not very fattening. It’s only when they are combined with a high-fat diet that they become fattening. The human body doesn’t do very much de novo lipogenesis (conversion of carbohydrates into fat), despite what most people think. The body would rather burn off the excess carbohydrates as heat, than convert them to fat with a 30% caloric loss in the process.The only way carbohydrates cause significant de novo lipogenesis, is by increasing blood insulin, which causes the body to store the fat from the meal. With a low-fat diet, there isn’t much fat in the food, so it’s difficult to gain weight, even when you overeat on carbohydrates. Most of the excess just gets burned off.Excess of any macronutrient will result in weight gain. When you eat low fat whole plant foods its difficult to gain weight because of the caloric density of the food. Carbohydrates in cracker or bread form when eaten in excess can result in weight gain, as can dried fruits, when eaten in excess of caloric needs.This video should be sent to Dr. Nancy Snyderman who was on the today show last week commenting on a study article stating eating more protein is best for weight loss. She went on to say protein from the “incredible edible egg” was a good option. It is not just confusing, but harmful when TV Docs come on and add validity to these misleading studies. Because Dr. Snyderman is a regular on the Today show, her opinion is trusted and believed. I would like to see an opposing opinion aired or maybe have Dr. Barnard or Dr. McDougall be the regular commenting doctor. It is no doubt sponsorship at work here. As Dr. McDougall says, ” it’s business.”As I say, It’s ignorant, irresponsible and reprehensible!!!! Just like Dr. Oz. (Except he’s not ignorant, he knows very well what he’s doing–making money, and lots of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!). There is a reason that congress lambasted him. http://www.newsy.com/videos/mccaskill-scolds-dr-oz-for-miracle-weight-loss-claims/I call bunk on your “most homeless people throw the food I give them away because what they really want are drugs”Homeless people aren’t generally in the habit of turning down food and shelter and other life-sustaining aid because it’s not the drugs they REALLY wanted. Somehow equating homeless people generally to spoiled children or coddled aristocracy is offensive and wrong.Maybe you are correct where you live, but that is not the case here.Our experience here is different. Here 60-70% of our homeless are dependent on Pills (eg Norco, MS Contin etc), heroin, Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, Cocaine. This is also what I see in our office everyday when we drug test and many that we see are homeless. We have a prison release program that our county gets paid, for allowing “non-violent” criminals to get relocated here.One of my acquaintances is a lieutenant in the Salvation army and they said it was disturbing them how many drug addicts they has seen of late, and they stated it all started after the relocation program began.This is just one of many experiences we have had here. We have a youth group that went and bought 100 tacos at Taco Bell for a large group of congregating homeless. The youth group was very surprised that when they were given the food they took the tacos and threw them in the trash can and stated, “We don’t want your food, we want your money!”The Australian Heart Foundation actually recommends eating SIX eggs a week, and has given the egg industry their “Tick” of approval (which is a recognised trademark authorised by the Australian Heart Foundation, to indicate “Heart healthy” foods), and now found on cartons of eggs up and down the country. It’s an absolute disgrace AND the Australian Heart Foundation gets lots of money for endorsing eggs with their “Tick.” How many people is this propaganda killing?It’s incredible how money and habit can utterly distort people’s judgement and perspective, to the detriment of their own values, health, and lives. (And the egg propaganda is killing an unspeakable number of chickens, too).People love good news about their bad habits!LOLThe study on cholesterol consumption and serum cholesterol levels was from 1992. I thought new research had debunked this and that now the wisdom is that the amount of cholesterol you eat doesn’t matter that much. I just completed a BS in nutrition and that’s what we were taught. Please comment.Which new research was that? Do you have links to the studies?Mercola, David Perlmutter, Masley, Green Med Info and many many high level doctors are citing that only grass-fed or pastured eggs, meat and milk are good for you. In general, they are more focused on avoiding diabetes and alzheimer’s disease than cancer and atherosclerosis, but it really is something to be considered. John SYeah, but what are they citing? Can you at least point to a specific argument from the crowd that you take to be very strong in promoting the healthfulness of pastured animal foods as being far above non-pastured?I would hardly consider Mercola and Perlmutter to the best sources, by the way. They are clearly in the business of peddling supplements at this point.It seems clear you got the BS part. I got my BS degree from BSU (true). Such baloney they teach too often. As noted above…..And published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, citing Dr. Clare M. Hasler, “It is now known that there is little if any connection between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels…>: Stunning/after The China Study/Dr. Greger/Dr. Dean Ornish/Dr. Esselstyn……../and now we have to deal with ?Lauren?/The Paleo Diet et.al. You might want to ask for a refund of tuition/and invest it with T. Colin Campbell/Cornell.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/It helps to review the other links he has posted below his videosThe China study, Really? Talk about propaganda!Ironically, this video is attempting to explain to you how this “new research” was fraudulently designed (by egg industry “scientists”) to “debunk” the reality that eating cholesterol raises your cholesterol levels. The “new research” to which you refer was specifically designed to mislead by leaving out crucial details. For example, if you already have high serum cholesterol, eating an extra egg daily will not change your serum cholesterol much. However, if you start on a 0 cholesterol diet as a baseline (the only valid scientific way to test this hypothesis) and first establish a low serum cholesterol (≤180 mg/dL) you will find that adding an egg a day to the diet dramatically raises serum cholesterol. Here’s an example of research that showed what happens when you add cholesterol (eggs) to the diet of people habituated to a very low cholesterol intake: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/35/4/741.full.pdf Dr. Greger has many other videos on this same topic.Are you the “owner” of this site ? http://donmatesz.blogspot.it/Yes.It’s an interesting site, probably it will be the next in my favourites.Keep up the good work !I visited your site and listened to the first video about low fat high carbohydrate diets. I do agree with you completely about the calorie theory and I think what you said about over cutting calories was very sensible as well. You did say that few people can lose weight consuming between 2500 and 3000 calories a day. I actually am a person who did this. I did this by bicycling absolutely everyday for at least an hour. I now maintain a 100 pound weight loss for 4 years consuming about 3500 calories a day. I often bicycle for 2 hours or even more a day. I count calories to make sure I am eating enough, but not too much. I also agree with your statements that a plant based diet helps persons to eat fewer calories than they are burning without feeling hungry- mainly because of the fiber content. If I ate *all* that I wanted, it would be at least 10,000 calories a day. Eating a more whole foods, nutrient dense whole foods plant based diet helps me to be satisfied without eating *all* that I want. My three core beliefs about weight control are to 1. eat the *right* number of calories each day, not too few or too many. 2. Daily exercise 3. Whole foods, high fiber, high nutrient plant based diet.I am a Frech MD. I learnt decades ago that eating dietary cholesterol had no effect on a patient having normal level of cholesterol. We learnt also that eggs have to come from controlled production , to not eat more than 6 eggs a week , including the eggs used to cook ( cream, sauce etc), no white before 1 year old children to not inhibit the biotin from the yolk, etc consuming too much eggs altering the liver metabolism and more. Here in the US the consumers are lost.Here is where you are wrong with the dietary cholesterol/serum cholesterol idea.“Serum cholesterol concentration is clearly increased by added dietary cholesterol but the magnitude of predicted change is modulated by baseline dietary cholesterol. The greatest response is expected when baseline dietary cholesterol is near zero, while little, if any, measurable change would be expected once baseline dietary cholesterol was >400-500 mg/d. People desiring maximal reduction of serum cholesterol by dietary means may have to reduce their dietary cholesterol to minimal level”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.full.pdfBasically, if you start with low cholesterol and you consume dietary cholesterol, the effect will be great, but if you stat with high cholesterol and consume dietary cholesterol, then the effect will not be noticeable.Here we have a case study of a man who was put on a high and low cholesterol diet from eggs. When he ate the cholesterol, serum cholesterol went up, when he didn’t, it went down. This up and down graph went on for 12 months. Clearly for this individual, dietary cholesterol raised serum cholesterol, as his cholesterol went up to around the 250 range and back down to around the 170 range with and without the cholesterol.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0091743572900771Another interesting study took people who were insulin sensitive, insulin resistant, and obese+insulin resistant and put them on different egg feeding groups. The insulin sensitive group had an average total cholesterol of 186, which was much better then the insulin resistant group who had an average total of 209. After 4 eggs per day, the insulin sensitive group had a much bigger increase in serum cholesterol then the insulin resistant group. Not only this, but Apo B increased, the so called small dense ldl particles, the “bad kind” many paleo proponents make note of.http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/23/8/1437.longAgain, an old forgotten (but still relevant) study on eggs. Young healthy participants started out with cholesterol numbers averaging 195. They controlled for all macronutrients, keeping carbs, fats and proteins constant. The only thing that changed in the intervention was cholesterol. They added 6 eggs, a copious amount of cholesterol to their diet, after which cholesterol shot up to 253. And yet again, the feared small ldl particle count was increased by the eggs.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1129159/pdf/jcinvest00767-0060.pdfNon vegetarian and semi-vegetarians’ biomarkers were taken. The semi-vegeterians had much lower cholesterol starting out (but still not great) then the full omnivorous counterparts. When given dietary cholesterol, their serum cholesterol went up because their baseline was not too high as in other studies. Clearly this evidence along with the ones above show that dietary cholesterol raises serum cholesterol when the baseline is not already high.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/59/6/1325.longA maximum of 6 eggs a week is not 6 eggs a day. I have never been an advocate of eggs and cholesterol rich food. I have always prescribed no more that 2 eggs a week when the numbers are normal or low,and zero when they are higher. Working on lowering cholesterol with different teas and plants, with success, I favor vegetarian and pescetarian diet, with almost all being bio or organic food, spring water, all wrapped with portion control. This is for people without a special care to address. These rules are supposed to maintain blood tests in normal range and pathology at bay. People under these diet enjoy to walk and exercise because they feel life in their body. They may have from time to time extra decadent meals , and this add a touch of freedom. The French paradox is for me the discipline to eat everyday in accordance to be healthy, and to feel free to make some extra tasty adventures , just in a limited time to be good the day after .Again, the rule of diminishing returns that is implied in Hopkins’ meta-analysis and review means that in that study with 6 eggs/day added leading to a cholesterol increase of +58mg/dL, 6 eggs per week in the same context would be estimated to give an increase of at least 58/7= +8.3 mg/dL from eggs alone, much of it in the LDL fraction. That still isn’t good if we’re considering such a small fraction of dietary energy, with other ways to screw up the lipid profile. If we want to live a long time in good health, there’s a long time for these small increases to create pathology. I don’t necessarily want to delay a health incident at age 50 to something similar that would happen at age 75. I want the whole atherosclerotic process to have minimal outcomes for as long as I live, and that demands a lot.The atherosclerotic process starts after birth. When I worked on patients over 100 years old in good shape, they did not have too much exclusion as eggs etc.. in another hand they were not eating an egg a day. If you eat an egg with spinach, or any other kind of greens, the cholesterol is regulated by your metabolism and you lipids will stay normal. If you eat 2 eggs, fried with bacon your lipids will show an increased level corrected if you eat enough vegetables in the 48 hours. If you drink 3 cups of good quality of tea, hunan, puh’er tea,and more, I have worked on studies decades ago, the blood cholesterol level is regulated, lower in 3 weeks. Genes are also a part of the response to regulate atherosclerotic process, as well as exercises. The metabolism is regulated by a number of parameters that are not all discovered. Reasons you see contradictory papers. Are you familiar with the japanese diet , I prefer the okinawan diet using sweet potatoes and they have centenarians but they have no eggs , no neuro-degenerative diseases, no breast cancer, by taste I like it very much, my blood test are younger than my birth age but I was never ever able to have an american to do it, I had French patients on it, because French believe that we have to eat to live and not to live to eat, except sometime. If you want the minimal outcome from atherosclerosis enjoy okinawan diet. American do not eat enough sweet potatoes, seaweeds etc Good luckI wish you had at least some citations to go with that soliloquy, such as the bit about spinach.I am writing a book about nutrition with these traditional association and the science behind to support the usage through old time. I am in the US to launch blood pumps for rescue, I need to finish to write 3 patents for these new blood pumps I have “invented”. The book is more for my pleasure but as a MD I need to be specific when I present benefits of food association, because people as you want that precision. I may remember the oxalate responsible of blocking the reabsorption, as sorrel used in sauce to block the lipid cycle of absorption, Oxalate is also the reason to not eat more than once a week spinach. I may publish in my facebook page “all about spinach”, with verified scientific memories it may be helpful.Cool. Would like to see.Toxins: I meant to say this earlier. I’m so glad you are back! I know that I’m not the only one missing your comments. There was another person who asked about you recently too. Your posts continue to be so helpful and so high quality!Thanks Thea, I have my ins and outs with this site for various reasons. I like to keep up with it when I can. To be fair, a lot of the information I share comes from studies already shared by Dr. Greger or Plant Positive. I try to put it all together and make a picture.It’s that “putting it all together” in direct response to someone’s question or comment that is so great. I have a hard time doing that myself and it is what people need.I certainly understand the “ins and outs” need. I’m the same way myself. I just wanted to say something so that you knew you had been missed. :-)Thank you!Ok. You make your point about the effects of dietary cholesterol on blood serum cholesterol. What about blood serum cholesterol levels being linked to heart disease?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2642008/http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199711203372102#t=articleResultsI would recommend viewing plant positive for an extensive collection of studies.http://plantpositive.com/18-cholesterol-confusion-1-pri/8 indians in 1982? Do you call that a scientific research? The very fact you point to this outdated stuff makes your point pointless.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/This study above is from 2013. Keep in mind that what is taught in nutrition programs is often just from what is found in text books and funded by dairy/egg/etc. foundationsNadaa: Thank you for your comment. It is always interesting to me when recent graduates talk about their education.I wanted to make a joke about the BS in your BS degree too, but looks like I wasn’t fast enough.To answer your question, I highly recommend that you take a look at the work done by “Plant Positive”. This person has done a series of highly in-depth, scholarly work on this topic and other related topics on nutrition. His videos includes all the citations/copies of the source materials. He has a series of videos on the topic of “Cholesterol Confusion”. Because you have a degree in this field, I would expect that you will be able to follow the work and understand why it answers your question.The website follows if you are interested. He also has a channel on YouTube. The videos are listed in a pannel on the right side of the screen. You may want to watch the whole thing. His videos are fascinating and often fun. http://plantpositive.com/Hope that helps.You beat me to it Thea, plant positive is incredible. My number 2 to nutritionfacts.org.I found this study from 2010, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725 which pretty much agreed with Greger about the importance of not doing a fasting test, but a post prandial test. This said that the belief that eggs are harmless is a misplaced belief. There is much research to back this up, but the egg industry, as well as the low carb movement have been conducting sham studies to undermine this fact.The same studies used to “debunk” the cholesterol studies are just as old if not older, and often times say the opposite of what people think. What I am trying to say is, many old studies have been incorrectly cited on the internet, and do not show at all what they are saying. This is common practice at the weston price foundation, where information is simply invented. They count on you not fact checking, which is why this website is such a valuable tool. For more on the myth of the “cholesterol myth”, I encourage you to visit here for details. http://plantpositive.com/Research from 1992 is hardly valid in the world of science. This video is short and skewed to a personal position of cholesterol from eggs is bad without providing current research to truly, continually support the ‘cholesterol is bad’ research. I realize the point is to show how the industry ‘tricks’ the results to indicate no overall rise in cholesterol levels. One must also wonder, if cholesterol spikes (like glucose, amino acids, and other fats do) postprandial, and then subsequently drops the next morning, is it truly causing atherosclerosis during it’s peak levels postprandial? The most interesting part is truly the saturated fat/cholesterol combination. I eat eggs combined with a healthy, low saturated fat diet, which this video shoes does not really cause a rise in postprandial cholesterol levels. This video is too short and lacks many variables that would need to be addressed to determine that the industry is ‘tricking’ us into thinking cholesterol from eggs is the cause of atherosclerosis. Furthermore, the BS degree in nutrition is not bullshit. Clearly it’s taught a few people to think critically about information that is being distributed that does not have solid sources to back it up.Information can be truly stunning!!! Visited a health food store in our nice area/neighborhood yesterday. While it has been there for years/I hadn’t been there for quite some time/Whole Foods is closer. Guy didn’t know Greger/or McDougall, was totally down with grains….GMOs….all bad for you except oats; was Paleo/generally, just flabergasted. Then gave me some photocopies…among them: Eat The Whole Egg citing a November 2004 from the Jean Mayer US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center/Tufts University: New research shows that eggs area highly bioavailable source of lutein, an important carotenoid for eye and skin health…..; another article: Don’t Be Chicken of the Egg/citing a conference: “Where Would We Be Without the Egg? A Conference About Nature’s Original Functional Food”…..citing Dr. Clare M. Hasler, PhD/University of Illinois/”Eggs area an excellent dietary source of many essential and non-essential components which may promote optimal health”. And on to Dr.Peter W.R. Lemon, PhD/Exercise Nutrition Research Laboratory, The University of Western Ontario….talking about the need to consume complete proteins (animal products); And in a handout about Nutrition 101/talked about protein/all were Animal in nature. Truly incredible. This from one of the true/independent/”Health Food/Herbal” stores in a major metropolitan area.Don’t be fooled by the label “health food store”. They may be organic and non-GMO but definitely not anti animal products.He uses the example of a sausage McMuffin which uses and English muffin which is the same as white bread on both sides. What happens when you eat eggs without sugar or without the English muffin? What happens to all these studies when sugar is eliminated from the diet. I’ve been eating high protein which includes about 20 eggs per week for a very long time. Yes corporate greed is terribly annoying and does kill people. What about unbiased reports on studies? Aren’t they important too?Please feel free to correct me. I’m not bias about very much and very willing to learn.For starters, do you have anything backing your apparent belief that sugar and refined carbohydrate potentiates the effects of dietary cholesterol on serum cholesterol? I say that you must believe this in some way since you are committed to a high-egg, high-protein (and therefore probably low-carbohydrate) diet.Simple fact is he got his science wrong. He did not address all the effects of all ingredients combined. You can’t argue that. And no, I’m not committed to a high egg diet. It just happens to be what I am trying right now. For a science type you sure do make a lot of assumptions.I made an inference. If an egg diet is what you are trying why don’t you just get a postprandial test of your lipids and see? Cut out the sugar if you are consuming it, of course. At the point of practice, I think it’s silly to assume that it’s reasonably likely that sugar has this unusual effect on eggs and that it’s strong enough to protect you from the harmful aspects indicated in egg-feeding studies that may not have succesfully eliminated all sugar because they didn’t try to. Put another way, they didn’t try to eliminate all dietary boron in that study. But this is a concern why? What mechanism makes a boron hypothesis plausible?Same thing with sugar: what makes it reasonably plausible that there is a mechanism for sugar to potentiate the effects of dietary cholesterol?The oatmeal group has an improvement in the lipid profile compared with the egg group in the ’05 study, so clearly the carbohydrate group in this scenario was beneficial.Where might I find some reference to this study Toxins. I’m about to try plant base food again, but I had trouble with the hunger pains.http://www.internationaljournalofcardiology.com/article/S0167-5273%2804%2900139-1/abstractAlso, if you eat a starch centered diet, feeling hungry will not be an issue. Just be sure they are from whole food sources.No, that is incorrect. My recent discovery over the past few months is that my obesity came from a starch centered diet. Sorry but that’s absolute bullshit. I have eliminated my food cravings with with a high protein low carb diet.No need to get so intense, let me rephrase. Starches being beans, WHOLE grains, and tubers, not from refined grains and added sugars. Weight loss from a low carb diet is simply a result of a reduction in calories, http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1900694Low carb diets are strongly inked with higher all cause mortality, so I would be cautious advocating a diet known to be quite unhealthful.My apologies. From the Atkins diet to the low carb high fat diet, there is just so much crap out there, I am finding it difficult to sift through it. So yes, I am being little intense because I am frustrated. It seems everyone has a study to prove their brand of diet. I have tried to embrace the plant based diet in the past, but hunger was the issue. Now that I am completely off of sugar it would seem reasonable that the starches you mention should look after the hunger issue. Thank you and thanks for your patient reply to me Toxins.I understand, there is a lot of junk information out on the internet regarding nutrition. nutritionfacts.org is an extremely reliable resource, as is http://plantpositive.com/Studies that support low carb diets generally do not compare groups of people who consume healthful starches. Please see here for more.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/if you’re willing to learn i think you could start from here:http://plantpositive.com/Start from the Primitive Nutrition series.Thanks Merio, I will check that out this evening.You’re welcome.It is a great website indeedPlantpositive ? I think it’s a must for who want to research seriously the matter of human nutrition.I also think its a must for anyone who wants to separate fact from fiction regarding the low carb craze.I agree with youthere is this recent book “brain grain” which is stating that high cholesterol in itself is not bad, but even considered good for the brain. Only in combination with inflammation it is causing problems. What do you think about that?From what I understand, sugar causes inflammation. But it would be nice to hear from the doctors and scientists on that.Marion Welter, I’m inclined to agree with your remark, “Only in combination with inflammation it is causing problems.” Furthermore, here’s something MDs, who push statin Rx’s very readily don’t tell patients/the public: a perfectly healthy, normal liver produces between 2 thousand and 3 thousand mgs of cholesterol A DAY. Cholesterol is NEEDED for life processes: glands, hormones, bone building, and even the brain manufactures some. Personally, I think if Big Pharma’s vested interest in statin drugs were to get out of the way, the cholesterol ‘myth’ would be evaluated and resolved correctly. When I studied nutrition, lipids/cholesterol norm values were: cholesterol 300; triglycerides 200, and they stayed in that range UNTIL Big Pharma came out with cholesterol-reducing drugs, the statins, which have serious adverse effects in themselves. If you don’t believe that, may I suggest reading the 2010 book, “The Risks of Prescription Drugs,” Edited by Donald W Light, PhD, Publisher: Columbia University Press. In my opinion as a natural nutritionist, nothing is more problematic for increasing cholesterol than all the ‘plastic’ fats, e.g,, trans fats people eat in their junk food diets, plus the always-rancid fats that are used in deep fryers frying foods in fast food joints [heat changes the chemical structure of fats], plus chemically-extruded cooking oils we freely pour from bottles onto salads, use in cooking, and think are not harming us. May I suggest readers do their research and check out the adverse effects/downsides of polyunsaturated oils; rancid fats/oils; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.we do not need cholesterol since we have a pathway that sintetize it…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol#Biosynthesishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mevalonate_pathwayhttp://plantpositive.com/22-cholesterol-confusion-5-cho/Check out this video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/10 Keys to a Successful Transition to a Plant Based Diet Written by Elena Wilkins http://www.vega-licious.com/10-keys-successful-transition-plant-based-diet/ I wanted to share with you an excellent recent podcast from my friend Elena. We all have our challenges/even with the best of intentions. And her free stuff can be very helpful in this regard as well. Thank you!!!!Not sure why, when I try to go to NutrtiionFacts.org, the Friday post on eggs does not come up; it is Wednesday’s post?David, I’ve had the same issue and believe it’s due to the prior post being cached locally on your device….try a manual refresh of the home page in your browser and it should load the current version.Thanks! Came up under Firefox…… Always some kind of challenge/new website design et.al. Having too many things open and such can have effects. Rampant curiosity. Love of knowledge….Thank you again, Dr. Greger for giving me hope! I live with MS and for 5 years have had no progression due to diet. I feel better than ever now that I’ve gone all the way Vegan! I anxiously await your videos on GMO. I was so happy to hear that you are delving into the matter and know that what you will find will help us all sort it out. Until proof of ‘non-harm’ is determined by non-gmo scientists, I am trying to avoid ALL GMO products. Not easy when the government won’t help us with labels. I know that you will figure it out and that your influence will have great impact on many people. I am currently supporting Oregon and Colorado in their fight for labeling (I live in WA where GMO producers tricked many of us into not labeling with million dollar ads that they illegally donated through a third party corporation.. under lawsuit but a little too late). I am also supporting Maui County with their initiative for a moratorium to stop Monsanto (and the others) for 18 months until they prove to the citizens that this is NOT harming the fragile Hawaiian environment. Maui County is the GMO testing Ground Zero where 80% of all GMO seeds are tested including GMO corn designed to grow pharmaceutical drugs. Before a field of GMO are grown these companies completely sterilize the soil destroying all good bacteria, micro organisms, fungi and good things built up in the soil over millions of years. They get to dump 4 times as many toxic chemicals in Hawaii because they can get 4 growing seasons there vs one in the mainland crops. This is the biggest concern for all mankind in my opinion. I believe we as a race will be able to combat climate change with technology but if we all become sterile and no more babies are born we won’t be able to save ourselves let alone the planet. SO, DON’T EAT IT.. don’t experiment with your lives or your children’s lives. It is difficult without labels but until the science is studied by non profit-oriented scientists and the TRUTH is known, just say no to being a human ‘lab rat’.what can you do for ringing of the earsThis is generally called ‘tinnitus’ in medical terms; knowing this might help you to search around more effiectively. Tinnitus has multiple causes, and it’s hard to tell you what to do exactly without knowing the exact causes of your tinnitus. One thing that would be wise to do anyway would be to keep your cardiovascular health in top condition. Atherosclerosis and hypertension have both been identified as causes of some cases of tinnitus.Did you hear the siren in the distance in the last 2 seconds of the recording? Ominous…Yeah I think Dr. Greger is voicing over his videos on his gallivants across the world no matter where he is (It’s what you have to do when you have the crazy schedule he does). There was a lot of echo on this production as well. No bother (In the voice of Winnie the Pooh); it fills us with satisfaction, just like the Honey Pot! ;)Egg on their face!Dr. Greger, Your comments would explain why so many doctors tell their patients to ignore dietary cholesterol. The doctors only see fasting blood levels. However, I have read that on balance eggs are OK because not only do they raise LDL but the also raise HDL. More importantly they also raise particle size for LDL. If this is true, it would seem to offset much of the harm that you outline here. Could you please comment on this?AA: The following video from Plant Positive goes into great detail explaining the flaws of the particle size argument. The info about particle size is not right up front, but he does get to it: http://plantpositive.com/25-cholesterol-confusion-8-a-l/Great info. Hope it helps.There’s been an interesting debate around HDL in the literature. Yes, higher HDL/total cholesterol ratios are associated with lower risk, but is HDL itself causing this, or are there other factors that increase both HDL levels and reduce risk, responsible for the association? For example, exercise increases HDL, but also has independent effects on collateral vascularisation, AMPK activation etc. that would decrease risk independently of the higher HDL.A number of HDL-raising drug trials (notably with niacin and torcetrapib) have failed to reduce cardiac risk 1 . More damning, genetic predispositions to higher HDL levels appear offer no protection 2, 3, while genetic predispositions to lower LDL, triglycerides, and Lp(a) have all been confirmed as protective. Troubling results for those whose careers have been built on the HDL hypothesis 4.One resolution may be that its only the small HDL particles that are functional and protective 5, but as the test to directly measure these (apo A-I) is expensive, its rarely done in primary prevention, and few nutrition studies are recent enough test this directly. The one I found on eggs found that they increase the large (and arguably non-protective) HDL fraction 6.Dr. Greger Transcript on the subject:[And be sure to check out Neal Barnard’s new blog post on CVS Health (?); classic!!!!/and of course right on, Dr. Barnard.]Transcript: Eggs and Cholesterol: Patently False and Misleading ClaimsFor decades, “on the basis of concerns from the American Heart Association and consumer groups, the Federal Trade Commission carried out successful legal action – upheld by the Supreme Court-to compel the egg industry to cease and desist from false and misleading advertising that eggs had no harmful effects on health.”See “anti-cholesterol attacks on eggs resulted in severe economic loss through a reduction in egg consumption,” so the egg industry created a “National Commission on Egg Nutrition” to combat the anti-cholesterol, anti-egg publicity with ads like this, exclaiming there is no scientific evidence whatsoever that eating eggs in any way increases the risk of heart attack,” which the U.S. Court of Appeals found patently false and misleading.Even the tobacco industry wasn’t that brazen, instead of just trying to introduce the element of doubt, arguing that the relationship between smoking and health remains an open question. The egg ads made 7 claims, each of which, in truth and in fact was determined to be.The Court determined the egg industry ads were and are, false, misleading, and deceptive. In fact legal scholars view what the tobacco industry tried to do as the same as what the American Egg Board’s National Commission on Egg Nutrition tried to do. As with the egg ads, the tobacco industry did more that just espouse one side of a genuine controversy but just denies the existence of scientific evidence.Over the last 36 years, the American Egg Board has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to convince people eggs are not going to kill them—and it’s working. “In combination with aggressive nutrition science and public relations efforts, research shows that the advertising has been effective in decreasing consumers concerns over eggs and cholesterol/heart health.” This is from their internal strategy documents I got a hold of.Currently they’re targeting moms. Their approach is to “surround moms wherever they are.” They pay integration fees for egg product placement in TV shows. To integrate eggs into The Biggest Loser, for example, could be a million dollars. But getting some kids storytime reading program to integrate eggs may only take half a million, though. The American Egg Board keeps track of who is and is not a “friend-of-eggs” They pay scientists $1500 to sit and answer questions like “What studies can help disassociate eggs from cardiovascular disease?”From the beginning, their arch nemesis was the American Heart Association, with whom they fought a major battle over cholesterol. In documents retrieved through the Freedom of Information Act, we see even the USDA repeatedly chastising the egg industry for misrepresenting the American Heart Association position. In a draft letter to magazine editors, the egg industry tried to say that the “American Heart Association changed its recommendations to approve an egg a day in 2000 and eventually eliminated its number restrictions on eggs in 2002,” to which the head of USDA’s poultry research and promotion programs had to explain, the quote-unquote change in 2000 wasn’t a change at all. Nothing in the guidelines or recommendations was changed. What happened is that in response to a question posed by someone planted in the audience, Heart Association reps acknowledged that even though eggs are the most concentrated source of cholesterol in the diet, since an individual egg had under 300mg of cholesterol technically an egg could fit under the 300 mg daily limit, and in 2002 they just eliminated the specific mention of eggs for consistency sake, but the AHA insists that they haven’t changed their position and continue to warn consumers about eggs.So here’s from the AHA website at the time. If one egg has 213 and the limit for people with normal cholesterol is 300 you could fit an egg in if you cut down on all other animal products. You have an egg for breakfast, and some coffee, some skinless turkey breast etc., you could end up at 510, nearly twice the recommended limit. So if you are going to eat an egg you need to substitute vegetables for some of the meat, drink your coffee black, and watch for hidden eggs in baked goods. And the limit for folks with high cholesterol is 200mg a day, which may not even allow a single egg a day.This is how the senior director of nutrition education at the American Egg Board’s Egg Nutrition Center characterized the American Heart Association guidelines: “Maybe I’m being overly sensitive, but this reads like: If you insist on having those deadly high cholesterol eggs your penalty will be to eat vegetables and you can’t even have the yummy steak and creamy coffee you love. Really it’s not worth eating eggs. Oh, and if you think you’ll be able to enjoy some delicious baked goods, forget it, the deadly eggs are there too!”Hi Doc,When you eat your “two sausages and egg mcmuffins” and your cholesterol numbers go up, why do you blame the problem on the sausages and eggs? Why not mcmuffins?Because feeding people more and more egg yolks increases postprandial LDL more and more, for one. Did you not see the other research that was cited in video? The mcmuffin bit showed that switching bacon for eggs in the mcmuffins kept saturated fat constant, english muffin count constant, and changed LDL. It wasn’t a change in the number of english muffins that caused the change of LDL in that context, was it? Do you think that the bacon was protective compared with the eggs because of some reason other than the dietary cholesterol?But I do agree the study would have been better if they just ate the eggs and sausage and cheese. Nasty stuff! Sorry this was supposed to be a reply to Jason.My ipad doesn’t behave with the changes to the website.The actual study being referenced has nothing explicitly to do with breakfast sandwiches, as far as I can tell. It worked with complete meal plans specified for the entire day. You have to listen carefully to catch Gregor stating that he’s using the McMuffin as an example of the sort of variation in dietary fat and cholesterol that they were exploring, rather than referring to the concrete details of the study.You are right. Here is the study. No McMuffin. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC295526/?page=1So let me get this straight. You are asking why would cholesterol numbers go up from the sausage and egg and not the English muffin?I would recommend that you click on the references he lists. And read those.Eggs and sausage have a ton of cholesterol. If you consume them your cholesterol goes up. English muffins have about 1 gram of fat and no cholesterol unless of course you make your bread with butter but that isn’t usually the recipe.So I guess my question to you is why would you blame it on the English muffin?I listened to Jimmy Moore, who is of course a low carber. when he interviewed Neal Barnard, He stated that Westman”s research (he is also low carb who does research on low carb diets ) shows that low carb high animal fat diets raise LDL cholesterol. He did say, however, that it raised HDL cholesterol as well. Moore admitted that Barnard’s diet lowered LDL, but also lowered HDL. Why not, instead of eating saturated fat to raise both, just eat plants, no animals and then exercise to raise the HDL? My LDL used to be very high, it is now 85 without statins. My HDL used to be below 20 and now with all the exercise I do, it is over 80 and I eat no animal products whatsoever, or as little as possible. Of course losing the weight helped me to correct my numbers as well.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/05/28/cholesterol-heart.aspxAs stated before here, Mercola is a for profit “nutrition” business. Do not trust the skewed interpretations from him.Toxin I agree. I cringe when I see him referenced.i had to say that i do not trust Mercola anymore about nutrition, he seems to be a cholesterol confusionist.After years of searching NASA has discovered a new planet that is just like Earth…so they’re gonna keep looking.Your “How the Egg Board Designs Misleading Studies” video assumes that saturated fat and cholesterol are bad for health, but you provide no evidence to show that this is so. Studies show that dietary saturated fat is very good health, provided that such fat has not been heated to smoking point at any time prior to consumption. Also, research is clearly showing that dietary cholesterol is good for health; in fact the higher the level of cholesterol in the body the better for health. The amount of cholesterol in the blood is not the problem, whether it be LDL or HDL (the higher the better). The amount of LDL particles that are oxidized is the problem. So we need to avoid oxidative stress rather than avoid cholesterol per se. Russell Eaton, http://www.deliveredonline.comRussell, this is a paleo myth that has been spreading all over the internet. Saturated fat raises cholesterol, and cholesterol oxidizes to cause heart disease. What causes oxidation? Inflammation. What causes inflammation? Saturated fats found in animal based foods. Its well understood. This videos you just watched shared studies showing that eggs result in inflammation. I encourage you to explore this video set for details. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/Thank you ‘Toxins’ for your reply. The consumption of saturated fat does not raise blood cholesterol in any circumstances. But I fully agree that saturated fats in cooked animal-based foods cause inflammation and hence oxidize LDL particles. But why? The answer is that cooked animal-based food contains heated saturated fat. As a consequence, the heated saturated fat goes rancid when consumed, this creates free radicals, and the free radicals oxidize small LDL particles which then contriubute to plaque build-up. Non-heated saturated fat, such as coconut oil (or even butter) has no effect on blood cholesterol. You want your LDL and HDL to be as high as possible, but you don’t want to do anything that causes LDL particles to become oxidized, such as eating heated fats, smoking, etc. The idea that we should be trying to reduce levels of cholesterol in the body is a myth. http://www.deliveredonline.comRussell could you post some research that supports your claims? It is helpful for me to read those articles. Thanks.The diet-heart hypothesis—which holds that eating cholesterol and saturated fat raises cholesterol in our blood—originated with studies in both animals and humans more than half a century ago. However, more recent (and higher quality) evidence doesn’t support it. It’s true that some studies show that saturated fat intake raises blood cholesterol levels. But these studies are almost always short-term, lasting only a few weeks. Longer-term studies have not shown an association between saturated fat intake and blood cholesterol levels. In fact, of all of the long-term studies examining this issue, only one of them showed a clear association between saturated fat intake and cholesterol levels, and even that association was weak. To be clear: eating cholesterol and saturated fat does not raise cholesterol levels in the blood. But ironically, we do in fact want to have a naturally high level of cholesterol in the blood (both LDL and HDL).On any given day, we have between 1,100 and 1,700 milligrams of cholesterol in our body. 25% of that comes from our diet, and 75% is produced inside of our bodies by the liver. Much of the cholesterol that’s found in food can’t be absorbed by our bodies, and most of the cholesterol in our gut was first synthesized in body cells and ended up in the gut via the liver and gall bladder. The body tightly regulates the amount of cholesterol in the blood by controlling internal production; when cholesterol intake in the diet goes down, the body makes more. When cholesterol intake in the diet goes up, the body makes less.This is further explained (with full supporting evidence) in a new book I will be releasing shortly, to be titled: The Lipo Diet.Russell Eaton http://www.deliveredonline.comOh my. Where to begin. All I can say is links? Do you just disregard all science?As soon as the book comes (The Lipo Diet) I will let you know. I am not trying to plug the book, but I can assure you that it is fully referenced. All the best, Russell Eaton, The Lipo DietThis is the kind of popular information out there for these low carb fad diets. There is no evidence for such claims though obviously. Good Calories Bad Calories is a great example of how a book with many citations does not actually say what the citations say. Anything said in an authoritative manner can sound believable.I am frustrated because I go on other blogs and there are two people who keep spouting off this low carb nonsense and because they sound “authoritative” they get many recommends. One example of this low carb nonsense is the idea that whole grains cause diabetes because they are turned into glucose. One low carber got 26 recommends on the well.blogs.nytimes.com saying this very same thing, but I got no recommends saying that there is no research to indicate that whole grains contribute to diabetes. The opposite is true- whole grains with all their fiber help prevent it.Whole grains have been demonized by the low carbers, the only evidence they can muster is that people can have celiac disease and that there was once an epidemic in Asia of beriberi due to low b vitamin count from consuming only white rice. If brown rice is consumed these issues no longer occur. Evidence against whole grains is like grasping at straws, while the evidence for consuming it is quite great. A good example of grasping at straws is one of the only negative studies on whole grains that is published and is not referenced by any other study, and that is Loren Cordain’s review paper, who is in fact a low carber himself.I finally got *one* recommend on this article http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/prediabetes-blood-sugar/?_php=true&_type=blogs&module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=Personal%20Health&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs&region=Body&_r=0 stating that there is no research evidence to indicate that whole grains contribute to diabetes. This is one of the newest comments made, so it is one of the first you would find in the comments section. If you go far down, the person who said they did now has 30 recommends. It is sad that so many persons buy into this low carb dogma.This is why we should always be skeptics of what people say, and investigate the facts. That is one reason why nutritionfacts.org is such a great resource.I clicked on the link and one of the claims was that exercise makes people fat. This is completely the opposite of my own experience. Once I started to bicycle everyday to work as well as other places, my weight really plummeted much further than it ever had in over thirty years. I didn’t have to go on a very low calorie diet. I have kept off this weight (100 pounds) for over 4 years now without any regain whatsoever. Since losing the weight, I have transitioned to a plant based diet and have lost even more weight than I did before without cutting calories. I just rode my bike for three hours today, and I don’t feel particularly ravenous- in fact, strenuous exercise often kills my hunger. I think eating a high fiber plant based diet also helps control the excess hunger that might come after exercise. Fiber promotes satiety. I have known many people who have lost weight by exercise and have kept off for many years by continuing to exercise. A great combination is a whole foods plant based diet with exercise. My cholesterol level is also lower with exercise and a plant based diet. My HDL is much higher than before and my LDL is much lower.That’s great Daniel. There will always be exceptions. For the sake of your health I urge you to never do exercise (just physical activity). In the book ‘Exercise Makes you Fat’ the word ‘exercise’ is defined as any kind of physical exertion that is sufficiently vigourus to make you sweaty and/or breathless (bad for health and for losing weight). ‘Physical activity’ is just that: physical activity that does not make you sweaty and/or breathless. I appreciate your comments.I don’t agree that exercise that leaves a person “breathless” is what makes people gain fat. My experience is that leisurely walks which don’t leave a person breathless are pretty ineffective for weight loss. What I bicycled everyday and went up some hills and became breathless at times did my weight go down. My health is infinitely better than it was before. There is much research to indicate that high intensity exercise is more effective for weight loss than leisurely exercise. However, I tend to think that *mostly* moderate exercise with some high intensity intervals is most effective. I don’t think there is any evidence whatsoever from any study to indicate that exercise makes people “fat,” however most research shows *some* weight loss by exercise, but not a lot because the persons are not doing that much exercise in most research. So the true exception is when exercise makes a person fat, not when they lose weight by it. However, most people don’t exercise enough to promote weight loss, which is at least an hour a day, so perhaps most people don’t lose a lot of weight by exercise, but they could if they did more along with some moderation in their diet. It is easy to bicycle an hour everyday. It is harder to run an hour a day. Bicycling is probably one of the best things a person can do for weight loss. Read Ride Your Way Lean: The Ultimate Plan for Burning Fat and Getting Fit on a Bike by Selene Yeager which mentions dozens of persons who have lost weight by riding their bicycle. You could also google “Scott Cutshall” who lost over 300 pounds by bicycling everyday along with a plant based diet. I am certainly NOT an exception, but many persons have done the same thing I have done and also lost a lot of weight.I am curious how you came to that conclusion that saturated fats do not influence cholesterol numbers.“The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al., 1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432Heating the saturated fats was not the reason that the saturated fats caused an inflammatory response, they acted as a pathway for bacterial endotoxins in the link I provided. This is one mechanism for inflammation.Also, we do not want our cholesterol high, we want it as low as possible. We have to get our cholesterol numbers low enough, total below 150 and LDL below 70 to achieve “heart atack proof” status. Thus, having “normal” cholesterol means risk of dying a “normal” death from heart disease. It is noted in the Harvard Heart letter that the average total cholesterol for Americans is 203. The author notes that strict vegetarians are able to reach these lower numbers of below total 150. Again, we shouldn’t assume that cholesterol numbers are negligible, just that current recommendations for optimum are too high.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19662696From the editor in chief of the American Journal of Cardiology.“As shown in Figure 1, most of the risk factors do not in themselves cause atherosclerosis [heart disease]…The atherosclerotic risk factors showing that the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis is cholesterol.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/Also, I will not click your links to out there web pages, if you have studies to share then please do.Toxins my curiosity got the best of me and I clicked the link. I am not quite sure why this isn’t considered spam. He links his own site that sells e-books. And they are all outlandish.This sounds very convincing to me. NF contains lots of videos that show that animal fats cause inflammation in one way or another. On the other hand there is also some videos about sugar causing inflammation (as far as I remember). Also I remember reading some stuff that high blood sugar levels cause atherisclerosis by oxidizing LDL (is that correct?). In the end sugar is the fuel we use eating carbohydrates. If that is true there might still be a point that it is better for your health to burn fat instead of sugar, if you could get it without the inflammation. So does this mean one should ideally fill ones caloric intake with nuts, avocado and cocoa?Pure table sugar can result in some inflammation,but not broken down carbohydrates from fruits and starchy plant foods. Most studies do not show a relationship between starches and heart disease, and in fact it is usually favorable in preventing heart disease. On the other hand, white flour, and candy are not considered whole plant foods and are damaging to health.Relying on fat for fuel (ketosis) results in harmful end products that our body works hard to get rid of. The primary fuel source for humans, and for the most long lived populations, are starches.Thank you for your answer. Do you have some link where I can read about this effects of ketosis? Also: It would be very interesting to see a NF video about ketosis onced. Everyone following this website daily is not really considering eating eggs, meat or dairy anyways (really too much bad effects), so videos about that are not as interesting (at least for me).Also another thing about this website. Sometimes videos go like this:People eating standard american diet -> you add something-> improvement in biomarkers. Personally I think you can add almost anything to the standard american diet, that it isn’t toxic and has some nutritional value, and it will improve biomarkers.Never saw a video like this: People eating a healthy diet: you add something (brokkoli, lentils, whatever …) and it still has an effect.If there is some studies like that – it would be a lot, lot more convincing.Big fan of this website still :) !I agree completely. The standard American diet is so terrible that adding any food that is healthier will show benefit. A prime example of this is shared by Jeff Novick, one of the best plant based dietitians out there.“Move Over Walnuts, Kale, Goji Berrries, Sweet Potatoes, Purple Cabbage, etc., & Make Room For The Next Super Food: Carrots! “Carrot intake might be inversely associated with prostate cancer risk.”When you understand that the typical diet consumed today is **so** bad,possibly being the worst diet ever consumed by humans in recorded history, then you understand that you can look at a group of those eating this diet and take *any* one healthy (or healthier) food (or food with some healthier aspects to it), and look at those who eat more of it compared to those who eat less of it (or none of it) and almost always see a difference. But that does not make it into a health food, let alone a super food.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24519559As you will see, I really like Jeff Novick, he puts nutrition into perspective and sees right through the BS. Here is his comments on when the Okinawans, a population that is primarily plant based and have many members living past 100 years of age, they added more greens to their diet to reach recommendations and here is the summary:“Here is the studyhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19013573Dietary intervention with Okinawan vegetables increased circulating endothelial progenitor cells in healthy young women. Atherosclerosis. 2009 Jun;204(2):544-8. doi: 10.1016/.First, lets look closer at who the subjects were.“This randomized controlled study employed 45 healthy free- living female volunteers living in Okinawa aged between 18 and 38 years. None of them were being treated for any disease at the time of the study.”So, they were young adult women, apparently free of disease.How many vegetables were they eating on average?“According to the national health and nutrition survey in Japan, the average vegetable intake of Japanese women aged 20–29 years was 235.4 g/day.”That is slightly over 1/2 lb. To put this in perspective, here is what 235 grams of “Cooked Boiled, Drained” veggies equals based on the USDA SR 25235 Gram Equivalents 1.8 Cups Kale – 66 Calories 1.5 cups Broccoli – 82 calories 1.4 cups Collards – 84 calories 1.5 cups Brussels Sprouts – 85 calories 1.3 cups Spinach – 54 caloriesSo,for convenience sake, lets say on average, the average vegetable intake in Japan is about 1.5 cups per day which is about 75 calories.For the record, the national recommendation from the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for vegetable intake is 350 g/day. The USDA recommends 2.5 cups per day for women aged 19-50 (which is 5 servings). So, the average intake is actually less than the minimum recommendations.These numbers are based on their national averages.Now let’s take a closer look and see how many vegetables the subjects in the study were actually eating before the intervention.The intervention group was consuming 187 grams per day and the control group was consuming 161 grams per day.As you can see, not only is this far short of their own national recommendation of 350 grams per day, these women were consuming even less than the national average of 235 grams per day.Now, for the intervention…“about 371g/day of Okinawan vegetables were delivered to the intervention group, but the subjects consumed only 169 g/day of the Okinawan vegetables for a total of 356g/day in the dietary intervention group”“In contrast, subjects in the control group, who were not supplied Okinawan vegetables, consumed only 40 g/day of Okinawan vegetables during the intervention period… for a total of 200g/day in the control group.”So, lets organize this so it is easier to see.Intervention group Baseline/ Intervention/ Total 187/ 169/ 356Control Group Baseline/ Intervention/ Total 161/ 40/ 201The difference in the intervention was 129 grams (169-40), which is 4.5 ounces and the difference in the total was 155 grams (356-201), which is 5.5 ounces. These amounts are the equivalent of about 2 servings.Now, lets put this all in perspective…A group that was consuming about half of the recommended amount of vegetables, increased the amount of vegetables they were consuming by about double (~2 servings) to the recommended amount and saw a statistically significant improvement.That is exactly what i said above. If we take people who are not eating the recommended amounts and just get them to eat the recommended amounts, we would see a great benefit.In addition, notice, that while the amount they consumed now met the recommended intake of the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare it still fell short of the recommendations of the USDA MyPlate. Yet, they still saw a significant benefit.So, let’s clarify. If you take subjects who are eating about 1/2 the recommended minimum of vegetables and get them to eat the recommended minimum, we see huge benefits. However, this does that mean that someone who is already eating this way and who is already far surpassing the minimum recommended amounts, is going to see any such benefit by including another serving of kale.As I said above…In other words, if Americans would just get in the recommended amounts of fruits and veggies, it would not only provide carotenoids, but more than enough of all of them to produce the beneficial health outcomes, including reduced risks of cancer. And anyone following a Whole Food Plant Based diet, as recommended here, would already be consuming way more than enough.So, yes, by following the basic principles and guidelines of the program, we are all doing way better than anyone in any of the studies (and the executive reports are recommending) and are already erring way on the side of caution.In Health JeffPS for the record, the vegetables they were given to eat were mostly bitter melon/squash, green papaya, spinach, mustard greens with some dandelion, mugwort and beets.”https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=28413&p=377385#p377385Here is some additional information on Ketosishttp://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/26/tpns-58-61-ketosis-is-natural-natural-is-good.htmlhttp://plantpositive.com/the-ketogenic-advantage-nusi-gThank you! This is interesting to read.And I would like to add to Toxin’s post-read the attached references. That will help educate you on the physiology.I think you are a cholesterol confusionist as many others out there, check out this article:http://healthylongevity.blogspot.it/2014/03/saturated-fat-heart-disease-meta-analysis.htmlor this site:http://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/2014/04/21/fat-in-the-diet-and-mortality-from-heart-disease-a-plagiaristic-note/or this other site:http://plantpositive.com/Good luckThis is interesting information:http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/how-did-we-come-to-believe-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-are-bad-for-usSeems the question of what is healthy isn’t so clear really. I’m questioning the conventional wisdom of high fiber, low fat is healthy. I’ve struggled with a low fat diet for decades, and have just started a low carb diet this week. Will be interesting to see how it impacts my blood work in 4 months.theyfly out of curiosity where is the struggle? By low fat you mean 10% of you calories in fat? (I ask that because for some reason 30% has been labeled as low fat lately).The struggle wasn’t in reducing my fat intake (probably in the order of 15%, 20% protein and lots of complex carbohydrates ) but keeping myself lean. Low fat actually seems to match my food desire – love carbs. The struggle is really that I could never get rid of the extra inch around my belly, even though I do lots of cardio and strength training. I’ve been reading and watching information offered by Dr Attia for a couple months now, and have decided to change directions to see if it helps. I go for a blood test in 4 months and see if it’s healthy for me.I hope and expect that reducing my carbs to very low levels will have a health benefit.My new struggle now is finding foods high enough in fat, without increasing my protein levels. It seems unnatural to me still (only a week), but I hope that changes.Oh I find the opposite to be true. Since going WFPB I have lost 5 pounds. There just aren’t a lot of calories in plants. Did you lose a lot of weight by chance? I have patients that keep that little bit of skin/fat after losing and really have a hard time getting rid of that.You obviously don’t have a family history of heart disease. That would stop you from experimenting.Never really overweight – always in the area of 180 +/- 5 pounds at 5’10”. I’ve been very active for the last 30+ years (sports and high intensity workouts) so cardio conditioning and muscle tone are good. Resting HR of 148 and normal blood pressure – never measured VO2 max. Just that one inch of fat that layers my gut that bugs me. I can cut my calories and lose a couple pounds, but then that starvation feeling, especially after a hard workout, will have me consume more carbs then I should and I’m back to where I started before you know it.If it proves to be unhealthy, then I’ll switch to the eco-Atkins as my next experiment:http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=415074Have you ever measured your fat percentage by chance? I find that helpful and actually those scales are pretty accurate if you do it the same time each day. They are actually really close to the really expensive machines.When you say carbs that is actually kinda problematic because you only get 3 choices. Fat, carbohydrates or protein. But we know you can’t compare a Japanese yam and a cookie. So I like to differential between simple and complex carbs. As an athlete my primary fuel comes from complex carbs and I can’t get enough. I don’t eat simple carbs.About 15% depending on the day (+/- 2%). Not sure how accurate the machine was though.Only complex carbohydrates, but an occasional treat. For the last year I’ve been limiting foods based on their GI, so even some fruits I avoid. No sugared drinks or fruit juice ever. I tried to eat whole grains, beans, lentils and veggies with lean protein including skinless chicken breasts, sardines, egg-whites…Since when were sardines ‘lean’? http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4544?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=sardinesMy mistake. I meant to breakup my food into 3 groups but skipped the 3rd “Healthy Fat”. I eat sardines for some omega-3 and calcium, and also eat Salmon for the same reason (minus the calcium0. Of course both are fatty. My consumption was rare, since I’m not a huge fan of the taste.Why don’t you go to a straight calorie counting method? I do this and I have had great success in getting my weight down after not being able to for 25 years. I used to be 255 and am now in the low 150’s at 5 11 to 6 0- a weight I have maintained for 4 years now. Studies show that low fat and low carb diets with equal calorie deficits produce exactly the same weight loss. Donmatesz below linked his website http://donmatesz.blogspot.it/ which the very first video on the website entitled “Why Did I Get Fat on a Low-Fat, High-Carbohydrate Diet? Answered.” showed that overfeeding persons with carbs or fats at the same calorie level brought the same weight gain. If you track what you eat, weighing and measuring everything you eat, you might find that you are eating more calories than you thought you were. Also, counting calories can prevent overcutting calories, which would put a person into starvation mode. When I count calories, I always make sure I eat my allotted calories and not less than them. Since you exercise, you shouldn’t have to eat so few calories to lose weight. Instead of going to eating dead animals, just count the calories you consume from whole plant foods. Remember to count everything, including condiments.Wish I was that disciplined. Even if I managed to count all my calories that precisely, I would then have to account for my various caloric expenditure of my workouts, which aren’t totally consistent or repeatable.My other problem is that I tend to lose weight in the wrong areas – when I was on a calorie restricted low-fat diet, I lost weight everywhere but my fat stores on my gut. People even told me I was starting to look unhealthy, and I only lost 4-5 pounds. So how do you accomplish site specific loss? Crunches don’t work – get bigger stronger abs, but the fat layer remains. Is it just generic? I suspect that it’s carb-sensitivity, since it typically causes fat storage primarily around the belly.I’ll do my low-carb diet for 4 months, and if it doesn’t work or my blood work suggests that it’s unhealthy, then I’ll switch back and perhaps try calorie counting.So…you know when you look at those really lean men with no belly fat and a 6 pack? Their body fat is closer to 6-8. So if you are after that…..not that that look is necessary I am just letting you know how lean they are.You should watch some of the videos on this website. And read the referenced links.About 15% +/- 2 percent. Not certain how accurate the machine is. I workout 7 days a week, either strength or cardio (spin class, and high intensity full body cardio). I have a watch that estimates calorie expenditure, and for some of my workouts I exceeded 800 cals for 1 hour.I’m very conscious of my simple carbohydrate intake – have been limiting foods based on GI for a couple years now. Eat a lot of veggies, beans, lentils, whole grains… along with lean protein such as skinless chicken breasts, egg whites… and healthy fats in salmon, sardines…My appetite following a workout is insatiable though. I usually eat, wait a while, then feel that I HAVE TO eat more…. maybe it’s just me.My goal seem simple enough – lose 1 inch and stay healthy. It’s been more goal for a long time.My last blood work was only OK also – doctor even recommended I start taking omega-3 pills to improve my numbers. So I’m very curious to see if a highly restrictive carb diet will change that – either way.I am a recent vegan (April 2014), and have included Dr. Esselstyn’s recommendations of no oil, no nuts. I made this rather drastic dietary change based not on the numerous and conflicting clinical studies, but on his photographs of reversal of heart disease and greatly improved measurements of blood flow. Many of you know the nutritional literature much better than I do (and I too will be following Don Matesz, interesting site!), so I have a general question. Are there any papers out there by those who advocate the Atkins plus, Paleo diets, or the “Mediterranean” diet, that show images of reversal of heart disease and increased bloodflow?Eating cholesterol can only increase the LDL/HDL numbers slightly. Remember on average there is 10g cholesterol in the blood. There is a study on law school students of their HDL/LDL. Their total cholesterol numbers went up significantly during the finals. Go figure.But absorption of dietary cholesterol into the bloodstream is not the primary channel by which dietary cholesterol increases serum cholesterol. Again, do you follow this topic at all? Have you actually looked at the video and the cited sources? Just looking at the first graph in the video from the Hopkins meta-analysis, you see that the first 1000mg of dietary cholesterol seems to average out at about 1mmol/L, or 38.7mg/dl, increase in TC. Let’s lowball the blood volume of these subjects on average to 4.7 liters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_volume ). This means that 1g added dietary cholesterol increases TC by 1.8g or so, so the amount of dietary cholesterol is not directly an upper bound on the increase in serum cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol alters cholesterol metabolism in the liver, basically.In the second graph in the video, the error bars are kind of crappy, but looking at the comparison of point estimators, you largely bear out a story that is consistent with the first graph. 400mg extra cholesterol (2 yolks’ worth) in that study was estimated to increase serum LDL-cholesterol by 20mg/dL or so, or almost 1 gram using the same blood volume as before. Dietary cholesterol has a leveraged effect on serum cholesterol, and we can say this especially for diets whose saturated fat content isn’t unusually small.I think, if we take hematocrit into account too (blood is roughly 50% RBC’s by volume) the serum volume is more like 2.5 liters….making the 400 mg example align a bit better with the observed serum increase.Yeah, it looks like hematocrit cannot be neglected because it’s about 50% as you say, although I’m not clear on the extent to which hematocrit takes up cholesterol depending on blood levels: i.e. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=290866But assuming that such an extra wrinkle is not an issue, it doesn’t hugely change the reply as a targeted argument since the figure of 10g cholesterol in the blood is apparently based on a similar extrapolation that is probably neglecting hematocrit. Taking TC of 200mg/dL serum as average, you should have 5g total in your plasma. This means that in the first graph the first 1g dietary cholesterol is expected to change TC by a little less than 1g, or 20% of the expected value for a baseline of 200mg/dL. In the second graph, the 400mg cholesterol in addition to a baseline of 200mg increases fasting LDL by 500mg, or 10% of the 5g. These are still very nontrivial shifts in percentage terms, especially if we consider that we probably want TC lower than 200 by at least 50 points or so.Still, point taken that while we still see diminishing returns as more and more dietary cholesterol is added, the initial increase on total mass of circulating cholesterol for small amounts of dietary cholesterol may not be as great as I initially thought it would be.Can you direct us again to the studies that blood cholesterol levels are actually a predictor of heart disease? Many are saying that the latest and best science suggests there is no correlation.Here is the 40 year follow up of the 7 countries study, and the results remain constant. The higher the serum cholesterol, the higher the incidence of CVD.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2642008/Other studies have found this toohttp://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199711203372102#t=articleResultsMany many older studies have found this, and I know of no newer studies disputing the diet-heart hypothesesWhat about this? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20071648Thanks for sharing, here is a repost on it.This Meta-analysis looked at 21 different studies, and came to the conclusion that “there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD [heart disease].”Shared by Jeff Novick:One major problem with this study is they did not look at any studies where the saturated fat intake was less than 7%, which is the level recommended by the American Heart Association. Most of the diets had saturated fat intakes in the range of 10-15% (or more).So, just like the studies that criticize “low fat” diets, but never analyze any diet that is truly low fat and based on the principles of low fat, high fiber, whole plant foods, this study criticizes the impact of lowering saturated fat, but never looked at any diet that truly lowered saturated fat to the level recommended.Another problem with the study is what the subjects replaced the saturated fat with when comparing the 2. For many, if not most, it was with either (or products containing) hydrogenated/trans fat, while flour, white sugar and/or mono fats.Do you keep track of the different studies? Can you share your data? I sometimes stumble onto studies like this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20479151 I was arguing with someone who advocated for grass fed beef consumption. He gives me this article to read: http://authoritynutrition.com/top-5-reasons-why-vegan-diets-are-a-terrible-idea/The website you provided in your second link is making baseless claims. Most of the answers you are looking for are already available here on this website. I would check out these few particularly fascinating videos series’ http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/Ask your friend to present a study linking grass fed beef consumption with low mortality, or doing anything positive at all. Advocating for organic meat is like grasping at straws, the issues do not go away.Ken, I am very interested in the latest and best science suggesting no correlation. Would you please provide those references for me? Thanks.I am going to try and obtain a copy of the article at the library since I don’t want to spend $36 to read it, but it does discuss egg YOLKS. I have eliminated meat and almost all dairy from my diet for 4 years, but eggs in the form of egg whites are still on my list for breakfast. I make an omelet with zucchini, onions and mushrooms – hard to beat. We eat a lot of oatmeal and fruits but would find it hard to give up the egg whites. In my reading the yolks contain all the fat and cholesterol of the egg. I would be interested in what others have found in this regard.Ray: Lots of people ask this same question. Dr. Barnard says, there are only two problems with eggs: The yolk and the white. To understand some of the problems with egg white, you might want to check out the NutritionFacts series on IGF-1. Here is the first video (just keep clicking “next video” until you get to the body building video, the end of the series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And also check out this video on the link between methionine and cancer. Darryl points out that egg whites have the most concentration of methionine compared to all other foods. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/ http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22Bottom line for me is: egg whites = cancer. And then there are serious issues with contamination that you would get from the white as much as the yolk.Happily, your morning breakfast does not have to suffer! Tofu scramble works really well in replacing a morning omelet . You can still include your zucchini, onions and mushrooms. Use firm tofu and then the secret ingredient: “black” salt. Do some research on that stuff and be sure to get the right kind. (It’s not actually black.) If you do, it will have a sulfur taste and smell that is just like egg whites. When I have people smell a bag of black salt and ask them what it smells like, the vast majority say, “eggs”.Thea – thank you very much. Wow! — this will lead to a lot of study – how to cook w/o eggs, etc. Methionine appears to be high in all types of fish as well as egg whites – another dilemma, since fish is still in my diet! Cooking and eating at home is one thing, but dining out becomes much more complicated without either eggs or fish. Thanks for the “Black Salt” note as well.So I’m a very busy guy… please let me know if eggs are good or bad for a person who eats a vegan diet most of the time and eats eggs only when craving meat. Or you could answer the question this way. Are eggs bad for humans in general?lol..too busy to watch a video on eggss?What do you think about this meta-analysis?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20071648It’s not that eggs are bad, it’s the egg yolk. Egg whites have no cholesterol, great in protein and are very low in carbs and fat.Please see here for details on egg whites and protein. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Unfortunately, this is incorrect. This belief stems from the false idea that high cholesterol is bad. This is not true. Many studies have pointed out that people with high cholesterol live longer than those who have low cholesterol. And when testing cholesterol, medics use LDL as the barometer but they must go one step further and test the size of the LDL. If the particle size is large, then that is healthy. If particle size is small then this is where the problem is. Cholesterol is a natural part of the human body and the body produces it when there is inflammation. So, in general, if there is too much LDL small particle cholesterol, then we look at why there is inflammation as cholesterol will spike when there is inflammation in the body, which is the source of many diseases, especially heart disease. And our poor diet, high in bad quality fats – vegetable fats such as canola oil (machinery oil which NEVER should be consumed), soy, corn, safflower and hydrogenated fats – these fats create inflammation in the body and lead to a host of illnesses. Saturated fats – butter, animal fats, etc…, consumed for millennia, are the healthiest fats, along with coconut and olive oil.If you want to learn more about all of this, watch the documentary: Cereal Killers. It is great and you can see exactly what happens to someone who goes on a strict high fat diet – eating eggs! and other high fat foods all the while being tested for cholesterol by doctors. It will totally blow the whole false belief that eggs are bad for you.So there you have it, a drop of information from someone who has had many health problems, went to school to learn how to heal himself and in the process of doing so learned how incorrect much of the dietary information is that is put forth by the medical “authorities” and media. Best of Luck!What do you make of her high TG levels? Watch at the 6 minute mark and also notice how her doctor ignored mentioning her HIGH TG results. http://youtu.be/iMr7bP5IUeE?t=6mVegan with HIGH TGI have been trying for years to convince my colleagues and patients that checking fasting lipids gives a very limited picture of the body’s burden of damaging lipids during waking hours. I often found extremely high levels of triglycerides and elevated levels of cholesterol in patients who claimed to have been fasting, but after confronting them with the bad results they confessed that they actually had been eating their regular Western diet a few hours before. This usually happened when their appointment was later in the day, making it difficult to fast. Once they repeated the test after 8 hours of fasting the results were usually in the normal range. Although fasting lipid levels have a place in determining the presence of existing lipid problems, random testing will predict much better the risks patients will have to develop cardiovascular disease. I am aware of only one Canadian study that endorses this view. This issue is also explains why so many patients are surprised to have cardiovascular disease, a heart attack or stroke, even though their lipid levels were always in the normal range.Eggs are the most nutritious food on the planet. Cholesterol is a non issue. What kind of stupid do you have to be, to donate to this ridiculous website?Bacon and eggs,mmmmmm.Anyone who’s still falling for the notion that plaque in arteries is caused by cholesterol in food is either on the payroll of the statin manufacturers or woefully behind on keeping up with research. Hello, the brain is largely made of cholesterol! Sugar is what causes arterial plaque to develop.cholesterol is NOT the problem. Inflammation and arterial damage IS the problem. cholesterol is dispatched to FIX arterial damage. Arterial placque is a symptom of inflammation. As usual big medicine gets it wrong, by looking at and treating symptoms vs. cause.This is just bad science! Cholesterol is NOT unhealthy, saturated fats (animal fats) are NOT unhealthy. Please update your knowledge… our bodies developed to handle a diet high in saturated fats and cholesterol is so important to our bodies that EVERY cell in our bodies can produce it if required. What’s causing this obesity and diabetes epidemic is SUGAR and processed veggie oils. There is so much research out there to support this.It is amazing how the “dietary cholesterol and saturated fat is good for you” crowd always comes out of the woodwork to complain when people present the evidence that their fantasies are false. They never have any evidence to support their views of course – just strongly expressed opinions.Sadly, reports that US dietary guidelines will change the advice about dietary cholesterol will only encourage such people. All that American Egg Board money funding “research” that shows that people already eating high levels dietary cholesterol do not have their serum cholesterol increased by additional dietary cholesterol, is paying off, it seems.“Serum cholesterol concentration is clearly increased by added dietary cholesterol but the magnitude of predicted change is modulated by baseline dietary cholesterol. The greatest response is expected when baseline dietary cholesterol is near zero, while little, if any, measurable change would be expected once baseline dietary cholesterol was > 400-500 mg/d.” http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.longDoes anybody know what industry ties the current DGAC members have?Love how Dr G exposes the tricks of the dietary misinformation industry. Who’d have guessed fasting cholesterol is so misleading!Dr. Greger, this piece has recently appeared in the media: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/cholesterol-guidelines-foods-back-table/story?id=28890189 Can you provide a good rebuttal?I am getting a bit confused with the over availability of information on eggs. I have found this article/research on the BMJ (british medical journal – which should be a valid source of information): http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8539This research shows the opposit of what is said here. I would really like to have your feedback on it.Good question. Yes, BMJ is a valid journal. They conclude “The increased risk of coronary heart disease among diabetic patients and reduced risk of hemorrhagic stroke associated with higher egg consumption in subgroup analyses warrant further studies.” So it seems diabetics eating more eggs were affected by increase risk of stroke and CVD.I do happen to think that heating egg yolk does change the cholesterol in ways that may not be helpful, but this can be avoided by gently steaming eggs just until the whites are done (10 minutes) and the yolk is barley warm. Or you can cook an egg sunny side up on a very low heat for about 10 minutes, also cooking the whites and leaving the yolk barley warm, and throwing a few raw eggs in a smoothie hasn’t seemed to do any damage. Foods also act differently when in contact with different body chemistries. I wonder about any study that suddenly recommends that a food we have been consuming for centuries is suddenly bad for you. I love an organic steak now and then too, whole raw milk and raw organic butter. Again, what is good for you can differ from person to person so know yourself. I recommend Life Extension for buying blood testing protocols that will more accurately measure many of the important markers to indicate your state of health. Many docs do not use the best tests, just the cheapest.The above statement feels flawed in its hypothesis. So blood serum levels do come down in the majority of people after consumption of “cholesterol-laden” meals such as eggs? Does this not prove the point that temporary spikes are well, temporary? There is plenty of research that proves that ingestion of cholesterol doe not “clog the arteries” (bad 1980s conventional wisdom). Also, is there any thought to differentiating between the types of cholesterol here? What about talking about the fact that egg consumption was shown in a National Institutes of Health study to only temporarily increase the large particle LDL cholesterol in some people. Here’s a recent research review that I trust far more than the simplistic nonsense above: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16340654 This article feels to me like folks desperately trying to hang on to an outdated assumption.Yeah, facts be damned. It matters not to the “organic greenie weenie” bunch that actual medical studies–very very large studies and studies that conglomerate numerous other studies–have shown beyond any reasonable person’s doubt that dietary intake of cholesterol has virtually no effect on blood cholesterol levels.My grandfather passed away at age 96 (due to complications of injuries received in a car accident). Even at the end, he was stronger than probably 98% of the people in here fretting about eggs. He ate eggs virtually every day of his life. No heart problems at all.So yeah, lay off the eggs. More protein for the rest of us.	American Egg Board,animal fat,bacon,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,eggs,fat,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,meat,pork,saturated fat,sausage,smoking,tobacco,triglycerides	The cholesterol in eggs not only worsens the effects of saturated fat, but has a dramatic effect on the level of cholesterol and fat circulating in our bloodstream during the day.	Doctors are so used to testing fasting cholesterol levels to monitor the effects of drugs, they too often fall for these egg industry tactics hook, line, and sinker. Please share this video with anyone who tries to downplay the risks of eggs or dietary cholesterol in general.The smoking study I mentioned can be found here: Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis.For more videos on eggs for those who just desperately cling to egg industry propaganda, please see a few of my latest:For another jaw-dropper as to the gall of corporate interests to use the veneer of science to downplay the risks of their products, check out BOLD Indeed: Beef Lowers Cholesterol?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triglycerides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1534437,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC295526/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/222498,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7868978,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23177013,
PLAIN-2550	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/barriers-to-heart-disease-prevention/	Barriers to Heart Disease Prevention	Why don’t more doctors practice preventive cardiology? Available time is a reason frequently cited by physicians, but if you probe a little deeper, yes they complain about not having enough time to give their patients dietary advice, but the number one reason given was their perception that patients fear being deprived of all the junk their eating. Can you imagine a doctor saying, "Yeah, I’d like to tell my patients to stop smoking, but I know how much they love it."Changes in diet to reduce cholesterol levels are often assumed to result in reductions in quality of life, but do we get to live longer or is it just going to feel longer? But contrary to popular belief, this study found no apparent reduction but rather an improvement in some measures of quality of life and patient satisfaction using medical nutrition therapy as opposed to drugs for high cholesterol. Whereas people taking cholesterol-lowering drugs don’t feel any different, this study found that those using dietary changes reported significantly better health and satisfaction and better life in general. More positive feelings and fewer negative. In the Family Heart Study, for example, those placed on a cholesterol lowering diet showed significantly greater improvements in depression as well as a reduction in aggressive hostility.Another barrier to preventive cardiology is that doctors don’t realize how powerful dietary changes can be. The importance of diet for patients’ health remained underestimated by doctors. Even in the new drug-centered cholesterol guidelines emphasize that lifestyle modification should be the foundation for the reduction for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk, yet more than half of physicians may skip over lifestyle change completely and jump straight to their prescription pad doubting that cholesterol goals can be reached with lifestyle changes alone.According to the Director of the famous Framingham Heart Study, the best way to manage coronary artery disease is to lower patients’ LDL cholesterol and other atherosclerosis causing particles. You can achieve this with diet plus drugs, but if you can do it with a vegetarian diet, it works even better. In the Framingham Heart Study, those running in the Boston Marathon achieved the goal of getting their total to good cholesterol ratio under 4, but the vegetarians did even better.And if you go all out, putting people on a very high fiber, whole food, vegetable, fruit and nut diet, you can get a 25% drop in the bad to good cholesterol ratio within one week. A 33% drop in LDL. That's the cholesterol reduction equivalent to a therapeutic does of a cholesterol lowering statin drug.	Another great review! What a way to start my day.Can someone help me find some studies that correlate cholesterol to risk of heart attacks?The correlation is stronger for plasma cholesterol than dietary cholesterol: Blood cholesterol and vascular mortality by age, sex, and blood pressure: a meta-analysis of individual data from 61 prospective studies with 55,000 vascular deaths. You may want a cholesterol converter to convert the international units to the American mg/dl convention. In most diets, the LDL raising trans- and saturated fats (myristate, palmitate, laurate) have a greater effect on plasma cholesterol that than cholesterol from the diet, however for those achieving plasma cholesterol in the “heart attack proof” range (< 150 mg/dl, < 3.9 mmol/l) with low-fat plant-based diets, "modest amounts of dietary cholesterol added to a cholesterol-free diet would be expected to most efficiently elevate serum cholesterol“.Outstanding work Darryl, thank you. I need this info for skeptical friends/family who have “locked on” to the misinformation about dietary cholesterol.One question… in Paul Hopkin’s review figure 1 shows a model that predicts the increase in serum concentration as a function of dietary cholesterol. For example at the 500 mg/d ingestion level there is a predicted concentration of about 0.5 mmolar. But even if all 500 mg went into a volume of say 5 l of blood that would correspond to about 0.25 mM. Am I misinterpreting their model?Fig 1 illustrates the mathematical model Hopkins used. Actual estimates from experimental data are in Fig 2. My calculations are the same as yours. The 27 experiments Hopkins is estimating parameters from were generally multi-day controlled feeding trials in metabolic wards. Ie, “if 500 mg/d cholesterol (in pills) was added to a baseline 300 mg/d cholesterol diet over a week (or longer), how much would blood cholesterol change compared to baseline diet only”. We’d have to track down the individual studies to determine the actual durations.Begs the question, “Where does the extra cholesterol come from?” Does it seem likely that ingestion stimulates greater production too? Wouldn’t that be an obvious and glaring problem to them and their model?As always Darryl, everyone here on NF.org values your contributions. Thank you!Triglycerides, however, are from diet, are they not? From too much refined carbohydrates.. and even just from grain?The covariance of triglycerides with other CVD risk factors make them [not particularly useful](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3284229/) as clinical predictors.. However, more recent Mendelian randomization studies confirm a causal role, particularly for non-fasting/post-prandial triglycerides, though weaker than that for LDL (1, 2, 3).Sugars, high-glycemic index starches, alcohol, and health conditions like obesity, diabetes, liver or kidney disease can all contribute to elevated triglycerides. So, yes, refined carbs contribute. On the other hand, insoluble fiber, like that in beans and whole grains reduce both glycemic index and triglycerides in human trials, and are both consistently associated with lower risk from a variety of diseases. On balance I think starches remain the safest source for the bulk of calories, but I try to eat the whole grain/bean/tuber with the fiber, rather than refined products. My weakness is white rice, but my trigs are well within the normal range (< 150 mg/dL).The physicians I work (except one) don’t care about patients enough to encourage them to eat healthier. Sad but true. I have been at my current practice for over one year and we even created a professionally edited video of our patients that have reversed there diabetes, obesity, erectile dysfunction, hypertension etc. They (the docs) have read the evidence, and seen the incredible results but still the docs look at me and the dietitian like Deer in the Headlights. One of the physicians still explains, “Remember, those sick patients pay our bills.” Absolutely ludicrous, I say!This goes out to everyone that keeps this website functioning: Keep up the great work!Thanks for the insiders perspective (though now I have to be even a wee bit more cynical ! :-)). It seems to me that big ag and big pharma happily profit from a generally unhealthy population but I naively assumed that most docs were victims stuck in the middle, trying to help their patients but overwhelmed by corporate influence. I guess it’s a little more nuanced than that…In nearly thirty years of practice I have never heard a colleague make a comment like that. If I wanted to work twice the hours I could easily have twice the number of patients. The insinuation that physicians intentionally keep patients sick to increase business is “absolutely ludicrous.”You are a statistic of one, as is the one doc that Hemo referenced. She did not insinuate that ALL physicians intentionally keep patients sick to increase business. And you may not think like that and are well within your right to believe that most don’t, but don’t you insinuate that none do because that would be a ludicrous assertion./What RappFan said. For over 30 years I have heard my dr’s say: “Diabetics are babies” (referring to my complaint about fatigue), another said that it was “all in your imagination” in reference to other complaints. NOT ONE even hinted that I could TRY changing to a whole foods, plant-based diet as pioneered by real physicians like Kempner, Ornish, Pritikin, Esselstyn, Campbell et al. Rather, they all got in line to dope me up, slice me up and collect the cash. Wake up and smell the…erm… absolutely watercress.“The insinuation that physicians intentionally keep patients sick to increase business is ‘absolutely ludicrous.'”Interestingly, that is what I used to think as well.Dr Hemo you work with a bunch of slugs!I think it is more complicated then they just don’t care. They don’t know any better is probably more accurate. They don’t believe patients will change or they themselves eat like that and don’t exercise. It is practically impossible for a doctor to sell a patient on a WFPB diet and exercise with a fat tire around their waist and a hamburger in one hand!I have great luck with my patients. It takes time and I can’t put any pressure on them but little by little they drop the animal and start to exercise more.I feel for you….you must be so frustrated!It really is that bad! And it’s not even about the WFPB lifestyle thing. I don’t know if some of the physicians I work with have lost compassion for human beings, have ever had compassion or really just don’t care. It’s a trip to experience.I’m not frustrated (OK maybe a little) but getting burnt out quickly. I’m one of only two physicians that sees anyone who comes through the door. Heroin addict, drug abusers/malingerers, suicidal patients, acute psychosis, morbid obesity, non-compliant diabetics (I call them Limb losers), chronic pain with no desire to change. I even have a patient that tried to cut off his leg with a chain saw. It’s like I work in an ER/Psych Hospital but in an outpatient setting and even though I leave work at work it is mentally draining.We have two physicians who refuse to see those kinds of patients–they cherry pick! And they probably do that because it is so draining. I have asked them why they cherry pick but they deny it. I even had a Medical Assistant trainee recently, who has worked with all the doctors there, that asked why I see all the difficult, complex and psychiatric case patients? They asked if those are the patients I liked to see. Spontaneously I told them, “Have you ever seen a toilet?” they stared at me somewhat perplexed, I said, “That’s me.” My Nurse just busted up laughing with tears running down their face. Why? Because they saw the truth in that statement–I get dumped on. But hey, the patients need to be seen and if I don’t see them who else is going to.Regardless, when I get a patient who is interested in getting off their medication I seize the moment and when I see them change and their diseases stop or even reverse that is what motivates me to keep going; it’s hard, however, to keep making water when you are in the middle of a fire!My previous private practice was the same way with doctors. One of them would always be late to office management meeting by over 20 minutes and he would do the same to patients. And if the patient complained about having to wait so long he would go to his office and make them wait longer or go see his next patient first just to make them wait even longer! Happened nearly everyday for the two years I worked there. We had another doc at that practice that if the patient questioned the doctor at all he would kick them out of the practice! Really!!!! If the patient came to see me and wanted to switch providers, he would kick them out of the practice. His practice was mostly very compliant chronic pain patients. The reality is quite a few of the physicians I have been around have taught me there are a lot of unhappy doctors out there.I’m sharing this with you not for any empathy or sympathy but just to give you a glimpse into the crazy world of medicine.Hemodynamic: Every time I see your posts, I cheer. You are one of the good guys.But also sometimes when I see your posts, I not only get quite an interesting education about medical care, but I feel bad for you, because I know you are in such a difficult situation. I wanted to share with you the following article about a plant-based doctor who got burnt out and decided to tackle the situation in a unique way. I think there are a couple of articles about this doctor on the web and she has her own website. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/29/the-health-care-system-is-so-broken-it-s-time-for-doctors-to-strike.html http://www.idealmedicalcare.org/dr-wible.phpShe even has physician retreats: http://www.petgoatsandpapsmears.com/teleclass.phpMaybe this will help/inspire you in some way. You are such a valuable poster on this site! Thanks for your participation.Hey Thea I just saw your post ;(. Guess I should check my inbox on Discus more often. Your words are very kind and appreciated!After rereading my post I feel like I came across as probably a “down and out” burned out. But I’m not! I live my doctor life at work like the docs in M.A.S.H. (the old TV show) BJ Honneycut and Hawkeye Pierce– with a lot of humor. Oh, OK, and a Martini every once in awhile. :-)I’ll give you an example. When I was on one of my surgical rotations in residency I rounded with a very skilled 40 year surgeon who had an interesting side of humor. We performed a hemorrhoidectomy on another 70 year old Family Medicine doc (his friend). When he was done we glued a rhinestone butterfly to his left butt cheek.Medicine is kinda like a secret society and I like to let people look inside and see the real doings in medicine–The funny and the sad.I hope that made you smile. ;0Thanks for the links!Oh yes, I’m smiling big right now. :-) !!I loved M.A.S.H, so I know exactly what you are talking about. Wow, that brings back some good memories.I’m so glad/relieved to hear that things are not as bad with you as they sounded. Whew. Keep up the good work! I always love your posts. They make me smile.When you deal with people on illegal drugs and alcohol often, it’s a quick burnout. Perhaps a change of venue would be good… the rest of us need doctors like you, too.Hemodynamic, I’d love to give you a big hug! You give the kind of medical care that I admire in a doctor. I do hope that you can find a way for your practice to be more sustainable for you. You studied so long and so hard, and invested so much in becoming and continuing to be a doctor. You deserve to enjoy the work that you do without feeling like you are burning out. Yes, your workload is unfair and you are a better doctor for seeing the challenging patients that you do, but your work-life must be full of joy too. I don’t know if your workload is too heavy, but that could be adding to your sense of burnout. I think the references from Thea are an option to consider, as well as taking a course in caretaker burnout (prevention, etc.), which many healthcare workers from many different disciplines suffer from. You are not alone. I think everyone here wishes you the best in dealing with your stressful role at work.Thank you! I appreciate your kind words. See my post above to Thea.What I find particularly shocking is that bariatric surgeons are willing to put their patients on a lifelong diet that provides them with virtually no choice. That is to say, they are only allowed to eat 1/2 to one cup of food per meal. I suspect most patients would prefer to eat until they feel full. Why don’t MD’s (GP’s in particular) prescribe a whole foods, plant-based diet? Why wouldn’t this be the first line of recommendation for patients seeking bypass operations? In Canada, where the system pays, it would save a lot of taxpayer money to go the dietary route, and the patient’s quality of life would be so much better afterwards. In theory, health professionals are required to discuss risks, benefits and alternatives of their proposed treatments. Something isn’t getting through to this population. Perhaps the WFPBD researchers/MDs should be presenting their results at Bariatric surgery conventions. Maybe it is starting to happen, but I’d sure like to hear about it if these specialists are being educated on the safety and cost-effectiveness of appropriate and effective dietary treatments. FYI, Mayo clinic suggestions for post-bypass diet is here: http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bariatric-surgery/in-depth/gastric-bypass-diet/art-20048472Cardiologist approved and applauded. Thanks Dr Greger, send to every medical student and hospital administratorI eat only whole-food plant-based food at age 72 and feel good all the time, ride my bike, and walk, instead of driving.I’m a 3rd year medical student and I’d have to agree that medical nutrition training is abysmal. I had one nutrition lecture in biochemistry which consisted of a rundown on the essential vitamins. As for diet the professor said “make sure you eat a healthy diet”.What do your peers say about the lack of attention to medical nutrition? Is the word spreading among the “new guard” at all?Believe me dear Sidney that if you’re going to have a “Do It Yourself” Nutrition degree (of course with sites like NF, or others like http://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/ ) you’re going to help a LOT of people and by the way maybe after you’re a licensed doctor, you can decide to specialize in Human Nutrition (a master degree i think)… or join the Ornish Spectrum: http://ornishspectrum.com/site-certification/#section_training-certification :-)I’m an RMT in Canada (2200 hour program), graduated in 2008. Even back in my day, we had a 24 hour course in which we had to keep and analyse a 1 week food diary, studied micronutrients, macronutrients, fibre types, essential fatty acids, anti-oxidants and phyto-nutrients. It is outside our scope of practise to prescribe anything to eat – we can’t even tell people to drink water (we can tell them to keep hydrated though). I am really shocked that your med school doesn’t have more training in nutrition, given how important it is to a person’s health and given the obesity epidemic. If you are brave, I would encourage you to address this issue with the Dean of your program. It’s a huge gap in the curriculum. Perhaps you have other colleagues who can also realize the importance of nutritional education and together you can petition the Dean.i would like to know if fat free cottage cheese is ok to eat inasmuch as one serving contains 0 Fat, 0 trans fat, 10mg cholest., 15g protein and 5g carb?? thank youit would be better without it of course but it wont hurt you much especially in moderate amount and if you have a plant based diet~I think this question is best answered by looking up videos on this site about milk products, allergies they produce, impacts on disease, like arthritis, dementia, asthma, ear infections, sinus problems and especially increased risks for prostate cancer (most recent video on this was posted not long ago). Someone else’s belief that it isn’t that bad is no substitute for you looking at the risks and deciding for yourself if you want to consume it. For example, in contrast, I will never again knowingly put dairy in my body. I encourage to do a few minutes of research and decide for yourself the level of risk you want to assume.Go to Trader Joes and get organic cottage cheese… I believe it’s live culture.My my husband has been on a WFPBD for more than a year, yet his total cholesterol is around 230 with a very bad ratio LDL and HDL. Do you have any suggestion. Is he doomed to take pillsI think this is an excellent article. It gets to the problem so many people are curious about when going to a plant-based diet. Why doesn’t my doctor recommend a plant-based diet when my cholesterol is high? I will have to stop eating all the junk foods that I like so much! How will I be satisfied when I can’t eat these foods any longer? These are the reasons so many people don’t move to a plant-based diet. I personally have found that I feel better eating a whole foods plant based diet. There is no question. My LDL cholesterol has gone from around 200 to just over 160. I feel better. I don’t have cravings for junk food. Though I still have some ‘food coma’ after lunch, I feel my energy level does not have the same high and low swings that it used to have. I also used to deal with chronic fatigue and dysthemia, both of which have vastly improved since I’ve gone on this healthier diet. People sometimes make fun of the food I eat, sometimes calling it bird food (and I can laugh about it too). The fact is, I feel better now; I have no reason to go back to how I used to eat (SAD- standard american diet). In my humble opinion, not eating a plant-based diet is foolish. The other thing is that it’s not hard to make vegetarian food taste good. In fact I don’t really like tofu–my body finds it difficult to digest– so I don’t eat that much of it. There are plenty of other things to choose from and ways to season them. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, leafy greens–these all taste good naturally and with very little seasoning required. It may take some time for your taste to adjust to the new diet. But you won’t look back once you’ve made the decision to go plant based. It’s a win-win in so many ways.Sorry Esther, I meant for this to be a general post–not as a reply to your post. I do have some questions for you. Do you know how much oil/fat your husband is consuming? I know you said he’s eating whole foods and plant based. So the question is, “is he getting saturated fats from the preparation of these foods?” If the diet is solid- no excess of fats or oils in the preparation- and it is truly plant based, then there appears to be another process at work undermining his efforts. I wish I knew more to tell you. From what I’ve seen and read, very few cardiac (heart-unhealthy) patients don’t improve on a plant based diet. Don’t give up looking for the answer. JThank you. I am positive. No saturated fíats, no industrialized food, just a few drops once in a while of olive oil, around 12 to 15 pecans a week, and yes 1/2 avocado almost every day. The rest of our daily intake is : around three pieces of fruit with granola and flaxseed on almond milk, lunch is made up of veggies, chickpeas, lentils, etc, quinoa and maybe a salad. Dinner could be a fresh greens wrap, a vegetable sándwich a bowl of beans. Or some hummus. Lots of hibbiscus, green tea, no sugar fresh lemmons lemmonade. Any suggestions????Dang, that sounds incredibly healthy to me! I know that’s not terribly helpful in regards to your problem. I just wanted to take a moment to celebrate what you have accomplished. I aspire to do as well you two have. I sure hope you can figure out the cholesterol issue . Good luck!Has your husband ever had his thyroid evaluated? Has he lost any weight since going plant-based? Does he exercise? Being hypothyroid can cause high cholesterol levels until proper hormone levels are established. Exercise can help increase HDL leading to a better ratio. I would consider having the thyroid evaluated and maybe the liver. I definitely wouldn’t give up on being plant-based, though. What a fantastic accomplishment. I hope you get to the bottom of the issue.The rate and extent of recovery varies. If you want to be even more aggressive, possibly ditch the granola, almond milk and lower the fats.Exercise?I do have some questions for you. Do you know how much oil/fat your husband is consuming? I know you said he’s eating whole foods and plant based. So the question is, “is he getting saturated fats from the preparation of these foods?” If the diet is solid- no excess of fats or oils in the preparation- and it is truly plant based, then there appears to be another process at work undermining his efforts. I wish I knew more to tell you. From what I’ve seen and read, very few cardiac (heart-unhealthy) patients don’t improve on a plant based diet. Don’t give up looking for the answer. JAnd yes. We feel much better. Some issues have improved, not high cholesterol. We would never go back to SADYou might try reading Dr. John McDougall’s newsletters, september 2002 on treating cholesterol, and January 2003 on lowering triglycerides to give you some ideas in working with you and your husband’s physician. Sometimes patients have to do an experiment such as cutting out the avocado’s, nuts and fruits with a repeat panel in 2-3 weeks. Exercise helps stabilize the arterial system along with other many positive aspects. You can peruse the video’s on nutritonfacts.org for those of interest and keep tuned in as the science keeps coming. Congrats on you and your husband’s progress so far.Esther, Go to Dr. Esselstyn’s site and contact him via email. Inform him about your husband’s predicament. Leave your phone #. He often returns calls and provides his insight.Can you help me with an e-Mail address. I coul not find it in his site. Thanks a lot.In lieu of contacting Dr Esselstyn, you can post a question on Dr McDougall’s forum. https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/Thanks again. Very nice communityI think this is an excellent article. It gets to the problem so many people are curious about when going to a plant-based diet. Why doesn’t my doctor recommend a plant-based diet when my cholesterol is high? I will have to stop eating all the junk foods that I like so much! How will I be satisfied when I can’t eat these foods any longer? These are the reasons so many people don’t move to a plant-based diet. I personally have found that I feel better eating a whole foods plant based diet. There is no question. My LDL cholesterol has gone from around 200 to just over 160. I feel better. I don’t have cravings for junk food. Though I still have some ‘food coma’ after lunch, I feel my energy level does not have the same high and low swings that it used to have. I also used to deal with chronic fatigue and dysthemia, both of which have vastly improved since I’ve gone on this healthier diet. People sometimes make fun of the food I eat, sometimes calling it bird food (and I can laugh about it too). The fact is, I feel better now; I have no reason to go back to how I used to eat (SAD- standard american diet). In my humble opinion, not eating a plant-based diet is foolish. The other thing is that it’s not hard to make vegetarian food taste good. In fact I don’t really like tofu–my body finds it difficult to digest– so I don’t eat that much of it. There are plenty of other things to choose from and ways to season them. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, leafy greens–these all taste good naturally and with very little seasoning required. It may take some time for your taste to adjust to the new diet. But you won’t look back once you’ve made the decision to go plant based. It’s a win-win in so many ways.“Why then, don’t more doctors advise their patients to change their diets?”Because $$$$$$$$$$$$$$….. money. If people are sick, they go to doctors, then doctors give them drugs and similarly say, “If you feel ill again, please come back and I will give you more “medicine”.”“medicine” is bad drug. More sick people = more drugs = more $$$$$$$$$$$$ to docs. Evil cycle of money.you have the cycle half correct.More sick people = more drugs = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to Pharmaceutical companies.Doc’s only get about $60-80 for a 20 minute office visit and with that money they have to pay about a 50-60% overhead. These monies that they get are controlled by the insurance companies and every year they trend downward. Why? Because Insurance companies are for profit and have share holders that want to make a profit. So for insurance companies to make increasing amounts of money every year they have to increase insurance rates and decrease reimbursements which they do by paying less to providers and approving less procedures.I suggest you come over to Australia:The benefits:You won’t have to deal with HMOs or insurance companies.You won’t get sued unless you are mind numbingly incompetent. You will probably earn FAR more ($150-200/hr net).The downsides: You’ll see far more patients (40-60 day) No nurses or physicians assistants to help out Longer working hours (50-60 hours) and fewer holidays (due to a severe doctor shortage).The neutrals: No white coat The patients will use your first nameAll 3 (Doctors, Insurance Companies & Pharma) profit from sick people exploitation (not just the pharma). The whole health care system is based on exploitation of patients. I twice was almost conned into doing unneeded surgery (once for my back ache and a second time inside my eye – for a harmless “Birth Mark”. And don’t forget the hospitals. They charged my insurance company and sued me for more than 15K for a heat stroke I had in the park (in 100F I fainted). All they had to do was cool me down. Instead they did BRAIN SCAN & other Einsteinian unrelated crap. The vast majority are after your MONEY and it’s FRAUD.Would you think that another barrier is sometimes the physician’s or nutritionist’s own psychological denial or unwillingness to adopt a WFPB diet? Might it sometimes be that the professional is projecting his or her own unwillingness to change or “to give up” favorite foods onto the patient?Absolutely!I have 60 years and I need to try to have a reasonable life.My question is about supplements that I take, everyday:– Astaxanthin 5mg,– Pine Bark Extract (Pycnogenol) 100mg– Gingko Biloba – standardized extract (24mg Gingkoflavona glycosides and terpenes lactones 6mg), and– Coenzyme Q10 100mg.Is correct consuming these supplements? Or am I just spoiling the money and health?I also use other substances which are foods, not supplements, like Tumeric Curcumin, currently in capsule, 50mg (95% curcuminoids), but I will go to consume it in biological powder.I am thinking consume Peruvian Maca powder, bio, because, also, I suffer from erectile dysfunction after I get widowed, in August 2013.I appreciate with all my heart your possible help.I have published your work on social networks and will continue to do so, with all my enthusiasm.My thanks for the good you do to all people who have a little common sense in his head.Thank you so much.its so true, we are eating a plant based diet and we feel great and my husband heart disease is no longer a problem. Blood test show he is doing great. We feel so healthySo the question that comes to mind is if one can only partially shift to a plant based diet is it worth doing at all?I’m a 66-year-old vegan female. I walk two miles a day and keep my weight under control. Yet, I can’t seem to get my LDL below 130-150. My ratio is always good, and my HDL is good. My husband’s cholesterol was normal when he died of a major heart attack. I’m starting to wonder how important cholesterol levels really are.How long would you have to be on a vegan diet to get rid of all the plaque in the veins?I think it has been demonstrated that changes can be seen within the first 3 weeks, although I do not remember the citation. Remember to go as low fat as possible, no oils, and only whole plant foods. That is keyI already notice a big difference since for examply my eyesight improved quite a bit in the last half year and the etternal backpain went away. Also my cold fingers are gone and I have much more air while sporting. And something else is just as functional as it used to be.I’m doing mostly that. Except for the eating spoon of pumpkin seed oil I enjoy with a volumous salad, the local speciality of Austria.The pilot trial evidence is that plaque reductions are visible during angiography after 1 year (in the 1990 Ornish study) or 32-60 months (in Esselstyn’s first study) of a very low fat plant based diet.More importantly, case reports from these and other lifestyle doctors report that symptoms of angina (chest pain, esp. during moderate exercise) are dramatically reduced within weeks. I’ve also read similar early signs of improved blood flow in erectile dysfunction, a sentinel of systemic vascular disease. This seems due to better endothelial function (vessel dilation to flow), and reduced inflammation.In reduction of coronary risk, reduced endothelial inflammation is all important. Most heart attacks occur not because a plaque progressively occludes the artery, but because the fibrous cap over a plaque ruptures, flopping into the stream or sending clots downstream. Perhaps by largely eliminating the postprandial floods of inflammatory compounds (long chain saturated fats, endotoxins, etc), these fibrous caps are offered a respite to heal and strengthen. Its this that may offer coronary protection within weeks, while actual plaque reduction may take longer.I highly recommend this energetic presentation by Dr. Esselstyn. It strongly influenced my decision to go low-fat plant based.My Phosphrous is high what can I take to lower it.Doctors are lobbied hard by the pharmaceutical industry. Why isn’t it that the WFBP community hasn’t at least produced a brochure that could be delivered to all MDs in their community? I think this would be an excellent, life-saving strategy. Inexpensive. Maybe something that PCRM, VegFund or NutritionFacts could do (or combine efforts on).Thank you!!Wide differences in response to WFPB dietBoth my wife and I started eating a whole foods, plan based diet on May 1st. In my case, the results were very much as I expected. My total cholesterol dropped from 246 to 169 and my LDL dropped from 176 to 106.My wife, who ate what I ate, saw very different results. Her total cholesterol increased from 233 to 289 and her LDL increased from 148 to 198. She has historically had problems with high cholesterol and was taking a statin for several years until the muscle problems became an issue. Prior to our starting to eat a WFPB diet, she had been taking 1 gram of niacin twice a day. When we started on May 1st she reduced the niacin to 500 milligrams twice a day, so maybe that decrease in niacin resulted in her increase in LDL.However, that still leaves the real question – what can she do to get her cholesterol numbers under control if 6 months eating a WFPB diet did not do it?Thanks in advance for any suggestions.Steve: Congratulations on both of you for making this effort.I’m not a doctor, but I would suggest that you search this site for specific foods that have been shown to lower cholesterol. I would think that you are both on the right path, but your wife’s diet (and couldn’t hurt for you too) may need some tweaking to focus on certain foods for her particular problem. Just an idea.Something also to think about: I’m not always sure when I see “WFPB” written that someone else understands that term the same way I do. Are you careful to stay away from oils? All oils? And what about other high, fat processed foods such as chocolate? (a personal weakness of mine) For most people, it may not matter to have some of these things in their diet. But maybe for your wife’s situation, it would be worth being particularly strict for a while.Good luck to both of you!Thea, thanks for your suggestions. As far as our diet goes, I would say we are 95-98% compliant with our understanding of a WFPB diet (no animal products, no added fat, no processed food). In her case, maybe strict compliance is necessary, but at this level (95-98%) there is no sense of “dieting” in the negative sense. I was just shocked to see her lipid numbers actually go UP when we are eating this way.Steve: re: being surprised. I would be to. That’s very perplexing. And it sure sounds like you are doing pretty good diet-wise. Hopefully focusing on some of the foods listed on this site that have been shown to lower cholesterol would help. I sure hope so.Spoiler, question coming… lately I have been reviewing Paleo (and its many perturbations) versus Vegan (Whole Food Plant Based) diets. I recently watched the John Durant versus John Mackey debate (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ery6ez2M7aw) which made me find several answers to why I “Just say NO to Paleo”. But, one item has come up that has stumped me. Low cholesterol seems to correlate with depression, suicide and all sorts of mess. A simple google search and tons of scholarly articles seem to address the topic recently. Common sense says, if this were true, then all the populations Campbell studied would have been like lemmings running off a cliff before they ever had heart disease – but then they lived in blue zones so that doesn’t seem to happen. Any meta studies, any hints of truth here? My cholesterol is down from 233 to 162 after 1 year animal free and I am “Happy as a Lark”… should I start eating Lark eggs to stay that way :Prscoggin: I would go with common sense. I don’t personally know anyone who eats a whole plant food based diet and who later developed depression. (Not that I personally know all *that* many people…) It seems like a pretty far fetched idea to me–especially when you take into account this information from NutritionFacts: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=moodAnd here is a copy and paste from Healthy Longetivity, a wonderful science-based blogger: “In regards to depressive symptoms, a recent review of clinical trials found that cholesterol lowering statins are associated with improvements in mood scores. Furthermore, several clinical trials have found that vegetarian diets, also known to lower serum cholesterol have favorable effects on measures of mood and stress. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3568015/ http://www.nutritionj.com/content/11/1/9 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=8205407 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3783150 ”I say, don’t worry, be happy! (And good on you for your last year’s worth of work! Awesome.)Thanks, Thea. I agree, common sense should prevail. That said, I cannot find studies on these cultures that Campbell uses to prescribe a magic number of “no higher than 150 mg/dl ttl cholesterol” to prevent heart disease. Also, sites like Mayo Clinic and articles like the one from Psychiatric Times warns about low cholesterol not just from statin use but also diet. The PT article warns about ttl cholesterol below 160 mg/dl. This kind of well-recognized brand name advise is not only giving fuel to the Paleos and others and I expect this topic to get more and more abuse and turn folks away from lowering their cholesterol even below near-200s.http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/expert-answers/cholesterol-level/faq-20057952http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/depression/cholesterol-and-mood-what%E2%80%99s-linkGoing to keep looking for meta-studies of populations but I an avionics engineer and not a doctor, so a bit challenged in the medical research dept. :)Dr. Greger: Because of a genetic defect my Lp(a) is 96.1 mg/dL. 30 mg/dL puts me at high risk for heart disease and I am three times over that. My LDL is 87, HDL is 40, Triglycerides are 108, and Total Cholesterol is 149. I cannot find any research or articles on how to lower my Lp(a) through either nutrition or drugs. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks, Jeff RulifsonIm on a no cholesterol, ow fat diet, which leaves a very plant based diet. My concern is my carbs are high, 60+% of my calorie intake. But its all fruit, veggies, whole grains. How do you balance a plant based diet without carbs being an issue?High intake of carbohydrates don’t seem to be a problem. If you’d like to cut back on them cut back maybe this low-carb plant-based diet can help? I do not necessarily recommend it because I have seen excellent clinical results from a strict plant based diet: A multicenter randomized controlled trial of a plant-based nutrition program to reduce body weight and cardiovascular risk in the corporate setting: the GEICO study.Good luck whatever you choose! Let me know if you want more information. Dr. Greger explains in his book, “Carbophobia”, the importance and healthfulness of carbohydrates (unrefined whole grains). I am sure others can attest to carbohydrates not being an issue, however, do what works for you!Best regards, Josephconfused: Why are you concerned about the 60%+ carbs when they are all from fruit, veggies, and whole grains? (no beans? Oh my! ;-) ) Your diet sounds so healthy to me. If only everyone ate as well as you… If only *I* ate as well as you!!I mean that as a sincere question. It only makes sense to be concerned about a carb percentage if we have some good evidence on the topic saying it is a problem. To give you something to compare against: traditional Okinawans are some of the longest lived, healthiest people on the planet. Here is their macro-nutrient breakdown by percent of calories: >>> carbs: 85 (mostly from sweet potatoes) >>> protein: 9 >>> fat: 6 from Table 1 of: The Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life Span. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007) (Thank you Rami for this info several years ago. It is priceless.)By that measure, your carbs are on the low side. *NOT* that I’m saying your carbs are really too low. I’m just giving you something to compare against.Does that help with your concern?	alternative medicine,athletes,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,complementary medicine,depression,fiber,Framingham Heart Study,fruit,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,Lifestyle medicine,mood,nuts,plant-based diets,statins,vegans,vegetarians	According to the Director of the famous Framingham Heart Study, the best way to manage cholesterol and heart disease risk is with a more plant-based diet. Why then, don’t more doctors advise their patients to change their diets?	Dr. Ornish talks about how diet can be more sustainable than drugs, since compliance is more based on love-of-life rather than fear-of-death. See his editorial in Convergence of Evidence.More on how lifestyle medicine is not only safer, and cheaper, but more effective:Many physicians just weren’t taught the power of diet:But there have been cases of the medical profession actively seeking to limit further nutrition training. See my series about a bill in California:Why not take drugs every day for the rest of our lives instead of using dietary change? That’s the question I ask in my video Fast Food: Do You Want Fries With That Lipitor? Not only is that not treating the root cause, but there are potentially serious drug side-effects. See, for example, Statin Muscle Toxicity and Statin Cholesterol Drugs and Invasive Breast Cancer	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/framingham-heart-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11288049,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12434938,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3825914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17577295,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23177484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9860378,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1416556,
PLAIN-2551	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/	Treating Gout with Cherry Juice	Over the last 40 years, the burden of gout, a painful inflammatory arthritis, has risen considerably, now affecting millions of Americans. Gout is now the most common inflammatory arthritis in men and older women.In my video, Gout Treatment with a Cherry on Top, I profiled new research, suggesting that even as little as a half a cup of cherries a day may significantly lower the risk of gout attacks. Fresh cherries aren’t always in season, though, so I listed a few alternatives, and frozen appeared second-best, with cherry juice concentrate the runner-up. But does concentrated cherry juice actually help prevent attacks of gout? We didn’t know, until now.The first pilot study was a randomized controlled trial cherry juice concentrate with pomegranate juice concentrate as a control for the prevention of attacks in gout sufferers who were having as many as four attacks a month. The cherry group got a tablespoon of cherry juice concentrate twice a day for four months, and the control group got a tablespoon of pomegranate juice concentrate twice a day for four months.The number of gout flares in the cherry group dropped from an average of 5 down to 2, better than the pomegranate group, which only dropped from about 5 to 4. And about half of those in the cherry group who were on prescription anti-inflammatory drugs were able to stop their medications within two months after starting the cherry juice, as opposed to of the patients in the pomegranate group.The second was a retrospective study over the longer term. 24 gout patients went from having about seven attacks a year, down to two. The researchers conclude that cherry juice concentrate is efficacious for the prevention of gout flares.Large long-term randomized controlled trials are needed to further evaluate the usefulness of cherries and cherry juice concentrate for gout flare prophylaxis.So, are cherries now ripe for use as a complementary therapeutic in gout? This commentator is of the opinion that the current state of evidence remains insufficient to formally recommend cherry fruit or cherry products as complementary therapeutic remedy for gout. This commentator is also a paid consultant of nine different drug companies, all of which manufacture gout medications. I understand how the pharmaceutical industry can get nervous seeing studies where half of patients were able to stop taking their gout drugs, given the billions of dollars at stake, but what’s the downside of eating a half cup of cherries a day, or worst comes to worst a few spoonfuls of cherry juice a day?	“Until now!” That cherry juice shot went down nice and smooth. :-)Perhaps my two favorite words from Dr. Greger ;-)Dave: Me too! I get such a kick every time he says it. I don’t know why. But I think it’s because I have built up such anticipation by that point and then, whew, relief! ;-)I’ve been meaning to say something about those 2 little words. Thanks for bringing it up.Thea – Did you try the 28 day experiment of eating 2 cups of cherries every day? Your posts sounded like you would try it and I’ve wondered how that worked.Jean: Yes I did try it and already posted a detailed account of my experiment and results. It would have been on the same page as the video that talked about cherry juice and headaches. I hope you can find that posting.I really want a t-shirt that says “We didn’t know…until now.” And the website on the back.guest: That’s just awesome! I’m totally forwarding your idea onto the staff at NF. Maybe they could make this happen some day as a fundraiser for the site. What a fun idea!ABSOLUTELY!!!! Sign me up for one! XS. Thanks!! :)I love that phrase too! John Sawesome thanks! Good to know the admins read these comments too. :)Next will be the vegan dare to wear the tshirt at a steak house, order nothing but salad and potatoes and when ppl ask you why no meat you point to the shirt. Keep them curious.guest: I can’t remember if you are the first person to bring up this t-shirt idea or not. But I wanted to let you and everyone else on this thread know that more sayings/shirt ideas have surfaced and that Dr. Greger and the NF staff are trying to figure out how to make this happen. They are researching the idea, starting with an informal pole on Facebook. The following page is a post asking people what designs they would like to see on a t-shirt. Everyone (who has Facebook–you can see the page without a Facebook account, but not vote) is welcome to participate!https://www.facebook.com/NutritionFacts.org/posts/1019332464749929It is an exciting phrase isn’t it!Haha! I also love that bit. It is the Dr Greger catch phrase! When the nutrition facts logo loads at the video start there is an “smash” sound followed by three tones. I bet the three tones stand for “Un — Til — Now”. :)I will say that I have noticed using my iPad the newest video of the day will not show up automatically when I hit my bookmark to go to nutrition facts.org. I have to actually search in the menu under videos and then it will bring up the video of the day. It would be nice if the video of the day showed up automatically. Just a suggestion.yes, I noticed the same glitch today. It came up with Friday’s video. But loading all the videos I saw today’s.Thanks for the feedback! I’ve passed it on to our web developer so hopefully it will be fixed soon.Just to let you know the same problem was happening on my Windows 7 computer at work. I cleared the history list and the daily video loaded correctly. I’m going to try this on my iPod now to see if that works. He will be interesting to see what happens with Wednesday’s new video.The chart at 41sec implies that anthocyanins are the active ingredient in cherries that make it effective against gout. But there are many other foods just as high or higher in anthocyanins, for example: acai, many varieties of berries, dark grapes, dark plums, eggplant, red cabbage, black rice and purple corn to name a few. Why would these foods not be helpful in treating gout too?The study only looked at cherries?Not all plant remedies have the clout of Brownwood Acres Foods to help fund pilot studies, as the Schlesinger study did.Extracts of numerous other plants have been found to inhibit xanthine oxidase in a test tube (its the target of anti-gout medications allopurinol and febuxustat). Among these studies, crude extracts of European blackcurrant (one of the most concentrated anthocyanin sources) rate highly. However, to date there may be only one other clinical trial of a plant based gout remedy, using a polyherbal concoction with dill, autumn crocus, ashwagandha and ginger.Also recommended for treatment of gout: vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, exercise normalizing weight. Avoid Meat, fish, poultry, refined grains, eggs, alcohol, potatoes etc. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16820041 Sounds similar to the recommendations of a certain doctor who runs this website.Those all sound like excellent reccomendations and as a vegan I follow them, though I still am having a flare up of gout (interesting timing re. this video). Perhaps even some of us vegans are more prone (genetically ?) to manufacture too much uric acid. Curiously, to save a little cash, I recently stopped using cherry juice as a component of my morning smoothie – guess I’ve learned the error of my ways !Also (for prevention), coffee 1, 2, 3.It’s true! We switched our diet a little over a year ago to follow Esselstyn’s vegan no oil/sugar/low salt plan for reduction of arterial plaque, and after 16 years on Allopurinal, it is no longer necessary – neither are the cholesterol and blood pressure medications taken for just as long! Although cruciferous veg are high in purines, they are different than animal purines, and don’t seem to promote gout. Whatever the reason, it is nice not to have to take so much medicine!Thanks for sharing your story. I’m glad the new dietary approach has been so successful.I use Black cherry juice for my mom with dementia – only about 1/4th cup a day – and it really keeps her calm and even improved her blood pressure considerably. She also moves around a lot better too, so less risk for falling.Your mom might benefit from coconut oil . About two tablespoons a day of virgin organic oil has often had a great result on patients for dementia . skin , and joints . It is believed Lauric acid a strong antiviral is a cholesterol helper in this ailment , Drs, Oz , Fife, Gerhauser et al have you tube videos on this subject. aka type 3 diabetes low sugar to the brain. Ginko , tumeric , vegan raw and detox protocols also help.Here are two good video from Dr Greger on Coconut Oil, I’m sorry but we need to separate the marketing between the scientific fact. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/Every cherry season I go crazy eating cherries, as many as I can. Red, Bing, yellow, and any other kind I can find that are natural and often organic too. However, I see here that what I should be going after as far as health is concerned is “tart cherries. What is the difference and am I getting any benefit from eating regular cherry fruit or not. I love cherries and have planted about 7 small cherry trees in my backyard just because I like them so much. Is that doing anything positive for my health, or just another tasty sugary junk food that is slightly better than cookies and ice cream?How is what the “health care” industry doing any different from a confidence trickster or extortionist? We seem to have a society that is driven by anti-social behavior, criminal at best, and as time has gone by the bad has taken over the good, and is exporting itself via guns and bombs to the rest of the world.Capitalism IS antisocialism lol. I recommend that you freeze some or buy some and eat them throughout the year rather than gorging on the only in season. The tart ones have different chemical profiles, which affect us in different ways. Probably good to eat a mix of both, the tart cherries were shown to be good for sleep regulation in particular.Cherries are great for you…cookies & Ice cream are terrible for you lol. Waaaayy apart on the nutritional scale.I really was not suggesting equivalence between cherries and cookies now. I meant that in the way that nutrition experts now tell people not to drink a lot of orange juice because it has as much sugar as soda.Gotta say though at a high or 9 or 10 dollars a pound here in the Bay Area fresh ripe cherries are extremely expensive. Many times you pay that money and they are not very good anyway, but if you get them on sale, as is true of everything around here, there is always going to be something wrong with them, i.e. they are not ripe or they are over-ripe or there is something weird about them like the color or texture. Paying that price I don’t get that many and want to eat them when they are best. I don’t normally eat for medical purposes, though I guess the stuff I don’t eat, I don’t eat for medical/health reasons.I agree, but I personally drink a lot of juices, but I lead an athletic lifestyle, and only consume the juices pre, during, or immediately post exercise. I know that they aren’t the best but they are such a convenient source of energy, reliable also, when on the move. Would take me two hours sitting & digesting to get the same energy package from whole foods.. fruit is good, but has such an unreliable quality it’s not even funny!I buy “ready to eat” mangos, leave them at room temp and wait around 8-14 days for them to reach optimum taste lol. Takes a lot of planning and buying in advance. I always eat whole foods whenever I know I will have a few hours to wait on digestion however..Pie cherries are easier to grow and a much smaller tree than sweet cherries. Birds steal them much less and they get fewer diseases and bugs. They are easier to net. The only problem is if you live in a place that gets few hours below 45 degrees in the winter, because pie cherries need chill in the winter. John S PDX ORWould simply shifting to a WFPD fix gout problems in the long run?New transcript icon alongside video does not work. Old icon button below video always did. because speed so slow my area it’s important for me to read transcript rather than view video. Please revert to earlier method if poss. Thanks.Hi Adrian, thanks for letting us know! It should be fixed now. Can you let me know if it’s not working for you? Just shoot me an email at Tommasina[at]nutritionfacts.org. Thanks for your help!Click on Acknowledgements and then View Transcript button and it will work !!!Treating the cause would be even better, and the cause for gout is well known, excess protein, sugar, animal products, the only real remedy is stopping the causes~I couldn’t find a better place for “ask the doctor”, so…I saw one reviewer who recommended bone marrow. Simply cook chicken bones into a broth and you get a healthier gut, immune system and nails and hair, but I don’t understand the logic other than the calcium and vitamin C that might be possible (and of course lots of Iron if that could be considered a positive thing).Is this supportable?Thank you!!!! Love it! I have an older friend who who has all kinds of auto immun. problems gout one of them. She is 74 and can not move any facial muscles without extreme pain! So eating, and speaking are only if completely necessary. She is going through tests and we are hoping these symptoms can go away again, but it is only getting worse! Any tips for this horrible situation she is trying to survive through? Laura at ShapersYes. mmmm. Love the cherries and love the benefits of them. I’ve not personally had to suffer with Gout but know people who do.My husband suffers from gout attacks about three times a year. We are lowfat vegan and we aren’t sure what triggered it. He had a night of drinking but also we had increased our bean intake for a few weeks. Is there anything to show him that it couldn’t be the beans starting the attacks. We have an awesome diet which is heavily based on watching Dr. Gregor’s videos as well our favorite plant based Nutrition Experts. I can’t imagine a diet without beans/lentils etc. He is currently taking ACV in water and frozen cherries in smoothies.Hi Cary, I can see the problem is low-fat Vegan. If your eating low-fat, I take it your consuming lots of starchy foods and fruits. Fructose is known to have a bigger impact on uric acid levels than meat and alcohol. Fat has no effect.Drinking can trigger an attack if his body is more acidic than alkaline, or just simply being out of balance. Fat helps with that. Another common trigger people don’t know about is trauma. Did he stub is toe at all or bend it? That can trigger an attack rather quickly.Honestly, your probably safe with the beans and lentils, I highly doubt that has any effect on gout, I would highly caution you about the low-fat vegan though. The low fat isn’t doing the body any favor in regards to hormonal balance, and if your consuming high amounts of sugar in the form of fruits and starchy foods, those need to go to keep the uric acid levels down. Green veggies are fine, and yams, but outside of that, the rest of the veggies & fruits will have to take a back seat for awhile.Some food for though about gout. It was always called the “kings” disease because it was thought to come with their rich diet. Well that is somewhat true, some aspects of the diet do raise uric acid levels, but it’s not what everyone seems to think it is.It used to be that people jumped all over meat as the culprit, well kings weren’t the only one to consume it, so did the common folk and in the same quantities. Alcohol possibly? Well Alcohol is known to raise uric acid, everyone agrees on this, and some alcohol is known to trigger attacks; however, common folk also consumed that too.There is one food though that common folk and peasants rarely ever ate, and that was fruit. Kings, queens, and whatever royalty always used to have that giant 2-3 level tray in the area with various types of fruit. The rest of the populace however didn’t have it, fruit was the treat and not fit for the common.So knowing this if were going to start pointing fingers at what has the biggest effect on uric acid levels, look no further than sugar (fructose). Fruits got it, but meat sure doesn’t, nor really does alcohol. So if we separate the classes from their typical diets, fruits were the 1 addition to the kings diet that the rest of the populace didn’t have.This however is not enough to strike a gout attack, there is always a trigger, and it usually is a 2 pronged attack. 1) Your body is more acidic than alkaline, 2) The trigger, it could be something as simple as trauma like stubbing your toe or over-bending it.	alternative medicine,arthritis,cherries,complementary medicine,frozen fruit,gout,industry influence,joint disease,joint health,juice,pomegranate juice,uric acid	Cherry consumption has been shown to successfully prevent gout arthritis attacks, but what about cherry juice concentrate?	Here are the other videos I’ve done on the power of cherries to control inflammation:Tart cherries (the kind people make pies out of, not the sweet kind) may also help with sleep (Tart Cherries for Insomnia).What do you do with frozen cherries? I just eat them straight—suck on them like popsicles, but they’re also an integral part of my Healthy Chocolate Milkshakes.Another way to help treat gout is to drink lots of water and keep one’s urine alkaline by eating lots of dark green leafy vegetables (see Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple Cabbage).	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frozen-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranate-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gout/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23023818,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23334899,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23023794,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23416419,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21229414,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22653201,
PLAIN-2552	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/	MRSA Superbugs in Meat	As a rule, high-ranking public-health officials try to avoid apocalyptic descriptors. So it’s worrying to hear those like the Director of the CDC warn of a coming health “nightmare” and a “catastrophic threat.” A number of prominent publications recently warn of the threat of antibiotic resistance. The CDC estimates that at a minimum, more than two million people are sickened every year with antibiotic-resistant infections in the United States, with at least 23,000 dying as a result.We may be at the dawn of a post-antibiotic era. Achievements in modern medicine, such as surgery and the treatment of preterm babies, which we today take for granted, would not be possible without access to effective treatment for bacterial infections. For example, without antibiotics, the rate of postoperative infection after a procedure like a hip replacement would be 40-50% and about 1 in 3 those patients would die. So the so-called worst case scenarios where resistant infections could cost like $50 billion a year might still be an underestimate. From cradle to grave, antibiotics have become pivotal in safeguarding the overall health of human societies.So the dire phrasing from head officials may be warranted. There are now infections like carbapenem-resistent enterobacter resistant to nearly all antibiotics, even to so-called drugs of last resort. Worryingly, some of these last resort drugs are being used extensively in animal agriculture.According to the World Health Organization, more antibiotics are fed to farmed animals than is used to treat disease in human patients. Doctors overprescribe antibiotics, but huge amounts of antibiotics are used in fish farming and other intensive animal agriculture, up to four times the amount used in human medicine. Why? Suboptimum growth to slaughter weight caused by unsanitary conditions can be compensated with addition of antibiotics to feed. Instead of relieving any stressful overcrowded unhygienic conditions, it may be cheaper to just dose the animals with drugs.In this way, factory farms are driving the growth of antibiotic-resistant organisms that cause human diseases. This may help bolster the industry’s bottom line, but in the process, bacteria are developing antimicrobial resistance, which affects human health.In the United States, the FDA reports that 80% of antibiotics in the United States are used in food animals, mainly to promote growth in this kind of high-density production. This can select for antibiotic-resistant bacteria like methicillin-resistant Staph aureus, “mersa,” or MRSA, considered a serious threat in the United States.These industrial pig operations may provide optimal conditions for the introduction and transmission of MRSA. US pork producers are currently permitted to use 29 antibiotic drugs in feed—without a prescription, are currently added to about 90% of pigs starter feeds.When animals receive unnecessary antibiotics, bacteria can be come resistant to the drugs, then travel on meat to the store, and end up causing hard-to-treat illnesses in people.MRSA present in retail raw meat may serve as a possible source of bacterial infections of food preparers in the food industry and hands of consumers in the home. Once MRSA gets into our homes on meat, it can transfer to our cutting boards, knives, and onto our skin at a rate similar to the rate of transmission from touching an infected patient contaminated with MRSA. Washing of hands after touching raw pork is advised.	so we have two solutions: 1) ban antibiotics in animal feed; 2) stop eating meat (or animal) based products… in fact we have that the meat industry is most probably the primary cause of MRSA bugs: this a menace to public health and not only in US, but in all the world because now bugs can travel by aircraft within hosts. I think it’s time for this kind of industries to fail once and for all.Well, I agree that that would be great but I think public policy types facing the big ag and pharma machines probably need more nuanced solutions if they want to have any success at confronting antibiotic resistance (though I’m not convinced that there actually is any solution – nature seems to have designed us to be self limiting re. population – too bad it apparently has to be in such a catastrophic way)The first is the nuance solution, at least the amount of antibiotics released in the environment would be much less… unfortunately seems “bad” bugs won, they develop resistence in few years while to find a new antibiotic (i mean an ex novo drug) we need at least ten year (optimistic prevision)… it’s not a matter on “if”, but on “when” our weapons against infections will be useless.Dr. Greger, can you read over the research article on low-salt diets that’s presented in this article: http://online.wsj.com/articles/recommended-salt-levels-could-do-more-harm-than-good-study-suggests-1407964274The article states that those eating less than 3,000 mg of sodium a day had MORE heart problems and death. It’s a very odd conclusion given the recommended amount is less than 1,500 mg of sodium. They also state that there is no real evidence suggesting that low-salt diets are beneficial in any way. This is all very confusing since the thought of people naturally consuming 3,000-9,000 mg of sodium (without processed foods) seems a bit far-fetched. What was the salt intake of our ancestors in the past? Of animals in general?Thank you.This is a nice review of the current research by Dr. Topol the Current Editor of Medscape. Click the link below for a good read and check out the graph. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/830444 And Yes, according to the latest research, you are at lowest risk of death or cardiovascular events (Heart Attack, Stroke, TIA etc.) if you consume about 4-5 grams of sodium a day. If you consume the recommended AHA guideline of 1.5 grams per day you double you risk of death or a cardiovascular event. Now the AHA (American Heart Association) is backing off their guideline.This would be a great subject (salt intake and risk of death and CV diasease) for future Videtorials by Dr. Greger and the crew! Hint, Hint.That’s a relatively superficial analysis in-article. It doesn’t comment on the idea that 2.3 g sodium is well supported while preferring to focus on the new proposed limit of 1.5g, which is presently controversial. It also makes little effort to think about the potential defects in PURE such as the curent low duration, making reverse causation more likely. It’s silly to represent PURE as if it were the majority of recent research, and even if it were, that wouldn’t make it better than older accumulated research. For that to be true, the study design, scale, and scope must be better, but PURE has some serious limitations.“Piggeries?” I didn’t even know that was a word ;-)Of interesting note: I had a patient last weak that had what looked like MRSA so I I&D it. (Incision and Drainage). I treated with the CDC recommended antibiotic Clindamycin. The Culture grew MRSA, but to my dismay it was resistant to Clindamycin. This is the first time in my 8 years treating MRSA in the outpatient setting that I have seen resistance to Clindamycin.So the Videtorial of the day is well taken–we are running out of options to treat our infections from these superbugs!One of my Microbiology professor told at the class one day of the past year that he lost 8 patients (i do not remember if they were already at high risks for other problems or not) in few days thanks to those damn MRSA bacteria… and there other risk too from the drug itself… i mind if there are other options available out there ’cause main surgeries could be really upset by this threat.How did we forget the lessons of Agostino Bassi and simple carbolic acid wash. Basic cleanliness and good technique is the way. Over use of antibiotics must be stopped…by force if necessary. “Book ‘em Dano!”Carbolic acid … are you kidding … it is toxic. Carbolic acid is phenol, benzene with a hydroxyl group added on. You are going to use force to make people wash stuff with a chemical that can burn you?Here is a bit more about phenol from Wikipedia:Phenol and its vapors are corrosive to the eyes, the skin, and the respiratory tract.[37] Repeated or prolonged skin contact with phenol may cause dermatitis, or even second and third-degree burns.[38] Inhalation of phenol vapor may cause lungedema.[37] The substance may cause harmful effects on the central nervous system and heart, resulting in dysrhythmia,seizures, and coma.[39] The kidneys may be affected as well. Long-term or repeated exposure of the substance may have harmful effects on the liver and kidneys.[40] There is no evidence that phenol causes cancer in humans.[41] Besides itshydrophobic effects, another mechanism for the toxicity of phenol may be the formation of phenoxyl radicals.[42]Chemical burns from skin exposures can be decontaminated by washing with polyethylene glycol,[43] isopropyl alcohol,[44] or perhaps even copious amounts of water.[45] Removal of contaminated clothing is required, as well as immediate hospitaltreatment for large splashes. This is particularly important if the phenol is mixed with chloroform (a commonly-used mixture in molecular biology for DNA and RNA purification). Phenol is also a reproductive toxin causing increased risk of abortion and low birth weight indicating retarded development in utero.OK, Settle down. You’re point is taken…but was there no lesson from its use by the pioneers in sterile technique … juxtapositioned to the modern prophylactic use of antibiotics?So what’s the plan now for that patient?Culture and Sensitivity of the “bug” showed it was sensitive to Bactrim, so that is what I put them on. That in and of itself is interesting because most MRSA bugs are resistant to Bactrim. They came back and wound/abscess has healed well.It depends on where you are. Here in Washington most of our MRSA is still sensitive to bactrim. The first one that I found resistant was just 3 months ago. I recently had one that was sensitive to only tetracycline as the only oral option, otherwise he would have ended up on IV antibiotics. Now that one scared me to no end.The carnage isn’t framed for it to become news. “Public Health worries” is future, so it isn’t news in the USA, where the future is always thought to be good. Positive Thinking has ruined America. People dying in beds just isn’t considered that bad, I guess. One American overseas gets his head cut off on You Tube and we get ready for war, while thousands die needlessly in hospitals here, and we do nothing. MRSA has already become a problem in ordinary operations that a few years back were almost 100 percent successful. There’s no point in having advanced procedures if you can’t use them safely. Life insurance premiums are going to go through the roof, maybe that’s news?It is a concern to me that when I go out to eat that there are so few vegetarian or vegan restaurants. A fast food chain like Chipotles, or the many fast food Mexican restaurants where one can eat a vegan meal serve/handle meat right next to those nice healthy beans. Cross contamination from cooking/serving activities seems inevitable.So has it been studied if those who don’t eat meat and eat healthy vegan diets are less prone to developing drug resistant infections? I have not eaten meat in over 20 yrs and quit dairy a few years ago but did not consume it constantly and for a long time used organic milk. But I work in health care with MRSA people. And if I eat my onions, garlic, greens, etc will my immunity be better to protect me from all this?From the Dr’s note above — ” I know I’ve already covered this before, but it continues to shock me that the meat industry can get away with something so forcefully and universally condemned by the public health community. What other industrial sector could get away with putting people at such risk? It speaks to the combined might of the livestock industry and the pharmaceutical industry in holding sway over our democratic process no matter what the human health consequences.” It has to do with politics. There is only one way to stop them and that is to STOP buying their product. Nothing else will work as long as the meat and dairy association and the Pharmaceutical companies are allowed to bribe the politicians.My 29 year old son has recently decided he wants to bulk up, undoubtedly to impress others. He eats excessive amounts of meat ( for ex. A large steak with a chicken Caesar salad…also soy protein powder). What specifically can I point to for the dangers of this lifestyle…..oh forgot to add the couple of beers with the meal! He thinks he is healthy because he runs 5 miles a day.Talk to him about this site : http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=article_buildingmuscle ; there are many ways to build up muscles :-)Speaking of not eating meat, is it true that vitamin B12 is too large a molecule to be absorbed under the tongue? I have read several claims that the only reason sublingual works is because of the high dosage and ending up swallowing it anyway.Pretty much. The sublingual claims were never based on solid evidence, and it should be easy for you to understand how a consumer heuristic (I kinda heard that sublingual administration is generally better for many substances) could be bolstered by marketing (some people pay more for sublingual b12 pills, so we better market our pills as suitable to be placed under the tongue!) into a spurious belief (sublingual is the best/safest/only possible route for b12 supplementation.)From the NIH fact sheet:“In addition to oral dietary supplements, vitamin B12 is available in sublingual preparations as tablets or lozenges. These preparations are frequently marketed as having superior bioavailability, although evidence suggests no difference in efficacy between oral and sublingual forms.”Note that one of the two studies they cite in support of that claim is a double-blind RCT: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/#en16It could be that sublinguals make for a slower release that is advantageous under some circumstances, but for the general population, it seems there is no good reason to pay more for ‘sublingual’ pills, and no reason not to simply swallow them if that’s what you have.Thanks very much for the excellent reply. Good thing the ones I got were dirt cheap anyway! That’s somewhat annoying to not swallow for so long. Done with that!Hello, what is the opinion on whole bread on this site? This thing seems to be very hard to digest and very irritating on GI tract and is also very salty most of the time…I’ve recently discovered this website and it has totally changed the way I think about diet. The one aspect that I have some questions about is native cultures that rely on a mostly meat based diet, such as native Alaskans. I have heard that if they switch to a more Western diet they develop increased cardiovascular risk. Does anyone know if they have a higher risk on their native diets? Is there a reason why they have been able to thrive for so long on a meat based diet? Any insight/thoughts on this would be great.Hi Dr. P! Thanks for letting us know that this site has been helpful. I never tire of reading posts like this.re: “Is there a reason why they have been able to thrive for so long on a meat based diet?” From what I have seen, “thrive” is a myth. People from those native cultures which have a lot of meat do not live very long generally due to the harsh conditions in which they live. But even by the time they reach the early ages in which they die, the people show signs of heart disease. We even see this in ancient mummies who could not have been influenced by modern diets/products.Here is a copy of a post from “xfjea” that is very helpful: “The idea of excellent cardiovascular health among inuits is probably based on inaccurate data. See this review from 2003: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12535749 ”And here is what Graham wrote: “Autopsy data on pre-westernised Inuit shows lots of data for atherosclerosis in the Inuit. http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Atherosclerosis-in-Pre-Westernized-Inuit.pdf ”If this topic interests you, Plant Positive has some wonderful details and source materials on the topic. Search for words on the following link/page such as: masai, alaska, eskimo, etc. Then click the links to watch the videos. You can also click in his search box for “inuit”. Or even better, go to the top of the list of the “Primitive Nutrition” series and watch the whole thing. :-) It’s *very* educational. http://plantpositive.com/Hope that helps.Thanks for the additional information. That was very helpful and now I’m getting sucked into the plant positive website. It’s pretty great.:-) Awesome Dr. P! You made my day. I love helping.	antibiotics,CDC,drug residues,factory farming practices,farm animals,FDA,feed additives,fish,food poisoning,foodborne illness,lifespan,longevity,mortality,MRSA,pork,staph infection,surgery,World Health Organization	The emergence of pathogens resistant to even our antibiotics of last resort has raised the specter of a “post-antibiotic age” in which drugs to fight infections may be useless. This has focused attention on the mass use of antibiotics in farm animal feed to promote growth and prevent infection in high density production.	I know I’ve already covered this before, but it continues to shock me that the meat industry can get away with something so forcefully and universally condemned by the public health community. What other industrial sector could get away with putting people at such risk? It speaks to the combined might of the livestock industry and the pharmaceutical industry in holding sway over our democratic process no matter what the human health consequences.If you’ve missed my other MRSA videos, check out:And for more on this critical issue in general:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/staph-infection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/drug-residues/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23279691,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24043228,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22664761,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23726208,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3421789/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23479660,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24252483,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21460476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24290687,
PLAIN-2553	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/	How to Prevent Prediabetes in Children	Prediabetes is not just a high risk state for the development of diabetes--prediabetes can be a disease itself. People with prediabetes may already have damage to their eyes, kidneys, blood vessels, and heart.Evidence from numerous studies suggests that the chronic complications of type 2 diabetes start to develop during the prediabetic state. So by the time we have prediabetes, it may already too late to prevent organ damage, so best to prevent prediabetes in the first place, and the earlier the better.Thirty years ago, virtually all diabetes in young individuals was thought to be autoimmune type 1 diabetes, But since the mid-90s we started to see an increase in type 2 diabetes among our youth, particularly in the United States. Indeed, the term adult onset diabetes has now been scrapped and replaced with “Type 2” because children as young as eight are now developing the disease. And the effects can be just as devastating. A fifteen-year follow-up of children diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes found an alarming rate in young adults of blindness, amputation, kidney failure, and death in young adulthood.Why the dramatic rise in childhood diabetes? Because of the dramatic rise in childhood obesity. During the past 30 years, the number of children diagnosed as being overweight has increased by more than 100%. Once an obese child reaches age 6, it’s likely they’ll stay that way. And even if they don’t, being overweight in our youth predicts adult disease and death regardless of adult body weight.Being an overweight teen may predict disease risk 55 years later. Twice the risk of dying from heart attack, more cancer, gout, arthritis. In fact being overweight as a teen was a more powerful predictor of these risks then being overweight in adulthood. This underscores the importance of focusing on preventing childhood obesity.How do we do it? From the official American Academy of Pediatrics clinical practice guidelines. The problem appears to be kids eating too much fat, and added sugars, and not eating enough fruits and vegetables.Doctors, at every occasion beginning soon after a child’s birth, should endeavor to give sound advice regarding nutrition and growth so that obesity and its complications may be curtailed. What might sound advice sound like?The chair of the nutrition department at Loma Linda published a paper suggesting not eating meat at all might be an effective strategy. Population studies have consistently shown that vegetarians are thinner than comparable nonvegetarians. This is from the largest such study to date.A body mass index over 30 is considered obese, 25 to 30 overweight, and under 25 ideal weight. The non-vegetarians were up at 28.8, the average meateater in the U.S. is significantly overweight. As one gets more and more plant based the average BMI drops. But even the average vegetarian in the U.S. is overweight. The only dietary group that was, on average, ideal weight, were those eating strictly plant-based. So that’s about a 33 pound difference between the vegans and the meateaters.Vegetarian children grow up not only thinner, but taller. Vegetarian kids grow to be about an inch taller than other kids. Apparently meat intake is somehow negatively associated with height.I can just hear the dairy council saying it’s because all the milk the veggie kids must be drinking, but no. The veg kids consumed significantly less dairy, and much lower animal protein intake overall.Meat intake is apparently associated with growing wider, though. In school-aged children, the consumption of animal foods (meats, dairy, or eggs) is associated with an increased risk of overweight, whereas plant-based equivalents like veggie burgers, veggie dogs, veggie cold cuts were not, and the whole plant foods like grains, beans, and nuts were found to be protective.This may be because plant-based diets are low in energy density and high in starch, fiber, and water, which may increase feelings of fullness and resting energy expenditure, meaning resting metabolic rate. Eating plant-based appears to boost metabolism, such that you just burn more calories at rest. However, we’re not sure how much of the benefits are due to increased consumption of plant foods versus decreased consumption of meat.Plant-based diets should be encouraged and promoted for optimal health. Local, national, and international food policies are warranted to support social marketing messages and to reduce the social, cultural, economic, and political forces that make it difficult to promote such diets.For example, although the advice to consume a plant-based diet is sound, questions arise concerning the relatively high price of produce. Yes we could reduce the burden of childhood obesity, prevent the further spread of the disease, but we need to ensure that plant foods are affordable and accessible to children of all income levels.Fruits and vegetables may not fit on the Dollar Menu, but our kids are worth it. Getting diabetes in childhood cuts about 20 years of their life. Who among us wouldn’t go to the ends of the Earth to enable our kids to live 20 years longer?	Hi dr. Greger, it’s a bit off topic but I have been using a b12 supplement and noticed there’s lactose in there. Could this be a problem?If you’re lactose intolerant, probably. In terms of health, I don’t think it can be risky. That being said, lactose don’t have to be in a B12 supplement. I’m sure you could easily find lots of cheap vitamin B12 without lactose.Please delete this post and post it in the B12 discussion area. Thanks.And exactly where is this off topic discussion area? How does one access it? Thanks.This video is about childhood diabetes. Your post is about B12.put b-12 in the search box and find a B12 discussionBrowse Topics does not show B12 and I can’t find the search box on this new web site. This web site gives some information but many times just leaves more ?’s and there is no where that I can find to get any answers.Hi there, I’m sorry to hear that the new format isn’t working for you! If you look at the top bar of the website, you should see a magnifying glass–that is the new search icon. If you click that, the search bar will appear. You can find lots of videos on B12 there: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=b12. I hope that helps!Thank you for sharing your feedback. I’m passing it along so hopefully it will improve the site for everyone.☺Thanks Tommasina. There isn’t a magnifying glass but there is the word menu with 3 bars on the right and in clicking that I find the search box and other items.Our web developer just changed the format of the search bar based on your feedback, so you should now see a more visible search bar that says “Search NutritionFacts.org” next to a green “Search” button–do you see that at the top of your browser window? If you can’t see it, would you mind emailing me at Tommasina[at]nutritionfacts.org and we can trouble-shoot it together? Thanks for your help with this!Tobias: I understand that the culture can be different at other sites, but NutritionFacts does allow off topic posts.The culture on the Internet and in society in general, last time I checked, is to NOT change the subject when someone initiates a topic. In any context, that is RUDE. I know people do this all the time here.So if I understand your logic correctly if I had a patient come to my office for high blood pressure and I walked in and said, “how is your high blood pressure today?” And then they break down and start crying about how they just lost their mother, then I should say, “well you know you made your appointment for high blood pressure we will discuss that today, but you have to make another appointment for your acute depression.”because in any context apparently that is rude.” As far as I’m concerned it would be considered rude not to listen to the patient about their acute stress and depression. So my point is sometimes it’s easier for patients to bring up their problems in the most current area rather than waiting to find the appropriate place because sometimes people can’t find the appropriate place to make their discussion. We, as human beings, should be open to that. So I would look at this website not only as an information site with current discussions but also as a discussion site for other needs of patients that do not get those needs met by their current providers.This is a discussion board not an emergency room or doctor’s office. If you want to discuss B12, go to a related thread and discuss it there.HemoDynamic: That’s a great analogy. Thank you for your compassion and helping to show so clearly why we do things the way we do here.Dr. HemoDynamic, I think you’re taking liberties with Dr. Greger’s message…stretching your interpretation a bit. You missed the point. (Or ignored it.) Whether your patient has emotional problems or not, the cheapest, most effective treatment for high blood pressure is to take your patient off meat and dairy. It’s that simple. Indeed, this board is most excellent for patients who’s health needs aren’t being met by their current medical providers. I’m guessing that’s most everyone. Unfortunately you won’t refer them here.The lactose is just a filler and a few hundred mgs won’t cause a problem. But there are B12 preps out there with less adulteration…ask the clerk. Good luckEvery new parent needs to see this video. Pediatricians should be giving this information to their patients. It amazes me that some parents will watch what they eat for health or weight control reasons, but feed their kids unlimited saturated fat and sugar. The perception is that the kids will burn it off or even that they need it to grow. Heartbreaking!Nice. Vegetarian kids grow taller! That is a nice little snippet.Exercise works well for diabetic adults, I wonder if the same holds true for kids.Except that institutions like the WCRF have implicated adult height as a positive risk factor for some cancers in populations: http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/cancer_resource_center/downloads/chapters/chapter_06.pdfAn important question is what hormonal path you took in getting to extra height.For those of us who can’t hear, the “transcript” is not working. I click on “view transcript”, nothing opens up.Click on Acknowledgements first; then click View Transcripts. Why this works I cannot say.Great video! I wanted to say that the new website is fantastic using Google Chrome, but when using Internet Explorer I’m not able to your page. This is a big problem because I use this website every single day in my patient rooms demonstra to my patients the benefits of eating healthiealso the editor in my iPad doesn’t allow me to press enter to make another line and it is much more difficult to edit a message I even have my IT department working on the problem but they haven’t been able to resolve it. Any suggestions?Yikes! Anyone else having problems with Explorer? What version are you using?I use Firefox. The new webpage works well on my new, wide-screen Vaio notebook, however, there is a problem on my older Vaio, which has a smaller screen. The smaller screen notebook only shows the video portion of the webpage –like an extreme closeup–no room for the rest of the page! It is a bit off-putting to open the page and find this huge picture staring me in the face!On my Firefox, the home page used to show the lastest video when I signed on, now it shows on old video not the latest video as it did in the past. Now I have to search for the latest videoI do not think many people will have this problem with Internet explorer, unless they are running it under a Microsoft server. This is what we run at her office and the terminals we have in the rooms are not actually full blown computers they are what are called thin”clients”. It is not allowing me to view the pages, search engine, sources cited, transcripts, search engine etc. I will keep you updated and give you info as to the fix when we discover it.Update to the Video display problem with the patient room Terminals Screens: Apparently it is caused by outdated Java. It will be updated this weekend and I will keep you informed of the result. Enjoy the weekend!Unless you really *really* need Java in those computers (which very rarely would be necessary) deinstall the java plugin — For example, this site works perfectly for me, and I don’t have Java installed.The reason there is nothing more vulnerable to attacks. Avoid Java, you don’t need it to browse this site. Of course given that those are thin terminals you would need to say something regarding this to the IT department.In your personal computer tho, make sure you don’t have the plugin for Java in your browser. That is valid for everyone.Java should be a lot safer than activeX and most likely flash also. The reason is the Java applet security model tightly controls network connections and only allows connection back to the original server that served the page.That said, Java would be less safe than no java, all else equal. The real question is, do you care about losing the web pages that require it?Thank you for the video. A bit off topic, I was wondering if there was any constructive thoughts regarding the latest article from the Times article, ”A Call for a Low-Carb Diet That Embraces Fat – NYTimes.com”A good response from David Katz:“Diet Research, Stuck in the Stone Age” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/post_8304_b_5752160.htmlI feel that is a great response from Dr. Katz. I don’t agree with Dr. Katz a lot but I have to give credit when credit is due.The research that they quote is junk, just like the food they ate!Lower the carbs and increase the diseases,Surely children on high dairy diets grow faster and taller? with the attendant problems of eating dairy products meant for an animal that grows much faster than humans. I have been a vegan for decades on a mostly raw diet at 71 works for me :-)This surprised me as well.This result was among Adventists, and only about 15% of Adventist “vegetarians” are vegan. The majority are ovo-lacto vegetarian, and childhood growth and plasma IGF-1 have repeatedly correlated with dairy intake, rather than other animal protein sources.When eggs,or milk or even meat consumed are referred to in research findings without specific information about how the animals were fed and treated important differences may be missed,as with supplements, surely food state will have different outcomes from the synthetic cheap type made down to a price often produced by big farm companies?Many of the constituents of animal foods of most concern are also present in organic, grass-fed, free-range, lovingly stroked animals too. Organic dairy milk will have high levels of leucine and microRNA-21, for example. Its intrinsic to milk’s biological purpose.The differences between animal meat and dairy caused by differences in diet are insignificant when you learn ANY animal meat overloads humans with too much protein and taxes our kidneys tying to digest it. Meat protein triggers cancer growth. “Lean” “healthy” meat clogs arteries. Meat has zero fiber causing colon cancer. The list goes on. Sounds like you WANT to believe you can eat meat and not be at risk. Look at the facts objectively and you will want to change your dietary ways. I’d get nauseous if forced to eat meat.Milk grows animals faster when that dairy is of that species. Cow milk overloads human babies with protein and fat and deprives us of what mother’s milk contains. A baby rat won’t do as well on cow milk either.It will be nice when plant-based/vegan diets are more common so that we can get more of all of this information specifically for vegans. Maybe the vegetarian kids aren’t getting more animal protein, and it’s the plant consumption/lack of meat consumption making them taller. Or maybe it’s the steroids found in dairy, that they’re most likely getting more of than their meat-eating counterparts if total animal protein is constant. On the other hand maybe dairy is constant between them, and meat is instead being replaced by more eggs. Further complicating is the huge range within the label “vegetarian”. In so many studies you see vegans studied by themselves but labelled as vegetarians, you see them all lumped in together with lacto-ovo vegetarians, and in others, who knows how of a range there is in plant/animal consumption within a population of true lacto-/ovo-veg/pesca-tarians. Can we please start conducting research with meaning and clarity and for cripes sake, can someone go measure some vegan kids??Americans have been eating fast food for so long that they do not know how to feed themselves let alone their kids. People believe giving up fast food and meat means they are going to starve to death which I guess is why every time I tell some one I’m a vegan they ALWAYS ask, “Well, what do you eat?” People might be feeling they are taking their kids’ childhoods away by denying them junk food or that their kids would never eat a wfpb diet. There are so many dairy and meat alternatives so kids could still take a sandwich to school for lunch and so many delicious recipes that kids would not miss the animal products. Parents just need to educate themselves and plan meals out in advance which I understand is a hard job but worth it.When ask, “what do you eat?” I reply, “Anything but meat and dairy!”I am not able to blow up the screen like I could before the new web changes. I really miss that.Plant based diet seems to me to be less expensive than when i was buying meats and fish, so i was a bit confused by Dr. Greger discussing the high cost of plant based, since processed pre made foods and snack foods are what many people seem to purchase on food subsidies from studies i have read and personal observations at the store.I also found the phrasing in that bit surprising. If one looks at cost in terms of servings rather than calories, then most of the produce section would be considered the “dollar menu” or less. And grains and beans would be on the “three to six servings for a dollar” menu. The concept of a plant based diet being more costly is absolutely a myth, and I do hate to see it repeated.That said, access to healthy food and education on what to eat and how to prepare it are important challenges for many. I would like to see the plant based movement as a whole become more aware of social justice issues and make a pointed effort to reach out to the disenfranchised in our society who are disproportionately affected in our current health crisis.Don’t want to put words in his mouth but sometimes it seems Dr. Greger is reading what the article says and we presume it’s his view. It might become irritating if at the end of each video he provided a disclaimer saying he just reads em. Once you get his rhythm and views it’s easy to discern between what he reads and when he is making his point…often with emphasis.It’s true, he’s often just the messenger for whatever research other people are doing. But he does provide critiques and counterarguments at times, particularly when a study’s findings are in disagreement with the promotion of a plant based diet. I guess I’m surprised he didn’t choose to present a contrary opinion to what the researchers state in this case. Especially given his previous videos about this very subject where he argues that healthy food is in fact cheaper.Please comment on the new study showing low carb diet was better than low fat for both weight loss and CVD. The ghost of Atkins arises?Look above and search for the Boomer post about Dr David Katz response to the NYT article…It doesn’t seem that new posts are coming along by 7 AM as they had been. I miss the dates/times/et.al. Today’s Blog post. I have checked every day at 7 AM and look forward to news posts daily. THANKS!!!! Please advise.Hi David! We’re posting at 7 AM as usual, but I think there’s some sort of bug we need to work out that might be preventing your browser from loading the new video-of-the-day. I’ve heard that clearing out one’s web history may solve the problem, but our web developer is working on it. Thanks for your feedback!Hi Dr.Greger, my question is off topic too. I was wondering if commercially distilled water ok/safe or good to drink?Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness. Any thoughts or nutritional suggestions for treating this condition. Would like to pass it along to a good friend who is suffering and working hard for a resolution. Thank you!All of Dr Greger’s video make you pause for reflection at the end, but this one brought a tear to my eye.Organic produce is more expensive but organic meat is absurdly expensive so its good to think of eating meat once a week or less, actually. I have gone weeks with no meat purchased because of the cost, and we won’t eat conventionally raised meat for humane reasons and GMO contamination.What benefit is derived from eating meat once a week? (Other than the fact you’re not eating it the other six days.)Hello, what is the opinion on this site of whole bread? This thing seems to be very hard to digest and very irritating on GI tract and is also very salty most of the time~~“Whole bread” might not be the same food as “whole grain bread”. Read the label and discover what’s actually in it. What is added to preserve or flavor your choice of breads? If you can’t find a whole grain product, try making your own whole grain bread before you give up. If you cannot bake or buy a healthy bread that you find palatable then eating white bread is still a very poor choice. Don’t give up yet, it may simply be a matter of your palate needing a couple weeks to adjust to the new flavor and texture.Using Firefox the top banner on the webpage cuts off part of the video. I can’t see the journal references without making the video full screen.A person who wants answers about b12 would be far better served, far more likely to get answers if they posted in ANY of Dr Greger’s thread ON THE SUBJECT, all shown here, http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=b12Hi Dr, Greger, First let me say that I really appreciate your work. Your site has made a huge difference in the way I see nutrition. Practising a method described in one of your videos regarding crohn’s disease has really changed my life. And now to my question :) I couldn’t find any video in your site regarding Diabetes type I – I think it will be very interesting to know more about it from your perspective. Thanks again, Ron.How to prevent pre-diabetes in young children? Don’t feed them tons of fruit or starchy foods.	American Academy of Pediatrics,amputations,animal fat,animal products,animal protein,arthritis,autoimmune diseases,beans,blindness,calories,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,children,cost savings,dairy,diabetes,eggs,eye disease,eye health,fat,fiber,fruit,gout,grains,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney health,Loma Linda University,meat,milk,mortality,nuts,obesity,plant-based diets,prediabetes,sugar,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,veggie burgers,veggie dogs,vision,water	Prediabetes is a disease in and of itself, associated with early damage to the eyes, kidneys, and heart. The explosion of diabetes in children is a result of our epidemic of childhood obesity. A plant-based diet may help, given that vegetarian kids grow up not only taller, but thinner.	We make life and death decisions at the grocery store buying food for our family. It’s never too early to start our kids off on the right foot. See my video Heart Disease Starts in Childhood.And healthy doesn’t have to mean more expensive. Check out Eating Healthy on a Budget.For some tips on getting our kids to eat their vegetables, see my videos Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at School and Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at Home.Once one has prediabetes, there’s a way to prevent it from progressing further. See my previous video How to Prevent Prediabetes from Turning into Diabetes.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-academy-of-pediatrics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/loma-linda-university/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gout/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amputations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23953075,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1855500,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1406836,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23359584,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17099367,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3752182/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19318384,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19321559,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22683128,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24379917,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18316946,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19298423,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16061606,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20237136,
PLAIN-2554	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes/	How to Prevent Prediabetes from Turning into Diabetes	In just one decade, the number of people with diabetes has more than doubled. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by 2050, one out of every three of us may have diabetes. What’s the big deal?Well, the consequences of diabetes are legion: the #1 cause of adult-onset blindness, the number one cause of kidney failure, and the number one cause of surgical amputations. What can we do to prevent it?Well, the onset of type 2 diabetes is gradual, with most individuals progressing through a state of prediabetes, a condition now striking approximately 1 in 3 Americans, but only about 1 in 10 even knows it. Since current methods of treating diabetes remain inadequate, prevention is preferable, but what works better, lifestyle changes or drugs? We didn’t know until this landmark study was published in New England Journal of Medicine.Thousands were randomized to get a good double dose of the leading antidiabetes drug or diet and exercise. The drug, metformin, is probably the safest diabetes drug there is. Causes diarrhea in about half, makes 1 in 4 nauseous, about 1 in 10 suffer from asthenia, from the Greek meaning lack of strength, physical weakness and fatigue, but only about 1 in 67,000 are killed by the drug every year.And it worked. Compared to placebo, in terms of the percentage number of people developing diabetes within the four-year study period, fewer people in the drug group developed diabetes.But diet and exercise alone worked better. The lifestyle intervention reduced diabetes incidence by 58 percent, compared to only 31 percent with the drug. The lifestyle intervention was significantly more effective than the drug, and had fewer side-effects. More than three quarters of those on the drug reported gastrointestinal symptoms, though there was more muscle soreness reported in the lifestyle group, on account they were actually exercising.That’s what other studies have subsequently found: non-drug approaches are superior to drug-based approaches for diabetes prevention. And the 50% or so drop in risk was not for people that actually improved their diet and lifestyle, but just for those instructed to improve their diet and lifestyle, whether or not they actually did it.This is one of the most famous diabetes prevention studies. 500 people with prediabetes randomized into a lifestyle intervention or control group, and during the trial, the risk of diabetes was reduced by that same 50-60%, but only a fraction of the patients met the modest goals. Even in the lifestyle intervention group, only about a quarter were able to eat enough fiber, meaning whole plant foods, and cut down on enough saturated fat, which in this country is mostly dairy, dessert, chicken, and pork. But they did better than the control group, and fewer of them developed diabetes because of it. But what if you looked just at the folks that actually made the lifestyle changes, met at least 4 out of 5 of those wimpy goals? They had zero diabetes. None of them got diabetes. A 100% drop in risk.Bottom line: Type 2 diabetes can be prevented by changes in lifestyle even in high-risk prediabetic subjects.The fact, then, that type 2 diabetes, a largely preventable disorder, has reached such epidemic proportion is a public health humiliation.	public health humiliation = huge private accumulation (profit)… because a chronic disease “managed” using chronic prescription drugs it’s the best way to make money… but maybe i am a pessimistic guy and big pharma is really a good entity, they just did their job after all…No, you are right. Humiliation? That’s putting it lightly. This is an immense fraud committed against the people. On the other hand, the people are equally responsible.We have policies in place that make a healthy lifestyle hard right? How many people can walk to work or the grocery store? We have policies in America that have subsidized sprawl, and put limits on the kind of density that makes walking, biking an easy choice.We also subsidize the production and sale of junk food.If we actually had a democrat system here… Instead of a two party, money based system i think things we be different. Healthy lifestyle choices might be easierIf people can see that they’re being setup by the medical system, or whatever demonic system this is, to be dependent on the medical system, in state of compromised health, for the last 15-20 years of their lives, maybe we’d see a change. I see this in my own family, with a history of heart disease, as soon as I found out, I was able to drop my cholesterol from high risk to normal, 245 to 187, and that’s only 4 months after changing diets. Someone else in my family is faces a similar situation BUT with this DR beginning to tell him he’ll likely need statins to get the cholesterol down. Meanwhile, we’re discovering with another family member that his statins are likely causes nerve damage and making it harder for him to walk and go down stairs, setting him up for a fall. What a detestable scenario. Eating has become a sport, not something we enjoy because it’s giving us the nutrients we need.Actually studies show that there is a huge migration from suburbs back to cities. That’s a matter of choice.Can I see the study?I think that it isn’t really a suburb vs cities thing. There are really great walkable, bikeable suburbs out there. And there are also cities that are so dangerous you wouldn’t think of walking to the bus stop. It just seems to me that there are very big structural things that we could be doing to make America more healthy. Those structural things are really hard to implement when our government is as dysfunctional as it is now.If we were able to get some voting reform (anti Gerry-manderying reform, ranked voting) we would probably start getting candidates in office that more represented their constituents (not super extreme candidates). These kinds of candidates would probably be more helpful in planning policies that led to a more resilient America (like moving subsidies away from junk food and dairy to kale and berries, ).I am not an urban planner or a policy maker or a public health official. I’ve just read a lot of books… but it seems to me these larger structural issues have largely determined where we have gotten to today with our epidemics of chronic diseases.Tbatts666, you are right to some degree, BUT a healthy lifestyle is available for anyone who chooses it and the information is out there for anyone to find IF they are interested. Most want to have their cake and eat it too, but it is a slow suicide.Tobias, I largely agree with you, but was wondering if, by “subsidize the production and sale of junk food,” you simply mean our tariffs on imported sugar. I don’t see how our subsidies for making ethanol from corn, for example, spill over to the production of high fructose corn syrup. What did you have in mind? Subsidies to big businesses like McDonald’s to sell their hamburgers overseas?We could start by lowering the subsidies to the big three: corn, wheat, & soy; they get over $100 billion annually. That’s why so much of our food, drink, & livestock is directly or indirectly related to these three. For just a fraction of a percent of that cost, we could invest in nutritional education, and lifestyle intervention, saving us hundreds of billions in health care costs. But, who in government wants that? Answer: no one. There’s no money in health, and seemingly, limitless funding by those who want to perpetually treat disease. Just try to win a presidential primary in Iowa, where Monsanto’s GMO corn is the state’s life line by proposing a cut in corn subsidies.I hope we could became much more informed until we will free ourselves from the most common disease… and change the future of our society…Diabetes heredity factor in my family and all five siblings have it. Good to know I can prevent it for myself.I know many people who have diabetes and what I have observed is they just do not get this information from their health care providers. They get prescriptions and are maybe advised to go to the diabetes diet class (which they rarely do.) The diabetics I know would need a residential program such as the McDougall program in California to understand the science and adopt the lifestyle changes. We need more residential programs to educate diabetic patients on the facts of the disease and how diet and exercise can prevent and cure. Out-patient programs providing regular education and vegan meals would be far better than the care diabetics are getting presently. And, it would be nice if health insurance would reimburse the costs of these programs.I have type I diabetes and I am convinced that many of the same dietary factors could have prevented it because of the auto immune factors. However the side effects mentioned are equally important to me. I had diabetes for over 6 years when I came across an article in the Journal of Chronic diseases that accounted for improved control limiting side effects from diabetes. Side effects?! I didn’t know about any side effect! So I asked my doctor why I was not informed of this fact that poor control is associated with all the mentioned side effects and others. “Most people just don’t want to know,” he said. Well they never asked me and I believe this patronizing BS is at the root of much of the reluctance to pursue this. Then of course there is the fact of the level of ignorance in the medical profession.Patronizing attitudes probably come from doctors advising patients to watch their diets but not really educating them on how to change. My family members who have diabetes would need a comprehensive approach with meals and education provided. They won’t take or follow the advise. A doctor would waste his/her time just telling them what they should eat and not eat. And more importantly, as you said, most doctors are unaware and uninterested in the vegan diet/exercise treatment. I have tried to convince family members that a trip to the McDougall program would ultimately cost less than the numerous doctor visits and medications they currently pay for even with insurance. They won’t listen to me, but after 10 days of listening to Dr. McDougall and the other experts, they would get it. And, they would know how to follow the program. All they do now is take their pills/injections and play with watching their diet (and get sicker.). It is upsetting to watch.Actually you’re into something really important here. You are obviously, and I think appropriately, frustrated with those close to you deliberately hurting themselves. I think the comprehensive program is a tremendous idea. But this needs to be handled on all levels. We do have a ubiquitous barrage of nonsense from the meat, dairy and egg industries which makes it all the harder. With fish and chicken presented as a healthy alternative in most recommendations, it is no wonder that people have continuing trouble taking seriously any sound science. So what can we do that might be constructive? I think that for one thing we need to show a positive example. Use your own example and those of others you read about here.I plan on handing my new doctor the pamphlet put out by Kaiser Permanente on universal recommendations of a plant based diet. I’m betting she has no idea that this is an important idea. I’ll also give her a dvd of Dr Greger’s latest on living better and not just longer. After all she is dealing with lots of diabetics and I’ll bet her nutrition knowledge is very poor.Not likely she will listen to me but the more everyone hears such things the more effective it will be. Good luck on your endeavors. Do what you can and don’t expect too much.Yes, you are right about setting a good example. I know my sick family members are impressed with my excellent health, know what I am doing with diet and exercise and they do ask questions. I attended the McDougall Costa Rica adventure trip in June and later told family about the people I met who had attended the 10-day program and reversed health problems. Family members think about what I tell them and agree they need to make changes, but then I fly back home from my visit and no one is there to reinforce the message – certainly not their doctors.It all has to do with choice. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink. It would be nice if Dr’s reinforced the message, BUT, IF they truly wanted to get well they would make the changes without the Dr. or anyone else. We have to act on our own.Stewart. Where do you get the Kaiser pamphlet? I am a member of Kaiser and have lowered my A1C to 6.2 (from 8) by following a plant based diet for the last year. My doctor never heard of changing diet to “cure” diabetes. I have recommended Neil Barnard’s book to her for information but she does not seem to be interested. I have never been told by any doctor to try changing my diet to control type 2 diabetes. It is very frustrating. ThanksI found it on this web site. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/ and if you go to the sources sited tab you will find the pamphlet. (http://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/Images/New%20Plant%20Based%20Booklet%201214_tcm28-781815.pdf) You obviously want to educate your doctor, wanting to do the same thing of course I think this is great. I plan to give it to the new doctor I will be seeing this month and just remark that I wish this had been available years ago. Given the source there is a better than even chance that it will be read.I’m curious Lynne, how long have you been diabetic? And how strict are you regarding oils. Your record is outstanding 6.2 from 8 is a wow. With type 1 I am generally delighted with a 6.3. The reason I ask is, rather than referring to sources like McDougall or Greger et al, I am going to try referring to individual stories like yours when talking with friends and family. It depends on the situation.I think that for a doctor, the Kaiser Permanente pamphlet will be a credible source. Michael Greger does a good job examining peer reviewed studies so his presentation is very credible and will likely carry an impact provided you can get it seen. The Kaiser Permanente pamphlet in effect has credibility stamped all over the cover.With the things listed that can be salubriously impacted with good nutrition this should be in every doctors office. I have cured my psoriatic arthritis, reduced my weight to an appropriate level, seem to have eliminated colds, improved my diabetes control and hopefully not made myself too obnoxious telling people how I have done it. The latter is hard when I see a neighbor who is almost 20 years younger than I, is obese, has migraines, colds and all sorts of minor ailments so that she misses work about once a month. She can barely walk some days. Oh yes there are some overt symptoms of coronary artery disease and her mother has had a stroke and the neighbor might still predecease her mother. (She thinks having the hot dog without a bun might make it healthier.) I only run 4 miles on a bad day and I am applying for medicare this month. The difference is not magic or luck or even discipline. It is knowledge.Sorry Lynne, you can see I do get would up and rant but I was absolutely delighted to see your efforts at education as well as the medical results you brought about for yourself. I tell every diabetic that he/she should be their own primary care giver. A good doctor can be very important as a coach. But it is your body and your responsibility. You have obviously taken that to heart with better results than what the doctor has done. .I have been diabetic for about 10 years. Started with neuropathy (said I didn’t have diabetes) for 5 years before that. I started by watching and reading Forks Over Knives and read Neal Barnard’s book. I am not a vegan – having trouble giving up cheese! But I eat very little cheese and mostly vegetables and good grains and I do cook with a little olive oil. I have lost 40 pounds and have taken myself off of all medications ( with my Doctor’s knowledge if not her approval). I have taken no metformin, Blood pressure or cholesterol meds in about a year. Never felt better in my life but I still have the neuropathy and have to watch my feet all the time. I am going to take the pamphlet in to my next appointment. I wish Kaiser and other health providers would do a better job of educating their doctors and nurses! Thanks so much for the info.Lynne, just interested if your B12 levels are good. I had peripheral neuropathy years ago and come to find out I had pernicious anemia. PN is one of the symptoms of PA. I was taking B12 but absorbing none.I do take B12 5000mcg daily. My neuropathy never seems to improve but I guess I am getting used to it. Not much pain involved after all these years – just numbnessLynn, try the supplement alpha lipoic acid. A book written by Dr Wes Youngberg has in his book called “Goodbye Diabetes” says it works very well to help “greatly reduce symptoms associated with diabetic neuropathy”. He recommends 300 milligrams twice a day. Also he says ” first make sure you are manage your blood sugars real well. This will go along way toward halting nerve damage.”I know too many diabetics that do not want to change their eating or lifestyle no matter what type of information they get.We need to accept the ones who won’t change & keep looking and exposing information to the ones who will change!I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes eighteen months ago (A1C of 6.0) and about the same time watched “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.” I started juicing and then migrated to Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian approach. Today, with no animal products in my diet, I’ve lost 50 pounds, cut my blood pressure medicine in half, dropped my cholesterol from 200 to 130 and my A1C is 5.5. Dr. Greger is spot on.TucsonJim what a great story! So many patients won’t make those changes. You rock!What Veganrunner said! I have a similar story to tell, and I am never going back to the SAD situation in which this country’s overfed and undernourished population finds itself. I know I’m just preaching to the choir, but in addition to the most cynical comments here with which I totally agree, the real problem is that most non-WFPB folks out there cannot see past the tips of their tongues. Their taste buds have been taken hostage by the processed food industry to the point that most Americans (and increasingly, the entire world population) have no idea anymore what real whole food is supposed to taste like. Real food is so unpalatable to them they cannot and will not give real food a chance long enough to allow their taste buds to clear out. And, of course, the food industry wants it that way. The tongue is the MASTER ORGAN of the body; the tongue RULES their behavior so that every bite gets the dopamine rush they have been conditioned to expect from food. It is a huge problem and no amount of talking or explaining or directing to this or other reputable websites will make any difference to them. It is a hopeless situation. Which is just the way the profiteers of all stripes connected to this problem want it. And they have won, as far as I can tell.They’ve won a hundred years ago. The people must lead others out of this situation by example. The horrible “silver lining” is when too many addicts get too sick to function then change becomes compulsory. We will reach that tipping point soon.Congrats! that is a HUGE accomplishment, keep up the good work.I agree with you TucsonJim — I watched FS&ND and followed nutritarian to transition to 100% plant-based wholefoodist and am no longer pre-diabetic, lost 150 pounds, reversed heart disease and a whole host of other chronic and degenerative ailments. It took some time to fully transition, but Dr. Greger, Dr’s Campbell, Dr. Barnard, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Klaper, Dr. Fuhrman all gave me the scientific backing to pursue the lifestyle and succeed with dietary sanity. :)Great accomplishment!I don’t see any mention of Type 1.5 (LADA) diabetes. It is estimated that 10% of diabetics are actually LADA–Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults. When diabetes cannot be controlled with exercise and/or oral medication, one should check for pancreatic antibodies, which is what I have. In other words, many thin adults are late starters for Type 1 diabetes.You make an outstanding point. In effect I believe most type I diabetics begin as type 1.5. I began with symptoms on or about my 21st birthday. I was put on insulin and the dosage gradually went from 20 units per day to about 50. This process (I believe) occurred as my beta cells were being destroyed. Of course the doctors had no idea of why this was going on. Only when I developed psoriatic arthritis did I start learning about the importance of diet in auto immune disease.With hind sight, I am fairly certain that my diet of today would have prevented my type I diabetes. I have reduced my insulin intake by about 25% due to almost no saturated fats and eliminating the animal proteins. OK OK the fiber certainly helps as well. I have also with a strictly plant based diet eliminated enough inflammatory factors to be free of the arthritis but the diabetes will always remain since the beta cells are now dead. The bottom line though is that the treatment might be the same, a diet that eliminates all animal products.Thanks for your reply. I have Type 1.5 and insulin dosage as yet to be regulated. Trying to get an insulin pump.I got my first pump back in the 70s. A pump was designed for chemo therapy and someone had the bright idea of using it for subcutaneous insulin infusion. It was the size of a brick. I had to go to a saddle maker to get a holster made for it. It also used a hard needle instead of today’s soft cannula. Let me tell you, they are much better now. You will need to do many blood tests but life will be better.Dr. Greger, not only does this video, as always, kick butt in both an informational as well as entertainment sense, but also — WOW — your new website design is FANTASTIC!!! :-DI, too, love the new website!Oh, thank you for the feedback–please let me know if you can think of any way to improve it further…Oh, thank you for the feedback–please let me know if you can think of any way to improve it further…Will do Dr. Greger!It looks awesome indeed but does seem to suffer from load problems. Consider switching from apache to nginx or using nginx as a reverse proxy.nginx is currently in the works. :)excellent! Love the rest of your work on the website as well. Does cloudflare deliver?The website design is beautiful—a very clean, refreshing look. I feel healthier already.Dr Greger: In the redesigned site, searching is a two-click process. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to keep the old, one-click process?On AOL the transcript and notes have missing lines but it is all there on Google Chrome. I personally have an aversion to pop up ads and don’t appreciate the window taking over the screen. I’m already signed up. That is just an annoyance. I’ll get used to the new website look and function but change isn’t always easy.been having some errors pop up with the search tab, but I am sure you are already working on that :)I liked the feature on the old site, that the “Previous Video” was posted near the new video. Thank you for your dedication and efforts to improve this site. Monday thru Friday the first website I go to is this site.Basically diabetes is a type of malnutrition. If you watch Ebola videos you will see a similar sub-clinical malnutrition. They appear to be eating a meat and rice diet neglecting salad which has Vitamin K for clotting and Vitamin C plus other phyto-nutrients to boost the immune system. This appears to result from a violation of fixed Natural Law which results in famine even when the person is eating food. 15 times the book of Jeremiah says some form of Jer_24:10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence,…This video presents information that has been established for over a decade. It’s quite clear that improving diet and moving improves metabolic flexibility. Current research has clearly indicated that insulin resistance is multifactorial and is a result of an improper diet, sedentary lifestyle, stress, sleep dysfunction and toxin exposure. Implementing a plant based diet (not a vegan diet) with sufficient protein and fat intake, training diversity, stress management, proper sleep habits and minimizing toxin exposure is the CURRENT functional medicine prescription to effectively reverse insulin resistance and T2D.What is the difference between WFPB and vegan? And do you think the United States has an issue with not getting enough protein and fat?You could be a vegan eating oily French fries, Coke and Twinkies. Whole food denotes less processed food. And protein deficiency is unheard of in this country.Oh yes. Very true. Plus I like the term WFPB for just that reason. Maybe I should change my name!!Ryan seems to think there could be a problem with sufficient fat and protein. I wasn’t clear from his statement.Yes I know a couple of vegans who eat badly with the fake meats etc. Have you read those labels? Scary.The optimal diet is different for everyone based on biochemical individuality, age, gender, conditions, lifestyle, SNP’s, etc. The vegan diet for a prolonged period of time is lacking key nutrients and EFA’s that are required to maintain optimal physiology which includes proper biotransformation and conjugation, neurotransmitter and hormonal balance, and mitochondrial metabolic flexibility. Removing the SAD diet and implementing a balanced plant-based foodplan is advised for optimal health but cherry picking scientific literature to support one’s nutrition philosophy are not accurate nutrition facts.Well it is not lacking key nutrients other than B12 which I choose to get from a bottle instead of a dirty stream.I don’t need to link resources because they are under nutrition topics. Have a go at them.Good plan. WFPB diets are far superior to the alternatives, and supplementing B12 and maybe D make them complete. One diet works great for most everyone!Ryan, Saying the everybody has a different optimal diet is probably strictly true, but also very misleading. The main feature of a healthy human diet is how much whole, unprocessed plant food there is in it. Whether a healthy diet can have some meat in it is missing the point. The bottom line is the more whole plant foods the better. Tailoring around this general rule might be required for some individuals with unique needs, for the large majority the only rule they need to follow to be healthy is eat whole plants with meat as a rare treat if eaten at all.One way to see which diet is best for healthy people is see which one helps to cure sick people. I have seen numerous studies that show people prevent, halt and often reverse chronic disease deemed “incurable” by modern medicine using a WFPB diet. Most studies like those referenced in this video have very high response rates to changes in diet that simply adds more plant foods along with exercise, like the 100% avoidance of diabetes by those in the study that actually fully implemented the diet and lifestyle suggestions. Other studies stressing a WFPB diet have very similar high response rates.Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn in July published results to the follow up study to his 1985 study that showed that 99.4% (176 out of 177) of those with clinically established CVD who followed his low-fat WFPB diet had no major cardiac events (worsening angina, CABG, MI, etc) during the follow-up period. This compares 62% of the 21 who didn’t follow the diet, but instead received standard care by their cardiologist who suffered further adverse cardiac events, including 2 sudden cardiac deaths during the mean 44 months of follow-up.Dr. Neil Barnard’s study “A Low-Fat Vegan Diet Improves Glycemic Control and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Randomized Clinical Trial in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes” Diabetes Care 29:1777–1783, 2006 on the effects of a WFPB diet on people who have type 2 diabetes showed a WFPB diet was more effective than the diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) (hardly a meat heavy diet). Those in the study that didn’t change their medication during the course of the 22 week study had a drop in A1C of 1.23 points for those following a WFPB diet as compared to a 0.38 point drop in people following the ADA diet. Figure 1 of this paper also shows the WFPB group showed a steady downward trend of A1C through the entire 22 weeks, while the ADA group hit a low point at 11 weeks and had A1C actually go back up slightly by the 22 week mark. The WFPB group also lost an average of 14 pounds and dropped LDL 21% compared to 7 pounds and 11% for the ADA diet group.On the other hand I have never seen any study that shows sick people get healthier if they add more meat, dairy and eggs to their diet.Fear, or rather, ignorant fear keeps whole populations in the grips of the exploiters. The most successful marketing strategies seek to exploit that ignorance and fear. People are regularly driven to war over fear of an (often imaginary) foe. It is exploitation of that fear factor that has made #BigPharma the most profitable ‘businesses’ in the world. Governments, in cahoots with BigPharma, because they too don’t know any better, conspire to keep populations largely ignorant about real health to a point where they actively suppress information that may challenge the status quo. Such is not good for (BigPharma) business. Until we, with the wonderful resources we now have available, manage to open the eyes of the ignorant masses, I am afraid, nothing much is going to change. So keep up the good work and don’t get distracted by philosophical differences between groups active in this field. The common enemy is fear.I am so with you on this! I just don’t get all the in-fighting between groups whose basic philosophy is so similar…put that angst to better use convincing someone to get off a SAD diet instead of warring over vegan vs. paleo vs ____, ad infinitum! We evolved over a HUGE geographical area and era, we are so adaptable and I strongly believe our ancestry alone affects our food needs and preferences…what may be best or better for one over another. For example, I have never been fond of, or digested meat well, but seafood is another story, and living near the ocean is in my blood! Why? Not sure but it is as much a part of me as eye color, and the only reason I will ever only be 98% vegan! LOL! ( I use sea veggies at home but on the RARE occasions when we go out to eat, it is always sushi or seafood!) I grew up in a meat eating household too, for whatever that’s worth. In contrast, my sons and husband (and maybe a lot of men in general? Don’t throw things at me, just a personal observation!) couldn’t live a day without their animal products and the ritual of charring it on the grill was an excitement I never quite comprehended! Interestingly enough, the only time in my life I ever really craved red meat was in my last trimester when I was pregnant with my boys, so there may even be a biological component to the need for something in meat. I know I’ll get bashed for saying that , but I don’t know how else to explain my sudden desire when I normally rejected it! Gross stuff too, like almost raw liver! Ugh, makes me want to hurl just thinking about it, but it is what it is! I do ramble! My whole point was supposed to be, we are all different, and yet the same. We share this beautiful planet and have to stop it and us from being trashed by those whose goal is to make big bucks and elevate themselves above all else. There are too many to name, unfortunately, but there are still way more of us than there are them! I don’t have the answers, but our solidarity is crucial to drive any kind of change. Call me Pollyanna, but I still have hope for us if we stop burying our heads in the sand thinking any agency or group, gov. or otherwise, will take care of things. Look where that got us. What happened to the principles of a democracy…of, by and for the people? We need to wake up, do what we can, get back to nature to be more self-sufficient, and spread the word! Peace!My husband and me have been vegan for 2 years now. We don’t eat anything with a face a mother and do our best to stay away from anything with a label. Yet he is still overweight. What else can we try?Debbie, does hubby still eat oil? Oils are the most calorically dense foods there are. Another culprit might be not sticking to WHOLE grains. Big difference between whole grains and whole grains ground into flour.No we don’t use oils. We also eat whole grains like quinoa, barley, Bulgar, brown rice, to name a few. I make all of our almond milk, brown rice milk, all wheat breads. That’s the problem I don’t know what else to do. We eat a whole food plant based diet.How about exercise? Maybe he needs a walking desk like Dr Greger uses! I like to run because it is so easy. Put the shoes on, lace them up and out the door.Also people who need to lose weight should try out something like Cron-o-meter. There are a lot of program available. They can see where they are getting most of their calories. Few calories in veggies but quite a bit more in a bowl of hummus. And for many of us we eat so well it just does’t make sense right? But entering food into a database for a week can be really helpful.That is the frustrating part I dropped 50 lbs right away. We have tried eating only 1000 calories a day and we included every beverage and condiment used. He tried juicing fast for 23 days. We tried Dr. Fuhrman’s diet for 3 months. He has not lost a pound. I walk every day. He is also a cab driver so a walking desk won’t work. I guess he needs to do some sort of exercise.Sticking to whole grains (the wheatberry is the whole grain – not whole wheat bread), legumes, starchy veggies, non-starchy veggies and 1-2 servings of fruit a day is successful for almost everyone. Avoid nuts, nut butters, avocado, coconut. 2T ground flaxseed provides over 200% of Omega 3s.Walks are great. Huge part of staying healthy. As a Cab driver he spends his day sitting. He just might see a change by starting with 10 minutes and progressing to 30′ daily. Difficult with our busy schedules but sooooo important.Debbie, see if your husband can fit in some exercise during his day. Maybe each time he is waiting for a fare or stuck in the cab queue at the airport he could take a couple of laps around his car. That would only be a short distance, but if he did it 20 times a day, it might start to add up. He could add body weight exercises like knee bends or inclined push-ups by leaning forward with his hands on the edge of the hood or trunk of his car. And of course there are other tricks like always parking at the back of the parking lot any time you go to the store.As for 1000 calories a day, that is far too low and is likely driving his metabolism into starvation mode. For a nominal 2000 calorie diet, I have read that you don’t want to drop below 1500 calories. And the low calories might be making him so hungry that he is sneaking snack at work (which would almost certainly not be healthy snacks since he wouldn’t be bringing them from home).And I like the suggestion to weigh/measure out every bit of food for a week and enter it into Cron-o-meter to see exactly how many calories you both are actually eating. Important to do this individually since it is likely his portions are bigger than yours. This, like mentioned previously, can bring to light hidden calories.Then there are tricks like using your largest mixing bowls as individual salad bowls. We actually went to a restaurant supply store and bought 4 10-inch plastic serving bowls and use those as our salad bowls. Just make sure you dress the salads with low calorie dressings. We don’t like any of the commercial low-cal dressings, so we make our own. Our favorite is a simple mix of 2 tbsp balasamic, 2 tsp Dijon mustard and a little water if it is too intense straight. Sometimes we add a 1/2 tsp maple syrup to balance it a little.Please take a look at Dr. John McDougall’s Maximum Weight Loss plan. Thousands are successful at losing weight on this plan. I know some people run into problems by overdoing the fatty veggies like nuts, avocado, nut butters and coconut. Those foods may sabotage an otherwise healthy food plan. I myself eat this way with a 7-10% daily fat intake. I supplement with B12 and use 2T ground flaxseed for Omega 3s – no fatty veggies except the occasional walnut or two. And I’m as healthy as a horse! If you are truly interested in trying the McDougall plan, there’s a FB forum called McDougall Friends which follows the concepts in McDougall’s book THE STARCH SOLUTION. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/pdf/pdfmc050100nl.pdfGood idea JoAnn. I just pulled that book off my shelf and have been reviewing.We also take B12 and add a tbls of nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp of chia seeds, sesame seeds and ground flaxseed. To one meal a day. He doesn’t like sweets We eat twice a day breakfast and dinner. I make our own milk from brown rice and almond milk, but he hardly uses it. We both have been told we drink plenty of water.We have tried limiting calories and fat. I am trying Dr. McDougall’s recipes this week. All his blood test come back fine. He does only have one kidney. His cholesterol levels are fine and so is his blood pressure. Everyone we talk to about going vegan doesn’t believe it because he is still overweight.Exercise and healthy eating go together. Just a thought that too restrictive of a calorie intake will make the body go into starvation mode and hold onto what it has so it is important to not go under a certain amount per day. Don’t remember the formula but 1000 calories is too restrictive. Go with Dr. McDougall’s program. Good health.Debbie, you could also try eliminating all sources of wheat (including whole wheat) as modern wheat has many properties that cause weight gain. I highly recommend reading “Wheat Belly”. http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/books/ Although most of us here wouldn’t agree with Dr. Davis’ high fat diet advice, his explanations and references for how wheat causes weight gain is both enlightening and entertaining. It wouldn’t hurt to give a wheat-free diet a try.Debbie, whole wheat (the wheatberry) is definitely way better than whole wheat ground up into flour (processed). But before you think there is science behind ‘Wheat Belly’ please read what Dr. McDougall has to say about it. Davis has a point about processed wheat but proceeds to (1) ignore the bulk of the science, (2) exaggerate the truth, and (3) make false associations. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jan/smoke.htmThere are many possibilities here, but anytime someone tells me they are trying everything and eating healthy and can’t lose weight, I think hormones. You may want to see a doctor and let them know the situation. Perhaps they can help you get to the bottom of the matter.Get off the dairy. Go for a walk every day. Do 3 sets of 10 push offs from the wall and 3 sets of 10 sit squats on a chair. Eat up to a fist of starchy whole grains and balance those with beans legumes or lentils and eat low carb greens too with the starchy. Eat a fruit as an appetizer and end your meal with a couple of walnuts or include avocado, extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar or ground flax seeds for fat to turn on the feeling full hormone cholecystokinine. Eat within one hour of waking and don’t wait more than 4-5 hours for the next snack or meal. Eat 5 times a day, 3 meals and two snacks. A snack can be a fruit and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Take CoQ10 and magnesium to increase oxygen in mitochondria.Forget the oil. Please. Olive oil and other oils are inflammatory and the most calorie dense foods on the planet and have unacceptable Omega 6:3 ratios. Nuts and avocado should be used as infrequent very special snacks in small amounts. Stick to starchy veggies, non starchy veggies, WHOLE grains and fruits. 2T ground flaxseed (maybe in morning oatmeal) will provide all the Omega 3 you need. A diet plan like this is right out of The Starch Solution, Dr. McDougall’s book. There is a private Facebook called McDougall Friends I think would be of great help – lots of support and recipes etc. All the guidelines for the McDougall plan are online. I eat this way and am as healthy as a horse and strong as well, as are thousands of others who follow this plan. There are a lot of testimonials of major weight loss and reversal of many diseases on the McDougall website.Awesome new website ! You are amazing, Dr. Greger :)I too adopted a WFPB diet when reality finally kicked me in the face! I was the poster granny for borrowed time…almost 60, smoking 2 packs a day, eating a SAD, weighing over 300 lbs, diabetic, RA, OA, FMS, CFS, IBS, (& WXYZ too! LOL!), high everything, on 12 different medications, depressed, discouraged, always sick and obviously dysfunctional. I had grandchildren I adored and wanted to be there for, but felt totally disheartened and demoralized, powerless, pathetic! Coincidentally, both of my sons introduced me to electronic cigarettes by purchasing me some to try, I had tried everything else over the years and failed miserably, and though it wasn’t quitting, it was at least harm reduction and doable. It was the kick I needed! I know the debate still rages, but in short order my lung capacity greatly increased, I stopped getting every cold that went around and the respiratory infections that would linger afterwards, and was able to painlessly reduce the amount of nicotine I “vaped”. Feeling better made me realize I could take responsibility for feeling better still, if only I knew what I needed to do! When I had started on the diabetic medications, I was not encouraged to find I experienced a quick 20 lb weight gain! It seemed counter intuitive to me, and I found it disturbing, but it was, apparently, “expected”. When even the ADA website basically said that once you were diabetic the best you could hope for was “control”, I didn’t hold a lot of hope for a cure, and every “knowledgeable” author that promised one seemed to counter the previous one. The best take-away advice I could find at the time that wasn’t too controversial was adding a green smoothie or two to my daily regime instead of skipping breakfast or lunch like I usually did. (Even I always thought fat people spent the whole day stuffing their faces, before I was one, and that just is not true!) Anyway, just that change alone was a small miracle! Not only did my blood sugars drop, but the weight started falling off, a totally welcome bonus! Then, in a timely turn of serendipity, I saw “Forks Over Knives”! I think I had actually seen it before, but this time I was more than ready to be receptive to the whole message! As I learned it was fat that was responsible for diabetes, a low fat WFPB diet became my new passion, and I set out to scour the internet and use my imagination to create tasty and imaginative recipes that met the guidelines to cover all bases! Lack of variety is never an issue if you open your mind! I love my new way of eating! Let me try to condense this a little! My doctor was astonished at my first set of bloodwork after starting on my program. I think I was 2 months into it and everything that was high was normal or below. My A1C was 5.5 from 7.8 with medications. She reluctantly agreed to try to wean me off my meds when I informed her I already had, as my fasting BS in the mornings was 60 with just half the meds, so I stopped them. With a BP of 90/60 I would also be weaning off my BP pills, not to mention diuretics, statins, and so on. Oh, and I had also lost about 35 lbs too, which I was ecstatic about to say the least, because I was eating all I wanted, whenever I wanted! No dieting per se, just eating real food! Every visit I would drop more weight, more pills, and gain more health, confidence and joy! My doctor said she’d read about people treating illness with diet, but she had never seen it first hand before! How sad is that? It’s been about 4 years now since I ditched the diabetes and all the other ills, (and then some!) got off all the meds, lost about 150 lbs and started a new life! It is amazing how much better I feel! It is never too late to start, you CAN do it and you are so worth it! One more thing…the excuse that it is too expensive to eat well is BS! I am on a fixed income and legumes and starches make up about 50% of my diet and are cheap, I sprout a lot of my own seeds for sprouts and micro greens, have a tiny salad/herb garden…in pots if need be, watch sales, barter, trade…where there’s a will there’s a way! It’s waaaaay cheaper than doctors and medical care in any event! Sorry this was so long but I am so enthusiastic!!!Wow, what a testimonial to this WOE. Char, thank you so much! I have a very overweight friend with a lot of health issues, and I wonder if I could send her what you wrote? It would give her hope I know. I’ve given her some reading material but reading your story will bring it to life. Thank you too for your honesty. Much appreciated.Be my guest JoAnn! It would please me greatly if i could help in any way! It breaks my heart knowing what I do, to see people losing limbs, vision, and even just their zest for life, because of health problems related to diet, that can all be changed with just some knowledge and a bit of action. Thank you for caring, you are a good friend!Reading your post just made my day and inspired me to try a little harder to stick with the whole foods way of eating. Thanks!My pleasure and honor if i can help in any way! There is no doubt this works! We just need to realize that these foods are the gifts from the earth to nourish us, and our bodies need them to do what they were meant to do…keep us healthy! We would think it was ridiculous if someone tried to stick coke and fries into their gas tanks to fuel their car, and yet so many of us expect our bodies to run on the same without a second thought…until something goes wrong! Corporate brainwashing in the forms of advertising and subsidies, etc., start us early down the wrong path, (look at school lunches) but it is up to us to take responsibility for our health and welfare, because certainly no one else will. Sadly, often not even the medical professionals we entrust our health to have as much knowledge of the broad range of health benefits a nutritional approach can accomplish as you or I! A huge thanks to Dr Greger and other REAL doctors like him who truly care about us and continue to inform and educate all of us who deserve to know!New study low carb vs. low fat!http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1900694Would be nice to hear Dr. G.’s opinion!Thanks!Even nicer for you to offer a critical analysis Christian. Was the design really low-fat? Was the data collected “self-reported”? Do you think it ran long enough to be useful? How about some sort of comment in the comment section.Thanks!Hi Christian. Here’s Dr. G’s thoughts on the low carb (i.e., Atkins) vs. low fat ‘debate’. (I’m pretty sure if you buy his book it is a contribution to this website; otherwise I also think the book is available for free…maybe the NF Team will provide the link.) http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/227/CARBOPHOBIA:_The_Scary_Truth_About_Americas_Low-Carb_Craze.htm http://www.amazon.com/Carbophobia-Scary-Truth-Americas-Low-Carb/dp/1590560868 http://books.google.com/books/about/Carbophobia.html?id=C55JaTmy8D0CBTW, “<30% fat" self-reported is not a 'low fat' diet. It is just SAD masquerading as low fat for the purposes of discrediting a real low fat diet. If you want to see the late Dr. Atkins have his hat handed to him by Drs. McDougall and Ornish, others on the panel and the entire audience so many years ago, please check this out. And keep coming back. We need inquiring minds like yours; no disrespect intended. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feCpP40ZHqII watched the entire video just now. Not only did Atkins have his hat handed to him, he certainly appeared to be the most unhealthy person on the panel. He certainly was not thin, nor did he appear to be healthy. I don’t believe the story that his heart disease was caused by a virus, I believe it was caused by his own diet. Westman might have appeared to be healthy, but he was a lot younger than Atkins. Lately, he seems to have gained some weight, such as in his debate with T Colin Campbell. Many low carbers criticize the Vegan diet for necessitating supplements, but Atkins certainly did recommend these for persons on his diet. Basically I agree with Ornish and McDougall about the importance of high fiber complex carbohydrates, I eat these, but I eat a lot of whole food plant based fats, such as nuts and seeds and do not gain any of the 100 pounds that I lost. I even lost more weight lately, even though I eat 4 ounces of nuts a day and sometimes more. Dr Greger has stated that nuts don’t necessarily lead to weight gain. I do budget my calories for these, however. I also eat starchy foods, such as potatoes, air popped popcorn, brown rice, beans and oats and don’t gain any weight from these, either. I also exercise quite a bit. I believe it is the *animal* fat that you eat is the fat that you wear, not necessarily the fat from whole food plant sources. Vegetable oils, which aren’t whole foods, can also possibly cause weight gain, if they put a person in a calorie surplus. The key is to be “whole foods, plant based,” not necessarily low fat and most certainly not low carb, except low in refined carbs.Here is a report of this study, http://www.intelihealth.com/news/low-carb-beats-low-fat-for-weight-loss-heart-health-study?level=0 One thing is that the low carbers lost 12 pounds during the year. Come to think about it, that truly is not that impressive. I lost at least 60 pounds in one year and have kept the total 100 pounds completely for four years now- and I certainly consume far more healthy carbohydrates than were on this diet.. Another aspect is that the low carbers did not stick the low carbohydrate (40 grams a day), they usually went up to 127 grams of carbohydrate a day. Another aspect is that low carb diets do not support exercise. This article states,“Angelone also pointed to another issue with the study: Sedentary study participants were discouraged from taking up exercise, to isolate the effects of the diet changes. But in real life, people would ideally change their diets and exercise. “Muscles use carbohydrates as fuel,” Angelone said. “It can be hard to exercise on a low-carb diet.” Plus, she added, people on the low-fat diet, who were eating more carbohydrates, might have shed more weight if they’d been exercising.Basically my diet is as whole foods plant based as possible. I exercise regularly and I eat lots of healthy plant fats (nuts and seeds) and carbs (fruit, legumes and whole grains)- a vegan version of Mediterranean that Angelone suggests. I also eat a very high fiber diet- something that would be missing in a truly low carb diet. Lastly, I wouldn’t rely solely on blood tests to measure cardiovascular health. A person can have a normal EKG, as well as good cholesterol numbers and still have clogged arteries. A better test is an angiogram, which can detect plaque buildup in arteries. This is far more accurate than the blood tests. Many studies find that low carb diets which are high in saturated animal fat do cause plaque build up in arteries. You just have to do more sophisticated tests to detect this. Autopsies are also another means to detect this as well, but of course, that is not always a feasible way.i think that the calcium score and the carotid ultrasonography are a good way to assess arteries state… http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=ct_calscoring and http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/carotid-ultrasound/basics/definition/prc-20012897 … probably the first gave more general information (but it”s a CT scan, X rays are invoved), while the second is specific for carotid arteries (and not invasive at all)… then of course there is the angiogram (you need a contrast agent that is not risks free, but it’s an higly informative technique)… i found a book that talk extensively about this kind of techniques applied to assess cardiovascular health: http://books.google.it/books?id=PlUE5tjvKuMC&pg=PA364&dq=atherosclerosis%2Bimaging&hl=it&sa=X&ei=kvsGVOGQE8TT7Aac04CgCw&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false from page 197 (Section II)…Thanks. I think my idea was correct in a general sense, but you added a lot more detail, specificity and nuance to this.You’re welcome; it is part of my university studies to know this kind of things… or or at least know where to look.My internist specializes in lipids and he requests (almost insists) on carotid scans for all of his patients…3 years ago, I was a new patient at age 53 and had the test done. “zero plaque burden” is the result on the Cardio-risk report…and my arterial age is YOUNGER than my actual age according to the report. Doc said he was not too surprised based on my blood work and what I told him about my lifestyle. He said “Something might get you, but if you keep up your lifestyle, it won’t be heart disease.” It’s an easy test…20 minutes, non-invasive and covered by most insurance. Hope everyone will consider doing this.Thanks for your feedbackThanks for your feed back.I am a middle-aged woman, and I lost 12 lbs in FOUR WEEKS, following a low-fat, whole-food, plant-based eating plan. :-)An excellent analysis from David Katz:“Diet Research, Stuck in the Stone Age”: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/post_8304_b_5752160.htmlKey points from Katz’s article:Both diets contained only 15-16 g fiber, indicating that the “low fat” diet was nothing close to a naturally low fat diet based on whole plant foods, but rather a diet rich in refined flour and sugar containing substances.The “low fat” diet was 30% calories from fat, a 5% reduction from what the obese study participants had been eating previously, while the low carb diet contained 40 g carbohydrate, a 75% reduction in carbohydrate from baseline. In Dr. Katz’s words “a study to compare a really big change from baseline diet to a really small change from baseline diet.”Most importantly in terms of weight loss results, those on the lower carbohydrate diet were eating 100-200 fewer calories per day.Both diets were of extremely poor nutritional quality and provided relatively unimpressive benefits after 12 months of adherence. Neither of them should be recommended by professionals. That the NIH funded this at best meaningless and at worst misleading and damaging study is a disgrace.I’ve read that Glyphosate (a.k.a.) Roundup has been linked to the massive increase in diabetes.http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416andhttp://sustainablepulse.com/2013/04/18/new-study-links-roundup-to-diabetes-autism-infertility-and-cancer/#.VAYjTWMgsYI Feedback is welcome.When a pregnant mother or baby do not get enough vitamin D, that is really a neurosteroid hormone according to PubMed, the islets of Langerhans are destroyed and the person cannot create insulin. That is how type 1 diabetes is caused. In Finland they gave over 10,000 newborn babies 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily for the first year of their life and it reduced type 1 diabetes by 80% according to The Lancet. http://bit.ly/type-1d You can get vitamin D free from the sun.Will someone help me respond to the emails I am getting about the NYT article “A call for a low-carb diet that embraces fat?” “The new study was financed by the National Institutes of Health and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. It included a racially diverse group of 150 men and women — a rarity in clinical nutrition studies — who were assigned to follow diets for one year that limited either the amount of carbs or fat that they could eat, but not overall calories.” The result: greater weight loss, and good blood results (thought LDL size was not studied). The low fat group lost more lean muscle mass. Has anyone read and integrated the small print? 40% fat!http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/health/low-carb-vs-low-fat-diet.html?emc=edit_hh_20140902&nl=health&nlid=53561681&_r=1…”The high-fat group followed something of a modified Atkins diet. They were told to eat mostly protein and fat, and to choose foods with primarily unsaturated fats, like fish, olive oil and nuts. But they were allowed to eat foods higher in saturated fat as well, including cheese and red meat.”…”Nonetheless, those on the low-carbohydrate diet ultimately did so well that they managed to lower their Framingham risk scores, which calculate the likelihood of a heart attack within the next 10 years. The low-fat group on average had no improvement in their scores.”A number of vegans responded to the article, but not by citing a few pointed articles and relevant research. I would love to see how some in our group here would respond!it’s the same article posted above by Christian… to me the low fat diet in the study is not really low fat, you can read it in the abstract… unfortunately i cannot access the full study.Hi Gayle, I’m not sure if you saw my comment to someone else above, but Dr. David Katz has an excellent article about it at Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/post_8304_b_5752160.htmlI would not try to challenge this article by directing readers to other research to combat this study’s “findings”. To try to do so would lend credibility to this study when it has none. The experimental setup in the Annals study is shamefully inept; no meaningful conclusions comparing low fat and low carb diets can be drawn from it. It’s a repeat of the “mediterranean vs low fat” diet study from last year, where a medi diet of 39% fat with omega-3s beat a “low fat” diet of 37% fat without omega-3s and convinced everyone they should be eating more fish and olive oil.High protein diets increase satiety and reduce calorie intake 1. However, prospective cohort studies have also found long term high-protein / low-carb diets associated with a 30% greater risk of death 2.I believe both effects can be attributed in large part to activation of mTOR, and inhibition of AMPK and GCN2, by excess protein; in the brain’s hypothalamus for satiety signalling 3, and systemically for adverse effects like cancer, diabetes and aging 4, 5, 6.We know that plant based dieters have lower BMIs in the long term, but that’s little solace when working off winter excess for bikini season. Plant proteins tend to be “incomplete”, and their lower level of some amino acids may permit high-protein weight loss diets with less adverse effects 7, 8. Another option is to enlist other satiety signals (such as stomach stretch) with a low calorie density approach 9.Here’s a good article by Jeff Novick on the myth of the need for ‘complete’ proteins. http://engine2diet.com/the-daily-beet/tuesdays-with-jeff-insights-into-your-health-the-myth-of-complimenting-proteins-and-a-giveaway/How come anemia is never included as one of the side effects of Metformin? About 70% of the diabetics taking Metformin who came to me, had anemia the harbinger of every risk factor, neuropathy, heart failure, cancer alzheimers, parkinsons, etc. No one puts this together. Doctors think anemia is nothing, not true. Even when they think anemia is something they prescribe oral folic acid. B12 and folate must be supplemented but not the oral route, a dosage form that will be utilized is essential especially in those with methylation defect.It’s easy to blame others. But ultimately you have a choice: what and how much you eat, if and how much you exercise, etc. Don’t buy the excuses or finger pointing.I’m probably stumbling right over it, but 1) can I access my previously-saved favorite videos from the old website?, and 2) on the new website, can I save a video to Favorites? Thanks!What are the five lifestyle changes? I could see eating 15 g. of fiber per 1000kcal a day food, and increase exercise but that is only two modifications. I presume reducing dairy, desert and chicken foods are one of the others.Help Dr Gregor! About a year ago my wife turned us onto you and the vegan lifestyle as a result of looking for help for our 10 year olds diagnosis of Hashimotos disease… We were sold! And have been pushing towards a plant based diet ever since, for all of us. Recently our daughter has been diagnosed with insulin resistance.. via your videos i have concluded that vegan is still the way to go, however my newly divorced wife, thanks to our GP, is putting meat back into her and our daughters diet. And now i’ve seen some info that says the lectin in legumes are harmfull, especially in insulin resistance… since this is our base form of protein in my and my daughters (when she’s with me) diet i’m concerned.. please give me your input… thanks Doc!!DWB: I’m sorry you are in such a tough spot. I can just imagine how stressful the situation must be when you care so much for your daughter.I *highly* recommend reading the book: Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program For Reversing Diabetes: The scientifically proven system for reversing diabetes without drugs. Dr. Barnard was able to get people on a program that is clinically proven to be 3 time more effective than the ADA diet for diabetes. And meat is definitely on the no-no list. I will also mention that the program does nothing to discourage beans. In fact, some of the recipes in the back of the book include beans. My understanding (as a lay person who has done some research but who is no doctor herself) is that Dr. Barnard’s diet is the best diet to get your daughter on so that her condition doesn’t turn into full blown diabetes. (And note that Dr. Barnard’s diet is just a tweaked/specialized diet that is promoted here on NutritionFacts by Dr. Greger.)Another part of your post that cause my attention was, “…since this is our base form of protein…” Eating beans is wonderful food for a whole bunch of reasons. But I think you would be greatly helped if you had a better understanding of protein and human protein needs. I recommend taking a bit of time to work through these sources: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.html http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ (check out December 2003 for McDougall’s site, “A Brief History of Protein: Passion, Social Bigotry, Rats, and Enlightenment”. Also April 2007, “When Friends Ask: Where do you get your protein?”)I don’t know anything about Hashimotos disease, but any disease in a 10 year old can’t be good. I wish you all the best. I hope this helps.My office mate got type II in a big way. Having watched him go through this, I decided to simply buy a tester, and started to do experiments since my blood sugar seemed to hang around 105 a lot. By making very simple changes like not eating between meals, it was pretty easy to get it into the low 90s. However, my wake-up blood sugar was always the highest. I found that whenever I ate meat for supper, my wake-up blood sugar was high the next morning. By not eating meat for supper, I was able to keep my wake-up sugar around 96. After marrying my second wife (who is a vegan), my blood sugar continually fell, and now it hangs around the mid 80s even at wake-up. I recommend that anyone who is pushing into the 100s get a tester and start watching it. It’s pretty easy to make simple changes that have big effects. Also after marrying the vegan, my doctor took me off my statin.I still eat meat on occasion, but only small amounts now and then. Even so, continued testing has shown I don’t need the statin and my blood sugar stays stays in the mid 80s.Great video and information.Please can someone help! I am VERY Confused! My doctor told me I am a “pre-diabetic”. I am very dizzy all the time especially when I drink milk. I am 40 years old and 5’10” but I only weigh 159 pounds! For 10 years I have gone to the gym 4 days a week. I don’t have an inch of fat on me. The doc gave me Metformin, but I had to stop because its making me loose more weight, I did weigh 180 pounds but now I only weigh 160. I can’t use Metformin anymore. I am now very dizzy and have tingling in my fingers and harms & legs at times. I tried not eating no sugar and carbs but its not enough. Should I switch to a no fat diet instead?!!! I don’t want to use that poison Metformin again! And the dairy is killing me, but I need it for strong bones right?! I am scared now because I think I am about to be labeled “diabetic”. I need some serious advice and help. Please someone have mercy and respond. I need guidance on where to go. The doctors won’t help, the just want to prescribe me poison.Aaron: I can understand your fear and frustration. And I applaud you for wanting to find a ration fix for your problem. I strongly feel that your best approach is to take a moment and take a breath. Then, get a copy of the book, “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The scientifically proven system for reversing diabetes without drugs”. This way, you don’t have to take my word for what to do. This book is based on published, clinical trials on people who had full blown diabetes. http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411079322&sr=1-1&keywords=dr.+neal+barnardThis book is a fast and easy read. But more importantly, all of the information is fully backed by sound science. This book will explain *why* the diet works. It also gives you a ton of information about how to implement the diet – including some sample meal plans and plenty of recipes. Once you understand what type of food will help you, you will see a ton of options out there for more and other exciting dishes. You might then get a copy of McDougall’s “Starch Solution”, which will have more recipes for you. I have lots more ideas, but I’ll stop there so you can get started.I see nothing but good things for your future. It is all up-hill from here. I hope you will read that book, give the diet a real try and report back here what happened. Good luck!PS: No, you do not need dairy for strong bones!What were the 5 goals? Our son has recently been diagnosed as pre-diabetic.monika: Assuming you are talking about Type 2 diabetes: Here is a really great book for dealing with pre-diabetes: “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes – the scientifically proven system for reversing diabetes without drugs”. Dr. Barnard’s diet is clinically proven to be 3 times more effective than the ADA diet. I know, I sound like a commercial. But it is all very good science and tested out on real people. And the best news for you is that this diet also works great for pre-diabetes as well as just general health for the whole family. So, you can all get on it to support your son if you want.http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412970124&sr=1-1&keywords=barnard+diabetesThis diet is right in line with the NutritionFacts/Dr. Greger recommendations. I highly recommend that you give it a shot. The back of the book includes recipes, but if you need more help than that to actually implement it, you could check out the free 21 Day Kickstart program. The 21 Day Kickstart program is 21 days of hand-holding: recipes, videos, forums, etc. The program is sponsored by PCRM, Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine, which is headed by Dr. Barnard and involves the same type of diet as his diabetes book.http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)Good luck to you and your son!Thank you so much for the info! I want to see tomorrow if our library has Dr. Neal Barnard’s book! I have watched now several of his short videos and wished I had a list of foods he talked about that are good to order in a restaurant and/or buy in the grocery store since he likes to eat out a lot and I have bought AMY’s canned vegan vegetable chillies in the past and he liked that once in a while. Our son is 18 now. And my husband has been diagnosed with stage III or IV lung cancer last year and a 3″ c. tumor removed. Now he is supposed to start on full chemo Tu.monika: I’m sorry to hear about your husband. Your family is facing some difficult times. But I still think there is a lot of hope.After hearing about your husband, I thought I would recommend that you watch the many videos on NutritionFacts.org about cancer. You may get some good ideas on what foods might be especially helpful and especially harmful so you/he can tweak your husbands diet accordingly.Best of luck to all you.thanksI have heard that metformin has anti-cancer properties, related to insulin resistance. I wonder if this is true and if it would be safe to take in addition to a healthy lifestyle.Cheryl – I’m not a doctor, but just wanted to offer my two cents… I’ve read some of the studies on this, and they do suggest that it may have benefits for those taking it at a dose prescribed for diabetes. It makes sense that if your insulin resistance and glucose is improved, your cancer risk (and heart disease) risk will also be lower. But I’m not sure we really know what all of the long term negative effects of taking Metformin – or most other drugs -might be. Healthy lifestyle and plant based diet can have even better results with improving insulin resistance as Dr. Gerger discusses in his video [http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-from-turning-into-diabetes] AND do the most to prevent many types of cancer, heart disease etc. Personally, I’d stick with that.One of the best foods to prevent prediabetes and diabetes type 2 is to include daily sources of whole starches especially beans, beans and more beans as well as eliminating fat from added fat, oils and animal products to decrease insulin resistanceI’m aware that with a diagnosis of diabetes or pre-diabetes, the reflex is for the physician to prescribe metformin. And I understand why it’s done (fear that patients won’t comply with lifestyle changes, the preferred reliance on medication in allopathic medical practices, metformin is a relatively safe, relatively cheap drug, etc,.etc.) And yes, I still take metformin daily for my diabetes. I’m hoping to reduce my dose at the next doctor’s visit.So I was thinking about metformin at PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). Again, when a woman is diagnosed with PCOS, the first treatment is to prescribe metformin.What are your thoughts on that? Are there any studies comparing metformin vs. plant-based eating for PCOS? Do they know why metformin helps with PCOS?Just an idea for your video topics.Lori HopkinsGood questions. I have made a post about PCOS see if you find this information helpful?	alternative medicine,amputations,blindness,chicken,complementary medicine,dairy,diabetes,diarrhea,exercise,eye disease,eye health,fatigue,fiber,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney health,Lifestyle medicine,medications,mortality,muscle soreness,nausea,pork,poultry,prediabetes,saturated fat,side effects,vision	Approximately 1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes, but only about 1 in 10 knows it. What works better at preventing it from turning into full-blown diabetes—drugs or diet and exercise?	I often hear the diet and exercise intervention described as 60% effective. That’s still nearly twice as effective as the drug, but that other study really showed it may be more like 100% in people who actually do it. So is diet and exercise 100% effective or only 60% effective? On a population scale, since so many people won’t actually do it, it may only be 60% effective. But on an individual level, if you want to know what are the chances you won’t get diabetes if you change your lifestyle, then the 100% answer is more accurate. Lifestyle interventions only work when we do them. Kale is only healthy if it actually gets into our mouth. It’s not healthy just sitting on the shelf.How about preventing prediabetes in the first place? See Preventing Prediabetes By Eating More and my next video How to Prevent Prediabetes in Children.Some things we may want to avoid can be found in my videos Eggs and Diabetes and Fish and Diabetes.And what if we already have the disease? See Diabetics Should Take Their Pulses and my new live presentation From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Diet.What if you don’t have time for exercise? Check out Standing Up for Your Health.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amputations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23953075,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3752182/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20969750,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23351624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20609952,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23515058,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11333990,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11832527,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17821615,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22283662,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11727402,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2608660,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21878448,
PLAIN-2555	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/	Beans, Beans, They're Good For Your Heart	I’ve talked previously about the antidiabetic and antiobesity effects if various phytochemicals in beans, but there are protective effects on the cardiovascular system as well. Plant-specific compounds can have a remarkable impact on the health care system and may provide therapeutic health benefits, including the prevention and/or treatment of diseases and disorders. Antioxidant effects, anti-inflammatory, liver protective, cholesterol-lowering, blood pressure lowering, as well as prevention of aging, diabetes, osteoporosis, DNA damage, heart diseases, and other disorders. Those without legumes in their daily diet, for example, may be at quadruple the odds of suffering high blood pressure.Legumes such as chickpeas have been used to treat high blood pressure and diabetes for thousands of years. Here’s what they can do cholesterol levels. Researchers took people on a diet high enough in fat to rival the cholesterol levels in the Western world, up around 206. Swapped in chickpeas for some of the grains they were eating, and in five months their cholesterol dropped about 20% to 160, almost down to the target, around 150 . A reduction of more than 15% in most of the subjects, and its sustained action during long-term administration, not only indicate a definite effect, but show that it is superior to many known cholesterol-lowering substances. In a randomized crossover trial, adding two servings a day of lentils, chickpeas, beans or split peas cut cholesterol levels so much that many participants moved below the range for which statin drugs are typically prescribed.But I want to go back to the study, because they really buried the lead. The participants were started out on a low fat diet. Really low fat, and so their cholesterol started out at 123, well within the safe zone. Only after packing their diet with saturated fat were they able to boost their cholesterol up to typical American levels, which could them be ameliorated by adding chickpeas to their lousy new diet, but it’d be better if they just ate healthy in the first place, or even better healthy and hummus. A healthy diet with lots of legumes.	Swapped Beans for Grains? Not sure the connection. They were on a good diet to begin with/cholesterol levels et.al. And then they came down to a decent level. But I would have thought they would, at some point, keep the beans but otherwise return to their mostly healthy original “diet”. A little confusing. I would think there may be better experiments et.al. to indicate the value of daily legume/bean intake. Thanks!!!!!! Beans, Beans and more Beans!!!!!They were trying to see if beans were superior for cholesterol reduction as compared to grains. They appear to be.Dear Dr. Michael Greger,First of all, I really have to thank you for all you have been doing, trying to make the world a better place, with a lot of health and harmony between our specie and all the others living beings and nature.My name is Filipe Coimbra Castiço and I live in Lisbon, Portugal. I have 23 years old and I have been consuming a whole food plant-based diet since 21.I’m a graduate student in physical therapy, and I’m beginning in the next week my college graduation in Nutrition, here in Lisbon.I already learned a lot about the relationship between nutrition and health, almost because I’m following daily the NutritionFact website (I’m grateful for all your work), and I already read almost all the books from Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr, Joel Fuhrman and other excellent authors from other fields that make the relation between health and nature. However, I know that I’m just in the beginning of my journey.I wanna starting my personal youtube channel to help the portuguese population, making videos that explores all this concepts about the whole food plant-based diet and his effects in all the chronic diseases and also make cooking videos to make practical support about the theory revealed.So, I have three questions that can give me much help in starting this project:– First, will I have legal problems because of making certain claims about nutrition and health, even if I support all of my sayings with studies’s references? If so, how can I manage my claims to minimize my risk in being sued?– Second, how can I make references about studies without harm the authors’s rights?– Third, can you give me a reference about the best (in your point of view) human nutrition textbook? I already start reading the book Krause’s Food & the Nutrition Care Process, 13ed (Krause’s Food & Nutrition Therapy), and I’m reading certain claims that does not support the best evidence and do support certain industries.I wish you all the luck and all the health and happiness in your life and your loved ones.With all the love,— Filipe Coimbra CastiçoAnyone who wish help me with this questions are welcome too :)This question doesn’t focus on the topic at hand here. Maybe delete this and send a personal message to Dr Greger. Just my two cents.Hi Filipe, Love your enthusiasm! If you’d like, send me an email at NFvolunteer@gmail.com, and we can chat about your questions. Hope to hear from you soon :)Welcome to our world, Filipe. Read everything at this site: http://drbillyhealth.com/category/veg-files/Nice going. Great idea. You have to consider your country’s position on free speech. It is difficult to believe you would have any legal problems ESPECIALLY if you use solid scientific work to support and refute claims.I would look for a forum that discusses internet-related issues and post your concerns there.Your last question is the most interesting to me. I have wondered about this too. Maybe we will learn more from others.best of luck, con toda mi alma (translators are great, no?)Filipe: Thank you for your post. It was very interesting. I think it is so cool that you want to take this project on.While I don’t have answers to the specific questions you asked, I do have a suggestion for you: I believe that NutritionFacts has a volutneer program where people can translate videos into other languages. If you did that for the NutritionFacts videos, you could direct people in your country to the NutritionFacts videos and they could hear (or is a written thing only???? – I don’t know) the videos in their own language.In addition, to suppliment that work, you could have your YouTube channel where you do your cooking shows and reference the NutritionFacts videos or whatever studies you want to reference.That’s just a suggestion for you. Hope it helps! If you are interested in volunteering for NutritionFacts, let me know and I’ll pass on your request to the NutritionFacts staff.Hi Thea and Filipe, YES! Thanks, Thea! We’d love more volunteers, especially volunteers that can help us translate Dr. Greger’s work! Woohoo! If interested in volunteering, please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org Thanks much to you both! :))People can claim anything they want, even if its not based on sound research! (Think of Atkins) Just cite your references when quoting. Why don’t you just translate Dr. Greger’s video into Portuguese? No need to reinvent the wheel.From following Dr. Greger’s videos, I have decided that I needed to eat two things much more often. Beans and amla, also known as Indian gooseberry. I bought amla gooseberry frozen, thawed it, and found it literally physically impossible to eat. Then I asked the attendant in the grocery store how she eats it. She said, “In pickles”. I put it in my sauerkraut and it was great. I also tried to eat the amla powder. Too sour and astringent. I tried putting it in various things: cottage cheese, ok but not particularly recommend by Dr. Greger. I put it in some sourish tasting hummus and it wasn’t good, but I put it in some hummus with a high olive oil content Trader Joe’s brand, and it was delicious. Now I eat TJ’s hummus with sprinkled amla powder several times a week. Nutritious and delicious. Beans and amla. John S PDX ORI put a teaspoon of Amla powder in a smoothie and the taste is buried apparently because I don’t notice it at all.Same with me… I put a tsp of amla powder in my morning banana smoothie and I can’t even taste it.John I bought veggie capsules and a capsule “packing” gizmo (The Capsule Machine on Amazon) so I make my own amla (and tonight turmeric) capsules to take daily. I don’t like smoothies, so I needed to find another way to ingest it. I can’t take the taste on its own, so the capsule route is perfect for me.Amla! What the heck is that?Here are some videos on NutritionFacts about amla and some other resources: – http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/ – http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/ – http://www.carobcherub.com/health-benefits-amla-indian-gooseberries/I too find amla to make poor taste for any recipe I add it to. So for morning oatmeal I need blueberries and strawberries to overcome the poor taste for just a half-teaspoon of amla. Is there any good supplier where the amla is not expensive($18/lb before shipping cost at bulkherbstore.com)?Larry H: Mountain Rose Herbs sells certified organic amla powder for $10/pound. I’ve gotten good stuff and service from them myself. https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/Good luck.Soaking Beans & Nuts….. You talked about soaking perhaps reducing the effects of key/important Phytates? To soak or not to soak…/& grains too. Soaking/for how long/initiates sprouting (?) Your clarification will be very helpful to all of us. Thank for the recommendation to soak “your grains overnight”; some say they cook quicker; you say they don’t need/therefore/cooking? Sounds like Beans & Nuts/would be great for Breakfast/as you intimated. So many things/relatively simple/but take time to adjust/recall/make habits.Soaking for as little as 8 hours can begin the sprouting process — some legumes like chick peas may require overnight soaking. Drain. Rinse every 6-7 hours and watch for sprouts to appear. You can soak grains and not cook them — they are equally as good just eaten after soaking in water or almond milk or veggie broth. Most dried beans and legumes need to be soaked or quick soaked (bring water and dried beans to a boil – cover and turn off heat. Let sit for one hour. Bring up to simmer and cook until tender) to be edible. I make a big pot of beans and/or grains and have them ready to mix together for a nourishing meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner. I also sprout both beans/legumes/peas and grains like amaranth or kamut. Sprouted beans make great hummus too. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/I cook my beans in a pressure cooker. No need to pre-soak. Yes, just dry beans from the market, wash and place in about 6 cups of water per pound. The time depends on the bean so you have to use trial and error but I usually cook for about 35 minutes for white or black beans or garbanzos. Then after pressure cooking add whatever else you like in your beans.I usually always soak or sprout legumes before pressure cooking them. Sometimes when I haven’t pre-planned meals I just pressure cook from dry. It mostly depends on one’s lifestyle and preferences. From my anecdotal experience, legumes digest better if they are at least soaked beforehand, and some of the larger beans like red kidney beans digest easiest after they have been sprouting for a few days. I also think sprouted legumes taste better and have better textures than compared to cooking straight from dry. While there’s no need to really fear phytates, soaking initiates the sprouting process and has benefits in of itself (which other videos on NutritionFacts have addressed previously).I gave up trying to make hummus. It comes out Ok at first, moist and garlic-y but overnight it looses most of its flavor. I thickens and usually ends up going into a soup pot.I don’t like chickpeas at all. I have tried hummus premade, making my own, etc. The only way I can tolerate them is if I fully saturate them in an overly flavorful sauce like BBQ. Thankfully, I love other types of beans and lentils. I’m going to try making hummus with green peas and see how that works out.Penny: That is so interesting, because I can’t taste much of a difference between any type of bean – with the possible exception of black eyed peas. I think my taste buds are off from a lot of other people. For me, bean differences are about mouth-feel and texture.I thought I would share that I once saw a receipt for hummus made out of yellow split peas. So, there’s another option for you.Good luck. I hope you find something you like.Somehow I’ve come to love them, chickpeas…used to call them “Clayballs” but not now. Yes, the store bought hummus is great but how do they get it to stay flavorful for so long? Please let us know how the green pea thing works out. I love peasLol, I like to call them ‘the potato of the bean world’. I love them so much! When I rinse and strain a can I can’t help eating them right out of the strainer.Strangely I’ve never liked store bought versions I’ve tried. They always confuse me, like is this supposed to be hummus or a “hummus flavored dip”? Maybe it’s the texture. Regarding the flavor the store bought versions may have citric acid added in addition to (maybe even instead of) lemon juice.• Use a high-power blender rather than food processor. • Per 14.5 oz can chickpeas, start by blending a creamy emulsion of 2 Tbsp tahini, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp water • Add seasonings: I use (per can) 1 clove garlic, tsp cumin, salt to taste, pinch cayenne. • Add drained rinsed chickpeas and a bit of water and blend. Add more water and tamp down if the blender stalls. About 1 minute total blending will do. • Traditional presentation is drizzled with olive oil and paprika. Oil can be omitted, of course • I’m also fond of “Southwestern” variants using lime juice & cilantro and sometimes salsa added at the end.Darryl! Not only are you the smartest kid on the block but you can cook!!!!!!!I see Darryl shared his hummus recipe below but I thought I’d share mine too as it’s a bit different. Mine comes off the tahini bottle label, only change is water instead of oil. I use a food processor and it turns out great. I’ve made this countless times, always flavorful, always good texture, I’m gonna say pretty impossible to mess up. Favorite easy dinner combo is hummus spread on a plate, topped with a layer of brown rice and then a layer of steamed broccoli, with extra lemon juice, salt and pepper on the broccoli. Have tried a couple “alternative” flavors/recipes, but always come back to this one. :)I first have to put one clove garlic in my crappy old processor by itself, otherwise it won’t get chopped up right I then add: 1 can chickpeas (rinsed, strained of course) 1/4 c tahini juice of 1 lemon (should be at least 1/4 c, get out another lemon if necessary) up to 1/4 c water, added as necessary to desired consistencyThat’s it!While nothing quite compares to perfect freshly squeezed lemon juice and freshly minced garlic, this definitely retains most of its flavor. The flavor of fresh garlic inevitably changes overnight, but if anything it becomes more intense. If it’s been in the fridge a couple days I’ll squeeze another lemon wedge worth of juice onto an individual serving to boost it since citrus juice flavors do tend to fade a bit with time. I don’t detect any change in moistness or texture with leftovers.b00mer, yours is pretty much identical to mine…I never add olive oil. Last time I added about 2 teaspoons turmeric..not bad.How did the turmeric taste? Was it prominent or drowned out by the other flavors? I find I like the basic flavors the best, but I’m always looking for ways to inject turmeric and other spices into foods. I will definitely try this, perhaps start low and see how much I can add before I can detect it. Thanks for the idea!Your talk of turmeric also reminded me of this recipe that I like but haven’t made in a while: http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/spicy-white-bean-dip/It’s good without any oil or even the water. I tried the sesame oil in it once and did not care for it at all. Maybe a few drops would be good but 1 tsp is way too much imo. I like to up the lime juice and include some zest too. Good with my usual rice and broccoli, and also some cilantro on top balances out the curry nicely.wow! Thank you for that recipe…looks fabulous!I always thought chickpeas were kind of bland until I got a pressure cooker. I’ve found that the flavor fresh out of the cooker – without any seasoning – is savory like a comfort food and it seems to keep even when I freeze batches. One other item that I think makes a big difference in hummus is the quality of tahini.As far as chickpeas go, during the spring/early summer this year my grocer carried fresh, raw chickpeas (which I had never seen or tasted before). I used them in summer soups – throwing them in at the end just so they had a chance to heat up and stay firm – they add a whole different level of flavor and texture that I found delicious. Unlike the chickpeas I always knew, the fresh ones are green and come in pods similar to edamame but shorter. The only downside is that shelling them is time intensive – 1.5 lbs gave me about 2.5-3 cups of shelled raw beans. I’ve been told they’re also delicious if you prepare them as you would edamame in the shell. I’ll have to try that next time.“I’d love to hear everyone’s favorite recipe. You show me yours and I’ll show you mine ” I like a nori roll stuffed with lots of greens (any kind or combination – bok choy is great with red leaf lettuce), chopped garlic or onion, turmeric, cayenne, lemon juice (very important), avocado or hemp seeds, AND sprouted black lentils in the middle.Beans, Beans the musical fruit. The more you eat the more you toot. The more you eat the better you feel…. Beans – Beans at every meal. Relax & Enjoy – Eat Plants :)http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/My diet has been 100% plant based (whole food) for 19 years and prior to that vegetarian from birth…but at 47 my total cholesterol in 251 mg/DL. It has been steadily increasing over the last few years. I consume zero dietary cholesterol. What should I do?Hi Tania, there are many things that raise our blood cholesterol besides the cholesterol we eat. Check out Dr Greger’s videos and blogs on saturated fats (animals and vegetable oils, mainly) and trans fats (animals and junk food, mainly) to see how we can avoid eating those. Stress is also implicated, as is lack of exercise, so we need to get moving every day; we need to chill out through meditation or some other form of relaxation, and we need a solid seven hours of sleep in complete darkness, every night. Dean Ornish thinks loving relationships are as important as low cholesterol for preventing atherosclerosis, so… it’s definitely the food, but it’s not just the food… All the best…Thanks for your reply Rohan. I eat mostly whole foods (plant based), and the main fat is avocado, since they are readily available where I live. I rarely eat nuts or nut pastes, seeds or tahinin since I find them too heavy and hard to digest. Occasionally I use olive oil or flax seed oil in homemade salad dressing or rice bran oil when I cook. I rarely eat junk food. I’ll have a go at giving up those vegetable oils…But as you said food is only one aspect that needs consideration, other areas of my life need more focused attention – stress, relationships, exercise.Yes, I have the same problem despite consuming zero dietary cholesterol and virtually zero saturated fats/transfats.Remember, however, that even monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils contain a proportion of saturated fat. About 14% by weight in the case of olive oil. Even if you avoid oils, olives are 2% saturated fat by weight – see http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2329?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=olive – as are avocadoes.As Rohan writes, lack of exercise and stress can cause high high cholesterol. Consuming alcohol and smoking also raise cholesterol, as can certain diseases See this UK Government site: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cholesterol/Pages/Causes.aspxHope this helps and good luck.As mentioned above I do eat avocado, probably 1/2 a small one daily.I have never consumed alcohol or smoked.Will check out those links. Thanks Tom.Tania, are you eating chips and crackers that have added oils? The transfats therein could be the culprit….salad dressings too are loaded with oils and chemicals and sodium that may also add to the problem. Just a gentle suggestion; not everything that is non-animal-sourced is healthy.I agree, there can be very unhealthy vegan choices. I make my own salad dressings, and only occasionally eat chips or crackers…but probably time to avoid them altogether. Thanks for your input.My cholesterol is high too, but my “good” cholesterol is very high, so my doctor is fine with it, have you broken it down?My “good” cholesterol (HDL) is 2.0 mmol/L (lab range says needs to be > 1.0, which mine is.) Though I don’t know what an optimal level would be? My “bad” cholesterol (LDL) is 4.0 (lab range is 2.1-4.0, so it just scrapes in…not so good.)Swapped out cheese for hummus on bread -so easy – so tasty!One of my favorite: hummus on toast, with thick sliced tomato and super thin sliced onion, with a bit of nutritional yeast/nut “parm” sprinkled on top. Tastes better than it should!hummus is also KILLER on a baked potato (no butter of course).You know I can’t believe I’ve never tried that, given my love for both baked potatoes and hummus. Have both things in the fridge right now, so you just gave me my lunch menu for today :)One thing I have done is white beans (a bit creamier than chickpeas) pureed with lemon juice and a dash of salt. It’s similar to sour cream on top of a baked potato.I even dip cold baked potato cubes into hummus sometimes. Chef AJ (do you know who she is?) has a youtube recipe for something called “Yummy Sauce”– she uses white beans for a base as you suggest and it LOOKS fabulous…haven’t tried it yet though. She puts it on steamed veggies, rice, etc.I greatly enjoy this website. No personal offense intended, but since you’ve done such a nice job of revamping this website, it might be time to get someone who can do a better job with the oral reports on the videos. You often garble the words and it’s hard to follow. Again, no offense meant, but I’ve often felt this could be done better.In my experience, most practicing Docs talk like Dr. Greger. He’s got a lot to say and not enough time to say it. Not always 100% clear, but it certainly adds an air of authenticity to the presentation that would be lost if they were to use a professional reader. His elocution is far better in the context of his lectures, which are posted to YouTube.The laziest way I “make” hummus if I’m too busy is to buy favorite commercial hummus (esp buy one, get one free deals), realizing I’d rather eat it with less sodium and fat. So I dump it in a food processor, add a can of drained no-salt garbanzo beans and pulse away. It tastes fine! Freezes great, too. I’ll often add some hummus to a quick thrown-together salad of broccoli/cabbage slaw, radishes, arugula, broccoli sprouts, black beans all tossed together adding a splash of red wine vinegar, topped with chopped tomato. Great lunch on the go.Hi Dr. Been with the program for a few years and am pleased with my health status. I have a number of friends I try to convince of the benefits of a plant based diet but they don’t agree and seem to have good reasoning. My first concern is my cousin. He is a diabetic and he is his doctor’s “poster child” for treating it with no medication. He is 76 years old and has been a weight lifter all his life. He wakes up each morning at 5 am and works out in order to burn the sugar out of his system. He watches his sugar intake very carefully and complains that he can’t eat things other folks enjoy. He won’t eat fruit because it too sweet, he won’t eat beans because he says the starch will turn to sugar. He won’t eat carrots or many of the foods you say are the best for you. He says your diet is for converting generally healthy people to a better diet, but not for people like him. He seems to be doing okay but he does have some issues with his fingers and a toe. Many people say the proper diet can reverse diabetis. Is he right about his diet????“He says your diet is for converting generally healthy people to a better diet” – your friend is absolutely mistaken in this regard. Have you seen the “year in review” videos? All three are at the bottom of the “home page”. Particularly the “Uprooting the leading causes of death” video specifically illustrates how a WFPB diet can prevent, *reverse*, or *treat* 15 of the leading causes of death in the U.S. I recommended the “Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease” book in my other comment to you, which basically provides the ultimate counterpoint for your friend’s statement. It’s the history of Esselstyn getting started in WFPB-based CVD therapy by treating “the worst of the worst”. People whose CVD was so bad they were ineligible for surgery and basically told to go home and wait to die.But specifically regarding diabetes, your friend is also mistaken about the role of carbohydrates in the diet and if he wants to truly cure his diabetes rather than “manage” it, he needs to learn about the role of dietary fat and diabetes. Traditional diabetes “management” tries to control the amount of sugar that is introduced the bloodstream (via meticulous and restrictive dietary planning). However the problem isn’t sugar entering the bloodstream; the problem arises when insulin does not effectively do its job, and sugar is not efficiently transported from the bloodstream into the cells. The inhibition of insulin is due to the presence of fat within the cells. Get rid of the fat, insulin does its job, and one can consume carbohydrates and have the body process them naturally and effectively as humans were meant to do. But if we don’t fix the actual problem, then managing the symptoms (too much sugar) is the main approach. Unfortunately not only does this not actually fix the problem, but this approach encourages the removal of the most health promoting foods (beans, fruit, even carrots!) from the diet and tends to promote increased consumption of diabetes/heart disease/cancer promoting foods like meat and eggs.I would recommend that your friend become familiar with Dr. Neal Barnard’s work in particular before making a decision as to whether or not he should try a (low fat) WFPB diet for his diabetes:“Tackling Diabetes with a Bold New Approach” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4glv5SVvQw“Program for Reversing Diabetes” book on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107Best of luck, and one more thing – try as you might, you can educate as much as you can, but you can’t by your own willpower infuse others with the same motivation or desire for good health. Some people you will be able to help; others will be unreachable no matter how bad their own health problems become and regardless of your own visible success. All you can do is point them towards the resources, continue being a good example, and make sure they know that you’re there as a resource for help should they ever decide to try. :)My second concern is an individual at the health club where I work out. He claims he is “genetically predisposed” to having high cholesterol. His father died at a very young age with it and he says nothing about changing to a plant based diet will help him. He says he went on a “total cholesterol free diet” for six months and his numbers didn’t change one point. I don’t know what to say to people like him. Are they condemned to medication forever. I feel like I should stop trying to convince people about the health benefits of what I do. Many of them seem to have a story like this guy. Can they be helped by making the change or not???If when your friend said “no cholesterol” diet he meant vegan diet, then that may indeed not have been enough. Dietary cholesterol consumption is only half (maybe less than half) of the equation. The consumption of saturated fat leads to higher cholesterol production within the body. So if your friend was consuming oils, oil-containing processed foods, or even an excessive amount of whole but high fat foods like nuts or avocado, this would have kept his numbers elevated. An interesting illustrative example Jeff Novick likes to use is that a couple tablespoons of olive oil have the same amount of saturated fat as a 4 oz steak.Your friend will without a doubt achieve the lowest cholesterol values possible on a low fat whole foods plant based diet. The target value for good cardiovascular health is 150. Make sure your friend knows that 150 is the goal, not the value of 200 which mainstream medicine tends to promote not out of good science but out of a desire to placate the public. I highly recommend the book “Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease” by Caldwell Esselstyn for you and your friend. There’s a good chance you can find it at a public library. If that doesn’t convince him of the power of a low fat WFPB diet for cardiovascular health, I’m not sure anything can.We love chickpea salad sandwiches. We mash chickpeas with relish and a little vegan mayo, stir in some chopped celery, and serve on whole grain bread or toast with fat slices of tomatoes.The pan-roasted tomato and chickpea salad here is delicious too: https://www.cspinet.org/nah/pdfs/healthycook-salad-april2012.pdfLove chickpea salad sandwiches! My favorite is the mock tuna salad by a blog called “yeah, that vegan ****”The blog title contains profanity, my apologies; recipe is worth it :)For anyone interested in a lower fat vegan mayo, I like the fatfreevegan tofu cashew mayo.b00mer, I went to that website and copied that recipe…thank you for the tip!Just staring making my own hummus. I’m using a VitaMix to make it. I started with this recipe and modified it a bit: http://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/Here’s my take:Two (2) 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans).4 ounces of lemon juice (I use the lemon juice that comes in the plastic containers that looksl like a lemon so I can use it all it pitch it w/o measuring.1/2 cup tahiniHalf of a large garlic clove whole. Let the Vitamix take care of it!4 tablespoons olive oil1 teaspoon kosher salt, depending on taste1 teaspoon ground cuminDash of ground paprika for serving1. Combine the all the ingrediants EXCEPT the beans and paprika into the blender. Blend for 2 minutes or so, unit everything is nice and creamy.2. Add the first can of beans WITH all the juice into blender. Blend until smooth. Maybe 2 minutes.3. Add the SECOND can of beans WITHOUT the juice. Blend. Add as much juice as needed from the 2nd can once blending to ease blending and make as smooth as wanted.4. Add paprika to top once in containersWe eat beans every day and we are heart healthy. We love our beans. Yes they did a great job for lowering so much, no pills for us.Puree white beans, white balsamic vinegar, cajun spice, garlic and chopped red onion to add protein to Subway vegetable sandwich on whole wheat! We picnic with the sandwich on Schwedenplatz in Vienna when the weather is fine!You are suggesting the seemingly impossible here. If one exercises off 500-600 calories per day and eat back all your calories plus and eat legumes more, 2-3 times per day, plus eat plenty of vegetables, even at only an 11% protein intake level, you’ll be consuming 80-100 grams of protein each day. This is far more than the 40-50 grams recommended for an average-sized adult and on the level of the protein consumption in the general population. Aren’t we supposed to be keeping protein down? Or is it only Methionine that we need to minimize? (I’ve noted that even though I’m trying to eat more legumes, Methionine is still only at .7 grams today).Its rather difficult to consume less than 10% of calories from protein in whole food diets, generally requiring a lot of sweet fruit, white rice, or skinless potatoes. The most obvious difference in amino acid composition between plant based and Western diets is methionine content, which Dr. Greger addressed in these videos. When I compare sample 2000 kcal diets, my own WPB diet ranges around 150% of the methionine requirement, while my past omnivore diet was in the range 250-300%.One of the interesting things I discovered delving into the methionine issue is that while the other sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine spares requirements, glycine and serine (which freely interchange) help regulate excess methionine (1, 2, 3, 4). Among higher protein food groups, legumes have the highest ratio of (Gly+Ser)/(Met+Cys): legumes excl. soy (4.2), soy (3.4), nuts (3.0), mollusks (2.8), grains (2.5), tubers (2.4), red meat, poultry (2.4), dairy, pork (2.3), fish (2.1), egg whites, whey (1.8). I speculate that the glycine+serine content of legumes, and their high ratio to the sulfur amino acids, contributes to the lower harms regularly seen when plant protein replaces animal proteins, and the benefit of beans in particular.Thanks for this detailed answer though I don’t understand it. I’m flustered as well that my question was worded so poorly. I’d fix that but I don’t see an edit button. Anyway. Would also love to learn more about your version of WPB… what makes it uniquely yours.The video sources is missingHypocholesterolaemic effect of Bengal gram: a long-term study in manhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1984917/Many thanks for pointing this out so we can get it properly listed.Red lentil hummus is my current favorite:1 cup dry red lentils3 cups water simmer 20-25 mins and let cool scoop resulting “porridge” into your food processor add 4 cloves minced garlic 1/3 cup lemon juice (fresh preferable) 2/3 cup tanini (make sure it’s not rancid) 1 tsp salt additional water as needed process on high for 5 minutes It should produce a creamy, lemony hummus with wonderful flavor and superb health benefits (better nutrition than chick peas).I used to frequently eat eggs, coconut products, and some butter because I was persuaded they were healthy.Resulting lipid panel on March 28, 2013: Triglycerides: 55 Total cholesterol: 314 HDL: 78 LDL: 225 VLDL: 11 Ratio chol/HDL: 4.02My physician advised me to lower my cholesterol, so I dumped those foods and started eating more legumes, sardines, and nonfat yogurt.Resulting lipid panel on March 31, 2014 (about a year later): Triglycerides: 72 Total cholesterol: 199 HDL: 67 LDL: 118 VLDL: 14 Ratio chol/HDL: 2.97So in my personal experience it does indeed seem that saturated fat increases cholesterol and fiber reduces it. I have recently committed to 3 months of a smart vegan diet, and will undergo another series of blood tests in mid-November. This smart vegan diet further increases my legume consumption to about 2 cups of beans, peas, and lentils every day.Conversely, something that surprised me is that my Pop told me that his physician states that cholesterol doesn’t seem as strongly related to heart disease as previously thought, and that it is more important to stay well hydrated, have a healthy lifestyle, and avoid sugar. This falls in line with a recent article in the New York Times Science Times at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/health/low-carb-vs-low-fat-diet.html?ref=science&_r=0What do you folks think of all this?Hi Dr. Greger. I’ve been going on a whole food plant based diet for a few months now. When my family asks me where I get my protein, I tell them that I get it mostly from beans. They tell me that I should take it easy on the beans because it will increase my uric acid and give me gout. Is there any truth to this?There are a few high-purine plant foods: nutritional yeast and the wild mushroom Boletus sp. when dried. However cooked legumes are moderate in levels, and this paper recommends them as alternatives to higher purine foods like seafood, game and organ meats. Another simple dietary change is to restrict added sugar (including HFCS), as high fructose increases uric acid.Joel: If you watch all the videos on the topic of “beans” on this site, I think you will feel very comfortable a good serving or two of beans every day.I also wanted to address this issue of “Where do you get your protein?” The following articles will help you to answer the question better the next time it comes up. (Like it comes up for all of us!)Here is my favorite website for explaining all about protein. There is a section on the page that talks about the myth of the need to worry about protein combining. http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlA close second, to fill in yet some more details is Dr. McDougall article from December 2003. http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ You might also check out the January 2004 newsletter article, Protein Overload.I hope your new plant based diet is still going well. Good luck.Here is a site with some fantastic bean recipes: http://www.kelleybean.com/index.php?id=19&pid=4Lectins PHYTIC ACIDhttp://wellnessmama.com/2029/are-beans-healthy/ exampleAs with most anti bean issues, they are non issues.Lectins, along wiht many other antionutrients are eliminated with cooking, soaking, or sprouting. Please see here for details in phytic acidhttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/I started using Hummus instead of milk in my breakfast oats. I enjoy the taste and mix in Turmeric, black pepper and salsa. I make my own Hummus with any combination of legumes, nut butter and olive oil. Its unconventional but tastes great	aging,antioxidants,beans,bone health,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chickpeas,cholesterol,chronic diseases,diabetes,DNA damage,heart disease,heart health,legumes,lentils,lifespan,liver disease,liver health,longevity,obesity,osteoporosis,phytates,phytonutrients,prediabetes,saturated fat,split peas,statins,weight loss	Legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, beans and split peas may reduce cholesterol so much that consumers may be able to get off their cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, but to profoundly alter heart disease risk we may have to more profoundly alter our diet.	Beans dips like hummus are among my favorite go-to snacks. I like to dip snap peas and red bell pepper slices in them. I’d love to hear everyone’s favorite recipe. You show me yours and I’ll show you mine :)Canned Beans or Cooked Beans? Click the link to find out!Beans can help us live longer (Increased Lifespan from Beans), control our blood sugars (Beans and the Second Meal Effect), and help prevent and treat diabetes (Preventing Prediabetes By Eating More and Diabetics Should Take Their Pulses).What about the purported “anti-nutrient” phytates in beans? You mean the Phytates for the Prevention of Cancer, the Phytates for Rehabilitating Cancer Cells, and the Phytates for the Treatment of Cancer? Phytate-containing foods may also help protect our bones (Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis).Why not just take cholesterol pills every day for the rest of our life? See my videos Statin Muscle Toxicity and Statin Cholesterol Drugs and Invasive Breast Cancer.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/methionine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/split-peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22916805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22916806,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1984917/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1984910/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23398387,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1641439,
PLAIN-2556	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/	How to Diagnose Gluten Intolerance	Symptoms of gluten sensitivity include irritable bowel type symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, and changes in bowel habits, as well as systemic manifestations such as brain fog, headache, fatigue, depression, joint and muscle aches, numbness in the extremities, a skin rash or anemia. If those that suspect they might be gluten sensitive should not go on a gluten-free diet, what should they do?The first thing is a formal evaluation for celiac disease, which currently involves blood tests and a small intestinal biopsy. If that’s positive then one goes on a gluten-free diet, but if it’s negative we should try a healthier diet, more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains and beans while avoiding processed junk.In the past, a gluten-free diet had many benefits over the traditional American diet because it required increasing fruit and vegetable intake, so no wonder people felt better eating gluten free—no more deep-fried twinkies, couldn’t eat in fast food restaurants. Now, though, there is just as much gluten-free junk out there.It’s like the vegan doughnut phenomenon. A few decades ago vegans were forced to eat healthy, eat actual vegetables. Now they can eat their cheesy puffs, while waiting for their candy-coated chocolate marshmallows to deep-fry in vegan bacon grease.If a healthy diet doesn’t help, then I might add another step here, and that is try to rule out other causes of chronic GI distress. When researchers study PWAWGS -- that’s what they’re called in the literature, people who avoid wheat and/or gluten. In a study of 84 PWAWGS, about a third didn’t appear to have have gluten sensitivity at all, but instead had an overgrowth of bacteria in their small intestine, were fructose or lactose intolerant, or had a neuromuscular disorder like gastroparesis or pelvic floor dysfunction. When those are all ruled out as well, then I’d suggest people suffering from chronic suspicious symptoms should try a gluten free diet, and if symptoms improve, stick with it, though maybe rechallenging with gluten periodically.Unlike celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is begun not to prevent serious complications from an autoimmune reaction, but just to resolve gluten sensitivity symptoms to try to improve patients’ quality of life. However, a gluten-free diet itself can reduce quality of life, so it’s a matter of trying to continually strike the balance. For example, gluten-free foods can be expensive, averaging about triple the cost and so most people would benefit from instead buying an extra bunch of kale or blueberries instead.No current data suggest that that general population should maintain a gluten-free lifestyle, but for those with a celiac disease, wheat allergy, or sensitivity diagnosis, gluten-free diets can be a life-saver.	The role of “FODMAPS” in creating gluten intolerance?FODMAPs don’t appear to create gluten intolerance; however some “wheat sensitivity” irritable bowel symptoms appear due to the FODMAPs found in wheat products.Biesiekierski, Jessica R., et al. “No effects of gluten in patients with self-reported non-celiac gluten sensitivity after dietary reduction of fermentable, poorly absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates.” Gastroenterology 145.2 (2013): 320-328.We found no evidence of specific or dose-dependent effects of gluten in patients with NCGS placed diets low in FODMAPsIt appears many self-reported gluten sensitivities are due not to gluten, but inulin and oligofructose, FODMAPs for which wheat provides ~70% of intake in American diets (other major sources are onions, bananas and garlic). Ironically, inulin and oligofructose are also the most prominent prebiotics, compounds which selectively stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria (Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus) in the gut, and may account for many of the benefits of whole wheat in diets for the general population.Yes, restricting/eliminating high FODMAPs foods makes a big difference (for the better) for people I know. And it leads me to believe that wheat is in no way innocuous for some people (for reasons outside of gluten, as you have shown). Thanks, Darryl. So many people get caught up, it seems, saying that gluten is not an issue, and therefore think that wheat is safe for everyone, while its ingestion obviously causes great distress (due to wheat’s oligofructose content) for some folks.I as wondering of there is a FODMAPS sensitivity test? Or are we just talking elimination?I’m not aware of one. It would probably involve an elimination diet, followed by reintroducing foods to determine if they were the culprits. A useful guide is:Gibson, P. R., & Shepherd, S. J. (2010). Evidence‐based dietary management of functional gastrointestinal symptoms: The FODMAP approach. Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology, 25(2), 252-258.From table 1 it appears a low-FODMAP plant based diet would be much more restrictive than gluten-free, and I’d miss beans dearly.I am a breast cancer survivor and a cardiac patient. I also eat a WFPB diet. My new cardiologist is a functional medicine practitioner so we are headed down that road. How would a non-meat-eater survive on a no-beans allowed diet?!: ) Thanks for the link.Hi Christine, congratulations on rebuilding your health. We are very lucky to have access to massive information to make decisions on our own. Thank you so much for “liking” my request for our mentor to share his blood test results the way Harley does. The more data we have, the better choices we can make. I fully support the WFPB diet. It may seem blasphemous to make such request on a person you highly admire and respect and appreciate, but it’s because I have those feelings for him that I am making this request. We’re directed to make requests to Dr. Greger through comments on videos here. The comment below requesting a public share of his results has 10 likes already. I really hope he gets to read it and really consider the benefit that sharing would do for the community and promotion of WFPB diets. Again, thank you Christine, and keep up the good work staying vigilant in maintaining your health.Dr. Greger is quite keen on beans, and I’m apt to agree.If on a FODMAP elimination diet, all beans have the fermentable galactooligosaccharides raffinose and stachyose, however, amounts vary. Among legumes, fava beans and mung beans have the lowest GOS content, less than half of others. Cowpeas (black-eyes), lupine, and soy are relatively high. Extended soaking and discarding the soak water will reduce the amounts, and there’s always Beano, which digests the GOS early in the gastrointestinal tract.The main essential nutrient for which beans are a uniquely concentrated source (for plant based eaters) is the amino acid lysine. Lysine is ubitquitous in other foods, and one could certainly obtain enough with huge amounts of greens, but practically achieving adequate amounts without beans may entail eating more of other good sources like oat bran, pumpkin/squash seeds, buckwheat soba, etc. I’m not familiar with how these fare, FODMAP wise. Perhaps you could search for higher-lysine foods (that fit your dietary restrictions) using the nutrient search tool at NutritionData, followed by trying out some sample menus to get a feel for amounts required using the nutrition tracker CRON-O-Meter.Exactly. What the heck is left to eat for us?A FODMAPS (fermentable oligo-di-monosaccharides and polyols) sensitivity test is not available but does involve an elimination diet. You can find one list of foods to avoid on a FODMAPS diet here and others you might find may vary a bit. The point is to eliminate FODMAPS to reduce or improve symptoms. Then reintroduce them one at a time to determine which are culprits for you. There are food sensitivity tests such as those provided by Cyrex Labs that are looking for specific antibody production that may be a helpful place for some people to start. Here’s another great video describing the challenges of determining what might be causing gastric distress: Is Gluten Sensitivity RealOk. So to be the devils advocate I can see why people go gluten free before getting a diagnosis of intolerance etc. Often times a patient is so frustrated because regardless of what they tell their doctor there is no help and they must take their health into their own hands and try and solve a problem alone. Hopefully this will change but currently many patients are on our own and finding a progressive MD isn’t all that easy.As someone who is glutenfree I wish I had been tested before eliminating it from my diet. I tested positive on a skin allergy test given to me by an allergist but I guess that isn’t that unusual. All the other tests, including biopsy has come back negative but that isn’t surprising after 6 years! Oh well.Could you please, specifically, talk about candida, the overgrowth symptoms, detection, testing, etc. I read and hear so many mixed messages about controlling it. Even avoiding fruit? That just doesn’t seem like a healthy direction to go. BTW – Thanks for all you and your team do, Dr. Greger. I truly enjoy my morning dose of science and nutrition!I’m interestested in whether I need to cut fodmaps to cut candida. It’s pretty obvious i have issues with this and really need to add the probiotics and when i make fermented foods this goes down as well but still not eliminating the issue. about 30 years ago I had glandular fever and with that I couldn’t eat wheat…..not even tiny amounts. I got over this as I got healthier. However, i haven’t been well recently and changed from vegetarian to whole food plant based. My health has improved but still having issues so did an allergy test (energetically) and I had allergies to dust and pollen (no surprise) and tomatoes (surprise) Since going whole food plant based i have turned into a super pooper but still haven’t got past the candida. maybe i just try and experiment with myself and see what works?Just out of curiosity how do you know you have candida?I just bought a bread machine at goodwill! Cost a whopping $4.99. I make great 4 ingredient bread ~~> flour of choice, hemp seed oil, date sugar and sea salt. that’s it! The bread tastes and smells amazing. If you want healthy bread? Make it yourself.Most bread machines I looked at a while back contain teflon coated parts-something to consider if that is an issue for someone.Good point John but bread machine teflon is a bit different. have look at this.Non-Stick Coating Issues ———————————- The baking areas inside bread makers are coated with non-stick Teflon.Non-stick cookware is normally to be avoided, but there should be no safety issues for bread makers. The heating elements in bread makers are almost in direct contact with the dough, unlike ovens which have large open spaces separating the heating elements from the food. This means that bread makers cook breads at much lower temperatures than is possible with ovens (350F). It is believed that non-stick coatings must reach about 500° F before the food is tainted by Teflon break-down. Thus, it is very unlikely to get contamination from the non-stick coatings inside bread makers.I bake my own bread (oil-free) using whole wheat flour, water, agave nectar or molasses, vital wheat gluten, ground flaxseed, yeast and salt. I can vary the flavor by using a variety of grains to replace some of the wheat flour. I mix it up in my Kitchen Aid and bake it in coffee cans lined with parchment paper. The bread slices without crumbling and makes great toast but isn’t that great for absorbing–sopping up–any sauces. I bake a few loaves and freeze them.Want to share your recipe, Veg-E? I’d like to try it.Hi Jane, absolutely! I make 1lb loafs but you can double this for a full size 2lb loaf. It’s ok to put all of the ingredients right in the baking bucket. Start with liquids first, yeast last. First- 1/2 cup +4 TBS water. Next- 2 TBS hemp seed oil, next- 1 1/2 TBS granulated date sugar, next- 1tsp sea salt, next-2 1/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill unbleached-unbromated(non GMO) flour, last-1 tsp active dry yeast. I set the machine on light or medium and let it do it’s magic. Presto! Easy healthy bread. I’ve been making a loaf every day since I got the machine. Have a great day!I’d like to know about the role of dermatitis herpetiformis in diagnosing gluten sensitivity? I have always suffered with various symptoms but never got a positive coeliac test, but I do have bad dermatitis herpetiformis which seems to strongly be linked to coeliac disease?Thanks so much for these videos, they’ve been great.R.A.My dermatitis resolved 95 percent by going on a vegan-version of the SCD diet “(specific carbohydrate diet”)I would love to know this as well!I also used to suffer from DH, but haven’t had it since becoming gluten free (almost 10 years ago now). My blood test and biopsies for coeliac disease came back negative too, even though my gastroenterologist was convinced they would come back positive, as he said my stomach looked incredibly ‘scalloped’. I still don’t understand why it appeared this way, but being gluten free has certainly changed my life for the better! Before I made the switch I was unable to eat without being in agony and I’d lost a dangerous amount of weight!I’m loving these videos about gluten sensitivity, and I really appreciate all you do! xxDear Dr., Please share with us your latest blood test results. I fully support all your work, but we would all greatly benefit from seeing “the facts” about how our mentor’s info is working in his own life. Harley Johnstone always shares his results (general blood test for item levels) and it really helps promote the vegan cause. You promote transparency with the studies you critique, please grant this information request. Thank you for all you do. Please share or vote up this comment to help Dr. Greger see this request.VeganScience: I have a different perspective on the issue. This site is primarily about the science of nutrition. It is not about a vegan cause. And while Dr. Greger occasionally will share with us a published case study when relevant, knowing any one person’s personal medical information is not science. For Dr. Greger to post his stats in the context of this site would be a side distraction from the valid and powerful information presented here. That’s my opinion of course.I understand that personal stories are very powerful in helping people to understand/absorb the science. I *love* it when people share their personal stories in the comments sections below videos. I think those stories help others to make positive changes themselves. It helps others to understand the potentially life changing effects of healthy eating. But that doesn’t mean it is appropriate for Dr. Greger to post his private medical information regardless of what it is. I would like to keep Dr. Greger on the professional side of the line for this site.Of course, we are free to disagree on this topic. And who knows, maybe Dr. Greger will agree with you! I just wanted to give you another perspective on the suggestion.Hi, I appreciate your opinion. I see your position.I’m about to get detailed and I encourage you not to take disagreement personally. I agree with some of your perspective and I illustrate it in an account of inner thought over the value and fairness of requesting Dr. Greger’s blood test data. LoL it would sound so much more sinister and captivating if I said requesting Dr. Greger’s Blood…! Oooooo!~ lol Anyway, what I am saying Thea is, thank you for giving me your perspective. Trust that it’s in pursuit of truth and fairness. It’s quite long and abstract at points but it really boils the question of philosophy. I’m making it sound like a special dissertation and it’s not that at all. Just an examination of data and philosophy on the matter of Dr. Greger’s blood. There! Haha! That sounds sinister now.. lol You don’t have to read through the quotes section where I illustrate my decision process on the matter of his blood. The last few paragraphs of this comment are most important.What happens when we do the best we can with the best information out there?Ok, it starts with me responding kinda sharply to what I felt was an inaccurate assumption about me:You say, “The site is not about a vegan cause.” But peel back the next layer. The science is saying to be vegan. The site wants users to follow the science, therefore, the site is in fact promoting THE vegan cause. To say the site is not about a vegan cause is really to ignore every single scientific study published here. Or maybe you’re trying to suggest that the evidence is still not in as to what IS the healthiest way for humans to eat. The science is in. You can’t say the site is not about a vegan cause when everything it publishes is about the vegan cause.Now please don’t be run off by my critique. I believe you are well intentioned and I will not be unfair. I believe my first paragraph is fair because you took it upon yourself to claim that I think this is a “vegan cause” site and that my comment was unwanted here. So, I just let you know fairly that, not only does this site promote the vegan cause with its science, but I also have positions that have place here.I agree that if Dr. Greger just posted his nutrient data without explanation that would be misleading. I’ve been thinking about this topic for a long time now and really have been going back and forth about it.[Decision process written-out – scroll past it to save time]…”He’s a public figure promoting a certain diet, unless he has something to hide, why not show us in the least what the ratio of omega3 to omega6 is and are his hormones in order.”…”But he’s doing enough just promoting science and science will explain, without his blood test, whether eating 1:1 om3:om6 is best and if flax seeds are the best way to get that ratio and if drinking soymilk messes with your hormones or what effect vegan meat&cheese substitutes have on item levels. If this data is sought after, then work to start studies building data on those questions.”… “But… Dr. Greger is the perfect specimen to study because he eats a lot of soy products, ingests a lot of flax seeds, and represents an enlightened person with more scientific data on what the best foods are to eat. Certainly knowing what he is actually doing to apply his vast knowledge, how he makes up his day, are his nutrient levels healthy, are things that are very important to the data stream. His data would make science. A study should be performed on such a person – if not him, then someone else with his nutrition knowledge and food choices.”… “How do you know for sure he eats lots of soy products and eats flax seeds to bring his om3 levels up?”…”He’s said it in many videos…”… “But would that be science?”… “I think it would, because we would get his testament and it would be like most case studies.”… “Dr. Greger shouldn’t have to go through with this – he does enough as it is already.”…”Yes, he does do enough already – he doesn’t have to – this is just a request and the benefit to the public cannot be refuted.”…”Ok, his results would be fair game for the scientific method to draw conclusions about what specific foods can do to your nutrient levels, but he is just one person and one person is not enough to make conclusions for everyone.”…”True, but… it would be helpful nonetheless. It would be data nonetheless. It would be so easy nonetheless. I don’t mind if he wants to keep it private, but I am entitled to making a request and I am correct that his data would be helpful. The more data the more accurate the conclusion.”… “But what if his results reveal poor nutrient levels. Think about how people would take that data and run with it. We would observe bad blood test results and not know why they were low. Most people would not analyze the data scientifically and would rush to judgement that whatever he believes is false and that would be very harmful.”… “This is very true… that would be a very bad outcome of him sharing results that were negative. So I would say, only respond to this request if you have positive blood test results.”… “But that would not be fair to the people who follow Dr. Greger’s promotions. If his nutrient levels are bad, then we need to know why. Maybe it is indicative of poor food combinations or that not all humans benefit from om3:6 being 1:1. Maybe mixing soy with cocoa causes low absorption. OMG this is waaaaaaaay too complicated.”… “Ok, let’s just make the request and see what Dr. Greger thinks about it. If he has negative nutrient levels in his blood for a reason he does not know, I trust that he would pursue it and make his findings known. Maybe there is a condition he wants kept private and that is totally respectable.”… “Ok… all good points. I’ll just wait and see. I would love to see a group study of people with Dr. Greger’s knowledge and food choices but that would be very difficult and time consuming. I still hope it happens though and I will make strong efforts to start a study like this.” ***********************end decision account********In support of publishing very basic blood test results I have to point out that, while you may not realize it, you support them being published as well. I explain…You say his results would be a distraction And that they are not science. You then go on to say how beneficial some anonymous strangers sharing their unverified experiences help others make positive changes in their lives. You actually support unverified anonymous data being the source that “changes” peoples’ lives. The truth is we know nothing about these incredible sources. Those are the only things that are not science.On the matter of a man who’s life mission, as verified by his uncompensated volunteer work, is to make people healthy with nutrition facts, he, he is just not significant and would only be a distraction. How do you balance those two contradictory positions? Unverified, unqualified, unsubstantiated, anonymous, data you, “*love*”. But verified, qualified, substantiated, known data you, *hate*? You really can’t hold both sides of the argument.I think I’ve made the case that your position against Greger’s blood being relevant comes solely from the idea that you are not comfortable with sharing simple personal data publicly. But then again, I know nothing about your lifestyle and what facts you know, and I don’t see any benefit to knowing what your vitamin C levels are. Dr. Greger on the other hand, would be priceless information to find out what exactly he eats for a few years and what exactly his blood serum levels of nutrients are.Also, knowing that he had low vitamin k levels and high glucose levels would not be the same as knowing he had something like an STD. A person who tests low for vitamin C in their blood can have that changed within hours. So there would be no damning conclusions or harmful exposure that would come from something like that coming to the public. So should we really be calling this “personal medical information” the same for nutrient levels as for STD’s? I really don’t think so and to do so is really inaccurate, unfair and misleading.See the more I write, the more I realize this is just a matter of philosophy for the one subject – the doctor. Sharing his blood test results would result in no harm unless his nutrient levels were poor. Share them, or don’t share them. I can see reasons for both. But the question of whether the data would be useful is not up for opinion. It is, in fact, science, that says data is valuable, and Dr. Greger is a unique specimen – very-valuable-data.I appreciate whoever took the time to read my comments. The more free interaction humanity can have with each other, the more science can direct our decisions.Thea, I just have to say, I like to write – I always look for opportunities to have a nice writing exercise. I really hope you don’t take my long comment personally. Just sharing my feelings with you in hope to find best answer. But, it’s important for me to validate for you that I know you said “I just wanted to give you another perspective on the suggestion.” And that you did. And it I really appreciate. I really value exchanges of ideas. I am really going to work on my delivery though of critiquing. My comment style was wild and jagged lol. I’m telling you this so you know it was just a free-write of my feelings there. Nothing personal. And… I recognize that you didn’t say my comment was unwanted. I just felt like you implied it. Ugh… Here’s to hoping you like free-writing too. I do believe there is a lot of truth in what I said though. Notwithstanding, thank you for sharing your opinion. <3<3<3 It was just an honest free-write.Vegan science and Thea, Yes indeed you like to write! You should catch Dr Greger in person. He is amazing and very personal. That is what makes this website work so well. He is approachable and funny. He tells a wonderful story about his grandmother and how her experience with health influenced his career as an MD and WGPB. But the most amazing thing about seeing Dr Greger in person is that he has so much energy! And everyone in the audience wanted that for themselves. (The healthy lifestyle) I am sure his bloodwork is amazing! I remember when I posted my bloodwork after being vegan for 6 months he chimed in. Who knows, he might surprise you. But the man is sooooo busy. I think he travels more than anyone I know.VeganScience: I’m sorry I gave the impression that your comment was unwanted or in any way inappropriate. I think it is a perfectly valid opinion. Just not one I agree with. :-)It’s not something I want to debate. I just felt it was important that the other side of the issue be presented. And I think the logic of my original reply stands up pretty good. But of course, you are free to see things differently. As VeganRunner says, you may get your wish. I certainly have no sway in that department. Take care and good luck.I have really enjoyed your series about gluten intolerance, but one topic that has not been covered is changes to the wheat plant itself.I do not have any symptoms of intolerance, however I have cut back on wheat because as I understand by the process of hybridization and other farming methods wheat has completely changed in it’s molecular makeup.This has led me to believe that perhaps the increasing cases of gluten intolerance my be related more to the changing nature of wheat rather than wheat itself (the original plant).Here is one study that I found that showed this by comparing diets with modern versus ancient wheat. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24521561I would love to hear you cover this, and maybe changes in other foods due to hybridization and also genetic modification.Thanks!For the first and only time, I have to disagree with the Doctor. In theory, the suggestions of this video are very valid. But it all depends on what kind of healthcare system you have. I started having GI bad symptoms about 13 years ago and went to several specialists. They all prescribed some allergy tests and celiac tests and told me to try to go lactose free OR gluten free for a month (in two differents periods). I tried all, and in about three years I discovered nothing wrong. I changed my diet by myself after I saw that no doctor was really interested in helping me. I became a quite healthy vegetarian (lots of whole foods, but unfortunately some diary and eggs) and my symptoms improved a lot. I then began following the whole food plant based diet, but my GI distress actually got worse and after 6 months it still was bad. My family doctor didn’t help: She told me instead that 80% of her patient suffer from digestive discomfort and refused to prescibe any other test, and also discouraged me to eliminate high gluten foods, since “having IBS is a NORMAL thing”. After a few months, I finally decided to try the high-gluten-cereals free way (of course keeping the whole food plant based diet) and solved all my problems in literally 4 days. If I only had tried a healthy vegan ND gluten free diet 13 years ago I would have passed very happier years. After two weeks I tried again having some wheat, and had a relapse of my symptoms. I now have my diagnosis, which I made by myself.The point is: I agree: before trying a gluten free diet, change to a whole food plant based diet. But if you don’t solve and doctors don’t offer you any solution (which is very frequent for a lot of health issues here in Italy), try to eliminate high gluten grains for a few weeks and then re-challenge them: It costs nothing and you save money and a LOT of time for diagnosis. Just because doctors ca’t tell you if you’re sensitive or not, it doesn’t mean that you aren’t, and discovering that by yourself may be very simple. But I agree: please don’t go gluten free if you can avoid that! How can you deliberately avoid wheat, such a healthy and delicious cereal, without a good reason?? Thanks for reading. SaraSara: I totally understand what you mean when you say we have to diagnose and fix ourselves. It sucks you suffered through those 13 years, but I’m really happy for you that you eventually found the answer. Thanks for sharing your story.What of irreversible ataxia – and allegedly (according to my MD) other serious AI impacts – that come from gluten sensitivity from which you may experience no GI discomfort? (The modifications to the modern wheat plant and addition of extra gluten to foods is suspected as part of this)Hi Dr Greger, could you talk more about SIBO (since it was the highest cause of symptoms in the study) and how to go about diagnosing and treating it? Thanks.Doc you sheepishly mention, then advocate, small intestine biopsy as a diagnostic test for symptoms that may be Celiac disease / Gluten intolerance. You have got to be kidding. That before simply avoiding it for a few weeks?Maui it is actually the Gold Standard. You can have a negative blood work test and still have Celiacs disease. And unfortunately if you have been off gluten for many years the biopsy can be negative because the intestinal lining has healed. This is important because someone with Celiacs can be affected with a crumb of bread.Dear Dr. Greger,Should for any reason somebody with rheumatoid athritis avoid gluten and sugar.Do we need gluten for any nutritional reason?Mankind has been on Earth as a non-wheat/non-gluten consumer for far longer than as a consumer of wheat and gluten.What a smart question, which I have not yet heard before! Gluten is simply a source of protein, which is fine for anyone not allergic, intolerant, or a sufferer of Celiac disease. If you need or prefer to avoid gluten for those reasons or any other, you can easily find other sources of protein in legumes, other gluten-free whole grains (especially quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth), nuts, seeds, and leafy greens. See Plant Protein Preferred for more on protein sources and for more on why you may need to avoid gluten see other videos on gluten.A family member thought she was celiac because she had debilitating diarrhea when eating wheat. She found out is was BROMATED flour. Now she makes her own bread with unbromated flour and is symptom free. Bromate is used widely in products using flour.I heard that wheat became genetically modified about the time of when Nixon was Pres. and that the protein molecule in the wheat was increased eightfold. Can we find out?Annie: To my knowledge, there is currently no GMO wheat on the market. Check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_wheatThat doesn’t mean that farmers haven’t been modifying our food the old fashion way, through more normal and natural processes. But I understand that *almost all* of our modern food, including food like broccoli, has been modified in this way from its ancestor plants. So, this historical process in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, how many studies show that broccoli is good for you?Thank you for the excellent videos. I would point out that there is another autoimmune disease besides celiac that gluten can be an issue with. I have Eosinophilic Esophagitis. The first thing my GI did was put me on a top six elimination diet – which includes gluten. As it turns out she was right. I can easily distinguish between certified gluten-free oats and regular oats, for example .I disagree with Dr. Greger’s approach to diagnosing potential gluten sensitivity. The diagnostic course he lays out is expensive,invasive, and can take years to reach a diagnosis. And, if that diagnosis is anything but Celiac, the doctor making the diagnosis is going to push potentially harmful medications as the solution, not blueberries. Also troubling was that Rheumatoid Arthritis was not even in the differential. Wheat is a common trigger for RA flare-ups and the disease often goes undiagnosed for years! Simply eating brown rice instead of wheat solves the problem without any negative side-effects, no real added cost, and provides immediate relief regardless of why the wheat was causing the problem. If the symptoms do not resolve on brown rice, then gluten wasn’t the problem. I’m not opposed to a simple blood test to rule out Celiac, but in case of suspected gluten sensitivity, I prefer the combat approach – fire,aim, fire- rather than the more academic approach proposed in the video. The academic approach might ultimately give one a more satisfying answer, but only after the patient has suffered unnecessarily for years.Is it possible that gluten is just harder to digest than other forms of protein? It might be interesting to think about the structural biology of it compared to say the structural proteins in beans, rice, nuts, and muscle fibers. Maybe more of it makes it into our large intestine, leading to a protein feast for bacteria that don’t normally get to go out for surf and turf. Us there anything in the literature about that? I don’t have any problem with bread or oatmeal, but I have noticed more GI complaining with seitan.According to Dr. Tom O’Bryan, Dr. Allessio Fasano’s research has found that there is a peptide sequence in the gluten protein that is IMPOSSIBLE for our digestive enzymes to break apart. Nobody can thoroughly digest gluten. https://www.bulletproofexec.com/61-gluten-sensitivity-celiacs-and-bulletproofing-your-gut-with-dr-tom-obryan-tranAbout 11 years ago I was experiencing extreme symptoms of ulcerative colitis. I did not know it was UC but I spoke to someone who said I could get a colonoscopy to confirm but that it was UC and that it was caused by my being gluten intolerant. I later confirmed that what was happening to my health was UC and a couple years later did a test that used saliva to also confirm I was gluten and soy intolerant. During this time, other than the initial trauma of UC I never had any symptoms of gluten or soy intolerance. At the point I got the diagnosis I quit gluten and soy. 6 months later I went back to them and through the entire time I felt the same. No issues while on gluten or off. In 2007 I did another test. This one from a stool sample at Entero Lab which again showed I was gluten and soy intolerant. I did a couple more after that and even with quitting gluten and soy the results showed I still have activity that shows I am intolerant and am being exposed to gluten and soy. BTW I have been consistently GF and SF for at least 5 years(although maybe I am getting contamination from packaged food or restaurant food) and I have tested for celiac while still eating gluten and do not have it. Plus I have been vegan for 26 years.So my question is, is what I was told is true that I can have no symptoms of gluten intolerance but still have bad things going on that could have bigger consequences such as my UC?Also has anyone heard of EnteroLab and do you know if their gluten and soy sensitivity tests of value?Thanks for any help out there.Could you have microscopic colitis?I don’t know. I just know I was diagnosed 11 years ago with severe ulcerative colitis. Why do you ask?Of I didn’t realize you had a scope done. It sounded like you were unsure of your diagnosis.So your question is can you not be gluten intolerant and still have bowel stuff going on?And the only definitive test for Celiacs is bowel tissue sample. If you test negative with blood test you can still test positive. But if your bloodwork is positive no need for intestinal biopsy.Hello, what is the opinion on this site of whole bread? This thing seems very hard to digest and very irritating on GI tract and is also very salty most of the time~we cut back on gluten, because we are older and were told by a nutritionist that is causes inflammation in your body. So I don’t use pasta anymore,I use zucchini as our pasta. We wondered if you think gluten does cause inflammation in your body too.Only if you have celiac disease is it bad for you or the described sensitivity. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/My wife and I love your website and we have been eating a mainly vegan diet for about two years now. We have donated to your site in the past. I have recently been trying to go gluten free, as I may be gluten intolerant. I have been eating Rudi’s brand gluten-free bread. I noticed the other day that one of the ingredients is egg whites. We know that eggs are not healthy and we have removed them from our diets. So what about the egg whites in the gluten free bread? I eat a few slices of the bread each week. Can you tell me if it is better to stay away from this bread due to the inclusion of egg whites in the ingredients.Thanks, SteveSteve Saso: Congratulations on the changes you have made so far. That’s a great accomplishment.I can’t say whether or not some egg whites in some bread is enough to cause a problem. You will have to decide that for yourself. But maybe I can help you make that decision with some information about egg whites. Below is my standard post about egg whites when the question comes up: ——————————————- There are two problems with eggs, the yolk and the white. (To paraphrase Dr. Barnard.)Egg whites are just as bad for you as the yolks. Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, there are two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out two other health issues with egg whites.Dr. Greger recently posted some videos on how animal protein can raise insulin levels. I’m not sure if that applies to egg whites or not. But here is one of the videos. I can’t find the other one. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg whites. But you of course will have to decide that for yourself when it comes to your bread. Good luck.I agree with Thea “You will have to decide that for yourself” . My question is why is gluten a concern? You can certainly avoid it if you think it’s a problem, but to my knowledge only those diagnoses with celiac disease need to avoid gluten. Is there other breads with no eggs? Thanks for your post and contributions to our site! Can’t thank you enough for your support.Dear Dr. Greger and staff of NutritionFacts.org,I’m a newly registered member of the website but actually following you and your recommendations for one and a half year. Having suffered from a heart attack a couple of years ago I find this site very informative and useful.There’s a matter I haven’t found addressed here that I’m concerned for: Wheat Agglutinin Germ (WGA). I can see from several sources that WGA is highly detrimental for our health:http://towncenterwellness.com/announcements/dangers-of-wheat-germ-agglutinin-wga/ http://www.pnas.org/content/70/2/485.full.pdf http://www.greenmedinfo.com/toxic-ingredient/wheat-germ-agglutinin-wgaIn addition I noticed that wheat germ is also considered a high-oxalate food: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=87I wonder whether I should just avoid wheat germ or quit eating whole wheat grains altogether. Or there are maybe scientific indications that wheat germ is harmless in relation to WGA and overall healthful considering all the nutrients packed in there.Thank you very much for your answer and for all information and support you provide people with on a daily basis.Thanks for reposting this! I don’t think whole grains should be avoided. Eating whole grains may be as effective as drugs. The totality of the evidence on whole grains is very positive, fights cancer, adds fiber, contains phytonutrients and antioxidants, etc. Only folks with severe allergies or intolerances need to avoid. Hope this helps.Hi, I had a blood test done many years ago to identify my food sensitivities. Gluten and gluten related grains were at the top of my list. I am also sensitive to many vegetables and some fruits. Over time I learned that the fruits and veggies that cause my problems are high on the FODMAP scale. I have a great FODMAP app I downloaded from Monash University. It’s a very simple to use guide that basically gives you a green, red or yellow light regarding the specific food. I was surprised how it seemed to match by food sensitivity blood test. I eat gluten free now and avoid those red light FODMAPS. Doing so much better!!!!What are your thoughts on Dr. Tom O’Bryan? Some of the research he uses portray gluten to be bad for all people with or without sensitivities. The claim as I understand it is that Celiac is a disease that you get over time by feeding your body gluten until it basically can’t handle it anymore… There are even claims that the gluten is what causes tears in your intestines that allow other foods into the blood stream which cause your body to create antibodies against them which is what seems to be causing other food sensitivities… He went so far as to say gluten can impact autoimmune diseases and possible make it more likely that someone could be diagnosed with schizophrenia later in life.He uses plenty of research to back up what he is saying but its so contradictory to these gluten videos… I usually trust what I see from Dr. Greger but this one has me questioning.any thoughts on Dr. Tom O’Bryan’s work?heather: I am not familiar with Dr. Tom O’Bryan. But I do have a thought for you in response to this part of your post: “He uses plenty of research to back up what he is saying…” Books like Wheat Belly and Grain Brain also use “plenty of research” to back up their claims. However, the research they point to often does not really back up their claims. It is all a bunch of pseudo-science. Here are some examples where you can learn about flaws in those books: http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/06/problem-with-the-grain-brain-doctor.html http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.html http://drmirkin.com/nutrition/forget-grain-brain-and-wheat-belly-eat-whole-grains.html https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jan/smoke.htmI would not expect O’Bryan’s work to be any different, not when we have such strong evidence supporting the benefits of whole, intact grains, even when they have gluten, in our diet.Just some thoughts for you.	allergies,anemia,autoimmune diseases,bacon,bagels,blueberries,bread,candy,celiac disease,chocolate,colon disease,colon health,depression,doughnuts,fast food,fatigue,food sensitivities,fructose,fruit,frying,gluten,grains,headaches,irritable bowel syndrome,junk food,kale,lactose,marshmallows,pasta,plant-based diets,pork,processed foods,rash,Twinkies,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,wheat	After a formal evaluation to rule out celiac disease, those who suspect they might have gluten sensitivity should first try improving their diet and then have other causes excluded before going on a gluten-free diet, since as many as 1 in 3 people who avoid gluten for symptom control end up having a different disease altogether.	If you missed the first two videos of my 3 part series on the latest in gluten, check out Is Gluten Sensitivity Real? and Gluten-Free Diets: Separating the Wheat from the Chat. I’m curious how this has all been received. I hope it helped clear things up.Please let me know what you thought of my coverage of the best available science I found. If there are any pieces you think I missed or got wrong, please let me know so I can correct them!Some food strategies that may help with irritable bowel symptoms are covered in a few of my previous videos, such as Kiwifruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Cayenne Pepper for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Chronic Indigestion.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-sensitivities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bagels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pasta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/twinkies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marshmallows/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wheat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/doughnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celiac-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lactose/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24595656,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24533607,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22237879,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23125126,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24374645,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24740495,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17845376,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24369326,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23959288,
PLAIN-2557	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/	Gluten-Free Diets: Separating the Wheat from the Chat	Until only a few years ago, almost the whole of the scientific world maintained that the wheat protein gluten would provoke negative effects only in people with rare conditions such as celiac disease or wheat allergies, but by the early part of 2013, it was largely becoming accepted that some nonceliac patients could suffer from gluten or wheat sensitivityAnd indeed a consensus panel of experts now officially recognizes three gluten-related conditions, wheat allergy, celiac disease, and gluten sensitivity. So what percentage of the population should avoid wheat?About 1 in a thousand may have a wheat allergy, nearly 1 in a 100 have celiac disease, and it appears to be on the rise, though there’s still less than a 1 in 10,000 chance Americans will get diagnosed with celiac in a given year. How common is wheat sensitivity? Our best estimate at this point is in that same general range, slightly higher than 1%, but still that’s potentially millions of people who may have been suffering for years who could have been cured by simple dietary means, yet were unrecognized and unhelped by the medical profession.Although gluten sensitivity continues to gain medical credibility, we still don’t know how it works, or how much gluten can be tolerated, if it’s reversible or not and what the long-term complications might be of not sticking to the diet. Considering the lack of knowledge, maybe people with gluten sensitivity should try reintroducing gluten back into their diet every year to see if it’s still causing problems.The reason health professionals don’t want to see people on gluten-free diets unless absolutely necessary is that for the 98% of people that don’t have gluten issues whole grains—including the gluten grains wheat, barley and rye—are health promoting, linked to the reduced risk of coronary heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and other chronic diseases.Just like because some people have a peanut allergy, doesn’t mean everyone should avoid peanuts. There is no evidence to suggest that following a gluten-free diet has any significant benefits in the general population. Indeed, there is some evidence to suggest that a gluten-free diet may adversely affect gut health in those without celiac disease or gluten sensitivity or allergy. They’re talking about this study that found that a month on a gluten-free diet may hurt our gut flora and immune function, potentially setting those on gluten-free diets up for an overgrowth of harmful bacteria in their intestines. Why? Because, ironically, of the beneficial effects of the very components wheat sensitive people have problems with—like the FODMAP fructans that act as prebiotics and feed our good bacteria, or the gluten itself, which may boost immune function. Less than a week of added gluten protein significantly increased natural killer cell activity, which could be expected to improve our body’s ability to fight cancer and viral infections. High gluten bread improving triglyceride levels better than regular gluten bread, as another example.Ironically, one of the greatest threats gluten-free diets pose, may be the gluten itself. Self-prescription of gluten withdrawal may undermine the ability to pick up celiac disease, the much more serious form of gluten intolerance. The way we diagnose celiac is by looking for the inflammation caused by gluten in celiac sufferers, but if they haven’t been eating a lot of gluten, we might miss the disease.Hence, rather than being on a gluten-free diet, we want celiac suspects to be on a gluten-loaded diet. We’re talkin’ 4-6 slices of gluten packed bread every day for at least a month so we can definitively diagnose the disease. Why does it matter to get a formal diagnosis if you’re already on a gluten-free diet? Well it’s a genetic disease so you’ll know to test the family, but most importantly many people on gluten-free diets are not actually on gluten free diets. Even 20 parts per million can be toxic to someone with celiac. Many on so-called gluten free diets inadvertently still eat gluten. Sometimes there’s contamination of gluten-free products, so even foods labeled quote-unquote gluten free may still not be safe for celiac sufferers. That’s why we need to know.The irony, editorialized in a prominent medical journal, of many celiac patients not knowing their diagnosis, while millions of non-sufferers banish gluten from their lives, can be considered a public health farce.	I have been experimenting with a GF diet last couple of months and I have noticed when I re-introduce gluten back into my diet, the day after (without fail) I break out in spots and my digestion slows right down (and stinky gas ensues). Does this mean I am gluten sensitive or is it because my gut sensitivity is rebuilding?Needless to say, soon as I stop the gluten and feed up on say rice, my digestion improves and spots eventually go away. confused.You should consider getting tested for Celiac Disease. What the video says about avoiding gluten causing false test results is true. I was on and off gluten so many times it caused me to have three false negatives before I finally tested positive. I was sure I had CD because of symptoms and advice from another CD patient. CD is a serious condition. The seriousness of the condition is often diminished with the current fad of eating gluten-free for weight loss. I know one CD patient who died from complications of the disease. It is best to get tested and then you will know if you are sensitive or have the disease. Eat gluten again for a week or so before you get the testing. Good luck!If you do want to continue to eat gluten, try eating ORGANIC forms of it. If you are able to digest this without experiencing difficulties your culprit is the highly processed and G.M.O. gluten that is EVERYWHERE. I am a Coeliac and I CANNOT eat any form of gluten, wheat or cereals. This includes corn and rice so if you CAN eat, digest and not experience issues with rice, you are more than likely not a Coeliac.The big three gluten-heavy grains (wheat, and her close relatives and hybrids, Rye and Barley are not commercially GMO-ed. Virtually, the only grain commercially GMO-ed is corn.This is true, but the majority of the wheat we eat today comes from a breed of plant created in the 50s / 60s using radiation based gene manipulation. This produced smaller plants that yielded far better – but it is not the same plant we have been eating for centuries which came from the middle east. Although it is not GM – in the sense that no DNA material was taken from other kingdoms – its genes were altered, and that could potentially cause reactions for some people.An interesting test for people with gluten issues would be to try eating Farro or Spelt and see if there are similar reactions. These grains were the grandfathers of Wheat. People eat Farro quite a bit in Italy – and in fact the word ‘farina’ or ‘flour’ comes from Farro!Another issue is that recently farmers have begun using Roundup on Wheat crops just before harvest – to stress the plants into a final burst of production, and to remove excess foliage making harvesting easier. Anyone eating this product is going to get a heavy dose of Roundup – and although questions remain about the safety directly on humans, there is no doubt of the effect that this has on the gut bacteria. Glyphosate is antimicrobial, and this could perhaps explain reactions such as Acne outbursts.Wheat contains fermentable carbs called fructans. These are the most likely cause of stinky gas.Just to rule out a possible confusion, you aren’t having milk with your glutenous grains are you? Milk is another candidate for your issues.I thought the issue with avoiding gluten (for those without allergies, CD, etc.) was that the quality (nutritional value) of wheat in particular has declined dramatically over time.You are so very correct!!!! Based on my experience, I KNOW that the issue is NOT gluten ……….. It’s the quality. The G.M.O. seeds, how it’s grown, if it’s sprayed with toxic chemicals and how processed it is before it’s packaged.The nutritional qualities of wheat have actually been improved over the last few decades by selective breeding.I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. From everything I’ve read the suggestion is for Hashi’s to be gluten free due to gluten mimicing thyroid tissue. Which, in turn, causes our antibodies to increase. I know I have at least one gluten sensitive gene because my daughter was tested and has two. Is there science based research on autoimmune diseases and gluten?If you develop an autoimmune disease you MUST have the genetic markers for it. Emotional stress and environmental toxins trigger ALL autoimmune diseases. Once you have the genetic marker there is a very high chance that you will develop the disease if your diet consists of mostly highly processed foods and you are experiencing high levels of stress. The gluten is not the issue. The issue is the quality of the gluten. If it is G.M.O., sprayed with herbicides then highly processed and packaged, it’s, of course, no good. If you have confirmation that the genetic marker is present and have yet to suffer from the disease try to avoid the disease manifesting all together with quality control of your food. High levels of organic fruits and vegetables is excellent and, if you do still decide to ingest gluten, make sure it’s organic as well.DGM – Great question. I also have an autoimmune disorder and have been avoiding gluten based on advice from a number of sources (albeit most of them online) indicating that gluten and leaky-gut issues may play a role in autoimmune disorders. Would love to hear the Dr.’s thoughts on this.Hi Trey. For me gluten causes an inflammatory arthritis. However, beware of the gross generalization from online sources. I am always very suspicious of these. Yes gluten can be a problem and yes leaky gut can be implicated in auto immune problems. However the leaky is more likely to be dairy than gluten. I have always maintained that wheat is a very healthy dietary component unless you have a particular problem with it such as an allergy, sensitivity or celiac. This presentation is to me very important in laying out some previously unknown (to me) health benefits of gluten. When I eliminated all animal products and moved to a more decisively whole foods plant based diet, my gluten sensitivity was reduced dramatically but alas not totally. Still I think I can have limited amounts say my favorite vegan whole wheat wrap twice a week.Thank you for showing the science! Very frustrating as a registered dietitian nutritionist that so many people think gluten is such a huge problem (when it’s not). I gather people feel better b/c of adopting a more wholesome diet and eliminating many of the highly processed refined foods they were previously consuming.The notion that not consuming gluten may be harmful must come as quite a surprise to the large percentage of the world’s population that doesn’t consume gluten.There are very few places where wheat isn’t eaten regularly.Hello, we know whole grains are healthy overall but i have a question, can we consider that pasta made from whole grains flour like yellow corn, buckwheat or whole rice flour pasta are really whole grains and are as healthy? I mean flour even from whole flour is not a whole product since it is refined…Exactly. There are other grains besides wheat, barley and rye. You can still eat whole grains even if you do not eat gluten. As for gluten ingestion enhancing the immune function somehow, I can’t imagine that gluten is the only substance that serves this purpose. While I don’t see any reason to give up gluten if you don’t have to, I don’t think that eliminating is harmful, as there are just so many other things you can eat. Eliminating only three grains could not possibly be terribly adverse. As long as other whole grains are ingested.Do you have any ideas or science studies if Pastas made from whole flour is as healthy as real whole grains?I think there could be non CD upper limit to glucose intake. If you eat glucose-rich meat substitutes and a lot of bread it could be too much for anyone. Don’t know till I learn.AMLA/Diabetes, a nice addition to Dr. Gregers’ information about AMLA: http://drelaine.com/guest-blog-a-natural-diabetes-treatment-that-works/There are plenty of studies showing Gluten to be adverse to good health than pro-health, for example http://authoritynutrition.com/6-shocking-reasons-why-gluten-is-bad/ Eating a plant based raw food diet is always going to be optimal, but i wouldn’t be telling or alluding people to be eating something that can have a wide ranging effect, and going through your snippet slide show of clips that are much of the time irrelevant that sometimes reaffirms your point. Is gluten really safe when there are mountains of evidence the other way?Evidence? You seem to confuse scientific evidence with internet hysteria.I have seen no credible scientific evidence that gluten is bad for anyone not suffering from either celiac disease or gluten intolerance. That is about 98% of the population. (And believe me, I have read through a lot of literature).In this case Dr. Greger is spot-on. If you are lucky enough to be one of those 98 out of 100, there is no reason to avoid gluten – at least the gluten from whole grains, for the healthiness of which we really have “mountains of evidence” .Yeah, which is why several Drs grim warnings about gluten sensitivity have really bothered me, and caused me a great deal of (unnecessary?) stress, (see my post below). GF Fat free is expensive too.I had too many expensive medical tests and remedies which now seem to be based on pseudo science (or early findings not yet verified so only try if it’s really your last desperate chance). And now I doubt the qualifications and scientific credentials of integrative MDs.I hope dr Greger’s next video addresses this gluten sensitivity scare campaign. I should go gluten free for ms despite blood and gene tests showing Im not CD and I don’t notice problems from gluten? Fact or fiction?!Possible and it seems white wheat bread is terrible for everyone GI tract~For ms holistic Drs told me to avoid gluten for gluten sensitivity and risks of leaky gut, even though blood & gene tests showed no coeliac. The gluten sensitivity info those Drs gave me seemed not yet very scientific. They also went on about gut flora.I hope Dr Greger gets gregerious all over this as it causes stress. I would be happier to eat some gluten as I like it and my no oils vegan diet is restrictive enough without GF (difficult to travel or eat out = unhappy stress). Also, Is leaky gut really a problem for me on my diet?I don’t have celiac but going gluten-free (I did this well before it became a popular/trendy thing) dramatically changed my life and health for the better. It was like i had been numb. It took many months off it but it really changed things for the better.I have a question regarding iodine. If not from sea-based food, where would ancient peoples inland have gotten their iodine? Or were they all just deteriorating mentally, but still did alright otherwise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine#Deficiency)?Ten years ago, I followed Dr Klaper elimination diet that I found on the Vegsource Website at the time. I was hoping to find the source of my severe eczema. Fourteen days later, my eczema was completely gone and when I reintroduced gluten I saw that it was the culprit. I have been gluten-free and very happy to be eczema-free since then. Six years later, my mom was diagnosed with celiac disease after thorough exams to find the cause of her iron deficiency. I follow my gluten-free diet very seriously as there is a good chance I have celiac disease too but there is no way I could go on a 4 to 6 slices of breads a day for a month so that I could get officially diagnosed.I don’t think I have celiac disease, but I have self diagnosed gluten intolerance and have been gluten free for almost two years. If I ate gluten for a month, I would be unemployable. If there is an insurance company who would cover me for that, I’d be happy to eat gluten for a month, and live in the bathroom, not work, wheeze from acid reflux, and suffer depression. Also, I think I read somewhere that the celiac test is unreliable, giving false positives. Imagine getting sick for a month from eating gluten and the getting a false negative?I don’t have any problem digesting wheat products and regularly eat refined and whole wheat breads, but a bowl of wheat pasta gives me terrible breathing problems that last a couple hours after eating. Any ideas why?I am fortunate to be alive. I have Polyglandular Autoimmune Syndrome. Just as there are different types of Diabetes, there are different types of P.A.S. Mine is so serious that I have developed diseases in all four types of this disorder. One of them is Coeliac Disease. After years of prayers and personal research I discovered my condition and began to understand WHY my immune system was so compromised and why, one after the other, my organs were beginning to break down and deteriorate. It was a deadly combination of two things ……….. a rare genetic make up and toxicity. Coeliac Disease is NOT DEVELOPED ……… It is triggered by toxicity whether it is emotional toxicity or environmental toxicity taken in by the body via food, water, air, chemicals used in the home or work place or anything else that the body is coming in contact with. There MUST be a genetic marker for Coeliac Disease within any given human’s genetic make up FIRSTLY before Coeliac Disease can come about. Even blood tests carried out to identify anti bodies will not give clear answers as to whether one has this disease or not. The best way to identify this disease is via missing or collapsed villi of the intestinal tract. Thankfully, I didn’t have to go this far. Health professionals are now riding the wave of the high level of problems people are experiencing in digesting wheat, cereals and gluten BUT ………….. the issue is NOT wheat, cereals or gluten. Humans have been exposed to this form of plant life from the beginning of time. The issues are the G.M.O.s, extremely high levels of herbicides and pesticides and extremely high levels of processing wheat, cereals and gluten goes through.Coeliac Disease is experienced by a little over 2% of the general populous but sensitivities and irritations and the inability to digest are due to toxicity. We need to return to the food that is readily identified, processed and used by the body …………. ORGANIC, ORGANIC, ORGANIC.Cynysha: I’m sorry to hear you have such difficult medical problems. I can only imagine how hard it must be.I can’t comment on the majority of what you wrote, but I thought you would want to know that there is no commercially available GMO wheat on the market – at least not to my knowledge. This wikipedia article looks to be about a year old, but I believe the information about GMO wheat production is still true: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_wheatGood luck with your medical issues. I’m glad you are still with us.I would be so happy that it could be true! I followed this diet ( hypotoxic) before being vegan. That was my first step toward my healing, the second one was the vegan diet. This book written by a scientist (Jacqueline Lagacé) has a scientific explanation about gluten sensitivity. http://www.amazon.ca/The-End-Pain-Nutrition-Inflammatory/dp/1771640189I must also disagree with the good doctor here. Recommending that people eliminate every other cause of their symptoms before even trying a gluten free diet is just not realistic. Who can do that other than an independently wealthy person with no work or family responsibilities? And what doctor (other than apparently Dr. Gregor) would help you do that? No doctors in my medium size town. Meanwhile, my issues with gas, diarrhea, migraines, tennis elbow, psoriasis, and essential hand tremor all were improved or completely resolved by a short stint of simply not eating flour, barley or rye. Cutting out the inflammation caused by dairy and meat took care of the remainder. No one should slog through years of tests and appointments unless their own food testing is equivocal, or they need a medical diagnosis for paperwork reasons. Living GF is no more a tragedy to be avoided than is giving up meat and dairy. Be honest Dr. Gregor – you just don’t want to try it. :)Need to add that I also got rid of my geographic tongue. I did not improve my diet in other ways (e.g. more veg/fruit) because I was already eating very healthy and cooking meals from scratch – stir fries and indian curries are my go to meals.I have just watched your recent video about gluten free diets. I am a bit alarmed, because I have been avoiding gluten for a few years – I do not have celiac, nor a sensitivity – but rather because I have an enlarged thyroid. I have not been diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, but have been instructed to avoid gluten – because it can aggravate certain thyroid problems. Do you have any science that would help me determine if that is the right way to go?I am 52 years old and have eaten a plant based diet for about 5 few years. I never really totally cut out gluten, but made my own crackers, quit eating breads and anything really made with white flour except on occasion. In the last 4 months I had 3 episodes of hives, the last after eating 4 ritz crackers which also lead to tongue swelling… I am a nurse, and was at work so I went to the ER. I have been diagnosed with a wheat allergy? really after all these years of eating it, and merely cutting back? I am somewhat confused and trying to figure this out, there seems to be more to this and I hate to cut out something that might be good for me… but I also don’t want anaphylaxis happening!Interesting. So, you’d always eaten wheat before you started the plant-based diet? How were you diagnosed with a wheat allergy? For myself and a few others I’ve observed, the more we’ve moved towards eating only organic and whole plant foods, the less tolerant our bodies seem to be to unhealthy foods and environmental toxins. I have no idea why that would be. I know with consuming alcohol, there are enzymes the liver makes to detoxify it, and if you don’t drink alcohol you make fewer of those enzymes (they are ‘induced’ by the presence of the toxin) so you become a ‘cheap date.’ I don’t know if that might apply somehow to exposure to allergens. I have certainly heard of allergies seeming to develop out of nowhere later in life. Also, a small allergic reaction can be much worse in repeat exposures so I would be very careful now if I were you.Maybe I missed something, but is it really the gluten itself that causes the majority of problems and not something else about wheat? I keep seeing that the studies involve the individuals eating and/or avoiding cereals, breads, crackers, and other baked goods… what about just pure gluten like seitan and other “wheat meat” products? Are there any studies using that instead as the means of ingesting gluten and showing its effects? I recognize there ARE people who are still gluten intolerant, I’m not trying to deny that (the other video made that clear, not to mention I have friends who are legitimately gluten intolerant), I just can’t help but wonder if in many cases its really the gluten they’re after. It’s a question I’ve kept asking but no one has given me an answer. Has anyone on a wheat free diet otherwise tried eating Seitan? (ie, someone who has eaten seitan or a product containing vital wheat gluten while avoiding bread and other wheat products).I apologize for the lack of professionalism in my response.Nalani: I thought I would share that I think it is an interesting question. One of my *favorite* dishes is “wheat gluten with ginger sauce”, a dish sold at a local vegan Chinese restaurant. It is SO good. If some people found out that their intolerances were not related to the gluten itself, they could enjoy treats like that. (I call it a treat, because I recognize that it is a highly processed food. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it from time to time or that it isn’t a great help for people in transition.)I’m not sure if the following answers your question or not. It is copied from the transcript from the video before this one in the series:“Gluten itself may not be causing gut symptoms at all. See most people with wheat sensitivity have a variety of other food sensitivities. Two thirds are sensitive to cow’s milk protein as well, then eggs were the most common culprit. So if you put people on a diet low in common triggers of irritable bowel symptoms and then challenge them with gluten, there’s no effect. Same increase in symptoms with high gluten, low gluten or no gluten, calling into question the very existence of non-celiac gluten sensitivity.”from: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/I think that gets to heart of your question?Thanks for your post.Celiac disease and all gluten related allergies are all “FAKE” – or extreme exaggeration by fake Doctors and press controlled and hired by livestock industry to spread lies to annihilate competition for gluten (mock meat) which is a lot healthier and contains more and better quality protein than real meat.Meat contains 18% protein. Gluten contains 75% protein. Gluten wins the cruel bloody Protein Wars hands down. 99% of people that consume meat do so for PROTEIN.If I am wrong and these diseases and allergies do exist and are not exaggerations and “Propaganda” – then as many if not much more allergies and more severe diseases exists as a direct result of consuming “Real” Meat, Dairy, and Eggs.Celiac disease and all gluten related allergies are “FAKE” – or extreme exaggeration by fake Doctors and press controlled and hired by livestock industry to spread lies to annihilate competition for gluten (mock meat) which is a lot healthier and contains more and better quality protein than real meat.If I am wrong and these diseases and allergies do exist and are not exaggerations and “Propaganda” – then as many if not much more allergies and more severe diseases exists as a direct result of consuming “Real” Meat, Dairy, and Eggs. Meat=18%Protein Gluten=75%Protein.I think gluten sensitivity is intentionally “Hyped” by livestock and restaurant industries to cut competition from healthy higher protein mock meats (seitan & gluten). Most meat-eaters do so for “Protein” and Gluten and Seitan (mock meat) have more protein than real meat and healthier too without cholesterol and all the other crap inside the USA genetically modified drugged meat.Does the FODMAP diet work with IBS with constipation?A suggestion is made here that Roundup is being used as a desiccant to speed up wheat harvesting: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/ Any comments?What are your thoughts on the Fodmap diet? The Doctor told my sister to avoid Broccoli and the like because they are bad, even though she doesn’t have IBS. This doesn’t seam logical to me.I wouldn’t recommend Fodmap diet due to inclusion of dairy, meat and exclusion of wheat among other things. I advise my patients to move to a WFPB diet with adequate Vitamin B12 as the first step. Individuals can have specific problems with some plant foods (i.e. allergies, insensitivity). These are important and often hard to tease out and often need to be approached with and elimination diet. Bottom line if certain foods seem to cause a problem it is best to avoid. Broccoli is an interesting case in point see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/. Cooking methods have various effects on foods for broccoli see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/ or across a variety of foods see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/. I’ve not had any patients who have specifically had problems with broccoli.Thanks for your advice :)This is what my nutritionist / doctor advised me on this as I have been gluten/wheat free for a year now and not sure I need to be. If I ask my family doctor or my gastroenterologist they tell me wheat is ok for me. My biggest concern is how wheat will effect my joint health and allergies. Hello Blanked Thank you for sending me these links. It is my opinion that the data from this presentation is taken a bit out of context. It’s NOT the gluten in whole grains that offer the vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients. Gluten is just the protein component of the grain and you can get protein from a thousand other food sources. These nutrients come from other parts of the grain..And while there are some benefits from eating whole grains, fortunately many of these very nutrients can be found in a variety of other whole foods such as fresh vegetables, fruit, seeds, nuts and legumes. As such, you can avoid eating grains and still lead a very healthy life.I would encourage you and any other individual interested in the subject to look into the research of Alessio Fasano, MD – chief of GI at Harvard and author of numerous papers on wheat/gluten/gliadin. I would also encourage you to read the medical literature published by Gerard Mullen, MD – chief of GI at Johns Hopkins and key note lecturer at numerous medical conferences on the subject of gut health. Finally, I would say that Dr Tom O’Bryan is probably of the leading authorities on the subject. Here is a link to one of his projects: http://theglutensummit.com/team/tom-obryan/Ultimately anyone who wants to eat wheat is free to do so! All I can say is: Warning: Consumer discretion is advised!All the best,Dr Blanked, DSc,RDN,LD,CCN,CDE Integrative Medicine Nutritionist & Author Blanked Center for Health & HealingBlanked Health Morsani College of Medicine, Adjunct Professor University of Blanked, Adjunct Professor Blanked University of Integrative Health, Adjunct Professor———- Forwarded message ———- From: Blanked Date: Tue, Feb 24, 2015 at 12:10 PM Subject: Gluten Info source as requested by Dr. Dean To: BlankedAs discussed at our appointment the health benefits of gluten. I welcome the Doctor’s comments on the following very short videos.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/Wheat is not just bad for celiacs – studies prove that irrespective of autoimmunity that there is an reaction in the gut caused by a protein called Zonulin. This protein causes the tight junctions to open and causes macromolecules / undigested proteins and bacterial fragments to pass in to the bloods stream.The tight junction “gates” stay open longer in those with Celiac, Diabetes and other auto immune diseases – but DO open when ingesting gliadin in ALL people.Is it ok to eat couscous? I bought organic and white couscous? Is white couscous refined in the same way white rice is? I eat mainly whole foods and did not realize that couscous was not a whole food. Any thoughts?Hi, I was interested in some information about durum wheat, it’s marketed to be better than other wheat and I just wanted to know what’s your view on that? Perhaps you could research that topic and make some comparison video: normal wheat vs durum vs whole wheat?I have always felt bad for CD sufferers. You get these fools that follow fad diets like they work, and arrogantly claim they are GF for no reason, and you have these poor—actually afflicted—individuals having to be lumped in with these morons simply following a trend. A diet is lifestyle eating, not some ridiculous elimination of a core food group or single ingredient to “promote health.”To all those with CD. My heart goes out to you. I bet it is incredibly difficult to deal with.I wonder has anyone done a food intolerant test that test for 100-300 kinds of food to determine if the person suffers from any intolerance from our daily diet. Imupro has this test and I am not sure how medically proven that is.Can you help me resolve the differences in view points? After reading Wheat Belly, by William Davis, MD, I am under the impression that wheat, especially the new genetically manipulated wheat, with 10 times the amount of gluten, than ancient einhorn and emmer wheat, is possibly one of the worst things we are eating. Even if we are not one of the 1 out of 133 with celiac disease. That the glycemic index of bread made from wheat, 69-72, is higher than table sugar, 59. That the people with wheat/gluten sensitivities approaches more like 1 in 3, even though they do not have celiac disease. That wheat may contribute to many diseases, and the elimination of it can increase the greater health of the planet.This article seems to encourage viewers, to consume wheat for the greater health.Which viewpoint is true?Dean, I can understand your confusion. Lots of people find the book Wheat Belly (and it’s sister book Grain Brain) to be compelling. Unfortunately, the references in those books generally either do not support the claim or the claim being made twists the information really being presented in the studies.Dr. McDougall has a good article addressing both Wheat Belly and Grain Brain: https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jan/smoke.htmHere’s another good article: http://drmirkin.com/nutrition/forget-grain-brain-and-wheat-belly-eat-whole-grains.htmlI like the following page because it comes from a site that supports people who are gluten sensitive. If anyone was going to support the Wheat Belly, it would be the people on this site. But they too point to a lack of science behind the book: http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.htmlAnd then there is all of the great, solid evidence shown here on NutritionFacts that supports eating whole grains, including wheat.Note that there is a huge difference between eating bread (even whole wheat bread) and whole, intact grains, such as wheat berries. Or even whole wheat pasta. And while the glycemic index can be a somewhat helpful addition to the tools we use to evaluate foods, it should not be the only tool we use. The glycemic index of a food is just one tiny aspect to consider for the whole package. (I’m assuming diet coke does not have a high glycemic index, but that doesn’t make it healthy…) The glycemic index needs to be taken in context with all of the other criteria/factors we know about various foods in conjunction with the body of scientific evidence about nutrition.Bottom line: Wheat Belly is full of pseudo-science and deliberate misrepresentations. It sure sounds like good science, but sadly, it is just a way for someone to make money off of the lay public. It is very sad that that book was published, because it has terribly confused many people.That isn’t to say that there aren’t some people who legitimately have issues with gluten. Just like there are some people with peanut allergies. But that doesn’t make peanuts unhealthy. It doesn’t even make peanuts unhealthy for the majority of people.Does that help?	allergies,bagels,barley,bile acids,bread,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,celiac disease,chronic diseases,diabetes,FODMAPs,food sensitivities,fructans,gluten,grains,gut flora,heart disease,heart health,immune function,obesity,pasta,prediabetes,probiotics,rye,viral infections,wheat	How common is gluten sensitivity? Are there benefits of gluten? Why does the medical profession explicitly advise against people who suspect they might be gluten intolerant from just going on a gluten-free diet?	This is the second video in a 3-part series on the latest science on gluten and gluten-free diets. Though the medical profession now recognizes wheat sensitivity as a discrete entity, it’s still not clear if it’s actually the gluten to which people are reacting. See the first part for a review of the controversy: Is Gluten Sensitivity Real?In the final installment, How to Diagnose Gluten Intolerance, I’ll go step by step how someone may want to proceed who suspects they might be sensitive to gluten-containing grains.More on the benefits of whole grains in general in Whole Grains May Work As Well As Drugs and Alzheimer’s Disease: Grain Brain or Meathead?.More on keeping our gut flora happy in videos such as Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics? and Beans and the Second Meal Effect.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-sensitivities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bagels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pasta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barley/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fructans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fodmaps/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wheat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celiac-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24411520,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22313950,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16377907,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23287948,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10204832,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22493548,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19079919,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4017494/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22920739,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22939437,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24533607,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21181303,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22351716,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4017515/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22850429,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24740495,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24343168,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24124879,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20465858,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24885375,
PLAIN-2558	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/	Is Gluten Sensitivity Real?	In 1980, researchers in England reported a series of women who suffered from chronic diarrhea that resolved on a gluten-free diet, yet didn’t have evidence of celiac disease, the autoimmune disorder associated with gluten intolerance. The medical profession was skeptical at the time, and even 30 years later, so much so, that much like patients who had irritable bowel syndrome, patients claiming non-celiac gluten sensitivity were commonly referred to psychiatrists because they were believed to have an underlying mental illness. Psychological testing of such patients, however, found no evidence that they were suffering from some psychosomatic hysteria.The medical profession has a history of dismissing diseases as all in people’s heads—PTSD, ulcerative colitis, migraines, ulcers, asthma, Parkinson’s and MS. Despite resistance from the prevailing medical community each time, however, these health problems have subsequently been confirmed to be credible physiologically-based disorders rather than psychologically-based confabulations.On the flipside, the internet is rife with unsubstantiated claims about gluten free diets, which has spilled over into the popular press to make gluten the diet villain du jour. Claims like ‘17 million Americans are gluten sensitive’. However, it must be remembered that this is also ‘big business.’When literally billions are at stake it’s hard to trust anybody, so as always, best to stick to the science. What sort of evidence do we have for the existence of a condition presumed to be so widespread?Not much. The evidence base for such claims was unfortunately very thin because we didn’t have randomized controlled trials demonstrating that the entity even exists. The gold-standard for confirming non-celial gluten sensitivity requires a gluten-free diet, followed by a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled food challenge. Like they give you a muffin and you’re not told if it’s gluten free or gluten filled—to control for placebo effects—and see what happens. The reason this is necessary is because when you actually do this, a number of quote-unquote “gluten-sensitive” patients don’t react at all to disguised gluten and instead react to the gluten-free placebo.But we never had that level of evidence until… 2011, when a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial was published, which tested to see if patients complaining of irritable bowel symptoms who claimed they felt better on a gluten free diet—despite not having celiac disease—actually could tell if they were given gluten containing bread and muffins or the placebo gluten-free bread and muffins.They started out gluten-free and symptom-free for two weeks and then they were challenged with the bread and muffins. Here’s what happened to the 15 patients who got the placebo, meaning they started out on a gluten-free diet and continued on a gluten –free diet. They got worse. Just the thought that they may be eating something that was bad for them made them feel crampy and bloated. This is what’s called the nocebo effect. The placebo effect is when you give someone something useless and they feel better; the nocebo effect is when you give someone something harmless and they feel worse. But the small group that got the actual gluten, felt worse. So, they concluded, this non-celiac gluten intolerance thing may actually exist.It was a small study, though, and even though they claimed the gluten-free bread and muffins were indistinguishable, maybe at some level the patients could tell which was which. So in 2012, researchers in Italy took 920 patients that had been diagnosed with non-celiac gluten sensitivity and put them to the test with a double-blinded wheat challenge by giving them capsules of filled with wheat flour or filled with placebo powder. And more than 2/3’s failed the test, like they got worse on the placebo or better on the wheat. But of those that passed, there was a clear benefit to staying on the wheat-free diet, confirming the existence of a non-celiac wheat sensitivity. Note they said wheat sensitivity, not gluten sensitivity.Gluten itself may not be causing gut symptoms at all. See most people with wheat sensitivity have a variety of other food sensitivities. Two thirds are sensitive to cow’s milk protein as well, then eggs were the most common culprit.So if you put people on a diet low in common triggers of irritable bowel symptoms and then challenge them with gluten, there’s no effect. Same increase in symptoms with high gluten, low gluten or no gluten, calling into question the very existence of non-celiac gluten sensitivity.Interestingly, despite being informed that avoiding gluten wasn’t apparently doing a thing for their gut symptoms, many participants opted to continue following a gluten-free diet as they subjectively described “feeling better,” so the researchers wondered if avoiding gluten might be improve the mood of those with wheat sensitivity and indeed, short-term exposure to gluten appeared to induce feelings of depression in these patients. But whether non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a disease of the mind or the gut, it is no longer a condition that can be dismissed.	I think there is a typo in the Doc’s Note:Stay tuned for Gluten-Free Diets: Separating the Wheat from the Chat andIs it not “separating the wheat from the chaff“?I think he used “Chat” in the video’s title just for pun.Nice!possible… i thought something similar…Pun it is!I take this chance to thank you Dr Michael Greger for all your incredible work, informations and this wonderful site that is one of my favourite in the world of Human Nutrition !!I think that one day thanks to sites like this, the importance of Preventive Medicine through Nutrition will be an important part of Med school and related field.Best regards,Mauro, Italywell spun…IBS and Celiac disease can also be cause by Lectins which are contained in wheat, oats and grains. http://drjockers.com/2013/09/why-you-should-avoid-lectins-in-your-diet/Sometimes it is the amount given that provokes reactions. Environmental medicine physicians know this concept very well. One capsule of say oat flour or oat bran is not going to cause me to blow up and get diarrhea. But a small bowl of oatmeal WILL do so! Wheat is the same. And sometimes it is because these gluten containing grains are considered high FODMAP foods. FODMAP is an acronym, deriving from “Fermentable, Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols.” I follow a low fodmap diet to keep my bloating symptoms under control.I no longer believe in blind and double blind studies for the most part anymore. They have to take out too many variables by necessity and thus can never tell the full picture of anything. Sometimes they can be useful but they are severely limited. Even for drug testing they are limited as there is always the curve that did not benefit from the drug and the curve that got bad reactions. A statistical average means nothing if one’s individual biochemistry cannot properly metabolize a drug. Same with foodHi Linda, I was going to make a few observations but noted that your point about the problem with blind and double blind studies seemed to be a good take off point.I developed psoriatic arthritis about 6 years ago and when my rheumatologist suggested methotrexate I decided to investigate dietary factors to avoid that. Turns out gluten can be a factor in about 15% of cases and since I have a sibling with celiac disease I decided to eliminate gluten instead of doing an elimination diet. 10 days later the arthritis disappeared.Case settled right? Well no, I was also vitamin D deficient and had also begun rectifying that with supplements. So maybe there is confusion here. But anytime I inadvertently consumed even the smallest amount of gluten I would wake up with intense arthritic pain in my distal joints.Well I kept studying and two years ago came across this site. It did not take long for me to realize that there are a lot of pro inflammatory factors in animal products so I went with WFPBD. Within a relatively short time the remaining swelling in my toes disappeared and I became much less gluten sensitive. That is, I could have my vegan wrap in a whole wheat tortilla with no ill effect. Well at least not for the first one. This week I have had a wrap every day, (they are really good) and this morning the swelling has returned with great intensity.So my conclusion is that I am much less gluten sensitive but probably need to limit the gluten. (Maybe I’ll cut those wraps down to 2 a week.)Now to your point about double blind studies. Six years ago, I could have participated in one and been part of the proof that gluten was THE problem. Six years latter, the picture is much murkier. Turns out there are a multiplicity of factors and gluten seems to be one. So I’m looking forward to the next two chapters on this.That sounds like what happens to me. I tried wheat pasta and bread once after going vegan without noticing much, maybe a little swelling and pain in my ankles for a day or two, but not much, and I’m used to that happening for unknown reasons. Then a couple weeks later I ate a lot of wheat three days in a row and could barely walk for 3-4 days after I stopped eating wheat. Then a couple days ago I got some vegan green chili sauce on rice and beans at Whole Foods, the swelling and pain came back, along with a really bad mood. It lasted 2 days. I’m guessing the sauce had wheat added to thicken it. Seems like a dose dependent response to me.Yeah, I’ve gotten in trouble trusting things from Whole foods that were done in their deli. A few years ago I saw some gumbo, read the label and had it for lunch. That night while in pain I remembered blindly following the ingredient list. It was perhaps my own fault as I do know that wheat is in gumbo but I was on auto pilot. Another time I was reading ingredients in another of their deli dishes and came across the precise ingredient, “sauce”. At that point I brought out the manager.“Sauce”??? Wow, can’t believe that was allowed! LOL. And I have had the similar auto-pilot experience you mention when looking for vegan food.Been going over so much info on this website and learning a BUNCH! So, what happened with that “sauce” ingredient? did they tell you what the heck it meant or ?… hahaHey J. She was as mystified as I. And she’s promised corrective action. Alas I did not see much conviction in her response so we’ll see. I did tell her how dangerous that was (actually I ranted a bit) so she might have been feeling that.Interesting stories from all you guys. Thanks for sharing. Now, Stewart, I have held the theory that some of these sensitivities can be corrected if they did not exist at one point in a person’s life. Since you noticed the corrective potential of a WFPBD, what do you think about trying raw? I recently did raw before 4pm and noticed some great benefits and I’m not suffering from anything specific except occasional bloating. Thoughts?Oh come on joebosauce. Anyone posting here is likely to be opinionated to some degree and I’m no exception.The bio availability of phytonutrients might be enhance or destroyed by cooking. And, as is the case with mushrooms,certain toxic aspects can be reduced or eliminated without compromising the useful phytonutrients by cooking. I have heard (though not confirmed) that there is a problem with raw cabbage. But cooking cabbage can destroy myrosinase that is necessary in forming sulfurophane which is really beneficial.The bottom line is, I’m not convinced that raw as a rule is a good idea. So, I try to go raw when that seems best and cook when that seems best. It depends on the food. Indeed I suspect your mild gastric distress could easily be countered by cooking some of those veggies. Unfortunately we don’t always know which ones.Good luck on finding out. I’ll sure be interested.I too am eating a raw till four diet. Really it’s just choosing one meal to eat hot but I notice crazy bloating after my hot meal. Painful sometimes :( idk what it is because its never the same meal although I don’t like cold beans so perhaps that’s the culprit. I too have a siblings that have celiac disease so I avoid moat gluten laden foods not only because I don’t want to endure any side effects but most wheat products aren’t vegan anyway! There are so many benefits from going raw, plant based diets have been preventing diseases and cancers for years so its convinced me.Just a random thought since I notice digestive issues with gluten free and gluten products with or without eggs or dairy…its not the gluten but something else. There are so many different ingredients how can anyone know for sure…it could be increased fiber causing the bloat as well.Have you heard of the theory that it is actually not gluten that supposedly causes certain symptoms but adenosintriphosphate-amylase (ATI) that is enriched in modern grains through century-long cultivation?PanchitoIn this study, they say people are fructan (carb) sensitive instead of gluten sensitive:http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/05/22/314287321/sensitive-to-gluten-a-carb-in-wheat-may-be-the-real-culprit?ft=1&f=139941248Yikes, that was pretty complicated (though well done). I wonder if this suggests that we should look for environmental triggers of broader automimmune conditions like leaky gut syndrome (I think that’s an autoimmune condition though I’m not a health care professional…) which could lead to wider classes of food intolerance. E.g. I think there’s been speculation that one type of pesticide that works by giving leaky gut syndrome to pests, might have a similar effect on humans.Genetically modified foods and glyphosate, the primary pesticide in Round Up, harm healthy gut bacteria, increase leaky gut and food allergies. http://responsibletechnology.org/glutenintroductionLet’s take wheat and treat it like an herb or drug. What if it has upper limits? What if it has contra-indications? It might have both benefits and non-benefits. Of coarse there might be a type of pollutant. Seems to be a lot of variables. But we eat so much of it it’s worth it. I deprived myself of a lot of food with the “eat right for your blood type” diet. Don’t want to do that again.Almost ten years ago I read some information that made me decide to start grinding my own wheat and making my own bread for health reasons. At the time gluten was not even an issue. It was about the lack of nutrients and health benefits eating store bought bread/flour vs. the over abundance of nutrients and the benefits of using fresh ground wheat. It wasn’t until recently that I came across an article from a blog I subscribe to that the whole gluten sensitivity and fresh ground wheat “came together” for me.http://www.millersgrainhouse.com/milling/gluten-may-not-be-your-problem/#sthash.JNfZ6Yha.dpbsFrom a health perspective, it makes so much sense. Whole foods, not highly processed, is what will give us better health and store bought bread or flour is HIGHLY processed!As a person with high gluten sensitivity but non-celiac, I can say there is a flaw in the study (as presented above). I know I can swing low doses of wheat products where gluten is not added as an additional ingredient. But, when consuming low doses of high gluten, or any added gluten product, my stomach swells like a balloon and gas is a huge issue. It took me years to figure out the issue and I discovered the major difference by removing gluten and being careful that should I desire delicious (note below) bread that it has to be ‘no added gluten bread’ to be remotely tolerated. And small doses. Aside from that: good bread is airy, light, and cooked— not this dauby, dense, damp junk called bread today. I miss the good baguettes…I bake bread and in my experience, the light airy-ness of bread is usually a direct result of its gluten content – the more gluten in the flour, the softer,more fluffy loaf you will have. I now grind my own organic grains and my bread is dense peasant bread (which I have absolutely grown to love as it is so rich in flavour and texture). Also, if you’ve eaten gluten free bread it is rarely light and fluffy. Just a note.Ataxia? I though the real dilemma with gluten sensitivity according to its leading researchers was that you might have no gut symptoms but get damage (irreversible) to your brain (also nerve system, and it’s associated with leaky gut), therefore by that theory, a little is never ok.I have AI and stay well on a healthy diet etc, but my Dr keeps me gluten free even though I feel fine when I eat wheat bread or other gluten grains. It would make my life much easier, happier and cheaper if I could eat some gluten. Even gluten free, I get IBS (d) which I think is caused by caffeine eg even in cacao and/or hot drinks. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions on any of this?And I should add, my blood rests & genetic tests don’t show celiac.Absolutely gluten can silently harm any organ over time, even in those without celiac disease. I would definitely follow your doctor’s advice and stay gluten free, especially since you have AI.BUT.. the same Dr also gave me other recommendations which go against Dr Gregrs reported general medical science and specific recommendations for my condition. Ironically for my gut health, the part 2 to this series says stopping gluten can harm gut health. I feel fine when I eat gluten. But those Drs filled me with anxiety over the issue, besides expensive testing (none of which showed gluten to be a problem for me).Ive read the leading science into ” silent ” gluten sensitivity but I don’t think there’s yet any reliable science behind it? Unless you have unexplained internal issues, why go gluten free on a medical suspicion? Ive also had other wacky medical theories put my way which turned out falseGurgle, If your blood tests and genetic tests don’t show gluten sensitivity, and you don’t notice symptoms from gluten, it sounds to me like eating some gluten may be fine for you. I have known people who have IBS (d) who see a reaction to cacao and caffeinated beverages so those may be culprits for you. I haven’t seen the research that is the basis for people being so opposed to gluten. I would ask the drs who have filled you with anxiety over gluten to cite the studies showing it’s harmful.After going vegan 3 months ago, it has become clear that I react to wheat gluten. Previously, I could not tell if it was the dairy/eggs or the gluten. Now, I’m sure it’s wheat. However, my reactions are not primarily GI problems. Within a day or so of eating wheat gluten, my ankles and hands swell and are painful, my muscles cramp and ache, and my mood gets really really bad. The symptoms last for 1-4 days depending on how much wheat I ate. Does anyone have any information about these types of symptoms?Wheat can give you all kinds of symptoms, and they don’t have to be GI problems. Also gluten can silently damage organs over decades, leading to serious problems later on. “Wheat Belly” is an excellent book about the variety of ways wheat can harm our skin, heart, nervous system, mood, blood sugar, etc.Thanks.Hi Julie, I’m an RD and I’ve reviewed the book, “Wheat Belly”, and several articles Dr. Davis has written. While Dr. Davis makes some interesting points, some of his remarks can be misleading. In fact, there is a vast amount of research supporting the health benefits of whole grains, including healthy digestion, reduced risk of heart disease (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20820954), diabetes (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17760498), and several cancers (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9589426), and prevention of weight gain. If you are interested in learning about another perspective on wheat from the one presented by Dr. Davis, here is a link to an article that discusses “Wheat Belly”, point by point: http://www.aaccnet.org/publications/plexus/cfw/pastissues/2012/OpenDocuments/CFW-57-4-0177.pdfI have had a non celiac gluten sensitivity that causes inflammatory arthritis in the extremities. It’s actually one of the constituent proteins in gluten that causes the problem rather than gluten per se. Therefore barley and rye can cause the same symptoms. Eliminating all animal products in my diet greatly reduced the gluten sensitivity so that a little occasionally has no effect now. I’m suspicious of blanket condemnations of foods that have been shown to be so valuable in human nutrition. I keep thinking of peanuts. They are great nutrition unless they cause you anaphylactic shock.This list from the “Transcript” should have had an “, MA, and others.” at the end, or an “including PTSD” at the beginning.It missed many, including Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia, CFIDS, and ALS.Quote: “The medical profession has a history of dismissing diseases as all in people’s heads—PTSD, ulcerative colitis, migraines, ulcers, asthma, Parkinson’s and MS.”Have any of you found relief from gluten sensitivity by taking gluten peptide digesting enzymes with your meal?As always, I am quitie impressed by Dr. Greger’s efforts. I have some thoughts here as it pertains to gut permeability:Fasano and collegues reported that only 57% of those identified as gluten-sensitive carried the DQ2 or DQ8 genes, the genes that are tested when determining gluten metabolism disorders. This finding indicates that those two genes are less involved in gluten sensitivity than they are in celiac disease. On the blood tests, just under half (48%) of those diagnosed as gluten-sensitive had positive antigliadin (AGA-IgA) or AGA-IgG antibodies.What is interesting is that more than half of the gluten-sensitive group carried the celiac DISEASE genes, while the rest did not, indicating that the genes aren’t necessary to produce the antibodies.A. Fasano, et al, Divergence of gut permability and mucosal immune gene expression in two gluten-associated conditions: celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. BMC Med. 2011 Mar; 9(23).Is there any news on studies of “amylopectin-a” and blood-sugar spikes? Some on the internet are saying that this polysaccaride increases blood sugar levels faster than straight sugar and therefore is a reason by itself to avoid wheat.So what about gluten causing inflammation in the body? Do you perhaps have any information on that, since I have been hearing about it here and there.What I found even more intriguing about this video was the reference to PTSD and its physiological basis. Does anyone have any good references on this?If you look at the groundbreaking work of Dr. Alessio Fasano you might want to revisit this in a whole new light. Here is one citing: Nutrients 2013 Oct.; 5 (10): 3839-3853 A. Fassano et al Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity: The new frontier of gluten related disorders.Thanks for sharing! Here is one my dietitian colleague stumbled upon this week: Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity among Patients Perceiving Gluten-Related Symptoms. Those who claim to have sensitivities to gluten can consume gliadin in oats and experience no inflammation.I have actual symptoms if I eat wheat. First noticed after overdosing on wheat with a pizza meal I had an ecocardiogram the next day . My ventricualr muscles were slamming together I feel my heart beating to the point I can’t sleep and my breast scars, from where I had cancers removed nearly 4 years ago, sting a lot and my finger joints where there is osteoarthritis become inflamed and painful. I ate small serves of bread in Argentina while on holiday no symptoms, but, back here in Australia symptoms are immediate I blame it on the bread and what has been done to it. I have other allergies. Pineapple gives me severe migraine, Headaches from alcohol, caffiene and ginger. Doctors are sceptical about the wheat flour issue so I just don’t eat it and I am fine. This one is not psychological. I haven’t been tested It is sufficient for me to eliminate wheat flour etcand get on with my life.	allergies,asthma,bagels,bread,celiac disease,dairy,depression,diarrhea,eggs,FODMAPs,food sensitivities,fructans,gluten,grains,industry influence,irritable bowel syndrome,mental health,migraines,milk,mood,multiple sclerosis,Parkinson's disease,pasta,stomach ulcers,ulcerative colitis,United Kingdom,wheat	For more than 30 years, the medical profession has debated the existence of an intolerance to the wheat protein, gluten, unrelated to allergy or celiac disease. What is the evidence pro and con?	More than 10,000 articles have been published on gluten in medical journals—intimidating even for me! Combined with the multi-billion dollar financial interests on both sides, it makes for a difficult task. But I think I did it! This is the first of a 3-part video series summarizing the best available science on gluten. Stay tuned for Gluten-Free Diets: Separating the Wheat from the Chat and How to Diagnose Gluten Intolerance.Why this apparent increase in food sensitivities in recent decades? It could be because of pollutant exposure (see Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies and Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors).What can we do about preventing so-called atopic diseases (like allergies, asthma, and eczema)? See my videos Preventing Allergies in Adulthood and Preventing Allergies in Childhood.The weirdest example of an emerging food sensitivity may be the tick-bite related meat allergy story I review in Alpha Gal and the Lone Star Tick and Tick Bites, Meat Allergies, and Chronic Urticaria.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-sensitivities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-ulcers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bagels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/migraines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pasta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fructans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-sclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fodmaps/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wheat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ulcerative-colitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celiac-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23937528,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22281277,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22825366,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23204002,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24533607,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22351716,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7419003,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20920818,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24369326,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22519894,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24689456,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24903428,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21224837,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=search&term=gluten,
PLAIN-2559	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-hepatitis-c-with-chlorella/	Treating Hepatitis C with Chlorella	Multiple studies published over the last two decades suggest that exercise can mitigate the deleterious effects of age on immune function, thus increasing anti-cancer immunity, in part by stimulating natural killer cell activity. Natural killer cells work to eliminate both tumor cells and virus-infected cells. And we can boost their activity by exercising.Here’s the difference in natural killer cell activity between women involved in athletic competitions compared to their sedentary counterparts. There is a growing consensus that natural killers appear to be the immune system component that is most responsive to the effects of both acute and chronic exercise across the board, from older women to younger men. Significantly higher NK cell activity in racing cyclists in their twenties. Even just moderate exercise like daily walking appears to significantly improve NK activity within six weeks. This may be why exercise helps protect against cancer.But sustained, vigorous exercise may actually impair natural killer cell immunity, which may be one reason endurance athletes like marathon runners may appear more likely to get upper respiratory tract infections.In my video on preserving athlete immunity with chlorella, I featured a study that showed that consuming chlorella appeared to prevent the loss in immune function as measured by antibody production in the mouth, but what effect might the green algae have on natural killer cell activity?Petri dish and animal studies suggested that the algae, chlorella, could affect natural killer cell activity, but there was no direct evidence for the effect of chlorella supplementation on such a response in humans, until this randomized double-blind placebo controlled trial gave people about two teaspoons of chlorella a day for eight weeks, and compared to placebo, they got a significant increase in natural killer cell activities.Does this actually translate, though, into clinical benefits? We didn’t know until now. The efficacy of chlorella supplementation in adults with chronic hepatitis C infection. It is estimated that up to four million people in the U.S. have chronic hepatitis C virus infection, the leading cause of liver transplants, and estimated to kill a quarter million Americans this decade. The current treatment is costly and brutal, costing up to $85,000, and nearly half can’t even complete the treatment, due in part to the many complications associated with the treatment. So that’s why there’s such a need for novel treatment options.After three months of chlorella, there were reported improvements in quality of life, but that could have just been a placebo effect, since the control group wasn’t given green sugar pills. This, however, is harder to explain. A significant improvement in ALT, which is a marker of liver inflammation, which could be explained by a beneficial immunostimulatory effect of chlorella supplementation.No serious adverse effects were reported, so why not give it a try? Well the brand they used was tied to a disturbing case report recently, Chlorella-Induced Psychosis. A 48-year old woman in Omaha suffers a psychotic break, out of the blue two months after starting chlorella. They stopped it and started her on an antipsychotic drug and a week later she was fine.Now chlorella has never been linked to psychosis before, so presumably it was just a coincidence that the psychosis started after she started taking chlorella, and the reason she felt better after stopping it was because the drug was kicking in. But seven weeks later, still on the drug, she became psychotic again after starting back on the chlorella. They stopped the chlorella again—this time that’s all they did, and the psychosis resolved.Now maybe it wasn’t the chlorella itself, but some toxic impurity or adulteration, they don't know. While chlorella is marketed to promote mental health, this case underscores the importance of educating the public about the potential adverse effects and the need for more research in herbal products being marketed in the United States.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	I’m not inclined to add chlorella to my shopping list; it’s more of a supplement than something I can pick up at the green grocer. I’m more inclined to spend my money on real food than on mail order herbs and supplements. So, following the advice of previous videos on this site, (look up immune function in the side bar to the left or go to http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/ ) I make eating mushrooms, blueberries, pepper, and apples along with plenty of fruits and vegetables a part of my daily regimen, along with moderate exercise to boost my immune system.Don’t Forget Kale ;)http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/—and broccoli, green leafy veggies and getting enough sleep.I am with you, i did try it once in my smoothie, but I will stick with my kale, spiniach and swiss chard smoothiesA friend of mine developed psychosis twice during interferon treatment for hep-c. Could the psychosis be related to the eradication of the virus from the liver, rather than to the agent of eradication? Has anyone taking chlorella without hep- c developed psychosis?This is so interesting. And scary.I wonder if Dr G would mention chlorella to a patient with HepC. If a patient with HepC was being watched for psychoses maybe it’s worth the risk?I’m always glad we can trust Dr. G to tell us about the negative side effects associated with different holistic treatments in an evidence based manner.Lots of holistic type people come off as crackpots, thanks Dr. G!the part in this video which discusses psychiatric symptoms from chlorella is very interesting to me since my recent discovery about the relationship between parasites and debilitating “suicidal depression.” Perhaps you too have come across some very interesting news article which describes an alternative medical discovery (the content of which would steer the reader away from a pharmaceutical “solution”), and upon reading this article about an herb alternative or food-based medicine, the article suddenly disappears from the Internet altogether. I am a self-treated cancer patient and spend about 30 hours/week researching the latest alternative medicine findings as well as the reported ancient plant wisdom, and I can attest to this fact — there must be an army of paid techies whose job description is simply to scrub the Internet for any stories which infringe on the pharmaceutical-medical-hospital industrial complex’s bottom line profits because I witness this phenomena every day. For example, I recently read (and then the story disappeared completely) an article by a reputable medical research center which showed how an overgrowth or longstanding case of parasites in humans is strongly correlated to suicide and/or “suicidal depression.” As someone who has lived a long life with depression caused by brain injuries, I need to explain there is a big difference between depression and suicidal depression in both quantity and quality. According to this article, autopsies revealed the entire body of suicide victims was consumed with parasites at a rate much higher than death by any other cause, and the report stated that the medical postulation was that perhaps there is some metabolic byproduct? of many common parasites which causes this unbearable psychiatric condition leading to suicide. Now imagine my surprise in finding this story when I myself, recently experienced this exact scenario – while on a 45-day highly disciplined, top-of-the-line parasite cleanse program I experienced a total disappearance of what I was describing at the time to my closest friends, was a “suicidal depression.” This happened in a relatively brief time (weeks) during my Cancer Treatment Protocol #4 (month 8). This is my long-winded way of saying I think this is also why chlorella causes negative cognitive and mood (and allergic-type) symptoms in me too. I have to wonder if it could have something to do with chlorella’s questionable identity (some call it a fungus) which acts like a fungus in fungus-sensitive people, and also the fact that it is grown in “fresh water” which as we know is polluted all over the world and in fact becomes a sponge for pollutants. In other words, I think the days of being able to produce truly clean chlorella might be over and it may also be too close (botanically-biologically) to parasites for some people sensitive to psychiatric symptoms (a group of Americans that is apparently increasing in numbers, for various reasons). For those of us dealing with advanced immune breakdown, these things matter – circulating information about the alternative medicine choices, as the information comes in and is disseminated through education and sharing, is essential to the survival and quality of life for a large group of distressed bodies. Thanks again, Dr. Greger for focusing on this detail.interesting post… maybe the wayback machine could help you to find the “disappeared” papers/post… https://archive.org/web/… just search for the site you want to look for… anyway i found your parasite/suicide hypothesis interesting ’cause parasites could steal particular nutrients from the body and maybe (it depends on where the parasites are located) impares organ fuction, or brain areas that need those nutrients… it seems there is some research in the field: http://scholar.google.it/scholar?q=parasites%2Bsuicide+attempts&btnG=&hl=it&as_sdt=0%2C5There’s no shortage of articles linking suicidality and Toxoplasma gondii infection/antibodies. Some speculate altered behavior is part of this parasite’s natural cycle in rats & cats.fascinating… maybe before to make use of psycho drugs it’s better to check the psyco patient for possible parasitic infection…There seems a consensus that atherosclerosis requires both inflammation (leading to endothelial dysfunction, LDL oxidation etc.), and a surplus of cholesterol building blocks.Some useful entries into the literature which I liked, undoubtedly there’s better out there: Roberts, W. C. (2008). The cause of atherosclerosis. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 23(5), 464-467. Galkina, E., & Ley, K. (2009). Immune and inflammatory mechanisms of atherosclerosis. Annual review of immunology, 27, 165. Hulsmans, M., & Holvoet, P. (2010). The vicious circle between oxidative stress and inflammation in atherosclerosis. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine,14(1‐2), 70-78. Thanassoulis, G. (2013). Mendelian randomization: how genetics is pushing the boundaries of epidemiology to identify new causes of heart disease. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 29(1), 30-36.Thanks a lot ! :-)A mechanistic note of caution. In the lab, Chlorella polysaccharides activate Toll-like receptors prominent in pathogen pathogen recognition and innate immune response signalling 1, 2. TLRs are also active in inflammation, chronic inflammatory diseases like atherosclerosis and diabetes, and autoimmune disorders, and one Korean study biopsied cases of autoimmune hepatitis possibly attributable to Chlorella 3. There’s a similar story with fungal β-glucans, another food compound that stimulate immune response via TLRs, for both good and ill: 4, 5, 6. There’s perhaps a fine and individual balance between adequate and excess immune stimulation.So what your saying is that the algae could help stop the hep-c, but then continue to cause symptoms similar to hep-c itself through its various pathways? Man, it seems like nature just gave with one hand and then took away with the other. At least they still have coffee to fall back on as a helpful natural remedy.If there’s is a negative effect from uncontaminated chlorella, its very rare. I’m just fascinated with hormesis, of which this may be yet another example, and have also been reading reviews on the TLRs, possible important mediators of negative effects of saturated fats and endotoxins in atherosclerosis, diabetes, arthritis and neurodegeneration.When you first mentioned hormesis I knee-jerked “wacko” new age bunk. But youre so sharp on other topics I had to look into it more. It is fascinating. The alcohol J-curve and even low doses of radiation seem to elicit protective effects. I even notice that my seedlings do better when I withhold water, just enough to stress them a little.Is it possible that, dare I ask, an occasional bite of animal could activate innate protective systems?Epidemiology trumps benchtop speculations, and studies like TC Campbell’s China study note “no evidence of a threshold beyond which further benefits did not accrue with increasing proportions of plant-based foods.”While hormesis seems established, at present we don’t know where we lie on the many curves for different stressors. We’ll all (including vegans) already have some circulating saturated fats and endotoxins (from our own metabolism and microbiota) as well as strange polysaccharides from other biological kingdoms we eat. We don’t know whether this places vegans left or right of a possible hormetic dose response peak for the innate immune/inflammation stimulating TLR agonists. And where that peak lies probably differs if we’re fighting infection or cancer.There’s a much stronger case with all the plant polyphenols (berries, cruciferous vegs, tea, cocoa, etc) which activate phase II responses, where pretty much everyone benefits from more intake from whole foods, and hence we know most of us are starting from left of the peak. Yet even here, people manage to push themselves over the peak into the long trough with concentrated green tea extracts and broccoli juicing.I want to share that I know a person that cure the hepatitis C with chamomile tea, that is all what she had to drink, she stay in her room until the infection was gone refused to go to the doctor. She had one cup and one spoon and the tea and warm water. Lunch and dinner was rice and beansJust skimming from wikipedia in order to illustrate a cautionary counterpoint: “The infection resolves spontaneously in 10–50% of cases, which occurs more frequently in individuals who are young and female.”Think critically, people.I searched for the source, could not find it. I do see a website that lists your pasted quote, but this website does not list a source for this quote. Please provide the exact source and scientific literature that came up with this observation.Say that sort of thing to Marjorie. I was making a rhetorical point with wikipedia, a source that includes a lot of readily accessible information on most topics that is reasonably likely to be true, which anyone can very easily use in order to check against potential holes in their reasoning.This sort of accessibility is also what has your reply boggling my mind, and thinking that your request might be sarcastic. But in case you are actually serious, the current English-language Wikipidia article for “Hepatitis C” has the sentence that I am quoting when discussing acute infection. The source that Wikipedia is using for that claim is this scholarly book: http://www.springer.com/medicine/internal/book/978-1-4614-1191-8. And yes, I know that there is unevenness in wikipedia’s sources, and that wikipedia is not the most accurate reference on most topics. But that issue was basically irrelevant to the point that I was trying to make.I have been taking chlorella daily for 27 years. I started it to treat herpes…problem put to bed! Everyone asks why I have so much energy and they assume I drink crazy amounts of coffee, but I don’t drink any. I attribute my vitality to the chlorella.Sounds like you were already very active before you started taking chlorella.I’m sorry Rose but you handed me that joke on a silver platter. I hope you can share my laugh, and I didn’t ruin your day ;)I’d love more info (videos) on Hep C and alternative treatments.Although expensive, there are now FDA approved Hep c treatments that have virtually no side effects. They are short in duration 12 weeks or less. The current one is Gilead’s Sovaldi. Perhaps next year a Solvaldi combo will be available without Ribavirin. In 95% or more! the treatment effected a cure.	aging,algae,alternative medicine,animal studies,athletes,cancer,chlorella,complementary medicine,exercise,hepatitis,herbal remedies,immune function,industrial toxins,liver disease,liver health,mental health,psychosis,respiratory infections,side effects,supplements	Improvements in natural killer cell immune function may explain both the anti-cancer benefits of exercise as well as the apparent anti-virus effects of the green algae chlorella.	That psychosis case report makes me nervous. Unlike blue-green algae, which can produces neurotoxins (Is Blue-Green Algae Good for You?), chlorella does not (Is Chlorella Good for you?), but neither does spirulina, yet toxins have been found in spirulina supplements, presumably due to contaminants (Another Update on Spirulina).There are other ways to counter the impact of over-strenuous exercise. See:And other ways of Boosting Natural Killer Cell Activity.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/respiratory-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psychosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-remedies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hepatitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21446352,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2722326,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23870832,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19861128,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3581996/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8350705,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23680061,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21906314,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22849818,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2286486,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23186646,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23154251,
PLAIN-2560	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/	Childhood Constipation and Cow’s Milk	Back in the 50s, it was suggested that some cases of constipation among children might be due to the consumption of cow’s milk, but it wasn't put to the test until 40 years later. We used to think most chronic constipation in infants and young children was all in their head, they were anal retentive, or had some intestinal disorder, but these researchers studied 27 consecutive infants who showed up in their pediatric gastroenterology clinic with chronic idiopathic constipation, meaning they had no idea what was causing it, and tried removing cow milk protein from their diet.Within three days, 21 out of the 27 children were cured. Symptoms completely regressed when a cow’s milk protein-free diet was used, and there was a clinical relapse during two subsequent cow milk challenges, meaning they then tried to give them back some cow’s milk and the constipation reappeared within 24 to 48 hours. And they did that twice. Same result. They stuck with the milk-free diet, came back a month later, and they stayed cured—and their eczema and wheezing went away too! The researchers concluded that many cases of chronic constipation in young children—more than three quarters it seemed—may be due to an underlying cow’s milk protein allergy.Chronic constipation is a common problem in children, for which fiber and laxatives are prescribed. If that doesn’t work several laxatives at progressively higher dosages can be used, and that still may not work. Five years later a considerable number of kids are still suffering. In fact it may even extend into adulthood. So to cure the disease in just a few days by eliminating cow’s milk was a real breakthrough.But this was an open study, meaning not blinded, not placebo-controlled, until … this landmark study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a double-blind, crossover study, cow’s milk versus soy milk. Sixty-five kids suffering from chronic constipation, all previously treated with laxatives without success; 49 had anal fissures and inflammation and swelling. An anal fissure is where there’s a rip or tear in the anus, very painful. They gave them either cow’s milk or soy milk for two weeks and then switched it around. So what happened?In two thirds of the children, constipation resolved while they were receiving soy milk. And the anal fissures and pain were cured, whereas none of the children receiving cow’s milk had a positive response. In the 44 responders, the relation with cow’s milk protein hypersensitivity was confirmed in all cases by a double-blind challenge with cow’s milk. All those lesions, including the most severe anal fissures, disappeared on a cow’s milk-free diet yet reappeared within days after the reintroduction of cow’s milk back into their diet.This may explain why children drinking more than a cup of milk a day may have eight times the odds of developing an anal fissure. Cutting out milk may help cure anal fissures in adults too, but then give them a cow’s milk challenge and their pain goes from 0 back up to 8 or 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. Cow’s milk may also be a major contributor to recurrent diaper rash as well.Why though? All the studies looking at biopsy tissue samples in patients with chronic constipation because of cow’s milk protein hypersensitivity have signs of rectal inflammation. Bottom line, for all children with constipation who do not respond to treatment, a trial of the elimination of cow’s milk should be considered.Regardless, studies from around the world have subsequently confirmed these findings, curing up to 80% of kids’ constipation by switching to soy milk or rice milk. A common problem with the studies though is when they switched kids from cow’s milk to nondairy milk, the kids could still have been eating other dairy products—they didn’t control the background diet, until now. A 2013 study got constipated kids off all dairy and 100% were cured, compared with the 68% in the New England Journal study where the background diet was unrestricted. In fact in that original study 20 years ago, the cow’s milk was replaced with soy milk or ass milk. Either was better than cow milk, but no mammary milk at all may be best.	So sad. And parents think they are promoting health when they feed their children dairy. Thanks for bringing the facts to light and helping people see the truth behind the dairy lobbying lies.Those lies have cost many people dearly.I have a Japanese friend who told me she was essentially force fed milk during her childhood, despite the fact that she is lactose intolerant. She had diarrhea at least 50% of her childhood, but brainwashed adults thought they were doing her a favor. That was 25 years ago, things have probably changed in Japan.Id bet the “cows milk” discussed is the super processed, dead, homogenized, pasteurized BS from malnourished cows. Real milk from HEALTHY cows is still alive with Lactobacilli (and other beneficial microorganisms that are there to inoculate a baby mammals intestines), enzymes, minerals and fat soluble vitamins, among many other unstable molecules.RAW milk from HEALTHY cows would not cause constipation in young children. Id bet it would greatly enhance digestion.Johnny have you seen any research substantiating your claim? It just seems so counter intuitive that human babies should drink cows milk.To me, it seems less intuitive that human babies eat vegetables than drink cows milk. After all, humans and vegetables are from a completely different kingdom, while cows and humans are more closely related. -Im all for veggies, but the above illustrates my point nicely. I dont see how being a different species is relevent.Intuition aside, i have no scientific literature to back up the above (id bet its out there), however there have been millenia (literally) of years that humans have drank milk (why would they go through the trouble to boil it?) and recognized the life giving power of it. To me, thats likely more than scientific literature could ever prove.Milk never worked well for my family. So now we never buy it. First my daughter turned up lactose intolerant and then my son developed terrible acne that went away as soon as I was able to convince him to try to give it up for just 2 weeks. Oh and by-the-way that was raw milk from the farmers market. Had I known better at the time I never would have introduced cows milk/dairy of any kind.Johnny, Admittedly I’ve never tried raw cow’s milk but I want to offer up for your consideration this excerpt from a recent video of Dr. Greger’s, “Saving Lives by Treating Acne with Diet” that struck me as crucial when I first listened to it because it hones in on a key biochemical implication of cow’s milk consumption by humans and why the target species is relevant:“Milk is not just food but appears to represent a most sophisticated hormone signaling system activating TOR, which is of critical concern given that TOR recognized as the fundamental driving force for a number of diseases. But if milk is naturally supposed to stimulate TOR, why the problem? Because we’re drinking milk from the wrong species. Cow’s milk is designed for calves. Cow infants grow nearly 40-times faster than human infants. Cow’s milk has three times more leucine, the primary activator of TOR, so it may lead to human TOR over-stimulation. It’s like where they do experiments giving donkey milk to rats to see what happens. Makes no sense. And of course milk is for babies, continued consumption of any kind of milk during adolescence and adulthood is something that never really happened naturally, and may have long-term adverse effects on human health.”Here’s a link to the video from which the above excerpt is copied: 2http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/If you have no good reason for making your claims, then why do you make them, with EMPHATIC CAPS included? It simply reads as your own bias talking, and we know that there is a certain religiousity about raw milk in some people. Some of your wording right here (“life giving power”) shows this bias, and your last sentence is veering toward the antiscientific. Surgeons over the millenia have not made it their general practice to wash their hands before operating until relatively recently, for example, but no biggie, right?There is no question that milk has had “life giving power” for some populations for millenia, but what kind of life giving power do you have in mind? Can’t a pastoral culture revere their staple food source simply because it enables them to survive? Were milk-drinking people over the millenia ever particularly concerned with the health of those over 50? Would the pathogenic risks of milk or the long term effects on their lipids stand out to them very much when so many other forms of infectious disease were a larger problem?Do you think that unpasteurized milk is necessarily a food without risks to health, just because it has been used as food for a long time, and with some degree of reverence? For a long time in many cultures, alcohol and tobacco have been treated with reverence, but these are obviously problematic things.And if you are aware that raw milk is generally implicated with a greater burden of foodborne illness in the here and now (as, for example, here: http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/raw-milk-questions-and-answers.html) but are choosing to ignore that in order to push your citation-free certitude about the healthfulness of raw milk, I think that’s somewhat shameful.The issue is that they are so much like us that some times this is confusing to our system. Type 1 diabetes is an example of this where antibodies built up against cow protein is confused with the pancreas cells. There is also just confusion sometimes as the link with caseomorphins and muscular dystrophy showsI have read studies done on raw milk versus UHT/ homogenised—>. ” Adelle Davis “lets have healthy children” promoted various things for children’s health- raw milk being one of them..her writings about the studies of the effects of UHT milk and its effects were very interesting.Interesting assertion. However, dairy is less standard in most parts of the world because lactose intolerance is very close to the norm in many gene pools. The impact of milk protein is less obvious than that of milk sugar. But the studies have shown that milk protein has many deleterious effects including provoking auto immune problem which have impacted me directly.The studies noted here did not take into account anything but the milk and the milk protein. I do not doubt that the micro flora you mention could be helpful but it is just not necessary that any beneficial ones come from milk. At the same time we began pasteurization due to the many deaths from raw milk. Indeed that is still a concern.I did drink lots of milk growing up and much of it was raw. At 21 I developed type I diabetes. At 55 I developed psoriatic arthritis. I woke up (more like flipped out) when they wanted to put me on an immune system suppressant and began studying. Eliminating gluten helped almost immediately but after reading about all the dietary dairy and meat impacts I went whole food plant based diet. All the residual symptoms disappeared and the gluten sensitivity did as well.I’ve seen other reports that a WFPBD can often eliminate gluten sensitivity.Johnny, the evidence on dairy and animal products is growing every day and it’s not a pretty picture.Only in countries that pasteurize their milk. Most people can digesting lactose. It’s the pasteurized, homogenized protein that is a problem. That’s why the Mayo Clinic calls it milk protein intolerance.to Rawmilkmike With respect, is it possible that in spite of the Tsunami of evidence contrary to your opinion, the only reason you plod on and persevere is because you don’t want to change your screen name? :)That was then, and this is now. Scientists have proven that the cow is the only creature that has the IGF-1 (growth factor) that triggers so many diseases, like diabetes and cancer growth, ear infections, growth of flu, pneumonia, leukemia, etc. Genetically, the Bonobos primates are almost equal to us. They are the most peaceful creatures in existence. Goats, buffalo, yaks, sheep do not have the IGF-1. Please look up this information at notmilk.com and PCRM.org. (an organization of over 5,000 medical doctors, all of which do not include dairy from cows in their recipes in their Cancer Project and their president’s – Dr. Neal Barnard’s book “The Dr. Neal Barnard Program for Reversing Diabetes”, which we also use along with Dr. Gabriel Cousens’ book, “There is a Cure for Diabetes” in our classes, which are funded by a grant by the City of Homestead.).IGF-1 (growth factor) is necessary for life. rBGH, a genetically engineered artificial hormone injected into dairy cows to increase milk production, is not.No sane human being walks up to a cow and desires their milk.Your statement is subjective and rather rude.Really?? It’s subjective to say that humans look at a cows teet and their instinctual reaction isn’t to put their lips on it and start sucking away??? Really….. that’s subjective???? And how exactly is that statement rude?I think it’s rude to take the milk of breastfeeding animal that was biologically designed for their own offspring (just like any other mammal) and think it belongs to us just because we like dipping our oreos into something. I think that’s kind of rude.Because it is not necessary for optimal health to eat any kind of dairy product from any source, your comment is not rude – and certainly from the cow’s perspective, unnecessarily exploiting cows IS rude.Two of the most highly suspected causes of diabetes, excess protein and excess sugars, are far worse yet when combined. This is what the dairy industry and USDA absolutely do NOT want you to know (gotta love corporate influence). The most common AND consumed source of protein and sugars – milk. So, even raw milk from free range “happy” cows (!?) would be bad, for starters…When healthy cows cannot be exploited for milk any longer they are slaughtered – so much for “healthy” cows.I had to get up early and milk, by hand, with my father. Hated it. We’d sell most and one bucket went right into the kitchen. A towel strained out the big chunks as it went into brown gallon jugs. We would pull that ice cold raw milk out of the refrigerator and drink it down by the tumbler full. He loved it. So did I, especially on hot sunny days.One autumn, at fifty two, he went out to hunt deer. He didn’t come home. We found him dead next morning on a hillside. Heart attack. The autopsy showed his arteries were loaded up with pure, unadulterated unpasteurized plaque.They told mom and us boys to eat cheese, fish and chicken and EXERCISE MORE…on our farm!!!! They never said a thing about restricting dairy. So at 50, my turn came, heart attack, quad bypass. Anecdotes aside, the science is screaming at us: Raw milk from healthy cows will sicken and kill humans of all ages.Only two more questions; How long since that surgery and what is your endothelial health now given the changes you’ve made? I know from your many posts that you have made drastic changes in your lifestyle and I would be very interested in the results. With type I diabetes my arterial condition is supposed to be treated as though I’ve already had a heart attack. So of course my doctor is eager to prescribe statins. With this diet my total cholesterol is now 110 so I’ll pass. I do have a friend whose CAD history is not unlike yours ie active but a lousy diet and it almost killed him. He has chosen, after the first surgery, more stents and drugs for life. He now is starting to suffer dementia and falls (at age 70). My guess is yours is a much better outcome.Best wishes to you and anyone coping with Type I. They seem to have come so far with humulin and pumps. I hope life is getting closer to “normal” for you. I am sure you can have healthy arteries and trade off some or all of the statin for plant-based eating. But do keep that great cholesterol number. Even, IMO, if it takes a small hit of statin.My op was on St Pat’s day, 2004. They didn’t/couldn’t get it all so I still had angina after. Could not walk to the mailbox without a break. Started whole plant foods on 11 July 2011. Now, 50 lbs lighter, have no detectable angina. I was on 90 mg of simvastatin with cholesterol above 5 mMolar(200 usa)…now it is 4 mMolar on zero statin.My brother is going the stent/drug route. Locked into a hunter SAD lifestyle, A typical veg for him is slaw drenched in sugar/mayo. Belief in “clean, wild game”, low-fat dairy, free range eggs as natural. I see his mind disintegrating. TIA’s, memory loss, brittle frustrated rage. Simple maths are a struggle. The difference between the two of us could not be greater.I tell my story, bang this drum loudly over and over because I can’t bear to see family and strangers alike going down needlessly. I feel like Logan might have if he’d made a successful run.You know what’s even better for young children? PEOPLE milk! It totally enhances digestion. Of course, no one really needs even people milk after a year or two… then it’s okay to drink water. Or the juice of soybeans. Or almonds. Or other plants, if you really must have a protein drink. ;)Raw healthy cow milk is what I was raised on and yes it does cause constipation, as I know all too well. When finally at age 11 ,, was “allowed” to choose what I ate__ mostly vegetables,,, stopped drinking milk , rarely ate cheese, oh to my delights every thing came out easy everyday. Also skin problems I had went away within 2 weeks.My entire life was riddled with constipation, gas, and anal fissures until I discovered Dr. Greger’s website and gave up meat and dairy products. I wish it didn’t take me 31 years to figure this out! The “doctor” I saw suggested surgery with the possible side effect of incontinence. No thanks! I’ll just eat some greens and beans! Can’t thank you enough Dr. Greger!Music to my ears!Quitting wheat and gluten and doing low FODMAPS seems to help me with constipation (and of course, abstaining from dairy).I would like to add to this discussion the fact that some kids (and adult kids, including me) have both allergy to milk protein AND lactase deficiency (problems with milk sugar) which manifests by diarrhea symptoms or alternating diarrhea and constipation (as well as further distractions caused by ear-nose-throat symptoms). As was explained to me in my early 20’s by one of the last true scientist-GI Specialists in America, these two metabolic errors often come together and the confusing symptoms mislead to incorrect, superficial diagnoses as simply a milk protein problem. Eliminating milk also gives the bonus of eliminating the many additional symptoms – GI + ear-nose-throat.I too would bet it was a study using pasteurised milk ? I am from the UK and personally have witnessed healing with myself and my pets with the use of raw milk from Jersey cows.is the Jersey cow milk that tesco sells is raw? without artificial hormones injected into cow to produce milk?Hi, Ravi no unfortunately no UK store stocks raw milk, Jersey yes but not raw. I get mine from a farm local to me in the North West there is a web site that lists them in the UK. I hope no one objects to me posting this but it is naturalfoodfinder.co.uk.Astounding! I had to have a sphincterotomy a couple decades ago to deal with a fissure problem when I was younger. I has some recurring issue but thankfully nothing as serious… Anyway. Now, I know what was behind this, besides the likely too low level of fiber that I was consuming. It was the milk products! Ah! It is very sick that the American way of life has produced a situation where the medical system can now count on close to the entire population being sick and dependent on medical care and drugs for the last 15-20 years of each person’s life. The bad dietary habits aren’t simply deadly but they provide a long, extremely drawn out death ideally suited so the system can maximize it’s profits off each and every person. Not me. That’s one system I don’t want to get hooked into. And if this is the model for this one sector of our economy, don’t you imagine others are probably infected by the same anti-human, or inhuman, type of caring model for the public? It’s certainly true with the financial services industry. They have so many people as debt slaves now that only a fool couldn’t see it. Health slaves. Debt slaves. Education debt slaves. These are not the attributes of a nation that values freedom. Freedom would mean that we have an overwhelming preference for independence and for not relying on these parasitic features of our society.You are so correct – slaves. See my reply to “Outer Banks Co-op”.I’d like to know to what extent any of this research can be (from a scientific perspective) applied to the general population, rather than just children with chronic idiopathic constipation.This is just another nail to the milk coffin. Milk probably increase the risk for cardiocascular disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disease etc.My daughter suffers from this and has her whole life. She has been off cows milk for 2 yrs and off everything dairy for about a year. She refuses to drink water and only wants juice which causes other problems too. Any suggestions on alternative ways to hydrate her? She has dealt with two bladder infections within a year due hydration issues. She will drink oat milk but uses that to fill her stomach instead of food (another major issue). She won’t eat anything unless it has cheese in it and we cannot find the best non-dairy cheese or substitute that will suffice. Any suggestions on this matter would be greatly appreciated!Eat juicy, water-dense fruit.Make a smoothie of berries and dates with a some water.Dr. G has a recipe for hibiscus, erythritol sweetened beverage…“My family’s recipe is to soak a handful of bulk dried organic hibiscus flowers overnight and then blend with a knuckle of fresh ginger, a teaspoon of amla, three tablespoons of erythritol, and a handful of fresh mint leaves to make the half-gallon we drink throughout the day. By blending in the mint, you’re adding dark green leafies to what may be the highest antioxidant beverage in the world, and it tastes like fruit punch! Your kids will love it. ”Link to a blog post : http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/And seriously hibisbus is tasty. It really looks and tastes like fruit punch. Might be good for your juice obsessed child, haha.He also has some nice videos about getting children to eat veggies. Link below-http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/Sounds like a great idea. I’ll make some of that too!Amy, give her some lemonade made with fresh lemon juice, a little fresh mint, and lightly sweetened with organic cane sugar or erythritol. Since it’s mostly water, it will hydrate her, as well, the lemon in it will be healthy and cleansing.Find ways to get more fiber in her diet to help improve her bowels. Oatmeal with a little ground flax might help, some sliced apples, bananas, oranges, and strawberries (make a fruit salad).Also, homemade watermelon pops are a great treat and provide good hydration. Just take some seedless pureed watermelon, a bit of lemon juice, sweeten as desired.Hope that helps, and good luck!Also, I’ve found that Daiya brand vegan cheese is the best tasting so far.“My daughter suffers from this…” Not sure what “this” is but, whatever, it appears her refusals and insistance(s) could hardly be got around with food. I would say she would benefit form counselling so that she can make choices rather than be dictated to by her obsession with refusing this and insisting on that. :)It is not the dairy products, it is what has been done to the dairy by the dairy industry. Not even baby calves can thrive on homogenized, high pasturized , hormone filled milk. Homogenizing makes it the most dangerous. Its not even the same molecule anymore. Some people can drink dairy that IS NOT homogenized but is lightly pasturized AND from grass-fed cows ; others can only drink certified raw which is almost always from grassfed cows. I am from a state where raw milk was inspected and certified and there was never a problem with it in the entire 50 years i drank it as it was delivered in glass bottles to my families’ door. However, as an adult, i have sinus problems every time I drink milk from the store. Yogurt with live cultures doesn’t seem to be much of a problem to many people that I deal with, but cheese and butter have been ruined as well and give many people problems. It’s not the REAL FOOD that is a problem, its the FAKE MILK created for profit that is killing us and our kids. I personally breastfed my children for 2 years each and neither have any allergies to anything. I also gave them no solid food before 7 months to protect their delicate digestive system from allergens. I wish I had been so lucky! I was dairy-formula fed as are most people these days. If we would just leave well-enough alone, all this UNNATURAL FOOD wouldn’t be making us so sick. Just an old woman’s 2 cents worth…….It is not required for optimal health to take any source or kind of milk product, therefore it is UNNECESSARY EXPLOITATION of the innocent to take any kind of milk product from any source. It’s still slave milk.I am vegan, I don’t share Madhava’s sentiment that animal agriculture is necessarily exploitation.But the current system seems to represent torture of animals….It would seem obvious to me that steroid, chemical free milk is better than steroid heavy milk.It is also likely that no milk > milk.All milk is steroid heavy. Breastmilk from any species, added synthetic hormones or not, is filled with hormones. This is perfectly healthy and natural [for an infant of the same species].Big Beefy etc your life may be vegan in some or many ways but part of being vegan is to express exaclty what Madhava said.Just to clarify – we all need at least one form of animal milk. Our mother’s. Once we are weaned we never need to consume animal milk or by-products again. Breast is best followed by a whole plant food diet.Calves will die within 6 months if given pasteurized, homogenized milk. Not many people have really thought about what happens emotionally to the cow and calf when separated. The cow’s grief (as does all emotions, ours included) goes into the fat, and when we eat that fat, the emotions go into us, and we wonder why we are feeling ‘down’ and ‘depressed’, when the normal feelings we should be feeling are joy and bliss. When one talks to people who are living a truly vegan life, especially the higher vibration life of living foods, one notices an exuberance and natural excitement that are absent in other groups and this silent peace is free to all who understand that we are one, and when animals are grieving and are feeling rage, this goes into the eater and drinker of the animal’s by-products. I call this the creature’s revenge My Asian and Eastern friends understand this. As long as we exploit others, whether animals or groups of people, we will pay a steep price in our own physical and emotional/psychological health.Dr Flora Claims like this will be dismissed by the majority. You could counter that by quoting your scientific sources.to Outer Banks Co-op Respectfully, what you appear to have thoroughly missed is that although health can improve with raw milk, compared to treated milk, most of what is caused by milk is caused by both kinds. Read more widely and you will see that the problems with milk are because it is not meant for human consumption and whole populations who don’t drink it ( including cheese etc) do not have the problems it causes. Many people somehow fear giving up dairy products. Out addiction to it goes in less than 30 days and there are many benefits to be had. Just give it a try. You can always go back :)There is no question about it with all the research and knowledge we have now cows milk is for baby cows and not for human babies or adults. It is disgusting and nowerdays full of pus hormones bacteria and antibiotics. I never liked milk and when i had to drink it as a child because my parents still thought it was healthy than i constantly had throat inflamations. That disappeared when a homeopathic doctor told me to stop consuming milk and eggs. Now i stopped with dairy completely and am vegan i never felt better!I haven’t been drinking glasses of milk for a long time (2 or 3 years) but recently I have really tried to cut down on dairy byproducts, such as milk chocolate and even non dairy creamers which have milk byproducts in them. I now use a coconut creamer and I never buy cheese and try very hard to avoid it at restaurants and the like. I do it first and foremost for the ethical reasons, but the rationale that dairy has hormones that are meant to stimulate the growth of calves which are designed to grow much faster than humans. sounds very plausible as a reason as well to avoid dairy. Even “grass fed, organic” dairy would contain these hormones. I get my calcium from soymilk, blackstrap molasses, turnip greens and almonds and sometimes oranges as well. Now that I eat all of these things, when I fall I don’t break bones like I used to when I fell. Beans also have calcium in them. There is just too much cruelty in dairy farming for me to consume any dairy products.Suits this help with encopresis in children?I had chronic constipation when I was very young. My doctors attributed it to anxiety, which may have been true. What’s odd is that my doctors told my parents to give me laxatives and whole milk, while the rest of my family drank 1% milk. I wonder why this was so?Cow’s milk is intended for the calves, not us. Cows are kept constantly impregnated so they will keep producing milk. If a male calf is born, it is ripped away from its mother and sent to slaughter. Just so humans can have that milk instead. Hopefully your family no longer buys into cruelty.You have missed the point of my question, which is: Why would someone suggest whole cow’s milk as a means to treat constipation?As a mutant capable of digesting lactose, it’s a survival advantage for me to be able derive calories from products – but I doubt it’s optimal for my longevity. So I’m going to see what 3 months of a strict vegan diet does to my blood work, athleticism, and subjective well-being. Animal welfare is a nice bonus, but I am more concerned with improving my health and reducing my carbon footprint. I’m concerned that many people take up veganism for the sake of animal rights, rather than personal health. Without being educated about proper nutrition, many vegans suffer nutritional deficiencies after a while.I predict that a vegan diet devoid of refined flour, sugar, or vegetable oil, and with supplemental B12 and algae-derived omega-3 will make me healthier in 3 months. Time to put my prediction to the test!Good luck BenzoSt! You are on an exciting journey.With most doctors considering cow’s milk vital for children, maybe they didn’t consider *no milk* to be an option, so thought that the increased fat in whole vs 2% would somehow help with the constipation? I’m not saying it’s a good idea, just that maybe that’s what they were thinking.Probably so, but then again it might be hard to get kids to eat enough leafy greens to meet their calcium quota.Anyway, after being 99.9% vegan for about a month (I take supplements with gelatin capsules), I am more regular than ever. I’m consuming about 100g of fiber a day without even trying and pooping about 3 times a day, which is rather hedonistic.Previously to this vegan experiment I was experiencing intermittent constipation on an omnivorous diet that included sardines/salmon 2-3 times a week, meat like 1 time per month, egg whites fairly frequently, and yogurt and whey 2-3 times a day. Given what I have learned here, I think the dairy was the primary culprit for my prior irregular irregularity.BenzoSt: That second paragraph – almost had me laughing out loud.What I also really like about your post is the detail you went into about your previous diet. I think most people (Americans anyway) would read that and think that you had been eating animal products in moderation – maybe even not that much compared to other people. And yet when you went vegan (I think you are close enough to proudly claim the title), you experienced a significant, visible health improvement. Thanks for sharing! And for being funny. :-)Re: calcium, it really shouldn’t be an issue when promoting milk, since most milk only has calcium because the cows receive supplementation in their grain-based feed. Unless doctors are recommending only 100% grass-fed dairy to parents, there is no difference between giving a child milk vs giving the child a calcium supplement directly. While of course as we now know, grass-fed or not, there are multiple reasons to actively discourage milk consumption.This really sucks I love cheeseMost people can digesting lactose. It’s the pasteurized, homogenized protein that is a problem. That’s why the Mayo Clinic calls it milk protein intolerance.What can we give our kids. We have to grandsons ages 10 and14. They are allergic to soy, don’t like coconut milk and the 10 year old is allergic to almonds. Any suggestions?Sandy: Have you tried rice, hemp or oat milks? I have seen them all in the stores. You can also have fun making your own milks with various nuts, seeds and grains.They didn’t like hemp. They have not tried rice or oat milk. We want them to get their calcium.My older kids like the rice milk the best. We have tried them all.Thank you, we will give rice milk a try.Sandy K: Most of the commercial non-dairy milks have calcium added. You just have to check the box. When they do add the calcium, it usually equals or exceeds the amount in dairy milks.If the comment about wanting them to get calcium was in response to making your own milks, I can understand that. But you might want to educate yourself a bit about what foods have calcium in them. A proper whole food plant based diet will have lots of sources of calcium and may not need supplemented milks at all. Brenda Davis has a book that is a really good reference for proper diet and nutrient and includes a whole chapter on feeding children – including meal plans for children of various ages. The book is called: Becoming Vegan Express Edition. Just a thought.Good luck! It is so vital to feed kids right. I hope it works out for you.Thanks, Thea.Hi Sandy, I really enjoy rice milk, I think it’s the most “neutral” tasting milk, it reminded me the most of dairy milk in that regard. But I don’t buy it because at least where I live it’s quite a bit more expensive than soy or almond. However, it’s dirt cheap if you make it yourself – about $0.30 to $0.60 per gallon depending on how thick/dilute you like it.Also regarding calcium, I would second Thea’s advice, and perhaps recommend entering your children’s food into cronometer, so you can really see how much calcium they’re getting from a plant-based diet; you might discover they’re getting plenty without any milk.But also keep in mind that both non-dairy and most dairy milks simply contain calcium supplements; it’s not inherently present in significant amounts in non-dairy milks or in most cow’s milk, since most cows aren’t eating the leafy greens (grass) that the calcium originates from. The calcium in most cow’s milk comes from a supplement added to their feed. So unless the kids really enjoy drinking milk, or it’s a matter of habit or convenience, there’s no reason to think it would be a superior way to get calcium into your kids compared to just giving them a supplement.Sandy get their calcium from fruit and veges – search and you will see :]Why don’t try oat milk? You should be encouraging your children to live in a cruelty free world. What the Dairy industry does to the unwanted male calves, just so humans can have that milk instead, should be reason alone for your kids not to want to drink it. They are just used to the taste of dairy. Eventually they will get used to the taste of dairy free alternatives. Kids need to learn to accept that we cannot be part of animal cruelty just to suit our taste buds.They dont even need vegan milks to be healthy…Sandy please take a look at top vegetables for calcium http://happyforks.com/browse?q=&d=301-1&k=11 & top fruit for calcium http://happyforks.com/browse?q=&d=301-1&k=9 top legumes for calcium http://happyforks.com/browse?q=&d=301-1&k=16 top grains for calcium http://happyforks.com/browse?q=&d=301-1&k=20 & top nuts & seeds for calcium http://happyforks.com/browse?q=&d=301-1&k=12 and even some herbs has so much of calcium that few percent of daily RDA value you can get during the day from mixed spices like basil&poppy seeds&thyme&dill weed http://happyforks.com/browse?q=&d=301-1&k=2I hope this is helpful to check how much calcium your grandsons consume during typical day and maybe add some low dose supplement if it is really needed. I sometimes take 200mg cheap calcium supplement once or twice a day just to add some calcium to my diet and I never take those calcium supplemetns that contain whole daily RDA value for calcium cause I don’t need that much. Maybe consider doing the same if your grandsons don’t want to drink any kind of calcium fortified milk alternatives. You can also make some meal or even dessert and just add some low dose calcium supplement to it – and you get homemade calcium fortified meals:) You can do the same with b12.Raw milk. It will eventually cure their allergies.rawmilkmike: Dairy of any kind, whether raw or otherwise, is not a healthy food. The following videos will give you a start in understanding why that is:http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=dairyGood luck.Forks over Knives gives no proof that raw animal products don’t produce even better health benefits than a raw plant based diet. Anyone who says “raw or otherwise” is expressing there opinion. The studies they quote are not on raw milk or any other raw animal product. There are millions of raw milk consumers that grew up on pasteurized milk. They know the difference. How healthy do you think a plant based diet would be if it came in a can?rawmilkmike: re: ” How healthy do you think a plant based diet would be if it came in a can?” Quite healthy relatively, thank you! My diet consists of quite a bit of food from “cans”/pre-processed. I eat a lot of canned beans. And I eat jarred and boxed tomatoes. And I eat lots of frozen veggies which have been pre-cooked and stored in plastic bags. Etc. And by all the overwhelming scientific information and personal information I have gathered, I’m far healthier and have far less disease risk compared to milk drinking people–milk of any kind. But most especially raw milk.re: “… no proof that raw animal products…” I believe that Toxins addressed this point with you on another post. I will also refer you to the following site, which includes a list of stories of poor kids who got ***terribly*** sick (including losing kidneys) from drinking raw milk:http://realrawmilkfacts.com/real-life-storiesSo sad. These are not isolated incidents. This is why we pasteurize milk. Not that milk of any form is healthy. To understand the health risks, I’ll provide the following quote from the above site:“Between 1998 and 2008, 85 outbreaks of human infection resulting from consumption of raw milk reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including a total of 1,614 reported illnesses, 187 hospitalizations and two deaths. Illnesses and deaths have also been linked to the consumption of fresh cheese made from raw (unpasteurized milk), especially the Mexican-style queso fresco cheeses. Since many millions of people drink pasteurized milk every day in the United States, and only about 1-3% of the population drinks raw milk, the number of illnesses reported show that the actual risk of getting sick from drinking raw milk is tremendously higher than drinking pasteurized milk.Statistics from the CDC and state health departments comparing raw and pasteurized dairy products linked to reported foodborne disease outbreaks (1973-2006) show that raw milk and Mexican-style queso fresco soft cheeses (usually made from raw milk) caused almost 70% of the reported outbreaks even though only 1-3% of the population consumes raw dairy products. If raw and pasteurized milk were equally risky, it would be expected that there would be far more pasteurized outbreaks since the number of people drinking conventional milk is so much higher.”I don’t expect any of this to be convincing for you. You appear to be very vested in drinking raw milk. I just hope others do not get mislead, which is why I responded again this time. I hope that you are able to stay healthy and wish you luck.Thanks for sharing this important information.So Thea, you admit you are not completely healthy. The only empirical evidence that exists on raw milk suggests that raw milk may help you with your health problems. — “poor kids” can’t afford raw milk in this country. — Toxins has not addressed the issue of “raw animal products”. Their data is on cooked and processed animal products. There is no empirical data linking raw milk to illness. Association is not proof of cause. — You are referring to unsubstantiated isolated incidents. Yes these children got sick and suffered terminable complications but what were the causes of the diarrhea and the complications? — According to U.S. government studies raw milk may actually have a negative risk factor. —– 1. An estimated 17.3% of raw milk consumers in Minnesota may have acquired an illness caused by 1 of these enteric pathogens during the 10-year study period. (That’s 1.7% per year.) or (1 in 59) and (No deaths in the US from fluid raw milk consumption.) —– 2. About 48 million people (That’s 15% per year or 1 in 6 Americans) get sick and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases, according new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. —– If raw milk is the most dangerous food NOT on the market how is it possible that only 1 in 59 raw milk consumer get sick each year from foodborne diseases while 1 in 6 Americans(78.5% of whom drink pasteurized milk and only 3% of whom drink raw milk.) get sick each year from foodborne diseases? Raw milk may be preventing 1.3 million cases of foodborne disease and 90 deaths every year in the US. Or in other words: Apparently people who don’t drink raw milk are 9 times more likely to contract a so called foodborne illness than people that do. — I am “very vested” in my health and that of my wife and children.Pasteurization does not guarantee that all dangerous pathogens will be killed.Dr. FloraMason Van Orden: That’s true. The above quote from “realrawmilkfacts” shows not only that drinking raw milk is more dangerous than drinking pasturized, but that drinking any milk comes with risks. I don’t know how the pasturized milk risks compare to risks of “foodborne disease outbreaks” of plant foods, but I do see that as being just one more reason of so many why drinking any kind of milk is not wise.Actually, raw plant foods have some of the worst so called outbreaks of so called food-borne disease.Would you eat raw chicken? I think raw plant foods are over hyped in the media because it is so unusual for it to happen, and people do not expect their raw produce to hurt them. But if you ate raw chicken we can assume that at the least,90% of the time you would get sick.If you buy raw chicken you can assume that at the least 90%(actually 65.2%) of the time it will contain E. coli.“It is important to note that only a small proportion of patients who ingest E. coli O157:H7 actually get sick. Infection can range from asymptomatic carriage of the bacteria to abdominal discomfort, bloody diarrhea, or even the more serious HUS.”Nice quote, but without context it is not evidence. Please share the studies.Why? Do you disagree?Rice milk?Have you tried rice milk?Cow’s milk is intended for the calf, not us! No wonder so many people have trouble consuming it. The fact so many male calves are destroyed within days of being born, just so the selfish human race can have that milk, speaks volumes on how rotten the human race is. I gave up all dairy products five years ago for that reason alone! Yet many people are only giving it up because reports now suggest it causes osteoporosis, constipation, diabetes etc. Proves that humans still have no compassion for other living beings. Would you drink your own mother’s breast milk beyond infancy? Of course you wouldn’t, but you’d happily drink a cow’s milk if it didn’t cause you any problems. You’ve been brainwashed for years by the Dairy industry. With the large amount of dairy-free alternatives available in the supermarket (soy, rice, almond oat milk), there is no need for anyone to buy cow’s milk. Stop buying into cruelty. What the industry does to male calves is so shocking, do you really want to be part of that??? I am quite appalled by some of the comments here. “Me, me, me”. No respect for the animals.I found interesting this post about past populations where meat and diary/milk were staple products:http://healthylongevity.blogspot.it/2013/10/Cardiovascular-Disease-in-Ancient-Civilizations.htmland about cow’s milk there is this review:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1610-0387.2009.07019.x/pdfOf course, there is even the elephant in the room, id est “The China Study”…Thanks Merio! I just read them all. I found the German dermatology review most interesting and useful. It is on its way to some young friends with just these sorts of problems. Why is it taking so long to unmask this problem?And how could we ever change something so huge and powerful as the dairy industry? I think one critical step is to get this at least presented in schools from primary right through university. Just let the work stand on its own. But who is in control of that? Certainly not me. My assistantship was funded on a dairy grant. I really can’t see how my Alma Mater could ever support anything like unbiased teaching and research in dairy.When i was young i used to drink a LOT of milk, simply ’cause TV said that was good and doctors said that too so… Unfortunately people forget that we are not cows and our babies had a complete different growth rate compared to baby calf… i quote from wikipedia:A commercial steer or bull calf is expected to put on about 32 to 36 kg (71 to 79 lb) per month. A nine-month-old steer or bull is therefore expected to weigh about 250 to 270 kg (550 to 600 lb).“human babies” and “calves” will get sick and eventually die if there milk is pasteurized and homogenized. The same goes for any food and any creature really.Question: are you a baby cow ? What happens to a calve after the weaning period ? Any creature and food ? Does every creature in this world drink milk, or homogenized food ? Are potatoes digestible without proper cooking ?Merio’s Questions and answers: “Are you a baby cow?” No, do baby cows eat their mothers? “What happens to a calve after the weaning period?” We eat them. “Any creature and food?” Yes. “Does every creature in this world drink milk,” Any mammal does. “or homogenized food?” No and that’s my point. “Are potatoes digestible without proper cooking?” Consuming raw potatoes has more health benefits than cooked one. Because of its high content of potassium, sulfur, phosphorus, and chlorine, undiluted raw potato juice is proven to be effective in clearing up skin blemishes. However, you can get this potato benefits only if you consume potato as raw food because these powerful minerals are converted to inorganic atoms when potatoes are cooked. And, the best way to consume it raw is by taking it as juice. Fresh raw undiluted potato-carrot juice is so nutritious. A cup or two of potato-carrot juice a day is a great help to health problems like skin blemishes and high blood pressure.So you are not a baby cow perfect, so why we need their milk ???For the second question you are righ in part, but i forget to add that i was talking about free baby cows that after their weaning period STOP to drink milk and start to eat grass just like other cows, they do not eat milk anymore…For the third i was talking about ALL the animal kingdom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal) and of course you are wrong because only mammals feed their babies with milk during the lactation period (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactation).For the fourth, your right: any mammal does (NOT every creature in the world)… until the weaning period where they stops to eat milk and start to look at other types of food.I’m sorry for the homogenized food question, i forget to erase that after writing the post.While for the potato question i am at odds with you and i think that it’s not a good way to eat potato raw.You can get vitamins by eating fruit and veggies, there is not need to eat potatoes raw.While for the minerals, talking in general: Calcium (I), Phosphorus (I), Iron (I), Sodium (I), Chloride (I) , Zinc (I) are absorbed in an inorganic form (I):http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/smallgut/absorb_minerals.htmlhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC297237/http://www.kegg.jp/kegg-bin/highlight_pathway?scale=1.0&map=map04978&keyword=magnesiumWhile Co is absorbed in an organic form (B12 vitamin), Fe could be absord in both form (organic (heme) and inorganic).Anyway if you feel confident to eat raw potatoes i can’t argue with that.While i agree with you that fresh juices could be really useful for everyday diet.Merio’s Questions and answers: I assume we are still talking about raw unprocessed milk bought direct from the farm. “so why do we need their milk ???” We don’t. What’s your point? Almost any food can be replaced if you try hard enough, especially if price, taste, availability, and proper supplementation are not an issue. You do realize that in some European countries effective vitamin supplements are already prohibited. If your friends at the FDA, CDC, WHO, and AMA get their way we could see the same prohibition here. If you don’t like milk fine but please don’t support the organizations trying to force feed us GMO corn, soy, wheat, and toxic drugs that do not cure the illnesses they cause. These people would love to eliminate the cows, chicken, and fish and just feed us the GMO corn and soy directly.Humans have no set “weaning period” or “lactation period”. Look it up. You will get all kinds of answers. What it comes down to is as long as the mother has the time and the inclination. What does this have to do with the nutritional value of milk?Maybe you do “not need to eat potatoes raw” but the point is you don’t need to eat them cooked either and they are healthier raw. “Fruit and veggies” can be cooked and pasteurized also. Where do you draw the line? The more you cook and process your food the more you rely on supplementation. How do you even know what supplements to take? Who can you trust for such information and how do you keep it all strait?My point is that we should minimize animal food as possible (1-2 time per week), so milk consumption (of course different from human milk that is perfectly fine for babies) should tend to zero; while maximizing intake of veggies, fruit, whole grains and legumes.I do not have any friend at the FDA, CDC, WHO and AMA, and probably my thougths about human health in general could be at odds with them; it depends on the subject.I do not support them any way cause i am not an US citizen.The GMO issue is really important for me, in fact i think that we should NOT use GMO food since we do not need it and for my perspective there are too many questions about it.You are in doubt with soy ? Change legume !!!If they want to eliminate animal food ?I do not think so or FDA will try every action to destroy animal business while it does not even address the antibiotics foodstock debate.And remember that the vast majority of soy feed goes to animals:http://www.wisoybean.org/news/soybean_facts.phpAnd “we”(=women) have a lactation period (the period when the mother produces milk for her babies) while the weaning period is when babies start to eat other foods different from milk.You you cannot decide to give hamburgers to a new born.For the “pasteurized” issue is really simple: there a lots of fruit and veggies that should be eaten raw, why i have to have problems with potatoes when i can eat carrots, apples, berries etc raw ? Mix cooked food and raw carrots, to be sure to eat enough vitamins.I eat potatoes for starch, not vitamins.For nutritional guideline read this article by Doctor Greger:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Or check this site created only for evaluating supplements:http://examine.com/Wasn’t the issue the length of the lactation period, not whether or not women have one? You can decide when to give hamburgers to a baby, 6 months, a year, or 6 years. It’s completely up to the mother.“A mother and her baby should breastfeed for as long as they wish to breastfeed. It provides continuing protection against diarrhea and respiratory tract infection. Breastfeeding should be continued for as long as mutually desired by mother and child. All the benefits of human milk including nutritional and health continue for as long as your baby receives your milk. In fact, as your baby takes less human milk, these advantages are condensed into what milk is produced. Many of the health benefits of human milk are dose related, that is, the longer the baby receives human milk, the greater are the benefits. To quote Dr. William Sears, “There is no set number of years you should nurse your baby.” If you and your child enjoy breastfeeding, there is no reason you need to stop. Both of you will continue to benefit from breastfeeding as long as you like.”The WHO is international and so are most of our problems with access to healthy food.Thanks to your comment on the potato look what we have stumbled across.http://nutrimaxorganic.com/health_topics/raw_potato_juice.htmlhttp://omtimes.com/2012/10/12-benefits-of-potato-juice-a-very-healthy-drink/http://healingtouchbw.blogspot.com/2010/02/power-of-raw-potato-juice.htmlhttp://guide2herbalremedies.com/therapeutic-properties-potato-juice/http://www.livestrong.com/article/279691-the-benefits-of-juicing-a-potato/I think there is a misunderstanding cause i think that mothers should breastfed their babies as long as they can; i do not think it’s a problem for human to eat human milk.The WHO said at least 6 month, but i think that one year is better even more if the mother can.I will read the links, and further investigate the “potato juice” issue.Normally when someone says to me “Cows milk is for baby cows” I say “Ya and bananas are for monkeys.” because the argument is just that silly.That analogy does not make sense, and it is a stretch to make it true. The reason mammals lactate are to feed their young, that’s it. Bananas, which by the way have been selected by man to look the way they are now, do not exist to feed monkeys.So now you want to talk about the meaning of life. The analogy was meant to be funny. Just because baby cows sometimes drink cow’s milk that doesn’t mean we can’t also.Bananas and milk are completely different.Banans are fruit and their existence is a mean for the banana tree to maximize the spread of his seeds.Milk is a particul mammal secretion and his significance is to assure complete nutrition for a baby mammal until he can digest other kind of macro nutrients.And baby mammals are different from each other, or you think that the growth rate of human baby is the same for calf, or baby pigs etc ?Human milk is specific for human babies, while cow’s milk is specific for calf.And a lot of people lose the enzyme needed to drink milkRead about populations that eat a lot of natural “meat” and raw milk:http://healthylongevity.blogspot.it/2013/10/Cardiovascular-Disease-in-Ancient-Civilizations.htmlThey are not disease free.We don’t know what these people where eating and they don’t mention raw milk. Bananas are fruit and their existence is a mean for the banana tree to maximize the spread of his seeds. They are not meant to be food for humans and certainly not a complete and balanced diet.“A lot of people lose the enzyme needed to drink milk?” This is pure speculation. It is an attempt to explain milk protein intolerance. The truth is most lactose intolerants are not lactose malabsorbers and have no problem with raw milk. As a matter of fact most lactose malabsorbers are not lactose intolerant.Did you read the link ?You do not understand the banana example… the fruit it’s a trick for the plant to induce animals (we) to eat it so that they will act as a vehicle and disperse seeds after digestion (even if today cultivars are practically without seeds for selection).Bananas are healthy fruits and can be a part of an healthy diet as many other fruits.Raw milk is not:http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/raw-milk-versus-pasteurized-milk/There are compounds intrinsic of milk, it doe not matter if pasteurized, or not…http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1610-0387.2009.07019.x/pdfMerio, I completely forgot about these. Thanks for digging this up for us. How could I forget about TOR http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/They do not mention organic raw milk or say that it is the same as processed milk. They don’t say that milk is a carcinogen. They do say anorexia reduces the incidence of breast cancer. Maybe we should recommend an anorexic diet? Are they saying that vegetables are unhealthy for growing children?Raw milk mike, your interpretations are off. Please try and see through your raw milk bias and view what Dr. Greger has shared as well as the studies themselves. The compounds are inherent, there is not an indication that these harms would not occur in organic, raw or conventional.Tox, did you see Merio’s quote “Increased levels of IGF-1 are found in the milk from cows that have been given recombinant growth hormone”? You don’t think Dr. Greger has a bias? A medical doctor is not going to indorse alternative medicine. Anyone switching to raw milk knows there is a difference and it isn’t the taste. Are you sure you aren’t the one with the bias?I still think the bias remains with you, as your username would suggest. Increased IGF-1 in milk from growth hormone does not mean that IGf-1 is not present to begin with, it just means it is further increased with the hormone. Even if IGF-1 were non existent in milk, the body still produces more IGF-1 due to the amino acid ratio of milk.“Milk is a complex fluid that developed over the course of mammalian evolution. Its primary function is to support growth and cell proliferation.” This is not something for humans to be consuming, growth is not an attractive feature as an adult, as this typically translates to unwanted growth.MD stands for MEDICAL doctor not nutritionist. They sell MEDICINE not health-food. We are not just talking about adults but adults require sell growth also. 50,000 of the cells in your body will die and be replaced with new cells, all while you have been reading this sentence! Our bodies are recreating themselves constantly – we make a skeleton every 3 months, new skin every month. 15 million blood cells are destroyed in the human body every second. Every year about 98% of the atoms in your body are replaced. Doesn’t this mean that adults require more cell growth than children?rawmilk mike, these conversations we have are honestly silly, and your arguments are elementary. I think you can figure this one out yourself.“typically translates to unwanted growth in the form of cancer” Tox, you are just making this stuff up as you go. You did not read that anywhere. If this argument is so elementary why is it so difficult for you? “Normal cells are mortal, that is, they have a life span.” Cancer cells “essentially become immortal.” http://lungcancer.about.com/od/Biology-of-Cancer/a/Cancer-Cells-Normal-Cells.htmrawmilk mike, I have already shared with you the links to see the easy to understand explanations from Dr. Greger. Your attempts to discredit the issue are just silly and demonstrates your lack of understanding of the issue. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/ http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1I would prefer not to carry this conversation on any longer, I can’t force you to think critically about this. Please see the video links and studies. If you don’t want to see the evidence, that’s fine. It doesn’t make the facts any less true.Tox, I have already shared with you easy to understand explanations for why Dr. Greger’s issue is just silly. Your attempts to discredit me demonstrates your lack of understanding of the issue. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/ http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1 I would prefer not to carry this conversation on any longer, I can’t force you to think critically about this. Please re-watch the video links. If you don’t want to see the evidence, that’s fine. It doesn’t make the facts any less true. Our bodies are recreating themselves constantly – we make a skeleton every 3 months, new skin every month. 15 million blood cells are destroyed in the human body every second. Every year about 98% of the atoms in your body are replaced. Doesn’t this mean that adults require even more cell growth than children? Proper nutrition is a much better way to fight cancer than starvation. Kids get cancer to and not all cancers involve growth. Cancer growth is actually a lack of cell death. http://lungcancer.about.com/od/Biology-of-Cancer/a/Cancer-Cells-Normal-Cells.htm Didn’t you see Merio’s quote “Increased levels of IGF-1 are found in the milk from cows that have been given recombinant growth hormone”? They also say anorexia reduces the incidence of breast cancer. Maybe we should recommend starvation as a way to prevent cancer? You should do a search on “cancer and the immune system”. Industrialization is just as bad for a plant based diet as it is for an animal based diet. Humans can’t live on Coca-Cola and Chips Ahoy any better than on ice cream and chocolate milk.if you wanna join the debate, it’s not a problem… i’m only a “biotechnologist”, human nutrition it’s only a free time activity… :-)As a “biotechnologist” what products are you working on? What is your area of expertise?Technically speaking ? In nothing :-)I have a 3 years degree in Biotechnology and now i’m working on my Master program that is related to biotechnology applications to human disease.My thesis was much more molecular/structural and focused on a particular type of enzymes:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HydrogenaseSo you’re just a kid.I do not know… how many kids do you know with an University Biotechnology degree ?Normally when people grow up they get a job. And what’s with your English? “with an University Biotechnology degree”?? “I have a 3 years degree in Biotechnology”?? “i’m”?? “wanna”?? “Yes, to this (your) reply”?? “it doe not matter”?? “it’s an hormone”?? “naturalling occurring”?? “Here is to you a site that is highly critic with raw milk”?? It’s no wonder your replies are completely non sequitur. We are not just talking about adults but adults require sell growth also. 50,000 of the cells in your body will die and be replaced with new cells, all while you have been reading this sentence! Our bodies are recreating themselves constantly – we make a skeleton every 3 months, new skin every month. 15 million blood cells are destroyed in the human body every second. Every year about 98% of the atoms in your body are replaced. Doesn’t this mean that adults require even more cell growth than children?Sorry, i’m not english, but italian.I forget to say that, so it may be that sometimes my english is not perfect.I do not proofread everytime i write something.Doesn’t this mean that adults require even more cell growth than children?And why i have to take my nutrients from milk ?There are many other options: seeds, legumes vegetables, fruits, etc.To me cow’s milk is simply useless, if not dangerous (on the long term).I’m glad you have finally changed the subject. You don’t need to take your nutrients from milk but you shouldn’t criticize people that do. We have enough trouble with the government. If you don’t have easy access to raw milk then yes pasteurized milk is not only useless but very dangerous. There are not that many options for obtaining B12.Ok !Best regards !Your english is fine Merio. I find that if you dont feed a troll then it will go away.Oh, thanks for your reply Coacervate, but it’s not a problem really.I have seen all kind of trolls (much more in political debate) and they do not bother me.:-)Just because we can eat bananas doesn’t mean we can live on them. Bananas are a healthy fruit and can be “PART” of a healthy diet as are many other fruits. Saying that cow’s milk is perfectly balanced for cows only means that it could theoretically be a problem for human infants less than 6 months old. I haven’t been able to find any study that shows that raw cows milk is any worse than infant formula.“The researchers basically concluded that the impact of pasteurization on the nutritive value of milk APPEARS to be MINIMAL.” According to the nutrition label on the side of the carton.The people saying raw milk is a super-food are raw milk consumers who know this to be a fact. The propaganda comes from raw milks competitors.All it says is “Consumption of cow’s milk and cow’s milk protein result in changes of the hormonal axis of insulin, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor – 1(IGF-1) in humans.” It doesn’t say what “compounds are intrinsic to milk”. Where do you get the idea it doesn’t matter if it is organic raw milk or not? And it doesn’t say that IGF-1 causes cancer. Anorexia reduces the incidence of breast cancer. Maybe we should recommend an anorexic diet?Who said that we can lived on them, uh ?The people saying raw milk is a super-food are raw milk consumers who know this to be a fact. The propaganda comes from raw milks competitors.Are there any papers about that ? Or just opinions ?All it says is “Consumption of cow’s milk and cow’s milk protein result in changes of the hormonal axis of insulin, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor – 1(IGF-1) in humans.” It doesn’t say what “compounds are intrinsic to milk”. Where do you get the idea it doesn’t matter if it is organic raw milk or not? And it doesn’t say that IGF-1 causes cancer. Anorexia reduces the incidence of breast cancer. Maybe we should recommend an anorexic diet?You missed this part:[…]Milk is a complex bioactive secretion that plays an important role in enhancing growth and in the development of newborn mammals. Human beings are the only mammals that have access to milk and dairy products over the life span. Cow’s milk contains a number of bioactive hormones including IGF-1 (4–50 ng/ml) and IGF-2 (40–50 ng/ml) [57, 58]. IGF-1, an important stimulator of lactogenesis, is secreted into milk. Increased levels of IGF-1 are found in the milk from cows that have been given recombinant growth hormone to increase milk production [58]. Pasteurization and homogenization do nothing to significantly decrease IGF-1 activity [59]. Bovine and human IGF-1 are identical and bind with the same affinity to human IGF1R.It’s in the chapter titled “Increased serum levels of IGF-1 as a result of milk consumption”http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18703307It’s important for cow’s metabolism:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18703307Like cholesterol, casein (do you know the China Study ?), and many other compounds… or microorganisms:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3461852/Thank you for proving my point. I missed that. “Increased levels of IGF-1 are found in the milk from cows that have been given recombinant growth hormone to increase milk production”maybe you do not understand the fact that there was ALREADY a IGF 1 level that with the use of an external hormone increase because that is the aim of the hormone.Or maybe you think that IGF 1 came out or nothing ?The hormone act on a pathway that is already there.Do you understand that ?“Do you understand that ?” your previous statement “There are compounds intrinsic of milk, it doe not matter if pasteurized, or not…” contradicts your quote “Increased levels of IGF-1 are found in the milk from cows that have been given recombinant growth hormone” because organic raw milk does not have “recombinant growth hormone” like the milk referred to in your study/opinion peace.No it is not… simply because IGF1 is a natural occurring compound found in mammals and their milk.The quote is this:Milk is a complex bioactive secretion that plays an important role in enhancing growth and in the development of newborn mammals. Human beings are the only mammals that have access to milk and dairy products over the life span. Cow’s milk contains a number of bioactive hormones including IGF-1 (4–50 ng/ml) and IGF-2 (40–50 ng/ml) [57, 58]. IGF-1, an important stimulator of lactogenesis, is secreted into milk . Increased levels of IGF-1 are found in the milk from cows that have been given recombinant growth hormone to increase milk production [58]. Pasteurization and homogenization do nothing to significantly decrease IGF-1 activity [59]. Bovine and human IGF-1 are identical and bind with the same affinity to human IGF1R.IGF 1 it’s an hormone that is found in mammals and have various actions and it’s completely normal to have it both for cows and humans.The rBGH mimic the naturalling occurring cow’s hormone (BGH) to enhance the normal IGF 1 levels and promotes milk production.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18420611So IGF1 it’s intrinsic to our metabolism, like cholesterol, or C-reactive protein.Some intrinsic compounds are “natural”, while others were made by us and contaminate the life cycle:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistent_organic_pollutantHere is to you a site that is highly critic with raw milk:http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com/raw-milk-hot-topicsIs this suppose to be a response to something I said?Yes, to this (your) reply:“Do you understand that ?” your previous statement “There are compounds intrinsic of milk, it doe not matter if pasteurized, or not…” contradicts your quote “Increased levels of IGF-1 are found in the milk from cows that have been given recombinant growth hormone” because organic raw milk does not have “recombinant growth hormone” like the milk referred to in your opinion peace. Are you suggesting our IGF-1 level should be zero?I turned 61 years old this year. My Mother could not breastfeed her 4 children because she had the rare condition of inverted nipples which would not allow suckling. I was raised on pasturized/homogenized cows milk. I did not get sick and die and neither did my three brothers. I did, however, switch to a whole foods plant based diet (no meat, no dairy) 6 years ago when my cholesterol shot high, when I developed gout, prediabetes, beginning osteopenia and carried 30 extra lbs being officially overweight. After the diet change I am now normal in every medical test and have returned to a normal weight of 135 on my 5’7″ frame. My friend, Jeff, at 69 years, suffered from Type II diabetes for the last 9 years. Jeff, as well, read China Study and, with his doctors help, switched to a WFPB diet. Two months later his doctor declared him free of his Type II and he is off all medications as well as saving the $500/month he spent on medicine. His physician read China Study as well and his clinic now treats all their Type II diabetics completely differently. His physician: “I was never taught any of this in medical school.” Re: milks. . the protein content of cows milk is 14%, rat – 49%, human being – .08 to 09%. Fat content of human mother’s milk is approx 3-5%. Whales – also a mammal – have mother’s milk fat content of approx. 40%. Milks are species specific and are not interchangeable. The ONLY mammal that continues to suckle after weaning is the human being .. which continues to suckle at the (removed) breast of the cow. Even cows don’t drink cows milk after infancy. Pasturized, raw, chocolatized, or concentrated into cheese (remember, it takes approx 8 gallons of milk to make one pound of cheese – concentrated saturated fat), cows milk has no biological place or role in human being health.Geb. Thanks for sharing your story and that of your friend to inspire others. Wishing you both continued good health.He would have had the same results simply switching to raw dairy. Also losing weight can lead to yo-yo dieting.Evidence?Look who’s talking. The pot calling the kettle black.Don’t you troll from 10 to 7 Mon thru Fri? Are your working overtime now?Valerie says: I avoid dairy at all cost. My son is off of it. It makes his skin erupt terribly. It is bloating, full of mucus and blood and there is nothing nutritional about it.Rawmilkmike says: That’s only true of pasteurized milk.Toxins says: Inherent compounds exist in milk that are irrelevant to how the milk is prepared.Notice how you changed the subject and I fell for it. You never really disagreed with my initial post.You post one word and I waste 2 days answering a question you never asked. Well done.Geg, you started out disagreeing but then proved my point. You would have died from pasteurized milk.You would have died as an infant if it weren’t for fortified baby formula. “By the 1920s, feeding of orange juice and cod liver oil greatly decreased the incidence of scurvy and rickets.” In other words doctors have known for nearly 100 years that pasteurized cows milk gives infants scurvy and rickets.“A good recommendation is to wean calves at 4 to 5 weeks of age.” “On bottle calves, I offer hay to them on day 3 as well as a handful of grain.” So calves don’t die from pasteurized milk either. But they would if they didn’t have another source of nutrition.Milks are species specific but so are plants. Not all mammals can live on bamboo. You apparently have not researched raw milk or infant formula. Human health appears to be a mystery to you.Geg, I apologize for the flippant nature of my previous post but I still can not think of a pleasant way to make what I believe to be seven very important points.Maybe if I elaborate on 4 of them: Pandas can live on bamboo. Humans can’t. Cows can live on grass, Humans can’t.You didn’t say anything specifically about raw milk. Suggesting that you have no hard evidence showing that raw milk could have caused any of you and your friends health problems.Saying that you were fed exclusively cows milk as an infant suggest that you may not know what was being fed to infants in the 50s.To suggest that cooked and homogenized milk, today’s mutant plants, and a lack of healthy fats did not cause any of you and your friends very serious health issue but that only cooked meat did, gives the impression you don’t really know what caused those illnesses. Hence the use of the word mystery.The T. Colin Campbell Foundation is offering an on-line certificate program in Plant-Based Nutrition for 30 CME credits to doctors to learn about many important and life-saving facts, such as that a majority of people on certain councils and boards in Washington, D.C. are being paid by the “industry” (dairy and beef), and so many have stock in the industry or other ways of being connected to it, that there is no freedom to vote on decisions that affect every the health and longevity of every baby born. Even international policies are being ‘sold to the highest bidder’, as far as the unhealthy amounts of protein, sugars, and fat that are recommended. Dr. Campbell has been a member of these committees, and had to actually sue some of them to disclose these awful facts to the general public. These organizations that are supposed to keep us and our innocent children safe have sold out.. http://www.tcolincampbell.orgI think it’s an interesting program and health professional should be aware of it… as a former Biotechnology student (i got the degree in February) and now Medical Biotechnology student i will be interest in this kind of certificate just for my passion of Human Nutrition but now i have to focusing on my master program and lab skills. Maybe in the future i will invest more deeply in the nutrition field.That is all very true but don’t forget corn, soy, and pharmaceuticals. Most importantly don’t forget that the plant based diet lobby is also guilty of spreading the same propaganda about raw milk.Who is this plant based lobby you speak of? Do you know where government subsidies go?Have you seen the food pyramid?“Although I often use the terms “support” and “subsidy” interchangeably, much government support of agriculture is not in the form of direct subsidy for farmer incomes or direct subsidy for production, but is indirect.Economists have criticized farm subsidies on several counts. First, farm subsidies typically transfer income from consumers and taxpayers to relatively wealthy farmland owners and farm operators. Second, they impose net losses on society, often called deadweight losses, and have no clear broad social benefit (Alston and James 2002). Third, they impede movements toward more open international trade in commodities and thus impose net costs on the global economy (Johnson 1991; Sumner 2003).”“The U.S. government heavily subsidizes grains, oil-seeds, cotton, sugar, and pasteurized dairy products.”The few subsidies for grains, soy and corn go to feed the animals primarily, lets not pretend otherwise. http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/perverse%20pyramid.pdfSo besides oil-seeds, cotton, sugar, and pasteurized dairy products, we are also subsidizing beef and poultry production. What is your point?“Who is this plant based lobby you speak of?” The pharmaceutical industry and anyone not selling animal products.“Do you know where government subsidies go?” Yes, to McDonald’s, Walmart, and anyone else selling products made from these commodities.Maybe a babies milk should come from a human and not a cow. I’m just saying, Johnny.Dear Dr Greger – Here in Australia we are currently seeing ads on TV extolling the virtues of milk with the A2 protein and not the A1 protein. The claim is that those who have an upset tummy from A1 Milk can drink A2 without any problems. Do you have any research on this point?The only milk an infant should drink I believe is breast milk as nature intended. My excessive milk consumption while pregnant and nursing flared up my eczema until a naturopath discovered I was intolerant to it. Went off dairy and healed my gastritis and no more steroid creams for eczema and no more constipation for my daughter. I cringe when I see kids drinking milk now and all these giant kids and pre pubescent girls? Marketing at it’s finest. Terrible.I have a thought for those people who think that consuming any kind of dairy after weening is a good idea. In other words, this site encourages breast feeding for human infants if at all possible. But what if you are no longer drinking your mother’s breast milk? Does it make sense to drink the breast milk of other species? Is it really natural and healthy?1) To my knowledge, humans are the only animals on the entire planet who suckle past weening – and not only that, but do so with the breast milk of other species.2) While drinking dairy milk is natural for infant mammals, with one exception, we all loose the ability to properly digest diary milk after weening. The one exception is a small subset of humans who have mutated to be able to properly digest dairy milk even after weening.I’ve seen various numbers about how many humans can properly digest dairy. The numbers usually range from 15% to 25%. That means at least 75% of humans experience mild to sever problems consuming dairy – and most of those humans are people of color:“According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, 60-80 percent of African Americans, 50-80 percent of Latinos, and at least 90 percent of Asians and Native Americans are lactose intolerant and may suffer stomach cramps, diarrhea, and other painful or distressing gastrointestinal symptoms. Lactose intolerance occurs in 6-22 percent of people of northern European descent.” from: http://www.pcrm.org/media/news/spoof-of-milk-mustache-ad-reaches-out-to-people——————————– So, here’s my thought: Suppose you want to completely ignore the giant and compelling body of evidence that shows how terribly unhealthy it is for humans past weening to consume all forms of dairy (raw or otherwise). And suppose you want to completely ignore global climate change and human and non-human animal suffering caused by the dairy industry. Just based on understanding the above two points alone, we can see that any philosophy or theory of eating that indiscriminately includes dairy as healthy for consumption is inherently racist.That is worth taking some serious time to think about.Our daughter when she was a baby had terrible constipation. She would cry all the time and we as a result got very little sleep. We tried everything to try resolve the problem including laxities, enemas. Doctors weren’t much help. Our daughter was breast fed so we didn’t even think about the milk. Our daughter got a cold with a lot of congestion so my wife decided eliminate yogurt, cheese etc to help her recover from the cold. Within days she had no more constipation and we were getting sleep :). My wife also gave up dairy which we felt helped alleviate the problem. I wish the sort of information on this website was more widely available.Is anyone aware of any research on adults? For milk, but also other diary products (yoghrut, cheese, etc.)? thanks!Hi Dani, to get you started search on dairy, yogurt, cheese, etc. scroll through the videos to find you are most interested in.For examples:http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=dairy http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/There are over 9 million raw milk consumers in America. Ask around you’ll be surprised how many you find. When you find one that has switched from pasteurized milk ask them about the health benefits they have witnessed.There are 10 million raw milk consumers in America. Ask around you’ll be surprised how many you find. When you find one that has switched from pasteurized milk ask them about the health benefits.I avoid dairy at all cost. My son is off of it. It makes his skin erupt terribly. It is bloating, full of mucus and blood and there is nothing nutritional about it.That’s only true of pasteurized milk.Inherent compounds exist in milk that are irrelevant to how the milk is prepared. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/This video is also filled with unsubstantiated speculation.Not all dairies use Holstein cows and not all dairies keep their cows pregnant and not all dairies use rBGH. There’s a big difference between small raw milk dairies and large pasteurized milk dairies.They don,t refer specifically to raw milk or any raw animal products for that matter.Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) and antibiotics are given to animals, such as cattle and chickens in order to make them gain weight faster. Growth hormones also increase milk production in animals. These hormones may hold negative health repercussions for humans. Early puberty in girls has been associated with certain growth hormones used in meat and dairy products.Xenoestrogens have been implicated here, which is present in milk. These are natural compounds that appear in milk. Growth hormones from human sources is not what is being discussed. Also, xenoestrogens are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the harmful effects of milk. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ Good luck finding a study showing decreased rates of cancer with increasing consumption of milk. I understand you are passionate about raw milk, but here at nutritionfacts.org we use an evidence based approach and do not come to dietary conclusions based on emotion or feelings. Please present studies to back up your claims.First, you are the one forcing others to buy your product. You are the one with the burden of proof. Implication is not proof. Where is your empirical evidence? “Growth hormones from human sources” can just as easily explain the results of your studies. They show increased rates of cancer with increasing consumption of pasteurized milk, not raw milk. Don’t try and create a straw-man. — What you use is a lack of “evidence based approach” by saying you have not published any recent studies that show raw milk is safe and beneficial. That doesn’t mean you haven’t published the them in the past or that there aren’t present day studies that you choose not to publish. — Like all salesmen you get emotional when your sales pitch is ignored. Your own evidence does not support your accusations. Your data suggests that raw milk is a safe alternative treatment for illness. It’s results speak for themselves. Passion has nothing to do with it. — A person drinking raw milk has no need for speculation and is immune to much of the propaganda from competing pharmaceutical salesmen. A person switching to raw milk often sees imitate results with continued improvements in health over the weeks, mouths, and years to follow. — Let’s see the rest of the iceberg. “is likely due to” “Now it appears we know why” “and ask why” “Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk.” This is the best link you could come up with? — “About NutritionFacts.org”“Whenever there is a new drug or surgical procedure, you can be assured that you or your doctor will probably hear about it because there’s a corporate budget driving its promotion. But what about advances in the field of nutrition? The reason we don’t see ads on TV for broccoli(or raw milk) is the same reason groundbreaking research on the power of foods and eating patterns to affect our health and longevity gets lost and buried in the medical literature–there’s no profit motive. It may not make anyone money, but what if our lives would profit?”“GH and IGF levels are both elevated dramatically following exercise”“IGF-I in children have been associated with higher IQ”“Its deficit can cause hearing loss. Serum level of it also underlies a correlation between short height and reduced hearing abilities particularly around 3–5 years of age, and at age 18 (late puberty).”I fear you have completely missed the point, to each his own I suppose.The point is that humans are not herbivores. Your data only shows that raw food is healthier than processed food and on that we can agree. What you do not seem to comprehend is that raw and fermented animal products are more natural and even healthier than raw and ferment plants. Your data does not address this issue. Do you know anything about the traditional diets of Eskamos and native Americans?I apologize raw milk mike, but I cannot further this conversation if you continue to not support your claims with evidence and if you continue to ignore the presented videos I have shared. Don’t let your passion for raw milk blind you from considering opposing arguments. You may think you are “in the know”, but it is apparent you have seen a small fraction of the videos Dr. Greger has shared. Please continue your research. Yes I am well aware of the Eskimos, their diet and lifestyle is not something I would idolize.Tox, you took the words right out of my mouth. Who’s idolizing the Eskimos diet and what do we know about their lifestyle? If you are well aware of the Eskimos diet then you know it disproves Dr. Greger’s theories.Clearly you are misinformed.“The data collected through this new investigation shows that Eskimos do have a similar prevalence of [coronary artery disease] CAD to non-Eskimo populations, and in fact, they have very high rates of mortality due to cerebrovascular events (strokes). Overall, their life expectancy is approximately 10 years less than the typical Danish population and their overall mortality is twice as high as that of non-Eskimo populations.”http://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/investigators-find-something-fishy-with-the-classical-evidence-for-dietary-fish-recommendationsIt is in line with the evidence shared. Furthermore, Dr. Greger has no “theory”, he is simply stating what the evidence has to say. You are the one who has a problem with it, which is clearly why you are so defensive. You cannot fight good science with whimsical ideas.Tox, I said “Do you know anything about the traditional diets of Eskimos and native Americans?” No where in your link do they say anything about “the traditional diet of Eskimo”. To the contrary, they are referring to their current diet. Eskimos didn’t cook their food before the Europeans came to this continent and unlike us they ate the entire animal. Their diet was not high protein. It was high fat. 80% fat calories and almost zero carbs.Dr. Greger’s doesn’t specifically say anything. He uses terms like: “May have” “May be why” “Particular concern” “Could be” “They think” “Important theme” “Hormone dependent cancers” not “cancers caused by hormones” “Commercial cows milk” not “Organic raw milk” “Estrogen dependent malignant diseases” not “malignant diseases caused by estrogen” “Cow’s milk and cheese” when he is actually referring to “Pasteurized cow’s milk and cheese”. Good science or whimsical ideas?His data suggests that children need to eat more meat than adults and that animal fat may be more important than animal protein.Again, you have failed to present evidence that raw makes any difference in terms of animal foods and milk. Once you do, we can get somewhere. Otherwise you are just gong to repeat the same unjustified ideas and I am going to continue to not believe you.It may appear that I’m trying to sell raw milk but in reality I’m just trying to buy it. We just want to be left alone but we are constantly under attack. Tox, you are the one who has failed to present evidence to support your theories.You say some of the silliest things. Do I really need to present evidence that there is a difference between raw and processed foods. If you are going to insist that they are the same I think you may again be the one with the burden of proof.Again you have not responded to a thing I’ve said. You ignored all ten points and now you want to discus whether there is a difference between raw and processed foods.Your points were not valid. I talked about the inherent xenoestrogens present in milk whether it be raw or not. All you did was retort with a bunch of ideas on why I am wrong without presenting evidence. I then shared that consuming milk is not helpful due to its IGF-1 raising effect, you retorted that low igf-1 is unhealthy, which does not have anything to do with the issues I raised, its just a distraction. I have already done my part, you are the one who does not want to listen.My points were related to the link you posted. I assumed it was meant to support your position. “Bunch of ideas” ? It’s called logic. I have evidence out the wazoo. What evidence are you looking for? You are the one with no evidence. Quoting unsubstantiated accusations from people with a clear conflict of interest is not evidence.Retort: a quick, witty, or cutting reply; especially : one that turns back or counters the first speaker’s words. Why thank you.It’s silly to say “consuming milk is not helpful due to its IGF-1 raising effect”. IGF-1 is not a carcinogen and it would not negate raw milk’s numerous health benefits even if it were.Eskimos have been consuming European junk food for the last 100 years. To say that their lifespans are now worse than the rest of us is off topic since the subject was their traditional raw food diet.If you bothered to see the video link and do a bit of research, just a bit, which you have not, you would see that elevated IGF-1, which milk is the greatest offender for, is cancerous. If oyu have evidence than sahre it, again you choose to share whimisical ideas which you refer to as “logic”.You must have forgotten my earlier post. “Dr. Greger’s doesn’t specifically say anything. He uses terms like: “May have” “May be why” “Particular concern” “Could be” “They think” “Important theme” “Hormone dependent cancers” not “cancers caused by hormones” “Commercial cows milk” not “Organic raw milk” “Estrogen dependent malignant diseases” not “malignant diseases caused by estrogen” “Cow’s milk and cheese” when he is actually referring to “Pasteurized cow’s milk and cheese”. Good science or whimsical ideas?”Look at your non-statement: “elevated IGF-1, which milk is the greatest offender for, is cancerous.” IGF-1 promotes cell growth. it doesn’t cause cancer.When you have a mass of evidence you can make links like this.Why do centenarians escape or postpone cancer?The role of IGF-1, inXammation and p53http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CD0QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F23783106_Why_do_centenarians_escape_or_postpone_cancer_The_role_of_IGF-1_inflammation_and_p53%2Ffile%2F9fcfd50602fb925e23.pdf&ei=7wg0UZGhB-TXygGR_oBA&usg=AFQjCNFnC614zJS8Cqay3CHjkv8erNuRBA&sig2=XWuAw4GoFQ-broz9X8o_uA&bvm=bv.43148975,d.aWcCell growth is determined primarily by the growth hormone Insulin like growth factor, also called IGF-1. As a child, this growth hormone is found in much larger amounts and then slowly tapers off during adulthood. Increased levels of circulating IGF-1 as adults can promote unwanted growth, particularly in the form of tumors. An association can be seen in the following meta-analysis between increased IGF-1 levels and prostate cancer. “Our meta-analysis revealed that the body of the world-wide published literature is consistent with an average 21% increased risk of prostate cancer per standard deviation increase in IGF-I”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2743036/A similar association is revealed between increased IGF-1 levels and breast cancer “The results of this collaborative analysis show that plasma concentrations of IGF1 are positively associated with breast-cancer risk.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3113287/?tool=pubmedElevated IGF-1 has also been shown to increase the chance of the cancer to metastasis. This hormone is responsible for cancer proliferation, survival, migration and angiogenesis (feeding cancer with blood supply)http://edrv.endojournals.org/content/30/1/51.full.pdf+htmlIGF-1 deficiency leads to dwarfism and one might expect this group of the population to not get cancer, as is the case. “The individuals with GHR deficiency (GHRD) exhibited only one non-lethal malignancy and no cases of diabetes, in contrast to 17% cancer and 5% diabetes prevalence in the controls.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3357623/“Fasting serum was obtained from postmenopausal women participants at the Pritkin Longevity Center Residential Program where they were placed on a low-fat (10-15% Kcal), high-fiber (less than 40 gm/d) diet and attended daily exercise classes for 2 weeks.” They used the blood of this group and dripped it on cancer cell lines. Significant cell death was observed as well as reduced IGF-1 levels in the blood. http://www.pritikin.com/eperspective/specialissues/cancer/cancerabstract.pdfIn an attempt to “determine the underlying mechanisms for these anticancer effects”, cell apoptosis was again to be examined when the blood of a group eating a similar diet was dripped on a cancer cell line. What made this study so remarkable, was that not only did cancer cells die off in greater abundance when IGF-1 levels were lowered through diet, but that the cell death benefits were nulled when the researchers put back the IGF-1 into the blood and re dripped it on the cell line. It was also discovered that IGFBP-1, the protein that binds up the IGF-1 hormone, was found in greater quantities on a low fat, high fiber diet. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3135793/pdf/ECAM2011-529053.pdf“The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether a plant-based (vegan) diet is associated with a lower circulating level of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) compared with a meat-eating or lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet among 292 British women, ages 20 –70 years” It was found that vegetarians and omnivores had very similar numbers in terms of IGF-1 levels, and one truly has to eliminate all animal products to have optimal levels of IGF-1 and IGFPB-1.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2374537/pdf/83-6691152a.pdf“These considerations enable the prediction that a low-fat vegan diet will be profoundly protective with respect to risk for postmenopausal breast cancer. The protein content of this diet will preferentially support glucagon activity and possibly decrease IGF-I synthesis.”http://img2.timg.co.il/forums/1_155647027.pdf“In summary, these results suggest that total IGF-I concentration is lower among women who adopt a vegan diet. In addition, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 concentrations are substantially higher in vegan women compared with meat-eaters and vegetarians, suggesting that the amount of bioavailable IGF-I may be lower in vegan women. The nutritional characteristics of the vegan diet that account for these differences are not clear but may be related to vegans’ lower intake of protein high in essential amino acids. These results suggest that even when total protein intake is not notably low, a low intake of essential amino acids, as typically found in a plant-based diet, may be sufficient to reduce serum IGF-I and increase serum IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 levels.”http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/11/11/1441.full.pdfMilk indeed raises igf-1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10524386?dopt=AbstractPlus http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2127785/Thus we can conclude that milk can promote cancer growth, these are not whimsical ideas like the ones you present.Tox, I appreciate the effort but you evidently did not read any of this link.Abstract BackgroundCentenarians are exceptionally long living individuals who escaped the most common age-related diseases. In particular they appear to be effectively protected from cancers. The mechanisms that underlie this protection are quite complex and still largely unclear.Conclusion As discussed along this paper, it appears that centenarians are protected from cancer by at least two different mechanisms: low IGF-1-mediated responses and elevated production of anti-inflammatory mediators. This can be likely due to individual genetic variants…http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CD0QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F23783106_Why_do_centenarians_escape_or_postpone_cancer_The_role_of_IGF-1_inflammation_and_p53%2Ffile%2F9fcfd50602fb925e23.pdf&ei=7wg0UZGhB-TXygGR_oBA&usg=AFQjCNFnC614zJS8Cqay3CHjkv8erNuRBA&sig2=XWuAw4GoFQ-broz9X8o_uA&bvm=bv.43148975,d.aWcHold on now. So all you are saying is “Thus we can conclude that milk can promote cancer growth.” If this is your only point it isn’t much of a disagreement. So you are not talking about raw milk or what actually causes cancer?Again raw milk mike, your citation does nothing to bolster your claim or diminish mine, if anything it further reinforces my claim that elevated IGF-1 is linked with decreased longevity. What is your point? Yes all milk does this, even raw. Your efforts to pick apart the studies as if they were faulty is unwarranted.Tox, if you are not saying that raw milk causes cancer then we do not have a disagreement. So is that what you are saying or not.Also, originally Valerie said “dairy makes his skin erupt terribly. It is bloating, full of mucus and blood and there is nothing nutritional about it.” and I said “That’s only true of pasteurized milk.” Are you disagreeing with that or not? Are you saying that raw milk “would have maked his skin erupt terribly. It is bloating, full of mucus and blood and there is nothing nutritional about it.”Tox, you didn’t read this one either:ConclusionEven though we observed a modest increase in risk of prostate cancer associated with higher levels of IGF-I, and a slight reduced risk with higher levels of IGFBP-3, neither of these peptides are likely to be useful as additional measurements in prostate cancer PSA screening. The strength of the associations are too weak to have any value as a screening test, because at these odds ratios, the detection rate (sensitivity) is less than 8% for a 95% specificity (5% false positive rate)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2743036/Do I really need to go through all of them?Rawmilkmike, do you understand what you are citing? It is basically saying that if you have high igf-1 it does not mean that cancer is present. PSA screening tests cancer by-products. This does not mean that elevated IGF-1 does not lead to the development of cancer. Elevated IGF-1 is universally understood to be strongly related with increased cancer rates, this is not an issue in question.If this link does not say that IGF-1 causes cancer why did you post it? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2743036/You are not understanding my posts nor your own citations from them. Alas, to each his own.“Twenty-two consumer groups including the Physicians for Social Responsibility have endorsed a ban on artificial growth hormones in dairy cows. They cite studies that indicate treated cows produce milk with an increased second hormone, IGF-1″http://www.mindfully.org/GE/2005/Monsanto-Posilac-rBGH18feb05.htmWhich is it? A misunderstanding or a difference of opinion?This:- “…cure constipation in up to 100% of kids tested,…” is rather vague, it could be 1%. In which case you’re just spreading misinformation. In fact, reading through a few of your citations (picking those in the last ten years), most groups are small and those that do report cows milk intolerance specifically are around 30-50% in cases of constipation. Statements like yours are why the public are losing faith in science.I’ve been regularly constipated all my life since I was a baby, even on a vegetarian diet (I have always been disgusted by the idea of eating meat). I supplement with B12 and omega after watching your video’s btw. A year ago I stopped eating gluten and I was so relieved to have my chronic headache disappear within two weeks. However, my constipation got much worse! After seeing your video on childhood constipation and cow’s milk, I got new hope. I stopped eating and drinking any milk containing product at all. The little that still remained from my headaches now got even better, so thank you for that! However, the constipation continued, and the over-the-counter as well as the prescription laxatives are having little to no effect anymore. I finally insisted my GP (who didn’t take my constipation problems very seriously) to refer me to a specialist and I’m awaiting the blood tests after finishing the required gluten challenge. The only thing that is keeping me out of the ER right now is a daily dose of what people normally get to empty their bowels before a colonoscopy, together with a suppository. The other day, I found out that there is something called Hirschsprung’s disease, which seems quite similar to my situation. That gave me some hope that maybe I don’t have to live with this pain and medication for the rest of my life. But I’m very worried about again getting the wrong diagnosis and treatment, or no treatment at all. Therefore I’d love to hear from your experience whether you think it’s at all possible that such a severe constipation can still be food-related, or that there must be some kind of physical obstruction causing it, such as Hirschsprung’s.My son just turned 1 and is no longer using breast milk. We are giving soy milk to our daughter which is 3 but I am concerned about the female estrogen found in soy milk. Any suggestions what to use that has enough protein and calcium?Hi Shawn. You are of course free to choose whatever beverage you think is best, but I may suggest that soymilk does not boost estrogen levels or decrease male fertility. Dr. Greger addresses a safe amount here. I published a paper on cancer with a topic on soy titled Applying the Precautionary Principle to Nutrition and Cancer. If you do want to avoid soy you could try almond milk with added pea protein. It does exist on the market and has calcium. Hope this helps.Joseph: I didn’t realize you have published papers. Very cool! And I like the premise of the one that you linked to above. It just makes so much sense. Thanks for sharing it.	allergies,anal fissure,anal health,animal protein,asthma,bowel movements,children,chronic diseases,colon disease,colon health,constipation,dairy,eczema,fiber,milk,rice milk,soy milk	The elimination of all dairy products was found to cure constipation in up to 100% of kids tested, leading to a resolution of rectal inflammation and complications such as anal fissures.	Isn’t this amazing? I just kept thinking, "why didn’t I learn this in medical school?" Is the dairy lobby so persuasive that a cheap, simple, safe, life-changing intervention like this remains buried? Until now! If you appreciate learning what your child’s pediatrician probably never did, please consider making a donation to the 501c3 nonprofit charity that keeps this website going. I don’t make a penny off the site, but it does require substantial server and logistics costs.Avoiding dairy may be important for infant health too. Watch my 3-part video series:Then the effects on adolescents and beyond:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eczema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anal-fissure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20453672,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13598520,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15756220,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9770556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22988522,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23429756,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12887660,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17059511,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11846872,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7815220,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23588240,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16394795,
PLAIN-2561	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/	Second Strategy to Cooking Broccoli	When I used to teach medical students at Tufts, I gave a lecture about this amazing new therapeutic called iloccorB. I’d talk about all the new science, all the things it could do, excellent safety profile and just as they were all scrambling to buy stock in the company and prescribe it to all their patients I did the big reveal, apologizing for my dyslexia, I had got it backwards. All this time I had been talking about broccoli.Sulforaphane, is thought to be the main active ingredient in broccoli, which may protect our brain, protect our eyesight, protect against free radicals, induce our detoxification enzymes, help prevent cancer, as well as help treat it. For example I’ve talked about sulforaphane targeting breast cancer stem cells.But then I talked about how the formation of this compound is like a chemical flare reaction, requiring the mixing of a precursor compound with an enzyme in broccoli, which is destroyed by cooking. This may explain why we get dramatic suppression of cancer cell growth from raw broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, but hardly anything boiled microwaved or steamed, except for microwaved broccoli —that actually retained some cancer fighting abilities. But who wants to eat raw Brussels sprouts?I shared a strategy, though, for to how to get the benefits of raw in cooked form. In raw broccoli, when the sulforaphane precursor, called glucoraphanin, mixes with the enzyme, called myrosinase, because you chewed or chopped it, given enough time—sitting in your upper stomach for example, waiting to get digested, sulforaphane is born. Now the precursor is resistant to heat, and so is the final product, but the enzyme is destroyed. And with no enzyme, there’s no sulforaphane production.That’s why I described the hack and hold technique. If you chop the broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, collards, or cauliflower first, and then wait 40 minutes, then you can cook them all you want. The sulforaphane is already made, the enzyme is already done doing its job, so you don’t need it anymore.When most people make broccoli soup, for example. they’re doing it wrong. Most people cook the broccoli first, then blend it, but now we know it should be done the exact opposite way. Blend it first, wait, and then cook it. What if we’re using frozen broccoli, though? Here’s the amount of sulphorane in someone’s body after they eat broccoli soup made from fresh broccoli. Hits their bloodstream within 15 minutes. Here’s after frozen.Commercially produced frozen broccoli lacks the ability to form sulforaphane because vegetables are blanched, flash-cooked, before they’re frozen for the very purpose of deactivating enzymes. This prolongs shelf life in the frozen foods section, but the enzyme is dead by the time you take it out of your freezer, so it doesn’t matter how much you chop it, or how long you wait, no sulforaphane is going to be made. This may be why fresh kale suppresses cancer cell growth up to 10 times more than frozen.The frozen is still packed with the precursor—remember that’s heat resistant, and they could make lots of sulforaphane out of the frozen broccoli by adding some exogenous enzyme. Where do you get myrosinase enzyme from? They bought theirs from a chemical company, but we can just walk into any grocery store.This is another cruciferous vegetable, mustard greens. All cruciferous vegetables have this enzyme. Mustard greens, grow out of little mustard seeds, which you can buy ground up in the spice aisle as mustard powder. So if you sprinkled some mustard powder on your cooked frozen broccoli, would it start churning out sulforaphane? We didn’t know, until now.Boiling broccoli prevents the formation of any significant levels of sulforaphane due to inactivation of the enzyme. However, addition of powdered mustard seeds to the heat processed broccoli significantly increased the formation of sulforaphane. Here’s the amount of sulforaphane in boiled broccoli; this is how much you get if you add a teaspoon of mustard powder. That’s a lot though. How about a just a half teaspoon? About the same amount, suggesting you could use even use less. Domestic cooking leads to enzyme inactivation of myrosinase and hence stops sulforaphane formation, but addition of powdered mustard seeds to cooked cabbage-family vegetables provides a natural source of the enzyme and then it’s like you’re practically just eating it raw. So, if you forget to chop your greens in the morning for the day, or are using frozen, just sprinkle some mustard powder on top at the dinner table and you’re all set. Or some daikon radish, or horseradish, or wasabi—all cruciferous vegetables packed with the enzyme. Here they used just like a quarter teaspoon for seven cups of broccoli, so just a tiny pinch can do it. Or you can add a small amount of fresh greens to your cooked greens.One of the first things I used to do in the morning is chop my greens for the day and so when lunch and supper rolls around they’re good to go, as per the hack and hold strategy, but now with the mustard powder plan I don’t have to prechop.	This is by far the most awesome video on the page… and I’ve seen all of them! Thanks so much Dr. Greger. This is so practical, healthy and fun at the same time. And it also explaines why sulforaphane increases so much when broccoli is eaten in combination with broccoli sprouts, right?Keep up the good work!Yes, great video and information! TyIn the video Dr. Gregor asks ‘who wants to eat raw brussels sprouts?’ Please — shred or cut them finely and add them to veggie slaw — they are delicious! A company in California is now making prepared salads with raw brussels sprouts, kale, radicchio, broccoli — and that’s how I learned to love raw brussels sprouts. Okay .. now back to broccoli …Matheo,I asked the researcher who discovered this phenomenon in crucifers about whether it also applies to alliums. “It’s a great hypothesis,” she said, but the research has not yet been done.Eating a couple of red radishes with your crucifers will also give you myrosinase, she said. And red radishes are one of the few crucifers that don’t produce nitriles, meaning they’re fine to eat raw (unless you have a thyroid problem, of course).Here are the others that don’t produce nitriles:http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/anti-cancer-foods-which-crucifers-are-best-raw/Thank you very much for coming back to me! If you should ever come across any research that deals with the alliinase issue in the future, I’d much apprechiate it, if you’d let me know! ThanksIf/when I get an answer, I’ll post it on my diet and cancer blog for sure. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/Hi Harriet, I found this and the article is referenced with studies. As a person who is hypothyroid and eats plenty of crucifers I found it interesting. Plus I am a Dr Fuhrman fan. http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/cruciferous_vegetables_and_thyroid.aspxhii matheo !! we meet again. am fans of garlic becoz of their all round superb anti cancer.so i chew it although it taste like… garlic… hahhahahhaI know an herbalist who would just chew them up, but chew them poorly so the two chemicals don’t mix until it’s in the gut. One of those times to not properly chew your food. I do it too. Still not that pleasant. If you want you could make real thin slices and swallow it down with a lot of water… no chewing involved. There is also a time released garlic that is like taking an entire bulb in a simple pill – called “garlinase”.Dr. Greger it is so much fun reading and doing some of the food suggestions. For example with the sweet potato suggestion of eating the skin and boiling the potato made the best ever sweet potato butter. I can’t wait to try this method with a broccoli recipe. Thanks a millionSweet potato butter?Guest: I want to know what sweet potato butter is too! And how do you use it?Nice alliteration. Will do this in my cooking now.. Greger and nutritionfacts team are heroes!Dr Greger, what about raw broccoli/ broccoli sprouts and hypothyroidism? kabochaYou had mentioned that you were doing research, or compiling research done regarding Green Smoothies and that we should watch out for it in the 2013 batch. Looking at your index, I didn’t see anything. Would LOVE to hear more about what you may have found regarding the absorption of nutrients et.al. THANK YOU, and keep up the wonder work that you do for ALL of us!!!!!I was just thinking the same thing yesterday, David!Mustard seed powder and even prepared mustard condiment has potential benefits in isolation, too: • Isothiocyanate-containing mustard protects human cells against genotoxins in vitro and in vivo • Mustard seeds attenuate azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis • Allyl isothiocyanate-rich mustard seed powder inhibits bladder cancer growth and muscle invasionMy favorite condiment (I’ve 2 kg container of “extra strong” dijon on the counter). That said, there’s nothing in the literature suggesting the myrosinase activity of dried ground mustard is preserved in prepared mustard condiments.if you want to maximize the activity, the wiki page says that the enzyme is activated by vitamin c.really? Wow, I certainly hope so, since that would make it even easier to get the benefits since eating some fruit with anything is second nature to most vegans. :)It is amazing how many things seem to benefit from eating them with vit c like green tea and various roots.Does blending broccoli into a smoothie and waiting 30 minutes provide the same benefit?Yes. If you damage (meaning chewing or blending) the walls of the broccoli cells, you will produce sulforaphane. Supposing the broccoli is raw.Are there any nutritional equivalents to cruciferous vegetables? I have an underactive thyroid and even a small amount of cruciferous vegetables give me severe symptoms e.g. depression, inability to sleep, painful joints, brain fog, etc. I have been a vegan for over seven years and kept wondering why I felt so bad all of the time even though I ate healthy. It took me six years to discover that I have an underactive thyroid. I take natural supplements and avoid cruciferous vegetables and soy and have never felt better; my hair is even growing back! Anyway, I just continue to read and hear about all of the benefits of cruciferous vegetables and feel like I am missing out.I did’nt know that. Maybe thats why my thyroid test keep going up and downLark, love the hamster pic lol Here’s an article by Dr. Furhman you might want to check out, regarding thyroid function and cruciferous vegetables.http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/cruciferous_vegetables_and_thyroid.aspxThanks, Olivia; I read the article, however, someone said something similar, and I decided to eat kale. The very next day my depression symptoms returned and were so bad I felt like killing myself. The problem with thyroid functioning and test is that the tests comes back in the normal ranges but some people still have hypothyroid symptoms. One doctor theorized that different people may need different levels of thyroid hormones so what is normal for one person may not be normal for another. The compound people with hypothyroid need to avoid are goitrogens which are found in soy, cruciferous vegetables, and some other foods. I literally felt bad for years and after eliminating those foods and taking supplements feel like a new woman. After that brief disastrous foray back into cruciferous vegetables with the kale, I am completely terrified of trying it again.No question about it. Every body has a different level of energy they are comfortable with.Thanks, Lark. I will definitely do more research about goitrogens. It sounds really interesting. I’m glad that you finally figured out what was ailing you all those years and now feel much better!I just posted that article above. I am hypothyroid, vegan, and I eat cruciferous vegetables. Going vegan has cut my meds in half.Oh, please pardon me on that. I didn’t see it. I guess it doesn’t hurt to post it twice lolOh no I was saying more like ” great minds think alike!”Hi, right now my local farmers mkt is overflowing with fresh veggies like broccoli & kale. What do you think about dehydrating kale? Would that kill all of its benefits?Dehydrating kale can be an excellent method. Just trim and wash it very thoroughly. Then, just blanch them and dry them. You will know they are ready when they are crisp. 1. Calorie content: does not change, but is concentrated into a smaller mass as moisture is removed. 2. Fiber: no change. 3. Vitamin A: fairly well retained under controlled heat methods. 4. Vitamin C: mostly destroyed during blanching and drying of vegetables. 5. Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin: some loss during blanching but fairly good retention if the water used to rehydrate also is consumed. 6. Minerals: some may be lost during rehydration if soaking water is not used. Iron is not destroyed by drying. There is a lot more information about kale on this website, but this is one of my favorite videos. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/This type of food preparation seems too technical and quite beyond what should be necessary for perfectly healthy eating. What’s the big benefit from making this extra effort again? Doesn’t eating a good plant-based diet already cover us for the issues mentioned here (better eye sight, high anti-oxident etc)?Sprinkling a little mustard seed powder, wasabi powder, horse radish and /or adding some fresh green to it at the end is easy. We sprinkle things on our food all the time.Just stock some red radishes. That, too, will do the trick! http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/how-to-prepare-broccoli-to-fight-cancer/I have been a big fan of mustard and horseradish forever. I always add it to my salad dressing. There is nothing technical about it. It is simply delicious.I love this stuff! You are so cool to seek out research, synthesize it, and explain it for all of us. Mustard is yummy. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!I am stunned by this information! I’ve learned to much since I’ve started watching your videos, Dr. Greger and I spread the info out to all my family and friends. Fun with food and science…what’s not to love!So it looks like I’ll be going to buy some mustard powder today. =)great information! i’ve never liked broccoli but i eat frozen broc constantly for health…i’m going to try swapping my lemon & garlic flavor diguise for a homemade mustard vinaigrette. no point eating it and not cashing in on the full benefits!I was never a big broccoli fan, either, but I discovered a recipe for (vegan fat free) broccoli soup that I am addicted to now. It makes it really easy to get healthy broccoli in and I just buy bags of organic frozen from the discount store so it’s CHEAP, too!Please do share! What is the broccoli soup recipe? Thanks!really great information Dr. I use a masticating juicer -that essentially crushes up the broccoli leaves for example and extracts all of the juice and pulp after several passes and separates out an almost dry fibrous material. My question is -if I were to let this pulpy juice stand for a bit -would it serve the same purpose of allowing the endogenous myrosinase to do its thing?We do a lot of Indian cooking. Would whole black mustard seed, a common ingredient, have the same beneficial effects?I frequently cook with rai , but I’d expect the usual tadka (“tempering” in hot oil) would quite effectively inactivate the myrosinase.Dear Dr. Greger,First and foremost we would like to thank you for your excellent videos on nutrition research on youtube. We are grateful to have access to such sound and comprehensible information on vegan nutrition, it really makes following a plant based lifestyle a lot easier. So kudos for that!If you don’t mind, we would like to ask your opinion about an experiment of ours. We are two women in our early 20s in the mindst of our university education and feel it would be nice to minimize time spent on food, both preparing and consuming. So we decided to come up with our own meal replacements consisting of a base of cooked then dried lentils and beans with the addition of powdered greens and sprouts. The idea is that this would make up a powder to be mixed with hot or cold water and perhaps some fresh fruit. We would love to hear your opinion on powdered greens, since it seems to be an easy way to ensure adequate vitamins and some minerals without the bulk of actual vegetables.Also, we would like to ask you, if this “lentil/bean-powder” were to be produced somehow, do you think the absorption of nutrients would still be as good as simply cooked pulses? Having a powder which could be mixed with water at any time would surely be a lot simpler than carrying litres of lentil-concoction around.We both work out a lot and are concerned with getting adequate calories and nutrients. Also, we both feel our best eating a fairly low fat diet, but also feel a slightly higher percentage of protein makes us feel most satiatied (about 15 to 20 % calories form protein and between 5 and 10 % from fat). We would therefore like to avoid adding nut butters and oils to our blend.Do you have any suggestions for the execution of this experiment of ours? We are grareful for any reply.Best regards, Clara and SofiaYou might want to watch his video on whole broccoli vs. dehydrated broccoli powder. The benefits disappeared in the process. That may not be the case for all fruits and vegetables but since you have no way of knowing why risk it? It seems like the time and effort of creating your concoction and reconstituting is hardly worth it, not to mention completely sacrificing the pleasure of eating delicious food. There are lots of green drink powders on the market that contain a far more comprehensive list of ingredients than an individual could compile. Are they good? Who knows? Where are the studies? I have whole-heartedly adopted Dr. Greger’s whole food approach and enjoy plants in their native form.Actually his video was on broccoli sprouts vs. dehydrated broccoli. Re: mustard greens/seeds: sproutpeople.org has all these seeds and more for the sprouting and is where I buy mine. Prior to viewing this video I wasn’t aware of the wonders of mustard. The following, taken from their website, describes my next sprout adventure : “Long Life Sprout Mix Broccoli, Red & Green Cabbage, Radish, Mustard, Arugula, Cress, Mizuna & Tatsoi Many Brassicas come together beautifully in a symbiotic blend of delicious nutrition! “Thanks for the reply! :) We’ll watch the video, sorry about commenting before watching…I have to admit this is my favorite type of video too because it gives me strategies to make sure that I can get the healthiest food in my own home.The very first part of this video reminded me about a professor I had that used to give patients “Obecalp.” It helped patients reduce their pain when they had aches and helped them get better when they were sick. What is this mysterious medicine that he said helped patient’s so much?Spell the word backwards and you see it spells placebo. Yes, they just gave them sugar pills. This is not ethical anymore but back in the day when they didn’t have anything left to use that could help a patient they could use Obecalp and people got better.I’m glad “iloccorB”, however, is not Obecalp!Dr. Carleton Fredericks used to humorously say that the best medicine for weight loss is “sulfa control.”I blend spinach and brussel sprouts with water and grape juice then reblend with lemons limes and ginger and frozen cranberries and other frozen fruit, will the chemicals still work?Brilliant focus for this common connundrum! Another Dr. Greger idea for intentional good habit formation! I would like to make this suggestion about mustard greens…since as you point out, mustard seems to be a key Synergy Activist Food, capable of unlocking otherwise unavailable nutritional medicine potential, I have now placed mustard greens on my top tier survival-foods-grown-anywhere-anytime list. These are the reasons: 1) mustard seed is cheap and will last for 6+ years if properly protected so look for online bulk supplies for $10# – this is a cost-effective Survival Food Real Asset worth investing in! 2) since relatively small amount of mustard leaf is harvested for your daily dose, and because mustards can be grown densely and will provide a cut-and-come-again supply, they are ideal for growing in flats like I grow microgreens which also require shallow soil depth; suddenly this little Green becomes a feasible, flexible, powerful fresh food production option which is suitable for camping, cabin, RV, apartment living, indoors with any light; 3) mustards come in literally hundreds of sizes, shapes, flavors, and colors (inc. ones with high levels of anthocyanin purples) and you could easily support your own food needs with sale to or trade as wampum with those conscious eater around you; mustard and all greens which are eaten weeks from seeding, need non-synthetic fertilizers such as fish emulsion and/or kitchen compost and always wash your foliar-fed greens/microgreens. My one comment is that since we keep finding out how essential it is to consume as many of the high phytochemical foods as well as at least one Synergy Activator Food (let’s call it the phyto-medicine activator), all at the same time so as to potentiate the fullest mix of phyto-medicines, it seems we are constructing a Bible Of Food Pairings. For the last almost year, in developing my intense Cancer Treatment Diet, I have found myself half-consciously always finding a way to include at high levels in every dish, one of the following medicinal “flavorings” for whatever I was fixing : garlic, red pepper, ginger, cinnamon, sage-oregano-cilantro-thyme-basil, and now, added to this essential list of what I am starting to think of as Synergy Activator Foods that needs to go in everything I eat, I am going to add mustard in some form. Thank you Dr. Greger for again making important nutritional information grounded in fact and meaningful to the everyday eater!I would recommend using organically certified mustard seeds as this provides some assurance that they haven’t been irradiated. While there is some controversy over the degree of enzyme degradation from irradiation, it makes sense to use organic for health and environmental reasons.Robert, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I highly recommend buying only organic herbs and spices. They are full of phytochemicals and antioxidants so buying them as clean as possible is the way to go.Wow! this solves a big problem. I consume a lot of broccoli, but I’m not fond of raw broccoli, so I eat it steamed (Dr. Weils site says that if you steam broccoli for less than four minutes, a significant amount of the enzyme remains intact.) or juiced. But I don’t know if juicing is effective in creating sulforaphane quickly because juicing uses/creates a lot of liquid diluting the mixture. Now it’ll be steamed broccoli with home-made mustard dressing. Thank you Dr. Gregor.Thanks for the, as usual, great video. Though a vegan I’m not a strictly raw type (though I enjoy raw food places and do eat a significant amount of my cruciferous vegetables raw). But I love that one of the arguments raw food types make, that cooking kills enzymes, tarred by “skeptics” as “magical thinking” via their favorite logical fallacy that absence of evidence is evidence of absence, turns out to actually be important in this case. Sure, making scientific claims requires, at a minimum, a double blind clinical trial, but the “skeptics” are nowhere to be found at this point; rather than reevaluating their views in the light of evidence, they’re off on another junior g-man of science debunking mission.Me, and everyone around me right now (65-80 years old), is having strokes, TIA’s, and with the rest of us, our “stroke warning lights” are on.Please Dr. Greger, will you put together an update on specific herbs/roots/barks, medicine vegetables, nutrients/plants, which are specifically reported to make a difference in the brain center of our neuro-cardiovascular system. Many of us have had our mind on heart disease and cancer prevention data coming at us in ever-increasing volume and detail, and have not a clue about Eating For Stroke Management and Prevention.Ariel, I don’t think it will happen. The message here is about the “symphony”. If you’re brain vasculature is sick then all of your tubing is so afflicted. The exciting idea that took root was that whole categories of veg and fruit contribute to our health in their own way. Put it all together and you heal. Just my opinion of course. The reasoning is radical (and difficult for many of us to “get”) compared to the path modern science took during the 50’s and 60’s when dedicated scientists worked hard to tease out the biochemistry we now understand so well. We can predict the fate of any food we eat…but the lesson we didn’t get was that a reductionist approach won’t give the big picture. We’ve come a long way since then…So I don’t think the Team will go off message to focus on specific plants to prevent stroke. Dr. Oz seems to have a magical miracle cure for everything. Stroke… I’ll bet he’s got it on youtube somewhere.The one other thing that I noticed personally was a distinct lifting of the “fog”. I thought that I’d lost the ability to hold a string of thoughts together but my confidence is back and I’m back at work. Thats what FOK and 3 years WFPB did for me. I hope you find similar results. Best wishes and good luck to you. As Dr. King put it, “we may have come here in different ships, but we are all int he same boat now ” : )I would be very interested in interacting with you via personal email which is my name without the caps or spaces at yahoo. You have misunderstood what I said and I think, gone off message for your own point of view as well. please consider contacting me off site. Ariel Gail MacLeanAriel, A diet that reverses atherosclerosis, like that tested in clinical trials by Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn for reversing heart disease, is the same diet that reverse all sclerotic plaque vascular diseases like ischemic stroke. So I would point you to Dr. Esselstyn’s book “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”. The wonderful thing is that this is exactly the same diet that prevents and reverses a lot of other diseases. I would highly recommend that you watch Dr. Greger’s summary video “Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/ to see what the research is saying about the effect of a whole-food/plant-based diet on the 15 leading causes of premature death in this country.Okay, I’ve watched this video a couple of times now and I am missing something very basic. I don’t understand what happens when the broccoli is chopped in preparation for steaming. For years I have purchased heads of broccoli, chopped to my normal bit sizes, washed and stored until used. Usually I steam it but some of the smaller bits get tossed in salad.Exactly what is is about chopping up the broccoli that helps to produce the sulforaphane? Is it the simple act of “trauma” to the vegetable that produces this? Could you bang it on a table and get the same result?The enzyme is stored in a “compartment” inside the cell that is separate from the sulfur-containing raw material. When you chop chop chop you break open the compartments and the two mix and the reaction proceeds. Banging won’t work but “trauma” is the word!I’ve read that this is intended to deter insects from chomping through my broccoli patch by releasing the bitter sulforane compound only when under attack but i wish someone would tell those dang white butterflies about that.Thanks for that. It seems to me there are orders of magnitude more compartment breaking when I chew raw broccoli than when I simply take a head and make a few well placed cuts. I like the mustard idea as a “supplement”. Now to figure out a nice mustard power spice mix as a dressing.Misterimpatient: I think the following video is where Dr. Greger explains this concept:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/See if that video helps to answer your question–if Coacervates very nice reply didn’t do it for you.I remember another NutritionFacts video out there were Dr. Greger talks about his chop method for broccoli. But I couldn’t find it. (Maybe if you decided to be Mister-patient for a bit, you might find that video yourself. ;-) )Sounds like you have been prepping your broccoli for maximum cancer fighting already. I’m most jealous.The origin of the misterimpatient handle are lost in the mists of time. Thanks for the pointer to the video. I’ve been doing t his prep for years. I do it to broccoli, cauliflower and purple and green cabbage approximately weekly. It makes meal prep very easy. I use a sharp knife for the broccoli and cauliflower and a food processor for the cabbage. I note that the video you referenced made no mention of the issue of temperature and enzyme destruction. I guess that research result came later.I appreciated your swift reply very much. Thanks again.Loved the information about iloccorb. Thank you for breaking it down for the non MD’s in your readershiip.whats making you people play all this games, just eat all raw! raw is the lawHaven’t been watching the videos? An all raw diet is far from ideal. An optimal diet requires both raw and cooked foods.Especially raw hard vegetables lol very hard on the GI tract~Ben, i have watched ALL videos more than once almost from the moment it started here. I have practice both diets for enough time that i can tell for sure whats optimal, have you?I followed Doug Graham’s 811rv diet for two years. So I learned from personal experience that an all-raw diet is sub-optimal.Here is some review for you:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/Thyroid issues aside, the big problem with most raw crucifers is that they’re capable of producing nitriles, which don’t fight cancer, instead of those isothiocyanates, which do. A little bit of heat, however, will destroy the compounds that produce nitriles. The exceptions–those crucifers that don’t produce nitriles and thus are better raw–are listed here. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/anti-cancer-foods-which-crucifers-are-best-raw/I still want to share my cancer research with your group, because I have discovered the main cause for most unexplained cancers. delparkinson@msn.com Del..Instead of mustard seeds what about simply adding to your broccoli a tablespoon of horseradish mustard you can buy off the shelf? This has myrosinase, doesn’t it?With regards to pre-chopping. How small?with regards to quality of cilantro seed (“coriander” is the seed stage of the coriander plant)….. of course organic where possible when you seek/buy seeds but did you know “Certified Organic” seed production may have been subjected to as much as 200+ “allowables” – chemicals which are harmful but due to industry pressure and the fact that the US government (USDA) oversees Organic Certification, are continually being added to The List. Two solutions to this: seek/buy seeds stated suitable for Sprouting – if bought through the independent ethical seed supplier such as Johnny’s, and if asked, will give you better option in terms of fungacides commonly found on Certified Organic (for instance). Certified Organic can also include sprouting suppression chemicals on seed potatotes. The other way to get Mustard Seed, Coriander Seed, etc. is to grow this “crop” in flats year-round in any sheltered position….after you cut-and-come-again harvest several times, let them go to seed and collect your own seed – verified safe. Due to the consolidation of seed sources in the world into essentially two conglomerates who now own a majority of the world’s seed stock, we are all vulnerable and need to consider seed production of whatever we can.Following Dr. Greger’s recommendation to eat greens, beans, and berries every day, a great way to address this current topic is daily consumption of Kirkland (Costco) Organic No-Salt Seasoning. In addition to mustard seed it contains virtually his entire spice hall of fame: marjoram, cumin, garlic, onion, red bell pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper, oregano, coriander, rosemary….Since it contains no salt it is almost impossible to overseason. As he said in one of his smoothie videos, the more you use the healthier it is.Psych MD: Nice tip!!! There are all sorts of versions of salt-free seasonings out there. It is nice to get a reference from someone who found on that they really like – and that is probably pretty affordable too.Thanks for taking the time to post this. I’m excited to give this a try myself to see if I like it better than the one I am using now.Maybe radish sprouts instead? http://www.actahort.org/books/841/841_21.htmHi, thanks for your efforts. And, I have a question: is the 40 minutes of waiting a guesstimate, or is it indicated by specific studies? I can’t find any such studies (that are open to the public, at least) via Google. Thanks in advance for your guidance.Actually I like broccoli so much that I sometimes eat it raw at breakfast. Raw, broccoli, some fruit and a cup of coffee and then of to work.Raw broccoli for breakfast? You crazy man!Where I live it is soon kale-season, so within a couple of days, it will be raw kale, fruit and coffee :-)I buy broccoli sprouts which are easier to eat. Are they healthier? Eating them raw gives the most benefit?I grind the leaves of broccoli, kale, etc. in a blender and drink the raw chopped leaves, with an apple or other fruit to flavor the drink. This is my fresh vegetable intake for a couple of years now. Now I see that I am getting what Dr. Greger explains in this video.Everyone knows how we keep spices in small jars in the pantry for months and longer. For instance, Mustard powder. Until this minute, I did not know to use it on broccoli to make active our sulphurophanes. Dr Greger, will you please do a video on pantry-kept spices to let us know about bioavailability and long-kept shelf-life of our spices? Perhaps our Mustard Powder is “dead” by now ??? My clove powder and whole cloves have been sitting around more than two years !!this is wonderful news!! I know a lot of older people or even young people with bad teeth cannot chew well so this allows us to still able to get our greens with the benefits!As for the method of Mustard Powder on broccoli, is it; -steam broccoli for 8 minutes, right after chopping, then sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder over 2 cups of steamed broccoli on your plate, and simply the tiny amount of powder activates the sulphuraphanes in your stomach when both get there ? Did I get this correct ?I watched this video 4 times because it is soooo significant. (I like to eat my broccoli cooked) About the hack and hold technique: Do you recommend we cover the veges after we hack them? Should we put the hacked veges in the refrigerator or leave them at room temperature? Does finer smaller pieces make hack and hold more effective? Does this hack and hold work on other veges as well??? Many thanks for your dedication!!!I buy tons of fresh cruciferous, get home, chop’m up… bag’m… and toss’m in the freezer. Enzymes have done their work. In the AM I throw ingredients of choice into vitamix with a chunked off gob of frozen cruciferous… voilaYou are reading my mind! I was just thinking that it would be great if I didn’t have to prechop, yesterday when I did the chopping of the broccoli for today – exactly as you teached me ;) Thanx a lot for sharing! don’t know though if I like raw daikon of mustard powder with my broccoli, have to try this.I eat chopped boiled (for less than 3 minutes) potatoes with broccoli carrots, etc. Broccoli also is loaded with protein and extreme heat (or cold) will affect the complex protein molecules as well. I think the length of time it is boiled should matter too (3 vs. 30 minutes). Also the temperature (boiled 212F vs. oven 350F). Obviously nothing trumps raw, but who wants to eat raw potatoes with raw broccoli!This is fascinating! But I’m curious if the enzyme is guaranteed to be available in mustard seed or powder. Some processors seem to denature it before packaging to extend its shelf life. How can we choose a good one?Great video! Would naturally fermented sauerkraut or other naturally fermented cruciferous veggies provide the needed enzymes?this is so interesting – traditional japanese cooking which leads to macrobiotic techniques includes using raw or pickled daikon with cooked food. amazing how these traditions look so incredible looked upon from a modern scientific standpoint, but… how did they know??Exactly, I am constantly amazed at how science keeps confirming macrobiotic principles.AWESOMEE PLAN DOC !!! U R SO AWESOMELY BRILLIANT THUMBSSS UPDear Doc and NF teams. Kindly enlighten me. i read this http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/40/4/937.long and found that table 2: total bile acids mg/day in Vegan is lowest which is in line with http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3132665/ conclusion (below probiotic intervention) that “However, it appears that individuals on vegetarian diets might excrete less mutagenic feces and that probiotics might have a potential in decreasing fecal mutagenicity” but am confuse with this… http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/40/4/947.long that this study show vegetarian GC bile binding is lower than others but the GCDC bile binding higher than others.. this result doesnt in line with thehttp://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/40/4/937.long table 3 and 4 that shown cholic and chenodeoxycholic of vegetarian are both relatively higher than others diet. correct me if i am wrong, may be i miss some details . Last question.. why there are primary and secondary bile acids what differentiate them ?which part of bile acids responsible for mutagenicity ?primary ?secondary ?or both ?thx much for liberate me from confusion.Are we ok to assume that the sulforaphane has been created when we purchase the illocorB since it has been cut?Good question…I was wondering about the lovely bag of fresh organic broccoli florets sold at Trader Joe’s…since it’s already a cut, should we cut it again? And I will buy an entire head of organic broccoli if it’s close to $3, so I know to chop that up. I use the leaves AND the stems…nothing goes to waste.How finely chopped does the broccoli have to be in preparation to receive maximum benefit?More often than not, I like to eat steamed broccoli with my lunch. I chop it in the morning, bring it in a tupperware to work, and at lunch microwave it in a glass bowl with glass lid (not air tight; I keep it at work) with a drizzle of water for 4 minutes. Perfectly steamed, and by then the myrosinase has had about 5 or 6 hours to do its thing.b00mer: Thanks for sharing this tip!Question: do you eat the broccoli plain or do you season or sauce it? Just curious.If I’m eating it by itself, it’s usually a squeeze of lemon, pepper, and salt. My favorite way to eat broccoli! Never get tired of it.Though if I’m eating it together with a main dish that has a saucy element e.g. marinara, hummus, etc, I don’t bother with anything if it’s all gonna be on the fork together.Also btw, the bowl I use is an anchor hocking “bake ‘n’ store”. I’ve seen them at walmart, though I got mine online. I have them at home too in various sizes; I almost never steam on the stovetop. Microwave is faster and easier imo.b00mer: You don’t have to sell me on the microwave. I’m a HUGE fan! Cooking veggies, including onions and mushrooms, is one of my favorite uses for the microwave.The anchor tip is really appreciated. I have a couple anchor bowls with some nice spill proof lids. But the spill proof lids can’t be used in the microwave. The idea of a glass lid is really great. I don’t shop at wallmart, but I’m going to check into that online option or see if I can find them around town.Thanks!I am interested in sulforaphane levels of broccoli vs broccoli sprouts.I love this video! I wish nutritionfacts would make a “cheat sheet” on the top vegetables and fruits *including* best practice for preparation (cook, not cook, combine with mustard powder, and so on). I would gladly pay for a small poster to put on my fridge.What powdered foods can you add besides mustard powder? And does it matter if you cook the powder? Can I get more info on the specifications?Does prepared mustard have the same enzyme benefit as powdered mustard seed?Is kelp ok? I found a good deal on iodine, and it is a supplement of kelp . 270mcg. Is that too much per day? Where can you find mustard powder?I was really excited about this video, until I tasted my greens and broccoli with mustard powder added. Maybe it’s just me, but I found the taste unpalatable. I was amazed at how potent the taste was, since I added maybe 1/16 teaspoon of powder to a bowl of steamed greens and broccoli, but nevertheless it gave the whole bowl of food a sharp metallic taste, and I just couldn’t eat it. Maybe I’ll try horseradish or wasabi, although I’ve heard that those are pretty stout too. Anyone have any advice for me on how to make the taste a little better? I really appreciate it!I’ve been adding mustard powder to my greens (with fresh lemon juice too) since this video came out and have not had any metallic flavors, just a nice spicy bite. Wondering how you prepared the greens? Sometimes metal pans can impart tastes when acids are involved (e.g. preparing tomato sauce) or if cooked food is left in a metal pan for too long.Like KWD said, I too notice a “spicy bite” (which I don’t particularly like myself). Maybe your taste buds interpret that taste as metallic.Some ideas that I have tried: I don’t eat the broccoli plain, but in other foods. So, then I really don’t taste it. That bite disappears. For example, I made a noodle dish from the “Better Than Vegan” cookbook. At the end, I thawed out my frozen broccoli. Then I sprinkled on some mustard powder. And then mixed it into the noodle dish. I didn’t taste the spicy bite at all that time.Another idea: Someone below wrote that prepared mustard would also work. I copied b00mer’s idea (I think it was b00mer) of making a little sauce with prepared mustard, miso, and nutritional yeast. I also often add some ginger powder, water and ketchup. I put that on my broccoli instead of the mustard powder. I like really this combo – and cross my fingers that there is enough prepared mustard to make my body a cancer fighting bio-machine.Those are my ideas. I’d be interested to hear what ideas other people have.Thank you both for the replies. As far as my cooking methods, I’m afraid they’re pretty plain: I have chronic fatigue syndrome and I’m unable to do much in the way of what’s thought of as normal cooking. So all of my veggies get steamed and that’s it. After I steam my greens, I splash on a bit of vegetable broth to give them some flavor and volume, and that’s usually all I do. I don’t know, maybe I’m just sensitive to mustard spice more than most people are. (I’ve always hated mustard the condiment anyway.)That is so good! I am so astounded with this stuff and know it works the raw enzyme in a raw brussel sprout taken together with no added sugar grape juice, works fabulous as a relaxant for me. I love the science behind it all is a tually backed up by real results and everything works naturally to unify the body back to its original state of health. Some howIf anyone has the courage to or are feeling adventurous, and they are feeling a bit on the drab side, try a raw brussel sprout it doesnt taste too good but boy does it make me feel great later on. Also that mustard idea for your kcooked veges is a great idea, I understand the principle it holds the mustard seeds have that thing they do and plus they add flavour to a an array of veges with that enzyme in them brought out through the adding of the mustard., I think its fantastic and just great! ;-)“But who wants to eat raw brussels sprouts?”Just throw a few in a green smoothing — they blend nice and you can’t taste em!I put raw broccoli in the blender with raw onions and just a little carrot juice, add mustard or Indian spices and blend on high for a few minutes until it gets warm. Then for the next few days I heat it up for a hot soup. Raw broccoli soup with all the benefits Dr. Gregor is talking about in minutes, no waiting!does mustard also work?Does this only apply to foods with sulforaphane like Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts? Or is it all vegetables like red peppers and potatoes as well?I didn’t watch the whole video, end up sprinkling a whole tablespoon of mustard seed on my broccoli mix.HOT. SPICY. YEOWCH.Should we also be chopping up all other cruciferous veggies for sulphurophane to occur – cabbage, kale etc? of does this just apply to broccoli? what about the allium family – Dr Fuhrman recommends chopping up onions and waiting – is this the same principle?What if instead of blanched the frozen veggies are just deep-frozen (not boiled). Do you think the enzymes will still be active?Hello Dr. Greg,First of all thank you for providing such a useful information on the plant base diet. My question is will the mustard seeds sputtered in oil have the same qualities as raw mustard? Will it play the same role when added on cooked cruciferous vegetables. In indian cooking we usually add mustard seeds to the oil while preparing most of the vegetables, so wanted to know if that would help.So if I use frozen broccoli in my (cold) smoothies, does adding mustard powder help? Or is all this about cooked broccoli, initially frozen or fresh?Ah, this is my favorite video. Mainly because I am obsessed with mustard seed (buy pounds at a time and grind with a coffee grinder). I put it on everything, so broccoli was getting drenched in it months before I saw this video :)So my understanding is that we can get the same effect by eating some raw Arugula (=Roquette), Mustard Greens or Broccoli sprouts with any of these cooked cruciferous vegetables? (Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower etc.) Cool :)The video states that using mustard powder will allow you to recoup the myrosinase using mustard powder if one’s broccoli is frozen. My question is – Does this mean that one can use mustard? For example, . . could I make a lovely dijon honey-mustard sauce over my cooked broccoli or does the mustard have to be uncooked itself as well?Why does microwaved broccoli still seem to be ok if the enzyme is destroyed by heat?	breast cancer,breast health,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,cabbage,cancer,cauliflower,collard greens,cooking methods,cruciferous vegetables,enzymes,greens,kale,mustard greens,mustard powder,mustard seeds,radishes,spices,sulforaphane,vegetables,women's health	Adding myrosinase enzymes in the form of even a pinch of mustard powder to cooked cruciferous (cabbage-family) vegetables like kale, collards or Brussels sprouts can offer anti-cancer sulforaphane levels comparable to raw, removing the necessity to pre-chop for maximum health benefits.	Is that cool or what?! I love kitchen chemistry. Totally revolutionized my daily greens prep. For those new to the whole enzyme concept I’m sure this is a bit confusing. Make sure to watch the original “chemical flare” video The Best Detox and then the hack and hold strategy in Sometimes the Enzyme Myth is the Truth.This helps explain the results I presented in Raw Broccoli and Bladder Cancer Survival.OK, but what’s so great about this sulforaphane stuff? For a taste, see:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radishes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brussels-sprouts/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22088277,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21129940,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19035553,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17134937,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23109475,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23812493,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10541453,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC23369/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23411305,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18950181,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22769426,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23915112,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18504070,
PLAIN-2562	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/	Inhibiting Platelet Aggregation with Berries	The Global Burden of Disease Study, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, is the most comprehensive and systematic analysis of causes of death undertaken to date, involving nearly 500 researchers from more than 300 institutions in 50 countries, starting out with almost 100,000 data sources. What did they find? Here in the U.S. they determined our #1 killer was our diet. #1 on their list of the most important dietary risks? Not eating enough fruit, responsible for an estimated 4.9 million deaths a year around the world.The Union of Concerned Scientists laid it out. A set of dangerous, often lethal, illnesses continues to wreak havoc in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of Americans laid to waste. Yet there is a straightforward way to reduce the rates of these eminently preventable disorders, including stroke and heart disease. One antidote for individuals is easy, painless—even pleasurable: exploit the protective benefits of fruits and vegetables. If Americans increased their consumption of fruits and veggies just to meet the dietary recommendations, that alone could save the lives of over 100,000 people every year in the United States.But how? One way may be because of their antiplatelet effects. Platelets are what triggers the blood clots that cause heart attacks and most strokes. But beyond their obvious function in blood clotting, platelets are now considered to play a pivotal inflammatory role in the hardening of the arteries in the first place, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis and even cancer.Now it’s important to realize that normally, under healthy conditions, platelets circulate in a quiescent, dormant, inactive state. But once they become activated they can emerge as culprits in inflammation. Platelets transport a vast amount of inflammatory chemicals. Upon activation, they release these chemicals, which in our atherosclerosis can recruit the inflammatory cells that form the pus pockets within our arterial walls that can burst and kill us.This involvement of platelet activation in atherosclerosis development is well established. We’ve long recognized the platelet's role in the final stages, however, a growing body of data indicates that platelets may also play an important role in the initiation and propagation of atherosclerosis in the first place. So how can we prevent the excessive activation of platelets? Well, it’s generally recognized that platelet hyperreactivity is associated with high levels of cholesterol circulating in the blood, so we can cut down on foods that have trans fats, saturated fats, and dietary cholesterol, and we can eat more fruits and vegetables. For example, different varieties of strawberries have shown a significant antiplatelet effect in a petri dish and in people. Here’s how they figured it out. This is a platelet in a resting state, packed with little round granule grenades of inflammatory chemicals, which fuse together when the platelet gets activated and the delivery system dilates, before it releases its payload. Because resting and activated platelets look so different you can just take blood from people and count how many are resting and how many are activated before and after people eat more than a pint of strawberries every day for a month, and there’s a small but significant drop in the percentage of activated platelets circulating throughout their bodies.Other berries had a similar effect, and at a more modest two servings a day. Drinking orange or grapefruit juice didn’t seem to help, but purple grape juice successfully reduced platelet activity on the same order that aspirin does.Studies have shown daily aspirin can reduce heart attacks and strokes, however, aspirin can also cause severe gastrointestinal disturbances and bleeding problems, so should not be used for the primary prevention of heart attacks and stroke, as the benefits don't clearly outweigh the serious risks, it’s nice to have safe, side-effect free alternatives.	I have to disagree with you on this one. I think Berries should be the safe and healthy first choice for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention, with aspirin being the alternative. :-)To be fair your disagreement is with the FDA, not the messenger is it not? This one is causing me problems partly because several people told my wife that Dr. Oz said to take it. he takes it so surely me an my bum ticker should be soaking up some “low dose” aspirin. whats a cuss to do?Since going vegan, and stopping aspirin, there is a huge difference in my blood clotting time and even its viscosity. When i bleed for testing, even a tiny droplet tends to dribble down my finger compared to the bad old days when it would sit there like a drop of treacle. I feel additional blood thinning increases my risk of stroke. sooooo ~ how can you mend a broken heart?~ hehThe studies showing the benefits of aspirin were on folks who I would guess were mostly on a standard american diet. We lack studies on using aspirin on folks who are on a varied whole food plant based diet so what we do is a “best guess” situation. If as a physician I follow the “first do no harm” guideline and since we don’t have data to support the use of aspirin and we know there are side effects then I think it is reasonable not to follow the recommendation for taking a “baby aspirin” a day.Thank you! I also have found that berries are particularly high in salicylates.http://www.gene.ch/gentech/2002/Apr/msg00099.htmlGoing low salicylate helped me focus better. Makes a big difference. My metabolism seems to run high when I eat high salicylate, and my veins bulge out as well. Do you feel that daily ingestion of high salicylate foods might create conditions for stroke later in life?Good on ya! You HAVE to be your own advocate to find the right diet for you.No I really don’t have that sort of feeling (regarding salicylate and stroke). Something will get me in the end, but I think as long as I’m eating WFPB I am doing as much as I care to do…I don’t have the sensitivities that some do. However the subject is close to my heart because I watched my wife suffer so many years so badly. She was ignored and insulted until one great day when she found a doctor in Auckland who recognized the symptoms and confirmed her sensitivity. Our lives are immensely improved now that she can dodge the many high salicylate foods that were making her ill. I sop them up with no apparent problem.In the 70s, I was working as a MD resident in a nephrology department, where we were testing all kind of anti aggregants and anti inflammatory drugs and nutriments . The clinical and the pharmacological studies were compliant, the side effects of small doses of aspirin were dangerous. We had blueberries pills, made with 5 kg of extracts each, we compared with 500g of fresh wild blueberries a week to 1-2 pills a day of extracts the best blood numbers were: taking a balance diet with 500g a week of berries, raspberries or blueberries. I do it since I moved in the US, apparently my blood test shows I am aging slowly.Here in the UK:“Previous NHS (National Health Service) advice is reversed as people with a common heart condition are told not to take aspirin to guard against stroke”http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10907673/Aspirin-cant-help-1-million-heart-patients.htmlSeriously, you pick one insignificant word to fault? What you don’t get is berries are an alternative for all those millions who are presently taking aspirin instead of enjoying berries. He’s offering a new perspective to daily aspirin takers.Why don’t you devote some time to sharing worthwhile nutritional information so I can critique your words?Sorry, let me clarify, “What you don’t get” is that I have been following and working on this site for a very long time and it was all in humor to Dr. Gregor and the NF Team.Dr. Gregor has been pushing that a plant based lifestyle should be the primary prevention strategy for all chronic disease, so I was humorously Nit-picking the word alternative.BTW this is what I do in my everyday practice- promote a varied, whole food, plant based diet as the primary, secondary and tertiary, first line attack on chronic disease. For me pharmaceuticals are almost always are a second (alternative) treatment strategy with all my patients.I hope this helps you understand my comment.so typical of an MD, you made a mistake and now try some lame cover up– oh, by the way it’s GregerCover up?Dr Hemo you are always messing around! How is your practice? Back in the Bay Area? I hope that was a good move for you.“I’m back in the Saddle again. I’m Back” Sounds like a song. :-) Back in Northern Cal–Way north!!HemoDynamic: Those who know you know it was all in good humor. I very much appreciate your participation on this site. Thank you for your measured response to the previous criticism.Larry that is the great doctors humor. Always cracking jokes.Laughter is the Best Medicine! :))))))))))))))))))))))))The strawberries and increase of resting platelets is interesting because strawberries were also seen to reduce esophageal damage. Maybe the inflammation due to the chemical release was reduced by the increase in resting platelets so the tendency of cancerous or pre-cancerous cells to grow was slowed in the esophagus and the damage was reversed?I start (and usually finish) with the transcript, which says, “#1 on their list of the [USA’s] most important dietary risks? Not eating enough fruit …”. The singling out of fruit deficiency seemed peculiar, particularly in view of the multiple subsequent references to fruits AND vegetables. So I watched the video and and saw that the briefly-shown printed excerpt underlying that voice-over says, “The most important dietary risks in the United States are diets low in fruits, low in nuts and seeds, high in sodium, high in processed meats, low in vegetables, and high in trans fats.” This full quote is not visible in the video, but I found it in the JAMA article that is the penultimate reference listed in this video’s Sources Cited.This is not a criticism, merely a filling-out for anyone else who might have been similarly puzzled.Thank you. I noticed that Dr. didn’t finish the sentence and intended to go back and stop the video to see the whole sentence. Don’t like partial/misleading information.There’s also a case for anti-inflammatory NF-κB inhibitors, like berry anthocyanins, in imparing platelet aggregation.Brilliant. Darryl you are so helpful. I always thought aspirin was a competitive inhibitor. No I don’t want anything acetylating my enzymes.I drink a shot of black current juice daily. Also eating a red beetroot every second day.I will track those studies carefully.FWIW, i had quite a struggle to get my “team” to accept that I was not going to take Plavix or any rat poison, aspirin etc without some solid reasoning. They are quick to cut, and even quicker to medicate.Thanks for your erudite response and welcome to the team. You are a welcome and much needed addition. Thanks for your time!Hi Darryl,As an acne sufferer, I have a question about topical Aspirin related to what you just wrote. Many fellow acne sufferers experience relief from putting crushed Aspirin dissolved in water on their face; cheap, no additional ingredients and effective.When you do this, will the acetylsalicylic acid somehow convert into salicylic acid?Feedback much appreciated!As far as I can tell, aspirin dissolved in water will hydrolyze, but its a slow reaction at room temperature and likely pHs, taking days. So if your fellow sufferers are leaving their concoctions on the counter, they may be applying a salicylic acid + vinegar solution. Salicylic acid is a common topical acne medicine, but be aware of adverse events like peeling that occur above the non-prescription limit of 2%. If they’re applying dissolved aspirin immediately, it will act as a analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and perhaps react with numerous proteins before becoming salicylic acid.Excellent, thank you.I currently use salicylic acid which is really excellent for my skin. The problem is ithat the product comes packed with alcohol and glycerin, neither of which I am a fan of, hence my interest in making my own Aspirin masks. The anecdotal evidence in favor of Aspirin masks is very convincing. Do you think I would take an unreasonable risk trying them?I’m not really qualified to offer advice, but going above the 2% w/w found in OTC products does have risks. 2% w/w is what one might expect from 8 normal strength (325 mg) aspirin in 100 ml (3.4 oz, TSA-size) water, left at room temperature for a few weeks. It would also have just under 1% acetic acid (eg 1:4 diluted vinegar), and whatever binding agents (carnauba wax, cornstarch, etc) were used in the tablet.Hopefully you’ve perused the videos on acne and diet here, too.Thank you, yet again.1. I’m sure you meant 100 cl rather than ml? (May want to edit in case other acne sufferers are going to read – and try – this.)2. Isn’t it possible that the mildly acidic human skin (pH 4-5.5 if I’m not mistaken) would – in itself – hydrolyze acetylsalicylic acid? Leaving it in water for weeks seems hopelessly impractical.3. Leaving question (2) aside – couldn’t an explanation for the very positive anecdotal feedback Aspirin masks are receiving be that acetylsalicylic acid is simply anti-inflammatory on the skin, if – perhaps – less studied than salicylic acid used for this particular purpose?Thank you for the excellent links.(The reason I even bother to bring this up is that most over the counter products containing salicylic acid come packed with irritants like alcohol and glycerin. Then again, you bring up a great point with the Aspirin fillers. Oh well.)1) 8 x 325 mg aspirin = 2600 mg aspirin = 1993 ,mg salicylic acid, ~2 g=2% in 100 g=100 ml water.2) From that first link you may note that aspirin hydrolysis is very slow, unaffected in the pH range 4-8 (skin ~5), and is even slower at pH < 4.3) Dermatologists don't seem to know the underlying mechanism for acne prevention by 2% salicylic acid, and anti-inflammatory activity is as good a guess as any.My questions are about the “purple grape juice”. Does the juice need to be freshly squeezed or can I drink Welchs? And, how many ounces daily? Also, I have read that drinking “juice” on a whole foods plant based diet is NOT recommended. We’re supposed to “Eat” our fruits/veggies as opposed to “Drinking” them. I’m a little confused.Subjects in that study drank 5–7.5 mL/(kg · d) of Welch’s® 100% Purple Grape Juice for a week. For an average 80 kg American, that’s 13-20 oz daily.Interesting, but this knowledge needs to be integrated with the vital role of vitamin K2, vitamin A, and vitamin D–fat soluble–in putting Calcium in our bones/teeth and removing it from our arteries, brain, skin, kidneys. While vegetables may stop activation of platlets, without K2, D, and A in the proper amounts, it the fruits/veg won’t stop the problems and will not cure osteoporosis, tooth decay, crowded teeth etc. See the phenomenal book “Vitamin K2 and the calcium paradox’ by Dr Kate Rheaume-Bleue, ND.Patrice do you have links to any reputable studies on K2? I have heard Mercola touting the need for K2 supplementation but he is hardly an authority to put my faith in :)High platelet production and high platelet counts are a real problem here. Did these studies mention, hopefully, that strawberries also cut down platelet production by the bone marrow?Would love to get off the stong med that I have been forced to take for years… that causes fast and hard beating heart daily. I tried to get off it, but, the count zoomed up from high safe level to over 800,000 in only 7 days. Feeling stuck!Mercedes: I’m sorry you are feeling stuck. It sure sounds like you are in a terrible position.I wonder if you could work with your doctor on this issue? What I mean is: Could you a doctor who understands nutrition and is willing to look at this information and come up with a plan for you that would test to see if you can use food to ween yourself off the drugs? I’m no doctor or expert, but I’m thinking that this is something tricky enough that you would not want to mess with it on your own. At the same time, it is worth pursuing if you could get off meds that make you feel so terrible.Good luck.I try to have my berries in a smoothie every morning … fresh strawberries, blueberries, banana, spinach or kale with almond milk, ice, and a 2 tablespoons of freshly ground flax seeds. Yummy!Greetings from Germany. I would advise you not to use K2 supplements. Just eat a healthy diet consisting of lots of vegetables, some fruit and mostly meat from grass-fed animals. Don’t let yourself be fooled by all the “studies” that are posted. Most studies compare the regular SAD to a vegetarian or vegan diet. It would be laughable if a vegan diet wouldn’t do better than a diet consisting of lots of junk food, which mostly is a high fat AND high (processed) carbohydrate diet. It is indeed true that fat can lead to insulin resistance, inflammation and other problems, but only if it is accompanied by lots of carbohydrates (especially processed as it is often the case. Like in the study where they gave subjects a Sausage McMuffin. But the problem there was not the dietary fat but the processed carbohydrates leading to inflammation. (There is nothing more anti-inflammatory than a lowered carb diet, full plant diets that are high in carbs are always more inflammatory, that’s why they have more superoxide dismutase, blood insulin raises and blood glucose spikes are highly inflammatory to the body) Real science, grounded in biochemistry, not comparing people who eat junk food to people who eat plants, is needed. And this science shows that fat NOT carbohydrate is the best fuel, not by comparing fancy things, but because it is evident by biochemistry. It is true that people eating processed meat (plus not grass-fed, so higher in omega 6 and lower in omega 3) and combining this fat with lots of processed carbs do worse than people not eating the meat. But newest research (in german, i didn’t check american research for now) on low carb diets (some ketogenic, most in the area of around 150g carbs, so they still allow for a great amount vegetables and fruit consumption, etc.) show that they are the heart healthiest diets.Of course, most of you will not believe this and post some links about the dangers of cholesterol, inflammation, lower superoxide dismutase (which is actually better not worse) and so on. I read all of this studies myself (there are some good german sources too). But true evidence will counter all of that. So, what is true evidence? In germany doctors normally measure LDL-C, HDL-C and triglycerides (while LDL-C is not of much worth as a predictor for heart disease, in fact it’s not even part of the risk evaluation for metabolic syndrome as far as i know). Newest research shows and agrees that a way better predictor is the number and size of the particles from the cholesterol in your blood (HDL-P and LDL-P). This can be measured with a nuclear magnetic resonance test, which you will normally have no access too. So some doctors are using ApoB (apoprotein B), because every LDL particle normally has one ApoB, so it gives you a pretty good measurement of how much LDL particles you have concentrated in your blood. But to make it simple, in general, you want large HDL particles and large, capacious LDL particles, cause that is the most beneficial scenario to prevent heart disease. Now i ask you, show me studies that test for this values I described above and show which diet does best. It always is a low carbohydrate diet with lots of fat as the main macronutrient/fuel source. Not only from animal sources, also from plant sources like nuts, seeds, coconut. Ask any lipidologist that knows what he is doing, and he will tell you. Increasing HDL-C, reducing LDL-C (greater particle size = greater absorption rate = reduces amounts of particles) and reducing TG is the best you can do for preventing heart disease. Reducing carbohydrates and therefore consuming fat IN ABSENCE of huge loads of carbohydrates is PROVEN to raise HDL-C and decrease TG. The best levels measured where always with a diet that focused mostly on fat and not carbohydrate (which doesn’t exclude lots of vegetables like i said). And this was compared to vegetarian and vegan diets and other eating patterns, NOT compared to SAD or for that matter standard german diet. Everything is better than eating junk food and no vegetables. But as it is, best values are only achieved by a diet that lowers carbohydrates in favor of fat (and all the scientists know that fat cannot make you insulin resistant in absence of excess carbohydrates, in facts it’s proven to be the opposite, to make you more insulin sensitive). So in the end, don’t show me observational studies or SAD vs vegan studies, show me real biochemistry. All German scientists agree, the fewer LDL particles the better (to be precise, the fewer of the dense ones the better), the more capacious, large HDL particles the better. And of course, as i said, lower TGs are good too.Now look yourself which diets achieve more than EXCELLENT results in these tests, you will realize for yourself that they all have fat as their dominant macronutrient (which as I said, doesn’t require lots of animal sources to achieve but i never saw a diet like the eco-Atkins diet tested for this numbers). Ah, and don’t worry about the natural occurring trans-fats in grass-fed meat (CLA) because they are actually beneficial for your heart health as is K2 (CLA also helps block the inflammatory response by interrupting the omega-6 PUFA pathway, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14976130 and http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0271531702003937 for example). People are sick because they eat processed meat from grain-fed animals in combination with too many carbohydrates (especially sugar, white flour) not because they eat meat from grass-fed animals with lots of vegetables. Get your CLA and K2 from natural animal sources. Also your brain will thank you for that fat intake (if you don’t believe our German scientists, then choose Dr. Perlmutter. And no, SFA and cholesterol are not a problem, cause as I showed above, the best values for LDL-P, HDL-C and TG are achieved with a high fat diet, so this diet is HIGHLY protective against atherosclerosis and because with every heartbeat you pump about 25% of your blood through your brain, this diet is also strongly protective against Alzheimer’s too. Add some turmeric to your meat and get some berries as a dessert and you are fine to go.Guest: re: “…which diets achieve more than EXCELLENT results” I agree that looking at diets which acheive real-life excellent results is a good place to start. But where you take that thought does not seem to match the science. Starting with: “… you will realize for yourself that they all have fat as their dominant macronutrient…”I don’t know what population you are thinking of, but my favorite real-life example of a diet that achieves EXCELLENT results is the traditional Okinawan diet. That population has the most number of people who live over 100 and have far lower disease rates compared to populations which follow different diet patterns. That traditional Okinawan diet is 6% fat, which is very low fat. On top of that, I believe their diet was about 70% sweet potatoes. And on top of that, their diet was very, very low animal product consumption, like 4%. So, to acheive excellent real-life results, you want low-fat, high starchy plants, and very low (or none if you go by the full body of scientific evidence) animal consumption.The Okinawans are not an aberation either. Other populations with similar consumption patterns do extremely well in terms of health and longetivity. I can find the name of the book that discusses these populations if you are interested in learning more.Thea, great response to the low carber. I remember Toxins was the person who really got into it with these low carbers. What happened to Toxins?Ben: Thanks for the feedback! With the exception of Tommasina, everyone on the “NF Team” are just volunteers. I suspect we all wonder in and out as our daily lives permit. I’m guessing Toxins is just super busy right now. But I’m with you, I really appreciated Toxin’s ability to debate/educate people and sure do hope he finds the time to come back to us again soon. I know that lots of third parties benefited from reading those debates even if the person Toxins was talking to never learned anything.As for myself, I try to help people when I can, but I don’t have an interest in investing time with someone who is not interested in learning. I just occasionally take a try if I think it might help. Plus, you never know if third parties reading a post will benefit even if the person I directly respond to does not see the benefit.Thanks again for the feedback.You are welcome, Thea.Hey, that’s great news that Toxins might be back in the future; but it’s certainly understandable if he no longer has the free time to donate. It’s much appreciated what Dr. Gregor, yourself, Toxins and every other volunteer has done to help make this site such a great learning tool, helping to save lives as well as the planet.Just to begin:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/You’ll see dozens of videos about meat in the last link.There is no major difference between fancy “grass fed” animals and the rest. All the “theories” you support are more than debunked.But the problem there was not the dietary fat but the processed carbohydrates leading to inflammation. (There is nothing more anti-inflammatory than a lowered carb diet, full plant diets that are high in carbs are always more inflammatory, that’s why they have more superoxide dismutase, blood insulin raises and blood glucose spikes are highly inflammatory to the body) Real science, grounded in biochemistry, not comparing people who eat junk food to people who eat plants, is needed. And this science shows that fat NOT carbohydrate is the best fuel, not by comparing fancy things, but because it is evident by biochemistry. It is true that people eating processed meat (plus not grass-fed, so higher in omega 6 and lower in omega 3) and combining this fat with lots of processed carbs do worse than people not eating the meat. But newest research (in german, i didn’t check american research for now) on low carb diets (some ketogenic, most in the area of around 150g carbs, so they still allow for a great amount vegetables and fruit consumption, etc.) show that they are the heart healthiest diets. Of course, most of you will not believe this and post some links about the dangers of cholesterol, inflammation, lower superoxide dismutase (which is actually better not worse) and so on. I read all of this studies myself (there are some good german sources too). But true evidence will counter all of that. So, what is true evidence? In germany doctors normally measure LDL-C, HDL-C and triglycerides (while LDL-C is not of much worth as a predictor for heart disease, in fact it’s not even part of the risk evaluation for metabolic syndrome as far as i know). Newest research shows and agrees that a way better predictor is the number and size of the particles from the cholesterol in your blood (HDL-P and LDL-P). This can be measured with a nuclear magnetic resonance test, which you will normally have no access too. So some doctors are using ApoB (apoprotein B), because every LDL particle normally has one ApoB, so it gives you a pretty good measurement of how much LDL particles you have concentrated in your blood. But to make it simple, in general, you want large HDL particles and large, capacious LDL particles, cause that is the most beneficial scenario to prevent heart disease.Thyroid, Thyroid, Hypothyroidism…..: It is a subject that keeps popping up. I am sure it is of great concern to those most effected. Is it overplayed? Is it mostly a reflection of the SAD diet for instance? I don’t see to much on it in your “reference”/archive section. Thanks!https://www.goredforwomen.org/about-heart-disease/study-finds-berries-reduce-heart-attack-risk/Thea, I have good knowledge about the Okinawa diet and almost all other cultures and what they primarily ate (like the Kitavans that eat high carbs and lots of saturated fat from coconuts too, or the Masai that eat high animal saturated fat etc.). I also know the Tokelau island studies, which i guess are mentioned in your book too (if not, look http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/34/8/1552.full.pdf ). And btw, depending on which sources you check, some people report a higher saturated fat intake in the Okinawan diet, especially pork fat that they extracted with cooking (=lard) to use it for their meals and for cooking the vegetables. Lots of Okinawans report this themselves, so that’s a good source i guess, even Dr. Weil that was living among them reports this (the Okinawan diet is very different from the Japanese diet. It includes much more tofu, more pork, more fat and much less salt, enormous variety of vegetables and fruit and has a lot of fish”) Some people report a 60% carb, 20-25% fat intake, especially in the younger Okinawans. But you are still right, no matter how exactly the ratios, that it’s primarily based on starch (mostly sweet potatoes, now more rice and other things cause of westernization). Then there are other things to consider, older Okinawans are reported to eat no more than 1200-1700 calories, they practice intermittent fasting, eating until you are only 80% full and so on. This practices are known to have anti-aging effects, especially calorie restriction in total, newest studies strongly suggest that’s mostly because of carbohydrate restriction, less insulin secretion, less AGEs that can bind with proteins (not only the dietary ones but your body’s) and therefore way less inflammation in total. If you eat only 1200 calories a day, your total glucose load is way different than of some active vegan that needs 3500 calories and eats 600g carbs a day and low fat). You need consider all this before you extrapolate the observational Okinawan data to yourself. But like I said, I showed IMPORTANT data with my links in the last post, but instead of reading it carefully you just tell me Okinawans are healthy and lots of other cultures that eat like this too. This does not respond to the data I posted, it shows no understanding of biochemistry or at least a try of interpreting the data that I showed.Newest research shows that the best parameters for heart health are achieved with a lower carb diet (some studies suggest about 30% seems the upper limit) because ,,the body’s physiology is optimized for a carbohydrate intake of around 30%. At higher carbohydrate intakes, glucose disposal pathways (such as switching muscle cells from fat to glucose burning) are invoked; at lower carbohydrate intake, “triage” of glucose occurs, reserving it for the brain, and some useful carb-dependent functions are lost. Both extremes are stressful, and in metabolic disorders, both extremes may be devastating.”) That’s why LDL-P is reduced with low carbohydrate diets and HDL (the large, buoyant particles) are elevated. Fat is a better fuel for the body, even VEGAN PLANT FAT for that matter. It is proven by basic biochemistry of our body, it WANTS fat at a certain level as fuel and not MORE carbohydrates. But the other way is true too, in extreme low carb diets hormonal changes happen, for example low T3 thyroid hormone and increase in cortisol. It basically down regulates the immune system and weakens the extracellular matrix maintenance, so it makes you more prone to infections and constipation. Why? Because too low carb is a stressor for the body as is too high carb, with high carb other adaptions happen that are disadvantageous too that I described above. So these changes going on in our body show us what the BODY wants, how to optimize for best health (of course it can always adapt to a certain level because it always wants survive, it wants us to be healthy, and we should help our body to claim its natural right). And these facts are not changed by the Okinawan being healthy or the Tokelau eating lots of coconuts and being healthy too). One time, leave your (vegan) spectrum that only proves you what you want to hear, and read data conflicting with your own knowledge. Only like this you can progress and optimize yourself. READ: http://authoritynutrition.com/it-aint-the-fat-people/, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18523037, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837306. (I know, in the end someone will post me 3 videos of this page showing grain consumption is good for the brain without even reading the studies i suggest. It is good for the brain, but only to a certain level, so if you have nothing more to say don’t bother posting) Greetings from Germany and have a nice day.Hey Veronica. I’m all for venturing outside the vegan spectrum, but those second two links you posted from ncbi had nothing to do with vegan nutrition. The study about cholesterol in the Masai states “The most conspicuous finding for the Masai was the extremely high energy expenditure, corresponding to 2565 kcal/day over basal requirements.” So I guess that much exercise combats some negative effects of a diet high in saturated fat. The last study was feeding the kids 150 mg of cholesterol a day, so its no surprise their cholesterol got worse, despite the diet being high in carbohydrates (half of which was “simple carbohydrates” i.e. sugar.) And they only got 7 g of fiber a day? Correct me if I’m wrong…	allergies,arthritis,aspirin,berries,Bill Gates,blood clots,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,fruit,Global Burden of Disease Study,grape juice,grapefruit juice,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,joint disease,joint health,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,longevity,mortality,orange juice,platelets,rheumatoid arthritis,saturated fat,side effects,strawberries,stroke,trans fats,Union of Concerned Scientists,vegetables	The number one killer of Americans may be not eating enough fruit. Even if we just met the recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake we could save more than 100,000 people a year. One of the mechanisms by which plant foods protect us is by keeping our platelets from becoming activated.	One of the ways plants help keep platelets in their place may be their aspirin content. See Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods. Why would a plant make a human drug? It’s so cool, check out Appropriating Plant Defenses.Is the Standard American Diet really so bad that we could save 100,000 people by just getting up to minimum fruit and veggie recommendations? Even cynics might be surprised: Nation’s Diet in Crisis. Even more plants may cut deaths even more, though. See One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease EpidemicFor more on lowering cholesterol see my video Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. And it’s never too early to start eating healthier. Check out: Heart Disease Starts in Childhood. Heart disease may be a choice. See: Cavities and Coronaries: Our Choice.Berries are the healthiest fruits, shown to maintain our brain power (How to Slow Brain Aging By Two Years) and improve our immune function (Boosting Natural Killer Cell Activity). That’s one of the reasons we want to eat Antioxidant Rich Foods With Every Meal.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/global-burden-of-disease-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/union-of-concerned-scientists/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bill-gates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-clots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/platelets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18258621,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22035630,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11897042,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23259158,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24406274,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22012554,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23245609,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23245604,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10613766,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842577,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21311321,
PLAIN-2563	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/illegal-drugs-in-chicken-feathers/	Illegal Drugs in Chicken Feathers	Between 1940 and 1971, the synthetic estrogen DES was prescribed to several million pregnant women with the promise that it would help prevent miscarriages. Problems were first highlighted in 1953 when it was clear that not only was DES ineffective, but might actually be harmful. However, a powerful and emotive advertising campaign ensured that its use continued until 1971, when it was found to cause cancer of the vagina in the daughters of the mothers who took it. DES was also used to stunt the growth of girls who were predicted to grow “abnormally tall.” As one pediatric textbook put it in 1968, "excessive tallness in girls can be a handicap. It provides difficulty in the purchase of smart clothes; the victim is ineligible for certain sought-after professional positions such as air line hostess, and poses problems in selecting suitable dancing partners.”But most people don't know that the greatest usage of DES was by the livestock industry, improving feed conversion in cattle and chickens. Within a year of approval it was fed to millions of farm animals, and although it was shown to be a human carcinogen in 1971, it was not until 1979 that all use of DES in the meat industry production was banned. Not. They just use different synthetic estrogen implants, but even now decades after DES was banned, we’re still seeing the effects, an elevation in birth defects even down to the third generation.Arsenic is another human carcinogen that was fed to chickens. This time by the billions. The arsenic ends up not only in the meat, as I’ve talked about previously, but also in the feathers, which are fed back to the animals. See, a third of the bird is inedible. What do they do with billions of pounds of heads, bones, guts, and feathers? Fertilizer and animal feed. Feather meal is fed back to chickens, pigs, cows, sheep, and fish. Now straight feathers are not particularly nutritious, so guts, heads, and feet may be added for little extra protein, and manure added for those manure minerals. The problem is that feather meal used as animal feed could contribute to additional arsenic exposure in persons who consume meat.This gave researchers an idea, though. By testing feather meal, they might be able to find out what else chickens are fed. “Feather Meal: A Previously Unrecognized Route for Reentry into the Food Supply of Multiple Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products.” All samples tested positive for antibiotic type drugs, between two to ten different kinds in each sample, including fluoroquinolones, which have been banned for years. So either the poultry industry is illegally still using the stuff or it’s being used in some other animals fed to the chicken. Regardless, when the feather meal is fed back to the chickens they are getting exposed to this drug, which is against the law to feed to chickens, creating a cycle of re-exposure to banned drugs.Then it just gets weirder. The feathers turned up with a half dozen other drugs: Prozac, antihistamine, fungicide, a sex hormone and caffeine. Why doesn't the poultry industry just say no? Evidently the antihistamines are to combat the respiratory problems from packing so many tens of thousands into the confinement sheds, and the caffeine helps keeps the chickens stay awake so that they eat more and grow faster.	Just a general chicken comment…I hope someday soon people will stop buying them. Chickens get such a raw deal. If we don’t get em, then disease or heat stroke or a freakin fox gets em. They put up with …everything. Up to a point. They are tough, smart and curious… and dinosaurs! They communicate with each other and with me. Mostly its just tonal inflections but one time Henrietta said “Now really, would you drink that water?” and I had to clean up a bit. There was a night I put a laptop with skype going inside their henhouse and we watched the video stream. Very interrestig…So at night they walk around up in the rafters for the longest time and then settle into roosting spots. They just keep circling until someone settles out somewhere. Lacy always gets the best spot. She deals Black Jack. 5 cards or 21 pays double. Well now everybody’s heard about the bird.Thats why they have the awesome superpower of being able to lay so many eggs in so short a time.Coacervate: I wanted to thank you for this comment. It’s only been in the last few years that I have developed a real appreciation for chickens. Part of that appreciation growth came from talking to a friend who loved her chicken as much as many people love their dogs. My friend’s chicken even learned to sit on cue. It made me think of chickens in a whole new way.Another part of my growth came from the dog training community where I learned that some of the best dog trainers go to “chicken camp”. At chicken camp, the trainers spend a week teaching their assigned clicker-savvy chicken to go through an entire obstacle course. Pretty cool!Now over the last few years I keep learning more and more about their personalities and my appreciation (and horror at how they are treated in our society) just grows and grows.You’re cool Thea…well MY chooks talk to me all the time. I work from my shop, where they are not allowed but they coo and cluck outside all day long. I know when the cats are near or a stranger is coming. Recently I stepped outside with a cup of coffee in hand to talk to a visitor. Suddenly 3 of my little bantams flew up, one on my head and two on my arm checking out my coffee…right while i was in mid sentence. I never missed a beat and kept right on talking like nothing happened. We got the funkLove it!! Great stories. Makes me tear up.Thanks Sis, wish you were here : )One of my hens purred today. It is extremely rare for them to purr, and I guess she was particularly enjoying her dustbath. Then, her friend purred back to her in acknowledgment. I had never heard that before!! They are really emotional animals, but quite gentle. I was hand feeding them sorrel today. Some hens love to snatch pumpkin seeds from my fingers. Even more loved than corn is watermelon. They love it, but for some reason, they especially like the watermelon seeds.Great stuff. thanks.Is tea tree oil safe in toothpaste? My natural toothpaste bought at the store contains it, but from what i know about tea tree oil, wouldn’t it hurt the gums and mouth nerves from longterm use? And what about carrageenan in toothpaste? It isn’t swallowed but the mucous membranes can absorb stuff.MONSTERS! I just took a showerHow grotesk can it get? Did they have an explanation for the Prozac? Happy chickens eat more and grow faster…..? Looking forward to my vegan cajun dish tonightIt appears these studies are a couple of years old, why is this video posted now? Is there something new here? Do we know if these feeding practices are still used?Here’s an awesome vegan recipe I’ve tried a few times, with super delicious results. You can omit the oil if you prefer. Sweet potato and black bean chili. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NbBoQ-R_0s#t=40Olivia: The chocolate powder: What a great idea! Thanks for nice tip.You’re welcome, Thea. Yes, the cocoa powder was the secret ingredient. When I first made this, I mistakenly added 1 tablespoon instead of 1 tsp lol but it still came out very delicious. This is really good with vegan cornbread, too. We gobbled this up in no time! :)Sounds like quite the yummy meal. I’ve lately grown attached to mole sauce. This sounds like it is a bit of a mole chile – esp with the 1 Tbsp cocoa. I’m all for that!I was thinking that I would make the sweet potatoes a bit like Jeff Novick recommends for potato “fries”: bake potato in skin, then cut, then put under broiler for brief time so they can get crispy on the outside. I’m thinking that method might lead to a similar outcome to the recipe/video, but without the need for oil. But I don’t know…Thanks again.Thea, it sounds like it should work. If it does, please let me know how it comes out. I just might try it that way too. Good luck!I have typed out the recipe:Vegan Sweet Potato ChiliPeel ? three orange fleshed sweet potatoes and cut up into thin cubed chunks.In a mixing bowl with chipotle, salt, olive oil, tossed on a baking sheet400 degrees roasted until chewy outside, tender inside 20-25 min let cool down to room tempBase : Olive oil in dutch oven or kettle onions and garlicJalapeño, cumin, ancho chile, oregano5-6 minutesCan of diced tomatoes add waterThen high til simmerAdd bit of salt and sugar, tablespoon of corn mealTeaspoon of unsweetened cocoaWhen it bubbles, let it simmer 30 minutes2 cans drained rinsed black beans-good kind only, not cheapStir, Add in cooled sweet pat’sAdd water if dry. simmer 15 minutes, taste and adjust. Add cayenne pepper?Yes, that looks about right, but don’t forget your cilantro :) You can print out the recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-Potato-and-Black-Bean-Chili-2/Detail.aspxI didn’t have all the ground peppers on hand, so I used what I had, which was cayenne, chili pepper and Lawry’s Fire Roasted Chile & Garlic (it really took it up a notch lol). It’s a little spicy, so please use less pepper if you can’t handle it, and adjust to taste.Also, If you’re worried about the oil, use half called for, because this will make a pretty big pot of chili, so the fat in each serving will be very low (1/2 tbsp each). It doesn’t call for browning the onions, so you can water sauté if you like. If you’re vegan, you can use a non dairy Greek style yogurt in place of the optional sour cream.Sweet potatoes and beans are so good for you! Let me know how it comes out :)I know this is off, topic (sorry!) but I’ve seen a lot of the videos on sea vegetables, and I was wondering if you had any information on mercury levels in seaweed? Obviously if it’s in fish, it has to come from somewhere, so should it be a concern when eating sea vegetables?I get that we should probably not eat chicken. Whole eggs also seem to be a no no, but how about egg whites? I’ve looked through your videos and most of them are about whole eggs. What does the data say about egg white consumption?Ursula: One of the more memorable lines from Dr. Barnard’s book on Preventing and Reversing Diabetes is, “There are just two problems with eggs: the yolk and the white.” So, what’s the problem with the white? Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechnaism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how aminal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilidng video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?I bet if it was shown to make some “male parts” wrinkle up and fall off this would have been banned and never used again.Do turkeys get the same treatment as chickens…. I mean for antibiotics and other illegal drugs?Is this the same for organic chickens?	animal protein,antibiotics,antidepressants,antihistamines,arsenic,birth defects,caffeine,cancer,carcinogens,chicken,drug residues,estrogen,factory farming practices,farm animals,feather meal,feed additives,fish,fungicides,growth promoters,hormones,industry influence,medications,miscarriage,poultry,pregnancy,Prozac,sheep,SSRI's,turkey,vaginal cancer,vaginal health,women's health	By testing chicken feathers for chemical residues, researchers aim to find out what the poultry industry is feeding their birds. The presence of banned drugs and a broad range of pharmaceuticals raises concern, recalling the time in which DES was fed to chickens for years after it was shown to cause human vagina cancer.	I guess we shouldn’t be surprised by anything coming from an industry that fed chickens literally millions of pounds of arsenic-containing drugs. See Arsenic in Chicken and my follow-up, How Many Cancers Have Been Caused in Arsenic-Laced Chicken?The drugs fed to chickens are one reason used to explain why poultry has been tied to increased cancer risk. See Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics?The most concerning drugs currently in the U.S. poultry supply are the antibiotics. See, for example:Ironically, not only may antibiotics in chicken contribute to antibiotic resistant infections, but to the infections in the first place. Check out my video Avoiding Chicken to Avoid Bladder InfectionsThen as if adding potentially harmful chemicals to the chickens themselves wasn’t bad enough, more are added in the processing plant: Phosphate Additives in Chicken.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fungicides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antidepressants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/drug-residues/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ssris/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/growth-promoters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antihistamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sheep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feather-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/miscarriage/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20678835,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22464649,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5549830,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22244353,
PLAIN-2564	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/	What’s the Best Mouthwash?	The effects of a vegetarian diet on systemic diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart diseases have been studied, and revealed predominantly less systemic diseases in vegetarians, but there have only been a few studies on oral health, which I covered in previous videos… but what’s the latest? In a study of 100 vegetarians compared to a 100 nonvegetarians, the vegetarians had better periodontal conditions (less signs of inflammation like gum bleeding, less periodontal damage and a better dental home care, brushing and flossing 2.17 times a day compared to 2.02 times a day, not that much of a difference, so maybe it was something about their diet, though vegetarians may have a healthier lifestyle overall beyond just avoiding meat. They controlled for smoking, but other things like obesity can adversely affect oral health, so there may be confounding factors. What we need is an interventional study, where they take people eating the standard Western diet, improve their diets, and see what happens, but no such study existed, until now.With professional support of nutritionists, the participants of the study with existing periodontal disease changed their dietary patterns to so-called wholesome nutrition, a diet emphasizing veggies, fruits, whole grains, potatoes, beans, peas, lentils, and spices and water as the preferred beverage. To make sure any changes they witnessed were due to the diet, they made sure they maintained their same oral hygiene before and after the dietary change. What did they find? They found that eating healthier appeared to lead to a significant reduction of probing pocket depth, gingival inflammation, and levels of inflammatory cytokines, which mediate the tissue destruction in periodontal disease. So it may be concluded that wholesome nutrition may improve periodontal health. Why though? Yes, plant based diets have a number of nutritional benefits in terms of nutrient density, but it also may be about improving balance between free radicals and our antioxidant defense system.Traditionally, dietary advice for oral health was just about avoiding sugar, which feed the bad bacteria on our teeth, but now we realize some foods and beverages, like green tea, possess antimicrobial properties to combat the plaque producing bacteria directly.Streptococcus mutans has been identified as oral enemy #1. If plaque is caused by bacteria, why not just use antibiotics? Many such attempts have been made, however undesirable side-effects such as antibiotic resistance, vomiting, diarrhea and teeth stains have precluded their use. In a petri dish, green tea phytonutrients effectively inhibit the growth of these bacteria, but what about in our mouth? They found that rinsing with green tea strongly inhibited the growth of the plaque bacteria on our teeth within minutes. Seven minutes after swishing with green tea, the number of these bacteria in the plaque scrape from people’s teeth was cut nearly in half. So if you have people swish sugar water in their mouths, within three minutes the pH on our teeth can drop into the cavity formation danger zone. But if 20 minutes before swishing with sugar water, you swished with some green tea, you wipe out so many plaque bacteria that the same sugar water hardly has any effect at all. So, they conclude, using green tea as a mouthwash or adding it to toothpaste could be a cost effective cavity prevention measures, especially in developing countries, because here in the civilized world we have antiseptic mouthwashes with fancy chemicals like chlorhexidine, considered the gold standard anti-plaque agent.If only it didn’t cause genetic damage. DNA damage has been detected in individuals who rinsed their mouths with chlorhexidine-containing mouthwashes, and not just to cells in the mouth. 13 volunteers rinsed their mouths with the stuff for a few weeks and there was an increase in DNA damage both from the cells lining their cheeks as well as their peripheral blood cells, suggesting it was absorbed into their bodies. Yes, it reduced plaque better than other antiseptic chemicals, however, it might be doubtful whether chlorhexidine can still be considered the golden standard when considering how toxic it is to human cells.So are we left with having to decide between effectiveness or safety? How about a head to head test between chlorhexidine and green tea? Green tea worked better than chlorhexidine at reducing plaque. So using green tea as a mouthwash may work cheaper, safer, and better. And if as a bonus you want to sprinkle some amla powder into it, dried Indian gooseberry powder, it evidently shows an outstanding cavity-stopping potential not by killing off the bacteria like green tea, but just by suppressing it’s plaque forming abilities. Here’s how much plaque is formed without amla, Here’s how much is formed with.	What about coconut oil? My mouth never felt so clean and the added bonus, my teeth have gotten whiter. How much whiter? Don’t use those harsh chemicals to whiten them any more!Linda, how are you using the oil? Thanks!Please refer to my answer to Sara below. Thanks!What about other natural alternatives like essensial oils (peppermint, thyme, eucalyptus)?Probably too agressive~You can get Listerine Naturals (with or without Fluoride) at the supermarket. It is like an herbal tea and it is convenient. Topical Fluoride makes a tighter web in the teeth (much stronger) and prevents stains from forming. Learn about the disadvantages of not using topical Fluoride long term.Fl??? A known carcinogen?There are two important things to learn here:The sublingual area (just beneath the tongue) and the mucosa lining the whole buccal cavity is so rich in vascular supply that this route becomes ideal for delivering medicine in cases of emergency (such as in case of a heart attack or very high blood pressure risking a brain hemorrhage) life saving medicines (such as nitroglycerine to rescue ischemic myocardium and a number of meds to lower blood pressure). It is through this rich vascularity that makes sure medicines are quickly absorbed (far better than other routes including Intravenous) and safely reach the area where needed.Now take a moment to think how much of “topical Fluoride” and other chemicals in any tooth paste and mouth wash (such as Chlorhexidine) will get absorbed in those 2 minutes of brushing …. and that too on daily basis!!! There is absolutely no way to isolate teeth for a topical application without all the vascularity of gums, sublingual and buccal areas.Fuoride is a known Neurotoxin and a Cardiotoxin and plenty of medical studies have established this fact. Topical use of fluoride may be a beneficial for teeth keeping them strong and stain free ….. but is that tiny benefit worth the mega risk involving other important parts of the body like nerves and heart ?How do I apply coconut oil for my teeth. Sounds interesting!Take a good tablespoon good quality coconut oil and put in your mouth. Swish it around for about 10 minutes. Spit out into garbage can (do not put down sink drain). You don’t want to swallow it after swishing in mouth as it is supposed to contain all the toxins that were in your mouth. This is called oil pulling.http://www.snopes.com/medical/homecure/oilpulling.aspI have also read other articles like this, but for me the proof is in my mouth. My dentist has noticed a change also. My mouth always feels like I have just had my teeth cleaned and there is no debate about the whiteness of my teeth. But, like everything else in life, you have to decide for yourself! Thanks for your input.Snopes is not a credible site. It’s a guy and his wife only. They don’t have a research background either. They are a sham.It doesn’t have to be coconut oil either, I’ve tried coconut, olive and sesame oil. And currently I’m sticking with the sesame oil. And it’s true, great results for me too! See this link for an in depth article with links to scientific research http://www.healingteethnaturally.com/oil-pulling-dental-healer.html. Good luck!Something to check out is called “oil pulling,” which is explained herehttp://authoritynutrition.com/oil-pulling-coconut-oil/Oil pulling is junk science: http://www.snopes.com/medical/homecure/oilpulling.aspA practice probably promoted in order to sell coconut oil. We know what has the science behind it, GREEN TEA as shown in THIS video. THAT’S what works. Save your money and only use coconut oil as a moisturizer.Indeed, can’t agree more !Another interventional study on periodontal health: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-051X.2011.01793.x/pdfYes! And guess what ingredient (along with the many whole-food ingredients contained in the supplements used in this study) is found in the product used in this study…yep, green tea. And 30 other published studies show this same whole-food product to increase the health of all the cells in the body, not just the mouth.How to prepare the Green Tea mouth wash? Is 1 tea bag enough? Thanks in advance for your input.Asked myself the same question. I wrote an article to explain how to make this mouthwash at home and make sure it actually works (because different green teas vary a lot in potency and may not always work) : http://www.youcefbanouni.com/988/science-based-recipe-for-green-tea-and-white-tea-mouthwash/Whoa, good to know. I’m wondering if this would work well for pets… green tea as an additive in a water dish.Wondered myself about green tea and our dogs – I’m going to start using it when I brush our dogs’ teeth daily (I don’t like to use the commercial dog toothpastes). Don’t see why it wouldn’t help! (Not sure about adding it to their water, since it has caffeine – unless you get decaf)Check with your vet before giving him green tea. Some food is not recommended for even specific breeds.I’m only using it (white tea thus far, rather than green) to dip the toothbrush in when I brush their teeth to help with plaque prevention. Not the same as “giving” them green tea, but hope Colliemom will see your advice.I can’t say for sure what is safe, as the gums absorb whatever goes in the mouth and dogs are going to swallow some of whatever goes in their mouths. My family worked for vets growing up and I was surprised by what was toxic for some dogs such as xylitol, grapes and grape products. Some say avocados can be toxic, yet there is an avocado based dog food at Petco. That plaque dissolving mint spray was not recommended by some. Nutritional clays such as Redmond’s can be okay for some breeds but not for Bassets.I decided to check the ASPCA website, since they have the most comprehensive information of what is safe and what is toxic for dogs (and cats) I’ve ever found. Rather than pore through their huge database, I did a search for “green tea” (white tea didn’t come up), and this was the result:Q: Can dogs drink green tea? – Alice E.A: Alice, while we generally do not advocate offering people food to pets, decaffeinated green tea can cause minor stomach upset if ingested, and it may still be possible for mild hyperactivity to occur from large ingestions. The bottom line? An occasional lick or two of a green tea beverage (provided there are no herbs or xylitol added) should not pose a problem—but we would not recommend letting your dog consume more than that.Can you keep a jar of water with a tea bag in it on your counter all of the time? Also, is white tea just as good or better or is it best to use green tea?I wondered also about using white tea instead of green, if there would be a difference one way or the other. Be great if white tea also acted as a tooth whitener, lol :-)Hi @laloofah:disqus I answered that too in the same article I mentioned above: http://www.youcefbanouni.com/988/science-based-recipe-for-green-tea-and-white-tea-mouthwash/What about non prescription mouth wash. Listerine etc.?Dr. Greger, I thought the tannins in green tea stain your teeth? I’ve recently stopped drinking all caffeine including green and white tea.The exact thought on my mind. Less bacteria and better health is important, but I’ve always been advised to use a straw to avoid tannin stains from tea and coffee (particularly black tea). I wonder if having the tea hot or cold makes a difference…. anyone have thoughts or ideas on this?@disqus_s2fN3lqS1u:disqus@kellylambert:disqus Hi, look the answer to @laloofah:disqus right above.I’m intrigued by the results with amla, which contains a lot of vitamin C. Vitamin C being acidic, wouldn’t amla cause cavities? The researchers probably used amla that had been dried using heat which destroyed the vitamin C in amla. Or, the study was not long enough to make any adverse effects of amla evident.Vitamin C is not a strong acid, If I remember correctly. Anyway, Amla is really not just vitamin C, I would say that reasoning is reductionist. The positive effect of Amla is probably due to many chemical, and maybe by synergistic effect with one another, which probably overcome the bad outcome of the vitamin C. This making the whole greater than the sum of its parts : Nutrition 101.Adrien: Thank you for the response. I don’t remember the pKa values of vitamin C and lactic acid, which is mainly responsible for tooth decay caused by bacteria , but based on their structures, I don’t expect them to be very different in acidity. I’m also aware that those who take vitamin C powder are advised to rinse the mouth immediately after consumption. But I agree with you; although fresh amla has a lot of vitamin C, most dried amla powders in the market don’t have any. The brand I use in my shakes and smoothies has 70% RDA of vitamin C per serving. I wouldn’t use it for swishing, just to be safe.Vitamin C is not a strong acid, If I remember correctly. Anyway, Amla is really not just vitamin C, I would say that reasoning is reductionist. The positive effect of Amla is probably due to many chemical, and maybe by synergistic effect with one another, which probably overcome the bad outcome of the vitamin C. This making the whole greater than the sum of its parts : Nutrition 101.Vitamin C, which is usually referring to Ascorbic Acid, is indeed a weak acid. Our chem professor had us memorize the 6 common strong acids in general chemistry because it was easier to remember them since essentially everything else will be weak acids. Ascorbic acid is not one of the 6: HCl, HBr, HI, HNO3, HClO4 and H2SO4. So that trick might help you too. :)“Vitamin C” also comes in the form of a mineral salt too. Sodium Ascorbate. It’s a less known form, but I think it’s interesting to know. :)So, yell at me and please tell me why I must stop rinsing my mouth with peroxide. I love to do it but fear there are dangers. Does anyone know? Thanks Loads.Straight peroxide can erode the gums. Be sure to dilute it with water.This is great information. The only problem, the Indian restaurants in area do not even know about the fruit ( Amla ). There are no stores in our (Clarksville, TN) city or in Nashville that I know of. Can you help?Amla is more medicinal than culinary. Major Indian grocers do carry it but in areas where the ethnic community is smaller you may not be able to find it easily. It tends to be very expensive for its (dry) weight so you might just look into getting it online.English: Following up on largelytrue’s recommendation to get it on line, I like the site Mountain Rose Herbs. They sell various forms, including powdered amla.https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search?page=1&q=amla&utf8=%E2%9C%93Thank You>Be very careful. Alma is a nightshade, apparently, and those with joint and pain issues should consider avoiding all nightshades at all costs. They have bodies unlike those of the average human, and it seems to make things way worse, and possibly prevent healing. Abstinence is the key for many people. Yes, there are good things in some nightshades, but for those adversely affected by nightshades, the good things can be like putting gas on fire. And even be what causes the fire in the first place.I’m no botanist, but, as I understand from Wikipedia, amla is not a nightshade.Are you thinking of Alma-as in the alma paprika pepper? (Capsicum annuum) Peppers (genus Capsicum) are indeed part of the nightshade family but the amla (Phyllanthus emblica) Dr. Greger is referring to comes from a tree and not a member of the nightshade family. I think what happened here was a confusing of where the “l” in amla went. This is why, IMHO, scientific names are far superior to “common names.” Less confusion. :)(warning: I’m not a botanist, just a science nerd)I buy mine on amazon from a company called Terrasoul. The quality is great. It even has a lot of vitamin C intact, meaning that it’s dried under gentle conditions.I get Terrasoul from amazon as well! I’m happy with it.I bought acai from Terrasoul. It came with a story of how christianity saved one of the founders from drug dependency. All I could think about was a million dead Iraqis at the hands of the christian voting block.Try asking for “gooseberry”, specifically “Indian gooseberry”, not “amla”. See if they are familiar with that. TN resident as well, but i’m so rural that everything off-center from SAD/SAS must be ordered online. (SAS-standard American supplement)what about white tea???Hi @natlp:disqus I answered above to someone who asked the same question.Volume 20 is one of my favorites in the recent set of volumes. And this video is one of the top three. I love how practical and indepth it is. And who knew there would be yet one more use for amla? Cool!I buy organic Amla powder on Amazon. Be sure to get certified organic, and get it powdered because the dried Amla fruit is like ROCKS. I bought a device to fill capsules and I eat 2-4 capsules of Amla a day because it’s so good for you (anti-oxidants). But it doesn’t taste very good.Zennifer I’m with you on the amla taste. Dr Greger had me until he added amla. Bleccccch! I’d rather just take it my amla in capsules that I make so I don’t have to taste it. :)I’ve been buying the TerraSoul certified organic amla powder on amazon too…it’s around $11 per bag. I just mix the amla into my morning berry mixture (which I do in a blender, it’s more like a pudding than a smoothie) or into my oats.just watched the oral health video…..I am a dental hygienist and see green tea stain on teeth all the time. In my mind, using green tea as an oral rinse doesn’t seem reasonable considering the huge amount of stain it will produce. There are other ways to reduce bacteria and not cause stain or ill effects. A very dilute solution of sodium hydroxide (bleach like Clorox) will reduce bacteria and not harm oral health.Nancy: Do you think that the stain you see in your patients is just an aesthetics issue? Or a health issue?The distinction matters for me. I don’t personally care if I have super pearly white teeth. In fact, I think super white adult teeth look fake and unattractive. So, if it is just aesthetics, that’s not an issue for me.Plus, I have to wonder: If someone were truly going to use green tea (with or without amla) only to rinse a couple times a day – without also drinking it all day long (losing those benefits), would there really likely be a stain problem? If staining is really a problem for someone, I think it would be helpful for people to know whether the issue is really a few mouth washings or is really an issue with drinking a lot of it.What do you think?sodium hydroxide is not bleach. It is caustic and there is no reason for it to be used in your mouth. Bleach is sodium hypochlorite and I was taught that it is a safe disinfectant at very dilute levels. However I have burned my degrees, literally.I had a chem prof. at uni who used to dilute DDT on the first day of class to 1 molecule per glass and drink it. This much I know is true: The dose makes the poison.EVERYONE! …. Lets be careful out there.I thought we wanted the bacteria to convert nitrate to nitric oxide?I was actually wondering about the nitric oxide thing myself…My wife is a dental hygienist who tells me to brush my tongue but not to use mouthwash. So I do that. and floss and brush. she give me a gold star!! but really we both agree with the idea that keeping your oral cavity healthy is an important part of the NO cycle that Dr. G illustrated in his video series so nicely.I do make a mouthwash out of xylitol and sodium fluoride but I am a chemist….don’t recommend it for everyone. I just feel funny not using any mouthwash at all. she says we don’t need a mouthwash.One more question or thing to consider: is sodium hydroxide bad for the environment? I did a super-quick search and it didn’t look good. I would have to do a more careful search to get a good answer. But I think this would be a good issue to consider.One person using the diluted ratio you are referring to would probably not cause any environmental harm. But the planet is currently, severely over populated with humans. What would happen to the environment if lots of people jumped on this bandwagon? I don’t know the answer. It is an honest question for people to think about. To focus a bit more: I’m thinking about how we flush so many drugs down the toilet that our drinking water is shows signs of prescription medications. Little bits can add up to serious problems.The biggest issue here is what name we are giving for “bleach.” Sodium hydroxide, chemical formula NaOH is NOT bleach. Not in the slightest! It is a strong base, and also goes by the name of “Lye.” (The ingredient used to make soap, if some of you are familiar) If you are not familiar with it as an ingredient in soap making, it also can be used as a drain cleaner. It is used as a drain cleaner because it is HIGHLY CORROSIVE to the proteins that make up your hair and skin and will dissolve them!This is NOT something you want to be messing around with if you do not know what it is. Many people think of acids when they think of chemical burns, but strong bases will burn you VERY badly as well. In fact, if you get a Sodium Hydroxide (lye) solution on your skin it will give you severe burns-not only will it burn you, but when NaOH mixes with water it also has an exothermic reaction (produces heat), so it will be hot too….The chemical formula for bleach you are looking for is NaClO which is written as sodium hypochlorite you may have also heard of hypoclorous acid (That’s the form of chlorine common for pool water)Sorry for the long rant, but I only just finished my second semester college chemistry course, and I get a bit nervous when I see people confusing chemicals. I’m nowhere near a Chemist yet-but I definitely think that people should at least be well versed in the information provided from a general chemistry course for safety reasons if nothing else…..Be safe everyone! :)Nancy: what about green tea liquid extract? I’m not entirely sure but I don’t think green tea extract has tannins.Very good question @george. Thought about it too, but I think the extract you’re talking about would have tannins because some extracts are just concentrated green tea, so same thing just less water. Pure ECGC however, if it is the active ingredient (nothing proves it yet) is a white powder and would presumably not cause any darkening of the teeth. Note that some mouthwashes already use “green tea extract”, it’s not clear what that refers too. I suspect it’s ECGC they put because their products are clear in color. If not, then they use concentrated green tea in very small amounts, just enough to put it on the label for marketing purposes.Do not wash your mouth with sodium hydroxide at any concentration. There is no possible benefit and lots of potential harm. Read all advice from the internet with a large grain of sodium chloride. B-bird’s the word.Wow! And so easy to do. Thank you Dr Greger.How about xylitol? It is magic in preventing cavities.Here is Japan, we use green tea for everything, including gargling.Hello, i seen the 2012 video on eggs and B12 (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/ ) but do we know if B12 from either cooked or raw eggs can still be absorbed?Hi, I’m really glad Dr. Greger posted this info. I also read his notes below about Cold Steeping Green Tea, and Amala powder. I’m wondering if you recommend adding lemon juice to the mouthwash mix. I remember Dr. Greger mentioning that in a earlier video about green tea. Thanks for your reply.48south: I’m not 100% sure, but going strictly on memory (which may be faulty): the bit about lemon and tea was about getting white tea to have more antioxidants than green. Without the lemon, the white tea had less antioxidants. This has nothing to do with oral health.I do not believe that anyone would recommend lemon juice in a mouthwash because (based on memory of another video), the lemon is acidic and acidic foods like citrus can, if memory serves, erode the enamal. I think I remember that we should be careful not to brush our teeth immediately after eating citrus, because we do not want to push the acid into our teeth.Maybe someone else will jump in to confirm what I wrote here, but if not, I’m sure you could find those videos.Thea thank you for the reply. That’s very helpful. Now I’m on a quest to find a good source of Amla powder. :-)Hi 48south, I’ve gotten mine from Banyan Botanicals. Good pricing, organic, and they have good statements on their site regarding quality control (heavy metals, microbial, and identification) and ethical sourcing of products.It’s really very informative that I wanted ever, thanks for this. https://sites.google.com/site/bestreviewhd/abs-the-secret-revealed-reviewFor those racing to check their mouthwash label, in the U.S. chlorhexidene is only used in prescription mouthwashes for advanced gum disease and post-surgical care.Hi. What can I use instead of Amla?Will this work with DECAF green tea? I don’t consume anything with caffeine. And must it stay refrigerated? I noticed someone else asked that but didn’t receive a response.Why don’t you look it up on pubmed or sciencedirect.com?I wanted to know what brand of green tea do you recommend? ThanksNot sure if there would be a significant difference from different green teas but it’s a good question. Also, geographic origins would be more reliable than brands, since brands may source in different regions anyway. If you really want to know the answer you’d have to find a study on levels of “catechins, especially epigalllocatechin-gallate” in different varieties of green tea. I know that not even varieties but growing methods alone can change mineral content or vitamin content up to ~10-fold, so the catechin content may as well be affected. You should be expecting to find some differences. Then you’d have to look into how these varying concentrations (if any found) would affect the bacteria populations, and finally find a dry green tea dose that would do a good job regardless what green tea you get. That’s how I would do it from only reading if I really want a proper answer to your question. There are other ways I’m thinking of but would require equipement.Will DECAF green tea work just as well? And does the mixture have to be refrigerated?Supposing only some of the active ingredients are lost in the decafeination process (you can research that) then as long as the mouth pH is kept high you’re fine. Look the article I posted above, it should be able to apply to decaf tea, although it’s weaker and you might need more relatively.Because of previous videos, I drink a combination of green, white, and hibiscus loose tea. Is this enough to prevent cavities or do I need to drink plain green tea? Is there a certain amount of tea I should drink?So…just on the phone with my brother who bought an organic green tea,put one tea bag in a litre of water,and rinsed his mouth…it has turned his teeth brown!!!!! he is horrified(always had beautiful white teeth),also stained the porcelain in the sink brown!! What has happened? How to restore previous whitenss to his teeth?The same happened to me. Tried gargling with white tea for a few weeks – got horrible discolorations on most teeth :(What did you do to restore your teeth to their natural colour? This is definitely a negative outcome isn’t it? so let me pick …brown teeth or decreased bacteria…..hmmmmmmmI don’t use it as a mouthwash anymore. And when I drink tea, now I try to swallow as fas as possible, to minimise contact with my teeth as recommended by my dentist.Would white tea work better than green?Hi @disqus_oeutLF6UNF:disqusI tried to answer this question to someone who asked it too. Cheers.Thanks so much for this information. I am curious about other products now. I was wondering what facial skin care products Dr. Greger would recommend (what products or what product line-brand name). There are so many out there, many of them VERY pricey! I would love to know the real truth about what to use. I am 51 and my main concerns are sagging skin and brown spots. Any recommendations would be very much appreciated! I’m tired of spending over $100.00 on one bottle of face cream. Thank you!Hi everyone, Many of the comments asked questions relative to how to prepare a green tea mouthwash, if white tea can be used, decaf, etc…I had the same questions so I did a bit of research to find the answers. All compiled here: http://www.youcefbanouni.com/988/science-based-recipe-for-green-tea-and-white-tea-mouthwash/Is one green tea bag equivalent to 5 grams of green tea in your recipe? What about Moraccan Mint green tea vs. plain green tea? How much do I reduce the green tea if my container (glass jar) is only 16 fluid ounces (473 ml)? How long is it good for sitting on the bathroom counter. Refrigerator storage is not an option. Due to gingivitis my teeth are sensitive to cold.1) Don’t be too obsessed about a strict recipe, because concentratioon of the active ingredients can vary 10-fold from a green tea to another. If you read the post I shared, what matters is that your green tea is potent enough to pass the pH test. It’s all about concentration of the ingredients in your green tea, not so much about how much green tea in your mouthwash, that’s what makes it tricky to produce at home vs. in a lab. 2) Not sure what the mint would add, and I believe your tea is moroccan green tea if you say it, I am just surprised because moroccan mint tea normally uses black tea. 3) Shelf-life: In the experiment the green tea was used for 3 weeks. If you put something in the gridge it surely shouldn’t be th emouthwash to be used but rather the “mother solution”, meaning the bulk of it.Test the ph with paper strips you buy where? The label on my Moroccan mint says “green tea, spearmint, lemongrass, and peppermint” made by Stash. Home ph test was not explained. Can you simplify your response?For those interested to have the recipe and instructions based on the studies presented in the video, or wondering whether white tea can be used, or how much amla to use, I adressed all these here : http://www.youcefbanouni.com/988/science-based-recipe-for-green-tea-and-white-tea-mouthwash/ Notably, I raised the problem of the variation in catechins content (incl. EGCG) found in green tea and how that is very likely to affect the potency of any homemade mouthwash that follows a strict recipe. But I proposed a simple hack to go around that and actually test the potency of your green tea extract before using it, regardless of the potency of the green/white tea you have.Tested green tea mouthwash for over a month, no noticeable darkening of the teeth. Mouth feels very fresh and “slippery” after swishing with green tea. For preparation purposes, I don’t recommend making large batches that you’d keep in the fridge for later refills. Even in the fridge at 5°C the taste of green tea changes a lot within a month and becomes quite unpleasant although perhaps bearable. Bought white tea too to experiment with it. Ultimately, I will need a precise digital pH tester to verify that this is working well.Youcef: Thanks for the report! And the tips. Gives me some motivation to get more serious about this.You’re most welcome. Extra note on teeth brightness/darkening : I am well-aware of a U.S.-only obsession with very white teeth, but most countries don’t have that in their grooming/oral health culture. So, not being from the US, it must be taken into account that I did not notice teeth darkening *as someone who never brightened their teeth*. My teeth are generally bright, but not artificial white. Perhaps the darkening would be more obvious on whitened teeth because 1) the contrast would be easier to spot 2) Whitened teeth may be more prone to darkening, they could be more porous given that teeth whitening often involves dissolving out the minerals in the teeth (demineralization). No one wants dark teeth, but if I must compromise or take a very minor risk, I’d value healthy cosmetics like green tea (provided I can measure it works : ph-meter) rather than bright teeth maintained with teeth whitening demineralizing sessions, or toxic mouthwashes.Youcef: That’s such an insightful comment. A very good point.For myself: Even thought I live in America, I consider the fashion trend of baby-white teeth to be unattractive, because it is so fake looking. I also find it creepy. As long as my teeth are in the white-ish family, I’m perfectly happy. So, I’m not dissuaded from trying green tea as an actual mouth wash.Thanks again for your comments.I have periodontal disease. And after 8+ months of being vegan (WFPB – nutrient dense), I have NO problems anymore (I don’t use regular toothpaste anymore either, I use sesame oil to swish twice a day, use a waterflosser and alternate brushing with baking soda and water from day to day) My teeth are very clean and my gums bleed very little. I’m pretty sure my pocket depths have improved also, since less debris is coming out when flossing now compared to some months ago. On top of that my chronic jaw pain has COMPLETELY vanished. I also drink a cup of amla tea every day when I get up in the morning ;-)barbarabrussels: A cup of amla tea. Wow. That is real dedication!!! :-) (Because many of us really don’t like the taste of amla.) Good for you!That happened with me as well. after 2 years of Starch Solution(Dr John McDougall)..my gums don’t bleed anymore,even with a dental cleaning…I don’t use any fats…wonder if the sesame absorbs sublingually?I had similar results since turning to WFPB diet. No more Gum flare ups or receding gum , no bleeding, hardly any pain. Although the pain in the gums still comes back approx once per month now (used to be most of the time), it goes away after swishing with 1 Tsp baking soda in water. I’m no chemist so I don’t know how it works but it is more effective than any mouth wash I’ve tried. The dentist and periodontist did a pretty good job when I went for regular cleans , but while I was still on a omnivore diet the pocket depths just didn’t improve and there was constant flare ups and chronic pain , even though I took oral hygiene seriously. It was more like fighting fire, suppressing the symptoms temporarily , but now with the WFPB diet it has tamed whatever that was causing the symptoms. Finding nutritionfacts.org by chance a while ago has been so helpful.we wondered about two things with this. One is when we drink tea does that make us swallow all the bacteria that is our mouth? Two is if we drink the tea as it is with amla, which is what we now have in the fridge. Would that be bad, he wonders why he can’t just swallow it, because we drink tea once in a while and swallow it?Two questions: 1) Does anyone know the exact ratio of amla and green tea that should be used? 2) Isn’t the sugar that’s in amla bad for your teeth?Just a simple question. Would you rinse your mouth with the tea before or after brushing?Thank youAmla. Found at an Indian grocery store. Package says it is for hair and avoid contact with mouth & eyes. Doesn’t sound like a good choice to add to mouthwash.JoAnn: I’m not an expert on amla, but I have some speculation for you. When I was researching amla some time ago, I remember seeing some packaged for hair and some for eating. That lead me to think that either there is some really good marketing going on – OR there are different grades of amla. And that if you are going to consume it, then you want to be sure to get the right kind/grade. If the latter is true, then I agree that I wouldn’t want to put the hair version in my mouthwash, even if I wasn’t going to swallow my mouthwash.What about oil pulling and gold crowns?I’ve been trying some mouthwashes, and I recall someone telling me to avoid alcohol-based mouthwashes. Those are safer, according to him.To make a routine of using green tea and Amla easy, I wonder if Macha powder mixed with the Amla powder and then mixed with water or added to toothpaste would be just as effective. This way would be easier to store and administer. Any thoughts?I love your catch phrase “….until now”.While I love the idea of being able to use green tea as a mouthwash. The issue I have here is the very small sample size. The pilot study only had 25 participants, and the comparison study only had 30. While this is a cool finding, more research will need to be done with a much larger sample size to prove effectiveness before changing practice.I have been looking for a good mouth wash that doesn’t dry my mouth out. I love the way mouthwash makes my mouth feel, but I want to get something that lasts. I would really like to try coconut oil like you have suggested Linda, where can I get some? http://www.limeridgedental.ca/en/I have been looking for a good mouth wash that doesn’t dry my mouth out. I love the way mouthwash makes my mouth feel, but I want to get something that lasts. I would really like to try coconut oil like you have suggested Linda, where can I get some? http://www.limeridgedental.ca/en/	amla,antibiotics,antioxidants,antiseptic,beans,cancer,candy,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chlorhexidine,dental health,diabetes,diarrhea,DNA damage,drug residues,grains,green tea,heart disease,heart health,lentils,mouthwash,oral health,oxidative stress,peas,periodontal disease,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,potatoes,prediabetes,side effects,smoking,spices,standard American diet,sugar,tobacco,vegans,vegetarians,vomiting	There’s a cheap concoction one can make at home that safely wipes out cavity-forming bacteria on our teeth better than chlorhexidine mouthwash and also reduces their plaque-forming ability.	I now just keep a mason jar filled with cold-steeped green tea (Cold Steeping Green Tea) with a spoonful of amla in the fridge and swish and swallow any time I’m rummaging around in there. For extra credit you can gargle a bit with it too (see my video Can Gargling Prevent the Common Cold?).Green tea shouldn’t be the primary beverage of children, though, as the natural fluoride content may cause cosmetic spots on the teeth. For more check out my video Childhood Tea Drinking May Increase Fluorosis Risk.Here’s the links to the two oral health videos I refer to in the video: Plant-Based Diets: Oral Health and Plant-Based Diets: Dental Health.Another reason we may want to avoid antibacterial mouthwashes is that they can kill off the good bacteria on our tongue instrumental in enhancing athletic performance with nitrate-containing vegetables. See my video Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash.Green tea doesn’t just kill off harmful bacteria, but harmful viruses as well. Check out Treating Genital Warts with Green Tea.Need a reminder what amla is? More on dried Indian gooseberry powder power in:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chlorhexidine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/periodontal-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/drug-residues/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antiseptic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vomiting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20600545,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18230394,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23852229,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19212481,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22976567,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21356006,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12271347,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23316561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18713481,
PLAIN-2565	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/	Which Vegetable Binds Bile Best?	To lower the risk of diet and lifestyle-related premature degenerative diseases and to advance human nutrition research, relative bile acid–binding potential of foods and fractions need to be evaluated.Some vegetables bind bile acids better than others. We know that those eating more plant-based diets are at a lower risk of heart disease and cancer, which could in part be because of phytonutrients in plants that act as antioxidants and potent stimulators of natural detoxifying enzymes in our bodies. They can also lower cholesterol and detoxify harmful metabolites, functions that can be predicted by their ability to bind bile acids so as to remove them from the body.This group of researchers discovered three important things. First, an over five-fold variability in bile acid binding among various vegetables that had similar fiber content, that the bile acid binding is not related to the total dietary fiber content, but instead some combination of unique phytonutrients yet to be determined.Second, they found that steaming significantly improves the bile acid binding of collards, kale, mustard greens, broccoli, peppers, cabbage, as well as beets, eggplant, asparagus, carrots, green beans, and cauliflower, suggesting steaming vegetables may be more healthful than those consumed raw.And finally, which vegetables kicked the most bile binding butt? Turnips turn-up last. Then comes cabbage, cauliflower, bell peppers, spinach, asparagus and green beans. Mustard greens and broccoli are better. Then eggplant, carrots and Brussels sprouts basically tie for the #5 slot. Then collards at #4. We have beets, kale, and okra left in the running. Any guesses as to #1? Kale gets the bronze, and beets get the gold. Kale, surprisingly, got beat.Both these papers ended the same way: inclusion of all these vegetables in our daily diets should be encouraged. Our two leading killers are to a large extent preventable by appropriate diet and lifestyle modifications, such as eating these vegetables, which when consumed regularly, may lower the risk of premature degenerative diseases and improve public health.	Is pressure cooking the same as steaming food?Yes and no. Yes it cooks with steam, but the difference is that it takes place at a higher temperature, thus the shorter cooking times compared with steaming. The concern is that higher temperatures might possibly break down something beneficial. Vegetables cook very quickly with regular steaming, and it is easy to overcook them in a pressure cooker.Baking often runs in the 350-400 F. range, with steaming likely somewhat below boiling temperature. Looks like pressure cooking can reach 250 F. Anyway. I find that pressure cooking allows for more precise doneness levels once you determine what works for what veggies. It’s exact every time. With regular steaming, it seems that I need to check it frequently… and if by chance you’re distracted, it’s easy to overcook. Though I suppose you could use a timer vs the built-in timer of pressure cookers.If you pay attention while pressure cooking, using it ought not to be a problem with overcooking. (I always suggest paying attention in life, in general.) If you compare the color of pressure cooked vegetables to those cooked in any other way you will see how bright and vibrant they are. They cook for a shorter time than with steaming. I will choose pressure cooking any day. We are not talking about your Grandma’s gray veggies.Dr. Greger has covered the issue of cooking in a number of video’s you might find the following two of interest: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/as you can see it is complex with some nutrients increasing with cooking and some decreasing.Dr. Forrester, I have no doubt that this is true. Bioavailability of some isolated nutrients is increased while that of others may be decreased. However, the thing that interests me even more than isolated nutrient availability is the evidence for cancer protection. It seems to me that there is mounting evidence that uncooked vegetables provide more protection from cancers than cooked ones do. I’ve complied a list of references here: http://home.ite.sfcollege.edu/~carol.demas/raw_veg_cancer.htm“…….higher temperatures might possibly break down something beneficial….” Are you kidding me…this guy is a doctor?Don’t worry, the point seemed to be just that these vegetables were better for us cooked than raw. Steaming seems to be just the method of cooking they happened to use.Steaming is so awesome …no special equipment is required exept for perhaps a rack upon which to steam the foods…I love my pressure cooker for SOME THINGs, mostly beans, but I adore steaming my greens …and I also eat them raw…whatever…I go *both ways*!It looks like the Kahlon-Chapman-Smith citation has text from another.Looks correct to me, Tom. What are you seeing?The first and third citation are exactly the same pages. The link of the third citation goes to Food Chemistry from 2006.I am so happy that I made Borscht yesterday with beets and cabbage. It was tasty and delicious. Since pressure cooking is super steaming, I guess that I am getting super nutrition in my food. Thanks for another great video.I wonder by how much steaming increases the availability? I find that for myself and other vegans who have very little to no time to cook each day, the only way I can eat vegan is to eat raw (I usually barely have time to wash them). So how much more do I have to eat of raw carrots or broccoli to equal a serving of steamed carrots or broccoli?I have a 2-tier electric steamer – I throw in cabbage, brussel sprouts, beets, carrots, onions, mushrooms – then at the 18 min mark – add small tomatoes, broccoli and asparagus for another 8 minutes. Hardly any cleanup. Easy.Would you mind sharing which cooker model that you use? I like my Instant Pot but I’m considering the options.My steamer is an Oster 5711. Got it on Amazon. It’s important to get a steamer that uses cold water, and just a small area around the element heats up and does the steaming. I had a steamer years ago that needed hot water to start and it still took forever to get going. This Oster steams in a few seconds. http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/oster-5711-food-steamer-61-qt?ID=138083&pla_country=US&cm_mmc=Google_DMA_Home_Electrics_PLA-_-PLA+Home+Generic+-+Electrics_PLA+-+Electrics-_-37669295516_-_-_mkwid_ueEgv6mm|dc_37669295516%7C-%7CueEgv6mmJust saw this. Oster steamer. I just ordered an Instant Pot!I love my steamer – a three tier – Wolfgang steamer with a timer – steams vegetables, chicken, fish, etc. Everything comes out very tasty. I can’t live without it.What?!! That is so not true about vegans and cooking. Sounds like your life (and that of your friends) is just very busy and you’ve chosen not to prioritize food preparation. Which is the same for many people of all diet types.In previous videos segments, broccoli was trumpeted as more nutritious if eaten raw because of phytonutrients including the enzyme sulforaphane which steamed broccoli is lacking. I’m wondering if it’s better to continue my practice of eating raw broccoli or dropping a few of its florets in my smoothie, and eating only cooked veggies that I enjoy being served that way. I love raw beets but can’t stomach them cooked. As previous videos have noted, the best way to eat vegetables the one that encourages you to eat the most of them.To quote this (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/ ) video : “…so I encourage people to try to eat their broccoli raw or, alternately, chop the broccoli up first raw, wait 40 minutes for the enzyme to do its business and then you can cook the heck out of it because the enzyme’s job is already done.”Thanks laregelytrue for this posting. That was a great answer.I’ll also add: Stay tuned everyone for more exciting broccoli news! Dr. Greger has some new info on this story in upcoming videos. (I purchased volume 20, so I got to see all of the videos ahead of time.)This is what I learned at last year’s AICR conference and through many interviews with food scientists for my work as a health journalist:Most crucifers need light steaming in order to inactivate compounds that produce nitriles, which don’t fight cancer and which compete for production with compounds that produce isothiocyanates, which do fight it. Exceptions: watercress, napa cabbage, radishes (white and red) don’t produce nitriles. More here… http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/anti-cancer-foods-which-crucifers-are-best-raw/The problem is: heat destroys the enzyme responsible for sparking the cascade of actions that leads to isothiocyanate production, but you can add the enzyme back by eating a little raw crucifer in the same meal. You don’t need much of that raw one. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2013/11/30/anti-cancer-recipes-groundbreaking-news-about-crucifers-another-bombshell/http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/how-to-prepare-broccoli-to-fight-cancer/As for powders, make sure they’re made from foods that are freeze dried and not spray dried. The spraying uses a gas that degrades phytonutrients.http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/tips-picking-unseasonal-berries/As for juicing raw crucifers, make sure you use a machine with a high speed motor that produces juice without lumps. That way the enzymes and isothiocyanates end up in the juice. More here… http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/crucifers-to-fight-cancer-cooking-tips-take-two/Thank you Dr. Greger for this important education piece. I wonder what causes the steaming advantage – medicinal components of the vegetables being bound inside the cellulose, which breaks down and releases/becomes more available with light steaming? Or could we achieve this with a whole food Juice machine such as a Bullet or VitaMixer? This question comes up over and over for us self-administered cancer treatment people – the question of which method of preparing and consuming the plant-based medicine is the most advantageous. Also, dehydrating might matter as a method of concentrating a stable supply of the medicinal components (phytochemicals) if one does not allow the dehydrator to get above 118 degree F. This gives cancer self-treatment patients a whole other option to steaming and juicing because once the plant is dry, it can be ground into a powder which can then go into drinks, soups, pestos, etc. while offering a method of delivery which competes with OTC capsules sold at sometimes 20xs the price (especially if we purchase these things in bulk or grow the plant in our own garden). The advantage of focusing one’s daily consumption to include concentrated amounts of the highest phytochemical medicine plants is that it disrupts one’s kitchen habits less.My mom used to say beets give girls rosy cheeks. Is that because we aren’t green from bile! I love beets! Now I’ll eat them more than before. Thanks for reporting this.Also a powerful vasodilator, improving blood pressure and blood flow. Mom knows best! :) p.s. have you seen this wonderful video series about nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines (and of course beets)? It’s one of my favorite little true crime detective “miniseries” here on NF. Up there with the series on Neu5Gc.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/Beets are also one of the foods that promote the production of nitric oxide in the arterial endothelium for healing and proper dilation. Dr. Esselstyn has tremendous success in reversing heart disease in patients with very severe CAD. Dr. E says: “I recommend greens (which includes broccoli, cauliflower, bok-choy, Swiss chard, kale, collards, beet greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, Napa cabbage, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cilantro, parsley, spinach, arugula, etc) 6 times a day for those specific people who have significant cardiovascular issues.” He asks his patients to eat ‘greens’ 6x a day “and not just a few spinach leaves.” And the act of chewing is important for nitric oxide production – smoothies don’t provide the same benefit as chewing the food.Does this apply to any types of beets for primarily the red ones? The photo for this video shows red stripped ones and yellow ones. My local market has the yellow ones and though I like red, these are delicious…Which fruit binds bile the best?I just started a vegetarian diet a few weeks ago, with mostly vegan foods. In the past couple of days on total vegan foods, I’ve felt really hungry and felt the need to eat more than I usually did before the diet change. Is this normal? lolIf you haven’t already, check out Dr. McDougall’s The Starch Solution. His plan of whole grains, legumes, starchy and non-starchy vegetables, fruits, and judicious use of fatty veggies (nuts, seeds, avocado) is nutritionally complete except for Vitamins D and B12 and totally satiating. It’s important to eat starches at every meal (potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, rice etc) If you try to do it with mostly non-starchy veggies, you WILL be hungry and that is not a sustainable diet. McDougall Friends on FB is a closed group – we have about 3500 members who eat according to McDougall guidelines or people who want to learn more.JoAnn, thanks for the advice, I will check out the book. I love avocados and sweet potatoes and will add more of these with my meals.Olivia: I second the suggestion to check out the book, The Starch Solution.I would also add that what you are experiencing is not uncommon at all–especially if people are eating whole plant foods that are a lot less calorie dense than they were used to eating previously. You are in good company. I have a close family member who went vegan some years ago and had to eat more often and larger quantities of food in order to feel full. It was a change for her, but not a bad thing at all! She got to eat more, a pleasurable activity, and still lost a ton of weight. She has been doing the vegan thing for a few years now and grown accustomed to her new eating habits.If the ideas in The Starch Solution does not do it for you, you might want to consider adding some additional calorie-dense foods to your diet, such as additional nuts, seeds, dried fruits, avocados and tofu. Whether or not those foods make sense for you will depend on your situation. But I can say that a co-worker who went whole food vegan was able to solve her hunger problems by adding some of those foods to her diet.Good luck Olivia. Let us know how it goes.Thea, thanks so much for the advice, I will surely get that book. It’s good to know that my hunger is normal :) It really makes a lot of sense about the density of food. Well, we bought a dozen avocados, and my family loves fresh guacamole. It helped a lot with my hunger. I will try some raw nuts for snacks, and I’ve also tired adding ground flax seeds to my morning smoothie. It helps me to feel full.I’ve made a delicious tofu scramble yesterday, because I had been missing eggs. I sautéed some chopped red onion, red pepper, jalapeño pepper, fresh garlic, and tomato with a bit of turmeric, cayenne, and black salt (kala namak) in a little evoo, then tossed in the crumbled tofu. It was spicy and delicious, served with a slice of whole grain toast. The black salt gave it a nice egg-like flavor. Now I don’t miss eggs anymore!I actually feel much better since giving up the dairy and eggs, which was not easy to do, and finding alternatives really helps with the transition to a WFPB diet. I’m headed out to TJ’s later, because I saw they have this peanut butter with flax and chia seeds in it! :)Thanks again!Olivia, I hope you didn’t misunderstand me about the avocados and nuts. Dr. McDougall’s guidelines for health and weight loss are based on starchy vegetables for satiation, NOT on fatty veggies like avocados nuts, nut butters. He allows NO OIL and for people trying to lose weight, he limits fat intake which pretty much cuts out nuts and avocados. Load up on starches and whole grains (NOT whole grains ground up into flour) and you will not be hungry. Potatoes, corn, rice, sweet potatoes etc are the foods you want to concentrate on. And try using veggie broth for sautéing, not oil.JoAnn, thanks for your great advice. No, I didn’t misunderstand about the avocados and nuts. While I can understand adding starches with vegetables, I don’t know if I can buy the “no oil” theory yet. I use very small amounts of organic extra virgin olive oil in my cooking, and on occasion use Earth Balance. I do agree that using lots of oils may keep one from losing weight (or may cause weight gain), so I use it very sparingly. I will try the veggie broth too :)Also, Dr. Greger talked about nuts and how they can actually help facilitate weight loss. I guess a small handful a day won’t hurt, and can actually be good for you, besides, how do you absorb fat soluble vitamins properly with no healthy fats in your diet?http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/With the 2T of ground flaxseed and 1tsp chia seeds and a couple of walnuts PLUS all the whole grains, legumes, starches and veggies and fruits, I am always at about 10% fat. The only essential fatty acids are Omega 3s and 6s – our bodies can make all the other fats as required. Blueberries are 4.8%fat, spinack 9.2% fat, brussel sprouts 11.6% fat, tomatoes 9.3% fat, shitake mushrooms 11.7% fat for example so eating a variety of plant foods gives us plenty of fat for absorption of A,D,E and K. The reason I don’t do oil is because I had aortic plaque several years ago and I want my diet to be as anti-inflammatory as possible. I follow Dr. Esselstyn who successfully reversed coronary artery disease using the 10% total fat and no oil plan. I myself ‘lost’ the aortic plaque on this plan. Here’s a link which explains how oils are damaging to the endothelium of the arteries. Scroll down in the article and you’ll understand my oil position. http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2008/07/im-going-to-miss-my-olive-oil—who-knew-it-wasnt-so-healthy-after-all-drs-esselstyn-ornish-vogel-rudel-did.htmlYes, I can understand for those who have severe CVD, that they may want to keep it low fat or avoid adding oils because of the temporary arterial constriction after consuming foods made with those oils. I don’t know about long term affects, because I’ve never read anywhere that temporary arterial constriction causes cholesterol plaque to build up. Vessels can constrict even from being frightened or angry, but this is temporary, of course.I suppose everyone has to find out what works best for them. I do keep my oil intake very minimal and eat a lot of fresh green veggies and fruits, legumes, and some whole grains, avocados, flax seeds, and now some nuts.Thanks again for your advice and sharing all that with me. Very much appreciated!Olivia: Yes! A good tofu scramble, especially with the black salt can be such a comfort food.I know what you mean about transition issues. Dr. Barnard actually talks about this a lot. As an example, Dr. Barnard doesn’t actually believe that the fake meats you buy in the store are really good for you, but he recognizes that “transition foods” can have an important role in helping people move toward healthier eating. (Though I’m not saying that tofu is a transition food. You already made it with that dish!)Best of luck as you move toward a healthier diet. It is an exciting time for many people as they discover new foods they love and that they never dreamed of eating before.Olivia, I took Thea’s advice when first switching to Vegan in January (hungry all the time like you). I put a bowl of nuts and dried fruit at my desk and just munched – and I sucked down the avacados. That fixed it. Also, I just had to learn to eat more at one sitting. [I am petite and was not trying/wanting to loose weight.] Meat and cheese have a lot more calories per bite than, say, broccoli. So if your whole meal is plants, the portion size has to be bigger to give you enough calories. I had my favorite bowl that was the perfect portion size for me – that is until I started WFPB. I had to get a bigger bowl!You should read her great advice to me as I was transitioning. It’s in the comments under the video: One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease EpidemicDr. Greger, this video isn’t the first time I noticed that you sound tired, less focussed and way less upbeat then you used too.Stress is also bad for your health, and often counterproductive. I’m sure people will settle for a few video’s less if it means a jolly old Greger.Friendly Regards.This is really interesting!I am not sure if this is true of all Japanese, but my girlfriend and her mother eat a ton ton ton of Okra. They are also both so confused about me being vegan, as almost no one truly is in Japan.I’ve had many broken english lectures about why I should eat meat.Maybe all that okra is an important factor into why Japanese live so long.is frozen the same as fresh?While looking for something else in a health food store, I noticed a bottle of powdered artichoke leaves. The label touted the ability of the product’s 6% caffeoylquinic acid to increase bile production and thus help blood metabolism of fat. Since you say bile acids are carcinogenic and should be removed from the body as quickly as possible, I’m wondering if this indicates a drawback to eating artichokes. I certainly hope not, since my favorite breakfast is an artichoke with mayo!	antioxidants,asparagus,beets,bell peppers,breast cancer,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,cabbage,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,carrots,cauliflower,cholesterol,collard greens,cooking methods,cruciferous vegetables,detoxification,eggplant,enzymes,fiber,green beans,heart disease,heart health,kale,mustard greens,okra,oxidative stress,peppers,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,raw food,spinach,steaming,turnips,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Which foods are best at removing carcinogenic bile acids from the body: asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, eggplant, green beans, kale, mustard greens, okra, or peppers? And do they work better raw or cooked?	Why would we want to bind bile in the first place? Make sure you see the "prequel" to this video, Breast Cancer and Constipation.More raw versus cooked comparisons in:Beets also have a number of other remarkable properties. Check out my video series on Doping with Beet Juice, including Hearts Shouldn’t Skip a Beet.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/okra/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bell-peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turnips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggplant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steaming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asparagus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brussels-sprouts/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19083431,
PLAIN-2566	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/	Breast Cancer and Constipation	Why do constipated women appear to be at higher risk for breast cancer? Results suggest a slight increased risk of breast cancer for both decreased frequency of bowel movements and firm stool consistency, whereas women who have three or more bowel movements a day—super poopers—appeared to cut their risk of breast cancer in half. This could be because constipation means a greater contact time between our waste and our intestinal wall, which may increase the formation and absorption of fecal mutagens—substances that cause DNA mutations and cancer—into the circulation, and they could end up in breast tissue.This concept dates back more than a century where severe constipation, so-called chronic intestinal stasis, was sometimes dealt with surgically. Figuring the colon was an inessential part of the human anatomy, why not cure constipation by just cutting it out? What they noted, though, was that potentially precancerous changes in the breasts of constipated women seemed to disappear after the surgery.It would take another 70 years, though, before researchers followed up on the clues by those distinguished surgeons who claimed breast pathology cleared when constipation was corrected. So they investigated the relation between potentially precancerous changes in the breast and the frequency of bowl movements in nearly 1500 women. They found four times the risk in women reporting two or fewer bowel movements a week compared to more than once daily, who had the lowest risk.We know that even the non-lactating breast actively takes up chemical substances from the blood, so maybe substances originating in the colon might enter the bloodstream and reach the breast. We know there are mutagens in feces, so it is not unreasonable to suggest that potentially toxic substances derived from the colon have damaging or even carcinogenic effects upon the lining of the breast. And those toxic substances may be bile acids.First shown to promote tumors in mice in 1940, subsequent experiments on rats led to the mistaken belief that bile acids just promoted existing cancers but couldn’t actually initiate tumors themselves, However, there is a fundamental difference between the rodent models and human cancer. Rats only live a few years, and so the opportunity for cancer causing mutations may be at least 30 times greater in humans. Now we have at least 15 studies that show that bile acids can damage DNA, strongly suggesting they can initiate new cancers as well.Bile acids are formed as a way of getting rid of excess cholesterol. Our liver dumps bile acids into the intestine for disposal, assuming our intestines will be packed with fiber to trap it and flush it out of the body, but if we haven’t been eating enough whole plant foods, bile acids can be reabsorbed back into the body, and build up in the breast.Carcinogenic bile acids are found concentrated in the fluid of breast cysts at up to a hundred times the level found in the bloodstream. By radioactively tagging bile acids they were able to show that intestinal bile acids rapidly gain access to the breast, where they can exert an estrogen-like cancer-promoting effect on breast tumor cells. This would explain why we see 50% higher bile acid levels in the bloodstream of newly diagnosed breast cancer victims. These findings support the concept of a relationship between intestinally derived bile acids and risk of breast cancer. So how can we facilitate the removal of bile acids from our body?Well we can speed up the so-called oroanal transit time, the speed at which food goes from mouth to toilet, because slowed colonic transit can increase bile acid levels. We can do that be eating lots of fiber. A diet packed with plants greatly increases bile acid losses.Fiber can bind up and remove toxic elements like lead and mercury, as well as cholesterol and bile acids. But plants can bind bile acids even independent of fiber. Vegan diets bind significantly more bile acid than lacto-ovo or non-vegetarian diets even at the same fiber intake, which could explain why it appears that individuals eating vegetarian might excrete less mutagenic feces.	Great video, I have a question, though. When it comes to constipation issues, food combining is often mentioned. Is there any science that supports food combining? And is it worth the effort? I mean things like eating fruit only on its own would accordingly speed up the digestion, but is that really advisable? Blood sugar wise it would be better to actually add some protein or fat to fruit, same for absorption of E, D, K and A, right? Please let me know if there are any good NutritionFacts about that, the internet is as always very confusing and does not help!Thanks in advance MatheoI haven’t found any evidence to support food combining rules–so combine whatever healthy foods you want! :)i agree with doc Michael, i try to seek their evidence but found nothing… i get their logic but their logic is not the very truth to lead people to the basic understanding of “what is healthy food ?”. many people found the food combining as their way out… i found out that because previously they live a screw up (live to eat) diet. so those people just like people that previously live in chaos, now they live BETTER becoz of the “order of combining food” but that doesnt mean they found the very truth of healthy diet. matheo… becareful the internet is full of fraud diets. i suggest that always seek for the very truth,the evidence, the studies, like what doc. michael provides.Thanks Christo, thats actually pretty much what I’m doing. I tried food combining for a couple of weeks, but didn’t feel much of a difference and thought it was quite a boring way of eating. I mean, my diet consists of whole plants only anyway and I think I’m doing quite well health-wise and don’t have constipation issues… I just wanted to know if there actually is any science behind it, as I’m constantly seeking for ways to improve my diet a little bit further. Cheers, MatheoGood to hear Matheo, if u are living in the plant based diet you already in the right track based on reliable evidence. and may be if you already in the the healthiest state of yourself, you cant go more coz u r on the edge of the sky Ahahhaahha, well am happy for you. if i am on your shoes… may be i will try to…. (this is something that i hardly do in my country bcoz of price tag) having berries as my breakfast and cook my veggies with “plant brooth” (the last one,i am too lazy to do it). cheers, ChristoEat a lot of fruits with fat and you will see combining rules can be important in some cases. ;DJulot J— Please explain your comments further. What cases and what benefits. ThanksNo benefits, it digest very badly and will often finish in diarrhea or loose stools~I got a bit hooked on mixed nuts lately, wash them down with low sodium V8 juice. Great tasting combination. But wondering what are the limits on the nuts? Esselstyn says only moderate amt of walnuts and only if you don’t have heart disease. (I don’t). The v8 seems harmless with the low sodium. I also use paint brush and wire collander to brush off most salt from the mixed nuts, that works very well.Greger, Esselstyn, McDougall, Fuhrman, Barnard, and Novick are all in agreement that 1 ounce per day is fine, though in slightly different contexts:Greger: advocates that 1-2 oz per day can have health benefitsEsselstyn, Novick, & McDougall: their explicit recommendations state that 1-2 oz maximum per day is fine (barring advanced heart disease as you said), but since they don’t trust people to limit their own consumption, they often appear and are incorrectly interpreted to be against nut consumption completelyBarnard: 1 oz per day is fineFuhrman: 1 oz minimum per day is mandatory for good healthI don’t believe any of them would recommend nuts with added oil. And salt, combined with the inherently high fat content even in dry-roasted nuts, can indeed make it easier to exceed the recommended serving sizes. But if overall sodium content in your diet is not an issue, and you are still able to control your servings then it may not be an issue.cool u notice their statement so wellSo we know that breast cancer risk is increased by bile absorption from the intestine. Is high fat diet (that requires more bile to digest) actually the breast and prostate cancers culprit?I have a 2X normal length colon according to my GI doctor. Although I drink water, eat whole flaxseeds with my oatmeal each AM and follow a WFPBD, I tend toward constipation. McDougall has suggested I need to take Rx only stool softener; but I have resisted. Should I, or is my diet enough protection against both breast and colon cancer [my mother’s father, brother, and son (my brother) all had colon cancer]. I’ve thought maybe a SAD diet in all plus perhaps an inherited extra long colon were the culprits . . . but maybe bile? I have no gallbladder (removed before my lifestyle change 15 years ago). My intestine receives bile directly. Should I be taking the stool softener?Hi just wondering if you get plenty of exercise? Ericget some but not a lot. I ride a stationery bike and walk a fair amount. I’m a very active person and live in a neighborhood where I can walk to most services inc grocery stores.Hi oceanfrontcabin, I hope by ‘whole flaxseeds’ you mean ground flaxseeds or flaxseed meal. Dr. Greger has several videos on flaxseeds to make this point. You may also think about adding some dried plums (aka prunes) to your oatmeal and maybe drinking some prune juice once in a while. Finally, I sometimes take flaxseed meal and add a teaspoon or two to a full glass of water and drink it down like metamucil, only much better (see flaxseed videos). I am not qualified to comment on Rx stool softeners. Good luck!No, I do mean whole flaxseeds. They absorb water and swell in the colon increasing bulk and improving constipation. Dr McD told me to take them. I eat sometimes even more than 100Gm of fiber/day. I don’t think I need more fiber.Chia seeds work really well for moving things along. A friend of mine had terrible problems, like impacted colon, requiring who-knows- what painful help from her doctor. She found chia worked wonders. Like flax, it becomes mucilagenous (sp) as it sits a few minutes in water or juice. Chia also provides complete protein and some of the elusive omega 3 fats. They sell it in bags at Trader Joe’s in the cereal section, but it’s cheaper at my food co-op.am sorry to hear your family cancer related-history. i dont have direct answert that could help you. but i were you, i will browse videos in this web that highly correlated with “colon cancer” and “anti cancer” those fruits or spices or beverages will protect u from colon cancer and other cancer. for your constipations… have you try to consume fruits like papaya or banana ?i hope its helps. Be Prime. ChristoThank you Doctor Gregor. Isn’t the bile salt production in the liver regulated by a negative feedback mechanism, in which case the greater the reabsorption of bile salts in the small intestine, the lower their production in the liver? Doesn’t this mean that the fraction of reabsorbed bile acids have no effect on the concentration of bile acids in circulation, unless there’s is some problem with the regulatory process?The feedback system itself may be regulated by diet. Bile acid production is negatively regulated by activation of liver FXR, but this in turn may be regulated by gut microbiota, which are substantially altered by plant based diets. Its all rather recent science, so the dots aren’t fully connected.What do you think is happening to those consuming a fruit-based WFPBD? They aren’t getting any resistant starch. They will eat a lunch of, say, 10-15 very ripe bananas. What is their gut microbiota like? I used to be one of them, fruit-based Doug Graham follower, until I realized it was sub-optimal to a diet based in starch. Thank you Mr. McDougall.Where are you bringing the focus on RS from? The transcript of the video doesn’t contain the term. Darryl’s comment explicitly mentions bananas as a valuable prebiotic food. Highly ripe bananas of the sweet variety contain no dietary starch per se, so it’s no surprise that they lack resistant starch, but they do have soluble fiber, and much of that fiber content is fermentable.Dr.Greger, how can one help its liver process the fats, if it has a problem with this?Dr.Greger, how can one help his liver process the fats, if it has an issue with processing lipids?Seems to me that dairy is very constipating and certainly linked strongly to breast/prostate cancer so it may not be the constipation, just the one cancer promoting food that also constipates.Dairy (even human milk) has growth factors that stimulate the growth of hormone-related cancers. Read Jane Plant’s work on the subject and you will want to avoid dairy after the age of weaning. Her breast cancer came back FIVE times before she discovered this connection. She was only eating a yogurt daily. Her newest cancer went away after getting off all dairy products. She took an oral chemo pill at the same time, but her doctor says he didn’t expect it to heal her. She already had a pretty clean diet before that. By the way, Jane Plant is a British scientist who was in a highly placed position and all her writings are backed by science she researched. She has written several books about female and prostate cancers and has helped many people heal themselves.Awesome info!! Love you!Funny how the study below suggests the OPPOSITE to what you’re saying here. That reducing fiber consumption reduces constipation and its associated symptoms.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3435786/Not to say that fiber is bad, but what’s going on here in this contradictory study?Holy cow it does say the opposite. Methinks maybe the problem is that the study starts with constipated individuals who have not responded to high-fiber diets, to the exclusion of the “normal” population that certainly does respond to high-fiber diets with easy regularity. Love to see a learned professional opinion on the matter. Thanks for posting it (confusing as it may be).Do any of your videos talk about triple negative breast cancer? It is very aggressive and usually fatal, but is not involved with hormones or Her2nu. I’ve been amazing doctors for about three years, because with that diagnosis, had I been a good little cancer patient and followed doctors’ orders I’d have been expected to die about 18 months after diagnosis.Dr. Gerger, I have discovered the main cause for most unexplained cancers. Lets talk 360-438-3636 Del..Dear Doc and NF teams. Kindly enlighten me. i read thishttp://ajcn.nutrition.org/cont… and found that table 2: total bile acids mg/day in Vegan is lowest which is in line with http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pm…conclusion (below probiotic intervention) that “However, it appears that individuals on vegetarian diets might excrete less mutagenic feces and that probiotics might have a potential in decreasing fecal mutagenicity” but am confuse with this… http://ajcn.nutrition.org/cont… that this study show vegetarian GC bile binding is lower than others but the GCDC bile binding higher than others.. this result doesnt in line withthehttp://ajcn.nutrition.org/c… table 3 and 4 that shown cholic and chenodeoxycholic of vegetarian are both relatively higher than others diet. correct me if i am wrong, may be i miss some details . Last question.. why there are primary and secondary bile acids what differentiate them ?which part of bile acids responsible for mutagenicity ?primary ?secondary ?or both ?thx much for liberate me from confusion.	animal studies,bowel movements,breast cancer,breast health,cancer,carcinogens,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,colon disease,colon health,constipation,DNA damage,estrogen,fiber,heart disease,heart health,industrial toxins,lead,mercury,microbiome,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	The reason why women who have more frequent bowel movements appear to be at lower risk for breast cancer may be because bile acids absorbed from our intestines concentrate in the breast and have a estrogen-like tumor promoting effect.	I touched on this in my new live presentation From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food that just came out, but what I didn’t get to discuss is the relative bile acid binding abilities of different foods. I’ll cover that in my next video Which Vegetable Binds Bile Best?What intestinal transit time should we be shooting for? See Food Mass Transit. That may be why Stool Size Matters. We can improve speed and size by Bulking Up on Antioxidants and eating lots of whole plant foods (Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet).Fiber may also help women remove excess estrogen from their body. See my video Fiber vs. Breast Cancer. For more on the wonders of fiber, see Dr. Burkitt’s F-Word Diet.For more of my latest videos on breast cancer prevention and survival, see:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microbiome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21095057,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2333628/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17011476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6118633,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7906811,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1562465,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12209383,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11288049,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21779247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15652226,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10445521,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6486098,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1349475/,
PLAIN-2567	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/	Evidence-Based Medicine or Evidence-Biased?	Dr. Esselstyn’s landmark study showing even advanced triple vessel coronary artery disease could be reversed with a plant-based diet has been criticized for being such a small study, but the reason we’re used to seeing such large studies is they typically show such small effects. Drug manufacturers may need to study 7,000 people in order to show a barely statistically significant 15% drop in ischemic events in a subsample of patients, whereas Esselstyn got a 100% drop in those who stuck to his diet, all the more compelling considering that those 18 participants experienced 49 coronary events, meaning like heart attacks, in the eight years before they went on the diet. And these were the worst of the worst, most of whom having already failed surgical intervention. When the effects are so dramatic how many people do you need?Before 1885, symptomatic rabies was death sentence until July 6th, when little Joseph Meister became the first to receive Pasteur’s experimental rabies vaccine. The results of this and one other case were so dramatic compared with previous experience that the new treatment was accepted with a sample size of two. So dramatic compared with previous experience, no randomized controlled trial was necessary. Would you—having been infected by a rabid dog—be willing to participate in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) when being in the control group had a certainty of a ‘‘most awful death’’? Sadly, such a question is not entirely rhetorical.In the 1970s, a revolutionary treatment for babies with immature lungs called ECMO, extracorporeal membranous oxygenation, transformed mortality in these patients from 80% to 20% nearly overnight, from 80% dead to 80% alive. Despite this dramatic success, they felt forced to perform a randomized controlled trial. They didn’t want to. They knew they’d be condemning babies to death. They felt compelled to perform such a trial because their claim that ECMO worked would, they judged, carry little weight amongst their medical colleagues unless supported by a randomized controlled trial.And so at Harvard’s Children’s Hospital 39 infants were randomized to either get ECMO or conventional medical therapy. They decided to stop the trial after the 4th death so as not to kill too many babies. And that’s what they did. The study was halted after the fourth conventional medical therapy death, at which point nine out of nine of the ECMO babies had survived. Imagine being a parent to one of those four children. Just as one can imagine being the child of a parent who died from conventional medical or surgical therapy for heart disease.Medical students in the United States are taught little about nutrition. Worse yet, their training actually biases them against the studies that show the power of dietary approaches to managing disease, by encouraging them to ignore any information that does not come from a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Yet human beings cannot be blinded to a dietary intervention—they tend to notice. As a result, physicians are biased in favor of drug treatments and against dietary interventions for the management of chronic disease.Evidence is a good thing, especially in medicine. However, the medical profession is focusing too much on one kind of evidence, to the exclusion of all others. Unfortunately, this approach can easily degenerate into ignoring-most-of-the-truly-important-evidence medicine.And heart disease, is the perfect example. On healthy enough plant based diets, our #1 cause of death may simply cease to exist. The Cornell-Oxford-China Study showed that even small amounts of animal-based food was associated with a small, but measurable increase in risk of some of these chronic diseases. In other words, the causal relationship between dietary patterns and coronary artery disease was already well established before Ornish and Esselstyn undertook their clinical studies. The value of their studies was not so much in providing evidence that such a dietary change would be effective, but in showing that physicians can persuade their patients to make such changes, and also provided interesting data on the speed and magnitude of the change in severe atherosclerotic lesions as a result of dietary therapy. So any complaints that these studies were small or unblinded are simply irrelevant. Because the evidence of the role of diet in causing atherosclerosis is already so overwhelming, assigning a patient to a control group eating the standard American diet could be considered a violation of research ethics.Evidence of the value of plant-based diets for managing chronic disease has been available in the medical literature for decades. Kempner at Duke John McDougall The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine. Denis Burkitt warned us that the standard Western diet is the standard cause of death and disability in the Western world. Yet physicians, especially in the US, are still busily manning the ambulances at the bottom of the cliff instead of building fences at the top.	There are none so blind as those who will not see. I think real change to real nutrition can happen only if/when we teach it in schools starting on day 1. The majority of “grown ups”, like the old me, see what they want to see and hear what they wish to hear. I was so much older then…I’m younger than that now.Nutrition won’t be taught in school until enough people agree on what proper nutrition is. And that won’t happen without proof. Carnivore advocates like paleos and the Weston Price Institute, would have a different idea than vegans of what’s nutritious. It’s the old problem of which came first, the sunflower or the seed?And forget schools, when will health specialist catch on in hospitals? They don’t seem to relate the affects of real food on patients. When I had surgery and an overnight stay at the largest chain-hospital in northern California last year (which is a company I respect and appreciate) I brought my own foods like oatmeal, lentils, brown rice and fruit. (I could have gotten some fruit from the hospital, but I wanted organic.) But as I recall, while they offered some fruits, they had only refined grains and animal products for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m sure I could have had a bologna and mayo on white bread sandwich if I asked for it. The staff was wonderful and very accommodating in helping with my meals, but it was food that I had to bring. How do people recovering get better on the stuff they serve?And for a friend who is currently in a county jail serving a 6 mo sentence, almost every lunch is bologna on white, and almost every dinner is low grade animal products and ramon noodles and a small serving of over-cooked canned veggies. Talk about your cruel and inhuman punishments.Yep, re. amazing hospital food. I worked for quite a while in a medical imaging research lab located at a prominent northern California VA hospital (i.e. in the heart of foodie USA). I was stunned the first time I checked out the cafeteria. Alongside the pepperoni pizza, greasy fires, fried chicken,and mammoth soda dispenser, the only “healthy” alternative was a plastic container full of iceberg lettuce and tasteless tomatoes.Same here. I’ve worked in hospital based imaging for over 40 years and the food was atrocious. The last place I worked,though, had an unusual but delicious salad bar, like someone knew what they were serving. Sad to say most MD’s are clueless to plant based reversal of heart dz. When I mentioned it to some of the MD’s I worked with their eyes glazed over and got very uncomfortable…If it was not in their “cookbook” of how to treat dz with the Burn Cut or Poison method they were like a fish out of water…I just wanted to thank you for reminding me of one of my favorite Bob Dylan lines. :)Good Byrds reference in the last line!At the autopsy of young soldiers killed in Vietnam, doctors discovered a strong atherosclerosis. It turns cholesterol is not guilty?Michael what do you think?I think his answer is in his recent blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/and the related video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/In my early career in imaging, I viewed an autopsy of a young gent. The pathologist said the same thing! This was 35 years ago. He said autopsy on WW2 soldiers had very little to no plaque in their hearts. Korean war, more plaque and with vietnam it was exploding, pardon the pun. The pathologist showed me the left coronary artery on this 20 something year old and it had little flecks of white in it. The beginning of Atherosclerotic Heart Disease… Kind of parallels the injestion of more meat products, high fructos corn syrup and highly processed food. Hummmmm…..I had in mind that one of the main causes of atherosclerosis in the young age the stress and no cholesterol.I recall reading something a few years ago that said stress plays a factor because cortisol–produced by the body when it’s under stress–increases how fat and cholesterol collect as plaque around organs, especially the heart.Well presented! Thank you again and again and again! I’m glad you have not been blinded by the “science”! Reminds me of a song . . . “She Blinded me with science”Great video! Maybe a lot of doctors are in denial. As Dr Greger points out: It takes a big study to show minor results – and who cares? It takes a small study to show big results – and nobody cares !! Every M.D. know this, so I dont understand why the work of Dr Ornish, Dr Esselstyn and others doesn’t have a huge impact on modern medicine. Medicine have throughout its history recommended treatments based on probable evidence, but when we talk about food as a tool to prevent, control, reverse or cure disease the medical establishment demands absolute proof. Talk about bias….“This is one of my favorite videos of the year so far.” Justifiably so!But (of course! :) wouldn’t the intro be helped by mentioning Esselstyn’s recently-published study?Hi Brec! :)) The ECMO example is such a powerful analogy, isn’t it? To answer your question, Dr. Greger and his fab team scripted and recorded this video piece just a few weeks before Dr. Esselstyn’s most recent study was released. But if you look under “Doctor’s Notes” (above these comments, below the video), there’s a link to Dr. Esselstyn’s newest study. So stay tuned, I think Dr. Greger mentioned that he plans to highlight the new Dr. Esselstyn study in an upcoming piece. And if you’re not already, make sure you’re subsrcibed by going to: http://bit.ly/nutritionfactsupdates so you don’t miss it!NF community, if you like this piece, please share it with as many people as possible! Or at least with the people you care about living long, healthy lives! :)) Let’s get the word out!I’m frustrated because the people I LOVE in my life who need to take action on this message sadly have not. Despite my best efforts of sharing Dr Greger’s videos. You can lead a horse to water…sigh.You’re absolutely right. I am a physician working in a hospital and all around me I see colleagues , coworkers, and patients getting fat. I discuss diet and fitness on a daily basis yet, at the end of the day (a phrase I am rapidly tiring of) most people eat what they think tastes good. And it usually comes in a paper bag with a familiar logo on it. Poor eating habits are incredibly ingrained in our society. I always know when a class of nursing students is departing by the telltale pink doughnut boxes left behind as a token of their “appreciation.” You mention the word vegetarian to people and the most common response is, “So all you eat is salad?”When I went vegetarian (later vegan) I told friends having me over for dinner, at the time of invitation, to just serve me everything except the meat. At the dinner, my friend’s wife served me a chicken breast. When I reminded her that I was now veg she replied, “I know, that’s why your piece is smaller.” When I politely declined it she got upset and said, “but you can’t eat NO meat! You have to eat SOMETHING!” They never accepted it.mbglife: That may not have been funny at the time, but that’s just so funny now. I can just imagine someone so outraged/confused/bewildered and earnestly saying that.I guess it’s both funny and a sad testament to how lacking our education system is. Your friend’s wife no doubt hontestly believes that if you don’t eat meat, that’s tantamount to eating nothing or nothing of value. OK, now I’m sad again.I know. I love how a smaller piece of meat is equal to being vegetarian.And fish, don’t forget fish. So many people, when hearing that I am vegan, say, “But you eat fish, right?” Duh.Blanster: I can so relate. And you are right, you can’t force people to do what they don’t want to do. What makes it painful is when the stubborn people (horses or another word for donkeys? ) refuse to change.If it is any comfort, I can say that I never thought my parents would change. But I kept being patient in terms of sending information and being a good role model without pushing. Eventually both parents went largely vegan (maybe 97% I think). And both have experienced significant health benefits. So, it may not happen fast enough to give you peace, but it *can* still happen.You may have done this already, but I highly recommend purchasing a copy of Forks Over Knives. (Or if you have Netflicks, I believe they have it.) And then bribe your loved ones to sit down and watch it with you. I think that movie is powerful. And while it didn’t have an immediate effect on my parents, I believe it was what started to change their thinking. Dr. Greger’s summary videos also helped greatly.Good luck!Thanks! My frustration is that so many friends have serious (even life threatening) health issues, yet prefer to take medications and suffer over trying dietary changes that would potentially cure their issues. And I have to worry and listen to them worry in the meantime. :(I just posted this link in a separate post on this page to a Dr Greger video about how vegans die at a higher rate than omnivores unless they are getting vitamins B6, B12, folate and balanced omega-3 to omega-6. The advice can also help omnivores, so you might want to try that info with your no-diet-change friends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04A friend of mine, who last year told me that he couldn’t live without meat, recently confided to me that he is changing his diet to more veg. Yay! I think recent health issues in his family along with all the delicious pics of my vegan dinners that I post on FB are changing his mind.RunsWithPoodles: Nice!!! Good for you. That’s really leading by example.There are 57 countries with a lower prevalence of coronary heart disease than that in the United States: http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/coronary-heart-disease/by-country/ What fraction of the diets in these nations is plant-based?I can’t speak to every country out there, but Israel has about 1 million vegetarians (with a total population of 8 million), with about 5% of the total population being vegan.http://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1000906210#fromelement=hp_folders_821Sorry about the link being in Hebrew, but Google Translate should do the trick.This is a very informative site. Thank you for the link.That’s an excellent link, but it initially threw me for a loop. I recalled an earlier video which mentioned that heart disease was virtually unheard of in Uganda, yet according to this chart it is significantly higher than in the U.S. I went back and watched the Uganda video again and realized that the studies were done more than 50 years ago. My how they have progressed.Wow! I just went through every cause of death on that chart. It’s mindboggling. If you ignore infectious diseases, which obviously predominate in Africa, it’s difficult to see a pattern with the various cancers and other afflictions.This video is a perfect pairing with your “tomato effect” video, which remains one of my all time favorites: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/ The main point you raise in each video, that scientists need to stop pretending that valid science regarding nutrition doesn’t exist, because it doesn’t fit the current generally accepted view, is perfect. Thank you so much for all of the useful information I get from your site every day.I read Esselstyn’s book, but it was a while ago. As I remember, his subjects took statins while on a strictly plant-based, low-fat diet.Some of them, perhaps a majority, took/take statins. I take one. But millions of people do. I need both (diet+statin) to get my TC and LDL to what I consider acceptable levels.Dr. Esselstyn added relatively low dose lovastatin and sometimes cholesyramine to push total cholesterol below 150 mg/dl, where the Framingham study indicated negligible cardiac risk.For most middle-aged, Western patients on low fat Pritikin/Ornish/Esselstyn diets, diet alone achieves cholesterol levels around 170 mg/dl. But achieving lower cholesterol through diet (or genetics) appears to have greater protective effects than through drugs. High-dose statins can reduce event rates by about 26%, whereas traditional low-fat plant based diets reduce events by upwards of 80-90%, and genetically lifetime low LDL reduces rates 3 times as much as pharmaceutical reductions with statins.I monitor my own progress with bimonthly blood donations, and indeed, my own levels hovered in the 170 mg/dl range for years after adopting a whole foods plant based diet. I finally had a 147 test result last week, and I suspect an almond binge (with its high levels of phytosterols) during the prior week contributed to the good number.I’m not quibbling with the effect of a WFPB diet on CAD (Joe Crowe’s angiogram in Esselstyn’s slide and first chapter of his book is all the more impressive because he refused statins), but doesn’t the footnote in Esselstyn’s book mention cholestyramine, 4 g twice daily, and lovastatin @ 40 mg to 60 mg/day? Don’t know about cholestrymine, but isn’t 60mg a pretty hefty dose of statins?Statins have varying effectiveness at LDL reduction, this is a useful comparison chart. There are numerous articles in the literature where “aggressive” LDL lowering with 80 mg Lipitor or 20 mg Crestor are used, which appears to be many fold the effective dose used by Esselstyn.Thanks, Darryl. That chart was just what the doctor ordered.I’m glad to hear that the almonds lent a hand. I need nuts and seeds to maintain a healthy weight. So I eat variously raw (when possible) almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, hemp seeds, and peanuts (I know, not a nut). I try not to over-do it, as I could easily be eating a “high-fat” diet.Darryl, do you have any comment on unsweetened, shredded coconut?Superb video, Dr. Greger.Thanks for another great video. It always astounds me how much misinformation gets spread through doctors, who most people believe have the best information on nutrition.Dr. Esselstyn has published a new, larger study of zero-added fat whole plant food diets in coronary artery disease:Esselstyn, Caldwell et al. (2014). A Way to reverse CAD? J Fam Practice, 63(7), 356-364.It will be criticised for not having a randomized control arm, but a 10% (and only 0.6% “recurrent”) adverse event rate in the 177 adherent patients vs 62% in the 21 patients who fell off the wagon deserves a more prominent outlet than J Fam Practice.I’m still waiting for a meat and dairy sponsored Esselstyn-like study to demonstrate that a high fat low carb diet can reverse heart disease.Cute. ;-) Don’t hold your breath, or you’ll turn purple.(Or maybe they will come up with something by creating yet another twisted/invalid study. Yikes. Be careful what you joke about…)You would be surprised how many doctors even cardiologists and lipidologists have been persuaded to accept LCHF diets as an alternative to plant-based nutrition. Part of this has to do with the efforts of Gary Taubes & Assoc/NuSI. It’s possible some have been able to lose weight themselves on such a diet, despite risk factors worrsening in many but not all who undertake the diet.(Though I have yet to see proof of regression, theoretically it is possible that weight loss alone can induce it. Problem is, no one can lose weight indefinitely, which leaves one eventually with the stark effects of the foods themselves.)Celebrated lipidologist Thomas Dayspring, for example, discounts Ornish’s study on the basis of the shortcomings of older angiographic evidence (vs newer IVUS imaging tech, I presume, AKA moving the goalposts).https://twitter.com/drlipid/status/484094667823546369https://twitter.com/drlipid/status/250310413852495872Here is my latest exchange with him beginning with this tweet by Charles Grashow (so follow the thread after this tweet on Twitter):https://twitter.com/cvictorg/status/494177945368674304Remember to view this tweet on Twitter to read the thread with Dayspring’s and my comments.But he is a… lipidologist lost: http://plantpositive.com/17-thomas-dayspring-lipidologi/ i don’t know much about him… but maybe he should read more reviews about Taubes and co…The only way Dr’s will prescribe a good diet over of pills is if pharmaceutical companies can have their own grocery stores where patients HAVE to go and fill out their orders.I think the level of difference vs chance should help determine the extent of studies needed to demonstrate efficacy. If 18 out of 18 who complied with Esselstyn’s diet were functionally cured, as it appears they were, then what is the likelihood you’re going to see something different in patient 19? Not much. Certainly low enough to take the chance, especially with the meager results of other things, many of which failed his 18 patients already before they even started on his diet.The science demonstrating diet is unknown to the public. I have to say that before I found Esselstyn, Campbell, Ornish, Fuhrman, Greger, Burkitt, Klapper, Barnard, and some others, I had NO IDEA there was any real dietary science being done, that the results were in, and that the miracle cure had been found. It is so cool, yet the public is mostly unaware how powerful all this information actually is, or where exactly to find it amidst all the hype and confusion.This is an especially important video! Thank you dr. Greger! You and your team rock my world with the latest and greatest in nutrition and all around useful and practical information (almost) every day! Keep up the good work!Dr Greger has a 1hr 15min video on youtube of his presentation in the early 2000s about vegans dying of heart disease, cancer, stroke and Alzheimer’s at rates higher than meat eaters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04In it he explains the cause was discovered to be that people need to take folate, B6 and B12 to get homocystine levels down, and get their omega-3 and omega-6 levels within a 1 to 4 ratio or better. And the results showed that this was the case regardless of cholesterol being over 200. Good video but loooooooong. I wish he would make a mini version for this site. It was really good. I’ve enjoyed and supported this site for years, but never saw the video until recently. Now I tell my omnivore friends to at least pop a few more pills (the above listed supplements) to protect themselves better. Some are doing it. So it’s a start.I notice there were only a handful of women in Dr Esselstyn’s study of nearly 200 (see link to July, 2014 “A Way to Reverse CAD?” article, under Doctor’s Note, above).Thanks, Dr G.	animal products,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,China Study,chronic diseases,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Dr. Dean Ornish,Dr. Denis Burkitt,Dr. John McDougall,Dr. Walter Kempner,ECMO,Evidence-based medicine,extracorporeal membranous oxygenation,heart disease,heart health,infants,Lifestyle medicine,Louis Pasteur,lung health,medical education,mortality,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,plant-based diets,rabies,Rice Diet,standard American diet,vaccines	Evidence-based medicine may ironically bias medical professionals against the power of dietary intervention.	This is one of my favorite videos of the year so far. If you’re not familiar with Dr. Esselstyn’s  work I touch on it in:And in fact he just released a much larger study. Read it here.Sadly, medical students learn little about these powerful tools:If you haven’t heard of Pritikin, I introduce him here: Engineering a CureAn intro to Dr. Ornish: Convergence of EvidenceDr. Burkitt: Dr. Burkitt’s F-Word DietThe Cornell-Oxford-China Study: China Study on Sudden Cardiac DeathAnd more on Dr. Walter Kempner’s work at Duke coming soon!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evidence-based-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-caldwell-esselstyn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-john-mcdougall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/physicians-committee-for-responsible-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/extracorporeal-membranous-oxygenation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-denis-burkitt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/louis-pasteur/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaccines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-walter-kempner/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ecmo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2685740,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7101133,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10496449,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15805461,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24238959,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23301741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11832674,
PLAIN-2568	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/	Saving Lives By Treating Acne With Diet	-	Are there any other suspected dietary causes of acne, other than dairy/animal protein? I’ve been vegan for about six months now, and my adult acne doesn’t seem to be getting any better.I have no medical certification, but I can point you to a relevant section of one of the studies in the Dr. Greger’s Sources Cited:“Nutritional therapy of acne should (i) normalize total calorie intake, (ii) lower glycaemic load and (iii) restrict total dairy protein consumption, especially whey protein abuse 5,19,25,32–34. The ideal nutritional therapy of acne should favour (i) a Palaeolithic-type diet containing less insulinotropic grains and minimal or no dairy products to avoid increased IIS and androgen precursors present in dairy products, (ii) higher consumption of vegetables, fruits and green tea containing natural plant-derived mTORC1 inhibitors (epigallocatechin gallate, resveratrol and other natural polyphenols) 121 and (iii) increased consumption of fish (lower insulinaemic index than dairy protein; source of anti-inflammatory ω-3 fatty acids) and adequate intake of vitamin D (see Data S1, Fig. S1).”Full article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746128/Best of luck with everything!Quickly off the top of my head is High Fructose Corn Syrup causes acne as well. You could also have allergies to some foods. I have seen allergies and papules/pustules with over-consumption of Highly processed Soy (Soy Protein isolates). You should try the bean and rice diet for a couple of weeks which is boring ( beans and rice 3 meals a day) but it cleans your system out and then you can start adding foods back to your diet to see which ones are promoting your acne. Just a quick answer for you that may help.I read Loren Cordain’s book, The Paleo Diet just to see what the “ememy” was up to. Most of it was nonsense with claims that eating meat has nothing to do with cancer and saying that we should eat as cave men did- including artificial sweetened soft drinks and tea! But the only part I was impressed with was the evidence he presented that grains can cause acne. I believe he was actually talking about refined grains such as white flour since they’re the most commonly consumed. So, it wouldn’t hurt to eat only whole grains in some moderation. Please let me point out Bonnie, that the point isn’t to be vegan (candy bars, cola, french fries and potato chips can be vegan foods) but to avoid foods that are processed as well. That’s why Whole Food Plant Based is a better description of this healthiest diet.In the book “Wheat Belly”, Dr. William Davis states that cultures that avoid gluten (especially wheat), sugar and dairy are acne free. So, you might want to try going gluten-free for a month, as well as continue avoiding sugar and dairy.Bonnie for me there is one thing that makes my acne flare up like nothing else. I’ve tried it over and over again. Mostly because I really really would like to be able to eat them. Unfortunately my skin doesn’t seem to like potatoes. Other night shades are no problem at all. I only have to eat one meal with potatoes and 36 hours later my acne appears.Hi Bonnie, I know that for female adult acne, a lot of it has to do with hormones, which are tricky business. I’ve struggled since I was 20 with adult acne. I gave up trying to find a cure and just decided to be happy and accept the whole me – acne and all. However, I became vegan for ethical reasons, and it substantially cleared my acne. It took a while before I started to notice my skin improving – so long that I didn’t think the diet change would help my acne at all (again it wasn’t my reason for going vegan, just a side affect I hoped for). Anyway, it is different for everyone and to pin-point one trigger foor or whatever I think over simplifies the whole thing. For me, it helped. I eat TONNES and veggies, lots of whole grains, legumes etc. I totally limit processed foods, oils, and especially sugar ( processed that is, not from fruit which I also eat TONNES of :)). I exercise daily, I find fun and happiness daily, and I get a lot of rest. My suggestion is eat whole plant foods with minimal/no processing, exercise lots, sleep lots, and love yourself unconditionally. Your body will be happy, you will feel great inside, and if the acne clears then BONUS!Not sure about dietary causes, but stress is bad for it. Sunlight helps relieve it. So outdoor exercise is helpful, and a lack of it could allow more acne.Same here with severe acne and I used to drink a lot of milk in my youth. However taking a few teaspoons of B5 vitamins everyday seem to almost completely eradicate it so long as I keep taking it. Otherwise it all comes back and I look like pizza face within weeks again.Does anyone know of any research indicating that acne may be caused by B5 defiency? Or that bioactive substances in dairy causes the need for excess B5 intake to keep acne away?I just replied to Bonnie about this. There is research done on the subject. Just look for research regarding pantothenic acid. It has something to do with a lack of Coenzyme-A production. There are some websites that try to claim B5 for acne treatment is a myth but I know it works, so yeah.. http://www.coenzyme-a.com/acne_vulgaris.htmlAre you still using vegetable oils, gluten foods, and frying foods? This will also prevent the elimination of old dairy in your liver and organs and interstitial spaces under your skin. An electric living food juice detox will help: fresh juices and blends.i’ve had acne from age 10-33… nothing helped… has improved GREATLY since I cut back on wheat.I had the same issue on a strict diet, have never consumed dairy and was off of all animal protein. I read a deficiency in pantothenic acid (b5) could be a cause. I supplemented and the issue cleared up. I think it’s worth doing the research on it! I had to take loading doses but it was really worth it.Mine started when I became vegan. Mine was caused by soy. I have to avoid soy almost completely. When I do consume it it has to be a very small amount. I have been acne free since eliminating it. I rarely even have a pimple. Maybe 3 in one year. That’s it!Stay away from peanut butter, peanuts, peanut oil, anything containing androgen hormones and iodized salt. These aggravate acne.Bonnie, I am 49 and have been vegan for 9 years. My acne seems to have gotten worse. It’s very frustrating. I have tried to get answers and haven’t found any.my guess is that it’s premenopausal acnevirgin coconut oil, raw apple cider vinegar….use earthclinic to verify and instructi’m still doubting coconut oil, since it boost testosterone, and too much testosterone would cause acne. Any theory behind using coconut oil?One man, “Neto the raw boy” cured his severe acne by going on the 80/10/10 raw vegan diet, which is high carb, high-calorie and fruit- and leaf- based. His name on instagram is “therawboy”, he posted his before- and after- photos a while ago now but he periodically reposts them. Other people have had great success on this diet curing their acne. After all it’s the way we are designed to eat – the same as the other great apes. No other animal cooks their food.Also, ensure you are getting enough zinc (perhaps take quality chlorella? It’s like natures zinc supplement) and iodine. People doing the “iodine protocol” (I believe by Dr Brownstein) have also drastically improved their skin (it involves mega dosing on Lugol’s iodine and taking enough selenium in the form of methylselenocysteine. If you take iodine without selenium or vice versa it causes problems).Thank you everyone for your replies! My diet is comprised mostly of whole plant foods, but I’m going to have to experiment to find out what is causing this. Of all processed foods, I probably eat processed wheat products the most (in the form of breads and cereals) so that could be it. I’ll also have to experiment with B5 and see if that helps. Thanks again!Eating Soy is a trigger for me and shampoo/health care products with sulphates. I had acne all around my hairline and my back where my wet hair touched my skin. Derma e makes good, affordable skin care without parabens which also cause problems.A couple of years ago I developed really bad acne on my forehead during an antibiotic regimen for lyme disease. The usual treatments did nothing, and I found an extensive guide that explained how acne on different parts of your face indicates different causes related to diet, lifestyle and your internal functioning.In my case, the antibiotics had caused leaky gut. I had sharp pains in my intestines towards the end of the antibiotic treatment and afterwards. I began taking aloe vera juice and probiotics and my skin totally cleared up (and stomach pain ceased).As a kid I had skin problems, but consumed lots of dairy. I stopped consuming dairy years ago and those specific skin problems went away.Here is a version of the guide I had that shows how you need to treat acne depending on where it occurs most prevalently on your face: http://thelovevitamin.com/5335/where-your-acne-is-and-what-it-looks-like-can-tell-you-whats-causing-it/#.U-BK_BbD_mIHi Bonnie, I had serious acne through my teenage life and I continue to suffer from it. However, I have tried John Mcdougall’s Acne Diet. This basically said to completely avoid oils, and high fat foods such as soy products, avocados and nuts. Basically a low fat plant based diet. Here are the resources, it seems to be working for me so far.http://nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/031100puacne.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qdwn2itsggBest of luck! :)Sugar and white flour.Dr. Michael Greger, would you suggest an overweight vegan should calorie count? or are there better ways of losing weight?Here’s a quick link for you. Great video on counting calories. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/You can also search this sight for weight loss and come across a plethora of information that will help with the questions you ask.sam: You may also want to check out the following resource. I think that these talks give a much better answer for how to lose weight than calorie counting:“How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” by Dr. Lisle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQThe next one has to be purchased, but it is *worth it*. It is from Jeff Novick and is called Calorie Density: How To Eat More, Weigh Less, and Live Longer. It’s fascinating stuff and right in line with the videos on this website: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406838432&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density+jeff+novickThe two videos together hit the same topic, but from different angles and with some different ideas. Those videos will make you feel good as well as confident that you can meet your goals.After you review those talks, you could then get more practical advice by trying the free program from PCRM: 21 Day Kickstart. http://support.pcrm.org/site/PageServer?pagename=21day_vegan_kickstart&JServSessionIda003=upegog3qg1.app234c Hope that helps. Excellent program that holds your hand, sends daily e-mails, grocery lists, meal plans, etc. And/or check out some cookbooks such as: Happy Herbivoir Light And LeanGood luck!I have been a vegan for 3 years and still have a very bad hormonal acne. I eat only whole foods (with exception for pasta and soy milk)I was going to ask the exact same question! Adult hormonal acne, already vegan.Yep, been there done that. I had cystic acne, even though I was eating a very healthy vegan diet. While I know many will not agree, I ended up on Accutane at the age of 38 because absolutely nothing seemed to get it under control. The last cyst on my chin before Accutane was 7/8 inch across of red, swollen pain – and that was only one cyst. I was desperate beyond words for relief, especially when my very young child said it made me look like a monster.I don’t know if years of SAD simply messed up my body and a healthy diet couldn’t overcome the acne genes I inherited, but I completely understand everyone saying diet simply isn’t doing it. My sister, who had beautiful skin as a teen, broke out in horrific, horrid cystic acne when she was pregnant, so it was very much hormone-related since her diet didn’t change. She ended up on Accutane after birth, and still has numerous scars.It took me over 45 years, and it happened quite by accident, but I eventually found the root cause of all my acne, drum roll…….TABLE SALT!Who would have believed that? I’ve always loved salty food and put far too much salt over my meals. Anyway, I was away in some remote location for a couple of weeks and there was no salt available (much to my frustration at the time). During this break ALL my acne started to disappear..It was still a while after that before I made the connection, but I got there in the end. I’ve since tried this theory out by reintroducing salt to meals, and within about 3 days new acne starts to reappear.All those years of suffering with sore, spotty, unsightly skin makes me sad, but then I’m just grateful that I found the cause and was able to put an end to this once and for all.I hope this message will help some other poor sufferer.BTW, love the site, and the priceless information that’s posted, and continues to get published here.AndySalt has lots of fecal bacteria from sea gulls in it. If you put the salt in a 400 oven for 5 minutes, it will kill the bacteria. Since salt is addictive, and really does bad things to our cells (better to eat celery or dulse leaves, the latter of which gives us all of the minerals and trace minerals we need to stay well), when we think we need it, our body is just telling us that this food is dead, devoid of the electricity we need to feed our heart muscles and brain cells.I’d like to see some legitimate research that shows fecal bacteria, specifically from sea gulls, in table salt. That just sounds completely ridiculous to me.I use to have really bad hormonal acne until I cut out wheat, dairy and started drinking lemon water every morning. For the first time in 15 years I am acne free!!It was probably the dairy, not the wheat or lemons….My 16 year old son is essentially vegan (only very occasionally eats dairy while out of the house). He eats a lot of fruits and veggies. Unfortunately, he still has acne. I wish it was as simple as just eating a nutritious whole foods plant-based diet.Read “The Starch Solution” by Doctor John McDougall . Do not consume any oils, not even olive oil. Do not eat fake meats, vegan butter, junk food. Give your body some time to adjust and voilà!have you suffered from acne?I have. Hormonal acne since I was 20. Whole food vegan diet (similar to Dr. McDougall diet) was the only thing that helped (though it wasn’t why I went vegan). Cut processed foods, especially sugar, completely out. Cut out fats except those naturally occurring in foods like avocados and nuts. Also, exercise and rest. Limit/cut out alcohol. These are the things that have helped me.Besides avoiding dairy and sugar, try going gluten-free. http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/12/the-acne-miracle/I’d see if you have an actual allergy first, otherwise you will be paying out the nose for GF foods without any benefit. Acne isn’t and never will be as simple as cutting out one food and having a cure. It is much more complex than that. In my opinion, it is lifestyle changes that make a difference. I’ve already posted this three times but whole plant foods (grains too!), exercise, rest, limit alcohol, and enjoy life. And what is there to lose? Worst case scenario, you are eating healthier, you’ve changed your life to a more wholesome healthy one – and who can complain about that!I’ve struggled with acne all my life and I’m in my 40’s now. I eat whole foods now (have cut out the processed foods) and no milk, no meat, etc. I also drink lots of water. I’ve found that nuts (any kind) make my acne flare up. You may have to eliminate some foods and then see what happens when you re introduce them. I still eat nuts now and then, even though I know what will happen. I just accept it and move on.I am glad to see so many people overcoming acne! I completely agree that there can be several causes for acne, although dairy is often the most common one. Here is another cause linked to acne, the lack of Omega 3 fatty acids: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24553997Edith, if this does not relate to you, if you consume flax seeds daily and you do not overeat on coconuts, nuts and nut butters) you can get tested for allergies or food intolerance. You can also see your hormonal status via saliva hormone test (examines saliva samples over a 24-hour period). These tests can perhaps help you find a cause for your acne.I think milk is useful if your goal is physical strength, not longevity. To quote Mark Rippetoe, author of popular book Starting Strength, “experience shows that people who drink lots of milk during their novice phase get bigger and stronger than people who don’t”. He claims it is common for a teenager to gain up to 60 pounds over the course a one year of consistent hard barbell training and drinking a gallon of whole milk every day. And those extra pounds, presumably mostly muscle, will certainly help to win at sports like football or hockey, even if sprouting a few zits is a side effect.Although I certainly value my muscular strength and strength train regularly and intensely, my priority is longevity. I have drastically reduced my consumption of meat, whole eggs, and dairy and have noticed a significant drop in my cholesterol for doing so. I intend to completely drop dairy and swap fish for a DHA supplement and be full vegan from September through November and see how it affects my athletic performance and blood work.In regards to Rippletoe’s advice, one could make the same claim for anabolic steroids in injectable or pill form. Doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea…Sounds like you have a good plan. Lots of inspiring vegan athletes and bodybuilders out there.This makes me think about something I observed in a rural Chinese village where my wife grew up. The kids there don’t have any skin blemishes in general; no acne. But in the large provincial capital nearby, I see lots of acne (or skin problems in general) amongst younsters.The primary difference in relation to this video: The country villages don’t have cows, and very little (if any) cows milk or other dairy. Anything dairy would have to be bought in the city and transported out to the village.Whereas in the city, lots of grocery outlets (WalMart is a big one) have lots of dairy for sale; a product of more western-style food available in Chinese cities.I’d wondered in the past why the difference; but before seeing this video, I hadn’t thought about the milk.i’m originally from southeast Asia, where acne is very rare. The worst teenagers got were occasional pimples. I don’t know whether this is due to melanin-rich skin, a lot of sunshine, or the diet: carbohydrates-mostly rice (wheat products are an occasional treat.) fats-coconut oil and coconut milk proteins-fish, nuts, beans, vegetables (eggs: occasional; meat (mostly chicken):only at parties and celebrations; milk products-occasional ice cream or yogurt)The area my wife is from is in Southern China, Guangxi Province, bordering Vietnam and Beibu Gulf.Since we often traveled between the village and the city, and also had country kids come to the city with us for a few days, it was easy to catch the difference between the country kids and city kids’ complexions.I used to think maybe it was the country providing a better environment for developing stable immune systems (i.e. the city kids having too sterile an environment).But this last video makes a lot of since; especially because I know dairy isn’t a traditional part of Chinese diet; especially on the farm.I got acne when I went vegan frutarian, went cooked vegan and did not stop, now eating seafood and I get only in my pre mestrual days. I really wish what to do about my skin….Your body is probably going thru detox and pushing all the toxic stuff to the surface of your skin. You should go back to plant based since eating seafood is extremely contaminated and cruel. In the meantime try a chemical exfoliant like salicylic acid.Dont use any exfoliants, just the face wash without the exfoliant beads!The picture looks like HP Lovecraft with acne.Yeah I definitely get less acne since I became vegan. But I also stopped being a teenager around the same time. I still seem to get the same amount of blackheads, but whatevs.Thank you for this post. Sure wish it had come out a decade and a half ago, when our children were dealing with it. We tried all sorts of things to no avail.For everyone commenting here that they still have acne despite eating whole foods plant based:This is what cured my adult acne. Vegan, WFPB, low sugar, low fat, all the froufrou “natural” cures, blah blah blah didn’t cure it for me. Your diet might be perfect, but if your pores are full of dead skin cells and bacteria, it’s not going to make any difference.If you have not tried the following, try it for a couple months. Most cases should respond favorably.Get a salicylic acid product e.g. toner, gel, etc pH must be no higher than ~3.8 No alcohol, coloring agents, or fragrances No ingredients that cause “tingling” or “cooling” e.g. menthol, citrus, etcIf you’ve tried salicylic acid before, but it did not fit the criteria mentioned above, give it another try. Most products on the market are not at the correct pH (so you’re not actually getting the acid), and/or contain alcohol or other substances that actively irritate the lining of the pore and are as a result, counterproductive. Salicylic acid is a chemical exfoliant which removes dead skin cells from inside the pores. Over time, pores that are kept consistently clear produce less sebum. Both factors make the pores less hospitable to bacteria.Get a benzoyl peroxide product (2.5 to 5%; 10% may cause excessive irritation) to kill bacteria. Keep in mind this step will not work very well if the pores are not first cleared with a chemical exfoliant. Physical exfoliants are not in any way the same, and will often cause irritation.Honestly if anyone wants to know exact products I use, I’m happy to share. Unsolicited, I hesitate for fear of sounding like an infomercial.Acne sucks! Best of luck to everyone.I’d love to hear the specific products. Thanks!Hi Hopeful,[and hi moderators, I promise this isn’t a commercial, just hoping to help others through my experiences :) ]The two main products would be a 2% salicylic acid toner, and a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide from paula’s choice. I have accumulated various other salicylic and glycolic acid products, with higher percentages that are more like weekly treatments. All work great and I love them, but you really only need a basic SA and BP to start out with. Prices are around what I’d call mid to higher “walmart” level pricing. Along the lines of neutrogena or olay. The ones I use daily tend to last 9-10 months, and the weekly type treatments seem to last indefinitely.Even if you don’t get those, I still highly recommend the “advice” portion of the paulas choice website, with lots of articles about acne (with actual peer-reviewed lit sources) as well as the beautypedia section, which has reviews of products from almost all major skincare lines, so you can check out the products you’re currently using. Or get recommendations for products you can find in a drugstore or big box store if for some reason you don’t want to order things or live in a different country etc.A good article to start with: http://www.paulaschoice.com/expert-advice/acne/_/all-about-acneOne thing I learned from one of the informational articles was that buying face washes with active ingredients is kind of a waste, since they don’t penetrate or stay on the skin. So I use a cerave foaming face wash, which is very gentle but also removes makeup very well. I can even use it on my eyes for mascara and concealer and it works well with no stinging. I tried some of the paula’s choice cleansers, but since they don’t really contain any “active ingredients”, it didn’t seem worth the cost or hassle. The cerave kind is available at walmart and about half the price of the paulas choice ones, and twice as big so you don’t have to be buying/ordering face wash all the time. I also use cerave am/pm face lotions from walmart. The paulas choice ones are again very good, but again not worth the cost to me, since it’s just lotion and not really a “treatment”. Both the cerave lotions and face wash get good reviews on beautypedia. The lotions absorb very well and are not greasy.Another big thing I took away from the educational materials was the idea that you *cannot* spot treat acne, or you’ll find yourself chasing pimples all over your face. I don’t know why but that concept really had an impact on me. I had to use the SA and BP daily, all over the face, in more of a preventive manner, for about 1.5 months until my skin had really turned a corner. Fyi, it did make my skin a bit red and flaky at first, but my acne had gotten bad enough that I didn’t even care! I felt so unattractive, and was just so downtrodden at the time. Looking back it’s quite sad. However now my skin is *never* flaky even in winter (due to the regular chemical exfoliation), which is a revelation.It’s now clear and has been for a couple years. Since I was a teenager I have always wore full coverage makeup; even without active breakouts I hated my skin. For the first time in my teenage/adult life now, I actually like my skin. I can get away with undereye concealer and tinted moisturizer now which I *never* would have imagined possible a couple years ago :)Best of luck to you. I’m *hopeful* that this was helpful. :) Any other questions I’m happy to share.b00mer: Speaking for me personally, I found this posting to be very appropriate. Also, speaking for me personally, I am grateful you took the time to post all these details. Very helpful!can you share the product you use please?What about Goat yogurt and kefir (organic, antibiotic and hormones free) with good bacterias. We need some good bacteria, right? What about butter?Laura: Yogurt and kefir are just concentrated dairy with some probiotics/bacteria. We know that dairy is not good for us. Here is more information on dairy: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=dairyre: “We need some good bacteria, right?” You can get good bacteria from healthier sources than dairy. The following is a quote from one of Dr. Greger’s videos that I think is pretty helpful:“Unless one has suffered a major disruption of gut flora by antibiotics, or an intestinal infection—unless one is symptomatic—with like diarrhea or bloating, I would suggest focusing on feeding the good bacteria we already have, by eating so-called prebiotics, such as fiber. After all, as we saw before, who knows what you’re getting when you buy probiotics, they may not even even be alive by the time you buy them. They have to survive the journey down to the large intestine. Altogether, these points suggest that the advantages of prebiotics—found in plant foods–outweigh those of probiotics. And by eating raw fruits and vegetables we may be getting both. Fruits and vegetables are covered with millions of lactic acid bacteria, some of which are the same type used as probiotics. So when studies show eating more fruits and vegetables boosts immunity, prebiotics and probiotics may be playing a role.” From: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/I seem to remember that Dr. Greger has a whole video or even series on the topic of prebiotics, but I couldn’t find it/them. Maybe you will have better luck.re: “butter” Butter has lots of saturated fat: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=saturated And don’t forget the cholesterol. Yikes. And butter is an oil/just fat/empty calories. Fat has twice the calories of sugar, making those empty calories all the more problematic. Bottom line: You do not need any oil/butter in your diet, and you are better off without it. For more information on fat, check out Jeff Novick’s talk/DVD: From Oil To Nuts.Hope that helps.This is very strange, for over a year, I like for breakfast one egg per day, I do not drink milk and dairy products, I do not eat meat (except fish once a month), I do not consume refined carbohydrates on a regular basis – rarely, my consumption of alcoholic drink is 02 glasses of wine or sake a month and I have ACNE, and I’m thirty-five years old.Don’t confuse the condition “perioral dermatitis” for acne. Perioral Dermatitis occurs between the ages of 15 and 40 years usually in female which can be aggravated by potent topical (fluorinated) steroid creams. The etiology is unknown. Treatment usually consists of topical metronidazole or antibiotics. It is important to work with your physician(s) as it is important to have the correct diagnosis as there are several conditions which present similarly. Good luck.Sorry, but it is not that condition, and I am current on my vitamin D. =/Just using the one diagnosis as an example to help make the point that it is important to have the correct diagnosis. As a Family Medicine physician I tended to treat the more common skin conditions. For conditions that didn’t respond or had an unusual presentation I referred to a dermatologist for diagnosis and any further evaluation (e.g. hormonal issues). Sounds like you have a good handle on the diagnosis… good luck with treating it.After viewing all Plant Positive’s videos, it’s a little weird to see Cordain and Boyd Eaton cited in this site… but just a little… ;-) …Hi Doctor. Three burning questions:1. Should I immunize my 5 year old? We didn’t do it yet, and are not sure what the smartest move is?2. Are supplements worth taking? And if so, would B-12, D, and a multi be the way to go?3. If I go 100% vegan, what is the best protein source to eat?Thank you!Immunization is generally a good idea if you don’t like the idea of your child contracting and possibly dying from diseases such as diptheria, whooping cough, mumps, measles, hepatitis, rotavirus, polio, etc, or if you don’t like the idea of contributing to the chances of other not-yet vaccinated children contracting and possibly dying from these diseases.Dr. Greger’s “Optimum Nutrition Recommendations” here: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Your best protein source is simply, food: vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fruits, nuts and seeds. If you eat enough calories from those food groups, it is mathematically impossible for you to get less than your recommended daily amount of protein. In addition, every plant food in the world is a complete protein, meaning they contain all 8 essential amino acids, so there is no need to worry about specific combinations. Try eating plant-based and tracking your food in a nutrition diary like cronometer (it’s free), and you will see this is true.Jason: As usual, b00mer gave an excellent reply. I just wanted to supplement the information on protein. b00mer’s response was a good summary, but if you are new to the information, it might help to have some more details.The following resources were a GREAT in helping me to feel comfortable about what I was eating concerning the topic of protein. I highly recommend both of them. By the time you are through with these resources, you should feel very comfortable about how easy it is to meet protein needs and that there is no need to eat a special “protein source.” http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.html http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ (check out December 2003 for McDougall’s site, “A Brief History of Protein: Passion, Social Bigotry, Rats, and Enlightenment”. Also maybe April 2007, “When Friends Ask: Where do you get your protein?”)Note that any diet takes some careful planning in order to be healthy and that kids have some different calorie needs percentage-wise compared to adults. Here is a good source for feeding vegan kids. It starts out with infants, but hits older kids further down. It is a good idea to absorb some of the earlier points regardless of how old your kid is. http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htm http://www.vrg.org/family/kidsindex.htmHope that helps!I am not a medical professional, but I have experience in this area. My adult daughter suffered with red, painful, cystic acne for many years. She tried various acne products with no success. While researching cystic acne, I stumbled upon a discussion much like this one. The individuals posting had discovered that Aspartame was causing their acne. They were encouraging readers to eliminate Aspartame from their diet entirely. My daughter tried it, and it worked. No more debilitating cystic acne. She has an occasional blemish from time to time as most of us do, but her cystic acne nightmare has been over for a couple of years now. Please know that this is not an overnight fix. It was months before my daughter felt confident that her cystic acne was not going to return. Aspartame is in so many food items. You must be vigilant if you are going to try this. Read labels carefully. You will be eliminating diet colas, most gum, mints, etc. Whole Foods Market sells gum and mints without Aspartame, thank goodness. I hope this helps!I have been vegetarian my entire life, vegan for the last 10 years, and plant-based/low-oil for over a year. At first, the acne got better when I changed to lower consumption of oil but got worse again a few months later. Would additionally being gluten free help the acne?I love the information in this video but if it could be presented in a way that was interesting to teens and pre-teens it might help to get the message to the targeted audience. I’m afraid my kids will roll their eyes if I send this to them.Absolutely. This video was so annoying that I could hardly get though it, much less ask a teen to watch it. It would have been better as a short article.I was vegan for a year and had the WORST acne of my life. I developed severe pain in my stomach and became hypoglycemic even though I was consuming healthy hemp protein in shakes and all other protein rich vegan possibilities out there. It’s only when I went off of it and focused more on my vitamin counts that it started to improve. There is no one method cure for anyone and this information is frustrating for someone who has never dranken any milk products since childhood to see. I agree, lucky are those who cut out milk, cut out the corn syrup and shizam! their skin is perfect! but for others, there is something else going on. I believe mine is linked to stress and not being as in my body as it could be. I also found it I was SEVERELY deficient in vitamin c. Its incredibly how this has helped. IF you find viegan isn’t working for you – do not stick with it. I thrive on antibiotic, hormone free beef. Everyone needs more of something. and ps. if you have IBS chances are your stomach needs an enzyme to help you absorb the minerals in your food. You could be eating great, but not absorbing ANY of it and that’s what leads to a deficiency causing acne. Get allergy testing, but also get your vitamin levels checked. And- listen to your health. Vegan diet was not right for me, and no, the acne was not a “detox”.It’s offensive for you to be on a vegan site, telling people not to be vegan. If a vegan did the equivalent on a necrotarian site they would be accused of forcing their views down people’s throats.It was your protein obsession that caused the problems. Protein shakes are not a whole food and the body struggles to process excess protein anyway. Plus it is obvious from your severe vitamin C deficiency that you were not consuming a normal diet. How on earth can a “vegan” get a vitamin C deficiency? By subsisting on proteinshakes?Finally, if it was “stress” that caused your acne, a plant based diet would have helped, since cortisol levels directly correlate with the amount of animal produce one has just consumed.Hi Meh, I can tell by your name that you’re high on life. Glad veganism has turned you into such a delightful person. Just to clarify for you, I respect the vegan diet a whole lot. Two of my favourite people in the whole world (make that three) are vegan and absolutely thrive.I unfortunately, did not last year. I had severe anxiety attacks, had to take naps on all work breaks and broke out terribly plus had stomach pain.No, I was not a stupid idiot who consumed protein shakes full of soy and garbage. I am an organic fruits and veggies gal who even saught the support of a naturalpath to assist me and ensure I was still getting adequate vitamins. She found out I was unable to produce adequate stomach acid myself equating to a body that is too alkeline.A vegan diet.. is also alkeline, and as you can imagine lacking acid to digest things and not having acidic food.. can mean for me, in my unique situation, that I was not absorbing anything from my food.You can bet I was on a high quality multi vitamin, taking my flax oil and pumping myself full of fresh kale, papaya, bananas, apples, alternative grains, pineapples, strawberries… I am very contientious about what I put in my body.Only this year did another doctor discover how severely deficient my vitamin C was. I want you to understand that those of us who are predisposed to digestive challenges (my brother has crohn’s and a few of my relatives passed away due to stomach related issues which lead to severe malnutrition and depression yielding suicide…) that we do not absorb things properly from our food.I want OTHERS here, who usually seek a vegan diet to help heal themselves from some ailment, to be aware that if they do not find healing from veganism, they may also be lacking in stomach acid and as a result, a very important vitamin.I took vitamin c tablets before.. but now I take them with other carrier vitamins as well as with a digestive enzyme.Please don’t judge me. It has been a hard, long, painful road for me. I fully support the vegan diet but I can tell you that it did absolutely nothing for me.I am hopeful that one day, as I get stronger and stronger (vitamin c helps me get better EVERY day it is amazing), that I may be able to cut back on meat again.For now, I have several servings a week of antiobiotic, hormone, blablalba, free meat.I am so happy that you rock the vegan diet. I wish I did. It just didn’t work and I don’t want others to be discouraged. We’re all built differently, do what works best for you.Go ahead and google acne on vegan diet. There are multiple people who find themselves in this situation. I believe these people struggle to absorb the vegan food options as well as those who thrive on this diet.I also did raw vegan for a few months and I can tell you I DEFINITELY should have absorbed enough vitamin c. It’s sad to discover that all the good you’ve been putting in your body has failed to be absorbed. That your body is full of chemicals because you lacked the vitamin c to oxidize your body like a normal person would.I’ve cleansed so many times and done so much for myself but this little imbalance truly set me off.Keep rocking this amazing diet that has helped you so much. I will continue to listen to my body as well and am glad everyone clearly here, is equally striving to do the same.No judgement. Just love. Encouragement. and peace.Meh, we try to keep this a safe place for everyone to share so please refrain from insulting other commenter’s experiences.My 25 year old daughter has been having terrible bouts of acne on her face and back. She has been strictly vegan for 2+ years now. In her teens, she only had an occasional breakout. It has been getting worse, yet she eats no dairy/animal products. I changed my diet as well but get a little confused and doubtful when I hear your claims.If you struggle with acne the best help I know to get clear is to see and esthetician who specializes in acne. They are very successful with clearing acne, they will spend the time consulting with you, are there to support you and they do not promote using any drugs.Food doesn’t cause Acne. I know a bunch of Vegetarians/Vegens who only eat Salad and Fruits and vegetable and there face is still loaded with cysts and acne. Just follow a regimen of cleansing, treatment and moisturizer.I live in Cambodia, dairy consumption is zero, absolutely zero, acne is not uncommon… How can that be explained?I think there is also a genetic predisposition with acne. My brother and I had the same diet growing up except I was not drinking milk (I hated the taste) and I am still the one that got the worst acne problems, he had nearly nothing on his face! I had to take accutane to get rid off it and 2 years after the treatment the acne came back (not as much as before but still). So I think there is different factors. One of them I think is hormonal (I see it at every cycle) and given that our environement it crippled with endocrine disruptors I think it could also be a factor to explore.So what do you do when its a hormonal issue, hormonal acne?When I was young, I never drank any milk at all (as a baby, I had a milk allergy, so even as a baby I just got soy milk). Also, I barely consumed meat as a kid (maybe once or twice a week), although I was a sugar addict. Until this day (27 yrs of age) I still have acne, and it’s definitely not related to the consumption of milk in my case.While I agree that a chronic excess(!) of animal protein may increase the risk of certain cancers via IGF-1/mTOR signaling (the evidence for acne is much less compelling IMO. There are many vegans struggling with acne), I think it is irrepsonsible to talk about “saving lifes” by avoiding dairy from the limit perspective of cancer prevention. There is mounting evidence that in sum regular dairy consumption saves more lives than dairy avoidance, as a marginally increased risk of certain cancers is by far outweighted by the CVD- and diabetes-protective effects of dairy (particularly low-fat and fermented dairy products). Here are only the most recent studies showing significant protective effects of regular dairy consumption1) In CVD http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21068345 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21307883 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21660519 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22483419 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22517598 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22585901 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22987924 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23173172 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23208514 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23389303 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23549807 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23868191 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/244162902) In metabolic syndrome / type II diabetes http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21559046 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21447660 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22081692 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648202 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648724 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22831954 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22886370 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23021710 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23274089 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23351406 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23407305 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23560887 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23638799 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23736371 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23945722 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24086304 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24133353 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24153346 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24236995 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24264228 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24510203 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24636056My adult acne went away when I quit eating chocolate. Every time I eat even a small bite or two my face will break out. I love dark chocolate but it doesn’t like me!ClareI have been vegan for 18 months now, and have lost 63 pounds very easily, but it wasn’t until I started testing for all the foods that I was allergic/sensitive to was I able to cure my acne. I am 55 years old, and have acne since I was 10 – and it turned out that the culprit was RICE!! Yes, plain old rice. Once I cut that out of my diet, my indigestion was cured, along with my acne. Although everyone is different, it might be worth while to use muscle testing to see what you should steer clear of. Good luckhttp://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/ak.htmlHi Clare! What kind of food test have you done?I also suffered heavily from acne until about 2 years ago I turned into vegan (I’ve been a vegeterian for 10+ years). The moment I excluded all kinds of dairy, my face started to clear and now it is still clear. I have small scars from before but I don’t have inflamed skin any more. That was a huge progress and happened without me even knowing that dairy is the main cause of my troubles. :-)Many people underscore the importance of proper diet and nutrition in skin care. Hence, they resort to the use of topical treatment to their skin problems, mainly acne. The information in this video clearly highlights the importance of one’s diet in the treatment of acne and I am sure that this principle is also applicable to other dermatological issues.I went WFPB about 1.5 years ago, and am experiencing pretty bad acne. I RARELY consume oils, no nuts, I eat a tablespoon of flaxseeds everyday, no processed foods, lots of brown rice, potatoes (white and sweet), lots of veggies and moderate fruit intake. STILL getting acne. SOOO frustrating because I am eating so clean and yet I look like I eat greasy dairy-laden foods. Does not make any sense to me. I am getting my iodine levels checked to see if I am iodine deficient. I also was over-supplementing with b12. I went to a doctor 2 years ago (about the time when I was considering going vegan), and she told me to supplement with b12. She didn’t tell me how much, so I went on amazon and bought the highest rated b12 (which was methocobalamine 5000 mcg) the required dosage for b12 supplementation (according to Dr. Greger) is around 250 mcg a day! So needless to say, I was over-supplementing on b12. I have heard that if you over supplement on b12, you can get acne flareups. I have been off b12 for about two weeks, and haven’t seen a big change, but it might take a while to get back to normal. I want to continue on this lifestyle; however, I feel that I have more issues on this lifestyle than the SAD diet (it really pains me to say that). I don’t know what to do.Is there any good research about emu oil? The promoters of it list all kinds of great benefits like clearing up acne, reducing cholesterol, healing scars, etc. Is it healthy for you like they say, or is it another animal protein to be careful of?Anna: I haven’t heard of people trying to eat just emu oil before, but thought I would point out that if it is an oil, then it is pure (animal) fat, not protein. (I assume that was just a typo on your part.) To the point though is: I have not seen any compelling evidence that any oil is good for us, with the *possible* exception of pure DHA/EPA, which would be derived from algae. You wouldn’t get that from emu bodies I don’t think.I hope someone is able to answer your question about the research. I don’t know that part. I just thought I would share my 2 cents in case there isn’t any research out there, and only the hype. Good luck.Coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, aloe Vera are also excellent for treating acne.. found this information useful http://www.belmarrahealth.com/most-effective-natural-acne-care-and-treatment/I will like to see more videos on acne. I went plant based 3,5 years ago and still struggle with acne. Im tired of it… I dont do oils, only whole seeds, very low fat and still… Any suggestions?	acne,adolescence,Alzheimer’s disease,animal products,breast cancer,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chronic diseases,dairy,diabetes,eggs,erectile dysfunction,fruit,heart disease,heart health,hormones,impotence,infants,Japan,junk food,meat,milk,obesity,plant-based diets,prediabetes,premature puberty,processed foods,puberty,skin health,standard American diet,TOR,vegetables	Over-activated TOR signaling may help explain link between acne and subsequent risk for prostate and breast cancer.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premature-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23614736,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22930490,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23800069,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22419445,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12472346,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19693019,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17724724,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22870349,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11808705,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23883112,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23975508,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22891897,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22523661,
PLAIN-2569	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/	Prevent Cancer From Going on TOR	Over the last decade more than 5,000 papers have been published about TOR, an enzyme inhibited by the drug rapamycin, a drug used experimentally to extend lifespan, but already in use clinically to prevent the rejection of kidney transplants. Patients, who received rapamycin due to renal transplantation, had a peculiar “side effect,” a decrease in cancer incidence. In a set of 15 patients who had biopsy proven Kaposi’s sarcoma, a cancer that often affects the skin. Within three months after starting rapamycin therapy, all cutaneous Kaposi’s sarcoma lesions had disappeared in all patients.This makes sense, given that TOR functions as a master regulator of cellular growth and proliferation. For example TOR is upregulated in nearly 100% of advanced human prostate cancers. Maybe that’s why dairy consumption has been found to be a major dietary risk factor. We used to think it was just all the hormones in milk, but maybe prostate cancer initiation and progression is also promoted by cow’s milk stimulation of TOR. Our understanding of mammalian milk has changed from a “simple food” to a species-specific endocrine signaling system, which activates TOR, promotes cell growth and proliferation and suppresses our body’s internal housecleaning mechanisms. Now normally, milk-mediated TOR stimulation is restricted only to infancy where we really need that constant signal to our cells to grow and divide.From an evolutionary perspective it can be concluded that the persistent “abuse” of the growth-promoting signaling system of bovine milk by drinking milk over our entire life span maintains the most important hallmark of cancer biology, sustained proliferative signaling.TOR appears to play a role in breast cancer too. Higher TOR expression has been noted in breast cancer tumors, and associated with more aggressive disease, and lower survival rate among breast cancer patients.This could explain when women hospitalized for anorexia may end up with only half the risk of breast cancer. Severe caloric restriction in humans may confer protection from invasive breast cancer by suppressing TOR activation. But we don’t have to starve ourselves to suppress TOR, just reducing animal protein intake can attenuate overall TOR activity. Moreover, diets emphasizing plants, especially cruciferous vegetables, not only decrease TOR activation but they provide natural plant-derived inhibitors of TOR in broccoli, and green tea and soy, and turmeric, and grapes, along with other fruits and vegetables such as onions, strawberries, blueberries, mangoes and the skin of cucumbers,Maybe that’s why plant-based are associated with lower risk for many cancers, the downregulation of TOR. Are we finally on the threshold of being able to fundamentally alter human aging and age-related disease? Only time will tell, but if the pace and direction of recent progress are any indication, the next 5,000 studies on TOR should prove very interesting indeed.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	Got TOR? Don’t you mean going OFF TOR?Prevent Cancer FROM Going on TORmeans the same thing asPrevent Cancer BY Going Off TORlet’s hope the pill people don’t try to squeeze this into a bottle. You would have thought they’d have learned their lesson after (most) all the other vitamin and supplement fiascoes.Actually, there’s a very interesting pill angle here. Metformin, the drug used to control Type 2 diabetes, actually inhibits mTORC1 signaling. No wonder it’s showing so much promise in cancer. http://www.jscimedcentral.com/Endocrinology/endocrinology-spid-antidiabetic-drug-metformin-1029.pdfGreat link. I started taking metformin a couple months ago after spending hours researching articles such as this one. My blood sugar is fine. I am taking it for the widespread health and longevity benefits. The fact that it is derived from the French lilac plant and has been used safely in Europe since the 1950’s was no small factor in my deciding to use it. The DEA tends to frown upon physicians prescribing drugs to themselves so I write the RX for my wife for the max dosage and cut it in half. It costs about three bucks a month.Hey Dr.Broccoli! Very interesting. I learn something new everyday by watching your videos. thank youDr. Broccoli! That’s a good one Mary! Very well suited.Got milk? Got prostate or ovarian cancer? Here’s a simple review of the evidence. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/07/23/anti-cancer-diets-whats-the-deal-with-dairy/yay for “skin of cucumbers”…I *always* include skin of cucumber (organic as much as possible to avoid the wax on conventional cukes) in my salads or as a hummus dipper! thanks Doc AGAIN for your life-saving work here! All respect and love to you! ♥ !Can I keep munching on leucine rich almonds ?So, what are the leading preventable causes of death for people who eat whole food plant based diets? They live longer, but I’m curious as to what does eventually cause death among them?I read that they suffer much less long-term illness and more often die of catastrophic injury or illnesses such as influenza, pneumonia, etc.That people who eat whole food plant based diets should die more often from influenza and pneumonia makes no sense. People who die from influenza and pneumonia typically have a chronic condition such as heart disease, diabetes, rheumatic disease, which a WFPD prevents, and a WFPD is typically lower in calories (and maybe have CR mimetic properties), which probably reduce the decline in immunefunction as you age.You appear to be missing the context. People die of something eventually. What do vegans die of?Unlike methionine, plant proteins in general and animal proteins in general do not differ all that much in % leucine content. For example, as far as leucine as % of total protein goes, egg protein has 8.5%, milk protein 9.7%,and beef protein 7.9%, while soy protein has 7.6%, pumpkin seeds about 8.4%, and rice protein 8.3% (I did some calculations using the tables in Bowes & Church). I know Dr. Greger wants to push the plant based diet, but eating plant based protein will profide about the same amount of leucine as eating he same amount of animal based protein. It looks to me that if one wants to reduce leucine intake, one would need to eat less protein, period.…and an effective way to do that would be to eat plant-based.1 cup rice with chicken breast: 500 Cal, 58 g protein, 4.4 g leucine 1 cup rice with 1 cup beans: 460 Cal, 19 g protein, 1.6 g leucineUnless people on a non-vegan diet restrict their food intake overall, or are in fact limiting their meat consumption (i.e. making their diet closer to a plant-based one), they will most likely consume excessive amounts of protein and subsequently of leucine. An advertisement for a plant-based diet in the context of this subject appears quite reasonable to me.I am wondering about something mentioned in this video. I had anorexia nervosa for many years in my 30’s (I am now in my 40’s and still have struggles)-I guess that may offer me some protection (which would be the only good thing that came from that illness). Now that I am trying to fully recover, I am being encouraged to eat low fat dairy yougurt–it seems like this is not a good thing based on the video. I normally mix it with fruit and hemp seeds–what should I be doing instead. I apologize for my ignorance as I am new to all of this.Maybe try mixing those good items in soy yogurt?Hi gigi, could you share why you were being encouraged to consume yogurt? If it’s an issue of calcium, you can easily get more than enough calcium from plant foods, particularly beans and green vegetables, and even seemingly “low” calcium plant foods like fruits, whole grains, etc all add up over the course of the day. Add in a serving or two of fortified non-dairy milks, tofu, etc, and your levels will quickly skyrocket above the recommended intake. If the idea of supplements bothers you, keep in mind the calcium in most dairy products comes from a supplement given to the cows in their feed.If it’s a matter of protein, know that it’s mathematically impossible to consume less than your rda for protein on a whole foods plant based diet, provided your caloric intake is sufficient. On my simple diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes, I consistently consume no less than 150% of the recommended amount for my weight.Of course if you enjoy your yogurt habit, you can very easily switch to any non-dairy yogurt. If you find it cost prohibitive (it’s quite expensive where I live), you can make your own for much less, either with a cheap yogurt maker (~$20), a crockpot, or a pressure cooker.You don’t need dairy for the calcium, if that’s why your eating the yogurt, but I would make sure to include kale every day as one of your vegetables, as it has a good amount of absorbable calcium as well as vitamin K. You could also take a calcium supplement, but you don’t really need more than about 800 mg of calcium per day; the body can’t absorb more than about 500 mg at a time anyway. You should also get at least half as much magnesium as calcium.With anorexia nervosa, you have to worry about osteoporosis, caused by lack of estrogen from amenorrhea due to low body fat (less than 16%), and also by insufficient weight bearing on your bones. So make sure to get enough weight bearing exercise as well as enough vitamin D and vitamin K.You also need to keep your diet sufficiently alkaline by including plenty of fruits and vegetables and enough protein (from beans and grains) to help rebuild and maintain bone density. If necessary, I would also include a potassium bicarbonate supplement (“Potassium Basics” which can be purchased online) to ensure that your urinary pH remains at 7 or higher. Otherwise, your body will take calcium from your bones to raise the pH. You can purchase pH test strips online to determine your urinary pH. If it’s lower than 7 to 7.25, I would take the potassium bicarbonate to raise itIn order to ensure that you get enough calories, you could also include high calorie foods like avocados and nuts.Hope this helps.gigi: re: “…it seems like this is not a good thing based on the video.” I agree. In fact there are a large number of videos on this site which indicate that dairy is not a good thing.I think b00mer was right on when she said that you would want to find out *why* they recommended yogurt. That will help you figure out a more healthy alternative.I am not an expert, so I have no idea why they would have made that recommendation. But in addition to what b00mer suggested, I was thinking that maybe they were looking for food that would have a high calorie density. In that case, you could try to figure out the calorie density of the yogurt you eat and find comparable whole plant foods to eat instead. Just an idea.If you find out the “why”, let us know and we maybe this group can make some helpful, specific suggestions.I know how overwhelming good nutrition can seem at first. I can promise that it does get easier over time as you absorb the information and learn what does and does not work for you in terms of taste, convenience, etc. Good luck to you.Question for Dr. Greger. This video and many others note the importance of the cancer fighting abilities of cruciferous vegetables as well as tea (no doubt Matcha and Hibiscus are at the top of the list). However a simple Google search of “pesticide + tea” brings up many concerning and properly sourced news feeds, of all things, the carcinogenic properties of pesticides still on the packaged tea. not to mention if we simply steep the tea or ingesting it whole as per your practice at home). Is there enough data out there to provide the context if this is a real threat? Does the tea cancel out the negative health effect of the pesticides? Those products claiming to be organic tea at a premium price; do we get our money’s worth? For those of us who consume the tea whole (as you mentioned is a common practice with your family), should we be more worried ingesting more of the less water soluble pesticides with the whole tea?My question is… if we have cholesterol screening available to give us information about our heart health why don’t we have any tests for our cancer health? Many of the videos discuss dropping blood on cancer cells and seeing them either multiply or die. Why aren’t there tests that people could get that would tell them… we dropped your blood on some liver cancer cells (or breast or prostate etc…) and they grew or they died so things look ok. If things don’t look good then they can suggest dietary changes and test again? Why are we not using this? Is it due to cost?Hi Andy, yes in vitro work is incredibly expensive, and as someone with experience in mamallian cell culture I personally would not want this to become widespread practice. The time and expertise/training, cell lines themselves, growth media, sera, enzymatic and other solutions for processing cells and all the plastic bottles they come in, all the single-use disposable plastic pipets, flasks, slides, vials, gloves, booties, the maintenance of labs and all the equipment within, etc, that are necessary to do one simple assay are perhaps justified in performing representative and informative studies, but I think it would be quite wasteful to perform as testing for individuals. I think the public would be much better served by advocacy that exposes them to the information we already have. Combined with all the other in vitro work, as well as epidemiological, clinical and interventional research that has already been done, we have quite a consensus already as far as which foods cure and which foods cause cancer. Just my two cents.Another thing to keep in mind, as many people who eat a plant based diet either come to it through ethical reasons, or come to care about the ethics of animal consumption as a result of dietary changes – in vitro mammalian cell culture nearly always uses fetal bovine serum. And yes, it is as awful as it sounds. Though synthetic sera have come on the market and are objectively superior in terms of consistency of composition and sterility, in the scientific world, changes in methodology come slowly.Does this apply to leucine in soymilk and almonds?Valid question! No, the plant-based proteins (even those higher in leucine) don’t seem to be connected to TOR in a negative way.Oh, this is such a relief! I hoped that was the case because I love my non-gmo, organic soy!Since beans are the plant food with the highest methionine content, should they not be eaten too much?Good question, dogulas. It seems to only be a concern with the animal-based proteins/amino acids.Very informative but this does concern me. As someone who has taken up a fitness regime, I take BCAAs (not certified vegan) as part of my supplementation. As we know Leucine is crucial in activating the mTOR pathway for protein synthesis but …it appears also harmful in large amounts leading to cancer? This seems like a weird irony to me since traditionally more muscle mass is favored and associated with less cancer risk. Is there an optimal amount of Leucine that should be taken by those working out to build muscle? I have recently made the switch from whey/casein protein to brown/pea protein (but event these do contain high levels of Leucine). I am very health conscious and currently am making my transition from lacto-vegetarianism to veganism. Many thanks doc, your reviews are cementing my allegiance to plant based diets.hm the video seems to only adress TOR as a cancer growth stimulator. Wouldn’t plant based amino acids also boost TOR if consumed in large quantities? From an athlete’s perspective: can I boost muscle growth without boosting cancer growth risk?Eating more fruits on the day increases my old acne, any link between fruit en TOR ?	aging,animal protein,blueberries,breast cancer,broccoli,caloric restriction,cancer,cruciferous vegetables,cucumbers,dairy,endocrine disruptors,fruit,grapes,green tea,hormones,infants,Kaposi’s sarcoma,kidney health,lifespan,longevity,mango,milk,mortality,onions,plant-based diets,prostate cancer,rapamycin,soy,spices,strawberries,TOR,turmeric,vegetables	Suppressing the engine-of-aging enzyme TOR (Target of Rapamycin) by reducing intake of leucine–rich animal products such as milk may reduce cancer risk.	What is TOR? Check out these two backgrounder videos—fascinating stuff:More on dairy and prostate cancer in Prostate Cancer and Organic Milk vs. Almond MilkThis story continues in my next video: Saving Lives By Treating Acne With Diet.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kaposis-sarcoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rapamycin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cucumbers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mango/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23465396,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15800227,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22686629,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22214661,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21862237,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21138990,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23325216,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17041628,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23517912,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22891897,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23151465,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15010444,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23503572,
PLAIN-2570	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/	Diabetics Should Take Their Pulses	How did doctors treat diabetes before insulin? Almost a thousand medicinal plants were described as antidiabetic agents, most of which have been used in traditional medicine, and these included beans. Of course, just because something has been used for centuries doesn’t mean it’s safe. Other treatments for diabetes have included arsenic and uranium. Thankfully many of these other remedies fell by the wayside, but scientific interest in the antidiabetic potential of beans never vanished completely and even was raised in the past decade.Health authorities from all over the world universally recommend increasing consumption of whole grains and legumes for health promoting diets. And one of the reasons is that they may decrease insulin resistance, the defining trait of type 2 diabetes.Diabetes is a global public health epidemic. Although, oral hypoglycemic medications and injected insulin are the mainstay of treatment of diabetes and are effective in controlling high blood sugars, they have prominent side effects and fail to significantly alter the course of diabetic complications. Common side effects include, weight gain, swelling, and liver disease. But I want to emphasize that second part. The mainstay of diabetic treatment fails to significantly alter the course of diabetic complications. Shouldn’t that be the whole point of treatment? Thankfully, lifestyle modifications have proven to be greatly effective in the management of this disease, and if there is one thing diabetics should eat, it’s legumes, beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils.The European Association for the study of diabetes, the Canadian Diabetes Association and the American Diabetes Association all recommend the consumption of dietary pulses as a means of optimizing diabetes control. What are pulses? They’re peas and beans that come dried, so a subset of legumes, excluding green beans and fresh green peas, which are considered more vegetable crops, and also excluding the so-called oilseeds—soybeans and peanuts.This review compiled 41 randomized controlled experimental trials, including more than a thousand patients, corroborating the diabetes association nutrition guidelines recommending the consumption of pulses as a means of optimizing diabetes control. Any pulses better than others? Some of the strongest evidence came from the studies that used chickpeas, and in terms of beans, pintos and black beans may beat out kidney beans. Compared to the blood sugar spike of straight white rice, black beans and rice, and pinto beans and rice appeared to beat out kidney beans and rice. This may be because dark red kidney beans may have lower levels of indigestible starch. One of the reasons beans are so healthy is they contain compounds that partially block our starch digesting enzyme, which allows some starch to make it down to our colon to feed our good gut bacteria.And in fact the inhibition of this starch-eating enzyme amylase just by eating beans, approximates that of a carb-blocking drug, acarbose, sold as Precose, a popular diabetes medication. The long-term use of beans may normalize hemoglobin A1C levels (which is how you track diabetes) almost as well as the drug, without drug side effects with names like acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis.	That’s something the paleo quack movement won’t tell you, and don’t want you to hear. That beans are certainly the most healthful food to eat, contrary to fraudulent paleo dogma. They don’t like beans because it’s a better, healthier, safer, cheaper alternative to meat, which they praise upon. The whole point of cherry picking the paleolithic time frame – and not something else – is a bias in itself.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McJjIf7x2mkAdrien: I love Plant Positive! I haven’t seen all of his stuff yet, though and I hadn’t seen the one that you linked to. I think it is a really good one. The jokes and turn of phrase in this one remind me of Dr. Greger.Between Dr. Greger’s many videos on beans and info from Plant Positive, it blows the mind that anyone would think beans were bad for the typical human.Thanks for the link!Plant Positive is the destroyer of cavemen wannabees.And even better – if you eat a mostly whole foods plant based diet, combined with a little exercise, you probably wont get diabetes in the first place. Diabetes is a serious condition – diabetic complications include heartattack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, impotence, painfull neuropathy, amputation, skin ulcerations. No steak with gravy is worth that!Does the severity of Type II diabetes correlate with weight in a given individual? It seems like a continuum rather than a “limit” that, beyond which, you are diabetic.What can you do, for people that say, “I dont care if its bad for me. Everybody is going to die anyways?” what if you care for someone who have this mindset?Don’t give up! My wife is the same way but she’s slowly changing.This might help answering your question :https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014videos/hill.htmGuest: I liked this little clip. It contains some good reminders. Thanks for the link.I have a DVD of Forks over Knives sent to loved ones and friends. Its very cheap. Most people will sit through and absorb the gist of it. In the end, setting a good example is the most powerful persuasion.You are so right about setting a good example. I am diabetic and I have several diabetic relatives, one of which is now experiencing increasing insulin resistance and diabetic complications. All of this is occurring after years of carefully following their doctor’s advice and taking their medications.He lost weight from walking every day and eating “better”, avoided sweets and took his medications. He progressed to eventually go on insulin. Now doctors are having trouble getting his sugars under control at all and he is starting to show some kidney damage. But how can this be?He traded in the carbs for fat. Meat, cheese, yogurt etc have all been his staples. I was diagnosed recently. My sugars have been improving on a plant-based diet without the use of any medications. I believe he can still turn things around, but I don’t believe he will listen if I don’t show him. My desire to motivate him keeps me on track.If you’re worried about a loved one, be their inspiration. If you can’t be, find someone who can. Brow-beating doesn’t work, but I believe good information and inspiration definitely can.Penny T: Thanks for your post. I think this will make you a roll model for a lot more than just your family.Best of luck to you.hi penny, is so sad to hear about your relative[s luck. I believe that you are doing the right thing. I would like to hear from you in a couple of months, let us know your improvements! your HbA1c levels should be dropping by then… that would be encouraging!I always tell them it’s about the quality of life while you’re here. You could die tomorrow but until then, don’t you want to be energetic, flexible, strong, mindful, autonomous, and not hooked on prescription drugs?Not only that, but your life and health was a gift from your mother. Why treat your mother like dirt by disrespecting her greatest gift to you?mmm had not seen it from that point of view, but that sounds convincing.Mung lentils, or specifically the yellow split “moong dal” lentils, have become my favorite pulse though they are not usually sold in any of the markets that I visit. (This Google search link shows images of this lentil: http://j.mp/1lvp4ai). Using the pressure cooker, I simply add one cup of lentils with three cups of water and throw in a few mustard seeds and cumin seeds, which I image only add a bit of flavor and fiber and aren’t digested or included in calorie counts…). Pressurize for 8 minutes, and then 8 more on the cooling cycle, and then stir briskly to form a creamy texture. It’s the easiest, most tasty bean that I’ve come across… Into the frigo for daily consumption over the next few days…Tobias: Nice! Thanks for sharing. I think I’ve seen those beans in the bulk section of the store I usually visit. Now I’m tempted to give them a try. I have a pressure cooker and those seeds you mentioned. It sounds simple. Why not! Thanks again.I would suggest trying them in sambar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambar_%28dish%29There are many incredible recipes for sambar, are easily adapted (no oil or ghee) The result is wonderful. But my favorite lentil is still masoor daal (red lentils) for it. :)And they happen to be the better ones. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/With Madras curry (I like Sharwoods) besides more spices. And I am still in love with basmati rice… Many variations possible.I bought a pound of Mung beans a couple of months ago and have yet to use them so I’ll give this a go. Thanks for sharing.It tastes great plain but seasonings that I’ve used include: Pepper, nutritional yeast, curry, soy sauce, garlic, ginger… Sometimes I cook it initially with tomatoes.Yellow split moong dal is widely used in South Indian dishes and is easily available in large quantities in an Indian grocery store. For more ideas on how to cook them, google to Indian cuisine recipes online.Mung green beans are also my favourites. I get them usually in Indian shops in zone 3 in Upton Park in London. They come in 4 varieties: whole small, Whole big, crushed with skin left, and with no skin. The latter one cooks in no time. The other three need a good soaking 12 hours. I was told by an Indian mum it is better to follow this soaking methods as there is no ‘gas’ formation during digestion time. The red ones are also great. I have bought them whole only. These mung beans are so versatile I find them a delicacy. Bon apetit!I use a lot of canned beans (red and white kidney, chickpeas), and I cook from scratch lentils, split peas and mung beans. Does anyone have a comment on the digestibility/palatability of beans cooked to a “mush,” versus “firm” beans as you might find in a can? Thanks.I’ve read that long slow cooking makes beans more digestable but don’t know for sure. Only know that I really like soft beans in their own nice thick juice.About digestible thank you of beans has more to do with your digestive system than the beans themselves. Actually it is a great diagnostic tool to know the state of your digestive system, add beansI prefer beans as mush as long as it’s got flavor. One of my standards is “refried” beans: beans slow-cooked with onion, garlic, and spices, then mashed with a potato masher. I can’t really provide comparative data on digestibility, but I have no problems after eating 8-12 oz. of the mush.(Despite what some say, there are really only two food groups: the mushy group and the crunchy group.)what about type 1 diabetes?Beans are great, but for those with Type 1 or 1 1/2 Diabetes, and kidney disease, too much protein (even though veggie protein is less harmful than animal) can be a problem…Mikestarchy diet improves insulin sensitivity so T1D patients end up needing less insulinMy 91 year old mother has type II diabetes and is on dialysis. Must restrict potassium especially. Is a bean diet out of the question for her?Hi Paul, thanks for your thoughtful question :)) Beans are not particularly high in potassium: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/which-foods-have-the-most-potassium/ and can be safely (and healthfully :) eaten by patients with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. As for you mother’s dialysis-dependent kidney disease, check out this piece: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/ Hope this helps your mother :))Hi Dr Greger and the NF teamDid you guys see the study from UAB yet ? I would be very interested to hear your take on it overall, and in particular this one of the 12 key points –” Dietary total and saturated fats do not correlate with risk of cardiovascular disease. ”http://www.uab.edu/news/innovation/item/4997-low-carb-diet-recommended-for-diabeticsThe only way to really know the effect of beans on one-self is using a glucometer. In my experience they are pretty bad for post-prandial sugar. On the other hand, I don’t undertand what’s supposed to show the graph of minute 3. This graph compares beans with white rice. The latter rises quite a lot the blood sugar. So yes, comparing beans with white rise, or directly with table sugar, they don’t look awful for sugar control.Ah, and the phytates in the beans don not make them specially attractive.i believe is the glycemic index in lentils, for example (which by the way lentils have one of the lowest glyc indexes), that helps in avoiding those nasty hyperglycemic peaksyes, soaked lentils in an acid medium (to remove phytates) is problably the best election to avoid sugar spikes as for legumes.santiago37: You may want to re-think your aversion to phytates. Check out these NutritionFacts videos that show how phytates maybe improperly maligned in the blog-sphere: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=phytatesReally intresting!Thanks!Fair warning! Do NOT Google Acute generalised exanthematous pustulosis!	acarbose,alternative medicine,American Diabetes Association,amylase,arsenic,beans,black beans,blood sugar,Canada,chickpeas,colon health,complementary medicine,diabetes,dietary guidelines,Europe,grains,green beans,insulin,kidney beans,legumes,Lifestyle medicine,liver disease,liver health,medications,peanuts,peas,pinto beans,Precose,prediabetes,rice,side effects,soybeans,vegetables	There is a reason that professional diabetes associations recommend bean, chickpea, split pea, and lentil consumption as a means of optimizing diabetes control.	What about avoiding metabolic derangements in the first place? See my last video Preventing Prediabetes By Eating More.What else may help?What may hurt?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acarbose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/precose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amylase/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pinto-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canada/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-diabetes-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22494488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23041226,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17944329,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20132042,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19526214,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24261538,
PLAIN-2571	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-prediabetes-by-eating-more/	Preventing Prediabetes By Eating More	Studies like this show that those who eat the most legumes appear to only have a fraction of the risk for a type of prediabetes known as metabolic syndrome. Those that ate three or more servings of beans a week only had about a quarter of the odds of the disease, compared to those who had one or less.Yes, bean consumption is associated with lower body weight, a slimmer waist, less obesity and blood pressure in population studies, but whether the association of bean consumption with healthier body weight and risk factors of the metabolic syndrome is due to physiological effects of the beans themselves or simply an indicator of a healthy lifestyle is uncertain. Anyone smart enough to eat beans may be smart enough to eat all sorts of other healthy foods, so maybe bean consumption is just a marker for a healthy diet. Let’s put it to the test.Reducing belly fat may be the best way to treat metabolic syndrome and reduce the risk of prediabetes turning into full-blown diabetes. Energy restriction has been the cornerstone of most weight-loss strategies, however, evidence suggests that the majority of individuals who lose weight by calorie-cutting, regain it during subsequent months or years. Starving ourselves almost never works long-term. Thus, it is important to identify foods that can be easily incorporated into the diet and spontaneously lead to the attainment and maintenance of a healthy body weight and improved metabolic control. So for the first time ever, they did a head to head test. Beans versus caloric restriction. The bean group was asked to eat five cups of lentils, chickpeas, split peas, or navy beans a week. So the bean group was asked to eat more food and the cutting calories group was asked to eat less food. And the more food group won! Not only was regular bean consumption as effective as portion control in reducing prediabetes risk factors, like slimming waistlines and better blood sugar control, but the bean diet led to additional benefits beyond just calorie reduction, perhaps due to some functional properties of pulses, which are dried beans and peas. In conclusion, five cups a week of beans, chickpeas, split peas and lentils in an ad libitum diet, meaning they weren’t told to change their diet in any other way, reduced risk factors of metabolic syndrome and these effects were equivalent, and in some instances stronger, than telling people to cut 500 calories from their daily diet. These results are encouraging news for individuals with or at risk for type 2 diabetes since they indicate that simple diet changes, such as the inclusion of beans, can have a positive impact on blood sugar control.	Studies have shown that you eat less calories on whole foods (satisfaction on 1500 calories a day) compared to processed foods. Sugar can stimulate appetite. Eating highly processed foods have been shown to increase calorieintake (25%). If you wanna be lean, eat your bean……..s :-)What’s considered a serving? 1/2 cup cooked or ?Dr. Greger: Thank you for the video. What about the claim by the proponents of paleolithic diet that beans contain toxins and therefore be avoided?George: I suggest you check out the many other videos on this site that also mention the benefit of beans. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=beans I think after looking at those videos, one has to conclude that whatever it is in the beans that the paleo proponents are afraid of is not something to really be afraid of.You might also check out the videos on this site about phytates. I believe that phytates are one of the specific plant substances that paleo people often worry about. (Though I don’t know if they worry about phytates in regards to beans or not.) As you can see, their worry is probably misplaced. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=phytatesGood luck.Whatever the true diet of the paleo-times consisted of (maby a lot of meat) rember that this is a diet of evolution – the purpurse was guick growth, getting big and strong and to reach sexual maturity as fast as possible to promote survival of the species and your genes. It has nothing to do with longtime survival of the individual, because the individual would probably succumb to infection, accidents, starvation or violence long before onset of degenerative diseases, which plague moderne man. Dont eat a paleo-diet! This is not a diet fit for a long-living species like modern man.I think you’ll enjoy this-Debunking the paleo diet by an expert in ancient diets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMOjVYgYaG8Great presentation – thanksIronically with your comment, it has been proven that our ancestors had a longer life span than we do today on that very paleo diet. This is probably because if someone follows it, they don’t have to worry about all those degenerative diseases that come with eating processed foods, foods that contain no meat, and ones riddled with toxins like beans.Lectins have positive effects in small quantities, but become problematic in large quantities. That is why raw beans are not such a good idea. But cooking at a decent temperature destroys the lectin content. All the longest lived cultures in the world consume beans – but they alse know how to prepare them properly.As for the other ‘antinutrients’ phytic acid has some positive benefits, as mentioned before – and is also found in high levels in nuts, which are not banned on the Paleo diet.This site gives a nice summary:http://www.drclydewilson.com/content/paleo-diet-incorrect-legumes-are-not-antinutrientsInterestingly, he suggests that digestive problems resulting from bean consumption may suggest underlying digestive problems.My husband has been taking multiple shots and pills daily for severe diabetes. We only recently switched to a WFPBD including lots of beans and big salads he has lost twenty pounds and is using only minimal amount of insulin. This is a man who for most of his life has practically lived on sausage, bacon, and southern chicken fried steaks. Has done low carb in past and ended up with his chest burning all the time. We are so grateful we found Dr. Gregor. We are amazed watching his diabetes reverse before our eyes and his energy level has greatly increased as well. This really works!!!Congrats, and continued success!Thanks for sharing!Congrats on your success. You might benefit from reading Dr. John McDougall’s December 2009 newsletter entitled, Simple Care for Diabetes. You need to work with your physician(s) as patients who are on medications for their diabetes and/or high blood pressure usually need to adjust them in the downward direction and hopefully getting off them in time. Of course type 1 diabetes will require insulin as does some cases of long standing type 2 diabetes. Remember the science at this point shows that it is the fat in the diet that interferes with insulin and the cells ability to burn glucose. There are other important ways that a plant based diet can help. Our bacteria in our colons can break down fiber in plants to 2, 3 and 4 carbon short chain fatty acids. The 3 carbon fatty acids are absorbed into the body. Two of their effects are to lower cholesterol and glucose. Another reference that my patients have found useful is Dr. Neal Barnard’s book on reversing diabetes. Your husband will also find that his cholesterol levels have gone down as well. If you have both switched your diet you are most likely experiencing improved health as well.Just a quick point on type I insulin requirements. I have had type I diabetes for 44 years. I have been fairly well controlled most of that time. My insulin intake with my pump can be monitored fairly well so I know what my usage has historically been. With a relatively low fat whole foods diet, I was using an average of 44 units per day. since going strictly wfpbd, I now use approximately 35 units. I know that this in typical for type I diabetics. My control is as good or better than ever. I do not “count carbs” (which I would consider to be malpractice in one’s self care.) Yes I will always need exogenous insulin but I suspect that even long standing type II diabetics can eliminate it and eliminate all diabetes drugs with a wfpbd and the resulting weight loss. Exercise also makes a big difference.Stewart: I love your post for a couple of reasons. One is we often get people asking about type 1 diabetes. When I can, I refer them to Dr. Barnard’s book, which has a chapter about Type 1. But you give a personal account that makes that information in Dr. Barnard’s book so much more powerful.The other reason I love your post is because you give yet another example of how the concept of moderation fails us. It wasn’t until you went in all the way that you saw the best health results.Best of luck to you and thank you for sharing your story.Good for you, that’s great to hear!Great to hear that. May others follow.“lentils, chickpeas, split peas, or navy beans”Is there any indication of why these four legumes were specified?From the article, their reasoning was that they wanted a variety as recommended by Canadian nutrition guidelines. They repeatedly use the phrase “beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas” to describe pulses in general, so it I think they were just picking one (e.g. navy or split) from each category.After a lifetime as a sugar addict, but with normal fasting glucose, I knew that I was tempting fate. Last year, out of curiosity, I started testing my blood sugar level when it peaks at 45 minutes after eating. Wow, what an eye opener! Any processed carbs or sugar sent me into the prediabetes range, which motivated me to give them up. I replaced them with healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avocado), low carb proteins (tofu and seitan), and lots of veggies, moderate fruits. The results have been noticeable: no blood sugar peaks, no weight gain, and a very good improvement in fasting lipids. The only drawback was that my energy level seemed to be declining, so I added more legumes and whole grains to my diet, which has kept my blood glucose in a healthy range and my energy in abundance. If I occasionally have more carbs in a meal, I can keep my blood sugar levels from overreacting by exercising within an hour after eating, like taking a walk, going up and down the stairs, jumping jacks, anything to get moving. I have been vegetarian and now vegan for 14 years, so that and being slim probably saved me from diabetes. Dr Gregor’s recommendations are right on target!Burnt food: I’ve read that it may contain carcinogens. Even burnt plants like over-baked veggies, or burnt toast. Thoughts? I would love to see a video about this!Any browning creates oxydation which is known to be carcinogenic.I just want to give a personal testimony as beans to the test. I am on a vegan diet and my protein is from pressure cooked beans and whole grains. currently I am in the house for 6 days a week. I am trying to help my boyfriend lose weight. on this diet with collards, broccoli sprouts, b12, lichen vitamin D3, mushrooms, sweet potatoes and kale I went from 135 pounds to a scant 122 lbs. Unfortunately my boyfriend is resistant to weight lose. He remains at almost twice mine. I cannot lose much more pounds. He eats outside who knows what to keep his weight!If the diet you tried is very high in vegetables but low in starch, he may not feel satisfied on it which could cause him to binge when not at home. Have you read any of McDougall’s work e.g. Maximum Weight Loss or Starch Solution? These programs work very well, especially for those with a significant amount of weight to lose, and most importantly, long-term compliance and satisfaction tend to be very high.I don’t buy regular canned beans…those with prostate cancer have been found to have 4xs the level of BPA than those without? (no link). I use a slow cooker ($10 or so on sale). 3 cups SORTED beans…done 1 cup at a time on a large plate….volcanic rocks don’t help your teeth? 8 cups water 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 level tsp sea salt Soak beans in cooker for 3 hrs…5 hrs cooking on high…then low…UNPLUG and cover overnight with a couple of sweaters. Makes + 2 quarts. I’m using pinto and black beans…great northern cause gas?Eden canned beans have no BPA.We have increased complex carbs with our beans (long grain brown rice, hulled barley, oat groats, hulled rye etc) after watching McDougal a few weeks ago. I keep saying stick to the diet! No Cuban pastry or even whole wheat bagels from Dunkin donuts. I am trying to get him to drink tea. Cab divers like gas station food. Nature Valley bars, and bananas. A Vegetable burger from subway in my opinion is the best however on the run it is quite messy! Yes I am also trying to get us on Green/White Tea and if we must continue black coffee! Coffee and this type of high bean diet must include plenty of fruit for dehydration is an issue.It has nothing to do with binging, his body is stressed and the cortisol is causing the problem. His best option is to just go flat out paleo and primarly eat meat and veggies with healthy fats and treat fruit like a desert.If were looking at a dinner plate, 50% of it should be of veggies, 30% of meats, and 20% of fats like healthy nuts and seeds. Then on occasion cooked fruit as a desert.Hi Martin, I’m really not sure why you’ve responded to me or how you have come to the conclusion that eating “dunkin donuts, cuban pastries and gas station food” have nothing to do with cyndishisara’s boyfriend’s weight. Surely stress induced by a very low calorie diet will influence binging behavior (which was exactly the point I was making) but to deny that the food consumed during that binge has nothing to do with weight loss or maintenance and that stress hormones themselves are solely to blame is nonsense.In any case, from your comments you are clearly concerned with minimizing insulin response. Since 1) meat is more insulinogenic than either grains or fruit, and as insulinogenic as pure refined sugar, and 2) saturated fat inhibits insulin-induced signal transduction within the cell (i.e. causes insulin resistance), you may want to rethink your stance on a protein/fat based diet.The following video series will explain the effects of fat and protein on insulin and glucose response. Links to literature sources mentioned in each video are available under “Sources Cited”.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-spillover-effect-links-obesity-to-diabetes/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/cyndishisara: Here are a couple of excellent resources that I think would be helpful for your boyfriend, but unless he wants to “go there”, this isn’t going to do much good.The first resource is a free talk on YouTube called How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind. The speaker is one of the experts on Forks Over Knives and one of the authors of The Pleasure Trap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQThe other great talk is one you have to buy, but it is *well* worth it. It is from Jeff Novick: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406145481&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density+jeff+novickGood luck.Thank you for this video. I have only one success story helping a friend loose weight! That was because I personally cooked for her and she loved the vegetarian Okinawan cooking orientation of my cooking. Otherwise my attempts were only maintenance accomplishing. Hope this video will help! I will give you further feedback.cyndishaisara: re: “That was because I personally cooked for her…” That reminds me of Dr. Greger’s latest blog post where he talks about the men in one study who were able to stick to the diet because the food was delivered to them. I sure wish someone would do that for me. You are a very good friend!Best of luck to you both. I will be keeping my fingers crossed and looking forward to hearing back in the future.I am interested in the subject of leptin and leptin resistance especially from a vegan point of view. Do you have any videos or information on this topic by a vegan doctor. This might help others. As I will post on face book. Thank you again. CyndiCyndi: I’m not familiar with that topic. I did a quick search on this website (see search box in upper right corner) to see what popped up. Leptin is a keyword in the following video – though I don’t know why: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/Hope that helps.Leptin is the hormone that is involved in signaling our hypothalamus that we are full. Leptin resistance is considered a major cause of obesity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin I will tell you if this video helps.500 calories even 1 day a week is dangerous, and here is why, cortisol. That wonderful thing your body releases in response to stress. Worrying about a diet or starving yourself when your hungry will flood your body with cortisol.Here is what cortisol does which I took from another page:“Under stressful conditions, cortisol provides the body with glucose by tapping into protein stores via gluconeogenesis in the liver. This energy can help an individual fight or flee a stressor. However, elevated cortisol over the long term consistently produces glucose, leading to increased blood sugar levels.Theoretically, this mechanism can increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, although a causative factor is unknown.1 Since a principal function of cortisol is to thwart the effect of insulin—essentially rendering the cells insulin resistant—the body remains in a general insulin-resistant state when cortisol levels are chronically elevated. Over time, the pancreas struggles to keep up with the high demand for insulin, glucose levels in the blood remain high, the cells cannot get the sugar they need, and the cycle continues.”This my friends is what leads to weight gain.. insulin resistance. If you want to burn fat you need to keep your insulin levels in your body low and not flood it because your causing too much stressors. Same goes with eating too much fruit or starchy vegetables. Keep the insulin levels low so your glucagon takes effect. Cortisol in your body will manifest itself as insulin resistance and that is the exact opposite of what you want.When I got serious about the whole plant based diet, I had been a vegetarian for many years, on and off. Mostly on. I was getting blood sugar spikes and other symptoms of trouble in that area. All’s well now. My question is that is it necessarily the beans? I have some peas every day but not always beans and then will make some bean soup and enjoy that a couple meals, so not a lot. I have very bad Osteoporosis and therefore avoid a high protein diet. Still I had luck avoiding diabetes by going full bore into the whole food, starch based plan. Is it possible that the whole food plan ie Dr. McDougall, does the trick w/o necessarily focusing on the lentils, beans?McDougall’s diet works because it limits the amount of insulin-inhibiting fat in the diet. It is also low in refined sugars and high in fiber. Beans are also low in fat, free of refined sugars, and high in fiber.More importantly, in the context of the SAD (or SCD) -eating population, beans are typically used to *replace* high-fat low-fiber meat, eggs, or cheese.Within a wfpb diet, there are many avenues one can take based on personal preferences. If one doesn’t want to eat beans, they don’t have to, and they can still get plenty of protein and prevent or cure diabetes. If you’ve successfully prevented diabetes on your low-fat McDougall diet, then you have your answer. Also keep in mind these studies often have people eating 1 cup of this or 1 cup of that every day, but following a study protocol isn’t necessary or even possible if you compiled all the dietary requirements from all studies such as this one, especially in the context of lifelong habits. It sounds like you get a nice variety of pulses on a regular basis, so you’re still getting the unique nutrients or metabolic byproducts of beans.Congratulations. I have the pleasure of working with Dr. McDougall and learning from him. You can get all the protein you need from the whole food plan you are following. Our bodies can’t store protein and it has been shown that animal protein is associated with alot of problems. You might enjoy reading Dr. McDougall’s January 2004 newsletter article, Protein Overload. You could also review any of the 67 videos listed under “animal protein” on browse all topics… you might start with the one relating to heart disease our number one killer…. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/ Good luck.arrrrrgh ! ‘alot’ is not a word. How about ‘many’ok, back to the important stuff —Sheesh! I suspect ‘alot’ was just a typo. Lighten up, already.Hi, Just wondering if someone with celiac and possibly crohn’s, who is affected negatively (in quite a worrying way) by pulses, rice and any flour products grains, sugars etc.., but can manage fruits I also believe they are cleansing anyway, and some fresh salad. The only other thing is baked potatoes (which do affect a bit)later on in the day with leafy greens,and some salad vegetables after fruit all day and a smoothy. The only sweetener is unfortunately honey, as per the scd diet, sorry my question is would you heal yourself and then start to include beans and legumes when you would be able to tolerate them to get the benefits, or any other advice would be appreciated.Thanks.I’d like to know what was the sample size in this trial? A small group of 8 or a large group of 50 (and how many were controls, if any)? Very promising study.Great video!! Thanks for sharing!would frozen green peas be included as a legume/bean in the 5 cups per week?Question. I wonder why India has a high rate of diabetes when they eat pulses at practically every meal.I know this article was posted a while ago, but I have proven to myself, through self-experimentation, that the information in this video is absolutely correct.The experiment that I did was not particularly scientific, but it showed me how powerful my new bean-eating habit is in controlling my blood sugars. In a single day, I ate pizza twice. I had thin crust, cheeseless pizza with mushrooms and spinach. I thought since the crust was thin and I had no cheese I wouldn’t get the usual sugar spike.I was dead wrong. After eating some pizza earlier in the day, my sugar went to around 220 and would not budge no matter how much exercise I did. I was on my bike for over an hour and still struggled to get it below 200. The only hope I had was time and it took 3-4 hours to return to my pre- level of around 100. This is the same reaction I have anytime I attempt to eat fried anything.On another occasion, I noticed that beans seemed to have a positive impact on my blood sugars, so I thought I would try again and see if it worked. I had a baked potato with refried beans and salsa. Of course, my sugars remained stable.Two hours later I had the same amount of pizza as I had earlier in the day. My blood sugar went to 140 at its peak and settled back down 2 hours after eating the pizza.I was so excited! Not because I had found a sneaky way to eat pizza. Obviously there is something off about that pizza if it is making my sugars go crazy like that. But because I could gain nearly immediate benefits from eating beans.This is incredible to me. So much so that I now eat beans every single day and will continue to do so for the rest of my life. I used to think beans were so gross. I could probably count on both hands the number of times I have eaten them in my life until recently. Now they really are delicious, especially now that I know how good they are for me.Penny: What a *fun* story! Thanks for taking the time to report to us. As you said, it is just an anecdote, but those types of stories can be powerful motivators for people who read them. Thanks!Our ancestors had very hard, short lives, so why do people want to imitate them anyway? Yes, we can still learn some things from them.It is a mockery of a sham of a travesty . But there is a lot of money to be made in causing and then “treating” degenerative diseases, i.e. the food and drug industry. It would cost the industry tens of billions annually if people switched to a WFPBD which is at odds with big business capitalist ethos.Furthermore, the food and drug industry is the biggest investor in clinical research, so you see ladies and gentlemen capitalism has us all by the short and curlies cos you gotta eat!GREAT NEWS FOR THIS BEAN LOVER!!!!!!! :)Dr. Your contribution, among others like John Mcdougal, Neal Barnard, etc…, is so important that I am really worried you will be assasinated. These food companies are so powerful and have so much to lose that I am really worried about your personal well-being.Beans are an inexpensive nutrient option as well, making them an easy option for those of us watching our pocketbooks.Beans have an impressive nutritional profile; however, there are much better choices out there. Beans are loaded with toxins and are not easily digested by our digestive system. In fact, most people are incapable of breaking beans down to extract the nutrients inside.If you want an equivalent nutritional profile to a can of beans; have a nice big spinach salad with some olive oil, almonds, and chicken breast.ISO 22000 is one of the highest marks of safety. It isn’t easy to get this mark. One needs to be able to showcase that they can handle obstacles that shall cause the food to spoil and manufacture it in such way that it is absolutely safe for consuming. Unless, this is proved, a firm cannot get the ISO 22000 mark. Qsindia is a leading ISO consultants Company in India, providing – ISO 22000 Certification, ISO Training & Food Safety Certification services.	abdominal fat,beans,blood pressure,blood sugar,caloric restriction,calories,chickpeas,diabetes,legumes,lentils,metabolic syndrome,navy beans,obesity,peas,prediabetes,split peas	A head-to-head test of adding beans versus portion control for metabolic syndrome.	What is metabolic syndrome? See: Metabolic Syndrome and Plant-Based Diets.More on plants versus calorie restriction in:More on magic beans:What about treating full-blown diabetes with beans? All in my next video: Diabetics Should Take Their Pulses.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/navy-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/split-peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22916816,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22916807,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22924370,
PLAIN-2572	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/	Which Nut Fights Cancer Better?	In my video on nuts and breast cancer prevention, I featured data from the Harvard Nurse’s Study suggesting early nut consumption may be a viable means for breast cancer prevention. A follow-up study involving the daughters of the nurses corroborated the findings. Those eating more peanut butter, nuts, beans, lentils, soybeans or corn were found to just have a fraction of the risk for fibrocystic breast disease, which places one at higher risk of cancer, and the protective effects were found to be strongest for those most at risk, the ones with a family history of breast cancer.A new study even found two handfuls of nuts a week may protect against pancreatic cancer, one of our most fatal malignancies. We’re not sure why they work. Nuts are described as nutritionally precious, packed with all sorts of goodies, which may explain some of the mechanisms by which nut components induce cancer cell death, and inhibit cancer growth and spread in vitro, but which nuts work the best? In my video #1 Anticancer vegetable we learned that two classes of vegetables, the broccoli family vegetables, and the garlic family vegetables most effectively suppressed breast cancer cell growth. Then in Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better? Cranberries and lemons took the title. What about nuts? In terms of antioxidant content, walnuts and pecans steal the show. Twenty-five walnuts have the antioxidant equivalent of eight grams of vitamin C, that’s like the vitamin C found in a hundred oranges. Ah, but how do they do against cancer?Here is a graph of human cancer cell proliferation versus increasing concentrations of the ten most common nuts eaten in the United States. If you drip water on these cancer cells as a control, nothing happens. They start out powering away at 100% growth and they keep powering away at 100% growth. And hazelnuts, pistachios and brazil nuts don't do much better. Pine nuts, cashews, and macadamias start pulling away from the pack. Almonds appear twice as protective, halving cancer cell growth at only half the dose, but these three are the winners, causing a dramatic drop in cancer proliferation at just tiny doses: walnuts and pecans, with the bronze going to peanuts. This was nuts versus human liver cancer cells, like they did in the fruit study. They found similar results pitting nuts against human colon cancer cells, which is particularly useful, since ingested nuts would come in direct contact with colon cancer tumors in the real world, whereas for something like breast cancer, even if nuts suppressed breast cancer cell growth in a petri dish, that doesn’t necessarily mean nut consumption would suppress breast tumor growth, since the protective nut compounds might not even get absorbed into the bloodstream. To test that you’d have to like design an experiment where you drip the blood of nut-eaters versus non-nut eaters on breast cancer, and that’s exactly what researchers a Penn State recently did. And they wanted to know what it was about nuts that was so protective, so they fed people whole walnuts, just the walnut oil, or just the walnut skins, and then over the next six hours dripped their blood on human breast cancer cells in a petri dish, and the blood of those eating walnuts suppressed the growth of human breast cancer, but just the oil or just the skin didn’t work. These data suggest that some components of walnuts are absorbed, circulate in the blood and affect either directly or indirectly breast cancer cell proliferation.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	Raw nuts or roasted nuts? Some vegans and health-food advocates make the claim that roasted nuts are harmful. Harmful for the heart as well as the fats being oxidized….altered in a way that is inflammatory. I guess the thinking that the heat damages the fat content in the nuts. Is there truth in this? Should we be only eating raw nuts, and avoiding the cooked nuts? And from what little I know about this topic, it does make some sense that cooked fats might put more stress and workload on the gallbladder, liver, and other organs.Very recently – I think it was last week or the previous – there was a video in which Dr. Greger said that roasted nuts were better. I don’t know if this conclusion applies to cancer-fighting effects of nuts.Yes, I’ve heard the same claim that raw nuts are better but here are two videos from Dr. Greger that mention roasting nuts increases their healthfulness: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/Seen it claimed that the heating of polyunsaturated fats (high in nuts) can cause the fats to turn into saturated fats. Thus, best raw. ?Heating nuts does not cause the fats to be hydrogenated, thus becoming saturated fats. The unsaturated fats are more likely to oxidize to some degree.Does it matter that eating more nuts can increase our omega-6 consumption levels and thus increase our omega ratio… or are we talking about consuming a very small amount of nuts having a very large effect here? Or… is the Omega ratio not that important?I’ve noticed this question come a lot on this site with the topic of nuts. A search of nuts and cancer on this site will give you the info you’re looking for. I dont usually give links because it’s very easy and quick to search sites like this for topics and you may see something of interest you may not have seen otherwise. From my research I believe you’ve answered your own question with your second statement/ question about effect. If you do a general search on O3 ratios and nuts and or O3 ratios in both on this site and on the internet I think you’ll find credible sources citing studies showing the ratio may not be as important as once thought…but isnt that the usual story (what was once deemed important or relevant is shown to not be with new studies). Good luck. I’m sure a regular reader/ NFO volunteer will give you some feedback as well.This is very interesting and similar to what I found today by searching around a bit. you have to wonder though why dr. Gregor recommends supplementing with omega-3 then and also has videos warning about arachidonic acid which I believe is just another word for Omega 6, though my information may be mixed up here. I don’t seem to recall Dr Gregor ever discussing ratios though.I take that back he has a video on how do you achieve a good Omega ratio, so I’m going to check it up.Omega 3/6 ratio is definitely important. Arachidonic acid is the long chain omega 6 fatty acid. With nuts you would be getting the short chain that has to be converted to make arachidonic acid.Dr. Gregor recommends two tablespoons of ground flax along with only one ounce of a nut like walnuts. So if you are only consuming one ounce of the nut of your choice, it doesn’t matter which one, your omega 3/6 ratio will be in the ideal range if you are taking in two tablespoons of ground up flax seed. This, of course, assumes one is eating a healthy plant based diet.Thanks. I’m starting to get a good picture of what’s required here.Hi Tobias, in my experience, with some flax or chia daily, I can eat nuts and seeds to a reasonable degree (1-2 servings) and still have a ratio better than 4:1. Even without the flax/chia, I get quite a bit of omega-3 from all the various vegetables I consume. Have you tried entering your food into cronometer? You can get the omega 3 and 6 content and determine your ratio from there.If you want to learn more of the basics of the how and why in regards to omega 3 vs 6, Dr. Greger has a great lecture (on youtube) called “40 Year Vegan Dies of a Heart Attack! New research on Omega-3’s and B12″.Yesterday, I ate an ounce (28 grams) of walnuts & pistachios with 2 tablespoons of flax (20 grams) and easily maintain a 1.3:1 omega ratio. This included five ears of relatively high omega-6 corn on the cob… (I also took the recommended EPA & DHA supplement recommended by Dr Greger.)I learned all this by, as you recommended, entering everything that I eat into Cronometer — going on almost two months now. Wow! What a revelation this has been for me. Anyway. Combine this with watching your cited video, I’m on the road to enhancing my intake to maintain this type of lower ratio.What is the recommended EPA & DHA supplement recommended by Dr Greger?Hi Sue, not sure if he’s recommended a particular brand, but he does recommend “250 to 500 mg daily of yeast- or algae-derived DHA and/or EPA” in his Optimum Nutrition Recommendations:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/He doesn’t specifically recommend a brand but he mentions 4 or 5 that are currently available.I don’t know if this was one he recommended or not, but, Joel Fuhrman, MD, author of Eat To Live and The End of Diabetes and The End of Dieting offers a DHA and EPA supplement from his website, and All Profits Go To The Nutritional Research Foundation, thus he gets no profit from it, and it helps fund further research into nutrition. His web site is drfuhrman.com and his book Eat To Live hit #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List in 2011 or 2012. Dr. Greger and he see things almost identically in terms of agreement on what the best diet and things to eat are.With my consumption yesterday of 2 tbsp of flax and 1 oz of nuts (see data in my other post here), Cronometer indicates that I’m at only 65% of my omega-6 recommended intake. I researched this at “Nutri-Facts” (article here, http://j.mp/1rvWDAz) and it echos “17 grams” mentioned in Cronometer… though it states that it depends on one’s goals.So, I just went back and tested an entry of an additional ounce of mixed nuts and the result was merely a change of 1.3:1 to 1.6:1. That’s a minimal effect and suggests that nuts can be managed quite easily. :)Tobias: yes, those numbers are similar to what I get, I seem to at worst get a 2:1 ratio which is fine with me. I personally don’t worry about getting enough omega-6. I recall reading once about how the original work done to show that omega-6 is essential was quite flawed. But fresh corn on the cob in the summer sure is tasty! Not a bad prescription to have to follow :)You guys seem to be reading different sources from what I’ve read. My understanding (as a Lifestyle Medicine Specialist, as is Dr. Greger) is that the ideal ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 is 3 to 1, and the reason Olive Oil is Bad for you is because it has a ratio of 10 to 1, which is far too inflammatory. (Of course, all oils are bad for you, as they are just processed foods with no fiber or other micronutrients!) If you want oil (which is essential for survival) you have to get it from avocado or nuts or seeds, never from oil if you want the optimally healthy diet. Anyway, if you are concerned about getting too Little Omega-6, (which is basically impossible for Americans), then just add a little Olive Oil to change the ratio, although I wouldn’t actually advocate that for the reasons stated above.Key advocates for the plant diet based on whole foods disagree that nuts and seeds are required for an optimal diet. In fact, in cases where a person is trying to reverse heart disease, they do not allow nuts & seeds, nor avocados. The main reason is the same as with oil… they evidently damage the epithelial layer with the arteries and vessels. Also, my impression is that 1:1 is the ideal ratio for Omega-6/3, though that’s hard to sustain without significant intake of flax seeds. (Those mentioned above despite their general rule against nuts do allow for 1 tbs of ground flax seeds.From a naturopathic physician I was told that one hand full of nuts per meal is sufficient and all one should eat in a day. You have to measure in your own hand. And the correct way to measure it is to put the nuts in the palm of your hand and then close your fingers down until they touch the bottom of your palm. If you can’t get your fingers to touch your palm then reduce the amount of nuts in your hand.3 handfuls per day is a lot more nuts than the normal one handfull recommendation.I just use a scale. I can not hold a full ounce in one handful.I’ve measured it a few times, and an ounce of Walnuts is 5 whole walnuts or 10 of the full half size pieces.Tobias… it seems walnuts have the highest content of Omega-3 and ellagic acids which may in part explain why the health benefit.http://www.livestrong.com/article/34459-nuts-omega-fatty-acids/Yes, walnuts seam uniquely suited for increasing both Omega 3 and omega-6 though, like most nuts, they are higher in Omega 6.What about all the irradiation that is happening to our nut supply now? What effects does that have on the beneficial qualities of the nuts we purchase in the stores?Don’t forget that commercial nut butters, nuts in general esp old nuts (sitting on the shelf somewhere) are also one of the highest concentrations for the molds which are associated with cancers, peanuts/butters being on top. Every qualified anti-cancer treatment diet plan I have found tells us to cut out peanuts altogether due to their extreme propensity for the development of one of the most harmful molds we can consume. Unfortunately, I also find almond butter causes problems (I love them both). Cancer self-treatment schools the world over list nuts/butters (the whole nut with skin on), as off-limits for people who are self-treating for cancer, or those trying to lick candida and other parasite infestations (which we are now discovering are closely associated with cancers), and no matter where you look, you are being told to avoid nuts at all costs. BUT I HAVE A SOLUTION! I cannot live without almonds and walnuts every day, and since many of the medicinal phytonutrients are in their dark skins, I need the whole food in my diet, not a processed version like white vs. colored rices, etc.. So what I do is briefly soak my fresh raw nuts in boiling water (not easy to find unrancid nuts by the way), then rub and flush with water until all the pockets filled with mold are swollen and clean; I then grind the walnuts and store in freezer for use in making pestos which I eat every day as a major protein source with vegetables or quinoa. I use my mold-free washed almonds to make my own almond milk, and I only store this for one day in refrig or freeze it for a little longer. Think of this process as greatly reducing the pathogen accumulation in your nuts – some remains because it is impossible to irradicate. But unless we take measures like this to reduce our overall pathogen overload, it is nearly impossible to get on top of an biologically unbalanced gut – no matter how many probiotic products, cleanse and treatment products you buy to fix it, you are unknowingly re-infesting yourself.I’ve heard this about peanuts but do we really think the raw organic nuts for sale at places such as Whole Foods and other organic markets are full of mold? I’d think they’d be testing for this sort of stuff if it was so certain, as it seems you are claiming. Any references or facts you can post would be most appreciated.Raw organic macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios full of mold? It just seems like an issue that would not be allowed to exist in USA high-end markets (legal issues and such).You are right… The reason I know? My wife is allergic to mold and she has no problem eating any nut right out of the bag. I just get Trader Joes nuts, not even organic.Aflatoxin unfortunately does not appear to be destroyed by exposure to high temperatures. For example, here is a study showing the identification of aflatoxin in ultra-high temperature pasteurized milk: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24856405showing that inFortunately aflatoxin is not particularly common in Walnuts. Also California walnuts, almonds and pistachios, as an export crop, have to meet stringent EU standards for aflatoxin contamination.The problem with nut consumption is that with their extreme caloric density they are easily addictive in some individuals.But if you watch previous Dr. Greger videos on nuts, you’ll know that nuts don’t lead to weight gain, despite their calorie density.Walnuts have vitamin C? On my package of walnuts at home, it says that a 1/3 cup serving of walnuts has 0% Vitamin C. So no vitamin C at all. Yet on this video Dr. Gregor says 25 walnuts have the same vitamin C content as 100 oranges.Oops, my bad. Dr. Gregor says that 25 walnuts has the anti-oxidant capacity of 8 grams of vitamin C, which it takes 100 oranges to get that much vitamin C. So sorry about that. I misheard the first time. Should always listen again before commenting.No insult intended, but assumptions about the health and safety of food products and the assumption that there is some public interest oversight function happening with the For Sale foods sold in America is dangerously naeve. Please do your own research on the mold in nuts/butters, esp peanuts/butter and that would need to start with spending a lot of time on the Internet (our best research tool), self-training in critical thinking by doing it, vetting various sites and authors in a variety of ways and over time, testing ideas within your own life and framework, and getting to the bottom of your own cognitive biases which prevent you from questioning authority in the first place. Mike (Health Ranger) at naturalnews.com hosts many excellent authors and highlights many new, credible reports as they come out. And he is the same person spearheading the attempt to sue Whole Foods for their continued sale of known contaminated products from China, even after the Natural News lab presented tests showing serious problems. You, like me, may not agree with all he reports and discusses, but we must each discern what we will – that is what being an awake adult means. No one person sees the whole picture, and many whistleblowers of today are the heroes of tomorrow (and v-versa). “Knowing” the Truth is a moving target. Best plan is to hone your thinking skills and vet everything through your own personal experience. I found it impossible to reverse my candida (also in the presence of persistent cancer in various parts) without more careful measures such as removing the obvious worst offenses such as eating pathogens along with an otherwise healthy food – a common mistake. I did not just take the word of the many Naturopathic Physicians specializing in Oncology who plead with people to stop ingesting pathogens, I played the Scientist in my own life and proved the concept. We used to have a walnut tree when I grew up and collecting them was my job. A totally “fresh” walnut, picked from the tree or recently fallen on ground, if you will look closely, often has a little mold inside the shell! I remember well that my mom would complain about the further mold that grew in the over-wintered walnuts we saved in the cool cellar for nut breads the next Spring. Some foods grow with an overdose of molds embedded in the skin (root veggies is another), or near the stem (cabbages), and unless you scrub, boil, or cut it off, you get a dose when you consume. I used to run a Juice Bar and it did not take long for us to change our policy to scrub or peel all carrots prior to juicing because so much mold is embedded in the skins that the longevity was seriously reduced. Just because a food is natural, whole, or organic does not mean it is automatically problem free, healthy, or therapeutic. Especially with humans living today on this planet such as it is – our immune systems are too weak to withstand overloads anymore. The diseases of the 60-something are now plaguing the 30-something. These little things add up when considering earlier intervention to restore healthier immune and organ function and prolongue overall health and longevity.I used to use a UV (“Black”) light to check for aflatoxin on nuts that we grew ourselves. I never saw IT (glows distinctly green) but there were certainly lots of other moulds. We don’t eat our own walnuts. Our store bought nuts never have shown any thing. but I have not checked for years. Now you’ve got me going…I’d better find that light.You have a good source where I can buy one of these UV lights for cheap? Thank you if so.I wonder if this one would get the job done?http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Light-UV-Blacklight-Flashlight/dp/B004S6JFWQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405718847&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=UV+black+light+for+checking+for+mold+on+nutsI THINK it would work…the one i have uses a small fluroescent style tube…but for 7 bucks I’d say go for it.FYI, I have reason to believe turmeric has been effective for me. I eat a tsp per day and also use it topically as needed. It has reversed a small warty thing on my face. I wonder if it might help with Candida and/or cancer? The vids on it here explain better than I can. Good luck…You will win.yes, turmeric is one of my 5 cancer treatment mainstays and I take it right up to the limit (2 tsp) every day, veggie-capped. It is too soon to know if it kills colorectal cancer cells, but I think it is the tumeric that is probably primarily responsible for destroying a liver tumor (coupled with total elimination of sugars + diet comprised of primarily cruciferous family veggies and about a dozen other herbs/mushrooms). I also make my own topical salve for cancers, etc., out of powdered comfrey, red clover blossom, mullein, tumeric, hawthorn, milk thistle, vit c, and mix this into a base of grape seed oil, manuka honey, shea butter (varies as to what is on hand – current liquid I am using is Apricot Kernal oil. The best quality of these ingredients (which is usually also the best price) for several decades is always: Mountain Rose Herbs in Eugene, OR.You mention Mike so I must comment. I’ve always respected him but I’m afraid he may be putting profits above integrity. His company has just come out with its own brand of turmeric / curcumin and his newsletter recently promoted it in part by claiming organic turmeric / curcumin, specifically sold on Amazon dot com, is contaminated with heavy metals.I asked him in a post to substantiate his claim, to cite studies or testing his lab has made but my post was NOT permitted to appear. I made two posts attempting to ask him this but they were censored. Legitimate question, no?Good for you for asking – we must be our own primary investigator wherever possible. However, several things need to be considered here. First, there would be no way The Health Ranger could reply to such a question in a public forum – Dr. Greger is generous in allowing this conversation here (naming names, brands, claims by writers about their anti-cancer strategies, etc.). Secondly, you can be sure this site’s conversations are tagged by the Internet Surveillance Police functions which are causing similar conversations all over America to be blocked. It is only a matter of time before Dr. Greger will have an incident (if he has not already). It will come in the form of internal website issues, viral attacks, or other (expensive) technical issues which cause administrative work on Dr. Greger’s end, and in essence, will function as a slap on the wrist for allowing free speech through this unfettererd public discourse thing that is happening in the area of Self-Healthcare. Any sharing of contrary information (against government regulatory functions, pharmaceutical profits, standard AMA sponsored advice, etc.) is increasingly being censored and Mike Adams is one of those who has been in the front of this clash. When one has this type of personal experience it changes you and how you come across online…..it causes a kind of paranoid sense of persecution in the people who challenge authority, and that is after the typically expensive problem is solved, (listen to the horror stories coming out of the many independent media sources we all blissfully use every day without realizing the expense and hassles they deal with daily). The question of his lab is a cheap shot – who is going to actually test the thousands of products being sold to us which have no business getting past our federal health and safety gatekeepers? I will take any help I can get in protecting myself, by any entrepreneur-paraprofessional scientist who tries to put together an (inadequate, underfunded) lab facility which functions in any way for The Greater Good ….and if he wants to sell herbal capsules – working with the best information he can accrue as to its authenticity, go for it! Entrepreneurs are our true Leaders right now, so support him (and Dr. Greger) whenever your needs, intelligent investigation, and conscience leads you to, and share in the responsibility for closing the information and free speech gap while we can, by talking to one another through sites like nutritionfacts.org. And when you need to ask marginally allowable (or private) questions such as the lab results of his turmeric study – which by the way, would be proprietary information anyway, which he may be trying to use for another Class Action Lawsuit on our behalf), I suggest you attempt to make a direct approach to that person via your personal email, explaining what happened. Although they get probably hundreds of personal inquiries daily, most of these front-line services (like Dr. Greger and The Health Ranger) which host Essential Free Speech Conversations Between Americans, try to fund the email staff that will provide an eventual reply. You can be sure these guys work more than full-time and are underpaid. And specifically about curcumin……yes, most comes from China and is automatically suspect, and also because it is a root, and this plant medicine is certainly in need of closer scrutiny if one is taking it at the maximum dose (me). But in my case, I had to suspend suspicion sufficient to allow me to proceed with this essential ingredient in my anti-cancer protocol because I had no other choice but to trust Mountain Rose Herbs. I am waiting for my answer about their Turmeric supply but for the moment, am relying on their word because this company continues to rise to the top in my 40 years of sourcing practice. And turmeric is on my Medicine Plant Grow Plan, which will eliminate all the questions after I learn how to produce my own.For anti cancer , APRICOT KERNELS !Which they are almonds also~Without the cyanide ! Indeed.I mean apricot kernel are some kind of nuts also~I took Dr. Gregers recommendation for a handful of nuts once a week and gained 20 pounds over the time period of a few months…. so it didn’t work for me. My question is not the nutritional benefits of nuts but the packaging of those precious nutrients with large amounts of fat (including saturated fat) found in nuts. There might be better ways to get all those precious nutrients without the artery clogging fat.I can’t understand how the extra weight could be caused by such a small quantity of nuts. Lets assume every molecule of nut turns into “fat you wear”. It doesn’t really but assume a werst case senario…20 lbs of fat equals 300 oz. Divide 300 by (no. of months times 4 weeks per month) and you get somewhere in the range of 20 oz of nuts per week to gain 20 lb.Now its sparrow fart here and I’m on my first cup of liver tonic so the wheels are still a bit slow but I’m thinking You would need to eat a lot more than a handful per week to add up to so much weight. I don’t mean to contradict you BB but there has to be something else in the equation to explain your weight gain.Once you stopped eating those nuts did the 20 pounds go away?He probably just became sedentary in this period vs not before.What about RAW sunflower seeds, grape seeds, watermelon seeds or rice (aren’t they nuts too ?). I cannot afford walnuts. But RAW sunflower seeds, RAW rice & RAW peanuts I can afford. I soak them in water for 48 hours. They 2ble or triple in volume (I heard they become full of embryonic cells). I would not trust any study that claims roasted anything is better. How can BURNING increase nutrition? That is not logical. Extreme heat DESTROYs (It does not build).Heating increases bio-availability. When you eat raw more of the nutrients are not absorbed. That said, I don’t think it’s a big deal to eat all of your nuts raw, I do. But with vegetables you DEFINITELY need to eat part of them cooked and part of them raw. I like Fuhrman’s recommendation to aim for one pound of raw and one pound of cooked every day. This way you get the best of both worlds.Not cooked, boiled is better (lower temperature). Bio-availability is advertisement propaganda, what is true is some vegetables we cannot eat raw (like garlic or onions or potato) in large quantity. But if you boil them for a few minutes, you can eat a LOT and although some of the nutrients are destroyed, because you eat a LOT more, you gain and it is better than not eating or eating a lot less raw.Any one have valid scientific information about soaking nuts?? I wonder if the nuts in the study were soaked at all or if they were just raw…I’m not a big fan of straight walnuts, but I have a quick recipe for Basil-Walnut-Spinach pesto that is so good you could eat it with a spoon:In a food processor (eg Cuisinart, etc.): 1) Toss in a bunch of garlic cloves and mince ‘em. Brush the sides downs with a spatuala so they are all in the bottom. 2) Toss in a bunch of walnuts and pulse into a grind but not a paste (ie not making creamy walnut-butter). Brush the sides down with a spatula. 3) In whatever order works for you add in grind up: handfuls of basil, handfuls of spinach, freshly squeezed lemon juice. 4) If you are not watching your sodium, you can also experiment with adding soy sauce, salt, umeboshi plum vinegar, or other flavor-enhancing salty goods. 5) If you want to use extra virgin olive oil you can, but if you prefer non-oil just up the amount of walnuts.That’s it: I don’t give amounts because you must experiment depending on the flavor balances you like. ALL ingredients are healthy. I go heavy on the garlic and on the walnuts because I use the walnuts for the oil content (I don’t add EVO.) Voila! Great on pasta, veggies, toast! Or with a spoon! And it freezes very well, too.That’s even better then eating walnuts straight because you are getting more garlic and greens into your diet. Thanks, I’ll try it.I am used to eating peanuts by steaming it for 15 minutes. It is relatively softer when steamed. A pinch of salt is also added during the steaming process. The final product tastes good and can be eaten as a snack. To improve it further the boiled peanuts can be sauted with finely chopped onions an coriander leaves. In the later part of his life, Gandhi lived moslty on steamed peanuts and goats milk! Suresh Mathevan–New DelhiWhy is this video not on your website? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04I just suggested this lecture to another commenter. As they say, great minds… :) I agree it should be on here. It’s a great and very informative lecture.If you have cancer, new research shows that peanuts helps it spread. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/breaking-anti-cancer-news-ditch-the-peanuts-and-spread-the-word/another question. there is an ancient ayurvedic procedure called ‘ oil pulling’. do you know of it? what do you think of it?Lately I have heard a lot about soaking of nuts, seeds, and grains. It is supposed to decrease anti-nutrients and make the food easier to digest and absorb. I couldn’t find anything about this on your Website and was wondering if you could look into soaking. It would be nice to know if taking the extra time to soak my grains, seeds, and nuts is even making a difference as far as nutrition is concerned.I have high blood pressure and rheumatoid arthritis. I am changing my diet for nuts and raw veggies, and drink a good amount of wáter. I used to eat a lot of fruit but have gone down to two small portions a day. But I´m still confused as to carbohidrates. How much how many? because they are essential too I´ve learned. Just ONE thing. I am not going to the bathroom as much as I should. Why???https://medium.com/@TheAnimalist/no-veganism-doesn-t-cure-cancer-3825f91f815d	almonds,antioxidants,beans,brazil nuts,breast cancer,broccoli,cancer,cashews,colon cancer,corn,cranberries,fibrocystic breast disease,fruit,garlic,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,hazelnuts,lemons,lentils,liver cancer,macadamia nuts,mortality,nuts,oranges,oxidative stress,pancreatic cancer,peanut butter,peanuts,pecans,pine nuts,pistachios,rectal cancer,soybeans,vegetables,vitamin C,walnut oil,walnuts	Within hours the blood of those fed walnuts is able to suppress the growth of breast cancer cells in a petri dish. Which nut might work best, though--almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, or walnuts?	Here’s the direct links to the videos I mentioned:More nuttiness:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pistachios/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibrocystic-breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pecans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pine-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hazelnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnut-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brazil-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cashews/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/macadamia-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanut-butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24043428,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24176559,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20229245,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23061909,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24149179,
PLAIN-2573	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/	What Diet Should Physicians Recommend?	In 2013 a Nutritional Update for Physicians was published in the official journal of Kaiser Permanente, the largest managed care organization in the United States which covers about nine million people with about 15,000 physicians. We're told that healthy eating may be best achieved with a plant-based diet, defined as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and discourages meats, dairy, and eggs as well as all refined and processed junk.Too often, physicians ignore the potential benefits of good nutrition and quickly prescribe medications instead of giving patients a chance to correct their disease through healthy eating and active living. Physicians should therefore consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity.The major downside is that it may work a little too well. If people are on medications their blood pressure or blood sugar could actually drop too low, so physicians may need to adjust medications or eliminate them altogether.Despite the strong body of evidence favoring plant-based diets, many physicians are not stressing the importance of plant-based diets as a first-line treatment for chronic illnesses. This could be because of a lack of physician awareness—or, a lack of patient education resources. So Kaiser sought to change that. Want to lose weight, feel better, improve, stabilize, or even reverse chronic disease, and get off some of your medications? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions then a plant-based eating plan may be for you. Side-effects may include lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar, reversal or prevention of our #1 killer, a longer life, healthier weight, lower risk of cancer, diabetes—may even slow the progression of certain types of cancer, and improve inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. They offer tips to get started, meal plan ideas, and, I’m honored say, good taste in websites.The paper ends with a familiar refrain: "further research is needed." In this case, though, further research is needed, to find ways to make plant-based diets the new normal for our patients and employees.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	I am sure it probably tastes ok but the black beans with kale and yams -looks totally unappealing. Consideration should be given to the presentation of food. The experience of food is more than just nutrients packed in different colours and textures put on a plate. Make food look nice and people are more likely to eat it. :-)I love the presentation of three brightly colored healthy foods!Mmm perhaps somebody’s palette is jaded and conditioned to eating a very limited and adulterated diet I thinkYours?Funny, I love the combination of the kale, beans and yams and the colors are beautiful. I also know for a fact that they are delicious together too. :)Vegetarian 40 years, vegan 22… we eat more versatile and delicious then most corpse, period & secretion eaters :Di would eat that plateful in a heartbeatHow appealing is a piece of a dead animal on your plate?That would depend if one ate meat or not and obviously how it was presented and cooked. Meat presented in the same way as above would be just as unappealing (less if one is vegan ) . Here is some science on food presentation http://www.flavourjournal.com/content/2/1/27Really presentation is important and should not be discounted.I agree with you, since I worked in the field of culinary photography, my dad’s specialty. I answered to Kate-Frances to say why I think the photos are the way they are.The only way to make a chunk of flesh look appealing is to top it with a bunch of beautiful, colorful, plant foods.I agree. They should have used a professional food photographer and stylist. People (including myself) will often look at a picture before text and will decide whether to continue based on the attractiveness of the image.I’m going to stereotype plant based eaters here.In my experience most plant based eaters are sort of rugged people. They don’t care too much about aesthetics.Maybe that affects advocacy?well, we’re not talking about plant based eaters. And…the meat eaters probably do care about aesthetics.If you mean they tend to think about what they are consuming rather than how pretty something looks, then yes I have to admit to being rather that way.it’s the green plate….A bright sunny yellow plate would have looked much better! =)Imho, it looks delicious!! Before I went whole-food-plant-based, it would never have appealed to me. But now, omg. My tummy is growling. :) I just made some sweet potato/kale/black bean enchiladas. :pTo me, the food looks great, but I see your point. The photo has an institutional look about it. They’re just starting out. Maybe the next time they can make the picture sing.Seasonings used can make a big difference to whether you enjoy the food or not.I have to agree. The photography itself is poorly done, and personally, despite the fact that I eat all those foods, I never eat them in that sort of configuration. The average SAD eater may be more enticed were those foods made into a sweet potato black bean burger, some sort of pasta dish, chili, etc. Something really tasty looking with a caption to indicate what they’re made out of. I’m a serious bean eater but even I never just eat a pile of plain beans. If this were my first introduction to a wfpb diet, I would not be interested. And even as a seasoned wfpb eater, I’m still not interested… I’ll take my incredibly seasoned and aromatic chickpea ratatouille and crusty bread for lunch today thank you.But despite the poor presentation, I hate to sound like a negative nelly. I’m sure the photos will get better. Overall this is pretty great news. Many if not most people I encounter (even professional scientists) still have serious misconceptions about the healthfulness of a vegan diet.Having just read the 47 comments which mostly focus on the photography in the brochure, I was wondering why this huge shift in nutrition policy isn’t a major news story. Searching online I only found vegetarian and animal rights groups reporting on this new policy, ie; nothing in the NYTimes or any other large media provider. Also wondering why Dr. Greger reports this over a year after the fact. Anyway congratulations for your ongoing contribution Dr. Greger!I know he makes each “season” of videos in advance, then releases them one by one, so he may have made this one quite a while ago.I also noticed but was not surprised by the lack of media coverage when this came out. 9 million people, that’s about 1 in 30 Americans that this directly affects, and not a peep about it. What a shame.It would create cognitive dissonance. That probably wouldn’t help readership at the Times.Maybe that is why we haven’t seen it so widely reported on. Good thing we got people like Dr G tootin the horn.INDEED! These pics are white-knuckle healthy food pics! Very unappetizing to me! Food photography is a specialty and Kaiser can afford it!I think you judge the food on today’s standards, where absolute junk food is dressed up to look amazing. It’s trickery. Good looking food, is that that is nutritionally good, to me.It’s the aqua-colored plate that looks unappealing. The food itself looks gorgeous.Riiggghhhht . . . . and a dead carcass, and other slop is really appealing. Idiot.A View Form The Next: Name calling is not allowed on this site. This site is for supportive and scientific dialog. Feel free to express your opinion without resorting to personal attacks.What? this looks delicious!it made me hungry.This looks delicious to me too…Food photography pimping (aka “putting lipstick on a pig”) is essential for serving up animal carcasses and feces. Real healthy foods don’t need it though.I totally agree. The colour of the plate is only the first thing wrong with that presentation – government institutional 1950s blue is not something that says “yum” and the “plop in on the plate like school lunches” just makes it worse. Honestly, it looks seriously unappealing (and I eat this way!!). It’s kind of no wonder many people think WFPB eating is unpalatable.It does look really appealing to me.But I think mmmeat has a point. If we are going to try to encourage a plant based diet as a way to make our communal health better, we need to modify our standards.I got a big mess of veggies going in the slow cooker right now, but not everyone views the world through veggie eyes.Vegetarian 40 years, vegan 22… We eat more versatile & delicious then most corpse, period & secretion eaters :DWow. Very impressive. Good job Kaiser!!Kaiser has really been in the lead on this for a while. Kudos to them – and to Dr. Greger and all his colleagues who practice lifestyle-based medicine, encouraging (and embracing themselves) this healthy and compassionate way of eating and living!Wow. I want to go work for Kaiser!I think it is really great Dr. Greger’s website was cited by Kaiser Permanente. A lot more people will now be exposed to benefits of a plant based diet. Dr. Greger: congratulation and thank you very much for your hard work and everything you and your team do for all of us following your work!I attended a nutrition seminar sponsored by my local Kaiser. It was presented by a young RD who was not aware of the Nutritionfacts.org website. She wrote the website address on the flip chart and pretty much everyone wrote it down. People are “starving” for great nutrition resources. Glad to see Kaiser put your site on their list of recommended things to do to go plant-based. I consider myself an ambassador of the website as I have given it to many people looking for knowledge on going plant-based. It speaks to the issue so much better than I ever could.I know, me too. I am so excited to see this database of knowledge be further extended to the population! I pray daily that it can one day become as routine a check for medical questions as webMD.I actually saw this document few months ago.Here’s the actual URL to the Kaiser’s “The Plant-Based Diet”http://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/Images/New%20Plant%20Based%20Booklet%201214_tcm28-781815.pdfThank you so much for this!Here, here! Thanks for this link!Having worked with KP for 30+ years I am glad to see that they are starting to get the message out. The booklet is well done and a major step in the right direction. I hope the next iteration will correct some of the many errors in the section discussing selected nutrients such comments on fatty fish helping heart disease and the difficulty in converting plant based omega 3’s… but on balance a big step forward. Thanks for posting the link.This is great news! Thanks for highlighting it.BTW: There’s a typo on the screen just before the end of the video showing the “Year in Review” videos. They should be labeled 2013 and 2014.Year in Review – 2014 isn’t over yet, those are the two previous years in review. :)Thanks Brenda. I guess the use of “2012-2013″ and “2013-2014″ as is used on the homepage is too big for the little screenshot.What?! They’s no meat on thet plate!!Well spotted!And yet, I found this on the KP site today: https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health/care/!ut/p/a0/FchLDoMgEADQs3iAyfBpK7jTaq9gYTchRElkNIS2168u30OPb_RM37RQTTvTdtqFyDWWjj-1pGtxRo_-KLRkQsc7BAprvI5KTWGL6Iy5jbpVEzxGdQcpJwFmsD1YoZ6itS-ttMQjZ_Prm-YPHOKHcg!!/Well, changes like this don’t happen throughout a large system overnight.RIght, this is the Kaiser we see! “Dig into Dairy,” indeed!I note that the post I linked to has this footer: Reviewed by: Carole Bartolotto, MA, RD, June 2014Misterimpatient: Perhaps a case of the right hand not knowing what the left had is doing? Or perhaps a case of the brain at war with the heart?Quote from the video: “They offer tips to get started, meal plan ideas, and, I’m honored say, good taste in websites.” Me: Last but not least!!!I loved this video. It was uplifting. Nice to get some good news about now.INDEED! It may be a start to turning this ship around…and we need all the help we can get here in America…so much DIS-ease and suffering that is not necessary.The second source cited looks intended to be a link to the patient education material, but it links to the same manuscript as the first link. I would like to see that patient education material. Am I missing something?Shar links it above. PDF file.Dr. Duda and Gayle: Tommasina from NutritionFacts has kindly fixed that second link. Thank you both for pointing out the problem.And thanks again to Shar for tiding us over.thank you so much Dr michael greger, i saw their findings a few weeks ago and i wished someone would simplify their findings. thank you for promoting a heathier life style that it isn’t part of the ordinary (drug prescription) way. your videos and articles are inspiring! and helps promote an compassionate life style!!Exciting to see Kaiser promoting plant based diets and it makes sense given that they profit when they reduce patient visits and procedures. I’m not sure how widespread the practice is, but a Kaiser in San Francisco featured a weekly farmer’s market.The paleos are rolling in their early graves. But 2-4 fruit per day. What’s that based on?Excellent advice, but I think the photographs of the food and the meal suggestions in the booklet are enough to put anybody off! Imagine presenting someone used to eating, oh I don’t know…a Big Mac and fries, say, with a plate of plain Bok Choi and a slab of tofu and a mound of plain brown rice instead. How long are they likely to stick with their new meal plan?! There are so many amazing recipes on the web for plant based foods – so many inspiring blogs such as Green Kitchen Stories for instance, which look far more enticing for anyone about to change their eating habits. Seems like quite an old-fashioned view of ‘veganism’ offered by the nutritionist who designed the booklet.I agree. My dad is a professional photographer – now almost retired – his specialty was in culinary photography. I work with him for a little while. And I assure you that those photos could be much better. However I understand why the photos are the way they are, it give a crystal clear sense of volume and partition of the plate for average people. It could be more appealing indeed, but in doing so you could loose the educational purpose behind it.Indeed! Those photos are not appetizing. This reminds me of the required “advertisements” for the first electric cars by GM, the EV. They had a very old woman promoting it in a TV add and complained they just couldn’t get enough buyers!Amen and hallelujah… Do you hear angels singing? You’re getting through to some people. Congratulations Dr Gregor !This is astounding. Never thought I’d see it in my lifetime. Kudos to Kaiser and Dr. Greger.Such good news! I am so glad to see Kaiser promoting this.We were thrilled to view this and read the article! Alas, we saw it just after I had come home from the South San Francisco Kaiser where I supported a friend through surgery. As I have done at the two San Rafael,CA Kaisers, I checked out the cafe and the coffee shop. You would NEVER have known this paper had been published! And apparently over a year ago! I have written letters to Kaiser asking the walk the THRIVE walk, and at least offer some heathy plant based meals, snacks, lattes. I pointed out the docs I had watched enjoying their doughnuts etc. I got only form letter responses. Our three Kaiser Docs have never betrayed the slightest interest in, nor knowledge of WFPB diets. Yesterday’s nurse responded to my query about the quality of food at the hospital said they were trying to do away with french fries and have had huge resistance from the staff. And she said that there are regular games and staff competitions for which the prizes are ice cream nights. SO! Is there any hope? How come we have seen NOTHING to suggest anyone we have met at Kaiser have ever heard of these directives?What a fabulous, good news video! Thank you, Dr. Greger. As someone mentioned below, I too, was unable to get to the second source,Kaiser Permanente. The Plant-Based Diet a healthier way to eat. Kaiser Permanente 1-20.Gayle, have you tried the link in the Sources Cited tab? I hope that helps!With a history of hemorrhagic stroke, should one eat a diet higher in fat and cholesterol? I just read a study that links low cholesterol and hemorrhagic stroke.Hi Janie, could you post a link to the study so we can take a look?I don’t have a link but I remember Dr Joel Fuhrman saying in a video or paper that people on an optimum vegan diet who are eating only good fats and oils (like whole food nuts and avocado) are at a higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke, because as a group, their blood tends to be thinner. But he goes on to say that that the risk is minimized by reducing sodium intake to reduce permeability of the blood vessels.So glad to hear this, BUT it is easy for Kaiser to publish some materials, but they are not really pushing their doctors to do this. It needs to become part of the treatment standards physicians use. The active promotion of plant based eating needs to be a REQUIREMENT, not just a suggestion. I left Kaiser, because I found a physician who really supports plant-based eating.LOL, “good taste in websites”. One more for the good guys.Is there a way to get one of these publications? I would like to use it in my teaching.K. Garcia: If you click on the Sources Sited link under the video, you will find a link to the actual .pdf, which you could then print out yourself.Also, I would refer you to the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM) for other materials that can be used in education. They have some great pamphlets.Try: http://pcrm.org/factsheets/andhttp://pcrm.org/health/healthcare-professionals/nutritioncurriculum/pcrm-nutrition-education-curriculumHopefully one of those pages will be helpful.What do you teach?I agree Mmmeat….I am a chef. NEVER serve food on a blue plate. No matter what it is it will always look unappealing. Kaiser should have looked me up to prepare a dish from my healthy cookbook, The Passionate Vegetable.Suzanne, do you or your book have a website?Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Your lack of enthusiasm is so disappointing. ;-)Dear Dr.Gregor,I have been following the 80/10/10 diet “to a T” for 4 years (raw vegan carb based diet), and I was doing great until last year, then I suddently started loosing so much weight that I now are so thin that I look ill. My question is: since I havent changed my diet, why is this happening? And what changes should I apply to reverse this process? Should I switch to a cooked diet? Maybe follow Dr.McDougall’s dietary recomendations for instance? Your advice is much appreciated. Sincerely, V.Your history of sudden weight loss is concerning. I would work with your physician(s) to help figure out what is going on. If you can obtain an accurate diagnosis then you will be more likely to make the best decision. Good luck.My friend who works at Kaiser says they have promoted a plant based diet for 5 years and that some doctors think their patients need more protein than a plant based diet provides. So they don’t agree with what their employer, Kaiser, is promoting. Is this true? How many of their doctors actually suggest a Plant Based diet to their patients? How can doctors continue to promote the protein myth?Unfortunately, the facts are that it takes an average of 17 years for physicians to come around to changing their opinions after that facts are out. For example, lots of doctors still think saturated fats are bad, even though the AHA now admits they are not.On the bright side, the suggested diet seems much better than the USDA diet.Could this be a coincidence with the fact that Obamacare came into play? More common sense care equal less bills that the government will have to pick up. Either way, its good to see this is making it into the mainstream medical field.Where can I get my hands on this pamphlet? Not for myself, as I am a new/returning vegan. But for my father who has had prostate cancer. Suffers from Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. He eats animal products at every meal and I just know if he had access to this information he’d feel better and might even reverse some of his conditions.Guest: Check the “Sources Cited” section above.Also, consider showing your father the documentary, Forks Over Knives. That movie had a big influence on my parents. It wasn’t compelling in and of itself – but it was a big factor in their eventual conversion to a plant based diet.Other resources that might help – consider over time also showing your father the year-end summary talks from Dr. Greger. They are so powerful! Here they are for free: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/Hope that helps.That looks like diarrhea.I have a patient with pre-diabetes. Her Kaiser doctor had her attend a diabetes prevention nutrition class at Kaiser Sunset Los Angeles last week. This booklet was not presented nor was plant based diet recommended. They got the 3 tennis balls of fruit, protein that fits the palm of your hand talk. Sad. At least she got the booklet and nutrifacts.org links from me!MarkMelchoiorre: She is lucky to have you in her life.We eat with our eyes first. I’m not finding that image terribly appealing either my friend, especially on the seafoam-colored plate. In attempting to win over non-vegans, one could certainly do so much more with presentation, cooking techniques and garnishes. Check out rouxbe.com’s plant-based cooking course. There is a feast for the eyes, body and soul.Wow great way to make people sick so you have to treat them…..I see many nutrient deficiencies and diabeties on that plate..This diet will eventually lead to cancer and other health issues. I’ve seen it to often.Off topic: in the email and web page version of “My top 10 most popular videos of 2014″, there are two links that should be to this page – the one from the heading, and the one from the video picture. The latter points at the #2 video (about eggs). It’s too late to change the email, but perhaps the web version could be fixed?Imagine if everyone ate this way! I’ve seen figures that suggest up to 70% of chronic disease could be prevented with this type of diet. No doubt Kaiser realizes they would have far fewer claims if their subscribers widely adopt this plan, which would allow Kaiser to under price their competitors and still make more money. What a great idea to out compete the other insurers…and drive our rates down! We can be healthier and save money.Can anyone update with the good news that Kaiser is REALLY teaching WFPB to their docs and patients? We have seen no sign on our visits and the KP site makes it hard to find any mention of WFPB much less promoting it in the Health and Wellness section. I fear KP’s fear of offending big food clients has won out. Is there any hope? Anything we, as members, can do to cheer them on? (THEA, any ideas?) This week, UC Davis Integrative Medicine Program is making a big online splash including their Facebook page. So that is good news. They are offering a free virtual get started class April 23-26 UCD Summit on integrative…. Sign up advised to get in. https://www.facebook.com/ucdavis.integrativemedicine?fref=tsHow do I get a copy of this brochure? I would love to show this to my doctor. He is not in the Kaiser network.It’s the second link in Sources Cited (in the black bar to the right of the video).	alternative medicine,blood pressure,blood sugar,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,chronic diseases,complementary medicine,dairy,diabetes,eggs,exercise,heart disease,heart health,junk food,Kaiser Permanente,LDL cholesterol,Lifestyle medicine,meat,medications,obesity,plant-based diets,prediabetes,processed foods,rheumatoid arthritis	Kaiser Permanente, the largest U.S. managed care organization, publishes patient education materials to help make plant-based diets the “new normal” for patients and physicians.	So exciting to see the practice of lifestyle medicine. For more on this new medical specialty:Unfortunately much of medical training is substandard when it comes to nutrition:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kaiser-permanente/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/	-
PLAIN-2574	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/	Preventing Liver Cancer with Coffee	Decades ago, a group of researchers in Norway came upon an unexpected finding. Alcohol consumption was associated with liver inflammation—no surprise, but a protective association was found for coffee consumption.These findings were replicated in the U.S. and around the world. Those at risk for liver disease—those that drank a lot of alcohol or were overweight, and therefore at risk for fatty liver disease, appeared to cut their risk in half if they drank more than two cups of coffee a day.Liver cancer is one of the most feared complications. Hepatocellular carcinoma is the third leading cause of cancer death. Furthermore, it has a rapidly rising incidence in the United States and Europe, largely driven by the burden of hepatitis C infection and fatty liver disease. Yet putting together all the best studies done to date, those drinking the most coffee had half the risk of liver cancer compared to those that drank the least. Since the meta-analysis was published, a new study found that male smokers may be able to cut their risk of liver cancer more than 90% by drinking four or more cups of coffee a day. Of course they could have also stopped smokingIt’s like if you look at heavy drinkers of alcohol, drinking more coffee may decrease liver inflammation, but not as much as drinking less alcohol.Liver cancers are among the most avoidable cancers, through hepatitis B vaccination, control of hepatitis C transmission, and reduction of alcohol drinking. These three measures could, in principle, wipe 90% of liver cancers worldwide. It remains unclear whether coffee drinking has an additional role on top of that, but in any case such a role would be limited compared to preventing liver damage in the first place. But what if you already have hep C or are among the 30% of Americans with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease due to obesity, which may quadruple one’s risk of dying from liver cancer.Well, coffee seems to help with hepatitis C, reducing liver damage, disease activity, and mortality. It seems to help reduce the risk of developing liver cancer. Only the lack of randomized trials, interventional studies on the topic prevents from considering the protective effect of coffee as fully ascertained. But we didn’t have any such trials until now. A randomized controlled trial on the effects of coffee consumption in chronic hepatitis C. Forty patients with chronic hepatitis C were randomized into two groups: the first consumed four cups of coffee/day for 30 days, while the second remained coffee “abstinent.” And then the groups switched for the second month. Now two months is too soon to detect changes in cancer rates, but they were able to demonstrate that coffee consumption reduces oxidative DNA damage, increases the death of virus infected cells, stabilizes the chromosomes, and a reduction in fibrosis, all of which could explain the role coffee appears to play in reducing the risk of disease progression and of evolution to cancer.So is it time to write a prescription for coffee for those at risk for liver disease? Some say no. Although the results are promising, additional work is needed to identify which specific component of coffee is the contributing factor in reducing liver disease and related mortality. There are more than 1000 compounds that could be responsible for its beneficial effects. That’s such a pharmacological worldview. Why do we have to know exactly what it is in the coffee bean before we can start using it to help people? Yes more studies are needed, but in the interim, moderate, daily, unsweetened coffee ingestion is a reasonable adjunct to therapy for people at high risk such as those with fatty disease.Yes, daily consumption of caffeinated beverages can lead to physical dependence. Caffeine withdrawal symptoms can include days of headache, fatigue, difficulty with concentration, and mood disturbances. But, this could be a good thing. The tendency for coffee to promote habitual daily consumption may ultimately turn out to be advantageous if its myriad potential health benefits are confirmed.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	I noticed tea was included in some of the viewable media. I’ve switched over from coffee over the last year due to these videos. I drink white tea with lemon during the day and hibiscus tea in the afternoon and evening. I wonder if I shouldn’t have switched; coffee has a protective effect with Parkinson’s Disease also.Rather than switch, I’d recommend just adding coffee (no creamer) back to your diet. A variety of phytonutrients is even better, as they’re all working through different pathways, and many have synergistic effects with each other.If you need a creamer of some sort unsweetened almond milk works great.This is going to make many people across the pond very happy. I seem to remember one of the Docs older videos re the benefits of drinking coffee, whereby he concludes that coffee is simply the filtering of hot water of beans (eg a plant) hence the beneficial effects – I personally start my day with a couple of cups of Joe (and a tsp of honey), then progress onto green tea, Earl Grey and Chai. I am normally left with about 6 teabags in my cup at the end of the day….Berries are the healthiest fruits!Yep, I eat those dark berries 4-5 times each week for breakfast…a blended up mixture of: organic blueberries, organic strawberries and cranberries! organic green tea too twice a day…hoping to stay well and healthy…at 57, so far so good! Feel great every day.I would also like to see how green tea compares to coffee with these studies. I’ve always been against a dependency of any kind but I guess if there is a health benefit it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Green tea to me would be a better option with it’s lower amount of caffeine if it faired well in the studies.Tea intake also has inverse associations with liver diseases, including cancer. However, the few studies I could find permitting direct comparisons suggest a greater effect for coffee (1, 2, 3).“Protection by coffee AND tea was limited to persons AT HIGHER RISK for liver diseases from heavier alcohol intake, overweight, diabetes, or high iron saturation.”Gastroenterology 129(6) 1928-36 (2005)Me too ,but drink . Green tea everyday I still question.I’ve been drinking several cups of strong, black, bitter coffee a day for a couple of years. I’ve recently made it even more bitter and am liking it even better by adding a heaping teaspoon of pure cocoa powder to each cup. Took a little getting used to, but now I really prefer it. I’ve got Parkinson’s in my family, so I’m motivated to try new things.The traditional herb for liver protection is milk thistle. There is also a body of scientific evidence for its efficacy (e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianum ). It would be interesting to see a study with it going head to head with coffee- which has disadvantages of raising blood pressure and increaasing homocysitne, in addition to to those mentioned above.Does decaf coffee have the same benefits?In animal studies, decaf has suggestive benefits, but so far no liver benefit has been seen in human studies. Caffeine antagonizes the adenosine signalling which contributes to some liver disorders (as in this mouse study).There is a less common decaffeination method that uses no solvents: swiss water process, aka water processing. You can get this kind of decaf at whole foods, starbucks (whole beans only, not the stuff they brew), and various places online. My guess would be that this is a healthier decaf option, and may be nearly as good, or just as good as the straight stuff.This was also encouraging to know but I live in a little town where such things are not available. thanksHi Darryl thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question. I had previously phased coffee out of my diet because it caused me tension in my neck, back and shoulders but I also fear fatty liver since it used to help me keep my weight at a significantly lower level. Sooo I may try drinking a little now and then when some good physical activity is planned so as to work off the accompanying physical tension.I also feel like coffee gets a little too much beating on this site, withdrawal issue and caffeine buzz being some of the key arguments. But dependency is ok for a human living in a modern world, eg. I’m dependent on my blender just as much. And I love the buzz in the morning, the key goal is just not to overdose to get too overactive and fuzzy. In addition to improved vasomotor function, lowered inflammation in brain it seems to fight depression cutting the rate of suicides in half or so. There are study reports that coffee boosts neuromediators which is not something many food sources do.. (Of course I hope to learn the “meta-verdict” on this one from Dr.Greger one day). I checked Blue Zones book and those long-living people in Sardinia drink coffee for sure (just as most Italians). Interesting tip which may solve the problem of excessive caffeine for many people is to use some mix of normal blend with decaf. Definitely works for me (Lavazza and Pellini are pretty good and to my taste don’t differ from normal blends in taste and everything). Also there is this interesting concept of blending coffee with fats (unfortunately they use saturated ones) to smooth out and prolong the action. (Google bulletproof coffee). There is probably smth else but I’m too fuzzy to to coffe overload to remember right now… (J/k :)When I learned about that bulletproof coffee, oh man that just made me cringe! Slow down your blood flow enough, and sure, maybe that would delay delivery of various compounds to your tissues? I don’t know if this document from pcrm is new, someone just shared it on fb the other day:“What happens after only one high-fat meal”.http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/FatFoodCountdown.pdfOverall I agree with your coffee assessment. A coworker of mine repeatedly warns me of the dangers of caffeine (I drink white tea daily). There are actually numerous sources to back up his position. But you take a look out at the real world, and the people who drink white/green/black tea or coffee (combined with a healthy diet e.g. sardinians) are fine! Better than fine, they’re doing great. So to forfeit all of the benefits of certain phytochemicals out of fear of one phytochemical which in isolation shows some negative effect not borne out in the real world, is much ado about nothing imo.Thank you thank you thank you thank you … IlovecofffeesomuchIdrinkitallthetimeandijustloveitloveitloveit.But I’ve read that it is important to use a paper filter to remove the cholesterol raising factors that are in Eastern-style coffees.Good point. I saw that in another video about the paper filter and so far so good because I drink as much coffee as water most of the time.Heard that to – I have a “top of the range” coffee machine with a gold filter – despite the gauge being extremely fine, it doesn’t remove the cholesterol from the filtering coffee grounds. I took the following exert from the Harvard School of Public Health:“Coffee contains a substance called cafestol that is a potent stimulator of LDL cholesterol levels. Cafestol is found in the oily fraction of coffee, and when you brew coffee with a paper filter, the cafestol gets left behind in the filter. Other methods of coffee preparation, such as the boiled coffee common in Scandinavian countries, French press coffee, or Turkish coffee, are much higher in cafestol. So for people who have high cholesterol levels or who want to prevent having high cholesterol levels, it is better to choose paper filtered coffee or instant coffee, since they have much lower levels of cafestol than boiled or French press coffee. Espresso is somewhere in the middle; it has less cafestol than boiled or French press coffee, but more than paper filtered coffee.”Full report – http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/coffee/This (among other things) motivated me to switch to a beautiful manual Chemex coffeemaker, with its thick but expensive conical paper filters.Somewhere I’ve got a French press and my grandparent’s percolator in storage. I suspect the use of French presses, espresso-type drinks, along with the coassociation with cigarette smoking, obscured the benefits of coffee for decades. Its only with the advent of the automatic paper-filtered drip coffeemaker and smoking cessation in the past few decades that heath benefits from coffee became visible.The hydrophobic compounds cafestol and kahweol responsible for the LDL elevation (and removed by paper filtration) are among the most potent dietary Nrf2 inducers and NF-κB inhibitors, candidate mechanisms for liver protection. But I’m willing to sacrifice a bit of liver protection to minimize LDL.Do I understand correctly? Paper-filtered coffee does not contain very much liver-protecting stuff?Coffee, particularly dark roasted coffee, has hundred of hormetic compounds, and the poorly characterized melanoidins are particularly interesting. Paper-filtered coffee just has less of the hydrophobic compounds found in green coffee beans, like cafestol and kahweol.Coffee… the last cheap drug :)Cheap!? $40/kg here…Dear Please, I’m typing….Oh…she says I’m cheap :) Struth$18 per lb??? You must be drinking the good stuff!Does this have anything to do with the caffeine? Because I really don’t like caffeine. It makes me bump all over the place.Han, it is unclear due to lack of studies, but check out “water processed” decaf for an option that uses no solvents and may be more viable. Whole foods, starbucks, and online retailers all carry it, but you have to look. Cacao also has many benefits with much less caffeine.I hope this study was not funded by the coffee industry. Does anyone know??Hello Rick, This video references eleven disparate studies. Reference links to each study are provided underneath the video, in the section “Sources Cited”. I clicked through the links on each one and didn’t see any that indicated author links to the coffee industry. Usually, Dr. Greger will point out studies that could have conflicting interests in the video. Hope this helps.I wonder if white tea would have similar benefits? I’m guessing high acrylamide levels are not one of the beneficial compounds in roasted coffee. I really have to wonder why in a comment about the benefits of coffee Dr. Gregor would fail to bring up the potential issue of acrylamide. Acrylamide might explain the mixed results when looking at the benefits of coffee, as you might have some good things but also something that currently looks pretty bad.If it’s a caffeine related benefit I would think the least processed sources would be preferable, like white tea, and then I would have to wonder if the theobromine in raw cocoa is even better…The acrylamide content of brewed coffee is negligible, although there are no “safe” levels of a carcinogen: http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/chem/acrylamide_faqs/en/index1.htmlFurthermore, the darker the roast, the less acrylamide. Stay away from instant coffee, which has very high levels. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17054100http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15053542Also, check out “Brewed Coffees”: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/ChemicalContaminants/ucm053566.htmhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17054100Arabica beans have lower levels of acrylamide after roasting that Robusta beans (see p. 6): https://irmm.jrc.ec.europa.eu/activities/acrylamide/Documents/jrc35813.pdfI couldn’t find anything definitive on why brewed coffee has so much less acrylamide, but it seems to be a variety of reasons: acrylamide is more diluted by the water in brewed coffee as opposed to the dry coffee grounds, i .e., the acrylamide is still there, it’s just been diluted by the water. http://www.healwithfood.org/articles/coffee-acrylamide-levels.phpAlso, acrylamide levels drop off as roasted coffee ages, and acrylamide may be bound in the grounds and filter like cholesterol-raising compounds (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coffee-bad-for-you/) See page 8: https://irmm.jrc.ec.europa.eu/activities/acrylamide/Documents/jrc35813.pdf (discussing effects of storage time and brewing on acrylamide levels).So, the safest bet seems to be drinking dark, roasted, brewed coffee made from Arabica beans. And, drinking coffee from beans that are a few months old would be even better, although you may be sacrificing taste. :)Thank you! Excellent info. Acrylamide is an odd phenomenon. Caused by heat, it’s an anomaly and counterintuitive that a darker roast has lower levels (assuming no roast has zero level) but maybe it’s somehow maxing out then cooking off. With toast they are advising “golden not brown”.No worries! Was informative for me to look up the info, too. Seems that there is an initial spike of acrylamide creation in the roasting process. Probably converting all of the precursors to acrylamide. The acrylamide is then perhaps reduced (de-natured/broken down?) by further roasting and the passing of time. One of the articles mentioned that there is still uncertainty as to the process of how acrylamide levels fall off in roasted beans with the passage of time.I’m wondering if it evaporates..Here’s what this study (https://irmm.jrc.ec.europa.eu/activities/acrylamide/Documents/jrc35813.pdf) says on p. 8:The reaction mechanism(s) responsible for the loss of acrylamide during storage has not yet been elucidated. Acrylamide is comprised of an unsaturated carbonyl function that can react with nucleophiles to form a Michael adduct. Coffee is rich in compounds that harbor amino and sulfhydryl groups, and that may react via direct addition to the double bond of acrylamide. The fate of acrylamide in stored roast and ground coffee is currently under study by Professor Eisenbrand’s team in Kaiserslautern and first results were presented at the 21st ASIC Conference (Bohm et al. 2006). The researchers administered radiolabelled [14C]acrylamide to the coffee and measured the amount of label at intervals in the brew, spent grounds (filter) and in volatiles.Hello Dr. Greger! I have a question: Is too much fructose bad for me? In Fruits are approximately 50% Glucose and 50% Fructose. Is this true?Sadly, i can’t find a video to this issue. I hope you can help me regarding the fructose-consum respectively fruit-consum.thanks!sincerlyGamdschieeGamdschiee: Why don’t you check out the following “Ask the Doctor” page and see if it answers your question: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-much-fruit-is-safe-to-consume/Quite a few years age I read on a can of organic coffee that nonorganic coffee beans are one of the most highly sprayed crops. If true, than clearly organic coffee is the much preferred choice. I doubt if any of the studies used organic coffees, therefore the benefit to liver health was not eliminated by the presents of high levels of pesticides, (if true).A google search, as well as google scholar, did not bear out the claims of the organic coffee company that coffee is one of the most sprayed crops. Of course, organic is generally better. Certain food crops, though sprayed, are quite safe, because the pesticides are not present in the ‘meat’ of certain fruits and vegetables in significant amounts. Vegetables with tough skins tend to be relatively free of pesticides in the ‘meat.’ There are other examples.I am offering this information to solicit knowing responses to the question of potential pesticides levels in nonorganic coffee, so consumers can make informed choices. If in fact a ‘highly sprayed product’ like coffee can provide real benefit to the liver, as well as other bodily functions, I wonder how much more benefit can be derived from organic coffees. I offer this information for your consideration. Thank you.I have read (but can’t confirm) that coffee grown at higher elevations is less sprayed. (Folgers?) I usually drink 3 or so mugs of coffee in the morning and can attest to the additictive qualities of coffee relative to having blood drawn for a test…no coffee…just water. Spent a miserable morning just trying to wake up. Coffee?…don’t drive without it? I also drink cold-brewed green tea (6 tea bags per gallon) during the day…in summer at least. My favorite is a green tea/ginseng mix. Add in some dark chocolate and I’m so smart I can’t stand myself. ;-)May be the shade-loving variety of coffee, which needs substantially less chemical protection from pests. See section B: http://www.nrdc.org/health/farming/ccc/chap4.aspIt seems it depends. The shade-loving variety of coffee plants need minimal spraying, while the sun-loving (and more fruitful) variety needs substantial spraying. See section B.: http://www.nrdc.org/health/farming/ccc/chap4.asp http://www.coffeeinvestigator.com/organic-coffee-chemical-pesticide-free.htm Organic does not mean void of any pesticide, herbicide, and insecticide, however. It minimizes their use, and forbids the use of the more dangerous chemicals, like systemic sprays. A google search or search on pub med or nutritionfacts.org will provide abundant info on the health benefits of coffee consumption. See, e.g., page 10 of this paper, listing some of the articles on health benefits of coffee: https://irmm.jrc.ec.europa.eu/activities/acrylamide/Documents/jrc35813.pdfOrganic does indeed mean void of *synthetic* pesticide/insecticide/herbicide/fungicide, which is usually the most troubling stuff, healthwise. Organic farmers use various biocontrols instead. This goes for the American, USDA organic standards.Eugene, that is incorrect. Organic produce is, per USDA Organic regulations, allowed to be sprayed with certain synthetic chemicals. There is a lot of misinformation on what organic is. The best source to find out what USDA Organic means is to read the USDA Organic Regulations.http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=3f34f4c22f9aa8e6d9864cc2683cea02&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title07/7cfr205_main_02.tplSee sections §205.601 and §205.603, whose titles are: “Synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production.” You can find these sections at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=5ad3114361cce54417a159426eba9ff9&node=7:3.1.1.9.32.7.354.2&rgn=div8 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=5ad3114361cce54417a159426eba9ff9&node=7:3.1.1.9.32.7.354.4&rgn=div8The “systemic” chemicals that I mentioned (not “synthetic” as you mentioned) are the worst (linked to bee colony collapses) because they are absorbed by all parts of the plant. Two examples are imidacloprid and clothianidin. http://www.organicauthority.com/health/systemic-pesticides-in-your-food.htmlThe regulations also forbid the use of some nonsynthetic, i.e., organic/natural, substances. See, “§205.602 Nonsynthetic substances prohibited for use in organic crop production.”The obvious question is does de-caf change the results? I gave up coffee years ago and don’t plan on going back. I’ll stick to Roma. A plant based beverage with no side effects.What about the fluoride in coffee and tea? I was addicted to coffee for years but switched to matcha when I found out how coffee can deplete your body of minerals. However, then I found out that both tea and coffee can be dangerously high in fluoride, so I’m wondering if it’s not best to avoid all of it.What isn’t clear is what if you don’t smoke or drink, are not over weight, don’t have hep C, is coffee still beneficial?Better to take it up the other end….check out Gerson. Therapy.I am not worried anymore about coffee as I don’t drink the regular, acid one (pH5) anymore. I have switched to an healthier, alkaline one (pH7) and noticed so many improvements on my health that I will never go back to the bad stuff. Disappearing of inflammations, lowered cholesterol, increased oxygenation of the blood and more mental clarity. :)The latest study cited (from 2012) claims a 8.1 mg/dl increase in total cholesterol from coffee. The abstract (or summary of the article) doesn’t indicate how much coffee subjects drank. Anyway. This would seem to be a major reason to avoid coffee if cholesterol levels concern you. Cutting almost 10 points off total cholesterol simply eliminating coffee? For real? Seems like red light territory.I am wondering if you still get the benefits from coffee if you add cream (I did switch to soy creamer instead of dairy) and (organic) sugar to one’s coffee? Also, would you get the same benefits from decaf coffee???? :)Dr. Greger, I wish you would consider applying your world-class mind and technical resources just a little more toward a “complementary medicine” approach; case in point: there are few universally agreed upon “alternative” oncology approaches to treating (and reversing probable early stage) cancers – especially colo-rectal, than the use of coffee enemas. Of course there is an entire online industry set up around selling this and many questionable “natural” “solutions” to cancer patients, and of course we need to vet what we read and believe online (such as we have done to find our way to you), but the bottom line is that most of the top Naturopathic Oncologists, Herbalists, and Alternative Healers in the world agree that coffee enemas is SOP – Standard Operating Procedure. Would not this be worth mentioning when purporting to update us on the nutritional value of coffee? Back to my original point: complementary medicine is actually another way of incorporating what conventional medicine is beginning to call “functional medicine,” and I believe you are positioned better than any of your peers, to help us all make the obvious next step in this Medicine Food Re-Education program.Interestingly, as well as those who include coffee each day have a reduced risk of fatty liver disease, coffee can reduce endothelial function in our arteries, tea may be a better alternative not only increase arterial function but also include antioxidants to prevent cancer as can be seen here(http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/)I’d also suggest reading Hippocrates Institute’s article regarding the down side of coffee consumption granted it does seem like an advertisement. http://goo.gl/5F2bCYQUESTION: “Do you know of a nutritional approach to reducing the size or eliminating liver hemangiomas? They have grown over time and could be a problem if this continues. I don’t think there’s much out there for the general public in dealing with liver hemangiomas–which is why I asked. In my experience so far, physicians just say that if it isn’t bothering you now, you don’t have to do anything. But I would like to make sure they don’t get any bigger, and would prefer if there were information on how to shrink them, if possible. (through nutrition, hopefully)”Unfortunately I know nothing about liver hemangiomas and diet. Searching for any literature was not successful, as I only see a bunch of rat studies, which are useless and cannot translate to humans. I wish there was more information. Perhaps some of our users and doctors who comment on our site can give additional suggestions. Thanks for allowing me to report your question.	addiction,alcohol,caffeine,coffee,DNA damage,Europe,fatigue,fatty liver disease,headaches,hepatitis,liver cancer,liver disease,liver health,liver inflammation,mood,mortality,Norway,obesity	Based on studies linking coffee consumption with lower liver cancer risk, coffee is put to the test to see if it can help reduce liver damage in those with hepatitis C.	More on coffee in Coffee and Cancer and What About the Caffeine?Broccoli can boost the liver’s detoxifying enzymes (Prolonged Liver Function Enhancement from Broccoli) but one can over do it (Liver Toxicity Due to Broccoli Juice?).	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/addiction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/norway/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hepatitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24629562,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23871889,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23238034,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23453671,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23811247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24266917,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23433483,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23492307,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23880821,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23660416,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12711737,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2869572,
PLAIN-2575	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/essential-tremor-and-diet/	Essential Tremor and Diet	As documented in the book The Case of the Frozen Addicts, a bad batch of so-called synthetic heroin caused, within days, what appeared to be advanced stage Parkinson’s disease. Thanks to a chemical contaminant called MPTP, young men and women were left trapped inside their bodies, near complete immobility and rigidity, in some cases left only able to move their eyes.The seminal paper ended with the silver lining that maybe this will help us find the culprit in Parkinson’s, maybe there’s a similar substance out there killing off our brain cells. Because of their structural similarity to MPTP, attention turned to a class of chemicals called beta-carboline alkaloids such as Harman, also spelled harmane. And indeed higher levels of these toxins are found in the brain fluid of Parkinson’s patients.These beta-carboline neurotoxins have been implicated in a number of human diseases aside from Parkinson’s disease, including tremor, addiction, and cancer. I've already talked about the role of diet in both preventing, and treating Parkinson's, but the most common movement disorder, isn't Parkinson's, it's what's called "essential tremor," affecting 1 in 25 adults over 40 and up to 1 in 5 of those in their 90's making it one of the most common neurological diseases. In addition to the potentially debilitating hand tremor, there can be other neuropsychiatric manifestations of the disease including difficulty walking and various levels of cognitive impairment.Might those beta-carboline neurotoxins play a role? Harmane is one of the most potent of the tremor-producing neurotoxins. You expose people to these chemicals and they develop a tremor; you take it away, the tremor disappears. What if we're exposed long-term?Well, this recent study found those with essential tremor have much higher levels of this toxin in their bloodstream compared to those without tremor. The highest levels are found in those who have both essential tremor and cancer, suggesting harmane may be playing a role in both diseases. And the higher the harmane levels the worse the tremor.How did they get exposed to these chemicals? Primarily through meat: beef, chicken and pork—and fish actually.So if this potent, tremor-producing neurotoxin, is concentrated in cooked muscle foods, is meat consumption associated with a higher risk of essential tremor? Men who ate the most meat in this study had 21 times the odds of essential tremorJust to put that in context, you go back to the original studies on smoking and lung cancer, smoking was only linked to at most 14 times the odds, not 21.Yes, harmane is a potent neurotoxin linked to human diseases, and cooked meats are the major source of exposure, but which meat? Like other heterocyclic amines, the levels may be highest in chicken.Blood levels of this neurotoxin may shoot up within five minutes of eating meat, a slice of turkey in this case. Five minutes? It’s not even digested by then. This rapid uptake is indicative of significant absorption directly through the mouth straight in the bloodstream, bypassing the stomach and most importantly, bypassing the detoxifying enzymes of the liver. This may lead to higher exposure levels in peripheral organs, like the brain.Due to its high fat solubility, harmane accumulates in brain tissue, and using a fancy brain scan called proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, higher harmane levels are linked to greater metabolic dysfunction in the brains of essential tremor sufferers.Harmane is also found in certain heated plants, like tobacco. A broiled chicken breast has about 13 micrograms, and cigarettes average about 1, so a half pack of cigarettes could expose us to almost as much of this neurotoxin as a serving of chicken.Grilled salmon can have as much as chicken, though fried pork appears to be the worst, with fried reindeer not far behind in the top five. I’d also suggest not eating too many butterflies.Harman is created when tobacco is burned, and also when coffee beans are roasted, though coffee intake has not been tied to increased risk (and neither has tobacco for that matter), so it may be something else in the meat that’s to blame for the 2,000% increase in odds for this disabling brain disease.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	What about the NIGHTSHADE vegetables causing tremors and movement disorders? I am surprised you have not (to my knowledge) done any in depth analysis on this website as to the detrimental role nightshade foods (potato, tomato, eggplant, tobacco, goji berry, peppers, and more) have on not just the issues you’ve brought up in today’s video but on pain disorders such as arthritis and some other inflammatory and autoimmune diseases/disorders.Eliminating nightshade veggies from the diet has seemed to have had a profound and positive healing effect for countless folks. Please highlight this topic in a video. Eliminating tomato’s, potato’s peppers and eggplants, for me. eliminated by 99% my knee pain. And I’m not the only one.His videos are based on current research. He does not create the studies, just reports on what is being investigated. If you look through his videos you will find information on inflammation from potatoes – white, red and golden. He does discuss tomatoes and their benefit when cooked. He talks of red peppers and being more valuable left raw. We all have differing reactions to various foods so no one statement applies to us all. But it is a good idea when you post that, like Dr. Greger, you cite the studies where you obtained your information.http://noarthritis.com/research.htmhttp://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/link-between-nightshades-chronic-pain-and-inflammationPotato glycoalkaloids adversely affect intestinal permeability and aggravate inflammatory bowel disease. http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/potato-glycoalkaloids-adversely-affect-intestinal-permeability-and-aggravateNaturally occurring glycoalkaloids in potatoes aggravate intestinal inflammation in two mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease. http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/naturally-occurring-glycoalkaloids-potatoes-aggravate-intestinal-inflammation-two-mouseJournal of Neurological and Orthopedic Medical Surgery (1993) 12:227-231.An Apparent Relation of Nightshades (Solanaceae) to Arthritis http://www.noarthritis.com/research.htmNational and State Medical Expenditures and Lost Earnings Attributable to Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Conditions — United States, 2003http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5601a2.htm?s_cid=mm5601a2_eDifferences in the Prevalence and Impact of Arthritis Among Racial/Ethnic Groups in the United States, National Health Interview Survey, 2002, 2003, and 2006http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2010/may/10_0035.htmPrevalence of Doctor-Diagnosed Arthritis and Arthritis-Attributable Activity Limitation – United States, 2007-2009 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5939a1.htm?s_cid=mm5939a1_wPrevalence of and annual ambulatory health care visits for pediatric arthritis and other rheumatologic conditions in the United States in 2001-2004. Sacks JJ, Helmick CG, Luo YH, Ilowite NT, Bowyer S. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=18050185&ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumPrevalence and Most Common Causes of Disability Among Adults — United States, 2005http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5816a2.htmRelieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Relieving-Pain-in-America-A-Blueprint-for-Transforming-Prevention-Care-Education-Research.aspxOh my… I am a guest on this planet, too, but I would never think that non-toxin vegetables and fruits are bad for your health, while meat, which is full of harmful poisons (even if the animals were fed with organic food) is the answer to mankind’s illnesses. Wow!https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/422752Personal anecdotes aside, it appears the nightshade-arthritis relation is unsupported by research, i.e., controlled, randomized studies. http://www.besthealthmag.ca/eat-well/nutrition/4-myths-about-nightshade-vegetablesThis study, for example, even suggests that glycoalkaloids, α-chaconine, α-solanine and solanidine in potatoes may reduce inflammation: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23454444This study suggests that tomatoes are anti-inflammatory due to their lycopene content: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23069270The first link you sent, which is the basis of the greenmedinfo links, details a 1993 report by Dr. Childers. (I noticed that much of the nightshade fear stems from Childers’ papers’. He also started a nightshade-arthritis foundation. Reminds me somewhat of the Weston Price phenomenon.) The conclusions drawn by Childers were based on mail-in surveys conducted in the late 70s and early 80s. The “Nightshade Diet” that the respondents were to follow forbade tobacco use (a nightshade). The surveys did not take tobacco use into account. This, I find, is important, especially considering that tobacco use was much more prevalent back then. Perhaps their decrease in inflammation was cessation or reduction of tobacco products.http://ard.bmj.com/content/71/6/804.abstract http://arthritis-research.com/content/11/4/238The study on one of the greenmedinfo links you sent was this study on potatoes and possible link to irritable bowel syndrome: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12479649. My first hesitation about this study is that it was done on mice, not humans. Although testing on mice may suggest similar reactions in humans, it is not conclusive. Also, the mice were not fed potatoes, but were fed solanine-chaconine mixtures. Isolating a single compound in the lab rather than using the actual item we would be ingesting (here, potatoes) should not be used to vilify the potato and the countless phytonutrients it contains. Finally, the study suggests that any irritation is only seen in animals with a predisposition for IBS. Only 5-7 percent of the human population has been diagnosed with IBS (highest % estimated at 20%): http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ibs/Then you had a greenmed link that contained this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20198430 This study fed deep-fried potato skins to mice. Again, it’s on mice, not humans. Second, it was deep fried. French fries are not part of a healthy, whole-food diet. Deep frying potatoes also results in the possible carcinogen, acrylamide. Third, solanine is concentrated in the skins of potatoes, with greenish-skinned potatoes (exposed to light) containing very high levels of solanine, and should not be eaten. It is not indicated whether the skins had green coloration. Fourth, this also deals with animals already susceptible to IBS. Finally, solanine has a low rate of absorption into the bloodstream, is hydrolyzed intestinally to a less toxic and poorly absorbed product, and has a rapid fecal and urinary excretion rate: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/plantox/detail.cfm?id=6537The other links you provided appear to deal with prevalence of arthritis, and not links to nightshades’ causing arthritis/inflammation.Neil, Thanks, this is an excellent example of how to address comments in a scientific way.Thanks, RCV. Much appreciated.ET is not a inflammation or wear and tear disorder like arthritis. ET is thought to be caused by damage to fine motor control areas of the brain. ET research does not focus on inflammation issues. Nightshades and arthritis have no known link to ET.I’ve been vegan for the last 10 years, with great health effects but no effect on my essential tremor. Like Brenda, I would like to see a cite and also want to know how long does one have to refrain from nightshades to see a reduction in tremor?Like you I don’t eat meat, though I’m not vegan. ET runs strongly in my family and I appear to be experiencing a typical course with it despite my diet. My initial thought was that egg or dairy might be my nemesis, but your experience suggests it may not be.In the end it may be that there are classes of ET cases that include those who get it no matter what, just like there are people who get lung cancer without smoking.My mom also has this tremor, and I believe it can be caused genetically. (“Essential” basically means they don’t know, right?)The cause is unknown. We do know that pairs of identical twins exist where one has ET and the other doesn’t. This strongly suggests are environmental component.Hillary, Have you found in your studies that Dopamine Receptive Dystonia is a kind of Essential Tremor, or would it be a different illness altogether?I believe I’m stable and suspect its my vegan diet. I wouldn’t assume it doesn’t work just because the ET appears irreversible.It appeared reversible after short exposures in animals. The real question is whether it is reversible after long exposures. Perhaps there is some permanent changes/damage after long term exposure. I,too, have ET and gave up meat/fish two years ago after reading some of this research. I think my tremor has improved, but it ceratinly has not disappeared.You can read the links posted above to Brenda for research on nightshades, and you can also check out some more of the links included here in the post for you, Hillary. Best of luck to you on your vegan journey. The people on my journey who seem to have gotten relief from tremors is by the elimination of nightshades, soy, gluten, and mushrooms, synthetic vitamins/supplementation and caffeine as well. I do feel there is enough of a reason to avoid nightshades and soy for a long stretch of time to see how you respond. Made the difference for me and lots of others. At some point I think the doubters need to understand and accept that we are not all the same, and that good folks of intact integrity are getting immense relief once they eliminate nightshades, soy, gluten, (and some of the other stuff on the list). Please, be in faith. Give it a go.ReferencesBeier, R. C. Natural pesticides and bioactive components in foods. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol. 1990; 113:47-137.Childers N.F. A relationship of arthritis to the Solanaceae (nightshades). J Intern Acad Prev Med 1979; 7:31-37Dalvi, R. R. and Bowie, W. C. Toxicology of solanine: an overview. Vet Hum Toxicol. 1983 Feb; 25(1):13-5.Hopkins, J. The glycoalkaloids: naturally of interest (but a hot potato?). Food Chem Toxicol. 1995 Apr; 33(4):323-8.Kubo, I. and Fukuhara, K. Steroidal glycoalkaloids in Andean potatoes. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1996; 405:405-17.Maga, J. A. Potato glycoalkaloids. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 1980; 12(4):371-405.McGehee, D. S.; Krasowski, M. D.; Fung, D. L.; Wilson, B.; Gronert, G. A., and Moss, J. Cholinesterase inhibition by potato glycoalkaloids slows mivacurium metabolism. Anesthesiology. 2000 Aug; 93(2):510-9.Reit-Correa F, Schild AL, Mendez MC, Wasserman R, Krook L. Enzootic calcinosis in sheep caused by the ingestion of Nierembergia veitchii (Solanaceae). Pesq Vet Brazil 1987; 7:3:85-95Scott, P. M. and Lawrence, G. A. Losses of ergot alkaloids during making of bread and pancakes. J Agric Food Chem. 1982 May-1982 Jun 30; 30(3):445-50.Sheen SJ. (1988). Detection of nicotine in foods and plant mateials. J Food Sci 53(5):1572-3.Slanina, P. Solanine (glycoalkaloids) in potatoes: toxicological evaluation. Food Chem Toxicol. 1990 Nov; 28(11):759-61.Stankiewicz JN, Evans JL. Potato diet influences on tissue mineral composition in the growing rat. J Animal Sci Abstr 1980; 51:223Thank you for your reply and the great suggestions.Another approach is to eat lots of nightshades and see if the tremor increases. In my case, and I have classic severe ET, nightshades have zero affect on it.None of your references appears to have any relationship to ET?l have one patient who is now age 66 who had started to have a mild ET in right hand about 8 years ago. His father had ET fairly severely. The patient went on a plant based diet 6 years ago and his tremor gradually got better after 2 years. Now he has no tremor.Would you suggest dietary changes for someone who has had it since childhood? I have had hand tremors since I was a baby, now at 44 I am starting to have tremors basically everywhere.Hi Dr Forrester, can u give me more info on a plant based diet….I’m trying to find something to help my mom….Thank YouHi Peggy, I would start with the Physicians Committee on Responsible Medicine. Go to their website… http://www.PCRM.org and download their Vegetarian Starter Kit… http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vsk/vegetarian-starter-kit and sign up for a Kick Start program.. http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/kickstart/kickstart-programs/. These programs are free. You might even be able to find a Food for Life Instructor in your area. Another resource is John McDougall’s website which has is also free. There are free educational video’s, recipes and newsletter articles. Of course you need to keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps coming. Hope this helps both you and your mom.I’ve been vegan 8 years. My ET is still very pronounced, but I don’t think I’m getting worse. I grow a lot of veggies including a lot of tomatoes and potatoes and eat a lot of them. They have no effect on my ET.Hillary, I have been having a vibration sensation occasionally for years, discovered it was associated with MSG (monosodium glutamate). Listed under other names also. A new hidden MSG is in modified corn or food starch and also maltodextrin. You may find this link helpful. Also, nutra sweet give me problems also, like numb limbs and head aches. God Bless in your search. http://healthwyze.org/index.php/component/content/article/261-understanding-foods-labeled-modified-what-is-modified-food-starch-and-should-it-be-avoided.html?fb_action_ids=1441238526152119&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%221441238526152119%22%3A10150151670615950%7D&action_type_map=%7B%221441238526152119%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5DI am a strict vegetarian and I don’t drink milk or eat any dairy products. I haven’t seen any reduction of my Essential Tremors. Drinking wine helps, but I can’t live on wine nor drink too much of it.Me too. Vegan for 3 years, eliminated every other problem I had except the tremor. My diet is not perfect. I do eat a ton of veggies, fruits, and legumes. I also bake a lot, with all the different sugars, I still eat oil (in small amounts), real chocolate, and I drink caffeine. I do notice the tremor gets better if I cut my caffeine, but it does not go away. I have tried cutting out alliums, that didn’t help. Cut out nightshades, that did not help. (I have since added both back in) I have found a way to “band-aid” my tremor with a very specific strain of medical cannabis oil.(Unfortunately this oil is not yet available to the public, i was lucky enough to try it from its creator as he is still perfecting the ratios of chemical compounds) As excited as I was to find something that helps so I can go to the store without shaking, I want it cured, not just suppressed. Anyone have other ideas? I am starting to look into the experiments with hallucinogenic mushrooms and other psychoactive compounds in low doses, which I think might be something for us all to check into. (Safely, and thoroughly, of course!)I forgot to add- my entire family has this disease. It is worse in the women. One possible causal factor that we all share other than our genetics, is environmental pollutants. I was raised in Lewiston, Idaho. It is down in a valley, with a paper products mill, a lot of conventional wheat farming, and most of the trees have been removed. The air is crap, the water is worse, and I wasn’t able to breathe without medications until I moved away at age 27. Women think miscarriage and birth defects are normal there, most miscarry 5 times before delivering a healthy baby, and this is at young healthy ages! In my own family, our hobbies may be adding to things. Every summer is spent out in the beautiful woods mining for gold. In the early days the miners used mercury and left much of it behind to pollute the waters. My dad still has big bottles of it sitting on shelves in the house where my nephews are now being raised. Where I was raised. I handled mercury a lot growing up, without knowing to be careful. Dad said don’t eat it, so we didn’t. We have been collecting it for years because we were taught it was dangerous and we didn’t want the fish to get hurt. Now I think we were idiots. We all also have emalgam fillings. I might be wrong about all of this. But in my family we have all tried different methods to treat this so we all eat different, some have done accupuncture and other alternatives, none of us can eliminate it. My sister curbed hers with alcohol, and I curbed mine with cannabis. Other than that nothing changes for us.I eat large amounts of tomatoes and potatoes in season. They have no effect on my classic and severe ET.If it’s fat soluble it may be that not much of it ends up in the filtered coffee extract, just a thought.Harmalas are not fat soluble. In food they exist inthe salt form and would be readily dissolved in hot water during the brewing process.Dr Greger: If “harmain is produced when coffee is roasted, though coffee intake has not been tied to increased risk”, does the study cite the average level that ends up in a cup of coffee?Please scientificaly use of caffen quantity per day to reduse tremors.I’ve had essential tremor (mostly in one hand) for a few years–all while eating vegetarian. I do notice coffee makes the shaking worse if I have more than one cup. I always thought this was due to the usual caffeine induced “jitters” but now I’m wondering . . .Does fish oil have harmane in it? Is it safe? 1200 mg 3 X a day?Due to my age…over 65…I do eat meat but currently keep this down to beef and salmon for the most part….mostly never fried or broiled…just boiled. A solution for a higher protein intake for older people might be extra amino acids like arginine and ornithine…I intend to start taking a few grams a day in order to increase protein intake hopefully without the negative side effects. The positive effects from this might be increased muscle mass.Hi Bob, lets find out more, if you don’t mind:1. How many grams of protein are you trying to ingest? You can reach healthy level without the meat/poultry and their potential side effects. Actually cellular inflammation aids in the loss of muscle mass as we age so it is even more important to reduce the amount of saturated fat, trans fatty acids, cholesterol, and total fat in the diet by eating fewer animal products and more plant foods.2. What is your goal for muscle mass?3. Are you doing strength training type exercise?4. What do you hope to gain from supplementing with extra amino acids?5. Do you have a study showing the benefits of supplementation specific for building muscle mass? If so please share so I can be informed. This is what I have for your consideration: Arginine is necessary for children, but usually not adults. Arginine is also one of the most common amino acid supplements, along with lycine and tryptophan, but beneficial effects of oral supplementation have not been proven. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24791918Ornithine is called a nonessential amino acid because your body can manufacture it. It is a nonprotein amino acid (not used to create proteins) that is an intermediate of the urea cycle, and provision of ornithine to a cell is actually the rate limiting step of the cycle. There is currently one study using ornithine paired with arginine that noted improvements in lean mass and power output in weightlifters, but this is an old study that has not been replicated and its practical relevance is uncertain.So eating eating whole plant foods will give you all you need – unless you have a specific medical condition that interferes.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=proteinWhat would be your goal in taking fish oil?Check this out:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/I’ve had ET for over 35 years-13 of them pretty severe. I’ve been a hard core vegan for 8 years, including 2 years where I ate only raw fruit and green leafy vegetables. I seem to be stable, that is not progressing, but very much still have the tremors.If harmane is a principal cause, merely not eating it does not appear sufficient to reverse essential tremors.Have those severe 13 years been the last 13 years?Yes. But the eight I’ve been vegan have been better than the 5 before it. Veganism helps very noticeably, but so far it has not reversed most or all the symptoms. Merely not getting worse is a major accomplishment with ET.Thanks very much.Is there any nutrition studies on restless leg syndrome? I can’t find anything in Dr Greger’s site at this time. Love the work he does! Thank you.I haven’t been able to find much on that either. I had RLS when I played video games a lot. When I started eating plant based my energy went up so i went outside and exercised and played less video games and mine is gone now. I have a friend who says his is excruciating if he lets his vitamin D get low or doesn’t hydrate enough. I think it can be different for all of us.I wouldn’t argue that a vegetarian diet isn’t better in general than a meat based diet, but in this aspect, the data out there isn’t that convincing yet. Two important studies were left out of the video. One study showed no correlation between blood harmane levels and animal protein consumption in patients with essential tremor.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16087903 The authors later parsed it out for men and women and found a correlation for male patients and animal protein consumption, but not for women. Even for the men, the standard deviations (the differences in consumption within the male patient group) are huge, and it’s not clear that just because statistical significance was (barely) reached, that the effect is biologically meaningful.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18382115the problem is that if the essential tremor is linked to necrosis/apoptosis of particular neurons (that causes the tremor), once they died… well, i really don’t know how to repair the damage… it may be to late to save them… but i do not study this issue yet so i could be wrong…	addiction,beef,beta-carboline alkaloids,brain disease,brain health,cancer,chicken,coffee,cognition,detoxification,essential tremor,fish,frying,Harmane,heterocyclic amines,liver,liver disease,liver health,lung cancer,meat,MPTP,neurotoxins,paralysis,Parkinson's disease,pork,poultry,reindeer meat,salmon,smoking,tobacco,tremors,turkey	Neurotoxins in chicken, such as the beta-carboline alkaloid harman, may explain the link between meat consumption and hand tremor, the most common movement disorder.	I also have a few videos about the other major tremor condition, Parkinson’s Disease: Preventing Parkinson’s Disease with Diet and Treating Parkinson’s Disease with DietThese compounds created in cooked meats may also have implications for cancer risk:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/essential-tremor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mptp/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/addiction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carboline-alkaloids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reindeer-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tremors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harmane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20175185,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9029410,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3412610/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17049563,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17497412,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15764332,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2821442/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3700397/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10503893,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3319563,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18709680,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17679670,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15036003,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6823561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21145352,
PLAIN-2576	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooking-to-live-longer/	Cooking to Live Longer	Modern Americans are described as eating breakfast in their cars, lunch at their desks and chicken from a bucket. Within the last few decades Americans are eating out more and more and cooking fewer meals at home, and food prepared at home tends to be healthier, less saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, more fiber. And so the benefits to preparing healthful food at home may include chronic disease prevention. But even during the recession, folks were found resistant to dietary change and kept going out to eat or bringing it home. Almost half of all fast-food eaten by children is eaten at home, so just because they’re technically eating at home doesn’t mean they’re eating healthy.Even when food is prepared at home, it still may not mean much, as most dinners incorporated processed commercial foods. Microwaving a frozen pizza ain’t exactly home cooking. One of the problems is many people no longer know how to cook. For example, one study reported that 25% of the men had absolutely no cooking skills, whatsoever.It is encouraging to see the new wave of interest in cooking, in numerous television shows, but what are they actually cooking? A study in the UK compared the nutritional content of meals created by television chefs with ready meals, like TV dinners, to compare both with nutritional guidelines published by the World Health Organization. They looked at a hundred of each and not a single one complied with the nutrition standards. And the TV chef recipes were even less healthy than the TV dinners.Many people don’t know how to make healthy food taste good. But this is not a new problem, as an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association bemoaned back in 1913. In the United States, vegetables are frequently boiled in a way which deprives them of their characteristic odor and their toothsomeness. "Villainous and idiotic" are the only adjectives that can describe our methods of cooking vegetablesIs there any research showing that cooking meals at home actually improves outcomes? Do people who cook live longer? We didn’t know until now. Researchers in Taiwan found that those who cook their own food are healthier and live longer.In a 10-year study, those who cooked most frequently had only 59% of the mortality risk. And this took into account the exercise people got grocery shopping, and physical function and chewing ability. So why did they live longer? Well, those that cooked ate a more nutritious diet, as evidenced in their higher consumption of vegetables.The effect on mortality was much more evident in women than in men, though. Turns out that men were, with doubtful justification, more positive about the nutritional value of convenience foods so their idea of cooking was like microwaving a poptart, whereas women who cook make better food choices.As one author noted, last century we began the long process of turning over to the food industry many of the decisions about what we eat. Today our staggering rates of obesity and diabetes are testimony to the faith we put in corporations to feed us well. But the food industry is a business, not a parent; it doesn’t care what we eat as long as we’re willing to pay for it. Home cooking these days has far more than sentimental value; it’s a survival skill.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	What does the science say about sprouting grains to make bread VS. using unsprouted grains to make bread? Is the sprouting-thing that is so often “pushed” in the health community just a myth?I have the option of buying organic sprouted corn tortillas VS. regular organic corn tortillas. Is there any quality studies that have resolve the debate on this topic?I don’t know about bread but antioxidant is very often boosted by sprouting seeds. Nutritional content is in general better when sprouted, that being said, you don’t have to sprouts everything in order to be healthy or to eat a healthy diet. Some sprouts have a great potential, broccoli sprouts are particularly interesting for exemple. And they are also very cheap.So many folks claim that sprouting grains eliminates the anti-nutrients, as well as promotes better utilization and digestibility/availability of vitamins, minerals, proteins, etc.Adrien, Dr Greger recently discussed this point, at least for phytates. Others have discussed as well and pretty much it was all based on bad conclusions. Proving that a little knowledge can be a bad, or at least wrong thing. I used to believe this info from the Weston Price Group and others too. But after reading more, I side with those who believe there is no truth to it. Good luck in deciding for yourself. For me it was a long hard process.AFAIK, the major advantage of breads from sprouted grains over breads from whole-grain flours is as their kernel structure is more intact their glycemic index is lower (ca. 55 vs 75). Corn tortillas, like other unleavened breads (including wheat tortillas) have relatively low GIs (40-50), so I doubt sprouting helps in this respect.Excellent video. How much cooking skills does it take to assemble a salad or soak beans overnight and boil the next day; or steam veggies? Next to none. I think it has been simply more of a cultural shift to convenience food consumption. I watch cooking shows when I can and (forgive me) I wonder what the chefs total cholesterol is; or what his/her glucose level is or do they have high blood pressure…. because, so much bacon and butter and salt is required by most chefs. I play around with making dishes by substituting things to make it vegan. Again, thanks Dr. Greger for another amusing, informational and educational video! Excellent.I love these videos. I would love to use some of your statements as quotes but alas I can’t copy them down as quickly as you say them. Sure wish you also published the text. But…even without that I benefit tremendously from the information. Thank you.Ginger: Your wishes have been anticipated! Click the ‘Transcript’ link under the video of interest. The section will expand and show you a script of the video. :-)thanksLook for the word Transcript a little ways under the video.Ginger C, look down under the video box, and you’ll see “Transcript”; click on that, and you’ll get the entire text of the video in written form. Thank you thank you to the volunteers who make the transcripts!Under the video click on Transcript; you can then print the written transcript.And most raw foods have more nutrients so not cooking at all and eating raw is even healthier!See Dr. Greger’s 18 videos listed in the alphabetical side bar to the upper left on “raw food.” Sometimes the nutrients from cooked foods is better absorbed as a result of the heat breaking down the matrix of fiber that they’re encased in. Carrots are a good example of this.Yep, an all raw diet is not an ideal diet. Dr. Fuhrman addresses the issue pretty well in this article: http://www.drfuhrman.com/faq/question.aspx?qindex=4&sid=16about Fuhrman’s lack of exactness or clearly lies for money purposes:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUal2iAeDU4I know hence “most raw foods” and its why all raw diet is indeed ideal if it is not based on raw vegetables like carrots and similar, it mean a diet mostly based on easy digestible raw ripe fruits, nuts ans greens~I recommend a book by Dr. Wrangham, “How Cooking Made Us Human.” You have been taken in by the raw food philosophy. It’s good for losing weight over the short term, but it’s not the healthiest way to go long-term. And I have done the diet, I did Dr. Graham’s 811rv for two years.Have you ever seen Bushmen cooking vegetables? I wonder how could they do so without pottery. Burying roots close to hot rocks?Although they don’t get near the buzz that the carcass cooking shows do, there are several plant-based cooking shows out there! Here are four I know about: Jazzy Vegetarian (which is vegan, on PBS), Delicious TV’s Vegan Mashup, Christina Cooks, and Everyday Dish TV. Not every recipe will necessarily be “Nutrition Facts” healthy, but they’re a huge improvement over the sad stats cited in this video!Laloofah: Thanks for this post! I was aware of 2 of the 4 shows you mentioned It is exciting to learn about the other two.My pleasure! And as you know, this doesn’t even scratch the surface of all the healthy vegan cooking videos on YouTube!i love this and i totally agree, I cook most days and on the lazy days..green smoothies to the rescueThat online Rouxbe Cooking School has a tuition of $1500! That would buy a whole lot of kale with some left over to show this web site some love. For those of us who can’t afford such a pricey indulgence, is there anyone who can recommend a good vegan cookbook for around $20?Ten or 15 years ago, this would have been a quick and easy question to answer because there were only, like, five vegan cookbooks. :-) Now, it’s delightfully difficult to answer because there are so many, with new ones coming out every day! My advice is to check some of the vegan food bloggers and find one or more whose recipes you really like – many of them have come out with cookbooks, and that might make it easier to choose, based on your particular food and cooking preferences. Two of my favorites (of many!) are Oh She Glows and FatFree Vegan Kitchen (she doesn’t have a cookbook yet, but is promising one!) Good luck and have fun!Guest: It is so hard to pick! I’ll give you some of my current favorites:1) Let Them Eat Vegan 2) Vegan on the Cheap 3) Everyday Happy Herbivoire 4) Great Vegetarian Cooking Under PressureAnd even though I just got it, I think the following is going to quickly become a favorite: Happy Herbivore Light and Lean. And I learned some great tips from Jeff Novick’s Fast Food cooking demo DVDs. (which includes recipes too).It really depends on what you are looking for. Are you concerned mostly about healthy foods? Easy foods? Impressive food? Fast to prepare food? Inexpensive food? Food that will help with a particular medical condition? (heart, bones, etc) Etc. You can usually find food that meets almost all of these criteria, but certain books might do better at one of these criteria over others.If you can afford it, I recommend buying 3 or 4 books so that if one book really doesn’t speak to you, you won’t get discouraged.Hope this helps and good luck!So glad you mentioned Happy Herbivore. I was looking forever trying to find vegan recipes that didn’t include 1700 ingredients and take 9 weeks to prepare. I was also looking for recipes that were oil-free. Then I found the Happy Herbivore website.Lindsay focuses on fast and easy, yet tasty, recipes that you don’t need a bunch of specialized tools to prepare. Some of her recipes are on her website and I believe she now has 4 cookbooks available.She even offers meal plans for those who are just getting started or just want to make their lives a bit easier. Most of these meals can be prepared in a few hours and then refrigerated or frozen to grab out throughout the week. This is a great option for those of us who are busy.I am not in any way affiliated with that website, I just found it to be a godsend for me. Nutritionfacts.org gave me the information I needed and Happy Herbivore helped me implement it into my life.Penny: Thanks for jumping in! I agree that her recipes just seem to fit the bill. I also agree that while NutritionFacts.org can give people some motivation to change, the various recipe sites and recipe books can help a great deal with the practical side of putting it all into practice. Happy eating to you!Most vegan cookbooks I see usually call for a lot of oil and or sugar. I try to keep cooking with sugar and oil at a minimum, especially those high in omega 6. For this I think that those recipes and cookbooks by Drs. Esselstyn, Ornish, McDougall, Fuhrman, or the Firehouse Diet to be most in line with the vegan way I eat. (Many libraries seem to stock some or all.) These experts varying on how much fat is acceptable in the diet. I personally don’t worry about plant based fat (except coconut), as long as I’m keeping my omega 3 to 6 ratio close. And I recall that a pub med study I read a year or so ago that found that it’s not enough to be within a ratio of 1:4 of omega 3 to omega 6, you need to have low enough levels of 6 for the 3s to be absorbed.Your worry about coconut may well be unfounded. If you’ve been following Dr. Greger’s videos you may remember the tentative explanation he gave on why saturated fat usually correlates with greater risk of cardiovascular disease.In some of the videos he explains that the action mechanism could be the presence fat of animal origin of endotoxin, and trans fat in the case of unsaturated animal fat.On the other hand in the immense majority of cases studied (in lab animals as well as in humans) that saturated fat either came from animal food (e.g., lard), or from previously heated saturated fat such as palm oil. Coconut is rarely used in lab studies (at least alone) because it is significantly more expensive than other fat alternatives.I get most of my recipes online, Fat Free Vegan, is one of my favorites. Also, Chef AJ’s website has videos showing the preparation of different recipes; look for the “The Chef and the Dietitian”. Oh oh oh; don’t pass-up Dr. John McDougal’s website…lots of recipes.They didn’t watch vegan black metal chef! :-)I think maybe they did. Healthiness with respect to other vegan choices is not the videos’ selling point.Hi Dr. Greger or admins, I would like to post a translation for this video to Spanish in an attempt to spread this valuable information to everyone who does not understands English but is willing to check these videos to learn and get more informed about a whole-food plant based diet, I’ll to do a translation for all videos posted from now on (and maybe some older videos if time allows it) and I ask for nothing in exchange, just for you to keep up the great work you’re doing in getting all this amazing information for us, please let me know a way to get you the translation to Spanish, either by email or by commenting here.The doc is stating the obvious. People know better but don’t eat right because they are lazy and wealthy.Bbbbut I want McDougall compliant dinners at 4 star restaurants… Is that too much to ask?Not at all! But if you had said 5 star, I would have said you were crazy. ;-)This is a pretty good guide on cooking veggies at home (not spam) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxQKzun-oBk“Survival technique,” haha. It is sad, but true. I know I have personally done a lot of nutritional research starting years ago during my MPH, but it still blows my mind the unfathomable ignorance the general populous possesses when it comes to nutrition in general. I’d say around 75%+ of Americans would consider an unbleached “wheat” sub-sandwich with turkey, lettuce, and tomato as equivalent to broccoli and cauliflower with some whole wheat/flax pasta.	boiling,breakfast,chicken,cholesterol,chronic diseases,cooking methods,diabetes,dietary guidelines,fast food,fiber,industry influence,junk food,LDL cholesterol,mortality,obesity,pizza,poultry,processed foods,saturated fat,sodium,standard American diet,supermarkets,Taiwan,turkey,United Kingdom,vegetables,World Health Organization	Does cooking meals at home lead to improved health outcomes? And how do TV dinners compare nutritionally to TV chef recipes?	Check out your local public library for cookbooks—I’ve been amazed at the selection in all of the cities I’ve lived. Or for those for which books are just so 20th century, the online Rouxbe Cooking School holds healthy cooking classes. Their next course starts July 23rd. Check out www.rouxbe.com/plant-basedI think this is the only other mention of celebrity chefs I have: Paula Deen: diabetes drug spokesperson	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pizza/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supermarkets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taiwan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/boiling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22578892,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23247976,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21802561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20825697,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23736707,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24703245,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24625145,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23062444,
PLAIN-2577	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/	The Best Way to Cook Sweet Potatoes	The only downside to eating too many sweet potatoes is that you could get a yellow nose. It’s called carotenemia. It’s a common harmless condition due to elevated levels of beta carotene in the blood, first noticed a century ago when carrots were introduce into infant diets. It’s treated mostly by just reassuring parents that it’s harmless, but if you don’t want your child’s nose to be yellow, you can decrease their beta carotene intake and in a few months it will be gone.When picking out varieties at the supermarket, the intensity of the yellow or orange flesh color of the sweet potato is directly correlated to its nutritional content, so the more intense the better. Though if you really want intensity, sweet potato varieties range not only from white to yellow and orange but to pink and very to deep purple. The natural pigments of which may have special anticancer effects of their own.What the best way to cook sweet potatoes? Boiling may actually best retain the antioxidant power of sweet potatoes, compared to roasting and steaming. If you compare baking to boiling two microscopically, boiling helps thin out the cell walls and gelatinize the starch which may enhance the bioavailability of nutrients, while at the same time the glycemic index of boiled sweet potatoes was found to be half that of baking or roasting, so boiled gives one less of a blood sugar spike.Make sure to keep the skin on, though. The peel of a sweet potato has nearly ten times the antioxidant power as the flesh, an antioxidant capacity comparable to that of blueberries, though it really takes a hit when baked, wiping out over two thirds, whereas microwaving or boiling was comparatively much gentler. The same with the rest of the sweet potato. Baking can cause an 80% drop in vitamin A levels, twice as much as boiling, so from a nutritional standpoint, boiling rather than baking can be recommended for sweet potato cooking.Boiling may be best, but sweet potatoes are so incredibly healthy the best way to prepare them is actually whichever way will get you to eat the most of them, with the exception of deep frying, which can lead to the formation of acrylamide, a potential human carcinogen.	Thank you Dr.Greger for another excellent video. I am looking forward to your book, congratulations! I will be eating my organic sweet potatoes with the skin on by boiling them rather than my usual bakingWhat about the water after boiling?SoupYou can simmer the Sweet Potatoes along with other veges to make a stew. Start with beans because they take the longest to cook. Then add garlic and onion and any spices you wish to use (eg Turmeric & black Pepper). Depending on how much water these is after simmering until soft, you can then choose to thicken it with Arrowroot or not. Its a one pot meal which is easy to make.Dr Gregor, What do you about using a pressure cooker. Can you cut up the potatoes to make them cook quicker?pressure cookers are wonderful for cooking potatoes. yes, clean them, cut them up – it’s incredible and so fast. a suggestion for a book is Jill Nussinow’s ” the New Fast Food” and there is an InstaPot support group on Facebook.I cook Sweet Potatoes with brown rice favored with tamari, garlic, ginger and onions. I always put them in my black bean chili. The sweet of the potato balances the spicy chili.Pumpkin is another great thing to put in chili. You can’t taste it, but it has a great texture for chili and helps balance out the spiciness as well :)That sounds delicious!Sounds good. how much water do you use if you use a cup of brown rice. This is my first time replying to these posts and I mentioned a pressure cooker. How will Dr Gregor see my posted and will I be sent an email? Thank you. So many great ideassrut: Dr. Greger used to reply to posts as often as he could. But this site and number of posts grew to the point where Dr. Greger could no longer participate personally. However, there are some great people who participate in these discussions. Hopefully they will reply to your post.For myself, I will say that I LOVE my pressure cooker. But I don’t have a lot of experience cooking potatoes in it. So, I can’t offer specific advice. The bit of help I can shed is to recommend my favorite pressure cooker book: Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure. (It says vegetarian, but is really almost all vegan.) This book is well organized and has great recipes. I’m pretty sure the book would have information about cooking potatoes in it.Good luck.Man are we getting smart!What do you make of this study claiming that EPA, when taken in greater quantity/amounts/ratio than the DHA, is what has the most benefit on depression?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21939614My concern is that vegan algal oil has more DHA than EPA, and if someone was taking this for depression it might not work out so great. I know of some who actually get depressed after taking DHA in excess of EPA, and noticeably. Thank you for any thoughts on this study, and VEGAN ways to get more EPA in the diet than DHA. It seems difficult to maximize EPA, while intaking some (but less) DHA, as vegan DHA pills favor more of the DHA, but maybe there is a way with other vegan foods.http://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614%2814%2900076-4/fulltextAre the Japanese purple potatoes from the nightshade family? I’ve seen them advertised as “purple sweet potatoes”, but have also been told they are a nightshade, and sweet potatoes are not a nightshade.Good question. I need to know that. Dr. Greger?Hi Leslie! Maybe a confusion with the purple potato, which is a potato though it’s purple?Do you boil it whole? Does boiling in small pieces cause nutrient leeching?I cut my sweet potato into cubes… the water stays clear after cooking, which can’t be said about other vegetables.I’d think that steaming sweet potatoes would be a lot better and quicker and the vitamins would remain intact.In the video Dr. Gregor said that the water when boiling acts on the sweet potato in a way that likely makes its micronutrients more bioavailable to us. Sometimes plants have more vitamins/nutrients when raw or steamed but our bodies can’t absorb them — one of the reasons studying nutrition is so darn interesting. But as Dr. G said, the sweet spuds are packed with nutrition, so prepare them however you like.Are there any health risks associated with eating sweet potatoes raw?If you freeze the video where he is showing the graph, raw appears even better than boiling. Steaming (mentioned in comments by someone else) is barely better than baking. Raw wins – though I don’t think I could consume all that much raw – what do you do with them raw?I make dehydrated sweet potato chips with them. The slices need to soak for a good long while in order to draw out starch – the consistency doesn’t work otherwise. I’veThanks for calling my attention to the chart. Roasting is different than baking, though, in that roasting is usually done with chopped potatoes and baking typically refers to the whole potato with some fork punctures in it. The temperature would be about the same but the amount of flesh directly exposed to the heat would be different. I wonder if the skin would have a nutrient protective effect…I own a very nice dehydrator. when I bake I cut up into disks so maybe I am really roasting under the broiler – never said I was a chef :). If raw is best then not sure it is worth the effort once I slice with the mandolin to dehydrate – just eat them raw.Not sure what is meant by soaking to draw out the starch. Don’t we want the starch? I’ve been making chips in the microwave with no prep. Would love to hear more. Thanks. LynnThe soaking is culinary rather than nutritional. I found that just thinly slicing (with a mandoline) the potatoes would result in a chewy chip. Soaking, them, however, draws out some of the starch so that they become crisp as they dry. This is only for preparing them raw. I’ve also done that to make raw potato sweet potato salad & raw sweet potato purée. The resulting texture is smoother with the soaking.I see a smoothie opportunity here!I do them in smoothies, both raw and boiled. The boiled ones taste better in smoothies, especially the dark orange ones, they are creamier when boiled. I haven’t tried the purple ones in smoothies yet, though. I have to go to a Asian market to find those. The skin of the purple sweet potatoes does not taste so good, but in a smoothie maybe it wont be noticed.Oh well, i don’t do smoothies, juicing.I just cut them up in thick slices and eat as part of lunch or a snack, the Garnet variety are as sweet as candy almost, they have a darker orange/red insides, I get them at WF and they are yummy! Thanks for pointing out the graph, that was my question was on how good for us they are raw compared to cookedI do not have access to a Whole Foods, yet. We are getting one spring of 2016 – yeah! No idea what variety mine are – they are shipped in from NC. I’m hoping my CSA has them or I may start growing them myself.Sweet potato slaw!But keep listening to the video, the boiling increases bio-availability of nutrients with a gelatinizing effect. So boiling might actually win. Your bio-availability is too low on raw.I’m fairly new to the whole thing. bio-availability as in ability to use the nutrients? So they are somehow locked up in raw form? I caught boiling lowering glycemic but if that wasn’t an issue, boiling still trumps raw?I Juice them and buy them perfectly smaller than the chute for the juicer. Skin and all is best and this way you can use the pulp if you choose.Dr. Esselstyn told me no juices of any kind. My triglycerides were 600 so I stick with whole foods.Because they are mildly goitrogenic, some practitioners advise folks who have thyroid disease not to eat them raw. That’s the only caution I’ve ever come across.Raw tubers can be rapidly hard on the gut, they are not ripe fruits~ Small amount is probably fine on a healthy gut~Microwaving?Not moi!Pretentious.Yeah, but I’m cute. :-PPretentious, moi?So you’re asking if YOU are pretentious? Um, sure! :-DBased on how the microwave cooks things, it’s closer to boiling than baking. Boiling from the inside. Probably best, nutritionally, to not over-microwave them though to the point where they’re drying out. But I do it anyway a lot of the time. Nearly dried microwaved sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods.I’ll often make a pudding with a sweet potato or a butternut squash by boiling it in one or two inch chunks and putting it, skin and all (best to scrape off the skin from butternut squash’s skin with a spoon, though) in a blender with a cup or so of pitted dates. When it cools in the fridge, it thickens, depending on on how much liquid from the boiled water I added. To give it a gel-like texture, I sometimes add a little psyllium husk powder to the blender- half a tablespoon seems to be the right amount- but this is optional. It’s very easy to make.I’d like to suggest that another tab be added to this site where people can share their favorite recipes.Thank you!Ahh juk!!! I dice my sweet potatoes then boil with quinoa and oats. This skin story does not sound appealing at all! 10 times huh? Phew.Ahh well lets give it a try tomorrow :)Thanks Dr G! Any chance you have a data summary on the acrylamide levels of sweet potatoes based on their cooking method (Fried vs Baked vs Nuked vs Boiled etc)?!Is it not a fact that cooking inactivates protease inhibitors in sweet potatoes?I boil my sweet potatoes and then mash them with some cinnamon, ginger and ginseng. Is korean ginseng any good?It is also true that fermenting sweet potatoes converts beta carotene to retinol (active Vitamin A). I wonder what it does to protease inhibitors?http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/5519/Kiplamai%20F.%20K.pdf?sequence=1Is there any information on what pressure cooking does to the nutritional value of the sweet potato.I’d like to know also as I just about pressure cook/steam everything. 4-5 min and they are DONE!!! I mix with curried chickpeas and I’m in heavenI usually cook mine in my Instant Pot pressure cooker. They’re done in 12 minutes. How does pressure cooking compare with boiling?In your video you mention “Carotenemia” and babies having a yellow nose as a result of eating too many carrots. Is the nose the only part of the skin that gets a yellowish tint? My little granddaughter (16 months) has a very pronounced yellow tint all over her body (not her eyes). She has been like this for at least a year . My daughter insists that it is because she eats carrots everyday. I am concerned but my daughter believes that as long as her eyes do not have a yellowish tint (signs of liver problems?) she is ok. Is this true?I remember two instances that would lead me to believe your sister is correct. A girl I knew in college told me that she had gone on a carrot kick, eating bags a day for an extended period of time. Her palms turned orange she said. In addition, a neighbor of mine was juicing pounds and pounds of carrots a day. I don’t recall how long he had been doing it, but at least a year from what I remember. He had an unmistakeable orangish/yellowish hue to his skin. This seems to be a common side effect of eating large quantities of plants with high levels of beta carotene. Eating too much Vitamin A is only an issue if you eat too much preformed Vitamin A, which we get from animal products (e.g., cod liver oil is really high). BUT too much of provitamin A carotenoids (such as the betacarotene in colored fruits and veggies) is not associated with any health issues, except having skin like John Boehner after an application of spray tan. See the “Health Risks from Excessive Vitamin A” section in this informative site: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/I think you’re referring to my sister :). In college she was eating bags of carrots a day and the palms of her hands turned orange.If she went to Miami University of Ohio then I just may be! :)Ah alas – this was while she was in Arundel, England. Good university – Miami, Ohio.I have been watching your videos for about 1.5 yrs now and they are the most wonderful source of information on selective topics and in the right time span. Thanks Dr Greger for your continuing efforts. I look forward to watching them every day with a zeal that goes off the scale.I pressure cook them, I think that’s prob about the same as boiling but faster.Faster & hotter, water boils at higher temperatures when the pressure is higher.Exactly! PV =nRT. If you raise pressure you raise the temperature. Raising temperature in an aqueous environment is so what does this do?I dunno was wondering that myself :) Does it liberate more or does it start to break down the good stuff at higher temperatures.In the case of sweet potatoes heating must denature the protein making protease inhibitors inactive or unavailable. Only raw sweet potatoes would give cancer inhibition.Different cooking methods would most likely decrease availability pressure cooking ( which I use frequently) would be worse than boiling.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722699/In their analysis protein loss was probably do to leaching. I wonder why they assume people throw the water out! The way they do things is so annoying! Same is true of the Vitamin C leaching. About heating and inactivation of protease inhibitors I have only found thus far this:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11262065Only raw sweet potatoes would give cancer inhibition.That is assuming there is only one pathway. Those gene activation charts alone suggest there are at least tens if not a few hundred.Fermented potatoes, like fermented cabbage, carrots and other cruiferous veggies, are anti-cancer.I agree Doctor Flora!! Fermenting sweet Potatoes actual produces biologically active retinol. http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/5519/Kiplamai%20F.%20K.pdf?sequence=1I agree!! Fermentation if done correctly reduces oxalates, phytates and other anti-nutrients. Furthermore, biologically active coenzymes can be produced such as retinol, and coenzyme b12. Having the correct starting materials bacteria and food sources are the key.Love this vid and it just so happened that I made an excellent raw sweet potato salad yesterday! In response to others wondering about how to eat them raw. I use the “shredder” blade on my food processor or you can use a hand one, that quickly gives you nice julienned type shreds, skin and all. I also shred some carrots and sometimes a little daikon radish, add some defrosted green peas, cilantro, green onion and crushed garlic. Dress with a wee bit of sesame oil, rice vinegar (or lime juice) and tamari. I also add ground white pepper and finely sliced hot chilis…if you like spicy ;) Toss the mix and let it marinate in the fridge for a half hour or longer. Very yummy and it will last a long time in the fridge. I’m having some for lunch right now that I made yesterday!I may try this minus the oil. I had daikon radishes for the first time and this would be a good way to include them.Once you add the oil, it’s no longer alive. Clogs up the pores of the surface of the potato and it dies.Interesting to see the microwave option …after investigating my family no longer uses microwave … apparently molecular structure is altered hindered normal metabolic action. It would be great to see a video or even a series of videos on harmful effects of microwave ovens. They used to be banned in the Soviet Union apparently and the swiss cancer study remains pretty well hushed up.Martin: I *highly* recommend you check out the following link/page. It is a good way to learn how to distinguish the myths from the facts when it comes to microwaves. I can understand where you are coming from. The microwaves myths are repeated so often on the internet, it is hard not to believe them. Do yourself a favor and give the following page a good look.http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmActually, Martin, according to the study in this video, microwaving is the best way, on average, to cook veggies, and save (or even increase in the case of carrots and celery) their nutritional content. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/ Boiling and pressure cooking (i.e., wet methods) were considered the worst on average because many of the nutrients leach out in the water. So, I am assuming, based on this video, that microwaving is the best–or at least not the worst–method to cook a sweet potato (I microwave all of my potatoes–easy peasy). As to safety of microwaves, there does not seem to be anything to worry about if the seal and hinges around the door are clean, allowing for a tight seal, and one doesn’t microwave plastic that is in contact with food. But to be safe, one shouldn’t stand directly in front of the microwave oven while it’s in operation. http://www.fda.gov/radiation-emittingproducts/radiationemittingproductsandprocedures/homebusinessandentertainment/ucm116385.htmMicrowaving is just a *different way* to heat up foods…foods may change due to heating whether boiling, roasting, etc…but microwaving doesn’t alter them any differently than boiling, roasting, etc. Just my 2 cents.I was at a talk by T. Colin Campbell. Afterwards I got in line and asked him about microwaves. He didn’t mention them during his talk but he was blunt – no. I got rid of mine immediately and haven’t used one since. I didn’t ask him to elaborate on why he felt that way – long line, lots of people waiting to talk to him. He’s been in science a long time and I have other ways to cook food so I just decided not to use it.I stopped using a microwave for food…except to nuke old CDs/DVDs…only takes a second…don’t breathe the fumes. If god wanted us to use microwaves…there would be natural microwave appliances in the forests. ;-)I wonder if this could be the reason the protein survives. Saw it on a site discussing raw food toxins:“Sweet potato shows trypsin inhibitor activity. That means it contains an enzyme inhibitor that blocks the action of trypsin, an enzyme that digests proteins. The trypsin inhibitor prevents the digestion of protein. Sweet potatoes with higher protein levels have more of the trypsin inhibitor. This makes raw sweet potato difficult to digest. The trypsin inhibitor is deactivated by cooking.”http://vegpeace.org/rawfoodtoxins.html is a compendium of raw foods which contain toxins including sweet potatoes. They warn against eating them rawSo, those sweet potato chips are bad for you! Unless they’re baked, of course.Yeah, baby! Eat those sweet ‘taters! Have always known to eat the peel…and now I will make sure I boil them…I was microwaving so as not to heat up the kitchen in the SW Florida heat and save a/c costs…but I can easily *gently* boil them without too much added heat in kitchen. THANK YOU, Doc for all you do to help us!Dr. Greger, you seem to conflating boiling and steaming. Do steaming and boiling have the same effect on the nutrients in sweet potatoes? It’s not clear from the video.Watch this, Martha: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/ Based on the rational and results in the video (which doesn’t mention potatoes), steaming it seems would be better. (Boiling and pressure cooking veggies are apparently the worst methods to cook veggies.) When you boil something, it is surrounded by boiling water, obviously. As the veggie cooks, nutrients are more easily lost into the surrounding water in which the veggies is enveloped. Steaming, however, would cause less nutrient loss, as the steam is not as heavily in contact with the veggie as boiling water.That said, the video indicates that cooking carrots, onions, and celery in a soup would be a good way to get the most out them, nutrient-wise.typical LIBtard fake docter planted by OBummer.TEA PARTy 2016Looks like the trailer park got internet.Are all trailer girls like Ronda Rousey? Saw her finish a fight in 15 seconds. Guess a diet of rabid raccoon meat? :)Sorry, I’m a bit squeamish about eating the skin unless I know what the potato was grown in. “Organic” gardeners may use feces, blood or bone meal, etc. as fertilizers.Interesting to hear the official word on the glycemic index. I’ve always been a bit of a snob when it comes to baking rather than boiling. Perhaps for savory applications I might boil if in a hurry, but for sweet potato casserole, boiling would be sacrilege. :)One of my favorite easy peasy ways to eat sweet potatoes (which does just fine with boiling): Throw a couple cooked sweet potatoes in a bowl Add a big spoonful each miso (I use white), mustard (any kind), & nutritional yeast Mash and mix togetherIt’s so good I can eat it with a spoon. It’s great tossed with pasta for a quick sauce and a nice light dinner. Also good as a mayo replacement/all purpose binder. I first made it when I was making the Engine 2 “Raise the Roof” lasagna recipe and I wanted to jazz up the plain sweet potato layer so I added just what I remembered as the key players I’ve seen in various “mac n cheeze” recipes.Another favorite of mine is simply a baked sweet potato blended with cocoa powder added to taste. If using baked potatoes, you don’t need to add any additional sweetener.Yum. These all sound great. I did something similar with a bowl of steamed cauliflower that start out as a dip – just ate a bowl with a spoon.The cocoa with the sweet potato – isn’t that iffy as sometimes my sweet potato is very sweet, other times not so much.Sure, at times I have added a bit of maple syrup, but typically I don’t feel that it needs it. It could depend on the time of year, quality of produce, etc. And of course cooking method. Also depends how chocolately you like it – if adding quite a bit of cocoa, there comes a certain “saturation point” where you use up all the sweetness from the potato and need to bring in reinforcements. :)what about the skins? do you use those in your recipeHi Salley, personally I don’t eat the skins. They just weird me out :) But plenty of people do. In this case, I take what Dr. G says at 2:28 to heart.If you’re open to including the skins in the recipe, I’m afraid I can’t offer any insight into how it would turn out. If I imagine including them, I expect the skins would be tougher and with a more robust flavor than a white potato skin. But as I’ve said, I’ve never actually tried it.Perhaps someone else can give us some details on how the skins affect the flavor and texture (when mashed)? Do they mash up as easily as white potato skins or does it have to go through a processor?b00mer: Awesome ideas. Thanks for sharing!FYI: The first idea, with the miso, mustard, and nut yeast was one of those small-world moments for me. I just the night before I ready your post, I had gotten the book, “Happy Herbivore Light & Lean” and was flipping through it. On page 141 was a recipe called “Golden Dressing” which is primarily those same three ingredients. (Though there is also a smidge of sweetener and lemon.) Now I’m doubly-excited to try it.I’ve never thought to try it as salad dressing – will have to do that! Mine would have to be thinned out a bit, so I could definitely see adding some lemon juice to it. Btw, have you made “squash colombo” out of Cooking Under Pressure? Just tried it for the first time a few weeks ago – butternut squash, onion, tomato, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and lots of jalapeno and ginger. I added in frozen green beans and peas for some body and color. It’s described as a “sri lankan-carribean” curry. Very tasty and even my resident squash/ginger-hater really liked it :)Dear Dr.,Does the same rule apply to other starchy orange-fleshed vegetables, like butternut squash? Should I try to boil or microwave squashes like sweet potatoes, instead of baking them?Thanks for all the information!I compared the nutritional profile of baked vs boiled sweet potatoes in Cronometer and baked shows higher nutrient levels almost across the board. Anyway. They taste as good boiled and the skin is more palpable boiled, IMHO. Also, the calorie count is a bit less for boiled. Baking seems to give a sweeter taste, especially after they’ve rested a day or two in the frigo (at which point very sweet syrup begins to ooze out, offer a wonderful dipping sauce :).Really glad Dr Greger is so thoughtful to tell us “eat potatoes made any way except fried” cause I don’t like boiled potatoes or carrots. I hate them in soup or cholent. I like everything vegetables, grains and bread made soft and mushy on the inside and hard crusty and crunchy on the outside.I’ve always made a distinction between sweet potatoes, which are beige colored, and yams, which are orange colored. Dr. Greger calls both tubers “sweet potatoes.” I prefer yams, not only for their superior nutritional value, but also because they’re sweeter.Yams (and sweet potatoes ;-)) cook really well in a pressure cooker on high for 10 to 15 minutes. Cooking them this way softens the flesh and the skin, which literally falls off. Cutting them into quarters lowers the cooking time. They also go really well with collard greens. I cook both together in the pressure cooker.What about cooking them in a Crockpot?Actually I understood sweet potatoes to be basically acrylamide free when cooked at any temperature, quite unlike white and yellow potatoes, toasted/baked grains, bread, toast, coffee, cereals, dutched cocoa, brown rice syrup, snack bars, olives (oddly enough), etc.I thought you couldn’t eat the skin on sweet potatoes.The “Cancer Risk from French Fries” video link above doesn’t work; it contains colons instead of slashes.This is my first time posting and I would like to have my posts read Susan How so I change my name?What do you think about this article claiming that plant sources of vitamin a lead to deficiency in that vitamin?http://empoweredsustenance.com/true-vitamin-a-foods/thank you.Hi Dr. Greger, I was wondering what your opinion is on the incredibly high vitamin A levels in foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, leafy greens, pumpkin, butternut, etc. I really enjoy eating all of them, but am worried about consuming too much vitamin A. I try to get at least one cup of raw lettuce/leafy greens a day, and with having other sources of vitamin A it just adds up so quickly. Before I know it, I’ve already consumed over 1400% daily value for vitamin A! I do not, however, consume any preformed vitamin A, because I’m vegan and also don’t take supplements with vitamin A in them. Unfortunately though, practically ALL non-dairy milks on the market have vitamin A palmitate added! :( I hope I’m not coming across as obnoxious or overly concerned, but the amounts of vitamin A a whole-foods-plant-based vegan can easily and unknowingly consume are quite high! I really really hope to hear back soon!P.s. I absolutely LOVE your videos! I’m a bit of a nutrition nerd myself, and these videos kept me thoroughly entertained on an eighteen-hour-long road trip! Keep up the great research work Dr. Greger!-Claire ElizabethThank you so much Dr Greger.I boiled purple sweet potatoes and was shocked to see the boiling water turn dark purple. All of those nutrients lost! Is this really the best way to cook them? Did the study account for nutrient loss in the boiling water?I am beginning to wonder if pressure cooking is indeed unsafe. I have been alerted to the fact that the Milliard reaction starts at 250 degrees F and pressure cooking 15psi brings the temperature to 250F. Just the right temperature for acrylamide production!I started boiling after baking — based on this video. Then I got an Oster steamer. This changed everything! The ease of preparation and the better taste of the final product convinced me that this will be my prefered method regardless… Anyway. I reviewed the databases and didn’t find any nutritional profiles on steaming for sweet potatoes, only baking and boiling. So, is steaming closer to baking or boiling? I’d say baking. With this question in mind, I reviewed side-by-side comparisons of baking vs boiling and baking consistently seemed to provide a better nutritional profile. This contradicts the message of this video. Also, do we care about the glycemic index really? I thought that index was next to useless. (The video cites this as well as a reason to boil vs bake.) Though it softens the membranes by boiling, aren’t we maybe leeching nutrients? Does some of the sweetness that makes the potato so tasty go down the drain? This Oster steamer is an amazing machine. The taste, texture, and consistency are impressive.Tobias: Thanks for the tip on the Oster steamer. I’m always on the lookout for helpful kitchen gadgets to make cooking easier. Thanks!This $30 steamer Oster unit has displaced FOUR of my formerly essential kitchen cookers to the storage area: Tiger rice cooker, Instant Pot pressure cooker, Crock-Pot slow cooker, and stove-top pot steamer. Cooks rice to perfection. Works as fast as pressure cooker because steam begins in 30 seconds whereas the pressure cooker takes some time to build pressure to cook. Oat groat cooks just as well there versus 3.5 hours in the pressure cooker… etc etc. Something about how the steam provides a uniform and surrounding heat that renders things so well. I have noticed the nutrient profiles often don’t give breakdowns for steaming (it’s either baking or boiling) and steam times guides online are rather patchy.Tobias: re: replacing 4! appliances. That’s really impressive. It’s definitely something to consider. Too bad it is plastic. I may break my rule about cooking in plastic. After all, I broke down and got a Vitamix which has the plastic container. So, I’m open to plastic when the convenience factor just can’t be ignored.Thanks again for sharing. I’m super intrigued.I forgot to ask: I can’t tell if the steamer is plastic or glass. I was looking at this one: http://www.amazon.com/Oster-5712-Electronic-6-1-Quart-Steamer/dp/B00019G8IS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415988760&sr=8-1&keywords=oster+steamerIs that hte model you have? Can you say what the baskets are made of? Thanks.This one model number off the one I purchased, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00073HLMU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1I recall that the plastic is safe. But don’t quote me on this.Here’s the relevant discussion on BPA for this product,http://www.amazon.com/review/R3JZ89OTM9PNF5/ref=cm_cr_dp_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00073HLMU&nodeID=284507&store=kitchen#wasThisHelpfulBut just because it’s non-BPA, does this mean they didn’t use something worse that’s not on the radar yet? Hmm. It’s so hard to know these things.Tobias: Exactly! I have read articles that say that the chemical they use to replace the BPA is likely as bad if not worse. So, the label of “BPA-free” does nothing to allay my concerns. Too bad it’s not glass!If you are interested, here is an article on the topic of the safety of bpa-free plastic. I’m not an expert myself, so I don’t know how valid this article is. http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/tritan-certichem-eastman-bpa-free-plastic-safeArticle “Sent to Kindle” for offline Paperwhite reading (another amazing technology). No really, I’d like to get to the bottom of this plastic issue… I imagine there’s a higher end product out there that’s 100% safe (though I’m not aware of any presently). (The nice thing about this unit is that it starts steaming in 30 seconds and envelopes the contents in a uniform heat..Thanks! I wanted to make sure I was looking at the same one you have.I’ve recently discovered sweet potato noodles from Korea, made from sweet potato starch. A nice substitute for white pasta and noodles although whole food is still better for us.Sweet potatoes were a major part of the diet of one the longest living people on the planet. The traditional Okinawa Japanese diet included over 50% of their calories from sweet potato and 5% or less of their calories from animal products. For more information on reasons why Okinawa Japanese have such high rates of centurions see the video here.(http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/How long should you boil them – say for 1-inch cubes?That will lower cooking time if pre-chopping. Perhaps 15-20 minutes, or until soft will do the trick?This is a bit confusing. Sweet potatoes are not orange yams are orange. People often interchange the two but I think it needs to be clarified here because they are two different things.Thanks for suggestion. These studies used sweet potatoes from what I see. Yes, yams are different and I even forget their differences, but I think the point is eating sweet potatoes, yams, and other bright-colored foods is important for disease prevention. If I find studies on yams I’ll post. Thanks!Any suggestions for the best way to cook them if we have sensitivities to salicylates? My levels seem to rise like crazy after eating them as they are reported to be very high in salicylic acid.HI Stephe. I am not sure? From what I found they are naturally occurring Natural salicylates: foods, functions and disease prevention and it doesn’t look like cooking alters salicylic acid.What should I do? Eat conventionally grown purple sweet potato, or eat organic sweet potato?Both! Organic is probably better but don’t let that stop you from eating conventional.I have the choice of cooking either one. Which is greatest for my health? Do pesticides outweigh the benefits of switching from regular sweet potatoes to purple yams? From my understanding, these purple yams are from Asia, they are not the sweet potatoes Dr. Greger is suggesting. Thanks for your swift answer by the way.do you really need anyone telling you which one is better or healthier!?? how can you possibly doubt or believe that vegetables, fruits, nuts or seeds that are sprayed with chemicals could be harmless or as good as chemical-free or Organic !!!?????I would much rather read the information- very frustrating that I have to waste time watching a video!! good info though. All I wanted was the info on the skin!Cynnthea T: re: “…rather read the information…” No problem. Just to the right of each video is a “Read Transcript” button. After you click the button, the transcript will appear below the video.Even though I enjoy and watch the videos, I sometimes like to go back and read the text and/or read the text while the videos are rolling. You are definitely not alone in the desire to have the information written. Happily, NutritionFacts made that feature a priority a long time ago.	acrylamide,antioxidants,baking,beta carotene,bioavailability,blood sugar,blueberries,boiling,cancer,carcinogens,carrots,cooking methods,frying,glycemic index,infants,oxidative stress,roasting,steaming,sweet potatoes,vitamin A,yams	How does sweet potato baking compare to boiling and steaming and should we eat the skin?	Sweet potatoes are cheap, healthy, nutrient powerhouses—check out my last video: Anti-Cancer Potential of Sweet Potato Proteins.What about cooking methods for other vegetables? See my video Best Cooking Method.Want more information about acrylamide, the potential crispy carb carcinogen? See my video Cancer Risk from French Fries. And for why deep frying in general might not be good, Deep Frying Toxins and Carcinogens in the Smell of Frying Bacon.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acrylamide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bioavailability/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steaming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yams/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/boiling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/baking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/roasting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-a/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycemic-index/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19908145,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12195163,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23714199,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22802046,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 23745032,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17425943,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22101780,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22847287,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22306516,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23784800,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24344977,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22674958,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14770446,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17328557,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22132322,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20408878,
PLAIN-2578	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/	Anti-Cancer Potential of Sweet Potato Proteins	Sweet potatoes can be considered a superfood, one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet, and one day, perhaps, even off the planet, as NASA has chosen it for space missions. One of the healthiest and cheapest. This study aimed to identify which vegetables provided the most nutrients per dollar.If you look at a graph of affordability versus nutrition, you can see that the healthiest foods, like dark green leafy vegetables, may also be the cheapest. And the highest nutrient rich food scores per dollar were obtained for sweet potatoes.They’re not just packed with nutrition, but may have special cancer-fighting properties. In 1931 a unique protein was discovered in sweet potatoes. Later renamed, 80% of the protein in sweet potatoes is a type of protease inhibitor with potential anticancer effects.It was originally tested against leukemia cells, and appeared to suppress the growth of leukemia cells in a petri dish, but how would a sweet potato protein ever get into our bloodstream? As soon as most proteins hit our stomach they start getting digested. So they tried sweet potato protein against tongue cancer. Sweet potato constituents certainly come in contact with our mouth. Tongue cancer is often treated with chemo, however, most of the chemo drugs for tongue cancer have great aversive effects, so it is indispensable for us to find other therapeutic strategies.Sweet potato protein rapidly diminished viability of the cancer, leading them to propose that sweet potato may be useful for human tongue cancer, but not much else.Remarkably, though, this class of proteins doesn’t just survive digestion, but may be absorbed into the bloodstream intact, in at least two of the nine women with advanced cervical cancer they tried giving them to. So, most recently it was tried on colorectal cancer cells, one of our most common and deadly cancers. Normally we just surgically remove the colon, but that only works in the early stages since there are often micrometastases outside the colon that can subsequently lead to cancer recurrence and death, and so we’ve been searching anti-metastatic agents. And not only does sweet potato protein slow down the growth of colon cancer cells, but decreases cancer cell migration and invasion. Though sweet potato consumption has been associated with lower gallbladder cancer rates, it has never been directly put to the test. But what’s the downside?To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	” this class of proteins doesn’t just survive digestion, but may be absorbed into the bloodstream intact” –could this actually be a bad thing for some people? For people with autoimmune situations, and-or for people who have food allergies, food sensitivities, etc.? I’ve been told that undigested proteins can create havoc for some people. Any thoughts on this?Awesome. Sweet Potatoes is one of my favorite food now, thanks to Dr Greger’s wonderful video. If only it was a little bit cheaper here, I would eat it more often.If I have to choose 3 foods to live on, Sweet Potatoes would be definitely one of them.And you what will be your 3 favorites foods to live on ?I agree, sweet potatoes, or at least kabocha squash would be on the list. If I have to pick 3, it would be the sweet super star, some kind of green or veg, and either a fruit like apples, or a seed, since ground sunflower seeds, or tahini are so good on the sweet pots.Adrien: That’s a fun game, but too hard for me. Pick only three? And probably shouldn’t include chocolate…I could definitely include sweet potatoes in my three. If I absolutely had to restrict to only three, then I might make beans and broccoli be my other two. Or maybe broccoli and a fruit like you chose – say watermelon for me.Sweet potatoes, Black bean brownies, mango, green smoothies. I’m not a stickler for following directions, Adrien, but I love your question.I eat PURPLE Okinawan Sweet potatoes All of the time… But What do you Do with the Beautiful Purple Water From Boiling Your Sweet Potatoes… Drink it as a Tea, Thats What….Don’t Waste all of those Vitamins Dude… Yummy and Super Healthy I would have to Assume…Who sells these in the U.S.? And is there an organic source, since potatoes according to Dr. Greger are a very high pesticide crop?Okinawan/purple sweet potatoes can often be found at Asian markets though sometimes they an be found at high end grocery stores such as Whole Foods. They are expensive, at least where I live, as they cost around $2.50-3.00 per pound at the Asian markets.It seems most are sent in from Hawaii and they are non-organic. They are also required to undergo irradiation (not sure if this is a health concern or not but might be worth looking into) if they are sent to the mainland.Above, Ed commented that he finds the purple-flesh sweet potatoes too dry. So did I upon first bite a month ago. But in a couple of days that purple food called to me. As I sit here now enjoying a warm purple disk, I am glad to share my primitive cooking secret: I slice two cylindrical (9″long by 6-7″ round) raw purple sweet potatoes) into 1.5″? discs and microwave in covered, ventilated pot about 9″ high with 2″ of water at bottom for 8 minutes. Then I pour the purple water at bottom over the discs that soak it up. YUM YUM! Usually I mix with quicker cooking, more moist orange yams/sweet potatoes.Gayle: Thanks for sharing! I always like tips like this. I recently bought a bunch of purple potatoes and I am a microwave fan. So, I’ll probably be giving this a try. Thanks!What is the best way to prepare sweet potatoes to take advantage of this cancer inhibiting effect? Is it acceptable to bake them in oven with coconut oil & sea salt as fries?If you want my opinion, yeah, oil is refined calories. Think of the oil as similar to a basting in sugar but probably worse on a few important metrics. Coconut oil is about as faddy as you can get. This segways nicely into the ‘official’ position that can be read from this site itself:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconut-oil/To work with my opinion a bit more, if you can’t enjoy your sweet potato sliced and microwaved until soft and slightly less moist, it may be that something is wrong with you and your current tastes, rather than with the sweet potato as it is. No food has truly universal appeal, but sweet potatoes get pretty close to that ideal.Coconut oil has lots of saturated fat.. Dr. Esselstyn (of the Cleveland Clinic, published studies using low fat, carb heavy, plant based diets to reverse heart disease) recommends against oils and saturated fat. Try using the tiniest amount of avocado oil and a little water (to help the oil spread) and keep an eye on them. Shake the baking sheet often to keep them from sticking and burning..I grate them raw into salads like beets and carrots and also spiralize them raw into spaghetti and toss with garlic and spices and a dash of cayenneHi pm,To make oil-free fries, you can try Jeff Novick’s method:Bake sweet or white potatoes Allow to cool completely (overnight in fridge) Slice into big wedges Broil for a few minutes to brown/charAwesome, just awesome! Yep, I’ve argued with folks who try to say :”eating healthy is too expensive”–GET OUT of TOWN!!! You can pretty much find sweet potatoes for $1 per pound and usually less (Walmart sells them for 88 cents a pound) and around certain holidays, you can even find them for less than that! I can usually get them 3 for $1. Thanks again, Doc!Yes, I promote what I consider to be a super simple way of preparing plant-foods. The “it’s too expensive” or “it takes too much time, or it’s too complicated” excuses are clearly from those who don’t really want to make changes. However, if people try food they like, and can learn how cheap and easy, then we will get people to awaken to the amazing benefits of a plant-based diet.Sweet potatoes here in Pittsburgh are sometimes not available, but when they are, they are close to $2/lb. Yams are usually $1.50/lb bu no one has answered my questions about whether yams contain the protease being discussed here.What we call “yams” in at least the US are in fact garnet sweet potatoes. So US yams/sweet potatoes should have this protein as well. Real yams are from a completely different family of flowering plants, and so it is very unlikely that real yams have this protein.From Wikipedia: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)“Yam is the common name for some plant species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae) that form edible tubers. … though some varieties of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) are also called yam in parts of the United States and Canada, it is not part of the family Dioscoreaceae but belongs in the unrelated morning glory family Convolvulaceae.”Sweet potatoes work great for a quick carry food when you’re not sure what you may have access to. When I may be out past a meal I cook up a batch of baked sweet potato disks to take with me to keep me from grabbing something unhealthy. Makes a great “ice cream,” too. Just bake cubes and freeze the thaw slightly and place in blender – add cinnamon. YumHi Brenda, I totally agree on the sweet potato as a “quick carry food” that can supply nutrition at any time while on the road. Here in Japan, we have “Yaki Imo” that are cooked on charcoal in the jackets by vendors and packaged in individual paper bags for easy consumption while at festivals [most days, you can also buy them individually in the grocery store in the produce section already hot].My favorite treat is to buy Yaki-Imo at the midnight celebration at most temples on New Year’s– it is cold out and holding this hot treat in your gloves is the perfect warm up! Check out: http://gakuran.com/the-yaki-imo-man-of-japan/#! –an introduction to traditional Japanese foodie culture– imagine a vendor pulling a cart down the street (or a tiny truck with a glowing fire on the back with his call of Yaki-imo for sale!).That sounds really cool. Though a newer video says baking isn’t as nutritious as boiling and raw is even better. I’m thinking of using the mandolin and making sweet potato chips that are raw for a crunchy snack.When i worked for the soy bean folks we pushed the anti-cancer activity of Bowman-Birk, Kunitz and other protease inhibitors. Then I worked for the milk guys and we pushed the anti-nutritional terrors of protease inhibitors. Something got lost in translation. Science shouldn’t be an endless Geisha dance. Its tougher out there when you don’t have a John, but its better because you can choose your clients.Great! My starch porridge is about 50% sweet potatoe before mixing with fruits. Must eat a pound a day of the stuff :)” this class of proteins (in the sweet potato) doesn’t just survive digestion, but may be absorbed into the bloodstream intact” –Also wondering if people with gut-permiability issues might be adversely effected by these undigested (sweet potato) proteins. Is this a valid concern?Also.. I believe sweet potato makes up the biggest bulk of the diet of the longest lived population on the planet. The Okinawa Japanese. I remember a nutritionfacts video in which a study examined this and recall it being a large bulk of their diet. How much sweet potato would someone need to consume to maximize it’s health properties? Could I maximize it’s potential with a single serving of baked sweet potato chips or baked sweet fries with a black bean burger or avocado sandwich for lunch? Or would I need to consume large quantities? Try blending hot mashed sweets with healthy spices (cloves, cinnamon, ginger) and a little coconut milk to make a breakfast porridge, then add any desired accoutrements like walnuts, pecans, raisins, etc.. I wonder if I could spin off a sweet potato pie using the docs recipe for healthy pumpkin pie…..The sweet potato pie recipe sounds like a great idea. And you can probably get away with fewer dates than with the pumpkin pie.Regarding “dosages” :) This is something that often troubles me when I read the comments to these videos. I LOVE Dr. Greger’s videos, but to a certain extent they tend to promote the “superfood” mindset among many viewers. This video says sweet potatoes are great, so you want to know just how great a quantity you need to eat to “get the effects”. But then what about the video on mushrooms? On leafy greens? On all the grains and beans and fruits and other vegetables? I don’t think any one food should be maximized to the point where it would infringe on the realty of other healthful foods in the diet. If sweet potatoes are part of your meal, and the rest of your meal is made up of other “superfoods” like black beans, whole grain bread, & lettuce tomato onion, then that’s great!The Okinawans eat a lot of sweet potatoes, but what about the Nicoyans? They love their black beans. So should you try to eat more of the beans and fewer of the sweet potatoes? And of course the Sardinians aren’t eating either, but rather are filling up on whole wheat pasta and bread. So more bread and a smaller burger? I think it’s crazy to think like this. As human beings with a single stomach, we can’t eat like all of the blue zone peoples combined, but we have quite an advantage in being able to sample the best foods from each one to create a diet that is both nutrient dense and has tremendous variety and synergy.Why not both?I eat 2 cups of black beans and almost a pound of sweet potato daily. These things aren’t exactly going to pack pounds on you…I think you missed my point entirely. Why not both? Because people have finite amounts of time and finite amounts of space in their stomachs and bowels. That’s great that you eat black beans and sweet potatoes every day, but what about whole grain pasta and bread, what about rice and oats and every other type of grain, what about all the beans besides black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, tofu, lentils, peas, mushrooms, seaweed, every type of leafy green, every color of vegetable, every type of fruit, every beverage: cocoa, every type of tea, every type of herbal tea, etc, etc, etc.Whenever a video comes out about one specific food, comments indicate that people want to eat as much as they possibly can of that specific food, or they need to know what “dosage” they need to eat to get the healthful effects. People all of a sudden become concerned because even though they eat sweet potatoes, should they be eating more? People that drink green tea every day become concerned that they’re missing out on the benefits of coffee when the coffee video comes out. And the same types of comments on every video about every individual food. If people eat enough food, eat to satisfaction, and every individual component is health promoting, they shouldn’t have to worry about getting the proper “dosages” of any of them.I’ve had the same issue. I simply could not eat all of these foods in what might be an amount required to have a specific health effect. And I usually have no idea what that amount might be. So I have concluded as you have that it is best to just eat a wide variety of healthful foods and not be concerned about specific effects.I’ve tried warming up to the purple Okinawan sweet potatoes here in Hawaii but when microwaved with a wet paper towel around them they are just too dry & stiff for my taste. Is there another variety of purple sweet potato I can grow in my garden that is softer inside?Sweet potato and/or yam? Here in our Pittsburgh, PA stores the grocers mark yams as ‘sweet potatoes’. I’ve had discussions with them about that but they still equate the two. My question: is this protease found in sweet potatoes AND yams?Yams are sweet potatoes. Not all sweet potatoes are yams.Not really. They are not related botanically. Although yams and sweet potatoes are both angiosperms (flowering plants), they are not related botanically. Yams are a monocot (a plant having one embryonic seed leaf) and from the Dioscoreaceae or Yam family. Sweet Potatoes, often called ‘yams’, are a dicot (a plant having two embryonic seed leaves) and are from the Convolvulacea or morning glory family.Nope, this is from the North Carolina sweet potato assn.: “What’s in a name? When it comes to the yam, a bit of confusion. What is marketed in the United States as “yams” are really a variety of sweet potato, grown in the South. A true yam is a starchy edible root of the Dioscorea genus, and is generally imported to America from the Caribbean. It is rough and scaly and very low in beta carotene”Hi Wegan, the comment you shared does not contradict jem’s statement. I can see how you could interpret that the NCSPA is stating that “yams are sweet potatoes”, however their phrasing is leading to confusion. What they’re saying is that the vegetables seen *labelled* as yams in the US are *not yams*, but are actually sweet potatoes. Later, as they say, a true yam is something totally different from a sweet potato and is not typically seen in US markets.Also, they are not the same nutritionally. That’s why I am wondering if they both have the protease. Actually, the vegetables in the picture look like yams. Sweet potatoes are normally not as orange.I just wrote a blog post about sweet potatoes, with a fun, easy recipe. Love them. As I like to say, plant-based diets have S.A.S. ~ simple, affordable, & sustainable. http://thefoodway.blogspot.com/2014/06/sweet-potatoes-with-beet-greens-apricot.html More recipes on our website w/ sweet potatoes at http://www.theplantbasedsolution.comIt’s a pity so few grocers carry sweet potato greens, as they’re similarly nutritious to other dark leafy greens.Some traditional cultures with a remarkable lack of Western chronic diseases have diets centered around sweet potatoes, notably the highlanders of Papua New Guinea (1, 2, 3, 4) and traditional Okinawans (5, 6, 7, 8, 9).true. Although its probably because people have such a limited number of greens that they ever eat. I sometimes think my grocery store only carries the various greens they do because I will go through them as I can. Most other ppl just buy spinach, romain and regular lettuce, and maybe some kale every now and then.Thanks for the great selection of links!Eat sweet potatoes every day. Just like the Blue Zone elder Okinawans. No oil which is inflammatory to the arterial endothelium and restricts nitric oxide. I steam or bake on parchment paper.earlier articles speaks to the over dose of protean. if it is a protease inhibitor then maybe it is anti protean which itself is good ?Protease is a general term for an enzyme that breaks down protein, so a protease inhibitor would be inhibiting protein degradation, and would thus be considered “pro-protein” in the context of your comment.But importantly, the amino acid composition of plant foods (vs animal foods) does not lead to the induction of excess IGF-1, and generally speaking, on a whole foods plant based diet an unhealthily high protein intake is unlikely.I really hope someone can help me.. The last 6 months I’ve tried to implement Dr.Gregers advise about the vegetarian/Vegan lifestyle (Wich made me feel vital in the begining), but lately the skin on my hands have become very dry and wrinkled – espasially my fingertips (Deep vertical lines). I tried looking it up on google, but couldn’t find any really good anwsers, other than – some saying it was a sign of adrenal fatigue (Must add, that I feel a bit drained). But sadly Dr. Greger haven’t been posting any videos on that subject, so please HELP me.. anyone… What should I do?Here is a list of what I eat daily: – I eat a B-complex vitamin to get my B12 – I eat my flax – I eat my algae DHA – I eat my D-vitamin ( Living in the nothern Hemisphere) – I eat my veggies and fruits – I eat my nuts ( + 1 parranut daily) – I eat my beans and stuff And now i’ve tried to implement a zinc tablet…Was iodine deficiency not credible to you? With “adrenal fatigue” you are often scraping the bottom of the barrel and getting more pseudoscience than science. “Candida” is at least as legitimate.Beside continuing your search for credible information, I’d try introducing some guaranteed iodine into your diet (at recommended levels) and seeing what happens then. Take away the fish and the dairy (where in the U.S. at least, iodine gets into milk from sterilizing the teats) and start cooking your meals with minimal salt, and you will probably have closed your diet to all sources of iodine beyond what the soil provides to your produce, beans, nuts, and flax, which depends on the soil sources.The iodine advice may not work, but I don’t anticipate that it will lead to overt harm. Just inconvenience and a relatively small amount of money.On the off-chance that your last name and your concern over zinc indicates residence in a Scandinavian country with Norway as perhaps most likely, I did a really quick raw internet search and found this: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=573268&fileId=S1368980004000679Thank you very much Largelytrue! So I’m properly iodine deficient.. But I must say that i’ve tried to include some seaweed in my diet (But maybe not enough?) Maybe I should try a different brand of seaweed, since i don’t really eat any iodised salt, fish or dairy – which the article you posted told were my best chances to get some)PS: I’m from Denmark. You deduction skills are brilliant! :-)Hi Sebastian,While it may not be the reason for your fatigue at this point with your new diet, you may need to increase your B12. Often “B complex” type vitamin products are quite low in B12. I believe the absorption rate is only around 1%, so you have to take much more than the rda. Recommendations among plant based docs range from 250-1000 ug daily. Here is a blog entry detailing Dr. Greger’s recommendations:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/30/3964/Also, perhaps you could try cronometer.com to get a snapshot of the micronutrient profile of your diet. Perhaps you’ll find a particular nutrient deficiency, if not, you can at least rule many of them out and go from there.Hi boomer, I just got some kelp tablets today, to insure that I got the right amount iodine.. Until I have the courage to plan the diet with sea-veggies.But about the B12. I take a suplement daily “Solaray Mega B-Stress” to get the B-12, which is 1000ug. So I think that should be enough with the recomendations you posted :-) (Thank you!) But do you know if B-vitamins can be like.. bad? Like it the ones from solaray could be “not-up-to-date” or “non-absorbable”?PS: Thanks for the link to cronometer!Good luck with the sea vegetables! I’ve never been able to get into them and have been meaning to get some kelp tablets myself.Good to hear you’ve got a good dose of B12. In regards to supplements, there is a website called consumerlab where you pay for a membership to get access to their results for tests on various supplements. They will at least tell you if the substances/amounts advertised are actually in the product. I tried to check your brand for you, since I used to have access through a friend’s account but apparently the membership has lapsed :)In general, it seems well accepted that sublingual tablets are the best for absorption so if you don’t have that kind now, you may want to switch to that kind in the future.Enjoy cronometer! It’s pretty fun!Thank you! I hope it helps, my hands are becoming more and more creepy.. ^.^Well thats a relief. Might try a membership with them.. Could definaitly save me money and time in the long run. Thanks for trying btw!Sublingual tablets… What exactly is that? :-)A lot of B12 supplements are labelled as “sublingual”. You place them under the tongue until they dissolve rather than swallowing them whole. They are supposed to be absorbed better that way. Hope that helps :)Sublingual means under the tongue.My skin is very dry also, but for me, I am not drinking enough water. I have a Multi-Pure water filter which greatly reduces certain industrial and pesticide poisons in my water, plus it makes my water taste better. And, when the water is cold, it is delicious.I suggest that you drink more water or green tea without sugar every day, like 6-8 8 ounce cups/day.Hi Susan! :-) Hmmm… Might be it… But I do make sure to get plenty of water, but maybe its still not enough…. Actually I have another quistion you might be able to anwser. Dr.Gregers recomended daily salt intake is on about 1.5g – so my quistion is: Wouldn’t it be flushed out if you drink, lets say 3 liters daily? We need sodium for electrolyte, so is 1.5g really enough?maybe only take B12, not the other synthetic vitamins.Go gluten-free.Stop the algae. Just limit/reduce your omega 6 intake.Flax makes me exhausted. Something in it depresses me physically, mentally, as well as my immune system. Same thing happens with chia and other omega 3 seeds and nuts. I know of others who have real bad experiences with flax and omega 3 seeds and nuts.Vitamin D pills (D2 and D3) suppress my immune system. I get exhausted.Eat some fruit and veggies and beans and greens and get out in the sun. And remember, plant-based is not always 100% vegan. Find “your” path.I am wondering how ubiquitous this protein is as to types of sweet potato. For example are they present and in what concentration in Japanese sweet potatoes? Furthermore when shopping in conventional supermarkets is it not often hard to distinguish sweet potatoes from yams? This question has been bothering me for a while!Here in the United States, it is extremely rare to see a true yam in a supermarket. True yams grow only in the tropics and are seldom sold or eaten here, though they can sometimes be found in specialty Asian or Caribbean groceries. What Americans and Canadians commonly refer to as yams are actually just dark orange sweet potatoes. What we refer to as sweet potatoes are just a lighter colored version. Sweet potatoes and true yams come from entirely different families of plants.Yams, at least organic, are more pale in color. But, the best way is to ask the produce manager.My family loves sweet potatoes. We live in Montreal Canada, so we have long and cold winters. I often buy sweet potatoes and roast them in the oven. My children can eat them every day:)Great idea: Using microwaved sweet potatoes as hand warmers. I could have used these hand warmers when I lived in ski country or even when I went to college on the Massachusetts North Shore.I buy Yukon Gold for my husband, who won’t eat sweet potatoes. I only eat sweet potatoes, the brighter orange interiors, the better.The size of the serving contributes the nutrients. See more at:Sweet potato, cooked, baked in skin, without salt. Read more:http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2667/2I love sweet potatoes, and now that I know it can be a prohibitor of some forms of cancer, I like them even more. Great information.I love and honor sweet potatoes so much that I’ve created a business built entirely around them, with the fabulous sweetie as the main ingredient. Get yer yam on!In the nutrition/cost density study. tomatoes are all over the map. Tomato sauce is bottom left, but tomato juice is top right and Tomato soup occurs in three or four different places in the middle. Confusing.Super Food Sweet Potatoes most affordable vegetable giving us the most nutrients per $ has #cancer fighting protease enzyme inhibitor property!Hello Dr. Greger, I just read your article on the anti-cancer potential of sweet potato proteins and my question is which heating method is least denaturing on the sweet potato protein, is it microwaves or oven baking ?Hi Lonnie. The Doctor’s Note below each video often has many great related videos! In this case Dr. Greger mentions the best way to cook sweet potatoes. I know it can look hidden but check out the Doctor’s Note above and see his links. Thanks and let me know if you have further questions.	affordability,cancer,cervical cancer,chemotherapy,colon cancer,cost savings,gallbladder disease,gallbladder health,greens,leukemia,mortality,mouth cancer,NASA,potatoes,protein,rectal cancer,sweet potatoes,tongue cancer,vegetables,yams	Sweet potatoes are not just one of the healthiest and cheapest sources of nutrition; the predominant protein is a type of protease inhibitor that may have cancer-fighting properties.	Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite snacks. During the harsh Boston winters, I used to put two freshly microwaved sweet potatoes in my coat pockets as natural hand-warmers. And then when they cooled down, my hand-warmers became instant healthy snacks!More videos on getting the most nutrition for one’s dollar:What other vegetables might contain cancer fighting properties? See #1 AntiCancer Vegetable.Are sweet potatoes best steamed? Should we eat the skin? Find out in my next video: Best Way to Cook Sweet Potatoes.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallbladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconut-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yams/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervical-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallbladder-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nasa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/affordability/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tongue-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouth-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12195163,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23714199,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17425943,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22847287,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22306516,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23745032,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11876201,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17328557,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14770446,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22132322,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20408878,
PLAIN-2579	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/	Alzheimer’s Disease: Grain Brain or Meathead?	The rates of dementia differ greatly around the world, from the lowest rates in Africa, India, and South Asia, to the highest rates in Western Europe and especially North America. Is it all just genetics?Well the incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is significantly lower for Africans in Nigeria than for African Americans in Indianapolis, for example. Up to five times lower.Alzheimer’s rates of Japanese-Americans living in the U.S. are closer to that of Americans than to Japanese. So when people of one ethnic group move from their homeland to the United States, Alzheimer’s rates can increase dramatically. Therefore, when Africans or Asians live in the United States and adopt a Western diet, their increase in Alzheimer’s risk suggests that it’s not the genetics.Unfortunately one doesn’t have to move to the West to adopt a Western diet. The prevalence of dementia in Japan has shot up over the last few decades. Mechanisms to explain this in Japan include increases in cholesterol, saturated fat, and iron from increases in the consumption of animal products. Traditional diets generally are weighted toward vegetable products such as grains and away from animal products, but since 1960, the diet in Japan has changed from a more traditional rice-based diet to one with a preponderance of meat.From 1961 to 2008, meat and animal fat increased considerably, whereas the rice supply dropped.The dietary factor most strongly associated with the rise in Alzheimer’s disease in Japan was the increased consumption of animal fat.A similar analysis in China arrived at the same conclusion. On the basis of these findings, the rate of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia will continue to rise unless dietary patterns change to those with less reliance on animal products.This is consistent with data showing those who eat vegetarian appear two to three times less likely to become demented, and the longer one eats meat-free, the lower the associated risk of dementia.Globally, the lowest validated rates of Alzheimer’s in the world are rural India, where they eat low meat, high grain, high bean, high carb diets. Now it’s possible that the apparent protective association between rice and Alzheimer’s is more likely due to the fact that the drop of rice consumption was accompanied by a rise in meat consumption, but other population studies have found that dietary grains appear strongly protective in relation to Alzheimer’s disease. In other words, perhaps, don’t pass on the grain… pass the grain, to spare the brain. 	The entire topic of nutrition and cognitive wellbeing is fascinating. As I get more knowledgeable and informed in nutrition it seems the inter-related domains of nourishment, consumption patterns, and behavioral satiety are all potential villains and heroes in various nutrition related dynamics, health and pathology. Both physiologically and behaviorally the brain plays such a central role in these. Great video!Much more along these lines at plantpositive.com where the most thorough science-based review ever of the high meat, high fat diet is analyzed – starting from their own references. You owe it to yourself to check it out no matter where you are now. Cheers.Could high-fat vegan sources be creating more dementia as well? As of late I’m a bit concerned that too much nuts and avocados and plant fats like that, when one goes overboard (which is easy to do, as these plant-fats taste great) could contain the same detrimental properties as the meat-based fats. Maybe not as bad, bud still bad. I’d like to see some research on this, so maybe you could do so, since most of us here are vegan already, I think.A number of studies have linked saturated fats and trans-fats with Alzheimer’s (particularly in ApoE ε4 carriers), while finding negative associations with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. There are some plants high in saturated fats (eg coconut and palm oils, macadamia nuts), but for the most part the MUFAs and PUFAs predominate among plants. Not the most recent review, but this article sums the research through 2010 in a readable fashion.Avocados are 76.6% lipids. The Omega 6:3 ratio of avocados is greater than 15:1 which is not good.The ratio of Omega 6-3 is high but of no consequence. One cup of raw avocado has only .19 grams of omega-3. That is decimal point one nine. Hopefully Darryl is aware of that.This video shows how the “Grain Brain” low carb theory is just a bunch of nonsense. I know people who say they feel better after eliminating grains, but when I question them on how much whole grain they actually ate before eliminating the grain, it was very little. They ate mostly processed grain products. When you do introduce whole grains to your diet, it should be slowly so your digestive system can adjust to the fiber…..then no problem, actually digestive problems are quickly eliminated. I do understand grain sensitivity as I have celiac disease, but that is only a few grains. I eat lots of rice, quinoa, corn, etc. When you look at other cultures and how their health deteriorates when they stray from their traditional diet for the SAD, it is all very crystal clear!Once again both sides have it wrong and it is never ever that simple. EverI cannot eat grains. But I can eat the pseudo-grains quinoa and buckwheat. Grains per se are not the problem.For me (and for a lot of other people whether they know it or not) it is the MOLD in the grains that is the problem. Corn is especially moldy. Do a search on the internet. The way grains are stored long term allows them to grow hidden mold. By the time I gave up all grains, they all smelled and tasted like mold to me and the reactions were horrific. And I cannot eat Wild rice or rice for the same reason. Both are grown in watery patties and my reactions are horrific to them. And of course refined grains and refined anything is not good for anyone.Another problem with some grains is the gluten. Some people can eat totally gluten-free grains but not gluten grains. And this problem has come about from antibiotics as one cause that is worth looking into. Wheat especially has been altered to contain more amino acids and more gluten. http://www.celiac.com/articles/695/1/Does-Candida-Albicans-Trigger-the-Onset-of-Celiac-Disease/Page1.htmlI do not believe in either totally vegan diets nor totally carb free diets. Although most veggies have plenty of low-glycemic carbs, white potatoes, sweat potatoes, and starchy root veggies can give me such severe reactions I can almost wind up in a hospital if I am not careful. These are very high in starch but what sets me off is the MOLD.I frequent both lists and BOTH sides, including this blog by Dr. Gregor, have some good information, but both sides also are so stuck in their belief systems that they are prevented from seeing any big nutrition picture.Biochemical individuality is truly the key. So called double blind studies are only true for the participants for the most part. As the course I took in Functional Medicine at the Institute for Functional Medicine put it, there are many problems with Randomized Control Trials;The trials are tailored for drug testing, not clinical care and some factors that frequently limit the external validity of RCTs include:Where the trial was performed. Characteristics of the patients under study. Study procedures often don’t approximate the real world. Use of shifting or clinically insignificant outcome measures. Statistical manipulation. Conflicts of interest in funding.And most of all RCTs neglect the individualized nature of heath. and tell us nothing about how to create individualized, patient centered therapeutic plan that will work for a patient with their unique combination of existing conditions, genetic influences, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices.And all of this goes double and triple for studies concerning nutrition. Including epidemialogical studies. What works for one person or group of people or culture may not work for the next person due to each persons unique individual biochemistry. Also many traditional cultural diets are not always that nutritionally complete. Many are, but many are not, and the nutritional deficiencies can be seen in the people that eat them.Some people do very well on almost totally vegetarian diets, Others, like me don’t do so well, although my diet is pretty full of plants. Some times I see what vegans eat and my plate is piled much higher in vegetables than many vegans. Some vegan might be better labeled starchetarian rather than vegetarian. And vegan diets can indeed be very low or non existent in many critical nutrients. B12 and zinc come to mind immediately but there are others. This is probably the first time in history people can thrive on totally vegan diets because we now have B12 supplements.Dr. Terry Wahls followed a vegan diet for decades and came down with MS. The only way she got herself into remission and functioning again, (she was in a tilt-back wheel chair towards the end there) was to go towards the paleo end of the stick, although her diet does vary somewhatObviously a vegan diet was not best for HER. For others, such a diet may not work. Again, biochemical individuality is key. One thing does not change, however. Whatever diet is chosen must be based on real whole foods and not processed depleted, junk, and refined foods and food stuffs.It is simply not true that zinc cannot be obtained from plant sources, or that it is very low in any plant source. Here is the section on zinc from the World’s Healthiest Foods http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=115 This lists plant foods that contain close to 1/4 the daily recommended amount of zinc per serving.Sesame Seeds Pumpkin Seeds Lentils Garbanzo Beans Cashews QuinoaWheat germ is also an excellent source. Oats are also good. And remember that animals do NOT make B12. B12 is made by bacteria, so one does not have to eat animals to get B12- just the right kind of bacteria. I even learned that taurine can be sourced from certain kinds of algae. No animals have to be eaten to get any nutrient in a natural, non synthetic way.We will just have to agree to disagree on this one, Daniel.Health effects of vegan diets“eliminating all animal products from the diet increases the risk of certain nutritional deficiencies. Micronutrients of special concern for the vegan include vitamins B-12 and D, calcium, and long-chain n–3 (omega-3) fatty acids. Unless vegans regularly consume foods that are fortified with these nutrients, appropriate supplements should be consumed. In some cases, iron and zinc status of vegans may also be of concern because of the limited bioavailability of these minerals.” http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/5/1627S.fullPlant foods said to contain B12 actually contain B12 analogs called cobamides that block the intake of, and increase the need for, true B12.“Pseudovitamin B(12) is the predominant cobamide of an algal health food, spirulina tablets.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10552882Plant foods that contain zinc also contain phytate, which inhibits zinc absorption. Bioavailability of iron, zinc, and other trace minerals from vegetarian diets: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/78/3/633S.longDr Greger recently addressed the phytate argument which was found to be incorrect. And B12 was probably more available in nature before we started “managing” agriculture, but regardless, I would rather eat meat free and take a few supplements than try to get some measly amount of some things from meat. Are you saying zinc comes from animal products, aside from organs (organs which are very polluted and in some cases toxic)? And meat eaters don’t score optimally high on B12 either. To point out the problem with plants but not how injected, infected, and diseased animals are isn’t a fair comparison.I’m trying to eat optimally for the times in which I live, not some other time. For me, that means organic vegan and a few supplements.I also don’t see how drug trial methodology is relevant to the studies Dr G presents. Many, if not most of the studies he references are conducted on large, sometimes thousands of people, or based on meta analyses. And when you start to see global trends, it actually does mean something. Yes people are individual and may react different than the whole, but it to follow you logic why do the studies to begin with? I tried paleo for a year and reasearched it to the hilt. All it got me was declining health: a 100 point rise in cholesterol, rise in blood pressure, bad digestive problems and constipation. And I was eating free-range, grass-fed, blah blah blah. I’ve tried both sides and I know what works for me and these studies overall, have only improved my health.I did not say PLANTS contain B12. I said that B12 was NOT produced by animals. This is what Wikipedia stated in its article about B12, ”Neither fungi, plants, nor ANIMALS are capable of producing vitamin B12. Only bacteria and archaea have the enzymes required for its synthesis, although many foods are a natural source of B12 because of bacterial symbiosis. The vitamin is the largest and most structurally complicated vitamin and can be produced industrially only through bacterial fermentation-synthesis.”Maybe a person would have to “supplement” to get it, but it is “naturally” produced by bacteria fermentation. It is NOT produced by animals. At least it can be obtained without it being synthetic. But a person could get it from a food that was fermented by the right strain of bacteria. This is what Wikipedia stated about Long Chain DHA in its article about Algae, “Some varieties of algae favored by vegetarianism and veganism contain the long-chain, essential omega-3 fatty acids, Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Fish oil contains the omega-3 fatty acids, but the original source is algae (microalgae in particular), which are eaten by marine life such as copepods and are passed up the food chain.” So in other words, fish do NOT make DHA, they derive it from algae, just like animals don’t make B12, but derive it from bacteria. I consume nutritional yeast, which is fortified with B12, but this is derived naturally from a bacterial cutture and not made synthetically. The yeast itself is from a culture as well.Eating an all animal diet would result in far more nutritional deficiencies than would a diet sourced from plants, bacteria, fungi and algal sources. An all animal diet would have no fiber, very little Vitamin C and would be lacking in many phytochemicals and anti oxidants.Being a meat eater increases the risk of more deficiencies than eating plant based, including magnesium, potassium, folate, copper, vitamins C, E and K, and other problems including losses of calcium due to too much sulfur, and high cholesterol. Yet you never see studies warning of the dire consequence of being a meat eater and not eating foods “fortified with these nutrients” (as though these are special substances not found in normal foods).Vitamin B12 is found in lake and river water in much larger amounts than is found in meat (livestock fodder is fortified with B12 and other things anyway), but fresh water today is polluted, and tap water is chlorinated, which destroys B12 (chlorine also affects B12 levels in the body in a round about way by displacing iodine, which is needed for the production of a thyroid hormone involved in the methylation process). Pernicious anaemia was only discovered after water chlorination began in the late 19th century in England.Posting a study about an exotic fresh water algae only shows that this specific rarely-consumed substance contains B12 analogues. These cobamides may in theory bind with B12 receptors, there is no proof that it actually happens. But even if they did the existence of this rarely-eaten supplemental food is not enough to allege that vegans consume more cobamides and therefore all vegans are at risk of health problems.38% of meat eaters have lower-than-desirable levels of B12, this increases to 75% in elderly people. 9% of meat eaters have an outright deficiency. Only 0.1% of B12 is actually absorbed from red meat – you’d have to eat about 100kg of it to get your RDA. To act like this is a vegan problem is disingenuous. The same is true of vitamin D – one study in America showed that 100% of non-white people had a deficiency. Over 70% of people in the UK are thought to be deficient. It is only feasible to get about 10% of the RDA of vitamin D from diet, so to allege that vegans are somehow more at risk is false. Vitamin D is manufactured by the skin after being exposed to sunlight. Modern indoor lifestyles cause vitamin D deficiencies. If anything vegans would be less at risk since we are more aware. Also, we are the only group that has an average weight within the healthy level – all other groups are overweight. Overweight and obese people need more vitamin D because it is fat soluble and is diluted in excess fat cells.The media likes to promote a very specific animal food as THE source of a certain nutrient, then baselessly accuse vegans being “at risk” of deficiencies. The notion that meat eaters will fare better with omega 3’s is based on the idea that they all eat certain types of oily fish on a regular basis, which they do not, and that they DON’T consume enormous amounts of omega 6 fats, which they do. On the other hand, vegans consume omega 3 rich ground flaxseed frequently as it is used as a binder instead of eggs. Also, most plant foods contain some amount of omega 3 and it accumulates. Most fruit, vegetables, nuts seeds, and grains have some omega 3. However, excellent omega 3 sources are found in ordinary foods in the plant world – just 5 grams of flaxseed will provide over 100% of the RDA (if you’re American, one ounce = 28 grams), as will 3 walnuts, or 15 grams of hemp seeds. Among vegetables, most leaves provide about 15% of the RDA per 100 grams, and onions, leeks and bell peppers are also high. Among fruit, a bowl of raspberries (300g) will provide 33% of the RDA. Other berries are almost as good. Soya beans and it’s curd (tofu) are very high in omega 3’s, as are other beans, although not as high as soya since soya is very fatty. I’d hazard a bet that vegans fare better than average on omega 3’s.It’s worth remembering that certain fish are only high in omega 3 due to consuming algaes, or consume other fish that consume algae. Algal omega 3 supplements are superior to fish based supplements. Grass-fed meat has slightly higher levels than fodder fed animals, because grass and other leafy greens provide omega 3’s!Calcium is another example of the livestock industry equating a specific animal-based food with “getting enough” of a certain nutrient, then claiming vegans may be “at risk” of deficiency to scare people into buying more of it. In this example, the dairy mafia promotes cow’s milk as high-calcium and absolutely essential for human health. This is despite the facts that: (1) no other animal eats milk past infancy (2) let alone the milk of another species (3) humans have only been consuming milk for the past 5000 years – where did they “get their calcium” before that? (4) 2/3 of the world did not consume cows milk at all until the past couple of decades, and (5) significant swathes of the world’s population still do not consume dairy.Promoting milk as high calcium and therefore essential for bones and teeth is an easy sell, since dairy products are generally whitish and so are bones and teeth. Most people don’t even realise that calcium is a grey shiny metal like any other. Yet dairy products remove more calcium than they provide, since the body has to neutralise the excess sulfur with its own calcium. Countries with the highest dairy consumption also have the highest rates of osteoporosis.There are many plant-based sources of calcium that are higher than dairy products, without also causing calcium losses. Unlike animal foods, these foods also contain nutrients that are essential for utilising calcium. It is worth remembering that vegans need less calcium (600mg vs 1000mg a day) because not eating animal products mean we lose less. Unlike meat eaters, we get adequate magnesium, potassium, and silica, which are essential for bone and dental health. Silica can actually replace calcium in some areas.Plant sources of calcium include sesame seeds and tahini, poppy seeds (which are ridiculously high), soya beans, many other beans, peanuts and other nuts, amaranth, wholewheat and other grains, oranges, dates, figs, kiwis, winter squashes, dark sugars (such as molasses and muscavado), dark green vegetables (especially kale, rocket and purslane) and sea vegetables. Again, like omega 3’s, all plant foods contain some amount of calcium – not only does this accumulate effortlessly, but it is easy to boost calcium above and beyond what you need in a day by consuming some of these common nutritious foods.The allegation that vegans “may be at risk of deficiency” of omega 3 and calcium is based on the two products that are promoted in the media as “good sources” happen to not be vegan. On the other hand, the allegation that vegans need to worry about iron is simply a lie. Vegans have the highest iron intake of any group, and unlike meat eaters we consume enough folate and vitamin C to utilise it. Vegetarians are 40% less likely to suffer from iron deficient anaemia than meat eaters. Only 40% of the iron found in meat is this haem iron that they think is so easily absorbed, yet this specific type of iron is toxic and is thought to be a cause of bowel cancer. A reduction in accumulated haem iron is thought to be the reason why donating blood has health benefits.Zinc is bound with phytate in nuts, grains and beans but not in fruit and vegetables. Another poster has pointed out the potential benefits of phytic acid, but it can be reduced if desired by simply soaking the seeds.Finally, your comment that you think vegans only manage to survive because B12 tablets now exist is ignorant. (1) vegans have always existed, and our numbers include Leonardo Da Vinci and St David of Wales, a tribe who have been vegan for their 2000 year existence, a group from a Chilean mining village who Charles Darwin commented on positively for their strength, and an ancient 5000 year old European body that isotope tests showed to have eaten a plant-based diet (2) It is only very recently that people have begun to eat so much meat. Until the last century this indulgent lifestyle was reserved for rich people. In the past, including in Europe, average people only consumed meat a couple of times a year. Many people round the world lived this way until as little as 20 years ago – the China Study was an excellent example of this (3) vegans from developing countries without chlorinated water do not get B12 deficiencies. Also wild herbivorous animals do not get B12 deficiencies bu develop them when taken into captivity (4) many people round the world are still almost vegan due to not being able to afford the excessive meat intakes of Westerners.Most parent ALA omega 3’s do not convert well to EPA and DHA. Only a tiny portion is converted. Also, I completely disagree with your diatribe on B12. Comparing veganism to the SAD diet is totally meaningless. B12 deficiencies exists for a variety of reasons, including the fact that intrinsic factor declines with age. However vegans are particularly at risk. Read “Could it be B12?”The Standard American Diet is good for no one and it surprises me not that most Americans are deficient in a variety of vitamins and minerals. The SAD contains lots of refined grains, sugar, junk food and is largely devoid of fruits and veggies.The amount of vegans I have seen totally ndestroy their health is overwhelming. Perhaps even more overwhelming than those on the SAD diet, as I often see vegans making the same mistakes as every other unhealthy eater but with even more restrictions and limitations, refined grains, sugar, beans, and processed soy making up the bulk of the diet. YukBut I do wish you luck with your vegan diet!Note, if a vegan wishes, he/she can supplement with vegan DHA/EPA, which is a more sustainable source of both than fish. Honestly though, from reading the above it just seems to me there is simply no arguing with some people- they are so filled with preconceived notions of what constitutes optimal eating patterns for humans (and interestingly are more often than not usually proponents of the raw milk/paleo POV as they are easily recognised by their tendency to dwell on the biased scaremongering that has been proposed around phytic acid, soy, wheat, and promotion of saturated fat etc.) that no amount of reason, explanation or scientific evidence from those who eat and who have gone to the trouble to research plant based diets will convince them that there does in fact exist a different way of achieving good nutrition. For some reason, they flat out refuse to believe that a well planned vegan diet can be just as healthy as a well planned omnivore diet. Instead, they seem to focus time and time again how vegans are at risk from various nutrient deficiencies (and seemingly ignoring time and time again the non-animal sources they can- and are- obtained from) yet whilst constantly glossing over the fact that they are also at risk of deficiencies (as well as over consumption of some vitamins, minerals, protein). To boot, those who try to negate vegan diets also seem to gloss over the fact that people who consume animal products still get some of their nutrients (iodine and Vitamin D, but to name a few) from ingesting fortified foods (largely milk) but yet somehow, invoke this need to ingest fortified food, say, for b12 or zinc as a vegan, as a major red flag for the safety of this diet. Indeed, it’s not only odd, but is a glaring double standard and one that they seem all too happy to ignore (indeed, my own sister regularly pops a multivitamin to offset her meat rich diet and yet I’ve never read one post attempting to negate the health benefits of a mainstream diet simply because of the need to take this multivitamin. Interestingly, instead of being invoked to show how detrimental a meat heavy diet can be, using a multivitamin is regarded as common sense. Its hypocrisy at its finest). Indeed, I also find it very convenient how some sceptics tend to go so far as to invoke their own experiences of seeing half dead vegans to bolster their argument, when in reality vegans make up a very small portion of the worldwide population. Indeed, in my 31 years on this planet, and despite being a town-city dweller, I’ve only ever met one vegetarian and have yet to meet a fellow vegan. Consequently, I believe this to be a vain grasp at straws, or put simply, a poor claim to try and disprove a diet that has been repeatedly held by the likes of the UK NHS and others as being perfectly healthy for all ages groups once planned properly. And as for any claim that a vegan diet is worse than a standard diet filled with junk because its too restrictive and of itself filled with processed crap? Well, in my eyes, this kind of kind of personal opinion should be regarded as not only a sign of a deep seeded bias, but so misinformed, uncreative and unfounded as to what range of fruits, nuts, vegetables, seeds and grains that vegans DO eat (I honestly don’t understand why this is such a hard thing to grasp?) that is should be regarded as deeply embarrassing to anyone who claims such a thing. Not only is not worthy of a decent rebuttal, but perhaps evidence that we might be better off just accepting rather than attempting to discredit a strangers decision as to what to eat/not to eat.When you have several diplomas and degrees in Nutrition, then we can have this discussion on a more knowledgeable level. You do what is best for you. And no I am NOT a paleo promoter.Not Vegan! From Terry Wahl’s website:“When I became a medical student, I lived on beans, rice, whole-grain bread, eggs, cheese, pasta, potatoes, vegetables, and fruit. I believed that fat and protein were necessary for my high-energy lifestyle. My multiple sclerosis symptoms began during medical school, long before my diagnosis, but I ignored them.”Maybe it was the dairy and eggs that she also cut out:“Eventually, I developed the Wahls diet, focusing on 9 cups of fruits and vegetables: 3 cups of leafy greens, 3 cups brightly colored fruits and vegetables, and 3 cups of sulfur-rich vegetables. My diet also includes sea vegetables and organ meats.” She’s also selling a book. Doesn’t she know that organ meats are toxic? I wonder what’s up with McDougall’s MS study. TAX MEAT!“She’s also selling a book. Doesn’t she know that organ meats are toxic?”Organ meats are one of the few dietary sources of CoQ10. Her diet now does in fact contain proteins from meat and organ meats although not in large amounts. A couple of times a week. (Paleo people tend to eat way too much protein) The eggs and dairy are eliminated precisely because so many people have severe food sensitivities to them that are fueling their autoimmune illnesses. Eggs are still allowed for those with no sensitivity to them, as well as rice and other non-gluten grains.I stand by most of my statements on this list. Dr. Gregor has an agenda too. He promotes only those studies which meet HIS view of things. And I see this same issue on pale sites. You can find just as many studies that show that pale diets, GAPS diet etc work for this or that. But Dr. Gregor never shows you those studies because he is biased toward vegan diets, or at least vegetarian ones.In the end both sides are just as bloody biased. As someone who has actually studied nutrition I get flack and attacks on both lists, and I just brush it off.Nutrition is much more complicated than either side wants to admit.I do not see any one physician as a nutrition expert. Medical schools don’t teach nutrition. Physicians have to learn it on their own. And when they get stuck in an agenda, thinking what works for them is going to work for everyone else, they badly mislead their followers. This goes for physicians pushing pale diets as well, including Dr. Wahls.These doctors are like the blind men and the elephant. Each thinks the whole of nutrition is only the piece that they believe in and that worked for them.You can find many bloggers who went on vegan and vegetarian diets who ruined their health on them and had to stop. Same with pale bloggers.Again, biochemical individuality is the key.What I meant was that perhaps stopping eggs and dairy is what cured her.No. I have her book. (Among the hundreds of others I have). From my perspective it is possible she might have a methylation defect and thus her vegetarian diet was not the right one for her, or her many previous food sensitivities were interfering with the methyl cycle or both and more. (She had to give up all grains and dairy as well as eggs and pseudo grains.)Dr. Wahls is now a functional medicine physician so she finally is learning the type of nutritional biochemistry that she did not get in medical school. And she admits in her book that medical school did not teach her anything at a all about nutrition, gene defects, and all that, and she had to take courses at the Institute of Functional Medicine and also do hours and hours of research online.This woman took herself from being just about hopeless in a tilt back wheel chair to a functioning physician again, and people will still want to argue that the diet that turned her back into a functioning physician again is some how an unhealthy diet. It is the right diet for HER.Tax meat? Why should we enrich the government and punish the citizens for their meat choices? Education is a better solution than punishment, please.The government could use that money to promote sustainable energy, etc. At least remove the subsidies for corn etc. Over 50% of greenhouse gases come from meat industry. http://www.worldwatch.org/files/pdf/Livestock%20and%20Climate%20Change.pdfEducation isn’t cutting it when people want to stay ignorant and billions are spent to keep them that way!The first step is of course to amend the constitution to say that corporations are not people, my friend.I have to disagree with you about Dr. Terry Wahls. She followed a Vegetarian diet NOT a Vegan diet: “When I became a medical student, I lived on beans, rice, whole-grain bread, eggs, cheese, pasta, potatoes, vegetables, and fruit. I believed that fat and protein were necessary for my high-energy lifestyle. My multiple sclerosis symptoms began during medical school, long before my diagnosis, but I ignored them.”The healthy fats are broken down efficiently unlike the animal fats.I wonder about the reference to rural India. Do rural Indians live long enough? The average age of death in India is lower than in Western countries and as a rule rural Indians die at a younger age than urban Indians due to lack of health services.Average life span in rural India is 65.9 years; symptoms of dementia can start appearing in late 30’s early 40’s.I’ve heard theories that the large consumption of turmeric in India is responsible for their low incidence of dementia.And yet Dr. Perlmutter author of Grain Brain and practicing neurologist completely disagrees. He deals with Alzheimer’s patients daily and has found in his practice that low carbs/high fat works for his patients. So how does the average person decide what’s really best?Did he try eliminating /only/ processed grains from their diets? Did he have the patients eat whole grains instead?It’s easier to sell books when you’re able to point fingers and vilify something.Here’s a key exchange between Hamblin (who speaks first) and Perlmutter:I asked for some clarity on that. “We don’t have clinical studies linking gluten to Alzheimer’s, ADHD, or —”“With all due respect, we do. That information is well established. It was actually published by the Mayo Clinic, that gluten can in fact be related to risk for dementia. So I would beg to differ with you on that point. Gluten, certainly in patients with celiac disease, is strongly associated with risk for dementia. As was described in the Proceedings of the Mayo Clinic, it was a treatable cause of dementia. So I think that’s pretty revolutionary and exciting.”That study didn’t appear in my inbox. I asked him for it later, and he promptly sent me a 2006 case series that identified 13 patients in a review of Mayo Clinic records from January 1, 1970, to December 31, 2005. That is an interesting correlation — the study’s authors called it a “possible association” — but is far from well-established causation that gluten is a mechanism for dementia in people with celiac disease, much less all people.Got that? Under Perlmutter’s prism, a single study, of 13 people, with a finding of “possible association,” turns into a near certainty.I wonder if Perlmutter’s book cite any other “significant” studies, if at all?A recent post from Perlmutter cited a Mayo study implicating a high carb diet in dementia, with a high fat diet being protective.See http://www.drperlmutter.com/dietary-fat-brain/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=Fat%20%26%20Brain%20Video&utm_campaign=Hygiene&utm_source=Newsletter+Signup&utm_campaign=e4de1438c3-Hygiene7_1_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e07b6602c1-e4de1438c3-86950229&mc_cid=e4de1438c3&mc_eid=bd4f294a23I really wish Dr Geiger and Dr Perlmutter would agree to a dialogue so we can sort out the relative merits of their apparently diametrically opposed take on fat, carbs, meat, and brain healthIn all fairness, the group with the “high carb” was eating close to TWICE the amount of SUGAR… not grains, not legumes, SUGAR.Anyone who heard radio debates between Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr Atkins knows how this one goes. It’s the same arguments, same story, same findings, and I’m still a plant based, whole-food vegan. You can see similar stuff on youtube between Gary Taubes and Ornish. (Around the time that the movie “The Sixth Sense” was popular, Ornish would joke: I see dead people; they’re on the Atkins diet.Excellent, as Always! Thank you. Some things seem so obvious, but then again, your programming from youth, parents, siblings, wife et.al. talks to you and makes you question what you know to be right. It is a constant challenge with each and every bite. It this what I most need at this time? Have I consumed too much of “this”/or too little? It is WONDERFUL to talk about a Whole Food Plant Based Diet. But that doesn’t tell me what to eat and when, really. As I say: “We are each an experiment of one.”/so we have to THINK and PLAN accordingly/and listen to this great and wonderful vessel GOD has entrusted us with. Like “Toxic Hunger”….say addiction to Peanut Butter…or any particularly desirable food/one must learn to savor the flavor without consuming it too frequently or in too great of amounts.Freedom: We relish and celebrate it at this time of year!!! As well we should /”we” have fought so hard to get it and to maintain it. But, as we know, Freedom is not “free”. It requires our investment in knowledge and rigorous application of that knowledge for our benefit and the benefit of our fellow citizens. Invest – in YOUR Brain/and reap the dividends again and again and again.Happy FOURTH!!!!!!!I have two questions for you.Is it safe to eat seaweed because of Fukushima? I would love to eat it but I am to worried that it is no longer safe to eat.Can vegans have cholesterol that is to low? My doctor was very worried. I had been vegan for 5 months at the time of this test and here are my numbers: Cholesterol 123, Triglycerides 47, HDL 40, LDL 74, Chol/HDL Ratio 3.08. His response to what should I do about this was “Can’t you just eat some eggs”. I ignored his advice because I know better than to eat that. I am still vegan but I am concerned because my doctor is concerned.If seaweed is no longer safe to eat I would think that green tea would also be affected. I would love to know your thoughts.check out the aluminum content in green tea. also fluoride content. maybe not so good!?Has your doctor read the latest study by Dr. Esselstyn which showed actual reversal of heart disease. Dr. Esselstyn restricts fats to less than 10% of daily caloric intake, and he wants his patients to have cholesterol levels below 150, preferably lower. The only 2 prior studies showing actual reversal of heart disease, by Ornish and Esselstyn, were done on the same plant-based very low fat diet. Populations around the world with low incidence of coronary artery disease have cholesterol levels like yours. My doctor is ignorant of nutrition – he asked me how I got my protein.For heart disease and for ischemic (clotting) strokes, lower cholesterol (esp LDL) seems to always confer lower risk. Hemorrhagic strokes may be another matter. The concern around cholesterol below the reference range (< 140 mg/dl) largely stems from some studies showing an association with depression, anxiety and attempted suicide. Causality was never established, but there are theories about cholesterol and serotonin receptors.I suspect if Cindy feels pretty content, doesn’t have an eating disorder (no, veganism doesn’t count), and isn’t elderly (where low cholesterol can be a marker of decline), there isn’t much reason to worry about her numbers (which I’m frankly envious of).For someone with very low cholesterol, and who is concerned about issues relating to anxiety and depression, is there a way for a vegan to raise his or her cholesterol without resorting to eating animal products, yet at the same time maintaining a “healthy vegan diet”? It is my understanding that the body makes its own cholesterol, but is there a way we can intervene and do things (such as fasting, eating certain vegan foods, eliminating other vegan foods, etc.) that might ramp up the bodies production of ch.?I wish I had this problem. I have been plant-based, whole foods for two years and still struggle to get my cholesterol within the safe range so the doc stops pushing statins. I did learn that cholesterol is used in the process of Vitamin D through sun exposure. I had been taking HRT and avoiding all sun – fully covered head to toe and not going out from 10 – 2 – miserable existence. This year I am getting about 15 minutes of unprotected sun a day for natural Vitamin D to avoid taking supplements. I am hoping this will use some of the cholesterol my body makes. It is confusing to have my body make so much more than it apparently needs. My argument to my doctor is my body is making it and I’m not fighting my body by ingesting synthetic chemicals.Brenda: re: “This year I am getting about 15 minutes of unprotected sun a day for natural Vitamin D to avoid taking supplements.” >>> I thought you might be interested in Dr. Greger’s sun recommendations that are based on where you live and time of day. Just scroll down to the Vitamin D section: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/re: ” I have been plant-based, whole foods for two years and still struggle to get my cholesterol within the safe range…”>>> I remember hearing someone (I *think* it was Esselstyn, but might have been McDougall or someone else) try to address this problem which seems to affect some people the way it has you. The theory (and it was just presented as a theory, not something tested/proven) was that for some people, after years of too much dietary cholesterol, their bodies just keep producing and producing like a broken factory. That was the gist of the idea.The question becomes, how do you fix that factory? I’m not a doctor, but I have some thoughts. There are several videos on this site which highlight certain whole plant foods which are known to specifically help lower cholesterol. I don’t have a list off the top of my head, but you can search on this site and maybe tweak your diet to especially include these foods. Maybe that would help you.Also, you might want to check out Esselstyn’s book, Prevent and Reverse heart disease, because he covers all angles of what might damage your endothelial cells. I bring this to your attention for two reasons: 1) you mention you are plant based, but do not give details. You can consume oils and still be plant-based. But oils are reportedly bad for the endothelial cells. 2) cholesterol numbers are just numbers. You don’t care about that really. What you care about is not having a heart attack or stroke. Cholesterol numbers are risk indicators, but the bottom line is to stay healthy. So, the point 1) above is really an important issue. Maybe (I don’t know, this is just a thought!!!) higher cholesterol is not an issue for you as long as you do everything Esselstyn recommends for having healthy endothelial cells. Just a thought.Also, I have my own personal theory (that is totally lay-person–not based on any particularly advanced perspective/knowledge of biology and may be completely 100% wrong) that people who switch to whole plant foods and start to loose weight may have more cholesterol running through their blood – but that will eventually lower when they finish losing weight. I have no idea what your weight situation is. I just thought I would throw out my theory in case you find it helpful.re: “My argument to my doctor is…” >>> Not being an expert, I can’t say whether or not it is wise to avoid the drugs, but I can say that I totally agree with you. If someone tried to encourage me to take statins, I doubt I would do it. The side effects are not acceptable and I know I can treat the problem with diet. So, why not.Having said that, I thought I would let you know that I believe that both Esselstyn and McDougall do prescribe statins for some patients initially along with diet recommendations just to be agressive in treating a potential heart problem. But the ultimate goal is to get their patients off the drugs and I understand that they are very successful in doing so.Best of luck to you. I hope this was helpful.Thea – thank you very much. I read Dr. Esselstyn’s book two years ago. I dropped 50 pounds which has remained stable for over a year – BMI is 19. I actually got to talk to Dr. E on the phone – at the time I was not doing all he advised. I’ve been two years without oil and I eat a lot of raw greens every single day. I know Dr. Greger has said barley and pinto beans – both have been added to my diet over six months now. I was on seven medications, now down to one. I stopped the statins due to muscle pain. My sun exposure is based on Dr. Greger’s recommendations. I’m in the North. I understand my body needs to recover from all the bad eating habits and even the medications. I think Dr. E’s study showed results after three years so I have six months to go. I did drop my triglycerides from 600s to half – so I am heading in the right direction. Doctor says now he won’t test my cholesterol because the reason for testing is to treat and I refuse to take statins. It makes him nervous because I did have an MI in my mid 30s.I forgot to mention that I also discovered I had an infection in my system, which I understand can raise LDL. I have a lot of quirks to my medical history so I know it is mainly trial and error for me to find out what works. The body is amazing and I’m trying to get mine to the point of healing itself as much as possible.Brenda: Wow. You are amazing. You have come so, so far. I’m wishing you all the luck in the world.Thank you. I really appreciate all the suggestions. I’m still trying to figure out if there is anything else I can change to improve.Brenda:You may want to check out this NutrtionFacts article on amla:http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/The article not only references amla, but dried apples. Something else that you might use in your tweaking.Good luck!I did buy amla powder and was using it prior to my last blood tests but haven’t been using it recently – though I did find dried golden berries. I eat whole apples – two a day – do you think dehydrating them adds something that eating them “raw” doesn’t? I’ll watch the video again – sometimes I think I’ve memorized most of them. :) I think someone made a comment about amla powder being consumed on an empty stomach – I was mixing it with turmeric and non fat soy milk like a mini shake.Brenda: re: ” do you think dehydrating them adds something that eating them “raw” doesn’t?”I have absolutely no clue. At a complete guess, I would say that rather than a chemical change that makes a difference, the dry apples are simply more concentrated – you can eat more because the water has been removed. If that’s the issue, then whole apples would be just fine. My goodness, two hole apples sounds pretty good to me!But I really don’t know. For all I know, the experiment was with dried apples because those are easier to fake for a control group. Maybe… ?Exercise!!!In Grain Brain, Dr Perlmutter says cholesterol is important for healthy brain.yes and I agree with that. I don’t want it down to some unreasonable level, just to where the doctor will stop making excuses why I have to take statins. My total is 220, I’d be happy with it under 200, preferably under 150; HDL is 37 but I believe recent studies say higher isn’t better. My LDL is 121, I’d like it under 100, triglycerides are 310 and need to be at least under 150 but since they were at 600 they are improved. Since I’m two years plant based, whole foods it is all what my body is making not dietary. I wasn’t touching any nuts at all per Dr. E’s recommendations but I just started, especially walnuts to see if that helps.Elsie, a number of studies have pointed to deficiencies in HDL cholesterol in depression, which is fortunate as this is generally considered the “good” kind of cholesterol: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.Some lifestyle and diet changes that increase HDL cholesterol include aerobic exercise, weight loss, smoking cessation, moderate alcohol consumption, monounsaturated fats, long-chain omega-3s (eg algal EPA/DHA), soluble fiber, and cranberry juice. Several of these have improved the course of depression in clinical studies, though their mechanism (via HDL or otherwise) isn’t clear.For seriously low HDL which is a marker of cardiovascular risk, doctors have prescribed high dose nicotinic acid (niacin, a vitamin B3) or fibrates (fenofibrate, bezafibrate, gemfibrozil). However, it’s not so clear this has cardiovascular benefits.Darryl: I know you were replying to Eslie, but I wanted to thank you for this reply. I found it very interesting and helpful!Coconut oil and butter. Red Palm oil.Maybe I’ll try the red palm oil (i never have had it before), but butter is very inflammatory for me….Body pain and dermatitis .I meant coconut butter.Cindy: re: “Can vegans have cholesterol that is to low?”I think Darryl’s reply is helpful. You might also check out this video from NutritionFacts: “Can cholesterol be too low?”: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/Hi Cindy, As far as seaweed and Fukushima….this video of Dr. Greger’s references a chart from a study in 2009 (before the accident) that shows dietary sources of Polonium and seaweed is on the pie chart around 2:50 seconds. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/A quick search of pubmed also pulled up a list of papers of which some of them are post-Fukushima studies that may be relevant to your question: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=seaweed+fukushima&cmd=DetailsSearchCindy, my total cholesterol is 97. My plant based doc is thrilled and happy. My CRP is also 0.5. He told me I’m basically heart attack proof.A few years my cholesterol has been 121 and then 117. My doctors and nurses have always patted me on the back and told me to keep it up. I read once that Ray Kurzwell, futurist, tech genius and life extension enthusiast has a cholesterol of well below 100. So, I wouldn’t be worried just yet about trying to get your cholesterol back up. I’d be just doing more of the same, although, you might look into the balance between HDL and LDL. I’m not a doctor nor a nutritionist, but I think eating eggs likely won’t change your ratio, just make you numbers higher.Buy seaweed by Maine Coast Sea Vegetables.Many of the ecological associations are also consistent with George Brewer’s inorganic copper theory, covered in a past NutritionFacts video and taken up by other researchers. Few in Africa or rural India have copper plumbing. On the other hand, Japan uses stainless steel plumbing, so their increase in AD prevalence from 1 to 7% of > 65 year olds is due to something else. Brewer himself suspects copper and high dietary fat interact, as supported by this study.Interesting though that there are some nuts that are sky high in copper, as well as saturated fat. Maybe this being a reason too many nuts is not so good. And a high-fat vegan diet often has way more copper than zinc. Way more.Brewer’s argument is that inorganic copper (eg from plumbing, contamination, or copper salts in mineral supplements), unlike organically bound copper from foods, bypasses the liver and enters circulation unregulated, as free ions. There have been a couple studies that indicate serum free copper is predictive of cognitive decline, while total copper isn’t (1, 2).There’s not much work on nuts and cognitive decline, but this study indicated a protective effect, as did this one (though only with walnuts).Don’t forget that phytic acid has the strongest binding affinity to copper among all metal ions (Cu2+>Zn2+>Ni2+>Co2+>Mn2+>Fe3+>Ca2; see this review). Hence the phytic acid present in nuts and seeds may naturally protect against their relatively high levels of copper. Phytic acid may also explain the strong negative correlation between (whole) grain consumption and rated of dementia. The paleo advocates engaging in scaremongering about phytic acid may be demonizing a highly beneficial nutrient, which would ironically be most urgently needed within the context of a Paleo diet high in iron and copper from animal sources.Regarding “Pass the Grain to Spare the Brain” being protective against Alzheimer’s and regarding Meat and Animal Food fed #GMO compared to Paleo organic grass fed meat causative: both of these foods categories high glycemic starchy carbs and animal proteins are foods that must be limited, meal by meal, each time we eat a meal if you are not vegan. Greens are different we can eat unlimited amounts of greens and blood sugar stays great the more we eat! Bet? Both GRAINBRAIN and MEATHEAD in EXCESS on a chronic basis after every meal when consumption makes hyperinsulinemia this causes Alzheimer’s. Are there studies on portion sizes and quality of grains sparing the brain? Do the studies comparing #GMO fed animal food and organic pasture raised meat causing Alzheimer’s adjust for achlorhydria and anemia and homocysteine?If the supposed mechanism for Alzheimer’s is the “increases in cholesterol, saturated fat, and iron”, what makes you think pasture raised meat would be any different? Are they void of those components?And these studies go back to the 1960’s, linking animal fats to dementia, whereas GMO feed has only been available since the mid 90’s, so it’s a leap to suggest that’s what the problem is.Meat is meat is meat. We see time and time again that it makes little difference where the meat comes from how how it’s raised, when compared to not eating it at all.“Are there studies on portion sizes and quality of grains sparing the brain?”I believe those questions are answered already in the source studies. The more meat the higher the incidence, the more grains, the lower.If you have any studies showing PROTECTIVE effects of grass fed, organic, pasture, happy meat, then please provide it.Thanks for reminding me about cholesterol, sat fat and iron. http://www.drperlmutter.com/study/relative-intake-macronutrients-impacts-risk-mild-cognitive-impairment-dementia. Appropriate adequate portions of whole organic non #GMO grains is beneficial ok. I think not organic and #GMO wheat is deathly and can’t be tolerated not any amount. Too much carbs is addressed in this study. I am emailing this whole disqus to @DavidPerlmutter he knows all the studies.2:10 … it’s right about here he does this thing, where he takes this study that seems to say too much animal fat can feedback positively into cancer rates which will go up , and then extrapolates as if it is part of the same study saying that this is consistent with studies that show vegetarians are two to three times less likely to to become demented … then his reasoning he basically draws a straight-line connection between the two studies.THIS IS NOT WARRANTED – IT IS NOT SCIENCE – IT IS PLAYING WITH STUDIES.Now … he may be right … but there is as yet nothing to prove that. It’s basically saying, isn’t this interesting, implying to the vegetarian crowd they are better than “regular people” because they are much less likely to become demented.In other words this kind of playing with words can affect people’s behaviors because of unproven subconscious connections that the listener failed to or did not want to think about and qualify.I really like Dr. Gregors web page because I hear about a lot of very interesting studies that I otherwise would not, but I wish he would either do less of this, or mention it when he does it, or qualify in some way some of these statements.We do not know, and in fact as a layperson anyway I think there is plenty of doubt that the relationship between eating meat and some diseases is non-linear and a result of could be implanted bad behavior because of the way we manufacture, treat, and sell and consume food these days – i.e. just too much with too many chemicals.The conclusions drawn need to be really careful I think.Greger aint pushing animal rights issues down your throat is he? Do you see him dead bent on selling you stuff?Seems to me the only motivation here remaining must be to try to get people to eat themselves towards healthier lives.He and his team have saved my life as I can attest and for that I’ll be eternally gratefull. If only I could get my mother to make the changes so she will be able to enjoy her grandchildren for as long as possible.I’m pretty sure there are thousands of people still visiting here with similar stories.You comment is unclear. At 2:10 in the video, Greger mentions the study on Adventists, which looks at how dementia may be linked to animal product consumption. What is the relevance of your comment regarding cancer: Greger “2:10 … it’s right about here he does this thing, where he takes this study that seems to say too much animal fat can feedback positively into cancer rates which will go up . . . .”?We have to choose the right path for ourselves based on the evidence, and the Blue Zones with high whole grain, mostly plant based diets are healthier and longer lived than all populations with high meat/dairy intake. Those people are slimmer too – guess 1.7 billion Asians didn’t read the book that tells us rice will make us fat. Since I went plant based whole grain, I’ve reversed arthritis, osteoporosis, lowered my blood pressure and cholesterol, aortic plaque just disappeared. I’m getting healthier eating like this.Kudos to you JoAnn! what bothers me is the number of Americans who are suffering needlessly due to the food they eat (or don’t eat!)Regarding one of the Blue Zones – Okinawa Prefecture. As with all vegan vs. paleo topics there is a controversy :( Results from one of the studies: 1. Nutrient intakes in 94 Japanese centenarians investigated between 1972 and 1973 showed a higher proportion of animal protein to total proteins than in contemporary average Japanese. 2. High intakes of milk and fats and oils had favorable effects on 10-year (1976-1986) survivorship in 422 urban residents aged 69-71. The survivors revealed a longitudinal increase in intakes of animal foods such as eggs, milk, fish and meat over the 10 years. 3. Nutrient intakes were compared between a sample from Okinawa Prefecture where life expectancies at birth and 65 were the longest in Japan, and a sample from Akita Prefecture where the life expectancies were much shorter. Intakes of Ca, Fe, vitamins A, B1, B2, C, and the proportion of energy from proteins and fats were significantly higher in the former than in the latter. Intakes of carbohydrates and NaCl were lower.Nutr Health. 1992;8(2-3):165-75. Nutrition for the Japanese elderly. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=1407826&query_hl=7&itool=pubmed_docsumAlso, a more recent article “Nutritional factors on longevity and quality of life in Japan” states that The relationship of nutrient intakes to life expectancies in Japan since the Second World War has demonstrated that sufficient intakes of animal protein and fat are crucial for attaining longevity. In the community dwelling elderly, the higher the serum albumin was, the longer the further life expectancy in the elderly. Serum total cholesterol showed a U-shape relationship to further life expectancies in the elderly.Low serum cholesterol was deleterious (!) for higher levels of functional capacity. Low serum cholesterol and low serum alpha-tochopherol accelerated depressive status in the community dwelling elderly.J Nutr Health Aging. 2001;5(2):97-102. Nutritional factors on longevity and quality of life in Japan.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11426289Dr Greger, the studies that you mention are all about rice being protective for brain health. There is a big difference between rice and gluten grains. It is gluten – not grains per se- that has been linked with dementia.Gluten…not grains per se… … which is why Perlmutter entitled his book, Grain Brain, right?That is incorrect. Not all the studies referenced are about rice. From what I could tell, only the two studies regarding Japanese reference rice. The study dealing with northern India dealt with grains (including rice) and legumes.Also, what are the links to scientific studies showing that gluten is linked to dementia?There are none, it’s a myth that gluten has any connection to dementia.Saw this one, though it’s more related to celiac disease and dementia: http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=792544Thanks. Yes, from what I know, the gluten craze is a myth– subsequently turned into marketing bonanza by the food industry–based on the very small percentage of the population that suffer from celiac disease and gluten sensitivity (which may lead to irritable bowel syndrome, for example). http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/12/86 I asked Lara to provide the studies on which she is basing her blanket statement that gluten is linked to dementia when, based on what I have seen, gluten may be linked to dementia in the small number of people suffering from celiac disease. But even this link seems to be a tentative one: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19018335When I heard Perlmutter on his PBS show I heard him say gluten and grains and carbs over and over. He never said just gluten.Just stumbled upon this little study:Alterations in mood after changing to a low-fat diet. In short, they tracked persons on a 41% fat diet (controls on the average fat consumption in the UK at the time) and a 25% fat diet for several months.The results: Hostility and anger increased significantly among the low fat dieters, and depressed mood decreased among the 41% fat dieters while it increased among the low fat dieters. Tension and anxiety also increased among the low fat dieters.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9505799 Br J Nutr. 1998 Jan;79(1):23-30.Why should we care about this one study? Was it well-designed? Does it have statistical power? Does it do a good job of isolating this one factor, dietary fat? Is it of direct concern to us, who want to compare diets without processed food in them?I don’t see what this has to do with this discussion. Dr Greger isn’t against fat, he’s against saturated fat. And I agree with @largelytrue.Yes, but he is in favor of high carbs, and recently more and more studies demonstrate that people eating greater amounts of carbs have a higher risk-level of dementia and Alzheimer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m on whole-plant based diet myself, and after reading such studies I’m just worried that 70% of my diet is carbs (though mostly gluten-free).You don’t appear to be doing any synthesis, though, and in that sense you are amplifying the problematic aspects of these short videos in your own work. If you are simply selecting a bunch of studies for abstracts and conclusions that sorta-kinda imply some sort of harm to high carbohydrate diets of some sort, you aren’t doing much.Gregor is not strictly high carb, by the way. He’s been generally permissive about nuts, and tolerant about whole coconut, though he apparently doesn’t favor avocados.No, I’m not doing any synthesis, I’m just a worried patient with neurological problems on my second month of whole plant based vegan diet, and I’m getting worse :( And my citations of conflicting articles are an expression of my hopelessness that every study Dr. Greger shows us has a study showing opposite results – just saw a few studies on how low cholesterol is related to depression, dementia, AD, MS and other psychiatric and neurologic issues. And I’m pretty much cutting down my cholesterol with the WP veg diet…But you’re certain that you are best off going to eat some coconut oil, as per your other comment? You don’t seem hopeless or confused there. Your general pattern of peppering single studies on several videos seems rather like you are Campaigning to Deliver the Truth to the site.Sorry if it seemed so. As I said, I am totally confused regarding the proper diet, after reading a practicing psychiatrist’s blog (http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com). The posts are all based on scientific articles, just as Dr. Greger’s. The bottom line (based on quite a few studies linked in her blogs) – in order to preserve your mental health and nervous system you must avoid grains (especially wheat) and legumes, eat plenty of meat, get plenty of saturated fat (animal based) and be careful to not get you cholesterol too low since it results in dementia and Alzheimer’s. Anecdotally, there is a mentioning of great vegan gurus like Herbert Shelton developing Parkinson’s. All this is opposite to what nutritionfacts.org is suggesting to do and what I’ve been doing for more than two months now…Oh, and for example studies have shown that broccoli, so much praised by Dr. Greger promotes severe DNA damage in the colon and can be related to colon cancer (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16441953).My point is – sadly it seems that Dr. Greger picks and presents only studies which support his plant based diet and completely ignores opposing studies and views.That’s an extreme view, since he certainly does introduce challenges to his ideas as a part of developing his argument, and frankly his main format is not well-structured to give a high depth of argumentation about his overall position re vegan diets; 5 minute videos are not 5 page blogs or dissertation-level work.I may take a look at the shrink blog but I’ll tell you my prior perception right now: 1) Psychiatry is even more rife with pseudoscientific speculation than bodily medicine. Marketing is perhaps a big part of this. 2) Evolutionary Psychiatry smells of paleo faddism and the naturalistic fallacy in general. Our evolutionary past was not idyllic and functional in service of our own existential happiness. It was good enough to get us to cling, sometimes foolishly, to any chance to pass on our genes, as much as that tendancy could be inscribed by incremental changes in an imperfect genome.You are absolutely right, except maybe the marketing thing :) After my half a year communication with different psychiatrists I especially agree on the psych being a pseudoscience. And the blog I referred to also definitely smells of paleo – which is not surprising since the blogger is a paleo apologist herself. However, the studies which are cited on the blog and the whole approach is not that much based on the evolutionary past. And since the neuro-psycho issues for me are naturally the most important, possible positive effects of animal (saturated) fat, taurine, carnitine, creatine, cholesterol and other substances (which I eliminated from my diet) on brain health really got me worried.Also, what is your opinion regarding these two studies (sorry for repeating myself – I just posted reference to them as a reply to another user): (1) 1. Nutrient intakes in 94 Japanese centenarians investigated between 1972 and 1973 showed a higher proportion of animal protein to total proteins than in contemporary average Japanese. 2. High intakes of milk and fats and oils had favorable effects on 10-year (1976-1986) survivorship in 422 urban residents aged 69-71. The survivors revealed a longitudinal increase in intakes of animal foods such as eggs, milk, fish and meat over the 10 years. 3. Nutrient intakes were compared between a sample from Okinawa Prefecture where life expectancies at birth and 65 were the longest in Japan, and a sample from Akita Prefecture where the life expectancies were much shorter. Intakes of Ca, Fe, vitamins A, B1, B2, C, and the proportion of energy from proteins and fats were significantly higher in the former than in the latter. Intakes of carbohydrates and NaCl were lower.Nutr Health. 1992;8(2-3):165-75. Nutrition for the Japanese elderly. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu…(2) A more recent article “Nutritional factors on longevity and quality of life in Japan” states that The relationship of nutrient intakes to life expectancies in Japan since the Second World War has demonstrated that sufficient intakes of animal protein and fat are crucial for attaining longevity. In the community dwelling elderly, the higher the serum albumin was, the longer the further life expectancy in the elderly. Serum total cholesterol showed a U-shape relationship to further life expectancies in the elderly.Low serum cholesterol was deleterious (!) for higher levels of functional capacity. Low serum cholesterol and low serum alpha-tochopherol accelerated depressive status in the community dwelling elderly.J Nutr Health Aging. 2001;5(2):97-102. Nutritional factors on longevity and quality of life in Japan.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu…2) Is kind of a crappy review, in my opinion. They don’t consider likely objections very well, but there are lines of evidence indicating that animal foods reduce stroke mortality in Japan. A lot of the mortality there is linked with smoking and excess salt, leading to hemhorragic stroke, as you can see. Do you live like a Japanese person and carry these risk factors in your lifestyle?Cholesterol often appears protective in the elderly but disease at the end of life often lowers cholesterol. Serum albumin and milk consumption connect with healthy behaviors in Japan, as they state about the perceived health of milk. So you often see it connecting with lower salt intake and higher fruit and vegetable intake. They observe this link with salt in the paper. Meanwhile, while cerebrovascular disease has declined in Japan over the years, as you can see in the plot, other forms of mortality in their plot have tread water, despite increased standards of medical care, public health, and increased fruit and vegetable consumption in recent decades. So we can’t really say that animal food is doing much for their other risks.The general complaint is that the authors are very association-happy. They show correlates of animal consumption and contrast between tertiles, but we have no particular reason to think that these associations would be real in an accurate model of all relevant factors.1) Again you see a general comparison between Akita and Okinawa. The Akitan population is more hypertensive. Okinawans consumed more fruits and vegetables, less salt, and exchanging meat for fish probably also helps with hemhorragic stroke. Cholesterol and albumin decline with age in the Akitans, but can they really infer that this is not reverse causation here, a signal of the disease rather than a cause? Do they do any investigation into causality at all? Again, my general complaint is that they pool risks into all cause mortality and look for univariate correlates, or something pretty close to. This gets you into a heap of trouble because you cease to think of causal mechanisms and models when you do so, especially when you don’t state that your model adjusts for known risk factors in mortality among the Japanese elderly.Sorry if this is not as rigorous as you’d like, but it’s my quick response to the work of these works, which share the same lead author.Thank you very much for the insight. I plan to continue my whole foods plant based diet experiment (n=1:) for at least half a year…laregelytrue: Reviews of studies fascinate me. Thanks for taking the time to do this. It is helpful for lots of people.You’re welcome. We are in a space where we need to read deeper to understand what’s going on, but we all don’t have all the time and skills to accurately judge all of the literature.It helps to bring some reading and reviewing into the open. It shows our weaknesses, it shows our strengths, and it suggests how we might improve our beliefs and arguments.Hi Mindaugas,I couldn’t read the entire article you linked to (do you have access to it?), but all the abstract states is results from changing from 41% fat to 25% fat. It does not say what the fat calories were replaced by; often it is simple sugars in studies like this. Also keep in mind that 25% is not a low-fat diet in the opinion of the doctors who advocate for low fat vegan diets. For heart disease prevention, 10% cal from fat is typically the benchmark. The Okinawans, who enjoy excellent mental and physical health into old age, get about 6% of their calories from fat.It reminds me a bit of the terrible “low fat vs mediterranean” diet study out last year where they looked at a medi diet with 39% fat plus omega-3 supplementation and counseling vs a “low” fat 37% fat diet without omega-3s or counseling and called the medi diet the winner. Or a joke of a Hillshire Farms funded study I saw recently that claimed a high-protein (i.e. sausage and egg) breakfast could lead to weight loss because participants reported more satiety than those eating pancakes and syrup instead.You can google the full pdf, or here is the link to the full text: http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FBJN%2FBJN79_01%2FS0007114598000063a.pdf&code=b9e0c167e111169a6798fcc5c0bfb3b2Thank you for the link. If you are eating a whole foods plant based diet, I’m not sure I would worry about the results obtained from a pilot study of 20 people looking at the differences resulting from consumption of regular vs low-fat versions of “mayo, french fries, and chips”, with a third of the participants knowing which version they were eating. Especially with many other studies available showing the mood benefits associated with increased starch consumption/serotonin levels, decreases in arachidonic acid, and even therapeutic effects from specific plant foods.Have you tried entering your diet into cronometer to determine if any of your micronutrient levels are low?Yep, I’m using cronometer, most micronutrients seem fine, except B12 and vit D, but I supplement those. Thanks for the reply! It seems that reading opposing paleo blogs have the largest negative effect on my mood :)))In studies like the one you posted, they will give one group whole milk and the other skim milk. Yeah, that gets their fat percentage down, but their animal protein levels go up, no wonder studies like the one you posted show harm for supposed “lowfat” diets. That’s not the healthy way to go lowfat.Wow, the may just be Dr. Greger’s Finest video. And you can access a pdf summar as well. Thank you Doctor!!!! Maximum Nutrition: Transitioning Toward A Plant Based Diet: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DY9nNa81dSoY&ei=W061U8HsN4KqyATk34LYBA&usg=AFQjCNFpnr1jtps97J3ENYgwhFT0D9S-Ow&sig2=FwJtWyZJsO8Z1FbjqP8X0w&bvm=bv.70138588,d.aWwDear Dr. Greger would you please make a video about Cactus fruit and its anti cancer properties?Another study:Nutrition and Alzheimer’s disease: The detrimental role of a high carbohydrate diet.In this paper, we have highlighted that AD may also be caused by a deﬁciency in the supply chain of cholesterol, fats, and antioxidants to the brain. We have provided much evidence of the importance of these nutrients to brain function, and have shown that AD patients are deﬁcient in cholesterol and fats in the cerebral spinal ﬂuid.Seneff S, et al, Nutrition and Alzheimer’s disease: The detrimental role of a high carbohydrate diet, European Journal of Internal Medicine (2011), http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/EJIM_PUBLISHED.pdfI’m gonna go eat some coconut oil :)http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com/2011/06/nutrition-and-alzheimers-disease.htmlI am puzzled about how the paper by Seneff et al. made it through the peer review process. It is full of logical leaps and speculation. Seneff is a computer scientist engaged in the Weston A. Price Foundation. She has no professional qualifications whatoever to write a paper about Alzheimer’s but brings in at least as much dietary ideology as any vegan diet guru.She speculates about the causative role of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in Alzheimer’s disease and manages to completely ignore the role of dietary AGEs – which are present in copious amounts in cooked meat, cheese and fried foods – and which have been shown to excert strongly pro-inflammatory effects in healthy subjects and contrubite to metabolic impared insulin sensitivity and metabolic pathways associated with the pathogenesis of type II diabetes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). The evidence brought forth by Vlassara et al. suggests that exogenous/dietary AGEs are a major causative factor in type II diabetes and possibly other chronic diseases associated with a pro-inflammatory status (e.g. upregulated RAGE and mTOR signaling) such as neurodegenerative diseases whereas endogenous AGEs are rather a consequence of impaired insulin sensitivity and type II diabetes and the mechanism by which the disease finally exacerbates itself in a “positive” feedback-loop.Dr. Greger, wasn’t there research a while back that showed that vegetarians and vegans had twice the rates of degenerative brain disease due to chronic low B12 levels leading to elevated homocysteine leves?So where does butter (or, more specifically, Indian ghee) fit into this picture? Dr. Greger more than once mentions how healthy Indians are in this video. They cook with clarified butter (ghee), and ghee is also the most widely used medicinal element in Ayurvadic medicine. Is ghee the exception to what Dr. Greger says about animal fat? Is that OK to cook with?For me it is all about risk. The most comprehensive discussion of lifestyle issues that influence Alzheimer’s disease is Neal Barnard’s Power Foods for the Brain. He cites the studies which correlate certain things with greater risk such as cholesterol, saturated fat, zinc, iron, aluminum and lower risk such as exercise, sleep, cognitive activities. He also explains the effects on folks with the gene associated with it… ApoE. I would imagine that small amounts of ghee would have more risk then none and less risk then alot of ghee. If you want to lower your risk eat less animal products and saturated fat while avoiding excess iron, zinc, aluminum along with exercise, sleep and mental activity. At this point I wouldn’t think that ghee is an exception but you need to stay tuned as the science keeps coming.Zinc is very probably a protective rather than a risk factor, as it competitively inhibits copper metabolism. In many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, there is a striking disbalance between serum Cu2+ and Zn2+ in the CNS as well as in the serum, shifted towards copper, that may aggrevate the disease.Hence, a recently published small-scale RCT has remarkably shown protection against cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients with high dose (150 mg daily) zinc supplementation.Interestingly, the disregulation of metal homeostatis is closely related to an accumulation of cholesterol in the CNS, both working in concert to enhance the accumulation of amyloid plaques. This shows that the hypothesis by Seneff et al., refered to below, that Alzheimer’s results from cholesterol deficiency is utterly absurd.Good points. The RCT article gives a nice overview of the problem. The population was “deficient” in zinc so supplementing with zinc would seem to make sense in the short term. However recommending that populations take an isolated supplement over time is a different matter. It also may be a matter of dose in that Zn has been shown in vitro to accelerate clumping of beta amyloid plaques. We need more and better studies to help prevent and slow the progress of this disease. Given the time course of this disease we need longer term studies involving larger populations to help sort things out. Even with those in hand there are problems with the use of reductionistic approaches to complex systems.WOW!!! Simply, wow!!!!! This upload of a few minutes is power packed with information!!!! It is also very, very sad to see that these new wave of ‘professionals’ jumped on the anti grain band wagon just to make the dollar bills!!! From the get go their ‘theory’ was flawed and they knew it!!! They used a blanket theory and took advantage of regular people like myself who needed to take a more in depth look at grains and how they really affect the human structure. They failed to really take a hard look at the numbers and percentages of people affected by gluten/grain sensitivity, gluten/grain intolerance and Celiac’s Disease. For example, I am a Celiac. This DOES NOT MEAN that grains are all around evil. It simply means that specific to my genetic make up, gluten and grains are a definite NO NO. For others in my family this is not the case. Gluten and grains procured from a reliable, non processed and preferably organic source in its proper balance are wonderful for the body. What really was the shocker for me was the shift in the Japanese culture!!!!! They have ALWAYS been upheld as superior in eating habits BECAUSE of their choices to rely much more heavily on vegan/plant based food!!! As I studied the trends in the shift to more animal protein within the culture I didn’t want to acknowledge what seemed to be happening because I saw more and more a plethora of tiny restaurants popping up all over Japan offering courses after courses of ‘throw away’ parts of the pig, chicken and beef. They would pile up little bamboo sticks with four to five chicken uterus’s, non laid eggs still found within the womb of the chicken, the parts of the pig’s throat and cow udder. They would be roasted on these bamboo sticks over a small open flame and eaten while drinking large amounts of sake. It is a sub culture that is really taking hold because the average tourist wants a more indigenous experience when they visit. It also pays homage to a time and place for the Japanese just as ‘soul food’ does the same with the African American culture of the South. This doesn’t mean that it’s a good thing to practice.THANK YOU !!! It sickens me to think how people actually are ignorant enough to believe that GRAINS, of all the natural foods millions of people have eaten for millions of years, are harmful to the brain and increase the risk of cognitive decline. It is disgusting how books like Grain Brain and Wheat Belly pray on the stupidity of the general population and actually have people convinced that a low-grain diet is beneficial. This is the type of information people should be listening to..Great video!Who funds this clown, Monsanto or ADM? I cut out grains and sugar and lost 20 lbs. (all in my gut) in four months. Do you think we have an obesity and diabetes epidemic because people are eating more steak, chicken, fish, vegetables, fruit and nuts? No, we have an obesity epidemic because they are eating bagels, donuts and cereal for breakfast, huge bowls of “fat-free” pasta and pre-packaged crap for lunch and dinner, and gouging out on bags of pretzels and potato chips while they sit in front of the TV. This man should be arrested for malpractice. READ WHEAT BELLY! Today’s wheat is not the wheat of 40 years ago. It’s mutated hybridized junk food, people! Tonight I will enjoy a nice piece of grilled fish with sautéed veggies. Enjoy your bowl of pasta.What about the fashionable aspect of microbiota living in vegetarian or vegan’s guts when compare to meat eater? There must be different and recently it has been emphasized the it role in immunity and many diseases? Anyone could share anything about such study?The Grant study in the sources list is more about how oxidation and inflammation are causes of alzheimers, and omega-3s from fish was the best counter to that. It also mentioned that plant forms of omega-3s were inferior to fish for this purpose. Also, though I did not find this mentioned in the study, cooked oils, whether from animals or plants, are oxidative and inflammatory if they have had a chance to get rancid or are heated above their smoke point, not to mention what can happen during the processing of refined oils. So it is possible that the animal fat people are eating in these studies was oxidized during the cooking process (to be safe, you have to saute with some sort of liquid on as low a heat as possible, and don’t let it blacken or brown), and also likely wasn’t organic and pastured. But I can’t find solid info about the quality of meat test subjects were eating. I think it was just what the general population eats. I’d really love to see a study that looks at high quality meat consumption (organic, pastured, cooked in a way that doesn’t oxidize the fat), not conventional meat consumption, and I can’t find that info easily when I look through studies. Does anyone know of one they can direct me to? Just throwing this out there since I decided to click on one of the sources referred to in this video, and it seemed to be a little different from what the video was saying.Tobacco also protects against Alzheimers, Parkinsons and Dementia…amongst many others.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-tobacco-derived-compound-memory-loss-alzheimer.htmlhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2007/03/20/us-smoking-parkinsons-idUSCOL06339920070320You’re forgetting that most grains esp wheat aren’t what they used to be and are GMO! Also many people now can’t tolerate the grains for the same reason!Anne: Actually, there is lots of evidence that whole grains, including wheat are very healthy for the majority of the public. Dr. Greger already has some videos on this topic, but if it interests you, stay tuned. Dr. Greger has an indepth series on wheat coming up that is really great. In that series, you will learn how very few people actually have wheat sensitivities – based on the actual science.Some thoughts for you to consider: 1) In the US, GMO wheat has not been approved for growing or sales. That’s my understanding based on recent news stories. So, if you live in the US, you don’t have to worry about GMO wheat.2) Almost no food, plant or animal!, is “what it used to be”. Humans have been selectively, dramatically breeding plants and animals to the point that very little of it resembles its original form. Dr. Greger has a great video talking about how chicken has evolved in the last 100? or so years. And there is a great TED talk that talks about how all our plant crops, including foods like brocolli, bear no resemblance to their “wild” forms. If you were only going to eat foods that humans have not changed through systematic breeding, there is very little you could eat. If you are interested in the TED talk, here it is: http://blog.tedx.com/post/45914179742/debunking-the-paleo-diet-christina-warinnerThere is tremendous conflict in these comments. Perhaps there is something we can all agree on. Eating whole foods is good for all of us. Avoid anything processed. Learn to cook. Trust your instincts.I am really interested if anyone has any comments on this recent study (http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1900694&resultClick=3#t1-3) I know the weakness is no clinical end point and it’s only a 12 month study. I just couldn’t find more details on the dietary intake between the groups as I’m sure there are some other confounders. Any insight would be great.Several studies show similar results: low carb, because it restricts such a major component of diet, and possibly because protein is satiating, does tend to produce greater weight loss than low fat. So then other cardiometabolic indicators tend to look better in the low carb group because of the greater weight loss. But the question is whether the weight loss can be sustained, and even more importantly, what the long term effects of a low carb diet are. And such data as there is (on the long term effects) suggests that low carb increases risk of cardiovascular disease, and accelerates mortality.just to play devils advocate, the diet advocated in the grain brain book includes VERY low carbs. i’m assuming that’s not what japan is eating now, they are still eating some rice…so one could say it’s the combo of animal fats AND carbs that has led to the rise in dementia. whereas perhaps with low to no carbs, the animal fat increase would not lead to this problem? thoughts anyone?Low-carb animal-fat diets are still problematic. Have you read Dr. Greger’s book Carbophopia? I suggest reading his latest blog Low Carb Diets Found to Feed Heart Disease. See if that helps? Thanks for your comment and please forgive my delay.	Africa,African-American,Alzheimer’s disease,animal fat,animal products,Asia,beans,cholesterol,dementia,Europe,grains,India,iron,LDL cholesterol,low-carb diets,meat,Nigeria,plant-based diets,rice,saturated fat,standard American diet,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Grain consumption appears strongly protective against Alzheimer’s disease, whereas animal fat intake has been linked to dementia risk.	A few previous videos on Alzheimer’s and maintaining cognitive function:More on the consequences of carbophobia here:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-carb-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/african-american/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nigeria/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23746902,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12214119,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12214118,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11176911,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16360788,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8327020,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24037034,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9781520,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17846407,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8805729,
PLAIN-2580	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/	Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Conflicts of Interest	The food industry enjoys influential positions in surprising places. The American Dietetic Association (ADA), the world’s largest association of nutrition professionals, is, in its own words, devoted to “improving the nation’s health.” They promote a series of Nutrition Fact Sheets. Who writes them? Industry sources pay $20,000 per fact sheet to the ADA and explicitly take part in writing the documents; the ADA then promotes them through its journal and on its website. Some of these fact sheets are “What’s a Mom to Do: Healthy Eating Tips for Families” sponsored by Wendy’s; “Lamb: The Essence of Nutrient Rich Flavor,” sponsored by the Tri-Lamb Group; “Cocoa and Chocolate: Sweet News” sponsored by the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition; “Eggs: A Good Choice” sponsored by the American Egg Board’s Egg Nutrition Center; “Adult Beverage Consumption: Making Responsible Drinking Choices” in connection with the Distilled Spirits Council; and “The Benefits of Chewing Gum” sponsored by the Wrigley Science Institute. I didn’t know Wrigley’s had a science institute.In 2008, the ADA announced that the Coca-Cola Company had become an “ADA Partner” through its corporate relations sponsorship program. The ADA “provides partners a national platform via ADA events and programs with prominent access to key influencers, thought leaders and decision makers in the nutrition marketplace.” The ADA’s press release also pointed out that “the Coca-Cola Company will share their research findings with ADA members in forums such as professional meetings and scientific publications.”Did you know there are no harmful effects of different Coca-Cola beverages on rat testicles? Was that even a concern? Thou doth protest too much, methinks.When the American Academy of Family Physicians was called out on their proud new corporate relationship with Coke to support patient education on healthy eating, an executive vice-president of the Academy tried to quell protest by explaining that this alliance was not without precedent. The American Academy of Family Physicians has had relationships with Pepsi and McDonald’s for some time. Reminiscent of similar types of relationships in the past.The fact that the Academy of Family Physicians was also collaborating with Pepsi and McDonald’s didn’t seem to placate the critics. So the exec continued, even the American Dietetic Association has made a policy statement that “There are no good or bad foods.” Indeed, that’s the ADA’s official position. Classification of specific foods as good or bad is overly simplistic.The ADA has taken a strong stand that there are no good foods or bad foods, a position that the food industry has then exploited. In its early years, the tobacco industry sounded a similar theme: smoking per se was not bad, only “excess” smoking.Is this what family doctors have been reduced to? To justify an unholy financial alliance we hide behind what others say and do and deny that there are actually unhealthy “bad” foods? I wonder how much money the ADA receives from the Coca-Cola Company and other food and beverage companies to have come up with their “no good or bad foods” philosophy?In 2012, the American Dietetic Association changed their name to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Did their policies change at all? A landmark report last year from one of my favorite industry watchdogs, found that they continue to take millions of dollars in corporate sponsorship money every year from meat, processed junk, dairy, soda, and candy bar companies, and in return offer official educational seminars to teach dietitians what to say to their clients.So when you hear the title “registered dietitian,’ this is the group they are registered with.	Sad to see AAFP pandering to junk food for money.Does chocolate have ANY caffeine in it? The seemingly most credible source is claiming that it contains “zero” caffeine:http://www.xocoatl.org/caffeine.htm…but there are plenty of other sources claiming it does contain “some” caffeine. The reason I ask is that I’d like to feed someone I care for chocolate but they have allergy to caffeine, in any amount. It seems that chocolate has properties that are similar to caffeine, but these properties (and chocolate itself) contain zero caffeine.Hoping someone can settle this chocolate/caffeine debate once and for all. A lot of the reputable science seems to be in disagreement.Possibly the confusion is between theobromine (Greek for ‘food of the gods’) and a caffeine which is similar in chemical composition:The slight chemical difference makes chocolate toxic only in much larger amounts than we would normally consume although some people can be sensitive to it, as are dogs and cats. Theobromine is a milder stimulant than caffeine although it may be just as addictive (Caffeine doesn’t do a thing for me, but I would just die if I didn’t have my daily tablespoon of cocoa powder mixed with two bananas). A person with a sensitivity to caffeine might want to slowly increase the amount they take, starting with a small amount. It’s possible that over time they could build up a resistance to it as their liver learns to dispose of it more quickly.Thank you. Yes, I’ve read about the theobromine in chocolate, but I’ve also read that chocolate, in addition to theobromine, also contains caffeine. Are you saying this is not the case, as far as the caffeine?Hi elsie,According to every reputable source I viewed, chocolate contains caffeine. In a quick search of the literature, I saw nothing to indicate any debate on the subject. “mrk’s chocolate site” is not a valid scientific source nor does he cite any to back up his claim.The one “source” he quite poorly cites is not even a real article from a real journal, but rather a newsletter with a broken link. Even if he did provide one valid source that showed *a lack of detection* of caffeine, faced with every other source showing detection of caffeine, a logical person would conclude that there is indeed caffeine in chocolate. His conclusion would be like someone drilling for oil somewhere in the state of Texas, not finding oil, and concluding there is no oil Texas, despite an obvious wealth of findings to the contrary.The following sources are the first I found with a quick search. I apologize if you do not have access to view them. If you have trouble viewing the entire article, you should be able to find and view at least the abstracts. You may be able to find more using a publicly available scientific literature database or google scholar.The first four are primary articles. The last one is a review and may be a more meaningful read for someone unfamiliar with analytical chemistry.Simultaneous Determination of Theobromine, (+)-Catechin, Caffeine, and (–)-Epicatechin in Standard Reference Material Baking Chocolate 2384, Cocoa, Cocoa Beans, and Cocoa Butter http://chromsci.oxfordjournals.org/content/46/10/892.longFlavanols and Methylxanthines in Commercially Available Dark Chocolate: A Study of the Correlation with Nonfat Cocoa Solids http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/jf201398tComparative study of commercially available cocoa products in terms of their bioactive composition http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996909000696Optimized method for simultaneous determination of catechin, gallic acid, and methylxanthine compounds in chocolate using RP-HPLC http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/302/art%253A10.1007%252Fs00217-002-0565-3.pdf?auth66=1404410654_b3c2b9f4d4294b8445237337f2130e75&ext=.pdfPolyphenols in Cocoa and Cocoa Products: Is There a Link between Antioxidant Properties and Health? http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/13/9/2190Hey, thank you so very much. Yes, you are indeed right. Chocolate has caffeine. It is unfortunate someone is misguiding people online about this, but so it goes.But it’s a very small amount. A tablespoon of cocoa probably has the same caffeine content as one cup of decaffeinated coffee.Coffee, does indeed contain a small amount of caffeine ( 1oz=12 mg) (1cup coffee=300mg). As you see this is a very small amount, however still contributes to the improved moods and sense of well being after consuming a chocolate from a quality dark chocolate. Dark chocolate comes from the fruit of the cacao tree pods and contains a number of phytonutrients (polyphenols, flavanoids, and catechines, all powerful antioxidants shown to improve blood pressure, decrease risk of cardiovascular disease, and improve mood. Not all chocolate is equal; milk chocolate doesn’t contain these antioxidants because the milk reduces the antioxidant content. Eat small portions (1.5-3.0 ounces) in moderation, and stick with 70 % dark varieties.Cameron SeguraIt is sad…As we previously learned, Dr. Greger seems comfortable citing work supported by corporations provided that the message aligns with his own.That’s why it is surprising that he does not mention that the “Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics” strongly supports vegetarian and vegan diets.Isn’t it also the case that nutritionfacts.org itself was financially supported by an animal rights organization known as the Humane Society of the United States?The AND “support” of “well-planned” vegetarian diets makes them sound eerily dangerous . . . carefully avoiding dissing any animal products“well-planned” is a necessary qualifier for vegetarian diets to be healthful…i.e. it is necessary to eat healthful food and not vegetarian junk to gain the described health benefits. notwithstanding this important qualifier, their position statement is a well-written and unmitigated endorsement for vegetarian diets.In the other hand, omnivorous diets would be unhealthful no matter how well “planned” :DSo? It’s no more necessary for vegetarian/vegan diets to be “well planned” than for any other diet. It is a subtle form of scaremongering.I’m not sure if your sponsorship claim is true, however, even if it were, there’s a big difference between being sponsored by a non-for-profit and a large shareholder governed profit seeking corporation. It’s the difference between Superman and Lex Luthor really…not really… any conflict of interest can be an obstruction to scientific information reaching the public in an unbiased fashion…i am pointing out a double standard here.The initial (and perhaps continuing) grant to start nutritionfacts.org came from the Jesse and Julie Rasch Foundation in Toronto.The Jesse and Julie Rasch Foundation also funds four animal welfare organizations. While this is only an indirect affiliation with nutritionfacts.org, it does raise the question as to whether the foundation is swayed by Dr. Greger’s support for vegan diets, which could represent a conflict of interests.I’m sure Dr. Greger has an obvious bias for animal-free, cruelty-free vegan diets. I don’t think there’s any attempt to hide that fact, or his affiliations, or that they’re even an issue. That said, Michael presents scientific evidence that strongly supports his dietary preferences.This website presents an open forum for anyone to present their views and the science to back them up, whether they agree with Dr. Greger’s views or not. The whole world is welcomed here to present a contrary point of view.There is no shortage of scientific evidence to support the health and ethical benefits of vegan diets. But that is not the issue we are discussing here!We don’t need more arguments for veganism, we need action!! – attitude changes by the general public.While I am on record many places of this website praising Dr. Greger for being a mine of useful information for vegetarians/vegans, I am afraid that is all he is doing! I had hoped he would reach a broader audience.Outside of our community, I think Dr. Greger is perceived as being something like a religious zealot as this article puts it. We need to think harder about how the general public perceives vegetarian diets in order to change minds.The whole point of my original post was that the ADA provides a view of vegetarian/vegan diets that are strongly supportive and will reach the general public more successfully than Dr. Greger (an MD working for the Humane Society).Assuming that Dr. Greger’s goal is to change minds, by putting down the ADA, Dr. Greger is, in effect, shooting himself in the foot.Why don’t you people get that!It’s discrimination to suggest Dr. Greger’s personal beliefs and favourite charities is a conflict of interest. No one would ever say the precise opposite: that other doctors have a vested interest in promoting meat because they DON’T want to care about animal welfare, environmental damage or world hunger. If a meat eating doctor openly supported, say, the Countryside Alliance (a charity that promotes hunting in the UK), no one would question it. It would be considered irrelevant to the fact that they were a doctor who supports eating meat. It is directly analogous to what Dr. Greger did.We need to stop discrimination and double standards against vegans, not try to live within the limits and hypocrisy inflicted upon us. THAT is how we’ll finally make progress.Using your Countryside Alliance analogy, I would rephrase your analogy in a slightly more accurate form as follows:1- a person runs a nutrition website claiming that the balance of scientific evidence supports that meat is essential for good health;2- that person argues video after video that meat is beneficial while ignoring any counterarguments;3- that person just happens to work for the Countryside Alliance (i.e. pro-hunting charity) and donates the majority of proceeds from her/his work to that pro-hunting organization;4- a major dietetic organization claims that well-planned diets high in meat provide many health benefits, but also provides adverts for the health benefits for a vegan meals;5- the person with the website tries to discredit the dietetic organization for suggesting that there could be any health benefits to those vegan meals on the basis that the dietetic organization had a financial relationship with vegetable manufacturers;6- one of the followers and supporters of that person with the website comments on the website that there is the optics of a double standard;7- the most ardent and zealous supporters of the person with the website hysterically try to defend that their leader could not be flawed in anyway.VegAtHeart: To my knowledge, NutritionFacts.org has had no sponsorship from the Humane Society of the United States or any other organization beyond the original grant from the Foundation Mike listed in his post.Here’s where I think the confusion may have come in: Originally Dr. Greger donated proceeds from his videos to the Humane Society (and maybe other charities too, I don’t know).However, now all proceeds from the videos are used exclusively to support this site/NutritionFacts. So, even that link of donating money to the Humane Society has been severed.I could be wrong, but that’s my understanding.maybe… all I have seen is his disclosure that he works for them (serving as director of Public health and animal agriculture) and donates proceeds from his videos to them.What I recommend is that Dr. Greger provide appropriate disclosure statements for all authors/organizations cited in his videos so that the viewer can be informed and make up their own mind. This is better than attacking people just because they are supported by someone.The weight of evidence in favor of WFPB diet is overwhelming; the fact that Dr Greger has a position in the HS doesn’t change it. Also other doctors without any ties to animal organizations reached the same conclusions. And au contraire of what Dr Greger denounces in this video, they aren’t affiliated to any industries, including there, pharmaceuticals and food ones. In fact, very much the opposite they risked being marginalized (and they were) by making public where the data leads. Dr Greger could be making *loads* of money as physicians do in US, just by working as one of them. Instead he put his time and money to make public what no one had nothing to gain in making public.BTW, nothing to comment about the real conflict of interest presented in the video…?Leave it be…we are all fighting big agro-corporations for the simple fact they are the leading causes of global depletion…regardless of where funding goes or comes from for this informative and science-based website, that is the least of our quarrels. We stand united to choose vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and fruits for health of our planet and our own health.You made some points…First of all, Registered Dietitian is spelled with a “t” and not a “c” and this message, while informative just gives RD’s a really horrible reputation. Sorry we aren’t medical doctors but regardless of where our funding comes from, not all Registered Dietitians in the profession associate heavily with this organization and we still know more about nutrition than any MD (we spend 4 years in nutrition rather than taking just one class and also are BOARD CERTIFIED). The corporate sponsorship doesn’t help our reputations any, but not all RD’s utilize the information on the website for AND as mentioned in the video as we have the skills and training necessary to facilitate patient care without these resources. To say that the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) is “our group” is incorrect and highly ignorant. Remember this: nutritionists are not Registered Dietitians, but all Registered Dietitians are nutritionists; in order to be a Registered Dietitian, one does not have to be a member or affiliate with AND, it is a separate entity and therefore should be considered when assuming that AND is “our group.”Just out of curiosity have you looked into the test or requirements for Nutritionist? First they must hold a doctorate of some kind. MD, DPT, etc. They must have all the science courses one would expect that would be required for these science based degrees. And–the test itself isn’t easy. I have compared the dietician programs and they just don’t compare. Maybe I am missing something.But either way you all should get together and stop the above conflicts of your organizations. It’s just bad business.This depends on whether or not you live in a state where the title “nutritionist” is licensed or protected. In my state, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist without any credentials/training.And I would hope everyone would do their homework before signing up with a “nutritionist.”No this is completely untrue. Nutritionist is an unlicensed title in majority of the states. It often takes little more than an online test to use this title. The RDN has and continues to be the Gold standard for nutritional credentials. No, we’re not all affiliated with Coca Cola. We’re a group of thousands of different vegans, meat eaters, etc.Well I am not sure about all that. One can get a graduate degree in nutrition and not be a RD right? There seems to be some misunderstanding in the general public.While there are many very capable RDs, the gold standard for clinical nutrition is the Certified Nutrition Specialist, which requires an advanced degree and far more rigorous and relevant examination and experience. Many RDs go on to become a CNS once they have completed an advanced degree and the type of advanced clinical nutrition training the RD credential alone does not require.In my State, you can have a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition, complete a one-year unpaid internship and then sit for the test to become a licensed RD. However, I was told by the school I am planning to attend that in the next few years, there will be a push to only allow RD certification with the same requirements but requiring a Master’s degree.That being said, I’m not aware of a separate nutritionist certification at the doctorate level. Something I would be interested in though!This looks pretty serious to me but I am not in this field. http://cbns.orgBut either way I would like to point out that Dr Greger bags on his profession too!The CNS certification was designed for clinicians and scientists without a bachelor’s degree in nutrition/dietetics who want to conduct nutrition work. The coursework and hours of supervised practice (1200 for RD) are equivalent to requirements for the dietetic internship, with the exception of the graduate degree (which will soon be a requirement for RD’s as well). I know very few individuals with both the RD and CNS certification, mostly b/c you are reinventing the wheel by having both. Both groups respect the other, and in the research setting we very much appreciate the wide variety of backgrounds that come from having both RDs and CNS involved.Much of that 4 years of training is NOT in nutrition per se. It is in general education requirements, the science of food systems, food service sanitation, food production and service etc. Yes you get the basic sciences such as A&P, organic chemistry, biochemistry etc. and you do get basic nutrition courses, Medical nutrition therapy etc. but so do other nutrition majors, and many of those programs get much more actual clinical type nutrition courses.The Registered Dietician degree started out as home economics and frankly a lot of it has not changed enough to keep up with nutrition science. Sadly The RD program that Cade accredits appears to keep on earning the bad reputation it is getting with the public. And to my understanding (I could be wrong) these programs have to follow USDA guidelines, and we all know the industries by which this department is controlled.This is not to say that any individual dietitian is not up to par in the nutritional sciences. There are some top notch ones out there, but they seem to be motivated to go beyond their formal education. However the formal education requirements of the RD training programs need to drastically change, and the AAND does indeed need to dump those corporate sponsors!I think it is important to point out that not all Registered Dietitian’s agree with the AND’s philosophy and junk food/beverage corporate sponsors.As mentioned by others, not all RDs are affiliated with AND as we do not agree or use the all the information provided by this organization. Some of us are part of the group called Dietitians for Professional Integrity who is working on getting sponsorship for AND that are free from conflict of interest. They also provide resources to obtain CEUs free from conflict of interest. You should research the group before implying that AND is the group for RDs. In addition, AND is not the only organization that is sponsored by big food industry; some physician organizations are also being accepting sponsorship from these companies.Wow, I love what you are doing! Continuing Education hours free from commercial interest, especially if made affordable, will do the professional a lot of good.I’m new to this, and still “learning how to eat”, but it seems to me I don’t have to worry about corporate brand names if I’m buying the right stuff. There are no brand names on watermelon, carrots, and fresh leafy greens. In fact, since starting to change my eating habits I have not had occasion to leave the supermarket with anything branded, bottled, boxed, or canned by any corporation. As long as we shop outside the corporate circle of influence we can safely ignore all the “good advice” of corporate-owned scientists.You mean coke is food? Wait, what?Our daughter is a newly minted RD who is well aware of these relationships with the AND. She and many of her colleagues do not allow this “embarrassing list of sponsors” to influence their practice.Nearly all corporations follow the money, except a few such as this fantastic website, PCRM, Dr. McDougall, The Medical letter.The only way I see this changing is when the money sources change and/or the public demands it!Until then, it will be, “The Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel.”“Holy conflicts of interest Batman!”http://www.AmericanCollegeofNutrition.org takes no corporate funding of any kind, and is a pre-eminent nutrition science professional society.I was a big fan of this site..until this video. While it’s important to bring awareness to this issue in hopes of pressuring AND to change their policy, it is inaccurate to paint all dietitians with the same brush. Many dietitians are embarrassed by AND and Dietitian of Canada’s corporate ties, and are fighting to have policy changed. Also, not all RD’s are members of these groups.Where would you have the public go for accurate, evidence-based nutrition advice? “Nutritionist” is an unprotected title in many areas, and a large number of MD’s are fairly illiterate in nutrition. RD’s remain the experts.I am glad to hear that many dieticians try to remain neutral, yet they are under an organization with an agenda which cannot go against their sponsors. The book Whole by Collin Campbell explains the problem in detail.Otherwise they wouldn’t go around with the “no bad foods and beverages” discourse.Most of my RD colleagues NEVER bought into the ADA slogans of “all foods can fit.” Re: “no bad foods”‘ – I’d reply, that until foods can “act or behave” there are no “bad” or good foods. There may be unhealthy and health foods, and frankly, there ARE many foods that are 100% unhealthy and shouldn’t be eaten. Just think about it, “no bad foods”? How stupid is that? If somebody has an allergy, even a trace of a food may kill. So, ANY food can be a killer, to the right person.I agree with you that not all dietitians should be painted with the same brush. However, I really appreciate knowing more about the conflicts of interest of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; this was a much needed issue that more of us need to be aware of. It’s definitely a huge problem for the credibility of the profession. Dr. Greger should probably have clarified that there are many great dietitians out there, although there are many more who probably redistribute or regurgitate what industry has provided to the Academy.Thanks for pointing out that not all RDs share the policies of AND and yes, many of us are embarrassed by their corporate ties, and sadly lots of RDs aren’t fully aware of them. It’s not a requirement to be a member of AND to practice, and lots of RDs cut ties with AND because of their corporate ties. It’s hard work to become an RD, and really frustrating to have to defend our credibility when most of us try daily to have a positive impact on people’s lives .Well, the AND gets exposed. This has been going on for years. I saw it happening as a now retired RD. It’s embarrassing to see a former president of the then ADA in the movie Forks over Knives supporting the corporations views she was working for. All a bunch of misinformation! How could that be? Money, it’s all about money. I see in print above that Dr Greger points out 2 of his favorite evidence based Dietitians. It would have been nice to mention something a little more supportive of RD’s in the video. I never met or worked with a Dietitian who intended to harm or give false information to anyone. We just wanted to help patients get well & stay well.“When you hear the title Registered Dietitian, this is the group they’re registered with.”This is misleading and not accurate.For one, not all RD’s are on the same page with Academy when it comes to dietary approaches. Also, not all RD’s are members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In fact, there are thousands of RD’s who are not affiliated, or active paying members, with the AND because of the concerns you raise in this video. All RD’s are registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration, the credentialing agency of the AND, but are not required to be active members of the Academy.There is a group of highly proactive RD’s seeking to change the corporate sponsorships with the AND. They have a website: http://integritydietitians.org and a Facebook page: Dietitians for Professional Integrity.There are many RD’s who promote and advocate for plant-centered diets, and avoidance of highly refined and processed foods, and animal products. How come you make no mention of these individuals?And to be fair, there are very few doctors, less in number than that of RD’s I would bet, who are advocates of plant-centered diets.Do you have any ideas for what a RD who does not support AND’s corporate sponsorship should do?Applause, applause, applause! And, thank you so very much for this report that documents why RDs apparently should not be trusted as possessing correct nutrition information, something I realized in the 1970s and decided to become a natural nutritionist rather than a Registered Dietician, which back then labeled me a ‘quack’. What I learned back then, RDs are just starting to incorporate into some of their work. There’s a tremendous difference in nutrition values, information, and how the body uses food when information does not come from corporations that make the products and provide financial subsidies to those entrusted with dispensing supposedly accurate information, as you so eloquently point out, AND which is part of the problem with many of the food-related health problems we ‘enjoy’ today due to food processors ideas of nutrition. Supporting RDs in many ways allows food processors the ‘earned’ rights to provide ‘nutrition’ information, in my opinion and, obviously, yours. The sad part about the RD agenda is that professionally as a group they are legally recognized as knowing what nutrition is all about. In my opinion, that seems to be quite a stretch. Why aren’t RDs coming down hard on the inferior values of GMO foods, especially the inordinate amounts of pesticides GMO crops are sprayed with in the growing fields or those crops that grow their own pesticides that humans and animals raised as food are forced to eat? Thank you, again, for shining the spotlight of fact on an issue of immense nutritional importance to USA citizens. I hope they and the RDs will take seriously what you’ve said in this report.Well, many RD’s ARE indeed concerned about Monsanto, pesticides, etc.Many RDs ARE coming down hard on GMO foods. There’s an entire AND subunit called “Hunger and Environmental Nutritionists” – most of the opposed to GMOs. (Maybe not the ones working in 3rd world countries with malnutrition and thinking maybe gmo corn might prevent blindness to millions. It’s a tough call for some in those situations – not something most of us are exposed to in our land of abundance.)video not playing. Issue?My own interest in nutrition, particularly with plant-based diets, prompted me to pursue a formal nutrition science education – and I’m glad I went this route – each course provides more critical context in the complex canvas of food and physiology that I could never have learned efficiently on my own – and I’ve only just scratched the surface. I’ll need to make a decision in the coming months as to whether I’ll pursue a Master’s with an RD certification or track a research path. I’m glad to read some of the comments from RD’s clarifying that affiliation with AND is a choice and that there’s an effort to put an end to the conflict of interest. Nevertheless, since AND manages RD credentialing, these funding relationships degrade the integrity of the organization overall.Great area of study you are interested in. Have you checked out the graduate programs in nutrition? They look so interesting.Yes indeed. There are two Universities in my area with graduate programs in Nutrition. The one I plan to enter has two tracks – one leads to RD certification, the other more research focused. The RD path seems to be a prudent choice from an job standpoint as most healthcare organizations only hire RD’s. That being said, I’m not sure which path is for me yet.Dr. Greger, you have nicely identified the root cause of many systemic cycles. Financial influence in our decision making process corrupts the outcome and put into question the “common knowledge” of our society in many industries: food, medical, transportation, waste management, etc. Where money is involved, and weak and poorly understood policies in place, this is the results. Perfect results given the conditions we have allowed to be created over time…Registered Dietitian here – and I can say for myself and thousands of other RDs. This video and some of the conflicts of interests of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics DOES NOT REFLECT the opinion and practice of many RDs.We are highly against this and have been fighting a huge battle within the organization to stop all questionable sponsorship and end all conflicts of interests.So be encouraged. Many RDs agree and will continue to give quality scientific based nutrition counseling, regardless of the the sponsorship of the Academy.And not all registered dietitians agree with the policies and sponsorships of the ANDHow about the hypocrisy of WIC (Women, Infants & Children)? They will not allow a bag of potatoes on their produce voucher (maybe $3), but you can get TWO 64oz juices per juice voucher. The number of vouchers vary with each person. When I had WIC 20+yrs ago, I could get can tuna and an extra lb of carrots for being a breastfeeding mom. The cereal choices have gone downhill too. It’s relegated to cheap “crisp rice” and other cheap filler cereal. I know, I’m am alternate on my daughter-in-law’s WIC. Going to the store to get WIC is not fun.Why would they have juice in favor or eating fruit? What is “cheap filler cereal”? Why would somebody even buy “crisp rice” when it is cheaper to buy dry rice and cook it? Dry oats too for that matter.If you are receiving WIC, you have to get what is on the voucher. If you’ve never heard of WIC, you won’t know what I’m talking about. “Crisp rice” is generic Rice Crispies. That’s what WIC allows you to get with their vouchers.I am not a woman, infant or child. But… are you saying that WIC forces a consumption of sugar water with artificial color and flavor on you? If so, it is nutritionally criminal. Almost free water from the tap would be a better choice. What are the best things that WIC provides (in your opinion)?jamfhall1: I don’t know much of anything about the WIC program. But I did just read a brief article in the Vegetarian Journal put out by VRG (Vegetarian Resource Group) about some positive changes. Some quotes of interest: ” One important change for vegans and others avoiding dairy products isthat medical documentation is no longer needed for program participantsto get vouchers for soy beverages and calcium-set tofu in place of cow’smilk – See more at: http://www.vrg.org/blog/2014/03/05/revisions-to-the-wic-food-package-make-sense/#sthash.HjD03TqA.dpufOne important change for vegans and others avoiding dairy products is that medical documentation is no longer needed for program participants to get vouchers for soy beverages and calcium-set tofu in place of cow’s milk.”That’s the good news. The bad news is: “… not all states allow soy milk or tofu to replace cow’s milk but for those that do, it will be easier for this substitution to take place. As of 2011, 71% of state agencies allow soy milk to replace cow’s milk and 40% allow tofu to replace cow’s milk.”VRG kindly posted the article for free on their website if you want to read more: http://www.vrg.org/blog/2014/03/05/revisions-to-the-wic-food-package-make-sense/This article/content doesn’t really address your issue. But I see the information as a sign of hope and thought you might want to know about it if you didn’t already know.Good luck to you and your daughter-in-law.Dr. Greger, I am very very disappointed in your myopic commentary regarding the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and their relationship with the corporate food industry. As a registered dietitian working with cancer patients, it is a daily challenge to help provide nutrition recommendations to people who are often unable to eat a mainly plant-based whole foods diet. While I agree, as do many of my colleagues, that the poor quality foods which are heavily marketed to American consumers are far from ideal, we as nutrition professionals are frustrated by the lack inexpensive, good quality foods. The amount of money that the AND receives from the food industry is fairly insignificant in terms of the AND’s overall budget, but the work that thousands of registered dietitians are doing in under-served communities, with children and families, with the elderly, with immigrants in helping improve health is worth billions of dollars in terms of health care savings. You have inappropriately maligned a group of nutrition professionals who practice nutrition with high standards of training and ethics. Over the past year, I’ve been so pleased with many of your comments and discussions pertaining to nutrition research and feel very sad that I can no longer respect your opinions.audrey: I can’t comment on the majority of your post. I’m sure there are lots of AND people trying to do their best. But that doesn’t make Dr. Greger’s message a problem. I don’t see this video maligning a group so much as pointing out a serious problem that if addressed, would make the group much stronger. This airing of the problem is a good thing.There is one small point I particularly wanted to address: “we as nutrition professionals are frustrated by the lack inexpensive, good quality foods.” From what I can tell, the most healthy foods are very inexpensive and easy to attain. For example: Dried beans. Potatoes. Rice. You might consider checking out this article: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/26/best-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/And there are a couple of cookbooks that may interest you, including this well-researched one:Vegan on $4 A DayFrom Amazon: “Not only can a plant-based diet be good for health, it can also be easy on the pocketbook. At a time when many people are looking for a way to cut costs, Vegan on $4 a Day will show readers how to forgo expensive processed foods and get the most flavor out of delicious, high-quality basic ingredients. Author Ellen Jaffe Jones has combined passion, money savvy, journalistic expertise, and culinary skills into a consumer’s guide for an economically viable dietary lifestyle. She has scoured the shelves of popular supermarkets and big-box stores and calculated exactly how much it costs to eat healthfully and deliciously. Readers will learn how to adapt their favorite recipes, cook with beans and grains, and use bulk buying to get big savings. Includes nearly 100 nutritious, delicious and low cost recipes and a week’s worth of menu- planning ideas that show how the recipes can be combined to get a cost of $4 a day.”I guess I just don’t see the problem/the lack with the food that is available.That said, I find I never agree or disagree 100% with anyone, including Dr. Greger. But even though I have disagreed with Dr. Greger on a topic or two in the past, I put situation into perspective. I didn’t think, “hhmmm. Now I can’t trust/don’t respect anything he says.” I understand that I can’t agree with everything he says. We aren’t twins. I’m not out to defend Dr. Greger in this case. What does interest me is your reaction an where society in general seems to be going when it comes to disagreements. I don’t think we have been going in a healthy direction. Something to think about.Your snide and disparaging comments about dietitians reflects a lack of insight into what we do and how many of us are just as passionate as you about promoting healthy nutrition. Rather than waste time countering your very broad brush stroke condemnation of dietitians, I am simply deleting your site from my Favorites list. Too bad, because dietitians have been among your biggest supporters.Dietician commenters have reacted to this video with intense butthurt. He is perfectly entitled to talk about corporate interests. If it weren’t for the very last sentence, all your ego’s would have come out unscathed. Maybe he should have worded it better, but it is clear from the rest of the article that he is criticising the organisations, not its members, and the fact that the groups towing the official line are financially supported by questionable profit driven companies. The last sentence was intended to let viewers know why some dieticians promote unhealthy foods or are judgmental towards vegans.This excerpt in particular: “Is this what family doctors have been reduced to? To justify an unholy financial alliance we hide behind what others say and do and deny that there are actually unhealthy “bad” foods?” – especially the use of the word “we” when referring to fellow health professionals – should have made it very clear that he was not attacking dieticians themselves.It could be said that RDs have a subconscious vested interest in not having their credibility questioned.All RD’s are not the same. I was unlucky enough to get one who was concerned that I ate no animal products. And she was VERY concerned that my fat intake was less than 10%. (Less than 10% was the figure which proved successful in reversing heart disease ala Esselstyn and Ornish)I’m in school to become a registered dietitian but I hereby do solemnly swear, I will never claim there are no good or bad foods and I will never say “everything in moderation.”LearningFromThePast: You rock! Sounds like you will be a force for good when you launch your career. Good luck!How can one find out, that ADA is sponsored by these organisations? Is it written on their homepage? Where am I heading is – can we find out, whether the europian organisations are also sponsored?Great video and as an RD I share the concerns of AND’s position regarding ‘no bad foods’. Just to clarify: AND does not register Dietitians, that is a separate organization, Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). An RD can be registered in the national registry and not hold an AND membership. They are separate. I have been an RD for 25 years and most of that without ADA or AND membership because they do not well represent the vast majority of RDs. Coca Cola, NutraSweet, the MSG Council (who knew), even the Corn Syrup Association is always in attendance at the annual convention. The convention floor is clearly well funded by Coca Cola, Heinz, ConAgra etc. Very disheartening.Linda: It’s a good post. I appreciated you making the distinction between being registered and being a member of ADA and/or AND. As a lay person, I had not understood that distinction before.Thanks for being one of the good ones!Dr. Greger, after watching Forks Over Knives and reading Discovering the Word of Wisdom and The China Study, I have changed to a WFPB diet. I love it and truly feel that it is something that can have a huge impact in preventing and reversing disease and help promote overall health. I began applying for physical therapy programs for next year before making this change and I am now wondering if this is the right route to go. I want to be able to help people and incorporate this knowledge in my profession but I don’t really know what opportunities are out there that will allow me to really make an impact while still earning enough to provide for my family and work a standard 40 hour work week. Any insights you have would be much appreciated!!	Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,alcohol,American Academy of Pediatrics,American Dietetic Association,American Egg Board,animal studies,candy,chewing gum,chocolate,Coca-Cola,cocoa,dairy,eggs,fast food,Hershey's,industry influence,junk food,McDonald’s,meat,Pepsi,smoking,soda,tobacco	What effect do corporate sponsorships from food companies have on the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Registered Dietitian organization (formally known as the American Dietetic Association)?	Michele Simon is the muckraking powerhouse behind that exposé. Check out her blog Eat Drink Politics.For more on the corrosive effect of money and politics in nutrition, see:There are lots of evidence-based dietitians. My two favorites are Brenda Davis and Jeff Novick. And now there's a whole organization! Check out Dietitians for Professional Integrity	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-dietetic-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-academy-of-pediatrics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcdonalds-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocoa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepsi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chewing-gum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hersheys/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24001441,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23351634,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20063212,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19298423,
PLAIN-2581	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/	Dark Chocolate and Artery Function	Chocolate: beauty, the beast, or both? Although cocoa itself is frequently found in foods like chocolate which can contain high levels of fat and sugar, the cocoa powder itself may have beneficial effects in a number of chronic disease conditions including heart disease.Flow-mediated dilation, measured in the main artery of the arm, is considered one of the best measures of arterial function, a predictor of cardiovascular mortality. A little bit of cocoa doesn’t do anything, but a little more, or a lot gives one a significant boost in arterial function within hours of consumption. How much does it take? Not much, just about a teaspoon of natural cocoa powder, which would be like a tablespoon or more of Dutched cocoa.Now, makes you a little suspicious that the author works in Hershey, Pennsylvania, at the Hershey Medical center, and indeed has accepted money from our largest chocolate manufacturer’s Center for Health and Nutrition, conveniently located near the intersection of Chocolate and Cocoa Avenue.Putting together all of the best available evidence, though, dozens of randomized controlled trials, arterial function was significantly improved immediately, within hours, and after weeks and months of chronic cocoa consumption. It’s always difficult to tease fact from fiction when such powerful financial interests are involved. Many of these studies were funded by industry as well, and as in all areas of research, evidence suggests that industry funding is associated with pro-industry conclusions, but even after removing those studies funded by industry, they found the same protective effect.The reason they measure arterial function in the arm rather than where you really need it—the coronary arteries of the heart, is that that would require an angiogram, which is a much more invasive procedure. But if you were able to find people already scheduled for an angiogram anyway… Double-blind randomized trial finds that dark chocolate actually opens up coronary arteries. And when they did what’s called a cold pressor test, where they plunge your hand into a bucket of ice water, which normally causes your arteries to constrict, after dark chocolate, they dilated.Because chocolate also contains fat and sugar, we have to be careful, though. Furthermore, most chocolate products are manufactured with milk, a compound known to influence antioxidant capacity in serum. Even if milk chocolate had the same flavonoid phytonutrient content as dark chocolate, the antioxidant effect of cocoa is potentially weakened in the blood when milk is consumed.So not only are there triple the antioxidants in dark compared to milk chocolate, but the milk actively works against the effects in the human body. Give dark chocolate, and get a nice spike in the antioxidant power of your bloodstream within an hour. Give milk chocolate, nothing, but if you eat that same dark chocolate with a cup of milk, the benefit is suppressed. The addition of milk, either in your stomach or in the chocolate, inhibits the within body antioxidant activity of chocolate and the absorption into the bloodstream of one of the target phytonutrients.The sugar isn’t good for us either. Sugar impairs arterial function. One bottle of soda’s worth of sugar can cripple arterial function. That’s why sugar-free cocoa improves arterial function better than the same amount of cocoa with sugar added. So, eliminating sugar appears to amplify the beneficial effects of cocoa.Bottom line, although the positive effects of chocolate and cocoa products seem apparent, precautions exist when we’re talking about the calories, fat, and sugar in chocolate. Cocoa powder, then offers the best of both worlds. Although not as tasty, cocoa-based products with little or no sugar or fat are certainly preferred. And you can make them tasty as I note in my healthy chocolate milkshake recipe, and my healthy chocolate ice cream video.	Science is so good with us today :)great video! I was wondering what’s your opinion on cacao nibs, or roasted cacao nibs . Do they have the same effect?I was wondering about cacao as well. I thought that they had the benefits of the theobromine without the added fat or sugar or even vegan chocolate.I wonder about that too. There was a point I ate a couple cacao beans a day because I thought it was good for me but I had been feeling terrible that whole month. I was trying to figure out what is was, then I stopped eating cacao and all my terrible symptoms went away. If I need to use cocoa powder in something, I’ve then switched to Carob. I think its a much better replacement. But I also wonder if it may have the same benefitsCacao nibs have a maximum of anti-oxydant as raw. They are excellent in any addition. The inhibition of sugar and cow milk is significant.That chocolate ice “cream” is so good..Admittedly without going back to the original data… and not wanting to appear “Lustig-like”… is it the fructose and/or glucose that does the mentioned damage to arteries ? The term “sugar” used throughout the video is not sufficiently specific.Yes, great question. Let’s hope someone contributes, and this presents a massive question mark without a precise answer on the sugar….fructose….or glucose.Just try to buy the pure cocoa, you can find in Health stores.This way you know there is no sugar added.Yes, I had a similar question…Wonder if anyone has studied endothelial function and/or flow-mediated dilation (FMD) with respect to whether there is any difference between being given strictly glucose or strictly fructose. I suspect fructose, given it gets converted directly to circulating fatty acids by the liver. And if one reads Esselstyn, fatty meals themselves may also impair endothelial function. So, I wonder if, as Lustig et al imply, fructose effectively doubles as fat in the blood, hence similar effect to eating a fatty meal on FMD / endothelial function…One wonders, if fructose is involved, whether perhaps uric acid is also involved…Seems uric acid may play a role in inhibiting endothelial function and/or nitric oxide production.http://www.nature.com/ki/journal/v67/n5/full/4495239a.htmlAnd one of the byproducts of fructose metabolism is uric acid… So, it may well be that fructose metabolism does in fact contribute to endothelial dysfuction via uric acid production?For more on fructose metabolism & uric acid production see Richard Johnson “The Sugar Fix.” He points out that uric acid is produced through fructose metabolism and that it may contribute to gout, among other things. If uric acid plays a role in endothelial dysfunction then maybe in heart disease / atherosclerosis, too?http://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Fix-High-Fructose-Fallout-Making/dp/1439101671/Here are two more of our favorite chocolate recipes, both using dates as their main or only sweetener, for my fellow (organic, free trade) dark chocolate lovers: Super Seed Chocolate Protein Bites (add 1/4 tsp of cayenne for a little extra antioxidant kick) and Raw Brownies (neither the name nor the picture do these super-rich bad boys justice. I use 3 TBSP maple syrup as the sweetener in the frosting). Enjoy!Thank you, those two recipes looks wonderful (I could eat chocolate always, it’s my favourite food) :)So I was left browsing for a bit the vegan blog, a lot of good dessert recipes, unfortunately I saw that the use of coconut oil and full fat coconut milk is still all the rage among…. *healthy* eaters.I guess more info is needed, there is a lot of conflicting information that made all these people sure that they are eating extremely healthy fats. :SAnd they are clogging their arteries pretty much as if they were taking butter and full cream. I don’t know how we can send the message across.And it is not only among vegans, the craze got the omnivores long ago, every time I check — I see coconut oil as number one best selling grocery item in amazon uk:http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/grocery/ref=pd_dp_ts_grocery_1(Not everyone uses it as food, but the overwhelming majority do)I hope you enjoy them, Thule – it sounds like you will! :-)We don’t cook or bake with added fats beyond those found in our whole foods, so I agree with you. (We enjoy a lot of recipes from Susan Voison’s <a href="http://blog.fatfreevegan.comFatFree Vegan Kitchen blog, it’s one you might like if you aren’t familiar with it). I see that coconut oil craze everywhere too. Dr. Greger has a couple of videos about its unhealthy effects – but you’ve probably seen them. :-)These studies are so interesting. I try to listen to as many as I can, but it’s hard to know what to make of this information?Why nature wants us to eat fruit, it packs it in a nice sweet juicy package, and yet somehow with chocolate, cocoa, it is awful. It is bitter, and hard to get to the point of cocoa powder to begin with. I just think somehow if we were supposed to eat things like this they were either be sweet or we would be genetically prone to like their taste.So then, why do we LOVE the taste of chocolate, or even milk chocolate? Coffee is another one. I have to wonder if these discussions are a vestige of the ancient system that got people to buy these rare extracts to begin with when they were very valuable commodities and had to be carted all around the world. A mystique must have developed around them and people tend to work off that to justify it or make it seem like the thing to do in order to boost the price and volume.I’m also curious about the artery dilating effects of stuff … we hear that cocoa helps open the arteries … but for how long? Why do we care?Don’t mean to be flippant, but of what use is it to use “permanently” that our arteries can be opened by eating something, and for how long does this effect last? Do we need to constantly eat cocoa powder to maintain healthy arteries … should we be using cocoa as a medicine, given 4 times a day?This is what I mean … I don’t understand the real point of these studies except just to say as an of interest, cocoa opens your arteries for a certain period of time. Why is that notable, what does it mean for my overall health. It makes me feel sometimes like we are just being marketed too constantly by every aspect of everything?Just another case of teasers that just bring up more ?’s.I’m good at that … wish I could get a job where I get paid by the questions I bring up! ;-)Chocolate, caffeine, sugar, heroin, alcohol – THAT’s why we love chocolate. It’s addictive. Hits the pleasure center of the brain. A little dopamine?I am not sure I love chocolate for any chemical properties … I would not eat it at all if it was only available as cocoa powder … I just like the taste. Does that mean anything I like hits my pleasure center of the brain as is addictive?You wouldn’t eat just the powder ’cause the powder hasn’t added sugar or milk, both of which dope up your brain with pleasure chemicals. Seriously, look up Lustig (Sugar: the Bitter Truth), Neal Barnard, Richard Johnson (The Sugar Fix), etc.I could not have said it better. And raw fruit and vegetables have been known to have the same positive effect that chocolate has on opening arteries.As an aside, chocolate has a host of anti-nutrients to go along with it.bruxe take a look at this, is related:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/Well, this can be pretty practical if you ask me. Improved blood flow even for a few hours might mean better physical/mental/sexual performance depending on where the “arterial bottle neck” is. Regular (and spread throughout the day – cocoa in the am, greens for lunch, walnuts in the pm etc) consumption of endothelium-friendly food might mean a dramatic difference in overall arterial condition of any person, even relatively healthy one. Regarding bitterness, it’s kind of usual for humans to get hooked on stuff which isn’t so nice at the first try, but then seduces the brain via some pleasure reward loop – tobacco, chili pepper, garlic, horror movies… :) I share the concern that if smth is not momentarily enjoyable it can be bad for us, yet these 3 stimulant drinks (coffee, tea, cocoa) do have a pretty substantial body of evidence concerning brain health and deserve the best of attention (and perhaps at least moderate consumption) at least for the promise of lesser chances to get Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. (Lol! I know why I drink coffee and it’s not for the mystique ;) For someone who doesn’t drink it very often, the effect is like a very mild dose of cocaine with some prozac while listening to a motivational speach set to a Beach Boys soundtrack.I think the beauty of these studies is that being modern humans, our bodies are conveniently set up to receive medicine 4x daily: breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner. Studies like this remind us we have the choice to continually expose ourselves to either medicinal foods or those that are either useless or harmful. You don’t have to consume every “superfood” at every meal, but if you have to eat something, isn’t it useful to know that certain foods are therapeutic? If you’re going to eat anyway, you might as well eat something that makes your arteries say ahhhh.We like chocolate because it has sugar in it. Also, milk chocolate because it has sugar AND milk protein (casein), which may convert into casomorphins (essentially an opiate, albeit in small quantities). Thus we get a small high and we get addicted to the “good feeling.” Not sure if the natural caffeine adds to the effect or not? Dunno…I think it was Neal Barnard who talked about this? Why we’re addicted to meat, cheese, dairy, sugar, etc.Thanks as always for the information Dr. Greger. I myself add a heaping tablespoon of cacao nibs to my morning smoothie: 1/2 pound kale, 1 cup frozen berries, 2 bananas, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds, and 3 cups water.Caveat: Soy milk acts like cow milk in suppressing the antioxidant activity of chocolate/cocoa. We currently mix our cocoa powder with almond milk. Hopefully, this is fine seeing as we have no data on this yet.Might be the calcium which binds with the phytonutrients. The Doc has a video on that, doesn’t he?Yes, this is the video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/ . It’s regarding soy milk and tea, but from memory it has the same effect on cocoa.Did not know that about soy milk. Where do you find out info like this? What else should I not be mixing the soy milk with?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/ Don’t mix it with tea either. It is believed that the protein in soy milk, being so similar to animal protein, binds with the phytonutrients and blocks them.What about theobromine in cocoa? Isn’t that a mild stimulant and slightly additive? I would think there are healthier foods to aid in arterial function.Health Benefits of TheobromineTheobromine has a similar effect than caffeine, but about 10 times weaker. Theobromine has diuretic, stimulant and relaxing effects. Theobromine can lower the blood pressure because it can to dilate blood vessels. Theobromine has stimulant properties, similar to caffeine. Unlike caffeine theobromine does not affect the central nervous system. Theobromine can also relax bronchi muscles in the lungs. Theobromine can be used as cough medicine. Studies indicate that theobromine acts on the vagus nerve, which runs from the lungs to the brain. http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/theobromine.php Have read that over 1000mg per day for humans is the upper limit.I actually discovered that dark choco, devoid of soy and dairy, helps my mild asthma. I don’t need to take Theophylline (theobromine messed with by Big Pharma). I have told several other fellow-asthmatics and they are also enjoying their “medicine” now.I meant to say addictiveDr. Greger! Another great video, thanks! My husband has atherosclerosis & our diet is no-oil & plant-based. Would using erythritol or xylitol instead of date sugar be preferable and do you have an tempting brownie recipe for us all? Many thanks!I always thought that chocolate was classed as a neurotoxin…It’s a neurotoxin for dogs.Domestic animals metabolize theobromine much more slowly than humans and can easily consume enough chocolate to cause chocolate poisoning. The toxic dose for cats is even lower than for dogs. However, cats are less prone to eating chocolateI usually have a teaspoon of raw cacao powder with my coffee or hibiscus tea in the morning but I’d like Dr Gregors input on this study about the correlation between theobromine and testicular cancer and disorders. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672359/About sugar and CVD, this 2014 study remarkably showed that increasing intake of added sugars by just 4% of calories (2 ½ Tbsp, or 8 oz. of soda in a 2000 Cal diet) was associated with statistically significant increases in cardiac mortality, even after a host of adjustments for other lifestyle habits. The 10% of the population that consumed the most added sugar (> 25% E) had twice the risk of those consuming < 10%.How do the Kuna Indians of Panama get all the benefits of cocoa flavonols without the saturated fats and added sugars? They start with raw cocoa (that hasn’t been treated with alkali or roasted), grind and boil it with banana, then pass it through a strainer (which removes the cocoa & banana solids and most of the saturated fat).are there any acceptable sweetners, as in not toxic? Stevia? xyletol….or do you just au natureal?Dr. Greger likes erethritol.I like the amino acid glycine, for other reasons, but use so little (4 g=1 tsp in my evening hibiscus tea) that the higher cost isn’t an issue.I looked up glycine bulk powder on amazon, it seems it’s made in China, which worries me. The company says they “triple test it” but I have a hard time taking their word for it. Because the industry is unregulated they can get away with saying they test it and it could still have heavy metals in it. I would like to try it and see if it improves sleep like everyone is saying it does.Some is U.S. produced (1, 2), and the USP grade that accounts for 85% of the market is subject to testing for metals etc. and used in human foods. Mine comes from a supplement brand well regarded at ConsumerLab, and isn’t the absolute cheapest. Overall, its wise to be wary of supplement claims. I take some but will readily admit I’m conducting an n=1 experiment and can do the literature searches for adverse reports.Thanks, Darryl! I am going to get the same supplement.I found one on amazon that is USP & FCC Pharmaceutical Grade. I think it might be the same one you have. It’s made by Dual Health.I use monk fruit (the real kind, not the fake ones with just a tiny bit of monk fruit and a ton of sugar). I just started using monk fruit; I bought it from amazon from a farm in Indiana (never trust anything from China).I use zante currants as sweetner. Loaded with fructose for the sweetness, healthy despite the sugars.Wonder if excess dried-fruit (and some other high sugar fruits) could increase cardiac mortality as well?I’d focus more on guaranteeing your magnesium intake. Pepita or pumpkin seeds do the trick together with greens.Our bodies run on sugar, its sitting on your butt eating sugar while lining your bloodvessels with fat what is the problem.The indians do a lot of walking compared to TV junkies. That makes cells pull the circulating nutrients from your blood, clearing it up.Those indian will not be in the habit of throwing away free energy btw. That fat will most certainly be consumed one way or the other.Even Dr. Lustig notes the adverse effects of high-fructose diets occur when livers are glycogen replete (ie, in sedentary individuals). However, that represents a lot of us. Earn your sugar.With respect to the San Blas Islands dwelling Kuna, who don’t develop hypertension as their urban dwelling relatives do, the one study assessing their overall diet found it to be high in magnesium, potassium, and relatively low in fat (which should help), but also high in cholesterol and sodium (which shouldn’t), which lead to the interest in cocoa and how they drink it. Their traditional cocoa drinks are indeed fairly high in sugars (7-10%), but very low in the palmitic and stearic fats that dominate cocoa (0.1-0.4%), so presumably most is strained out with the cocoa and banana (or corn) solids. The 1 ½ hours they spend boiling the mixtures would provide a lot of time to earn our sugar.While gaining weight from end november till now my chronic but never treated hypertention (160-120 fat – 140 – 100 lean) dropped to 110 – 70 a month ago. A very tiny dose of clonedine 0.25ugr for PTSD/ADHD dropped that ten points more 100 – 60 to a level I couldn’t go to the gym with anymore without feeling faint almost immediately.In any case a WFPB diet caused a 30 point drop in half a year while still eating canned corn, beans and beets together with 100 grams easy of salted peanuts. (For taste and Palmitoylethanolamide anti IC like pain trial which started to drive me nuts past few years. Peanuts being the cheapest source). And a occational bag of tortilla chips.Still a pretty hefty salt load by any calculation. Cannot come to any other conclusion high BP is mostly caused by something else than salt.I’ve been on a war on arteroscleroses ever since December and its pretty clear that endothelial function is being restored in a pretty dramatic way.I consume pretty hefty fructose loads to I might add. Fruit covering a third easy of what I consume on a day. Apple, orange, lemon, banana, kiwi, sugared cranberries , currants and frozen fruits daily.Consumerlab just reported that with only one exception all cocoa powder tested had cadmium and lead contamination exceeding toxic levels. What’s a healthy vegan to do?Thank you, thank you, thank you. Dr. Esselstyn has been commenting about sugar but didn’t define in what forms – outside the processed. This is the first time I saw the study referred to.Would you get the same effect from using carob powder instead?No, aren’t related.I’m sorry to bother everyone, but I can’t find the link for the good doctor’s healthy chocolate ice cream video. Help please?Not sure if this one is what you were thinking of….doesn’t mention ice cream…but it does have chocolate smoothie and pudding (with frozen cherries) – which you could probably freeze to an ice cream. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/ Going to try this myself!When you click on the above link to bring up the transcript of his video, the last sentence says:“And you can make them tasty as I note in my healthy chocolate milkshake recipe, and my healthy chocolate ice cream video.”That’s the chocolate ice cream video I was asking about. I can’t find it anywhere. Your link brings me to his “healthy chocolate milkshake recipe, but it’s a head scratcher as to where the ice cream video is.What other foods are good for endothelial function. and hypertension? Already on a low fat, whole food plant based diet (WFPB). Due to acid reflux, L.P.R. or silent reflux, am trying to avoid chocolate and coffee. According to Dr Koufan (“Dropping Acid, the reflux diet”), chocolate causes more reflux than any other food. Triple whammy: contains caffeine and theobromine, which relaxed the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), high in fat which also causes reflux, and high in cocoa which causes reflux.Hi there mike at the river. Here are a few video topics that might be helpful:Beets: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/Mushrooms: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/Walnuts: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/And keep doing what you are doing….antioxidant-rich plant foods: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/Exercise too – http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/Hi mike,Do you like oatmeal? The avenanthramides in oats are also known to increase NO production which increases arterial dilation and lowers blood pressure. They also prevent LDL oxidation, and inhibit SMC proliferation and adhesion of inflammatory blood cells to vessel walls. Even if you don’t like oatmeal, there’s granola or granola bars (just watch the oil and sugar content), flax/chia/oat no-bake bars or balls, adding it to smoothies, and use in savory concoctions like bean burgers, loaves etc.Also as an aside, I dealt with some serious reflux issues some years ago as a result of overprescribed NSAIDs. Powdered slippery elm bark helped me more than any prescription over the counter products the doctors recommended. Tastes like cardboard but it smells like maple syrup :) More importantly, it worked.cocao powder with frozen fruit for the sweetness. No more no less. The more you eat the healthier ^^Here it is: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/Toxins recipe: 5 dates 3 tbsp. Cacao powder ¾ cup mix frozen berries. ½ tsp. vanilla extract 2 tbsp. Unsweetened Almond MilkMix all in blender and put in freezer. Wait an hour or until consistency of ice cream.Ben, yup, looks like this is it! Thanks so much.You could probably take the almond milk and freeze it as an almond milk cube, and use that in the blend mix, thereby not needing to put the mix in the freezer.I tried this without the berries and with homemade almond ‘milk’. Surprisingly it was ok – actually edible. I used 3/4 cup of almonds to approx 1 and 1/2 cups of water. After blending the ingredients the mixture was strained and heated to boiling, thus enabling the mixture to thicken. The texture of the final product could be improved with the addition of gums/starches (agar, LBG/xanthan gum, arrowroot starch maybe even oatmeal or brown rice flour etc etc).Thank you to everyone who helped me out here.We do currently freeze whole bananas in the peel. After frozen, we take them out of the freezer and drop them in hot tap water for about 45 seconds to a minute. Then the peels come off like a glove. Into the Vitamix blender they go. Sometimes adding some nuts or other frozen fruit, and sometimes roasted carob powder.But, now that I know how healthy the raw chocolate is, we’ll be using that, especially since my wife is a true chocolate addict.Crama: I learned a trick from you. I’ve frozen ripe bananas before, but never in the skin. I’m guessing that you do it in the skin to prevent discoloration? Neat trick.I’ll tell you how it happened. We used to peel the bananas, place them on a cookie sheet and freeze them; then after freezing, put them in a ziploc bag. One day I was either in a hurry or lazy, and just stuck them in the freezer. When I went to use them, I said to myself, how am I going to get the skin off? The bowel of hot water was the only solution. And, we’ve been doing it that way ever since.Basically, what you’re doing is melting or thawing the banana just under the skin, maybe around a 1/16 inch or less in from the underside of the skin. Then, the softened banana acts like a lubricant to aid in the removal of the skin. It takes only seconds to remove.The skin does seem to protect the banana better than just a plastic bag, with no discoloration, or freezer burn.Of course, if you freeze really ripe bananas, then they will be darker. But the freezing won’t darken them anymore than from when you put them in.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/What do you make of the recent reports about cadmium in cocoa powder? http://www.naturalnews.com/045545_cacao_powder_cadmium_lab_testing_results.html#ixzz35qYJhFrZHere’s a recent video from Dr. Greger on cadmium in plant food http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/There is some discussion in the comments about cacao – it’s not specifically addressed in the video but it is a plant food. The link you posted suggests that cacao nibs have lower levels of cadmium. I recall reading that CL report when they published it in May and being disappointed because they didn’t test cacao nibs but there were a few supplements / powders on the list that CL tested below threshold for cadmium, arsenic and lead.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/LOL kwd was first, cross post.Cadmium, or Cadbury? ;-)A little cocco in my beet juice doping to a new levelThanks for this…going to try your chocolate ice cream. I must…doctor’s orders…Yaaaayyy!We love cocoa!Another great video. Once I went vegan and gluten free the last three months I have gotten so many great benefits. I was able to cure my hashimoto’s and finally started losing weight. Haven’t felt this good in a long time. Life is a lot simpler too since I don’t waste much time in the kitchen. Breakfast and lunch are green smoothies and dinner is beans+rice. I tell everyone I know to watch Dr. Greger’s videos!I am so curious about your thyroid issue. Were you on Synthroid and then didn’t need it anymore after your diet changes? I am vegan and gluten free also and we are having a hard time finding the right dose. My thyroid medication has been cut in half over the last 18 months.Yes, I was on 50 mcg synthroid, Then cut it down to 25 mcg. Finally went off it completely. Was never sure I even had Hashi’s. My doc just said I did without running labs after my TSH was high (around 6). I ran labs on my own over a period of months; I didn’t even have antibodies present, but I had high reverse T3. I highly recommend reading Izabella Wentz’s book on Hashimoto’s. It helped me a lot in terms of supplements to take.I find it all so interesting. I have been on Synthroid for many years (18) and I was on 200 mcg which is a lot for someone my size. My TSH was originally 750 so I had all the symptoms of hair loss etc. It happens after childbirth sometimes. (750 is correct-not 7)Anyhow what I find so interesting is that since becoming vegan 2 years ago my medication has reduced to 120 mcg. I wonder how low the medication will go. It takes so long for the levels to adjust that the process is crazy. It goes on and on!I try and stay away from supplements. I do best with a WFPB diet. (yes on B12)Same here. I must have shared this site with 40 – 50 people already. And I’ll make the time to tell them of a lot about it and its content immediately if they want to hear it.Even today a nice lady commented on my healthy lineup of foods. The first time in a month I bought steak a vegetarian commends me on my choice of food :) I gave her the site details immediately.Keep up the crusade Dr. Greger, the world needs you!Let me occasionally add a teaspoon of cacao to my banana smoothies.What about raw cacao powder with soy? Are the benefits still negated like with tea and soy milk?Dr. G, Do you have any concerns about cadmium, lead or other heavy metals found in certain Cocoa products? Consumer Lab released test results for cacao products. Navitas Natural (organic) Cacao Powder, and NOW Certified Organic Cacao Powder both failed because of cadmium contamination [1]. Both contained amounts around three times higher than the limit suggested by WHO. I tossed my tossed Navitas cacao nibs.Another study cited lead in chocolate as a particular concern for children: Talanta. 2014 Feb 15;119:1-4. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2013.10.048. Epub2013 Oct 28. Trace elements in cocoa solids and chocolate: an ICPMS study. Yanus RL1, Sela H2, Borojovich EJ2, Zakon Y3, Saphier M2, Nikolski A2, Gutflais E2, Lorber A2, Karpas Z2.Thanks for your thoughts on this topic. I’ve switched to Carob until you green light Cocoa for me again.There is one point I’d like to mention on cocoa. It can help further disrupt unbalanced brain chemistry.It was one of the first health foods I started with in november.Now I’ve always been a manic depressive type but massive doses of cocoa combined with a quite moderate dose of dex-amfetamine for my ADHD plus the pure enthusiasm of all the interesting info on this site combined to pure and uncontrollable manic behaviour.Cause me to pour my heart out out on a dutch vegan forum in a way I haven’t experienced before in my life appart from maybe the times I took extacy in my late teens early twenties.This manic episode died off after stopping cocoa december 15th then started using it with my coffee again 2 weeks later and back was the manic drive.This might be something to watch out for. Being manic feels nice sure enough but it comes at great cost through loss off inhibition or the burden off depression one needs to suffer after.I sure for one would like to see my posts deleted thats for sure. (the price of inhibition loss). In the end I got kicked and can’t logg in there anymore. Guess I’ll have to live with it.Regards.Arjan: I’m sorry to hear that happened to you. I can imagine how frustrating the whole situation is. On the plus side, you figured out a trigger. That’s great. Good luck.Plant foods are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get!;)Arjan this is a great post! I got a little chuckle. It’s funny but I find when I put green tea leaves in my smoothies I get this nice energy that is just perfect! And it lasts longer than coffee.Thanks!When I cook my oats/quinoa/fenugreek/sweet potatoe starch base for later mixing with frozen fruits, i’ll add any cold mixed white tea/lemon water if I haven’t consumed it within two days. Nice and fresh, good for breakfast.White tea soaked for a day cold is a bad thing to drink before bed seems stronger than coffee on top of longer effect like you mentioned. Maybe 2.5 gr per Liter is to much ^^Doing this almost vegan stuff with the renewed energy comes with crippling insomnia lately. Have slept maybe 4 hours average for the past 6 weeks or so. Its really getting insufferable. Suffered actual sports injuries through nervous system exhaustion and less than optimal muscle control. Really annoying!No I don’t but I will tell you that the longer you are eating a WFPB diet the more changes you will notice. Sleeping problems are one of those very annoying things.On a different topic…Walter Willet of Harvard is now saying that eating fruit and veg does not reduce cancer and diet plays less of a role in cancer prevention than previously thought. What is your take on this Dr Greger?I guess he eats or researched the wrong vegetables :)http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/I am a bit confused, sorry. It’s crystal clear that pure cocoa is the best, fine. But what about dark chocolate? In this video some of the studies shown were using cocoa/dark chocolate, but we don’t know the different effect of the two. What if we eat 80% or more dark chocolate? It should be almost like pure cocoa, since this is 90% or so.I mean, we can introduce cocoa easily in the breakfast for example, or for a snakc when we are at home., but it’s even easier to advice people to consume dark chocolate (maybe with some nuts…), since this can be eaten alone, and do not require other things.And what about mixing cocoa with soymilk? Shouldn’t this also inhibit the antioxidant ability of cocoa?Why would soy milk deplete antioxidants?Anyone seen this? I was doing some research and came across it. I’m wading through it but of course it contradicts everything so it’s highly suspect but I can’t offhandedly dismiss it yet. Any comments, insights appreciated.http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0088278&representation=PDFIn the authors’ own words, you are making mountains out of molehills:“Potential limitations of our results are due to the fact that the survey was based on cross-sectional data. Therefore, no statements can be made whether the poorer health in vegetarians in our study is caused by their dietary habit or if they consume this form of diet due to their poorer health status.”If you look at some of the health outcomes which they link with the vegetarian group in this particular context (Austria), you see some likely channels of self-selection which can imply poor health: allergies, cancer, and suspicion of vaccinations.Great news about cocoa. Give us the pure cocoa chocolate please. The mainstream chocolates are awful, contaminated with dairy and artificial. There’s no need for the latter at all; pure is better in every way.It is really that hard to find decent chocolate in the US?I’m quite a dark chocolate afficionado and as it is very popular in Germany, there are a lot of brands to choose from which have 70-100% cocoa. I always look at the ingredient list and the only thing that’s occasionally there which IMO doesn’t belong into a dark chocolate is butter fat. Most brands though have only soy lecithin and/or vanillin added. The premium brands have only real vanilla extract added, if anything. So even as a purist or vegan it is easy to find a decent dark chocolate here, no need to complain :)By the way I don’t think that the saturated fat in dark chocolate is much of an issue (if you don’t eat it by the pound), because cocoa butter is mostly 18:0 stearic acid, which is the most benign of all long-chain saturated fatty acids as most of it is actually metabolized to 18:1 oleic acid by desaturase enzymes.Just throw a teaspoon in with your morning green shake!What about the cadmium levels in cacao powder, which seem to be consistently high, according to recent, independent tests across various brands?http://www.naturalnews.com/045545_cacao_powder_cadmium_lab_testing_results.htmlwhere can i find the estastics?Jeanne Calment ate nearly one kilogram (2.2 lb) of chocolate every week. The French paradox may be in the dark chocolate and the different way the French use itDid he say how long the antioxidant spike in the blood lasts?May I plz have the “recipe” for the choc milkshake. I can’t cook, bake, etc, w/o exact amts. ThxMany anti chocolate sites warn about the insect parts and rodent droppings and hairs contained in the cocoa powder/chocolate. There is a site that says that this is myth except for in really cheap stuff. Be interesting to know if this is so and if it applies to any popular brands?Yea, chokko (cacao ) is all good only dogs die shortly after consuming it! Same can happen to a toddler if portion is oversized. Theobromine inside choko and cacao is a strong narcotic substance with neurotoxic properties.Hey Dr. Greger,I have noticed you have never done a video on cacoa NIBS. Supposedly it is the best, being absent of sugar and virtually raw…with the exception of it retaining it fat. Any thoughts?Hi, i like to eat fermented, raw cocoa beans. Is it good for me or is there too much saturated fat?Is lead reportedly found in chocolate products a legitimate health concern? Simply Google chocolate lead danger for reports. Is powdered cocoa less risky? Why do they call it cacao vs cocoa, and in Quebec the English name is Cocoa while the French name is cacao. I guess the cocoa is more refined.Interesting that sugar impairs endothelial function. Doesn’t the BART test also show that fatty meals impair arterial function?I wonder, in the case of sugar, do we know WHY endothelial function or flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is impaired? Do we yet know the specific mechanism by which such impairment occurs? Either via fatty food or sugary foods?Also, you say “sugar” but don’t specify what KIND of sugar… Are you talking, HFCS (broken up glucose/fructose in solution), sucrose (bound glucose/fructose; though it gets broken up in digestion), glucose or fructose?Do we know whether the “sugar endothelial/FMD impairment” happens if the individual is fed *STRICTLY glucose* or *STRICTLY fructose* (to see if one or the other is a culprit on its own; I lightly suspect fructose, possibly via being converted to fatty acids/triglycerides, mimicking fatty meals)?I guess I’m wondering if certain grain-based or oat-based “milks” [preferably without added oils] would similarly [to “sugar,” if one means sucrose] negate the benefits of cocoa powder or whether they’d be okay to use with cocoa powder like unsweetened soy milk is (given that grain or oat based milks are probably starch / glucose based and low in or free from fructose). Under the theory that maybe fructose is a culprit and thus using an un-sweetened, un-oiled glucose-based milk (made from grains or oats) would be okay, given there was no fructose added.Don’t know if anyone’s tunneled down to that level of detail yet? But I’d be itnerested to know the results if anyone ever does…Great video! and very funny, too!I just started looking at the saturated fat in all food, mostly to keep it low. Hot Chocolate or just plain Chocolate Powder is very high in saturated fat.As you said in the past saturated fat is bad, and it’s easy to eat a lot of saturated fat with chocolate powders. Is this all Chocolate Powder? I am pretty sure that most chocolate powder is bad for ones health now or am I missing something?Stephen, Prior to seeing your post, I understood that unsweetened cocoa powder could be thought of as dried cocoa beans with most of the fat removed. However, I decided to do some research before I commented and saw from the link below that cocoa powder has 7 grams saturated fat! What?!?! http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5471/2But then I noticed that the default serving size is 1 cup. No one eats 1 cup of cocoa powder in a serving, or in a day. Note that you can change the serving size. I think a more practical amount for a serving of unsweatened cocoa powder is 1 tablespoon. And at one 1 tablespoon, there is so little saturated fat, that the amount shows up as zero. And as Dr. Greger explains in the video above, it doesn’t take much to get a lot of benefit from cocoa powder: about 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon depending on which type you are eating.Getting back to topic of the amount of saturated fat in cocoa powder, I think it is helpful to compare to the amount of saturated fat in a really good quality, high cocoa content dark chocolate. So, I looked here: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/10638/2 And set the serving size to 1 ounce. An ounce is about 2 tablespoons. Which means that 1 tablespoon of actual chocolate (as opposed to cocoa powder) is about 3.5 grams saturated fat. This seems to support my original understanding that cocoa powder is cocoa beans with most of the fat removed (though not fully as much as I had thought, dang it).To give you one more idea for perspective: Dr. Greger does say to stay away from saturated fats, and rightly so. The science supports that advice in general. However, there does appear to be some exceptions. For example, Dr. Greger does support eating nuts, including walnuts. Walnuts according to the following link contain 1 gram saturated fat per ounce. And Dr. Greger would recommend even 2 ounces nuts and seeds per day. So, even if cocoa powder had 0.5 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon, you would be getting less than if you ate the nuts. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3137/2Here’s how I put it all together in my head: It helps to think about individual components in food sometimes, but worrying just about saturated fat without considering the whole food is a mistake. The science seems to strongly support eating 1-2 ounces of nuts and maybe a 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder per day. So, even if it makes sense to be concerned about and monitor saturated fat in general, it doesn’t make sense to avoid foods that have been well proven/supported by the evidence to be healthy.Hope that helps.Consumerlabs.org (membership requied) has been testing cocoa and chocolate bars for the past year and have found that most of cocoas and all of the chocolate bars test positive for Cadmium and Lead. Can Dr. Greger shed any light on this?	angiogram,antioxidants,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chocolate,chronic diseases,cocoa,dairy,dark chocolate,Dutched cocoa,fat,heart disease,heart health,Hershey's,industry influence,milk,milk chocolate,mortality,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,soda,sugar	What do studies not funded by the chocolate industry show about the effect of cocoa on arterial health?	Here’s a link to the videos I mentioned: Healthy Chocolate Milkshakes and A Treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.More on the corrupting effect of money in nutrition research in the next video in the queue, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Conflicts of Interest.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dark-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocoa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erythritol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angiogram/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hersheys/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dutched-cocoa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22425756,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24433077,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23639314,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17984375,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23557792,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23744823,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12944955,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20036019,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24734311,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22301923,
PLAIN-2582	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/	Broccoli: Sprouts vs. Supplements	Interest continues to grow about targeting cancer stem cells with a dietary component of broccoli, and especially broccoli sprout. Cancer stem cells are thought responsible for initiating and maintaining cancer, which I’ve talked about in the past.There’s also been a number of randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials on the use of broccoli sprouts as a complementary treatment in diabetes, to reduce oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, and reduce insulin resistance and fasting blood sugars. In my video Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck I describe how to grow your own simply and quickly in five days. New science suggests, though, that it’s even simpler and quicker than I described.If you look at other sprouts, their antioxidant phytonutrients appear to peak around sprouting day five, up to 10-fold higher than day two, but the sulforaphane content in broccoli sprouts appears to peak at around 48 hours, so 2-day-old sprouts may be even better.For consumers who do not enjoy eating broccoli, or broccoli sprouts, but still want the benefits of the broccoli phytonutrients, what about all of the different broccoli supplements on the market? Here they tested Broccomax, which boasts a half pound of broccoli’s worth in every capsule. They gave people six a day, compared to a cup of broccoli sprouts. Here’s the spike in broccoli phytonutrients in the bloodstream of those eating sprouts, which would cost about 25 cents a day, compared to six capsules of the supplement, which would cost about two dollars. They conclude that the bioavailability of broccoli phytonutrients is dramatically lower when subjects consume broccoli supplements compared to the whole food.	Cool. So these sprouts might be able to help once someone has cancer, but I am wondering if B12 supplements could harm once someone already has cancer. Or does it help? I already know it is known to possibly help in prevention. The high dose worries me that it might be feeding existing cancer. And the science says? Thanks.Think about this B-12 is a living organism and has been stripped away from streams, soil and animal manure. ANIMAL MANURE you say? Some animals are clean enough to have b12 grown in them and come out of their poop. Poop is a fertilizer which means b12 goes into soil, water and then plants. It comes from animals poop is what I am saying. Supplements are cleanly grown in lab which is very clean. I would not worry. Just look at the science.But the science has no long-term data, and there is science that has raised concerns about high-dose B12. By “just looking at the science” on this issue I have ended up here, trying to get clarity, because the science has in fact raised issues. And the amount that is ingested in pill form, regardless of the fact that only a small part of it is absorbed, still has to be processed out by the human body in amounts that have never had to be processed out before in human existence. These are my concerns. And this really is just “short term” data we have.Are you suggesting b12 is too much of a good thing? I feel fine taking 80000 percent DV pills. What we need daily is around 50,000 percent. Nonetheless science does show we need b12. I feel fine. I am going to get checked for celiac disease in a few weeks. Wish me luck, in Jesus name.Even if you do not have celiac disease, I suggest you avoid all gluten grains for at least six-months, not even in small amounts. This changes livers for the better. Read about the opiate effects in grains, as well as other negatives. So many people say there is no reason to abstain from gluten, yet so few of them have ever “walked-the-talk” to discover the positive effects of removing gluten, and, for that matter, most other grains. As a vegan, it will change your life for the better. Go for it.meant to say “changes lives for the better”, not “…’livers for the better.”There has been no scientific evidence to back your claims. You think there is but it is all lies and marketing by the so called Vegan front line companies. The following is a conversation with an employee at NutritionFacts.org –Me: Hi Dr. Michael Greger, my name is Luke Davis and I and my father are big fans. We have watched every presentation and hundreds of videos from the site.When people ask if we are vegans or vegetarians we answer . . we are sciencetarians. “We wouldn’t want science to get in the way of science . .” Yes, we use the Michael Greger science approach to diet and health.Anyway, I am a young actor here in Hollywood, and am wrestling with acne. I follow a strict “Greger” diet – of course no dairy or meat – take ground flax seed – b12 and vitamin d.I read several articles that said Gluten could agitate my acne so I went gluten free. Boy do I miss my whole grains (no oil or sugar added) breads.So I am asking you personally – should I continue or do you feel that avoiding gluten in nonsense.Thank YouLuke R. DavisJennifer: Hi Luke, Dr. Greger LOVED your email! Thanks so much for sharing. Sounds like you are doing ALL of the right things.Dr. Greger does not feel that the science supports gluten as a culprit for acne (unless of course you have been diagnosed with celiac disease–in which case gluten potentially could cause acne.) If you are having any other symptoms of celiac disease–like stomach problems, it might be worth getting the simple blood test to see if you have celiac disease (this can be done by your primary care provider). The only catch to the blood test is that you need to be eating gluten for several weeks before you have the blood test (that’s the only way to see if your body is producing the antibody against gluten). Here’s more about that: http://celiac.org/celiac-disease/diagnosing-celiac-disease/screening/Also, if you would like to be featured on our Facebook page, we’d love to have you! Just let me know. Take care-JenniferJennifer Drost, Physician Assistant NutritionFacts.org Volunteer● More at: DrGreger.org ● Facebook: facebook.com/NutritionFacts.org ● Twitter: twitter.com/nutrition_facts ● Podcast: bit.ly/NFpodcast ● Subscribe: bit.ly/nutritionupdates ● Donate: NutritionFacts.org/donateNothing contained in this email is intended to be a substitute for medical advice from a face-to-face meeting with a trained health professional.Me: Jennifer,Thank you so much for the information. Whole grain bread here I come!!! I will have my parents set up an appointment for the Celiac screening after several weeks of glutenizing myself.As far as being featured on Facebook – I would love that. Let me know what you need.P.S. I may be shooting in New York in the near future, and if so I would love to get to Boston and tale Dr. Greger out to lunch.Thank You Again . .Luke R DavisDon’t fall into lies and deceit.I’ve done it, I went Doug Graham’s 811rv for two years! Now I consume grains. My verdict? I feel BETTER with the grains!Hi Luke,Vitamin B12 is a chemical compound. Technically a group of similar compounds. It is not a living organism.Bacteria are living organisms, and are capable of producing vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is no more alive than any other products of bacterial metabolism e.g. carbon dioxide, sugars, or methane.Here is the structure of cyancobalamin: http://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=C68199&Mask=80I have seen this idea of vitamin B12 *being* bacteria rather than being a substance produced by bacteria many times on various vegan sites and blogs.Yeah baby! Who smells like sulforaphane now?!Is there any testing for Rapini (Broccoli Rabe)? To me it tastes like concentrated broccoli.Broccoli raab produce 500 times less than broccoli, it is not worth the extra price.It seems that Broccoli sprouts are the best, followed by broccoli raw, then cooked, Kohlrabi have a litle and Cauliflower a litle less.Two day old sprouts are barely sprouted. What really are two day old sprouts? Two days after first water or from some other point in time? If anyone ever needed proof that I am not a farmer, this might be it.When I saw this a few weeks ago (on the DVD), I had the same reaction, and emailed Dr. Greger. His reply, “48 hours post soak”.The 1st 12 hours, the seeds are submerged in water, i.e. they are soaking.Great. Two days post soak. Thanks much.We are now looking at our 2-day old sprouts. Tiny little bits of green. Maybe <¼ of the volume of 5-day fully-sprouted broccoli. So does the sulforaphane diminish after day 2, or does it stay the same as the sprouts get bigger and delicious? We chew it an hour before going to the gym. (Is that enough time for the reduction of DNA damage??? We like it better than watercress and hope for same result as in your video). We put the 5-day sprouts in our white-bean hummus wraps, and in salads, yum.yum!Study clarification: Is it that the ammt. of sulforaphane that the broccoli sprouts will ever have is present at 2 days? Does the Peak mean the 3.3 mcg/g at day 2 only represente the first and non-diminishing highest amount? After 5 days could the amount be the same and just be a smaller % of the total sprout by weight?Good question. If total sulforaphane remains the same, I’d rather eat the 5 day sprouts.You could eat some Red Cabbage. 2nd highest in Antioxidants.I do!White-bean hummus wraps is a good idea! Would you share the recipe with us please? ;) Thanks in advance!The number of days that one sprouts can be confusing. Seeds sprouts according to several factors including temperature and moisture. So sprouting seeds in winter will see smaller sprouts than for the same time in summer. The sulforaphane yield will diminish as the sprouts grow but the differences between 2, 3, 4 and 5 days will be minimal. You might need to consume quite large quantities however, because fresh sprouts contain an inhibitor which can reduce the amount of active sulforaphane being released.I’m not going to worry about timing of Broccoli sprouts… I am just gonna keep eating them…. But I do sprout my own!Big surprise about the broccoli supplements not being effective.Surprise is right. When Dr. Greger reports on supplements, he often is highlighting the result of overdoses of hepatotoxic chemicals. So this is a switch.what about powder, freeze dried?I would love an answer to this as well.See my several posts on this forum today. I think you will find the answers you are looking for.They were comparing broccoli sprouts to broccoli extract not broccoli sprout extract.Broccoli sprouts have 20 times the sulpherophane compared to broccoli.A friend of mine can’t eat Broccoli and most of dark green vegetables because she reacts to sulphides. Knowing how beneficial these vegetables are, I’m curious if she can find another way to get the same benefit without the sulphides?I would be curious about whether sulpherophane is a sulphide…But it is possible she has issues with only particular ones…Is she “Let’s not do that again” reacting or is she “Let’s head to the hospital” reacting? If the former, It’s possible she could try other vegetables in the same family.I brought all the sprouting paraphenelia and have tried broccoli sprouts on five different occasions. Each time the sprouts give me horrible digestive issues, even when I tried small amounts. Then it takes several weeks for me to get up the gumption to try again. Is it possible I’m allergic to something in the sprouts?As a clinician, I would suggest that you have an imbalance in your microflora and sulforaphane is very capable of causing a die-off in such organisms. What I usually suggest is that my patients reduce the quantity to an absolute minimum where there are no symptoms and gradually creep up the dose as you are able. The other thing that can be happening is that many of the sulfur-metabolising pathways may not be functioning properly and this will give unpleasant responses. Because sulforaphane activates these very pathways, a gradual increase in dose will be required. Sulforaphane is so much more potent in its effects than many other common supplements, so it may be necessary to simply slow down the process.Interesting ideas here. I have not touched my sprouting stuff for four months now, but perhaps it is time to give it a try again.As a guide to how much to take, I have my patients who report effects like yours take no more than the powder that fits on the end of a sharp knife blade. The powder is dried to a 12:1 drying ratio, so you would need to start with sprouts enough to fit 12 times on the knife-blade. A bit hard to judge but I would suggest a teaspoon of fresh sprouts is all you should start with, gradually creeping up. If this helps over a few weeks, you should probably consider adding a quality probiotic supplement and be sure your diet has plenty of soluble fibre needed to feed these organisms.The downside of the fresh sprouts is that they do contain an inhibitor which can significantly reduce the amount of sulforaphane you are producing. If this is occurring, you will be getting the added sulfur without the ability to correct the abnormal sulfur metabolic pathways which I am guessing might be an issue for you. If this happens, try a different brand of broccoli seed – or buy a 100% whole enzyme-active powder which has the inhibitor deactivated.Can you give me an example (brand available) of this powder? Not sure where/what to look for. Thanks.Lauren, I dont believe my role here is to be commercial. However, if you Google my online name, you should be able to find out what you need to know.http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-rt-us-science-neanderthals-20140619,0,3449370.storyNeanderthals/Omnivorous poop????Did they eat meat, as so many do, having no idea of the repercussions?I have myelodysplasia. I’ve been a no-added-fat (McDougall) vegan for 8 years. My ANC and rbc values go up and down but the most concerning values right now for me are my platelets which have progressed steadily downward since diagnosis. Is there anything I should focus on in my diet to improve my marrow’s ability to (1) build healthy platelets (2) improve my marrow’s ability to work appropriately in general? P.S. my doctor likes my vegan diet and tells me it’s helping keep me alive!oceanfrontcabin: I’m not a doctor and sadly don’t have any special advice for you. But I wanted to wish you well and say how lucky you are to have a doctor who “gets it” in terms of diet.I will think good thoughts for you. Good luck!this is a 2011 study. I believe the formulation of BroccoMax has been improved since then.There is a Broccoli Sprout Extract out there that I used to great effect for my dads prostate issues. I would give you the source but that may not be allowed but starts with a v.Kurt: If there is a rule against sharing tips like this, I am not aware. So, if you want to help someone out with a tip/link on your favorite broccoli extract, feel free. This site does not specifically endorse any particular product/supplement, but as far as I know, community participants are free to share what works best for them.I think the only broccoli sprout extract available is from VitaCost.See my comments above regarding ‘extracts’. They are myrosinase-inactive.We eat home grown broccoli sprouts which improve the micro flora. Also mustard seed powder contains myrosinase, couldn’t that be added to the supplement?If the mustard seed is an imported herb, it may have been heavily irradiated and in this case, it will have lost all its myrosinase activity. We trialled this in the lab (I am in Australia) and what appeared like fresh aromatic mustard seed powder had zero activity. If you live elsewhere, the regulations for imported culinary herbs may be different.Dr Greger’s video on this subject (below) did not cover the finer details on the source of the mustard powder and whether it had been irradiated. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/Another cool video; thanks again Dr. Greger.Hi Dr. Greger, Could you define what you mean by two days in your video to start eating the sprouts? Do you mean two days in the jar after the first night or two days after they begin to sprout? Thanks!Does anyone here know where I may be able to find the amino acids profile for two day old broccoli sprouts?When you say we should eat the sprouts after just 2 days (for maximum sulforaphane content), does that include the overnight soaking of the seeds? This is important because if we wrongly exclude (or include) the soaking time, then we might very well miss the “time window” where the peak is. I also wonder because very little happens to the seeds in just 2 days (especially without pre-soaking), so I feel like the seeds would still be almost rock-hard at that time..Hi everyone. I’ve been sprouting broccoli with a passion since finding out, a few weeks ago, about how healthy they are. However, I’m concerned about what else is “growing” in my mason jar. Oftentimes when I smell it, it has a terrible smell, as if something is incubating in there. I use a clean jar, rinse the sprouts with filtered water a few times a day for a few days, and invert it upside down pretty much at 45 degrees so it can drain (the hole is covered by a thin cheesecloth-type cloth, so water drips out but air can circulate). After the alfalfa sprout no-no, I’m afraid that sprouting my own broccoli might not be so healthy after all. Any thoughts?Michael, It’s worth noting that when John Clarke in the paper you show compared the Jarrow SGS product with fresh sprouts, the effect of the supplement was minimal. Clarke subsequently concludes that 1 pill (of Jarrow’s BroccoMax”) is not equivalent to eating fresh sprouts. However, the reason for this was that the Jarrow SGS product is devoid of the essential myrosinase needed to convert the precursor compound to the bioactive sulforaphane. A 100% whole broccoli sprout product retains both the precursor and the enzyme in a dormant state in the powder or capsule. Only when moisture is added does the reaction take place to release the sulforaphane. As a result, not all broccoli supplements are inert. When properly produced as a nutraceutical-grade supplement, the enzyme-active capsules are a very convenient way to ingest daily measured amounts of sulforaphane. Most of the broccoli supplements sold in the U.S. are ‘extracts’ of seed or sprout and it is the extraction process that removes the essential enzyme. However, it is possible to obtain the 100% whole sprout as a powder or capsule by searching carefully.In the video Broccoli: Sprouts vs. Supplements you mention the use of mustard powder. During the processing of the powder do they not steam sterilize or irradiate the seeds first rendering the myrosinase-inactive? Is there a source of mustard powder that would still posses the active myrosinase?	antioxidants,broccoli,broccoli sprouts,Broccomax,cancer,cancer stem cells,cost savings,diabetes,inflammation,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,prediabetes,sprouting,sprouts,sulforaphane,supplements	Broccoli sprouts are compared to “Broccomax” supplements.	Here’s the link to the videos I mentioned:What’s so great about broccoli sprouts? See: The Best Detox and Sulfurophane: From Broccoli to Breast.They can be overdone, though. See: How Much Broccoli is Too Much?More on cruciferous and cancer here:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccomax/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21559038,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20966884,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23631497,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23902242,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22142148,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22537070,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21816223,
PLAIN-2583	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/	When Low Risk Means High Risk	How else can we make decisions for ourselves and our families, but by the best available balance of evidence. The latest meta-analysis, pooling data from more than a dozen studies involving more than 300,000 people, indicates that there is a dose dependent association between egg consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but that doesn’t mean every individual study showed evidence of harm. Even though the totality of evidence points to harm, the egg industry can cherry-pick out studies that show no apparent effects. If eggs are harmful, why don’t all the studies on heart disease and egg consumption show significant harm? It may have to do with Rose’s concept of a “sick population.” If an entire population is sick, then the range of “health” may not be sufficiently broad to establish a significant association. Let me explain. This is one of the most famous papers ever written in preventive medicine, should be required reading for all medical students.Imagine if everyone smoked 20 cigarettes a day. If everybody smoked, then clinical studies, case-control studies, and cohort studies would all lead us to conclude that lung cancer was a genetic disease; and in one sense that would be true. Some smokers get cancer; others smoke their whole lives and don’t, but if everybody smoked we’d never know smoking was a risk factor. Thankfully, in the case of cigarettes and lung cancer it so happened that the original study populations contained about equal numbers of smokers and non-smokers, and in such a situation, studies are able to identify the main risk factor. But take cholesterol. Here’s the cholesterol levels of the people without heart disease in the famous Framingham Heart Study. And here’s the cholesterol levels of those that did develop heart disease. It’s hardly any different because practically everybody’s cholesterol was too high, it’s like everyone was a smoker. The painful truth is that even someone at quote-unquote “low risk” for heart disease, is likely to die of heart disease. Everyone who eats the standard Western diet is, in fact, a high-risk individual when it comes to heart disease.In a sick population like ours where nearly everyone is eating lots of saturated fat and cholesterol, adding some more saturated fat and cholesterol in the form of eggs may just take us from one sorry state—probably dying from heart disease—to another sorry state—still probably dying from heart disease.So when the federal guidelines say we need to really restrict dietary cholesterol if we’re at high risk for heart disease, we need to realize that nearly all Americans that live past middle age are at high risk of dying from heart disease—it’s our #1 cause of death. A 20-year old man might feel it would be safe to smoke and eat egg yolks, because his heart attack is 45 years or so in the future – but why would he want to accelerate the progression of his atherosclerotic plaque to bring it on sooner? Stopping egg yolks after the heart attack would be like quitting smoking after lung cancer is diagnosed.There may in fact be a plateau of risk for smoking too. Whether we smoke for 25 years, or 35 years, our risk for lung cancer may be the same, really high, but about the same. So the tobacco industry could truthfully tell someone who’s smoked for most of their lives, for the last 25 years, keep smoking, don’t worry, you can keep smoking and your risk of lung cancer won’t go up (conveniently just failing to mention that you’re already at high risk and if you quit completely your risk would drop dramatically). It’s like if you took a raging drunk and had them take a shot of whiskey. In someone who’s hammered, it might not make much difference, but to a teetotaler, a couple shots could have quite an effect. So it’s like the alcohol industry with a group of drunks saying see, couple shots, no big deal, but that doesn’t mean it’s not better to be sober.Instead of going from high risk to high risk, better to go to low risk, or no risk.	It seems that the journalist Gary Taubes twisted two of the studies of Geoffrey Rose at least for what i saw in this Plant Positive video (one is mentioned by Dr Greger): http://www.plantpositive.com/the-appeal-to-paleo-nusi-guys/To me is a no brainer, dietary cholesterol = the less, the better…Anyway i start to read the CarbSane Asylum and i think is another site to read carefully…http://carbsanity.blogspot.it/Evelyn Kocur is a scientifically qualified blogger who happens to have a background of low carb dieting and still prefers to eat that way. However, she decries the LC/Paleo myths that abound on the Interwebs and has been debunking Gary Taubes’s GCBC for a number of years and now his media-smart acolyte Nina Teicholz. Who can blame her for abhoring his abuse of nutritional and biochemical science and scientists? Not to mention accurate history.Both she and Seth Yoder of The Science of Nutrition blog have taken on the absurd lynching party hunting for libelously hunting down every last vestige of respect for Ancel Keys and his contribution to the health of the nation, blaming him for everything from the current obesity/diabetes crisis to low-fat chocolate milk in public school cafeterias.Despite the omnivorous viewpoint, you’ll find a lot of common ground there. Feel free to congenially and respectfully read and contribute at either site.Thanks for your opinion, i think that more qualified bloggers and health professionals i read the more i understand on this field of reasearch…Ancel Keys — The OTHER Minnesota Studyhttp://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2014/06/ancel-keys-other-minnesota-study.html?m=1This is a must read, considering the “Eat Butter-Scientists Were Wrong” TIME Mag cover and the whole pro-saturated fat, Keys was the devil incarnate media blitz.I will take a look, thanks for the link ! I read the Time articles about butter and i found many errors that undermine the “eat butter” claim… so sad…Great explanation of the impossibility of demonstrating causal associations in populations where exposure to the risk factor in question is so extensive, with no possibility of unexposed controls (as with diet and cholesterol).I appreciate how Dr. Greger’s video points out Dr. Rose’s lesson that we must be critical consumers of research, regardless of quadrant. But I am surprised Dr. Rose was able to get his peer-reviewed article accepted by his peers (i.e., the consensus worldview of editorial boards) and to such accolades, as it steps on many toes. Those who have tried to publish controversial analyses know what I mean.Thanks to peer-reviews, only criticism that is not too critical makes it to publication. A worthwhile statistician might note this trend as regression toward the mean. That is to say that we may be sifting out the truly significant research and exempting it from publication because associations have the bias that peer-reviews are blinded and, therefore, without bias. However, the peer reviewers are not blinded to the content of the articles, only to the names of the authors.Social scientists have possessed inferential statistical techniques for decades prior to Dr. Rose’s 1985 publication and a critical (knowledgeable) consumer of research could have easily sorted this out if given the journal space. Yet even today, we seem surprised to find that data were not compared correctly in these or other studies.Indeed, it is a breach of trust for most of us consumers to learn of biased or under-educated researchers producing fatally flawed ‘research’ intended to answer important questions. This includes findings from scholarly medical researchers who tend to bend –if not outright violate– the laws of inferential statistics, such as conducting too many statistical tests on a sample or using overly large or indiscriminant samples (all of which invite spurious results) and who use inferential (i.e., sampling) techniques on populations instead of properly drawn samples. Because of the high costs of funding studies, it is often tempting for researchers to squeeze every last drop of ‘significant’ effects out of a study. It causes me to discount a great deal of what I read. Yet, I continue to support my associations because, frankly, at least I can know what is being put out as science.I am glad to know that considering the source is often noted on this website as a common threat to validity of published research. Understanding the publication process and political goals of the prestigious Association-based journal review boards suggests another unarticulated bias to consider. Critical independent thinkers would do well to mix up their sources of information. Big egos and big reputations, as well as big money, drive the publish-or-perish world.Dr. G,I have concerns regarding B12 supplementation for some people. To begin with, concerns have been raised about B12 supplementation in those who already have prostate cancer http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/752517And I also found the below excerpt regarding B12 with links:The link between high levels of B12 and cancer is easy to explain. Vitamin B12 stimulates cell division and it doesn’t distinguish between healthy and unhealthy cells. The excess vitamin B12 provides the extra energy needed by cancer cells. Troubling B12 cancer connections:One case was reported of leukemia resulting from a vitamin B12 megadose used in the treatment pernicious anemia. http://www.amjmed.com/article/0002-9343(84)90872-6/abstractHigh levels of folate and B12 are associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. http://psa-rising.com/eatingwell/vb12_folate04.htmlDiets high in cholesterol, animal protein and vitamin B12 have been linked to certain kinds of stomach and esophagus cancers. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/10/011030225654.htm http://www.ynhh.org/healthlink/cancer/cancer_12_01.htmlYes, I am concerned. Grateful if you could look into this. And the more I think about, maybe what is optimal is eating small amounts of B12 containing foods (like the Japanese do!) in order to get B12. Who knows.The short answer is to take B12 supplements but don’t mega dose like some “health gurus” recommend. Take a sub-lingual supplement containing adenosylcobalamin (aka “dibencozide”) and methylcobalamin once a week. Let it sit under your tongue, or between your gum and lip above your front teeth, for five minutes. Also, take selenium supplements or eat a small handful of brazil nuts or one to two tablespoons of brazil nut butter a day, and eat 3-5 grams of kelp/kombu a day. Let me explain, bear with me:The natural source of B12 for vegans would have been lake and river water. Today, most freshwater is polluted and tap water is chlorinated. Chlorine is a B12 antagonist, so there is no B12 left in our drinking water. This is one reason why vegans need to supplement with B12, despite a plant based diet being ideal and natural. This may be why historically, vegans did not get B12 deficiencies, and vegans in developing countries drinking the natural water don’t get B12 deficient until they move to “developed” nations.Some people wonder if chlorinated water is also stripping our bodies of B12.It certainly does in an indirect way – we have iodine receptors in every cell in our body, and the abundant chlorine, flourine and bromine in our modern environment take the place of iodine. Since iodine is the second heaviest halogen, our bodies can’t displace the lighter halogens just by improving the amount of iodine we consume. We also have to consume copious amounts of selenium to remove them, while at the same time drastically improving the amount of iodine we consume. A lack of iodine also contributes to a lack of stomach acid, which is needed for the digestion of B12 (and other nutrients like zinc).So, most people are lacking in iodine, because (a) competing halogens (including chlorine) in the modern world take its place, which causes us to have an increased need, and (b) due to intensive farming methods since the end of WWII our soil is severely depleted of iodine and selenium (among other nutrients) which makes our food deficient.This lack of iodine is related to methyl-B12 in the following way: Iodine plays a role in B12 utilization! Iodine insufficiency = underactive thyroid = less T4 than normal, and T4 is needed not just to make T3 (another thyroid hormone), but is an integral part of converting riboflavin (vitamin B2) to its active coenzyme form “FAD” which is needed for proper methylation, which is needed to produce methylcobalamin, This is the form of B12 which is responsible for (among other things) lowering methylmalonic acid, this is what they test for in urine to test b12 status.Since livestock are supplemented with iodine and selenium, necrotarians will be getting a bit more selenium and iodine than vegans. Fish also have some iodine. Even though some aware vegans may be occasionally consuming sea vegetables and eating one brazil nut a day, it isn’t enough selenium to displace the lighter halogens, so the iodine from the sea vegetables will have little effect. I suspect a lack of iodine and selenium is the reason why vegans often have high or medium blood serum levels of B12, yet high homocysteine and methylmalonic acid levels showing a “deficiency” despite ample quantities in the blood. The conventional, unproven and untested explanation is that the B12 in vegan blood isn’t “real” B12, but I think an inability to utilise B12 due to a lack of iodine and selenium is much more likely.Not that it’s *specifically* a vegan problem: according to one study nearly four out of ten necrotarians have lower than desirable B12 (rising to 75% of elderly people) and 9% were deficient. Also, most of the population are iodine deficient. It’s just that due to livestock being supplemented it might be slightly less of a problem for meat-eaters.This would explain why, despite vegans having better health in every way than most average people, and that we live longer than most groups of people, some studies show that we don’t live quite as long on average as pescetarians – this could be because shellfish are a moderate source of in selenium and fish can be a moderate source of iodine. (It’s also undoubtedly because people who eat fish but not meat are likely to be doing so for health reasons, whereas vegans are usually doing it for ethics and some of them don’t give a fig about health).It also explains why, throughout recorded history, average (not rich) people in most parts of the world have eaten a diet mostly based on plants without problems. Flesh was for special occasions until the 20th century. Also, vegetarians and vegans have always existed, but pernicious anaemia wasn’t discovered until after water was chlorinated: this could be either because it wasn’t understood yet, or it didn’t actually exist yet.Therefore, you need to supplement B12 to make up for a lack of it in water – but don’t go overboard – and you need to ensure you’re getting ample iodine and selenium. Again, don’t go overboard, but the recommended daily allowances are way too low for these two.This brought to mind a quote by Jiddu Krishnamurti: “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”Laloofah, thanks for being a critical independent thinker and varying your sources of information. This points out that great thinkers have figured things out long before the jonnie-come-lately scientists. Jiddu Krishnamurti was also likely thinking about spiritually sick society.In the US it would be quite an accomplishment though? Sometimes you have to accept what little you can manage? Recognizing the sickness is a first and required step. Careful…there be crazy people out there…The problem with the 20 year old is that he sees no ill effects at all. Or is completely oblivious to them. Maybe through lack of contact with the elderly in our perfectly segmented society.If I would have been fully aware of the damage I did during the 10 years of weed and 20 years of smoking I would not have done it.The forming of plaques is the same, you just don’t notice the things happening to you till you hit a bump somewhere and effects stack up. Stack up to a point where you go, hey this never used to be this way! But when you reach this point if ever 50- 80 % of the damage has been done.If a kind of amount of leasons”/plaques present “thermometer/barometer could be realised, people could visualize the impact of living badly. They could see their bio years tick away twice as fast as mrs. healthy.Taking actions toward healthy living suddenly gets goal oriented.Great video today! It’s the scam of misinterpreting the lack of variance among variables that don’t vary.I have no more than three eggs a month, am I still terribly @ risk? I already have diabetes.Yes.Completely removing eggs, and thus processed foods, was the first thing I recommended my mum.She is still unsuccesfull as far as I know. Clearly present in to many food stuffs to be able to let go.I am, otherwise, a vegan. I cannot fathom eggs 3xs per month being disadvantageous. What do you think?Not sure. I had a circulation scare when I quit smoking, sudden symptoms. Had to make changes. Eggs I thought were the best place to start. Haven’t touched one since. (7.5 months)I don’t want to call myself vegan, but appart from the 1 time fish or high quality beef a week effective I am. I’ve been slow to get here with less and less meat every month. Already with very good results. But from all the animal products eggs have just about the lowest appeal to me. Why do you choose eggs over grazed beef or something like it?Vegan = useless drama for me and I want no part in any of that. Even if I go 100% WFPBD I will not call myself vegan, ever.I don’t eat meat for moral and ethical reasons. And, generally, it’s one egg a month–NO FISH-, but ofttimes I slip and have more than one whole egg. I don’t see where it is doing much, if any harm, in such limited quantities.You don’t hold on to proteins for a week. So if you eat the eggs for that once a week that egg will make no big difference. There are vids here that the cholesterol does make a difference. So why eat it if it doesn’t benefit you?I don’t have high cholesterol. I get protein form beans and lentils and other protein enriched veggies. I just like the taste of Einstein’s egg & cheese bagel–occasionally.It isn’t. Enjoy life!Indeed, Schultze! This is by far the wisest and most refreshing comment I have read here for a while. Poeple here are stressing out about whether it is going to kill them if they eat one egg a month or not – well, maybe that one egg increases one’s likelihood of dying from CVD by 1%, but that is utterly neglectable given the health risk associated with constantly worrying about the stuff you eat. There’s plenty of psychological research showing that cultivating an anxious personality poses a much greater risk to your health than eating a modestly unhealthy diet (and it may be a major reason why in epidemiological studies, vegans tend to be less healthy than omnivores, who may eat a less healthy diet but probably also worry less)What is your source for the allegation that vegans are less healthy? What is your source for the claim that meat eaters worry less? Vegans tend to be more healthy than “omnivores” (necrotarians). We are the only group with an average body weight within the healthy range. We have less heart disease and diabetes. We live on average 7 years longer, and have only 40% of the cancer rates – despite most vegans having been meat eaters for most of their lives. Also, levels of cortisol – the stress hormone – are directly correlated with how much animal produce one consumes, so I don’t see how vegans could possibly have health problems from “worrying” even if we did worry more.Why eat eggs if you’re doing it for moral reasons? Only females produce eggs, 60% of chicks are male, and they are all killed (they are no good for meat, different breeds produce meat to eggs). 30,000,000 male chicks are killed annually in the UK alone. The Freedom Foods-recommended “humane” way of killing is to put them through a macerator that minces them alive. (For some reason this is considered more humane than gassing them with carbon dioxide). Chickens, like all livestock are fed partly or fully on fodder grown in the former Amazon rainforest. Growing food to feed animals to feed humans, rather than using the land directly to feed humans, is an epic waste of land and water.Occasional eggs (or the occasional anything) probably won’t harm a healthy person, but it will stop you having the enlightening psychological changes that occur when you live completely free of the animal system.Why do you choose eggs over grazed beef or something like it?Cost? I saw a small chunk, 1/2 pound or so, of grass-fed beef at the health food store. Cost about $12.Also, eggs are technically vegetarian if not vegan.My mind goes back and forth with eggs. I sometimes think I’ll add an egg a week, Omega-3, but then I realize I’d be buying a whole dozen eggs for the sake of eating 4 or 5 during the month. So I don’t.But even in the omega 3 eggs, the omega 6 is so high the balance is poor, right? The arachidonic acid (long-chain omega 6) is so high that it more then cancels out the omega content, right? That’s my understanding. The omega 3 eggs are just a clever marketing ploy.Local farmed eggs/farmers market. Not a big marketing budget.I have food sensitivities that have severely curtailed both the variety and amounts of plants I can eat. I can’t let ideology get in the way of my nutritional needs. At least a small amount of animal protein is necessary under my current circumstances, as much as I wish it were otherwise.PS. With an LDL of 49, adding 1egg/week to the 1/2 serving of oatmeal I can tolerate is unlikely to kill me.I agree…Yes, I am just referring to eggs that are advertised to have omega 3 in them and yet it’s impossible to improve omega 3 status with eggs because of the excess arachidonic acid.One large 50 gram egg contains only 6 grams of protein. The same as found in 17 grams – a slightly heaped tablespoon – of hemp seeds. So while I agree that the occasional egg – or occasional alcoholic drink, cigarette, or chicken nugget – is not enough to harm an otherwise healthy person, it is also not enough to contribute anything that could be considered positive.Hemp is suitable for even the most allergy-prone people, is easy to digest, is cholesterol free, low in cancer-feeding methionine, and is a legitimate source of omega 3. Plant proteins are superior, unlike animal protein they are water soluble and are formed largely of amino acids, rather than ready-formed proteins which the body will then have to break down into its constituent amino acids.Men need 55 grams of protein and 2500 a day and women need 45 grams and 2000 calories. From eating fruit alone – generally low protein foods – you get about 37.5-45g of protein for 2500 calories. If you then eat a pound of leaves a day (easy enough in green fruit smoothies) that will give you an extra 10-15 grams of protein a day (add a handful of sprouted lentils and a tablespoon of hemp seeds and you get an extra 15 grams). This is the diet that I eat – that of our great ape cousins who we resemble so much (who are certainly not lacking in protein and are much stronger than humans). It has cured my bowel problems, sleep problems and heavy periods. I’m not suggesting you try it (unless you want to) I’m just mentioning this to point out that even a diet consisting of the lowest possible protein foods is not lacking in protein so long as you eat enough calories. Also, watery fruit and baby leaves are the easiest and quickest foods to digest for humans (with watermelon and grapes only staying in the stomach for 10 minutes) are perfectly suited to someone with digestive problems, and are safe for people with allergies/sensitivities.Regarding “complete” proteins (I know this will come up if anyone responds) I type all my food into cronometer, and I have never found a food that DOESN’T contain all eight essential amino acids. The archaic 80’s dogma about complete proteins is either based on whether a given food would provide all the amino acids if you ate 2000 calories of it, which nobody is going to do, or based on comparing its amino acid ratios to eggs, of all the many foods in the world. Complete proteins are a given if you eat even a small variety of different foods – even just a different variety of fruit or a different vegetable. I always have over 100% (usually over 150%) of the daily recommended allowance of each of the necessary amino acids, just from eating a variety of fruit and leaves – the “lowest protein” foods!If you’re worried about omega 3’s, take an algal omega 3 supplement. Fish are only high in these fats because they eat algae/seaweed, or eat other fish that ultimately consume algae.Eggs are not high in omega 3’s. One large 50g egg provides 39 milligrams of omega 3’s – you need 1100-1500 milligrams a day. Unless you want to eat 28-38 eggs a day, I suggest you find another source!I appreciate your concern, fruitbat. I am not willing to divulge all my health issues in public. I was vegetarian for 20 years, near vegan. Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to Live program, similar to your recommendations, which I started in 2010, actually exacerbated my previously unknown sensitivities. Forced to cut back on both the amount and variety of plants I could eat, bloodwork eventually revealed I was likely protein-challenged.I am not happy being forced to include animal foods back into my diet. I would love to return to a strictly 100% WFPB diet, but I have to deal with my reality which has trumped my desires.The focus on cholesterol has perhaps blinded us to other problematic compounds in eggs, notably arachidonic acid, excess choline, and high methionine. There are studies suggesting intakes as low as 1 egg/week markedly increase diabetes risk and intakes greater that 0.5 eggs/week increase risk of lethal prostate cancer.With respect to cardiovascular disease, in the general population dietary cholesterol is poorly absorbed, but in those who’ve achieved low plasma cholesterol through their diet, rather efficiently absorbed. While your other diet habits are laudable, it seems likely that the incremental risk of eating eggs will be greatest in those that have reduced other risky behaviors the most.I’ll cut to two per month, thanks.Did you try vegan cuisine recipes for eggs? Omelettes, scrambled eggs etc.The key for real egg taste is to use Himalayan Pink Salt. A book I have with a lot of recipes (including many egg ones) is the Everyday Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S. Nixon, fast and really good ones, you’ll swear you are eating eggs :)And added benefit — all the egg recipes use turmeric, a double win.I’ll check Amazon. Thanks.I found it here: http://www.amazon.com/Kala-Namak-Salt-Indian-Black/dp/B0057IWQV6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403630571&sr=8-1&keywords=black+saltAnd if you read the reviews, they all say that it makes tofu scramble taste like real eggs. I guess it has a lot of sulphur and that seems to make the difference.Thule: I’m also a big fan of Everyday Happy Herbivore. But I didn’t remember the recipes with the kala namak. Thanks for pointing that out. I’m going back to that book to look for those recipes!Note: I’ve made a few other recipes with the kala namak now and am a big fan! I’ve had SAD eaters sniff a bag of the stuff and asked (without prior prompting) what they thought it smelled like. The vast majority get big eyes and say, “eggs”. It’s so fun.@ Thea:I might have the number of “egg” based recipes confused with the ones in her first book, The Happy Herbivore, but I know that was in her second book that she begun to use kala namak, a discovery for her, and applicable to all her previous egg recipes.If you have the first book take a look there too, I know that there are very good ones in that book (and perhaps more egg recipes than in her second book, would need to check) Either case, recommended recipes in both books. :)Another good use for the black salt is with Garbanzo beans you can make a wonderful “egg salad” spread. I used to make it but without the kala namak (black salt) now I can’t wait to try it with the black salt and see if it tastes even more like egg salad.. I believe that garbanzo bean egg salad recipe is also in one of the Happy Herbivore books.I agree wrt. methionine but what about choline? I thought you disagree with Hazen’s questionably theory on dietary choline/carnitine, TMAO levels and CVD? I hope you don’t get too entrenched into the vegan narrative, dear Darryl ;-)There’s some intriguing circumstantial evidence around choline and diabetes, which I commented upon here, however there isn’t any mechanistic evidence as there is with say methionine and FGF21.Overall, it seems that the choline metabolic product betaine (high in beets & spinach) is a much better means of activating BHMT. Why these two should have distinct differences in outcomes is a bit mysterious to me.And no, I don’t buy Hazen on physiological range TMAO.This is poorly done. The last segment of the video suggests moving to the far left under the distribution curve to go from low CHD risk to no risk. Yet you could also move to the far right under that same curve to go to CHD low risk. That is, increase your blood cholesterol levels to reduce your CHD risk.The pathology analogy to smoking is also poorly done since the compounds of tobacco smoke are mutagenic–actually causing genetic changes in the exposed tissues. Like getting sunburned in early life increases one’s risk of skin cancer due to DNA damage, so smoking and then quitting still places one at risk. I haven’t seen any studies evidencing that cholesterol is mutagenic.Lack of circulation will result in poorer less ideal cellular function. Build of of rest products of processes higher than what it need be. Removal of waste also impeded will result in more genetic damage. And thus a mutagenic end result, even while the cholesterol itself isn’t.“Lack of circulation will result in poorer function.”Well, then, increase your blood cholesterol level, since the graph clearly indicates the higher one’s blood cholesterol level the lower the CHD risk.“Removal of waste also impeded will result in more genetic damage.”Which study indicates that genetic damage is proportional to the amount of arterial plaque (a positive correlation)?You are a smart guy right? Take a day to think.Your assertions are empirical–not a priori–thus merely ‘thinking’ about this issue is fruitless.Ok.A thriving city, you take away 1 element say copper. What happens with the efficiency of the city?What happens if you take away oxygen and all its roads are clogged full of waste?Ground your assertions in empirical studies–not analogies.Have you ever had a good muscle ache? That be a good example of less then optimal work.Im off to the gym, have fun with it.Dikaiosyne,you really haven’t understood what this graph actually shows. There are essentially TWO possibilities why the curve declines with high cholesterol levels: 1. the curve declines because people with extremely high cholesterol are paradoxically protected from CVD (your interpretation), or, 2. the curve declines because THERE ARE NO people (surviving) with that high cholesterol levels. When there is noone with a cholesterol level of 400, noone can die of it – you see? (The graph shows the risk relation from a cross-sectional study, NOT a theoretical extrapolation)Now consider which explanation may be right ;-)On your first point, you are simply straight up wrong, Dik. Lower your cholesterol and the inference is that you most likely are in the Non-CHD part of the population. Raise your cholesterol and diagram suggests that you are much more likely to be in the population developing CHD. You need to compare the tails of the two curves.There are good graphics that better demonstrate the relative risks than the one used in this video. From Framingham:But better still, from this enormous study:The percentage of non-CHD at 150 is approximately the same as at 330–both of which appear to be around 4%.And what are the percentages for the CHD curve at these values?Rose’s paper is really fascinating. Of note, I found this important point to keep in mind.Rose directs our attention to how data relate the occurrence of Down’s syndrome births to maternal age.Mothers under 30 years are individually at minimal risk; but because they are so numerous, they generate half the cases. High-risk individuals aged 40 and above generate only 13% of the cases.The lesson from this example is that a large number of people at a small risk may give rise to more cases of disease than the small number who are at a high risk.Does that mean that most women should put off having babies until after age 40? Of course not. That would only end up increasing the actual incidence of trisomy 21.Likewise, suggesting that a population increase its mean serum cholesterol levels to the right side of the graph to the highest levels of serum cholesterol would likely cause even more absolute cardiac mortality than at the current average, not less, as […] suggests.Notably, Framingham’s William Castelli, MD, mentioned in this interview with Kirk Hamilton…in the Framingham Study… if you had a 300 cholesterol, 90 out of 100 of those people got a heart attack in the first 26 years. So that was a very dangerous place to be.On the other hand, Castelli mentioned that Framingham had about a 1/2 dozen people with TC under 150 in almost 40 years.One of them did have this high triglyceride/low HDL syndrome. The other four or five, we don’t know what they had.My best layperson’s guess would be they might have had that “little a” Lipoprotein Lp(a) that Dayspring talks about.At any rate, Castelli agreed in the interview that if everyone shifted to a strictly unprocessed plant-based diet would eliminate most heart attacks. Of course, he doubts that’ll ever happen.At any rate, the last thing he would recommend is boosting your serum cholesterol to 400.Great response!Thanks, Toxins. Math was never my best subject, but I think I got a handle on it this time. :-DI edited my answer bcz I was missing a word here and there.Disqus in mobile won’t take my copy & paste in my edit so here is the link to the Wm Castelli interview:http://www.prescription2000.com/Interview-Transcripts/2011-02-18-william-castelli-heart-disease-lipids-transcript.htmlThis video is very timely for me. I’m about 3/4 of the way through the book “Perfect Health Diet”. Just as Dr. Greger, using published research, convincingly makes a case for veganism, this book, written by two scientists at Harvard, using research, convincingly argues for consuming red meat, dairy products, eggs, and coconut products, and for not consuming whole grains, beans, and seed oils. I guess, since nutritional research is impossible to do accurately, anybody can pick data (Isn’t it called data mining?) to prove anything.I learn that even the best peer review journals could publish poor studies so i think that a skeptical view is the best way to fight against confusion…Follow the money, who pays for that “Perfect Health Diet”?The data doesn’t support it, unless they use the industry paid for “studies”Pure sophism.I would suggest the book Whole, by T. Colin Campbell, for the inside view.Search CarbSane’s blog for the inaccuracies and inconsistencies of Paul Jaminet’s dietary recommendations. Search “Perfect Health Diet”, Jaminet, and “safe starch” since his stance on carbs seems to be changing with certain health problems.http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/PS. Being an astrophysicist, even from Harvard, does not make one an authority in nutrition.Dr. Greger, I believe you could do a fascinating video on the Mendelian randomization studies of the past decade to lay to rest all questions (by Taubes et al.) that LDL-C, triglycerides and inflammation are causal in cardiovascular disease. Papers from the last year with useful references: 1, 2, 3. They’ve also confirmed clinical trials suggesting HDL, CRP, and Hcy are coincident bystanders.I notice you leave dietary cholesterol out of that lifestyle prescription. Do you think all known, substantial effects of dietary cholesterol on serum LDL are potentiated by dietary fats?Dietary cholesterol has effects on serum cholesterol that depend on one’s baseline serum levels. From Fig 2 in this study, you’ll see that added dietary cholesterol has the most marked effects on serum cholesterol in those consuming baseline cholesterol free (vegan) diets, but more limited effects in most of the population. So for most of the population, LDL raising C12-16 saturated fats are the major contributor to serum cholesterol, but to achieve the levels of LDL-C where atherosclerosis doesn’t progress (without the use of statins or intestinal parasites) generally requires both low-intake of LDL raising saturated fats and low/no dietary cholesterol.You seem to have made it a point to inform yourself about fats. It has been a frustrating too chaotic a topic for me to absorb. Opinions and studies fly all over the place.Could you give me advice towards a fat intake profile?As it is now , 1 x meat/herring a week , nuts 50 – 100 gr and seeds 50 gr and a small bit of olive oil to fry my mushrooms with. 20 gr of flax a day to top it off.I still get leaner and leaner without weight loss.I’m aware of that study and have cited Fig 2 myself in the internet milieu, but it’s more the assurances in the discussion that helps to address the question, as in the second column on the page containing Fig 3.I think it’s probably true that dietary CHOL is a significant contributer to serum LDL even in the absence of fat, but may continue to read in that area. But more interestingly, I note that the paper notes an influence of P on VLDL and that may be a bit worrisome even if it supresses the influence of CHOL.I’m with you that dietary veganism is basically the best option, but I’d caution that your usage of “whole plant-based,” if one of many common usages, is really not the correct one. The whole reason why a different term has shown up is to distinguish this approach to diet from veganism in two ways. First, it includes nearly vegan diets. Second, it excludes certain kinds of dietary veganism. There may be a push by ethical vegans to advance their argument by pushing the idea that dietary veganism can be quite healthy, and in do so they may equivocate and represent dietary veganism as equivalent whole plant based. Similarly there are opponents of the nutritional message who will equivocate and identify “whole plant based” as veganism, an ethically inflected movement that can lead to compromised nutrition.To focus on a nutritional message, we need to draw some distinctions in our vocabulary. From there, we can note that purely vegan unrefined diets have some good things going for them among other possible WFPB diets, and we can note that ethical veganism as it is normally construed is perfectly compatible with nutritional excellence — especially when even the habits of the wealthy, educated, and hardworking classes of contemporary society set such a low bar.While these mandelian randomization studies offer a fascinating new approach, I think they haven’t brought about new insights into the epidemiology of CVD so far. They do not refute the growing body of evidence concerning the adverse health outcomes associated with low levels of cholesterol. I think it is our duty as scientists or scientifically minded persons to accept conflicting evidence, as it empirically approaches and not to ignore or dismiss it out of hand because it doesn’t conveniently fit without our own theoretical bias or “favorite interpretation of reality”.Take this recent Japanese study for example. After 10 years of follow up in the very elderly (a median of 85 years) and careful adjustment for confounders there is still this striking inverse association between TC and all-cause mortality, which other studies already have shown in younger age groups. I don’t think such observations can simply be explained away by reverse causation.Having stiffened arteries is also protective against hemorrhagic stroke and dementia in the very elderly, too. Better cognitive outcomes for those with high blood pressure is one of the reasons for the relaxed hypertension guidelines in the elderly in the U.S.I suspect, as with the recent protein study, we’re seeing age-dependent pleiotropic effects, so I think there’s going to be a different optimal diet for the middle-aged attempting to achieve longevity, and for the elderly attempting preserve their remaining faculties. We probably need some better markers of aging, correlated with outcomes, to determine just when we should shift between different forms of damage control.With cholesterol in the very elderly, its difficult to say whether its having a direct benefit, or whether levels reflect an overall dietary pattern that may be not be providing sufficient growth signalling to avert frailty (after the long-telomere cancer danger years have passed).I am now reading that it is not necessarily cholesterol (LDL) that is responsible for heart disease, but high triglyceride levels.http://www.bhlinc.com/clinicians/clinical-references/reference-manual/chapter6Using triglyceride level as a ‘marker’ of your current cardiovascular health would be wise in light of the data, however, I don’t think you can call it ‘responsible’ for heart disease.What about your source strongly supports this claim about causation? Because what I’m seeing is mostly a discussion that as biomarkers go, ApoB and LDL are largely concordant but ApoB may be a better measure of hard endpoint risks. When talking about triglycerides they explicitly say under “ApoB and Clinical Disorders” that:“Elevated TG in the absence of elevations in LDL/apoB is likely not atherogenic. As previously mentioned, an apoB measurement is required to diagnose hyperapobetalipoproteinemia”LDL is a not directly measured valuation, but is calculated with the Friedewald equation which breaks down when triglycerides are >400, which can then make the LDL amount unreliable. Such hypertriglyceridemia is often associated with excessive calories balance, I.e., obesity, itself a risk factor for CVD. Junk carbs frequently are a contributing factor to the excessively positive caloric balance.I would not discount entirely the potential danger of high triglycerides. Framingham’s Dr. Castelli didn’t in this interviewhttp://www.prescription2000.com/Interview-Transcripts/2011-02-18-william-castelli-heart-disease-lipids-transcript.htmlIs LDL really still calculated by the Friedewald equation in the US? I think this is unlikely since modern laboratories can easilly do routine LDL measurements and I know that LDL is always measured directly in Germany, even for the most basic lipid panel.Well, considering I learned about the equation for the first time in comments here 2 months ago, it’s evidently still an issue here in the US.http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2013/05/that-paleo-study.html?m=1Are you familiar with clinical medicine in the US? It’s comparatively pitiful when held up next to European standards.I keep getting the impression that it is OXIDIZED cholesterol that is the issue and the “cause” of plaques. In fact it’s possible that elderly people live longer when they have higher cholesterol? Of course…the population studied might eat the SAD diet.Lipidologist Thomas Dayspring recently tweeted that oxidation of cholesterol is NOT required for the formation of plaque.As for the elderly, most evidence points to reverse causation. It is declining health conditions in the elderly which causes lower cholesterol, not vice versa.He TWEETED it? Gosh… let’s keep it scientific, please! (Even if I agree in this case that it is most probably reverse causation).Yes, @DrLipid is very engaged on a Twitter. I saw him tweet about oxidation recently. Not sure he’s talked about reverse causation in the elderly.Meanwhile, he’s just had posted a series of short YouTube videos entitled Lipid Insights. Parts 1-5.He’s definitely a particle guy and quite the proponent of advanced lipid testing.Lipid Insightshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC61NUWW1UDuG08exHy4BMLQI just watched Part 3. Did you know there’s an Apolipoprotein “little a”?Another case is sodium. The very high level of salt consumption in the western diet, due to easy availability, produces far higher levels of blood pressure in western populations than in populations with very limited access to sodium or salt. The western “normal” is very high compared to the normal of populations with limited access to sodium. Therefore changes in salt consumption have little effect on blood pressure because westerners consume so much salt that changes in consumption barely dent the relatively massive salt consumption–far, far more sodium than humans actually require.trying to explain this to a carnivore is like trying to explain to a religious person about evolution. they’re not going to believe that eggs are unhealthyHuh? Most religious persons I know have no problems whatosever to accept the fact of evolution (I’m an European, though).What he should have said is: “trying to explain this to a carnivore is like trying to explain to a religious *fundamentalist* person about evolution. they’re not going to believe that eggs are unhealthy”What about an omnivore? Or a lacto-ovo-vegetarian?Eggs eaten in moderation aren’t unhealthy. See http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/#comment-1466278932Vegan junk foods (grain dust + refined sugar + hydrogenated vegetable oils) are unhealthy.Maybe it’s the overconsumption of junk foods that’s bad for people, rather than animal produce per se. Now there’s a thought!Hi Nige! Good to see ya!“Grain dust” LOL. Good one! So true that not all vegan or vegetarian foods are created equal. BK veggie burgers, fries, and Coke may be vegetarian, but they certainly are not healthy.You’ll find no love for vegJUNKtarian foods here at NF.orgDr. Greger is a proponent of a whole foods, minimally processed plant-based diet. Traditionally processed foods like tofu, tempeh, etc. make sense in this context, as well. No hard and fast rules here, though.Hi! You posted a link to here on Twitter. I’ve known about Dr. Greger for a long time.Years ago, I watched the following video when it used to be on his web-site https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0qNYeOMp4IIt prompted me to write the following blog post http://nigeepoo.blogspot.co.uk/2009/01/vegetarians-vegans-listen-up.htmlNice blog post. My Sprinternet isn’t loading the video, but if it’s the video I think it is, it was my initial exposure to Doc Greger.Poorly planned and non-supplemented vegan diets can be a world of hurt.Anyone got a link for the page of Dr. Greger’s dietary recommendations? You know, the one that reads like the insert in the doc’s DVD? I can’t find it.MacSmiley: It is so hard to find specific videos or blog posts. I totally sympathize with you on that.I too often want to refer to Dr. Greger’s dietary recommendation. The way I find it is by searching by “brazil” since I remember that the page includes a recommendation to eat brazil nuts and there aren’t too many other entries with that keyword. Here’s the page I believe you are looking for: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/It’s “Optimum Vegetarian Nutrition – Omega 3 and B12″.As I’m not vegan, I can’t help with your other enquiry.Not a vegan either.Yes, that was the very first video of Dr. Greger I ever watched. If nothing else, the man is expressive. :-)Thea answered my question about Dr. Greger’s dietary recommendations.http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/PS. I think most of the Seventh Day Adventists in the Loma Linda Blue Zone are lacto-ovo vegetarians.unrelated to above, the following is a very nice article I thought you would find interesting (if you have not seen it already) http://www.obgynnews.com/topics/gynecology/single-article-page/flaxseeds-may-protect-against-urinary-incontinence-in-women/e50ae09ab88c47e6993c5d1bd025bee7.htmlOh my! Here’s another BOLD study showing you can lower blood pressure by adding beef to your diet http://www.nature.com/jhh/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/jhh201434a.htmlIs the chart saying that you have the same risk of chd at 180 as you do at 300Would anyone like to explain the inconvenient facts in http://suppversity.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Eggs+statins ?Over-eating grain dust combined with sugars & fats, also too much refined sugars, is bad for people. All of these things can be vegan.Good call on the junk carbs, Nige. Dr. Greger does not recommend them even “in moderation”.[Disclosure: I’ll admit I indulge during one long weekend a year when I’m forced to eat at restaurants. I just got done with my 3 servings for the year just a month ago. OK, 4 servings. That’s it. I swear. ;-P]As for the research: Volek? Light and fluffy Krauss? Both industry-funded?However, they deserve consideration by someone with analytical research skills. I can’t do them justice.Meanwhile, perhaps these additional videos and the cited research will be helpful to you.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=EggsClick on Sources Cited for the studies referred to in the videos.I usually eat 2 eggs/day. I feel absolutely fi;-)We’re all free will agents. :-)When I heard 100 yr old Fred Kummerow ate 2 eggs/day I wondered how he could get away with that without getting CAD. Turns out he didn’t. He had a heart bypass at age 89.But still…	alcohol,alternative medicine,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,complementary medicine,diabetes,dietary guidelines,eggs,Framingham Heart Study,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,Lifestyle medicine,lung cancer,prediabetes,saturated fat,smoking,standard American diet	Dr. Rose’s sick population concept may explain why many nutrition studies underestimate the role of diet in disease.	This reminds me of what the beef industry tried to pull. See BOLD Indeed: Beef Lowers Cholesterol?Is our diet really that bad? See Nation’s Diet in Crisis.Here are a few other important egg industry videos:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/choline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/framingham-heart-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/methionine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23643053,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23177013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14506745,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11416056,
PLAIN-2584	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topical-application-of-turmeric-curcumin-for-cancer/	Topical Application of Turmeric Curcumin for Cancer	Researchers showed that those at high risk for colon cancer could reverse the progression of their disease by taking curcumin, the yellow pigment in the spices turmeric and curry powder, cutting down on precancerous lesions, and even pre-precancerous lesions. Are there other high risk lesions we can try spicing up?How about giving turmeric extracts to people who just had bladder cancer taken out, or who have an early stage of squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer caused by arsenic exposure, or early stage cervical cancer, or precancerous lesions in the mouth or the stomach? In about a quarter of the patients, the lesions started to get better. One out of the two bladder cancer survivors, two out of seven precancerous mouth lesions, one out of six precancerous stomach lesions, one out of four early stage cervical cancer cases and two out of six early stage skin cancer, all without any noticeable side-effects.One of the reasons it may work in some cancers better than others or some people better than others is differences in bioavailability. Megadoses were given and just a tiny amount ended up in the bloodstream. If you’re treating skin cancer though, why not just put the curcumin directly on the skin?I’ve talked about what turmeric compounds can do to cancer cells in a petri dish. Here's some before and after pics. These are cervical cancer cells in a petri dish with more and more curcumin. Normal cells are unharmed, but cancer cell are laid to waste. Yeah, but to make it to the cervix, curcumin must be absorbed, unless a vaginal cream was invented.A variety of delivery methods have been devised, besides intravaginal, there's also oral, intra-abdominal, intramuscular, and under-the-skin injections. Straight into the veins, or the arteries, on the skin, up the bladder, in the nose, breathed like an inhaler, up where the sun don't shine, or straight into the spinal column, bone marrow, the tumor itself or implanted somehow.Taken orally, and it actually gets into the tissues. You can measure the amount of curcumin absorbed into the wall of the intestine by examining biopsies and surgical specimens taken after a curcumin regimen. It makes sense to take turmeric orally to try to fight colon cancer, but if we have cancer erupting on our skin why not just rub it on directly?That’s what these researchers did, turmeric and curcumin as topical agents in cancer therapy. I just took some turmeric from the store made a tincture out of it, dried it and put it in Vaseline, and then had cancer patients rub it on their cancer three times a day. What kind of cancer can you get at with a finger? These were folks with cancers of the mouth, breast, skin, vulva, and elsewhere. Isn’t breast cancer under the surface? Not always. Advanced breast cancer can ulcerate right through the skin. These were all people with recurrent ulcerating tumors that had failed to respond to surgery, radiation, and chemo. And these open cancers can stink and itch and ooze. There was nothing else medicine had to offer. So let’s rub on some turmeric ointment and see what happens. It produced remarkable relief. A reduction in smell was noted in 90% of the cases even in extensively ulcerated cases of breast cancer, and a reduction in itching in almost all cases as well. For example relieving the severe itching in two of the vulva cancer patients.Most of the lesions dried up and in many cases this relief lasted for months, all from just rubbing on the harmless spice turmeric, which they describe as an indigenous drug, highly effective in reducing smell, itching and exudate. The effect of this so-called drug is remarkable. And that drug, is just some edible spice used in curries for centuries.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	This is really interesting, and maybe if more plant substances are added to the “cream”, maybe the effect could be even more better…The turmeric relieved smell, itch, etc., did it ultimately cure some cancers?Sharon, The narrative does say, “Most of the lesions dried up…”. But I’m not sure what that means. I may mean that the surface problem was cured but not the underlying cancer? I just don’t know.Sharon, Turmeric has been found effective to significantly reduce and limit the spread of breast cancers to its axillary tail. It has not been found “curative” for any cancers yet.It seemed the research article was from 1987. Is turmeric being used for cancer treatments these days? Is there any current research? Or because big pharma can’t make huge profits off of a common spice, is the research and application languishing?In the past 20 years, there have been around 26,700 articles mentioning curcumin and cancer (18,600 in the past 5 years, 12,900 in the last year). Most research has been academic, with pharmaceutical companies examining enhanced bioavailability formulations like Meriva. As you might imagine, researchers from India are well represented, most notably Bharat Aggarwal of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Instutute in Houston.One major problem with pharmaceutically sponsored studies is that they would like to involve something which they can eventually patent to make money, for example the active ingredient of turmeric “curcumin” and so on. Nature, however, do justice to poor and rich alike & therefore the studies which involved the “curcumin” did NOT produce the same beneficial results as compared to studies which involved whole spice turmeric which is not only far far less expensive but also not patentable by any :)Darryl,Have you any insights into whether or not Aggarwal’s research on the healing properties of spices has been called into question? Have you seen the articles in “Retraction Watch” about allegations of image manipulation in his papers? The allegations don’t appear to involve his curcumin research. See http://retractionwatch.com/category/by-author/bharat-aggarwal/A natural compound having this effect is just amazing! Nature rules….does this work for supplements?I take a curcumin supplement daily. The one I currently take is 95% curcuminoids in sunflower oil in a gel cap….probably could just pierce the cap and use it as an ointment. If you take curcumin/tumeric…take a sniff after your next urine test…or maybe not?I use on my smoothies, juices… better take naturally, you can add to soup, bean, tomato sauce, anything that has some kind of sauce, it does taste little spyce. It’s a wonderful anti-inflammatory for you body in general. So ..I think is better prevent than treat, in case of cancer.JR supplements only contain one key ingredient of turmeric i.e. “Curcumin” where as nature has many other micronutrients packed in turmeric with curcumin who are there for a reason and their synergistic effect is far more powerful than what one ingredient can do alone. Besides, a bottle of supplement cost almost 100 times more than what the actual spice itself would cost with all the benefits.One of the best videos you have made. Thank you Dr. Greger.You think?You need to start browsing videos on this site fast, :)No kidding there are loads more generally usefull ones.It’s all in the eye of the beholder. No point in argueing that.I note that he mentions using vaseline and wonder if this can be used on tongue lesions inside the mouth. I’m tempted to try turmeric on the tongue but wonder about the vaseline.perhaps substitute coconut oil for the vaseline ?I wonder if tumeric mixed with coconut oil could provide a little bit of protection from sunburn? Before I go to the beach I load up on things like beet root and red cabbage about an hour before I expose myself… Maybe it’s just a placebo effect but I feel like I don’t burn as easily.. Maybe turmeric mixed coconut oil might help even more.Ben, I have always been susceptible to sunburn and am allergic to most sunscreens so don’t use them. I don’t make it a practice to go out in the sun. However, when I necessarily do it, I have found that 8 mg a day of astaxanthin has protected me.What type of lesion do u have on tongue?As suggested earlier by Ben, coconut oil or any other edible oil can be substituted easily. Adding a pinch of black peppers or cayenne peppers will increase its absorption many fold and capsaicin in cayenne peppers will also help control any amount of pain within 30-45 seconds literally.You can mix curcumin in a little DMSO liquid which should help carry it through the skin. I did this a few years ago and rubbed it on my neck in the hope that it would help treat my skull base tumor. The tumor stopped growing and has been stable for eight years now. (Of course I did many other things too.)Hi Rick, I am interested in what you did to make the tumor in the base of your skull stop growing. I am trying to shrink a breast tumor. Thanks.Wow, I was just sent this by a good friend who believes everything he gets from this site. But I will tell you as a cancer survivor I am really offended by much of what this site puts out. This one is really bad, one study of 64 patients who were given a topical treatment for 4 weeks with no long term followup, wow no that is a new low and really bad medicine really really ill responsible. People get hurt by this type of misinformation. Skin cancer spread quickly, most forms are very incurable with prompt attention. All this will do is have people delay there visit to the doctor while they attempt to self treat.Shame on you Doc !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!mikey, are you ok? I realy think people with cancer will be treated by their doctors – and ADD tumoric to their diet and all. Verry few Hippies will try to cure cancer in their backyard.I am constantly impressed with the tremendous amount of information you can back into one of your videos. Aside from being really interesting much of it, like this video on Turmeric are potentially life saving. Thanks again for your continued research and the exceptional public service you do by offering it freely.The video shows breast cancer with an open wound and a partially exposed tumor. What sort of cream can be blended with turmeric and be suitable for application to such a site? How can it be made sterile before application? How can the cream be removed so the wound can be cleaned? I’m dealing with this and need some specifics. Thanks.Peu d’ orange or open wound on breast cancer are usually suggestive of an advanced cancer and must get proper treatment from a team of oncologists and surgeons.If it is inoperable and you meant to apply turmeric in order to control/improve skin lesion … then you can mix turmeric powder in a mildly warm olive oil or coconut oil and apply. Turmeric is very potent anti-inflammatory and you do not need to sterile it. Simply washing wound with water is good. If pale color of skin surrounding lesion bothers you, u can always clean it with soap water or just by using a rubbing alcohol swab.Another way to use turmeric on any skin lesion is by preparing a “POULTICE” which is not only easy to apply as a dressing but also more effective if you can prepare it.RECIPE: 1 Tablespoon of Turmeric powder 2 tablespoon of olive oil 1 table spoon of wheat flour, 1 Table spoon of Sucanant/ raw brown sugar Half tsp of salt, sea salt preferredMix all the ingredients in pan, mix well while cooking on medium low heat. Cook until a doughy poultice is formed. Remove from heat, let it cool a bit and apply on lesion. It normally stay put but you can also secure it by applying some bandage. Change every 8 hours. Please note that poultice draws any deep seated pus out as it dries . You many note some discharge initially and that is a good thing. Change frequently if needed. This technique is centuries old and in Asian cultures of subcontinent, this home remedy for many skin problems (furunculosis, boils, abscess, non-healing wounds etc) is very popular and effective for many centuries. Hope this helps.Hello Dr Greger, I love your work, it’s both inspiring and validating as a long-time vegan, thanks for all your wonderful work that you share . I have a question after watching this video – this video really had my attention – now, I know you’re not a vet! but I’m treating my elderly dog who has oral melanoma with organic turmeric paste mixed with a bit of oil, water and a good dollop of raw New Zealand honey applied topically to his mouth tumour. It’s been a month since his diagnosis and this disgusting looking tumour is shrinking slowly but surely and looks like it’s going to come away from his gum. I’ve watched all your Turmeric videos now and researched alot about it in regard to using it for dogs too.My question is this: is there any research that you know of about sugar feeding cancer cells – I’ve heard people tell me that sugar feeds cancer but when I mixed the honey in with this paste I’m using it seemed to amplify the results. And if sugar supposedly feeds cancer then people shouldn’t eat fruit if they had cancer which sounds like nonsense when fruit could potentially cure cancer….Maybe the hydrogen peroxide honey can generate is helping the Turmeric destroy the tumour, or maybe it’s acting like a Trojan horse and luring the cancer cells in for the Turmeric to do it’s destroyer thing….anyway my dog’s arthritis has certainly improved! and even tho you’re not a vet, you absolutely have helped my dog :) thanks again for everything you do :)I saw this video and became very excited since I currently am seeing an oral surgeon for lesions on my tongue and I wanted something I could put on the tongue and let it do some good work. But I got turned off by the vaseline mix on the tongue and thought there has to be a better way. I believe there is a better way and I have found it in Swanson’s organic turmeric tea bags. I ordered 3 boxes of 20 bags and drink 1 cup a day. I take some in my mouth and usually swish it all around, then leave it a while before swallowing. When I do this I notice that my tongue has a yellow coating which tells me the turmeric stays on the tongue and does its work longer. For additional benefit, after drinking most of the cup I put the tea bag right on the tongue and leave it there a while too. After doing this for forty days I went to my regular 4 month appointment with my oral surgeon. Over the past 2 years he has performed 3 biopsies, and one laser procedure to blast off severe dysplasia. He examined my tongue, told me that he was very pleased and that my tongue was in the best shape he has ever seen it. He asked me what I was doing and I told him. I believe I am now fighting a winning game here with turmeric’s help. I also wonder if it may also be helpful to my gums and even my throat and esophagus.In a skin cream base, I used turmeric to get rid of an actinic keratosis on my leg. Applied liberally twice a day for a month. Still gone two months later.I wonder if you can make your own cream to apply topically, I want to try it out to apply for anal lesion.Great stuff. Would love to hear about diet to protect against sunburn/skin damage too! Thanks!Hi Minda. Dr. Greger has a page on skin health. There was a study performed in Germany of a lotion made out of cilantro seeds, showing it could decrease the redness of a sunburn showing it had some anti-inflammatory effects, though not as much as an over-the-counter steroid, hydrocortisone, or prescription strength steroid cream.	alternative medicine,bladder cancer,bladder disease,bladder health,bone marrow health,breast cancer,cancer,cervical cancer,cervix health,chemotherapy,colon cancer,complementary medicine,curcumin,curry powder,mouth cancer,oral cancer,oral health,rectal cancer,side effects,skin cancer,spices,turmeric,Vaseline,vulva cancer,women's health	For accessible cancers such as skin, mouth, and vulva, the spice turmeric can be applied in an ointment. Note: there’s an image of ulcerating breast cancer from 3:03 to 3:09 that viewers may find disturbing.	The colon cancer video I refer to is my last video, Turmeric Curcumin and Colon Cancer.More on what this golden spice can do in:There are ways of Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin to get it into our blood stream.Some should be cautious about turmeric use, though. See Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vulva-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaseline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervical-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-marrow-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervix-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouth-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curry-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23234806,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23315886,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15090465,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23303705,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2435036,
PLAIN-2585	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/	Turmeric Curcumin and Colon Cancer	The low incidence of large and small bowel cancer in India is often attributed to natural antioxidants, such as curcumin in the diet, the yellow pigment in the spice turmeric, which is used in curry powder. However, it is imperative to recall that beneficial effects attributed to diets are seldom reproduced by administration of a single ingredient in that diet. For example, diets rich in b-carotene lower the risk of tobacco-related cancers, but the administration of b-carotene pills does not. That doesn't stop researchers from trying though.Back in 2001, in a last ditch attempt to save the lives of 15 patients with advanced colorectal cancer that didn't respond to any of the standard chemotherapy agents or radiation, they started them on a turmeric extract. It appeared to help stall the disease in a third of the patients, 5 out of 15, suggesting turmeric extract may cause clinical benefit in at least some patients with advanced refractory colorectal cancer.Now if we were talking about some new kind of chemo, and it only helped one in three, you'd have to weigh that against chemo side effects, losing your hair, the sloughing of your gut, intractable vomiting, maybe being bed-ridden. So in a drug scenario, a one in three benefit may not sound particularly appealing, but when you're talking about plant extract proven to be remarkably safe, even if it just helped 1 in a 100 it would be worth considering. With no serious downsides, a one in three benefit for end-stage cancer is pretty exciting.To see if they could prevent colon cancer, five years later, researchers at Cleveland Clinic and Hopkins tested two phytochemicals, curcumin (from turmeric) and quercitin, (found in red onions and red wine) in people with familial adenomatous polyposis. Colon cancer forms from polyps, and there's this disease that runs in families in which you develop hundreds of polyps, which will eventually turn into cancer unless you have your colon prophylactically removed. So they took five such patients who already had their colons removed, but still either had their rectum, or a little intestinal pouch, which were still packed with polyps. This is where they started out, between 5 and 45 polyps each, and this is where they ended up after six months of curcumin and quercitin supplements. On average, they ended up with fewer than half the polyps, and the ones they had left, shrunk in half. Here's a representative endoscopic photograph before-and-after. Now you see them now you don't. But what about patient one? Got rid of all their polyps by month three, but then they seemed to come back. So they asked them what's what, and it turned out the patient stopped taking the supplements. Darn it. So they put 'em back on the phytonutrient supplements for another three months, and the polyps, came back down, all with virtually no adverse events and no blood test abnormalities.By studying people at high risk for colon cancer there were able to show noticeable effects within just months. But polyposis is a rare disease; they were only able to recruit five people for the study. Thankfully smokers are a dime a dozen. Another five years later, researchers put 44 smokers on turmeric curcumin supplements alone, for a month and measured changes in their colorectal aberrant crypt foci, which may act like the precursors to polyps, which are the precursors to cancer. And we can see just one month there was a significant drop in the number of these abnormal crypt foci in the high dose supplement group but no change in the low dose group, with no dose-limiting side effects, although the stools in the participants did turn yellow.	I eat curcuma and black pepper almost everyday with beans and greens :pThis sounds very yummy! I’ve just finished breakfast (Pacific time zone), but I’m getting hungry again reading your recipe. Thanks, Adrien—I will try this for sure.my tumeric recipe: I scrape 1 T of greek yogurt on to a spoon, dump 1/2t of tumeric powder on top and sprinkle black pepper on top of the tumeric. I eat it and try not to inhale the spices. Yum!Hope that’s soy yogurt!Also, we should have heat treated turmeric as well as some raw turmeric in our diet. Go to the 2:30 mark of this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/Hi Adrian. Thanks for this recipe. I am intrigued! I have 2 questions. (1) Do you notice any unpleasant bitterness from the tumeric? I seem to be having a problem with this since I stopped cooking with oil. (2) What type of mustard are you using? Ground mustard? Again, thanks!Absolutely not ! I don’t feel the turmeric at all !! Just a Yummy mix of everything. Maybe because of the tahini (but even without it’s fine, du to the tomato, I’m guessing). I’m using Dijon mustard. Relatively strong, so adjust the quantity if you’re using a weaker one.Adrien, if you were to add one can of beans, how much tomato puree would you add? And do usually add fresh or caned tomato puree? Do you use mustard powder (the spice) or the condiment mustard? Thanks, it sounds delicious!I’m using almost the same quantity of beans as tomato puree, so my typical can of beans is 250g drained weight and I use around 300g of tomato puree. Since I use some of the liquid from the beans (unless there is salt added) I guess it’s almost the same. I’m not using mustard powder but Dijon mustard. I bought organic tomato puree in a glass jar from my local organic store here in Paris. Sometime it’s not available, so I pick the peeled one with their juice and blend them.I do have to try this. Yumii, is right. The only thing I’ve not been able to eat and now don’t like, is black pepper. Still, I think the recipe is a jumping off place for some good foods. Have you seen Jeff Novick’s SNAP meals? Your use of the tomato base reminded me of his Simple, Nutritious, and Affordable Plan. Love the beans in this but I’d like to add the other vegis too. I get the therapeutic point of the combo. Thanks for posting it.https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10519Ooops! forgot to paste it. Here you go!Awesome link. I love Jeff Novick ! But never came across this paper though. I love the simpleness in this and the fact that is cheap! I might try this one day. Add everything you want in the recipe, it’s the whole purpose of sharing.I agree, Jeff Novick is awesome. He is one of the few people that understands nutrition so well, and quickly disseminates fact from fiction.Great thank you! I tried this for breakfast and when I checked my blood sugar it hardly moved. And I feel better than my usual bowl of porridge. I know why you use the tahini, but I’m still trying to keep in Essy’s good graces so I left it out. and I replaced the mustard with garam masala….we have liftoff!Shelley, if you like a little zip I find that lemon juice seems to decrease that bitter note from turmeric. Just a thoughtOf course the Tahini is not mandatory and should not be used all the time ! Bioavailability is a little better with it but it’s not absolutely necessary. Cooking and Black Pepper will still be enough, but I wanted to give a whole food alternative to oil. You can also use Turmeric roots, not powder, which have oil inside.So can I eat plant based in Europe? I imagine lots of olive oil.You guess well… And it’s promoted as healthy everywhere… People are either shocked or in denial when I talk about the negatives effects of olive oil, here in France.Adrien, THANK you for that recipe! Will try it today! Am always looking for more ways to include turmeric…my father and brother died from colon cancer. I have small red beans soaking right now to cook up later today!Here’s a recipe for a turmeric concoction–with black pepper and cumin– that you can throw into any dish. https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/anti-cancer-recipes-how-to-make-turmeric-more-potent-and-tasty/Doctor,Please read over the below link and sources when you get a chance regarding the risk of too much B12. It would be most appreciated, and, I think, most important for us vegans.http://www.livestrong.com/article/359556-risks-of-too-much-vitamin-b12/I know that B12 is water soluble, and that the body flushes excess out, but what are the long-term side effects on the kidneys and liver and other organs that need to continually process out this excess? Has there been any time in human existence where our kidney’s have had to process 5,000-10,000 percent of B12 on a daily or weekly basis, even if the majority is not retained? This link i’ve included suggests possible harm. How about the immune system….what effect does an amount of B12 in supplements have on the human immune system as far as getting “shocked” with a dose of B12 that has absolutely no long-term track record.Thanks.When you take a “mega-dose” (thousand of mcg) B12 supplement orally you nevertheless absorb only 1% of that amount. There is no danger in doing so. Megadose of B12 is used (under the name of CyanoKit) intravenously to save people from cyanide toxicity by first aid fireman and rescuer after people being exposed to toxic smoke from fire. Because Hydroxocobalamin have a very potent affinity with cyanide. You can look at the side effect of such medication on the web. But even then, it’s incredibly safe. The only real problem I’m aware of is if you use cyanocobalamin injection on people with Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). LHON is associated with an inhability to properly clear cyanide from the body. Otherwise, you’ll be safe using B12 supplement, Hydroxo or methyl form seems best if using in shot.Adrien:Thank you for the info.on B12. I turned vegan recently and started taking 500 mcg of B12 a day in sublingual form. I’m wondering if the assimilation of 1% you have mentioned applies to all forms or just to pills swallowed. (The link you’ve provided doesn’t seem active any more.) Thank you.Sorry I’ll correct the link as soon as I figured out why it doesn’t work.500mcg once a day of B12 appears to be just perfect, even if 250mcg is enough, 500mcg will lower homocysteine and methylmalonic acid a litle bit further (wich is good).The serie of videos about B12 supplement start here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/and here the link about the 1% absorption of B12: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/Adrien: Thank you for answering my question about sublingual B12 and for the related links. i have another question for you: What about taurine? I can find only one video in which Dr. Greger mentions taurine. What I gather from it is that vegans don’t need to take supplemental taurine unless there’s some genetic condition that prevents the body from synthesizing enough of it. But I’ve seen some published research that says that humans can not make sufficient taurine, especially when they get older, making dietary or supplemental taurine necessary. could you please elaborate on taurine if you’ve studied it. Thank you in advance.Cool info and piece, +1.There is the folic acid to watch out for george. That get combined with B12 a lot.I break my 5000 mcg Methyl-B12 tablets in tiny little pieces for all the B12 that can get used but as little folic acid as possible.Folate enough anyway with the kg+ of vegetables so its way cheaper this way.I’m still wondering if back pepper is absolute requirement for turmeric to be effective since I get eczema from just one little pinch of pepper. Interestingly not all manufactured curry powders contain black pepper (could other spices have a similar effect?). Also I remember some research table with ORAC values and if I’m not mistaken turmeric/curcumin was lipophilic – is naturally occurring fat in turmeric enough? (Although perhaps ORAC value is not of primary importance in this context).There was a piece on the mechanism of it. As far as I can remember it made it super soluable.There is something in nicotine patches and testerone patches that works like that too I read somewhere.Piperine is believed to increase bioavailabilty of numerous compounds via CYP3A4 inhibition. There are other CYP3A4 inhibitors, most notably grapefruit..Turmeric indeed has some oils (dry turmeric is 3.3% oil), and one of the enhanced bioavailability formulations is 95% curcuminoids in turmeric oil.Hey Darryl, I just figured out yesterday how to use hypertext in disqus, but all the link are sending to an error 404. You seem not having this problem. Can you help me with that ?For exemple: Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON)a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leber%27s_hereditary_optic_neuropathy” title=”LHON”>Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) /ais leading to nutritionfacts error 404.Try entering this format: [a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leber’s_hereditary_optic_neuropathy”]Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON)[/a], replacing the square brackets [ ] with angle brackets .Disqus only permits a limited html subset.Thanks ! I think I found why it didn’t work.” instead of ” …We should use pepper when we heat treat turmeric, but what about when we consume turmeric raw? Should we still use pepper? Dr. Gregor says we should consume some turmeric raw for the anti-inflammatory benefits but pepper in a raw smoothie is not so good. But I love pepper in my cooked dishes.A great many – high percentage – of India people have a plant food based diet. Colon cancer is directly related to red and processed meat which in large part the India people don’t eat. Read “The China Study” by Cornell nutritional biochemist prof. T. Colin Campbell. Plant based diet is a biggie, not reductionist.An example is Scotland where the Scots love their highland beef and have a very high rate of colon cancer, while India people living in the same region with their traditional plant food diet have a very low rate.Now it is useful to help people who decided to risk colon cancer with their diet so perhaps curcumin, a reductionist, may be of some benefit. The researchers could have done a great benefit by attacking the contibuting caises of colon cancer…BTW, the India people with their plant food diet have very low rates of breast and prostate cancer as well..Helping one in 3 cancer patients is a block-buster – if it was a drug….. Michael, will you take this as far as to recommend curcumin as a supplement?I agree Plantstrongdoc…my dad died of colon cancer in 1988 and my brother died of it in 2010…I’ve been eating as much turmeric as I can for some years now…and can recently find it fresh at Whole Foods right near my home…both dad and brother were smokers though I’ve never in my life smoked cigarettes…my dad quit in 1975 when he was diagnosed with emphysema…my brother had had most of his neck cut away in the 80’s from throat cancer but sadly and tragically, he went back to smoking in 2008 or thereabouts when he lost his job. That shit is so TOXIC!!! but I strive to eat all plants all the time! Love Dr. Greger’s videos!Sorry for your loss. Thanks for your comment.In today’s Science-Based Medicine blog, Harriet Hall posted a review where she claims that “the scientific evidence for turmeric is insufficient to incorporate it into medical practice.” http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/turmeric-tasty-in-curry-questionable-as-medicine/She also wrote an anti china study piece seen here: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-china-study-revisited/Quoting… Denise Minger. She is skeptic but not of everything, apparently. Me, I’m just skeptic of her skepticism.So – does this mean that supplements will work? curry everyday? :PThe issue with many potentially functional foods is absorption and bioavailabiltiy. The link below offers fascinating information on how these limitations can be overcome. Hint: it’s not simply by mixing it with fat and black pepper.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3763408/Hey psycho MD. thats not being very sensitive towards the people who desperately need solutions right now is it? Dangling a 10 – 20 year in the future carrot in front of their faces!Anyway this prediction is already bust in 6 months : 8. Conclusions and Future Prospects (snip out) Advancements in utilization of nanotechnology might help us to achieve the higher concentrations of the natural products necessary for efficacy against various diseases. It is assumed that a cure for cancer will be available by the year 2015 [108,109], and it is also anticipated that nanotechnology will be a $1 trillion industry by that time, with most of the impact focused on healthcare and cancer therapyArjan: We do not descend to name calling on this site. Please change your post.Request granted, sorry sweety ;)Thanks Arjan. You are a great participant. That’s why I didn’t treat your post the way most posts like that get treated (deleted without discussion). Thanks for your participation on this site.I salute you magnanimity! You serve your community well.Go to PubMed and type in Theracurmin. It is available now for about 50 cents a day.Is that different that mixing curcumin with milk before you drink it? Thats (nano) colloidal delivery too. And in india they actually do that this way for hundreds of years already.Hardly high tech, hardly what we picture with nanotechnology.Nanoparticles are a long way from prime time in primary prevention:Nanotoxicology: an emerging discipline evolving from studies of ultrafine particles (2005) Acute lung injury: a yellow card for engineered nanoparticles? (2009) Autophagy and lysosomal dysfunction as emerging mechanisms of nanomaterial toxicity (2012) Nanomaterials toxicity and cell death modalities (2012)Granted, nanoparticle delivery to tumors that one wants dead is another matter.Mmmm , ok the minimum effective dose for cancer is now established.But there is this little point of the huge spike in serum curcumin after intake. Seen graphs here on this site I believe of a spike lasting only 2 hours or so after intake. And serum levels collapsing almost back to base line after.How was the intake spread? 1 dose with 1 huge spike? Or mixed with all foodstuffs so there would be elevated serum levels during waking hours in which food gets consumed.This is a critical question!So is it either a shotgun blast every 24 hrs and your body has 22 hours a day on garbage duty, or does the cancer get smothered over the whole day?Penicillin is a magic bullet class drug. It was so effective and saved so many lives and limbs that we naturally became accustomed to the idea that good medicine equated to finding the right bullet or combination of bullets.The story that has emerged since certain researchers opened their minds a bit is more like magic Kevlar. So simple. Eat a whole foods diet centered on plants with as much variety as you can reasonably obtain.If we can get our kids to believe that this cadre of researchers are as heroic as Pasteur, Koch, Fleming and Florey… Do they learn about Kempner, Ornish and Campbell’s Symphony? If not, Why not? Just think if we can get that through their little knoggins and adopt good eating habits it will only take a few decades to change the world.As for this old dog, this is science I can grok!…KIS me, right on the lips :)I tell my son that if he wants big muscles like his daddy(!) he has to eat a lot of vegetables – and it works! Probably because he is 8 years old :-)Little pitchers…Looking back some 30+ years, I’d say our lot were pretty much “hard-wired” in most of their principles by about 9 or 10. Gotta get em early and set that good example. Nice going.He likes broccoli and brussel sprouts. The first thing he eats out of his plate at dinner are the veggies.Doctor Greger,When using fresh turmeric root, how much should I consume daily? Does it matter if it’s cooked or raw? I’m a type II diabetic and I recently began swallowing a little raw with meals as an anti-inflammatory (along with black pepper and fresh, raw ginger root). WARNING – ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE: My blood sugar levels have responded well to this; I’ve found that I need less insulin when I begin a meal with the turmeric-ginger-pepper combo.[46-year-old male. Low-fat whole-foods vegan since October 2013. Pre-vegan Hemoglobin A1C: 9.3 (it had been as high as 11.3 in recent years). June 2014 Hemoglobin A1C: 5.7. And I eat as much as I want.]Anti inflammation was 0.3 grams of tumeric, 0.3 gr of cloves ,2.8 gr of ground ginger and 2.8 gr rosemary.All 4 about equal significant drops: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/Ginger I use fresh about 6 gr sliced in 400ml of Jasmin green tea/with lemon. About 2 – 3 times a day, chew up the ginger after I drank it. Its ok after most of the real sting has been absorbed by the fluid. Kind of like it now.Rosemary I blend in green shakes. The other 2 get added piecemeal thoughout the day. 0.2 gr in a serving of these 2 is hardly noticable to me anymore.Works like a charm.Thats raw though, tumeric has other properties when heat treated. More on the cancer side of things it seems.You are doing good eating the raw turmeric for the anti-inflammatory benefits. You should also do heat treated turmeric for it’s ability to fight the free radicals and repair DNA strands. Watch this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/Here is another great recipe, sauté chopped onion until golden, add chopped red pepper a full teaspoon of Turmeric, black pepper a veg powdered bullion, a bag of frozen peas, chopped carrots, sweet and regular potato , simmer for 15 mints. Excellent.What is considered a good maintenance dosage?The effective dose, 4 gr.hi, do you have any information of cactus leaves(in mexico we call it nopales?), and also the asafetida spice?I have colon cancer issues. How do I get to vein the study .Or at least get more information for my MDPlease click “sources cited” under the video for the studies.Thank you. I checked the references and I called the Cleveland Clinic for an appointment. I want to have a story about prevention!coocaw: That’s awesome. I’m rooting for you. Best of luck to you.Of the 6720 studies cited in PubMed regarding curcumin, nearly all of them involve some sort of purified, standardized extract. By the same token virtually all have yielded positive results. There is much to be said for utilizing a strategy that has been scientifically validated. As I see it that is really the whole point of Dr. Greger’s “org”.What were the high and low dose quantities??? What is the recommended daily/weekly consumption idea?Hi, Question: I have been making my own ginger/turmeric tea for a long while with 3/4 lb fresh ginger root & 1/8 lb fresh turmeric root. An ND who says he is a specialist in nutrition told me to STOP drinking this or at least take a couple weeks off. He said these roots, if not organic, have high levels of toxicity either from pesticides &/or heavy metals as well as the turmeric alters the gut flora in a negative way. I looked & looked but could not find anything to support this. Could you provide any info on the topic. I drink the tea daily to get all the benefits these wonderful roots have to offer but I certainly don’t want to toxify myself and impair my gut flora. Thanks.My girlfriend and I consume turmeric every day. We add half a teaspoon to our oatmeal and we also consume Yellow lentils that have both turmeric root and turmeric powder.Dear Dr. Greger, I turn 50 in a couple of months and I have been a strict vegan for about 7 years and will be for the rest of my life. Do you recommend a colonoscopy or any other type of screening for symptom-free vegans? Thanks for your help.Paul: I don’t know if Dr. Greger will be able to answer this question or not. I just thought I would say that I share the question! There are a lot of standard screenings that I really wonder if they are wise or not, especially for someone who has been eating a whole plant food based diet for some time. A whole plant food based diet may not be a guarantee of being disease free, but the screenings come with their own problems. So, I wonder how to weigh these decisions. I’ve made my own decision in regards to mammograms, but colonoscopies are still a big question in my head.If you haven’t seen the following video, I thought it might interest you. It talks about how evaluations of some screenings have not always been above board. (My interpretation of the talk.) The Two Most Misleading Numbers in Medicine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcHQElKhWFcThanks for asking the question.I’m 47 and just had my first colonoscopy due to a family history (my dad had his first colon polyps at age 53). I have followed a vegan diet for 8 years. I had two colon polyps removed. Unfortunately I don’t think following a vegan diet makes us bullet proof and the recommended colonoscopy screening beginning at age 50 is probably a good idea.Does anyone know how much you should eat daily?	antioxidants,beta carotene,cancer,chemotherapy,Cleveland Clinic,colon cancer,curcumin,curry powder,India,Johns Hopkins University,phytonutrients,polyps,quercitin,rectal cancer,red onions,red wine,side effects,smoking,spices,turmeric,vomiting,wine supplements	What role may the spice turmeric play in both the prevention of precancerous polyps and the treatment of colorectal cancer?	The low cancer rates in India may also be related to phytate consumption - Phytates for the Prevention of Cancer and plant-centered diets Back to Our Roots: Curry and Cancer.More on turmeric and Cancer in Carcinogenic Blocking Effects of Turmeric and Turmeric Curcumin Reprogramming Cancer Cell Death.Given the poor systemic absorption of turmeric compounds, what cancers other than that of the digestive tract may be directly affected? See my next video Topical Application of Turmeric Curcumin for Cancer.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyps/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/johns-hopkins-university/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/quercitin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curry-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vomiting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cleveland-clinic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16757216,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15090465,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11448902,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11266532,
PLAIN-2586	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/	Cadmium and Cancer: Plant vs. Animal Foods	Cadmium is known as a highly toxic metal that represents a major hazard to human health. It sticks around in our body for decades because our body has no efficient way to get rid of it, and may contribute to a variety of illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Most recently, data suggesting cadmium exposure may impair cognitive performance even at levels once thought to be safe.Recent studies suggest cadmium exposure may produce adverse health effects at lower exposure levels than previously predicted, including increased risk of hormonal cancers. For example, researchers on Long Island estimated that about 40% of breast cancer in the U.S. might be associated with elevated cadmium levels.Inhalation of cigarette smoke is one of the major routes for human exposed to cadmium. Seafood consumption is another dominant route of human exposure in this study even more so than cigarette smoke. The highest levels, though, are found in organ meats, but how many horse kidneys can you eat? Because people eat so few organs, grains and vegetables actually end up contributing the largest amount.But wait a second, whole grains and vegetables are among the major dietary sources of fiber, phytoestrogens, antioxidants that may protect against breast cancer. And indeed, even though the risk of breast cancer goes up as women consume more and more cadmium, even though on paper, most cadmium comes from grains and vegetables, breast cancer risk goes down, the more and more whole grains and vegetables women eat, so maybe the animal source cadmium is somehow worse, or the benefits of plant foods just overwhelm any adverse effects of the cadmium?This study may have helped solve the mystery. It’s not what we eat, it’s what we absorb. Cadmium bioavailability from animal-based foods may be higher than that from vegetable-based foods. There appears to be something in plants that inhibits cadmium absorption. In fact, if you add kale to your boiled pig kidneys, you can cut down on the toxic exposure. Just one tablespoon of pig kidney and we may exceed the daily safety limit—unless you add kale, in which case you could eat a quarter cup. The pronounced effects of the inhibitory factors in kale point out the importance of vegetable foods in terms of prevention of health hazard from cadmium ingested as mixed diets in a real situation.Even if a vegetarian diet contains more lead and cadmium than a mixed diet, it is not certain that it will give rise to higher uptake of the metals, because the absorption of lead and cadmium is inhibited by plant components such as fibre and phytate. And it’s not just in lab animals. Having whole grains in our stomach up to three hours before we swallow lead can eliminate 90% of absorption, thought to be due to phytates in whole grains, nuts, and beans grabbing onto it.So vegetarians may have lower levels even though they have higher intakes. In fact, a significant decrease in the hair concentrations of lead and cadmium as seen after the change from an omnivorous to a vegetarian diet, indicating a lower absorption of the metals. Here’s that study. They took folks eating a standard Swedish diet and put them on a vegetarian diet. Lots of whole unrefined plant foods, no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, with junk food discouraged. Here’s where they started out, a measure of their mercury levels, cadmium levels, and lead levels in their body. Within three months on a vegetarian diet, their levels significantly dropped, and stayed down for the rest of the year-long experiment. But then they came back three years later, three years after they stopped eating vegetarian. And what did they find? Their levels of mercury, cadmium and lead shot back up.Since the cadmium in plants is based on the cadmium in soil, plant-eaters that live in a really polluted areas like Slovakia, which has some of the highest levels, the so-called black triangle of pollution, thanks to the chemical and smelting industries. Those who eat lots of plants there can indeed build up higher cadmium levels, especially if you eat lots of plants. It’s interesting, in spite of the significantly higher blood cadmium concentration as a consequence of a greater cadmium intake from polluted plants all the antioxidants in those same plants were found to help inhibit the harmful effects of higher free radical production caused by the cadmium exposure. Still, though, in highly polluted areas it might be an especially good idea not to smoke, or eat too much seafood or organ meats, but even if we live in the Slovak Republic’s black triangle of pollution, the benefits of whole plant foods would outweigh the risks. In highly polluted areas, zinc supplements may decrease cadmium absorption, but I’d recommend against multi-mineral supplements, as they have been found to be contaminated with cadmium itself.	so what if we eat organic food would that make a big difference?Unlikely: Does organic farming reduce the content of Cd and certain other trace metals in plant foods? A pilot study Some does arise from phosphate fertilizer applications in both conventional and organic fertilizer. Florida phosphates have < 10 mg/kg Cd, but Western phosphorites can have up to 174 mg/kg Cd. Poultry litter seems pretty high among manure fertilizers. The highest natural soil Cd levels arise in soils arising from black shales, like the Monterey shale in California and the black shales of Derbyshire, England. (1, 2, 3)http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/files/2014/05/Cadmium.jpgThanks to have included a graph for Europe. Maybe I should consider moving to Spain now ! Just kidding..Is it true that fruit absorbs the least amount of cadmium, and maybe we all are better off being exclusive fruit-eaters (with a few additions from time to time)?Fruit also is low in other divalent minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc), deficiencies of which may increase uptake of cadmium. Its this, I suspect, most at play in that Slovokian study. There are other weird but instructive results. This study, for example, found tofu had the most robust association with blood cadmium among non-smokers. That makes sense in that cadmium is likely a contaminant in many commodity divalent minerals, like the calcium sulfate (gypsum) used to make tofu.Hi Darryl, what about soy from China …. is it Cd-rich? All soybeans in Canada appear to come from China, at least those for commercial consumption. There is one product that doesn’t (a very expensive form of edamame).Chinese soil cadmium is a state secret. Chinese soil and rice Cd was was considerably lower than Japanese samples in 2000, but who knows if those samples were representative. Being downhill/river from a black shale deposit can increase cadmium many fold, and China does have shale.Soy isn’t a Cd hyperaccumulator, like Solanaceae plants are. I’ve assumed most soy is U.S. and South American, as China now imports most soy for its animal feeding operations. Whether that’s also true for the non-GMO organic certified soy in most health food products, I don’t know.I’m so, so sorry BUT ………………….. Organic makes THE DIFFERENCE!!! I am forty years old and I developed brain cancer at sixteen. After life altering symptoms and a brain scan confirming the abnormality my family and I treated the tumor with H2O2. This DID NOT eliminate what CAUSED me to develop the tumor. With prayers, time and investing in finding answers, we changed the way I ate and lived which slowed the process of my initial disease, Autoimmune Poly endocrine Syndrome Type I and II. In a nutshell, my ENTIRE immune system weakened and almost shut down completely. After my immune system attacked my major organs I was left with Type I Diabetes, Addison’s Disease, ITP Anemia, Crone’s Disease and a few other issues. I am NOT supposed to be alive. I was able to function in the working world for about ten years then left to find out WHY my immune system was killing me. In addition to investigating my family tree and finding initial genetic proclivities that made me a prime target for this disease, I found the DETERMINING factor for my descent into illness and disease ………………… TOXICITY. This is the case for EVERY disease suffered by EVERY human on the face of the Earth. While eliminating the factor of immediate trauma illness, some of us arrive at our ‘toxic load’ quicker than others and disease results. Genetic vitality also goes hand in hand with this. For some, they can be exposed to the most noxious levels and types of toxicity and still live to be of old age and function normally while others like me have to change their entire existence at a very early age. Notice the trend of cancer over the last one hundred years. It’s increase fits ‘hand in glove’ with increase in toxicity in daily life. I live and thrive now because I changed every aspect of my life and made it as toxic free as humanly possible. EVERY aspect of my life had to be examined and over the past five years NOTHING has benefited me greater than ALL ORGANIC, OVER 90% PLANT BASED EATING HABITS. So, ORGANIC MAKES A MASSIVE DIFFERENCE!!!!!The question I responded to was, “Does organic certification reduce food cadmium levels.” I’ve no doubt many health benefits are attributed to organic crops.Given established farmers have little control over the source rock for their soil, airborne cadmium from nearby industry, and nearly all phosphate fertilizers have some cadmium contamination, it appears the main means available for farmers to reduce cadmium uptake is to use phosphate fertilizers with lower cadmium levels (Jordanian phosphate, at present), reduce soil acidity with lime, and choose plant cultivars bred to reduce cadmium accumulation. These steps can be taken by both conventional and organic farmers.If there was a misunderstanding, I apologize ………… BUT that’s not the way the question was posed to you nor the way you responded to the question. Bottom line, even with the standards of organic certification, commercialized organic foods do make a HUGE difference. I believe the mistake is being made when we look as isolated contaminants. Once a plant is grown as close to completely organic as possible, there are mechanisms in place which we cannot see or understand that literally render harmful compounds in the plant powerless against the human body. The same way vitamin C in an orange will always be superior to vitamin C in a bottle because it is being ingested as a WHOLE with all elements properly organized and attached to each other.EVERYONE is out to make money even those who offer the healthiest of foods. I have yet to acquire enough farm land to support both me and my family’s nutritional needs so I simply buy the best there is and if everyone does this, the health care system will only exist to service accidents and other trauma medical needs.Cynysha: Here is some information that I find the most helpful in understanding the issue of organic plants.“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.”from: from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/To those 10 people, the issue is huge. But to the population as a whole, there are bigger issues to focus on. I find that perspective helpful.I’m glad you are doing so much better now. Good luck!Hello and thank you for your comment and response!! Based on this study and its findings, I am not being given SPECIFICS. That makes more of a difference than is truly understood. For the group outside of the populous that experienced the ‘tiny bump’ of an overgrowth of cancer cells, there are many, many other mitigating factors. How much psychological stress were they experiencing, how heavy was the toxicity in their immediate environment and what were they coming in contact with every day? Cancer is a result of a ‘cumulative’ effect. In fact, in the persons that did not develop the cancer cell overgrowth and consumed conventionally grown produce, were they incorporating habits that thwarted cancer in general such as trust, relaxation, positive home environments? Also, what were the genetic factors involved? Once one can implement large amounts of plant based foods into their lives on a daily basis, this is great. To make sure these plants are without herbicides, pesticides and as close to organic as possible is always superior.Hello. I just wanted to give you my story to show you JUST HOW MUCH organic makes THE DIFFERENCE!!! I am forty years old and I developed brain cancer at sixteen. After life altering symptoms and a brain scan confirming the abnormality my family and I treated the tumor with H2O2. This DID NOT eliminate what CAUSED me to develop the tumor. With prayers, time and investing in finding answers, we changed the way I ate and lived which slowed the process of my initial disease, Autoimmune Poly endocrine Syndrome Type I and II. In a nutshell, my ENTIRE immune system weakened and almost shut down completely. After my immune system attacked my major organs I was left with Type I Diabetes, Addison’s Disease, ITP Anemia, Crone’s Disease and a few other issues. I am NOT supposed to be alive. I was able to function in the working world for about ten years then left to find out WHY my immune system was killing me. In addition to investigating my family tree and finding initial genetic proclivities that made me a prime target for this disease, I found the DETERMINING factor for my descent into illness and disease ………………… TOXICITY. This is the case for EVERY disease suffered by EVERY human on the face of the Earth. While eliminating the factor of immediate trauma illness, some of us arrive at our ‘toxic load’ quicker than others and disease results. Genetic vitality also goes hand in hand with this. For some, they can be exposed to the most noxious levels and types of toxicity and still live to be of old age and function normally while others like me have to change their entire existence at a very early age. Notice the trend of cancer over the last one hundred years. It’s increase fits ‘hand in glove’ with increase in toxicity in daily life. I live and thrive now because I changed every aspect of my life and made it as toxic free as humanly possible. EVERY aspect of my life had to be examined and over the past five years NOTHING has benefited me greater than ALL ORGANIC, OVER 90% PLANT BASED EATING HABITS. So, ORGANIC MAKES A MASSIVE DIFFERENCE!!!!!Since plant food protects against cadmium but animal food doesn’t, isn’t this further evidence that the natural diet for humans is plant and not animal?Yes, cadmium in cigarette smoke. I am wondering what effect plants have on detoxing the chemicals in electronic/vapor cigarettes. People are smoking these in airplane bathrooms, and there is no way to detect it. Second hand vapor, chemicals innocents then breathe in. Can plants prevent this?Latest concerns are that hard-core street drugs are able to be smoke via “vapor” devices. Anyone up for breathing in second-hand heroin, crack, meth, etc. in the airport, airplane, restaurant?And no known way to detect. I surely hope Dr. G finds the plant that protects us. The human body does its part, regardless. Hopefully that is enough.The nicotine extracts in most e-cigarettes should include far less of the carcinogens and heavy metals in conventional cigarettes, though they of course have all the addiction potential and health concerns of pure nicotine. The most interesting concern I’ve read is that the solder used for vaporizer wires can release aerosolized tin.Yeah, what is likely around the corner is widespread (and not able to be detected or identified by the average person) use of vapor devices to smoke crack, heroin, synthetic drugs, and others in public situations. A mom could be sitting at a table in a restaurant and there is some guy smoking what seems to be an electronic cigarette but it is actually pot, crack, meth. etc. – some pretty toxic second-hand vapor drifting about the restaurant. Another reason to order something healthy. Maybe airplanes will start serving fruits and vegetables to counteract the second-hand vapor of drugs coming from the bathroom.And very high levels of cadmium in one of my favorite “super foods”, cacao. Dang!http://www.naturalnews.com/045545_cacao_powder_cadmium_lab_testing_results.htmlDr. should we stop eating cacao powder now?????? ) =veggies grown with phosphate fertilizers known to cause high cadmium.“Cadmium is persistent in cacao and coffee products” So 2 of my favorite daily “boosters” have high levels of cadmium. In a sane world…all food would be tested for heavy metals and pesticides/herbicides? But not here in bizarro world…where corporations control most things for their profit potential? And our current Prez pushes GMOs.But if you are plant-based, your levels of cadmium are going to be so low, that the small amount of cadmium absorbed from those foods are probably not going to be a serious concern. That’s how I’m looking at it.Geoffrey: I do not understand your concern with cadmium in cacao. How is cacao any different than other plant foods which are also relatively high in cadmium? The video says that plant foods protects us from the cadmium, and cacao is a plant…Here is a quote from the video: “There appears to be something in plants that inhibits cadmium absorption. … Even if a vegetarian diet contains more lead and cadmium than a mixed diet, it is not certain that it will give rise to higher uptake of the metals, because the absorption of lead and cadmium is inhibited by plant components such as fibre and phytate.”I’m not arguing with you. I’m just wondering what you are thinking.And thanks for the link. I found it very interesting.Who eats “organs and pig kidneys”? People who eat hotdogs, boloney, etc.People on the paleo diet recommend organ meats. They believe it’s the “best” source of nutrients.EP_2012: Good point!It’s also interesting how (I believe) people on the paleo diet believe that phytates is a reason to stay away from grains where as here we see yet another example of how phytates are shown as a benefit.Yup. It’s like they recommend the opposite of what science has discovered is good for us.Are you being prejudiced towards supplements since all supplements are not created equal. Referring to Mega Foods supplements.It’s called ‘the retention factor’. I first learned about it from the Health Ranger, Mike Adams. Over the past few years, Mike Adams established and literally put together a very high technology food lab with state of the art and very sensitive machinery that literally breaks down any and all types of food just as the human stomach would. Once the foods were broken down Adams was able to measure almost every conceivable nutrient, toxin, heavy metal and anything else one could think of in order to see just how much of these things we’re ingesting in our food and it’s effects on our bodies. The results were literally MIND BLOWING!!! Here is where I heard Mike Adams describe ‘the retention factor’. He was able to confidently confirm through decisive and exact research that even with the high levels of toxicity in pesticides and herbicides in commercial agriculture, plant foods were able not only to RETAIN these toxic heavy metals, they were able to further clean out the body of other heavy metals present. So that means in persons who consume high levels of animal protein that may be very heavily contaminated with toxic heavy metals (i.e. sushi) once they consistently ingested large amounts of plant life on a daily regular basis (preferably raw in a smoothie) they can actually cleanse their bodies of these high levels of poison. UNBELIEVABLE!!! This information caused me to eliminate ALL non organic animal protein, first and foremost, and now I am eliminating my final favorite of the animal kingdom, organic turkey. I believe in God, and I know that even with the toxic overload man has put himself under, God has provided a means by which we can still benefit greatly from food even from inorganic sources.Imagine …… we can get all of these benefits from conventional plant life so going organic at every possible turn is even that much more beneficial!!!!	air pollution,animal products,antioxidants,beans,breast cancer,cadmium,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cognition,diabetes,eggs,fiber,grains,heart disease,heart health,heavy metals,junk food,lead,meat,mercury,nuts,omnivores,organ meats,oxidative stress,phytates,plant-based diets,poultry,seafood,Slovakia,smoking,supplements,Sweden,turkey,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,zinc	Though the most concentrated sources of the toxic metal cadmium are cigarette smoke, seafood, and organ meats, does greater consumption from whole grains and vegetables present a concern?	Toxic metals have also been found in dietary supplements. See for example, Get the Lead Out and Heavy Metals in Protein Powder Supplements.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/air-pollution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadmium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweden/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/slovakia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organ-meats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zinc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1550072,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22959313,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23253114,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22422990,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22024493,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4018820,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21108091,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24069382,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22459708,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23379984,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21071816,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22831969,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1628863,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11474903,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22677056,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21534362,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17152224,
PLAIN-2587	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-for-sore-muscle-relief/	Watermelon for Sore Muscle Relief	Delayed-onset muscle soreness is the discomfort that starts the day after a particularly grueling workout. Microtears in the muscle lead to inflammation, and so the leading pharmaceutical intervention are over-the-counter NSAIDS, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, provided people are offered a reasonable guidance on the dangers of their use.The use of NSAIDs is associated with serious upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) side-effects, including upset stomach, stomach ulcers, stomach and intestinal bleeding, and perforation. Of all the NSAIDS, ibuprofen is probably safest, significantly safer than naproxen. Still, there may be about a one in a hundred chance we’ll end up at our doctors with some problem, and up to about a one in 500 chance we could end up in the hospital because of taking simple, over-the-counter ibuprofen.And that’s mostly for the stomach. NSAID drugs also can cause damage to the small intestine. Within hours of taking ibuprofen it can make our gut leaky and within days inflame our bowels. Up until the mid-80’s we thought the small intestine was relatively unaffected by these drugs, but now we know they may disrupt our intestinal barrier function. There’s got to be a better way to deal with muscle soreness.Previously I reviewed the role cherries may play in reducing muscle soreness, thought to be because of anti-inflammatory flavonoid nutrients. Interestingly, while the absorption of these phytonutrients can help with exercise, exercise may help with the absorption of these phytonutrients. Here’s the absorption of fruit phytonutrients in sedentary volunteers. Compare that to how much triathletes get from the same amount of fruit. If you look at each of the individual phytonutrients they looked at, they all were significantly better absorbed by the athletes. The thought is that elite training may modify the activity of the good bacteria in our gut, which then boosts bioavailability.But back to muscle soreness, any other fruit that may help? Watermelon. Researchers in Spain had a group of men engage in intense physical activity after drinking two cups of fresh blended watermelon or a watermelon-free placebo drink, and the next day those that preloaded with watermelon were significantly less sore, around one on a scale of one to five compared to two after placebo. They conclude that functional compounds in fruits and vegetables can play a key role in the design of new natural products by the food industry instead of synthetic compounds from the pharmaceutical industry. But why design new natural products when nature already designed the products we need.	Would this work in a similar way to the “glycogen window”? i.e., Absorption improved in the hours post-exercise in a supercompensation way?Watermelon also acts a bit like air conditioning for your insides; cools me off and makes me much more comfortable in hot weather!I was sitting by a fire last night eating watermelon. …it made it possible to sit closer to the fire. Cooling me off as the fire was blazing away. It was quite interesting.LOL, yr funny ^^Vasodilation from a good sunburn does even better, give it a try and see how fast you get cold :)I love watermelon but it makes my chest feel tight and my muscles achy if I have a good amount… I have a bit of an allergy towards it I guess :(Go see your doctor! If the mechanisms of the moderate citrulline causes circulatory related troubles, big enough to cause discomfort, you could be in big trouble. Especially if you see similar effects with arginine rich foods like nuts and soy protein.Soy products usually upset my stool quite badly so I avoid them.. I’ll book an appointment with my DR though. Hopefully they don’t fob me off. Cheers :]In trouble how?I currently have a bp of sometimes little under 60 – 100 @ 57 bpm 95kg/1.87. This after recent move to almost excusively vegan WFPB, fish or meat only once per week now and no other animal products. Had previously always been high up to 160-120 even when I was fat.If I take citrulline now and go to the gym, during exertation I’m fine but the moment I stop I’ll feel lightheaded sometimes won’t risk getting up. Won’t risk going in a sauna at the moment especially alone.There are effects from citrulline and they can highlight problems when blood gets redirected and they needen’t be just allergies. In any case if someone talks chest tightness advice should always be to have a dokter check you out. Wouldn’t you say so?Agreed.Maybe try taking an ‘ayurvedic dosha type’ test…..lots of them online. Some body types (according to ayurveda) cannot handle the high level of cooling that occurs when a large amount of watermelon is consumed.Thanks Ryan i’ll take a look!You are very welcomeI’m assuming this was thought of by the scientists doing the study on antioxidant absorption in the sedentary vs triathletes. But since it wasn’t mentioned in the video I thought I’d comment.There is another way of looking at the results. It might not be that physical activity HELPS absorption of antioxidants, but that because of the intense physical activity that triathletes participate in and therefore the increased oxidation and inflammation that naturally occurs is what is causing the increased uptake. Our bodies take from food what it needs. Maybe because of the higher need of antioxidants in triathletes… their bodies just compensated by pulling more from the food than the sedentary people’s.Just a thought…Triathletes also have a different diet than most sedentary people, often with higher levels of the complex carbs required for prolonged training. Many complex carb foods feed and markedly change the composition of the intestinal flora, as would the increased gut motility that comes with exercise.I just came across this. I haven’t read it yet but I guess It’s just the same as the paleo craze. Jeff Novick explain well the fact that science is not like newspaper tabloid. Science is all about building up knowledge years after years. But I’m curious which study they used to disprove everything we already know ! Maybe Dr Greger will make a video about that one day. Any thought anybody ?http://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/fat-cover.jpgProbably based the Siri-Tarino and Chowdhury meta-analyses of prospective studies of saturated fat (SFA) intake and CVD incidence. I think these metas say very little, as 1) most studies look at the Western dietary range (interdecile range 8.5-14%) rather than test the American Heart Association recommendation (< 7%) with any cohort, 2) many studies overcorrect for blood lipids, a primary benefit of reduced SFA diets, 3) dietary habits and statin use have changed during these prospective studies, and 4) all prospective studies with a single baseline measurement are subject to regression dilution. Fred Pollack has done an exhaustive review of Chowdhury in the McDougall Newsletter: part 1, part 2, part 3, supplement.Plenty of people still have heart attacks with cholesterol in the <200 mg/dl "desirable” range. My personal belief is that there’s enough noise in the data from non-SFA contributors to CVD risk (other animal food components, refined foods, inadequate fruit & vegetable intake, sedentary lifestyles), that reducing SFA intake alone will have effects most visible in the 3-8% range, the lower end of which drives cholesterol below 150 mg/dl. That range is seen only in traditional non-Western, or whole plant based diets, but the benefits are very visible in the trials by Ornish and Esselstyn. I expect the new, larger Esselstyn study due this year to perk some ears.It goes without saying that SFAs aren’t just suspect in CVD, but also in diabetes, dementia, MS, and other inflammatory disorders.They can make a study say what they want. And i believe that a lot, if not all the studies that show that butter, meat and animal products in general are good for us are funded by the meat and dairy assoc.I am a bit untrained, but I would think if a person eats a healthy plant based diet, low in saturated fat, but possibly higher in nuts, seeds and avocados as well as a lot of fruit as this video suggests, that a lot of exercise would not be so harmful. If extreme exercise is combined with a high saturated fat, high animal product as well as other processed junk diet, then the exercise is a lot more harmful. Here is a study which contradicts the idea that vigorous exercise always lowers longevity. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21618162 They found that Tour de France participants lived longer than the average person. Of course, this is a very grueling event. Extreme exercise is dangerous if one is on a Paleo diet, but not so if one is on a plant based diet. Paleo diets raise cholesterol and create plaque build up because of the high saturated fat content of this diet. Vigorous exercise under this circumstance is counter productive. Scott Jurek and the Durianrider eat no animal fat or saturated fat and suffer no ill effects from extreme exercise.Daniel what are we defining as “vigorous exercise?” A person can be a marathon runner and train very differently. Some train 130 miles per week, some 50 or as low as 30 miles per week. One of the last studies posted by someone here compared marathon runners with the health of their spouses. Are those runners finishing in 3 or 6 hours? There is huge difference in the amount of time and intensity of training for the two different times.I really don’t think we have to worry about exercising too much. Most of us do other things than train for a living.I bicycle about 18-24 miles 4 or 5 days a week, that is, when I work. On most of my days off, I bicycle about 30 miles. So I usually bicycle about 160-170 miles a week. Mind you, one mile on a bike is much easier than one mile running. Overall, it may be as hard as running, but a person can go a much longer distance for the same number of calories on a bike than when they run. I also walk about 6-9 miles week as well. My doctor was actually the one who suggested I exercise so much. It helped a lot with losing weight (100 pounds) as well as entirely maintaining this loss for 4 years now. Adding the plant based diet also helped as well to lose even more weight. I don’t know if this amount of exercise would be considered extreme.Agreed. Similarly, I keep reading the claim that those with higher cholesterol levels have lower incidents of heart attacks and death from all causes and those with lower cholesterol levels higher heart attack rates and all cause mortality. But I never see a reference to the studies that show this. I’d love to know where this comes from. (Given the photos of people’s arterial plaque before a vegan diet and after, I find it hard to believe.) Paleo groups say the plaque is caused by sugar, refined grains and oil derived from seeds, not animal fats. They claim that people going on a vegan diet usually get rid of these other offending sources too, and that’s what causes the improvement, not the elimination of animal products. I’ve seen enough evidence over the years on this and similar sites to know that animal products cause us all sorts of problems. But it would be interesting to see evidence of this source factors teased apart just to have a better understanding of how they contribute, if at all.Cholesterol levels fall with age and sickness, so there’s the problem of “reverse causation” in studies that show very low cholesterol levels increase mortality. The most probative studies in my opinion either exclude the first few years of followup (to weed out the sick), or have very long followup. For example, the 18 year followup of the Whitehall study, which makes clear that:Thanks, Darryl. And I hate to seem dense, but I don’t understand what that means. Could you please help explain it.If I were to take a global snapshot of the population’s cholesterol, both the healthiest (on risk lowering plant based diets) and the sickest would have unusually low cholesterol. As the sick ones would have a high morbidity/mortality in the next few years, it might create the impression that low-cholesterol is a risk factor, whereas the causation is in the other direction (those with failing bodies produce less cholesterol). This problem of “reverse causation” is well understood in epidemiology, which is one reason you won’t find graphs like those linked in the peer-reviewed literature with claims that the healthiest cholesterol level is > 200 mg /dl.I really like the Whitehall study of British civil servants, as its one of very few that had the funding to follow its cohort from middle age through retirement, demonstrating that today’s habits determine the years and quality of life long down the road.Yes, I understood the part about sick people skewing the results. And that makes sense. I didn’t understand the statement: “For a given age at death the longer the gap between cholesterol measurement and death the more predictive the cholesterol concentration…” I can’t figure out what that statement means.This picture might help explain:http://i57.tinypic.com/2cyismf.gifThe difference in cholesterol levels between those eventually who died of CVD and others was greatest in middle age. With age, both groups cholesterol levels fell, and the cholesterol difference became less marked. You’ll note a similar pattern in the decreasing slopes (with age) in figure 1 of this paper. At every age, lower cholesterol is better, but there’s a 12-fold difference in risk (for differing cholesterol levels) among those in their 40s, but a less than 2-fold difference for those in their 80s. Cholesterol is only the second largest risk-factor for CVD events: the number one risk factor remains age.Got it. Thanks, Darryl.There is a huge media blitz behind Nina Teicholz’s new book which is only the most recent and most egregious turn in a warped “game” of telephone begun by Uffe Ravskov in Finland in 2000 and given a disproportionate amount of publicity by Gary Taubes. They are all counting on the fact that most people don’t check the primary references.It’s a complete misrepresentation of both the science and the scientists. Revisionist history that would be subject to libel if Ancel Keys were still alive. And the media is so hungry for eyeballs, they’ll publish anything these days throwing fact-checking out the window.Plant Positive took on this twisting of the facts athttp://www.plantpositive.comAnd now he has been joined by others exposing this FUDtastic rewriting of nutritional research history.My favorite is low-carb college professor Evelyn Kocur aka CarbSane athttp://carbsanity.blogspot.comas well as Seth at The Science of Nutrition bloghttp://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/2014/04/21/fat-in-the-diet-and-mortality-from-heart-disease-a-plagiaristic-note/Here is the article https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/35825844/Ending%20the%20War%20on%20Fat.pdfWho would think that work-out and watermelon would make a real man!NSAIDS also worsen HTN, edema, and heart failure.Hard weight-lifting on Friday followed by 1/4 a watermelon for dinner. Can’t say that I had a single bit of DOMS!So Dr. Greger, hypothetically would Watermelon (and Cherries perhaps) help with Patellar Tendinitis? Thank you as always for everything you do! Based on your advice I’m eating 5 oz Arugula 2 hours before cycling, as well as drinking coffee about an hour before, and then citrus after. And seeing great results!Watermelon isn’t always available though.	alternative medicine,cherries,complementary medicine,fruit,Ibuprofen,inflammation,internal bleeding,muscle soreness,naproxen,phytonutrients,side effects,Spain,stomach health,stomach inflammation,stomach ulcers,vegetables,watermelon	Watermelon found to reduce muscle soreness after an intense workout without the gut leakiness that occurs within hours of taking anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen.	Here’s a link to the previous video I mentioned: Reducing Muscle Soreness with Berries.More on dietary tweaks to maximize athletic performance in:I also talked about the risks of ibuprofen two videos ago in Anti-inflammatory Life is a Bowl of Cherries.My last watermelon video dealt with another kind of physical activity: Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-ulcers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/watermelon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ibuprofen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/naproxen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/internal-bleeding/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22980781,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22017233,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3466837,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22341015,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21776454,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23163547,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23862566,
PLAIN-2588	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/	Gout Treatment with a Cherry on Top	The fruit commission of Washington state, our largest cherry producer, can fund reviews cherry-picking studies on the anti-inflammatory effects of cherries in a petri dish and animal models, but what we need are human studies. For example, if you stuff the human equivalent of up to a thousand cups of cherries down the throats of rats, it appears to have an anti-inflammatory effect, but you couldn’t eat that many. And in fact if you tried, it could end badly. This is a case report of a poor guy who ate 500 cherries whole—without spitting out the pits, which ended up fatally obstructing his colon.But we didn’t have many human studies, until now. Men and women were asked to about eat 45 cherries a day for a month. I wouldn't mind being part of that study. 25% drop in C-reactive protein levels, as well as an inflammatory protein with an inelegant acronym “Regulated on, Activation, Normal, T cell, Expressed and, Secreted.” As you can see even a month after the study ended there appeared to be residual anti-inflammatory benefit from the cherryfest.Now these were all healthy people, with low levels of inflammation to begin with, but the same was found in a follow-up study on folks with higher levels, a solid 20% drop in CRP, and a number of other markers for chronic inflammatory diseases. But how about trying out cherries on people who actually have a chronic inflammatory disease to see if they actually work.Well, back in 1950, in an obscure Texas medical journal, observations made by responsible physicians suggested that in a dozen patients with gout, eating half a pound of fresh or canned cherries helped prevented flares of gout, but it had never seriously been tested until now. Gout is an excruciatingly painful inflammatory arthritis caused by the crystallization of uric acid within joints, affecting eight million Americans. Based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2008, the prevalence of gout in the US is estimated to be 3.9% among US adults, which translates into 8.3 million US adults. Such attacks cause tremendous pain, as famously captured in this caricature.Hundreds of gout sufferers studied, and cherry intake was associated with a 35% lower risk of gout attacks, with over half the risk gone at three servings measured over a two day period, which comes out to be about 16 cherries a day. That’s the kind of efficacy they saw with a low-purine diet—uric acid is a break-down product of purines. This same research group found that purine intake of animal origin increased the odds for recurrent gout attacks by nearly fivefold. Heavy alcohol consumption isn’t a good idea either. There are some high-purine nonanimal foods, like mushrooms and asparagus, but they found no significant link to animal sources of purines. So they recommended eliminating meat and seafood from the diet.This may decrease risk, and adding cherries on top may decrease risk of gout attacks even further. Same thing with the leading drug. Allopurinol works, but pills and produce appear to work even better.And dietary changes and cherries may be all many patients have, as doctors are hesitant to prescribe uric acid-lowering drugs like allopurinol due to rare but serious side-effects, including the most feared of all drug side-effects, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, in which your skin, can detach, from your body.In addition to fighting inflammation, cherries may actually lower uric acid levels as well. Within five hours of eating a big bowl of cherries, uric acid levels in the blood significantly drop. At the same time, antioxidant levels in the blood go up as vitamin C levels start to rise. So it is just an antioxidant effect? Would other fruit work just as well? NO. They tried grapes, strawberries, and kiwi fruit and none significantly lowered uric acid levels, supporting a specific anti-gout effect of cherries.There are some new gout drugs out now, costing up to $2,000—per dose. And also carry a risk of toxicity that may be avoided by using nonpharmacologic treatments or prevention in the first place. Given the potential harms and high costs, attention ought to be directed to dietary modification, reducing alcohol and meat intake, particularly sardines and organ meats and hey, if life serves up a bowl of cherries—(consumed on a regular basis) the risk of a recurrent gout attack may be meaningfully reduced.	There is never been a more meaningful and useful website, until now!Just like the old Bob Newhart show, people would take a shot of alcohol every time they heard the name “Bob”.I think every time we watch one of Dr. Greger’s videos and hear the phrase, “until now”, we should have to eat something healthy! A shot of cherry juice anybody?I’ll drink with you! Just let me find my shot glass… I know it is here somewhere…My cherie amour, sanguine as a cochineal bug My cherie amour, tastier than toxic drugs My cherie amour, pretty little one that I adore You’re the only drupe my heart beats for How I wish that you were mine – Stevie MarvelSpeaking of inflammation, is it true that aloe vera gel/juice relieves inflammation as well if not better than cherries?The skin has a toxin so make sure it’s inner fillet only. That may be why the bad results shown on this site.oh yes, but ONLY use Georges aloe vera, they take out the bitter component, which can cause irritable bowel, and the stuff tastes pretty much like water, Ive had patients get off their stomach medication for acid reflux it works so well, also 3 turmeric capsules a day, 2 T ground flax, the fish oils and I am starting to believe that D3 also has anti-inflammatory powers as wellYes, animal proteins increase uric acid levels, but even more importantly sugars increase uric acid levels. In addition, have you ever wondered why sudden and rapid weight loss elevates uric acid in the blood? We store uric acid in our fat.The key to my gout-freedom (>2 years pain-free) has been FIBER.Yes, I avoid ALL animal products, which have NO fiber.Yes, I avoid ALL refined sugar products, which have NO fiber.I consume PLANTS (fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, and legumes), which have FIBER.Our bodies eliminate 70% of our uric acid wastes through urination and 30% through the intestines. If the kidneys are overwhelmed with uric acid and the bowel is not moving its share, then the body deposits the excess in the fat stores or in the joints or on the skin or in a kidney stone.Therefore, the remedy for gout is easy: reduce production and increase elimination. I have included both in my lifestyle.That’s a good point about a second pathway for excretion of UA, and the general observation that both input and output matter in this disease. I’m glad you have accomplished your main goal so far and hope that you have observed other benefits on the side of it. Generally healthy strategies for dealing with specific problems have the nice side effect of promoting general health.Yes, at nearly 60 years old, I have realized many benefits from this regimen in addition to NO pain or immobility. I’ve lost 65lbs. I couldn’t control my weight. I seemed to add 5lbs every year. (I could stand to lose another 20, but I’m thrilled with my current weight.) My cholesterol plummeted from 280 to below 200. My blood sugar reduced to 90 from the 120s and climbing. My blood pressure lowered to normal from the 140s and climbing. I can tell that my cardio-vascular system has cleaned up the clogged arteries. I have discovered the full range of flavors and tastes. I enjoy far more foods, even foods I thought I hated, e.g. brussels sprouts and broccoli. I love broccoli now. My skin is clearer and smoother. (I had a melanoma removed in ’92.) I believe my macular degeneration is either stopped or slowed down. I eat greens every day. I have greater energy and stamina. I sleep better. I’m rarely sick, especially during spring or fall allergy seasons. (I usually come down with two sinus infections per year.)Good for you. As my parent’s are in their 60’s and having health issues eating SAD, I hope they embrace stories like yours to make positive changes so they can enjoy the rest of their lives with good health.KWD, my wife and I are rare “seniors” because we have only ONE prescription between us. She squirts eye-drops nightly for glaucoma. I contend her diet has reduced her risk, but she’s afraid to stop the prescription long enough to have her eyes checked. We eat to live, but we enjoy eating and living. I feel we have our cake, and we eat it, too. May our Lord Jesus Christ Who is the Bread of Life fill your parents with wisdom and will to eat for their own health and longevity. Amen.Thanks so much for your kind words. Wow, only one prescription between two “seniors” IS rare. My dad has type II diabetes and glaucoma so his health could benefit greatly from a dietary change. I will continue to send him links to Dr. Greger’s videos and also share your experience with him.I should add that I don’t juice either. Juicing removes the FIBER. Juices are refined sugars. We use a Blendtec blender to make smoothies that retain the FIBER. Be ware of wine and beer, too. Where I come from, beer and bar-b-que are precursors to gout. I also read that the World Health Organization has listed gout as a metabolical syndrome. That news and the pain motivated me.I was surprised to read that in the EPIC-Oxford study, vegans had the highest uric acid level among meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans; vegetarians had the lowest (link below). Perhaps dairy is the reason vegetarians were the lowest, since it reduces uric acid levels. I suppose one could surmise many of these vegans are not eating a healthy whole plant food diet — are eating a lot of sugar.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23418557 Serum Uric Acid Concentrations in Meat Eaters, Fish Eaters, Vegetarians and Vegans: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in the EPIC-Oxford Cohort, Julie A. Schmidt*, Francesca L. Crowe, Paul N. Appleby, Timothy J. Key, Ruth C. TravisMy wife and I have eaten according to a plant-based, vegan lifestyle for 3 years now. In that 3 years, we have slowly purified our choices. The new mantra is SOS-Free, i.e. reduce to nearly eliminate sugar, oil, and salt. We have a new term for our new dietary repentance: We were formerly junk food vegans. Several causes contribute to our new level of motivation: cholesterol and tri-glycerides are still too high; occasional, low intensity gout flare-ups; weight-loss stuck at 185lbs. I confess that since my double-hernias, I had lost interest in exercise and become sedentary. So, I have also started walking.By the way, may I recommend Shouldice Hospital for hernia repair? You’ll find them in Toronto. Acute healthcare the way it should be. Great experience! Great results!I earned the double-hernias because I felt more athletic after my weight loss. :-) Oops!I would also recommend a YouTube video from UCTV, The Bitter Truth about Sugar. I made the connection to sugar and gout from this lecture on the body’s or cell’s metabolism of sugar.Peace, good health, and long-life to all!I was just listening to Dr. Garth Davis on the Rich Roll Podcast the other day; he talked about how the vegans in the EPIC study were typical junkfood vegans, as they had very low fiber intake. Here is a post where he mentions it a little bit: https://www.facebook.com/drgarth/posts/899105116777064 I also recommend the podcast: http://www.richroll.com/podcast/our-misplaced-obsession-with-protein-garth-davis-md-on-high-fat-low-carb-diets-bad-science-how-to-separate-nutritional-fact-from-popular-fiction/That’s an important observation.I had a gout attack about 7 months ago. I’m a vegan who gets lots of fiber. Soon after the attack my uric acid level was determined to be 6.4, which is high normal (but one can get gout attacks with normal levels). I started drinking 4 cups of decafe coffee and 2 TBL of tart cherry concentrate, eating less fruit that is high in fructose (e.g. I eat no dried fruit and only unripe bananas), and taking a 500 mg vitamin C supplement each day, since I had read that each of these can lower uric acid, although individually the effect might not be “clinically significant”. My uric acid level is now 5.2, which is in the range that doctors are aiming for when prescribing gout medicine. Unfortunately I do not know how much each component of my dietary changes has lowered my results but assume it is a cumulative effect.And when I got in touch with Dr Davis (after seeing your comment), he said that the vegans in the study also had very low calcium intakes, which would also affect the uric acid levels.Thanks. I’m convinced those vegans had bad diets. I’m a vegan whose current uric acid level is only 5.2 so it shows one should not overgeneralize.“where the skin can become detached from the body”Dear god, I never even knew that was a possible thing of anything, much less a medication! I can’t believe anything that causes that condition is actually still allowed on the market.My best friend talk to me recently about something very similar that happened to one of her friend. She is very lucky to have survived. For her, it was because she combined two different drugs that shouldn’t be used at the same time. And she lost all of her skin… It’s not very common side effects and it seem even less common to survive… Now her skin grew back, but she look much more whiter than before.I knew a man who had it, blisters all over…third degree burns… who eventually died. Prilosec was the culprit. Many medicines have this as a side effect. A man in an adjacent town lost his business (bar b q) and everything to this disease which is a side effect to taking medicines.Dr. G, in your opinion does cherry juice have the same gout-preventing effect as cherries?Blackberries or black elderberries should be investigated – forty times more polyphenols than sweet cherries: phenol-explorer.eu/contents/polyphenol/9, nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/Thanks for that link MV, interesting that black raw olives get a good rating.Dr. Gregor, when this video first came out, an acquaintance of mine had been suffering gout for 2 weeks. He was hobbling around in pain. I immediately texted him and told him what you said to do (giving credit to nutritionfacts.org, of course.) A week later when I saw him, he told me he’d been eating 16 cherries a day since he got my message and that very morning when he woke up he could tell he was completely better. Wonderful! Thank you so much.Carol: I love this story! It is so cool when the information from this site has a such a direct and significant improvement on someone’s life. Thanks for sharing.Great suggestion; I’m a healthy vegan (e.g. good blood pressure, good blood test #’s, enough B and D,…) and was surprised to get gout until I hunted around on the web and found that there was a study done which found higher levels of uric acid in vegans than in both meat eaters and vegetarians. I look forward to loading up on the cherries (and drinking more water as a website suggested re. easy, cheap things to try). Thanks again Dr. Greger !Hi I had a gout attack and let me just say its not fun I cry alot do to it I been on a pill to Lower my uric acid and a antflamitory drug witch don’t help at all need more information on how to relieve the pain and get well again I been not eating meat or animal organs been drinking cherry juice every day but still wondering how. You get rid of gout so I will be back on my feet again and enjoying my life again any tips let me know by message me I would appreciate it so much thanks for this video.Have you tried restricting fructose intake including from fruit? Also coffee including decafe (more modest, for some reason) has been reported by Choi et al to reduce uric acid levels:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17530681I know dairy is problematic for various reasons (and as a vegan I do not consume any) but it is effective in lowering uric acid levels:http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa035700I love frozen sour cherries. Do they have any benefits?I wonder in particular whether tart cherries lower uric acid levels. I prefer those because they have less fructose than sweet cherries, and eat them on the assumption they likely would have a similar effect on uric acid levels.It would be nice if Dr. Gregor or Joseph Gonzales could address this issue for those of us vegans who suffer from gout attacks.Cherries don’t always work. In fact, they could trigger multiple attacks if your generally consuming other sugary & starchy foods while a gout attack is present.Cherry is a very low calorie fruit. It helps the human body to fight against cancers, aging, jet lag and neurological diseases. It can also offer relief from gouty athritis. When the time that I got gout, I used cherry juice and Native Remedies Gout-Gone for treating my gout. For almost 3 weeks of treating my gout using these two medications, I’ve noticed an improvement. My gout is slowly cured and I can walk with confident.	alcohol,allopurinol,animal products,animal studies,antioxidants,arthritis,asparagus,cherries,chronic diseases,colon health,fish,fruit,gout,grapes,inflammation,joint disease,joint health,kiwi fruit,meat,mushrooms,organ meats,oxidative stress,pain,protein,purines,sardines,seafood,side effects,skin health,strawberries,tart cherries,uric acid	How do sweet cherries compare to the drug allopurinol and a low purine diet for the treatment of the painful inflammatory arthritis gout?	More about the inflammation fighting effects of sweet cherries in my last video Anti-inflammatory Life is a Bowl of Cherries.I’ve previously mentioned gout and controlling uric acid levels in my videos:Other foods that may help tamp down inflammation:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allopurinol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tart-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/purines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organ-meats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sardines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asparagus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gout/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12771324,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22290505,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648933,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23023818,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23023794,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16549461,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14776685,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23416419,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23343675,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21229414,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17062434,
PLAIN-2589	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/	Anti-inflammatory Life is a Bowl of Cherries	Haggis, the national dish of Scotland, is a savory pudding of heart, liver, lungs, and oatmeal traditionally stuffed inside of a stomach. And when that stomach goes into our own stomach, our digestive enzymes and stomach acid have no problem digesting it away. But how come our body digests the stomach lining of a sheep on our plate, without digesting our own stomach lining? It’s meat, we’re meat, why don’t we digest our own stomach every time we eat?In part because we have an enzyme called cyclooxygenase that protects the lining of our stomach. There are two types, COX-1 and COX-2. Cyclooxygenase 1 is thought to be the primary protector of our stomach, whereas COX-2 is an enzyme responsible for pain and inflammation. In fact that’s how anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, and naproxen work, by inhibiting the COX-2 enzyme. But these are nonselective drugs, they inhibit both COX-2 and COX-1, which is trying to protect out stomach lining. That’s why though drugs like ibuprofen are great at relieving pain and inflammation, they kill thousands every year due to ulcerations through the stomach wall resulting in life-threatening bleeding and perforation.What are the risks on an individual level? On average, one in about 1200 people who take this class of drugs for at least two months will die as a result. To put this into perspective, we can compare the death rate from anti-inflammatory drug side-effects to the risks associated with some well-known events. For example, it may be safer to go bungee jumping a few hundred times.So what we need is some sort of selective COX-2 inhibitor, inhibiting the pain and inflammation of COX-2 without inhibiting the stomach protection of COX-1. And that’s what we got, anti-inflammatory drugs easier on the stomach. You remember vioxx right, blockbuster drug bought in billions in profits, before it started killing tens of thousands of peoples. Internal emails show how the drug manufacturer responded to the revelation that they were killing people. They drew up a list of doctors who were trying to warn people to “neutralize” them, and if that didn’t work, discredit them.So is that what we’re left with? Death from internal bleeding from one type of drug, or death from heart attack from another type of drug. If only there was some sort of natural COX-2 inhibitor. There is - cherries, which unlike ibuprofen suppress COX-2 more than COX-1.In videos I did on insomnia and reducing muscle soreness, I talked about the benefits of sour cherries, the types of cherries used in baking. But this was for sweet cherries, you eat fresh. Tart cherries had less of an effect. Regular red sweet bing cherries were shown to have a greater anti-inflammatory activity than tart cherries, which makes sense, since we think it may be the anthocyanin phytonutrients in cherries, and there’s lots more in sweet red cherries than in tart, and nearly none in yellow Rainier cherries.Because fresh cherries have limited availability, what about other cherry products? Fresh is best, but frozen would appear to be the second-best choice.	As always, Awesome! Very pertinent to my everyday practice. This is what I teach my patients almost every single day.To beat the sting, eat the Bing!This is good info. Thanks.As far as cherries and their inclusion on the FODMAP list, how do you feel about FODMAP-free diets? I’ve read that FODMAP issues could be responsible for bacteria in guts either depleting and or preventing absorption of B12. Any thoughts? And it supposedly does wonders for those seeking relief from IBS issues. Lots of people claiming to have great turns in health after going on low FODMAP diets.Remember that B12 is essential & can only be found in meat sources, mainly red meat. You cannot derive it from plant sources. If you are not eating red meat & are experiencing a decrease in energy, you must supplement B12. Cyanocobalamin variety must filter thru your liver before your body uses it. Best to use methylcobalamin B12 (raw) as it’s instantly absorbed in your stomach & intestines. You will certainly notice the difference immediately! Your body also stores it for later use, so don’t overdo it! One capsule (usually in powder form, just pull capsule apart & add to your juice or water, best taken on an empty stomach before your morning meal) will last your body probably 4-7 days. It’s economical & a real kickstarter!You wrote….”Your body also stores it methyl B12) for later use, so don’t overdo it!” Does the science show conclusively that our bodies can store B12 from supplements for later use….I am wondering how long it stores it for? Also, if B12 is water soluble vitamin, and water soluble vitamins get urinated out after the body grabs what it needs, how could we being storing B12 supplements? Maybe I’m just confused about something here, but logic seems to raise this question. Thank you.Hi Nevo, good questions.Water-soluble vitamins, are stored in the body for only a brief period of time and are then excreted by the kidneys. The one exception to this is vitamin B12, which is stored in the liver for 2-3 yrs.You may be interested to view several of Dr. Greger’s B12 videos (link below) and to see the research be sure to click on Sources Cited under the video.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=b12Fodmap foods, for those who are adversely effected by them, are thought to create a bacterial environment in body that makes absorbing and retaining B12 (from supplements or food) difficult. Just theories. But the list of Fodmap success stories (vegans as well as non-vegans) is long and seems to be growing.Dr. Greger’s recommendation:http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/which-type-of-b12-is-best/“We don’t have as much data (in terms of proper dosing and efficacy) on preventing/reversing B12 deficiency in vegans with any other form that cyanocobalamin. Until there is I’m less comfortable recommending it.”In a study meat was shown to have a negative impact on b12 ballance. Milk was best, supplements were second. And, there is little reasearch but, people not consuming treated water and processed food have show no or little signs of b12 deficiency (yet to be reasearched), looks like diet itself isnt the major factor. “Cleaning” the water and food very well might be.Very helpful, however, and maybe I missed the answer to this, but what is the amount of cherries that is a recommend equivalent pill dosage?Good question.The study used 280 grams (about 2 cups) per day for 28 days.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16549461Thank you, that’s good to know. Does leave me wondering if I should include a small amount daily and “up it” to two cups a day when I have a specific problem arise.My 1st day of 2 cups of frozen bing cherries didn’t go too well. Within 2 hours of ingesting a migraine started building up big time. Was it all that sugar, 36 gms or what. This video like so many on this web site gives some information but not enough to know how to put it to practical use. And many of us couldn’t afford it anyway. Of that 1 in 1200 that have bleeding problems what made them at risk and not others?Since it’s not practical for most of us to eat two cups of cherries everyday for almost a month, even if it’s frozen cherries, how about cherry juice concentrate?Dr. HemoDynamic: Oh, it’s you who let us know about the 2 cups! I mis-remembered. Thank you for this information!I also messed up in terms of reading your post very carefully. I didn’t notice the “per day for 28 days” part. So, on Tuesday morning, I felt a headache coming on. I said to myself, “I have a bag that is just about 2 cups of sweet cherries. Let’s try it.” By 10:00, I was in too much pain and had to take a pill. (The cherries didn’t make my pain any worse, unlike what another poster said. It just didn’t stop the headache coming on.)Now that I see that it is a cumulative effect that must be taken every day for 4 weeks, I’ll have to think this through some more. I don’t mind spending money on my health. But: a) there is a physical space issue in my freezer. b) And then there is the issue of physically getting 2 cups of fruit into my tummy each day like that. I was pretty darn sick of eating cherries by the time I got to the bottom of the two cups last Tuesday. I thought I loved cherries, but it turns out I don’t like them all *that* much. c) And finally, there is the issue of whether or not I think it will really do all that much good for my particular case. I find that I need the migraine medicine more than I need the straight ibuprofen. If the point of the cherries is just anti-inflamatory effects, I don’t know how much it would really help me. I still might give it a 28 day try. I just have to think about it.I’m just sharing my experience. Without your nice post, I would not know what I would need to do in order to try to replicate the results in myself. Thanks!I’m not crazy about the sugar load with 2 cups of cherries plus the $60+ per month, plus the need for freezer space I don’t have. And I’d be sick of them before the month half gone. Even if the last 3 problems would work out the 1st one of 36gms of sugar per 2 cups cherries is a deal breaker. I will just continue with cayenne and other gut healing herbs.Jean: I don’t share your concern with “sugar”. Based on the research I have done, I’m very confident that table sugar and whole fruit are completely different “animals.” (ha, ha) Also, I believe that two cups of cherries translates into 4 servings of fruit – well within established guidelines for healthy eating.As for the cost, it is a serious bummer, but I would rather spend even $100 per month or more even than die… So, it’s a concern and a bummer, but I would still do it if it worked.Since I buy groceries once a week, this solution would mean finding room in my freezer for 7 bags of frozen cherries. I can do it. It would just require some creative shuffling and maybe not freezing some things that I would normally freeze. I also will have to eat some things to clean out the freezer. It’s a hassle, but may be worth the effort. If the cherries work, then I could get an extra freezer to put in the garage.Then again, I have found that frozen fruits and veggies do just fine in the regular refrigerate for at least a few days. So, I wouldn’t have to find room for all 7 bags in the freezer.The biggest concern I have, and one that I share with you, is just getting sick of eating that much cherries. I had trouble getting through one day’s worth. So, spooning 2 cups day in and day out for a month, let alone the rest of my life (or at least until menopause) is something I have doubts about. But I do really, really, really want to get off the pills… I think I maybe just talked myself into giving it a try.Thanks for sharing. We may not share the exact the same concerns, but it was interesting to see what factors are important to someone else and that I’m not the only person who maybe likes cherries, but not that many.You are fortunate if it is really just the monthly migraine. Mine were monthly in pre-menopause but steadily worsened after menopause. Have to drive 25 miles to a city to buy frozen cherries and an extra freeezer would be prohibitive. I will stay tuned to see if the experiment works for you.Jean: Yes, it’s once a month, but it is once a month for two almost solid weeks. It doesn’t feel lucky most of the time. But since, as you point out, it could get worse, I should probably count my blessings.Excellent information, Dr. Greger! Glad to read about the skullduggery involving pharmaceutical companies and how they neutralize those who know the facts, which most folks are not aware of, but ought to be. That type of information is part of being an informed healthcare consumer, I contend. Furthermore, consumers should have available via the media more candid and open discussion(s) regarding Big Pharma’s ‘turf’ protection activities. Thank you for what you do.On videos or articles like this which present the benefit of a specific food, I wonder… how was that food chosen for study? Is there reason to believe the particular food is much better than other plant foods at delivering the studied benefit?This video is hugely relevant to my own situation since I take a lot of NSAIDS – either straight ibuprophen or as part of over-the-counter migraine medication. Without the drugs, I get in so much pain, I can’t function. So, it is a risk I feel I have to take or risk loosing my job, social activities, etc. However, maybe the next time I get a headache I will try to eat a couple cups (thanks for the dosage Darryl!) of cherries instead. It seems worth a try.I should add, I was previously, generally aware of stomach bleeding potential of NSAIDs, but I was not aware of the specifics shared in this video. Very scary. Thanks Dr. Greger for the info.Wow, have you been tested for food allergies (wheat, barley, gluten in general)? What causes your chronic migraines? I’d hate for anyone to have to endure repeated dosing with NSAIDs because they can be so damaging.Based on years of personal observation, I believe these problems are related to my menstral cycle, not food. Thanks for your concern, though.If you have not already done so, please consider 6 months completely free of all beans and grains. (Stay vegan, though)Eliminate all nightshades as well.So much of what you already know might prevent you from being open to this – but this path has worked for so many people, not just vegans. Start slowly, then 100%. There is really no way of explaining the shift in how the body feels until one experiences bean and grain free for a significant amount of time. Changes lives.guest: I understand that you are trying to be helpful. I appreciate that. But as you say, so much of what I already know prevents me from being open to this idea. I’ve done a fair amount of research on the topic. There is so much overwhelming and compelling evidence concerning the health benefits of whole grains and beans. Just look at the videos on this site alone. Plus, I do not find the evidence against whole grains and beans (found on other sites) to be compelling at all. Thus, for my own diet, it would be foolish of me to stop eating those healthy foods.I understand that other people feel that they get a benefit from eliminating these 2 out of the 5 main food groups. If you are such a person, I hope your diet does benefit you long term and wish you well.Just remember, your situation involves a lot of NSAIDS, and this is not the case for the majority of the population. And most people can eat beans and grains without problems (debatable), but for now, please consider that you might be the exception, and that the conventional and well established benefits of beans and grains just might not apply to your situation. This just might be your chance at freedom. It just takes accepting some irony and paradoxical thought. Such is life. Best of luck to you.Sounds like you need 4000mg omega3 every 4-6 hours with lots of magnesium ascorbate and some salt bathes for detox. Two tablespoons of ground flax seeds provides 4000mg omega3. I’d like Dr Greger to return to the subject of too much flax is goitrogenic.Rivka: Thanks for your input!!FYI: I do currently take 2 T ground flax a day. But only once a day…Take care and thanks again for your thoughts.I have migraines also managed with NSAIDs. Can not find a food link and have tried for a long time. Did change to a whole foods plant based starchivore diet 3+ years ago. Was discouraged because just seemed to get worse. But my last acute attack was 7 months ago. Since then they are silent to mild migraines but things change and who knows what tomorrow will bring. At least the rest of me is healthy. I would rather use NSAIDs than be sick, dehydrated, unable to eat or drink and non-functional. Trying some cherries seems an easy experiment.Jean: Thanks for sharing! I didn’t notice a change in my headaches one way or another when I went vegan. I’m glad things have gotten better for you the last 7 months. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it will continue to get better for you.“There is so much overwhelming and compelling evidence concerning the health benefits of whole grains and beans.”You are right. I have been eating different types of beans with every meal, generally either red kidney beans, black beans, black kabuli chickpeans, immature soybeans or tofu. I had to increase my protein intake as a result of a lot more exercise. I can’t see any harm in eating beans, and migraines are not a common symptom of eating grains (even if you have celiac). On the other hand, I have heard of naturopaths curing people of things like psoriasis by eliminating common categories of foods (such as dairy, soy, gluten, etc).DGH: Thanks for jumping in! I value your input.Your post was also a good reminder to me about getting more beans into my diet. You are good role model. Thanks!They (beans) are the only complete source of protein in a vegan diet, and they (beans) include peas, peanuts and soy.I used to get migraines…usually just the shimmering lights, little pain. Anyway, I’ve been drinking/eating black currant/beet juice or the whole foods for about a year and the frequency has gone way down. I have made other changes too but somehow the daily dose of anthos seems to be the best preventative for me. Best wishes!Coacervate: That’s fascinating. I collect stories about what helps other people with their headaches and usually end up trying them at some point.One of the reasons I said your post is fascinating: The black currant idea. I have a family member who is carefully taking black currants every day to help with glaucoma / trying to stop vision loss. She started doing this after seeing Dr. Greger’s video on the subject. It’s still early to tell, but an initial test at the doctor’s shows positive/good results!I found some “black jumbo raisins” at Trader Joes. I like them and have been eating them. I wonder if they have the same stuff that the black currents have in them. Also, I found some black beluga lentils at the grocery store. They are the first lentil that I like. And I wonder if they have the anthos… stuff in them too. If so, maybe I could try eating those foods more consistently. I’m not a fan of the black currant juice. (yuck on my taste buds) But I think I would enjoy the black lentils and black jumbo raisins–especially if I could figure out the dosage. Just thinking about the possibilities.Thanks again for sharing your experience. Most intriguing.I am curious – how do you cook the lentils and what do you eat them in/with?DGH: I first got interested in the black beluga lentils 1) because of their color and 2) because I was working on the following recipe:http://mouthwateringvegan.com/2013/04/07/my-vegan-burger-king/The recipe calls for the fat green french lentils. I thought that these black babies would work just as well.I cooked them just like I would any dried bean – except that I didn’t soak them first. It’s been long enough that I don’t remember how long I cooked them, but I think you could use the same directions you would use for the green french lentils (for which I am thinking directions can be found on the internet).So, I’ve only made the black beluga lentils twice. I want to make them more part of my regular diet. Which means that I would use them in other recipes than just the one I listed above. What I particularly like about the black ones is the texture. More like little baby beans than the mushy stuff that traditional flat lentils usually end up being. So, I’m thinking you could use these black ones just like you would any other little bean…Very interesting. Thanks for this information. I will read the packet instructions on how long to cook them. I do know that you don’t soak lentils first. It is amazing how diverse legumes are, in terms of what dishes they can go into.You’re on to it. Keep trying till it works for you. Here is my recipe: 1 shot of single strength unsweetened black currant juice (aarrghh!), 1 shot of single strength red beet juice (i freeze and press a few kg every week, freeze then thaw to get heaps of sweet juice), 1/2 shot of ginger extract (I make this by boiling grated root, filter). mix and top up with selzer water to taste. The flavours balance out nicely. Wish I could send you some to try.Coacervate: Thanks for posting your actual recipe! I’m definitely interested in trying it.One thing I’m impressed with is that you make the beet juice and ginger extract yourself. I think I know what to do for the ginger extract, but I’m not sure about the beet juice. Do you freeze raw beets and then squeeze them by hand? Or do you have a juicer? Do you cook first?The inclusion of ginger was especially interesting to me because there was another poster on this site who said she uses ginger to help with her migraines. I gave it a shot and it did not work. But then again, I didn’t follow the instructions very well. I didn’t take nearly as much as the poster did. I don’t think I could do that. Instead, I made a home-made ginger tea. That is not a fair test because I didn’t get any whole ginger in me, let alone the concentration the poster is doing.Thanks again for providing more details. I am even more intrigued.First, my opinion is that you need to establish a certain baseline level of “goodies” to minimize the frequency and severity of migrates. So I would try a daily dose rather than reactively drinking a single treatment.Beet juice is easy: Wash and then freeze whole beetroot. Thaw, slice and then squeeze. We use one of these: http://store.nexternal.com/homebrew/fruit-press-ferrari-mini-p870.aspxMix with black currant…it has a low pH that stabilizes the PPO browning that runs rampant in neutral pH beet juice.It is so good we just got into a habit and now we always have some fresh beet juice or pull em out of our garden and boil in vinegar. I’m addicted to them because they are so sweet and they make me feel great.I like to mix beet (betalain) pigment with currant (anthocyanin) to encourage synergy that may exist witht he two…add some ginger and it is amazing.one last thing…all of my SAD eating friends just love the fizzy curannt/beet/ginger drink. it is very “more-ish”. Cheers!Coacervate: Thanks for the follow up information! Also, your point about “… I would try a daily dose…” is well received, especially in light of this study were people had to take the cherries every day.How does Aspirin effect the COX 1 and COX 2 action?If I remember back to class, aspirin works on a different pathway so it don’t not cause ulcers or stomach linings issues. It does thin the blood thoughA description is found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin#Mechanism_of_actionActually, aspirin does cause stomach issues. Bleeding and anemia if overused. They all do. Except less with COX 2. But that decreases the good prostacyclin which is important for CV health.Wow. I never heard of that Merck story. Got to love the freedom of information act. Neutralizing scientists… That is nuts!Dr Greger, could you please make a video or article to clear up the news on lectins. Low carbers say they are toxic, but clearly they can’t be if high carb plant based is the way to go? The more beans the better right?From what i read on this site their potential toxic effect is decreased by cooking… or if you want look at this video:http://plantpositive.squarespace.com/blog/2012/3/24/tpns-24-in-defense-of-beans.htmlWhat about dark sweet cherries?The more colour the more effect would be the conclusion of the story.So for the biggest bang for your freezer space, freeze the darkest you can find for future ailments.Mmmm next tooth ache I’ll give that a try. A foundation of cherries and dose up from there :)As 4 beans as a non allergic person towards foods in general, I do bump into limits especially with lentils which I had to give up. Other beans are ok till about 250 grams a day. Any more and things go wrong in a dose dependant way. Dose and observe the effects would be my advice.I personally go the cut oats, quinoa and sweet potatoe combo as carb staple. Cooked in white tea and lemon water. Spiced up with spices (ceylon cinnamon, cloves 0.1g, coconut), berries and a wee bit of extra protein powder. Cook a batch every 2 days to last 6 servings. very tasty and none of the stomach upset.Dear honored doctor, How many fresh sweet bing cherries would it take to equal 1 dose of ibuprofen? Let’s say, 200mg of ibuprofen to Xg of bing cherries? If a bing cherry is 8g, how many cherries would = 200mg of ibuprofen? Ahh… please tell me if this calculation is correct dear, kind, good doctor: 100g of bing cherries = 86.6mg of anthocyanin (fresh flesh+skin) 1g of bing = .866mg anthocyanin 0.866mg*X = 200mg (X = grams of bing) 200/0.866 = X 230.947 = X ~231 grams of bing cherries = 200mg of anthocyanin Since, 1 bing = 8g, 8g*X = 231g => => ~29 cherries = 200mg of anthocyanin Therefore, Eating 29 fresh bing cherries should produce an equivalent pain relief as a normal does of ibuprofen pill BUT without letting our body digest its own stomach and intestines. What do you think?P.S. 8g of 1 bing might include mass of pit, which in normal cases will not be consumed and therefore changes the # of bing to equal 200mg anthocyanin.If so, a new calculation would be necessary, but I don’t think the pit is more than 15% of the cherry weight, so, 29 bing is accurate to a +15% rate of error (dependent on pit mass data) 29 might be good, but 34 will certainly give 200mg of anthocyanin to your blood cells. Please let me know what you think about the calculation. Thank you for all that you do.Not all anthocyanins are “created” equal, without the knowledge which ones work and which ones don’t the only thing left is guesswork.Calculations based on guesstimates will not give you any usefull insight.I really want to try this for my boyfriend. He takes Aleve on a very regular basis which worries me. I had to stop taking NSAIDS because they trigger heart palpitations for me. Then again, I have a negative reaction from most of the medications I have ever tried. My primary care physician tried to tell me that isn’t possible because NSAIDS are good for the heart. Yes, I am looking for a new PCP. I’m thinking maybe I can make a smoothie with a good portion of sweet cherries and other anti-inflammatory fruits or spices. I have to come up with an easy, yet tasty, way to convince him to try it. He does drink cranberry juice on occasion, which he claims to get good results from.FWIW, my wife suffered strange reactions (mottled face, itchy nose, headache) to a wide variety of foods but nothing made sense until we tried eliminating all high salicylate foods. BINGO. It is no small undertaking because they are everywhere but well worth the trouble if you are so afflicted. Just a thought. Best wishes!Here’ an interesting quote from http://www.food-info.net/uk/colour/anthocyanin.htm :Anthocyanins occur in nearly all plant families and thus in many edible plants. In food, the main sources of anthocyanins are berries, such as blackberries, grapes, blueberries etc, and some vegetables, such as egg-plants (aubergine) and avocado. Other sources include oranges, elderberry, olives, red onion, fig, sweet potato, mango and purple corn. The natural production of anthocyanins in nature is estimated to be 109 tonnes/year ! …Anthocyanin content in some edible plants foodstuffAnthocyanin in mg per 100 g foodaubergine (egg plant) 750 black currant 130-400 blackberry 83-326 blueberry 25-497 cherry 350-400 chokeberry 200-1000 cranberry 60-200 elderberry 450 orange ~200 radish 11-60 raspberry 10-60 red currant 80-420 red grape 30-750 red onions 7-21 red wine 24-35 strawberry 15-35http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/flavonoids/flavtab2.htmlTable 2: Anthocyanin, Flavanol and Proanthocyanidin Content of Selected Foods (mg/100g or 100 ml*) (3, 129-135)Anthocyanin-rich foods Anthocyanins Flavanols ProanthocyanidinsBlackberry 89-21113-196-47Blueberry 67-183188-261Grapes, red 25-92244-76Raspberries (red) 10-84 9 5-59Strawberry 15-75– 97-183Red wine 1-351-55 24-70Plum 2-251-6106-334Red cabbage 250–Red onion 13- 25––Blood orange juice 3-10 – –Flavanol-rich foodsAnthocyanins Flavanols ProanthocyanidinsGreen tea –24-216–Black tea –5-1584Chocolate, dark –43-6390-322Apple, red delicious with peel 1-42-1289-148Apricot – 10-25 8-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthocyanin#In_food Food source Anthocyanin content in mg per 100 g Açaí 320 Blackcurrant 190–270 Chokeberry 1,480[8] Eggplant 750 Blood orange ~200 Marion blackberry 317[9] Black raspberry 589[10] Raspberry 365 Wild blueberry 558[11] Cherry 350–400 Redcurrant 80–420 Purple corn 1,642[12] Purple corn leaves 10x more than in kernels[13] Concord grape 326[14] Norton grape 888[14]Anyone know where I can buy purple corn?We areMother nature’s berries contain more anti-inflammatory polyphenols than cherries, Canada blueberry: phenol-explorer.eu/contents/food/126 nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/Do black cherries fit into the category of “sweet cherries” – the cherries with the anti-inflammatory power?Please, you can see this: roofers in londonThis is interesting information but not practical. 2 cups of cherries per day every day is expensive and not necessary as there are other foods/spices that are COX-2 inhibiters such as Turmeric, Ginger and Boswellia. Much easier and less expensive to use.At least one person expressed interest in hearing back from me if I gave this a try. So, for anyone interested: I tried to see if I could get this idea of cherries=”some migraine help” to work for me. Today marks the end of a two month trial period. What happened? Bottom Line: I don’t think all those cherries did much for me. Or if it did, the effect was not enough to make it worth my effort to continue the experiment. Next stop: I’m going to try Coacervate’s idea, if I can work out a few technical difficulties.Before you decide my experience is in any way meaningful, you might want to read some important details:• Except for two days when I ate fresh cherries, I ate frozen cherries. As the video says, frozen is not as effective as fresh. (though it is second best). • I ate two cups a day – but two cups as measured when frozen. When they thawed out, it was more like a cup and half a day. • I haven’t read the original study. I have absolutely no idea how close I came to replicating it. Maybe I fell far short? • Out of the two months, I know of only two days where I did not eat any cherries that day. On the other hand, the two days when I ate fresh cherries – I ate far more than two cups. • I went for convenience over cost. One of my local grocery stores sells convenient two cup bags of frozen cherries. Every day was very easy: I just grabbed a bag from the freezer. No measuring necessary. I could take it to eat anywhere, including throughout the day at work. However, these bags cost almost $6/bag. For some people like myself, that’s quite spendy if you are buying 7 bags a week. It would be worth it if there was a dramatic effect, but not so worth it for the effect, if any, that I got. • I bought organic, sweet cherries. • I didn’t take this seriously in that I did not quantify symptoms before or during experiment. In other words, in order to do a fair self-test, I should have done the following: I should have spent 3 months leading up to the test documenting every day that I experienced migraines, rating them on intensity and marking how many and which kind of pills I took. And then I should have continued that important documentation during the two month trial period. Then I could have some data that I could have used to see if there really was any effect or not. Without that data and with so many migraines and pills during the trial period, all I can say is: I did feel during part of the trial period that while I was still getting migraines, the pain was not quite as intense and I was able to take fewer pills. Maybe. Since I didn’t do the proper documentation and since the effect was minor enough that I couldn’t say for sure, I’m just going by gut feeling and that gut feeling could be based more on me wanting the experiment to work than it actually working. • My initial concern about finding space in my freezer for all those cherries was very much misplaced. Those nice convenient two cup bags of cherries easily fit into nooks and crannies in my freezer. • Another concern that was misplaced was my fear that I would not enjoy the experiment. I found that once again, Dr. Barnard was correct: You like what you eat. The more I ate the cherries, the more I enjoyed the experience and looked forward to eating them. Even after two months of eating two cups a day, I am not sick of cherries. I found my enjoyment of the cherries increased for a while as the days passed. Then it plateau-ed into a steady enjoyable level without hitting an addictive enjoyment. Also on the taste topic: This was a great experiment to do in the summer. There were many a hot days when I really enjoyed sucking on partially frozen cherries. It was a nice summer treat. • On the negative side of enjoyment: It seems that most experts feel that 3 to 4 servings of fruit a day is about right or perhaps the maximum. At two cups a day, I was eating 4 servings. So, I felt that eating other fruit may not be all that healthy. And I found that I missed the variety that I am used to having each day, including, often, an apple, which is also very healthy to eat every day.Note that even studies with great results don’t often work for everyone. So, just because this didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean that it won’t work for you. No way to know unless you try.I am trying to find out about silver Sol product… Is silver a cancer causing agent if used in a product.After watching this video I’ve been eating cherries daily for several days. (The frozen ones are the only ones available now, but they make a great shake, so I use two cups.) All the hip pain is gone. GONE. That’s crazy. How is it working that well, that quickly? One question — the video says cherries have LESS of a COX-1 inhibiting effect. As I looked at the bar graphs, it seemed they still had that effect in pretty good amounts. Are cherries also dangerous at certain levels of usage?What about dried cherries or cherry capsules?Good question. I wold say fresh first, then frozen, dried, and capsules (if there is no other way to obtain the other sources. Even then, I haven’t seen any research on cherry caps and sometimes antioxidant supplements can be potentially harmful. I would not suggest the capsules.	abdominal pain,alternative medicine,anthocyanins,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cherries,complementary medicine,enzymes,frozen fruit,heart disease,heart health,Ibuprofen,inflammation,insomnia,internal bleeding,meat,mortality,muscle health,muscle soreness,oatmeal,organ meats,pain,phytonutrients,side effects,stomach health,stomach inflammation,stomach ulcers,tart cherries,Vioxx	Sweet red bing cherries may act as a selective COX-2 inhibitor, reducing inflammation without the damage to our stomach and gut lining caused by NSAID drugs like ibuprofen.	Here are the links to the videos I mentioned about tart pie cherries: Tart Cherries for Insomnia and Reducing Muscle Soreness with Berries.Other studies in which anti-inflammatory drugs were compared natural dietary remedies include: Turmeric Curcumin and Osteoarthritis and Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid Arthritis.Anti-inflammatory activity in a test tube is one thing, but can cherries actually be used clinically to treat inflammatory diseases? Stay tuned for my next video, Gout Treatment with a Cherry on Top.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-ulcers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frozen-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tart-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vioxx/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organ-meats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ibuprofen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/internal-bleeding/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gout-treatment-with-a-cherry-on-top/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16184416,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11695879,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11584724,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9572317,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500343,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16549461,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16354394,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23163942,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21229414,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11595412,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19349350,
PLAIN-2590	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/	Do Vegetarians Get Enough Protein?	The largest study in history of those eating plant-based diets recently compared the nutrient profiles of about 30,000 non-vegetarians to 20,000 vegetarians and about 5,000 vegans, flexitarians, and no meat except fish-eaters, allowing us to finally put to rest the perennial question, “do vegetarians get enough protein?” The average requirement is 42 grams of protein a day. Meateaters get way more than they need, and so does everyone else. Vegetarians and vegans get 70% more protein than they need every day.Surprising that there’s so much fuss about protein in this country when less than 3% of adults don’t make the cut, presumably folks on extreme calorie-restricted diets who just aren’t eating enough food period. But 97% of Americans get enough protein.There is a nutrient, though, for which 97% of Americans are deficient. Now that’s a problem nutrient. That’s something we really have to work on. Less than 3% of Americans get even the recommended minimum adequate intake of fiber. So the question isn’t “where do you get your protein?” but “where do you get your fiber?” We only get about 15 grams a day. The minimum daily requirement is 31.5 so we get less than half the minimum. If you break it down by age and gender, after studying the diets of 12,761 Americans, the percent of men between ages 14 and 50 getting the minimum adequate intake? Zero.This deficit is stunning in that dietary fiber has been protectively associated in population studies with the risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and various cancers as well high cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugars. Therefore, it is not surprising that fiber is listed as a nutrient of concern in the guidelines.One problem is that most people have no idea what’s in their food; more than half of Americans think steak is a significant fiber source.By definition, fiber is only found in plants. There is no fiber in meat, dairy or eggs, and little or no fiber in junk food. Therein lies the problem. Americans should be eating more beans, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains—how are doing on that? 96% of Americans don’t even eat the minimum recommended daily amount of beans, 96% don’t eat the measly minimum for greens, 99% don’t get enough whole grains. Look at these numbers. Nearly the entire U.S. population fails to eat enough whole plant foods. And it’s not getting better, a lack of progress that’s disappointing.Even semi-vegetarians make the minimum, though. And those eating completely plant-based diets triple the average American intake. Now when closing the fiber gap, you’ll want to do it gradually, no more than about five extra grams a day each week until you can work your way up.But it’s worth it. Plant-derived diets tend to contribute significantly less fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and foodborne pathogens, while at the same time offering more fiber, folate, vitamin C, and phytochemicals, all essential factors for disease prevention, and optimal health and wellbeing. And the more whole plant foods the better. If you compare the nutritional quality of vegan versus vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian and omnivorous diets, traditional healthy diet indexing systems, like compliance with the dietary guidelines, consistently indicate the most plant-based diet as the healthiest one.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	In this study, does the category of “strict vegetarians” refer to vegans? That’s a little confusing. Why didn’t they just label the category as “vegans?”“Vegan” also has ethical connotations, wherein practitioners also avoid everything from leather clothing to patronizing circuses. “Strict vegetarian”, an older phrase, avoids the non-dietary associations, as many chose plant based diets for heath concerns, and it has been the term favored in author Gary Fraser’s Adventist studies since 1981.Thank you!That clears up a lot of issues I have read about over the last couple of years. I wish I had looked up these various definitions earlier! :)Actually, Darryl, “plant based” could include a small daily animal portion. I have heard even Dr Campbell (The China Study) declare in a debate that he ate a small amount of fish, so he was emphatically NOT a vegan. Plant-based seems to infer the diet is mostly plants. A clear animal content cutoff is not clear in this terminology. This vagueness is precisely why I do not prefer or use the term.I’ve heard Dr. Campbell lecture on several occasions, as recently as March 2014, and I’ve never heard him say he ate fish. (Perhaps he was talking about Bill Clinton.) Reference this NY Times article Q&A: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/nutrition-advice-from-the-china-study/comment-page-17/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 Q. Do you advocate a 100 percent plant-based diet? A.We eat that way, meaning my family, our five grown children and five grandchildren. We all eat this way now.Mike, Nope he was talking about his own diet. It occurred during a debate with a Paleo advocate named Westman at UAB in 2013. Check out the video of this at –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJYlXmfb08MCheck out the time 1:12:27 or thereabouts, where he discusses eating fish in his family.I remember being shocked when I heard this, given the arguments he puts forth, the poisons found in all fish, and the imminent collapse of the ocean systems. But, maybe this is what happens when the only discussion is about health. Once you allow animal protein into your diet, the question immediately becomes how much. To quote Walter Willet, MD, the head of Harvard’s Department of Nutrition, “There are no nutrients in animal foods that cannot be gotten better from plants.” So, why should an animal suffer or die for your eating pleasure? Thus we find that the way to answer the how much question is with ethics. That is, anything more than none is too much.Quote from 1:12:27ish: “I tend not to eat fish. Maybe occassionally”. This could be interpreted in two ways, I think. Either an admission that he himself eats fish occassionally. Or an attempt to say “I myself do not eat fish. But maybe it is from a health perspective acceptable (at least not yet proven harmful) to eat fish occassionally.” in line with what John Mooter writes below.That vagueness is precisely why I like the term plant-based. All the populations in the Blue Zones eat plant-based diets which include some animal foods.Agreed, eating small amounts of animal based foods has never been proven to be harmful and may make a plant-based diet “whole”. In that one would not need to take supplements. How’s that for blasphemy!Campbell does not eat any animal foods. I met him a few years back. What he says it that it has not been proven that a small amount of animal foods cause harm, for example, 1 or 2 percent of calories. Read his new book, “Whole”.Both Dr Campbell and Dr. McDougall eat a little meat/fish every couple of years just to avoid being labeled vegan, in the case of McDougall he has some turkey every other year on thanksgiving. They prefer Whole food plant based.Ah, yes….the protein question. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me “how do you get enough protein?” Now, I can come back with, “how much fiber do you eat?”I agree with you, I too get this question much too often. I still do not understand what the emphasis on protein is in this society. Protein deficiency does not exist without calorie deficiency, which would inherently come with micronutrient deficiency. The constant reminder in advertisement displaying X grams of protein per serving doesn’t help either. My mother goes to a Lifetime fitness gym and she saw a personal trainer. Even they pushed for her to start including protein powders in her diet, and she is not even plant based. Thankfully she ignored this advice. There is not one good reason based on the science to push for more protein in the American diet, the opposite is true. There needs to be a public health message to reduce overall protein intake, not continue to increase it.Yes, I remember reading Adele Davis when I first became interested in nutrition and she advised high protein and dairy intake. Interesting that she died of cancer. She was my start at getting away from processed foods and learning about nutrients. Thank goodness, I later found the books of Nathan Pritikin, Dr. Neal Barnard and Dr. McDougall.I think it’s caused by the same flawed logic that makes people think that diabetes is caused by eating sugar.“Meat contains shiploads of protein, so if you want to gain muscle you have to eat muscle.”So why are gorillas and elephants so strong and big?They spend the majority of their time consuming relatively, calorically poor food sources. It would require a similar shift in quantity for us. Also, they possess the appropriate enzyme cocktails and digestive tracks for optimal extraction. Our digestive tracts are not as efficient. The amino acids obtained from plants are not in the correct ratio for human needs. Therefore we would be required to eat more plant protein to meet our requirements.You really didn’t read what I said and reply with some unscientific claims.The meat and dairy and egg industry’s all have way to much money for lobbying and instead of calling it meat they use the word protein to get people to eat it, like it is the only place it is in! That infuriates me! The other industries like vegetables and grans and fruits and lagoons do not get government subsidies like the meat and dairy and egg industries do.So true, “protein” is used interchangeably with meat. This needs to change.And then one step even further by calling the animals. Making the connection that people are eating an animal helps them see beyond their plate to the reality.Yeah and I also get people telling me that my diet is dangerous. When I press them for why they say because they heard you don’t get all your vitamins. When I ask which ones they say, “I don’t know, but you don’t”. So I tell them about B12 and site my blood level of B12. Then I ask if they know their level. Of course they don’t. If they are kind of nasty about it I also ask if they eat a brazil nut every day for selenium. Of course they think that’s…. nuts. [sorry, been listening to Dr. Greger too long. ;-) ]hahhaha I didn’t know that was in a greger video, I too eat a brazil nut everyday (or every other day) for selenium!And to make it even more funny, many of the cadaver-eaters are probably low in B12, because of all the proton pump inhibitors they have to take, because of their heartburn, and PPI can cause malabsorption af B12.There is a nice video on this website on the matter: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-epidemic/I think it is great how you answer them. I had one person say that she know that we were to be eating meat just because she has lived on a farm her whole life. I just said to her have you studied how are body’s are made to work with the food we eat. That ended that. I have found that some people no mater what information you give them don’t want to change there core believes as it would mean that they were responsible for there health.Forget protein, how on Earth are people supposed to get 4.5 grams of potassium daily?another one of Dr. Greger’s videos http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/The average target of 42g daily is interesting to me. The last time I researched it on the web the consensus of my requirement was bit higher than that, differing slightly by source, but was generally around 1 to 1.5g per kg, depending upon activity. That put my lanky butt at around twice the 42g daily target. This lower target you comforts me somewhat, because trying to eat that much protein is sometimes a challenge, especially on days when I do just fine on a couple of light vegan meals and a fruit smoothie or two. I had dismissed that high target as probably wrongly influenced by the traditional SAD, but was always a little doubtful about being right in doing so.I believe you need 0.8 g/day, but 1g is a good buffer. Most athletes, excepting body builders, don’t even need 1.5g/day of protein. (There are some great videos out on vegan athletes with a dietitian).Dr. Greger, just to clarify, is your recommendation for November 13, 2012 to get 0.5mg/lb of protein still accurate? In that case, obviously, an intake of 42mg/day would be deficient for almost everyone. The good news appears that many of the vegetarian and vegan participants in this study would still be getting adequate protein, of around 60-80mg/day depending on ideal body weight. But some were probably not.Grams, not milligrams for sure. The numbers I am familiar with is that the body needs 0.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, though many recommend 0.8 grams to add a fudge factor. Given the findings on this video, a fudge factor does not seem to be needed.You’re right of course about grams, thanks. I encourage you to look at this video.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-protein-recommendations/I do remember that video and your question to Dr. Greger is warranted. Plus I stand corrected, a bit, for not noting that the denominator should be IDEAL body weight.I was about to ask the same question. It’s still confusing. 42 g/day vs 90 g/day is a big difference.The ratio is PER KILOGRAM of body weight, so if you need 0.6g/kg, a 150 pound person would need nearly 41 grams of protein per day.According to this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-protein-recommendations/ the ideal protein intakes is 1 to 1.2 g/kg. My lean weight is 70-75 kg. So, if I take 75 kg, that makes 75 times 1.2 = 90 grams of protein per day. Today, I had about 65-70 grams, way short of 90.From this very interesting paper:Overall, our human and animal studies indicate that a low protein diet during middle age is likely to be beneficial for the prevention of cancer, overall mortality, and possibly diabetes through a process that may involve, at least in part, regulation of circulating IGF-1 and possibly insulin levels. In agreement with other epidemiological and animal studies, our findings suggest that a diet in which plant-based nutrients represent the majority of the food intake is likely to maximize health benefits in all age groups. However, we propose that up to age 65 and possibly 70, depending on health status, the 0.7 to 0.8 g of proteins/kg of body weight/day reported by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine, currently viewed as a minimum requirement, should be recommended instead of the 1.0–1.3 g grams of proteins/kg of body weight/day consumed by adults ages 19–70. We also propose that at older ages, it may be important to avoid low protein intake and gradually adopt a moderate to high protein, preferably mostly plant-based consumption to allow the maintenance of a healthy weight and protection from frailty.“We also propose that at older ages, it may be important to avoid low protein intake and gradually adopt a moderate to high protein”Important to note that their interpretation of “low protein” is 4% of calories from protein, and that a “moderate to high” protein diet is “at least 10% of the calories consumed” from protein, which would still be quite low relative to what most people on the SAD consume.On a wfpb diet myself, I’m usually at about what they consider “high protein” (18%). When it first came out, this paper made me consider lowering my protein consumption. The funny thing is, it would be kind of difficult, as I don’t make any special effort to consume as much protein as I do.Their low protein category is 20%. I really wish they had chosen more informative category bins as somewhere under 1% of the American population would be considered “low protein” and about 5% “high”, according to this data, more or less confirmed by this more recent survey.Likewise, I make no special effort to consume protein, and when I play on Cron-o-meter my diet ranges between 11-13% protein, and I’d have to eat significant added oils or junk-food to get below 10%. I don’t know how those in the low-protein category in the study are managing it, but its difficult eating just whole plant foods.Even though I was a vegetarian for 20 years I’m no longer convinced this is the right way to eat. My first husband was a vegetarian who ate eggs and very little dairy. He ate no sugar, was extremely thin, and was also a runner. So imagine our shock when he was diagnosed with a serious heart problem. He needed a replacement valve. His surgeon said he aorta was so thin it was ready to burst. He survived this major operation but died within a year because he never recuperated properly. He literally wasted away. He could not build any muscle mass. Looking back I realize he did not utilize vegetable protein well. He always had digestive upset from legumes. The heart is a muscle. I believe he did not get enough protein from his diet to keep his heart healthy or to recover from a major operation. Since his passing I changed my diet to include meat.Deane, I’m sorry to hear about your loss and your husband’s passing, especially since he was clearly working to keep in good health. But I don’t think that what might have been a specific condition for him is necessarily a general rule for the entire population. I react to sesame and turmeric and can’t eat either But that doesn’t make them bad for most people. My health and test results all improved when I went off animal products. Twenty-five years on I’m glad I made the change. Otherwise I’d be like my father brothers, heart attacks at early ages. As an omnivore, my cholesterol was 218 with LDL higher than HDL, as a vegan it’s 117 with HDL high than LDL.I think your thoughts are reasonable. When I listen to these videos and others and listen carefully to what is said, the vast majority if about getting enough plant-based nutrients in our bodies. Somehow this all gets crammed together, maybe for good reasons, into never eat meat, but when I parse the actual words and studies I do not see the stressing of do not eat meat as much as I see eat more plant-based, do not eat processed foods, and not really much about meat except as it relates to the vast majority of people who only eat meat, dairy, sugar and processed foods of the average factory farmed processed American diet.I tried vegetarian for about a year and I think I got something out of it, but recently I have been eating meat and also not worrying about fat, though I don’t like fat so much. I feel much better and have more energy, and just feel more confident, but that’s just me.I think one problem in America is that we are so based around money that no one can just talk about the scientific data, because no one can afford to, everyone is selling something, and to differentiate “businesses” have to have something different to sell. So you have people focusing on gluten, sugar, carbs, greens, or whatever to try to market something, otherwise we never hear from anyone.I dont think that there are suffucient data to claim that 100% WFPB diet are better than 98% WFPB diet. Little meat or dairy on occassion probably wont hurt. For many going all the way (100% WFPB) is easier.WFPB?whole food plant basedThanksYes, and if you are an ethical vegan, it is easy to eat all plants…and I feel great!Agreed, methinks that more folks would be willing to go along with this approach. The either or approach emblematic of dualistic thinking turns off folks. Veganevangelism usually doesn’t work.Meat and eggs and dairy are what are killing us! We are not made to eat any of it and are bodies are fighting back that is why so many are sick. If you educate your self and do the research you will know how to eat properly and have all the energy you need from a whole food plant based diet. You just have the belief indoctrinated in you since you were little like we all were. I have more energy then I ever had and if you were right then athletes before they do extraneous exercise would eat a hug steak but they fill up on complex carbohydrates. And elephant is the largest land animal and it has lots of energy and it is a herbivore.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNCGkprGW_oI understand what you are saying about stressing too much over “I must not have this” particular food (e.g. for me…dairy, eggs, fish). These foods were staples in my diet growing up so they are entrenched in my food history.However, in the last two years I’ve caught myself stressing over choosing an animal product because I watch the videos on here and I had some health issues (which now seem to be resolved, thankfully).I have found that since I’ve improved my wfpb diet (making sure I consume enough nutrients), I don’t get the same cravings leading me to my old stand-bys.And, in either case, I just decided to let go of that guilt / fear and just let myself have a dairy ice-cream if I want it, or an egg sandwich or a piece of fish, and now I’ve found I want those foods less and less.Hi Deane, Values are a genetic issue. My husband also went through that surgery and it kicked his butt. It turns out they think the bad value and thinning aorta go hand in hand. His grandmother had the same issue.Do you mean VALVES are a genetic issue? Bad VALVE and thinning aorta go hand in hand?I probably spoke too quickly. A bicuspid valve and a thinning aorta are often seen together. The point I wanted to make was that it is a very difficult surgery. Or were you just correcting my typos?I have a bicuspid aortic valve and a couple years ago learned that I had a considerably dilated ascending aorta, as well. But I didn’t learn that until discussion at my next exam, which included a fresh echocardiogram. In the intervening two years, or a little before, I had switched to fully WFPBD (including no added oils). That most recent echocardiogram showed the aortic dilation much improved. Instead of being ready for surgery based on degree of dilation (as I might have been if the condition had progressed at the same rate as before), the dilation was reduced to almost within normal range. I was astonished, though neither my GP nor my cardiologist seemed all that interested. I’ll get another two year test this fall.If Esselstyn’s dietary approach is all about the health of the endothelium, that approach may have paid off in greatly improved elasticity in my aorta where it emerges from the still dodgy valve.Yes, the two conditions (bicuspid or other aortic valve defect and weakening of the adjacent segment of the aorta) indeed tend to go together– but perhaps only because of a predisposition to aortic weakening (thought to be caused by hydraulic abnormalities in flow from the diseased valve); perhaps the predisposition need not be fulfilled if the artery and its lining are healthy as a result of adequate diet– just as a genetic predisposition to heart disease in general need not result in actual disease if diet is adequate. My experience is just an anecdote, a single data point. However, it is, so far, contrary to the ordinary or expected progression of aortic dilation, and so, I would have thought, interesting. I am encouraged to hope that I might not need the ambitious surgery to replace the valve and adjacent portion of the aorta– or that I might avoid it for much longer than would have been the case if I had not encountered Esselstyn, Campbell, McDougal, Greger, et al. I would like to think that other patients with valve or aortic problems could benefit from a similar appoach.Good news!My husband is a competitive cyclist so he tends to have his heart rate up into the 175 or higher range for extended periods of time. He became a bit tentative thinking he was going to blow.The newest thinking about the aortic aneurysm is that it is probably not caused by the funky way the blood is going through the valve but is just part of the genetic condition.Really interesting test results JPotter.Thank you for sharing this. Do you think daily whey protein or yogurt or maybe some fish might have made the difference? Dealing with similar issues. Thanks.As I told Deane, protein deficiency is non existent among vegetarians unless one is not getting enough calories. The addition of the suggested foods would hurt the quality of health. Reducing sodium intake and processed foods may be helpful.I’ve had viral issues heal when including lean fish, and no veggie or fruit or nut or seed, grain or bean ever made a difference. I’m vegan now, and somewhat reluctant but doing it. But when I go back to “complete” fish proteins, viral issues often get better. Have tried all sorts of plant based proteins, in all amounts and combinations. I know of vegans who simply claim to have not “healed” whatever it is they were dealing with until they added back some non-vegan proteins. Everyone might be different in this regard. For now, I’m staying vegan, but I am open to the “truth” of other’s journey in this life, and where that “truth” might direct me.Sorry for your loss Deane. Lets remember that a vegetarian diet is not necessarily healthy unless one is consuming the proper foods. Even a full vegan can consume a high sodium diet, processed foods (white flours) and free oils which would make this diet not particularly healthy. I know of no evidence suggesting those who are vegetarian do not get enough protein. As long as caloric needs are met, we will always get enough protein. The baggage that comes with meat consumption is not worth the risks. High sodium in particular has damaging effects in terms of blood vessels.lets not for get cholesterol it is only found in animal products. and every time we eat any we also urinate out calcium. there for get osteoporosis.There is so much information out there I am sorry that your husband died but it was all about the food he eat. Watch forks over knives Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s Heart Disease Prevention & Reversal. top in his field for curing heart disease. Food That Kills – Full Presentation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNCGkprGW_oEating eggs is as bad as meat as far as the heart is concerned. Dr. Esselstyn has reversed heart disease with a low fat plant diet. Please read “WHole” by T. Colin Campbell, PhDI am curious as I workout frequently and am a 20 year old 180 lb male. I used to eat quite a bit more protein since I have changed my diet to almost entirely plant based. I have found that I have lost som weight, but have felt some decrease in muscle growth. Should I be eating more than 42 g of protein? I have heard recomendations for weight lifters in the realm of 1-1.5 g of protein per kg of body weight, for me that would be 80-120 g of protein! This sounds excessive, but a common among the powerlifting community. Any input or any way to increase protein consumption? I currently eat lots of nuts, have beans and whole grains at least once a day.I suspect you’re getting way more than 42 grams. I eat beans every day and some days I get 60-70 grams of protein. Plug in a day’s food to Cronometer.com and you might be surprised. I myself lost body fat after going 100% WFPB minimally processed no SOS, but I can still lift the same weight and continue to increase my strength.Yes, typically I consume anywhere from 40-50 g of protein sometimes less and sometimes more. I used to consume much more like closer to 100+ g a day. You don’t think I need more than just 40-50 g?At 180 lb. if you go with the 0.8gm/kg, that would be 65gm. protein for your weight (81kg). I get 50 or 60gm protein on a 2000 calorie plan. You must be eating way more than that? You have to count all the protein in all your food to get the total – even kale which is 20% protein :) It all adds up. Beans, whole grains, nuts etc. Just 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 cup black beans, 1 oz walnuts and 2 slices whole wheat bread add up to 33gm protein.I am a personal trainer and body builder for the past 30 years.I have been vegan for over 13 years. I recently did a protein inventory just out of curiosity to see how much I was consuming on an average day. I weigh about 115 pounds so going with 1 gram of protein per kilogram body weight, I need about 52 grams of protein per day. I wasn’t trying to consume protein.I was just eating a wide variety of whole plant foods.I was shocked to learn I was consuming about 75 grams!! This is without even trying! As long as your caloric intake is adequate, I can almost guarantee you are getting enough protein.Matt, I found this discussion of plant protein you might find interesting : http://nakedfoodmagazine.com/muscling-out-the-meat-myth/You are definitely getting more then that if you add it up on https://cronometer.com/I don’t even try to eat or seek protein rich foods. My diet naturally gets close to 100 grams per day.You can’t force muscles to grow simply by consuming protein. Exercise determines muscle growth not diet. As long as you are consuming enough calories when you are hungry, till you are full, you will always be getting sufficient protein.The problem is to much protein plants a re loaded with them!Exercise and genetics. Only a small minority of people can gain muscle the way professional bodybuilders can.Even the American/Canadian Dietetic Associations claim that (at least for athletes:“Protein recommendations for endurance and strength-trained athletes range from 1.2 to 1.7 g/kg (0.5 to 0.8 g/lb) body weight per day. These recommended protein intakes can generally be met through diet alone, without the use of protein or amino acid supplements. Energy intake sufficient to maintain body weight is necessary for optimal protein use and performance.”“Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance” (2009) DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2009.01.005Lets remember too that for an athlete, there would be an inherent increase in caloric needs, which would result in an unavoidable increase in protein.The food pyramid also isn’t inspired by independant scientific research but rather by corperate lobying.I workout every day, but I don’t do it to gain mass. Gaining mass, in my situation, is a “side effect”. Some time ago, I viewed a video from the Doc about fenugreek giving test subjects improved strength and mass in a matter of weeks. I tried it and was astonished how much stronger it made me. Look for the video and try it out.As for protein, I’m currently quite confused myself about it. I strive for 90 g/day at 75 kg of body weight. However, most days I get more like 70-75 g/day. I am vegan.But Dear Dr. Greger, you never mentioned the question of protein quality or more accurately, the amino acid profile of the vegetarian diets eaten. For the last half century, since Frances Moore Lappe published her seminal book: Diet For A Small Planet, and made her foundational point of the incomplete amino acid profile of plant-based eating, I have been obsessed with always eating the correct matching plant-based protein sources so as to complete the amino acid profile which is the true value as a protein food. My understanding is that the total number is not the definitive value (grams of protein). I thought that plant-based sources are amino-acid deficient and therefore must be eaten at the same time as it’s complementary amino-acid protein source, and without this conscious planning, the incomplete protein food would simply be processed and utilized by our body as carbohydrate. This is where I have always assumed most vegetarians go wrong, and in fact, the slow wound healing, small birth-weight babies, and impaired immune systems of improper vegetarian diets which can so easily be found among the strict vegetarians I lived with early in my life (intentional communities living on the land, eating only Organic before it was PC, and adhering to strict vegetarian principles without regard to matching amino acids). Please address and clarify this question for the many considering what might be sloppy amino-acid matching of their new plant-based diets. Don’t we need to educate ourselves and learn to make carefully selected combination choices of legume-grain-seed-nut-supplements before switching to a vegetarian diet?If I remember right, it was Dr. McDougall who noted in his writings or lectures that Frances Moore Lappe retracted her statements later after learning that it pretty much doesn’t matter when in the course of a 24 hours or longer that you eat a mix of amino acids, it will all come together. Further, it’s been shown that eating a variety of whole foods gets you there without having to worry about what you eat. I have never worried about after learning that.Ariel: Your concern is understandable as many people were mislead by that book. The author herself has since retracted that part of her book as a mistake on her part.Here are my two favorite sources for explaining human protein needs. Both of these sources address the problematic claims in the book Diet For A Small Planet.http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlhttp://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ (check out December 2003 for McDougall’s site, “A Brief History of Protein: Passion, Social Bigotry, Rats, and Enlightenment”. Also April 2007, “When Friends Ask: Where do you get your protein?”)I hope that after you go through these sources, you will feel a huge sigh of relief. It means that you no longer need to stress about protein combining.Firstly, I would like to quote the American Dietetics Association on their view of vegetarian diets and protein.“Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal ”http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdfAs Jeff Novick puts it..Many say that plants foods are incompleteIf “incomplete” means not containing all the essential amino acids then…. (the incomplete protein theory)1) All plant foods are complete as they contain all the essential amino acids.2) the only food that is not a complete protein is an animal food, gelatin.If “incomplete” means lacking in sufficient quantity of one or more amino acids…(the limiting amino acid theory)1) Getting all the amino acids in at once at the same meal, or even in the same day, as some may suggest, is not necessary due to the amino acid pool, which is a circulating level of amino acids in the blood, that the body can draw from if needed. As long as one follows a whole foods plant based diet, the amino acid pool will maintain a sufficient stock of any potentially needed (or limiting) amino acids.2) However, as long as one consumes enough calories, eats a variety of food, and limits junk foods and refined foods, and is not an all fruit diet, then they will get in enough protein and enough amino acids in sufficient quantity. There will be no limiting amino acids3) there is some evidence that the amino acids that are slightly lower (but adequate) in plant foods, may actually be a benefit to health and longevity and not a concern.Most every major health organization including the NAS, the WHO and the ADA all recognize these statements to be true.All plants are whole proteins as long as you are eating a variety of whole food plant based foods you will get all that you need.Dr. Greger: Speaking of whole plant food diets, I hope you might comment soon on Dr. Perlmutter’s (MD) “grain brain” conclusions that all carbohydrates are harmful to the brain, including whole grains and fruits (in small amounts). His book is out and he’s been on PBS a lot with warning people to stay off carbs. I saw his PBS show but didn’t read his book. He might be conflating refined whole grains–like whole wheat flour–with whole grains in a natural or lightly processed state. Then again, he seems to have problems with beans too. He presents findings that a person’s risk of dementia is very strongly correlated to their blood sugar, and that today’s “normal” level is way too high. I just wonder how correct he is and how much nuance there might be in the data causing him to reach an incorrect general conclusion. If you have any findings that could help clarify, it would be great to hear your thoughts.He does soon, and if you can’t wait, buy the Volume 19 DVD and you can find out what he has to say about it today!Awesome! Thanks, Dr. Duda. Dr. Greger’s on top of it again. I’ll just wait for his comments to get posted. Dr. Perlmutter’s arguments didn’t really worry me. He seemed to lump too much together. I wasn’t convinced.mbglife: I like Dr. Duba’s answer. I too can’t wait to see what Dr. Greger has to say, and happily he is going to be saying something.If you are interested, here is also an answer from Dr. McDougal:January 2014: “The Smoke and Mirrors behind Wheat Belly and Grain Brain” by McDougall. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jan/smoke.htmGreat! Thanks!I can’t believe they have guys like this on PBS. How about Dr Gregor doing something on PBS? Great way to reach a big audience like these no-carb folks but with something worthwhile. Does anyone know if McDougall, Campbell, etc have done anything on PBS?joeboosauce: I don’t know about McDougall or Campbell, but I believe that Dr. Barnard did at least two shows on PBS. I have two of Dr. Barnard’s DVDs which say, “As ween on Public TV” at the top. 1) Kickstart Your Health, 2) Protect Your Memory.Thea and Joeboosauce, PBS!! Thanks to PBS my boyfriend (with a big Post Concussion Syndrome) and I (with a skull fracture both from ice skating falls) improved our diets 4 yrs. ago watching Dr. Amen’s Healthy Brain show. But we were unable to find his studies on line or through his clinic website. So no expensive brain scans for us! Next PBS: Dr Fuhrman’s shows. Fantastic! But it took finding NF to be convinced WFPB was the way for us. So thank youPBS! But the number of awful health and nutrition shows PBS airs is appalling. DO they have no fact-checker to vet their doctors?How wonderful it would be to have Dr. Greger so a series with a few guest docs of high caliber and varying emphasis and ages! The one doc and sleepy or shill audience formulas are old. There are so many other ways to make these potentially life-changing shows more interesting and convincing.Just picture Dr. Greger in his fetching toque blanche preparing a meal with his humor and zest. Then perhaps cooking up a banquet with 3 other WFPB wizards including one or two lay people with before and after photos. A group discussion with the stories from people who have gone WFPB. Real people who have started recently or long ago this program. Let’s not forget some brawny firemen! And how about seniors who give people hope and healthy determination to do it too? I could skate a pairs program with a mystery guest revealed as Dr. Fuhrman, an olympian ice skater. Four people who watched my very modest Christmas skating exhibition last month told me they were inspired to change their diets and lifestyle so they might enjoy life as much as I do! Guess what site I sent them to!Gayle: Thanks for your post. I agree: PBS could be more responsible. But it is also a potential place for some great good to happen! Mabye after Dr. Greger finishes his book, he can start working on his PBS special. ;-) With all of those good ideas you have…PS: skating exhibition: That is SO, SO cool! Good for you! And it is just one more example of how being a role model can indeed be very powerful. Thanks for sharing.I caught that show on PBS myself the other day. I did not know what to think, but my first impulse was that this guy is another nut who blames all the ills of civilization on one thing – gluten … which always makes it much easier to get people interested and sell things from books to supplements.I don’t think he said all carbohydrates were bad, or maybe I just missed that part since I did not watch the whole thing.I saw a documentary on I think it was NetFlix called “Fresh” where they floated an idea that Alzheimer’s was a kind of diabetes of the brain, and that a lot of diseases could be viewed as the effects of too much sugar on different organs.I’m thinking “we” are learning a lot in science about health, nutrition and disease and closing in on some good findings, but we are not there are extreme recommendations that fall outside of the obvious – like we eat too much sugar and processed food and chemicals is uncalled for and probably not valid.Via Jeff Novick, please see here http://drmirkin.com/nutrition/forget-grain-brain-and-wheat-belly-eat-whole-grains.htmlThis grain brain theory is a bunch of nonsense. Dr. Perlmutter uses gluten as his proving point to why all carbs are bad. As a person with Celiac disease, I feel this diminishes the seriousness of this disease. The last thing a person with an auto-immune disease (Celiac) needs to do is center their diet around animal products. I eat gluten-free grains, beans and lots of complex carbs. Brown rice is especially healing for my compromised digestive tract.And people wonder why they are fat, constipated, get cancer, heartdisease, hypertension, diabetes and get depressed – it must be genetic! There must be a pill to pop! No – take control of your own health destiny. Eat right. Mostly WFPB diet.I saw the best bumper sticker today. “Animals die to feed your fat ass.”LOL. I want a sticker like that!Comon dudes. do you want to reach an audience or score points?Yeah, I’d prefer to help show that WFPB is a broad tent, myself. Note that Dr. Greger generally tries to play an optimistic tune that is more or less directly orthogonal to the ‘angry vegan’ projection, stereotype, and impediment to mass persuasion. He’s fully capable of writing angry vegan screed though. Carbophobia has some of that vibe.I absolutely agree with both of you. It just made me chuckle.Haha, you are right Coacervate! I like it but good point!> The only nutrient Americans may be more deficient in than fiber is potassium.Thanks for posting that and bringing up the subject of potassium. I don’t know what to think about potassium. The daily requirement for potassium is like 4 and a half grams. That is a lot of potassium.Potassium supplements, I think, by law can only have 99 milligrams, so that if you had to get your potassium from supplements you would need just under 50 pills to get enough.How is anyone supposed to get 4.5 grams of potassium a day. When I look at the potassium content of foods most foods have so little potassium that you would have to spend the whole day eating them to get enough potassium.Some coconut water has a lot of potassium … I think about half a gram of potassium per serving, which I think is one cup. Still that is 12 cups or coconut water.To get enough potassium one seems to have to build their whole diet around heavy potassium sources, and I am not even sure you can get enough any way you cut it.1. How was the daily requirement of potassium set? Is it really so high.2. Why is potassium so hard to get, or even supplement?The 4.7 g AI for potassium was set by the U.S. Food and Nutrition board with the rationale set forth here, as one that would “lower blood pressure levels, reduce the adverse effects of sodium chloride intake on blood pressure, reduce the risk of recurrent kidney stones, and possibly decrease bone loss”. As there are antagonistic interactions with sodium, it seems possible that those eating a low salt diets could get by with less.In pill form, potassium can lodge against the intestinal walls and cause lesions. Since 1975, the U.S. FDA has required a long warning label on supplements containing 100 mg or more potassium, so non-prescription potassium supplements in the U.S. all have 99 mg.It’s not hard to get enough potassium eating whole plant foods. A medium (2 3/4″ diam.) potato, a 10 oz. package of spinach, or 1 1/3 cup cooked lentils each have 1 g, so there’s 3 g K in 550 calories.Medjool dates have a fair bit as well. I only mention this as they are so delicious and for many vegans a regular treat.I knew you would put this into a usable bit of info!Thanks for the info …… but think about what you are saying … i medium potato, 10 oz. spinach and 1/3 cup lentils … that is a lot of bulk to eat everyday, and it still does not get to the 4.5, though you quality the 3.5 number credibly.There is also the fact that a lot of the nutrition info that we get about foods is wrong or inflated. Unless they put potassium into the ground in quantity enough to have it taken up into the tuber we will have potatoes with less nutrition than what the stats say. I don’t trust the agriculture industry anymore on these issues.I’m just thinking what you said does not refute my statement that it is hard to get enough potassium in a diet without eating certain key foods in quantity everyday and planning your diet around potassium.Maybe the potassium in a potato is mostly in the skin so one could avoid all the carbs and starch of a whole potato, or increase the potato “dose” to 2 if just eating the skin.Potassium is a required nutrient in agriculture, and unlike trace minerals (selenium etc), its liberally added to top-soil in both conventional and organic agriculture. Its the 3rd number in NPK ratings of fertilizers.Darryl, do you eat green bananas or cooked potatoes that have been cooled, or do you add raw potato starch to stuff? Or do you think we get enough resistant starch just from a few servings of beans and eating a WFPB diet. Should I add some raw potato starch to my smoothies? Or should I eat one green banana a day? I bet eating a cooked and cooled purple potato would be really good. I wonder how long it has to be cooled?Hi Ben. If I really needed more calories, I might think of adding potato starch to the morning smoothie, or making more glass noodle (pre-gelatinized starch) dishes. For the most part, I think I’m doing fine with daily beans and the occassional potato to feed my gut flora and colonocytes. As for details about cooking/cooling techniques to maximize retrogradation in say, potatoes, it appears the cooking temperature has to be above boiling (100 C/212 F), but its retrogradation is maximized if maintained at a higher temperature for a while. Ie, roasting potatoes in the oven and (!) turning it off before leaving for work. I haven’t done this experiment, and the whole subject is pretty new to me.Thanks, Darryl!I have an idea to make a purple potato salad. Potato salads taste great cold. It’s easy to make an oil free mayonnaise with tofu.Darryl or anyone else here….I am truly in need some guidance from someone who actually gets the complexity of health in regards to vitamin D. My child – 19 years old – gets outbreaks of cold-sores/lip herpes every time he takes vitamin D supplements. The type of D, the amount, etc., they all do the same thing. Same thing happens when he eats fish with D, like salmon and sardines. Vegan D also. He has autoimmune ailments – psoriasis – and latest doctor told us vitamin D can suppress immune system in patients who have autoimmune disorders. Sunshine does not create viral outbreaks in him, so D is ok there, but the big issue is that the “D” from the supplements and that naturally occurring in food also are triggering other autoimmune issues when he takes or ingests the food – like facial twitching – bells palsy sort of – and he gets sick as well. Flu symptoms, very tired for days upon taking D. So, is the doctor correct that for some people, “D” reduces immune power and opens one up to latent viruses? Much appreciated, your insight.Try vitamin D mushrooms. Mushrooms are a real superfood and immune system enhancer and it shouldn’t cause him any problems if he is not sensitive to sunlight since that’s where the mushrooms are getting the vitmain D, from sunlight.Almost every fruit has at least 10% of the DV of potassium. Please see here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/The food highest in Potassium is the tomato.This is good news, I eat a plant based diet, no meat or dairy. and this is the best time of the year to do so..farmer’s markets are everywhere. I get the same question, where do you get your protein, and I reply from my food. I have the lab results to prove it.If we all get a double load of protein, why don’t we all get metabolic acidosis?Arguably, we do.Just read it, thanks! Could we conclude that the high K content of a WFPB diet offsets the protein ENAP load?this paper is a bit dated…do you know of any further developments? Just wondering, are you a teacher, Prof. or self educated?Here’s a 2011 review of diet induced metabolic acidosis (link will d/l a pdf). Dr. Greger covered the shifting assessment on where the urinary calcium was coming from and where it was harming us (in muscle loss) in two videos last year: Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, & Calcium Loss Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple CabbageI’m just trying to get an understanding of this. The review states:” Persons consuming a diet based on animal protein have higherkidney net acid excretion and more acidic urinary pH than persons on a plant-based diet. The urinary excretion of sulfate, phosphate,and uric acid is also higher in persons on the animal protein diet,compared with the vegetarian diet.”This turns virtually everything I’ve been taught (and repeating as an authority) on its ear. For example, we touted dairy as a high sulfur, high phosphate protein. So superior to plant foods. So healthy. How could we have gotten it so wrong?Question: I am tempted to reduce my intake of protein, eat more starches until my urine pH rises to the higher side of normal. Would that be a worthwhile exercise?We got it wrong for so long due to well-intentioned scientists applying the lessons of early 20th century nutrition (vitamin deficiencies cause disease) to macronutrients like protein. Within broad limits, excesses of many vitamins aren’t problematic, so perhaps nutrition need only concern itself with the minimum requirements for protein, too.The lessons from nutrition for the last 50 years are mostly about nutritional excess. Saturated fat and added sugars have both come under well-deserved scrutiny, but there are also issues with excess protein: in aggregate, stimulating sometimes unwelcome growth signalling, and of specific amino acids, like methionine. I think experimental gerontologists are at the forefront of this change, as the last decade has pinned down some mechanisms for how caloric restriction extended lifespan, and at least half of the effect can now be attributed to protein restriction.I too am conducting an N=1 experiment. I believe unless your diet is largely added sugars, fats, alcohol or low protein foods like cassava and taro, its highly unlikely you’ll face any amino acid deficiencies, though a couple servings of beans daily will provide a margin of safety for lysine (the amino acid of concern in vegan diets). It’s very difficult to be protein deficient eating only whole plant foods, but they can provide protein moderation.Regarding protein restriction, I am somewhat skeptical for a couple of reasons:1) Epidemiological data suggest a strong inverse relationship between protein intake (both animal and plant-based) and fracture risk (so osteoporosis).2) Anyone who engages in strength/resistance training will likely need to increase their protein intake, as will elderly persons at risk for sarcopenia.3) Protein intake is net neutral or even positive with respect to metabolic syndrome risk, unlike processed carbohydrates or saturated fat. I believe this is especially the case with plant-based proteins.4) Protein is uniquely satiating in a way that carbs are not. I find nothing so satiating as a bowl of edamame (without salt or oil), as a snack.I am not saying we should all go out and eat a bunch of steak, but it is difficult to maintain a plant-based diet largely based on carbs, especially for those of us who are at risk for metabolic syndrome.Yes indeed, I’ve heard about a certain road paved with good intentions. With science the truth eventually comes out. The candle sputters in the darkness, then brightens…Maybe the next edition of Fennema will illuminate?I AM taking your comments onboard, but I checked our pH’s this AM: Mine is 6.5 and hers is 7.1 Some references state normal urine pH ranges from 4 to 8.She is always better than me…she has total control. I want to get into the 7+ range and see if my general joint/pain level improves.I’ve found myself trending towards high protein meals and even cheating with some seafood and parmesean…so I’m determined to redouble the effort and get my pH as alkaline as a reasonable diet change can muster. But I take your point regarding protein restriction.Question: Do you think increasing high K foods is a good way to bring up pH? We both eat a lot of beans/greens/bananas already.Your experiment … are you doing anthing specifically to limit protein overload?Also, we’ve been eating a lot of beet, rocket and other high nitrate foods. Could high dietary nitrate trend one towards the acidic side?Darryl, you help a lot of people here. Thanks for taking the trouble.I don’t think protein restriction (as some animal lifespan studies) is really feasible or wise, but moderation of specific amino acids like methionine may account for some of the advantages of plant protein sources. High protein intake can strengthen bones and prevent frailty, and the Levine et al. paper clearly points out the advantage of <10% protein diets was limited to those 19-65. What's exciting to me is that the pathways involved for later life disease reduction from mid-life protein moderation (or choice) are becoming clearer.Some IGF-1/mTOR activation is necessary for muscle/bone maintenance, and if that proves mostly a matter of leucine intake, then perhaps higher leucine / methionine ratio proteins like lentils, adzuki beans and split peas can provide most of the benefits with fewer of the drawbacks. Leucine is also the amino acid most responsble for satiety through hypothalamic mTOR activation. Personally, I'm kinda hoping myostatin inhibitors will be approved by the time frailty looms.There's also a fascinating and understudied story with glycine. One group calcuates glycine may be a semi-essential amino acid with widespread deficiencies potentially leading to collagen loss and osteoporosis. It may also work as an antidote to excess methionine (see also). WRT glycine, animal proteins have an advantage, though legumes are the food group with the highest glycine / methionine ratio.The problem with mechanistic data is that “the road to hell is paved with biological plausibility”. Isolating the effects of one micronutrient in vitro or in animal models or even in humans is a mug’s game of reductionistic science. Then when these things get applied in large randomized trials, they usually fail (or worse), as seen with the antioxidant vitamins or the amino acid L-arginine. And mechanistic science is often internally contradictory – soy protein increases IGF-1, yet in Far East Asian societies, soy appears to be protective against some common cancer types. I think what we are finding is that there are a million ways to go plant-based. Individuals have different physiologies, and some react very poorly to excesses in certain macronutrients (e.g. carbohydrates). I salute you for doing your N=1 trial. We are all doing that. I have recently added a number of non-nutritional modalities (yoga, meditation, exercise) to see how I can complement the nutritional approach to better health.I went to the study via the link “One group? in your comment above. Fascinating! I could only mildly understand the introduction and the Conclusion sections, but now wonder if we elders should take Glycene supplements since it seems harmless in the domes mentioned and since deficiencies are invisible in the short term. Here is the conscusion for those of you whose biochemistry, like mine, is not up to snuff: (Going to the linked paper is best, pasting is awkward here)“The shortage of glycine may become serious in conditions such as pregnancy and old age, especially if accompanied by malnutrition. So, even though glycine cannot be regarded as indispensable for survival, because failure to maintain collagen in a healthy state is not lethal, it is required for adequate synthesis of collagen and for a healthy level of protein turnover. In fact, people with a protein-deficient diet adapt by decreasing protein turnover (Gibson et al. 2002). However, although this adaptation allows survival it has secondary effects, because the increased lifetimes of proteins increase the probability of their undergoing undesirable chemical modifications, such as oxidation, glycation and cross-linking, which can alter their activities. Even though the turnover of collagen may be slow, it is increased in elderly people (Mays et al. 1991; Lohmander et al. 1996, 2003; Passeri et al. 2003), which may be explained by the increase in modified collagen which is more susceptible to collagenases. Thus, even though survival is not threatened by a shortage of glycine, the quality of life certainly is. Conditions such as a protein-deficient diet that decrease protein turnover, and consequently increase the life-span of collagen (Gibson et al. 2002), also decrease the need for glycine, of course; in extreme conditions the glycine shortage may even disappear, as collagen turnover decreases enormously. However, this glycine dispensability is moreapparent than real because with time the glycation of collagen promotes extra covalent cross-links between chains, reducing plasticity (Finkelstein 2004). A healthy physiology of the organism therefore requires collagen to be renewed. So a decrease in collagen turnover, although it is a mechanism to allow survival of the organism, has important secondary effects, including ageing. On the other hand, the shortage of glycine may increase substantially during pregnancy, as collagen and elastin synthesis increases with development of the uterus.The natural conclusion from our analysis is that the quality of life can be improved by taking glycine as a nutritional supplement according to the calculated deficiency (about 10 g daily), to guarantee adequate synthesis and renovation of collagen. Before reaching this conclusion, we need to ask whether an excess of glycine in the diet may have secondary effects, especially as it is a neurotransmitter. However, non- essential amino acids such as glycine and aspartic acid do not significantly penetrate the blood–brain barrier (Baños et al. 1975; Davson 1976). Furthermore, Directive 67/548/EEC of the European Union describes glycine as ‘not hazardous’, as it does not become toxic in rats when taken orally until a gigantic dose of 8 g/kg is reached, corresponding to around 600 g in a human.There is also an evolutionary puzzle: if glycine deficiency is a serious problem in all large animals, as these studies suggest, why has it not been overcome by natural selection? Despite the importance of this question, we have not discussed it here, in part because we have done so in a previous paper (Meléndez-Hevia and de Paz-Lugo 2008), and in part because it requires a more profound discussion than is appropriate in a paper that is mainly concerned with nutritional aspects. In addition, animals in the wild have substantially more exercise than is common for many modern humans, and it will therefore be desirable in the future to study and analyse the effects of exercise.It is surprising that despite the reports from different nutritional studies of shortages of glycine, the implication that it is an essential amino acid has not been readily accepted, though the list of essential amino acids has been revised in other respects within the past 25 years. For example, the question of whether histidine is an essential amino acid was controversial for many years, until 1985, when FAO/WHO/UNU (1985) stated in a Technical Report on the basis of the clinical nutritional studies of Kopple and Swendseid (1975) and Stifel and Herman (1972) that it is essential for humans. In the case of glycine, the resistance is probably due to the fact that glycine deficiency is difficult or impossible to detect in the short term, especially in a small animal such as a rat. The effects are in the long term, and shortage will contribute to the development of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, typical degenerative diseases of old age, and among the few health problems found in large wildanimals – in general, animals over 40 kg in adult weight – including elephants (Weissengruber et al. 2006), dogs (Mahan 1978), rhinoceros, giraffes, etc. Collagen-related problems are well documented in nature, and are much more ancient than human culture (Ackernecht 1953). They cannot therefore be attributed to unhealthy modern dietary habits, or even to the modification in human diet brought about by the spread of agriculture in the past 5000 years. However, a task for the future will be to estimate the amount of glycine that can be supplied by microorganisms present in the digestive tract, which we have been unable to consider in the present study due to the absence of suitable data, but which may well affect the varying frequency of collagen-related diseases in animals with different systems of digestion.J. Biosci. 34(6), December 2009collagen promotes extra covalent cross-links between chains, reducing plasticity (Finkelstein 2004). A healthy physiology of the organism therefore requires collagen to be renewed. So a decrease in collagen turnover, although it is a mechanism to allow survival of the organism, has important secondary effects, including ageing. On the other hand, the shortage of glycine may increase substantially during pregnancy, as collagen and elastin synthesis increases with development of the uterus.The natural conclusion from our analysis is that the quality of life can be improved by taking glycine as a nutritional supplement according to the calculated deficiency (about 10 g daily), to guarantee adequate synthesis and renovation of collagen. Before reaching this conclusion, we need to ask whether an excess of glycine in the diet may have secondary effects, especially as it is a neurotransmitter. However, non- essential amino acids such as glycine and aspartic acid do not significantly penetrate the blood–brain barrier (Baños et al. 1975; Davson 1976). Furthermore, Directive 67/548/EEC of the European Union describes glycine as ‘not hazardous’, as it does not become toxic in rats when taken orally until a gigantic dose of 8 g/kg is reached, corresponding to around 600 g in a human.There is also an evolutionary puzzle: if glycine deficiency is a serious problem in all large animals, as these studies suggest, why has it not been overcome by natural selection? Despite the importance of this question, we have not discussed it here, in part because we have done so in a previous paper (Meléndez-Hevia and de Paz-Lugo 2008), and in part because it requires a more profound discussion than is appropriate in a paper that is mainly concerned with nutritional aspects. In addition, animals in the wild have substantially more exercise than is common for many modern humans, and it will therefore be desirable in the future to study and analyse the effects of exercise.It is surprising that despite the reports from different nutritional studies of shortages of glycine, the implication that it is an essential amino acid has not been readily accepted, though the list of essential amino acids has been revised in other respects within the past 25 years. For example, the question of whether histidine is an essential amino acid was controversial for many years, until 1985, when FAO/WHO/UNU (1985) stated in a Technical Report on the basis of the clinical nutritional studies of Kopple and Swendseid (1975) and Stifel and Herman (1972) that it is essential for humans. In the case of glycine, the resistance is probably due to the fact that glycine deficiency is difficult or impossible to detect in the short term, especially in a small animal such as a rat. The effects are in the long term, and shortage will contribute to the development of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, typical degenerative diseases of old age, and among the few health problems found in large wildanimals – in general, animals over 40 kg in adult weight – including elephants (Weissengruber et al. 2006), dogs (Mahan 1978), rhinoceros, giraffes, etc. Collagen-related problems are well documented in nature, and are much more ancient than human culture (Ackernecht 1953). They cannot therefore be attributed to unhealthy modern dietary habits, or even to the modification in human diet brought about by the spread of agriculture in the past 5000 years. However, a task for the future will be to estimate the amount of glycine that can be supplied by microorganisms present in the digestive tract, which we have been unable to consider in the present study due to the absence of suitable data, but which may well affect the varying frequency of collagen-related diseases in animals with different systems of digestion.In the last month, a couple of European vegetarian friends have written me saying there is now research (they have not sent the links!) that shows people over 65 need to increase their protein significantly to thrive. Any thoughts, Darryl?According to the WHO, the protein requirements for all adults (elderly or not) is 0.83 g/kg (with small margins of safety). However because the elderly typically are sedentary and consume fewer calories overall, that may represent up to 13% of daily calories, whereas for physically active you adults it may be a low as 4% (see Table 3, pg 87).Per the discussion on pg 114, a past concern for lower protein diets in the elderly was muscle wasting, however more recent studies have shown the major determinant is amount of resistance exercise. With resistance training, muscle strength in the elderly can be increased with just 0.8 g/kg protein intake. And amore recent meta-analysis found no advantage to protein supplements in strength gains from resistance exercise in the elderly.Its possible your European friends are referring to last year’s Levine et al paper which found that in those under 65, a protein intake of > 20% energy was associated with 75% greater mortality and 4-fold greater cancer than intake of < 10%, but for those over 65, a protein intake of 10-20% calories resulted in 21% lower mortality than intakes < 10%. A straightforward argument, given the their lower energy needs noted in the WHO report, is that many elderly < 10% protein represents a serious protein deficiency given minimum requirements can be as high as 13%. As a practical matter, its fairly difficult getting less than 13% of energy from protein eating a whole plant based diet. While there are some very low protein staples like cassava and taro, lower protein intakes generally require a lot of added sugars, fats, and alcohol or high intakes of refined foods like corn starch and arguably fruit juice.One way to ensure you're getting enough protein on a plant-based diet is to enter some sample daily menus on CRON-o-meter, and ensure that you’re getting at least 30 mg/kg weight of the amino acid lysine (and perhaps 15 mg/kg methionine). Generally, for plant-based dieters, if lysine is adequate the rest of the essential amino acids are as well. A few servings of legumes daily will go a long way towards ensuring adequate balance.I’m wondering about the glutamic acid in food sources of protein–and particularly concerned about the research showing glutamine can fuel cancer cell survival. Do cells make their own glutamine independent of dietary sources? To what degree do dietary sources become fuel for cells? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3335942/Glutamic acid (glutamate) is non-essential, and our bodies can produce needed amounts from other energy and nitrogen sources. There are important enzymes that catalyze conversion to an intermediate in the Krebs cycle central to aerobic respiration (achieving carbon balance between carbs and proteins), converting to another non-essential amino acid glutamine (the major free amino acid in body fluids), and to ammonia (used in acid-base balance). Ie, Glutamate is a tightly regulated key intermediate in whole-body homeostasis, and normal intakes don’t shift levels much.As glutamate is also the amino acid responsible for the savoury / umani taste of MSG, much work has been done on potential toxicity and the major issue appears to be gastrointestinal distress at high / unlikely intakes as glutamate is also a key exitatory neurotransmitter. I’ve searched for studies that might link MSG intake to cancer risk, and found none (including studies where rats ate 5% MSG for 2 years). So I’ll wouldn’t avoid MSG, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, Marmite or other umani flavorings due to cancer issues. Some studies indicate pharmaceutical glutamate receptor antagonists may have promise in cancer treatment.What about inflammatory conditions in the brain? Do you think avoiding glutamate is a good strategy for decreasing brain inflammation?I eat according to Dr. McDougall based on “The Starch Solution”. Starches every meal plus colorful non-starchy veggies, whole grains, legumes and fruits. When I got meat and dairy out of my diet, I actually reversed osteoporosis. Countries with the highest dairy consumption have the highest rates of osteoporosis.This vid is a spearhead to the very heart of everything isn’t it?? Really Awesome.haha! YEP, the title says “protein”–gets everyone’s attention…then it ends up being more about FIBER…far more important!!!! So, I shared this on my FB page…hope at least ONE fb friend learns something from it!This vid just goes the the very heart of all of it doesn’t it? Really awesome, broad stroked and poignant at the same time. Giterdone.What is the word on this new book “The Big Fat Surprise”? http://online.wsj.com/articles/book-review-the-big-fat-surprise-by-nina-techolz-1401923948. Is saturated fat now good for us? Just another excuse for meat eaters?I can’t read the article but to me it seems another confusionist book like Gary Taubes and co… i suggest you to take your time and watch the work of Plantpositive:http://www.plantpositive.com/Start from “The Primitive Nutrition Series”… it’s a must see for my point of view…Thanks! I will take a look.Since I predict it’s unlikely that most people are going to bother reading this book, I’d suggest you also have a look at Michael Eades’ encomiastic review and CarbSane’s negative evaluation of the book as well as the mainstream publicity. There’s broad support for the idea that this work is largely derivative of Taubes, however you stand with respect to the book’s truth and honesty. Taubes apparently had something of a hand in shaping the manuscript.So specifically I’d say that Nina is mostly a clone of Taubes, and her book may be even less rigorous than GCBC.careful of false sense of safety and overload on soy !! too much soy is like too much protean and become carcinogenic no different from too much meat.I think if I have to summarize my plant based diet in one sentence: I only eat foods containing significant fiber, nothing else except for water.nice Borkent!!! I strive to also say the same! I try to figure out: how can I put more fiber in my breakfast.lunch.dinner.?I would love to see Dr. Greger address hair loss and veganism. I am experiencing this for the first time in my life. I have always had a very thick head of hair. I have been a vegetarian for 11 years (no problem with that) but after being vegan for 1 1/2 years, my hair is thinning. I know quite a few women who stopped being vegan for this exact reason. What is the supplementation we should be taking, or what foods should we be eating more of to avoid this?How is your thyroid function? Do you take a kelp or iodine supplement, or eat seaweed? Iodine is essential for thyroid metabolism, and if you are whole foods plant-based, you won’t be getting a lot of iodine or iodized salt. One sign of hypothyroidism is alopecia.yesyes…eat a sheet of nori each day! I do it…and one of my cats fights me for it!Iron?Look into to supplementing with Amla powder. Dr. Gregor recommends it as possibly the best non-toxic superfood and many people claim it helps them with their hair, prevents and/or helps with regrowth. It’s anecdotal but worth a shot since there are many health benefits to taking the Amla.The first time I tried to become vegan (from a vegetarian starting spot), I had several problems including thinning hair and hair loss. Nevertheless, although vegan, my diet wasn’t healthy. I was eating mostly soy milk and whole-wheat bread (which had sugar, fructose, etc. added). The second time I tried going vegan, I did it following to the Doc’s recommendations and my hair is more than fine with even less hair loss than when I was a pescetarian.Sebastian: Your story is very interesting and may be the key to understanding what is going on. I have a family member who had a lot of hair loss prior to going vegan. After she went vegan, the hair loss stopped and even started to fill in a little bit (though not a full reversal).Thanks for sharing your personal experience.I find this topic to be extremely confusing. One vegan RD recommends 1.1 g/kg of protein ( http://veganhealth.org/articles/protein ), and I have found that the addition of plant-based protein to the diet really helps with exercise and satiety. Protein intake is inversely related to fracture risk.A quick question for Dr. Greger – you noted that most everyone, carnivores and herbivores alike, are getting more protein than they need. Is that a problem that vegans and vegetarians should worry about? Dr. Campbell has noted that protein in excess of about 12% of total calories can be carcinogenic. Or is plant-based protein not a reason for concern? Thanks!I wish there were more data on the optimum amount of protein for quality of life and thriving, not just the minimum to avoid protein deficiency. This would be useful information. People often say that they include protein sources in their diet, not because they “need” more protein, but because it helps stabilize their blood sugar, keeping them full longer. This not an argument for eating animal protein. One can accomplish this using plant protein sources, such as tofu or protein powder, such as pea, rice, or hemp protein.Dr. McDougall’s starch based plan results in weight loss, more than enough protein but the potatoes, rice, sweet potatoes and whole grains are filling and satiating as are the legumes and beans. I am never hungry when eating starchy foods every meal. I think we tend to get wrapped up in the minutia of numbers, but a whole food plant-based minimally processed diet provides perfect nutrition. Excess protein is hard on the kidneys and older people have less kidney function as the years go by.Excellent come-back to the ever-present question “where do you get your protein” (ie, that fibre is the issue, not protein). But still I would have liked to see an answer that included reference people eating an omnivorous diet get more protein than their kidneys can handle, leading to a variety of health problems.Maybe you are aware but in case not: you can view more protein videos here: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=too+much+proteinThis video is interesting. It starts out showing the large epidemiological study done in JAMA 2013 to lay the ground work. In this study, pescetarians had the best odds ratio for all-case mortality (0.82) – which means, they are the healthiest, and live the longest (die the least often), etc. However, at the end, the video then claims that the BEST diet is whole food plant based (with no animal protein).Interesting……About the conversation with TC Campbell, in his China Study audio version, he mentions that he doesn’t eat animal based protein, but this only happen a few years previous to the publication of the book.It is also interesting to note, that the data IS VERY CLEAR (according to his studies), that eating animal protein in your diet up to 5% is NOT harmful. But 20% of animal protein IS harmful. That is hard data. So 5% or less is okay of animal protein. Actually, based on this data, we can’t even say “animal protein.” Most of the science is from cow protein. It is likely a stretch to say all animal protein is the same.The real problem with animal protein (studies have shown) is the fact that they have such a high content of Omega-6 oil. If you eat corn feed animals, and a “normal” diet, your omega-6/omega-3 intake is about 15:1. This is highly inflammatory and needs to be more like a 3:1 to 1:1 ratio. Unfortunately, no study that I am aware of has been done to compare an omnivore diet with naturally feed animals, vs an omnivore diet vs corn feed animals. The only thing we really have is the study first shown in this video that – once again – clearly shows that pescetarian diet is the healthiest.Also, just noticed he didn’t have that article referenced in his sources list. It must have been an oversite. Here is the reference.Orlich, Michael J., et al. “Vegetarian dietary patterns and mortality in Adventist Health Study 2.” JAMA internal medicine 173.13 (2013): 1230-1238.Bread? Whole grains?http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-sheridan/high-fiber-more-like-unde_b_5462165.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-livingGreat article… I am just embarking on adopting a vegetarian diet and have discovered that it really isn’t difficult to make tasty and satisfying meals that provide adequate amounts of protein. I feel much better as a result. But I do have a question–not directly pertaining to the protein question though. I have purchased several cookbooks–Forks over Knives, The China Study cookbook, and Dr. Neal Bernard’s Get Healthy, Go Vegan… I notice in all three that there is no use of oil at all, even the healthy varieties (avocado, olive, etc). These are plant based oils; I’m having trouble keeping up with the changing philosophies regarding oils— years ago it was no-fat, then the philosophy changed to indicate that low-fat really wasn’t a good way to go. Are we back to the no-fat philosophy again or is the lack of oil in these 3 cookbooks related to the vegetarian diet?This video barley talks about vegetarian diets; the title is quite misleading. It is hard to find information about vegan/vegetarian diets that doesnt actually focus on meat diets. Annoying.And by barley I mean “barely” LOL, funny vegan slip :DWhere did the 40 grams average protein need level cited here come from? The often quoted .8/kg of body weight means a 170 pound person (77.1 kg) should consume 62 grams of protein.I have a question. Why is it that vegetarians consume dairy and eggs when they are ethically against the slaughter of animals for human consumption? The dairy and egg industries treat cows and chickens inhumanely and they suffer greaty, so how can they condone those abuses?I am 46. I am 5’8 and weigh 56.8 kg. I am vegan. I do moderate exercise 3 times a week and weight about 1-2 times a week. The trainer I work with at the gym says that I need 80g protein (and I need lots of soy). Based on your article and online calculators I think it should be less, max 45g per week, (which i can get following a varied plant based diet.) Who is right? Also, can you get too much plant based protein (excluding isolated plant protein)?Betseyb: I love the protein questions because there are generally very clear answers to them. If you work your way through the following two articles, I think you will be very happy with the answers. More importantly, you will have good clear data and understanding of protein to use when you end up having “the protein discussion” with other people.http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlFor McDougall’s site, find December 2003 and the article, “A Brief History of Protein: Passion, Social Bigotry, Rats, and Enlightenment”. http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/I would add to Thea’s suggestions two further McDougall Newsletters, April 2007… Where do I get my Protein, and January 2004… Protein Overload. Given adequate calories protein is a nonissue for the general population. Given current science we should not go out of our way to consume extra protein. Of course there may be some people with metabolic disorders that don’t fit these general rules. Congrats on your healthy lifestyle and keep tuned to NF.org as the science keeps coming.I check my numbers occasionally on Cronometer. Last check I got 79 gm fiber, 77 gm protein. Well over 100% of the RDA for essential amino acids, a nice Omega 6:3 ratio of 1.6:1, 100% of RDA for minerals and Vitamins (except B12 and D). And 10.1% total fat which is the figure showing reversal of heart disease. All on a WFPB minimally processed plan with no oil or added sugar and salt. Lots of energy for weight lifting and 5 grandkids!42g Protein/day??? The is a total load of bull. Firstly, protein requirements are based on g/kg or % of kcals. Secondly, take a look at Rajavel Elango and colleague’s work regarding protein requirements using the indicator amino acid method:“The indicator amino acid oxidation-based requirement values of 0.93 and 1.2 g protein/kg/day and the reanalysis of existing nitrogen balance studies are significantly higher than current recommendations. Therefore, there is an urgent need to reassess recommendations for protein intake in adult humans.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19841581So, I think it’s more likely that you have confirmed that most vegetarians/vegans do NOT get adequate protein in their diet. The fact that you present other parts of the diet that are generally lacking is just a red herring in regards to the protein argument.Hi Dr. Gregor – LOVE LOVE LOVE the new website! I was hoping you could do a video/article soon regarding the recent popularity of Pea Protein and it’s potential safety, benefits (or lack thereof). I’ve had difficulty in locating reliable (unbiased) information about pea protein. Some online articles indicate that HYDROLYZED pea protein can contain free glutamic acid or msg, but not all pea proteins are hydrolyzed. I’m not generally a fan of single-macronutrient products like protein powders anyway and try to get my nutrients from whole foods as much as possible, but it’s nice to have the option sometimes if I’m making a shake or smoothie to get a protein boost as I just haven’t seemed to build up the stomach capacity on an plant based diet to fit all that food in there, and sometimes I just want a break from nut/seed butters, quinoa and whole soy. This was recommended by a vegan food blogger who is highly educated and who I respect greatly so I tried it and really like it. I would greatly appreciate your insights into this topic AND you’ll be just about the first major nutrition name to address it (Sorry, haven’t considered Dr. oz to be one in years). Thank you! I hope to see a response in one of your upcoming email updates. I can’t begin to tell you how much the valuable information you provide here has helped me improve my life and health, and that of people care about. Much thanks and blessings to you. This is the particular product I’ve been trying http://www.nuzest-usa.com/How come nutrition labels do not include an RDA percentage for protein? This value can be derived from the other known values (fat calories+carbohydrate calories+protein calories=total calories, assuming we are not including alcohol) but why is it not listed? I am pretty sure that I remember seeing a percent value years ago but now it is not there. Is there lobbying going on behind the scenes to keep the value off the label? The fda website does not seem to be of any use on the issue. Thank you!I have been a strict vegetarian for over 10 years but starting to relax abit as I am concerned with some of the data and whether for instance eating organic dairy yogurt will really cause me to have breast cancerOrganic or not, dairy products are really not that healthful. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/brit: I don’t believe anyone on this site has ever said that eating dairy will “cause you to have breast cancer”. It’s not that simple. However, eating dairy can greatly increase your *risk* of getting breast cancer, along with other health issues.You can learn more about dairy in general by looking at this page: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/If cancer is your only concern, I understand that there are several ways in which dairy links to cancer/breast cancer. Here is one video on the topic: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/re: “…starting to relax a bit as I am concerned with some of the data…” That’s interesting, because the more data that I see, the more I see the importance of being a strict vegetarian.Good luck.Dr. McGregor, I recently experience a water fast at True North. While I had great results, my sugar addiction came back and I have gained half of the weight back. Well enough is enough, I am training for a bikini competition for July 2015 startingat ground zero and all of these trainers are protein protein protein, supplement, supplement, supplement. I want to train plant based with out all the protein powders and weird supplementation (BCAA’s et all) Am I misinformed or are they? The training isn’t as rigorous as people think: 3-5 45 minute weight training episodes a week a 3 20 minute cardio a week. I eat beans and I eat varied (when i am not being an addict) I take a B12 and D3 and that is it.How does one manage the advice to add only 5g extra fiber/day each week? If one must, due to circumstance, make a large leap in fiber consumption, are there strategies to help the body manage? I don’t want our visiting relatives to have a week of “no go” when they stay with us and enjoy all the delicious fresh plant foods that we serve them each meal.There are people, such as myself, who cannot digest beans well. I have tried many times in the past to eat beans, and every single time, I had digestion, stomach, and bloating issues. And, it’s the same with fiber. Even when I increase my fiber intake by 5 grams as suggested, I once again start having stomach problems and bloating. The maximum amount of fiber that I have ever been able to eat in a day without having issues is 15 grams. Psyllium husks work well however, and are an exception. I would suggest that people with sensitive digestion systems increase their fiber intake using psyllium husks alone. My final conclusion, not based on studies, but based on my own body’s ability to handle certain foods over years of personal dietary self-experiments is this: It’s not wise to lump everyone together for guidelines. Different people may have different tolerances for different foods. No one size fits all.I would like to see how this squares for people who have had gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. I just have a sleeve done recently to get my weight under control. I am still not yet eating normal food, but protein is the thing they push the most and then get in the fiber after. So they are essentially pushing a largely meat diet. I intend to get most of my proteins from beans, especially chick peas–one of the highest sources.Some vegan dietitians say that vegans often find it difficult to get enough lysine (an essential amino acid) in their diets. Does Dr. Greger agree?If you eat beans, nuts (especially pistachios), and seeds and grains like quinoa you’ll get plenty of lysine.Hi I have been vegetarian for one year and my hair has become thin and falls considerably now. I started eating fish one month ago and I take care of taking enough proteins, I take a vitamin complex every morning and I eat quite a lot of vegetables and fruits, but my hair still falls (around 4 hairs every time I pass my hand through it). It is quite scaring and I would like to stop this from happening.I would be thankful if you could give me some advice. And also, does the hair that falls because of dietary changes or deficiencies regrows?Thank you!	animal fat,animal protein,beans,blood pressure,calories,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,dairy,diabetes,dietary guidelines,eggs,fat,fiber,fish,flexitarians,folate,foodborne illness,fruit,grains,heart disease,heart health,junk food,meat,metabolic syndrome,obesity,omnivores,phytonutrients,plant protein,plant-based diets,prediabetes,protein,saturated fat,standard American diet,steak,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin C	Nutritional quality indices show plant-based diets are the healthiest, but do vegetarians and vegans reach the recommended daily intake of protein?	The only nutrient Americans may be more deficient in than fiber is potassium. See 98% of American Diets Potassium Deficient. For more on how S.A.D. the Standard American Diet is, see Nation’s Diet in Crisis.Americans eating meat-free diets average higher intakes of nearly every nutrient. See my video Nutrient-Dense Approach to Weight Management.Isn’t animal protein higher quality protein though? See my videos:For more on protein, see: Plant Protein Preferable and Prostate Cancer Survival: The A/V Ratio.And for a few on fiber:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steak/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18469286,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20702750,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23988511,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22845031,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22982746,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23319118,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24667136,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22709768,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23583444,
PLAIN-2591	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/	Longer Life Within Walking Distance	Physical inactivity has been called the biggest public health problem of the 21st century. Of course just because someone calls it that doesn’t mean it’s true, in fact physical inactivity ranks down at #5 in terms of risk factors for death, and #6 in terms of risk factors for disability. Diet is by far our greatest killer, followed by smoking.But still, there is irrefutable evidence of the effectiveness of regular physical activity in the prevention of several chronic diseases—cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, depression and osteoporosis, as well as premature death, adding an additional one or two years onto our lifespan, helping to add years to our life and above all life to our years. It truly may be survival of the fittest.How much do we need to exercise? In general, the answer is the more the better. Currently, most health and fitness organizations advocate a minimum of a thousand calories of exercise a week, which is like walking an hour a day five days a week, but seven days a week may be even better in terms of extending one’s lifespan. Moderate intensity can be practically defined by the talk but not sing test, where you can still carry on a conversation, but would feel breathless if trying to sing.Exercise is so important that not walking an hour a day is considered a high risk behavior, alongside smoking, excess drinking and being obese. Having any one of these effectively ages us three to five years in terms of risk of dying prematurely, though interestingly those that ate green vegetables on a daily basis did not appear to have that same bump in risk. Even if broccoli-eating couch potatoes live as long as walkers, there are a multitude of ancillary health benefits to physical activity, so much so that doctors are encouraged to prescribe it, to signal to the patient that exercise is medicine. In fact powerful medicine.Researchers at the London School, Harvard and Stanford compared exercise to drug interventions and found that exercise often worked just as well as drugs for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, and the prevention of diabetes. Of course there’s not a lot of money to fund exercise studies, so one option would be to require drug companies to compare any new drug to exercise. In cases where drug options provide only modest benefit, patients deserve to understand the relative impact that physical activity might have on their condition. We could through diet into the mix too. Yes, your new drug beats out placebo, but does it work as well as kale?	OK, lets exercise…but I don’t understand what is meant by “walking for an hour a day” for exercise. That leaves the rest of the day during which i will be doing stuff. Doesn’t that contribute too? My wife-like-object tells me that I don’t exercise ….yeah but but I work a 6 hour day in my shop, mostly standing benchwork and walking around. Add it all up and I sure feel like I’ve been active by the end of day. She wants to go take a walk …out in the world on the side of the road … populated by poison spewing cars driven by drugged, phone-addicted over-scheduled hemor…, i mean humanoids. Have to stop and talk to a neighbor. by the time its all over I’m searching for the whisky bottle she keeps hiding in a new spot. Exercise? Like kale i will.I don’t understand anyone having to have someone go with them when they walk. It’s actually better to be in your own thoughts and go your own speed, I think. It’s a walk, not a visit!Thanks Lynn, you just reminded me of this her being Irish and all:http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2014/06/03/98-of-couples-who-go-jogging-together-are-smug-pricks-finds-study/Watching this video while walking on my treadmill at my stand-up desk. Thanks for all you do Dr. Greger!I actually just figured out how to make my desk a standing desk yesterday. I’ve put my weight bench on my desk and my keyboard and mouse on top of it. :) The Greger revolution is coming !http://img4.hostingpics.net/pics/801899IMG0020.jpgLook at that!;)Adrien: Clever idea and nice shot!I found out that I have an adjustable desk. So, instead of making the desk very small, I expanded the legs to make it very tall. But I don’t think it will go high enough to accommodate a walking treadmill–my ultimate goal. Based on what I read about some walking treadmills, I would have to get another 5 or 6 inches high on the standing desk. Your post has given me some ideas on how I might be able to use my existing desk and a walking treadmill. Thanks!FYI: I’ve been using a standing desk since mid December. My feet get a bit tired, but over all, I love it.Nice library!Very pertinent presentation here. On the other end, what about the max amount of beneficial exercise for those of us tending toward athletes. At what point do the benefits of exercise go negative? If I recall correctly, Jack Lalanne recommended 2 hours per day. Also, what’s a good split in the types of exercise. Some division between cardio, weights, & yoga (stretch & coordination)?CrossFit and spinning practitioners and even collegiate football players, who push to exhaustion then repeat, can suffer exercise-induced rhabdomyolysis. For aerobic exercise, there are issues with myocardial fibrosis, atrial fibrillation, and increased atherosclerosis among marathon runners. One large study indicated the optimum level of running for overall mortality reduction is 5-20 miles/week, speeds of 6-7 miles/hour, and frequencies of 2-5 days/week. The Copenhagen City Heart study found the greatest benefit in those jogging at a slow to average pace, for one to 2.5 h per week total, accumulated during two or three sessions.Is it that prolonged HIGH intensity exercise is not necessarily better, or is it that there is still a harm in doing prolonged moderate intensity exercise? And how much of the harm in doing a lot actually due to coronary artery disease that many middle aged people have? With plaque buildup, the heart has to work much, much harder and there is more of a limit to how much a person can do. I have seen that with my partner, who had two stents put a year and a half ago. Even now, he still can’t run like he used to. He can do brisk walks, however. If lets say marathon running always shortens one’s life, then how come there are 100 year old persons who have completed marathons? I bicycle everyday, usually at least 2 hours and it has done nothing but good for my health. I can do this much, since I ride my bike to work and this makes it more time efficient. My HDL is now 82, when it used to less than 20. My LDL is not 85 and I used to take 40 milligrams of Crestor. I have no atrial fibrillation, either. The exercise helped me to lose 100 pounds and it helps, to completely maintain this weight loss, along with a plant based diet and calorie control.The long distance runners still had lower mortality than sedentary folk, but not as low as more moderate runners.Another paper from the Copenhagen study found a somewhat difference response for cycling:For both sexes we found a significant inverse association between cycling intensity and risk of all-cause and coronary heart disease death, but only a weak association with cycling duration. The difference in expected lifetime in relation to intensity of cycling was calculated. Men with fast intensity cycling survived 5.3 years longer, and men with average intensity 2.9 years longer than men with slow cycling intensity. For women the figures were 3.9 and 2.2 years longer, respectively.Ie, among cycling commuters, faster is better, but duration wasn’t important. I suspect there may be some reverse causation at play here (the healthier are faster). We don’t have data for endurance cycling with exertions more comparable to marathon and ultramarathon running.I do *some* high intensity bicycling, such as going up steep hills, but I don’t ride as hard as I can everyday for two hours straight. Some high intensity exercise is good, but doing it for long periods of time may be questionable. I found that longer bike rides were more effective for controlling my weight than bicycling a shorter distance but going as fast as I could. On the longer rides, I also go up more hills and therefore add intensity. Of course, transitioning to a plant based diet has also helped for my weight. Weight control is a big bonus to doing a lot of exercise. Doing only 2.5 hours a week that many studies suggest doing is not effective for weight control, in my experience. Maybe there is less of an additional benefit to doing more exercise if a person doesn’t need to do it for weight control.The study you cited showing increased atherosclerosis was only compared to a matched control group that in order to be matched likely lived an overall healthier lifestyle, it does not actually show in any way that running caused atherosclerosis. I guarantee if you do a study taking people from two matched groups at the start of the experiment and make half of them exercise and the other half not, the exercise group will show decreased plaque volume and lesions. Most likely all this study shows is that diet is more important than exercise in terms of heart health, if that. Cause really it doesn’t even measure events, just a marker.In another study, it appeared marathon running had no effect on plaque volume, compared to non-running domestic partners (who presumably had similar diets).From my readings, it looks like aerobic exercise has cardiac benefits through inducing mild anoxia and encouraging collateral vascularization, reducing obesity (and adipose cytokine secretion), and other systemic effects through AMPK activation; but it doesn’t have the profound effects of reducing endothelial inflammation that a healthy diet does. The plaques still build, but there’s enough collateral flow that the consequences of a single clot are less.Good morning Darryl,Where you get the time. Yes here is the conclusion from the above study.“Conclusions Habitual endurance exercise improves the cardiovascular risk profile, but does not reduce the magnitude of carotid atherosclerosis associated with age and cardiovascular risk factors.”Exercise does so much:I wonder what those serious athletes burn for calories on average per day on a weekly basis. This might be a good starting point to gauge what we mere mortals might shoot for as a max daily calorie burn target. My 1:15 hrs bike ride which includes a long hill section evidently burns 700-800 calories. It’s mostly pure fun though I try to keep the intensity up. That really takes the pressure off when meting out food portions to myself. :) Would really love to see some data on the “that’s enough!” ranges.OK…I’ve always been told a half hour a day and I’m resistant to that. Now, it’s an hour? Lately I get home and realize I’ve done about 40 min. That’s great, but I thought it was more like an hour or more. Jeeze! This is tough and I still have to do my weights. Every day? Oooookaaaay! I’ll try, but don’t think I can do it. This is hard stuff!I was suspicious that the amount of walking needed to burn 1000 calories that Dr. Greger cited was higher than actually needed. Looking it up, I read that someone weighing 150 pounds walking a normal pace (3 miles per hour) for 60 minutes would burn 250 calories. So, it’s only necessary to do 4 hour-long sessions a week- or 5 walks of not quite 2 1/2 miles per day. Plus, the calories burned are proportionally greater if you weigh more than 150 pounds. People will get discouraged if you cite the higher amount of exercise, but I think they’ll be a little more inclined to exercise the smaller amount. For example, I often walk a mile to the nearest bus stop and a mile back to my home plus perhaps half a mile walking around during the course of my daily activities. I’ll have to start wearing a pedometer to be sure. This, I think, will not only gives me sufficient exercise but it saves a lot of money on gas and car maintenance and it’s great for the environment.Actually I dont understand people who do not exercise – you feel better, you look better, you sleep better, you have more energy – everybody who exercise on a regular basis, know what I mean – and it adds quality years to your life, and if you combine exercise with a mainly plantbased diet, you have a win win situation.Problem is when you dont feel good, you have zero motivation to exercise~You are so right Julot. That is why I think it is important for those who won’t feel well to get the nutrition right first. The energy and motivation to move around and do stuff will follow.No doubt that diet is more important than exercise, so if you dont do both, choose the diet.Exercise sure helped me to lose 95 pounds and get off Statin drugs. However, going to a plant based diet helped me to lose 5 more pounds and lower my cholesterol even further. I think it is not good to do “Just” one thing, either diet OR exercise but rather do both. I don’t advocate exercise alone, either, even if a person can lose weight by exercise alone. Jim Fixx is an example of someone who lost 80 pounds by running 80 miles a week, but apparently did not improve his diet and died of a heart attack. jack Lalanne, on the other hand did both exercise and healthy diet and lived to be 96. He even flirted with a plant based diet. I am constantly improving my diet, but because I exercise so much, I can eat more healthy foods and not gain weight. Healthy diet is everything, but exercise eliminates the need for “dieting,” that is low calorie diets. It is difficult to get all of one’s nutrients on a low calorie diet. I can eat 5 or 6 ounces of nuts everyday and not gain a pound, because I exercise so much. So done right, exercise enables a person to eat a better diet- more higher calorie, high nutrient plant foods. I try not to eat anything of animal origin, as much as I can.Mainly what i did few years ago when i was very sick~ It is easy to eat when you are hungry but not easy to exercise when you have no will or energy because you feel bad and are sick~ And if you are not hungry you can even fast for a while and see how it goes~Julot start small. Just put those shoes on and walk out the door. Go a few houses or a block and turn around. Don’t think about starting with a half hour. Just start with a block. It will actually make you feel better. And you get to pat yourself on your shoulder for doing it.Veganrunner: I totally support this approach as once upon a time, I used it myself. I was at point in my life where I never exercised and the idea of it was nauseating. I decided to set my watch for a 5 minute walk of any pace. 5 minutes out. 5 minutes back. I forced myself to do that every day and built on on the time and speed from there. While I have back slidded quite a bit from my peak fitness level, at one point, I was able to easily walk a hard hour with half of up a steep uphill, or do a slowish half-marathon flat walk. All from starting that initial tiny baby step.A 10 minute walk will seem like nothing to many people. It didn’t seem like much to me either at the time. But that was the point. I wasn’t intimidated nor was it beyond what I could do comfortably. I got a nice sense of accomplishment for doing it, and that feeling of success made it possible for me to keep going.Your idea of starting with just a block is the same basic idea. For some people, I think this is a great approach.And in the end we feel better. Even if you feel horrible when first lacing up those shoes-exercise works magic on our attitudes.It is just getting started that is so mentally challenging.Thank you but i do exercise now that i’m better, but when i was very sick i had no energy neither motivation for exercise, diet change fixed it in months then i had energy and i’m getting more and more~Like Tobias, I am curious as to the point at which diminishing gains and increasing harms starts to outweigh the benefits of regular physical exercise. I agree one ideally needs to exercise every day, but at what point do the attendant risks of over-exertion, e.g. atrial fibrillation, myocardial hypertrophy, subclinical myocardial damage, muscle strain, electrolyte depletion, and other injuries, outweigh all the benefits of exercise. And what type of exercise to do – functional, cardiovascular, resistance training, yoga, or just brisk walking? I have my biases on this – I think all of the above, in a diverse mixture, with varying the routine each day, is the best blend for total fitness.I suppose it depends on what your goal is as to what the best fitness blend would be. This video seems to point mainly to walking. For most people, I would guess that there isn’t really a point at which you’ve done so much walking that you will start to do damage to yourself, especially if you are eating a healthy diet.Love all of Dr. Greger’s videos. And I am glad that they are captioned as it makes it easier to catch the information when you can read while you hear him speak. My question is whether there is some way to avoid having the captions cover up all the graph type information he displays in the videos? For example, I have tried going to full screen as a solution, but for some reason the captions just get full screen and continue to block a view of whatever journal article data he is also highlighting. Is there some way to fix this? Perhaps so that going into full screen would keep captioning, so that it remains at a readable font but does not go full screen?Cathy: I’m not seeing captions myself. So, I’m thinking that the caption business is a YouTube feature which can be turn on or off, but probably not adjusted. Or if it can be adjusted, that would be a YouTube feature, not something that NutritionFacts has control over.That’s just my guess.Cathy, when the video starts, hover your cursor over the video, look at the bottom right of the video screen: you will see CC (in line with pause/resume button, volume, youtube, etc.. Click on CC and you will be given the choice to have captioning on or off. An alternative to the captioning is to read the transcript first, then view the video.Just doing a rough surface-level calculation, but assuming a waking day of 17 hours, 5 hours per week amounts to about 14 days, and if done over, say, 50 years, the total amounts to about 1.9 waking years. A closer analysis in terms of healthspan and the pleasures of habitual exercise may be needed in order to make the case compelling for many people.Work as well as Kale? Hale no! Thanks, I’m here all night.The New York Times, June 4th, had a nice article about exercise and how one thinks about it may have an effect, Losing Weight May Require Some Serious Fun.Question about seaweed-does anyone know if there have been any studies to see if it has absorbed any radiation from the Fukushima incident?This video of Dr. Greger’s references a chart from a study in 2009 (before the accident) that shows dietary sources of Polonium and seaweed is on the pie chart around 2:50 seconds. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/A quick search of pubmed also pulled up a list of papers – at least six on this list may be relevant to your question: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=seaweed+fukushima&cmd=DetailsSearchsure would be interesting to require drug trials to compete with diet therapy for various conditions.Can you exercise too much, though? In addition to walking for long periods of time, I basically exercise daily. Often, I have two workouts in a day and, some days, I do it 3 times a day.How to make a kale and onion sandwich that much better…add homemade hummus.You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato Hummus-2 cups cooked* chickpeas -1/3 cup water/homemade vegetable broth -zest of lemon -1 lemon, peeled -3 cloves garlic, peeled -1 large ripe tomato, chopped -2 tsp cuminPlace all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Adjust water to achieve desired consistency. The hummus will thicken once refrigerated.*If using canned beans select those packaged in BPA-free cans such as Eden Organic brand. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/~complements of plant-based emporium	aging,alcohol,alternative medicine,broccoli,calories,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chronic diseases,complementary medicine,depression,diabetes,exercise,greens,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,kale,Lifestyle medicine,mortality,obesity,osteoporosis,prediabetes,smoking,stroke,vegetables	Researchers find exercise often works just as well as drugs for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, and the prevention of diabetes. Exercise is medicine.	Exercise is just one of four lifestyle behaviors found to significantly extend our lifespan. See my last video, Turning the Clock Back 14 Years.Other longevity videos include:More videos on exercise:What about the stress it can put on our bodies? See:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16567757,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24209719,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15143877,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21765112,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19136507,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23063021,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17001063,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24473061,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842577,
PLAIN-2592	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turning-the-clock-back-14-years/	Turning the Clock Back 14 Years	In 1903 Thomas Edison predicted that the doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct their patient in the care of the human frame in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease. A hundred and one years later, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine was born. We still prescribe meds when necessary, but our emphasis, is based on the understanding that the leading causes of disability in the United States… and the leading causes of death are caused mostly by lifestyle, particularly what we put in our mouth: food and cigarettes.An impressive number of studies have shown that lifestyle is the root cause of what ails us. The good news, though, is that by changing our lifestyle we can dramatically improve our health. We have the power.For most leading causes of death we’ve long known that our genes account for at most 10 to 20% of risk, given the fact that rates of killers like heart disease and major cancers differ up to a 100-fold among various populations and that when people migrate from low- to high-risk countries, their disease rates almost always change to those of the new environment. For example, at least 70% of strokes and colon cancer are avoidable, over 80% of coronary heart disease, over 90% of type 2 diabetes, avoidable.So maybe it’s time we stop blaming our genes and focus on the 70% plus under our control. That may be the real solution to the health care crisis.And it doesn’t take much. Adhering to just four simple healthy lifestyle factors can have a strong impact on the prevention of chronic diseases: not smoking, not being obese, half hour of exercise a day, and eating healthier—like more fruits, veggies, whole grains, less meat. Four simple things cut our risk of developing a chronic disease by 78%. 95% of diabetes risk out the window, 80% of heart attack risk, gone. Half of stroke risk, a third of cancer risk, simply gone. Think of what that means in terms of the numbers. As it stands now, each year a million Americans experience their first heart attack or stroke, a million get diabetes, a million get cancer.Do we actually get to live longer too? The CDC followed about 8,000 Americans 20 years or older for about six years. They found that three cardinal lifestyle behaviors exerted an enormous impact on mortality. People who do not smoke, consume a healthy diet, and engage in sufficient physical activity can substantially reduce their risk for early death. And by not smoking they meant just not currently smoking. By “healthy diet” they just meant in the top 40% in terms of complying with the rather wimpy federal dietary guidelines, and physically active meant averaging about 21 minutes a day or more of at least moderate exercise. Those that managed at least one of the three had a 40% lower risk of dying. Those that hit two out of three cut their chances of dying by more than half, and those that scored all three, threw 82% of their chances of dying in those six years out the window.What does that mean in terms of how much longer we get to live? A similar study on health behaviors and survival didn’t just take people’s word for how healthy they were eating, they measured the level of vitamin C in people’s blood, as a biomarker for how many plants people were eating, and the drop in mortality risk in those nailing all four healthy behaviors was equivalent to being 14 years younger. It’s like turning back the clock 14 years.	Amazing data and synthesis, encapsulating many important studies.I fully believe these data, even though my own bias in the past has been towards randomized trials over observational studies and mathematical modelling.I’ve long counselled patients to get active, quit smoking and eat more fruits and vegetables and less meat. I may need to show them this video! Thanks for creating it and sharing it with your audience.We also need to give our patients short-term strategies and rewards for improving their lifestyle, as an MI or stroke averted is not typically seen by the patient as a reward in itself (it is hard to be grateful when you don’t experience what you’re missing – e.g. colon cancer, diabetes; the average non-diabetic has no idea how severe and unpleasant some cases of diabetes can become, unless their loved one has the disease). In my own case, I find that dragging myself to the gym to do 30 minutes of intensive physical exercise every day (and I do go every day) can become humdrum and lose value (one starts to think, “why am I torturing myself like this?”). This video does provide useful motivation.(Disclaimer: no conflict of interest) Hi DGH, re ‘dragging’ yourself to the gym every day (very impressive btw), allow me to bring to the attention of all readers what I have found to be the perfect exercise complement to my WFPB lifestyle: the Bellicon rebounder. This simple yet effective home exercise equipment has proven to be some of the best money I have ever spent in my nearly 60 years of beating back entropy on this planet. Not only does this thing get my heart rate up into the aerobic training/fat-burning range, but also I am seeing improvements in overall muscle tone (especially the core) and balance that conventional gym workouts could only dream about providing. And it’s fun to boot! A word of caution: go slow. Our bodies need time to adapt to the G-forces encountered. Too much too soon could cause muscle strain in muscles you didn’t even know you had (like deep back muscles, for example). Anyway, the Bellicon is now part of my daily routine, and — just like my WFPB lifestyle — there’s no going back…to the gym. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebound_exercise http://www.bellicon-usa.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZuujTQ4amAHi Lawrence, I’m glad you are enjoying your bellicon. I have a cellerciser that I have been using for almost 2 years, and I love bouncing! I also do other workouts, but this is my go to when I don’t want to leave the house. It never gets boring!Much as I hate giving advice to a doctor…IMO you might do better going with 30 mins 2xs per week and going for a long walk in the country the other 5 days. Quit torturing yourself? My theory on exercise is that the benefit is reduced when you get to the point where the bodies necessary repair process overcomes the positive effects? No fun…no gain….I don’t like going to the gym, either. I find it strange to see people exercise on machines. It’s seems so artificial to me. And the few times I got past those feelings & did it, I was bored out of my mind. It truly was drudgery for me. So instead, I dance (Russian classical ballet), do yoga, walk, & do a lot of gardening (pulling weeds can be very strenuous!). I need some sort of musical, spiritual or earth connection to make it interesting. So for those of you who, like me, don’t like going to the gym, there are so many other ways you can exercise your body. There’s zumba, aerobics, martial arts, & all kinds of dancing. Why drag yourself to the gym when you can find something else that’s enjoyable.What sort of dancing do you recommend to someone who hasn’t danced in a very, very long time? (and dropped out of the local Fred Astaire dance lessons 8 or so years ago).I love all the ‘keep it moving’ ideas. Let me suggest my favorite hobby, square dancing. I love it for so many reasons. 1. I’ve met some of the nicest people. 2. It’s very social, we go all over the place and do lots of fun things together. 3. We get to travel since there are square dance conventions all over the place, even the world. And if you go to another country, the calls are all the same and they are done in English. 4. It keeps the body moving and brain active, there are over 100 calls to keep that brain thinking. 5. Anyone can do it, my husband could not dance, but he took lessons 3 times, and now he gets it. And the experienced dancers walk the newcomers through it very graciously. They are always looking for new dancers so they cater to people learning. It’s great fun and I highly recommend it. There are some young people. They have great fun and have lots of energy. But the people are mostly older (I’m 60, and there are many dancers in their 80s). I’ve probably told you more than enough, but if you need more info, you can email me at carjul@earthlink.netYour videos help me to stay on the straight and narrow. ThanksOutstanding video!Thanks for this great information. You help me more than you know to stick with a whole foods plant based diet and spend time daily exercising. Smoking and drinking aren’t issues for me. If we could get plants to erase our wrinkles, we would also look 14 years younger on the outside as well as 14 years younger inside.Your health destiny is in your own hands to a large extent. Genes are just a blueprint, not your fate. This empowers us. Eat mostly plants, dont get fat, dont smoke, exercise – how hard can it be to follow this advice?Yep, you can change your gene expression with the foods you eat! I am convinced of this!Yes, epigenetics (and plants) rules!!Does hibiscus tea has any adverse effect on leukemia treatment such as the drug Sprycel. ThanksMy doctor says my heart sounds like that of a 35 year old athlete. I’m 58. (I’ve been WFPB since 2008.)Dr. Greger is up to bat. It’s out of the park, folks!I agree…a freakin’ HOME RUN here!Dr. Greger: It is true that lifestyle has an important impact on our health. I have got (3) out of (4) down pat. However, I would disagree that managing obesity is easy because those of us with issues related to thyroid / metabolic / diabetes / physical disabilities have a complicated scenario to deal with that most doctors don’t even treat correctly. I will be tuning in on the Thyroid Summit today with Dr. David Brownstein. A link can be found on Twitter under GreenMedInfo.I do understand that thyroid disorders can complicate weight management, as well as some other issues, but that isn’t the case for everyone. I don’t think that people with thyroid conditions should just automatically assume they can’t obtain a healthy weight. As a person with Hashimoto’s, I have managed to continually lose weight as long as I avoid animal products and processed food and choose healthy options. Anytime I have strayed, I have paid on the scale, but when I do well my body rewards me. I haven’t even added in regular exercise yet, though as I feel better I do find I do more in general. The only reason I am commenting is because I don’t want people to get discouraged from eating healthy to manage their weight if they have complicated issues. The “why bother” attitude is one I had for a long time. I really thought I was just cursed to deal with being heavy and feeling awful forever. That isn’t true and I am thankful every day that I learned otherwise. The most important thing is to be honest with yourself. Some people can’t mess around with a 70 or 80 percent effort in managing their health. They are sick today and they need a full 100 percent effort to make a real difference. I happen to be one of those people. So if you’re not getting results, take an honest assessment of your efforts and make sure you’re giving 100 percent before you decide it isn’t working for you. Thanks a bunch for the link information about the Thyroid Summit. I will definitely be checking that out!I think the best way to make sure you get your exercise in is to do something you like. For example, I play baseball, skateboard, ride my bike, go whitewater kayaking, hike, garden, roller blade with my dog, etc. Whatever you like to do is much more likely to happen. With bike riding, you can also get errands done, which is a time saver for overworked parents. John SJohn–too much fun! That can’t be exercise. :-)I have discovered pickleball in the past three months and my love of exercise has returned. If you enjoy fun competition and want a racquet sport you can play into your 80s and 90s (I play against two women who just turned 80 and another woman who is 86), pickleball is your game!There are a bunch of youtube videos about it (look for Brian Williams’ segment on the nightly news) and park districts are starting to offer programs. Check it out!Blanster: Thanks for this post! I had never heard of pickleball before. I looked it up after seeing your post and thought of someone who this sport would be perfect for. I might even check it out. Thanks!Try it, you’ll LOVE it! Everyone I know who’s tried it is now a player. :)I have hypothyroid and I’m underweight. So not everyone can blame obesity on poor thyroid function.This is the first video of Volume 19. This great collection has important information that this vital to good health. It is a must for anybody that wants to get healthy or stay healthy. Yes, you can turn back the clock on your health. You can look and feel younger.How Americans Got Red Meat Wrong: Early diets in the country weren’t as plant-based as you might think.The Paradox of Obesity and Produce: People have been eating more fruits and vegetables as the obesity epidemic has worsened. They’ve been eating more of everything else, too.Dr Wahls account of his search for treatments after his MS diagnosis is moving. It’s such a shame that he didn’t find the work of Dr Swank. Thank you Dr Greger for this site – a nutritional gold mine!Eat healthier. Check.Let the Gators Swim Bayou Bowl-3 cloves garlic, minced -1 small onion, diced -1 cucumber, diced -1 small yellow squash, diced -1 small zucchini, diced -1 tomato, diced -1 hot pepper, minced -1 cup uncooked wheat berries -2 cups water/homemade vegetable broth -2 tsp oregano -½ tbsp chili powder -½ tsp white pepper -2 organic* apples, dicedBring water and wheat berries to a boil. Turn off heat and let pot sit, covered, on hot burner, until cooked, about 40 minutes. When wheat berries cooked add remainder of ingredients to large skillet. Cook on medium heat and with left over liquid from cooking grains. Continue cooking until water boils. Turn off heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Add in wheat berries, mix and season to taste with pepper.*Apples rank 1st (most contaminated) for yet another year and spinach ranks #6 (up two from last year’s 8th) in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php~complements of plant-based emporiumI curious about food that could accelerate or boosting the regeneration process, maybe some food that could multiply the Human Growth Hormone (hormone that oftenly prescribed by Anti Aging and Regenerative Medicine Doctors). On the context of catching up the progression on medical science, what food do you would use to make a STEM CELL could proliferate and well differentiated and do ‘their’ job to regenerates the dead human body cell. I really loves the fact that aloe vera could increase the healing time of a burn injury btw :D THX b4	aging,alternative medicine,American College of Lifestyle Medicine,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chronic diseases,colon cancer,complementary medicine,diabetes,dietary guidelines,exercise,fruit,grains,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,Lifestyle medicine,longevity,meat,mortality,obesity,plant-based diets,prediabetes,rectal cancer,smoking,stroke,vegetables,vitamin C	Four simple health behaviors may cut our risk of chronic disease by nearly 80%, potentially dropping our risk of dying equivalent to that of being 14 years younger.	I discuss the role diet may play in preventing the 15 leading causes of death in my 2012 annual review video Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death.How does your diet compare? Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score.I’ll go into depth into the exercise component in my next video, Longer Life Within Walking Distance.For more on slowing the aging process, see my videos:And more on my chosen clinical specialty, lifestyle medicine, in:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-college-of-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21253878,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11976443,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18184033,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19667296,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22564893,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842577,
PLAIN-2593	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruits-veggies-and-longevity-how-many-minutes-per-mouthful/	Fruits, Veggies, and Longevity: How Many Minutes Per Mouthful?	Probably the least controversial advice in all of nutrition is eat more fruits and vegetables, which is to say eat more plants, since the term vegetable just basically just means all parts of the plant that aren't fruit. Eat more fruits and vegetables if for no other reason than to live longer, but only recently did we learn how much longer.The first study to follow people over time to evaluate a dose-response curve between fruit and vegetable consumption and mortality. Compared to those eating five servings of fruits and veggies a day, those only eating four lose a month off their lifespan. Only three servings, lose three months. Then we start going off the cliff. At 2 servings a day we live 7 months shorter, 1 serving practically a year and a half, two years gone at half serving a day, and then three years of our lives down the drain.Just a single serving of fruit, like one apple, could mean a 19 month difference between life and death. And one salad, could mean years more time on this planet.This study mostly looked at people in their 50s and 60s. Is it too late by our 70s? No. Women in their 70s with the most carotenoid phytonutrients in their bloodstream were twice as likely to survive five years than those with the lowest. Doubling one's likelihood of survival, just eating some more fruits and vegetables. In this study out of Taiwan, spending just 50 cents a day on fruits or vegetables appears to buy us about a 10% drop in mortality. That's quite a bargain. Imagine if there was a drug that—without side-effects—could lower our risk of death 10%. How much do you think drug companies would charge? Probably more than 50 cents.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	The graph Doctor Greger presents at 0:34 is a cropped version of the graph appearing in the Bellavia et al paper. The full graph shows no difference in mortality between people who consumed 5 servings per day and people who consumed substantially more than 5 servings per day. Dr Greger, why did you choose to omit this data?Although it would be nice to see the uncropped graph, the plateau in the curve in the cropped version suggests that there is no additional benefit after 5 servings per day, so it doesn’t seem like cropping the graph makes much difference in interpretation.I eat carotenoids with every meal, namely carrots, which are rich in beta-carotene, the ultimate plant derived carotenoid.Some would say lycopene (a better hydrophilic quencher), others zeaxanthin (for eyes). I collect them all.So an Apple a day, CAN keep the Doctor away!For a few months at least.I hope redwine is a fruit…….. ;-)It’s a Plant-Based extract my friend!Is the study saying that those eating the least FVs lost 3 years off their LIFESPAN, or that, looking at the 13 years of the study, they lived 3 fewer years than the 5 FV/day group? (I can only see the abstract.)“Those who never consumed FV lived 3 y shorter… than did those who consumed 5 servings FV/d.”If so, then the longevity benefit over a longer period than 13 years might be even more than 3 years. I think an important thing to note is the 53% higher mortality rate for non-FV-eaters.No one ever gives advise for diabetics…WE CAN’T HAVE SUGAR. I started eating fruits with my veggie mix and my blood glucose went through the root and I am afraid the doctor is now going to put me on insulin! Woe is me, woe is me.I think this McDougall post will be helpful to you http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/dec/diabetes.htmThank you Toxins for the post below (or above).You are not alone Scaramouche!Nearly everyone of my diabetic patients say the same thing.For ANYONE with diabetes it’s the FAT. Eliminate the fat (especially the animal fat) and you will most likely control your blood sugars.FAT INHIBITS (Blocks) INSULIN!!!!!!!!!!! So the more fat you eat the higher your blood sugar will be! Because insulin becomes more inefficient/ineffective when fat is added to your diet.So the more fat in your diet the higher your blood sugar will be. YES, that means Avocados, Olives, ALL OILS, ALL MEATS (Including FISH), ALL CHEESE, and even too many nuts (over one palm full a day)!“So eating skinless chicken, skim milk, and baked fish is not enough of a change for most people to beat diabetes.”The link below is very helpful for diabetes as well as all the info at PCRM.http://pcrm.org/pdfs/health/diabetes/diet%20and%20diabetes-recipes%20for%20success.pdfI have many type one diabetics that have followed this regimen and have dropped their daily insulin usage from (in many of my type one diabetic patients examples) from 50 units to 10 units per day!If this diet controls Type One diabetics then you can bet your bottom Starches that it will control Type two diabetics as well, and does!!!HemoDynamic: Thanks for this post. I know that a WFPB diet is helpful for type 2 diabetics, but I hadn’t heard too much about type 1. You have some pretty powerful anecdotes there. Thanks for sharing!Thank you for the voice of reason. I am so very tired of hearing about how us Type II Diabetics can’t have sugar, ie fruit. I am living proof that it is indeed the fat that is the problem. When I first found out I was diabetic I started seeking out forums to find out how others were managing themselves outside the doctor’s office. What I found were several forums filled with people obsessed with the idea that they can never touch another piece of fruit again…but bacon and fried cheese was A-Okay. The message was almost fanatical. No more than 30 carbs a day, but you’ll never be hungry because you can consume all of the fat your little heart desires. Not only did that not even sound appetizing to me, but I was not trying to hear that I couldn’t have most, if any, fruit. Going plant-based has done amazing things for my blood sugar. At first, I had to put down my meter, because yes, I was having sugar spikes after certain meals. Breakfast for me is now oats, walnuts, a cup of berries, cinnamon and almond milk. I was spiking to 165 after that meal. That no longer happens. I’ve been eating this way for just three weeks. My fasting sugars have gone from 145 to 105 and my 1-hour post-meal sugars are peaking around 115. At two hours they are back down to 89. I was previously spiking as high as 279. I am not on any diabetic medications. I eat around 250g of cabs daily, sometimes more. I eat LOTS of fruit and I don’t pay any attention to the glycemic index. As I mentioned on another post, I have not yet added in regular exercise, but I will be quite soon because I am starting to feel better. My point is, the advise you find on this site and others with a similar message is GOOD for DIABETICS.I suggest diabetics take heed of the work of Dr. Bernstein… himself a type 1 Diabetic. Also look at the work of Volk and Phinney http://www.artandscienceoflowcarb.com/ I am a registered T2 Diabetic with FULL control over my sugars and insulin via the LCHF lifestyle with NO drugs required…. I totally disagree with your stance to give up the fat!I am not sure what a “registered” type 2 type diabetic is. If however, you have type 2 diabetes that is under control with low carb high fat diet – we are glad it works for you and your lifestyle. Just not sure how it will work out over the long haul.I wonder they should distinguish between sweet fruits and nonsweet fruits. bean and nuts are not sweet that why they are good. but tropical truits sweet and should be avoided.That’s not true, sweet fruits can be eaten in large amounts. In fact, the sweetest fruit of all, with the highest glycemic index of ANY fruit, is one of the healthiest: Dates. Watch this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/Dr. GregerI am a CML patient for about 11 yrs and soon will undergo transplant. Can you suggest food that I should be eating more of. I have been a vegan for the last 1 year and always regret why I haven’t consider going vegan earlier. Your website have been very helpful for over the years. Thank you for all your videos and discussions.However, I suspect the biggest impact fruits and veggies have is not on increasing lifespan but on quality of life, especially in old age, like the 90-100 year old Okinawans still able to tend to their gardens.Hoping someone can help me understand something. Dr. Weil says that fructose…… the body cannot derive energy from fructose.Does this mean that when someone consumes medjool dates, which are predominately fructose, they are not able to get any energy from it? This makes no sense to me, as they contain calories, and we get energy from the calories. But, I also understand that fructose in medjool dates bypasses the insulin/pancreas and all that (I think) and that it all just goes straight to the liver.Anyone understand this?Weil is not a reliable source. That’s the simplest explanation in this case and confirms both common sense and actual research quite well.Actually, not everything he says is unreliable. Ironically, a lot of the things he says are aligned with the beliefs of Dr. Greger (and yes, he diverts as well). Dr. Weil promotes a diet, from a broad sense, that has a lot in common with the diet of cultures who live very long and healthy lives, and he also promotes lifestyle choices (beyond food) that are in sync with health as well. I’m happy to be vegan, but I also strive to allow the truth of things/people to have their place.Not saying that he doesn’t make true claims. Just that he is not a reliable source. There is a difference. A reliable source has good methods and high standards. The fructose bit, together with other nonsense that I’ve heard of him pushing, is so flagrantly wrong that it erases his credibility. As I think you indicate, the best examples of what he’s right about are confirmed through other more reliable sources. So just look at the reliable sources directly, then.Fructose is roughly equal in caloric value to other digestible carbs. The issue is that nearly all fructose is metabolized in the liver, and if the liver has full glycogen stores, much is converted to newly synthesized fats, which then are used as fuel elsewhere in the body or stored, and there’s also an increase in LDL cholesterol and uric acid. There’s a current high-profile debate on whether this contributes to the current epidemic of insulin resistance, obesity, hypertension and fatty liver.I suspect there’s a good case for moderating the amount of fructose (from fruit, honey, or refined sugars) taken in any meal, unless one exercises or fasts regularly, depleting liver glycogen stores.Darryl that is a great explanation. When I originally went WFPB/no animal my cholesterol dropped from 150 to 114 and LDL from 70 to 65. But I just had my blood work done and it went up to 168 total and 78 LDL. It must be the fruit.Wow, this is the first time I have heard of sweet fruit causing LDL to rise. So heavy sweet fruit consumption might not be for everyone? I used to be a fruitarian, similar to Durianrider, with only greens and celery and tomatoes. Thanks to Dr. McDougal and Richard Wrangham, I became convinced that I could become healthier by adding some cooked food to my diet, beans, mushrooms, etc. But I am still heavy fruit. I should probably have some blood work done myself just to make sure everything is good. You know the plant positive guy said in one of his videos that he also consumes a heavy on the sweet fruit diet. But I saw a picture of him and he looked insanely fit, he was doing a gymnastics move that requires great relative strength. So maybe another super athlete like Durianrider able to burn enough to accomodate the sweet fruit.I am not sure Ben. Maybe I was running more miles when I first went vegan. Either way I do find it interesting that my cholesterol would go back up without consuming any. I consume very little oil. Very interesting.Thank you. Do you have some favorite starches that you feel provide adequate energy for you, and nutrients? I find that starches – grains, beans, potatoes, and others create future cravings for even more starches. But fruit seems to satisfy. I’d like to shift to some more starches, though, for reasons you have suggested.In general, starchy foods with lower glycemic indices (beans, whole grains, pasta) result in lesser blood glucose peaks and troughs than those with high glycemic indices (potatoes, white rice, baked goods). Some starchy foods like beans, raw or roasted then cooled potatoes, yams, barley, and glass noodles are high in resistant starch, which is fermented by benefical colonic bacteria to produce short chain fatty acids about 6 hours later (the “second meal effect“). Resistant starch (which yields about 2 Cal/g, half of other carbs) may be the single best source of calories.Personally, I’ve never really experienced the issues with satiety you have, but I’ve always been a one large meal a day and few snacks person.Wow, I do wonder now if this “second meal effect” is the reason I produce too much insulin later in the day…well after eating these resistant starch-type of foods. It seems to be the middle of the night when I wake up totally crashed, low blood sugar, etc. on days I eat this stuff. If I don’t eat this stuff, all is usually OK and I sleep through the night.I like cooked-plantains a lot, and now wonder if this is the reason I’ve had to back off from them. Have already had to back off the other resistant starches you’ve mentioned. Darn. And these foods seem to have so many beneficial properties. For now, at least, very-ripe bananas work ok.The short chain fatty acids (butyrate, propionate etc.) generated from resistant starch has for most a positive effect, increasing insulin sensitivity (1, 2).I probably should have clarified. It’s usually just the high GI versions of these grains that cause this in me (chips, crackers, corn-flour tortillas and the like.)Thanks for input. Very helpful.What about the fruits? Can we eat fruits in our smoothies with the veggies. I am a veggie, but heretofore, I have been eating cheeses and avocados, and my BGs have skyrocketed.I would back off of the smoothies, at least until your blood sugars are more stable. When I first went vegan I was doing smoothies but my sugars were going too high. I think this has something to do with the way the food is broken apart in the smoothie, but I can’t recall where I read about that. I backed off of the smoothies and switched to a good breakfast cereal I make from 1/2 cup raw oats, a handful of walnuts, cinnamon, 1 cup berries and unsweetened almond milk. I sometimes use a banana instead of berries if I am out…or raisins. I was still getting small spikes at first, but my sugars are becoming much more stable…and normal. The other thing to note is that I don’t eat cheese or avocados. I may have some avocado once in a while in the future when I’ve been stable a long time. What I really want to test for myself is whether I can get my body to the point that it can pass a glucose tolerance test without a sky high insulin level. That is the main goal I am shooting for, if it is possible. If I can do that, maybe can have a smoothie once in a while. I had a really hard time getting control of my sugars before I let go of the dairy. Very soon after I let go of dairy, my sugars started to come in line and I started dropping weight. I know cheese is delicious, but it isn’t good enough for me to choose diabetes.Penny: re: “I know cheese is delicious, but it isn’t good enough for me to choose diabetes.”Awesome outlook. I shouted “hoorah!” when I saw that. Thanks for sharing your story/posting on this site. I enjoyed reading your posts.Thanks Thea! I am finding now that I am eating well and it is working for me, I want to shout from the rooftops to help other people. Preach the nutrition gospel, if you will. I know so many people who are sick. I’m sure we all do. I feel like I can’t just sit on what I’m learning. I want to help anyone who will listen.Could the Dr. have an agenda? I respect Dr. G but he seems to be wedded to a low fat/no saturated fat way of eating, when there seems to be new science that does not align exactly. No such thing as “settled science”. That would be a belief system, otherwise referred to as religion.The study you speak of, especially the meta analysis does not accurately interpret the findings for several reasons. “Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease” http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/535.full.pdf+htmlNone of the studies measured saturated fat intake where it was 7% of calories which is what is recommended by the American Heart Association. Most measured 10-15% of calories.Most of the studies that replaced the saturated fats used processed flours, white sugar and partially hydrogenated fats which include trans fats.You cant conclude a low fat diet is less healthy if they never went low enough to the bare recommendations, nor can you if they replaced the calories with something unhealthy as well. Saturated fat is not something that is negligible.“The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al., 1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432Furthermore, it allows for endotoxin entry http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/Please see more videos here http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=saturated+fatPaleo bloggers and book authors do not overthrow the current science on saturated fat.Its the overwhelming evidence that determines what path our diet should go.These impressive results are obtained from people on a standard diet. One could imagine even better results on a diet of none or very low animal protein, non or very low saturated fats, combined with high intake of fruit and vegetables…Makes me, for one, want to eat more veggies ;)I have been always wondered why even doctors get in this trap, namely what kind of argument is longevity? Is quantity of years more important than quality? Who wants to go on struggling years on end suffering from chronic pain or from other diseases, especially those when a person loses their autonomy? Who wants to live without recognizing their nearest and dearest? And what about those living inhuman lives in extreme poverty? Does their extension of life make any sense?.Longevity , YES, it does make a lot of sense but when we are healthy and functional. I would love to die when I am 100 but to die like a light-bulb that suddenly “ends its life” after shining in its splendor for a lot of years.RR, In science you have to measure something. Longevity is correlated with good health, and thus high quality of life. A short life is correlated to poor health. Thats why you can use lifespan in studies like this. Lifespan and healthspan are connectedPrecisely! But how is it correlated? Nobody talks about it. What does good health mean when one is in one’s 60s? It does not mean the same in case of octogenarians, does it? And certainly not the same when one is a centenarian. Where are those correlations you are talking about? The ideal solution should be to die biologically young and at the same time chronologically old.Have you read this? http://www.nutritionj.com/content/2/1/2 The last sentence under Abrstract Results reads: “Of particular interest, a 10% reduction in coronary risk was observed for every one piece of fruit consumed per day…”Would Hawthorn tea be injurious to anyone using Metoprolol, a blood pressure medication?Think outside the box. The breakfast box that is.Breakfast of the Gods and Goddesses-1-2 handfuls mixed greens, chopped -small clump arugula, chopped -1 purple cabbage leaf, chopped -1 cup cooked* beans (pinto, black, chickpeas, etc.) -zest of 1 blood orange (optional) -1 blood orange, peeled and broken into pieces -1 tsp sunflower seeds -1 cooked carrot -2 tbsp flaxseed meal -1 tbsp apple cider vinegarToss all ingredients together and enjoy upon rising. This healthful and satisfying breakfast will set the tone for a day of superb eating and keep you full until lunch.*If using canned beans select those packaged in BPA-free cans such as Eden Organic brand. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/ and with no salt added.~complements of plant-based emporiumI would absolutely sacrifice a few years of my life if it meant I could eat all the burgers, fries, and pizza I want for the rest of my life. But something tells me that not only would a few years of my life be sacrificed, but also the QUALITY of life would be compromised for those remaining years. Right?Lauren: Right!While it is true that plenty of people who eat their burgers and meat and cheese laden pizzas drop dead without warning because of their eating habits, there are also plenty of people who linger for years with painful debilitating diseases that arise from those same eating habits. Lots of videos on this site give specific examples of this. But for a great summary, check out Dr. Greger’s latest annual talk, which covers this very topic!: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/ I *highly* recommend that you take a look at that video.I have another thought for you: I think you are sabotaging your potential for future health and vitality by your thinking. Your thinking appears to be along the lines of, “I LOVE x, x, and x! I LOVE them!! If I had to give them up, it would just be so painful. I would even give up years, yes years!, of life to be able to enjoy these great pleasures.”You are not alone in this thinking. It is very common. But I would suggest that that thinking comes from not being exposed to really awesome food made primarily from whole plants. We know from plenty of studies that the following is not the full truth: “I eat what I like.” A far bigger truth is, “I like what I eat.” Our taste buds change to like what we are eating. If you gave whole plant food eating a real try (at least 3 weeks after finding 9 recipes that you really like), you would find that you start to love the healthy foods too. You would be happy eating them. And instead of your food world contracting, you will surprised as how much it expands in terms of variety and taste. We know that a lot of people who change their taste buds that way and then go back to trying some of their old meaty/dairy/fatty foods, find those old foods to now taste bad.Burgers, fries, and pizza come in healthy versions too. And those versions are full of great flavor. I can give you lots of ideas for converting to healthy eating, including burgers, fries and pizza if you are interested.Good luck. I hope you live a healthy life.You are right, of course! My journey has brought me to the point where I no longer desire chicken, fish, or beef products and will choose to go meatless most of the time. But even after going months without cheese at one point, I can’t say that my taste for cheese has lessened even a little! Same goes for ice cream. But I try to reduce these as much as possible and hope to eliminate them entirely at some point. Still, it is a long way from where I started.And of course today Dr. Greger posts a video about my addiction to sugar, with a link regarding addiction to fat. Guess that explains my love for cheese and ice cream!:-) Hee, hee. Troublesome doctor.I have nothing for you re: cheese addiction. As much as I believe what I wrote above about our tastes changing, and as much as I have seen other people report that they lost their taste for cheese, cheese seems to be eternally addictive for some people. You can let it go if you want, but I agree that you may never lose the taste for that one.But for ice cream, I have to say that I personally find some of the coconut and cashew based vice creams to be extremely satisfying. I think ice cream is easy enough to get past.I think it’s awesome that a) you have come as far as you have and b) have a goal of going further. Those two points put you head and shoulders above so many other people. I wish you all the luck in getting where you want to go.I still crave cheese sometimes but I can tell you that after going without it and living on a WFPB diet, when I get close to it about to slice it, it smells a little like (rotting) death.;-) Graphic. But nice.Why would you lump all fruits and vegetables together in such a broad category? Eating 5 servings of leafy greens per day surely would have a completely different effect on your health than eating five servings of sugary pineapple, for example. Too broad of a study to have any real applicability in my opinion.Andrew: I’m not sure your theory pans out. For example, consider this video that looks at fruit consumption: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/And there are so many other videos on this site showing the benefits of eating fruit. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t also have a ton of leafy greens, but dissing the fruit doesn’t make sense to me either.	cost savings,fruit,lifespan,longevity,mortality,phytonutrients,side effects,Taiwan,vegetables	The first study to gauge how much longer we live based on the number of fruits and vegetables we eat suggests that a daily salad could add years to our lifespan.	Calculate Your Healthy Eating Scores to see how one might maximize the intake of protective foods.Nuts are technically just a dried fruit with (typically) a single seed so no wonder Nuts May Help Prevent Death.Botanically speaking beans are fruit too. Check out Increased Lifespan From Beans.The more plants we eat the more antioxidants we get. Why is this important? See The Power of NO and the Mitochondrial Theory of Aging. Or in terms of specific diseases, Food Antioxidants and Cancer and Food Antioxidants, Stroke, and Heart Disease.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taiwan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23253183,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15082634,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22587851,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23803880,
PLAIN-2594	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/	Magic Bullets vs. Promiscuous Plants	During the last decade, the drug industry has followed an assumption that a single drug hitting a single target was the 'rational' way to design drugs, but we're learning that Mother Nature may be a bit too complicated for that. Strategies for targeting single genes or proteins ignore a very important fact that the most, if not all of diseases, involve a sophisticated network system. For example, one little family of immune molecules involves like 50 different keys fitting in 20 different locks, often acting with redundancy, thus making selection of an appropriate specific drug to antagonize one key or one lock may not work in the long run. A whole list of agents has been developed to target a specific molecule for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, for example, but they have all flopped. That's why drug companies are now working on so-called promiscuous drugs that try to simultaneous affect multiple pathways.Meanwhile, since ancient times, natural agents derived from plants—fruits, vegetables, spices, beans, and grains—have been preferred as potential therapeutics for most chronic diseases, not only because of their safety, affordability, and long-term use, but for their ability to target multiple cell signaling pathways. This promiscuous targeting of a disease cell’s multiple bypass mechanisms is a therapeutic virtue.One example of a successful promiscuous plant-based drug is aspirin. It doesn't just target inflammation and offer pain relief, but can act as a blood thinner, and help prevent preeclampsia and even some types of cancer. Curcumin is another hopeful. Aspirin is an extract of the willow tree bark; curcumin is an extract of turmeric root. It's considered so anti-inflammatory that it may even work through the skin--a traditional use was to wrap sprains and injuries with turmeric soaked poultices, a use that actually continues to this day. It is so anti-inflammatory; it can help counter the effects of mustard gas.Here is the response of spleen cells to an inflammatory cytokine, extinguished in the presence of curcumin. What about outside of the petri dish? Promising effects have been observed in patients with a variety of inflammatory diseases, And one of the reasons there may be such a wide margin of safety with turmeric despite its powerful pharmacological effects, is that the same pathway promiscuity that may account for its effectiveness may also act synergistically to neutralize side-effects. For example, turmeric has been traditionally used as a bronchodilator to open airways in conditions like asthma. Many of the adrenaline-like drugs that do the same thing can raise blood pressure, but the reason turmeric doesn't may be because it has different components with opposing activities, so has like calcium channel blocking effects that may actually lower blood pressure at the same time, and so side effects may cancel each other out.This strength in promiscuity, though, is also a weakness. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been reluctant to approve plant extracts, which by definition are composed of mixtures of different compounds. So it's like a Catch-22. One drug, one chemical, one mechanism of action and you can patent it, get FDA approval and make a billion off it, but it may just not work very well. On the other hand there might be a safe, natural alternative that works better, but industry and the government may not be interested.However, there is hope on the horizon. Remember this video? The FDA approved a green tea ointment as a prescription drug for the treatment of genital warts, making it the first prescription plant approved in the United States.So have drug companies abandoned their model and started pouring money into plants? No. Having discovered that so-called magic bullet has been largely unsuccessful, they just propose creating non-selective drugs. Instead of magic bullets in effect, magic shotguns.	Does anyone know if B12 supplements loose their viability when taken with food? Does the stomach and digestion degrade the B12 in any way? Have studies conclusively shown how digestion of food effects B12 supplements, and are certain foods (either protein, carbs, fruit, etc.) more or less friendly to B12 assimilation? I’ve heard acid/alkaline stomach amounts can have an effect on B12. Sublingual is an option but would rather go another route.This links could be useful for your research:http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002403.htmThanks. I’ve heard that the antibiotic properties of onions and garlic (and possibly other anti-bacterial spices and herbs) can destroy B12 supplements. Sounds correct in theory, but have not seen the studies on this.From what i study B12 is tied by the intrinsic factor secreted by gastric cells (parietal cells) in the stomach and then adsorbed in the small intestine by a special receptor… in the wikia page there are some informations about that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12#Absorption_and_distributionIntuitively speaking, if garlic and onions and spices or a problem for B12, most of the worlds population would be B12 deficient. Especially in the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, India, and South and Central America. Does that make sense? ;-)Yes, good point. Yet, people of the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia eat a decent amount of fish, and the Mediterranean population isn’t shy of dairy. And the South and Central Americans eat their poultry and fish.I just wonder if the B12 in supplements is adversely/detrimentally effected by anti-biotic spices and herbs in a manner that the B12 found naturally in food is not? I doubt these populations you have listed are maintaining B12 status on a supplement. In the big picture, B12 pills are new to the show.Who knows, just exploring this, as I’ve heard several ideas and theories on this in the past.I’m not aware of any chemical which can destroy Vitamin B12. The vitamin is bound to proteins in the diet and instrinsic factor is required to break the bond and release the vitamin. This is one reason proton pump inhibitors which reduce stomach acid can cause a problem. The interfere with that bond-breaking, not destroying the vitamin.Whether there is any other problem which can interfere with absorption into the bloodstream, injections can bypass any other issues as Adrien mentions below.Nitrous Oxide (N2O), which is not be confused with Nitric Oxide (NO), is a very potent oxidizer of vitamin B12 and can deplete the body’s store very efficiently. It’s a very common anesthetic agent used millions of times a year to reduce pain and to sedate patients during surgical and dental procedures. It’s also called “laughing gas”, because of its well-known ability to make you feel giggly, an effect that makes it a popular drug of abuse. It’s very dangerous for people with undiagnosed B12 deficiency. Even basics chirurgical procedure can turn deadly, if one isn’t able to restore it’s store. “Could it be B12 ?” it’s a very good book to read. You’ll learn that B12 deficiency can strike almost anybody. And worst than that, it’s the fact that it’s often misdiagnosed as neurological disease such as Alzheimer or Multiple Sclerosis…The best route is Intramuscular injection (IM), it’s the most radical and efficient way to correct B12 deficiency. It bypass completly anykind of absorption problem that’s why doctor use this way to treat a deficiency. You have to learn how to do it from a real physician if you plan to do it by yourself, don’t do it without a proper training. But It’s not difficult, B12 deficient kids can learn to do it by themselve, when they have intrinsic factor deficiency. Just NEVER use cyanocobalamin if you have Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). Prefer Hydroxocobalamin or Methylcobalamin, they seems to have a better retention and efficacy, specially when it comes to B12 injection.“The initial retention of hydroxocobalamin is better than that of cyanocobalamin; twenty-eight day after injection, retention still is nearly three times greater. In addition, hydroxocobalamin is more available to cells and is processed more efficiently by them.”Lee, G. R. Pernicious anemia and other causes of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency. In G. R. Lee (10th Ed.), Wintrobe’s Clinical Hematology, (pp. 941-948). 1999, Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.If you want to know more about B12 and B12 deficiency. You must read “Could it be B12″ by Sally Pacholok. I personnaly just follow the Dr Greger recommandation. Please type B12 in the search bar on NutritionFacts.org and watch all the video related to B12.As is described on this website, which you would have found with a little searching: There are very cheap pills and you should let them melt under your tongue.Hello! My husband is suffering from chronic kidney disease ; stage 4 and due to the side effects of steroids he has hip avascular necrosis . We visited couple of specialist and everyone said that in future he’ll need hip replacement. They said there is no medication for this. We are really worried about his hip as he has pain in his hip joint all the time. He can’t walk properly. It is really stressful to have chronic kidney disease & avascular necrosis on top of it. Any suggestion will be helpful for us. ThanksI’m sorry I have no suggestions, but just wanted you to know that I’m sending Good Vibes to both you and your husband. I hope you will be guided to the help you need.Thank you. Hope is the only thing we have right now.OK, I’ll say it … Have you searched through the relevant vids and blog entries here? They will help clear up the confusion about what actual nutrition really is.Have you both watched “Forks over Knives”? Read the China Study and look into McDougall, Esselstyn and their compadre’s programs.Focus on low inflammation, high antioxidant meals. Cold-brewed green tea, again.. review the exisiting library here. Can he get into a pool?No processed foods includes sugar, oil and refined flours. Find a real Dr. And ask your exisiting medical professionals why the heck they have not already given him these suggestions.It is not too late. You should throw away all of your processed foods, eat whole plant foods for 3 weeks. If you arent convinced by then …well I think you should decide then. Until then just do it. Best wishes. There, I just said a prayer for you …and I’m a darned atheis.About the major WFPB programs, I’d add that John McDougall refers a lot to the rice diet (once the basis for a program run in connection with Duke university) as, in his view, probably the best diet for people with severe kidney disease. The rough idea is that when the kidneys are very compromised, you heal best by minimizing the load on them as much as possible. Being, in its traditional form, rinsed white rice, fruit, and fruit juice, the diet is very low in protein, salt, and other things that are metabolized to waste by the liver and then filtered through the kidneys. The diet is also probably non-inflammatory, lowers blood pressure, and helps induce weight loss if that is part of the overall picture of ill-health. You may want to contact your doctor about trying out this sort of idea in order to help induce a better prognosis. Some professional monitoring is especially important in order to optimally and safely follow such a restricted dietary plan for a person who is genuinely sick.Thank you Largelytrue for the suggestions. Basically we are eating green vegetables and white boiled rice and minimal of chicken Brest & egg. Lot of fruits like grapes, cucumber, apples, strawberries. My husband eats home cooked food only and no salt or sometimes very little. Actually we are worried about his leg too. Thank you for the advice.Thank you so much Gertrude . We have been eating basically vegetables & white boiled rice only. Minimal of meat & egg and lots of fruits. We’ll check the blogs u have recommended . Actually I do a lot of research & only hope now is eating healthy as u said. Thanks for the prayers.“Minimal of meat and eggs…” I hope that works for you. I eventually lowered my animal consumption and finally got it down to one 3 3/4 ounce tin of sardines a week resulting in NO CHANGE in my health. Then I gave up the last vestige of animal products and my weight dropped 25 pounds; I found myself sleeping uninterrupted through the night; my joints felt less achy; I felt less depressed and more energetic and cheerful; my bowel problems cleared up and I now rarely catch colds. I can’t explain it, but just an average of half an ounce of fish a day kept me from experiencing the health benefits of a WFPB diet. Also… I believe Dr. McDougall recommends brown rice.Thank you Natasha . Keep it up .Biology is very complex. One disease, one cause, one (chemical or surgical) solution, targeting one pathway is naive. Thats why food as medicine are so fascinating. To make it even more complex – the relation between the doctor and the patient also cures. The most fascinating molecules you find in nature: Aspirin, curcumin, resveratrol – all targeting multiple pathways. Think of cardiovascular disease – the risk factors are hypertension, diabetes, stress, high cholesterol, smoking, age, gender, genetics, social status, obesity, lack of exercise, hyperhomocysteinemia, race, balance between testosterone and estrogen, marital status, alcohol, hostility, sleep etc. Does anyone really believe that the solution is a statin drug!? I dont…..Another fascinating molecule with dozens of interactions and healing properties is berberine, found in multiple plants. Check out this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BerberineIncredibly complex may be an understatement – everything has to go through the gut bacteria which holds 99% of your DNA and 90% of the cells in your body with thousands of different enzymes all with forward and reverse feedback loops. Whole foods come with a wide variety of biologically active compounds – not inerts – is it any surprise that the single-compound extracts don’t work nearly as well as the foods they are found in, or worse turn out to actually be unhealthy.Agree!I have switched to being vegetarian since 2 months. After watching your videos, and reading Campbell, Esselstyn, McDougall the switch was easy. However I have always loved starch – i.e. bread, pasta (all mostly whole wheat, rarely processed) and I literally feel my brain needs it. My issue is that I am schizophrenic due to various life events. I wanted to know is there latest research about the schizophrenia – gluten/starch connection and is there any special diet for schizophrenics? There are some studies on a ketogenic diet which show successes, but how can this be achieved with a plant based diet? ( http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/6/1/10 ) What diet would you recommend for mental illnesses in general? For example EPAs in Omega3?I beg you, stop eating all gluten grains. Dr. McDougall claims on his website that wheat/gluten have been shown to cause schizophrenia/mental illness. There are countless amounts of people who have had some degree of relief abstaining from gluten.Also, give a six-month try on a vegan-version of the SCD diet. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Google it, trust it, don’t cheat. This diet works miracles for many people, in many areas. Digestion wise it has been a blessing for me. It has been claimed that the gut is the foundation for lots of diseases.Please, abstain from all grains, most beans, no corn, and find a good list of SCD permissible vegan foods. Lots of raw fruit, veggies, black beans, nuts, seeds. B12.Dr. McDougall recommends no such diet, and avoiding these foods would do more harm then good. Beans and whole grains are very healthy foods and should constitute the base of diet. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/Actually, he does make a claim on his website that gluten has been known to be a causative factor in mental illness. And one can be a thriving, healthy vegan without eating any grains, and only choosing to eat certain beans. Actually, there are lots of vegans who avoid all grains and all beans, and seem to do fine. Grains are not needed to be a vegan. Neither is soy.“A serious psychological disease caused by foods in some people is schizophrenia. In hospital-based studies, some patients have been identified who react with dramatic behavioral changes to milk products and high-gluten foods (like wheat, barley, and rye). Some people with schizophrenia have actually been cured of their disease by changing their diet, to eliminate the trouble-making foodstuff.”-Dr. McDougallI found the quote you speak of, but that is not the dietary recommendation he makes. http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2013nl/mar/gluten.htmI am intimately familiar with his dietary protocol and he recommends avoiding gluten (along with many other foods) and slowly reintroducing them when someone is having an unusual reaction to food.I recommend you view the links I posted in my last comment.http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/common-health-problems/depression-and-anxiety/Read the whole page, all the way down.You do not need grains and soy to be a healthy vegan.Reach out to some vegan support groups and seek vegans who have thrived without any grains. SCD diet, vegan version of it. This includes lentils and black beans, and some other beans, for protein. Tons of veggies….a buffet of fruit, some seeds and nuts.SCD and GAPS are pseudoscientific fad diets for which I have not found a single reference in PubMed. I would not recommend these diets to anyone.	alternative medicine,aspirin,asthma,beans,calcium,cancer,chronic diseases,complementary medicine,cost savings,curcumin,FDA,fruit,genital health,genital warts,grains,green tea,hypertension,industry influence,inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,medications,pain,spices,turmeric,vegetables	The pharmaceutical industry is starting to shift away from designing single target drugs to trying to affect multiple pathways simultaneously, much like compounds made by plants such as aspirin and curcumin, the pigment in the spice turmeric.	I go into more detail about the Catch-22 in my last video Plants as Intellectual Property – Patently Wrong?Aspirin isn’t just found in willow tree bark, but throughout the plant kingdom, including fruits and vegetables: Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods.Here is the video about the green tea story: Treating Genital Warts With Green Tea. And if you think that is neat, check out Treating Gorlin Syndrome With Green Tea.My video Power Plants shows how plant foods are not to be underestimated.If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/genital-warts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/genital-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23143785,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23038702,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17900536,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15854222,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23339055,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17803897,
PLAIN-2595	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-as-intellectual-property-patently-wrong/	Plants as Intellectual Property – Patently Wrong?	Since ancient times, Mother Nature has been a fertile source for drugs used to treat human diseases. One such remedy is the spice turmeric, which has been used for at least 2,500 years. In light of the long and established experience with curcumin, the natural yellow pigment compound in turmeric, as a foodstuff and natural medicine, its low cost, proven disease preventing and treating potential, and safety, curcumin is moving rapidly from the kitchen shelf toward the clinic.Curcumin has shown some promising effects against a wide range of diseases, so well in fact that curcumin appears to possess all the desirable features of a designed from scratch, multipurpose drug.If it's so safe and effective, why aren't more studies being done? Part of the delay is attributable to a U.S. patent, granted in 1995 to researchers at the University of Mississippi Medical Center for curcumin’s wound-healing properties, which prevented its development as a therapeutic. In a landmark case, the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research spent years arguing and finally proving that curcumin has been part of the Indian traditional system of medicine for centuries and so should be considered to be in the public domain. It's like patenting broccoli. The patent was finally over-turned in 1997, a triumph for those trying to stop the misappropriation of traditional knowledge by multinational corporations, but if no one profits off it, how's anyone going to hear about it? Who's going to pay for research?Given that public knowledge does not involve any intellectual property, drug companies are not interested in its commercialization. You can buy turmeric in any grocery store for pennies a dose. “Unless there is intellectual property to make money, nobody will come forward,” said a leading turmeric researcher.How's his research being funded? Although curcumin itself is no longer patentable, derivatives, formulations, delivery systems, and synthetic methods can be. So, if you take some turmeric molecule and tweak it a little bit, then you can patent it for your investors. Unless phytonutrients can be converted into new chemical entities for which more specific medical claims are possible, the development of these plants seems unlikely. Sure, they're extensively exploited as active ingredients of innumerable products on ill-regulated food supplement markets, but apart from this, progress through clinical trials remains sluggish. Such waste of resources on the way of transformation from renewable materials to high tech/high value products is deplorable, these research scientists write.So maybe it would be good if Frito-lay did own the patent to broccoli. There's a reason we don't see Super Bowl ads on TV for vegetables.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.	One thing I had never really incorporated into my diet was Tumeric until you showed all the research explaining all the potent anti-inflammatory properties. Thanks for Coloring me Yellow!A great super simple recipe for lots of it is here http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/chana-palak-masala/I would double all the spices, and quadruple the amount of turmeric to 2 teaspoons. its worth the increase in flavor. Keep garam masala at 1 teaspoon though. Also use fresh ground ginger, the taste makes the difference. This recipe is extremely quick to make and I make it often with brown rice on the side. Its cheap, easy and very tasty.Thank you for this recipe! It looks delicious and healthy.Good recipe, Toxins. Has anyone out there tried hemp seed hearts? I buy them at the Bulk Barn here in Toronto. They’re an excellent plant-based source of protein, healthy fats, and fibre, and very neutral in taste, so you can add them to anything. Hemp hearts effortlessly ramp up the protein content of any meal. I thought I read somewhere that it was illegal to grow dietary hemp in the US (?). Err…I promise I won’t make brownies with it.Hemp hearts do increase protein content but from my research, including reading articles on protein bioavailability in PubMed, hemp is as lysine-deficient as any seed or grain. Lysine is, in other words, a major limiting factor with hemp, and lysine is very important for bone health and connective tissue (as you know).You make a good point, DGH. I do eat quite a few lysine-containing plant-based foods throughout the day though, so hopefully I’m covered.Why in that recipe would lemon juice be annotated as optional?Im assuming for taste, after sharing this recipe I actually just had it for dinner and forgot the lemon juice. The lemon juice definitely adds to the flavor as well.nice recipe, thanks! I have fresh turmeric root, (how) can I use it instead of the powder?If you have one of those shavers/grinders that you rub ginger or other veggies on to make fine pieces I assume this would work just the same.yep, thanks so much for this recipe Toxins! awesome and I pretty much always increase any dried turmeric called for in recipes! I love to cook BUT am also eating this stuff raw, thanks for Dr. Greger (my HERO! ♥ !)…Whole Foods is right across the street from me so I pick some up every week. I work full-time and a co-worker saw me shredding it into my dark leafy salad not long ago and asked about it…I gave her a taste and now she’s eating it fresh, too.I forget the link to the NF video but I believe that when turmeric is heat treated it increases the bioavailibility of turmeric significantly. In addition to this, adding black pepper causes a 2,000% increase in turmeric bioavailibility. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/Would it benefit bio-availablility of phytonutrients to add a fat source to this recipe? Or does it not matter in the case of cooked food?Cooking and the addition of pepper will significantly increase the bioavailibility, I don’t think that’s entirely necessary to add a fat source. The food itself has naturally occurring fat, about 20.2 grams for the whole dish with brown rice. Assuming you eat the entire meal alone and cook with a cup of initially uncooked rice, here are the nutritionfacts i nthe image below.Yeah, I’d note that desi chickpeas (the big pale beige ones) are quite high in fat as legumes go.Can you link this website calculator, or maybe it’s a computer program. Either way, can you share the name with us ?Its https://cronometer.com/Thanks. :)It might be wise not to go overboard with the turmeric. Dr Joel Fuhrman MD suggested I not use more than half a level teaspoon a day due to the probability for toxicity.I have not seen evidence of toxicity from turmeric, I have seen this for supplemental extracts though.Tumeric spice has medicinal properties, and has been used for centuries to treat various ailments — from jaundice to leprosy — for over 4,000 years, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Today, it is commonly used for digestive issues. Although it has a long history of use, turmeric has the capacity to be toxic to your liver; therefore, it’s important to consult your health care provider before taking it…..Mr. GhandiI am not sure why you have decided to cherry pick my posts. I know of no official recommendations stating that turmeric is harmful to the liver in normal amounts consumed on an everyday bases.Look before you speak Ghandi…..tumeric HAS THE CAPACITY to be toxic to your liver, therefore one should consult their health care provider before taking tuneric….YOu opened the tumeric door and I am just responding with fact…play fair Ghandi!!Broccoli also has the capacity to be toxic to the liver, but in obscene amounts. http://www.nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/The question is how much is toxic, simply stating “turmeric has the capacity to be toxic to the liver” is not helpful, share a study demonstrating this toxicity so that we may have an idea.Lol….you opened the tumeric door Ghandi….i am only providing some info with a Univ Maryland study on tumeric….every plant has ability to be toxic in “obscene “amounts. …again Mr Ghandi…think b4 you speak….peace outYou have echoed my response, “every plant has ability to be toxic in “obscene “amounts”.Good call! Have you seen the “Doctor’s Note” under each video? Very important related videos in that section. I highly recommend reading it! There is an entire video on who should’t consume turmeric listed there. Thanks, BenJOf course, when companies are able to patent plants, we just seem to get GMO corn and soybeans + Round-Up. And companies like Monsanto suing farmers for GMO pollen wind drifting into their fields.Deal with the devil.NO NO NO! As an herbalist, I contend that Freito Lay should not own the patent for Broccoli. No company should own or be able to patent a natural plant, period.Since there is already a glut of knowledge and studies that have been done on say the benefits of turmeric and curcumin, I don’t want any drug or food company to be able to rob us of being able to use it or have it available to us as a dietary supplement.The Supreme Court, to my understand just overturned the ability for a drug company to own a patent on the Brca gene (the suit having been brought about by the ACLU) and hopefully this will also apply to natural foods and plants.As MacSmiley also said so eloquently “when companies are able to patent plants, we just seem to get GMO corn and soybeans + Round-Up. And companies like Monsanto suing farmers for GMO pollen wind drifting into their fields”.Amen. Keep these greedy companies out of nature.I agree at 4000% with Linda. Private company patenting broccoli ? What the hell ! And what after ? Carrot ? Asparagus ? What if they decided to patent the healthiest food and don’t allow people to get access to it ? Like the oil company with the electric battery ! What is next to all of this ? Your own gene. And maybe human one day, who know what the future will bring ! Patenting nature is the pandora’s box we should not open.Biopiracy! Biopirates! The US Gov itself has patents on cannabis, or at least certain cannabinoids for medical purposes, yet legally classifies the herb, which has thousands of years of proven medical efficacy and safety like turmeric, as a drug with no therapeutic/medicinal value. Unfortunately Dr. Greger perpetuates the same reefer madness propaganda in one of his videos, but i know that most people are educated enough to know better.Cannabis deserves more clinical attention and less criminalization… dr mercola interviewed a doctor that work with cannabis… http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/03/09/medical-cannabis.aspxBut the fact of the matter is, smoke is not good for your lungs, whether that smoke is from cannabis, tobacco or from barbecuing animal flesh.I quote that… i will focusing more on normal uses like food, cosmetics and derivatives… smoking cannabis it is only one on its applications….Here an interesting interview : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njCiE9XFdggI would not exactly tell the story like that. Cannabis, like many other plants or drug that fight cancer are just ‘magic bullet’, contrary to a whole food plant based diet. It’s annecdotal but I’ve a friend that smoke lot of cannabis and got mouth cancer last year. He’s under chemo and radiation right now. His diet was and still is really poor (lot of meat and dairy, and since he lost weight due to chemo, his doctor gave him food loaded with dairy to gain weight…). He smoke also regular tabbaco. Cannabis couldn’t help him, recommandation coming from Dr Greger and Colin Campbell however could help him.I’m really sorry for your friend and i want to thank you about the video… i think in the next future the guidelines for cancer diet will change towards a full plant based regimen… i hope that chemotherapy could became more sustainable and less toxic in the next future, moreover i read that many chemo drugs costs a lot of money… a plant based chemotherapy may change this war on cancer…Indeed it is wrong, and at some point perhaps the purchase of the U.S. government will go past its shelf life, and we will be able to sue for harm the corporations who hide data sets they don’t like. In the meantime, there are independent sources for funding, such as the purveyors of actual food, though of course, they risk the government-owned protection goons. Nonetheless, Paul S, of mushroom fame, now has products on grocery shelves in Portland, and they are even labeled as to what they do, perhaps because Stamets won a Department of Defense competition regarding remediation of contaminated gunk. The food police may not want to mess with the DOD? My guess.precisely, if you want to do it do it for welfare of humanity, not for profits and dividends.if your research comes with enslavement you can keep it with you and chew on it yourselves !Under the ‘Terry Naturally’ brand, you can by something called CuraMed, each capsule supposedly equivalent of up to 10 capsules of plain curcumin. Dr. Greger, have you any comment on Curamed please? Thanks.Doesn’t monsanto already have a patent on a certain severed broccoli though. With some aggressive business strategy they could probably make other broccoli way more expensive and eventually, well, I don’t really want to think about it.As a patent attorney, it seems unfair to blame the patent system for the failures of ‘market forces’ and the medical establishment as a whole to come up with ways to maintain health and treat diseases. Usually it is the other way around, where folks are blaming the patent system for the high cost of critical drugs, costs seen as necessary to pay for the research done by the drug companies. The patent system is designed to reward research and innovation, and is horribly ill-equipped as a tool to promote well known therapies like diet that go back to Hippocrates. Assuming there is no turmeric growers association that can sponsor activities that will lead to an increased demand for their product (with or without government assistance from the USDA or the like), and because doctors and drug companies are so only profit motivated (present company excepted) and don’t actually have the benefit of mankind in mind, then you have a total free market failure, just like the rest of the American health care industry (one does not have the luxury shop for emergency rooms or the knowledge to figure out the best deal for healthcare services). For this you need doctor associations and governments and taxpayers motivated to fund research that benefits everyone, and a pushback on the lobbying by those industries which benefit from the status quo of poor public health and the continued consumption of bad food and sale of expensive therapeutic modalities. Put the blame where it belongs, please don’t scapegoat our patent system.The free market itself is a total failure. It has never been design to benefit mankind as a whole but rather to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. It’s time to bypass the propaganda and figure this out.You don’t always need a patent to reward a drug company with high prices through exclusivity. Under Hatch-Waxman, the FDA will grant an exclusivity period to drug companies who obtain approval of established drug treatments. Take the gout medicine colchicine – extracted from plants for hundreds of years, a few years ago URL Pharma was awarded a 3 year period of exclusivity and the sh1t hit the f@n so to speak when prices jumped from 9 cents a pill to $5. http://www.pharmacypracticenews.com/ViewArticle.aspx?d=Policy&d_id=51&i=March%2B2011&i_id=716&a_id=16875Bad link, here’s another article http://www.the-rheumatologist.org/details/article/865591/Colcrys_Approval_Triggers_Questions.html. Anyhow you have to ask if granting financial incentives to drug companies in the form of exclusivity and higher prices for known treatments will actually improve access to the drug or make it unavailable to those who need it.Love that it’s healing and tasty too!The system is fundamentally flawed does not mean to relish the flaw. Research if done not for profit, for well being of humanity. funding for research should come from welfare funds, and shared investments from combined groups, for ‘welfare of humanity';, not to beat your rivals balance sheet !and certainly, any research with sovereign materials of earth, is not for dividends and profits of investors of any ‘particular’ organization.in short if you want to do it as service do it,take your research with you.BTW spice countries like India are sovereign to their core, s not some western country where everyone simply hits likes and dislikes on a web page, wait till you try , they will come in roads and fight to bones about their spices and heritage !It is best when the focus is on education, not waxing lyrical about geo/politico/econo doctrine on how to make the werld better place. Things are never so bad they can’t be made werse. My Dr. told me to stop having intimate dinners for 4, unless there are 3 other people. When i think back on all the crap i learned in school, its a wonder i can think at all…How many readers have been stupified into believing fish has less cholesterol than meat, meat has more protein than brocolli, the whole protein scam…the crap that we’ve been…erm…fed is what is killing us. If we can overcome our ignorance with facts then none of this other stuff matters…to me at least. YOU must pay the price to secure the blessing. Eat whole plant foods. Question authority…educate your friends, murder your television. Its a war out there. We want the funk. Come and See. Fight the ignorance. Beat the stupidity. They are two different foes but both must be defeated. I’m coming to get YOU Murdock. Do you feel lucky, Disease? I’m the cure. Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what’s for lunch. You can quote me on that :)Things are never so bad they can’t be made werse – Bogart When i think back on all the crap i learned in school, its a wonder i can think at all – Simon You must pay the price to secure the blessing – G. Washington Eat whole plant foods -Heaps of folks Question authority…educate your friends, murder your television – Robert Botcher Its a war out there – Courtney We are the warriors – The Gladiators Come and See – A must-see movie I’m coming to get YOU Murdock – Rambo. Do you feel lucky, Disease? – Dirty Harry sorta I’m the cure – Cobra Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what’s for lunch – Orson WellesI buy it in powder form and put it “00” gel caps. Easy daily dose.I was using fresh Tumeric in chia tea you can peel it or grate it like ginger and you add about the same amount as you would ginger too. Apparently pepper increases the bio-availability of all antioxidants you dont need much just a pinch. That was in Australia i am in Chile now and cannot get the fresh stuff but the Indians use powered Turmeric in milk for coughs and coldsDo NOT be fooled. Plants and their products’ are not intended to be patented or held as intellectual property. We will deal with the Devil without risking the Marxist philosophy which indicates that industry and gub-a-mint should dominate healing by nutritional means. With Ma Huang, we witnessed the breach of that barrier between nutrients and FDA authority over drugs. This Pandora’s box will come back to haunt us one day. We really do not need further damage to health than the FDA and industry have already caused us. We realize that research requires investment; however, we must be ever-vigilant to protect ourselves from more Monsanto-type domination and brother-in-law statutes.Normally I like Dr. Greger, but the idea posted in this video of Frito-Lay patenting broccoli is a really bad idea. And the idea that only profitable industries will fund scientific research and development is a ridiculous idea. If that were the case, our understanding of climate change science would be entirely different than it is today. Having retired from a scientific research and development lab that did over $1 billion of research a year, most of it not for industry, I can assure you that R&D is not dependent on profit-making companies.Broccoli, turmeric and other plant-based foods are freely available to us today because they are not controlled by industry and because we are not required to have a prescription to purchase them. Imagine how much broccoli might cost if it were patented by someone. Imagine if you had to go to the doctor and get a prescription every time you wanted to buy turmeric.Those are really bad ideas Dr. Greger.Can you please give me tips on how to incorporate turmeric into my diet. I’ve heard of people getting it from the health food store and making their own capsules. Will this work or does the turmeric need to be cooked?Any thoughts on liquid turmeric sold in health shops?Is there a difference in using the dried turmeric versus fresh turmeric? It is more expensive though.	alternative medicine,broccoli,complementary medicine,cost savings,curcumin,India,industry influence,marketing,medications,patent,phytonutrients,spices,supplements,turmeric,wound healing	Barriers to patent natural commodities such as the spice, turmeric, keeps prices low, but if no one profits, where is the research funding going to come from?	This reminds me of my video The Lie That Heals: Should Doctors Give Placebos? I went into the topic thinking one thing, but realized that there are strong arguments to be made on both sides.The concept that the curcumin in turmeric is able to target multiple diseases pathways simultaneously is explored further in my follow-up to this video, Magic Bullets vs. Promiscuous Plants.If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/patent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wound-healing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marketing/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/magic-bullets-vs-promiscuous-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23143785,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17900536,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22887802,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17549234,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17803897,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23285683,
PLAIN-2596	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenohormesis-what-doesnt-kill-plants-may-make-us-stronger/	Xenohormesis: What Doesn't Kill Plants May Make Us Stronger	A whole new hypothesis has arisen to explain the mystery as to why so many plant molecules interact with and modulate key regulators of our physiology in ways that are beneficial to our health, a hypothesis called xenohormesis.I touched on hormesis in my liquid smoke video. Basically, it's the biological principle of no pain, no gain. Mild stresses like exercise can trigger a protective response that leads to strengthened defenses in the short run. But instead of exposing ourselves to the stressor to trigger our bodies’ defenses and shore up protection against future stressors, why not just let plants take the hit? Let the plants get stressed because, incredibly, the stress response molecules in plants may activate the same protective responses in humans. Xenohormesis explains how environmentally stressed plants produce bioactive compounds that can confer stress resistance and survival benefits to animals that consume them. We can then piggyback off of their sophisticated stress response.Indeed, the majority of known health-beneficial effects of edible plants are attributable to the pharmacologically active substances of plants’ stress response.Hormesis may be why dietary restriction can lead to lifespan extension. The mild stress placed upon the body by not eating enough may activate a wide variety of protective pathways within the body, a whole cascade ramping up anti-inflammatory and antioxidant defenses. Our body is preparing itself for the coming famine it thinks is about to occur.So is there a way to exploit the benefits of dietary restriction to prevent chronic disease? Obviously, chronically restricting food intake is not a realistic health strategy for the majority of people—it’s hard for most people to even cut food intake 10 or 20%, given the powerful evolutionary drive to eat. As a more feasible alternative, we may be able to activate dietary restriction induced stress response pathways by other means. In other words, xenohormesis.If you starve plants, they do the same thing: activate preservation pathways. So let's let the plant face the adversity to create the molecules that trigger cell stress resistance, altered metabolism, and disease resistance, then just come along and appropriate them for the same uses in our own bodies.The reason phytonutrients like resveratrol in grapes, curcumin in the spice turmeric, and ECGC in green tea are called dietary restriction mimetics, is that they mimic the physiological effects of dietary restriction. And this may be no coincidence, because that's why the plants produced these compounds in the first place, to save their own green butts from scarcity. So instead of having to walk around starving all the time, thanks to xenohormesis, we may be able to let the plants bear the brunt and enable us to harness other species' hardships as a means to promote our own health.	Plantastic piece of plant work my friend!Interestingly, I could have sworn I heard a train horn in the background.It’s remember me your old video about hydroponic basil :) http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/So, fascinating! I believe this is one reason organic foods are better than those doused in pesticides, right? The plants have to fend off pests and activate xenohormesis.Most organic produce is also doused in pesticides (just ones from the “organically certified list”). Plants subject to insect predation and abiotic stresses (heat, drought) do produce more polyamines, polyphenols, isothiocyanates, alkaloids, etc, but aren’t marketable. Given how many of the benefits from fruit/vegetable consumption arise from these compounds, the surprising truth is that the heat-wilted, insect bitten leaf may be the healthiest. It least that’s what I tell myself when my garden looks bad.Personally, I don’t buy the idea that xenohormesis is largely our taking advantage of protective plant compounds. These plant compounds are natural pesticides and in some cases carcinogens, and its our attempts to detoxify them that lead to our own hormetic response. Benefits of dietary restriction may be evolutionary adaptations that protected our ancestors from plant compounds in times of scarcity.Nice thought on this one Darryl. Still waiting on Facebook for an answer, but maybe you’re too busy.Speaking of organics . . . I just watched a powerful trailer for an upcoming film, Organic Rising. It is seeking our support via Indiegogo: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/organic-rising_b_5357620.html#es_share_endedWould Dr Greger go as far as supporting Dr McDougall’s associate Dr Alan Goldhamer’s fasting regime for dietary restriction? Is that a valid approach to improving health? That approach was interesting to me until I checked athlete and vegan enthusiast Durianrider’s statement on fasting. Basically, he argues that it might help us short term to lose weight but our body will eventually react once we stop the fast — by an immense compensatory appetite, in body response aiming to prepare us for the next fast (which it reads as becoming a new condition of everyday life). Better he says to “carb up” and just get your exercise to deal with weight issues.True North is the place you speak of in Santa Rosa California that Alan Goldhammer DC runs under the medical supervision of Michael Klapper, MD. I don’t know the absolute answer about having a voracious (rebound) appetite after water fasting but I do know that if people who are on the water fast eat too much too quick they will vomit it back up. The successful strategy of True North (TN) is not just fasting but also the education on healthy eating habits. Patients have daily lectures during their stay at TN by Dr. Klapper, Nutritionists, and one of the most talented psychologists in giving people insight to their “pleasure traps”, Doug Lisle, PhD. Water fasting can be done safely for up to 60 days at TN. I have had the pleasure of working with all these people and True North works very well at getting people to eat healthy, which means eating whole plant foods with no SOS (Salt, Oil, Sugar).Regarding D. Riders videos I have seen many of them and they are enjoyable and maybe he has a point, but True North is mostly about the education that comes along with the fasting; for that is the only strategy that will have lasting effects.The same education strategy is employed at Dr. McDougall’s live in programs but there is no fasting which is much easier for people to do.I am very blessed to work with John McDougall, MD every year at some of his immersions as a physician and I can say 100% everyone gets better when they switch to eating whole plant foods!– Their cholesterol comes down, their blood pressure drops, their blood sugar drops and they come off many of their medications in just 7 days.I remember right after residency shadowing Dr. McDougall and seeing the patients get better in only 7 days. I was truly blown away! They never taught that in Medical School or residency. In fact it really pissed me off that I didn’t get that education because after seeing the results so quickly at the immersion programs I felt the medical system was really a Sickness Care system not a true Health Care System. It became glaringly clear that the system was set up to keep people sick and on drugs, not get them better! Why? Without sick people doctors don’t make much money so getting patients well hurts doctors financially.It truly is amazing the power of plant based eating and the healing effects it has on the human body both physical and psychological! Everyday, I tell my patients about this information just as Dr. Greger does because that is our true duty as physicians–to be patient advocates, teachers (that is the original definition of Doctor) and healers as all physicians should be!Anyway, fasting can be good at certain times and has been done historically throughout all time, but learning healthy eating habits that are also sustainable is most important of all.I’ve been on this diet (strict) for almost a year and a half now and I feel very confident that it will make a major difference in my life for the long-run. I wish it were more common so I could enjoy it more with others. Anyway. I’m pretty sure it was T. Colin Campbell’s site that gave an estimate that the US could save 70-80% of our medical expenses as a nation by converting en mass to this diet.I hear your point about Goldhamer’s program… it’s all about changing deep habits and the fasting part is an add-on. But my uncertainly remains about the benefits of water fasting. The opposing view seems to suggest that we can get the same effects in the long run by simply switching to strict plant-based. The benefits of fasting sometimes seem to be too good to be true. He portray it like a panacea for many disorders, which echos the religious roots of fasting… But this is science (or life) so I guess we never really get a complete picture, which is quite difficult for those of us who are not scientists and only get snippets. Fortunately, we can have high confidence in the several doctors who recommend plant based.Tobias… have you considered directly asking those who have water fasted about their experience? If you don’t know anyone who has, feel free to Friend me on FB then send me a private message and I can connect you with several people who have first hand experience (3-4 wks of fasting, each at a different health center) and they can connect you with many more people. The folks I know were on strict plant based diets for some time prior to water fasting. https://www.facebook.com/deitra.jones.33?ref=tn_tnmnHi there, I just recently completed a 21 day fast at True North. And let me assure you, there is nothing new age or hokey about the medical benefits I experienced or witnessed. I’m a sugar addict. And it was getting worse. I was also put on BP meds, a year ago and could not get off. My meds were stopped after 4 days. We have weekly blood and urine tests, twice daily vitals. I re feeder for less then the ideal time but after I cam home, the inform you that it takes around the same amount of the fasting period to recover. And that is exactly what happened. I was weak, trying to figure out how to sustain diet on my own, dealing with the memories of the sugar addiction et all..but I am a committed. I WANT this lifestyle. I don’t want to be on meds at the ripe ol age of 45. I don’t want to be on meds ever for that matter. Fasting was not. Fun for me but the experience was remarkable. And the people! What great people. Gold hammer really is a freak of nature. I didn’t believe it till I met him and heard his commitment. I’m an aethiest. So there was nothing religious or spiritual about it for me. I just needed help. And I got it.Key question might be whether you come back with an intense hunger that lasts a long time to make up for this period of deprivation. The other key question is whether you could have achieved the same results via dietary change, following the plant-based diet, which could take much longer but have a similar benefit… minus the possible yo-yo outcome suggested above.I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to find actual doctors that know what the deal is. I’ve spent the past 3 years hopping from doctor to doctor, specialist to specialist, trying to figure out what is wrong with me. My body started slowly betraying me and has since just gotten worse and worse. All I keep being told is that it is all anxiety. I have to tell you, for anyone to take one look at me and think my only problem is anxiety is laughable. All I know is I wish I had stumbled upon this website long before I ever got sick. I am thankful that I am here now. I have learned more actual facts about health and nutrition in the last two weeks than I have in the ten years I’ve been reading about it. I went vegetarian two weeks ago…I didn’t think I could give up dairy. Well after what I learned yesterday I don’t feel like I am giving up anything. Gross! Anyhow, I know this is a little out of place, but I am so thankful for all of this and I know that I will be reaping the benefits of this knowledge real soon. Many thanks!Penny: Welcome to the club! I found cheese to be the hardest of the animal products to give up. But I’m not at all sorry that I did. Agreed – gross. Not to mention several other significant problems.It sounds like you are just getting started on your path to health. Congratulations. I hope you get to see some benefits sooner rather than later. Let us know how it goes and if you have any questions/want advice on recipes, etc.Dr. HemoDynamic: Thank you for this post. I read The Pleasure Trap some time ago and was intrigued by the information about fasting. Your personal take on it was *really* interesting. Thanks for taking the time to write all that out.I did a 30-day water fast in the 90s. I had been eating a strict vegan diet since the seventies and it was relatively easy to slip into the fast and out of it. I did it on Maui with the supervision of a bush doctor, but the advantage was that I used meditation daily for centering and a gravity-feed colonic machine often for cleanliness. I had a beneficial healing experience.This is the same John McDougall, MD who on his website claims that gluten grains are known to be a cause of mental illness.Actually, he has and continues to defend wheat as a great example of beneficial starch/carb. I’ve only seen him defend it.First of all I would like to see a link to the claims you state.Here is a position editorial from John McDougall, MD, from January 2014.http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jan/smoke.htmI know John McDougall well and as mbglife states in their comment have only seen him defend wheat as a beneficial starch as you should have read by now in his “Smoke and Mirrors” Newsletter.The only instance where Dr. McDougall looks at eliminating gluten is in extreme cases where people have tried everything else and nothing has worked. This is called an elimination diet and was made famous by Walter Kempner, MD at Duke university for trying to reverse hypertension and kidney disease. http://www.drmcdougall.com/2013/12/31/walter-kempner-md-founder-of-the-rice-diet/Her is a link to Dr. McDougalls newsletter in 2002 titled, “A Diet for the Desparate”http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/021200pudiet.htmIn rare cases removal of the opium like compounds created from the digestion of milk and wheat (Casomorphin and Wheat Exorphins) has shown improvement in these conditions. I stress, however, the word RARE! For most people eating a whole food plant based diet (including wheat) reverses their chronic diseases.Does McDougall or Lisle collect data over the course of these retreats, and is any of it accessible? I know that McDougall reports an average cholesterol and weight drop on his website, but you kind of get the impression that he works mostly on referral, endorsement, and testimonials.I read somewhere where people who dont have cancer have higher chance of dementia and people who dont have dementia have higher chance of getting cancer.think the goldern mean is best and everything in balance.Produce the source and I’ll give your position stronger consideration. I’d need to know the context of this single study, the related citations in the literature, and the variables that they controlled for in the correlation that you are claiming in support of your appeal to an unspecified mean.“…save their own green butts?!” hahahaha! Good one!Doc’s sense of humor is top-notch! He almost ALWAYS makes me giggle in each video!Off to give some pain to my green sprouts.Interesting concept that we can essentially piggy back off of plants stress reactions and gain the benefits for ourselves.I think Dr. Gregor is dismissing fasting too quickly. The 5-2 Fast Diet promoted by Dr. Michael Mosley is eminently doable for most people. I am taking tentative steps in that direction by restricting calories to 500 a day once a week (mostly because I’m already thin and don’t want to lose too much weight). It’s a lot easier than trying to restrict calories every day. Knowing that the day after my fasting day I can eat my normal diet again makes it relatively painless.If xenohormesis is good, would not autohormesis be better? That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I have thought about the findings in Dr. Campbell’s “The China Study” that the experience of the stress of deprivation and infectious disease of the study population of rural Chinese might be an alternative explanation of the benefits of the rural Chinese lifestyle. What do you think, Dr Greger?Interesting! Is it a theory or hypothesis though? I always get confused as I never know if people are using the generic everyday meaning of theory or the scientific meaning.Hello, I would like to take resveratrol supplement because I see all those anti-aging promises. But I’m naturally skeptical about stuff that is ”miracle in a bottle”.I know you are not a fan of supplements and you prefer getting the good stuff from plants and that’s why I ask this to you. So are resveratrol supplements harmful, harmless or helpful? And is there a plant equivalent to the supplement?Thank youExcellent, thanks for sharing. Personally (and professionally) I think there is MUCH more to hormesis, nutritional hormesis, xenohormesis than credit is given for. It has the potential to have great leverage on gene expression and epigenetics with small dosages theoretically helping to make longevity nutrition more affordable for more people. I have been getting good reduction is stressors by utilizing nutritional hormesis in my practice.Fairly new research indicating MUCH LOWER effective dosages for resveratrol!http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Researchers-tout-fundamental-new-mechanism-for-resveratrol-s-health-benefits/?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=07-Jan-2015&c=Qutwykv9477Xvab6nnntrwRyX2Ul%2Fc9oHere’s a better link: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature14028.htmlYou have inspired my entire book and workshop series on environmental eating, for us and earth! Thank you for the diligence, thus amazing work you do. Also for shining light on green life!Catherine Be: Since you are interested in environmental eating, you are probably already aware of the movie, Cowspiracy. But just in case you aren’t aware, it is a must see! This movie is the truth that was so inconvenient, Al Gore chose not to address it.“Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret is a groundbreaking feature-length environmental documentary following intrepid filmmaker Kip Andersen as he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today – and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it.Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution, is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry, and is a primary driver of rainforest destruction, species extinction, habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean “dead zones,” and virtually every other environmental ill. Yet it goes on, almost entirely unchallenged.As Andersen approaches leaders in the environmental movement, he increasingly uncovers what appears to be an intentional refusal to discuss the issue of animal agriculture, while industry whistleblowers and watchdogs warn him of the risks to his freedom and even his life if he dares to persist.As eye-opening as Blackfish and as inspiring as An Inconvenient Truth, this shocking yet humorous documentary reveals the absolutely devastating environmental impact large-scale factory farming has on our planet, and offers a path to global sustainability for a growing population.”http://www.cowspiracy.com/Diane Rehm, NPR interviewer, interviews Mark Mattson, Toren Finkel, and Leonard Guarente: The Latest In Anti-Aging Research: The Power Of The Toxins In Vegetables (note the PCRM chart).Darryl: GREAT interview! Thanks for this link.	antioxidants,caloric restriction,chronic diseases,curcumin,evolution,exercise,fruit,grapes,green tea,hormesis,inflammation,lifespan,liquid smoke,longevity,medications,oxidative stress,pain,phytonutrients,resveratrol,spices,stress,turmeric,vegetables,xenohormesis	A new concept in biology tries to explain why the consumption of certain natural compounds in plants may mimic the lifespan-enhancing benefits of caloric restriction.	If this subject interests you, make sure you see my last video, where I introduce the topic: Appropriating Plant Defenses.I previously introduced the concept of hormesis in my videos Enhanced Athletic Recovery Without Undermining Adaptation and Is Liquid Smoke Carcinogenic?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liquid-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/resveratrol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xenohormesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17063030,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21663754,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2504011,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21793832,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21173839,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20524162,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18162444,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2504011/,
PLAIN-2597	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/appropriating-plant-defenses/	Appropriating Plant Defenses	Plants live the ultimate sedentary lifestyle. Most of us usually think of plants more as objects than as organisms, but because plants can't move, they've had to evolve a whole other way to escape threats to their well-being. Plants can sense and respond dynamically to all sorts of stimuli: chemical concentrations in the air, soil, water, touch, motion, vibration, pathogens, predators, and of course light. And how do they respond? Biochemically. They manufacture, from scratch, a dizzying array of compounds to deal with specific threats.If we get too hot, we can move into the shade. But if plants get too hot, they're stuck—they are the shade! As a result, the complexity of the plant stress response humbles that of animals. Plants and their stress response have been evolving for almost a billion years. And in that time they've created a whole chemistry lab of protective substances, some of which can induce similarly protective responses in those that eat them.Why is it that the best grapes in terms of health benefit often result from relatively dry, sun-exposed, infertile soil? Similarly, drought-stressed strawberries have more antioxidants and phytonutrients. Indeed, commonly consumed foods like lettuce and fruits can be nutritionally enhanced by cold stress, light stress, water deficit, or nutrient deficit stress. Why is it that stressed plants are often the healthiest?We used to think it was just a matter of using the same tools to deal with the same problems. Studies suggest that plants and animals largely share the same molecular pathways in order to respond to stress, so it's conceivable that a molecule produced in plants can also be effective in people. Plants have DNA; humans have DNA. The UV rays in sunlight can damage the DNA in plants in the same way it can damage our DNA by creating free radicals. Plants figured out how to cook up all these complex antioxidants, and instead of reinventing the wheel, animals can just expropriate those antioxidants from plants and commandeer them for the same purpose.We get attacked by bacteria; plants get attacked by bacteria. So, for example, when this fungus doesn't like getting muscled in on by bacteria, it creates a molecule called penicillin. Provided free to us. What a nice guy, what a fungi! (*cough*).When plants get infected, they produce aspirin; which can come in handy when we get infected. Plants heal wounds; we heal wounds, using similar fatty-acid signaling systems. It is increasingly evident that plants and animals differ less than we thought in how we all respond, sharing elements of fatty acid, protein, steroidal, neurotransmitter, free radical, nitric oxide, and even plant growth hormone signaling systems. So in a sense, we're just opening up nature's drug store when we pull out the crisper in our fridge.	Fantastic comparison! You’re just a fun guy (fungi)! Allowing us to see Plants in a whole new light!.Dr Greger, can you talk about the new Soylent meal replacement (vegan version)? Is it safe? Can/should I use it? http://soylent.me/#/It’s trash! Literally the epitome of what Gregor says NOT to eat. It’s the opposite of “whole foods”. It’s nothing but processed ingredients all added together. It lacks the wealth of natural phytonutrients offered by the real foods. You’d probably be better off on a SAD diet.Well, that’s what I want him to tell me…. If it actually has everything we need (which the SAD doesn’t), is it doable?I agree with Brandon. It lacks thousands of antioxidants, flavanoids, phytonutrients, etc which are contained in whole plant foods. It is simply a distillation of 35 essential micronutrients together with a specific ratio of macronutrients. But it is not food. It is like taking multivitamins to replace a proper diet.llana, Dr Greger would not recommend drinking our nutrition but eating it. This is not new – reducing food to a supplement. What are you asking – doable for how long? Processed is never better that whole foods for so many reasons.For starters – Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition.What happens when you eat an apple? The answer is vastly more complex than you imagine.Every apple contains thousands of antioxidants whose names, beyond a few like vitamin C, are unfamiliar to us, and each of these powerful chemicals has the potential to play an important role in supporting our health. They impact thousands upon thousands of metabolic reactions inside the human body. But calculating the specific influence of each of these chemicals isn’t nearly sufficient to explain the effect of the apple as a whole. Because almost every chemical can affect every other chemical, there is an almost infinite number of possible biological consequences.And that’s just from an apple.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/t-colin-campbell/whole-book-excerpt-_b_3308560.htmlhttp://www.amazon.com/Whole-Rethinking-Nutrition-Colin-Campbell/dp/1937856240I dont think it’s fair to assume it’s bad just because you dont like the form it comes in.2 points:1. Though you may be missing out the “thousands of antioxidants whose names…are unfamiliar to us” you’re also not getting excess elements you don’t need or are downright bad for you. Depending on your diet Soylent could be a net gain.2. The production of this product may be more environmentally sustainable than traditional foods.I think what she was looking for was a nutritional analysis, not platitudes about the form the food comes in.Gabe: With all due respect, I don’t think you understand JacquieRN’s points. As I understand it, JacquieRN gave a nutritional analysis that went something like this: soylent is missing thousands of substances which are likely important to our health not just individually, but together in specified packages. That’s hardly a “platitude”, but a direct response that answers the question.At the same time, this site among other sources show that a whole plant food based diet is extremely healthy. So, worrying about, “…excess elements you don’t need or are downright bad for you,” on such a diet doesn’t make sense to me.That’s my take on it anyway.You can’t really say “with all due respect” and then say something irrefutably insulting.I do understand JacquieRN’s argument, but it appears from the tone and the wording that JacquieRN is responding to the product on a categorical level, rather than on the product itself. She says “Whole foods are better than processed foods” which is valid, but I think the original question is asking for a slightly more researched answer.Gabe: My sincere apologies that you took my comment as insulting. I never intended it that way and still do not.Then as advice please don’t tell strangers what they do or do not understand, but I forgive you :-)To clarify what I just said, by “Slightly more researched answer” I mean to look at the Soylent product before deciding it’s horrible.As advice, please don’t tell strangers that their detailed [within the scope of this medium] explanations of the whole foods concept, with a primary reference included, are platitudes. But I (really!) forgive you.How deep a look at the product are you suggesting? Are you envisioning a response along the lines of, “Hmm, the Vitamin B6 seems a bit low, and the selenium on the high side”? The product is obviously an instantiation of current RDAs/DRIs/DVs, which are mostly based on expert opinion rather than something like randomized controlled trials (which are often impossible in nutrition issues).My first exposure to Soylent was the New Yorker magazine article, and I then perused its web site. I sympathize with the cultural milieu from which it arose and am inclined to respect the integrity of its primary entrepreneur. But anyone intellectually persuaded by the arguments for a WFpb [letter cases deliberate] diet will see immediately that Soylent is dietarily as opposite as can be. It’s conceivable that Soylent would be an upgrade for someone coming from a Doritos-and-Coke diet, but inconceivable that Dr. Greger would recommend it. The first sentence of the “About” page for nutritionfacts.org is, “The typical nutrition facts packaging label shows consumers a miniscule fraction of the estimated 100,000+ biological active constituents of food.”Gabe,I asked llana in all clinical sincerity: “What are you asking – doable for how long?”. I can’t answer her question until I know that.I was responding on a categorically level – whole food is the best. This is a non-food, according to Soylent – its a incomplete food replacement. This isn’t really a novel concept/drink but seems the main difference between Soylent and drinks like Ensure and Muscle Milk lies in the marketing: the product—and the balance of nutrients—is aimed at cubicle workers craving efficiency rather than at men in the gym or the elderly.You obviously have a financial interest in peddling a glorified Instant Breakfast. Processed powders are not real food. Take it elsewhere…Watch the videos and learn rather than asking silly questions.It doesn’t have everything we need. The folks at Soylent are arrogant for even suggesting it does. Why? Because everything we actually need is not truly known. That is why it is important to get your nutrition from whole foods. Can you use this product? Sure. Should you? Probably not. There is still too much left to learn about all of the nutrients available in foods and how they interact with one another. Companies that produce these types of products are just preying on those searching for a magic bullet that will keep them from having to do work to maintain health. I want something like this to be the answer, believe me. We are just not there yet, and I don’t know if we ever really will be.Soylent is greatly inferior to a WFPB diet because while one can infuse it with the nutritive components that have been identified in the quantities that we believe to be appropriate, it does not contain the wealth of health promoting phytonutrients in the synergistic relations that are found in whole, real foods.The creator of Soylent has actually seen benefits from switching to it as his primary dietary regimen. This is not because Soylent is so good, but because his previous diet was so bad consisting of ramen, dollar menu hamburgers and pizza.Soylent Green is PEOPLE!I’ll pass.Ha! That’s what I was thinking! That was an interesting marketing decision on their part.I’m a vegan and love Dr. Greger’s videos but I’m not sure I totally get this one re. eating plants vs. animals. Wouldn’t other animals also produce important stress fighting compounds ? And if they were herbivores maybe they’d be processed in a way that was useful for secondary consumers. I assume that’s not the case but that wasn’t totally clear from this video.We’re already producing the “animal” stress response compounds, cause we are animals. We want the compounds from the parts of life we aren’t producing.Humans are herbivores so clearly we are designed to depend upon plants for our nutritional needs: http://humansareherbivores.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/hello-world/Certainly not herbivores but frugivores we are primates apes, we dont have several stomach or extremly long intestines, no cellulase enzyme etc~Frugivores are a type of herbivore.“A herbivore is an animal that obtains its energy and nutrients by feeding on plants. Different types of herbivores eat different plant parts. For example, folivores feed on leaves, frugivores feed on fruits, granivores feed on seeds, pollinivores feed on pollen, and nectarivores feed on nectar.”http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/171482/Humans eat several parts of plants; leaves, fruits, etc. But I think you are probably right that we should be classified frugivore… needing to get most of our sustenance from fruits, I do:)Yes, sorry im french and the word in french is the same but it mean more like a herbivore cow who feed on grass and leaves, no way we can eat like them~ Fruits are healthiest foods(raw of course, cooking is not natural neither optimal by definition, i eat cooked foods and i have no problem admiting it) of all and easiest to digest for our GI system, bonobos are closest to us; no debate on that~https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__tB0Ty0Dtc http://fr.scribd.com/doc/214396900/Science-Verifies-That-Humans-Are-Frugivores http://fr.scribd.com/doc/214396900/Science-Verifies-That-Humans-Are-Frugivores http://nsm08.casimages.com/img/2014/05/22/14052211493917279112259488.jpgThank you Julot!! Just posted it to my FB page.Np, im myself trying my best at a frugivore diet but not easy at all because it is so different but i eat a ton of fruit at least + some others things~That was funny at the end, “conclusive proof that we are frugivores.” It was the opinion of one researcher. Personally, I think humans are very well adapted to fruit, but we do better on a more varied diet, including things like beans, mushrooms, seeds/nuts in moderation and even whole grains. So I would not classify humans as frugivores. See the work of Harvard researcher, Richard Wrangham, how cooking made us human.I am very far from having any kind of authority on this, but here’s how I understood Dr. Greger’s point. Herbivores certainly do produce important stress fighting compounds, but not nearly as many as plants do. For one thing, our ability to move enables us to avoid certain stressors that plants can only stand against, so there’s one batch of chemical compounds we don’t need simply because we can walk away. And since we eat plants, we don’t need to produce any of the beneficial chemical compounds that they do. Any biological process that doesn’t help an organism survive long enough to reproduce successfully will not be selected for during a species’ evolution, and so that process tends to decay or disappear over time. So if we every did have the ability to make any of these chemical compounds, it has likely done just that: decayed or disappeared over evolutionary time. And so we now rely on plants for these crucial processes.I’m in awe of plants and the food we eat! Thank you, Dr Greger, for a wonderful video!I guess it’s also a good argument for eating local as well.Can you be more specific about what you mean?Indeed Dr Greger, you’re just like fungi. We neither can’t get enough of you nor can some get rid of you :).wonderful video, it made me think of the Maca plant, growing at 5000 mts over sea level in difficult environments, fantastic “adaptogenics”!How wonderfully we’re made, enjoyed this video of compare and contrast .love and learn from your video’s! question…What about organic goats milk?If you douse your burgers with a dark beer before cooking them on the barbeque, you get substantially fewer toxic carcinogens from high-heat searing (char) … how is that for plant defenses? (something you won’t hear here) … on the other hand, if you omit meat altogether you don’t have to worry about this! (although it may still come in handy for those who insist of cooking vegetables on the grill).	alternative medicine,antioxidants,aspirin,complementary medicine,DNA damage,evolution,fruit,grapes,hormones,lettuce,medications,nitric oxide,oxidative stress,penicillin,phytonutrients,protein,strawberries,stress,sunlight,vegetables,water,wound healing	Plants and animal share similar biochemical pathways and signaling systems, which may explain why so many phytonutrients are beneficial to our physiology.	The aspirin story is fascinating: Aspirin Levels in Plant FoodsThis whole co-evolution concept reminds me of Human Neurotransmitters In Plants and The Broccoli Receptor: Our First Line of Defense.More on the power of plants in Power Plants.We evolved eating a lot of plants: Paleolithic Lessons.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penicillin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunlight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wound-healing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17482504,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21708739,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17549234,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20524162,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23536805,
PLAIN-2598	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/	Tick Bites, Meat Allergies, and Chronic Urticaria	Tick-bite induced meat allergies are really unlike any other food allergy we know. The most interesting feature of the reactions may be that first symptoms can occur hours after eating meat. Normally if you have an allergic reaction to a bee sting or something, it happens within minutes. With this, you could have a piece of bacon for breakfast and your throat doesn't start closing off until the afternoon, and so you blame lunch, or doctors just call it “‘spontaneous’ or ‘idiopathic’ anaphylaxis." Ideopathic is just doctorspeak for we have no idea what the cause is.Delay is because the alpha-gal is thought to be absorbed along with the fat in meat, given that the allergic reaction occurring four to five hours after meat ingestion corresponds to the peak absorption time of fatty acids from the intestinal tract.And what makes it even more difficult to diagnose is that the majority of victims experience only occasional overt reactions, despite regular meat consumption. Fattier meats like pork rinds may provoke episodes more consistently and severely, but it's not like it happens every time.And it's on the rise. Ten years ago we didn't even know this thing exists, but now in tick-ridden states, as many as 20% of the population have these anti-meat allergic antibodies, and more and more people are coming in affected, though probably no more than 10% who test positive go on to experience hives or serious allergic reaction to meat.We're also seeing it more and more in kids, researchers in Virginia finding it not uncommon, though identification of these cases may be straightforward. Unlike in adults, who frequently present with systemic reactions, the majority of children with this syndrome present with just skin manifestations, such as hives. Doesn't mean it's not serious. In fact, nearly half the kids ended up in the ER, and about 1 in 12 needed to be hospitalized.Up to a quarter of the population breaks out in hives at some time in their lives, but some children can be affected for weeks or months. And it can be triggered by infections, foods, drugs, parasites, or autoimmune, but in a large subset of cases we don't know what the trigger is, and so, call it chronic idiopathic urticaria. It's a common thing pediatricians see, and the only cure is avoiding and eliminating whatever's triggering it, but in three-quarters of cases we have no clue.But now we know that many children who had been diagnosed with mysterious hives or allergic reactions, and may have been specifically told that the reactions were not a result of a food allergy, may have actually been suffering from alpha-gal meat allergies. Given the serious nature of the reactions and the rising frequency of allergic swelling and hives across all age groups, this underscores the importance of identifying what's going on, and clearly physicians should keep this new diagnosis in mind.Allergies to red meat might be more common than previously thought. 2% would means millions of people, but just to put this in context, Americans are much more likely to suffer an anaphylactic reaction due to seafood, tick bite or not, no matter where they live. A national survey of emergency rooms found shellfish was by far the most frequently implicated food, and unlike many other allergies, kids don't tend to outgrow fish and shellfish allergies.And many fish allergies are actually allergies not to the fish, but to worms in the fish, like anisakis. Exposure to these parasites, living or dead in fish is a widespread problem. In fact, you can even have an allergic reaction to the parasitic fish worm eating chickens that were fed on fishmeal. This is one of the ways someone who's allergic to fish could get triggered by chicken. Reminds me of pork-cat syndrome where your mouth can get all itchy eating bacon in people with cat allergies, because of an allergic cross-reaction between catskin and pig blood proteins.Anisakis worms are found particularly in cod, anchovies, and squid, and can also cause chronic hives and intractable chronic itching.Because of these worms, researchers recommend people stop eating seafood sushi altogether because besides inducing allergenic reactions, the worms may cause a leaky gut syndrome, which often is unrecognized and it can predispose to other, more important pathologies than just being itchy all over.	I drink water out of commercial water bottles – Evian, Fiji, etc. While these plastic water bottles do not contain BPA, is there any harm due to leaching of the plastic materials in these supposedly “safe” plastics? I know of the environmental harm, but I have am asking here specifically if there is any harm or record of ingested plastic chemicals that leach even from the top-brand spring and mineral water company’s containers. Thanks.I found this article helpful.http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/tritan-certichem-eastman-bpa-free-plastic-safeI just read the article. It is an excellent bit of investigative journalism. It clearly outlines how bad corporate actors pay for confounding junk research to obscure the risk of their products, and then armed with it, litigate to silence their critics. Amazing, the new BPA free plasics such as Tritan are more estrogenic than the ones containing BPA’s and the manufacturers have known it all along. What really sucks is that Whole Foods has replaced there bulk bins with new Tritan plastic.Veganrunner: This is completely off topic, but I couldn’t help myself. I just had to share this with you as soon as I saw it. This is from an article that I saw on the Meatout Monday e-mail. Sorry if you already saw this. *******************************Record Setting, 92 Yr Old Vegan RunnerMike Fremont has been vegan for over 20 years, and has been setting single age marathon running records just as long.“At age 88 [Mike] ran a 6H5M53S marathon in Cincinnati Ohio and at age 90 ran a 6H35M47S marathon in Huntington West Virginia. [He] also set a single age world record for 90 years old in the half marathon in Morrow Ohio in August 2012,” said Veg World Magazine.According to an interview with Veg World Magazine, Fremont credits his vegan lifestyle for his continued record setting runs, at his age.We love seeing vegans making positive media waves, and what better way to showcase the health benefits of plant-powered living than Mike’s awesome running career. Here’s to you Mike, and vegan athletes of all ages!Hi Thea,I missed that. Thanks for posting. I am telling you–exercise is the fountain of youth! 90—amazing. Plant strong!!!I have read that plastic’s micro structural irregularities are hospitable environments for bacteria. That is why wooden cutting board are preferably to plastic ones. Dr. Greger did a video comparing bottled water to tap where bacterial of bottled water was a reason to prefer tap: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/But I would think that if one were to be conservative, one would do one’s best to avoid ingesting any modern molecule or food packaged in some. BPA were discovered to have estrogenic properties, but that was after the fact of their widespread use. Who knows what else lurks in your Fiji Water bottle.The last few paragraphs of today’s video/transcript really got me thinking…..how about parasites/worms on uncooked and or not-properly washed veggies and fruits? I’ve read that veggie and fruits can and do in fact contribute to parasitic infections. In some areas of the world it has been known to actually be common. Do the “plant-based” parasites contribute to problems highlighted in today’s video?No meat, fish, dairy, vegetables, fungus or fruit because of possible problematic parasitic pollutants? Perhaps, one should consider becoming a breatharian.Not possible.But the possibility of similar parasitic consequences via fruits and veggies makes me wonder if this is just part of nature. We are all connected in ways we sometimes wish we weren’t. Not that we have to fully submit to this sort of stuff on a daily basis, but to some degree it may be inevitable.I was joking. I suppose one needs to add the little blinky smiley face now a days to make it explicitly clear… ;-)One would suppose that any parasite that effect flora would not have the same impact on humans as those found on fauna. Just as one see auto immune reaction to animal proteins but not to plant proteins, one could surmise that plant parasites would have different effects on human because we are so foreign to the plant parasite’s biology and its life-cycle requirements, research to the contrary not withstanding.Of course, it is recommended that you include a whole classification of plant parasites into your diet. They are called mushrooms.Yes, I knew you were joking. Although breathing seems like such a joy, if that’s all we needed to do.As far as parasitic effect derived from fruit and veggies, it is actually a big deal and causes a great deal of human distress worldwide. No joke. This is well known and established, to my knowledge, in the parasitology community.Dr’s Note; 3’rd paragraph; left out the word “be”. Please delete this comment.?????Looking forward to the doctors’ lecture next month on the VSH web site. Also, hoping he does the next “year in review” soon. Three days a week I wake up and, first thing, check my computer for the newest video and, sometimes, article on NF. Thank you all for the information/education that you provide.I have been allergic to mammal meat including beef, pork, venison, and lamb for about 10 years. I would break out into intense itchy hives over much of my body and it would last about 2 hours. I did not get this reaction every time I ate meat and had no clue what was causing the hives. I always carried (and still do) Benadryl with me and by taking 4 pills at the onset of symptoms the hives would go away before getting bad. In 2009 because of high cholesterol I started a whole food/plant based diet. During the first few months of that diet I would occasionally eat mammal meat. EACH time I got hives. There was no more guessing then. I of course stay away from it completely. Interestingly, if I eat a soup, like borsch, that is cooked in beef broth, it does not bother me. I simply pick out the hunks of meat and have no problem.When I started my vegan diet I lost 40 pounds in 3 months with no increase in exercise. My cholesterol dropped 50 points and my knees stopped hurting (I’m 65). Still going strong with the diet and medication free for over 4 years. Thank you Dr Greger for your videos and updates.Warren: Thank you for sharing your story. Wow. I’m so glad you got the allergy figured out. And then got all those other side benefits. That’s my favorite part of people going whole food plant based. Congratulations.I just want to share my experience that may be related to this video. I hope to see feedback and others’ experience too: I once caught some insect bites after coming back from a forest field trip. Till now I still do not know if it was caught from the forest or the motel bed I lodged. I felt extreme itch with things-crawling sensation, and tried to shower many times. It was nearly a week before red marks started to get serious and i saw a general practitioner, who diagnosed scabies, later I followed through a one-week lotion treatment. The thing is after that i kept having recurrent hives while the red bite marks not yet healed with persist itch, i had thought the hives was triggered because of the scabies mite bites. The on-and-off hives went on for more months, which within I had seen different doctors and even the skin specialist. Because the time since it first occurred had been quite long, the doctors were unable to link the events together. None of them had talked about the possibility of an insect bite triggered allergies to food. Instead i was given antihistamine for my hives and reassurance that ‘ you might had scabies but don’t have it now, you could treat your itch by not scratching and use some lotion, recurrent hives might be due to stress’. Sometime in between after nearly one year when i had gone home for end of year holiday (i was in uni) my family started to notice my hives being triggered after dinner, and the rash would be most serious during dawn, with gradual calm-down after noon when the day gets humid and warmer. So we started to pay attention to what I ate. Once i had prawns and my hives were triggered almost immediately, with my lips swell up.Eventually i cut out all meat, and after nearly one half year, I am now back to my usual diet. My thought on this is: i wish someone point me to this video earlier, and that if my diagnosis of the scabies is in fact true, it might be an example how not only tick, but other insect bites could cause the same problem.Craziest thing just happened. I have a pt who came to see me and we got her on a vegan diet and her symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and sweating stopped. She stopped eating meat but had already stopped all dairy before I met her. We found out that she was positive for Lymes disease so we got her to a specialist for follow up and this was in the note: see text below 8 8Cool beans indeed!Hello! I just read this article http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/this-guy-has-eaten-nothing-but-raw-meat-for-five-years and could not believe. There is any scientific background to support this? It so crazy! P.S: Im a vegan, just would like to know your thoughts on this case.Interesting because we had this on Australian TV recently. They say the issue is how people are removing ticks. “Well, you should go to the chemist and buy a spray containing ether. So something like Wart Off, or Medi Freeze Skin Tag Remover. Place the nozzle conveniently over the tick and spray. Feels cold – freeze the tick, and wait about ten minutes for the tick to die. Once it’s dead, you can just brush it off.” http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4177191.htm	allergies,alpha-gal,anchovies,anisakis,autoimmune diseases,bacon,cats,chicken,children,fat,fish,hives,insects,leaky gut theory,meat,medications,parasites,pork,pork rinds,poultry,red meat,seafood,skin health,sushi,tick bites,turkey,urticaria	The rising incidence of tick-bite induced meat allergies may account for cases of previously unexplained (“idiopathic”) persistent hives among children.	What is this alpha gal stuff? Make sure you see the “backgrounder” video Alpha Gal and the Lone Star Tick.I previously covered anisakis in Allergenic Fish Worms and other allergenic parasite reactions in Chronic Headaches and Pork Tapeworms.The worms might not the only thing increasing allergies in fish. See:A few weeks ago I did a 4-part series on allergies if anyone’s interested:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anchovies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork-rinds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leaky-gut-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alpha-gal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tick-bites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anisakis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23546182,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23095317,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16889284,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23352634,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23394925,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9105522,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22697012,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3340561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16213925,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23158625,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23054628,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21453959,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22554093,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22697019,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20367330,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400801,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21967048,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23569097,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18622198,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18206508,
PLAIN-2599	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alpha-gal-and-the-lone-star-tick/	Alpha Gal and the Lone Star Tick	In the beginning, Aristotle defined two forms of life on planet Earth: plants and animals. 2000 years later, the light microscope was invented and we discovered tiny, one-celled organisms like amoebas. Then the electron microscope was invented and we discovered bacteria. Finally, in 1969 biologists recognized fungi as a separate category and we've had at least five kingdoms of life ever since.In my video, Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk, I talk about the potential downsides of consuming proteins from within our own kingdom, because of the impact our fellow animal proteins can have on boosting our liver's production of a cancer-promoting hormone called IGF-1.In Eating Outside Our Kingdom, I talked about other potential advantages of preferably dipping into the plant and mushroom kingdoms for dinner, not only from a food safety perspective—we're more likely to get infected by animal pathogens than Dutch Elm Disease, but because of the potential for cross-reactivity between animal and human proteins. Our immune system is more likely to get confused between this and this, rather than this and that, and so there may be less potential to trigger an autoimmune reaction, like the degenerative brain diseases I talked about. Same concept with animal proteins triggering inflammatory arthritis. In attacking some foreign animal meat protein, some of our own similarly composed tissues may get caught in the crossfire.And it's not just proteins. If you remember the Neu5Gc story, there's this sialic acid in other animals that may cause inflammation in our arteries and help breast tumors and other human cancers to grow.Well now a new twist has been added to the story. The reason NeuGc triggers inflammation is because humans lost the ability to make it two million years ago, and so when our body is exposed to it through animal products, it's treated as a foreign molecule. Well there's another oligosaccharide called alpha-gal that we, chimps, and apes lost the ability to make 20 million years ago, but is still made by a variety of animals, including many animals we eat.Alpha-gal antibodies may be involved in a number of detrimental processes that may result in allergic, autoimmune and “autoimmune like” diseases, such as auto-immune thyroid disorders. You see higher levels in Crohn’s disease victims; they react against about half of human breast tumors and you can even find antibodies to this stuff in atherosclerotic plaques in people's necks, but those are all mostly speculative risks. We do know alpha-gal is a major obstacle to transplanting pig organs into people, like kidneys, because our bodies reject alpha-gal as foreign. It's considered the major target for human anti-pig antibodies.It's interesting if you look at those that abstain from pork for whatever reason, they have fewer swine-specific white cells in their bloodstream, speculating that oral intake of pork could ferry swine molecules into the bloodstream via gut-infiltrating lymphocytes to prime the immune response.So you can certainly have an allergic reaction to eating the kidneys too, but such severe meat allergies were considered rare, until an unusual report surfaced. First described in 2009, the report included details on 24 cases of meat allergies triggered by tick bites. Within a year, it was obvious that the cases should be counted in hundreds rather than dozens. By 2012, it was clear that there are thousands of cases across a large area of the southern and eastern U.S., and now present in several countries around the world.The lone star tick, so-called because females have a white spot on their back. They're famous for causing Masters' disease, a lyme-disease like syndrome, also known as STARI, Southern tick associated rash illness. But thanks to the lone star tick steadily expanding its range, it's not necessarily just so Southern any more.Ok, but what is the relevance of tick bites to the production of anti-meat allergy antibodies to alpha-gal? Good question. What we know is you get bit by one of these ticks, and you can develop an allergy to meat. This appears to be the first example of a response to an external parasite giving rise to an important form of food allergy, either because there's something in the tick saliva that's cross-reacting with the alpha-gal, or because the tick is like injecting you with animal allergens from its last meal.	There is a typo in the transcript : “The reason NeuGc triggers inflammation is because humans lost the ability to make it two million years agE” age instead of ago.Thanks Adrien, I just fixed it!If you really want to reach more people it would be good to have a second voice on here presenting data that isn’t so strongly anti meat. a more balanced website would have more reach.i’d like to see what is the best meat? what is the best (animal) milk?this website has worked well in making mine and my family’s lives far healthier but a balanced view for those attempting to change may be more useful than preaching to the choir.your voice is a trusted one with lots of logic. the people you want to save the most will be the most resistant to change – give them some baby steps.Ive watched all your videos. from a general perception on your presentations i no longer eat meat and eggs but still enjoy an organic beef steak once in a while. is this the best idea? i have no idea.typo. I no longer eat chicken“not in the choir”: I appreciate your post in that I think it is an understandable and respectfully submitted opinion even if I disagree with it.You may be interested to know that there *is* a video on this site covering the healthiest meat. And there is even a video on how to reduce cancer risk for meat eaters. So, in my opinion, it is not fair to say that Dr. Greger leaves meat eaters “out to dry” or is unbalanced. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/I don’t consider it a bad thing that Dr. Greger is also honest about what meat consumption does to your risks – even low meat eating: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/Balance is a false concept when it comes to health. To me, your request would be like saying on another site, “You should really give a ballanced view of eating sugar. You are being too biased talking about the problems with sugar. You are not going to reach as many people that way.” If I went to a site to learn about sugar, I would want to know the expert’s honest opinion. I would not want it sugar (ha, ha) coated. After absorbing the honest information about sugar, it would be up to me to decide what to do with that information. Personally, I understand that sugar is bad for me. I still eat it, but I limit how much I eat. (FYI: I think the evidence against meat, dairy and eggs show those products to be way than sugar health-wise, not mention unethical, and so I chose to simply remove them from my diet rather than try to limit them.)The same is true on this site. Dr. Greger can’t tell you what the healthiest dairy is if he doesn’t believe it is healthy. Period. My take is: This site is not a popularity contest. It is a place to learn the truth (at least one person’s truth – shared by many) about nutrition. Then, as you have already chosen, you can decide which pieces of advice you will follow and which ones you will ignore. At least you will be educated on the topic and know what you are doing / knowingly take on the risks.I like your idea of baby steps. Cold turkey (ha, ha again) just doesn’t work for everyone. Sometimes ‘baby steps’ is exactly what people need. But, again, it is not up to Dr. Greger to change his health message. Instead, I hope that people who are looking for baby steps will ask those kinds of questions and people like me and other (better) comments on this site will provide useful suggestions.It sounds like you yourself have made a series of baby steps that are likely to add to you and your family’s health. That’s very cool. You are on a path. Hopefully you are not stuck. Hopefully you will be able to continue down the path of good health. I’m glad you visit this site. I hope this site continues to help you, and I wish you all the best health in future.I guess over the last four years, I, too, have taken baby steps to being Vegan. First I eliminated meat and then over time, I stopped eating eggs, and greatly reduced dairy in my diet. I am in the last phase now of eliminating foods that have traces of dairy in them, such as chocolates and coffee creamers. I now buy the So Delicious coconut milk creamer as well as Silk soy creamer. Just like you, I limit sugar for prudence sake, but from an ethical point view, meat, dairy and eggs are a complete no no, even though I haven’t completely gotten there, but I have improved a lot. Writing down everything I eat everyday does help in that it makes me think about everything I put in my mouth. I lost a lot of weight before I became plant based by exercise and writing down what I eat, but after becoming plant based, I lost even more weight. I still place a high priority on exercise as well- I commute to work by bicycle. It is important to be plant based, but also to do it correctly. Some ex “vegans” say this diet created so and so deficiency, but that is their fault that they didn’t make sure they got these vitamins from the beginning. I have been drinking fortified Soymilk from the beginning to get enough B12 and calcium. I now also eat Red Star nutritional yeast to add even more B12, as well as the other B vitamins. I eat greens every single day, as well as ground flaxseeds and lots of nuts as well. I think I get enough vitamin D from being out in the sun bicycling, but I should get a test.Daniel: Thanks for sharing your story! I really enjoyed reading it. I’m more like you than the cold-turkey-ers. I admire people who can completely change their diet in a day, but I’m not one of them.You sound like you are totally on the right path to me. I find that every time I feel that I have hit a plateau, I am able to make another small change to my diet that helps me be healthier. As far as I’ve come, I still have a long way way to go (in my book). I just keep with the “yet” method and find it does well for me. Instead of saying, “I don’t like leafy greens and will never eat enough of them.” I try to remember to say, “I don’t like leafy greens YET. I don’t eat enough of them YET. But I will keep trying and keep an eye out for ways that will help me move in that direction.” I find that by keeping an open mind like that, I am often able to take the next baby step — surprising myself, because I didn’t really think I would ever really do it.Best of luck to you!Thanks, Thea. One thing you might try for the sake of greens is finding the right seasoning. I am from Indiana, but now live in Atlanta and one thing Southerners know how to do is to season greens to make them taste good. Of course, the fatback is a big no no, but what I have found makes greens taste good is balsamic vinegar. I eat raw turnip greens, along with a beet slice, a carrot and one half of a small tomato. I put a little nutritional yeast, turmeric, curry powder and the balsamic vinegar and blend them all up. I find I like the taste of it. The one green I don’t have too much of a taste for is Kale, mainly because it is so bitter. But I don’t think Turnip Greens have any less nutritional value. Also, getting rid of animal products to me is more inspired by the enormous cruelty involved and does not depend on it being unhealthy, even though I do think it is unhealthy. Even if they proved there was a health value to eating animal products, I am still not going to eat them, mainly because of the horrible images I have seen of animal mistreatment on factory farms. Thanks again, and good luck.Daniel: Thanks for the tips! I invested in some really good balsalmic vingear (aged 18 years), but haven’t tried it with your seasoning idea. I’m definitely going to give it a try!I would be curious if you found the taste to be good in this. Balsamic vinegar is delicious and it seemed that once I discovered it, the price went up! I discovered it going to salad bar restaurants. Turmeric also has a nice taste, and Dr Greger also recommends it for the health value. I actually saw real turmeric roots at the farmer’s market here. I haven’t tried them yet, I mainly use the powdered form. You might also add a few walnuts (or other nuts), in order to increase absorption of the carotenoids. Mustard greens could be tried, as they are actually very spicy in taste, and not bitter. If you respond to this, I would know, because I would be emailed to know if there was a response.Daniel: The good news is that I gave it a try. And also good news is that I didn’t hate it. But I also have to report that I didn’t love it either. :-(But I really appreciate the suggestion! I just need to keep trying. I think that every time I try something like this, my tastes change a bit more.Thanks.I guess that is progress. I am working on adjusting my taste buds to the completely non dairy coffee creamers. Good luck!Funny, baby steps never seems to work for me. I changed my diet overnight a few times. First to Atkins. Then to pesco-lacto-vegetarianism. Then to veganism. These aren’t really baby steps. I simply decided at some point to stop eating all animal products.Because I am about to begin a more intensive exercise regimen with a personal trainer, I will have to add more protein and calories. Likely beans and nuts. Grain is great, but with my history of metabolic syndrome, I am trying to keep my intake to more modest levels for grain.It is funny that baby steps works for some people and dramatic lifestyle change works for others. When we have people who are admitted to our hospital for a heart attack who have smoked all their lives, sometimes it is a really teachable moment for them, and they literally quit smoking on the spot, never to start again, despite decades of daily tobacco consumption. I think people need to be scared to change their diets. The three things people fear are loss of their loved ones, loss of their health, and loss of financial security (getting hit in their pocketbook).Here is a great video why baby steps in terms of environmental impact and diet are not the way to go. Via McDougall seminar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fws0f9s4Bas&feature=youtu.beToxins: I haven’t had a chance to watch the video, but I wanted to comment about the general topic sooner rather than later:If it is a choice between baby steps and no steps (status quo without any change), as was the case with me and many others, I have a hard time believing that anyone would argue that baby steps is not the way to go in some cases. I guess I’ll have to watch the video… :-)The video is great, and very compelling. I hope you find the time to watch it.Toxins: I finally got a chance to watch this video. I completely agree that is is a *great* video. I have long internalized this information and completely agree with everything the speaker says. Except.Except that the reality is that we live in a world where the vast majority of people Just Don’t Get It. When surrounded by family, friends, doctors, government agencies, media, and our own long history all telling us to do unhealthy things (unhealthy for our current selves and the planet and the survival of humanity), it can be extremely difficult for some people (like myself) to change dramatically from one day to the next. If, in that context, it takes someone say 6 to 12 months to make a change, that’s pretty darn good in my opinion. (Took me about 6-7 months to wean myself off dairy and eggs.)Perhaps one of the issues here is really our understanding of “baby steps”. As the speaker defines them, I agree that “baby steps” is just not going to work. If Meetout Monday were the sole level of (type of) change people are able to make for the foreseeable future, we are doomed. But if “baby steps” means more what I am thinking, in terms of a concerted effort that takes someone from SAD to WFPB in a few months to a year, I think that is reasonable and the best of what you can expect with some types of people.If I were the ruler of the world, I would force a massive world-wide phase out of human consumption of meat, dairy and eggs. In that context, everyone would be working to make that happen. And in that context, the idea of “baby steps” would not be necessary – because even people like me would find it easy to make such a change in that context. But given where the world is right now, I just don’t think we can expect everyone to be able to drastically change their diet from one day to the next.That’s just my current thinking/response to the video and this discussion. I greatly appreciate you bringing this video to my attention! I will definitely be sharing it with other people and I think it is a great high-level summary of one of the most important issues of our time.DGH: Thanks for your comments. I totally agree with you concerning, “It is funny that…” It really is funny. While I admire people who work the way you do, I personally just do not seem to work that way.I also appreciate your comment about “teachable moment”. Those kinds of life events really can make a difference for people. (For those who survive and wish to avoid future events…)Thanks again for piping in. Good luck with your new exercise routine! Sounds awesome.Well, he’s doing more than preaching to the choir for those of us who are Vegan. I appreciated being scientifically educated so that I may teach others as well.You might not be in the choir, but it sounds like you are in the congregation. I sympathize with your point of view to a certain extent, but there are some difficulties with pursuing the second voice. Can you think of someone who would present that view? It is a pretty polarized discussion paleo vs vegan. The science on both sides is a bit cherry picked. One of the problems is that if you ask most people they will tell you that they have a good diet. Reading comments section in NYTimes on a Mark Bittman article one sees moderation being stressed as the most important factor in dietary judgement. Clearly with all the health problems in this country I think that moderate needs to be reset much further in the direction of whole plant foods. I haven’t seen much science to convince me that at best animal products should play more than a tiny part of anyone’s diet. I continue to thank and support Dr. Greger and his team for their work.So you’re basically asking the Dr. to give you a reason to eat animal products. But the truth is that you shouldn’t. “Baby steps” are not what he’s going for. There is no better meat. No not even grass fed organic. There is no better milk. He not here to baby people, he’s doing this to provide facts. It’s science not therapy.There are no studies that show that animal products increase lifespan and reduce chronic disease risk, they do the opposite as the abundance of evidence shows. Dr. Greger is not creating these studies, he’s drawing them from journals and showing them. The whole point of NF is to show people the evidence to prevent chronic disease and increase the quality of their health. Dr. Greger constantly brings about counter evidence, or evidence of the old paradigm, and shows how it is flawed in a very key way. 2 of the best examples of this are the BOLD study and how the renal acid load of meat does not affect bone health. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/FYI – Broken Link:Your link to the video “Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk” in the “Doctor’s Note” needs to be revised from:nutritionfacts.org:video:higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risktohttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/Thanks Jonathan! I just fixed it.Interesting fact: we have more circulating antibodies against alpha-Gal and Neu5gc conjugated proteins (20 μg/mL) than we have against A/B blood types (10 μg/mL).Do even vegans have a similar concentrations of these two compounds? I would assume than long term vegans would have little to no alpha gal since it would have been a long time since they last ate pork.Antibody concentrations in vegans are little studied. One study of gluten-free vegan diets in rheumatoid arthritis patients found ~35% reduction in antibodies against β-lactoglobulin (from dairy), and 30 to 65% reduction in antibodies against gliadin (from wheat). So perhaps vegans have fewer of the anti-α galactose and anti-Neu5Gc antibodies as well.Well, that’s a fascinating statistic.I admit almost total ignorance of glycobiology (and immunology, for that matter), but I do find it fascinating that what we are talking about here is sugar molecules, chains thereof, and their linkages to protein molecules. In particular, here’s alpha-Gal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose and here’s Neu5Gc: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N-Glycolylneuraminic_acidFor a crisp, yet approachable, introduction to chemical glycobiology, here’s a two-part lecture by Carolyn Bertozzi, a leading expert in this field. In particular, she describes the notion of blood types in relation to the chains of sugar molecules (glycans) that are attached to our red blood cells, and of the work being done to image glycans in real-time and for what purposes. Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCbg-kOY_8E Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g17QmtZOyWcJust saw the two lectures, just damn interesting ! The only catch for me was when she explain how to stop white blood cell from the bloodstream to reach tissus with anti-inflammatory drugs, to stop inflammation (Part 1 at 36:58). But wait, that is a normal and healthy process we evolved to protect us ! The reason why this procress is going out of control is because of pro-inflamatory factors from our environnment, not the lack of anti-inflammatory drugs, Am I right ?Hi Adrien,What I understand Ms. Bertozzi saying is that it is normal for leukocytes to stick to the inside of the blood vessels within lymph nodes, but when this happens inside our blood vessels, it is among the first stages of atherosclerotic plaque formation, which is abnormal. Perhaps you have seen Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn present his iconic lecture on making oneself ‘heart attack proof,” by eating a low-fat WFPB diet? When he says, “Things get sticky,” what he is talking about is endothelial cell activation (bad) that begins the process of athersclerosis. Honestly, I thought about this simple phrase for weeks and really wanted to understand what was going on here. I studied the literature (as a layman and student of this material), and I attach links to papers that dig in deep (pardon the pun) and have satisfied my curiosity that I now understand what ‘sticky’ means. Also, I’ll post a link to Dr. Esselstyn’s lecture to which I refer. Have a great day! http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/108/16/1917.full.pdf+htmlhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3209544/pdf/ecc16077.pdfhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6pLRdawBw0Thank you Lawrence! I can only guess that this process is also involved in atherosclerosis but I’m not sure that was Ms Bertozzi point. She talk about leucocytes doing damage once they reach the tissus, in auto-imune/inflamatory disease. Thanks any way for your links, I guess a good reminder can’t be bad.So do you have to be bitten by the tick in order to have this reaction to meat? Could some people with autoimmune diseases have this problem without the bite?This is a stretch, I know, but could this somehow explain why my thyroid medication dose has been cut in half since going vegan? (Autoimmune disease)I must say that by the title of this I thought it was going to be a cartoon of a superhero (Alpha Gal), and a cowboy (Lone Star Tick) :).NO VEGETABLEs DURING RADIATION! ? A very close 75 yr old friend long of SAD diet was told by his oncologist that while receiving 30 days of radiation for his stage 7 prostate cancer, that he should avoid vegetables so as not to have any diarrhea of which he had a bit at the beginning of treatment. Apparently diarrhea is common with this treatment. Dr. Gregger, is this a good idea given the circumstances? The pt is a doctor, and trusts his UCSF oncologist. Since some fruit is OK, we are making pink juice and black bean brownies for him. Is there not another way to ward off diarrhea? We had planned to regale him with green smoothies, but…Is it only to prevent diarrhea or is it because anti-oxydant can interfere with the treatment ? I think Dr Greger said that this wasn’t true, but I can’t find the video, anybody ? I think you’ll be more efficient if you email Dr Greger directly. He used to answers every question here, but that wasn’t long before the website grew huge!Thank you, Adrien for looking and for responding. It is wonderful to be part of this community! How do I email Dr. Greger directly? I would be happy to pay him. He must be so overwhelmed. If I could find something in peer-review print, my dear friend, a psychiatrist married to a super-famous immunologist might pay more attention.Track down his comment in the comment section of this video, you’ll find what you need :) http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/I think you should share this video with your friends, it’s about prostate cancer, it’s convincing and you can find the source cited at the bottom of the video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/I hope it might help.Hi Gayle,Your friend is fortunate to have a supportive and well-meaning friend in you. My ‘gut’ tells me that soothing foods like oatmeal, rice pudding, pearled barley porridge, mashed potatoes, refined pasta and so forth with a balance of soluble fiber and water would be helpful to stabilize stool consistency and make going #2 a #1 experience. Here’s some more ideas: http://www.oncologynutrition.org/erfc/eating-well-when-unwell/tips-for-managing-diarrhea-after-radiation-therapy-for-rectal-cancer/I also think that to go from SAD to green smoothies might be too disruptive to the gut microbiome and may make things worse despite your best intentions to the contrary: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24336217My best wishes to you and yours.Thank you, very much, Lawrence. Finding the links is very kind of you.Hi, I have a question about what the best diet is when you’ve been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s? There seems to be a lot of conflicting information, particularly around iodine? I’ve been prescribed thyroxin for the rest of my life and would like to see if changing my diet could help to manage it – either to reduce my dosage or get off it completely.	allergies,alpha-gal,animal products,animal protein,arthritis,autoimmune diseases,brain disease,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,Crohn's disease,evolution,farm animals,hormones,IGF-1,immune function,inflammation,insects,kidney disease,kidney health,kingdom,liver disease,liver health,lyme disease,meat,mushrooms,Neu5Gc,parasites,plant protein,pork,protein,saliva,STARI,thyroid disease,thyroid health,tick bites	Our immune response against a foreign molecule present in animal products may play a role in some allergic, autoimmune, and inflammatory disorders. This reaction is thought to underlie tick bite triggered meat allergies.	Here’s some videos unearthing the IGF-1 story:I wonder if alpha gal is playing a role in the improvements in arthritis and Crohn’s on plant-based diets: Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease and Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis.In my next video, Tick Bites, Meat Allergies, and Chronic Urticaria, I explore the role these tick-bite induced allergies may play in the development of chronic hives and other allergic skin reactions in children.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lyme-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saliva/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stari/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alpha-gal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tick-bites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crohns-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-selection-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7513518,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8027563,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22494361,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19243561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23578170,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6491603,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23054628,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21453959,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20130162,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19017806,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19945916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22172880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18452807,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21940418,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2354167,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16442559,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9076519,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19413526,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8996545,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10679122,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20031610,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19070355,
PLAIN-2600	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/	Eggs and Arterial Function	In reaction to the study that found a similar exponential increase in artery clogging plaque in smokers and egg eaters, one critic countered that eggs have beneficial effects on vascular endothelium, the inner lining of our arteries, citing this study on egg consumption and endothelial function, funded by the American Egg Board.It was done on a group of men and women eating the standard American diet, overweight, normal cholesterol, (which is to say extremely high cholesterol) LDL levels twice as high as could be considered optimal. See, it’s often not appreciated that the average blood cholesterol level in the United States, the so-called normal level, has actually been abnormal, accelerating heart disease and putting a large fraction of the so-called normal population at a higher risk for coronary heart disease, our #1 killer.If you threw a lit match into a flaming pool of gasoline and saw no real difference in the height of the flames, you can’t conclude that throwing lit matches into gasoline is not a fire hazard, but that’s what the egg board study concluded. When the addition of eggs didn’t make the arterial function worse than it already was, they concluded that short-term egg consumption does not adversely affect endothelial function in healthy adults.The egg board paid for a follow-up using folks who were even worse off, total cholesterol of 244. They report that egg consumption had no effects on endothelial function… as compared to sausage and cheese. Compared to the ingestion of a sausage and cheese breakfast sandwich. Yet instead of sounding the alarm that eating eggs is as bad for arterial function as a McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin, they conclude egg consumption was found to be non-detrimental to endothelial function. And cholesterol as well. They started out with a life-threatening cholesterol and ended up with a life-threatening cholesterol.Why didn’t it get even worse? Because there’s a plateau effect, you can basically max out on your cholesterol absorption. After a certain level of intake, it’s just another match to the fire. If you’re already consuming the standard American diet averaging 400mg of cholesterol daily, even add two jumbo eggs to one’s diet, and it may already be a lost cause. But to people trying to eat healthy, those two eggs could shoot their cholesterol up 20 points.But, a fat-free, cholesterol-free egg substitute was beneficial. So, not eating eggs lowered cholesterol levels, not eating eggs improved endothelial function—and that’s what these people needed. Their arteries were already hurting, they needed something to bring the fire down, not throw more matches at it. Same with the other Egg Board study. They were apparently eating so unhealthy that adding eggs couldn’t make things much worse, but eating oatmeal instead of eggs made things better, helping to quench the fire. So even the Egg Board funded studies both said not eating eggs is better for our arteries, yet that’s the study pro-egg folks cite to claim beneficial vascular effects.	It is unfortunate that people do not look deeper into these misleading claims but rely on the designed conclusion that is presented. When I explain how misleading some of these studies are to my friends and family they are surprised and outraged. “How will we know what is true?”, they ask. Look deeper, do a little research. But, most people will just believe what they hear so these false, misleading claims can continue to work for the industries using these tactics. Having NutritionFacts.org as a resource to learn the facts is so valuable!Unfortunately most people do not have the time, nor (more importantly) the proper education and tool set necessary to evaluate research studies. This is what the people who fund the studies and make misleading statements count on!As one of my co-workers stated to me regarding the claim made on a recent study that “Beef Lowers Cholesterol” (which he left on my desk, and when asked, explained to him how the study was designed and flawed in their conclusions) — “You weren’t actually supposed to read the study.”http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/The BOLD study is another excellent exampleNor do those who would like to read and analyze the studies have access to them past PubMed abstracts.So the vast majority of us are getting our info second-hand. Even here at our beloved NF.org. It often comes down to who you trust to filter your information for you.It’s amazing that Dr. Oz / Hyman / Lustig / Gary Taubes / WAPF get taken by such deceptive study claims. Don’t any of them look at the DATA?? Yet, they’ll scrutinize the raw data from the China Study to poke holes in it, or take the word of an English major who’s done so instead.Great world we live in.What do egg replacement products taste like?In baking, egg replacers (flax, chia, Ener-G, etc) typically have no flavor but just act as binders or leaven. In vegan dishes such as scrambles, omelets, “egg” salads, deviled “eggs” etc, tofu is usually used for the texture, along with turmeric for coloring and the Indian seasoning kala namak, a black salt (which is actually pink) for a sulfurous egg smell and flavor. Here’s a simple, tasty recipe from Cadry’s Kitchen for Vegan Breakfast Tofu Eggs that has links to more info about kala namak and a new product called Vegg (vegan egg yolk) that I haven’t tried: http://cadryskitchen.com/2014/02/16/vegan-breakfast-tofu-eggs/ Is this the sort of info you were curious about?Nope. I was more curious about the egg replacer they may have used in the study. Like the commercial Egg Beaters product?Laloofah: Nice link! Thanks for sharing that. I’m starting to experiment with the kala namak and am happy to get new ideas. Especially one so simple. Thanks!You’re very welcome, Thea! I make Cadry’s recipe w/o the oil, just dry-frying the tofu in my nonstick skillet. Works fine. Have fun with your kala namak, I love it in my tofu scramble, too.It looks like the “egg substitute” used in the study was the already separated egg whites you can buy in a carton.Right. That’s what I’m asking. Scramble up some Egg Beaters and what do they taste like? Close enough to the real thing to fool a subject/researcher in a RCT?It wasn’t double-blind, so fooling researchers wasn’t an issue. During the second phase of the trial, subjects consumed either “1/2 cup” of substitute or 2 hardboiled eggs, and there was a crossover phase, so they definitely knew they were getting something different. Dilation and lipid panel seems pretty objective though, so I’m not sure the lack of a perfect placebo is significant.It would have been interesting if they added some Vegg to the egg beaters though. :)K. So I’m still asking, from anyone who has personal experience with the product, what do commercial Egg Beaters look and taste like when prepared? :-)Well, you could buy some and try it yourself.That would defeat the purpose of asking in the first place: to learn from other’s mistakes and successes.I actually eat eggs once every 1-2 weeks, for me personally 2 eggs once every 1-2 weeks are okay, the rest of the time I am vegan WFPB diet. I had tried egg replacers in baking, and I found it not to my liking because of a slightly bitter aftertaste it has. So now when I make vegan baked goods, I use ground flaxseed mixed with water or puréed silken tofu to substitute for eggs. If I absolutely have to use eggs then I use egg whites only or mostly egg whites with 1-2 yolks.Before I went vegan, I ate a store-brand equivalent of Egg Beaters somewhat frequently. They taste just like conventional scrambled eggs. (But because they contain virtually no fat, they always stuck to my “nonstick” pans unless I added a generous amount of oil to the pan.)Thanks. That’s eggzacctly what I was wondering. :-)This video is my favorite of volume 18, it really shows how nutrition “authorities” can misconstrue the results of the studies and point to these to claim eggs are healthy. The researchers make it easy for them too with the misleading conclusions. This video, along with the abundance of others on nutritionfacts.org really puts the nail in the coffin for eggs.On that note, this particular podcast interview of Evelyn Kocur (aka @CarbSane) is worth a listen, even while disagreeing with her low carb diet choices.The Beginner’s Guide to Interpreting Health Researchhttp://evidencemag.com/health-research-podcast/Basically, the media headlines don’t always say what the data says, the study title doesn’t always say what the data says, the author’s conclusions don’t always say what the data says…and that’s before you even start to analyze the methodology. (:-/I really cannot believe that those researchers were able to do that study and write that article with a straight face. To call their conclusions “misleading” is being kind.Is that lead author DL Katz as in Yale/HuffPo’s David Katz, MD?Yes: http://youtu.be/guyQW6n3f6o?t=15m17sI’m definitely not against vegetarianism or for eating eggs, I’m all for eating the most healthy food. I just notice that most vegetarians have more visceral fat than they should eating so clean, and a “skinny fat” build. Dr. Greger for example has a belly, from things i have learned belly fat (visceral) increases the risk for hearth disease. Typically vegetarians don’t have an athletic build, lean and muscular. It seems from that perspective they are less healthy.“Typically vegetarians don’t have an athletic build, lean and muscular.”I think that typically most people, vegetarian, vegan, or not, will not have a muscular build unless they actively pursue activities to achieve that look. You can easily find many examples of lean and muscular vegans, as well as huge bulky muscular vegans, from ultra runners and ironmen competitors, bodybuilders and fitness models, to professional basketball/hockey/football/tennis players, olympians, etc.Personally I think trying to paint all vegans or vegetarians with a certain “look” is as silly as trying to paint all non-vegans as having a certain look/physique/body composition/etc. It would certainly be statistically reasonable for me to say that it seems like non-vegans have a rather overweight or obese look to them, judging from several I’ve seen. But wouldn’t that sound like an extraordinarily off-base observation and conclusion to you?Certainly the data is in on vegans and heart disease. Whether you think any particular vegan looks skinny fat or not, a skinny fat vegan has a significantly decreased risk of heart disease than a skinny fat non-vegan.So the pursuit of just being vegetarian will not keep you safe from heart disease if you still have the extra fat on your body (visceral fat). It seems that Dr. always says that the fat is the fat/cholesterol is the culprit. But some Vegans/ veggies still have to much visceral fat to be considered healthy even when they never eat fat or cholesterol. It makes no sense to me.You are working off an observation that vegetarians have more visceral fat, and then using that to form a hypothesis that this should put vegetarians at greater risk for heart disease. The problem with this hypothesis is two fold:1) Your observation is incorrect.A vegetarian diet results in greater visceral fat loss than a non-vegetarian diet:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/enhanced/doi/10.1111/j.1464-5491.2010.03209.x/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3697401/Statistically, vegetarians are leaner than non-vegetarians.http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/32/5/791.longHowever you seem to believe that despite being leaner overall, vegetarians still have perhaps a higher proportion of visceral fat. If you have any evidence to back up this claim, please share. However, it seems that you are operating more on a basis of personal/selective/anecdotal observations.2) The second problem with your hypothesis is that it is already known that the predicted outcome disagrees with reality. We already know rates of heart disease in vegans and non-vegans. And the rates are better for vegans. We do not need to predict the rates of heart disease with different dietary regimes; we already know them. And it would not make very much sense to try to predict what is causing vegans to have more heart disease, when they have less.My point is: Eating no Cholesterol or Saturated fat does not automatically make you lean and healthy. Lean = healthy metabolism. Healthy metabolism = efficiently burning fat in blood. The point is you can have a healthy metabolism eating meats or veggies. Every one has different metabolism, some can eat as much cholesterol as they want and metabolize it. Some cannot, obviously. Broadly saying eggs or meats are bad or vegan-ism ect is good that is misleading. We are metabolically diverse in every way and that is why humans are still on the earth. Dr. is to biased toward his personal views. That’s all. Some can smoke 50 years and live to 100.“Broadly saying eggs or meats are bad or vegan-ism ect is good that is misleading”I know right? That would be like broadly saying cigarettes are bad or non-smoking is good. Why study anything? We’re all different.Some can but most cannot.You are only trying to make yourself feel better-nothing more… Eat what you want.Excessive calories result in an excessive BMI no matter what the source of calories. Excess weight tends to raise LDL and TG while lowering HDL. So excessive weight on anyone is a concern for all, especially central adiposity.Many vegans/vegetarians eat BK veggie burgers, fries, and Coke.… all vegetarian foods but not necessarily healthy. VegJUNKtarians are not exempt from heart disease.However, vegans (supplemented properly with Vit B12) still lower their risk for cardiovascular disease by not throwing more dietary saturated fat+cholesterol onto the fire, raising LDL even further than necessary.“Excessive calories result in an excessive BMI no matter what the source of calories.”This is simply untrue, depending on how you wish to define ‘excessive’. If you mean 100 calories of nuts vs 100 calories of meat then no, they are not equal. There are some foods you can eat a great deal of without getting fat and others you can’t, celery I’ve heard for instance may even have a negative calorie effect.Macsmileys point is still valid. 100 grams of celery and 100 grams of nuts do not have the same calories. I don’t think it is humanly possible to over consume celery calories anyway. If you overfeed on any macronutrient though it will lead to weight gain, so his point is still valid.I have to disagree since you’re misconstrued his point, his point was that a 100 calories is a 100 calories, no matter where it comes from, this is demonstrably untrue as different types of food stimulate different metabolic responses.Did you see my reply to you?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/#comment-1628446515Toxins mistakenly focused on weight, not calories.The so-called negative calorie effect of celery is due to the alleged energy it takes for the body to process and digest it, i.e., chewing. That still does not negate the need to maintain energy balance to avoid weight gain. It confirms it.What it does mean is that the energy balance equation is not first grade math. For metabolic factors that go into the equation, in addition to Evelyn Kocur’s (@CarbSane) interview, see also the Calories Count interview of Stephan Guyanet:http://youtu.be/CqMB8luQERQ” That still does not negate the need to maintain energy balance to avoid weight gain. It confirms it.” A properly functioning body will do just that, maintain it’s own weight. You body and its metabolism make ongoing adjustments, if it didn’t even miniscule variations in energy in vs energy out would have huge consequences over time.I think you misinterpreted my post, I discussed calories specifically, but mentioned weight in relation to his post.Ill concede that different foods function differently metabolically, what I feel like you are implying is that calories don’t count for certain foods where as they do for others. If the latter statement is what you are saying, I would disagree.Obviously calories count, but they aren’t all equal. This is fairly illustrative Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRxMhqdmb2YExcessive calories = calories in excess of the body’s energy needsThe difference between 100 calories of nuts or celery versus 100 calories of meat is how many calories end up digested and absorbed into the bloodstream. It’s not that the calories in nuts/celery have a different effect on the body per se, but that a good portion of those calories in the form of indigestible fiber end up in the toilet, and therefore they do not accurately get factored into the energy balance equation.This variable is addressed in this discussion between Sam Feltham and Evelyn Kocur. http://youtu.be/TwlPh7BM-8IPeople who eat a whole food plant based diet are leaner by a fair margin. How did you dream up this fat scenario of yours?“It seems from that perspective they are less healthy. ”A whole foods plant based diet simply prepared is from my perspective a healthier way to live. But many factors play into “health”. I have problems that this way of eating helps and makes me healthier to deal with problems that are not related to diet.Ever see Dr. Joel Fuhrman jump from the floor to the top of his desk?Joel Fuhrman: The Doctor Is Out Therehttp://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/joel-fuhrman-the-doctor-is-out-there-20121107This is an n=1 approach to things. The universe of vegetarians are not only the ones you have seen. I myself am a competitive rock climber and have only noticed strength gains from going plant based. Exercise increases muscle mass, not diet.and the average person looks good to you?it is all very confusing. A report I read recently say if you dont eat fish your chance of getting dementia is doubled.so all the vegen and vegetarians what do they have to say about that ?I’m tryin to think but nothin happensCiting the report, and giving a brief summary to show something of what you remember beside the conclusion you took away, would probably be good.Got data? Link to study on PubMed?I am assuming this is due to omega 3’s? Flax, walnuts and leefy greens are great sources for omega 3’s.Chia and hemp too, right?Yes, definitely.I always look for the funding source. You can weed out a lot of propaganda that way. As BD said years ago, “Money doesn’t talk, it swears.”How do studies like those end up in peer reviewed journals? The conclusions are so misleading that I’d consider them borderline criminal fraud.I like your informative videos, but don’t understand your war on eggs. Yes, I get what was put across in this video. I think, however, that we can find studies which fit our opinions. What about eggs having their own lecithin built in? And what about cholesterol being primarily a result of endogenous, not exogenous causes? What about high cholesterol and arterial blockage being a consequence of systemic inflammation? Eggs are a powerhouse of nutrients in a small package.You are the reason. Gregor thinks you are misinformed about eggs in particular and cites information for you in order to counter that. For that matter, I think you are likely misinformed, myself. The wishy-washy bit about it all being relative because we can find studies that superficially support our views is weak. Official recommendations caution to limit dietary cholesterol and if you want to have a different opinion from that you need to reason more closely.I am the reason for what? You did not address my questions.You didn’t back your objections with anything resembling hard studies, and you apparently appealed to the idea that studies can be used to support any view. Why should anyone pursue a close argument with you if you aren’t going to use the same close standard in developing the argument from your perspective?Eggxactly! The war is on ignorance. Eat all the little powerhouses you like Reuven. You can take it from me that after your first heart attack they turn into big fat smart pills.I eat 3-6 eggs a week and my cholesterol is perfectly fine. Are you familiar with Dr. Roger Williams?Perfectly fine being what exactly? Normal cholesterol is not exactly “normal”. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/Within normal lab ranges. What is the hysteria about eating a few eggs per week? I had a patient with blood so thick and full of lipids and they lived into their 80s! That’s an exception but it points out the importance of biochemical individuality and that it is very possible for someone to live a long life with no restrictions in their activities, even with such high blood fats. Frankly I scratch my head over the extreme nature of her case. I would like to hear from someone on this thread the acknowledgement that cholesterol is a critical molecule in the body, so important for so many functions, made by nearly every cell, and that low cholesterol is a far higher problem than high. I would also like to hear from someone that inflammation and white sugar are the true problems we all face today. Biomarkers of inflammation are where we should be looking!!! Stop making a war on individual foods. We’ve been through it all already going around in circles. Protein is good. Now its’ bad. We were wrong, it’s really good. Etc. All whole foods are good. Too much or too little of anything is not good. Inflammation and environmental toxins are the true problem.Low cholesterol through dietary means is not an issue. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/Eggs are inflammatory just as this video demonstrates along with others http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/In addition to the the inflammatory effects of animal based foods http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/For the record, let me also point out that I edited the post to which you are replying for clarity shortly after posting it, but you may not have seen the final version before posting. I apologize for that.Hello Reuven, the nutrients in eggs are of little concern as they are way more abundant elsewhere.Eggs are considered good sources of lutein and omega 3 as well as an excellent source of protein. For these reasons, they are considered health foods. Looking at these claims in detail, chickens have lutein due to the fact that they have a varietized feed, these nutrients are not inherent of eggs. Based on the nutrient data found on the USDA database, 10 grams of spinach has approximately 12 times more lutein then 10 grams of an egg. We cannot really consider eggs an appropriate source of this nutrient.https://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR25/nutrlist/sr25a338.pdfRegarding Omega 3, current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day. A large egg contains about .037 grams of omega 3. Omega 3 in the ALA form processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA. These fats areanti-inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/“What about high cholesterol and arterial blockage being a consequence of systemic inflammation?”This video demonstrates that eggs causes systemic inflammation in addition to the high intake of arachidonic acid.“And what about cholesterol being primarily a result of endogenous, not exogenous causes?”“Serum cholesterol concentration is clearly increased by added dietary cholesterol but the magnitude of predicted change is modulated by baseline dietary cholesterol. The greatest response is expected when baseline dietary cholesterol is near zero, while little, if any, measurable change would be ex…pectedonce baseline dietary cholesterol was >400-500 mg/d. People desiring maximal reduction of serum cholesterol by dietary means may have to reduce their dietary cholesterol to minimal levels (http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.full.pdfThis is the kind of stuff I think would be great in a faq section! Especially the baseline cholesterol bit. Actually, especially all of it. :)“I think, however, that we can find studies which fit our opinions”You missed something here. Did you watch the video? Greger took the major studies egg proponents use to back up their own opinions, which are funded by the egg industry, which explicitly and incorrectly conclude that eggs are non-detrimental, and he simply presented their own data and methodological details in a more honest light to show the erroneous and ethically questionable nature of their conclusions.In all of the lay-media coverage on eggs being beneficial or non-harmful, I have not once seen the caveat of “… as a sausage egg mcmuffin”.It’s not a war on eggs, it’s simply a war on misinformation, as others have said. All he’s doing is giving you information. Take it in, process it, then do what you want with it. Acquisition of knowledge should not induce a defensive response.Hi Reuven,With respect, this should unruffle your feathers: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15640512As for eggs being a ‘powerhouse of nutrients,’ I’m just not seeing it: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/111/2 And, at 63% of calories from fat and 35% animal protein, it seems like a very rich food that should be taken infrequently if so desired.Finally, one can get as much choline present in one large egg by eating two cups of broccoli, a much better choice imo: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/choline/Have a great day and keep coming back!I looked up eggs on the ANDI score list, a ranking of foods based on nutrient density. The only foods that receive a perfect 1000 score are leafy greens like kale and watercress. Berries will give anything from a 200-300 score, but eggs are only a measly 31. Bananas are a 30, but when you consider all the baggage that eggs bring to the table, bananas at 30 are a much better option. So I don’t get why people think eggs are a nutritional powerhouse. Are bananas a nutritional powerhouse? No, but a few bananas a day is ok since they don’t have all that bad stuff in them.Ben: I’m not familiar with the ANDI score, but I’m going to look it up. Your post fascinated me. Thanks so much for taking the time to make this post.here is an ANDI score list: http://thechalkboardmag.com/get-dense-why-you-should-be-eating-foods-with-high-andi-scoresOn this list eggs are a 34, still not a nutrition powerhouse. But berries are lower then I remembered, they are from 130-200. Cranberries are the highest at 207 but they are not ranked on this list. They are on this list: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthy-eating/andi-guideBen: Thanks for that post! It’s really interesting to me. Of course, the devil is in the details in terms of how those numbers are generated, but I still find it very interesting. Thanks!Dr. Greger you have changed my life completely! You truly are the most caring and selfLESS person i’ve ever come across! Dr. Greger you literally given me YEARS of healthy life that i most likely wouldn’t have had had I not watched your videos and learned how much diet truly affects your life! I probably would have dropped dead of a heart attack in my 50’s had it not been for you!(Quoting batman begins) “Some men just wan’t to see the world burn” well Dr. Greger just wants to see the world LEARN. an amazing man he truely is!I second your enthusiastic praise of Dr. Greger, Ryan. How fortunate we are to know his work! It hurst when I read nasty criticisms of this selfless and very funny man who can bring alive so much nutritional and political information for so many. I love his voice, style, and courage. I hope he will have more Hang Outs whiling on the treadmill. That was fun.Gayle: I agree with you. I’m often baffled by the pettiness out there. I can only believe that it stems from a deep rooted fear that Dr. Greger is right, and someone might actually have to change if they want to be healthy. Their unconscious is saying, “better to just shoot the messenger.” I too have a fun time seeing the videos. Thanks for your post!Thea: I am a psychologist who studies dreams and problem solving. I hear many dreams about nutrition and my impression is that getting between an eater and his addiction is like getting between a mother bear and …!Gayle: Your work sounds absolutely fascinating.And I have to say, the end of your post made me smile big! ;-)Ryan: I think that Dr. Greger tries to read as many of the comments that he can. While I don’t speak for Dr. Greger, I’m sure he really appreciated your post. And speaking for myself – me too! Thanks for posting and for giving me a fun batman quote that I didn’t know. :-)COFFEE BOOSTED? while we are nearly 100% nutritarian and follow Dr. Gregger’s advice very closely, we do drink one or two cups of medium roast coffee a day. But here is how we make it better: 8 oz of coffee dripped through paper, ½ to one tsp. of a mix of equal parts of turmeric, (with dash of pepper), ginger, cardamom, 2 parts cinnamon from Ceylon, 8 oz of unsweetened soy milk, Truvia ( 50* erythritol) or erythritol to taste, all buzzed with a frother to keep a good part of the spices in suspension, and then microwaved. DELICIOUS!Thanks, I’ll give it a try. One thing I don’t like is a lot of cardamon, though, I’ll have to just do a pinch.Over time, we have come to enjoy more and more spices. I used to be very cloves and cardamom shy. Kevin has always been able to enjoy almost anything we have tried from Drs. Fuhrman and Egger. I have been amazed at my conservatism in taste. But with practice, I become a progressive.P.S. I mix all those spices and funnel them into one spice shaker. Saves lots of opening and closing.Just curious. How many eggs do the lacto-ovo Seventh Day Adventists centenarians eat on average?I’m into fitness and bodybuilding and have been eating a plant based vegan diet for almost a month now and love it plan to stay this way! I was just wondering what about ‘Ajipure vegan branch chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine will they help build muscle? and are they bad for you?Hi Eric,Welcome to the wonderful world of Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) living! Regarding your questions about taking isolated amino acids, I am writing to emphasize the ‘Whole Food’ portion of WFPB diets. Just shooting from the hip here, have a look at a whole food like black turtle beans: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4283/2I mean, really look at all you are getting from this bean that Dr. Gregor shows us to be The Best Bean: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/Also, have a look at the amino acids present in one measly cup of cooked black beans: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrientprofile&dbid=87All your amino acids of interest are in there in plentiful quantities, along with a wide range of nutrients that no supplement maker in their wildest dreams could ever stuff into a jar.And don’t forget about the fiber. Fiber is your BEST FRIEND!!! You won’t get any of it by eating amino acid supplements.Finally, there are websites devoted to vegan bodybuilding: http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/But, as you learn more about how to eat WFPB from Dr. Greger and other reputable sources, I suspect you will become a very savvy consumer of any wonder supplement these sites are promoting.Again, welcome to WFPB living and have a great workout!Eric, you probably already know this, but because you’re new to WFPB I wanted to be sure you are aware of the following. 1) You MUST obtain a reliable source of vitamin B12. Supplements are easiest to deal with imo; I take 5000 micrograms sublingual methylcobalamin once per week. Here’s a link to all of Dr. Greger’s B12 videos to get you started: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=b122) You must be sure to get omega-3 essential fatty acids; two rounded tablespoons of GROUND flax seeds daily is what I do, and you can eat this stuff any way you like. Omega-6 EFA’s are plentiful in whole plant foods and so that is a non-issue. Here’s Dr. G’s wisdom: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=flax3) Processed oils are not a whole food, and it is important to consider how much of this you plan to use going forward. I use canola spray on my waffle iron, but that’s all the processed oil I use. Most processed oils are loaded with omega-6 EFAs that will interfere with your body’s ability to convert the omega-3 EFAs obtained by eating ground flax seeds into EPA/DHA, which are the prized substances for optimal health. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=oilAll the best and good luck!I have to admit I am frustrated when I see portions of the studies cited in these video clips, but am unable to access the full studies when I go to the links in the “Sources Cited” section because I don’t have access to the articles on the various professional journal sites. As much as I appreciate Dr. Greger creating and presenting these thought-provoking clips, I would like to read the original research papers rather than have them filtered for me. I am able to read enough of the articles by freezing the clips to see that Dr. Greger is often times slanting his remarks toward his overall emphasis on plant-based diets and not presenting the full evidence as it was originally printed. This is a result of the complexity of scientific research and reporting. It would take a clip 3-4X as long to present the material fully and that is just not feasible in our media focuses short news bit world. People would get tired of listening to all the scientific jargon that normally goes with any comprehensive presentation. MAYBE THE CLIPS COULD SHOW A LITTLE MORE OF THE ORIGINAL ARTICLES SO THAT THOSE OF US INTERESTED IN REVEIWING THE SOURCES OF INFORMATION COULD GET A FULLER LOOK AT THE RESEACH?What helps me is if I google the article title in quotes and after the last quote, put pdf. For example, “Article title” pdfI feel your pain.I’m sure Dr. Greger would love to show larger portions of the studies he cites, but I’m guessing that showing much more besides a small quote to make a point might be a copyright issue.Try looking for titles via Google Scholar. That may reveal a secondary source for a particular paper. Some studies are published in more than one publication.I know of one blogger who depends on copies of studies being donated to her by readers who have access to a medical library. But I’m not one of them.Humzee, do you happen to have access to a public university library? A university, particularly one with a good science/engineering program, will have subscriptions to most of these journals.Fwiw, I don’t think a bigger screenshot is going to make much of a difference. Whatever you think of Dr. Greger’s interpretation of the author’s prose, in order to decide if you even agree with the author’s interpretation and validity of their own data, you need the whole paper, especially the super fine print methods section, and that’s a section that is never going to be shown in the videos.Hi Humzee, I volunteer for Dr. Greger and have access to a medical library. If you (or anyone else reading this) want an article mentioned in Dr. G’s work, I’m happy to email it to you. Just cut and paste the link into an email to NFvolunteer@gmail.comAny plans to do any videos on this…http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/popular-fish-oil-study-deeply-flawed-new-research-says-1.2637702Good find, frankfurman.When he said the study was done by an Egg Board, at that point, I had no interest in their conclusions. Just like when coffee, wine, beer companies fund studies. They are performing many studies until they find one that shows something good and that is all you see published. Lately the avocado advocates are citing studies about the health benefits of avocados. But they don’t mention the fat in them.I saw Dr. Oz one day cite one cup of diced avocado as being “a surprisingly good source of protein”. Pitiful.You must always remember that the purpose of Dr. Ooze as with all television is to sell soap. Soap, insurance and toothpaste… and cars. Cars, soap, comfy chairs, insurance and toothpaste. and fluffy toilet paper (ftp). … Among the many products sold by Dr. Odz are …now for something completely different…I understand that. Unfortunately, people listen to him. His recommendations are gospel for some, even though he contradicts himself constantly. Makes me wonder who’s writing his script and lining up guests. Dr. Fuhrman on one day, “Grain Brain” Perlmutter the next.The REAL QUESTION IS NOT even about cholesterol and eggs at all. If we are REALLY concerned about cardiovascular health (and not pushing a vegetarian/vegan agenda) and what (micro/macro) nutrients and thus foods are helpful or harmful to this end, then you have to look at BIOMARKERS OF VALUE. The following links go into various aspects of this areahttp://biomarkers.cardiosource.org/Basics-of-Biomarkers…http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/113/19/2335.fullhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632595/…http://www.aacc.org/…/Docu…/EmergingCV_RiskFactors09.pdfhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/…/pii/S0009912013002750Only when you have a decent/reliable set of biomarkers that are effective in predicting CVD can you then move forward in designing a good study testing and then determining whether a given food/nutrient prevents or contributes to CVD.This study actually looks at a few of these useful biomarkers (adiponectin and CRP) and found that eggs were beneficial, though she was funded by the egg industry: http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/5/1/6#Or you can just floss more http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24824149.Does cholesterol cause CV disease? http://vimeo.com/77730824http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feCpP40ZHqI#t=1h57mNearly 3 hours? Lawrence, c’mon, LOL! Please bottom line it for me. ;)Your post is part one of a two part program that has been removed from the ABC website for breach of it’s impartiality standards http://www.news.com.au/…/story-fneuz9ev-1226914999262.This program has been widely criticised.This is the first of a six part detailed discussion and critique of the information presented in this program.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc0fRxFcLHgEnjoy.Dave, thanks. I’m always interested in all sides of the issue. I’m in favor of the Mediterranean way of eating for most people. I think there are extremists on both ends.Devastating. Thank you, Dave.For the record, a few days ago I responded to one of Reuven’s posts, at which time the handle was ‘Reuven…’. But, today this handle has been changed to ‘Dr.Reuven…’ on all posts. Perhaps Dr. Rosenberg would be so kind as to share with the hundreds of thousands of people who visit this site his credentials. Thank you in advance, Dr. Rosenberg.Be alert Lawrence, you never know. One clever paleotroll we know has frequently used multiple aliases and personas -often after being banned, again- or being unable to keep them all straight – so you shouldn’t think there are more than just one of them.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePzJbllNCPgIt is a shame that the media gobbles up Industry spin the way they do. It happens on a nearly daily basis. The real shame is those working for Industry (PR firms, communications managers, etc.) will twist deadly things around to make them appear healthy. This has got to stop, but I don’t see our politicians having the guts, the will or the ability to stand up to Industry lobbyists and other pressures coming from the meat, egg and dairy industries.http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Yolks-Discover-reclaim-health-ebook/dp/B00IMJYWW8/ref=pd_ys_sf_s_154606011_a1_6_p?ie=UTF8&refRID=0PVYBGZJR3QTDMTWKBVPYou should know better than others that books are hardly sources of good information, especially when the author has the full capability of misconstruing the data. A great example of this is wheat belly and the blood type diet.Hey Toxins, Dr. Garth Davis (plant based weight loss surgeon) had a great facebook post the other day on carbs vs. fats in the wake of Fed Up:So I post a picture of a vessel loaded with fat [atherosclerotic artery] and tell people to use common sense. I then get a bunch of responses trying to teach me physiology, even though that is my expertise. The fact that I actually go to the meetings where this is discussed and debated, the fact that I actually study the journal articles, the fact that I actually treat patients and have for 12 years, seems to not matter much to some people. So lets get scientific. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.What matters when you eat is your post meal state. This is far more important than baseline fasting lipid values. A key study was done by Vogel who measured vessel response via duplex sonography after fatty and non fatty meals. AFter a fatty meal there is measurable vasoconstriction. The effect is like putting your finger over a hose. The velocity of the blood increases causes sheer force. He also showed that after a high fat meal the blood was loaded with fat, some of it is oxidized LDL which is exactly what you see in the picture from yesterday. Vogel, R. A., et al. (1997). “Effect of a single high-fat meal on endothelial function in healthy subjects.” Am J Cardiol 79(3): 350-354.Now I certainly don’t think added sugar is good for you. Excess calories will create fat. Problem is that sugar itself, in a single meal, is not inflammatory at all, but fat is extremely inflammatory provoking. This study feed people juices vs cream and the difference in inflammation is dramatic. Deopurkar, R., et al. (2010). “Differential effects of cream, glucose, and orange juice on inflammation, endotoxin, and the expression of Toll-like receptor-4 and suppressor of cytokine signaling-3.” Diabetes Care 33(5): 991-997.So you have a state after a fatty meal where you are inducing flow changes and inflammation and increasing lipids!!!! Meanwhile, sugar does not create any of these issues. Sørensen, L. B., et al. (2005). “Effect of sucrose on inflammatory markers in overweight humans.” Am J Clin Nutr 82(2): 421-427.There has never been an animal model of atherosclerosis created with feeding carbs but many with feeding saturated fat. Population studies from EPIC, to ADVENTIST, to FRamingham, to so many others show definite relationship between high saturated fat and heart disease.Chew on this. The National Geographic Blue Zone study found places where people had exceptional longevity. None of these places eat a high fat diet. They eat MAINLY CARBS. The Okinawans live long healthy lives eating yams and rice. If carbs ae so bad why are they so healthy. You may say processed carbs are different and they are in that they lack fiber. Otherwise though, sugar is sugar.There are NO long living high fat consuming people. None. Please do not say the Inuits. They live to 50 at best and actually do have heart disease. GJ, f. and V. B (2014). for the origins of the Eskimos and heart disease, facts or wishful thinking? A review. Canadian Journal of Cardiology. Of course people love to say the Masaii don’t have heart disease. That is because they die at 45-50 before their 1 st heart attack, but autopsy studies show they do have atherosclerosis.The bashing of sugar is backed by this belief that sugar causes insulin to rise and insulin is the real problem, so we should eat steak instead of bananas. Problem is that insulin rises higher after a steak than it does after a banana. A fatal flaw to the argument. Holt, S. H., et al. (1997). “An insulin index of foods: the insulin demand generated by 1000-kJ portions of common foods.” Am J Clin Nutr 66(5): 1264-1276.The fact is it is not as simple as fat or sugar. It is really a combination. You don’t usually just eat plain sugar. A doughnut has more calories from fat than sugar. Most sugars are combined with fat, so the insulin release cause the fat to be stored. Eat a banana and there is sugar but no fat to react to the insulin.The other absolute thing you have to understand is that active interventions aimed at reducing fat have actually reduced heart disease. THERE ARE NO STUDIES THAT SHOW INCREASING SATURATED FAT DECREASES HEART DISEASE. NONE!!! It is absolutely preposterous. Ornish showed that you can absolutely reverse heart disease with a low saturated fat diet. The North Karelia project showed that an organized government program to reduce saturated aft and cholesterol can work extremely well. Ornish, D., et al. (1998). “Intensive lifestyle changes for reversal of coronary heart disease.” JAMA 280(23): 2001-2007.I sit across from patients everyday review their diet logs. I operate on them and see their insides. I cut open vessels and clear out cholesterol plaques. You can choose to believe a blogger or a journalist or you can trust in science that has been around for a long time. You choose.DanielFaster: This is such a great article. It’s concise, cites references, and addresses people’s confusion. Perfect.Thanks for taking the time to post it! I really appreciate it.Thanks for the post! A nice summary all in one.Thank you for posting Daniel.What got me worried is the finding, that vegans have lower HDL levels, which can be because of e.g. “poor diet, especially if high in carbohydrates”.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24712525Having a high HDL is not completely necessary necessaryA review examining 108 randomized control trials found this.“This systematic review and meta-regression analysis of 108 randomised controlled trials using lipid modifying interventions did not show an association between treatment mediated change in high density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths whenever change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol was taken into account. We found a statistically significant, substantial association between change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths”“Our findings contribute to accumulating evidence that simply increasing the amount of circulating high density lipoprotein cholesterol does not necessarily confer cardiovascular benefits”They also note that HDL that is dysfunctional and pro inflammatory may be produced under certain dietary conditions, “recent data suggest that a low fat, high fibre diet, in combination with exercise, converts high density lipoprotein cholesterol from a pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory state.”Conclusion: “Available data suggest that simply increasing the amount of circulating high density lipoprotein cholesterol does not reduce the risk of coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths. The results support reduction in low density lipoprotein cholesterol as the primary goal for lipid modifying interventions.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2645847/Thanks for the info.Could you please also comment on the following? http://authoritynutrition.com/7-ways-the-low-fat-diet-destroys-your-health/ It is based on several studies. Why I’m asking, 4 weeks ago I switched to a low fat vegan diet (whole foods) and feel like crap – weakness, fatigue, brain fog, very low mood, etc. My doctor insists that I should switch to high fat paleo-like diet instead…The article is incredibly flawed and assumes dietary norms that are untrue. In addition, the information is very skewed. Obviously this is a paleo website, it would misconstrue the data. nutritionfacts.org provides a more balanced point of view. Many would disagree that nutritionfacts.org is balanced, but because the evidence points towards a plant based diet does not mean that its biased in that way, its just what the science says.What constitutes your diet, is your diet based on nuts, or complex carbs? Do you consume flaxseed/walnuts? do you consume processed foods of any kind? a 24 hour, honesty dietary food recall is necessary to see if you are consuming adequate foods.OK, you asked for it :)First: I do not consume any fast food, sugar, processed food, low grade veg. oil, etc.Age: 42, height: 180 cm, weight: 72 kg.And here goes an honest 24 hour food recall (in order of appearance ;-):Breakfast: – 2 teaspoons of cocoa + 200 ml water + 300 ml organic oat drink (water + 10 percent oats); – 1 raw banana; – 1 teaspoon of organic virgin coconut oil (love it though its saturated :) – 1,5 tablespoons of flaxseed (crushed and added just before consuming); – 0,75 tablespoon of turmeric powder + 200 ml of water; – 1 apple.Lunch: – 1 red beet, boiled + 1 cucumber + 200 ml of kefir + green onion + 1 boiled potato (it’s our national cold soup – I’m from Lithuania); – 10-15 cherry tomatoes; – a cup of spinach + lettuce; – a cup of green tea.Dinner: – ~2 cups of boiled mung dalas beans (with some ginger, curry spices mix and onions sautéed in a table spoon o virgin olive oil); – 2 cups of greens: lettuce, baby spinach, ruccola; – a handful of walnuts and almonds; – a cup of green tea; – a little piece of black chocolate;Snack: – a cup of mint tea; – 1 apple; – a handful of frozen cherries.Supper: – 50 grams (dry) of organic rolled oats, boiled (love my oatmeal despite articles like: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/are-oats-healthy/#axzz337CyW4pg); – 1,5 tablespoons of flaxseed; – 1 banana and some goji berries (dried) added into the oatmeal; – 1 teaspoon of organic virgin coconut oil.That’s about it :)Oh, and supplements: 1 cap of vitamin D3 (800 IU of cholecalciferol), 1 cap of B group vitamins (milgamma (R): 40 mg benfothiamine (B1), 90 mg piroxidine hydrochloride (B6) and 0.25 mg cyancobalamine.Myself, I cannot find any evidence for benefits of meat and saturated fats, have been browsing medpub database for a week or so :) My academic background is not very far away from medical: I have a BSc in molecular biology, MSc in ecology and PhD in ecology/environmental sciences :) And my family doctor with his paleo meat/fat beliefs is telling me that humans evolved only after they started eating meat and my neurological symptoms are purely because of my vegan diet :(Ok, thanks. I put in your food intake into cronometer, an online nutrition program. Assuming what you gave me was accurate, the results are in the attached image below and are near estimations of your nutrient intake.Firstly, I want to tell you that you have a great omega 6:3 ratio, you are consuming plenty of fiber and it is good your diet is primarily based on plants.Secondly, I would like you to note that you are consuming trans fat on this diet and a copoius amount of saturated fat, in addition to total fat. This is mainly due to the kefir, and added oils. If you could eliminate these oils and animal products that would benefit you. I would keep the walnuts and flaxseed in your diet and almonds too.Third, oats are great for you, just make sure that it is not quick rolled oats (the kind that cooks in 1 min.). The reason is that it is very quickly absorbed which can cause a blood sugar spike, and I have heard a lot of anecdotal evidence from the community around me that they did not feel good after consuming quick oats. After I recommended switching to thick cut oats or regular rolled oats, they did not experience the unpleasant feeling, whether it be lethargy or poor mood.Major recommendations: I would continue eating your potatoes, and beans and begin eating thick cut oats, and experiment with adding a greater variety of vegetables such as red bell peppers, squash, mushrooms, etc. to your diet. Keep on with the salads as well. Eliminate all of the added oils, continue with the flax and nuts you already have been consuming, and eliminate the kefir. If you are looking for other starches to include in your diet, brown rice is another tasty and inexpensive option.I would up your intake of vitamin D to 2,000 IU’s per day after breakfast, and take 250-500 mcg’s of b12 daily, or 2,500-5,000 once a week. There is no need for the other B vitamins you are taking, you are getting plenty in your diet.If you are looking for a quality website of the same caliber as nutitionfacts.org that disseminates the fact from fiction regarding the paleo diet, I would go here. Plant positive is an excellent website. http://www.plantpositive.com/Thanks a lot for the insights. But which product contains trans fat in my diet??? The only added oils are virgin olive and coconut oil. Regarding oats, those are minimally processed, (15 minutes boiling time), though I boil them only for 5 minutes – I pour boiling water and soak them for a while before consuming.Kefir is the only animal source and contains trans fat. Good to hear about the oats. Free oils do not contribute to health but diminish it, so even the finest quality coconut or olive oil are still unhealthy. Oils are pure fat with no nutrition, its essentially a food extract.I think doing that will reduce your fat intake, and eating more starches and a variety of veggies will also help.Also, which program do you use for nutrient intake analysis? I tried cronometer.com for a short while, but somehow abandoned it :)Ouch, only now I noticed you’ve mentioned cronometer as well!!!And the study concludes that “ovo-lacto vegetarian diet may be more appropriate for premenopausal women.”Low HDL C again :(Compared with the Western diet, the Vegetarian diet was associated with lower homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (-1.12 mmol/L × mU/L; P=0.05) and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-4.77 mg/dL; P=0.09).http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24295929Dr. Greger – with regards to high fat diets, including egg consumption, there evidently a study from 1966 by NN Gupta at KG Medical College in Lucknow, India that purports that two ounces of onion eaten with/shortly after consuming a meal with 90% fat (butter, cream and eggs), was a powerful antidote to the ill effects associated with a high fat diet. My question is if you have seen this and/or other research that you can comment on. It seems to be an interesting claim, along with other tremendous health benefits of onions in lowering blood sugar, antibacterial, anti-cancer, etc. I found the reference in the book, “Left for Dead” (pg.145) by Dick Quinn, Thanks, Lee.LDL-C has been known for a long time a meaningless measure (as well as it’s impact on total cholesterol). It is LDL-P that matters. This video simply ignores this.I’m sorry to through my nativity into the discussion, but isn’t it true that only the egg yolk has cholesterol and it would be save to only use egg white?Naivenative: I know how much people want to be able to eat eggs, even if it is only the egg whites. And your theory that eating egg whites might be safe is perfectly understandable given the focus that is usually given on cholesterol without telling you the entire story. However, the whites are bad for you too. Here’s some info to get you started:Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, there are two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out two other health issues with egg whites.With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?	American Egg Board,breakfast,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cheese,cholesterol,eggs,fast food,fat,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,McDonald’s,oatmeal,obesity,sausage,smoking,standard American diet	Even studies funded by the American Egg Board show our arteries benefit from not eating eggs.	More on the reaction to the Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis study in my last video, Debunking Egg Industry Myths, as well as further discussion of the effects of the cholesterol in eggs on the cholesterol levels in the blood of egg consumers. More on that in:I recently featured a food that actually does benefit vascular function. See Walnuts and Artery Function. Though the nut industry did try a similar tactic, see my video Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering. The beef, soda, and dairy industries may also be guilty of experimental manipulation. See BOLD Indeed: Beef Lowers Cholesterol and Food Industry “Funding Effect”.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcdonalds-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15995167,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20598142,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23182841,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15721501,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22882905,
PLAIN-2601	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/	Debunking Egg Industry Myths	In my video, Eggs vs. Cholesterol in Atherosclerosis,  [sic--I meant eggs vs. cigarettes. I'll add to my re-record stack! -- MG] I suggested that eggs were bad for our arteries, smoking more than a pack a day for ten years was bad for your arteries, and combining egg-eating and smoking was even worse, thus the effect of eggs and smoking appears to be additive. But egg yolks alone were associated with artery-clogging plaque buildup nearly two thirds as bad as smoking.This certainly ruffled some feathers. Yes, eggs are by far the #1 source of cholesterol in the American diet, but letters to the editor like this one protested that dietary cholesterol may have very little impact on blood cholesterol levels, citing a study published in 1971 performed on eight people. But if you look at dozens of studies all put together, covering hundreds of study subjects, you find that blood cholesterol concentration is clearly increased by added dietary cholesterol. Here’s an extreme example just to illustrate, a year in the life of a study subject taken on and off eggs. First they take him off eggs, put him on a cholesterol free diet, and his cholesterol plummets within just three weeks. Then they give him lots of eggs and he’s back in trouble, and stays there until they take the eggs away and put him back on the cholesterol free diet and so on and so forth on and off like a light switch made out of eggs.Of course theonly reason we care our about our cholesterol levels or how much plaque is building up inside our arteries is because we want to avoid the consequences, like a heart attack. So, do eggs increase our risk of cardiovascular disease or not? Here’s the latest meta-analysis, the latest compilation of all the best studies on egg consumption and risk of heart disease going back to 1930. When you put them all together, what do you find? Overall, those that ate the most eggs had a 19% increased risk of cardiovascular disease, a 68% increased risk of diabetes, and then once you got diabetes, an 85% increased risk of heart disease. And it didn’t take much, less than a single egg a day was associated with a significantly increased risk of heart disease. Just over a half an egg a day may increase heart disease risk between 6 and 40%, and the risk of diabetes 29%. They conclude that their findings support the American Heart Association dietary guidelines, which advise restricted egg consumption in adults for preventing cardiometabolic disease, like diabetes, our seventh leading cause of death, and heart disease, killer number one.	So is dietary cholesterol the smoking gun/cause of all heart disease and diabetes? Is it this simple, or is their some other causative factor inside of the egg that is causing the issue? Could it be partly the egg protein causing problems?So what about people who eat egg whites only?The issue of animal proteins and raised IGF-1 is a very important one, and by far one of the most compelling. Please see some videos in the link below for details. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1I think it’d be great if you or others on the team made a “greatest hits” compilation of some of your comments. As I recall you’ve posted some fantastic indepth responses particularly to questions about egg whites as well as a few other topics. Perhaps an FAQ tab could be added to the top of the page with some of these commonly encountered questions.Thank you for the kind words Boomer, I think a compilation of “commonly asked questions” section is a good idea, and perhaps would be a good aside to the “ask the doctor” section. This is a suggestion you could email Dr. Greger about.Yeah, I like the commentary from team member “Synergy” as well .Expedite the FAQ section immediately :-)Ryan and Toxins and (last but not least!) b00mer: Great minds think a like. It just so happens that I submitted a request for a FAQ page last week or so. Here is the response I just got back: The NutritionFacts staff *really* like the idea of a FAQ page, but are in the middle of a large technical project right now. They can’t take on anything new. (Being a technical person myself, I find this a quite reasonable response.) They will definitely want to get back to this idea in the future, but we don’t know when that will be. Also note, that I don’t know what form/question types a FAQ page would actually take, but I was sure to submit your idea/request for the types of questions and answers you would like to see.So, hopefully this will be a feature that can be added in the future.Thanks for submitting for us Thea!A recipe section might even be a good idea (my mother was super at cooking and baking) but that might be too much bandwith for a volunteer website . tasty Egg free baking possible ? Must thank Dr. Greger for giving us that formula for the most antioxidant hibiscus drink with the best of the sweeteners. (Sugar can be worse than meat). One love one blood friends, as we help to fight all illness , especially cancer.Sugar can be worse than meat ? I don’t think so. You can unapologetically put a little dice of sugar in your green tea or hibiscus tea if you want, it’s not the end of the world. If you eat at the same time a plant based diet, low in fat, rich in anti-oxidant. What can it do to you ? That being said, it’s probably a good idea not using it often since it’s easy to overconsume.Well sugar doesn’t necessarily have to be worse than meat , yet it “can” be worse than meat if abused. @Michael_Greger_MD:disqus has an article somewhere on this site in which he compares sweeteners for their nutritive values. Also , if you or someone else were fighting a battle with cancer wouldn’t it make sense to choose the optimal forms of sugar , considering that cancer feeds off sugar ?That cancer feeds off sugar has been scientifically debunked.The low-carb forces of Gary Taubes/Robert Lustig & Co have a new movie out called “Fed Up” to pin the obesity crisis, diabetes, and heart disease on sugar instead of saturated animal fat à la Yudkin versus Ancel Keys.Granted, excess sugar in soft drinks and (salt+sugar+fat) in processed foods = excess calories which contribute to obesity and indirectly to diabetes and heart disease. It’s not a good thing to ingest in large amounts. But that doesn’t make it worse than meat.Atherosclerotic plaques have never been induced in animal experiments by simply feeding them sugared water the way they can induce plaques with saturated fat and cholesterol.The newer sweetener killer is high frutcose corn syrup yet a combination of excess sugar , salt and fats in processed foods is not a good thing as you suggested. Evaluate the considerations in my rely to Adrien above re cancer and sweeteners. Back on topic : Can you enjoy pancakes and cakes in general without eggs ?Hi Ryan, as to your question concerning enjoying pancakes and cakes without eggs – yes there are many, many recipes modifications and vegan recipes that I enjoy on occasion- since cakes are a treat!I really love this one for its simplicity and deliciousness: http://engine2diet.com/recipe/blueberry-dumpster-cobbler/I am not a pancake fan but rather enjoy a good french toast – this is by far our favorite. I use sprouted grain bread (Ezekiel or such) instead of ciabatta, pure maple syrup & even skip the oil in the pan – delish! http://www.loveandlemons.com/2013/04/15/vegan-french-toast/JacquieRN: Thanks for the recipe links! I’m excited to try them. I’m particularly intrigued by the french toast recipe. I’ve made delicious vegan french toast in the past, but never with nutritional yeast. Sounds good, especially with your high endorsement. Thanks!I don’t eat pancakes or any cakes in general. I haven’t felt the need to eat anything but whole foods.Cancer doesn’t feed off just sugar. It feeds off all the things normal cells do, just like weeds. All cells need glucose.A sample of a few FAQ’s I envision are something like:1. What about cage free, organic eggs? 2. What about organic dairy/meat? 3. Are carbs unhealthy? 4. Are cooking oils healthy? 5. What about the paleo diet? etc.Toxin: I totally agree. Those are perfect examples of the same nutrition questions that keep coming up again and again. I try to make my own little database to supply the answers, but that takes a fair amount of time. It would be so much easier if we had a page we could refer people to or that people could find themselves.The types of questions that I originally came up with were less about nutrition and more about the site. Questions like: * Does Dr. Greger make any money off of the site. * Is there any corporate money that goes to pay for this site. * How do I become a volunteer? * What criteria does Dr. Greger use to pick studies to highlight? (AKA: Why didn’t Dr. Greger also cover study X.) * What is the best way to submit an idea for future video coverage? * What is the best way to submit a question that will get answered in the “Ask The Doctor” section? * Why doesn’t Dr. Greger participate more in the discussion area under the videos? or Why didn’t Dr. Greger answer my question? * etc.Both types of questions are helpful/important.I think this website will develop nicely over time to be even more helpful than it is now. It’s exciting to be part of this process. This site is such a treasure, but we can make it better…Good, better , best , never let it rest , till your good be better , and your better best . :-) Great Post TheaWhites are very bland and empty of nutrients except proteins anyways…egg white have avidin which is an inhibitor of biotinCooking the egg white is required to avoid binding biotin by avidin. Too bad because I loved once Vietnamese egg creams.no,don’t eat any eggs.chickens are no more egg machines than seaguls and eggs are cruel which is the most important factA number of doctors and medical researchers argue that eggs per se are not harmful – it’s the manner in which they are prepared that can be problematic. Scrambled eggs, omelets, and hard boiled eggs by exposing the yolk to heat and oxygen oxidizes the cholesterol. I eat soft boiled or poached eggs as they are both delicious and are a power house of nutrients. It’s too bad that as far as I know no one has studied the relationship of egg preparation to CVD,Due to the lack of evidence as you pointed out, it is difficult to make that claim.Also, eggs are not a powerhouse of nutrition. They rank very low in nutrient density scores. For instance, kale ranks at the top in nutrient density with a score of 1000. Eggs are only around 22. Even bananas are more nutrient dense then eggs.tell it to little ducks or chicken:PI hear you. I loved me some eggs. They were the last animal product that I gave up in my quest to lower my cholesterol and avoid a lifetime on statin drugs. I experienced a 60 drop in cholesterol when I let them go. At that point I was only eating one egg a day hardboiled for my salad. Between the research and my own experience, I am convinced that eggs contribute to higher cholesterol numbers.You are just son of fake doctors who makes people feel scare of breathing! Eggs have GOOD cholesterol needed by every cell in your body, if you have high cholesterol check your ldl and hdl levels, if your cholesterol total is high because of high good cholesterol it is great! If you have high bad cholesterol it is not because of eggs but because something else: processed food, cakes from the shop, metabolism problems caused by glucose-fructose sirup and corn sirup used by big food manufacturers, because of high level of stress/your work, fighting with people/ or if people smoke cigarettes-these things changing good cholesterol in your body into bad. And-for everybody’s sorry-there are many medicines which are needed to be taken with some diseases and doctors have to prescribe them and they have side effects like make your bad cholesterol up. And the thing is-if you can you could change your dies, lots of fibers, unprocessed row food cooking at home, and if this still not working people take statins. But with statins is another issue – they killing your liver and gives you not nice side effects, but if you started to take them you need to keep taking them for your whole life otherwise you have bigger troubles.It has been studied years ago, the traditional cooking privileged soft cooked yellow, forbidden white for children under 1 year old because of the avidinThe CVD connection doesn’t surprise me at all; the diabetes link sure did. What are the POP levels in eggs these days? Could these be figuring into the diabetes risk? And of course the science here doesn’t squarely address the issues of eggwhites v. yolks or conventional (CAFO) vs. homeraised/organic which the fraudsters are sure to raise.I loved eggs. They were the first thing I learned to cook when I was a child, and they were the last thing I gave up on my way to a vegan diet in my quest to lower my cholesterol through dietary means instead of accepting the life long regimen of statins that was proffered by my doctor. I lowered my cholesterol from 203 to 166 while incrementally giving up all dairy and flesh foods except shrimp and eggs, and my doctor said, “great, you’ve made excellent progress. I didn’t think you could get this far by diet alone, but I still want you to take statins.” To which I answered, “screw that, I’ll go vegan first.” and watched my total cholesterol drop an additional 60 points…Joe Caner: Awesome story. Fun to read. Thanks for sharing!I love stories amidst the research – thank you for sharing.Doctors. I almost feel sorry for these people who seem hopelessly behind the power curve. I think the ‘M.D.’ has morphed from ‘medical doctor’ into ‘manage disease.’ One thing for sure: the WFPB readers of this site are light years ahead of the vast majority of doctors (and everyone else, for that matter) still mired deep in conventional treatment regimens that serve everyone except the patient very well indeed.Most of these comments are just “tendance” and we must read it to be able to understand the questions we have as professionals. After WWII, MD set the diet for cardiac patients before open heart surgery was performed routinely, they were way ahead from today. Then miracle pills and surgery went to correct junk food diseases and most people had forgotten what made American people healthy.the real question is why does your doctor think that cholesterol level of 203 is harmful? Did he test your Apo B, Lp(a) and HsCRP. They are better indicators of risk for CVD, not total cholesterol.Organic eggs ( natural eggs as our ancestors were eating) with a limit of 3 a week including cooked meals and deserts, bring you the biotin and other benefits, more than that is a recipe for serious diseases.Sweet potatoes, oats, several types of nuts, tomatoes, and carrots are also “excellent” (>20% RDI per serving) sources of biotin. If one is concerned about biotin, there are many healthy plant-based options with overall higher nutrient density profiles and without the many safety concerns associated with eggs, including increased IGF-1, methionine, industrial pollutants, oncogenic viruses, arachidonic acid, cholesterol, and saturated fat.I wrote ORGANIC eggsEverything I mentioned applies to both organic and conventional eggs.Organic eggs contain the same IGF-1 promoting amino acid profile, methionine levels, arachidonic acid, cholesterol, and saturated fat.Eggs, being a trophic level above plants, are still sources of increased biomagnification of environmental pollutants.There is no evidence to date to suggest that organic eggs have lower rates of oncogenic viruses. These viruses are worldwide and to assume any subpopulation is immune, is not an assumption based on any evidence. It is possible to vaccinate and test for various diseases but these practices are not specific to organic or conventional egg farming.“Organic,” “pasture-raised”, “grass-fed”, are the latest marketing slogans used by the industries to add yet another speculative point to distract from the fact that ALL meat, eggs, and dairy have harmful compounds in them which have definite links to the major epidemics we face today. Any perceived increases of better omegas, etc have been shown to be marginal at best.Biotin is not a scarce nutrient, there is no reason to consume eggs for this reason. It is like saying we should consume eggs for the protein, where protein is found everywhere.I hated eggs when a little kid and made to eat the slimy stinky, runny, rubbery things. There was always this argument among all the kids if the white or the yellow was better. I chose yellow but frankly the whole thing was yeccho. Later as an adult, eggs were cheap protein, so I learned to make great eggs, but usually a half dozen would sit in the fridge for weeks, sometimes months. In college some weeks for lunch I’d poke holes in raw eggs and suck out half a dozen, then go to sleep for an hour on the university center’s leather couches. I lived in my car at the time. So it really had to be desperate for me to go for eggs.when living alone, which I am now, I buy lots of good healthy whole plants and other things, then let some of it rot in the fridge, only cleaning out once a month or so, if that. It helps to stay slim. I know that is unconventional, but I think of it as letting an instinct run its course. Presentation is a lot with appetite, spoil the presentation, etc. The body and even the mind can figure out ways to get healthy if ‘spoiled’ a bit…so to speak.Blood cholesterol levels will initially drop on a zero cholesterol diet but they can surely creep back up even if one continues to eat a zero cholesterol diet, as the liver has no problem making the stuff in sizable quantities. Have to agree with those who would rather see research on oxidized cholesterol, as well as how diet affects LDL particle concentration, LDL-p.Personally that was not the case and I haven’t read any research supporting that. Do you have a link? Cholesterol drops and stays low. Why would the liver make more cholesterol than that needed for tissues and hormones?I believe cholesterol levels can be higher than optimal if someone on a vegan [“zero cholesterol”] diet still consumes large amounts of saturated fat.That simply isn’t true. Statin drug makers would love for you to believe that. Did you see the commercials with a “food versus a family member”? HA!. Lies. On a vegan diet, everyone, even those with family members with high cholesterol, goes to a total cholesterol of 150 or under. They are spreading lies to get you to lose your motivation to put in the effort to lower your cholesterol without their product. Get the Vegan Substitutions book and you won’t even miss eggs.http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Vegan-Food-Substitutions/dp/1592334415/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399974960&sr=1-1&keywords=vegan+substitutionsAnd this one even has a vegan souffle! http://www.amazon.com/Betty-Goes-Vegan-Classic-Recipes/dp/1455509337/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399975042&sr=1-1&keywords=betty+goes+veganSaturated fat will influence cholesterol levels.“The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al., 1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432On a plant based diet that is low fat, once can keep cholesterol levels low. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/May May May. Meaningless.Death and taxes are the only defined things in our lifes… apart from that keep in mind that Medicine is an empirical science, not like Math, or Physics that could foresee scientific reality from formulas on a piece of paper (eg the work of James Clerk Maxwell on electromagnetic waves)…This talk completely ignores the examples of populations with massively high cholesterol and animal fat intakes, where blood cholesterol levels remain around the 170 mg/dl mark (e.g. Southern African tribes, Masai people in Kenya, Somalian Camel herders etc). Clearly there is more to the cholesterol-in, cholesterol-up story. There is clearly a direct relationship for some people. This is also clearly not the case for every individual, and I have on one occasion seen a vegan of 17 years in my practice, who had high cholesterol.yes, I agree nutrition should be “taylor made” it seems what is good for someone may not be good for someone else. I am wondering if in the study mentioned here, “the man” in question when on an “egg free diet” or a cholesterol free diet all together, it is not clearDo you know this site ? http://www.plantpositive.com check out the Primitive nutrition series… it covers the masai… of course every person is different so from a metabolic point of view maybe some people could handle more cholesterol than others…These are great videos! He has ones on the Masai and Eskimos who are some of the groups often raised as paradoxes. Here are the direct links:Masai Model: http://plantpositive.squarespace.com/blog/2012/3/25/tpns-29-30-the-masai-model.htmlEskimo Model: http://plantpositive.squarespace.com/blog/2012/3/25/tpns-27-28-the-eskimo-model.htmlPlant positive is by far the best complimentary nutrition site to nutritionfacts.org.Thanks for the tip… I will check it out later this week. Best.I agree with you, he deserves more attention…There is another with high level articles web site:http://healthylongevity.blogspot.it/Anyway, even if Off Topic, it seems that another researcher (applause to his almost 100 years of life!) speaks againts the cholesterol hypothesis: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/11/cholesterol-trans-fats.aspxhere there is a more in depth interview:http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/805580Even if i think that oxidized cholesterol is a false problem to me (if you do not eat cholesterol you will not have Ox-cholesterol too) maybe someone is interested in his works… i never had the time to made a fact checking…Hello JasminFirstly, do we have studies to back up these claims? Are the lifespans of these populations short or long?Secondly, “Serum cholesterol concentration is clearly increased by added dietary cholesterol but the magnitude of predicted change is modulated by baseline dietary cholesterol. The greatest response is expected when baseline dietary cholesterol is near zero, while little, if any, measurable change would be ex…pected once baseline dietary cholesterol was >400-500 mg/d. People desiring maximal reduction of serum cholesterol by dietary means may have to reduce their dietary cholesterol to minimal levels” (http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.full.pdfAnd lastly, saturated fat modulates cholesterol as well, “The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al., 1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432I am not disagreeing that dietary cholesterol has a negative impact on serum cholesterol in many people. But I don’t like seeing scientists ignore the evidence that some times, in some contexts, high dietary cholesterol does NOT have a negative impact on cholesterol, and that, on occasion, strict vegans can have high cholesterol.These are the original works of the “exceptions to the rule”, there have been more since but I haven’t had full access to read the newer ones.Mann GV, Shaffer RD, Sandstead HH. Cardiovascular disease in the Masai.Journal of Atherosclerosis Research 1964;4:289-312.Lapiccirella V., and others. Enquête clinique, biologique et cardiogra-phique parmi les tribus nomades de la Somalie qui se nourissent seule-ment de lait.Bulletin of the World Health Organization 1962;27: 681-697.Day J, and others. Anthropometric, physiological and biochemical differences between urban and rural Maasai. Atherosclerosis 1976;23:357-361.I don’t really understand why do we care so much about the so-called “exceptions to the rule” if we want to improve the health of the majority ? Should we have dietary recommandation based on Masai or the Eskimo way of eating ? Or do we want dietary recommandation that will improve the health of 99% or more of the people ? If you actually look at “Uprooting the leading causes of death” video you’ll see Dr. Greger proposing free cholesterol screening to vegan ! Because being vegan does not means necesarly that your cholesterol will be sufficiently down to cut your CVD risk. A vegan diet can be very high in saturated fat, laden with oil of all kind, with lot of patatoes chips, soda and processed food, etc. That it’s not what is being advocated here. We rather advocate for a whole food plant based diet (WFPB) that is low in fat (10% of calories or slightly higher but coming from whole plants sources of fat), it can be starch based with the addition of colorfull fruits and vegetable, or vegetable based with legumes as starch for a better nutrient density. That will normalized cholesterol to a healthiest level for almost everybody on earth, unless proven otherwise.And of course some people are going to incorrectly put themselves into that “exceptions to the rule” so they can continue to have their eggs, dairy and meat.And people with low cholesterol are still dying of heart attacks.Most people who have “normal” cholesterol numbers are the ones getting the heart attacks. The problem is not that cholesterol is negligible, its that we must redefine normal. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/Sorry – I should have written “normal” instead of “low.” Low meaning, lower than the high cholesterol numbers we associate with heart attacks.To be truly heart attack proof, we need to have an LDL less then 70 and a total cholesterol count less then 150. Please view the video I shared in my last comment.To be “heart attack proof” takes more than just optimum cholesterol numbers. The type of LDL cholesterol particals you have is critical as well. http://www.drsinatra.com/defining-the-different-types-of-cholesterolFrom the editor in chief of the American Journal of Cardiology.“As shown in Figure 1, most of the risk factors do not in themselves cause atherosclerosis [heart disease]…The atherosclerotic risk factors showing that the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis is cholesterol.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/Particle type is irrelevant when one gets low enough, this is evident here and has been identified several decades ago, that those who have total cholesterol 150 or below essentially do not develop heart disease. http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/30/3/427/F3.expansion.html“If everyone smoked 20 cigarettes a day, then clinical, case-control and cohort studies alike would lead us to conclude that lung cancer was a genetic disease; and in one sense that would be true, since if everyone is exposed to the necessary agent, then the distribution of cases is wholly determined by individual susceptibility…In the case of cigarettes and lung cancer it so happened that the study populations contained about equal numbers of smokers and non-smokers, and in such a situation case/control and cohort studies were able to identify what was also the main determinant of population differences and time trends.”The same can be applied to heart disease, the cholesterol levels of those who get heart disease and those who do not is basically the same for most of the population. “The painful truth is that for such an individual in a Western population the commonest cause of death—by far—is coronary heart disease! Everyone, in fact, is a high-risk individual for this uniquely mass disease.”Again I would encourage you to view the first link I shared in my first post to you.We know commercially raised chickens and eggs are not very healthy due in part to the high omega-6 grains and even worse the grains being of GMO origin. So… the numbers aren’t surprising but I’d be most interested to see the studies (what studies?) for pasture raised chicken eggs. Is anyone aware of studies of this nature?http://www.livescience.com/39353-eggs-dont-deserve-bad-reputation.htmlI think you need more information… read the above.I am wondering if what is fed the chickens would change things? Such as flax and garlic or consuming these with an egg would this give us protection we need to stop plaque build up? Where are the studies?Consuming flax and garlic directly would be more beneficial than combining healthy foods with a bad one. The issue with eggs go beyond their diet, as inherent compounds exist in eggs, such as the marked levels of cholesterol and arachidonic acid. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-dietThose are claims made by the egg industry, but you’d be hard pressed to find evidence supporting that theory.The entire “organic eggs”, “free range eggs”, “natural feed” woo woo are just marketing gimmicks used to trick people into believing that certain animal products are better than others.Meta-analysis limited to the highest epidemiological evidence (prospective cohort studies) do not reach this conclusion, at least for CVD:http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/98/1/146.abstracthttp://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8539?view=long&pmid=23295181These two publications are the most important references on the literature about this topic, so I don’t understand why Doctor Greger doesn’t discuss ‘em.Hi Carlo,If you look at the ‘Sources Cited’ section, I think you will find much similarity between the conclusions of the studies you cite and those of this video.Moreover, because the studies you cite conclude that egg consumption is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease among diabetics, and according to the American Diabetes Association some 25.8 million people in America have diabetes with only 18.8 million people knowing they are diabetic, doesn’t it make sense to call for eliminating eggs from the American diet? http://professional.diabetes.org/admin/UserFiles/0%20-%20Sean/FastFacts%20March%202013.pdfAnd, finally, who do you know who eats less than one egg a day? Seriously, if one ate a single egg every other day it would take one 24 days to get through a single dozen eggs; almost a month! Why bother when there are so many other nutritious and health-promoting alternatives to whatever it is one thinks they are getting by eating eggs, without all the toxic baggage. Why would people vote with their dollars for an industry who lies in their faces and ignores the dangers posed by its product to its very customers so it can take their money while it robs them of their good health? (Think Big Tobacco, right?)Forget eggs.IGF-1 is needed in development for children and adults. To eat 2 organic egg yolks a week is not eating 2 eggs a day. Fasting is a regulation to control most of the nutrition metabolites, eating and fasting are parts of controlling your lifeClaude: I’m not sure what you are thinking with your post. Consider that:1) You seem to be advocating that people eat 2 egg yolks. The unhealthy IGF-1 boost comes from animal protein – in other words, the white of the egg only. So, the comment about IGF-1 followed by promoting egg yolks doesn’t make sense to me.2) It is true that people need a certain amount of IGF-1, but as with most food and nutrients, “the dose makes the poison”. A certain amount is good. Too much is bad. You might want to check out the IGF-1 video series on this site to learn more about why getting the *extra* IGF-1 from animal protein is linked to cancer growth.3) Egg yolks (organic or otherwise) have a lot of issues: high in fat/calories, aracadonic acid (sp?), cholesterol, etc. People may be healthy having a small amount of egg yolk in their diet, but the data seems to indicate that people would be healthy despite having the yolks in their diet, not because of it. Just like you can probably be healthy eating fish once a year, but you would be healthy despite the fish eating, not because of it. I would think that 2 yolks a week is an unnecessarily high amount. And why go there? As others have commented, anything you can get from an egg yolk, you can get more easily and safely from whole plant foods.Some things to think about.I have prescribed no egg diet when I was in nephrology, then continued in vascular surgery but not in neurology where I determined with my colleagues that 1egg a week but no more than 2 may be beneficial when it is organic. Medicine is not an exact science, and sometime it is good to eat small amount of something people used all over the world for centuries. the good nutrition is to set a plan for the month and eat all planned, only few people are able to do it. Any food has an optimal and poisoning dose. Lack of nutriments are also a danger. Nutrition is the art of balancing what you need.The healthy way to raise IGF-1 is through exercise, especially weightlifting if one has access to a weightlifting club. This is the Olympic Style Weightlifting that you see in the Olympics. It’s the healthiest form of weightlifting because it is the fullest possible range of motion using many joints at the same time. Weightlifting as a sport is 30 times safer then soccer. I have an 11 year old who competes in Olympic Weightlifting. I suspect her IGF-1 is higher then most of her non-weightlifting peers.Ben: That’s cool to hear about your 11 year old and weightlifting. Wow. Very cool.Thanks. BTW, I meant to say she probably has higher IGF-1 then her vegan non-weightlifting peers. Kids consuming dairy probably have IGF-1 levels that are too high.Here she is lifting on youtube. Second lifter in this video doing the snatch. Then at 3:09 she doing the clean and jerk. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_DY42YI_IYI will try yo get her in vegan health and fitness if she wins the National Championship in the 13 and under.Ben: Your daughter is *amazing*.I have to say though, watching that video made me very tense. I held my breath thinking that one of those bars was going to drop on someone’s head… I think it takes a lot of guts to do that sport.Good luck to you and your daughter.That is so impressive, incredible! Thank you for sharing Ben.This recent meta-analysis suggests that egg consumption is not significantly associated with CVD and cardiac mortality in the general population: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23676423What are your thoughts on this?In the meta-analysis cited in the video, what else were the people eating besides eggs? Were they eating a plant based diet, Mediterranean diet, or standard American processed food diet? Obviously, that is where the real difference is? An egg on a healthy salad is a whole different situation than a egg McMuffin.Its funny you mention McDonald’s, wait till tomorrow and you will see the new video release showing eggs compared with a sausage McMuffin.Dr. Greger: I went to look at the Hopkins meta analysis study and there was a notation that you had posted a comment which was removed by the moderator. Would you please share here what your comment was that was removed?Thanks, David R.David, I responded to your follow-up comment but I know sometimes comments get separated so here it is again:Dr. Greger was leaving comments for the researchers whose research he’s featured. For some reason, perhaps because he linked to this video, his comment triggered the spam filter. I think he has been emailing researchers in the past to let them know their research was highlighted in his videos, but leaving comments for them on the article would have allowed even other researchers to possibly engage in the discussion here. And if you look below my comment, you’ll see a comment by Sean Lucan, one of the researchers who decided to join the discussion!Thanks for the question!Dr. Greger, it was the Li/Zhou meta analysis, not the Hopkins.Hi David,Dr. Greger was leaving comments for the researchers whose research he’s featured. For some reason, perhaps because he linked to this video, his comment triggered the spam filter. I think he has been emailing researchers in the past to let them know their research was highlighted in his videos, but leaving comments for them on the article would have allowed even other researchers to possibly engage in the discussion here. And if you look below my comment, you’ll see a comment by Sean Lucan, one of the researchers who decided to join the discussion!Thanks for the question!Thanks for the mention. Your readers/viewers may be interested in the rest of my letter: http://bit.ly/1brjYpdParticularly since 2 meta-analyses which you don’t choose to highlight come to somewhat different conclusions: http://1.usa.gov/1n1q1Jl , http://1.usa.gov/1lEdNa5Regardless (as I point out in my letter), is it the eggs? Or is it the toast and jam, pancakes and syrup, potatoes and ketchup, bagels and fruit juice, or sweetened tea or coffee that tend to get consumed with them? …Sean C. Lucan, MD, MPH, MSGreat to have an author on here! Your valuable work is appreciated!Wow, this site reminds me of The Emperior With No Clothes! No one challenges the author??? I have been looking at so many different sites with varying claims for better health it’s mind boggling. There are vegan sites, low carb sites, paleo,keto,low fat,etc…. and are at each other’s throats all the time. The one thing they all have in common is their love of organic, free range EGGS and there top food if they had to choose just one. I personally am a doubting Thomas and need a lot of conformation but study after study is pretty persuasive for me that eggs are as good as it gets for nutrition and I don’t need to give you references because they’re all over the place. Remember, a good researcher tries to prove him or herself wrong at least as much as defending his or her position.…which is not at all what Lucan is doing when he cites Good Calories Bad Calories as if it were a textbook on health and nutrition. I myself have some more focused comments but am waiting to see if Gregor or someone more affiliated will respond and if Lucan will respond in turn. Generally these comments are a hit-and-run affair, if only because researchers tend to be busy and are somewhat reluctant to stake their reputation in a forum.Yes, you DO need to cite studies to say that eggs are as good as it gets, as part of several prongs of argument that you should be presenting: 1) You need to give a better impression about what “as good as it gets nutritionally” means to you. 2) You need to show what standard of research you take to be authoritative. 3) You need to back up your claim that the research is all over by producing a relatively strong example of research. Since it is all over, it should be easy for you, Emperor.victor: Truth is not a popularity contest. Thus, it doesn’t matter how many sites say something if it is wrong. The internet is famous for people simply copying/repeating information without actually checking it or using independent thought.To illustrate my point with a real-life example: I decided to research microwaves a few years ago. Site after site after site after site, reguardless of the site’s focus, said microwaves are bad for you and listed a set of studies and anecdotes to ‘prove’ it. Something seemed rotten eggy to me about the logic of what I was reading, so I kept doing research. I finally found a couple of sites that confirmed that the anti-microwave studies either *do not exist* or had *terminal flaws.* I also learned that the logic holes I had seen in those anecdotes were seen by others too. However, still today, if you searched for whether or not microwaves were safe, you would be inundated with “studies” about how unsafe microwaves are.re: “Remember, a good researcher tries to prove him or herself wrong at least as much as defending his or her position.” I would turn that back on you and suggest that you continue your research. This video is just one of many on NutritionFacts which shows why eggs really are not good for you. If you want a large list of studies explaining why eggs are bad for you, can find them here. In addition, NutritionFacts has a video giving examples of how pro-egg studies are fatally flawed. Another source to check out would be Plant Positive’s series of videos. You can get in-depth information from that scholarly work on why cholesterol (a big part of all eggs, regardless of source) is bad for you.Good luck.This actually seems to be the latest meta-analysis:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24711708 . The analysis was not conclusive, with one of the biggest problems (which is also true of comparisons between most primary studies) is lack of control for the same dietary confounders. One interesting tidbit from their abstract though does highlight the lack of agreement in the field: “Studies among healthy subjects found suggestive evidence that dietary interventions that include eggs may reduce the risk of T2DM and metabolic syndrome.”What about eggs from truly pastured, whole grain fed, non-vaccinated, no antibiotics given chickens? I raise them and have seen studies done on the lower cholesterol and higher nutrient content of these eggs. Commercially raised hens are completely different, in my opinion, but I always hear about how eggs are for you based on commercially raised hens. I’m wondering if you might do a study on the difference?Well I am sure next week another guy will say how good they are. Who are we to believe? Does he work for the supporting company or the competition? Not saying wrong but here so many things and they all have there a Studies ect. Just like when you go to doctors office and they shove pills down your throat all depends on which co they are promoting. LolWe’ll I’m sorry to say I’ve been on and off eggs and meat no cholesterol and yes my bad cholesterol went down but my good cholesterol also went way down and my triglycerides went sky high and my blood pressure was up???? When adding saturated fat eggs and no sugar or wheat guess what, everything normalBlood pressure is largely determined from sodium intake and whole grain consumption. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/HDL and triglycerides may not be good indicators of heart disease risk.A review examining 108 randomized control trials found this.“This systematic review and meta-regression analysis of 108 randomised controlled trials using lipid modifying interventions did not show an association between treatment mediated change in high density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths whenever change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol was taken into account. We found a statistically significant, substantial association between change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk ratios for coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths”“Our findings contribute to accumulating evidence that simply increasing the amount of circulating high density lipoprotein cholesterol does not necessarily confer cardiovascular benefits”They also note that HDL that is dysfunctional and pro inflammatory may be produced under certain dietary conditions, “recent data suggest that a low fat, high fibre diet, in combination with exercise, converts high density lipoprotein cholesterol from a pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory state.”Conclusion: “Available data suggest that simply increasing the amount of circulating high density lipoprotein cholesterol does not reduce the risk of coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths. The results support reduction in low density lipoprotein cholesterol as the primary goal for lipid modifying interventions.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2645847/Another study examining the effects the different lipids in terms of heart disease risk found that “triglyceride concentration was not independently related with CHD risk after controlling for HDL-C, non–HDL-C, and other standard risk factors, including null findings in women and under nonfasting conditions.21,22 Hence, for population-wide assessment of vascular risk, triglyceride measurement provides no additional information about vascular risk given knowledge of HDL-C and total cholesterol levels, although there may be separate reasons to measure triglyceride concentration (eg, prevention of pancreatitis).”http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=184863Make sure you are consuming whole, unrefined plant foods and plenty of complex starches. A plant based diet can be just as unhealthy as a standard American diet.Who wrote such a stupid shit on you? Eggs doesn’t make you heart attack! Your heart problems comes from using in bakery not eggs but hydrogenated plant’s fat including trans fats. Then to your diabetes contributed not eggs but your funny corn syrup, glucose-fructose sirup used by food-manufacturers which makes your blood system and metabolism system go crazy! Egg’s yolk has GOOD cholesterol needed in every cell of your body!Is there any good description of the process in the body? I thought diabetes was being passed on to the children or not(in this case the insulin producing cells get destroyed by mutated cells which had attacked disease causing stuff before)? how does it relate?what about egg whites? I used to like to use them in baking….no fats,no sugar,no dairy….whole grains and egg whites please for baking?Pat: How about replacing those egg whites with a “flax egg”? A flax egg is 1 Tbl ground flaxseed to 3 Tbl water. Mix up and let sit for a few minutes.One of the problems with egg whites is that they are almost nothing but pure animal protein. And that is linked to cancer growth. (See the NutrtionFacts series on IGF-1 for more info.) Best to stay away from egg whites for this among other reasons. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1Good luck.I think this is quite misleading. The same big meta-analysis cited at the end of the video clearly states, as first sentence of the discussion section: “Accumulated epidemiologic evidence generated from this meta-analysis suggests that egg consumption is not associated with an increased risk of overall CVD, IHD, stroke, or mortality. However, compared with those who never consume eggs, those who eat 1 egg per day or more are 42% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Among diabetic patients, frequent egg consumers (ie, $ 1 egg/d) are 69% more likely to have CVD comorbidity.”Also, the following papers reach the same conclusion about CVD, stroke and mortality. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10217054 – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17179903 and this is the actual line of the medical consensus.	American Heart Association,animal products,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,diabetes,eggs,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,longevity,metabolic syndrome,mortality,nutrition myths,prediabetes,smoking,standard American diet	The latest meta-analysis of studies on egg consumption and heart disease risk found that even less than a single egg a day is associated with increased risk of both cardiovascular disease and diabetes.	The link to the smoking video is here: Eggs vs. Cigarettes in AtherosclerosisMore on the diabetes connection in Eggs and Diabetes and Bacon, Eggs, and Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy.More on eggs and the egg industry in general:There’s more to heart disease than just cholesterol buildup. In my next video, Eggs and Arterial Function, I’ll explore what effect egg consumption has on endothelial function, the ability of our arteries to relax normally.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4627001,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23182841,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23643053,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23177013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22882905,
PLAIN-2602	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/	Walnuts and Artery Function	Not eating walnuts may double our risk of dying from heart disease, compared to at least one serving a week, but walnut consumption may only drop our cholesterol levels about 5%. How could we get a 50% drop in cardiac mortality from just a 5% drop in cholesterol? Walnuts must have some other heart-protecting benefits besides just lowering cholesterol, such as improving arterial function.This review found five clinical trials analyzing the effect of nut consumption on the ability to relax and open normally, considered an excellent “barometer” of underlying vascular health. Even after controlling for other risk factors, 80% of those with better than average arterial function survived cardiac event-free over the years, whereas 80% of those with below average dilation didn’t. And so what effect do nuts have? All three studies on walnuts show an improvement in endothelial function, arterial function, this so-called flow-mediated dilation measured in the arm. The one study on pistachios also found a positive effect, but the one study on hazelnuts was a wash.A subsequent study on hazelnuts, though, did find a significant improvement in arterial function, so the data for hazelnuts is mixed, whereas two subsequent walnut studies confirmed walnuts benefits. So eight studies to date on nuts and brachial artery function, and seven out of eight showed a significant improvement in arterial function, one showed a negligible effect, and none found nuts made things worse. Half the studies, though, used the added walnuts to replace foods in the diet known to have a negative effect on endothelial function. For example, in this, walnuts replaced meat and dairy, which have been shown to be detrimental, so no wonder arterial function got better. But, when you do a study like that, then you can’t tell if the benefits you’re seeing is because of adding the good stuff or getting rid of the bad.In three of the other studies, nuts replaced olive oil, which tends to lead to a worsening of endothelial function, thereby exaggerating the beneficial effects of the walnuts, from here to here.But, the other four studies that just added nuts as a snack or with a meal like this one, without replacing any specific foods, found nuts significantly improved arterial functioning. Given their association with longevity, I encourage everyone to eat an ounce of nuts a day, unless of course you’re allergic. Only about 1% of people report nut allergies, but still, that’s a significant downside of nut consumption for millions of Americans.	I wish there was more data available on this subject. What is it in nuts that has this artery-enhancing effect? Arginine? What about seeds? are they just as good for you? Perhaps I don’t need nuts because I take a tablespoon of flax seeds each day. Since I’m on a healthy plant-based, whole foods diet, low in fat, and as a result, my blood pressure is around 100/60, will nuts and anything to my health? Perhaps they’ll add excess calories and fat that I don’t want.In addition to the ALA PUFA, walnuts contain Beta Sitosterol (a phytosterol that has been shown to lower cholesterol) and pedunculagin (a polyphenol also found in pomegranates) and tocopherols (forms of Vitamin E). The improved endothelial function most likely is a result of a combination of these nutrients.Thank you, Devinwill nuts [add] anything to my health?At the very least, pleasure and variety to your WFPB diet. Variety is a good thing nutritionally speaking. “Blue Zone” Adventists who eat nuts live 2 years longer than those who don’t. (Blue Zones, Buettner, page 165)Does anyone know of a budget friendly plant based diabetic meal planKathy, I can relate! A lot of vegan/vegetarian recipes call for such unusual items that you can feel nickel-dimed to death! Add to your pantry slowly, trying one new thing at a time – really explore that new item to get the best use out of it and learn about its versatility (EX: flax). Some simple ideas here:http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Vegetarian-on-a-Budget…and… http://vegetarianonthecheap.blogspot.com/2008/08/vegetarian-on-cheap-beginners-guide.htmlDried beans and lentils are very economical.Minimizing spoilage helps. Cruciferous veggies keep well in the fridge, allowing me to apportion them without spoiling. Ripen fruit at room temp, then refrigerate. Etc.Heck you can buy 1 pound of dried black beans in the dollar stores for …guess what…$1!!! Lentils can be found at most Wal-Mart stores too for around $1…! great stuff! vvIt varies from place to place in price, of course. As an aside, the Mormons have a religious prerogative to keep a supply of food in long-term storage, and, conveniently enough, dry legumes are appropriate for long-term storage. If you are willing to commit in volume in order to capture lower prices, you may want to see if the LDS have a food storage center near you, what their policy is, and whether they carry 25 pound sacks for sale. I got my recent supply of beans from them and though the beans are smaller than usual (not necessarily a bad thing) and do need to be sorted before soaking (some store bought types basically don’t), it’s very hard to beat the price.Hi Kathy, Dr. Neal Barnard has a book, “Dr. Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes” which has plant-based recipes. I prefer the easy to prepare recipes in Dr. John McDougall’s books. Many of the recipes are available for free on his website, drmcdougall.com. They are tasty and don’t require fancy ingredients. Good luck!Hi Kathy, in addition to the great resources already mentioned, you might also want to check out Jeff Novick. His cooking style is very cheap, very fast and easy, and always low fat, whole foods plant-based (i.e. diabetic-friendly!). The link below is for a facebook album of his of cheap, simple recipes. He describes them as taking less than 5 minutes, having 5 ingredients or less, and being less than $5 (and you can decrease this cost quite a bit by choosing dried beans or even generic canned beans over the “premium” Eden brand canned beans he uses).https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.204432390124.260255.177550385124&type=3my mom use to have high cholesterol and was diabetic, I helped her change her diet to vegan and we added a daily snack of walnuts. This helps to confirm her normal cholesterol and blood sugar numbers, walnuts help improve both.Thank you all for replying!Looks like I’m breaking a weight loss plateau with a couple of diet tweaks. Instead of 1/2 of a honking big avocado, I tapered back to 2 oz/day and stopped binging on frozen mango. But walnuts? They’re staying put!!Walnuts seem to inflame my gums and cause severe toothache! What other nuts work well, I wonder? I am mainly vegan, nondairy and have a good low blood pressure.weirld but I thought olive oil is good for arterial function from recent studies !Hi Doda, Dr. Robert Vogel did the research study showing that olive oil, which is 14% saturated fat, inflamed the endothelial lining of the arteries: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/say-no-to-olive-oilDr. Dean Ornish, heart reversal diet expert, also chimed in: http://www.rd.com/health/the-great-olive-oil-misconception-dr-ornish-responds/And Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, equally renowned clinician who has documented heart disease reversal in his book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_o4YBQPKtQheh! LOVE Dr. Essy in this clip!!! Thanks for posting it! I love my walnuts 3-4 times each week in my oats!Agreed Val. I add walnuts to my steel-cut oats, along with either blackberries or cranberries, and some unsweetened soy milk. I always have to have a cooked breakfast to start my day.Oil isn’t healthy, olive oil shown only a minute improvement over other oil and boy did the marketing grab hold of it! Our human bodies were never designed to ingest such a highly concentrated item as oil. There is no such thing as concentrated oil as a food found in nature, ever see an oil plant or an oil tree? Our livers go into overdrive within 5 minutes of eating oil just trying to detoxify it it takes the liver up to 2 hrs just to handle it. All oils cause inflammation and increase arterial pressures including coronary artery (in the heart) spasm especially in women and can bring on chest pain or worse. Next time you have a high fat meal check your pulse prior to the meal, you will find it has increased afterwards…This is definitely such a great thing to know. A couple questions on topic – are flax seeds are just as much beneficial (given even better W-3/6 profile and anti-cancer properties). I remember seeing in other video where studies showed even a bit of peanuts was good for cardiac health. – what if I am on low-fat WFPB diet Ornish-McDoug-Ess style (since I have no discomfort I’m doing a strict version while hoping to clean some of my arteries from before China Study years:)), can I afford an ounce of walnuts per day/few days? Should I exclude my daily 1-2 tbsp of flax (some mix)? – another two products with some studies on endothelial function improvement were cocoa and garlic, would be very nice to know an up-to-date expert’s take of Dr.Greger’s and NF team on these too…Because of the high content of omega 3, high content of lignans, and countless studies showing great benefit of flax, I would not exclude it from your diet. Walnuts are definitely more fatty, but a 1/4 cup a day would not cause heart disease. I think the essylsten approach works best when you actually have heart disease.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/Many thanks for your reply Toxins! I guess flax is indeed too good to be let go of :)Regarding stricts version of LF WFPB diet I’m acting on assumption anyone who “enjoyed” western diet for a number of years has some degree of heart disease (again remembering China Study fragment about young soldiers and also Dr.Greger speaking about initial stages of CVD found in younger populations). I also keep in mind Dr.Ornish’s words that the more adherence the better results (with mediocre adherence leading basically to no improvement even if not worsening). So I’d guess anyone would benefit from some period of strict following (no nuts for a while??), especially if it is surprisingly pretty simple and easy.. :) ps personally I am on this version since Jan 1 and now I don’t feel discomfort in my heart area I felt after strenuous 1+ hr workouts before, which feels so goodI agree, those following a western style diet probably have developed early stages of heart disease. But still, an ounce of nuts, especially walnuts in your oatmeal, or something of that nature, will not hurt your diet. I think the problem arises when nuts make up a greater bulk of our caloric intake, as an ounce of walnuts is about 200 calories, and this is only a 1/4 cup. Because nuts in general are so high in omega 6 and throws off the omega6:3 ratio, this may also hurt the quality of the diet when including nuts and seeds. Flax and walnuts are the rare exceptions with great omega 3 ratios. If we are talking about including or excluding a 1/4 cup of walnuts, I don’t think it will cause harm in the big picture, especially since they are so anti inflammatory, as this video demonstrates.Had these studies focused on, say, pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts, I am confident the same positive results would have been found. I see no reason to add walnuts if my seed intake is sufficient.That may well be true – but walnuts do appear to have some antioxidant compounds not found in other nuts and seeds that may make a difference. The omega 3/6 ratio is important, but probably not so much for people who are avoiding vegetable oils or other rich omega 6 sources.Seeds, other then flax, generally have extremely poor ratios of omega 6:3. This can lead to a poor conversion rate of your ALA omega 3 to DHA and EPA. A great ratio is 4:1, of omega 6:3 respectively which walnuts satisfy and flax excels.Seeds are healthy though, and I agree, an ounce of walnuts swapped for an ounce of seeds would probably be beneficial as well.In addition to the omega 6:3 issue which Toxins and Dr. Greger have given a good review of the current science. Nuts and seeds also are a good source of minerals and most likely contain other ingredients that we don’t yet understand can contribute to health. Dr. Esselstyn advises his patients with clinically significant heart disease to avoid nuts and he has had outstanding results. His most recent paper has been accepted for publication and should come out in the near future. Bottom line for me at this time is an ounce of nuts or seeds per day as a general population recommendation is fine unless of course you have an allergy or specific condition for not consuming them.But if you eat a lowfat WFPB diet, and consume one tablespoon of flax per day, per Dr. Gregor’s recommendation, it wouldn’t matter what the other one ounce of nuts or seeds comes from, whether its walnuts or pumpkin seeds, your omega 6/3 ratio will be in the optimal range.2 tablespoons would be better, as recommended by Dr. Greger http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/But yes, after 2 tablespoons an ounce of any nut would not hurt the ratio, although peanuts maybe. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4448/2But even so, I think that is a small detail that is not a major problem overallOne thing I have noticed is, one tablespoon of flax seeds equals about two tablespoons of ground up flax. I always just put one tablespoon of whole seed in my coffee grinder and eat that. Should I do two tablespoons of whole flax seed? I think that would be too much.Ben: Wow. I never thought of that. I always grind up an amount where the ground flax fills a peanut butter jar and keep it in the fridge. So, I never gave it much thought about pre vs post measuring.Your comment really caught my eye because this is one of the issues that gives me angst when it comes to cooking. “Oh no. The recipe calls for 1 cup chopped __” So, is that one cup before or after chopping???? ;-0For what it’s worth, it’s my understanding that the recommendation is for 2 tablespoon flaxseed, measured post grounding. I’m sure I’ll be corrected if I got that wrong.1 tablespoon whole is 10 grams of flax, while 1 tablespoon ground is 7 grams of flax if that helps you make a determination. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3163/2http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/mediterranean-diet-wins-against-peripheral-arterial-disease/ok here is the study 2014 that say olive oil is good. so confusing !!Did EVOO replace any other fat in that study, making it look comparatively good?the sample may not reflect general population as it is from those already with diabetes. On the other hand , this experiment shows that nuts is good but olive oil is 2 times more effective than nuts for this sample population.Hi Doda, That study’s methodology was very flawed. Even the authors note that in 2006, the protocol for the control group was significantly modified. Here’s one critique of many: http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2013other/news/oil.htmWalnuts and Pecans don’t like me. What’s the next best nut?How about pistachios?Thanks. I have no allergy to them, so i’ll definitely be adding some to my diet.Did you see this video?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/Don’t eat more than a couple if Brazil nuts. Seems as if it’s possible to OD on their selenium.That was the fastest I’ve ever heard you speak!! Too much coffee :) ! haha, actually, I like your normal voice, I lost track totally in what you were saying, didn’t have time to think of what you were saying :(. I like your regular pace…So what are you going to tell Dr. Esselstyn?Doesn’t Doc Essy say if you have *major* heart problems to avoid nuts? Just saying.Esselstyn, McDougall, Novick, Barnard, Fuhrman, and Greger all agree that 1 ounce nuts per day is fine (excluding patients with advanced CVD).“For people with no heart disease who want to eat nuts and avocado and are able to achieve a cholesterol of 150 and LDL of 80 or under without cholesterol lowering drugs, some nuts and avocado are acceptable.” -EsselstynNature is a genius. It has all the perfect systems to protect itself against predators and the threat of eradication. Starting with its source: the seeds, nature’s reproductive system. They need to survive storms, rain, high temperatures, animals, man. Their natural defence systems include enzyme inhibitors and toxic substances that will be removed naturally once the ideal circumstances are gathered to germinate those seeds for a new plant or tree. When you are not sure about what to do, look at nature and do the same. A seed uses rain to remove the toxins and to bring the enzymes to life. We have to mimic those natural actions to optimise these foods before consuming them safely. By soaking your nuts and seeds you will minimize or eliminate the toxic substances inside of nuts and seeds. These are: Enzyme inhibitors (who make it difficult to digest them properly) Phytates (phytic acid) Polyphenols (tannins) Goitrogens (…)Almonds- 8 to 12 hours at room temperature Walnuts- 4 hours at room temperature Sesame seeds- 8 hours at room temperature Sunflower seeds- 2 hours at room temperature All other nuts- 6-24 hours at room temperature (http://ravishingraw.com/nuts-seeds)In general, the “anti nutrients” do not actually cause nutrient deficiencies, and they actually improve the quality of the diet as they serve antioxidant functions and other roles. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antinutrients/Sprouting though does significantly increase the antioxidant content of plant foods. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/Good point. I think the anti-nutrients are taken a bit too seriously. Phytic acid has some very positive effects in the body, and the actual effect on mineral levels seems to be pretty minimal.Did you see the article “The Questionable Link Between Saturated Fat and Heart Disease” published in the May 6, 2014 issue of the Wall Street Journal? How does stuff like this make it past the Journal’s medical editors?Bear in mind that this is the same outfit that published Taubes’ article and launched his career. A relatively straightforward explanation for the article is that this is a Saturday Essay, and is probably meant to be relatively fluffy and more edgy than uncontroversially true. For instance, “Why Asian Mothers are Superior” was another article in this category. Editorial review is probably minimal, and may be even less these days as the mainline media face more competition from small and often subjectivist outfits in the blogosphere. Who is this Nina Teicholz character, anyway? If she had an MD or PhD it seems like they would have pushed that to the front of her bio.The Times may also realize that it has lost substantial credibility with people like the people that frequent this site when they published Taubes’ article and that people who identify with nutritional vegetarianism are a minority compared with those who want to hear that they can eat the foods that they like without significant worries, and are interested in the issue because they are struggling with weight and health. Just a hypothesis, though. I don’t really know what makes their audience tick and how the publication thinks about that information.Q: “Who is this Nina Teicholz character, anyway?”A: Someone with a new book coming out!From the bottom of the WSJ article: “Ms. Teicholz has been researching dietary fat and disease for nearly a decade. Her book, “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet,” will be published by Simon & Schuster on May 13.”According to her linkedin, she’s an “Independent Writing and Editing Professional”. Not a scientist, not a statistician, not a medical professional. The comparison to Taubes is appropriate, indeed.I love nuts but they sure taste better roasted! Same benefit as raw? I hope so.Nut antioxidants are better absorbed roasts, but AGE’s may be of concern. According to JEff Novick, Advanced Glycation End-products are considered toxic molecules formed by heating foods and are thought to increase the risk and severity of many diseases including the metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, arthritis, Alzheimer’s Disease, and cancer. AGE’s are also thought to contribute to diabetic neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy and aging.AGE Amounts In Food (per serving)Starchy vegetablesCorn, 20Sweet potato, roasted, 72White potato, boiled, 17White potato, french fries, homemade, 694White potato, french fries, fast food, 1,522White potato, roasted, 45 min, prepared with 5 mL oil, 218Grains/legumes/CerealsBean, red kidney, raw, 116Bean, red kidney, canned, 191Bean, red kidney, cooked, 1 h, 298Pasta, cooked 8 min, 112Bran Flakes, 10Corn Flakes, 70Frosted Flakes, 128Oatmeal, dry, instant, 4Oatmeal, cooked, instant 25BreadWhole wheat, center, 16Whole wheat, center toasted, 25Whole wheat, crust, 22Whole wheat, crust, toasted, 36Pita pocket, 16FruitsApple 13Apple, baked, 45Banana, 9Cantaloupe, 20Raisins, 36High Fat Plant FoodsAlmonds, roasted, 1,995Avocado, 473Cashews, roasted 2,942Olive, ripe 501Peanut butter, smooth 2,255Walnuts, roasted 2,366High Fat Animal ProductsCream cheese, 3,265Mayonnaise, 9,470Butter, 1,324BeefFrankfurter, boiled 7 min, 6,736Frankfurter, broiled 5 min, 10,143Hamburger, fried 6 min, 2,375Hamburger, fast food, 4,876Meatball, boiled in sauce, 2,567Shoulder cut, broiled, 5,367Bacon, microwave, 1,173Deli ham, smoked, 2,114Pork chop, pan fried, 4,277Chicken breast, skinless cubesSteamed 10 min and broiled 12 min, 5,071Pan fried 10 min and boiled 12 min, 5,706Chicken breast, skinless cutletRaw, 692Boiled 1 h, 1,011Broiled 15 min, 5,245Fried 8 min, 6,651Roasted, barbecue sauce, 4,291Roasted, breaded, 4,102Roasted, breaded, microwave, 1 min, 5,157FishSalmon, raw, 502Salmon, smoked, 515Trout, raw, 705Trout, roasted 25 min, 1,924CheeseAmerican, processed, 2,603American, processed, low fat, 1,425Brie, 1,679Cottage cheese, 1,744Feta 2,527Mozzarella, part skim, 503Parmesan, grated, 2,535http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/1/6/1293.fullhttp://missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Cooking/sdarticle.pdfNuts and seeds (and whole grains, soy and legumes) contain high levels of phytates – ‘anti-nutrients’ that block the absorption of these minerals and vitamins (particularly zinc, calcium, iron and magnesium). High intakes of phytate-rich foods in the diet (particularly in vegetarian diets) can actually cause mineral deficiencies as the phytates inhibit the absorption of minerals not only in these foods, but in other foods eaten in combination with them (e.g. the calcium in dairy if consumed in a meal with nuts).– See more at: http://www.nutritionbynature.com.au/1/post/2012/11/nuts-seeds-are-for-birds-and-squirrels-not-humans.html#sthash.nxk45D2v.dpufhttp://www.nutritionbynature.com.au/1/post/2012/11/nuts-seeds-are-for-birds-and-squirrels-not-humans.html“In general, the “anti nutrients” do not actually cause nutrient deficiencies, and they actually improve the quality of the diet as they serve antioxidant functions and other roles. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antinutrients/“And what about the other issues from the article: Phytates in nuts and seeds also interfere with the enzymes we need to digest our food, including amylase (required for the breakdown of starch), pepsin (needed to breakdown proteins in the stomach) and trypsin (needed for effective protein digestion in the small intestine). Nuts and seeds may contain some protein, but this protein is not well assimilated and absorbed in the human digestive tract, if at all.Nuts and seeds are rich in polyunsaturated oils – wrongly touted as ‘healthy’ oils but far, far from it. These fats suppress metabolism, contributing to weight gain, tissue destruction, free radical damage, insulin resistance and a whole host of other health problems. See this post for more. These fats are highly unstable – prone to oxidation and rancidity – you’d be hard-pressed to find ‘fresh’ nuts around that aren’t actually already rancid.The polyunsaturated fats in nuts and seeds suppress energy metabolism and thyroid hormone, and actually contribute to weight gain – See more at: http://www.nutritionbynature.com.au/1/post/2012/11/nuts-seeds-are-for-birds-and-squirrels-not-humans.html#sthash.pHxgepnj.dpufHello Mindaugas, you may want to view the other videos, review the Sources Cited and comments for previous discussion on phytates here:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytates/OK, thanks.My pleasure!It is difficult to come to neutral conclusions on nutrition when the studies are being interpreted by another author. It is best to draw conclusions based on the primary resources.Cooking eliminates trypsin inhibitors, phytic acid and most other antinutrients. Even without cooking though, these antinutrients do not cause disease conditions, nor do they cause nutrient deficiencies. The evidence shows benefit to phytic acid consumption. The statements in the article you shared are over hyped. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antinutrients/Polyunsaturated fats are the only fats required by the body. The problem may arise from over consuming omega 6, but omega 3 is also a polyunsaturated fat. The statements of polyunsaturated fats being harmful come from the idea of overcooking polyunsaturated oils, which no one is recommending. The fats in nuts and seeds are actually quite stable, and even some cooking will not cause oxidation, as evidenced with flaxseeds.“ALA in whole and milled flaxseed also appears to be stable to heat equal or greater than the temperatures involved in baking batters and doughs such as muffins and yeast bread. Thermal stability was shown in 1992 by the absence of significant changes in peroxide values and fatty acid composition when both forms of flaxseed were heated for 60 minutes at either 100°C (212°F) or 350°C (662°F)”“Storage effects: Flaxseed, either whole or coarsely ground, appears stable to long-term storage at room temperature. Even after 308 days at 22°C (72°F) there was essentially no change in peroxide value as a measure of oxidation by-products or in the percentage of ALA in fat extracted from the stored flaxseed samples5. This demonstration of oxidative stability in common storage was later confirmed by direct measurement of oxygen consumption. One gram samples of whole flaxseed, milled flaxseed and extracted flax oil were held in individual sealed glass tubes for 280 days at room temperature with 12h alternating dark/light cycles. All three preparations showed little change in headspace oxygen during this time although the flax oil sample was more variable.” http://www.flaxcouncil.ca/english/pdf/stor.pdfYou can tell in the article you cited, the nutritionist is more on the “fad” style of diets with her recommendation of coconut oil. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=coconut+oilAntinutrients are not something to worry about for the general population.Yikes! Tree nuts! An ER trip for a lot of us!1.4% if i recall correctly. That is a lot of folks, but it’s not 98%. Dr. Weil wrote a good bit about allergies, and the reprogramming and such, since by definition an allergy is an abnormal inflammatory response to a non-harmful substance (for most). If I recall correctly a woman was deprogrammed via hypnosis to no longer be allergic to peas or carrots-something usually beneficial to humans. I’d be more interested and better read on the subject if indeed I had any allergies. Dropping dairy cleared up all my “allergic” sort of response. You might be interested in reading more on the subject. Best.I wonder if there is any difference in benefit between raw vs. cooked/baked walnuts?I consume everyday: 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed, 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds, 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds, 4 tablespoons of pistachios and 2 tablespoons of pecans (and I do it in a delicious manner =D ). I will get some blood tests soon so I shall be able to say if there is an improvement in my health markers compared to the times I did not consume all these fatty nuts/seeds. I mean, the question whether we can consume too much nuts/seeds needs to be addressed. Nonetheless, one thing is clear so far: while consuming the above-mentioned foods, I managed to lose weight. I did exercise more and consumed less of other foods, but I still managed to lose fat. Now, I’m very close to the leanest I’ve been in my life.How many walnuts does one need to eat to get the right amount of Omega 3’s daily? I know flax has the most concentrated form of ground flax, but if you can’t and can eat walnuts, what is the equivalent in walnuts?is there any validity to claim that nuts should be soaked and driedI assume that you are familiar with the raw till 4 vegan lifestyle? I was thinking about trying this out. I wanted to know your thoughts on how health beneficial this diet would be if I were to include B12 supplements, 5 cups of legumes per week, adequate grain intake (after 4), 1 ounce of nuts daily, and adequate omega 3 intake from seeds by your recommendation from a combination of your videos? Thank you!Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn in his book, “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease,” recommends that folks like me who’ve had bypass surgery not eat nuts. Your recommendation on walnuts is more current and seems to dispute Esselstyn. What would you recommend for folks with a history of heart disease who’ve gone “all in” with heart-healthy diets?Hard to say. Dr. Esselstyn has made striking findings in the world of cardiology. He has treated many patients. I feel like patients of his should listen to his advice, as he can help save lives! Dr. Esselstyn published research showing how a plant-based diet can be A way to reverse CAD. . Another researcher, Dr. David Jenkins who helped invent the glycemic index, developed a portfolio diet for lowering cholesterol, which includes nuts. Here are 38 citations about diet and disease, with this one showing tree nuts help improve glycemic control. Nuts and seeds appear helpful for those with diabetes, so perhaps nuts are also helpful for those with heart disease? I cannot say for certain, but as you mentioned the research Dr. Greger provides suggests that nuts are healthful and may help prevent sudden cardiac death.Im still confused if heart disease starts at age 11. Then we all have it (unless we were brought up vegan) so if low fat diets that are plant based reverse heart disease, your saying high fat plant based diets that consist of nuts also reverse heart disease? Is adding 1 cup of nuts too much because that’s what im having to do to maintain a low end of healthy BMI.No problem! I think the diet can still be lower in fat and contain nuts and seeds. Please read the portfolio diet link I attached. 1 cup may be too much. An ounce is about the right amount per day for most folks. Are you saying you are barely meeting the BMI range? For those trying to gain a few pounds I have some ideas let me know if that is something you’d like?Yes, I can’t seem to gain weight even adding up to 1 cup for over a week I have only gained a little over 1 lb up from 114 to 116. I am 5′ 5 ” and have weighed 114 for 3 years at times even dropping to 109. I walk about 9 miles a week since I have no car.Go to Thursday July 9th and back to see my latest eating habits. http://Www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/genuinesynthetic462 . I have talked to nutritionists and my primary care dr and my primary care dr has scared me telling me im at risk for heart disease since my bmi is so low. If you could help me I would greatly appreciate it. Please take s look at my food diary and give me an honest opinion…what am I doing wrong. My pcp won’t even look at it she just told me to take ssris.I cannot seem to view your food diary. Sorry to hear your pcp will not look at your food intake that seems odd? I am very glad you are seeing a nutritionist or dietitian. I think eating more calories and more often is the key. Higher calorie smoothies, more whole grains, and a few more nuts and seeds would be fine. Please re-send a link or write out your food choices and I can give some brief suggested advice.http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/genuinesynthetic462?date=2015-07-09 if you go from that day backwards about a week you should get an over all picture of how I’ve been eating.Note I have very low income less than 9000 per year and spend about 300$ a month on food. I was born with a low body weight @ 2.18lbs and dropped to 1lb 1/2 during the 3 months spent in intensive care.I used to smoke when I was a teenager until about age 24 (about 9 years up to 1 ppd) I have not smoked cigarettes for 3 years I also smoked marijuana for about 2 years but stopped in 2012 and switched to a vaporizer.Recently I had a pulmonary test done that shows small airways are @66% pre brociodilator down from 75% in 2012 which has me very anxious lately awaiting a final diagnosis. So my appetite appetite may be effected by stress. I use klonopin as needed and medical marijuana @0.3-0.5 grams per day via digital temp controlled convection vaporizer.I also walk daily and have recently started eating more apples and taking quercertin supplements as well as tiptropium inhalation powder until I get a final diagnosis I’m going to be a wreck.I hate to think ill be dead by 40 seeing as I’m a proponant of transhuman ideals and want to see the rise of consumer based nano tech end heart disease, stop aging, and end biological death. Did I mention I also have ocd and dysthmia? I currently take: rose root 500mg, milk thistle, taurine(to prevent age formation due to vegan diet), alage oil derived epa/dha and inositol(to try and help the OCD)Hope that’s enough info about me. Sorry for the tanget, in just really worried about this lung test a 10% drop in small airway function makes me think incurable emphysema. (Although I can walk 4 mph 30 mins a treadmill no problem. As well as walking 9 miles a week.P.S. I’m no longer seeing a nutritionist due to the 165$ she wanted to do s video teleconference. She is the one who told me to eat more fat telling me that I don’t need to worry about fat consumption. She said nuts and avocados. I tried to tell her about ornish and esselstyn and she didn’t seem to agree with them. She told me to aim for 30% calories from fat.And she told me to see a therapist which I’m doing and have been doing cbt for over a year now. I feel like nothing is working sometimes and the professionals I see don’t seem to have the time or the care to listen to me.Thanks for sharing. Sounds like there is a lot going on in your life! Diet is only one factor. Medications and substances can alter appetite. Of course I cannot give medical advice so please listen to your doctor. From the looks of one diet recall it seems you are consuming some healthful foods! I would say if you are looking to boost calories than more whole fruit and whole grains could be added, but also a few nuts and seeds atop your breakfast. I would agree that based on your history a few more servings of avocado or olives would be appropriate. Bone bearing exercise may also really help. It seems you use no oil, so that is another reason I’d say more whole plant foods that are higher in fat are okay. I think therapy is a good idea (not just for you but for anyone) and I hope you do find the right team to help you. Surely you can speak your mind here, as I am always happy to listen :-) We have a strong community of users who want to better their health and learn about the science on nutrition. I am also learning as I go from everyone’s comments and inquiries, and of course Dr. Greger who has been a strong mentor. I think it’s important to surround ourselves with helpful advice and kind people. Thanks again for taking the time to write.Warm wishes, JosephI try not to add oil as you noticed but I must confess I do snack a few times a week on things that have safflower, canola, cottonseed or olive oil; things such as beanitos black bean chips or flax and millet chips.Maybe once a month I will get a pizza hut pizza with hand tossed dough(that has no milk) with no cheese and all veggies. Other than that I try to eat whole foods primarily. Thank you for taking time to reply, and for your advice I appreciate it.Take care.But I thought Ornish and Esselstyn recommended low fat to reverse heart disease, which in on of your videos you say that heart disease starts in childhood so we should all try to reverse heat disease that we already have, does that not mean we should all follow a low fat diet. I tried for years and have problems gaining weight ( i weigh 113 5′ 6″.) So now I have decided to add 1 cup of walnuts per day to my diet. Will this help? Or hurt? I am so confused with what to eat now.Hi Jordan. Please see my comment right below to Craig. That should help clear things up a bit. Let me know if you need more information and I’ll try to help.	allergies,animal products,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,dairy,hazelnuts,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,longevity,meat,mortality,nuts,olive oil,walnuts	Not eating walnuts may double our risk of dying from heart disease (compared to at least one serving a week), perhaps because nuts appear to improve endothelial function, allowing our arteries to better relax normally.	This helps explain why Nuts May Help Prevent Death.What else can nuts do? See, for example:Don’t nuts make us fat, though? You may be surprised—see Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence.Which type of walnut is better? Black Versus English WalnutsWhat about the phytates in nuts--do we need to soak or toast them? See:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antinutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hazelnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24169007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23866098,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21677123,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23756586,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21546229,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16140880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20462634,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23199613,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23415431,
PLAIN-2603	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/	Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat	This nationwide study on industrial toxins and diabetes was published in 2006. Since then, Harvard reported a link between persistent pollutants like hexachlorobenzene and diabetes in their Nurse’s Health Study. This is supported by an analysis they did of six other studies published since 2006 that showed the same thing. They conclude that past accumulation and continued exposure to these persistent pollutants may be a potent risk factor for developing diabetes.Where is hexachlorobenzene found? In a U.S. supermarket survey, salmon and sardines were most heavily tainted with hexachlorobenzene, with salmon the most contaminated food of all.Especially farmed salmon, perhaps the greatest source of dietary pollutants, averaging nearly ten times the PCB load of wild-caught salmon.But wait a second. Since many of these chemicals were banned in the 70s, the levels inside people have been going down, whereas the rates of diabetes have been shooting straight up, so how could pollutant exposure be causing diabetes? This puzzle may be explained by the epidemic of obesity in the U.S. They showed that the association between these toxins and diabetes was much stronger among obese subjects compared with that of lean subjects. As people get fatter, the retention and toxicity of pollutants related to the risk of diabetes may increase.So we’re not just exposed by eating the fat of other animals, our own fat can be a continuous source of internal exposure because these persistent pollutants are slowly but continuously released from our fat stores into our circulation.And they don’t call them persistent pollutants for nothing. These chemicals have such a long half-life that people consuming regular (even just monthly) meals of farmed salmon might not only consume high concentrations of pollutants, but some of these chemicals might take between 50 and 75 years to clear from the body.What about the mercury in fish? Diabetics do seem to have higher mercury levels in their body. Here are the mercury levels in hair samples from healthy people; here are the levels in patients with diabetes or hypertension. But mercury alone does not seem to increase diabetes risk. It may be the simultaneous exposure to both dioxins and mercury that increases risk, so it should concern us that the safety limits for dioxins and mercury individually may underestimate the risk when they’re consumed together in seafood.And then once we get diabetes, higher pollutant levels may be associated with a higher risk of diabetic complications.So while the pharmaceutical industry works on coming up with drugs to help mediate the impact of these pollutants, a better strategy might be to not get so polluted in the first place.Unfortunately, because we’ve so polluted our world we can’t escape exposure completely. You got to eat something, but some foods are more contaminated than others. Exposure to these pollutants comes primarily from the consumption of animal fat, with the highest levels found in fatty fish like salmon. Farmed Atlantic salmon may be the single largest source of these pollutants, and that’s the kind of salmon you most commonly find in supermarkets and restaurants.You hear about advisories warning pregnant women to avoid the consumption of food containing elevated levels of pollutants and mercury, but since these toxins bio-accumulate in the body for many years, restricting the exposure to these pollutants only during pregnancy would not protect the fetus or future generations against the harmful effects of these hazardous chemicals.	If Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP’s) are such a risk, are there any naturally occurring foods that can help to “chealate” these compounds from our bodies, or is the only recourse available to us one of avoidance to keep from exasperating the problem?Most people haven’t spent their lives eating an organically grown WFPB diet. While it’s never to late to adopt such a diet, it would be great if something could be done to address our existing toxic loads.No foods itself clean the body, the body does it itself, the easier and faster to digest food you eat( ripe fruits being the best) the more your body have energy to clean itself, thats why water fasting is the most powerfull~I have tried a short water fast, four days, but that was years ago, unsupervised and difficult because I continued on with my normal work routine which from what I’ve read is the wrong way to go. Rest is best.There is a lot of scuttlebutt about an observation by a Japanese dentist that cilantro increases the excretion of mercury, but the only research study that I could find that made mention of it said that there was limited evidence to support the hypothesis which is a bit disappointing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3654245/I’ve been putting fresh chopped organic cilantro and lemon juice in my salads because I like it, and I figured it couldn’t do any harm. I was so hoping that there would be something that was natural and efficacious as a cleanser, but I guess eating lots of organic greens, fruits and vegetables are as good as it gets.Increasing the amount of sweat the body excretes seems like it correspondingly increases the release of heavy metals, according to this systematic review in the journal of environmental and public health: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/184745/This may be one of the beneficial factors of exercise. Also, sweating in a sauna (shown to help heart failure patients http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2359619/) or taking a daily hot bath may help.Anything that supports the body’s excretory systems like drinking more filtered water, eating more fiber (or broccoli: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/) increases the rate of toxin removal.Great post! The second study I could not link but the first is super interesting! Thanks so much for sharing!The best course is to reduce the intake to as low as possible and let the body… the liver and kidney primarily… do their jobs. Unfortunately some of the POP’s have long half lives and will take awhile.There do seem to be some things that can help with excretion but because its early days yet (this problem is quite new) not a lot is known about the efficacy of various treatments. Its mostly anecdotal evidence.Anything which aids the liver and other excretory organs is bound to be good. Examples such as milk thistle or dandelion. For heavy metals, Chlorella is supposed to chelate them, as is corriander (cilantro) and citrus pectin (although it is said that corriander doesn’t bind tightly enough to heavy metals, so it could redistribute them rather than take them away). Alpha Lipoic Acid also comes up with Drs like Dr Chris Shade.Water high in Silica is thought to be useful for getting Aluminum out of the brain.Zeolite, and bentonite clay, as well as activated charcoal which bind things up in the digestive tract.Also, a promising type of treatment involves niacin flushing coupled with gentle exercise and sauna to get these pollutants out of the fat cells and out of the skin. Google Dr Yu. Rebounding in general is excellent for the lymphatic system.As mentioned before – these are not defined treatments, and I’d say its all still experimental. Theres a lot of money to be made by companies promising to get these toxins out. They play on peoples fear. However, I do think that some supplementation/ protocols may be necessary here as its not a natural problem to be facing. Fasting is really effective – perhaps juice fasting would fit better into your working life?I was very surprised to find out from the USDA nutrient database that Atlantic farmed and wild caught salmon has significantly more DHA and EPA than most wild caught or farmed Pacific salmon. Do we have data on the content of these pollutants in farmed or wild caught Pacific Salmon? I use algae-derived omega-3 supplements, but my kids just can’t do it, and I’m trying to find the best alternative for them.Hello John, overall the risks of the pollutants in fish far outweigh the received omega 3 benefit. Please view some of these videos here. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=salmonJohn: I’m not convinced that any DHA/EPA supplementation is needed in the context of a healthy whole plant food diet. I’m not saying it isn’t helpful. I’m just saying that I’m not sure there is definitive evidence one way or the other.But Dr. Greger does recommend some supplementation. So, I have a thought for you: I know an adult woman who tried swallowing one of those algae derived omega-3 supplements and it got stuck in her throat. (Had to call 911 and everything.) Those pills are definitely big. If that’s the size of the pill is what you mean by, “my kids jsut can’t do it”, I have a thought for you.That woman I mentioned who also can’t swallow the pills happened to get a brand which comes in soft-gell covering and the inside is flavored lemon. While the pill isn’t designed to be chewable, you can easily make a small slit in the covering with a knife. And then it is easy to suck out the insides. From what I have been told, the inside doesn’t taste absolutely great, but it isn’t horrible either. So, there is one safe idea for you. (Safe in that it doesn’t involve fish.)Another idea: At one point, I thought I saw some chewable algae based DHA pills out there. It’s been a long time since I looked. So, I don’t know if they are still available. But maybe you can find such a thing.Hope that helps! (If you try one of these ideas, please let me know what happens. I’m very interested and keeping my fingers crossed for you.)This company sells liquid and pills: https://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/Products/Product_Details/514/?ProdID=1649 This liquid doesn’t have a bad flavor at all. I am not sure that I really believe we should take these oils though. In any case always let gelatin encapsulated pills soften for 15-30 seconds in your mouth before swallowing with sufficient water.robert: Great tips. Thanks!I buy the nordic natural algae gel caps with the liquid inside. I would call their size, small. But because I don’t want to eat the caramel colored gel cap, I bite into it and chew it a little, then spit out the gel. The taste is slightly lemony and very, very mild. (If it ever tastes fishy it’s likely gone rancid). The suggested serving size is about 550mg of DHA/EPA, but that’s for two pills. So if you take just one pill a day it’s about what Dr. Greger recommends.Isn’t Dr. Fuhrman’s DHA/EPA Purity dispensed with a dropper that’s easy for kids to take? Expensive, though, I know.If this link is accurate then asking someone to loose weight is to ask them to flood their system with pollutants. What strategy can obese people like myself use to avoid that problem?To some degree or another just about everyone has a great deal of toxins in our body. I think the best strategy to deal with this is to flood our bodies on a daily basis with a wide variety of powerful nutrient rich fruits, vegetables, spices, teas (green, white, rooibos, lemon balm, mint), seeds, nuts, roots (such as ginger and turmeric), mushrooms and legumes. If you haven’t read “Super Immunity” by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, consider doing so. It provides a great overview of the science behind this strategy.Sorry, this is totally untrue. The science behind the UN FAO report on risks and benefits of fish consumption is clear: The health benefits of eating oily fish, especially farmed Atlantic salmon, far outweigh any potential risks. See for yourself here: http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/ba0136e/ba0136e00.pdf See Appendix A on page 45 and the report conclusions on page 33.It is difficult to say that the conclusions are entirely accurate. There is an abundance of evidence showing just how harmful fish consumption is. The said benefits of the omega 3 in some studies are masked by the contaminants. I encourage you to view some of the videos in the link below. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=fishIn addition, there are more contaminants in fish other then the mentioned dioxins and mercury. If the only reason to consume fish is for the DHA, I find this to be a poor reason to do so. If you are invested in consuming dietary DHA from the sea, algae derived DHA is bio-equivalent and toxin free. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/I disagree. The UN FAO report covers literally hundreds of different peer-reviewed science papers about this topic and shows that the benefits far outweigh the risks.I choose to put my trust in those hundreds of papers, and the thousands of scientists involved in them, than in this blog.And what other contaminants are you talking about besides dioxins and mercury that pose any concern to human health? PCBs? POPs? Those are counted as dioxin-like substances in this report. What else is there?I have watched a number of the videos on this site about farmed fish, since that is my interest, and find they all follow the same pattern.– Show some fast cuts of selections of science papers, with no context – Do not refer to the actual conclusions of the paper – Analogy with something scary, i.e. Agent Orange coupled with tragic photos of deformed children – Huge assumptions about what actually happens in fish farms – Conclude with dire warnings against farmed fish.That’s all fine and good if that’s the opinion of Dr. Michael Greger, but it is presented as fact. The problem is these claims are simply not true, and not backed up by the science.For example, if fish cause diabetes, as one of your videos claims, why does the American Diabetes Association recommend people eat more seafood! http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/tips/2012-08/seafood-a-smart-choice-for.htmlI am concerned that this site is being dangerously irresponsible in presenting scientific information to the public.Grant, at a very basic level most Westerners consume too few fruits and vegetables, and too many animal products. My Mom died of cancer and my Dad has cancer now and is undergoing chemotherapy. Likewise, I have many friends with Diabetes, some are going blind, my cousin has had both feet amputated.I do not know what your motivation is? Perhaps you are one of those people who just like to argue and criticize.My Mom died a very painful death, I was there by her bedside. We all have friends and family we care about.This website saves lives. If you are not willing to change, that’s your choice. However please respect the efforts that people make to prevent the suffering of others, people and animals…Peace.I’m sorry to hear about your losses, Devin, and admire your courage. I do agree that our western diet does not contain enough fruit and vegetables.My motivation is to correct wrong information about seafood and health, which is unfortunately being presented on this website and which I think is actually detrimental to peoples’ health.Grant I see that professionally you work for a large Salmon company. I won’t hold that against you. Science evolves. If you accept that science evolves you have to accept that certain studies may conflict with previous studies. The 2013 study that I cited on Prostate cancer and fish consumption, concludes “Recommendations to increase Omega 3 PUFA intake should consider its potential risks”…You can disagree with the conclusion, however you cannot disagree with the fact that this conclusion was made by the authors of the study. It’s not wrong. It’s not even right. It’s science in flux.I love Canada. I am grateful for your flax seeds. Thank you. I wish you peace and happiness.Yes, I work for a large salmon farming company, as I proudly declare in my Disqus bio. I do agree that science evolves, and at the end of the day, it is a self-correcting process. What is factual and proven always wins out in the end.Peace and happiness to you as well!“It is difficult to get a man to understandsomething, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!” –Upton SinclairThe thing is that Dr. Greger does list his sources and a person can check them out themselves. One article Dr. Greger lists entitledThe role of persistent organic pollutants in the worldwide epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus and the possible connection to Farmed Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar).states,“Chlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls, in particular, have been strongly linked to the development of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and T2DM. In addition to reviewing the evidence associating POPs to these conditions, this article explores the possible contribution of farmed Atlantic salmon – a significant and common dietary source of POPs – with blood sugar dysregulation conditions.”This was in the actual conclusion, contrary to what you claimed he does. He did state that it was farmed fish that was particularly harmful. Even many people who are not Vegan would agree that farmed fish is not so beneficial. I think your charge of bias against Greger is baseless. He lists his sources, which makes it very easy to check out what Greger states.I think that Dr. Greger, and any honest scientist or physician would agree that everyone is biased to some degree, based upon their own preconceptions and life experience. Of course Dr. Greger is biased, just like the rest of us, and he too, to his credit as with Grant, discloses his potential soucres of conflict of interest by stating his affiliation with PETA. Therefore, we can decide for ourselves how much those conflicts of interest might be influencing his own biases.Hi John, just to accurate. Dr Greger is Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States not PETA.You’re absolutely right Jacquie! Thanks for the correction and sorry for my mistake Dr. Greger.“Research shows that the health benefits of consuming a variety of seafood 2 times per week outweigh the health risks associated with mercury found in fish in other groups.”diabetes.org shows no source and not list other toxins (hexachlorobenzene and others). And this bottom of site:“The Diabetes Seafood Cookbook Barbara Seelig-Brown Now: $17.05 Original Price: $18.9″Greed and money.“this site is being dangerously irresponsible”This site is free and good.You are accusing the American Diabetes Association of “greed and money” because they feature a cookbook. This website includes a “DONATE” button on nearly every page. Is that “greed and money” as well?A big difference between association and causation. The basic science supports that the “glucose” processing problem in type two diabetes is caused by the fats in the diet… both animal and plant fats. The fats in the blood interfere with insulin causing insulin resistance and the fats in the cell turn off the genes that run the mitochondria which burn the glucose. So any food with high fat content will be associated with diabetes. Looking for a single cause in complex systems is fraught with many dangers. Dr. Campbell’s newest book, Whole, discusses this at length. From a clinical stand point putting patients with type two diabetes on a low fat whole food diet quickly stabilizes, improves, reverses and often cures the type two diabetes. Since all fish are high in fat… even if you can find some that don’t have persistent organic pollutants, mercury or arsenic I would still advise patients with type two diabetes not to consume fish. In my opinion this website along with other free websites which cite their science such as PCRM.org and DrMcDougall.com are the best sources of information on preventing and reversing chronic diseases.Hi Grant, “- Show some fast cuts of selections of science papers, with no context – Do not refer to the actual conclusions of the paper”Look under sources cited below the actual video. All the referenced articles are there.I think you are wrong to only rely on that study. Common sense should tell you that a farmed product is not as healthy as a wild product…just the simple fact that farmed fish are swimming in their feces and fed inferior food product should be enough. Some people only make decisions based on certain studies, sometimes we could just really use our brains.Grant, I would argue the science is evolving. The UN report that you cited was from 2010 and was based on older studies. An example as to how the science has subsequently evolved was the 2013 study on prostate cancer and fish consumption, whereby the researchers were surprised to find that those men with the highest fish consumption had a 43% increased chance of developing prostate cancer (Journal of the National Cancer Institute). Looking through the scientific literature I see a larger percentage of studies focusing on fish and toxic chemicals (mercury, arsenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, BPA etc..) and anticipate that dietary recommendations may eventually change.Interesting point, but which study are you referring to? This one? http://www.miginfo.de/molforumufiles/save/molforum1Z021622Z1uploadimageZ253720Z390673403.pdfBut it’s not definitive.I found a couple others published in the same year which disagree with the conclusions of the above study, and found this one particularly interesting because it has a huge sample size (nearly 300,000 men) and considers a variety of factors, such as age, BMI, and activity level: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/177/6/504.full This study found, and mentions several others that also found, that fish consumption has an inverse association with prostate cancer risk.I agree with mbglife’s reasoning against eating fish and eating algae-derived DHA/EPA instead. Obviously, for the average person on this planet which is really what the UN report is trying to address, eating fish may be a healthy alternative to eating a Western diet or other type of unbalanced non-plant based diet. However, I have yet to see compelling evidence that someone eating a phytonutrient-dense plant-based diet with algae-derived DHA/ EPA supplementation, would benefit from eating fish. Obviously, there are few studies on the topic, but I can come up with several compelling reasons not to eat fish, as others have mentioned above, and on balance, I feel the potential risks outweigh the potential benefits. To his credit, I once asked Dr. Greger to provide me with compelling health concerns with eating pasture-raised, locally grown egg whites, in moderation, and he admitted he could not. I still don’t but I do provide that information to my patients.For the sake of discussion, let’s say that the FAO report is correct. But if you can get the same benefit of DHA/EPA from algae, which is where the fish get it in the first place, then isn’t that just a better approach. Plus, not re-references in this video is Dr. Greger’s past videos on parasites and other risks from eating fish. I just don’t see the reason for eating the fish, except for the flavor, which, speaking just for me, that’s just not worth it.I think there has never been a better time to eat low on the food chain. Considering the vast majority of the 100,000 synthetic chemicals in circulation have never been safety tested, I think it is safe to say that research looking at 1 or 2 containments can be considered a little limited.Of course, you have every right to choose fish if you think its the best choice. For me, I prefer the algae.I’d be interested in your opinion: seen as your in the Salmon industry, what do you think about the GMO salmon due to go commercial soon? Do you think its a good thing, or will it damage the industry?Hi Joe, No one in the Canadian salmon farming industry is interested in farming GMO salmon. There’s a statement here: http://www.aquaculture.ca/files/article-2010-09-10.phpWe have built up broodstock programs through decades of traditional animal husbandry to raise fish that are well-suited to the environments where we farm and see no need for GMO salmon eggs.Fascinating!! Thank you for this information.Mercury Exposure in Young Adulthood and Incidence of Diabetes Later in Life The CARDIA Trace Element StudyKa He, MD, SCD1⇑, Pengcheng Xun, MD, PHD1, Kiang Liu, PHD2, Steve Morris, PHD3, Jared Reis, PHD4 and Eliseo Guallar, MD, DRPH5,6,7 http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/36/6/1584.fullWith the information we have about the quality of nutrition of eating an all plant based diet, there is no reason to eat flesh.How to DETOX?http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/04/detoxification-program.aspxI wish I had a handy link at hand, but from some research I did some time ago, such plants like coriander help flush the heavy metals from the body. On another note, I wish I had all this knowledge when I used to be a pescetarian.	animal fat,biomagnification,diabetes,dioxins,fat,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,hexachlorobenzene,hypertension,industrial toxins,mercury,obesity,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,prediabetes,pregnancy,restaurants,salmon,supermarkets	Farmed Atlantic salmon, the kind of salmon most commonly found in restaurants and supermarkets, may be the single largest source of toxic dietary pollutants.	If you missed the first two videos in this three part series, I reviewed the existing links between seafood and diabetes risk in Fish and Diabetes and explored this concept of our own body fat as a reservoir for disease-causing pollutants in Diabetes and Dioxins.More on hexachlorobenzene in my video Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals.The best way to detox is to stop toxing in the first place.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hexachlorobenzene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supermarkets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/restaurants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22472455,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7874464,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24026556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16801591,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21087821,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23131992,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22214250,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20146964,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22520265,
PLAIN-2604	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/	Diabetes and Dioxins	Finding higher diabetes rates among those heavily exposed to toxic pollutants —Agent Orange exposure, chemical plant explosions, living next to a toxic waste dump, or eating fish out of the Great Lakes—that’s one thing, but would the same link be found in just a random sample of the general population? Yes, a strong dose-dependent relationship was found between the levels of these pollutants circulating in people’s blood and diabetes. Those with the highest levels of pollutants in their blood stream had 38 times the odds of diabetes.Interestingly, there was no association between obesity and diabetes among subjects with non-detectable levels of pollutants. In other words, obesity was a risk factor for diabetes only if people had blood concentrations of these pollutants above a certain level. We all know obesity predisposes us to diabetes, but according to this study, only if our bodies are polluted, only perhaps if the fat we’re carrying is carrying chemicals. This finding kind of implies that virtually all the risk of diabetes conferred by obesity is attributable to these pollutants, and that obesity might only be a vehicle for such chemicals. Could we be carrying around our own little toxic waste dump on our hips? This possibility is shocking.Now it’s entirely possible that the six pollutants they looked at were not themselves causally related to diabetes. Rather, they could just be surrogates of exposure to a mixture of chemicals. After all, 90% of these pollutants comes from animal foods in the general population.Except for individuals living or working around industrial sites where these chemicals were used or dumped, the most common source of exposure to PCBs is from diet, with foods of animal origin, especially seafood, so this strong relationship they found between certain pollutants and diabetes may just be pointing to other contaminants in animal products.	Are there any particular plant-based foods that are more likely than other plant-foods to contain these contaminants? How about nuts and seeds, that compose of high-fat? And how about, say, pumpkin seeds from china, would they accumulate more of these pollutants than, say, fruits from china? Is the fat content of the food source what is vital in allowing for the accumulation of these pollutants?Plant-based foods generally have tiny amounts of dioxin like compounds compared to animal products. Freshwater fish, butter, cheese, hot dogs/bologna and breast milk are particularly contaminated.Accidental dioxin contamination of vegetable oils can occur. Outbreaks of choracne have been reported from rice oil processing-plant leaks in Japan, and storage of olive oil in plastic containers previously used for “other purposes” in Spain.The regional and diet studies of breast milk contamination may offer some indication of the regional contributions to exposure. The good news is dioxin and PCB concentrations appear to be falling in developed countries since their bans in 70s. The bad news is PBDE flame retardants (with most exposure from house dust) in serum is still pretty high, and also associated with diabetesInteresting!Is it more the obesity or is it more the high intake and storage of these persistent chemicals?Saturated fats are associated with insulin resistance (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2654180/) and POPs concentrate in fat. To what degree does this explain the reason for the problem?Hasn’t diabetes been a problem for the rich and obese going back to Hippocrates? I assume there were not much in the way of POPs back then.I don’t dispute POPs may increase risk, but cause all risk? I am skeptical.BTW, did the researchers adjust for the fact that mostly poor African-Americans are forced to live in the neighborhoods near toxic dumps, people who often have no choice but to consume calorie dense, nutrient poor foods?Well, you have probably heard the phrase “Mad as a hatter” haven’t you? Workers contracted a neurological disorders from mercury exposure while the making of hats. Many of the patent medicines of the 19th century were made with mercury as well as from other toxic compounds and elements. Who do you suppose were wealthy enough to avail themselves of these products? The same people who were also wealthy enough to eat in excess.Perhaps, there is has always been environmental toxic component as part of the diabetes disease cascade. Exposure to toxins is not a new phenomenon, but generalized obesity is.Many of the patent medicines of the 19th century were made with mercury as well as from other toxic compounds and elements. Who do you suppose were wealthy enough to avail themselves of these products? The same people who were also wealthy enough to eat in excess.Right. But that would be co-morbidity, not necessarily cause and effect.They still put mercury in vaccines, stu-upid. ( not you, them)What if the pollutants are causing the obesity?It is unconscionable that the pharmaceutical industry uses a known neurotoxin like thimerosal as a preservative for vaccines. Few individuals would make such a decision. It a sort of thing that would only be formulated by a system that views the natural world and people who inhabit it as externalities, and places profits over people.No causal relationship was established, but there is a strong epidemiological relationship between toxicity and diabetes established by the study sited in today’s video. The high correlation between diabetes and toxicity may help explain why there is an increase incidence of a diabetes as well as all cause mortality from the increased consumption of meat. Modern industrial meat production practices with its associated higher levels of bacterial loads and increasing levels environmental of pollution coupled with the overall increase in meat consumption has turned a foodstuff that was perhaps relatively benign, to one that contributes to many of the most common chronic diseases suffered today.I brought up mercury as an example of a common toxin. People have cooked in copper pot. They have cooked in ceramic containers surfaced with high lead glazes. My point is that environmental toxic insults are nothing new.To Dr. Greger and anyone else with thoughts:I’ve noticed my acne flares up whenever I lose weight. I just switched over to a high-fruit diet and lost a few pounds and my acne has been terrible, whereas before it was fairly stable on a McDougall-style diet. I don’t think it’s the fruit causing this (from what I hear from other people it should have the opposite effect).Could there be a connection here? I used to eat terribly, and I wonder if the fat stores remaining on my body could still be harboring pollutants and toxic chemicals.Thanks,DanPOPs in obese individuals during weight lossSurgery-induced weight loss was associated with a gradual and significant increase in the serum concentrations of POPs measured in obese patients … At 12 months, the mean serum concentrations of pollutants were increased by 38%, 46%, and 48% compared with basal levels.So that would signal that the body burning fat does release toxins. The real question is whether or not that would cause acne flare-ups.Thanks for the input!Perhaps you could try adding some ray broccoli and cilantro which are both great detoxifies to you all fruit diet, and see if this doesn’t improve things for you.Could a too-low body fat percentage be a detriment to a vegan in regards to the human body having no place/a reduced amount of place to store toxins ingested, and maybe these toxins then just circulate around, needing a storage receptacle of fat? I’ve heard it said that there are actually some beneficial aspects of having a healthy, (and sometimes a bit more than average fat) for various health aspects. I can’t help but think that there is a paradox going on here, in this regard, at times. Sure, someone ingests some dioxins and they get stored in the body for a long long time, but if that person has such a low body-fat percentage, it seems like the body might be compromised to properly deal with some of the toxins, no? Can a proper fat-storage facility/ability by the body actually being considered safe, I guess is what I am asking you?I’ve struggled to put on a healthy amount of body-fat, no matter how much I eat, vegan or not. And I know some vegans who are ultra-low-body-fat, way too low, and even though they are not ingesting the likely sources of dioxins and other pollutants, are their (and my!) body’s still compromised due to unhealthy low levels of body fat? Thanks so much, I hope this is of interest to you. I find the possible paradox fascinating.No one is completely fat-free.Fat-free is not what I am saying. A very low/too-low/unhealthy level of low body fat is what I am concerned about in this regard. Yes, everyone has some fat, but a suboptimal amount may jeopardize the human body’s ability to properly store toxins until proper elimination. I just don’t know what the medical science says in this regard. But I have seen reports of some of the healthy benefits of an adequate level of body-fat, when opposed to a suboptimal level.Hi Leslie, the NIH defines a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) as that between 18.5 and 24.9. Check your BMI, I have pasted a link below. A recent review of studies did find that those outside of this normal range had higher rates of morbidity. On a personal note I was happy to find that despite being 6 feet tall and 145 pounds, I am considered normal. This does surprise me as I cannot find a shirt that fits me. I digress, despite being on the thin side I do not concern myself with weight, I just focus on eating a diverse diet of fruits, veggies, seeds, nuts, roots, leaves…fungus. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/BMI/bmicalc.htmWhat recent review do you have in mind?The Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health, March 28, 2014…The review did note that malnourishment, drug or alcohol use, smoking, poverty and mental health issues are often contributing factors to being clinically underweight and therefore, perhaps, somebody’s weight may be a valid biomarker. Though for somebody adherring to a Calorie Restriction Optimal Nutrition diet, I would argue that this type of study is not applicable. This article covers the study and provides a link to the journal: http://www.mdconnects.com/articles/954/20140328/being-underweight-kills-more-obesity-study.htmThanks, Devin. I can’t easily access the article, but the general caution about reverse causation at the low end is something that I’m already familiar with, though I also understand that thin people don’t do so great in some forms of major surgery, for example.This relation between BMI and morbidity seems like a pretty good choice for an article that appears to take a didactic tone. Linear regressions are very easy and can feel endorsed by authority depending on your education, but they are obviously not always a good choice and seem to be a frequent stumbling block in some parts of the literature on health over the lifespan.These toxins are metabolized and excreted primarily by the liver and kidney. If they accumulate in the fat before they are excreted it will lengthen the time it takes to rid the body of these substances. They are already slowly excreted since many of these are ringed carbon molecules with chlorine molecule(s) and are unlike anything that naturally occurs. This helps explain why it is so hard for our bodies to metabolize them. The half life for humans for dioxin and has been estimated to be 6-7 years. I’m not aware of any good studies for “normal” folks as the studies I have read are in patients who have had industrial level exposures (i.e. large amounts). Exposure to carcinogens is best minimized whether you are thin or not.Hi Leslie, in all sincerity I would question your concern about a “healthy amount of body-fat”. Healthy to me, means having a strong immune system, low levels of inflammation, relatively consistent levels of energy and avoidance of chronic illness….If one of your concerns is the metabolism of pollutants check out Dr. Gregers video on “Plants versus Pesticides” and start eating organic ginger and citrus every day. I add both, peel and all, to my daily smoothie. Oh, be sure that the Ginger is not from Asia as it may be contaminated with lead (There is a lawsuit by the state of California related to this). Eating a healthy, diverse, nutrient rich diet protects your body, increasing your liver’s ability to metabolize and excrete potentially toxic chemicals. There are so many studies that support this. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/I have to agree with Devin, I don’t believe it’s necessary to have excess fat on my body. I’ve been pretty slim for years now, but I’m happy to see the fat I put on in adolescence finally going away, and I can’t see how that would be unhealthy, seeing as I’m eating 4,000 calories a day of whole foods, mainly fruit and veg!General advice for populations of patients are important but there is individual variation. Dr. Greger has done a number of videos on dairy and its effect on acne. A quick pub med search shows several abstracts implicating simple carbohydrates to acne. Since fruits consist of glucose, fructose and sucrose or table sugar which are all simple carbohydrates. Since the McDougall style diet was working I would change back as your new approach isn’t working for you.Thanks for the input. I’ve only been eating this way for 3 weeks, and my acne situation wasn’t consistently good while on the McDougall diet anyway, so I’m going to give it some time. If it continues to be this bad even after my weight stabilizes I may switch back to eating less fruit. I think maybe once my body has time to adapt to the new lifestyle it might improve anyway.Are you consuming dairy? whey protein? A dermatologist from Germany explains how those foods can cause acne:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21335995No, by McDougall-style I meant completely vegan, and I’ve been doing that for nearly two years. I did consume a lot of dairy when I was younger, though. My acne was even worse back then.I’m just throwing this out there–an interesting anecdote, but doesn’t address the problem systemically:My son has found that applying green tea compresses helps his skin. You just make some green tea, then apply it with a spritzer or with cotton after a shower .Thanks, I’ll give that a try!Every time I put berries on my cereal I am reminded of the video that says that milk prevents the absorption of nutrients of berries. Is it the same for other milks, such as soy or almond milk?Marge, which video is that? Mind providing the link?Video: Nutrient Blocking Effects of Dairy on this site.	Agent Orange,animal fat,animal products,blood sugar,diabetes,dioxins,fat,fish,Great Lakes,industrial toxins,obesity,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,prediabetes,seafood	Industrial pollutants that build up in our own body fat may help explain the link between obesity and diabetes.	If these pollutants are particularly found in seafood, are those that eat fish at higher risk for diabetes? See my last video, Fish and Diabetes, and my next, Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat.These pollutants may also play a role in our rising epidemic of allergic diseases. See Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies and Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/great-lakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/agent-orange/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18557598,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22472455,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17107852,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16801591,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22214250,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19654916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23384976,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22520265,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12916742,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22442397,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23788668,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22591895,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17366823,
PLAIN-2605	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/	Fish and Diabetes	In the past two years, six separate meta-analyses have been published on the relationship between fish consumption and type 2 diabetes. The whole point of a meta-analysis, though, is to compile together the best studies done to date and see what the overall balance of evidence shows. The fact that there are six different ones published recently highlights how open the question remains. One thread of consistency, though, was that fish consumers in the United States tended to be at greater risk for diabetes.If you include Europe, then fisheaters appeared to have a 38% increased risk of diabetes. On a per serving basis, that comes out to be about a 5% increase in risk for every serving of fish one has per week. To put that into perspective, a serving of red meat is associated with 19% increase in risk—but that's per day. Just one serving a week of fish is 5%, so a serving per day would be like 35% increase in risk, worse than red meat, but why?Well fish intake and omega-3 fats may increase type 2 diabetes risk by increasing blood sugar levels, as found in a review of the evidence commissioned by the U.S. government. An increase in blood sugars in diabetics given fish oil. Or it may be because the omega 3’s cause oxidative stress. A recent study found that the insulin producing cells in the pancreas don’t appear to work as well in people who eat two or more servings of fish a week. Or it may be because of the environmental contaminants that build up in fish.It all started with Agent Orange. We sprayed 20 million gallons of the stuff on Vietnam, and some of it was contaminated with trace amounts of dioxins. Though the Red Cross there estimates a million Vietnamese were adversely affected, what about all the servicemen who were exposed spraying it across the countryside? Reports started showing up that veterans exposed to Agent Orange appeared to have higher diabetes rates than unexposed veterans, a link that’s now officially recognized.These so-called persistent organic pollutants are mainly man-made industrial chemicals and among the most hazardous compounds ever synthesized. They include dioxins, PCBs, and certain chlorine-containing pesticides, all of which are highly resistant to breaking down in the environment.Initially described for their deleterious effects on reproductive function and their ability to cause cancer, there is now a growing body of evidence showing that exposure to these pollutants leads to metabolic diseases, such as diabetes. This is a breakthrough that should require our greatest attention.	Thank you Dr. Greger and staff. I’ve been eating a WFPB diet for almost 3 years now and your work helps me to make prudent choices.Joevegan: Thanks for your note. It’s so nice to hear when the site has helped people. Good luck to you.I would like to echo my appreciation. The main reason I do not consume fish is for ethical reasons; our civilization has declared a full-scale war on fish species in the oceans.My understanding though from the literature is that consumption of oily fish and in particular the omega-3 PUFA present in oily fish (salmon, tuna, etc) actually lowers the risk of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. This would be contrary to the effects on diabetes incidence. How does one reconcile these differences?I suppose the DART and DART-2 trials, particularly their long-term follow-up reports, did definitively show no benefit of recommending avid fish consumption for preventing heart attacks or death.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17343767http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12032650apparently the health benefits of fish and CVD are a fish tale as well http://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/investigators-find-something-fishy-with-the-classical-evidence-for-dietary-fish-recommendationsDanielFaster: Awesome find. I found that article fascinating. Thanks for posting.Dr Greger, how about contamination risk in products like algae- derived omega 3 supplements? Is it a concern as well?magicoyote: I’m not a definitive source for this question, but it is my understanding that algea-derived DHA and EPA pills (as of now) come from algea grown in a controlled tank in a factory – not gathered from wild sources. So, to my thinking, assuming they started off with pure materials, contamination risk would be almost non-existent.wow, I had no idea! but that makes sense, thanks! and thanks for your amazing work. This is the best website on the internet for real information I can trust!I wonder, are you beginning to question the recommendation to supplement the vegan diet with omega 3’s derived from algae? This is something that has long been marketed and recommended by Dr. Fuhrman. If I take this oil at the recommended dose I get some rather impressively colored bruises. I have the notion that my blood should stay in my veins, so I have stopped this practice.” A recent study found that the insulin producing cells in the pancreas don’t appear to work as well in people who eat two or more servings of fish a week.”What’s that they say about change being the only thing permanent? It was only a matter of time before the “eat two or more servings of fish a week” advice got skewered too. Other foods have had their turn. But then, fish did receive a lot more than a mere 15 minutes worth of fame.Questions of contamination aside, do algae based DHA/EPA supplements affect the B cells (insulin producing cells) in the pancreas?Hey dude, you talkin’ to me? :-)To my knowledge, there aren’t any studies on algal DHA/EPA and insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, or pancreatic β-cell function function. In general, there appears to be an inverse association of dietary and plasma n-3 fatty acids with metabolic syndrome in humans, which most authors attribute to inhibition of inflammation (a pathway for muscular insulin resistance and β-cell death).This cohort study tried to disentangle the ω3’s from the contaminants in inflammation markers, and supports Dr. Greger’s theory. Similarly this study found crude salmon oil caused metabolic syndrome in rats, but refined salmon oil (with the contaminants removed) did not. One older study that found marine oil impaired pancreatic insulin production, but its not at all clear whether the fish oil was refined to remove POPs.Jeff Novick recently shared an article discrediting current recommendations for fatty fish, especially after being modeled from the Inuits.“Eskimos do have a similar prevalence of CAD [coronary artery disease] to non-Eskimo populations, and in fact, they have very high rates of mortality due to cerebrovascular events (strokes). Overall, their life expectancy is approximately 10 years less than the typical Danish population and their overall mortality is twice as high as that of non-Eskimo populations.“Considering the dismal health status of Eskimos, it is remarkable that instead of labeling their diet as dangerous to health, a hypothesis has been construed that dietary intake of marine fats prevents CAD and reduces atherosclerotic burden,” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0828282X14002372 http://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/investigators-find-something-fishy-with-the-classical-evidence-for-dietary-fish-recommendationsI post this to add to your n-3 comment.The whole fish-health story is quite the sham apparently on the same ladde as snakes. http://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/investigators-find-something-fishy-with-the-classical-evidence-for-dietary-fish-recommendationsI would change the last sentence in the last article you quoted from, “SHOULD require our greatest attention.” to, “DEMANDS our greatest attention!” Well put together!i am so glad to have found this site. thank you so much!This article mentions that people living in southern states (the “Stroke Belt”) are significantly more likely to eat two or more servings of fried fish a week. I wonder if the analyses have taken into consideration the cooking methods most common among the “two or more servings a week” groups.http://www.livescience.com/35295-stroke-belt-fried-fish-higher-death-rate-101222.htmlMy question exactly.It is interesting that “reductionistic” thinking and research is coming up with alot of ideas for the cause of type 2 diabetes… in this case omega 3 & dioxin. The science clearly supports that high fat consumption is associated with diabetes and obesity. You can view other video’s on this site relating to diabetes. I think especially relevant is http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/ which highlights the work of Dr. Neal Barnard’s research (he is the founder and leader of PCRM) which demonstrates a low fat diet is the best treatment for type two diabetes… vegans need to avoid oils and minimize nuts at least until they are off medications and their fasting sugars have returned to normal range. Since fish is so high in fat it should be avoided regardless of cooking methods and it is not a surprise that fish consumption is related to type two diabetes.Why are the Japanese healthier than us when their diet is mostly fish?The okinawan population of Japan did not eat alot of fish, their diet was mostly sweet potato. As Jeff Novick has shared:Caloric Restriction, the TraditionalOkinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life SpanAnn. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785Total weight (grams) 1262Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9)Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85)Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6)Saturated fatty acid 3.7Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)GrainsRice 154 (12)Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7)Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1)Sugars 3 (less than 1)Oils 3 (2)Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1)Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1)Eggs 1 (less than 1)Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69)Other potatoes 2 (less than1)Other vegetables 114 (3)Fruit less than 1 (less than 1)Seaweed 1 (less than 1)Pickled vegetables 0 (0)Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some pointsTheir diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a dayIsn’t everything on earth, including fruit and vegetables, subject to pollutants???Jkr: Yes, you are right, but that is not the whole story. It is important to keep in mind a phenomenon called bio-accumulation. What this means is that pollutants accumulate/get more concentrated the higher up the food chain you go.This is a general principal, so I would guess that there are plenty of exceptions. But in general, what this means is that you can minimize your exposure as much as possible by eating lower on the food chain – ie, eating plants rather than animals like fish.Hope that helps.Most of the persistent organic pollutants are fat soluble. They accumulate more in organisms with high fat… vegetables, fruit, complex carbohydrates and beans are low in fat. The point Thea makes below is a good one. Bioaccumulation occurs naturally but is worse in commercial animal feeding practices where the by catch of fish and products from slaughtering operations are fed back to animals. You want to make sure that you wash your produce to remove any residual pesticides or chemicals.What about nuts and seeds that are high in fat. Wouldn’t they accumulate POP’s for so than low-fat plant sources?If this is true, why does the American Diabetes Association recommend people eat MORE seafood: http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/tips/2012-08/seafood-a-smart-choice-for.htmlMost likely so you can get sick, go to the hospital and give them money to keep you staying sick by taking a bunch of their “medicine”.. Its all about $$$Also, its not necessarily consuming seafood that is bad, (free of contaminations, it’s good for you!) but humans have polluted this world soo badly, in this particular case, the seafood..which comes from water… and we all know how much the water has been contaminated.. even worse now, hundreds of tons of contaminated water from the fukushima nuclear reactor are being dumped into the pacific ocean. Nuclear experts are telling US gov’t to test west coast waters and pacific seafood sold in the US, yet they refused to do so. Why would they refuse? There’s so much the mainstream media is keeping from you, but if you keep searching for answers in the right places, you will find.. keep in mind, you definitely will never find any truths from government sources, since they tried to convince people at one point that consuming any contaminated fish is safe.The Zhang reference says that seafood is protective against diabetes. For oily fish it says for every 80 grams consumed results in a 20 percent decrease in type 2 diabetes. I am going to look at the other references more clearly now.I guess Dr. Gregor has not heard of all of the “peer review” studies that have been done showing the benefits of “DPA” (a component of Omega 3 fatty acids) that were done “which did not rely on Greenland eskimo heart disease reports”.Eg. DPA lowers the risk of acute coronary events by 44%, DPA prevents formation of tumor-feeding blood vessels, DPA inhibits platelet aggregation better than DHA, DPA plays a role in slowing down dementia, DPA reduces genetic inflammation, DPA reduces genetic-based fat production, DPA & DHA reduce plaque formation.I learned this from one who, for “decades”, has worked with a Scientific Advisory Board (probably the very first scientific advisory board ever formed–by the company that coined the concept of a SAB). These scientists are of such high caliber that they always receive invitations to attend the most prestigious meetings “where new science breaks” The Greenland Eskimo data is “old hat” as far as they’re concerned. These scientists “cite studies done with people”, not just examine Greenland Eskimo data.As for the “pollutants”, this company (GNLD) is a “world leader” in product analysis and manufacture (has access to the most advanced laboratories worldwide), and is WELL CAPABLE of analyzing fish components for ANY toxin. They have a tolerance of 0% (anything detectible is DISCARDED).I honestly don’t know where this guy gets his data from, but sometimes I wish people would simply stop making generalizations, and talking out of their butts.My girlfriend and I, we take vegan DHA supplements because we’re thinking about having a child. Will the vegan DHA – an Omega 3 fatty acid – put us at risk of developing diabetes?Good lord,The asian culture thrives on fish, and look at them. Before anyone says “they have diabetes too”, that only started 25 years ago with the introduction of many Western Fast food traditions. Beyond that, they have us beat in health by a nautical mile.	Agent Orange,animal products,antioxidants,blood sugar,cancer,diabetes,dioxins,Europe,fish,fish oil,industrial toxins,insulin,meat,metabolic syndrome,omega-3 fatty acids,oxidative stress,pancreas health,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,prediabetes,red meat,reproductive health,seafood,Vietnam	The relationship between fish consumption and diabetes risk may be due to toxic pollutants that build up in the aquatic food chain.	This is the first of a 3-part video series on the role industrial pollutants may play in our diabetes epidemic. Stay tuned for Diabetes and Dioxins and Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat.More on the changing views surrounding fish oil supplements in Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil?Other foods associated with diabetes risk include processed meat and eggs. See Bacon, Eggs, and Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy and Eggs and Diabetes, while Indian gooseberries and flaxseeds may help (Amla Versus Diabetes and Flaxseed vs. Diabetes).	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vietnam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/agent-orange/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18557598,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22472455,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24089611,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22520265,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22442397,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22984522,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22835984,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15133890,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22591895,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10977042,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22857650,
PLAIN-2606	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/	Cancer Risk From French Fries	In the latest study on dietary patterns and breast-cancer risk among women, those eating healthier had only a quarter of the odds of breast cancer, whereas less healthy eating was associated with up to nearly eight times the odds of breast cancer. Included in the unhealthy pattern were deep-fried foods, which have previously been linked to breast cancer, as well as pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, oral and throat cancers, esophageal cancer, and cancer of the voicebox. No deep fried foods?! What's a southern belle to do? Well instead of deep-frying, how about the traditional Southern diet characterized by high intakes of cooked greens, beans, legumes, cabbage, sweet potatoes and cornbread, which may reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer significantly.What about the consumption of deep-fried foods and risk of prostate cancer? We didn't know, until now. They found that eating French fries, fried chicken, fried fish, and doughnuts was associated with about a third greater odds of prostate cancer, and after stratifying for tumor aggressiveness, found even slightly stronger associations with more aggressive disease, suggesting that regular intake of deep-fried foods may contribute to progression of prostate cancer as well.What's in fried foods that's so bad for us? Just heating oils that hot can generate potentially carcinogenic compounds, and then known carcinogens such as heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons form when the muscles of chickens and fish are cooked at that temperature. And deep-fried plants can form acrylamide.I did a video about acrylamide back in 2008, suggesting it's a probable human carcinogen. Since then a study has suggested pregnant women may want to cut back on French fries to protect the growth of their baby's body and brain, and based on a study feeding people a little bag of potato chips every day for a month, it now seems acrylamide may cause inflammation as well, which may explain its purported role in cancer progression.Acrylamide intake has been associated with endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, and esophageal cancer. But how much cancer risk are we talking about? We didn't know, until now.An excess lifetime cancer risk assessment for French fries. They picked on French fries, because they comprise by far the greatest percentage contribution of acrylamide to the diets of children. They estimated that at most, one or two boys and girls out of every ten thousand would develop cancer eating French fries that they would otherwise not have if they hadn't eaten French fries. So it's not as bad as eating something like fried fish, or fried chicken, but how much is that saying, particularly for female hormonal cancers such as breast cancer?Now the level of cancer risk associated with French fries in both boys and girls depends for how long and hot they're fried at. In Europe, the food industry swore that they'd self-regulate and control fry times to decrease acrylamide levels, but apparently didn't. No subsequent change in acrylamide levels in French fries.Researchers continue to urge that the cooking temperature should be as low as possible and the cooking time should be as short as possible while still maintaining a tasty quality. Wouldn't want to reduce cancer risk too much—might not taste as good!Blanching the potatoes first reduces acrylamide formation, but potato chip companies complain that not only will it muck with the flavor, but reduce the nutritional properties, by leaching away some of the vitamin C. But if you're relying on potato chips to get your vitamin C, acrylamide is probably the least of your worries.	Please do a report on G6PD deficiency, the genetic disorder, that prohibits people from eating beans (and certain other foodstuffs). I suppose there are a lot of people who are not aware of this, and continue to eat beans thinking that their bean consumption is harmless, and beans make up a large part of some vegan diets.Ugh…it is really rare and not worth commenting. By and large, those things you mentioned are very healthy and very anti-carcinogenic, and I assume logically, if someone were allergic to beans they would get specific physical problems to diagnose such. It seems you just wanted to say ‘something’ which is worse than nothing.hehe, reminds me of that saying: “better to remain silent and appear a fool then to speak and remove all doubt.”Actually, the person brought up a very valid and established medical issue involving bean consumption. Many live are changed for the better as a result of abstaining from certain beans, if one has the G6PD deficiency.Hi Roseveg, to help others understand the condition you referenced: just to be clear – beans do not cause G6PD.G6PD is Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, a genetic disorder that mainly affects red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body. A defect in an enzyme called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase causes red blood cells to break down prematurely (hemolysis).If one has this deficiency, then hopefully they have been educated on how to manage:Factors such as infections, certain drugs, or ingesting fava beans can increase the levels of reactive oxygen species, causing red blood cells to be destroyed faster than the body can replace them. A reduction in the amount of red blood cells causes the signs and symptoms of hemolytic anemia.An estimated 400 million people worldwide have G6PD. This condition occurs most frequently in certain parts of Africa, Asia, and the Mediterranean. It affects about 1 in 10 African-American males in the United States.http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase-deficiencyYes, as you mentioned, Fava beans can lead to red blood cells being destroyed faster than the body can replace them, but other beans and things/foods humans ingest have been known to lead to this issue as well. And yes, 10 percent of African-Amderican males in the US are affected. A significant amount of people.http://g6pddeficiency.org/wp/living-with-g6pd-deficiency/g6pd-deficiency-foods-to-avoid-list/#.U2FD415H3lINo more black-eyed peas for some African-Americans?Let me tell you the biggest of my worries–You stopping to produce these wonderful videos! You are my daily nutritional grand Rounds Physician.Dr., how about saponins in grains and beans shown to compromise gut permeability. What do you think about this study?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3794833Would you suggest that vegans stick to just vegetables and fruits if they have gut permeability issues? I’m starting to take this seriously as everyday consumption of beans and grains seems a bit unnatural, as far as our human diet history is concerned.Well what do you think about this study? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15117556 “Clinical studies have suggested that these health-promoting components, saponins, affect the immune system in ways that help to protect the human body against cancers, and also lower cholesterol levels. Saponins decrease blood lipids, lower cancer risks, and lower blood glucose response. A high saponin diet can be used in the inhibition of dental caries and platelet aggregation, in the treatment of hypercalciuria in humans, and as an antidote against acute lead poisoning. In epidemiological studies, saponins have been shown to have an inverse relationship with the incidence of renal stones… Saponins are thermal sensitive. During soaking and blanching, portions of saponins are dissolved in water and lost in the soaking, washing, and blanching liquors.”I’m actually familiar with those studies, but thanks anyway for including them here. While I do know of the benefits, I am also curious of potential negatives of saponins on gut permeability. I think the negative if worth exploring for people with certain health issues.guest: I can’t answer the gut permeability question, but I do have something to say about the lst part of your post: ” I’m starting to take this seriously as everyday consumption of beans and grains seems a bit unnatural, as far as our human diet history is concerned.”My understanding of human diet history is quite the opposite. Eating grains and legumes seems like the most natural thing we could do. The following videos and articles with a key word of ‘paleo’ from this site provide a lot of insight into the matter.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=paleoDon’t skip the video about beans and long life… That video is one in a series of videos on this site about beans. There is also a lot information about grains on this site.FYI: My bottom line is: While what our ancestors ate is interesting, it’s not my goal to eat like my ancestors. Our world is different than the world my ancestors lived in. It’s my goal to live a long and healthy life. (The NutritionFacts website gives us the latest information to help us meet that goal.) So, even if my ancestors never ate beans, if eating beans is a very healthy thing for me to do today, I’m going to want to do it. Something to think about.I would add that we should eat consistent with our anatomy and physiology and consistent with the best health… avoiding chronic diseases and disability. Europeans developed the ability to digest lactose over the last 10,000 years or so but that doesn’t make dairy a healthy food choice. Anytime we consume animal products given the availability of adequate whole plant based calories with increase our risks of a number of diseases and conditions. For me it is about stacking the odds in our favor while helping the environment and reducing suffering.Thanks for adding on Dr. Forrester! Great points and well said.I think you might be missing the point: while yes, there’s good stuff about beans, this doesn’t negate or throw out the potentially harmful aspects of beans due to gut permeability issues, as well as certain beans causing distress for certain folks. Mutually exclusive topics at hand here, and I think the original poster of the gut permeability issue was looking to explore what could be harmful in beans, not looking for a debate or opinions on the positiveness of beans. When science looks to explore an issue, it sticks to the issue it is exploring. To not do this would be the equivalent of the researchers who looked into the gut permeability issues of beans deciding to stop their research in its tracks because of the good qualities of beans. It just doesn’t work like that. The premise is to explore the gut permeabilit issues.If one were to eat McDonald’s french fries once a month, or less (as I), and that were the only thing one ate there, then I suspect that the opportunity for cancer development (because of FF eating) would be virtually nonexistent, being of course that one continue being a semi-vegan, which being a vegan or vegetarian does not guarantee the absence of cancer, but only appreciably attenuates it.I know French fries has always been bad for you because at high temperatures, cheap oils like canola oil go bad. Just as worse as hydrogenation. What would happen if you fried in avocado oil. Avacado oil is supposedly nutritious and has an unsupposedly high smoke point of 525°, actually the highest of all smoke points. Would this mean that the french fries would be; Harmful, Harmless or Healthful.Thanks for answering! :)I have seen a paper (I can’t find it right now, sorry) comparing a variety of different oils for frying potatoes. Refined canola oil actually came out very good, about as stable as extra virgin olive oil. High oleic sunflower was also OK, but ordinary sunflower oil or soybean oil were not very stable (not unexpectedly as they contain a lot of polyunsaturated fatty acids). Contrary to popular belief the smoking point is no indicator of the oxidative stability. Some very heat stable oils or fats have low smoke points and vice versa.What about brushing the fries with oil and baking them?That would limit some of the damage, but Dr. Greger advocates a whole food, plant-based diet which excludes the use of fats that have been commercially isolated from their original fibrous containers.Actually he advocates for a Science based diet.That’s right. About 90% of your daily calories should come from scientific papers. Be aware though, that some of the inks used for printing contain carcinogens. Maybe Dr. Greger will make a video on this issue.As long as the temperature is the same (e.g. below 180°C) it shouldn’t make much of a difference. Frying has the benefit that less of the oil that ends up on the fries is exposed to oxygen, but baking, on the other hand, has the benefit of reducing the amount of oil.Dietary dogmas aside, I think it is perfectly fine to eat fried foods in limited amounts, as long as you do it yourself and use fresh canola or olive oil every time.I would never give up my delicious crispy fried falafel. But I eat only a few of them with whole grain pita, hummus, and a whole lot of salad and vegetables. This is what makes all the difference – compared to a heaping of french fries with mayonaise, for example.I would be cautious when advocating for olive oils and canola oils. Lets remember that they are empty calories, extremely calorie dense and as such should be classified as junk food. Those on a very low fat, whole plant based diet would see no benefit from adding oil, and it would actually cause more harm then good.Someone who classifies virgin olive oil, a food which was already esteemed for its health-giving properties by the ancient Hebrews and Greeks and worshipped as a gift of God (or the Goddess Athena), as “junk food” exposes himself as a philistine extremist (IMHO).Especially as we now have hundreds of studies, among them the large-scale PREDIMED randomized controlled trial, scientifically verifying the ancient wisdom about olive oil’s healthfulness.Again, lets examine whether olive oil is a health food or not. Jeff Novick puts it best:“Due to very effective marketing and advertising, we have become convinced that oil is not only a food, but a health food. This is crazy. To be a food, something must be able to support healthy life and be of some benefit.Oil is a highly refined processed and extracted food “product”. It has no protein or essential amino acids (which we need), it has no carbohydrates, or sugars (which we need), it has no fiber (which we need), it has no minerals (which we need) and has virtually no vitamins (which we need) except for a small amount of Vit E and some phytosterols.But, on the other hand, it is pure fat and the most calorie dense food on the planet. While all oils have a mixture of mono, poly and saturated fat, most oils are very low in the essential fat omega 3 (which some of us may need more of), very high in the omega 6 (which most of us need to lower) and most oils also have high ratios of omega 6 to omega 3 (which most all of us need to lower).So, basically you are getting lots of calories (oils has almost 2.5 x more calorie per TB than sugar). lots of omega 6s, some saturated fat (depending on the oil) and virtually no nutrients.The definition of a junk food is a food that is high in calories (and/or fat, sugar, salt) and has little if any nutrient value at all. Oil, is more of a junk food than sugar. And, I hope that in a few years, we will all come to understand it and see it, as such.”http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/631?fg=&man=&lfacet=&count=&max=25&sort=&qlookup=olive+oil&offset=&format=Full&new=&measureby=Those consuming very low fat, healthy whole plant based diets will see no purported benefits from consuming olive oil. I can say this with confidence because the American diet today is so unhealthy that any slightly healthier food choice will show benefits. You can tell I like Jeff Novick (mainly because of his genius and understanding of dietetics), because I am going to quote him again,“Move Over Walnuts, Kale, Goji Berrries, Sweet Potatoes, Purple Cabbage, etc., & Make Room For The Next Super Food: Carrots! “Carrot intake might be inversely associated with prostate cancer risk.”When you understand that the typical diet consumed today is **so** bad, possibly being the worst diet ever consumed by humans in recorded history, then you understand that you can look at a group of those eating this diet and take *any* one healthy (or healthier) food (or food with some healthier aspects to it), and look at those who eat more of it compared to those who eat less of it (or none of it) and almost always see a difference. But that does not make it into a health food, let alone a super food.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24519559It is surprising that we nitpicked the Mediterranean diet and identified oil as the reason their diet is more healthful, not the higher intakes of fruits and vegetables. A few interventional studies have shown harmful arterial function to oil consumption after the fasting state.The participants of the study ate a meal containing 3.5 tablespoons of olive oil and the examiners measured their arterial function after 3 hours. “Contrary to part of our hypothesis, our study found that omega-9 (oleic acid)-rich olive oil impairs endothelieum function postprandially.” They also make note that “In terms of their postprandial effect on endothelieum function, the beneficial components of the Mediterranean and Lyon Diet Heart Study diets appear to be antioxidant-rich foods, including vegetables [and] fruits”http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/36/5/1455It was even noted that “In a clinical study, olive oil was shown to activate coagulation factor VII to the same extent as does butter. Thus, olive oil does not have a clearly beneficial effect on vascular function.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9409274Fresh or deep fried, it makes no difference, as olive, soybean and palm oils all produced an increase of triglycerides after consuming 3 tablespoons of each in a soup.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17174226Oil is admittedly tasty, after omitting it though for so long and having had it on cooked veggies (unknowingly), I found the taste extremely unappealing, and the texture of “sliminess” in my mouth also unappealing. I can understand why one would want to keeping eating oil for personal reasons, but it is a far stretch to call it healthy, maybe healthy for the person whos diet consisted of highly processed, high saturated fat and high animal product type foods. Especially those battling weight loss or who are trying to prevent heart disease, avoiding oil is another step towards healthier eating.You can of course always cite some diet Guru you favor or nitpick some highly reductionistic studies, measuring a few isolated biomarkers and some of which are of methodologically questionable quality. That doesn’t diminish the vast amount of evidence for the health benefits of olive oil deriving from a) RCTs, among them the the large-scale, long-term PREDIMED, b) numerous high-quality epidemiological (cohort) studies and last but not least c) ancient empirical knowledge accumulated over the lifetime of more than 200 generations living in the Mediterranean region.*Besides, olive oil is hardly adversited at all here in Europe. There is no need to advertise it, because it it is traditionally considered a health food for thousands of years. Fortunately, the US with its commercial excesses and cultural oblivion is not yet representative of the world at large.*Yes, they have always eaten a lot of fruits and vegetables. But they got the bulk of the calories needed for hard physical labor from whole grains, legumes and olive oil. In the 1950s, when Ancel Keys initiated the Seven Countries Study, Cretans had the highest life-expectancy in the western world and got more than 30% of their total caloric intake from olive oil alone.I think you should not be so defensive in your argument. I am saying that the standard American diet is so unhealthy, that any food that is slightly healthier will show benifit. Current studies demonstrating the health benifits of olive oil compare those who are already consuming unhealthy diets to those who consume healthier ones. This is evident in the isle of crete example you cite.“The information that has been translated into the “Mediterranean Diet” came from a study that found low rates of heart disease amongst those living on the Isle of Crete in the late 1950’s. While this people did consume olives, avocados, olive oil and other monunsaturated fats, their diets were predominately fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes with small amounts of animal protein.Part of the reason for this was the community was very economically depressed as they were recovering from a recent time of war. Additionally, they were very active, walking an average of 9 miles a day.This dietary and exercise pattern, that was evident on the Isle of Crete in the late 50’s, no longer exist there (nor anywhere else in the Mediterranean). Rates of obesity and heart disease on the Isle of Crete have risen since the original study, as their diet and fitness patterns have changed.” http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Articles/Entries/2010/3/5_Olive_Oil_%26_The_Mediterranean_Diet_Are_A_Hoax!.htmlJeff Novick is no gypsy guru, he is infact one of the most well respected plant based dieticians in the world, and he works closely with Dr. John McDougal. Jeff Novick is well respected by many (including Dr. Greger), and the information he shares is not out of the wind; he is very good at evaluating the evidence.Those on a whole, plant based diet have no need, nor would benefit from olive oil.If we want to play the population game, the Okinawans are more noteworthy to cite.Back in the 1950’s the Japanese rural Okinawan group of people had the most centenarians per capita. How did they live so long? Here is their dietCaloric Restriction, the Traditional Okinawan Diet, and Healthy Aging The Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life Span Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785 Total weight (grams) 1262 Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4 Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9) Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85) Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6) Saturated fatty acid 3.7 Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6 Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8 Total fiber (grams) 23 Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)Grains Rice 154 (12) Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7) Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1) Sugars 3 (less than 1) Oils 3 (2) Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1) Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1) Eggs 1 (less than 1) Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)Vegetables Sweet potatoes 849 (69) Other potatoes 2 (less than1) Other vegetables 114 (3) Fruit less than 1 (less than 1) Seaweed 1 (less than 1) Pickled vegetables 0 (0) Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some pointsTheir diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a day1) I still haven’t seen a single good argument for avoiding olive oil, so I’m certainly not defensive.2) The PREDIMED trial didn’t compare people consuming the SAD with people consuming olive oil. It was a Spanish study on poeple with cardiovascular risk factors, comparing a control group following a pretty much traditional Spanish diet, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, which had been instructed to lower the intake of all fats and saturated fats in particular with the intervention group, which hadn’t been instructed to lower fat intake but instead given 1 liter virgin olive oil per week to consume on top of their habitual ~30% fat diet. The olive oil group fared significantly better than the control group. Interestingly, people in both groups had an exceptionally low event rate compared with similar cohorts from the US or Northern Europe.2) It is only our modern, decadent lifestyle that enables raw foodists to nourish themselves on (tropical) fruits and vegetables alone. People working physically or excercising need more calories than can be practically provided by fruits and non-starchy vegetables. Virtually all the evidence suggest that as long as your minimum carbohydrate requirements are met, virgin olive oil is at least as a healthy source of calories as whole grains are. Monounsaturated fatty acids have a more favorable effect on blood lipids than carbohydrates. By combining whole grains with oilve oil you get the best of both worlds (fiber and minerals from the grains and the olive oil’s vitamin E and powerful polyphenols).1. I will refer to my first comment, when I say that olive oil is a processed food, in that it lack ANY nutritional value except for fat. This by definition is junk food. It is like saying that added raw cane sugar is beneficial for health because of the minute antioxidant content, when it has similar nutrition profile, but flipped fat for carbs. Just look at the nutrition profile. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/631?fg=&man=&lfacet=&count=&max=25&sort=&qlookup=olive+oil&offset=&format=Full&new=&measureby=2. The problem with the study you cite is that the control group still exceeded 30% (close to 40%) of dietary intake from fat, and barely met 25 grams of fiber. Would you call this low fat? By no standard would I. In fact, this diet indicates overall unhealthful eating. Thus as I said earlier, a very low fat diet (10%) would not receive benefit from olive oil because it provides no nutritional value. If saturated fat and omega 6 is low, olive oil will only hurt the quality of the diet.3. Your statements regarding raw foodism and caloric intake is out of the wind. Firstly, the raw food diet is well established to be completely unnecessary to human health and in fact, evidence exists that those consuming cooked whole unrefined plant foods in addition to raw foods are better off. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/Secondly, getting enough calories from starchy vegetables and grains is extremely easy to do. To say that one must add pure empty calories to the diet to meet caloric needs is absurd and unfounded. Nuts have plenty of vitamin E, as do other plant foods. Vitamin e is not a scarce nutrient, and the trace amount in olive oil is not a reason to consume it.4. Caloric restriction vs plant based diet prove equally beneficial http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=calorie+restrictionConsuming pure empty calories vs whole plant foods will always fail to show benefit. Whole plant foods contain naturally occurring fats, and plenty of essential omega 3 fats..1. Besides this argument is principally a naive fallacy, as I have explained, it is also factually wrong. The nutritional value of a food is obviously not reducable to its micronutrient content. This is long obsolete, 20th century reductionist thinking. Hence, the USDA database won’t tell you much about the nutritional value of olive oil, because apart from vitamin E it doesn’t contain much essential nutrients, but plenty of potent, fat-soluble polyphenols. Hence, a much more valuable source for evaluating the nutritional quality of olive oil is the Phenol-Explorer database (http://www.phenol-explorer.eu/contents/food/831 ). Of course polyphenols are not all equal, so you can’t compare food by the total amounts of polyphenols they contain. The oil soluble polyphenols found almost exclusively in olive oil are among the most powerful polyphenols known to us, because in contrast to most water-soluble polyphenols they are actively absorbed and have significantly higher half-lifes in plasma and tissues. In fact, the intense burning sensation a good, extra virgin olive oil produces in the throat is due some of these polyphenols which are chemically similar to a certain class of antiinflammatory drugs, producing the very same sensention if you chew on the tablet.It is absolutely silly to compare virgin olive oil with sugar. It’s not even woth commenting on that, except for: read the scientific literature (that is to say, all the literature, not just the few isolated studied that fit into your preconceptions).2. The conclusion that can be drawn from PREDIMED trial is that consuming a very high amount olive oil is healthier than consuming a moderately high amount of olive oil – simple as that! (Note that the olive oil in the intervention group did NOT substitute for less healthy fats, as the control diet lowered their intake of saturated fats to a greater extend as the intervention group)3,4. I agree with you on the raw food diet. It should be clear by now that the contention that olive oil is “emtpy calories” is not only subject to the reductionist fallacy but also factualy wrong – and can only be held in complete and probably wilful ignorance of 6000 years of culinary tradition and more than 60 years of scientific research on the Mediterranean diet and the health benefits of virgin olive oil and the unique polyphenols it contains.1. I find it interesting you are calling me the reductionist when you are picking out the single beneficial thing in olive oil, polyphenols, when they are overly abundant in the plant kingdom. In addition, why not consume the whole olive, as it is far healthier then the olive oil. The reductionist method can be easily applied when certain macronutrients do not satisfy a requirement for health. Something that is stripped of all the fiber, vitamins and minerals, and if all that remains is a small amount of polyphenols as the beneficial component, then why not just substitute it for a vitamin? It seems absurd to me that your argument is based on the tiny amount of nutrients in something that is literally pure fat and the most calorie dense food on the planet, especially when this minute amount of phytonutrients are found in much greater abundance in other plant foods, such as berries, leafy greens, and other commonly consumed plant foods. Because people have used something for generations does not make it a health food. Is red wine a health food because of the tiny content of retinol? No, of course not. You are applying the reductionist mindset to olive oil, when you should be looking at the food as a WHOLE, which you are not doing.2. The only conclusion one can take from that study is that those consuming a high fat, still unhealthy, diet do better with more olive oil. These conclusions canot be applied to one consuming a whole foods, plant based diet that is very low fat. Those on a low fat, plant based diet are consuming a massive quantity of phytonutrients and are getting enough essential fat, what purpose would extra empty calories serve one on this nutrient dense diet? Perhaps weight gain and increased risk of CVD.Obviously you didn’t care to properly read or comprehend my argument before replying as I actually anticipated your very response in my argument, but I repeat it once more: phytonutrients are not all equal (hence comparing plant foods by the total amount of polyphenols they contain or even the ORAC score, as Dr. Greger did some years ago, is rather pointless), there are vast differences in their physiological properties and potency and olive oil polyphenols (partially because of their fat-solubility) are the most potent polyphenols we know of, they are orders of magnitude more potent than most other polyphenols found in plant foods. Most of those fat-soluble polyphenols are not present in the fresh olives, but are formed during the pressing of the olives by enzymatic processes (one of the many examples where rudimentary processing beneficially affects the nutritional value of a food). Only trace amouts of those polyphenols are found in brined olives, so the only significant dietary source for them is virgin olive oil. Your assertions that olive oil equals empty calories and that monounsaturated fat from olive oil would be an inferior source of calories compared to carbohydrates from whole plant foods are both painfully wrong. and if you had read my responses you could have learned why. This is my last response, however. I’m not going to further waste my time with someone who so recklessly indulges in wilful ignorance and dogmatism.I know you have tried to discount the interventional studies I shared showing impaired arterial function from olive oil (for admittedly the wrong reasons), but even more recent research has shown this effect. “Our main finding was that, in comparison with olive oil, walnuts reverse the impairment of endothelial function associated with eating a fatty meal. The fact that a single walnut meal positively effects postprandial vasoactivity further supports the beneficial effects of walnuts on cardiovascular risk” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109706019127Olive oil is not the super food you believe it to be.The same marketing the Meat Industry uses on meat-eaters and all people is the same tactic the Vegan Industry uses on vegans. Healthy Coconut Oil? I’m sorry no, its 92% saturated fat. Safflower oil? Ok, shut up ads!Effective marketing is indeed how many health claims are made in the US. The egg board is notorious for this.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=egg+boardToxins, you rock!Thank you, some people love their oil a little too much.And the most logical reason to stay away from it is that all the good stuff is tossed out! Pretty easy to understand.Here is a table showing the heat stability of different oils and fats. I have translated it from a presentation made available by the “German Society for Lipid Science”[1]Clarified butter 6.5 – 7.5 Lard 1.5 – 2.5 Canola oil (refined) 7.0 – 8.5 Canola oil (virgin) 3.0 – 5.5 Peanut oil 3 – 4 Olive oil (virgin) 7.0 – 8.5 Sunflower oil (refined) 1.5 – 2.5 Flaxseed oil 0.3The number is the time (in hours) at which the oil passes the legislative threshold that would define it as inedible (rancid) while constantly heated to a temperature of 170°C.As that threshold is probably set way too high I think it is wise to apply a large safety factor and divide it by 10. Hence you can safely use canola or olive oil for up to one hour of frying, but you shouldn’t use lard or sunflower oil – or any other highly polyunsaturated vegetable oil for frying, broiling, etc.[1] http://www.dgfett.de/material/welches_fett.pdf (German)I confess — I wish French Fries were healthy. :-) I love these videos and have learned so much from them! But just once, I’d like a surprise from Dr. Greger in my Inbox like, “New study: hot fudge sundaes reduce risk of stroke and kidney stones!” :-)Elizabeth: Oh my gosh! Me too. You and I totally on the same page here.Come over to my house! I will make one for you! Haha. Be it scientifically healthy that is.Make your low fat fries(2-5% fat) in oven at maximum 200C with just potatoes and oil without any additives unlike mcdonald ones, dont over-fry them and its really not that bad, that is so tasty you dont even need salt or any other crap~I thought I would share Jeff Novick’s method for “steak fries” from his Fast Food: Burgers and Fries DVD. He starts by baking potatos whole. Then the big trick is to let the potatos completely cool. That helps get the right texture before doing the next step. Then you cut the potatoes into shape. And then season with spices like curry or garlic and onion, etc. And then the second big trick is to put under a broiler for about 3-5 minutes. This gives you a nice firm outside while keeping the center soft. And none of this involves oil.You would get a better idea of what I’m talking about if you watch the DVD. Also, I’m thinking it’s possible that the dark bits that form when you do the broiler step may not be all that great for one’s health. But it is worth sharing the idea if nothing else for people trying to get oil out of their diets. I served these fries at a potluck with barbeque sauce for dipping. The GIANT batch of Jeff’s fries completely disappeared by the end of the potluck. People loved them.Hi Thea, back when I ate almost anything, I would LOVE McDonald’s or NY-style french fries, with copious amounts of vegetable oil and salt. Then I went low carb and didn’t touch potatoes for a very long time. After becoming fully vegan, I will only eat a small amount of potatoes as a side dish at a restaurant on occasion. I have to admit, I just don’t miss french fries (or for that matter potatoes) as much as I suppose I should. They are filled with high-glycemic index starch carbohydrate which will send my blood sugar level (and insulin) skyrocketing. That alone is enough to deter me from ever ordering a side of french fries, although I have one friend who eats them all the time when we are out. It comes down to personality type. I have no problem with self-deprivation, in fact, I’m too good at it sometimes (scary!).DGH: Thanks for sharing. I still love fries, but rarely, rarely order them, because I know they are so bad. However, if I’m with a friend who orders them like you mention, I’m not above asking to have one. ;-)I think you would find Jeff Novick’s comment on white potatoes and the glycemic index very interesting.“The idea that white potatoes are problematic for diabetics stems partly from the concept of the glycemic index, and partly from the inaccurate way that potatoes have been categorized in some scientific studies.The glycemic index measures the extent to which a food raises blood sugar levels after it is eaten.1 Because white potatoes have been characterized as having a high glycemic index, it is often assumed that they can worsen diabetes. However, the glycemic index has not been found to be a useful concept when devising optimal diets for diabetics.2,3 One of the major problems with the glycemic index is its variability; not only do blood sugar responses to similar foods differ between individuals, they can vary significantly in the same person on different occasions.4 A recent review of the scientific literature conducted by the American Diabetes Association concluded that there is little difference in blood sugar control between “low-glycemic index” and “high-glycemic index” diets.5 For this reason, in their most updated guidelines, the American Diabetes Association has deleted a statement suggesting benefit from the glycemic index.6″https://www.facebook.com/notes/national-health-association/do-you-recommend-that-diabetics-avoid-white-potatoes/10151143052782614Toxins: I have missed your commenting lately. This post reminds me why I value your participation so much. Thank you for passing this information on! I’m very interested in the topic of diabetes and greatly appreciate it.I am glad you found my comment helpful Thea, I do enjoy reading and moderating and learning here on NF. As school is coming to a close for the spring, you may see more of me here.True believers among themselves, how moving ;)Your love of olive oil is also quite romanticThis is exactly the kind of sophistry I have come to expect from Jeff Novick. His core “argument” is: the GI is irrelevant because it varies considerably from individual to individual and from time to time. Now think about it for one second! You could relativize pretty much everything we know about nutrition with exactly the same argument: The amount of micronutrients in fruits and vegetables also varies considerably, yet noone would argue that median values of nutrients in foods, like those gathered in the USDA database, are an extremely valuable tool for estimating the nutrient-richness of a particular food or dietary pattern.The argument was not to debunk glycemic index, it was to quell the fear of potatoes, if you bothered to read on from the cited paragraph.I find the glycemic index to be a mixed bag, but overall unhelpful. The variability component is more extreme than you may perceive. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=8234629Sounds super yummy, Thea! If I were at that potluck, I think I would hover around that plate. ;)Sounds like a rather complicated way to create a shallow imitation of a food that is not particularly worth imitating in the first place.Moreover, there is no rational (as opposed to religious) basis for avoiding oil alltogether. Adding (not frying them in) some decent oil to your potatoes actually makes them healthier: it blunts the blood sugar response to their high GI carbohydrates and dramatically improves the absorption of the fat-soluble carotenoids they contain.Timar: Sorry for the confusion. Actually, it’s really easy! And for those of us trying to watch our calorie counts, it’s not only easy, but a great calorie saver. If you watch Jeff Novick’s DVD From Oil To Nuts, you will see very good reasons for avoiding all oil – at least in terms of being part of a daily diet. (When I eat dessert, it is dessert. So, I don’t worry about junk food like sugar and oil. I just try to limit dessert in general. If someone’s weakness is not dessert, but say traditional french fries, then I would say, go for it. But try to seriously limit the fries (to 1 or 2 times a year?).)Concerning your claim that adding oil makes a potato healthier, I find the information Toxins re-posted from Jeff Novick on the health of plain potatoes to be quite compelling. Re:” A recent review of the scientific literature conducted by the American Diabetes Association concluded that there is little difference in blood sugar control between “low-glycemic index” and “high-glycemic index” diets.5 For this reason, in their most updated guidelines, the American Diabetes Association has deleted a statement suggesting benefit from the glycemic index.6″”re: “…of a food that is not particularly worth imitating in the first place.” Sounds like you are not all that interested in french fries. You are lucky there! For me, I think french fries are great and appreciate having an alternative (and easy!) way to prepare them.I agree with you that it is most important to eat an overall healthy diet while avoiding excess calories and that an occasional disgression from such a diet is perfectly fine – as long as occasional remains occasional, which for many people it does not…However, I’m also convinced (and I can assure you that this conviction has quite some scientific background) that healthy oils such as virgins olive oil can be an integral part of a perfectly healthy dietary pattern. Of course it is possible to follow a healthy diet without any added oils, but such a diet takes much pleasure and cultural richness out of eating without providing significant benefits (maybe even the opposite).In my opinion, eating an unnecessarily restrictive diet only provokes food cravings. It is the opposite of a “balanced” diet, and thus tends to throw our desires out of balance. Personally I can’t remember the last time when I craved french fries or candies.” there is no rational (as opposed to religious) basis avoiding oil altogether” You do love your oil Timar! I think the rationale is quite compelling as we have discussed in length.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/#comment-1372740408What is the difference in carcinogenic levels for fries baked without oil compared to fries baked with oil?As usual, Dr. Greber sucks at science.Good information. We should get rid of these junk food. I learn some great tips from: http://www.keephealthlifestyle.com . such as which oil we should choose, what kind of food do we need to use. so on.Keep away cancer start from our mouths.Hi John, I took a look at the site. I don’t see anything research-related here. Do you want to provide research?I got health information from the TLS® Health Guide & Journal. It’s includes the instruction and journal. – keep good journal help us reach goal more easyer. or subscribe their monthly subscribtion. They have 12 weeks lifestyle change let people use 12 weeks to get a habit to a health way. Most they will teach us eat low GI food and keep some execise.Thanks for letting me know. Good luck to you on this diet. I do see that it does include, meat, dairy, and seafood products. Processed foods stuff, oil, sugar, splenda, etc. in the packaged meals. Not the most healthful it seems.	acrylamide,beans,breast cancer,cabbage,cancer,cancer survival,carcinogens,chicken,children,cooking methods,doughnuts,endometrial cancer,endometrial health,esophageal cancer,esophagus health,Europe,fish,french fries,frying,greens,heterocyclic amines,industry influence,inflammation,kidney cancer,legumes,lung cancer,men's health,oils,oral cancer,ovarian cancer,pancreatic cancer,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,potato chips,poultry,prostate cancer,sweet potatoes,throat cancer,turkey,vitamin C,women's health	The association between cancer and the consumption of deep-fried foods may be due to carcinogens formed at high temperatures in animal foods (heterocyclic amines and polycyclic hydrocarbons) and plant foods (acrylamide).	My 2008 video can be found here: Acrylamide in French Fries.More on heterocyclic amines:There are some things we can do to counteract the effects of these carcinogens, though:I touch on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Meat Fumes: Dietary Secondhand Smoke and Is Liquid Smoke Flavoring Carcinogenic? Certain fats may play a role in breast cancer survival as well: Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken and Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophagus-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acrylamide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potato-chips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovarian-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/doughnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22495255,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7989114,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23128205,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19158207,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16332665,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23335051,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22240413,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22136129,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23092936,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22809476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23651876,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16094624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15072585,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22465873,
PLAIN-2607	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/	Statin Cholesterol Drugs and Invasive Breast Cancer	What does breast cancer have to do with cholesterol? Here are some of the potential mechanisms by which cholesterol boosts breast cancer growth. Cholesterol is what our body makes estrogen out of, it’s packaged into LDL, which we saw appeared to increase proliferation and decrease patient survival, and it’s a major component of lipid rafts.Compared with their normal counterparts, cancer cells have higher levels of cholesterol-rich lipid rafts in their plasma membrane, which may be important for cancer cell survival, as well as serve in human cancer development in terms of tumor migration and invasion.Elevated levels of cholesterol-rich lipid rafts have been found in breast cancer cells, and the thought is that reducing blood cholesterol levels may disrupt lipid raft formation and thereby inhibit breast cancer development. This suggests cholesterol targeting may be used as a cancer therapy.Controlled laboratory experiments have shown that phytosterols in seeds and nuts at dietary relevant levels appear to inhibit the growth of several types of tumor cells including breast cancer cells, both estrogen-receptor negative and estrogen-receptor positive cancer.The therapeutic implications are that plant-based diets rich in phytosterols may offer protection against the development of breast cancer. Of course you can’t make a lot of money on pumpkin seeds, so researchers looked to cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.However, evaluating the safety of statin therapy for women is particularly difficult. Little research has explicitly proceeded from a gender-based perspective. Some petri dish work looked promising, but population studies have shown mixed results. Some studies showed that women on statins had decreased breast cancer risk, some showed increased risk, and most showed no association. But these were all relatively short-term studies. So-called “long-term” statin use was defined as mostly just three to five years. Breast cancer can take decades to grow. The one study that looked at ten or more years of statin use only included 62 cases. Given the increase in statin use over the past few decades, and the fact that they’re commonly prescribed to be taken every day for the rest of people’s lives, the studies published to date have had limited ability to evaluate the impact of long durations of use. And we better figure this out. About one in four women over 45 in this country are on these drugs. But that was the only data we had, until now.Thousands of breast cancer cases included, and long term statin users—women taking statins for ten years or more, had more than double the risk of both types of breast cancer: invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma.Now, the number one killer of women is heart disease, not breast cancer, so we still need to bring down cholesterol levels. If only there was a way to get the pros with out the cons. Plant-based diets have been shown to lower LDL-cholesterol by over 30%, within just a couple weeks, equivalent to most of the standard cholesterol lowering statin drugs without any known breast cancer risk.	Is eating raw corn-on-the-cob harmful? I see that corn is a grain, and grains I suppose are to be cooked in order to deal with anti-nutrients/natural toxins, but raw corn on the cob is so easy and delicious to eat, but I am wondering if it is harmful unless cooked. Sort of like how there are things in certain beans and other grains that will cause harm to humans unless the beans are cooked, neutralizing a few things). As far as digestion goes, I do fine with raw corn.We can only digest a small amount of raw starch.Thank you for the video, a topical issue indeed. What would you recommend if a strictly vegan, fruit-and-veg based diet and regular exercise are not enough to bring the blood cholesterol down to desired levels? I.e. girls/women living with inherited familial hypercholesterolemia?I have these same two questions!Statins are potent drugs, with potentially dangerous side effects, and should – as every other pharmaceutical drug – be used with caution. Too many people are on statins – the only thing they will experience are side effects -and some deadly – and no benefit.FYI: this article just published Apr. 24th in NEJM summarizes positions on statin use as primary prevention.I am skeptical that statins actually promote cancer in the long-term. We do have some long-term follow-up of randomized trials, such as the Heart Protection Study and the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study, which show no increased risk of malignancy with these lifesaving drugs. The individual patient data meta-analyses by the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists Collaboration also indicate no increased risk for cancer, and possible protection. Therefore to indict these drugs based on observational studies, which are heavily prone to selection bias (i.e. higher risk women are put on statins in the first place) and residual confounding (i.e. covariates that are not measured and cannot be adjusted for) – is likely a spurious fallacy.The cited study only adjusted for year and age when diagnosed, residence, and history of hormone replacement therapy. Other known risk factors, common to both cardiovascular disease and breast cancer (like obesity, diet, and exercise) weren’t considered.It’s possible we’re seeing the effects of a common cause for both diagnosable invasive breast cancer, and 10 years use of statins by age 55-74. This website offers a lot of suspects.“more than double the risk of both types of breast cancer” … Doc, when you think of it and it’s convenient, in these kind of reports would you also mention the absolute risk measures along with relative?The cited paper, a retrospective case-control study, because of its design, couldn’t report the absolute risks for its population. The lifetime risk (by age 90) for invasive breast cancer incidence from this 1993 study was 12.1%. According to Wikipedia, Invasive ductal carcinoma accounts for 55% of invasive breast cancer, while invasive lobular accounts for 5-10%. So lifetime risks for these two types could be around 6.7% and 0.6-1.2% respectively. Before the statins, at least.Thanks for requesting that. I frequently want to see that too. Helps to make more independent decisions.Rosewing, Some farmers are genetically engineering sweet corn to not only create their own pesticide in the gut of the consumer, but to also be resistant to Roundup. This means that the crop won’t die, but the chronic effects to people and animals are another story. Don’t eat sweet corn unless it is certified organic. Then, only sparingly.Becca, farmers do not have the resources to genetically engineer crops. Large corporations such as Monsanto and DuPont do. So-called Bt modified corn does form toxins in the guts of target pests. However, due to the lower pH of the human gut, these toxins are not formed in humans. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has long been used to protect certain crops instead of synthetic pesticides. Although I remain skeptical of GM crops, the alarm you have sounded about Bt modified corn is most likely unfounded.Finally a question – what evidence can you provide that certified organic corn should be eaten only sparingly?I stand corrected. Poor wording on my post. Of course, farmers are not genetically modifying crops. But, many are using genetically engineered seeds from Monsanto, Dupont, Syngenta, Bayer, Dow and others to change the dna of seeds so that the corporations can sell more of their highly toxic herbicides with LESS regulation and government oversight to kill superweeds which has popped up from constant spraying. And, now, because of more superweeds, the corporations are genetically engineering the seeds in triplicate so that the seeds can basically drink 3 different weed killers and not die. However, the runoff from the fields is highly toxic, poisoning fish and livestock/wildlife that drink the waters, the drift from the fields is in the air and is cleansed from the clouds and sky when it precipitates –it’s raining pesticides containing 100% Round-up, 2,4-D and other pesticides, and may be contaminating organic backyards and fields. And remember, that organic livestock, while not intentionally fed GMO corn and soy, may be getting it in organic feed, UNLESS they are pastured and graze on grasses (inc. alfalfa) that is not yet contaminated. But, wildlife and livestock still drink unpurified waters. Hence, this is a good reason to eat vegan! Monsanto is coming out with genetically engineered sweet corn this year, which is why I recommend eating certified organic corn sparingly. One never knows when the corn or soy you are eating is contaminated, as I learned when I consumed a small amount of certified organic soymilk on my cereal and received my first super bad case of indigestion. It was not used by the farmer, but was contaminating their field, compliments of Monsanto. The effects to me was the same.This 2014 cochrane review summarizing the results of 18 randomized control trials on statin use concluded that statins are effective in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and do not increase risk of “serious adverse effects” such as cancer.Has anyone seen the video/film Statin Nation? If so, what was your opinion?Cholesterol has important function in the body, does it not? isn’t it a precursor to many hormones and other important functions? and reducing dietary cholesterol would not significantly benefit, even if our cells manufacture it? why isn’t cholesterol seen as a protective agent rather then concluding that at the site of the problem there is cholesterol in tumor cells, in the arteries and so on?In the garden of eden study, they were eating a seriously plant based diet with over 100g of fiber a day to reduce it that much. Less plant based but still plant based with more grains showed less effect.	breast cancer,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,estrogen,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,nuts,phytosterols,plant-based diets,plasma membrane,pumpkin seeds,seeds,side effects,statins,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	Reducing cholesterol levels may inhibit breast cancer development, but the long-term use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs is associated with more than double the risk of both types of breast cancer: invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma.	If you missed the “prequel” video you might be confused about the role cholesterol plays in breast cancer risk. Watch Cholesterol Feeds Breast Cancer Cells.Though as drugs go, statins are remarkably safe, they can present rare but serious side effects in both men and women: Statin Muscle Toxicity.How can we lower cholesterol without drugs? It’s Purely a Question of Diet. We can lower our cholesterol by lowering our intake of three things: Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. Where are trans fats found? Trans Fat In Meat And Dairy. Where is cholesterol found? Predominantly eggs: Eggs and Cholesterol: Patently False and Misleading Claims. There are also some foods adept at lowering cholesterol levels:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytosterols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plasma-membrane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16565487,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18609063,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22806241,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18338406,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23833125,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16381630,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14527636,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21422422,
PLAIN-2608	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/	Cholesterol Feeds Breast Cancer Cells	One in eight American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes. There are a number of compounds in plant foods that may protect against breast cancer by a variety of mechanisms. I’ve talked about the benefits of broccoli, flaxseeds and soy foods, but this recent study out of Germany reported something new. Evidence for reduced breast cancer risk associated with consumption of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds were associated with reduced breast cancer risk, which they initially chalked up to the lignans in the seeds, something else I’ve talked about, but their lignan lead didn’t pan out. Maybe it’s the phytosterols found concentrated in seeds.There is evidence phytosterols may be anticancer nutrients that may play a role in reducing breast cancer risk. I thought phytosterols just lowered cholesterol? What does cancer have to do with cholesterol?Well, increasing evidence demonstrates the role that cholesterol may play in the development and progression of breast cancer. Cancer feeds on cholesterol. Transformed cells take up LDL, so-called bad cholesterol, and are capable of stimulating the growth of human breast cancer cells in a petri dish. See all these little red dots, that’s fat that the breast cancer cells are gobbling up.The ability to accumulate fat and cholesterol may enable cancer cells to take advantage of people eating high fat and high cholesterol diets. Increased dietary cholesterol intake may result in increased breast cancer risk, and may at least partially explain the benefit of a low-fat diet on lowering human breast cancer recurrence.Though data has been mixed, the largest study to date found a 17% increased risk in women who had cholesterol over 240, compared to women whose cholesterol was under 160, though they cannot rule out that there may be something else in cholesterol-raising foods that’s raising breast cancer risk.Tumors suck up so much cholesterol that LDL has been considered a vehicle for targeting antitumor drugs to cancer cells. Since cancer feeds on cholesterol, maybe we could stuff some chemo into it as like a poison pill. That’s probably why people’s cholesterol levels drop so low after they get cancer—the tumor is eating it up.In fact, patient survival may be lowest when cholesterol uptake is highest. High LDL receptor content in breast cancer tissue seems to indicate a poor prognosis, suggesting that breast tumors rich in LDL receptors may grow rapidly in the body. We’ve known about this for decades. You can tell this is an old study: back in the 80’s only 1 in 11 American women got it.	This video is a little confusing. It seems to indicate that along with cholesterol, fat also plays a role in breast cancer. If this is so, how are sunflower and pumpkin seeds preventative when they’re both high in fat? Is it all fats that are increasing risk for breast cancer, fats only when combined with cholesterol, or are fats from plant sources an exception?This is a good question as I am often wondering the same thing about protein (apologies for piggy backing on your question).The China Study suggests a low fat, low protein whole food plant based diet is optimum, but then I see plant based doctors promoting the benefits of beans and nuts and seeds.I understand there is a difference between protein and fats from animal and plants but from a macro-nutrient point of view, is there really a difference if optimum is say 80/10/10 (80% carbs, 10% protein, 10% fat)?*NB: I am not referring to the raw 80/10/10 diet, what I mean is cooked food 80/10/10 ratio plant based whole food diet.Animal foods are high in (animal) protein and/or fat.Plant foods are not high in protein. Canned kidney beans are 5% protein by weight; Atlantic salmon is 22% protein by weight.Many WFPB docs recommend limiting high-fat plant foods such as nuts, for weight maintenance if nothing else.…even though the science from this site supports the idea that they won’t make you fat.Canned beans, 5% protein by weight: Does that include the water they’re packed in?I’m not sure. I used a nutrition info app I’ve got on my iPhone, and made my calculation on an entry for “Kidney Beans, 1 cup (9 oz.)”Cool. I’d be interested in a protein to calorie ratio.For the Kidney Beans entry I mentioned: 210 calories; 13.4g protein. And for the Atlantic salmon in my original comment here: 233 calories; 25g protein (“Atlantic salmon, cooked with dry heat; 1 serving (4 oz.)”)Interesting. By calorie, the beans are 6.4% protein versus the salmon at 10.7%. Depending on one’s goals, that kind of closes the gap a little.I think the maths here is wrong. If beans are 210 calories; 13.4g protein. Its 4 calories per gram of protein. Therefore 13.4g protein means:13.4 x 4=53.6 calories of proteintherefore ~26% protein, not 6.4%.With this mind, I am still confused about my original question :sWas your original question about 80/10/10 macronutrient diet? Nutritional adequacy is more important than macronutrient ratios.PS. Sorry for my poor math skills. It was never my best subject. :-/make gradual changes. Start with one vegan meal a day, for instance!While some plants are high in protein as well, it appears that protein sources with complete amino acid profiles (animal protein) raise IGF1 most effectively. For this reason, soy products should be limited to less than 5 servings a day, but generally the protein factor is not a problem for vegetarians meeting caloric needs with a sufficient variety of food sources.Some studies, I believe one even mentioned by Dr. Campbell, show that even soy does not have the impact of equivalent amino acid profile animal products on cancer risk. (Probably due to all of the mitigating phytochemicals counteracting any negative influence of protein).In particular, the sulfur containing essential amino acid methionine seems to be especially harmful in larger than required amounts.Body fat is also implicated so keep slim. I lost 5 kilos in 10 days after diagnosis on purpose and I am 6.5% years out! Naturally without drugs except radiation.It’s not fat per se, but the type and source. Most animal fat tends to raise serum cholesterol. Non-tropical plant fats, especially unsaturated fats encased in their natural fibrous containers, tend to lower blood cholesterol.http://youtu.be/isqfylnln_Yhttp://youtu.be/WWWZ4newFKUhttp://youtu.be/5bmKEHVdbmYAccording to today’s video, that would be a considerable net advantage.I eat nuts and seeds every day but I blend them into a smoothie – I guess I am breaking down the fibrous shell by doing that and liberating fats. Also I eat tahini (crushed sesame seeds which are pre-roasted) – but a small amount – about 1-2 tbsp every day. Finally, I just bought a jar of pumpkin seed butter. BTW: Jack Norris RD had a question for you at: http://jacknorrisrd.com/walnuts-improve-cholesterol-but-fail-to-increase-dha-in-vegetarians/#commentsThanks for the heads up about Jack. I just answered him “privately”.There have been several videos here on nut consumption resulting in no weight increase ( as long as the amount is moderate – 50-100 gms a day). This implies it is not the amount of fat consumed , it is the amount of fat absorbed. The fiber in nuts keeps absorption down. However, many nutrients in nuts still make it through to the circulation. So at low ‘dosage’ you get the benefits but not the hazards. If you eat a sufficient number of nuts, fat will accumulate, and many many studies show fat accumulation is inflammatory – the leading edge of many pathologies. Hence all the emphasis on anti-oxidants/inflammatory in these videos. So, the difference lies largely in the amount You would have to eat a pound of nuts at one sitting to match what you can do with one egg. And yes there is a difference in the amino acid profile of plants vs animal protein, not to mention the hormone issue.Agreed. The amount of nuts makes a huge difference. Limit to 1-2 oz per day MAX.YES…I like to say “a PALMFUL” …not a “Fistfull” of the nuts each day…for me, pistachios are the most difficult to eat according to that rule! I don’t keep them in the house but do enjoy them around the holidays!I’ll try again, on the consumption comment, the last one disappeared. “It’s not the nutrients you consume but rather the nutrients a body can and will absorb and utilize that matters.”Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, estrogen excess results from not enough zinc and too much copper. The fat in pumpkin seeds and plant sources is not the kind that stimulates cancer.Animal-based fats and animal based proteins are different structually and functionally that plant-based fats and plant-based proteins. Plant-based fats and plant-based proteins don’t help cancer cells grow as well as animal-based fats and proteins. If you really want to learn about this, check out the online course that Cornell has about this and/or just do some more research.i just wanna highlight a bit, from the transcript:” Evidence for reduced breast cancer risk associated with consumption of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds were associated with reduced breast cancer risk….. Maybe it’s the phytosterols found concentrated in seeds.”both seeds contain a high phytosterols, i just have this link http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051207181227.htmwhich told us the sunflower seed although having a high fat but full of phytosterol and become top contributor lowering cholesterol.and we need to understand between fats from animal that contains cholesterol and also contain bad pollutant vs fat from plant that contain phytosterol and contain other good stuff. so the source of the fats clearly defines the impact to our health. and of course it doesnt mean we need to drink the plant oil but to eat whole plant food that contain phytosterol.Foods high in saturated fat, specifically, are most harmful. Foods highest in saturated fat overwhelmingly tend to be animal products. Mono and polyunsaturated fats from whole food sources tend to be beneficial in moderation. It is added oil that is to be avoided for these fats due to ease of oxidation, high caloric density and lack of synergistic chemical cofactors found in the whole food.As suggested in that last point, compounding the effects of saturated fat is the fact that animal sources of saturated fat have none of the countless beneficial phytochemicals of plant counterparts that can mitigate some of the harmful effects. It’s like speeding without a seat belt.seeds are also high in fibre. We want to lower animal fat found in meat and cow’s milk. They also contain xeno hormones furious curious cancer survivorHey doc.Standing desk/treadmill desk question, i see you use one. I see a couple of internet pages saying standing up is as bad as sitting down, any truth here ? Can you do a video on this ? If not a reply would be great.Thanks.The Doc uses a treadmill desk, not a standing desk, as plainly seen in this video:http://youtu.be/Z-SKWfNWS08I know, just asking what studies he’s seen on the subject.http://youtu.be/vgi-aXvsaH4You can follow the linked citations on these NF.org Web pages:Standing Up for Your Healthhttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/Treadmill Desks: Stand Up For Healthhttp://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/16/treadmill-desks-stand-up-for-health/Hmm didn’t think he already did a video on that, thanks.THAT is the funniest freeze-frame of Doc! I laugh out loud every time I see it…and I’ve seen that video…but it just cracks me up…it just looks like he’s grimacing! or saying “yikes!”What freeze-frame is that?Does it matter how one lowers TC and LDL-C? For example – I eat geass fed raw ground beef, raw goat milk, goat milk kefir, hard boiled eggs, nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, etc. I take 10mgs Atorvastatin/day plus other supplements. Last blood test – TC was 100, LDL-C was 47, Trigs were 43, HDL was 44 and LDL-P was 401.Nice numbers Charles. TC 100. Have you ever had high cholesterol?When I followed a full blown paleo diet my TC was as high as 274 and calculated LDL was 199Yikes! I guess what you eat does affect your cholesterol . (sarcasm)My question still stands – If my TC is now 100 and my LDL-C is now 47 does it matter how those numbers are attained?As you know from my postings at CarbSanity, lipid lowering/atheroma regression can be accomplished with high dose statins, diet + statins, or a whole foods plant-based diet. The choice is yours.Scientifically speaking, the superiority of one method over another will take an intensive intravenous ultrasound (IVUS) comparative study. In the meantime…Danger of food poisoning and parasite infection aside from consuming raw animal products, Dr. Greger endorses a whole foods, plant-based diet to lower TC/LDL to regress atherosclerotic plaques AND reduce adverse coronary event a. Better not to make the mess in the first place than try to clean it up later.10mgs/day Atorvastatin is NOT a high dose statin.Since the mess – as you call it – was made in the first place why should it matter how it is cleaned up?After all – Dr. Esselstyn used statins.Sorry to upset you, Charles. I did not say 10 mg was a high dose of statins. (Esselstyn used 5 mg, I believe.)I was referring to the whopping 80 mg of Atorvatstatin Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Nissen talked about in this 3-part presentation:Intravascular Ultrasound Insight into the Pathophysiology of Coronary Disease http://youtu.be/YfeCB-GHMvcFactors Driving Progression and Regression of Coronary Plaques http://youtu.be/7CHuHPtIHBsNew Targets for Anti-Atherosclerotic Therapy http://youtu.be/4K3lv5tOCA0(Caveat: The HDL-raising drug mentioned in the 3rd part was pulled by the manufacturer due to increased mortality.)Plaque regression happened when LDL was lowered to 60 ml/dl or below.Of course, the mess has already been made in existing coronary artery disease. The point is, it helps if we don’t work at cross-purposes and keep adding to the underlying disease process with the foods we eat.If we’ve got an overflowing sink, it’s a good idea to turn off the faucet, not just to get more towels. :-)Esselstyn used lovastarin, 40 mg to 60 mg daily.Dr William Clifford Roberts says it doesn’t make any difference how one lowers TC and LDL – just get TC<150 and LDL<80, same as McDougallInteresting. I knew Esselstyn used what he calls a belt-and-suspenders method with that first group of patients, but I didn’t know the dosages were that substantial. It will be interesting to see the published study waiting in the wings of his 200 most recent patients. He has more faith in the diet now than he had when he first started.It is possible, however, for some, and perhaps most, to reverse coronary plaques with diet alone, as Dr. Esselstyn’s colleague, Dr. Joseph Crowe, did. Following the protocol, I believe he got his TC down to 89 and his LDL down to 38 from a respectable 98. This slide from Dr. Esselstyn’s presentation demonstrates the result.I hate when I double post stuff. Thanks, Sprint.There are a number of ways to get TC down to <150 and LDL-C <80. A few examples:Cancer Parasites Infectious disease Starvation/Fasting Death Drugs Nutritionally adequate plant-based dietTake your druthers. ;-)Due to food intolerances, I have to consume some animal protein, but I eat mostly plants. My lipids are very close to your admirable numbers but without cholesterol-lowering drugs…even though CVD runs in my family.What/how much animal protein do you eat?As little as possible, 3x a week. Smart Chicken. Strips poached with balsamic vinegar and dill weed.Here, William Castelli of the Framingam study notes that in the STARS and Ornish clinic reversibility studies, “for the same fall in cholesterol, if you get there with diet you did get twice the shrinkage of the deposits than trying to do it with drugs alone.”So the means of achieving these lipid thresholds may matter.http://www.stevenhamley.com.au/2014/02/the-st-thomas-atherosclerosis.html“another multifactorial trial, so you can’t tell whether the benefit came from replacing SFA with PUFA, weight loss, increasing pectin, less trans fats, more LCO3, restricting commercial baked goods or potentially more whole plant foods.I have no problem with the multifactorial nature of the study since cardiovascular disease is a multifactorial disease.Fascinating presentation, thanks. A quote from Nissen’s talk that gave me pause:“Even if we put statins in the water supply, cardiovascular disease would still be the leading cause of death!”What were your levels before going on the statin? You have really low numbers. Have you tried not taking it and making dietary changes. I know many people are not willing to give up the animal and would rather take a medication. Obviously you don’t have muscle pain or weakness. Not everyone is able to lower their cholesterol through diet alone.I made a few changes to my diet before going on statins – eliminated coconut milk/oil and reduced the number of eggs eaten from 6/day to 1 day – unfortunately I didn’t get blood tested immediately before starting statins. After 3 months on statins the test results were TC 126, LDL 71, ApoB 64, HDL 48 and Trigs 36. I maintained the diet and added some additional supplements and the TC went to its present 100 and LDLwent to 47Charles if you look above under videos and then statins you will find the relevant videos/research. And also look under eggs. You can make a decision that works best for you. I prefer WFPB.I prefer what I’m eatingÀ chacun son goût! :-)Better yet. Watch http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/All you questions are answered in this great video.It is worth noting other problems that statins may cause – for example, Cholesterol cannot cross the blood brain barrier – the brain makes it locally and it is essential. But, I’m betting statins do cross over, and deplete this important cholesterol from one area that really needs it.There is also the underlying issue of inflammation and damage to the blood vessels, which I believe dietary changes will repair, but statins won’t.Potentially, it could be very important to retrace ones steps down the same road that got them lost in the first place to properly reverse all negative effects, not just the cholesterol.But – I guess the issue is that if the cholesterol occlusions are the biggest threat, then doctors will want to deal with that as quickly as possible – probably by using statins. When most people come in to see doctors like Esselstyn, they haven’t got a lot of wiggle room, so I can understand the statin choice as an initial treatment.Some statins are water-soluble and can’t cross the barrier; others are fat-soluble and can. Regardless, statins inhibit an enzyme involved in production of cholesterol in the liver; I’m guessing that they don’t deplete specifically brain cholesterol. One study found that fat-soluble statins provide a protective effect on the brain. (Indirect source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/546163-fat-vs-water-soluble-statins/ )Interesting. Thanks for the reply!charles: re: “Does it matter how one lowers TC and LDL-C?”I would say it does matter if the method is one you use long term, and if that method can create other serious problems for you. For example, the animal protein in the beef, dairy and egg products you talk about is linked to cancer promotion. You can see the video series on IGF-1 on this website to learn more about that.Also, while the drugs have clearly helped you, it just doesn’t make sense to me to continue to eat the cholesterol-laden foods (beef, dairy, eggs) that caused the problem in the first place.Plus, who wants to be on drugs long term? Those things usually have some pretty bad side effects. Esselstyn had people on drugs at first as *part* of a treatment for desperate people at the end of their line. But if memory serves, by the end of the study, everyone was either completely off the drugs or had them greatly reduced. They were able to do that because they were eating a low fat whole plant food based diet that did not include any animal products.Here’s a quote I found from his book on reversing heart disease, page 75:“…the drugs alone are not enough. In Chapter 5, I cited a study, recently reported int eh New England Journal of Medicine, in which huge doses of statins successfully reduced patients’ cholesterol levels well below 150 mg/dL. But even so, as their diet never changed, one our of four of the subjects experienced a new cardiovascular event or diet within thirty months.”That’s my final reason for the question, “Does it matter how…?” It matters because your ultimate goal (probably) has nothing to do with lowering cholesterol. Your real goal is likely to be about having a long healthy life free of heart attacks and stroke. The evidence I have seen says that the best way to reach that goal is to eat a diet like the one that Esselstyn recommends.Good luck to you. I hope your diet and drug combo works for you as long as you choose to go that route.“Those things usually have some pretty bad side effects.” I’m not sure if “Those things” refer to drugs generally or statins specifically. In either case, however, I’d say that “usually” is hyperbole. “As a class, adverse events associated with statin therapy are not common.” — http://circoutcomes.ahajournals.org/content/6/4/390I’ve been taking statins for a couple of decades, and am unaware of any side effects.(Relax, guys — for about 1.5 years I’ve also been eating per Esselstyn, et al :)eereich@verizon.netHi, I just want to ask whether it could just be the cholesterol in the eggs stimulating breast cancer rather than the choline? I ask because there have been some studies suggesting choline is protective, and one of the previous videos on this site suggest choline is cancer stimulating.Perhaps choline may play a role one way or another. Cancer cells use the same things normal cells use. All cells need cholesterol. Since uncontrolled cancer cells proliferate faster than normal cells, and since serum cholesterol levels drop so precipitously when cancer takes hold, they are apparently especially thirsty for serum lipids.this is the second video you’ve done that has a humm in the soundtrack. What’s up?don’t look a gift horse in the mouth1) What is your opinion on food combining rules? For example those that Herbert Shelton was promoting (eat fruit alone or with greens, don’t mix starch with protein, etc) Any science regarding this topic? 2) Should calories on 100% whole food plant based diet be counted the same as on normal diet? Regarding studies in which adding healthy calories didn’t cause people to gain weight. (I’m too skinny and want to gain weight)Buyay: I’ll try to answer your questions as best I can.1) On food combining: I do not remember any videos specifically addressing the type of food combining that you listed as examples. Here is Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations, and you can see for yourself what I mean: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/On the other hand, Dr. Greger has covered some specific “food synergy” topics that may interest you. In these cases, one food is clinically found to improve absorbption of one or more mineral in another food. For example, if you eat a food high in vitamin C with foods high in iron, you can increase your absorption of iron. So, you may want to take those foods together. For more information: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=synergy2) My understanding is that the best way to gain weight on a whole plant food based diet is to eat more calorie dense foods. This would include foods like nuts, dried fruits, and avocados. I know that Dr. Greger has a video on nuts not causing weight gain, but in my opinion, that can only hold true for so so many nuts. At some point, you will gain weight. Also note, even according to Dr. Greger’s videos, if you eat pre-ground ground nuts (nut butters, nut sauces, etc), then you increase your calorie absorption over eating unprocessed nuts.While you may not be a teen and/or an athlete, the following page may interest you. Not all of the recommendations on the page are whole foods, but there are some good ideas that may help and it is a site (Vegetarian Resource Group) that I trust. http://www.vrg.org/teen/veg_athlete_weight_gain.phpHope that helps!Thanks! Until they make some studies on this I’ll just have to experiment on myself I guess. :) I feel like I am consuming enough calories for my body weight (over 3000 kcal/day with 62 kg or 136 pounds) but the amount of food to consume is very unappealing as I go 100% healthy (not even olive oil). My biggest meal is 200g of legumes with 100g of brown rice or other whole grain + veggies. I wonder if it may be weakened gut flora which doesn’t allow me to build my body, because from what I’ve read the majority of healthy people eat less and weight more than me.what correlation does this have with cholesterol. Wont your body manufacture cholesterol when needed even when adhering to a low fat cholesterol free diet?To Toast or not to Toast: I love pumpkin and sunflower seeds on my porridge (oatmeal). Dry-toasting pumpkin seeds in a pan makes them puff (a little like pop-corn) resulting in lovely texture and flavour. In some places I have read roasting nuts improves absorbability of nutrients but also in others that high temperatures may result in carcinogens or damaged fats – so which is better for pumpkins seeds (and other seeds and nuts) – to toast or not to toast?? Thanks for all your great work – the constant flow of new interesting, convincing and evidenced material (and also the sense of community) helps keep me and my family on the healthy path. You have changed my life thank you.	body fat,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,breast health,broccoli,cancer,cancer survival,cholesterol,fat,flax seeds,Germany,LDL cholesterol,lignans,low-fat diets,phytosterols,pumpkin seeds,seeds,soy,sunflower seeds,women's health	Cholesterol appears to stimulate the growth of human breast cancer cells, which may explain why phytosterol-rich foods such as pumpkin seeds are associated with reduced breast cancer risk.	If cholesterol increases breast cancer risk, what about the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs? That’s the subject of my next video, Statin Cholesterol Drugs and Invasive Breast Cancer.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunflower-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytosterols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lignans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/germany/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19851860,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22583403,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3081176,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22948801,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22591208,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23434903,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8031872,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21422422,
PLAIN-2609	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/	Treating Asthma and Eczema With Plant-Based Diets	Twenty patients with allergic eczema were placed on a vegetarian diet for two months, and their disease scores, covering both subjective and objective signs and symptoms, were cut in half, similar to what you see using one of our most powerful drugs. The drug worked much quicker, within about two weeks, but since side effects may include kidney failure and cancer, the drug is considered a class 1 carcinogen, making the dietary option more attractive, but this was no ordinary vegetarian diet. This was an in-patient study using an extremely calorically restricted diet—they were practically half fasting, so we don't know which component was responsible for the therapeutic effect.What about using a more conventional plant-based diet against a different allergic disease, asthma?Evidently in Sweden, there was an active health movement that claimed that a vegan diet could improve or cure asthma. Bold claim, so in order to test this, a group of orthopedic surgeons at the University Hospital followed a series of patients who were treated with a vegan regimen for one year. Participants had to be willing to go completely plant-based and they had to have physician-verified asthma of at least a year's duration that wasn't getting better or even getting worse despite the best medical therapies available.They found quite a sick group to follow. Thirty-five patients with long-established hospital-verified bronchial asthma, for an average duration of a dozen years. Of the 35 patients, 20 had been admitted to the hospital for acute asthmatic attacks during the last two years. Of these, one patient had received acute infusion therapy a total of 23 times during this period (which is like an emergency intravenous) and another patient claimed he had been to the hospital 100 times during his disease and on every occasion had evidently required such treatments. One patient even had a cardiac arrest during an asthma attack and had been brought back to life on a ventilator, so we're talking some pretty serious cases.They were on up to eight different asthma medicines when they started. They were each on an average of four and a half drugs and still not getting better. Twenty of the 35 were constantly using cortisone, which is a powerful steroid used in serious cases. So basically fairly advanced cases of the disease, more severe than the vegan practitioners were used to. Still, how'd they do?Eleven couldn't stick to the diet for a year, but of the 24 that did, 71% reported improvement at four months and 92% at one year, and these were folks that had not improved at all over the previous year. Concurrently with this improvement, the patients greatly reduced their consumption of medicine. Four had completely given up their medication altogether, and only two weren't able to at least drop their dose. They went from four and a half drugs down to 1.2, and some were able to get off cortisone.Some said that their improvement was so considerable that they felt like ”they had a new life.” One nurse had difficulty at work because most of her co-workers were smokers, but after the year she could withstand the secondhand smoke without getting an attack, as well as tolerating other asthma triggers. Others reported the same thing. Where previously they could only live in a clean environment and then felt more or less isolated in their homes, they could now stay out without getting asthmatic attacks.And it wasn't just subjective improvements. There was a significant improvement in a number of clinical variables, including most importantly, measures of lung function, vital capacity, forced expiratory volume, physical working capacity, as well as a significant drop in sed rate, and IgE, which are allergy associated antibodies.Bottom line, they started out with 35 patients who had suffered from serious asthma for an average of 12 years, all receiving long-term medication, 20 including cortisone, were subjected to vegan food for a year, and in almost all cases, medication was withdrawn or drastically reduced, and there was a significant decrease in asthma symptoms.Despite the improved lung function tests and lab values, the placebo effect obviously can't be discounted since there was no blinded control group, but the nice thing about a healthy diet is that there are only good side effects. Their cholesterol significantly improved, their blood pressures got better, they lost 18 pounds, so from a medical standpoint, I figure why not give it a try?	Thanks for this interesting video. “Treating Asthma and Eczema With Plant-Based Diets”I have my doubts about this placebo effect thing though. I understand this effect in the case of a sugar pill: your doctor is giving you the pills so this gives you the positive feeling that it works, which helps to heal better.But now in this case people are put on a vegan lifestyle. Were they as positive about vegetables, and cutting out there beloved meats and dairy, as they would have been on taking pills? If they were so positive on the vegan approach then why were they not vegans in the first place?I suppose that the mind not only effects the healing process positively in a positive state, but allso effects the proces negativly when it is in a negative state.Maybe we have to conclude that the vegan experiment worked out very positive DESPITE the placebo effect!Martin van Gastel NorwayNot quite sure what your point is from first paragraph to the end, Martin. Are we talking about their beloved meat and dairy or your beloved meat and dairy? ;-)Since only 1% of the the US population, for example, are vegan, what are the statistical chances that they would be vegan already before the study? Not to mention that already being vegan would be a confounder that would likely disqualify them from participating in the study to begin with.Are you attributing the objective variables to placebo?Somehow you are reading the exact opposite as what I meant. Maybe my bad english is the reason here, but no, i wrote this from a vegan position.In my opinion people often try to downplay this kind of research with the placebo argument (the placebo effect is the reason of the improving health effect not the diet). but i think this research had a positive outcome/health improving effect IN SPIDE OFF the possible NEGATIVE placebo effect (healing goes slower) of the probably skeptical participants.I presume that the participants were not vegan, if they were vegen they wouldn’t be on this research at all. No, They are probably were missing there usual “standard american diet” and with this negatively affecting the research. But still the vegan approach is working!MartinThanks for the clarification. English is a tough language to wrestle. You’re doing great! Thanks for commenting. :-)Good point, Martin. (I understood your English just fine.) It would have been good to interview each participant at the start to determine their attitudes toward a vegan diet, including having to do without their beloved animal products, as well as their expectations about how the vegan diet might affect their condition. If the average attitude was negative, that would tend to make one discount the placebo effect being responsible for the average positive outcome.In any case, we know that whether the placebo effect is partly to blame for the outcome or not, the therapy worked, and others can also expect it to work. The placebo effect is not a pretend effect. It is a real effect, it just has its roots in something other than the biochemical effect of the therapy one is trying to test. Either way, the therapy worked. If studies show that for most people, when they have a positive expectation that healing will occur as a result of the ingestion of a placebo, the healing takes place, then that is a much better therapy than some side-effect-laden drug, even if there is no scientific reason the placebo in and of itself could have provided the healing.“Subjected to vegan food?” Interesting turn of phrase. I’m subjected to loud noise, rude people, and the dentist. I relish vegan food! :-)i think i could told my experience… in few words i suffer practically of zero pathologies in my young life (only 23 years old) and sounds great uh ? Nope because since 16-17 years old i start to suffer from atopic dermatitis and i could swear about god that i will never wish this disease to anyone… it is a nightmare that never ends… anyway putting aside the sad part of the story, one day i get interested in human nutrition and step by step i start to get informed and after some reading i chose the plant based diet road… what can i say: it works great… i need some more time because i live in a “toxic” environment (ignorance is the main culprit) but victory is near !!. Wish me good luck !! Ps i tried both corticosteroids and cyclosporine A (Neoral) and of course they suppress everything (no side effects in my case, thank God) and gave temporary relief but curing your disease with a diet it is one hundred thousand times better… and about the toxic environment, well without it probably my health would have been recovered months ago…That’s great news Merio. Glad you are seeing. You will inspire others. I agree that ignorance is the worst “toxin” of all :) When you vanquish that you don’t need luck! But i wish you good luck anyway.Thank you very much !! But the real tragedy is medical ignorance about diet and health (my dermatologist was irritate when i ask if there was some diet connection but at that time i was at my first step about human nutrition)… i really think there is some sort of agenda to make health professionals ignorant about this issue…My dr is similar. She is very supportive of my weight loss and good chems but becomes uncomfortable when I bring up nutrition…as if she knows she has to support whole plant food eating but her heart just is not in it. She always insists on checking B12 even though i tell her repeatedly that i take a supplement. and then its iron and calcium…And always the protein thing comes up. “We need protein don’t we?” No, I say, we need good nutrition. There is more protein in broccoli than steak and she look at me like “you crazy? you flip your lid?”. Maybe on the space station you need a protein pill and a fat pill and so on. But here on the good Earth every Dr must know by now that people need good food to be healthy.Something seems very strange. You are in italy, I am in new zealand. Our North American cousins hear the same line of stuff. so much of the world is in this strangle hold. Who pulls the strings? Why? Can be a bit depressing to think about, questo dolce vita ; )As a italian oncologist (Franco Berrino) told recently:If we get sick the GDP goes up, there is (economic) growth[…]We fail to understand that the best hospital is the “closed” hospital… and we forget also of “primum non nocere”… but i’m not afraid, thanks to people like Dr Greger, one day we will win and health would be restored in all the countries…Count me in as one of the asthma sufferers who, on a vegan diet, was completely symptom-free. I began the vegan diet because of my husband. He had heart disease and read that a vegan diet is capable of reversing heart problems. So I did too. We both lost about 40 pounds, and I no longer suffer from asthma. I also am no longer on pain medication for arthritis. The only bad part of all this is learning to cook all over again, which isn’t that bad, really.Marge, I love your story! It reminds me of the early stories that Pritikin published in his Pritikin diet books back in the 1970s. I’d read about bedridden people in their 60s and 70s who were too sick to perform heart surgery on, so diet change was their only other option. With in months they were no longer bedridden and many went on to walk miles every day; some even even “ran” marathon type races, even at their senor ages. And don’t forget the story of Dr. Gregor’s grandmother. I love these stories because they are so hopeful for ourselves and our loved ones, and are essentially without risk. BTW, can you report any test results or symptom improvements for your husband? How long have you been vegans?We have been on the vegan diet 2 complete years, going on 3 with no plans to change. My husband is monitored regularly and recently underwent a stress test that he aced. He walks up and down hills rapidly daily with our lab, which he wasn’t able to do before. I know all this is anecdotal, but the proof is in the living.Thanks for the follow up. Great story with a beautiful ending. -Mark G.Thank you for sharing your story. Did you and your husband find it hard to change your diet? How did you decide to be “vegan”?I have completely recovered from a life-time battle with asthma and allergies by adopting a whole foods, plant based diet. For most of my life I went through a ventolin inhaler every two weeks and more flovent and prednisone than you can imagine. No one in health care ever suggested nutritional intervention, until I had the good fortune of having Brenda Davis, R.D. as my nutrition instructor at WCCMT in 1996. It wasn’t until several years later, when my little boy showed signs of asthma that I actually dove in fully to a plant based diet; having already given up meat, dairy was the last to go. Within 3 days my son and I were asthma free.As asthma is such a common, debilitating, and costly malady, why aren’t there more rigorous studies going on EVERYWHERE to definitively corroborate the findings of this cited study? Wouldn’t you think that science and medicine would be all over possible solutions here?!the problem is the same with other pathologies: there is not financial benefit to research like this… you can’t patent a diet, but novel compounds… and add the “double blind” concept to the problems because you could not study a diet like a drug…True that, especially about the impossibility of blinding food. People like Gary Taubes and other low carber/Paleos love playing their tunes in that confounder gap to discount studies like Ornish and Esselstyn.All the paleo lovers got to search for PlantPositive site and The Primitive Nutrition series… bad times for them…Good call.Makes you wonder why non-profit asthma-organizations don’t fund some studies.well, it depends about the study you want to make… for statistical reason you want a good number of patients and follow them properly so you need a lot of money and most important what do you want to find ? I think it is not so easy to design a good study that hit the health community..Remember rapamycin, the mTOR inhibiting compound with effects partially mimicked by lower-leucine plant based diets? An analogue is approved for eczema. Eczema, like cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, scleroderma, acne (I could go on) appears to be exacerbated by the excessive growth signalling from Western diets.I also have my story of suffering from astma and dermatitis. When i was 11 years old i decided do not eat butter, sugar, dairy, eggs and to be vegetarian. My health started to be better, i could run and swim, because astma i almost could not breathing during summer time. After i stopped to drink medicine and slowly, slowly, step by step became vegan. Now i am 30 and i am running marathons, swimming and preparing to participate in Iron Man. That is my story….Nobody told me about plants and to be vegetarian, i just tried and trusted my intuition and my body.Svetlana: it’s wonderful to hear about your success. Congratulations on figuring it out, and the good sense to give what so people won’t. Thanks for sharing your story and best wishes for a lifetime of good health. -Mark G.firme recrutare personalFor those dealing with eczema while totally plant-based, my recent diagnosis might help.Turns out I’m sensitive to nickel. Allergist told me to go “nickel-free” with my diet; which for the most part meant doing without my daily habit of a handful (or 2) of walnuts or almonds. Eczema I’ve been dealing with since 2009 has cleared up with that change.Supposedly almonds and soy have nickel also. I still have almond milk with my daily breakfast cereal, but it’s still clearing up. But I’m now using mostly corn-based cereals (Natures Path Organic) as supposed to those made of wheat (another nickel source).Try reducing nickel in your diet, see if it helps you too.You are correct that nuts are a source of nickel. It is always rewarding to read about success stories such as yours. Congratulations. It is also nice to read about a physician who informs patients about nutritional approaches to chronic diseases such as eczema.Lee: Thanks for the tip. I eat walnuts and almonds every day and wheat on most days. I had horrible, bloody, cracked eczema skin on the bank of my knees every day for 20 years until I gave up soy; then within 10 days it was all gone, and 5 years later has never returned. I still have a small patch on my face. I’ll try going wheat and nut free for a few days. I’d hate to give up all nuts, given their heart healthy properties. Do you know if other nuts are lower in nickel? -Mark G.Here’s a study on pubmed about nickel sensitivity and levels in various foods. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3667300/That’s a good article. Thanks for posting.My fiancee and I also ran into this issue. We went plant-based and BOTH developed nickel sensitivity: mine shows up on my right foot, her on her hand. For us, we had to reduce almonds and we had to go easy on the “chocolate ice cream” (pure cocoa powder blended with frozen berries) as cocoa contains a TON of nickel, turns out. After that, we both noticed a clearing up of our skin issues.this is all such wonderful news! I can’t wait to find out what the results of the trials of vegan on MS are when they come out, as the good doctor told us he is following.Dr. McDougall’s Foundation funded the study on MS which is being done by Oregon Health and Science in Portland. Dr. Bourdette who is the lead author presented at the McDougall Advanced Study Weekend at the beginning of the study. He felt given the time course of the disease(long) and the short duration of the study ( 1 year) plus the numbers involved it would be unlikely to show a significant result. He hoped the study will lead to a larger study. Another physician involved with the study shared the nonMS results. They were impressive as far as weight reduction, improved fasting glucoses and cholesterols. There are no downsides to the diet even if the effect on MS is small you don’t want to add another chronic disease such as diabetes, obesity or arterial disease on top of it.Dr. Forrester: re: ” He felt given the time course of the disease(long) and the short duration of the study ( 1 year) plus the numbers involved it would be unlikely to show a significant result.”I’m not sure I understand this. The above sentence sounds like conjecture. ie, “His initial thoughts before the study were that bla bla bla.” But my understanding is that we are a month away from when the results were going to be published. So, I would think we have the results now, even if they have not yet been published. We should be past conjecture. Was he actually saying that the study does not in fact show a significant result? Or he was hinting that that would the be the (disappointing) conclusion? Or am I not understanding something?I do understand the last part of your paragraph and think that is a significant point. I’m just wondering if you can clarify what you thought you heard about the effects on MS itself from the small study. :-) Thanks.Hi Thea, Sorry for the confusion. Let see if this helps. There were I believe 40 patients in the intervention group and 40 controls. The study lasted a year only. The time course of MS is over years. As I understand from the two presentations that I have heard historically it would often take well over 4 years to make a diagnosis due to the infrequent attacks. Given small numbers in the study and long time frame it would be difficult to get statistically significant results. I’m hoping we will see significant results but don’t want folks to get their hopes up too high or if there isn’t a significant result to conclude that diet isn’t a factor. Hope this provides a bit of clarity.Dr. Forrester: That helps a lot!! Thanks for the clarification. I appreciate it. And it will help me understand the results when they do come out. Thanks!Sweden still allows smoking in hospitals (nurse whose asthma was aggravated by smoking co-workers).I have been vegan for 20 years and still have asthma – refuse to take the everyday medication but have a rescue inhaler – do not use it every day, but I know my breathing is compromised. Your previous post mentioned eating seven servings each day – I think I should start counting – any other suggestions?Get off all gluten-grains immediately, and don’t even ingest these in minute amounts. Also consider corn and barley avoidance. If you like grains, eat white rice, brown rice. But please, avoid gluten grains! Give it time. Be patient.Also, consider avoiding all spices. They are not “foods” that can provide for life. In some cases maybe they are “healing”, but seem to aggravate a lot of humans.Avoid all soy products, no matter how it is prepared. No soy milk, soy beans, tofu, avoid it all. Eat fresh veggies and fruit.And of course it depends on which medical standpoint we’re looking from: if their standpoint is to watch their patients get better then yes a vegan diet is the best way to practice. If, however, their standpoint is to make a lot of money then the vegan option would be the worst one; because if they don’t have a sick patient they will NOT have a patient in their office and they won’t be able to afford to buy their meat they so love. It’s the American way. Nice research paper find!Thanck youYup, the Sickness Industry thrives! I was sent to dermatologist who had no interest in any of my ideas of food sensitivities or parasites, just writing scripts for cort.cream. I’ve been doing my own research/food eliminations for 2 years and the elimination list became very long. I’ve been going the vegan route for quite some time and had fairly good results. BUT I am dangerously underweight. Any ideas how I can regain weight?Maybe lots of nut butters Toothin??? Great nutritional density AND calorie density…almond butter comes to mind..oh my…I need to NOT buy it! LOL!toothin: Good for you for figure out your own health path!I know that lots of people want to lose weight, but being dangerously underweight is also a serious problem. I hope you are able to figure it out.To expand a bit on val’s idea: The way to gain weight is to eat more calorie dense foods. It sounds like you have eliminated a lot of foods, but hopefully some of these will work for you: nut and seed butters, avocados, dried fruits, and olives are all quite calorie-dense. You can make some really delicious nut “cheeses” that would be calorie dense and a pleasure to eat.While you may not be a teen and/or an athlete, I think the following page from the Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) has some great ideas and might be of help to you:http://www.vrg.org/teen/veg_athlete_weight_gain.phpHope that helps and good luck to you!Adding to Thea’s excellent suggestions you want to make sure you are consuming adequate calories which on a vegetable and fruit based diet is a difficult. Adding in enough complex carbs and not doing too much raw will help as well. Cooking our foods increases caloric absorption by aiding digestion. If you are very active and exercise alot it can be a challenge. Alot of my patients who think they are too thin are actually too thin compared to standard americans. Best wishes.Hello Dr. Greger. Do you have any info on gingko? My parents want to use it, but have read that the actual leaves contain harmful components and that extracts are better in this instance. Surprisingly, I could not find anything on your site. Did I miss something or is this a good idea for new videos? :-)May I please review what the hospitals served the patients – meals that were served?I have heard about plant based diets for asthma treating for a while but have never seen an explanation about it. Thiis will probably help our family get in a healthier shape.Why mention placebo effect if the patients had been on several medications in the past and could have also easily have improved through the placebo effect (although they didn’t). Results are what matters and to have 92% of people show improvement, many getting off medication, is amazing.I have noticed that my eczema which can get out of control (even on a 100% plant based diet) is controlled when I drink nettle tea. I have also noticed my seasonal allergies are also mitigated by consuming nettle tea. What can you tell me about nettle tea along these lines?I think I may have developed some eczema since becoming vegan. What’s up with that? Since Aug 15, 2014 I have not knowingly eaten more than a smidgen of anything not plant-based (a roll here, a piece of bread there – really very little). Since March of this year I have been on a low oil (occasional dinners out – I do not cook with oil at all) diet as well. Yet I developed a strange looking rash that got scaly like the picture above. Is my body driving out all the mean toxins or something? Also, my reactions to the bad air at work is more severe now rather than less. This seems to fly in the face of the evidence provided above. Not that I am going back to animal products, but I am wondering why…I got my eczema on the backs of my hands following treatment of a cat claw infection/ringworm. I am also a vegan for some years. Like many others, my eczema disappears in the summer and reappears in the winter. A product recommended by my dermatologist and made by Mayo Clinic personnel(?) seems to help: Vaniply. Vanicream, made by the same company, does not seem to be as helpful. They also make a soap which I do use.	asthma,blood pressure,caloric restriction,cancer,carcinogens,cholesterol,eczema,kidney disease,kidney function,kidney health,LDL cholesterol,lung disease,lung health,placebo effect,plant-based diets,side effects,smoking,steroids,Sweden,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss	Pilot studies on treating allergic eczema and severe asthma with dietary interventions have shown remarkable results.	If you missed the first three videos of this 4-part series here are the links:More on eczema and diet can be found in my videos:There are a number of other conditions plant-based diets have been found to be effective in treating:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eczema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweden/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/placebo-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11840688,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1677063,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4019393,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2196084,
PLAIN-2610	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/	Treating Asthma With Plants vs. Supplements?	This landmark study on manipulating antioxidant intake in asthma found that just a few extra fruits and vegetables a day can powerfully reduce asthma exacerbation rates. If it's the antioxidants doing it, why can't you just take antioxidant pills instead?Because they don't work. Studies using antioxidant supplements on respiratory or allergic diseases have mostly shown no beneficial effects. This discrepancy between studies data relating to fruit and vegetable intake compared with those using antioxidant supplements may indicate the importance of the whole food, rather than individual components.For example, in the Harvard Nurse's Health Study, women who got the most vitamin E from their diet appeared to be at half the risk for asthma, which may help explain why nut consumption is associated with significantly lower rates of wheezing, but vitamin E supplements did not appear to help.Men who eat a lot of apples appear to have superior lung function. Same with kids who eat fresh fruit every day, as measured by FEV1, which is basically how much air you can forcibly blow out in one second. The more fruit, salad, and green vegetables kids ate, the greater their lung function appeared. Why are there no data points for more than once daily consumption of salad and veggies? Because so few kids made the cut.They were cautious about concluding which nutrient might be responsible. Yes, there's vitamin C in all three, but there's lots of other antioxidants, for example so called vitamin P, polyphenol phytonutrients found in grapes, flax seeds, beans, berries, broccoli, apples, citrus, herbs, tea, and soy. Turns out they can directly bind to allergenic proteins and render them hypoallergenic to slip them under our body's radar. And if their first line of defense failed, they can inhibit the activation of the allergic response and prevent the ensuing inflammation, and so may not only work for prevention, but for treatment as well.Most of the available evidence is weak, though, in terms of using supplements containing isolated phytonutrients to treat allergic diseases. You could just give people fruits and vegetables to eat, but then you can't do a double-blind study to see if they work better than placebo. How about using pills containing plant food extracts? It's kind of a middle ground. Better than isolated plant chemicals, but not as complete as whole foods. Still, you can put it in a capsule, so you can compare them to fake sugar pills that look and feel the same to see if there's anything to them.The first trial involved giving people extracts of apple skins. I've talked about the big problem they have in Japan about cedar allergies, so apple extract pills were given every day for a few months starting right before pollen season started. The results were pretty disappointing, maybe a little less sneezing, but didn't seem to help their stuffed noses or itchy eyes.What about a tomato extract? A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled eight-week trial for perennial allergic rhinitis. This time not for seasonal pollen, but for year-round allergies to things like dust-mites. There's lots of drugs out there, but you may have to take them every day year-round, so how about some tomato pills instead? A significant improvement of total nasal symptom scores, combined sneezing, runny nose and nasal obstruction, after oral administration of tomato extract for eight weeks with no apparent adverse effects.Would whole tomatoes work even better? If only researchers would design an experiment directly comparing phytonutrient supplements to actual fruits and vegetables head to head against asthma, but such a study had never been done, until now.The same amazing study that compared the seven fruit and vegetables a day diet to the three fruit and vegetables a day diet then commenced a parallel, randomized, controlled supplementation trial with capsules of tomato extract, which boosted the power of five tomatoes in one little pill, and the study subjects were given three pills a day.So who did better, the group that ate seven servings of actual fruits and vegetables a day, or the group that ate three servings a day but also took 15 supposed serving equivalents in pill form? The pills didn't help at all. Improvements in lung function and asthma control were evident only after increased fruit and vegetable intake, which suggests that whole-food interventions are most effective. Both the supplements and increased fruit and vegetable intake were effective methods for increasing carotenoid concentrations in the bloodstream, but who cares. The clinical improvements, the getting better from disease, was evident only as a result of an increase in plant consumption, not pills. The results provide further evidence that whole-food approaches should be used to achieve maximum efficacy of antioxidant interventions.And if this what a few more plants can do, what might a whole diet composed of plants accomplish? I'll cover that next.	You sure are milking out these asthma videos!Thanks for all your hard work!As a medical student I am trying to wrap my head around what evidence based medicine really means. You hit on the idea in this video that without a double blind placebo controlled study, people are hesitant to trust the power of fruit and veg.It seems like this is a pattern in Medicine. Researchers only study what we can study easily, get funding to research, and get published. So our body of evidence doesn’t include the possibly powerful interventions that aren’t easily researched.You point out a significant issue. T. Colin Campbell discusses this problem in his book Whole.While RCTs are considered the “gold standard” of medical research, they really are not appropriate for all medical interventions. Surgery would be a good example. This is why large scale cohort studies, case-control studies and cross sectional studies are important and are often more suitable for studying diet and health.I teach a graduate level course in Epidemiology and a large portion of the course is focused on Evidence Based Medicine. I use the following Youtube video to introduce my students to the topic. It’s a bit long (55 min.) but if you’re interested in the subject I recommend watching it. If the link does not work, search Youtube for Teaching Evidence Based Medicine: Should We Be Teaching Information Mastery Instead.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w60YNt3deW4“large scale cohort studies, case-control studies and cross sectional studies are important and are often more suitable for studying diet and health.”Yes but we do have some high quality RCTs with hard endpoints such as PREDIMED and the Lyon Diet Heart Study, the Ornish Lifestyle Heart Trial, etc., so there is really no excuse (except perhaps for fundability). One of the largest nutritional RCTs was the WHI low fat diet trial, with more than 40,000 women followed for a number of years. The problem is that the various levels of evidence are not well understood by the public or even most practitioners, particularly the problem of lack of controls, lack of temporal associations in cross-sectional studies, treatment selection bias and hidden confounding, systematic measurement errors in dietary variables, etc.The problem is that very complex interventions are often not even subjected to RCTs, because people do not believe they are fundable or feasible. Large diet trials on record refute this notion.matt: That talk is SO powerful and SO well done. Thank you for posting that link!As much as I loved the talk and got a lot out of it, I was often nagged/concerned that not once did I hear the speaker mention the importance of the patient in the process–from the perspective of the importance of the patient’s ability to get the various information (in addition to the doctor), the ability for the patient to get into the details when the doctor is too busy/only has a minute, and the importance of the doctor recognizing that he/she is just participating in Team Patient. When desired, the patient must be allowed to be part of the weighing/applying of the information (speaker called it “wisdom”). I’m not wording it very well, but it seems to me that the speaker is missing a giant piece of the issue.But I didn’t actually disagree with anything he said. I sure hope that topic gets some more traction. Thanks again for posting the link.Wow thanks for posting this!I will have to take a look at that book, and your lecture. I got to ten minutes!I am a medical student in Missouri. In Medical School everyone is so focused on getting that “High Yield” information to get a good score on the board examination. Sometimes it is hard to get us to take the time to wrap our heads around untestable concepts.Understand that you don’t promote or endorse products – but there IS a product that is WHOLE FOOD (Not Extracts) in a capsule or chewable with 31 clinical studies – most double-blind, placebo-controlled – showing that these whole food capsules (I am carefully NOT mentioning the name) absolutely have health-giving effects, showing cellular change. Perhaps Dr. Greger, you could talk about the difference between products that have a NUTRITION label (meaning it is food) and products that have a SUPPLEMENT label – meaning…. who knows what’s in it? – as you recently pointed out.I applaud your amazing efforts. I have donated what little I could to support your work. I ask people all the time to sign up for your emails. And I help people improve their health by increasing the fruits, veggies, berries and grapes in powder form in a capsule with a NUTRITION label – which is not taxed in my state because it’s food!OK. I’ll name it. I also immediately thought of Juice Plus+ when I watched this video. In the past I had been skeptical about Juice Plus+ because it “fortifies” the food powders with antioxidant supplements like vitamins C and E, which I thought might be the “active ingredients”. I now discount that since this research shows these supplemental vitamin antioxidants are unlikely to have any clinical benefit. However, the variety issue, that is, the blend of a variety of fruits and vegetables in Juice Plus+ vs. the single food (tomato) used in this study is something I wish the study had tested.I’d be interested in seeing some live cultured whole food probiotics (nondairy yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, natto, kombucha, rejuvalac, etc) versus the probiotic supplements to treat allergies. They have used combinations of probiotic strains in supplements http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3784923/ and combinations are fairly regularly seen in live-cultured products, especially wild cultured sauerkraut etc.If you would have to devise a diet especially for asthma patients based on the scientific findings so far, would it be close to Eat to Live or would you make certain modifications? Show us your optimal diet plan for one day or week based on science!Borkent: I can’t personally answer your question about tweaking a diet for asthma, but I thought you might be interested in Dr. Greger’s “Optimal Nutrition Recommendations” based on his understanding of the science: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/The NutritionFacts diet is similar to Eat To Live, but I believe has some differences. For example, you will notice that Dr. Greger’s optimal recommendations do not include any animal products. Dr. Fuhrman allows as much as 10% of calories from animal products in his long term optimal diet. Also, Dr. Fuhrman has some issues with “starchy” vegetables and whole grains where as Dr. Greger does not as far as I know.Hope that helps.I am certainly interested in this. I follow a combination of The Starch Solution + Eat to Live, which is a vegan nutritarian (G-BOMBS) approach supplemented with starches other than beans such as whole grains and potatoes, according to my appetite and activities. Fuhrman has lowered his upper limit of animal products to 5% in his new book The End of Dieting, btw, but I eat 0%. Fuhrman doesn’t say 5 or 10% is optimal. Lower is optimal. I do still have asthma complaints almost 3 years on this diet, it’s the reason why I asked. Thanks.Borkent: Best of luck with your asthma issues. One thing I have noticed on NutritionFacts is that while diet does a WHOLE lot to help a whole bunch of people with a wide range of problems, it definitely is not a magic pill. Personally, while I’m committed to a whole plant food based diet free of all animal products and limiting processed food, I too have found that some of my health problems remain. But I’m convinced enough by the evidence to know that I would be in worse shape if I did anything else.It seems to me that you are doing really great with your diet. I’m a big fan of Dr. McDougall too and love the Start Solution. Hopefully someone else can jump in with ideas about tweaking a diet specifically for asthma issues.Good luck!PolyPhenols are also closely related to salicylates in fruits and vegetables. It is well known that salicylates can play a role in ADHD symptoms and athsma/allergies as not everyone can tolerate these foods. Tomatoes are one of the big culprits… I have found through my own self study that eliminating grains during allergy season reduce my symptoms more than adding vegetables ever did… and I was eating 7+ servings a day. Seems to make sense as I’m allergic to grass/trees/weeds and grains seem to be closely related… Are there any studies that look at grain intake and allergies?Right on. A nice lady in my house suffers from salicylate sensitivity. (took many years to find a good Dr. to figure out). I really struggle to cook up meals that don’t cause her reaction, as in patiently suffocating until the trachea decides to relax again. We found some partial lists of salicylate content. Grains always seem to be high.http://salicylatesensitivity.com/about/food-guide/grains/for most people salicylates are probably a good thing because they bring the anti-inflam properties of aspirin. But for a small segment they are misery. Of course our individual problems don’t mean others should stay away from polyphenolics…but if you are bewildered at your reactions to fruits/veg/grains/spices…consider DieselPower’s words.Even better definitely cure asthma and similar with Gesret method and eat vegtan with a lot of whole fruits and vegetables for overall health~http://www.asthma-reality.com/anglais.htmWhole foods are the way to go, no discussion about that. But scientifically, this comparison of a supplement with a whole food is quite ridiculous. Lycomato is mainly lycopene, that’s it. A tomato is more than that. So, if lycopene is not the active substance in this study, the results just say nothing at all. If you would want to compare a whole food with an extract, you would basically first work out which compound(s) are responsible for the effect on astma, then put these chemicals (extracts or synthetics) into a capsule and do the study.Whole food vs. supplement. Many vegans, myself included, take a vitamin B12 supplement. Given how many studies show that supplements don’t do the job that whole foods do, should I be eating dirt (reportedly an excellent source of B-12)? How effective is our B-12 supplementation? Can we conclude it works simply by blood level and lack of symptoms indicating insufficiency?b-12 is more easily absorbed as a synthetic due to not needing intrinsic factor. a general claim of whole foods being better than supplements is not scientifically supported.The truth and science are obvious… whole, fresh, organic, high-grade, new, and alive…….again alive foods are most healthy.Inside those pills are dead…DEAD and not fresh and not alive.As someone who has asthma, thank you for these videos!!!! I have heard before that apples specifically are good for lung function! So awesome! “An apple a day”………………….. ;)Since 1993 severe hazel pollen asthma – up to 150 ! mg oral prednisolone, than 0.2 budesonide b.i.d., vegan since 2007. 2012 I switched to polyphenol rich diet (dark colored fruits & vegetables, herbal teas). From 2013 to today all symptoms are completely gone, although I stopped budesonide in 2012.Wow! I am so happy that some one actually is speaking up. This video is very informative. Sadly we live in a word on wish pharmaceuticals companies think they know everything. Don’t get me wrong, Pharmaceuticals do help, but they should stick to what they do best.Salsa two ways:Dance the Night Away-3-4 ripe tomatoes, diced -5 cloves garlic, minced -½ onion, diced -1 tbsp Holy basil -black pepperCombine all ingredients in a bowl and stir. Let sit for 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator to let flavours blend.May I Have This Dance-5-6 ripe tomatoes, diced -½ lime, juice and pulp -1 small red onion, minced -1 clove garlic, minced -1 tbsp apple cider vinegar -½ tsp cumin -1 tsp cilantro -black pepperCombine all ingredients in a bowl and stir. Let sit for 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator to let flavours blend.~complements of plant-based emporium	allergies,antioxidants,apples,asthma,beans,berries,broccoli,children,citrus,flax seeds,fruit,grapes,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,herbs,inflammation,Japan,lung disease,lung health,nuts,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,polyphenols,protein,respiratory infections,salads,soy,sugar,supplements,tea,tomatoes,vegetables,vitamin C,vitamin E	Whole fruits and vegetables were compared to both antioxidant pills as well as supplements containing fruits and vegetable extracts for their ability to treat seasonal allergies, improve lung function, and control asthma.	If you missed my last video about the fruit and vegetable treatment study, you can watch it here: Treating Asthma With Fruits and Vegetables. Prior to that I dealt with preventing asthma in the first place: Preventing Asthma With Fruits and Vegetables. I’ll close out this video series with video about the efficacy of vegetarian and vegan diets for the treatment of allergic diseases in Treating Asthma and Eczema With Plant-Based Diets.The video I referenced about the cedar allergies in Japan was Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies.More on “vitamin P” in How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years.The anti-inflammatory effects of nuts may explain the Harvard Nurse's Health Study finding: Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salads/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/respiratory-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21623967,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19796219,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22854412,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15849424,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17519582,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17412780,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10639525,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7735592,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9246135,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4019393,
PLAIN-2611	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/	Treating Asthma With Fruits and Vegetables	In the international study of asthma and allergies in childhood of over a million kids, a consistent inverse relationship was seen between prevalence rates of asthma, allergies, and eczema, and the intake of plants, starch, grains, and vegetables. If these findings could be generalized, and if the average daily consumption of these foods increased, researchers speculated over a decade ago, an important decrease in symptom prevalence may be achieved. No need to speculate any more, though, plants were finally put to the test.Researchers had proposed that by eating less and less fruits and vegetables, this had increased the susceptibility of the population as a whole to potentially harmful inhaled substances by reducing the antioxidant defenses of the lung.That makes sense, the thin lining of fluid that forms the interface between our respiratory tract lining and the external environment, is our first line of defense against oxidative damage, which is important in asthma, contributing to airway contraction, mucous, and hypersensitivity. Antioxidants protect against oxidative stress, though, and so our lung lining contains a range of antioxidants our body makes itself, as well as those obtained from our diet, particularly from fruits and vegetables.In fact you can even quantify the level of oxidative stress in people by measuring their exhaled breath, which drops as they start eating more fruits and vegetables, then drops further when they combine more plants with less animal foods.So do those with asthma really have lower levels of antioxidants than people without asthma? Compared to healthy controls, subjects with asthma had lower whole blood levels of total carotenoids, and each of the individual phytonutrients they measured: cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene compared to healthy controls.So the accumulating evidence does suggest that diet has an influence in modulating the response of the lung to inhaled allergens and irritants, but wait second, it is possible that the reduced carotenoid levels in asthma are a result of increased utilization in the presence of excess free radicals. So it's like a chicken-or-the-egg phenomenon. (Or in cholesterol-free vernacular, which came first, the pea or the pod?).We know antioxidant-rich diets have been associated with reduced asthma prevalence. However, direct evidence that altering intake of antioxidant-rich foods actually affects asthma was lacking, until now.There are two ways to test the effects of fruits and vegetables on asthma. Add fruits and vegetables to people's diets and see if their asthma improves or, like they did here, take asthmatics and remove fruits and vegetables from their diets and see if they get worse.This was the first research group to see if altering the intake of antioxidant-rich foods directly affects asthma outcomes. Placing subjects with asthma on a low antioxidant diet for just a matter of days led to a significant worsening of lung function and asthma control. This finding is highly significant for subjects with asthma, as it indicates that omitting antioxidant-rich foods from the diet, for even a short time frame, will have a detrimental effect on asthma symptoms."Interestingly, the low antioxidant diet consumed by subjects, where they were restricted to one serving of fruit and up to two servings of vegetables per day, is typical of Western diets. In other words the low antioxidant diet they used to worsen people's asthma, crippling their lung function, was just like the standard American diet.As about half the population usually consumes a diet with an intake of fruit and vegetables equivalent to the study diet or less, it appears likely that this dietary pattern, which must be considered suboptimal for lung health, may be having a significant impact on asthma management, indicating the potential for typical Western dietary patterns to contribute to a worsening of lung function and asthma control.Within just days, cutting down fruit and vegetable intake can impair lung function, but does adding fruits and vegetables actually help with asthma? That was the second phase of the study.Asthmatics on the standard American diet in this study, had about a 40% chance of relapsing into an asthma exacerbation within 3 months. But put them on seven servings of fruits and vegetables instead of three, and you cut their exacerbation rate in half, down to 20%. Just with a few fruits and vegetables.	Thanks for putting this all together. A copy of this transcript will be on all my coworkers desks on Monday as well as a copy given to every asthma patient I have (all of whom I have already told).I have had many asthma patients get better eating more fruits and vegetables but I also have some patients that go completely plant based and get off their asthma medication (eg. inhaled steroids, Singulair, and beta-agonist like Albuterol) altogether. It’s phenomenal to watch this as a physician because NO ONE EVER in medical school or residency told me or even hinted this could be done.For anyone out there reading this that has allergies or asthma, the single most important thing to stop eating or drinking is ALL dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt). Remember, the milk protein casein (Casein is in all animal milks) makes up 87% of the protein in dairy and is an enormous mucus producer which just clogs your airways making it harder to breath, thus worsening your symptoms.And we didn’t even get into one of the first studies to show DNA manipulation by casein to turn on the genes that promote cancer growth.Leave the dairy to the animal that produced it. I never saw a baby calf come up to my mothers breast and beg for a feeding. So why are we begging the cows and goats for their breast milk?Dr. HemoDynamnic: Well said! I love it when you share stories of your patient’s success. While not a scientific study, you have a bird’s eye view that individual anecdotes lack. Thanks!The Casein data on carcinogenesis are from T. Colin Campbell’s books Whole and The China Study.Impressive – fast and significant results. If we had a new drug cutting the exacerbation rate in half, it would cost a lot of money and probably have a lot of side effects. The side effect of fruit and vegetables: Reduced risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, hypertension etc.Exactly! Well said!Interesting. I switched to a vegan diet 2 years ago. Before that I was vegetarian for 1 month but switched to soy milk from the start. I noticed an improvement in my asthma symptoms immediately, and after 8 months stopped taking symbicort ( steroid & long acting bronchodilator). I had an exacerbation recently & had to start taking the symbicort again for a couple of weeks. The only thing that had changed was that I had starting eating peanuts again. I’ve cut them out and I’m asthma free again!if you take soy milk, be sure is organic and not GMOIf I got asthma, I would try a plant-based diet. Being already on an exclusively plant-based diet, with a heavy family and personal history of atopy, I guess I am somewhat protected. Equally important is to avoid smog, which I view as more of a geographic thing and staying indoors in A/C on really bad days.Go ORANGES! I also find several greens helpful. I make smoothies with lots of them. It also improves my fatigue. Especialy smoothies with parsley. It has a good impact on adrenal glands.Smoothies are not as acidic as Diet Coke but cause also teeth damage: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23909804Yes, that is true. In nature orange tree gives a lot of fruit for only 2-3 months, then it slows down a little. It’s not good if you eat oranges for a long time every day. But they are not just agressive on teeth. They clean the heck out of you. :) Some people use them just for fasting (they use OJ).Fasting lowers the basic calorie turnover.can you tell me which fruits and veggies are good ? and which are not (like apples)? I wish this study can be printed.Citrus fruits (but not for a long time, they are hard on teeth), melons, watermelon, grapes (choose red or black – with lots of flavonoides), all berries. Red, orange, purple colors indicate good cleaners.I was a life-long asthmatic on five different meds 24/7 when we decided to try a vegan diet for my husband’s pain. It worked for him and to our surprise I was able to stop all the meds! That was 1998. I am so thankful that I only need an occasional pill. I keep an inhaler on hand for incidental seafood contamination in restaurants, but that’s it! I also have far, far fewer sinus infections – usually related to something I have eaten in compromise. Not worth it! My allergies were pollens (and I live in the tropics), animal danders, diesel exhaust (we sometimes can’t even see the back of the truck or bus), chemicals, and molds.It seems mildly unethical to put someone on a standard American diet.Now if only I could get my asthmatic toddler to eat more fruits and veggies. Besides hummus and smoothies, he won’t touch any whole foods. It’s a start, right?Hey Lauren! So sorry your toddler has asthma. How old is he?Have you heard of Juice Plus+? Its whole food (fruits & veggies) in a soft chew. My girls (3 years & 1 year) love them! They have never had a doctors appointment except well visits. I am so thankful for that!If you want info, check out my website :) http://www.alyssapetty.juiceplus.comwhen i was young we eat a lot of fruits and veggies in my grandfathers house. One fruit was the best : acerolla (i dont’ know if they have this tree in this country or can get it). NEVER EVER got sick my brothers and I. never missed a day of school.Been sharing fruit and veggie concentrates for 19 years along with some incredible healthcare professionals and with the 32 independent published studies it is no wonder we have seen tremendous results in asthma and other chronic diseases. When you can flood your body with plants, great things happen. It has been a catalyst for other changes	allergies,alpha-carotene,animal products,antioxidants,asthma,beta carotene,chicken,cholesterol,cryptoxanthin,eczema,eggs,fruit,grains,lung disease,lung health,lutein,lycopene,oxidative stress,peas,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,standard American diet,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption to seven servings a day appears to cut asthma exacerbation rates in half, whereas restricting consumption to Standard American Diet levels leads to a significant worsening of lung function and asthma control.	For more on that million-kid study, see my last video Preventing Asthma With Fruits and Vegetables.If manipulating antioxidant intake by increasing fruit and vegetable intake can so powerfully reduce asthma exacerbation rates, why not just take antioxidant pills instead? I cover that in my next video Treating Asthma With Plants vs. Supplements?And if a few extra servings of fruits and vegetables can make that kind of difference, what about a whole diet composed of plants? I close out this 4-part video series with Treating Asthma and Eczema With Plant-Based Diets.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eczema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lutein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cryptoxanthin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alpha-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lycopene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9059479,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11405522,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18324527,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22854412,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8128408,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9832483,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16373941,
PLAIN-2612	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/	Preventing Asthma With Fruits and Vegetables	Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, and the prevalence is increasing around the world. Despite this, most research dollars are spent on adult chronic disease. One might ask whether this is because our politicians and senior administrators feel themselves to be more likely to suffer from the latter, and ignore allergic diseases as they mostly impact children and young adults. Imagine how much more effort would be put into elucidating causes of a disorder that increased at the same escalated rate in the middle aged and elderly.Well finally there is an international study of asthma and allergies in childhood, studying more than a million children in nearly a hundred countries, making it the most comprehensive survey of these diseases ever undertaken. What did they find?They found a wide variability in the prevalence and severity of asthma, allergies, and eczema. We're talking 20 to 60-fold differences in prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic runny nose, and atopic eczema around the world. Striking worldwide variations in the prevalence of hyperallergic symptoms. What does it all mean? The large variability suggests a crucial role of some kind of local characteristics determining the differences in prevalence between one place and another. What kind of environmental factors?Like why does the prevalence of itchy eyes and runny noses range anywhere from 1% in India, for example, up to 45% of kids elsewhere? There were some associations with regional air pollution and smoking rates, but the most significant associations were with diet. Adolescents showed a consistent pattern of decreases in symptoms of wheeze (current and severe), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic eczema, associated with increased per capita consumption of plants. The more their calories and protein came from plant sources, the less allergies they seemed to have.In general, there seems to be an association between an increase in asthma prevalence and a decreased consumption of fresh fruits, green vegetables, and other dietary sources of antioxidants, helping to explain why the prevalence of asthma and respiratory symptoms are lower in populations with high intake of foods of plant origin Intakes of high fat and sodium, and low fiber and carbohydrates are linked with asthma, while traditional and vegetarian diets are associated with lower rates.For example if you look closer within India, in a study of more than 100,000 people, those who consumed meat, daily or even occasionally, were more likely to report asthma than those who were strictly vegetarian. This also meant avoiding eggs, which has been associated, along with soda, with increased risk of respiratory symptoms and asthma in schoolchildren, whereas consumptions of soy foods and fruits were associated with reduced risk of respiratory symptoms. In fact, removing eggs from the diet, along with dairy, may improve lung function in asthmatic children in as few little as eight weeks. So maybe it's a combination of eating less animal foods and more plants.High vegetable intake, for example, has been found protective in children, cutting the odds of allergic asthma in half. And fruit showed a consistent protective association for current and severe wheeze and runny nose in adolescents, and for current and severe asthma, allergies, and eczema in children.But why? I've talk about the endocrine-disrupting industrial pollutants building up in the meat supply that may increase the risk of allergic disease, but the increase in asthma may be a combination of both a more toxic environment and a more susceptible population. "The dietary changes which have occurred over recent years may have led to a reduction in these natural antioxidant defenses, resulting in a shift of the antioxidant status of the whole population and leading to increased susceptibility to oxidant attack and airway inflammation."In adults, for example, the risk of airway hyper-reactivity may increase seven-fold among those with the lowest intake of vitamin C from plants foods, while the lowest intake of saturated fats gave a 10-fold protection, presumably because of saturated fat’s role in triggering inflammation.“The protective effect of plant-based food may also be mediated through effects on intestinal microflora." It turns out that differences in the indigenous intestinal flora might affect the development and priming of the immune system in early childhood.Kids with allergies, for example, tend to be less likely to harbor lactobacilli, the good bacteria that's found in fermented foods and just naturally on fruits and vegetables. And lactobacillus probiotics may actually help with childhood asthma, which may all help explain why children raised on largely organic vegetarian diets may have a lower prevalence of allergic reactions. Infants raised this way tend to have more good lactobacilli in their guts compared to controls, though they were also more likely to have been born naturally, breastfed longer, and not been given antibiotics, so you can't really tell if it's the diet until you put it to the test… which we'll explore next.	I expected air pollution to be easily more correlated with asthma than diet.It’s much easier for me to eat healthy than to move the freeway that is next to my house.Cool.Air pollution certainly has an effect on asthma. But Harvard did a large study that found that areas that had improved air quality in the past decade still had increasing rates of asthma. They linked the increased incidence of asthma to the increase in obesity rates since obesity is also a risk factor for asthma.hummm food we eat (most of it are GMO’s : sugar in everything, { & sugar, wheat, soy, corn etc…in all foods we buy} 96-to-98% are GMOLook into plants that purify the air, a lot of the easy to grow stuff like spider plants are good :)I hear snake plants work well.I have had asthma for over 45 years which I’ve managed with daily doses of Advair, supplementing with an Albuteral inhaler when needed. Before using Advair I would get daily asthma “attacks” triggered by dust, mold, animals (cats and dog dander), exercise, laughing, cold weather,… I never went anywhere without an inhaler. Several years ago I started drinking green smoothies daily, that had a lot of spinach, kale, chard, etc., in them. After about 6 months I tried going off my Advair to see how my asthma was fairing. No asthma! It had disappeared! I had tried going off of my asthma meds periodically before drinking green smoothies, but the asthma was always there. So I am now completely off of asthma meds and have been all these several years. Occasionally I am not as good about drinking green smoothies, sometimes going weeks, or even a few months without drinking them, such as when on an extensive camping trip. During those times I occasionally start feeling tightening in my chest, like there is a hint of the asthma coming back. I then pay extra attention to drinking the smoothies and eating more greens and fruit. I am a scientist and don’t go in for many miracle cures or improved health claims unless there is a study to back it up. Green smoothies, however, certainly changed my life.I was wondering what you put in your smoothies. I don’t have asthma. I seem to have a major gastrointestinal intolerance to kale, however.Yes I too would like to try that smoothie…FWIW, my good friend also had intolerance to kale (and other green leafies) but was able to adjust by starting with just a single teaspoon included in soups, salads…then slowly increased the amount over a couple of weeks …anyway he is now able to eat full servings without the gas and other problems that he used to have. Just a thoughtThanks but it wasn’t gas. The first time I tried kale was the last time I will try kale … I got 5 days of severe diarrhea and foul-smelling eructation (burps) … this was a combination of steamed and fresh kale. I am reluctant to ever go near this again. From what I have read on the internet, stories like mine are common with kale and it could be an immune-mediated reaction (true allergy).Bummer…just wondering: do other cruciferous veg cause a similar reaction or just the Kale?Just kale, but I have not tried very closely related species like collards, mustard greens, swiss char. No problems whatsoever with broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower. I do wonder if my problem was just bad food poisoning, but I am unwilling to risk trying again – it was so bad!I always wake up in the middle of the night while my eyes are still closed. I’ve noticed on nights when I have eaten kale that I have an erratic light pattern going in my mind. I’m assuming it’s a form of ocular migraines (no pain with mine) that I get if I eat bananas. I’ve also noticed that on days when I eat bok choy the same thing happens but the light pattern is different, not erratic. Nothing happens to me when I eat broccoli or cauliflower, but if I eat more than a few servings a week of cauliflower, I get dizzy and feel very unwell. Something similar happens to me when I take more than 1/2 tsp of turmeric in a week. It took me awhile to figure all of this out, but lots of people have unique allergies and sensitivities. BTW, I still choose to eat some kale and bok choy weekly, but I only eat bananas a few times a year.I stopped eating broccoli raw because I was getting thyroid issues (fatigue and cold intolerance). At the same time, I stopped eating cabbage and cauliflower raw.I should have been clearer in my response. I never eat those veggies raw, only cooked, which eliminates the possible negative affect on the thyroid.mbglife: That’s really interesting. I’ve never heard of that. Good for you for figuring it out.I too have had odd reactions to kale and bok choy. I avoid them now. My guess is that certain greens contain high amounts of anti-nutritients (plants don’t actually want to get eaten, they don’t exist for us, they exist for themselves).Bananas cause me heart palpitations.they have oxalic acid with intefiere with thyroid hormones. They recommend (if you are not sensitive ) to eat only small quantities.did you try oven roasted and crisp kale? try just a little bit to see if you have the same reaction. I think they bake it in a low oven so good nutrients are Not destroyed.Wow, thank you for sharing that story. Please do share your “recipe”.Alice, thank you for sharing your story! I have developed adult-onset asthma from working in old, poorly ventilated buildings, and have been prescribed Advair and told to take it for the rest of my life. I asked about whether dietary changes could help with the symptoms, and the pulmonologist said “no”. But so much research suggests otherwise, and your story gives me hope. I’ve already started making dietary changes (eating more fruit, cutting back on dairy and eggs), and based on what you said I’m going to try adding green drinks. When I take a week off work, my symptoms gradually get better, so I think the symptoms will go away when I find a different job. In the meantime, I’m hoping a healthier me will emerge. I’m glad you’re off the Advair!I wrote about what I include in my smoothies in a comment above. In response to your comment, I do think that eating lots of fruit and veggies probably helps with your asthma, but I’ve always liked to eat veggies, and I still had asthma. I wonder if grinding the greens, fruits, and veggies in the blender makes more micronutrients more available for our bodies to absorb and breaks down the fibers into smaller bits for bacteria in the gut to digest. I recently saw an article in the newspaper about the affect increased fiber in the diet had on asthma. I found this article in a quick look on the internet http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140106094430.htm Best of luck!I ‘cured’ my asthma, environmental allergies and exzema of 30 + years during the third week of eliminating dairy from my diet. I know it was dairy because my symptoms returned after some greek yogurt dip. I am lactose intolerant so I have not had milk in more than 15 years, only cheese and ‘healthy yogurt’. I am disease free for more than 3 years now! No more corticosteroids, albuterol, antihistamines or lotions! I’m not even allergic to my cats or pollen and I live in a city notorius for severe pollen/allergies. A bit frustrating that I was being treated for symptom suppression- lung, sinus and skin inflammation and not one allergist ever suggested it might be an food allergy. Plant-based rules!Same here. My asthma disappeared after I eliminated dairy from my diet. Should have done it way before I eventually did. No longer have to carry an inhaler in my pocket.Greens and fruit are good at moving lymph (sewer system), they also help regenerate tissues, support endocrine glands, detoxify … They also dont cause much mucus, like dairy does. I’m sowing greens like crazy this year. I’m going to drink some smoothies. :)The greens you mention (organic are better) and CILANTRO & PARSLEY are great for asthma and SKIN PROBLEMS like eccema psoriasis etc.You suggest that there is less incidence of itchy eyes and runny noses in India (assuming that Indians consume vegetarian diets), but that is not true. Indian children are obese and suffering from all sorts of allergies.Dr. Michael Greger said in the video, “Like why does the prevalence of itchy eyes and runny noses range anywhere from 1% in India, for example, up to 45% of kids elsewhere? There were some associations with regional air pollution and smoking rates, but the most significant associations were with diet. Adolescents showed a consistent pattern of decreases in symptoms of wheeze (current and severe), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic eczema, associated with increased per capita consumption of plants.”. I hope this helps! :)I do not dispute what Dr. Greger said. I dispute the assumption that only 1% of Indian children have itchy eyes etc. Asthma is a big problem in India.Are you from India? I am curious of the age of these scientific papers. But I would have to say one thing, at the time the study was being studied it was fact.Yes, I am of Indian origin and visit India frequently. The medical studies done in India have come under a lot of scrutiny for unethical practices and messaging of results. In my own experience, I see my extended family’s kids as well as my my friends’ kids suffering from asthma and obesity due to processed foods and very high levels of air pollution in cities.India is only 50% vegetarian now, it used to be 90%, back in the 40s. I ‘ve known a lot of Indians, and my experience is that the rich Indians are not vegetarians. Bramins and Sikh tend not to be vegetarian (altho Anglo-American Sikh usually are vegetarian). Among non vegetarian Indians, they seem to prefer to fatten up the children. I have known wealthy omnivore indians to force and shame and demand that their kids eat more, from an early age. They equate fatness with wealth and a lean body with poverty. So maybe you are seeing more of the rich and omnivores’ kids and less of the poor and the vegetarian kids.I have been living and working in India for the past 43 years and have witnessed a transition in cities (even villages and small towns) toward more air pollution and also big dietary changes from whole grains and healthy unrefined oils to white flour, polished rice, excessive sugar and unlimited availability of milk (white revolution). There has been a transition from lower incidence of heart disease, cancer and diabetes to the mushrooming of specialty hospitals treating these lifestyle diseases (eg Apollo hospital). It has taken epidemic proportions. Also more meat is eaten. But a key point is that even vegetarian diets here in India often have over 60% of their calories by fat. (Dr Graham pointed this out in his book 801010 and when I checked it was true for the indian veg diet too)) So vegetarianism per se is not healthy…vegan is better and raw vegan is best…. Fortunately there is a naturopathic/ayurvedic tradition here and a quick cultural change back to healthier ways is possible. Watch this space.I am on a plant based diet avoiding sugar and hydrogenated oils. I have been allergic to cats for a while and was wondering if it will go away under my diet. I do take ground flaxseed (ground at home) and B12/D supplements.Hi Luke, I also am allergic to cats. After 2 years of WFPB I can now pet a cat without getting a runny nose. Not that I am willing to stick my nose in their fur but I have noticed a definite improvement.A footnote on arachidonic acid. It appears to be associated with lower coronary risk – “Among specific polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic (0.78 [CI, 0.65 to 0.94]), docosahexaenoic (0.79 [CI, 0.67 to 0.93]), and arachidonic (0.83 [CI, 0.74 to 0.92]) acids were associated with lower risk. ” (Ann Intern Med. 2014;160(6):398-406. doi:10.7326/M13-1788). This is based on a meta-analysis of 10 prospective cohort studies with nearly 23,000 participants incurring 3739 coronary events. The authors conclude that “circulating levels of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids (the 2 main types of long-chain -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) and arachidonic acid are each associated with lower coronary risk.”Hello. All these things are secondary factors even food, the real cause(which is mechanical problems) of most asthma and similar problems included some respiratory allergies has been found by Jacques Gesret and its method 20-30 years ago, a method that completely cure it with over 90% success~http://www.asthma-reality.com/anglais.htmDr Greger fortunately I consider myself a success case in the fight against allergies and asthma. Since I was a child I had problems with these things. All my life until my 30s I fought pollen allergies all Springs having itchy eye, rhinitis and sinusitis. My mother is a doctor but to be honest she does´t know much about nutrition as well as the majority of the doctors around. So she prescribed me pills which I hate because of the side effects, and also because they didn´t prevent the problems to happen again. So 3 years ago after reading the Brendan Brazier book “Thrive” I decided to become vegetarian and I started to abolish dairy and all kind o animal products. Interestingly it was not enough to fight those problems until I have found your website, which I am truly thankful to discover. So I started to see all you videos about antioxidants and then I started to consume more often the top ones like black beans, purple cabbage, cinnamon, cloves, walnuts and all kind of berries. You can´t imagine my happiness when this year for the first time in the Spring I found myself completely free from pollen allergies. For the first time in my life I did´t need to take any antihistamine pill! It was really great to notice that food is a kind complex system that can push our bodies to great things or to bad things, depending on the things we eat. Now my asthma is practically gone also! In the past I cousin´t run in the autumn/winter because the cold weather activated my asthma. This autumn for the first time I´m realizing that my body is becoming stronger to deal with this asthma thing. Sometimes I feel kind of sad to think that my mother could´t heal me from these troubles with her prescription, but after all I see that this is a global problem nowadays with all the Doctors. I know my mother has patients with asthma and I don´t imagine her to tell them to go animal free and eat a lot of antioxidants… anyway I´m giving her some hints time to time. I hope she use them to make some life easier. Dr Greger thank you very much for your inspiration. Your knowledge doesn´t have a price for me. I watch your videos everyday to make my food more functional and is really working! Best regards.gmo’s foods cause allergic reactions and other illnesses in children and sensitive adults.Hi. Í´ve been wondering about treating asthma to preclude future diseases, like pneumonia. Well…thats what i am doing with my Cymbicort inhaler. I reasently visited my doctor and i asked him if i can stop taking my meds all togheter. But he recommended staying on my (4 inh. /day) dose to reduce risk of getting more problems with my lungs, in the future. But sinse the inhalations does´nt give me any reliefe, and i fear they might toxifie me more,(like most other meds do), rather then doing me any good. I´m thinking about gradually quiting (at a slow controlled pace of course). But maybe my antioxidant boost, for my immune system, trough my plant based food & large intake of berries etc. just does´nt cut it. And maybe…because it´s a “local” treatment inside the lugns, it stays there, and does´nt go in to my bloodstream. Though i find that highly doubtfull. (Any one else here using Cymbicort perhaps..?) VEGETARIAN…? And how does going vegetarian help me. Ivé tried it Before (for 42days) and my blood work was great, but as i also had a spike in Creatin Kinase (25 mkat/L CK) i was forced to go back to my regular diet. But now i´m giving it Another chance and i´m hoping the CK value, had nothing to do with the diet at the time.So i guess the million dollar question is..should i stay on the meds, or quit and risk getting worse symtomes. (And by by symtomes i don´t mean attacks, because my Asthma is at a constante reduced & irreversible state)(I apologize for any misspelling, but i´m not from your country, i´m from Sweden)Best regards… / MMy asthma went away when I became a vegetarian at age fifteen. Now, I know why.My asthma went away when I became a vegetarian at age fifteen. Now, I know why.	air pollution,allergies,animal protein,antibiotics,antioxidants,asthma,biomagnification,breastfeeding,calories,children,chronic diseases,dairy,eczema,eggs,elderly,endocrine disruptors,fermented foods,fruit,immune function,India,industrial toxins,inflammation,lung disease,lung health,meat,organic foods,oxidative stress,persistent organic pollutants,plant protein,plant-based diets,probiotics,protein,respiratory infections,saturated fat,smoking,soda,soy,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin C	A study involving more than a million kids suggests the striking worldwide variation in childhood rates of allergies, asthma, and eczema is related to diet.	More on preventing allergic diseases can be found in my videos Preventing Childhood Allergies and Preventing Allergies in Adulthood.More on protecting lung function with fruits and vegetables can be found in Preventing COPD With Diet.Surprised probiotics can affect immune function? Check out my video Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics? And if you think that is wild, wait until you see Gut Feelings: Probiotics and Mental Health.What might be in plants that’s so beneficial? See Anti-inflammatory Antioxidants.What might be in animal products that is harmful to lung function? There are endocrine-disrupting industrial pollutants that build up in the food chain that may be playing a role. See my videos Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies and Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors. Also there’s an inflammatory omega-6 fatty acid found predominantly in chicken and eggs that may contribute to inflammation as well. See Inflammatory Remarks About Arachidonic Acid.Choosing fragrance-free personal care products may also help reduce airway reactivity: Throw Household Products Off the Scent.If fruit and vegetables are so powerful at preventing allergic diseases, what about treating allergies with plants? Coming right up! My next video is Treating Asthma With Fruits and Vegetables. Then I compare the efficacy of plants to pills (Treating Asthma With Plants vs. Supplements?) and close out this video series exploring the role an entire diet filled with plants might play in Treating Asthma and Eczema With Plant-Based Diets.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eczema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fermented-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/air-pollution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/respiratory-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17943568,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19552790,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10451693,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22991565,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22628152,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8713642,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1935846,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23319429,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23317966,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12485315,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22449171,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20092649,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4019393,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18528544,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22771150,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15067979,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11048770,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8128408,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22885561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15007630,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10202341,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15746556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22871601,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23548815,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20658483,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21650741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10833469,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15833488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9504980,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22475949,
PLAIN-2613	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/	Taxpayer Subsidies for Unhealthy Foods	Why do food companies sell junk? Because unhealthy commodities are highly profitable in part because of their low production cost, creating perverse incentives for industries to market and sell more junk. Coca-Cola’s net profit margins, for example, are about a quarter of the retail price, making soft drink production, alongside tobacco production, among the most profitable industrial activities in the world. And one of the reasons production costs are so low is that we tax-payers subsidize it.For more than a century, Western governments have invested heavily in lowering the costs of animal products and some basic cash crops such as sugar. Accordingly, Western diets have shifted over the past century, especially after World War II, to include more animal sourced foods—meat, poultry, dairy, seafood, and eggs—as well as more sugar and corn syrup. During this same period, however, we have begun to realize that a healthy diet actually requires fewer animal products and empty calories, and more vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. Redressing this balance is a complex task requiring not only a shift in agricultural investment and policy, but also changes in social preferences that have developed over decades, in part due to dollar menu meat.Why do you think chicken is so cheap? In the nine years that followed the passage of the 96 Farm Bill, corn and soy were subsidized below the cost of production to make cheap animal feed. So U.S. tax-payers effectively handed the chicken and pork industry around $10 billion dollars each.What if we instead subsidized healthy foods? Or taxed harmful ones? Every dollar spent taxing processed foods or milk would net $2 in healthcare cost savings. And every dollar spent making vegetables cheaper would net $3, and subsidizing whole grains could offer like a thousand percent return on our investment, with all the money tax-payers would save paying for Medicare and Medicaid costs.Unfortunately we can’t count on Big Broccoli. The produce sector lacks the extensive funding that went to create the National Dairy Council, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Pork Producers Council, and the American Egg Board.But even if we removed the hundreds of billions of dollars in annual subsidies for animal products, it might not be sufficient to tip the balance in favor of healthier diets. We have created societies in the West that value and consume meat, dairy, poultry, fish and seafood. Over several generations, a particular way of life has been promoted and this has shifted expectations about diet to include large amounts of animal-sourced foods, the concept that a meal centers around some kind of hunk of meat.The idea that animal products should form the basis of our diet has been scientifically debunked, but remains the social aspiration of billions of people. As we in the West slowly come to accept that our diets and eating habits are not healthy, it is to be hoped that this will change policies not only here, but throughout the world.	Are there no nutrition-savvy senators or other legislators who are out of the veggie closet? Anyone at Big Gov at all who read TCStudy? Are you totally without representation? Hmm, now what was it that USA citizens do when they get taxed without representation…it is a revolting thought init?Gosh, just think how powerful if Nancy Ray somehow got the idea. How much blockage does she have by now? If we could get her to do a cardio cath test…you know? She seemed a bit low the last time I saw her. Just think if she switched. Or Hillary? Or BILL! What say? Frank Underwood?! Perish the thought.‘veggie closet’. I literally laughed. That sir is the best term I have ever heard for them. Mind if I use that?Why, I couldn’t possibly comment :) At least Clinton outed himself. Joining the zipper club does that to you. Can’t you just see Billary doing a WFPB cooking show? “Its time for the “Great Seitan and Sax show” I know, seiten is not whole foods but it seems to fit the occasion.Just wanted to say – Hi Coacervate. How is it going for you?Hi! You know, there is always room for improvement but I’m happy with my health. Chems are good, putting in full days, the angina is long gone, no more migraines…and best of all, the darkness has lifted…thanks in large part to Dr G, the NF Team and the brilliant commenters here. I always find something new each visit. My guess is that this site is doing more to improve peoples general health than all the gov pyramid schemes and dogma combined.So glad to hear. And thank you for sharing your story.“I did not have sex with that woman.” ~Bill Clinton“I am still a vegan.” ~Bill Clintonhttp://washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/15/bill-clinton-falls-vegan-diet-wagon-not-vegan-labe/That’s what happens when you hang out with Mark “Saturated fat doesn’t cause heart disease” Hyman, MD instead of Ornish/Esselstyn.Functional medicine, my eye.Bill Clinton is a VEGANYes thanks for noting that. Not just vegan mind you…whole foods vegan. I have a high regard for his public stance on that: “I did not have butter with that dish…the Melba…”Except when he’s not. I don’t think his veganism is all-encompassing, but certainly a step in the right direction. I’m not a vegan either, so I’m not casting aspersions, just facts. :) “In a September 2013 AARP Magazine profile, Clinton revealed that he eats fish and eggs “once a week or so” in order “to maintain iron, zinc and muscle mass.”He and Hillary have been hanging out with Mark Hyman who is now claiming credit for Clinton’s post-bypass weight loss and recovery. Hyman’s got Hillary munching on cocoa butter as a between meal snack (’cause he thinks it’s only sugar/carbs instead of saturated fat that causes heart disease)……and it shows.We pay for animal suffering (tax) to get cheap disease promoting meat/eggs/dairy, which our culture tell us to eat, and then we get sick and go to a doctor, who does not address the problem, but prescribes 3 or 4 different expensive drugs with a lot of side effects, and if you are really lucky, you will undergo dangerous and often unnecessary bypass surgery, leaving you with minor braindamage, you lose your job because of your poor memory, you lose your home and wife…….hope you enjoyed the cheap steak….:-)From one perspective it seems natural that a successful species would satisfy its most basic desires to the maximum extent possible ala Doug Lysle’s “Pleasure Trap”. Now add politics to the mix, oh what a pervasive mess we’ve created or perhaps acquiesced to is a better turn.“This is no dream. This is really happening” -Rosemary in “Rosemary’s Baby”Yes – the problem is that we live in a time of abundance. We have to control our desires if we are not going to become extinct within the next centuries. A species dying out from overeating is pathetic……agreeIt is intriguing how our built world can influence public health. I read a book called “Urban Sprawl and Public Health” recently that focused on how many American cities have become unwalkable, unbikeable, congested, polluted, and disconnected.We’ve made zoning laws that enforce unhealthy lifestyles as the norm.And now I see that similarly we have subsidy laws that prioritize unhealthy diets!It would be awesome if the public health implications of these laws were considered, instead of the bottom lines of big corporations.But hey! On the consumer end there do exist nutritional programs like Women Infants and Children (WIC), which is incredibly successful!So it seems like Public Health advocates are using things like the controversial Soda Tax to enforce healthier diets, but maybe they should be focusing on big agricultural subsidies.For more information on this topic, check out the report Apples to Twinkies published by the US Public Interest Research Group. I’ll summarize the main points.While the government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars subsidizing corn and soy, very little money went to subsidize fresh produce. One of the few fruits or vegetables that does get subsidized is apples.Only about 1% of corn grown in the US is sweet corn used for human consumption. The rest goes to livestock feed or is processed into food additives (corn syrup, corn starch, HFCS etc).If subsidies for junk foods ingredients went directly to taxpayers to allow them to purchase food, each taxpayer would receive $7.58 to spend on junk food and $0.27 to spend on apples. This equates to about 21 Twinkies and 1/2 of an apple.Of the 37 ingredients in Twinkies, at least 14 of them are made with federal subsidies including corn syrup, HFCS, corn starch and vegetable shortening.Most of the agricultural subsidies have gone to a small number of large operations. About 75% of the subsidies go to about 4% of US farmers. Those large producers often buy out the smaller farms, so subsidies actually help destroy the small family farming tradition.Reference: Etherton L. et al. Apples to Twinkes 2012: Comparing Taxpayer Subsidies for Fresh Produce and Junk Food. US. PIRG Education Fund. July 2012. http://www.uspirg.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/Apples%20Twinkies%20vUS_2.pdfDon’t you know…? If broccoli were subsidized, the food manufacturers would just fractionate it to individual components and find a way to turn it into junk food…then market it as healthy!!$7.58 per person? That’ll buy how much produce? ;-(My CSA comes to about $15 a week and it’s enough produce for 2 people. So $7.58 would be enough organic fruits and veggies for one person for a week.That’s around 2% of your annual produce, though. A subsidy at that level isn’t going to much affect anyone’s choices. The subsidies may be wasteful, but I don’t quite see the reason why they are all that harmful in their effects when compared with other aspects of food policy and dietary culture.The original post never said anything about $7.58 per person per year. It was only using that figure to illustrate the ratio between junk food and apple subsidies… no time period was specified. It could be per day for all we know.You’d know they are using yearly figures if you bothered to read the report that the original post is quoting.That could never happen. I mean, could you imagine the packaged food industry taking something great, like say, kale, baking it into chips that are loaded down with oil, salt, artificial flavors and preservatives and then people buying it, thinking that it’s healthy? I mean, come on, that’s just too ridiculous.Kale Chips are already on the market. ;-)Don’t forget the part where I said “fractionate it to individual components”.Even 100% whole wheat products are “reconstituted” from white flour, bran, and wheat germ that had previously been separated and recombined. The US gov sets the standards on the percentage of those components which constitute “whole wheat”.MacSmiley, you’re too trusting, I knew it was on the market, which is how I came up with the ingredients. But I didn’t know the part about wheat. I only occasionally buy bread or wheat tortillas, and that’s from an organic brand that I trust. So I’m hoping I’m clear of that situation.Yup. I think something similar happens with commercial orange juice, too.NPR’s ‘Morning Edition’ did a news spot today on exactly what you’re saying about bread. You can listen to it or read the transcript here: http://tinyurl.com/msnvqec (This “tiny url” links to the story on NPR.)Hi Dr. Greger, awesome video, this is so crucial to raise awareness on the subject of U.S. food subsidies!Technical note: when I share this post on FB it says 404 Page Not FoundHi Reforestsuburbia– thanks for bringing this to our attention! It should be fixed now. Thanks!The only chance to undo influence-paid laws and practices is with public knowledge, but even that is an uphill battle. I’ve been vegan for over 20 years and I’ve yet to see any co-workers, friends or family try it. A few did for half a day but then said they felt sick and concluded that their bodies “just need” meat. And even the way people refer to harmful food as “comfort food” makes it sound benign (who coined that term anyway?). I have a 42 year old friend right now, who is two years into suffering from what is believed to be an auto-immune related disease. She won’t even try a vegan diet for a few weeks just to see if it helps. She says she can’t live without all the animal products she eats on her standard american diet. The same has been true for friends with heart attacks, heart disease, or any other condition. They think how I eat is quaint, possibly healthy, but lacking protein, a hassle and not worth it. So I think universally and act individually.Half a day! LOL. Food is sooo psychological.This is crude to say but about half who have heart attacks die at the first one. Of those remaining most rely on the drugs, stents and splice to support their habit. but as they continue to die off there does remain a small group who “get it”. Like me who came to whole foods out of desperation to survive. Combine them with folks like you and there must emerge a core of healthy people living and teaching. I send Dr. G’s urls to people just about daily. The horror will pass slowly but I believe it must and will pass away from living memory. ImaginePeople who “don’t get it” can reproduce before these issues occur so I don’t think “waiting it out” will ever happen.“Comfort food” – you are right it sounds benign. May I suggest “harmful food” instead.“Comfort” in comfort foods seems to refer to the comfort for the psyche, not the body. Sure, eating that crap will definitely get your body to release all those feel good chems but the long-term affects are surely not comforting.Never forget that in addition to the farm subsidies, food stamps are solely and exclusively grocery store subsidies. Again, big corp vs individual health needs of the poor. To qualify, you have to have water available in your house. But guidelines allow participants to buy bottled water by the case which is MORE expensive than gasoline by the gallon.Yes, unfortunately, food stamps (SNAP) in the US can be used to buy all kinds of junk.The SNAP program did actually make some changes that allows participants to shop at farmers markets. The CSA that I belong to accepts SNAP. Unfortunately, very few people are taking advantage of it. As you pointed out, the majority of the money is going to junk food. Another great report on this subject is “Food Stamps: Follow the Money” published by EatDrinkPolitics. http://www.eatdrinkpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/FoodStampsFollowtheMoneySomon.pdfmasobel, thanks for this reference to Michele Simon’s blog. She is definitely getting down and dirty with the ‘powers that be.’ I had lost sight of her after her book tour for ‘Appetite for Profit.’ Here’s a minor fix to your link: http://www.eatdrinkpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/FoodStampsFollowtheMoneySimon.pdfMs. Simon’s KEY RECOMMENDATIONS make perfect sense. I won’t be holding my breath…One should also check out her home page to see the range of issues she is taking on. I am glad it is not me tangling with the ‘tasseled loafers’ haunting the halls of Congress.Finally, readers may be interested in seeing Ms. Simon’s talk before the enlightened folks of the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii, a group Dr. Greger knows very well:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=javYAI3OsmIDr. Greger, Your astute comments on the politics of food are well warranted, however, plant-based foods are no better than ‘demonized’ animal foods, especially when plant-based foods are genetically modified to include animal genes [transgenic GMOs] or those that have pesticide-production capabilities, e.g., Bt gmos as in Bt-corn and others listed on the EPA’s websitehttp://www.epa.gov/opp00001/biopesticides/pips/pip_list.htm Personally, I think everyone who is concerned about health ought to come down on eating GMO plant-based foods that, before their incorporation into the diet, crops did not possess unknown potentialities such as possibly growing Bacillus thurengiensis in the human gut after eating fresh Bt corn-on-the-cob. No studies have been done to assure that cannot happen, which is something feasible and needs to be addressed for its abilities to drastically affect gastrointestinal health where nutrition begins its biochemical reactions in the human body. May I suggest that you address GMO crops apparent insufficiencies as part of your excellent work.Since only 1% of corn grown in this country is sweet corn for human consumption, GMO not my biggest worry. Americans eating junk is. Get rid of the junk and you get rid of most of the GMO in your diet.“possibly growing Bacillus thurengiensis in the human gut after eating fresh Bt corn-on-the-cob.”Heh. Some basic understanding of GE, and specifically what the Bt- GMOs consist of and what they do, might help in evaluating this “possibility.”A theory explaining how B. thuringiensis could possibly spring forth, in the gut or anywhere else, from Bt corn, would be fascinating to see.Widespread ignorance about biology or the specificity of enzymes common in the anti-GMO movement says a great deal about our failings in science education, as well as the emotional outlet provided by internet echo chambers.The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the British Royal Society and the European Food Safety Authority have all concluded that current transgenic crops pose no greater health risks than non-transgenic crops.Nutritionally, I believe current concerns about transgenic crops are a distraction. There are no doubt many people ignoring very real concerns about food content due to limited exposure to anti-GMO arguments.Thanks for this DarrylDo any of those organizations not get their funding from government?My understanding is the AMA is funded mostly by membership dues, the AAAS by a mix of membership dues and government grants, the USNAS and BRS are honorary membership organisations largely funded by their home countries, and the EFSA and WHO by member nations.The key thing about their statements is not that GMO agriculture is health risk free, its that its doesn’t appear any riskier than conventional non-GMO agriculture. This is accord with the reviews I’ve read and my intuition as a former biochemistry student.Darryl: re: “…it doesn’t appear any riskier than conventional non-GMO agriculture.”I’m wondering if you still feel this way given today’s video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monsantos-roundup-pesticide-glyphosate-safe/I feel that the evidence is against at least those GMO products which were designed to handle roundup better.In general, yes.The problem with the study applying the Monsanto Roundup product directly to placental cells is that that’s never the way our cells encounter it. There’s some degradation as the glyphosate or the soapy tallow surfactant encounter UV rays, plant exudates, or rain, and after harvest some degradation with time, transport, and processing/meal preparation. Then it has to pass through the gauntlet of our digestion with stomach acid, bile enzyme, and microbial digestion and very selective absorption through the enterocytes of our gut lining. There’s lots of nasty stuff that passes through us without ever being absorbed.I’ve worked in biochemistry labs. Sodium dodecyl sulfate, a major surfactant in shampoos, is used daily to disrupt cell membranes. Its toxic in vitro. As most people don’t drink shampoo and SDS degrades rapidly in our sewers, we accept this as the price of shiny hair. I’ve no doubt that the surfactant used to enhance glyphosate absorption by weeds (Polyethoxylated tallow amine) is toxic too if it comes directly into contact with cell membranes, but I’m not sure this is meaningful for human health.There are definitely some industrial products I want nowhere near my food. Heavy metals and hormonally disrupting persistant organic pollutants top the list. However, I doubt we can support 7 billion without some crop protection chemicals, and hence the question is what is the least dangerous option. I’m not in love with glyphosate, but atrazine and 2,4-D, used extensively on non-GMO fields, are clearly worse. Some of the wealthier classes in the developed world can opt out of this dilemma, but I follow the science, and eat undoubtedly GMO corn tortillas daily, from the same corn eaten by hundreds of millions for whom a Whole Foods isn’t an option. I’d love to live in a world of 2-3 billion where more sustainable pest/weed control practices like crop rotation or intercropping were widespread. And one of my hopes is that more plant based diets will reduce the human footprint enough to allow a smoother transition to that sustainable civilization.Darryl: Thanks for taking the time for that explanation. I can see where you are coming from and it makes a lot of sense and is a very nice, (short term?) compassionate approach.Not that you asked, but I thought I would share my different and more ruthless perspective: I’m not interested in feeding 7 billion people. My understanding is that when animals have enough food, they reproduce more. It sounds like you and I are both in agreement that humans have reproduced beyond what is sustainable. I would argue that a big part of that is because we have made these short term cheats in producing unsustainably large amounts of food, such as the GMO foods.My solution is not to compromised in any way on production of healthy and sustainable food, but instead to just have less food. Without that, I don’t see how we will ever get our population under control and the long term consequences of our population problem is in my opinion, even more suffering by all long term. My opinion is that humans are not capable of limiting our population using our will power. We are so like bunnies in that way. So, maybe lack of food is the only way. And anyway, I’m personally swayed by a lot of the anti-GMO arguments, especially in regards to the health of the planet, something that Dr. Greger choose (wisely in this context) not to address.One battle at a time.Thank you for another eye opening video. I am dumbfounded.Dariush Mozaffarian of Harvard University is another scholar advocating change in this area – see http://harvardmagazine.com/2014/03/the-price-of-healthy-eatingwow, they list fish in the proven healthy category, and they list chicken and eggs in the benign category, not good for you but not bad for you either. So much for that article. Completely discredited. Can’t take anything in that article seriously.Completely discredited! How can they have the audacity to base their recommendations on the best available scientific evidence instead of ideology and wild extrapolations from laboratory studies or fearmongering about toxins? ;)See links below for a good sampling of the best available scientific evidence on chicken, eggs, and fish. Looks to me like Ben got it correct. I have to wonder if those authors did any actual research to find the best scientific evidence or if they went with their own ideology and wild extrapolations.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/Though I do appreciate LegallyGreen for posting the link. The dollar amounts piece of the article is interesting. One has to wonder what the how the dollar amounts would work out in their analysis if they had started with a good definition of healthy eating.Sorry, but as much as I apreciate nutritionfacts.org and Dr. Greger’s work, his videos hardly represent “the best scientific evidence” but a highly(!) selective account of evidence given through the lens of vegan ideology with some, to quote myself, “wild extrapolations from laboratory studies” and “fearmongering about toxins” thrown in for a good measure.There’s no need to discuss fish. The epidemiological evidence doesn’t leave room for any controversity here: fish consumption is consistently associated with a reduced risk of CVD and other diseases. In a recent review[1], 20 of 21 included studies found a reduction in CVD risk with increased fish consumption.When it comes to meat, there is conflicting evidence of course. The most recent, largest, international and methodologically most advanced study published on the relation between meat consumption and mortality[2], having 37 authors and encompassing a cohort of nearly a half a million(!) people, followed for an avarage of 12.7 years found no incrased risk associated with any type of unprocessed meat, including red meat with any type of mortality risk. There was a slight, statistically non-significant increase only for the highest sextile of red meat consumption (more than 160 g/day!) and no association with poultry at all.No, of course you won’t ever hear about such studies from Dr. Greger or any other vegan physician or diet guru. This is what I mean by “giving a selective account of the evidence”.You actually summarized the fundamental flaw that is at work here quite nicely yourself: “if they had started with a good definition of healthy eating.” This is not how science is supposed to work. You don’t start with a “definition of healthy eating” (be it vegan, paleo or whatever you fancy) and twist and bend the evidence to fit it into that definition. It ought to be exactly the other way around: you start with the evidence and infer a definition of healthy eating from the evidence.Actually creationism works the very same way: you start with a definition of creation… this is why creationism is not science.[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23538940 [2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23497300Your right on. The vegan “natzie” group only talk about anything that supports their one sided view. For ever “study” they site, there are five that say ti a lot of BS. Everyome is different and moderation is the answer.“I have to wonder if those authors did any actual research to find the best scientific evidence or if they went with their own ideology and wild extrapolations.”You must be joking, right? Anyone who has even remotely come in contact with the literature on nutritional epidemiology recognizes the name Dariush Mozaffarian (the nutritionist from this article) or of his collegue at HSPH, Walter Willet. Willet and Mozaffarian are among (if not the) leading nutritional epidemiologists in the world. They have conducted hundreds of studies and published thousands of paper, as you can easily find out by searching their names on Pubmed.If anyone is making “wild extrapolations”, it is the like of Campbel, Esselstyn, Greger and other doctors firmly commited to vegan ideology and not those impartial, down-to-earth epidemiologists.Here are two relatively recent papers by Mozaffarian, adding to those I mentioned below:Fish, mercury, selenium and cardiovascular risk: current evidence and unanswered questions.[1] – In this paper evidence has been reviewed considering risk and benefits of fish consumption, concluding that the benefits by far outweight any risks due to toxins.Red and processed meat consumption and risk of incident coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. [2] – In this paper Mozaffarian et al. have analysed the evidence from 17 prospective cohort and 3 case-control studies with a total of more than 1.200.000(!) participants and found that while processed meat was associated with a slighty increased risk of CHD and diabetes, no such association exist for unprocessed red meat.[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19578467 [2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20479151Nutrition debates always seem to devolve into the “No True Scotsman” logical fallacy.“Any scientist who disagrees with my conclusions could never be an impartial researcher, and here are the studies to prove it!”Huh? I did nothing but to give an account of the most recent, large-scale epidemiological evidence on fish and meat consumption, because Thea brought up that topic. I didn’t draw any further conclusion from that evidence. However, I agree that anyone who chooses to simply ignore such factual evidence for ideological reasons is certainly not an “impartial researcher” but has more in common with the creationists I mentioned below.Two comments Timar. 1. Have a look at the World Cancer Reserch Fund/AICR report on diet and cancer – most recent full report 2007 – analysed the evidence from thousands of studies, not just the couple you mention here, and concluded that processed meat caused cancer and should be avoided altogether, and that red meat was a likely cause of colon cancer and should be limited. You have to look at the totality of evidence, not rely on single studies that find no association and think meat is off the hook – there are so many factors that bias associations towards the null in epidemiological studies: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. 2. Almost all of these studies are done on western populations who consume a lot of animal products, and mounting evidence suggests that it is protein in general and animal protein in particular that causes cancer (even in moderate amounts) – see first two articles in last issue of Cell Metabolism, one of them is pasted below. If this is so, then we would not expect to see great differences in disease outcomes associated with specific types of animal proteins in populations consuming an overall high amount of animal protein. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2014.02.006Hi Kate,I certainly agree with most of what is stated in the AICR report, particularly that processed meat should be avoided and red meat should be limited. However, the negative impact of red meat has probably been overestimated in the past due to methodological limitations which been partly overcome in the more recent, large-scale epidemiological studies (particularly the EPIC study) I have referenced and which will serve as the evidence base for the next AICR report. It’s better to err on the side of caution though, so yes, one should definitely limit the intake of red meat. I know the Cell Metabolism study (I read it over and over actually ;) and I think that while it has severe limitations (particularly that it doesn’t fit in very well with the totality of evidence, which shows little harm even with high intakes of animal protein, so this is a point where I totally agree with you), I think that it brings up a compelling thesis. I have long recommended to limit the the intake of animal protein to no more than one ounce a day (in order to limit the intake of methionine) and this study confirms this admittedly somewhat speculative recommendation. One ounce a day would equal, for example, a cup of yogurt plus a three ounce serving of fish or meat. However, there is no evidence base to recommend avoiding animal protein alltogether. Many studies actually suggest that consuming small amounts of animal foods may provide health benefits. The EPIC as well as the Asian study have both shown suggestive trends of reduced mortality for a low- to moderate intake of meat (particularly poultry) compared to total avoidance. The reason for those trends are hard to tell, though (it may be to due the nutrients in meat or due to confounding because of malnutrition or both) – quite in contrast to fish consumption for which we have overwhelmingly convincing evidence for health benefits (as I said, 20 of 21 major studies found significant benefits).It would be in your best interest to view the links Thea has shared, as there is a huge abundance of evidence showing how animal product consumption is not healthful. Your hypocritical claims of NF not keeping up with the research, and you yourself not having any curiosity in the available research is confounding. The studies presented within the countless videos are vast, expansive, and go beyond contaminants.In regards to fish, to consume fish solely for omega 3 is a silly reason, when you can get dietary omega 3’s in a far healthier form from flax which does have ALA, this processes to DHA and EPA if omega 3 ratios are adequate. Algae derived DHA is also toxin free. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/Sorry, I’m not interested in nutritional ideology but in nutritional science. nutritionsfacts.org often provides valueable information when it comes to the health benefits of plant foods (in stark contrast to the ideology-driven fearmongering regarding animal foods) and I appreciate the work Dr. Greger is doing but I would never consider it a reliable and authoritative source. Drs Greger, Esselstyn & co are no impartial researchers but men on an ideological misson. They are certainly not in the same legaue as interationally renowned nutritional scientist and epidemiologist like Willet or Mozzafarian.Btw., you as ill-informed about long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids as you are on other topics we have discussed. Even Dr. Greger acknowledes the need to consume preformed LCPUFAs and reommends vegans to supplement DHA from agae oil. We have evolved as omnivores for millions of years and some poeple, presumable those whose ancestors consistently consumed a diet rich in animal foods, carry genetic polymorphisms in the involved desaturase and elongase enzymes which make them virtually unable to synthesize their own DHA from alpha-linolenic acid (men are generally much less efficient in doing so then woman, who to supply the growing fetus brain with DHA), regardless of the dietary n-3/n-6 ratio.I agree, however, that it would be silly to eat fish just because of the LCPUFAs, as it you can get those more economically and conveniently from fish oil or algae oil. I eat fish because of the extremely compelling epidemiological evidence for the health benefits of fish consumption (the evidence for fish oil or algea oil DHA supplementation is much less consistent) and, most importantly, because I just love to eat fish – it is a delicious and healthy food :)Hi Timar. I am a bit confused, so i would ask you – how is that you “can appreciate Dr. Greger’s work as valuable information but never consider it a reliable and authoritative source”? What part do you find valuable? How does something not reliable bring value to you? Do you like to check the Sources Cited as the valuable part, does the value come from sparking deeper research for you? Dr. Greger doesn’t claim to be a researcher.Well, as I said – whenever Dr. Greger discusses the health benefits of plant foods (for example, the recent excellent series on curcuma), the videos are usually well researched and informative. It is only when he tries to scare people away from eating animal foods when he tends to indulge in fearmongering by exaggerating and presenting the results of single studies out of context. As I am educated in nutritional science and know about the big picture, it doesn’t bother me to discern the valuable information from the propaganda.I certainly agree HSPH is a stellar resource but it is not totally neutral either as you believe. “If we were truly basing this only on science, we would, but it is a bit extreme.”Trans Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., M.P.H., Martijn B. Katan, Ph.D., Alberto Ascherio, M.D., Dr.P.H., Meir J. Stampfer, M.D., Dr.P.H., and Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra054035Dr. Willet: “There’s no sharp cutoff. But when you get down to maybe one serving of meat or less per week the risk gets pretty low. If you really want to go for the lowest possible, it does look like not consuming red meat at all, or a couple times a year, is where you’d want to be.” http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/24/health/la-he-five-questions-walter-willett-20120324Willet…”A better goal would be to cut out red meat entirely.”http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2013/07/27/what-eat-harvard-walter-willett-thinks-has-answers/5WL3MIVdzHCN2ypfpFB6WP/story.html“Because trans fats are unavoidable on ordinary, non-vegan diets, getting down to zero percent trans fats would require significant changes in patterns of dietary intake.” One of the authors of the report, the Director of Harvard’s Cardiovascular Epidemiology Program explained why—despite this—they didn’t recommend a vegan diet: “We can’t tell people to stop eating all meat and all dairy products,” he said. “Well, we could tell people to, become vegetarians,” he added. “If we were truly basing this only on science, we would, but it is a bit extreme.” The report concluded: “it is recommended that trans fatty acid consumption be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.”http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/Nice quote – it shows that, if anything, they are actually biased towards vegetarianism! If you look at the RR tables from large-scale epidemiological studies on meat consumption (like those I have referenced below) you see that the curve for red meat consumption follows a U-shape – with increased risk at high and very low intakes. You have to interpret the lower part of the curve in some way and this is where your personal bias comes into play. Is the risk increase with very low intakes or abstinence from red meat due to certain nutrients exclusive to meat, or is it due to unresolved confounding? We don’t know. The only thing we know for sure from the most recent evidence is that low intakes of red meat (less than one ounce a day) don’t seem to have any significant negative effects.I agree that what we know is that low intakes of red meat = 1 oz/day doesn’t seem to have significant negative effects and is the best we have so far. How many “meat” eaters only eat 1 oz/day or less (one bite for many)? This is the conundrum that can’t be taken in isolation.Well, that is about red meat, not meat in general. There are many people I know of who eat red meat on avarage once a week (Europeans are not quite as “beefed up” as Americans, with their fondness for steaks and burgers). A six ounce serving once a week is less than one ounce a day. I eat even less than that – maybe three ounces a week, which conforms pretty well with the traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern.There is no increase in mortality risk at all for poultry, which I think is surprising given the gross practices in industrial poultry farming. Unfortunately, there are no studies yet comparing the health outcomes of eating organic, humanely farmed animal foods vs. industrially “produced” ones. I guess it would be hard to do such a study because sadly 95% falls in the latter category.Timar, because you disagree with me does not mean I am ill informed. New information you havent seen before does not equal bad information. If you are to study nutrition then do so without getting frazzled..Firstly, the omega 6:3 ratio is not an invention. To convert ALA and omega 6 to DHA/EPA and arachidonic acid respectively involves competitive enzymes. If you have too much of one or the other, then inadequate conversion occurs. This is a fact. Most foods, especially most nuts with the exception of walnuts and flaxseeds, are very high in omega 6. Whole plant foods on the other hand generally have great ratios. So yes, the ratio does matter, which is another reason why liquid fat calories from olive oil is not helpful. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2656504/ http://ebm.sagepub.com/content/233/6/674.long http://www.karger.com/Book/Home/229515Secondly, those consuming a plant based diet with good ratios do not need to consume preformed DHA and EPA.“Interest in the cardiovascular protective effects of n–3 (omega-3) fatty acids has continued to evolve during the past 35 y since the original research describing the low cardiovascular event rate in Greenland Inuit was published by Dyerberg et al. Numerous in vitro experiments have shown that n–3 fatty acids may confer this benefit by several mechanisms: they are antiinflammatory, antithrombotic, and antiarrhythmic. The n–3 fatty acids that have received the most attention are those that are derived from a fish source; namely the longer-chain n–3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n–3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n–3). More limited data are available on the cardiovascular effects of n–3 fatty acids derived from plants such as a-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n–3). Observational data suggest that diets rich in EPA, DHA, or ALA do reduce cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death; however, randomized controlled trial data are somewhat less clear. Several recent meta-analyses have suggested that dietary supplementation with EPA and DHA does not provide additive cardiovascular protection beyond standard care, but the heterogeneity of included studies may reduce the validity of their conclusions. No data exist on the potential therapeutic benefit of EPA, DHA, or ALA supplementation on those individuals who already consume a vegetarian diet. Overall, there is insufficient evidence to recommend n–3 fatty acid supplementation for the purposes of cardiovascular protection; however, ongoing studies such as the Alpha Omega Trial may provide further information.Combined with the lack of convincing clinical data in favor of n–3 fatty acid supplementation for cardiovascular endpoints and the lack of data in those that consume a vegetarian diet, it is difficult to make the recommendation that vegetarians should consume fish to optimize their cardiovascular mortality.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/5/1597S.long“Comparison of the PLLC n23 PUFAs:DALA ratio between dietary-habit groups showed that it was 209% higher in vegan men and 184% higher in vegan women than in fish-eaters, was 14% higher in vegetarian men and 6% higher in vegetarian women than in fish-eaters, and was 17% and 18% higher in male and female meat-eaters, respectively, than in fish-eaters This suggests that the statistically estimated conversion may be higher in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20861171“There is no evidence of adverse effects on health or cognitive function with lower DHA intake in vegetarians”“In the absence of convincing evidence for the deleterious effects resulting from the lack of DHA from the diet of vegetarians, it must be concluded that needs for omega-3 fatty acids can be met by dietary ALA. ”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500961Thirdly, Regardless of the epidemiological studies, the harms of fish consumption have been established.The link between fish consumption and neurobehavioral abnormalities in adults is likely related to mercury toxicity. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0161813X03000809Blood arsenic levels are an accurate marker of fish consumption http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=6864520As is mercury in the hair http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18987591Fish has the highest content of dioxins, PCB’s and flame retardant chemicals http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/pdf/FourthReport.pdf http://www.efsa.europa.eu/de/scdocs/doc/1701.pdf http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mnfr.200700166/abstractThis study compared 2 groups in Hong Kong, one group was a fish consumer, the other was not. Those who consumed fish had 10 times the mercury in the body. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9646524One or more servings of fish a week and Mercury consumed exceeded the safe level of consumption for 25% of the subjects http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935108001825And this has not even acknowledged the IGF-1 raising effects of animal products as well as endotoxemia which are by far the most compelling arguments to abandon animal products consumption. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/Furthermore, the idea that marine fats are healthy comes from modelling the diet of the eskimos based on a study in the 1970’s.“Eskimos do have a similar prevalence of CAD [coronary artery disease] to non-Eskimo populations, and in fact, they have very high rates of mortality due to cerebrovascular events (strokes). Overall, their life expectancy is approximately 10 years less than the typical Danish population and their overall mortality is twice as high as that of non-Eskimo populations.“Considering the dismal health status of Eskimos, it is remarkable that instead of labeling their diet as dangerous to health, a hypothesis has been construed that dietary intake of marine fats prevents CAD and reduces atherosclerotic burden,” http://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/investigators-find-something-fishy-with-the-classical-evidence-for-dietary-fish-recommendations http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0828282X14002372I hope you will not dismiss the presented evidence as “faulty” because you have not seen it and actually absorb the presented data.Huh!? What a preposterous reply! I never said that the n-6/n-3 ratio was “an invention” or not relevant. I said that some people carry genetic polymorphisms making them virtually unable to synthesize LCPUFAs from alpha-linolenic acid, irrespectively of their dietary n-6/n-3 ratio (as even Dr. Greger acknowledges by recommending an algae oil supplement for vegans). Now this is really my last response. I won’t try anymore to discuss with you as you have repeateadly shown your inability or unwillingness to follow my argument.“I won’t try anymore to discuss with you as you have repeateadly shown your inability or unwillingness to follow my argument.”The information I shared follows your argument as outlined below, you are just not willing to acknowledge the evidence, as you have failed to do so countless times during our discussions. Because the evidence disagrees with your perceived outlook on nutrition does not mean it should be discounted willy nilly.“Even Dr. Greger acknowledges the need for preformed LCPUFAs and recommends vegans to supplement DHA from agae oil.”I Acknowledged this with the vegetarian studies” genetic polymorphisms in the involved desaturase and elongase enzymes rendering them virtually unable to synthesize their own DHA from alpha-linolenic acid (men are generally much less efficient in doing so then women, who need to supply the growing fetus brain with DHA), regardless of the dietary n-3/n-6 ratio.”I showed that for most people this is not a real issue. If you have studies to share showing this widespread dilemma then please do.“I eat fish because of the extremely compelling epidemiological evidence* for the health benefits of regular fish consumption”Also acknowledged and discounted with many studies showing a prevalence of people who have burdened their bodies with an excessive intake of toxic compounds, in addition to the IGF-1 raising and endotoxemic effects of animal based foods.+Timar, you are a devoted saboteur of reliable nutritional news. Your promotion of meat and dairy exemplifies why American’s are ignorant about nutrition. Somehow you think you can write a few sentences and dismiss good science. Meat consumption is dropping in the USA. Too bad the word isn’t spreading faster.Huh? First of all, I’m not an American. Second, the fact that I am not biased towards veganism doen’t mean that I am promoting meat and dairy. On the contrary, I have stated in several discussions that there is reason to reduce the total intake of animal protein to about one ounce a day (wich is less than one third of the current US avarage). Third, I think that it is a great thing that meat consumption is dropping in the USA and other affluent nations. It is still far to high – from an ecologic and well as a public health or animal rights standpoint. However, I don’t think that there is scientific evidence to suggest that all animal products should be avoided for health reasons. There is evidence that they should not be consumed in excess, as it is currently the norm. And I think there is some evidence that a moderate consumption of more humanly produced animal products (such as pastured dairy) may provide health benefits over an exclusively plant-based diet.I not against veganism. I’m only against the distortion of scientific evidence in the pursuit of ideology – be it vegan, paleo or whatever.Timar, regardless of the source, Americans are bombarded daily with misinformation about nutrition. Most of this misinformation reaffirms their belief that it’s OK to eat meat and dairy. Whether the misinformation is perpetuated by a fellow American or someone, like yourself, doesn’t change the message.By your own account what you say is based on personal belief (” I don’t think that there is scientific evidence to suggest that all animal products should be avoided for health reasons.”). Your belief has no place when claiming science is your source. Americans eat more than three ounces of meat daily. “Three ounces” is the amount recommended on the preposterous “food pyramid” guide published by our government. It was dictated by the meat and dairy industries. Are you sure you even understand the health problems we have in the U.S.A.?What science tells you one ounce of meat daily will contribute to health and not disease? Or are you claiming one ounce of meat won’t harm your health? Isn’t that like saying one cigarette a day is OK? You “think” this and you “think” that but what you think isn’t proof of anything. It’s especially offensive and even amusing considering you haven’t viewed the available videos provided by Dr. Greger (and others). It appears you read a little and extrapolate big erroneous opinions from your small time expenditure. You’d be better received if you put the time in and actually study the subject.I agree, we need an evidence based approachToxins, are you sure you understand this web site? Dr. Gerber scours scientific papers, articles, studies, and nutritional claims…and using his medical knowledge shares pertinent ones with us. He reviews their claims and focuses on significant points. He then explains the validity (or otherwise) of each claim, He also adds commentary doing all this with humor. I personally could not put all the relevant nutritional information in perspective.Dr. Gerber’s efforts are complimented by the work of Dr. John McDougall, a contemporary cohort, others, and all the science validated from past researchers. Without their effort and contribution the meat and dairy industries would dominate media and all nutritional information unchallenged. Until you take time to know the available body of work you’ll just keep expressing personal opinion contrary to the science. That would embarrass me.Slider, I am a moderator on this website. I am agreeing with your points. You have misinterpreted my agreement with you.LOL, Toxins…mixed up the names. My laptop screen is broken (stepped on it)…only half is working. I’ll stop posting until I can get to my desktop tomorrow. There are some really outrageous half-baked ideals on this board; you’re not the poster.I agree with you, I have already experienced the “thick headedness” of Timar along with other passionate posters on this website. There will always be people who are like this, that are not willing to accept any incoming information from Dr. Greger on things they disagree with. It is good to identify the problems in their argument so that others can see.Sorry but I don’t have the time to comprehensively list all the sources I base such assessments on. It is based on my reading of hundreds of studies and textbooks over a long period of time. Of course we all have our biases as we are bound to a selective perception of reality. However, we either can make an effort to keep our biases in check and remain as objective as possible for human being or choose to indulge in our biases by turning them into an ideology. The latter is certainly the more convenient and hence – I’m affraid – the more popular option.Two important clarifications, though: First, I didn’t say one ounce of meat, but one ounce of animal protein. This is based on a comprehensive review of the epidemiological literature as well as on some more hypothetical considerations regarding the effect of methionine and branched chain amino acids on IGF-1 and the mTOR pathway. Second, it is preposterous to compare the consumption of meat with the smoking of cigarettes, as cigarettes provide only toxins and no nutrients. Animal products, however,are important sources for an array of nutrients, some of them essential, some of them (semi-)essential and/or health-promoting at low to moderate intakes but detrimental at higher intakes (e.g. methionine, heme iron, possibly carnitine), some of them health-promoting (e.g. vitamins and trace minerals), benign (e.g. MUFAs, most amino acids) or detrimental (e.g. contaminants such as mercury) at any possible dietary intake level. Moreover, animal products have been an important part of almost all human diets for at least 2 million years, whereas the smoking of tobbacco has only become en vogue in the 18th century.Timar, I’m not interested in your list anyway. If you said you read a thousand articles claiming Communism was a better form of government than capitalism does that make it true? Restating a falsehood many times doesn’t make it a fact. Hitler said, “Repeat a lie often enough and the masses believe it. If it’s a bold outrageous lie they believe it even more because their rational is no one would tell such a stupendous lie.” He killed millions repeating his lies.“Bias” is not a bad word. The definition of bias is to favor something BASED ON FACT. If I am bias towards capitalism and it’s based on “success” and I see communist China converting to capitalism then regardless of all the claims China makes about communism being superior my bias is for capitalism. Likewise, the Soviet Union collapsed. Therefore their claims of a superior way isn’t supported.Seriously? Animal meat is different from animal “protein”? If I eat animal protein exactly what would I be swallowing? I challenge you to share just one benefit from animal “protein” or meat that’s not available from a starch based diet (With the exception of providing an excellent income for medical doctors.)My smoking analogy was appropriate. I’m saying how few cigarettes can you smoke and not risk getting cancer? Likewise how little meat (fish, poultry, mammal) can one safely eat and not cause harm?Please spare me the microscopic view of nutrition. I don’t understand it. Simply tell me what essential benefit eating animal flesh provides. Does it strengthen your immune system? Protect you from cancer? Improve brain function? What?Just because some of our ancestors ate meat doesn’t mean it was healthy. Agreed, in your general terms (you sound like a government agency), animal meat was an important part of our ancestors diets because it kept them form starving to death. I would eat meat too if it kept me from starving. Doing so doesn’t mean I’ve done something healthy. Besides, today’s science wasn’t available two million years ago so why base our food choices on what someone did out of ignorance millions of years ago. Just two hundred years ago blood letting and leaches were the medical rage. Do you advocate blood sucking?I don’t think that it makes any sense to continue this discussion with you as you only come up with an army of straw mans instead of arguments:1. Comparing empirical scientific publications to ideological articles about political systems. This is utterly absurd. 2. Of course animal meat is different from protein. You shouldn’t dicuss nutrition if you lack the most elemenat knowledge. Meat is meat. Protein is protein. What is so hard to understand about that? Meat contains about 30% protein but also fat, water, some carbohydrates and many other compounds. You can get one ounce of animal protein from three ounces of meat or you can get it from two cups of milk or a cup of scrambled eggs. Animal protein is the protein from any type of animal food. Got it? 3. Regarding your question: “Simply tell me what essential benefit eating animal flesh provides. Does it strengthen your immune system? Protect you from cancer? Improve brain function?” Indeed there is good evidence that the latter is the case (e.g. in elderly Japanese man). There is also some evidence that it may improve immune function (it has convincingly been shown that milk protein boosts immune function). If you look at epidemiological studies you generally see a weak U-shaped relationship between meat consumption and disease risk. Those eating a lot of meat have an increase risk and eating relativiely little meat have the lowest risk. Those eating the least meat or no meat at all are again at qa slightly increased risk. The question is whether both sides of thar curve reflect a causal relationship. Given the nutrients in meat and the increased requirement for many of those nutrients in the elderly there is good reason to assume that they both do. I have written more about the epidemiology of meat consumption and given references to the largest and most recent epidemiological studies in another comment to this video.Timar…There’s a new sheriff in town, Lollypop. I read both your reports and didn’t skip over the big words. That technique was the key to discovering your misinterpretation. the elderly men did not have an increase in brain function. Some had a slight decrease in the rate of decline. That’s like you driving your car off a cliff and on the way down you strike a protruding tree branch. technically your rate of decent might slow slightly but you’ll still hit bottom. (splat) Incidentally, the elderly women did not show any measurable reduction in their rate of decline. Do you conclude only men should eat more protein so they die infinitesimally slower?You ramble on saying, “There is also some evidence that it may improve immune function”. Not a strong statement, pilgrim. That study was done on rats and mice given a protein extract from cow milk. Had they used the whole milk product they could have concluded cow milk clogs human arteries and overloads human kidneys. But, again, they avoided that conclusion by only extracting a component from the milk. How does it function when the other components of milk are included? My simple analogy previously was geared toward the reader. You still missed the point. Are you trying?You blurred the line talking about animal meat having 30% protein. (some actually has more. In a moment I realized you were ASSUMING a simple percentile was all that’s need to to conclude “3 OZ meat = 1 OZ protein. That’s not how protein ic calculated. the unit of measurement is generally in grams or, as I prefer, a percentage of caloric content. Regardless of preference, three ounces of met has but a few grams of protein.Let’s extrapolate your simpleton deduction. By your “reasoning”, all elements in meat have the same weight and mass, therefore are a percentile (volume-wise) of the total mass. Consider this, Sherlock, (an analogy just for you)…If you have a box half full of feathers and have full of lead. Each is 50% of the volume. Do you see the problem? The lead even though it’s half the volume (equal to the feathers) is infinitely heavier (figure of speech). If you eat the feathers you’ll derive more protein than if you eat the lead (I just threw that in for humor). What I’m saying is just because meat is 30% protein doesn’t meat the protein weight 30% of the total. You made that up unwittingly revealing your intellect.The advantage of watching the Dr. Gerber videos is you don’t have to understand, or even read, the big words. You cleverly (in your own mind) dismiss arguments you can’t debunk by claiming we don’t communicate or you don’t have time. Yet you choose to hang our on a board devoted to disseminating nutritional science in a format usable by anyone. You make so many false claims the majority of folks just let it pass. Your life would be more pleasant if you didn’t need to convince the rest of us your meat eating habits are good choices. If that’s your conclusion then do the manly thing and eat a c=double cheeseburger with bacon every time you have the urge. It’s your life and you don’t need my permission. But PLEASE, don’t clutter this board with your conclusion of what others are claiming in their research papers. I gave you the benefit of the doubt this one time and read your references. They were not as you claimed. Instead you added personal conclusions and erroneous understanding of what was otherwise a weak research conclusion. Don’t expect me to read another.I see you are stil levying your army of straw man – now armoured with quibbling and nit-picking. Sorry, but I don’t have time for such skirmish.I guess since you’re running for the hills that means you won? Do you understand what a “straw man” argument is? Lollypop, you have a lot…and I mean a LOT of defense mechanisms. I bet you never lose an argument. Was pointing out your embarrassing blunder calling a three ounce steak “one ounce of protein” one of my straw man arguments? Maybe it was when I ‘splained” those elderly Japanese men didn’t actually get better eating protein extract, they just got sick a little slower. Or were you talking about my plea that you read the big words too? Maybe you just confused me with the character in the Wizard of Oz! Have you suggested to Dr. Gerber that he let you screen all his videos before posting them? He might let you …just convince him you’ll start reading the big words too. Here that bell ringing? It’s me thumping on your right temple….”Anybody home?”slider1: This post is completely unacceptable. You may not refer to someone in a derogatory manner. Your posts may not be snide or rude. All posts on this site must be polite. You have the potential to be a good part of this community. So, I am taking the time to give you this warning. If someone is driving you crazy, you have the option of simply not replying. If you choose to engage, you must do so within the rules of this site.I am deleting this post. Please take this warning seriously.Thea, Nope, no one is driving me crazy. I was just toying with the lad. But you are right. He’s defenseless against the facts. I’m just not as gentle as you (or this site’s “standard” apparently.) You’ll forever have saboteurs discrediting the good that is posted here. It will continually be rebuked by those who have no regard for your rules. They are not here by chance. It’s an orchestrated plan to smother truth with confusion and misdirection. But, rules are rules. I’ll do better. I need a good set of rules. Let’s see…hmmm…number 1 hmmm?slider1: Thank you.If you are interested in the official rules, you can find them on the FAQ page: http://nutritionfacts.org/faq/The parts of interest might be: “people feel comfortable posting without feeling attacked,” “no tolerance for ad hominem attacks” “foster a community of mutual respect.” “respectfully disagree”Thanks.Timer, anyone reading my reply can see for themselves that I pointed out the erroneous claims in your post. What you claimed was not factually in the report. Next time I won’t be so inclined to read your link. No, I’m not a fanatic, just a stickler for honesty. You don’t object to that do you?Hey NF Team, the facebook share and like say “Page not Found.”Hey Joeboosauce! Thanks for letting us know! We just fixed it.How very sad. When are we likely to see change in this area, though? Agribusiness has an enormous influence on Capitol Hill – they have their own congressional subcommitees, huge amounts of money to spend on lobbyists and politicians, and it’s impossible to win presidential office without winning at least some big agricultural states. Even in Europe dairy is heavily subsidized in certain countries. If only 1% of corn is destined for human consumption, and the other 99% to feed animals so we can eat those animals, how can we turn this around?It was controversial to subsidize corn to produce ethanol but it does not seem very controversial to subsidize corn production to feed livestock so we can eat those livestock.I no longer eat any animal products but virtually all my friends and family still do. They think I’m crazy to have given up meat. I have one sympathetic friend with a very wide spectrum of major food phobias who said that if she gave up eating chicken, dairy and beef, she would have nothing left to eat. Sometimes eating vegan out is very isolating, but I tend to take it all in stride. It’s a healthy way to eat, I’ve lost lots of weight and brought my blood pressure and lipids down, and I am not directly contributing to animal suffering through my food choices. It seems like such a “slam dunk” choice to make that it’s startling that more people aren’t making it!I collect hilariously stupid reasons people use to rationale meat eating. Your “I will have nothing left to eat” made my “David Letterman’s top ten list.The top dumbest reason I ever came upon –true story! — was “If we all stopped eating animals, then where would they keep all the farm animals??…they would just flood the cities…containment would be a huge problem.” I bet nobody can beat that one!“If we all stopped eating farm animals, then our cities would be overrun by them.” – If this is the level of knowledge we are up against, then we have a long way to go.Feral pigs are already problem in parts of the South, with respect to wildlife habitat. Not likely to overrun Atlanta anytime soon.Too many Crackers live for pork BBQ! (a feast/fiesta only food for me now).VegAtHeart: That one about plants feeling pain or “plants are alive too” just pisses me off. Your top one, I hadn’t heard before. That just makes me laugh. Oh boy.There is no excuse for eating (sustainably produced) meat, because one doesn’t have to excuse for it.However, sustainable, small-scale integrated organic agriculture, like family farms in the way they have existed for hundreds of years, does not work without livestock. Animals are by far the most important source for nitrogen and their manor is often without alternative for fertilizing the soil.Of course, such traditional, organic farming produces much less meat than factory farming. This is why a hundred years ago, most poeple ate meat once a week, not on a daily base.There is no concept of a sustainable agriculture without livestock, which I know of, that has been shown to work.FYI:1 – Vegan Organic gardening 2 – Say what, Michael Pollan? 3 – position of the American Dietetic AssociationObviously I was refereing to organic farming practices that are productive enough to nourish an urban population, not of some petty “vegan organix gardening” ;)Seriously Timar? Livestock manure is causing our water supplies to be contaminated with algae and other contaminants. All because we are growing corn and soy to feed animals.Congratulations! always check out the “side servings” and ask to hold the fat/salt/sugar etc.I think you are changing them, even when they protest…their own words echo inside and change begins. You lead by example.To suggest that veganism is the solution for all the problems associated with or food system is like suggesting that childlessness is the solution for overpopulation. In a way it is, but of course such problems require a much more nuanced consideration. There are many brilliant people who have thouroughly analyzed industrial agriculture, like Marion Nestle in her book Food Politics, Michael Pollan in The Omnivores Dilemma, who haven’t come to the conlusion that one should follow a vegan diet but that one should consume animal products in moderation chose such from sustainably raised animals. In my opinion (ethical objections against eating animals left aside), moderation is always preferable to abstinence, although the latter may be easier to realize.Given the wealth of evidence supporting a plant-based diet, the meat proponent has the burden to prove that “moderate” meat consumption is beneficial.Timar, your attitude is reflected in your comment, “Marion Nestle (Food Politics) or Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma), who haven’t come to the conclusion that one has to follow a vegan diet…” It’s not a matter of “having to”. Honestly I’d get nauseous if I was forced to eat meat. Only in industrialized countries are the populations conditioned to consume huge amounts of meat…and think it’s normal (and “healthy”). I met a medical doctor who teaches at Wright State University, School of Medicine. She is from Nigeria and shared her experience practicing medicine in her country. No one was even trained to diagnose heart disease because they never saw it. Finally one person had it and they couldn’t diagnose it. She smiled the whole time she told that story. Imagine how silly Americans must look to folks in other countries who AREN’T ‘studying nutrition” because they don’t get heart disease, cancer, high BP, and the rest because they don’t eat meat and dairy.Question for the staff: how do you format the bibliography?I mean the sequence author – title – journal.By hand or using some software? Thank you so much for letting me know!Hey, if you’re looking for citation software, I’ve recently learned in grad school of 2 programs, EndNote and Zotero. Both are free! I use Zotero because it has great Firefox integration and will extract the biblio info from Amazon or any journal site and create the biblio in any style you want.Thanks!Zotero seems great, but can you tell me how do I export the bibliography so that it also have the links to the original article, like here on NF?Dear Dr.: Be careful. Very careful.Well, poeple like Marion Nestle and Michael Pollan are still alive ;)How about we stop subsidizing huge corporations all-together!?The first step is to inform yourself… then inform others, in the end take action with a programmed peaceful fiscal strike…It’s too hard to listen to this guy. His voice tone is way too pompous sounding, Constantly nasal, smacking his tongue off the roof of his mouth before he starts a new sentence, using that pompous sounding vocal fry “creak” sound all the time.Please no personal attacks, thank you. You can read the transcripts or review the Sources Cites if you prefer.Dr Gregar needs to get someone else to narrate this highly informational reports. His voice grates on my very last nerve!We all have things about us that someone would find “grating” I am sure. Just read the transcript if you prefer or review the Sources Cited.When you give the state the power to subsidize foods you consider healthful, don’t be surprised when it subsidizes foods you consider unhealthful. If you give it the power to rule others on your behalf, you simultaneously give it the power to rule you on their behalf. The answer to unhealthful foods is education; it is not robbing Peter to subsidize health conscious Paul.I am missing a few pieces of the story. WHY did the US start to subsidize ‘animal feed’ – the lower grade corn and soy in the first place? Thank you.Politicians were “influenced” by meat and dairy and farm lobbyists. In fact, even today they are afraid to not do their bidding. You and I don’t have lobbyists to offset the efforts of big business lobbyists. Big business finances politicians’ campaign efforts. Sadly simple, but true for many many decades.No one started out conspiring to rip off the American taxpayer or promote unhealthy food. Like so many other government programs its beginning was humble, seemingly benign and as humanitarian as one could imagine. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the people’s president, received tens of thousands of letters each day from starving Americans. During the Depression and American Dust Bowl, farmers were dirt poor. Back then farming was a family affair. None in the Midwest could grow any food. Roosevelt has pulled us out of the depression with several programs designed to put America back to work. One more was created to save the farmers from certain death, figuratively and literally.The programs succeeded and millions of desperate Americans returned to work. Farmers were able to keep their farms and grow food and save their eroded soil. WWII drew millions to war production jobs and off the farms. However, the subsidies remained in force without much questioning. Winning the war was priority over all else. As time passed, companies started forming and buying small farms until today small farming is a quaint memory and the business of farming is conducted by huge conglomerates with money and political clout.The small farmers didn’t have lobbyists but the giant farms had money so hired lobbyists who made donations to aspiring politicians and dictated what farm bills would be kept in force. Politicians are motivated by a need for power. The fear of losing their power and political perks and soft jobs in government keep them beholden to the demands of the giant corporations.We once had mom n pop grocery stores. Like the family owned farms they were put out of business by large businesses with lots of money. Today the small stores have been re-invented and branded as “convenience stores” where we pay huge premiums to buy what’s on their shelves. Like the family farms of past, these new small stores are owned in mass, by billionaires with political clout. It’s about power, money, and politics. We elect others to protect our interests in government but they are obedient to the hand that feeds them, big business. Rush Limbaugh uses fear to convince his listeners big business is their friend and needed by them. He often says, “No one EVER got a job from a poor person.” Obviously Rush has never operated his own small business. The country is full of small business where the owner is just getting by, putting in too many hours, and paying the bills and the salaries and the taxes and what’s left is little enough to survive. They aren’t buying out their competitors. They don’t have powerful influential lobbyist either.They merely exist and provide employment to others. They are truly poor by American standards. They can’t keep the doors open on pride alone so often they close up shop and work for the other guy to survive. Rush would have you beholden to big business for your job. Indeed, there is economy in size but at some point it’s obvious to those who want to see that the excess profits go to enrich the huge corporations and do nothing for the workers. When businesses get that big it’s easy to dictate to government what ‘ingredients” are acceptable for America’s food. Their choices is based on extending shelf life, reducing cost of ingredients, and maximizing profits. The result is the processed foods most Americans unwittingly put in theirs body’s thinking it’s normal based on all the media hype telling them bacon burgers are “to die for.” Did your great grand parents need constant reminders of what to eat? Which burger is juiciest; has the most cheese? I have a relative who grew up listening to all the media hype and I actually witnessed a dinner time decision he had to make. One grade school daughter wanted a burger but the other one wanted pizza. To please both he went to two fast food joints to buy dinner for his family. In times past folks were thankful there was food on the table. Children weren’t ask what they wanted for dinner. They found out when they sat down at the table…and ate the veggies and all without question. I didn’t know I wasn’t suppose to like vegetable. It was food and I was hungry. Today everyone has a voice and each is different and demanding. My hunch is a 21st century child will eat vegetables without hiding them under the cheese.Farm subsidies exemplifies where our country has drifted from humanitarian efforts to exploitation. Over time what was once a societal solution became another opportunity to convert taxpayer money to personal assets for a few billionaires. You and I can’t change that. but we can change ourselves. Instead of buying sl many of the processed “food” products, plant some seeds…grow a garden. If that’s too much then buy a bushel of tomatoes in season and can them. Same for beans, beats potatoes, corn and peas…whatever is available and you desire. If you do that and I do then then we have solved our personal dilemma of unhealthy processed food products. If millions of Americans can a few foods this/next years, bug business will see their market/profits shrink. they will definitely notice. It can’t be all about economics for you and me. I don’t care if I Do have to buy canning jars and do the work. I’d rather can for a few hours than work for big business those hours to just turn around and use my money to buy inferior food. You can fix you. You can’t fix me or big business. But if you fix you, and I fix me, and others do the same we can protect our health and fix the problem too. We don’t need a lobbyist. We need resolve and a personal effort to control our personal food supply. Eating broccoli with our bacon burger to hopefully fight off the cancers and heart disease isn’t he answer, personal responsibility is. This government is so afraid of low employment numbers and an ailing gross national product forecast they are paralyzed by big business and their lobbyist…so don’t dare remove any subsidies paid out for unhealthy food. It’s about jobs and power. You and I don’t have those constraints. We’re free to grow or buy untainted food. All you have to do is take advantage of your power to do so.You and I don’t have a lobbyist. The American consumer doesn’t have a lobbyist. The most influential business do have lobbyists. Their lobbying efforts has kept subsidy programs in tact and even expanded them to meet their individual business needs (wants).Sorry, but I will continue to buy and eat organic milk, organic grass fed beef & pastured eggs/chicken. It’s what people have been eating for thousands of years and a perfectly healthy diet. There is NO reason to tax these foods more!! http://authoritynutrition.com/top-11-biggest-lies-about-vegan-diets/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AuthorityNutrition+%28Authority+Nutrition%29Sylvia, wright or wrong, what people have eaten for thousands of years was never scientifically scrutinized until the last hundred years (or so). What folks ate in ignorance thousands of years ago isn’t necessarily what’s optimal for health. However, since you want to use that argument then recognize people thousands of years ago didn’t eat nearly as much meat and dairy as you do. Many didn’t eat any. Meat consumption started to increase after the new world was discovered. Explorer took corn from the West back to Europe and found, for the first time it was economical to raise farm animals for food. Until then they couldn’t afford to feed a cow. BTW, corn is poor, but cheap food for cows. How do you propose to evolve to successfully process the excess meat you personally eat? It’s not going to happen. You’re overloading your body with protein. It was just a coupe hundred years ago humans were burned for witchcraft. I suppose that historical fact makes it a good idea?Makes no sense to eat bugs…we don’t need the excess protein in our diets.You’re right… but i do not know if society could translate from a heavy animal food diet to a near zero animal diet in few years, so maybe it will be a period of time where insects will substitute “animal” food waiting for the shift in human eating behaviors to a whole food plant based diet.Merio, ask any vegan, from experience they’ll confirm you don’t need to eat bugs to transcend from meat and dairy to not eating meat and dairy. You just stop. It takes about two weeks for your taste buds to recover from all the sensory overload and then you’ll discover vegetables explode with flavor. Meat eaters “imagine” they can’t survive without meat and dairy. They assume a world of bland food is all that’s left! Eat a chicken wing without the BBQ sauce, salt, pepper, and whatever else you put on it and tell me how flavorful chicken skin and flesh is. Ditto for hamburger and fish. Probably the biggest misconception is they have to live on salads. You’ll starve trying that. Your new main course is bean dishes, rice dishes, lentils, veggie burgers, Mexican foods…I even have a recipe for mock tuna salad. I challenge you to tell the difference. In addition eat all the veggies and salads you want…just make sure you get enough calories from the grains and beans. You can flavor them as you would meat…or not.you’re perfectly right, in fact i try to stick to a WFPB diet, but my parents think it is strange not to eat animal food (they are completely ignorant about human nutrition).In those days i will plan a vegan meal plan in a way to erase all animal food from my diet and i know i could succeed because i already tried in past time but i was less prepared than now.Merio, keep in mind your parent’s, like all of my generation, was raised eating Betty Crocker meals, We’ve been indoctrinated from childhood to eat what’s produced for profits. Generations back everyone grew some food and fast food wasn’t even an industry. I recall coming home from grade school and smelling something in the oven. My aunt explained it was “adult food”. That meant “don’t ask for any”. I ask what the adult food was. My mother said, “It’s called pizza…you wouldn’t like it.” This was the 50’s and the new pizza product came frozen in a cardboard box.Before I ever had my first taste of pizza I did have a Burger Chef hamburger as a sixteen year old…the first franchise hamburger chain in my small town. Their burgers were fifteen cents…add a nickle for cheese.Most older folks don’t change their nutritional habits until they are diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease. For your parents to change now is to admit all they believe about nutrition is wrong…even the way their mothers’ fed them was wrong. That’s too much to ask of most adults. People fear change. Just take care of your own health and set an example for others. Some will notice; most won’t. Your reward isn’t in “being right” but the excellent health you’ll enjoy as life happens.Oh, add chili and veggie stew to my list of vegan foods. When a curious soul seems sincere about going vegan I suggest they adopt the attitude,”I’ll eat the plant food and afterwards I’ll have some meat.” Once they have their starch based diet meal they are full and have no room (or desire) for meat. After that experience even the die-hard meat eaters realize it’s doable…without ever being hungry and without craving what they gave up. Good luck.Sorry, i forget to say that i’m italian so my parents were born in the ’50s in a small town in the North, and diet was really “poor” in the sense that there was not much differentiation. Fast food was not existent, while there were (i think) a lot of veggies, diary products (but few types) and grains (rice, pasta), while meat was for rich people and even fruit was rare. Unfortunately i do not know where to search about italian diet after WWII. There are a lot of difference throughout the peninsula.Now there are a lot of different types of food but as other countries, when people became richer, they start to buy more animal food because there is this myth about the superior value of animal proteins etc.And we start to eat a lot of simple sugars i think.Italian pastry is famous in all the world (unfortunately).Simply “we” do not have the human nutrition basis.Merio, I should have figured as much from your name :)“Poor” is a relative term. Americans eat poorly today. your parents ate better back then without even trying. They did not have to match wits (so much) with the food producers. Even the meat they ate was not like today’s meat. Much of what we eat in the U.S.A. isn’t even allowed to be sold in Europe. They are very anti GMO too!In your parents day they didn’t have to deal with the thousands of unhealthy food products on the shelves today. So it’s understandably they aren’t quite as aware as you are with regard to how badly our food chain is tainted. Back then more folks jobs were actually labor and physical exertion tends to suppress appetite. Today we sit and our minds drift off to what the next meal will be. It takes months and even a year sometimes to clear out whatever ails our body. Just eat what you like and know is safe and the body will heal itself and your immune system will be optimal.You made some good points, unfortunately there are a lot of people that promote GMOs in europe and i do not know why, and now there is this economic agreement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_Trade_and_Investment_Partnership ) where negotiations are practically hidden from the public and we have EU’s lobbyists vs US’s lobbyists but don’t know what they are going to do. Probably acting against national interests and food/agricultural policies.	American Egg Board,animal products,beans,chicken,Coca-Cola,corn,corn syrup,cost savings,dairy,eggs,empty calories,factory farming practices,Farm Bill,farmers,feed additives,fish,fruit,grains,industry influence,marketing,meat,Medicare,milk,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,National Dairy Council,National Pork Producers Council,pork,poultry,seafood,soda,soy,standard American diet,subsidies,sugar,tobacco,turkey,vegetables	What if billions in tax dollars were invested in healthier options rather than given to corporations to subsidize the very foods that are making us sick?	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-council/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cattlemens-beef-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marketing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/empty-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farmers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/subsidies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-pork-producers-council/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22745605,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22365570,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21151043,
PLAIN-2614	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/	How Many Cancers Have Been Caused by Arsenic-Laced Chicken?	In 2013, Maryland became the first state to ban the feeding of an arsenic-containing drug to chickens, which is used to control parasites and gives their meat an appealing pink color. In 2011, the FDA found that the livers of chickens fed this drug had elevated levels of inorganic arsenic, a known human carcinogen. In response, the drug’s manufacturer, Pfizer, voluntarily pulled the drug off the U.S. market. Although, it’s still sold overseas, including to places that continue to export chicken back to us, and a similar arsenic-containing drug for use in poultry is still available in the United States. At least the ban kept Maryland farmers from using stockpiles of the drug.How much arsenic gets into the actually meat, though, not just the internal organs? We didn’t know until recently. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health coordinated the purchase of chicken breasts off grocery store shelves in ten cities across the country, and found 70% of samples of chicken meat from poultry producers that didn’t prohibit arsenic drugs were contaminated with the cancer-causing form of arsenic at levels that exceeded the safety thresholds originally set by the FDA, before they relented and admitted there’s really no safe level of this kind of arsenic.See, when the drug was first approved, scientists believed its organic arsenic base would be excreted unchanged, and organic arsenic is much less dangerous than inorganic arsenic. But guess what appears to convert the drug into the carcinogenic form? Cooking. When chicken meat is cooked, levels of the arsenic-containing drug go down and levels of carcinogenic arsenic go up, suggesting the drug may degrade into the cancer-causing inorganic arsenic species during cooking. How much cancer are we talking about? If you estimate that about three-quarters of Americans eat chicken, then the arsenic in that chicken has potentially been causing more than 100 cases of cancer every year. They conclude that eliminating the use of arsenic-based drugs in chicken and pig production could reduce the burden of arsenic-related disease in the U.S. population.That’s one of the ways arsenic gets into rice. The resulting arsenic-bearing poultry manure is then introduced to the environment, the soil, the water, and then rice can then suck it up from contaminated soil and be transferred to human beings that don’t even eat chicken. We’re talking massive environmental contamination from the poultry industry; nearly 2 million pounds of arsenic has been poured into the environment every year by the chicken industry alone in the United States.And now we’re even seeing arsenic in foods sweetened with organic brown rice syrup, so there’s all these knock on effects. It reminds me of the arsenic in apple juice story. Although the US made lead and arsenic-based pesticides illegal years ago, they still persist in the soil, so even organic products are not immune.Yes, there are arsenic deposits naturally in the Earth’s crust, and there’s the industrial contamination and pesticide use, but arsenic-containing poultry drugs have been deliberately administered to animals intended for human consumption for 70 years. Consequently, exposures resulting from use of these drugs are far more controllable than are exposures from environmental sources. And the good news is that thanks to a lawsuit from the Center for Food Safety and other consumer groups, three out of the four arsenic-containing drugs fed to poultry have been officially pulled from the market.	What can I say?Great song!Hmm, I hear “The Pusher” by Steppenwolf and the movie I see is a certain clip at the end of “Taxi” driver… “You talking to me?”I`m the only arsenic here…..;) There will be no more pills, no more bad food, no more destroyers of my body. From now on will be total organization. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this arsenic off the streets.There’s no doubt the poultry industry has done some serious damage to our environment and our fellow citizens. I recommend the documentary ‘A River of Waste’ to everyone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-WAGf-4gC8Thanks for sharing Lawrence, I haven’t seen this yet, but is now on my list to watch.Dr. Greger, I forgot to mention to your readers that you are featured prominently in ‘A River of Waste.’ Your contribution adds so much.On a slightly unrelated topic, perhaps some day you will weigh in on the use of biosolids as fertilizer. The whole idea of using this sludge is, frankly, unsettling. I would be very interested in what you have to say about this practice. Thank you. http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/wastewater/treatment/biosolids/OK, So… 3 out of 4 arsenic-containing drugs have been “officially” pulled from the market. Does that mean that all the efforts to get these drugs out of our food supply have resulted in granting one company a monopoly in this market? Does anyone know who this lucky company is?Usually in such situations, one company has more political influence and money than the others. The relevant politicians look like good guys for banning some of the offending products. It sounds like the favored company received a present from their favorite politicians: a monopoly or a much less competitive marketplace.Does anyone know if this is what happened in this case? Why would the 4th arsenic-containing drug still be allowed in our foods?In this case, the same company produces the 4th drug as well (Nitarsone). The company is a subsidiary of Pfizer. Nitarsone is currently under investigation by the FDA but the industry claims that it’s the only known treatment for blackhead disease which effects turkeys. The disease can be prevented by keeping the animals in sanitary conditions. There is also an herbal formula that seems to work well.It’s important to note that the FDA only rescinded approval for these drugs after the Pharma companies had already voluntarily removed the drugs from the market. Nitarsone is still being widely used so essentially, the FDA didn’t get approval from the industry to rescind approval for the drug!Now that’s a telling closing statement, Masobel! Thank you.All I know is that first, you’ve got to get mad.You’ve gotta say, “I’m a human being, goshdarnit! My life has value!”So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell,“I’m as mad as hell,and I’m not going to take this anymore!!”——Howard Beale in “Network”…I know its corny but i really feel this way sometimes…CoAMe too!You people show no business sense at all. Who do you think you’re talking to? How are we supposed to move this vast stockpile of noxious crap if we can’t sell it? Did it ever occur to you that we’ve invested a lot of $$ so you can have that healthy white low fat low cholesterol high protein low carb filth for an attractive 0.89 cents/lb on your plate. Times are tough. We know whats good for you because we’ve told the USDA what to say. What’s a few cancers when your health is at steak? Just eat the product and quit listening to that man behind the video and nobody gets hurt more than usual.Nothing surprises me anymore. I was somewhat shocked to learn that animals in the livestock industry are fed parts of slaughtered animals unfit for human consumption, which is how mad cow disease happened in England. I am not surprised that chickens get fed a known human carcinogen in the name of enhancing profits. It’s virtually no wonder that we are dealing with a human epidemic of malignancy.I am so glad I found my way to a plant-based diet. Not that I am entirely protected from synthetic carcinogenic additives, but at least what I eat is not bioconcentrating them up the food chain.… delicious again, Peter.I just have to keep saying Dr G, your work and elucidative reports are so very greatly appreciated, as well as profoundly diaheartening. Info we all need – like medicine, tastes bad but good for us. No wonder I got sick as sin when I went back to meat eating for a few years. It’s a horror out there above and beyond animal cruelty. Sobering. Your elucidative reports are confirmation every single day.it is off topic, but i suggest to all NF readers to check out the PlantPositive channel on you tube, or on his site… http://www.plantpositive.com/The Primitive Nutrition Series is really good…It’s healthy, ’cause it’s chicken.Is there safe rice without arsenic? Where would you find it?	apple juice,arsenic,brown rice syrup,cancer,carcinogens,Center for Food Safety,chicken,cooking methods,FDA,food additives,industrial toxins,Johns Hopkins University,lead,liver,meat,organic foods,parasites,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,pork,poultry,rice,safety limits,turkey	Arsenic-containing drugs intentionally added to poultry feed to reduce the parasite burden and pinken the meat are apparently converted by cooking into carcinogenic inorganic arsenic compounds.	I’ve previously address this in my video Arsenic in Chicken. Nice to see some progress made!The antibiotics the poultry industry continues to feed chickens present another public health hazard. See my videos:Cooking may also create other carcinogens from the muscle itself:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brown-rice-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/johns-hopkins-university/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/center-for-food-safety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22336149,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23270108,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22759637,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23694900,
PLAIN-2615	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/	California Children Are Contaminated	Recently the diets of California children, ages two through seven, were analyzed to determine the cancer and non-cancer health effects from food contaminant exposures. Food may be the primary route of exposure to toxic heavy metals, persistent pollutants, and pesticides. Though food-borne toxic contaminants are a concern for all ages, they are of greatest concern for children, who are disproportionately impacted because they’re still developing and have greater intake of food and fluids relative to their weight. Pediatric problems that have been linked to preventable environmental toxin exposures include cancer, asthma, lead poisoning, neurobehavioral disorders, learning and developmental disabilities, and birth defects.But the good news is that changing one’s diet can change one’s exposure. A diet high in fish and animal products, for example, results in greater exposure to persistent pollutants like DDT and dioxins and heavy metals than does a plant-based diet because these compounds bioaccumulate up the food chain, and plants are at the bottom of the food chain. Unfortunately that’s the not the kind of diet this sample of kids were eating. Cancer benchmark levels were exceeded by all 364 children for arsenic, the banned pesticide dieldrin, a metabolite of DDT called DDE, and dioxins.Children exceeded safety levels by a greater margin than adults. This is especially of concern for children because all of these compounds are suspected endocrine disruptors and thus may impact normal development. Cancer risk ratios were exceeded by over a factor of 100 for arsenic and dioxins.What foods were the worse? For preschoolers, the #1 food source of arsenic was poultry, though for their parents it was tuna. The #1 source for lead was dairy and for mercury it was seafood. And the #1 source of the banned pesticides and dioxins was dairy. They didn’t split up the groups by gender, but a similar study in Europe found that men had higher levels of some of these pollutants than women. For example, levels of the banned pesticide chlordane, but women who never breastfed were right up there alongside men, while the lowest levels were found in women who breastfed over 12 months. It is therefore likely that the lactation-related reduction in blood pollutant levels partly explains the lower body burdens among women compared with men. So cows can lower their levels by giving some to us, then we can pass it along to our children.What non-cancer effects might some of these pollutants have? They can affect the immune system. Studies clearly demonstrate the ability of dioxins and related compounds to have a long-lasting and deleterious impact on immune function. This manifests as increased incidences of respiratory infections, ear infections, cough, and sore throat. At first most of the data was for during infancy, but now we have follow-up studies showing that the immunosuppressive effects of these toxins may persist into early childhood, so we should try to reduce our exposure. Because these pollutants accumulate in animal fat, consuming a plant-based diet, decreasing meat, dairy, and fish consumption may reduce exposure for children and adults alike.	I recently discovered juice concentrate grown outside the US has high levels of arsenic in them because it’s used as a pesticide. I wonder how the levels found in poultry compare to apple juice.Begs the question of how polluted our mainstream non-organic vegetables and fruit supplies are. It’s a very concerning issue…Dr G. did a video on this topic a few weeks ago. The conclusion was that organic is better if you can afford it. If not, conventional produce is still better than no produce. A pretty good rule of thumb is that if you have to peel it (orange, pineapple etc) it’s probably ok to eat conventionally grown, but if you eat the skin (berries, greens etc,) try to get organic.No worries. Government will save us. They will just raise the upper safe level of the toxins. Problem solved…..Are the animals getting their toxic levels through their plant feed (assuming one isn’t consuming factory-farmed animal products)? And if so, how can we also minimize what toxins we’re getting from the plants/environment?As far as I know, many cattle are fed rendered animal products unfit for human consumption. This is what caused mad cow disease but it is still allowed in chicken and pigs. No wonder there is bioaccumulation up the food chain if animals are subject to these sorts of cannibalistic feeding practices.Yes, that’s exactly what’s happening. For example, chickens are fed arsenic-containing chemicals to prevent bugs and illness (and give their flesh a pink tinge), then their waste is used as fertilizer, thus returning arsenic and other toxins to the soil. Dr. Greger goes into more details here: http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/how-much-arsenic-in-rice-came-from-chickens/ .Regarding reducing what toxins we’re getting from plants and the environment, I mentioned veganic farming above but unless you know where your produce is coming from, it’s hard to say what’s been put on it, or what’s in the soil it was grown in. At least that’s my thought on the matter. Good luck!I think that the FDA instituted a ban (2011 maybe?) on three of the four arsenic drugs used in poultry (and pig) operations. I think it was pressure from consumer groups that prompted the FDA to act. The one drug still allowed apparently is only for turkeys. (Yet another reason to go veg next Thanksgiving!)Yes, of course consuming more or a predominantly plant based diet is best but one VERY crucial point was omitted in the 4+ minute video. Eating an ORGANIC based diet will eliminate a huge portion of these pollutants regardless if it is plant or animal based. To me that is a glaring omission in the report.It’s not that he hasn’t covered the subject before about organic vegetables. Here is a video from 2010. Watch and see the graph about nearly no residue toxin in organic vegetables. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/I do understand that it has been covered and it’s likely preaching to the choir here, but for some it may not be that obvious. Thanks for the links though. Also, I think I was one of those kids in the photo below. I remember those trucks coming through my neighborhood. That may explain a lot of things. ha-ha.I eat some organic grown produce but have misgivings. Animal byproducts are usually the main ingredient in “organic” fertilizers. Be aware that manures, blood meals, etc. do not have to come from organic raised animals to meet “organic” certification. As noted in a NF video, arsenic from chicken feathers used as fertilizer have contaminated rice. There is always the possibility of contamination with viruses, bacteria, antibiotics, etc.. It is legal to apply raw uncomposted manure to organic crops up to 4 months prior to harvest. With huge amounts of animal excrement generated by factory farms, industrial operations may be spreading this waste on “organic” crops as a means of disposal.JayG–great point. In case others are curious, Dr. Greger addresses this question here: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/does-organic-chicken-contain-less-arsenic/Also, I’m not sure if you’ve heard about the veganic farming movement, but some farmers are transitioning away from using animal manure as fertilizer, and instead are using their own vegetable compost. Growing this way can actually be considered a traditional technique that’s been lost in many cultures with the rise of animal agriculture. The logic is: since nitrogen originates in plants, these farmers can return it to the soil using plants as well. I’ve met a few farmers at the farmers market who are trying to grow this way, but I’m not sure if any larger operations who sell to grocery stores have adopted this technique.The problem with the persistent organic pollutants like the “Dirty Dozen” or “Nasty Nine” is that they’re persistent. They’re found in similar amounts in conventional and organic produce (1, 2, 3) decades after they were banned. The main way to avoid exposure is to avoid eating animals that bioaccumulate them in fatty tissue, regardless of whether they’re organic or conventional.Darryl, good points, but even some of the research that you referenced notes that the pollutants in question were at lower levels of concentrations in organic produce. In my quest for better health I have become personally convinced that we should eat a predominantly plant based diet. My personal preference for animal protein will likely not disappear so I choose to eat those forms of protein that have shown to be lower in those pollutants. For example, grass fed and finished beef and wild Rainbow Trout/Steelhead (ocean run Rainbows) in many cases test low in PCB’s and other pollutants. Great discussion. Thanks.I had a patient that told me she used to run behind the truck spraying DDT in her neighborhood when she was a child. It was supposed to be good for them and reduce the insect population. Check out these vintage images. Notice the city on the truck. I wonder if this is the reason we had that Waco incident so many years ago?Wow. Oh wow. That’s like a scene from a horror flick.So interesting…what we know, think we know and what we don’t know…the key, is to learn faster!As a physician and even as a curious individual, I enjoyed looking at these pictures. I wonder whether in 50 years people will be looking at pictures of people eating processed food today and shaking their heads in disbelief. Probably by then we will have far better, more conclusive epidemiology on the adverse effects of SAD.I always think about that too…I think in a 100yrs people will say, did they really pump drugs through people’s veins and then cut them open…In the future they will be horrified to learn that the doctors of our time tried to solve a psychological, metabolic and cultural problem with dangerous surgery – bariatric surgeryUh, that’s a scene from a movie. “Tree Of Life”, one of my favorites. But please don’t try to pass these off as real photos if you’re not sure. It damages the credibility of the message.I’m sure there was no bad intention here. I also recognized it from Tree of Life–that’s a great one. Thanks for pointing that out though, Aaron :)Dr Greger,Speaking of contamination; would you care to elaborate on the topic of fluoride? I found this statement from Harvard fairly interesting:“Fluoride seems to fit in with lead, mercury, and other poisons that cause chemical brain drain,” Grandjean says. “The effect of each toxicant may seem small, but the combined damage on a population scale can be serious, especially because the brain power of the next generation is crucial to all of us.”http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/fluoride-childrens-health-grandjean-choi/Recently this review was published in Lancet :http://dropbox.curry.com/ShowNotesArchive/2014/02/NA-592-2014-02-16/Assets/Vaccine$/Lancet%20fluoride.pdfBut fluoride is not discuss very well…BTW, i’m reading this book on the topic and it seems interesting to me: http://www.amazon.com/The-Fluoride-Deception-Christopher-Bryson/dp/1583227008/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397162790&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fluoride+deceptionFlouride Action Network summarizes issues very well including systemic vs topical applications and naturally occurring flouride vs industrial and manufactured byproduct. The recommended level of drinking water flouridation was recently lowered by the fed. http://fluoridealert.org/Any idea which children are safe to eat?As we all know, Dr. Greger advocates a plant-based diet to decrease consumption of all biomagnified pollutants. However if you don’t want to give up children completely, I’d try to source those children being the youngest of several siblings.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/brilliant reply	animal fat,animal products,arsenic,asthma,biomagnification,birth defects,breastfeeding,California,cancer,chicken,children,dairy,DDT,dieldrin,dioxins,ear health,endocrine disruptors,Europe,fish,heavy metals,immune function,immunosuppressive drugs,industrial toxins,lactation,lead,meat,men's health,mercury,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,plant-based diets,poultry,respiratory infections,seafood,sore throat,throat health,tuna,turkey,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	The levels of arsenic, banned pesticides, and dioxins exceeded cancer benchmarks in each of the 364 children tested. Which foods were the primary sources of toxic pollutants for preschoolers and their parents?	These findings should come as no surprise to those who saw my video Pollutants in California Breast Tissue. For an overview see CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure and President’s Cancer Panel Report on Environmental Risk.Pollutant exposure may affect the ability to have children in the first place (Male Fertility and Diet and Meat Hormones & Female Infertility). Such a delay, though, may allow one an opportunity to reduce one’s toxic burden through dietary change (Hair Testing for Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy and How Long to Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy?).During pregnancy, pollutants can be transferred directly (DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood), and after pregnancy through breastfeeding (The Wrong Way to Detox). Once our kids are contaminated, How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs? The chemicals have implications for older children too: Protein, Puberty, and Pollutants.I touch more on the presence of pesticides and other pollutants in dairy products in my video Preventing Parkinson’s Disease With Diet.Seafood is not the only source of toxic heavy metals. See:Videos on primary food sources of other industrial pollutants include:There are some things we can eat, though, to counteract some of the toxins:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ear-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ddt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immunosuppressive-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/respiratory-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lactation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dieldrin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sore-throat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/filled-full-of-lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20851760,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23140444,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23036451,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23201820,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21571030,
PLAIN-2616	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	Caloric Restriction vs. Animal Protein Restriction	Although the beneficial effects of caloric restriction on lifespan and health have been clearly demonstrated, it is difficult to implement such restrictions in our lives. In the classic Minnesota Starvation Study many of the volunteers suffered a preoccupation with food, constant hunger, binge eating, and lots of emotional and psychological issues. Even researchers who study caloric restriction rarely practice it. There’s got to be a better way to suppress the aging engine enzyme, TOR.That’s why researchers were so excited about rapamycin, a drug that inhibits TOR, thinking it could be caloric restriction in a pill, but like any drug, its got side effects too. There’s got to be a better way.The breakthrough came when scientists discovered that the benefits of dietary restriction may be coming not from restricting calories, but from restricting protein intake. If we look at the first comprehensive comparative meta-analysis of dietary restriction, the proportion of protein intake was more important for life extension via DR than the degree of caloric restriction. In fact, just reducing protein without any changes in calorie level have been shown to have similar effects as caloric restriction.That’s good news, because protein restriction is much less difficult to maintain than dietary restriction and may be more powerful than dietary restriction, because it suppresses both TOR and IGF-1, the two pathways thought responsible for the drastic longevity and health benefits of caloric restriction.And some proteins are worse than others. One amino acid in particular, leucine, appears to exert the greatest effect on TOR. In fact, just cutting down on leucine may be nearly as effective as cutting down on all protein. So where is leucine found? Predominantly animal foods: eggs, dairy, and meat, including chicken and fish, whereas plant foods have much less: fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans.In general, lower leucine levels are only reached by restriction of animal proteins. To reach the leucine intake provided by dairy or meat, we’d have to eat 9 pounds of cabbage—that’s like four big heads of cabbage—or 100 apples. These calculations exemplify the extreme differences in leucine amounts provided by a more standard diet in comparison to a vegetarian or vegan diet. The functional role of leucine in regulating TOR activity may help explain the extraordinary results reported in the Cornell-Oxford-China Study, since quasi-vegan diets of modest protein content tend to be relatively low in leucine.This may also help explain the longevity of long-lived populations like the Okinawa Japanese, who have about half our mortality rate. The traditional Okinawan diet was only about 10% protein, and practically no cholesterol, because they ate almost all plants. Less than one percent of their diet was fish, meat, eggs, and dairy - the equivalent of one serving of meat a month, one egg every two months. Their longevity surpassed only by vegetarian Adventists in California, giving them perhaps the highest life expectancy of any formally described population in history.	Awesome! Especially considering the beneficial effects plant-based diets have on telomerase!Heavy side of relief! I thought I was going to have to do the crazy calorie restriction diet and turn into Ichabod Crane just get a few more years on this planet! Look out plants, I’m hungry!Emoji for the win!LOL! I don’t restrict calories at all now and I am enjoying my best health. I do eat a whole food plant based diet.When you say ” plant based diet” does that mean that it must be eaten raw, or can you use conventional cooking methods to prepare the plant to eat.I eat mostly uncooked since I am drinking veggie or fruit juices, and eating fruits, salad, nuts throughout the day. (I blend my veggie and fruit juices, I don’t juice) For my last meal of the day I may have some quinoa, split pea soup, boiled plantains, black rice, or some kamut spirals. 115 dregrees is considered raw so those might be considered raw. I don’t believe you have to be completely uncooked or raw to be healthy, but most of your food should be to get the most nutrients out of your food. Stay away from frying.I appreciate you taking the time to respond.Plant based is not connected to cooked or raw. It just means you eat foods mostly from plants, not from animals. Mushrooms are not plants or animals.The simple answers are: variety and enjoyment. The details are: in some cases, cooking enhances the availability of nutrients in food. In other cases, cooking damages the nutrients. My recommendation is: Don’t try to micromanage it. Eat some cooked, some fresh. And enjoy.Plant based refers to the food and not how it is prepared. Cooking food enables us to absorb about 10-15% more calories. Cooking interferes with our ability to absorb some nutrients but facilitates the absorption of others. See some of Dr. Greger’s videos on the effects of cooking on various foods. You might start with: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/. Bon Apetit!A plant-based diet refers to a diet that is based predominantly on plant foods – legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruit, and whole grains – and includes both cooked and raw plant foods. Ideally, you should aim for variety, and this means not just variety in types of foods you eat, but also variety in preparation methods. This is because different preparation methods will affect how your body absorbs the hundreds to thousands of phyto-nutrients found in these foods. In general, most “gentle” cooking methods – stir frying, sauteing, or microwaving, for example – are excellent choices for most vegetables.If you want fine detail, be sure to check out Best Cooking Method. But keep in mind, the study mentioned in the video considered how cooking methods affect antioxidant levels. There are dozens of nutrients that have activities far beyond being mere antioxidantsIf you like REALLY fine detail, you may enjoy Polyphenols: food sources and bioavailability. As noted in this article, polyphenols may have important effects on human health because they are metabolized by the same pathways as xenobiotics and endogenous hormones. This may, in turn, decrease the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and hormone-dependent cancers. In this regard, polyphenols may be affecting health through pathways unrelated to antioxidant activity, and considering only the effects of cooking methods on antioxidant levels would miss these considerations.In the end, I believe it’s important not to get too bogged down in what I refer to as “minutia,” or the extremely fine details, which, in the context of balanced, varied, healthy plant-based diets, are inconsequential. Some of the mysteries of how and why plants improve human health may never be solved, but we do know that eating these foods is one of the best things you can do to decrease chronic disease risk!This my interest you.https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5U_0Xj9MRPj8llC8bWILDRf5k9vnwQtESuper interesting. What about plant foods high in leucine, like spirulina or plant protein sources?Good question. So I checked Nutrition Data…http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000082000000000000000.html…and aside from soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, and spirulina, none of which Dr. Greger recommends, I had a hard time finding any other plants with a high leucine content. I had to go through pages just to find tofu and seaweed, both of which were at almost #300 on the list.Search NutritionFacts.org for soy and spirulina for Dr. Greger’s reports on those foods.If I recall properly, I believe Dr. Greger recommended limiting traditionally processed soy (not veggie burgers) to one serving a day.It was 3-5 servings of soy a day. Here’s the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=osAJOlSFdEoWow. That much? Is that his most recent posting on the subject?MacSmiley – as far as I know it’s his most recent (here is the link to his blog entry from Feb ’13): http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-much-soy-is-too-muchThanks mucho!yummycompanii recrutare personalThe numbers I’ve seen suggest that peanuts and almonds have comparatively high leucine levels, which presents a bit of a contradiction with the previous research suggesting the nut consumption is associated with greater longevity.Interesting. I’d love to see your data source.I’m also wondering if traditional food combining for “complete” proteins, like rice and beans, peanut butter on whole wheat bread, etc. negate the lowered leucine effect.Well, if you look at the USDA database without vegan glasses ;-) there are actually plenty of plant foods high in leucine, isoleucine or methionine.Dried peas are among the top sources of leucin, they provide just as much as meat. Nuts are but a little bit lower, proving similar amounts as eggs or cheese.The two top-sources of methionin are plant-based too: brazil nuts and sesame seeds. You don’t usually eat very much of those, though.Grams leucine / 100 g (as in this video) is not a particularly practical measure, compared to g leucine / kcal. That said, consider the diet of two hypothetical 60 kg adults consuming 2400 calories. One with a diet comprised entirely of potatoes would ingest 3.4 g leucine, while the another with a diet entirely of skim milk would 22.9 g. As their leucine requirement is 2.34 g according to the WHO, the extreme McDougaller is getting 144% of the requirement, while the dairy fanatic is getting 978% of the requirement.With regard to the video, mTOR may be the main cellular regulatory hub downstream of IGF-1: they’re two links in a branching chain, rather than separate strands. The full pathway is in an earlier comment here, while this is an abbreviated diagram of where leucine interacts wiith insulin/IGF-1/mTOR signalling (mTORC1 is the mTOR complex associated with growth signalling):http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2012/197653.fig.001.jpgWow, thanks once again for this information darryl! I sometimes can get a grasp on how the chemistry works by reading various papers, but the graph you have here makes it much easier to see the whole picture. I’m waiting for the days of genetic manipulation to modify directly these pathways.LoL 2 60 kg adults. Is that the norm now?I mean a 60 kg male is a skeleton m8. Women can still have babies weighing that but come on!In your world women would have great difficulties surpressing the urge to shop for seed outside of the relationship. Their uncontious brain would have them throw themselves at the first meat eating male doing some repair work around the house.60 kg is nowhere near the norm in the developed West, but isn’t too far from the world adult average of 62 kg. Also picked to be somewhat inclusive of the fairer (and majority) sex.Ah, the dose makes the poison. How does my question about combining for complete proteins figure in a real life situation?As you’re perhaps aware, food combining for a complete amino acid profile each meal is unneccessary, as the body stores of each essential amino acid are generally enough to get through 24 hours. Vegans mosty just need to eat some higher lysine (not leucine) foods like legumes sometime each day to ensure adequate lysine, and the rest takes care of itself.So, practically looking a real life diets, vegans likely consume 150-250% of the leucine requirement, while most omnivores and ovo-lacto-vegetarians are likely around 400-600% of the requirement.Yup. On paper, I know that. But food sensitivities cut down on the amount and variety of plants I can eat. That forced decrease in intake caused me some protein challenges, so any little but of help I could give my body I tried, not to mention issues of flavor and convenience. It makes sense for me to mix my black-eyed peas and lentils with a starch, mainly wild rice or yellow corn.Eventually I had to give in and add a little animal protein to my diet à la Fuhrman. First time in 20 years. I was not a happy camper.If you have food allergies, check out a treatment called NAET. It helped me relieve/eliminate most of mine.Thanks for the sales pitch. But NAET has a disclaimer on their website:“Disclaimer NAET does NOT claim to cure allergies or food, chemical and environmental sensitivities.”Acupuncture, kinesiology, and chiropractic. No thanks.Sorry for the cynicism, Sebastian. I apologize for my curt response. Most alternative treatments, when scrutinized in quality peer reviewed studies demonstrate little benefit beyond placebo. Chiropractic has been proven to have benefits for lower back pain but not for any other maladies.No worries. I’m a fellow skeptic. When I speak of NAET, I speak from personal experience. I, my girlfriend and all our acquaintances who were treated by our acupuncturist/osteopath benefited from it. When I say benefited, I mean my allergies were 90% gone (for at least a year) from the first treatment. Yet, the skeptic that I am, I still didn’t believe in it. It took me 5-7 sessions to feel more at ease with it. As for acupuncture, still speaking from personal experience, it has helped me tremendously with joint issues due to exercising and typing (I work in an office).If you have ever heard of Airrosti, they are soft tissue specialists that are chiropractors but with advanced training. They have a business model of trying to achieve healing in 3 visits or less. It sounds unreal and illegitimate at first, but its seriously incredible the work they do. I suffered shoulder impingement due to excessive rock climbing and a friend told me about Airrosti. I had been stagnating for a couple months in recovery and had seen 2 orthopedists and they gave me no help so out of desperation I decided to check it out. The Dr. there worked wonders on me, within 2 weeks I could climb hard routes with very little pain. There is a science behind it and its not gypsy, nor do they have the chiropractic model of returning to them forever, they want you healed asap so you dont ever have to return. They do every body part pretty much.I just thought I would say something about Airrosti because it has healed me. They do what the orthopedists cannot, which is surprisingly alot. They are also within departments at major hospitals around Houston where I live which further adds credibility to the outside eye. http://www.airrosti.com/Interesting, Toxins. Not sure what Airrosti can do for food sensitivities, but they’re a long walk from South Dakota. ;-PWhat do they do? massage?Yes, completely unrelated to food allergies! They don’t massage, they do “manual therapy”, which is actually quite painful. The idea is to loosen the connective tissue, improve mobility, and then there is very specific physical therapy prescribed which maintains the work the Dr. did.Sounds interestingly dangerous! How can you be sure it was the manipulation and not the physical therapy which did the trick for you? ;-PIts definitely a mix of both, immediately after treatment you are instructed to try the physical activity depending on the severity of your injury. The orthopedists I went to gave me PT to do and it really was not helping at all, they couldn’t even diagnose me. Like I said, I would not have believed it myself if I hadn’t experienced it and seen many of my climber friends heal from it. Check out the Airrosti link in my first post for details. This is one of those moments for me that there doesn’t need to be scientific papers to prove its efficacy, the documented 94% patient improval rate and 88% resolution of injuries is enough for me. Most major insurances cover it.Visited the website when you first posted it. Guess it’ll be awhile before they open an office in South Dakota. Any nutriceuticals involved?No, none. Its all physical.As ever you are right, Darryl. It’s the whole IGF-1/Akt1/PI3K/mTOR-pathway (and the AMPK branch) we have to keep an eye on. It starts by improving insulin sensitivity in order to optimize postprandial glucose uptake and, as a consequence, minimize insulin signaling in the fasted state. Reducing IGF-1 by protein restiction is just another part of the plan.Then we should make sure to get plenty of all the phytochemicals which inhibit mTOR either directly, or more, often indirectly. It is not unlikely that the combined action of all those phytochemicals at different points on the signaling cascade excert a synergistic inhibitory effect. This could be the reason why plant protein may have a different effect on mTOR activity despite similar levels of leucine: in contrast to animal protein, it comes packed together with those phytochemicals.We run into problems when we try to isolate the properties of individual nutrients because they react differently depending on the environment they are in. Aminos acids in meats react differently than amino acids in plant life because of there total nutrient makeup.Yeah, wasn’t vegan glasses ;-) but mobile phone pagination fatigue. :-DExactly! an appropriate size 1 ounce portion of brazil nuts contains 323 mg of leucine. A modest 3 ounce portion of cooked beef contains 2,200 mg of leucine. More importantly, it’s best not to look for exceptions. You will always be able to find them. When you test a claim, look at the big picture. Is a plant-based diet lower in leucine than a diet that is high in animal protein? Yes, the devil is in the details, but the big picture is what is most important.I used data from the USDA, which reports peanuts at 1.54g of leucine per 100g.In terms of food combining, I’d be surprised if that had any effect, as the limiting amino acids in plant foods tend to be methionine and lysine, rather than leucine. That’s part of the reason I’m surprised by the conclusion of this article, as leucine is not one of the amino acids which tends to be proportionately low in plant food sources.Nutrients in animals sources and plant sources don’t necessarily react the same way in the body. Campbell’s work showed an increased correlation between protein increasing from 10-20% of calories but soy and wheat protein at the same levels did not show the correlation. It is likely the leucine levels in meat are the problem. I love almonds an do eat a lot of them, but I don’t eat peanuts.That could well be the case, but that would indicate that leucine is not in itself the significant factor.Yup. It is the leucine in meat protein.That statement would only make sense if the leucine in meat could be shown to be chemically different to the leucine in plants.Really, that is the only way it would make sense? Why couldn’t it be something in the meat that interact with the leucine that causes leucine to be the problem, and that something might not be in plant based foods, or not to the same level.That could be the case, but that would contradict your assertion that it is the leucine in meat protein which causes the problem.You’re conflating two different possibilities:1 – The leucine in meat is the problem. 2 – The leucine in meat is not the problem, but something else in meat creates a problem when it interacts with leucine.It is a very important distinction if somebody is assessing the risks of consuming isolated leucine.There are other possibilities which are also relevant when it comes to decision making:3 – Leucine in general causes the problem, but something else in plant based sources of Leucine provides a protective effect. 4 – It’s has nothing to do with Leucine, but is caused by another substance or combination of substances.For the research underpinning this article to have practical use, we need to find out which of the possibilities it is.I see it this way. Meat protein acts differently in the body than plant protein. Since the leucine in meat may be the issues and not the leucine in plant based foods then it is the leucine in meat that is the problem, Whether it is because of the way it interacts with other substances or not. Our approaches are a bit different, and yours appears to be scientifically driven. Mine is naturally holistically driven. Too much animal protein is destructive to the if it is leucine or not which is the problem, The problem is still meat protein. While people are taking the reductionist approach to issue I am taking the traditional approach (of countries of color) and a meat heavy diet was not part of it,I think it might very well have something to do with leucine and very well might be leucine in combination with something else in animal protein that is the culprit. The issues with the reductionist thought is that total effects are attributed to single nutrients where it is likely the nutrient in reaction to other nutrients cause the wider effect. Case in point that it might be leucine in combination with other substances in meat that is the culprit, but that same reaction does not happen or happen as extremely in plant protein. So while it is likely better to warn people about leucine meat consumption, the same conclusion shouldn’t be made for leucine almond consumption.Hi Aqiyl, If you like OLD wheat grains, have you ever tried Einkorn bread? Einkorn is much older than Kamut and we love the taste made from flour bought online and baked in our Cuisinart bread maker. (no need for expensive bread makers).Hi Gale I haven’t tried Einkorn. I will look into it. I usually stick to spelt, amaranth, quinoa, and, Kamut.Just one more wonderful thing we discovered since going vegan. Your other grains and seeds are delicious too! We do not claim any superior nutrition from Einkorn.Peace and Blessings be with you Gayle.Gayle: I’ve heard of Kamut, but not Einkorn. Thanks for the tip!Aloha, Good point. As a vegetarian for more than 4 decades, I think it important to say to people that leucine is necessary for muscle function and development.Leucine is NEVER a bad thing, its the source(animal) and amounts that are taken in as the result of a typical meat/dairy based diet that’s bad. http://www.newjumpswing.comExcellent my brother!Good News. But what about the autophagy and possible neurogenisis that fasting, or near-fasting popularized by Dr. Michael Mosley’s BBC special and 5:2 diet which we have practiced for about 7 months? Is it worth it? Just how many hours of no or few calories suffice to get enough done in the areas of autophagy and possible? likely? neurogneisis?Richard Head MD, a friend of ours in Mill Valley, CA and retired radiologist of tremendous energy, a near-vegan, writes a health blog and tries to provide facts to overcome emotional resistance to same. His blog , chapter 25 ( http://letswakeupfolks.blogspot.com/2013/10/chapter-25-diet-and-how-it-heals-and.html ) includes this on fasting:A lot of work over many years shows that decreasing the amount of calories ingested (30%)will decrease aging. (See previous discussions). However, it is not proven this works in humans. It is known that excess calories, forming fat, will increase aging and chronic disease. One of the chemicals associated with this antiaging is Reservatrol which causes a number of positive effects. It appears the the starving releases this material. It is also found in certain foods. It appears to offer a number of ways to help our health including blocking the division of some cancer cells. Older people with less calorie intake appear to have less memory loss, then those with more caloric intake.Recent studies show that the primary mechanism that decrease calories (and vigorous exercise!) work to trigger off signals to increase autophagy (cell repair). This is an important way the body actually destroys various things that are malfunctioning. Without this cleanup the cells will divide and spread the malfunction so that various diseases and aging occur. It appears a certain amount of physical stress is important to make sure our body is healthy. (see chapter on exercise). The fasting time during sleep is very important to allow these functions to happen.Recently there has been emphasis on the benefits of fasting. 50 plus years of research has shown that reducing calories by 30% in animals increases their life span and lowers chance of most disease. It has been shown this is due to shift from cell division to cell repair and maintenace. Many genes are activated by the “stress’ of less calories. These allow many important repairs to occur. The results in many lab animals are available, longer life (40%), less cancer, heart disease etc, more neurons , less hypertension and diabetes. .“Fasting causes hunger or stress. In response, the body releases more cholesterol, allowing it to utilize fat as a source of fuel, instead of glucose. This decreases the number of fat cells in the body,” . “This is important because the fewer fat cells a body has, the less likely it will experience insulin resistance, or diabetes.” It seems that one major effect of the fast idea (along with the activation of many protective genes) is the lowering of an important chemical in our bodies Insulin like growth Factor, IGF. This is produced by the liver and is released by Growth Hormone. it is active when we are young and growing but is supposed to lower when we age. It promotes division and cell activity and diminishes repair and maintenance. As we age we need more repair and less new cells. A group in South America, dwarfs, have a gene mutation and have low HG and low IGF. They live long lives, have no cancers or chronic diseases. Besides GH high protein in our diets stimulate IGF.A vegan diet is associated with a 50% reduction in IGF in the blood. This diet releases a protein that binds the IGF so it cannot be active. The blood from these patients had 8X the ability to stop cancer cell line growth as regular diets.Dr. Michael Mosley has become the “poster boy” of fasting. He did a 5:2 fast plan. two , non consecutive days of fast , out of 7. On the fast days he limited himself to 600 calories. Either one meal or two small meals of 300 calories. He limited his protein. On the “regular” days he ate a normal diet of 1600 to 2000 calories. Again, watched the protein amount ( should not have more then 0.4 grams of protein intake per pound of weight). His results after 5 weeks showed 50% lowering of the IGF, lowered insulin from 110 (pre diabetic) to 90 (normal) and lost 15 lbs. His cholesterol lowered. This is only one case but shows the possibilities.It takes about 16 hours for the glycogen stores in the liver to deplete. It is probably this that triggers off the many signals to activate our amazing body pharmacy to repair and recycle. I think the fast should allow at least 18 hours or so of no calories to allow this to happen.In chapter 32, Richard writes on How and why we age … http://letswakeupfolks.blogspot.com/2014/04/chapter-32-our-cells-acquire-aging.htmlFascinating, that Michael Mosley.I’d like to see Dr. Fuhrman weigh in on his 5:2 plan. Why not water fast those 2 days?Lady you are stressing yourself out over these restriction things. Stressing while restricting will cancel each other out if not even worse effects.I’m suspecting you are wasting good quality time better spent on the joys of your life. What use is a few extra crippled last months when you could be ice skating right now instead of obcessing over what not to eat?Relax, calm down and be merry and you will get your extra years even from that alone! Stop being fat obcessed and live, if not longer.If my illnesses tought me anything it is that the quality of life is what is important not so much the duration.We need to be careful we don’t narrow our focus too much here.Given their relative leucine levels one could easily conclude that it is better to eat an egg or two than to much on a handful of soy nuts to satisfy a protein craving. And soy protein isolate, the prime source of protein in many packaged vegetarian products, appears to be worse than going totally carnivore.I think more research is needed before the advantages of leucine restriction are emphasized this strongly.Dr. Greger does not recommend any foods containing soy protein isolate. It raises IGF-1 more than dairy. However, it does not lower IGF-1 binding protein as animal foods tend to do, so one can not say the net effect may be worse than going carnivore.PS. You mean omnivore, right? Humans are definitely not obligate carnivores. ;-)I was using “carnivore” as a ridiculous extreme… but you are absolutely correct.One whole organic pesticide free pasture raised Egg daily is allowed according to http://twitter.com/@DrBarrySears to keep blood sugar and everything else in a therapeutic Zone.I strongly support the benefits of reducing inflammation. However I would encourage you to research some of the basic tenants of the Zone diet. Fish consumption, for instance, is pretty toxic. Please search on NutritionFacts and you will find studies showing that our fish supply is severely polluted with Industrial contaminants:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/Oh I searched NutritionFacts.org and yes I agree the fish and anyone who eats them are Fu_kushima_ed. I am doing the Zone Vegan; except that I still like grass fed organic Chalav Yisroel dairy. Dr Sears likes Vegans. He doesn’t hold by eating fish either, he is into molecularly distilled and very purified fish oil capsules. I think vegan sources of omega 3 work really good. The daily minimum requirement to be ok if you don’t consume any other fats except nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, coconut and small amounts of extra virgin olive oil is 4000mg of omega 3 like from 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds.The usual kind of fearmongering, concerning all kinds animal products, Dr. Greger often indulges in.Epidemiological evidence reigns supreme in this case. There is a clear-cut, positive association between fish consumption and good health.You can’t, one the one hand, argue that “nutritionism” is flawed and that you have to regard the whole food (see Collin Campbell’s latest book), and then on the other hand neatly divide fish into omega-3-FA and contaminants, in order to claim that you can get the all the benefits without the purported risks.You just can’t know for sure what it is in or about the fish that makes it so healthy. Maybe even the hormetic effects of some contaminants have beneficial health effects? We just don’t know. What we do know beyond any doubt is that regular fish consumption is healthy. Period.In case my recent post does not make it obvious, I think Dr. Greger and his work are TOPS! The best we have found and we are so very grateful to “our borhter as Aqiyi (bleow) says. What a change he has made in our lives and even his humor and cadences have influenced my public speaking and our conversations on other matters! Thank you, Dr. Greger!Being a vegan is freeing, I have soo many choices of fruit, veggies, and legumes..and YES all the nuts and seeds I want too..not concerned about watching my weight. I’ve dropped 3 dress sizes since becoming vegan a year ago. oh and my blood pressure is back to normal.I completely agree with Anita. Vegetarianism is liberating. I find people’s dietary habits interesting. We have various noon-time meetings throughout the month which are catered by a mediterranean restaurant. I always order the veggie plate which is a delicious combo of hummus, tabbouleh,bulgur wheat, turnips, falafel, rolled grape leaves and Greek salad. The psychologist, who BTW, is a lymphoma survivor, always orders chicken kebab which also comes with greens, onions, and assorted bell peppers. He has such an aversion to vegetables that he cannot stand the thought of their touching his meat. In the past he would simply shove them to the side of the plate. After a while even the sight of them became repugnant so now, prior each meal, he meticulously scrapes them into the trash.As an erstwhile life extensionist and avid reader on health issues and subscriber to health newsletters…I see a “conflict” between those who expouse “squaring the curve” by improving and speeding up life and metabolisim in a more immediate fashion vs those focused slowing things down thru metabolic restriction and reducing protein intake. I tend to eat too many calories…but also have a fairly balanced/varied diet…and take many supplements…including resveratrol/COQ10/PPQ. The first approach is that of increasing metabolic activity…the second that of reducing it and directing it towards the eventual metabolic “wall of death”? Is it possible to do both?This is a story about the bad dietary habits of your colleague, not about the benefits of being a vegetarian. You don’t need to be a vegetarian to enjoy your vegetables. You don’t even need to be a vegetarian to eat a predominantly plant-based diet…Following this logic, every kind of dietary restriction is liberating.I’m a flexitarian and I am not concerned at all about weight or blood pressure, too. I don’t need to be “liberated” from my home-made yogurt, parmesan or feta cheese, but rather enjoy the full bounty of Nature and traditional foods. If you are accustomed to a good dietary habits (whole foods, mostly plants, not too much) there is no need for any liberation, as you are consuming all types of food in healthy ratios, just like the traditional “Blue Zone” cultures did for hundreds of years. None of those traditional diets is/was “vegan”, but they all are “plant-based”, deriving most of their calories from plant foods.Agree with your emphasis on whole foods, Timar, but believe me it’s also liberating to know that one’s meals are not contributing to the torment of other beings, not to mention climate change and other environmental degradation, and abuse of human labor.Well, I’m with you: eat as much organic, locally grown and produced foods as you can afford. And buy fair trade when it comes to coffee, tea, cocoa or anything imported from developing countries.Of course if you have a moral problem with killing animals for food you should follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. I certainly haven’t, as long as the animals are treated and kept well, according to their species needs (i.e. not confining them to a feedlot).The difficulty is that animal agriculture has more impact on climate change (18%-51%) than all the cars, buses, trucks, trains, ships and airplanes combined (12%).The 18% estimate is from the UN report “Livestocks Long Shadow” http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.HTM. It was prepared by the FAO, which is the UN agency in charge of promoting among other things the production of animal foods around the world.The 51% estimate comes from two climatologist who work for the World Bank https://www.worldwatch.org/files/pdf/Livestock%20and%20Climate%20Change.pdf. They feel the FAO didn’t take all climate impacts into account, such as the loss of carbon sink capability of forests cut down in order to grow more feed.Whether you agree with all the conclusions in the World Bank report of not, you can see that livestock is the single largest driver of climate change.Pastured meat, dairy and eggs isn’t the answer either. The amount of pasture required is such that we would require every square foot of *all* of North America, Central America and the Northern third of South America just to meet current American demands for these products. (http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/)Now I know that you have cut back a lot and if everybody did that we might be able to all eat a bit of pastured animal foods without having to turn our entire landmass into pasture. Still if we didn’t eat any, more land could be returned to natural conditions, which are generally better carbon sinks than open grasslands. And we need every bit of help pulling carbon out of the atmosphere that we can get.Jim: Thank you for explaining the differences between the 18% number and the 51% number. I have seen both of those numbers before and wondered where the discrepancy came in. Thanks! Great post.I would like to echo Gayle here. Listening to all of your videos has been invaluable in developing a clear communication style for the many curious parties that have questions when confronted with WFPB as an option. My wife and I sell WFPB foods at farmers markets and it means so much to have your videos and blogs to refer to with the frequency we are challenged.I, too, would love to see some videos about fasting generally, water fasting, juice fasting, and 5:2 fasting. Would love to know if there have been studies about the effects of fasting.I am so thankful for this information. I have been using food as medicine for almost 3 years after a diagnosis of breast cancer. I was first told it was fine to eat a lot of fish. We are eating mostly plant-based now, thanks to Dr. Greger and Dr. Fuhrman. I can’t thank you enough for this service that you provide to us. I also can’t get enough of your sublime delivery and fabulous voice!I love the photo of the mini mini mini burger… is that a candy ? :-)I think it is! The images are from Flickr users so who knows what’s in them. :)Thanks for the answer !BTW your avatar photo is really nice !69% of kcal from sweet potatoes? Wow! As soon as I read that I paused the video and popped one into the microwave.They ate the Okinawan purple sweet potatoes, which are extremely tasty. Its important to note the Okinawans in the prime of their days had the most centenarians per capita.Thumbs up, thanks for your commitment to truthful education.Advertists consume a lot of soy which is high in Leucine but yet live longer than any other studied group. There must be more to it that we are not seeing.Soy protein is not high in leucine, its about even with bean protein, rice protein, meat protein, and even kale protein. I’m at a loss as to how the good doctor blew the interpretation of the data so bad this time, except to think that everyone has bad days now and then. The possible bad implications of excess leucine would be relevant to excess protein intake, not just animal protein. The graph that showed the difference in leucine content was based on 100 gram servings. As the leucine content of the food item protein fractions was effectively equal across the board, all the graph showed was relative protein content. Granted, with meat and beans its easier to consume too much protein, but that doesnt make either bad, it just makes wisdom and self control that much better.I couldn’t agree more.why do women in all societies live longer than men?Hormones and occupational risk.They’re less likely to suffer from hemochromatosis because of their monthly menses. This puts them in good stead for old age. Men however can get the same protection be avoiding the heme iron found in animal products or by donating blood.Around 73% of the difference is due to lifestyle choices:Life expectancy Men Women Difference Californians 73.9 79.5 5.6 Adventists 81.2 83.9 2.7 Vegetarian Adventists 83.3 85.7 2.4 Healthy* Adventists 87.0 88.5 1.5* never-smoking, vegetarian, exercise ≥ 3 times weekly, eat nuts ≥ 4 times weekly, BMI < 25.90 (males) or <25.20 (females).Great video, ground-breaking in fact. I can skip soy except some very occasional edamame, which is soon tiring, like everything else plant-based that I consume. My current diet is mostly plant-based, no dairy, little if any meat, and I add juiced beets, kale, lemons, carrots, celery, parsely to a blended salad with spinach and romaine, RAW Life protein powder and ground flax seed daily. This is a high nitric oxide dietary formula. Over age 40 we need more beets and spinach to supplement for loss of ability to convert arginine to nitric oxide.Is there a list of Leucine relative to a standardized protein level? For example mg/10 grams of protein from beef, soy, milk, beans, etc. As other have mentioned, mg/100kg serving can be misleading because the total amount of protein is different between foods in this measurement.Roll your own. Dr. William Harris converted the USDA food database to an Excel spreadsheet. Its not at all difficult to enter a “=cell/cell” formula as an entry and copy it through a column to get g leucine per g protein, leucine per kcal, or my favorites like leucine/lysine or methionine/lysine. For those who don’t have a copy of Excel, there are fine (in some respects, superior) open source software like OpenOffice which works fine.Darryl, great suggestion. I have been using Dr. Harris’s spreadsheet for some time now. Dr. Harris is a big proponent of sorting foods by nutrient/calorie ratio, and to summarize: animal foods and soy isolates have about 2 grams leucine per 100 calories while beans and tofu have about half a gram leucine per 100 calories, which is the same proportions Dr. Greger shows in this video.I took your advice and I quickly did make a spreadsheet that I can share with everyone. I choose some common foods for contrast and added a cell of the % of the protein content derived from Leucine. The results surprised me. Of course total protein content is also very important as that determines the overall “leucine load” but just looking at the percent derived from leucine is interesting as well.https://www.dropbox.com/s/palltosn2val7uh/Leucine%20Spreadsheet.xlsThanks Aaron. Appreciate the post.Aaron: It took me a while to get to your post, but I’m glad I took a moment to check it out. Your spreadsheet is great! Thanks for sharing!Nice, thanks DarrylKeep eating plant foods. Today at lunch they served cookies, various sandwiches (including so-called vegetarian ones containing egg salad and feta cheese) and I just ate three plates of fruits and veggies (and brought my own vegan sandwich). I looked around the room and saw several people manifesting early obesity and advanced aging. It was interesting to correlate what people ate with how they looked. I will continue to eat as much plant-based food as I want until I am full and not worry too much about macronutrient distributions or total caloric intake, relying on my own sense of satiety and intrinsically filling fiber-dense plant foods to get me through. Caloric restriction is great if you are overweight but if not, then you just end up tired and osteopenic and too fagged to exercise.I looked around the room and saw several people manifesting early obesity and advanced aging. It was interesting to correlate what people ate with how they looked.Every single time I shop for groceries.Me too. But from my observations it seems hardly related to the amount of animal products in the shopping cart, but rather to the amount of processed, refined and manufactured food (or rather “edible foodlike substances, as Michael Pollan put it).Hi Timar, I see you enjoy Michael Pollan’s books. I too read them as them were published and practiced “mostly plants” idea. Then I read two books written by vegan athletes who talked about recovering faster after long runs. I had already been enjoying Dr Greger’s website so the books and these videos made the switch easy. I didn’t eat processed foods before my switch. Actually I can’t remember a time when I did. Also primarily organic since it was a available.But here is the weird part. Since going vegan I am taking less thyroid medication every time I go in to have it checked. I have been on this medication for 18 years with no fluctuations before.And before you sayVeganrunner: This is a great example of how the concept of “moderation” fails us. Thanks for the post.I can’t agree more. Even after 2 years of giving up the meat/fish my thyroid med is still going down. So strange. I wonder if anyone else has had a similar response?No, it isn’t. It is a great example of how we are all individuals, with our own, individual health concerns and dietary requirements ;)It’s great that you have found a diet that works for you and that helps to keep your thyroid problems in check! I’m doing fine on my flexitarian diet too, with excellent biomarkers and no health issues.However, I have seen a lot of reports similar to yours, but many of them (pretty much half, I guess) are just the other way around: people who have followed a plant-based diet for years experienced health benefits when they included some animal products.I guess they are all right. There are a myriad of reasons why people do better eating or avoding certain foods. For some people, animal protein may contribute to low-level inflamation, for other people it may have beneficial effects. Some people get all their vitamin A from plant foods, while a few people lack the enzyme that splits beta-carotene into retinol and need preformed vitamin A to feel healthy.There’s a vast biochemical individuality related to nutrition, which we only have begun to understand on a genetic level (sometimes refered to as nutrigenetics). This is why there is no optimum diet for everyone beyond the basic rules Micheal Pollan described so aptly. We all need to start from there and figure out for ourselves.“Autophagy: It’s what’s for dinner.” Great set of videos, Dr. G. Your ability to present complex information in a digestible format is second to none, and your choice of topics continues to raise my game. As an added bonus, you provide the source material which-in this case-is enough for PBS to start a new series called, “This Old Mouse.”Thank you Dr Greger. Your work helps to keep my husband and I on the WFPB diet. And we try to spread the word despite the tomato effect, the nutritional advice of mainstream media and the latest fad diet.Japanese people also have good sexuality and good soft smooth skin.You have slept with many of them, don’t you? ;)A Plant based diet is great! Large portions, nutritionally dense and lower in calories than a meat based diet. If I ate as much meat as i do veggies I’d be huge.Question to Dr Greger: Soy products like “fake meats” containing Isolated soy protein is a no go then? I’ve read that the isolated soy protein actually raises IGF1-levels more than cow’s milk. (Starch Solution by Dr John Mcdougall)Isolated soy protein and whole soy are different substances, one is a whole food and one is a refined product. Indeed it is true, isolated soy protein does raise igf-1 levels. Please see the video below for more on soy and IGF-1.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/But leucine is found in soy and other plant products..watch your videos incessantly … (fighting cancer) … watching this one, overcome with gratitude … Thank you SO much for your work… what an amazing, incredible gift… I NEED the science to have the discipline to choose what is healthy.I am all in on the plant based diet. But the other side of it is the side effect of a diet high in oxalates. Oxalates come in the darker vegetables, beans and nuts which I have been living on for several years now. I developed a very painful condition called vulvadynia. I am now taking calcium citrate and weaning myself from those wonderfully “healthy” foods including whole wheat and gluten and soy and am experiencing tremendous relief. What’s a health conscious eater to do?Boy am I confused… O.K. We’ve had some videos regarding adequate protein intake. The scientific mantra is that the best ratio is 0.8-1.2 grams of protein per kg of optimal body weight. Nevertheless, the Doc mentioned a study that criticized this concept, saying that we should maybe strive more for 1.2 gr/kg. Do we scrap this? Because at 10% protein, I would never reach the 90 gr of protein per day. I need answers because A) for years I have tried to pack as much protein as I can in my meals, which can be difficult if you consume a vegan diet; B) I am very active physically.I started using Cronometer to track my plant-based nutritional profile… My fiber intake is almost double the minimum. No problem there. However, my total protein intake is 215% over the RDV. But the lowest component is methionine at 105%. So, how can I lower the total without bringing this one lower as well and breaking below the minimum?The table shows Okinawans eat 69% of their calories from sweet potatoes and only 3% from vegetables. Perhaps other routes than leafy greens to get to the same longevity.I consider sweet potatoes part vegetable, especially since Okinawan sweet potatoes are a deep purple color. The antioxidant content of sweet potatoes are very high, as Dr. greger will discuss in a near future video.A “vegetable” is a plant or part of a plant used as food. So, literally, fruits nuts, seeds, tubers are all vegetables because they are parts of a plant. Unfortunately, lazy colloquial usage tens to obscure the correct meaning of the word.http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/english/vegetableI love your videos! Amazing job linking research studies!!! (:Good to know! Of course nobody else is going to admit that limiting protein intake is just as effective for longevity as calorie restriction. Some would just rather starve. As a vegan, I’m never starving.. always pigging out and wondering how I manage to keep the weight off :-)Dear Doctor have you seen this article? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC404101/Gotta say that most places, when you read the comments, they are riddled with disrespectful and ill informed people. This is the first time I have seen constructive discussion taking place. Brilliant.Brenda: Thank you very much for this nice feedback. We don’t always succeed, but we try very hard at NutrtionFacts to make the comments section a pleasant and helpful community for everyone. Thanks for noticing.In looking for ways to increase my longevity, I have been made aware of the potential benefit of caloric restriction and/or intermittent fasting. BCAA supplements (typically a mixture of leucine, isoleucine, and valine) are supposed to be helpful for retaining muscle while fasting.Of all the poking around the internet to learn about BCAA benefits/risks, the most scientifically-referenced-looking piece of seconday literature was at:http://www.poliquingroup.com/articlesmultimedia/articles/article/1088/ten_benefits_of_bcaas.aspxTake note of the paragraph near the end with the heading “#10: BCAAs Correlate With Longevity and Are Therapeutic”.Side note: I can’t remember my source, but I was informed that Okinawans consume pork fairly regularly. Coincidentally I don’t enjoy eating pork but do enjoy eating the other Okinawan staple food – sweet potato.re: “I was informed that Okinawans consume pork fairly regularly.” I suppose that could be technically true if frequency is an issue and is well defined, but it is very misleading. My understanding is that historically, traditional Okinwan’s ate 4% animal products. This includes all dairy, fish and other meats. Even if pork were part of that 4%, it would not be a significant part of their diet.Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, was something like 70% (if I remember correctly). So, good thing you like those sweet potatos!Speaking of Okinawan sweet potatoes, every November they are in most major grocery stores for a short period of time, so save the date and stock up when you can!Great tip! Thanks. :-)Leucine and Weight LossResearchers have looked at the response of adipocytes to leucine deprivation (taking leucine from the diet). Much of the following is based on animal research, as it is difficult to justify refusing human subjects an essential micronutrient. When mice were provided with a leucine-depleted diet, fat loss was greater. Lipolysis, the release of stored fat, was increased; lipogenic enzymes, including fatty acid synthase, were reduced; and uncoupling protein was increased in brown fat, which results in burning more fat for heat production.How much weight loss was experienced by the leucine-deprived mice, and how did it occur? The leucine deprived mice lost about 15 percent body mass, related in part to a near equivalent reduction in daily calorie intake (15 percent). However, an increase in energy expenditure was also present; typically, when energy intake goes down, so does energy expenditure, as the body tries to conserve in an environment of limited resources (food).A separate group of mice that was fed an equal number of calories, containing a normal leucine content, lost only 5 percent of bodyweight. Of the weight lost, the leucine-deprived mice lost a significant amount from the abdominal fat depot, roughly 40 percent; the leucine-fed mice fed the same number of calories did not lose a significant amount of abdominal fat. Total body fat was similarly affected.Markers of metabolism supported the hypothesis that energy expenditure was increased in leucine deprived mice. Serum (blood) norepinephrine and T3 were elevated in the leucine-deprived group; body temperature was elevated; and brown fat was activated, turning fat calories into heat as opposed to energy; the leucine-deprived mice managed to burn more calories, specifically fat for calories, without any increase in physical activity.The net result was a marked 42 percent decrease in white adipose (the storage form of fat) volume.This was accomplished by increasing the activity of hormones involved in breaking down the stored fat, and burning much of that fat in the adipocyte. A 200 percent increase in PPAR-alpha was recorded, along with increases in the fat-burning enzymes stimulated by PPAR-alpha protein. As more fat was being lost, less was being made. One enzyme important to storing fat, called fatty acid synthase, was suppressed over 30 percent in white, adipose tissue. A prior study by the same authors showed a similar effect on suppressing fatty acid synthase in the liver of leucine-deprived mice.Of course, bodybuilders are scoffing at the notion, regardless of fat loss, because everyone knows depriving the body of the essential branched-chain amino acid leucine would lead to catastrophic losses in lean mass… right?Actually, the leucine-deprived mice showed no difference in lean mass, from either the control mice or those that were restricted to the same number of (reduced) calories consumed by the leucine-deprived mice. The control mice are normal mice, eating as much as they will; the pair-fed mice are normal mice eating a normal diet, but only as much as the leucine-deprived mice chose to eat; the leucine deprived mice ate as much as they wanted, but they chose to eat 15 percent less than the control mice, (thus, the pair-fed also ate 15 percent less than control, but it was a diet that contained a normal amount of leucine).Pair-fed mice lost only 5 percent of bodyweight, and their lean mass did not change appreciably; leucine deprived mice lost 15 percent of body-weight, and their lean mass was the same as the control mice, and unchanged.There were no strength or endurance challenges, but when one considers that the mice lost 50 percent of abdominal fat, 15 percent of bodyweight, and had no loss of lean mass, that is incredible.I just had a look at my 100% vegan protein powder and it’s 7.3% Leucine by weight – a bit of a shockLow IGF-1, lots of sweet potatoes, and greens. Oompa loompas!!!Dr. Greger,It seems that both signaling muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and aging prematurely (as discussed in this and previous video) involve the leucine/mTOR connection. Do you think, or is there research, that long life and building muscle mass are fundamentally opposed goals based on how our body is designed? Also, do you think, or is there research, that the mTOR theory of aging and leucine acting as a trigger could be meat/animal-protein specific? In other words, could eating leucine-rich plant foods in order to signal MPS still provide longevity benefits as well as muscle-building benefits? Kind of similar to the whole nitrate/nitrite conundrum where plant-sourced nitrates (from beets and arugula) get metabolized in the stomach and re-sent to the mouth where, instead of becoming carcinogenic nitrosamines (as is what happens when you consume nitrates from meat), they become NO and increase our oxygen efficiency. This seems plausible to me since you’ve praised pumpkins seeds (which are relatively high in leucine) in some past videos: (http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=pumpkin+seeds) specifically the mineral content and serotonin boosting effect.Research papers describing MPS and leucine signaling: – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16365096 – http://jap.physiology.org/content/106/6/2026 – http://www.biolayne.com/wp-content/uploads/Norton-J-Ag-Food-Ind-Hi-Tech-2008.pdfSuper important questions especially for body builders who may want to follow a more plant-based diet. I think you are onto something. Plant-based diets have been shown to work successfully in athletes, but over-consuming protein and working your muscles day in day out to me seems like there could be a downside. I know many plant-based athletes who refrain from large supplements and stick to whole foods. Let me research this a bit more and read your studies. Forgive my delay I will answer you as best as possible. Do you want my links to plant-based athletic research? Thanks, MichaelThanks for the reply, Joseph!I would love to review what research you can share. From what I have read, relating to popular plant-based athletes, it seems the main focus has been on endurance athletes rather than athletes concerned with hypertrophy. Of the anecdotal plant-based bodybuilders stories that I’ve read, they are relatively recent converts to a PB diet (i.e. they were winning athletes with large muscles before converting, and have been able to retain their mass and increase their recovery once switching diets). My question is more about building muscle mass while on a PB diet which is something that I haven’t found much research on.Also as I stated above, I am very fascinated by the possibility that leucine/mTOR could be an analogue to the nitrate/nitrosamine/NO connection — that plants cause benefit where meat causes harm.Dr Greger,I love your videos. However, I do not believe that you always present the facts as straight forward and objectively as they could be. From your video, one would believe that chicken has more leucine than kale. However, the amount of leucine per gram of protein from chicken is very close to the amount of leucine per gram of protein in kale. Yes, there is more protein in 3 oz of chicken than 3 oz of kale, but per gram of protein. leucine content is very similar.So the objective seems more to limit total protein consumption rather than from what the protein is derived. Obviously, avoiding animal products is a great way to reduce total protein consumption, but I believe most people from this video would believe that 60 grams of protein from animal products has substantaily more leucine than 60 grams of protein from navy beans. According to nutrition facts and analysis, 60 grams of chicken protein has 4200 mg of leucine and 60 grams of protein from navy beans has 5100 mg of leucine. Clearly, that is different than what anyone watching this video would believe.My concern is that I wonder how many other video analyses also have such bias toward veganism.The difference is that with a diet centered around animal products, it is difficult to get a day’s worth of calories without getting excess protein. Can you devise a diet where a substantial percentage of total calories comes from animal products that A) has the same number of grams of protein and B) has the same number of calories as a WFPB without resorting to refined sugars and oils to up the calories without any additional protein.The frequent knock on WFPB diets is that they “lack” protein. And relative to a meat-centric diet, it does. But that also means that eating a WFPB diet it is relatively easy to get enough calories to maintain weight while still keeping protein consumption to that required for body maintenance (~5-10% of total calories). Not covered in this video, but I would be willing to bet that an increase in TOR signalling starts at the level of protein required for maintenance. It would be very interesting to know if luciene in protein up to the maintenance level has any effect on TOR.But your point is well taken. A lot of people eating a WFPB worry about getting “enough” protein, and so devote particular attention to eating plant foods particularly high in protein, like beans, or even going to the extreme of eating isolated protein supplements like pea protein to make sure that they “get enough”. I know that I did at least initially. But I don’t any more because I demonstrated to myself that a given amount of just about any whole plant food, save fruits, supplies the same or higher percentage of daily protein requirements than that same amount contributes towards daily calorie requirements. The same also applies to each of the essential amino acids as to protein overall. The bottom line is that if you eat enough calories, protein just takes care of itself. No need to make any special effort what so ever. And with the information in this video, it might be wise to actually do a bit of the reverse and focus a little extra on the lower protein foods like rice, wheat, potatoes and a little less on high protein foods like legumes. And we should eat greens because they are just jammed full of nutrients rather than the fact that 40-50% of the calories (even though the number of calories is very modest) come from protein.I agree with what you said. I just wanted to point out that for a fixed amount of grams of protein either from plants or animal, leucine content is about the same so the only way to really limit leucine is to limit protein. However, methionine levels are much lower in plant based protein rather animal based protein so a WFPB is the only way to go.Thanks. These are useful observations. They might also explain why plant based low carb diets are not associated with lower all-cause or cardiovascular mortality (although animal based low carb diets are associated with higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality). http://jaha.ahajournals.org/content/3/5/e001169.fullThere is a very interesting video on this broad topic below (it lasts about 40 minutes). It seems to indicate that methionine restriction may account for many of the benefits of calorie/protein restriction.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLAiu_fl2oETom: Great lecture. Thanks for the link!Your article states that, “To reach the leucine intake provided by dairy or meat, we’d have to eat nine pounds of cabbage—about four big heads—or 100 apples. These calculations exemplify the extreme differences in leucine amounts provided by a conventional diet in comparison to a plant-based diet.”Why not present a more protein-equivalent comparison like beans, rather than an extreme example of vegetarian foods that contain very little protein? This type of apples-to-oranges comparison leads me to question the objectivity of your reporting.Hi Caroline. There is a lot of discussion about leucine content in plant foods on the latests blog today about TOR. See if that thread helps answer your questions? I’m to happy to help answer any additional questions you have and agree that maybe comparing beans and plant sources that tend to be high in leucine is more appropriate. Thanks for your comment.Great video and comments but I thought that caloric restriction as a mechanism for increasing longevity in primates has been discredited in recent studies such as http://www.nature.com/news/calorie-restriction-falters-in-the-long-run-1.11297 . I don’t think this negates Dr. Greger’s points/conclusions in this video but I have noticed that he asserts that “the benefits of caloric restriction on health and aging has been clearly demonstrated” (i’m assuming he means in humans) in several videos and blog posts including today’s (15June 2015) post “Living Longer by Reducing Leucine Intake”. Again, I’m not debating the good doctor’s conclusions but just wondering why he continues to make assertions that i thought were essentially disproven. Also wondering why this point has not been brought up in any of the numerous comments for this video. Please enlighten me :).A later (2014) study in primates confirmed the benefits of calorie restriction. It suggested that, in the 2012 study you refer to, the control group of monkeys was also effectively undergoing calorie restriction which explains why there was no benefit found in that study. “Here we show that CR significantly improves age-related and all-cause survival in monkeys on a long-term ~30% restricted diet since young adulthood. These data contrast with observations in the 2012 NIA intramural study report, where a difference in survival was not detected between control-fed and CR monkeys. A comparison of body weight of control animals from both studies with each other, and against data collected in a multi-centred relational database of primate ageing, suggests that the NIA control monkeys were effectively undergoing CR. Our data indicate that the benefits of CR on ageing are conserved in primates.” http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140401/ncomms4557/full/ncomms4557.htmlI was watching this video while my 11 year old daughter is sitting next engaged in something else and seemingly not paying listening. Until she responds to the question, “So where is luecine found?” Her response, “McDonald’s.” :) I think her passive nurtion facts education is having a positive effect. I’ll continue to keep the volume turned up.oops on the typos… “11 year old daughter is sitting NEXT to me engaged…” and ” ..seemingly not listening.”Sandy: You made my day with your story. Tickled my funny bone. :-) Yeah you! And yeah your daughter too.	Adventist Health Studies,aging,animal products,animal protein,apples,beans,cabbage,California,caloric restriction,chicken,China Study,cholesterol,dairy,Dr. T. Colin Campbell,eggs,enzymes,fish,fruit,grains,IGF-1,Japan,LDL cholesterol,leucine,lifespan,longevity,meat,mood,mortality,plant protein,plant-based diets,poultry,protein,rapamycin,side effects,standard American diet,TOR,turkey,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	The lifespan extension associated with dietary restriction may be due less to a reduction in calories, and more to a reduction in animal protein (particularly the amino acid leucine, which may accelerate aging via the enzyme TOR).	What’s TOR? Make sure you go back and watch my “prequel” video Why Do We Age?This reminds of the study I profiled in The Benefits of Caloric Restriction Without the Actual Restricting.Methionine is another amino acid that may be associated with aging. See Methionine Restriction as a Life Extension Strategy to find out which foods to avoid in that case. Both leucine and methionine content may be additional reasons why Plant Protein is Preferable. This all may help explain the results of Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rapamycin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-t-colin-campbell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leucine/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20395504,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23325216,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16226298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24015440,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22342805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2815731/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22934068,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19419870,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19502008,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11434797,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17986602,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21862237,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22442749,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23216249,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22268691,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20234038,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22524452,
PLAIN-2617	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/	Why Do We Age?	It sounds like science fiction. A bacteria in a vial of dirt taken from a mysterious island creating a compound that prolongs life, and not in the traditional medical sense. Thanks to advances in modern medicine, we are living longer, but we’re doing it by lengthening the morbidity phase. In other words: we live longer, but sicker lives.We used to die here, but thanks to medical intervention, we now die here. So, traditional medicine increases the number of old people in bad health. Ideally, though, we’d extend lifespan by slowing aging to delay the onset of deterioration.And that’s what this appears to do. They called it rapamycin—named after Easter Island, known locally as Rapa Nui. It inhibits an enzyme they named TOR, which stands for “target of rapamycin,” which may be a master determinant of lifespan and aging. The action of TOR has been described as the engine of a speeding car without brakes.Rather than thinking of aging as slowly rusting, a better analogy may be a speeding car that enters the low-speed zone of adulthood and damages itself because it does not and cannot slow down. Why don’t living organisms have brakes? Because they’ve never needed them. In the wild, animals don’t live long enough to experience aging. Most die before they even reach adulthood. Just a few centuries ago, life expectancy in London was less than 16 years old.Therefore, living beings need to grow as fast as possible to start reproduction before they die from external causes. The best evolutionary strategy may be to run at full speed, but once we pass the finish line, once we win the race to pass on our genes, we’re still careening forward at an unsustainable pace, thanks to this enzyme TOR, which in our childhood is an engine of growth, but in adulthood can be thought of as the engine of aging. Nature simply selects for the brightest flame, which in turn casts the darkest shadow.Sometimes, though, even in our youth, our bodies need to turn down the heat. When we were evolving, there were no grocery stores, periodic famine was the norm, and so sometimes even young people had to slow down or they might never even make it to reproductive age. So we did evolve one braking mechanism. The way caloric restriction extends lifespan appears to be mainly through the inhibition of TOR.When food is abundant, TOR activity goes up, prompting the cells in our body to divide. When TOR detects that food is scarce, it shifts the body into conservation mode, slows down cell division and kicks in a process called autophagy, from the Greek auto meaning self, phagy meaning to eat, autophagy: eating one’s self. Our body realizes there isn’t much food around and starts rummaging through our cells looking for anything we don’t need. Defective proteins, malfunctioning mitochondria, stuff that isn’t working any more and cleans house. Clears out all the junk and recycles it into fuel or new building materials, renewing our cells.So caloric restriction has been heralded as a fountain of youth, The potential health and longevity benefits of such a diet regimen may be numerous, but symptoms may include dropping our blood pressure too low, loss of libido, menstrual irregularities, infertility, loss of bone, cold sensitivity, loss of strength, slower wound healing, and psychological conditions such as depression, emotional deadening, and irritability. And you walk around starving all the time. There’s got to be a better way, which I’ll cover in my next video.	I have to wait until tomorrow? Comon I’m dying here.Gah!!! A weekend cliffhanger!!Oh HemoDynamic: You literally made me laugh out loud. Too funny.Cracked me up, too! And bonus points for the Easter Island statue head emoticon! :-DLaloofah: re: emoticon. I missed that! Good catch. Thanks.interestingly the emoticon I can see on my iPhone but not my Windows Computer.It (and below, your death-dealing devil) show up on both my iPad & my iMac, showing their superiority yet again to Windows PCs. (But then, you probably don’t want to get another Apple since they keep the doctor away!) ;-)Love it Laloofah!LOL, my plug for Apple or my plug for apples? Or both? :-)Probably because Emoji is a type of font you haven’t got installed on your PC?He’s going to talk about intermittent fasting.Spoiler alert! You might be able to Juke it but you can’t cheat death!Michael Greger is the master of health – and the master of suspense!My guess… Water fasting. The benefits of water fasting are becoming increasingly more recognized and important. Some individuals can go months and even a year without eating. Of course variables come into play. But this may be a valuable life extension therapy for some extremely sick and/or overweight individuals.A year w/o eating? Sounds like something one of my schizophrenics would say. I, too, anticipate the answer will be intermittent fasting. Eating every other day, as studied in the above-referenced article, is ridiculous since no one can follow such a protocol for any length of time. I have been practicing a simple, totally doable form of IF for about a year. Basically I skip breakfast, drinking copious amounts of lemonized green tea, Indian spice black tea, and citrus-hibiscus tea, courtesy of our office Celestial Seasoning K-cups while doing my morning rounds. My work distracts me from the minor feelings of hunger until noon, at which time I sit back and relax with some mixed nuts, celery and carrot sticks, sliced apples and hummus and watch Dr. Greger’s latest video. It’s one of the highlights of my day, followed by driving home in my Mustang.The process is hormesis: essentially what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Put another way-long term stress is harmful but short term stress is beneficial. Our society, with a limitless supply of cheap, easily accessible food has eliminated any semblance of stress with respect to hunger.I started a similar habit this past year. I only consume my (white) tea with lemon in the morning, which if I’m honest is really the only thing I’m interested in when I wake up. I don’t eat breakfast right away, but rather I bring it with me to work, and eat it whenever I get hungry, sometimes 10am, sometimes noon. I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself, but I like that I’m not forcing myself to eat when I’m not really hungry either. And if I get any IF benefits, that’s gravy.Here is an interesting article on water fasting from the T. Colin Campbell center for nutrition studies which explains the length of time someone, depending upon dietary factors can be on a water fasting diet.Also all an vegan diet can slow the aging process as Dr. Dean Ornish has proved in research.Below is a link to water fasting. Enjoy the article. http://nutritionstudies.org/fasting-back-future/30-100 days without food is possible depending of the person~Found this article about Joel Fuhrman, mentioned his experience fasting:When the U.S. Olympic Committee’s orthopedist urged Fuhrman to undergo an experimental surgical procedure for his heel, Fuhrman refused. He sought treatment instead from Herbert Shelton, a San Antonio naturopath who specialized in irregular cures. Fuhrman, a fit 150 pounds, was put on a regimen of only water for 46 days. “They nearly killed me,” he says. “I fasted down to 88 pounds.” His heel trouble vanished, but so did most of his muscle, and he was unable to regain top form in time for the 1976 Olympics.I’d say 100 days is a bit far-fetched.http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/joel-fuhrman-the-doctor-is-out-there-20121107100 days is extreme but i just said some peoples can survive such fast~ This overweight woman on youtube fasted for spiritual reasons for 3 x 41 days separated by 7 days of eating~https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY9_Qviei7ghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxX76bwgc08Scary but she is feeling good and still talk with some energy~Here is an interesting article on water fasting from the T. Colin Campbell center for nutrition studies which explains the length of time someone, depending upon dietary factors can be on a water fasting diet. This article explains it is possible to go without food for over a year.Also all an vegan diet can slow the aging process as Dr. Dean Ornish has proved in research.Below is a link to water fasting. Enjoy the article.http://nutritionstudies.org/fasting-back-future/Fascinating!OH these cliffhangers!!! Should I eat breakfast or just fast?!? eat, or fast?; or just eat fast? Tell Us!!June 6, 2012 Chronological Age: 72; Biological Age: 50; Vascular Age: 44Throw us a bone, already. Oh, right…Would you comment on the article that was just published in PLOSone which concluded that “a vegetarian diet is associated with poorer health …, a higher need for health care, and poorer quality of life”? Burkert NT, Muckenhuber J, Großschädl F, Rásky É, Freidl W (2014) Nutrition and Health – The Association between Eating Behavior and Various Health Parameters: A Matched Sample Study. PLoS ONE 9(2): e88278. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0088278In the discussion they stated “…no statements can be made whether the poorer health in vegetarians in our study is caused by their dietary habit or if they consume this form of diet due to their poorer health status. We cannot state whether a causal relationship exists…”Seems they should’ve mentioned that in their conclusions too.Note from Dr.Garth Davis:“Social media, and its infinite viral wisdom, strikes again. A ridiculously bad article was published in an online crappy journal and it is now spreading like wildfire as if it is the truth handed down by God.The article states that vegetarians are less healthy than meat eaters. What?! There has never been a study that has been so bold as to state such a fact! They must have something big, right? I mean this goes against the vast majority of recent science. Anytime an article is an outlier it needs to be well understood, and for it to have meaning it should be replicated. So lets take a look.This study is from Austria. They looked at over 15,000 people. So since this is a comparative study I would imagine there must be quiet a few vegetarians right? WRONG!!!! 0.2% where vegetarian. That is it. A few measly vegetarians. With such a low amount there is no way that you can do an adequately powered statistical analysis, so the authors didn’t try. Instead they matched the few vegetarians they had with age matched meat eaters. Some of the vegetarians had no age matched counterparts so they were dropped from the study!!!!! Even fewer vegetarians now.OK so we are going to take these few vegetarians and compare them with meat eaters and follow them for years and see how the do, right? WRONG!!!!! They just did one interview with them to assess their health and their eating habits. So do we know how long they have been vegetarian? No. Could they have turned vegetarian because they were sick. Of course. Many people facing a diagnosis of heart disease turn to vegetarian diet. In this case the heart disease would have been equated with being vegetarian. This was a 1 day study not a multiple year prospective study like the Adventist Health Study.Well at least we should be able to discern exactly what “vegetarian ” means, right? We should at least know that these vegetarians are in fact eating vegetables, right? Wrong! They applied labels on people but never assessed their exact meal plan. There is no mention as to how many fruits and veggies they were eating. In fact, they noted that the vegetarians were less likely to pursue preventative health, which in itself could explain their poor health. What this means is that these people were unlikely vegetarian for health reasons. In predominately meat eating populations when you find very few people abstaining from meat, and not going in for regular doctors visits, it could be that they are “ethical” vegetarians. In other words, they do not eat meat because of the cruelty aspect. Often times these people eat quite a junk food diet. Lots of processed carbs and not much actual fruit and veggies.In the end this is just bad science. Their conclusion is not worth the paper this would have been printed on had it actually been printed. Instead this wound up on an online journal known for poor peer review. This was not debated at a large scientific conference. This study would have gotten F had a student turned it into me, regardless of the findings, just based on the poor experimental design. In the end, this study would have been never looked at again, except that social media loves a good controversial study that confirms what everybody wants to believe. Now it is showing up all over the internet as if Harvard had just released the study in The New England Journal of Medicine. And this is why people get so confused!”JacquieRN,Excellent response!The correlation between high school grades and aptitude as a researcher is sometimes not very high.I am 75 and have been a vegetarian for 61 years, varied vegetarian / vegan / rawfoodist.I made ​​my transition “cold turkey” to a lacto-vegetarian rawfood in 1953. I even made my military service as lacto-vegetarian rawfoodist according to contemporary standards.Now I’m mostly high raw vegan. I can’t imagine a better life style.My only medical problem since I became a vegetarian has been all regular colds, one in 1968, one in 1988 and the last in 2010.This is the terribly frustrating thing about the information-proliferation society–it seems that–barring expect ability to decode research methods (and a willingness to do that heavy-lifting) the more we know, the less we know: most folks are at the mercy of a strangely powerful conceit that “lies wouldn’t be printed.” Only specialists know that not all journals are created equal etc!!!And even the best of journals publish bad articles. I just reviewed a Cochrane meta that was so poorly done it shocked me.Excellent!! Welcome to the Team!m-Tor pathway! It was thought that calorie restriction was the key to longevity, when in effect, eating less food naturally provided less of a particular amino acid that speeds aging. So by eating less protein, we restrict that particular amino acid (who’s name escapes me) and we live longer. No need for caloric restriction to enhance longevity. Just eat less protein! ;)Are you thinking of cysteine?Sorry it took a while to look it up… L-methionine. Here’s an article that explains the m-TOR pathway and why excess protein causes short lifespans in mammals http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/2010/05/07/ron-rosedale-protein-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/Thanks a lot!Intermittent fasting???It seems that long-term intermittent fasting might actually be harmful: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21816219I looked into taking rapamycin so I’d age slower, but I found out that it shuts down your immune system, so you’d better live in a germ-free bubble if you’re going to take it. I also found out that it’s the same stuff they give organ transplant patients so their bodies don’t reject the new organs. Wonder how they avoid dying when they catch a cold.Is this aging phenomenon because mTOR forces cells to divide more frequently, so that they reach their Hayflick limit earlier, resulting in senescence?I’m betting resveratrol!I don’t eat any animal products. What I would like to know is what is the role of omega-6-rich foods for a plant-based diet, specifically things like nuts, seeds and their derivatives (oils and seed butters)? Many whole foods people seem to avoid them like the plague but more moderate vegan nutritionists state that their health effects are way overblown. And what about avocado, which is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids? I like a moderate amount of fat in my diet (all plant-based), consuming tahini, nuts, seeds, guacamole. Am I harming my future coronary health? I wish there were some hard data/evidence on this. Everyone has a conflicting opinion – Esselstyn, Fuhrman, Jenkins, etc.I don’t think there is as much conflict between the actual “experts” as there is among the people that follow them. Esselstyn and McDougall both say that objectively, an ounce of nuts or seeds per day is fine (barring active/advanced heart disease). But since they feel that some people have a hard time limiting themselves to a particular serving size, they skew the message and end up saying that perhaps it’s better to just avoid them. But then many of their followers interpret this as nuts, seeds, and avocado are off-limits and to be absolutely avoidedI also think their stance may be a sort of backlash against the prevalent fetishizing of “healthy fats” in the sense that people think that [non-omega-3] fats are something that they need to put effort into increasing the levels of in their diet. When like the other macronutrients, particular fat levels are not something that need to be strived for.[I know that you DH have said that you consume a lower-carb diet and so I recognize that some people do have particular macronutrient goals, but generally in the WFPB world, the message is that micronutrients density is more of a focus than macronutrient ratios.]Novick recommends 1-2 servings per day, here is a sample menu where he lists that a couple ounces of nuts/seeds per day, or an ounce of nuts/seeds plus half an avocado is fine per Engine 2 diet recommendations. http://engine2diet.com/the-daily-beet/tuesdays-with-jeff-insights-into-your-health-a-common-sense-approach-to-sound-nutrition/The nuance lies in Esselstyn and McDougall saying that a one ounce serving per day is fine, but also sending the message that you’re fine if you don’t eat any. Furhman’s message is slightly different. He recommends 1 oz per day but claims that you are better off eating them than not.On to the others, we all know Dr. Greger recommends 1-2 oz nuts/seeds per day, and Dr. Barnard also recommends 1 oz per day; whether his recommendation is more of a condonation with a limit a la Esselstyn/McDougall or an emphatic recommendation to intentionally consume them for certain micronutrients ala Furhman/Greger, I’m unsure.But in the end I think these nuances in recommendations are not worth the debate they inspire! Across the board, 1-2 servings per day of nuts/seeds/avocado is either emphatically recommended or at least condoned.However everything I’ve written has been in the context of examining caloric density and micronutrient density (vitamins, minerals, phytosterols, other phytonutrients, and omega-3 FAs), i.e. we’re talking about high-fat whole foods.In terms of recommending MUFAs themselves for certain health benefits (i.e. consuming oils), the only concrete evidence I’ve seen for intentional consumption is in the context of using them to *replace* saturated or trans fats. In fact even the fine print on the back of my bottle of canola oil (right below the huge “Heart Healthy!” banner) states:“Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that [canola oil] may reduce the risk of coronary heart disesase due to the unsaturated fat content. To achieve this possible benefit, canola oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.”So it’s better than lard or butter, but that’s not the best rationale for consuming something in my opinion.b00mer, thank you for that lovely summary of their approach. I realize that more and more experts even in the vegan community are recommending nuts, seeds, etc, but I think there is one camp that says that vegetable oils, seed butters and nut butters are ok (in moderation), and another says that they are not, because there are highly processed, calorie-dense food that has been stripped of micronutrients and food matrix (e.g. fiber). In other words, because vegetable oils and nut/seed butters are not a whole food, they are not an acceptable addition to the diet. I find it difficult to completely eliminate seed butters from my diet and I crush/grind nuts/seeds anyway, so I am getting effectively the same thing in my smoothies. I do not use any vegetable oil because I find this is very easy to avoid.Well across the board it seems people disagree with consuming oils, as they have no micronutrient value. Some people may “allow” them in moderation, but some people allow refined sugar/syrup in moderation too. Joel Furhman allows 10% of the diet to be animal products and refined plant products. Allowing doesn’t make much of an impression to me as to whether I should have it in my diet.When I have read certain people saying a little oil is fine (maybe it was Ginny Messina or another vegan RD?), it seemed like it was coming from this perspective that the “no-oil” movement was scary and restrictive and they wanted to counteract that so that people wouldn’t be frightened to try going plant-based. Perhaps they still enjoy oil themselves and want to discount “no-oil” as extreme and irrational.But seed butters I haven’t heard so much about. I would think anyone who allows 1 oz nuts/seeds would allow the equivalent (a couple hundred?) calories of nut butter?Of course everyone prefers whole over ground of any food type, but if this is one of the foods that are eaten sparingly, I personally just don’t think it’s something to worry about. Unless you have specific health issues that you want to remedy, in which case, just perform a month or two long experiment and see if anything happens.As much as Esselstyn, Novick, and McDougall tend to rail against nuts, and are always saying to choose other foods over nuts, that does not translate to “don’t eat any nuts ever”. It means out of the dozens of servings of food per day that you’re eating, make sure that for most except for one or two, you’re choosing other foods over nuts.Though since you bring up smoothies, that does reminds me of Esselstyn coming out against them (though more for the blood sugar effects of high-fruit smoothies). But then, I think there is a significant difference between a greens-heavy, low-sugar (some citrus or a few berries) smoothie, and some of the ones you see where it’s just a token handful of spinach and then several whole fruit. When these experts come out against something carte blanche, I think some important considerations and nuances get lost in the message.Do you have any links or names for anti-nut-butters?Hi b00mer, I do not have any links or names for anti-nut-butters – but I have seen on the internet people saying no peanut butter or other butters, even unroasted.Note that extra virgin olive oil does have some evidence to support it, despite its high calorie density. It does seem to have beneficial antioxidants in it, even setting the aside the issue of monounsaturated fats possibly being healthy in fat and/or glucose-insulin metabolism. However, I would use any in strict moderation, because it is very calorie-dense.My morning smoothie contains 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup beans, flaxseed, hempseed, nuts, pumpkin seeds, almond milk, cocoa powder, wheat germ and wheat bran. On the side I eat a large carrot for vitamin A. This keeps me full for 6-7 hours. Of course I could take out the nuts and replace them with more beans but then 1) I will be less satiated; 2) I will be getting a higher glycemic load (and given my tendency towards metabolic syndrome, I don’t want to go back towards that).I am not saying that nuts are good for health in order to justify my diet; I am simply saying I would have a hard time finding a filling breakfast smoothie without them (by the way I am allergic to kale and possibly closely related plants).Nuts are lower in saturated fat than meat, have no trans fats or cholesterol, do not contain polyaromatic hydrocarbons or acrylamide from high-temperature cooking, and are typically high in more benign MUFA and omega-3 PUFA. PREDIMED suggests they are beneficial, at least in replacing other foods commonly eaten. I would still consume them in moderation because of their high caloric load and I have stopped snacking on them entirely. For more on the benefits of nuts, this article, which is unfortunately behind a paywall, is interesting: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/128/5/553.extract?sid=93de94a0-280b-4c93-91f9-2b33975c4dfeLife expectancy in London was not less than 16 years old. You have used the average age of death which includes all the babies and children who did not reach adulthood due to illness,malnutrition, accident etc. This skews the results. After reaching adulthood the life expectancy was much higher. After all even a 2000+ year old book says we get 3 score years and 10! In the middle ages if a person reached age 21 they could expect on average to live to age 64.You are correct, however this is how life expectancy is typically calculated. High infant and childhood mortality lowers the overall life expectancy of a population. There were some pretty significant public health issues in London in this time period.We read Dr Greger’s work here every morning. And we think it’s no mystery! It’s just a WFPB diet.Oh what a TEASE! We have been following the 5:2 Fast regime of 4-700 cal per day for 2 days a week and eating a la Greger and Fuhrman for 7 months. We would love to hear of another, easier way to promote autophagy and perhaps neurogenisis as seen in rats. Can’t wait for tomorrow! ( Michael Mosley’s 5:2 diet described here: http://thefastdiet.co.ukGayle, how is that working for you? I have the Fast book, I just haven’t tried it yet.Hi Blanster, Well… when we eat the 400 cal and Kevin the 700 cal (male/female suggested) diet, we have trouble sleeping, not so much for feelings of hunger, but for a sort of agitation in our veins, a sort of vibration that is bothersome and shortens sleep times and sleep pleasure. In the last couple of months we have upped the cals a bit. I wonder if 2 days a week of reduced intake of healthy WF is a long-term problem. And we do feel deprived and hungry. SO, I would like to know if it is worth it. When we eat our normal Greger/Fuhrman diet we are in heaven. First time since my early teens that I am not hungry every single day trying to maintain my 103 lb weight! Moseley’s BBC-TV show really inspired us, the book less so. And of course, Mosely’s regular, non-fasting days diet is a bit of a nightmare.Probably cortisol that you are feeling the effects of.Hypoglycemia triggering cortisol then raises your glucose, heart rate.That is what makes you feel edgy.Thanks for the info! That certainly sounds problematic. I hope you can find something that works and feels good, although it sounds like the Fuhrman/Gregor diet works pretty well for you!Don’t you fast every night while you sleep? If that is not standard I’m sure with a very slight modification to food intake times the same can be achieved without the suffering :) Say eat @ 17:00 and nothing after.And isn’t it just asking for radical damage during off hours?Thank you, Arjan for your video reference. During our very low cal days we eat very high nutrient snack (sprouts, pink juice, super tomato soup with all the healthy spices, basil,onions garlic…) I wonder if the daily skipping of breakfast would be as promoting of autophagy and possible neurogenisis. It is much more appealing and we often do this without thinking of it.$1,000 dollars says the answer is: a whole foods, plant based diet!Sometimes to much repetition is counter productive!Without reading the question $1000 dollars says the answer is: A whole foods plant based diet!LOL, hehehe.When Dr. G repeats this conclusion I know he is giggling inside so I don’t mind. And it is the truth, so he must say it. AND he almost always adds to our knowledge about the benefits of WFPB diets. Thus, he strengthens my resolve.Sure, this is why vegans are immortal…If only they could defend themselves they’d rule the world!ROFLA strong contender as one reason (of several) we age, at any rate. For those curious about Mikhail Blaggosklonny’s hyperfunction theory (aging is caused by overactivity in adulthood of developmental processes important during growth), i found this recent review offered more clarity than Blaggosklonny’s own papers, as well as a fair introduction to a major strand in experimental gerontology for the past decade:Gems, David, and Linda Partridge. “Genetics of longevity in model organisms: debates and paradigm shifts.” Annual review of physiology 75 (2013): 621-644.MAYBE…if you are 67.4 years or older…the following is true?http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140311163101.htmThey designed a study to investigate the relationship between protein intake and future decline in higher-level functional capacity in older community-dwelling adults in Japan. Their analysis included 1,007 individuals with an average age of 67.4 years who completed food questionnaires at the start of the study and seven years later.Participants were divided into four groups (quartiles) according to their intake levels of total, animal, and plant protein. Tests of higher-level functional capacity included social and intellectual aspects as well as measures related to activities of daily living.Men in the highest quartile of animal protein intake had a 39 percent decreased chance of experiencing higher-level functional decline than those in the lowest quartile. These associations were not seen in women.No consistent association was observed between plant protein intake and future higher-level functional decline in either sex.Hmmm. Any more comments on this? If true, why the effect in men and not women?Since I fit this demographic…I’m definitely interested in some discussion. It is antagonistic to the theme of the videos to some extent. Personally I consume mostly salmon and lean beef….usually 2-4 oz per home cooked meal…along with a variety of vegs…beans…nuts…some dairy…MCT oil (coconut)and olive oil. Seem to need or want the animal protein….not sure whether from habit or actual need.Neither of those oils are good for you and aren’t only “MCTs” and shouldn’t be considered “MCT oil” that is completely wrong. lol. Meat is full of endotoxins and other poisons.You are not starving at all when you completely water fasting after 2-3 days instead calories restriction~Love the opening photo–beautiful baby and great grandma.I’m extremely worried about this: http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2014/04/01/study-vegetarians-less-healthy-lower-quality-of-life-than-meat-eaters/ – why are they trying to confuse people so badly?Despite solid research showing that calorie restriction extends life in nematodes and mice, CR in primates doesn’t seem to extend life, but may be helpful to maintain health.http://news.sciencemag.org/2012/08/hungry-monkeys-not-living-longer?ref=hpAny kind of fasting is good, but juice fasting (up to 30 ounces a day) with additional GI tract cleanse (enemasm colonics, herbs) seems to work best.We age because we are born…I have a question for Dr. Greger (by the way, thank you very much for all you do – i sincerely appreciate your work). I’m hoping Dr. Greger will include it in his Q&A soon. I work as a nutrition manager in a long-term care facility in Canada. I’ve been following your work for a little while and I myself eat a plant-based diet. In my facility, however, menus are extremely unhealthy – we have eggs every day for breakfast (there’s often an omelet or an egg salad as one of the choices at lunch, too), milk at every meal and snack, lots of cheese, meat, fish and sweets. Out budget is $7.92 a day in Ontario. I was wondering what your opinion is on whether it is possible for elderly people to thrive on a plant-based diet (many doctors and RDs I know will not embrace this idea). Also, do you think it’s possible to provide adequate plant based nutrition on such a limited budget? Finally, how do you think we can get their buy-in? I’ve also been thinking that it would be kinda cool to do a study – have a few elderly people switch to a vegan diet, and follow their progress for a while. We have all their health data going back months and years! =) Thanks a lot!Anton, What a great question, and how lucky for your residents to have you looking out for them! I would direct you to this great cost-comparison Dr. Greger did on plant-based diets versus a standard diet: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/ .Regarding elderly people on a plant-based diet, Dr. Greger has a great video on this but it won’t be released for a little while (it’s the last video on his newest DVD, volume 18). I’ll give you this teaser:“Women in their 70s with the most carotenoid phytonutrients [from eating fruits and vegetables] in their bloodstream were twice as likely to survive five years than those with the lowest.”There’s also a new book on WFPB diets for those over 50 with a chapter on eating in long term care facilities: http://www.amazon.com/Never-Too-Late-Vegan-Plant-Based/dp/1615190988. I haven’t read it but I heard a great interview with Ginny Messina, one of the authors. You might want to check it out.These are tangentially related: How to slow brain aging: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/ Nuts may help prevent death http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/ Increased lifespan from beans http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/I’m hoping healthier residents with increased lifespan is something most facilities for the elderly would find worthwhile, and not a cost to be avoided. Anyways, good luck!Thanks for your response. It was great. I know about Ginny Messina, she runs theveganrd.com – i think she’s great. I’ll probably buy and read her book in the near future.Anton: Thanks so much for this post. It’s heartening to see that someone is trying look out for the older folks in our community. To round out Tommasina’s excellent reply, I thought I would let you know that the well-researched group, Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) produced two magazines with articles on this very topic.Volume XXXI, NO 4: “Accommodating Vegans in Assisted-Living Settings” – “Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD, helps you cater to vegetarian clients in this latest Foodservice Update.”Volume XXXII, NO 3: “Vegan Menus For Adults 51+” – “Christine Kasum Sexton, MPH, created menus in a range of calorie counts, including low-income options.”Maybe you could get a copy of these issues/articles? There may be other articles too that are helpful. These are just the ones I know about.I think we are on the verge of really helping our seniors. People like you will be leading the way, difficult as it may be. Best of luck to you!!!!FYI: Website where I think you can learn more about VRG: http://www.vrg.orgThanks for the info!Dr. Greger,Pursuant to a recreational study of biochemistry to better appreciate my WFPBD, I have encountered an unfamiliar disaccharide of glucose known as trehalose that is suitable for human glycolysis (Lehninger, 2nd ed, pg 424). Curious, I researched this molecule and found this study that shows trehalose to be ‘an mTOR-independent autophagy activator’ and to confer some protection against Huntington and Parkinson disease. Question: is trehalose something we should start sprinkling on our morning oatmeal to enhance the effects of our plant-based leucine-restricted diets, or is this much ado about nothing? Thank you. http://www.jbc.org/content/282/8/5641.full.pdf+html	aging,autophagy,blood pressure,bone health,caloric restriction,calories,depression,Easter Island,elderly,enzymes,evolution,infertility,lifespan,longevity,mitochondria,mood,morbidity,mortality,muscle strength,oxidative stress,rapamycin,reproductive health,sexual health,TOR,wound healing	A bacteria discovered on Easter Island may hold the key to the proverbial fountain of youth by producing rapamycin, which inhibits the engine-of-aging enzyme TOR.	Sadly, Americans are Living Longer but Sicker Lives. How do we lower the activity of the aging enzyme without caloric restriction? My follow-up video Caloric Restriction vs. Animal Protein Restriction will be up on Monday. If, however, you can't wait, the next 24 NutritionFacts.org videos going through to June are available on my latest DVD (all proceeds to charity) that is available for instant download.I discuss the “rusting” theory of aging in my video Mitochondrial Theory of Aging and have an older video on Research Into Reversing Aging.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/morbidity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rapamycin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mitochondria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-strength/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autophagy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/easter-island/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wound-healing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/americans-are-living-longer-but-sicker-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22934068,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20404395,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21157483,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17518696,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23325216,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24240128,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16226298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19923900,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1102508,
PLAIN-2618	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blood-type-diet-debunked/	Blood Type Diet Debunked	It was Adolf Hitler who coined a propaganda technique he called, “The Big Lie,” arguing that people may be more likely to believe colossal untruths, because they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously, so in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility.The book, Eat Right for Your Type, makes the astounding claim that people with different blood types should eat different foods. Type O's are supposed to be like the hunter and eat a lot of meat, whereas people with type A blood are supposed to eat less. A systematic review of the evidence supporting blood type diets was published in one of the world's most prestigious nutrition journals. They didn't find any.Diets based on the ABO blood group system have been promoted over the past decade, but the evidence to support the effectiveness of such diets had evidently not previously been assessed in the scientific literature. Actually, in the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association there were a number of papers that came out of a day-long scientific seminar held by the Norwegian Society for Nutrition. Hard to believe they would even take the time, but evidently 40,000 copies of the book had been sold in Norway and so good for them, they sought to determine “blood type diets: Visionary science or nonsense,” and they concluded nonsense.What they found so outrageous is that the blood type diet is promoted and justified in the book by supposed scientific arguments, yet the author takes no pains to prove his ideas, just presenting them simply as facts, taking advantage of people's ignorance of biology.His arguments sound scientific and he uses lots of big words, but he displays a fundamental misunderstanding of the science, describing the book's understanding of some basic tenets of blood type biology as absurd.There should be no doubt that the author had practiced in Norway, as opposed to Connecticut, where he would be in violation of the so-called Quack Law.The book cites the work of blood type biochemists, but if you ask the actual experts, as scientists, they say they obviously have to keep an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out: "it must be stated that an ‘open mind’ should not extend to some of the non-scientific literature where there are books on the ABO blood type system of pure fantasy. The most recent and incredulous of these claims that individuals of each ABO blood type must subscribe to a specific diet."I don't know how researchers have the patience to read these popular press books, but can lead to an appreciation of the ridiculous aspects of the many ignorant and preposterous claims.So, what should the overall assessment of this work be? The nicest thing you can say about the book is: “boy, does he have a good imagination.”Is it any worse than people who believe their fate is determined by the stars? Well, yes, because astrologists aren't telling a third of the population to go out and eat organ meats.The diet is not as bad as some. Positive results reported by some individuals may well be due to a general improvement in diet and lifestyle (less fat and sugar, more fruits and vegetables, less smoking, more exercise). Look, anything that gets people to eat fewer doughnuts, I don't care if you say Martians said so.This may get lost a bit in translation, but this professor of laboratory medicine at the Norwegian University of Science's analysis concluded that the author's "learning must be considered junk and without scientific foundation.”What did the new review find? They sifted through over a thousand papers that might shed some light on the issue, and none of the studies showed an association between blood type diets and health-related outcomes. They conclude that there is currently no evidence that an adherence to blood type diets will provide health benefits, despite the substantial presence and perseverance of blood type diets within the health industry.The author responded to the review on his website, saying that there's good science behind the blood type diet just like there was good science behind Einstein’s mathematical calculations, and that if blood type diets were just tested in the right way, just like Einstein's E=MC2 , he would be vindicated, complaining that the reason you don’t see any studies on blood types and nutrition is because of little interest and available money. He's sold more than seven million books! Why doesn't he fund his own studies—that's what the Atkins Corporation did.And the answer is he has! In 1996, he wrote, "I am beginning the eighth year of a ten year trial on reproductive cancers, using the Blood Type Diets. By the time I release the results in another 2 years, I expect to make it scientifically demonstrable that the Blood Type Diet plays a role in cancer remission." OK, so that would be 1998, and the results? Still not released.Good tactic, though, saying you're just about to publish, banking that nobody would actually follow up, so in his sequel he said he was currently conducting a twelve-week randomized, double-blind, controlled trial implementing the Blood Type Diet, to determine its effects on the outcomes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis." That was ten years ago.As my Norwegian colleague bemoaned, "it is difficult not to perceive the whole thing as a crass fraud."	There are too many claims out there stating to be pure scientific fact, but in all actuality they’re nothing more than pseudoscience. I’m delighted to see a video like this, and I believe more people need to remain incredulous of claims that don’t cite any peer-reviewed science. Keep up the good work, Michael.I agree. I wish someone would review Hyman’s Blood-Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox. In many ways, the approach seems sound (functional medicine, lots of whole-foods fiber, and even vegan-options for meals); I am wondering specifically about the use of the various supplements–esp. PGX–and the quantity of soy per day for well beyond the 10 days (90 days is recommended as a next step, I’m pretty sure.).Yup. I see it’s time for Dr. Greger to debunk Dr. Hyman, too.Hint: Drs selling supplements generally have a vested interest that call into question their objectivity.And mind you, even peer reviewed science is contradictory depending on the scope of the analyses. Peer reviewed science is all over the board with conflicting conclusions in regards to diet.Even with peer reviewed science, conclusions on much of dietary matters are contradictory, due to different scopes of analyses. Your body reveals. Be mindful of what your body indicates with the dynamics of living throughout your life and the environment you live in,… and the lifestyle you have.Debunking diet claims is so typical for B bloodtypes. :DThe battle against misinformation seems to be daunting, maybe even as large as the battle against the standard american diet. I participate in Quora and my goodness are there’s some adamant and active Paleo people there. It stresses me out to do battle with them.The First Amendment can sometimes be a real inconvenience to actual evidence. I feel your pain.I’ve always believed that we’re much more similar than we are different. We produce the same digestive enzymes, need the same nutrients and replace the same cells as they wear out. Scientists have found that our needs for each nutrient falls along a narrow bell-shaped curve. According to the blood-type diet, I should be eating lots of meat- and I used to. The result was that I was 20 pounds overweight; my joints ached; I slept poorly; was often depressed and had a poor memory. Then about 12 years ago, after seeing a book in the library by John McDougall, I went on a plant-based diet. The weight fell off me effortlessly, I now get a good 7 or 8 hours of solid uninterrupted sleep; I find myself feeling cheerful for no particular reason and my memory is just as good as it was 40 years ago. As far as I’m concerned, we’re all need to be on a type-P diet; P for plants.The Paleo Diet™ (yes, it is trademarked) and Blood type diets are funny. People actually believed that? Over 7 million books sold, maybe at $25 each, that is about:$175,000,000Maybe they have a “1 year membership, save over *add % here*”, about $50 per year. Maybe 7m people buy that too and that maybe equals to:$350,000,000 + 175m = over $500,000,000 …maybeWow.Profits, just profits. $$$$$$$$$$ money money money.“His arguments sound scientific and he uses lots of big words” Totally agree, I see this on TV too.Dr Greger @nutrition_facts: Any wise nutritionist knows maintaining blood sugar in a favorable therapeutic Zone is primary. All of you vegan vegetarian pushers like http://twitter.com/@DrNealBarnard eat way too many high glycemic carbs to keep blood sugar stable. I think the reason you guys don’t get diabetes is cause you haven’t had a trauma or chronic stress or some physical condition that uses up all your stores of ascorbate. The purpose of the Blood Type diet is to use it as a method to identify foods that are personally intolerable, foods that cause of autoimmune dysregulation, foods that cause unstable blood sugar. Be careful how you speak about our nutrition minded colleagues like Dr D’Adamo. http://twitter.com/@rivkafreeman warns you: Never ever speak about http://twitter.com/DrBarrySears in the same sentence as Atkins ever again because Zone Science rules; the Zone Diet can be done Vegan Vegetarian and it’s the key to healing, living and winning!I love being an American. We are free to believe the darnedest things. Too bad that some of these beliefs may hasten an early death.Being in the Zone is the way to live forever with Moshiach!Blood sugar is held stable in healthy people by the pancreas producing insulin. The reason we vegans don’t get diabetes (T2) is we don’t accumulate excess intramyocellular lipids, thanks to our diets.I’m confused rivka…are you implying that ascorbate deficiency results in diabetes? Ascorbate is essentially a Vit C salt – very easy to remedy a deficiency if you eat a plant based diet or take a vit c supplement. But, just for argument’s sake, if vegan/vegetarians Don’t get diabetes, and if ascorbate deficiency is the cause of diabetes (which it isn’t), why not choose to just supplement ascorbate vs follow some whole diet that has been scientifically proven to cause pretty much all the major diseases of today?I could be wrong but it seems like a person wold have to try very hard to be deficient in ascorbate on a WFPB diet.Hey Molecular Bio thanks for asking. Diabetes expresses or manifests (people get diagnosed) when they experience trauma, stress or they chronically eat too much high glycemic carbs that cause reactive hypoglycemia and rebound cortisol production. I equate adrenal stress and cortisol production with not enough ascorbate. Check out the ascorbate flush protocol cause adequate ascorbate keeps the adrenals from freaking out and burning out. I think Dr Greger and Dr Barnard eat enough plant based foods and have ascorbate stores. Hope they don’t experience traumas, like death of a child or getting cancer, or chronic stress like not having a job or money or enough donations. I don’t think it’s possible for me to just eat Vegan and be ok. I am not giving up medical nutrition therapy cause they dump extra Chemtrails here in the Jewish part of Brooklyn. I could identify who needs ascorbate based on blood test results and I would recommend adequate ascorbate, and to minimize insulin resistance I hold by Dr Sears and recommend adequate omega 3 for someone with a family history of diabetes along with unlimited low carb vegetables and measured amounts of high glycemic carbs.Wow, chemtrails. You accept health nonsense about diet because you accept health nonsense connected with political conspiracy, the sort that strongly suggests scientific ignorance or deep willingness to shove it out of the way when it intrudes on the fear-and-oppression ordered part of your worldview. You accept the BT diet and go to extra lengths to try to justify it in the face of contradictory evidence because you are quite light on science to begin with. You pick what is sensational and what may otherwise make you feel more comfortable with yourself perhaps a bit too often; I’d say that instead you should be trying harder to have a view of science that doesn’t require special pleading to get around a rather mundane physical explanation.If you got breast cancer at age 25 from taking Pathmark synthetic Vitamin E 15,000IU you would have a fear-and oppression world view too ghostu. I don’t see why we need to find beneficial outcomes in a population when this way of categorizing foods is for individualized use. The BT diet may be valuable for someone with MS or allergies that are impossible. What is wrong with thinking there is something to be gained from every one and every thing?I am little light on science, I don’t make up anything by myself; that’s.why I contribute $500 a month to NutritionFacts.org. I’m planning on asking some baseball players for a few mil soon so I can give at least $5,000 a month. Actually I love attention from you. I read this comment every day since you wrote it. You make me lol, Ha Ha Ha. It feels great to laugh. There’s a song I want to play for you but I don’t know how. It’s called “SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY” by Fine Young Cannibals. Ha ha ha!I agree with ghostu. I don’t think it makes much sense trying to rationally discuss nutrition with someone who believes in such utter BS as chemtrails. No offense, just experience.There seems to be a large audience for both nutritional information and all sorts of health-related conspiracy theories and FUD which is very profitably fostered by popular quack sites likes Natural News or Mercola. I think it’s the information overload many people can’t handle and fall prey to paranoia.Here is a link to my teacher Dr Russell Blaylock MD from Mobile, Alabama. We had him in Clinical Nutrition Certification Class at http://www.iaacn.org about isolated soy protein is an excitotoxin! This link is a Dr Blaylock interview with visuals explaining every health risk from #Chemtrails and what they do to your brain. http://www.youtube.com/embed/X3IW-TGGIk0 If this link doesn’t work, I’m sending it to http://twitter.com/@rivkafreeman too.Wow I missed your dis to the Health Ranger and Mercola. Why do you think they are quacks? Oh right I’m the wise person who can learn from everyone and everything. What is FUD please? I really hate that you think chemtrails is nothing; breathing and topical exposure to aluminum dust is absolutely a health risk.You just walk in the door with a preconclusion that chemtrails are “utter BS”. Why, because you have “experience”? Experience in what? Perhaps you’ve jumped into your private jet when you saw a chemtrail, flew up there and observed that, Hey, they’re only contrails, there are no chemtrails, it’s just water vapor! Is that how you “know” with such conviction that in fact there is no aluminum, barium, etc fallout? No? How else do you know? Maybe you “know” because you believe that all “conspiracy theories” are only speculation and you’ve never actually tipped your head up to look? Newsflash: Many former speculations that were derogatorily called You just walk in the door with a preconclusion that chemtrails are “utter BS”. Why, because you have “experience”? Experience in what? Perhaps you’ve jumped into your private jet when you saw a chemtrail, flew up there and observed that, Hey, they’re only contrails! There are no chemtrails, it’s just water vapor. Is that how you “know” with such conviction that in fact there is no aluminum, barium, etc fallout? No? How else do you know? Maybe you “know” because you believe that all “conspiracy theories” are only speculation? In any case, many contradict you and they’re very diverse and bright. Links at your request. I’ve read Mercola’s site for 15 years, NN almost as long. There is absolutely no sense whatsoever to your quack comment. There are thousands of pages of information on both sites, MASSIVELY REFERENCED with links. On these videos , the references fly by and you’d have to keep your finger on the pause button to even have a chance to get the reference if you’d like to verify it yourself. At Mercola, there are hundreds of interviews with all manner of doctors and working scientists. There is a robust forum where I’ve learned even more.But then you state that people could fall prey to paranoia because of information overload. These are two separate issues, quackery and overload. With these two adjectives you’ve evoked four categories: quack sites with too much info; credible sites with too much info; quack sites with succinct info; and credible sites with succinct info.I’ve read Mercola’s site for 15 years, NN almost as long. There is absolutely no sense whatsoever to your quack comment. There are thousands of pages of information on both sites, MASSIVELY REFERENCED with links. On these videos, the references fly by and you’d have to keep your finger on the pause button or play it over and over to even have a chance of getting the reference if you’d like to verify it yourself. At Mercola, there are hundreds of interviews with all manner of doctors and working scientists. There is also a robust forum where I’ve learned even more from dedicated health enthusiasts.But then you state that people could fall prey to paranoia because of information overload. These are two separate issues, quackery and overload. With these 2 adjectives you’ve evoked 4 categories: 1) quack sites with too much info; 2) credible sites with too much info; 3) quack sites with limited or succinct info; and 4) credible sites with limted or succinct info. The apparent false implication is that only categories 1 and 4 have any members.Last photo I saw of Dr. Sears, he looked pretty obe…I mean, insulin resistant to me.That’s cause Dr Sears likes a whole egg with many egg whites omeletes every morning. Maybe I should forward him some of Dr Greger’s videos about eggs. He may not look good but he is brilliant and practical. Dr Sears worked for Upjohn and told them to give it up cause no one will want injections to lose weight. His therapeutic Zone Diet deserves as much respect as we all give Dr Greger and NutritionFacts.orgYou know what Molecular Bio: Ascorbate deficiency might not always cause diabetes, but ascorbate deficiency makes my ear nose and throat mucus membranes itch and taking an adequate amount helps me stop asthma. Ever hear of ascorbate flush protocol by Dr Russell Jaffe? That’s how you figure out how much ascorbate is appropriate for your needs.Diabetes appears to be a natural consequence of lipid accumulation impairing muscular/adipose cell insulin sensitivity, followed by glucolipotoxicity to pancreatic beta cells. I discussed relevant reviews and diet trials here.You won’t find much diabetes among East Asians eating their traditional diet white rice, Native Americans eating corn, peoples of the Andes eating potatoes, Polynesians eating breadfruit and taro etc. Diabetes in ancient times was a disease of those eating like royalty, and in modern times a disease of those eating like ancient royalty.Darryl: Thanks for the reply and the links to those video clips. I’m a big fan of Jeff Novick and hadn’t seen those clips.Jeff Novick on C R A P = Calorie Rich and ProcessedThe Zone Diet is carbohydrate, protein and fat balanced and appropriate. Eating a vegetarian diet will not be too high protein. And everyone better keep the starches limited cause you just can’t keep your blood sugar in the therapeutic zone if you eat high glycemic carbs in abundance even if they are whole grain and loaded with fiber. Forgive Dr Sears for acting like a doctor and telling people how to control blood sugar even when they eat CRAP Calorie rich and processed!Here’s the catch: high glycemic load diets promote diebetes, but so do high animal protein diets, and so does caloric overload. Hence, the SAD, combining all three attributes, seems like an experimental diet designed to promote diabetes. Sadly it isn’t. It is the SAD.Most traditional diets which rely on high glycemic index starches, like white rice or corn tortillas, use them in a way which minimizes their impact on blood glucose: they are always eaten together with plenty of vegetables, herbs and spices which provide fiber, acidity and phytonutrients slowing down the digestion of the starches and counteracting the adverse effects of high blood glucose.Stop eating refined and manufactured junk food, avoid sweetened beverages, limit your intake of animal protein (to no more than 20 g/day), eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes, herbs and spices and you don’t have to worry about diabetes even if you eat some high glycemic starches as part of your meals.AgreedNeal Barnard looks real diabetic, doesn’t he. Not.Suggest you ingest some real science besides the Glycemic Index which, BTW, was invented by a vegan.How to Become Insulin Resistant ( The Paleo Way) [or The Zone Way, if you prefer]Part 1http://youtu.be/prdh62Qklvchttp://www.plantpositive.com/35-how-to-become-insulin-resis/Part 2http://youtu.be/VYXEvTHnSAohttp://www.plantpositive.com/36-how-to-become-insulin-resis/The way to rehabilitate a broken carbohydrate metabolism is with healthy unprocessed carbs.No kidding.The notion that a single genetic factor would be determinative of something so complex and varied as digestion and nutritional requirements never made sense. More broadly, body typing systems in general (think Mercola) are similarly doubtful guides for nutrition.Question for the Doctor: Do you have any information on the diet supplement called Gardinia Cambogia? Thans.Check this out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garcinia_gummi-guttaThanks for sharing that Jean. I think I’ll throw the product in the trash after reading that.I would read further first. Do not trust Wikipedia for any entry that has money tied to it. It is manipulated.Thank you for this video. “Dr” D’adamo practiced in Portsmouth, NH several years ago. I am not sure if he is still there or not. My good friend is a nurse and used to work for this quack. He had her on over 20 supplements all of which HE sold in his vitamin shop. She was on this crazy diet and I remember her saying she couldn’t eat blueberries! I am blood type O so she told me I had to eat lots of meat. I told her “No, I don’t think so”! I have been vegan over 13 years and I am thriving. All my blood work is perfect, I have a ton of energy and feel great. My friend thought this “Doctor” was great. Thankfully she no longer works for him.You are not talking about Peter D’Adamo! He is the person who wrote the blood type diet book mentioned here. Who you are referring to is his father, who is a respected naturopath, not only here but in Canada and Europe as well. Both son and father do not share the same ideologies, However, I just want to point out that unless you have treated over 60,000 patients and gotten good results in healing these patients for years, you have no right to judge anyone!I am talking about the one who wrote the book.It is a shame when people “review” a diet they don’t take the time to look properly into it, merely reading the first book on the topic, which was merely an introduction, and looking at the millions of testimonials. And what about the fact that A’s don’t produced much stomach acid (and so can’t handle fats and heavy protein), and O’s produce a lot (and so can digest meat)? Certainly fits perfectly for me (an A) and housemate (an O). There are at least aspect about BTD that are spot-on and v. useful to know. Please do your research more thoroughly people. Why assume everyone is out to get you or just sell you stuff? Why the personal putdowns without looking into the guy? That is such a negative viewpoint and childish behaviour. Dr D is dedicated to helping people! There are so many testimonials to support this!I tried to delete this comment, but anyway repasted it below.It is a shame when people “review” a diet they don’t take the time to look properly into it, merely reading the first book on the topic, which was merely an introduction, and without looking at the millions of testimonials? And what about the fact that A’s don’t produced much stomach acid (and so can’t handle fats and heavy protein), and O’s produce a lot (and so can digest meat)? Certainly fits perfectly for me (an A) and housemate (an O). There are at least aspect about BTD that are spot-on and v. useful to know. Please do your research more thoroughly people. Why assume everyone is out to get you or just sell you stuff? Why the personal putdowns without looking into the guy? That is such a negative viewpoint and childish behaviour. Dr D is dedicated to helping people! There are so many testimonials to support this!Based on you post I’m not sure what makes you think Dr. Gregger’s is not thorough or that he did not look properly into it. Did you click on the links provided so that you could check the resources he used to come to his conclusions?I have been following D’Adamo and his work for 2 years and am in constant contact with people also following the diet. There is a lot to it. Not just the first book! People really don’t bother to do proper research bf. reviewing diets it seems.Testimonials are not science – could just be faith. Claiming that antigens of red blood cells has anything to do with acid production from parietal cells makes absolutely no sense. What about all the other systems RH, Kidd, Kell, Lutheran, MNS? Are they just ignored? Blood group phenotypes are messured in billions. Are there a billion different diets in the books? In my opinion this is not even pseudoscience – it is rubbish.But you haven’t looked into the diet obviously! The diet is customised as much as pos for each individual based on genetics, secretor status, as well as blood type! Please research first.Please watch Dr. Greger’s videos and follow his referenced links to the thoroughly done research into the diet before commenting.PS. I do understand it’s hard to admit being hoodwinked. Belief systems are intriguing phenomena.Plus there are tons of testimonials and constantly pouring in, not just a few.all of them are a result of placebos…a proven scienceMy husband and I really got so much benefite from BT diet, Big Thanks to Dr. D!Debra…People are funny. They don’t wait for the “science” to go vegan. They don’t hesitate to eat garbage even though the “science” says it’s probably killing them. They don’t give a crap about the “science” behind the medications they take even though the side effects are horrendous and often a likely cause of death in many. But whoa…throw a diet at them and suddenly they are all about the science. Right.The thing about the Blood Type diet is that there IS science. A good deal of science that supports this way of eating. Dr D posts news articles seemingly monthly about nutrition “discoveries” that he’s been touting, based on science, for years. Even decades. I mean duh, humans can live on garbage for years, for God’s sake. This isn’t about living. This diet is about thriving and there are many people who, their entire lives, have never felt that good to even have a perspective on THRIVING.People are too lazy, too biased and too stupid to try this diet. If you want the science, STUDY IT. It’s there. Dr D makes it easy to find in his books, his footnotes and his website. If you want to sit in your nutrition armchair and throw blanket condemnations, fine! Do it! Nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy and it was a hard slog for me to finally find the blood type diet. I have a myriad of illnesses that are simply not part of my life anymore. I’ll end with a partial list of the things I no longer have:Heartburn and esophageal spasms where my next option was surgery. Heart palpitations with blood pressure spikes, gone. Vertigo. Symptoms of MS for which I was poked prodded, MRI’d, semi-diagnosed and sick of. Gone. Irritable bowel syndrome. Gone. Over 30 food allergies, no more symptoms. Asthma: I haven’t used my inhaler in 9 years. It keeps expiring. Athritis. OMG, where do I begin with my arthritis? A 45 yr old woman walking like a 90 year old. I would literally have been in a scooter by now at age 51 at the rate I was going. I followed Dr D’s arthritis recommendations to the letter and I am not just better, I am cured. I have never felt better in my life.All I had to do, you guys who want SCIENCE before you’ll even wipe your you-know-what, was change a few things on my shopping list. That’s it. Change a few things on my shopping list. DRASTIC, I know. The diet is free. They website is all you need. You don’t have to eliminate entire food groups. They help you with portions. They have recipe books if you aren’t creative.The only thing I can say to people who act like the noodges here: DUH! You are only hurting yourself with this zealot-like skepticism.Does anyone know if the dried barley grass and dried wheat grass are digestible by humans? I know that the “juice” is fine, but how about the actual fiber of the grass? Was told that humans can not digest grass, only the juice, but who knows. Thanks, if anyone has any input on this.Human don’t have the digestive enzymes to break down the fiber polysaccharides in the grass (or any other plant food). Most herbivores don’t have these enzymes either. Ruminants rely on the help of bacteria in their rumen to digest the fiber and get energy from it. However, the fact that in contrast to a cow you hardly get any calories out of leafy greens doen’t make them less healthful, as they offer a wide array of minerals and phytonutrients. You just can’t thrive on greens alone, like ruminants do, but have to rely on starches, fats or protein to supply you with the necessary calories.Regarding grass: I think it is very chewy and tastes awful. So why bother with eating grass, when you can have delicous and equally nutritious leafy green vegetables like, say, arugula or spinach?Great video, Dr. Greger. I knew the blood type diet had to be totally bogus. Now if there was only someone like you to help ferret out the lies in the skin & hair care industry. Oh wait. That would probably make most of the world economies collapse. We still need to prey on people in search of an anti-wrinkle cream purporting to be the fountain of youth in order to keep the economy going.Have you heard of Paula Begoun? She has a free database called “beautypedia” with reviews for most skin care/makeup lines. Very objective criteria e.g. pH, appropriate packaging, active ingredient concentrations, lack or presence of both irritants and anti-irritants, product claims vs ingredients with peer-reviewed sources to back up her critiques. Very helpful. Also has a ingredient-specific database so you can look up any of those on their own. She is very upfront about certain things being absolutely impossible barring surgery or other procedures. I have always thought of her as the Dr. Greger of skincare. :)Hardly so, Dr. Greger is not selling products it looks like Begone is… Was this a set up to get people to look at her site?If you’re not interested in skincare, The Dude, don’t go to her site. Nancy very clearly expressed a request for thorough research and critiquing of skin care products and ingredients, and I provided a resource I find to be extremely informative and useful. I find her to be much like Dr. Greger in that she provides peer-reviewed journal articles and cuts through the generally baseless and preposterous claims that most skin-care companies make. If she doesn’t have a peer-reviewed journal article to cite in support of a claim, she doesn’t make it.I don’t recognize your username, but if you read the comments sections here often you would see that I am a frequent commenter, not a one-time spammer. Like everyone else here, I enjoy offering commentary and sharing links and resources that may be helpful to other members of the nutritionfacts community.Frankly if I limited myself to only offering resources from those plant-based diet advocates who don’t sell anything, I would have to refrain from sharing recommendations for the Esselstyns, McDougall, Barnard, Fuhrman, Novick, etc…My husband is a cab driver and is going to college online. We have been vegan for 2 years now. We have tried juicing for 26 days. We tried Dr. Fuhrman’s plan for 6 months. We don’t eat anything processed. I make everything from bread, pasta to Spaghetti sauce and vegetable broth. I even make all of our cleaning stuff and shampoo and body wash. We have a garden that is finally producing we have lettuce, squash, Chickpeas, and chiltepine. He eats about 1,000 calories a day. I dropped 50 lbs as soon as we went vegan. Erik has not lost any of his 300 lbs. He is getting very frustrated and depressed. We also had all his blood work done and the results were great. Please help. Thank youI could be wrong but it sounds like he is not consuming enough calories. Baring any medical condition that prevents him from loosing weight he should be able to consume 1600 kcal’s a day and still drop about 2 lbs. a week. If he exercises he would need to consume even more kcal’s. Check out https://cronometer.com/ It should be able to tell you how many calories he needs to consume daily in order to maintain his health while losing weight. Also, if you can afford it he may benefit from one of Dr. Mcdougal’s live in programs.Thank you for your help. We will try that idea. What medical conditions would prevent him from loosing weight?Well, I could not comment on that one with any authority. Not because I’m not aware of the illness but, it could be something really simple to something kind of scary and I don’t want you to worry needlessly. The right Doctor who practices lifestyle medicine (Dr. Mcdougal) could certainly help you.Jason I appreciate your help. This mystery is driving us crazy. Could you give me any ideas please. If we could afford to go to Dr. McDougall’s we would. The problem is that Erik sees me making everything myself and is frustrating that nothing is working. Knowing what we are working against would be a real relief.Please look into the effect stress has on our digestive hormones eg Gabriel MethodA higher percentage of non starchy vegetables and fruits would be good, cooked and raw,… and some quality animal products. Be human,… fundamentally, for optimum health.Debbie: I had written out a nice long reply, but just before I sent it, I went back and more carefully read what you had written. I agree with Jason, 1000 calories sounds pretty low. I’m not a doctor or expert. I’m just going by what I have read about appropriate calorie amounts for adult men.One thing you may want to ask yourself: How sure are you about your husband’s calorie count? If your method of counting is off or if your husband is snacking at work, then getting too few calories may not be the issue. Just in case, I wanted to share with you part of the advice I had originally written. There is a free lecture on line called: “How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind.” This is a talk from one of the experts from the documentary Forks Over Knives. It is an excellent talk and fun to listen to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ Dr. Lisle explains how to get enough food to feel full, but still have less calories. This talk may truly be irrelevant for your situation, but you might want to at least check it out.Another thought: Even though McDougall’s program is too expensive (believe me, I get that!), I wonder if there is a local doctor who is actually knowledgeable about good nutrition and who might be able to see if anything unusual is going on with your husband medically?I wish I had more help for you. I think it is worth taking a moment to acknowledge the great accomplishments that you have made so far. It’s not easy to change your diet the way that you and your husband have. The first order of business is to stop and congratulate yourselves.Also, I wanted to let you know that you are not alone. Many people seem to lose all or most of their extra weight when they switch to a whole plant food based diet. But not everyone does. In my own family, there is a couple very much like you and your husband. The wife lost a ton of weight and the much more over-weight husband hasn’t lost a pound–but his blood work improved significantly without any drugs. Sound familiar? (But in that situation, I know the husband is still consuming too many calories. So, the situation may not be exactly the same.)You may not have reached all your goals, but you are totally on the right track. I feel like/hope you are both almost there. Please report back and let us know how it goes. We’ll be rooting for you.Debbie, I would like to add something to the excellent replies to your post. For a very small investment you may obtain Dr. McDougall’s wisdom and experience from this book: http://www.amazon.com/McDougall-Program-Maximum-Weight-Loss/dp/0452273803/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1396577777&sr=8-3&keywords=mcdougall+planAlso, Dr. McDougall has posted his program for free on his website: http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/free-mcdougall-program/On a personal note, I have been vegan for going on three years and have really narrowed down my food choices to whole foods, using Dr. Greger’s website as the best resource for selecting the best foods for the best reasons. That said, I have lost a few pounds and my numbers have improved, however I am still overweight and the reason is simple: I take in too many calories. It’s a process for me and I won’t give up trying to find the balance point of good food and adequate nutrition. Your story is an inspiration. Keep going!You could join Furhman’s or McDougall’s forums if you haven’t already. Furhman’s costs money, different costs for different “levels” of access to the forums and to him basically. Which kind of rubs me the wrong way, but anyway. McDougall’s on the other hand are free and in my experience much more active and interesting. Jeff Novick posts on there and replies to inquiries regularly. And he has a very ‘by the numbers’ take on nutrition. I would be interested to hear his take on your situation. Worth a shot.Not everyone is suited to veganism! Ask him what foods he is drawn to perhaps, and it is so worth looking into BTD. :O)Barking up the wrong tree again??Sounds like he needs to move more to stimulate metabolism. Send me his blood tests, I am always able to find something wrong in blood test results. Email Rivka at nutriph@gmail.comTo few calories and the body goes into starvation mode and holds on to what its got. Hence weight stays on.Thank you for this.The Blood Type Diet is not true? Shocking.Do your own research people! It is v. good! :O)FYI : the D’Adamo diet was based on/a rip-off of Ayurvedic medicine…pretty heavy stuff,indeed…compare this to the modern ‘scientific’/pHarma studies… [which we all know are legit]So sad, but the company I work for just started a weight-loss program completely based on this book. Last year it was Herbalife. I wish they would do some research before promoting these unhealthy programs to employees!Jen: I agree that it is really sad. I have a similar problem where I work.Here’s what I was thinking about a plus side for where you work: If they are willing to try all sorts of wacko programs, then they might be willing to try a real evidence-based program too. In other words, if they can’t distinguish a legitimate program from a bad one, they have no good reason to reject a legitimate one. So, *maybe*? after they get the blood-type program out of their system, you could convince them to look into the PRCM program for companies. (You can start by looking up the PCRM info on the Geiko study if you are interested.)Just a thought. I tried this where I worked and it didn’t fly. :-(Despite your rejoicing, the PLOS study on the Blood Type Diet was far from an adequate representation of the diets. You can see the problems with the study criteria here (http://www.datapunk.net/plos-btd/data.html) and a blog entry discussing the study’s severe shortcomings here (http://n-equals-one.com/blogs/2014/01/24/kicking-bubbles/).In essence, a look at the core data used in the PLOS Study debunking the Blood Type Diet (BTD) finds support for the researcher’s conclusions that if your experimental subjects eat potato chips, sandwiches, pizza, ‘beans,’ mac-and-cheese, French Fries and processed meat products while doing 13.7% of the Blood Type Diet, their final cardiometabolic markers will probably not vary much by blood type.Peter: I tried both links that you provided and neither one worked.i have the same problem…Take the extra bracket off the end and the links work okay.Look at the linked URLs – they each have an unnecessary parenthesis at the end. Remove those and the links work.Dr. D’Adamo: Let’s put the study aside for a minute. Do those patients who follow your type O diet have an increased risk of CVD/DM2? Or not? It is clear, based on the evidence, that animal foods (yes even organic, pasture raised etc) contribute to the aforementioned diseases, including cancer…. but I’m interested in your perspective.Thanks*Crickets chirping*Any thoughts, Dr. D’Adamo?It should be fairly obvious that there’s a high likelihood that Pete was just here to drop a rhetoric bomb as a support for the dogmatically-driven true believers (possibly including himself) to keep believing. If Gregor’s point about the unfulfilled promises of Scientific Studies is true, then it shows the intellectual dishonesty at the root of the movement; in this case, the D’Adamo clan itself. If you make a public claim that you are conducting valid research and don’t follow up with at least an explanation of why the research failed to be as valid as you thought it would be, it’s hard to see how serious you are going to be in discussing information that may cast a disconfirming shadow over your theory.God, looking at the study, they allowed biscuits, pizza, processed meats! etc How can you compare this study with BTD? The researchers didn’t even bother to study the diet properly to find out what it’s about before embarking on it! So annoying, waste of money and not helping the public! Makes you wonder if their motivation was “pure”!This is bath salts not food you air heads.I don’t know what anyone is talking about! Eat right for you blood type is real!!!!! Real I say. Must I say it again? Okay it is not real, LOL! I am Type O and I am supposed to do best on a meat diet. YEs, I a am primal man. I bang my chest with both hands. ME MAN! ME MAN! Bahahahahahaha. I eat a whole food plant-based diet, high in carbs, moderate in fat, and low in protein. I haven’t been sick in over 2 years since I adopted a plant based diet. I never though I would eat a plant-based diet, it is just something I happened upon. I have been cutting out meat in different points in my life, from pork to beef to poultry to fish. Each time I cut something out my body responded in a good way. I still got sick though, until I adopted a plant based diet. For my blood type I should be dead though. Good thing I didn’t listen to that blood type stuff.You always get one… :O)Another type O here. Am doing just fine on a whole foods plant based simply prepared way of eating. Much healthier than when on animal products.Thanks for this video! I also read this book in the past and thought it was plausible. It would help a lot if you could also make a video and actually name some stuff he wrote which was just not scientific and untrue. Then I will transalte it and show people who believe him.I love when I see a Doctor do a report on another Doctor’s diet, and immediately following the report it says “I also wrote a book “click here.” So basically, Dr. Greger cherry picked articles against the BTD, just so he can get his name known…… Unreal….Hi Kay, I’m not sure if you watched this video, but the research stated in the video was the only scientific review of the evidence for the blood type diet. That’s not cherry picking, it’s using the only peer-reviewed research available. It sounds like you’re thinking Dr. Greger is advancing some sort of agenda?–maybe you didn’t see that his book on carbs is available for free, whereas the blood type diet book has sold 7 million copies. Dr. Greger founded NutritionFacts.org under the belief that he would review the science and let people decide for themselves. I hope that clarifies the picture for you. :)HI Kay, you may know this but in case you don’t: All speaking fees and proceeds Dr. Greger receives from the sale of his books and DVDs are all donated to charity. And the book, he mentions here is free to all.This is somewhat of an unrelated question and I do currently donate blood for purely altruistic reasons…but from strictly a health perspective…Regularly donating blood…Harmful?…Harmless?…or Helpful?As I’m currently researching this, and will read the book soon, I’d like to point one thing out. The research mentioned has the following conclusion:“Sixteen articles were identified from a total of 1415 screened references, with only one article that was considered eligible according to the selection criteria. The identified article studied the variation between LDL-cholesterol responses of different MNS blood types to a low-fat diet. However, the study did not directly answer the current question. No studies that showed the health effects of ABO blood type diets were identified.”“No evidence currently exists to validate the purported health benefits of blood type diets. To validate these claims, studies are required that compare the health outcomes between participants adhering to a particular blood type diet (experimental group) and participants continuing a standard diet (control group) within a particular blood type population.”The conclusion is that there is no study that has been done. Thus, there is no evidence pointing EITHER way.One trend that I see among many westerners is the quick jump on calling things pseudoscience when they don’t agree with it (take chiropractors or Chinese medicine for example).For something of this calibre, a long-term study, with many subjects, would have to be done in order to “prove” it through means of a study.I’m in no way saying the blood type diet is or is not valid. However, just as one shouldn’t jump on board and take it as truth, one should not instantly call it pseudoscience because they don’t agree with it.That being said, I’m glad to see this video out. It’s good to see the other side of the issue.What is the expose for “Wheat Belly” in regards to gluten and GMO wheat?karl: Dr Greger will be releasing a series of video on gluten very soon for more info on this topic. (Keep an eye on the videos-of-the-day) In the mean time, check out this video, ” Alzheimer’s Disease: Grain Brain or Meathead?”http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-disease-grain-brain-or-meathead/boring.How is this article even remotely close to the blood type diet being debunked? You’re only advertising your preferred books. You’re not citing evidence gained from science, or the evidence gained from the science of others.Dr. Greger didn’t mention even bigger figure among the blood type diet specialists, DDS. MS William Donald Kelley, which would contradict his ‘debunked’ message, even more. Some information about Kelley’s works can be found at: http://www.dr-gonzalez.com/history_of_treatment.htm or even better in Ty Bollinger documentaries “The Truth about Cancer’, or in few of his own books. Since different blood types contain different antigens on their surface, frequently glycosylated (except for type O), their essence is related to the response of the immune system. Every bug in our guts reacts constantly with the surrounding load of nutrition, and sugars are the number one resource for them. So logically, it would make sense that our immune (through blood system connection) system can affect the digestion (in particular in case of leaky gut). Dr. Kelley healed himself and many, many patients applying his experience. So Dr. Greger, please take your Hitler comparisons, away when you talk about people who did great research while helping others. You certainly learned in the school, that Hitler was killing, not healing!!!Most annoying voice and what sounds like envy.I would like to get more information about Metabolic Balance developed by Dr. Funfack. Thankshttp://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-links-blood-cognitive-decline.htmlLinks found between blood type and risk of cognitive declinehttp://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-links-blood-cognitive-decline.html	Albert Einstein,Atkins diet,blood type diet,doughnuts,exercise,fat,fruit,meat,Norway,nutrition myths,rheumatoid arthritis,smoking,sugar,vegetables	A systematic review finds no evidence to support the notion that people should choose diets based on their blood type.	So rarely are popular press diet books afforded such fact-checking. Kudos to these researchers. If only we had this 13 years ago when the book was on the bestseller list!I have a few videos on popular diets, such as:I also wrote a book about low-carb diets, which is now available free online full-text at AtkinsFacts.org.Unfortunately, nutrition illiteracy is not just a problem among the public, but among the medical profession:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/albert-einstein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-type-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/doughnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/norway/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23697707,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24454746,
PLAIN-2619	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/	Fully Consensual Heart Disease Treatment	When he was a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn published a controversial paper in the American Journal of Cardiology. Heart bypass operations carry significant risks, including the potential to cause further heart damage, stroke, and brain dysfunction. Angioplasty isn’t much better, also carrying significant mortality and morbidity, and often doesn’t work, in terms of decreasing the risk of subsequent heart attack or death. So, it seems we have an enormous paradox. The disease that is the leading killer of men and women in Western civilization is largely untreated. The benefits of the invasive procedures are at best temporary, with most patients eventually succumbing to their disease. In cancer we call that palliative care, where we just kind of throw up our hands, throw in the towel and give up actually trying to treat the disease. So why does this juggernaut of invasive procedures persist? Well one reason is that performing surgical interventions has the potential for enormous financial reward.That’s considered one of the barriers to the practice of preventive cardiology, Adequate return: diet and lifestyle interventions lose money for the physician. Although the practice of preventive cardiology is not as lucrative, this article was hoping to nudge cardiologists in that direction by appealing to less tangible benefits.Another barrier is doctors don’t think patients want it. Physician surveys show that doctors often don’t even bring up diet and lifestyle options, assuming that patients would prefer to be on cholesterol-lowering drugs every day for the rest of their lives. That may be true for some, but it’s up to the patient to decide.According to the official AMA Code of Medical Ethics, physicians are supposed to disclose all relevant medical information to patients. The patient’s right of self-decision can be effectively exercised only if the patient possesses enough information to enable an informed choice. The physician's obligation is to present the medical facts accurately to the patient. For example, before starting someone at moderate risk on a cholesterol-lowering statin drug, a physician might ideally say something like “You should know that for folks in your situation, the number of individuals who must be treated with a statin to prevent one death from a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke—is generally between 60 and 100, which means that if I treated 60 people in your situation, 1 would benefit and 59 would not. As these numbers show, it is important for you to know that most of the people who take a statin will not benefit from doing so and, moreover, that statins can have side effects, such as muscle pain, liver damage, and upset stomach, even in people who do not benefit from the medication. I am giving you this information so that you can weigh the risks and benefits of drugs versus diet and then make an informed decision.”Yet how many physicians have these kinds of frank and open discussions with their patients? Non-disclosure of medical information by doctors, that kind of paternalism is supposed to be a thing of the past, but now physicians are supposed to honor informed consent, unless the patient is in a coma or something and its an emergency. But too many physicians continue to treat their patients as if they were unconscious.At the end of this long roundtable discussion on angioplasty and stents, the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Cardiology reminded the participants of an important fact to place it all in context. Atherosclerosis is due to high cholesterol, which is due to poor dietary choices, and so if we all existed on a plant-based diet, we would not have even needed this discussion.	None of them ever mentioned a plant-based diet. Not a peep. Within two weeks of the treadmill test I was sliced and diced and wondering why I still had the angina. Then they told me. Because some of it was too deep to splice out. They knew that going in. The angiogram showed it. Not a peep. Pure greed.Ever hear of a pump head? The pump makes a fine foam in the blood. Plugs up here and there all over. Little clots. Now I can’t remember phone numbers, appointments or the length of my shnozze.But a within a few weeks of WF/PB the angina was gone. So are the headaches, the joint pain, the IBS … so many gripes. I got a measure of life back. I could have skipped all the medical “help”. I didn’t know. Oh darn.I like to watch people closely when I tell them that. Its in their eyes…that little flicker. I can always pick it. Wondering if they have the courage to believe. They know the odds already. They say “I’m eating a lot less beef”. Poor sods. They just don’t know…We got the Funk!Coacervate: I’m sorry you went through that. Thank goodness you have something that works for you now. Thank you so much for taking the time to write your story on this page. I think you may have shared some of this information in the past, but having it again on this page I think really helps make the point of the video. And hopefully will help others. Thanks.If we all keep telling our stories we will help others avoid needless surgery, needless drugging. Needless diabetes. Helps me too to “discharge”.I saw this lack of informed consent first hand when my husband had a heart attack. He was herded into the cardiac protocol treatments and told he would be on drugs for the rest of his life at 53. A couple of months later, he was talked into a second angiogram because something “looked suspicious.” I suspected that the doctor was allowed two angiograms per patient and nothing was really wrong. That was confirmed after the procedure. My husband has followed Dr. Mcdougall and Dr. Esselstyn’s programs since the heart attack, takes no drugs and has been healthy for the last ten years since the episode. I don’t know if he would even be here if he had followed his cardiologists recommendations…..sad!BB: So sad! That kind of thing breaks my heart. I’m sorry your husband when through that. I’m glad he is on a good path now. Best of luck to you both.Odds are that he wouldn’t be here if he followed the Cardiologist’s recommendation! Glad you found the BEST way to treat heart disease!So my sister was talking to the cardiologist (who had just put a stint in her husband’s heart) about a vegan diet as her preferred treatment for heart disease. My sister can be rather passionate about this after her own diagnosis and recommendation for a stink the prior year. The cardiologist had the nerve to tell my sister to relax and have a steak for dinner. I guess he thought that was a funny thing to say in front of my bother in law as he recovered from his surgery. Who does that?I think these cardiologists, like your sister’s have convinced themselves that surgical procedures and advanced drugs are the way to go. It keeps the money pouring in and keeps their waiting rooms full of follow-up patients. His joke about eating a steak says it all. This treatment protocol is not only ineffective, it is insensitive.Hey veganrunner.Do remember to advice her it not only going vegan but also what you eat as a vegan.– Greens in bulk (Magnesium & fiber to help flush cholesterol) – Whole grains – fiber – Arucola – NO – Beets – NO + better mitochondrial function with equal oxygen. Not hard to conclude this effect will offer some added prevention of (heart)cells dying from lack of oxygen. – Mushrooms – less sticky arterial walls – Natto – moving out plaques – Nuts – Arginine and whatever else makes them protect your heart vs sudden death. – exercise.Roll in, walk out after weeks wasn’t that the case?Anyway I’m sure you know but many probably won’t. Did I forget one?GL :)“they are there to provide the best possible care at the lowest possible cost.”What country do you live in? Clearly, not in the USA Inc. :-DNo fruits? damn lol most perfect food for our primate frugivore digestive system~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__tB0Ty0DtcWe produce more amylase than most primates. This gives us the ability to digest complex carbohydrates and starches as well. There are also two species of primates living in or near the Arabian peninsula who also produce quite a bit of amylase. Their diet consists of mostly seeds and grains. See http://huntgatherlove.com/content/grazing-primates#disqus_threadInteresting primates species~ Cooked starch is second best after fruits and vegetables indeed since we need to cook starch because it is not really well digested raw or just in small quantity…Veganrunner: Wow. My jaw dropped reading your post. It’s the kind of story where you shake your head in bewilderment.Hopefully things will get better in the future with the medical establishment. The participation of the great doctors and other health care professionals on this site gives me some encouragement.I’m with you Thea. When my sister went through the treadmill stress test and called me with the recommendation that she have a stint I said, “well I guess you need to give up all the animal products.” But to do that she was really bucking her doctors recommendation. Her general said it won’t help. The cardiologist he referred her to said, ” well it’s possible but it takes a few years.” Luckily I invited her to see dr Greger when he came to town and he gave her the confidence she needed. Most doctors feel so strongly that patients will be unable to stick to the low fat PBWF diet and exercise that is required to work. They should at least be given the choice.Veganrunner: That’s a great story. Good for you on inviting your sister to hear Dr. Greger. I totally relate to the need to have confidence that one is on the right track before one can make a diet change. I had needed a similar confidence boost before I was able to make the change from vegetarian to vegan. (Interestingly enough, I had no problems going from carnist to vegetarian.)Unfortunately, I don’t see medicine changing. It’s full steam ahead for genomics and individualized drug treatment. The money will keep rolling, while the bodies roll out!This Video strikes so many chords with me. So instead of ranting I will allow one to make their own conclusions. Drawing conclusions as to how we treat our fellow human beings should start first with the Hippocratic Oath about the 4th century BC 2400 years ago. (Author(s) unknown). (The whole interpretations “classical” and “modern” are in the link below)http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.htmlHippocratic Oath Classical Version (excerpt):“I will just relay the I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.”“Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief. . .”Hippocratic Oath Modern Version (excerpt):“I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of over-treatment and therapeutic nihilism.“I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.”“I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.”“I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to ALL my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.”Dr. HemoDynamic: Thanks for this post! I wasn’t aware that the Hippogratic Oath had a modern interpretation. Duh. I just hadn’t thought of it before.The classic one, while explicit and enlightened on diet (thanks!), also appears however to be tilted toward the theists, anti-abortionists, and anti-assisted suicide proponents – not sure I can use it so much.Yes times have surely changed but it is incredible to me how much was understood about treating the sick 2400 years ago with diet and the critical role the physician played as a patient confidant.Unfortunately, those who need the guiding back don’t bother to read websites like Dr. Greger’s. They’re too busy proclaiming “statins should be in everybody’s drinking water.”And unfortunately how true that statement is because the new Statin guidelines suggest millions more people (soon to be patients) should now be placed on statin’s that weren’t on them before. Sad!http://www.cbsnews.com/news/13-million-more-americans-would-take-statins-if-new-guidelines-followed-study/I don’t get it. Some reports say more will be on statins, other reports say some people on statins will be able to quit them. Meanwhile, I haven’t actually been able to find the guidelines or the risk calculator with my iPhone.Hi MacS, here you go this will cover it I think.http://www.cardiosource.org/news-media/publications/cardiology-magazine/2013/11/new-accaha-prevention-guidelines-address-blood-cholesterol-obesity.aspxhttps://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2013/11/11/01.cir.0000437738.63853.7a.full.pdfhttp://healthaffairs.org/blog/2013/12/24/the-unintended-consequences-of-the-new-statin-guidelines/Thanks, Jacquie,Information overload. I was thinking of a calculator where you input the pertinent variables, hit Enter, and get an evaluation of options.Is this what you’re looking for?web version: http://tools.cardiosource.org/ASCVD-Risk-Estimator/link for app version: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ascvd-risk-estimator/id808875968?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D2Keep in mind if you’re a white male 65 years or older, a black male 64 years or older, or a black or white female 70 years or older, you will automatically be on statins regardless of how perfect your data looks. (i.e. Dr. Esselstyn and his wife would be on statins!)And here’s a funny cartoon if you haven’t seen it :) http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/20/1256784/-Cholesterol-overhaul#Yup. That’s it.But it won’t let me tell the truth!I don’t understand the de-emphasis on LDL goals. Or the lack of a question about BMI or fat % body weight? (Still working on those last stubborn pounds.). No question about family history, either?But it looks like I’m in the clear according to this. But the tape measure and my family history and the fact that I had to add a little meat back into my diet tell me to keep working on myself.Of course, with the ubiquitousness of cardiovascular disease and studies like the latest “saturated fat is OK” studies, what’s an overworked, confused physician to do?Hi MacSmiley, Just out of curiosity, why did you have to add a little meat back into your diet? Thanks, galeFood sensitivities severely curtailed both the amount and variety of plants I can eat. Try to get enough protein when you can’t eat enough plants. Doesn’t work. I truly wish it were not a necessity. But it is. I eat as little as I can get away with. I poach a small portion 3 times a week to keep the carcinogens down.At least, Dr. Fuhrman’s books “allow” a little animal food. My lipids seem to confirm his position. At any rate, you gotta do what you gotta do to survive.Have you tried some of the plant-based protein supplements? There are soy, pea, hemp, etc.-based supplements out there. Maybe one would work well for you so you don’t have to resort to meat.Thanks for asking. The more concentrated the plant source, the more problematic.http://jacknorrisrd.com/oxalate-kind-of-a-big-deal/Just posting the original article in case you or anyone wanted to read.1. The Cardiosource link does have a nice summaries – if you scroll down. like 10 point summary, the link to calculator and infographic: http://bit.ly/1mJ5SHY2. The new guidelines are not sitting well with many – thus the calculator is being questioned as well for instance:“Dr. Nissen entered the figures for a 60-year-old African-American man with no risk factors — total cholesterol of 150, HDL (the good cholesterol) of 45, systolic blood pressure of 125 — who was not a diabetic or a smoker. He ended up with a 10-year risk of 7.5 percent, meaning he should be taking cholesterol-lowering statins despite being in a seemingly low-risk group.”http://nyti.ms/1efCS5xhttp://b.globe.com/1gW5yW3I plugged in Gary Taubes’s cholesterol numbers. That was fun. :-DPS. All the cardiac risk calculators put too much stock in HDL.Lol re: Taubes’ numbers. :)The emphasis on HDL these days bugs me too.Gotta love the last few paragraphs in that Boston Globe article!! :-)Wow, I have to say this is so maddening. My story is one of finding the whole food plant based diet after I had two drug eluding stents put in my circumflex. I asked the discharging cardiologist about diet and reversal and he did agree that the vegan diet could do it. After rehabbing for 4 weeks and starting to run again I noticed more pain when I ran and asked the cardiologist if something else could be wrong… He said no just take the drugs I have prescribed for the rest of you life and you will be fine. So I changed to the cardiologist that did my discharge and he ordered another angio. and this time the interventionist said I needed CABG. I asked my GP and the new cardiologist about diet again and they said it would take so long and I was at risk of dropping dead in the woods on a run… So I spoke to the Heart surg. and he told me that I needed the bypasses because my blockages were in the forks of the arteries and could not be stented. So I had quintuple bypass 70, 50, 70, 70, and a 50 percent blocked arteries.. The WFPBD was not given any discussion time…although the cardiologist I had did say it would work but the surgery was what was best. I am not bitter about what I had done but it infuriates me to think that the medical community ignors such valuable info.. it is supposed to be health care not Disease care. I did well bouncing back thanks in large part to the WFPBD and have given up all meds except a 10 mg simvastatin. I run 25 to 30 miles a week and just completed a 12K trail run this last Saturday in the hills of the Western NC mountains at a 8:57 pace. Thanks to the Nutrition facts staff and Dr. Greger for letting the truth be known… I know I preach it early and often to all around me.. BTW My Cardiologist did take the certification in Plant Based nutrition from E-Cornell and Colin Campbell. The practice he is in also has started cooking classes that show a better way of treating the real reason for heart disease.Thanks for sharing that!This is exactly my story sans CABG. Thanks to *real* dietary changes, I’m more likely to die from my stents (restenosis) than CAD.Recently told that I should add some fat every time I eat fruit, as it will help with my blood sugar and insulin resistance issues. If I eat fruit sugar (I eat a lot of fruit) without fat I am told that I could end up getting a limb amputated later in life. I thought fat was bad for people with insulin resistance issues? Really confusing stuff for me. I’d like to remain vegan and low-fat, but this is a concern. And I favor the fruit that is higher in fructose, such as apples and watermelons and dates. But does adding almonds or pecans every time I eat a couple apples really help one with these issues? How? It seems to me that the added fat to the sugar would make the issue worse in the long run .I always eat my fruit as part of a meal, all of which also include nuts/seeds and avocado apportioned between those 3 meals. Therefore, I always end up eating some fat with my fruit.Search Dr. Greger’s site for videos about nuts and seeds. There are a number of informative clips addressing various aspects of nut/seed/avocado consumption.Do you know how the fat helps in anyway, as far as the fruit sugar issue?Fat helps slow down the digestion of sugar so it doesn’t hit all at once. Can’t find the source of this info quickly.It averages out glycemic load, although fruit is not as high on the glycemic index as most people think.A little fat enhances absorption of micronutrients as well.The fiber in fruit slows the absorption of sugar- as long as you don’t chop up the fiber in a high speed blender.I would recommend eating fruits & fats separately. Is it true that birds eat berries one day and bugs on another?I’ve never heard that before.satch: Usually when I hear of “blood sugar and insulin resistance issues”, I think “diabetes” or “pre-diabetes”. If you are talking about Type 2 diabetes, then I think the book Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes would be relevant to your question.It’s been a while since I read the book, but I don’t remember it mentioning a need to eat fat with fruit. I even did a quick skim of the recipes and found a Fruit Smoothie recipe recommended, with no added fat/nuts/etc. (Though it does have some protein powder. Don’t know if that would be a key ingredient for the recipe in terms of what Dr. Barnard would recommend to a diabetic.)In the meal plans, I saw breakfasts such as oatmeal cooked with apples. And wheatberry pancakes and fresh fruit. Fresh fruit was also recommended as a dessert for one of the dinners.I would recommend checking out the above book to see if it can give you some general confidence in what a good diet would be for you. Here’s a link if you are interested:http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396382127&sr=1-1&keywords=reverse+diabetesAs for your questions about fat and how it might make diabetes worse, Dr. Barnard would certainly agree with you. That’s one more reason for you to read the book. It does a great job of addressing your questions.Good luck.Thea, I’m going to get the book. Thank you. It seems to me that some vegans think they can (i was one of them) eat a lot of nuts and seeds and avocados each day, and not have it turn into a problem. I do think that this somehow caused my issues with sugar, sweets, and breads. I used to be able to eat these sweets and breads, now I struggle. I did read that large amounts of vegan omega 6 fats eaten each day, and consistently, can really screw up the liver and pancreas, and their ability to handle carbs. Thanks again for the book suggestion.Great. Good luck. If the book ends up changing your eating habits, let us know how it goes. I’ll think good thoughts for you.Over the years, as I slowly crept up to a BMI of nearly 45, not a single one of my doctors ever even mentioned the “O” word. My endocrinologist did ask me at each appointment if I was still following a vegetarian diet, but he never inquired further. I was really a vegJUNKtarian, as Dr. Fuhrman would phrase it. If I hadn’t needed to move out of the Tri-state NY area, and had thus been able to keep Dr. Fuhrman as my primary care physician, I never would have reached such a sad state of affairs unchallenged and uninformed.Let’s hope the healthier plant-based changes I’ve made in the last 4 years, including dropping 100+ pounds, undoes any undiagnosed atherosclerosis, even if it doesn’t resolve all my health issues.What is the “O” word? Or you intended “P” word?Plants. Plantae.O = Obese, ObesityThat is incredible that they wouldn’t mention it to you! I wonder if doctors are now required or at least encouraged to discuss obesity with patients since the AMA officially classified it as a disease last year.MacSmiley: Good for you for making those changes. Sounds like it has been extremely beneficial for you. I really appreciate you sharing. Your story is an inspiration.re: “Let’s hope…” I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.$$$$$$$$ and greed.Some (all?) hospitals serve unhealthy foods… (there was a McDonald’s to 1 I went to + sugar drinks, freely refillable).You, Dr. Greger, are free and give us free info on this free site. Freeness is goodness. True thanks to you.“All what is needed is a few Dr. Greger types but lawyers. :)”If Dr. Greger can be cloned, that will be epic. ‘Dr. Greger’ judge ‘Dr. Greger’ lawyer ‘Dr. Greger’ president.Husband just got out of hospital. Said he wanted vegan diet. He got a burnt toasted cheese sandwich (the aid picked it up and said, “Even I wouldn’t eat this.”), white flour thick mushroom soup, jello, brownie, fake whipped cream, etc. Dumped it all and I had to bring food in.Pathetic.Excellent! Keep fighting the good fight, get the word out! WFPB nutrition.I too have had a similar experience to many of the other commentators. I had some shortness of breath and shoulder pain so my doctor sent me to the cardiologist. The cardiologist did a treadmill test and found some mild irregularities. He then wanted to schedule me for an angiogram. He said the results of that would probably result in my need for statins. My brother and father (both steak eaters) are both on statins. I refuse. I am a vegetarian but have not been faithful to my vegan food choices. I am also in the obese category (although only by a couple of pounds). When I discussed using diet and lifestyle as my preferred treatment my cardiologist became upset and doubtful that I could effectively treat my issues with this method. He too told me that I shouldn’t worry about the procedure nor the drugs, both were safe but that “lifestyle changes are very hard”. I agree they are hard in this society. But I consider the lifestyle choices of an invasive procedure and then lifetime of drugs to be much harder. Give me greens and exercise any day. I no longer see that cardiologist but do see the inside of my gym daily. BTW, the doctor never did a blood test until he was preparing to do the angiogram and at that point he did tell me that I was severely anemic. When I looked it up, it turns out that severe anemia can cause all of the symptoms that I had experienced. A simple blood test could have solved the problem rather than the very expensive set of tests he ran. A frank conversation would have been helpful as well. He never mentioned that I was obese as being a problem.Spoday have you lost the weight? If not I highly recommend Dr Fuhrmans’ book Eat For Health. Since you are already a vegetarian the transition should be easy.Do you know of books dealing with plant foods for the brain? Ex:Trained to much on wednesday and I still trouble in my sleep rhythm because it got so heavily disrupted the few days after. Actually writing here on the site is already to stimulating for me. Its really weird I know.Arjan, give this a try: http://www.nealbarnard.org/books/brain/Thank you Lawrence, that’s very nice of you. Downloaded!I would also recommend the fabulous “How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” lecture by Dr. Lisle!Sometimes I wonder how many heart attacks are precipitated, i.e. unstable plaques are ruptured, by the extremes in blood pressure caused by stress tests and the poking around arteries by angiogram probes.Although I must say intravenous ultrasound is absolutely fascinating.I’d be interested to hear your comments on this npr piece: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/31/295719579/rethinking-fat-the-case-for-adding-some-into-your-diethttp://www.plantpositive.com/blog/2014/3/23/recent-articles-by-drs-chowdhury-and-dinicolantonio.htmlFact-checking isn’t what it used to be.Remember that journalists are laypeople and can be just as easily confused as the general public, especially in this Internet hit-centric environment we now get our information from.Decades ago, doctors used to endorse cigarette brands and even prescribe smoking to patients. Today, the dealers of death and disease promoting foods benefit from public confusion about the causes of heart disease. They are using obfuscating junk science and paid-off doctors to push their wares, just as the tobacco industry did in the past.Keep in mind, the American public never actually followed a low fat diet. Going back to saturated fats, which are proven to raise LDL but are not proven to save lives with increased HDL, will just lead us back to the peak heart attack years of the 50s and 60s.Here’s what Willett’s 1996 paper actually says:Key messages•Diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of coronary disease, but these adverse effects are at least in part explained by their low fibre content and associations with other risk factors•Diets high in linolenic acid (N-3 fatty acid from plants) are associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, independently of other dietary and non-dietary risk factors•Uncertainty remains on the optimal amount of polyunsaturated fat in the diet for prevention of coronary heart disease•Benefits of reducing intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol are likely to be modest unless accompanied by an increased consumption of foods rich in fibreIn other words, to get the most cardiac benefit from reducing saturated fat, one needs to increase foods rich in fiber, i.e. PLANTS.Unfortunately, the public will not get that part of the message, as long as even the great Walter Willett keeps dropping the word “refined” from in front of the word “carbohydrate”. They will just be easier prey for the low-carb vultures, slather on the butter and fry up the steak and eggs, pour on some olive oil and call it a Mediterranean diet.Yes MacSmiley, if you listen closely the “most of our carbohydrates are highly refined…” (Mozaffarian) “Americans took this as a green light to eat more refined grains such as breads, processed snack foods and white pasta.”“Some fats, particularly plant-based fats, like olive oil and nuts, seem to have a beneficial effect…”So listen closely, not new news. The damage comes when most people don’t listen carefully or closely.You do me a disservice. I listened correctly. The word refined was not used consistently to modify the word carbohydrate. In the printed article, the word carbohydrate is appears 8 times, carbs 7 times, grains 2 times. The word refined is used only 4 times and the word processed only once. That’s a ratio 17 to 5. Carbohydrate in one form or another is unmodified 12 times.Might the uninformed get the idea that all carbs are bad? Absolutely, especially in the audio presentation. The point was not clearly made that unrefined carbohydrates are beneficial.Oh MacSmiley, I am agreeing with you. I was a response to the line of conversation. Sorry for any confusion!K, thanks. :-)I think one of the biggest problems is that people do not recognize signs of disease. Most, even if they could, would not understand the implications for their years to come.It requires a slight to moderate understanding of how things work. Plus being able to seperate between aging and illness, is hard. It creeps up on a person, vascular disfunction, that is one of the biggest problems I think. People will only notice they are sick after they make changes, before they are just not aware and thus not prepared to invest time or effort.I’ve personally been very lucky in a way by being very sensitive to stress. The moment I stopped smoking apart from whatever else happend, stress went through the roof for 10 days and all of a sudden multiple symptoms of bad circulation presented itself those days. Understood immediately that I had to act on it instantly. My limited understanding also makes quitting the new road impossible and thus processed foods have very little pull.I understand however this is not a common series of events amongst patients. Wouldn’t it be prudent to device a test where a person undergoes a similar kind of process? To show the patient the difference.A cold room with thermal imaging or something. Or even a sight dose of vasoconstrictive medicine that can be immediately reversed after symptoms appear?M.D’s?Seeing that heart disease is the number one killer we should all be aware that chances are we are heading down that road unless we make a conscious effort to do things differently. My father died at 52 from a massive heart attack. It would be beyond stupid for me to get fat, be a couch potato, and let time pass in a meat/fat induced coma.I thought I suspended that message above, dunno how a message I wrote can appear as guest.i live in austria/europe. the country with the highest amount of in-patient days in the world. none of my patients would ever quit drinking (daily. 80% of adults in austria do) or change their diet. even mentioning the risks makes them highly upset and angry. i can totally relate to the practice of treating people as unconscious zombies and go straight for surgery – just as most doctors here do.You can’t be serious.NextPoster: Thanks for sharing.Your comment sparked the following thought for me: As much as I (generally) personally see doctors having a responsibility of sharing all the relevant information regardless of expected recipient reaction, society in general also has to step up. If, for example, the media and government did a better job of educating people, then when doctors bring up these issues, the doctors would be talking to a more receptive audience. Your job wouldn’t be as hard and the patients might have a better chance of actually being helped. Just thinking here.Good luck. I hope your future holds lots of enlightened patients.If elderly people do not listen out of principle they could be considered incompetent to pass short term judgement on what is best for their own health. And all decisions posponed for a few weeks.People could just be forced to do a 3 week diet before any planned surgery. No doubt this would help boost survival rates and lessen complications immediately anyhow. And after 3 weeks the knife might not even be needed anymore.In any case the whole of the western worlds economies are buckleling under the strain of health care. The more expensive healthcare gets the less can be invested in education and other social issues that do produce long term returns. Its a vicious circle/vortex sucking up the worlds labour and monetairy resources. Its a huge macro economical problem and can easily paralise entire countries.Refusal to eat your greens when sick = act of economic terrorism towards ones own nation!Keep blasting that over the TV- sets in short but frequent bursts and let that nasty demon patriotism do your educational foot work for you! Another unique tool the U.S. still has next to claim culture!Flag waving went somewhat out of fashion over here 60 years ago, so we might need to think of a different way :)We practice reactive medicine driven by big pharma and now big hospital corporations. 99% of physicians have no knowledge of nutrition except for ICU nutrition which has nothing to do with every-day nutrition. I offer dietary changes to all my patients. Most accept it. Others (minority) rather die than never eat BBQ again. the best solution is for people to get educated…Best response of the day!And yet look at the “news” from NPR:http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/31/295719579/rethinking-fat-the-case-for-adding-some-into-your-dietI was so confused about diet because of this sort of “spin”. It seems like the majority of people have a vague notion about nutrition but they don’t believe managing blood chems really matters. My GP still thinks 5 mM total cholesterol is good. This site is a rare “candle in the darkness” to quote Carl Sagen.I don’t get the mohl measurement. What is 5 mM converted to mg/dl?about 200 mg/dlIs there an equation?The mM unit stands for “millimolar”, which is the number of millimoles of something per liter of solution. The unit M, without the milli, stands for “molar”, which would be the number of moles of something per unit of solution. A mole is a unit, similar to “a dozen”, except where a dozen equals 12, a mole equals 6.022*10^23. It allows chemists to take astronomically high numbers of things (atoms, molecules, etc) and reduce it down to manageable and calculable numbers. So rather than saying I’m making a solution of 6.022*10^23 molecules per liter, I can simply say I’m making a 1 “molar”, or 1 M, solution of that substance.So, you can take 6.022*10^23 of anything (atoms, molecules, rubber duckies, marshmallows, etc), and measure the mass of that many of them. This mass value is referred to as the “molar mass” of ____. The units of molar mass are in grams per mol.If we were to measure the mass of 6.022*10^23 cholesterol molecules, the mass would be 386.65 g. So its molar mass is 386.65 g/mol.On to the conversion, this is your basic dimensional analysis. As an example, converting 5 mmol per liter (5 mM) of cholesterol to its value in mg per deciliter (mg/dL) would go as follows below. Multiply all the numerators by each other, divide by all of the denominator values, and cancel out any units that appear as both a numerator and a denominator (since e.g. mol/mol or anything/anything = 1):(1000 mg/1 g)*(386.65 g/1 mol)*(1 mol/1000 mmol)*(5 mmol/1 L)*(1 L/10 dL)*(1 dL)The numerical value you should get is 193.33, and after crossing out identical units, the only units remaining are mg in the numerator, and dL in the denominator, so the answer is 193.33 mg/dL.Short answer: ____ mM *38.665 = your value in mg/dLI hope this wasn’t patronizing. Students (i.e. college level chem students) have a very hard time with the concept of moles. They try to make it into some mythical beast that is much harder to understand than it really is. I can’t help but have a fervent passion for spreading the good word about moles. For more fun with moles, please google “a mole is a unit youtube”. Great song :)Glad I’m not the only one whose head is spinning. Perhaps in the future you could do the conversion in advance like they do on food labels, just for us American laypeople?Looks like my LDL is 1.27 from your POV. TC is 2.82. (Thank you, Siri, for doing the math. Energy conservation is really hard-wired, isn’t it?)Cute video. I’ll share it here.http://youtu.be/PvT51M0ek5cFun video. Thanks for the link.And thanks b00mer for the education and info about the video! I’m feeling awfully ignorant right now as I don’t remember learning anything about moles before.While it surely seems like a really good idea, I think what you will find is that MOST PEOPLE are looking for doctors to give them a pill. Many have had YEARS, if not DECADES, to read a health book, a few diet books, and watch some free online video’s about this. They can get blood work done. If they have high blood pressure, that is a WARNING SIGN, that something is wrong. Again, they will look to the doctor for a fix.Read the responses. They will act shocked now, when they had 30 to 50 years to look at a plant based diet. Most of them will have trashed plant based diets till they end up in the hospital.People will usually only consider a plant based diet till AFTER they get end up in the hospital.The medical profession has a diet that that is not working. So they are on the same diet as you. The medical diet has a 60% population fat rate. Most doctors I know are fat. think it is funny, when I got a nutritionist, who has to be 350 lbs, to tell me how to be healthy.“Dr. Garrison added, “You should also know that, for the average person with your medical history and state of health, the number needed to treat—that is, the number of individuals who must be treated with a statin to prevent one death from a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke—is generally between 60 and 100, which means that if I treated 60 people in your situation, 1 would benefit and 59 would not.” – This is a quote from the AMAJOE. So the 1 out of 60 benefit is taken from this article. Do we have evidence that 1 out of 60 benefit is a science based number?Dr. Esselstyn has always quoted a figure that statins help prevent mortality in 30% of cases, leaving 70% on meds still at risk of dying from their disease. That’s 3 out of 10 or 1 out of 3.33 persons. So I’m not understanding the 1 out of 60 number either.Cleveland Clinic demonstrated atherosclerotic plaque lesion regression with a particular statin at an 80 mg dose. Perhaps raising statin dosages in general cardiac practice would up the percentage benefited. However, that would also increase the risk of adverse side effects.Not encouraging whole food plant-based nutrition as the cure for this disease instead is a tragedy.I have been on a low fat vegan diet for a year, but my cholesterol numbers will not come down. Any suggestions?Are you eating whole plants as grown or commercially processed vegan foods? How is your weight? Do you eat nuts? Beans? Oats (rolled or steel cut, not Cheerios)? Greens?Increase your fibers. Eat more bulk.s noor: I’m not a doctor or expert, but I have some ideas for you.I remember a talk once where the speaker (I think it was Esselstyn, but can’t even swear to that at this point) said that he suspected that some people’s bodies were so messed up from years and years of too much cholesterol that their bodies make too much even after they stop consuming cholesterol. I don’t think this was an established scientific fact (just a true expert’s conjecture), and I may not even be remembering correctly, but it is something to think about. There may be a small percentage of people who have to take some cholesterol lowering drugs along with a plant based diet in order to get into the desired levels. Maybe you are just an individual? This would be something ot determine with your doctor. Just a thought.Another thought I had was: If you are overweight and as part of the last year, you are loosing weight, I wonder if that can keep ones cholesterol levels higher than desired. Maybe things will get better when you are at your healthy weight. (Again, not an established scientific principle as far as I am aware – but it is worth thinking about.)Finally, while I don’t have easy links for you at the moment, Dr. Greger has highlighted special foods and classes of foods that have been shown to be especially helpful in lowering cholesterol. So, perhaps you could find those videos and then tweak your diet to include a great amount of those foods. This is really the best suggestion. Being low fat vegan for a year is great! (Really, it really and truly is!!!) But maybe you need special help, tweaking your diet for your special condition?Good luck.Some great points, especially re weight loss lowering LDL levels. I recently found out from Plant Positive that is how low-carb diet studies get rigged, have the low-carbers eat fewer calories and make sure the low-fat group is not so low fat.MacSmiley: Thanks. I think Plant Positive is amazing. I appreciate you bringing him into the conversation.Thanks for adding your two cents. I have been appreciating your recent comments in general on this site. Thanks for the participation!It is a little odd to me that Dr. Gregor did this video when he doesn’t agree with Dr. Esselstyn in his treatment of people. It would be great if Dr. Gregor would get on the same page with Dr. Esselstyn. I am someone who had been vegan for years, but still developed heart disease, it wasn’t until I read Dr. Esselstyn’s book that I understood that I needed to be on a diet that excluded things like nuts, avoccado, and other plant-based fats, and things like juces and smoothies. when I eliminated those my health changed drastically. Even when I bring up my further restrictions people get very angry at me, when the way I eat is the way that doctors like Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Campbell and Dr. McDougall are all agreeing on, and they are the doctors who have paved the way and have the results.Hillarious!!Watched McDougall sell carbs and sugars like you wouldn’t believe and at the end 1:02 gets pestered about stevia and video ends.That is awesome editting with a solid joke at the end. Had a good laugh!http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/videos/free-electures/dr-mcdougall-criticizes-low-carb-diets/I’ve been thinking about your post over the week. I’d be interested in knowing more about your condition pre-heart attack: lipid panel, homocysteine levels, BMI or body fat percentage.I was a vegJUNKtarian for many years and imagine I laid my share of plaque during that time.As a MD it is difficult not to be impressed by the work of Esselstyn, Ornish and others. Everything else is scientific ignorance.I want to give a shout out to Dr. Stedman in Marble Falls TX. I am uninsured and went in to be treated for a broken foot. Dr. Stedman shared plant based diet info with me. Talk about preventative care. I have only been eating plant base for two weeks but feel great! Just need my foot to heal. Dr. Stedman is the man! Thank you! https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Family-Wellness-Center-PA/162265320473475At 37, I received 6 stents over three surgeries. Some of my blockages were only around 50%. Not one Cardiologist mentioned real dietary changes, just “follow the AHA diets” – which I was already eating given my family history. My total cholesterol was only 183 on the day of the stents.Now, I’m on a whole foods plant based diet, I feel much better & my numbers are better. I follow Esselstyn’s diet recommendation.The kicker of this, I’m more likely to die from restenosis that actual cholesterol build up. Drug Eluting Stents have a life time of around 20 years before the scar tissue closes them, and I have at least one of them in every major coronary artery. Awesome – thanks Doc.Based on what I know now, I just needed a single stent, and that is what makes me angry.If you haven’t, check out Dr. Ornish’s web forum on plant-based nutrition and healthful eating! Share a post in the community that outlines your 2014 health journey and use the tag #ISupport[Ben @delabeaux]Meanwhile, the first study the first study to link fruit and vegetable consumption with all-cause, cancer and heart disease deaths in a nationally-representative population was just released.Fruit and vegetable consumption and all-cause, cancer and CVD mortality: analysis of Health Survey for England data7+ servings daily reduced all-cause mortality by 42% compared to < 1 serving, vegetables had a stronger effect than fruit, and canned fruit were associated with more mortality.They lump frozen fruit with cooked??!! =OMust be to hide the true effects of BP’s natural gas on fruit while heating! :)I just read the abstract, don’t have access to the whole piece. I hope they weren’t conflating syrupy canned fruit cocktail with frozen unsweetened fruit.I suspect the issue is that (if the UK is anything like the US) the overwhelmingly most popular frozen vegetable is french fries, and canned fruit are mostly pie fillings.The article says “… frozen/canned fruit consumption was apparently associated with increased mortality (1.17 (1.07 to 1.28) per portion).” There is nothing about frozen vegetables.Corrected. IWhy am I so stupid, sometimes!I am a recent subscriber and have been watching your videos on youtube for some time. You push the plant-based diet very hard. That is fine but I have some questions. What would this plant-based diet look like? What percentages of protein, carbs, and fat from calories would I be attempting to achieve? What about entomophagy? Would entomophagy fall in the same category with animal proteins or maybe fall somewhere in between animal and plant protein because it is clean of hormones and pesticides? My main concern is where all the protein is coming from and if it can be achieved without a very heavy carb load.Carl:Your questions/concerns are quite understandable. I’ll take a crack at trying to answer this for you.The easiest issue is to address is your protein concerns. Here are my favorite sources which address the protein issue. After reading these articles, your mind will be much at ease concerning protein: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.html http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ (check out December 2003 for McDougall’s site, “A Brief History of Protein: Passion, Social Bigotry, Rats, and Enlightenment”. Also April 2007, “When Friends Ask: Where do you get your protein?”)You also asked, “What would this plant-based diet look like? What percentages of protein, carbs, and fat from calories would I be attempting to achieve? ” In terms of percentages, especially of fat, you may find some differing of opinions. But what I think many people agree on is that if you generally eat a whole plant food based diet, full of veggies, fruit, intact grains, and legumes, plus a side of nuts and seeds, then you will automatically get the percentages that you need. But when people are first starting to eat healthy, this generalization is not so helpful, plus there is some fine-tuning that is needed.So, I first refer you to Dr. Greger’s recommendations for eating: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/That’s a great start, but is often not enough guidance for some people. So, I would encourage you to also think about the Power Plate from PCRM. This gives a very simple, easy to understand graphic of what a healthy diet might look like. Roughly fill your plate with the 4 food groups as shown in the graphic. The only thing that I think Dr. Greger might add is a 1 to 2 ounce serving of nuts and seeds on the side. http://pcrm.org/health/diets/pplate/power-plateAnd also consider checking out the free 21 Day Kickstart program. They hold your hand for 21 days, giving you everything from grocery lists to meal plans to recipes to forums for discussion and support. By the time you got through 21 days, you would have a very good idea of “what the diet looks like.” http://support.pcrm.org/site/PageServer?pagename=21day_vegan_kickstart&JServSessionIda003=upegog3qg1.app234cFinally, to address your question about eating bugs, Dr. Greger does have a video about this some where. I *think* it was called something like, “The healthiest __” animal? meat? I hope that when you finish reading the links I gave you about protein, you won’t see the need to eat insects. But if that seems important to you, Dr. Greger did address it.Hope that helps.Come on thea you are a nice girl but linking to a guy who claims vegetables hold more protein than meat or fish does? Really?@ OP : cronometer.com start filling out what you eat and start trimming to get decent values.Arjan: I think the numbers speak for themselves. I’m glad you found the cronometer. I know a lot of people get a lot of value out of it.You cannot say protein content and then cite numbers of protein content percentage of total calories! Those are 2 totallly different things!This bluejay guy is out to confuse and misinform!Hi Arjan,Most people calculate things by weight, because the food industry benefits from this. That’s how food with nearly all the calories coming from fat can be marketed as “99% fat free”, and beef which contains 33% of its calories from fat can be marketed as “95% lean”. In the nutrition world, in terms of research and recommendations, percentage in terms of calories is nearly always used and is generally considered to be a more accurate representation.So broccoli is 27% protein by calorie. I regularly have a big serving (about 2 cups steamed), which provides 7.4 g of protein, which is 16% of my RDA. That’s 16% of my RDA from one side dish from one meal. Not too shabby.I personally find percentages by calorie to be much more user-friendly. Since all I have to know is 1) am I eating enough calories, and 2) is my overall percentage of calories from protein in my diet at least 10 percent. Since I’m not a fruitarian, the answer to number 2 is always yes.Thinking about serving sizes and adding up numbers of grams for each for each food I eat sounds like a lot more work imo.That is why grams and kilograms are so usefull instead of serving sizes and cups. All of a sudden 1+1=2 instead of 1/12+1/12*0.2854=???Here in my country it just says how much fat is in it per 100gr and that will be it. Anything else is just strange.And you are talking RDA while you use a Protein percentage guideline. This gets weirder and weirder. And who’s arbitrary RDA guideline do you follow? RDA’s are no percentages right?So percentages also limited by weight? And how does that affect everything else you eat or can eat or all of a sudden can’t eat anymore because RDA max has been reached?This sounds like the single best way to start a WFPBD eating disorder to me. Sorry m8 it really does.Hi Arjan,I’m having trouble understanding most of what you are saying, but I think I can respond to a couple points.Regarding RDA: Most major nutritional and medical organizations agree on the same general protein requirements; these are based on body weight. For a non-athlete, 0.7-0.8 g/kg body weight. So that is what I’m going by.I don’t stop eating when I get to the RDA. Most days I get about 150% of my RDA, and this is without making any effort to do so. I guess that was my point, that it is very difficult to not get enough protein. It seemed like that was the main aspect of this thread –how to get enough protein– not getting too much, which is an entirely different topic.I disagree about your eating disorder comment. My whole point is that I just eat whole foods, all day long, as much as I want, and I get plenty of protein. I don’t add up any grams and I don’t do any percentage calculations either.However it is precisely because of the percentage of calories from protein of various food groups that I know that **it is impossible to not get enough** That was my whole point. I don’t track protein. However, I can, retroactively perform the calculations to demonstrate that I get enough.Here is how I track my protein to make sure I’m getting enough: make sure I eat enough food each day. If I’m still hungry, eat more. Done.So where does that protein percentage of calories to live by come in?So first, I have a general RDA that I want to make sure I meet: (57 kg)*(0.8 g/kg) = 45 g protein needed per day.I eat about 1800-2000 Calories per day. I don’t count them in order to limit them, but if I eat whole-foods plant-based, eat to satisfaction, and plug my food into cronometer, that’s just about what it ends up being.To know what percentage of those 1800-2000 calories need to come from protein (in order to achieve 45 g), I take into account that there are 4 Calories for every gram of protein:(45 g protein)*(4 Cal/g) = 180 CalThus I need 45 g of protein, or in other words, 180 Calories of protein per day.180 Cal/1800 Cal = 10%So as long as at least 10% of my calories come from protein in the diet, I will automatically get my 45g. The nice thing about this, is that since I know that vegetables, legumes, whole grains all average > 10%, I know my overall average will be greater that 10%. So I don’t even have to think about it. I just make sure I eat enough food.Thank you for the well sourced response. I was up late last night going over everything you sent. along with getting sidetracked with other video on nutrition facts.Carl: My pleasure. re: “I was up late last night…” Oh dear, I hate to think I caused anyone to lose sleep. ;-)Thanks for the feedback! I’m so glad I was helpful.The problem, I believe, is that physicians will never broadly recommend a plant-based diet because they themselves do not eat one. Therefore, recommending one when they don’t themselves believe in it would cause too much cognitive dissonance. It’s like getting smoking cessation counseling from a two-pack-per-day surgeon with lung cancer. The vast majority of doctors are not vegans or even vegetarians, just like the vast majority of patients are not vegans or vegetarians. To believe otherwise is to live in a rarefied bubble. I don’t know what it’s going to take to get the message out there more. We are still inundated with incorrect nutritional health policy recommendations. People are talking about lean meat all the time (chicken, fish). Drs. MacDougall, Greger, Esselstyn and Ornish are standout professionals but they are relatively lone voices in the medical community. The recent lifestyle modification guidelines promulgated by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, which directly deal with diets, don’t even mention vegetarianism. This is despite the fact that they include vegan search terms in their literature search strategies. They recommend the DASH diet and the Mediterranean Diet. The mainstream medical community refuses to adopt vegetarianism.Well said DGH. Thanks.Can’t do vegan… Maybe because our palates are wired by the (mostly new) food culture (i.e. fast, processed, western diets) that habituate bad choices (i.e. sugar, fat, salt). For starters, maybe too, it’s time to ban[damn] ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ (the sugar, not the chocolate), the candy holidays, and prohibit children from ‘added sugar’ use [like a drug].Are DO’s better at nutrition than MD’s? Osteopathic physicians stress holistic approach but do they use nutrition in treatment?Same thing happens with a cancer diagnosis. A 15 minute appointment, the shock of your life (suicide rates skyrocket by 7X in the week after a cancer diagnosis!), a quick referral (weeks away) to the surgeon, the chemo guy and the radiation guy. No mention whatsoever of the part vitamin D plays, low levels of selenium, sugar feeding the tumor, Vitamin C, certainly not the biggest issue of all, B17 or laetrile which is still considered a joke even though its used in many countries now and should be offered at the patient’s discretion. Not telling your patient about ALL their options for treatment should be grounds for a class action lawsuit, especially if in reality, the AMA will label a quack any doctor who actually discusses these issues honestly. And the recommendations for chemo and radiation, both of which are carcinogenic in themselves, didn’t include any cost-benefit approach to cure rates, toxic side effects, none of that. I’m convinced more people are killed by cancer treatments themselves, than by the cancer which could most definitely respond to a dietary approach for the individual patient as well as society.Something I’d like Dr. Greger to look into if he has time; I read somewhere that the plant geneticist Mendel spent a large amount of his time breeding the B17 out of fruits and vegetables, because it was bitter and people liked sweet. I wonder if this is true and if we have food bred now for much less of this important nutrient.This could be a big legal problem for cardiologists.I note that in abstract the authors state, “We considered participants adherent if they eliminated dairy, fish, and meat, and added oil.” But in the Methods section, they say, “Initially the intervention avoided all added oils and processed foods that contain oils…” Do you know which oils were added and which were prohibited and why?Dr, Esselstyn has a video on YouTube – No, no no oil of any kind. The way he describes it – for six hours after consumption you assault your endothelial lining making it vulnerable. Oil is a processed food, there is no good one.I started following Dr. Esselstyne’s diet one year ago, I lost 25 pounds, and noticed this thin layer of fat that was just under my skin all over my body has diminished, it is great actually, I always felt I had this extra padding like babies have, now it is gone, not to mention the cholesterol tests are getting much better as well. The only downside I had to fix all of my clothes to fit me, luckily I have a sewing machine to do that!	alternative medicine,AMA,brain disease,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,Cleveland Clinic,coma,complementary medicine,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,heart disease,heart health,informed consent,LDL cholesterol,Lifestyle medicine,liver disease,liver health,medical ethics,medical profession,medications,morbidity,mortality,muscle health,plant-based diets,side effects,statins,stroke,surgery,vegans,vegetarians	When doctors withhold dietary treatment options from cardiac patients, they are violating the cornerstone of medical ethics, informed consent.	The lack of nutrition training in medical school is another barrier. See, for example, my videos Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance and Doctors Know Less Than They Think About Nutrition.For more on why doctors don’t make more dietary prescriptions, see my video The Tomato Effect, Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Cause of Disease, and Convincing Doctors to Embrace Lifestyle Medicine.Heart disease may be a choice. See Cavities and Coronaries: Our Choice and One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-ethics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-caldwell-esselstyn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/informed-consent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/morbidity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ama/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cleveland-clinic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12434938,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3825914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17577295,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9860369,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23177484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1416556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11288049,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23356800,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9860378,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22040718,
PLAIN-2620	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/	Phytates for the Treatment of Cancer	So if the phytates in beans are so successful in preventing cancer, and re-educating cancer cells, let’s put them to the test.Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and it arises from neoplastic adenomatous polyps, meaning colon cancer starts out as a benign little bump called a polyp that then grows into cancer that can eventually spread to other organs and kill us. So the National Cancer Institute funded the Polyp Prevention Trial to determine the effects of a high-fiber, high fruit and vegetable, low-fat diet.They found no significant associations between polyp formation and overall change in fruit and vegetable consumption; however, those with the greatest increase in bean intake only had about a third of the odds of advanced polyps popping up. Yes, it could have been the fiber in the beans, but there’s lots of fiber in fruits and vegetables too. So maybe it was the phytate.If the tumors do grow, though, they still need to spread. Tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis are multistep processes that include not just cell proliferation, but digestion through the surrounding tissue, and migration through basement membranes to reach the bloodstream before the tumor can establish new proliferating colonies of cancer cells. The first step is to tunnel through the surrounding matrix, considered a critical event in tumor cell invasion. To do this the cancer cells use a set of enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases, which is where phytates may come in. We know phytates inhibit cancer cell migration in vitro, and now we know why. They help block the ability of cancer cells to produce the tumor invasion enzyme in the first place, in both human colon cancer cells, and human breast cancer. Thus, phytates could be used not only in the early promotion state of cancer but also in all stages of cancer progression.So what happens if you give phytates to breast cancer patients? Although few case studies in which phytates were given in combination with chemotherapy clearly showed encouraging data. Organized, controlled, randomized clinical studies were never done, until now. Fourteen women with invasive breast cancer divided into two randomized groups. One group got extra phytates, the other got placebo. At the end of six months, the phytate group had a better quality of life, significantly more functionality, and fewer symptoms from the chemo, not getting the drop in immune cells and platelets one normally experiences.And what are the potential side effects of phytates? Less heart disease, less diabetes, and fewer kidney stones. Because cancer development is such an extended process—can take decades to grow, you need cancer preventive agents that you can take long-term, and phytates, naturally occurring in beans, grains, nuts, and seeds fit the bill. Although in the past concerns have been expressed regarding intake of foods high in phytates reducing the bioavailability of dietary minerals, recent studies demonstrate that this co-called “anti-nutrient” can be manifested only when large quantities of phytates are consumed in combination with a nutrient poor diet.For example there used to be a concern that phytate consumption might lead to calcium deficiency, but in fact researchers discovered the opposite to be true, phytates protecting against osteoporosis. In essence, phytate has many characteristics of a vitamin, contrary to the established and, unfortunately, still existing dogma among nutritionists about its “anti-nutrient” role.Given the numerous health benefits, its participation in important intracellular biochemical pathways, normal physiological presence in our cells, tissues, plasma, urine, etc., the levels of which fluctuate with intake, epidemiological correlates of phytate deficiency with disease and reversal of those conditions by adequate intake, and safety – all strongly suggest for phytates inclusion as an essential nutrient, perhaps a vitamin. Meanwhile, inclusion of phytates in our strategies for prevention and therapy of various ailments, cancer in particular is warranted. They’re talking about trying out supplements, but of course, eating a healthy diet rich in phytates would always be a prudent thing too.	I’m glad this clears things up about “anti-nutrients”…The paleo broscience community has their sheeple convinced that grains & beans are EVIL because phytates will block ALL nutrient absorption, when that’s clearly not the case.What they fail to say is that people who eat a balanced diet that’s high in nutrients actually benefit from phytates in their diets.But they won’t tell you that, because you can get all your nutritional needs from their paleo primal super duper shakes that auto-ships to your home for only $100 a month.What a world.Paleo’s encourage nuts and seed consumption. Don’t they contain phytates, as well?From what I can gather, paleo can be pretty much whatever a person wants it to be, aside from eschewing beans and grains, which seems to be pretty constant across the board. Some eat dairy, some don’t. Some eat tubers, some don’t. Some eat nuts and/or seeds, some don’t.What I find kind of hilarious are the “paleo” recipes like breads or pies made out of coconut oil or grassfed butter, coconut flour, almond flour, etc. Just enormously concentrated and entirely “unnatural” foods, but hey if it doesn’t have grains or beans in it, it must be healthy right?They evidently make it up as they go alongSome paleos like the Jaminet Perfect Health Diet assert all seeds are trying to kill us, so they also discourage those. And the presence of the allegedly antinutrient phytate is one of the reasons given.“all seeds are trying to kill us” gave me an amusing little image in my mind :DWoody Allen trying to get out with an axe while screaming “I don’t want to die!!!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGj1smf-_vcAnnoyed, are you kidding? Come on. We have a natural and God given ability to think for ourselves. You can’t lay the onus of maintaining our personal health onto others. Take some additional time, do some research to test the truth and veracity of your informational resources by conducting your own comparative analysis. In so doing, you may just find that this particular site is among the most reliable you’ll ever find. Doc Greger isn’t responsible for your health anymore than a polar ice cap is. You should, however, come to the truthful resolve that the good doc’s site is objective and quite informative. But, then, before you noticed that you’d have to notice that he leaves the final analysis to those who are taking the time to visit his site. Ugh.Okay, I’ve looked into this a bit and here’s what I’ve learned (via “Mark’s Daily Apple”):Nuts and seeds contain phytate, which is bad, and grains contain phytate, which is bad, but according to MDA, it would be easier to overeat phytate in the form of grains than it would be to overeat it from nuts and seeds. Thus, nuts/seeds = okay; grains = evil.He gives the example of a certain amount of phytate being found in 362 Cal of brown rice, while the same amount would require the consumption of 575 Cal of almonds. His claim is that you could eat all that brown rice and still easily go back for seconds, while it would be much harder to eat 570 Cal of almonds.My opinion: are you kidding me?!? How many people eat almost two cups of rice with their meal and go back for seconds?575 Cal of almonds would be about 80 almonds, or 3.5 one-ounce servings. Personally I could very easily see someone eating a few servings of nuts as opposed to only one. Many people consider eating only one serving of nuts to be a supreme exercise in self control.So it’s not the most sound logic. He explicitly advocates that it’s fine to consume a small handful of nuts (about 2 oz according to him) per day, which equates to 362 Cal, yet for some reason it’s absolutely forbidden to consume the phytic acid equivalent of 228 Cal of brown rice, which would be a generous, slightly greater than one cup serving. Gee, unsound logic from a paleo guru, what will we hear next. ;)Another, absolutely hilariously entertaining find in my paleo sleuthing, is that many paleos, get this, drumroll please…..take IP6 supplements! Seriously people, you can’t make this stuff up! :D For some reason it’s magically better because you can take it on an empty stomach, so it can enter the bloodstream, and bind up minerals (apparently the intentional chelation of iron in the paleo world is a real concern), whereas if you take it with food, it’ll bind up the minerals in the food, and for some completely unsubstantiated and baseless reason, this is much worse.b00mer: Such a fun read! I love how you put it all into perspective. Really nice.ThanksBroscience, LOL. +1 for making me smile!Antinutrients are for the most part inactive with cooking. Not a study exists showing harmed health from bean consumption.I’ve seen IP-6 sold in health food stores. Is there any benefit it taking that, particularly for people who avoid eating beans?Hi jacque, it does look like there are in vivo studies to support IP6 as a chemotherapeutive agent (I did just a very quick search), though there is definitely a precedent to postulate that getting a particular nutrient from the whole food source is often preferable.However, you say you don’t eat beans. Does that include all legumes, like lentils or peas? If you don’t eat those either, you could still obtain phytate from whole grains or nuts/seeds if you consume those. I personally wouldn’t worry about supplementing if you consume an otherwise varied and balanced whole foods plant based diet.Try seeds & nuts.Soy protein isolate seems to go well with sunflower seeds. Throw together with some veggies and blend. Good stuff! Maybe that sits better than beans in general.Be weary of soy protein isolates, I don’t have the study on hand but soy protein isolates increase IGF-1 production twice as much as dairy.I like being a big boy Toxins.Eating whole plant foods as you suggest is definitely the route to go to build muscle and strength. The issue with IGF-1, in case you are not aware, is that it is a strong promoter of cancer growth. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/I’ll roll the dice on that one. As for now I keep suffering from stress and anxiety senstivities even though I’m on the mend.At 17 after passing 110 kg some kind of alpha male hormone state came over me and my friend.That state is extremely calming to the mind. It makes you utterly fearless. That is what I need for a while after 5 years of terror. It will hand me the tools to start EMDR and other therapies.Calmness vs stress and andrenergic reactions with its vasoconstriction is very bad for cancer too. I am in the process of trading one for the other I’m aware. But general health is spectacularly different. For now I’m better off.Might cancer be diagnosed or therapie done I’ll dose less. Reaching 100 kg I’ll go from 120 gr to 80 see what happens then to 40 gr I guess just for the reason you mentioned.If soy is your preferred protein for a larger physique, why not go with tofu and tempeh, traditional sources?I put myself on a 50 gr a day natto regime for now after finding out its bloodvessel clearing capabillities.The loss of sensation in extremities was a dead giveaway of plaque buildup during the first 10 days after stopping smoking.Goal number 1 by miles for the first year of food intervention is blood vessel support.Although I’m feeling better than I have in years (after 3 months with vegan days) its only an effect of less inflammation and better endothelial function. The disease is still there, and needs to be treated for another 8 months at the very least. (5 days vegan a week @1 kg+ of veggies + 50gr natto daily + daily exercise) I do not feel sick physically but I know I actually am, and very much so.As it is I cannot afford to get a food sensitivity towards soy, otherwise the natto is off the table. And I actually really like the earthy taste it add to my smoothies :) So whole soy bean intake I intend to keep limited.Maybe try lentils again in a month or so see if the reaction is milder, they are a great tasting bean.I’m guessing because those traditional sources do not raise IGF-1 as effectively as Isolate.Arjan you are a big guy! How tall are you? 6’5″?Also be weary of GMO found in most soy productsFor more information on avoiding GMO foods you can go to the Institute for Responsible Technologies website,http://www.responsibletechnology.org/ and look at their shopping guide.Are beans in the category of foods we can make “unlimited” use of? Or is there a concern about possibly getting too much protein?Thank you so much.Your intestines can have a rough time with beans. Try upping dose slowly. You can get very ill if you take more than you can handle. When you start getting loads gas and such, lower intake a bit or prepare to get uncomfortable.Antinutrients, such as lectins are inactive when cooked. Beans are one of the healthiest foods you can eat, no need to limit your amount. http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/Great for you if you are not sensitive to them. I personally am. And not all is destroyed, all the time.I remember a greger vid where it was claimed to be responsible for 10% of all food poisonings.Seems clear to me beans need monitoring. And certainly not something to be advised can be consumed without limits to a novice bean eater.Arjan, I also have allergies and food intolerances, and know that sometimes foods that are good for most people are not good for me. Tomatoes, for example; good for most, but they are not good for me. I need to check any food for how my body responds to it. I think the most I can do on a site like this is understand the general advantages and disadvantages of particular foods, and then see if the good foods agree with my body.Thank you for your perspectives on eating legumes. Am even cooking a batch of lentils right now.Slow increase is prudent advice for many. However…It’s not the lectins (paleo/broscience) that cause distress. It’s the lack of gut bacteria from a lifetime of not eating legumes which causes gaseous distress from a sudden large increase in bean consumption.Slow and steady wins the race.Beans, although high in protein, are also very high in complex carbohydrates. I consider them part veggie, part “grain”. Eat in plenty, as no studies indicate elevated IGF-1 from bean consumption.Does this mean that spouted beans have less healthful effects rather than more?This question seems to be popping up a lot lately; it would be good to get Dr Greger’s input.Many people seem to have this belief that soaking or sprouting eliminates all phytates. It doesn’t, it simply reduces so-called anti-nutrients. Sprouting has the additional benefit of amplifying antioxidant properties. Seeing as you will still be consuming some amounts of phytates from cooked sprouted beans, I’d assume that there are still great benefits from sprouting – you’ll be getting benefits from sprouting as well as benefits from phytates. Additionally, on a whole foods plant based diet, phytates are abundant from a variety of food sources; likely a tablespoon of flax seeds or a Brazil nut will give sufficient amounts of phytates for a healthy body, not to mention the phytates present in grains. If you want to maximize phytates, then you’ll want to avoid soaking or sprouting, though I don’t think abstaining from sprouting is justified if one is already in the habit to do so. No recommendations have yet been established as to how much phytic acid one should consume in their diet.I wonder if those women in the trial ever got any better with their cancer on the IP6 supplement? And whether or not it actually helped with the cancer, I wonder why the researchers didn’t just use natural sources of the compound?Dr. Gerger, A general question regarding turning Vegan: I am a naturally skinny 55yrs old guy at 5’7″ 120lbs and generally healthy. After a month of being strictly vegan, my Ketones level shot up to 2 (from the normal below-0) and I lost 2lbs of my weight, as well as felt weak physically. Turns out that in spite of loading up on mountains of Vegan foods, pasta, breads, nuts, I was getting only 1200 calories per day and my body started digesting its own tissues to compensate. To save my ‘life’ – I immediately switched back to eating ‘everything’, meat, dairy, eggs, poultry, and within 3 days my Ketone levels normalized. My weight was back to normal (120) within 10 days and I felt stronger. Although I now eat much more in veggies and fruit, I am weary about going all vegan again unless I know it’s safe for me. What will I need to include in my vegan diet to make sure I don’t starve my body? (i.e. get the calories I need)Dr. Greger,Will you comment in a future blog about the recent paper that reports that saturated fat doesn’t contribute to cardiovascular disease? I understand that saturated fat from animals comes along with carnitine which we know is damaging to the vascular system. My second question is that I avoid coconut because of the saturated fat. If I can live with the calories that come along with the saturated fats is there still a reason to avoid coconut in light of this report from Harvard?Thanks, DavidPlantPositive produced a brief response to those recent articles:http://www.plantpositive.com/blog/2014/3/23/recent-articles-by-drs-chowdhury-and-dinicolantonio.htmlDavid Katz also produced a response ( I’m wary of citing him since he has been caught performing studies/research to fit a preconceived conclusion. See 15:17 of the video I link after his article) :http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/diet-and-nutrition_b_4985323.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guyQW6n3f6oFirst thing I noticed in the abstract:“Limitation: Potential biases from preferential publication and selective reporting.”March 24 2014: “Scientists Fix Errors in Controversial Paper About Saturated Fats”Willett says correcting the paper isn’t enough. “It is good that they fixed it for the record, but it has caused massive confusion and the public hasn’t heard about the correction.” The paper should be withdrawn, he argues.”“It’s dangerous.” http://bit.ly/1jxyIJvAlso: Dr. McDougall response: http://on.fb.me/1iOfvEZ.The study published in The Annals of Internal Medicine entitled: Association of Dietary, Circulating and Supplement Fatty Acids With Coronary Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis’ suggests that the type and quantity of dietary fat may not be important factors in coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. The mainstream media jumped on this study because, as Dr. John McDougall often says, “People love to hear good news about their bad habits”.This study once again demonstrates the folly of taking a reductionist approach to nutrition research. As T. Colin Campbell writes:“Reductionism by definition seeks to eliminate all “confounding” factors: any variables that might influence the outcome in addition to the main substance under investigation. But because nutrition is a wholistic phenomenon, it simply doesn’t make any sense to study it as if it were a single variable. Studying nutrition as if it were a single-function pill disregards its complex interactions.”Dr. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health states:“The single macronutrient approach is outdated; I think future dietary guidelines will put more and more emphasis on real food rather than giving an absolute upper limit or cutoff point for certain macronutrients.”The reductionist mindset of many nutritional scientists has caused the decades-long confused haze that afflicts people who seek to discover the healthiest human diet. Continued focus on single nutrients and single outcomes will result in current and future generations to continue to wallow in the nutrition research mire.We must start treating nutrition as a wholistic phenomenon. and stop trying to tease out one contribution from a diet and ignore the rest. As Dr. Campbell says:“Of course body fat, dietary fat, education level, depression, socioeconomic standing, and so many more characteristics are interrelated and interactive with one another and with our bodies’ systems. While statistical adjustments can pretend to wrap up reality into neat little packages, they don’t explain the underlying reality at all. “The Cambridge University meta analysis looked at studies that compared bad diets with bad diets and attempted to tease out the contribution of specific components from the bad diets. It’s a pretty safe bet that folks who ate fewer animal foods (less saturated fat) probably ate more processed junk and vegetable oils. It’s no wonder that researchers didn’t find a significant difference between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.We need to emphasize studies that compare diets and assess multiple health outcomes. There is no shortage of these studies.Dr. Campbell’s work in China compared plant based diets with very plant based diets in people who were eating WHOLE and minimally processed plant foods. He found as animal food intake increased, so did the prevalence of many chronic diseases, including heart disease.Research led by Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. and The Nathan Pritikin Research Foundation show that their diets protect against and REVERSE CAD, and other chronic diseases!Their research confirms wholistic research that points to whole food plant based (WFPB) diets as disease preventing and health promoting. Wholistic research includes:Ecological studies – survey and compare populations as they already exist, and see what they eat and how healthy they areBiomimickry – look at our nearest animal relatives—gorillas and chimps—and see what they eatEvolutionary Biology – examine our physiology and determine what our bodies have evolved to ingest and processReductionist scientists completely disregard wholistic evidence that can teach people the ideal human diet. The truth is available for all to see. All you have to do is open your eyes and activate your mind.I’ll finish with Dr. Campbell’s eloquent statement:“You can’t study wholistic phenomena solely through reductionist modes of inquiry without sacrificing reality, and truth, in the process”.I would like to see research about the capacity of the body to expell fatty wastes through higher fiber intake. Which must help in preventing reuptake.Hi there. I am wondering if you might want to look at vegan athlete eating plan/pattern. They are thriving and must eat a higher amount of daily calories. I don’t think loading up on pasta bread and nuts is best solution.For one consider: Brendan Brazier (http://www.brendanbrazier.com/). He has really well done site/program free – you can tailor to your needs/goals , has a section for athletes too: http://thriveforward.com/Vitamin B12 Vitamin K2 Fatty acids (flax,hemp,chia) Creatine (I take 3gr on non meat days)Might have been points where you are missing the boat.But I had exactly the same issues a total failure to thrive while dropping meat 100% for 2,5 weeks. I started feeling weaker and weaker, even though I was actually watching all but the K2 at that time.For now I’m sticking with 2 meat days out of 7 which for me seems to work. If I find new possible missing links I’ll give it another try.Complex, whole starches are key. This includes brown rice, beans, potatoes, etc. I typically consume around 2300+ calories depending on my physical activity level and I do this through complex carbohydrate based meals.Wonderful! So glad I like my beans.Phew your kid holding the cat looks gravely ill, is she all right? Is she allowed to go to the hospital?I wrote an article about this a while back. Not all Paleo blogs doom beans for phytates. In fact, I happen to agree to some benefits of phytates. If you like beans and they don’t bother your gut, then that’s great. http://originaleating.com/paleo-101/real-reason-say-eat-legumes/Great Stuff! Wondering… Seems scientists at the University of Exeter in England have published a study that suggests smelling farts could actually prevent cancer, among and other diseases. Turns out, the hydrogen sulfide gases created in the gut while breaking down food, in small doses, preserve the mitochondria in cells and thus, prevent disease. They are even working on a compound (AP39) that could deliver small doses of the gas. That all said, I wonder if the phytate mystery for colon cancer might be related to this mitochondria effect also?So, it seems, beans, beans “effect” are not just good for your heart! ;)Thanks Dr for this wonderful site and resource.BillBottom line: Soak almonds or not?if i eat beans daily is that too much proteinToxins answered that below, no studies show adverse effects from lots of beans, eat up!	antinutrients,beans,breast cancer,breast health,calcium,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chemotherapy,colon cancer,colon health,diabetes,fiber,fruit,grains,heart disease,heart health,kidney disease,kidney health,kidney stones,low-fat diets,metastases,mortality,National Cancer Institute,nuts,osteoporosis,phytates,phytic acid,polyps,prediabetes,rectal cancer,seeds,side effects,vegetables,vitamins,women's health	Do the anti-cancer effects of phytates in a petri dish translate out into clinical studies on cancer prevention and treatment?	I talked about the role of fiber versus phytate in colon cancer in my video Phytates for the Prevention of Cancer, the first in this 3-part video series. See also my last video Phytates for Rehabilitating Cancer Cells.I covered the potential bone protecting properties of phytates in my video Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis.More on preventing tumor invasion and metastasis in:Other foods that can help stop the progression of precancerous lesions (like the adenomatous polyps) are profiled in Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer and Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer.There’s a substance in mushrooms that’s also another “essential” nutrient candidate. See Ergothioneine: A New Vitamin?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyps/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cancer-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antinutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-stones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9244360,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22916808,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20152024,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139122,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15297368,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17044765,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22415590,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11198165,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6862688,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8223063,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2990653,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16080543,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16772456,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8383315,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2731998,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14666664,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12028025,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9786231,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14608114,
PLAIN-2621	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	Phytates for Rehabilitating Cancer Cells	The recent observations on phytate as an anticarcinogen do have support from population-based studies which show lower incidence of cancer in populations consuming vegetarian type diets. Because phytate is found in beans, grains, nuts, and seeds, the average daily intake of phytate in vegetarian diets is about twice that of those eating mixed diets of plant and animal foods.Dietary phytate has been reported to prevent kidney stone formation, protect against diabetes mellitus, dental cavities, heart disease as well as against a variety of cancers.Do all these potentially beneficial effects sound too good to be true? I mean are there other examples of compounds made by plants that can have benefits across multiple diseases? Yes, aspirin, for example, which is actually found throughout the plant kingdom and may also account for some plant-based benefits.But of all the things phytates can do, the anticancer activity of phytic acid, also known as phytate, also known as IP6 or inositol hexaphosphate, is considered one of its most important beneficial activities.Dietary phytates are quickly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and rapidly taken up by cancer cells throughout the body, and has been shown to inhibit the growth of all tested cancerous cell lines. Phytates have been shown to inhibit the growth of human leukemia cells, colon cancer cells, both estrogen receptor-positive and negative breast cancer cells, voicebox cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, liver tumors, pancreatic, melanoma, and muscle cancers. At the same time not affecting normal cells. That’s the most important expectation of a good anticancer agent is for it to only affect cancerous cells and to leave normal cells alone. And that’s what phytates do.Leukemia cells taken from cancer patients are killed by phytates, normal bone marrow cells, however, are spared which may explain why bean extracts kill off colon cancer cells, but leave normal colon cells alone.Both the in vivo and in vitro experiments have shown striking anticancer effects of phytate.What are the mechanisms of action by which phytates battle cancer? How do phytates fight? How don’t they fight? Look at this. Phytate targets cancer through multiple pathways, a combination of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-enhancing activities: detox, differentiation, anti-angiogenesis. In other words, phytate affects the principal pathways of malignancy. And not just some of them apparently, phytate targets and acts on all of them.The antioxidative property is one of the most impressive characteristics of phytate. In fact that’s why the meat industry adds phytates to meat to prevent the oxidation of fat that begins the moment of slaughter.Besides affecting tumor cells directly, phytates can act on our immune functions by augmenting natural killer cell activity, the cells in our body that hunt down and dispose of cancer cells, as well as neutrophils, which help form our first line of defense. And then phytates starve tumors as more of a last line of defense. Not only can phytates block the formation of new blood vessels that may be feeding tumors, but disrupt pre-formed capillary tubes, indicating that phytates may not just help blockade tumors, but actively cut off existing supply lines.What’s really remarkable about phytate, is that unlike most other anti-cancer agents, it not only causes a reduction in cancer cell growth but also enhances differentiation. Reversion of the appearance of cancer cells back to that of normal, meaning it causes cancer cells to stop acting like cancer cells and go back to acting like normal cells. You can see this with colon cancer cells. In the presence of phytates, human colon cancer cells mature to structurally and behaviorally resemble normal cells. And this has been demonstrated in leukemia cells, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and muscle cancer cells as well.	Do you have any opinion about Salvestrols? Are they Dietary phytates?Woo. phytates!Sounds like another good reason to eat beans and seeds and nuts and stuff!I wish there was some more direct evidence out there about a real world role for phytates. I don’t think it can be excluded though.Incidentally the FDA has an IP6-Inositol Triphosphate herbal remedy as something people should avoid. Maybe it is better in the bean? http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/EnforcementActivitiesbyFDA/ucm171057.htmI’ve also heard about it’s role as an anti-nutrient to zinc, iron, and niacin.You are my Journal Club! You’re Phytastic!Thanks to Dr. Greger, I eat 2 cups of beans a day. Particularly black beans. And I have ZERO gas problems that I used to worry about 6 months ago.My health went south when I started following the advice of low-carb paleo bloggers… I started having full on anxiety attacks (190 bpm heart rate!) often. Probably due to hypoglycaemia.I stumbled upon this site, and haven’t looked back. My health is rockin’.Thanks doc!Dave: Awesome story. I’m so glad you figured things out in time. Thanks for sharing.“phytate is found in beans, grains, nuts, and seeds, the average daily intake of phytate in vegetarian diets is about twice that of those eating mixed diets of plant and animal foods.”What foods have the highest phytates? Please rank them and name the amount of phytates (example: 90mg per 100mg serving).Awesome phytates… thanks for the easy explanation.Reversion of cancer cells to normal cells is just awesome.Plant power.This Wikipedia page has a list of phytate percentages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytic_acidNice Chris! Thanks for the link.Recently I’ve found a pure IP6 supplement in a form of powder, is it advisable to use this or not ?Nope, it is in an unbound and isolated form. Choose whole plant foods!Thanks for the updateWow!I find it hilarious that the paleo diet advocates use the presence of phytates as a reason to not eat these foods because they are toxic. I think I prefer “toxic” beans and grains to a higher likelihood of needing chemotherapy, personally.Terrific, as always! My question regards the often recommended practice of soaking nuts in order to sprouts the nut and remove phytates as an aid to digestion. Does this negate the benefits of phytate or is there still enough left to reap the benefits from both practices?Good question! I would like to hear the answer too!Yeah! Me too. Should we? Or shouldn’t ?My assumption is that soaking and sprouting is still beneficial. Even if practicing sprouting and cooking thoroughly, an individual following a whole foods plant based diet likely will even still consume decent amounts of phytates. Not enough is yet known to suggest a specific amount of phytates in one’s diet, so there’s no reason to abstain from soaking or sprouting. Likely enough phytates would be present for beneficial effects in a daily serving of a tablespoon of flaxseed.The prime phytate sources like beans and lentils are also high in protein. Protein promotes “acid” vs. “alkaline” coming from fruits and veggies. So, is more better here? How small of an amount of beans etc would be adequate for good phytate intake?Dr. Greger previously recommended one cup of beans a day. I’m not sure if this would provide the recommended amount of phytate, but it’s probably a good reference point.Bravo Dr. Gregerdo you have research about high blood pressure?I have a friend who says lectins are terrible and cause leaky gut. He vows never eat beans, and says our bodies can’t even digest them properly. I just wanted feedbak about the lectins in beans. Could anybody help out? Dr. G?Lectins are broken down when they are soaked and sprouted. This is one of the reasons that sprouting grains and legumes is recommended.Thank You!What we can not digest, many of our gut bacteria can. Feed your microbiome!Truly remarkable! The ‘World’s Greatest Shave’ fundraiser for leukaemia prevention / cure is on at the moment here in Australia, & on the Leukaemia Foundation’s site – the beneficiary of the fundraiser – not a word is written on the benefits of nutrition in the treatment of leukaemia, not least plant-based nutrition. Dr Greger your work is invaluable, can’t thank you enough for what you’re doing.Trying to figure out why the captions are in Italian?? Not that I mind, cause it makes me feel like my grandmother is in the room, but…is it just my playback, or are others having ‘questo problemo’?You can change them to english~Mine too and I never changed them. They have been English for other videos.This sounds wonderful but makes me wonder about the soaking of beans, nuts and seeds to “remove the phytates” and “enzyme inhibitors” for better digestion. Any comments on that?I am a long time vegan/vegetarian. I believe it is healthier and easier on the digestive system to SOAK ll grains, beans, nuts and seeds before eating and/or cooking them. I do this almost every time. Even raw foodists focus on soaking nuts and seeds before eating them or sprouting them. This makes sense. I have read elsewhere that phytic acid/PHYTATES, bind minerals and prevent us from absorbing them (like iron). Is it possible that one reason vegetarians/vegans may be low in iron IS the extra consumption of plant foods containing phytic acid/phytates keeps us from absorbing minerals like iron. Maybe the benefit of these plant foods is more that they do not contain artery clogging animal fat than the phytic acid itself…..namaste’, rachelI give blood regularly. Before I went vegan, I sometimes did not qualify – did not have enough hemoglobin. Now that I eat a plant based diet, I don’t usually have that problem. One day I came in to give blood, and the nurse told me that I was the first one to qualify that day – and it was a number of hours after they had opened. Since I don’t take supplements, it looks like beans are doing the trick!macbev: Impressive story. I love it. Thanks for sharing!Would monkeys soak nuts? Nahh, they just eat them. Where would they get the bowls?Maybe just eat more to alliviate shortages instead of focussing of getting everything out of a little.In general like diffusion its easier to transport elements and molecules from a side where there is plenty to where there is shortage. Moving stuff from a low concentration to a higher concentration is like running up hill, it tends to get more difficult the steeper the gradient.Just double or tripple your calcium and iron rich foods and forgo the work for nothing routines. (unless you enjoy the taste more :)Would monkeys cook food? Comparing human dietary behavior to that of monkeys is unjust. Moneys eat feces, so they’re not exactly a great model for idealistic behavior, just as it’s not reasonable to use prehistoric hominids to base our modern conventions upon. Our physiology is different to that of monkeys anyway.Well the feces consumption would take care of the B12 issue. Maybe the monkeys are on to something! :-)They may be, but supplementation is still the safer option for humansVeganrunner: You made me smile. I can just see new gourmet restaurants opening up…Oh yummy!Eating feces would solve the Vitamin K2 issue too.There is no other animal who eats washed and processed or sterile foods. All of which can cause deficiencies from proteins to minerals to vitamins.There is no other animal who eats cooked foods either. Beans are poisonous unless cooked, so you’re not going to see any monkeys eating them.Makes sense, all other animals lick their butts at least. Not that I am planning on it, just sayin’!Makes sense, all other animals lick their butts at least. Not that I am planning on it, just sayin’!I wouldn’t worry about soaking/sprouting unless you have confirmed iron deficiency. In that case, up your intake of iron-rich plant sources, cook in cast iron pots (especially acidic solutions like tomato sauce, orange juice), avoid drinking any type of tea or coffee at meals, take citrus or vitamin C with iron-rich meals, or consider a modest amount of a liquid-based iron elixir (e.g. a couple drops per day). To me, soaking/sprouting seems like an extra unnecessary step to achieving good health through theoretical-only benefits of reducing these binding agents. I would rather just eat more of them than soak them. For dry beans of course one needs to soak or boil them (Or both).It’s not just theoretical-only benefits.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/Is there any association between high phytate consumption and osteoporosis?Hi julialoha, Dr. Greger did a video a while back called “Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis”!http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/Start eating natto for Vitamin K2 in a hurry julia. With natto you eat your daily portion of beans at the same time too.Big fan of it, love to throw it thrue smoothies for a earthy undertone. Actually like it with fruit smoothies :)GL.this is confusing to me as i have been following a Paleo diet, based on its anti-inflammatory properties, as part of my treatment of liver tumors. the Paleo diet is based on no grains or legumes whereas Dr. Greger is saying just the opposite.Any anti-inflammatory effects of a Paleo diet are due to the elimination of processed foods (white flour, sugar etc). The diet recommended by the Harvard School of Public Health and by Dr. Andrew Weil are both anti-inflammatory diets as well. However, those diets do not advocate consuming up to 50% of your calories from animal sources. The only well documented case of the reversal of cancer with diet was done by Dr. Ornish.Processed grains should definitely be avoided to reduce inflammation, but real whole grains (quinoa, wheatberries, steel cuts oats) and beans/legumes are helpful for inflammation. Animal products should be reduced/eliminated and the focus should be on whole plant products.Old-fashioned rolled oats are a breakfast staple at the Esselstyn household. I consider those minimally processed enough.I wouldn’t go paleo if you paid me.A delicious breakfast i have recently adopted is to cook a cup of spelt with dates, a dash of cinnamon and cloves. at the end of the 45 min. heat a half cup of frozen blueberries and put on top and enjoy. Its very tasty, much tastier then my 2 years of oatmeal.Hi Toxins. Food sensitivities prevent me from going that route, but sounds delicious.Actually, I was focused more on the convenience factor for the original poster. Rolled oats are already cooked. Just add cold veg-milk as one would granola, or as I do, add boiling water, cover for 5 min. Done! No cooking necessary.Do you have any research on the effect of diet on Aspergers? My nephew was just diagnosed with Aspergers and I feel a lot of the symptoms could be relieved through a plant focused diet. Any thoughts? Thank you for your time. NickyMost of the research has focused on what foods should be eliminated to reduce symptoms. Caffeine, sugar and processed foods are probably not the underlying cause, but they certainly don’t help. An overall healthy diet (whole foods, plant based) would be a good place to start.Behavioral therapy and occupational therapy that includes sensory strategies is also highly recommended. Children can often be treated to the point that the condition is not even recognizable.Check out the book Neurodiversity by Thomas Armstrong.To be the devil’s advocate, this is good and well if you are vegan, what about patients with cancer, can this reverse their disease? Are all these studies in vitro or do we have clinical studies comparing this head to head with conventional medicine?My brother in law was diagnosed with colon cancer a few years back. Interesting enough he was referred to a nutritionist as part of his treatment. And a plant based diet was recommended. Not that he did it but I think it’s interesting that some doctors are suggesting a dietary change as an adjunct.Yes, it is happening slowly…too slowly. Last night the state news ran an “indepth” 60 minutes type show with a segement on the “raw diet” thats taking the world by storm…an elderly couple in Australia were running daily marathons on fruits and veg. She was cancer-free after a lump-ectomy and raw plant foods. For balance the “nutritionist” said she would reserve judgement because there is no study that shows eating plants cures cancer. Now there’s a lady with standards.There is definitely clinical human data demonstrating beneficial effects of various phytonutrients on various cancers; berries for esophageal cancer and flax for prostate cancer come to mind. There is also data showing that soy increases survival rates for breast cancer dramatically, which isn’t exactly the same as seeing decreasing tumor growth, however in a way it is the same thing if you consider prevention and treatment of cancer to be the same thing:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/However, comparing phytonutrients head to head with conventional medicine would be considered unethical at this point in time for most cases, despite whatever promise has been demonstrated at epidemiological or in vitro levels. The exceptions are when a cancer has been classified as “watch and wait”, in which case it doesn’t hurt to feed someone some berries and see what happens, or if a surgery has already been scheduled to remove a tumor, in which case you might as well feed the patient some flaxseed in the meantime. Soy phytonutrients have been used to augment traditional therapy, but I am unaware of any study solely relying on them instead of it.As far as human clinical data specific to phytate, I’m unsure, though there is in vivo work in mice that shows tumor growth inhibition, for example: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14734476SO COOL… MUCH LOVE for this website!!!Why doesn’t this video play in my browserThanks for this video dr. This helps.. My mom is recently diagnosed with stage 4 Rcc.. Though I’m yet waiting for the biopsy result but it is most likely Rcc. im just looking for ways that can improve my mothers condition and her prognosis. There have been many survivor stories which are keeping me positive. I don’t see much written or researched for Rcc. Would this help in the same also.. If yes how much should the intake be in a day?? Thanks for all the videos. I love all the advice. Kshamata	angiogenesis,animal fat,animal products,antiangiogenesis,antinutrients,antioxidants,aspirin,beans,blood cancer,bone marrow health,breast cancer,breast health,cancer,carcinogens,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cavities,cervical cancer,cervix health,colon cancer,colon health,dental health,diabetes,food additives,grains,heart disease,heart health,immune function,inflammation,kidney disease,kidney health,kidney stones,leukemia,liver cancer,liver health,meat,melanoma,men's health,metastases,nuts,oxidative stress,pancreas health,pancreatic cancer,phytates,phytic acid,plant-based diets,prediabetes,prostate cancer,prostate health,rectal cancer,seeds,skin cancer,vegans,vegetarians,voice box cancer,voice box health,women's health	Unlike most other anti-cancer agents, the phytates naturally found in whole plant foods may trigger cancer cell differentiation, causing them to revert back to behaving more like normal cells.	This video is the second of a three-part video series on phytates and cancer. If you missed it, see the first, Phytates for the Prevention of Cancer, and then the exciting conclusion, Phytates for the Treatment of Cancer.This video reminds me of the recent one on the spice turmeric, Turmeric Curcumin Reprogramming Cancer Cell Death.Aspirin as a phytonutrient? See my video Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods.What else can we eat to improve the cancer-fighting front of our immune system? See Boosting Natural Killer Cell Activity.More on the concept of starving tumors of their blood supply in Anti-Angiogenesis: Cutting Off Tumor Supply Lines.Is there clinical evidence of plants actually reversing cancer progression? You won’t believe your eyes:	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/17/strawberries-can-reverse-precancerous-progression/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/voice-box-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervical-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervix-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angiogenesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/voice-box-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antiangiogenesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/melanoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antinutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-marrow-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-stones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9244360,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22916808,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20152024,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139122,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15297368,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17044765,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22415590,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11198165,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10625945,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6862688,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8223063,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2990653,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16080543,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16772456,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2731998,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12028025,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9786231,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14608114,
PLAIN-2622	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/	Phytates for the Prevention of Cancer	Cancer prevention strongly acknowledges the importance of diet, as dietary factors are the most important environmental risk factors for cancer. Within recent years, a large number of naturally occurring health-enhancing substances of plant origin have been recognized to have beneficial effects on cancers, known as phytochemicals. Yes, beans, chickpeas, split peas and lentils are packed with all sorts of nutrients we need, but the reason they may protect against several degenerative diseases may be due to non-nutritive compounds in plants, or even so-called antinutrient compounds like phytates. The reputation of phytate has had a roller coaster ride ever since its discovery; it has undergone alternate eminence and infamy. What everyone can agree on though is that phytates, also known as phytic acid, are one of the most fascinating bioactive food compounds and are widely distributed in plant foods.In the U.S. colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death, but in some parts of the world, they’ve had just a tiny fraction of our rates, with the highest rates reported in Connecticut, and the lowest in Kampala, Uganda. The famous surgeon Dr. Burkitt spent 24 years in Uganda and most of the hospitals in Uganda he contacted had never seen a case of colon cancer. Noting they live off diets centered on whole plant foods, he figured that maybe it was the fiber that was so protective.Studies like this, though, called that interpretation into question. Danes appear to have more colon cancer than Finns, yet Danes consume almost twice the dietary fiber. What else, then, could explain the low cancer rates among plant-based populations? Well fiber isn’t the only thing found in whole plant foods, missing from processed and animal foods. Maybe it’s the phytate.Dietary phytate, rather than fiber per se, might be the most important variable governing the frequency of colon cancer, as we know phytate is a powerful inhibitor of the iron-mediated production of hydroxyl radicals, a particularly dangerous type of free radical. So the standard American diet may be a double whammy, the heme iron in muscle meat plus the lack of phytate in refined plant foods to extinguish the iron radicals.This may account for what they found in the Adventist study. They found excess risk of cancer for higher intakes of both red meat and white meat, suggesting all meats contribute to colon cancer formation. About twice the risk for red meat eaters, and three times the risk for those eating chicken and fish, but those eating meat could reduce their risk in two ways, by cutting down on meat or by eating more beans, an excellent source of phytates.So it’s not just how much meat we eat, but our meat to vegetables ratio. Between the two extremes (high-vegetable and low-meat diets versus high-meat and low-vegetable diets) a risk ratio of about 8 appears to exist, sufficient to explain a substantial part of the international variation in the incidence of colorectal cancer. Those with the worst of both worlds, high meat and low vegetable, were at 8 times the risk.	good video – a more in depth explanation on how phytic acid works would have been great. Is it because the phytic acid chelates the iron molecules and prevents the damage that way?It would be nice to see one of your graphs on food rankings by phytic acid content.As it chelates minerals would there be an argument to eat foods such as beans away from the most nutritional meal of the day, or that we should eat even more nutrient dense foods to offset the lost absorption due to the increased phytic acid? In particular, phytic acid chelates calcium and this may cause concern for people with osteoporosis. Thank Dr. Greger, keep up the good work.You’d think! But did you see my last phytate video?Phytates for the Prevention of OsteoporosisThanks for your comment!That’s what I aim to do – at least 3 servings of beans per day, eaten with all 3 main meals. I’ve been doing it largely for the protein, but beans are also a particularly rich source of other important micronutrients. Where the Atkins and LCHF guys hit us hard is in “plant toxins” – e.g. phytates – but this video really questions that belief. Still, I won’t eat anything in excess, as I learned my lesson with broccoli the hard way (cooked is ok, too much raw is bad for marginal thyroids). A healthy balance of a variety of plant-based food groups, with no overwhelming emphasis on one particular type of food, provides a well-balanced diet and some protection against overconsuming substances in excess. As they say often in molecular toxicology and pharmacology, “it’s the dose that makes the poison”. At low-moderate doses, something in a food can be quite healthy, even beneficial, but at very high doses we either plateau our efficacy or start to get into troublesome toxicity. I’ve seen this phenomenon in the literature for years with synthetic micronutrients given in excess, and there is no reason to believe it doesn’t also apply to plants consumed in excess.Dr G can I make a request? Do a vid and/or find studies on the benefits of fermented foods?? I have just started fermenting purple cabbage and usinging it with every meal. It’d be awesome to know what to expect in the long run from doing this. (I know about the purple pigment bennies). I also make pickles. Also a vid on stomach acid and digestion and the need for it, cuz I wonder that a lot of folks have compromised digestion which may be a bump in the road when animal eaters want to make the change to a plant based diet. I know one who started losing her hair after a week without meat, so she RAN back to it and was told butter is good for her. . . In other words, we lost one. I’d love to help meat eaters transition seemlessly, and fearlessly to plant foods. I’m sure you would too. I think these subjects would be a good place to get help. . . . Oh one more, a vid on medium chane fatty acids. . like coconut? Any bennies/need at all statistically, for say enzyme production of any kind at all? Thanks! You’re the greatest.Yes for my neurological isuses which are often correlated with too much iron, I’d love more info if any is available. All I can find on the web is nay saying. Oh another infamous one I think has a bad rap is oxylates. Any further info on that would be REALLY awesome, cuz i don’t buy that either, especially since they are in those dark leafies we need so much, and green juicing is my bag, so I KNOW oxylates are not bad and suspect, like phytates, are GOOD for a body. You’re the man sir, so I’m asking. Thanks for all every single day sir. Much respect and admiration. Toodles!You should blend your veggies not juice m. Blending retains all the fibers.I eat/drink 3-4 1 liter green blended shakes a day with some soy protein powder 30gr. I cram a liter cilinder full of kale, red cabbage , carrots etc together with zante currants other dried fruits for sweetness. Pumpkin or sunflower seeds for oils/protein and just blend it smooth. Adding a bit of flax can make a more homogenous texture, nice and good stuff too.Once you are accustomed to getting loads of fibers in your diet you can eat again after 2-3 hours blending up more vegetable goodness and can load up another 400 grams to your daily total.Can’t see a reason in the world how juicing should be the better way to go.WOW!!! That’s quite a smoothy!! Lol! Wellsir, you do do a bit of predigesting in the blending so. . . . but I agree wholly that as we go, and heal, a nice blend of all you put in your smoothy sounds like it’d be eassily digested, including even oils. Bravo!! can’t disagree in the least. . . . except sir, in taste, for myself anywho. I like my greens with fatty nuts and lemon and salt, and my red cabbage fermeted and dolloped onto my beans and salads. Currents and other dreid fruits for nightime nibbling, and pumpkin seeds and other nuts (always in shell) for mid day snacks as well as on salads and the like. I pass on flax. . . can’t really get a bead on that seed. Never liked it. But I get plenty omegas from my nuts and from a lb of chlorella monthly. . . . And I agree about eating every few hours and feeling great in the belly about it, with nutrition packed foofd as we’ve agreed on, like food soul mates. Lol. ;)). . . My only small hurdle is I feel so good I want to go back for more earlies thatI should, a bit too ofetn, but I’ve got a rein on it. . . ;) Thanks for the hello Arjan!That fermenting you do is that to get vitamin K2? Is it the same fungus as natto?I usually safe my savoury nuts for nibling time too :) LOLI do the ferments to help with digestion and and ahppy for al the rest I get from the cabbage, from the prple and such. I don’t care for the lentils either but. . . you know, kidney beans are like some kind of miracle. don’t care much for the pinto or black kind though they are all 3 kidney type aids according to TCM. Your issues sound like your water sytem needs a deep deep healing, and as fr my own body this has been my own focus, so I’ll shsare what I’ve learned on this and what helps me. Green juicing and green foods ad nausium, and no grains, lots of good fats (LOTS), and kidney beans to build and also to infuze the ewntire body with cleansing blood, so issues/blood/fear/memories etc are not hidden and stored. The greens pull the blood through. the kidney beans seem to infuze the kidney which cleans it all with superpowers. I have awoke from sleep feeling like I worked out at the gym. Seriously. And I’ve had a similar history of strength and then sickness and weakness, and would also like to be back on my game”. Al the foods you mention seem like nitrogen and thus activity/go foods. In order to do the relaesing that would be required to heal from PTSD (and it’s mental/physical mirrors) we’d need to infuze the body with the capacity to ebb, breath out, and let go. I found magnesium was the lynchpin for my process. ^ weeks on green juice alone made me clench down until I heard about magnesium and stated nightly baths, and taking internally as well. the nit was “katy-bar-the-door” and the let down was UNBELIEVABLE. I spent 3 months weating nightly like through several shirts a sweater and a hoodie. My baths produced a yellow, oily film, my stools were unendingly productive, despite little fodder (just psyllium for bulking). My room smelled of death from my breath in the monrning. The after 3 months I felt like a new person. Tired and wiped out, but fresh, like the day after a lng sickness you know you’re on the mend. It took aother couple years to figure the right diet. Grains were my burden, and other high glycemic starches. beans have been a godsend, and the kidney one has beeen, as I said, like some super power in my body. I’m still not sure of the affects in the long run as it’s just been over a winter eating them. Sure seems to be doing so me very deep nurishing beyond anything I’ve felt before them, so I’m sharing that experience, in case it may be of use to you. Love to hear back and update if it is. Cheers and best of luck!What about phytic acid and oral health? Is it really the cause of tooth decay?My Online Dictionary says: > Moreover, phytic acid chelatesand thus makes > unabsorbable certain important minor minerals such > as zinc and iron, and to a lesser extent, also macro > minerals such as calcium and magnesium; phytin > refers specifically to the calcium or magnesium > salt form of phytic acid.So, if you eat a lot of “phytates” have problems with zinc, iron, calcium and magnesium?I have just watched Gary Taubes video about carbohydrates and how he says that it is carbs that promote fat. How does this square with this other stuff that talks about vegetarianism and not eating meat. What is the story on carbs from a phytate point of view?It’s worth noting how your discussion on lead in triphala and amla relates to this topic. Apparently, the problem is worse than you indicated. Organic India has been forced to put stickers on their products in California warning consumers of possible lead toxicity. I hope the phytic acid in my diet has given me some protection me from the lead I ingested from Organic India products over the last 3 years. Does phytic acid help move lead out of the body?I am lost. Does this mean that I no longer have to soak my beans..? Moré over……that i should not?Esther: Phytate issue completely aside: If you soak your beans, they cook faster and (I understand) are less likely to give someone gas.My *guess* is that most people soak their beans. And thus my guess is those studies showing so many benefits to people who eat beans are based on people who eat soaked beans. And thus, my guess is that it certainly doesn’t hurt to soak beans if that is what you want to do.Just something to think about.Mater of fact, I started soaking very recentlly….because of ALL the controversy…….and gas is never an issue if added sugar is not present. So…is it o k not soaking?Esther: I never thought that soaking was required for health reasons, just that it was helpful for the reasons I state above.I’m not an expert in these areas, so I can’t say an opinion with any authority. I personally do not see how soaking would be necessary from a health stand point. But maybe I am missing something…Sprouting amplifies nutritional value of legumes such as beans. Soaking still provides benefit of decreasing phytic acid and thus increasing bioavailability of certain nutrients in seeds. Whilst phytic acid is beneficial for health, if one is already soaking or sprouting their beans, there’s no reason to stop; it just means we shouldn’t be scared of phytic acid.You don’t have to soak beans, but it’ll still be something I do (I actually sprout all my beans before cooking) for the increased benefits and easier digestion.Robert: Thanks for adding to the discussion. I find it very interesting what people do to prepare their food.FYI: Dr. Greger covers the nutritional benefit of sprouting at a couple places on this site. I just make the distinction between sprouting and soaking.Thanks again for weighing in.Hello, saw this study purporting that vegetarians have worse health outcomes in several areas. Is this simply because they didn’t differentiate between a relatively healthy person adopting a vegetarian diet vs someone who goes vegetarian because of a chronic disease? Would like someone with a bit more medical/health knowledge than me to give it a look see. http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0088278#abstract0One of the limitations of this study is that due to the relatively low number of vegans, they lumped together those following a vegan diet with vegetarians that also consumed milk, eggs and fish. The authors also report that they did not collect much information of the totality of the diets. Often times, vegetarians (especially in the US) consume a large quantity of processed foods that are high in vegetable oils. This can create a rather significant imbalance in the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio. There are several videos on this site detailing the potential health issues associated with dairy, egg and fish consumption. Since Dr. G recommends a whole foods plant based diet, this study doesn’t really offer much to refute his recommendations.Another interesting limitation is that this was a cross sectional study. This is a very useful type of epidemiological study, but it typically is not used to identify direct causal relationships.I hope this was helpful.MattSo not only did they have vegetarians that consumed lots of animal products but also they didn’t differentiate between vegetarian diet eating people that started after a chronic disease was diagnosed and people who started healthy on a vegetarian diet. Would seem to call in to question some/all of their conclusions rather heavily. Thanks for the comment.I have read that traditional cultures always soak grains and legumes before cooking and thereby eliminate the phytic acid. This which would include traditional cultures in many parts of Africa. So there are a lot of assumptions in Dr. Greger’s thesis.However, I rarely have time to soak beans and grains. Now instead of getting down on myself for not getting rid of the phytic acid, I’m relieved. I will now eat unsoaked beans and pray that phytic acid will rid my body of heavy metals like lead.Esther—I guess it’s your call. You could get tested to find out if you excess iron and then decide what’s best.Great Video. But I couldn’t watch it. That’s because I was totally engrossed in the subtitles. ;-) I like the new addition but I found it difficult to watch. I found myself fighting with my focus for the subtitles over the video. I didn’t realize that I have tunnel vision for subtitles. Interesting!How were the beans in the study prepared? Did they just grind them up and measure the phytates or did they cook the beans and for how long? This variable is not always considered or reported in these studies, but could mean a big difference. I prefer raw sprouted for the raw fiber, active probiotics, and intact phytonutrients, why do we consider heat when we look at changing molecular structures under a microscope, but ignore it’s affect when we talk about applying heat to food?Many raw beans, even if sprouted, are poisonous until cooked. Lentils and peas however, in general, are safe to consume raw.And several studies were cited in this video, not just one.Poison? What is the name of this poison that outlives sprouting Robert? I am living well and I do not cook sprouted beans, and there is no one I know personally who does even non-raw fooders. Can you identify the ‘poison’?Phytohaemagglutinin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhytohaemagglutininI know from experience, as I once ate a meal of raw sprouted pinto beans, then shortly after experienced one of the worst sicknesses I’ve ever endured.Which beans do you eat raw?Hi, even ann wigmore stated raw beans have a toxin in them and she suggested lightly steaming them or cooking them. I do have sprouted raw lentils sometimes and they seem different than raw beans. I am not surprised you got sick…..namaste’, rachelPersonally, white beans, black beans, mung bean, soy bean, lentils, chickpea, seeds of most all kinds…Mung beans are legumes, not true beans, and hence are safe to eat raw. Lentils and chickpeas obviously are not beans, and also are safe to eat raw. The other beans mentioned however are toxic unless cooked, and so caution should be taken.hi, even ann wigmore suggested cooking or lightly steaming sprouted beans. she noted they do contain an unhealthy toxin. I am a longtime vegan/vegetarian and ate raw for many years. I think wigmores advice is sensible…..rachelUnder ‘100% Raw Living diet’ Ann Wigmore’s chart included sprouted beans, legumes, peas, lentils…under 80% raw she lists steaming or cooking tempeh, beans and other items. Actually, raw sprouted chickpeas, mung bean, and soy are tasty and quite popularRobert Roose, when I click on the url you supplied, I get “The requested page does not exist.” I did a search from that error page for the publication numer “7971780” and get the abstract page http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=7971780. I tried getting to the full article, but it is apparently not open access.Just remove the trailing “)” from the URL, and it works. It’s a comment formatting error. Unfortunately the study isn’t open access.	Adventist Health Studies,animal products,antinutrients,antioxidants,beans,cancer,chicken,chickpeas,colon cancer,colon health,DNA damage,Dr. Denis Burkitt,fiber,fish,grains,heme iron,iron,lentils,meat,nuts,oxidative stress,phytates,phytic acid,plant-based diets,poultry,processed foods,rectal cancer,red meat,split peas,standard American diet,turkey,Uganda,vegans,vegetarians,white meat	Phytic acid (phytate), concentrated in food such as beans, whole grains, and nuts, may help explain lower cancer rates among plant-based populations.	This video is the first in a three-part video series describing how phytates may play a role in both cancer prevention and treatment. Stay tuned for Phytates for Rehabilitating Cancer Cells and Phytates for the Treatment of Cancer.I previously touched on the surprising new science about phytates in my video Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis.More on colon cancer in Stool Size Matters.Here are a few of my latest videos on the latest wonders of the musical fruit:What about that music, though? See my blog Beans and Gas: Clearing the air.What about soybeans and cancer? See Breast Cancer Survival and Soy and BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy.Other ways to mediate the effects of meat intake can be found in my video Reducing Cancer Risk in Meateaters.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uganda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antinutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-denis-burkitt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/split-peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9244360,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22916808,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20152024,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139122,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15297368,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17044765,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22415590,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11198165,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6862688,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8223063,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2990653,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16080543,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16772456,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2731998,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6296797,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12028025,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9786231,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14608114,
PLAIN-2623	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/	Low Carb Diets and Coronary Blood Flow	People going on low carb diets may not see a rise in their cholesterol levels. How is that possible? Because weight loss by any means can drop your cholesterol. You could go on an all-Twinkie diet and lower your cholesterol if you were unable to eat the dozen daily Twinkies necessary to maintain your weight. That’s why a good cocaine habit could end up lowering your cholesterol. Chemotherapy, can drop your cholesterol like a rock. Tuberculosis can work wonders on your waistline. Anything that drops your weight can drop your cholesterol, but the goal isn’t to fit into a skinnier casket, the reason we care about cardiovascular risk factors like cholesterol is because we care about cardiovascular risk, the health of our arteries.Well now we have studies that have measured the impact of low carb diets on arteries directly, and a review of all the best studies to date found that low carb diets impair arterial function, as evidenced by a decrease in flow-mediated dilation, meaning low carb diets effectively stiffen people’s arteries, And since that meta-analysis was published a new study found the same thing. A dietary pattern characterized by high protein and fat, but low carbohydrate was associated with poorer peripheral small artery function, again measuring blood flow into people’s limbs. But peripheral circulation is not as important as the circulation in the coronary arteries that feed our heart.There has only been one study ever done measuring actual blood flow to the heart muscles of people eating low carb diets and this is it. Dr. Richard Fleming, an accomplished nuclear cardiologist, enrolled 26 people into a comprehensive study of the effects of diet on cardiac function using the latest in nuclear imaging technology--so-called SPECT scans, enabling him to actually directly measure the blood flow within the coronary arteries.He then put them all on a healthy vegetarian diet, and a year later the scans were repeated. By that time, however, 10 of the patients had jumped ship onto the low carb bandwagon. At first I bet he was pissed, but surely soon realized he had an unparalleled research opportunity dropped into his lap. Here he had extensive imaging of 10 people following a low carb diet and 16 following a high carb diet. What would their hearts look like at the end of the year? We can talk about risk factors all we want, but compared to the veg group, did the coronary heart disease of the patients following the Atkins-like diets improve, worsen, or stay the same?Those sticking to the vegetarian diet showed a reversal of their heart disease as expected. Their partially clogged arteries literally got cleaned out. They had 20% less atherosclerotic plaque in their arteries at the end of the year than at the beginning. What happened to those who abandoned the treatment diet, and switched over to the low carb diet? Their condition significantly worsened. 40 to 50% more artery clogging at the end of the year. Thanks to the kind generosity of Dr. Fleming we see the changes in blood flow for ourselves.Here are some representative heart scans. The yellow and particularly red represent blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle. This patient went on a plant-based diet and their arteries opened right up increasing the blood flow. This person, however, started out with good flow, but after a year on a low carb diet, they significantly clogged down their arterial blood flow.So this is the best science we have, demonstrating the threat of low carb diets, not just measuring risk factors, but actual blood flow in people’s hearts on different diets. Of course the reason we care about cardiac blood flow, is we don’t want to die, and a meta-analysis was recently published that finally went ahead and measured the ultimate end-point, death, and low-carb diets were associated with a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality, meaning living a significantly shorter lifespan.	Hmm..from the abstractof the first study (Bueno et.al.)The primary outcome was bodyweight. … Individuals assigned to a VLCKD showed decreased body weight (weighted mean difference 20·91 (95% CI 21·65, 20·17) kg, 1415 patients), TAG (weighted mean difference 20·18 (95% CI 20·27, 20·08) mmol/l, 1258 patients)and diastolic blood pressure (weighted mean difference 21·43 (95% CI 22·49, 20·37) mmHg, 1298 patients) while increased HDL-C(weighted mean difference 0·09 (95% CI 0·06, 0·12) mmol/l, 1257 patients) and LDL-C (weighted mean difference 0·12 (95% CI 0·04,0·2) mmol/l, 1255 patients). Individuals assigned to a VLCKD achieve a greater weight loss than those assigned to a LFD in the longterm; hence, a VLCKD may be an alternative tool against obesity.The Fleming study looks for me a little bit flawed as there were only 19 people under obeservation at first, later 26 (some of theme seemed to hop on and off hier diet), so a small, inconstistent group is a little bit difficullt to make some conclusions. For more critique about Fleming’s study see also:http://bit.ly/1hNi2wiThere are flaws in every study, and in the Fleming study, the opportunity to make a comparison between two truly contrasting groups was unforeseen. So you’re going to nitpick for that?If the SPECT FMD scans were not conclusive, their cautionary data should certainly not be discounted, either. How can your average low-carb dieter know whether or not he could be very much like one of those Atkins dieters in Fleming’s study until it’s possibly too late? When was the last time you asked your doctor for a SPECT/FMD scan?At the very least, this is an opportunity for a larger study to confirm or falsify Flemings ad hoc results. Where are the Atkins Foundation and the NuSI guys when you need them?I am wondering why Sweden would change their diet advise and tell people to eat low carb high fat diets. Are they wrong?The MSM/Atkins/Paleo/Low Carb reports on the Interwebs are wrong. As usual, the devil is in the details.Debunking News of Sweden’s “Low-Carb, High-Fat” Guidelines“Although the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment found benefits of eating healthy fats, they won’t be changing their guidelines.”http://experiencelife.com/newsflashes/debunking-news-of-swedens-low-carb-high-fat-guidelines/When we contacted Anna Karin Lindroos, PhD, a nutritionist at Sweden’s National Food Agency, to ask about the new guidelines, she set the record straight: “Sweden does not have any guidelines on low-carb-high-fat diets. The information that Sweden has guidelines on low-carb-high-fat diets is based on incorrect information circulating on the Internet.”As it turns out, reporters had mistaken a review published by the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment (SBU) in September for new national guidelines. Måns Rosén, PhD, executive director at SBU, was anxious to squelch the rumors. “First, I would like to stress that we do not do guidelines, only systematic reviews and health technology assessment reports,” he says. “Second, we have earlier focused on patients with diabetes and now obese persons, not the general population.”For the obese, the report found a benefit for a Mediterranean style diet with extra virgin olive oil and nuts. Low carb diets are mentioned as having a short term weight loss advantage over low fat diets. Full fat dairy may lead to weight loss in obese children and adults.I’m sure Dr. Greger will agree to disagree, that full-fat animal products have satiety value over junk carbs, but a high quality carb WFPB diet is better for long term health and weight loss.http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/sweden-becomes-first-western-nation-to-reject-low-fat-diet-dogma-in-favor-of-low-carb-high-fat-nutrition/Why are you posting a sensationalized, low carb propagandist article after I just posted an answer for you from a low carb website admitting that Sweden’s national guidelines have not been changed?Checked the link you provided. It appears that Sweden is not changing their guideline, but the article seems to advocate high fat, low carb. I would be more convinced if you had more than one study. Plus the study was done over ten years ago.Right. That was the point. It wasn’t a vegetarian-slanted site disputing the report but a HFLC site saying, We wish this were true, but it isn’t.I wasn’t paying attention to any studies. Just the erroneous headlines.‘There are flaws in every study, and in the Fleming study, the opportunity to make a comparison between two truly contrasting groups was unforeseen. So you’re going to nitpick for that?’There is no excuse for bad experimental design, and it’s ridiculous to paint all “science with it’s a flawed so you just have to suck it up”. Clearly some flaws are bigger than others. These are pretty big flaws in a small sample size.That part of the Fleming’s study was unplanned. It was not designed that way. Fleming just reported what actually happened. Better that than report skewed results caused by patient non-compliance as many studies do, just adding to nutritional confusion.Fact is, many people suffer deleterious cardiovascular effects from Atkins/low-carb meat-based diets despite some improvement in blood lipids due to weight loss.[Edit:…and despite improvements in fasting blood glucose/A1C numbers. The map is not the territory. Tricking bio markers does not necessarily stop the disease process.]Fine. Report the problems but disregard the results.And your citations for the deleterious effects are?Dr. Greger’s already provided those. Ignore them if you choose. You have free will.However, even low-carb dieter Evelyn Kocur aka CarbSane admits there are CVD issues with low-carb diets that cannot be just dismissed as inconsequential.http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/Oh sorry. My mistake. When you make statements like : “Fact is, many people suffer deleterious cardiovascular effects from Atkins/low-carb meat-based diets despite some improvement in blood lipids due to weight loss”, I stupidly assumed that you had some scientific data to back you up, not just a few anecdotes.The plural of anecdote is not “scientific data”.Others have already done a much better job than I ever could gathering such evidence. They’ve got a treasure trove of referenced citations if you’re interested in research instead of argument.http://www.atkinsexposed.org/http://www.plantpositive.comActually, I was interested in intelligent debate and trying to understand the scientific basis for your assertion that that “low-carb meat based diets are deleterious to cardio vascular health”.But instead of producing the actual studies, you’ve gone for the old “argument from authority” logical fallacy, and given me links to two website, neither of which are credible sources, and neither of which have references to studies that support your assertion.This doesn’t surprise me – I’ve extensively reviewed the literature on low-carbohydrate diets, and I’m not aware of any studies of long enough duration to pick up hard endpoint cardiovascular outcomes.You should really familiarise yourself with the scientific research before making unsupportable assertions.Utter, utter unscientific crap: “These ketone bodies are acidic, which is why when you read the research conducted by the low carb gurus they supplement with sodium and other minerals. Without this addition, the blood may become dangerously acidic.”Stephen, we’re all for intelligent debate here, but please let’s keep it friendly. Feel free to share whatever sources you’re using to critique arguments, but please let’s stick to critiquing arguments not individuals.Dr. Greger wrote Atkins Exposed, and you can see all of the book’s sources here: http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/58/References_1_-_1160.htm“These ketone bodies are acidic, which is why when you read the research conducted by the low carb gurus they supplement with sodium and other minerals. Without this addition, the blood may become dangerously acidic.”—> “changes in cerebral pH have not been observed in rats consuming a ketogenic diet, nor have changes been noted in blood pH in humans consuming the ketogenic diet” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5166216 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8598184–>”There were no differences in blood or brain potassium or calcium concentrations in rats consuming a ketogenic diet” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4525180–>”Serum levels of sodium, potassium, and calcium were similarly unaltered in humans consuming a ketogenic diet” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10047944I am not appealing to authority. I have referred you to resources where the scientific citations have already been collected. You can do your own homework from there.I have neither the time not the inclination for debate, intelligent or otherwise. Nor do I have a computer. Laboriously copying and pasting on a smartphone is more trouble than I care to impose upon myself.I wish you good health. Have a good day. :-)But none of those studies demonstrate that “many people suffer deleterious cardiovascular effects from Atkins/low-carb meat-based diets”Surely you must be able to find just one…Check these out, mate, for a start:– Ted D. Barnett, Neal D. Barnard, Tim L. Radak, Development of Symptomatic Cardiovascular Disease after Self-Reported Adherence to the Atkins Diet, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Volume 109, Issue 7, July 2009, Pages 1263-1265.– Benefit of Low-Fat Over Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Endothelial Health in Obesity. Shane A. Phillips, Jason W. Jurva, Amjad Q. Syed, Amina Q. Syed, Jacquelyn P. Kulinski, Joan Pleuss, Raymond G. Hoffmann, David D. Gutterman. Hypertension. 2008 February; 51(2): 376–382.– Walker C, Reamy BV: Diets for cardiovascular disease prevention: what is the evidence? Am Fam Physician 2009, 79: 571–588.– Ma Y, Pagoto SL, Griffith JA, Merriam PA, Ockene IS, Hafner AR, Olendzki BC: A dietary quality comparison of popular weight-loss plans. J Am Diet Assoc 2007, 107:1786-1791- 1. article was only about death of one guy, would hardly be statistially significant.– 2. Second article was strongly flawed to me because they effectively hide exact diets of 2 groups? If they supplied LC group with 20g/day of very unhealty carbs, it may very well affect their FMD in a bad way. Inversely, they stated that low fat groups fat intake would be 30% but what about the percentages of carbs and proteins? Why they omit the exacty details of diets? Are they afraid of some one would find flaws? And they did this experiment on only 20 people, I wonder if they calculated their error approximation with this low number of people.I could not acces 3rd article to read, and skipping 4,the 5th: “Low-carbohydrate–high-protein diet and long-term survival in a general population cohort.”Really? What is proven to be safe and effective is low carb- moderate protein and high fat diets. And researching LC-HP diet hardly contributes to the case.It is well know that researchs promoting low fat – high carb, and demonizing high fat low carb diets tends to be flawed because of the overwhelming bias of the science community of medicince, towards the benefit of LF diets.Well said Stephen!I just wanted to say thank you for making the effort you did. I support your intentions.Dr. Atkins first published his book in 1972, seven years after he introduced his diet to America on late night TV. At its height, his clinic purportedly treated over 50,000 patients. The Atkins corporation, which generates millions of dollars in revenue was formed in 1998. Dr. Loren Cordain first started publishing on the Paleo diet in early 2000. So I ask you why you think there is no long term data published as yet on any cardiovascular outcomes? Even a small sample study in existing heart patients ( like the one published by Dr. Ornish PMID: 20714228) would be hypothesis generating.Because there have been no studies done. Low-carb has never been fashionable enough to influence a large enough cohort to make such studies feasible.Exactly what hypothesis are you forming from the Ornish study you cite? Changing three variables at once “low-fat diet, exercise, stress management” is just bad science, especially in an n=27 study. I’d expect similar results on a low-carb diet, with intensive exercise and stress management.Your “expectations” are duly noted, as surely they qualify as “good science” compared to peer reviewed data. It should make you wonder that with over 50 years of low carb teaching, thousands of patients treated, there isn’t a single published trial on long term positive cardiac events/outcomes, not even a small one? Especially considering that a positive trial like that would generate millions of dollars in additional revenue for the Atkins Corporation?Peer reviewed data on what? The Ornish study involved multiple interventions. You cannot distinguish whether the outcomes observed were as a result of the diet, the exercise, or the stress management.But of course there are multiple studies that demonstrate that Low-Carb diets reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, I can list them if you like.I think you are missing the forest for the trees. In the beginning, coronary artery blockage was felt to be irreversible. Dr. Ornish thought the cause of artery blockage was multifactorial (diet, sedentary lifestyle, stress), so he sought to see what would happen if he attacked the problem globally. His program worked. It reduced cardiac events (heart attacks, need for stenting, bypass surgery etc) and also showed reversal of artery blockage. So, he’s kept his program going as it was designed initially. Since then, Dr. Esselstyn has looked at diet alone (some patients also had statins), and demonstrated also near elimination of all cardiac events as well as reversal of artery blockage (PMID: 25198208).You can reduce risk factors for cardiac disease with weight loss (which low carb diets are good at in the short term) or medications like statins etc. This does not mean that you are opening up blocked arteries, restoring blood flow to damaged heart muscle, or reducing cardiac events to the levels demonstrated by Dr. Ornish or Esselstyn.My initial point was that despite 50 years of clinical experience in the low carb world, with thousands of patients treated, not a single study has been publishing with a long term endpoint of cardiac events or coronary artery disease. Why? Was it because these studies were never done, or done but never published (who would publish data that would negate their business model)?I don’t buy the “never been fashionable enough to influence a large enough cohort” line. Even a simple trial of 20-30 patients matched to historical controls would be interesting ( I included Dr. Ornish’s link initially to demonstrate the use of matched controls)Something for anyone to think about if pursuing a low carb diet for the long term.You must use unbiased sources if you are truly trying to convince people. “atkinsexposed” and “plantpositive” are obviously not going to be unbiased!I was not directing to Atkins Exposed or to Plant Positive per se but to the primary sources they listed.Of course they are going to nitpick for that. You do realize the very foundation of our food pyramid and so called “healthy choices” were founded on cherry picked data with inconclusive research.As I’ve told others, Scientists have been trying to prove with various studies for the past 60 years that a plant based, low fat, moderate to high carb (or a variation of all of those), is the healthiest diet. There have been thousands of studies and not one of them has ever been conclusive to what the scientists were trying to prove. In fact, none of the studies were ever published and their exact words were as to why was “because the results are not what we hoped for”.So in other words a plant based, low fat, moderate to high carb diet was never proven to be healthy in a nut shell. To further throw fuel to the fire, there were studies were they did incorporate more fatty foods coming from animal meats that completely blew the lid off their study. Of course, this never got published either.So when asked “are you going to nitpick for that” your damn right, everybody should.Sorry you’ve been sold a bill of goods by Taubes and Teicholz.Diet and drugs are not the same animal. Drugs are tested for one variable at a time, the drug. Food is a much more complicated multi-variate variable. There will never be a single RCT that’s large enough, long enough and controlled enough to “prove” any diet is healthiest for most people. You just can’t lock ppl up for 60-70 years just to feed them and see what happens.Consensus and national dietary guidelines are drawn upon the totality of evidence of all types of studies. Not cherry-picked studies, as you’ve been taught to believe.Besides that, the American public was hijacked by marketing and other psycho-social and physical forces, so the guidelines were NEVER followed as written. The public was never instructed to add 300-600 kcal/day of mostly refined carbs to their already meat/dairy-heavy diets.I’d include graphics to demonstrate, but that’s been disabled here.Meanwhile, I will eat what the longest lived ppl in the Blue Zones eat. Real food. Not too much. Mostly plants.PS. I will give you one point: I don’t think the food pyramid as a graphic image was the best means of communicating the concept of a diet. I think MyPlate is much simpler direct “hook” and gets the point across much more effectively.Low carb helped me lose weight but my lipids went to sky-high, very dangerous levels — to the point that they were as higher, or higher, than those seen in familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic condition which I do not have. Veganism has helped me keep the weight off and lowered my lipids; now my BP is resting around 90/50 in the doctor’s office. You wear the fat you eat.I have not been able to get rid of nuts on my diet, but perhaps I don’t have to.My diet has gone from being very low carb to moderately carb without any weight gain – actually, further weight and BP reduction.“helped me lose weight but my lipids went to sky-high, very dangerous levels — to the point that they were as high, or higher, than those seen in familial …” Same here; weird chest pains & chronic tendonitis as well.no thanks. Vegan works just fine for meWhy would you want to get rid of the nuts? I eat raw, natural almonds, Brazil nuts, and walnuts, as well as sunflower and pumpkin seeds (and ground flax seeds and dry-roasted peanuts—which are legumes, of course). I’ve started eating unsweetened shredded coconut—not sure if the jury is still out on this comestible (?). These all help me keep a steady weight. I find it hard to get sufficient calories without the above foods in the mix, and I think some good plant fat can be a healthful thing.If getting enough calories is the goal, eat more food. Nothing wrong with nuts and seeds of course…great food, but eating more high carb foods like fruit and starches will up your calorie intake while still maintaining your weight. Just don’t add fat (ie go McDougall style) Btw nuts are required by law to be steamed are therefore not raw (even if it says raw on the packet)Thanks for that Lucille. There is some disagreement amongst the plant docs regarding nuts and seeds. Dr. Greger seems to give them tacit approval (through his videos), as does Dr. Fuhrman. On the other hand, you have Drs. McDougall and Esselstyn toeing more or less the no-nuts line. Hard to know who to believe. Personally, I feel the addition of nuts helps to moderate the glycemic load of a meal.Mike: For what it’s worth: I recently re-listened to a talk that Esselstyn gave in 2012. He said something along the lines of (not a direct quote), “If I told people that it was OK to eat a *small* amount of nuts, that’s not what they would hear. They would hear, ‘Esselstyn says nuts are OK!’ If you are a healthy person who eats a healthy whole plant food diet, a small amount of nuts, especially walnuts, is fine. But for people with serious heart disease, I would suggest staying away from all nuts. I do encourage people to eat ground flaxseed and chia seeds.” My point being that Dr. Esselstyn’s take on nuts is more complicated/nuanced that is usually attributed to him. Heck, Esselstyn even included a walnut-based salad dressing in his Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease book – just cautioning heart patients to skip it.————————–Also, to address your original question of, “Why would you want to give up the nuts?” I recently re-watched the DVD from Jeff Novick titled, “From Oil To Nuts”. He lays a convincing argument about the importance of having the correct ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats in your diet. Unfortunately, most nuts (baring one type of walnuts) have an insane ratio of omega 6 to omega 3. In general, you want to keep the ratio at 4:1 or less. In other words, for every 1 part of omega 3, take in 4 parts or less of omega 6. Here is how some nuts and seeds break down: black walnuts – 16:1 english walnuts – 4:1 (best bet!) cashews – 117:1 almonds – 1800:1 pumpkin seed – 117:1sunflower seed – 300:1 flaxseed – 3.9:1chia seed – 3:1Another problem with nuts for many people (but not everyone) is that nuts are so calorie dense.Even with all of that information, Jeff Novick asks something like, “Are nuts good for you? Yes!!!!” But says we need to eat nuts in a way that is closer to how our ancestors might have – very few because it is hard to get all that many when you have to crack every shell and the food is only available/ripe a short time of the year. So, at the end of the DVD, Jeff Novick recommends that people take in 1-2 ounces of nuts (or less) a day.Please Note: I’m ***not*** at all pushing you or anyone else to give up nuts. For all I know, it is the perfect food for your situation. I’m just sharing one reason why some people (myself included) want to be eating less nuts if we can get there.Thanks Thea. Your kind advice is well-taken. I should watch my omega ratios and intake amount a bit more closely. I do find a few nuts with a meal give it a satisfying satiety, and so I have no desire to nibble between meals.Being full/satiated is definitely important! I don’t discount that.I don’t worry about the Omega ratios. I really don’t think their alleged inflammatory properties have been confirmed, especially in whole foods, and it’s an issue paleo’s obsess over. If you can, eat a variety of nuts, for they each have their individual benefits, an ounce or two a day, but split them up and eat them with meals.I do believe part of the trouble Esselstyn may have had with patient self-control had to do with the added oils and salt in roasted commercial nuts like Planters causing addictive snacking, and the refined oils did no favors to damaged hearts and arteries.The main problem with the omega-3:omega-6 story is that we don’t know if 1) it’s the overall ratio that’s really important or 2) the absolute amount of omega-6 is the real problem (no one seems to think that omega-3 is an issue, at least in excess).If it’s just a ratio issue, consuming more plant-derived omega-3’s and perhaps supplementing with concentrated omega-3 should counterbalance any problem from overconsuming omega-6 in the form of nuts/seeds. On the other hand, if the problem is eating too many omega-6’s from any source, then it doesn’t matter how much omega-3 is being consumed – it will not fix the problem.Interestingly, the recent meta-analysis in Annals that got so much attention this week seems to suggest that higher blood levels of arachidonic acid, DHA, DPA and EPA are protective against cardiovascular events (though, of course, there could be confounding, as the same review pointed out that recent randomized trials have been negative, at least for DHA/EPA administration). Arachidonic acid is a direct downstream mediator formed from omega-6 intake in the diet. This would tend to argue that omega-6 per se is not the problem, but rather achieving an optimal balance of O3:O6 is most important. Therefore, consuming flaxseed, hempseed, walnuts, canola oil and omega-3 supplementation could be beneficial. Linoleic acid, either in the diet or in the blood marker studies, did not appear to be implicated in harm, and this is the major omega-6 fatty acid. Thus overconsumption of nuts, seeds and vegetable oils does not look as problematic as we once thought, in terms of “too much” omega-6 intake. At least according to this new meta-analysis.I wouldn’t lump whole foods like nuts and seeds in with refined foods such as oils, especially canola oilDGH: Thanks for adding to the conversation.Thea, 10 months late, but you may want to correct the flax and probably the chia figures. For flax, USDA figures are more like .26, your calc inverted that to 1.39– and when you/anyone does that, please also delete my reply.peseta: I’m sorry, I’m not following your comment. I believe you are responding to an old post where I re-printed parts of a table that I saw on a video/talk. And that table showed the relationship of omega 6 to omega 3 fats. In the example of flax seeds, the post/table is saying that there are 3.9 omega 6’s to each 1 omega 3. I got this information from a talk from Jeff Novick, who I think is very careful with his numbers. Or maybe I am not understanding the table myself.Do you still think something is wrong?Yes, the original was wrong for flax and likely for chia; the ratio should have been 0.26, and the inverse of that is 3.9, the given amount (sorry for the typo in my 1st post, which no doubt was confusing). N3 polyunsaturates far outnumber n6 in the USDA listing for flax. Since chia n3 figures are similar, it too is off in the videotalk original. It happens to the best of us. If you correct Jeff Novick’s data in your post, just drop my replies too, since they won’t be relevant.McDougal is not no nuts – he is be careful with them if you want to lose weight.Fats DO slow down metabolism which helps moderate blood sugar. I LOVE my raw almonds. I need the vit. e from SOME source !I decided to go the Ornish/Esselstyn route re fat as a % of daily calories, and the CRONOMETER doesn’t lie. Have you used that online tool? I can see exactly how many grams of fat I’m eating. I use it maybe twice a month but after eating this way for a long time I pretty much know my fat intake. So on 2000 calories I stick to about 22 grams of fat to come up with 10%, and I play around with the seeds and nuts depending on what I feel like eating. I always include 2T ground flaxseed for the Omega 3s. I’ll admit it took discipline and willpower at first to weigh a few nuts rather than grabbing a handful, but I looked on the exercise as a learning experience and I’m very aware now of just how much fat is in my food. It was a pain at first, but in the back of my mind I knew it was a worse pain to have surgery for blocked coronary arteries.Thanks for sharing – I didn’t know about CRONOMETER. Looks helpful.Fat doesn’t cause blocked coronary arteries, nor does Cholesterol, This has been one of the biggest blunders in medical history, we now know that inflammation is the leading cause of heart disease, as the cells in the arteries rebuild themselves. High levels of Inflammation caused by high Omega 6 corn CFO raised Meat (Grass Fed Meat on the other hand is Heart Healthy with loads of antioxidants, zinc, iron, B-12, Omega 3, CLAs , Vitamin A ), large amounts of sugar, and Refined Carbs (we are in a constant state of rebuilding our bodies as we age)Weather you do High Carb or High Fat (which I do) you want the bulk of your Food to be Veggies (Plants) of course , but for me I do much better on 70% Healthy fat, 20% protein (from Healthy Grass Fed Beef, Wild Salmon, Pasture raised eggs) and 10% from Carbs (no starch carbs , expect for small amounts of white rice and black beans) . The bulk of my food is Veggies like Spinach, Broccoli , Green peppers, Red Peppers, Onions, Lettuce, Tomatoes , carrots , etc, with small amounts of Grass Fed Beef, and large amounts of Grass Fed Butter and MCT (coconut Oils ) and of course Avocados.I have AMAZING blood lipid numbers, very very low levels of inflammation , I look and feel great, just remember that your brain is made of FAT, and you NEED Fat to survive, no need to demonize fat :)Forgot to add after the first paragraph, that high levels of inflammation causes LDL particles to oxidize as they pass though the cell walls as our cells copy and rebuilt, this causes the arteries walls to become hard and the body creates more inflammation to try to repair this “hard” arteries which is a cycle of repeated inflammation, along with a diet high in crappy sugar carbs, processed vegetable oils (Trans fats) and CFO rasied meat (which is corn fed and toxic), (Natural Grass Fed beef is not toxic and is heart healthy this goes for Grass Fed butter vs corn fed butter)The only required dietary sources of fat for the human population come in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA—the parent omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (LA—the parent omega-6 fatty acid). These are collectively known as essential fatty acids. The human body cannot produce these essential fatty acids, and, therefore, they must be consumed in the foods we eat.All other fatty acids are able to be assembled in the body from LA and ALA through a series of chemical reactions. This includes saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, omega 9s, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), DGLA and arachidonic acid (AA).We need to consume more omega-3’s and less omega-6’s in our diet. Why? Because omega-3 fatty acids have an anti-inflammatory effect on our body, while omega-6 fatty acids have a pro-inflammatory effect on our body. Over the past 100-150 years there has been an enormous increase in omega-6 fatty acid consumption in Western diets leading to the surge in chronic diseases seen in today’s world. Ideally, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in the diet would be 2:1 or 1:1. Western diets—based heavily on animal-based and processed foods (including vegetable oils)—have a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids of 20-30:1. Clearly this is too much. The elimination—or at least a sizable reduction—in the consumption of rich Western foods would go a long ways in improving the health of the United States and other countries like us.According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), only 2-3% of total calories need to come from LA and 1% of total calories from ALA to achieve adequate intake levels. This is a far cry from the 33% of total calories from fat we are currently consuming in the United States. Several physicians and clinicians have successfully reduced and/or eliminated a number of chronic diseases (heart disease, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, cancer, etc.) in their patients by helping them adopt a whole- foods, plant-based very low fat diet. This diet allows for the consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains in any amounts desired, all while keeping the total fat content to approximately 7-10% of total calories. By including a generous portion of dark leafy greens and/or a small amount (1 oz per day) of walnuts/seeds (flaxseeds, chia seeds, or hemp seeds) plenty of essential fatty acids are obtainable to meet the body’s needs.Inflammation of the arterial endothelium is indeed the culprit. Quoting from Dr. Esselstyn: “What we are trying to do is get our cardiovascular patients to eliminate completely the foods that will further injure the lining of their blood vessels. The reason that they have heart disease in the first place is that their blood vessel lining has been so injured and so decimated that they now have the manifestation of heart disease. Now what is going to stop the injury to those endothelial cells? Well, we avoid the foods that have been shown scientifically to injure them; namely oils — olive oil, corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, palm oil, canola oil; anything with a mother, anything with a face — meat, fish, chicken, turkey; and dairy milk, cream, butter, ice cream, cheese and yogurt. And now in addition, we know that fructose, that is to say, orange juice, apple juice, agave nectar, table sugar, maple syrup, molasses and honey. Now this isn’t to say that you can’t have some pancakes with maple syrup once or twice a month. But know every time that you are having them that you are injuring endothelial cells. In addition, caffeine with coffee, nuts, avocado. That’s pretty rigid for the patients now who have heart disease. But what has happened is that since this is not cancer, when the endothelial cells are given a reprieve, when they are no longer beaten down, they recover. As they recover, so does their ability to produce this magic molecule called nitric oxide production. Not only do you halt the disease, but we have shown clearly that you can begin to reverse it.”Compare the Lyon Heart Study results (Mediterranean diet) to Dr. Esselstyn’s. 4 years after the studies, how many patients had suffered a coronary event? Lyon: 25%. Dr. Esselstyn: 0.5% Check out the studies done by Vogel (BRAT) where olive oil caused a 31% constriction in the brachial artery. The science is there for the low fat regimen.fyi: to find truly raw nuts, shop farmers markets; since they are not being sold through retail stores, they are not obligated to pasteurize, so most aren’t.Coconut is excellent for many reasons. Esp. for the thyroid.“Why would you want to get rid of the nuts?”1) Because I feel guilty eating them.2) Because they are very high in fat, in particular omega-6 fatty acids, which downstream leads to linoleic acid.3) Because they are addictive and very easy to snack on. Other than carrots (!), I have not yet found another food that is so filling and easy to snack on, and I would prefer not to snack between meals.4) The fat you eat is the fat you wear. If you eat a lot of easily oxidizable fats like polyunsaturates, you end up with lipid peroxides in your cell membranes.On the other hand, there is a lot of data to suggest that nuts are health-promoting, at least in moderation. The cardiovascular benefits appear to be compelling. But… I would urge moderation. If I was imaginative enough, I am sure I could completely replace nuts in my diet with something else, and I’m quite certain I wouldn’t miss them. At this point I eat almonds, walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts (in moderation), pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts/filberts.Nuts have the healthy fats your body needs and wants. I have almonds daily.I do not believe there is such a thing as ‘healthy fats’. It is a myth. The supposed longest living culture (Okinawans) were reported to have a diet of 6% fat, 9% protein, and 85% carbohydrates.Regarding fats, I personally do not seek them out and do not recommend any to do so.While picking this or that fat as ‘healthy’ may be somewhat mythic, it remains a fact that linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids are both essential in human nutrition. Some are suggesting that EPA and DHA are essential, but both greater synthesis by vegans and surprising effects of turmeric seem to mute that assertion. Saturated fats, well beyond what we make, have appeared harful for a long time now. So a list of fatty foods to be eaten with carotenoids could be ranked by reasonable amounts of the two and less of #3, perhaps with a cautionary note about oleic and other monounsaturates when they overload our antioxidant protection. Total amounts could be adjusted for a range of needs or desirability of the two– say, 5-10 grams a day.Why snack? Eat your nuts with meals. You’ll be less likely to over-consume them, if that’s a problem, and their healthy unsaturated fats will aid absorption of some vitamins.Skipped the addictive oiled, salted and/or sugared nuts.The perceived dangers of oxidized PUFAs are over exaggerated by WAPF and paleos:PUFAs Oxidize!http://www.plantpositive.com/41-pufas-oxidize/There *is* some evidence that PUFAs, especially omega-6 rich vegetable oils, are quite unhealthy. For example, the Sydney Diet Heart Trial, which replaced saturated fat with a supplemental margarine containing safflower oil, showed increases in dying from heart disease in a randomized trial population. A similar trial in the 1960’s in Los Angeles veterans showed a doubling of cancer-related deaths using corn oil to replace saturated fat. If anything, since SFA appears to be negative, the results of both trials should have shown that death rates went down, however the exact opposite was found. Not because SFA is protective (it’s not), but because omega-6 cooking oils oxidize, and this is why the Sydney Trial showed the effects were MOST prominent in smokers and alcohol abusers. It’ll take me some time to dig out the references for you.PUFAs in whole plant foods, nuts and seeds and leafy greens are far from detrimental.Dr Greger does not advocate bottled oils of any kind.I tend to agree with you – moderation though is the golden principle. It’s really easy to overdo consumption of anything, even whole nuts and seeds, even with meals. I eat about 2 ramikin-sized quotients of mixed nuts per day, not more. I eat a tahini salad dressing which is crushed sesame seed paste – about 1-2 tbsp, not more. I don’t use any vegetable oil other than that. I crush my nuts/seeds into a morning smoothie. I’ve found I can replace some nuts/seeds with carrots after meals if I am still hungry.[Sorry to be reading this discussion late] Ramekins can vary from 50 to 250 milliliters; I assume you mean ½ cup / 250ml, the size I first found on (excuse me) Amazon, which would total a cup of nuts a day!I mostly follow the Dr. Sears’ Zone Diet – the Soy Zone mostly, I guess. I eat almost no meat – ONLY seafood, zero-fat dairy (mostly Greek yogurt) and sometimes protein bars and tofu. My triglycerides are 58, my total cholesterol is 127, my b.p. avg is 105/66. Saturated fat and maybe cholesterol seem to be the cause of problems- esp. when on the low carb diet. The Zone is a fairly low carb diet, but not as low as Atkins, I think.Very interesting, thanks for sharing that. I stopped tracking my lipids when I went fully vegan (they were quite low on lacto/pesco-vegetarian diet before that). I think another source of problems on a low carb diet is excess protein, and specifically animal protein, which seems to cause IGF-1 spiking and diabetes.Very true, Low carb diets are NOT high protein diets, remember Low carb and High Fat, or High Carb and Low fat, but protein should be around 20% and up to 30% (if you are doing heavy resistance training), regardless if you do High Fat or High CarbZach: You wrote: “Low carb diets are NOT high protein diets” and “protein should be around 20%”How did you arrive at 20%? What are you thinking the goal is with 20%? I ask because 20% is at least twice as high as protein amounts should be if you want the lowest cancer risk. Further details may be important in terms of which type of protein, but Campbell showed in numerous studies that when protein goes above the critical 10% mark, cancer starts to grow. Also note that the traditional Okinawans, some of longest lived and healthiest people on the planet, took in 9% protein as a percentage of calories – and the vast majority of that was plant-based protein.*If* disease prevention is someone’s goal, and low carb diets allow 20% protein, then low carb diets are indeed high protein diets. Determining “high” or “low” is something that needs to be defined in terms of health or some other goal and then the specific number ranges backed up with research.I follow this debate with curiosity and also wonder the distinction between saturated animal fat and lipids from oily fish and whole plant sources. Many low-carbers/paleo types expressly favour sat fat consumption, but it is equally possible to eat low carb with lower levels of sat fat and I would be interested to see this investigated.Hi Jennifer, I’m not sure if you’ve seen this video or if it would answer your question exactly, but you might find it interesting. cheers.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/Hypotension – Both high and low blood pressure may play a role in brain atrophy, at least in populations studied so far, particularly with a diastolic below 70.Well DGH, instead of “low carb” helping you lose weight, what exactly did you eat. Because if you start saying “fruit & starchy vegetables”, then you have your answer as to why your lipids went sky high.Low carb animal fat diets, or low carb *plant-based* diets? I’m vegan, and my doctor has me going gluten free (thereby accidentally cutting out lots of carbs) and eating lots of fat (2 T coconut oil, an avocado, and 3 T of a ground seed mixture every day). The weight is dropping off (NOT the reason for the diet, but an interesting consequence), but I can’t help but wondering if it’s healthy…. Which side of this spectrum will this fall on? The low-carb side, or the plant-based side…?Why the coconut oil and not whole food shredded coconut?All whole plants are carbs by definition. Though some have a lower starch content than others and fall lower on the glycemic index.As long as the diet is plant based, you are likely to be ok. Check out Dr. Greger’s video on Plant based Adkins. Harvard did a large study on Low-Carb vs Plant Based Low Carb (Eco-Adkins) and found that while the Low Carb dieters had higher overall mortality rates than the general population, the Plant Based Low Carb group did very well.Many people do lose weight when they go gluten free, but it is most likely because they are avoiding refined flour. Most of the wheat products available are highly processed. Even the products marketed as “whole wheat” are what Dr. Fuhrman refers to as “white bread with a fake tan”. If you do not have celiac or a sensitivity to gluten, whole wheat berries would probably be ok.“Plant based Low carb” not sure but you do realize that the Atkins diet, (not the EcoAdkins) but the regular Atkins diet, advocates to eating more servings of Veggies than the USDA recommendation, and the amount of Veggies it advocates is normally as high as Vegan eaters, most think that Atkins is high protein or very high meat diet, its not , its high Fat , low carb , with bulk of food coming from plants ironically.Both its low carb and Plant-based, my diet has 70% of calories coming from FAT, but I still eat a Plant-Based Diet, was the bulk of my food comes from Veggies, its just that veggies have no calories (energy) but very high nutrients, so Fat happens to make up most of the calories.Yes Weight loss is normal , and effortless (which is why people do it, it works) and yes its very healthy if you make sure your eating the right kinds of Fats, (which you are Coconut oil, avocado, flax seeds etc,) if you can try to add some Grass Fed Meat, or Wild Salmon, if your vegan try to up avocados and eat lots of olives, nuts , seeds, high fatty things that like. If you eat the wrong kind of Fats (, sunflower oil, margarine, canola oil , trans fats, Grain-fed meat, factory meat, processed carbs with trans fats etc) These type of fats Oxidize rapidly in the body, while the others have anti-inflammatory effects on the bodyPLEASE CLARIFY – If one is to incorporate carbs into a vegetarian diet – or ANY diet – I assume we’re not talking about carbs from refined grains (i.e. white bread, pasta, white rice, ext). So, Dr. G, could you please be specific about the types of Carbs we should throw into the mix?Dr. Greger advocates a whole foods, plant-based diet. Junk carbs are never a part of his recommendations, including white bread, white pasta, or white rice.I don’t know that I would call white rice “junk” considering it has fed and continues to feed world populations for thousands of years. That aside, if you are an athlete you are not going to fuel your activity on spinach no matter how hard you try.Yes, there’s always been debate about white rice. It’s a significant element of several diets throughout the world regarded as healthier than ours. Perhaps it’s metabolized more slowly in those diets because it’s consumed with healthy fats and/or protein??Recall that Arnold Schwarzenegger won Mr. Universe as a vegan (i.e., eating spinach). However, I agree with you on the rice. I recently came across some nutrition information to the effect that the bran on rice prevents the absorption of nutrients to the point that more are available with white rice. How about them apples?Arnold was not – AFAIK- a vegan. Bill Pearl was a Lacto/Ovo winner of the Universe.Bryan, thank you for correcting my misconception. Don’t know where I got that info but obviously wrong.Dave’s comment below about the fortification of white rice explains the absorption. Meanwhile, today’s new video explains that phytates appear to be healthful.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/Arnold was never a vegan (I have read his autobiography) No vegan has ever won any major bodybuilding competition and spinach alone while part of a healthy diet could never support the energy requirements required to be an elite athlete.Yes thank you, as I acknowledged above, Arnold was not vegetarian. I don’t follow bodybuilding as a sport. I was never serious about the spinach alone for anyone, was just using it as a stand in for vegetables.rsbmg: You may be interested in the information below. Vegan bodybuilders have not only won metals, but set world records. Also, you may be interested to know that a couple vegan athletes won some metals at the recent Olympics. These stories are just the tip of the iceberg.————————- (from meatout mondays) Vegan Bodybuilders Dominate Texas CompetitionThe Plant Built (PlantBuilt.com) team rolled into this year’s drug-free, steroid-free Naturally Fit Super Show competition in Austin, TX, and walked away with more trophies than even they could carry.The Plant Built team of 15 vegan bodybuilders competed in seven divisions, taking first place in all but two. They also took several 2nd and 3rd place wins.For More Info: http://www.plantbuilt.com/——————— When Robert Cheeke started VeganBodybuilding.com in 2002, being the only vegan athlete he knew of, he may not have imagined that the website would quickly grow to have thousands of members. Robert says, “We’re discovering new vegan athletes all the time, from professional and elite levels… to weekend warriors and everyone in between.”For More Info: http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/ —————– There was that other guy who just did a world record in weight lifting. “Congratulations to Strongman Patrik Baboumian who yesterday took a ten metre walk carrying more than half a tonne on his shoulders, more than anyone has ever done before. After smashing the world record the Strongman let out a roar of ‘Vegan Power’…” For more info: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/vegan-strongman-patrik-babaoumain-breaks-world-record/—————– Here’s another site that I like: http://www.greatveganathletes.com/I found this story on the above site: “Pat Reeves has set a new world powerlifting record at the WDFPA World Single Lift Championships. The 66 year old lifter, who has been vegan for 46 years, lifted 94 kg to set a record for the under 50.5kg weight class while competing in France in June 2012. The lift was more than 1.85 times her bodyweight, which is exceptional for her division. Pat is now officially the oldest competing weightlifter in Europe.”White rice is a product of the industrial revolution, which introduced large scale milling and polishing to lengthen the storage life of rice . This resulted in an epidemic of beriberi (thiamine deficiency) in populations that relied on rice as a main calorie source. White rice is now fortified (like most refined grains) to reintroduce some vitamins and minerals that are removed in the milling process. There are no populations that have relied on white rice for thousands of years.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice There are many “strains” of rice which have been eaten for thousands of years. I never meant to imply that Asians 13,000 years ago microwaved a packet of Uncle BensWhen you said “white rice” I assumed you meant white rice http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_rice. This implies milling and polishing of the grain which removes the bran and cereal germ, please read the “preparation as food” section of your own reference for a more detailed explanation (there is also a nice graphic that illustrates this process). “White rice” does not denote any particular cultivar. All rice consumed before the introduction of milling and polishing was brown or whole grain rice http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_rice. White and brown rice of any cultivar differ significantly in their fibre, vitamin and mineral content.Latest research I have read indicates white rice is healthier for us than brown anyway. Rice is good no matter how you slice it. Pick your flavor and have at it.Interesting, can you cite that research here please?Just a thought: The Japanese do pretty well with enriched white rice, but the traditional Okinawans (centenarians) amongst them have done much better with more nutritious sweet potatoes. As the younger generation abandons the traditional foods, including swapping out the sweet potatoes with white rice, their healthy life expectancy is dropping.How do you view starchy whole foods such as potatoes, yams, and bananas? Just curious….I know potatoes, in particular, are controversial in that they are a white starch – though packed with nutrients. Thanks for your thoughts.Ripe bananas(spotted ones with no green) barely have any starch left~A frozen ripe banana is delicious chopped-up on my cooked whole-grain breakfasts in the morning — either millet, buckwheat groats, barley, steel-cut oats, (organic) brown rice, etc — or a combination.I always eat a few chunks before adding them to the grains — they’re my “ice cream” kick for the day. ;-) I know we’re supposed to eat fruit separately and all that, but ….I doubt it hurt much if they are not mixed in big amount…My starch choices depend largely on food sensitivities and reactivity with meds. Relegated to rolled oats, wild rice, and sweet yellow corn for now.And whole grains are harder on the GI tract and usually more toxic than white ones~then sprout them if you think that’s a problem…just saying!See Dr. Greger’s series of videos on phytates. Those “toxins” are pretty beneficial.I’m talking of arsenic, pesticides and similar concentrated in the bran there are a lot of studies on it~There are toxins in EVERYTHING we eat, both naturally and because of our contaminated environment.Every item of food is a compromise, every diet a compromise, and neither is perfect. It’s always a cost-benefit trade-off. Compared to animal foods where poisons from the grains and/or grass in the natural environment they eat are concentrated in the flesh and fat, grains are comparatively less hazardous.I agree but there are major toxins like arsenic mercury, others heavy metals and others one that are much less toxic or easier to excrete. Any grains is better than most meat yes but white one seems to be less toxic and easier to digest than whole one with the bran, just what i said~Tu parles le français, par hasard?Oui~Dr. Gregor, I appreciate the information in you video clips. Is the audio from these available to be aired on a radio station?Thanks,LukeHi Luke, you are free to use the audio on the radio. Do you need something specific? What radio station?Jacquie, Thanks. Is there any way to get .wav or .mp3 files of the audio? I’m not sure how to extract the audio from the video clips online. You could probably get these on a lot of stations if you made the audio available on an ftp site. Our station is WSJL, 88.1 FM. It reaches part of Birmingham, AL.Thanks,LukeHi Luke, Thanks for sharing your station – if you have time keep me posted on when you play the video(s) for fun!You can convert the youtube videos to a mp3 file and download. Go youtube > nutritionfacts.org > select the youtube video you want > select the video’s url > open site: http://www.youtube-mp3.org > paste in the url. > convert > download. This should work.Or: http://www.convertmemp3.com/ there are more as well out there.Let me know how it goes!Jacquie, We will probably use the audio clips as fillers, so I can’t predict when they will play.I see that you have all the videos DVDs. That would be easier for us to rip. Could we get a set of those? We could send the ripped mp3s back to you to use with other radio stations.Thanks,LukeHi Luke, let me check on that for you.Hi Luke, I wonder if it might be easier to rip from the podcast? http://nutritionfacts.org/podcastJust an idea! :) what a great project!Hey Luke the websites Jacquie mentioned are good but unfortunately they have 20 min limit so for big videos those online converters would not be helpful try this website it has no limit. Youtube to mp3Jacquie, Katie S. has taken care of my request.Thanks,LukeI love this site – but have to call out that the imagery used from 0:27 to 0:47 might be a little heavy handed. I found myself having to look away from the Tuberculosis patient who was in serious distress, under what looked like shocking conditions. I don’t live in a bubble, but as a non-medical person I am not desensitized to seeing suffering, as it was not needed to illustrate your point, I felt it was disrespectful to the patient pictured.Oh brothercathy: Your post is so well-worded and respectful, and I’m glad you feel comfortable posting your opinion here. While it is hard to please everyone, I’m sure Dr. Greger is happy to get people’s opinions and integrates them as best he can going forward for future videos.Hi Cathy – Agreed – the TB patient was a bit over the top….I was taken aback too. I think when this approach is taken, rather than hammering the message home, the opposite occurs – the message is diluted by the overt use of “shock” images. The studies cited and Dr. G’s words should be enough to persuade – without resorting to visual histrionics.Hate to say it, but it clearly got your attention and made a point didn’t it?For me, no it did not help make the point, perhaps it is effective for others. I am on the site for information, not to be converted, or shocked into a lifestyle change. I think I have been so used to the humorous tone of some of past videos that I was surprised by the serious visuals juxtaposed with Dr. G’s voice over. This is a minor comment – the Dr’s videos are so beneficial to many.With a more respectful and sober voiceover, I wouldn’t have had any issue with the unpleasant and graphic nature of the photo. But while I usually appreciate the humor with these videos, the joking tone used in combination with that photo did seem exploitative and insensitive to me as well.Hi all, thanks for sharing your thoughts/reactions about the picture and how it made you feel. I can empathize with you – since you pointed it out. I certainly didn’t think about it until then.Therefore, I don’t think it crossed Dr. Greger’s mind that a malnourished uber skinny man with TB would be considered graphic to some – simply because as healthcare professionals this is is not at all considered graphic. I have done medical work in developing areas and this again is not disturbing to me – looks clean and he is getting help, even an IV. A matter of perspective for sure.But you know – nurses and docs will talk about anything while enjoying a good dinner!Thanks for the feedback, JacquieReally really awesome info, with visuals. I’m thankful every vid Dr G. You’re a font. Thanks for your work.The Fleming study doesn’t even look at low carb diets. It compares a 70% carb /15% protein /15% fat diet to 10 people in the study that didn’t stay on the instructed diet. Most studies would call this group “drop outs,” but this study calls them a “high protein group.” High protein, I guess, is anything over the recommended 15%. There’s no mention of what these people actually ate. Very very poor study.The preponderance of scientific data indicates the low carb diets either do not effect, or reduce heart disease risk. You forgot to mention that here.Seems like you really cherry picked your studies.“The preponderance of scientific data indicates the low carb diets either do not effect, or reduce heart disease risk.” Have there been any studies taking subjects with clinically proven heart disease, and reversing this heart disease with a low carb diet? This reversal has occured with a plant-based diet. To me, this would be the gold standard test of a diet’s healthfulness.“A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” — Max Planck (1858-1947)Cherry picked? I’ll repeat my comment from above:“There are flaws in every study, and in the Fleming study, the opportunity to make a comparison between two truly contrasting groups was unforeseen. So you’re going to nitpick for that?If the SPECT FMD scans were not conclusive, their cautionary data should certainly not be discounted, either. How can your average low-carb dieter know whether or not he could be very much like one of those Atkins dieters in Fleming’s study until it’s possibly too late? When was the last time you asked your doctor for a SPECT/FMD scan?At the very least, this is an opportunity for a larger study to confirm or falsify Flemings ad hoc results. Where are the Atkins Foundation and the NuSI guys when you need them?”Come to think of it, I’d love to see an IVUS (intravenous ultrasound) study contrasting long-time WFPB dieters v. long-time low carb/paleo/WAPF eaters.No more wrangling over biomarkers. We’d see who has ACTUAL plaques hiding on the outside and inside of their artery walls!!Let’s start with all the diet doctors themselves, and include all the propagandists like Gary Taubes, Sally Fallon, and Mary Enig while we’re at it!DR. GREGER: A few days before this video, the New York Times published a somewhat in depth piece denouncing carbs. It also advocated some saturated fats (such as one in whole milk) saying they increase both HDL and LDL – and that the LDL increase only applies to the less harmful large particle LDL. We’d love it if you could comment on this noteworthy article – especially in the context of the video you just released…thank you. Here is the link:http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/study-questions-fat-and-heart-disease-link/Is Saturated Fat (Dairy, Meat, and Eggs)For you consideration the abstract: http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1846638Note “Limitation: Potential biases from preferential publication and selective reporting.”Comments on the National Headlines about the March 18, 2014 “Annals of Internal Medicine” Article Suggesting Saturated Fat (Dairy, Meat, and Eggs) Is OK to Eat by Dr. McDougall: http://on.fb.me/1iOfvEZ.1) I agree with the conclusion that polyunsaturated fats (fish oil) and monounsaturated fat (olive oil) are not going to prevent heart disease. They are at least fattening and most likely promote cancer.http://www.techtimes.com/articles/4520/20140318/omega-3-fatty-acids-with-minimal-benefits-in-lowering-risks-of-heart-disease-study.htm2) However, I know that one of their main conclusions is wrong: That it is OK to eat animals. Dairy, meat, and eggs are bad for people and the planet.http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/study-questions-fat-and-heart-disease-link/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=health&_r=1&amp;“This March 18, 2014 Annals of Internal Medicine article will become a feeding frenzy for the animal-food-industries: a “nugget of proof” that their saturated fat-laden foods can be eaten guiltlessly. Millions of people worldwide, especially those who are looking to hear good news about their bad habits, will die of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity, and if left unchallenged, resulting increases in livestock production will accelerate global warming even faster.”Please read on if you are an interested in the details:1) The main scientific study they used showing the safety of saturated fat(reference 12), was a study supported by the National Dairy Council.(Siri-Tarino PW, Sun Q, Hu FB, Krauss RM. Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91:535-46.) This is the single study used to promote eating animals by the low-carb movement and the animal food industries.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/535.full.pdfJeremiah Stamler, MD wrote an editorial in this same issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition criticizing this flawed paper that has received so much attention in the lay press.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/497.full.pdfLetters to the editor that followed were also highly critical of this advertisement for meat and dairy (saturated fat).http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/92/2/458.full.pdfAnd more Letters.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/92/2/459.2.full.pdf2) In the results section of the Annals of Internal Medicine (March 18, 2014) article they wrote: “Seventy-two unique studies were identified (Figure 1 of Supplement1 and theTable). Nineteen were based in North America, 42 inEurope, and 9 in the Asia-Pacific region; 2 were multinational.”I would like to look at the 9 in the Asia-Pacific region and the 2 that were multinational, independently. This would show the effect of different diets on health (and coronary heart disease).In the nineteen that were based in North America and 42 in Europe, people all ate the same diet (full of saturated fat, ie. Dairy, meat, and eggs) – how could you possibly see any difference in health?3) This is an incorrect statement in the discussion of the Annals of Internal Medicine (March 18, 2014) paper:“For example, the influence of metabolism seems particularly relevant for the denovo synthesis of even-numbered saturated fatty acids in the body, compositions of which are largely determined by dietary factors, including carbohydrate and alcohol consumption (33–35), and other metabolic pathways (36, 37) rather than direct dietary intake.”Excess Starch (and even Sugar) Does Not Turn to Body Fat (Easily)http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/mar/passionate.htmA widely held belief is that the sugars in starches are readily converted into fat and then stored unattractively in the abdomen, hips, and buttock. Incorrect! And there is no disagreement about the truth among scientists or their published scientific research.(5-13). After eating, the complex carbohydrates found in starches, such as rice, are digested into simple sugars in the intestine and then absorbed into the bloodstream where they are transported to trillions of cells in the body in order to provide for energy. Carbohydrates (sugars) consumed in excess of the body’s daily needs can be stored (invisibly) as glycogen in the muscles and liver. The total storage capacity for glycogen is about two pounds. Carbohydrates consumed in excess of our need and beyond our limited storage capacity are not readily stored as body fat. Instead, these excess carbohydrate calories are burned off as heat (a process known as facultative dietary thermogenesis) or used in physical movements not associated with exercise.(9,13)The process of turning sugars into fats is known as de novo lipogenesis. Some animals, such as pigs and cows, can efficiently convert the low-energy, inexpensive carbohydrates found in grains and grasses into calorie-dense fats.5 This metabolic efficiency makes pigs and cows ideal “food animals.” Bees also perform de novo lipogenesis; converting honey (simple carbohydrates) into wax (fats). However,human beings are very inefficient at this process and as a result de novo lipogenesis does not occur under usual living conditions in people.(5-13) When, during extreme conditions, de novo lipogenesis does occur the metabolic cost is about 30% of the calories consumed—a very wasteful process.(11)Under experimental laboratory conditions overfeeding of large amounts of simple sugars to subjects will result in a little bit of de novo lipogenesis. For example, trim and obese women were overfed 50% more total calories than they usually ate in a day, along with an extra 3.5 ounces (135 grams) of refined sugar. From this overfeeding the women produced less than 4 grams (36 calories)of fat daily, which means a person would have to be overfed by this amount of extra calories and sugar every day for nearly 4 months in order to gain one extra pound of body fat. (10) Obviously, even overeating substantial quantities of refined and processed carbohydrates is a relatively unimportant source of body fat. So where does all that belly fat come from? The fat you eat is the fat you wear.5) Hellerstein MK. De novo lipogenesis in humans: metabolic and regulatory aspects. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999 Apr;53 Suppl 1:S53-65.6) Acheson KJ, Schutz Y, Bessard T, Anantharaman K, Flatt JP, Jequier E. Glycogen storage capacity and de novo lipogenesis during massive carbohydrate overfeeding in man.Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Aug;48(2):240-7.7) Minehira K, Bettschart V, Vidal H, Vega N, Di Vetta V, Rey V, Schneiter P, Tappy L.Effect of carbohydrate overfeeding on whole body and adipose tissue metabolism in humans. Obes Res. 2003 Sep;11(9):1096-103.8) McDevitt RM, Bott SJ, Harding M, Coward WA, Bluck LJ, Prentice AM. De novo lipogenesis during controlled overfeeding with sucrose or glucose in lean and obese women. AmJ Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):737-469) Dirlewanger M, di Vetta V, Guenat E, Battilana P, Seematter G, Schneiter P,J Çquier E, Tappy L. Effects of short-term carbohydrate or fat overfeeding one nergy expenditure and plasma leptin concentrations in healthy female subjects.Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord.2000 Nov;24(11):1413-8.)10) McDevitt RM, Bott SJ, Harding M, Coward WA, Bluck LJ, Prentice AM. De novo lipogenesis during controlled overfeeding with sucrose or glucose in lean and obese women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):737-4611) Danforth E Jr. Diet and obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 1985 May;41(5 Suppl):1132-45.12) Hellerstein MK. No common energy currency: de novo lipogenesis as the road less traveled. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):707-8.13) Tappy L.Metabolic consequences of overfeeding in humans. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2004 Nov;7(6):623-8.Also by Dr. David Katz: http://huff.to/1qX5ZTQJacquieRN: Nice article! Thanks for the link.Re Large and fluffy LDL being benign or even beneficial: ALL ApoB-containing particles (found in LDL of all sizes) are atherogenic.Large, small LDL diameters increased CV mortality risk Grammer TB. Eur Heart J. 2014;doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehu055.http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/cardiometabolic-disorders/news/online/%7Bffe9124d-148d-4f9a-96df-acfaf47b308f%7D/large-small-ldl-diameters-increased-cv-mortality-riskLetter from Columbia University doctors refuting the large LDL fallacy promulgated by Dr. Oz:http://s.doctoroz.com/sites/default/files/dm_uploads/Columbia%20Letter.pdfA nice wrap up of the issue at Plant Positive:25 Cholesterol Confusion 8 A Large and Fluffy Distractionhttp://www.plantpositive.com/25-cholesterol-confusion-8-a-l/People are so afraid to give up their precious meat that they go on and on trying to discredit people like Dr Gregor which silly nitpicking of studies like this. Look, I was fat, had a heart attack, and was told at 42 that I was 75% clogged around critical areas of my heart. I was on five prescription pills, unhappy, lethargic and basically on my way to an early expiration date.After 6 months of a whole food, plant based diet, I was off all meds, had a lot of energy, and today I am a marathon runner. What the meat-fanatics never seem to understand is THAT YOU WILL FEEL INFINITELY BETTER if you give up the meat. You’ll get off pills, you’ll be as skinny as you were at age 18, and you’ll have unlimited energy. Exercise goes from being a chore to being a joy. It is that simple.Stop nitpicking and get over your addiction to animal flesh. It’s not worth it.Sorry to say this but its not the meat persee.If a person goes from a shitty diet to a vegan shitty diet, that person will probably be worse off.Probably best to start eating meat every other day and slowly increase vegetables, nuts and fruits to at least over a kilogram a day.I noticed to many details in nutrition to handle practically so I adopted a 5,5,5,5,5 system for myself to avoid deficiency issues. 5 types of fruit, veggies, nuts(100gr), spices, starchy stuff each every day. Filling the base bulk with whatever is on sale. Plus the magic 4 veggies that are about fixed, red beets, leeks, spinach and kale/red cabbage. (+ started Natto.)Its a good start. Anyone on a typical diet will see the first amazing results in a few weeks. Men will be harder than they’ve ever been. (to put in an extra bit of motivation)Myself on 2 meat days a week now instead of every other day at start of switch, I still have fear of deficiencies. Results have been spectacular, never recorded a lower blood pressure in my life, heartbeat 55 (started woking out too) my skin is actually regenerating and thickening, eyes look clearer, hands are warm with delightfull youthfull colour.I’m not ready to stop eating meat altogether, for now 2 moments a week of animal product intake works wonders for me. All other foods are whole foods, nothing processed which is I’m sure as important as dropping continuous meat consumption.People should stop doubting and start trying. Give it a month or 2, at the very least a few weeks. The 55555 system is easy avoids having to do endless research before you start and in my experience one can have 2 steaks a week if you exclude all animal or proccessed food products for the rest of the week to get massive benifits.Don’t reply just try!!! :)Regards.I like the sound of this 5,5,5,5,5 thing … can you work this up into a program or algorithm or something or tell us more about it.I agree with you at this point on meat. First, I am not sure I could quit it totally, nor am I convinced by all of the numbers that it is universally bad, but I do try to minimize it.What I want to know is how to you manage this diet, how do you put it together, what form to eat in, stuff like that. Where did you find out about it, is there a book or a reference site that explains it further?You are making it more difficult then I ever intended :).Just start cramming your face with as many different fruits nuts and veggies etc as you can manage with the biggest possible variety without it becoming a day job or prohibitively expensive.Blending stuff with a scoop of soy protein works like a charm to save preperation time.Meat will be bad, but deficiencies because of lacking knowledge will be equally bad, and I suspect science hasn’t discovered even a quarter of what there is to know about nutrition.http://www.foodpolitics.com/2014/03/is-saturated-fat-a-problem-food-for-debate/ This very large study has completely blown my understanding of eating animal foods.I find the term “low carb diet” terribly confusing. The issue here is that “high protein” and “high fat” diets are unhealthy.For me “low carb” diet means eating overall less carbs, hence reducing your daily caloric intake. CRON (Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition) is achieved by lowering your daily carb intake and has proven very healthy.Most people use the term “carb” when they mean “starch”. All plant foods are carbs.When you raise both protein AND fat, you ultimately get low-carb… the term “low-carb” could be seen as a “high fat AND high protein” diet, not EITHER high-protein OR high-fat.Your definition is simply “low calorie” and that’s not the same as low-carb. Most people don’t identify low-carb as calorie restriction, but carb restriction.Can’t convince anyone until they are readyThe great debate continues, judging from some of these comments. If you are as curious as I am about the mechanisms of atherosclerotic plaque progression and regression, may I offer up the following paper that I-a lay reader but digging in nonetheless- find absolutely fascinating:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3209544/And, if you haven’t yet seen the “USDA Great Debate” circa 2000, take a few hours and witness our Favorite Doctors et al lay waste to the Masters of Metabolic Mayhem. Enjoy!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feCpP40ZHqIAn honest discussion of this topic is a worthy idea–of course I question the academic honesty of this video when it starts with Red Herring arguments (Twinkle diet, chemo therapy and tuberculosis) and the first proof cited is claimed to be a study, when it is a letter to the editor of the BJN. There is a need to have good debate on this without resorting to such tactics.The screen shot in the video isn’t actually the study… the link in the sources cited gives you the actual study and it was a published study, not a “letter to the editor”. So there really is no problem here.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3555979/orhttp://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0055030As for the “red herrings”… I just don’t think you understand Dr. Greger’s comedy. He was bringing up the point that weight loss (REGARDLESS of the method), results in lower cholesterol.If you have a legitimate concern over the actual study or the the data they’ve gathered, feel free to mention them.OK, at best these are examples of gross hyperbole, but these are classic red-herring attacks, since there are numerous studies done today that clearly show that there is no correlation between the CVD markers cited and CVD with or without weight loss.As to the actual study cited? I reviewed the video and transcript, no mention of the PLOS Online Article appears (that I could see), but the BJN Letter to the Editor is prominently displayed with the voice-over saying studies now show… This is false representations at best but it probably is just outright purposeful deception. If the intent was to cite the PLOS article, why wasn’t a screen shot of it shown? Why hide it int he sources cited section. Please explain the deception before you explain the validity of the study.One possible reason the PLOS article was not shown is the relatively greater recognition of the BJN as a peer-reviewed source. I might also surmise that the PLOS article had only one citation so far (I know it is a relatively new article), that citation was a refutation of the basic methodology used. If I can quote:You can find this article at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945587/Regarding the overall effects of ketogenic diet on health there are differences in opinion about the research. Recently, in a recent systematic review based on limited observational studies, Noto and colleagues suggested a possible harmful effect of low carbohydrate/high protein diet (LC/HP) on health: i.e., an increase of all-cause mortality risk whilst there was no effect on CVD mortality [81]. On the other hand, for example, a large European study demonstrated that an increase in protein content and a reduction in the glycaemic index led to better maintenance of weight loss without differences regarding adverse effects.The article was published in: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and for full disclosure, since its Feb 2014 publication does not appear to have been cited in other research.A second reason is that the PLOS model is free open access, and anyone would have been able to access the article and comment on it, where the BJN article requires a subscription. A nasty little trick to try and keep people from double checking your sources.I welcome valid debate on this subject, this is not valid debate.Hyperbole, perhaps, but I found it was effective in getting the point across.The sources cited simply send you to the abstract. The full text will get you to the PLOS and PMC journals. Almost all these videos cite abstracts, likely for clarification, but also because most full texts require paid subscriptions to access (making the information useless to the general public). So I don’t find any conflict here either. Why you have to make assumptions attacking the credibility of Dr. Greger is perhaps part of your agenda.In regards to your link regarding ketogenic diets, the “large European study” did not test a ketogenic diet. in fact the difference between the “high protein” and “low protein” group was only a 5.4% difference in protein intake… then you have the fact that 29% dropped out (that’s a staggering number) and it was only a 26 week study. This doesn’t make any case for ketogenic diets.“… since there are numerous studies done today that clearly show that there is no correlation between the CVD markers cited and CVD with or without weight loss.”Could you link those studies? The only ones I’ve seen that appear to show no correlation are funded by the egg/beef/dairy industries and/or use researchers on their payroll (which won’t always show up in disclosure part of the study (as I’ve found out several times already).Hello Marc, we actually welcome vigorous debate of the science. However, please understand that Dr. Greger has no intention to or nothing to gain by: “false representations at best but it probably is just outright purposeful deception.” You may notice this site has no advertisements and any money for Dr. Greger’s appearances, etc. are donated by him to charity. So please, for everyone’s benefit, help us foster a community of mutual respect by not posting any further personal attacks. Thank you in advance, JacquieIt would be cool to see a video on capers. They are the highest known source of quercetin and kaemperfol (180mg and 135mg per 100g respectively).check this out: http://nutrition.merschat.com/foods-by-nutrient.cgiHere we go again. The small size of this study makes it suspect right off. Who were these people..?how were they chosen? Were they picked out of a bingo parlor or a health club.? . Did any have any health problems? Did any smoke.. The study leaves a lot more questions then it answers. Just another guy that thinks he just discovered America.“Those sticking to the vegetarian diet showed a reversal of their heart disease as expected. Their partially clogged arteries literally got cleaned out. They had 20% less atherosclerotic plaque in their arteries at the end of the year than at the beginning. What happened to those who abandoned the treatment diet, and switched over to the low carb diet? Their condition significantly worsened. 40 to 50% more artery clogging at the end of the year.” None of your questions matter- the those eating more plants = less plaque.And what are your credentials? Appeared on the movie “Star Wars”If you follow the first study in the sources sited, you’ll see that even meta-analysis of over 200,000 people concluded that “Low-carbohydrate diets were associated with a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality and they were not significantly associated with a risk of CVD mortality and incidence”The second study sited lists 247 patients. The study being focused on in the video only validates the evidence of the other studies… so what’s the objection?At some point you’ll have to concede to the fact that low-carb diets aren’t healthful.Could someone please tell me what exactly is a Low Carb Diet? How many grams of Carbs can one eat in a day? What is the best source of carbs? Carbs are everywhere, even in vegetables. I’m 60 yrs old, 132 lbs, exercise 4x week, teach 4 low impact exercise classes a week and I consider myself a vegetarian. Please advise!Hi Anne, A low-carb diet limits carbohydrates — such as grains, starchy vegetables and fruit. It is mainly dietary protein and fat. Many types of low-carb diets exist, each with varying restrictions on the types and amounts of carbohydrates you can eat.Common food sources of naturally occurring carbohydrates include:Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, Grains, Seeds, Legumes. And of course sugar! So limiting processed carbs like cakes, cookies, sodas.The amount of carbs one can eat in a day, depends on health goals and which type of carbs. For instance to lose weight – one may want to decrease decrease fruit consumption and eat more veggies, etc.Hope that helps, JacquieMy God, this is confusing. I just watched a video by Gary Taubes where he talks about carbs as stimulating insulin, and characterized insulin as the “fat-making” hormone. I mean, there are all these different doctors on the web and writing books, and all sound like they know what they are talking about, and all have conflicting idea, and all claim to have many testimonials from people whose lives were saved because they lost weight – doing whatever it was whatever doctor told them to do. But I did find it odd that Taubes says that rice is bad when several billion of the world’s thinnest and mostly healthy people eat rice every day without a problem. I really do not know what to think, of what to eat. I tend to be scared these days of too much meat, too many chemicals in meat, dairy, eggs, though I eat a moderate amount of these things just because I’ve eaten them most of my life and it seems silly to go go whole “hog” so to speak and cut out totally foods that I like. But I do think that if I could cut down meat to a bare minimum it would be better. But things like milk, dairy, cheese, and then to me yogurt seems to be in a different class from the rest of this stuff. I would choose yogurt here.HI bruxe, it is confusing for sure. That is one reason Dr. Greger always points to research. I wanted to be sure you know that Taubes is a journalist not a doctor – I think you know but the way it was written I just wanted to be sure. From what I have heard and read of Taubes – there are flaws in his words.There is no study that drills down to the exact amount of animal product that is ok – thus many people choose to eliminate it altogether since nutritional benefit from plants is over the top. I like to suggest for those that choose to eat dairy or animal – try Meat Mondays instead of Meatless Mondays – so the balance is low on animal. Think of it as a continuum or Spectrum (Ornish), with animal on the low end of nutritional scale.Hi Jacquie … Actually Taubes is a journalist, by way of being a scientist … so the attack the person to discredit the idea meme – at least to me is not going to work. Here is a bit about Taubes from his bio:Born in Rochester, New York, Taubes studied applied physics at Harvard University (BS, 1977)[3] and aerospace engineering at Stanford University (MS, 1978). After receiving a master’s degree in journalism at Columbia University in 1981, Taubes joined Discover magazine as a staff reporter in 1982.[4] Since then he has written numerous articles forDiscover, Science and other magazines. Originally focusing on physics issues, his interests have more recently turned to medicine and nutrition. His brother, Clifford Henry Taubes, is the William Petschek Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University.[5]After hearing Taubes speak and debate on the Internet, i.e. YouTube to be specific I find he makes a lot of sense and does not really conflict much with what others say either. One has to look very carefully at the claim made by anyway and what they really mean.I think Taubes is correct when he pins a lot of our obesity problem on refined/processed carbs. Just for kicks from my normal diet I cut carbs out the next day and I was amazed at how mentally clear and calm I felt. Now, I don’t know what to make of that. As a hypothesis I cut down on carbs and sugars and I feel noticeably much better … much better than when I cut out meat for week, but them much of what I was eating in its place was carbs. Which brings up my problem with vegan/vegetarianism to me now … it is very difficult to do – not to mention expensive – and not sacrifice huge amounts of convenience too.Taubes is saying basically much of what the vegans are saying, but that you can eat reasonable quantities of good animal protein.No one said Taubes didn’t have credentials. What I said is that he is abusing those credentials to mislead others.Don’t believe Plant Positive’s mountains of evidence? Wanna hear some proof of his dishonesty from a low carb dieter? Search Evelyn (CarbSane)’a blog http://carbsanity.blogspot.com for “Gary Taubes”. When low-carber’s with their own scientific background think Taubes’s misleading rhetoric gives them a bad name, there’s a problem. There is no substance to his pet theory that ALL CARBS make us fat.Congrats on getting rid of the junk carbs. Anyone who gets rid of addictive hyperprocessed carbs is bound to feel better. That doesn’t make eggs and sausage for breakfast and a pound of steak for dinner (I.e., a ketogenic diet) a healthy regimen.PS. Taubes admits his wife is mostly vegetarian who refuses to let his kids eat the way he does.bruxe: You wrote, “Which brings up my problem with vegan/vegetarianism to me now … it is very difficult to do – not to mention expensive – and not sacrifice huge amounts of convenience too.”Most people find whole plant based eating to be quite convenient once they get over the learning curve. Though I think convenience may depend in part on where you live in the country. For example, it’s really easy in say California, Oregon and Washington USA. I’m guessing it’s less easy in the middle sections of USA.As for cost, whole plant based eating is the cheapest (not to mention healthiest) way to eat! If you would like to learn more, check out this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/This one may also interest you: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/Good luck.I encourage you to view Plant Positive’s excellent series of videos deconstruction of Gary Taubes’ misleading tactics. Once you see how he is abusing his science-writer cred, instance by instance, you will never again be confused by his smoke-and-mirrors.http://www.plantpositive.comMacSmiley … I never indicated that everything Gary Taubes said was right, but what I do think is – first that Taubes primary focus is on obesity and weight loss. The videos you point to as far as I can tell are disagreeing with Taubes on what I think are minor nit-picky points. I mean, the first video starts our quoting George Orwell/1984 framing the whole debate as one of propaganda. I don’t call that honest inquiry either.The main point I see Taubes as making is that when we eat carbs, the are processed by the body and insulin is shot into the blood, and these days we eat so many carbs almost all day that we always have insulin our blood. The second leg is that he calls insulin “The Fact Making Hormone” and backs that up with science. In some cases insulin processes so much carb to fat that an animal genetically programmed to be fat because of their insulin chemistry can actually starve to death while being hugely obese and eating all it wants.What Taubes said made a lot of sense and explained why people are getting fat better than other alternatives. For example Lustig from UCSC says it is all due to fructose, and he makes good points, but I think it is a subset of what Taubes is referring to. Now, when Taubes goes on to extend his ideas past that, I am not sure I buy what he says.Figuring out what these studies say and what they do not say is very difficult and should be more concentrated on by the people who are supposed to be reading and informing us.Many of Taubes’s tactics are blatant obfuscation. His rewriting history (the reason for the 1984 citation), that is, his account of Ancel Keys’ research borders on libel. PlantPositive is far from nit-picking.One example:In his book, Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It, he cites 3 recommendations of the World Cancer Research Fund.(1) Be lean and avoid gaining fat mass. (2) Be physically active. (3) Avoid energy dense foods and sugary drinks to avoid weight gain. By themselves, those recommendations do not justify his promotion of a low carb diet. But they don’t rule it out either.However, Taubes fails to mention many of the other recommendations by that organization, which include (4) Limit red meats and avoid processed meats and (5) Eat mostly foods of plant origin.Is Taubes promoting a plant-based diet, as his source does? No. And that’s only one of a mountain of truthy detours. Follow him and he’ll take you for quite a ride.Can’t get Disqus to take my cut and paste in my previous comment. Here is the link to the World Cancer Research Fund’s recommendations:http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/cancer_prevention_recommendations/index.phpI just read this discussion of Taubes’s insulin theory by Stephan Guyanet which takes on Taubes’s theory itself instead of his misleading manipulation:The Carbohydrate Hypothesis of Obesity: a Critical Examinationhttp://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/08/carbohydrate-hypothesis-of-obesity.html?m=1Well since humans have been around for say 100,000 years and we do not understand how we work nutritionally, I would suspect that no one has it exactly or totally right, but more and more I see people coming out to agree with the general hypothesis that Taube is talking about, namely that carbs and sugar stimulate insulin which stimulates fat. That is basically it makes the case that a calories is not a calorie, which when you think about it should have been intuitive to any biologist or chemist just on reflection, and according to Taube it was, or at least it occurred to multiple people. We have a very serious problem with our big business when they seem to go out of their way to cause disease and sell people stuff that insults their biology.Your response is just a quick little dig at calling Taube misleading, i.e. character assassination, but you do not make the case that anything he said is a lie, like a hack you just wave your arms to some other paper.Don’t take my word for it. Taubes has been misrepresenting science and scientists since his article in the NY Times in 2002. So says the people he quotes, at least the live ones…You can catch me on Twitter for more examples. Disqus won’t cooperate with copy and paste on my iPhone with this long of a thread.bruxe: I second MacSmiley’s recommendation to watch Plant Positive’s Videos. You will learn all about the problems with Gary Taubes’ statements/”logic”. Good luck.the bottom line is NO ONE has ever been able to prove you can eat more than your bodies maintenance and NOT gain weight…Atkins admitted in a court that his diet was based on if he told people to eat more protein and fat they would automatically eat less which proves cal in vs out..Bottom line is you should feed your body what it needs. Deprive it of something your body will find alternative ways to still keep performing. Wasting tissues it doesn’t need, breaking down less critically stocked reserves converting it to what is needed wherever it can..In the end the result is the same, you force your cells/body to work harder and less efficient. Less efficient means more waste toxins/products, which means aging faster as also you do from working harder.You can actually see this principle happen in micro scale in your skin. Which was a very big surprise to me after switching to plant based diet. Better blood flow, more nutrients and less waste, healthier skin.The knowledge that that is actually happening everywhere still brings a smile on my face.To supplement the information I provided along with others in many of the comments below: “Scientists Fix Errors in Controversial Paper About Saturated Fats”Willett says correcting the paper isn’t enough. “It is good that they fixed it for the record, but it has caused massive confusion and the public hasn’t heard about the correction.” The paper should be withdrawn, he argues.” “It’s dangerous.” http://bit.ly/1jxyIJvSeems not a lot of people think these studies have any value….hmmm… got any good studies?The studies presented here are not illegitimate studies. If you are interested in more studies regarding low carb diets, see here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/those on low fat were also on high protein, my question is, was the blood flow in the arteries worsened because of the low carb or the high protein?those on low carbs i meant*These studies are always so flawed and unrealistic.Why do they always have to measure the outcomes of an extreme diet?Why not study for e.g. a whole foods approach to nutrition perhaps on a paleo/primal template of moderate carbs (heaps of veg, some fruit, no grains/cereals), low sugar, moderate protein and fat (moderate to high) as necessary for energy and weight maintenance depending on ones activity levels?Probably because the way a lot of ‘health conscious active people’ actually eat doesn’t show dramatic enough results to create attention and there’s no government, medical body, pharmaceutical or food manufacturer/organisation to fund it…And also because if all you are doing is studying the way “most people eat” then why run a study at all? All you have to do is look at health effects across the population and you will have all the study results you need. If current levels of heart and other chronic disease is acceptable to you, then I agree, the average way of eating is fine. The entire reason we’re having this discussion though, is that current levels of disease should not be acceptable, especially when it’s clear that other populations in the world have disease rates that are substantially lower than ours.So you are talking about low carb diets but in the video I read “…effect of high protein diets on…”. Are high protein and low carb diets interchangeable in your view?Sweden just adopted low carb high fat. Are they wrong?YES. The only two studies before this showing actual reversal of hear disease were by Dr. Ornish and Dr. Esselstyn and both those doctors had their patients on a high carb diet with total fat intake less than 10% of total calories, for example 22 grams fat total on a 2000 calorie diet.This information is incorrect. In general, cholesterol levels tend to fall during calorie restriction of any type, including low carb. (See the Twinkie and potato diets.)Atkins and other low carb proponents rig their studies to show a cardiac benefit by contrasting a hypo-caloric low carb diet with an isocaloric junk carb diet. Typically the low-carb diet shows a small improvement in lipids and Voilà! Low carb = good.And even that doesn’t always work. On the famous one year, all-meat diet undertaken by Stefansson and Anderson, both had increased blood lipids. Anderson’s TC went as high as 800! It lowered considerably afterwards, but neither achieved a healthy level.As a side note, by the end of the study, Anderson had sugar in his urine and Stefansson was pre-diabetic.Just saw the video on the dangers of low carb diet. My young friend is 23, married with a 3 year old son and has been type one diabetic for 13 years. Her last check up revealed some heart challenges and that she is now insulin resistant.Over the years she has not been too responsible about her eating and now she is paying for it. Also the dr said that having a baby took years off of her life because of the stress on the kidneys. Now she is counting carbs and keeping them to about 150 per day. What are her nutritional options if low carb is bad for her, but she is supposed to keep her carbs low for the type one diabetes?bulldogltd: I’m not a doctor myself, so I can’t say specifically what your friend should do. However, I would highly recommend taking a look at the book, “Dr Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes”. Type 1 is more tricky than Type 2, but the book has a chapter about Type 1 and your friend might get a lot of benefit from reading the book. I found the book to be very powerful and helpful.http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400600695&sr=8-1&keywords=barnard+program+diabetesGreat job, Doc!Having just extricated myself from a discussion with some Paleo nuts, (discussion being used in its most broadest terms), it was a refreshing to come here. I know we can’t save them all, but it is really hard to just be bullied by masses who have zero interest in science or history. It is what it is, they’ll either figure it out or they won;t. But you guys here are better prepared to attempt discussion. I’m going back to what I do best. Glad you guys are here to do what you can.Any comments on the Rosedale diet? I’ve been following the whole food/plant based/no oil approach for >5 years and it’s the best thing I ever did for my health. I’ve got a friend who’s a nutrition coach who’s touting the Rosedale diet. It seems to be a variation on the Atkins approach. Sadly, when I asked for research she responded that her clients want things simple so she doesn’t bother with citing any other than referring them to his website: http://www.drrosedale.com/#axzz38IwcNGLCThis video is a bit misleading. What about people who are on a low carb, high fat, plant-based diet? As someone following this regimen (in order to control my high glucose levels), it would be nice not to get lumped in with the Atkins folks. But then again, is a low carb, high fat, plant based diet dangerous as well? This isn’t answered….Russell: I highly recommend you take a look at the book, “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes”. He makes a very compelling claim that Type 2 diabetes is caused by high fat diets. Dr. Barnard did clinical tests showing “his” diet is 3 times more effective than other diet plans for diabetes patients.As a lay person, I would interpret that to mean that eating a high fat diet, even a plant based one, is the very last thing you would want to do in order to control glucose levels. Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about here. It just sounds right to me.Note that the book is not only a fast and interesting read, but it has ideal recipes in the back too. None of those recipes are high-fat/low carb. If you are interested, here is the book, or maybe your library has it: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410907820&sr=1-1&keywords=neal+barnard+diabetesHope that helps.Thanks Thea. I had a few emails with Dr. Barnard’s colleague. They are promoting a whole carb, low fat vegan diet. I explained that my glucose goes wild with any whole (or refined )grain products, but that it was well-controlled with plant-based fats (down to A1c of 5.3), but they still believe their diet is better and unfortunately, don’t seem to have data to back it up, other than anti-Atkins type arguments. But I’m curious what the other diabetes diets were in his book, so I’ll check it out. Thanks again.PS My pre-diabetes was probably caused by too many whole and refined grains on an Ornish-type diet — 35 years worth — plus a hyperactive thyroid which allowed me to metabolize quickly.DEAD NÍGGERSWhat about a healthy high fat diet instead of a high protein diet? Could similar affects on blood flow occur?It is likely, Dr. Vogel conducted a study that compared different fats and oils (olive oil, canola oil, and salmon) and how they impaired our endothelieum cells. Our endothelieum cells are within our blood vessels lining their walls. They keep clots from forming and keep our blood running smoothly. It also helps our blood vessels dilate and contract when needed. The participants of the study ate a meal containing 3.5 tablespoons of olive oil and the examiners measured their arterial damage after 3 hours. “Contrary to part of our hypothesis, our study found that omega-9 (oleic acid)-rich olive oil impairs endothelieum function postprandially.” They also make note that “In terms of their postprandial effect on endothelieum function, the beneficial components of the Mediterranean and Lyon Diet Heart Study diets appear to be antioxidant-rich foods, including vegetables [and] fruits” http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/36/5/1455It was even noted that “In a clinical study, olive oil was shown to activate coagulation factor VII to the same extent as does butter. Thus, olive oil does not have a clearly beneficial effect on vascular function.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9409274The soup either had 3 tablespoons of each oil OR they fried the potatoes in the oil. They too examined the extent of damage on the volunteers’ arteries. this is what they found “All the vegetable oils, fresh and deep-fried, produced an increase in the triglyceride plasma levels in healthy subjects.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17174226This 2 year study looked at coronary artery lesions of the heart after consuming different types of fat. Polyunsaturated fat (omega 3 type of fat) Monounsaturated fat (75% of which makes up olive oil) and Saturated fat (the kind found in mostly animal products). They looked at angiograms a year apart after intervening with increasing one type of fat in each group. All 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing.http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/263/12/1646.abstract?sid=47d1d016-3c15-43f4-a013-0d10144ef8e3The only diet ever to reverse heart disease is a low fat plant based diet.Am I the only one here that has noticed total blood flow percentage and percentage of plaques getting interchanged in this video? These 2 are not the same thing! Better blood flow is a combined result of the variables plaques AND endothelial function. Endothelial function you can improve in literally hours to days. Plaques require many years of attention. Why do these kinds of mistakes keep popping up? There is no shortage of expertise to avoid them, is it going for the shock factor again like the Alzheimers graph? Those are tactics like sprint cheats, throwing the chest forward for that 1/10th of a second. Those kind of tactics are useless for marathon like efforts like trying to get people to eat better, they are very detrimental for a long run.Does the study include low carb vegans?To do a proper LC study, certain things need to happen:– getting the carbs from the right sources – increasing the satiety of the diet with healthy fats and proteins – basing this on an average caloric intake for the day (usually 1700-2000 calories will do)Most studies can’t follow this and most cant seem to ascertain just where sugar can be hiding. How many LC studies out there are done with just vegetables like green vegetables? None, because they add crap in like fruit, potatoes, and other crap. Sure it’s low carb compared to a giant plate of spaghetti and a supersized fries & coke but get real here, there is still lots of sugar present in fruit, and potatoes have a tendency to skyrocket your insulin.Go to study based on carb sources coming from strictly spinach, asparagus, and broccoli, and start from there. Don’t throw dairy into the picture for a fat source because it still contains sugar. Go grab your fat from almonds and pumpkin seeds, olive oil and avocados. Eat a decent amount of protein from chicken breast, fish, and eggs.Do a LC study based on that and you’ll have a true reflection of it. You’ll also have a result that will thwart many of your claims regarding carbs, proteins, and fat.HOW IS IT THE AMA HAS VILLIFIED CHOLESTROL AS THE CAUSE OF ARTERIAL HEART DISEASE FOR SO MANYYEARS AND NOW YOUR SAYING ANYTHING CAN LOWER CHOLESTEROL LEVELS BUT THAT HAS NO EFFECT ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE??YOU CANT HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO/NO PUN INTENDEDAND BUY THE WAY YOU THINK EATING AN ALL TWINKIE DIET CAN LOWER YOUR CHOLESTEROL? REALLY( IM SURE YOU HAVE THAT RESEARCH) THAN MAYBE WE SHOULD ALL BE ON AN ALL TWINKIE DIET INSTEAD OF STATINS THAT ARE TOUTED TO REDUCE CHOLESTEROL THE MAIN CAUSE OF CVD AS PREACHED TO US BY THE AMA.This video is not science, it is so bogus I don’t know where to being. So I will list ALL the issues. Firstly after listening, it is clear that it still assumes that cholesterol is a cardiovascular risk factor – this is the biggest problem of all. But this is simply not the case anymore, in fact, it never was. I will post a link that SHOW that low cholesterol is co-related with heart disease.But lets discuss the snapshots.In min 0:51s with the caption, if you read the actual snapshot, it showed that those on a very low carb diet (VLC) got good results for lowering obesity, TAG (triglyceride) levels and blood pressure, and HDL even went up. BUT it raised the LDL. “AMAZING” However it did not say that the patients had health issues, just that the risk factor raised, but as I said again, high LDL is not a risk factor for heart disease anymore, unless it is small dense LDL and THAT was not mentioned..Also in min 1:19s of the video, it reads (quote) “Low-carbohydrate diets have become increasingly popular for weight loss. Although they may improve metabolic markers, particularly in type II diabetes, (T2D), or metabolic syndrome, (MS), their net effect on arterial wall function remains unclear” (unquote).If you were trying to post a point against low carbs, this will not be it.Min 1:48 Effects of a high protein Diets on Chronary Blood flow, I was reading the extract but I was not able to get all the information, so I found the original text that was cut out. Here it is….“The background for the study, as set out in the abstract, is as follows: “Recent research has demonstrated that successful simultaneous treatment of multiple risk factors [listed in detail] can lead to the regression of coronary artery disease and the recovery of viable myocardium. However, preliminary work revealed that a number of individuals enrolled in the original study went on popular high-protein diets in an effort to lose weight. Despite increasing numbers of individuals following high-protein diets, little or no information is currently available regarding the effect of these diets on coronary artery disease and coronary blood flow.””Also, the table II in min 2:50 ‘shows’ those on a high protein diet (HPG) he said that people’s condition got worse. But he also said low carb diet. So this was a false claim since his conclusions were about low carb but the extract was about high protein. The diagram was a treatment group (TG=???) vs a (HPG) high protein group.In 3:25, he refers to low carb diets, but the supporting text in the images are for high protein not low carb.In 3:44, the last slide, this was about lifespan in general. But he did not put in the full text. He made it appear conclusive.The actual final text reads…..“Low-carbohydrate diets were associated with a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality and they were not significantly associated with a risk of CVD mortality and incidence. However, this analysis is based on limited observational studies and large-scale trials on the complex interactions between low-carbohydrate diets and long-term outcomes are needed.”So it appears that low carbers live shorter lives, but they were not sure, and CVD mortality were not significantly higher or significantly corelated.Here is my link…….http://dietheartpublishing.com/Cholesterol/10/09I was trying to make a post against this video but it got tore down. It shows that most of the cited evidence in the video showed very little evidence for low carb equating to heart disease.	abdominal fat,animal protein,Atkins diet,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chemotherapy,cholesterol,cocaine,Dr. Richard Fleming,fat,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,longevity,low-carb diets,mortality,paleolithic diets,plant protein,plant-based diets,prehistoric diets,protein,Twinkies,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss	Blood flow within the hearts of those eating low carb diets was compared to those eating plant-based diets.	The reason I have so few videos about low carb diets, is that I already wrote a whole book about it! Carbophobia is now available free online full-text at AtkinsFacts.org. Atkins’ lawyers threatened to sue, leading to a heated exchange I reprint on the site.I did touch on low carb diets in my video Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping it Up, though they don’t have to necessarily be that unhealthy (see my video Plant-Based Atkins Diet).	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/twinkies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-richard-fleming/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-carb-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocaine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prehistoric-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22905670,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11108325,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23372809,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7495312,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10959514,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22850317,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23294905,
PLAIN-2624	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/	Nuts May Help Prevent Death	We’ve known increased nut consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of major chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. But do those who eat nuts actually live longer lives? Clinical trials have shown nuts help lower cholesterol and oxidation, and improve our arterial function, and blood sugar levels, but does this all translate into greater longevity? Researchers at Harvard examined the association between nut consumption and subsequent mortality of over a hundred thousand people followed for decades. In that time tens of thousands died, but those that ate nuts every day lived significantly longer. Daily nut consumers had fewer cancer deaths, heart disease deaths, and fewer deaths from respiratory disease. And this was after controlling other lifestyle factors. So nut consumers lived significantly longer whether they were older or younger, fat or skinny, whether they exercised more or smoked, drank or ate other foods that may affect mortality.But nuts are so filled with fat, so there may be a concern that frequent nut consumption can result in weight gain. However, that’s not what they found, and in fact other studies have associated nut consumption with a slimmer waist, less weight gain, and lower risk of obesity. If you look at all the studies put together, it’s pretty much a wash. Diets enriched with nuts do not seem to affect body weight, body mass index, or waist circumference much at all. Just for a visual, this is one of the most recent such studies, in which study subjects were told to add either zero, 70, or 120 pistachios to their daily diet as an afternoon snack every day for three months, and the results looked like this, you can’t even tell which line is which, whether they were eating no nuts or over a 100 day. Hence, it appears, the incorporation of nuts, around 1 to 2 small handfuls a day, would be advisable to ensure various health benefits without the risk of body weight gain, and what was nice about this review is that there were no apparent ties to the nut industry.How nuts do we have to go? Not much. Just a few servings a week may boost our lifespan and lower cancer rates, but, it appears, we have to keep it up. In the PREDIMED when long-time nut eaters were told to cut down on eating nuts or choose extra virgin olive oil, within five years they apparently lost much of their longevity benefit. Only the group that started out eating nuts and continued to eat at least the same amount of nuts died significantly less often.	People who eat a plant-based whole foods diet are already protected from the diseases presented here. Same goes for decreased mortality. So can nut consumption do even more for a person who’s already eating healthy or will nuts give them no greater edge? I’m aware of a study that showed improved health for people on a Mediterranean diet who substituted nuts for olive oil, but is there a study out there that compares people on a healthy vegan no added oils, plant-based whole foods with and without nuts?Fats are most important for brain health, as the brain even manufactures some cholesterol. It’s important not to have a fat-free, or even very restricted low-fat, diets. Studies have shown that calcium in milk is not as bioavailable in fat-free milk as it is in whole milk! The myth that fat is bad has to be displaced in medicine and healthcare. BAD fats, e.g., trans fats-margarine-hydrogenated, chemically-extruded polyunsaturated fats which usually are rancid and produce carcinogenic factors when cooked with or eaten, and highly-marbleized animal fats, especially when charbroiled (PAHs), are the culprits. Years ago MDs and RDs denounced avocados as ‘bad’ fats; same with nuts. I remember those days as I fought against such nutritional ignorance. Today those foods are promoted as healthy heart foods, and rightfully so. That’s why organic seeds, nuts, and fat sources like olives and avocados should be important staples in any plant based diet.I agree with this fact and we should no more motivate absolute fat free diet for anyone and encourage to have a diet with SFA and PUFA in 1:1 ratio as well as PUFA and MUFA in the same ratioI don’t consume oils or copious amounts of nuts or avocados. I do eat chia and flax regularly, and when I make hummus I use tahini. You would probably consider my diet “very restricted”. However with that my fat consumption is about 12-18% of my total calories. I don’t see how this could be considered unhealthily low. I’m not concerned with lowering it, but I wouldn’t want it to be any higher certainly.When I hear the words “fat free diet” I cringe a little, and always think back to a post by Jeff Novick, where he lists all the fat percentages of certain foods: kale 12%, romaine lettuce 14%, oatmeal 16%, strawberries 9%, etc. There’s no such thing as a “fat free diet”.I’ve done an 80-10-10 macro nutrient diet before. I lasted for about eight months on it, and the excess pounds just fell off. You can do it, but it means no added oils and a tablespoon of flax with everything else being greens, grains, vegetables, fruits and mushrooms. At the end of the day you might have some fat budget left over to have a few walnuts or almonds. It was difficult at first, but it will really up regulate your sensitivity to added oils, and down regulate your desire for them. When you go out to eat, everything will taste like its swimming in oil.Hi Joe, I don’t disagree that an 80-10-10 diet is healthy, I just don’t happen to follow it myself. I do omit oils from my diet and don’t eat very many nuts at all; and yet my fat % is higher than 10%. Because my diet is whole foods-based, varied, and made nearly entirely of what you mentioned, greens, grains, vegetables, fruits (though also lots of legumes), I don’t feel the need to “chase” any particular numbers. I go with nutrient density and variety and let the %’s fall where they may.I am doing exactly the same, flax, chia, and hummus made with tahini on occasion. Avocado on occasion but only 1/4th, I have 4 members in my family so each of us gets 1/4th. I have experimented with adding nuts to my diet, based on videos like this one, which of course raises my fat intake to well over 20%. All I get is extra fat around my mid-section. I am 46, though, so maybe that’s why, maybe if I was in my 20s or 30s I would not get the fat gain. I like to maintain a lean waistline so I see no reason to add the nuts to my diet. I’ve heard Dr. Fuhrman say that a diet 30% in fat can still be a healthy diet, as can a diet 15% in fat or 20% in fat, however, he says a diet 10% in fat is not a healthy diet. I guess that’s one of the areas where he breaks from Dr. McDougal, because McDougal believes a diet 10% in fat can be healthy. I have no idea who is right. Personally I like to err on the side of caution, and since I do well at the 15% range, give or take a few percentage points, I will stick with it..I would love to see a study which compares the whole foods plant based vegan population who do and do not consume nuts and/or avocados. Sadly, it is a pretty sparse demographic with a reputation for an above average prognosis. I don’t know who do such a study unless they were the control group in a study comparing them to omnivores.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/Omnivorous Adventists who at nuts outlived Vegan Adventists who avoided them.https://flic.kr/p/pK3Mozhttp://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=648593Yes, this is also my question Jack. I love Dr. Greger’s site, but I have never understood his pro-nut position, since most plant-based doc that I follow suggest a strong caution with nuts due to their incredibly high caloric density. Like you, I wonder about whether nuts would be beneficial or not to me in that I am currently eating low fat, plant-based due to cardiac concerns and am following the Esselstyn diet. I am concerned that introducing nuts would be going backward. I would like to see a nut trial done on two groups of whole food plant-based eaters.Why do many plant-based whole foods doctors such as McDougall, Esselystein, and Ornish recommend that we stay away from nuts?Because nuts are high in fat and cause weight gain if over consumed just like every other food – why are nuts magical of all things? Most studies controlled the weights of the patients so they didn’t gain weight. Very misleading.Esselstyn and Ornish advise coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis) patients. They recommend that those patients eschew (which means, of course, “not chew”!) nuts because of their fat content; they believe that fat of any kind should be very limited for CAD patients.They both need to update their recommendations in light of recent research.Yes, this is the question I have. I am trying to reverse heart disease and am a runner so I do eat nuts not a lot but a small amount to help with my training… but if the nuts are so good why are they not good to use in reversing heart disease as you have pointed out in the M E and O works on reversal……????? BTW the WFPBD is a wonderful journey and lifestyle plan…. I feel like a million bucks!!I prefer to go the nutty route. However, some of Esselstyn’s patients experience angina when they eat nuts/avocado/olives, even when whole.Nuts, like other high fat foods, can be a trigger for acid reflux– which can be mistaken for angina or other heart pain. My partner, without known CAD, is very sensitive to reflux, and has difficulty with nuts. (Ironically, he would actually like to gain weight.) Might it be that some of Esseslstyn’s patients who report angina when they eat nuts/avocado/olives could be experiencing reflux, rather than renewed angina? The question might be difficult to answer. Perhaps distinguishing between chest pain that occurs shortly after occasional nut ingestion and chest pain after an extended period of nut eating might be suggestive.to reverse heart disease nuts are not on ornishes or esselstyns list of foods, it is difficult to get the total fat down to 10% of dietary intake if nuts or avocados are consumed, or dairy, it is the 10% reduction that reverses heart disease, reading ross hornes experience with pritikin, he figured that after 2 years on a 10% low fat,low sugar, the arteries begin to unload the plaque, read ross hornes book “you can do better than pritikin.”also what reverses an illness may also prevent it.I’m about to post the text below to my Tumblr. Your post inspired it:Is it really the 10% fat content of the Ornish/Esselstyn diet which causes the regression of arterial plaques? Or is it, instead, the type of fat eaten that makes the difference rather than the fat percentage?Or…Is it actually the reduction of LDL and inflammation of a whole foods, plant-based diet that reverses the disease process?Revelatory research done by the Cleveland Clinic with high dose statins (80mg) and intravenous ultrasound (IVUS) gives us the answer:Coronary plaques were verified with IVUS to shrink when LDL was lowered to 60 mg/dl or below. In addition, the anti-inflammatory properties of the statins contributed even further to the reversal process. Even more plaque improvements were made with blood pressure reduction and blood sugar control in diabetics.Of course, they could have tested a WFPB diet, too, but what can one expect from a medical profession which has so little faith in supporting lifestyle change as the answer for most patients in a pill-popping culture and an obesegenic environment? These drug trials and IVUS technology at least confirm that actual atheroma regression is FACT, not fiction. Nor is it mere vegetarian/vegan propaganda. And that’s VERY exciting!!So how does a whole foods, plant-based diet reverse coronary vascular disease AND reduce cardiac mortality?(1) Dramatic reduction of LDL. (2) The anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic properties of copious and synchronous phytochemical compounds such as salicylic acid and others in their natural state, plus the absence of inflammatory endotoxins from animal foods. (3) The blood flow enhancement of nitric oxide generated by leafy green vegetables (a process which is augmented, btw, by sun exposure). (4) Lowered blood pressure lessens the constant physical trauma to arteries. (5) Natural blood sugar control and increase in insulin sensitivity. (6) Weight reduction further contributes biochemically to the decrease of endogenous saturated fat, LDL, blood pressure, insulin resistance, and inflammation.So this begs the question about the percentage of fat in the WFPB diet. Obviously, the less total fat in the diet, the less LDL-raising saturated fat there will be in the body. However, it seems that the inclusion of whole food polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat sources like nuts, seeds, and avocados may help lower LDL and inflammatory CRP’s even further [possibly speeding up atherosclerotic regression], as mentioned in this video by Dr. Joel Fuhrman:http://youtu.be/mdxVfi632XwDrs. McDougall, Mills, and Esselstyn also weigh in on the subject.Dr. Fuhrman expounds further in this video clip:http://youtu.be/x38WyAVTvYkOf course, it’s Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn who have the clinical studies behind them, but my personal lipid panel seems to favor Dr. Fuhrman’s and Dr. Greger’s approach…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/Your mileage may vary.BTW…IVUS is fascinating technology. Unlike thallium stress tests or angiograms which are two-dimensional and really show just blood-flow, intravenous ultrasound is 3D and images the actual plaque itself! IVUS reveals the amazing reason a person can have a heart attack days or weeks after plaques have NOT been detected by current diagnostic imaging in common use:Plaques begin by growing outward first before they ever encroach on blood flow inside the artery! Unstable plaques can kill without a single visible stenosis. Can you say Sudden Cardiac Death?Check out the Cleveland Clinic videos on this subject:Intravascular Ultrasound Insight into the Pathophysiology of Coronary Disease http://youtu.be/YfeCB-GHMvcFactors Driving Progression and Regression of Coronary Plaques http://youtu.be/7CHuHPtIHBsNew Targets for Anti-Atherosclerotic Therapy http://youtu.be/4K3lv5tOCA0Caveat: The HDL-raising drug mentioned in the 3rd video was pulled by the manufacturer due to increased mortality.GO PLANTS INSTEAD!!!Thank you MacSmiley for sharing your insights, so interesting indeed.hi macsmiley great post very interesting, just like to add one thing, according to essestyn and ornish, also I believe, the ldl in low fat vegans can be not very low, esselstyn says “because the total fat is so low ( below 150 is the magic number) the hdl does not need to be so high to control the ldl. they also used to notice less white blood cell activity, this was a concern until it was realized? it is animal products that have a greater need for more infection control with all the added toxins, I do not have the link to this, any of esselstyns talks should reveal it, especially his talks with dr hans Diehl…I’ve heard that HDL doesn’t have to be high with low LDL. But doctors in practice don’t seem to be comforted by this. It surely doesn’t hurt to raise HDL with exercise and healthy weight loss, lowering triglycerides, since there is a relation to TG and HDL, especially with metabolic syndrome.As for white blood cell activity, I couldn’t be sure on that. Since CVD is an inflammatory process, I assume less LDL in one’s artery walls would equate to a reduced need for WBCs.Anyone else with expertise who can comment on this?Q, As I understand, Dr. Esselstyn asserts that all oils damage the endothelial cells that line our vasculature and produce nitric oxide, a powerful vasodilator that increases blood flow and lowers blood pressure. Below are links to some interesting reading on endothelial function and nut consumption, from which you may draw your own conclusions about eating nuts. Happy you are feeling great on WFPB diet. Don’t look back, keep it up!https://circ.ahajournals.org/content/115/10/1285.fullhttp://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/5/1649S.fullThanks, this really helps a lot….. Love the info and the WFPBD….No problem. In case you haven’t seen this, here’s Dr. and Mrs. Esselstyn at their best imho:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6pLRdawBw0When Dr. Ess talks about ‘strengthening the cap on your plaque,’ I’m pretty sure he’s referring to ‘laminar shear strength’ discussed in this article:http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/18/5/677.longBTW, in trying to provide an intelligent answer to your question, I have learned a great deal myself. Thanks!I love this man, Dr. Esselstyn…erudite and passionate about his message! awesome! thank you!I was looking at Dr. Esselstyn’s cholesterol data for his original patients, and I had to wonder if their LDL numbers would have been even lower, and thus their atherosclerotic regression even more extensive had they been consuming an ounce of nuts every day.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/Some of Esselstyn’s cardiac patients experience angina when they eat nuts/avocado/olives, even when whole.Sorry I posted this below under the wrong comment.My doc told me to avoid nuts also, but it was not about fat–rather rancidity. I have to say I can’t dispute this, unless you get the nuts fresh from their shell.Most nut studies (sponsored by nut industry) controlled people’s weight during the study. So if they started gaining weight, they cut back on their calories. And then we say nuts don’t cause weight gain. See how that works? As scientists do we think calories ie energy from nuts disappears magically in the body?Will, you are correct re the disappearing calories act. However, ( and it may have been shown in the study ) if the same caloric content was supplied as oil in place of nuts, the weight gain would probably have been noticed. Hence, the ‘magic’ of nuts and their little fibrous bodies.We need to be a little skeptical here. the nut eaters also consumed more fruit and vegetablesbaseline , Med +OO, Med+nutsNuts, g/day 0, 4.9 ± 2.3 , 25.7 ± 14.4 Veg, g/day 317 ± 144, 329 ± 145, 355 ± 149 Fruit, g/day 344 ± 200, 354 ± 195, 407 ± 204all p<0.001On the other hand total caloric intake was highest for Med +nutsTotal energy intake, g/day 2,060 ± 529, 2,222 ± 514, 2,416 ± 537no info on weight gain but I did email the authors.I believe it was Dr. Fuhrman who said that not all of the nut/seed is digested by the body, and thus not all of the calories are absorbed. What is undigested is eliminated in the stool.You are correct about the RD’s in those studies adjusting calories to offset nut consumption. Nuts, because they are so calorie dense, tend to addictive. For tens of millions of years primates had to struggle to get enough calories to survive. This food scarcity left us with a hardwired instinct to get as many calories as we could whenever available. Overeating nuts adds way to much fat to the diet. Most of that fat is N6 and as that N6/N3 ratio tips further pro-inflammatory cytokines ensue. They are OK if you can limit yourself to 1 or 2 ounces daily. If you can’t, skip them. Seeds like flax and chia would be a far better choice being very high in ALA.I agree. I skip nuts altogether and only consume flax, chia and pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin will not screw up your N6/N3 balance, they are 4-1 N6 to N3. And as a weightlifting male I benefit from the high zinc levels in pumpkin seeds. Also pumpkin seeds are 21% protein, the highest of all seeds/nuts.Hi Ben, by my calculations, the omega 6:3 ratio in pumpkin seeds is about about 175:1. Did you calculate the 4:1 ratio yourself or read it somewhere?Walnuts do have a ratio of 4:1 if you happen to enjoy those.Yep, you are right, thanks for the correction. I am eating them very sparingly, though, so they still don’t disrupt my omega 3/6 balance and my total fat % is still at around 15%. Thanks again for the correction.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/The reason, IMO, that the people did not gain weight on the nuts or lost weight on the nuts, is because the nut consumption improved the quality of their diet. These are just mainstream folks in these studies, consuming a SAD. I know from personal experience, adding handfuls of nuts to my diet will only put extra fat around my waistline.We all react differently to foods, of course. The operative word here may be handfuls (plural) versus carefully measured amounts.One of my most used kitchen tools is my OXO food scale which helps me not only manage my caloric intake but, just as importantly, my finances by controlling my serving sizes.My initial weight loss came from a financially lean period whereby I ended up measuring serving sizes to get the designated number of servings off the Nutrition Facts panel from my boxes of shredded wheat and whole wheat pasta! :-DNot all the studies were isocaloric. Two years ago, Dr Greger did an extensive review of a truckload of studies. It’s well worth watching.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/You haven’t watched ALL of Dr. Greger’s videos on nut studies, have you? Otherwise, you would not have made that comment.At least watch this one:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/You can do your own homework for his related series of videos afterwards.Sorry for double posting that link. When first posted, the comment shows directly underneath yours. But later on, when you come back to the page, the comment drops to the bottom of all the replies. Disqus has no delete button.Can we assume the same benefits from seed consumption?Even better benefits from seed consumption. Dr. Fuhrman has long advocated seeds over nuts as the ideal choice. Furhman says we should consume G-Bombs every day. G (greens) B (beans) O (onions) M (mushrooms) B (berries) S (seeds).Yeah, sure, if Dr. Fuhrman (or any other vegan low-fat diet guru) says so – who needs any studies…Fuhrman says so for two reasons. #1 seeds are more nutrient dense then nuts. #2 easier to maintain ideal ratio of omega 6/3. Anyone who knows anything about Dr. Fuhrman knows he does a good job of evaluating the latest science.I would say Dr. Fuhrman does a great job in making pointless generalizations which are obviously not based on latest science but on… whatever.I don’t really consider Fuhrman a “low-fat” guy. He’s as gaga for nuts and seeds as McDougall is for potatoes. He is against oil, but I think that’s more an issue of the low nutrient density than the fat content. And even then, he says it’s fine to eat it (or any other of the non-recommended foods) as long as it amounts to less than 10% of your calories.Dr. Fuhrman — Value of High Fat Foodhttp://youtu.be/x38WyAVTvYkPlant-based, yes, but animal foods on his “nutritarian” program are allowed in limited amounts.Best part: Your body really thrives on a mainly plantbased diet – and a bonus: You live longer! What many people misunderstand: WFPD is NOT about missing something, but gaining something – energy and well-being.Nuts appear to be very healthy. We have a randomized trial to prove it: PREDIMED. It shows especially benefit for non-fatal stroke.Although this study doesn’t directly address vegans, it shows that nus are certainly better than most of the junk that folks usually eat, and my be helpful for people whose cardiovascular heath is somewhat compromised. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/5/1649S.full.pdf+htmlIs it the omega 3 in nuts or some other ingredients the provide the benefits? Dr Esselstyn avoids nuts for cardiac patients, other may have some. Ditto for McDougall, Barnard, Novick (1 oz/day). Most limit fats to 10% of calories on their low fat, Whole Food, plant-based diet (low salt, oil, sugar). Walnuts would be the healthiest nut due to their 4:1 omega 6: omega 3 ratio, but flaxseed even better (1:4), plus other benefits. Studies done on healthy Whole Food, low fat, plant-based vegans seems lacking, so hard to compare different populations….MikeAnother blog Dr. Greger did specifically pointed to magnesium as a key nutrient in cardiac health.http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/08/magnesium-to-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/Its probably not the omega-3:omega-6 ratio of nuts, because with the possible exception of walnuts (1:4), the ALA:LA ratio of nuts is mostly poor. Peanuts are equally effective in mortality reduction, and their ALA:LA ratio is a terrible 1:500.Its more plausible that nuts are functioning as a magnesium and vitamin E supplement, as deficiencies of these two nutrients are widespread, and nuts are fairly good sources. However if this is their primary mechanism wheat germ may offer similar benefits with fewer calories.you did not emphasize that the nuts should be fresh and natural! not Roasted.IMO, while adding nuts to the average diet seems to have benefits, adding them to a low-fat, low-protein 80/10/10-style vegan diet may be detrimental. In comparison to fruits and veggies, nuts have higher protein thus should raise IGF and nuts contain more PUFAs which are prone to oxidation.Low-Fat or Whole Food? Which type of plant-based diet has been shown to maximize cholesterol reduction?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/For me personally, a fruit & veggie diet reduces cholesterol level the most. The addition of beans increases it slightly. Olive oil raises it more. Meat & dairy, the most.Wow, that’s a shame about that first group. I wonder if they were able to gain back the lost life-span once they restarted eating nuts. Hopefully!I think there is much less of a true debate surrounding nut consumption than there appears to be in the WFPB diet world. Esselstyn, McDougall, Furhman, Greger, and Barnard all maintain that 1 oz of nuts or seeds daily is fine.There are variations on a theme: Furhman essentially requires 1 oz daily, Greger appears to condone a slightly higher amount (“1-2 handfuls”), McDougall has doubts about whether people can practically limit themselves to only 1 oz at a time, and Esselstyn forbids them to the segment of the population actively trying to reverse CVD.So for anyone who doesn’t have active heart disease, eating 1 oz nuts or seeds daily is condoned pretty much across the board.b00mer: Just to add to your excellent post – Even Jeff Novick who did the “From Oil to Nuts” DVD, going into great detail about the problems with nuts (calories and too many omega 6’s) says right there in that video that 1-2 ounces of nuts in the context of a healthy whole plant food based diet is fine.I feel that sometimes discussions nuts are really distractions from the main diet issues that face us.Tone and attitude is everything in a message. I believe all the current research in favor of the health benefits of nuts and seeds should make each and every one of these doctors encourage nuts and seeds in their preferred doses, not just allow them or discourage them with exceptions, and that includes Dr. Esselstyn’s cardiac patients. They are missing out on some extremely cardiac-beneficial nutrients.Roasted or raw (and peanuts should be roasted), recommending nuts in their natural state while discouraging oily, salted nuts is not such a hard thing to do. Drs. Fuhrman and Greger do it all the time.MacSmiley: I need to give your post some more thought in order to form a personal opinion, but I wanted to thank you for your post as it is certainly a legitimate thought. Thanks.Dr. Fuhrman recommends nuts and seeds even to those with active cardiovascular disease. However, he discourages snacking or eating out of the bag.I take umbrage at Drs. McDougall and Dr. Esselstyn’s openly-admitted lack of faith in the self-control of their patients. It takes away “the locus of control”, as Dr. Esselstyn likes to say, away from the patient. If he can get the NO OILS message through to people, he can communicate ONLY ONE OUNCE OF NUTS just as well.It’s very easy to measure out an ounce or a quarter cup of nuts. Avocado is more challenging to measure, but not impossible.But Fuhrman is really unique because he says a diet 40% in fat can still be a healthy diet. I am not sure any of the other doctors would agree with him on that. But he might be right, who knows. I think you would have to really increase your veggie consumption to make a 40% fat diet work, though, and most would probably not want to consume that many veggies day in, day out. That’s a lot of chewing, of course, you could use the blender to help out with that.I think the title of this should read, “Nuts May Help Postpone Death.” Because if they actually prevent it, then this is your most awesome video ever!! :-)ROTFLOL!I think this McDougall’s article is very interesting: http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/nov/nuts.htmThe date on that article is 2009. I hope Dr. McDougall has updated his viewpoint by now in light of more recent studies.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/Alessio: Great article. Thanks for sharing.My thoughts: I don’t think it necessarily contradicts Dr. Greger’s viewpoint. Dr. Greger might recommend more nuts and seeds than Dr. McDougall, but neither of them would recommend a diet based primarily on nuts and seeds. And Dr. McDougall does talk about the nutritional benefits of nuts/seeds. McDougall is just concerned with the fat content and people eating too much. That’s my take-away anyway.Thanks again for the article. I liked it.I once did a diet based on nuts, seeds and oil. It was a raw foods diet. I would make these labor intensive meals. I experienced rapid weight loss, too much actually, and I started experiencing brain fog. I was probably consuming about 80% fat. My only carbs were from the limited fruit. I wonder if I was in that ketosis state? Well, everyone said I looked terrible, emaciated. That was many years ago, though. You live and you learn. Now I don’t trust diet philosophies. Give me the science.http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/nov/nuts.htmdr mcdougall suggests not eating nuts because of their fat and protein content. can you comment on this any how it is different from this video you made? thanksIn light of more recent research, I hope Dr. McDougall has updated his advice. That article is 5 years old already.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/Interestng phrase,Nuts May Help Prevent Death Can death ever actually be prevented? I know what you mean though. Thanks for the awesome videos and information.Arg. I’m so confused. Nuts have high levels of AGEs (glycotoxins), which you’ve talked about as bad, but now nuts are supposedly good! Haha. Do I embrace my heavy peanut/almond/cashew/walnut snacking or not?Don’t worry. Be happy. Eat an ounce a day, plus a tablespoon or two of ground flaxseeds. Explore different kinds (but keep Brazil nuts down to 1-2/day so as not to OD on selenium). Your heart and other parts will thank you. ;-)I’m confused as well. Esselstyn and Ornish have successfully used a low fat vegan diet to reverse coronary arterial disease (CAD) in which they eliminated oils and restricted nut and seed consumption. Eliminating or at least severely restricting oil consumption is probably a very good thing. It’s difficult not to take these results lightly because most of us have been eating the SAD diet so most of us have arterial plaques, and would benefit from disease reversal that that the Ornish/Esselstyn diet have delivered. That being said, nut and seed consumption is not necessarily problematic.What concerns me is an article published in vegsource.com by Jeff Nelson, who advocate the afore mentioned diet, reviews 22 studies that were funded by the nut industry and concludes that nut consumption does cause weight gain.The article is “Nuts & Weight Gain: It’s Worse Than We Thought” http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/08/nuts-weight-gain-its-worse-than-we-thought.htmlI like nuts and seeds as part of my whole plants vegan diet, and eat them daily, but I do keep a close eye on my total calorie intake, fat intake and composition and percentage of calories consumed. Ideally, I would like to stop calorie counting, but my weight is stable, and I have not great desire to eat outside the parameters that I have set for myself because I find my diet to be satisfying. Actually, with the inclusion of nuts, seeds and avocados, I find my diet to be down right decadent…As long as you’re maintaining a healthy weight, I wouldn’t worry about the decadence factor. :-Dhttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/I wish all the freaks here would shut the fuck up. if you don’t do high output physical activity, nobody gives a shit what your gimp ass has to say about your shitty eating regime.Thanks for the info. Also pumpkin seeds are great at providing zinc. But with most of us consuming a lot of beans maybe zinc is not a concern. But with male athletes sometimes low zinc can be an issue.Can you clarify the health benefits of eating nuts? I watched your video that mentioned that Kaiser Permanente is promoting a plant based diet ( AWSOME) In their brochure that outlines the plant based diet, it said that ” people with heart disease may want to avoid or limit nuts, seeds, and other fats and oils”. Is this just their version on the diet?, which is great, but are nuts ok for people trying to reverse CAD.Seems like Dr. Greger is pro nuts for our diet. The arguments he makes for nuts can be made for fatty meat. He is evolving to the dark side.During my university studies the mycotoxin content of nuts have been stressed and therefore it was advised against nut consumption. Longterm intake of even low doses of mycotoxins can have detrimental effects on health. My question to Dr. Greger would be: How can the putative positive effects of nut consumption be reconciled with the knowledge that nuts are likely to be contamined with mycotoxins (even if they cannot be always seen with the naked eye).So what is the best way to eat nuts? Should they be soaked and then eaten? Should they be dry roasted and eaten? Or should they be soaked and then dehydrated in the oven for 24 hours or until dry and then eaten?Raw! You can soak if you want, many people do. I just eat them raw seems to do the trick. Lightly roasted is fine, too.	abdominal fat,aging,almonds,blood sugar,body fat,brazil nuts,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cashews,chestnuts,cholesterol,chronic diseases,diabetes,fat,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,longevity,lung disease,lung health,macadamia nuts,mortality,nuts,obesity,olive oil,oxidative stress,peanuts,pecans,pine nuts,pistachios,prediabetes,PREDIMED,smoking,stroke,walnut,weight loss	Just a few small servings of nuts a week may increase our lifespan and lower cancer risk.	More on nuts and heart disease in my videos Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering and How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?More on nuts and cancer in Tree Nuts or Peanuts for Breast Cancer Prevention?Nuts and inflammatory disease: Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell.More than you ever wanted to know about nuts and weight here: Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence.What if your physician tells you to not eat nuts because you have diverticulosis? Share this video with them: Diverticulosis & Nuts.Those 100 pistachios a day may have one side-effect, though: Pistachio Nuts for Erectile Dysfunction.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chestnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/predimed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pistachios/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pecans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pine-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnut/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brazil-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cashews/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/macadamia-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22472037,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23866098,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23595878,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23044160,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24256379,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23866107,
PLAIN-2625	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/	Turmeric Curcumin Reprogramming Cancer Cell Death	The anticancer effects of the turmeric pigment curcumin extend well beyond its ability to block carcinogens. The anticancer effects of curcumin mainly result from the multitude of ways it regulates programmed cell death.It is estimated that the human body consists of 10 or so trillion cells, that's a million million. Almost all of these cells get turned over within approximately 100 days. We're like a new person, every three months. We reinvent ourselves physically. And since we're just physically made of air, water, and food—those are the only inputs, you are what you eat literally, physically. In a sense our body has to rebuild itself every three months with the building materials we deliver to it through our stomach. Our mouths are like the access road to the continual construction site to our body. Trucks roll in three times a day. What do we want them to deliver? Some shoddy cheap stuff we scrounged around for or bought at the discount outlets that's just going to fall apart? Or do we want to build our foundation solid? We are each walking around inside the greatest known architectural structures in the universe. Let's not ruin such grand blueprints by consuming crap.Anyway, we only own the biological real estate we're born with, so if we need to rebuild every three months, we also need a wrecking crew. If we're replacing 10 trillion cells every hundred days, that means we have to kill off like 100 billion cells every day. Out with the old, in with the new.We do that primarily through apoptosis, pre-programmed cell death, from the Greek ptosis, meaning falling, and apo, away from, it's our cells falling away from our body. For example, we all used to have webbed fingers and toes. Literally. Each one of us in the womb until about 4 months, when apoptosis kicks in, and the cells in the webbing in between kill themselves off to separate our fingers.Some cells overstay their welcome, though, like cancer cells. They don't die when they're supposed to by somehow turning off their suicide genes. What can we do about that? Well, one of the ways curry kills cancer cells is by reprogramming the self-destruct mechanism back into cancer cells. Let me just run through one of these pathways.FAS, is a so-called death receptor, which activates the FAS associated death domain, along with death receptor five, and death receptor four. FADD then activates caspase-8, which ignites the death machine, and kills the cell. Where does curry powder fit into all this?In cancer cells, curcumin, the pigment in the spice turmeric that makes curry powder yellow, upregulates and activates death receptors, as has been demonstrated in human kidney cancer cells as well as skin cancer, and nose and throat cancer.It can also activate the death machine directly, as has been shown in lung cancer and colon cancer. Caspases are so-called executioner enzymes, that when activated, destroy the cancer cell from within by chopping up proteins left and right, kind of death by a thousand cuts.And that's just one pathway. Here's all the other ways curcumin can affect apoptosis. And here's all the different types of cancer cells curcumin can kill, but it tends to leave normal cells alone for reasons that are not fully understood. Overall, this review showed that curcumin can kill a wide variety of tumor cell types through diverse mechanisms. And it's because curcumin can affect numerous mechanisms of cell death at the same time, it's possible that cancer cells may not easily develop resistance to curcumin-induced cell death, like they do to most chemotherapy. Furthermore, its ability to kill tumor cells and not normal cells makes curcumin an attractive candidate… for, supper? Can't make money on some spice you can buy anywhere. No, an attractive candidate for drug development.	Turmeric good for me. Better combined with pepper. I get it. Great! Thanks for the precious info. Now, not knowing where to ask I will simply use this space. What about glucosamine? There’s no mention of it on this site though it’s a very popular supplement. Any words of wisdom on this topic?Veganwannabe: I understand your question and your curiosity makes sense. However, I would suggest a different approach to the topic: There are *lots* of supplements out there. Rather than try to address every one, Dr. Greger has a couple videos where he shows that in general, supplements tend to do nothing at best and often enough, harm us. And that’s for the supplements that we actually have data on.So, rather than try analyze every supplement, Dr. Greger analyzed the evidence and came up with a diet he thinks is most likely to make you healthy and avoid the major diseases. This diet includes only those supplements which are necessary and/or proven for healthy outcomes. Glucosamine is not on that list. If you would like to see Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations, here they are:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/No one is perfect. Perhaps something is missing from Dr. Greger’s recommendations. But for now, this is Dr. Greger’s thoughts on what constitutes healthy substances to put in our body.Hope that helps.Hi thanks for the reply. I read the recommendations and I’m confused over the omega question. Having watched one of Dr Greger’s annual videos, I remember he mentioned that as long as you take two tablespoons of flax each day, (and B12 vitamin) then you don’t need to take other supplements. I assumed this settled the omega issue. Am I missing something?Veganwannabe: I know that Dr. Greger recommends 2 Tbls flax a day, but I didn’t think it necessarily had to do with omega 3. NutritionFacts has a great series of videos on flaxseeds and there is lots of good reasons to make m them part of your diet.While I am not an expert, I have read what I can about the omega 3 issue as well as watched videos on this site and talks by Jeff Novick (ya gotta see his talk, From Oil To Nuts) and a talk posted on YouTube from Dr. Greger on the subject. Here’s how I have synthesized the information:1) omega 6 and omega 3 fats are essential fats because our body does not make these fats. We need to get both of them from our diet.2) There is an enzyme that converts the omega 3 and omega 6 (and other polies?) fats into substances that our bodies need. (ADA, PG, EPA and DHA).3) But there is a limited amount of of those enzymes and if you get too much omega 6, your body does not end up converting enough of the omega 3 to get what we need and the result is chronic inflammation. (or something like that)4) In a ***truly*** healthy diet, you would get the correct amounts and ratio of omega 6 to 3 fats. And you would not need to take a supplement. At most, with such a healthy diet you could take a tablespoon or so of flaxseed every day as added insurance.5) Most Americans do not eat a truly healthy diet, including many/most? vegans. Even people who try to eat mainly whole plant foods tend to consume too much oil and the wrong kind of nuts, both of which have alarmingly large amounts of omega 6 fats compared to the omega 3. Another problem with many diets is not enough greens.6) Thus, as insurance, some experts like Dr. Greger, recommend that you take a plant-derived DHA (and maybe EPA) supplement. Doing so could have huge healthy impacts, including protecting your heart–even for people who identify as whole plant food based eaters.That’s my 2 cents. I don’t speak for Dr. Greger and can’t say that this is exactly what he is thinking. It’s just what I understand. Given the above points, assuming they are right, you can decide for yourself whether or not it makes sense to take a DHA supplement.Hope that helps.Veganwannabe: Dang, I forgot to address why I think that the flaxseed recommendation from Dr. Greger does not necessarily have to do with the omega 3 issue.NutritionFacts has a video that talks about our body’s ability to convert the omega 3s in flaxseed to EPA and DHA. If memory serves, that video concludes that our bodies may not be able to convert enough to be helpful or enough that we can rely on the flaxseed alone.But in my opinion, that conclusion is probably based on studies of people who do not eat truly healthy diets – where the omega 6 and omega 3 is kept at less than or equal to a 4 to 1 ratio. It’s my guess that a healthy body eating a healthy diet will already be getting enough omega 3 or close enough that the flaxseed conversion is actually helpful/good enough.Again, that’s just my thoughts, not necessarily based on actual studies.Thea, I always find your comments SO helpful! Thank you!Tommasina: That means a lot coming from you. I also get a lot of benefit from your comments. Thanks!Since going vegan 8 months ago I’ve noticed I’ve developed progressive cold intolerance to the point of having to wear several shirts both day and night under my sweater. I suspect that it is related to iodine uptake in my thyroid gland. I consume raw cruciferous vegetables (mainly broccoli) at the same time I take my iodine supplement, and it’s possible that the goitrogens are blocking iodine uptake at the gland. I can’t otherwise explain the major degree of cold intolerance I have developed, unless it’s a marker of subclinical hypothyroidism.I have heard that you should wait several hours after taking thyroid medications before eating cruciferous veggies, just for the reasons you mentioned. Why not give that a try? Couldn’t hurt.Have you lost weight? Being leaner can make us more sensitive to cold temperatures.Yes I’ve lost weight, but in my hands and feet, and it’s often my extremities that are the most cold. Thanks.I’m glad u mentioned this cause I have hypothyroidism, and has suddenly got worse after having a daily kale smoothy in the morning for last 4 months. I will have to stop and see if It improves.Could you suggest an approximate amount of turmeric that would be good to consume on a daily basis? Thanks.less than a teaspoon, or a slice of fresh tumeric with a little pepperI have been taking liquid Turmeric purchased from a Health Food Store. Any thoughts on this?One thing I feel is so important about your work is that you can take very complex subjects and explain them in general terms where we all can understand. That takes a special gift and I, as always, appreciate your work and effort! Now if we could add some Blueberries to the Tumeric we would have some Green Antioxidants to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day (for the Catholics). Or just keep it Orange to celebrate St. Paddy’s day for the Protestants. Either way it’s a plant based liquid! ;-) Yes I also know there is yeast “poop” in there as well (alcohol).I am treating triple negative breast cancer with alternative measures only. No surgery, no chemo no radiation. I would love any comments with regards to curcumin usage and other possible therapies for someone traveling down the lonely and exciting road of alternative healing.You are not alone. Have you seen Ruth Heidrich’s pages? http://ruthheidrich.com/With respect I would suggest that you find drs you can work with. They have a lot up their sleeves…even metformin could work synergistically with a whole foods diet.Yes, Coacervate, I have actually emailed Ruth Heidrich. The difference is that she had surgery/lumpectomy. I chose to forego any surgery after the core needle biopsy. I have not heard of metformin. I will research it. Thanks.So have I done the same and written a book about it, A Cancer Answer, Holistic BREAST Cancer Management, A Guide to Effective & Non-Toxic Treatments available on Amazon.com. It’s the only way to go for no toxic side effects and treatments. The book is written in three parts with the third part discussing resources. Regarding curcumin, I take six capsules a day. I wish you the best in healing.Thanks, Catherine, I will check out your book. My best to you for continued good health. Also will up my curcumin dosage. Have you or anyone tried essaic tea for treatment of cancer? I realize the immune system has to be strong and protective to ward off metastasizing of cancer cells.I cured myself from cancer 13 years ago and am still well today. I had a lumpectomy only. no chemo or radiation. I eliminated all animal source foods (meat dairy and eggs and embraced a whole food plant based diet and daily exercise regimen. If I had cancer today I would go to Dr John Mcdougall’s 10 day program and learn in depth how to use food as medicine. Also read Dr Neal Barnards Cancer Survivors Guide. Be wary or thinking that because something says alternative that it is a magic bullet. Keep researching. God Bless. JudyJuiceJudyJuice, Wow, 13 years ago! Congratulations on curing yourself! Someone else recommended speaking to Dr. McDougall. Since I was already a vegan when the cancer was diagnosed late last year, I initially felt bewildered as to what the heck to do now. So I immediately stopped consuming sugar. Thanks for the book referrals. I am interested in any other insight and feedback from this most helpful forum. Thanks.Vegan31, do you mean you stopped consuming REFINED sugar? am hoping that’s the case…I gave up refined sugar about 10 years ago but just would like clarification…GOOD for you and Judy Larson…WOOT!Yes, Val, I gave up refined sugar and all fruit. I am trying to take in zero glucose and fructose since I have read cancer cells feed on sugar. I also read all food becomes sugar at some point after metabolism, so I am trying to carefully watch any sugar intake. Have you experience noticeable results due to your 10 year abstinence from refined sugar?others user told you some great advice… i would suggest you if you could to check out the story of Rick Simpson and his oil… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGjC4HReFL0 this is only one story… there is the essiac way that you have mentioned (but i do not study yet)… even the fasting option integrated with a Calorie and Methionine Restriction Plan Based Diet could work well… have you done a PET ? You have my deepest sympathy and really hope you will heal soon. Best regardsMerio, I am eager to watch this video and read more on the story of Rick Simpson. I listened to a few minutes but wanted to take a second to thank you for forwarding this info. I am familiar with the fasting and Ketogenic Therapy but have not been able to fast for long periods yet. I have not heard of Methionine Restriction. I have not had a PET. I guess I am afraid of radiation going into my system. I really appreciate having this info, Merio. THANKS!Well… methionine restriction was the subject of dr greger video time ago, but it’s not difficult to follow… for the pet it’s not a problem, but it gives valuable info if your cancer is glucose dependent… i suggest anyway to follow the suggestion of Seedycharacter… find an oncologist specialized in nutrition…. maybe the American College for advancement in medicine is a good place where to find… hope this will help….Merio, are you saying that radiation from the PET is not a problem? Could it be that all or most cancers are glucose dependent? I do miss eating fruit but if cancer cells feed on sugar I would like to think I am starving them to death by not consuming sugar. I am looking forward to watching that video you sent today.Radiation it’s a problem… high doses of radiation of course are to be avoided at all… for smaller doses i can’t say anything because i do not study the subject yet, even if Dr Greger made some video about this issue… oncology is such a difficult matter of science… Maybe a PET scan is not so dangerous, i’m not an expert, but one should know that is based on gamma ray detection… but it gives you valuable information because if you know where the tumour is and the PET says that is sugar dependent well, you know theoretically what to do (starve cancer cells minimizing sugar consumption)… All cancers are sugar dependent ? Nope, some kind of cancer (quite a few) is not, so patient needs other kinds of treatment… You know it’s difficult to advise someone about cancer… i read a lot of things, seen interesting documentary, but what about the real life ? I’m afraid to waste your precious time so it’s better if you find a good oncologist with many years of practice and with great knowledge about food action on human health…It would be wonderful to find an oncologist with years of knowledge about alternative cancer treatment with food, lifestyle and supplements.Cancer is definitely a tricky and serious topic.Vegan31: I highly recommend that you find an integrative oncologist in your area soon–do not try to figure this out by asking folks for their opinions on websites such as this. You’ll get 1001 opinions to sort through, some of which may be useless and even dangerous! Cancer is nothing to mess around with; you want someone qualified to give you individualized care and carefully explain the risks/benefits of your options.That said, I am going to be one of the 1001 folks to give you my opinion! (I was the executive director of WomenCARE, a resource center for women with cancer in Santa Cruz, CA for many years, so my opinion is based on some considerable experience.)Pay for a consultation with Ralph Moss who has been researching alternative and complementary approaches to cancer for decades. He reviews all of the research and prepares reports tailored to one’s diagnosis: http://cancerdecisions.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=86&products_id=288&zenid=1835d529e930771606c2e011f20029bdMy other highly recommended source is Dr. Jeanne Wallace, a PhD nutritionist who will also advise you around your options based on latest research: http://www.nutritional-solutions.netBoth Moss and Wallace are reputable and charge fair prices for what they deliver. There are many hucksters out there offering alternative treatments that are not at all research based.My last 2 cents: consider complementary and not purely alternative treatments. Do not summarily discard the options of surgery, chemo, and radiation. These treatments have their place for certain cancers at particular stages.All best to you in your healing journey.SeedyCharacter, I heartily welcome your advice! Thanks so very much for your comments. Doing this on my own is a daunting and scary undertaking. I will follow-up on your advice re. the two doctors, etc. Please throw in your “two cents” at any time. I will stay in touch with this forum for any feedback in the future, as well. The comments come to my email and I will not miss them.Also, if anyone else has any helpful suggestions and resources, please feel free to respond. I am open and desperate to find ways to make the “triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) leave my body. Mainstream physicians do not seem comfortable getting involved with me with regards to alternative protocols.Vegan 31: Thanks for your openness to my advice. Where do you live? Have you tapped into resources in your area (beyond the mostly useless ACS)? Another super resource for support for alternative/complementary/conventional treatments is Healing Journeys. They have an incredible annual conference. I notice they have a Cancer Fighting Kitchen conference coming up in Seattle. http://www.healingjourneys.org The book Anticancer is an amazing book. Not all of these resources advocate veganism, but all of them stress plant-based diets.SeedyCharacter, I live in the Boston MA. area. I am thankful to have discovered a raw food contingency in this area. I am so excited and energized by all of the resources you have sent my way. As my dear Mother used to say: “Thanks from the bottom of my heart “.Iodine 50mg s day for 3 mos. Bromide one min cause of breast cancer. Iodine gets bromide mercury a d fluoride out of the body.I knew what apoptosis was, knew some of the pathways you described but never put it all together like that. Bellissimo Paesono. Thank you.Think of all the people in the western world built of cheeseburgers, french fries, trans fats (in the brain instead of omega 3), sausage rolls, candy, food additives – no wonder their bodies doesnt work.Co-worker was recently diagnosed with stomach cancer after a false-negative 8 weeks ago…..I did NOT hear turmeric mentioned in this video for that cancer…should I encourage her to eat turmeric? She is undergoing chemo at this time…thanks anybody & everybody.If you do a search on Pubmed, you will find 27 studies on turmeric and stomach cancer. You may also want to find out what type of chemotherapy treatment she is engaged in and search in Pubmed for that form of chemo and turmeric and search for other dietary adjuvants associated with that form of chemotherapy. Turmeric may also help (along Piperine from Black Pepper) with gastric ulcers if that is a symptom she is dealing with.Devin, thank you thank you…I am not sure what condition they THOUGHT she had at first after the false-negative 8 weeks ago…SO much valuable time was lost (head in hands)…then she went to a different hospital, Moffitt Center in Tampa, and got the stomach cancer diagnosis…DEAR PEOPLE reading this: please eat right to PREVENT this disease…it is so scary about these wrong diagnoses. Devin, I will ask her supervisor what they THOUGHT she had…may have been ulcers. and I *will* check Pubmed. Hugs to you for your guidance!ALSO: at 3:36 in Doc’s video, is there a way to magnify the list of the cancer cells curcumin can kill? Thanks again if anyone knows!Dr. Greger provides a link to the studies that he cites. In this case it is table #2 in the 2009 AAPS journal paper (3rd from the bottom)….click “Sources Cited”.The video was very informative. But the question I have is whether the testing was done with tumeric curcumin supplements or simply tumeric powder we would use with food. I use tumeric on food as most people do and would rather not use supplements. It would be nice to know what general amount of daily tumeric would help us and how little would be not enough.less than a teaspoon, or a slice of fresh tumeric with a little pepperThis video needs a Dragon Ball Z animation, quick!! Amazing how the cellular world is so interesting!! : ) That’s just for the part of the tumeric and the caspases and death receptors; the first part of the video has a great content for kids by itself, and grown-ups too, of course.This video deserves the effort of being translated to other languages, don’t you think? :) http://www.amara.org/en/videos/BqtXSReCM24z/info/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/May have skin cancer on my cheek; will see Dr tomorrow. If cancer I will tell Dr. I will try curcumin first. I eat only whole-food plant-based food…don’t know why cancer got started, may be sun-damaged cells could not use the phyochemicals to block cancer.Calvin: I’m so sorry to hear about your potential diagnosis. I’m hoping that the test shows you are fine.Either way, I think you might find it helpful to watch Dr. McDougall’s talk on Why Did Steve Jobs Die – simply because Dr. McDougall talks about a person who mostly ate a whole plant food based diet and still got cancer. It might answer your question about why a person might still get cancer even if she/he eats the best diet. (Not that anything bad will happen to you! I suggest this video only to try to answer your question.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81xnvgOlHaYGood luck to you. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.Sorry to hear that… i’m not an oncologist, just a very young biotechnologist that read a lot and i could suggest you to watch this video and maybe talk with your doctor about this issue:this man seems to have a lot of experience with hemp oil…Dr said this was a quack; so I left and will treat with turmeric curcumin. All Dr. wanted to do was cut it off.Calvin, in addition to trying curcumin, you might want to check out the results skin cancer patients have had using the sap from petty spurge to treat lesions. And it’s a weed that grows widely, so there’s no need to line manufacturer’s pockets.Here’s a link to one thread discussing how-to’s and results: http://www.topicalinfo.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=273ThrivalistaPORTUGUESE_PORTUGAL SUBTITLES! Please upload: http://www.amara.org/en/videos/BqtXSReCM24z/info/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/What does Dr. Gregger think of today’s NYT article about this research? How to understand it and will my Dr. Perlmutter follower-friends think this confirms his positions?“But the new research, published on Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, did not find that people who ate higher levels of saturated fat had more heart disease than those who ate less. Nor did it find less disease in those eating higher amounts of unsaturated fat, including monounsaturated fat like olive oil or polyunsaturated fat like corn oil.”http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2014/03/17/study-questions-fat-and-heart-disease-link/?emc=edit_th_20140318&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=65896883The problem is, that is just one study. Here is a good discussion of this subject here: http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=15506You have to look at all of the evidence.Ben I agree with you. Though I think one additional variable is the failure to measure or difficulty in measuring consumption of unsaturated fat that is heated at high temperatures. Oxidative degradation of oil, accelerated by high heat cooking, is quite common among cooking methods utilized today and results in greater inflammation.McDougal just sent out a newsletter addressing this flawed study. It’s flawed because the researchers did not decrease the saturated fat content of the diets enough. Had they decreased the saturated fat content to the extent as seen in Esseltyn, etc., the improvement would have been there. It’s very typical and the mainstream new outlets love to grab hold of these things because they sell newspapers. People love to hear good news about their bad habits.Here is on comment on my query, Marcy!Love, GGayle Delaney, PhD YourSleepingGenius.com ChooseRomance.com 415-389-1218Thank you, Ben!http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm251639.htm Careful where you buy…!We don’t need to make money off curcumin we just need to inform the masses. Doctors write Rx or say just say it, “One teaspoon in water or food daily.”great vid! quick question: what about galangal root? i hear it’s healthy, similar to ginger or tumeric but i can’t find much info on it.Hi Dr. Greger thanks for the great work. The “New Perspectives” article seems to be discussing curcumin as a supplement or pill and references the poor absorption of the nutrient. In a past video you mentioned consuming curries with black pepper, does that help with the absorption of curcumin? Is there anything else that can help with this?I have read about turmeric supplements and powders being contaminated with unhealthy fillers and stuff. So I decided to make my own powder but thought some of the nutrients might be lost with the20 minute boiling and drying process. I now just make a yummy lemonade drink with raw turmeric root and some fresh pepper out of the grinder. I tastes great, is fast and easy to do, and is really delicious if you are thirsty or on a hot day. I will post the recipe below. I was wondering how much is a good amount for daily use as a supplement? Sometimes I have two of these a day– morning and late afternoon after dinner.One tall glass full of trader joe’s low calorie lemonade One whole lemon squeezed out Three to four twists of the pepper grinder One turmeric root peeled ( about the size of baby carrot) Blend in the blender 1 minute and drink ! Tastes great and is fresh.Good questions and thanks for reposting! I think using fresh powder is best, then you don’t have to worry about what’s in the supplements. I am also unsure of a proper amount, as the studies conducted vary on dosage. Dr. Greger addresses dosage in this video. See if that helps answer your question? Always great to ask your healthcare team about proper dosage if on a supplement. Let me know if this helps?Thanks, Joseph	aging,cancer,carcinogens,cell death,chemotherapy,colon cancer,colon health,curcumin,curry powder,kidney cancer,kidney health,lung cancer,lung health,medications,nasal cavity cancer,pregnancy,rectal cancer,skin cancer,skin health,spices,supplements,throat cancer,throat health,turmeric,water	The spice turmeric appears to be able to switch back on the self-destruct mechanism within cancer cells.	This is the last of a three part video series on turmeric and cancer. If you missed the first two, check out: Back to Our Roots: Curry and Carcinogen Blocking Effects of Turmeric Curcumin.Other herbs and spices such as garlic and amla may have similar selective effects against cancer cells.I talk more about this concept of “apoptosis,” programmed cell death in:What else can turmeric do? Here’s the videos I have so far (with more on the way!):Stay tuned for another 3-part cancer series coming soon:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nasal-cavity-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curry-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10812970,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15987718,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23466484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9894605,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20651361,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11716543,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20576468,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19590964,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17201158,
PLAIN-2626	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogen-blocking-effects-of-turmeric/	Carcinogen Blocking Effects of Turmeric	We are increasingly aware that plant-derived substances, often referred to as chemopreventive agents, substances that help prevent cancer, as opposed to chemotherapy, substances aimed at treating cancer. These substances are not only inexpensive, they are also easy available, and have no or limited toxicity.Since 1987, the National Cancer Institute has tested more than a thousand different potential agents for chemopreventive activity, of which only a few dozen were moved to clinical trials. Curcumin, present in the Indian spice turmeric, which is used in curry powder, is one such agent that is currently under clinical investigation for cancer chemoprevention.According to their mode of action, chemopreventive agents are classified into different subgroups: antiproliferatives, antioxidants, or carcinogen-blockers. Curcumin belongs to all three, given its multiple mechanisms of action.Curcumin appears to play a role helping to block every stage of cancer transformation, proliferation, and invasion, but may even help before carcinogens even get to our cells. A study back in 1987 investigated the effects of curcumin on the mutagenicity, the DNA mutating ability of several toxins, and they found that curcumin was an effective antimutagen against several environmental and standard mutagenic and cancer-causing substances, but this was in vitro, from the Latin meaning "in glass" meaning in a test tube or petri dish. What about in people? Well it's not like you take a group of people and expose them to some nasty carcinogen just so you can give half of them turmeric and see what happens. Well you could wait until some toxic waste spill happens or nuclear accident, but otherwise you're not going to find people who would voluntarily expose themselves to carcinogens, unless… smokers! We can just test it on smokers. They've got carcinogens coursing through their veins every day.If you take some smokers, and have them pee on some bacteria, this is the number of DNA mutations that arise. Remember, all life is encoded by DNA, whether bacteria, banana, or bunnyrabbit. It's easier though, when measuring urinary mutagens, to just pee on some bacteria.The urine of nonsmokers caused far fewer DNA mutations. Makes sense, they have fewer chemicals running through their system. And if you have them eat some turmeric for a month, nothing really happens. But what if you do the same for smokers? Fifteen days later they're down to here, and 30 days down to here. And this was not some concentrated curcumin supplement, but just plain turmeric like you'd buy at the store, and less than a teaspoon a day, indicating that dietary turmeric is an effective anti-mutagen. You'll note though, on this graph, that there's an even more effective anti-mutagen, not smoking. Even eating turmeric for a month, the DNA-damaging power of smoker pee exceeded that of nonsmokers.	I’m not a huge fan of the flavor of turmeric. I mix turmeric and black pepper and put the mixture into veg-caps. Does this deliver the same nutritional benefit as eating turmeric in food since this method bypasses the enzymes in the mouth. I’ve read that mouth enzymes start the breakdown of certain nutrients.I think Dr. Greger mentions in a previous video that turmeric/black pepper should be cooked to get most value.On the topic of digestion in the mouth, one of the benefits of consuming the actual food is that water-soluble nutrients are actually absorbed in the mouth, going directly into the blood stream, by-passing certain metabolic processes, through sublingual absorption. As Alex mentioned, cooking turmeric increases the water solubility of curcumin….Black pepper increases the bioavailability of turmeric and other chemicals in your food…So be sure that you are minimizing your use of plastics and consumption of animals products (especially fish) and conventional non-organic foods.I make a curry-hummus with chickpeas, lemon, black pepper, curry powder and turmeric. This is a good way to get the spices without having to cook.What?!? No garlic?Oh yes, garlic and tahini along with the spices.hell YES…get that raw garlic in there too!If you like extra sour/tart you might try a pinch of tartaric acid. I actually use pH meter to bring it down to 4 that way. We found it more “exciting” than overloading with lemon.What is your recipe for the hummus??BB: I also make a similar “curry” hummus, with a few tweaks: chickpeas/white beans, curry powder, garlic, soy sauce, sriracha, lime juice and zest. Great over rice and steamed broccoli. A few sesame seeds sprinkled atop is nice too. Good idea adding the black pepper. I never put pepper in my regular hummus so I never even thought of that. Will try it next time.Can I take cucurmin supplements and get the same cancer fighting effects as I would with the powder???This conclusion supports that old adage: you can’t eat a cheeseburger and take a pill.Funny, one of my co-workers (D.O.) says you can do this. He even told one of our patients (an elderly female >80 years old)) that if you don’t eat meat you will NOT get enough protein and your bones will break! Even made her cry. Unbelievable you may think, but true! He told her she is wasting her time with this plant-based stuff and put her back on Fish Oil and Statin’s even though she is now 99% low fat, plant based. Ridiculous!“Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can say Ni at will to old ladies.” Roger the Shrubber–The Holy Grail.Funny, one of my co-workers (D.O.) says you can do this. He even told one of our patients (an elderly female >80 years old)) that if you don’t eat meat you will NOT get enough protein and your bones will break! Even made her cry. Unbelievable you may think, but true! He told her she is wasting her time with this plant-based stuff and put her back on Fish Oil and Statin’s even though she is now 99% low fat, plant based. Ridiculous I say!“Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can say Ni at will to old ladies.” Roger the Shrubber–The Holy Grail.Let me guess – your co-worker is fat, hypertensive, on statins and general ignorant….Hehehe, +1Interestingly, he is not fat but he does take blood pressure and cholesterol medication. He does choose to remain ignorant because he likes eating meat so much. And if his ignorance is at the expense of his patients he doesn’t really care. We even created a before and after video for our office of the patients showing reversal of their diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, acid reflux, rheumatoid arthritis, and he has seen the video and seen our other patients and still says this to his patients. Oy vey!Sadly nothing new: “Louis Pasteurs theory of germs is ridiculous fiction” Professor Pierre Pachet, 1872.Glad you mentioned acid reflux. I didn’t realize it until I ran across a bottle of antacids but after a lifelong battle with heartburn it went away when I stopped eating meat. I was still eating fish, dairy and eggs but thanks to this site and Freeley the Bannana Girl https://www.youtube.com/user/Freelea I stopped eating all animal products in one day after trying to taper for a couple of years.HemoDynamic: That’s really such a tragic story. My heart feels so bad for that patient you talked about. Also, I feel bad for you because you see what is going on and it has to be frustrating.Well, your participation on this site is much appreciated by us more enlightened people. You definitely make a difference!That is very kind of you Thea. Yes it is very frustrating for me but I think more so for the patient. She is now thoroughly confused. She feels much better on the plant-based diet then she ever did eating The traditional American way but because of the doctor she is confused as to which way she should be eating. She even went from full-blown diabetic on multiple medications to now off all her medications and only in the prediabetic range. Sad, sad, sad that a physician places their ego and ignorance above the research.Has anyone suggested she goes to a different doctor, one that is not narrow minded and more into nutrition?Very good question and yes we did suggest that she see someone else and that someone else was actually me because I work in the same office. (We have a dietitian and that is what he recommended.) However she has had this physician for over 10 years and really likes him (?… That’s what she said) and is having a hard time making the decision to come see someone that supports her lifestyle rather than break off a long time relationship. For many of us we see that she has a choice but some people don’t see that they have that option.Yes!How do items such as tumeric SURVIVE the digestive process and find its way to the carcinogens in question?I’ll take a shot…the digestive process is focused on breaking down the 3 major food groups, fats, carbs and proteins. Most are macromolecules that need to be reduced to their constituent subunits so they can be absorbed and metabolized (or anabolized).Curcumin (from turmeric) is a relatively small, fat soluble molecule that is not a target for the digestive enzymes so it get absorbed along with other fats and fatty acids.I think.Big question for most followers of your work is: How important is such consumption if we have a very clean diet to begin with. Maybe just occasional use or very small amounts can be useful while regular consumption in higher amounts might not provide such a benefit???Piperine, the compound in black pepper that has the effect in question, increases the bioavailability of other nutrients too. For the vast majority of people increased absorption of curcumin, other curcuminoids, isothiocyanates (in cruciferous vegetables), catechins (such as EGCG) etc…would be of significant benefit, not just to avoid chronic and acute diseases, but for general immune system health as well.The way I look at it, most of my life I was exposed to carcinogenic chemicals, from not just food and packaging but from environmental toxins as well. Also, my parents consumed chemicals that were accumulated in their bodies and transferred to me in the placenta. I eat a clean diet today, however I likely have tumors that started growing years ago. So I eat turmeric and green tea leaves daily, and black pepper too, to enhance bioavailability.Do you mind if I ask what brand of Matcha you are consuming? I was using a brand that I think might be contaminated. The DNA brand on Amazon that is advertised as organic but really is not.I buy organic white tea from the Makaibari estate in India. You can special order it from Frontiercoop, either online or at your natural foods grocer.Just be sure to check the origin of the tea as, for example, they offer white tea from multiple sources. I add the white tea leaves to my daily smoothie and steep them to make tea as well.This link documents their sources: http://crc.frontiercoop.com/sellsheets/FR_TeaProgram_SS.pdfIf you value fresh tea a small company called “Silver Tips Tea” is the official importer for Makaibari and likely offers more recent harvests and a larger selection.I think I may have a similar outlook to you. In my diet, I focus on everything that makes up my diet being nutrient dense, but I don’t focus on amounts of any single foods or nutrients. I used to want to consume large amounts of all of these “super” foods and nutrients that are profiled in these studies, but a few studies Dr. Greger highlighted changed that: one was about spinach and one was about mushrooms. What was interesting to me were the amounts needed that were calculated by the researchers to get the dramatic reductions in whatever disease they were studying: it ended up being a few spinach leaves per day, and half a mushroom per day. This made me think that it’s more about consistent, steady consumption, sort of like making sure you take a medication at recommended intervals, rather than absolute amounts.Also, when you think of all of the healthiest peoples around the globe, some of them might be consuming turmeric every day, but they’re just eating it in their food, not supplements. All of the epidemiological studies that promote all of the amazing clinical and in vitro work on these nutrients are following people just living and cooking normally, not taking supplements of these foods. And other healthiest peoples aren’t eating turmeric at all. They might be consuming cocoa every day, or seaweed, or italian herbs, or central american spices, etc. So even beyond not taking a supplement, I don’t even worry about eating turmeric every day, because if I’m not eating turmeric I’m eating some other flavor profile with other extremely healthful herbs and spices.So personally, if my diet (which consists of *a lot* of food) is made *entirely* out of a variety of nutrient dense and health promoting foods, then that’s good enough for me and I don’t feel the need to intentionally consume more of anything in supplemental form. But that’s just me. For people who do like to, keep on keepin on. Not trying to dissuade anyone from doing so.Is there anything besides black pepper to use to increase the bioavailability of turmeric and other chemicals in your food?does the black pepper need to be eaten with the turmeric at the same time, or can its effect still work on the turmeric even if eaten hours in between?Interesting according to NIH ” In India, rates for oral and oesophageal cancers are some of the highest in the world. In contrast, the rates for colorectal, prostate, and lung cancers are one of the lowest.” I was expecting lowest across the board due to the high use of Tumeric.it seems that there is an elevate tobacco consumption in India… http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/12/4/e4.longRelevant factors according to a study looking at oesophageal cancer in India (link below): “a poor, rural lifestyle and general deprivation in vitamins and oligoelements; the use of copper utensils in cooking, the consumption of spicy, deep fried foodstuffs, and the drinking of hot salty tea; exposure to high levels of dietary nitrosamines from diverse sources.” Overall, these three components are similar to the general pattern of factors in the so-called “esophageal cancer belt”. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068781/Turmeric is very important for people who practice a lot of sports due to its inflammation-fighting abilities. I even add some to my oatmeal, making sure that overall I don’t consume more than a teaspoon.Yes this is true but tobacco makes me look like C Eastwood, feel relaxed and i get off on making bacteria mutate. …A Darwin Award? For moi? Well, Thank you, thank you very much!Check out this recipe for Indalian Onions, combining the best of Italy and India. The cumin along with the Italian flavors totally mask the turmeric’s taste.http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/anti-cancer-recipes-indalian-onions/#more-2904I had a friend who was eating turmeric daily…until her hair dresser asked her why her grey/white hair was yellowing….is this due to overuse?why should i eat turmeric if (according to the graph) my rate of dna mutation (since i am a nonsmoker) will remain unchanged?Consumption of turmeric may prevent a wide range of diseases and will boost your immune system to help your body fight bacterial and viral infections. If you were to do a search on turmeric in Pubmed you would see that there is research (2700 studies) showing that turmeric is effective against a wide range of cancers, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.How important is it to use organic turmeric powder or fresh root? I’ve heard that irradiating spice kills the beneficial nutrients. Is this true?I like to add it to tofu and make a scramble.http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm251639.htm Careful where you buy…..	antioxidants,cancer,carcinogens,chemotherapy,curcumin,curry powder,DNA damage,India,metastases,National Cancer Institute,oxidative stress,smoking,spices,tobacco,turmeric	Less than a teaspoon a day of turmeric appears to significantly lower the DNA mutating ability of cancer-causing substances.	This is second of a three-part video series on turmeric curcumin and its relationship to cancer. To find out more, check out the prequel Back to Our Roots: Curry and Cancer and the last video in the series Turmeric Curcumin Reprogramming Cancer Cell Death.Smokers are common research subjects for carcinogen studies. For example, see what happens to carcinogen levels when those eating processed meat start eating vegetarian in my video Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine?Other foods that may protect DNA include kiwifruit (Kiwifruit and DNA Repair), cruciferous vegetables (DNA Protection from Broccoli), leafy vegetables (Eating Green to Prevent Cancer), garlic (Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids), green tea (Cancer, Interrupted: Green Tea (but which is better? Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea), and plants in general (Repairing DNA Damage).More information on cancer prevention, treatment, and reversal can be found in my two latest annual presentations Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death and More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curry-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cancer-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1579064,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23466484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3623345,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22996381,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19721899,
PLAIN-2627	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-to-our-roots-curry-and-cancer/	Back to Our Roots: Curry and Cancer	It is estimated that tumors start at around the age of 20, yet detection of cancer is normally around the age of 50 or later, thus it takes cancer decades to incubate. Why does it take so long? Recent studies indicate that in any given type of cancer hundreds of different genes must be modified to change a normal cell into a cancer cell. Although cancers are characterized by the dysregulation of cell signaling pathways at multiple steps, most current anticancer therapies involve the modulation of a single target. Chemotherapy has gotten incredibly specific, but the ineffectiveness, lack of safety, and high cost of these monotargeted therapies has led to real disappointment, and drug companies are now trying to develop chemo drugs that take a more multitargeted approach. As a result, many pharmaceutical companies are increasingly interested in developing multitargeted therapies.Many plant-based products, however, accomplish multitargeting naturally and, in addition, are inexpensive and safe compared to drugs. However, because drug companies are not usually able to secure intellectual property rights to plants, the development of plant-based anticancer therapies has not been prioritized. They may work, they may work better for all we know; they may be safer—they may actually be safe, period.If you were going to choose one plant-based product to start testing, one might choose curcumin, the pigment in the spice turmeric, the reason curry powder looks yellow.Well before you start throwing money at research, you might want to start asking some basic questions, like “Do populations that eat a lot of turmeric have lower cancer rates?” The incidence of cancer does appear to be significantly lower in regions where turmeric is heavily consumed. Population-based data indicate that some extremely common cancers in the Western world are much less prevalent in regions where turmeric is widely consumed in the diet. For example, overall cancer rates are much lower in India than in western countries.Much lower. U.S. men get 23 times more prostate cancer than men in India. Americans get between 8 and 14 times the rate of melanoma, 10 to 11 times more colorectal cancer, 9 times more endometrial cancer, 7 to 17 times more lung cancer, 7 to 8 times more bladder cancer, 5 times more breast cancer, and 9 to12 times more kidney cancer. And this is not like 5, 10, or 20 percent more, but times more. So hundreds of percent more breast cancer, thousands of percent more prostate cancer, differences even greater than some of those found in the China Study.Because Indians account for one-sixth of the world’s population, and have some of the highest spice consumption in the world, epidemiologic studies in this country have great potential for improving our understanding of the relationship between diet and cancer. Of course it may not be the spices.Several dietary factors may contribute to the low overall rate of cancer in India. Among them are a relatively low intake of meat and a mostly plant-based diet in addition to the high intake of spices. Forty percent of Indians are vegetarians, and even the ones that do eat meat don't eat a lot. And it's not only what they don't eat, but what they do. India is one of the largest producers and consumers of fresh fruits and vegetables, and they eat a lot of pulses, meaning legumes—beans, chickpeas, and lentils. And it's not just turmeric, they eat a wide variety of spices that constitute, by weight, the most antioxidant-packed class of foods in the world.Population studies can't prove a correlation between dietary turmeric and decreased cancer risk, but they can certainly inspire a bunch of research. So far, curcumin has been tested against a variety of human cancers, including colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast, prostate, multiple myeloma, lung cancer, and head and neck cancer, for both prevention and treatment. We'll look at some of this research, next.	HELLO ! WHAT ABOUT SUMAC? I DIDNT FOUND IT HERE BUT IN ORAC VALUES THERE IS EVEN MORE THEN CLOVES ANTI OXIDANTS!!What? Can you repeat that?i think he’s talking about the fruits of this plant:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SumacJust a pun on his CAPS m8 ;-) …….some user do not understand that using the Caps Lock it is like SCREAMING during a normal conversion… not very nice…Really enjoyed your video on gargling with salt water. I’d love to see a video about something all my friends have been talking about lately called “Oil pulling,” a strange process whereby people swish around coconut oil (among others) in their mouth for twenty minutes a day. I think it is a dubious practice, but they claim it has numerous benefits.As far as spices and herbs go, a video on why some people can’t stand the smell of curry, and what to do to increase their tolerance, would be great! I love curry, but my wife does not like the smell of it when I cook, or when we go out to the Indian restaurant.Martin, I would love to see some discussion of this too. I have oral lichen planus and am in several Facebook groups for it. Several people swear by oil pulling, but I’m also skeptical of its benefits. But if it does help, I would like to know more about why.It’s been awhile, but I did see a bulletin board post about the cement in the poster’s bridgework coming apart from oil pulling.Why would someone where their partials while oil pulling?Bridgework is permanently cemented. It is not the same thing as a removable partial.Thank you, I didn’t know that!Hard to believe that the bridgework wasn’t defective. Caramel or toffee would maybe do that, but oil?Oil pulling removes stains on teeth that could be decades old, so I could see it loosening dental adhesives.Oil pulling has been around for thousands of years, it’s an old Ayurvedic practice. I started the practice in Jan. of 2015 and the results have been superb! I had gum disease since grade school, and that has cleared up… or at least the bleeding gums. Other benefits often noted are noticeable whitening of teeth, fresh breath, and an oral detox – confirmed from personal experience. A pleasant surprise was a clearing up of the sinuses, so I’m now breathing regularly from my noise for the 1st time in maybe 35+ years. Google “oil pulling” and “Utube” and you can see several videos. I intend to make this a lifelong practice.Have you tried different curry powders, from different regions (north Indian, south Indian, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, etc)? I was convinced for most of my life that I hated curry, until I found one I like just in the last year or so. It’s less of a earthy musty smell and more of a smell like seasoned salt if that makes any sense. With that I can make a curry that tastes good to me, though I still prefer a higher ratio of turmeric and cumin to the curry powder. Also of course you can just eat the turmeric and skip the curry powders. Does she dislike turmeric as well? For me, I always liked turmeric; it’s something else in curry powders that I don’t care for.Also, adding something like coconut milk can definitely improve the flavor of the curry, but of course some people (including me) don’t like to consume that much fat on a regular basis. I do make a curry with lite coconut milk every great once in a while and it’s divine.I don’t like the smell of curry, but we prepare this to add to food after it has been made (should not be heated): Olive oil with powdered turmeric, black pepper, red paprika, garlic, ginger and some hot red pepper.Hi Martin… I’m not an expert, but there’s no need to make “curry” to get the benefits of turmeric. The curry taste is mostly because of the other spices that are added. You could add turmeric to hummus, for example. We also typically beat it into eggs before we make an omelette. You could use it to marinate chicken/fish.For those of us who learn better through reading, could you also publish a transcript to accompany the video or just do transcript without video. Thanks.Rin: Already done! Look under the videos and you will see a line that says “Transcript”. You can click to expand that section. You won’t get the graphs and pictures, but you can get the words and then look at the video later if you want to see the graphs.And thanks, Ariel Levitsky, for the transcript. : )Agree. For big words and others, reading is better than hearing.Someone whose judgement I trust, mentioned they had very good results – prevention of the frequent colds they had experienced – from Olive Leaf Extract – and natural Antibiotic. Thoughts/Experience/Opinion? Thank you!Indian vegetarian kitchen is great ! And one of the best is in Washington, Dr. G. Problematic with the ghee though.What’s the name of the restaurant in DC?Thank you very much. Evidence comes from different quarters: labs, clinical research…demographics. By drawing these elements of research together you provide us with the tools to make our own decisions. There are never guarantees … except from the dark side. FWIW, my problems with kidney stones disappeared when I went WF/PB but my intake of turmeric went up at least a hundred fold. So far so good. I wonder if curry eaters have yellow brains!I wish it didn’t have such a high value of oxalates in it. other than that turmeric is my favorite antioxidant!“Forty percent of Indians are vegetarians”40%……. what is the % of Americans?Broccoli: If memory serves, the last survey I saw put 4% of Americans as (true) vegetarian and an additional 1% as true vegan. I say “true”, because some people label themselves as say vegetarian, but actually still eat fish or even poultry. So, not a vegetarian… The survey I saw was careful not to ask people how they labeled themselves, but instead asked questions along the lines of, “In the last X months, have you eaten any meat, poultry or fish?”The neat thing is that while the numbers are still relatively low, they are growing every year. As another poster pointed out a little time ago, if we reach a “tipping point”, a healthy whole plant food based diet might quickly expand and become the norm. It seems like we actually might reach that tipping point, though I don’t know when. That’s just my thoughts on the matter.Good question.A good criteria for having passed the “tipping point” would be when CAFOs start closing down.Here’s a recipe for a turmeric concoction, mixed with cumin powder to disguise the flavor and pepper to boost bioavailability. I throw it into onions while gently sauteeing them, into cooked bean dishes and salad dressings. Would love to know what you think of the taste. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/anti-cancer-recipes-how-to-make-turmeric-more-potent-and-tasty/Harriet: Thanks for sharing! I haven’t tried it yet, but I wrote it down and hope to give it a shot in the not too distant future. It helped that you gave some ideas on how to use it. (Ex: on onions, etc.)Check my blog tomorrow, Thea. I’m posting my go-to, one-bowl, quick and easy recipe for Indalian onions, combining the best of Italy and India, including that turmeric concoction.Harriet: Nice! Thanks for the head’s up. I’ll be on the lookout!You are right the pharmaceutical companies don’t own the patent’s to plants yet but I’m sure Monsanto, Dow Chemicals etc have already addressed this potentially multi-trillion dollar market.No facts for this just, my cynical-hunch side coming through.If they own the seeds, they own the plants, they own the treatment! Yikes!Not cynical, just realistic – unfortunately.i want to say that as an unique mankind we got to write a law that severly restrict plant genetic manipulation… and it is really funny to see Monsanto and co struggling for patents but avoiding the labeling… Why ?While we are squabbling about labels, genetic drift and contamination of conventional and organic crops by GM crops is occurring globally 24/7, and of course they are more than fine with that. At this point it is utterly naive to believe that is not part of their business plan. This ongoing plague makes it the darkest, yet most urgent and critical issue of our time. If all the facts were clear and out in the open would ANYONE consent to using their gut as a laboratory? REJECT and BOYCOTT all GMO-containing products!I agree with your opinion…Thank YOU, Jerio and Jazzfeed, Let’s all do it. Lets all boycott ALL GMO-containing products. Comeon people now, join with your people and we can help one another RIGHT NOW~~~ This is easy stuff for us to do. JUST DO IT! swoosh! Elizabeth in NY~Dr. Greger: Thanks for this information. I like to read the sources after viewing your videos, and none of the sources today focus on cancer rates in India. Could you direct me to any articles that talk about these amazing statistics? I’d like to learn more. Thanks, Pete Greider.well, it seems there is a great amount of indian people that smoke, or chew tobacco… http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/12/4/e4.longI have a question for Dr. Greger or any of the experts. My dad was recently diagnosed with systemic lung nodules brought on by chrondrosarcoma in his arm. The chrondrosarcoma was removed by surgery, however the the nodules in his lungs are too spread out and small to be removed by surgery. Furthermore, chemotherapy (I have been told my oncologists) is not normally effective against lung nodules.Are there specific foods (and the amount) that he can eat to help combat this type of cancer? Thank youLinda, Look through the database at GreenMed Info.I eat more than a teaspoon of turmerc cucumin each day. A sore on my cheek is in regression now. May have been cancer, now it is a scab, which may be gone in a few weeks.Calvin: Thanks for the update! Great news.Where should I get it? I’m assuming Organic, but where to buy?http://www.mountainroseherbs.comhttp://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm251639.htm Careful where you buy…I was directed to this video when I clicked on bladder health. I know that one of the natural causes of death for men is kidney failure due to prostate enlargement preventing emptying of the bladder. What can men in their 60s for instance, do to decrease their prostate enlargement, evidenced by frequent need to urinate and incomplete emptying of the bladder? I know health food stores promote supplements. Are any safe and effective? Thanks for all you do to help us stay healthy.Donna: I don’t have a direct answer to your question, but I wonder if you have searched on the term “prostate”? There are quite a few videos on the topic:http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=prostateHope that helps.For those having trouble with the curry smell, make your own and you can get it the way you want. I don’t buy any blends pre-made. For my curry, I use 3 parts coriander, 2 parts cumin, and 1 part turmeric. Depending on what you like, you can adjust this to taste. Sometimes, I may also add a dash of cayenne pepper depending on how hot I want it.	antioxidants,beans,bladder cancer,bladder health,breast cancer,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,chemotherapy,chickpeas,China Study,colon cancer,curcumin,curry powder,endometrial cancer,fruit,India,industry influence,kidney cancer,kidney health,legumes,lentils,lung cancer,lung health,meat,medications,melanoma,men's health,multiple myeloma,pancreatic cancer,plant-based diets,prostate cancer,prostate health,ranking foods,rectal cancer,side effects,skin health,spices,turmeric,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health	Dramatically lower cancer rates in India may in part be attributable to their more plant-based, spice-rich diet.	This is the first in a three-part video series on turmeric and cancer. Once they’re up, make sure you check out the next two videos: Carcinogen Blocking Effects of Turmeric Curcumin and Turmeric Curcumin Reprogramming Cancer Cell Death. You can subscribe to get email alerts when they are up by clicking here.I’m working on another dozen or so videos on this amazing spice. This is what I have so far:Amla, dried Indian gooseberry powder, is another promising dietary addition:I add amla to my Pink Juice with Green Foam recipe. Not all natural products from India are safe, though. See, for example, my video Some Ayurvedic Medicine Worse than Lead Paint Exposure.More on the antioxidant concentration in spices in general in Antioxidants in a Pinch. Why do antioxidants matter? See Food Antioxidants and Cancer and Food Antioxidants, Stroke, and Heart Disease.Which fruits and vegetables might be best? See #1 Anticancer Vegetable and Best Fruits for Cancer Prevention.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/melanoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curry-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-reprogramming-cancer-cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22147524,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18462866,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23339055,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22471448,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19721899,
PLAIN-2628	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/	Seeing Red No. 3: Coloring to Dye For	Fifteen million pounds of food dyes are sold every year in the U.S. Why? Foods are artificially colored to make unattractive mixtures of basic ingredients and food additives acceptable to consumers. See, food colorings are added to countless processed food products to conceal the absence of fruits, vegetables, or other ingredients and make the food ‘‘appear better or of greater value than it is.’’ Otherwise cherry popsicles might actually look as if they have no cherries in them!I've talked about the role of food dyes in causing ADHD symptoms in kids, but what about their role in cancer?Due to cancer concerns Red dye #1 was banned in 1961. Red #2 was banned in 1976, and then Red #4 was banned. But what about Red #3, used today in everything from sausage to maraschino cherries? It was recently found to cause DNA damage in human liver cells in vitro, comparable to the damage caused by a chemotherapy drug whose whole purpose is to break down DNA.But red #3 was found to influence children's behavior more than 30 years ago and interfere with thyroid function over 40 years ago. Why is it still legal?This is an article in the New York Times about Red #3 published way back in 1985. Already by then, the FDA had postponed action on banning the dye 26 times, even with the Acting Commissioner of the FDA saying Red #3 was of greatest public health concern, imploring his agency to not knowingly allow continued exposure (at high levels in the case of Red #3) of the public to a provisionally listed color additive that has clearly been shown to induce cancer while questions of mechanism are explored.’’ The credibility of the Department of Health and Human Services would suffer if decisions are not made soon on each of these color additives. That was written 30 years ago.At the end of the day, industry pressure won out. FDA scientists and FDA commissioners have recommended that the additive be banned, but there has been tremendous pressure to delay the recommendations from being implemented.In 1990, concerned about cancer risk, the FDA banned the use of Red #3 in anything going on our skin, but it remained legal to continue to put it in anything going in our mouths. Now the FDA said at the time that they planned on stopping that too and ending all remaining uses of Red #3, lamenting that the cherries in 21st-century fruit cocktail could well be light brown.But over 20 years later it's still in our food supply. After all, the agency estimated that the lifetime risk of thyroid tumors in humans from Red #3 in food was at most 1 in a hundred thousand. Based on today’s population, that would indicate that Red #3 is causing cancer in about 3000 people.	UGH. Get it out!I will add all of these veggie to mydiet and share that with all of my followers God is goodI wonder why does the industry think we won’t buy something just because it looks like its natural color? Of all the reasons to keep something unhealthy, this seems the most absurd.I’m not siding with the food industry or anything, but they do studies on the way people behave, and we do. We unconsciously like things that have bright colors, because to our brains with do not understand fake food coloring, we interpret it as nutritional value.Our whole food system, if not our whole society, is one damn big giant lie. Where do we even start to fix this?Better yet, just eat your cherries in season, or frozen. You know those little red apple circles that used to come on your plate at places like Denny’s? (I haven’t seen them in a while.) Anyway, I know how to make them, if you’re interested – tastes just like the diner ones, but not so red.Eat food – not food-like things – apples, strawberries, kale, broccoli dont need artificial color.This is insanity. But hopefully, if you’re a fan of this site and truly care about what you put in your mouth, you’d never consider eating something like the sickly sweet maraschino cherries or artificially flavored popsicles.It’s really sad that powerful lobby groups and big money still have more sway than American’s health.I haven’t had a maraschino cherry in quite a long time, but I always did think they were tasty. Now I can’t get the “light brown” image out of my mind. I doubt I will eat one ever again. Eww.Dr. GregerI am a CML patient for about 11 yrs and soon will undergo transplant. Can you suggest food that I should be eating more of. I have been a vegan for the last 1 year and always regret why I haven’t consider going vegan earlier. Your website have been very helpful for over the years. Thank you for all your videos and discussions.	ADHD,artificial colors,cancer,chemotherapy,children,DNA damage,FDA,food additives,food dyes,industry influence,liver cancer,liver disease,liver health,maraschino cherry,mortality,processed foods,red dye #3,thyroid cancer,thyroid disease,thyroid health	The artificial food coloring Red No. 3 has yet to be banned despite its purported role in causing thousands of cases of thyroid cancer.	This whole fiasco will become clearer once you see my video Who Determines if Food Additives Are Safe?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-dyes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-colors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maraschino-cherry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-dye-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-cancer/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6339890,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1271490,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23026007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13952623,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22847138,
PLAIN-2629	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/	Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors	There are many classes of endocrine-disrupting industrial pollutants. Concern about the alkylphenols first surfaced decades ago when a group at Tufts observed an excessive proliferation of human breast cancer cells in certain types of plastic containers, something you'd normally only see if the cells were exposed to some type of estrogen. They identified an alkylphenol as the culprit leaching from the plastic causing the estrogen-like properties when tested in the human breast tumor cells.That's not good, so countries in Europe started banning and restricting uses of these chemicals, but the U.S. EPA has been slow to respond. A half million tons of these chemicals continue to be spewed out into the environment every year, so much so that now, they come down in the rain, and then accumulate up the food chain. So where in the Japanese food supply can you find these potentially allergy-exacerbating endocrine disrupters? Predominantly chicken, and especially fish. Water animals and birds concentrate these compounds to levels several thousands of times greater than those in the environment, because these are fat-soluble chemicals. Therefore, they can easily contaminate foods of animal origin, which are thought to represent the most important source of human exposure to many organic pollutants, not just the alkylphenols. This group also found that fish was the worst.Which kind of fish? Anchovies and mackerel in this study, and salmon and cod in this study. In fact salmon was the only food found contaminated with nonylphenol diethoxylate, which is even more potent than regular nonylphenol.And levels of contamination in fish were just the kind of concentrations that start to make breast cancer cells go crazy in vitro.These findings are consistent with the fact that seafood consumption has been associated with severe asthma, current and severe rhinoconjunctivitis, which is like seasonal pollen allergies, and current and severe eczema, an allergic-type disease of the skin, in adolescent populations around the globe.If these synthetic xenoestrogens are playing a role, what about natural phytoestrogens, like in soy foods? Turns out that in patients with asthma, consumption of a diet with moderate to high amounts of soy phytoestrogens is associated with better lung function and better asthma control, so if anything it's more these chemical pollutants, which come down in the rain, contaminate the soil, the plants, but then concentrate up the food chain in the fat of animals. And we're now like the ecosystem's peak predator, like the polar bear or bald eagle.Thankfully there aren't many cannibals around anymore, though there is one group that continues to feed off human tissues. Alkylphenols have been found to concentrate in human breast milk, particularly in women who eat fish. The highest levels of these endocrine-disrupting pollutants were recorded in milk samples from mothers who said they ate fish at least twice a week, consistent with the fact that seafood consumption represents an important source of alkylphenol intake. And even these slightly elevated levels of endocrine disrupters in the milk of mothers with a seafood-rich diet may be associated with adverse effects on neurological development, fetal and postnatal growth, and memory functions on breastfed infants, because these contaminants may interfere with the endocrine, or hormonal, system.Or even worse, straight animal fat, such as chicken fat, lard, and tallow, which were considered cooking oils here, or fish oil. Consumption of fish oil capsules and processed fish products was associated with alkylphenol concentration mother's milk, again, thanks to bioaccumulation up the food chain. And then of course we recycle the leftover remains of farm animals into farm animal feed, and so the levels can get higher and higher in animal food products.As one commentator responded, yes, these pollutants contaminate human milk, but they contaminate cow’s milk as well—we live in the same polluted world. In fact infant formula was found over 5 times more contaminated, so breast is still best—absolutely, but these kinds of studies are important in order to provide good suggestions for food choices to nursing mothers to prevent excess exposure to these pollutants in their infants.We can kind of cut out the middlefish and move lower down the food chain in hopes of decreasing our exposure to industrial toxins.	I’m so glad that I no longer eat fish…my kids were born in the eighties and back then I did eat as much fish and meat that I could afford…I thought it would make them smarter… Hopefully things were safer then…and they are fine but now I worry about my grandchildren…. Every body seems to want to attack any body that is a vegan…are we so programmed to think that we need to eat animals to be healthy? Thank you so much for all that you do..you are to be admiredwhere do non meat eaters get their B12?Beer, Miso, or supplements.Beer is not a source of B12, nor is Miso, Sauerkraut or any other fermented plant food. Yeast and lacotbacilli produce some compounds very similar to B12, so in mass spectrometry it appears as if such foods contain significant amounts of B12, but this pseudo “B12″ has no vitamin function whatsoever. Be wary of any suggestion that such foods would consitute be a reliable source of B12 for vegans. Supplementation is the only way to go!B12 (a.k.a. cobalamin) is actually not a vitamin like the other vitamins. It is a microbe (bacteria) that is produced by microorganisms internally (synthesised in the gut) and elsewhere (e.g. in soil by microbes that live in a symbiotic relationship with plant roots). What something like Sauerkraut is doing is aiding in creating an environment where these gut bacteria can thrive. Alcohol can actually cause a B12 deficiency along with antibiotics (taken directly or indirectly through consumption of milk or meat from animals that are fed antibiotics) as they kill off these microorganisms.Vitamin B12 is a microbe? Are you kidding me!?The B12 produced by bacteria in the large intestine is hardly absorbed at all (B12 is absorbed in the small intestine). In the past the B12 from the feces contributed to dietary intake because of lacking hygiene (e.g. wiping the a** with the hand and then eating). I don’t think that is a desirable source of B12, though. Moreover, alcoholism does not lead to B12 deficiency, but to folate deficiency which may cause similar symptoms. Last but not least, there are many good reasons to avoid factory farmed animal products, but residues of antibiotics in the meat or milk are generally not an issue.You should not spread such nonesense when you don’t really know what you are taking about.As I recall whzt Dr. Greger said was that B12 supplements and B12 fortified foods (such as many cereals -check nutrition labels) are the only reliable food sources of B12 for vegans. B12 is essential for good health.where do non meat eaters get their B12 other than supplements?bk: fortified foods such as non-dairy milk and nutritional yeast can be a source of B12 for people who do not eat animals. Dirty vegetables, dirty water and poor dental hygiene can also work, but modern humans have safer ways of getting their B12.It is also helpful to remember that people over 50 (? I think it was 50) are supposed to take a B12 supplement even if their diet includes copious amounts of meat.For more information: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/25/vegan-b12-deficiency-putting-it-into-perspective/Dirty streams don’t sound very appetizing do they Thea? I once picked up a bad case a Giardia. Best to supplement!I also prefer methylcobalamin in a tablet over rotting teeth ! :-)Dr Planstrongdoc: You and I could form a club.I`m in !Veganrunner: I’m with you. No thanks to dirty streams. Yikes.Had the seconds worst case of the runs of my life after drinking from a bad mountain stream in France ^^ , the other being a 2 week over date meat containing steam bun called baozi. Anyway I learned my lesson not to drink from a stream below where lifestock graze.The safe side: Eat mostly plants….Hi PS Doc . . . and avoid using any plastic or plastic-lined containers: http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/tritan-certichem-eastman-bpa-free-plastic-safeHi DF: And be careful with screening programmes and overdiagnosisAnother awesome video. Since it isn’t pointed out in the video description, I’ll give a shout-out here: This is another great video to share with (soon to be) nursing mothers!….and soon to be pregnant mothers, keep all these birth defect causing xenoestrogens out of the umbilical cord. So sad to think of all the young women gobbling fish oil thinking it will make their babies smarter, and it is feminizing their sons.Widely inconsistent fearmongering IMO. Yes, we should take alkyphenol pollutants very seriously, but for me that means to objectively and dispassionately gauge the risk associated with their exposure instead of spinning inconsistent evidence into a scary plot in order to promote a vegan diet (however appropriate a plant based diet may be for ethical and other health concerns)Just three examples of the many incosistencies showing up in this video: in the first video Dr. Greger argues that the increasing rates of allergies in Japan are due to the increased consumption of animal products, but while consumption of meat and milk are on the rise (but still way below Western countries), fish consumption has gone down since 1989. How does that fit with the fact mentioned in the second video, that fish shows by far the highest level of alkyphenols? I doesn’t. Then look at the graph at the end of the second video. Formula milk, which is usually plant-based, shows higher level of alkyphenols than human breast milk. How does that fit with that cute graphic showing rising levels through the food chain? It doesn’t. At finally a note about bisphenol A vs. soy isoflavones: they are not as different as suggested in this video. In fact, they show very similar selective estrogen receptor binding und consequentially very similar gene expression profiles. Just look at this study: http://genome.cshlp.org/content/22/11/2153.fullDoes that mean that soy isoflavones are dangerous, as some Paleo preachers suggest? No, it doesn’t, as we have plenty of epidemiological evidence for their safety. Does it mean that bisphenol A is harmless or even healthy? Not necessarily so. It does mean that we need more evidence to come to sound conclusions. Until then, indulging in ideologically motivated fearmongering is just as inappropriate as in dwelling in consumerist ingnorance.RE: fish consumption:From the data in the previous video, during the years 1958-99, rice consumption decreased 2.5x, meat consumption increased 7x, milk consumption increased 7x, and fish/shellfish consumption increased 1.25xIt is only during the last interval (1989-99) that fish consumption decreased from its all time high at 105 g/day to 71 g/day, which is still higher than 56 g/day, the initial level reported in 1958.So it stands that consumption of all categories of animal products, including fish, has increased since 1958, which is in line with the surge in allergies seen since the first case in 1964 to the present day rate of “millions of cases/year” (quotation per Dr. Greger in previous video).Even if fish consumption had actually decreased within the relevant time period, the magnitude of the increase in other animal products could still have possibly offset the decrease in fish consumption and still resulted in higher levels of phenol consumption. Some sort of weighted analysis would need to be done to take into account amounts consumed and phenol concentrations of each food.RE: Formula: Which formulas are you talking about when you state “Formula milk, which is usually plant-based […]”?With a quick google search for infant formula, the seemingly major brands (Enfamil, Similac, Gerber) all show dairy milk as their first or second ingredient in the majority of their formulations. The only exceptions I saw were for the specifically labelled “soy-based” option that each brand offers. Other than that, they all seem to be milk-based.So, to conclude, you make three points regardling “widely inconsistent fearmongering”:Point #1: Dr. Greger’s interpretation of the data you use in this point seems more relevantPoint #2: seems outright false, unless my quick and crude research into the infant formula world is in fact giving me skewed resultsPoint #3: You present one source which makes you question the benefits/safety of isoflavones and the danger of BPA, then appear to answer your own question given the overall balance of evidence in both topics which you seem to be aware of, then seem flummoxed by the idea of making any conclusions about anything. I was unable to extract a cogent argument from this section to respond to.Over 90% of soy in the US is GMO. The only long-term study on GMO corn (2yrs) by Scientist Seralini of France shows increased prevalence of cancerous tumors and shortened lifespan in rats. If you see mention of the editor’s retraction of that study online, look deeper and you will see that it is supposedly based on “weak” evidence. Check out photos of the results and see if you think they are “weak.” Further, note that a former Monsanto scientist is now an associate editor on that journal. Something rotten in the state of Denmark here? Seralini is now fighting the retraction.“Over 90% of soy in the US is GMO.”The majority of this is fed to animals or found in processed food. The vast majority of soy-based products available are either labelled as organic or non-gmo certified. Between all of the grocery stores I have access to, I literally could not buy GM tofu if I wanted to. Even the processed soy based foods that are marketed to vegetarians/vegans e.g. faux meats, milks, etc are more often than not labelled as non-gmo. The fear of GMO soy may be a reason to avoid animal products or some processed foods, but would not factor into the decision to eat most soy-based foods.I’m a bit confused by this statement: “Water animals and birds concentrate these compounds to levels several thousands of times greater than those in the environment, because these are fat-soluble chemicals.” If they’re fat soluble, then other foods high in fat–including land animals, their mammary secretions–would also concentrate them, as you point out. Could you clarify why water animals and birds might be more problematic?Also, what source are you citing for this statement? “This group also found that fish was the worst.” The fine print in the video is too tiny for my aging eyeslook at the “sources cited” under the video… for that graph you got to look the 5th study ( Analysis of alkylphenol and bisphenol A in meat by accelerated solvent extraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry ) from the top…And what about nuts and seeds? Avocados? Surely they might be accumulated too?Glad I didn’t eat fish – or any other meats – during my pregnancies!Jonathan Safran Foer talks about our war on the oceans – overfishing. It is irresponsible for me to eat fish with knowledge of the environmental and ecological catastrophe on marine organisms that have been inflicted for the past 200+ years. Others can do as they please; I do not wish to promote the suffering of sentient beings (“hook, line and catch…”)Very very interesting. I have had asthma my whole life. I have had excema my whole life. I am also ALLERGIC to shellfish!!!! I can eat fish, but not shell fish. Also, my excema is quite controlled and I THOUGHT it was since I take krill oil (good quality fish oil) capsules….they help a lot!! I do NOT use any topical steriods creams. Thoughts on this from anyone? This brings up so many questions for me!! I must know more!It’s the chemical pollutants that are the concern. Perhaps the krill oil you are using is less polluted. Another issue is that it is not clear to me when the exposure to the chemical pollutants causes the problem. Is it only when you are a fetus, infant, and/or child? Does the exposure matter as much as an adult if you are not breast feeding, pregnant, or planning to be pregnant? I don’t know if these studies exist yet.Avoid tomatoes and all nightshade plants. (Goji berries and possibly some of the other super-food berries marketed to us are also nightshades.) Consider going without citrus fruits. Avoid all oils.Also, endocrine disruptors appear to be widespread in all plastics including plastic food packaging such as PET, Tritan, BPS etc. and even more potent in some “BPA-free” plastics than in BPA plastic http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/tritan-certichem-eastman-bpa-free-plastic-safe – no more plastics in my kitchen!It is interesting that Japan has highest life expectancy in world and their main diet consist of fish… and also have a lower cancer rate then a large majority in the world, actually it is strange that many of the countries with lower rates cancer tend to eat lighter meats ie fish and poultry. Not saying that this video doesn’t make interesting points, but, I don’t think it conclusive enough to say hey don’t eat fish cause it will give you cancer and other diseases.1. Just because they eat fish, doesn’t mean they eat copious amounts of it. Data from nutritional surveys show that the diet consumed in the 1970s, which is considered to show a traditional or pre-westernization diet, contained about 12-15% protein. Considering fish (e.g. tuna) is about 65% protein, this indicates they fish wasn’t the basis of their diet, but rather something eaten sparingly. Furthermore, that 12-15% of their diet which is coming from protein, isn’t only coming from fish; you have to reserve some of that percentage for all of the other foods in the diet which all contribute protein. For example, rice is 7-10% protein, green leafy vegetables average 50% protein, and tofu is 43% protein. So the fact that they ate some fish does not translate to the concept that they ate lots of fish.2. It’s not just that they ate fish and had lower cancer rates, therefor fish doesn’t cause cancer. The fish they consume is within the context of a diet with broad spectrum chemotherapeutic activity: green tea, green vegetables, sea vegetables, soy, mushrooms, etc. You can think of it as another layer on the “Asian Paradox”, in which smoking is relatively common across Asia, yet they see lower lung cancer rates than western countries.3. Given how much in vitro data we have on the nasties in poultry and fish (oncogenic viruses, industrial pollutants, heavy metals, endogenous carcinogens like polyaromatic hydrocarbons and herterocyclic amines, growth hormone promoting amino acid composition, saturated fat, etc), it isn’t logical to hypothesize that “lighter meats” are the reasons some cultures see some protection against certain cancers. What would be appropriate is the hypothesis that cultures eating lighter *amounts* of any meat see lower rates of cancer. And indeed that is what has been observed.b00mer: That’s such a quality reply. Thanks for the great read and backing up your thoughts with data. This is one post that I’m going to keep. (I was going to try to reply, but your response is way better than what I would have done. So, thanks again.)Well you are right in saying the Japanese diet isn’t copious amount of fish although it is more then just sparingly and I say that from first hand experience as I visited Japan for a couple months and fish (well perhaps it better said seafood) was quite regular. Furthermore, I wasn’t making hypothesis on whether eating fish decreases cancer, or that industrial pollutants can’t cause harm. All i said that it was interesting that populations that eat lighter meats such as fish and poultry have a lower cancer rate. However, lets make things short and sweat the point I was making is quite simple eating fish and poultry on a regular basis will not give all these diseases this video suggests you will get. In other words I criticizing the fear mongering that this video contains.Hi monopoly970, did you visit Japan in the 1970’s or more recently? The diet I’m describing is the “traditional” Japanese diet, eaten prior to 1980. As they have increased their consumption of animal products (including fish), their rates of disease (allergies as mentioned in this series, as well as heart disease and certain cancers) have gone up.Also, going by your logic that:“eating fish and poultry on a regular basis will not give all these diseases”,one could also say that smoking on a regular basis will not give all these diseases, since the Japanese have lower rates of cancer despite their smoking habits. But, given the known carcinogen content in cigarettes, we know that this conclusion does not make sense. Instead we form hypotheses about why they have lower lung cancer rates *despite* their tobacco consumption.Education is not fear-mongering. Critique is healthy, but the basis for your critique and subsequent conclusion (i.e. that fish does not cause cancer) is not logical, since you are not acknowledging two important factors:1) amount of meat eaten in addition to type of meat eaten2) the majority of the diet being plant-based foods that provide well documented chemotherapeutic effectsWell anyways as much I would like to continue trolling you with cooperate based research I am too lazy. I am gonna be honest I’ve read Dr.Vandenberg papers who is really one of the leads on this debates and it pretty obvious that endocrines disruptors can cause harm. However, you saying this is education is beyond me and shows that perhaps you need to review what education is… Education is a presentation of both sides of the argument without making any personal judgments (and there is another side of this debate argument it not very well established anymore, but a few legit criticism are there), not a single sided argument that consistently suggests that if continue to eat fish and poultry you’ll get diseases. You get the difference? this video is a opinion that tries to fear monger not education.Do you have any information as it relates to skin care products. We have developed an impressive skin and body care line that is certified free of estrogenic-activity chemicals and additional harsh ingredients. GMO-free, Soy-free, Corn-free. Soy-free, packaging is BPA free. Even the manufacturing facility is certified EA-free. Its important that the consumers understand about endocrine disruptors, but I feel it is still a mental overload topic.First time I’m hearing this info. I have eczema and allergies and I’m always interested in the causes, how to overcome the condition and how to prevent it. I once wondered that it might be okay to take fish oil even if you’re plant based but seeing as how so much accumulates in animal fat in today’s polluted world, it’s not safe, especially if you susceptibilities for things, in this case, allergic conditions. I wish all mother’s would know info like this so they could prevent it in their children, when it’s severe it can be THE worst thing to deal with for a kid.I see this discussion is about a year old, but I just had a comment to make that might be relevant to future related topics. I was reflecting on agricultural recycling of animal wastes, and your comments about feeding off humans — lactation.Traditional practices in many cultures had the cooking and eating of the placenta (human tissue) after childbirth. It was often fed to the new mother — eating one’s own bodily tissues. Assuming lactation prevented fertility until weaning, and the stair-step pattern of offspring, that mom may have eaten several of her own placentas in her reproductive lifetime. With the contaminants in our food supplies and environment, what risks / benefits might such a practice pose for the mother and her offspring as placental tissues recycle nutrients and modern environmental toxins back to the mother?Hello, Dr. Greger. I just read this statement from the Natural Health site, posted on MSN.com: “Researchers at the University of Southern California and the National University of Singapore found that postmenopausal women who ate an average of 1.5 to 3 ounces of fish or shellfish daily were 26% less likely to develop breast cancer during the 5 years of the study than those who ate less seafood.” So does the consumption of fish prevent cancer, as is implied here, or contribute to it, as your videos suggest?	alkylphenols,allergies,anchovies,animal fat,asthma,biomagnification,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,breast milk,breastfeeding,cancer,chicken,cod liver oil,eczema,endocrine disruptors,EPA,estrogen,Europe,fat,fish,fish oil,hormones,industrial toxins,infants,Japan,lard,lung disease,lung health,mackerel,memory,milk,persistent organic pollutants,phytoestrogens,plastic,poultry,pregnancy,salmon,seafood,soy,turkey,xenoestrogens	Foods of animal origin (especially fish) appear to be the most important source of human exposure to industrial pollutants such as alkylphenol xenoestrogens.	See my last video Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies for background on this class of xenoestrogens.Endocrine disruptors have also been linked to conditions such as male infertility (Male Fertility and Diet and Xenoestrogens and Sperm Counts) and early onset of puberty (Protein, Puberty, and Pollutants and Xenoestrogens and Early Puberty).What other industrial pollutants build up in the aquatic fish chain? See, for example:Farmed Fish vs. Wild Caught. Which is worse?Breast feeding is one way to offload toxins, but it is The Wrong Way to Detox.How Long to Detox from Fish Before Pregnancy? If it’s too late, How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eczema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alkylphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cod-liver-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plastic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anchovies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xenoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mackerel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19552790,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22991565,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1935846,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8713642,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23319429,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12729260,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10229711,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11820614,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23548368,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22449171,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10866031,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20435081,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18584869,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18528544,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18410965,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11993862,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22885561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15007630,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15746556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23548815,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22871601,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21650741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15930804,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15833488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9504980,
PLAIN-2630	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/	Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies	In my video, Preventing Childhood Allergies, I noted a study in Japan that found higher maternal intake of meat during pregnancy was significantly associated with about 3 times the odds of both suspected and physician-diagnosed eczema. They suggest that certain components of meat may affect the fetal immune system. But what about the moms themselves?Seasonal allergies have exploded in Japan in the past few decades, starting with the first reported case in 1964 and now affecting millions every year. We've seen a rising prevalence of allergic diseases around the industrialized world in past decades, but perhaps nothing quite this dramatic.Researchers suggested profound changes in the Japanese diet may have played a role. Over the latter half of the century total meat, fish, and milk intake rose hundreds of percent in Japan, so researchers decided to look into dietary meat and fat intake and the prevalence of these seasonal pollen allergies. No association with overall fat, but higher meat intake was significantly associated with an increased prevalence.So maybe it was the saturated fat? No, that didn't seem to be it, so what other constituents in meat may be to blame? Well, there are the cooked meat carcinogens, the heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and nitrosamines, but who knows.This new review, however, raised an intriguing possibility. There's a class of industrial pollutants called alkylphenols, recognized as common toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals that tend to accumulate in the human body and may be associated with the adverse effects of allergic diseases. A variety of studies have shown how they may exacerbate allergen-induced inflammation, suggesting that alkylphenol exposure may influence the onset, progression, and severity of allergic diseases. These toxic xenoestrogens can be found in human breast milk, stored up in our body fat, coursing through our urine, our bloodstream, and even in the umbilical cord blood going to our babies. How do did it get there? How do people get exposed? Through contaminated food.It all goes back to a famous study about the reduction of penis size and testosterone levels in alligators living in a contaminated environment. I don't know what you all do for a day job, but these researchers observed that a population of juvenile alligators living on one lake in Florida exhibited a significantly smaller penis size and lower blood concentrations of testosterone compared to animals on some different lake. The most important difference between the two lakes was that lake stubby was fed by relatively polluted waters. They attributed the "short penis phenomenon" to estrogen-mimicking (xenoestrogenic) environmental metabolites of DDT that still pollute our Earth. This seminal work introduced the concept of endocrine disruptors. Environmental xenoestrogens might result in feminization of exposed male animals. And that's just the shriveled tip of the iceberg.Since then endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been implicated in the dramatic rise over the last 50 years of diseases like breast cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, diabetes, obesity, and decreased fertility, such as dropping normal sperm counts.Not to mention genital birth defects such as penile malformations, preterm birth, neurobehavioral disorders in children linked to thyroid disruption and earlier breast development in young girls. Because genes do not change fast enough to explain these increases, environmental causes must be involved. Since our greatest exposure to the environment is through our gut, it's no surprise that our greatest exposure to these endocrine-disrupting chemicals is through diet.Which foods? I'll cover that next.	“Seminal work.” Got the pun Dr!That’s so funny–no pun was intended. Really! :)I can’t wait for the sequel!Dr. Greger, I love and appreciate you but the photo of you at the bottom left of the video covers part of the screen even when you close the “subscribe” banner. This keeps me from reading things that are in your presentation. I use this info in my medical practice so being able to pause and read the backgrounds is very important to me. Thank you!Miranda: I share your annoyance of that picture. But just so you know, if you hover over the expanded banner, you will see a tiny circle with an “x” in the upper right area of the box. It may take some practice and even then, it is hard to get the mouse to hit that tiny “x” just right, but if you do, you can make the whole thing, including the picture disappear.Hope that helps.Most excellent! Thank you Thea.Oh boy. Who has been watching the Tyrone Hayes v. Syngenta story? Effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been known for a long time, and atrazine, in particular, is banned in many countries, including Israel. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000, I read that Israel reduced their rate of breast cancer after the ban. Atrazine is still allowed in the U.S. The best source I know of for carefully vetted, world-wide work is The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX) in Colorado. U.S. people are exposed to unspeakable amounts of disruptors. The Potomac River has stretches where 100% of the male small-mouthed bass are duel sexed. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times went on Colbert to talk about this, if you are interested in tragi-comedy.almost all plastics have them apparently http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/tritan-certichem-eastman-bpa-free-plastic-safeThe alligator he mentions:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7sij9kOVro#t=782Wow.Lake Stubby? Love it!Eager to try + find the small x, as it annoys me for the same reason as dr.Brocki!HI Doctor Greg, I had got to that i have Low testosterone from blood test done last week. Doctor ordered a MRI scan of my pituitary and got to know that i have a 0.4cm benign tumor in my pituitary gland. Can you give me any insights on type of food that can shrink the tumors? Is it possible to shrink the tumors with a good healthy diet naturally?Thanks KVI dare to doubt this. My mother was very progressive for her time and has been a vegetarian since her 18th (born in 1952). So also during her pregnancy from me she didn’t eat any meat or fish, and I have been raised as a vegetarian from birth (I’m now 24). Still I have a range of allergies since I was little (hayfever, cats, dogs, mold, housedustmite) and crosslink allergies (like peanuts, hazelnuts, apple, pear, wheat and soy).	adolescence,alkylphenols,allergies,animal fat,animal products,animal studies,birth defects,body fat,breast cancer,breast development,breast health,breast milk,cancer,carcinogens,children,cognition,dairy,DDT,diabetes,eczema,endocrine disruptors,fat,fertility,fish,heterocyclic amines,immune function,industrial toxins,infants,infertility,inflammation,Japan,meat,men's health,mental health,milk,nitrosamines,obesity,penis health,penis size,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,prediabetes,pregnancy,premature puberty,prostate cancer,prostate health,puberty,saturated fat,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,sperm counts,testicular cancer,testicular health,testosterone,thyroid disease,thyroid health,women's health,xenoestrogens	The dramatic rise of allergic diseases such as eczema and seasonal allergies may be related to dietary exposure to endocrine-disruptor xenoestrogens such as alkylphenol industrial pollutants.	Sorry for the cliff-hanger, but the video was getting a bit long. To find out which foods may contain these alkylphenol endocrine disruptors, check out my next video Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors.Here’s the link to the video I mentioned on Preventing Childhood Allergies. A plant-based diet may also help alleviate allergies in adults. See Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants and Preventing Allergies in Adulthood.More on endocrine disruptors in:A different class of chemicals has been found to be associated with smaller penis size in humans. See Chicken Consumption and the Feminization of Male Genitalia.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eczema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alkylphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrosamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ddt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premature-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xenoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19552790,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22991565,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1935846,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8713642,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23319429,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12729260,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10229711,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23548368,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22449171,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10866031,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20435081,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18584869,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18528544,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18410965,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11993862,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22885561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15007630,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15746556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23548815,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22871601,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21650741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15930804,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15833488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9504980,
PLAIN-2631	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years	A plant-based diet is thought to have played a significant role in human evolution and the consumption of whole plant foods and even just extracts have repeatedly been associated with a decreased risk of aging related diseases. And by healthy aging I’m not talking preventing wrinkles, what about protecting our brain?Two of the most dreaded consequences of dementia with aging are problems moving around and difficulty remembering things. Dementia robs older adults of their independence, control, and identity. What can we do about it?Well, fruits and vegetables help reduce the risk of other chronic diseases, might they work for brain diseases as well? There has been a proliferation of recent interest in plant polyphenols as agents in the treatment of dementia. There are 4,000 different kinds found ubiquitously in foods of plant origin, but berries are packed with them, possessing powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. And there’s a subset of a subset called anthocyanidins, natural blue-purple pigments uniquely and specifically capable of both crossing the blood–brain barrier and localizing in brain regions involved in learning and memory. And that’s where we need it. The brain takes up less than like 2% of body weight but may burn up to 50% of the body’s fuel, creating a potential firestorm of free radicals, so maybe these brain-seeking phytonutrients in berries could fight oxidation, inflammation, and increase blood flow, so… this raised a thought-provoking idea. Maybe a nutritional intervention with blueberries may be effective in forestalling or even reversing the neurological changes associated with aging. So did researchers give blueberries to people and see what happened? No, as I noted in an earlier video, they gave blueberries to rats. It would be a decade before the first human trial. But it worked! Blueberry supplementation improves memory in older adults suggesting that consistent supplementation with blueberries may offer an approach to forestall or mitigate brain degeneration with age.What other blue/purple foods can we try? Concord grape juice had a similar benefit, improving verbal learning, suggesting that supplementation with purple grape juice may enhance cognitive function for older adults with early memory decline. Why use juice and not whole concord grapes? Because then you couldn’t design a placebo that looked and tasted exactly the same to rule out the very real and powerful placebo effect. And also, because it was funded by the Welch’s grape juice company.This effect was confirmed in a follow-up study, showing for the first time an increase in neural activation in parts of the brain associated with memory using functional MRI scans. But this brain scan study was tiny, just 4 people in each group. And same problem in the blueberry study. It just had 9 people in it.Why haven’t large population-based studies been done? Because we haven’t had good databases on where these phytonutrients are found. We know how much vitamin C is in a blueberry, but not how much anthocyanidin, until now. The Harvard Nurse’s Health Study followed the cognitive function of more than 16,000 women for years, and found that higher, long-term consumption of berries were related to significantly slower rates of cognitive decline in this cohort of older women, even after careful consideration of confounding socioeconomic status, meaning even after taking into account the fact that rich people eat more berries. The first population-based evidence that greater intakes of blueberries and strawberries were highly associated with slower rates of cognitive decline, and not just by a little bit. The magnitude of associations were equivalent to the cognitive differences that one might observe in women up to 2 and a half years apart in age. In other words, women with higher intake of berries appeared to have delayed cognitive aging by as much as 2.5 years.Why not just some kind of anthocyanidin supplement? Because there hasn’t been a single study that found any kind of cognitive benefit by just giving single phytonutrients. In fact the opposite. Whole blueberries appear to be more effective than individual components, showing that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. These findings potentially have substantial public health implications, as increasing berry intake represents a fairly simple dietary modification to test in older adults for maintaining our brain.	Berry interesting! Maybe that’s why as a child I wanted Frankenberry and not Count Chocula as a breakfast cereal. Really! ;-)Love it!Any thoughts on fresh vs. frozen? And what about microwaving berries to thaw them, or in cooking?I believe that frozen are as, if not more, nutritious. I buy whatever’s on sale—fresh or frozen. One thing I’ve found is that you can buy frozen wild blueberries. They’re smaller than the cultivated ones, but very tasty. Tangy frozen cranberries are also very nice with steel-cut oats, a few walnuts, and some unsweetened soy milk.I agree they are indeed smaller than the cultivated ones. Wyman’s of Maine “fresh frozen wild blueberries” are often on sale at our local Stop&Shop. Yes, they are “very tasty.” I sure don’t scarf down 8 oz. a day of them, though — like Steve here!Maybe I’ll look into frozen cranberries, too. (Yeah, and I also do the soymilk — despite the bad press it often gets. Sometimes y’gotta take chances in life. ;-)Agreed. I think if you worry too much about your food you offset all the good that food is doing. Besides, my soy milk is unsweetened, organic, and made from whole soybeans. Though sometimes I am bad and use TVP-type soy in soups. Oh well, it hasn’t killed me ye..ghfciuekolaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaha! good reminder not to take ourselves too soyriously… ;)The only that concerns me about soy is that it can, apparently, block phytonutrient absorption. Remember this Dr. Gregor video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/But perhaps this only happens with tea? I decided not to take any chances and switch to Almond milk. I would rather use soy because it is lower in fat. But I really don’t want to take any chances with blocking phytonutrient uptake.Thanks Ben. Yeah, it is a bit of a concern. I don’t use a lot of soy milk—usually on my morning quinoa or steel-cut oats. That video leaves the phytonutrient absorption question a bit open, so I’ll continue the status quo for now. Besides, everything I eat is teeming with phytonutrients—I’m probably overdosing (lol).Are you still with us here on the earth plane? :-) I’ve been buying Westsoy from our local Stop&Shop. Nothing in it but filtered water and whole organic soybeans. It’s delicious on my cooked whole grains (breakfast) with either honey or molasses, and etc.. I suppose I should get their fortified version (more calcium), but I’m a plain and simple type of gal. Don’t like a lot of additives, even the “good” ones. This has more protein, although I use only 1/2 cup.Ha-ha—yeah I’m still here.I like soy milk mainly for the protein, and I’ve gotta put something on my hot cereal.I read T. Colin Campbell’s “Whole,” and what I took from it was to just eat a varied, whole foods, plant-based diet and don’t worry about it too much. Worry affects your digestion, sleep, et cetera, so it’s better just to celebrate the joy of a vegan lifestyle and be happy about it.The Wyman’s of Maine are what I buy. Three pound bag for $8.99. I understand BJ’s has it for $7.99. I am considering cutting back a bit and going organic. I do love my BBs though. Less…we’ll see.Soymilk gets bad press? My 68 y.o. physician father recently switched our family to Soymilk….just make sure you get the ‘lite’ variety…fewer calories….The director of the Plants for Human Health Institute at NC State University says that the individually frozen berries have more active phytonutrients than the ones frozen in a blob. She also recommends very short thaws in the microwave–15 seconds or so, just to remove the frosting. “Microwave can be devastating if overdone,” she says.I eat blueberries every day, at least 8 ounces. They are frozen, not organic (due to cost) and I sprinkle organic unsweetened cocoa (affordable) on these. I defrost for about 30 seconds in the microwave to soften them a little, not completely. I then eat them with chopsticks to slow me down. This is my favorite treat.You eat 8 ounces of blueberries a day with chopsticks?I do. I eat most meals with chopsticks.Youre a better man than me G Din!For me, chopsticks are just a tool to help slow me down. I can shovel food at a remarkable rate. I realize that I, like most Americans and perhaps westerners, do not use chopsticks as they are used in the lands of their origin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopsticks#Chinese_etiquetteSteve: Wow. I had no idea about all those customs. Thanks for sharing.Yes, I’ve heard of eating with chopsticks…we Americans do wolf down our food, I’m as guilty as anyone. Went to a neighborhood potluck the other night for our Community Garden…host keeps chopsticks all around his kitchen for this very same reason..to help him and his family eat more mindfully…great inspiration, I must say!hi steve, just letting you know that according to david suzuki, blueberries if not organic are on the ‘ dirty dozen ‘ list of food not to eat unless they are organic.Sigh. I am aware of that. It is a compromise I make to my budget. Thanks for thinking of me☺ Maybe I will reevaluate our eat fewer blueberries?Steve, I just wanna put in my 2 cents here. I used to make the same compormises for the same reasons. I’ll just give you an analogy to stir your thinking pot down to the muck: it’s like someone saying they’ll be hapy to eat poison food if they can eat more of it (more poison comes with). Try costco, or even 1/2 your daily, and save yourself the poison. It’s the same as the rational for taking pharm drugs, small help, BIG price = HARM. now that i just don’t eat anything that has poisons, if I have a bag of potato chips I feel the poison. being insensitive is not necesary condusive to health. . . PS> I also eat everything with chopsticx, including soup. ;))Thanks Ruby. I will consider your kind suggestion. WRT microwaving, I’ve seen no evidence that this is unsafe to food. I don’t use plastic in a microwave and actually use very little plastic, period. Big fan of Mason jars Consider this video about cooking methods http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/I don’t hover in front of the microwave so radiant energy is not a big concern. After pushing “start” I move about 5-6 feet away to do other tasks. Impatient? No doubt. :-)steve, this thing crashed and lost 2 responses that had good info and . . .. i’ve been crashing for a week anytime i mention sub.versive info. the email i wrote you had the word t.esla. . . en.ergy tec.chnolo.gy. .and this started when I used thre word l.i.zrd. . . it’s a bit freaky .at least my email saves drafts. wanna chat off here for a jiff? rubifyitatgmI find thawing my berries in a colander under cool to warm running water to thaw them works well and is quick. I have a tendency to overheat things in the microwave. :-)Steve and do you notice anything? I have frozen ones in my freezer to and have access to frozen and since I am in tropic I do not see but mainland berries, so frozen is about all there is. Love to hear back.Honestly, no. I remain grateful they taste good. The tropics sound pretty good to this Massachusetts winter sufferer!I too have been eating frozen (thawed) blueberries every day, and have done so for many years. I mix them with grapes, chopped apple, and walnuts, and have them as part of my lunch. Delicious! They’re also good for breakfast when added to cooked steel-cut oats and other whole grains.(I don’t own a microwave oven.)Any anthocyanidins in bing cherries and cranberries?See the USDA database for the flavonoid content of selected foods and http://www.phenol-explorer.eu.Cranberries are the 15th best source of total anthocyanidins in the USDA database (~100 mg / 100 g), while cherries are the 30th best (~ 33 mg). The best sources are black raspberries (685 mg) and elderberries (485 mg). A convenient listing for those who haven’t entered all the USDA values into a spreadsheet is this sorted list of anthocyanin content at phenol-explorer. Anthocyanidins are the polyphenols, anthocyanins are an anthocyanidin with one or more sugars attached, as they’re usually found in foods.Note that anthocyanidins are not the only polyphenols of health interest. Strawberries have only moderate levels of anthocyanidins (less than cherries) but are the major dietary source of fisetin, which appears to punch above its weight in neuroprotetion.Thanks, Darryl!Darryl: That is such a helpful post! Thanks!!Thanks for the link to the paper on fisetin, Darryl, very interesting. Unfortunately, there is still a distinct lack of literature on fisetin and the fisetin content of plant foods.Of the above mentioned potent sources for anthocyanidins, chokeberries are one of the most interesting, not only because of the high amount of cyanidin glycosides (regarding CD38 inhibition) but also because of their content of proanthocyanidins (~660 mg / 100 g FW), which is much higher than that of any berry (giving dried chokeberries roughly the same OPC content as cocoa powder).There’s little to say about the fisetin content of plant foods: strawberries have 16 mg / 100 g, apples (with skin) have 3 mg / 100 g, and no other food has significant amounts. Japanese wax tree bark has significantly greater levels, and is the source for fisetin supplements.Darryl, your second link above is about anthocyanin content of foods, which is spelled differently than the anthocyanidins Dr. Greger mentioned. Are these the same thing or is there a difference between them that matters?There are only about a dozen anthocyanidins found in foods, which usually occur as part of one of 550+ anthocyanins, which differ from anthocyanidins by having one or more simple sugars or reduced sugars (aglycones) attached around the anthocyanidin backbone. The anthocyanin derivatives of a given anthocyanidin may vary in bioavailability and drug-like effects.The USDA database reports the anthocyanidin content of foods after their anthocyanins are hydrolyzed, so its more of an aggregate measure. The phenol-explorer site breaks down food contents further into the various anthocyanins.Darryl,Any thoughts if we could expect the same cognitive benefits from the anthocyanins found in purple sweet potatoes as those found in blueberries? I can only find a rat study involving sweet potatoes and their effect on memory which was positive.ThanksThe anthocyanin content will differ, and as Phenol Explorer is down at the moment, I can’t say whether they’re comparable. Other sources indicate that purple sweet potato anthocyanidins consist of cyanidin or peonidin derivatives, whereas blueberry anthocyanins are a more complex mix of delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, peonidin, and malvidin derivatives. Without a human trial there’s no proof of comparable effectiveness, but we can speculate.Personally, I suspect anthocyanins are mostly absorbed as simpler colonic metabolites, so the actual anthocyanin profile may matter less than just consuming a bunch from whatever deep blue, purple, or black source. And while some of these compounds appear fairly promiscuous in their mechanisms, a common mechanism seems to be eliciting a hormetic effect to suppress chronic inflammation. Namely, even in small absorbed quantities they react to activate Nrf2 (a master regulator of antioxidant response), which in turn inhibits NF-κB (a master regulator of inflammatory/innate immune responses). Chronic inflammation is central to many diseases of aging, including cognitive impairment, so dialing it back a bit with any dark colored fruit, tubers or grains (cruciferous vegetables and tumeric are believed to work via the same mechanism) seems likely to offer comparable benefits.Thanks a lot for the response, Darryl.I was most curious about purple sweet potatoes since I’m getting ready to help harvest some, namely the Okinawan variety as well as a couple others but what I was really try to get at was if making substitutions with a purple variety whether it be rice, cabbage, etc. could be a beneficial strategy to fight cognitive impairment so I appreciate your input.Would you mind explaining Nrf2 pathways a bit more for us lay folks? How does Nrf2 regulate anti-oxidant response? Do other phytonutrients in addition to anthocyanins (or is it more correct to say “anthocyanidins”?) contribute to activating Nrf2? How does Nrf2 lead to inhibiting NF-kB? I’ve heard NF-kB described as the “black knight” of cancer cells because it helps cancer cells hide from the immune system. Does that make sense? As always, thanks for your insights, Darryl.Individual cells, like whole bodies, maintain homeostasis throughout life, attempting to maintain an appropriate balance of temperature, acid/base, redox state, etc. Without the benefit of the wiring our technology might use, cells use chemical interactions, like negative feedback by products on the enzymes that shepard reactions along, or reactions with regulatory proteins that control gene transcription.Nrf2 (an abbreviation of “Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2″) is one of these transcriptional regulators, and appears to play a paramount role in controlling endogenous antioxidant response to foreign chemicals, and has been extensively studied for two decades. When sulfhydryl reactive chemicals, like arsenic, cadmium or sulforophane from broccoli, curcumin from turmeric, oxidized anthocyanidins from berries, EGCG from tea, etc. enter cells, Nrf2 is released into the cell nucleus, where it attaches to DNA upstream of several hundred genes important in cellular protection (glutathione synthesis, antioxidant enzymes, DNA repair, protein chaperones, metal chelators, and toxin export), and promotes their transcription. I’ve discussed Nrf2 in more detail in some past comments: a, b, c, d, e, f.NF-κB is a master transcriptional regulator of cellular inflammatory signalling, and has an antagonistic role to Nrf2. Just as Nrf2 activation inhibits NF-κB, NF-κB activation inhibits Nrf2. This makes sense for cells, much of the generation of reactive chemical species is due to inflammatory responses, for example from NADPH oxidases regulated by NF-κB. By enlisting Nrf2’s detection of excess redox stress, cells have a feedback mechanism for regulating inflammatory production of radicals and protecting themselves. You’ll note considerable overlap between the list of Nrf2 activators I assembled and lists of NF-κB inhibitors (eg, Table 1 here), so much so that I suspect the well understood mechanism for Nrf2 activation, and its known inhibition of NF-κB, likely mediate the connection.Thank you, Darryl. Is the following a correct description of the positive feedback loop discussed in one of those articles you cite?Oxidative stress activates NF-kB— and NF-kB causes NADPH oxidase to be produced (which is what exactly?) – and NADPH oxidase activates ROS.So is this how oxidation and inflammation are intertwined?It an important but not the only way oxidative stress and inflammation are intertwined. I occasionally come across images like this:http://www.nature.com/nrneph/journal/v2/n10/images/ncpneph0283-f1.jpgThe body regularly uses low concentrations of the less harmful radicals like nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide for intra- and inter cellular signalling, and also generates copious superoxide to deal with perceived infections. There are positive feedback cascades by which this signalling can be amplified (like the squeal when microphones are pointed at speakers). Enough nitric oxide and superoxide in one place, and the very destructive radical peroxynitrite is formed. One paper that address this pathological cycle in atherosclerosis is:Zinkevich & Gutterman 2011. ROS-induced ROS release in vascular biology: redox-redox signaling.Some of these positive feedbacks occur at mitochondria and membrane bound enzymes and don’t require NF-κB, but many of the longer term inflammatory responses that require gene trascription do. When scientists talk about inflammation, they ‘re usually talking about increased levels of the signalling cytokines like the IL-1s, TNFα, or IFNγ, but these aren’t intrinsically toxic, its the radicals that are generated downstream that do the dirty work. The body tries to keep this regulated, sometimes with anti-inflammatory cytokines like IL-10, and likely also with Nrf2 mediated antioxidant response.Much of the benefit of whole plant based diets appears to be in interfering with feedback cycles of inflammation and oxidative stress. by reducing initial innate immune alarums (set off by saturated fats, endotoxins, Neu5gc, etc), by directly quenching excess radicals (with direct antioxidants like vitamins C, E, the carotenoids, ergothioneine, and folate), by making less inflammatory hormones (with less arachidonic acid and more omega-3s), and in the case of many phytochemicals, by activating Nrf2 mediated endogenous antioxidant response and directly or indirectly interfering with NF-κB promoted inflammatory gene transcription.That’s very helpful. What else would you put on your list of factors that set off innate alarms? And do you discuss Neu5gc elsewhere on this website?Neu5gc has its own topic category on NutritionFacts, and perhaps a recent damning study will feature in a future video. I believe I erred in describing it as a stimulator of innate immune response, as its a red meat derived sugar that’s incorporated into our cell membranes and recognized as foreign by our adaptive immune response. There’s speculation that Neu5gc is involved in nonresolving inflammation.Stimulants of innate immune response are generally pathogen fragments, and activate subvarieties of Toll like receptor. They include peptidoglycan (TLR1) or lipoteichoic acid (TLR2) from Gram positive bacteria, double stranded viral RNA (TLR3), bacterial lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) (TLR4) from Gram negative bacteria, bacterial flagelin (TLR5), single-stranded viral RNA in endosomes (TLR7), guanidine rich DNA (TLR8), unmethylated CpG DNA (TLR 9) etc. Some of these receptors are critical to chronic inflammatory disease, for example mutant mice lacking TLR4 don’t develop atherosclerosis and insulin resistance when fed the same high fat diets that induce these in wild-type mice. Saturated fats are believed by some to also active TLR4, both by increasing intestinal permeability to endotoxin, and perhaps also directly by causing TLR subunits to raft together. There’s even been evolutionary biology speculation on just why our innate immune responses should respond to dietary saturated fats. EDIT FORTHCOMING WHEN I FIND THAT PAPER.Would you mind sharing the source of that graphic?That’s from Vaziri, N. D., & Rodríguez-Iturbe, B. (2006). Mechanisms of disease: oxidative stress and inflammation in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Nature Clinical Practice Nephrology, 2(10), 582-593.No, I don’t spend my idle hours looking at kidney journals, it just happened to be a simple diagram found in Google image search that illustrated how the amplification circuits for inflammation could result in runaway oxidative stress, but which is consistent with other more jargon / pathway specific ones.Thanks. No rush. I’m also wondering whether this cycle of oxidative stress and inflammation is involved in the actual initiation of cancer? It would clearly be relevant to promotion and spread of cancer, right? Can it actually cause damage to DNA–or perhaps keep DNA from repairing itself? I realize some scientists (Thomas Seyfried, for example) suggest cancer is caused by damage to the mitochondria of cells–and an out of control feedback loop of ROS and inflammation would likely fuel that, correct? I’m guessing here and welcome your expertise.You could do worse than reviewing Reuter et al 2010. Oxidative stress, inflammation, and cancer: How are they linked?. Where this review fails IMO is the assertion that ordinary aerobic respiration is the major source of oxidative stress, which is contested, and not focusing on the amplification cycles for ROS and inflammation noted above.If mitochondrial respiration is just a fractional contributor to oxidative stress, then much more blame can be attributed the alternative major sources noted in the second link, peroxisomes (involved in oxidative toxicity from burning C14+ saturated fats) and NADPH oxidases (superoxide generating enzymes involved in inflammation and implicated in both cancer initiation and progression/survival).Could you tell us about TLRs 7 and 8? My son was prescribed (overprescribed–He took it for much longer than the FDA approves it for–iatrogenic error) a medication that works by binding to TLRs 7 and 8, thus activating several pro-inflammatory cytokines and has been experiencing neurological problems (dizziness, brain fog, dyslexia, which he never had before). So far, we’ve had no luck with medical specialists. Any thoughts on how to reverse the inflammatory signalling?Are there any other direct antioxidants that are well-absorbed?Thanks so much for this. You have surely put a lot of work into distilling all the information out there, and your fans in cyberspace are very appreciative.Re: your list of Nrf2 inducers:1/ So are you saying that the strongest Nrf2 inducers are also the strongest NF-kB inhibitors? Have you compiled a similar list of the strongest NF-kB inhibitors?2/ It’s interesting that coffee and black tea, according to your list, are stronger at inducing Nrf2 than green tea, with its EGCGs. Comments?3/ What’s the deal with luteolin? I see that at the bottom of the list, you’re questioning its actions. And how might Nrf2 inhibitors help if you’re taking chemo?Very good info. – confirming previous videos, esp the one about adding Pepper and Cardamom to blueberries for maximum effect – I can feel this healing me big time!! I recommend it to all! I sometimes use Young Living essential oils cardamom and black pepper – this is even more potent than the ground spices. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/However, I would not go the grape juice route mentioned in the video – to get my berries. Ever since I read a theorem presented by Dr. Mercola (below) I stay away from canned or bottled fruits and juices. (Unless you juice them and eat them – right away.)WE ALL KNOW HOW EXTREMELY TOXIC FORMALDEHYDE IS (let alone methanol) – IT’S USED TO EMBALM PEOPLE!http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/14/why-do-heavy-drinkers-outlive-nondrinkers.aspx Mercola – “New Concern in Your Food: Wood Alcohol (Methanol)Fresh fruits and vegetables contain small amounts of naturally-occurring methanol, and the artificial sweetener aspartame converts into methanol in your body.Normally this is not a problem as the methanol is typically bound to pectin, and since your body has no enzyme to metabolize that bond it is simply excreted in your stool and none of the methanol is absorbed into your body.However, the problem occurs when you can or bottle fruit- or vegetable juice, as the methanol tends to then dissociate from the pectin into free methanol, which you do absorb.The methanol you absorb readily passes the blood brain barrier where it can be converted to form formaldehyde, which is a potent toxin that actually causes most of the damage.”Dr Mercola says consuming saturated fat and cholesterol is not a problem, so I take whatever he says with a grain of salt. If what he claims about commercial juices were such a horrific danger, I’m sure Dr Greger would have a video about it by now.The real problem with commercial juices is the missing nutrients found in the whole foods the juices come from and the extreme ease of calorie over consumption of such calorie-dense liquids.Doctor G!! Do you think that since the whole berry is REQUIRED to see significant aid to brain function, that this might have some bearing on why coconut oil and procesed flakes may not show positive results but . . . that perhaps brains and nerves might show some significant help from the oils in coconut if coconut were consumed whole, and fresh??????? . . . Since no studies have been done with whole fresh coconut, and with my neurological disease I have greatly significant benefit in nerves and calmness and I think mental aquity as well because of it, yet prefer not to consume the oild internally and do not have the same affinity for even the flakes, might this idea not have some merit, to at least leand to consideration? Also I wanted to say, that 3 days is as long as a fresh coco will last in the fridge, and when they go bad it smells HORRID, so the oils are as volital and krill, which loses 50>75% of it’s potency before it reaches shore! Anywho, I’d love if some consideration of this idea that this saturated fat, from the fresh coconut, might be the thing missing in brain and nerve health beyond anything that’s thus far been measured. I think someone should push for a study. Alzheimers is HUGE in this country, as are other neurological and nerve related disorders.Gee Wilikers, 2 years for a typical life span of 75 years is 2.7%. I won’t even walk across the street for a sale of only 2.7% off. Why bother?Speaking of another wasted effort — why bring up the problem of oxalates in cinnamon without telling the rest of the story which would be every Meat Eater’s excuse to keep on.“2 years for a typical life span of 75 years is 2.7%. I won’t even walk across the street for a sale of only 2.7% off. Why bother? ” The POINT being that IF you do many and various things like this to improve your health…you MIGHT end up gaining 27%? And avoid the miseries of a slow death in old age? Your choice as always.Problem is: it’s not a sale. It is your life. Your only life…Drezzle: Your analogy only works if you place the same value on a couple of bucks that you place on two years of healthy brain life. I personally place a very high value on my brain health, as do many other people. If you don’t, of course, that is your prerogative. But hopefully you can see why others would find this information to be extremely valuable. And what is the price to get this high return? Eating some blueberries? Oh, the pain… (You see the point.)Calling attention to an important paper:Levine, Morgan E. et al. “Low protein intake is associated with a major reduction in IGF-1, cancer, and overall mortality in the 65 and younger but not older population.” Cell Metabolism 19 (2014): 407–417.Respondents aged 50–65 reporting high protein intake had a 75% increase in overall mortality and a 4-fold increase in cancer death risk during the following 18 years. These associations were either abolished or attenuated if the proteins were plant derived. Conversely, high protein intake was associated with reduced cancer and overall mortality in respondents over 65, but a 5-fold increase in diabetes mortality across all ages.I think this is a critically important paper, providing the best corroboration yet for the conclusions of The China Study. But Darryl, since I know you would have read the article, what is your comment on Figs J and K in the mouse study part of this paper – soy just as powerful in raising IGF-1. Perhaps this is a mechanism for why, in the human study, the control for animal protein only reduced, but did not eliminate the elevated risk associated with moderate and high protein diets? That is a little worrying for those of us who eat soy.It is interesting that the next paper in the journal by entirely different authors, a study in about 900 mice, reaches pretty much the same conclusion (the mice on the low protein diets lived longest).Kate: In that study you are referencing, do you know if they were using whole soy or traditional soy products (like tofu) – or if they were looking at soy protein isolates?It is my understanding that it is the soy protein isolates that cause a problem and understandably so. But I would be interested in knowing if there is a study showing issues with whole soy consumption. (Then again, we are just talking mice…)No I don’t know, but since they were feeding it to mice, I doubt they were using organic tofu! They were comparing casein and soy, and both raised IGF-1 equally, and lowered one of the IGF-1 binding proteins equally. I know that other studies have found soy raises IGF-1 and I am not aware that this effect depends on the type of soy – I don’t know that for sure, but I doubt if that is the case because it wouldn’t really make sense biologically. Soy raises IGF-1 because it has a similar amino acid profile to animal proteins (presumably). That is perhaps good and bad.Kate: based on your description, it *sounds* to me like they were using soy protein isolate. This means that they just pulled out the protein pieces of soy. That is like pulling the oil out of olives or looking at the health benefits (or lack there of) of white flour and then declaring that olives and wheat are bad for you/cause harm.In other words, if they were using soy protein isolates, then I think the most you could conclude from those studies is that humans should stay away from the type of junk/packaged food which contains soy protein isolates. I think this conclusion is valid, because we have good evidence that traditional soy products are protective against cancer in humans. So, I don’t think you could look at a study that uses soy protein isolates on mice and conclude that humans eating “whole” or traditional soy products raise IGF-1 in a way that is unhealthy.That’s just my thought. Thanks for your reply/clarification.Thea – there is so much more to this study than the tiny bit I mentioned about the soy/casein comparison. It is a pretty compelling study (series of studies actually) – I would highly recommend that you and other regular contributors to this site read it. It is freely available – Darryl has posted the link above.Kate: Thanks for the additional info! I’ll give it a shot if I can.Soy is a pretty complete protein. I would expect soy protein – in whatever form – to have effects quite similar to casein, because of its similar amino acid profile.Soy is fed to livestock because it is a cheap, relatively “complete” protein that stimulates growth. The same is true in humans, and between the ages of 20 and 65, the harms of excess growth signalling may outweigh the benefits for many.Dr. Greger addressed these issues in what I consider his best thematic series of videos to date, from 2012:• IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop • Cancer-Proofing Mutation • The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle • Protein Intake & IGF-1 Production • Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk • Animalistic Plant Proteins • Too Much Soy May Neutralize Benefits • How Much Soy Is Too Much? • Plant-Based BodybuildingSoy has many good things going for it that may reduce cancer risk. Whole soybeans are high in fiber. The isoflavone phytoestrogens preferentially stimulate estrogen receptor β, with protective effects against breast and prostate cancer. These two benefits may not apply to soy protein isolates. Soy protein has the highest ratio of lysine (the limiting one in vegan diets) to leucine (a branched chain amino acid that is the most effective IGF-1 stimulator), which means one can achieve adequate protein with less growth stimulation with soy than with other plant proteins.So the issue comes down to how much food chosen for high protein (soy, nuts etc) is really necessary for health, and my readings suggest the answer, for those between 20-65, is some, but not much. Protein is in all whole foods, and protein deficiency is exceptionally rare unless one is young and eating a diet wholly comprised of very low protein foods like taro and cassava.From your link: “These results suggest that low protein intake during middle age followed by moderate to high protein consumption in old adults may optimize healthspan and longevity.”I’m wondering what kind of “high protein” they’re talkin’. Red meat, etc.?.Their three dietary cohorts were low protein ( 20 % of calories). It should be noted that few Americans would fall into the low protein category (~ 1% of the population), while only about 7-8% of the population would fall into their high protein category.The study did not differentiate further than plant protein and animal protein. There are also confounders like saturated fat that arguably weren’t well controlled for. However, this study adds to a body of evidence about the long-term harms of high protein, and especially high animal protein, diets. A sampling:• Low-carbohydrate–high-protein diet and long-term survival in a general population cohort (2006) • Low carbohydrate–high protein diet and mortality in a cohort of Swedish women (2007) • Low-carbohydrate diets and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: Two cohort Studies (2010) • Dietary correlates of plasma IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 concentrations (2002) • Association of diet with serum insulin-like growth factor I in middle-aged and elderly men (2005) • The association between diet and serum concentrations of IGF-1, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-2, and IGFBP-3 in EPIC (2009) • Insulin and insulin-like growth factor signalling in neoplasia (2008) • The insulin and insulin-like growth factor receptor family in neoplasia: an update (2012)Hi Dr. Greger,How many ounces or cups of blueberries should be consumed each day to receive the benefits outlined in your video?Just trying to get a better sense of magnitude: 3 cups? 1 cup? Half a cup?Thank you!In the cognitive decline paper, high intake was at least one serving per week. Given a serving is only 1/2 cup, the paper indicates those in the category eating at over Tbsp a day had significant brain benefits. More may be better, but this study didn’t say.What about a good-old “Best Anthocyanin Sources” video? =)@sebastiantristan:disqus- I like the way you think! Dr. Greger sort of has a video on “Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better?” already: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/ Hint: another berry won this battle!Yep, cranberries. My freezer is full of cranberry boxes. The only problem is that I have to use a blender and mix it with other fruits – mostly sweet berries – to make them palatable.I wonder how that “contest” would have looked liked if it actually included berries high in OPC and/or anthocyanins, like those I mentioned above. Cranberries have the highest amount of anthocyanins among the contenters, but chokeberries or elderberries provide fifty times(!) as much.You can go to http://www.phenol-explorer.org and see foods listed by their anthocyanin content, it is a bit difficult to navigate, though.If you just want the “Top 5″, the graph below shows the berries with the highest anthocyanin content. Blue bars are anthocyanins, white bars are OPC. Aronia, also known as black chokeberry, contains about ten times(!) as much anthocyanins as commercial highbush blueberries. “Holunderbeeren” is elderberries, providing as much anthocyanins as aronia, but much less OPC (and they can only be eaten after being heated). Third is black currants, fourth wild blueberries (or bilberries) and fifth European cranberries (or lingonberries). To put this into perspective, commercial blueberries provide only about 150 mg anthocyanins, and cranberries 30 mg. Even the much hyped açaí berries contain only about 300 mg – one fifth of what is found in aronia or elderberries.This page shows the difference between blueberries and bilberries: http://www.mirtoselect.info/public/bilberry_blueberry.aspThank you for your post, it’s very informative. I believe the correct link is http://www.phenol-explorer.eu and you’re right, it’s a bit confusing to browse . The anthocyanin and OPC levels you mention are for fresh or dried Aronia berries? I found dried Aronia berries online.Yes, it’s .eu, I confused the top level domain, sorry.The levels (1480 mg per 100 gr) are actually for fresh Aronia berries. Dried berries are approximately 1/10th of the fresh weight, but you loose a small amount (~10%) of anthocyanins during drying. I would expect dried Aronia berries to have more than 100 mg of anthocyanins per gram. Thus a single teaspoon (5 gr) should provide about as much anthocyanins as a pound of blueberries.Look at this blog: http://archive.constantcontact.com /fs139/1110504859328/archive/1116496595934.htmlIf someone goes on a Candida cleanse for three months, is vegan, how does that person get enough protein without compromising their diet?Five Nobel laureates backing anti-aging dietary supplementhttps://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/02/03/anti-aging-supplement-from-prominent-local-scientists/FvHsy28Hd9fILmrR4OZArO/story.html#comments	aging,anthocyanins,antioxidants,berries,blueberries,brain disease,brain health,chronic diseases,cognition,Concord grapes,dementia,evolution,fruit,fruit juice,grape juice,grapes,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,inflammation,memory,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,placebo effect,plant-based diets,polyphenols,strawberries,supplements,vegetables,vitamin C,wrinkles	The consumption of blueberries and strawberries is associated with delayed cognitive aging by as much as 2.5 years, thought to be because of brain-localizing anthocyanin phytonutrients, as shown on functional MRI scans.	What other ways could we improve our memory and cognitive function? What other near-miraculous properties of berries are there?I add them to my morning smoothie: A Better Breakfast.If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/concord-grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wrinkles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/placebo-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22475317,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16917175,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22535616,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20047325,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10479711,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22468945,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20028599,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22907211,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23002931,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22658645,
PLAIN-2632	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/	Is Meat Glue Safe?	The so-called meat glue enzyme, transglutaminase, is used by the industry to add value by gluing together smaller scraps into a larger chunk. And not just to make fake steak. The American Meat Institute estimates it's used in about 8 million pounds of meat every year in the United States. It can be used to cross-link pieces of any type of meat, fish, or meat product, hence can be used to produce large chunks of virtually intact looking meat or fish out of small meat or fish cuttings. In fact when these researchers actually tested for it in 20 samples of meat from the supermarket, they only found meat glue in salmon and turkey. I mean how else are you going to get an improvement of gelling properties in minced lizardfish?Where does meat glue come from? For decades, the sole commercial source of transglutaminase was from the livers of guinea pigs. Now it can be sourced much cheaper, however the future of meat glue remains uncertain because of, as meat scientists describe, communication difficulties.One of the reasons the industry is so excited is because using meat glue enzymes, "restructured" meat can be made from under utilized portions of the carcasses. For example, you can get away with adding up to 5% tendons, and some people can't even tell the difference. This has raised food safety concerns though. There is a risk that otherwise discarded leftovers of questionable microbial quality could find their way into the reconstituted meat.You can actually take a microscope and see introduced E. coli O157:H7 along the glue lines where meat pieces were enzymatically attached, which shows that the restructuring process can translocate fecal matter surface contamination into the interior of the meat.Furthermore, people who have problems with gluten may develop problems when ingesting meat treated with the meat glue enzyme, since it functions as an auto-antigen capable of inducing an autoimmune reaction.	As a person with Celiac Disease, I found this video very interesting. It just shows that when you eat an animal product, you really don’t know what you are eating. Most Celiac patients think meat is a “safe” product and tend to increase their consumption as they exclude gluten containing foods. Fruits and vegetables are the safe foods!I just find the whole topic of meat glue disturbing. I heard about it a few years ago and it was just another nail in the casket of my omnivorous life. Very glad to be vegan yet again!mmmmmmmmmm. meat glue.lolHi Doc, I am not sure what the point was that you were trying to make regarding the source of TG. I did not understand the reference to the “communication issue”. Are Guinea Pigs still used as the primary source? I understand that is hard to communicate with a Guinea Pig but surely that was just a joke and I did not see the alternative connection.I found this link which I thought might interest you. It is about the use of meat glue in Australia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydzIlKJmwV4I watched this video as well. Thanks for posting it.I also found this information a supplier of meat glue in Australia.“Transglutaminase (TG) Sprinkle Powder (Activa KS-LS). This enzyme has the revolutionary ability to improve the physical properties of protein containing foods. Many forms of transglutamase are manufactured by Ajinomoto in Japan. The one we are selling is the only one approved for use in food manufacturing in Australia. TG causes proteins to bind together through an enzyme reaction. This binding cannot be broken even when frozen, cooked or sliced. There is also no pH shift involved when using this product.How is Transglutaminase (TG) Manufactured? TG is made by means of fermentation. Starch and other raw materials are used and when fermentation is over, all transglutaminase producing microorganisms are completely removed.What if we require bulk quantities of meat glue after our test batch works? This is not a problem we can supply you 1kg bags or even 10kg for industrial applications. The main concern would be to maintain fresh stock levels at all time. Activity of the activa meat glue will diminish over time.A Handy Hint about meat glue. Meat glue loves gelatin. The protein structures in gelatin work really well with Meat Glue. So why is this important? Well if something does not have a protein component eg grains or pulses add some gelatin and the meat glue will bond with the gelatin. Opens up a whole new area of ideas, let us know how you go.Soooo gross.As a sufferer of angioedema, this made me sick.Seriously disgusting!!!!!!!!Hi Nutrition Facts teamI would like to hear your views on high temperature food cooking of meats. Is it just possible that many of the adverse effects associated with meat consumption are mainly due to the carcinogens produced by higher temperature methods (bbq, grill, oven, fry) and that meats cooked at lower temperatures (soup, stew, curry) are considerably safer ?Also, this caught my attention from ‘Meat Science’ (!) and is worth a read – some good graphics too – The role of red and processed meat in colorectal cancer development: A review, based on findings from a workshop – http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0309174014000564photoMaldives: While you certainly identified one problem with meats, high temperature cooking, or cooking at all, are not the only problems. The saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat embedded in meat is going to be a problem no matter how you cook it. As is the problem that you can’t get away from the animal protein, a substance that likely encourages cancer growth. (See the series of videos on this site regarding IGF-1, the one stop cancer shop.)Bottom line: a healthy diet does not include meat or includes very, very little.For the tip of the ice burg on our evidence against meat:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/Hope that helps.As someone suffering with severe osteoporosis and controlling pain and inflammation by eating vegan, I can better understand the reason so many people and animals are sick given the way our government allows us to be poisoned, and meat glue is no exception. When you eat higher on the food chain, like meat, you don’t know what it’s being fed like organisms from other species, incessant use of extremely toxic weed killers (and mineral chelators) and additives like meat glue. This is a great reason for eating organic vegan. Blood tests done recently found everything in the healthy normal range, which I attribute to organic as well as vegan food consumption. I don’t eat processed and only eat for health, and now my newly adopted kitten does as well. No meat glue for her, or us.	American Meat Institute,animal products,animal protein,animal studies,autoimmune diseases,celiac disease,chicken,cost savings,E. coli,E. coli o157:H7,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,fish,food poisoning,foodborne illness,gluten,meat,meat glue,poultry,processed meat,salmon,steak,transglutaminase,turkey	Used in about 8 million pounds of meat every year in the United States, the “meat glue” enzyme, transglutaminase, has potential food safety and allergy implications.	Some meat additives, however, may actually improve food safety. See Meat Additives to Diminish Toxicity, Viral Meat Spray and Maggot Meat Spray.Most need not worry about gluten sensitivity, though. See my video Is Gluten Bad For You?More on E. coli O157:H7 in my video, Meat May Exceed Daily Allowance of Irony. For those interested in the politics of this “Jack-in-the-Box” strain, see my blogs E. coli O145 Ban Opposed by Meat Industry and Supreme Court case: meat industry sues to keep downed animals in food supply. From a population perspective, the E. coli in chicken is more of a concern. See my video Avoiding Chicken To Avoid Bladder Infections.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steak/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat-glue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/transglutaminase/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-meat-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celiac-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli-o157h7/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7576150,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9212095,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22055118,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22747363,
PLAIN-2633	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/	Is Liquid Smoke Flavoring Carcinogenic?	We know smoke inhalation isn't good for you, what about smoke ingestion? Decades ago, smoke flavorings were tested to see if they caused DNA mutations in bacteria, and the test was negative. Even as more and more smoke flavoring was added, the DNA mutation rate remained about the same.But the fact that something is not mutagenic in bacteria has little predictive value for its effect on human cells, so a group at MIT tested a hickory smoke flavoring they just bought at the store against two types of human white blood cells. Unlike the bacteria, the mutation rate shot up as more and more liquid smoke was added.Unfortunately, there is no evidence that mutagenic activity in a particular human cell line is more closely related to human health risk than is mutagenic activity in bacteria. In other words, just because liquid smoke causes DNA mutations to human cells in a petri dish, doesn't mean that it does the same thing within the human body.Damaging DNA is just one of many ways chemicals can be toxic to cells. A decade later researchers tested to see what effect liquid smoke had on overall cell viability. If you drip water on cells, nothing happens, they keep powering away at around 100% survival, but drip on more and more wood fire smoke and you start killing some of the cells off. Cigarette smoke is more toxic, but 3 out of 4 of the brands of liquid smoke they bought at the supermarket killed off even more cells, leading them to conclude that the cytotoxic potential of some commercial smoke flavorings is greater than that of liquid cigarette smoke, a finding they no doubt celebrated given that the researchers were paid employees of the "R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co."Unfortunately they didn't name names of the offending brands. That's one of the reasons I was so excited about this new study, where they tested—and named--15 different brands of liquid smoke. This maximum "response" they were measuring was p53 activation.P53 is a protein we make, illustrated here in pink and red, that binds to our DNA, shown in blue. It activates our DNA repair enzymes. So a big p53 response may be indicative of a lot of DNA damage,and a few of the liquid smoke flavorings activated p53 almost as much as a chemotherapy drug like etoposide whose whole purpose is to break DNA strands.Other flavorings didn't seem as bad, though there was a hickory smoke powder that ranked pretty high, as did the fish sauce, though smoked paprika didn't register at all.The p53-activating property in liquid smoke was eliminated by standard baking conditions (350°F for 1h), so if you're baking something with liquid smoke for long enough it should eliminate this effect, though just boiling—even for an hour, or slow cooking doesn't appear to work.They conclude "If the DNA-damaging activities of liquid smoke were thought to be deleterious, it might be possible to replace liquid smoke with other safer, smoky substances." Why do they say if thought to be deleterious? That's because they're not really measuring DNA damage, they're measuring p53 activation, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.P53 is considered "Guardian of our Genome," guardian of our DNA. It's considered a tumor suppressor gene, so if something boosts its activity is that good or bad? It's like the broccoli story. Cruciferous vegetables dramatically boost our liver's detoxifying enzymes. Is this because our body sees broccoli as toxic and is trying to get rid of it quicker? Either way, the end result is good, lower cancer risk.It's a biological phenomenon known as hormesis - that which doesn't kill us may make us stronger. Like exercise is a stress on the body, but in the right amount can make us healthier in the long run. So, for example, teas and coffees caused p53 activation as well, but their consumption is associated with lower cancer risk. So it's hard to know what to make of this p53 data. Due to the limitations of the available tests it's hard to calculate the genotoxic potential of liquid smoke, or any other food for that matter. A better approach may be to just analyze liquid smoke for known carcinogens, chemicals that we know cause cancer.This was first attemptedback in 1971. One of the seven liquid smoke flavors they tested contained one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon known to be cancer-causing, but there's a bunch of similar carcinogens that they didn't test for. A later study, however, tested across the board, looking specifically at 5 different carcinogens in retail liquid smoke seasonings they just bought at the store.The recommended daily upper safety limit for these carcinogens is 47. Hickory smoke flavoring only has point eight per teaspoon, so you'd have to drink three bottles a day to bump up against the limit. And mesquite liquid smoke, only 1.1.It turns out that most of these carcinogens in smoke are fat soluble, and so when you make a water-based solution, like liquid smoke, you capture the smoke flavor compounds without capturing most of the smoke cancer compounds. The only time you need to really worry is eating smoked foods, foods directly exposed to actual smoke. For example, smoked ham comes up to here, and smoked turkey breast up to here. So one sandwich and you may be half way to the limit. But one serving of barbequed chicken takes you over the top. Less than a single drumstick and you nearly double your daily allotment of these carcinogens. Nothing, however, is as bad as fish. Smoked herring? 140. And we have to shrink down the graph to fit the worst of the worst, smoked salmon. One bagel with lox could take us 10 times over the limit.	Minor technical point. This video equates “smoked salmon” with “lox.” The two are not necessarily the same. Some lox is “hot smoked”, some is “cold smoked” and some is not smoked at all.I generally agree, although where I live, most smoked salmon is cold smoked.aThanks Dr. Greger for enlighten us on Smoked Salmon. That was the only thing I could occasionally eat but having watched your video, I think I’ll be having second thoughts about eating it. I consider myself a neighboring Vegan – Fish (salmon and mackerel) were the only things that I’d eat on rare occasions. And I’ve been reconsidering to quit that as well. I do follow a rigid pant based diet and thanks to you for reinforcing the message to the general public. Great show, thanks.Adam: Years ago, when I was transitioning from full omnivore to vegetarian (I’m vegan now), the last flesh I gave up was smoked salmon and lox. It is definitely a tough one to give up.Hi Thea, I’ve just made up my mind not to eat smoked salmon again but I do find Mackerel and Salmon quite tasty! So, far, I’ve given up practically all other types of meat, eggs, dairy, etc… Maybe in due course I’ll be able to exclude fish from from entering the flowing streams of my system so I can maintain a healthier constitution and maybe, just maybe there’ll be more fish in sea!It may help you to give it up, if you consider that salmon is an endangered species. Also, almost all the “wild” salmon, was actually bred in hatcheries, and the true wild salmon cannot compete with those raised in hatcheries, making them even more endangered.Thanks. I’m still not over my fish intake, yet. I still eat trout or salmon on some occasions. Apart from that, I have been a good boy so far, and have maintained a straight vegan path on all other aspects.I suppose we all have our own battles and I know that mine revolves more around moderation vs. abandonment.It’s just a suggestion, possible motivation for those who are trying to progress towards veganism. I have been on this vegetarian path for 40 years, at first eating a bit of meat every year or so, then eventually becoming vegan, EXCEPT FOR a bit of honey or as (Mrs. Vegan America) Linda Middlesworth calls it: “bee vomit”! Perfection is still eluding me, but hope springs eternal.So simply stated, the artificial smoking sauces/ingredient is not nearly as risky as the actual process of actually smoking different animal product due to the lipophilic properties? Some sauces with the liquid smoke would possibly contain some fat/oils, so that would lead to concern potentially.This video is so, So, SO helpful!!! I don’t eat it all the time, but I greatly enjoy some liquid smoke in some dishes. But I had some lingering concerns. This video has done a great job of putting those concerns to rest/putting the situation into perspective.Also, thanks for showing those brand names on the liquid smoke. I got the point of the end of the video and am not really worried. But I like the idea that I could look for brands that might even be safer.Thanks!!!Dr. Greger: I should add: I’m also interested in results of smoked salt, which I substitute for regular salt all the time (far more than I ever use liquid smoke). I would expect the results would be the same as for smoked salt as liquid smoke since salt does not have fat. But if you come across any research about smoked salt in the future, I would appreciate a return to this subject. That smoked salt is wonderful.Thea. Thanks for bringing this up. I was on the verge of buying some smoked salt lately and also need to know what smoke flavor/brand the manufacturers are using. Although I should, probably, just forget it. I wonder if the salt co. would provide that infoLynnCS: re: “Although I should, probably, just forget it.”It’s up to you of course, but I found the video to be quite empowering on this topic. I would expect smoked salt to have results close to smoked paprika (which came off in flying colors) or at worse like liquid smoke (which when put in context came off just fine for my comfort level). So, while I’m interested in learning about studies specific to smoked salt, I see no reason so far to eliminate it. And a little bit can truly transform a dish.You might consider trying that smoked paprika if you haven’t already.Makes me wonder if there have been any population studies around those who are known to barbeque. Would the cancer rate demonstrate a correlation. It was my impression that cultures such as Norway who eat high amounts of smoked salmon have a low rate of cancer.I don’t really know about Norway, although I am a bit Norwegian, but was married to a Finn. The salmon they prepared was actually not smoked, but salted. It was fantastic, but lt was layered on a container like a glass container, bowl with coarse salt and spices like whole pepper (allspice,) Sprigs of whole dill is nice too. Place a heavy lid, glass or other non reactive, directly on the fish and leave for several days. You’ll see the fish give up it’s liquid and change into a more solid form considered “cooked” by the salt. Slice on the diagonal, very thin.We would also buy that thin pkg of “smoked salmon” occasionally, and sometimes layer it with onions in scalloped potatoes. I have to say that as a committed plant based eater, I would have to try some of that if I saw it at a buffet, provided it only had the salmon in it. It’s so good. Sorry plant based friends. Wonder how that salmon is made. Is it the same as the smoked filets?OMG, about the smoked salmon! I haven’t had much meat/fish in years but every now and then get a hankerin for some ready made smoked salmon I see at the deli of my local store. I thought, “A little bit won’t hurt.” Haven’t indulged in a couple years and am doing fine, so I guess it needs to go on that “let it go list,” along with cheese and oil, my most recent Aha items. Somehow or other life is great without them. Obsessions are so wierd! Thanks, Dr Greger, for all the work you put into this site. It really makes a difference. Imagine all the healthy choices you help us to make. I was wondering about this issue. Now please point us in the direction of simulating a “smokie” taste naturally, if you have some info. Thanks, Lynn.Smoked paprika can be added to anything really and doesn’t impart much flavor beyond the smokiness. I LOVE canned chipotles in adobo sauce, though they lend a bit of spiciness along with the smokiness and imo are best in texmex/mexican type dishes.Smoked paprika is IMO the easiest way to veganize dishes that call for smoked meat/sausage flavoring, and is a staple in my kitchen. Glad to that current evidence suggests its innocuous.I never even thought of using paprika, much less smoked paprika to get that simulated taste. This sounds great thanks! Now to just find a store in range that has it.FYI….be careful with paprika. It is in the nightshade family and has been known to cause arthritic symptoms, as well as other painful ailments, in sensitive people. I wish it wasn’t the case but it is. Some people wonder why they feel awful….paprika, and other nightshades (potato, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, goji berries….) can really do some harm. Elimination of all nightshade for an extended time, and then reintroducing into the diet, is the best way to find out.Did you know anything cooked ,baked heated ..,breads your veggies or even fruit becomes toxic after its heated best to eat raw organic Uncooked food period ,The way God made it , I never liked fish nor ate it especially now a days w fukushima and all mercury .. no thanksI’ve fondly missed your posts. (I haven’t used smoked paprika in a very long time. The brands I’ve bought all contained ethoxyamine. Someone on this website pointed out that this was a pesticide, at least as employed in Europe. But then you mentioned that it was considered to be safe by the FDA or USDA. Anyway).Darryl: In the last couple of years, I’ve reduced my guacamole recipe to: avacado and smoked paprika. Mash and eat. I love it. (Though I have to confess that sometimes I throw in some smoked salt too or other stuff like nutritional yeast.)Interesting! Guacamole with paprika? Ok. I am trying it this weekend. I normally throw a bit of the homemade salsa in but why not? And of course squeeze of lime.Here is my own baked bean recipie, I love to add some smoky flavor:1 can no salt added beans of choice drained1 onion2 tsp garlic1 tbsp molasses2 tsp mustard1/2 tbsp soy saouce or liquid aminoes1 tsp worchesterchire sauce1 tsp apple cider vinegardash liquid smokedrop maple extract (optional)1/2 tsp smoked pakrikaHeat medium pan and add onion with water to prevent sticking. Cook until carmalized, then add remaining ingrediants and cook for a few more minutes until desired consistancy is reached.OK, so I guess I’ll keep adding some mesquite smoke powder to my morning oatmeal.seriously? Is that good? hahaAndrew: That’s very interesting. Most people tend to make their oatmeal sweet. Sounds like you go for savory. Out of curiosity, do you add anything else to your morning oatmeal?It’s very much a savory oatmeal. The most current incarnation is: Bob’s Red Mill Extra Thick Rolled Oats, crushed tomato, Trader Joes Fire Roasted Bell Peppers and Onions, artichoke hearts, kale, nutritional yeast, ground ginger, ground fenugreek, ground turmeric, black pepper, mesquite smoke powder and saffron. And a squirt of Sriracha sauce. The veggies are frozen. I mix everything together and nuke it while I’m in the shower every morning.Cool. Thanks very much for sharing.Shame you nuked it ,all nurition in that food/recipe just went right out the window. when you microwave anything all good is gone after. its worst thing for your food . Best to eat all we can Raw! Im not there myself yet in transition stages ,but just know raw uncooked foods is best for our health .Diana: I am not aware of any scientific evidence saying that microwaving food destroys all nutrition. In fact there are studies showing that for some foods, microwaving is actually one of the better methods for preserving the nutrition in food. You can learn more here if you are interested: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/The above video is also one of the videos where Dr. Greger addresses the issue of eating raw.No its not lmao please simply look on youtube for truth about microwavesThis sounds perfect for me. I can’t bring myself to eat oatmeal, but all that’s added here has me salivating. Do you measure out what you add? Is this just one serving? Thanks.Hi Thea, I admit I’ve never tried it, as I prefer sweet (berries!) oatmeal, but this thread reminded me of the Healthy Librarian’s savory oatmeal recipe:http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2013/01/cheezy-oatmeal-in-2013.htmlb00mer: That’s a fantastic page! Thanks for sharing it. I usually skip to the recipes on sites like that, but I ended up reading the whole post before getting the recipe.Thanks for pointing this out to me. I’m working myself up to giving it a try.OK, you two intrigued me! I think I’m going to try this crazy savory oatmeal this week. Greens six times a day! What a goal. :)Tommasina: Good luck. I think it is an admirable goal. Personally, I have a long way to go. :-( But I am definitely getting better on greens consumption.Thea, I’ve had the savory oatmeal twice this week and I gotta confess, I’m a fan! And thanks for the luck, I’ll need it to get up to 6. I sometimes hit greens 3-4 times when it’s an intentional effort, I’m working on it though. :)Tommasina: You so good! I’m impressed. I think it takes some courage to step outside one’s comfort zone.Yo are WAY ahead of me. But while Iag on amount of greens that I’m actually getting down me, I’m doing better all the time. So, I’ll catch up eventually… :-)Thanks for the update. That was a great goad for me. I had forgotten about this idea already. Argh!Tommasina: I’m officially reporting in regarding savory oatmeal. I took three recipes and made a version that took bits and pieces from all three recipes. (Thank you to Andrew and Boomer for your help!) The first time I made it, I didn’t like it at all. But a big part of the problem was that it was just too spicy for me. So, I adjusted the spices and tried again. The second time was much better. I’m definitely keeping savory oatmeal as a breakfast option. I’ve made (and eaten!) the second version 2 times now.For anyone interested, here is the recipe that I ended up pretty much liking: * 1/4 cup porridge style/cut grains (I am currently using a mix of Bob’s Red Mill Scottish oats and Kamut.) * 2 Tbs ground flaxseed (that’s 1/2 of a 1/4 measuring cup – just eyeball it) * 1 Tbs or so of Nutritional Yeast* 1/4 tsp turmeric * 1/8 tsp cumin * 1/8 tsp ginger powder* black pepper to taste * dash of mesquite seasoning * 1/6 bullion cube * some cut up greens (which may need pre-nuking, not sure yet) * some more tasty-to-me veggies like mushrooms or the bellpepper/onion mix Andew mentioned, etc.* scant cup of waterMix well and zap in microwave for 3 minutes. Let sit for a couple of minutes. Eat and enjoy. Maybe add a bit of savory cashew cream if you feel that it is still too spicy or if you feel it needs some added fat.Makes 1 serving. Tastes good at lunch too.I’m going to play with making a week’s worth so I can make it over the weekend and have an easier time with breakfast during the week. Also, I’m going to continue to play with the spices. For example, I’m going to try Fenugreek. I just have to buy it…Thea, I’m glad to hear that you found a way to make it tasty for you! I like the idea of putting in black salt and mesquite seasoning for spice–yummy!When I make mine, I cook the oats on the stove with sliced sundried tomatoes so they get nice and soft. As soon as the oats are cooked, I turn off the heat and mix in the greens. Then I add turmeric, black pepper, and a sprinkle of nori. I usually add 1/4 c of nutritional yeast to give it a really cheesy flavor.Good thinking re: making it in advance. I’m going to try that this week, with the mushrooms and black salt. Thanks for the report! Happy eating. :)Oooh, sprinkle of nori. Now that’s definitely an ingredient I’m going to have to play with. Thanks for sharing!Slight left turn here: I’d like to know exactly what it is the Doctor orders when he is out to dinner at a restaurant?And, what a typical day’s meal’s look like for him?Thanks Dr. Greger!! Love your videosKathy: While I don’t know about the restaurant part of your question, you are not alone about wanting to know what Dr. Greger eats himself. He answered this question in the following video:http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/hangouts-on-air-live-qa-with-michael-greger-m-d/Dr. Greger’s comments on his day’s eating is at 21:39.MarthaLA: Thanks for finding and posting the location!Italian subs http://www.amara.org/it/videos/vdTyWdMd9rkq/info/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/Look it up !! fruit and veggies becomes toxic after heatedDiane, could you please provide some citations to academic studies in support of your statement that fruits and vegetables become toxic? Thanks.not all foods but most and yes fruits,veggies , meats ,fried and brbq esp burnt meat.. and breads also baked goods , I will try to find links , I had a freind show me this in the first place , I looked into it and found he was right..plus you cooked all nutrients out of it , change the molecular structure when food is heated.http://www.dailypaul.com/94829/cooked-food-is-actually-toxic-to-humans .. THE LINK YOU ASKED FOR>> cooked-food-is-actually-toxic-to-humansDamn! Ilove lox! Just not the carcinogenic type.how do you clean it.so i am buying lunch meat like Smoked Turkey. Are you saying that a brand that uses liquid smoke to flavor their lunch meat is safer than one that actually smokes its meat over a fire before processing? Ty for ur input!Wonderful video! Thanks. The “essence” of the whole smoking/roasted debate is that anything that produces smoke or carbonized organics is toxic in more than one way, and sometimes plain mutagenic.I have always wondered about liquid smoke. I suspected it was not so good to consume, but had nothing on which to base that opinion – until now. For vegans, there’s a hidden sub issue here which I think deserves further explanation. Smoke is a product of grilling things such a meat or fish. It is that singular unique taste which is associated with Barbeque. It’s one of those tastes which many commercial BBQ sauces attempt to reproduce.When transitioning to a vegan diet some try to reproduce such familiar tastes, like BBQ as a means of making it easier. The use of liquid smoke, or sauces with include that flavour may be tempting ways to make tofu or tempeh seem more meaty. This is fine within certain limits especially in the early days of making the move to eating vegan. However, I think it is important to transition away from the old familiar tastes and embrace others which are perhaps cleaner, fresher and less meaty.Barbequed foods are attractive for a variety of reasons, one of which may be social. I think there is an argument to be made that some of the attraction may be a genetically encoded memory. Roasting animal flesh over an open fire and the communal sharing of food might be one of those primal ancient memories which we share. As we go vegan, moving away from such memories may be a matter of replacing something old, with something new.	animal products,artificial flavors,black tea,body fat,broccoli,cancer,carcinogens,chemotherapy,chicken,coffee,cooking methods,cooking temperature,cruciferous vegetables,DNA damage,exercise,fat,fish,fish sauce,green tea,ham,herbal tea,herring,hormesis,liquid smoke,liver disease,liver health,lox,mesquite,mutation,oxidative stress,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,poultry,safety limits,salmon,smoked foods,smoking,stress,tobacco,tumor suppressor genes,turkey,vegetables	Different brands of liquid smoke flavorings have been tested for DNA-damaging potential, p53 activation, and levels of known carcinogens. Smoked foods such as ham, turkey, barbeque chicken, herring, and salmon were also tested.	I’ve touched on those cooked meat carcinogens before. In Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens I explored the role of these cooked meat chemicals in tumor growth. PhIP: The Three Strikes Breast Carcinogen explored their role in cancer invasion. Reducing Cancer Risk In Meateaters offered some mediation strategies. Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine? showed how even vegetarians may be at risk and Cancer, Interrupted: Green Tea and Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids explored some counter measures.See Meat Fumes: Dietary Secondhand Smoke. Even the smell of frying bacon may be carcinogenic: Carcinogens in the Smell of Frying Bacon).Some plant foods exposed to high temperatures may also present a concern. See Is Yerba Mate Tea Bad for You? and Acrylamide in French Fries. What about Carcinogens in Roasted Coffee?The broccoli liver enzyme boost story is covered in The Best Detox.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tumor-suppressor-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liquid-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-flavors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-sauce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herring/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoked-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mesquite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-yerba-mate-tea-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17457049,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10566883,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6751955,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23402862,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4100074,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8224319,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3556356,
PLAIN-2634	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/	Food Antioxidants, Stroke, and Heart Disease	Total antioxidant capacity of diet was also protective against stroke, in contradiction to all the pill studies that failed to show benefit. But see, what they did was take into account all antioxidants present in the diet, including thousands of compounds, in doses obtained from a usual diet. Stroke is the world's leading cause of death after heart disease.The buildup of oxidized fat is considered the hallmark of fatty streak formation, the earliest manifestation of atherosclerotic plaques. Yes, the oxidation of fat can happen outside the body, every time we cook it, but oxidized fats are not only formed in foods, but may also be generated during digestion, especially in stomach acid. Our stomach may be like a bioreactor for the oxidation of high-fat, cholesterol-rich foods. See muscle foods contain large amounts of endogenous catalysts which accelerate fat oxidation. As poultry sits in our stomach, the oxidation may build up minute by minute.See chickens are bled of only about half their blood, and the remaining residual can be a powerful promoter of fat oxidation, so there are those in industry advocating an additional decapitation step, but if oxidation is the problem, antioxidants can be part of the solution.“Total antioxidant capacity from diet and risk of heart attack.” Well we know antioxidant pills don't work. While extensive experimental data have revealed a central role for oxidative stress in the stiffening of our arteries and suggested a potential role for ‘antioxidant’ treatment in cardiovascular disease, experimental data has not translated into clinical benefit. Most antioxidant vitamin trials have failed to reduce heart disease and death and may in fact even be detrimental. As a result, some have even questioned the supposedly central role of oxidative stress in the disease process, described as a critical blow to the whole free radical theory of aging, the fact that pills didn't work.But high-dose single-antioxidant supplements are not a good substitute for the very complex antioxidant network of thousands of compounds in foods, present at concentrations far below those used in those pill trials. No one had ever looked at the overall effect of the complex antioxidant network in our diet in relation to our leading killer, coronary heart disease, until now. The total antioxidant capacity measures, in one single value, the free-radical-reducing capacity of all antioxidants present in foods and all the synergistic effects. And in this large prospective population-based cohort study, they observed that higher total antioxidant capacity of diet was statistically significantly associated with lower risk of incident heart attack in a dose-response manner, meaning, potentially, the more high antioxidant plant foods in one's diet, the better.	I read an article the other day about a group of natives who in spite of being older than the comparison group and eating way more salt, don’t get high blood pressure, have a ninth the amount of heart disease and one-fifteenth the amount of cancer. These guys do eat fish but mostly have a vegan diet. It seems that their good health is due to drinking 4 to 5 cups each day of a drink they make from boiled ground raw cocoa beans and banana which they strain before drinking. I compared it the organic cocoa powder I use and found that mine has no more than one-sixth the flavonol (antioxidant) content of theirs. And of course I don’t use nearly as much or even use it daily. I’d love to hear more about this!http://voices.yahoo.com/kuna-cocoa-optimal-way-decrease-blood-pressure-11583580.html?cat=70How do we know that it’s the Kuna cocoa drink that extends their longevity? Surely there are so many other factors at play – their communal/tribal structure, their low levels of mental illness, their constant exposure to sunlight, their living near a semi-aquatic environment, other dietary factors, physical exercise, childrearing practices, genetics. To say it’s all got to do with this one drink that they consume….Good Questions, DGH! We certainly should ask this sort of thing whenever a study comes out for a particular indigenous culture. Digging a bit deeper, I found numerous studies which support this effect in cultures other than in the Kuna, both epidemiological and clinical. Pubmed for example lists too many studies to mention. Some of the benefits of cocoa in them include prevention of preeclampsia, of cardiometabolic disorders, of insulin resistance, obesity, vascular dysfunction, depression, gingivitis, Alzheimers, diabetes, glaucoma, cataracts, inflammation. It increased good cholesterol, antioxidants in the blood and protected the skin from sunburn. Plus there was confirmation of its protective effects I mentioned above, against heart disease,high blood pressure and the big C. But cocoa isn’t the only food with flavanols, although it may be one of the best:Source Flavanol Content, mg/kg or mg/LChocolate 460–610Beans 350–550Apricots 100–250Cherries 50–220Peaches 50–140Blackberries 130Apples 20–120Green tea 100–800Black tea 60–500Red wine 80–300Cider 40Finally, I want to comment that we can do even better than the Kuna by following Dr. Greger’s recommendations. We can avoid their consumption of salt, eat the 5 servings of fruits that they consume daily, but include berries, citrus and apples; each day have some mushrooms or nutritional yeast, cruciferous vegetables, greens, tea, beans, garlic and onions, flax, vitamin D and B-12 and of course, avoid the mercury and toxin-laced fish flesh.Not directly related to this, idk where to ask this. Does drinking high antioxidant drinks (like green tea or hibiscus tea) out of metal (stainless steel or aluminum) affect the amount of antioxidants and other phytochemicals that are available as opposed to drinking from glass or ceramic. Also the same for drinking cold beverages out of plastic (bpa free, never hot drinks of course). Thank you.I’d expect a negligible effect on polyphenol intake (a preferable term to antioxidant, as these plant compounds aren’t functioning primarily as direct antioxidants in vivo). Aluminum has been associated with neurodegenerative disease, so it may be prudent to avoid cooking or serving acidic foods (ie tomatos, citrus etc) in aluminum vessels.I have been reading about cooking oils harming the endothelial layer and leading to oxidative stress etc. What do you think of cooking with oil, Dr. Greger?@arunmukherjee:disqus I’ve heard a lot about that also. Dr. Greger seems to recommend against using extra virgin olive oil: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/ and coconut oil http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/ . I’m sure I’ve seen him recommending sauteing veggies with water but I haven’t been able to find it again. Anyways, hope that helps!I eat these oils in moderation, mainly in the form of whole nuts/seeds, a little bit of canola oil in some hummus, and a tablespoon of tahini per day in a salad, but I don’t cook or oxidize any cooking oils in my diet. I think the harms of cooking oils are somewhat overblown, but I remain conservative and cautious about their use.Thank you Tommasina. I just watched the two videos. They are very helpful. But could we also have one that addresses the issue head on?Oil is a processed food and like other processed foods may actually be harmful.You need fat to help absorb carotenoids. Maybe, DHG has got the right idea, eating them in a natural unprocessed form. But I’d avoid the canola and substitute fresh avocado instead.Most plant foods contain sufficient quanitites of fat to be absorbed. From Jeff Novick:Absorbing more doesn’t automatically equate to better health outcomes.Speaking of health outcomes, which is what really matters, lets put all of this into proper perspective.From“‘Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids’, Food and Nutrition Board. Institute of Medicine. National Academy Press, Washington D.C. Pp. 343-344 (2000)”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9810&page=353“These data, although in varying populations, suggest that 3 to 6 mg/day of β-carotene from food sources is prudent to maintain plasma β-carotene concentrations in the range associated with a lower risk of various chronic disease outcomes (see Table 3).”Table 3:http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9810&page=341As just detailed, plasma and tissue concentrations of carotenoids have been associated with a variety of health outcomes; that is, higher concentrations are associated with a lower risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality. This could be used as a possible indicator for establishing requirements for carotenoids. However, the limitation of this approach is that it is not clear whether observed health benefits are due to carotenoids per se or to other substances found in carotenoid-rich foods.Thus, these data are suggestive of prudent intake levels, not required levels of intake. Recommendations have been made by a number of federal agencies and other organizations with regard to fruit and vegetable intake. Nutrient analysis of menus adhering to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines and the National Cancer Institute’s Five-a-Day for Better Health Program, for example, indicates that persons following these diets would be consuming approximately 5.2 to 6.0 mg/day provitamin A carotenes on average if a variety of fruits and vegetables were consumed (Lachance, 1997). Similar levels would be obtained by following Canada’s Food Guide for Healthy Eating which specifies a minimum of five servings of vegetables and fruit (Health Canada, 1997). Other food-based dietary patterns recommended for the prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases would provide approximately 9 to 18 mg/day of carotenoids (WCRF/AICR, 1997).NOTE: this is 3-6x the amount recognized as being enough to lower disease riskIt is also based on the WCRF/AICR report from 1997. In many other discussions here, I have quoted the WCRF/AICR newest report from 2007 saying that they now more than ever, recommend dietary “patterns” over recommending specific “individual foods”.So, in other words, if Americans would just get in the recommended amounts of fruits and veggies, it would not only provide carotenoids, but more than enough of all of them to produce the beneficial health outcomes, including reduced risks of cancer. And anyone following a Whole Food plant based diet, as recommended here, would already be consuming WAY more than enough.Of course, the real issue is why do you have to increase the absorption of raw veggies (which are very low) when you can just eat tubers, which have almost the highest absorption rate, as is.http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9810&page=354Dr. Greger, I have been reading a bit about the negative effects of saponins on increasing the permeability of the intestines. This really concerns me since I have lots of food intolerances and I do eat grains and beans, and these seems to be known to contain saponins. I am 100% vegan and have been for many years. But my diet seems to consist of lots of foods that even many vegans out there seem to avoid for just this issue I have inquired about here. Thank in advance for any comments on the merits of this study, and whether you feel that the saponins in plants and grains and beans can, when eaten as a large part of the diet, make the gut “leaky”/permeable.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3794833Dr Greger, should antioxidants be evenly distributed in meals: instead of my adding frozen berries, amla and Goji berries to my morning oatmeal, should the amla be added to lunchtime kidney beans instead? If there is a high nominal antioxidant level in any given meal, will the last incremental antioxidants be less efficacious?Kidney beans have plenty of their own antioxidants; not so with oatmeal. But it sounds like you a a terrifically healthy diet.Does a high fruit-sugar diet cause the liver to dump fat into the blood? I am considering reducing excessive fruit consumption based on some Doctors claiming that high fructose containing whole fruits can actually contribute to fat in the blood. Such a weird concept for me to get my mind around but apparently it has to do with the liver converting glucose to fat, then pumping it out into the body. One ends up getting heart disease even on an extremely low-fat diet. So odd but apparently true. What do you think?Sounds like Paleo-freak propaganda. Another Doctor, claims that sugar is poison, but that fruit also contains the antidote in the form of fiber which slows its absorption so it won’t cause spikes in the blood.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oMAnectdotal: I now eat lots of fruit compared to my prior veg-junk-tarian diet. My triglycerides (fat in the blood) are down to 62 from nearly 400.As long as one is not gaining weight from eating an excess of calories, sugar in fruit is not generally a problem for non-diabetics.I will take care of everything now !granite kitchen worktopsWhen you talk about strokes and preventing strokes are you talking about both hemorrhagic (bleeding) AND ischemic (blockage) strokes? I understand the vast majority of strokes are ischemic, but I wonder whether someone who has had a hemorrhagic stroke is equally well served by a plant based diet.Too many informations in one video, too long comments.Wonderful video! Thanks. We like lots of info!	aging,animal fat,animal products,antioxidants,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cholesterol,factory farming practices,farm animals,fat,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,mortality,multivitamins,nutrient synergy,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,poultry,stomach health,stroke,supplements,turkey	The oxidation of high-fat and cholesterol-rich foods in our stomachs may help explain why eating antioxidant packed foods appears to reduce heart attack and stroke risk.	What about antioxidants and cancer? That was the subject of my last video Food Antioxidants and Cancer.Which foods have the highest antioxidant content? See:It’s the heme iron in chicken blood that's implicated in fat oxidation in the stomach. That’s one of the targets of the Meat Additives to Diminish Toxicity.More on reducing stroke risk can be found in my videos Preventing Strokes with Diet and Whole Grains May Work As Well As Drugs.I have more than 150 videos on heart disease. Heart Disease Starts in Childhood and One in a Thousand Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic are among two of the most recent.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multivitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22038870,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20836660,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22998880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22072493,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10091835,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22135074,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23841595,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17179431,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22784609,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15464182,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17484034,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22061459,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11728810,
PLAIN-2635	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/	Food Antioxidants and Cancer	The USDA recently removed their online antioxidant database of foods, concerned that ORAC values were routinely misused by food and dietary supplement manufacturing companies to promote their products. Indeed, supplement manufacturer's got into my-orac-is-bigger-than-your-orac pissing contests, comparing their pills to the antioxidant superfood du jour, like blueberries, and we know there're lots of bioactive compounds in whole plant foods that may help prevent and ameliorate chronic disease in ways that have nothing to do with their antioxidant power, so I understand their decision. So should we just eat lots of whole healthy plant foods and not worry about which one necessarily has more antioxidants than the other, or does one's dietary antioxidant intake matter?We have some new data one some of our top killers. Dietary total antioxidant capacity and the risk of stomach cancer, the world's second leading cancer killer. A half million people studied, and dietary antioxidant capacity intake from different sources of plant foods was associated with a reduction in risk. Note they say dietary intake; they're not talking about supplements.Not only do antioxidant pills not seem to help, they seem to increase overall mortality, it’s like you’re paying to live a shorter life. Just giving high doses of isolated vitamins may cause disturbances in your body's own natural antioxidant network, and there are hundreds of different antioxidants in plant foods. They don't act in isolation; they work synergistically. Mother nature cannot be trapped in a bottle.Similar results were recently reported with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the more ORAC units you eat per day, the lower your cancer risk drops, though antioxidants or not, greens were particularly protective. Look at that. You go from eating one serving of green leafy vegetables per week to a serving a day, that may cut one's odds of lymphoma in half.Should we be worried about antioxidant intake during cancer treatment, since most chemo drugs work by creating free radicals? According to some of the latest reviews, there is no evidence of antioxidant interference with chemotherapy, and in fact they may actually improve treatment and patient survival.	“Mother nature cannot be trapped in a bottle.” – Michael Greger. I like that one. Isn’t it beautiful ? And more important, it’s true !You are correct Adrien! Every time we try to outdo Mother Nature she simply sits back and waits patiently for us to come back to her for the answers. This is what Socrates knew 2500 years ago and our Father of Medicine, Hippocrates knew quite well, which led to his statement (which always bears repeating), “Let Medicine be thy food, and food be thy Medicine.”Ha-ha Adrien—I was going to post the same comment. It’s a great turn of phrase.You can trap a blue berry in a bottle…I’ve done it b4. LolDr.Gregor, should vegans who take vitamin supplements just stick to taking B12 or are multivitamins ok? I take a multivitamin because I figured why not cover all bases. But I’m a little worried about too much Iron.Hi Matt, I had a similar question and found Dr. Greger’s optimum nutrition recommendations here: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/ (I refer back to this page all the time!) Hope that helps! :)Matt: In addition to Tommasina’s truly excellent reply, I would refer you to some videos on this page where Dr. Greger directly addresses multi vitamin use.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=multivitaminTake from that whatever you will. Good luck.Aw, thanks Thea! :) Good call on the multivitamins videos. There’s just so much to learn and share!Thanks Doctor G. Another angle on this: One who takes their antioxidants in pill form, & _not_ in food form, must therefore eating unhealthy food. Much of the advantage for fruit-&-vegetable-eaters is what they _didn’t_ eat!AmenI second that Amen! This video does NOT tell the entire story. If one just takes antioxidant pills and continues to eat unhealthy food, there is no benefit whatsoever from the pills. However, eating as healthy and organic as possible and added targeted nutrients can help. There are just way too many positive studies showing this or that supplement intake reducing this or that disease risk to let select studies which are not necessarily well controlled turn you off to targeted supplement intake. Watch the video “How to Optimize your nutrition for vibrant health” by Functional Medicine Physician Mark Hyman on you tube to get the full picture on supplement use.Dr. Hyman is not the most reliable source of health information. He has been known to mix potentially harmful advice with sound information.Here’s a prime example:http://drhyman.com/blog/2014/02/07/eggs-dont-cause-heart-attacks-sugar/He’s basically a low carb shill.Stick with Dr. Greger. He’s not selling anything.Uh, MacSmiley. Dr. Hyman MD is the chairman of the board of Directors of the Institute for Functional Medicine. Pretty good credentials as far as I am concerned. I also have 625 UK and US Accredited Nutrition hours under my own belt comprising 4 Fully government accredited (UK and US) Clinical and other Nutrition Diplomas. (Most doctors get no more than 25 hours of nutrition, IF and only IF they elect to take those hours. They are not mandatory to become an MD.)Having said the above, I would be hard pressed to label Dr. Hyman a low carb shill considering that he states in his video on You Tube entitled “How to Optimize Your Nutrition for Vibrant Health” the following:“What I am about to share might be a little shocking. Carbohydrates are the single most important food for long term health and well being. This may be a shocking statement given the low carb movement and the carbophobia in America but its true. Of course I don’t mean the overprocessed sugary refined white food we commonly think as carbohydrates such as donunts, breads, bagels, muffins, colas, juices, and most junk food. And I don’t mean the cheap super sweet government subsidized high fructose corn syrup that is driving our epidemic of obesity and chronic disease. The carbohydrates that I am talking about are the real whole nourishing plant foods the the human species has thrived on from the dawn of evolution…(snip). What are they? Vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts seeds, herbs and spices.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNX–ZqCOQU)His blog on Eggs not causing heart attack but sugar doing so is right on!Dr. Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology in his video put out by University of California Television (UCTV)(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM) states that both traditional high carb and low carb diets of real whole foods both have low incidents of cardiovascular disease because they have one some very important things in common. They omit sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and nutritionally deficient white processed foods. The fat content not withstanding. And he takes you right through the relevant biochemistry and studies involved.So while I subscribe to Dr. Gregor’s Nutrition facts, and sometimes get some good information here, I don’t totally always agree with many of his views, and I ALWAYS do my own homework on any subject. Too many people subscribe to these blogs and by default believe everything that the blogger states just because he or she is an MD. Thus you might want to do your own homework on some of these issues as well.“Some of the claims in this program have not been verified.” – Dr Mark Hyman’s “The Blood Sugar Solution” disclaimer at beginning of show.I’m glad Hyman has changed his dietary recommendations since I last saw him on PBS. However, my assessment about him mixing unsubstantiated claims with sound advice, making it difficult for the average layperson to sift the chaff from the wheat. I have better things to do than wading through it all.That goes for Robert Lustig as well. They are both guilty of inaccuracies.Yes, I did read that entire blog post before I posted my comment. I agree that isolated, added sugars are harmful, that they contribute to calorie over consumption and obesity, and in turn, heart disease.However, that does not negate the veracity of the lipid hypothesis, which is what both he and Lustig are claiming.Does this mean that whole dried Amla is better than Amla powder?Can you suggest a brand or brands of B12 vitamins that are good and in reasonable amounts? I have been taking Solaray B-Complex 100 for a long time, but just noticed that it has B12 in a %1667 daily value. Is there something better we can take?OK, just read the page Tommasina suggested. I think I have my answer.Perhaps Nutrition Facts would consider amending its information regarding antioxidant-rich plant foods to state organically-grown and non-GMO antioxidant-rich plant foods. The reasons truly are legion, but for starters how about this: chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides abound in non-organically-grown crops thereby adding more pro-oxidants to foods, so how can those foods be considered antioxidant-rich? Furthermore, GMO crops result from transgenic and cisgenic genetic engineering that mandates more toxic chemicals like glyphosate be used on growing crops. Don’t believe that? Check out the facts at “Pesticide use ramping up as GMO crop technology backfires: study”http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/02/us-usa-study-pesticides-idUSBRE89100X20121002Are you a new reader? :-)I’m sure you’ll find a lot of corroborative material about your concerns on NF.org if you search for pesticides and GMO separately and together.Catherine: I thought you might be interested in a blog posting Dr. Greger has done which touches on the topic of pesticides:Dr. Greger has a great blog post where he puts pesticide consumption into perspective. :“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.”to read more: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/I translate this bit of info into: Eat organic when you can, but don’t stress about it when you can’t – because you still get plenty of benefit from the plants even when they have pesticides on it.There is something about pesticides on my apple that just turns me off.Local farmers markets are overflowing with well priced organic fruits and veggies. We need to support our organic farmers as much as possible. As has been stated here before–we send an important message with our spending power.Unfortunately for many of us, we do not have any farmers markets for most of the year. In the summer I do join the only CSA available in my area, though I consider it mostly charity on my part, because it’s very slim pickins even then. There’s one farmers market close by (for a few months per year), and again I pretty much shop there as a novelty since they don’t offer much. But I agree about supporting this type of business if possible.So for me, if I wanted to buy everything organic this time of year, I’d have to scale way back on variety, pay at least twice as much if not more (and since my weekly grocery list is almost entirely produce this would have quite an impact), and (a pet peeve of mine) have to buy individual fruits and vegetables wrapped in saran wrap.So I’ll be enjoying my daily pesticide covered apple in just a few minutes here… ;) As an extreme analogy, that book “Alive” came to mind about that plane crash in the Andes in the 70s… until you’re in a situation you don’t really know what you’d do!I love it!What about taking several grams of pure ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate? Could it be bring problems also? It seems to be the safest supplement. Very nice that the new videos have french subtutles from now! Thank you.Fasting plasma levels of ascorbate peak at daily intakes of about 400 mg (the amount in 8 oz of sweet peppers or 11 oz kale). One plausible reason why bodies limit plasma ascorbate concentrations to under 70 μM is that high levels may increase free radical generation by free iron. Transient peaks from large supplemental vitamin C doses could easily be doing more harm than good, through increasing iron-catalysed ROS generation, interfering with radicals used in normal signaling, and from suppressing endogenous antioxidant responses. Some papers of particular interest:• A new recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C for healthy young women • Vitamin C-driven free radical generation from iron • Oral administration of vitamin C decreases muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and hampers training-induced adaptations in endurance performance • Vitamin C supplements and the risk of age-related cataract: a population-based prospective cohort study in women • Do antioxidants impair signaling by reactive oxygen species and lipid oxidation products?I went into more detail in in past video discussions (esp here) exploring why food “antioxidants” are probably better than supplemental ones.Did Linus Pauling partially failed? xDHe didn’t fail that much, living to a ripe age of 93, but I’m not convinced that 18 g of ascorbate daily was responsible.From the 1960s to 1990s, oxidative stress was the dominant model of aging damage, and we knew little about signalling via reactive species, endogenous antioxidant systems (which antioxidants interfere with), or the role of other more important mechanisms (chronic inflammatory and growth signalling) that now appear to play a larger role. Most importantly, we didn’t have the massive cohort studies (with results issued especially since 1998) that have shown no benefit and in some cases harm from antioxidant supplements (reviewed here). These results, and their contrast with results from dietary antioxidants, have stimulated a lot of research into how exogenous antioxidants can do harm, and how how food compounds like the polyphenols achieve superior outcomes (largely because they don’t act primariliy as antioxidants in vivo).I agree thats way too much from my research also, i take it since years but not above 5-10 grams a day.does the same general logic hold for mineral supplementation as opposed to minerals through diet? I take mineral supplements because I figured they were more basic forms and so could be absorbed similarly. Also, is the K2 vitamin also bod in large doses? I’ve heard you simply urinate out any unneeded amount harmlessly.Healthy bodies do imperfectly regulate plasma levels of the minerals our ancestors commonly encountered in excess. Some, like calcium, are regulated in absorption and excretion, iron in plasma chelation and excretion, others just in excretion. Evolution provided few warranties against adverse effects of high supplemental intakes, particularly past our fertile years. calcium: CVD mortality in women and in men phosphorous: CVD iron: cancer, CVD, diabetes, mortality copper: Alzheimer’s manganese: neurodegeneration iodine: subclinical hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroiditis selenium: poor total/LDL As you can see, megadoses of minerals are to be avoided, and the therapeutic index between adequate intakes and toxicity from excess is very narrow with some like copper and manganese. Moderate magnesium and zinc supplementation appears to offer the best benefit/risk ratio. Those avoiding iodized salt might consider a kelp supplement, those living in low selenium areas should eat a brazil nut or two, and premenstural women (esp vegetarians) may benefit from iron.Menadione-7 (K2 mk7) from natto or supplements: unlike K2 mk4, does increase plasma levels, and appears of potential benefit in osteoporosis and vascular calcification. Its plausible this mechanism is responsible for reduced CVD mortality in populations with higher intake of the longer menaquinones (the “French paradox”). No toxicity with K1 or K2 has been observed, but K3 (menadione) in pet foods does have concerns.In relation to the two studies linking calcium supplements with an increased risk of CVD, those were performed in general population of old age, so presumably most participants already presented atherosclerotic plaques at some degree. I doubt that such correlation would have been found had their participants enjoyed of healthier arteries. In this context, you should consider that the pre-agricultural diets were notoriously more abundant in calcium, yet, CVD was probably a very rare pathology.Pre-agricultural diets were also far higher in vitamin K, which may counter arterial calcification.I’m not convinced age-adjusted CVD was rare in preagricultural societies. Few lived to ages where CVD is a/the major mortality risk, while arterial plaques have been found in frozen/mummified precontact hunter-gatherer arteries.I am a health journalist and cancer survivor and for the past few years, have been researching and writing a blog and soon -to-be-published guidebook about diet and cancer. Certain minerals are definitely problematic–particularly copper, iron, boron and perhaps iodine. (People who have cancer and have low thyroid function tend to survive longer than those with cancer and active thyroids.) On the other hand, zinc and selenium are protective.Copper clearly drives angiogenesis. While plant-based diets are in general protective, one of the pitfalls is that they can be high in copper and low in zinc. (Phytates in plants bind zinc and other minerals but do not interfere with human copper absorption.) This means we should watch our consumption of high copper plant foods –and perhaps even supplement with a little (not much) of high zinc, low copper animal foods. (I’ll be publishing a blog post on copper and cancer soon, with practical advice on food choices.)As for selenium, Brazil nuts from certain parts of Brazil are a good but not the only source and in fact, are relatively high in copper. At the recent conference of the American Institute of Cancer Research, several scientists I spoke with suggested we turn to broccoli and garlic for selenium because it’s highly bioavailable when bound to their molecules of sulfur. Broccoli, in fact, was the superstar of this year’s conference and was recently shown to target cancer stem cells. http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/how-to-prepare-broccoli-to-fight-cancer/For more on foods that target cancer stem cells, see http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/anti-cancer-diet-which-foods-target-cancer-stem-cells/ .Here’s the piece on how copper affects angiogenesis.http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/anti-cancer-diets-and-the-pitfalls-of-plants-part-1-copper-and-zinc/#more-2822Fresh whole foods are best and some dry foods like beans can lasts for many months.agreed. we are in summer and the garden is full on. I have been drying kale, silverbeet and other green leafys as fast my cheap dehydrator will take them. Any idea of how nutritious these are after that kind of treatment = 50 C for about 18 hours usually.What about this study? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11383597 Zinc supplementation tightens “leaky gut” in Crohn’s disease. It appears that there is a place for supplements. Looking forward to Sunday in Camarillo.It’s a tough one no doubt thanks for the share, I don’t think mother nature can ever be something truly understood the way we would like to <a href="http://www.teaweightlossreview.com/about-me/"mary dinonThis may not be the right place to ask, but if anyone is presently fighting cancer with whole foods diet I would very much like to compare notes. I don’t have cancer but a friend does and I’m sending her as much info as I can sort out. She’s been a responder to tamoxifen for a dozen years but somehow it has lost its effectiveness. Now she is getting some very powerful chemo…powerful as in **** you up…I sent her this webpage’s URL. She’s a fighter. She listens but I sense that she finds the whole Plant food idea strange and counter intuitive Maybe there is a forum devoted to cancer fighters using this way of eating? Any ideas would be well received. Let food be thy medicine.If you are in this fight, you can win. Ruth Heidrich and others have beaten cancer. Why? One thing they did was fight Fight, FIGHT! The power of positive thinking and some fresh whole plant foods just might be the ticket, as it was for me and my badly abused plumbing. Let me know if you want to talk. I’ll put my email up.time ago on a blog i saw a sentence that sounds like this: “Western medicine tries to cure sick people with substances that would sicken healthy people”… to me the chemo option is not a good idea… and for cancer, maybe correct nutrition could be the best way to try to regain health (it depends, it depends)… i found this lecture about cancer really interesting and fascinating:http://digivisionmedia.com/lectures/acam/cancer-as-a-metabolic-disease-impaired-mitochondrial-function-and-tumorigenesis-thomas-seyfried-phd/i search the book on amazon and found this review (the second from the top):“I am a board-certified medical oncologist with 30 years experience in caring for cancer patients and another 20 years of research in cancer medicine dating back to 1963. Seyfried’s “Cancer as a Metabolic Disease” is the most significant book I have read in my 50 years in this field. It should be required reading of all cancer specialists, physicians in general, scientific researchers in the field of cancer and for medical students. I cannot overstate what a valuable contribution Thomas Seyfried has made in writing this masterpiece.Stephen B. Strum, MD, FACPMedical Oncologist, Member of ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) since 1975″Thanks very much. I”m on itFor what i understood, if you take a cancer cell, take the nucleus and inoculate an healty cell that lack nucleus (in fact it have a normal cytoplasm a so mithocondria), the new cell (cancer nucleus + healty citoplasm) do not develop cancer whatso ever… but if you take the mithocondria from a cancer cell and put in another cell it’s a total different story… you have cancer development…in fact from the theoretical point of view of the lecture, if you took a cancer cell, free it from his bad mitochodria and put some new ones, well maybe the cell recover…i do not know if i’m right, got to look at the studies… anyway if i’ll say those things to my pathology professor, well, she will problably call me “crazy”… sorry to have not much time to get deeper, i got a dissertation to prepare… maybe the next week i would add stuff to this post…Thank you! that’s what I though he was saying. Also, is this theory just for brain cancer? He seems to suggest that…but at the end maybe not? Are brain mitochondria somehow different in their ketone metabolism? Exciting stuff. I’ve got to get that book.Merio, could I please impose on you when you have some time would you please send me an email:cambria at xtra dot co dot nzI promise not to bother you with too much writing. Just some little ideas.Yes, by all means get the dissertation written!toto corde Waynei think it works where the cell thrives only/mainly on glucose, brain cells are that kind of cell (and brain cancer is one of the worst, many times impossible to surgically removed) and many kind of cancers really need glucose to survive… for others tissue i do not know, for example liver could make his own glucose, so maybe that diet isn’t much helpful… i’m sorry for the book that is not at a low price, that’s a pity… of course you could “bother” me with every question you want :-) … wait just a week and i will send you a mail… Best regards!Here’s a discussion of Seyfried’s ideas simplified for us layfolks: http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/anti-cancer-strategies-fats-and-fasting-a-revolutionary-weapon-for-an-aggressive-enemy/an interview with Seyfried: http://cancer-insights.asu.edu/2012/05/asu-psoc-worksop-wednesday-march-21st-friday-march-23rd-2012-2/#interviewsand a video of a talk in which he lambasts the current treatments for brain cancer. (That’s at the end of the video.)http://vimeo.com/54866497Thanks for posting this info, i will evaluate it ASAP…I get the sense that a whole food plant-based diet is very effective for both treating and preventing atherosclerosis, like you had, and plays some role (though not as big as we’d like to think – there is chance mutation and genetics after all) in preventing cancer, but once cancer is established, it may only slow the process down.In that case, I would opt for radical solutions (burn it, cut it out, poison it), and if this didn’t work, come to peace with it.Yes we only have one life to live but banging one’s head against the wall is wasting precious time. Acceptance, acceptance. I have never seen anyone with late stage malignancy who survived their disease, although spontaneous remission can occasionally occur (it has certainly been reported in the medical literature). I wouldn’t put my hopes on any diet if I had late-stage cancer. Instead, I would come to terms with it and start planning how I would want to live the rest of my life, and then do it. Go on with it. Fighting wastes so much precious time.Hi Coacervate, I am sorry to hear about your friend’s cancer fight. I don’t know of any online communities specific to cancer and whole plant-based food diets, but one may exists. It sounds like an opportunity for you to create this space for others!Thanks anyway. I’ve never “created space” before. I’m told that I waste a bit of it though ;) I’d need a 13 year old to show me with my addled gob. You’re talking about starting a website right?I’ve just set up an online forum on my diet and cancer blog. for us to have this discussion.Visit http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/chat-with-others/.Let me know if you have problems accessing it.Fantastic. Looks like you 2 are starting the conversation and hopefully can get others to join you!Check out Food for Breast Cancer.That site somewhat misses that the major benefit of diet in slowing cancer proliferation may be from what it doesn’t include – high methionine & leucine protein and insulinogenic food combinations result in avoidable growth signalling, saturated fats stimulate inflammation, etc. Rural Chinese have (or had) markedly lower rates of Western cancer on a diet of mostly white rice starch. Ruth Heidrich’s low calorie, low protein diet and marathon training would result in really low insulin/IGF-1 signalling and activate the hell out of AMPK, even if she didn’t eat so many high phytochemical veggies.See a past comment for some useful reviews of dietary factors that may be central to slowing cancer proliferation.Thank you very much. That site is particularly good for this person because it lists specific foods. That is really what she will repond to. Calorie restriction sounds so appealing but it scares me too because she is already quite lean. I’ve got to catch up on all of this.Can I ask, what would you eat…how would YOU change your diet, in addition to what i assume is already WF/PB. Would you try something like a ketogenic-calorie restricted diet?I am very interested in the concept of hormesis too. Do you think it is sound?Hormesis is the general term for stresses (exercise, calorie restriction, heat, cold, hypooxia, chemicals incl. food, even radiation) that, in moderate doses, induce beneficial homeostatic responses to restore redox and energy balance. The scientific debate is not whether hormetic dose responses mediated by biological stress responses exist, but whether its truly general, particularly with respect to environmental toxins (even dioxin) and radiation. I suspect it is, as the cellular mechanisms from yeast to human are known and increasingly well characterized. Many of the beneficial plant compounds we discuss on this site are natural pesticides or pest deterrents (in fact, our exposures to carcinogenic pesticides is 99.9% all natural).With respect to the Nrf2 inducing phytochemicals, this may be primarily of use in preventing carcinogenesis, and be a mixed blessing with preexisting cancers: cancer cells may become more resistant to cell-killing therapies. On the other hand, Nrf2 activation does inhibit downstream NF-kB inflammatory signalling and angiogenesis.In this study, while cancer mortality is lowest for those with BMIs of 18.5-20 among those with no cancer or CVD at baseline (ie primary prevention), when including the already sick the optimum for women for all mortality rises to 22.5-25, so there’s probably a benefit to some meat on the bones when one’s sick / old. Perhaps exercise in the context of a low-complete protein but satiating diet is a better idea than any sort of CR.Regarding ketogenic diets (based on animal products), I am sure you have come across the claim that they are anti-inflammatory. What are your thoughts on this claim?I don’t have cancer, but by memory, the three foods that countered cancer the most were: Amla, Cranberries and Lemons. Also, women who have breast cancer and who drink soy milk have a better chance of surviving than women who drink milk.I have created a document with all the most important topics on Nutritionfacts dot org . If you want it, I can send it to you. Also, I have a simple recipe to make cranberries palatable. All the best to your friend.Yes, how kind of you to offer. I do feel “all over the place” trying to draw some logical path forward. For example, to enter the ketogenic state that Dr. Seyfried shows is detrimental to some cancers, he says one must eat fat. How much, what kind? But fat is inflammatory right? I’m pretty sure a person’s ketone bodies increase just by restricting calories.so I’m not giving anyone advice until all of this makes sense to me.Ruth Heinrich’s site has some meal plans. Something that has worked for others seems most pragmatic/workable.This site has a lot of interesting alternative treatments. http://www.pdazzler.com/ I would try them all.Thanks WeganCoacervate,Would you like to have the diet and cancer discussion over on my blog, http://www.eatandbeatcancer.com?The American Institute of Cancer Research, a consortium of researchers throughout the world who study and analyze the studies on diet and cancer, agree that a plant-based diet is important. You can download their thousands of pages of reports at http://www.dietandcancerreport.org.Some plants, however, are more protective than others. Alliums, crucifers, dark leafy greens and herbs and spices appear to top the list, for example.And how you prepare plants and what you pair them with are key. Broccoli sprouts lighlty steamed and paired with radishes have more cancer-fighting sulforaphane than raw sprouts, for example. http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/how-to-prepare-broccoli-to-fight-cancer/ ( Sulforaphane is one of those rare dietary components that appears to target cancer stem cells. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/anti-cancer-diet-which-foods-target-cancer-stem-cells/)Plus, all plant diets have several pitfalls to watch out for:–carb overload from too many whole grains–omega 6 overload from too many nuts, seeds, beans, and insufficient long chain omega 3s (available from fatty fish and grass fed or wild land animals) , and–copper overload and insufficient zinc. Copper drives angiogenesis, and many plant foods are high in copper. Zinc, on the other hand, is protective–but it’s hard to absorb zinc from plants due to their phytic acid. The most bioavailable zinc-rich, copper-poor foods are dark meat from animals.The bottom line may thus be that the best diet for fighting cancer is vegetable-based, supplemented with a little (not much) animal meat, all of them properly prepared.I think some supplements are absolutely essential on a vegan or even vegetarian diet. I think of – B12, iodine and vitamin D (D2 or D3). Yes you can get your iodine from seaweed (if you like the flavor of seaweed and make the point of consuming it regularly) and you can get your vitamin D from sunlight (unless you live in Canada!). The literature would also suggest that vegans do not convert ALA into sufficient quantities of DHA, although I am suspicious that DHA is really necessary for optimal human health. So, by my count, that’s already four micronutrients that are worth supplementing with.(In addition, just anecdotally, my diet seems to be low on other B vitamins, not just B12, but riboflavin, pyridoxine, niacin, pantothenic acid and thiamine. I am certain this is why I occasionally get angular stomatitis, whereas I didn’t get this before I went vegan. These vitamins tend to be found a bit more in grains and some of them (but not all) in nutritional yeast. I am experimenting now with seeing if I can get rid of my B100 complex and just replace it with ‘isolated’ B12, but because I tend to minimize my grain intake [because of metabolic syndrome], I may end up with stomatitis again. I find that conventional websites for counting my nutrients from food often miss important food sources and thus are not completely accurate.)I’ve plugged my food into Cronometer and come up short on B12 and D3 on a whole-food plant-based minimally-processed no oil regimen . I use Eden organic no added salt beans and they have iodine. 2T ground flaxseed and 1 tsp. chia seeds gives me plenty of Omega 3 ALA, and studies have shown that conversion of ALA is significantly better in vegans. 2T nutritional yeast is good for all the B vitamins. Sticking to whole foods including whole grains (not the whole grain ground up into flour) is a healthier option. Take a look at the McDougall website – his Maximum Weight Loss plan works extremely well.Glad I learned to like veggies. Thanks for more of your common sense info.I’ve done some research on the effects of antioxidants and chemotherapy and in short I would not worry about the impact of your normal eating on the drugs efficacy, but not go blindly nuts with hyperdosing.When you start ‘super dosing’ certain antioxidants, either in plant or in pill form. As an example, cisteine (found in eggs, meat, but also in various pills) seems to negatively impact the effect of the drug cisplatin – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10391097If you have cancer, I urge you to research the drugs they give you and make sure you’re not inhibiting themHELLO I WANT TO ASK WHAT ABOUT ASTAXANTHIN? IS IT REELY THE STRONGEST ANTIOXIDANT BETA KAROTEN? AND HOW IS RECOMENDED TO GET IT FROM FOOD OR SUPPELMENT PILLS FOR BETTER DOSE?Hi GAL, Dr. Greger answered a question on astaxanthin here: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/algae-as-astaxanthin-supplement/ . Looks like you could get it straight from the source, chlorella. :) Hope that helps!Some contradiction? Wikipedia says “A wide variety of foods has been tested using this method, with certain spices, berries and legumes rated highly in extensive tables once published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), but withdrawn in 2012 since no correlation between test results and biological activity could be determined,[3] stating that no physiological proof in vivo existed in support of the free-radical theory.” And Wikipedia continues by saying “Other than for dietary antioxidant vitamins — vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E — no food compounds have been proved with antioxidant efficacy in vivo. Accordingly, regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration of the United States and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have published guidance disallowing food product labels to claim or imply an antioxidant benefit when no such physiological evidence exists.[9][10] This guidance for the United States and European Union establishes it is illegal to imply potential health benefits on package labels of products with high ORAC.”I was reading an article about the difference between cacao and cocoa powders that mentioned the difference in their ORAC values. I knew I’d heard that term here before, but couldn’t recall (or never knew) what it meant. So I looked it up and found this: http://ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=15866, and am hoping you or someone else qualified to do so will comment on and/or explain what it means in lay terms, especially as it relates to all the information here at NF and elsewhere regarding the antioxidant content of our beloved plant foods. Thank you!What to hell means ORAC? I‘m a German and I don’t know it. Can anybody help me, please?Oxygen radical absorbance capacity	antioxidants,berries,blueberries,cancer,cancer survival,chemotherapy,chronic diseases,DNA damage,fruit,greens,industry influence,lifespan,longevity,lymphoma,mortality,multivitamins,non-Hodgkin lymphoma,nutrient synergy,oxidative stress,ranking foods,stomach cancer,stomach health,supplements,USDA,vegetables	Antioxidant intake from foods (not supplements) is associated with lower cancer risk.	But should we take a multivitamin? See Should We Take a Multivitamin?What about fish oil supplements? Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil?I recently covered how and why we should strive to eat antioxidants with every meal in an important three-part series:Preferentially getting one’s nutrients from produce not pills is a common theme in the nutrition literature. See, for example:Antioxidants may also slow aging, reduce inflammation, improve digestion, and help prevent COPD. So where are antioxidants found? See my series that starts with Antioxidant Content of 3139 Foods and Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods.What about the role of antioxidants in other leading causes of death? That’s the subject of my next video, Food Antioxidants, Stroke, and Heart Disease.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multivitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22038870,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20836660,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22998880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22072493,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10091835,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22135074,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23841595,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17179431,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22784609,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15464182,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17484034,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22061459,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11728810,
PLAIN-2636	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/orange-aromatherapy-for-anxiety/	Orange Aromatherapy for Anxiety	Aromatherapy is the use of concentrated essential oils extracted from plants to treat disease, and is commonly used to treat anxiety symptoms. Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent class of psychiatric disorders in the general population. However, their treatment is still challenging, as the drugs used for the relief of anxiety symptoms can have important side effects.Thankfully, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials performed to evaluate the effect of essential oils on anxiety symptoms are gradually starting to appear in the medical literature. However, in most of these studies, exposure to the essential oil odor was accompanied by massage. This makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the effect of the aroma itself.Here's a typical example. Patients in the intensive care unit the day after open-heart surgery getting foot massages with orange-scented oil. Why not back massages? Because they just had their chests cracked open so they have this huge sternotomy wound. Maybe a preventive plant-based diet, rather than a post-op plant-based massage oil might have been the better choice, but the massages felt great, restful, peaceful, and calming. You know it's a British study because one described the effect as “smashing.”But how do we know the essential oil had anything to do with it? Maybe it was just the massage that was so bloody good; in which case, great—let's give people massages! I'm all for more ICU foot rubs. There is considerable evidence from randomized trials that massage alone reduces anxiety, so if massage is effective, then aromatherapy plus massage is also effective. So aromatherapy may work, even if it doesn’t. In fact one study where cancer patients got massaged during chemo and radiation even found that the massage without the fragrance may be better. They thought it might be like a negative pavlovian response, patients smell the citrus and their body is like “Oh no not another cancer treatment!”More recently the ambient odor of orange was tested in a dental office to see if it reduces anxiety and improves mood. Ambient odor of orange was diffused in the waiting room and appeared to have a relaxant effect, less anxiety, better mood, and more calmness, compared to a control group where there was no odor in the air. No odor, that is, except the nasty dentist office smell—maybe the orange scent was just masking the unpleasant odors. Maybe it had nothing to do with any orange-specific molecules.More research was necessary.The effect of sweet orange aroma on experimental anxiety in humans. They exposed some grad students to an anxiety-producing situation and tested the scent of orange, versus a non-orange aroma, versus no scent at all, and the orange did appear to have an anxiety reducing effect. Interestingly, the observed anxiety-reducing effects were not followed by physical or mental sedation. On the contrary, at the highest dose, the orange oil made the volunteers feel more energetic. So potentially less anxiety without the downer effect of Valium-type drugs. So does that mean we can get the benefits without the side effects? Well I've talked about the concerns of using scented consumer products, even ones based on natural fragrances, and there have been reports of adverse effects of aromatherapy, in fact some pretty serious reactions.Alternative medicine isn't necessary risk-free. Like there're dozens of reported cases of people having their hearts ruptured by acupuncture. Ouch.But the adverse effects of aromatherapy were mostly from skin irritation from essential oils being applied topically, or even worse swallowed. Certain citrus oils can make your skin sensitive to sunlight, though less of a problem in France, evidently, where they're known to stick them where the sun don't shine.	Regarding the evidence of essential oils, I think I will stick with the whole plant food source (eg. Whole Oranges). Also I will refrain from sticking it where the sun doesn’t shine! And will continue with recommending massage, as well, to help reduce anxiety. ;-)re: recommending massageI want you as my doctor!!!I sent five patients for massage and acupuncture this week! For some it really helps.HD, M.D. I’ve been considering acupuncture for a while, but some recent articles and studies have made me shy away. Do you have any good studies, research, or information that you used in determining it would be beneficial for your patients?All my “research” is experiencial and annecdotal. But I have seen resolution of medial and lateral epicondylitis within a week (golfers and tennis elbow’s respectively). I can get resolution of these problems with eccentric tendon exercises as well but it takes about 3-4 months.Also neck and back tension and recurrent HA that showed no organic causes but had great results with a couple of visits.One lady I had was on narcotics for years because of chronic neck pain. In her words, “The first visit helped relieve so much tension and pain I signed up for six more visits that day.”I’m sure part of it is the practitioner. We have a traditional Chinese trained (in China) board certified acupuncturist and DO who gets great results. But like anything it’s not always a magic “needle” some get greater results than others but at least it’s an option. Just like massage and adjustment. In my opinion, eating healthy, exercise, stretching, massage, acupuncture, meditation, body adjustments, etc. should be our first choice of treatments for the human body. Sometimes medications work great, especially for acute infections, but for chronic problems lifestyle changes should be first line with medications playing an adjunctive role.Some may not agree but it is through my experience and the success of my patients with lifestyle changes that has driven me to this conclusion.Bottom line is if you are considering acupuncture ask around and see who your friends or acquaintances have tried and have had success with in your local area.Here are some recent studies for acupuncture: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24595780 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24480836This last study I find interesting because it is a MetaAnalysis and compares multiple modalities of treatment for sciatia showing comparable outcomes between Acupuncture, spinal manipulation, epidural injections and disc surgery. For me I would chose the least invasive options first (eg spinal manipulation, acupuncture) and leave the most invasive for last. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24412033I hope this helps.It seems very strange that 800+ health related videos had been created, and not even a tag #GMO ! Dr. Greger, is it true that your sponsors does not let you explore GMO subject?I think he’s stated before that if one has the extra funds, to go organic, but that it’s more important to just focus on wholefoods, plant-based diet more than anything.Well said Brandon, the health epidemic currently is not caused by gmo, but by the the copious amounts of animal products and refined foods.I totally agree. But, health apart. I’m really concern about the patent take over of all the crop. Because make no mistake, that is the goal of gmo. A worldwide monopoly on food.And by the way, there IS concern about health. But the study have been censured by monsanto. The field of gmo science is heavily polluted by private money. I’ve just finished a chapter from Colin Campbel “Whole”, about the subtile power of money in research and carreer making of scientist rather than daylight bribery. But here in France we have witnessed the censorship of honest and rigorous scientists, pure and simple.I always wanted to know what Dr Greger think of Seralini study, and the Monsanto takeover of the editorial board of Food and Chemical Toxicology to remove this study.Here’s study: http://www.reporterre.net/IMG/pdf/_22long_term_toxicity._22-fct_sept_2012.pdfhttp://animaux.blog.lemonde.fr/files/2012/10/3-rats-seralini1.jpegThese images of huge tumors in laboratory rats can be seen at: gmoevidence.com. They are the first of many studies that come up at the web site.Recently, a young cat adopted me who has two very large tumors on her chest and abs. I suspect, but cannot prove. that the cat food she had been previously fed was the culprit. If it was Purina, it’s full of potential GMO’s, as its ingredients are soy, corn, cottonseed meal and livestock fed GMO and herbicide resistant corn and soy.She’s now eating Blue Buffalo and soon will be eating organic cat food. She’s the sweetest and most compliant cat I’ve ever adopted.You know there is vegan cat food, much less moggy footprint :-)I did not know. Cats are definitely carnivorous. I tried making my own pet foods, but I don’t know all the ingredients which are safe for cats. I know some plant foods can kill or cause them severe harm.I am currently looking into: Pollux Organix But this uses organic meat and other organic ingredients. What is the brand of a vegan cat food?I’ve been feeding my cat Evolution cat food. She’s a picky eater, so I have to add some “standard” cat food to the mix so she’ll maintain her weight. My girlfriend has also been feeding her cats Evolution. Her cats are less picky eaters and like it just fine.Cats are carnivores, but Evolution claims to have all the proteins found in raw meat, poultry, and fish without the GMOs, growth hormones, antibiotics, etc.P.S. Do wet food; I’m not sure why they even make dry cat food, as it causes GI impaction, mostly from fur, and hard to digest dry food building up in the intestines. Many people have taken their cats to the ER for unnecessary and deadly surgery for this. Just feed wet food, and you won’t have a problem. Also, pure, fresh water daily!!Susan:You may be interested in the following talk by veterinarian Dr. Armaiti May. The title is “Vegan Diets for Dogs and Cats – Risks and Benefits”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIMBX3jdYM0Compared to dogs, it can be harder to feed a vegan diet correctly to cats. Where by correctly, I mean that they cat stays healthy. But it can be done for at least a certain percentage of cats.Hope this helps.FYI: My vegan dog is *thriving.* (But then again, he’s a dog and not a cat…)PLEASE DON’T feed any feline vegan food! They are the absolute purest carnivores on the planet, and while dogs are omnis and do well with a quality vegan diet, cats will die. Please do your research. My dogs were vegan, but after doing much research from independent sites and experts in animal nutrition, I found unanimously that cats cannot survive a vegan diet. My cat has FIV and the very highest quality food I’ve found is Wellness for either dogs or cats. Blue Buffalo ranks further down the list, has had several recalls, not as high quality nutrition, etc. but they pay for advertising… No preservatives whatsoever in Wellness. Three years later and you cannot imagine a shinier, happier, more energetic and healthy cat. No, am not a schill, just very concerned with animals and what is best for them. I really hope this helps. :)Shannon: You are right that it is harder to successfully feed a cat a vegan diet, but it can be done and is done. My friend’s cat is doing great, and I have heard of others. So, at least some cats are very healthy eating that way. I bring this to your attention so that you don’t incorrectly claim that all cats will die on a vegan diet.Our ocean “bait fish” (that’s fishing term for baby fish) are stripped from the shallows to produce cat food. Our animal factories are run to produce cat feed. Our last remaining rainforrests are being clear felled to grow grain to fuel animal factories.That I choose to be vegan is just that, my choice. I love animals and would rather enjoy them with my other senses than taste. It also just makes sense to me being an avid camper and forager, that our species evolved eating plants, maybe insects and some easy to catch water fauna, with the whole hunting animals thing probably coming after sampling some carnivore’s leftovers. We’re opportunists. Cats are carnivores. They are natural hunters. Even my sweet housekitty caught a mole on her 1st accidental outside adventure…nature hardwired them for a reason. Why would you even want to try to force a vegan diet on these creatures? I get the sustainability issues, but why have a carnivore as a pet if you won’t give it the food it was designed for? They aren’t us, it just doesn’t seem fair.I am in no way defending GMOs here but years back I raised rescued lab rats and they commonly had tumors like these because they are bred to be tumor-prone (for cancer research purposes).I understand what you mean. But the study used the same rats than the study that allowed GMO to be marketed. And there is significant difference between the non gmo and the gmo group as well as with the Roundup pesticide compared to control group.Ah, it would have been helpful to have shown photos of the non-GMO and GMO rodents to see the contrast!What about pesticides/herbicides? Pretty clear correlation with cancer incidence is the cotton crop in USA (most sprayed crop in large scale production)And it’s way to early to make a call that GMO have no role in environmental health impacts.Pesticides, which include herbicides, were touched on as a source of carcinogen in the President’s Cancer Panel report. And all the studies collected prior to the Bush Administration on 2,4-D presented a pretty strong case that 2,4-D was a human carcinogen. This may be the reason the BushCheney administration allowed Dow and other corporations to eliminate any and all the studies from the EPA archives they did not like, so that when reauthorization came up, the corporation’s studies would be used as they were in the early days of the Obama Administration. My source was P.E.E.R. although the evidence is no longer online.Yes, the pesticides are not healthful, but the public health message should be a plant based diet as a first priority.The epidemic and climbing disease rates have more than one causal factor. To rule out the consumption of mutated plant products marinated in xenobiotic chemicals as one is utterly myopic.The problem is little evidence shows that gmo is really a cause for concern. As Darryl has pointed out,The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the British Royal Society and the European Food Safety Authority have all have concluded that GMO foods do not pose a health risk.http://archives.aaas.org/docs/resolutions.php?doc_id=464 http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/biotech_en.pdf https://ssl3.ama-assn.org/apps/ecomm/PolicyFinderForm.pl?site=www.ama-assn.org&uri=%2Fresources%2Fdoc%2FPolicyFinder%2Fpolicyfiles%2FHnE%2FH-480.958.HTM http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309092094 https://royalsociety.org/~/media/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2002/9960.pdf http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/1057.pdfIn regards to cancer risk due to pesticides, as Dr. Greger points out, “if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22981907Of course I do not doubt that gmo is on some level less healthy then organic foods, it is not a leader in the disease epidemic.The developmental disorders of the rats can be seen immediately at gmoevidence.com.If Monsanto flacks have not taken down the studies, all should be there.One study that is repeatedly missing was done by soil and plant pathologist and micrbiologist, Don Huber, Ph.D., retired professor and expert from Purdue University, who studied the effects of pesticides on bees, and uncovered that glyphosate was one of the causes of their demise.I have the document printed before presumably Monsanto flacks removed it, but do not have the computer or internet knowledge of posting it again.There is plenty of sun in the south of France, Michael. You should take vacation some time and come here to see for yourself ;)https://www.google.com/search?q=south+of+france&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=-_cEU8afMaiO7Aal_YBI&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=979I think the doctor mean in the video by “where the sun doesnt shine” inside the body by mouth or even worse… because in France many peoples use essential oils inside the body…Ohh.. ok ! I’m sorry, I got it wrong. Anyway, the idea is still valid :) Get plenty of sunshine for your vitamin D doc ! Saving the world on a treadmill in a basement close to a cupboard is.. still an amazing thing to do. :DWhere the sun don’t shine is a phrase that references the anus and bowel.:sI second the motion that Dr Greger produce a series of videos on GMO research and health impact studies.If he is sponsored by *anyone* other than individual donors with no commercial interests in pharma or agri and food industries I want to know about it please, on a About page with disclaimers as it is proper for this sort of PH resource.Monsanto will litigate immediately. That’s how they control what the public knows. I don’t think Dr. Greger can raise the amount of money needed to defend himself. This way he can still get healthful information out. Dr Oz is now promoting healthier eating and organic foods, but cannot say anything about gmo’s.This forum would be then be crawling with biotech trolls. Many of them are professional misinformation artists and would splinter and sully any discussion with lies. One of their skills is creating divisiveness. There are myriad sites revealing GMO truth, many with contributions by MDs; let’s keep this one out of it. Dr Greger is well aware (and you should be too) of the resultant harrassment, and worse, that is STANDARD and pre-planned for any high-profile individual or forum even expressing doubts about the GMO plague worldwide. If you are already aware, DO something instead, such as educating your friends and loved ones what food products to boycott so as not feed this psychopathic enterprise. Here is a guide: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_26638.cfmNo surprise – neither can the President of the United States. But we can. If we do not do everything possible under the term “RESISTANCE” our grandchildren will be eating fake food exclusively. Use your imagination after that.I don’t agree, in this case … more in my remark belowCheck out Dr Gregor’s sponsors page http://www.raschfoundation.org/Big picture saying…Only… http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/opinion/falser-words-were-never-spoken.html?_r=1&amp;wideEyedPupil: NutritionFacts originally started with some grant money, but it is my understanding that the original seed money has run out. So, now the only sponsors of this site are people like you and me.The only reason anyone gets an accidental bulbous phytotoxic reaction is cause she obviously put more than a drop on. If the oil feels too strong dilute it with extra virgin olive oil coconut oil baby oil or any oil will decrease the strong sensation and make it tolerable. Applying water to wash away oil that feels too strong will drive the oil in deeper; apply a hot wet cloth on the skin if you want to potentiate the oil(s). Using small amounts of unadulterated oils directly on mucous membranes feels good and works great for bioavailability, bypassing the liver. You only need a drop it will circulate to every cell in the body cause cell membranes are made of fat. Lavender is my favorite for migraines and it’s used for burns wound healing and scars. Check me out on twitter.com/rivkafreeman where I try to teach nutrition therapy.Good Information, as always. The sternotomy photo was disturbing and irrelevant to the topic of the video. You should take it out.Negative lifestyle, stress and its symptoms like anxiety can lead to imbalance, such as heart disease, if not corrected with lifestyle changes. This is part of Dr. G’s ongoing theme, I think he hit it home.	alternative medicine,anxiety,aromatherapy,benzodiazepines,cancer,chemotherapy,citrus,complementary medicine,fragrance,France,fruit,massage,medications,mental health,oranges,plant-based diets,radiation,side effects,skin health,sunlight,Valium	The smell of sweet orange essential oil may have anxiety-reducing properties without the potentially addictive, sedating, and adverse effects of Valium-type benzodiazepine drugs.	Lavender may also help for both anxiety (Lavender for Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and migraines (Lavender for Migraine Headaches).I think the other other aromathery-related video is Wake Up and Smell the Saffron, though I have others on natural ways do reduce anxiety, including: Natural, though, doesn’t always mean safe. See, for example:Of course eating citrus is good too! I have videos on Reducing Muscle Fatigue With Citrus and Keeping Your Hands Warm With Citrus, but Tell Your Doctor If You Eat Grapefruit.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/massage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/benzodiazepines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aromatherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/france/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/valium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunlight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fragrance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22936057,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11134689,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12805340,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21093944,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19125379,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11511848,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21309711,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22849536,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10962794,
PLAIN-2637	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/	Who Says Eggs Aren't Healthy or Safe?	The American Egg Board is a promotional marketing board appointed by the U.S. government whose mission is to "increase demand for egg and egg products on behalf of U.S. egg producers." Now if an individual egg company wants to run an ad campaign, they can say whatever they want, but if an egg corporation wants to dip into the 10 million dollars the American Egg Board sets aside for advertising, because the board is overseen by the federal government, corporations are not allowed to lie with those funds. This leads to quite revealing exchanges between egg corporations that want to use that money and the USDA on what egg companies can and cannot say about eggs.Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act I was able to get my hands on some of those emails. Of course a lot of what I got looked like this:"Please note a number of items" about our “salmonella crisis module.” "Any questions?" Or even better--entire sheets of paper that literally just said this. That was the whole sheet of paper. Our tax dollars hard at work.But check this out. This is some egg company trying to put out a brochure on healthy snacking for kids. But because of existing laws against false and misleading advertising the head of the USDA's poultry research and promotion programs reminds them that you can't couch eggs or egg products as being healthy or nutritious. See the words nutritious and healthy carry certain connotations (you know that a food is actually good for you), but because eggs have the amount of cholesterol they do (plus all the saturated fat) the words healthy and nutritious are problematic when it comes to eggs. This is the USDA saying this!However, the USDA helpfully suggests, I believe you can say eggs are naturally nutrient dense.Wait a second why can you say eggs are nutrient dense but not nutritious? Because there's no legal definition of nutrient dense. You can say twinkies and coca cola are nutrient dense, but legally, you can't say something is nutritious unless it's actually… nutritious.So for example, the egg industry wanted to run this ad calling eggs a nutritional powerhouse that aids in weight loss. The USDA had to remind the industry that they can't portray eggs as a diet food because of the fat and cholesterol content. In fact they have nearly twice the calories of anything that can be called low-calorie."Nutritional powerhouse" can't be used either. Fine, the industry said, they'll move to plan B, and headline the ad Egg-ceptional nutrition. Nope, because again given the saturated fat and cholesterol you can't legally call eggs nutritious. So the ad ended up "find true satisfaction" and instead of weight loss they had to go with "can reduce hunger." USDA congratulated them on their cleverness. Yes, a food that when eaten can reduce hunger—what a concept.You can't even say eggs are relatively low in calories. Can't say eggs are low in saturated fat—they're not. Can't say they're relative low in fat, they're not! Can't even call them a rich source of protein, because they're not.It's illegal to advertise that eggs pack a nutritional wallop—can't truthfully say that, or have a high nutritional content. You can't say eggs are "nutritious" at all. Can't say nutritious; cannot say eggs are nutritious. (Sometimes you have to tell the industry a few times). Eggs have so much cholesterol you can't even say they contribute nutritionally. Can't say eggs are healthful, certainly can't say they're healthy— have you seen how much cholesterol there is in those things? Can't say healthy. Can't even say eggs contribute healthful components.Since you can't say eggs are a healthy start to the day, the USDA suggests a satisfying start. Can't call eggs a healthy ingredient, but you can call eggs a recognizable ingredient. Can't truthfully say eggs are good for you. Can't say they're good for you. By law, the egg industry "needs to steer clear of words like healthy or nutritious”.For a food to be labeled "healthy" under FDA rules, it has to be low in saturated fat—eggs fail that test—and less that 90mg of cholesterol per serving—even half an egg fails that criteria. For the same reason you can't tout ice cream for strong bones, you can't say eggs are healthy because they exceed the threshold for cholesterol.Egg corporations aren't even allowed to say things like "Eggs are an important part of a well balanced, healthy diet" on an egg carton because it would be considered misleading, according to the USDA's National Egg Supervisor since eggs contain significant amounts of fat and cholesterol, and therefore can contribute to the leading killer in the United States, heart disease.The industry can't afford to tell the truth about the eggs, or even the hens that lay them. The industry crams 5 to 10 birds in cages the size of a file cabinet their whole lives, but when providing footage to the media the American Egg Board instructs "do not show multiple birds in cages--they look too crowded and open us up to activist criticism." In other words, do not show… the truth.Not only is the industry barred from saying eggs are healthy, they can't even refer to eggs as safe, "all references to safety must be removed." because more than a hundred thousand americans are Salmonella poisoned every year from eggs.The egg board’s response to this eggborne epidemic is that Salmonella is a naturally occurring bacterium. The egg industry didn't think that should necessarily be the key message, fearing "it may be counterproductive by implying there is no avoiding Salmonella in eggs aside from avoiding eggs altogether."That's why the American Egg Board can't even mention anything but eggs cooked hard and dry. No soft-boiled, no over-easy, no sunny-side up because of Salmonella.The American Egg Board's own research showed that the sunny-side up cooking method should be considered unsafe.And also because of avian influenza. In light of bird flu viruses eggs must be cooked firm. The VP of marketing for the Egg Board complained to the USDA saying they'd really like to not have to dictate that the yolks are firm— what about some Washington Post article saying runny yolks may be safe for everyone except pregnant women, infants, elderly, or those with chronic disease? Turns out it was a misquote—they can't be considered safe for anyone.Instead of safe you can call eggs fresh, the USDA marketing service helpfully suggests. But you can't call eggs safe, you cannot say eggs are safe to eat, Can't say they're safe, can't even mention safety, can't say they're healthful. All "references to healthfulness must be deleted" as well.Wait a second: Eggs can't really be called healthy? Eggs can't even really be called safe? Says who… Says the United States Department of Agriculture.	So, checked out the American Egg board website and found this page:http://www.incredibleegg.org/health-and-nutrition/cracking-the-cholesterol-mythThey say – “More than 40 Years of Research Supports the Role of Eggs in a Healthy Diet”. Based on this exchange, how can they say this?I do note they say, “Studies demonstrate that healthy adults can enjoy an egg a day without increasing their risk for heart disease, particularly if individuals opt for low cholesterol foods throughout the day.”LOL – you can have an egg but you better give up all animal products after that till the next day :)R“LOL – you can have an egg but you better give up all animal products after that till the next day :)”And maybe that’s not such a bad idea.. ;-)and then when that egg starts moving thru, evacuate the neighborhood.…part of a balanced breakfast.Now I visualise something with scales. Healthy stuff on the one side, unhealthy stuff on the other.Perhaps because the website copy hasn’t been funded by public money.Hi rs. To respond to your question, how can the American Egg Board say that over 40 yrs of research supports the role of eggs in a healthy diet? Here’s how: First, notice they’re not saying ‘supports the healthy role of eggs in the diet…’ The adjective, ‘healthy,’ describes the diet, not the eggs. It is true that if you’re eating an otherwise healthy diet you can get away with eating small components that aren’t so healthy (e.g. eggs).So what “role” might eggs play in an otherwise healthy diet? Some ideas: Eggs might be convenient; they might add flavor diversity to a meal and color to a plate; they can act as binding agents in baked goods. These roles have nothing to do with promoting good health, and all these roles can be fulfilled more safely by plant-based foods, but they are ‘roles,’ nevertheless.Notice that the American Egg Board’s statement cannot be contested as false. They’ve found a way to be technically truthful, while causing many readers, including you, to think they’re saying something they’re not. This skill is a technique of successful advertising, and we should all become aware of it. We, the public, can benefit by learning to read carefully and think critically about what others, be they industries agencies or individuals, are actually saying as opposed to what they want us to think they’re saying.Wow, so true how they lined that up. Thanks, Katherine!yes but it’s an error to say it supports a healthy diet when it actually detracts from it. A glass of fresh OJ would suport a healthy diet. Eggs would detract. The sentence is still in error completely, no matter how one dances with it gramatically,Hi Ruby, You have not quoted their sentence accurately, but are assuming the sentence says something it actually does not say; please read it again. The Egg Board does not say that egg “supports a healthy diet.” It says, “research supports the role of eggs in a healthy diet.” You are imagining this to mean “research supports the (healthy and supportive) role of eggs in a healthy diet. But the sentence could also (more accurately) mean, “research supports the (cultural) role of eggs in an (otherwise) healthy diet. My point stands.Katherine you speak like a spinner of obfuscation and I will leave you to your yawning mental gymnastic and word insertions to support a sentecnce which in itself, with your description, is essentially nonsensicle, at best. Inserting words to convey what irratinality ‘could be’ inserted as purported meaning is bizarre mental gymnastics Katherine. I’ll leave your lawyering councel of the writer alone and just suggest the floor would be wiped with your stance in any court with a modicum of prudence. But to parry just a bit here, I’ll say this; surely research does not support the role of eggs in a healthy diet. On the other hand, perhaps culture does. And surely big business does. But the sentece does not say culture supports that role, and surely, since you like insertions, “big business” could also be inserted. But it says research, Katherine RESEARCH supports egg’s role in a healthy diet. To suggest culture supports this role would perhaps be more honest, because you’re probably right that the writer hoped this bizarre and foundationless argument could be used as defence. While culture and big business may surely support the role of eggs in a healthy diet, research, most assurely, does not suport egg’s role in a heathy diet. Conversely, as I said, it detracts from it. It’s thus a lie. I’ll leave you where you stand councelor. Adieu.Hi Ruby, I’m on your side, not the egg industry’s; apologies if I offended you. The egg industry used language in a crafty way, to mislead without technically lying. My reply on this public forum was mostly for readers who’d be interested in seeing how they did this. Again, no offense intended.Greetings fellow vegan. ;) No insult taken nor intended and no feathers ruffled on more than on rational debate terms and as such perhaps competative but all in good sport. I like a good debate. Gets the fires going. I’ll just say your comment sounded a lot like rational defence, not shining a light on intensional obfuscation of misinformation, which I still stand is exactly what that sentence was and should have been seen as such. I also don’t see how arguing their shinanigans helps clarify anything worth clarifying, and instead seems to help their cause by dignifying the bull by addressing it as if it is anything but bull. And I stand by my argument as well that the grammar you pointed out as making the statement by any stretch a truth, rather than a lie, also holds no water, to my sensibilities, despite that it was such an obscure construction of a sentence it slipped through the cracks of attention to that fact. That’s why it did, not because it is in any way gramatically correct, much less so because of the insertion of random adjectives . .but we can agree to disagree and steep in the pool of consciousness it brings up like tea and see what smells it conjures in time. . .Cheery toodles and oodles of respect despite differences.. ;)Katherine’s carefully crafted and qualified EGG wisdom makes MUCH sense. Of course one must UNDERSTAND it before such flatulent laborious tedious “criticism” of what she did NOT say or imply? PLEASE ! ! WHEW ! !“Incredible” literally means “unbelievable” so they are technically correct in saying what they do! Of course, they rely on people assuming the slang meaning of “incredible” is intended… ie amazing or very.Ruby orange – or any fruit juice is far too concentrated sugar to be considered healthy. Sugar is far more harmful than fat. An ORANGE would qualify but not just it’s juice!Allow me to retract that incorrect statement about sugar vs. fat…..either in excess would not support a healthy diet. More correctly, sugar, especially since the completely misguided and harmful low fat craze, has become a major contributor to disease.This has nothing to do with the content of the conversation so I won’t reply since it is thus argumantative as well as not relevant.Dr. Delicious, I had just written the same response before I read yours. Everyone needs to watch the documentary “Fed Up”, I gave up all sugar except fruit after that .an orange would support a healthy diet but OJ has way too much sugar for a healthy diet.Katherine: Your post about the wording of the egg board about the role of eggs is so well done! You explain calmly and clearly. Thanks for taking the time.Greetings dear Katherine, fellow vegan. I know you got this in your email box today but. . . . since this backs up the foundation of my entire comment to you, I had to put it here to make the veracity of my point crystal as verified in the info contained in the link. No nose rubbing intended – we are indeed on the same side – we both win on this one. I hope you can now see as well, my contensions shared on this topic, are varified from this link: http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/Namaste my new friend and truth seeker/scrounger. ;))I think you shoud look closer at the studies suggesting eggs are not healthy – I think you will find they were paid for by Kelloggs. When you consider the effect of vast amounts of lobbying cash thrown into the mix from the processed food industry, you start to realise that most of what we have been told is healthy or unhealthy for the last 40 years has been complete lies.Eggs are the very symbol of life, and they contain everything needed to grow an embryo into a chick, and to believe otherwise means you have been successfully indoctrinated into the world of large profits and sick people.Hi DWS, I side with what you’re saying in general about the powerful hand of industry and profit motives that have guided our health (mis)education.* I also agree with you that eggs are a powerful symbol of life, and they contain everything needed to grow an embryo into a chick. But what do either of these things have to do with determining whether or not eggs are a healthy food for human beings? Every species has its own ideal diet; we feed eggs to dogs, but not to rabbits or horses. The question you are raising is whether or not human physiology is designed to thrive on eggs. The evidence I have come to trust says no, human beings are not designed to thrive on eggs (or any other common animal protein and animal fat sources in the modern western diet). Eggs are perfect for developing chicks, just as cow’s milk is perfect for growing baby calves. We are a different species and have our own ideal requirements… which appear to be plant-based.*That’s one reason I salute Dr. Greger and nutritionfacts.org— they do such an excellent job of examining the studies (funding sources, study designs, and paper trails of correspondence through the Freedom of Information Act) so the rest of us don’t have to! (Thanks again, Dr. Greger!!)Yes, every species has different dietary requirements, because they have evolved different digestive systems to suit different environments, but at the cellular level we are all remarkably similar, all made from eukaryotic cells. That is why a very basic food. such as an egg; evolved to feed an embryo before it has a digestive system, is highly nutritious to a great many other species. Dietary “science” has been hijacked by the processed food industry for a very long time, so you can’t just accept what you are told by authority because they all have their own agendas – you have to actually understand the biology.If humans were “supposed” to be vegatarians, then we would have a much larger gut for fermentation, like cows do, and vegetarians and vegans would not be deficient in B12, B6 etc.You should look into ancient paleontology – you will be suprised to know that humans were far healthier when we were hunter-gatherers – eating mostly meat. Human health declined significantly once we started farming around 10,000 years ago.http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/low-carb-diets/nutrition-and-health-in-agriculturalists-and-hunter-gatherers/We certainly did NOT eat “mostly” meat. If you see, predators only eat once a week or so. Eating meat was never a daily thing. It was an intermitent feasting. In between we are picking nuts and berries and beans and grass and greens and leaves etc.. Just like Asians and many other healthy cultures, they eat flesh sparingly and as flavoring to bigger vegetable based meals. back then we probably feasted on the kill then went back to grazing. I do agree with the B12 issue, and have had my own run ins with the cost of being a true vegan. I thus tend to want some kind of flesh about monthly. I can feel my B12 hanker, then I just go get something and my nerves go tranquil, for about a month. Sometimes i eat flesh twice in a month but more than that and I notice a heavy sluggishness and a bit of fog. less than that and I get tired and listless and very unmotivated, as well as anxious. . . at which point a small piece of deep sea fish does the trick like a drug.My husband eats lots of eggs….and I have to cook them…but they always smell so bad …and I literally can’t stand the smell..I’m going to show him this article..Hello ‘Egg head,’ Why do you say you “have to cook” your husband’s eggs? I suggest you don’t have to at all.My own journey to food education took this path: as I grew more educated about food and its relationship to health I reached a point where I gave up animal foods entirely because it had become so clear to me, both scientifically and empirically, that this group of foods was unhealthy. I pointed out to my husband that his food choices were his own and he was free to prepare and consume whatever he chose to, but I would no longer be buying, cooking, or preparing foods that I believed were damaging his body as well as mine. Instead, I put time and energy into finding delicious new recipes for both of us to enjoy, while allowing him space to come on board (or not) in his own time in his own way.Truthfully, I don’t understand how people can keep serving their loved ones foods that they’re convinced promote chronic diseases and early death. I can’t. As I see it, it’s not about forcing others to change, nor about being unwilling to serve others; it’s about acting in accordance with your own beliefs and values… about choosing the road that leads to greatest benefit overall. If there’s merit in this road, others will discover it in time and be grateful that you became their role model. Change has to start somewhere. You know the phrase, “Be the change you want to see.” So let’s go for it!So instead of grabbing him some bacon while your already at the shop you refuse and make him go all the way down there himself. This just seems ridiculous.Hi Cunny, would you consider it ridiculous if someone refused to purchase cigarettes for their husband even though they were ‘already at the shop’? Bacon and cigarettes contain the same class of carcinogenic compound (nitrosamines).If Katherine’s husband were to go to the trouble of going to the store on his own to purchase cigarettes (or bacon), then that is his decision. She is not responsible for his action and is not forcing him to do anything. Blaming her for him “having to go to the store”, for something as trivial as bacon, actually seems ridiculous to me.I know you didn’t ask me but I would say that yes, I would find it ridiculous if my significant other refused to purchase an item for me while he or she was already at the store. That is just flat out rude and thoughtless (if not intentionally spiteful). Preparing that item is another matter entirely, but forcing your significant other to make an entirely separate trip to the store for an item that they want just because YOU don’t want to buy it is the behavior of a self-righteous jackass. That definitely isn’t the kind of change I’d like to see in anyone.Well, different strokes for different folks I guess. While I never bugged him to quit, I never bought chewing tobacco for my significant other. From my perspective I’m thinking about our future together, our kids, our grandkids, and all the plans we have. I just wouldn’t contribute to my partner poisoning himself (specifically with carcinogens) and cutting either his lifespan or healthspan prematurely short. I don’t think of it as being self-righteous, I think of it as caring for someone you love. One could even say that the other person voluntarily consuming carcinogens on a regular basis is acting in a selfish manner. And again, I was never forcing him to go to the store, spend hundreds of dollars a month on literal poisonous garbage, and chew it. Those were his choices. I am happy to say he quit on his own accord. I still swell with pride a little just typing that, as it was one of the hardest things he’s ever done. But his quitting, along with his chewing, was entirely his choice, his actions, his doing. I’m in the same boat as Katherine, I do the meal planning, the shopping, and cook delicious and nourishing food for him every day of the week. I of course cater to his tastes and preferences, he really likes mexican food for example. If that makes me a jackass in your mind, so be it. We’re healthy and happy.I hear you but it sounds a little one-dimensional. My comment is above.So you’d go purchase the gun he intended to kill himself with then? All these colors we are painting here. …Agreed. Had my father refused to buy my mom cigarettes when he quit himself for reasons of cost, she might well be alive today…as he is.So sorry about your mom. And for your dad, and for your whole family. These diseases are so devastating, and yet so common and almost expected in our culture.I hear that. And see how this person feels and what they are saying? You buying the gun/egg/meat may well be seen by others as an aid to death and disease. Out of LOVE refrain. It to me shows a depth of love – while the attitude of militancy and anger with it is not done from a sweet heart, this refraining seems to be wholly heart centered. That’s my 2 cents.This is a test of your conviction about, “What is bacon?” and “Should I eat bacon?” If you are personally convinced eating bacon creates a higher risk of damaging your health (sooner or later) than not eating it, than you also believe it would add to your husband’s risk factors. You know this and it is your defense for the inconvenience. A potential bonus is that over time he will eat less bacon because he’ll have to remember to buy it all the time when he’s been used to you buying it for him. But that’s not why you cannot bring home the bacon; by itself it would be manipulative. You don’t need that as a justification for wanting to shield him from harm. How can he argue with the integrity of this manifestation of your love?You want to aid an abed his life draining away? YOU take the responsibility. I’d not do it either, not out of militancy, but I’d no sooner help someone I loved hang himself either. Sounds like you would as long as it could be painted in a different light – it’s called denial.Katherine, I couldn’t agree more! When I began to understand the truth and travesty behind the Western diet I cleaned out my cupboards and refrigerator and threw out anything toxic or made from an animal. My eyes were opened and I became compassionate towards all living creatures and educated myself about the ingredients in processed foods. I told my husband that he didn’t have to follow me but if he wanted to continue eating flesh and processed foods that he would have to make these things for himself. Long story short. ….eventually his eyes were opened and he has been a vegan for six years now.Great to hear your story, Tammy. Thanks for sharing!Amen sister.Stop your complaining! You eat the bacon he brings home, right?My heart doctor told me to eat the eggs they keep the hdl up and the bad down , said they are having new thanking to ward eggs. am not blocks any were , and have eat eggs for many yearsjones, medical doctors only get about 4 hours of nutrition education in school and what they do get is from the pharmaceutical, meat and dairy industries that provide all the materials. The last person I would trust with my nutrition is an MD unless I knew they were eating a healthy plant-based diet themselves. This may sound cynical but heart doctors make about $50,000+ for each bypass surgery they do and the more they do in a day, they more they get paid.Show your doctor this article published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology:Dietary cholesterol and egg yolks: Not for patients at risk of vascular diseaseJ David Spence, MD, FRCPC, David JA Jenkins, MD, PhD, FRCP, and Jean Davignon, MD, MSc, FRCPChttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/FYI One of the authors, David Jenkins, is one of the inventors of the Glycemic Index.I love them but I get inflamation immediately, so they’re a no go because inflamation is the body’s way of saying “that hurt me”Do you have to cook them because he’s handicapped?but what do you say? I no longer believe anything that comes from the government.How old are you ten? The USDA has been putting out misinformation for as many decades as I have been able to read. Both the FDA and USDA see their primary purpose in life as supporting industry. Only during the 70s while Carter was president was there anyone looking out for the consumer at USDA.Richard, we try to keep this a safe environment for everyone to voice their thoughts. We welcome vigorous debate of the science, but to make NutritionFacts.org a place where people feel comfortable posting without feeling attacked, we have no tolerance for ad hominem attacks or comments that are racist/misogynist/homophobic/vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. We’ve gotten more sensitive to this after a physician who graciously donated his time to answer people’s questions stopped contributing because of the acrid atmosphere. So please, for everyone’s benefit, help us foster a community of mutual respect.I agree you should amend this comment to say your peace respectfully. It seems rather rude and unnecessarily pejorative Sir Richard. Can you not make a point and deliver it without violence? The inabilty shows your lack of intelligence. I’ll delete this when you do. ;)Intellectual intimidation is not a valid scientific argument.yes I don’t eather, on link they show a program on on the chemical on veg. lo which is going to kill first the chemical or eggsA guy on Dr. Oz’s show says that eggs are the best food on earth and all those Canadians who say otherwise are paid shills of the medical profession. In his video on YouTube, he goes on for 10 minutes about this and then clarifies that eggs have to be eaten raw, that cooked eggs cause heart disease. My jaw dropped. Where do they find these people!?Dr. Oz’s habit of airing “alternative views” is getting dangerous.Got a link for that video?He’s really just a tv version of those magazines you see in the checkout: “lose 28 lbs by christmas!” … when it happens to be ten days away…It’s a pity. He has such a following and such influence, he could really make a big difference for a lot of people, if he presented real nutritional information. But again, you’ve got to have something “new!” and “amazing!”. Telling people to eat their fruits and vegetables for an hour five days a week probably wouldn’t go over too well with the network powers that be. It’s got to be that one magic fruit from god knows where that costs twenty dollars a pound that you can eat a teaspoon of once a day that’ll make the pounds melt off.It’s a national sensationalism. Capitalism does that. We live for money essentially. Ethics are being paid off in many cases. The truth has to be fought for. Period.I lost 20 pounds in 10 days after purchasing and reading Neal Barnard’s book, “Foods That Fight Pain.” I had fractured my lumbar spine the first time, and had severe pain. The physician-neurosurgeon recommended to me wanted to inject corticoid steroids in my spine every couple of months to reduce the pain. Corticoid steroids have been found to be one of the links to osteoporosis, and every doctor I went to, injected me with it whenever something was inflamed. I obviously was not interested, and after reading the book decided it was worth a try. I tried his short term diet of eliminating certain foods for 3 weeks and lost a huge amount of weight. When I ate an egg in wheat bread again, all the pain returned and then some, so I went back to eating vegan for relief. After 5 months, I had lost 65 pounds and despite adding nuts and seeds to my diet, the weight has stayed off, and the pain and inflammation has mostly disappeared. Point is: changing from a meat/dairy/egg/fish consuming diet to healthy vegan is the easiest way for me to lose weight and keep it off. Now, 2 years later, I am still fracturing bones, but my bones are rebuilt faster because I eat calcium-magnesium rich — bone healthy–foods in cups rather than 1/2 cup servings and I select the vegetables and fruit I need for bone health rather than buying processed junky foods to destroy my health. My physicians and surgeons have told me that they never saw anyone build bone as fast as I after the initial fracture. While another looked at my blood work and was amazed at the results. My bad cholesterol was now way down from 300 to 100 and all my other test readings were right on…in the healthy normal range. Dr Oz is not glorifying this nutritional information. With many things, I’ve found some foods that really work well to help me regain my health. Of course, weight bearing exercise is also crucial. I’m using a “Pilates” strap for much of my exercise now, but am starting a Physical Therapy Pilates with a private instructor next week.Congrats on your improving health! Info about your bones is an encouraging myth-buster!!Amen to that, b00mer!ye s you right about dr oz we do need amino acid tryptophanDr. Oz says that eating pumpkin seeds, which contain tryptophan can help us stay asleep longer. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/what-eat-deep-sleep?page=3Chia seeds are also a good source of tryptophanhttp://healthyeating.sfgate.com/chia-seed-contain-tryptophan-9756.htmlAnd Self Nutrition Data has listed myriad foods that contain varying amounts of tryptophan both animals products and plants! We don’t have to take it in supplements –pills. We don’t have to take drugs! We should do some basic research and buy real, whole foods, rather than processed unknowns in foods. http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000079000000000000000-1.htmlThat wasn’t exactly what I was referring to.Dr Oz interviews people with different views on this show, which provides more balance than preaching only one view point. For example, a Dr. David Perlmutter, an empowering and enlightened neurologist, and author of GrainBrain who has a tendency to recommend eating animal products, at least that’s what I thought I heard on PBS. But, his web site tells a slightly different story. http://www.drperlmutter.com/As for the videos with alternative views, Dr. OZ has been introducing whole foods, such as apples to reduce statin drugs, and other natural remedies and foods to reduce pharmaceuticals. Check out: Foods That Might Prevent Heart Disease Better Than Statins, Pt 1http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/thing-more-powerful-you-statinsThe statin makers are obviously not too happy about people learning about alternatives to reduce cholesterol. They want to ignored the bad side effects that have been documented with statins and keep selling them.http://www.examiner.com/article/dr-oz-reveals-cholesterol-lowering-dietGiving airtime to dangerous people, like Perlmutter is ‘providing balance’?? It’s more like ensuring ratings.There’s no better way to guarantee dementia than by clogging up the arteries to the brain with atheromas filled with cholesterol and destroying brain cells a series of strokes and mini-strokes.He’s a disgrace to his chosen field of neurology as was Atkins to the field of cardiology. There are a few disease states for which a ketogenic or low-carbohydrate diet is a treatment, but those dietary treatments come with side effects. He has no business recommending such a regimen to the general public.You do know that PBS pledge specials are not vetted for scientific accuracy, right. With all due respect to Drs. Fuhrman and Barnard, they are glorified infomercials, self-financed by the producer, NOT by PBS or affiliate stations.Meanwhile, I’m sure Big Pharma is shaking in their boots that Dr. Oz told his viewers to eat an apple a day to avoid statins. It takes a primarily plant-based entire DIET to avoid statins, not a single dessert or snack swap.(1) My understanding of cholesterol physiology is that most body cholesterol is manufactured by the body itself and that when we ingest cholesterol the body reduces its own manufacture of cholesterol to compensate. This means that the cholesterol content of a food is not a primary indicator of what happens to the body’s cholesterol levels. (2) There are credible scientific studies that question TOTAL cholesterol as a valid measurement of heart and vascular risk. The USDA and FDA concerns do not focus on the more reliable indicators, which are the oxidized, I repeat “OXIDIZED” LDL and VLDL components of cholesterol rather than TOTAL cholesterol. (3) If eggs should be eliminated from the human diet because of its cholesterol content then so should shrimp, liver of any kind, the double-cheeseburger, MOST restaurant beef or turkey or chicken dishes — but you won’t see the USDA or FDA condemning these as “unhealthy”. (4) And you won’t see the USDA or FDA any time soon banning GMO vegetable and animal products until THEIR safety is assured. HMMMM, I wonder why?Today the eggs, tomorrow the cheeseburger. The USDA/FDA marches onNormal healthy adults synthesize cholesterol at a rate of approximately 1g/day and consume approximately 0.3g/day. A relatively constant level of cholesterol in the blood (150–200 mg/dL) is maintained primarily by controlling the level of de novo synthesis.The level of cholesterol synthesis is regulated in part by the _dietary intake of cholesterol_. Cholesterol from both diet and synthesis is utilized in the formation of membranes and in the synthesis of the steroid hormones and bile acids. The greatest proportion of cholesterol is used in bile acid synthesis.source: http://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/cholesterol.phpSo what? The cholesterol in the egg is not the problem so why are you diverting attention away from the possible problems like animal protein and choline?It’s funny how you didn’t mean to but you completely understated the problems with consuming eggs. :D People act like the health debate doesn’t have a larger context sometimes. We pay for all that death and pollution and maniac behavior that IS the egg industry. That is insanity. That is a slightly different problem than the health debate about eggs, as important I might say.Crud, got cutoff – same source:Control of dietary intake is one of the easiest and least cost intensive means to achieve reductions in cholesterol.Stopping focusing on the cholesterol in eggs and look at the real possible problems…..animal protein, choline and .Video was about eggs, maybe that is why? :)Your comment is rather ignorant! Do you think animal protein and choline is not in the egg? It is already a known fact by people that know how to read that consuming cholesterol is not the problem whether it be in eggs or other food…Reducing intake does not have the significant impact on blood levels that your comment suggest…Another point is that even the level of blood cholesterol from 160 to 250 is not a significant marker for heart disease. The only levels that reduced heart disease were below 150 which is usually only possible by people on a whole plant-based diet. So go ahead and eat oatmeal instead of eggs but it alone will not reduce your risk of heart disease!!!!All animal foods contain cholesterol, and I am not advocating for eggs. I am a strong proponent of a whole foods plant based diet.Cholesterol consumed influences cholesterol levels depending on how much cholesterol you already have at baseline.“Serum cholesterol concentration is clearly increased by added dietary cholesterol but the magnitude of predicted change is modulated by baseline dietary cholesterol. The greatest response is expected when baseline dietary cholesterol is near zero, while little, if any, measurable change would be expected once baseline dietary cholesterol was >400-500 mg/d. People desiring maximal reduction of serum cholesterol by dietary means may have to reduce their dietary cholesterol to minimal levels (http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.full.pdfToxins: I am keenly interested in your comment, but want to make sure I understand it correctly. If you have a moment, can you let me know if I got this right?:There are people who have been told (and thus believe) that there is no or little link between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels. They think that there is some definitive study that proves that the more cholesterol you eat, the less your body makes. And so dietary cholesterol is mostly a wash.I know the above logic isn’t fully true because I’ve seen so much evidence to the contrary. But I’ve often wondered what study people are citing and how that study might be interpreted.So, I’m thinking you came up with the study that people think is relevant to this point? (so cool!) And here’s what I *think* the above quote means/what the study says: people who typically eat a lot of foods with cholesterol and then participate in a study that adds even more cholesterol, do not see that much change in their blood cholesterol levels. However, people who typically eat very little foods with cholesterol, will see a lot of change in their blood cholesterol levels when they start eating more cholesterol-laden foods (animal foods).If I understood all that correctly, then I would take it further by saying: It would be a flaw in logic to extrapolate from the above study that dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels are not related. We know from a bazillion other studies that they are related and that those who do not eat cholesterol laden foods have the lowest cholesterol levels as a group. So, all we can say about the above study is that if someone has saturated their body with so much cholesterol, then eating yet more may not do them much additional harm.Does that sound like a reasonable interpretation to you?Thanks for your thoughts!Ad hominem attacks are not welcome here.Ya’know, folks unwind thier mind on issues in layers. Are you incapable of making your points with less insulting vitriole sir?? Christmas sakes. Since you’re so in love with pejoratives I’ll say this, you sound like an asshole.Congress writes the laws based on what lobbyists tell them. Sometimes Congress reads studies, but often studies that come from vested interests and they allow the FDA to walk with many hats. This often depends upon the people elected to Congress, to the White House, and their appointees.Great summary. A tour de force. I wish we could help to put in place an “exit strategy” for the poultry industry. We are talking about peoples lives and livelihoods on both sides of this issue. Is there no way to make it attractive for producers to leave poultry and switch to some other business? Who says we can’t form a task force to find resources (Elon Musk? or some high powered business folks who have a vision for a healthy food industry) and formulate a plan. Our goal should not be to simply win an argument. We shouldn’t just “Krystallnacht” the parts of the industry that need fixing and hound them out of existence.1. Continue your great work here to reduce demand by education of the masses 2. Engage the Egg people, draw out their rationality …away from the bunker mentality. 3. Invest some of the USDA/FDA resources into transforming the bricks and mortar from battery houses into green houses. Or something sustainable that makes $$ for the producers.Elon Musk isn’t the person you’d like him to be. David Murdock is.stop swallowing in the mic, disgustingWhen I click on the “sources cited” tab, nothing shows up. I was wondering if you could post the sources. Thanks.i quote your request, i can not see any source…I think the information for this video came straight from the results of Dr. Greger’s Freedom of Information Act request, so there aren’t any other sources.ok, thanks !!Commenting on a number of comments below:The restrictions on the egg industry using the words “healthy” or “safe” represent the good that government can do. There are scores of conscientious bureaucrats preventing false advertising the egg industry wants. Otherwise we’d have taxpayer subsidized billboards for cardiovascular disease and food poisoning.I applaud our unsung government career officals, for upholding the regulations, when every monetary/career incentive suggests kowtowing to the animal agriculture interests.do you think is possible to ban lobbies ? Maybe after their ban, it will be much more easy to find information not biased…“There are scores of conscientious bureaucrats preventing the false advertising the egg industry wants. ”conscientious bureaucrats or aspired dictators imposing their own values and standards on others by the use or force. Government is force!Tomorrow, the bureaucrats in charge may advocate the opposite view (which happens to be mine), which is that the egg is the healthiest food on the planet, and they will mandate a label that says: “healthiest food on the planet, eat a lot of eggs!”.That’s a joke right? You’re joking right?Maybe I have just become cynical, but I feel the government IS looking out for the industry over the consumer. By not allowing certain terms to be used, they are protecting them from lawsuits, thus protecting their profits.So Dr Michael – what about raw eggs? Especially backyard non commercial ones?As much as organic eggs are higher in some healthful nutrients, and lower in some harmful ones, eggs are eggs. With raw eggs you run the risk of catching something.High levels of the following would still be an issue: pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid, cancer-promoting methionine, IGF-1 promoting animal protein, and trans fats. There is also the issue of bioaccumulation of industrial/environmental pollutants anytime to go up a trophic level.Even if I thought eggs were safe and ethical, I still wouldn’t eat them, as they taste and smell pretty gross to me now.Your socks smell bad too so do you wear any? I do not think eggs smell bad so I am interested in the possible harm of animal protein and choline..;.Oddest response I’ve had in a while. Firstly my socks smell perfectly fine :D. Secondly socks are a necessity in this cold weather and I’m not going to eat them.You seem to be opposed to the idea that many eggs are a safe thing to consume so I’m not sure why you had to reply to me in this way. Eggs never used to smell bad to me, but now they do. That’s the only point I was trying to make. If eggs don’t smell bad to you then great.Once I took a whiff of someone’s bottle of dairy milk after having eaten plant-based for a while – I had read that it smelled gross on some “top ten reasons to give up dairy” list. I guess I’ve got a morbid sense of curiosity. Pee-ew! It smells just like what it is, old bodily fluids. People are weird.I think spinach is nasty, but now I’m not judging your tastes ;)Well I dislike some vegetables too (surely I must… though I can’t actually think of any), but I do think vegetables and bodily fluids fall in two different categories of discussion. My point was simply, after drinking something my whole life, I never noticed its odor until I had not consumed it for quite some time. Spinach, and other vegetables on the other hand have smelled the same to me my whole life, no matter how long I’ve gone without eating them. Plants, regardless of their particular smell, always smell like plants; bodily fluids always smell like bodily fluids.However I want to make it clear that I’m not trying to disparage breastmilk itself; breastfeeding moms know that it has a smell. Most bodily fluids do, it’s just part of life. I do think it is fascinating however, that most adults drink it without really noticing the smell. I don’t think there is anything weird about a cow producing breastmilk for her baby, or any other mammal’s lactation. It’s the difference in perception on the consumers’ part that I find fascinating (perhaps I should have used “fascinating” instead of “weird”).Soymilk on the other hand, especially when heated for a latte, smells like sugar cookies. This statement is supported by numerous studies performed on coworkers and baristas.Maybe it was the particular variety or brand of milk you smelled. Maybe gene expression related to preference and perception changes with respect to exposure. Maybe pasteurization, or decomposition, contributed to the smell. Maybe it is consumer psychology, just like I thought my mom’s Chinese soy milk was weird.On that note… old soy juice will smell bad also! Unless it’s fermented with wheat, A. soya, and has a ton of salt added… Then you have something I could reasonably threaten my health with.On a tangent, you seem to follow this site a lot. Have you come across any studies documenting the changes in blood inflammatory markers and vasoconstriction following pastured/wild meat/fish consumption? I’ve been looking for those on PM on which to base my future diet decisions and haven’t found anything.Useless video that does not address the possible problems with eggs besides salmonella. Animal protein in large amounts is detrimental to your health as well as choline in eggs could be putting you at risk. Of course, it is unlikely the necessary research will be done because the egg industry is only interested in sales, not your health. A policy of not more than two eggs a week is wise till more research findings are available.Dr. Greger has a huge video topic on eggs covering many aspects. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/Dr Greger has TOO MANY videos, and should just put out stuff we can READ.laytonian: Most of us love the videos. But if audio is not your thing, you are in luck. Each video is followed by a “transcript” section. Expand that section and you can read the transcript instead of watching the video.The only videos where a transcript is not available are the year-end summary videos.This is and has always been for me a very confusing topic. For those of us who are still eating carefully chosen meats, the info. on eggs is often times hard to decipher. You now have top neurosurgeons, Board Certified, who are saying that eggs supply one of the top, very top fats that are brains need to survive – Dr. Perlmutter in his book Grain Brain – highly recommends 3 eggs a day. And he isn’t the only doctor advising this. Eggs are also being taunted as being the number one food to stabilize blood sugar, insulin. Very, Very confusing. I wish there was a definitive answer whereby the WHOLE of the health industry could agree.It is not confusing if you rely on legitimate research such as provided in this video and not fad diet books. A factor may be taunted as good but you must look at the whole product. No matter what is taunted as good in eggs or carefully chosen meats, they are still loaded with fat, animal protein and cholesterol.“eggs supply one of the top, very top fats that are brains need to survive”Can I ask which fat he is making this claim about? One of the most distinguishing characteristics of eggs is their incredibly high arachidonic acid content compared to other foods. Arachidonic acid has been well studied in regards to its negative impact on neurological health, including being associated with depression and bipolar disorder.In regards to blood sugar, it is excess intramyocellular lipid content that impairs insulin function and inhibits its ability to move glucose from the bloodstream into the cell. Limiting carbohydrate in the diet to try to keep blood sugar steady is an exercise in minimizing a symptom (hyperglycemia), rather than addressing its cause. Have you ever wondered why billions of people following traditional Asian, African, or South/Central American diets never get diabetes even though their diets are based on rice, corn, potatoes, and other grains?Unfortunately when there are many studies that repeatedly point in the same direction, there isn’t a lot of media coverage on it. It’s just not exciting. But when say a poorly designed egg industry-funded study comes out that says something different, the media jumps all over it and presents it as shocking news, and as this huge debate that no one really knows the answer to, when really there is a very clear balance of evidence pointing in one direction, if one were to examine the entire body of evidence. But that wouldn’t provide shock and excitement to viewers/readers, and it also wouldn’t be telling them what they want to hear: “eggs are great!” “tons of extra fatty meat is great!” “butter sauteed in coconut oil wrapped in bacon is great!” “eat all you want! it’s good for you!”“I wish there was a definitive answer whereby the WHOLE of the health industry could agree”Good news, there is in most major areas of nutrition, an overwhelming consensus of what is good for you and what is bad for you. And a lot of it is probably in sync with what you’ve intuitively known your whole life. Limit animal products. Maximize plant foods.However you are lumping the egg industry/fad diet book industry/talk show industry/etc in with the rest of the scientific community, and there will never be a consensus between all of these entities.The point of confusion I feel that many have with eggs is that “experts” will pin down single nutrients in eggs, such as lutein, and claim eggs are healthy because it contains lutein. Based on the nutrient data found on the USDA database, 10 grams of spinach has approximately 12 times more lutein then 10 grams of an egg. We cannot really consider eggs an appropriate source of this nutrient.https://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR25/nutrlist/sr25a338.pdfThe way people view nutrition these days is quite reductionistic, and looking at the food as a whole is key to truly grasping the power of nutrition.I post this as a reply only to add to what you have said.I almost went into the lutein thing, Toxins, but thought I was getting long-winded as it was. That always leaves me shaking my head. It’s like oh come on, just admit you like eating eggs! Don’t tell me it’s about the lutein! Sure, and I make sure to eat chocolate cupcakes every day, but only because of you know, all of the polyphenols and iron and magnesium. Chocolate cupcakes are a GREAT source of those ;)As far as I can tell, if the level of nutrient x in any particular animal food/oil/etc is greater than 0 mg, you can be sure to hear people saying that it’s a great source of that nutrient.But then again, as you say it’s what people are told by various “experts” who don’t make the effort to evaluate a food as a “package deal”. Some doctor in yahoo news mentions lutein and eggs, lay people will pick up on it without ever actually looking at the numbers. After all, the experts told them so.I do think the “spin” is a big part of too, in terms of what information gets presented to people. It’s considered “news” to hear a doctor say eggs are good for you after all. On the other hand, a doctor claiming that spinach is good for you and contains nutrients, isn’t news.Indeed, it is the same argument for dairy. Dairy has calcium, calcium is good, therefore, dairy is good. Its overly simplistic.Agree Laura – all the ‘experts’ give us their evidence which conflict on so many foods and we are truly just wanting to be happy and healthy!!Current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day. A large egg contains about .037 grams of omega 3. Omega 3 in the ALA form processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA. These fats are anti-inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. According to the National Cancer Institute, eggs are the number 2 top contributor of arachidonic acid in the American Diet.http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/fatty_acids/table4.htmlBased on this as well as the low omega 3 content of eggs, the benefits received from omega 3 are masked by the high quantity of preformed Arachidonic Acid. High intake of arachadonic acid is linked to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with cancer development.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616uidhttp://img2.tapuz.co.il/forums/1_156375095.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128Perlmutter’s is a dangerous man. No better way to get dementia than by clogging up the blood flow to one’s brain with carotid atherosclerosis and strokes.His advice to eat lots of cholesterol for your brain health is pretty dumb since the brain makes its own cholesterol. Cholesterol is too large a molecule to pass through the blood-brain barrier.Gluten = evil Non-gluten grains and legumes OK once or twice a week.Sells supplements to undo the damage his diet does?More food for “thought” about brain health/Alzheimers: Reduce your intake of foods high in fat and cholesterol.http://www.pcrm.org/health/health-topics/diet-and-alzheimers-diseasehttps://www.alz.org/we_can_help_adopt_a_brain_healthy_diet.aspSame bat time, same bat channel. “Wholly, rotting, sulfur stench Batman! Did you eat those Deviled Eggs Alfred made?! They (the egg industry) said they’re good for you, and if smelling like a rotting carcass is good, you’re smelling like roses.”At least the USDA is sticking to their guns with regards to the nutrition, safe and healthy labels. It’s good to see. Anyway can you ever get the sentences of the note you showed in the video that were blacked out, un-blacked out? Is it only the Freedom of information Act to a point? Are they allowed to freely destroy the infromation you requested?I don’t miss eggs; I miss dairy. That is the hardest thing to do without when eating out at a restaurant; even the many self-advertised “vegetarian” dishes usually have cheese or cream in them.Yep same here. I can’s say what heroin is like but I told myself it was like that…that i would always miss it. I have secret ice cream cone about 4 times a year. seems to get it me through. I dont eat the cone…just the pus. mmmmYou are so funny! A laugh with my coffee! Almost out my nose.Grins…Hey hat’s a mr. coffee not a nettie potDo you really miss the actual dairy ice cream, rather than ice cream in general (e.g. soy, coconut, etc)? I’ve had non-dairy ice cream a couple times and I thought it was plenty good, other than being less accessible and more expensive (which perhaps is a good thing anyway…) I can’t imagine still wanting dairy ice cream. Maybe the opioid peptides have a stronger effect in certain individuals?Also, not to be an enabler but I have always wanted an ice cream maker, but thought I wouldn’t use it enough to warrant it, but maybe for you it’d be a worthwhile investment. :) There are some pretty darn good looking vegan ice cream recipes out there!Never thought of it. I googled up a really nice sounding non-dairy pumpkin recipe…you’re right, theres heaps of stuff out there. I don’t know, I’ll check with PIXELATED and see what she thinks. Could be just the ticket. thanks.Also, for a quick fix – I know it’s not quite ice cream, but I LOVE putting frozen fruit in my little mini food processor with a couple splashes of soy milk. It’s like a sorbet but creamier. And with the sweeter fruits like sweet dark cherries or pineapple, you genuinely don’t need any sweeteners. I whip this up probably a few nights a week. Only takes a few minutes start to finish to dump the fruit in, whiz it up, dump in bowl, clean mini processor, before I’m sitting on the couch with my “ice cream”.Adding a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder and some soaked dates and you have an incredibly tasty desert. It tastes like fruity chocolate ice cream.Is there pus in ice cream? Do tell, please…Well you know, they always check milk quality by measuring “somatic cell counts” which I guess is a nicer way of saying white blood cells which usually indicate presence of an infection = pus in the milk. Dr. G thunk that one through. So now we have limits on pus because they worry about our health. Mmm, french vanilla. I do love it though. Like black pudding too, even the white bits… but don’t ask and I won’t tell.The presence of white cells in milk does not concern me. I would be more concerned about unpasteurized (raw) milk containing bacteria. My own body is filled with white cells, both alive and dead, and it is most likely the case that the white cells in milk are dead as the milk is pasteurized. Endotoxin and exotoxin as part of bacteria, as well as the natural virulence and pathogenicity of bacteria, fungi and viruses are what cause disease. An exception would be graft-versus-host disease but you can’t get that orally. Your intact immune system and mucosal barrier will mop up those foreign, dead, pus cells. Having said that, I am not interested to go to Dr Greger’s video to see what he said.DGH: You may be interested in this article from Dr. Greger that talks about how much pus gets into milk. There’s a video of the day on the topic too.http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/08/how-much-pus-is-there-in-milk/I LOVE cashew (that I make myself) and coconut-based (that I buy) ice creams. Unlike cheese, this is one area that I never feel deprived over. Other than cheese, I found personally that most dairy products are easily replaced with something I like at least as well if not better.The presence of white cells in milk does not concern me. I would be more concerned about unpasteurized (raw) milk containing bacteria. My own body is filled with white cells, both alive and dead, and it is most likely the case that the white cells in milk are dead as the milk is pasteurized. Endotoxin and exotoxin as part of bacteria, as well as the natural virulence and pathogenicity of bacteria, fungi and viruses are what cause disease. An exception would be graft-versus-host disease but you can’t get that orally. Your intact immune system and mucosal barrier will mop up those foreign, dead, pus cells. Having said that, I am not interested to go to Dr Greger’s video to see what he said.PS: It’s cheese, cream, sour cream substitution in restaurants that I was referring to. Most restaurants do not carry vegan alternatives, and many of these tend to be loaded with trans fats (I am not as worried about the other additives, e.g. titanium dioxide and carrageenan – trans fats are the big problem with vegan sour cream and vegan cheese).re: “The presence of white cells in milk does not concern me.” because they don’t likely cause disease. That’s a fair enough argument. I personally have a problem with eating pus as I doubt it contributes to health (anti oxidants? vitamins? etc?) even if it doesn’t cause disease. But I think your argument at that level makes sense.However, the following part of your argument makes no sense to me: “My own body is filled with white cells, both alive and dead…” Our bodies are made up of plenty of substances that are not good for us to eat. I’m not arguing that pus is good or bad for us to eat. I’m just saying that just because there is a substance in our body (bones, muscles, fat, cholesterol, bile etc) does not make for a legit argument about whether it a healthy substance to consume in our diet. That’s just like the argument that protein pushers make – that we should eat animal flesh because it best mirrors our own flesh. The logical conclusion to that is that the healthiest diet is cannibalism.Just something to think about (my opinion) in terms of refining your argument should you make it again in the future.Just to clarify, I meant that bovine (cow) white blood cells, taken pasteurized and into the gut of a human being, are unlikely to cause harm. Actually our intestines and blood streams, lungs and bladders and mouths are filled with white blood cells. As long as you don’t inject my bloodstream with HIV-infected leukocytes (white blood cells), I would be fine with pus as a contaminant of dairy, particularly since the pus is dead – pasteurized. It may affect the taste. I think there are much better reasons to avoid dairy than the presence of some quantity of dead, denatured white blood cells. I would be much more worried about the bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa that come together with those white cells…. since pus usually signifies an underlying infection (although not always – it can be present with any inflammation). I wasn’t arguing for eating human body components because they are somehow “natural”; that would be absurd!It is the hardest thing to avoid at restaurants, but at the same time I think it’s the easiest thing to substitute for in recipes. The structural contributions to a recipe from eggs take a little more work to get around imo.Does anyone know the lipid loadout of eggs? As in, what percents by mass stearic/myristic/palmitic? And what the threshold dosages for harm are in the latter two?Brilliant! I’d like to see the freedom of info request information from the other meat industries, such as beef, pork, turkey and chicken. I bet their lobby groups are going through similar initiatives. One thing that caught my eye was that the egg industry just keeps turning down the use of the words nutrition, safe, and healthy. I wonder if the industry just keeps plugging those words in over and over, hoping at some point, a bureaucrat will make an error and give them the okay in writing to use the word.Washingtonian, I see you’ve done a great deal of research on this topic, and for that, I commend you – and thank you for sharing. I would recommend to have a look at Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book (Eat to Live, I think it is called), as he has a table showing the nutrient density of foods, and he describes how he calculated them (I’m not sure if he revealed the exact forumula, but I have a hunch he did). There were additions for antioxidants, vits, minerals, fibre and subtractions for fat, cholesterol, sugars, etc.Herehere, Yes thanks for bring up Dr Furhman’s book! The book (actually it’s a two book set) is called Eat for Health. “Using a specific calorie amount instead of weight or serving size is a more accurate way of obtaining a pure “nutrient per calorie” score, a reflection of the health equation”. (Book 2 page 3). He does explain his methodology. To cut to the chase, go to page 84 to find the nutrient density of eggs. Spoiler alert … eggs score 28. The good stuff as you would expect are the green leafy veggies (like cooked Kale, raw watercress etc) coming in with a score of 1000.Court Rules Against USDA’s Secrecy and Failure to Disclose Conflict of Interest in Setting Nutrition Policies“PCRM had argued that at least six of the 11 members of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which formulates the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, had financial ties to the meat, dairy, or egg industries that may have made it more likely that unhealthy foods would remain in the government’s diet plan.”http://pcrm.org/media/news/court-rules-against-usdas-secrecy-and-failure-toI just can’t wait to read of this Dr Furhman.I can’t wait to read this book… Eat to live. Thanks for the info!!“Eat for Health”I also like washingtonian and your reference of Fuhrman book on nutrient density of food. If there are anything which is saying that eggs are not healthy for health then that can be very serious matter and our govening bodies should make clear on this. I hope this will help us to come out of this confusion.Param Legal Steroids Website Owner.Why haven’t they gone after milk?I’m curious to know what the egg industry can say in Canada, where I live! I’ve sure been seeing a lot of advertisements for dairy products lately. Apparently, “it just makes sense” to drink milk.There are eggs and then there are eggs. It’s plausible to me the whole debate only exists because of conflating industrially-produced eggs with organic pasture-produced eggs that use no GMO feed. “Here’s why you should boycott eggs from factory farms and how to find alternatives”: http://bit.ly/1hV8DYsor NationOfChange at http://www.nationofchange.org/how-and-why-boycott-eggs-factory-farms-1393260413Hi,I forwarded this video to some people and one of them sent me this as an answer : http://authoritynutrition.com/how-many-eggs-should-you-eat/ I don’t really know how to respond to that, since the article has sources based on studies that were made in 2013. Thank you ! :)So what about egg whites. If I throw away the yolks am I good?Anyone who seeks information on nutrition and health topics, opens a site on the internet and finds an expert who speaks .Just like in here. But there are many other sites on the internet in which, other doctors and experts speak often about the SAME topic but take the exact opposite position.On the one hand you have(for instance here) Dr.Gregger, talking about eggs being very bad for your health and on the other hand you have an other doctorexpertscientist ,assurring you that eggs are GREAT for you. They are both doctors,experts, and they both refer to STUDIES to support what they say. WHAT on EARTH should you believe?You have 2 doctors,2 experts,1 topic and 2 contadictory positions.I don`t care who is who and obviously this is not a matter of preference “whom to believe“ ,like it is in the case of “which football team to support“ ,but the above simple fact may make it difficult to decide what to do. ( specifically about eggs,I`ve seen at least 3 doctors speaking in favor of eggs, on you tube .It`d be useful to listen to each other`s take on the arguements of the other. ) Maybe we could play the game “fact or fiction“ or put the names of the contradicting experts on a graph .Kidding of course :D . I`d like to read any commentsanswers on how to handle this dilemma and information.Thanks.Can someone explain this article to me? It’s on a usda.gov site: http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=18963Do you have a specific question about the article?It’s all just a ploy to get you to buy all those cholesterol lowering drugs that are far worse for you than eggs.OK. I need some clarification here – after seeing the many articles against egg consumption (something which I do enjoy). Dr. Greger, forgive me, but you do seem to make some very sweeping statements. One could almost think you had an agenda of some kind…Forgive me if I’m wrong here, but research I read seems to point in an entirely opposite direction, especially around saturated fat and cholesterol in relation to CHD. I can also admit to generally mistrusting USDA/FDA research as a pile of bureaucratic nonsense.I thought that recent focus for research had shifted to “oxidized LDL” as the primary culprit in Cardiovascular Heart Disease (CHD). I keep hearing you bang on about cholesterol, but I’ve yet to hear your opinion on research in this area (apologies if I missed it).Whilst high levels of LDL are generally predictive of unhealthy levels of oxidized LDL, it does not necessarily follow that foods that elevate LDL also increase oxidation. So, the question follows; what *does* lead to high levels of oxidation in LDL? The answer seems to be high levels of simple carbohydrate consumption (especially processed sugar). Trans-fats also play a role. Saturated fats (like those found in eggs) simply do not appear to do so. Processed sugar and simple carbs are way worse of an enemy to our heart than eggs will ever be.Whilst it is true that saturated fats raise cholesterol, we see that both LDL and HDL go up after consuming saturated fats. Since the HDL:LDL ratio is actually a better predictor of CHD (higher ratios meaning lower risk) [1], scientists have come to conclude in numerous studies [2] that saturated fats are not likely to be a primary cause of CHD [3]. In fact, the best *easy* measure of the level of oxidation is the Triglyceride:HDL ratio. If that is high, you can definitely be worried. However, the consumption of saturated fats tends to *lower* TRI:HDL ratios while simple carbs (esp. processed sugars) seem to raise it. So, while we are not quite ready to say that saturated fats are “heart healthy,” it is the emerging consensus that they play little role.Interestingly, a Japanese prospective study that followed 58,000 men for an average of 14 years found no association between saturated fat intake and heart disease, and an inverse association between saturated fat and stroke (i.e. those who ate more saturated fat had a lower risk of stroke) [4].I would be interested to hear your opinion on the above.[1]Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos, Christos Pitsavos, John Skoumas, Christina Chrysohoou, Marina Toutouza, Christodoulos I. Stefanadis, Pavlos K. Toutouzas, “The Importance of LDL/HDL Cholesterol Ratio as a Predictor for Coronary Heart Disease Events in Patients With Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolaemia: A 15-Year Follow-up (1987-2002).” (http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/452983_4)[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturated_fat_and_cardiovascular_disease_controversy[3] Djoussé L, Gaziano JM., “Dietary cholesterol and coronary artery disease: a systematic review.” (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19852882)[4] Department of Public Health Medicine, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, and Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Japan., “Dietary intake of saturated fatty acids and mortality from cardiovascular disease in Japanese: the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk (JACC) Study.” (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20685950?dopt=AbstractPlus)I’m really loving this website! I’m learning so much and enjoying it thoroughly! Do you have a podcast?!Hi Jessica, I’m glad to hear that! You can find the podcast here: http://nutritionfacts.org/podcast. Enjoy!A fantastic eight minute video by a great scholar.Here’s the facts. 4-6 eggs every day for my entire life. I’m 47. Total cholesterol 181, HDL 94, LDL 77, Triglicerides 54. Choke on those numbers. Oh, and my LDL particles are nice and big and fluffy. Anyone who claims eggs aren’t healthy is ignorant of the facts or just a biased vegan.Clay: Thanks for sharing your numbers. This is a great example of why the details are important.My understanding is that in order to be heart-attack proof, you would need your total cholesterol to be under 150 and LDL to be under 70. The range you are in right now is not very safe. The goal is not to have a certain number for cholesterol, but to avoid heart attacks. Thus, many people in this group would look at your numbers and go, “Yikes! I hope he is able to fix his diet before it hurts him…”Of course, if you are happy with those numbers and happy to take the risk, then you are happy with those numbers. I wish you good health.Clay, so glad your numbers are good and I am not choking on them. But because your body, so far and maybe for your lifetime, is able to handle high intakes of eggs doesn’t mean that this is the case for all. Also, it doesn’t mean that those that review data and come to a different conclusion from you are “ignorant of the facts” or are “just biased” vegans.Its about risk. For example, there are smokers that live long healthy lives but most often there is a price to pay-I have cared for those paying dearly. Do you smoke, do you care about second-hand smoke? Smoking is just a risk factor.With all respect, a similar argument could be made for the health benefits of smoking – for SOME folks. I knew a guy who . . . . .(you finish it.) Greetings from an unbiased vegan. CHEERS.Can someone please comment on where to go to access FOIA documents or how to request access to those documents?The egg industry does not have the same influence on the politicians as the wheat, soy, and corn growers. Because if they did, they would have health warnings on every package of bread. Believe me, eggs are better for you than bagels and donuts.I ran across this which states eggs don’t really raise the bad cholesterol.http://authoritynutrition.com/how-many-eggs-should-you-eat/Uncle Lar: I haven’t looked at this particular video, but I have seen some NutritionFacts videos which show how the egg industry comes up with experiment designs which make such studies invalid. There is another video coming up on NutritionFacts that covers this point again.You might also want to check out Plant Positive, who has a very indepth set of videos showing a great deal of scholarly work/research on this topic among others related to cholesterol denial-ism. http://plantpositive.com/ (Videos are listed on the right. He also posts videos on YouTube.)This is amazing. Eggs are probably the most nutritious food on the planet, it’s the big-industry-biased “science” that has the messgae backwards. It’s amazing that the US has survived this long! The rest of the world looks on with amazement.What is interesting is that a lot of this egg “research” was paid for by Kelloggs – any guesses why?Ouch….so much for my 3 eggs with turkey for a power protein breakfast for “weight loss”….. What a joke…DWS had the most valid point and obviously the most educated reply to this topic. I eat over a dozen raw eggs every day, I have never had salmonella poisoning, my cholesterol is perfect, and my blood pressure is bang on. If you only watch one video or read one article you can’t talk as if you’re an expert. Everyone has different dietary needs and eggs are not for everyone. If you never exercise you might want to steer clear of eggs, your body doesn’t need the nutrition from eggs to rebuild, maintain, and grow tissue. Most every natural food source has its benefits and to think otherwise is to me ignorant. I’m not meaning to offend anyone, I’m just speaking from REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE on my own body. I don’t listen to the USDA for my nutrition and neither should you. Take a good look at the food pyramid, and you will see its completely wrong.I may have overdosed on SO many comments. I see nothing that contradicts or debunks the FACTS (independently verifiable) that Dr. Greger presented. Tastes change. In the last century I would frequently eat four eggs for breakfast with bacon and other bad stuff. I’m lucky to be alive today. Check back with me early in the next century and see how my current vegan diet is working out.Cheers.So now I’m getting fed up with all the misleading information about our foods. Well which is it? Are eggs healthy or not? I’m sick of the psychological crap they play all the time.This was very poorly written and repetitive. I now have a headache. How many times do you have to repeat yourself?Funny how you guys argue back and forth. all the while forgetting that everyone has a different biodiversity and a different lifestyle.. My granddad ate 6 eggs, bacon, biscuits made with buttermilk and gravy every day for breakfast, salted pork (he cured his own meat) cornbread and anything and everything he wanted to eat… the first time a doctor laid hands on him he was in his nineties and he was healthy as a horse (minus the flu he was being seen for) cholesterol was way in the bottom of the range everything looked great… the moral is granddad worked everyday, didn’t sit and watch TV or tap on his smartphone… and he ate things that *_he_* grew .. not some GMO things or bought at the store things… not everyone has this predisposition some folks process foods differently… no need to argue, we are all the same but vastly different metabolically…Similar anecdotal “arguments” could be made about smoking citing those who survive in spite of (not because of) their habit. The key SPECIFIC FACTS cited by Dr. Greger hold for most folks most of the time under most circumstances. PLEASE !I am a healthy active adult. Blood pressure on the low side of normal, and cholesterol levels that many people wish they could have. I mostly eat fruits, veggies, nuts, fish and EGGS. I eat between 3-6 eggs a day, and I eat the yolk of every single one of them. Granted this is only anecdotal, it leads me to believe that eggs are more than capable of helping a healthy lifestyle. Putting your faith in the USDA is foolish. The approved feeding practices for livestock ring a bell? How about toxic pesticides?Their is so much contrary research on the risk of increase in heart disease.http://www.livescience.com/39353-eggs-dont-deserve-bad-reputation.html“So how many eggs can you eat? That depends on a number of factors. The American Heart Association no longer includes limits on the number of egg yolks you can eat, but it recommends that you limit your cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams daily, or 200 milligrams if you have heart disease or if your LDL is greater than 100. You decide where that cholesterol comes from!”As shown in studies the optimal cholesterol intake is zero. Choosing to consume cholesterol-containing products regardless is a risk. One that is easily avoided by simply not eating eggs.I might be going out on a limb here, but your post makes me believe you are trying to find a justification to eat eggs. I don’t see any other reason you would keep looking for studies, especially if the product in question contains a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol.All of the information quoted in the article is from 2007. Old information.Saying eggs are nutritious or safe may violate rules against false and misleading advertising. But poisoning the whole country with glyphosate is OK as long as you say it’s safe. What a bunch of liars.I’m a runner, and I subscribe to Runner’s World, a publication which seems to LOVE eggs. They’re always touting omelette recipes, and claiming the nutrient dense yolks and protein high whites are great nutrition for runners. As a whole foods, plant based athlete who has watched Forks Over Knives and seen many videos on this site, I’m very dishearted. The January Runner’s World cited a study in the American Heart Journal in January that “suggests peven people with coronary heart disease can safely eat two eggs a day without negatively affecting their blood pressure, cholesterol, or body wait. Vive l’oeuf!” They then displayed recipes with ways to add eggs to any meal. What study are they referencing from the American Heart Journal, and could you address it? I would love to be able to share the truth with other runners, that eggs are not nutritious.Eggs may serve to satisfy our hunger in the mornings, but there are so many more foods that may prove to be even more satisfying!!! Whole fruits and grains such as quinoa made with pomegranate and pear with lemon juice and almond milk!!! Yum!!! Sounds better to me!!! I love the Forks over Knives cookbook!!! It has a myriad of healthful satisfying recipes to replace a typical egg breakfast!!Once again, the industry is all about the money. It’s not about nutrition for the people at all. They focus on those “health” or “nutrient” words so that mothers will buy the eggs and feed them to their children, or the health conscious adult will buy them as a support to their “nutritious” lifestyle. They slyly make people believe they are healthy with tricky wording, “incredible edible egg”. They are low carb, so they must be healthy, right? They have choline, so we need them, right? Wrong. One of the comments below, written by Washingtonian, is very interesting and very researched!! I loved reading that post as it was a great compliment to this video post as well as the following ones!!http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/Just a few months ago it was in the news that eggs are not so bad after all. “Advisory panel was urging the government to stop warning people off eggs despite high cholesterol content.” “News left people guessing as to whether or not this change would be bad or good for human health.” What are we to make of this?http://www.forbes.com/sites/fayeflam/2015/02/12/why-eggs-and-other-cholesterol-laden-foods-pose-little-or-no-health-risk/I’m live in Australia and as a vegan i get hit with the Q&A all the time. It is tiresome at times. Recently there has been a new advertisement on TV for , eggs by the Australian Egg Corporation (AECL) and it claims many health benefits. I know my way around many of the known clever wordings to get around the truth but i looked into it as it was brought up (thrown in the vegans face) at work!The AECL website, http://eggs.org.au/, is very clever with its words. Basically each topic is about healthy diet not eggs. But “Eggs are a highly nutritious food” slips in a few times. They are fast to disclaim any responsibility in their Terms and Condition! So i poked around further at the use of ‘nutritious’ in Australia. Now free range etc is closely monitored. But nutritious is not. But according to the ‘Humane Choice of Australia’ page 13 of the egg labeling guide says it is ok to say nutritious. http://www.humanechoice.com.au/Resources/Documents/Egg-Labelling-Guide-March-2013.pdfSo it is hard for me to show this clip to those non-believers as i cannot back it up. They just say.. “well that’s the USA”THANK YOU DR GREGER!!:-D serves me right…ingesting eggs years ago…even cooked …there are still amounts of “AVIDIN”… self-diagnosed BIOTIN DEFICIENCY probably due to consumption of eggs years ago… guess i never recovered… started taking veg biotin supplements…and biotin deficiency symptoms like disappeared … i guess i never was able to get my biotin level fully back up….after my body was drained of it’s Biotin. slowly increasing my biotin supplement w/ a lot of hydration.If I wanted to eat eggs anyway, it would be safer and healthier to eat only the egg whites (discarding the yoke) and well cooked?http://authoritynutrition.com/10-proven-health-benefits-of-eggs/NUTZ, whole raw egg’s have non oxidized cholesterol, = perfect foodHow do you respond to these claims made on our Australian Govt TV station website? Saying basically that eggs are healthy and are good for your heart. Are Aussie eggs better than US eggs?http://www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2015/06/04/4248657.htmI am a vegan but the “facts” about eggs are hard to pin down.GOOD QUESTION. But I thought evil of eggs was disposed of by Dr. Greger. His citations seemed comprehensive, detailed and authoritative.Science marches on. Or does it? Dammit.I hope Australian Government nutritional recommendations are not held hostage to Big Agra as they are by our USA USDA department.USA mass media likes to feature “safe” reports. Avoid criticisms of Standard American Diet. SAD.CHEERS.	American Egg Board,animal fat,bone fractures,bone health,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cholesterol,chronic diseases,Coca-Cola,cooking methods,eggs,elderly,factory farming practices,fat,food poisoning,foodborne illness,Freedom of Information Act,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,infants,LDL cholesterol,marketing,nutrient density,nutrition myths,poultry,pregnancy,protein,safety limits,Salmonella,saturated fat,turkey,Twinkies,USDA,weight loss,zoonotic disease	Freedom of Information Act documents reveal that the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned the egg industry that saying eggs are nutritious or safe may violate rules against false and misleading advertising.	For more peeks behind the egg industry curtain see:For more context, check out my associated blog post: Egg Industry Caught Making False Claims.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-fractures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/twinkies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marketing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/freedom-of-information-act/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-density/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-2638	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/	How Much Exercise to Sustain Weight Loss?	Right now, almost two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and by 2030 more than half our population may be clinically obese. Childhood obesity has tripled, and most of them will grow up to be overweight as well. The United States may be in the midst of raising the first generation, since our nation’s founding, that will have a shorter predicted life span than that of the previous generation.The food industry blames inactivity. We just need to move more, but what is the role of exercise in the treatment of obesity?There is considerable debate in the medical literature today about whether physical activity has any role whatsoever in the epidemic of obesity that has swept the globe since the 1980s. The increase in calories per person is more than sufficient to explain the U.S. epidemic of obesity. In fact, if anything, the level of physical activity over the last few decades has actually gone up in both Europe and North America.This has important policy implications. Yes, we still need to exercise more, but the priorities for reversing the obesity epidemic should focus on the overconsumption of calories. To work off the increased calorie intake, which for kids is like an extra can of soda and small fries compared to what they were eating back in the 70s, and for adults about an extra big mac. To walk that off, we’d have to walk 2 hours a day, seven days a week. So exercise can prevent weight gain, but the amount required to prevent weight gain may be closer to twice the current recommendations.Public health advocates have been experimenting with including this kind of information. The fast food menu labeled with calories and the number of miles to walk to burn those calories appeared the most effective in influencing the selection of lower calorie meals.Now exercise alone may have a small effect, and that small effect can make a big difference on a population scale. A 1% decrease in BMI nationwide might prevent millions of cases of diabetes and heart disease and thousands of cases of cancer.But why don’t we lose more weight from exercise? It may be because we’re just not doing it enough. The small magnitude of weight loss observed from the majority of exercise interventions may be primarily due to low doses of prescribed exercise. People tend to overestimate how many calories are burned by physical activity. For example, there’s this myth that a bout of sexual activity burns a few hundred calories, so hey, you could get a side of fries with that. But if you actually hook people up and measure energy expenditure during the act, and your study subjects don’t get too tangled up with all the wires and hoses, though it may be nearly the metabolic equivalent of calisthenics, given that the average bout of sexual activity only lasts about 6 minutes, a young man might expend approximately 21 calories during sexual intercourse. Of course, he would have spent roughly one third of that just lying around watching TV, so the incremental benefit is plausibly on the order of 14 calories. So maybe you could have one fry with that.	Dr. Greger, I’d like to know if distilled water is healthy to drink as my only water. I have been reading online that distilled water is the best for humans, and there seems to be anecdotal evidence that it helps a lot of ailments, but there is just as much anecdotal evidence that it leaches minerals from the body. Do you have any knowledge of this issue.And how about mineral water containing inorganic minerals that our body can not process and that disrupt and negatively alter certain bodily organs, functions, and other stuff?I tried to find real studies that have looked into these two water claims, but only find a lot of lay people, as well as many Doctors, talking about the issue and offering their opinions, but no one seems to have a study or studies to substantiate.I’m not the expert, but I consider distilled water to be the ultimate processed “food.” Everything good taken out (except H2O) and nothing added back. Even white flour is better. At least it’s fortified. Those inorganic minerals you asked about (I’m assuming calcium, magnesium, sodium, etc.) are essential for bodily functions. Without them you would die. Other minerals, such as arsenic, lead, mercury, etc., you want to avoid. I recommend drinking good, ol’ tap water that you’ve filtered with an activated carbon filter (like a Britta filter). This will remove many of the “bad” minerals (as well as some pharmaceuticals and some other organic molecules that you don’t want to be ingesting) while retaining the essential minerals.It has been claimed by many that the inorganic minerals are not necessary for bodily functions……that we get the organic version of these minerals in fruits and vegetables….that they have a form of these minerals that are bioavailable. And that the inorganic versions have no bioavailability.I guess I cannot comment on the bioavailability of inorganic minerals outside of organic molecules versus within organic molecules; however, you pose an interesting hypothesis. That being said, inorganic minerals from water will affect the electrolytic balance of blood plasma. If one drinks too much regular water, that can create a state of hyponatremia where the excess water effectively dilutes the salt level in the blood. (This can also happen to athletes/workers who sweat out too many electrolytes.) Now imagine constantly drinking distilled water where there are no salts to contribute toward electrolyte equilibrium. I would think that might lead to chronic hyponatremia.With the notable exception of heme iron (which is better absorbed than free iron, sometimes to a dangerous extent), essential minerals are all absorbed just fine in their ionic/inorganic forms as found in non-distilled water. Indeed dissociating them from their organic matrix and dissolving to ionic/inorganic form is often required for absorption.With regard to supplements, certain mineral forms are unlikely to to dissolve (eg MgO), and with regard to meals, other coingested compounds like phytate can chelate and hence prevent absorption. But for the most part, the dissolved minerals in non-distilled water (and in particular Ca, Mg, Cu, I and Se) are in an ideal form for absorption.Any thoughts on distilled water creating health issues, if this all the only beverage one is drinking?I’m not aware of any issues, provided the diet provides adequate amounts of minerals, but I’m by no means an expert. 2 L of median North American tap water provides around 5-6% of the RDA for Ca and Mg, so its a significant source, but small compared to solid foods.Based on what I have looked at, opponents of distilled water claim that its ingestion provoke the body to release stored minerals – from bones, mineral deposits elsewhere in body – to make up for the completely mineral- empty beverage just consumed. Basically, distilled water causes leaching of internal body minerals. Maybe this is a good thing for some people, (arthritis, calcium deposits, etc.) but maybe there is science that proves these fears of drinking distilled water are unfounded.I drank distilled water from 1990 till about 2004. It is slightly acidic and it does take all the minerals (good & bad) / heavy metals out of your system. I started having bone spurs and osteoarthritis in joints etc. I was acidic and that causes arthritis along with injury. I highly suggest only using distilled for a cleanse and drinking either Alkaline Water or Fiji water along with 75% green vegetables or more in your diet. To remove the osteoarthritis I used Serrapeptase and also supplemented with a product called AcidCal to be more basic. 10 months later the orthopedic doctor doing some wrist surgery took xrays of my joints again and the white in the joints was gone. Unfortunately the pitting of the cartilage was permanent in my big toe joint. I had the bone spur for about 4 years in that joint before surgery to remove it.How is distilled water slightly acidic? Pure H2O is neutral.Distilled water leaches out minerals from the body more than normal drinking water. It is good to take out over a long period of time heavy metals with the good minerals. I know since I used to climb in tanks with no protective gear when I was a vacuum truck driver in the oilfields, exposed to all sorts of chemicals as a roughneck in the oilfields and my mouth was full of silver fillings prior to drinking distilled water. I drank distilled for and then in 2000 I saw a very well know at the time Life Extension Doctor in the Atlanta area. He did a heavy metal challenge but all the heavy metals were negligible which he explained to the human body drinking distilled long term is not a good idea especially for a meat eater which is acidic as a diet to the body compared to a vegan etc. He suggested I quit because long term it would contribute to osteoarthritis. I took that with a grain of salt but four years later I did listen because I developed osteoarthritis in my feet. Just a side note I treated the osteoarthritis with Acid-a-Cal to raise PH and Serrapeptase (disolves scar tissue) for 8 months and saw the same orthopedic surgeon who again x-rayed my feet but this time the white in the joints was gone. He was surprised I could reverse it. then in 2009 I still had a bone spur in my big toe,that an Orange County CA surgeon removed and he commented I had some cartilage pitting but nothing else associated with osteoarthritis.do you know we are Heterotroph?If you see what a distiller takes out of tap water……Putrid stinking sludge… You want to check it out some time, you would be horrified by the smell and you may change your opinion on drinking tap water…Food is where all your nutrients come from… distilling is the closest process to nature for taking impurities out of water. all it does is catch the steam , which is pure. and is similar to the rain process… Rain water that runs across the ground and picks up the impurities and you drink the tap water…. just like you can’t eat dirt, your body has trouble digesting inorganic minerals. loads up your kidneys, forms stones etc, Drink the cleanest purest water you can… Distilled…. I have been drinking pure distilled water now for 20 years and so has my mum, 81…. Blood counts are perfect and both of us are on no medication and no lifestyle disease that we know of… (touch wood) We follow a vegan lifestyle.I have to agree with Tony. What is left in the bottom of my distiller after it is finished is the most disgusting smelling, vile brown liquid. The smell is putrid. I am going to buy a gallon of brand name “spring” or “filtered” water at the grocery store, and see what leavings remain. So far though, we will only drink distilled.I would like to know too! I don’t distill water but I do use a water filter. I have read that the kidneys cannot handle too much inorganic minerals in water.So if you eat a lot of calories of whole foods plant based with carbs around 90% you will still gain weight?﻿You might be right Bo, but I have to say I eat between 2500 and 3000 calories a day, which is a ton of WPF, and that amount maintains my current weight and body fat percentage. I also exercise six times a week. That’s one of the benefits I love about eating a plant strong diet. I can eat a ton and not gain weight!i eat 4000-5000.. i do light exercise, callisthenics and stuff 5 days a week. should i be worried then?That does sound like a lot. I would be concerned about the money factor money, unless your eating coloricaly dense foods which can be pretty unhealthy 6000 cal. A day could get pretty expensive. Are u spending 10 hours a day hiking through the Alaskan wilderness or something. I can’t imagine why u would need that many calories.Is it even possible to eat 5000 calories worth of whole plant foods? Seems like you’d nearly be eating all day.That’s just 700 g (1.5 lbs, ~5 cups) of macadamia nuts, the highest caloric density whole plant food I’m aware of.Or 30 medium potatoes.Oh okay. Only 30 medium potatoes or 5 cups of macadamia.Macademia wouldn’t be a heavily-weighted part of a plant-based, HIGH carb diet as specified in the the OP. The most calorie dense way to do high carb whole foods is probably to focus on processed low-fiber starches and dried fruits. A diet of corn tortillas and raisins would get the caloric load up fairly quickly though it looks like it would still take 4 pounds or so to get in range, which is still quite a lot of grazing.Darryl is this tongue in cheek? 5 cups of nuts? I would be sick to my stomach before I could finish that. 30 potatoes! No way could I eat 30 potatoes. You must be joking.Yes you don’t need to eat that many calories. I do calisthenics as well and eat probably no more than 2500 calories. I’m gaining muscle and burning fat. Over 25 lbs of fat so far, and I also monitor body fat with a monitor.No i’m not gaining weight so far but i do WFPB for several months only. I do exercise because i want to and i eat as much as i want to, 3 times a day. I don’t eat nuts, i eat 1 avocado a day. I eat because i’m hungry and if i’m not hungry i don’t eat. Yes i’ve used cronometer, that’s where i’ve taken these numbers from. Doesn’t look like a lot of food to me though, dinner is the biggest meal – around 2k cal. The total can get up to 6000 cal sometimes. Still a bit hungry afterwards though. Yes i do live in cold climate (in winter) and ride my bike through the snow but i don’t know if that counts as alaska wilderness. All i need to know is that will eating that amount of calories on a low-fat WFPB diet make me gain weight?Interesting! I never put the two together–Sex and Fries. ;-)He’s Back!;-)As another Doctor I also follow (Dr Fuhrman) says, “You lose weight in the kitchen, and build muscle in the gym.”What a great quote!!!yeah!firme recrutare personalI like Dr Fuhrman a lot, but I would say, “stop feeding the fat in the kitchen and burn it off in the gym.” However, I get my exercise, not in the gym, but by bicycling everyday to work as well as other places. Exercise is much more sustainable if it is built into one’s lifestyle. Bicycling instead of driving also helps the environment. My experience is that a very high dose of exercise does help with weight loss. I have maintained a 100 pound weight loss for 4 years, largely by exercise. I also count calories, but because I exercise every single day of the year, I can consume 3500 calories a day and maintain my weight loss. I didn’t have to limit calorie intake that much to lose the weight, either. Switching my diet to a Whole Foods Plant Based over time also helps tremendously, because it reduces toxic hunger and cravings. Therefore I don’t feel hungry all the time- but also being able to consume 3500 calories and not gain weight helps to control hunger as well. A person can’t go wrong by counting calories, exercising everyday and eating a nutrient dense whole foods plant based diet.I have always had a weight problem till I got on whole plant foods. Now I eat all I need and want. I eat a well balanced plant based diet and eat a lot. I lose easily. I’m sure I’ll need to make some adjustments when I reach a good weight/fitness level. I do some basic exercise such as walking and light weight lifting. I don’t count on the exercise to lose weight but to maintain a healthful, nicely muscular body. I haven’t heard that saying before, but I like it. Thanks for quoting it.I’ve never thought it wise to try to exercise off the calories you eat in order to lose weight, or to “get by with eating badly” and then kill myself at the gym. I eat to serve my body; to feed all the body’s cells. The food I eat gives me the energy to do what I want, including my exercise program. Exercise is good for all round health, but shouldn’t be used to lose weight. It does contribute to the overall healthy weight by oxygenating the cells and building healthy muscles. We should never do anything that tears down our bodies, only build it up. Ironically eating a plant based diet and light exercise while losing weight is a way to build it up. Finding this awesome way to live is life changing. Actually we need to find a different word to use instead of “losing weight” because there is no losing about it when we eat this way. It doesn’t take much exercise to do what the body needs and it can be done at any age. It can only build us up.I think a good paradigm shift would be to exercise so that a person can eat more healthy food, rather than exercising to out train a bad diet. People can actually gain weight by eating too much healthy food and a high daily dose of exercise can prevent this gain. Since I exercise everyday, I am able to consume 4 ounces of nuts and two tablespoons of of course natural peanut butter each day and not gain weight. Nuts are a healthy high calorie food that exercise enables a greater consumption of. Sweet potatoes, bananas and starchy vegetables are also examples of higher calorie healthy foods that exercise enables a greater consumption of without weight gain.In my experienced carbs and sugars induce significant addictive cravings which result in a non-stop cycle of eating more carbs and sugars. I eliminated most of both of those and now focus on 1/3 leaf plants, 1/3 vegetable plants and 1/3 meats as the baseline diet, and I really have seen cravings literally go to zero. Body fat is 15 (down from 25). Exercise is not going to get you anywhere unless you access fat stores for energy. I am a medical layman but this is indisputable to me.No cravings here. And I don’t eat meat……No way if you eat mostly complex carbs. I eat a ton of potatoes and am losing fat and gaining muscle like crazy with some bodyweight exercises. The fat you eat is the fat you wear. People are addicted to meat and fat from cheese and oil. Check out the book Sugar, salt, fat – people can be addicted to any of these things.Hi John,exactly the same experience from me! This way of eating rocks!Ah, not to forget; skipping the O6 and some bodyweight training. So my BF went from 25 to 14, almost without any efforts (25 min training 3x a week). Having endless energy since then is the best part of this diet.Adding one day of the week some rice and fruits as “cheat meals” is OK.One thing I never see discussed about diet and exercise is that when I exercise, I’M NOT EATING. “So what?” you might say, but taking a hour or two a day out of my grazing can mean significant calorie loss. In an hour or two I can graze my way through a bag of potato chips, or even bake a potato and eat it, fry up a batch of chicken, or go though half a package of cookies. I think we need to add this factor to exercise-diet studies. I know it makes a big difference in my own consumption total.We don’t eat potato chips (refined and processed) nor chicken (fatty animal products,) Anything I may eat during the day is only healthy whole, delicious food. I take apples to the gym and even other whole food like a cooked potato or a wrap, to fill up, if needed. It doesn’t slow me down at all. There’s no oil or animal products to sludge up my system. Try it, you’ll love it and won’t have to exercise to overcome something like chips and fatty meats. You’ll exercise because you love to move and are fueled by wonderful whole foods. No need to avoid eating. Eat. Eat plenty.I agree that exercise has benefits by taking time from eating. I think that is mostly how it contributes to weight loss. The longer and more often one exercises, the more effective it is for weight loss. Also, eating less appetizing foods obviously works for weight loss because it cuts down on consumption (whether those foods are low-carb or whole food plant based). The less time one spends in a fed state, the more weight is lost.I believe in eating a nutritious plant based diet for health, but from my experience it seems to be a placebo for weight loss.I just did a video on this and totally agree. Diet is 90+% of the issue. When I ate crap I used to walk and often worked out but didn’t have great results.And may I say that “eating crap” will eventually show up…ex spouse is and always has been a runner and always stayed at his high school weight…but after donating blood in the late 90’s, blood lab called him and told him his triglyceride levels were “off the charts, sky-high, please see a doctor!” Well, walking to Subway from his office 2 or 3 times each week was showing up in his blood work, even though he was fit & trim. He admitted that he thought Subway was the lesser of fast-food evils; wrong!You can get good wholesome food at Subway, or you can get crap. Most people get the crap so they carry more of that… and it’s a shame.What about the effect of exercise in raising the basal metabolic rate and building muscles which will also burn more calories. I think these were both undermined in the video.I think the point of the video was that people eat too much. You can exercise everyday, be working at the right intensity, yet not make a dent in weight loss. This is true for a person who overeats or skips meals. One’s diet has many roles with weight loss. Eating regularly and with an appropriate amount of calories alone can increase metabolism. Certainly emphasis should be made to include exercise so lean body mass is not lost to such a great extent when trying to lose weight.surecompanii recrutare personalYeah but that’s two and a half hours of action crammed into 6 minutes…no wait thats baseball …or is it the other way round? ~ “NO OIL”~Coacervate: You crack me up. :-)Alternate title for this clip: “Sex and the Single Fry”. ;)No i’m not gaining weight so far but i do WFPB for several months only. I do exercise because i want to and i eat as much as i want to, 3 times a day. I don’t eat nuts, i eat 1 avocado a day. I eat because i’m hungry and if i’m not hungry i don’t eat. Yes i’ve used cronometer, that’s where i’ve taken these numbers from. Doesn’t look like a lot of food to me though, dinner is the biggest meal – around 2k cal. The total can get up to 6000 cal sometimes. Still a bit hungry afterwards though. Yes i do live in cold climate (in winter) and ride my bike through the snow but i don’t know if that counts as alaska wilderness. All i need to know is that will eating that amount of calories on a low-fat WFPB diet make me gain weight?Hi Bo, Oh yes. 8 bananas. Your day looks good. One thing to think about is variety. Maybe tweak the bananas to include more berries. This may not be that easy for you. I live in Southern California so we have a large selection of fruit available. Have you watched Dr Greger’s videos on “the best” fruit etc. I find those very helpful.But if you aren’t gaining weight why worry?Because i thought maybe i might ;) Yea, no fresh berries whatsoever where i live.. thank you for replies.This is my current dilemma. I exercise a lot but I don’t have the body I want mainly because I am forced to eat more to get enough protein from my plant-based diet. My weight is 75 kg. Optimally, I would need 1.2 g of protein per kilogram, or 90 g of protein per day. However, I have to force myself to eat lentils, beans, etc. to get to that amount.May the Force bean with youWake up and smell the flatulence, Mr. Larusso.You can’t beet a root.Exercising has really helped me maintain my current low weight but it did not really promote weight loss. The latter was almost all attributable to diet. However, now that I am at a healthy body weight, exercise really helps me keep there, as long as I don’t overdo it (which causes rebound hunger and overeating). On the other hand, if you exercise during periods of 8-12 hour fasting, you burn your fat stores and can slim down that way. If you exercise after you eat a meal, you only burn the food in that meal.Any suggestions about high intensity interval training, which has been found to increase the number of mithocondria in human muscle cells and to be more effective in elevating the metabolic rate as compared to exercise of longer duration with a steady course? Thank you.LOL! Thank you Dr. Greger, for serving up this information with large side of humor! Much appreciated! Hmmm, so at 14 calories a pop (assuming that goes for women too), I’d only have to do it, what, maybe 7 times a day to lose a couple of pounds a week? So 6 minutes every couple of hours if I calculate right. Now if I could only convince my boss… :)Donna: Too funny.Note: I’m pretty sure I know what you meant (looking for time at work to fit in this important exercise), but are you by chance married to your boss or have a big crush??? Your last sentence could be interpreted some interesting ways… ;-)/me tells Dr. Greger about Freelee the bananagirl. Check her out on Youtube.Current state of popular science says: eat at least 3000 Kcals from fruits, veggies and starches a day and make it really low fat and don’t even bother with adding stuff with extra proteins (highly overrated)And you have all the energy you want and you loose extra weight in a natural way.It’s all the meat and fat we eat that makes us sick and obese!I recently encountered a discussion of the use of irvingia gabonensis (African mango) seed (ground) and a means to change one’s hormone balance to help weight loss. Dol yiu have any information on this? FWIW, WebMD says efficacy is uncertain but that it is, at worse, harmless.Seems the Dr. and his team chose to be funny, rather than finishing their point. Some of us still believe diet AND exercise are both important to live a full active life. It’s like if I’m going to eat healthy, I should benefit from that, so I’ll go on a hike that maybe an obese person may not be able to do. I don’t want to show up 2/3rds of the population necessarily, but if i’m going to take care of my body, I’m going to enjoy some extra achievement along the way. Please don’t get lost in your research only to find little jokes. I’m sure a lot of us really find benefit in what you present, especially the ones that don’t waste words and time.Dr. Greger, My wife and I have a problem with loosing weight right now. We started eating Vegan about six months ago and at first we were eating about 2500 Cal a day with about 12% protein, 70% carbs, and 18% fat. We still have the same percentages now but we dropped calories to about 1200 per day. We still arent loosing any wight though, even though we do something equivalent to power walking for 2.5 miles a day. My wifes struggling with PCOS symptoms again which seemed to be somewhat under control while we werent eating so many carbs (we ate meat). Its a bit discouraging, especially for her. Are there any modifications that need to be made to a whole food vegan diet for someone with PCOS?Jarrod: I’m sorry to hear about your weight loss problems. I’m not sure about your question in regards to PCOS, but I do have a recommendation regarding weight loss. Check out this free lecture from Dr. Lisle: “How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQAnd then, to make sure you understand all of the nooks and cranies regarding the concept of calorie density, check out this talk: Calorie Density; Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer. Also check out Jeff’s DVDs in the Fast Food series. Great, affordable food that is easy to make. http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392424210&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density%3B+eat+moreBetween those two talks, you can forget about worrying about calories, and instead just focus on eating lower density calorie foods. If you go low enough, you should just start to loose weight – without being hungry or having to worry about portion control.You might also consider going through the free 21 Day Kickstart program by PCRM. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)Good for you both on the power walking. That’s going to help long term. Best of luck.Hey Jarrod, Thanks for your note. Hard to say exactly what percentages of fat, protein and carbs to eat per day. I feel everyday varies. As you transition to this new diet it’s important to find foods that make you feel good. 1200 kcals per day seems low. Whole plant-foods diet should allow a bit more flexibility to simply eat when hungry. Most of the plant-foods are naturally low in calories yet very nutrient dense. Make sure to double check if you are adding a bunch of oils, sugar, or veg butters/fatty condiments to foods. If so, try flavoring with more herbs and spiced.We actually don’t have much on PCOS. Some research shows peppermint tea may have some benefit. Here are a few Nutrition considerationsthat may help as well.Let me know if this helps,Joseph	Big Mac,body fat,calories,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,children,diabetes,Europe,exercise,fast food,fat,french fries,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,longevity,low-fat diets,metabolism,nutrition myths,obesity,prediabetes,sexual health,soda,weight loss	What role has inactivity played in the obesity epidemic and how much should we be exercising?	I previously touched on this in my video Diet or Exercise, What’s More Important For Weight Loss?Don't get me wrong--exercise is wonderful! Check out, for example:Best to stick to foods rich in nutrients but poor in calories: Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score. It’s cheaper too, see Best Nutrition Bang For Your Buck.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/26/best-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/big-mac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18504442,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23363498,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23174547,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3401553/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22681398,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23220355,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19828708,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842428,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842197,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21872750,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6476990,
PLAIN-2639	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/	Who Determines if Food Additives are Safe?	November 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced their plans to all but eliminate trans fats from processed foods, citing a CDC statistic that the elimination of partially hydrogenated oils from the food supply could prevent more than 10,000 heart attacks and thousands of deaths every year. Currently, trans fats enjoy so-called GRAS status: “generally recognized as safe.” How did these killer fats get labeled as safe? Who gets to determine it?Currently, a generally-recognized-as-safe determination is made when the manufacturer of a food substance evaluates the safety of the substance themselves and concludes that the use of the substance is safe. Did I just read that right? The company that manufactures the substance gets to determine if it is safe or not. This approach is commonly referred to as ‘‘GRAS self- determination.’’ To make matters worse, not only do they not have to inform the public, they don’t even have to inform the FDA. In a footnote they explain that a company may voluntarily tell the FDA they just came up with a new food additive that they’ve decided is safe, but are not required to do so.The cumulative result is that there are an estimated 6,000 current affirmative safety decisions which allow for more than an estimated 10,000 substances to be used in food. In addition, an estimated thousand manufacturer safety decisions are never reported to FDA or the public. Manufacturers and a trade association made the remaining decisions without FDA review by concluding on their own that the substances that they themselves were selling were safe.While manufacturers are not required to notify the FDA of a “safe determination,” sometimes they do notify the agency with a little FYI. The individuals that companies select to make these determinations may have financial conflicts of interest. At least in those cases, where they’re going public with their decision as to what they’re putting into our food, presumably they’re being above board and finding some independent third party panel. The objective of this study was to find out.What did they find? Of the 451 GRAS notifications voluntarily submitted to the FDA, 22% were made by someone directly employed by the company. 13% were made by someone directly employed by a firm hand-picked by the company, and 64% by a panel hand-picked by the corporation or the firm the corporation hired. Are you doing the math? Yes, that means zero percent of safety decisions were made independently.An astonishing 100% of the members of expert panels worked directly or indirectly for the companies that manufactured the food additive in question. 100%. And those are just the ones the food companies let FDA know about. And they used the same in-the-pocket rent-a-scentist “experts” over and over, leading food industry watchdog Marion Nestle to ask “How is it possible that the FDA permits manufacturers to decide for themselves whether their food additives are safe?” Maybe it’s because many of the companies providing our daily food are corporate giants with political muscles national governments would envy. PepsiCo alone spent more than $9 million in a single year to lobby Congress. The fact that food additives like trans fats have been allowed to kill thousands of Americans year after year comes as less of a surprise to those who realize three of Washington’s largest lobbying firms reportedly now work for the food industry.	Welcome to government of, for, and by the corporations. They even have personhood status now, thanks to the Supreme Court. In Lincoln’s day it was government of, for, and by the people. Progress, or not so much?Wondering if you have any thoughts on what specific foods can break down the blood brain barrier/weaken it, and which, if any, can build it back up. What effect does a high-fat diet have, and how about a high-Glycemic diet’s effect?I don’t have any “industry made” food items in my diet, but I do have mother nature made items and even some of these, in wrong quantities, combinations, maybe, …..as well as spices….cause the BB barrier to weaken? It only makes sense that some of the “natural” stuff, and is not so good for us as well.guest: I don’t understand the concern about breaking down the blood-brain barrier, but I presume you are interested in brain health and preventing dementia and Alzheimers. For that concern, I can highly recommend the well-researched book by the well-respected Dr. Barnard:“Power Foods For The Brain”http://www.amazon.com/Power-Foods-Brain-Effective-Strengthen/dp/1455512206/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1392330898Dr. Barnard addresses all sorts of food related issues and to top it all off, the back of the book has recipes.Would it have anything to do with cancer cells?Ginkgo Beloba , not sure if I spelt that right, is supposed to get through , but you have to watch that you don’t have high blood pressure before you take it.The way our society runs leaves a great deal to be desired. How can the public be so behind the curve here? It’s really pathetic. And it makes me so angry that my head could explode. And it’s not only in the area of our food supply. Check out what the experts in field of finance have done to harm the US public over the past 7-8 years.Tobias Brown: It really does “blow the mind” away how callous our fellow citizens have been.In terms of exploding heads: I do hope you will keep your brains inside. ;-) We need people like you to bring sanity to the situation.‘rent a scientist’! I love your one liners Dr. G. Can I use this tomorrow at work? I’ll either get a chuckle or a grimace.Can someone please let me what I can do to make tomatoes and potatoes not have arthritic effects on me? I have tried cooking various ways, as well as raw. I know they are nightshades. Anyone else get horrible arthritic symptoms as a result of eating these?I have a similar problem with arthritis only it was gluten sensitivity. The pain was sufficient and the recommended treatment (methotrexate) so hideous that I have no inclination to eat gluten containing products. However I was also vitamin d deficient and when I corrected that I reduced the sensitivity. Still had some residual symptoms so I went with a whole foods plant based diet thinking that animal have just too many pro inflammatory factors. Indeed the arthritis is 100% history. Now my gluten sensitivity seems to be greatly lessened.Stewart: That’s fascinating that going plant-based had an effect on your gluten sensitivity. Good for you for making a (difficult for some people) change that improved your health.Thanks for taking the time to share your story.I am wondering if the vitamin D was just a “steroid like” band aid for you. I have had experiences where vitamin D took away my issues, but if i stopped taking the D the issues came back. Vitamin D is a steroid hormone, not a vitamin. Can’t help but think that in peeps with autoimmune issues, the vitamin D does not get to the root of the problem, just puts a band aid on it.Leslie,you are right that in your suspicion that Vitamin d is not really a true vitamin. “Vitamin D is not technically a vitamin, ie, it is not an essential dietary factor; rather, it is a prohormone produced photochemically in the skin from 7-dehydrocholesterol. The molecular structure of vitamin D is closely allied to that of classic steroid hormones (eg,estradiol, cortisol, and aldosterone) in that they have the same root cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene ring structure.” (Anthony W Norman in Am J Clin Nutr August 2008 vol.88 no. 2 491S-499S). However, regardless of structure as a steroid or secosteroid, it is essential in human (and indeed vertebrate )health.There is a growing awareness of the ramifications of vitamin d deficiency. Depending on geography and culture. At least half the world seems to be mildly to severely vitamin d deficient. In severe cases this can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Chronic insufficiency shows evidence of promoting immune system disorders, osteoporosis, dental problems, cancer et al.Other than at far north latitudes in the winter, we can get adequate vitamin d with 10 to 20 minutes of sun a day. This much sun will give us 10 to 20,000 units of vitamin d. With today’s culture this is difficult for most of us (except lifeguards). (Many years ago I might have gotten applause from neighbors for lying in the back yard nude. Today I would probably get arrested.) In any case with indoor jobs daily sunning is not done by most. So my levels of 25(OH)D were extremely low when I developed arthritis. I was taking a supplement of 2,000 units per day but it was not enough. When taking 5,000 units per day (according to the label) my levels returned to normal and my gluten sensitivity was greatly reduced but not eliminated.While vitamin d is important, my point is that such things as arthritis are generally caused by a multiplicity of factors, all of which can have a major impact. I reduced the factors in my symptoms to three, but that enumeration is itself overly simplistic. A whole foods plant based diet is not a thing. It is a monumental system with an incredible range of phyto nutrients working in tandem with and sometimes against other things. Gluten was provoking my immune system to be misdirected while others have enhanced and refined my system to work much more effectively. Vitamin d is an important factor in this in itself but it should not be considered as an isolated factor. My point is that by addressing a wide range of things the food allergy might be mitigated or even eliminated.Auto immune diseases are numerous and becoming more and more prevalent. This is extremely important to me as I have type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is the type where your beta cells croak because of an auto immune response provoked by something and stop producing insulin altogether. This was called juvenile onset but now more and more adults are developing it. Had I had adequate vitamin d levels and a plant based diet, I am convinced that I probably would not have developed this condition even eating wheat. All this just goes back to Dr Campbell’s point about “reductionist reasoning and studies”.Addressing a single factor might help but will not solve the issues in most disease. But, we do not want to leave out single factors either. Just put them in context and we might be able to work around them and enjoy an occasional tomato. .Stewart, thank you for sharing your knowledge and understanding of this dynamic. What you say makes sense. Vitamin D obviously helps many people, and their “overall health status” would greatly suffer without vitamin D being added to the diet via food or supplements. Through my experience, and, apparently, some others, vitamin D can be counter-productive. When I get my vitamin D from the sun, my body reacts fine, no problems. When through supplements, I get tired, sick, rundown. I am convinced that in some people with autoimmune issues, vitamin D helps, and in some it hurts. For me it seems to suppress my immune system, leading to me getting sick. So it helps me in one area, hurts me in another. And, prior to supplementation, is was not deficient in D.Best of luck to you with your health, and I’m jealous of your ability to now eat gluten. I wish my body allowed it.wow.I’ve seen enough of this type of information now to not really be surprised. But sometimes the audacity of humans who run these corporations makes it really hard for me to be compassionate.I imagine that there are still lots of people who remain (purposefully?) ignorant of the food situation in America. It’s really helpful to have videos like this that we can point people to. Thanks for doing it.I agree with you. It’s very difficult to practice compassion with people who are harming public health in the service of the almighty dollar. But the alternative – closing one’s heart – is even worse. Keep one’s eyes open, don’t be a sucker, but still practice compassion when you can. Actually, I find it’s the smaller circumstances that make it hard for me to practice compassion – what I call “difficult encounters”. A big corporation is a pretty abstract thing in my mind. :-)DGH: re: the alternative being worse. (sigh). Of course, you are right.You have a very good outlook. Given your job, you have lots of up close and personal encounters with a wide variety of people. I admire that you keep up the good fight without giving up – and while trying to stay compassionate. Very impressive. Thank goodness for doctors like you.I think it is helpful to understand the environment. Most people who work for these companies do not make the leap between their decisions and the harm that they cause.Our economic system has evolved so that these companies must do right by the share holders. That means more profit. If profit is the first concern, then health will naturally be the second. That means that the majority of decisions made will favour profit instead of health, so it is no surprise that the end products are extremely profitable and extremely unhealthy.So we have a situation where the consequences of these profit-centric decisions are so far away from reality (sometimes different decades and continents) – that any sort of human compassion has been removed. For me, that is the real threat of globalization – not the people who actually make those decisions.Hypothetical question: if you were making decisions at a food manufacturer, would you have any motivation, other than benevolence, to avoid additives that made your customers sick?There is no motivation other than profit, because the decisions made have no immediate effect. So yes, benevolence is the only factor – and even then, the share holders probably wouldn’t allow it!The only reason we are seeing changes is as the public becomes more aware, the manufacturers have to turn to new practices to remain profitable. We see the same pattern across all marketing. The idea of low-fat and heart healthy foods has nothing to do with the companies apparent respect for the customers health! Here in Italy, we are seeing a wave of ‘no hydrogenated fats’ labeling right now. A good thing yes – but not aimed at making anyone healthier!Best idea must be to avoid any food which has been subject to this human decision-making process – eg anything with a label!“As the public [i.e., the customer] becomes more aware…” Exactly. A company that sells a product that makes its customers sick — where the customer knows the connection — will not be profitable, due to loss of sales.Very true. The problem is the time lag between the product going out and the customers finding out exactly what these things do. Makes resources like this website all the more important. Thanks Dr Greger!!Of course – this is really where regulatory agencies and governments should step in and evaluate the risk their citizens are being placed under. But with government and industry looking pretty similar, its up to us to make these judgments now. Why didn’t I listen more to my Chemistry and biology teachers!!!Off topic request – Shingles, can you do a segment on prevention and treatment? I am currently suffering tom a full blown case and have no idea of what I could be doing nutritionally. Thank you.Meditation is a useful tool. I believe many diseases are brought on by stress. Stress has many forms – nutritionally, physically, mentally, emotionally. Just 10 minutes at morning and night, be with your breath. Make it a practice and see how life changes.Hello NF team,this was an interesting video, I did share it with my friends, would it be possible to do a video or QA on Nootropics or smart drugs/herbs? I am going to university and these are increasingly beocming popular among students wishing to get an edge. THe Nootropics include natural herbs such as bacopa monnieri, rhodiola rosea, ashwagandha, but also synthesized drugs in the rectam family like pramiracetam and noopept.Thanks for another great video!Sven: While Dr. Greger can’t reply to many posts, I do believe that he reads them all. When he sees requests like this, he keeps them in the back of his mind. That way, if relevant research comes up on the topic, Dr. Greger knows that there is interest in it.Thanks for your comments.That explains a lot.Dr. Greger, thank you so much for doing this important work and bringing this information to the people. After reading Slaughterhouse by Gail Eisnitz I concluded that the USDA was a joke. After watching your videos I concluded that the FDA, the animal products industry and doctor’s treatment of symptoms rather than causes was a joke too. Thank you so much for making people aware.And it doesn’t stop at food additives! –UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson voted YES on the new Pioneer GM maize, based purely on industry safety studies.He said ‘Science’ has proved it safe – and gets this straight from the EFSA, who examine industry studies to determine the safety. Many EFSA experts also have ties to the companies they’re supposed to be reviewing.What does this mean? It means this new GM crop could be approved for cultivation in Europe based on the opinion of one man who made his mind up based on industry studies. The UK vote is crucial in terms of weighting – they were one of 5 countries who said they’d vote for it, while 19 said they’d oppose it.And then theres the issue of publication bias. Google Ben Goldacre – he does a great video on this. Some studies have shown industry research to be 4 times as likely to favour the thing they’re testing – because industry can and does withhold negative results.It makes a mockery of our democracy!Is it true that orientals make their own B12 in their gut, and whites due to food availability and their love of meat and dairy, no longer can. If this is true what of other races?All humans create B12 in the gut, but it is far too low to be absorbed.“In one of the less appetizing but more brilliant experiments in the field of vitamin b12 metabolism in the 50’s, Sheila Callender (7) in England delineated that human colon bacteria makes large amounts of vitamin B-12. Although the bacterial vitamin B-12 is not absorbed through the colon, it is active for humans. Callendar studied vegan volunteers who had B-12 deficiency disease characterized by classes megaloblastic anemia. She collected 24-h stools, made water extracts of them, and fed the extracts to the patients, thereby curing their vitamin B-12 deficiency.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/48/3/852.full.pdfWhat about the use of “wax” on apples to prolong their shelf life? Is this substance safe? What’s the best way to clean it off?I want to share that I have discovered the cause of cancer with you Dr. Greger. delparkinson@msn.com Del..	cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,FDA,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,Marion Nestle,mortality,Pepsi,processed foods,safety limits,trans fats,USDA	The safety of food additives is determined not by the FDA, but by the manufacturers of the chemicals themselves.	I’ve got three dozen videos on food additives. Here are a few highlights:Artificial Colors:Phosphates:Preservatives:Sweeteners:Others:Just as the food additive industry gets to decide which food additives are safe, the food industry holds sway over which food is considered safe. See, for example, my video The McGovern Report.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepsi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marion-nestle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-potassium-sorbate-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16480546,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23925593,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23410611,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23925569,
PLAIN-2640	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/	Chicken Salmonella Thanks to Meat Industry Lawsuit	Even Mexico banned the importation of Foster Farms chicken on public health grounds, but it’s still sold in the United States. Why wasn’t there a recall? How could they continue to legally sell chicken contaminated with this virulent strain of Salmonella? It all goes back to Supreme Beef versus USDA, a court case in which the meat industry sued the USDA after they had the audacity to try to shut down a slaughterplant that was repeatedly found violating Salmonella standards. The meat industry won. The Federal Appeals Court ruled that it wasn’t illegal to sell contaminated meat, what was illegal was the USDA trying to protect the public by shutting down the plant. Because normal cooking practices destroy Salmonella, the presence of Salmonella in meat does not render them "injurious to health." Salmonella-infected meat is thus legal to sell to the consumer.Even though consumers may eliminate Salmonella on ready-to-cook chicken by proper cooking, they could still be exposed to and acquire a Salmonella infection from cross-contamination of other foods with Salmonella from raw chicken during meal preparation. If you measure the transfer rate from naturally contaminated poultry legs purchased in supermarkets to cutting boards in the kitchen, overall, 80% of the leg skins in contact with the cutting board for 10 minutes transferred Campylobacter infection to the cutting board. That’s another dangerous bacteria found in chicken feces. And then if you put cooked chicken back on that same cutting board, there’s about a 30% chance it too will become contaminated.Even though people know that washing hands can decrease the risk of food poisoning, only about 2/3s say they actually do it. Even though most people know about cross contamination, a third don’t even say they wash their cutting boards. Though awareness appears to be growing, as we saw before even when people wash the cutting boards with hot soapy water you can still find Salmonella and Campylobacter. The reason most people have more bacteria from feces in their kitchen than their bathroom, is because people rinse their chickens in the sink, not the toilet.Foster Farms swore they’d try to reduce the number of chickens they were producing with this virulent strain of Salmonella from 1 in 4 to just 1 in 20. Why not zero tolerance like they have in countries like Sweden?Because then, as the head of food safety for Costco noted, “you wouldn’t have a poultry industry.”Other countries have been able to raise chickens without Salmonella. One industry-funded scientist complained that if the entire onus to produce safe products is placed on industry, "It then gives the consumer no personal responsibility to handle their product correctly.” What? That’s like a car company saying we can’t make safe cars because then no one will wear a seat belt.	Dr. Greger, how about the cultured soy food Natto? Is this healthy or does it fall into the “don’t eat” category of kimchi? Also, is the science convincing that Natto is healthy? Any possible side effects of thinning the blood too much, preventing proper blood clotting? Thank you.Natto is the vegan food highest in spermidine and K2 Mk7, and that is enough to make it intriguing. It’s very much an acquired taste though, I occasionally order natto sushi rolls, and they’re always the last thing on the plate.It also lacks the high salt content which IMO is the likely issue with kimchi.Thanks. Just curious, you mentioned you sometimes order natto sushi rolls….do you ever have any raw fish sushi , even in small amounts?Not since January 2010. But I’ll try the few vegan options when accompanying family to a sushi restaurant. My favorite at a local place with a vegetarian menu is the “Teardrop Roll” made with real Wasabia japonica.Sushi refers to the vinegar & sugar seasoned rice, sashimi is the raw fish often included.If no fish in your diet do you take a vegan DHA supplement?Actually, a DHA/EPA supplement. As I’m not an infant, pregnant or nursing, the DHA is less important to me than achieving as high a ratio of EPA to arachidonic acid as feasible. I think the EPA helps reduce inflammatory signalling in the context of a low fat, low (or no) animal product diet, but I’m not surprised low-dose fish-oil supplementation has limited effects in the context of high fat and high arachidonic acid Western diets.Is your supplement an algae DHA/EPA or is it fish oil derived? Thank you much. I value your insight and choices on these and other vegan concerns.I’m agree with you on the EPA importance. I have been looking for a vegan supplement with more EPA in it than DHA, but no luck. I hear that more EPA than DHA can be better, for certain issues, but if too high DHA to EPA, things can get messed up.There’s interconversion in vivo of the two long-chain n-3 fatty acids, though I don’t know how effective it is. There’s one major algal LCPUFA supplier at present (all the vegan brands are rebranding), and their most cost effective supplement is 130 mg EPA and 300 mg DHA per capsule. That ratio, though perhaps not absolute quantities, is common to all the algal EPA+DHA supplements.Why am I not surprised by this? For better and often for worse, the US allegedly protects the “freedom to” instead of the “freedom from”. That is until it hits big corporations in the pocket.Why does fact always have to be more shocking than fiction!It never ceases to amaze me at how the meat and dairy industries can turn a blind eye to the problems they cause. Really? Would they say and do ludicrous things like this to their own children?LOVE the analogy at the end!!I didn’t see anything in the video about kimchi. Why would kimchi be considered a “don’t eat” food?We eat it regularly. Does this mean we are also supposed to stop eating sauerkraut and fermented vegetables in general? I thought they were about the healthiest thing to eat. John S PDX ORDr. Greger has a video and in it he says that kimchi is not safe to consume. I think he feels it causes and or is associated with developing cancer. As far Natto, I do not know. My concern with natto is that it might do both good and bad, as far as fibrin.Thanks for helping me find the video Leslie. Since these are the only two studies I’ve heard of, and no other health doctor I’ve ever heard of has warned against kimchi, I’m going to take it with a grain of salt. I would love to see follow up studies. For example, kim chi has tons of red chilis in it. Is that large amount of chilis causing the gastric cancer? We don’t know.Dr. Greger seemed not to waver on this. Very clear on it. And others here seem to believe his conviction. I really think something in the data convinced him that kimchi is/can be harmful, even in moderation.Reason behind Kimchi causing cancers: Exerpt from Gastric Cancer Epidemiology (Link at end of post)It appears it’s not the cabbage that is the problem, it’s the salt that the cabbage comes in that is the problem.“1) Salt or salted foodThe average daily salt intake in the Korean population was 13.4 g in 2005,(23) whereas the daily intake recommended by the World Health Organization is less than 5 g.(24) Ingestion of salt directly damages the stomach lining, enhancing the carcinogenic effects of gastric carcinogens, increasing nitroso compound formation, and facilitating H. pylori infection.(25) An ecological study on the association between sodium intake evaluated by 24-hour urine collection and gastric cancer mortality and incidence in four areas of Korea suggested a positive correlation between sodium intake and gastric cancer incidence and mortality.(26) A salt preference showed a 1.1-fold increased risk for gastric cancer in a cohort study of 2,248,129 subjects.(27)“Kimchi, which is allegedly believed to have anti-carcinogenic properties, accounts for approximately 20% of sodium intake.(23) Case-control studies on the intake level of kimchi and gastric cancer risk generally showed an increased risk among subjects with high or frequent intakes of kimchi.(28-30) In addition, a high intake of soybean paste (28) or frequent intake of soybean paste stew (31) increased the risk of gastric cancer.”And this last statement on soy and gastric cancer shows again it’s the salt because we know soy is a healthy food to eat and actually lowers the incidence of cancer when in it’s whole, plant food form.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3204471/Awesome reply. Thanks so much. There is hope that kimchi will once again be allowed on our vegan-plates!.Then does that mean Sauerkraut is also risky?Big business controls everything for their own advantage.Right on! I learned this too late for my osteoporosis, which is really bad. And after reading the book, Deadly Monopolies and doing some basic research online with every product my physicians have prescribed, which are recombinant dna from E-coli bacteria, I decided not to trust the U.S. FDA or the biotechnology-pharmaceutical companies any more than I trust the biotech-pesticide corporations who are poisoning our food with GMO’s made from E-coli and other antibiotic resistant bacteria in order for the plant to resist lethal amounts of herbicides.I ordered a worm farm and red worms, which I’m feeding nutrient rich certified organic vegan foods, in order to create my own fertilizer to grow certified organic seeds in raised beds.Don Huber, an award-winning, internationally recognized scientist, and professor of plant pathology at Purdue University for the past 35 years focused his agricultural research on the epidemiology and control of soil-borne plant pathogens, with specific emphasis on microbial ecology, cultural and biological controls, and the physiology of host-parasite relationships. He is an expert in his many fields.Dr. Huber says: “About 85 percent of all genetically engineered plants are herbicide-tolerant—designed to tolerate very high levels of herbicides, glyphosate in particular. These are the so-called Roundup Ready crops.It’s important to realize that Glyphosate is not ‘just’ an herbicide. It was first patented as a mineral chelator. It immobilizes nutrients, so they are not physiologically available for your body…”I took this very seriously when embarking on eating vegan foods, and only purchase organically grown and produced crops of whole food. Hopefully, my compost will be ready before vested corporate interests and their allies in government dismantle organic food production in the USA and around the world.My orthopedic surgeon said he had never seen anyone grow bone as fast as I after a fractured pelvis. Hopefully my lumbar fracture will heal just as quickly, because I refuse to ingest biologics. Don’t trust the horrible side effects of not affecting me. Would rather go with what I have without more health damage from the drugs.what is wrong with Kimchi?apparently it might cause cancer. Dr. Greger says so.This study appears to be the best explanation I have yet found. I may stop eating kimchi with radish in it, and pay attention to further studies.http://kimchicancer.blogspot.com/2013/02/does-kimchi-cause-gastric-cancer.htmlJOhn S PDX ORRadishes appear to be one of the foods with high nitrates in them, and nitrates have been implicated in some cancers. Koreans in general have high rates of stomach and gastric cancer, although that may have something to do with the large amount of barbecued meat that they eat. For right now, I will choose the napa cabbage kimchi, which according to the study, was associated with lower rates of gastric cancer, rather than the radish kimchi, which was associated with higher rates.Very high nitrate levels (> 250 mg/100 g*): arugula (rocket or rucola), bok choy, celery, chervil, collard greens, cress, lettuce, radish, red beetroot, rhubarb, spinach, Swiss chard.From this athletic health website:http://www.caroltorgan.com/athletic-performance-beetroot-juice-nitrates-spit/ JOhn S PDX ORnitrates and nitrites are 2 different compounds. Dr. Greger covers nitrates here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/To summarize, when you consume plant foods, they may contain nitrates. These nitrates alone are not harmful, they are absorbed and recirculated to your mouth and the oral flora converts nitrates to nitrites. The journey continues as nitrates enter your stomach. At this point, if one has consumed a fatty meal, as commonly found with nitrites in cured animal products, then the nitrites become nitrosamines which are indeed carcinogenic. In the absence of fat, the nitrites become nitric oxide and contribute to the mitochondrial efficiency of cells, including skeletal muscles.Big scandal in the meat industry, as revealed by investigative reporter Upton Sinclair working undercover in a meat packing plant in Chicago. Oh wait, 1906? That’s old news. I’m sure the FDA is doing a much better job these days. http://k.b5z.net/i/u/2183976/i/Roosevelt_meat_scandal.jpgthe joke of washing it inside toilet was excellent. !)Not only Sweden, Dr Greger, In France also we have a strict salmonella control plan, every lot is salmonella controlled and a positive will be destroyed. This may be the case in almost every state of the European Union. unfortunately in french : http://www.ansespro.fr/bulletin-epidemiologique/Documents/BEP-mg-BE54-art15.pdfSo, 1300 human cases of salmonellosis/ 65 millions inhabitants France 2011 to compare with american rate.I’m afraid absurd economic lobbying has the same influence in Europe as in the Us in a short delay…Interesting article from the BBC “Washing chicken ‘spreads infection'”“Consumers are being warned to stop washing raw chicken as doing so increases the risk of food poisoning.”http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27832220	Campylobacter,chicken,cooking methods,cooking temperature,farm animals,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,food poisoning,food recalls,foodborne illness,industry influence,Mexico,poultry,safety limits,Salmonella,Sweden,turkey,USDA	The meat industry sued the federal government, winning the right to sell food known to be contaminated with food poisoning bacteria.	I’ve touched on this before in my videos Salmonella in Chicken and Turkey Deadly but Not Illegal, Zero Tolerance to Acceptable Risk and Unsafe at Any Feed. For more on the Foster Farms outbreak, see my last video Foster Farms Responds to Chicken Salmonella Outbreaks.More on the issue of cross-contamination inNote when it comes to egg-borne infection the issue is not just cross-contamination, given Salmonella can survive the most common egg cooking methods. Check out my video Total Recall.Though some meat additives may make meat safer (Viral Meat Spray and Maggot Meat Spray), others may increase the food safety risk. See my video Phosphate Additives in Chicken. In my next video, Who Determines if Food Additives are Safe?, I’ll explore how it is that harmful additives can end up on store shelves.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mexico/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweden/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-recalls/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23587707,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22980013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21902921,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9830117,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15095181,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24350836,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10463448,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842443,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20051196,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23317854,
PLAIN-2641	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/	Foster Farms Responds to Chicken Salmonella Outbreaks	Salmonella causes more hospitalizations than any other foodborne illness, more deaths than any other foodborne illness, and it’s on the rise. Salmonella causes a million cases of food poisoning every year in the U.S., and over the last decade or so, the number of cases have increased by 44%, particularly among children and the elderly. And chicken is the #1 cause.From Spring 2012 to Spring 2013, the centers for Disease Control reported over 100 individuals infected across 13 states with a particularly virulent strain of Salmonella. One and three were hospitalized. Investigations pointed to Foster Farms brand chicken as the most likely source of the outbreak, the 6th largest chicken producer in the US. The CDC warned people, but nothing was done. Foster Farms apparently continued to pump out contaminated meat. In October the CDC reported outbreak expanded to 21 states.Though there’s only been a few hundreds cases confirmed for every confirmed case, the CDC estimates 38 cases slip through the cracks, so that means Foster Farms chicken may have infected and sickened over 10,000 people.When USDA inspectors went into investigate, they found 25% of the chicken they sampled was contaminated with the outbreak strain of Salmonella, likely because of all the fecal matter they found on the carcasses.In the February 2014 issue of Consumer Reports, they published a study they did on the high cost of cheap chicken, finding 97% of retail chicken breast off store shelves contaminated with bacteria that can make people sick. 38% of the salmonella they found was resistant to multiple antibiotics, and considered a serious public health threat by the CDC. Consumer Reports suggested the cramped conditions on factory chicken farms may play a role, and indeed new research shows the stress of overcrowding can increase Salmonella invasion.The Pew Commission released a special report on these outbreaks, concluding that they bring the ineffectiveness of USDA’s approach to minimizing salmonella contamination in poultry products. The agency’s response was inadequate to protect public health, and to this day thousands of people are getting sick with this preventable foodborne illnesses. Among their recommendations, close facilities that are failing to produce safe food and keep them closed until their products stop sending people to the hospital.What did Foster Farms have to say for itself? That their chicken was safe to eat, there’s no recall in effect, and that it is grade A wholesome. In the same breath, though, they say Salmonella on chicken happens all the time. Grade A wholesome, but might kill us if we don’t handle it right.As outspoken food safety advocate Bill Marler put it, the poultry industry’s reaction to the presence of fecal contamination on chicken is that… it happens.	Dr. Gregger, Thanks for all the work you do to bring nutritional awareness to so many people. Do you have a video or article that details what a whole food plant based diet should look like for athletes who train with weights ? I have seen several videos with tid bits of info, like B-12 and vitamin D intake as well as a few of the recovery videos, but I haven’t been able to find any single source that deals with proper diet for the entire day. Thanks for your help.Just google Vegan bodybuilding and you should find somethings. Breakfast is usually oatmeal with berries and nuts. Definately incorporate beans, quinoa, salad and veggie burgers into you lunch/dinnerThanks Aaron, I did what u suggested and found a lot of conflicting information especially regarding the correct ratio of carbs, protein, and fats. Some even say to much protein may be problematic to health, but if your weight training and don’t eat enough protein how can you build muscle. So, is there and optimal plant based diet for bodybuilders that is supported by current research? If there is I haven’t been able to find one. It seems like the vegan bodybuilding information I have found suggest all the same macro nutrient ratios as any animal based diet. It makes me think the Vegan Bodybuilding plans are just modified from the meat based plans.Jason,Don’t get hung up on amounts. There is plenty of protein around in normal WF meals. You do not need massive quantities. Consider if you wanted to put on 2 lbs of muscle in a month ( that is a lot ). This is about 1kg. that in turns implies about 30 gms/ day. Estimates for ‘ normal folks ‘ who don’t lift is about 30 gms protein a day for maintenance. So at a max you need 60 gms or so for a wondrous 24 lbs of muscle in a year – if your are really pumping iron . On top of that our bodies know if it is in need of protein so it can recycle some of the protein that is broken down. Keep in mind It is just as important to have carbs around to maintain growth factors ( like IGF ) so that the amino acids can be used effectively and to keep the inflammatory response of working out to a minimum.Yes you do need to eat – and a lot…If you are 150-170 lbs and want to bulk up, you’ll need about 3000-3500 cal/day for sweaty 2-3 hr workout 4 x week but that needs to include less than that 60 gms of protein a day mentioned – probably closer to 40-50 gms. 2500 cal if you do 1-2 hrs.That protein accounts for 500-600 cal. What do you do with the rest of those 2000-3000? Well you need about 1500 just to keep walking. The remainder is what you use in those workouts.And yes, you can overdo protein even if from WF. Conversely – as a side note – the recent winner in the Biggest Looser showed a whopping 130 lbs loss and was on a 1300 cal/day diet. She was probably in ketosis !So follow something like McDougall’s program and snack on a slab of tofu/tomato/spinach whole grain sandwich and some dried apricots and blue berries right after a workout. You’ll be fineIf you want some hard data see the “Plant Positive” series. There is a good section on body builders there.Plant positive is a crackpot Paleo site, is it not?Plant Positive is as Paleo as Romney is Democrat. No, Plant Positive ( as you might guess from the name ) is hard core WPF with more data than most can or are willing to consume and digest. He emusifies Traube, Lustig, Atilia to name a few lesser evils. Crushes Atkins and a host of other goblins like Minger.M. Greger is very kind/humerous in his presentations, Plant Positive is almost the alter-ego presenting data in a format Dr. Greger probably wishes he could use – stinging. My guess is that he is an epidemiologist or cardiologist- in any event someone with solid upper level biochemical training.Highly recommend the site if you are serious about WPF and want some ammunition in your pocket for your next encounter with someone who still believes high LDL is conducive to long life.When you work out a lot and eat more calories you will automatically eat more protein, yes enough to build muscle. Try No meat athlete.Does this help?1. A review article published in a 2006 edition of the “International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism” reports that excessive protein intake can be dangerous and is defined as consuming more than 35 percent of your daily calories from protein.2. The academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reports that consuming more than 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or about 0.82 grams of protein per pound, does not provide additional benefits when trying to build muscle.3. Rip Esselstyn’s book “My Beef with Meat” has a chapter for athletes – Plant Strong the Athletes X-Factor – that might be useful for you.Thanks for the info everybody. I’ll check it out.Jason, Robert Cheeke, a vegan bodybuilder has a book on Vegan bodybuilding. It has gotten good reviews on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Bodybuilding-Fitness-Robert-Cheeke/dp/0984391606Hi Jason, I saw this recently and just thought I would share this – you may know of him: Jim Morris. Although this is an add for PETA, he is amazingly ripped (he is now 78).http://bcove.me/21kh4lw4This site looked kinda interesting too: http://www.greatveganathletes.com/You do not need a bunch of protein to gain muscle. Work out with your weights, and eat a diet of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and grains. Keep your protein and fat intake between 10 – 15% and the rest carbs.add the all important legumes to your list. Or is legumes covered by grains? Lentils and pumpkin seeds are great for bodybuilders.Jason,Go to this website PCRM (Physicians committee for Responsible Medicine) http://pcrm.org/factsheets/resources/health-and-nutrition-fact-sheetsFill in the information (Subject material is free they just want you to sign in) and click Submit.Go to the bottom of the page under the heading Nutrition Fact Sheets: General Nutrition and click the Protein Myth and Food Power for Athletes. Good straight forward information with some recipee’s. Neal Barnard, MD and his team have compiled a plethora of information and recipee’s that are healthy and provide optimal nutrition for everyone including athletes.Remember a baby triples it’s weight in it’s first year of life drinking only breast milk. With what we have been told about the importance of protein intake throughout our lives in the US we would think there must be a lot of protein in Breast Milk. I mean, come on, triples its size?!? WOW!There must be a whopping amount of protein, right?Breast milk is only 1% in protein. An Apple is one percent protein!The largest land animal on the planet is an elephant and it eats only plants.Our digestive system is most closely related to the Great Apes and they are plant based, and the Silver back males are extremely powerful!(http://www.cast.uark.edu/local/icaes/conferences/wburg/posters/psrodman/GAMHD.htm) Click the link for an exhaustive list of plants apes eat.Elephants and Apes get enough protein! Why can’t we? The point is, we can and we do!We have been protein-washed in the US because the Meat, Dairy, Fish and Egg councils want you to buy their products. If everyone knew they didn’t have to eat those cancer causing, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, autoimmune disease promoting foods to get adequate protein in their diet, those corporations wouldn’t make very much money! It’s totally profit driven.Anyway I hope the information from PCRM helps.Breast milk only 1% ? Are you sure that this is not a mistake ? I always heard of 5%. Look at that: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlAnd scrolls down and read the “Corrections”.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/392766http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/392766Yes I understand what was said in the corrections and I am not drawing conclusions that we need only one percent protein. My point is we don’t need as much protein as we are told.Hi Dr Hemo, Are you on vacation? Haven’t heard from you in awhile. I’ve missed you.I’m not on vacation (I wish) in the last 6 months I moved from Los Angeles back to my original home, moved into a new home about 2 months ago, have two teenage boys that are very active and my wife and I both work so we have been very busy, so it is hard to find the time to comment. I love being able to support Dr. Greger’s effort I just wish I had more time to help with all the questions and comments. I appreciate your time with all your help and answers to the questions you provide on this site. It is greatly appreciated. Missed you too. :)I didn’t know that it was so low ! Thanks for sharing this study. I agree with you that we don’t need as much protein as we are told.I suggest staying away from protein powder supplements. First, there is nothing buffering the absorption of purified protein directly into the bloodstream, which will cause acidosis and IGF-1 levels to spike. Second, most protein powders also contain harmful moieties like vitamin E, lecithin, choline, magnesium etc, which have all been linked to adverse health outcomes. My suggestion is that you get your protein from whole food sources – beans/legumes (chickpeas, navy beans, kidney beans, adzukai beans, soybeans), the lentils, peanuts, hummus, other soyfoods, grains, seeds and nuts. The most complete protein sources in the plant kingdom derive from the legume family, which can be incredibly diverse in species and forms on the plate in front of you. For example, putting some hummus on some steamed cruciferous vegetables is a way of getting protein in the form of mashed chickpeas. Putting natural (no sugar/no salt/no veg. oil-added) peanut butter on some whole wheat bread is another way of getting protein – both from the nut butter and from the bread. I myself like to put cooked beans into my smoothies, once I have thoroughly washed them off to eliminate any adverse flavours. There is a million ways to incorporate a complete balance of plant proteins into your diet. You could even go Eco-Atkins if you want.All these replies to Jason, all dishing out ( could not help myself ) essentially the same thing. Not one bit of sarcasm or animosity . CoolJason,Take a look at: http://plantpositive.squarespace.com/blog/2012/3/25/tpns-32-ancient-and-out-of-fashion.html ( esp at ~ min 2:30 ) It’s part of a series showing a list of diets eaten by particularly strong cultures. It strongly indicates that you do not have to be overly concerned about a particular diet but that a wide variety of WPF diets are sufficient to produce high strength.There is also reference to gms/protein/day ( 40-50) consumed by these cultures.Thanks, You guys are awesome. I probably never would have found all this info on my own. I really appreciate it.Dr, Greger. I’m vegan just for a little more than two months and I already started having numbness and tingling in my feet. I’ ve been taking cyanocobalamin injections in my thigh for a week now (injections… that’s all I could find in my town) (0,5 mg solution per day), but I still have the numbness and tingling…maybe I have iron deficiency? I’m thinking about visiting a doctor, they don’t really know a lot about veganism. What blood or other tests should I go through to find out what’s wrong with me (and here where i live they say they don’t do MMA test for B12). Help me, please. I’m really worried. What do I do?Jay go to a doctor. B12 deficiency (and resulting symptoms) isn’t going to happen in 2 months. It could be a couple of things. But not veganism.As Veganrunner stated, Go to the Doctor! Ask your friends and family which doc they think listens and makes appropriate decisions and go to that one. The numbness could be many things and really needs to be evaluated.I noticed on the package of meat, the words “American Humane Association Certified.” Does the American Humane Association approve of raising chickens in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions?“Humane” certifications are a marketing technique used to increase profits, at least according to Humane Society’s Joe Maxwell, pig farmer and HSUS Director of Rural Development & Outreach. They are larely meaningless in practice. However, they do tend to be supported by the large animal welfare organizations, since they provide a concrete goal which they can campaign on and more importantly, raise donations towards. Most “humane” practices actually increase economic efficiency for farmers and do little to improve conditions, but they do make people feel better about consuming animal products.FYI – tried to share video on facebook, but it is not connecting ???I don’t know how you are doing the sharing but for me I just right click the address bar on the web page the video is on, click copy, and then paste into the Facebook post. It may take a second but the video will automatically load into the Facebook post. I use Google Chrome. I hope this helps.You are correct and thats what I often do. I just wanted dr greger to know that I tried the facebook button under the video and it didnt appear to connect. I should have communicating that clearer. thanks.I just went back and tried it again and it is now working.Very subtle ending there. Haha! I’ll say it, “Shit happens.”The way i see it, if anyone eats the stuff with all the contamination going on then they should be the ones responsible. In other words quit eating the poison.A funny thought. “100% Natural” is what the label says. They’re right, Salmonella is 100% natural.What about the other label, “American Humane Association Certified.” Really?! Sounds like an oxymoron to me!Recently we had a Foster Farms farm shut down in California because it was infested with cockaroaches.(http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/08/business/la-fi-0109-foster-farms-cockroaches-20140109)This is a statement from the AHA website, “You’ve probably seen our “No Animals Were Harmed”® disclaimer at the end of movies. But did you know that American Humane Association’s Los Angeles-based Film & TV Unit is the film and television industry’s only officially-sanctioned animal monitoring program?”What are they monitoring? (Not the cockaroaches) and “No Animals were Harmed”? Are chickens not animals?From the article:“Despite pressure to do so, federal inspectors could not force a recall of Foster Farms poultry because salmonella, unlike strains of E. coli, is considered naturally occurring and not an adulterant.”Seriously?New meaning of the word chicken shit…Here’s a link to the Bill Marler article:http://www.marlerblog.com/legal-cases/foster-farms-salmonella-outbreak-sickens-300-shit-happens/My grocery store banned bean sprouts because they might have salmonella in them! But they still sell chicken…Anne, Good point. Dr. Greger raised this question over 3 years ago. Watch this video . . . a warning against eating alfalfa sprouts because of 100 cases of salmonella (I believe it must have been in 2009, since this video is from 2010 and mentions “last year.” But, there was also 118 cases associated with eggs . . . correction . . . 118 THOUSAND !!! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/And we know what would happen if you pointed this out. They would look at you like *you* were the crazy one. Ha.Can you boil the infections out before you cook this chicken and does it cook out of eggs what temp kills these germs in meats?Not sure why you would boil first ( dissolve out ?) but, Yes, you can kill the bacteria by cooking, but not the endotoxins ( the mucopolysaccharides that make up part of the bacteria membrane.), nor, as Dr. Greger has pointed out , does it affect the bacteria on your kitchen counterPoint: Foster Farms. Counterpoint: http://www.maryschickens.com/farmvideo.htmMy wife is Mary’s assistant.So much death. Why did you feel the need to post that?I saw hundreds of cute little female (I assume) chicks. What happened to the 100s’ of cute little male chicks?“animal stress” = hypocritic naming for “animal suffering”. this concept was developed in the last decade to allow industry to respond to public concern about animal welfare.Dr. Gregger, After seeing several of your videos about meat, I am curious if any studies have been done on kosher meat that is prepared according to the orthodox way. Perhaps some of the procedures like soaking out the blood of the meet and salting the meet mitigate some of the negaitve effects of bacteria? Thank you for everything you do!Here’s an under cover video from the United States’ largest Glatt Kosher meat processing plant. Apparently this plant is or had been certified as using Kosher techniques. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp8B4vSd6h0 WARNING: graphic videoGreat…no….better than great video…Best I have ever seen. Can UV-c light be used as a way to fight…reduce health risks?Best summary of current health issues I have read…Troy in Texas. ( chicken does look as tasty as it use to…need a water diet)You’re like saving my life with all this gritty empirical info sir. Y’had me at hello. . . Lol.	antibiotics,CDC,Center for Science in the Public Interest,chicken,children,Consumers Union,elderly,factory farming practices,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,industry influence,meat,mortality,Pew Commission,poultry,Salmonella,turkey,USDA	Foster Farms chicken may have infected and sickened more than 10,000 people due to contamination of the meat with fecal material.	Salmonella contamination is also a problem in the U.S. egg supply, sickening more than 100,000 people every year. See my video Total Recall.Other pathogens in meat include Yersinia enterocolitica in pork (Yersinia in Pork), Staphylococcus (U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph), MRSA (MRSA in U.S. Retail Meat), Hepatitis E (Hepatitis E Virus in Pork), bladder-infecting E coli (Avoiding Chicken To Avoid Bladder Infections), Clostridium difficile (Toxic Megacolon Superbug), and Campylobacter, the most common bacterial chicken pathogen (Poultry and Paralysis).Poultry appears to cause the most outbreaks, but is all chicken to blame equally? See my video Superbugs in Conventional vs. Organic Chicken.How is it legal for Foster Farms to continue to ship our meat known to be contaminated with a dangerous pathogen? See my previous video Why is selling Salmonella tainted chicken still legal? And stay tuned to hear more in my next video, Chicken Salmonella Thanks to Meat Industry Lawsuit.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/01/why-is-selling-salmonella-tainted-chicken-still-legal/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pew-commission/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/consumers-union/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/center-for-science-in-the-public-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-salmonella-thanks-to-meat-industry-lawsuit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23587707,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22980013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21902921,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9830117,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15095181,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24350836,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10463448,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842445,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842443,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23317854,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19777883,
PLAIN-2642	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/	Norovirus Food Poisoning from Pesticides	Although the most serious causes of food poisoning like Salmonella come mostly from animal products, for example, most foodborne-related deaths were attributed to poultry; millions of Americans are sickened by produce every year, thanks to noroviruses.Noroviruses can be spread person-to-person via the fecal oral route, or the ingestion of aerosolized vomit, which may explain most norovirus food outbreaks, but a substantial proportion remained unexplained. How else can fecal viruses get on our fruits and veggies? The pesticide industry may be spraying them on. The water that’s used to spray pesticides on crops may just be dredged up from ponds contaminated with fecal pathogens. The application of pesticides may therefore not only be a chemical hazard, but also a microbiological hazard for public health. So what’s their solution? Add more chemicals. The inclusion of antiviral substances in reconstituted pesticides may be appropriate to reduce the virological health risk posed by the application of pesticides. Or we could just choose organic.Either way, though, we should always wash all fruits and veggies under running water, as one solution to pollution is dilution.	Interesting… more problems are caused by chemicals, more chemicals we put in food cycle… industrial logic is different from that of a person… i’m thinking: and if even the viruses became resistant to the antivirus substance?anyway, i think is time to address the GMO issue; i do not trust Monsanto, nor the other biotech companies… and there are even scientific reason to at least call for more independent reasearch on the subject… Dr Mercola and GreenMedinfo for example are strongly against the human consumption of GMOs…http://www.greenmedinfo.com/guide/health-guide-gmo-researchSupply and demand – wouldnt it be a fun test if we could get everyone to only buy organic for one month and refuse conventional, pesticide sprayed products (and GMO), what kind of reverberation would that send throughout the food industry? Perhaps I’m just a dreamer . . .David: I’ll dream with you!“Aerosolized vomit”? I think I just ralphed a little bit myself at hearing that description of how norovirus is transmitted.Is washing with water sufficient? How do you feel about washing with Vinegar and water?I’d suggest eating the vinegar instead! :) Check out my video on vinegar.After looking at many available veggie washes, I settled on a mixture of baking soda and vodka, spray it on the veggies and rub it in. Then rinse in plenty of water. I use the cheapest vodka, for this, and as much baking soda as will dissolve. Here’s how it works: the alcohol in the vodka reduces the bacteria/virus load, and the baking soda reduces the surface tension and washes off the debris and, hopefully, bad stuff. At least it stays slick until you use enough water to wash it off, which makes everyone wash the veggies well. It’s pretty benign, you could ingest a bit of it alone without much effect.Organic produce is not immune to fecal contamination. Quite a number of high-profile salmonella breakouts have been from organic sources, even in the more regulated countries of Europe. So…Good advice to WASH EVERYTHING!yes, and this is due to animal Ag waste contaminating water supplies, not inherent to OG spinach e.g.Enteric virus contamination is a problem for organic produce, particularly sprouts, too. The main culprit is organic fertilizer (sewage sludge, municipal biosolids like Milorganite).As peak phosphorus is a real concern, I expect even conventional agriculture to use a lot more organic fertilizer later this century as a means of recycling and preserving this limited resource. Teach your children to wash their veggies.Hi Darryl,Unrelated but Here is a brand new paper for you on betaine and choline:http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/02/03/eurheartj.ehu002.abstract.html?papetocSorry about the paywall.DanIt seems I independently came to the same conclusions as Mark McCarty (that vegan author I mentioned) when it came to the Hazen choline/carnitine/TMAO/IHD studies: plasma TMAO in the general population looks like a coincident marker of meat consumption (and its other associated perils), rather than a primary mediator of IHD.McCarty, Mark F. “L-carnitine consumption, its metabolism by intestinal microbiota, and cardiovascular health.” Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Vol. 88. No. 8, 2013.In addition to Stan Hazen’s data from his established animal model of atherosclerosis (in which TMAO induces atherogenesis), he also has shown that TMAO spikes to extremely high levels even in long-term vegans. Thus it is somewhat independent of meat consumption and could be driven by its upstream precursors, particularly when they are taken as dosed supplements.I’m surprised the good doctor doesn’t know that so-called organic food is sprayed too. Yes, they use pesticides and some of them very toxic (though they adhere to the rather tortured organic code). Perhaps you’re not surprised that perfect looking organic produce is treated abundantly with (different) chemicals. And some organic produce is fertilized with manure, a possible source of pathogens. Unless you grow it yourself, it’s almost certain to have sprayed with something. Every food carries some risk and likely (statistically) your risk of driving to the store is more dangerous than any food-borne, produce pathogen. My 2 cents!According to organic standards, organic farmers are allowed to apply manure and animal byproducts from conventionally grown animals (i.e., factory farms). Also, they can apply raw manure up to 3 months prior to harvest. One can see the OMRI allowed product list: http://www.omri.org/omri-lists/download“Thank you” Dr. Greger for another educational video. In my younger days, I very seldom; if ever, washed my fruits and vegtables. Today however, I wouldn’t dream of eating anything that has not been washed. Don and WE CAN! :-))veganically grown vegetables and fruit+ an adequate ratio oforganic lavender oil[and / or organic oregano oil, organic raw coconut oil, organic tea tree oil, organic lemon juice . . .]in ancient waters from protected areas that haven’t been filtered through animal bones, such as ethically sourced from Iceland [Reykjavik Water Works].I soak my vegetables in water and a little vinegar, it is supposed to kill many of the pathogens and make it easier to wash of pesticides, I wonder is this was ever proven by a trial.when will realize…… oh wait they won’t because it will interfere with their bottom line.Studies suggest that rock ores (and most particularly uranium-pitchblende-) produce algael forms in water, which subsequently co-produce and harbour diseases like e-coli and salmonella. Pitchblende makes depleted uranium which, also creates terrible birth defects in the next generation. Fracking has created some of this problem, as has wanton dumping into the waterways.Doc – For some stupid reason I spread an over the counter pesticide on my lawn to take care of the grubs – Sevin. The marking got to me like a good phishing email, even look a the fruit on the bag!! Looks like more of a condiment vs a pesticide. [OK, so I won’t be doing that again.] I began reading all about the active ingredient 2% carbaryl and the negative effects to the non-targeted insects, bees etc. My largest concern isn’t me and this 1 time event, rather my wife who’s 5 weeks pregnant. I’m trying to limit her exposure for the next few weeks while the majority of the active ingredient dissipate. Obviously, some of the dust will migrate into our home via foot traffic and air flow. So how dangerous is something like this to our future baby? Equivalent to my wife eating poor quality inorganic vegetables for a week or a 1000 times worst. There only a few articles out there with mixed findings, as it relates to pregnancy. Plus, it’s hard to understand how much exposure is going on. But given that you read so much associated literature and see patients I was hoping you’d have better perspective. I think this’d be a good topic to delve into as most people in the US aren’t aware of their externalities as it relates to lawn “care.”Are you completely unaware that similar volumes of approved pesticides are sprayed onto certified organic crops ? In some instances, due to lower efficacy of these materials, they must be sprayed at a higher frequency [e.g. every 5 days vs every 14 days]. The issue here is the use of non-potable water as the carrier for the sprays.	animal products,chicken,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,fruit,mortality,norovirus,organic foods,pesticides,poultry,Salmonella,turkey,vegetables,viral infections	Organic produce may present less of a food safety risk, given the potential contamination of pesticides with fecal pathogens.	When you hear of people getting infected with a stomach bug from something like spinach, it’s important to realize that the pathogen didn’t originate from the spinach. Intestinal bugs come from intestines. Greens don’t have guts; plants don’t poop.So the Salmonella in alfalfa sprout seeds (Don’t Eat Raw Alfalfa Sprouts) likely came from manure run-off or contaminated irrigation water. But this pesticide angle adds a whole new route for fecal pathogens to pollute produce. Broccoli Sprouts are safer, and organic sprouts may therefore be safer still.Organic foods may also be healthier (see Cancer Fighting Berries) and don’t carry the potential chemical hazards associated with pesticides. See my videos:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/norovirus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pesticides-in-chinese-bamboo-shoots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%EF%BB%BFcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3647642/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23290241,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673201/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3471645/,
PLAIN-2643	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/	Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil?	Are purported benefits of fish oil supplementation for the prevention and treatment of heart disease just a fish tale? Thanks to recommendations like this from the American Heart Association, that individuals at high risk for heart disease ask their physicians about fish oil supplementation, it’s grown into a multibillion dollar industry. We now consume over 100,000 tons of fish oil every year.But what does the science say? A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at all the best randomized clinical trials evaluating the effects of omega-3’s on lifespan, cardiac death, sudden death, heart attack, and stroke. Either advice to eat more oily fish or to take fish oil capsules. What did they find? Overall, they found no protective benefit for overall mortality, heart disease mortality, sudden cardiac death, heart attack, or stroke.What about for those who already had a heart attack and are trying to prevent another? Still no benefit. Where did we even get this idea that omega 3’s were good for the heart? Well if you look at some of the older studies, the results looked promising, for example the famous DART trial back in the 80’s involving 2000 men. Those advised to eat fatty fish had a 29% reduction in mortality. Pretty impressive; no wonder it got a lot of attention, but people seemed to have forgotten about the sequel, the DART-2 trial. Same group of researchers, an even bigger study--3,000 men, and those advised to eat oily fish and particularly those supplied with fish oil capsules, had a higher risk of cardiac death.Put all the studies together, and there’s no justification for the use of omega 3’s as a structured intervention in everyday clinical practice or for guidelines supporting more dietary omega-3s. So what should doctors say when their patients follow the American Heart Association advice to ask them about fish oil supplements? Given this and other negative meta-analyses, our job as doctors should be to stop highly marketed fish oil supplementation in all of our patients.	How about the vegan DHA omega 3 oil supplements? Have there been similar studies done on these, and are there any long-term studies or science available that has measured the risk of long-term vegan DHA supplementation? Or are we just assuming these are safe to take (based on our best assessment of the available yet limited science), while knowing that the fish oils are not?Good questions. I am thinking this may shake out to what we already know. Supplementation is never as good as the whole food. (Exception B12) Flax seed etc. I know mine have been sitting in the fridge untouched.What have you found Dr Greger? Are we wasting our money?And indeed what about flax seed used as a supplement? As a CHD patient following Esselstyn’s dietary regimen I’ve also been following his recommendation of a tablespoon a day of flaxseed meal specifically for Omega-3 fatty acids.Flax seed is whole food. Isn’t it? I suppose flax seed oil is different. I eat flax seed.Yes, it’s whole food and I’ve been adding ground flax seeds to my oatmeal. But in other contexts Esselstyn recommends avoidance of high-fat foods such as nuts, avocados, tahini, etc. for us who have CHD.Flaxseed does not convert to DHA. (If that’s important to you).That’s an oversimplification. Women can transform a significant percentage of EPA into DHA:“The fractional conversion of ALA to EPA, estimated by measuring peak or area under the curve plasma contents of the labeled fatty acids, varies between 0.3% and 8% in men, and the conversion of ALA to DHA is ≤4% and often undetectable in males (39, 40, 44, 45). Conversion of ALA to long-chain n—3 fatty acids appears to be more efficient in women: up to 21% is converted to EPA and up to 9% is converted to DHA (38), with a concomitant reduction in the rate of ALA oxidation (I assume women create more due to estrogen, so possibly the DHA created is for fetal brain development, and not so important in adults, otherwise men would create as much ??Yes ,besides suggesting flax, Esselstyn, and McDougle promote no oils ,avocados,or nuts. Whereas Dr Greger and Dr Furhman both point out that about an ounce of nuts daily has proven heart healthy. Nutricianist Jeff Novak, who is a friend of all these doctors, actually recommended a patient who was not doing well under Esselstyn to Dr Joel Furhman author of the book Eat To Live, and this heart patient recovered amazingly well.Flax seed oil is notorious for going rancid quickly, fleshly ground flax seeds, as a whole food,offer other benifits as well, like lignansFlax seeds are hard to chew thoroughly enough to get benefit. There’s nothing wrong with my teeth (I’m a dental hygienist and my dental exams are fine) but when I chewed a teaspoonful and carefully spit them onto a paper towel, I was disappointed to see uncrushed seeds. I buy a flax oil brand, Barlean’s, with the label describing the manufacture being done under a ‘nitrogen blanket’. Nitrogen, a gas, is heavier than air and displaces oxygen, preventing rancidity.You need animal based omega 3, or so I’ve heard. I guess there are 3 types of omegas 3s…I don’t know why they couldn’t just name em omega 1, 2, and 3…works for me. Research and read Mercola’s article @ http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/09/fish-oil-brain-health.aspxHope it helps.Thanks, but “…or so I’ve heard. I guess…” doesn’t work for me. For dietary vegans who want to consume EPA/DHA supplements directly — i.e., in capsules, as opposed to ALA — there are algae-based sources available. Indeed, that’s where the fish get their Omega-3s.Mercola is a notorious charlatan. I wouldn’t believe anything from his site.I agree, Mercola runs a for profit nutrition business. That alone results in a loss of credibility.The Greek letter refers the carbonyl beginning (alpha) or methyl end (omega) of a carbon chain whereas the number refers to the first double bond among carbon atoms. In the case of omega-3s we’re counting from the mythyl end and find our first double bond on the third carbon atom. Omega-6s have their first double bond on the sixth carbon atom from the methyl end of the fatty acid.Mercola is a crackpot, avoid him like the plague.nobody needs to consume any animal products in any form, that’s a myth. Animal products are actually bad for you. I have been vegan for 8 years and have several friends who have been vegan for over 30 years (!). The brainwashing by the meat/dairy/egg industry is profound.I ask you all to forgive me for being very ignorant in this subject and also on how to post here. The only way I managed to post was by clicking on reply to a guest. I also am not proficient in English but I do what I can. I would like to know fi somebody answered the question “How about the vegan DHA omega 3 oil supplement?” Only a few days ago my doctor prescribed me oil fish suplement. As I am vegan i decided to look for alternative. A very nice American lady suggested my the vegan DHA omega 3. I looked for where to order it and found in Amazon.com. But It seems it contains mercury. I am wrong: I hope so. It’s the Nature’s Way supplement. As my English is not perfect it’s possible I didn’t get it right. But now I discovered some people think it may be inocous. I really don’t know what to do after that. I wonder if the doctor answered. I could not find anything from him. If he answered, could you tell where? It’s very important to me because I need omega 3 and now I don’t know how to take it. I don’t want to order sucn an exoensive medication for nothing.Virginia: I feel for you concerning your confusion and frustration. You are clearly not alone on both counts.I am not a doctor and can not advise you on whether or not to take a DHA supplement or not. If you decide that you do want to take a vegan DHA supplement, I know that you can get them without mercury. Since I do not have personal experience with buying the DHA pills, I can’t recommend a particular brand. But for example sake, you can look at the link below to a brand I found on Amazon which contains the following ingredients (according to another website):“Other Ingredients: High oleic sunflower oil, carragenaan, non-GMO corn starch, vegetable glycerin, purified water, sorbitol, ascorbyl palmitate and tocopherols, sunflower lecithin, rosemary extract, beta carotene, caramel. (all of the ingredients are from non-animal sources)”The caramel is disconcerting, but it seems to me that there wouldn’t be too much in a little pill. And the good news is that the brand below also includes the EPA, which as you have seen others comment on, may be just as important if not more important than the DHA.I hope this helps.———————————-Example vegan DHA/EPA supplement. (One I am not endorsing.) You may be able to find it cheaper in a different brand or different site. This link would give you enough for about 3 months I believe.http://www.amazon.com/Deva-Nutrition-DHA-EPA-Nutritional-Supplement/dp/B00AN86PGC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392325317&sr=8-1&keywords=vegan+dha-epa+300+mgnot just the caramel–you don’t want the sunflower oil, nor the carragenaan, nor the sorbitol, nor the corn starch– these are all questionable additives. one of the Deva products is pure.strongly agree with you re the additives.Hi Virginia,I’ve been taking ‘Opti3′ omega 3 supplements, they seem to contain the most omega 3’s (especially DHA) of the various supplements I’ve seen. It’s completely vegan and as far as I’m aware doesn’t contain mercury.I get an algae-derived DHA supplement at WalMart. It’s around $10 for 30 capsules. They’re big, but I can swallow them with applesauce. Try searching again, Amazon can’t be the only vendor. Hope this helps you, good for you for staying out of fish-oil. There’s a mad rush on to strip every last fish out of the ocean for it. I heard they overfished menhaden and now they are going more for hake.I did some study on krill oil a few years ago. Aparently it loses 50% or more of it’s freshness, once it’s gathered, even before it hits shore, and if “cracked”, way more is lost – they said 75% (I assume tested long before it got to me). I got the uncracked kind and I could tell immediately it was rancid and never took it. Omegas do not like air and light. Conversely my black walnut hull powder comes smelling delicious and aromatic and stays that way in my freezer and fridge, as does my green algae. :)This whole thing started several decades ago when it was reported that Eskimos seldom died of heart disease, and that they ate plenty of cold water fish. So why did the Eskimos not suffer many heart attacks when they ate an almost totally carnivore diet? Because they died early from other diseases before they could develop heart disease. Turns out that Eskimos had the shortest life expectancy of any group in North America, often suffering from premature old age or dying from brain hemorrhage from excessive omega-3s making their blood too thin. They also got plenty of nosebleeds. Another group, the Masai in Africa, who don’t get much heart disease, are a big meat eaters and they die at the ripe old age of 43 on average, the lowest life expectancy of any people group in the world. We have no nutritional requirement for the EPA or DHA, the long preformed omega-3 fatty acids found in fish; we do however have a nutritional requirement for ALA, the omega-3 fatty acid found widely distributed in plant foods.Whenever I read about low life expectancies I’m cautious about concluding that few in the population reached elder status, because the low average may have been largely a result of high infant and child mortality.I’m not saying that’s the case with the Inuit and Masai, because I don’t know.I lived in Greenland for four years and studied the history of the Arctic extensively from my arm-chair. It is indeed true that the Inuit population had high infant mortality but also high mortality among those who survived childhood. The life expectancy rose significantly over the past 100 and 50 years although is still relatively low compared to global averages. After the age of five, the largest ten-year block of mortality was 35-45 followed by 45-55 followed by 25-35 year olds. After the age of five, only a quarter of the population was expected to live beyond 60. Today while on average, the Inuit live longer, the largest mortality blocks are much lower aged (teens and twenties) primarily due to shockingly high suicide and homicide rates which were almost non-existant 75 years earlier. Today in Canada the life expectancy of the Inuit are almost exactly ten years shorter than the Canadian average for both men and women.The Masai keep their cholesterol low by consuming food high in saponins. Perhaps that’s part of the reason for low cardiovascular disease, in spite of their early demise. Just the same, we can learn from them by including saponin in our diet too. Perhaps that’s why beans are heart-smart; they contain saponins. Those Masai who have left their tribal lands to become urban dwellers, no longer raising cattle or hunting but instead eating more plant foods, are now living longer lives.Autopsy data on pre-westernised Inuit shows lots of data for atherosclerosis in the Inuit. http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Atherosclerosis-in-Pre-Westernized-Inuit.pdfGraham: Great find! Thanks for sharing this link. I read that paper with much interest.Aren’t the patients in later studies on statins and other drugs that negate/mask any benefit from supplements?This makes me think I should stop taking vegan DHA. Anyone else sense the logic?Me too.dittoI’ve read that DHA should be taken to help prevent Alzheimer’s. The brain needs fat. Now…I don’t know and I am not so sure. : (Paddycakes: Dr. Barnard wrote a helpful book called Power Foods for the Brain. http://www.amazon.com/Power-Foods-Brain-Effective-Strengthen/dp/1455512206/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1391460839The book contains a very nice discussion of Omega 3s and vegan DHA supplements, etc. I highly recommend the book if this concerns you.I don’t have time to re-write all the info from the book, but I will share two highlights:“What should you do? The first step is to have ALA-rish foods in your diet. Have plenty of vegetables, fruits, and beans, and if you like, top your salad with slivered walnuts or gran flaxseed, for example.” He also explains why it is important to avoid not just animal fats (including fish oil), but to avoid vegetable oils too.When talking about DHA supplements, he writes “… That said, omega-3 supplements have not yet provided their worth for preventing dementia.” And he goes on to explain why/quote studies.Jeff Novick also has an *excellent* video on nuts and oils that may help you. Let me know if you need a link to that.Hope that helps.I am a 95% vegan, and I take vitamin D and DHA. I eat plenty of nuts and veggies. Please see this link and advise:http://www.naturalnews.com/043755_omega-3_fatty_acids_Alzheimers_disease_prescription_drugs.htmlPaddycakes: I believe that Dr. Greger addressed part of the article you pointed to in his video above.The other part of the article, concerning Alzehimers, I can’t comment on. In order to comment on it, I would have to look at the studies they referenced and compare it to the studies that Dr. Barnard references and do some analysis. I don’t have the time or interest in doing so.All I can say is that I trust Dr. Barnard as a source for this type of information. When he writes a book, Dr. Barnard does a lot of careful research. Dr. Barnard’s his own clinical studies (in the area of diabetes) have been clinically proven to be effective and helped so many people. So, if I was going to choose a source of information that I consider to be valid, I would go with Dr. Barnard.I recommend reading the relevant portion of his book to get a better idea of what he does and does not recommend. My *interpretation* of Dr. Barnard’s writings is that he does not seem to think that a vegan DHA supplement would hurt, but he doesn’t think they are vital either if you are eating an oil-free whole plant food based diet.Hope that helps.OK, thanks, but the sources, about five of them were cited in the last reply. There were done by scientist/doctors.This is something I have wanted to post for a long time but haven’t had the time so here goes:To anyone who reads this the jury is still out whether or not we really should be taking Vegan EPA and DHA supplements. But the reason this started was because of an Enzyme called Delta-6-desaturase (D6d) (see the image below out of Michael Colgan, PhD’s book “You Can Prevent Cancer”).This enzyme converts both the essential fatty acids Linoleic acid (LA, Omega 6) and Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, Omega 3) to important intermediates in fatty acid synthesis. Too much Linoleic acid in the diet uses up the D6d enzyme and now we cannot convert enough ALA to the important anti-inflammatory EPA and DHA molecules.Also our old world (unprocessed-whole food) diet used to have an Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio of 1:1 but now is between 10:1 and 25:1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Simopoulos%2C+Artemis.+Omega-3+fatty+acids+in+health+and+disease+and+in+growth+and+development.+American+Journal+of+Clinical+Nutrition%2C+Vol.+54%2C+1991%2C+pp.+438-63) This imbalance tips the scales for processing Omega 6 rather than Omega 3 leaving us even more deficient in EPA and DHA and increasing the substrates available for formation of too much of the pro-inflammatory molecule Arachidonic acid (PGE2). A side note is we must have arachidonic acid in our bodies because without it we would die, but our bodies make all we need and we don’t need more—the more arachidonic acid we get the more inflammation we have leading to a chronic low level of inflammation (meta-inflammation) which is the underlying problem of all chronic disease.Furthermore, the D6d enzyme is also inhibited by dietary Saturated fats, Cholesterol, Trans-fat, Zinc Deficiency and Excess alcohol consumption which further limits the bodies ability to manufacture the anti-inflammatory prostaglandins PGE1 and PGE3 (again see the image).PGE1, PGE3 and DHA also inhibit the activation and production of Arachidonic acid reducing inflammation in the body.Add this to the bodies very poor (limited) ability to convert Alpha-linolenic acid to EPA and DHA (as Israel Navas Duran was so kind to post above. ALA to EPA conversion 0.3% and 8% and ALA to DHA is <4% and often undetectable in males, although higher in females with up to 21% for EPA and 9% for DHA) and now we can see why there is a recommendation to take EPA and DHA. The theory (I think) being since EPA and DHA are so good at being anti-inflammatory and we don’t make a lot or get enough of them in our diet anymore we should add them back.The one thing I have observed is that nearly every time we (as humans) try to add something back to our diet in pill form instead of from the whole food it tends to make the human body system unbalanced and tends to do more harm than good. Two exceptions seem to be Vitamin B12 and vitamin D. And really sun exposure is better than Vitamin D supplementation.I, for one, try to keep my Alpha-Linolenic acid intake high from whole foods (eg: Flax Seed, Chia Seed etc.) and minimize the omega 6 and saturated fat and arachidonic acid intake; ergo, I eat a varied, whole food, plant based diet.Do I take EPA and DHA supplements, no, and I haven’t for over 3 years. Maybe I’m missing out but for now I am still alive, practicing medicine and racing mountain bikes. :)for whatever reason the image was taken out of the last post.HemoDynamic MD, I believe in what you say on DHA, EPA and vegan supplements, but the one group I hear that can’t, or mostly, make the conversion fr ALA, even with a excellent low fat, plant based diet, with good ration Omega 6 and Omega 3; is male Diabetics, particular older male Type I Diabetics. Any ideas on this?You are correct inflammatory disease states (Diabetes, CAD etc) also seem to inhibit Delta 6 and Delta 5 Desaturase limiting not only DHA and EPA formation but also Arachidonic Acid formation.In some disease states (Type one diabetes) it appears that Supplementation with DHA and EPA would be helpful and maybe even some Arachidonic acid as well. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15357021http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23295193Dr. HemoDynamic: That was SUCH a helpful post!! Thank you very much for taking the time to weigh in.yes,both posts by HemoDynamics have excellent info–very helpful– many thanks HD this whole thread is good…you and others speak of the body’s limited ability to elongate to DHA and EPA; this is usually said (written) in a way in which limited is taken to be a fault–but what if the body wisely has this brake because too much DHA/EPA could be damaging? Quite possibly, we need very little, and that little I would think should be made by the body as needed.sorry, meant to add that it appears that would be wiser to limit omega-6 rather than add DHA/EPA…I agree! That is what I spoke about earlier. The omega 6/3 ratio has changed and it appears for the worst. From Old World 1:1 to New World 10-25:1. Getting back to the 1:1 ration would appear to be ideal. Watch this informative but older lecture (2002) on how and where EPA and DHA play their roles in squelching the Inflammatory Fire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04I would echo Thea’s point. If you are concerned about Alzheimer’s I too would recommend Neal Barnard’s most recent book, Power Foods for the Brain. He does a terrific job of pulling together the science in an understandable fashion. As usual he cites the literature to support his opinions.Thank you, I will do this. You reply is appreciated.What about the beneficial effects of Omega3 (fish oil) on the brain? True of false?Belette: Here is a news update that I got some time ago from PCRM:Fish Oil Supplements No Help to Heart or BrainTwo new studies found that omega-3 supplements, often sold in the form of fish oil, do not improve the health of the brain or heart.After following more than 12,500 type 2 diabetes patients over the age of 50 for an average of 6.2 years, researchers saw no difference in heart health between those taking an omega-3 supplement versus a placebo. Diabetes patients are two to four times more likely to suffer from heart disease or a stroke, compared with people without diabetes. Another recent meta-analysis came to the same conclusion for people with a history of heart problems.Additionally, in a new review looking at omega-3 supplementation for brain health, researchers found no link between omega-3 supplements and the prevention or improvement of dementia.Bosch J, Gerstein HC, Diaz R, et al. n–3 fatty Acids and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with dysglycemia. N Engl J Med. Published online June 11, 2012.Kwak SM, Myung SK, Lee YJ. Efficacy of omega-3 fatty acid supplements (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Arch Intern Med. Published ahead of print, April 9, 2012.Dangour AD, Andreeva VA, Sydenham E, Uauy R. Omega 3 fatty acids and cognitive health in older people. Br J Nutr. 2012;107:S152-S158.Thea, this same logic implies, to me, that we should not be taking vegan DHA supplements…that they are a waste of money (and possibly health).wow: I don’t know. I’m not a doctor.Here’s my thoughts: There could be aspects of fish oil (like contaminants?) which interfere with health outcomes and which are not present (in a good way) in the vegan DHA supplements. Also, as some people have pointed out, the studies done here are on people eating a SAD diet. Is there a reason to believe that vegan DHA supplements would help someone on a whole plant food based diet? I think the theory is there to believe so, but my guess is that we don’t have enough hard evidence. I’m hoping that Toxins and Darryl and others might chime in. But my bottom line so far is: We just don’t know. With that, then you have to go with what feels right to you.Here are the types of questions I ask myself when I am faced with a decision like this that does not have as much data I would like: Is there something lacking about my personal diet for which a DHA supplement would fill in a hole? Or do I have a particular condition/health problem for which a DHA supplement would provide benefit? (And is there some evidence to back it up, even if just a carefully designed personal experiment?) While whole plant foods are better as a rule of thumb, are DHA pills one of the exceptions? Is there any evidence that it would hurt me to take DHA pills? Would I feel better emotionally if I took them? Is my budget healthy enough that taking DHA pills would not mean giving up something else that is maybe more likely to help with my health? If I took the pills, would it change my behavior to the worse, relying on those pills to make me healthy instead of just eating healthy (say flax seed)? If I bought the pills, am I going to actually (remember to) take them? If we don’t have a lot of evidence about whether or not a substance is worth eating, can I come up with a reasonable/sensible dosage to take?Again, I hope more knowledgeable people will jump in with some hard data if it is available. But regardless of this particular issue (DHA), we are constantly faced with nutrition questions for which we do not have a solid answer. So, it is helpful to have a framework of questions to help us evaluate how to proceed.How do other people decide how to proceed when we don’t have all the scientific data we need to be confident in our choice?Thea, well said. Your words are appreciated. This is a topic that Dr. Greger put a video out on, but I think some people on this website have raised some very important questions and concerns over the past months, as well as today, regarding taking vegan DHA supplements, and Dr. Greger has chosen so far not to comment, yet he comments on other issues of apparently far less interest amongst his viewers. This seems to be an issue that holds, arguably, the most interest, it seems, amongst his viewers. That alone, I would hope, would get him to reply to someone here about this.wow: I hear you!Note: I am just a volunteer on this site. I do not converse with Dr. Greger any more than anyone else. So, I can’t speak for Dr. Greger.*My* opinion is that Dr. Greger rightly keeps a reasonable focus/scope for this site. *I* (I’m not speaking for NutritionFacts) define this scope as: NutritionFacts is reporting the relevant new science as it becomes available. As a general rule, Dr. Greger doesn’t speculate. So, if we don’t have a study specifically on vegan DHA, then he isn’t going to spend time trying to guess about it. Especially since people might take such a speculation as gospel. However, Dr. Greger has said before that he reads these comments and uses them, in part, to pick what subjects to cover when covering the new studies. So, I’m sure these questions posted here will be at the back of Dr. Greger’s mind and should relevant, well-done studies become available, Dr. Greger is likely to cover that in a future video because of the interest by people like you and me.That said, I think Dr. Greger has already answered this question well enough. Dr. Greger has a page on this site where he lists his nutritional recommendations: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/ These recommendations include DHA supplements. Dr. Greger hasn’t changed his opinion on his recommendations according the postings on this site to date. (Dr. Greger did hint a bit ago that he would be updating his recommendations, so we may see a change.) This says to me that Dr. Greger feels that there is strong enough evidence to support taking a DHA supplement despite what we see about fish oil. Given how many supplements that Dr. Greger does *not* recommend, I think the inclusion of DHA on his recommendation page shows strong support for it by Dr. Greger.I understand you wanting to get some direct answers. This reply is just my 2 cents. I hope you get the answers you are looking for.Thea am I making this up or do I remember hearing dr Greger was coming out with a revised supplement list? I would think he would following the new meta-analysis and systematic review. I may have been dreaming.Veganrunner: I remember some hint about posting a revised set of nutrition recommendations, which would include relevant supplements. I don’t know if that plan got scratched due to no changes or if it is still in works for the near future.Bottom line: I don’t think you are making it up. Your brain is in good working order regardless of your fat intake situation. ;-)Thea, you mention that Dr. Greger doesn’t speculate. Well, in many of his videos he actually does, as he offers his opinions based on possibilities. I do not have the time to list links in his videos for this but if you go back in the archives you will find many such comments of his where he does give hints of speculation. And this is normal. Dr. Greger’s silence on this issue is raising red-flags on the vegan DHA issue. He has a video saying don’t take vitamin E in supplemental form yet all vegan DHA has vitamin E added to it. You see the red-flag?guest: I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what you are getting at. Red flag as in something fishy (ha ha) or underhanded???What I do see is that we don’t have an easy answer. So, some people may quite reasonably decide to not take a vegan DHA pill based on the latest information. In that sense, I guess you could say that this study pops up a red flag about older recommendations suggesting people take DHA pills.From my perspective: We don’t have perfect information on this topic yet. We even have some contradictory information. Even if we had a clear picture of what to do right now, we probably don’t have the access to the perfect solution (like say access to a vegan DHA supplement without vitamin E). So everyone will have to weight the various contradictory information and make your best guess. Dr. Greger may be in the process of revising his nutrition recommendations – or not. For now, his recommendation is to take a vegan DHA pill, but not extra, separate vitamin E.If you are confused or frustrated by the situation, I don’t blame you. I just plan for myself to be extra patient on the issue. Dr. Greger has to be very careful when making his official nutrition recommendations, because lots of people listen to him. I doubt one study either way would be sufficient reason to change a recommendation. When the body of evidence becomes more clear, then I suspect we will hear from Dr. Greger. (Note: This is just my guess/my understanding of the situation. I do not have any insider information or conversations with Dr. Greger.)Maybe they should release a book “Oils for dummies” People who consume oil dieAnimals never worry about diet and some NEVER eat Fish Oils or vegetable oils, and look how healthy they are !!! Basically all animals that hunt, eat meat and some green foods have their eye’s to the front same as humans, our tooth structure is what they call Omniverous, we are designed to eat anything.Fish and vegetable oils are pushed by companies that just want to sell Crap.Lard, Dripping and butter are animal fats and far healthier and more easily absorbed by the human body, eat these and you will be healthier and happier, Just don’t overdo it with your diet, everything in moderation.Wow (This is a repost I left from above)This is something I have wanted to post for a long time but haven’t had the time so here goes:To anyone who reads this the jury is still out whether or not we really should be taking Vegan EPA and DHA supplements. But the reason this started was because of an Enzyme called Delta-6-desaturase (D6d) (see the image below out of Michael Colgan, PhD’s book “You Can Prevent Cancer”).This enzyme converts both the essential fatty acids Linoleic acid (LA, Omega 6) and Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, Omega 3) to important intermediates in fatty acid synthesis. Too much Linoleic acid in the diet uses up the D6d enzyme and now we cannot convert enough ALA to the important anti-inflammatory EPA and DHA molecules.Also our old world (unprocessed-whole food) diet used to have an Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio of 1:1 but now is between 10:1 and 25:1.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… This imbalance tips the scales for processing Omega 6 rather than Omega 3 leaving us even more deficient in EPA and DHA and increasing the substrates available for formation of too much of the pro-inflammatory molecule Arachidonic acid (PGE2). A side note is we must have arachidonic acid in our bodies because without it we would die, but our bodies make all we need and we don’t need more—the more arachidonic acid we get the more inflammation we have leading to a chronic low level of inflammation (meta-inflammation) which is the underlying problem of all chronic disease.Furthermore, the D6d enzyme is also inhibited by dietary Saturated fats, Cholesterol, Trans-fat, Zinc Deficiency and Excess alcohol consumption which further limits the bodies ability to manufacture the anti-inflammatory prostaglandins PGE1 and PGE3 (again see the image).PGE1, PGE3 and DHA also inhibit the activation and production of Arachidonic acid reducing inflammation in the body.Add this to the bodies very poor (limited) ability to convert Alpha-linolenic acid to EPA and DHA (as Israel Navas Duran was so kind to post above. ALA to EPA conversion 0.3% and 8% and ALA to DHA is <4% and often undetectable in males, although higher in females with up to 21% for EPA and 9% for DHA) and now we can see why there is a recommendation to take EPA and DHA. The theory (I think) being since EPA and DHA are so good at being anti-inflammatory and we don’t make a lot or get enough of them in our diet anymore we should add them back.The one thing I have observed is that nearly every time we (as humans) try to add something back to our diet in pill form instead of from the whole food it tends to make the human body system unbalanced and tends to do more harm than good. Two exceptions seem to be Vitamin B12 and vitamin D. And really sun exposure is better than Vitamin D supplementation.I, for one, try to keep my Alpha-Linolenic acid intake high from whole foods (eg: Flax Seed, Chia Seed etc.) and minimize the omega 6 and saturated fat and arachidonic acid intake; ergo, I eat a varied, whole food, plant based diet.Do I take EPA and DHA supplements, no, and I haven’t for over 3 years. Maybe I’m missing out (and maybe I'm wrong) but for now I am still alive, practicing medicine and racing mountain bikes. :)Yes, but where is the study that says fish oil doesn’t improve the health of the brain? Where is the specific study?Aviel: Based on the title, I would say that the following citation from my post above answers your question:Dangour AD, Andreeva VA, Sydenham E, Uauy R. Omega 3 fatty acids and cognitive health in older people. Br J Nutr. 2012;107:S152-S158.Making sense of science means never putting all your eggs into one study. You have to look at the body of work. So, make of this particular study what you will.It’s my understanding that overall we don’t have much evidence showing that adding fish oil to our diet improves brain health. All we had originally was a study of brains of older people and saw that those who had more dementia also had less omega 3s in the cells of their brains. So, that led to speculation that eating/consuming more omega 3s in the form of fish oil would be protective. Now, as I understand it, the studies which had tested that theory are showing the theory/speculation to be false.That’s just my interpretation based on what I know, which is probably not enough.Confusing: http://www.naturalnews.com/043755_omega-3_fatty_acids_Alzheimers_disease_prescription_drugs.htmlDoes that mean vegan DHA also provides no benefit? And if so, how should a vegan get the necessary DHA? Seaweed?Thanks for all you doIt totally saddens me that they can’t just sell us some factory-grown, fresh, safe algae instead of having to extract the oil and preserve it with “vitamin E” (not good for us). I mean, just gives us the algae and leave the pill and the additives out of the product. Some of the brands are even adding vitamin A (synthetic).What about fish oil for vitamin D and joint protection? That is another benefit they claim. I would rather get vitamin D from supplements or mushrooms.Or the Sun! :)It’s not surprizing that a journal that is heavily funded by the pharmaceutical industry puts out research condemning the use of omega 3 fish oil. The reason is that their sponsors can’t make any money telling people to take omega 3 supplements, while they can reap in billions selling statins instead. Jama accordingly recommends taking statins to prevent heart disease, despite admitting that possibly only 1 out a 100 prescribed may see some benefit. The rest are subject to side effects adversely affecting brain, muscle, kidney and pancreatic health.“For every 100 patients with elevated cholesterol levels who take statins for five years, a myocardial infarction will be prevented in one or two patients,” they write. “Preventing a heart attack is a meaningful outcome. However, by taking statins, one or more patients will develop diabetes and 20% or more will experience disabling symptoms, including muscle weakness, fatigue, and memory loss.” http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/761834 I don’t care how prestigious JAMA is, I refuse to take seriously anyone offering advice like that.Omega 3 are vital to brain and cardiovascular health. They are a very powerful free radical scavenger and I will continue to take them daily.what about high-Omega3 from a regular consumption of high levels of omega 3 seeds and nuts?? any benefit from that source of omega 3?Ariel: NutritionFacts *does* have several videos showing the benefits of eating nuts and seeds.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/I don’t think we know for a fact whether or not those benefits are due to a particular aspect of the nut/seed (say a type of fat) or the whole package (my vote for this one). For me, it doesn’t matter. I just enjoy the nut. I hope I’m not what I eat. ;-)Be careful not to be blinded by science though …What ’bout the supposed anti-inflammatory benefits of fish oil or more specifically Omega 3? As an MS patient, I’m more concerned about inflammation (although their may be a direct–and certainly is an indirect–connection). Nonetheless, I’ve taken a lot of drugs (I’m also a cancer survivor); and I pretty in tune with what works and what does not. (Most have not). Yet, I must say that I DO feel better when I take an Omega 3 supplement. So when Dr. Greger says “doctors should stop highly marketed fish oil supplement use in ALL of our patients,” is that a suggestion there is not value in Omega 3 supplementation or just Fish Oil supplementation?Paul: I’m sorry you have to deal with those ailments.I can’t address whether or not a vegan DHA or fish oil can help with inflammation (because I don’t know). However, just in case you were not aware, I wanted to let you know that Dr. Greger does have some great videos on NutritionFacts which address MS.You might also want to search the web for videos from Dr. McDougall on his research into MS. (I don’t have a link handy myself or I would share it.) He still needs to publish the latest information from the latest study, but I saw at least one video with some great info about how well MS patients do on his diet.Good luck with your health issues.Thanks for the information. And for the record or anecdote, I should note that 3 years ago, I could only walk with a cane and since adopting a plant-based diet; I am now able to run (albeit painfully and slowly) 5K races at the weekends. Much of my inflammation has been reduced naturally through diet (not supplements nor medication). This was unexpected as I went Vegan to fight my stomach cancer, not my MS, but I still do swig a tablespoon of Flaxseed every morning and wondering if its worth it.Please, don’t give the FLAX, it’s healing your body. Take it the rest of your life which I hope is a long one.Thanks Paddycakes. But curious? What’s the basis of your Flaxseed oil recommendation? I understand that while fish and flax both contain Omega 3, it’s the EPA/DHA of fish (or algae) that is (allegedly) the key beneficial component. So, do we convert the ALA from flaxseed oil; OR is there value alone in the ALA from flaxseed that is either equal or better?There are many more benefits, just google ‘benefits’ of flaxseeds.The Benefits of FlaxseedIs flaxseed the new wonder food? Preliminary studies show that it may help fight heart disease, diabetes and breast cancer.Save This Article For LaterWebMD ArchiveSome call it one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. There’s some evidence it may help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. That’s quite a tall order for a tiny seed that’s been around for centuries.Flaxseed was cultivated in Babylon as early as 3000 BC. In the 8th century, King Charlemagne believed so strongly in the health benefits of flaxseed that he passed laws requiring his subjects to consume it. Now, thirteen centuries later, some experts say we have preliminary research to back up what Charlemagne suspected.Flaxseed is found in all kinds of today’s foods from crackers to frozen waffles to oatmeal. The Flax Council estimates close to 300 new flax-based products were launched in the U.S. and Canada in 2010 alone. Not only has consumer demand for flaxseed grown, agricultural use has also increased. Flaxseed is what’s used to feed all those chickens that are laying eggs with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids.Although flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its primary healthy reputation to three of them:Omega-3 essential fatty acids, “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods.Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.The Health Benefits of FlaxAlthough Lilian Thompson, PhD, an internationally known flaxseed researcher from the University of Toronto, says she wouldn’t call any of the health benefits of flax “conclusively established,” research indicates that flax may reduce risks of certain cancers as well as cardiovascular disease and lung disease.CancerRecent studies have suggested that flaxseed may have a protective effect against breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer. At least two of the components in flaxseed seem to contribute, says Kelley C. Fitzpatrick, director of health and nutrition with the Flax Council of Canada.In animal studies, the plant omega-3 fatty acid found in flaxseed, called ALA, inhibited tumor incidence and growth.The lignans in flaxseed may provide some protection against cancers that are sensitive to hormones without interfering with the breast cancer drug tamoxifen. Thompson says some studies have suggested that exposure to lignans during adolescence helps reduce the risk of breast cancer and may also increase the survival of breast cancer patients.Lignans may help protect against cancer by blocking enzymes that are involved in hormone metabolism and interfering with the growth and spread of tumor cells.Some of the other components in flaxseed also have antioxidant properties, which may contribute to protection against cancer and heart disease.Years of research to help with diabetes maintenance and cancer prevention.Paul: Thank you for sharing your story! I LOVE stories like that. I’m guessing that you may not learn much from the sources I pointed to. You already sound like a pro.On the topic of swigging flaxseed oil, I think that Paddycakes is suggesting that you take the actual ground flaxseed instead of the oil. Dr. Greger has several great videos on the many benefits of ground flaxseed and I believe that all of those reasons would still be valid. Dr. Greger recommends about 2 Tablespoons a day. I put it in my morning oatmeal/buckwheat. Other people put it in their smoothies. If you are interested, Paddycakes listed some good info about ground flaxseed, but if you want the information in the format of this site, check out: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=flaxseedI wish you all the best.I too use ground flaxseed, which is very stable, even when heated. Not so flaxseed oil which is very unstable and cannot be heated.From the DHA algae videos here it seems that the focus is on brain and eye health. Assuming those benefits still stand for the algae and plant derived DHA, should we stop taking supplements sourced from algae given the continuous ocean contamination with radiation from the crippled Japanese reactors? Not many sources reporting it but the problem isn’t just that the radiation is now reaching the US pacific shores, it’s that the contamination is not contained and continues daily. So I wonder if I should buy another bottle of algae DHA pills when my current bottle runs out.MBGLIFE: I can’t comment on whether or not you should take DHA pills as I think that is an open question for a lot of people.I did want to address your concern for contamination, however. It is my understanding (perhaps incorrectly) that the companies who sell the vegan DHA pills grow the algea in carefully controlled environments. They are not harvesting from the ocean. So, I do not think you need to be concerned that the vegan DHA is contaminated.You could check with the company you buy from to verify if this is a big concern for you.Hope that helps.That does help. Thanks. I guess we just have to wait and see if there is any info on whether algae DHA supplements are helpful.I tend to buy into a line said once by a vegan RD that “if there is a 1% risk that being completely deficient in DHA could lead to dementia, it’s a 1% risk I’m not willing to take”. In other words, there’s no harm with DHA, and it’s been studied in hundreds of thousands of patients, and if being totally deficient in DHA could lead to cognitive dysfunction in my old age, then that’s a risk I’m not willing to take. I don’t see any downside other than the cost.Most of the providers with whom I work recommend fish oil for brain function, not for heart health. Is there also research debunking this? Thanks for all you do!Alicia: Yes, there is at least one study showing no benefit between fish oil and brain health. See my reply above for the citation.If there is any way Dr. Greger can personally get involved on this comment page today, I think many of us would appreciate it. Today’s video really shakes up the belief that vegans should be supplementing with vegan DHA. I have spoken with several people, and we are very in doubt regarding both the need and safety of vegan DHA supplementing, in light of today’s video.Fish oil does not equal 0mega-3 fatty acids. Please take a minute to think it through. Whats that Essey? Oh, “NO OIL”.I think I get it. Get your omega 3 fatty acids from foods, not supplements. Right?Yes thanks! Whole plant foods. Fish oil is a refined food and it is not plant sourced.The same goes for factory-derived vegan DHA oil, right? A refined food?There are many ways that life expectancy are affected besides what you eat. In “the olden days” We didn’t have clean areas. Was there enough water to wash your hands and brush your teeth? Were there sewers? So it is a lot about sanitation and how much that has helped us.I wonder if Dr. Ornish still recommends a fish oil supplement? I’ll see if I can get an answer on Backplane.Dr, Greger,In some presentation in the early 2000’s when you found vegetarians do not live longer than omnivores you suggested that was because of inadequate Vit B12 and omega 3 intake. While, I have benefitted in several ways going predominately vegan, it doesn’t seem that simply Vit B12 would be the sole factor separating longevity between omnivores/meateaters and vegetarians.Dr Greger please answer this paradox from early 2000 when you reported it was inadequate B12 and poor ratio of omega 6 to 3 ratio that cost vegans on longer life expectancy. Flax does not convert easily especially as one ages. So how is a vegan to improve the omega 6 to 3 ratio? My understanding is that the fish oil provided in many of these studies was too meager to balance the outrageous omega 6 levels the SAD provides.Roberta: re: “…how is a vegan to improve the omega 6 to 3 ratio?”Here’s my understanding: A vegan can improve the ratio by cutting back on omega 6 rich foods while maximizing whole plant food omega 3 rich foods. This includes all of the following:1) no oils 2) eat whole plant foods3) limit nut *a lot* or at least stick to the right kind of walnut 4) eat lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of greens. 5) consider adding some ground flax or chia seeds to your diet.My understanding is that if you truly did all of the above, then you would automatically have the perfect ratio of omega 6 to omega 3. Jeff Novick’s lecture, From Oil to Nuts does an **excellent** job of explaining all this, including with tables and graphs that help you see how it all works and which foods have which types of fats, etc.Of course, many of us (myself included) fall short of such an ideal diet. I try to improve all the time, but I’m still not “there”. So, it might behoove us to consider an algea-based DHA supplement. Just a thought.Good luck.Thea, I hope the steps you gave work in the long run. Dr. Greger’s videos inspired my husband and me (both 65) to go totally plant based based on greens,beans,mushrooms,and colorful fruits and vegetables,plus recommended d and B12. However I continued with my 3 capsules of high quality Omnipure-brand fish oil, whereas my husband did not.Next we ordered the $70. Home finger prick test from Zonediagnostics. Mine came back a desirable 2 to 1 omega 6 to omega 3ratio, my husband’s came back a mediocre 6 to 1. I talked to Dr Harris who runs the lab for Dr Barry Sears, my results revealed that 99.5 of Dr Barry Sears patients who follow his meat eating zone diet, tested at a higher level of omega 6 to omega 3 ratio.Roberta: Congratulations on making the shift (mostly) to a plant based diet. That is a hard thing for many people to do, but it sounds like you and your husband have made great strides.I can’t comment on the particular situation between you and your husband since there are so many factors involved. Are you both still consuming oils? How much nuts? How good is that home prick test? What might the effect of your diets have been on your bodies prior to this change? etc. There are just too many factors involved to draw any conclusions from your anecdote. (Though thank you for sharing it. I find people’s stories to be very interesting.)As for the Zone diet, it is easy to see how someone on such a diet could have a better omega 6 to 3 ratio depending on what they are really eating and depending on who else we are comparing them to. Another factor would be, “what does ‘better’ mean”? And how scientific is this statistic? Is there a control group? etc.Even if we want to believe that the 99.5 number actually means something, that doesn’t mean that the people on the diet are healthy or that the Zone diet is one that leads to healthy outcomes. The omega 6 to 3 ratio is just one factor/indicator.As an example to illustrate my point: Think of the people who claim that their bad cholesterol went down when they went on the ___ diet. (Fill in the blank with any of the following: paleo, aktins, wheat belly, eat for your blood type, etc) However, what we all know is that people can loose weight on just about any diet. At least when people start a diet, most people tend to loose weight, initially. And when you loose weight, your bad cholesterol goes down. But bad cholesterol is just one factor of health. And we have a TON of evidence that those high-meat/high-fat/low complex carb diets are extremely bad for people’s overall health.Those are just some thoughts for you on how you might think about the Zone data.One other thought is: If you think that the fish oil is helpful for you, you might consider following Dr. Greger’s recommendation to take a plant-based DHA supplement instead. That would give you several advantages: knowing you aren’t getting toxins that are often found in fish oils, skipping the middle man and getting the DHA directly (the point of omega 3 fats is so that your body can convert them to DHA), and not contributing to the collapse of the oceans. Just a thought.I hope you and your husband experience great health going forward.thanks for the understandable suggestions Thea. :-)Thanks for this video I just received from a friend of mine I’m left wondering, since it is stated in prior studies if omega 3 still benefits for those suffering from an inflammatory process, (i.e. not heart and or cardiovascular related).I recall from way back when, a Nutritionfacts piece about how population death rates among vegans was no better than the general population and that was attributed to deficiencies of dietary omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin B-12 among many vegans and vegetarians. I hope you follow-up today’s piece with useful guidance for maintaining adequate omega 3 status, perhaps flax as many commenters have speculated.To my knowledge, flax contains omega-3 mostly in the form of ALA, which does not readily convert to DHA or EPA. Maybe Atlantic seaweed or algae would be a better approach?“Long-term effect of high dose omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for secondary prevention of cardiovascular outcomes: A meta-analysis of randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trials.”“Overall, our results supply evidence that long-term effect of high dose omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may be beneficial for the onset of cardiac death, sudden death and myocardial infarction among patients with a history of cardiovascular disease.”Casula M, Soranna D, Catapano AL, Corrao G.Atheroscler Suppl. 2013 Aug;14(2):243-51. doi: 10.1016/S1567-5688(13)70005-9.Omega 3 oil supplements are good for the brain! It’s an absolute must. you can read here why – http://mymetabolicsyndrome.blogspot.co.il/2014/01/why-you-should-care-about-your-omega-3.htmlAs for this video – it is sooo misleading as it is talking only on the benefit to the heart while the true benefit is for the brain… It is well known that there’s no evidence for the benefit of omega-3 to the heart – it’s not a big discovery here. But this video sounds like wow – ‘throw your omega 3 supplements out the window guys’ which is so untrue!The recommendation at the end of this video is misleading as well – the cardio vascular doctors are talking about not recommending these supplements to THEIR patients. THEIR patients are having a heart disease. All they care about is THEIR patients heart problems. But some of the same patients and other patients are slowly dying from Dementia, Alzheimer’s and cognition problems because they are not taking the pills….So make sure you supplement today with your favorite DHA supplement.Aviel.The video was reporting on the alleged benefits of fish oil for reducing heart, stroke and mortality rates, which it doesn’t.It had nothing to do with brain function and Dr. Greger still recommends DHA, which is different from just “omega-3 supplements”, and he does so for brain health (not heart, stroke or lower mortality).OK, I will say it again. Fish oil is not the SAMEIt seems that the studies that purportedly discredit the benefit of fish oil were horribly designed “recollection” interrogations and not valid double blind placebo controlled studies. There were other studies that used ridiculously low levels of Omega 3’s and trumpeted that there were no improvements in heart health. Even with small doses of DHA/EPA, there were statistical improvements in mortality. The truth is that science can be bought and there are powerful forces that want to discredit anything that is not patented by a pharmaceutical company. Gary Scearce, OD“It seems that the studies that purportedly discredit the benefit of fish oil were horribly designed “recollection” interrogations and not valid double blind placebo controlled studies.”I take it you didn’t look at the studies?“14 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (involving 20 485 patients with a history of CVD) were included in the final analyses”So does this negate all the benefits of flax in ones diet with regarding the heart ?Great Update! One thing I have noted in my new multi-physician practice is that it is hard to break learned habits. I have been giving the research and information to the providers in my practice for over six months (in a gentle, informative and positive way) and they are having a difficult time changing their fish-oil prescribing practice. Even after showing them it is now a grade A recommendation to STOP prescribing Omega 3 for cardiovascular protection, (The Journal of Family Practice August 2013) I still get patients that have recently been put on Omega 3’s for primary, secondary and tertiary cardiac protection.Bottom line keep up these pertinent updates to make sure the most recent information continues to be disseminated among the general population; for many patients are, and continue to be, the driving force for change in the medical world.many baby formulars contain DHA so I guess it is proven helpfull ingredients as baby milk powder safety and effieciency is not something that big pharma like JNJ abbort would lightly handleYou are absolutely, totally wrong, Doctor! The so-called “evidence” you quote from is flawed. There is always some body or laboratory or other trying to denigrate the supplement companies. My deep-sea lipid source arose from 35 years of research into fish oils, and has been proved to work by millions of people over the last 34 years! (The 35 years of research happened before the 34 years that I quote here). Please contact me for the research from which I take my advice.Can you post some papers here?I second this notion – Please provide some info!I would suggest reading this article. http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2013/apr2013_Science-by-Ambush_01.htm Proper dosage is very important.Fish oil can go “rancid” very quickly and easily unless it is sheltered from oxygen, light, and heat. And it will one day be unsustainable. Krill oil should be researched more so than fish oil because that will be the future of American omega 3 consumption (in animal derived omega 3). Krill is supposedly very resilient to oxygenation and heat/UV damage because of its high level of astaxanthin. Check out Mercola’s article @ http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/09/fish-oil-brain-health.aspxPlease prove me wrong!!! …because I’m about to buy some krill oil…Look what else I found 1.8 seconds ago… http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/14/is-krill-oil-48-times-better-than-fish-oil.aspxAnother point for Rob. 2 points thus far.Dang! I guess Krill is a type of shellfish so people who are allergic to shellfish-which I know there are a lot-do not take krill supplements! Minus 1 point for krill oil Back to 1 point for Rob.What about this recent publication about omega-3’s role in brain wiring? It was conducted in rhesus macaque, but does this mean that we should ignore any possible implications for humans? Certainly we need omega-3’s in our diet. However, omega-3 in the form of supplementation or prescribed for treatment for disease, maybe not. http://www.jneurosci.org/content/34/6/2065.shortDr. Greger has a long video on why vegans die before they should. The 2 main reasons was lack of vitamin B-12 and too low a ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. Vegetable oils (not including olive oil that is high in omega-9) is high in omega-6. The reason for consuming fish oil is the high amounts of omega-3 in them. Also there are too many studies that are done wrong based on false assumptions. Before Albert Einstein there was a major contradiction in physics so all they could do was ignore it. It was based on the false assumption that time always moves at the same rate (it cannot speed up or slow down). Also they assumed that lengths could not contract.ALL of our patients?? Not all of my patients have CVD risk, but many have autoimmune/inflammatory disease. What about the benefits for chronic inflammatory diseases, Rheumatoid, Lupus, major depression??This doctor is as uninformed as Dr Marcola. Give me a break. Ever wonder why heart disease is the number one killer in the US? It is because of bad information like this so called doctor. The medical community has lowered the cholesterol number to low. The reason they did that was so they could sell cholesterol medication. Now it is to low. We need healthy number of the good cholesterol, but not the bad LDL. Our bodies need the oils for many reasons like cleaning out bad LDL, and for our brain membranes . just to name only two. He puts a dollar figure on what he claims unnecessary fish oil sales, yet you can bet your “you know what” he’s getting huge kick backs on pushing real unnecessary pharmaceutical drugs instead of telling his patients to eat a healthy diet, exercise or take good whole food supplements. Typical doctor with a small d in front of his name. Jesus fed the five thousand ( FISH ) and ( BREAD ). WHY? Because of the OILS He created for our bodies and the LIPEDS and STEROLS that were in bread then which are not now because they have been removed so bread last longer on the store shelves. Do the research.Hi Larry, Please no ad hominem attacks–we try to keep this a safe place for everyone. Dr. Greger reads through thousands of peer-reviewed research articles a year to create these videos for NutritionFacts.org, a registered nonprofit.He, perhaps as much as you, also wishes to find out the influence that the food and drug industries have on dietary recommendations http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/ .You might be interested in this video on ending the heart disease epidemic http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/ . Hope that helps! :)video isnt working for meI’ve heard anectdotal info that an ADD kid on fish oil 3 days showed a whole different balanced personality, immediately. Heart issues notwithstanding, I wonder about brain and nerve health from this story, though I opt for plant based sources en mass, for my own body.Hemp oil?Dr. Barry Sears, (whose Zone diet errors in considering plant protein nonbioavailable, except for soy) is the biggest source of the importance of fish oil, My husband and I left thThe Zone to become 100 % plantbased. I continued to take the high potency 3 capsuels of molecularly distilled fish oil Dr Sears has made convincing arguments for. My husband stopped the fish oil. When we took the pin prick Omega 6 tp 3 ratio home test purchased from Zone Diagnostics my ratio was an ideal 2 to 1, my husband’s 6 to 1. A swollen- ointed friend I bought a test kit for had a ratio of 39 to 1,yes a whopping 39 to 1 in a 40some normal wieght woman eating the SAD. Dr Sears response to the recent test Dr Greger noted is that the average Americans being so high on the Omega 6 side of ratio that it is no wonder the small fish oil dose given in this study proved ineffective.John, Not only I, but Dr. Barry Sears agrees with your assumption that average Americans are so inflamed by high omega 6 to omega 3 fats that it is no wonder fish oil had no effect in this study. It would be like pouring cups of water on a raging fire then concluding that water is not effective in putting out fire.Also, most fish oil is the “the sewer of the sea” and often rancid to boot, as Dr. Barry Sears claims. Even Dr Furhman in good character stated that his customers were originally receiving rancid fish oil,John, Great observation about the omega 6 to 3 ratio in these patients being missing from this flawed study. The sick people in this JAMA study,on a cocktail of drugs, were probably so inflamed with processed omega 6 fats that the very meager amount of fish oil would hardly balance them back to a healthy ratio.Also, of what quality was this meager amount of fish oil they received? Did they ingest the “sewer of the sea “type, or the ignorantly unrefrigerated and rancid type? Even Dr Furhman had the good character to report that his customers were receiving rancid oil before he used refrigeration in transport.High potency molecularly distilled fish oil with a very small amount of vit E as a preservative are a result of resent processing ,after initial dates provided in this study, so I am assuming theses patients got very meager amounts of the standard swill of the sea.I think the problem with the meta-analyses on fish oil supplementation, which concluded omega 3 fish oil wasn’t effective, used a placebo size dose of fish oil or fish oil of inferior quality. Just like with a drug, if you don’t take enough of a medication, it won’t do you any good. It is too bad that these studies did not use an effective dose of highly purified fish oil, because it could cause people to avoid something that could really help them. Almost all fish contains PCB’s and other contaminants. The advantage of highly refined fish oil is that it is pure – the toxins have been removed. The quality of fish oil varies among brands. I have been using it for years and when I upped the dose, the improvement in my physical and mental health was amazing.Fish Oil Prevents Brain Shrinkage in Eight-Year StudyCan an abundance of fish oils in the diet keep your brain from shrinking?A new study published in the January 2014 issue of Neurology says yes.http://www.naturalnews.com/https://www.neurology.org/content/78/9/658.abstracthttp://science.naturalnews.com/pubmed/18707812.htmlhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140122170541.htmhttps://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/PressRelease/1234According to a recent column in the Science Times of the New York Times, consumption of fish but not fish oil was related to greater volume of gray matter in seniors. However, there seemed to be no benefit of consuming more than 1 serving of fish per week. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/fish-as-brain-food/These analyses do not consider either the quantity nor the quality of the supplementation. That capsules were used instead of liquid tested by FDA laboratories for potency, freshness, and minimal contaminants. (One refrigerates the oil after opening.). Also, did participants take Vitamin E along with the fish oil to deal with oxidation. I would test the validity of these analyses without an examination of the products used.I think that the evidence is still out, largely because there are such wide disparities of supplement quality, chain of custody, etc. Since I am male, I eat two ounces of canned wild Pacific salmon, a teaspoon of cod liver oil, and two tablespoons of ground flaxseed every morning. The cod liver oil is refrigerated in transit and in my own house, and has been independently evaluated by the two best independent labs in the supplement industry. My omega-6 consumption is generally less than 16g / day. Even then, it’s extremely hard to keep n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio less at 3:1, much less 2:1.I love how the admins post just the studies that support their beliefs. For example, kefir has so much benefits, the same with sardines and other small cold water fish. But zero talk about those here.Food is a package deal, if there are more harmful components to a food, some small benefit would not be acceptable. In the case of kefir, xenoestrogens and elevated IGF-1 are major downsides and are inherent of dairy. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/ http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=igf-1Hi Daniel. You are happy to post studies here that you feel we may be missing.Thanks JosephWhere will I get omega 3 if i don’t eat fish or take fish oil? I do eat about 1 TB of flax seed a day. I s that enough. My fish oil is from wild salmon.If you eat a tablespoon or 2 of ground flaxseed and your diet is generally lower in fat, then you will have sufficient omega 3. Dr. Greger recommends Algae derived omega 3 if you really wish to supplement it, although it likely is not necessary.Surprising findings. I’m having trouble reconciling this with much else posted on this site about omega-3s. I understand the studies cited all used fish and fish oils rather than vegan sources, but nothing here suggests any vegan advantage (although one might suspect other fats, animal proteins, and toxins could be reduced or eliminated). Is there any study linking flax or ALA to heart benefits? EPA and DHA? Why is flax a worthy food: fiber, anti-inflamation, …?In review of the selected research papers did the authors state the quality and dosage? As quality highly varies from different manufacturers. Dosage also plays a role. It’s all to easy to build a study or studies with a predetermined outcome.I am vegan, and recently very excited that my mother became vegan. HOWEVER… she has suffered from dry eyes and perhaps the onset of arthritis. Her doctor told her to take a specific brand of fish oil at a higher dose than typically taken. Amazingly, she had relief from her dry eyes and aches the next day and ever since. So… why? Could she switch to flax and have the same results? I wouldn’t want to have her switch to flax if she is going to have the problems she had before.“Pesco-vegetarians in the community, who ate a plant-based diet with up to one serving of fish a day, lived longer than vegan Adventists.” This sentence has circulated on the internet recently. Is this true? If so…how might we account for why eating fish is better than strict vegan? Could it be that the vegan Adventists are more junk food vegans as to more whole food plant based? Or maybe the Adventists are not taking their Vit B12 or Omega 3’s? Curious as to your thoughts…..	American Heart Association,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,DHA,fat,fish,fish oil,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,lifespan,longevity,medical profession,men's health,mortality,nutrition myths,oils,omega-3 fatty acids,seafood,stroke,supplements	Advice to eat oily fish or take fish oil to lower risk of heart disease, stroke, or mortality is no longer supported by the balance of available evidence.	I’ve previously discussed fish oil supplements in the context of risks versus purported cardiovascular benefits:But if the benefits aren’t there, then all one is left with are concerns over the industrial pollutants that concentrate in the fish fat (even in distilled fish oil, see Is Distilled Fish Oil Toxin-Free?).These same contaminants are found in the fish themselves. This raises concern for adults (Fish Fog), children (Nerves of Mercury), and pregnant moms:	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/are-krill-oil-supplements-better-than-fish-oil-capsules/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22493410,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23247954,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12571649,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24090562,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22968891,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12588785,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17343767,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22493407,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2571009,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23089109,
PLAIN-2644	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/	Should We Take a Multivitamin?	About 1 in 3 Americans takes a multivitamin. Is that helpful, harmful, or just a harmless waste of money? In 2011, the Iowa Women’s Health Study reported that multivitamin use was associated with a higher risk of total mortality, meaning in effect women who took a multivitamin appeared to be paying to live shorter lives. But this was an observational study, meaning they didn’t split them up into two groups and put half on multivitamins to see who lived longer, they just followed a large population of women over time and found those that happened to be taking multivitamins were more likely to die. But maybe they were taking multivitamins because they were sick. The researchers didn’t find any evidence of that, but ideally we’d have a randomized double-blind placebo controlled trial, thousands followed for over a decade. Half given a multivitamin and half a placebo and see what happens, and that’s what we got the following year in 2012. The Harvard Physicians’ Study II. And after a decade no effect on heart attack, stroke, or mortality.The accompanying editorial concluded that multivitamins are a distraction from effective cardiovascular disease prevention. The message needs to remain simple and focused: heart disease can be largely prevented by healthy lifestyle changes.They did, however, find that for men with a history of cancer, the multivitamin appeared to be protective against getting cancer again, though there was no significant difference in cancer mortality or cancer protection in those who’ve never had cancer before. Still, though, that’s pretty exciting. It is just one study, though, ideally we’d have like 20 of these placebo-controlled trials and then compile all the results together, and that’s what we got in 2013, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Twenty-one of them, covering more than 90,000 individuals and no influence on mortality either way. Some found more cancer mortality, some found less cancer mortality, but all and all it was a wash.And that was heralded as good news. After the Iowa Women’s Health Study came out we were worried multivitamins could be harming millions of people, but instead they don’t appear to have much effect either way. The accompanying editorial asked should meta-analyses trump observational studies? I mean Iowa Women’s Health Study followed tens of thousands of women for nearly 20 years. What if we put all the studies together? The big observational studies along with the experimental trials? And that’s what we got December 2013, concluding that multivitamins appear to offer no consistent evidence of benefit for heart disease, cancer, or living longer.Why though? Aren’t vitamins and minerals good for us? One explanation for this result could be that our bodies are so complex that the effects of supplementing with only 1 or 2 components is generally ineffective or actually does harm. Maybe we should get our nutrients in the way nature intended.The accompanying editorial concluded enough is enough, we should stop wasting our money on vitamin and mineral supplements. Americans spend billions on vitamin and mineral supplements. A better investment in health would be eating more fruits and vegetables. Imagine if instead we spent those billions on healthy food?This is not the aisle we should be getting our nutrients from. With the money we save on pills we can buy more of the best multivitamins on Earth.	Interesting video… I’ll experiemnt with taking a multi but only once a week rather than everyday (as a mental reassurance). What about B12, Vit D and Iodine, the vitamins vegans are encouraged to take?What about the added vitamin E to vegan DHA?Dr Fuhrman has the best multi. It has B-12, sufficient Vitamin D and Iodine. he leaves of certain vitamins that may be harmful in isolated formsdr fuhrman is in the business of selling supplements. You don’t need them if you eat a WFPB diet. Just B12 and DWhy take D if you can make it yourself?Mark: A lot of people live in areas where they do not get enough of the right kind of sunlight to be able to make adequate vitamin D ourselves. And then there are the kind of people, like me, who spend most days inside, especially during the noonday sun.I think you would be interested in seeing the vitamin D recommendations that Dr. Greger makes. He breaks it down by where people live so that you can see when and if you can get enough vitamin D from sunlight alone. Scroll down on this page: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/I understand that. It was a rhetorical question pointing out that one may not necessarily *need* vitamin D supplementation.B12 and D are vitamins vegans and non-vegans are lacking in. It is difficult to get the proper amounts even from eating healthy foods. I get all my other nutrients from my plant based diet, but I do alternate between vegan sublingual B12 and spirulina/chlorella to make sure I get enough B12. Again most/many people are lacking in D also. It is best to get D from sun exposure but many of us who are living in colder climates or because it is winter time don’t get enough sun exposure. In this case Sublingual D supplements is better than not getting vitamin D. Basskills I assume you are a vegan, as I am a vegan. I don’t do multivitamins. I just eat a well rounded calorie dense wholefood plant based diet. The way I approach my diet I haven’t been sick in over 2 years since adopting a plant based diet.Even the USDA acknowledged this back in 2000. http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2000/000802.htmI completely agree. Being a vegan carries a certain stigma with it in the U.S. But with some planning and creativity a vegan diet can be almost completely nutritionally adequate. As you mentioned, a few supplements are necessary to “fill in the gaps.” B12, Vitamin D, and even calcium and iron levels could benefit from supplementation, largely due to the bioavailability. With that being said many people are at the very least moderately deficient in vitamin D. In fact, approximately 60% of my patient population requires a supplement. This video has some good pointers on how to get the most bang for your buck when taking a Vitamin D supplement. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/Thanks. Fascinating!I think it is important to note that the December 2013 meta-analysis, as far as multivitamins, actually only analyzed one study – and that was the Physicians’ Health Study mentioned earlier in the video. The rest were studies of supplements containing only one or just a few nutrients. So we still don’t really have that much info.(http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/multivitamins.aspx) That being said, I think this would all make more sense to the general public if we could clarify the goal of multivitamins – the point of eating healthy food is to prevent heart disease and cancer; the point of supplements (including multivitamins) is different – it is insurance against deficiency, since there is no such thing as a perfect diet.The trick/difficulty is that not only is hard hard to always eat healthy, but it’s been reported that our food isnn’t as nutrient rich as it was years ago. So, what’s a person to do? I’m in charge of the juicer in our house and we do lots of green juices in hopes to get the nutrients.True, there is no perfect diet, nor perfect science, clinicals, cars, houses, pets, jobs, significant others. But there are multitudes of perfectly satisfactory and more than adequate examples of each.But you do have a point, more than , what ? , 100,000 subjects with all the data pointing in the same direction ( no significant benefit ) could be misguided. So let’s get on with the business of showing that MV prevent deficiencies better than WF.Hi Deana, The point of eating healthy food is to load up on natural synergistic combinations of vitamins, minerals, fats, carbs, fiber, and phytonutrients to prevent heart disease and cancer. The point of taking supplements is for the same reason, in case we are not eating enough good foods to get all the nutrients we need, supplements will fill in. It appears the study is saying that supplements really don’t make a difference, and that we need to get our nutrients from real food like fruits and vegetables to protect against disease.I agree. These studies show that multivitamins don’t prevent cancer and heart disease. Those are pretty big things to prevent for a small pill, which is why diet is so important. But not everyone can eat a wholly nutritious diet all the time. These nutrient gaps can cause a host of problems like acne, brittle hair and nails, poor eyesight, and weak immune system. A quality multivitamin can plug in the nutrition gaps and that prevent those things. While it’s true that a people who eat tons of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds probably don’t need a multivitamin; it’s just not the case for most Americans.Actually the study (PHSII) *does* show that multivitamins prevent cancer, even in a well-nourished, highly educated population of physicians (RR 0.92, P=0.04), and this finding was *not* limited to those with a history of cancer. To quote directly from the abstract:“Daily multivitamin use was associated with a reduction in total cancer among 1312 men with a baseline history of cancer (…), but this did not differ significantly from that among 13 329 men initially without cancer (…). Conclusion In this large prevention trial of male physicians, daily multivitamin supplementation modestly but significantly reduced the risk of total cancer.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23162860Further investigations from the same trial found that the multivitamin also siginificantly decreased the risk of age-related macular degeneration (RR 0.91, P=0.04) and a non-significant but nevertheless remarkable reduction in all-cause mortality (RR 0.94, P=0.13).Given those results (and other intriguing observations from well-controlled cohort studies, as I reviewed here: http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/67591-us-preventive-services-task-force-report-on-vitamin-and-mineral-supplements/ ), I have to say that I am somewhat disappointed by Dr. Greger chiming in with the recent media campaign against (multi)vitamins, by giving a distortive account of the evidence.Curious why there was no response to this interesting comment; this seems to pretty directly contradict at least the spirit of Dr. Greger’s video and despite all the confirmatory comments above provide some evidence for the claims made. I’d be interested in the counter arguments from those arguing for the inefficacy of supplements. Which is not to say that I’m not convinced that a healthy diet is the most important lifestyle choice.Hi Karl. I totally agree with anyone saying that diet and exercise are by far the most important lifestyle choices. In fact, the benefits the PHSII and some other trials found for low/medium-dose multivitamin supplements seem paltry compared to the risk reductions we consistently see for a healthy diet and physical activity. But given that the PHSII participants were well-educated and followed a relatively healthy lifestyle (compared to the avarage American) and still benefited from a cheap a-nickel-a-day multivitamin should keep us from simply dismissing multivitamins as a waste of money. To the contrary, the cost-benefit (in terms of money as well as effort) and risk-benefit relation seems extremely favorable, even compared to those much more important lifestyle choices which, however, take time, effort and some money to realize. This is certainly a caveat about supplements. If people take them as an easy substitution for a healthy diet, they are deceiving themselves and would probably be better off without the supplements and the false sense of security they derive from them. This psychological mechanism is even a possible confounding factor in epidemiological studies of supplements and can only be excluded by a placebo-controlled interventional study like the PHSII.I agree with Dr. Rhonda Patricks take on the recent “Enough is enough” editorial:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u8UdZeOhcDr. Greger, what about Vitamin-D and B-12? Might they be useless in a “capsule” form?Taking sublingual D and B-12 is better better is goes right into the bloodstreamI think it is important to remember that Dr Greger support the use of supplements. But not every one: B12 is mandatory for vegans, and vitamin D if your are defficient in sunlight (test your blood). He also suggest that DHA from algae can be beneficial. I leave you with Dr Greger’s recommandation and his videos.http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/Nice summary Adrien! Thanks for doing that.My pleasure ! ;)Absorption. Better absorption has better result. Especially for B12 and D.Better way solution is isotonic: http://betterresultnutrition.com Can let our body absorb 95% nutritions.Yes! I whole heartedly agree. Thanks again. This reminded me of when I was in the pharmacy the other day, they had loads of vitamin pills located right next to the rack of chips, chocolate bars and candy – not really a place supporting healthy lifestyle!The studies failed to distinguish between the type of multivitamin and mineral supplementation. Most over the counter pharmaceutical brands, like centrum, aren’t effective because they contain synthetic forms of the vitamins and minerals, which may be toxic and have absorption issues.Vitamins taking in the right whole food form, and minerals in trace ionic forms, are not only safe but contribute to health and the prevention of disease as well as natural organic foods. http://www.orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v09n18.shtmlThere is much research not funded by pharmaceutical corporations to support this contention. The orthomolecular institute is an excellent place to start. http://www.orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtmlAnother flaw with these studies critical of supplementation has to do with dosages of vitamins and minerals. The RDA of all vitamin and minerals is too low to meet the full requirements needed by the body for health and disease prevention effects measured in this so called research.I completely agree with you on this. All of these studies used store brand crap like Centrum. Yeah with those you are wasting your money.For the most part, all multi-vitamims contain vitamin E, and Dr. Greger has a video saying we should not be supplementing with any vitamin E.I sort of think this alone makes taking a multi-vitamin a no-no, according to this website.There are multivitamins and then there are whole food supplements :-).This is an imperative point. It troubles me that Dr. Greger didn’t point-out this / these glaring failure of the studies. He knows most vitamins come from sources that can be less-than-healthful. I hope it was just an oversight ?? and not convenient for him to overlook the studies deficiencies since they fit into his paradigm. Another dent on absolute honesty in reporting …For the most part, all multi-vitamims contain vitamin E, and Dr. Greger has a video saying we should not be supplementing with any vitamin E.I sort of think this alone makes taking a multi-vitamin a no-no, according to “nutrition facts.org”.Indeed the thing missing in this discussion is preventing deficiencies. Mild deficiencies aren’t life threatening even in the long run, and that was what these studies were looking for.If you are prone to deficiencies (hint: if you’re eating a roughly western diet: you are.) then eat a supplement, but there’s little point to do ‘across the board’ vitamins.Try to be specific to what you are deficient in, esp given that some vitamins are toxic if you overdose.. if you already get enough, don’t take more…Great video, good information and the focus back to the things we should be taking into our bodies (fruits and veggies).Robin, if you have ever performed a scientific investigation … the framing of the questions … and the issues and framing of the results makes all the difference in the world on the results. These were significantly flawed studies in that they did not segregate wholistic food source vitamins as a sub-group with separate out-comes than oil-based vitamins or vitamins that were created with excess heat; chemicals, etc.Is vitamin E safe to take? All multi-vitamins I am aware of contain vitamin E, and you have a video in your archive suggesting/saying to not take supplemental vitamin E. Based on this, I feel it is safe to assume that you would not recommend anyone take a multi-vitamin that contained vitamin E, unless their health and or situation somehow warranted it, or for whatever reason trumped your belief that we should not be supplementing with E. I have not been able to find a quality multivitamin that does not contain vitamin E. And the science against taking vitamin E has been published in many places outside of here as well.FYI, As noted above, Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s multivitamins do not contain Vitamin E.yes, but his DHA supplement does contain vitamin E “mixed tocopherols”….and in supplement form it has been advised by Dr. Greger that it is likely prudent not to ingest vitamin E.Maybe it’s just me, but I found it difficult to get all the minerals required in my mainly plant-based-diet to sustain the enamel in my teeth. If I don’t supplement with a multivitamin my teeth get chalky and stained. I’ve also had to supplement with calcium since I also refrain from dairy and don’t drink a lot of almond milk or other foods that are fortified with calcium. Every diet is different, but mine tends to be high in citric and phytic acid, which is another contributing factor to the daily tight rope I walk to maintain my tooth enamel.One problem I have with these studies is they pre-suppose the purpose of a multi-vitamin is heart-health or longevity, when in fact I take vitamins for quality of life: that is, for energy and vitality. And on that basis I find them to be pretty damn excellent — especially the whole food based vitamins.I am always looking for someone that agrees with me. I just convinced my wife that she does not need a calcium supplement during pregnancy because we eat a lot of foods high calcium. We are vegans but she has been craving cheese. So in addition i’ve been feeding her plenty of greens, beans, almonds, organic tofu and have her using organic molasses.If she worried so much for Calcium, we don’t have to tell her to take B12, I’m right ? Maybe she could replace Calcium by algae DHA, here’s why it might be a good idea: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/If she worried so much for Calcium, we don’t have to tell her to take B12, I’m right ? Maybe she could replace Calcium by algae DHA, here’s why it might be a good idea: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/We do take a vegan dha as well. Thank you.What is her specific concern regarding calcium intake during pregnancy?That she is not getting enough because we are vegan. I am a holistic health coach so she wants to believe me but I am also her husband so she finds it hard to trust my advice. I am close on this one with her. I hold some merit because I solved her allergy problems with green tea and raw local honey.How would green tea and raw local honey solve an allergy problem? W.R.T. calcium and pregnancy, I would check the veganhealth.org website, or post a question to Jack Norris – jacknorrisrd.com (he runs both sites).Green tea and raw local honey help the body produce it’s own natural antihistamines. My wife had horrible allergy attacks that would just put her out. She has not had one in over 8 months since using this combination 4-5 days a week.Have you ever tallied up the numbers for her with something like cronometer? Before I did myself, I had some little nagging worries re: zinc, calcium and iron. Those nutrients that you “hear” vegans tend to be deficient in. I wanted to believe when various experts would say that as long as the diet is relatively varied and nutrient-dense I would get everything I needed (except of course B12 and D), but seeing the numbers there in black and white is what really put me at ease.Jason: Have you heard of Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG)? They are a group that is very careful about the information they present. I don’t always agree with everything they post, but it is generally a good site. The following page contains a link to a .pdf document brochure which talks about pregnant women as well as a link to an article on another page on the site: http://www.vrg.org/family/kidsindex.htmFor after the baby is born, here is my favorite article about raising vegan kids: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htmMaybe if your wife sees these documents, she will find them helpful (and authoritative).Hope that helps.And how about her Vitamin D? D promotes calcium absorption.D is fine. We eat foods high in D and she has a job that has her outside a lot. We do supplement if we feel any illness coming on with a Vegan spray.I am very cautious about subgroup analysis, as time and again they have failed when replicated in prospective hypothesis-directed trials. One can think of many examples of this phenomenon. The PHS II found an *overall* cancer benefit across the entire population. The researchers then went into the study and tried to tease out which subpopulations had more or less benefit, but trials aren’t powered or designed to really do that, and subtyping by previous malignancy does not make a lot of sense, because many patients who appear to be asymptomatic are harboring occult malignancies (in fact, we all have cancer cells within us). If I recall correctly, the interaction p value by history of malignancy was not statistically positive, but I could be wrong on that. Bottom line: PHS II does show a small but significant reduction in cancers, and this same trial also showed a statistically significant large reduction in fatal MI. I don’t tell people to take multivitamins but those who are taking them (at least males), I encourage them with this news.Vegans are a special group that is not well represented in multivitamin trials. We need targeted vitamins in somewhat higher doses than are found in MV’s.I think the concern is that if people take a multivitamin they might not try as hard to eat vitamin rich foods (plants). However, in introducing people to a plant based diet a multivitamin can provide some peace of mind that potential gaps are being filled with the pill. This could help people transition to a plant based diet or stick with it. The second most popular concern I hear after protein is micronutrient adequacy in a plant based diet. Maybe a multivitamin can ease some of that concern for those interested in switching. Of course B12 supplementation is mandatory and a long chain omega 3 fatty acid supplement is recommended.Soils are mineral depleted compared to previous decades. These studies as already expressed primarily use synthetic, man-made, right handed molecular supplements as opposed to whole food based left handed molecular supplement that contain phytonutrients too.A an Iowa state professor once told Charles Walters, founder and editor of ACRES USA magazine, “for $100,000 dollars I can prove anything” meaning that, depending upon whom is funding a study will often predetermine the results. The studies I have read by a whole food company like Standard Process of Wisconsin give different results compared to the imitation, synthetics typically used.Hi Whenever they do these studies usually they are done with cheap,low dosage, synthetic vitamins which the body does not recognize or assimilateI am using products from The synergy Company, because Idon’t like cheap symthetically produced supplements because of the fillers, and other ingredients. So far so good!Could you please review studies on oat bran? Usually we’re told to eat whole foods, but oat bran seems to have a better nutrition profile than whole oats. I wonder if that translates into better health effects.Oat bran is quite low on the glycemic scale. Plus, many of the nutrients concentrate in the bran. Here’s a simple recipe: https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/anti-cancer-breakfast-recipes-what-grain-is-best-for-your-blood-sugar/“Imagine if instead we spent those billions on healthy food?” That may be bad, prices may go up up up up….. or down?Hi Doc. Your video and the studies raise interesting points. However, while one of the points made was that multivitamins are a distraction from focusing on eating well, exercising, etc I also feel that studies like these on multivitamins can cause people to turn away from other, more specific supplements, some of which have shown incredibly positive effects. Here are some examples: http://www.healthstudiescollegium.org/docf/HSC_BFCD6CardioprotectiveNutrients.pdfHere is an interesting critique to the editorial you mentioned: http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/Flawed-Research-Used-to-Attack-Multivitamin-Supplements.htm?sourcecode=INL303E&utm_source=ConsumerAlert_1217&utm_medium=email&utm_term=ConsumerAlert_1217&utm_content=text_link&utm_campaign=INL303EI do not feel the case is closed.I believe the research on Vit D is significant in terms of disease prevention I wouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water.D and B12 are routinely recommended by Dr. Greger for those of us eating WFPB. I take them each. B12 once per week and D3 according to my exposure each day. It’s really easy.can anyone recommend a good multivitamin for men?I can recommend to you one of the most balanced out there and it has nothing in it that nature has not provided. Company has been around for over 58 years with never a product recall. Send me a reply if you would like to read about it. pabranco@fuse.netTry eMulti by evolved Natural Solutions. It’s a whole food multivitamin/mineral enhanced with organic superfoods.Curious and would like to know if there have there been any long-term studies/trials that actually prove that eating real food fruits and vegetables protect against heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc – more so than multi? any comparative studies?Dr. Greger discusses a landmark study that found populations eating a plant-based diet rarely got coronary heart disease, here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/.In his annual nutrition review last year, he looked at diet as a tool through which we can combat common diseases: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/hope that helps! :)There are a number of factors to consider here. Is the nutrition we expect to be actually present in our food? How do we know what kind of soil it was grown in, how long it was stored, whether cooking destroyed any of the nutrition etc. Also, how do we know our body actually takes up the nutrition we provide for it? There are a number of health issues like Coeliac Disease that interfere with absorption. Multivitamins should be plant based not synthetic too. Many nutrients are only absorbed when in the presence of certain others so giving big doses of synthetic single nutrients may result in them passing throughVideos like this annoy me! The bigger questions should be: Who did the randomized studies and what TYPE of supplements were being used. As I whole heartedly agree that diet is extremely important to a healthy lifestyle and that supplements are no replacement for a poor diet, but what about the choices as far as diet goes too??? Did they do a background check on the people taking the supplements as far as their diets and what type of supplements were being used? Were they using the tens of thousands of SYNTHETIC supplements out there today that actually do DO more harm than good? I really just shake my head when I see videos like this… they are just not fully researched for one thing, because if you want them, I can show you over 100 peer reviewed medical journal studies that prove that vitamin supplementation works. Check out Shaklee Corporations Landmark Study, done by Gladys Block, ( a very reknowned epidemiologist) and by the way is the only Landmark Study out there that shows that supplements do improve health? (LandmarkStudy.com) They compared people taking multiple Shaklee supplements for over 20 years to people taking random multi vitamins and people taking nothing. The average age was 62 AND the results were better than our scientists ever thought. They tested markers such as C- reactive protein, triglycerides, cholesterol and so much more. So before you snuff out the vitamin issue, please make sure everything is researched. If our diets were so impeccable, we wouldn’t have the obesity pandemic or the “diseases” that we have today and we wouldn’t be ranked 49th in overall health in the world being a country that spends more per person on healthcare than any other country in the world to boot. Time to take control of our own health!P.S. I am 56 years old, I have lived organically and taken supplements my whole life. I have not had a drug, not even an aspirin in my body since the birth of my 24 year old son, and that was only because I had a C-section. As good as I think I eat on a daily basis, I still don’t get everything every day. Therefore, supplements, which are a supplement to your healthy diet, fill in the voids on a daily basis for me. I bike, weight train, run, work out and can complete with 20 year olds, so I will never be convinced that supplements don’t work. And for any athlete, the nutrients you burn up need to be replaced, and you can’t eat enough to get everything you need.Amen Brenda!!Anyone out there still confused? I am. This is so because virtually all of the study participants in these huge meta-analyses were eating a standard american diet. Thus, the conclusions really should say “Multivitamins offer little or no value to those eating a standard american diet.” So, given the gross inadequacies in the participant’s diets, they still offered little or no value – so much for fixing diets with multivitamins. Further, the little value that they seemed to offer to some cancer patients could be vastly improved upon if they simply would adopt a low fat, whole food, plant-only diet.Products like multivitamins always come from fear mongering and the sales pitch always sounds like an insurance program (Gee, am I getting enough?). Forget about multivitamins. Fix your food choices first, then trust God, nature, or whatever that your food will be adequate. Many studies and extended clinical practice have already clearly shown that it will be (see PCRM’s Kickstarter Program if you are healthy, or Dr McDougall’s resident programs if you are already sick).Everyone out there please remember to ask – what was the gross background diet that the subjects were eating? Adding multivitamins to an inadequate diet, or any diet, to fix it is like giving a man dying of thirst some vinegar. If there is anything in the last decade that we have learned it is that here is a lot more in food that we need than a fairly short list of synthetic, concentrated vitamins and/or minerals. Another thing that we have learned is that we vegans do need B12 and vitamin D, from natural sources as much as possible. Let’s trust our low fat, whole food, organic vegan diets for the rest.What is your opinion of the research reports done by the Life Extension Foundation? The articles they publish in their magazine look well researched and endnoted but their work often does not agree with yours.I wonder if all the vitamins and minerals used in the trial were laboratory produced and not from food sources.What about if my dr tells me to take a mult because I’m low on iron? (I’m already vegan and eat lots of veggies.)Because most doctors are clueless as to which foods are good for what and have zero reason to believe that their patients are any smarter. There are a few videos here on that.Hey!!!! What happened to my question to doc??? Reg rebuttal by Rhonda Patrick….. can I please know why it was deleted?!!Hey RK, Sorry about that, it had gotten stuck in the spam filter! Comments with links sometimes do. I released it so it should be up now. Thanks!no worries… thanks for releasing it.I tried to re-submit… pls feel free to delete one of them if you wish. Thanks!(Okay, I’ll try again)Hi Doc,Please take a few minutes to see a rebuttal of the mentioned article ‘Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements’ by Dr. Rhonda Patrick who is Ph.D in biomedical science and expert on nutritional health. — http://youtu.be/o0u8UdZeOhcReally appreciate your feedback.Many thanks!RKWhat does this mean for fortified foods and drinks? That supplementation in general doesn’t provide any conclusive health benefits? Or just multivitamins?hmmm im confused. What if the multivitamin has vitamins b12 or D2 in them… arent we recomended to take these supplements? Went to my local healthfood store today and they were out of B12 and they recomended me a multivitamin… it says 100 procent daily dosage of B12 on the back… shouldnt the control groups have reeped the benifits of atleast B12 and D2… sorry im probably missing something important here. Please help :-)) (by the way been taking alot of your advice for about the last 3 weeks now… its been alot of fun sofar and i really feel great!)Taking “everything” to get “something included” surely beats deficiency. But since WFPB eaters can only be deficient in 2 areas…why bother. Why buy at any store? Get what you want with a few mouse clicks.Obviously multivitamins are not all the same. Studies of random people taking random MVMMs over random time-frames are meaningless.Much time and wasted ink could have been saved had the author turned his mind toward what was being recorded, rather than shilling against supplementation.The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) stated:“Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone … it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements,” states the article by Robert H. Fletcher, MD, MSc and Kathleen M. Fairfield, MD, DrPH, both affiliated with Harvard Medical School.”Enough said. Do your own research.This argument is just as flawed as nutritional recommendations by the USDA.Kind of a “sideways” question. I read that high levels of B12 are associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer ( my affliction). Could it be that one reason a vegan diet is effective in the control of prosate cancer is the inherent constraint on B12 levels? If I should be limiting B12 in order to constrain my cancer, but must have it to be otherwise healthy, then what should I do about B12 supplemetation and what level of B12′ however measured, should be my target?One thing i would like to see from this study is if they could rate each person diet and then compare the results with the type of diet that they had. So if they had a crappy diet would it overwhelm the one multivitamin that they were taking? Probably so. What is the effect on a persons life on a plant base diet with and with out Vitamins? I think that those results would have a bigger impact on people and getting them to stop eating all of the obeseagens (yes its a made up word for fast food)Very interesting. Is it possible to find out what they were taking? Many multivitamins out there are complete rubbish, but there are a handful that are meant to be very effective. Were they use the top grade multivitamins or not?Well, if Vitamin D and b12 are recommended, what about the need for k2 found in animal meat? Should we supplement with that along with D3? I am hearing from many professionals in nutrition that D can be very harmful without K2, because k2 essentially directs it where to go in your body. I get those 3 from a WHOLE FOODS multivitamin once a day all in one, from New Chapter. Is this expensive pee too? Because I could really use the break on my finances and they’re not exactly fun to swallow. Also, I should add I am primarily vegetarian, but do have pescatarian tendencies.I find being vegan very challenging.Your doctor can test your vitamin D and B-12 levels and tell you if you need more or less. I don’t know about vitamin K2, though.I’ve been tested, went the shot route etc etc. You should look up the need for K2 along with vitamin D. Without it it’s like a confused vitamin D.	cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cost savings,fruit,Harvard Physicians’ Study II,heart disease,heart health,Iowa Women’s Health Study,lifespan,longevity,mortality,multivitamins,stroke,supplements,vegetables,women's health	What does the best available science say about the role multivitamins may play in heart disease, cancer, and longevity?	I’ve previously addressed multivitamins in my videos Are Multivitamins Good For You? and Multivitamin Supplements and Breast Cancer (with a follow-up in my Q&A Is multivitamin use really associated to an increased risk of breast cancer?). I also touched on potential risks in Dietary Theory of Alzheimer’s.With the exception of vitamins D and B12 (Vitamin Supplements Worth Taking), we should strive to get our nutrients from produce, not pills.In my video on Monday I'll cover all the new science on fish oil supplements in Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil?	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-multivitamin-use-associated-to-a-risk-of-breast-cancer/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multivitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iowa-womens-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-physicians-study-ii/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-multivitamins-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23144213,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23255568,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23165066,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23117781,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23117775,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20458212,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21987194,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23162860,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23255570,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24170064,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22412121,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24217421,
PLAIN-2645	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/	Convincing Doctors to Embrace Lifestyle Medicine	I talk a lot about numbers and statistics, but as the Director of Yale's Prevention Research Center put it in a recent editorial in the American Journal of Health Promotion, to reach doctors, our fellow colleagues, maybe we need to put a human face on it all.We have known, for at least a decade that the leading causes of both premature death and persistent misery in our society are chronic diseases that are, in turn, attributable to the use of our feet (exercise), forks (diet), and fingers (smoking). Feet, forks, and fingers are the master levels of medical destiny for not just thousands of people on any one occasion like a tsunami or earthquake but the medical destiny of millions upon millions year after year.We as doctors, as a medical profession have known—Ornish published 23 years ago. But, we have not managed to care… writes the Director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center.At least, not care deeply enough to turn what we know into what we routinely do. Were we to do so, we might be able to eliminate most heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and cancer.But saving millions of lives is just a number. He asks doctors to forget the bland statistics of public health, and ask yourself if you love someone, who has suffered a heart attack, stroke, cancer, or diabetes. Now imagine their faces, whisper their names…Recall what it felt like, to get the news. And while you're at it, imagine the faces of others like you and me, imagining beloved faces—look around the room.Now imagine if eight out of 10 of us wistfully reflecting on intimate love and loss, on personal anguish… never got that dreadful news. Because it never happened. Mom did not get cancer; dad did not have a heart attack; grandpa didn't have a stroke; sister, brother, aunt, and uncle did not lose a limb or kidney or eyes to diabetes.We are all intimately linked, in a network of personal tragedy that need never have occurred.Which leads to what he is asking doctors to do about it: put a face on public health every chance you get. When talking about heart disease and its prevention—or cancer or diabetes—ask your audience to see in their mind’s eye the face of a loved one affected by that condition. Then imagine that loved one among the 80% who need never have succumbed if what we knew as doctors were what we do.Invoke the mind’s eye, he advises, and then bring a tear to it.	I remember that you talked about this editorial before. Really convincing. I’m not a doctor, but I think everybody is concerned and should take part of it. I talk about lifestyle and prevention to most people around me that feel interested. Often redirecting them to your website. Half of my family and many of my friends have already changed. Thanks to people like you.None of my family or friends want anything to do with changing their unhealthy habits. Their “doctors” claim a pill will help and they take that advice. I have watched many succumb because of stubbornness and belief in their doctor’s advice. I haven’t endeared myself to them by trying to help them or even get them to do their own research and decide on their own. Many of them even resent me because I changed my own health habits. Really sad….PT: I agree. It IS really sad.I have a thought for you: You probably don’t want to get rid of your family and friends, but it sure can be a huge breath of fresh air to hang out with people who care about themselves and others enough to do something about it. You might think about adding to your group of friends by hanging out with some whole plant food based eaters. I don’t know where you live, but I think that many even smallish towns have some sort of social group that does monthly potlucks or something like that. One place to start looking for such a group is the website, Meetup.com. You also might ask around at your local health food store and/or try to find some animal rights groups in your area.Just an idea.Thank you for the advice. Probably the closest support group to me would be about 70 miles from where I live. I do live in a small town and I don’t believe anyone eats the way we do.Bummer!I guess the next best thing is to be able to interact with people on websites like this one. Good luck!Adding new friends that share the WFPB lifestyle is something I am working on. Unfortunately, many of my present friends are meat-eaters who want to validate what they are doing by finding fault with my diet. Good friends can have differences, but food is a lifestyle choice and it is good to have friends who share the same beliefs,,, and enjoy the same vegan-friendly restaurants. Meet-up’s are a good start.Good luck BB. I think it is smart to try to include WFPB people in your social circle. It sounds like you might be in a place where you could do something about it.The studies that VRG (Vegetarian Resource Group) does each year has me convinced that the percentage of vegan eaters in America is just going to keep growing and growing. So, this will get easier for us (semi)early pioneers as time goes on.Thanks for sharing.I know what it feels. I said half of my familly, because the other half is doing terribly wrong: breast cancer, myalgie, rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, stroke.. They take pills and shots, are fat and sick, and question me about my protein intake dispite my muscle growth… And they don’t want to change of course. My grand mother had lived under the restriction of the war, and now she is the cook. Guess what ? There is fat everywhere, oil and butter is the main source of calorie, enormous amount of meat and other animal product. She is fat and got Type-2 diabetes. And I can do nothing about that. I know because I tried…I am a doctor, and my family gladly ask me for advice on disease, pills, procedures, diagnosis etc. The have chronic diseases – diabetes, hypertension, heartdisease – but when I advice them to embrace a healthy lifestyle, they do not listen at all – their attitude is that I am a fanatic, even though I can back everything up with science. One question I frequently hear: “There must be a pill for this?” My point is, that not only doctors have to change – patients, politicians, journalists, publishers (with their ridiculous meatpushing books) have to change – society have to change!Do you take Medicare? HahaGreed works. Laws might work. Tears won’t work to change any part of the medical or insurance industry. Consumers/patients/customers will continue to be herded and fleeced like sheep.How does that comment help us?It is a truthful statement. Doctors do what they get paid to do since that is how the system works. As Dr. G brought out the other day, medical schools focus on producing floor moppers rather than tap-turner-offers.How does the comment help?What if we change our thinking from despair to pro-active appeal to foster positive preventive medicine? What if we endeavor to put a human face on it. Gripe about the “Machine” all you like, this vid offers a way forward.What was that song? “Messiah’s pointed to the door but no one had the guts to leave the temple.” Leave by example :)BTW, Dr. Katz kindly sent a PDF of the paper by email upon my request. I intend to take a hard copy to my cardiologist next visit. …and my GP … and so on.I’ve got to tell this really just happened: A Knock at the door, 2 rough tough diary farmers from next door with an injured young duck. Got its head stuck in a grain bag. They know we are soft-touches here so they brought it to us. I thought quick in the spirit of today’s vid and got them to name it, heh….what a hoot. Name?… BLD (Breakfast, lunch and dinner)….I still have a ways to go with them.Not griping, but acknowledging that people do what they are incentivized to do and avoid what they are penalized for. That carrot and stick encompass time, money, and environmental support for the doctor. Lifestyle medicine has to become “cost effective” from the POV of the hospitals and physicians for real change to take place.Medicare partially paying for the Ornish and Pritikin programs are a step in that direction.Can you send it to me too ? To not bother Dr Katz with many email. I’ll appreciate. adrienv @ riseup.netCoacervate: Thanks for that duck story. Well told. And good luck with your neighbors.FYI: I once tried something similar with a dog trainer who also raises and eats her small flock of sheep. I offered a small suggestion with the ulterior motive that my suggestion might help the trainer to understand how much her sheep are just like her dogs, whom she would never send to the slaughterhouse and then eat. It didn’t work, but it was worth a shot.This is a blanket statement that isn’t true for all doctors. Of course doctors get paid to do what they do…that fits most of people who work, Some doctors care and even practice a healthy life style…I know…. I am married to one. He is D.O. so the focus is on prevention in his clinic.D.O.s in private practice may be an exception to the rule, but the consolidation and corporatization of our health care system means more and more doctors are employees for systemic corporations instead of partners or sole proprietorships. This put more pressure on them to be more “efficient” which means spending less time with patients. Sadly, that doesn’t leave a lot of time for individual patient education.Yes, most doctors tow the party line. Especially specialists like endocrinologists and cardiologists. Not saying they are bad people because of it, many are just deluded and don’t want to admit it. But it is extremely frustrating situation, especially for a patient such as myself who doesn’t have the resources to pay out of pocket for any medical care. I am forced to see doctors who do not put in the extra time and effort to keep up with latest research etc. my cardiologist actually told me flat out that “it’s impossible to lower your cholesterol to safe levels through lifestyle changes alone. You MUST take statins.” And since I have heart disease I’m assuming he means for the rest of my life. I know this is not true, but does he care or listen to what I have to say? Nope. He blows me off like I’m some kind of fanatical brainwashed dummy. I wish I could see one of the few lifestyle pro docs in my area, but they don’t take Medicare.Feet, forks, and fingers aren’t the only things that determine health. Sure, not smoking, eating a whole food plant-based diet and moderate exercise go a long way in making us healthy, but there’s more we can do. Two things that come to mind are truing off the television early and getting adequate sleep, and turning of the television so that you have time to engage socially with others.Roland: The part of your comment about engaging socially with others speaks very much to me. But my opinion is that the TV is not the problem so much as our cell phones, “social websites”, etc. I expect a lot of flack for this comment, but I think these things have done far more to hinder social connection than the TV ever did.I’m all for the ‘adequate sleep’ part of your comment too.My father had open heart surgery, triple bypass, many years ago. He did reform his diet and exercise. He has lived quite well since then into his 80s, though he even smoked for many, many years. He believes that my new vegan diet is the healthiest diet possible. But when I go to breakfast with him, he orders eggs with bacon with greasy home fries. Maybe he does this type of eating at meals a few times per week. I’ve decided to not criticize what he eats. He knows the facts. He knows how I feel about it. At some point, there’s not much we can do.Tobias: When I read stories like yours, I find it painful. It is so hard when we see someone we love hurting themselves. But it is the wise person who understands that an integral part of being an adult is deciding what risks to take for ourselves. You are wise to try to enjoy your father as much as you can rather than pushing him away trying to force him to do something he is not yet ready for. With a gentle approach, there is always hope for the future. And in the mean time, you have each other for now. Good luck to you both.All the more reason why we need more ND’s who are classical naturopaths who work with their clients to educate them on wellness and prevention while they are healthy rather than expect the ones in mainstream medicine who get paid when you are sick to tell you how to prevent disease. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, like the good Dr Greger, Dr Furhman and a host of others. :-)I know some nurses and other health professionals socially but no Dr’s. When I lived in Sweden I met and became friends with several Dr’s. There seems to be a class structure in some societies that precludes mixing with the masses.Of course we ARE talking about human beings. Nurses (and I presume Dr’s) do become frustrated with people who refuse or are “unable” to give up the smokes…the drinks… you name it. After a while it becomes a we/they situation just for their own emotional protection.I do believe things are changing for the better…largely because of Dr G, the other good Dr.s who fight for WF/PB and the good people here who lead by example.Coacervate: The part of your comment that stood out for me was the end, “…lead by example.” I’m a huge believer in that. So much so, that sometimes my strong commitment/promise to myself to “lead by example” is the strongest motivator for me to pass up an opportunity to stray. “Oh that home-made chocolate cake sitting on the table in the break room at work looks so, so good. But there are three people in here with me and we all know that cake has eggs, milk and butter. If they see me take a slice, then I will be a very poor role model, confirming for them that a whole plant food diet is just too hard.” So, I don’t take a slice. :-)(In general, the ethical side of whole plant based eating is the strongest motivator for me. But sometimes in the moment, I am surprised that I am thinking more about helping my fellow humans at that specific time than thinking about the abused chickens and cows and global climate change.)Just sharing with you. Thank you for your comment.The problem stems in our Medical Education: as a first year medical student, who has embarked on this journey at 34, with the eventual goal to dedicate myself to promoting healthy lifestyle, I am realizing that medical school will not teach me much of what to promote. My first two years are an intense preparation for the board exam STEP 1, then another board exam, and another. Meanwhile, the entire journey is very unhealthy: many med students eat junk food, sit countless hours staring at the computers & are also very sleep deprived. When the ultimate goal of the medical school is to do well on the step exam, it is difficult to maintain perspective on what your ultimate purpose is. Fortunately, I am old enough to have created healthy lifestyle habits before I began medical school( which are still often compromised), whereas most of my 21+ year old classmates will spend the next 7 to 8 formative years in the curriculum that evaluates you on the ability to score well on the board exams. My school attempts to change this: we have ethic classes, community outreach opportunities, public health classes once a week but overworked, overwhelmed students just don’t take it as seriously as any other courses we are tested on.Gala: Speaking as a lay-person: Reading your post was actually uplifting to me. While you point out a lot of problems with Medical Education, I was heartened to read about you personally. If there’s one “Gala”, there’s going to be others too. We may have an uphill battle when it comes to education, but at least we are starting up the hill.Thanks for sharing your story.Those physicians who do know and care are called holistic medical doctors, i.e., CAM, which the allopathic medical profession has always and deliberately denigrated as ‘quackery’. No, it’s humane healthcare, putting a face on public healthcare. I matriculated in holistic healthcare and never regret a day that I chose that route, even though I, too, have been castigated for not thinking and following the sheep of misinformation about other ways of health management than toxic pharmaceuticals. Sorry to have to say this, but it needs to be said, I do believe. We have traded infectious diseases for long-term chronic diseases and at younger and younger ages, especially since mandated vaccination schedules. Check the demographics and cross-reference timelines with vaccine mandates. However, I see hope in the likes of Dr. Greger. Please keep up your exceptional good work, as it is a light unto your profession. Thanks for what you do.this is the saddest, hardest 3 minutes I have had to watch in a very long time. Good work doc, excellent work.The problem in my own clinical practice has been to come to the realization that I cannot force my own views of healthy nutrition on others. This is not the way it’s supposed to work – morally, ethically or pragmatically. I present the information and let the patient come to their own choices. Previously, I was being very dogmatic and over-promoting a vegan diet. I then spoke with a social worker (who is a psychotherapist) and she was appalled by the traditional medical model I have adopted. Even the language we use in medicine — “patient”, “compliance”, etc — is dogmatic and paternalistic. I now present choices, information, knowledge, even gentle recommendations and book suggestions, but I don’t enforce my attached, fixed beliefs on anyone. Sure a very few people will respond very directly to such an approach, but the vast majority will just ignore it. We have to introduce a ‘germ’ of an idea to people, so that they think it is coming from themselves, particularly as they read and realize the information for themselves. That is the most natural way and effective way of doing it. People who are deeply deluded will not alter their health choices no matter how much information we give them, or how much we hector and holler at them (trust me, I’ve tried)!You are absolutely correct….This is an important statement many who are passionate regarding healthy plant based diets have to understand. I myself struggle with this issue of being overly aggressive when promoting the benifits of such a diet. Presenting the info in a unaccusing way seems to have the best results.DGH at least you are bringing the WFPB diet up. And I assume discussing weight as well. Many referrals I get from MDs haven’t even brought diet and weight up. Someone has to begin the education process. Patients are clueless on nutrition and where to start. A referral to a WFPB nutritionists would be a great start.Yes I mention it and bring it up – nutrition and body weight. But it is only natural as I am running a vascular medicine practice and these issues are critical (in my view). While I am a clinical pharmacologist by training, I realize that diet, exercise, and stress reduction (coping strategies) are paramount. Our health care system does not adequately cover PT though, which is a shame, as it’s also the cornerstone of dealing with many health issues. And lastly, I don’t know of a local WFPB nutritionist I can refer to – very few of my patients would want to pay out of pocket for such a referral.I have diabetes and CAD. Wish I could be your patient! I know a lot about proper nutrition, probably more than most doctors, but I still need the support and encouragement of a knowledgeable professional to cheer me on and help me to succeed. This is also what many doctors miss. Patients can learn about good nutrition/ diet, that’s the easy part. The hard part is building a support system in a society that will criticize and buck your efforts at every turn. We need support from and by people who GET IT. Even if you are a successful WFPB dieter, there are perils and temptations around every corner and it’s very very difficult to stick to it. I’ve fallen off the wagon many times, but I keep getting back on because I know it’s right and the only way to save my life or at the very least, prolong it a bit. And of course, it increases my quality of life by leaps and bounds. However, I believe junk and processed foods sugar etc are drugs and when you put an addicts drug of choice in front of them, no amount of knowledge or willpower will keep them from picking up. That is the reality of the SAD these days. We are a nation of addicts and most people are walking around in a complete state of denial about it. Sorry to go on and on, but I’m very passionate about this subject. :-)I have seen how doctors eat, just like the rest of the general population. Perhaps the odd doctor eats a bit healthier. I got all of 2 lectures on nutrition in all of medical school (4 years) and none during internal medicine residency training (3 years) or during my fellowships (4 years). While perhaps there’s more now than when I trained, it was not so long ago.I do believe that if people were more mindful about the effects of what they were putting down their throats, then they would start to become more mindful about their food choices. After all, people don’t go around drinking vials labelled “poison”. But it is difficult to convince people that commonly eaten foodstuffs – like steak – are actually a very mild form of poison (not going to harm you today, tomorrow or the next day, but eating this way for years on end is just not good for long-term health). So it’s a struggle to educate people. There is so much cultural conditioning that we need to resist.And who hasn’t on occasion craved something we know is bad for us — I occasionally find myself craving pizza, even though I’ve had maybe one in the past two years. Just the sight of a pizza delivery car will bring back the memories. I never follow through on this sense desire because having noticed it in the first place, I am able to see it as simple craving, not to be reinforced or sated.DGH: This is such a great post. I especially resonated with the last two paragraphs.On your last point: The trigger is not pizza cars, but those dang pizza commercials on TV. When I see them picking up slices of pizza with stringy cheese dripping down, I still crave eating that pizza. It can be tough. (The one thing that helps me is that I tell myself, “If you are still so strongly craving cheese after 4 years of not eating it, then you were/are truly addicted. Do not feed the addiction!” Then, I think about the cows and that helps a lot. I *love* cows.)Well, I don’t own a TV anymore (got rid of it 13 months ago), so for me, it’s pizza cars and pizza advertising on buses and the like…. (and the smell of pizza at clinical rounds and in restaurants)….Smell!! That would be the real killer.Hey, I just happened to see the following new cookbook on Amazon. I’m sure it won’t replace real cheese, but the reviews look promising.The Cheesy Vegan: More Than 125 Plant-Based Recipes for Indulging in the World’s Ultimate Comfort Food I’m going to get it!My dad and brother died from colon cancer, 1988 and 2010 respectively…both were QUITE depressed before their diagnoses (sp?)…my dad was depressed after my mom died from alcoholism in 1983…and my brother was depressed due to job loss in 2008 (and he WENT BACK to smoking, which staggered me…half of his neck was cut away in the early 80’s due to throat cancer and why in the world he would return to such an insidious habit is beyond my comprehension!) and neither of them cared what they ate I suspect. I really doubt I could have reached either of them with this wonderful nutrition news BUT I endeavor to tell it to others who will listen! Thank you Dr. Greger for all you do!I just had to create a program proposal for an assignment in my ‘Changing Health Behavior and Health Education’ class. I chose plant-based nutrition education classes for physicians and hospital staff, as well as a hospital cafeteria makeover. If we have any hope of lessening the burden of preventable diseases, it will have to come from the top- the physicians. A patient is much more likely to follow the advice of their doctor, or at least seriously consider it- especially radical dietary changes! My own doctor has high triglycerides and blames heredity- he believes he eats extremely healthy- fish, & low-fat dairy. :( I think for many it comes down to misinformation, and perceived threat of a health issue. The only person who has asked me where I get my protein from- my doctor!Susan: My first reaction to your story was to smile, then sigh and think, “That’s just so classic. There has to be a million stories just like that in America/the western world.”My second reaction was to remind myself of the first part of your post and I wanted to thank you for your efforts. That’s just so cool. I hope your proposal goes somewhere! If not, well at least you tried.Thank you for your kind words, Thea! :) My husband and I are ethical vegans (as of 2 years ago), but only fairly recently committed to eating much healthier. I’m working on a master’s degree in Health Psychology- this proposal is part of our final assignment for the class. The day before it was due, my professor told me she’s vegan! I’m crossing my fingers, and waiting for her feedback- the pressure is on! Although this is an assignment, I hope to someday make this proposal to the local hospital in my town/county. Just trying to make a difference for animals and people!! Notice animals came first… ;)Susan, your proposal rocks! I don’t know if this is something you can consider down the road, but perhaps you can tweak (to improve) what you learn from your local hospital, and bring the proposal to tens, hundreds, or thousands of hospitals in the future, perhaps as a consultant. Your strategy is brilliant, and given your teacher understands the health benefits of veganism, I’m sure you will get a decent grade (at the very least) but also perhaps some shared wisdom. I’m so impressed with what you are doing.After my mother died, which I believe was in large part to poor lifestyle, I took care of my father. He couldn’t walk very far and wanted a wheelchair if any distance was involved. We had him go to the YMCA 5 days a week and changed his diet from very SAD to near vegan. Two months later, he lost 10 pounds and can climb 3 flights of stairs without problems. His blood pressure is also way down.Now that is a great story to start my day with!!!!!Thank you for sharing this anecdote. When one of my parents passes away, I will probably be the primary family caregiver and will have dietary control. Despite reading a recent article showing a vegan diet wasn’t as preventive for seniors as for younger people, your dad’s improvement shows that quality of life can certainly be increased. Thank you!Ed, I’m just being curious about your dad’s “near” vegan diet. I’m sure he must feel overjoyed with how his health has changed for the better — despite the (?) he’s still eating.This is an excellent video. I was visiting a relative in a heart hospital and was shocked to see a McDonald’s in the hospital, shocked to see that the “nutritious food” offered to the patient was white bread, white rice, enriched flour in pancakes – with butter. And shocked to see that milk was consumed at every meal. If a heart institute is unconcerned with patients making dietary changes then how can a family get a patient to make the changes?I work in a hospital just like this as an RN in the ICU in Houston. It pains me to see all these patients killing themselves with food and the doctors completely clueless about it. And the funny thing is every once in a while I’ll talk to someone (a patient or doctor) about my diet and the health benefits. And still, they think I’m the crazy one!I hear you Charles. When my husband was in the hospital he was fed horrific meals and would hardly eat anything on his plate. His first meal was barbecued pork, macaroni and cheese, chocolate cake, apple sauce and milk. He asked for beans without meat and a salad without cheese and to please not bring any more milk. They thought he was crazy and even told him they really couldn’t cook for a patient like him. I asked if I could bring in food for him and they wouldn’t allow it. He managed to survive the 9 days he was there but he was never so glad to get home to real, healthy food. Hospitals kill…PT: Reading stories like yours is one of the issues that makes me truly afraid of hospitals. When I got to the part about them not *allowing* you to bring healthy food to your husband, I get really angry. That’s abuse plain and simple, even if it is done in ignorance.Thanks for sharing. I’m glad your poor husband survived.Thank you Thea, I’m glad he survived too. They told me they couldn’t risk having some type of bacteria brought in with outside food, even though I would see plenty of patients eating hamburgers from McDonald’s. LOLIn Canada, you can ask for a vegan meal, and they accommodate, provided they can find foods suitable for your conditions (e.g. post-appendectomy requires very low amounts of fibre, but it can still be done a vegan way).It must be nice to have that option. US health system could certainly learn some things from our Canadian neighbors. : )I emailed Dr. G’s 2012 presentation (Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death) to my primary care doctor — a pretty smart russian-born D.O.with a wonderful bed-side manner. I hoped he would watch it and acknowledge. Not a peep. He knows I’m vegan and never gives me a thumbs up for doing so. Except for my musculoskeletal problems, I’m probably one of his healthiest 60 year old female patients — I take no medications. Lately though I sense he’s been taking a tad more interest. I think repetition of the message may be working.I’m not clear on what Dr. G. or the Yale doctor is saying, but if they are essentially asking doctors to be more aggressive about recommending a vegan, or vegan”ish” diet to their patients … I don’t think they are going to ask their patients to do something that they themselves “find too hard”.My boyfriend, who is a Doctor, is very passionate about this subject. He states that he runs into very few colleagues who seem interested in preventive healing in the form of diet and exercise suggestions and awareness for patients. He says, “You should see what Doctors eat in the cafeterias.” I formerly had a great physician, but I moved from that city. Since then, I’ve had dud and dud. One Dr. was so unhealthy that I thought he was going to drop dead on me. Another pleasant but overweight General Practitioner who knew nothing about Fibromyalgia, but sent me to a Rheumatologist who is SUPPOSED to know a good deal about it, yet did not. I knew more than he did. I saw 2 other clowns for something else; one who said I just needed to eat meat. Aaaiiiggghhh! I can’t take it anymore. I’m about to Google to see if you can actually find health-conscious Physicians. I want a physically fit Dr., who is a vegan, damnit! Well, I have one built-in, but he’s Podiatry only. In the interim, I’m my favorite Dr. of Knowledge, second to Dr. Greger, but you sort of have to have a GP for standard tests and physicals. *sigh*Hi Everything, Have you tried going to Dr Mcdougalls website? He has a list of doctors. Maybe someone practices in your area.No, I haven’t tried that yet. I just started looking into it. It only recently dawned on me that there might be those options out there! Thank you so much. I should tell my boyfriend to get listed on that site or one such. He is vegan and uber healthy at 56 y.o. He is in Podiatry, but he specializes in Diabetic feet issues. He’s always talking to his patients about making major lifestyle changes. Thanks, again! ~ EveyLike Pam Popper says- medical education has to change-there are plenty of doctors who have good intentions but they have never been schooled in nutrition. if they are seeing patients with degenerative diseases and they are not practicing nutrition, they are not practicing medicine. doctors are taught to mitigate and treat symptoms. we need to set the bar higher in the training of health care professionals. health care has to become outcome-oriented. we have to teach doctors that stopping progression of diseases & even reversing the diseases IS an option. treatment has to include something besides just drugs-drugs-drugs! docs were never taught in school that you can eat your way out of a disease!!Not all doctors are trained just to mitigate and treat symptoms. SOME are actually trained to help patients prevent symptoms. Again, so many blanket statements here. There are plenty of doctors who care, who DON’T push pills as the only answer, who practice healthy life styles and try to get others to. I am married to one. He is a D.O. and the focus is on prevention as well as treatment in his clinic. He is not a “floor mopper” but a “tapper turner off-er”. And hey, he even believes that there is antibiotic over use big time in this country – and that eating a plant based diet is an excellent way to stay healthy. Don’t be in despair people – there is hope. Who will YOU go to when you have broken a hip or have broken arm or need your appendix taken out? Nutrition and healthy life styles are a must of course, but I wager to bet that most people will seek out a skilled surgeon when they truly need one.Well calm down for heaven’s sake! Perhaps your husband is the exception. I have a lot of respect for doctors and don’t be silly – when I have needed help I went to see them. I would not be alive today if not for modern medicine-!This video really makes it clear why you do what you do. Getting the word out about the affect of food on health has the potential to save so, so many lives. I recently found a wonderful family practice near my home – Integrative Family Medicine – where they practice what is preached here. So refreshing.Lucky so far for having “healthy” doctors who support my 6 member Vegan family. The hospitals have been a little harder. Staff was great but when my husband was recouping from a serious battle with acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis (genetic), the “nutritionist” wanted to provide me pat guidance on being vegan (only 30+ years as) , while at the same time the meals provided were deplorable.Talking about lifestyle. I`ve adopted myself a healthier lifestyle through drinking shakes. I made a fruitshake and a vegetable shake. These shakes replace my normal daily food intake. I eat these shakes 5 days a week. On the weekends I eat regular food. But the thing is, even though I got all my info from dr Greger (and some other sources), I still am not quite so shure about the ingredients and my daily intake. I`m not a doctor, that`s why. So, my question would be, does anyone have any opinio about my shakes? Please feel free to comment on the list I made. I believe getting enough feedback from you guys is helping me create an even better shake diet.Fruit and vegetable shakes and smoothies can be very health promoting indeed. But I would develop strategies to minimize blending time because blending creates oxidation, which can result in nutrient loss. For instance, you might consider soaking seeds over night to reduce blending time. You might consider thawing frozen fruits or vegetables before blending for the same reason. Ideally, you should probably only blend enough to use immediately, or within a day or less, otherwise freeze a large amount of blended goodies, and thaw overnight. I always add spices to my smoothies, especially cloves, turmeric, ginger, and nutmeg. Spices add wonderful properties and phytonutrients, and I suspect help preserve the nutrient integrity of blended fruits and vegetables. As well, I will blend my seeds first and pour this product in a large bowl. I will then blend my kale and pour this product in the same bowl. Of course you can blend certain things at the same time. This strategy prevents the continuous blending, and oxidation of that which has already been sufficiently broken down.There are certain tradeoffs with blending that must be considered. Blending is a great way to easily combine optimal food choices in a single ‘meal.’ Since this method of consuming does not require chewing, salivation is minimized, and therefore nutrient processing is limited. This first and necessary stage in food processing is largely eliminated, resulting is incomplete digestion. Yes, of course, given the quality of the food choices, much is gained compared to the SAD. Still, in order to take full advantage of blending one must hold the semi-liquid in their mouths long enough to sufficiently salivate the contents. Yes, I know, this method defeats the pleasure of consuming such. Another possible alternative is to eat the semi-liquid like soup. I do not know how long one should hold the food product in one’s mouth. I usually hold a mouth full for about a minute of so. A mouth full is quite a lot to salivate. You decide. I’m not concerned with the ‘discomfort.’ I want the full benefit. There’s too much to gain. If you choose this method of consuming wonderful fruits, vegetables, and spices to supplement your food intake, understand that there are tradeoffs that should be acknowledged and adjusted for. I offer this information for your consideration.Talking about lifestyle medicine. I`ve adopted myself a healthier lifestyle through drinking shakes. Fruitshakes and vegetableshakes. I replaced normal food with these shakes for 5 days per week. On the weekends I eat regular food.Even though I got the information from dr Greger, I`m still not completely shure if this is the most perfect shake diet ever. I`m really curious about other people`s opinion about the ingredients of my shake diet. A bit of feedback would be welcome :)For example; is it okay to eat only shakes, even though they contain my daily necessary nutrition? (lazy bowels or something?)Please comment.I’d rather chomp down on real food than chugalug a liquid — but that’s just me. Never could understand why alcoholics like to swig whatever it is they like…one drink after another. How boring is that? Our pearly whites are meant for chewing, not just for flashing at people. :-DWell, honestly, it`s something you get used to after a while. But there`s a lot of difference between the two shakes. The fruitshake is absolutely tasteful, but the vegetableshake… hmm… that`s a tough one :p But that`s not realy the point I guess. The question is, is this a healthy way of taking in nutrition?Because of you and others believing in this philosophy, I have become a whole foods vegan in 2012 after fracturing my spine due to osteoporosis. More recently, I fell hard just before Thanksgiving, and fractured my pelvis. Just after I was released from the hospital after the initial injury, and upon looking at another X-ray, my physician said he would expect someone to grow pain within 3 months, but not 3 weeks! By the next visit, one month later, the bone in my pelvis was fully grown and replaced. Bone wise, I was healed. The same awestruck response occurred with my GP, who after ordering a whole series of blood tests, found ALL my numbers within the normal range and except for my thyroid gland, I needed NO medications. (I’m still working trying to reduce my weight). He said: I don’t l know what you are doing, but keep doing it. I tried to tell him, but I don’t know if it sank in. Eating whole foods and healthy Vegan works!From medical school on, medical students are taught to treat symptoms, not try and cure the disease. Pharmaceutical companies contribute heavily to medical schools and benefit with the treatments. But, patients are being fooled. The U.S. Economy runs by making people (and animals) sick, so they can be drugged, thus helping Big Pharma!John: Nice post!I too have a friend with diabetes to whom I gave a copy of the book, “Dr. Barnard’s Program For Reversing Diabetes”. She said she simply wasn’t going to do it. On one level, I interpreted that to mean, “I would rather die than change my diet.” But on a deeper level, I understand that you are right and that there are very strong cultural and emotional pressures that should not be discounted. Your description of the problem was well done.I have had type 2 diabetes for 10 years due to a severe case of gestational diabetes in my 30’s. After I gave birth to my baby, my endocrinologist informed that I had a 75% chance of developing type 2 within 10 years, yet he made no mention of how I could reduce my risk factors through lifestyle changes and weight loss. Well, ten years later I was dx’d with type 2 and have been struggling with it for the last ten. Now, I have read all the books and have learned a lot about vegan diet etc quit smoking ( several times) stopped drinking excessively ( a few times ) because of my diabetes I now have coronary artery disease. I know everything I need to know to live a healthy lifestyle but most importantly I WANT to change and no, I am not suicidal. People who can’t /won’t make changes are not suicidal and sometimes they are not even averse to making changes, they just find it too difficult to change on any permanent basis. I struggle with relapsing to SAD constantly. For example,mI went on Fuhrmans nutritarian vegan plan for several months many years ago and never felt better, never looked better and never was better, but I didn’t stick to it for more than a few months. Why? I don’t know for certain if it’s one thing, like John says, it’s complicated. It’s conditioning, it’s habit, it’s comforting, it’s memory. I’m still fighting the good fight. Have been vegan now 4 months and not smoking, drinking etc. but I’m still not where I want to be. Still eating sugar and some processed stuff. My point is I guess, is that I am highly motivated and even I find it extremely difficult to stick to it.Betty: I saw your other posts first and responded to them before I saw this post.re: “I am highly motivated and even I find it extremely difficult to stick to it.” I fully understand and sympathize. Congratulations on your 4 months! It’s worth taking a moment to acknowledge what you have accomplished so far. And it’s not just the 4 months, it’s all the education you have done for yourself.You story reminds me a bit of people who give up smoking. They say it takes X tries before the average smoker can give it up for good. I wonder if your eating patterns are like that too. In other words, that you tried to eat healthy before and it didn’t stick may just be part of your process. Since you keep trying, I’m thinking that you will succeed if you can find that right combination of motivation and ideas. Maybe this will be the time it sticks!I’ve given a couple of suggestions in my other posts. I have one more for you now after reading this post. It seems pretty common for some people to get to the “I can see how a whole plant food based diet is best understanding” strictly from the health angle. But for those people who are only motivated by health, I think it can be the hardest for them to stick to it. “That one serving of ___ today will not make a difference to my health.” And then the pleasure trap has you again. (I saw that you are familiar with that book. Good. :-) )This is why I suggest that people educate themselves on the other reasons for going plant based too. If you hit your emotions hard, it can really help to keep you honest. Watch the movie Earthlings. Then watch Cowspiracy. If you need more, check out Vegucated, Glass Walls, and Farm To Fridge. Really and truly understanding how that one meal may not hurt you this moment, but has huge consequences for the suffering of others can be a big help in preventing you from going back to SAD again.Hope that helps. And best of luck to you!PS: re: “…but I’m still not where I want to be. Still eating sugar and some processed stuff.” You and me both sister! But I see myself as going on a path, always working to tweak and make things a little better. I acknowledge how far I’ve come, without letting myself off the hook for the areas I still need to improve. I think that’s a natural part of change. Most people don’t go from SAD to 100% perfect diet over night. So, you recognize that you are not where you want to be. At least you are educated enough to know where you need to go. That puts you way ahead of most people in America. (not sure where you are from)Thanks Thea! I love your posts and everyone’s on here. This is an awesome thread. And so many smart and supportive ideas! Yes, I became an ethical vegetarian when I moved away from home at age 20 when I read Diet for A New America by John Robbins. My hero! It took awhile but I did learn about the ethical problems with dairy years later so I first became vegan about 10 years ago. I have since gone back and forth between Octo lovo and veganism for many years. I’ve eaten meat a handful of times in 32 years. However, Dairy and eggs and junk have been another story. Ugh.Thanks for all your kind words and thoughtful advice, Thea. I responded to you but it seems as though my comment got lost in cyberspace. I’m not going to re write everything, just wanted to let you know I heard you and I appreciate it. B.Betty: I’m not sure your response got lost in terms of really deleted. I have seen several (nice) responses from you. I think what happens is that the 3rd party program NutritionFacts uses to manage the comments, Disqus, does not always display the comments. You have to hit “load more comments” at the bottom of the screen to make all of the comments in a thread appear. Lots of people have reported that comments have disappeared when really what happened is a terribly annoying and inexcusable Disqus bug. (Not that I have strong feelings about Disqus or anything.)Just a guess on my part on what happened.You might find the book, The Pleasure Trap, of interest. The other lever for your friend going beyond Neal’s book… which many of my patients have found very helpful in reversing their type two diabetes… is Dr. Esselstyn’s book as it relates to arterial disease. I find folks change if the correct levers are applied at the right time. Unfortunately the financial incentives are such to support bad behaviors. For instance the number of gastric by-pass procedures would drop precipitously if the patients had to pay for the cost of the procedure and aftercare that is involved. That said not everyone will adopt or change their nutritional habits but I am surprised by my patients on a regular basis. There are a few studies which were done which showed that physicians who practice a WFPB diet are more successful at getting patients to change. I hope your friend does well.Love the Pleasure Trap. One of my favorite books on the subject. I’ve read it 3 times cover to cover and I STILL struggle with sticking to my healthy lifestyle changes. Education is not enough. We need support and encouragement.Betty: re: Support and encouragement. Have you looked into the PCRM program called 21 Day Kickstart? In addition to recipes, shopping lists, motivational stories, daily e-mails, etc, the free program comes with a Forum. I’m thinking that if you participated heavily on the forum, you could get some of that support. You could check in daily to report you ups and downs. You could ask questions. And since you have clearly done a great job of educating yourself, you could probably do a lot to help others too – which might in turn help you to stay on track. They describe the forum as, “Get answers from dieticians and social support to keep you motivated.” That’s why I thought to mention it.Just an idea. If interested, here is where you can register: http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/Awesome, thank you for the suggestion!Dear Dr. Greger, I was wondering about the conventional medical wisdom and your opinion of gene sequencing businesses like 23 and Me. Are they legitimate? Accurate? Is there one that you believe is more reputable than another? Should doctors encourage or discourage these tools when advising about lifestyle changes given genetic predispositions. Thanks for your input. Sincerely, Karyn ScherThanks for reposting this video! It is very poignant! It was great to see you and Dr. Katz tonight representing our profession together at the Lifestyle Medicine conference in San Diego. Thanks for all that you do– always (all ways). And thanks to Jennifer for being such a great advocate and supporter for you and the NF Team. It is great to see so many people coming together to help humanity. Namaste.I really love information on healthy, vegan “fast food” I know one of the reasons I’ve had trouble sticking to my healthy diet is because of convenience. Cooking all the time sucks- Let’s be honest, and most people don’t have the time or energy for it. I have found that Fast, vegan, and of course delicious recipes are the solution. If we can make healthy foods as quick, easy ( and as inexpensive) as SAD foods, then it would propel the cause a million miles!Try out this cookbook. Many plant based recipes and lots of fast and easy options that are nutritious and healthy. http://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Cookbook/dp/1583335587/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413829038&sr=8-1&keywords=prevent+and+reverse+heart+disease+cookbookBetty: re: ” Cooking all the time sucks” Right there with you!!I don’t think we can get completely away from cooking and still be all that healthy, but there are definitely lots of reasonable shortcuts that can be taken. In addition to Toxin’s suggestion, I recommend the following DVD for some great ideas just for people who want to eat healthy and yet hate cooking: http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Novicks-Fast-Food-1/dp/B00466DP42/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8I saw this DVD a long time ago. It’s awesome! Yes, it’s always going to take a bit more effort at times, but with the right skills and recipes it can be easy quick and tasty! I’m honing my skills and ideas and it seems to be helping a lot. when I just can’t see myself getting up to fix something ( or even use my brain enough to think of something to fix) I allow myself to order from the vegan or Asian restaraunts in my neighborhood. It sure helps to have that fall back and it feels like cheating, but I’m not. Of course I have to be careful about what I order, but it still feels like a treat just because somebody else prepared it! :-)I agree. We all need some shortcuts like that. I have a few of my own. :-)	amputations,blindness,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chronic diseases,diabetes,Dr. Dean Ornish,exercise,eye disease,eye health,heart disease,heart health,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,Lifestyle medicine,medical education,medical profession,mortality,smoking,stroke,tobacco,Yale	An editorial by the Director of Yale's Prevention Research Center on putting a face on the tragedy of millions suffering and dying from chronic diseases that could be prevented, treated, and reversed if doctors inspired lifestyle changes in their patients.	What did Ornish publish 23 years ago? See Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped.I think I’ve only profiled one other editorial (Ornish’s Convergence of Evidence), but this one really struck me (so much so I used it to close out my latest live presentation More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases).Why don’t more doctors practice lifestyle medicine? Two theories are offered in The Tomato Effect and Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Disease.For more on the power of our day-to-day choices, see:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amputations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21721959,
PLAIN-2646	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/	Dr. Burkitt’s F-Word Diet	The famous surgeon Denis Burkitt is better known for his discovery of a childhood cancer now known as Burkitt's lymphoma than for his 1979 international bestseller Don't Forget the Fibre in Your Diet.Anyone asked to list the twenty or more most important advances in health made in the last few decades would be likely to include none of what Dr. Burkitt considered to be among the most significant. What was the #1 most important advance in health according to one of the most famous medical figures of the 20th century? The fact that "Many of the major and commonest diseases in modern Western culture are universally rare in third- world communities, were uncommon even in the United States until after World War l, yet are now common in anyone following the Western lifestyle,” so it's not genetic, they're lifestyle diseases, which means they must be potentially preventable.Those eating the standard American diet have very high levels of all of these diseases —here are two examples—similar to the rates of disease in the ruling white class in apartheid Africa, whereas the rates in the Bantu population were very low. These native Africans ate the same three sisters diet of many Native Americans, a plant-based diet centered around corn, beans, and squash. In fact it was reported that cancer was so seldom seen in American Indians a century ago they were considered practically immune to cancer. What is meant by “very low” rates? 1300 autopsied over 5 years in a bantu hospital and less than ten cases of ischemic heart disease, our #1 killer.Their rates of heart and intestinal disease is similar to poor Indians, whereas wealthier Indians who ate more animal and refined foods were closer to those in Japan, until they moved to the U.S. and started living like us. And you can do similar charts for all the other so-called Western diseases, which Burkitt thought related to the major dietary changes that followed the lndustrial Revolution a reduction in healthy plant foods—the source of starch and fiber, and a great increase in consumption of animal fats, salt, and sugar. His theory was that it was the fiber. None of these diseases—including our #1 killer--are common in communities where large, soft stools are customarily passed. His thought was that all of these major diseases may be caused by a diet deficient in whole plant foods, the only natural source of fiber.Fiber? In a survey of 2,000 Americans, "Over 95% of graduate school-educated participants and health care providers weren't even aware of the daily recommended fiber intake. Doctors just don't know.If a floor is flooded as a result of a dripping tap, it is of little use to mop up the floor unless the tap is turned off. The water from the tap represents the cost of disease, the flooded floor the diseases filling our hospital beds. Medical students learn far more about methods of floor mopping and about turning off taps and doctors were specialist and mop some brushes can earn infinitely more than those dedicated to shutting off taps. And the drug companies sells rolls of paper towels, so patients can buy a new roll every day for the rest of their lives. To paraphrase Ogden Nash, modern medicine is making great progress, but just headed in the wrong direction.Preventive medicine, is, frankly, bad for business….	Is squatting to eliminate ever brought into as a factor as to better health? That is in many countries, chair like toilets are not used.Do squat in a gym, If you want to exercise more ! My guess is that it will be more efficient than changing your toilets chair. But you still can put a footstool under your feets, to mimic a “more natural posture”. It can help people that are constipated.I think its benefit is mechanical, in that it helps elimination of stool. If you are already backed up from lack of fiber it can help but it wouldn’t be a cure. There is a product I saw advertised on the net for some sort of stool designed to fit around your toilet to mimic squatting. It wasn’t really expensive if I remember..Great video Dr Gregor! I love the faucet analogy. Brilliant!I am assuming the life expectancy in rural Africa or among poor Indians is significantly lower than in the USA: was this variable taken into account in the mentioned research when comparing the causes of death? (PS: Thank you so much for your daily updates on nutritional science: what an amazing job, Dr. Greger!)J. F. Brock, H. Gordon. Ischaemic Heart Disease in African Populations. Postgrad Med J. 1959 35(402):223–232. : “Inter-racial epidemiology is a well-established procedure for investigating the aetiology of disease and for assessing the importance of environmental and genetic factors.”Sorry Barb, no loophole there. You’ll have to find another rabbit trail.Thank you for the reference. I am a huge fan of Dr. Greger’s videos and very much appreciate his ‘mission’. I am not an English native-speaker, and apologize if my comment sounded provocative, but it was not. As I don’t have access to the resource you mentioned, could you please tell me the bottom line? I know some of my “non-whole food, plant-based” friends, as well as relatives and co-workers will ask me the same question when I will show this video and would like to have an answer. Thanks.Hi Barbara from Italy: the age variable was indeed taken into account. You can find more details on that in the video Dr. Greger mentions above: “One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic.” Good luck spreading the word!Thank you so much, Maureen! :)It’s great to see another italian that seeks informations on this site, even for me this is one of my favourite sources of advices about human nutrition… che dire, ci becca in giro Barbara!! :-)Dr. Greger deserves worldwide attention! I am doing my best in North-East Italy, Atlanta, GA, and Upstate South Carolina ;) Ciao Merio!! Che sorpresa, un compatriota!! :)Già, un piacere davvero!! Chiamami pure Mauro!! Alla prossima!!I don’t know the methodological details here, but I wonder, though, whether age-matching would be sufficient control. The sorts of populations compared here do have significantly different life expectancies; given this, those who reach the ages at which lifestyle diseases typically manifest themselves in the group with much lower life expectancy might plausibly be expected to be significantly hardier, and to have fewer ancillary characteristics that could (for all we know) predispose people for these diseases, than those in the higher life expectancy group. So I’m curious as to whether they tried to control for this, which I imagine would be very difficult.I read it off the screen…on the video. Or Show them this one: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/I should be more polite. I am frustrated partly because I have had the course…a heart attack, bypass and extensive “counseling” by medical professionals. I followed the diet/exercise plan they recommended and within 5 years they were telling me I needed another bypass. Thankfully that was about the same time I saw FOK. 2.5 years eating WF/PB and my angina is gone, my chems are good.So forgive me if I have been too blunt. The bottom line is right there in bold with underlining. If people don’t get it, thats because they don’t want to, just as I didn’t until my little “warning”. Good luck.toto corde :)Beautiful, inspiring comment.Thank you.No problem, Coacervate… or better: quaesītiōnem nullam! :) Glad to know you feel better. Valē! :)Aloha, While the lifespan in many African countries is lower than the US, several countries in Africa due to overall economic improvements have moved up into the high 60’s regarding life span. The causes of death in Africa in general was not diet related but environmental and lack of adequate food supply.www.newjumpswing.comSpeaking of faucets, it’s important to increase your water consumption when you increase your fiber intake. This will help keep everything soft, and prevent you from getting “bunged up.” I have a 12-oz glass of water first thing in the morning before I have anything to eat, to get a good start.I have an internist colleague who proudly flaunts the fact that he eats whatever he wants (he is in his early 60’s and about 50 lbs. overweight) and through aggressive pharmacological manipulation is able to produce what would be considered healthy test results with respect to lipids, blood pressure, inflammatory markers and blood sugar. Of the six physicians with whom I work on a daily basis, none has any interest prevention, either for their patients or themselves.Psych MD: That’s just so sad.Since they include themselves in the “don’t care” category, that says to me that we don’t so much have a conspiracy problem as some people think, but a huge, huge cultural problem.Thanks for sharing.the problem i think falls into the training of health practitioners when they’re at university… that period of time is fundamental to address a MD towards his final goal… a lot of instruments are explained (surgery, pharmaceuticals etc), but nutrition, uhm, that is an underestimate topic… so sad…I 100% agree. Western food technology met “The Pleasure Trap” and we all lined up to mainline their junk. Outlawing McD’s is akin to soldiers trampling the poppy fields of Afghanistan… and would be about as effective. Hearts and minds…indeed:Today I met a man who stopped by while I was working in my veg garden. Said he’d heard I’d lost weight and beat diabetes. He’d had a silent heart attack. I was so excited at my fame. At last! A disciple. So natch, I blurted it all out, No meat, no coffee, Nothing with a face, or feet or earrings. He started reeling backwards, stumbling over a rake… No fish no eggs. My eyes started to bulge. NO OIL, I said. He was pushing me away… My heart was going like mad… No, I said, No I won’t NO.very funny CoacervateRe-joyce ;)Do you ever eat any corn chips, you know, the corn chips that are fried in oil, even the organic ones? And how about caffeine? Have you had to eliminate these things 100 percent from your diet?Hi Elsie, happy new yearThanks so much. Yes, I miss the corn chips but feel better without them. Much better.Happy New Year to you.It is a cultural problem and a problem of perceptions: People perceive they are successful if they eat steak and lobster, they are strong if they eat meat, they are good parents if their children drink their milk. All these perceptions are fueled by food industry marketing. As more strong, successful people (Clinton, Gore, athletes, etc.) talk about their WFPB diets, the perceptions will change. As more people reverse their health problems with this lifestyle, the perceptions will change.It’s so true that doctors like to treat symptoms instead of causes. They want the patient in and out fast and get paid… because they don’t care.Isn’t the lack of cancer due more to the lack of animal products than a particular item (fiber) – ie based on The China Study, etc. I’m getting less interested in ‘reductionist’ studies over time and more focused on whole foods.It does seem that higher fiber diets are correlated with less animal products and more phyto nutrients, etc. But fiber itself is thought to have benefits like moving waste out of the body more efficiently. It seems to me that we can have a holistic approach, but still delve into some particulars of why our strategy works, as long as we don’t imagine we are ever going to reduce nutrition down to some set of reductionist edicts.Excellent question! Despite the fact that fiber is one of the most crucial nutrients for gathering toxins in the body and removing them through the digestive tract, there are myriad factors that come into play in the reduction of risk for cancer and other chronic diseases. You are absolutely right that the reductionist idea ignores the synergistic effects of whole foods in the extraordinarily complex human body. Foods high in fiber come from plants, which also provide thousands of other health-promoting nutrients, such as phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Similarly, on the flip side, opting for whole plant foods crowds out the intake of harmful substances found in animal products and processed foods. Thus, it is a combination of incorporating the most health-promoting foods and avoiding health-damaging foods that leads to optimal health. For examples of the complexity of plant compounds and its relationship to cancer, see Phytates for the Treatment of Cancer and Plant-Based PreventionExcellent question! Despite the fact that fiber is one of the most crucial nutrients for gathering toxins in the body and removing them through the digestive tract, there are myriad factors that come into play in the reduction of risk for cancer and other chronic diseases. You are absolutely right that the reductionist idea ignores the synergistic effects of whole foods in the extraordinarily complex human body. Foods high in fiber come from plants, which also provide thousands of other health-promoting nutrients, such as phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Similarly, on the flip side, opting for whole plant foods crowds out the intake of harmful substances found in animal products and processed foods. Thus, it is a combination of incorporating the most health-promoting foods and avoiding health-damaging foods that leads to optimal health. For examples of the complexity of plant compounds and its relationship to cancer, see Phytates for the Treatment of Cancer and Plant-Based PreventionI hope you next video is about convincing Doctors to Embrace…. I want to see it and link has been removed.Here are portuguese subtitles for that video http://www.amara.org/en/videos/tTjGhI6TzMH0/info/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/Here are portuguese subtitles for that video. Can you add it to the original location? http://www.amara.org/en/videos/tTjGhI6TzMH0/info/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/“Preventive medicine is bad for business.” Depends on what kind of business you’re talking about. A change to a more healthful lifestyle would reduce the amount of money people spend on medical care, leaving them more money to spend on other things, which would be good for the businesses that provide those other things. It is, after all, consumer demand that drives the profits of business. Unlike the government which can take your money at the point of a gun, a business must appeal to your voluntary consent. It is, therefore, up to consumers to change their tastes and desires if they want businesses to provide them with something other than fast food.http://www.llu.edu/public-health/drayson-preventive-care/full-plate-program.page We need more programs and health institutions that promote programs like this that coincide with with the idea that Fiber is a key to a healthy lifestyle… Thank you Dr Burkitt for all your hard work and research!	Africa,animal fat,animal products,beans,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,corn,dietary guidelines,Dr. Denis Burkitt,fiber,heart disease,heart health,Japan,Lifestyle medicine,medical education,medical profession,mortality,Native Americans,plant-based diets,processed foods,salt,squash,standard American diet,stool size,sugar,vegans,vegetarians	The famous surgeon Denis Burkitt suggests an explanation for why many of our most common and deadliest diseases were rare or even nonexistent in populations eating plant-based diets.	More on this incredible story in One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic. How do we know that diet was the critical factor? Because when we place people stricken with these diseases on plant-based diets, in some cases their disease can be reversed (Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped). In fact it was the work of Burkitt and others in Africa that led to the disease reversal work of pioneers like Nathan Pritikin (Engineering a Cure).So if our major and commonest diseases are a result of lifestyle, why don’t more doctors practice lifestyle medicine? See: Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Disease. How can we inspire change in the profession? I’ll take a stab in my next video, Convincing Doctors to Embrace Lifestyle Medicine.More on fiber:And for more of the scoop on poop:So what’s the answer? How much fiber should we shoot for? Our evolutionary past may give us a hint: Paleolithic Lessons.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/native-americans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-denis-burkitt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/squash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22212999,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2006199,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1406058/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1787805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2320559,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21308015,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3530393/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1072556/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8450092,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13838030,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6283683,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2479700/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3031417,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1998476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23045195,
PLAIN-2647	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/	Prostate Cancer and Organic Milk vs. Almond Milk	Concern has been expressed about the fact that cow milk contains estrogens and could stimulate the growth of hormone-sensitive tumors, concern that the consumption of dairy products could both promote the conversion of precancerous lesions or mutated cells to invasive cancer and enhance the progression of hormone-dependent tumors.This was initially postulated based on suggestive population-scale data like this. 25-fold increase in prostate cancer in Japan since the war. What was happening to their diets during that period? A 5, 10, 20 fold increase in eggs, meat, and dairy consumption, whereas the rest of their diet remained pretty stable.But diet wasn't the only major change in Japanese lifestyles over the latter half century. Similarly, even though countries with higher milk consumption tend to have more prostate cancer deaths and countries with lower milk consumption fewer deaths, there could be hundreds of confounding variables, but it certainly does spur interest in studying the possibility.This recent study represents the other extreme, controlling for as many factors as possible just isolating prostate cancer cells out of the body in a petri dish and dripping cow milk on them directly. They chose organic cow's milk, because they wanted to exclude the effect of added hormones, and just test the effect of all the growth and sex hormones found naturally in all milk.They found that cows’ milk stimulated the growth of human prostate cancer cells in each of 14 separate experiments, producing an average increase in cancer growth rate of over 30%. In contrast, almond milk suppressed the growth of these cancer cells by over 30%.But just because something happens in a petri dish or a test tube doesn't mean the same thing happens in a person. It’s just suggestive evidence that you can use in a grant application or something to get money to study actual people. There's kind of two main ways that's done, retrospective studies looking back where you take prostate cancer patients and figure out what they ate in the past, and prospective studies looking forward where you look at people's diets first and follow them for a few years and see who gets cancer. The looking back kind are called case-control studies, because they look at cases of cancer and compare their diets to controls, and the looking forward kind are called cohort studies because you're following a cohort of people forward. Then, if you want to get fancy, you do a so-called meta-analysis, where you combine all the best studies done to date into one and see what the balance of available evidence shows. OK, so here we go:The latest meta-analysis of all the best case control studies ever done on the matter concludes that milk consumption is a risk factor for prostate cancer. And the latest meta-analysis of all the best cohort studies ever done also concludes that milk consumption is a risk factor for prostate cancer. An even newer study suggests that milk intake during adolescence may be particularly risky in terms of potentially setting one up for cancer later in life.Despite hormone-related cancers being among our top killers, as pointed out in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, we simply do not know which hormones, and how much, are in the food that we ingest. More effort has been directed at the investigation of illicit use of designer steroids by Olympians and ballplayers than to the investigation of the effect of dietaryhormones on cancer and other diseases that affect millions. A proposal is therefore made to monitor levels of steroid and other hormones and growth factors in all dairy and meat-containing foods, though to date this has not been done.	Dr. Greger- Thanks for the excellent synopsis explaining the differences between retrospective/case-control, prospective/cohort, and meta-analysis type studies. Perhaps those who follow your videos will someday qualify for an honorary degree in nutritional epidemiology. ;)So glad to help!Or..maybe we’ll just be healthy and understand why:)Dr. Greger, That was an excellent video that you made. More reason than ever to not consume animal products. My father had prostate cancer at age 64. He was vegetarian for 30 or 40 years, only consuming fish and copious amounts of low fat dairy (which he concentrated into homemade yogurt) as his animal protein sources. I doubt very much he had access to dairy as a teenager, as he grew up in a refugee camp in the newly founded state of Israel, and due to harsh economic conditions at that time, there was likely very little population-wide access to dairy … that was not how they were making the desert bloom. Of course the plural of anecdote is not data.Neat epidemiology graphic explaining the difference between cohort and case-control studies.Now my guess is that big pharma will make anti-estrogenic drugs to prevent prostate cancer in milk-consumers, rather than anyone actually promoting, at a governmental level, a dairy-free diet. Oh wait. I think that’s already been done — finasteride (Proscar), dulasteride (Avodart), and the big-time orchidectomizing chemotherapeutics are already here. Trust big pharma to cover us….I find it interesting that so many guys are worried about consuming soy (and soy milk) over concerns of getting estrogen, yet they give no second thoughts to consuming cow’s milk. Why not play it safe and just drink almond, hemp or other non-dairy milk?? I think the dairy industry has done an excellent job brainwashing us to think that milk does a body good.I just love all these vídeos!!!!!It isn’t just the hormones. Almond milk has markedly lower protein content than dairy milk, including some amino acids central to growth signalling, epigenetic programming, and cell proliferation (eg 11 mg vs 183 mg methionine, per cup of almond and dairy milk).Then eat 100 grams of black walnuts and you’ll get 467 mg. methionine throughout the day added to each meal or a small snack between meals. Or, cut that down to .50 grams and get 234 mg. Or, 100 g of pecans and get the same 183 mg. It all depends on why you drink almond milk besides methionine. For example, almost NO sugar vs 12 grams in cow’s milk and plenty of Ca which is difficult without the dairy group because of the oxalates in leafy greens that bind the Ca.I can’t say I understand your point.Adequate protein has a good side, excess protein has a bad side, and in both systemic (IGF-I etc) or cellular (mTOR etc) growth signalling plays a role in both. Current syntheses accounting for the chronic diseases (including cancer) of aging are now pointing directly at excess growth signalling as a, if not the, major culprit.High dietary oxalate does increase kidney stone risk by about 30% in men and post-menopausal women, but as little oxalate is absorbed, the major source of urinary oxalate is metabolism of glycine, glycolate, hydroxyproline, and vitamin C. To my knowledge, the one study on kidney stones in vegetarians found they had 40-60% lower incidence, despite higher dietary preformed oxalate.Daryl, On a side note, would eating foods high in phytate along with those high oxalate greens bind the oxalates?Even if they don’t bind in the intestine,Section 7.9 in this review.I”m sorry I did’t do better at explaining my point.I assume you are also aware that not all calcium oxalate gets stuck in the kidneys as large stones unable to pass. The vast majority flows right out with the rest of the trash.ANY oxalate will bind the Calcium whether it is high or low. That was reported in an Asian journal of nutrition some time back and they found that adding milk to green tea rendered some if not all the Calcium unavailable because it was also bound by the oxalates in the green tea. So high oxalate takes out more calcium and low takes out less calcium. The point is that ANY oxalate binds the Calcium. In the low oxalate greens that will be less Calcium but the calcium oxalate binding still occurs in direct proportion to the high or low oxalate content. And, since we never analyse our foods for current, individual amount on our plate prior to eating, I think it is much better to not make such a big push for greens eating based on their Calcium level, If someone gets another 50-100 mg Ca that remains available, great.Greens eating for the wide variety of nutrients and excellent nutritional value is great. But getting people to even THINK the Calcium is completely available to their body is not accurate so I don’t think it should be promoted as a significant source especially since the nut milks have good amounts of free unbound bioavailable Calcium in them, even better than the milk per 8 ounce serving size.I was also pointing out, at least I thought I was, that nuts in general have better methionine content than even cow’s milk. The amount of almonds has a direct bearing on this amino content so some brands will potentially have more and other brands less. But I don’t think this is a reason to downplay the nutritional advantage nut or coconut milks have over cow, goat, buffalo milk for a lot of people. The biggest difference to me for which I recommend it to my clients is the lack of sugars that are present in varying concentrates by species as “Mother’s Mammalian Milk” always is. While I know the individual milk for newborns of all mammalian background is extremely important, I believe that fades with age and therefore a switch to a better long term choice as we age and come up against other considerations for our maximum health, nut milks fill an important role in that transition while they may pail in comparisons based on a single amino comparison.While looking for various nutrients and their concentration is extremely interesting to me, I try not to do single nutrient analysis and base my recommendations on that single nutrient, If I did, my clients would go crazy trying to “Eat by the Nutrient” so I try to be more general than that. I just think nuts give a good run against mammalian milk on the whole and not based on the single amino. But it’s just a different opinion, NBD.I will try to explain better in the future. I have undergone a brief self-inflicted chastisement exercise on your behalf. :)You have an incredible breadth of understanding!Two questions about your comment:1/How do we know that the calcium in nut milk is bioavailable? I was just getting ready to ask Silk how they come up with that high calcium figure on their delicious almond milk, but maybe you know. Do they measure unbound calcium in the milk–or extrapolate based on nut content?2/ To what degree does phytate bind the calcium and methionine in almonds?The Blue Diamond product supplement is calcium carbonate. This supplement has more bioavailability than calcium citrate so the supplemental Ca in Blue Diamond unsweetened almond milk is generally recognized as 100% available.The calcium carbonate is the 2nd ingredient in this product. Therefore, the majority of the calcium in this particular almond milk is primarily due to the supplement. But almonds, when eaten as a nut, do have significant nutrition to them such as Ca, K and are very low in sugar. Less than half of the CHO in 23 almonds is not available because these nuts are high in fiber (resistant starch). Almonds put whole wheat items in the shade for their fiber. This fiber keeps the majority of the CHO being utilized in the large intestine that doesn’t raise the blood sugar. That is a significantly better choice for the vast majority of older people who may be battling diabetes and overweight conditions.Plus the calorie count in almond 8 oz is only 20% that of whole milk (149 vs 30), 25% that of 2% milk (120 vs 30), and only about 30% that of 1% milk (102 vs 30). Calorie for calorie almond milk is much better than animal milk of any kind that all have sugars and fats because their original use and design criteria was and remains to feed a newborn mammal. The fact that we can also use it for cheese is great.I am not aware of any “phytate” binding of either calcium or methionine in almonds.The big binder of Ca is oxalate and that is NOT in almonds unless, possibly, you eat the leaves off the trees. :)Why would 5% lactose in cows’ milk be any problem, except for those being lactose intolerant?Lactose is a slow-release sugar. Milk has an extremely low glycemic load of 5 per cup* and, of course, contains no “evil fructose”. So where’s the problem with that sugar?*Source: http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm5% is a relative term. Depends on whether you are a 35 year old male, 70 year old female or a 12 year old or a 3 year old. The total calories and carbs are totally different.For diabetics and others who are carb sensitive as well, even a slowly metabolized carb such as lactose can be a problem. In 8 oz milk, there are 12.32 g lactose Source: USDA NDB: 01077LDL b the artery hardening plaque is made from the “evil fructose” you seem to find so amusing. Guess you think still the “evil cholesterol” in human breast milk is still the bad guy in heart disease and not so much the high fructose sugars.in infant formula that way too many infants get fed who are now obese and diabetic at early ages.Yes, 5% is a relative term, relative to what is 100%. The carbs in cow’s milk are always about 5%, regardless of the age of the person who drinks it…There are no poeple who are “carb sensitive”. There are people who are lactose or fructose intolerant, but there doesn’t exist anything like “carb sensitivity”.After all, we have evolved to feed on starchy vegetables and some sweet fruits. They always consituted a major part of the human diet. Hence, even poeple wo are fructose intolerant usually tolerate small amounts of fructose from fruits.You don’t seem to understand the concept of a dose-response-relationship. It’s the dose that makes the poison. Large amounts of fast-absorbed fructose from soft drinks are bad for you, small amounts from fruits are perfectly healthy.I guess your solar powered calculator needs some sun time. The lactose content in 8 ounces whole milk is 12.32 grams and that X 4 cal per gram is 50 calories. Divided into 149 = 33% of the calories in a serving of milk is 33% milk sugar and not 5%.If you want to take it by the ounce, there’s 19 calories per ounce, 1.54 g lactose per ounce x 4 = 6 calories and 6/19 = 31% of the calories per ounce of milk is milk sugar. Still not 5% my friend. So it would seem you don’t understand dose-response at all when you don’t even have the dose calculated correctly.Diabetes is a carb sensitive condition in case you haven’t figured that one out. Many diabetics are able to manage their health very nicely by cutting back on carbs because they are SENSITIVE TO THEM. There’s also Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) that fructose sends their liver into a tail spin because fructose wrecks the liver for a LOT of people who don’t drink at all, metabolic syndrome is another carb sensitive condition.Fructose is fructose is fructose whether it comes from corn syrup or mangoes or orange juice or oranges or bananas — it ALL goes through the liver. Only about 16% of the fruits are fiber while almost half of the fruit sugar is fructose so the math seems to say that 16% fiber is a pretty leaky condom to protect the liver against an overload of fructose in case that will be your next argument as to how safe the fructose in fruit is for us.The veggies are far safer because they not only have lower levels of fructose they have a better fructose/fiber ratio to not overwork the liver nearly as much as fruits. Plus they have far better mineral numbers like potassium, calcium with and magnesium than any fruit ever hoped for. It’s just that bananas and oranges hired the press agents before zucchini, tomatoes, black eyed peas and cabbage did.1. I never talked about calories but about the glycemic load. You obviously don’t even know the definition of glycemic load. 2. Your argument is utterly absurd: most plant foods, including vegetables, have more than 70% carbs by calories.I don’t think it makes sense to continue this discussion.The glycemic load is NEVER expressed as percentage of anything. It is just represented and expressed as a number without any %. So the 5 should just be expressed as a 5 and not “5%” because it does NOT represent 5% at all. It is a stand alone number or value on a sliding scale that compares the value based on a slice of bread’s ability to raise blood glucose to 100. See how well that worked on real live people when Dr. Davis demonstrated that on real live people vs. a large Snickers bar for how truly irrelevant that scale is out of the lab on PATIENTS. Talk about who doesn’t know or understand the definition of the glycemic load.Vegetables are carbs but they don’t have so much of their carbs invested in fructose type sugar carbs but a better balance of carbs than fruits do.Take zucchini, please. 100 grams has 17 calories and 5 calories ( 30%) protein, 2.11 net carbs 8 calories (47%) divided 1/3 glucose 1/3 fiber and 1/3 fructose. Much healthier than any fruit alive or harvested. That’s why most of the newer research and healthier, more successful diet recommendations now have almost unrestricted non starchy veggies, limited, occasional lactose dairy, limited carbs and extremely limited sugars.Feel free to ignore anything I say. So far you’ve been doing a good job of it.Now this is really my last reply:I have never said that the GL is 5%. I said that milk contains 5% of lactose (by weight, obviously) – to which you responded with some incoherent drivel about age and relativity – and that milk has an GL of 5. And I also explained that the slowly digested lactose (as evident by the GL) is entirely metabolized to glucose, which makes the rest of what you wrote just as inept as the first part of your response.Could you explain the difference between systemic and cellular growth signalling?Global regulation of cell activity occurs through a complex network of protein binding, protein alteration, DNA transcription, post-transcriptional alterations etc. Its far too complex to be encompassed in any textbook (or any expert), but some signalling pathways have more far reaching effects than others, and include signal integration hubs, which are attractive targets for dietary and pharmaceutical interventions. A main pathway for growth signalling is insulin/IGF/mTOR:insulin & IGF-1 (whole body serum) ↓ IR/IGFR (at cell membrane) ↓ IRS ↓ PI3K ↓ AKT → glucose uptake, ⊣ FoxO ↓ TSC2 ↓ RHEB ↓ mTOR → 4E-BP (protein synthesis) → S6K1 (protein synthesis) ⊣ Foxa ⊣ autophagy (cell “recycling day”)Darryl,Are you interested in a small contract editing a simple e-book for lay folks? If so, please just leave a reply on my website, http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/about/. Thanks for all your helpful explanations.Darryl, Interested in some simple contract work? I need to hire an informed editor for a short book I’m writing directed at layfolks.hsugarmill@sympatico.ca, if you want to discuss.German dermatologist Dr. Bodo Melnik has published lots of work on the connection between dairy and abnormal signalling. He thinks that the amino acid leucine is also an important culprit, setting off a chain of reactions that leads to higher insulin and IGF-1. He also says cow’s milk can cause acne because leucine activates sebaceous glands. Here’s one short article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3856498/In my original comment, I also singled out leucine (a cup of dairy milk has 647 mg, vs 41 mg in almond milk). There’s a reason bodybuilders supplement with branched chain amino acids: the major BCAA, leucine, independent of IGF-1, stimulates a protein complex called mTOR for both good and bad. In the hypothalamus, this appears to be the main mechanism for increased satiety with high-protein diets, but mTOR activation’s main function is to shift cellular balances towards anabolism and away from catabolism. Unfortunately, stimulating protein synthesis and inhibiting proteolytic activity through mTOR also increases the proliferation of cancer cells. And some catabolic processes like autophagy are vital to clearing misfolded and aggregated proteins believed to contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.I’ve recently, a few months now, switched away from any dairy, fish or meat and have been eating TJ’s plain coconut milk with my oatmeal every morning. I get the feeling I should give up the coconut milk also. I’ve watched many of your videos and I recall you saying there is a problem with the saturated fat content. Is that to much fat for when fighting prostrate and any other cancers? Also my red blood cell count is below normal now, could that be related to the vegan diet?great questions, joe v.i hope dr. greger can answer these.“Also my red blood cell count is below normal now, could that be related to the vegan diet?”Did you have the levels checked before you switched?Not that carrageenan is necessarily related to prostate cancer, but I’m pretty sure there are no brands of coconut milk that do not contain carrageenan. So Delicious claims they’re working on a new recipe (sans the carrageenan), but so far, they’re the only ones I’m aware of who’s bothering to do so. There’s been a lot of bad press over the past few years about carrageenan in foods — although it’s said to be the “good” kind.I believe Silk doesnt have carrageenanhttp://raypeat.com/articles/articles/prostate-cancer.shtmlMilk is the most bizarre food humans ingest – made for baby cows (the purpose is to make a calf into a cow in one year), containing growth factors, disease promoting proteins, pus cells and it is heavily polluted (rocket fuel has been found – and my guess is that the upper safe level is zero – flame retardants, antibiotics, and of course pesticides). Milk is linked to disease, allergies, and obesity – not health.I drink raw GOAT milk not cow milk. Now tell me how bad goat milk is.Charles, I`m not familiar with any studies on goat milk, but my best guess is that goat milk is for baby goats. Regarding your PSA – thats great. Studies are on risk factors, not guarantees to get sick. Some people smoke, drink, eat meat, drink milk and never get sick, but for most people this behaviour increase the risk for disease.…Your not familiar…but your guess is….. You do far far more harm than good. I suggest you do a little research before guessing and giving advice… Raw got milk and cows milk are the healthiest things one can ingest.. Buy the way you can live solely on raw milk and nothing else and live a long healthy life, it’s been documented after throat injuries. FYI…raw milk is so similar to the make up of human blood it was referred to as White Blood throughout Europe and America..wow—Marty, this comment is something out of the twilight zone.nice list,Doc…but let’s not forget Radiation c/o FukUshima:Dairy and meat. The higher on the food chain, the higher the concentration of radioactive materials may be. Dairy products in particular may be the most contaminated item, because the living creature has eaten the contaminated grass, other foods and water (from contaminated rain that forms from the Pacific and atmospheric particles); the radiation from which is stored it in its body and passed on to whoever eats it. After the Chernobyl disaster there were numerous cases of children becoming severely ill from drinking cow’s milk. – See more at: http://ultraculture.org/blog/2013/09/05/foods-naturally-protect-fukushima-radiation/#sthash.zzbcofH7.dpuf AND Radiation levels in US food seem to rising gradually ever since 3/11/2011. “New EPA milk samples in Hawaii show radiation in milk at up to 800% above limits for C-134, 633% above limits for C-137 and 600% above EPA maximum for I-131 for a total of 2033%, or 20.33 times, above the federal drinking water limits. These levels have been rising ever since the Fukushima accident, and show no signs of stopping. .. http://agreenroad.blogspot.ca/2012/04/fukushima-hawaii-arizona-dairy-milk.htmlSuch a fool…. Check out the 10,000 documented cases by dr crewe, founder of the mayo clinic. A massive resurgence of raw milk throughout Europe. A recent 3 nation study to determine why today’s youth are so sickly determined the Amish youth in Pennsylvania are so healthy as a direct result of raw milk. They all agreed the Amish were to be studied because of there amazing health.. I could go on and on but anyone can search the Internet. On a personal note at 62 I had a laminectomy, spine surgery, C-3,4,5,6,7. All 3 pre op doctors couldn’t believe the shape I’m in. They were all about my age yet seemed much older. After I informed them of the benefits of raw milk 2 are now drinking raw milk. My surgeon was at a loss as a result of my rapid recovery. Performing 6 to 8 spinal operations a week out of saint Johns in Santa Monica he simply does not see people heal or rebound from such a surgery in a matter of week… I’ve been drinking one quart of raw milk a day since 1976 have educated many doctors ect..tPlease no ad hominem attacks. We’re all for a vigorous debate (even vehement disagreement!), but no name-calling, please.I drink raw goat milk that my wife an I purchase directly from the farm. I also consume full fat goat milk yogurt and full fat goat milk kefir.My PSA test levels have NEVER exceeded 0.5.These are the ingredients in unsweetened Almond Breeze Pure Almond MilkINGREDIENTS: ALMONDMILK (FILTERED WATER, ALMONDS), CALCIUM CARBONATE, SEA SALT, POTASSIUM CITRATE, CARRAGEENAN, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVOR, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D2 AND D-ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL (NATURAL VITAMIN E).Silk Pure Almond Milk UnsweetenedINGREDIENTS: Almondmilk (Filtered Water, Almonds), Sea Salt, Natural Flavor, Locust Bean Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Gellan Gum. VITAMINS & MINERALS: Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Acetate, Zinc Gluconate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D2.SO – Dr Greger – are these really “healthy”Vitamin D2?? ReallyEvery commercially available Almond milk contains Vitamin D2!!I personally would prefer almond milk without the added chalk and riboflavin. Alas, commerce is driven to emulate dairy milk. There are hundreds of guides online for homemade almond milk. They’re all more or less the same as that for amygdalate in the late 13th century Le Viandier de Taillevent.D2 is simply the plant sourced vitamin D, and is fully bioequivalent.“Vitamin D2, which comes from the UV irradiation of ergosterol obtained from yeast,”I’ll pass.Leave mushrooms outside on a sunny day, preferably gill-side up, and they’ll produce more than enough D, though those living at lower latitudes would get more by sunning themselves.You mean mushrooms can make vitamin D even at higher latitudes ? I’ve read that the angle of the winter sun at latitudes above the 35th parallel prevents people from making D. Are ‘shrooms different?It’s the same reaction to produce vitamin D from precursors in our skin and in mushrooms, so no, mushrooms won’t produce very much active vitamin D at high latitudes during winter. Any UVB or UVC source (like germicidal sterilizing lamps) would work, and I’ve seen some reasonably priced sterilizing drawers for salon tools that might work (alternatively, a UVB tube in an old desk lamp under a foil tent). it might pay off after a few years compared to vegan D supplements (fungal D2 or lichen D3).yes exactly! Your point of how even the health food makers feel they have to copy what junk food makers do to keep even marginal profits is so accurate! I have seen this first hand in planning meetings.I personaly wish I could find one with no viamin additives AND no cargeenan, as that gives me very bad internal inflammation. As of now I’m stuck with west soy organic soy and no almond milk product, so maybe I’ll give the homemade version you mentioned a shot. They can’t taste any worse than plain water.I have seen organic almond milk available in the grocery store with no additives. But why would anyone drink it, because it lacks enrichment with calcium. And I have not heard of any problems with excess riboflavin, only with too little riboflavin (poor mucosal healing and hyper-homocysteinemia). As a water-soluble vitamin with no fat or hepatic storage, it should be readily excreted.With the calcium fortification you either get a chalky flavor when added to soups (calcium carbonate) or substantial phosphate (tricalcium phosphate). The riboflavin is probably harmless, but this paper made me wary of excess (to be fair, it may be high consumption of enriched white flour products that accounts for those results).I am concerned about these biomarker data because of the B complex I consume, on top of about a cup of fortified almond milk per day.However, in the Physicians Health Study II, which used Centrum 50 Plus, there was a statistically significant reduction in cancers and fatal myocardial infarction in the group allocated to receive multivitamin. Surely that multivitamin has plenty of the B series of vitamins.As a vegan, I realized my diet is already quite low in some of the B vitamins (riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenate), and, as you have noted before, deficiency states are much more likely to lead to malignancies than excess states. In fact, on occasion, since becoming vegan, I have suffered from angular stomatitis, which is a painful cracking of the corner of the lips and relates to impaired mucosal healing, largely from deficiencies of B vitamins (but zinc, iron and possibly vitamin A deficiency can also lead to this condition).Do you think the consumption of enriched white flour products is harmful because of the high glycemic index (essentially simple starch and therefore sugar-insulin spiking?), or is it the addition of B series vitamins to the flour that concerns you?I’ve just read the paper in Carcinogenesis. I am not sure how applicable these results are to vegans, since they measure retinol-genome damage associations, and vegans should have zero intake of retinol. Hence, the data for riboflavin may not apply to vegans, as this is clearly a different population. That and the fact they are using a mechanistic biomarker rather than clinically relevant outcomes makes me wonder about the applicability of this research to the issue of whether or not a 25% RDA for riboflavin added to a cup of almond milk causes long-term clinically important harms.I, too, struggle with why those 3 B-vitamins were problematic in the Fenech study, as deficiencies of B2 and biotin are definitely associated with DNA damage. It may reflect other components of foods particularly high in B2, B5, and biotin (liver, kidney, eggs, or yeast).And perhaps with supplemental-scale doses, transient levels can be harmful. B2 is a potent photosensitizer, as also discussed in this more general audience editorial. Fenech also goes into more detail about the complicated interaction of MTHFR polymorphisms, folate, and riboflavin in this paper – with low folate intake, both riboflavin deficiency and high riboflavin could plausibly increase DNA damage.I’m not aware of potentially genotoxic mechanisms for excess B5 or biotin.Many papers have shown that there are associations between low levels or intakes of folic acid and B6, for example, and colon and lung cancer. However, when the definitive randomized trials were done, there was absolutely no evidence of benefit, and possibly evidence of harm. Thus I think these associative studies are actually not a useful source of information on which supplements to take. It is possible that low levels or intakes of B vitamins may be socioeconomically confounded, or perhaps other, more important molecules found in B-vitamin rich foodstuffs are really causal – hence the need for whole foods and not just supplements.I ask….”why would anyone drink something that contains synthetic vitamins?”Any idea whether the phytates in almond milk bind all that calcium? Yes, phytates do bind calcium, but I’m not sure how phytate levels in the nut milk compare to phytate levels in the nut. Do you have any idea?I just make my own, water, the minerals in water, almonds. Soak almonds in water in the fridge overnight, rinse, 3 cups tap water to 1 cup almonds, blend 5 minutes, strain through cheesecloth. Add 1 Tsp vanilla if desired. Keeps 4-5 days in the refrigerator. It is 4 times more concentrated than store-bought. Overall a very simple process.What’s really saddening is the hottest topic of today the safety of eating GMO plant foods is not fully covered here yet!(((You’re educating your viewers on how to compare studies. That’s wonderful!What about yogurt? And goat milk/yogurt? Do they contribute to the same risk factors, or are processed in a way that eliminates the presence of the hormones in question? I’d love to research more about it.In the Japan experience study, I don’t see any reference to the nuclear radiation. I would have thought this would have been a factor to at least rule out? Has anyone seen any data about this, versus the increased dairy, etc? Without any mention of it, I would think it hard to pin this on dairy.I suspect it would have a negligible effect on cancer measures in the general population. In 86,572 A-bomb survivors, 440 (5%) of solid cancer deaths 1950–1997 are estimated to result from radiation exposure. Only 17,464 had higher doses ( > 0.1 Sv) significantly associated with solid cancer mortality, while the 37,458 with the lowest exposure ( < 0.005 Sv) actually had an insignificant reduction in risk compared to non-exposed Japanese. Considering Japan's crude cancer mortality (almost all solid cancer) and population growth, I estimate that about 87 million Japanese have died from cancer from 1950-1997. The excess attributable to the A-bomb radiation would be somewhere around 0.0051%.Thanks for this. My husband was sitting right behind me while I was watching this, and we are so glad we are not consumers of dairy milk.Dear Dr Gregor, I had Gleason 8, invasive, node positive prostate cancer 15 years ago with my mortality curve showing me dead 5 years ago. I have closely followed dietary management including lots of onion/garlic, berries, cruciferous foods, no meat, and home made almond milk on my oatmeal. My PSA is undetectable, and, as an MD, I know a study of one is meaningless but I will keep on following your advice and will be interested to see if big agribusiness ever allows a USA “China Study” which desperately needs to be done. I have advised patients, friends, and family to follow you as well. Thank you.Robert, could you tell me if you had any treatments or did you just change your diet? My husband has a elevated PSA and is in the process of having a biopsy in the next few weeks (also family history). He has changed to a vegan diet (with a little fish) but so far it hasn’t brought the PSA down. thank you for any info.Surgery initially and 4 years of hormone suppression. John Hopkins is the best for surgery and Dana Farber in Boston for medical treatment. I think having a good oncologist is the very first step and that diet maximizes ability to respond to mainstream treatments. I would not underestimate love, family support, and spirituality. Try to enjoy life. BobRobert: Thank you for sharing your story! What a great outcome. And thank you for being one of the good-guy MDs. Everyone who helps spread the word gets us a bit closer to that tipping point where the idea will (hopefully) take root in our culture. We need more MDs like you.hmmmm – don’t suppose the radiation from WWII bombs would affect their cancer rate much?Excellent video! Sorry if this has been discussed in the thread but while scanning through the comments I could not see a satisfactory answer to this: how does the consumption of soy milk relate to this prostate cancer risk? Are there any studies similar to the ones discussed in the video comparing soy milk with cow’s milk and other milk alternatives such as almond, hemp, oat, etc. I try to limit soy if possible but I would like to know whether there are any guidelines regarding safe levels of soy consumption with respect to the xenoestrogens in soy?Hi GoPlants, there is a whole section on soy here, with several videos specifically looking at the beneficial effects of soy on cancer prevention/treatment:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/A few studies I was able to find very quickly regarding soy and prostate cancer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18492603 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23936419 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17142033 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14628433 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17923857 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20309614 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17304503It’s well established now that soy does prevent prostate cancer, with much of the research now focused more on elucidating the specific mechanisms, as well as using soy to enhance and augment conventional treatments.You’ll see that most of the studies focus on daidzein and genistein, which are the “phytoestrogens” in soy that people commonly fear. They should not be feared, but embraced as a well established means to prevent and treat cancer.If we consume milk after boiling milk, does effect of hormones on body. Since the hormones are bio-molecules, do these molecules denatured ?The petri dish experiment was interesting, but was there any test done on healthy cells? The almond milk caused a decrease in the growth of the cancer cells, which is good, but does it have that same effect on healthy cells? And if so, isn’t that a bad thing?THE TRUTH ABOUT CANCER Cancer- You have read about it – You hear about it -You see it on TV – But there is one thing you are never told – the TRUTH. You are never told the truth about the incidence of cancer. It is growing by leaps and bounds. In 1960 1 out of 4 people had cancer. Today it is 1 out of 3. Soon it will be 1 out of 2. In just the last 30 years the incidence of cancer has gone up a shocking 40%. This year, well over 1,250,000 Americans will get cancer. And all of this while Americans are spending mega billions of dollars on cancer treatment and research. You are never told the truth about cancer death. Death from cancer is on a rapid rise. It has now overtaken heart disease as America’s # 1 killer. This year, over 650,000 Americans will die with cancer in spite of the best therapy that conventional medicine has to offer. info@valueplusplus.comGot micro RNA 21?what about yogurt doc? please helpuma, Unless you are talking about a non-dairy yogurt, yogurt is just concentrated dairy. So, this video applies. Here are some other videos on the topic of dairy: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=dairyBottom Line: Not good for you.Dr. Greger,I have a question about store bought almond milk vs. homemade almond milk. I have read that conflicting information about this. One says that store bought almond milk is better as it has vitamin D which assist in calcium absorption as well as other added vitamins which are beneficial, whereas homemade almond milk does not have these vitamins and on it’s own has very little calcium. The other information which I have read which conflicts with this says that the store bought milk are full of additives like synthetic vitamins and emulsifiers which is damaging to health as it stresses the immune system and contributes to chronic disease.I am somewhat left feeling very confused and want to make the right choice, especially as I have a toddler and I myself am pregnant so need to know what is the best route to getting enough calcium through almond milk.Looking forward to your response.thank you very much. (: it really helps me deal with my health issues.Look at it this way… no matter what you do, we are all going to die at some point in time.mb: Yes, we are all going to die. But some of us will die peacefully in our sleep at the end of a very long and healthy life. On the other hand, some of us will experience years of physical pain and suffering before dying a difficult, unnaturally early death. Those who want to maximize their choices for the first option are interested in the information on this site.GO THEA!Could the fat content in almond milk cause any problems? The total fat content in some brands are higher than the total of light cow’s milk, although the amount saturated fat is very low.Which is healthier: unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened fax milk which contains flax oil, tapioca starch, sunflower lecithin, gellan gum xanthum gum, etc? I love all the videos. Thanks in advance.Hey TJ. Good question. I think the less additives the better. Here is a link about xanthan gum. It doesn’t appear harmful so both seem like a fine option.In the recent meta-analysis (goo.gl/GPPljG, cited in a recent post on G+ by NuttritionFacts) we can read:“In conclusion, we showed increased risk of prostate cancer with intakes of total dairy, milk, cheese, low fat and skim milk combined, total calcium, dietary calcium, and dairy calcium but no association with supplemental calcium or nondairy calcium and an inverse association for whole milk.”This is very curious! It seems to me that the advantages of drinking whole milk (within the suggested portions) overwhelms the disadvantages.	almond milk,cancer,dairy,eggs,estrogen,factory farming practices,farm animals,growth promoters,hormones,Japan,meat,men's health,metastases,milk,mortality,organic foods,organic milk,prostate cancer,prostate health,steroids	Does the hormonal stimulation of human prostate cancer cells by cow milk in a petri dish translate out clinically in studies of human populations?	I touched previously on the prostate cancer data in one of my oldest videos, Slowing the Growth of Cancer. Other factors may play into the link between cancer and dairy consumption including industrial pollutants (Industrial Carcinogens in Animal Fat) and IGF-1 (How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1?), but for more on the hormones in dairy see:What about all the studies suggesting milk “does a body good”? See my video Food Industry “Funding Effect”.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/growth-promoters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249408/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12606246,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17704029,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15203374,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12710911,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22043817,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11857417,
PLAIN-2648	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/	Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric?	Following flax and wheatgrass, turmeric is the third best-selling botanical dietary supplement, racking up $12 million in sales, and sales are increasing at rate of 20%.Curcumin is a natural plant product extracted from the turmeric root, used commonly as a food additive, popular for its pleasant mild aroma and exotic yellow color, considered unlikely to cause side effects. Just because something is natural, though, doesn't mean it's not toxic. Strychnine is natural; cyanide is natural. Lead, mercury and plutonium are all elements—can't get more natural than that. But turmeric is just a plant. Plants can't be dangerous. Tell that to Socrates.In considering the validity of the widely accepted notion that complementary and alternative medicine is a safer approach to therapy, we must remind ourselves and our patients that a therapy that exerts a biologic effect is, by definition, a drug and can have toxicity. It cannot be assumed that diet-derived agents will be innocuous when administered as pharmaceutical formulations at doses likely to exceed those consumed in the diet.Traditional Indian diets may include as much as a teaspoon of turmeric a day, which is the equivalent of about this much fresh turmeric root. If you look at the doses of turmeric that have been used in human studies, they range from less then just a 16th of a teaspoon a day up two tablespoons a day for over a month. Whereas the curcumin trials have used up to the amount found in cups of the spice, around 100 times more than what curry lovers have been eating for centuries.Still without overt serious side effects in the short-term, but if one combined both high dose curcumin with black pepper for that 2000% bioavailability boost, that could be like consuming the equivalent of 29 cups of turmeric a day. That kind of intake could bring peak blood levels up around here, where you start seeing some significant DNA damage in vitro.So just incorporating turmeric into your cooking may be better than taking curcumin supplements, especially during pregnancy. The only other contraindication cited in the most recent review was the potential to trigger gallbladder pain in individuals with gallstones.If anything, curcumin may help protect liver function and help prevent gallstones by acting as a cholecystokinetic agent, meaning it facilitates the pumping action of the gallbaldder to keep the bile from stagnating. In this study they gave people a small dose of curcumin, about the amount found in like a quarter teaspoon of turmeric and using ultrasound were able to visualize the gallbladder squeezing down in response, with an average change in volume of about 29%. Optimally, though, you'd want to like squeeze it in half, so they repeated the experiment with different doses. And it took about 40 milligrams to get a 50% contraction. That's about a third of a teaspoon of turmeric every day. On one hand that's great—totally doable, but on the other hand I'm thinking wow, that's some incredibly powerful stuff. What if you had a gallbladder obstruction? if you had a stone blocking your bile duct and you eat something that makes your gallbladder squeeze that could hurt like heck! So patients with biliary tract obstruction should be careful about consuming curcumin, but for everyone else these results suggest that curcumin can effectively induce the gallbladder to empty and thereby reduce the risk of gallstone formation and ultimately even gall bladder cancer.Too much turmeric, though, may increase the risk of kidney stones. As I mentioned in a previous video, turmeric is high in soluble oxalates, which can bind to calcium and form insoluble calcium oxalate, which is responsible for approximately 75% of all kidney stones, so the consumption of even moderate amounts of turmeric would not be recommended for people with a tendency to form kidney stones. Such folks should restrict the consumption of total dietary oxalate to less than 40 to 50 mg/day, which means no more than at most, a teaspoon of turmeric. So for example those with gout are by definition, it appears, at high risk for kidney stones, and so if their doctor wanted to treat gout inflammation with high dose turmeric, then that's where curcumin supplements might come into play, because to reach high levels of curcumin in turmeric form would incur too much of an oxalate load.If you are going to take a supplement, how do you choose? The latest review recommends purchasing from Western suppliers that follow recommended Good Manufacturing Practices, which may decrease the likelihood you're buying an adulterated product.	Thank you for alerting the masses to this.Same goes for LUPUS patients and garlic. Just because it is natural does not mean it is wise to ingest. John Hopkins Lupus Center, from what I am told, advises those with LUPUS to avoid garlic in all shapes and forms. Makes one wonder what else that is natural and used in the diet to spice up food that might actually be causing issues, not just in LUPUS, but in those with other autoimmune diseases/disorders. Potatoes and tomatoes cause me far more joint pain and arthritus then many meat based products. Not a free pass to eat meat and eggs and milk and all, but that little tomato and baked potato are natural, and they seem to naturally cause a lot of people intense pain.Funny, because my symptoms of Lupus disappeared with a gluten free diet, also was allergic to eggs. Once I removed these things from the menu my health returned 100%.Both tomatoes and potatoes are from the nightshade family and are suggested to be eliminated from the fibromyalgia diet – perhaps this holds true with arthritis as well.Now he tells me, right after I ate cheez grits with turmeric and lots of black pepper! :-) I wasn’t aware of the oxalic acid in turmeric (sorry, kidneys). I promise I won’t do this every day.I am sure you did no harm, unless you have a propensity for kidney stones, if no, then you do your kidneys no damage, unless of course, you OVERLOAD.Should someone who consumes cinnamon in an oats mix in the morning and turmeric in dal for lunch ought to be concerned here? The both are high oxalate. Thanks.What Dr Gregor should have mentioned is that calcium oxalate only tend to be problematic in individuals with high consumption of the oxalate and relative low consumption of dietary vitamin C. If you’re eating a whole foods plant diet, you’re likely getting at least 300-400mg of vitamin C daily. This is a strong preventative for the buildup of any calcium oxalate stones.Dr. Greger: Having heard that turmeric can prevent memory problems, I eat a lot of turmeric powder in my meals, maybe .25 to .5 teaspoon a day most days each week. I don’t usually cook it. I sprinkle it on after the food is heated up, with ground black peppercorns and cumin. I have no gall or kidney stone issues. You mentioned turmeric is high in oxalates which bind with calcium. I have osteopenia and have been told to limit consumption of foods high in oxalates, such as spinach, as they bind to calcium and prevent absorption of calcium into the blood. Does eating lots of turmeric therefore also contribute to bone loss? After a recent bone density test 2 years after the last one (of 3 over several years), my rate of bone loss significantly accelerated much more than usual. During those 2 years I upped my turmeric intake, and I was also on Lexapro and thought the high rate of bone loss was due to the Lexapro (there are studies that indicate SSRI’s can cause bone loss). But now I wonder if too much turmeric could have caused it. What do you know about turmeric and its oxalates and bone loss? Should I reduce the amount of it that I eat, and if so, to how much? Should I reduce or stop the black peppercorns with the turmeric? And does it matter if the turmeric powder is cooked or not? Thank you!It should probably be mentioned that the oxalate is often times already bound to calcium in the food. This is why spinach is considered a “poor” source of calcium despite being high in calcium… it’s all bound to oxalate already. It’s not really leaching it out of your bones or anything.taking so much turmeric without boiling/cooking has a little use. The stomach can’t digest its hard fiber if taken raw,Half teaspoon as day boiled in milk or food is enough.Turmeric grower (Pakistan)She was not using much turmeric at all.You were hardly eating any turmeric to speak of. But if using it as a true dietary addition, I’d use certified organic turmeric.use magnesium and you’ll be okay ,it is more important than calcium to bone health and always remember “balance”After all these videos on turmeric, I wondered if we would find out that it was bad for us. Remember cinnamon and excessive bleeding? I’m glad you covered this topic. Thankfully, I can continue eating curry as often as I want. Thank you for your help.I hear that cinnamon should not be consumed but for medicinal purposes only! This means that we should not use it to bake or cook with, and nutmeg can be deadly, it’s an hallucinogen!cinnamon is a magic spice. We use it in almost every food. Cinnamon tea is a good cure for diarrhea and upset stomachStop with the “magic spice.” It’s a fine spice.No no no. Keep enjoying your cinnamon. And just don’t go chomping into nutmeg – you don’t, do you?What if one does NOT have a gallbladder, what effect will turmeric/curcumin have, if any?Effect on what?Your body if you have NO gallbladder. I wonder what sort of issues it can cause if you have had gallbladder removed. I always read that if you have gallblader problems not to use turmeric. If you do mot have is it the same issue?Thank you so much. I was overdosing a little bit on turmeric (maybe close to a tablespoon a day) for a couple of weeks. I developed loose stools that even woke me up one night and a very itchy rash on different areas of my body. Luckily I spoke to a health conscious friend and then read you writings on Tumeric. Everything cleared up when I let go of the Turmeric.Dr. Greger: Having heard that turmeric can prevent memory problems, I eat a lot of turmeric powder in my meals, maybe .25 to .5 teaspoon a day most days each week. I don’t usually cook it. I sprinkle it on after the food is heated up, with ground black peppercorns and cumin. I have no gall or kidney stone issues. You mentioned turmeric is high in oxalates which bind with calcium. I have osteopenia and have been told to limit consumption of foods high in oxalates, such as spinach, as they bind to calcium and prevent absorption of calcium into the blood. Does eating lots of turmeric therefore also contribute to bone loss? After a recent bone density test 2 years after the last one (of 3 over several years), my rate of bone loss significantly accelerated much more than usual. During those 2 years I upped my turmeric intake, and I was also on Lexapro and thought the high rate of bone loss was due to the Lexapro (there are studies that indicate SSRI’s can cause bone loss). But now I wonder if too much turmeric could have caused it. What do you know about turmeric and its oxalates and bone loss? Should I reduce the amount of it that I eat, and if so, to how much? Should I reduce or stop the black peppercorns with the turmeric? And does it matter if the turmeric powder is cooked or not? Thank you!Hi,So according to various indian specialists on the subject turmeric should actually help prevent osteoporosis. A quick google search revealed that many seem to be reporting this.I guess check it out.The list of things that contain oxalate is long. One possible solution is to ensure plenty of calcium (green leafies) with every meal. Chew well. The dietary calcium will bind up the oxalate and pass through you, not into you. Of course this means compensating for the the calcium loss by eating a bit more calcium-rich foods.Glad you covered this. People who consume a plant-based diet and who are prone to kidney stones need to be especially careful because much of our diet is high in oxalates. Kale, collards, nuts, beans, chocolate, beets, spinach, strawberries, blueberries, black tea, cherries, all the good stuff. Need to offset it with lots of water with lemon added.QUESTION- did the video state that for those prone to kidney stones (or gout), supplementation with curcumin is fine but dietary consumption of tumeric needs to be watched? That’s confusing to me. Did I miss something?I think that is because the oxalates are present in the turmeric, not the curcumin ….I have a propensity for kidney stones. The first one that I had (or at least realized that it was a kidney stone) sent me to the ER. Fortunately it was done and over with within a few hours. (Yes, I did collect the stone, so I know that was the problem. It was determined to be of the calcium oxalatevariety.) That was about 12 years ago. Since then, I’ve experienced stoneson average about twice a year. Fortunately, they are way less intense than the “ER” stone event;however, they are longer in duration. Sometimes a day or two.At any rate, I started turmeric capsules (one a day) about nine months ago with the understanding that I could increase the frequency or intensity or both of my kidney stones; however, I wanted to see if it could help with some joint pain. I know my case is an “n” of one, but I’m happy to report I have had NO stone issues since I’ve started the turmeric. The flare-ups, so far, seem less frequent. I guess every body is different.Hi tedster, Your diet needs to be alkaline. We need to eat lots of acid foods for their many health benefits, but we also need to eat plenty of alkaline foods to offset the acid. See if you can find an acid/alkaline chart somewhere on the internet, or ask this site for a link.Hi Liz- I did drop out all processed treats and reduced the processed food in my diet about a year ago. In addition, I’ve been adding two big kale leaves or a green power to my smoothie every day. Finally, I’m always well hydrated. Maybe this tipped the balance toward reducing the kidney stones. Apparently enough so that I can tolerate 1 capsule/day of turmeric.Apparently curcumin can contribute to the oxidative stress in acute vitiligo and prevent repigmentation. Therefore, dermatologists and other doctors treating patients with this disease are aware of this possible problem. Turmeric is a widely used ingredient in curry, it can contribute to oxidative stress in asian people with vitiligo.I’m a healthy person with no known kidney stone issues, and I’d like to put some turmeric in my smoothie every day to take advantage of its beneficial properties. Please tell me if I’ve gleaned the proper guidelines from the articles: – Try not to use more than one teaspoon per day of turmeric, to avoid getting too many soluble oxcylates that might promote kidney stones. – It’s ok to put in some black pepper in to increase the bioavailability of the curcumin, since doing so does not increase the potentially harmful effects of turmeric. Thanks!I do one teaspoon of turmeric with a little pepper in my fruit/veggie smoothie. But I heat treat it first. Heat it up in whatever liquid I am using, almond milk or water. Then just cool it down (I put it in the freezer for a few minutes) before putting it in the blender. I also use it as a dressing base in my salads. I add ground up flax and pumpkin seeds to it, mix it up, spread it over my salad.Questions (sorry to be off-topic): 1) Is it true that if one consumes horseradish on top of steamed broccoli, one gets all the benefits of raw broccoli, but without the goitrogens? (ie, the myrosinase in the horseradish will hydrolyze and release the glucosinolates). Or is this wrong? 2) Is it better and more healthy to use balsamic vinegar on one’s salad or a small amount of oil? Many thanks, DHI’m not sure about horseradish with steamed broccoli–it seems like having a high enough iodine intake would offset any goitrogens from broccoli according to Dr. Greger’s video on raw cruciferous veggies: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/See also: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/Balsamic vinegar is helpful according to Dr. Greger’s video (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/). Apparently it slows down or stops a sugar spike after a meal. Taking two teaspoons of it as a dressing should be all it takes.As for oil, it looks like nuts are the way to get it. Check out this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/Thanks Tommasina. I disagree with you about broccoli, but agree with you about balsamic vinegar and nuts. Thank you!As a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine I use turmeric but it is contraindicated in pregnancy. We put it in a formula. It is never given as a single herb.Is there less of a problem consuming curcumin supplement 500mg daily…versus the Tumeric? I have Wegeners granulomatosis and am taking for anti inflammatory purposes. No gallbladder and thus far no kidney stones…have had gout in the past prior to going plant based diet.One advantage of the curcuminoid extracts that has gone unmentioned is that they will contain almost no oxalic acid (the turmeric compound with kidney stone concerns). The major disadvantage, as far as I can tell, is that there’s relatively little experience with the higher curcumin levels in humans.Very high curcumin doses are associated with liver pathologies in animal models (1, 2, 3), but I haven’t seen any case reports in humans. I suspect, like green tea extracts, it acts as a hormetin, so it probably isn’t wise to ingest handfuls of the extract.Dementia, carbohydrates and fats – Very disturbing studyread for free: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3494735/This recent study shows a direct correlation between increased fiber, carbohydrate consumption and dementia. There is a reduction in dementia with increased fat intake. What the heck is going on!?Why is the reduction in dementia with increased fat intake disturbing?Please let me know if I have missed the proportion of turmeric and black pepper to make my own supplement capsule. I believe this would be a more affordable option. I have read through the discussion and did not see this info. Perhaps I missed. If not, Dr. Greger, please answer. What amount (by teaspoon) per capsule and how many capsules a day for a healthy person? Thank you.Dr. Greger talks about just needing a pinch of black pepper (1/20th of a teaspoon) with the turmeric here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/ I didn’t see a proportion but it seems like a normal Indian curry powder (which has both turmeric and black pepper in it) cooked with some sort of fat would give you the full benefits of curcumin.Thank you for your work of excellence.What about someone who only has one kidney? Is there any risks in consuming turmeric mainly through diet?Thank you.Dear Dr Greger Having seen all you videos on Turmeric, would you advice that I stop taking black pepper with Turmeric? Many thanks rTurmeric eaten by itself and with pepper/olive oil makes my eyes red, which is usually a sign of liver toxicity?Those sensitive to COX inhibitors (as with other NSAIDS) can have the same side effects from curcumin. Heartburn, esophageal spasm, etc.Just learning about this. If I’m suffering from an ulcer I am assuming that turmeric supplements are off limits. Was using it for hip and finger pain. Am I correct in this assumption?I would like to know if I should take turmeric,along with black pepper so it is digested?In your previous video you explain that black pepper suppresses the liver converting fat soluble substances into water soluble ones.,I have mercury poisoning and the suppression of liver function doesn’t sound good to me.Please advise.thank youHello there ! First congratulations on your new hires and growth. I hope you get some more than deserved time off soon. My question is about “t-Curcuma extract (sp)”. For really bad knees/pain I read that “2g’s” daily should help. I am hoping you can give me a couple of names (not asking you to endorse any), just want to know they make the real thing. Any and all help is greatly appreciated, in peace, Lynda WhitneyDr. Greger, isn’t the association of gout and kidney stones particular only to the case for uric acid stones (5% of stones), which are caused from too many purines and not the majority of stones that are a type due to too much oxalates? If true this would throw off any concern/connection of gout when considering oxalates – since gout like uric acid stones is also caused from too much uric acid production in the body. Or am I wrong? Thanks, GregDear Dr. Greger,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3voRIi88LtQ#t=2873According to the above Youtube video (which is in English of course), flax seed daily consumption causes in the long-term an allergic response, as the human body is not build to sustain such quantities of protein. Thus not giving the immune system a rest and developing significant allergies & autoimmune diseases. Please watch the attached lecture and revert back with your professional opinion. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.Thank you for your work. It’s great. I have been drinking Golden Milk (1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp ginger and 1 tsp ashwaganda with soy milk, liquid stevia, olive oil and vanilla) daily for 8 months for arthritis. It has completely eliminated arthritic pain in my thumb which comes back only if I stop taking the drink. I had had this arthritic pain for years. Should I take a drug holiday from this mixture occasionally or is it ok to take everyday? I have no other health problems, no kidney or gall bladder stones at 63 years of age. I am vegan and take no meds.Can I take tumeric with Ativan and zoloft? Need to find something I can take for inflammation and pain.What about Turmeric as blood thinner or anti coagulant? For people diagnosed with Atrial Fib.Dear Dr. Greger,So if one has been diagnosed with symptomatic gallstones, should they avoid contracting the gall bladder? Specially, limiting curry and turmeric? Also, I read somewhere that it only takes around 10g of fat (I assume per meal) to make the gall bladder contract, so I would it also be advisable to limit fat per meal below 10g? Or would contracting the gall bladder (assuming one doesn’t have an obstructed bile duct) actually improve the gall bladder health and symptoms over time?Thanks a lot and I am enjoying your site.MarcusDoes a tone know if it wood inflame a hiatal hernia?I just blundered upon this video regarding turmeric and kidney stones. I had been plagued with kidney stones for over eight years. I have had annual x-rays to monitor them. I have consumed a lot of spinach and turmeric during this time. My stones stayed essentially static in size and numbers despite this consumption. About two years ago I switched to a very compliant whole foods plant based diet. Last month my annual urologist visit revealed only one 3mm stone. I believe that the decline in my kidney stones was due to the elimination of animal products from my diet, and that the consumption of turmeric and spinach had little to no effect.Is it better to consume Turmeric Root or Turmeric Powder? How much root compares to a teaspoon of powder? How much black pepper/say/with a teaspoon of Turmeric? How much black pepper with comparable Root?Thanks much!!!! Love all your recommendations; Turmeric is a very good “story”.All the best,DWKsee turmericforhealth.com where your questions are answered.It sounds like you don’t need an isolated curcumin extract in order to get the max benefits without inducing oxalate buildup. Can’t you simply take the recommended dose (1tsp/day) with black pepper to absorb 20x the amount of curcumin?So how do I know what I can or can’t eat or how much is safe?“Those who are pregnant, have gallstones, or are susceptible to kidney stones may want to moderate their turmeric consumption. If you look at the doses of turmeric that have been used in human studies, they range from less then just a 16th of a teaspoon a day up two tablespoons a day for over a month. Whereas the curcumin trials have used up to the amount found in cups of the spice, around 100 times more than what curry lovers have been eating for centuries.” So anywhere from 1tsp-2TBS per day I think is safe pending you are not experiencing the above. Always great to ask your doctor, too.Thanks a heap, Dr. Gonzales. I will continue eating curry meals.I’ve been putting a quarter teaspoon of Amla (Indian Gooseberry) powder and a half to a full teaspoon of ground tumeric in my green tea at 170 degrees. Feeling fine, sleeping well. Very regular digestion.Any thoughts on the implications for someone without a gallbladder at all?Can someone who uses cortsiol substition for addison disease take turmeric? Or would it decrease the cortisol that is artificially taken?I read that it can decrease the effects of cortisol, my question is if this is because it reduces cortisol itself?	alternative medicine,bladder cancer,bladder disease,bladder health,calcium,cancer,complementary medicine,curcumin,DNA damage,flax seeds,gallbladder disease,gallbladder health,gallstones,gout,heavy metals,India,kidney disease,kidney function,kidney health,kidney stones,lead,liver disease,liver health,medications,mercury,oxalates,plutonium,pregnancy,safety limits,side effects,spices,supplements,turmeric	Just because something is natural and plant-based doesn’t mean it’s necessarily safe. Those who are pregnant, have gallstones, or are susceptible to kidney stones may want to moderate their turmeric consumption.	This is the last installment of a 6-part video series on the power of spices in general and turmeric in particular. I started out discussing the role spices play in squelching inflammation and free radicals in Which Spices Fight Inflammation? and Spicing Up DNA Protection. Then out of the lab into the clinic with attempts to test the ability of turmeric extracts to treat joint inflammation with Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid Arthritis and Turmeric Curcumin and Osteoarthritis. My last video, Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin, discussed ways to improve the absorption of these anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds.I wish there was more science on wheatgrass. I just had that one unhelpful anecdote in my video How Much Broccoli Is Too Much? There is good science on flax though. See:More on gallbladder health can be found in my video Cholesterol Gallstones. And those who are susceptible to kidney stones should try to alkalinize their urine by eating lots of dark green leafy vegetables (but then shouldn’t we all :). See Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple Cabbage.Based on this new science on turmeric (lots more to come!), I now try to include it in my family’s daily diet.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallbladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plutonium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallbladder-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxalates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallstones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gout/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-stones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-gallstones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17900536,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12087559,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23339055,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19721899,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22492273,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12495265,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17101300,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22887802,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16081279,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16537656,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23873854,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10102956,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23594449,
PLAIN-2649	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-the-bioavailability-of-curcumin/	Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin	Historians from all around the world have produced evidence to show that apparently all primitive peoples used herbs--often in a sophisticated way. Quinine from Cinchona bark was used to treat the symptoms of malaria long before the disease was identified and the raw ingredients of a common aspirin tablet have been a popular painkiller for far longer than we have had access to tablet-making machinery. Indeed today many pharmacological classes of drugs include a natural product prototype, which we originally discovered through the study of traditional cures and folk knowledge of indigenous people.There's a plant in South Asia called adhatoda. Adu meaning goat and thoda meaning not touch because it's so bitter even the goats won't eat it. But it has compounds that help open one's airways, and as such adhatoda tea has been used traditionally to treat asthma where the leaves are steeped with black peppercorns. That sounds so gross to me, why would they do that? Because they're smart. Back in 1928, scientists discovered what the people evidently already knew, which was that adding pepper increased the anti-asthmatic properties of the leaves. Black pepper alone didn't work, it was the combination. And now we know why.Just like approximately 5% of the spice turmeric is composed of an active compound called curcumin, about 5% of black pepper by weight is this compound called piperine. Curcumin is responsible for the yellow color of turmeric and piperine for the pungent flavor of pepper, and it's a potent inhibitor of drug metabolism. One of the ways our liver gets rid of foreign substances is making them water soluble so they can be more easily excreted, but this black pepper molecule inhibits that process.And it doesn't take much. If you give people a bunch of turmeric curcumin, within an hour you can see a little bump in the level in their blood stream. The reason we don't see more is that our liver is actively trying to get rid of it, but what if you suppress that process by taking just a quarter teaspoon's worth of black pepper? Then you see curcumin levels like this. Same amount of curcumin consumed, but the bioavailability shoots up 2000%. Even just a little pinch of pepper—1/20th of a teaspoon—can significantly boost levels. And guess what a common ingredient in curry powder is besides turmeric? Black pepper.Another way to boost the absorption of curcumin is to consume it in the whole food, turmeric root (fresh or dried), and powdered as turmeric because natural oils found in turmeric root and turmeric powder can enhance the bioavailability of curcumin 7 to 8 fold. When eaten with fat, curcumin can be directly absorbed into the bloodstream through the lymphatic system thereby in part bypassing the liver.And how is it prepared in India? With fat and black pepper. Amazing how they could figure that out without double blind trials, though maybe it just tasted good and was a coincidence? Their traditional knowledge certainly failed them with ghee, though, which is practically pure butter fat and may explain their relatively high rates of heart disease despite all their turmeric.	Great video! But now i’m worrying about black pepper, hahaha. If it inhibits drug metabolism, what happens to toxic substances consumed along with black pepper?? I mean, we always have our liver trying to get rid of such compounds, right?that’s an excellent question! Wish I had an excellent answer. Possibly it might only be good to increase curcuim using the turmeric or with-fat methods. Or have periods for a couple days where you do pepper and then let you body expel everything normally.I eat pepper every single day, in large doses (I love it), and have for years. Pepper is very good for you and excellent for your heart.cayenne pepper does not contain the piperine that is in black pepper. Therefore it will not have the bioeffect that black pepper has. By the way, you need not take the curcumin and black pepper together. If you make tumeric tea, for example, the pepper you use in your cooking will suffice to have the pepper and tumeric act together. To learn more about this phenomenon see turmericforhealth (.)com. You will find some amazing information from an Indian in India who has made it his life’s work to study Ayurvedic medicine.Take the curcumin with coconut oil instead of pepperine.Shortest, but best answer here. Coconut oil is brilliantDoes the cur cumin need to be combined with the black pepper or oil before consuming it?Yes you need the black pepper which contains piperine.Yes to curcumin and coco ut oil. Reducing the size ofmy breast lump.Suz54, Have you continued to have success in reducing the size of your breast lump? I am trying to do the same. What else are you doing? Thanks.I’ve heard that you should take curcumin with fat,but always with piperine. Although coconut oil is great, you still need piperine.Yeah sure, it’s probably the pepper on the steak and not the steak itself that’s harmful to your health…Or at least that raises some interesting questions.Great video on the bioavailability of curcumin, except for the very last part, which is biased by Dr. Gregers veganism. Their traditional wisdom did not fail them on the ghee because there is evidence that saturated fats actually further increase the bioavailablity of curcumin, compared to unsaturated fats (see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23228631 This paper is about carotenoids but the same mechanism probably applies for curcumin as well). Of course you can dissolve your turmeric in red palm oil instead of ghee, which provides the same benefits in bioavailability, plus plenty of carotenoids and tocotrionols (a particularly beneficial form of vitamin E).See this recipe for a home-made vegan “supplement” based on turmeric and red palm oil: http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/67982-timars-polypulp/Are you denying they have relatively high rates of heart disease, as the doctor stated at the end of this video?It’s not as simple as that. The rate of heart disease, which once has been on a very low level in India, is on the rise since people have begun to adapt a more and more westernized diet with increasing amouts of meat and processed foods. Ghee, on the other hand, has been an essential part of the traditional Indian diet for thousands of years.Are there areas of India that are not exposed to Western foods? I imagine so.yea i agree the last part of the article is off base. only recently in the last century have the indians switched from thousands of yrs of using ghee to using the industrial seed oils full of PUFAS and that’s probably more contributing factor to the rise in CHDHeart disease is not caused by saturated fat. If you still believe that you are living in the past, and even then it was known to be false by many.Hi Ben, unfortunately saturated fat is indeed still a strong marker for heart disease. Please see here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-set-up-to-fail/Its easier to consume 20-30% more bioactive spice compounds to achieve a bioequivalent dose, than to get rid of the saturated fat and its effects on LDL transport and its inflammatory effects like intestinal endotoxin absorption, TLR4 activation, and metabolism to ceramides.Saturated fats, of course, are not the only concern, as high linoleic acid in many vegetable oils gives rise to proinflammatory eicosanoids.In this study, ghee appeared non-significantly less harmful than sunflower oil (66% LA 0% ALA), but the clear winner was for cardioprotection was mustard oil (15% LA 6% ALA), the preferred cooking fat in Bengali and Nepalese cuisine. Assuming the upregulation of the β-oxidation by the 42% erucic acid in mustard oil isn’t the cardioprotective factor, perhaps canola oil (19% LA 9% ALA) would be similarly cardioprotective, as it was in the Lyon Heart Health study.Also, hi Timar.If red palm oil would only contain saturated fat and nothing else, I would agree with you. However, as I pointed out in the longecity topic, red palm oil is a really extraordinary source of carotenoids and tocotrienols, providing 5 mg and 8 mg respectively, per 10 g unrefined oil. Given that carotenoids come in the most bioavailable form (about ten times more biavailable than those from cooked vegetables), it is actually more than sufficient to consume about 5 g of red palm oil a day, an amount from which you still get a fair share of tocotrienols and which contains as little saturated fat as half an avocado. Moreover, if you consume the palm oil the way suggested by my recipe, you even take additional advantage of that tiny amount of saturated fat to further increase the bioavailability of the turmeric contained in it.Unless you eat no green and yellow vegetables or fruits, getting carotenoids is a no-brainer. Better to get them in veggies than in a processed and potentially rancid tropical oil.No use in arguing with dogmatics…Palm oil production and harvesting is devastating on the environment. Surely there are better ways to get carotenoids.I doubt whether the production of the organic, fair-trade palm oil I buy is devastating the environment. Moreover, by the very same reasoning you should avoid soy products, as industrial soy production is at least equally devastating to the environment. Bottom point: you can’t just make sweeping conclusions about the environmental impacts of a certain food without differentiating by production quantity and quality.“Probably”? That’s some mighty fine sciencing there.If you’re interested in vitamin E, you could use wheat germ oil, the highest natural source of vitamin E. It’s the active ingredient in lipo-wheat ceramide capsules that they sell for younger looking skin Even if there is a loss of absorbability, the article you reference, indicates the loss is only 20-30%. Because I’m a little crazy and I believe the stuff I read in Life Extension’s forum, I add a pinch of BHT to my oil to act as preservative and antioxidant at the same time, while protecting from herpes and similar viruses.No, I’m not interested in vitamin E.However, I would strongly advice you not to you use BHT at all. It is a synthetic antioxidant, which has been replaced even as an industrial food additive because of concerns regarding its toxicity. You are more than just “a little crazy” to put your trust in the obession of some crackpots populating the forum of a supplement company (the same member there who is relentlessly writing about the purported benefits BHT is also speading all sorts of paranoid right-wing conspiracy theories, from denying Global Warming to Obama being a Muslim who wants to destroy the USA…)I pay no attention to ad hominen attacks. As for the toxicity of BHT, see http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/2588.pdfIt’s a little troubling to me that by using this tactic we are deliberately bypassing the role of the liver. Does anyone else find this troubling?The liver is not a one trick pony. It has a whole range of strategies to eliminate stuff. If pepper stuffed up liver’s function so that it made people sicker instead of better then traditional medicine would probably detected that. Instead this particular enzyme inhibition helps. This is one little phrase within the “symphony” that helps you hold onto curcumin a bit longer.What? Actually, the pepper dose does bypass all the “liver tricks” because the curcumin is getting through when it would otherwise be filtered, and the “symphony” is unbalanced to make this happen. That was the point of the video. My concern is that pepper may also allow other stuff to get through? Coacervate, you are putting a lot of trust in “traditional medicine,” whatever that is, to detect sub-clinical problems with pepper ingestion. Most of them are still trying to find the magic bullet for every ailment, and they still discount food altogether for degenerative disease. And whoever edited my original comment did not preserve it’s message and did not do a service to your readers. It’s actually slander to edit my comment and post it as if from me. Please stop.DoctorDave: re: ” And whoever edited my original comment…” I’m not aware of any policy that allows people to edit other people’s comments. So, this should not have happened to you. I’m sorry this happened. I’m forwarding your post to NutritionFacts staff to investigate. But I don’t know if Disqus keeps track of that level of information for us to be able to do anything about it. If you think that someone is modifying your posts again in the future, please let us know.So much good biochemstry here. You are a rare gem Dr. G. but I am conflicted because I am in the “no oil” category, i.e. I’ve had a heart attack. But I want to break the rule enough to use oil to carry curcumin and other fat-soluble goodies across.Question: Does a little oil help our bodies absorb curcumin?Timars recipe, based on the dreaded palm oil for vegans sounds logical but all I can hear is Essy’s voice “no oil or there’s the door!”If you use a very modest amount (5.6 g as in the case of my recipe) of a perfectly natural, unrefined oil, like red palm oil to greatly increase the bioavailability of turmeric you actually create or enhance a “whole food” synergy not unlike that present in whole food sources of fat, like nuts or avocados (one suggested 15 g serving of my recipe contains about as much saturated fat as an ounce of almonds or one avocado) but in this case providing an even more concentrated and powerful package of phytonutrients.There’s no doubt that one should avoid consuming large amounts of saturated fat, refined oils or fried foods, but there is simply no rational basis for drawing a line between healthy whole foods rich in fats, such as nuts and avocado, and dishes composed out of whole foods, like a salad with some extra virgin olive oil sprinkled over it in order to enhance the absorption of phytonutrients (and to provide some valueable antioxidants on its own). Dr. Esselstyn’s “no oil” dogma is an exaggeration that is not based in science.There IS fat in grains, veggies, fruits and legumes. Just not a whole lot. But patients of Ornish and Esselstyn actually reversed heart disease on a regimen which kept fat to less than 10% of daily caloric intake. That’s 22 grams of fat on a 2000 calorie diet. Dr. McDougall has been eating this way for decades and he looks healthy and well nourished. A little fat goes a long way.Have you even read what I wrote?Yes I did. I think a few nuts or avocado is way healthier than oil, which is processed and stripped of almost all micronutrients. And I’ll admit I’m pulling your chain a little with the following, but Jeff Novick explains the bioavailability issue way better than I do: ”Extracted Oils are not “necessary” in salad dressings, nor are they a necessary component in a diet. Oils are highly refined, highly concentrated, high calorie dense, low (overall) nutrient dense foods.It’s no surprise that when oil was added to some foods, the absorption rate of the lipid soluble component of the food (i.e., carotanoids) increased. But, this doesn’t automatically mean that the oil is necessary or the increased absorption rate is better.However, if you had just added more of the original food, in the same calorie value as the added oil/fats, you would have ended up with even more TOTAL caratonoids. What I mean is that in one of the studies they used tomatoes and oil. They compared the absorbed amount from tomatoes without oil and from tomatoes with oil. But it wasnt a fair comparison. What they needed to do was to equal out the calories in both examples. If you compare a tomato (lets say 22 calories) to a tomato (22 calories) with a TB of oil (120 calories), it’s not fair, because you added 120 calories to the second one. So, to even it out, they should compare what happens if you add 120 calories of more tomatoes to the first tomatoes vs. adding 120 calories of oil to the second tomato.1 tomato (22 calories, 3165 mcg lycopene, 552 mcg beta carotene)I TB Olive Oil (120 calories, 0 mcg lycopene, 0 mcg beta carotene)Now, they say, add the oil to the tomato and the relative absorption of the lycopene and beta-carotene go up, Maybe so.But, what if you just added 120 calories of more tomatoes? Eat about 5 more tomatoes. Not only would you get about 17406 mcg of lycopene, and 3037 more mcg of beta carotene, you would also get 8 more grams of fiber, 6 more grams of protein, 68 mgs of Calcium, 1,8 mgs of Iron, 74 mgs of magnesium, 162 mg of phosphorus, 1603 mgs of potassium, 86 mg of vit c, etc etc Even though the “relative” absorption may be slightly less, you still win on total absorption of the carotenoids and of EVERYTHING else. Plus you get more food, higher satiety and you dont get hungry. Which fills you up more, 1 TB oil or 5 more tomatoes? :)Besides, All plants including vegetables contain fat. Maybe not as much as some high fat foods, but they range from around 5-15% of calorie.A natural unrefined unprocessed whole foods plant based diet, provides enough fat.The notion that all oils are “processed and stripped of almost all micronutrients” is complete nonesense. Extra virgine olive oil, just like red palm oil, is simply mechanically pressed from the whole fruit, essentially the same way today as in ancient times. It contains all the oil soluble micronutrients.It’s absolutely ridiculous to judge olive oil by its content of carotenoids. No one ever claimed that olive oil contains carotenoids (however, one tablespoon of red palm oil contains 13,000 mcg of carotenoids…)No, oil isn’t necessary to survive or even to thrive. However, a moderate amount of the right oils will not only enhance absorption of fat soluble micronutrients and provide health benefits its own but also make eating healthy so much more pleasurable.The problem here is that Palm oil is not the right type of oil. Palmitic acid, which is nearly 50% of palm oil, cannot be seen as beneficial to one’s health.From the World Health Organization:Saturated fatty acids raise total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, but individual fatty acids within this group, have different effects (3-5). Myristic and palmitic acids have the greatest effect and are abundant in diets rich in dairy products and meat. … The most effective replacement for saturated fatty acids in terms of coronary heart disease outcome are polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially linoleic acid. This finding is supported by the results of several large randomized clinical trials, in which replacement of saturated and trans fatty acids by polyunsaturated vegetable oils lowered coronary heart disease risk (6).Eat a cup a kale if you want Beta Lycopene, Lutein or Zeaxanthin!I never suggested to make palm oil your main dietary staple. Is is really so hard to comprehend that with nutrients we always deal with something called a “dose response relationship” and that nutrients which are dentrimental if consumed in excess are harmless or even beneficial if consumed in low enough amounts? Would you suggest not to eat nuts or avocados because they contain some palmitic acid?I try to do everything I can to limit by total SFA (saturated fatty acids) intake. I realize that from what I already get in my diet — canola oil, nuts and seeds, etc, etc, etc — I am already getting enough SFA and do not wish to add further direct oils like red palm oil. I am already at a moderately high level for a vegan. I think that is the point that other commentators are trying to make here.Saturated fats are not trans fats. From my review of the scientific literature (paying close attention dose response relationships) it is not necessary to “do everything” you can to limit your intake of them. Anyone who consumes a vegan whole food diet using predominantly monounsaturated oils (olive and canola) should have plenty of room to add small amounts of saturated fat without any adverse health effects. Moreover, whole foods (red palm oil or olive oil are as close to a whole food as an oil can possibly get) always come as packages. From the studies on tocotrienols and palmitic acid and their respective effects on cholesterol levels, red palm oil would provide a beneficial net effect on cholesterol levels (the 8 mg of tocotrienols contained in one teaspoon of RPO are expected to lower LDL cholesterol to a greater extend than the 5 g of palmitic acid are expected to raise it, at least for non ApoE4 carriers). Given the non-linear dose reponse relationships for both nutrients, I would expect beneficial effects from small amounts of RPO (< 10 g/day), less beneficial effects from moderate amounts and perhaps negative effects from very high amounts in the daily diet.My other concern is that consuming specific so-called “health foods” every day to achieve some long-term health goal on the basis of biomarker results is suspect. If that was the case, there would be no end of health foods that one would have to consume every 24 hours to be maximally healthy. That is why I dislike the term ‘health foods’.If RPO has specific hard event data, please cite; I would be very interested to see it. Most likely what there is in the literature on the level of human hard event data is on the order of ecological studies – e.g. whole cultures that consume palm oil (same as red palm oil?) have low rates of cardiovascular events, but there are myriad other influences as well.I said I try to reduce my SFA to as low as possible because the types of foods I prefer in my diet provide me with at least moderate amounts of SFA (and other fats) – for example, I consume tahini (crushed sesame paste), hummus (which is enriched with canola oil), nuts, pumpkin seeds, grains and very small amounts of olive oil. Already I am getting far more SFA than I need, because of my preference for these foods. The kinds of diets that have been shown to produce extremely low rates of cardiovascular events were very low fat vegan diets.I’m tired of arguing with poeple who are unwilling or unable to comprehend what I actually wrote. I mentioned, very specifically, “plenty of animal studies, showing protective effects and several human RCTs” and referened one such trial. I won’t compensate for your laziness. Go to pubmed.org yourself and search for red palm oil.“using predominantly unsaturated oils (i.e. olive and canola)”I am not sold on olive oil. Moderate amounts of olive oil are probably healthy, but in large quantities canola would probably be far healthier than olive.I would take anything the WHO says with a grain of salt if you are using fats to fuel your body as opposed to glucose, palm is a great choice . lots of MCT oil for fuel and it does not cause denser LDL, excessive carbs (glucose) does I follow my patients lipid subfractions and when they swich off of polyunsats to sats and monos, they do better. Polyunsats are not so great.Polyunsaturated fats seem to me to be a bad category, lumping healthy canola oil together with unhealthy corn oil. What does “They do better” mean?Sorry, patients do better off all the unhealthy polysAgain, what does “They do better” mean?I stay the same healthy weight on 2000-2200 calories give or take. The majority of what I eat is starch – potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, brown rice, whole grains. Also a lot of green and yellow veggies and fruit, but you are right, calories need to be sufficient for energy use.Oils have no fiber that whole foods do. Fiber protects from absorption of these oils, just like fiber protects from absorption of sugar in fruit (vs. fruit juice)Fiber does not slow down let alone diminish the absorption of oils. It only does slow down the absorption of carbohydrates.Considering the endothelial impairment caused by olive oil, it does not seem to be beneficial for those consuming a low fat plant based diet. http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/36/5/1455 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9409274 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109706019127 A diet high in unsaturated fat is more beneficial then a diet high in saturated fat, but there is no necessity to consume extra fat if you are already consuming a very low fat diet comprised of plants. Calories can come from whole food sources rather then an empty calorie food. Yes there are some phytonutrients in olive oil, but miniscule when compared to other whole food sources. Its like claiming eggs to be healthy because there is a presence of lutein. Its the definition of reductionism.Absorbing more of a nutrient does not automatically equate to better health, as is the case with B-carotene. “These data, although in varying populations, suggest that 3 to 6 mg/day of β-carotene from food sources is prudent to maintain plasma β-carotene concentrations in the range associated with a lower risk of various chronic disease outcomes” In addition, “As just detailed, plasma and tissue concentrations of carotenoids have been associated with a variety of health outcomes; that is, higher concentrations are associated with a lower risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality. This could be used as a possible indicator for establishing requirements for carotenoids. However, the limitation of this approach is that it is not clear whether observed health benefits are due to carotenoids per se or to other substances found in carotenoid-rich foods. Thus, these data are suggestive of prudent intake levels, not required levels of intake.” http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9810&page=341Thus, focusing on consuming a healthful dietary pattern rather then focusing on consuming a specific food, like oil, is more appropriate and applicable.Moreover, populations that consume very low fat diets comprised primarily of plants have some of the best health outcomes and most desirable biomarkers.We ain’t riding that dead horse again, ain’t we? ;)Its only because you refuse to acknowledge my points is it really dead. Your bias is towards supporting an unhealthy habit in an unsubstantiated way. In one of the studies I presented, salad reduced FMD by 70% so clearly olive oil alone is not a health promoting substance. I have never seen a study showing a diet high in olive oil supporting a diet very low in cholesterol, low enough to be considered “heart attack proof”. The FDA has acknowledged the limitations of the benefits of olive oil, “Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.” So in other words, its not the olive oil, but the reduction of saturated fat. http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm073992.htmDr. Esselstyn is dealing with a population of patients whose arterial disease has become clinically significant. He is publishing the result of his long term follow up in an upcoming issue of JFP. It shows a terrific improvement over the Courage study which had an annual recurrence of about 20%. Adding oil to a salad is one way to increase the absorption of phytonutrients the other would be to add some nuts/seeds/avocado. Given the complexity of our metabolic and digestive systems I would be careful about advocating isolated nutrients. It is also very easy to pick out isolated metabolic pathways to justify the belief that a particular food is particularly good for us. The best diet should be tailored to an individuals goals. As the human population continues to grow it is also important to look at factors beyond the individual. Dr. Esselstyn’s approach is based on his experience and the very real and beneficial clinical outcomes of his patients.Dr. Esselstyn studies, while showing impressive results, do not allow for any conclusion regarding which factors in his comprehensive but uncontrolled lifestyle intervention program contribute to the outcome. Dr. Esselstyn has clearly left the territory of science with his assertion that any kind of oil is to be categorically avoided. It is no use arguing with a cult leader, to which Dr. Esselstyn has set himself up, or with his disciples in that respect.Are they really uncontrolled? I believe he quotes one cohort where the patients had 49 events in the 20 years preceding entry and only 1 event in the 20 years post-entry (these numbers may be slightly off, but the message is clear, and when patients act as their own controls, this is a very powerful way to reduce selection bias and hidden confounding).Sorry, but this is utter nonesense.Coacervate, we too are “no added fats” vegans, but as with everything else, I see no reason why we can’t get plenty of the fats we need for increasing the bio-availability of curcumin (and all the other things for which we require a tiny bit of daily fat) from whole plant foods like avocados, olives, nuts, seeds… I plan to just enjoy a bit of those along with my turmeric-seasoned foods and/or beverages. (I also have my own concerns about palm oil, namely the destruction of rainforests and orangutans).By the same logic you should have to be concerned about soy consumption. Of course, those enormous amounts of soy for which the Brazilian rain forests are destroyed, are not produced for the vegans eating their organic tofu, but for the meat industry. Similarly, the enormous amounts of palm oil, which in its refined form is a cheap source of solid fat for the processed food industry as well as for many non-food applications are certainly not produced for the few health nuts eating small amounts of organic, red palm oil.Thanks, I looked a bit deeper and find that you and Dr Forester are right…my diet has plenty of lipids, all I do now is have tumeric at the right time.Regarding palm oil, I agree. My country is helping to drive this horror by feeding the waste products from this industry to livestock. We own about 20 percent (or more) of international trade in dairy and so facilitate this process and the knock on effects on wildlife and our own health.10% oil is surely a lot healthier than 1% oil even if you have excellent reasons to avoid 30% oil.The indigenous people have the wisdom of the natural world. But how about the livers ability and wisdom to get rid of stuff that is not welcome in the body. Maybe it is a sign that we should not to take Turmeric in any form.Please try to get at least a basic clue about metabolism and what the liver does before writing such a nonsensical comment…I don’t like to see insults. Please try to be more understanding of other people and their quest for information. Perhaps you could give a link on how the liver works. I am sure it would benefit us all.I second cckb’s comment. Much of what you say is thought provoking, but change your tone! How about telling us why, in a sentence, the liver is getting rid of a beneficial nutrient.More likely there are compounds that are “like” tumoric but less helpful and the liver is helping to get rid of those.Another possibility would be that in the 24 hours after major injury, turmeric is bad for you and this had much larger survival indications 100,000 years ago than it does today. Inflammation is probably far more aggressive in our bodies than it needs to be because of the .01% of the time that inflammation can be a short term life or death matter.Dear Dr. G:Enhanced Bioavailability, curcumin (or was it turmeric?), black pepper, best berries, best fruit, best veggies, blend, juice, cook, etc . . . Who is on first? This is getting confusing.Doctor: could you please write me (us?) the Ultimate Prescription for the Ultimate cooked green-fruit with loads of various spices Super Cure All Smoothie? I am cerial! I am an engineer, not a biochemist but I am happy to (daily) prepare and chug whatever you recommend (prescribe).Many Thanks for your life changing info.Isn’t pepper also enhancing curcumin availability (even x100) by increasing gut permeability?While cayenne and paprika increase gut permeability, black pepper appears to reduce it. Piperine (the active component in black pepper) also reduced transport in the study that cemented its role as cytochrome P450 inhibitor.Are you saying that cayenne and paprika increase gut permeability of curcumin –or of other compounds as well? Is increasing gut permeability always a good thing? Couldn’t it lead to toxins flowing from the gut into the blood or being reabsorbed from the blood by the gut, too?No, cayenne and paprika increased permeability of a intestinal celll monolayer to marked large dextrans (starch like molecules) in vitro, by interfering with the gap junctions between the cells.Two different reactivity patterns were observed: paprika and cayenne pepper significantly decreased the TER and increased permeability for 10-, 20- and 40-kDa dextrans but not for -70 kDa dextrans. Simultaneously, tight junctions exhibited a discontinuous pattern. Applying extracts from black or green pepper, bay leaf or nutmeg increased the TER and macromolecular permeability remained low. Immunofluorescence ZO-1 staining was preserved.Sorry, but I’m still confused. Is the increased ability of certain starch-like molecules to permeate the intestinal cell a potentially harmful consequence?“Leaky gut” usually refers to the gaps between cells in the intestinal lining. These large dextrans are very bulky molecules, comparable in size to the 10-20 kDa intact bacterial lipopolysaccharides (endotoxins) involved in post-prandial inflammation and sepsis, and pass into circulation mostly by infiltrating between cells of the intestinal lining. Fluorescently marked dextrans of different known sizes were used in the experiment to determine how much the plant extracts influenced the tight junctions that glue cells together, preventing ingress through the gaps.I linked the article in response to Rodica’s question. Black pepper’s active component (piperine) appears to have no effect on gut permeability, but instead inactivates a liver P450 that metabolizes many beneficial phytochemicals like curcumin before they can reach systemic circulation.I don’t understand the consequences of these distinctions. Help!Think of those numbers as the size of the holes in a colander. The larger the hole, the more likely a given type of pasta will slip through.The distinctions in that quote apply to the molecular weight of the starch-like dextrans, and as the the density of most starches and proteins are comparable, this provides a rough measure of how large a molecule might sneak past the gut’s enterocyte monolayer, as the density of most starches and protein are comparable. A dalton is the same as atomic weight, and as the average amino acid is about 100 daltons, and median mammalian protein around 375 amino acids long, the median mammalian protein is about 37 kDa in weight. Increasing permeability to 10-40 kDa proteins lets down the city gate for a lot of unwanted material. Endotoxin particles range from 10 kDa up to 1000 kDa for aggregates.The enterocytes that line the gut have some means of expelling unwanted compounds they absorb. Also, compounds passing through enterocytes commonly wind up in the portal vein to the liver, where the hepatocytes can detoxify and expel unwanted compounds. However, if the cell adhesion proteins (eg tight junctions) that hold enterocytes together are disrupted, as may be the case when some foods are ingested according to the aforementioned paper, then any of the disolved detritus normally in the gut may bypass enterocytes. If they wind up in the portal vein, the liver will still conjugate and expel them, though with some potent inflammatory compounds (like endotoxins) this may result in chronic liver inflammation. If compounds from the gut pass into the intestinal lymphatics (as most ingested fats do), then they’re likely to be distributed throughout the body.So, to summarize based on the article:“The observation that Solanaceae spices (paprika, cayenne pepper) increase permeability for ions and macromolecules might be of pathophysiological importance, particularly with respect to food allergy and intolerance.”In other words, cayenne and paprika increase permiability of other compounds as well and this is possibly a problem if you are concerned about leaky gut. If I am reading it correctly.So we don’t want our guts to be permeable because leakage could trigger allergic or other adverse reactions, correct?Off-topic, I know, and I hope this is okay with Dr. Greger, but everyone should read this post from John and Ocean Robbins. And please submit a comment with your opinion to the government before it is too late.http://www.foodrevolution.org/blog/agent-orange-corn/Wild! So does this molecule in black-pepper inhibit liver metabolism of ALL fat soluble things? Like… If someone eats a steak with black pepper and fat-soluble “bad things”, does the black-pepper make the “bad things” more bio-available?Aside from animal products and conventional (sprayed) produce, what should we NOT eat with black-pepper?Good video, but bioperine is pretty old news. While it does provide an impressive spike in peak blood levels, those levels are pretty short-lived as shown in the graphs. Science really has improved upon this:http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/oct2007_report_curcumin_01.htmI’m a member of LEF but we must always consider that LEF stays alive by selling supplements. I prefer, whenever possible, to take nutrients the natural way if I can. For a good daily dose of curcumin, I mix 1/2 tsp tumeric powder with 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, with juice of 1/2 fresh lemon and 1/2 glass of room temperature purified water every morning before breakfast. It’s a fiery concoction, so I chug-a-lug it down. After doing this for several years, my cardiologist commented that I had “a very strong heart!” So, gentlemen and ladies, I give you an alternative method of consuming bio-available curcumin regularly, “if you’re “man” enough.” (grin)I went to your link on the Life Extension site. It read an awful like an advertisement for a patented product. Not a source I take seriously. Anyone have comment on this?A most interesting discussion and appreciate all aspects. I very much appreciate for Laloofah to raise the issue of destruction of jungles, loss of habitat of orangutans and other animals. We have alternatives and hope that others too will seek out less harmful options. I believe, overall, it comes down to the amount we consume; in small doses, our body can digest everything.I believe you would be interested in the TED.com talk, Willie Smits restores a rainforest. It is an example of improving the environment, the lives of local people, social justice and saving alot of orangutans as well. We focus on health but there are environmental, social justice and the issue of suffering of other sentient animals that are important considerations.I dissolve a capsule of curcumin in 2 teaspoons of coconut oil to increase it bioavailability. I started taking curcumin this way and have continued taking curcumin this way instead of taking curcumin with pepperine because high doses of the concentrated pepperine can be toxic.what about heat treating the curcumin? didn’t we learn from an earlier video that unheated turmeric doesn’t work? or at least not nearly as effectively.Dr G, You need to ask weather Bioavailability of Curcumin is important at all. The Historical use of Turmeric (not Curcumin) in the diet is known to provide long term good health. Turmeric as the whole spice is not used in mega doses by Indians in their cooking. Very little is needed and too much will spoil the taste of your dish. For therapeutic use, the whole herb is “cooked” in hot milk and taken as a Tonic at bedtime. It is possible that the Casein in the milk reacts with the Polyphenols in the Turmeric and forms a complex which arrives in the small and large Intestines “intact”. I believe it is in the Colon that the active ingredients in Turmeric are “active”! Here’s my take: The microflora in the Colon convert the Polyphenols into smaller molecules which have a physiological action on the body. I think these molecules work similar to the Short Chain Fatty acids such as Butyric Acid. Perhaps as agonists for the GPR109A receptor? This would explain why the Turmeric works at very low doses. Maybe you will dig up some articles for your next Video on the NIACIN receptor and the benefits of Polyphenols at low doses?That was just raw curcumin by itself. By itself is loses its bioavailability. Curcumin as part of the turmeric root is bioavailable because of the oils in the root. When curcumin is extracted from turmeric is loses the oils and its bioavailability. When turmeric is mixed with an oil it becomes totally bioavailable and bypasses the liver and goes into the bloodstream. I use coconut oil because oil its medium chain fatty acids are quickly burned and for because of its antiviral properties.What works synergistically with B12 to boost it’s effectiveness?It doesn’t need anything. Just make sure you take the right kind methylcobalamin.Vitamin B-12 (as methylcobalamin) is available in patch form for greater absorbability. I apply a patch behind my ear every day.Great video truly, Dr. Greger you are an inspiration to me.But why pick on ghee? I do not have access to the 1987 article cited but the first two articles on ghee I found on pubmed conclude that ghee does not increase risk factors for heart disease:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15539276http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22131700Also why is it so difficult to answer how curcumin is absorbed from consuming WHOLE turmeric? Everyone seems to be researching bioavailability of curcumin after consuming only curcumin. Guess I’ll have to dig a bit more.The study that mentioned curcumin + turmeric oil did provide some insight, but it’s still not whole turmeric, in powder or fresh root form.Excellent debate—all of it. While some of you are trying to find the right combination to stay healthy, we radical cancer survivors look for “chemo doses” to keep aggressive cancers at bay: I have been using tumeric various ways mentioned to keep late stage ovarian cancer from a BRCA1 deletion from growing/metastasizing further in the lymph nodes for over 5 years. Most recently, using the liquid supplement form from NC vitamins 2x/day with green tea, pomegranate concentrate and some form of cruciferous with my meals which contain a little coconut or olive oil fat, according to the recent UK double blind prostate cancer study —my CA125 inflammatory marker dropped ~20%, from 10 to 7, in a month, surprising my oncologist, who expected it to start climbing. I think cranberries in my smoothies may be preventing kidney stones. Also, the tumeric-piperine combinations don’t feel as good in supplement form, but adding up tumeric to a soup or Ayurvedic curry feels much better. So, while I am loving the ideas you all are giving me, try not to be too hard on yourselves, and with each other–there is truth in all you recommend—and physiology, biology and genetics is a dynamic process with our environment .It would be enormously helpful to have some guidance about dosing. Mention is made of a quarter teaspoon of black pepper. No mention of the quantity of turmeric is made. It leaves me wondering if a tablespoon of turmeric with a quarter teaspoon of black pepper, daily on food, would get the job done?I would guess that those levels would be near the upper limit. A teaspoon a day with pepper would likely be better than a tablespoon with pepper all around. It would be nice if people with joint pain could post effective doses for them, though. Also look for the “cooked vs uncooked” discussion. A combination is “better” if you are willing to assume that more bio-availability is better.I make a lot of Indian food, and now when I use individual spices I’ll be sure to add pepper. Your bit about ghee at the end and high rates of heart disease in India surprised me. I believe that only the wealthy would use very much ghee at all and the vast percentage of the Indian population is not wealthy. In fact, although it might have changed since I lived there, most food preparation used an equivalent of crisco rather than butterfat. Ghee, spread on flat breads, or used to fry onions and spices that would be added to a lentil dish, was used in very small amounts. Indians consume a lot of deep-fried snacks, and the sweets are very heavy in sugar and milk products. I should think there are reasons other than the use of ghee for the rate of heart disease in India.Curcumin’s bioavaiability is impacted by both absorption into teh blood stream and then removal by the liver. as I understand Piperine delays removal by the liver.Fat helps with absorption.Lipid encapsulation/nano formulations appear to provide greater bioavaiabilityI love your video but…Aspirin, C9H8O4, as the “in” indicates, is an alkaloid coming from an extraction and, do I not remember correctly to state that it was first created by reaction with coal tar? It is not equal to Salicylic acid C7H6O3, which is found in nature.I was wrong of course, it was the acetyle group who did it to the coal tar, never the less- it is synthetic and has totally different properties than anything found in nature.So if someone was on cancer drugs would adding black pepper to a meal with curry be a good idea or bad idea?Could we please have a straight answer on the safe daily dosage of turmeric powder?I add a little pepper with my daily turmeric, but how can I eat it with a healthy fat to boost bioavailability? It seems that processed/extracted oils are bad, and coconut oil should only be eaten sparingly (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/) according to Dr. G. I can only eat so many avocadoes. What is the best way to improve curcumin absorption on top of black pepper, i.e. what is the best type of fat to eat with it? I was doing coconut milk yogurt for fat and probiotics, but that also doesn’t seem ideal (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-a-good-source-of-probiotics/). Please help!!Cheryl: How about eating it with some whole nuts? It’s probably a good idea for most people to eat an ounce or two of nuts a day anyway. Maybe find a way to combine your nut eating with your turmeric eating? I wonder how turmeric and peanut butter mixed together would taste??? :-0Or maybe you could eat the turmeric (with some black pepper) in some capsules like some people are doing, and then eat a few walnuts right after. So, it would all mix in your tummy at the same time. I would think.Just some ideas for you.Great idea! For some reason I was thinking that it must be mixed with a liquid, eating nuts totally makes sense.Ok, I’m a bit confused… if you take curcumin as turmeric (either the root or the powder) you DON’T need to add black pepper or a fat to increase bioavailability? Is this correct? As I understand it, curcumin alone would need black pepper or fat to increase the bioavailability but turmeric does not (as it already has natural fats)? Am I right in my thoughts here? Not sure how on earth you’d just ingest curcumin alone (ie not as turmeric) – unless in supplement form…Hello – I’m a tad confused. I’m sure there’s a simple answer, but I just can’t come to the conclusion myself -please help! You say that black pepper helps the absorption of “turmeric curcumin” but then you say that if you eat the curcumin in the whole food form, ie as powdered turmeric root, you don’t need the black pepper to boost absorption because the natural fats do that for you. So am I to assume you only ever need to consume black pepper or fat with curcumin alone and if you use powdered turmeric you don’t need either of these additives? Thanks!Yes, I think your assumptions are correct based on my understanding of the video and some of the subsequent comments.If one adds up the average carb content of they Indian populations with high rates of heart disease and diabetes, one sees very clearly why, in spite of eating tumeric and black pepper, they have these diseases. THere is often, at one meal, chapaati, rice, potatoes and mangoes for desert. more carbs in one meal than needed for the day.Could someone discuss what they know about this:http://bioperine.com/bioperine-vs-black-pepper.html BioPerine® vs. Black PepperIt is a general impression that the more you consume nutrients, the more will be made use of by the body. But biologically speaking, this is not always true. Some nutrients taken at a higher dose will actually negate the benefit and will not be absorbed by the body. Ideally speaking, the less, the best.Similarly if one believes that since Bioperine® is sourced out of black pepper, all one need to do is increase the consumption of black pepper. Again you have gone wrong, for the direct intake of black pepper will not help achieve enhanced nutrient absorption.According to clinical reports, having BioPerine® “in the right place at the right time” in the digestive tract with supplemented nutrient results in enhanced absorption. So BioPerine® when taken during illness will have the best nutrient absorption. Besides if piperine were to remain captive in the form of raw black pepper, it will take time for its bioavailability enhancing property to be released. Therefore, a purified extract of piperine is necessary to get the increased absorption.Hi Dr. Greger.does this mean that it’s okay to sautee my garlic onion ginger and curry powder in a little bit of canola oil to release the flavor? If no, what fat source should I add if any? Flax seeds?Great info once again Dr G.Certainly some lively discussions in this thread.Here’s how I use turmeric: – add turmeric powder to my food when cooking it. I add it to the leek/onion & garlic base when they are first being lightly cooked in water before adding subsequent ingredients. – take turmeric powder off the spoon when drinking my morning or evening green smoothie or freshly made green juice. – add fresh turmeric root, crushed with a garlic press/crusher, to my bowl alongside other ingredients that are not going to be cooked/heated, such as avocado and lemon juice and fresh ginger root.I’m lucky that I live 15mins drive from an Asian supermarket that sells fresh turmeric root for £1 per 100g (I live in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK).Does this mean you should avoid putting pepper on fish to avoid vitamin A issues?Excellent video as always. Thanks for highlighting the article at the end on ghee. My roommates this year are Indian. While I love having access to all those spices, they still do not understand why I refuse to eat their ghee-based curries, because “everyone knows that it is good for you.” (130 calories, all fat, most of it cholesterol and saturated? Not sure this is healthy . . .) I think I’ll show them the article next time they try to tell me to eat ghee.Sir, you are confusing me. If our liver is “actively trying to get rid of curcumin”, why, for health’s sake, to try to “boost” the effect of such a thing? Are we cleverer than our liver? Is something wrong with our liver so it is trying to get rid of toxins? Please, explain your philosophy on this. What is your viewpoint?As always this is great, Dr. Greger. Many thanks!Dr. Rob Ostfeld (Cardiac Wellness Center) shared this study of turmeric and DHA production with me, and that I thought you might find interesting. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925443914003779I am amazed that so many people making comments seem to think that canola oil is healthy and that no one has mentioned this thus far. Approximately 90 percent of canola oil is GMO. Need I explain that the rape seed crop is heavily sprayed with glyphosate all through the life cycle of the crop, including just before harvest to ripen the seed. I have also read that canola oil is heavily refined to get rid of the nasty smell and taste of rancidity, additionally it has an unhealthy ratio of omega 3 to omega 6. The healthy choice is to avoid all canola oil.Peoplehouse: Here’s the perspective that I find helpful when it comes to talking about oils: *No* oil is healthy. All oils are highly refined, essentially pure-fat products. Canola is not special in that respect. That said, if you are going to have some oil at all, then canola is a *relatively* good choice. You can get an organic product to avoid GMO and the sprays. And while the omega 3 to 6 ratio is bad, that ratio is better in canola oil than most other commonly used oils, including olive oil.So, for me, while I personally try to avoid all oils as much as possible, if I’m going to say spray some oil on my popcorn because I feel I Just Must Do So, I’m not going to kid myself that I’m making a healthy choice, but I am probably going to choose the canola as a marginally better choice over the other options in my fridge.Excellent info except for the last little blurb on butterfat and heart health. The latest studies show that the old connection between saturated fats and atherosclerosis as dreamed up by Ancel Keyes and his blind followers is totally false. All the biased studies trying vilify saturated fats failed if properly analyzed instead if being written up in circuitous language attempting to minimize the results, inevitably show the truth. Fortunately after nearly 50 years of bias and misinformation in public health policy that has undoubtedly contribited to our current sad state of chronic metabolic desease in this country, the truth is coming out little by little.If taken in supplement form, what would be the effective dose for curcumin and piperine? I’d prefer it in whole good form but one can only eat so much curry.Dr. Greger, are you advocating boosting curcumin with piperine? It’s unclear in your reporting. Thanks.I take a turmeric supplement every day. If I use it in cooking, I try to incorporate coconut oil as well to help with the absorption. I’ve noticed a marked improvement in the pain and swelling I get from my arthritis. I decided to take turmeric for my chronic inflammation when a relative told me about the anti-inflammatory benefits he was seeing from it. He suffers from a severe chronic inflammatory disease. After I began to use it, I noticed a small changes really quickly and a even more significant changes within about 3 weeks. I’ve been taking it faithfully ever since and feel so much better. In my opinion, turmeric is one of the best natural anti-inflammatories out there and I appreciate all the thoughtful information in the video. It will help me to make sure that I am getting the most anti-inflammatory benefits from the turmeric I cook with.	alternative medicine,aspirin,asthma,butter,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,complementary medicine,curcumin,curry powder,fat,heart disease,heart health,herbs,India,liver health,malaria,medications,pepper,piperine,quinine,spices,tea,turmeric	Dietary strategies, including the use of black pepper (piperine), can boost blood levels of curcumin from the spice turmeric by up to 2,000%.	Why would we care about boosting curcumin levels? I started talking about this golden spice pigment in Which Spices Fight Inflammation? and Spicing Up DNA Protection and then moved on to treating actual clinical conditions in Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid Arthritis and Turmeric Curcumin and Osteoarthritis. Next I’ll end this video series with some cautionary notes in Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric.I’ve previously covered this topic of food synergy in videos such as Apples and Oranges: Dietary Diversity and Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation that emphasize the importance of eating a variety of plant foods to take advantage of some of these interactions.The black pepper mechanism reminds me of the grapefruit (Tell Your Doctor If You Eat Grapefruit) and broccoli (The Best Detox) stories. A testament to the power of plants.The painkilling properties of aspirin mentioned in the video are actually found throughout the plant kingdom: Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods.In some circumstances, traditional medicine wisdom seems incredible (Tomato Effect); in others, dangerous (Get the Lead Out). But that’s what we now have science for!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepper/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/piperine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/malaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/quinine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curry-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23487030,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22048552,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17999464,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2887943,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3917507,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22471448,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9619120,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23847105,
PLAIN-2650	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/	Turmeric Curcumin and Osteoarthritis	Osteoarthritisis the most frequent cause of physical disability among older adults in the world, affecting more than 20 million Americans, with 20% of us affected in the coming decades, and becoming more and more widespread among younger people.Osteoarthritis is characterized by loss of cartilage in the joint. We used to think it was just mechanical wear and tear, but it’s now generally accepted as an active joint disease with a prominent inflammatory component as evidenced by, for example, significantly higher production of inflammatory prostaglandins from tissue samples obtained from the knees of people suffering from the disease.If the loss of cartilage is caused by inflammation, might an anti-inflammatory diet help like it does with rheumatoid arthritis? Using optimal nutrition and exercise as the “first-line” intervention in the management of chronic osteoarthritis could well constitute the best medical practice.Where's the best science on what optimal nutrition might look like? The China study is a prime example, showing the serious health consequences of high consumption of pro-inflammatory foods—meat, dairy, fat, and junk—and low consumption of anti-inflammatory plant foods, whole grains, vegetables and fruits, beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils. The unnatural Western diet contributes to low-grade systemic inflammation, oxidative tissue stress and irritation, placing the immune system in an overactive state, a common denominator of conditions such as arthritis.There are phytonutrients in plants that appear to help decrease the degradation of the joint cartilage, the inflammatory activity, cell death, and oxidative damage. This is based largely on in vitro studies suggesting protective benefits of soy, pomegranates, citrus, grapes, green tea, and the curry powder spice turmeric. But my patients are people, not petri dishes. What role might the yellow pigment curcumin in turmeric play in the treatment of osteoarthritis?Well obesity doesn't just put more stress on our joints. Fatty tissue inside our joints, like in the kneecap itself, is a source of pro inflammatory chemicals that have been shown to increase cartilage degradation. Curcumin may not only help prevent the release of inflammatory chemicals, but slow the formation of the fat pad in the first place. But enough with the test tubes. There have been two clinical studies published to date.The latest took 50 patients suffering from mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis and gave them either the best available medical treatment, which included control with anti-inflammatory drugs and pain-killers, or the best available treatment along with some proprietary curcumin supplement. They used a number of different measures, including the karnosfsky scale which goes up to 100, which is normal, no complaints, no evidence of disease, down to zero at which you're dead. The group with the added curcumin did significantly better, and were able to double their walking distance. This is the best medicine had to offer, so Mother Nature made a counter-offer. The curcumin group was able to significantly decrease their drug use, side-effects, swelling, hospitalizations, and other treatments.But it doesn't have to be some fancy proprietary formula. Here's the other study: The efficacy of turmeric extracts in patients with knee osteoarthritis. About a hundred sufferers were randomized to ibuprofen or concentrated turmeric extracts for six weeks, and the curcumin group did as good or better then the ibuprofen. Even though ibuprofen is over-the-counter, it can cause ulceration, bleeding, and perforation of the stomach and intestines—can eat right through your stomach wall, and in fact that happened to someone in the study. Whereas what are the side-effects of curcumin? Potentially protecting against a long list of diseases.	Time for some more curry dishes :-)Full speed ahead with the Dal recipes.Anyone want to post a dal recipe?I use the following recipe for fat-free dal tadka — but I don’t think the tadka part is accurate because this refers to “tempering” the spices, which means cooking the spices (mustard and cumin seeds) and onions to release their flavor IN OIL. (BTW, a member here suggested that mustard oil isn’t unhealthy to use though I hesitate.)LINK: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2013/07/fat-free-dal-tadka.htmlThe book “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” has an excellent Indian dahl recipe (page 259) that I use all the time. The recipe calls for 1teaspoon of turmeric but more can be added without messing up the recipe.Can you post the recipe? I don’t have that book. Thank youBuy the book, its one of the 2 plant-based diet books everyone needs for their lending library.The recipes are here.What is the other one of the 2 plant-based books?T. C. Campbell’s The China Study. Ie the same books that helped turned both Clinton and Gore into vegans.Both are a bit on the basic side for those with science backgrounds. The closest I’ve found to a definitive, current, heavily referenced guide to the “why’s” of plant-based nutrition is Mark McCarty’s regularly updated Low-Fat, Low-Salt, Whole-Food Vegan: Staying Lean and Healthy into Ripe Old Age, which has about 1200 pointers for further study.Thank you, Mr. Darryl, for bringing my attention to this document, which I am eager to read and pore over.Thank you for the link. Right now we are downsizing, in a big way. No more new books until many others are gone. I do have The China Study.There are ahem actually THREE must have PB books for your lending library, Lisle and Goldhamer’s The Pleasure Trap.Thank you for that link. I will have to try it out. I think that it would be fine without the oil.Here’s a recipe I’m tweaking for my upcoming book. Anybody want to try it and make suggestions?Harriet, health journalist, Montreal http://www.eatandbeatcancer.comIngredients· 1 cup dried yellow or orange lentils· 4 cups water· 1 T olive oil· ¼ tsp mustard seeds· 2-3 small yellow onions, diced· 1/4 tsp each: turmeric, cumin, coriander powder· 2 cloves garlic, chopped plus extra for garnish· ½ tsp chopped ginger· 1-2 lemons – juice only· ¼ tsp cayenne· salt and pepper· handful cilantro, choppedSpice Prep (Hi, folks. I do this so you can easily figure out which spices to grab and how to measure them.)· 1/4 tsp each: mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin, coriander powder, cayenne· 1/2 tsp chopped gingerMethod1. Spread the beans on a baking sheet, pick out the misfits, then wash the keepers several times in warm water and drain them.2. To sprout (optional but healthful and tasty): Put the washed beans in a large, shallow bowl and add 3 cups warm water (3 times the amount of beans), cover with a cloth towel, then place away from sunlight and soak overnight. Rinse and drain, then place soaked beans in a large sprouting jar with a mesh lid. Turn jar upside down in a bowl and tilt it slightly on an angle so the moisture will drain. Continue rinsing and draining at least twice a day for 2-3 days. When the beans’ tails are about ¼” long, they’re ready. (They’ll keep in the fridge for a couple of days until you’re ready to use them.)3. Put beans and 4 cups water in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, approximately 20 minutes, adding a little salt at the end of the cooking process.4. In a separate pan, heat oil on low to medium heat and then add the mustard seeds. As the seeds pop, add the onions and saute for a minute or so. Add turmeric, cumin and coriander powder and mix, then add garlic and ginger and continue sauteeing. Your onions should cook for 4-5 minutes max.5. Combine cooked onion mixture with warm, cooked lentils and stir well. Add cayenne, lemon juice and salt to taste, and then let the soup sit.6. Garnish with cilantro, black pepper and freshly minced garlic. Goes well with side of leafy greens. Or just throw the greens right into the soup.Hi everyone. Try my mung dal recipe! It’s low-fat, WFPB. (You can use any dal or lentil.) It incorporates chard as well. http://wp.me/p53zk6-2Thanks Kevin!Don’t forget Dr. Fuhrman’s books, check out TED: Julieanna Hever, and Kathy Freston, and their books. Julieanna just came out with another wonderful book for you and your loved ones!!!!/Vegiterranean….; Dean Ornish has done some great/GREAT research/get his Spectrum book!!!!would you recommend the curcumin supplements?What is the most effective form of curcumin and at what dosage?The bioavailability of curcumin is very low according to a clinical study done in Molecular Pharmaceutics 2007,4 (6),807-818. BCM-95 is a highly absorbable form of curcumin which is 10 times more absorbable than the standard 95% curcumin.My friend read yesterday’s post…and commented that she’d taken turmeric capsules until she realized her white hair was turning yellow…anyone else had this result?No…but I did once take ~ 25,000 IU / day beta-carotene during summer and I had a very deep tan…didn’t affect hair color.It could only be from the turmeric if the color change was only at the roots of her hair – like the way the real color of hair shows up in the roots as dyed hair is growing out.In general, how are larger molecules -specifically proteins ( e.g. hormones from milk ) – absorbed ? They are/should too large for diffusion in the absence of leaky gut. Endocytosis ? Should not they be broken down to amino acids or short peptides thus loosing their biologic if not antigenic activity ?Thank you Dr Gregory! My wife and I have been taking a brand by Life Extension containing 500mg Nigella sativa, an organic black cumin seed oil, combined with 200 mg Curcuma longa, an extract root with “Curcuminoids Complex with Essential Oils of Turmeric Rhizome…” for a few weeks, and I can’t tell if it’s really making much of a difference. I have some moderate osteoarthritis in all my finger joints, as does my wife, and she has moderate to severe osteoarthritis in one knee. Time will tell, but maybe it makes more sense to begin enjoying curry dishes more often. :-) Thanks again for the work you do here at NutritionFacts.I’m interested in this as well. In PubMed a search for “curcumin” yields 6277 studies and “Nigella” 624. I also tried to find info re: black cumin seed oil vs. the whole (ground) seed. Maybe Gr. Greger has some insight.Isn’t curcumin very hard to absorb much of? I know there have been ongoing tweaks to extracts/supplements to overcome this (adding peperine, phosphystidyl serine, super critical CO2 extraction) so as to get a truly therapeutic dose. I would also like to know if you, Dr Greger have any suggestions along those lines. Just turmeric in diet shows as demographically good for prevention, but what about individuals who have a current problem and wish to alleviate/reverse it?Dr Greger discusses research about how black pepper DRAMATICALLY increases bioavailability of curcumin. See his answer to the question: What about pepper plus turmeric in V8 juice. .Please fix the broken link to Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric. A word search does not result in a definitive video for this topic.I believe that’s because it hasn’t been “published” online yet, it’s only available on his newest DVD, Volume 16. BUT, I think it will be the video Dr Greger will be posting tomorrow – Monday 1-20-14.Many of these articles relate to a derivative of the core product i.e. “Curcumin”, from “Turmeric”, which turn out to be pricey products from pharma or health stores. What amount of turmeric do we actually need to eat for it be effective in our diet?I TAKE TUMARIC FROM WALMART BEEN TAKING 1 TO 2 PILLS A DAY FOR ALMOST THREE MONTHS .I DONT NEED TO WERE WRIST BRACES ANY MORE TO SLEEP ..MY HANDS DONT FALL ASLEEP ANY MORE .GAVE THE ARCH IN MY FEET BETTER FLEX MY KNEES HAVE FULL RANGE MOTION ITS COST 7 DOLLARS A BOTTLE …I TRIED IN FOOD IT STAINS AND IS HARCH TASTE TO IT .I DID LIKE IN A STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIE BUT I LIKE BITTER ..Ibuprophin also implicated in kidney cancer.http://nutritionstripped.com/turmeric-milk/I make this w soy or almond milk. I try to stay with real foods rather than pills or extracts.This is a very useful article, since about many of us will have to deal with OA at some point in our lives. I have some work-induced OA in my finger joints. I wish I could turn back the clock, and I am hoping nutrition will come up with an answer to repair damaged cartilage. The vegan diet immediately (2-3 weeks) halted all symptoms for 6 months. Now, I only have morning stiffness for a few seconds, but I’m only in my early 40’s so having a progressive chronic condition is unsettling. This article shows I really must work harder on my major weakness (sugar).Is there a definitive answer to what dosage of curcumin supplements are effective for osteoarthritis? I have been following a vegan diet for the better part of a year, but I seriously doubt I will be incorporating tumeric into my cooking in a daily or even regular basis. Have been taking 375mg supplements for about a month without strong evidence of improvement, so I am curious about whether to increase the dosage or if it is even recommended.In the 8 month study cited above Meriva 500 mg twice a day was used. That formulation showed a 20-fold increase in bioavailabilty vs. plain curcumin. These studies are available on Pubmed.Dr. Greger, are there any studies on the benefits of kefir? Does kefir affect the absorption on phytonutrients similar to milk products?lively1: Kefir is just another form for dairy. While it may have some probiotics, the food is a package deal. You have to take the bad with the good. And oh boy, is there plenty of bad. for more information about dairy:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/If you really like kefir, I would recommend checking out non-dairy kefir. You might look into a coconut based commercial one or maybe even check out making your own water based kefir. Some people really love that stuff.Good luck.This is an easy Dal recipe http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/red-lentil-dal/May I just add that “curry” is a meaningless term. Indian grocery stores carry Garam Masala which means hot spices. Each mix will be different depending on who put the mix together and what part of India the cook was from. A Bengali would mix a 5-spice masala called panch phoron.This in no way would resemble a Gujrati masala. When someone adds the notation, “1 teaspoon garam masala.” it is absolutely useless. Does the Masala add fenugreek ,whole cumin,and kala jeera? Or does it add caraway, coriander,ginger, garlic,anise seed? You actually can find Curry leaves in Indian grocery stores. They smell heavenly. They are labeled Karbev leaves and I add them to only one dish-Upma,the world’s best breakfast.Mustard oil is used by Bengalis a great deal. They love eating fish and mustard oil is part of the preparation of them. I fry the fish in half mustard oil,half olive oil. But that’s not enough for the average Bengali. The “jhol” or sauce is made of thin slice chilies,salt,a heaping teaspoon or more of turmeric tempered in the oil during the frying,and 2-3 tsps of dry mustard mixed with water added to the pan till the fish is swimming once again.KartofflMuter: NutritionFacts.org has a lot of very helpful information about fish. Here are some links to get you started if you are interested: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=fishNo More -itis Rice-1 cup brown short grain rice -1 red onion, chopped -3 stalks celery, diced -3 shallots, chopped -3 cloves garlic, minced -9 white button mushrooms, quartered -1 tbsp salt-free curry powder -1 tbsp marjoram -½ tbsp oregano -2 cups water/homemade vegetable broth -6 collard fronds, cut in ribbons then in half -6 swiss chard fronds, cut in ribbons then in half -1 tbsp apple cider vinegarCrush and mince garlic, then set aside. Add all ingredients, except garlic, greens, and vinegar, to a pot. Bring water to boil, then lower heat and simmer, covered, until water absorbed and rice tender. Turn off heat and stir in garlic, greens, and vinegar. Stir to combine and serve.~complements of plant-based emporiumHi Dr. McGregor,I’m a 23-year-old woman and recently saw my doctor because I’ve been noticing joint pain and morning stiffness in the middle knuckles of my fingers (mostly right ring finger and left index finger). She did a blood test for Rheumatoid, which was negative, so she diagnosed me with osteoarthritis and said to take Aleve as needed. She said it was uncommon at my age but that it can affect anyone, just like “some people go gray early.”The problem is, I’m a classical violinist in my last year of a Masters in Music Performance, and the agility of my fingers is crucial to my profession. I will do anything and everything to stop or at least slow the progression of this disease, I just don’t know what to do. My doctor doesn’t seem to believe there is a nutritional component.I’ve always been vegetarian, and lately have been leaning more towards veganism, but would regularly cheat when I went out to eat (which is a lot).I’m thinking I should try a strict elimination diet for 4 weeks, to see if what I eat is causing inflammation. I have heard meat (don’t eat this anyway), dairy, eggs, gluten, corn, refined sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and even white potatoes (?) should be eliminated as possible triggers.I also just bought a joint supplement by Irwin Naturals called 3-1 Joint Formula, which has vitamin E, Niacin, Folic Acid, B12, Manganese, Fish and Flax oils, Glucosamine Sulfate (1500 mcg), Chondrotin Sulfate (1200 mcg), MSM, Indian Frankincense, Stinging Nettle, Turmeric extract (95% curcuminoids, rhizome) 40 mg, Alpha-Lipoic Acid, and “BioPerine” (95% piperine, 5% gingerols)Would you recommend this approach? If not, what do you think I should do?I would be *very* grateful for your opinion.Thank you, Suffering ViolinistSuffering Violinist: I’m sorry to hear about your problem! That would be a bummer for anyone, but for a young woman who needs healthy hands for her living, the story is particularly painful to hear about.I’m not an expert, but I wanted to express some support. I think your plan makes a whole lot of sense. I’ve heard that even small amounts of dairy and be a problem for people. So, going on a strict elimination diet where the base diet is made up of nothing but whole whole plant foods makes a lot of sense to me. You might also look up other videos on this website with the topic of arthritis and inflammation to see if you can pick up other tips.I sure do hope this works out for you.I would also ask your doctor about an inflammation assay test. I heard through a third party and don’t know the details, but they took a bunch of common foods and made a grid, kind of like allergy tests. I assume that they put a drop of blood on each, but I don’t actually remember. When the results were in, the woman in question had a list of foods not to eat. In something like 6 months she went from being afraid she would need to stay in a wheel chair to feeling “Almost normal”, or at least able to take part in life. Sorry I don’t have the specifics.Nothing wrong with potatoes or gluten.. i’d say go for a low-fat (no oil) vegan diet, using recipes containing curcumin, as well as potassium-rich foods (tomato paste/puree, legumes, leafy greens).. Tomato-based ethiopian/indian dals, potato curries, etc. :)One fairly easy potato curry recipe that I sometimes make, either with vegan fat-free pancakes, or with rice, is this one:2 tablespoons raw sesame oil, vegetable oil, or ghee 2 teaspoons minced garlic or garlic mashed to a paste 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes 1 cup finely chopped shallots 1 cup chopped tomatoes 2 green cayenne chiles, seeded and chopped ½ teaspoon turmeric ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander ¼ cup water 1 teaspoon salt, or to tasteHeat water in a wok or karhai or wide pot over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon garlic and cook for a minute, then add the potatoes and shallots. Stir-fry for several minutes, until the shallots have softened, pressing the potato cubes against the surface of the hot pan, then add the chopped tomatoes and chiles and stir to blend. Add small amounts of water (pour from a glass, in 2-3 tbsp increments) to the pan if the food sticks to the surface. Add the turmeric, mustard seeds, cumin, coriander, and the remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and stir. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover tightly and simmer vigorously until the potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes. Check after 10 or 12 minutes to make sure there is enough liquid and that nothing is sticking; add a little more water if necessary.If we add Vitamin c and omega 3 fatty acids in daily diet or through nutrition suppliments then Rheumatoid Arthritis will get reduced within 3 months.I have had good success with my knee when taking (and still take it daily!) Tumeric; I mix with coconut oil and swallow as best as I can, since I am not in a place with a kitchen, I can mix this blend, put it into little ice trays and pop out what I need when it’s cold from the fridge. I also add a bit of pepper since it has 6% piperine, and that makes a concoction that goes almost immediately into the bloodstream after hitting the liver. I’m feeling so much better after about 45 days of daily dosages (around 400mg) that I’m writing Get My Happy On! about my experiences. Find me on FB!!clairefranceperez: I justhappened to know someone who was recently diagnosed with osteoarthritis in the knee. Your post could not have come at a better time. I’m going to forward on your success story. Thanks for sharing!Understand that I was NOT able at all to walk for about six weeks last Christmas. I had to do bed rest and lay uselessly around, using a task chair to wheel my painfully contracted leg around; was it meniscus? Arthritis? Later, a chiropractor laid me on the stomach and then used my lower leg to actually grind the knee cap and man that was painful. However, I never had pain again! Just muscle atrophy which is being addressed with private yoga classes. I walk with very little limping now.What about Polymyalgia rheumatica. I have an aunt that I switched to a WFPB diet about 10 months ago. She had a menengioma tumor the size of a baseball removed summer 2013 and had a lot of infections after and has only recently begun to walk again. She has lost 70 pounds since January and has been on a strict WFPB diet that I make for her. Lately her SED rate has been elevated which means she has inflammation in her body somewhere. In the past she was diagnosed with the rheumatica and was on a low dose of Prednisone for years. I was able to get her off of blood pressure medicine, cholesterol medicine, acid reflux medicine, she no longer has gout and, as I said, dropped a good deal of weight. I don’t like what I read about the side affects of Prednisone so wondered if Turmeric would be something that might work here? ieatplants.com is where I blog about our experiencesGOD himself knows how much I love each and every post/video/blog post….; The subject matter can be confusing enough/what with all the misinformation fomented by “the experts”. With such as posting at this, it would be helpful to give some guidance as to approximately how much and how often a beneficial amount would be to be a part of ones daily intake. And, it is such a benefit to had black pepper/as you have notated/that that too should somehow be a part of such messages. Thank YOU!!!!!Will curcumin work for spinal osteoarthritis?	aging,alternative medicine,animal fat,arthritis,autoimmune diseases,beans,cartilage health,chickpeas,China Study,citrus,complementary medicine,curcumin,dairy,exercise,fat,fruit,grains,grapes,green tea,Ibuprofen,immune function,inflammation,joint disease,joint health,junk food,lentils,meat,medications,obesity,osteoarthritis,oxidative stress,pain,phytonutrients,polyphenols,pomegranates,saturated fat,soy,spices,split peas,standard American diet,tea,turmeric,vegetables	The yellow pigment curcumin in the spice turmeric may work as good or better than anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.	What about rheumatoid arthritis? That was my last video, Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid. Next, I’ll cover Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin and then end with some caveats (Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric).I think the only other video I have on osteoarthritis is Rose Hips for Osteoarthritis.Those unfamiliar with The China Study should read it! I also mention it in my video China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death.If, as described, oxidative stress and inflammation both play a role in joint inflammation, then that may help explain the role of turmeric. See my recent videos Which Spices Fight Inflammation? and Spicing Up DNA Protection.I’d also add nuts (Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell) and mushrooms (Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation) to the list of anti-inflammatory plant foods.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cartilage-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/split-peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ibuprofen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23194896,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23143785,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15731292,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23487030,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23339049,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19678780,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22832078,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23312408,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22662293,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19836480,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21194249,
PLAIN-2651	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/	Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid Arthritis	According to the World Health Organization, 80% of the Earth’s inhabitants (seven billion) rely upon traditional medicine for their primary health-care needs, in part due to high cost of Western pharmaceuticals. Medicines derived from plants have played a pivotal role in the health care of both ancient and modern cultures. One of the prime sources of plant-derived medicines is spices. Turmeric is one such spice that has been consumed over the years around the world. Turmeric is known around the world by different names, my favorite of which is probably zard-choobag.Turmeric is the dried powdered root stalks of the turmeric plant—a member of the ginger family—from which the orangish-yellow pigment curcumin can be extracted. The spice turmeric is what makes curry powder yellow, and curcumin is what makes turmeric yellow. The molecule even looks cool. I always thought it kind of looked like crab.In recent years, more than 5000 articles have been published in the medical literature about curcumin. Many sport impressive looking diagrams suggesting curcumin can benefit a multitude of conditions via a dizzying array of mechanisms.Curcumin was first isolated more than a century ago, but out of the thousands of experiments, just a handful in the 20th century were clinical studies, involving actual human participants, but since the turn-of-the-century more than 50 clinical trials have been done, testing curcumin against a variety of diseases, with 84 more on the way.But most of the 5,000 were just in vitro lab studies, which I've resisted covering until they moved more out of the petri dish and into the person. But this study got my attention.Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder that causes progressive destruction of the cartilage and bone of joints. The long-term prognosis of RA is poor with as much as 80% of patients affected becoming disabled with a reduction of years in life expectancy. There're lots of drugs one can take, but unfortunately they're often associated with severe side effects including blood loss, bone loss, bone marrow suppression, and toxicity to the liver and eyes.Efficacy was first demonstrated over 30 years ago in a double-blind crossover study: curcumin versus phenylbutazone, a powerful anti-inflammatory they use in race horses. Both groups showed significant improvement in morning stiffness, walking time, and joint swelling, with the complete absence of any side effects in the curcumin group, which is more than can be said for phenylbutazone, which was pulled from the market three years later for wiping out people's immune systems, and their lives.Forty-five patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis were randomized into three groups: curcumin, the standard of care drug, or both. The primary endpoint was a reduction in disease activity, as well as a reduction in joint tenderness and swelling. All three groups got better but interestingly the curcumin groups showed the highest percentage of improvement, significantly better than those in the drug group. The findings are significant and demonstrate that curcumin alone was not only safe and effective, but surprisingly more effective in alleviating pain compared to the leading drug of choice, all without any adverse side effects. In fact curcumin appeared protective, given that there were more adverse reactions in the drug group than in the combined drug and curcumin group. In contrast to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, curcumin has no gastrointestinal side effects, and can even protect the lining of the stomach.	Hi Dr Greger, Iain here. Hope you are well. Turmeric is one of the few foods I can’t get on with – is it ok to take it as a supplement? If so, are there any you would recommend? Many thanks for your fantastic work.Cheapest way would be to fill one’s our capsules, since in bulk it’s just pennies. If you were going to buy premade supplements, with some exceptions I’d suggest whole turmeric powder, not isolated curcumin, for reasons I’ll explain in upcoming videos.That would be terrific if you would elaborate Dr Gregor on the benefits or possible disadvantages of taking full Turmeric versus a supplement of Curcumin. There appears to be quite a bit of confusion.Personally, I employ whole Turmeric, as I usually consider the more natural–nature made–product the best for all around use. There are usually hidden benefits from phytonutrients that are frequently overlooked from a narrow minded view. Some Black Pepper is added to increase absorbtion.thanks! i know someone who can really use this info -Does mustard have significant amount.?This recipe mimicking French’s suggests common yellow mustard just over 1% turmeric (⅛ tsp in ¼ cup).Thanks so much for sharing this great information!! Now I need to know how to implement it! Can you please do a video or a post on how to best add Turmeric Curcumin to your diet to get all these benefits?For EXAMPE: What are the best ways to add Turmeric Curcumin into your diet? Do you chop up the root and eat the root? Juice the root? Buy the spice and add it to your soups and other dishes? Take a supplement?How much should you consume each day? I suffer with chronic inflammation so I would really love to know more.Thank you!Hi! How do we consume Tumeric & in what amounts? Is it available as a tea? Capsule? Recently diagnosed with RA & eager to find natural relief. Thanks!I have had severe arthritis and live with a patient who is in her ninth year with Prednisone for her Rheumatoid Arthritis, a cruel trick in side effect is the highly painful osteoporosis … for which pain the doctors have recently prescribed a double dose of this debilitating steroid. This devastating turn of events pitches me in full against medical practice as I have no doubt there is a hefty commission paid to doctors. When given the information about the turmeric, the RA doctor said, “Oh good, I’m glad you discovered it, I’m using it too, but no you may not stop using steroids.” It is prescribed for inflammation but the damage is already hurting her as she is completely disabled and worsening. For thirty days we sipped “tea” which I made daily and from which the benefit was noticed by everyone, until the day that the stains in the kitchen were too much for her attendants. She switched to Curcumin supplements but the rosy cheeks and cream-on-her-own-feet routine (she was bending her legs and reaching without pain!) were sadly over. I’m posting on FB do a search for “get my happy on.” The dosage I created for her was a shared quart of simmering water with two tablespoons (heaping) Turmeric added. One grind of pepper per cup, and she drank for 30 days, once a day a three-way split of the brew. You can ingest higher doses without detrimental effect unless you are advised otherwise (check for pregnant women and for blood-thinning situations) I have heard of dosages as high as 12 to 20 grams. It is hard to eat this much so I have made a film about how I make “ice cubes” with coconut oil. I dump these into hot water and stir, and avoid a few stains. But they’re everywhere, these neon-yellow spots and I’m a retreating to a catering kitchen and making them by the hundreds there are so many asking the question of easy and efficient ingestion of the whole herb. Wrote a little book of these experiences and more.Thanks for this report which confirms your earlier reports on turmeric. Thankfully, I’ve finally taken the lead from a vegan friend and started preparing DAL as a food I’ve started eating almost daily, which covers me for legume department (though I have a weakness for fresh sweet peas too). The best thing is that the recipes calls for several of the GREATS in the short list of foods that are really good for us: Cooked onion, garlic, tomatoes, ginger and… TUMERIC. Though I still can make it as well as my friend, batches lasting few days can be made in a pressure cooker in less than 20 minutes.For those with an South Asian market nearby with black mustard/rai (AITC), asafoetida/hing (many compounds), curry leaves (mahanine), fenugreek leaf/methi (diosgenin), I never seem to tire of this South Indian dal. Prepared garlic/ginger paste at South Asian markets is a real time saver, too.The recipe link here leads to the page on mahanine.ooops. fixed.Do you do the frying, or “tempering” part? I do this however I skip the oil. Anyway. Thanks for this reference. I’ll try it, though not until I perfect my Dal Tadka recipe, which I literally eat every day (though only for the past couple of weeks, as it’s still a novelty for me.)Frying in minimal oil is necessary to extract the flavor compounds from whole mustard and cumin seeds (you’ll hear them pop and fly across the kitchen). Some added oil will also help with absorption of carotenoids from the tomatoes. Ghee is traditional and as an animal product high in saturated fat, in my opinion unwelcome, but any other cooking oil will do. Mustard oil is an authentic alternative. Dals, and legume dishes in general, require a lot less oil than recipes often call for – I double that recipe while halving the oil so its still < 15% fat.Yeah, a little bit of oil… But I recall Dr Esselstyn shouting “No oils.” Anyway. Will look into mustard oil. Can’t see that using a bit could be harmful, but I’m not a researcher.Dr. Esselstyn is trying to stabilize coronary plaques, and many fats are both directly and indirectly inflammatory (trans > SFA > MUFA > ω-6 > ω-3). Having an absolute rule like his makes sense for his patients and others with plaques that could burst and cause a heart attack at any moment, who would otherwise be adding not-so “heart-healthy” 12% SFA 78% MUFA olive oil.A vegan diet with no nuts and added fats can be as low as 10% fat, compared to the 35% American average. My goal is a bit more moderate: I aim for 15% of caloric intake from fats, avoid trans and saturated fats where ever possible, and choose fatty foods like nuts or minimal cooking/salad oil with the highest ω-3:ω-6 ratio (it doesn’t leave much: canola & mustard oils, walnuts, flax seeds, and wheat germ).I am in that “no oil” group, been there for 2.5 years now. Heart attack (“mild”) 10 years ago…IS THERE a period of time on the strict NO OIL Essy diet after which you could say the plaques have stabilized? Any data on that? I keep wondering what those “pimples” are doing in there.Ornish and Esselstyn’s work suggests plaques stabilize in weeks, and regress in years, but I haven’t encountered any good guides to a “safe” level of dietary fats for secondary prevention. In the big studies with moderate fat substitutions, people in the experimental arms still have plenty of coronary events, and there isn’t much work in the range between Pritikin/Ornish/Essylstyn pilot-scale studies (< 12% fats, < 5% saturated) and the larger cohort studies (~30% fats, ~10% saturated). There’s perhaps no “safe” threshold: every increment of trans, SFAs, and even MUFAs increase endothelial inflammation somewhat, and every higher ratios of ω-6:ω-3 intake makes signalling eicosanoids more inflammatory.I picked 15% because it was just achievable in my diet (calculated using Cron-O-meter) while permitting a daily 2 Tbsp flaxseed, 2 Tbsp walnuts, and a Tbsp added oil, and its roughly the amount consumed by rural Chinese in the China study. But Esselstyn’s record speaks for itself in secondary prevention.What is your take on health value/risk associated with a higher fat whole foods vegan diet, say roughly 30% of calories from fat including using a variety of nuts and seeds, soy, avocado and olives? I am curious in part because Dr. Greger has consistently argued in favour of eating nuts with seemingly no upper limit. In one video, he went so far as to argue that heart disease risk was halved by eating a handful of nuts per day.The health benefit of nuts added to Western diets is usually attributed to phytosterols, tocopherols, magnesium, potassium, and (in walnuts) a fair ω-3:ω-6 ratio. The phytosterols, which interfere with cholesterol absorption, might not benefit cholesterol-free vegan diets. The tocopherols (including vitamin E and gamma tocopherol, also appear other seeds (and seed oils), including wheat germ and soy. There are other good sources for potassium (tomatoes, potatoes, wheat germ/bran, greens). And wheat germ/bran is a better source for magnesium. Western diets tend to be deficient in tocopherols, potassium, and magnesium, but it appears wheat germ/bran may be just as good at providing these, per calorie or per gram of saturated fat (at least for the 95% of us without a gluten sensitivity).Looking at the diets of howler monkeys and mountain gorillas, perhaps we can infer that our ancestors spent most of the last 40 million years eating a diet with 14-18% fats, 4-8% being saturated. Fat intakes among the low heart attack risk rural Chinese in the China study fall into this range (15% fats, 4% saturated), while the very low heart attack risk Tarahumara are a bit lower (12% fats, 3% saturated). I think these are good starting points, with higher fat intakes requiring good justification. For comparison the U.S. diet averages 33% fat, 11% of which is saturated, and the #1 killer remains cardiovascular disease.There’s a 5 lb bag of shelled walnuts in my kitchen, and my evening snack is 5 of them. I had to give up some tasty salad dressings to fit them into the fat budget.i hope the bag is in the fridge, at that rate they will go rancid before you’re done. I don’t have that kind of self control.Thank you for providing your reasoning. Interesting argument, although I am never quite convinced by dietary evolution arguments as compared with those that are based on controlled humans studies/trials.The Institute of Medicine provides this chart indicating the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) for fat as 20-35% for most people. What do you think?As with all the NIM/NRC nutrition recommendations, a perusal of the justifications for their recommendations is worthwhile. Most study for lower requirements is addressed to infants and children, where formula feeding and school meals are important priorities. For adults, the rationale for a 20% minimum requirement appears to be drawn from the the fact that 99% consume more than 19.8% of calories from fat, without evident deficiencies. Specific named concerns for low-fat diets in adults were: inadequate calorie intake, high triglycerides, and inadequate n-6 & n-3 intake. Among developed world adults (without anorexia or digestive diseases), inadequate calorie intake isn’t common. In the context of low LDL levels (achieved with low fat diets), slightly elevated triglycerides like those of the Tarahumara indians don’t seem to matter. And actual requirements for the two essential fatty acids (linoleic and α-linolenic acid) determined from intravenous feeding are remarkably small:Total fat: The amount of total energy as fat in the diet can vary from 10 to 50 percent without differing effects on short-term health…there are insufficient data, however, to identify a definde intake level for fat based on maintaining fat balance or on the prevention of chronic diseases, therefore, neither an AI nor and EAR and RDA are set. Strong evidence that low fat diets actually predispose to either CHD or diabetes does not exist. In fact, some populations that consume low fat diets and in which habitual energy intake is relatively high have a low prevalence these chronic diseases… Available prospective studies have not concluded whether low fat, high carbohydrate diets provide a heath risk in the North American population.n-6: Studies on patients receiving total parenteral nutrution have shown that linoleic acid intakces of as little as 7.4g/d reverses the symptoms of deficiency…A AI for n-6 is set based on the median intake of linoleic acid in the United states where the presence of an n-6 fatty acid eficiency is basically nonexistent in the free living population.n-3: Intakes as low as 0.3 g/d (of α-linolenic acid) prevented the symptoms of deficiency…an AI is set based on the highest median intake of α-linolenic acid by adults in the United States where a deficiency is basically non-existent in noninstututionalized populations.So, while one can look at the headline 20% minimum recommendation as the final word, the actual text suggest adults need on the order of 10 g LA and 1 g ALA. Personally, I’d think 10 + 10 + some EPA/DHA is better to dilute inflammatory eicosanoids, but even that’s only about 10% of calories.I’ve always found your guidance to readers to be incredibly wise. I’m having a hard time reducing my omega-6 intake (the latter decision made in light of the re-analysis and meta-analysis involving the Sydney Diet Heart Trial — http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8707 ).I consume omega-6 in the form of large quantities of nuts and pumpkin seeds (though I’ve cut back on whole sesame seeds and cut down on brazil nuts, which are SFA-rich and increased cholesterol and apoB in one randomized trial); I also eat tahini as a salad dressing (crushed sesame paste), use a very small amount of olive oil without cooking it, and eat store-bought hummus (which is enriched with canola oil) as a condiment at most meals. Processed tofu-based meat analogues also seem to contain a lot of high oleic acid safflower or sunflower oil, which adds further omega-6 to my dietary burden.Do you think omega-6 intake is something to be worried about?For the following: LA = ω-6 linoleic acid, ALA = ω-3 α-linolenic acid, AA ω-6 arachidonic acid, EPA ω-3 eicosapentanoic acid.The increased 5 year mortality (17.2% vs. 11.4%) from Sydney definitely threw a spanner in the works, though is worth noting that its results were just barely statistically significant, its intervention group had a high attrition rate, and used safflower margarine of unknown composition, possibly including trans fats. Their meta-analysis perhaps conveniently excludes larger studies (LA Veterans, MRC Soy) which include soy oil (51% LA & 7% ALA), which is as far as I’m concerned is still a high ω-6 fat. See their prior meta-analysis for details on the other studies. Still I think the evidence from the meta-analysis is sufficient to say oils with a lot of LA and negligible ALA (corn oil and safflower oil) are not heart healthy.The mechanistic concern with LA is two-fold: like ALA, its more likely to oxidize than more saturated fats; and its elongation product AA gives rise to more inflammatory eicosanoids than the competing EPA elongation product from ALA. The LDL oxidation concern is a favorite for paleo advocates, but as oxidizable ALA is cardioprotective, I don’t think oxidized LDL is that important a mechanism, leaving the ω-6 derived eicosanoids as the major issue. The conventional wisdom for reducing the proportion of ω-6 derived eicosanoids is choosing fats with a low ω-6:ω-3 ratio (flax, canola, and mustard oils, walnuts) or negligible amounts of ω-6 (high oleic sunflower oil, chia), eliminating AA (mostly in animal products), and supplementing with EPA (algal or fish oil). Note that in Western diets with ample preformed AA, LA intake doesn’t seem to effect plasma AA much, but in vegetarians, a low LA:ALA ratio does reduce the proportion of plasma AA.LA Veterans study used mostly corn and soybean oil (with some safflower and cottonseed) and if I recall correctly, showed double the rate of deaths from cancer in the intervention arm, and half the rate of deaths from coronary disease in the intervention arm, with neutral effect on overall death. I am surprised that they would have excluded these studies in their latest meta-analysis, since they separately subclassified trials with mixed w-6:w-3 interventions. Still this seems to me to be a major scientific error and possibly investigator bias.Investigator bias? Two of the authors have contributed to papers embraced by paleo-diet advocates:Dietary fat quality and coronary heart disease prevention: a unified theory based on evolutionary, historical, global, and modern perspectivesOmega-3 fats in depressive disorders and violence: the context of evolution and cardiovascular healthStill, axe-grinding can also lead to insight. That’s fascinating about the increased cancer mortality in L.A. Vets – the sort of thing one might expect from increased systemic inflammation.Darryl, that’s an excellent point (re: axe-grinding).I have been reading the Mark McLarty document that you so kindly referred me to in one of your earlier postings. It is brilliant. I take issue with only a tiny bit of it (particularly the emphasis on supplements that have only biomarker data – I thought we had learned our lesson from the colossal antioxidant trial failures, but I have not yet gotten to Appendix B where he apparently discusses this in detail, perhaps on the basis that spirulina is a whole food). My main confusion comes down to the “very low fat” part of the diet (everything else I completely concur with). What is your take on it? I am perfectly willing to abandon all of my favorite fats (e.g. canola oil, tahina, nuts, seeds, nut butters, etc) and just go as low fat as possible (with a DHA supplement). But he also talks about monounsaturates being somewhat beneficial, so I am a bit confused as to the overall message. Ornish, Esselstyn, McDougall and others with hard data use a very low fat vegan diet, but one could also cite data suggesting that some fats are beneficial: Lyon Heart Trial (canola), PREDIMED (extra virgin olive oil), nuts (in various epidemiological studies and biomarker-based trials, as well as PREDIMED). In fact he recommends almonds and hazelnuts, which are oleate-rich but also contain other beneficial compounds, fiber, etc.So which is it – moderate fat vegan diet or as low fat vegan diet as possible? By using balsamic vinegar as a salad dressing and replacing the commercially bought tahini (containing canola oil) with homemade tahini, I could easily drop more fat from my diet.This to me seems to be the most intense controversy within veganism (low vs moderate fat).McCarty runs a tiny supplement firm, so his advocacy for his pet ideas (spirulina, berberine, high dose folic acid, etc.) perhaps should be taken with a grain of salt. Low-Fat, Low-Salt, Whole-Food Vegan is actually his least pill-happy “Medline synopsis”, see Full-Spectrum Antioxidant Therapy for the other side of his thinking. I happen to think a select few supplements (none being common or having strong human evidence) are really intriguing, but I’ve avoided discussing them on this forum.I happen to disagree with McCarty on monounsaturates. In this meta-analysis, substituting MUFAs for SFAs had no effect on CVD deaths; in a 30 year study of serum fatty acids, MUFA levels were positively associated with coronary and all-cause death, and in better controlled animal studies, even plant-based MUFAs offered no protection against atherosclerosis compared to SFAs. That’s more than enough evidence to call into question the in vitro supported hypothesis that LDL cholesterol oxidation (which MUFAs should reduce) is a primary cause of vascular disease.I’ve now read around 50 papers on fats, and the only definite conclusions I’ve arrived at is that the only “good” fats are ω-3 PUFAs, trans fats are terrible, SFAs and MUFAs aren’t much better, and ω-6 PUFAs have a great big question mark hanging over them. That suggests to me the beneficial nutrients in nuts, aren’t the fats at all. I’d love to see a head-to-head study of nuts vs wheat germ or bran, which have 3-fold the tocopherol/fat and 5-fold the magnesium/fat content of nuts, and have ample studies in their “diluted” whole grain form demonstrating CVD benefits. Or at least a study that examined whether nuts had as much benefit in those eating whole grains exclusively.I agree with that. Bear in mind also that the STARS trial found major reductions in cardiovascular events and reduction of plaque with a diet that replaced SFA with PUFA (both omega-3 and omega-6) and was very rich in fiber, amylopectin, etc. If you want this paper, hit me with a line and I will email it to you (dhackam@uwo.ca).Thank you for your detailed response and thorough analysis. If you haven’t already come across it, you will enjoy this tour de force of a paper on the lower limit of fat intake.Thanks for a straight answer. I’m on track.Darryl is being quite liberal with his oil alotment. Check out most low fat vegan doctors’ sites and books and you will see recomendations to avoid oil –period. Check out pg 136 of Dr. McDougalls The Starch Solution. ALL fats are damaging to the endothelium of the arteries. I didn’t write it, I just read it. I don’t know who you follow other than yourself—but ALL of us are prone to CANCER and HEART DISEASE. If you don’t have these diseases now, just wait a little….. The consumption of any oil or fat accelerates this process. Yea, I am sure that 1 Tbls of oil tastes yummy—but health promotion is our goal, not the titilation of our taste buds. “Minimal” use of cooking oil is—-well varies by person. It’s very subjective. (perhaps you measure but other people probably don’t measure that 1 T of oil on their salad.) In fact, the phrase “a little bit of oil’ is commonly heard by cooks which justifies the use of a nutritionally deplete highly caloric substance. A little is a lot for some, or not enough for others. The addition of oil shouldn’t be recomended to any body, and by your example you may convince others do the same. You can do a scientific analysis of your fat consumption in your diet, Darryl, but fat is a fat is a fat and THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES. (keep eating a liberal Esselstyn diet, and you may well need to convert to the strict Esselstyn diet.)Very timely, thanks. i am using a new instrument called Breeze to measure my metablolism. when i eat WFPB it tells me I’m buring carbohydrate and my number is 1600 to 1800 kcal/day. When i cheat (lets call it what it is, cheating me!) the number goes UP and it tells me I’m buring fat and carb. It can see that some how in my breath! Numbers help me so much. I’m such a nerd that I have stronger control when I know the consequence will show up in my data! Thanks again for the reminder very much. Get yer calories from whole starch foods. FYI: https://www.globalpatentsolutions.com/blog/asu-innovation-breezing-portable-metabolism-tracker/I hear from multiple sources that olive and coconut oil are acceptable and even healthful. Obviously, buying the top of the line (organic and cold-pressed) is desirable. Costco now sells big tubs of organic coconut oil for $22, yay!These are not healthful substances, don’t fall for the marketing hype.http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=coconut http://nutritionfacts.org/video/walnuts-and-artery-function/This isn’t generally how most people here think. A “whole foods” diet means non-processed foods, and free oils generally require extensive processing. Plus, oils offer mostly empty calories… devoid of nutrients. Not to mention their fat value is very high so they quickly jack up your calorie intake.What is the recipe? I love Dal but don’t make it very often. Would love to have recipe.You don’t find straight turmeric to be too bitter? I’ve tried a few recipes that called for turmeric and didn’t like them as much as using curry powder.Thot I’d share some ways I incorporate turmeric into my diet. First, I buy it in bulk at a co-op or in large bags at the local Asian/Indian grocery store. Much less expensive than buying a regular spice bottle. I put it in all my smoothies/juices and the taste is mild. I also add it to curries and rice. It colors rice nicely and has only a mild nutty flavor. It can also be added to sauces and gravies (I make a vegan gravy with roasted eggplant)…the taste is mild enough to have minimal or complimentary flavoring. Finally, I bought a $12 capsule loader (for size 00 caps) and 1000 large empty capsules (about $15) and load them myself. That’s around a year’s supply. Then, if I’m not having it in my smoothies or food, just take a couple caps and get some as a natural supplement.Thanks, been thinking about the cap’s myself. Do you know if ground clove in a 00 cap would be tolerated by most people? Cloves seem so powerful to me.Thanks for the informative videos, Dr. Greger. I nominated you for a MacArthur Genius Award, but they wrote back & said they have their own committees. I have a question about the safety of Indian turmeric. Does it contain heavy metals. I am nervous now about green tea from China & Japan & spices from India. Please advise. Thanks too everyone for your comments & suggestions.Turmeric does not appear to have major problems with heavy metal content.Gasser, U., et al. “Current findings on the heavy metal content in herbal drugs.” Pharmeuropa 1 (2009): 37.Coacervate, here’s something to consider: I create a mixture of 3 parts turmeric powder, 1/2 part black pepper and 1 part clove powder (Frontier brand from Amazon) in a stainless steel bowl. I use size “0” vegcaps and fill the capsules by hand (without a fancy loader device). I’ll take two capsules with food once a day. The black pepper aids absorption of turmeric, and the cloves are for a potent antioxidant kick and maybe blood sugar stabilization. I don’t really like turmeric as a spice because it stains so well, but I like using it as a supplement. No stomach upset experienced. Mixture ratios are just a ‘swag’ that seems right to me.Thanks for the TEK Lawrence. Getting late here. Reminds me of Richard Pryor: “…One day I was having cookies and milk. I mixed some 2 percent with some half n half, I stuck my cookie in the milk and the sh*t blew up.” Man i have to laugh. I mean the chemicals I used to put into my body, not me I mean SWIM…then you know, job, marriage, kids – straightsville…now its like I’m mainlining chems all over again…Hey man, got any shrooms? Yeah man, Upgrade’s got some marinaded portobellos that are oozing with curcumin, like totally rad kicking. We’re talking Orac dude, dig?I don’t know how to say…what a long strange trip its been. “….woke last night to the sound of thunder. How far off I sat and wondered. Ain’t it funny how the night moves?”For those who are prone to kidney stone formation, you may want to read this before dousing yourself with tumeric. Would love to have Dr. Greger’s take on this study. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/5/1262.fullhi. My Mother has glioblastoma multiformae. She eats turmeric every day since almost all survirors of this deadly cancer say they ate turmeric or curcumin. we started to cook turmeric now of coursdo you know about research thatI wrote prev message from smartphone and it is not complete. I wanted to ask if someone know about research about turmeric and glioblastoma or brain cancers in general. I have heard that curcumin crosses brain/blood barrier but am not sure if it is true. Usually I try to not rely on anegdotal data but in situation we as family are now we have no choice. I discovered that one of drugs tested as chemosensitiver is a substance that was originally found in saffron so I added also saffron as my Mother’s standard spice.Dr. G- What amount of Turmeric was taken in the study? Thanks!The study.500 mg of BCM-95 / Bio-curcumin, a solvent extract of turmeric that’s 95% curcumin, with some essential oils added back in for bioavailability. As dried turmeric spice is 3.2% curcumin and 4.5% total curcuminoids, 500 mg BCM-95 is perhaps equivalent to 10 grams (1.5 Tbsp) of turmeric spice.Dr. Greger: I know that Tumeric is not supposed to cause GI upset but it does with me. The first time I got a stomach ache from it. This time it has given me some bowel disturbances. It has very much helped my arthritis and would like to continue. Do you know what the minimum effective amount per day might be? Thank you for all that you do!I take 400 to 600 mg of extracts (capsules) as directed on product to reduce pain caused by arthritis and physical therapy. Currently, I only need it once a day, and that helps me prevent heart burn which I receive when taking more of the product. This is regardless of the product I take.When I made a fresh herb turmeric tea from the turmeric root and sipped the tea all day, I never had heart burn.I would like to know if pickle achar is healthy. It contains mango, canola oil, salt, vinegar (acetic acid), spices, and potassium sorbate as a preservative. I dab it with a paper towel to soak up as much as the canola oil as possible.My grandmother contracted rheumatoid arthritis from a contaminated blood transfusion decades ago. Her doctor at the time predicted she would soon be wheelchair bound, but she is still incredibly active in her late seventies. She has managed her condition with various supplements, some of which are most likely helpful, and some of which are dubious (she is not interested in changing her diet).I have been convincing her to trade in mega-doses of vitamins for herbal supplements with well-documented benefits and low toxicity. She is already taking ginger, and now I am going to get her turmeric pills as well, so thank you!Dr.Greger, Thank you for all your awesome work! I recall a video where you cautioned us all on the dangers of too much turmeric, am I missing something here? Also, I’m an endurance (vegan) athlete and I’m out-of-commission with patellofemoral syndrome in my right knee- you think the turmeric will help out speeding up the healing process? Thank you for your time and hard work!Another amazing Dr. Greger video. Great food, awesome news.I have a liquid Mediherb Turmeric supplement made by Standard Process. On the label it says that it is Turmeric rhizome 1:1 extract from Curcuma long rhizome 5.0g. I have to drink it with juice because the taste in just nasty.I have a fluctuatingly high ESR and have been diagnosed with Polymalgia Rheumatica (also have fibromyalgia, and at 60 I’m sure I have arthritis somewhere in my body … hard to tell what’s what I’ve had chronic pain for so long. (CRP has always been normal.)Anyway, do you think curcumin would help with my symptoms, maybe even bring my ESR back to normal?Hopefully one day you’ll have some info on PMR here. Thanks in advance Dr. G.I am now taking turmeric in supplemental form, which I am buying from Dr Weil VitaminAdvisor.com and am taking as Herbal Tissue Support with a full glass of water with or after breakfast, to reduce side effects of heart burn, which I experienced both with this, and with other turmeric supplements which contained black pepper. I am taking this supplement once a day. It helped me get through physical therapy with minimal pain, and even better, reduce the pain and inflammation that occurred after I was accidentally bumped two years ago, on the side on my lower leg. I had experienced severe bruising with a lot of pain that no pharmaceutical ever relieved. But, taking this supplement alleviated both the inflammation and pain completely, although the discoloration is still there from the bruising. An x-ray found nothing broken, yet the bruising remains since the onset of the injury. Would a MRI show what was wrong?I really love this site! Thanks Dr. Greger! Personally, I consume Turmeric in the form of Golden milk (I use non sweetened almond milk, a little pepper, turmeric paste, grounded ginger and a dash of honey) to help with swelling and pain associated with RA. Not only does it taste amazing, I noticed reduced inflamation and pain in my hands an wrist within a week or so, and it’s getting better every day. I also do not take any type of pharmaceutical drug (I was on prednisone for years, but decided to stop). I found that it’s the best (and tastiest) way to consume it, plus if you take it before night time, you’ll sleep like a baby!I have RA (dx’d > 10 years ago) and would love to manage my disease fully via nutrition and diet. I am on a small dose of methotrexate, and on a dairy & gluten free diet, I manage fairly well, but am eager to be off medications totally if possible. How much turmeric should I consume daily for it to be effective? I am currently adding it to my morning nutriblast shakes and using it as much as possible when cooking, but am looking for a guideline of usage. Thank you in advance for any clarifications.Dear Dr. Greger,My husband has a puzzling problem, and he’s just begun trying to treat it with turmeric supplement, but we were hoping to get your take on it.His hands are very painful, with very swollen knuckles, and he has difficulty straightening his fingers out. They want to curl over naturally. The rheumatologist has said that from touching them she can tell that without doubt he has arthritis. Yet he has no inflammation markers appearing in his bloodwork. Nor does he (yet) have any erosion showing in the X-rays. The doctor supposes it to be psoriatic arthritis, even though he has no skin issues. However, he has said that many years ago he used to get rashes that could perhaps have been psoriasis.We have both been on a 100% whole foods diet for 1.5 years. And my husband has been fully vegan for a decade (now he’s 32). Do you think it’s possible his diet has kept this at bay, turning down the inflammation markers? The rheumatologist wants him to go on the drugs, but he would definitely prefer not to. Do you think the turmeric might help? Or if he supposedly doesn’t have inflammation, how could it?Thank you so much for your time; we love watching all your videos, and hope that maybe you could give us your thoughts in your Ask the Doctor section!With vegan love from Canada, Sarah-JeanA few people have asked about and shared how to consume turmeric. Personally I add the powder or fresh root (crushed with a garlic press) into my meals (along with other spices). The use of a garlic press/crusher is excellent and I also use it to crush my ginger (and garlic of course… and even hemp seeds that I sneak into my children’s meals ;-) ).I also take it off the spoon when I have a green smoothie. I guess I’m lucky to be able to handle most flavours straight.Hope that helps a few people out.	alternative medicine,arthritis,autoimmune diseases,bone health,bone marrow health,cartilage health,complementary medicine,curcumin,curry powder,eye health,ginger,Ibuprofen,immune function,inflammation,joint disease,joint health,lifespan,liver health,longevity,medications,pain,rheumatoid arthritis,side effects,spices,turmeric,World Health Organization	Randomized controlled trial comparing the safety and efficacy of drugs versus curcumin, the yellow pigment in the spice turmeric, for the treatment of autoimmune inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis.	Did you guess that that’s what was on the cover of my latest DVD? Hard to appreciate the gorgeous color of fresh turmeric root unless you see it for yourself. You should be able to find it at any large Asian store. I incorporate it into my Natural Nausea Remedy Recipe. The inner color is almost fluorescent!I’m afraid followers of NutritionFacts.org are going to get sick of turmeric, but there’s a lot of important new research I felt I needed to cover. Next I’ll cover Turmeric Curcumin and Osteoarthritis, then move to Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin, and end (for now!) with a video on Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric.I’ve talked about treating autoimmune joint inflammation with diets full of plants in Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis and Potassium and Autoimmune Disease.If phenylbutazone sounds vaguely familiar, maybe you read my Q&A Is horse meat safe to eat?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-horse-meat-safe-to-eat/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-marrow-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ibuprofen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curry-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cartilage-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22753715,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23143785,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17900536,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7390600,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22833299,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22996381,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16387689,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23303705,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23339055,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19721899,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23281076,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18204357,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16081279,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19836480,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22147524,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23922455,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22407780,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17549234,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1607252/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18462866,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23847105,
PLAIN-2652	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/	Spicing Up DNA Protection	This landmark study comparing the ability of different spices to suppress inflammation also compared their ability to protect DNA. Cloves, ginger, rosemary, and turmeric were able to significantly stifle the inflammatory response.If you take a tissue sample from some random person about 7% of their cells may show evidence of DNA damage, actual breaks in the strands of their DNA. And if you blast those cells with free radicals you can bring that number up to 10%. But, if the person has been eating ginger for a week, that drops to just 8 percent. This is from a tissue sample taken from someone who hadn't been eating any herbs or spices. As a result, their cells were vulnerable to DNA damage from oxidative stress. But just including ginger in our diet may cut that damage 25%, and same with rosemary. But check out turmeric. DNA damage cut in half. And again this is not just mixing turmeric with cells in some petri dish. This is comparing what happens when you expose the cells of spice eaters versus the cells of non-spice eaters to free radicals and just sit back and count DNA fracture rates.And not only did the turmeric work significantly better, but at a significantly smaller dose. This is comparing about one and a third teaspoons a day of ginger or rosemary to practically just a pinch of turmeric—about an eighth of a teaspoon a day. That's how powerful the stuff is. So I encourage everyone to cook with this wonderful spice. Tastes great, and may protect every cell in our body with or with out the added stress. If you just count DNA breaks in people's cells before and after a week of spices without the free radical blast, no significant intrinsic protection in the ginger or rosemary groups, but the turmeric group still appeared to reduce DNA damage by half.This may be because curcumin is not just itself an antioxidant, but boosts the activity of our own antioxidant enzymes. Catalase is one of the most active enzymes in the body. Each one can detoxify millions of free radicals—per second. And if you consume the equivalent of about three quarters of teaspoon of turmeric a day, the activity of this enzyme in your bloodstream gets boosted 75%!Now why do I suggest cooking with it rather than just like throwing it in a smoothie? Well this effect was found specifically for heat-treated turmeric. Because in practice, many herbs and spices are only consumed after cooking, they tested both turmeric and oregano in both raw and quote unquote cooked forms, and in terms of DNA damage, the results from raw turmeric did not reach statistical significance, though the opposite was found for the anti-inflammatory effects. So maybe we should eat it both ways.Practical recommendations for obtaining curcumin in the diet might be to add turmeric to sweet dishes containing cinnamon and ginger, I add it to my pumpkin pie smoothies, which is otherwise just a can of pumpkin, frozen cranberries, pitted dates, pumpkin pie spice and some nondairy milk. And cook with curry powder, or turmeric itself. They also suggest something called turmeric milk, which is evidently a traditional Indian elixir made with milk, turmeric powder, and sugar. I'd suggest substituting a healthier sweetener and a healthier milk. Soy milk, for example, might have a double benefit. If you're taking the turmeric to combat inflammation, compared to dairy protein, osteoarthritis sufferers randomized to soy protein ended up with significantly improved joint range of motion.	Dr Greger – in a previous video about turmeric you stated that black pepper enhances the anti-oxidant powers of turmeric. Did this study address that?No, they were given separately, but I have a video coming up specifically about turmeric bioavailability–stay tuned! If you haven’t already, subscribe (for free) at http://bit.ly/nutritionfactsupdates so you don’t miss it.Doctor Greger, I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian for 13 years. I want to switch to a vegan livestyle now. Are there any studies that show if starting a vegan diet at higher age ( I am 50 ) has a positive effekt on life expenditure or health?I became a vegan at age 51 and I can tell you that it improved my heath tremendously: I lost 20 pounds, have more energy, fewer joint pains, better sleep, better bowel habits, it eliminated my irritable bowel syndrome and for some reason I find myself being more optimistic and cheerful and suffer from depression less. Interesting, I had cut back on animal products to the point of eating fish just once a week, yet I had none of these health benefits until I went totally vegan, supplementing with B-12.Dianne and Roland thanks for your encouraging posts.I am 63 and became vegan by 60. Right now I am nursing a broken ankle from a fall on ice. In two weeks, X-ray shows it is healing nicely. I doubt that would have been the case in my former self with an additional 150 lbs on my frame….gone today from my life: diabetes, inflammation — no evidence of arthritis…essentially very little pain to the site of the break. Best yet, I have energy, look younger, do more and can concentrate better than I did in my 40s. Most important though: forget eating processed vegan foods for the majority of your diet. I am still learning to eat my plant-based diet in as unprocessed a manner as possible. I make my own nut-seed milks, vegan burgers, soups, wraps, etc.Diane, I know this is old, but I was just watching the video and saw this post…and my story is so similar! Same age, same weight loss, same resolution of diabetes, and other benefits, in my case including IBS, chronic fatigue, depression, fibromyalgia and severe arthritis and back issues that I was taking narcotics for finally, because I could barely move. If I had to walk I had to use a motorized cart, and now I am out riding a recumbent 5 miles at a clip, digging a garden and LIVING!!! It is just amazing that changing our diets changes everything! Just more proof that we are not omnivores as so many want us to believe! So yeah, to whoever was curious, it is NEVER too late to change, I just wish I had known all this many years ago!I am 46 and I adopted a plant based diet 2 years ago. I lost 25-30lbs (I fluctuate 5 lbs). My energy and stamina is of that when I was in my twenties. I haven’t been sick in two years, not even a cold, and I would always have some type of congestive problem before that. I am highly active and I box, kick box, cycle, spin, run , and powerwalk. This is the best thing I have done for my body and my mind.Starting a plant based diet ot any age can be beneficial and help reverse any possible developing chronic diseases such as heart disease. You are definitely not a lost cause!Isn’t it tragic and scary at the same time. We are all so used to losing friends and family early in life we think of 50 as over the hill. Call me paranoid, but it seems the “State” wants us this way. Not because of some evil force, rather we have an economy that powerfully supports worst practice slicing right through our lives, from academia to agribusiness to big pharma.Kastora if you make the change you are looking at adding decades to your life, “fully functional” as Dr. MacDougal put it. Dr. Greger is in good company, going all the way back to Kempner, Pritikin and Ornish…Please search out the other vids on the net, Esselstyn, MacDougall, Campbell…there is no question…the scientific studies are in. I hope you make the jump…we need you! You’ll save others by setting the example!I believe it is never too late to go vegan. Ginny Messina RD has a new book coming out about starting a vegan lifestyle after the age of 50. Many of the atherosclerotic plaques in blood vessels are reversible with a plant-based diet, as Dean Ornish M.D. has documented in the Lifestyle Heart Trial. The clinical population was late middle age and up. I would recommend Jack Norris’s book called “Vegan for Life” on how to effect your transformation.Sir Francis Chichester was diagnosed in middle age with cancer – incurable. His wife put him on a completely vegan diet, and the cancer went into remission. He then became the first Brit to sail solo around the planet – and the Queen knighted him when he returned. Proof positive – it’s never too late to fix your diet and be knighted.I helped my mother go to an oil-free plant based diet a year and a half ago. She lost 30 lbs without going to the gym (after struggling with her weight most of my life), and is now off both her blood pressure and cholesterol medicine. Similar to Roland, for the first time in her life she has regular bowel movements, and more energy. Good luck with your transition!I’m eagerly awaiting the bioavailability video. In the study cited here they used “lipidated curcumin extract.” In PubMed there are almost as many studies investigating ways of increasing its absorption as there are ones extolling its manifold virtues. It is worth noting that Life Extension has a product which combines highly absorbable curcumin and ginger.I’ve made it mostly vegan and hope to get to 100 percent soon. Current issue is that whenever I take DHA supplements – or even eat small amounts of fish – I get nose bleeds and if I get a cut somewhere or scratch it seems to bleed more and not dry up as fast. And all this occurs after taking very small amounts of the oils, or fish.Dr. Joel Fuhrman has said ” fish oils inhibit blood clotting, they present another problem – they increase the likelihood of bleeding from the delicate vessels in the brain, causing a hemorrhagic stroke. Regular consumption of fish or fish oils should be avoided if a person has a family history or is at risk of hemorrhagic stroke or other bleeding disorders.”I am a male, middle-age, and seem healthy but this is really concerning. Does it make sense that vegan DHA would produce this same effect as the fish oils do for me?I have also noticed that I get extremely depressed and lethargic after taking fish oils, and after taking the vegan DHA. Some medical websites state that these oils are contraindicated in bi-polar folks. I do not feel I am bi-polar but that term can be used broadly these days so that might be up to debate. It is my hope that someone can educate me on what I have described here by using some real science….thank you!Are DHA supplements your only source of fat?It’s important to balance SAFA, MUFA and PUFA.Yeah, seems balanced. Only happens when I have DHA sources. Leafy greens do not cause me problems. Maybe I am not converting any omega 3’s to DHA, and when I get straight DHA my body is sensitive. Who knows.Exactly Larry, this is about you and your experience. At the end of the day it comes down to working out your own diet and if you’re looking for opinions, mine is to back off the DHA completely and if you really feel the need, add it back a little at a time. If the bleeding returns…well you are your own guinea pig. You decide…I’d trade chard for fish oil any day.I wonder if we could find or develop a simple clotting test to better gauge our risk.I like the advice.Regarding a simple clotting test to better gauge our risk – well, I do not know but I think it is smart to find out as both Dean Ornish and Dr. Fuhrman have suggested exercising caution with DHA, both having highlighted people who should be very careful, – Ornish going as far as saying there is a group of people who should avoid these oils. I think it would be the right thing to do for Doctor Greger to dive into this and inform the public here that omega 3 supplements can be harmful for a select group of people – according to Ornish, very harmful for their hearts. Many vegans could be watching these videos here thinking it is safe to just start popping vegan DHA pills.According to scientific studies, people who eat plenty of fish don’t have a higher risk of suffering a hemorrhagic stroke: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12624561 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12495393 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11176840 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23031847 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15155968However, if a medical doctor has prescribed a blood thinning drug for you to swallow, then he will be extremely nervous about letting you swallow fish oil, krill oil, or algal DHA softgels. The smart thing for you to do would be to completely discontinue the blood thinning drugs and swallow huge amounts of marine omega-3 fatty acids (EPA, DPA, and DHA) instead.I am not taking, nor have I ever taken, blood thinning drugs, nor am I taking any other drugs. DHA supplements – vegan and fish-based, seem to be thinning my blood, regardless of the amount taken. Both Dean Ornish and Dr. Fuhrman have alerted the public to contraindications and complications of taking these supplements – in some situations. And yes, they do tout the benefits as well for some people.Swallowing marine omega-3 fatty acids might be helpful to people who suffer from bipolar disorder: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24395390I do not have that problem. I can take 250 mg of DHA and not bleed readily. You may have an asymptomatic platelet function defect or just be very sensitive to exogenous DHA supplements. You can drive some endogenous DHA production simply by eating lots of ALA-rich foods and limiting your consumption of omega-6’s. I assume you are not on aspirin or any other platelet-inhibitor medications.We get all the Omega 3s we need in ground flaxseed and chia seeds, greens and vegetables.from Google re turmeric.. “When not used fresh, the rhizomes are boiled for about 30–45 minutes and then dried in hot ovens,[4] after which they are ground into a deep orange-yellow powder commonly used as a spice in Indian cuisine and even…” Is this boiling and heating sufficient to qualify as “cooked” and therefore derive the benefit ?I see a new evening hot toddy in my future: warmed vanilla soy milk w 1/2-3/4 t turmeric prior to heating, add maple syrup to taste or agave or stevia or date syrup, froth it up and dash of cinnamon and nutmeg on top.Oh, and now I am trying the pumpkin smoothie for brk. Double yum!Thanks…Stevia scares me. If your sweet tooth can take a little less sweetness, we switched to dextrose and cut the total sugar load in half in all recipies. Result: Zero added fructose. Works for us, but dextrose is not as sweet.>>Stevia scares me.<<Why?Ginger is not as beneficial as turmeric in many ways but ginger is useful in reducing the severity of flatulence after eating flatulence-causing foods such as American-grown legumes and dried fruits. The ginger needs to be eaten together with these flatulence-causing foods in order to reduce the severity of flatulence. The ginger needs to be present in the large intestines together with these flatulence-causing foods because that’s where the fermentation occurs, in the large intestines and not the small intestines. The more ginger we eat, the less the flatulence. [Legumes grown in Japan and China have about half of the flatulence-causing oligosaccharides (raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose) and about half of the flatulence-causing resistant starches bred out of them].Rosemary tastes more horrible than any other spice – even worse than oregano, which I can just barely eat. Therefore, rosemary is not a practical choice for bettering our health.As for turmeric, will the real Dr. Greger please stand up. Dr. Greger has been scaring everybody into completely avoiding turmeric for many years: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/As for turmeric bioavailability, piperine (from black pepper) is a risky choice because of the threat from bacterial endotoxins that will cause artery-clogging inflammation, according to the “leaky gut theory” that Dr. Greger once discussed in a previous video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/One glass of red wine a day is helpful. One bottle a day is harmful. The same logic would apply to turmeric.I do not consider red wine to be a health food. It can be a gateway drug towards alcoholism in certain vulnerable segments of our population. I’m not sure it’s worth my time or my money to add a glass of red wine per day to my vegan diet. Are there any randomized trial data with hard endpoints (death, cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia)? I know the answer and it is ‘no’. The observational data is heavily confounded by comorbid user bias and health problems in teatotallers.I was simply making an analogy in response to the comment about “the real Dr. Greger” and his seeming reversal on turmeric. Just because an overdose of something is harmful doesn’t mean appropriate doses should be avoided. I see nothing contradictory in his statements.I agree with your logic. I just wasn’t sure the analogy that you used – red wine – was appropriate. “One glass of red wine a day is helpful.” Many physicians seem to believe this, but the evidence is definitely not incontrovertible, and it is based on conflicting data from observational studies with major (self)-selection biases. In addition, studies of women suggest that the risk of breast cancer begins to increase at <1 glass of wine per day, as Dr. Greger has pointed out. I don't think I'd ever counsel one of my patients to start a glass of wine per day. Addiction potential is hard to predict, even going by past history. And having booze on hand during major life crises (bereavement, divorce, illness), and being in the habit of drinking it, is dangerous. Otherwise, I agree with the intent of your message; I might have picked a different substance though (e.g. aspirin).Not sure where you’re getting the idea that piperine increases LPS transport. It appears piperine’s main effect on phytochemical bioavailability is as a inhibitor of cytochrome P450s and other drug metabolizing enzymes, which shouldn”t effect intestinal permeability to lipopolysaccharides. Piperine does increase bioavailability of aflatoxin (while inhibiting its genotoxicity), but that’s mostly a concern for those eating peanut butter in developing nations.Some perspective on dietary oxalate.As for the taste of rosemary, that’s a personal issue, rosemary compounds like carnosic acid are remarkable as antioxidant response inducers, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and neuroprotective agents, inhibitors of pancreatic lipase – one could do a month of videos on rosemary (and chemically similar sage).With regards to smoothies containing milk or soy, I thought I had seen a previous video about milk and soy milk cancelling out the healthy effects of anti-oxidants in tea…and assumed that soy milk foods would do the same in foods containing fruits and berries.Just an idea, enjoy the turmeric in your favorite green or black tea every morning—served hot for one benefit and at lunch reap the other benefit, whilst prepared in a cold drink.Randall, thanks for your post! We put raw turmeric in our coffee with other spices (pepper, ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon) every day. Do you think the heat of the tea or coffee (?C. 170-180*) would be considered cooking the spice? Ovens are usually 300-350*.Dr. Greger, words cant express enough how much you’ve changed my life and the immense amount of respect I have for you! I just wanted to ask if you have ever thought of making a vegan recipe book? If you ever did I would buy one for myself and one for all my friends and family!Dr. Greger, I am from the Isle of Man and run Indian cookery workshops, focusing and promoting healthy Indian cuisine. Please could show how the nature of spices change when it’s cooked and how is the best way to cook the spices? I show my clients what my mom and grandma showed me how they cook back home in India. Many thanks and keep up the great work you are providing.This is really fascinating. I just downloaded the study and look forward to reading it.I have arthritis in my knee. and have been using Turmeric for several weeks..it has been very helpfulWhat about turmeric tea in the form of tea bag? – as sold in Japan.I found it interesting that Turmeric increases catalase. I’ve also read that Ashwagandha raises catalase, along with SOD and glutathione, and that it has other health benefits. I also take ashwagandha for anxiety and as a general tonic as is common in India. I don’t believe you’ve ever did a video or article on Ashwagandha, Dr. Greger. I hope you’ll consider doing so sometime soon. ThanksI crashed with severe burn-out and terrible chronic sinus issues that disrupted my sleep something awful, at the age of 53. I tried all sorts of things for 3 yrs. and my medical doctor didn’t know what to do with me. I wasn’t making much progress at all even though I quite my job and slept for 16 hrs. a night. Finally, I discovered those wonderful authors/ REAL doctors mentioned in these comments, who teach about a plant based diet. I immediately started noticing a big change. Within 4 days, my sinuses were cleared up and I was sleeping through the night. I no long have any burn-out or sinus issues and my allergies are nearly non existant. I am off all of my medications I was on and was told I had to stay on for the rest of my life. I lost the excess weight and have my figure back at 58 yrs. of age. I feel better than I have in many years! My husband also was able to go off his blood pressure medicine and he lost a lot of weight too. We will never go back. Yes, family (all hunters) raised a big stink about it, but no one can deny that it has done wonders for us being on a plant based diet and no junk ‘foods’. Go for it. It has given our lives back and people marvel at how young we look too.In this video the study says turmeric is more effective for DNA protection when it’s heat treated, so how much heat (or time being heated) is needed? Can I heat soy milk with turmeric and a healthy sweetener in the microwave until it’s a drinkable warm temperature (about 1.5 minutes on high) and drink that? Will I get the antioxidant effect that way? We’re not huge curry fans and don’t eat many pumpkin piesI found a solution to this. When stir frying mushrooms when they lost most water I shuffle them to one side, throw in some olive oil and a tea spoon of curcuma on top of it. Mix it throughout the olive oil and then stir the mushrooms in with the oil. The mushrooms then soak up the curcuma laden oil. Only then I’ll add the leek and red onion or whatever else and steam till ready with a lid on top.Sure it tastes like curcuma but only a third as strong or even less as it otherwise would have been. Try it, it might be enough of a difference to make it a perfectly nice spice to eat for you.GLThank you for the information. It confirms much of what I was taught 30 years ago by my Indian Yoga and spiritual teacher, Yogi Bhajan.I would not use a microwave oven for any food heating purposes. It destroys food value. They don’t call it “nuking” for nothing.Thanks for the video. I eat an unconventional breakfast of steel cut oats cooked with tumeric. I add hummus (homemade with a variety of beans), pepper and salsa. I have been eating this for years. I prefer this over sweet cereal.Savory oats are awesome, I never have them sweet anymore, unless it is from a cooked sweet potato I sometimes mix in. My favorite is to make the oats the night before, and when cool, stir in a TBS of shiro miso, and cover. You can add chopped nuts, sesame seeds, cooked beans or lentils, whatever, too. Let it sit on the counter overnight, and the miso changes the mix to a probiotic filled creamy dish, easy to digest and delicious!Since turmeric root is heated in order to create the dry spice powder turmeric, do we need to buy the fresh turmeric root in order to have it in the “uncooked” form for optimal pro-enzymatic, anti-inflammatory benefits? Does adding powdered turmeric to a smoothie or other uncooked food count as having turmeric in the raw form?	antioxidants,cinnamon,cooking methods,cooking temperature,curry powder,dairy,DNA damage,ginger,herbs,inflammation,milk,osteoarthritis,plant protein,protein,pumpkin,recipes,rosemary,soy,soy milk,spices,turmeric	The DNA of those cooking with spices such as ginger, rosemary, and turmeric appears less susceptible to breakage.	What landmark study? You may have missed the first half. See my last video, Which Spices Fight Inflammation?.For some other extraordinary benefits of spices, see:There are a few herb and spice caveats. See, for example:Too much turmeric may also not be a good idea for those at risk for kidney stones.Feel free to check out my Healthy Pumpkin Pie recipe for one of the many ways to spice up your diet.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/recipes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rosemary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curry-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3518252/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15636169,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23378457,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23425071,
PLAIN-2653	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/	Which Spices Fight Inflammation?	Once in a while I come across a study that's so juicy, I do an entire video about it. It's like my "which fruit fights cancer better?" video, or the best cooking method one, or that one comparing thousands of foods. Well, this is one such study.A group of researchers at U-of-F Gainesville and Penn State set up just a brilliant experiment. We've known ounce per ounce, herbs and spices have some of the greatest antioxidant activities known, but that's in a test tube. Before we can ask if an herb or spice has health benefits, it is first necessary to determine whether it is bioavailable. This is never been done, until now.They could have went the easy route and just measured the change in antioxidant level in one's bloodstream before and after consumption, but the assumption that the appearance of antioxidant activity in the blood is an indication of bioavailability has a weakness. Maybe more gets absorbed than we think, but doesn't show up on antioxidant tests because it gets bound to proteins or cells. So they attempted to measure physiological changes in the blood. They were interested in whether absorbed compounds would be able to protect white blood cells from an oxidative or inflammatory injury, whether it would protect the strands of our DNA from breaking when confronted by free radicals. They also wondered if the consumption of herbs and spices might alter cellular inflammatory responses in the presence of a physiologically relevant inflammatory insult. What does that all mean?What they did was take a bunch of people and had each of them eat different types of spices for a week. There are so many really unique things about this study but one was that the quantity that study subjects consumed was based on the usual levels of consumption in actual food. Like the oregano group was given a half teaspoon a day—the kinds of practical quantities people might actually eat once and awhile. Then at the end of the week they drew blood from the dozen or so people they had adding black pepper to their diets that week, and compared the effects of their blood to the effects of the blood of the dozen on cayenne, or cinnamon, or cloves, or cumin. They had about 10 different groups of people eating about 10 different spices. Then they dripped their plasma (the liquid fraction of their blood) onto human white blood cells in a petri dish that had been exposed to an inflammatory insult. They wanted to pick something really inflammatory so they chose oxidized cholesterol, which is like what you'd get in your bloodstream after eating something like fried chicken. So the jabbed the white blood cells with oxidized cholesterol and measured how much TNF they produced in response.Tumor necrosis factor is a powerful inflammatory cytokine, infamous for the role it plays in autoimmune attacks like inflammatory bowel disease. Compared to the blood of those who ate no spices for a week, was the blood of those eating black pepper able to significantly dampen the inflammatory response? No. What about any of these other spices? Cloves, ginger, rosemary, and turmeric were able to significantly stifle the inflammatory response. And remember, they weren't dripping the spices themselves on these human white blood cells, but the blood of those who ate the spices and so represents what might happen when cells in our body are exposed to the levels of spices that circulate in our bloodstream after normal daily consumption. Not megadoses in some pill, just the amount that makes your spaghetti sauce taste good, or your pumpkin pie, or curry sauce.There are drugs that can do the same thing. Tumor necrosis factors are such major mediators of inflammation and inflammation-related diseases that there are TNF blocking drugs on the market for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and ankylosing spondylitis, which rake in more than $20 billion a year, because drug companies charge people $15,000–20,000 a year for the drug. At that price, the side effects better be hugs and rainbows, but no, they carry a black label warning because they can cause things like, oh, cancer and heart failure. If only there was a cheaper, safer solution.Curcumin, the yellow pigment in turmeric is a tad cheaper and safer, but does it work outside of a test tube? There's evidence that it may help in all of the diseases for which TNF blockers are currently being used, and so with health-care costs and safety being such major issues, this golden spice turmeric may help provide the solution.	Great video! I wonder what results they would have gotten if they combined spices, since black pepper and turmeric may work better synergistically?I love rosemary tea, and I was curious if you had encountered this preliminary study on its effect on prospective memory: http://www.sci-news.com/medicine/article01000.htmlIf anyone is looking for ideas about fitting more herbs and spices into each day, these are a few tricks I have found useful:I have a large stainless steel french coffee press I use to brew mixed blends of these herbs for tea.I also made a ground spice and matcha mixture to make an instant chai, so that I consume the whole herb, not just the water soluble constituents.To save time, I stirred small quantities of all the nuts, seeds, dried berries, and powders in my pantry in a large jar. I keep a measuring cup inside, and add a scoop to my morning smoothie.This way, with just a few scoops here and there added to water, I take in at least 35 varieties of plants in each day, in addition to my liberally spiced regular meals.So glad you liked it! I touched on the rosemary data in my lavender video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/Interesting how they did not test garlic… or am I missing something?This older study demonstrates similar effects of diallyl disulfide (the major liver metabolite of allicin from garlic) in inhibiting inflammatory cytokine expression, at plausible plasma concentrations. And this more recent study supports an effect on TNF-α.Perhaps the featured study opted against dried garlic capsules because, at the doses in this protocol, equivalent to having all foods in the diet strongly seasoned with each spice, their volunteers would smell of sulfur for a week.Thanks for clarifying :)I dissolve the curcumin I use of coconut oil to make it bioavailable. I don’t use the pepperine/curcumin combination because of the toxicity of high levels of pepperine. I agree though I wuold like to have seen the results for the pepper/turmeric combination against just the pepper to see how much more the bioavailability increased.Red palm oil fan? What do you think about its safety and daily use?Here’s a recipe for a turmeric concoction that combines it with black pepper to increase its potency and cumin to improve its taste:http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/anti-cancer-recipes-how-to-make-turmeric-more-potent-and-tasty/Do you have any recipes for your concoctions/ teas? Also, I would be interested in doing the same, how do I start?Andrew Weil has recommended a supplement available at Amazon that uses black pepper and turmeric. I bought it but found that it gave me a major case of heart burn, which I had never had before trying this. Andrew Weil, M.D. suggests using fresh turmeric, garlic, and ginger to reduce pain and inflammation, which I used to make a pot of tea and sipped all day long.Hi Dr. Greger, I love your videos – thank you!! What amount of turmeric would you recommend a day? My Husbands PSA has risen to 6 and i’m wanting him to start having this in his diet along with a plant based diet of course :)A teaspoon a day (unless has gallstones or kidney stones).Start yesterday. Quit pussyfooting around. It is easier to keep psa low than to lower it. My psa was 6 five years ago, 3 months ago: 25, now 31. A friend died with a 25 psa. Do not ever get a biopsy: why poke a dozen poop covered needles in the bloodiest organ in the body into a tumor which just might be confined to the prostrate and risk spreading it??? Plus, Mr. Happy will not like it!! You DO NOT want to piss him off. Just assume you have cancer, are dying from it and change your lifestyle to slow the growth. Use Dr. ORnish’s program.Can we assume that these spices would also decrease hs-CRP?Turmeric is the best studied of these in reducing hs-CRP, mostly when used in preparations that increase curcumin bioavailability (coingestion with black pepper and some pharmaceutical formulations). See: • Therapeutic roles of curcumin: lessons learned from clinical trials (2013) Many, many spices, fruits and vegetables have anti-inflammatory properties in the laboratory, though fewer have seen human trials. Page 19 from this paper is a useful guide: • Age-associated chronic diseases require age-old medicine: role of chronic inflammation (2013)Some other ways of reducing hs-CRP: • exercise & weight loss and diets: • low in saturated fat • low in glycemic index • high in vegetable & fruit intake • high in plant sterols (nuts & seeds), soy protein, viscous fibers (eggplant, okra, oats, barley), and almonds • EPA & DHA • vitamin CThanks for all the links, Darryl. These are very helpful.Dr. Greger seems to contradict himself on turmeric. In one of his previous videos, Dr. Greger advised everybody to avoid swallowing turmeric powder because they were too high in oxalic acid – the bad, soluble kind that might cause kidney stones. In this video, Dr. Greger is praising turmeric.The truth is that the vast majority of people can swallow huge quantities of turmeric powder without getting kidney stones. However, much less than 1% of the turmeric can be absorbed into our bloodstream. Therefore, it’s unlikely that turmeric will benefit where our blood flows to. However, turmeric might be an excellent choice for protecting the inner lining of our entire digestive tract.I swallow turmeric powder capsules whenever I eat wakame (seaweed). Turmeric has been shown to block nitrosation (the formation of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) or cancer-causing nitrosamines) in the human stomach and esophagus. I try to rinse the salt away from my wakame but a tiny amount of salt always remains. Salt always contains nitrosamine precursors such as nitrites and nitrates. Wakame and other “brown” seaweeds (such as mekabu, mozuku, kombu, arame, limu moui, and hijiki) contain marine polyphenols called, “phlorotannins,” which also help in blocking nitrosation.The fact that oregano, which has a very high ORAC antioxidant score because of its tannin content, did poorly in this study that Dr. Greger shared with us in this video indicates that powerful antioxidants don’t necessarily prevent inflammation that well.He’s just reading the results of studies on spices and there anti-inflammatory effect. Relax…Relax…its just turmeric. He’s not praising turmeric. He’s just giving you the results of the study.No contradiction–you just don’t want to take too much! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/None of the spices in this study had any impact on plasma antioxidant capacity. Nearly all of them do have compounds known to inhibit NF-κB mediated transcription of inflammatory factors. Eg: black pepper, cayenne, cloves, ginger. oregano, paprika, rosemary, sage, Saigon cinnamon, turmeric. Couldn’t find anything on NF-κB inhibitors in cumin (Cuminum cyminum), though there’s extensive research on unrelated black cumin (Nigella sativa).Perhaps, it is the amount or frequency of turmeric that may cause negative effects.As more and more studies come out, more and more physicians have changed their points of view.I think we all need to listen to our own bodies.Great video Dr. Greger! Special thanks to your team also! Getting back on the tumeric wagon (just have to figure out how to keep my dishes from turning yellow!)Have you tried washing your dishes with baking soda? Baking soda removes coffee and tea stains from my Corningware.In Ayurvedic medicine ginger and tumeric have been used successfully to treat ear,nose,throat infections for millenia.Did they go on to study potential synergistic effects of combined herbs+spices?But heat-treated turmeric lost activity. So sprinkle on after cooking? I could live with that.Heat treated turmeric actually had greater average activity than raw, looking at inhibition of the three factors (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1α), but the variation in response between subjects/samples was too great for a statistically significant result. Heat treated turmeric also reduced DNA strand breaks more than any other spice, while raw turmeric had no significant effect.After reading this I went right to my kitchen mixed turmeric, ginger, cloves (and a bit of black pepper as I have read that it activates the turmeric) and, using veggiecaps (available online at a very reasonable price) made up capsules. I used to use just turmeric, but have been incorporating new information. I take 2 per day. Yes, I do use these spices in cooking, but not everyday so I think this is a good way to get them.This may sound weird, but I mash up half a banana, sprinkle on turmeric, ginger, cloves and black pepper, mix it all up, and just eat it straight up! Now I might have to add rosemary!… or several hail Marys. Sorry I couldn’t resist.Great information! To add, I just read an article regarding the use of Ginger, Turmeric, Cocoa, Cayenne, and Cinnamon – it stated that these “spices” are rated high for great skin and hair. So added to the information you provided, it sounds like “spices” are essential for a healthy “overall” body! Thank you and your voice is very enjoyable to listen to!!!!My husband has suffered from muscular inflammation and pain as a result for years. I finally talked him into trying turmeric, oregano and black pepper every morning. !/4 tsp of each combined in a glass of water and lo and behold (just like I expected) no more pain after about a week. Now it’s just part of his day and the relief from daily achiness in every muscle is going a long way towards improving his quality of life.We combine the three because somewhere I read that the benefits of turmeric and oregano are enhanced with the inclusion of the pepper. ,Do you have any idea what is causing the muscular inflammation in the first place? My first reaction to this video was don’t eat the fried chicken then the need for the spices decreases. My point is are we treating the cause or just a symptom?I was thinking he might suffer from something such as fibromyalgia (which responds well to a plant-based diet).I tried the supplement which is available at Amazon that has turmeric, oregano and black pepper. The black pepper gives me heart burn, which I had never had previously.What works for me is the Herbal Therapy which contains turmeric from Andrew Weil, M.D. Although he does say that taking too much turmeric can contribute to heart burn. His combination gives me relief from pain and inflammation which occurred after an accidental bump to the area of the calf bone located on the lateral side of the tibia. I’ve had severe inflammation and pain for two years, yet a recent x-ray showed no fracture. The only thing that worked was the turmeric from Dr. Weil, and the pain and inflammation vanished. No amount of praise should be limited on this herbal therapy, in my opinion.What is the difference between turmeric and turmeric “HT” at the right side of the chart?encapsulated after a heat treatment designed to simulate cooking.The full text, brought to you by the sponsor, The McCormick Science Institute.Did you know McCormick is one of the corporations who contributed in Washington State and California to keep the public controlled and ignorant about GMO’s in their foods/spices?Mark Lynas is correct: Why We Need to Label GMOs.It has nothing to do with the negligible health/nutrition differences between current GMO and non-GMO crops, but the strategic decision to not label GMOs generates the impression that engineering for higher yield, lower chemical inputs, or (coming soon) better nutrition is something to be ashamed of. As with 911 truthers, Obama birthers, and other internet echo-chambers, transparency is the best antidote.Dr. Greger, do you think it’s significant that cardamom is a member of the ginger family?I have read that the bio availability of turmeric/curcumin can be increased with heat stabilization: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/adt.2007.064 This basically means adding it to boiling water. I guess the best method would be to add some back pepper as well.I also found a study showing that turmeric/curcumin is synergistic with Resveratrol: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2249.2006.03257.x/fullI automatically take my turmeric and vitamin-anti oxidant supplements with a cup of hot organic green tea after breakfast every day. It seems to speed relief to my body.good to hear ;O) Im going to try out ashwagandha soon, sounds good as wellBe weary of antioxidant supplments. there are mostly wastes of money and do more harm then good. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/More awesome news. I love these foods anyway. Thanks again Dr. Greger.Thanks for the vid! I happen to lov all those spices, so it will be easy for me to increase my intake of them.Do data exist for the high-cost TNF blockers vs. ability to dampen inflammatory response that are comparable and could be plotted on the scale? Is the effect within the same order of magnitude or would apples and oranges be as similar?Interesting video! I was blown away.Let’s rewrite those old lyrics slightly–Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme…one of these is a true friend of mine!Love it. KP, you started my day out with a smile!Dear Dr. Greger,I’ve been putting powdered turmeric into my smoothies, but someone told me that in order for it to be effective and properly absorbed it should be usied in cooking (heated up) instead.What are your thoughts on this?Thanks!You are still getting anti-inflammatory benefits with the raw tumeric added to your smoothies. But you can get really beneficial DNA strand protection from heat treated turmeric. Go to the 2:34 mark of this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/spicing-up-dna-protection/Loved this video! And this is exactly why I make sure to cook with turmeric (and also take a curcumin supplement) for my ankylosing spondylitis. It doesn’t make my disease go away completely, but it sure does help!Does turmeric thin blood? I am having a hip replacement and the surgeon said not to take any anti-inflamation meds.I read McCormick sponsored study. I assume they sell all the tested spices? What about garlic, onions, kale, beans, red cabbage….Very thorough study (for what was tested).What stands out is:1. Anti-oxidant ability measured In Vitro (never touches digestive or olfactory track) does not correlate with anti-oxidant potential in the body. USDA withdrew web publication of ORAC values for common American foods in 2012 due to lack of evidence ORAC has biological significance. This study clearly demonstrated USDA position as none of test subjects serum had In Vitro anti-oxidant activity at the end of the study.yet… this study was published in 2013.When subjects serum (presumably containing active metabolites of hers/spices) was placed in test tubes to “reduce” oxidative chemicals, as the native herbs/spices were, NONE demonstrated antioxidant ability- this “astonished” the researchers.2. The serum from patients ingesting 6 herbs/spices DID have biologic activity in decreasing inflammatory markers in leukemia cell line (THP-1) and a protecting subjects normal monocytes (type of white blood cell) from DNA damage caused by adding hydrogen peroxide. Don’t know if this is realistic simulation of oxidative stress the body actually faces unless one does shots of peroxide. However, it is HUGE step forward. Hopefully, more beneficial effects and new biologic pathways await to be discovered. Time will tell whether markers researchers chose as proxy for In Vivo anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity are biologically beneficial.3. DR. G- are current In Vitro anti-oxidant levels valid or to be taken with a grain of salt? Looks like in Vitro measure of anti-oxidant ability batted 50/50 in predicting In Vivo performance, at least for the stressed out monocytic and leukemia cell.7 herbs & spices did not make the grade as either anti-oxidant & anti-inflammatory when tested In Vivo Do we call them the “Sucky Seven”? Sadly, Cinnamon was one of these failures. I will still use it on my whole wheat toast and oatmeal(sorry- ginger, turmeric, sage, rosemary, cumin & paprika doesn’t cut it at breakfast time)It appears that the biotechnology pharmaceutical companies have cut the sound on your videos, just as the biotechnology pesticide industry does to Mercola’s web site. But, thank God and Dr. Greger, you have a transcript and citations, so we can still get the information.Mercola is a pill pushing slave of commerce. He clearly does not have the best intentions towards peoples health or financial health in mind doing what he does.That man or other minions of industry like him should not be mentioned within this sanctuary devoted to well-being :)Can you eat too many spices? I tend to smell and eat a ton of spices. My mom thinks that I need to cut back.Hello.What do you think about irradiated spices(spices available in supermarkets)? Are they as potent(against inflamation and oxidation) ? Do they pose any risk? I`ve even read that irradiating foods,can cause free radicals.The exact opposite of what you`re trying to achieve when you consume spices. Please share your view on irradiated spices.Thank you.I don’t know if a new post advances this thread to the front of the line. If not then it will probably never be read but this seems like the most appropriate place to write it. I just came across the mother load of spices. An Ayurvedic concoction called Hingvastak, which I purchased from Banyon Botanicals. The ingredients read like a who’s who of Greger antioxidants:Cumin seed (Cuminum cyminum)**, Ajamoda seed (Apium graveolens)**, Black Cumin seed (Nigella sativa)**, Ginger root (Zingiber officinale)**, Black Pepper fruit (Piper nigrum)**, Pippali fruit (Piper longum)**, Mineral Salt, Asafoetida (Ferula asafoetida), Fenugreek (Triognella foenum-graecum)** A teaspoonful instantly converts any dish into an Indian delicacy, assuming you like spicy, curry-like flavor, which I love.Psych MD: I just wanted you to know that I saw your post and really appreciate it. I’m always on the lookout for good tips and this is a great one. Thanks!Thank you for this well versed overview of the benefit of spices! I agree, there are so many options when it comes to taking on a more clean, holistic healthier approach to medicating ailments and nourishing up, its nice having clarification which brings such knowledge into perspective. Kudos to you Doctor for keeping health and wellness alive!http://www.aicr.org/cancer-research-update/august_21_2013/CRU_spices_cancer_prevention.html The combination of Turmeric and black pepper can increase the bioavailability of this cancer killer, anti-inflamatory super spice!How much turmeric equates to 400mg ibuprofen as an equivalent anti-inflammatory?My morning smoothies consist of: An orange Frozen blueberries A carrot Baby spinach or steamed kale Oat milk Flax seeds Tahini Some rosehip and wheatgrass powder Turmeric Powdered cloves (a pinch) Cardemom Black pepper (a pinch)A big smoothie for a small girl like me but I love how it makes me feel!Does ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi) offer any special health benefits besides making great tea?It may. The concern is that no human trials exists to my knowledge. In this review the herb seems promising in vitro, but until we have good human data I am reluctant to say it offers special health benefits. Thanks for reposting your question. Joshua.Ah, here is an opportunity for an enterprising grad student. Thanks.For any Portuguese speaking fellows following what’s up at NutritionFacts.org – http://nf.focoempatico.net/que-especiarias-combatem-inflamacao/	alternative medicine,ankylosing spondylitis,antioxidants,autoimmune diseases,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,Cayenne pepper,chicken,cholesterol,cinnamon,cloves,complementary medicine,cost savings,cumin,curcumin,DNA damage,ginger,heart disease,heart failure,heart health,herbs,inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,medications,oregano,osteoarthritis,oxidative stress,pepper,poultry,psoriasis,rosemary,side effects,spices,Tumor necrosis factor,turmeric	An elegant experiment is described in which the blood of those eating different types of spices such as cloves, ginger, rosemary, and turmeric is tested for anti-inflammatory capacity.	Here are links to those other juicy videos I opened up with:See Antioxidants in a Pinch and How to Reach the Antioxidant RDA to see the extent to which even small amounts of spices can affect one’s antioxidant intake.Another elegant series of “ex vivo” experiments exploring the cancer fighting power of lifestyle changes can be seen in videos starting with Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay.Mushrooms (Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation), nuts (Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell), and purple potatoes (Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes) may also reduce inflammation (along with plant foods in general, see Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants and Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods). In fact so well that plant-based diets can be used to treat inflammatory conditions. See, for example, Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease, Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Potassium and Autoimmune Disease. Animal products on the other hand may increase inflammation through a variety of mechanisms, including endotoxins (How Does Meat Cause Inflammation?), arachidonic acid (Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation), and Neu5Gc (The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc).If oxidized cholesterol is a new concept for you, please check out its role in heart disease progression in my video Arterial Acne.I’ll cover the DNA findings in my next video, Spicing Up DNA Protection. And if turmeric compounds are so anti-inflammatory, can they be used to successfully treat inflammatory diseases? Find out in my next next video Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid Arthritis.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cloves/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepper/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psoriasis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rosemary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tumor-necrosis-factor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ankylosing-spondylitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cayenne-pepper/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oregano/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23378457,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23425071,
PLAIN-2654	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/	Superbugs in Conventional vs. Organic Chicken	One of the most concerning developments in medicine is emergence of bacterial super-resistance. Resistance to not just one class of drugs, like Penicillin, but resistance to multiple classes of drugs, so-called multi-drug resistant bacteria. In the 2013 FDA retail meat report more than a quarter of the Salmonella found contaminating retail chicken breasts were resistant to not one but five or more different classes of antibiotic treatment drugs.Throughout history, there has been a continual battle between humans and pathogens. And for the last half century that battle has taken the form of bugs versus drugs. First we developed penicillin, and the US Surgeon General declared "The war against infectious diseases has been won." However, the euphoria over the potential conquest of infectious diseases was short lived.In response, bacteria developed an enzyme that ate penicillin for breakfast. Literally, an enzyme that breaks down penicillin. In fact they can excrete large quantities of the enzyme and so can destroy the drug before it even comes into contact. Ah so we developed a drug that blocks the penicillin eating enzyme. That's why you may see two drug names— one is the antibiotic, and the other is a drug that blocks the enzyme the bacteria uses to block the antibiotic, but the bacteria outsmarted us again, and so it goes back and forth. However hard we try and however clever we are, there is no question that organisms that have been around for 3 billion years, and have adapted to survive under the most extreme conditions, will always overcome whatever we decide to throw at them.So we went from 1st generation antibiotics, to second generation antibiotics, to third generation antibiotics. But now we have bacteria that evolved the capacity to survive our big-gun third generation cephalosporins like ceftriaxone, which is what we rely on to treat life-threatening Salmonella infections in children. Where are these super-duper-superbugs found? Almost 90% were isolated from chicken carcasses or retail chicken meat.But what if you only ate no-antibiotics-added organic chicken? A comparison of these multidrug resistant bacteria in organic and conventional retail chicken meat. The first such study ever published. All of the conventional chicken samples were contaminated, however, the majority, 84%, of organic chicken meat samples was also contaminated." So 100% versus 84%. Organic is definitely better, but odds are you're still buying something that could make you sick.But where do these antibiotic resistance bacteria come from if they're not using antibiotics on organic farms? A possible explanation is the day old chicks come from the hatcheries already infected before they arrive, or they become contaminated after they leave in the slaughter plant. Organic chickens and conventionally raised chickens are typically all slaughtered at the same plants so there may be cross-contamination between carcasses. Finally, factory farms are dumping antibiotics and antibiotic resistant bacteria-laden chicken manure out into the environment. You can pick up antibiotic resistance genes right out the soil around factory farms.So even meat raised without antibiotics may be contaminated with multi-drug resistant bacteria.In a cover story in which Consumer Reports urged retailers to stop selling meat produced with antibiotics, they noted some store employee confusion, although maybe they weren’t so confused after all. An assistant store manager at one grocery store, when asked by a shopper for meats raised without antibiotics, responded, “Wait, you mean like veggie burgers?”	I am hoping someone can tell me if the resveratrol in red grapes is degraded or eliminated when cooking? My friends tell me that the pasteurized organic grape juice I sometimes drink has no resveratrol remaining due to the heat of pasteurization. For some reason I am a bit skeptical.Your friends are correct; little or no resveratrol remains after pasteurization. But the point is moot since grape juice has such a small amount in it to begin with. To get the amount that Sinclair used in his experiments would require you to drink hundreds of bottles of wine a day. What a headache you’d have!(continued from below) Don’t think you need to take 250mg of resveratrol to get the benefits found in experiments. The drug worked by activating the SIRT1 gene. You can get the same effect by intermittent fasting. There are two versions of this regimen. You can either limit your calorie intake to 500 calories a day and then eat as much as you wish on alternate days (and probably loose quite a bit of weight) or you can simply eat each day during an eight hour window, say from noon to eight. One gets used to skipping breakfast, but not to alternate day dieting. Of course, if you’re already on a low fat diet, you may not get additional benefits from resveratrol at all.Interesting information, Phil. I recently instituted an 8-hour feeding window regimen noting your reference in the comment above (after initially hearing of the concept in the Perfect Health Diet book). It seems to be going just fine, but I would love to see some more information on the benefits, effects, etc. The effect you reference seems interesting, but previously unknown to me. Might you know of any information sources? Thanks.http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.htmlhttp://www.leangains.com/2011/01/better-blood-glucose-with-lower-meal.htmlWhen you said “if you’re already on a low fat diet, you may not get additional benefits from resveratrol at all.” What does low fat have to do with resveratrol? This is new to me.I too would like to know why if you are not on a low fats diet then the resveratrol would include no benefits.can’t see how one would not receive benefits from resveratrol if on a low fat diet. It is true that a diet high in omega-6, transfats and hyrdrogenated fats increases inflammation and free-radical damage. Resveratrol may help to reduce some of the damage. But, people not eatting as much damaging fat can also benefit. Personally, I like to make sure I have adequate fat in my diet – minus 2 of the damaging ones that I mentioned and higher omega-3 to omega-6 ratio.“Use of antibacterial agents creates selective pressure for the emergence of resistant strains.” FC Tenover, …. so remove the selective pressure (i.e. use antibiotics sensibly) and the baddies revert, no more superbugs. Food science marches on.So interesting. Thanks Dr. Greger!It frustrating that the United States hasn’t taken strong leadership on this. Everyone is so afraid of Big Agribusiness.It would be great to see the data on organic vs conventional vs free range on more than just Beta lactamase stuff.Are you going to cover “superbugs” in vegetables too?For a real world perspective, chicken for example is usually eaten cooked – maybe not perfectly handled, but cooked nonetheless. Many contaminated vegetables on other hand are often eaten raw. Thus the actual risk of exposure to antibiotic resistant bacteria may be higher from vegetables or fruit than from meat.“Overall, consumption of raw vegetables represents a route of human exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance determinants naturally present in soil.”Appl Environ Microbiol. 2013 Sep;79(18):5701-9. doi: 10.1128/AEM.01682-13good reason to buy all food from farmers we know or grow our own. The organic vegetable farms are also contaminated by manure run-off from factory farms.PBS released a Frontline video on Chicken meat in our food supply. It’s available on YouTube.I wonder if all this is true in Europe too.	antibiotics,beef,chicken,children,Consumers Union,factory farming practices,farm animals,FDA,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,meat,medications,organic foods,penicillin,pork,poultry,Salmonella,superbugs,turkey,veggie burgers	The level of multi-drug antibiotic resistant bacteria contamination is compared between meat from animals raised conventionally and certified organic meat from animals raised without being fed antibiotics.	I addressed this issue previously in videos such as:Isn’t it illegal to sell meat contaminated with dangerous bacteria? Unfortunately no. See why in my video Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal. Reminds me of the case I wrote about in Supreme Court case: meat industry sues to keep downed animals in food supply.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/03/supreme-court-case-meat-industry-sues-to-keep-downed-animals-in-food-supply/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/consumers-union/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penicillin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/superbugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16735149,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22091640,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21976606,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22980012,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22755514,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22572674,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22260927,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4993539,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659984,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22247155,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21235394,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20573657,
PLAIN-2655	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/	Bacon, Eggs, and Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy	-	I have reason to be concerned about my thyroid and I am being told that strawberries should be eliminated/limited in the diet, as they contain a substance that can compromise the thyroid. Same goes for spinach. Is this true? Strawberries….are there science-based documents that verify this? And would gently steaming spinach for a few minutes eliminate completely any thyroid concerns?Dr. Greger talks about these “goitrogenic” compounds in a blog post http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/can-soy-suppress-the-thyroid/, and how to be sure to get enough iodine in this video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/Yes, I have read this and watched the videos, but I do not see or hear any mention of strawberries being an issue for some people, yet the guidance I am getting from elsewhere is saying that strawberries can be an issue. I am hoping Dr. G can look through the science to see if this is in fact correct.That’s from some 1948 studies on iodine-131 marker accumulation when coingested with foods, recapitulated in this 1957 review. Spinach & strawberries had a “moderate effect”, rutabaga was the only food with a “marked effect”.DH and I had a discussion on goitrogens in comments here. From what I could gather, its not just about the iodine: some combination of genetics, perhaps infection, selenium deficiency, iodine deficiency, and goitrogenic foods are all implicated in places with endemic goiter.Hey Darryl, I got a question for you. Could radioactive iodine be a concern from consuming kelp or kelp tablet ? I’m reducing my salt intake using low sodium salt with 66% potassium chloride and 33% sodium chloride but it’s not iodized, so I started taking kelp tablet (thanks btw for your answer to my question on supplements, it help me big time!). A biologist friend told me that there is chance that macro-algae can be radioactive due to their metabolism (meaning they store lot of iodine and don’t differentiate the radioactive one from the not) and due to their origine (where they come from). According to him, the north sea and the english channel is heavely polluted by years of dumping radioactive waste from boat by the nuclear industry, and they still do it from the shore in France (not to mention Japan). I guess it’s difficult to find where the kelp come from. But do we have data that test supplement for Iodine 131 ? I have the one you talked about: 500 Tablets 150% the RDA, 225mcg iodine for 4,49$. Thanks !Iodine, whatever its source, will have some radioisotopes, and two are of interest in the environment.I-131 has a short half-life (8 days) and its accumulation in the thyroid is a concern in the immediate aftermath of nuclear fallout. Having high iodine body stores and consuming uncontaminated iodine sources (sea kelp, potassium iodine tablets) in the weeks/months after these events (ie, living downwind of Chernobyl) will reduce uptake of the I-131. Given the short half-life, I-131 is not much of a concern long after the release, less than 1 part in 100 trillion of whatever release remains after a year, its undetectable after two. It would similarly decay in old kelp products.I-129 is a product of uranium fission (both natural and man made) with a long half-life (16 million years), and ocean levels have risen about 10 fold from atmospheric fallout and 1000 fold in some ocean basins near fuel reprocessing plants. The highest basin levels are about 1 part in 100 million parts of the main isotope of iodine, and is been scientifically useful in measuring ocean currents. Its not a significant health concern, as its concentrations are still minute and I-129 is less than 1/600 millionth as radioactive as I-131.Naturally occuring polonium-210 utterly swamps man-made radionucleotides in the sea. Like cosmic rays, its just part of the background, and at low levels could even be beneficial.Great details, thanks you Darryl.Thanks Darryl. My impression from that discussion was that you had searched high and low for an article that ranks various foods by goitrogenic activity and couldn’t find one. Is that still true? Obviously people in the west don’t tend to eat much cassava or bamboo…I decided not to limit my cruciferae but to steam some and leave other meals raw. I think the balanced approach is best – active anti-cancer compounds but not enough goitrogenic activity to knock out the thyroid. Of course, everyone’s threshold for the latter will differ, and much depends on the other factors that you mentioned. Since I don’t do routine TSH testing on myself, it is virtually impossible to know how much dose makes the poison here. Do you have any thoughts on that?I gave myself a low-cost blood panel (there was a 40% Christmas sale) out of curiousity about my iron, D, CRP, and lipids, and TSH was okay (2.47 uIU/mL), but not great (< 2). This is in the context of a very high raw cruciferous and relatively low iodized salt diet. I'm hoping that adding the sea kelp pills, just started recently, will help by next year. Otherwise, having all one's blood numbers in hand is motivational. “How do I get my CRP lower”, “How do I get A1c under 5″, “My, my kidneys are amazing”. Worth it for health geeks.I’ve done a blood test recently (11/13/13) ! May I share some result ? First, I tested many things in my blood. I even ask for homocysteine (60€ for it) and IGF-1. I come up with 2 asterisk (meaning out of range) one for “Degree of anisocytose (IDR)” that if I understand well is the shape and/or size of my red blood cells. At *11,8% (range 12,0-13,6) previous test: 12,6% (06/26/12). I’m not concerned a lot since I don’t have any symptoms of anemia. The second asterisk is for cholesterol. Titled “Exploration of lipid abnormality”. Total cholesterol: *0,87 g/l Triglycerides: 0,81 g/l HDL: 0,36 g/l LDL: 0,35 g/l (Starch based). Previous test: 1,12 g/l Triglycerides: 0,62 g/l HDL: 0,48 g/l LDL: 0,52 g/l (Raw food). I feel that I’m heart attack proof having the cholesterol of rural chinese because I eat like them more than a lipid abnormality. Vitamine D is fine with occasional supplements: 25OHD 33,5 ng/ml. (30-60) Last year without supplements: 19,7 ng/ml (I plan on taking more often). Vitamine B12 with supplements: 288 pmol/l (141-489) Last year without supplements: 124 pmol/l. Homocysteine: 10,17 µmol/l. One thing that I don’t understand is my Folates (Vit B9): 20,0 nmol/l (10,4-78,9) Last year: 24,4 nmol/l. I think this is weak regarding the fact that I ate Kale and Kidney beans two times a day for a weak or more before the test. But it may explain why my Homocysteine is 10 and not 8. IGF-1 eleveted: 298,5 ng/ml (I’m 25 years old) but I think I mess up the test by consuming lot of soy milk the day before.. My blood was tested at noon on an empty stomach without breakfast. I think it’s overall great. Any thought, anybody ?Can you please explain why you think TSH < 2 is would be great? Also, how is a very high raw cruciferous and relatively low iodized salt diet expected to affect the numbers? I am assuming we are talking normal range (0.3-5.6 MU/L), why should going < 2 be better?A blood test reference range is usually the the range of values that 95% of the population falls into. This study discovered administering T4 to patients with “high-normal” TSH (2-4 uIU/mL) lowered their cholesterol, supporting the existence of a subclinical hypothyroidism with tangible harms, and numerous citing papers argue for a narrower reference range.Thanks for this explanation. I am also in a similar boat, consuming little added salt and quite a lot of cruciferous vegetables.I found some interesting points on iodine in this National Academies Press book.Being from Canada, I found it particularly interesting that:“Iodized salt is mandatory in Canada and used optionally by about 50 percent of the U.S. population.”“Estimated iodine intakes for Canadians are in excess of 1 mg/day (Fischer and Giroux, 1987).”“The Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for adults is 1,100 μg/day (1.1 mg/day)”1 mg/day vs 1.1 mg/day seems like a rather tight margin, doesn’t it?Another interesting point was that:“Deficiencies of vitamin A, selenium, or iron can each exacerbate the effects of iodine deficiency.”A bit confusing was the way that subclinical hypothyroidism was defined, which appears to depend on a T4 remaining constant:“Subclinical hypothyroidism is defined as an elevation in TSH concentration while a normal serum thyroid hormone concentration is maintained.”As far as I could see, they didn’t seem to specify a TSH range for subclinical hypothyroidismFYI: iodine content of commercially available seaweed varies greatly.AFAIK, only the Nature’s Plus KI has a reasonable supplemental dosage (150 µg), and its 9 times as expensive as the standardized sea-kelp product I ended up with. Most KI pills have doses suitable for nuclear fallout protection (32-120 mg), but not for daily supplemention.Interesting…Btw, based on a recent book chapter reviewing the literature, it seems that the association between mild subclinical hypothyroidism (TSH < 10 mU/L) and disease states is quite unclear.I would find it hard to believe that eating moderate amounts of strawberries and spinach will cause difficulties with thyroid function. If you stick to a varied whole food plant based diet you should be okay. That said folks with symptoms suggesting low or high thyroid should work with their physicians as they may need treatment.Strawberries. Can’t say I have ever read or heard anything about them. And as a person who is hypothyroid (controled with medication) I pay attention. Have you found any good studies out there to confirm? I eat a lot of strawberries and haven’t noticed anything myself.I have not been able to find studies but there are several online thyroid websites that issue warning regarding strawberries, peaches, and some other fruits. I see no reason why they’d just be making this up – no agenda. I may email them to find out what they are basing their statements on.As an aside, I am finally admitting how tired I get when I eat raw kale. It is like my immune system gets run down. Maybe it is the thyroid-effect of raw kale. Spinach does not do this so much. But kale, the stuff drains my energy in an instant. I’ve heard from others who claim they get exhausted and weak after raw kale. Maybe it has nothing to do with a thyroid affect, but i’ve heard “kale and thyroid” mentioned together many times.Annie are you actually hypothyroid? Or are you thinking it’s thyroid? The thyroid doesn’t actually make changes quickly. When meds are changed it takes many weeks for the TSH and T3 and 4 to adjust.The only thing that has ever affected my numbers is when I got an expresso machine for Christmas and went from drinking black coffee to drinking a latte. The milk (ca+) interferes with synthroid absorption. I was given the choice of continuing with the latte or increasing my medication. I gave up the latte.Suggestion for a new label for meat and eggs: WARNING: May be teratogenicYes, I agree. And this was a beautiful video. How many pregnant or pre-pregnant women know about this? Probably very little, simply because very few read scientific journals. I am glad that this information has now been conveyed to the public. Thank you, Michael.OK, I’ve recently become convinced to adopt a vegan diet–it only took a SECOND MI to adequately convince me–I’m a slow learner. This may be elementary to those of you with more experience in the plant-based diet world, but is there any data on those fruit-and-vegetable washes that purportedly remove a large fraction of pesticide residues that contaminate non-organic produce? Are there any specific brands that are more effectiv than others? Any hints on methodology for use (e.g. soaking instead of just rinsing), etc. I know this is somewhat obsessive, to convert from the SAD to a plant-based diet and suddenly worry about pesticide residues when it was only recently that I loved to eat out at Fatburger without a care to saturated fat, cholesterol, and environmental toxins, but if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it right…I was 99% organic before going vegan. Doesn’t sound crazy to me. If cost is a factor stick to the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15. You can get the lists on the internet.Cheers to cleaning out those arteries in 2014!Never too late to take steps toward better health, Mitch! As to you question, there have been several studies on effectively removing pesticides and “germs” (micro-organisms) from produce. I will name a few here for you.In 2000, at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station scientists compared pesticide removal methods on 196 samples of lettuce, strawberries and tomatoes. Some were treated with either a 1 percent solution of Palmolive or a fruit and vegetable wash. Others were simply rinsed under tap water for a minute. They found tap water “significantly reduced” residues of 9 of 12 pesticides, and it worked as well as soap and wash products.It appears as though water temperature was not important but friction was. “The mechanical action of rubbing the produce under tap water is likely responsible for removing pesticide residues,” scientists state.For those teeny tiny germs, rinsing produce with a mild solution of vinegar, about 10 percent may be the best. In a University of Florida 2003 study, researchers tested several types of disinfectants on strawberries contaminated with E. coli and other germs. They found the vinegar mixture worked best reducing bacteria by 90 percent and viruses by about 95 percent.Therefore, Mitch your best bet combine the 2: to remove pesticides and germs, is to rinse produce with a vinegar solution, then wash with tap water for at least 30 seconds.Have fun learning and eating!Mitch: Just to give you some moral support: You may not be the fastest turtle on the block, but you certainly learn faster than some people who would rather die than make a change. So, good for you!I love how you are diving in whole-potato to your new found diet. JackquieRn and Veganrunner both gave great answers. I would also say: you really do have to put things into perspective. Don’t get to the point where you feel like you can’t eat anything. Here’s a quote from one of Dr. Greger’s articles that I think helps with perspective:“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.” from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/So, go ahead and follow Jacquie’s great info if you want and/or Veganrunner’s points about the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15. But if that gets to be too much, just enjoy your fruits and veggies however you get them. That’s my 2 cents.Good luck!!!In this video, Dr. Greger describes to us yet another reason why people who eat eggs and people who eat pork have even worse all-cause mortality numbers than people who eat beef, people who eat chicken, people who eat turkey, and people who drink high-fat milk. Meanwhile, people who drink low-fat milk have the same all-cause mortality risk as people who don’t drink any milk. People who eat cheese have a slightly better (lower) all-cause mortality than people who don’t eat any cheese, probably because cheese contains vitamin K2/MK-7 and vitamin K2/MK-8, both of which remove unwanted calcium from our arteries. People who eat yogurt have an even better (lower) all-cause mortality than people who eat cheese. People who eat legumes (especially soy) or fish have the best (lowest) all-cause mortality: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/156/9/824/T3.expansion.htmlIs the natural sweetener in sugar harmful or is it just the concentrated carbohydrates? Some fifteen years ago I seen on the nightly news that scientists had found a way of separating the sweetener from the carbs. Supposedly, Splenda came about due to this process. Is the process of separation causing Splenda to not be good for you, or is it that the sweetener of sugar that is harmful?Table sugar is a single molecule: sucrose. Sucrose is a carbohydrate and a sweetener. There is no separate sweetener in table sugar. Splenda is sucralose, which is modified sucrose: some of the hydroxyl groups have been substituted with chlorine atoms.Thanks.During pregnancy, a healthy and balanced diet is so much essential for the fetus and mother. http://epregnancypillow.com/	animal fat,animal products,bacon,beef,birth defects,blood sugar,chicken,cholesterol,deli meat,diabetes,eggs,fat,gestational diabetes,glycotoxins,ham,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,India,infants,inflammation,iron,LDL cholesterol,Lifestyle medicine,meat,mortality,nitrosamines,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,prediabetes,pregnancy,processed foods,processed meat,reproductive health,sugar,turkey,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	Eating meat or eggs before pregnancy may increase the risk of gestational diabetes.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrosamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/deli-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gestational-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iron-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22052679,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3120196/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16732023,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22195364,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19465232,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9822187,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21324948,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22218158,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21709295,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16957814,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22462760,
PLAIN-2656	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatments-for-computer-eye-strain/	Dietary Treatments for Computer Eye Strain	What happens to your eyesight if you sit in front of a computer all day? In previous years "the rapid spread of computers in the home and workplace has led to an increase in ocular and visual problems, including eye discomfort, blurring of distant objects, eye strain, and visual fatigue." So called nearwork-induced transient myopia. That's when after staring at a computer screen for awhile you look out the window and things start out all blurry. That's because your poor little ciliary muscles pulling at your lens are locked in this constant state of contraction to keep that near focus. Over time this may have long-term adverse consequences. Yes, you could waste 4 to 12 minutes an hour taking breaks staring out the window, but what if you’ve got nutrition videos to make?The effects of black currant intake on video display terminal work induced transient refractive alteration in healthy human, a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study finding a significant improvement in refractive values and eyestrain symptoms compared to placebo. Note what passes for currants in the U.S. are actually champagne grape raisins, not actual black currants, which were banned in the U.S. a century ago at the behest of the lumbar industry for fear they might spread a plant disease that affects white pine, which we hardly even harvest any more. They are, however, currant-ly making a comeback, though any anthocyanin-rich berry might have similar benefits. For example there was a previous study done on bilberries. Why didn't I report on it when it came out? Because I can't read Japanese.Why not just take bilberry powder capsules? Because, as we've seen over and over again, when you test supplements you're lucky if they have any of what it says on the label. Furthermore, even for products actually containing bilberries at all, labeling was often uninformative, misleading or both, something the herbal supplement market is infamous for. The largest study to date found that it appears most herbal supplement labels lie. And who wouldn't want to eat this, rather than this?It's interesting, bilberries gained notoriety during World War II when it was said that pilots in the British Royal Air force were eating bilberry jam to improve their night vision. Turns out this may have been a story concocted to fool the Germans. The real reason the Brits were able to all of the sudden target Nazi bombers in the middle of the night before they even made it to the English channel was likely not because of bilberries, but because of a top secret new invention they needed to keep quiet, called radar.	“most herbal supplement labels lie” and drugs share a common affiliation.Do we having any studies that discuss light sensitivity and dilation relative to nutrition. Someone in my family has eye damage and the eye lets in too much light.I had viral pinkeye and was left with permanent light sensitivity. I too would like to know what could improve this condition.A diet low in sugar is a start.Speaking of supplements, I have never taken nutritional yeast ((and brewers yeast)) but would like to know if these are safe to ingest or are they man-made, factory, machinery produced food derivatives that have no place in the human GI tract? Some doctors online have made claims that these yeasts are MSG in disguise. Is this true? I do not understand the whole free and bound glutamate issue but there are vegans who avoid these nutritional yeast and brewers yeasts like the plague due to this issue. Any help, Dr. Greger?Nutritional yeast is the same species used to leaven bread and brew beer. Its just grown on molasses, dried, and heat sterilized. Glutamate is a non-essential amino acid that when free (not part of a protein) is responsible for the 5th taste, umani or savouryness. In the brain, it also serves as an excitatory neurotransmitter required for memory formation. The concerns about its sodium salt MSG, are addressed in this review. Nutritional yeast is 9% glutamate, but only a fraction of that is free, and importantly, its low in sodium. Autolysed yeast extracts (like Marmite or Vegemite) have a higher free glutamate proportion and high salt content, and became the MSGs replacement of choice in processed foods. I use all three, but too much MSG will make your cooking taste like processed foods, while nutritional yeast and yeast extract offer more a complex, nuanced umani.Thank you very much.If it were the same as bread and beer, why don’t bread and beer have the high amounts of vitamins and minerals that are found in nutritional and brewers yeast? Something must be different, no?I’m sure nooch uses yeast selected to express more B-vitamin synthetic enzymes, as well as optimized culture conditions. Beer, particularly unfiltered beer, actually contains significant amounts of B-vitamins, though the alcohol impedes absorption. The yeast makes a lesser contribution to the nutritional profile of bread, perhaps due to limited time during the rise. The minerals in the nutritional yeast are from the molasses in the growth medium.“B-vitamin synthetic enzymes”?I thought the B vitamins were natural in the yeast, no? The product I want to buy says “unfortified” but still has B-vitamin amounts that are extremely high for such a small amount per serving.Yeast has biosynthetic pathways for thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothinate (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin and folate. They don’t make cobalamin (B12), which is only produced by bacteria and added to the culture medium in some brands.Vitamins comprise only 0.5% of the weight of nutritional yeast – micrograms are tiny.Fascinating.Is there any difference between getting those B-vitamins from a B100 complex tablet versus specifically fortified (supplemented) nooch? i.e. is one healthier than the other?The only thing that worries be about my B100 complex is the 400 mcg of folic acid. I already get lots of folate in my diet – being a leaf-eater, naturally of course. The other things in there bring me nicely to my RDA/AI/DV values (except the choline, which at 41 micrograms is miniscule, but I do not want too much choline either…. Hazen’s research findings). I had angular stomatitis before I started the B100 complex. The nooch I eat is not specifically fortified with vitamins.The B-complex pills are comparable in price but a bit more more complete for the vitamins. I’ve found them for 4¢ while bulk bin nutritional yeast ran 5¢ for 5 grams (1.8 tsp), which will cover 100% of needs for B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12, but not B5 or folate. However, if you eat greens for folate and wheat germ / mushrooms / tomato / sweet peppers etc for the B5, then you’re golden with the yeast. As I recall, when I ran some sample base diets through CRON-O-Meter, the only reason I needed yeast was if I wasn’t supplementing B12.So would the folate in an unfortified nutritional yeast be folic acid, or folate? I don’t want to get too much folic acid (synthetic folate), and I assume they are using folic acid in the growth of the product, even though it is not fortified in the end.Ohh, that was a surprise.I just looked at a dozen labels for nutritional yeast. Bob’s Red Mill, Bragg, Foods Alive, Frontier, KAL, Now Foods RedStar and TwinLabs products are all fortified with folic acid, as well as other synthetic vitamins, perhaps for better comparisons to multivitamins.The Betta Foods, Lewis Labs, and Solgar products were the only ones without. The Solgar label gives a sense of what the nutritional profile of yeast would be without the fortification. Not nearly so impressive. Without the fortification, yeast is pretty expensive as a vitamin source, with it, they’re mostly synthetic B-complex vitamins wearing Birkenstocks to fool rubes like me.I wanted to say that I appreciate your time and effort you spend replying to the questions posted on this site. They are informative and helpful and fill a void that I cannot access, and that is ‘time’ for answering the questions. Keep up the great work!great post, and the night-vision WWII story was fascinating.where are people getting these berries?My Dad, who was in the RAF during World War II in Lancasters, once told me that air crews flying night missions were led blindfolded to their aircraft. That way their pupils would remain dilated and more light-sensitive when they took off in low light (sans blindfolds, of course).Right on Mike, There was terrific “selective pressure” on those crews. The ones who could see best survived…longer. God bless them everyone.Thanks, great stuff as usual. i want to point out that saying that all supplements are bad is equivalent to throwing the baby out with the bath water. Like most generalizations it is not true…(a lie then?) and more importantly, a good supplement can provide nutrition that otherwise would not be part of a persons diet. Have you ever eaten billberry? or currants? who eats beetroot every day? Or 3 times a week for that matter? Darn few.Few people can/will eat all the top sources of nutrients from day one. They will need years to make the transition. We can encourage with caution or just take an inflexible superior position and score a few points for Team Vegan. Whats the goal here anyway?Recently the dreaded FDA has tightened up on these companies who now must provide independent data to register for all New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) status. Some companies make good products that deliver good nutrition.So spread your wings you eagle-eyes and fly. time for fledglings to take to the sky…. lets keep our six clear, get the big picture and give em the whole 9 yards. thats how we win this battle of the Bulge (groan).Hi, There is also the story here in Norway that blueberry jam was used to improve the military recruits night vision.Thank you, Dr Greger. I am going to try the standing desk idea. I also wonder if you meditate in addition to all other healthy activities? The nice thing about meditation is that you don’t have to sit to do it – in fact, walking meditation is just as powerful as sitting meditation, and for many people, it’s far easier to do (something about that rhythm of footsteps). Do you meditate?I’d chime in here too. Meditation helps enormously. It helps bring my BP down so much I’m now down to half a beta blocker and a single accupril. I use a “Resperate” breathing pacer and some skills our friend (a buddhist nun!) has taught us…fantastic difference. I’m not pushing (or dissing) buddhism…just that The spousal unit tells me i’m not nearly as bipolar which I don’t miss one bit. Its the alpha waves and higher blood CO2 levels that work the magic.How does higher blood CO2 levels reduce bipolar … or are you referring to vasodilatation from high blood CO2 (mild respiratory acidosis) lowering your BP?The second thing, acidosis. I think by breathing deeply and exhaling slowing I become very calm and the co2 rises. When I get anxious, I practice deep breathing and after 15 min I can measure my BP come back say from 160 Sys to 140. I can feel the blood moving back out to my fingertips. It works better for me than many. I think that is because my BP is strongly affected by my mental state. Its a positive feedback loop. I stress about bp, the bp rises, i become more stressed.And you know, fewer drugs…got to be better. BP meds make me dizzy and i even blank out. If I stand up too quickly I find myself in a heap. Like those fainting goats I guess.Sometimes I get a craving after dinner for something sweet – many people probably know what I mean. Sometimes it takes willpower to resist. But I have found a solution. Frozen berries! It tastes great, it is convenient, healthy and obviously good for the eyes. Win win.Thanks for the tips. I guess many of us should give our eyes some extra tlc in this computer age. We actually used some dried bilberries for a while. Timely video for us as I am thinking of getting something else for vision support. God bless! :)Very interesting! I feel for your plight in making nutritional videos – darn those tips on looking away from the screen, anyway! :-) Can we buy authentic black currants anymore?They are not easy to find. I posted a similar question on the previous day’s video (Dietary Treatment of Glaucoma – Jan. 1) and “Darryl” had a helpful response.So, if literal black currants are banned in the US, does that mean we cannot take advantage of this research by eating the champagne black grapes that pass for currants?Dr Greger, Thank you for efforts to provide support and knowledge from the primary literature to help us live a better life. I am a forest pathologist and I would like to comment on a statement that was made in this video about the black currant. While it is true that a tremendous effort has been made to eradicate the genus Ribes, the genus containing black currant, because of its role in the life cycle of the fungal pathogen Cronartium ribicola, and it is true that that fewer Sugar pines (Pinus lambertiana) are being harvested now, it is important to recognize that the extant populations are still threatened and destroyed by the disease white pine blister rust. More important than the effect on the harvest is the fact that these trees are large, old, and significant components of the forest’s and the earth’s biodiversity. Furthermore, “white pine” is a common name given to all five-needle pines which includes some amazing organisms like the ancient bristlecone pines (many members of this species are <4,000 y.o.!). White pine blister rust, a non-native or introduced plant disease, threatens all five-needled pines. I want to mentioned this because the video gives the impression that we can't grow black currant because of early 20th century timber industry interests. That is not completely true. I'm not trying to be contentious, but others in my cohort noticed the statement and I thought you would want to be made aware. Let me know if you ever make it out to California and I'll give you the tour of the white pines and we can eat wild ribes with our lunch.Carmen: Thank you for taking the time to write the information about black currents. I found it very interesting and helpful.The study on bilberries was in Japanese! LOLCan you do a video on nutrition’s effect on myopia? I’m curious if there are things people could be doing to prevent or slow worsening eyesight.here’s a great source for black currants grown in new york state. i’ve tried the concentrate, and it’s great. http://www.currantc.com/	anthocyanins,berries,billberries,computer eye strain,currants,eye disease,eye health,fatigue,fruit,grapes,herbal remedies,industry influence,jam,raisins,supplements,vision	Certain berries may help relieve visual fatigue associated with staring at a computer screen all day.	This is the final installment of my 4-part video series on the latest science on protecting our vision. In Greens vs. Glaucoma I listed the best foods to help prevent glaucoma, and in Dietary Prevention of Age-Related Macular Degeneration I did the same for age-related macular degeneration. Then I addressed the Dietary Treatment of Glaucoma, in which I also mentioned black currants (as well as in Enhanced Athletic Recovery Without Undermining Adaptation).By using a standing or treadmill desk, we can avoid some of the other adverse health effects of sitting at a computer all day. See my video Standing Up for Your Health. I’m now up to 17 miles a day!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raisins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/billberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/computer-eye-strain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-remedies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/currants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22018225,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18339041,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14581247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22164665,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10767671,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11157880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21899805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988128,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21646980,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21169874,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8690039,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15705234,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21354712,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22377796,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9286268,
PLAIN-2657	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/	Dietary Treatment of Glaucoma	Once we've preserved the pigment in our retinal pigment epithelial cells, we need to keep them alive, which may be where anthocyanin phytonutrients come in. Anthocyanins, from the greek anthos—meaning flower, and kyanos, meaning blue—blue flower, are natural plant pigments that make pansy's look purple and turns green cabbage into purple cabbage, yellow corn into purple corn, brown rice to purple rice, white potatoes to blue potatoes, orange carrots to purple carrots, and turns blueberries into, well blueberries and keeps blackberries black.As we age our critical RPE layer starts to break down, but we may be able to decelerate that aging with blueberries.Here are human RPE cells in a petri dish exposed to various stresses. The ones bathed in blueberry anthocyanins had fewer free radicals, and a lower proportion of aged cells, suggesting that blueberries and these other red/blue/purple pigmented fruits and vegetables may help prevent age-related macular degeneration. And blueberries may be especially important for blue eyes, as we saw in an earlier video.Preventing is nice but what you if already have a disease like glaucoma, an incurable eye disease in which your optic nerve, which connects your eye to your brain, starts deteriorating and you start losing your visual fields.A few years ago Japanese researchers showed they could apparently halt the progression of disease with black currants. They gave people black currants for 6 months, significantly boosting the blood flow to their optic nerve. The results suggested that black currants might be a safe and valuable option, but it was not double-blind, no control group, so I didn't report it when it was initially published, but here we go! Glaucoma patients split into two groups—half got black currants the other half didn't— let's see what happened.Here's a measure of the deterioration of their visual fields in both groups in the 2 years leading up to the study. Worse worse worse worse, despite taking the best glaucoma drugs on the market. Then the study starts. The berry-free control group continued to worsen, but the berries appeared to stop the disease in its tracks, one year, two year. And since there's no downside, only good side effects to berries, everyone with glaucoma should be eating berries every day.	Do frozen berries also work or only the fresh ones. If frozen berries work how should we thaw them? Should they be heated, thawed at room temperature or should we eat them frozen?I can only get frozen berries most of the year. Fresh berries are very rare where i live.Happy New Year Pilz,I use frozen in my morning smoothy or bowl of oatmeal. They can be defrosted in the microwave or on the stove. I also love a bowl just barely defrosted for desert. Here is more on frozen fruit. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frozen-fruit/Dr Greger has a great frozen desert that is mostly berries.Impressive yet again. That means that berries work better than drugs for Glaucoma. Does anyone know the ingredients in Black Current?Blue corn, with its 225.2 μg anthocyanins / g? Pfah. Black rice has 2283.5 μg anthocyanins / g! • Anthocyanin composition in black, blue, pink, purple, and red cereal grains (2006)As an aside, I’ve been following a literature breadcrumb trail having read the recent well-publicised David Sinclair paper, which reveals a largely unappreciated mechanism for the anthocyanins in health promotion. Certain anthocyanins inhibit CD38 at μM concentrations, partial CD38 inhibition plausibly leads to significant increases in NAD⁺, which would activate longevity and metabolism regulating sirtuins, which leads to wonderful things (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Shorter version: my rice is now black.Darry I was just surfing around this sight when I came acoss your link regarding lipids in this interview. Here is the audio version. Such a great explanation of cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. I lost the place where you first linked it so I will have to thank you here.http://www.prescription2000.com/images/stories/audio/2011-02-18-William-Castelli-Heart-Disease-Lipids.mp3Thanks! I passed it along to my heart sick relatives.You have mentioned in the past that taurine might be something vegans should consider supplementing. Do you think that nutritional and brewer’s yeast, due to their high protein content and amino acid profiles, could take the place of a taurine supplement? Thank you.Vegans plasma taurine levels were 14 and 23% lower than levels in omnivores in two studies from the 80s (1, 2). There’s no deficiency disorder in humans as there is with cats, just a number of studies suggesting some benefit to higher levels in oxidative stress, tissue glycation, and CVD risk. And by higher, that means higher than average omnivore intake as well.Taurine can be produced from dietary methionine and preferably cysteine (methionine →→ cysteine → taurine), but there other competing requirements of the two precursors. The cysteine, for example is also required for protein and glutathione synthesis. Nutritional yeast is a good vegan source for cysteine, but not the quite the best. On a per gram basis dry soybeans and wheat germ have more, on a per calorie basis, oat bran, mustard greens, carrots, soy & tofu, asparagus, wheat germ and spinach have more.I wish that there was an inexpensive vegan “carninutrient” pill, that matched omnivore intakes of vitamin B12, vitamin D, carnitine, creatine, taurine, and EPA/DHA (besides the EPA/DHA, it would fit in a single capsule). Of these, only the B12 is obligatory, but there are still prospective vegans that “fail to thrive” (or claim to) on plant-based diets, and its plausible there’s enough individual variation that some may need the other components. It would simplify guidance, provide peace of mind to some, and might keep others in the fold.I meant purple corn. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthocyanin, its anthocyanin level is 1,642 mg/100 gr. But, I would love to see the doc make an analysis of the most anthocyanin rich foods.Purple corn is a great source too: in the 2006 survey (with an evidently dead link), it had a very respectable 965.2 μg / g, second only to the black rice.The most prominent anthocyanin in purple corn is cyanidin-3-glucoside, synonymous with “kuromanin” from paper 1 above. Compare the effects of CD38 inhibition in 2 and the effects of purple corn color from the decade old paper 6, and they look nearly identical. I strongly suspect that most of the metabolic effects of anthocyanins may arise through their roundabout yet elegant and efficient way of activating the sirtuinsBut what about the Dr. Gregor video where red rice beats black rice? I switched to red after that video, but are you saying black is better then red?That would be this video, where Dr. Greger uses an uncited source for antioxidant capacity. This Malaysian paper also found a higher FRAP score for red over black rice. I respectfully disagree with Dr. Greger about the value of in vitro antioxidant assays as I don’t believe most of the measured “antioxidants” are functioning as radical scavengers in the body (past comments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Absorption dietary polyphenols is simply too low for direct antioxidant activity to make a dent, so to achieve their effects, they must be working in a drug-like fashion, targeting regulatory and catalytic proteins.What I find intriguing about black rice is that is second only to black elderberries in its content of Cyanidin 3-glucoside, one of the top CD38 inhibitors in 1, and 3 offers a synopsis why that offers a remarkably potent way of modulating energy metabolism and longevity.Darryl: I was interested in seeing that 2006 paper that compares the Anthocyanin composition of various colored cereal grains. When I click on it, I get an message saying that there was an error trying to download the .pdf. I wouldn’t want you to go to a lot of effort, but if it would be easy, could you check to see if the link is correct? Thanks.Replaced.Darryl: Thanks for replacing the link! Worked great this time. This stuff is so interesting.I recently bought some popcorn from the bulk bin. The multicolored popcorn was actually cheaper than the pure yellow bin. So, I bought the multicolored. After popping, all all the pieces looked various shades of white/yellow, but I like thinking that maybe I am getting some of extra of this stuff you are talking about.I am eating 8 cups a day of either spinach or kale. I rotate between the two. My question, is this too much? Could I somehow be harming myself by ingesting this large amount of greens….maybe too much of a certain vitamin or mineral? I don’t want to cause harm, but I like the health benefits. I have heard that too much vitamin K can cause issues, not sure if this is true.From the World Health Organization (their vitamin recommendations are more recent than the U.S. IOM’s)When taken orally, natural K vitamins seem free of toxic side effects. This apparent safety is bourne out by the common clinical administration of phylloquinone at doses of 10–20 mg or greater.That would be 1.2-2.4 kg (2.7-5.4 lbs) of kale, or about half those weights of parsley. K is unusual among the fat soluble vitamins, the rest of which (A, D, E) do have some some some toxicity at extreme doses.Does dietary Oxalate from raw spinach cause kidney stones? I’ve been warned by my Dr. but he also said he had his own doubts.High dietary oxalate appears to modestly increase risk. Most calcium oxalate in kidney stones arises from metabolism of glycine, glycolate, hydroxyproline, and dietary vitamin C, rather than from dietary oxalate. See:Taylor, Eric N., and Gary C. Curhan. “Oxalate intake and the risk for nephrolithiasis.” Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 18.7 (2007): 2198-2204.Maybe the 5 kiwis I eat per day isn’t such a bright idea. They are sky high in vitamin C, and add to this all the other sky high vitamin C plants I ingest. I’m pausing to think about it all for a bit. I’ve been warned in past about consuming large servings of oxalate-rich fruits.Thank you. I think I will try to eat high calcium foods along with high oxalate foods to help flush it through. Gosh, 2 billion dollars per year down the drain for K stones. I’d think someone would use isotopes to pin down the relative contribution of metabolic vs. dietary oxalate in Kstones! FWIW, I used to suffer with these little devils but, yep you guessed it, that was when I was a SAD eater. Now? zilch!K vitamins in natto?Menaquinone-7 (K2 Mk7), found in natto but also available as a synthetic, appears nontoxic at the highest doses given in a mouse toxicity evaluation. Using the EPA’s dosimetric adjustment factor of 0.14, the mouse 2000 mg/kg acute dose scales to 19.6 g for a 70 kg human, while the mouse 10 mg/kg chronic dose scales to 98 mg / day for the same human. Those are huge amounts. Natto has 775 μg K2Mk7 / 100 g, so theoretically a person could consume 12 kg daily before hitting the scaled chronic max dosing. For 200 μg supplements, that’s 490 capsules, daily.Only synthetic menadione (K3), found in animal feeds including dog food, should be avoided.I wonder how many black currants per day the people in the study ate? And I also wonder if other berries work as well, as I have never seen fresh or frozen black currants in the store. I was diagnosed with NTG within the past year so this information is vital to me. I know the short answer is, “eat berries…lots” but would like to tweak that with more specifics.50 mg / d of a black currant anthocyanin extract. From (highly recommended) resource <a href="Phenol-Explorer, it appears that’s the amount in about 9 g of currants, just 1 ⅓ tablespoons. Black currants are fairly unique in anthocyanin concentration and composition.Thanks, Darryl – I appreciate your thoughtful & informative reply! Now, to find some black currants…So should I be looking for “real” black currants or can I just go out and get “black currants” which are probably black Corinth raisins (since I’m in Colorado)? Any reason to assume that the raisins will produce the same beneficial effect on nearwork-induced transient myopia?According to Phenol explorer (blackcurrants, black grapes), the fresh fruit have very different anthocyanin content and composition. This 2014 paper indicates much lower anthocyanin content in the Corinthian currants: 0.2-2.2 mg vs 225 mg / 100 g.I did find Ribes nigrum on ebay, about five times the cost of the Corinthian/Zante currants, and supposedly suitable for something called “health cake”.Thanks, as always, for the helpful information. I went ahead and ordered the Ribes nigrum on ebay before seeing the rest of your post. It will make for an interesting experiment as I may be in the early stages of near work-induced transient myopia.Would the blackcurrents sold from this farm in NY compare to those mentioned in Dr. Greger’s video? http://www.currantc.comYes. In the news section on that farm’s site the story of the repeal of an 80 year old law forbidding European blackcurrant cultivation in New York features prominently.SherriAK and Darryl: Thanks to your two posts, I was able to really help a family member. She is so excited and ordered from SherriAK’s link. Thanks!Gardeners can grow currants, too. Easy to grow, will produce fruit even in partial shade, beautiful medium-size bushes & the fresh berries are lovely. They freeze well, too.I want to follow — as closely as possible — the protocol of the “Two-year randomized, placebo-controlled study of blackcurrant anthocyanins on visual field in glaucoma” study and was about to post a question as to how many blackcurrants one should consume to approximate 50 mg / d of a blackcurrant anthocyanin phytonutrient extract given test subjects in the study, when I decided I was less likely to embarrass myself by first reading the already posted comment section. Luckily, I did. Thank you, Darryl! At the moment, I only have access to black currant juice so am guessing that juice may be a more diluted form (?) and I would possibly be getting less than the 50 mg of antocyanins needed to help me, if I just downed 1⅓ tablespoons of juice a day. Yes? No? Maybe so? Thanks, again!One website from New Zealand is offering 230 mg of black currant antocyanin extract. I don’t know about the quality and if the 230 mg capsule is overkill. I could also buy frozen whole berries on the web.I would appreciate any thoughts you might have.Thank you.I’m 36 years old. Three years ago my eye doctor told me I had increased pressure in both eyes and that it could be an indication of glaucoma. Not soon after, I watched Forks Over Knives. My family has been plant-based vegan since then. I’ve been to the eye doctor twice since that first scary visit. The first time, the pressures were better (but not perfect) and my vision had pretty dramatically improved in both eyes for the first time since I was 12 years old. At my last appointment, one eye was perfect for pressure the other still very slightly raised and my vision better once again. Other than needing to buy new glasses for the last few years I am so grateful for learning about a plant based diet! Thank you for your videos!god bless you katie! Keep eating and excercising and living right and spread the good news about vegan health! I truly hope you keep getting better and better with it.Thank you! The best part is that I discovered vegan eating in time to raise my son this way. He’s 5 and he’ll never know any other way to eat. :)Hi Katie what Were/are your current eye pressure readings? Are you on eye drops?I don’t recall my doctor telling me what the pressure readings were. At the first appointment she did show me a picture of my optic nerve when explaining her concern. At that visit she told me she wanted to wait a year and watch. I wasn’t given any medicine.My pressures are currently high and i have an appointment in 2 months’ time to be given eye drops if it hasn’t improved…. Not sure it’s enough time to lower it but I’m going to eat as a low fat vegan until then to see what happens (currently a veggie).. Good to see that you made a difference by a dietary change though Katie!! Good luck to you :]I was pretty much a vegetarian at my first appointment as well. It was taking that final leap of cutting out dairy and eggs and most fat that seemed to make the difference. Good luck to you as well!We need to remember that more than 100 beneficial phytochemicals are responsible for the lower rates of various eye diseases among people who eat plenty of vegetables. Swallowing softgels that contain lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene, or astaxanthin will definitely not work as effectively as eating the whole foods: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23645227 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23644932 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12915499Diastolic blood pressure appears to be more strongly correlated with intraocular pressure than systolic blood pressure: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1772559/Therefore, to lower intraocular pressure without prescription drugs, simply eat all the foods that will lower our blood pressure.Note: diastolic blood pressure is also more strongly correlated with clogged arteries than systolic blood pressure. Therefore, to lower intraocular pressure without prescription drugs, simply eat the foods that will unclog our arteries.As a last resort, get an opthalmologist to prescribe drugs: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15921747biomarker proteins in serum of patients before clinical manifestation: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24355480Woah, the good news just keeps coming from berries. Dr. Greger thanks.I have glaucoma and both my parents had glaucoma. Both parents followed standard eye drop routine and both went blind (to be fair – my father lost his vision from detached retinas). I am now doing nightly eye drops…but am concerned that side-effects of these may be impacting my throat membrane. I’ve adopted a whole food vegan diet and drink a black current/blueberry smoothie every day – has anyone out there had success fending off blindness without taking pressure lowering eye drops?My eye pressure was high for years and I did not start drops until I had a FOV test indicating I had lost vision. I started my vegan diet at the same time and the following year (spring 2013) my FOV indicated no vision loss – but the doctor wanted me to keep taking the drops and I have done so. I am interested in hearing if anyone else has had success without the eye pressure drops?Pithy, critical information. Thank you.Do you think Black Currant Juice (from concentrate) would work as well as fresh berries? It’s pretty hard to find fresh black currants!I found the study listed below on an online publication. I am unsure of the quality of the publication or the study and was hoping someone else had seen it or can comment on the publication. The findings would indicate that lower levels of vitamin D were associated with having open-angle glaucoma.Tae Keun Yoo, Ein Oh and Samin Hong (2014). Is vitamin D status associated with open-angle glaucoma? A cross-sectional study from South Korea . Public Health Nutrition, 17, pp 833-843. doi:10.1017/S1368980013003492.	aging,anthocyanins,blindness,blueberries,cabbage,corn,currants,eye disease,eye health,fruit,glaucoma,Japan,macular degeneration,phytonutrients,potatoes,purple potatoes,rice,vision	Blueberries may help protect against age-related macular degeneration, and black currants may help halt the progression of glaucoma.	This is the third of a 4-part video series on the latest science on preventing and treating vision loss. In Greens vs. Glaucoma, I detailed the best foods to help prevent glaucoma and in Dietary Prevention of Age-Related Macular Degeneration I did the same for age-related macular degeneration, introducing the concept of retinal pigment epithelial cells. In the last installment, Dietary Treatments for Computer Eye Strain, I’ll address dietary interventions for nearwork-induced visual fatigue.I’ve mentioned anthocyanins before in:They may be why purple potatoes (Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes) and purple cabbage (Superfood Bargains) may be preferable. Anthocyanins are the pigments in red and purple cabbage that allow for the kitchen chemistry in Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple Cabbage.And currants in Enhanced Athletic Recovery Without Undermining Adaptation.My previous treatment of glaucoma can be found in Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frozen-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/currants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glaucoma/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22018225,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11157880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988128,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21646980,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21169874,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8690039,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15705234,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21354712,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18339041,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14581247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22164665,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10767671,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21899805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22377796,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9286268,
PLAIN-2658	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/	Dietary Prevention of Age-Related Macular Degeneration	Anyone who's ever got a sun burn knows how damaging the UV rays in sunlight can be. Imagine what those same rays are doing to the back of our eyeballs, our retinas. The eye is designed to take sunlight and focus it like a magnifying glass into the back of our eyes. Thankfully, we have a layer of cells in our eye called the retinal pigment epithelium that supports and protects our delicate retinal eyesight machinery. The layer builds up yellow plant pigments from our diet like zeaxanthin, which absorbs blue light and protects the retina from the photo-oxidative damage. The yellowing of the lenses in our eyes when we get cataracts may actually be our body's defense mechanism to protect our retinas. In fact when you go and surgically remove those cataracts your risk of blindness from macular generation shoots up since you removed that protection. Instead of trading one type of vision loss for another, instead of pigmenting the front of your eye with cataracts, better to pigment the back of our eye through diet. The pigment in the back of our eye is entirely of dietary origin, thus suggesting that the most common cause of blind registration in the western world could be delayed, or even averted, with appropriate dietary modification.Where in our diet do we get it? Well, the egg industry brags that eggs are a good source. But have six eggs a week for three months and the pigmentation in one’s eyes may barely move—and these were the high lutein free-range certified organic eggs not purchased at a supermarket, but a local farm.Instead of getting the phytonutrients from the egg, that came from the chicken, that came from the corn and blades of grass she pecked on, what about getting it from the source—a cup of corn and a half cup of spinach a day for three months. A dramatic boost in protective eye pigment. Just to compare to the eggs, here’s the best that eggs can do. But if you cut out the middle hen, and get these nutrients from plants directly, you get up to here.What's neat about this study is that they went back and measured the levels 3 months after the study stopped and levels were still way up here, so once you build your macular pigment up with a healthy diet, your eyeballs really try to hold on to it. Even if you go on vacation and end up eating more iceberg lettuce than spinach, your eyes will hold out until you get back.Yes eggs can increase zeaxanthin levels in the blood, but they also raised bad cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease. "Therefore an egg yolk-based dietary strategy to increase plasma zeaxanthin cannot be recommended, and an alternative, cholesterol-free, food source is desirable, like goji berries for example, which have up to 60 times more zeaxanthin than eggs. A modest dose markedly increases levels in our body, an inexpensive, effective, safe, whole food strategy to increase zeaxanthin in the bloodstream. But we don't need it in our blood, we need it in our eyes.So how about a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial? To preserve eyesight in the elderly in traditional Chinese medicine, people are often prescribed 40 to 100 goji berries a day, but here they just used about 15 berries a day for 3 months and still found it could protect against loss of pigment and prevent the buildup of what's called soft drusen, which is just debris that builds up in the back of the eye, both of which are associated with age-related macular degeneration, theleading cause of legal blindness in older men and women, affecting more than 10 million Americans. Note they gave it in milk here, so the butterfat could increase the absorption of these carotenoid pigments. A healthier way to get the same effect would just be to eat goji berries with nuts or seeds, in other words, goji trail mix.	Gogi berries are a nightshade, from what I have read. There are plenty of people who experience arthritic symptoms/pain, as well as other ailments, after ingestion of nightshade plants (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, tobacco, gooseberries, certain peppers, gogi berries and more). I do wonder if you have any information on this.In case anyone is wondering, Indian gooseberry, or Amla, is not in the nightshade (Solanaceae) family.Amla is everywhere in India, like oranges in Australia or US.Spinach only? What about Kale and Collards instead of spinach?Kale and collards are also good sources: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/carotenoids/index.htmlYes! Dr. Greger talks about the benefits of both Kale and Collard Greens here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/I already have macular degeneration. I have switched to a healthy vegan diet. Would it help preventing further loss of vision in my case?If i was you i would stay on the vegan diet and find out. I do not believe that it could hurt anything.The higher vegetable and fruit content of vegan diets approaches the nutrient & phytochemical supplement cocktail used in the Age Related Eye Disease 2 study: C (500 mg), E (400 mg). zinc (25 mg), copper (2 mg), lutein (10 mg), zeaxanthin (2 mg). Eat some kale and other dark greens (with a bit of salad oil, nuts, or avocado for improved absorption) regularly and your lutein intake will be much higher than that of the AREDS2 participants.If you have the “wet form” of macular degeneration, there has been some success with angiogenesis inhibitors in preventing abnormal growth of leaky blood vessels. Some plant compounds like catechins (from green tea), genistein (from soy), isothiocyanates and indole-3-carbinol (from cruciferous vegetables), quercetin (from onions), anthocyanins (berries & colored grains), and curcumin (from turmeric) inhibit angiogenesis, though they’re not as potent as the injectable (yes, into the eye) pharmaceutical inhibitors repurposed from cancer treatment.(Eylea, Lucentis, Avastin, and Macugen).Yes, I have wet AMD. Thank you Darryl for all the useful information.Thank you so much for ll of this power packed information…as soon as I get a little money together I am going to send you a check…it’s so hard to save up but you deserve it…My 84-year old mother is living proof that improved diet can help stop wet macular degeneration at any age. She was diagnosed on her 80th birthday & started getting monthly injections, which worked well in stopped the progression of the disease. But who wants to get a shot in the eye every month? I finally convinced my mother to cut her meat & sugar consumption drastically, to eat more fruits & vegetables, AND to drink fresh vegetable juices and smoothies everyday. After just a couple of months, she got a pleasant surprise when her retina specialist told her didn’t need a shot that month. The same happened the following month, and then the next month, & so on. This January it will be 2 years since she’s needed a shot.Her retina specialist was so astounded & happy for her that he finally asked us what she’s been doing, which is nice because the average doctor usually just says, “Keep doing whatever you’re doing, but I don’t need to know about it.”Praise the Lord Nancy !!!!oh come on. It is the vege and fruit.Nancy: Great story. Your mother is really lucky to have you!And one thumbs up for the specialist too. :-)Most goji berries are from China (home to some of the worst air pollution on Earth). Is there research that has examined the heavy metal content and PCB content in China grown produce – even organic – compared to other less polluted countries?Grow your own goji berries. I’ve 2 goji berries, one red currant, 2 blueberries and will be growing more berries this year. Namaste and Happy New Year 2014.How do the same protective foods you have highlighted here compare to those found in fish and shellfish? Is the plant group “stronger” than the fish/shellfish, or is it the other way around? I’ll keep looking online for info. on this but I hope someone here has knowledge to provide clarity on this.….Also, i didn’t want to list a bunch of sources showing that fish/shellfish can be good for macular degeneration, as this is a vegan website, but I hope the good Doctor (or someone else) can point out if this is not accurate.I don’t know whether first can be helpful or not. However, I think this is where it is very important to look at the whole food. We don’t want to get one benefit at the expense of our health in X many other ways.In other words, there is ample evidence that fish cause a great many health problems. So, if you can get the benefit without the greater risk from plants, that would be the way to go.If interested, see the videos/links on the following page to start to get an idea of why fish is not healthy over-all:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/I hope that helps put things into perspective for you.I thought this website’s mission was to provide science based nutritional information rather than to be a vegan advocacy website. Start picking and choosing information presented based on diet ideology and credibility will be lost.This website does provide science based nutritional information. I think this website points people in the direction of eating a more whole foods, plant-based diet, which I think is different from veganism.The carotenoid astaxanthin is found in krill (12 mg/100 g) and arctic shrimp (120 mg/100 g) and also crosses the blood/retina barrier. Its about 60% more potent as a singlet oxygen quencher than zeaxanthin, but personally, I’d prefer eating 17 g dried goji to 100 g krill to get the same effect.Farmed salmon is fed a pink yeast Phaffia rhodozyma originally found “exclusively in slime fluxes of certain broad-leafed trees”, to achieve a pink flesh color, but their astaxanthin content is less than 1 mg / 100 g.Several people I have encouraged to go vegan for health reasons have been asking me about the utility of egg whites. I couldn’t find anything on the nutritionfacts.org website on egg whites, except that they do not appear to raise cholesterol. Are there any adverse health consequences? (personally, I would stay away for ethical reasons, but I realize most vegans adopt plant-based diets for a combination of health and ethical reasons) I did a detailed search on medline looking at egg whites, homocysteine and methionine and found nothing. I think that egg whites are promoted by several vegan diet doctors; again, other than the ethics (which is shoddy), are there any health downsides to this as a protein source?DH: Since egg whites are an animal product, there would be no such thing as doctor who promotes vegan diets telling people to eat egg whites.Concerning the health question: I mostly can only repeat what others on the team have said. But first my 2 cents: Since egg whites are almost pure animal protein, I think one of the biggest issues is IGF1 production in the body in response to eating it. (See the NutrtionFacts series on IGF1.) Also, if memory serves???, arachadonic (sp?) acid is still an issue. Plus, you can find plenty of evidence here on NutritionFacts about the problem with contaminated eggs sickening and killing a huge number of people every year. That would apply to the egg whites.Here is a quote from a post that Dr. Forrester recently did: “You do have to ask yourself why you would want to eat a high animal protein food given the evidence that too much protein intake especially animal protein is harmful to your kidney function and associated with certain cancers. Egg whites also have a very high amount of selenium. The devil is always in the details.”And here is one of my favorites quotes from Toxins on the issue of egg whites:“Here is why we should avoid egg whites:1. Egg whites are ridiculously high in the amino Acid Methionine. Rice has 14 times less of this amino acid and beans 7 time less. When one consumes Methionine in a large quantity (like that found in egg whites), it is broken down into sulfuric compounds. these sulfuric compounds are buffered by the calcium of the bones. the result, over time, is osteoporosis and kidney stones.http://www.vivalis.si/literatura/6a00.pdf2. Methionine is metabolized into homocysteine. This substance is a risk factor associated with heart attacks, strokes, peripheral vascular disease, venous thrombosis, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression.http://www.pnas.org/content/100/25/15089 (this study was done with mice, not humans.)3. Cancer cell metabolism is dependent upon methionine being present in the diet; whereas normal cells can grow on a methionine-free diet feeding off other sulfur-containing amino acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14585259 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/124162544. Good ol’ Insulin like growth factor is raised significantly by Methionine. raised levels of IGF-1 = accelerated aging/tumor promotion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12176673 http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/18/1472.abstract5. Sulfur from Methionine is known to be toxic to the tissues of the intestine, and to have harmful effects on the human colon, even at low levels, possibly causing ulcerative colitis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9448181 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8287651 (this study done with rats)http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/82/11/950.abstract6. Restriction of methionine in the diet has been shown to prolong the life of experimental animals. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12543260 http://jn.nutrition.org/content/10/1/63.shortAlso, egg whites are pure protein without any other nutrients, like antioxidants, fiber or carbs. Just as white flour is viewed as empty calories, so should egg whites.”Thank you for that explanation.I view IGF-1, methionine, selenium, isolated protein — all as theoretical risks of egg whites, as there doesn’t seem to be any epidemiological data tying egg white consumption to adverse health outcomes (and thinking about it, any such data would be completely confounded by self-selection bias). Indeed, what studies I have seen on egg whites and cholesterol actually suggest fairly potent improvement of lipid atherogenic risk markers such as the total:HDL cholesterol ratio, which is a stronger predictor of vascular events than total, LDL or HDL cholesterol alone.As to renal dysfunction from high protein intake, I believe that one could do damage to your kidneys from excessive protein intake from any source (including isolated protein supplement powders).However, I personally will continue to avoid egg whites because 1) I don’t like frying my foods; and 2) the ethics of the egg-laying industry are horrific. I am also somewhat skeptical of all the additives listed on containers of egg whites.The most likely probability is that egg whites are much healthier than whole eggs, but perhaps not as healthy as a completely vegan diet. I just don’t know. A lot of the risks you’ve cited appear to be hypothetical and based on arguments of similarity (e.g. “we know methionine is bad in high doses…..egg whites contain a fair amount of methionine…. so even egg whites in small doses could be harmful”) rather than specificity (e.g. “a randomized trial of egg white consumption showed deleterious effects on arterial wall thickening” — such a study I have not seen, but could conceivably exist, as there are hundreds of medline-index articles on egg whites).I do not mean to sound skeptical. I only want to do the best possible for my patients. I usually don’t even mention egg whites, but it always seems to come up. Finally, if my memory serves me correctly, a large meta-analysis in the BMJ did not show any harm (or any benefit) to selenium supplementation — http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f10— in fact, there was a slight trend toward benefit for selenium-assigned patients. Also vegans tend to be very low on selenium. I am looking for a smoking gun and if I find it, I will share it. Personally, I would prefer beans to egg whites, but maybe that’s just me (it seems society has become obsessed with egg replacements, and many health-conscious “vegans” do eat egg whites).DH: I respect your opinion and think it is quite reasonable. However, I disagree/come to a different conclusion myself. For whatever it is worth, I wanted to share my thoughts.I find the IGF1 argument to be particularly compelling, and (as I understand it), the IGF1 issue applies equally to egg whites. Also, I think we have plenty of hard evidence that a whole plant food based diet is superior for human health. As shown on this website, deviations from that general ideal tend to lead to increased risk for various diseases. (I wish I had kept a list of all of Dr. Greger’s “moderation failed” videos.) Egg whites are neither a whole food nor a plant food. (I’m not sure why anyone would dispute this.) So, while there may not be a “smoking gun”, I think there is plenty of evidence as a whole to put egg whites in the “best to not eat” category.Your argument about egg whites being OK in small amounts is something that I would certainly agree with in principle, but strongly disagree with in practice. People want to know, “What foods promote health when eaten in desired quantities?” It is understood by most people that small amounts of just about anything is not going to hurt them. I could eat a candy bar three times a year and be just fine. But I understand that a candy bar is not a health food. I wouldn’t want my doctor to tell me that candy bars are OK, because he assumes that I will only have say one of them a year. If my doctor wants to talk about candy bars, I hope he will explain all the potential problems with candy bars and be very specific about what counts as a small amount. In other words, it is worthless information if my doctor says that something is fine to eat when he/she considers “everything” fine to eat because everything is fine in small amounts.Put another way: I think that even the most pro-whole-plant-food proponent on this site would agree that very small amounts of meat, dairy and eggs is probably not going to hurt the health of most people. But that doesn’t mean that those animal foods are health promoting or even neutral. In addition, while a small amount *may* be OK, there are good reasons to abstain rather than trying to find that line between a healthy amount and a non-healthy amount. For one thing, the “everything in moderation” argument is a huge fail. Everyone’s ideas of what counts as moderation are different and almost never evidence-based. What is moderation? What should be asked is, at what amounts do we have which risk levels? We often don’t have those answers.Finally, I think that most people who ask about egg whites are envisioning eating omelets, quiche, meringue, etc. In other words, they want to eat a lot, not a small amount at all.Some Perspective: When it comes to egg whites, we aren’t talking poison. Any health problems will be ones that build up over time, just like with meat. So, there isn’t going to be a smoking gun – just lots of messy data because nutrition science and biology is just so messy. (Messy meaning some studies will show one thing and others will show the opposite and sometimes they are all perfectly good studies.) To put this into perspective: Was there a smoking gun study that convinced you that smoking is bad for humans? Or was it all the evidence put together over time? What about those people who smoke a lot and don’t get cancer? What if you only smoked a small amount? How little smoking can one do and be “safe”? The answer is: we don’t really know. The “safe” amount is probably a different amount for every person. It is hard for people to smoke in amounts small enough that are likely to be safe since smoking is so addictive and we don’t have a defined “safe level”.Bottom line: If people want to maximize their likely health outcomes, they will just refrain from smoking. I would say that eating animal protein falls into the same category. There is enough messy evidence that eating animal protein unnecessarily increases our risk of getting diseases such as cancer without providing overall benefits. Because meat, dairy and eggs are so addictive (both in the sense of cravings and potential with drawl symptoms), best to stay away from animal foods.That’s just how I see it. As I said, I do understand your position and also respect it. You have a good point too.Hi Thea,I don’t know enough about the IGF-I argument to render an opinion on it, but from one of the pubmed articles you linked to in your previous post, I found this statement interesting:“Evidence further suggests that certain lifestyles, such as one involving a high-energy diet, may increase IGF-I levels, a finding that is supported by animal experiments indicating that IGFs may abolish the inhibitory effect of energy restriction on cancer growth.”I am trying to understand what the link would be between egg whites, a high-energy diet and IGF-1. Are you saying this is tied through methionine?Agree that the “everything in moderation” argument fails on multiple levels for most people/patients, but I was referring only to a single food item (egg whites). If egg whites are like a gateway drug to blowing a big hole in a plant-based diet, then I concede that point, but I know plenty of people who consume egg whites against the background of a vegetarian diet. A colleague of mine strongly recommends that all egg yolks be replaced with egg whites.Yet I shouldn’t have used the phrase “egg whites in small doses”. If people think they are truly healthy, they are likely to overconsume them.The problem that I have is that I can’t seem to find any evidence, whether in vitro, in vivo animal data, human randomized trials, human observational studies, etc, that tie egg white consumption to adverse outcomes, even a single adverse biomarker. Someone on this website said that he avoided egg whites because they are high in methionine – to me, that’s not sufficient prima facie evidence to condemn egg whites, because methionine has not been accepted as a cardiovascular risk factor to the same degree that cholesterol, saturated fat or other “toxins” have (and remember – the dose makes the poison). I have specifically looked for papers on egg whites and methionine and found virtually nothing.Again it comes back to what to do when someone in whom I’ve recommended a vegan diet asks me whether they can drink skim milk or eat egg whites. A lot of people on omnivorous diets see starting veganism as a deprivation of all their favorite foods, and so they ask whether it is ok to put skim milk in their cereal or change their yolks to whites. Since egg whites appear to lower serum phosphorous and insulin levels, decrease total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, and increase HDL cholesterol levels, the net impact of what literature I have seen is suggesting a positive benefit – at least on these biomarkers. Therefore, there would have to be a suggestion in the literature that they also have a net impact on deleterious risk factors that outweigh all of these factors. I will keep looking for it. Definitely we can say that egg whites are healthier than egg yolks. I am loathe to recommend any animal products for ethical reasons, and thus I am only answering the question about egg whites when it comes up (ie someone puts it forth).I wonder when I see people still talking about any real proofs linking animal protein (yes, the one in eggs whites included) specifically with cancer, and degenerative diseases, ever really knew about The China Study?All this was settled then, why this information isn’t everywhere by now? Read Whole, by the same author.There are several factors beyond methionine; if you didn’t yet, I suggest reading it.I have read the original reports behind the China Study – i.e. the published, peer-reviewed articles. Perhaps you are referring to “egg protein” in general, rather than “egg whites”. Rural and urban Chinese at that time did not eat “egg whites” (why would they?). They ate whole eggs. That is very different than isolated lacto-albumin. Not only that, but from an epidemiological perspective, the China Study is considered weak evidence by many nutritional scientists – it was ecological and cross-sectional, rather than longitudinal and individual person-based.So the China Study tells me nothing about the healthiness of egg whites, unless you are lumping this all in under general “animal protein”, which is not a safe thing to do…..You are correct. There are limitations to any study. If you haven’t read Dr. Campbell’s new book, Whole, I would recommend it. It gives a perspective of the limitations of reductionistic studies in adaptive systems which is sobering. Most of the attacks I have read seem to me to continue to support the paradigm and research model of the pursuit of reductionistic studies. As important as they are I believe we need to shift to more balance funding to include studies appropriate for complex systems.Actually there’s a new review in Am J Med extolling the virtues of the Mediterranean Diet (PREDIMED, Lyon Heart Trial) — http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000293431301111X(Diets to Prevent Coronary Heart Disease 1957- 2013: What Have We Learned?) I read parts of Whole but could not get the ‘whole’ way through it. The first half of the book was a screed against the scientific community, mainstream nutritionists, and Dr Campbell’s critics. I understand his colleagues at Cornell sigh when his name is brought up – is that true? In the first part of the book he declares that milk causes cancer based on animal data; he later makes the point that animal data cannot possibly be used to tease out toxicological influences of synthetic pesticides. Do I see a contradiction there? Cross-sectional studies at the ecological level (no individual patient data, no longitudinal follow-up component, no randomization, no blinding). Animal studies selectively cited. I think he makes some great points but what I understand from my interactions with a number of nutritional scientists and practitioners (RD), even plant-based ones, is that he has taken what research evidence he has produced to an extreme of opinion. I believe that it is the lack of uncertainty that is dangerous here. Science is always uncertain and we can never know the full truth. Scientists, like the rest of us, should be willing to admit to this. Decrying one’s critics as reductionists is not an argument based on science or wisdom. (regardless, I am staying vegan and encouraging my patients to do the same; but I am not so sure that Dr T.C.C. is a great advocate for this cause) Please correct any of this if I am wrong.Part of the answer to that sort of critics by Dr Campbell:For the monograph, we were somewhat uncertain whether to publish such raw data but decided to do so for two principle reasons. First, we wanted to make these data available to other researchers, while hoping that data misuse would not be a significant problem. Second, because these data were collected in rural China at a time when data reliability might have been questioned, we chose to be as transparent as possible. We discussed data use and misuse on pp. 54-82 of the China Project monograph that curiously was overlooked by Masterjohn and Jay’Y’.In brief, while fully understanding the pitfalls, the purpose of interpreting data of this kind is to extract from these crude correlations their true correlation counterparts, then interpret these counterparts within the context of information derived from other sources. In making these adjustments and interpretations, we want to consider, for example, 1) whether there is a sufficiently broad range of exposure for each of the variables comprising the associations (e.g., a true association of breast cancer with dietary fat consumption can only be detected if there is a sufficient range—above zero—for each of these variables), 2) whether there are confounding factors (e.g., high fat consumption might reflect high animal protein consumption, low dietary fiber consumption or even ownership of TVS), 3) whether the associations are biologically plausible (e.g., being consistent with existing clinical information, especially within this clinical project) and 4) whether these associations collectively reflect a consistent dietary pattern, among other considerations. In addition to these individual associations, we also had opportunities to evaluate aggregate associations, keeping the same caveats and considerations in mind.These critics, who are mischievously posing as qualified scientists, have committed errors that expose either their ignorance of basic research principles and/or their passionate following of an unstated agenda. By superficially citing uncorrected crude correlations from the China Project monograph, they show a serious lack of understanding not only of the fundamentals of scientific research but also of the principles of statistics, epidemiology and nutrition. To make matters worse, they have selected correlations that reflect an alternative agenda or bias that has nothing to do with objective science.It was this suspicion of bias that reminded me of an eerily similar commentary earlier written by Ms. Sally Fallon, President of a special interest group located in Washington, DC, known as the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF). Ms. Fallon’s commentary was widely circulated in cyberspace several years before we published our book. Thus I began to wonder who was WAPF and especially who was Weston A. Price, now the adopted ‘patron saint’ of WAPF.—-Looks like you have been hearing the propaganda by that farmer’s lobby and related interest groups.DH: I just want to state again that I think your position is quite reasonable.If you are interested in learning about the health issues with IGF-1, Dr. Greger did a great series (of about 7 videos) on this topic starting here: (I can’t explain it as well as Dr. Greger.) http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/When it comes to eggs, there is also the issue of salmonella to consider, “the leading cause of food-borne illness related hospitalization and death in the United States.” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/Your latest post is the one that I can relate to the most in this thread. It *is* very hard to counsel people who are *maybe* open to changing their behavior, but who can’t be pushed too hard.For what it’s worth, here is how I approach these conversations when I have them (only with people who are interested): “We don’t know everything about nutrition for humans, but the big picture evidence has been remarkably unchanged for decades. So, we have a pretty good idea that the diet which is the most health-promoting (disease fighting) is a whole plant food based diet fortified with B12 and possibly D. I can share some resources on what this diet really looks like if you are interested. I also have a DVD of Forks Over Knives that I highly recommend you watch.The issue is how to get to that ideal diet. Some people are motivated and go cold-turkey. There are three excellent reasons for going cold-turkey for a 3 week trial period… I can give you some support/resources on *how* to practically make this transition if you are interested.But some people can’t do cold-turkey. If you feel you can’t do it all at once, you might try starting out vegetarian and later take out the eggs and dairy. Or start by leaving out the dairy and eggs first. Other people start on the path to healthy eating by strictly eating healthy at home, but allowing other foods when eating out at restaurants or friend’s houses. Etc. ”This conversation works for me, because I’m not pressuring the other person to do more than he/she can, but I’m also not doing what our government and the media does all the time – try to soften the message about what is truly healthy to the point that the information about what foods are healthy becomes meaningless and causes great confusion and misinformation.That’s just my 2 cents. I understand that you disagree (at the moment anyway!) on the science behind egg whites and thus possibly on what you would describe as a health-promoting diet. I was moved to share my approach after reading what you wrote about counseling patients.Best of luck to you on walking your own path of being true to all your morals: from preventing animal abuse, to limiting global climate change, to limiting human starvation, to being truthful about healthy diets with your patients/other people. (I assume you are working to meet all these goals. Happily for myself, none of goals are in conflict.)Thea, sorry to take so long to come back to this. I’ve just found a study showing that substitution of dietary fat by egg whites increasing urinary C-peptide excretion by 60%, which reflects 24 hour insulin exposure.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8969280I believe this would be a very good health reason to avoid egg whites.DGH: Very interesting! Thanks!!Hi Thea – Since Dr. Ornish, in his Spectrum approach (which allows very small amounts of fat-free dairy, egg white, and fish oil), allows a small amount of egg whites, I thought I’d experiment a bit and try them, after pure plant-based for years. I found that my urine immediately smelled of sulfur every time I consumed them. They gave me a slight headache. Egg whites provided no benefit. I see no reason to eat them now!Ron: Great experiment! That’s sure a way to prove it to yourself. Thanks for sharing!!Ok, Goji is the focus of the study. How about a list of foods with similar positive effects?Lutein + zeaxanthin content (mg / 100 g) dried goji 114.3 kale 39.5 spinach 12.2 turnip greens 11.9 Swiss chard 11.0 mustard greens 9.9 collards 8.9 raddichio 8.8 basil 5.6 parsley 5.6 … corn 1.4 eggs 0.3I like the dried goji but someone above mentioned they are a member of the nightshade plant family – and I have to avoid all nightshades or I experience horrible joint pain. I do not know much about why this occurs in nightshades. Such a mystery to me but the side effects of ingesting our a real drag.Looks like corn is an unimportant source of lutein/zeaxanthin. This is kinda a personal relief for me since most corn is genetically modified and so, I avoid eating it unless I can find some that’s organic. Trader Joe’s sometimes sells frozen organic corn, but lately I haven’t seen it. Does anyone know of a reliable source of organic or non-GMO corn?guest: According to the Trader Joe’s where I live, any product sold under their brand name is supposed to be free of GMO foods. So, if you can’t find their organic frozen corn, if they are selling any frozen corn under the TJ brand name, it should be free of GMO. Other than that, I would expect any health food type store where you live to have organic corn – which should be free of GMO. But I don’t know where you live. So, maybe you don’t have access to such a resource. Good luck.Individual foods may not be as important as overall dietary patterns. In this video (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/) Dr. Greger shows that those who scored highest in the Alternative Healthy Eating Index developed by Harvard had the lowest risk overall of macular degeneration.More on egg whites…Taylor LM, Kalantar-Zadeh K, Markewich T, Colman S, Benner D, Sim JJ, Kovesdy CP. J Ren Care. 2011 Mar;37(1):16-24. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-6686.2011.00212.x. Dietary egg whites for phosphorus control in maintenance haemodialysis patients: a pilot study. “Pasteurised liquid egg whites may be an effective diet component lowering serum phosphorus without risking malnutrition.”Housová J, Matoulek M, Svacina S, Kýhos K, Slabá S, Vavrejnová S, Ricarová B. Prague Med Rep. 2008;109(2-3):127-33. Comparisin of low energy breakfast based on special egg white spread product with a standard breakfast. “Egg white derived low calorie products have a beneficial effect on insulin response without any difference in ingested carbohydrate quantity.”Asato L, Wang MF, Chan YC, Yeh SH, Chung HM, Chung SY, Chida S, Uezato T, Suzuki I, Yamagata N, Kokubu T, Yamamoto S. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1996 Apr;42(2):87-96. Effect of egg white on serum cholesterol concentration in young women. “The results indicate the favorable effects of egg white in the control of hypercholesterolemia.”Contaldo F, Di Biase G, Giacco A, Pacioni D, Moro CO, Grasso L, Mancini M, Fidanza F. Prev Med. 1983 Jan;12(1):138-43. Evaluation of the hypocholesterolemic effect of vegetable proteins. “Serum total and LDL cholesterol decreased during both diets but were statistically significant only on the egg-white diet.”I am not at all advocating egg whites but in aggregate the results of these four clinical trials suggest beneficial effects on insulin levels, serum phosphorous, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. Thus any potential theoretical harm – e.g. from selenium, methionine, etc – (which I’ve been unable to find for egg whites in the literature) need to be weighed against the literature-documented benefits on these markers.Cutting out the middle ‘hen’.Face palm. My funny bone needs some surgery. Groaning.You ment to say the lens and not the cornea But otherwise as always a great discussion What about collard greens The population that eats the most has the least macular degeneration Thanks again for the outstanding workThanks for pointing that out, Jeffrey! Not sure if you’re still around but know that Dr. Greger is fixing (even though a bit late) – the transcript does say lenses so perhaps 50/50 on this video ;-)Goji berries can be hard to get and often expensive. Are there more easily available, cheaper alternatives that work almost as well?I had iridotomies in both eyes to control glaucoma. The iridotomies contributed to the development of cataracts in both eyes. My eye doctor said that the narrow angles were probably something I was born with, so diet would probably not have helped. I am vegan, and I take extra lutein every day via capsule. Sometimes, the treatment for one condition causes another medical issue. Very frustrating.0:47 “The yellowing of our corneas when we get cataracts” This needs a correction. Cataract is not yellowing of the cornea but of the crystalline lens which is situated behind the iris.Here is a link to the anatomy of the eye. http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/picture-of-the-eyesThanks for pointing out that key error Dr. Greger is re-recording.I have macular degeneration. Yesterday the eye doc told me to start taking AREDS2, which I see contains copper. Copper, you said, can contribute to Alzheimers… What do you suggest?Thanks much!Maybe a stupid question but would corn chips and/or corn tortillas provide any benefit?I believe most zeaxanthin in supplements is a byproduct of corn processing. The actual content in most corn products is not that high, compared to the lutein content in greens.Spinach, cooked 12,640 μg lutein/100 g Kale, cooked 8884 μg lutein/100 gCorn, cooked 202 μg zeaxanthin/100 g Corn tortilla 255 μg zeaxanthin/100 g Fritos 33 μg zeaxanthin/100 g White tortilla chips 0 μg zeaxanthin/100 gCornmeal, yellow 531 μg zeaxanthin/100 g Cornmeal, white 13 μg zeaxanthin/100 gYou’ll note that white corn products have little zeaxanthin. I like yellow corn tortillas quite a bit, as they lack the salt and trans-fats found in shelf-stable wheat flour based tortillas. They’re also quite tasty once toasted on a flat pan.But they’re no substitute for greens.https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QiieG5AqeUo#t=174 EYES can increase LDL-cholesterol? i agree – eating eyes is not particularly healthy. Love Dr. Greger!Today’s cool study:A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study on the Effects of Lutein and Zeaxanthin on Neural Processing Speed and EfficiencyAfter four months of supplementation with either 20 mg zeaxanthin, or 26 mg zeaxanthin & 8 mg lutein, macular pigment optical density increased and visual reaction time and accuracy improved about 10%, reflecting faster processing through the brain. 20g of zeaxanthin could be found in a 18 g dried goji berries, or 10 cups corn kernels, and is cheap as a corn-processing byproduct, but there’s good reason to believe lutein (in nearly all greens, 26 g in a single cup of raw kale) would behave similarly. There’s also a useful set of references (27, 30-33) where macular pigment optical density (ie lutein & zeaxanthin in the retina) is associated with reduced risk of cognitive impairment.Very cool!! Thank you.Eggs laid another egg!	aging,blindness,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cholesterol,eggs,eye disease,eye health,fat,glaucoma,goji berries,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,lettuce,lutein,macular degeneration,nuts,organic foods,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,poultry,seeds,spinach,vegetables,vision,zeaxanthin	Yellow plant pigments such as lutein and zeaxanthin build up in the back of our eyes to protect our retinas against age-related macular degeneration. Levels of these eyesight–saving nutrients in organic free-range eggs, vegetables, and goji berries are compared.	I’ve previously touched on this important topic in Preventing Macular Degeneration with Diet. I’ve also covered other leading causes of blindness such as cataracts (Preventing Cataracts with Diet) and glaucoma (see my last video, Greens vs. Glaucoma, and my next video, Dietary Treatment of Glaucoma).In Egg Industry Blind Spot I compare the levels in eggs to greens.Though they didn’t appear to boost a measure of immune function (Boosting Natural Killer Cell Activity), goji berries are one of the most antioxidant-packed snacks out there. A tip on getting them inexpensively can be found in my video Are Goji Berries Good for You?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zeaxanthin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lutein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glaucoma/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22018225,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11157880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988128,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21646980,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21169874,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8690039,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15705234,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21354712,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18339041,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14581247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22164665,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10767671,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21899805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22377796,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9286268,
PLAIN-2659	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greens-vs-glaucoma/	Greens vs. Glaucoma	Glaucoma is the second leading cause of legal blindness in white women, but the #1 cause of blindness in African-American women. That's one reason researchers chose a population of African-American women to study the effects of fruit and vegetable consumption on glaucoma risk, but the other reason is because they were specifically interested in foods with the highest concentration of those eye-protecting phytonutrients like zeaxanthin--kale and collard greens— but you'd be lucky if you could find 1 in 10 white people eating even a single serving a month, whereas that was a no-brainer for African Americans.What'd they find? Well as I've stressed over the years, all fruits and vegetables are not the same. Whether you hardly ever ate bananas or had one or more every day didn't seem to matter much, but eating a couple oranges every week was associated with dramatically lower risk. Not orange juice, though, you can drink orange juice every day and it didn't seem to matter. A similar finding with peaches. Fresh peaches seemed to work but canned peaches didn't.Similarly vegetables in general as a catch-all term didn't seem to matter. For example, whether you ate a green salad twice a week, once a week or zero times a week didn't seem to matter when it came to reducing glaucoma risk--you know how pitiful most people's salads are. But here's the kale and collard greens. Check it out: just two or three servings a month was associated with half the risk of glaucoma compared to once a month or less. White people, take note, as you may need it even more. The lighter your eye color, the more greens you need to eat. Blue eyes let 100 times more light through, so people with blue or gray eyes appear significantly more vulnerable to damage compared to brown or black, with green and hazel somewhere in the middle.It's interesting - carrots appeared to be less protective in black women compared to white women. They suggest it could be a difference in food preparation methods. Perhaps the African-American subjects tended to eat carrots raw, limiting the absorption of certain nutrients, while they chopped and prepared their collard greens with oil making the nutrients more bioavailable, (because the absorption of carotenoid phytonutrients depends on the presence of fat, which is why I encourage people to eat nuts or seeds with the greens or a little tahini sauce).Why not just take a zeaxanthin pill? Well we don't know what exactly it is in these wonderful foods that’s working their wonders so it may be better to just recommend folks eat them, rather than take supplements. And, in fact, people that take calcium or iron supplements may be doubling, quadrupling or septupling their odds of glaucoma. Better to get most of our nutrients from produce not pills	Thanks so much for continuing to look at Glaucoma. I look forward to your upcoming video on treatment. I live in Japan and have access to kale in all forms, but I especially find individual dry packets both convenient and palatable. I use a frother to whisk it into 6-8 oz fresh water at least once daily. Both wheatgrass and kale are very popular health drinks here. I am being treated for Glaucoma by nightly drops and hope to hear how my plant-based diet might help me further.Two other items: I notice that I do not see that much about wheatgrass on your website and wonder if it is worth continuing to drink wheatgrass juice or to stick with Kale. Also, I use a mushroom extract (“soluable agaricus granul -contains beta glucan” ) obtained locally in individual powder envelopes that I periodically mix into my miso soup. I have not noticed much on this topic and wondered if you would comment on the utility of agaricus blazie mushroom granules as it is sold ‘for healthy living’ and is promoted for those with cancer due to increased NK activity. It is sold in 3 gram packets (60 per box). Another company has it at 1.5 gram packets (90) per box and I’ve used both and cannot tell the difference. After 6 years, I’m wondering if this has been a good investment now that I see you discussing NK activity recently on your website.Dr Greger had replied on the topic of wheat grass you can find it in the section Ask the Doctor: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-wheatgrass-superior-to-any-other-green/I’m a big fan of β-glucans, but believe you should be aware that there have been reports of A. blazei extracts causing liver failure (1, 2). It might be high levels of agaritine, or cadmium accumulation from growth medium, but the second report suggests that one can ingest enough β-glucans to stimulate autoimmune attack against healthy cells.Modus omnibus in rebusThank you for your knowledge and citations on A. blazei and cancer patients with liver failure. I surmised potential autoimmune problems and, as I say, am a periodic user. I have good health and do not use alcohol but happen to have periodic liver panels (use prescribed niacin). My liver function tests are always good. Your citation led me to the local Japanese name of this mushroom, which seems to be ‘himematsutake.’ I hope to find the whole food, which I prefer. As this mushroom was cultivated in Brazil, I did not expect to find it here, although we have a vast array of varieties of mushrooms. As an American with limited kanji proficiency, a thoughtful daily life here entails considerable research. I appreciate your help and how your contributions on this web site are always well done.Darryl, another great post, thanks! Do you have references for more mushroom nutrient levels like this? I have a field of shaggy manes that grow in my yard in the summer, can’t find anything on them.Coprinus comatus extracts aren’t as effective as button mushrooms in stimulating immune activity, but they are one of three mushrooms (of 38 tested) that kills breast cancer cells directly in vitro. They’re middle of the pack in ergothioneine levels, higher than buttons, and about a third as high as the various oyster mushrooms.Thanks! Very interesting.How about Barley Grass powder? I hear great things about this stuff but I don’t seem to be able to find any peer-reviewed research as to its merits alone, or compared to other “greens”. Thanks for this topic. Glaucoma is serious issue for lots, and many seem to be depending on things like barley grass supplements and wheat grass, and this might not be a good idea if the research does not support it when compared to the greens you have highlighted today.Look at the link above in my answer to Suzanne.Over that past six months (since discovering this site) I have begun a regimen that is heavy in spinach and other whole foods. I have blue eyes and since my mother struggled with her eyes, (macular degeneration), I am greatly concerned. Should I be watch the amount of iron rich, green leafies I eat? I already try to stay away from other sources iron.Hi Chris, nice going. To me, the message seems eat the whole food and avoid the super-concentrated, isolated extract/supplements. Play the symphony, not the solo : )The chemical mechanism via which carotenoids protect against UV damage is cool.UV light can excite the electrons of ordinary oxygen molecules into a higher energy and highly reactive state, called singlet molecular oxygen. Our cells have few means of inactivating singlet oxygen before it does damage, but carotenoids like zeaxanthin can. See the long polyene chain of alterating single and double bonds in zeaxanthin: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Zeaxanthin.PNG/640px-Zeaxanthin.PNGWhen singlet oxygen bumps into a carotenoid, it transfers its excited electronic energy to the polyene chain, where its passed back and forth along the narrowly spaced electron orbital energies of those double bonds, propelling the carotenoid a bit each time, until the excitement energy is dissippated as harmless heat. This process, called physical quenching, doesn’t consume the carotenoid as chemical quenching would. Its ready to physically quench another singlet oxygen immediately.Physical quenching by carotenoids is estimated to be 2000 times greater than their chemical quenching, but most antioxidant assays, including ORAC, don’t measure physical quenching of singlet oxygen. Hence ORAC markedly underestimates the in vivo antioxidant potential of high carotenoid foods, like kale, tomatoes, spinach, mustard greens, Swiss chard, collards and (then) carrots. Lycopene from tomatoes is the most potent physical quencher, and eating tomato paste prevents sunburn, but lutein & xeazanthin (high in kale, spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens, radicchio & collards) are the only carotenoids found in the retina of the eye.That truly is fascinating. I thought I knew a decent bit about nutritional chemistry, and even I had never heard of the level to which this effect (physical, non deconstructing, quenching) can achieve! There is so much wonderful science out that that if only every new paper could be put into action in terms of preparing some kind of monthly check list of the things we should eat and their amounts and preparation methods, that would be incredible. Alas, places like this are about the closest we will ever get to such a collection. This site is a god bless, but consolidating everything into a universal daily, weekly, monthly diet regimen that would be easy for even the layman to understand would be wonderful. Of course, everyone being different, ‘universal’ might be too word. Maybe just guidelines. Also, I wanted you to know that I appreciate the time you take in helping us poor souls out with the nuances of this field. I look forward to your tips each video almost as much as the video itself. I know often the science isn’t exact so its hard to steer people with 100% certainty toward the best option, but even taking that into account, you are saving lives by walking us through it.Awesome post Darryl, thanks!I was hoping the good Doctor might be willing to write a column or produce a video on orthorexia nervosa, which appears to be a common phenomenon among users of nutritional websites. Many vegans have the best intentions but more than a few are just feeding orthorectic eating habits.Was a medical term coined for the population that eats crap or only for the people who care enough about their health to be proactive?May I suggest: pararexia nervosaAs with orthorexia, it won’t find its way into the DSM, but its fun to diagnose strangers from our armchairs.That will work. Some of that stuff definitely isn’t food.Dr, is it ok to have the kale and greens as green juices or does one need to have them cooked , to prevent glaucoma ?It doesn’t seem to matter. In this study, the bioavailability of lutein from whole leaf, minced, and liquified spinach was about the same. There is evidence that adding oil (from avocados or avocado oil in this study) increases lutein bioavailability from salad 4.3-to-6.7 fold. I suspect the situation would be similar with juices.Dr. Greger forgot to tell us why he used zeaxanthin in the description of this video. There are more than 100 beneficial phytochemicals in each of the plants that he mentions in this video.Green cruciferous vegetables (kale greens, collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, broccoli, watercress, Brussel’s sprouts, and cabbage) contain the carotenoids, lutein, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, beta-carotene, and only a moderate amount of zeaxanthin. Crucifers also contain various glucosinolates and myrosinase, which will convert into various isothiocyanates when chewed.Whole raw oranges, which did well in this study against glaucoma, are moderately rich in the carotenoids, beta-cryptoxanthin and beta-carotene, but they contain very little zeaxanthin. The only citrus fruits that are high in zeaxanthin are red grapefruits (but not white grapefruits).The fact that 100% fruit juices did poorly compared to whole raw fruits indicates fiber, not carotenoids or polyphenols, delivered the glaucoma-preventing benefits.The fact that canned and dried peaches did poorly compared to whole raw peaches indicates that the good bacteria that thrive on raw plants may have delivered the glaucoma-preventing benefits and not the fiber, which feeds the good bacteria, or the carotenoids and polyphenols. In any event, peaches aren’t that high in zeaxanthin.The fact that iron supplements caused severe eye damage is not surprising because, like copper, manganese, and aluminum, iron is a pro-oxidant which, if consumed in excess, will damage every cell in our bodies and increase our risk of developing numerous killer diseases.The fact that calcium supplements caused severe eye damage is a bit of a surprise. I’ve heard that calcium supplements can cause calcified arteries, cardiovascular problems, and various cancers but I was not aware that swallowing calcium supplements can increase our risk of developing glaucoma.Correction: Red grapefruits are high in the carotenoid, lycopene, but contain zero zeaxanthin. Therefore, all citrus fruits are low in both lutein and zeaxanthin.Whole raw carrots performed moderately well against glaucoma in this study. Carrots are extremely rich in beta-carotene but not that high in lutein or zeaxanthin.Actually, the video says that cooked carrots are better for the eyes. Min 2:21 “Perhaps the African American subjects tended to eat the carrots raw limiting the absorption of certain nutrients…”Too much calcium can be a risk factor for glaucoma just like too much iron, because calcium, like iron, is an oxidant. The studies show that 800 mg or more of SUPPLEMENTAL calcium increase one’s risk just as 18 mg or more of SUPPLEMENTAL iron do.I alternate my breakfasts between steel-cut oats (with walnuts, blackberries and unsweetened soy milk) and quinoa (with blueberries, almonds, ground flax seed and unsweetened soy milk). Then, time permitting, I make a green smoothie consisting of kale and / or collard greens. I got someone at work drinking the kale concoction, and she loves the clean feeling it gives you.This is a little bit off-topic, but here is a very well put together website on some amazing vegan athletes. Be sure to vote for the Vegan Athlete of 2013 while you’re there:http://www.greatveganathletes.com/I’m confused… the initial premise was that black women suffer *more* from glaucoma than white women. Then it proceeds with how black women eat tons more greens and have dark-pigment eyes, while white women eat no such greens and have pale eyes. So…. huh?FooBlahGrl: It’s a valid question. I haven’t looked at the studies, so I can’t answer with any authority. But here’s my guess: As a population, black people probably eat more kale and collards, but there would still be a lot of variability within the population. So, you could take that population and compare those who eat more to those who eat less. Where as, it is presumably hard to find a “eat more” group of significant size of the white women. What do you think?I was confused too about that and rewatched the video. The scientists wanted to see if kale and collards were protective but they couldn’t find enough white people eating them so they studied a group of African Americans. Amongst that group there were people who ate them and people who didn’t and the ones who ate them had far less incidence of glaucoma.Doctor Greger, there’s an article floating around on Facebook called “The Dark Side Of Kale (And How To Eat Around It)” that I found troubling. as a huge fan of Kale (I put lots of Kale in my breakfast smoothie each day), I am having trouble believing that this is a credible article.Can you please address this article?The article that I am referring to is here:http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/01/the-dark-side-of-kale-and-how-to-eat-around-itPlease see this video regarding overdosing on kale. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/The issues presented in the article are present when one consumes massive amounts that normally wouldn’t be consumed through a normal diet.Hi Doctor, I suffer from a bad thyroid that eventually stabilized with levothyroxine treatment (129mcg/daily). I’ve heard so much about the health benefits of greens such as kale that I’ve included it in my juicing diet I’ve started recently. However, I’ve been hearing that cruciferous vegetable contain goitrogens which can cause more harm with those suffering from thyroid disorders. Could you consider a video or article regarding this issue and any possible alternatives for those who want to add greens to their diet with this problem?	African-American,antioxidants,bananas,blindness,calcium,carrots,collard greens,cooking methods,eye disease,eye health,fat,fruit,fruit juice,glaucoma,greens,iron,juice,kale,nuts,oils,orange juice,oranges,peaches,phytonutrients,seeds,supplements,tahini,vegetables,vision,women's health,zeaxanthin	Kale and collard greens contain vision-protecting plant nutrients such as zeaxanthin that may significantly lower the risk of glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness.	I demonstrated the not-all-fruits-and-veggies-are-the-same motif recently in my video How to Reach the Antioxidant RDA.I explored the fat-enhanced absorption of carotenoid phytonutrients in Forgo Fat-Free Dressings?Don’t eggs also have zeaxanthin? Find out how much in Egg Industry Blind Spot.I wish there were more studies on under-represented minorities. I’ve covered a few, such as Preventing Breast Cancer By Any Greens Necessary, but am constantly on the lookout for more.The only other video I’ve done on glaucoma is Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther, though I have a video coming up soon on treating the disease, Dietary Treatment of Glaucoma. Next, however, is macular degeneration: Dietary Prevention of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zeaxanthin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tahini/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/african-american/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glaucoma/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12915499,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18355790,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22164665,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11157880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8690039,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3448787/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22247455,
PLAIN-2660	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/	How Long to Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy?	Increased fish consumption of mothers before and during pregnancy leads to increased exposure to both mercury and the long-chain omega 3 DHA. Mercury may negatively affect brain development in one's unborn baby, whereas DHA may stimulate brain development. As we saw, though, the results of this study showed that the negative effect of MeHg outweighs the beneficial effect of DHA for most species of fish. Unfortunately, in the last two national surveys women of childbearing age--ages 18 to 45--were less aware and knowledgeable about this problem than other women, despite FDA and EPA campaigns to inform every OB/GYN and pediatrician in the United States about the potential risks of mercury in fish. But I wanted to highlight the "before." Not just during pregnancy, but even before one gets pregnant.Since mercury sticks around, women may want to avoid polluted fish consumption for a year before they get pregnant in addition to just during pregnancy. The reason they suggest a year before getting pregnant is because the half-life of mercury in the body is estimated to be about two months. They fed folks 2 servings a week of tuna and other high mercury fish to push their mercury levels up, and then stopped the fish at week 14 and slowly but surely their levels came back down. I know a lot of moms are concerned about exposing their children to mercury containing vaccines, but if they ate just a serving a week or less of fish during pregnancy, the latest data shows their infants end up with substantially more mercury in their bodies than getting injected with up to 6 mercury containing vaccines.But, with a 2-month half-life, within a year of stopping fish consumption your body can detox nearly 99% of the mercury. Unfortunately the other industrial pollutants in fish can take longer for our body to get rid of— a half life as long as 10 years for certain dioxins, and PBCs, and DDT metabolites found in fish. So to get that same 99% drop could take 120 years, which is a long time to delay one’s first child.What do these other pollutants do? Well high concentrations of industrial contaminants are associated with 38 times the odds of diabetes. That's as strong as the relationship between smoking and lung cancer! Isn't diabetes mostly about obesity, though? Well these are fat-soluble pollutants, and so as people get fatter the retention and toxicity of persistent organic pollutants related to the risk of diabetes may increase, suggesting the shocking possibility that obesity may only be a vehicle for such chemicals. We may be storing pollutants in our spare tire like a hazardous waste dump.Now the pollutants could just be a marker for animal product consumption—maybe that's why there’s such higher diabetes risk since more than 90% of the persistent organic pollutants comes from animal foods, unless you work in a chemical factory and stumble across some toxic waste. And indeed in the U.S. every serving of fish a week is associated with a 5% increased risk of diabetes, which makes fish consumption about 80% worse than red meat.	Off topic (considerably), but does anyone know if horseradish containing “artificial oil of mustard” is bad for you?The Material Safety Data Sheet on synthetic mustard oil can be found here: http://hazard.com/msds/mf/baker/baker/files/p3225.htmIf you celebrate, Merry Christmas!Deigning to respond to irrelevant questions while some really pertinent ones go unanswered is rude. Get some manners, or I’m going to have to stop coming to the website to watch or read you. (I’ll just watch when you happen to show up in my youtube recommendations.) I don’t do “uncomfortable” for anyone, and your arbitrary and capricious responses are irritating. Bottom line: Either respond to everyone or no one. (And “Happy Holidays” fits everyone.) Happy Holidays!PMH, there is a team of nutritionfacts volunteers (like myself) who can address questions you may have. It is impossible to address every question, and at one point early on in nutritionfacts Dr. Greger did do this. The popularity of the site has grown beyond what Dr. Greger can handle. Remember, nutritionfacts.org is not his job, it is his side “hobby” done purely without profit and we should be grateful he has done this for the public good.Thanks for the civil response. I guess I haven’t been around long enough to have seen enough “volunteer” responses to notice your existence. All I’ve seen is video introductions by Gregor with entreaties to ask questions (to which I see plenty of responses with no answers). “Public good” is one thing, but so is the simple courtesy of answering questions you asked for. I don’t see that language in this post. Perhaps what I’m seeing is early posts that include out-of-date sentiment of pure solicitation (i.e., “please make me look successful by asking me questions!”). One can only hope.You will notice that every so often Dr. Greger will dig deep and answer a question in depth in the link below. http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/That link is helpful. I guess the true source of my irritation is having Dr. Greger introduce something really pertinent to my personal interests, have people bring up questions in the comments I’d also like answers to, and then – nothing. I see several “in depth” treatment of issues I might find answers or insight into in that link. Thanks!You are certainly demanding.and you are irrelevant.Irrelevant is your view that the world revolves around you.He has other hats to wear.Fair enough about time constraints that limit the number of comments that Dr. Greger can directly respond to, but I would at least like to see in-depth responses to all comments and questions that legitimately challenge the accuracy of content provided by Dr. Greger’s videos.Dr. Greger has assumed the responsibility of being a messenger of the science of nutrition to the general public. Therefore, he should also be prepared to defend the accuracy of what he says and, where warranted, seek more information and provide clarification.As a recent example, I would like to see an acknowledgement and response to this recent thoughtful challenge by Darryl to Dr. Greger’s description of the mechanism by which nutritional antioxidants provide health benefits.You’ve expressed the precise logic behind the impetus of my original comment, albeit with slightly (that’s a joke) more restraint. Thank you! I apologize to you and anyone I offended by my less than PC bluntness. As I get sicker, time grows shorter and more precious. Nowadays my ability to tolerate even the smallest trifle is (I see) non-existent.You’re the one in need of manners…Doubt you would know a grace if one bit you in the butt.Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas….And a Happy New Year….Too bad if you do not like it!Filtering system, please. It is too time consuming to have to sift through rantings.Just curious, when one says “Happy Holidays” what holidays of what kind are they referring to? If it suits everyone, – then everyone has the same kind of holidays – but from what? Why are there holidays ? Just curious ….pmh: Personally, I really appreciate that Dr. Greger responds when he can. I don’t consider it rude at all that he doesn’t respond to every question, especially when so many of the questions have already been answered. I would rather Dr. Greger spend his time on producing new content for this site.As for your, Happy Holidays, it is a myth that it applies to everyone. If you wish to be respectful of your fellow humans, you will be careful how you use it.For example, Jehovah Witnesses do no such celebrations.Yep.pmh: am so sorry, but by seeing your respond above. i know the issue is not in Dr. Greger and not from the NF team whose both i respect. they did good enough for whatever the can contribute in this area. you are not the only one that rarely be answered by Dr. Greger and by the team, me too, i ask many times but many times unanswered.. still i am okay with that. so be secure for your self whenever you find your question or someone’s question hasnt been answered for long. bottom line: the issue is on you including your happy holidays issue, u really need to check your “heart”, dont sweat such things. u wont get sick by such words.You should consider spending more time minding your own psychological and emotional health, and less on projecting your own illnesses onto the hearts and minds of perfect strangers.Irony of the century.The civil part of this conversation ended 4 days ago. Learn to read – or in your case – when to stop.This saddening to some of us. Please let it end. Many of us have much greater life stress. Please don’t add to it here.Then stop contributing to it! Do you have a greater life stresser than end-stage progressive multiple sclerosis for which the only hope I now have of reclaiming some resemblance of a functional life after 30 years of failed traditional medicine is in some complex nutritional key to nerve regeneration hidden within the answers to some of these questions? Really people, I don’t give a fig about your opinion of my comment. You bring on your own stress by dwelling on stupid things. Get the bleep over it!Is it true that selenium binds with mercury and eliminates it out of the body? For those of us NOT trying to get pregnant but still having a few amalgam fillings, would it be helpful to eat 1-2 brazil nuts a day to eliminate the mercury out of our bodies faster?In the Christmas spirit, may I offer this about mercury (Hg) and amalgam fillings. As long as a person has ‘silver fillings’, i.e., amalgams, in one’s mouth, mercury is still releasing and no amount of Brazil nuts a day would eliminate the mercury since the source is still emitting Hg. Assays on amalgams removed indicate that Hg releases from amalgam fillings over the time they are in the mouth. The indicator of that fact is this: Amalgam fillings are 50% Hg and 50% what’s called a eutectic mixture consisting of copper, tin, silver, and zinc, so there should be 50% Hg in the removed filling. Assays have indicated Hg content down from 50% to between 24 and 26%. The missing Hg either vaporizes or is abraded by chewing action. Many European countries long ago banned the use of mercury in dental fillings. The better part of discretion, I think, would be to have the amalgam fillings removed CORRECTLY by a dentist who is familiar with the proper procedure/protocol, and go on a detox program with proper supervision. Then you will be able to eliminate much of the mercury, if you don’t eat tuna, swordfish, mackerel and seafood, i.e., crustaceans, which are bottom dwellers that are subject to more pollutants.The video audio was 10% of the norm and impossible to hear. Is it possible to re-do re-issue, perhaps. The data is outstanding, helpful and invaluable. Pls continue. Merry Christmas to you as well!.Nothing wrong with the video, check your equipment…Dr Greger, What is a good way to stay cognitively intact as we age, other than eating a plant-based diet? Are there specific foods you recommend (e.g. cocoa) that help to save off mild cognitive impairment and gradual cognitive decline? Many thanks and a fan of yours, DHThis is a very in-depth question. So the best way to get the answer to your questions is to use the search engine on this website.Here is the search I did for Cognitive Decline: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=cognitive+declineThat is a very in-depth question. So the best way to get information to you inquiry is to use the search engine on this website.Here are the search results for Cognitive Decline: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=cognitive+declineDH: I recommend Dr. Barnard’s book, “Power Foods For The Brain – An Effective 3-Step Plan to Protect Your Mind and Strengthen Your Memory” He also has a companion video, with less info, that is well done and perhaps worth sharing with trusted patients: “As seen on public TV: Protect Your Memory”Yes this is also a good resource as well with lots of very helpful and useful info. thanks Thea! I hope you had a Good Christmas (If you celebrate it).Dr. HemoDynamic: Thanks for your nice note!I don’t happen to celebrate Christmas, but I appreciate your qualification and your well-wishes. I also have well-wishes for you! If you are in part of the world experiencing extreme cold, I also hope you are staying nice and warm. Take care.i think that the best way to protect the “mind” is to use it!! :-) Apart from the correct nutrition; logic/math games, meditation and having different kind of interests keep the mind smart and ready to learn something new everyday… IMHO obviously… even music could plays an important role in this issue…Since I did not see an answer from the doc. How ’bout excersize and Lumosity. Sorry about my spelling and budding in.Here are 7 scientific studies that indicate that fish eaters are not more likely to develop diabetes compared to people who don’t eat fish, thereby contradicting the 1 scientific study that Dr. Greger shared with us: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14707894 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8068603 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1872925 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22442397 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12351475 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20656466 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20534874 http://www.omega3innovations.com/index.php/fish-oil-benefits-type-2-diabetes/Conclusion: Eating fish without any salt added will greatly lower our risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, stroke, all cancers, brain diseases, bone diseases, kidney diseases, any many other killer diseases without increasing our risk of developing diabetes. Because diabetics frequently die of cardiovascular causes, diabetics who eat fish (or swallow fish oil softgels) will live much longer than diabetics who become deficient in marine omega-3s.According to the following scientific study, the people who ate too much white rice had a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24158434 In this same study, the people who ate brown rice or other whole grains had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.My hypothesis: People who eat fish tend to eat more white rice than people who don’t eat fish. Therefore, white rice consumption should be made an important confounding factor in all scientific studies that try to connect fish consumption with diabetes risk.In other words, people who always eat fish without white rice would have a very low risk of developing type 2 diabetes but people who always eat fish with plenty of white rice would have a very high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.I’ve just read the transcript and the questions below. However, what I know about mercury is that is passes through the blood brain barrier (BBB). Too much causes Minimata disease (aka Mad Hatter’s disease), somehow interfering or damaging brain cells. So even though Mercury has a 2 month half-life in hair samples and blood, how do we know it isn’t accumulating in the brain? I suppose that once it passes through the BBB, it could pass out of the brain as well, but does anyone have any knowledge about this? My previous understanding was that mercury was bioaccumulative. Thanks!It’s so frustrating that even the “healthy” foods are now dangerous.Reuven: Happily, the real healthy foods are plentiful. Eat whole foods in these categories: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Wash them down with teas like green and hibiscus. All of those foods, in general, always have been and (based on our current knowledge) likely always will be healthy.It is only those questionable foods, like fish, which have been falsely promoted as healthy due to history and politics that appear to be switching sides. I completely understand the frustration. I just think it is worth putting into perspective.Good luck!I am a graduate student who will be attending medical school next fall. I am required to re-immunize for hep B after showing no resistance to it from the titter. I was hoping you would be able to provide options for the safest vaccines out there, not only for myself but for my children as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.Does this imply that women should loose weight before pregnancy to prevent pollutants stored in their fat cells from releasing PCBs?so stay away from vaccines due to mercury?They also contain bovine serum is that worth the risk too?I’m studying for an exam tomorrow on pregnancy nutrition as part of an RD program and I’m supposed to be recommending 1-3 meals of bottom-feeder fish every week for fetal development. I saw the video and am now very curious.Are you saying that the mercury levels in most fish, if eaten once a week during pregnancy, are worse for infant health than the exposure of mercury over 6 vaccine injections?Based on the title (and the title versus the information within the video), I wanted to make sure I understood your point correctly. Thank you!Hi Bethany, are you still interested in a response? How did the RD exam go?! Best wishes let me know if you are still interested.Hi Joseph, I would like to know your response. I posed a similar question to Dr. Greger today? Thanks,I am not sure if it’s worse for infant health. The study highlighted was just looking at how much mercury an infant may accumulate from breast milk in mother’s who ate fish vs. how much mercury infants accumulated from mercury-containing vaccines. The full study can be found in sources cited. I think the point is that mercury from mothers milk is similar in concentration to that of vaccinations, based on that study.Off-topic as well, slightly only though. Newborns have immune tolerance for a period that goes from up to about 6 to 18 months. Shouldn’t we wait for babies to finish their period of immune tolerance before exposing them to ANY vaccines? Because if these babies were to recognize a virus as part of the “normal” environnent they need to be ready to take part in wouldn’t a vaccine end up doing the very opposite from what’s it’s supposed to do?My Uncle is Pediatrician he says it makes no sense to wait on vaccines, as the really bad diseases affect infants, and young children the most. Pertussis, Meningitis, etc. All preventable with minuscule risk. This is a chart from the CDC on a vaccine timeline.1) I do not doubt that your uncle said that. In fact many pediatricians say that. My question isn’t so much what does the medical body say, I know what they say. I am more interested in question what seems like a dogma ignoring fundamental biological data. A) My question to you is do you of a period of immune tolerance at birth? B) Does you uncle know? It’s in medical textbooks in France, in fact it’s in high-school textbooks too in France and it seems like there is little doubt of about that being a fact. That’s the plane I’m interested in debating on, observed biological facts. C) Do you or not have the knowledge or the proof of the opposite that when a baby is born, it comes to the world inheriting its mother immune system, which slowly fades out as the child develops its own? D) Finally, after you check the above facts, and are able to confirm them or infirm them on biological grounds, I ask: why would a child from a vaccined mother receive a vaccine during a period where 1) he/she doesn’t need it since the mother’s vaccined immune system is inherited 2) he/she is at risk of recognizing the virus as part of the normal/tolerated environment of the body. Note: Appendix 1: The entire hygiene theory related to the prevention of asthma / allergies is based on exposing children to the natural environment during the period of immune tolerance. Appendix 2: If you’ve heard of neonatal graft requiring no need for later immune suppressants (done in humans as well) it is based the same neonatal immune tolerance. 2) On “miniscule risk”. Is it your impression or a fact. You seem to present it like a fact. Would you say for certain that early vaccines have no link with much later degenerative disease?Note on form and intention: There is no personal challenge here although reading the text only without the man it may seem like it I reckon. I invite you, in a friendly manner and certainly intention to look into biological fundamentals, nothing more. If I am wrong on certain points I’ve always welcomed people to show me so, all I require is a scientific process and a genuine intention to establish the truth rather than a point. There’s nothing I invite more vividly than an opportunity to upgrade my paradigm of the truth.	abdominal fat,animal products,beef,body fat,brain disease,brain health,children,cognition,DDT,detoxification,DHA,diabetes,dioxins,EPA,fat,FDA,fish,industrial toxins,infants,meat,mercury,obesity,omega-3 fatty acids,PBCs,persistent organic pollutants,prediabetes,pregnancy,red meat,reproductive health,seafood,tuna,vaccines,women's health	How many months does it take to clear 99% of the mercury and other industrial toxins from one’s body, and what role might our fat stores play in holding on to fat-soluble pollutants?	Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development is the study about balancing risks and benefits.I explored how long it takes to get rid of some of the other pollutants in How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs? PCBS are found most concentrated in fish and eggs (Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants), which may be why there are lower levels of Industrial Pollutants in Vegans. This may also help explain the remarkable findings in Eggs and Diabetes.The fact that we can still find DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood decades after the pesticide was banned speaks to the persistence of some pollutants. There’s a shortcut for moms, but it’s The Wrong Way to Detox.More on the risks of mercury can be found in these videos:For more context check out my blog: Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pbcs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ddt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaccines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22293416,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21195558,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1852694/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2574624/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21575620,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3385441/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21967782,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/739273,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2980868/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21364465,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22442397,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2600453/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17065718,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22079313,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21543421,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22453298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1600934,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11700268,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21257163,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21545807,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3385440/,
PLAIN-2661	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/	Boosting Natural Killer Cell Activity	For disease prevention and health maintenance, berries of all colors have emerged as champions. Most of the work has focused on cancer prevention and treatment. Studies show that the anticancer effects of berries are partially mediated through their abilities to counteract, reduce, and also repair damage resulting from oxidative stress and inflammation. They may also boost detoxifying enzymes and a bunch of other things, but this is new.The effect of blueberry ingestion on natural killer cell counts. Natural killer cells are part of our immune system's rapid response team against cancer cells, taking them out through the activation of cancer cell suicide via death receptors. They're called natural killers because they don't require activation by prior exposure. You don't want to have to wait until your second tumor before your immune system starts fighting.We have about 2 billion of these soldiers circulating in our blood stream at any one time but we may be able to get a troop surge with blueberries. They had athletes eat about a cup and a half a day for 6 weeks to see if that would reduce the oxidative stress of long-distance running, and indeed that's what they saw, no surprise, a blunting of the spike in oxidant stress, but that's not what sets this study apart.The number of natural killer cells in the blood typically decreases after prolonged endurance exercise, dropping by half to only about 1 billion--unless you've been eating lots of blueberries, in which case you can end up here, because six weeks of blueberries doubled the number of natural killer cells up to over 4 billion. This has never before been demonstrated in humans consuming blueberries. Well no one's ever looked before. There was a study done on goji berries and despite a cup a day for a month, there was no significant change in the number of natural killer cells.There was a study, though, that showed a significant increase in natural killer cell activity thanks to the spice cardamom. Hmm, cardamom and blueberries—I never thought we'd be fighting cancer with blueberry muffins, but check this out: You take some lymphoma cells in a petri dish and you add cardamom and… nothing happens. If however you add some natural killer cells about 5% of the cancer cells are wiped out. But then you add a little cardamom and your troops do a little better, and then if you add more and more and all the sudden—same number of natural killer cells, but they're now able to kill off 10 times more cancer cells. And remember cardamom alone, even at the highest dose, had no effect on cancer cells, but it seemed to really enhance our NK cells' killer instincts.The same thing found for black pepper. Black pepper alone: nothing. Add a little black pepper: no effect, but with enough there seemed to be a boosting effect, to up around 30 or 40% cancer cell clearance. And if you add them both together, they synergize and you double their individual actions. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that black pepper and cardamom have the potential to markedly enhance the anti-cancer activity of natural killer cells.And then imagine if you had twice as many in your bloodstream, thanks to this study brought to you by, of course, the North American Blueberry Council and the North Carolina Blueberry Council. But then the last sentence is my favorite. There were no conflicts of interests.	Black pepper and red pepper are very risky dietary choices if we want to live longer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12208187 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SafroleIn the case of black pepper eaters, the real cause of the higher cancer rates could be a higher meat consumption required by black pepper recipes or the saffrole that the black pepper contains. In the case of red pepper eaters, the real cause of the higher cancer rates could be nitrosamines, mycotoxins, the capsaicin itself, or the combination of all 3 of these causes.Meat and dairy are primary causes of cancer: Ninety five percent of cancers can be avoided and cured by diet, assuming of course, that the cancer has not already reached the ‘point of no return'; which, of course, no one knows. Even given the death sentence and sent home to die, one may not have reached that point, and cancer very well may be reversed with proper dietary recovery ingestion and maintenance. If however, one does reverse their cancer and return to meat and fair, the cancer may well return with a vengeance and probably not curable irrespective of diet.There are anecdotes about buddhist monks in Thailand being diagnosed with cancer in the big city hospital and sent home to die, only to live another 20-30 years. This was apparently a fairly common scenario, and is possibly related to the combinations of plant-based diet, meditation and metta practice.you wrote…..”Ninety five percent of cancers can be avoided and cured by diet, assuming of course, that the cancer has not already reached the ‘point of no return'; which, of course, no one knows.”Where did you get this stat. – the 95%? I’d love to read the studies that led to this number, and would be grateful if you could provide the sources. Thanks.Read Dr. Campbell’s book: the China Study; Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., “You Can Reverse Heart Disease”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfsT-qYeqGM; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfsT-qYeqGM; http://www.all-creatures.org/health/howmilkanddairy.htmlhttp://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=2404145Animal protein/dairy cause cancer:http://howdrugs.com/animal-protein-meat-and-dairy-cause-cancer/There is a plethora of Google sites which make the same claim: Do your homework, please.And here is a thoughtful and thorough critique: The China Study: Fact or Fallacy? http://bit.ly/1kiWjlIDoing your homework is the best health advice IF you CONTINUE doing your homework. What ‘truths’ you find today may be negated tomorrow or 30 years later.Minger ? Thoughtful , thorough ? ! ? View PlantPositive’s review of Minger tonight for YOUR homework and post in the morning…95% is optimistic, but in The China Study the American death rate from breast cancer was five times higher than the rural Chinese rate, which sets a pretty high bar for what’s possible with a life-long diet low in complete protein, saturated & ω-6 fats, and insulinemic food combinations, and high in fiber and beneficial phytochemicals (phytoestrogens; Nrf2 and AhR inducers; NF-κB, CD38, and angiogenesis inhibitors; epigenetically active compounds, and immune stimulants). As much precancerous epigenetic cell programming occurs from conception through puberty, I think its unlikely that perfect diets adopted later in life can achieve quite the same risk reduction. Vegans in AHRII had only a 16% overall (and 34% female-specific) risk reduction compared to a rather healthy omnivore cohort, but I think 80% is possible if one starts with a health-conscious B-12 supplemented vegan diets in the womb. Future generations will reap the full benefits of what we’re learning now.The phrase you used ” insulinemic food combinations” has me curious. What exactly is the “combination” part? I know what foods create insulin issues. This combination thing I may be messing up because I often mix high carbs with some fat-filled vegan foods.Protein potentiates the insulin response to high-glycemic carbs, but fat doesn’t have an immediate effect. (Saturated fats will lead to muscular insulin resistance and progressive type 2 diabetes, though).While insulin’s control of blood glucose is a good thing, the receptors for insulin and insulin-like growth factor are related in their downstream effects and often hybridized on cells. Attention on this site has been given to IGF-1 in cancer proliferation, but the phrase “Insulin and Insulin-like growth factor Signalling” (IIS) is increasingly common in the literature. For the curious: • Insulin and insulin-like growth factor signalling in neoplasia.. (2008) • The insulin and insulin-like growth factor receptor family in neoplasia: an update (2012)Does the “protein potentiates the insulin response…” apply to vegan protein sources such as canned beans?I have eaten an entire can of beans 6 days a week for the past couple years, and add to those beans 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds and some steamed veggies. Well over 35 grams of protein in one meal, and this is when my diabetic issues started, when I went with the beans. That’s 3 1/2 cups of beans per day. Whether causative or not, I never knew about the protein-diabetes relationship.Beans have little sugar, and their starches are conmingled with fiber, so they have rather low glycemic or insulinemic indices to begin with. Nothing like steak (highly insulinotropic animal protein) + baked potatoes (high glycemic index starch. If you’re curious about insulin indexes:• An insulin index of foods: the insulin demand generated by 1000-kJ portions of common foods (1997) • Food insulin index – physiologic basis for predicting insulin demand evoked by composite meals (2009) • Prediction of postprandial glycemia and insulinemia in lean, young, healthy adults glycemic load compared with carbohydrate content alone (2011)From the first paper that note lentils have a low insulin index, but baked beans, with their added sugar, have a higher one. From the second note the most insulinotropic meal was bananas (sugar) + yogurt (dairy protein). I think the rural Chinese diet, because it is largely just starches, with only a little coingested protein or sugar, and scarce saturated fat to reduce insulin sensitivity, results in significantly lower insulin responses than occurs when high-glycemic white rice is added to Western diets (without other changes).Darryl, I don’t think that those studies support your hypothesis. The first study actually shows a negative association between the insulin response and protein content of the food (“Total carbohydrate and sugar contents were positively related to the mean insulin scores, whereas fat and protein contents were negatively related”) while the test meal #2 from the second study, which you refer to as the banana and yogurt meal, actually contained sweetened jogurt with 44g(!) of CHO (most of it added sugar), plus honedew melon and apple juice, adding to total of 90g of carbohydrates, amost exclusively from sugar.How does protein affect the insulin response to co-ingested glucose in people who are not diabetic? And I saw elsewhere that you are raising some doubt about glucose metabolism creating ROS. Did I read that comment correctly?one study here. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22705093Could you clarify the “fat doesn’t have an immediate effect” line? I’ve always heard to eat some fat with carbs to slow down blood sugar spikes? Correct? What’s the mechanism?I was referring to insulin response. From some subsequent studies, it appears coingested fat does markedly reduce glucose spikes in response to a starch meal (potato) in normal subjects, though had little effect in diabetics. However the insulin response to the meal was still slightly greater (8% in normal subjects, up to 40% greater in diabetics) when consumed with fat. This is a small effect in comparison with that from high protein foods; 25 g protein from cottage cheese increased insulin response to 50 g glucose by 360% in the study cited above.There is no science justifying the 95%, wakeup and smell the roses!Piperine, the pungent principle of black pepper, has the remarkable property of increasing bioavailability of many other beneficial phytochemicals, including β-carotene, coenzyme Q10, curcumin, EGCG (from green tea), gallic acid, and resveratrol. So black pepper would play a useful role in preventative nutrition even if it didn’t have independent therapeutic potential against cancer, inflammation, hypertension, asthma, depression, infertility, genotoxicity, and clotting as reviewed here.“The results of this study suggest that capsaicin may serve as an anti-tumorigenic agent in human gastric cancer.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24337453 “Capsaicin induces apoptosis in PC12 cells through ER stress.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24337105 However I am a little concerned that the high sugar level in fruit inc berries may encourage cancer growth?Berries aren’t high in sugar.They have more grams of fiber than sugar.I just checked for blueberries and strawberries. Strawberries contain 2g fiber and 4.88g sugar. Blueberries have 2.4g fiber and 9.96g of sugar, both 100g berries each, according to cronometer.Excellent point. Cancer thrives on sugar and in spite of the killer properties, it will have side affects, common sense and being alert is critical for survival.Cancers cells thrive on sugars as much as non cancer cells simply because cancers celles are body cells also and all of them feeds on carbs~ So avoiding carbs with cancer is non sense, you certainly dont want to starve your billions of cells, avoid medium to high protein and fat is the good idea.Interesting comment on the high sugar level in fruit possibly encouraging cancer growth. I have tried to find data to suggest this possibility but have come up short. Do you have any sources to share that have led you to have this concern? Thank you.Anyone know the amounts of black pepper and cardamom for this synergy to work?It seems to me the ‘right amount’ is simply how much you can stomach without it killing the taste. I’d say a teaspoon of cardamon and 1/2 tsp of black pepper is all one could put in a 750ml (3-cup) smoothie.While cardamon makes for a nice tie-in to blueberries, I think the most extensively studied activators of NK cell activity are β-glucans, a type of fiber found in mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, maitake and even white button).Reviews: • Antiinflammatory and immunomodulating properties of fungal metabolites (2005) • The immunobiology of mushrooms (2008) • Beta‐glucans in higher fungi and their health effects (2009) • The effects of beta-glucan on human immune and cancer cells (2009) • Immunomodulatory dietary polysaccharides: a systematic review of the literature (2010)Research: • Natural killer cell activity and quality of life were improved by consumption of a mushroom extract, Agaricus blazei Murill Kyowa, in gynecological cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy (2004) • Interleukin‐12‐and interferon‐γ‐mediated natural killer cell activation by Agaricus blazei Murill (2007) • Dietary supplementation with white button mushroom enhances natural killer cell activity in C57BL/6 mice (2007)They even work in orbit. Surely we have some inventive chef’s that could add mushrooms to their savoury blueberry muffins.Is nutritional yeast rich in these beta-glucans?It seems so, but I haven’t had time to investigate details of how β-glucans from nutritional yeast stack up those from edible mushroms in bioavailability or NK cell activity.• Immunomodulatory activities associated with beta-glucan derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (2005) • Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Baker’s Yeast, suppresses the growth of Ehrlich carcinoma-bearing mice (2008)β-glucans are common cell wall components throughout the fungal and bacterial kingdoms, and it appears that our innate immune system ramps up after their detection in anticipation of fungal infection. When some soluble varieties pass through the intestinal wall after eating fungi, NK cells find other things to kill, like cancer cells. Whether there is some “sweet-spot” for cancer prevention but not excess systemic inflammation, I can’t say. But between β-glucans and ergothioneine, I make sure to eat some every day.Tip: One can find sliced dried king oyster mushrooms (a top source for both β-glucans and ergothioneine) at Asian markets, and once rehydrated and sauteed, they make an excellent, inexpensive textural substitute for sliced meat in dishes like pepper steak. I may never buy seitan again.I didn’t realize fungi (mushrooms) were so important. How does one rehydrate dried sliced king oyster mushrooms, so that “fungus may be among us” (poor pun).Any dried mushroom can be rehydrated by covering in warm water for 30 minutes or less. I save the soak water, as it makes a great sauce base once reduced (boiled), with a pinch of cornstarch as a thickener (Chinese restaurant style). It also ensures none of the ergothioneine, a pretty heat stable compound, is lost.It seems so, but I haven’t had time to investigate details of how β-glucans from nutritional yeast stack up those from edible mushroms in bioavailability or NK cell activity.• Immunomodulatory activities associated with beta-glucan derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (2005) • Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Baker’s Yeast, suppresses the growth of Ehrlich carcinoma-bearing mice (2008)β-glucans are common cell wall components throughout the fungal and bacterial kingdoms, and it appears that our innate immune system ramps up after their detection in anticipation of infection. When some soluble varieties pass through the intestinal wall after eating fungi, activated NK cells find other things to kill, like cancer cells. Between β-glucans and ergothioneine, I try to eat some mushrooms every day.• Tip: One can find dried sliced king oyster mushrooms (a top source for both β-glucans and ergothioneine) at East Asian groceries, and once rehydrated (30 mins in warm water) and sauteed, they make an excellent, inexpensive, gluten-free textural substitute for sliced meat in dishes like pepper steak, without the sometimes overwhelming flavor of shiitake etc. I may never buy seitan again. There’s a company that exposes dried king oyster powder to UV to create high vitamin D2+ergothioneine+β-glucan prescription nutraceuticals, but for those who prefer food, perhaps sunny-day backyard experiments are in order.Darryl: Great tip! I find myself eating a lot of white button mushrooms because I like them and they are easy to find and cook. But I have been wanting to branch out. The dried king oyster mushrooms is a great idea.Do beta glucans in oats and barley also activate NK cells? Do other types of berries besides blueberries activate NK cells? And might other spices have similar synergistic effects?Merry christmas , Dr. greger amd TeamMay you have a wonderful Christmas and may God look after you in all your years to come. We NEED all the wonderful info you provide!Is it safe to consume caffeine supplements like green tea extract? I’m trying to lower my body fat percentage particularly around my stomach?Dr. Greger does not recommend green tea supplements. Adopting a whole foods plant based diet without refined flours or oils can lead to significant, healthy weight loss. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/Speaking of which, a Dec 21 NYT story about green tea supplements and jaundice.Green tea isn’t just caffeine. It has numerous polyphenol compounds (the most studied being epigallocatechin-3-gallate, EGCG) that in small doses stimulate endogenous stress responses, having a protective effect, but in larger doses, as achieved in test-tubes or when supplement overdoses are metabolized in the liver, overwhelm any induced protective responses and are toxic to cells. I think of green tea and other herbs that work through similar mechanisms as “eustressors” (good stress), which I think is clearer than alternatives terms “hormetin” or “adaptogen”. As with lifestyle eustressors (exercise, fasting, saunas, sunlight) one can overdo it, and green tea extract pills make it all too easy.Also is like Prolab caffeine safe?I love this video because it jives so much with something I actually like. One of my favorite smoothies is from (I think) PCRM and was called mango lassie. The ingredients: frozen mango, dates, almond milk, cardamom and black pepper. It sounds weird, but the pepper perfectly balances the drink so that it isn’t too sweet.How “sweet” that my lassie is so powerfully healthy! (Well, I’m assuming that mangoes work a bit like blueberries – which is a stretch given the goji berry experiment. And I’m assuming that I’m getting enough cardamom and pepper to make a difference, which I’m probably not. … BUUUUT it still makes me feel good/like I’m going in the right direction. ;-) )Mangiferin is a plant natural polyphenol of C-glycosylxanthone structure and various pharmacological activities. It can be found in many plant species, among which the mango tree (Mangifera indica) is one of the primary sources. In the mangiferin molecule, four aromatic hydroxyl groups determine its strong antiradical and antioxidant properties. Mangiferin is also an efficient iron chelator, therefore preventing the generation of hydroxyl radical in Fenton-type reactions. Numerous published in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies, demonstrated many other activities of mangiferin: analgesic, antidiabetic, antisclerotic, antimicrobial and antiviral, cardio-, hepato-, and neuroprotective, antiinflammatory, antiallergic, MAO inhibiting and memory improving, as well as radioprotective against X-ray, gamma, and UV radiation. Several studies indicated also its ability to inhibit cancerogenesis and cancer cells growth by apoptosis induction in vitro and in vivo.There, feel better?Wow. That’s really awesome. Thanks Darryl!!!I am interested to know if the different amounts of cardamom and pepper tested in the research mentioned above could be achieved by dietary consumption, and if so, how much one would have to consume to reach those amounts.I m wondering if the studies on the effect of blueberries use the kind of berries readily available in the grocery stores, which I understand have often been treated with bud nip or maybe other herbicides or pesticides?This web site really makes it so easy for me to use science based evidence in my reports and my assignments. Its been so helpful as a dietetic intern, and i really believe in what you are doing for the nutrition community who knows foods can really make a difference in health care. This website is awesome thank you.Cameron S, that is excellent to hear. I use nutritionfacts.org a great deal as well in school and am applying for my dietetic internship in the winter. I plan to apply the seemingly endless amount of knowledge on this website to aid my future patients.DR Michael What’s your thought on Colloidal SilverI am curious about the amounts of blueberries, pepper and cardamom that were used. I have a brain tumour, and want to boost my NK cells as much as possible. Thx :)I’m curious as well.PS. All the best in your fight!Thanks Jon :) Also, I’m curious about whether NK cells have any effect on brain tumour cells given the “blood brain barrier”, and if my anaplastic astrocytoma cells are even vulnerable to NK cells? (please excuse the tricky questions) :)I’ve read that polyphenols actually cross the blood-brain barrier. Can anyone shed more light on that?Thanks Harriet :) I know almost nothing about polyphenols, and most of that I learnt since I read your comment here ;)Here’s my attempt to summarize polyphenols in clear, succinct language. How did I do?https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/anti-cancer-strategies-3-better-ways-of-eating-berries/Very well explained :) I am eating a handful of blueberries and 6 or 7 strawberries each day, and I make up capsules containing black pepper and cardamom (~50/50) which I take twice a day – morning and evening. I’m thinking I should add some ground cloves to the mix. Any suggestions to the proportions? If not, I’ll go with 1/3 each. Thanks again!Here’s the “messipe”for a chai spice mix that I came up with for a book I’m writing. Feel free to futz (is that a word?) with it to suit your tastebuds. I keep the mix in a dark container, then whisk some into almond milk and add the berries. Would love everybody’s feedback2 tsp each: ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamom1 tsp ground cloves½ tsp each: black pepper, nutmegWonder if that’s enough black pepper to get the piperine’s benefits? Maybe Darryl will pipe in?Just curious, Bruce. What does your doctor think about using the drug Metformin for your brain tumor?No idea, but I’m seeing him in a few days, so I’ll ask him. Thanks again :)Looks good :) I’m a bit confused about how much of this mixture for one cup of chai: all of it? or 1 tsp of the mixture? And which berries, and how much of each type?Try 1 tsp of the mixture for a cup of almond milk, for starters. It depends on your tastes. Which berries? Purple to blackish ones are highest in anthocyanins.Only strawberries have fisetin. Raspberries, blackberries and black raspberries (and pomegranate seeds) have ellagic acid. Wild blueberries and especially elderberries high in quercetin. In other words, eat them all. You can also buy concentrated berry powders (Make sure they’re freeze dried, not spray dried) and mix them into the milk.But don’t forget the vegetables–alliums and crucifers and dark leafy greens, especially. For those you can add turmeric and black pepper.Here’s my favorite onions messipe. https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/anti-cancer-recipes-indalian-onions/I have been having a raw garlic mix for supper daily for about a month now, based off this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceBbQcdhvVk Changes: ~1/3 tsp Cinnamon for the spice No oil 2 BIG tbsp of Hommus I have been crushing the garlic first, I’ll adapt to your method now (cut, wait, crush, eat) Eating it with a bowl full of baby spinach leaves. I find the garlic intense as I have been doing it. Perhaps crushing it is just making it unnecessarily strong, and I should just cut it into small pieces?Have you tried aged garlic extract?About the garlic: Try making a gremolata like the Italians do. Mince garlic and some lemon peel (organic), add a little olive oil and maybe salt, chop up some herbs (parsley,cilantro, fennel–Take your pic/all are really healthy) and mix them together. Proportions? I’m working on that. Just have fun making up your own messipe.Very nice :) I used oat milk instead of almond milk, I’m guessing that doesn’t make much difference. I’ll be having one of these per day I think. One tsp of the mixture for one cup was about right for me.Check the carbs in that oat milk. Almond’s quite low. Last time I checked, oat milk was pretty high. https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/anti-cancer-recipes-so-many-alternatives-to-cows-milk/Shall do, thx :) I am quite thin already, should I be keeping my carbs down because of the cancer?Yes, the carbs–minimize them. You might want to discuss a ketogenic diet with your doctor as well. Check out the short explanatory piece below–along with the 3d Thomas Seyfried presentation I link to, for starters. If if were me, I think I’d go that route–and focus on healthy fats. There’s also a nutrition consultant who consults on cancer who could be very helpful. She’s worked with lots of people with brain cancer (including the late great MD-PhD, Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, who lived 19 years with a deadly form of it) and will look at your bloodwork, etc. and personalize your nutrition plan. Her name is Jeanne Wallace– her website is below, too.http://www.nutritional-solutions.net/https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/anti-cancer-strategies-fats-and-fasting-a-revolutionary-weapon-for-an-aggressive-enemy/This is great – reminds me of my hippy days, and it is healthy too ;) Do you have a link for this?a link for what? Do you want to contact me privately? hsugarmill@sympatico.ca There are some special considerations for brain cancer–such as CLA and goldenseal (both good) but cashews and foods with MSG that contain neuroexciters should be avoided. Jeanne Wallace is really THE nutritional expert on brain cancer.Thanks for that, I was actually after a link to the chai recipe, but you have given me yet more useful information. Much appreciated :)Here is yet another question for you Harriet: Braggs has been shown to be MSG here, but it is classed as “Harmless”, for most people at least. Does it contain neuroexciters that I should be avoiding – i.e. are these neuroexciters an inherent part of MSG, or something that often accompanies MSG? TIA :)Natural Killer cells can also cause miscarriages in women. Is there a way to reduce natural killer cells? or help the natural killer cells distinguish between the fetus and diseases/tumors?	berries,blueberries,cancer,cancer survival,cardamom,detoxification,exercise,fruit,goji berries,immune function,industry influence,inflammation,oxidative stress,pepper	Blueberry consumption may double the population of our cancer fighting immune cells, and the spices cardamom and black pepper may boost their activity.	Exercise itself can improve immune function in general (Preserving Immune Function in Athletes With Nutritional Yeast), but the blueberry finding, so far, is unique. The oxidative stress part of the story is told in Reducing Muscle Soreness With Berries.Just because the study was funded by the blueberry councils doesn’t necessarily mean the science is suspect, but you would want to see this independently verified, especially a finding so dramatic.What else can berries do? Check out: You can check out my blueberry smoothie recipe here in A Better Breakfast.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardamom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepper/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18211019,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11924906,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20020687,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19857084,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20210607,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22111516,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18650461,
PLAIN-2662	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/	Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health	-	When I see a fellow vegetarian/vegan at the grocery store looking at TVP I usually ask them about omega 3s, Vitamin D, iodine, B12. (those are some nutrients of concern for vegans right?)There are easy ways to get these nutrients, but most vegetarians/vegans are not aware.We should really just put B12 in tap water.Thanks for making this video.and take fluoride out of the water supply.Can you imagine how expensive it would be to put B12 in tap water?A kilo of cyanocobalamin is about $2600. That’s enough B12 for 417 million doses at the RDA. Unfortunately, you need to get to get people to drink the tap water.Still a waste of money and the later part of B12 reacting with other molecules is also what I thought about.I’m on my own well :)I read in a book (Davis and Melina, I think) that in the old days there was B12 in drinking water naturally because there were B12-producing bacteria living in water.This is a very interesting notion. My home is a farm for the last 40 years and the hetotropic bacterial load is high. Please help me find research on this.Ed: This is the argument I remember reading: There were vegans, sometimes whole communities of vegans, 100, 200 or more years ago. How did they get vitamin B12, given that there were no B12 supplements? 1) from water because water was not chlorinated and had bacteria that produced B12. 2) from vegetables and fruits contaminated with soil, containing B12-producing bacteria (There was no running water then , so the produce was not squeaky clean. Please see the discussion under ” What is the best way to get vitamin B12?”no one would want pink tap water. :PI don’t understand why anyone would want to mass-medicate people through their water supply. In fact, I think it goes against informed consent, unless you consider having to buy expensive (but untested) bottled water acceptable.Like when we added iodine to salt? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodised_salt#In_public_health_initiatives “Worldwide, iodine deficiency affects two billion people and is the leading preventable cause of intellectual and developmental disabilities.[1][verification needed] According to public health experts, iodisation of salt may be the world’s simplest and most cost-effective measure available to improve health, only costing US$0.05 per person per year.[1] At the World Summit for Children in 1990, a goal was set to eliminate iodine deficiency by 2000. At that time, 25% of households consumed iodised salt, a proportion that increased to 66% by 2006.[1]”what are the easy ways? Chlorella daily? wheat grass daily? I do not currently supplement b12!Honestly, supplementing is the easy way. Because you know how much you’re getting. I take 2,500 mcg as a sublingual tablet once a week. Another kind of easy way (but less reliable) would be to eat B12 fortified breakfast cereals and other foods. Some things just have to be supplemented in our messed-up modern world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04&t=1h12m8sNo!!! Just add fortified foods and a good dose from a supplement!Dark, leafy greens as a core diet. Algae.Combine this news with Michael Klaper’s report added to YouTube yesterday by Jeff Nelson titled “Are Failed Vegans Addicts?” where Klaper claims that “meat withdrawal” can cause depression. I’m a somewhat startled vegan. Now Dr Greger says that simply not having enough b12 can make our arteries as a bad as meat eaters. Wow. Maybe there should be a more rigorous protocol for those of us switching to vegan diet. I certainly found Dr Greger’s list of supplements to take and I do take B12.. but how do I know if they are working or not. Maybe blood testing should be a part of this? Maybe working with a certified vegan nutritionist should be part of this? Anyway. I will keep my nose to the grindstone trying to perfect my diet.Yep blood tests:) I do a yearly one. I was too low in B12, supplemented with a B12 spray, and after some months my B12 was great. I get it tested every timeI asked my mainstream doctor to test my blood for all possible issues and he said no, except for the cholesterol test. And I was explicit with him that I’m eating vegan. Guess we have to take all of this into our own hands.So, I’ve considered the SpectraCell service… Which test’s are recommended? Are these services reliable? I’ve read mixed reviews about SC…I don’t know. Maybe get another doctor?Here in Belgium you can ask for whatever you like and they test it. I always give my doctor a list :pHi Ann, I live in Belgium too. I order B12 tablets online from the Netherlands (Vitals – cherry flavoured), as I can’t seem to find them in any of the health food stores or pharmacies here – we haven’t really caught on with the vegan lifestyle here much, have we. Might I ask, where do you purchase your B12 spray? Thanks.I order it online :) No tabkets but a spray for under the tongue. There are 2 kinds I use : http://www.nb-pureadvantage.com/Daily_Nutrients_Vitamin_B12_Spray.asp http://www.unlimitedhealth.nl/shop/pure-vegan-spray-p-1477.htmlCyanocobalamin is not easily assimilated as your body has to remove the CIANIDE from the cobalamin. Methylcobalamin which is the form we need can be taken sublingually and for me that works whereas the other doesn’t. I buy it online, the NHS have never heard of it. I know I had the deficiency because I had macrocytosis (along with the symptoms) but my doc wanted to blame my ‘secret’ alcohol habit! He had also no idea that nitrous oxide depletes the body of B12, which I had been given for a broken bone manipulation. Also many other signs that they don’t know about. The test they do is totally unreliable as it only records your blood level, not the B12 that is at the cellular level. You need an ‘active’ test for that which is not available on the NHS except at St Thomas’s Hospital in London. If you want to read up on it get the book ‘Could it be B12?’ online.If he is refusing to test you for B-12 and you have told him you are a vegan he’s incompetent and you need to find another doctor. On the way out the door you need to let him know that he engaging in medical malpracticeGet methylmalonic acid. It’s expensive but it’s the single best determinant of B12 deficiency – most specific and most sensitive.A B12 level is almost useless.Homocysteine is somewhat more useful, but could be elevated for reasons that have nothing to do with B12 deficiency.Hence, if you are concerned you are B12-deficient, you should test MMA.I’m a vegan family doc. Clearly your current doc does not understand a vegan’s needs. Unfortunately, most don’t. I agree with Ann – find another doc who understands you – the person. I screen all my veg/vegan patients for B12 and iron. But also counsel them on adequate intake of calcium, Vit. D, protein, Omega 3’s, iodine and zinc. As a vegan, all of these needs are easily met in a vegan diet , if done properly. The only supplement one might need is the B12, but even that is being supplemented in many veg foods. I have many veg/vegan patients who do great and are on no supplements of any kind.If you have your recommendations & suggested tests handy for Vegans could you email that to me, please? just2eve@yahoo.comI agree with V-Doc about the Vitamin B12 test. The tests I recommend for individual patients depends on their individual situation and what they are trying to accomplish. I believe it is good to get some baseline information for future comparison if symptoms develop or to allow for feedback as needed. I often recommend a complete blood count, liver “function” tests, electrolytes, kidney function, TSH, cholesterol panel, 12-hour fasting glucose and cholesterol panel (LDL,HDL, Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol), iron and Vitamin B12. Other tests can be added depending on history and goals. It is important to work with your physician(s) to ensure the proper testing. I know if is a challenge to find physicians who are knowledgeable about the best diet.me as well, usmcommando@msn.com, along with a list of recommended supplements to take daily. i live in desert mountains and do not have access to a lot of seaweed veggies for iodine, but i do have amazon prime :)Thank you for this informed comment, Dr. Tobias. Intimating that because someone is plant-based he or she needs B-12 vitamin pill supplementation for arterial health regardless of diet isn’t necessarily accurate. It is fairly easy and inexpensive to meet the requirement with fortified foods, which, by the way, is what is required for most omnivores to obtain their required B-12 without taking a pill. lWe need more doctors like you in the world!I did a SpectaCell! I think it was the best thing I ever did. I found out I had 7 deficiencies and 8 borderline (all of which were caused by long standing b12 issues that take awhile to fix and others caused by my miscarriage and the intense stress afterwards.) I also did a hormone panel, adrenal, and thyroid panel as well. And was able to compare it with my blood serum thyroid panel and it was far more accurate. Remember, this is on a cellular level is it is going to show issues on a far deeper level. I actually think it helps you find problems long before they surface. They also show you how things connect, in that it may show you have low calcium, but that would be because maybe your Vit D is low as well. I just think it is super effective. And if you do research about blood serum tests, in almost all cases they say that blood serum is so unreliable, which I find to be very annoying. I found my own vegan, non-gmo high quality supplements to use vs. Thorne products (which they recommend) but, since incorporating some of their suggestions, I already feel better two weeks later.There’s a better test for B12 than using blood serum levels. Check out this video from February 2012: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/where did you find this list?!! please post ! or email to meYou have to get an MMA or a UMMA, standard serum blood tests are not accurate indications of how much b12 your cells or tissues are absorbing. Take it from someone who had a serious b12 deficiency AND lacks intrinsic factor (in that I lack the protein that breaks down b12 from food). It creates a whole host of problems so make sure you get it checked and take the sublingual routinely. :-) And blood serum b12 should never be below 600 although western doctors will tell you that 200 is fine, neurologists say differently. In Asia, below 600 is considered deficient!I can’t get more information on the first study, but each time I’ve seen the homeostasis model assessment, a higher score was not a good thing (as in MS risk and insulin resistance, for example). So are they indicating that lacto-veg’s had better beta cell functioning and insulin secretion or not?And then there’s MTHFR.There’s actually an interesting story relating MTHFR polymorphisms, 5-MTHF (active folate), and homocysteine, which I commented on here. Homocysteine looks to me like a coincident biomarker, with excess methionine and insufficient folate being the more direct causes of vascular dysfunction. Here is a key paper in unravelling the homocysteine story.Unfortunately, folic acid supplementation appears to be a risk factor for colorectal and prostate cancer. Individual trials have documented this. In the case of colorectal cancer, it appears to be a tumor promoter rather than an initiator. After mandatory folic acid fortification of flour came into effect, there was a marked increase in colorectal cancer. In addition, although the latest meta-analysis from Oxford group does not demonstrate an increase in cancer from folic acid supplementation, a very critical editorial commented that the investigators may have missed an important time effect. References for all this available on request, but will need to dig them out.The recent metaanalysis.Folate, as a methyl donor, both prevents unrepaired mutations and strand breaks in cancer initiation, and is a limiting nutrient for DNA duplication in cancer proliferation. And food folate is better, perhaps because its rate limited by homocysteine remethylation in becoming THF, whereas folic acid can progress directly to THF and purine/pyrimidine synthesis.If anyone needs a reminder that our evolutionary ancestors were heavy leaf eaters, consider that achieving the 400 μg RDA would have entailed eating 8-12 oz.of leafy greens. As modern agriculturalists, we also get significant amounts from legumes and whole grains, so need a bit less spinach between our teeth.Very high (therapeutic) doses of folate are still fascinating, as it may be the only peroxynitrite scavenger for which intracellular levels can be markedly increased. Peroxynitrite derived radicals are important in ischemia-reperfusion injury, and one animal study was remarkable, so someday we may see IV folinic acid routinely administered to stroke & heart attack patients in the ER, and patients undergoing scheduled major surgery.Thanks for the link to the Circulation article… very interesting.I’ve revised my opinion somewhat, as I’ve read more about the role of NADPH oxidases (NOX) in inflammation. Hcy does increase NOX production of superoxide, and that alone is a good reason to aim for lower levels.yes, so it would be nice if vegans (and everyone) knew to take Methyl B12 which is harder to find.I’m curious if you are using the term “vegetarian” and “vegan” interchangeably here, or if “vegetarian” is being accurately used to describe those who don’t eat flesh but do eat animal secretions such as eggs and dairy.In some studies which are referenced here, vegetarian is a catch-all word meaning anyone who doesn’t eat meat-but including fish. Some studies further break down vegetarians into lacto-ovo vegetarians, pesco vegetarians, and strict vegetarians or vegans.In my view, its an important issue since liberal vegetarianism generally yields health outcomes more like omnivores than like vegans. Its easy to miss the huge benefits of plant based diets by lumping vegans with vegetarians.I’ve never noticed a consistent usage of “vegetarianism” across studies published by different groups.I agree! It’s why I always wonder when the word “vegetarian” is used, especially.after 9 years of being practically vegan, I also got low in B12, too low. So I supplement with a spray , and that raised them up really good :) to the upper side of normal. A spray may not work for everyone, but it sure does work for me.It IS vitally important to get B12 levels checked no matter what your diet is, but especially so for vegans. About 18 years ago when I was still eating meat, I found out that I had a B12 deficiency caused by pernicious anemia. So no matter how much B12 I ate or supplemented orally, nothing was getting absorbed. I’ve been giving myself a B12 injection monthly ever since. The sublingual route of administration works for some – it didn’t for me.Another issue that gets ignored, particularly with vegetarian and vegan women in their reproductive years is iron deficiency. I have to take iron supplements on my near-vegan diet or my ferritin levels bottom out and I end up with unrelenting brain fog and fatigue. You don’t need to be full blown hemoglobin deficient anemic to feel the effects of having low iron levels, low feritin is enough to screw up your enzyme systems and leave you feeling exhausted. You need iron to keep the the cyctrochrome C molecules in your mitochondria making ATP and to synthesize dopamine from tyrosine in your brain. My husband eats the same diet I do and he has buckets of energy, but I have to take supplements or I’m a zombie. Sorry if I sound perturbed, but I walked around feeling tired for a year needlessly. I got tested by my doctor for everything but feritin, finally did my own research, demanded a feritin test, got the results, and fixed my problem with supplements. It would have been really nice to have been forewarned about this possible issue by some of the advocates of this dietary approach.Yep, that is one of the nutrients that needs attention on a vegan diet. Others include iodine, B12, calcium, protein, zinc, and possibly DHA. Jack Norris RD has a great site about these issues called veganhealth.org. It’s possible to get enough iron from food through non-heme sources though.Is getting Iodine from seaweed enough? I mean, isn’t iodine supplementation very dangerous?Hi alysha. There are lots of great videos about iodine here – to find them, go to the top of the page. In the top left corner, there are 3 short horizontal bars. Click on these, then on the search box at the top, and enter “iodine” or “seaweed” :)wendy: Good for you for figuring it out instead of simply switching back to an unhealthy diet.Also, thanks for sharing your story. Hopefully it will help others as well.I can relate. If a female has menorrhagia, as I had, and especially severe in perimenopause, I got anemic enough to develop regular attacks of chest pains (angina), in addition to depression, fatigue, and brain fog. I was informed I was anemic from a blood drive. I actually have to regularly ingest various natural appetite stimulants or I probably would not have the urge to consume enough healthy food. I tend to think, and other women I’ve talked with have agreed, that vitamin supplements help increase appetiteThis was my exact problem too and I was scared to death that it was my b12 deficiency rearing it’s ugly head even though I had just gotten my monthly shot and was taking a sublingual. As it turns out, after my miscarriage and 4 periods that followed my iron had dropped from 104 to 44!! I eat beans and nuts and all that good stuff, but for women, I think we just need a good whole foods based iron to keep it from bottoming out!I appreciate how Dr. Greger brings up B12 every year or so. It’s worth keeping this issue at the forefront of our brains.A common question I always get asked is “If we were all made to be vegans then why do we need to take B12″ I don’t know how to answer that. Any help with responses to respond would be great.Wendy: This is a good question as it comes up a lot with people. The following is a reply I have given in the past to this same question. Hope it helps.———-How do you think elephants and other omnivores get their B12? Did you know that B12 comes from bacteria that lives in the lower intestine of animals, including humans? The B12 is too far down the digestive track to provide us with all that we need, but if you ate your own poop, you would get all of b12 you need. (We know this because they did an experiment on humans doing just that…)So, how did our ancient ancestors get their B12? Our super ancient ancestors ate small amounts of carrion and fish and maybe the odd egg when it could be found. But the vast majority of their diet was plants. (Dandelion greens are just so much easier to catch than deer…) So, how much of the B12 that they got came from dirty water and the soil attached to dirty plants vs the small amounts of animal product? We don’t know. What we do know is that the safest way to get our B12 *today* is from a supplement. I don’t recommend that anyone drink dirty water or eat meat. Who needs the cholera or cancer?Put another way: It is completely irrelevant how our ancestors got their B12. You can argue all day with people about what paleo people ate or not. It is irrelevant because we know that the body of scientific evidence tells us that the healthiest diet for people *today* is to eat a whole plant food diet with b12 supplement. People who eat a whole plant food diet with b12 supplement: live longer, and have *significantly* less risk of: major cancers such as breast, prostate and colorectal, type 2 diabetes (and possibly type 1), heart disease, stroke, autoimmune disorders such as arthritis, and more. People who switch to healthy eating find minor conditions clearing up: better skin, disappearing joint pain, and more. And whole food eating vegans are the ONLY population in America that on average have healthy body weights. Even a little cheating and that group’s average body mass goes above normal/healthy.Stressing about what our ancestors ate is not productive. Looking at what we KNOW is healthy for humans today makes the most sense. ———–You might also want to check out Dr. Greger’s articles (here on NutrtionFacts.org) on B12.I noticed this week, on the one day when I had little choice but to eat something containing cheese (or else go hungry), I got severe joint pain. Otherwise I do not get it. Of course it could be something else that comes with the cheese such as processed starch – this was a pizza luncheon – but the association is interesting, as it was incredibly dramatic and I do not normally suffer from any arthritides (“arthritis” in plural). Next time, I’ll pack my own food.Most likely your response was due to Neu5Gc.. see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/. It is not uncommon in my clinical work as Medical Director for Meals for Health and the McDougall Whole Foods program to see patients who adapt a plant based diet see resolution of muscular skeletal aches after only a few days on their new diet. Of course for some autoimmune disorders there can be plant triggers as well. Taking food with you as you go out into the world is a good way to increase the likelihood of good health.Fascinating. Thank you for referring me to that talk, which I just watched. My mother is trying to lose weight on a Weight Watcher’s Diet because of severe knee and hip pain and obesity. She keeps telling me that first she will worry about “how much” she eats then she will worry about “what” she eats. I’ve advised her repeatedly to go plant-based. I am trying not to be judgmental here but I have seen a pattern of recurrent and repetitive dietary failure in my mother. Eventually I am hoping she will give up this fad and come back to me for advice.Anyway, back to Neu5Gc. Were any of the patients in whom you saw resolution of MSK complaints after adopting a plant diet also taking statins? We see alot of myalgias in this community. In fact, I was one of them, before I stopped my statin. I know there is A LOT of statin skepticism but I believe they still play a role, particularly in people who already have atherosclerosis and/or in those who just won’t get with the program (which I often see as an intelligence issue, but I know that is wrong). So I am curious whether you ever saw a case of statin myalgia resolve after going on a plant-based diet (but retaining the statin).I used to think that supplying a lot of sterol precursors – in the form of dietary cholesterol – was the key to stopping my own statin myalgias. Then I figured out an easier solution – stop the statin and drop the cholesterol.In one study of 14 patients on Statins with normal CPK levels and no muscle complaints their calf biopsies showed cellular damage in 10 of the 14. There is a place for statins but in my experience the cholesterol levels drop on average 30-40 points… I have seen one patient drop 110 points. At the McDougall program as well as Meals for Health most patients are not on statins. However for those on statins we wait for the end of the program to recheck there values before recommending to stop/reduce and/or change the medication. For folks who have documented arterial disease and clinical symptoms there is definitely a place for statins or other medications to control the level. You might find several of Dr. McDougall’s articles in his monthly newsletter of interest… Sept 2002: Cholesterol When and How to Treat, June 2003: Cleaning out your Arteries, and May 2007: Statins. Getting back to your mom… she needs to understand and practice the concept of calorie density. Order Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density: Eat More, Weigh Less and Live longer. Watch Doug Lisle’s You Tube video How to Lose Weight Without Losing your Mind. Jeff is the only person I know who has tied exercise levels to calorie densirty… very useful concept for me as a physician in counseling patients who want to lose fat.I want to thank you for mentioning “How to Lose Weight Without Losing your Mind.” After your recommendation to someone else on this site to watch this video, I took the advice and did so; it then motivated me to purchase Lisle/Goldhamer’s book “The Pleasure Trap”, which was a real eyeopener. I didn’t know he had a DVD on Calorie Density – you are right that I will need to order that for my mother, although she does not have a computer home. She does however use the library and could watch a DVD there with headphones I’m sure.I don’t think that we were “made” to be anything. Humans adapt as best they can to changing environmental conditions. We are partially adapted to eating meat but that doesn’t imply we should eat meat. The real question is what is the healthiest/optimal diet. Gorillas and other primarily herbivorous primates are not known to suffer B12 deficiencies (in the wild). They would presumably obtain sufficient B12 from unwashed vegetation. Another potential source is insects – consuming insects, even if not deliberate, is inevitable when consuming large amounts of vegetation. I understands that humans still possess the ebzymes necessary for digesting insectsI’m 78, vegan male, fitness exercise. Last April I felt bad, dizzy, then remembered my blood test showed high MCV mean corpuscular volume and low hemoglobin. Those are earmarks of low B12. I’ve lost the enzyme to digest B12 pills and from food if any, Sub lingual under the tongue B12 dots fixed that problem in a couple weeks. The researchers that say we don’t need vitamins are doing a great disservice. No, I don’t take a multivitamin. BBC published results showing no gain. Actually synthetic Vitamin A and E are harmful. Why B12? It comes from micro organisms in the soil and my food is too clean. I’m logged in to your site. Why are you asking me to sign in with social media?At least for men, there appears to be a small benefit from multivitamin supplementation, in terms of a 7-8% reduction in all cancers, as documented in the Physicians Health Study II randomized trial.Go Jerry! Thanks for your informative contribution. You ROCK dude!I would still like to know what food we are suppose to be getting B12 from in a natural diet, as nature would not deprive us, if we are not designed to be vegan. I always thought eggs would be a natural part of a gathering diet for man, yet they are slammed as being unhealthy. And yes, I am talking about organic eggs from home raised queen of the yard chicken.shel: In the “natural” world, we would be drinking unclean water and eating leafy greens and roots from dirty soil. We could get our B12 that way.But we don’t live in a natural world, and in this case, that’s a good thing. Good bye cholera!I think the following article from NutrtionFacts might help you put the B12 issue into perspective:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/25/vegan-b12-deficiency-putting-it-into-perspective/Make sense?Yes it makes total sense and is a brilliant and beautiful reminder. Of course, we could eat our own feces to get all the B12 we need, but that would likely make us very ill. We could drink out of mountain streams but then we might get beaver-fever (giardiasis) or god knows what else. We could eat dirty roots without cleaning them straight from animal feces-contaminated soil, but then we might get cryptosporidosis or microsporidium. In seeking to become free of these endemic parasites, we’ve lost the ability to get B12 from our natural environment – I consider this a zero price to pay. I consider myself blessed to live in an age when scientists can manufacture B12 as aseptic, sterile tablets, and thus I do not need to rely on animals, feces, mountain stream water or filthy roots for this essential nutrient.Amen! ;-)I would like to pose a question… I know this is opening up a whole different can of worms.. but here goes.. If being a vegan is the most kind eating style – not killing any animals.. why would the Lord cause vegans to die a terrible death by following a vegan diet from lack of B12?? Sure through modern nutrition science, man figured out that vegans need to supplement with B12, but if this is the way the Lord wanted us to live, why would he make B12 a necessary component for vegan survival? What about vegans of many years ago that did not know about B12??In other words, I would think that if the Lord wanted us to be vegans, either there would not be a need for us to have B12 for survival, or that it would be plentiful in common plants, so that we would never lack it… I would appreciate your thoughts about this… thank you.The way I look at it is that many people had nutritional deficiencies before we knew about vitamins and minerals, whether they were omnivore, carnivore or herbivore. We still don’t completely know about all nutrients. The carnivores would have the most natural deficiencies of any of these three. Omnivores could develop Vitamin D deficiencies, because they aren’t a lot of natural food sources for this vitamin. They could also be living in a northern latitude. If a person is on a plant AND microorganism (algae, bacteria and fungi) diet, that is eating the right microorganisms, there should not be deficiencies. B12 is not produced by animals, but by bacteria. It is merely stored in animals but not plants. Some Paleo groupies say we need taurine and creatine, which are from animals, but the last time I checked, these are not listed as essential amino acids. By the way, I agree that Genesis 1:29-30 means that both humans and animals were ideally meant by God to be herbivores.Genesis is a story, written in the context of its time, so I take 1:29-30 no differently than the advice of another time that said the best way to cleanse the blood was with leeches. Humans are the most adaptable species on the planet, which means they are meant to eat whatever will keep them alive at a given point in time. Sometimes this meant meat and other times it meant nuts and berries. In this country, most of us have a choice. Leave the bible out of it as it was written by men a long time ago (predominantly) who had an agenda (was God a carnivore since he ostensibly loved the smell of burnt lamb?).You can believe or disbelieve whatever you want. I was just saying what people can believe if they have faith perspective- and that it was a basis for being Vegan, but there is also a basis in the Bible for not being Vegan as well. I wasn’t saying that persons who aren’t religious should be, or should base their views on the Bible. One difference I have with conservative religious people is that I think the Bible contains multiple perspectives, not just one. Even if there are texts which state that God loves the smell of burnt lamb, there are many other texts in the Bible which question animal sacrifice, such as in Hosea, which states, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” You must interpret texts which support animal sacrifice in light of the day and age in which it was written. In that day and age, virtually every culture practiced animal sacrifice, but at least there are many texts in the Bible which question this practice.I think you have to separate the theological from the scientific here. Otherwise we are back to the Scopes monkey trial and the persecution that led to. It’s ok to have a theological faith or theological perspective, but you should not confuse this with hard science. In other words, what you are espousing is some form of theological determinism – you infer that God wanted us to be omnivores – you infer that God causes vegans to die a terrible death form lack of B12. Let us stick to the straight science and leave theological views aside. Only from science or ethics can one make reasoned moral opinions.I agree that we must separate theological from scientific. However, in many ways, humanists often seem closer to what I think is the true biblical view than are fundamentalists. Humanists are often Vegans, but that is also the Biblical view of Genesis 1:29-30. The social stance of the Bible is basically liberal, just like in humanism. Humanism merely rejects the supernatural parts of the Bible. Fundamentalists often reject the ethical teachings of scripture, such as the pacifism of Jesus and the Veganism of the creation stories, as well as the emphasis on social justice in the Hebrew Prophets. But the question, what are people meant to be? or do? is more of a philosophical/theological issue that can’t always be answered by science, which doesn’t mean a person must believe in God.The bible also recommended whipping slaves (not to mention having slaves), stoning adulterers and killing magicians. In the modern buffet approach, we select those parts our culture finds acceptable and not those we find unacceptable. Basing something on a document written over 2000 years ago is absurd.The Buddha’s teachings are similar. There are discourses where The Buddha says the perfect kind of wife (or at least one of the perfect kinds) is a female subservient slave. Obviously, that matches the culture of that time, but not now. We evolve, we move on, we progress.Yes there are questions that can’t be answered by science. Sometimes they require a deep understanding of ethics and moral philosophy, but I wouldn’t say “God” or “Bible” will give you that answer every single time. From a strictly utilitarian perspective, a plant-based diet is the best because 1) it minimizes the suffering of the most number of sentient creatures, 2) minimizes future ecological harms such as global warming and widespread antibiotic exposure, and 3) it’s adequate to promote lifelong health. 4) In the factory farm system, workers are often undocumented and very poorly treated, with extremely high rates of occupational injury.In the long run PBD does the least amount of damage to the greatest number of individuals. I didn’t need the bible or any scripture to reason that one out. I hope that doesn’t offend people.I guess I am a perfect candidate for having your point of view, given that I am a gay male and people quote scripture all the time against us. I cannot be ordained in my own United Methodist denomination because of this. Many of our opponents say I am going to burn in hell forever. I guess what I am saying is that saying that the Bible always agrees with fundamentalists gives fundamentalists too much credibility. I refuse to believe their point of view is “biblical.” Maybe it does say to stone adulterers, but remember Jesus saying “he who is without sin cast the first stone” about stoning a woman caught in adultery.? Scripture must be interpreted in “context,” esp historical, something that fundamentalists do not do. There is not one instance where a woman was actually stoned for adultery, even in the Old Testament. It probably refers more to Israel the nation, being the bride of Yahweh and that they would be punished by being invaded by neighboring countries, such as Babylon and Assyria for flouting their covenant with God. The Bible, as well as science can be quoted on all sides of issues. It does, for instance, give a basis for Veganism, but it doesn’t absolutely require it , either. There are even texts that seem to go along with Atheism. The book of Ecclesiastes 9:5 states, “For the living know that they are to die, but the dead no longer know anything.” There is very little emphasis on an afterlife in the Hebrew Bible and this book seems to deny it. The book of Esther was almost not included in the canon because it hardly ever mentions the name of God. Job, in the book of Job said many things about God that would offend many people. So, all in all, you are ok, but please don’t concede the Bible to hatemongers.I agree with 100% of what you’ve written. You have greater knowledge of the Old and New Testament than I will likely ever have. I have just been reading a book called “Buddhism without beliefs” which argues for a kind of secular agnostic Buddhism (at least for “Buddhists”). I was raised in an Orthodox Jewish household but long ago fell into atheism and more recently Buddhism. But I still readily admit that there are Buddhist scriptures that speak only to the time and culture in which they were written (5th century B.C. in the Gangetic basin), and appear at best to be quaintly anachronistic. But perhaps there are even positive interpretations of these in the commentaries. One should not try to explain away things written 2500 or 2000 or 1800 years ago by using similes and metaphors – some things are truly abhorrent (though would only have appeared that way to the most progressive of beings of that time).A point I should have made earlier, but failed to, is that the questions initially posed (like: “Why would the Lord cause vegans to die a terrible death by following a vegan diet from lack of B12??”) presuppose the existence of the Lord AND that everything in the world is God-directed (such as B12 deficiency in vegans). It is impossible to answer this question unless you believe in an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God of the Bible. Assuming you live in the U.S.A., you are in one of the most religious countries in the world, and a beacon for fundamentalists of all stripes. I only point this out because it conditions the worldviews of many of those who live there.My view on the whole thing is that belief in God is therapeutic for those who can claim faith, but the question is largely irrelevant to others, like me, who do not get any benefit from such faith despite having tried. It is not a question of proof but rather a question of relevance. And to disbelieve in the existence of God is to be as absolutist and lacking in evidence for that claim as to believe in the existence of God. It is an honest and open question to me, but pretty much tangential to my own belief system, which I hope is more empirically derived (the 4 noble truths, for example). And any belief system should ultimately be tested according to the effects it has on other people, on one’s self, and on one’s actions in the world.thank you for your expanded comments. After I posed the question and re-read it, I should have said something like.. “if you don’t believe in God then this question does not apply to you”.I am curious, would you still consider yourself to be Jewish? I know that a person can still be considered a Jew, even if they are atheist, as long as they have a Jewish mother. Judaism is not as much based on belief as Christianity is. However, I don’t think the New Testament necessarily excludes non believers from heaven, as fundamentalists often claim. Belief does make a person Christian, even though works are the back door to heaven. Works also show that we are Christian according to the letter of James. Matthew 25:31-46 speaks of the ta ethne or gentiles, that is non-Christians, non Jews being judged on works, and some going to heaven on the basis of works apart from faith. Jews will go to heaven because they are still the chosen people, as Paul stated in Romans 11. We might have gotten off track from discussing Veganism, but Romans 14 is one place that Paul validates Christians not eating meat, presumably on the basis of Genesis 1:29. Christians don’t divide animals into clean and unclean as in Leviticus 11, but as I understand, Jews didn’t expect gentiles to keep the kosher laws, only not to strangle animals and eat them alive. Genesis 9 allows the consumption of all animals, except for the blood,none being unclean. The blood was where the “soul” of the animal was. However, eating meat in Genesis 9 was allowed as a concession. Genesis 1:29 or to eat only plants is an option for Christians, because it is not based on whether an animal is clean or not, but rather that animals have “souls,” or an intrinsic worth and value based on being sentient. The Hebrew Bible states that animals have souls, if you read it in Hebrew and the New Testament reaffirms this in the book of Revelation.Ethnically I remain Jewish, but certainly not religiously. I haven’t stepped into a synagogue in 6 or more years, and even then only reluctantly. Any belief I have is empirically tested in terms of whether it is producing benefit or harm for myself or others (that is one of the beautiful things about Buddhism — very little faith is required — and the scriptures repeatedly stress the importance of testing out key concepts for yourself). I don’t think much about reincarnation, just as I don’t think much about God. But it is said that if one can develop very advanced states of being (ethically, wisdom-wise and in meditation), deep knowledge of things like reincarnation and past lives may be possible. Anyway, I am nowhere near there.Your perspective is fascinating. I could have sworn that I was told by rabbis when I was a youth that animals do not have souls, only human beings do. I probably asked something like “Why don’t we take our animals to pray with us to synagogue?”, since I loved my dog at that time. I was told that the soul of a Jew does not exist in an animal. This is counter to what you are mentioning, but I am not completely convinced either way. In any case, I don’t believe in the concept of a soul anymore. I don’t even believe in the concept of the self – I think it’s just a psychosocial abstraction which can be useful in social and linguistic dealings but is actually very harmful when you look deeply into the trouble in the world. In fact, the lack of existence of a soul or self is a key foundation of Buddhism, and it can be verified in deep states of meditation or simply introspection. A thought is a thought, a feeling is a feeling, a body is a body, a perception is a perception, consciousness/mind state is consciousness/mind state but nowhere can a fixed, permanent, abiding, reliable self or soul be find in any of these aggregates. Perhaps this discussion is better suited for beliefnet.org or somewhere else though….Probably the word NEPHESH in Hebrew, which is often translated as “life or soul” does not necessarily mean a soul that lives eternally, although that could be a later interpretation. I go to an Orthodox Rabbi for counseling (at a mostly Christian counseling center at that!) and he said that Jews don’t believe animals have an eternal soul, but an extended meaning could mean that. Nephesh according to Driver and Briggs means “soul, life, living being, desire, emotion, passion, that which breathes, the inner being of man.” The Greek word is psyche, and the latin word is anima, from which of course we get the word “animal.” I would understand it as “sentience,” “life force,” and that animals have feelings and thoughts. I would think it would mean that animals have a certain value, that should at least make us hesitate to eat them- certainly because they can feel pain and fear are two reasons not to eat them. In Genesis 9:4 we are told not to eat the blood of the animal, because that is where the soul lies or “nephesh dam” resides. Dam means blood. The Greek word is aima, where we get the word hematology. ” Living creatures,” such as in Genesis 1:20,24 and 30 is really a translation of “nephesh.” That may be one reason that we are to eat only plants in Genesis 1:29. Revelation 8:9 speaks of “creatures of the sea that had souls (psyche)” in the original Greek- so this idea is reaffirmed in the New Testament. Realizing that animals have souls is one thing that moved me more towards the Vegetarian and Vegan diet. So both Christians and Jews should believe that animals have souls and should at least seriously consider being Vegan. Also, many Unitarians would share your agnosticism and interest in Buddhism, and many would be Vegan/Vegetarian.Daniel, you know more than me about the religion of my birth origins.The bottom line for me — Through what I eat, I do not harm as many animals as would a meat-eater. You are right that whether one calls it sentience or soul, it is still causing harm, particularly under the factory farm system from which 99.9% of “animal products” are derived. I just didn’t know about any of this until I became a Buddhist.Anyway, what do these terms really mean? I believe we are all human beings, regardless of these rather senseless designations (‘Gentile’, ‘Jew’, ‘Chosen One’, ‘Buddhist’). In the case of the term ‘Buddhist’, the word is only 200 years old. It was coined by French Catholic missionaries who went to Indo-China (Vietnam, Laos, etc) and noticed numerous temples with statues of the Buddha there. The local people in villages there did not consider themselves to be “Buddhists”. They were simply practicing a culture and spirituality they had been practicing for generations, without interruption; they were certainly not engaging in idol worship, as the Buddha was only ever considered a human being (reverence is different than idolatry). Anyway, we are all just human beings, either we act ethically or we do not, so let’s leave spiritual designations aside.Actually, I am skeptical about the doctrine of rebirth, multiple realms of divine beings, karmic transmission through past and future lives — these questions really have nothing to do with ethical practice, nothing to do with science, nothing to do with morality. I am unable to come up with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to any of them – at best, I call them irrelevant. Even if rebirth or an afterlife were proven, it would still leave one with the ethical question of how best to live in this very world (answer: with kindness for others).Finally, while I am disinclined to believe that anyone – human or animal – has a soul, I fundamentally respect your views on this. It is not the lack of scientific evidence to support or negate the notion of soul that troubles me. Far from it, I don’t think that question can ever be addressed by modern scientific approaches. Rather, it’s my own reflection and meditation and the fact that nothing that I have ever tested empirically has led me to believe there is a stable, enduring soul (or even self). A core of the Buddha’s teaching is that the belief in the soul or self causes great harm – in that way, he went radically against the established vedic religions of his time (at considerable personal risk). Anatta (= no soul) is a fundamental mark of existence, at least according to the Buddhist way of seeing things.By the way, there is also a belief that Jesus travelled to India and knew about the Buddhist teachings. There is some evidence that Buddha knew about ancient Greek teachings such as those of Herodotus. He certainly knew about Greek slave colonies like Bactria. And finally, one of the remarkable things is that there is a role for faith in a system like Buddhism, but it is considered more akin to ‘confidence’ than ‘believing without evidence’. You need confidence in any set of teachings before you can progress along the path. My last point – the end of the path in Buddhism is awakening, which is defined as complete freedom of the mind from the compulsions of craving.thanks again Daniel. I guess I was looking for a nice easy answer but as in life, there are many unanswered questions.. Markthank you so much Daniel, that was an awesome answer. MarkReligious historiography discussions are fraught, but I wanted to share:Was Jesus a Vegetarian? by Kamran PashaThis was good, but I don’t think Paul ever said in Romans 14 that persons who eat only vegetables *should* eat meat. He respected it on the basis of Genesis 1:29- he said we should not despise the Vegans. The ones who eat meat in Romans 14 follow Genesis 9:3. Both Genesis 1:29 and Genesis 9:3 were options for gentiles, according to Jewish law. Which means either eating meat or not eating meat at all were the options Paul thought Christians had. Paul rejected Leviticus 11 for Christians, where some animals are clean to be eaten and some are not to be eaten because of being “unclean.” In Jewish law, distinguishing between clean and unclean animals for consumption were laws only for Jews and not for Gentiles. although Muslims now follow something similar to Leviticus 11. Gentiles were expected to at least to keep Genesis 9:3-4, which means animals could not be eaten alive and couldn’t be strangled. Complete Veganism was an option for all of mankind, Jews and gentiles alike- and Paul no where disputes that. There is also no evidence whatsoever that Paul endorsed the animal sacrifice system in the temple- Christ’s sacrifice ended this. Paul’s view of what parts of the law were binding on *gentile* converts to Christianity was perfectly compatible with what Judaism expects of gentiles to be righteous, such as in the seven laws of Noah. It is interesting that Jeremiah 7:22 disputes that there was ever a command to conduct animal sacrifice, such as in the book of Leviticus, much of what Jesus did in the temple was foreshadowed by much of Jeremiah 7, such as in verse 11, where the temple is called a “den of thieves,”: which is repeated in Luke 19:46.I will leave the existence of god argument to the philosophers. My wife and daughter are both philosophy professors. I would like to stick with science and be clear on terminology. Herbivore, Omnivore and Carnivore are descriptions of biologic systems. For instance bears are usually omnivores but there are also polar bears (i.e. carnivores) and panda bears (i.e. herbivores). Our design through evolution is as a hind gut fermenting herbivores. Our adaptations relative to the great apes are increased amylase genes and increased volume of our small intestines to help absorb glucose from starches. Of course we can choose to eat a variety of foods. These choices can be labeled vegan, several types of vegetarian, or carnists. The term, Carnism, was coined by Melanie Joy. I believe you would find her presentation, Carnism: The Psychology of Eating Meat, which she gave at the McDougall Advanced Study weekend in 2012 interesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vWbV9FPo_Q . We can eat a variety of foods but anytime we eat foods that violate our biological design we raise the risk of poor health outcomes. Of course the introduction of tools which can be used for hunting and agriculture has exposed us to foods we weren’t designed to eat especially in the quantities that we consume them. Of course you have to factor in advertising and misinformation tied to lack of knowledge or commercial interests. Back to Vitamin B12 which was the only vitamin except Vitamin D (which is actually a hormone) that we don’t get directly from our food. Since we were exposed to many bacteria before modern public health and food processing technologies we didn’t need to take a supplement. Now we have to make sure that we have an adequate intake. At least my thoughts…“Back to Vitamin B12 which was the only vitamin except Vitamin D (which is actually a hormone) that we don’t get directly from our food.”I would add iodine and DHA to that list. Well yes you could get iodine from eating sea vegetables (and now from widespread iodination of table salt), but in areas where soil iodine levels are very low, and that are inland, cretinism/congenital hypothyroidism becomes very prevalent. In addition, DHA is only found in oily marine fish, and vegans typically have very low levels unless they supplement, because rates of biotransformation from preformed ALA are low and unreliable.Wrong. I’ve been a veggie for 27 yrs now, I have always supplemented with Chia and Flax and always have a satisfactory Omega 3 ALA, EPA, and DHA. Humans do convert the ALA to the EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids just fine, just not like a fish. I actually don’t know any vegan who is selfaware that has a low Omega 3 set, so I don’t know who the ‘typical’ vegan you have been talking to who is low, nor the prejudiced writer’s materials you are reading, a backwards, over the shoulder look at the data and puff you have those pooooooorrrr sickly yet long living healthy vegans going without again, haha, my goodness, but where do they get their protein????Your story is very interesting, and I assume you’ve checked your DHA levels. Fish don’t actually make DHA, rather they consume algae or smaller fish which eat algae, and it’s the algae that make DHA. The fish take advantage of this, particularly cold-water fish as DHA remains in liquid form at cold temperatures.More importantly, for a summary on low DHA in vegans see: http://veganhealth.org/articles/omega3#n3intake (written by an evidence-based nutritionist). I have personally reviewed the literature and largely he is correct.Note that there are dramatic differences between individuals and even within individuals (pregnant, non-pregnant and by age) in the rate of manufacture of DHA from EPA. Just because *you* don’t have a problem with making DHA, doesn’t mean that everyone is fine with just consuming plant-derived ALA alone. I am not 100% convinced on the necessity of DHA for human health, but I am hedging my bets on this one and thus if I get dementia in 30 or 40 years, I will be able to say it certainly wasn’t from lack of DHA.I would agree with adding iodine to the list with the note that if you are consuming iodized salt you are most likely not going to have a problem. If symptoms or concerns are present testing the urine can help sort out the problem. A general population recommendation for DHA supplementation is less clear to me. I am aware of Dr. Greger’s recommendation. However consuming isolated nutrients has to be done cautiously as the unanticipated adverse consequences when dealing with interventions in adaptive or complex systems seem to be the rule rather than the exception. Read Dr. Campbell’s new book Whole for more information or some of Donella Meadow’s work outside of medicine.The only misgiving I can ever envision about veganism is the possibility of multiple micronutrient deficiencies. I have lately been experiencing angular stomatitis and do not normally get this condition. At first it responded well to increasing beta carotene-rich foods like carrots (there turns out to be a 4-fold increase in angular stomatitis in people with vitamin A deficiency). Several months later, it came back with a vengeance, and I reluctantly treated it with a B100 complex. That seemed to work well for a while but it has now returned. I am thinking it could be a zinc or iron deficiency.The only other time in my life that I ever had angular stomatitis was when I was a summer research student living in a dorm in Toronto and essentially consuming only spaghetti and tomato sauce for dinner every day (and probably wheat-based stuff for breakfast and lunch). That was a riproaring but transient case about 20 years ago.After carefully reading the literature, I’ve decided that at a minimum I need to supplement with B12, iodine (in the form of low dose kelp), DHA and vitamin D. After tracking my dietary profile, I noticed I was getting low on some of the B vitamin intake, and thus the decision to go with a B complex instead of B12. Now I’m wondering if I should experiment with adding low dose zinc. My diet is largely whole foods based, but I do eat a little less carbs than everyone else (if only because I once had severe premature onset metabolic syndrome – about 50 lbs ago!). Anyway, with that degree of micronutrient supplementation, I question the adequacy of my diet. There are also genetic-diet interactions that we are only beginning to appreciate – for example, specific people may be highly prone to specific vitamin deficiencies. On the advice of a vegan nutritionist, the only vitamin I tell my patients they need when starting to go plant-based is B12, to keep things simple at that point (I then add vitamins later). But I am beginning to wonder, at least about my own diet, whether a diet that requires my degree of micronutrient supplementation is that healthy. I also drink fortified almond milk – only about 1/2 cup per day though – and do consume nutritional yeast.You might try topical miconazole for the angular stomatitis. I know this just addresses the symptoms rather than the cause, but it does work for me. It may provide relief while you attempt to figure out what is causing the problem.Thanks for that suggestion. Is that over the counter? I am sure my AS is due to a B vitamin issue, as it usually responds to B complex therapy. However, I have no isolated which one it is, so I usually end up having to go on the whole ‘horse’ pill..Yes, it’s an OTC anti fungal cream, available at any drugstore and not too expensive either.Thank you Don! I will watch the video when I get a chance! regards, MarkIf we were still living in God’s natural world we would be getting our B12 from the microbes on the plants we eat. That is how God created our perfect world. Then ecoli and other pathogens came along and we had to clean our food’s B12 poopin’ microbes down the sink drain. God gave us what we needed, we screwed it up. Take Vit D, why would everyone who does not work outside need to take Vit D supplements? Shouldn’t God have fixed that? Well He did, we were designed to be outside wondering thru the grain fields and pulling apples and berries for food. But we don’t, we sit behind computers in the dark, hence we need supplementation or get all sorts of bone disease and cancers.As Dr. Greger has pointed out the amount of sunlight necessary to achieve adequate levels of Vit D is not that great depending on latitude see videos on Vit D for reasoning. For patients who are in nursing homes or other situations where they can’t get sun supplementation makes sense. Supplementation doesn’t help replace the positive effects of sun light on our nitrous oxide system. I think you would be interested in the TED talk: Richard Weller: Could the Sun be good for our heart of interest. I urge caution in using a fat soluble vitamin like Vit D when you can adjust your life to get adequate sunlight.So, eat a little tiny amount of meat or fish twice a week and the problem is solved.Gross, that is like me asking you to eat a little tiny amount of dog feces twice a week, does that help you relate? Besides, flesheaters run low B12 also, you should have yours checked :) . 20% of flesheaters over 60 are deficientMarcella I just laughed so hard. Thank you!In a way it is laughable but the comment is just a measure of how complete the brainwashing is. Fight the Machine.IN recent testing, I learned that my b-12 level was a “high”. This, after a year of consuming a goodly amount of nutritional yeast (I’m only a few years vegan) on a regular basis. I was told, this was a great source. Apparently, it was true. Previously, the levels were “low”. Go figure..Thats great news. I was told yeast is NOT a good source of b-12. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=yeast+b-12+cobalamin+site%3A.eduHopefully one of the “Team” would pipe up on this?Just wondering, did you also start eating fresh veg straight out of the garden or garden market?Yeast doesn’t naturally produce B12, but in many brands of nutritional yeast its added to the growth medium.With B12: Bob’s Red Mill, Bragg’s, Foods Alive, Frontier, Now Foods, Red Star, TwinlabNo B12: Hoosier Hill Farm, KAL, Whole Foods bulk binSo check the label on your nooch.Darryl, I had Whole Foods confirm with me that their nutritional yeast is grown using synthetic vitamins. They do not add any (fortify) vitamins after the yeast is grown, yet this process allows a sort-of loophole for them to claim their product has not been fortified. It is my current understanding that ALL nutritional yeasts on the market in the USA are grown with synthetic vitamins. Some companies go a step further and add more synthetic vitamins after the growth cycle. What concerns me is the synthetic vitamin effect/residue …. ingesting anything grown with synthetics seems to raise concerns for me.Any thoughts?I do consume a good deal of produce, yes. My garden is in it’s first full year, so it wasnt the place of origin mostly. The market…absolutely. I’m fortunate to be able to buy nut. yeast in bulk, at the earth origins outlet here.I wish there was a way to determine how much B12 we get from our gardens. I make my own compost and make sure it is well rotted before using. I usually give greens a casual rinse but a lot of stuff goes right down the hatch as is. I’m hoping that I’m getting some good B-12 rich dirt in there too. 1 microgram is all but microscopic. I wonder how many grams of bugs you need to eat to get your B-12 hit. No pin worms…erm..yet…that I know of.I am trying to find a non-gmo source of b-12 and not having much luck.Not every Vegan develops a B12 deficiency after 5 years without supplements or fortified foods.Some of us are ahead of our time and know exactly how we produce our own B12 with bacteria.Our bacteria do produce b12, but it is so low in the large intestines that we are unable to absorb it. The reason one can last 5 years with no deficiency is that b12 is constantly recirculated. Be warned, it is difficult to reach normal levels once depleted and it would be unwise to get to that point. Dr. Greger has an entire series on b12 examining all aspects of this vitamin. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/It isn’t hard for me to reach high levels of B12 since I know exactly how humans produce the vitamin with bacteria and absorb it.You’re making a lot of assumptions about what everyone knows. Just because you experts are lost sheeps, it doesn’t mean everyone on this planet is like you.Mela, I am not an “expert”. I simply study the science which you have failed to do. I am not giving you any information that is not already well known in the scientific community. You cannot will your body to produces its own b12 and absorb it, it does not work like that. Again, I encourage you to research this site as it gathers the scientific data to support the claims made here.YOU have failed to study the science and YOU are missing valuable pieces of the science.I am an expert on B12.I leave you in your ignorance.If you are en expert then please share your studies. Anecdotal opinions are quite unreliable.At this point. Figure it out yourself and lets see how “smart” you are.I already have figured it out, and I figured it out using studies and evidence not youtube videos.However, swallowing pills that contain vitamin B6 and/or folic acid will lower our blood levels of homocysteine but will not lower our risk of developing cardiovascular diseases: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16531613Vitamin B12 is everywhere nowadays. Most cereals (whole wheat and other brands) contain all the vitamin B12 needed daily in about 40 / 50 grams of the cereal. However, there are a lot of supplements that provide really 10 times what one needs of vitamin B12 daily. And, yes, it’s true; just a little cheating is enough to lose control of your weight. Vegans are the group of people who better keep lower weights, especially if they don’t ever cheat. In Mexico, all cookies, some beverages and other stuff with no animal products in them have plenty of vitamin B12. They sell something called “Polvorones” which will provide 100% of your daily B12 in about 6 to 8 pieces. In the States most cookies (like the vegan Oreo) lack this vitamin B12 and I can’t see why. Fortunately, I have tested great (and feel great) ever since I became a 100% vegan 2.5 years ago. I will NEVER EVER go back! And I don’t cheat.What Homocysteine level is too high? Over the last 15 months, the period in which I became a serious about eliminating all animal products in my diet, my homocysteine level has gone from 6 to 9 to 11 umol/L . I have been taking a low dose multi which seemed to have more than enough B12. I have not been tested for B12. So, at what level of homocysteine, if it continues upward, should I increase B12?Hi Dr. Greger! I love your site and think that you provide so much wonderful information. I have been taking vitamin code’s raw b-complex and am wondering if you or someone else can recommend another brand? I want to make sure that I am getting enough vitamin b12 from a reliable source; the information on the back of the box says that 2 capsules contain 133 mcg of vitamin b12, which is supposedly 2217% of our daily value. I also bought Deva’s vegan sublingual b12, but then I noticed that it came with a California proposition 65 warning, so that’s no good. Any tips will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!Hi this is not Dr. Greger but I am helping him a bit. Did you see this?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/I did, thank you. I think I will try Dr. Fuhrman’s women’s daily formula + d3; it has Vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin) and 2 capsules contain 40 mcg, which is 667% of our daily value. Even though it’s not cyanocobalamin, it should work just fine, right? Here is a link to the product: http://www.drfuhrman.com/shop/supplements.aspx#Womens. Thank you for your help!Dr Fuhrman and McDougall (2007 http://drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/nov/b12.htm) both are fine with methylcobalamin. Dr. Greger Feb 2013: “We don’t have as much data (in terms of proper dosing and efficacy) on preventing/reversing B12 deficiency in vegans with any other form that cyanocobalamin. Until there is I’m less comfortable recommending it.”That’s right; I do remember Dr. Greger saying this. Well, do you have a brand that you would recommend? Otherwise, I may just have to go with Dr. Fuhrman’s or keep searching for something better. Thanks again for all your help.I would just take Vitamin B12 sublingual once a week, daily or make sure you are consuming adequate B12 in foods such as soy and almond milk or nutritional yeast. The video that JacquieRN suggested is one of a series in Feb 2012 that Dr. Greger did. You will avoid all the problems associated with some of the isolated ingredients in multivitamins… you will also save money. The proof is in the pudding so to speak… get a Vitamin B12 check to see how you are doing. You can also get other blood tests recommended by your physician.Thanks, Don. I am a Holistic Health Coach and have asked my peers what Vitamin B12 supplements they take as well; I’m just gathering as much information as possible. I’d love to have a product line that I can trust and refer my clients to as well. I have had my Vitamin B12 levels checked and have also had blood tests done and everything is normal! I do cook with nutritional yeast and I also add it to my salads. I’m not a huge fan of fortified foods such as soy and almond milk, which is why I prefer an alternative way to supplement. Thanks for your help.I’ve been eating low fat plant based for three years with a small portion of fish or chicken a couple ot times a week but no dairy. Quite common? I assumed that in conjunction with B12 fortified soya milk that provided a sufficient supply of B12. It appears not. Frightening! I also read that omnivores have a store of B12 sufficient for several years so another reason not to worry for a while – I thought. I’ve added 100 micrograms a day of B12 in tablet form. Comment would be welcome.Your diet sounds far healthier then the Standard American diet so I am sure the occasional meat is not doing you great harm as long as it truly is occasional. Another important aspect of your diet is to include as many whole, unrefined, low sodium plant foods as possible. In terms of B12, you need much more then 100 mcg. There is no harm from overdoing the b12 so don’t think you will be at risk for overdose. Dr. Greger recommends 250-500 a day or 2,500-5,000 a week. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/Thank you. I only eat plants and grains which are unrefined and nothing with added sugar. I’ll double up my B12. It’s cheap as chips! I’ve added 10g of flaxseed a day and iodised salt as well recently. I’ve been taking 10 mcg of D3 a day for three years. Not a sunny climate in England. So much to learn. Dr Greger keeps me busy.could there be a situation of an over does?Is there a difference to take 5000 mcg of B12 every 5 days instead of 1000 mcg everyday ? (I’m quite lazy to take everyday and also tend to forget).What is the preferred level of homocysteine?Can you give recommendations for methylcobalamin supplementation for children?There is no evidence in this video or any of the other sources I’ve checked that vegetarians and vegans are at increased risk of any health problem, including problems associated with deficiency of vitamin B12.Everything Greger says in this video is that they have taken and tested specific vegetarians with a deficiency of B12, and found problems related with B12 deficiency. What is that mean? Nothing. They could have test non-vegetarians as well. It does not prove that the lack of B12 in their organism is a result of consumption or non-consumption of animal food products – by the way vegetarians usually consume animal products (by eating more eggs and milk) not less than meat eaters; it does not prove that vegetarians or vegans are at increased risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.Actually, eating meat increases the risk of B12 deficiency in various ways, for example causing absorption disorder (which is frequently the cause of B12 deficiency, according the researches I’ve checked – lack of consumption is only a hypothesis and B12 deficiency common among meat eaters); also, animal products contain big amount of Methionine which requires B12 in order to break it down, therefore heavy animal consumers might develop B12 deficiency. In fact this explanation clarifies the data Greger introduces in his video much better than the accusation towards the veganism: he is talking about bad influence of Homocistein which can be caused by B12 deficiency. Homocistein is a stage in the process of Methionine breakdown. If deficiency of B12 is playing a part the Methionine would not continue breaking down and would stay harmful Homocistein. That is to say, the problem is over-consumption of Methionine and the solution to this problem is reduction in consumption of Methionine – reduction of animal food products. Recommendation for steady supplement consumption is a symptomatic and superficial way of treatment, as recommending diabetics using synthetic insulin regularly – instead of telling them to lower the fat in their diet.Y’know, I have a really hard toime listening to info that compares vegetarians to meat eaters and finds them similar or the same. as a quick anecdote, when I stopped meat (after a short stint after an entire adult life as an essential vagan) and wanted to stop grains (don’t not digest well, never have, and stopping gluten did not help at all in the long run) I had an opportunity to integrate raw goat milk, frsh from that day, into my diet. In one month I was noticably slower and retarded energy; 3 months of this and I was almost comatosed of any vital energy. And the last month I cut way back. It took a whole 3 more months to unload from that toxicity; ears draining, night sweats, lethargy, for 3 months. . . . on a diet of warmed/raw soups with high green content, algae as always(even during raw dairy) and miso. . . .THUS when I hera these studies that diferentiate between dairy eaters and meat eaters. . . I’m stunned than anyone is stunned the affects are the same in essence. Unless the study is of vegans. . . . doesn’t seem any point, or much, to me. . . . Shrug.One other important point, especially with all this talk of B12 deficiency and other deficiency concerns og vegans . . . .It’s is wholly possible and may even be . . . maybe not predominant but, a vegan can have a piss poor nutritionless diet of frensh fries, cookies, bread, pasta, candy, sugar etc ad nausium. I’d like to hear more chatter from vegans about core diet enhansemsnts and at least a bit less about all this suplimentation, or at least mention dark green leafies and algaes in tandum, and supliments as aid till you change your habits and test until you find a good dietary homeostasis. . . All the talk of corporate made pills and treated water bothers me ever so much, but even more chafing in the absense of diet solutions.. . .Really.Hi Dr. Greger! I’ve been taking MegaFood’s vegan b12 tablets and I am wondering if they are sufficient? I know that you recommend cobalamin and say that it can be found for as little as $2/year, but I have yet to find this (does anyone know where I can find this?). I stopped taking other vitamin b12 supplements because they had mannitol and other ingredients that I don’t want to consume. MegaFood’s b12 supplement comes from S. cerevisiae and I’m wondering if this yeast is another trusted source of vitamin b12? Thanks in advance for your help!I drink well water and add B12 to my green drink that I have each day. I speculate the I am getting the B12 I need.How do we explain the long-lived blue zone populations? From what I understand, they have only small amounts of animal foods in the diet, that I would think would not supply the recommended amounts of B12, yet they seem to live well into old age. The B12 amounts that they consume would tend to indicate that they would have blood vessel epithelial cell damage, but their longevity would suggest otherwise. Could there be some other cofactor involved to make this small amount of B12 sufficient? Thanks.JenVeg: I have some speculation on the matter – though no data to back it up. Note the following quote from a blog post on NutritionFacts.org:“Our herbivore primate cousins get all they need ingesting bugs, dirt, and feces, and we may once have gotten all we needed by drinking out of mountain streams or well water. But now we chlorinate our water supply to kill off any bugs. So we don’t get a lot of B12 in our water anymore, but we don’t get a lot of cholera either—that’s a good thing!”from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/25/vegan-b12-deficiency-putting-it-into-perspective/I’m thinking that those blue zone populations were getting thier B12 from non-chlorinated water and unwashed vegetables, etc. In other words, they were probably not just getting their b12 from the little bits of animal products that they ate. But having said that, you may also note that we only need tiny amounts of B12 each day to stay healthy. So, I’m not sure the underlying assumption behind your question is valid. Something to think about anyway.Here is the challenge with majority of B-12 supplementation and even B-9. Cheap synthetic versions -cyanocobalamin and Folic acid are actually harmful as they rob from the much needed methyl groups. The synthetics go through a 5 step methylation process to be converted to bioavailable form.In addition millions od Americans suffer from a genetic error MTHFR that drops out the methylation process leaving the toxic cyanide and unusable B-9 to be again sent to the liver and it is often stored there becoming potentially carcinogenic . The UK and most of the EU have banned these substancesB12 Patches: any value compared to oral, nasal gel, sprays, sublingual? I enquired of a company selling the transdermal (gimmick?) and they couldn’t point me to any scientific studies – just ‘10,000s of people worldwide are happy with’ the two forms they sell – hydroxy- and methyl cobalamin.Not sure about sprays and gels. The cheapest way to get B12 is shown here. Keep asking the companies that is always nice to have that communication.Wait, how do we measure the miniscule dosage from powder form where 1/32t is 80,000mcg? By my calculations per MG’s recommendation of 2,500 mcg per week that’s 32 weekly doses in a single 1/32 of a teaspoon. I’m thinking a toothpick might be the best “scoop” for such small measures (where accuracy is far from critical). So for now I just dumped some into my palm, dumped it back into the container and licked the residue off my hand. Wow, did some more math, to wit: this 50g package has enough for 384 years of weekly doses (if measured accurately). I suppose I should share.Here’s what I propose I do: add a filler to well-measured amount of the b12 I have such that the dosing can be more easily measured-by volume. Question, what is a good filler for such purpose. Thanks.My only intake of B12 comes from a toothpaste that has B12 added to it. Is this an efficient and sufficient way of getting B12? http://www.sante.de/en/produkte/zahnpflege/dental-med-zahncreme-vitamin-b12/Hi Danilo. I have never even heard of B12 toothpaste! I am unsure it’s reliability. Check out Dr. Greger’s Doctor’s Note under the video about the best way to get B12!Thanks for your comment, JosephDr. Greger touched on insect consumption as a source of B12. Early humans likely ate insects as a low risk, high reward, nutrient dense staple in their diets. The myth of early humans sitting around eating animal parts all the time needs correcting. Hunting larger game was a high risk, low reward/return in human energy expenditure endeavor; and injury prone on top of that with no medical facilities. So humans being what they are would most logically go for the low risk, high return on investment of time with respect to food sources, and avoid injuries at the same time. Now looking at insects, they are packed with calories, fat, and fiber (yummy exoskeletons, etc.; but ooooh gross, right? Hotdogs anyone?), fat soluble vitamins, and of course B vitamins including B12. I am amazed at the consumption of insects in early human history as being a continuing blindspot with the whole paleo crowd and confused vegans as to sources of nutrients. I’m sure by writing this I will get all sorts of funny comments back. So let the chiding commence!Surfer2u2015: If you haven’t seen it yet, I think you will be interested in this NutritionFacts video which talks about insects and generally supports your post: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/Not that I’ll be eating any. I’ll stick to plants.	anemia,b12,blood pressure,blood sugar,bone health,brain disease,brain health,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,China,cholesterol,cognition,depression,eggs,heart disease,heart health,homocysteine,hypertension,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,LDL cholesterol,meat,mental health,neuropathy,omnivores,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,stroke,supplements,triglycerides,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin B12	The cardiovascular benefits of plant-based diets may be severely undermined by vitamin B12 deficiency.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-best-way-to-get-b12/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neuropathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triglycerides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/homocysteine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16005009,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16286186,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21915169,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22948579,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16275507,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22493163,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17518696,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22412169,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22092891,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22659999,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17923509,
PLAIN-2663	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arteries-of-vegans-vs-runners/	Arteries of Vegans vs. Runners	We know from the work of Dr's Ornish and Essylstein that switching to a plant-based diet can reverse heart disease, open up arteries in some cases without drugs, without surgery, but because our first symptom of heart disease may be your last— sudden cardiac death—it's best not to wait until atherosclerosis progresses that far.To predict the risk of dying from a heart attack, sure we can measure risk factors such as cholesterol levels and blood pressure, but wouldn't it be nice to actually see what's going on inside our arteries before it's too late? Well our imaging technologies are so good that we can now, but the required dose of radiation delivered to your chest is so high that a young women getting just a single scan, for example, may increase her lifetime risk of breast cancer and lung cancer by between around 1 and 4%.Our carotid arteries, though, which connect our heart to our brain, come close enough to the surface in our necks that we visualize the arterial wall using harmless sound waves with ultrasound. OK, so how do the arteries of those eating plant-based diets compare to those eating the standard American diet before there's any problem? Researchers found some vegans and found out.Here's the standard American diet group. This is the thickness of the inner wall of their carotid arteries where the atherosclerotic plaque builds up, considered a predictor of all cause and cardiovascular mortality. That same inner layer was significantly slimmer in vegans, but so were the vegans themselves! Those eating the standard American diet were, on average, overweight with a BMI over 26 while the vegans were a trim 21—that's 36 pounds lighter.So maybe the only reason those eating meat, eggs, and dairy had thickened arterial walls was because they were overweight, maybe the diet per se had nothing to do with it. To solve the riddle one would have to find a group still eating the standard American diet but as slim as a vegan. To find a group that fit and trim, they had to use long-distance endurance athletes, who ate the same crappy American diet— but ran an average of 48 miles per week for 21 years. You run almost two marathons a week for 20 years you can be as slim as a vegan—no matter what you eat. So where do they fall on the graph? Both the vegans and the conventional diet group were sedentary—less than an hour of exercise a week.The endurance runners were here. So it appears if you run an average of about a thousand miles every year you can rival some couch potato vegans. Doesn’t mean you can’t do both, but it may be easier to just eat plants.	We need to do both. Ok maybe not 45 miles a week but exercise is so important for heart health. And maybe everyone isn’t going to set up a computer on a treadmill (ultimate multitasker) as Dr Greger has but Ornish, Essylstein, etc include exercise in their wellness programs.Your last sentence in this video makes it sound like we can do the easy think and skip exercise and we can’t.Also, the biggest thing missing from this study is a category of vegan runners and vegan couch potatoes. If the vegan runners beat out all other categories, it would be clean what the healthiest lifestyle is. My assumption is that vegan runners should be healthiest, but until they, “put it to the test”, we don’t know. My paleo friends will say to this video. Yes, but they didn’t compare grass fed meat eaters to vegans. Just SAD endurance runners. And Paleo (High exercising, fruit, veg, low grain, “quality” meat eaters) think (and probably are) much healthier than SAD eaters at any athletic level. We need some smoking gun studies that compare ALL variables.All great points. Other things to point out. People who run 45 miles per week don’t eat the SAD. They are generally very aware of the role food plays in performance.Dr Barnard out of UCLA who is associated with the Pritikin center includes exercise in his studies.Good points. I have to laugh at the Paleo crowd. I don’t understand why people who eat the “grassfed organic” SAD think they’re so much better off. It’s still SAD.Many Paleo people (friends of mine) are very close to plant based. High fruit and veg. low junk food, low processed food. Low refined carbs and sugar. Even low organic meat (% of calories). Some even promote whole grains and legumes. The main issue is that some Paleo people are still going for Ketosis (no carbs) and saying that is healthy long term. They have the challenge of proving its healthy long term. Grassfed Organic meat and low processed foods is far from Standard American Diet of fast food processed meat and packaged foods and lots of sugar.If vegans avoid all the unhealthy foods and exercise routinely, it stands to reason that they are living the “healthiest.” But if a longtime sick person-say morbidly obese for 50 years after eating omnivorously-begins to live a vegan life, he/she may still be sick and not very healthy for a great while.I think his point is that a lot of activity like distance running many days of the week for any years is not necessary to lose weight and clean arteries. The easier route would be to eat a plant based diet. I eat a mostly raw wholefood plant based diet and I am extremely active, so I support both. But a person can easily be healthy eating a wholefood plant based diet with minimal exercise. A wholefood plant based diet and walking can easily do it.Absolutely. I recommend daily walking for my patients. Dr Onish says eat well, love, decrease stress and exercise. All play a role in CV health.Good points. Dr. Greger has a treadmill desk, so we know he believes in exercise. It’s just that the positive effects of a plant-based diet are so powerful that the WFPB diet trumps exercise (but of course, not diet and exercise).Running may be good for the arteries and heart, but it’s “H-E-double toothpicks” on the knees and joints. I still get occasional knee pain more than 30 years after quitting my 16 years of a ten mile day run. Now days I use an elliptical trainer- not for distance, but for High Intensity Interval Training. three times a week. I also walk a few miles most days. I’ve also got a feeling that once the thickness in the arteries gets down to the healthy level that it is in vegans, getting it any lower won’t produce any additional health benefit.Running (and yes walking) actually increases the strength of the joints. But that being said, anyone who is mechanically challenged with poor hip, knee, or feet alignment should find another way to get that heart a pumping. I am sure you have seen the person who is bull legged (genu varum) running down the street. Ouch!“mechanically challenged” or, in come cases, “fat.”I think some of us should stick with biking, swimming and walking until we no longer have extra weight causing misalignment.10 miles per day! JImbo you are a stud!!!This is interesting.What about the high carb intake associated with a plant based diet? What does it do to people with insulin resistance?This question gets asked often but never answered. Why?“The effects of a low-fat, plant-based dietary intervention on body weight, metabolism, and insulin sensitivity”:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16164885http://www.pcrm.org/shop/byNealBarnard/dr-barnards-program-for-reversing-diabetesByron, this is a different discussion. Also see Neal Barnard’s “Preventing and reversing diabetes”- for type 2 diabetes, it is easily reversed with a plant-based diet, (WFPB). It’s better to treat the cause, not the symptom – that being too much intramyocellular fat which prevents the insulin from connecting up to the cell’s receptor, enabling the cell to use the broken down starch. When there is too much fat in the way it’s like trying to put a key in a lock filled with gum. No meat and dairy, less fat. It has nothing to do with eating less carbs.There are carbs and there are carbs. I am slim and trim with lots of energy. I lift weights, do aerobic exercise, and my daily carb intake is usually 350 gm. or higher. BUT I eat only WHOLE grains (not ground up into flour), nothing from a bag or box, all whole foods, lots of starches like potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, millet, beans, lentils. So my ‘carb’ food is full of fiber, nutrients. My fasting blood sugars are in the 75 range which is excellent.Dr. Greger, what is your opinion of the full body scanners at airports? How much radiation do we get from them?You might want to look at this letter from UCSF scientists:http://www.npr.org/assets/news/2010/05/17/concern.pdfThanks. This document has added to the fears I already had. And yet, all of us submit to this as otherwise they would not let us board.You have the right opt out of the scanner and get a pat down search. For more complete information:https://www.aclu.org/technology-and-liberty/know-your-rights-when-travelingThank you very much Robert. Will try opting out in the future.I request the free massage.I understand that it wasn’t -necessary- , but it would’ve been easy enough to include vegan runners, too. There must be plenty of them, & this article sure does make me curious re how well they’d do.I think the point is that exercise can not compensate a poor diet. Choose both and get the best from both worlds.Clearly diet and exercise are additive in health, but moderate exercise may be healthier than more intense running. Slow jogging (1-2.5 hours/week) or running up to 5 miles/wk seems to capture the longevity benefits, and running more then 20 miles/wk appears to lose most.I never caught the running bug, but hopefully get into the longevity sweet spot with hours of dog walking and salsa dancing weekly.I once ran from 1-20 miles a week and it did not help me that much to lose weight or even improve my health at all . It did not improve my cholesterol levels at all. Once i started (at my doctor’s suggestion) to bicycle everyday for at least an hour, my weight peeled off way below it had been for years, my LDL cholesterol went down and my HDL went from below 20 to now 77. The amount of exercise this article suggests doing was never helpful for me in the least. I continue to bicycle everyday for at least an hour (albeit at not too vigorous a pace) and I never get sick like I did before. All my blood word is better. My physicals are all fine. My BMI used to be 34.5 and now it is 21. I wonder if the deleterious effects these studies find are the result of persons doing a lot of exercise in order to “out train” a bad diet. That is why a whole foods Vegan diet is important. I have steadily improved my diet since losing the weight and as arteries are cleared, there is much less strain on the heart in response to exercise. Eating a lot of anti-oxidants can relieve the oxidative stress caused by exercise. I wish there was a study in which they compared Vegan ultra runners with ultra runners who ate a standard American diet- I bet the exercise would not harm the Vegans nearly as much.Not to mention, it’s easy to see how obsessive or extreme exercising might correlate to a high stress level or other heart-unhealthy factors.I don’t find riding my bike everyday raises my stress level at all. I find it very enjoyable. It actually lowers my stress level. The Paleo groupie Mark Sisson claimed that it raises stress level. Maybe if a person was doing something they didn’t enjoy or they were pushing themselves way beyond their limits could it be stressful. Also, a low carb diet does not support exercise and doing a lot of exercise on a low carb diet, as Mark Sisson is on DOES raise the stress level. Exercise has to be properly fueled and a low carb animal based diet does not adequately fuel it at all. Another thing I do differently is that I exercise for weight control, but watch my diet (eat as plant based as possible) for health. In other words, I eat healthfully, but don’t terribly restrict calorie intake that much. Many persons do diet for weight control (restrict calorie intake more than me) and do only enough exercise for health- which might be only 150 minutes a week as opposed to at least 420 minutes a week that is necessary for weight control.Here is an article which refutes the article you linked. http://www.runnersworld.com/health/too-much-running-myth-rises-again Of course, many times the linked article you linked is used as an argument by many reputable persons, and you are reputable. Here is the argument against that article,But here, from the actual abstract, is the part they never mention:Cox regression was used to quantify the association between running and mortality after adjusting for baseline age, sex, examination year, body mass index, current smoking, heavy alcohol drinking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, parental CVD, and levels of other physical activities.What this means is that they used statistical methods to effectively “equalize” everyone’s weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and so on. But this is absurd when you think about it. Why do we think running is good for health? In part because it plays a role in reducing weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and so on (for more details on how this distorts the results, including evidence from other studies on how these statistical tricks hide real health benefits from much higher amounts of running, see my earlier blog entry). They’re effectively saying, “If we ignore the known health benefits of greater amounts of aerobic exercise, then greater amounts of aerobic exercise don’t have any health benefits.”So possibly as I theorized, when a person has high cholesterol, when they run, they put lot more strain on the heart as if they had lower amounts of plaque on the arteries.Excellent quote from your above link.“To reiterate, I’m not flipping to the other extreme and arguing that there’s no point of the diminishing returns for exercise, or even that there’s no possibility of heart damage associated with extreme ultraendurance exercise. These are open and legitimate questions. But this scaremongering about relatively modest amounts of exercise in favor of “hunter-gatherer” exercise is silly. We can speculate all we want about “potential” risks and benefits, but the real-world epidemiology is crystal-clear: if you exercise for an hour a day, you’re likely to live longer than if you exercise less than an hour a day.”The video suggests running more than 20 miles per week can result in weight loss. Surely if one loses a lot of weight by doing a high dose of exercise, one would not lose but rather gain a longevity benefit. Adding a plant based diet magnifies the benefit even more.The commentary you linked says, 30–50 min/day. That is anywhere from 3 to 6 miles a day. (depending on day) That is well above 20 miles per week on the higher end of time.Darryl since you are about the smartest guy I know and you probably have this info tucked into that large brain of yours I have a question. So my endocrinologist said she is finding elevated estrogen levels in men that eat a lot of soy. But I thought that was pretty much an urban myth. However if she is actually finding that clinically there is some credence. My teenage son drinks soy lattes.What are your thoughts? I see her next week and want to have an informed conversation.One of my patients also sees her and that is how I found out she told him to stay clear of soy. (Tofu etc)I have seen nothing in the scientific literature to support that fact. I have seen reports where the amount of steroid binding globulin is increased on a low fat plant based diet which means there would be less “free” estrogen and testosterone in the blood stream. Helps explain the benefits of a whole plant food non oil diet for patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Of course everything is relative… is a soy latte better than a dairy latte… no contest there. Given the amount of estrogen in dairy products see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/ I would be more concerned with getting my patients off dairy than worrying about soy. You might suggest that your endocrinologist review the videos and literature on nutritionfacts.org and see what s/he thinks.I recently started (again) eating more arugula, spinach and cabbage and noticed some libido enhancements – they say they remove some of the estrogens in the blood giving testosterone more effect. It also helps the endothelium by opening the arteries from the nitrates in the plants. Soy was bashed by the dairy industries so there is a lot of incorrect feelings towards soy although Dr. McDougall does mention IGF.Might as well go with almond milk over soy.Many sources say tofu or any fermented soy is OK or at least better than regular soy. But I don’t have a link.(Teenagers drinking coffee, oy vey!)Oy vey is right! I pick my food battles. Gummy bears drive me nuts.See: Interaction of estrogenic chemicals and phytoestrogens with estrogen receptor β Soy isoflavone genistein has about 4% of 17β-estradiol’s affinity for estrogen receptor α, responsible for estrogen’s feminizing effects, and 87% of its affinity for ERβ, which acts as a tumor suppressor. The other major soy isoflavone, daidzein, has much lower affinities.So yes, genistein in soy can mimic the effect of estrogen on ERα at high doses. Normally men and post-menopausal women have 0.05-0.20 μM 17β-estradiol, so serum increases of 1.25-5.0 μM of genestein would be required to double their current ERα induction. This study found ingesting 90 mg of soy isoflavones daily for 12 weeks increased serum genestein by 0.18 μM, so perhaps around 625 mg of soy isoflavones would be required to match the lower end of 17β-estradiol ERα induction in males.For comparison, the total isoflavone content in mg in 100 g of some soy foods: tempeh 60.61 edamame 48.95 tofu 30.41 soymilk 10.73It seem to equal the ERα induction of 0.05 μM 17β-estradiol, one would need to eat 1030 g (2.3 lbs) tempeh, 1275 g (2.7 lbs) edamane, 2055 g (4.5 lbs) tofu, or 5.8 kg (1.5 gallons) of soymilk.Thank you Darryl. I knew you would clear this up for me. I will pass this on.Even though your response was not posted, I did get to see it before. Here is something which basically says what I suspected. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-20/men-over-40-should-think-twice-before-running-triathlons.html It is that intense, prolonged exercise is not that advisable for persons who have plaque build up in their arteries. In this case, I would just do enough to barely push oneself, but not too hard. Middle aged men are often more at risk from doing high intensity, high volume exercise, because in Middle age, many men have greater plaque buildup than they had when they were younger. Therefore, that is why they find more heart scarring in middle aged athletes than younger ones. With plaque build up, the heart would probably have to work much harder to pump the blood, and therefore scarring would much more likely occur with too much strain. There probably would be higher mortality rates for persons with plaque buildup in their arteries who do a lot of exercise over those who do more moderate. When they control for high cholesterol, that means that the vigorous exercisers would have just as much plaque build up as the more moderate exercisers. Therefore the moderate exercisers come out ahead. I bet there is little harm to persons who have little to no plaque buildup to doing a lot of exercise, or more than 20 miles a week if running. There even could be an extra benefit. The Vegan diet (along with B12 supplementation) can reduce plaque build up in one’s arteries and make a higher dose of exercise much safer to do.I love salsa and other partners dancing! Sure it is good for the body, but it is great for the soul! You can get vegan dance shoes (ballroom, ballet, etc.), too. Just be sure to pack ear plugs when you go salsa dancing, they always play the music way too loudly. So tempting to by a sound meter (dosimeter).As they say, you can’t outrun a poor diet!I think this does show that a person can sometimes “outrun” a poor diet and lose weight. However, one doesn’t get the optimal health results from doing this- however the runners had better arteries than the controls. Jim Fixx is an example of someone who lost a lot of weight by running but died of a heart attack, presumably because he didn’t improve his diet as well.Plants and exercise = win.We routinely and serially scan the arteries of all patients in our practice; unfortunately, I have only recently begun promoting a strictly plant-based diet, and thus can’t provide anything more than a couple of anecdotal data points, which are not really worth very much.In addition, virtually everyone who has come in for a first visit is consuming meat, eggs, dairy, fish, and thus it’s impossible in our practice to have a control group (at least at baseline). That is why the studies that Dr G. cites here are so valuable.As to exercise, I feel something is missing if I do not do a workout daily. Me? I like 45-60 minutes on an exercise bike, alternating moderate aerobic CV with high-intensity spikes to get my heart rate up (to 160 or so). I feel that exercise + plant diet + psychological approaches = the best of all worlds for CV prevention.From human evolution, we were probably once much more physically active in small tribal societies of our origins than we are now….The one problem is “making” time for exercise when you are exhausted, tired, sick, busy or stressed out. It is a matter of priorities, but if things get really intense and busy, exercise is the first thing to be sacrificed. Following that, meditation goes. Further to that, reading is discarded. But that is a really crappy day, and only happens about once per week. Doug Lisle makes the great point that we should really be exercising for about an hour each and every day, not 3 days per week, not 5 days per week, but 7 days per week, just as we did when we were early hominids.One thing you have to overcome as a vegan — all the garbage food they serve you at work. The only way is to your bring your own. Does anyone else have any tips on transportable vegan foods with a vengeance?I guess I’m lucky that no one serves me any food at work ;) so I always bring my own. I’ve never had any issues transporting whatever yesterday’s dinner leftovers were. Certainly an extensive pyrex collection is key to success. I like the quart size bowls, and I like to “layer” my foods: layer of pilaf, layer of hummus, layer of “meat”balls, etc all in the same bowl. I also like to take a whole quart of leafy greens (I like the uber cheap pre-washed pre-cut bagged kind) or frozen stir fry veggies and microwave steam them. I cut down on weight (I walk/bike) by bringing the veggies/greens in tupperware and then steaming them in a glass bowl with glass lid that I keep at work (I think the brand is “anchor bay”). Sometimes I mix the veggies/greens in with the rest of the food if it’s saucy enough, or I eat the veggies by themselves with some nutritional yeast or lemon and pepper. Plus I usually bring a couple fruits.I don’t know if that helps, hopefully there’s something useful in there. :)That is very helpful indeed. I eat all of those things (except rice pilaf, but I eat other grains – eg whole wheat orzo pasta).I am curious as to why you avoid plastic tupperware … is there any evidence beyond bisphenol A that ingredients in the plastic lining or walls or lids have harmful health effects, or is it all overblown? (I bet Darryl knows the literature on this). I have heard that many plastics contain endocrine disrupters. I don’t exclusively own glass though. It’s more expensive and as you said, very heavy to carry.One of the culprits in plastics that you allude to are the endocrine disrupters (e.g. phthalates). They have been banned in Europe along with other chemicals… see the book Exposed for much more on that story. I bike commuted for years and always used glass containers. True they weigh more but not that much more. The only food I tended to avoid were soups… never figured out a good way to transport liquids without some spillage. Aerobics are a key component of fitness as is strength, flexibility, stability and balance… some would add relaxation as well. I think the jury is still out on the effects of alot of intense activity. As far as promoting a plant based diet I found one resources especially valuable… The Vegetarian Starter Kit and Nutrition for Kids booklets… both are PCRM products and available for free down load off their website. I found as I practiced I was able to use my own experience and the success of my other patients as stories or therapeutic metaphors to encourage others. The interesting fact, for me at least, is that even though I had known many of my patients for over twenty years I was often surprised at who would adopt essentially a plant based diet. I also found it helpful to use each patients goals and beliefs as the basis for my recommendations. Good luck.Thanks Don. This is very helpful. I was meaning to ask you what resources you used. Dr G. referred me to the PCRM website and I got a 100 copies of the VSK printed off (in black and white, as it saved me about $500 over colorized version) … don’t have pediatric patients, so I don’t need to worry about those (and my patients tend to be much older and their kids are grown up).I am curious as to your statements – “the success of my other patients as stories or therapeutic metaphors to encourage others” and “helpful to use each patients goals and beliefs as the basis for my recommendations”.I am sure these things are best modelled and can’t be conveyed easily over the web, even as concrete examples. So much fits with the domain and the situation you are dealing with and relates to basic “people skills” (rather than preaching). I believe a lot of this is called “motivational interviewing” and nurses and other allied health professionals typically are better equipped to do this sort of counseling than doctors. However, I practice alone and do not have the benefit of a nurse, SW, or nutritionist. Hence I am constantly haranguing people like yourself and Dr Greger for practice tips….I bought a box of glass tuberware at Costco for a great price.Sure, most fruits are highly transportable, bring a few pounds of them to work and it should carry you between breakfast and dinner.DH: I share the same problem! Where I work, people are always bringing in (accidentally) vegan donuts and chips etc. I find it very hard to resist and have been loosing the battle (of resisting) more every year.One thing that I do think helps me is to bring about 3 types of raw, easy fruits or veggies to work every day. The very first thing I do in the morning is put the fruits and veggies on the desk right between me and the monitor. All day long then, I can reach for the sugar snap peas or the apple or the cherry tomatoes or the banana or bell peppers (I eat them like an apple) or the green beans, etc. It’s RIGHT THERE.What I mean by “easy” is that these are foods that I like and will eat without any preparation. I’m far more likely to stick to something if I don’t have to chop or peel first. I’ve been doing this for about 7? years now. Prior to that, I probably ate one serving of fruits or veggies every couple of days – if that. I was terrible. So, now I’m eating several serving of fruits and veggies every work day–not counting the normal vegan dishes I prepare for meals. It is a big improvement.I find that having the fruits and veggies doesn’t stop me from craving the donuts when people bring them into the office, but my theory is that the good stuff keeps me from eating as much of the bad stuff as I would otherwise.This isn’t much different than what other people have already suggested. I just supplied some details to the idea. Good luck.Thanks Thea, that is most helpful. My problem is not snacking, but rather the main meals that are served at work (particularly in committee meetings and in the cafeteria). They are virtually never vegan, and what vegan part there is, consists entirely of crudite. What sort of meals are you whipping up to bring with you to work for lunch?DH: I know what you mean about this too. I don’t often get fed meals, but when we have say a retirement party during lunch, the agency does provide a meal. And sometimes we have group potlucks. In both cases, the food is atrocious. I usually end up bringing my own meal. Judging by the envious way people eye my food, it is clear that my food is way better than what everyone else is eating. Plus, I end up being a role model. Here are my tips for you.My approach to lunch is to make a dish or two over the weekend when I have time to relax and make them. I then divide the food into lunch containers so that all I have to do each morning is grab a my lunch from the fridge. I found that the brand “Anchor”? makes the same bottomed Pyrex bowls, but their lids are spill proof. That lid gives you a lot of options for what to bring/make. I last saw this brand at Target.I make something different each week for variety. Sometimes I make up a dish, but usually I follow a recipe. Categories of lunch foods include: hearty stews, chilies, burritos, enchiladas, casseroles of a bazillion types, “burgers”, and the dishes that Jeff Novick has on his Fast Food DVD series. Sometimes I take my favorite “bowl” ingredients (a grain such as quinoa or barley or brown rice pasta, broccoli, mushrooms, beans and onion) and then add whatever sauce/dip/dressing sounds good (see examples below) or I want to experiment with. This is really fast since I can buy broccoli and mushrooms pre-prepped. All I have to do is zap them in the microwave. The onion can similarly be zapped in the microwave instead of sauteing. The grains are easy enough to cook one way or another (try quinoa in a rice cooker. Comes out perfect every time!), but if that’s too much, you can now get grains pre-cooked from packages in stores.I have over 70 vegan cookbooks now and have been able to find some really great options. A few of the books particularly stand out as having recipes that a) appeal to me, b) are pretty healthy, c) aren’t too hard to make. If you have a pressure cooker, I highly recommend Lorna Sass’s book, Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure. It’s really a vegan book and the Chickpea and Onion stew (with or without putting over quinoa) is a must-try! It is one of the few dishes that I have made more than once.Regardless of where you get your recipes, most dishes tend to have a tablespoon or two of oil – especially for sauteing. I take lots of shortcuts when cooking – including liberally using the microwave. I find that I can completely skip the oil and the recipe does not suffer for it. The point is: You are not stuck only using oil-free recipes/cookbooks. (Another option for sauteing is to water-saute. But that takes a bit of skill/practice and still requires the work of standing over a stove. I don’t bother.)The other two books that I get a lot out of are: Vegan on the Cheap and Let Them Eat Vegan. I rate each recipe that I try with the following scale: yuck, ok, good and great. To get a “good” status, the food has to be truly enjoyable/something I look forward to eating. Here are some of the recipes that got a rating of either “good” or “great” (just to give you some recommendations to get you started or ideas to start you off making your own food):Vegan on the Cheap ************************ Cheezee Sauce (made with soy milk instead of nuts – so lower-calories) Easy Peanut Sauce (with the Peanut Noodle Salad or your own bowl) Handy Hummus Southwestern Black Bean and Corn Chowder (more like a corn-y thick chili) Bean and Barley Salad with Creamy Dijon Dressing Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Cashews and Kidney Beans White Bean and Barley “Risotto” with Kale and Tempeh Barbeque Black Bean and Tofu Burritos Mu Shu Burritos Tortilla Strata Deconstructed Enchilada Bake Mexican Rice and Bean Bake Cacciatore Noodle Bake Savory Vegetable Cobbler (works great with whole wheat flour instead of white for the topping) Rice Island CasseroleLet Them Eat Vegan ************************ Smoky Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad No-Fu Loaf (best next day with the rosemary gravy) Chickpea and Artichoke “Bliss in a Dish” (I use sweet potatos instead of the plain. And Trader Joes sells the frozen artichoke hearts. One bag = perfect for the recipe) Creamy Barley Risotto with Thyme and Star Anise (I use powdered anise and just cook it all for a long time in my pressure cooker instead of the traditional method. I also add cooked mushroom. This is definitely one of my favorite dishes.) Festive Chickpea Tart (especially good for Thanksgiving) Mushroom Pecan Burgers, Take II Too-Good-to-be-Tofu Burgers KD Dip Artichoke and White Bean Dip Creamy Curried Almond Dressing (or dip or sauce) Rosemary Gravy Wonder Bean Puree (to go with a “bowl”)And that’s just some of what I’ve tried so far. I haven’t tried them all. (And not all recipes that I did try rated a “good” or better.)The sausage patties and pepperoni in Vegan On The Cheap are not exactly whole foods, but they are the best vegan “meats” I have had anywhere. And they are so easy to make. And they don’t have some of the ingredients I REALLY try to stay away from with the processed/purchased store varieties.. I once made my own vegan pizza using the pepperoni from Vegan On the Cheap and then other pizza ideas from Heart Healthy Pizza. I took my pizza to a potluck, and it was gobbled up. These “meats” can be great additions to some dishes as long as they are not eaten too frequently.That’s all I have for now. I sure hope this helps too.That is very helpful. I follow the same approach as you. About every 6-7 days I make up a huge batch recipe for lunches then just parcel it out. But this is when I eat from home. If I eat at work, the food quality drops considerably, as the food served there is garbage…. obviously I need to start porting my food in.My mother says that 6-7 days is far too long to keep anything in the fridge, but I do not find this is so. Especially if you separate the cooked pasta or any grain you are using into its own separate container, and then add it to a serving each day. Otherwise, pasta will become mush. I find soup lasts the longest of all foods that I can cook. I made a winter minestrone which took forever to get the ingredients and make it, but it was worth it. It lasted 7 days although I skipped a day in the middle.I too have a number of vegetarian cookbooks. One of my favorites is Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Vegetarian Cookbook. While not all the dishes are vegan, and her panels on health advice are worse than useless (she is anti-soy), her recipes are typically excellent. My prioritization for recipes is that they must contain sufficient quantities of protein (at least 10 g per serving), and minimize net carbs / processed carbs – typically 30-35 g of net carbs at most per serving, but I have been thinking of relaxing this latter requirement. I am also not afraid to use a little salt (1/2 tsp) or a little olive oil (up to 1 tsp) in a recipe, but bear in mind this is split 6 to 7 ways for 6 to 7 days. So it ends up being very little salt or oil. I would be happy to drop these ingredients to see if there is any difference in taste/palatability as an experiment.Thanks for sharing all that.DH: Thanks for the reply.Concerning your mother’s thoughts on the food and fridge: That just hasn’t been my experience. I find that almost all my dishes keep a good week – some even improve over at least a day’s wait.I’ll have to check out that book you recommend. (I’m addicted to cookbooks now.)For what it’s worth, and everyone’s tastes are different, here is what I believe to be the best recipes in that book:Roasted Red Pepper Minestrone Soup Mexican Pepper and Black Chickpea “Stoup” Tofu, Broccoli and Mushroom Fajitas Taco Night Lemon Orzo with Edamame, Orange Peppers and Cherry Tomatoes The Soup-er Cleanse“The Eat-Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook” (by Tosca Reno). What I also like is that there seems to be a picture on every page, together with nutritional information. I find the pictures motivating and they help with screening which recipes are most appealing.Thank you for the tip and reassurance that a week in the refridgerator is worth a lifetime of less cooking hassles.DH: I’ve been meaning to follow up on this topic. I saw a newscast the other day about food safety. The reporter was saying that food should immediately refrigerated and then eaten within 3-4 days. But the report was specifically talking about “Christmas dinner” followed by words and pictures that included turkey and other meats.This news report led me to think that your mom may be on to something there! But only as applies to meat (and maybe dairy and egg?) dishes.This is one more reason to appreciate being a plant-based eater. And either way, it always feels better when we can say that mom was right, even if only partially. :-)I would say 7 days is the outside limit in the refridgerator for anything that’s been cooked, depending of course on what it is and how cold you run your fridge. One thing that helps is draining all liquid out of dishes (unless it’s a soup, obviously), and repeatedly transferring cold leftovers over time to successively smaller tupperware so that the ratio of air to cooked food stays as low as possible (air oxidizes food).I once nearly ate some leftovers which I was consuming daily for 9 days that emitted a very strong garbage smell and gladly I spat out everything immediately. So at least for tofu/broccoli/bell pepper stir-fry, we know that 9 days is probably too long.It seems to me that soup keeps longer than other types of cooked food, and that anything with lemon on it tends to keep a fair while.Personally, as a martial art practitioner (2.5 years and keep going) i suggest to all readers to evaluate the possibility to study Tai Chi, Kung fu, or other martial arts… i think it is a really great way to train mind and soul…Combine this news with Michael Klaper’s report added to YouTube yesterday by Jeff Nelson titled “Are Failed Vegans Addicts?” where Klaper claims that “meat withdrawal” can cause depression… I’m a somewhat startled vegan. Now Dr Greger says that simply not having enough b12 can make our arteries as a bad as meat eaters. Hmm. Maybe there should be a more rigorous protocol for those of us switching to vegan diet. I certainly found Dr Greger’s list of supplements to take and I do take B12.. but how do I know if they are working or not. Maybe blood testing should be a part of this? Maybe working with a certified vegan nutritionist should be part of this? Anyway. I will keep my nose to the grindstone trying to perfect my diet.The study also shows that the vegans were ‘raw’ (although they ate nuts/seeds which aren’t raw) ate 42.8% fat including olive oil! Even though it was lower in saturated fat. And Jeff Novick pointed out that most vegans don’t eat this healthy as far as unprocessed, saturated fat, raw, etc.When I was on LCHF I saw dramatic remission of my markers of metabolic syndrome, including incredible reduction in A1c (down to 0.047). There is definitely something to the carb hypothesis of disease causation. I don’t recommend it, for obvious reasons, but I do not think we should dismiss the dysglycemic effects of high free carb intake even in thin people.I was going to ask you — if all other variables are equal — what is worse, saturated fat or dietary cholesterol? Eggs have little saturated fat but very high amounts of cholesterol. Coconut oil has no cholesterol but very high amounts of saturated fat. Which is worse?I believe that for the population at large, the saturated fat is worse, as dietary saturated fat independent of dietary cholesterol will increase serum cholesterol and cause inflammation, while dietary cholesterol is inefficiently absorbed in those who already have high serum cholesterol. However,modest amounts of cholesterol added to a cholesterol-free diet would be expected to most efficiently elevate serum cholesterolSo eggs, which are a mild risk in the context of a high-fat Western diet, would constituted a greater risk for those eating a Ornish / Esseltyn / McDougall-type cholesterol-free very low fat diet, likely preventing them from achieving the heart attack proof zone of under 150 mg/dL total cholesterol, achieved through dietary means, found in the Framingham study.That is so helpful. But wouldn’t that suggest that lacto-ovo-vegetarians or pesco-vegetarians (since fish contains cholesterol) would have outcomes at least as bad as omnivores, if not worse? From Adventist Health Study-II and other studies, it appears that they actually have as good an outcome as vegans, even a little better. I guess it could be residual confounding, but I find it hard to square away.Not to belabor you in any way, but I was wondering if you had any comment on what I wrote about glycemia and carbs –“When I was on LCHF I saw dramatic remission of my markers of metabolic syndrome, including incredible reduction in A1c (down to 0.047). There is definitely something to the carb hypothesis of disease causation. I don’t recommend it, for obvious reasons, but I do not think we should dismiss the dysglycemic effects of high free carb intake even in thin people.”Dear doctor your video’s are very informative but what do you think about Dr. William Davis, according to him wheat is meat. We all even need to become carnivores instead of vegans if I understand him well.Excellent post Darryl! You may find it funny to know that because your posts include so many links, I am constantly bailing you out of the “spam” folder on the Disqus Moderation so that your posts can be viewed by all!I was pretty sure you, Thea and other mods were rescuing my “this guy needs a blog” posts. Thanks.I neglected to mention above that before Barnard, before McDougall, before Pritikin, the rather eccentric Dr. Walter Kempner had been treating diabetics with a diet of rice and fruit since 1939, with results on reversal of diabetic retinopathy reported in 1958. Thankfully, the use of whips has fallen out of favor in lifestyle medicine.Toxins: It never occurred to me to look in the spam area. I have all the posts sent to my e-mail box and rarely look at the admin screen. I’m glad you are on top of this!Wow Thea, that’s a messy way of dealing with moderating. That’s a lot of emails! It seems to work for you though.Toxins, re: “messy” That’s such a surprising response to me. I could easily believe that I have missed features in the Discus site, but the last time I looked, it wasn’t very user-friendly and was completely lacking in what I consider basic features for efficiency.In the e-mail system, I quickly make decisions on the vast majority of e-mails to either delete or reply. In the rare cases where I want to give it some thought or a longer reply than I have time for I leave the e-mail in the in-box as “read”.The benefits of this system are: 1) I touch the vast majority of posts exactly once. 2) I never have to remember where I am in my reviews of the posts. 3) (except for the 2 posters whom I no longer bother to read most of the time), I read every single post without missing any/no one falls through the cracks.4) I can quickly find the handful of random posts that I still need to respond to without any extra work/memory on my part.It would be nice to combine the features that I get from e-mail with some of the nice things in Discus’s site, but the features I get with e-mail outweigh anything offered on Discus (that I could see) in terms of basic management of all those posts.The drawback of my system is exactly what you said – a whole lot of emails! I can’t ever take a vacation from being on the team or the e-mails would get overwhelming. I’ve known this for a while. So, I may end up giving up my system and live with the inefficiencies of working through Discus/living with missing out on some posts and looking at others multiple times. But in terms of evaluating the pros and cons, I consider my system the very opposite of messy. :-)I meant to add: I’m glad we each do things different ways, because we seem to be better covered that way. If you hadn’t been carefully using the Discus site, we might have missed Darryl’s great posts!Check out what this Australian couple did: http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/married-couple-from-australia-ran-marathon-every-day-in-2013-010214Daryl: Can I put your entire comment on my website? In March 2003 I tried to join the obese teens vs McDonalds lawsuit. Dr Barnard, the expert witness, said it was the saturated fat in the meat that caused obesity in the plaintiffs. I told Judge Sweet it’s not the saturated fat causing obesity, it’s the overabundance of high glycemic carbs in the Big Mac and in “value meals.” Only Judge Sweet listened to me. I needed all these references to make Dr Barnard hear me.Dr. Barnard’s take appears largely correct: it is primarily the saturated fats, and not the carbs, that initiate to process of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, though there’s also been a lot of attention placed on added fructose in recent years.Our bodies seems to tolerate 10-15% dietary fats (2-4% saturated) pretty well (the Paleocene diet). Its when we get to the typical 29-37% range with 10-15% saturated fats that metabolic syndrome becomes endemic. High glycemic carbs alone don’t initiate the process, and societies that eat high-glycemic starch diets with low fat (& fructose) have low diabetes incidence.That McDonald’s happy meal is by calories 39% fat, 14% saturated fat, and 6% fructose. The 36% starch is in my opinion the most innocuous thing about it.Dr Barnard has it right, saturated fats cause insulin resistance. In his affidavit he said “the saturated fat in the burger meat caused obesity.” He was probably simplifying, who would think a pharmacist trying to land a nutrition job would tell the judge he was saying it wrong? We can handle more fat if it’s Vegan monounsaturated and omega 3.Which of those 22 studies would you suggest reading in order for us layfolks to better understand how sat fats, not carbs, initiate the progression of IR? I’m still trying to get a handle on that one.YesDarryl,Do all saturated fats trigger the same deleterious results you discuss above? How do sat fats from plants compare to those from animals?Could you talk a bit more about the process by which protein, especially animal protein, elicits an insulin response? Why does animal protein do so more than plant protein?It would definitely be interesting to see a study comparing various health parameters–like carotid artery thickness–of vegans who exercise at various levels. We could see what impact exercise has, if any, whether significant differences are found among groups of plant-based eaters with different exercise levels, and what minimum amount is needed to make those differences. I would expect that some significant differences would be found (in weight, for instance) but I wonder about carotid artery thickness specifically? Dr. Greger, or anyone else who’s familiar with the literature, do you know of such a study?If I remember correctly back in the ’70 a runner wrote a book saying running is the be all end all for health.. He had a massive heart attack and died on the side of the roadHi, I would like to get your opinion on internasal light theraphy. Thank You.Too much long-term, high-endurance exercise seems to be detrimental to our arterial health, causing hardening and calcification of arteries. Watch this informative TED Talk on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6U728AZnV0&app=desktopWhat I’m curious about is if runners like this with clean, low-fat blood suffer from the same outcome. The mechanical heart failures? Probably. But the calcification and plaque? I doubt it. These weren’t necessarily low-fat athletes, so I can imagine why increased blood flow of fatty blood would increase plaque buildup, but the mechanical failures of the heart later in life bother me a bit. I’d be willing to bet that vegan marathoners don’t have the save plaque buildup, but the mechanical bit is interesting.Also, see this post (especially his points 5 & 6) by Jeff Novick https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=43482	beef,blood pressure,body fat,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cholesterol,dairy,eggs,exercise,fat,fish,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,LDL cholesterol,low-fat diets,meat,mortality,obesity,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,seafood,standard American diet,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss	The carotid arteries of those eating plant-based diets appear healthier than even those just as slim (long-distance endurance athletes who’ve run an average of 50,000 miles).	Did I say heart disease reversal? If you didn’t know there was a way to treat heart disease without getting your chest cracked open then my blog Heart Disease: There Is a Cure is a good place to start.More on the radiation risks associated with diagnostic procedures in Cancer Risk From CT Scan Radiation and Do Dental X-Rays Cause Brain Tumors?Carotid artery wall thickness is what was measured in the study I profiled in Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis.Another comparison between athletes and plant-eaters can be found in Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? It compares cancer-fighting abilities with a similar result. See the “prequel” video, though, so you know what test they’re talking about: Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay. For weight loss, diet also provides more control: Diet vs. Exercise for Weight Loss.None of this is to disparage exercise, which is critical for a variety of important reasons, immunity (Preserving Immune Function in Athletes With Nutritional Yeast), breast health (Exercise & Breast Cancer), and brain protection (Reversing Cognitive Decline). So diet and exercise, not or exercise. My physical activity comes from walking while I work: Standing Up for Your Health.Not all studies have shown vegans have superior arterial form and function, though. Find out why in my next video Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16005009,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16286186,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21915169,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22948579,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16275507,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22493163,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17518696,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21310315,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22412169,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22092891,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22659999,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17923509,
PLAIN-2664	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/	Antioxidant Rich Foods With Every Meal	The postprandial state is a pro-oxidant state, meaning that after each meal free radicals are produced as your body assimilates the food, and so you can't just have that bowl of berries in the morning to meet your minimum daily antioxidant needs and call it a day. Each and every meal should contain high antioxidant foods, which, if you remember, means plants. Antioxidant rich foods originate from the plant kingdom. This is due to the thousands of different natural antioxidant compounds natural found in plant foods.For example, consuming fruits, which are high in phenolic phytonutrients, increases the antioxidant capacity of the blood, and when they are consumed with the standard American diet high fat and refined carbohydrate ‘pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory’ meals, they may help counterbalance their negative effects. Given the content and availability of fat and sugars in the Western diet, regular consumption of phenolic-rich foods, particularly in conjunction with meals, appears to be a prudent strategy to maintain oxidative balance and health.And of all fruits, berries may be the best source. So for example here's the spike in oxidation caused by a Mediterranean meal of pasta, tomato sauce, olive oil, and fried fish. Obviously not enough tomatoes. Add a glass of red wine, which contains berry phytonutrients from grapes, and we can bring down the level of oxidation, but not blunt it completely. So the meal needs even more plants.In this study they gave people standard breakfast items, resulting in lots of oxidized cholesterol in their blood stream 1,2,3,4,5,6 hours after the meal. But all it took was a cup of strawberries with that same breakfast to at least keep the meal from contributing to further oxidation. Note though, without the strawberries, look where you'll be at lunchtime. Let's say you ate a standard American breakfast at 6 am, then 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 o’clock, noon. If we didn’t eat that cup of strawberries with breakfast, by the time lunch rolls around we'd already be starting out in the a hyper-oxidized state and could just make things worse. Since western eating patterns include eating multiple meals a day, including snacks, one can only speculate on the level of biological unrest.But, at least if you had some berries for breakfast you're starting out at baseline for lunch. This acute protection is likely due to the antioxidant effects of the strawberry phytonutrients.Even better than baseline, how about your meal actually improving our antioxidant status? Here's measuring the antioxidant level of one's bloodstream after a crappy meal, it drops, using up your antioxidant stores, but eat a big bunch of red grapes with the meal and the antioxidant level of our bloodstream goes up, your body is in positive antioxidant balance for a few hours. Same thing after enough blueberries. And imagine if in these ensuing hours before your next meal you were sipping green tea, or hibiscus? You’d have this nice antioxidant surplus all day long.What, according to the researchers, are the practical implications? These data provide an interesting perspective for advising individuals on food choice when consuming a moderate- to high-fat meal is unavoidable. Unavoidable? So what, if you're like locked in a fast food joint or something? Well, then they suggest chasing whatever you’re forced to eat with some berries. Reminds me of those studies on smokers I talked about suggesting whose who smoke should eat lots of kale and broccoli to reduce the oxidative damage to their DNA. Uh, they could also, just not smoke.In a single day, the systemic stress of all the fat in your blood and redox imbalance (being in a mild pro-oxidant state after meals) may seem trivial. Over time, however, these daily insults can lead to complicated atherosclerosis, contributing to the hundreds of thousands of deaths a year.	Off-topic, Dr Greger, but is there any data to suggest that what we feed our children can cause malignancy later on in their adult lives? I understand that childhood is the critical time for pro vs anti-cancer nutrition, but I have been unable to find the evidence….. Thanks for your help.i think that you got to look out in the field of nutrigenomics/epigenetics… IMHO probably the maternal environment could play a key role to avoid possible genotoxic effect on the baby… want to write more, but out of time… best regards…Some diets may prevent malignancy later in life. The benefit of soy phytoestrogens in breast cancer prevention may be limited to consumption during puberty and just before. There’s a brief discussion in “5. Timing is Everything” of this Nature editorial and in this Cornell brief.That’s very helpful. Thank you very much.True to Merio and Darryl. DH: in some aspect of health, we learn from study video within this website that cancer/tumor is one of the disease that accumulative within our aging. if someone gets cancer detection now it means the cancer have been growing “rapidly” (because of bad life style and diet so the body failed to fight back effectively the cancer) started from 5-10 years ago.Dr. Fuhrman talks a lot about this and has an entire book that draws together the evidence linking childhood diet to cancer and other health problems in adulthood. http://www.drfuhrman.com/ask/archives/2005_10.aspxIt seems like many of us should be growing berries and leafy greens, because they are expensive in stores and they last longer on the bush than when picked. Many leafy greens are weeds that were originally brought here as nutritious vegetables, such as dandelion, garlic mustard, sow thistle, plantain leaf, shot weed (cress) and burnet salad. Nutritionists when checking them almost always find them more nutritious than store bought vegetables. Easy to grow? They are weeds! People are trying to kill them. John S PDX ORJohn S, ever heard of the “dollar weed” or pennywort??? A pervasive “weed” here in Florida…I ADORE it …it is totally edible and quite beneficial as long as it hasn’t been sprayed with herbicides! I love it when they grow alongside of my arugula! EAT the WEEDS , folks!I recently saw your video on milk negating the antioxidant value of berries down to zero. Does your research still validate this view? If so, how much time must pass between drinking milk or soy milk and eating berries to get the full benefit of both? Is it also true for the other milks such as almond milk?See pages S78-80 (“Matrix effects”) of this review of berry ﬂavonoids and phenolics. Some studies have shown reduced absorption with milk, others no effect. Its suggested that milk has a greater impact with moderate flavonoid food than with high flavonoid extracts used in research. Not mentioned is this paper, which found addition of cream delayed, but did not reduce, absorption of strawberry flavonoids.It appears no research has been done with non-almond polyphenols and almond milk.Great information, except I would add that the strawberries be organically grown since most commercial strawberry growers in the USA can spray with methyl bromide, chloropicrin, and Telone (1,3-D), which have their own pro-oxidative consequences metabolically, especially in the liver and the immune system.One other aspect that ought to be considered with regard to this information is the effect(s) of genetically modified crops in the diet, even though they are plants, have on the human organism, since GMO crops are sprayed with inordinate amounts of the chemical glyphosate. Please see this http://www.enveurope.com/content/24/1/24 Shouldn’t we be eating LESS chemically-laden plant foods than more, if we want to maintain optimum health, longer-lasting telomeres, and less pro-oxidative stress?Thanks for the info….Actually, it seems we’re far more likely to develop cancer from micronutrient deficiencies in vitamins niacin, B6, B12, C, E and especially folate, and minerals iron, zinc, and selenium, than from dietary pesticide exposure (synthetic, organic or the 99.9% intrinsic to plants).The benefit from organic agriculture appears to be less from consumer safety than reduced energy inputs and improved soil quality.So you’d recommend against organic for the time being, as minimization of “less toxic chemical applications” cannot be guaranteed? Or am I mistaking the overall implication? Certainly non-organic is far cheaper!I just wanted to counter Catherine’s statement that non-organic vegetables are harmful. A lack of organic options (not everyone lives near a health food store) is not a good reason to avoid eating plenty of vegetables, as the health benefits of conventional produce still far outweigh any risks. I largely agree with Christie Wilcox on the comparative merits (1, 2). Sustainable, low-chemical input agriculture is possible and desirable, but the marketing category “organic” will never be as informative as meeting your local farmer..Any thoughts on this recent study of heavy metals found in brewed tea? http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jt/2013/370460/I love the antioxidants, but I’ve been long-brewing (at both cold and hot temps) my tea for years. Now I wonder if I need to curb my tea habit (or at least change my brewing time). No info on how much metal leeches into cold-brewed tea.The main concern would appear to be manganese (1, 2, 3, 4).I am more concerned about the high levels of lead and aluminum.I was asking more about the personal cost-benefit analysis of consuming organic produce – do you think the benefits of improved health actually exceed the steep costs of organic produce (in Canada, it seems the organic produce is incredibly expensive, perhaps because most of it is imported from down south). Looking forward to your comments…Personally, no. Recognized nutrient content is similar, and antioxidant phenol content is increased through insect herbivory and abiotic stresses, which would make the produce unmarketable. The insect bitten leaf from a home garden may be the healthiest. As noted in links in my response above, its no longer so clear that higher applications of less effective/selective natural source pest and weed control compounds are safer than current “soft” (quickly degraded) synthetics. As for GMOs, I largely agree with former anti-GMO activist and current climate journalist Mark Lynas.I was not at all aware that synthetic pesticides/herbicides/fungicides/insecticides were quickly biodegradable.I was however aware that there are many native carcinogens and pesticides found in plants; hence I have always been skeptical about organic agribusiness claims of “chemical-free” agriculture.On balance, from what you’ve written, it does not make much sense to purchase organic produce, even for vegans who consume an extremely large amount of produce.Crop protection chemicals (whether synthetic or natural sourced) are all toxic, but ones in current use don’t persist in the environment and food chain like the the “Dirty Dozen” or “Nasty Nine”, now banned under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. For example, imidan and glyphosate (Roundup) spontaneously degrade in water and soil. The harm that was done during the era of persistent organic pollutant pesticides is exemplified by their continued presence, even in organically grown crops (1, 2, 3)Darryl:Have you seen this NutritionFacts.org video?:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/During 2 weeks of eating organic, the pesticides in the kid’s urine dropped off dramatically. Of course, one could argue that the pesticides normally found in the kid’s urine are no problem. But I can’t imagine how it would be harmless.The EPA decision on chlorpyrifos (the predominant organophosphate found in that study). • occupational exposure is a concern, with high doses overstimulating the nervous system causing nausea, dizziness and confusion • dietary exposures are lower than 0.01% of the lowest adverse effect chronic dose level seen in animal studies. And from this review • its not carcinogenic • it doesn’t bioaccumulate (note its disappearance from urine in the video) • human neurodevelopmental outcomes in agricultural areas did not correlate with urinary metabolite levels.Compare that to currently approved organic pesticides: pyrethins, which are carcinogens, or rotenone, which is linked to Parkinson’s in farm workers. We have to wash our organically grown veggies, too.Mind, I’m not saying use of organophosphates like chlorpyrifos or pesticides approved for organic agriculture is a good thing (I’d much rather see integrated pest management, companion planting, etc.). Only that (as with a lot of hazards), innumerate fear and marketing language (“all-natural”, “organic” etc) isn’t the best basis for making decisions.Darryl: All good points. I believe I understand what you are saying and agree to a point. I certainly “fear” eggs far more than I would fear a conventionally grown say mellon. However, I wouldn’t dismiss your first bullet. For me, that’s important too.Also, while I think I understand your point, I think that going organic is likely to give overall advantages. In other words, I would guess that stacking up a random sampling of organic produce against a random sampling of “conventional” produce would show the organic to be less toxic over all. I don’t know that. I just believe it.So for me, buying organic when I can does this: 1) sends a message to the capitalists that I care about food safety and the environment (regardless of whether they have actually made it safer by growing organic or not)–hopefully leading to better decisions by those people in the future, 2) helped the farmers who actually work with my food, 3) possibly helped my health.That’s really the best I can do at this point in my life. I’m not interested in being a farmer myself or lobbying or grilling local farmers, etc.Thanks for your thoughts.I’m already concerned about tea because it’s high fluoride content may be slowly poisoning me and interfering with iodine absorption and utilization. Thanks for posting the final nail.white tea is low in flourideSeems to me that much of this topic is still speculative. Most of the results come from measuring antioxidant effects in a piece of laboratory equipment, a machine rather then the effects in the human body. It could be that antioxidants have no real effect in the human body, or if they do, it’s because of other properties they have other than being antioxidant. Just the same, I find myself eating lots of berries, beans, greens, mushrooms, garlic, onions, broccoli, yams, apples and other vegetables and fruits.All the conflicting dietary advicde from different people with different points of view can get very confusing! What is your reacttion to those who claim that fruits and vegetables should not be combined at the same meal beczause it imp[edes digestion and absorbtionsHello Dr. Greger, I love your videos, educational and funny! I am wondering about antioxidant rich foods, you mentioned berries like strawberries and blueberries are very high in antioxidants. But I was wondering about the pesticide load on them, from all I know strawberries are sprayed with hundreds of chemicals and I suppose the same goes for blueberries. Buying organic is out of the question for me, considering the price of the berries. I used to pick blackberries and freeze them for the winter, will do that again. Those are never sprayed on, they are actual a bad weed around here. Thanks again for all the info you are giving us! PetraPetra: I think I know where you live! Northwest America? That’s where I live and blackberries are considered a weed here. (And they are in the sense of how they grow and take over.)As for your question: Dr. Greger has a great blog post where he puts pesticide consumption into perspective. : “A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.”from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/I translate this bit of info into: Eat organic when you can, but don’t stress about it when you can’t.Happily, there is a way to take this advice a step further to minimize your risks without completely depleting the pocketbook. Every year, the Environmental Working Group actually measures pesticide levels in fruits and veggies–after those fruits and veggies have been prepared in the way people would normally eat them. (For example, peeling a banana or washing first.) If you scroll down on the following page, you will see a list for the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean Fifteen”.http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.phpI bring your attention to these lists because I think they are very helpful for people who can’t afford to eat organic for everything. You could use these lists to help you decide when it is worth putting down money for organic and when it might be safer to buy non-organic.One more thought for you: I would say that eating in the season is a good idea. So if you want to eat berries year-round (also a good idea), I personally would eat frozen berries rather than the fresh that is available in the middle of winter. Why? Because it is my understanding that frozen berries are picked when they are grown naturally and still have most of their nutrients and then are flash frozen, retaining those nutrients. Fresh this time of year I would think would have to travel long distances…I hope this helps!Grading food just by antioxidant content is reductionism and may be misleading. Onion, garlic and flax – not high on the charts, especially when accounted for their serving size, are nevertheless healthy.Red Tea. How does Rooibos tea stack up with the others for antioxidant benefit? It’s my favorite!Great question, I wondered the same thing myself. This is the perfect video for us: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/Red tea appears to be top-tier for anti-oxidants but the best one is pretty surprising and I’ve never tried it (yet!) myself.Here are more videos on red tea if the first video didn’t completely satisfy your thirst: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-tea/What foods in an excellent plant-based whole foods diet delivery the highest oxidative stress load? And I mean for those of us who don’t use oils.Ok, add some amla to green tea and then you’ll get that great taste you get when you drink commercial brand like “honest T”. I swear that’s what they add anyway. All they say for ingredients is “natural flavor to balance acidity.” For the green tea steep it in warm water… like 130 degrees farenheight. Wait about 10 minutes and squeeze the heck out of the tea bags. Use stevia with the amla and ice it.i am regularily stuck in a plane – since 24 years…so it is easy not to get the right food, especially if you are a vegan. i will drink hibiscus tea now, because green tea i can only drink after my break.Hi I take jp capsules which have high antioxidents in them. Do they count?is there a list of the top antioxidant foods. say the top 20?I wonder can we make use of frozen berries? Do the preserve all the antioxidants?Any idea as to what the best time to eat the antioxidant rich foods is? As in is it better to enjoy a nice salad before a meal filled with antioxidant rich greens and veggies or better to go European style and have your salad after your meal? Better to have a bowl of berries as an appetizer or better as a dessert? Maybe it doesn’t matter at all, just whatever scenario your more likely to actually do.. I have begun recommending this to my clients. I tell them to do whatever they like, as long as they actually do it. I do suggest that if eaten before, some healthy greens or berries may result in them eating less of the “main course” which may be a less than ideally health promoting food. Also, why limit oneself? Why not both? Have a nice green salad, a light meal, then a dessert of berries! Sip some cold-brewed iced Hibiscus or green tea with lemon along with that meal and you get a gold star!Great videos and websites. Maybe you can talk about menu suggestions/recipes in future videos. I cannot wait to try the breakfast Berry smoothie.I find that meal options are difficult at first when moving towards a vegan lifestyle. Also suggestion on foods that keep full longer would be great.Thanks!Thanks for reposting your question, Ahmed. There are many sample meal plans I can recommend. Here is a great video explaining the work of Kaiser Permanente – the largest U.S. managed care organization that publishes patient education materials. Kaiser has established a very healthful meal plan that could help on your journey. Let’s see if other members can offer some suggestions? Dr. Greger has a video on chocolate shakes and pumpkin pie. I also find the Vegetarian Resource Group helpful for folks like you who are looking for more plant-based options, as well as the Physicians Committee providing thousands of recipes! Hope that give you a jump start!Best, JosephI have heard some very promising results, by clinical cancer physicians using “High doses of intravenous Vitamin V for cancer treatment.Would it be possible for Dr. Michael Greger to research this important line of medical field and maybe add a video on the treatment of Vitamin C for cancer patients?Its it true or False that high doses of Vitamin C help in the prevention and treatment of cancer?I have heard some very promising results, by clinical cancer physicians using “High doses of intravenous Vitamin C for cancer treatment.Would it be possible for Dr. Michael Greger to research this important line of medical field and maybe add a video on the treatment of Vitamin C for cancer patients?Its it true or False that high doses of Vitamin C help in the prevention and treatment of cancer?	animal fat,antioxidants,berries,beverages,blueberries,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,DNA damage,fast food,fat,fish,fruit,grapes,green tea,heart disease,heart health,herbal tea,hibiscus tea,inflammation,Mediterranean diet,mortality,oils,olive oil,oxidative stress,phenolics,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,processed foods,red wine,seafood,smoking,standard American diet,strawberries,sugar,tea,tomatoes,vegans,vegetarians,wine	To stay out of oxidative debt we need to take in more antioxidants than we use up.	Here’s that kale video: Smoking Versus Kale Juice. You can also get DNA Protection from Broccoli.What do antioxidants have to do with heart disease? See The Power of NO.I strive to eat berries every day and so should everyone else. See Best Berries for the best fresh and Better Than Goji Berries for the best dried. If you’re still not convinced check out the amazing findings in Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer and Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer. Are organic berries preferable? See Cancer Fighting Berries.Instead of hibiscus you can sip whole cranberries. See Pink Juice with Green Foam. If you are going to do wine, red is preferable (Breast Cancer Risk: Red Wine vs. White Wine).This is the third of a 3-part video series on practical tips to achieve optimum “redox” (free radical versus antioxidant) balance. In Minimum Recommended Daily Allowance of Antioxidants I tried to explain the why and how much and in How to Reach the Antioxidant RDA I got into the nitty gritty of meal planning and described how just reaching the minimum may not be sufficient.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phenolics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15186133,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17536129,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/222498,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841576/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9667503,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17384340,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20955646,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10946914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20595645,
PLAIN-2665	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/	How to Reach the Antioxidant "RDA"	-	I did some quick calculation and it comes down to this. Eat cookie, eat 5 blueberriesis there an online source where you can see a list or use a calculator to work out our own personal diets. This video is excellent but to make this really useful we need to apply it. In particular, trying to get family members to eat healthier by showing them the lack of antioxidants in their dietBrilliant video, this series has such potential to help your everyday man make sense of it all. A simple target and a way to see how easy it is to miss it through uniformed decisions.Hi Bob, Under Doctors notes Dr Greger has videos linked that talk about the highest antioxidants.Thanks veganrunner. I was thinking more of a whole list of all food types, not just a video summary of some foods. i guess what would be amazing is if food packaging had antioxident content on it. e.g spinach raw 100g – 100 units, cooked 50 units. In a way I’m surprised the vegetable industry hasn’t tried to do this – it would really make people think more about nutrition beyond fibre and vitamin CHi Bob, There is a list. I am on iPhone or I would link you. Go to that video then open research of the foods tested. All foods listed and compared.If you don’t find it I will be on computer later in the day.This should help.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841576/bin/1475-2891-9-3-S1.PDFAmazing, thank you!This list, which I printed in it’s entirety, is not much help. A conversion formula is needed between the unit of measure used in the report, the 8,000 minimum needed-what unit is used here? and then trying to figure out how much in a serving amount. Impossible for us non-academic types! Any help would be appreciated.Personally I think it is enough to make the healthiest choices rather than keep daily totals. With the most recent videos I think that is the message for breakfast lunch and dinner then have teas throughout the day.But I understand if that isn’t enough for you.http://www.oracvalues.com/sort/orac-valuethanks brandon, it’s quite tempting to copy all this data into an excel spreadsheet. Viola, homemade antioxidant calculatorHi Bob! I would recommend you get your antioxidant levels scanned before you change your diet. With a baseline score, you can rescan a few months later to see if your score has increased. I use a scanner to measure my intake and I have close to reach my zenith, meaning I have just about saturated my antioxidant receptors in my body. I no longer get colds, infections etc since my immune system is so high! Even though diet is an important factor in increasing your antioxidant levels, good supplements that WORKS is just as important to maximize your levels. Good luck with your changes, you are headed in the right direction for sure!!How do you have your antioxident levels scanned? is this a blood test? How accurate is it and how much do you pay?There are scanners all over the US and Canada. It measures antioxidants on a molecular level so it is very accurate. Scans run about $20 – $25 and takes about 90 seconds to complete. It simply scans the palm of your hand with a LED light. I would be happy to connect you with a scanner operator, I just want to respect this blog and not endorse the company here. You can contact me directly if you like more info at kjell@springeramerica.comNote, reflection spectroscopy detects skin carotenoid concentration, not overall antioxidant levels. Here’s a paper using the technology Kjell describes:Maeter, H., et al. “Case study: in vivo stress diagnostics by spectroscopic determination of the cutaneous carotenoid antioxidant concentration in midwives depending on shift work.” Laser Physics Letters 10.10 (2013): 105701.The scanner I am referring to uses Raman Spectroscopy which measures the Carotenoid Molecules in your skin. Reflection spectroscopy takes a”snapshot” image of the orange color in your skin which is the dominant color of the caretoniods. So there is a difference between the two. Carotenoids are now an accepted biomarker for all antioxidant families. But both scanning methods will give you a quick, non invasive measurement of your AO levels. Here is some whitepaper info on the Raman Spectroscopy one: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/97182049/2.01LesterPackerAndTheScanner.pdfvery interesting stuff. although i guess if you eat a lot of carrots and not much else it could skew the results?HI Bob! Even though carrots are good for you, it is more complex than that! There is something called “The Antioxidant Network” which contains of the following: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, CoQ10, Selenium, Gluthathione, and Alphalipoic Acid. All of these components are required for your AO levels to increase. And more importantly, the enemy of the antioxidant are the free radicals. Avoiding FRs are just as important and some examples are smoking (the worst one, One cigarette contains about 10-12 Quadrillion free radicals, pesticides, stress, Xrays, pollution etc. As Dr Greger also mention, just getting through the day with normal body functions, we also produce free radicals, so it is critical to compensate with proper amount of antioxidants.Hey Dr. Greger, Any thoughts on Juice Plus powder concentrates? My guess is this might be a good idea for those who eat the SAD, but any information on whether it would be additionally helpful for one eating plant based. One of there claims is to reduce oxidative stress. Thanks in advance.See the videos: Juice Plus+® Supplements Update on Juice Plus+®You can get too much of a good thing.Could too many antioxidants somehow ramp up the immune system and trigger autoimmune issues? Certain things that elevate immune system have been known to be a no-no for folks with autoimmune diseases.Actually many, and perhaps most, plant compounds that are in vitro antioxidants inhibit nuclear factor-κB, a master regulator of inflammation (including that of auto-immune diseases). Google the natural product compounds in table 1, and you’ll find they’re ubitquitous in plant foods, especially high-“antioxidant” ones.What happens when humans fast, maybe a few days without food…..no antioxidants coming in yet still having exposure to free-radicals (pollution, air particles, etc.)? Does the body have its own ability to regulate this sort of stuff? In the absence of food?The vast majority of the free radicals your body are exposed to are created in normal metabolism, though they are increased in inflammatory states. They’re used to fight infection (and in autoimmune disorders, illusory infection), intracellular signalling, and a few leak out from mitochondria, the energy transforming organelles. Your body will stop producing free radicals sometime after its dead, and living in a hermetically sealed bubble would have a negligible effect on reducing exposure.Organisms have had to deal with mopping up the consequences of their own chemistry for billions of years, so there are endogenous mechanisms to regulate free radical levels and inflammation. Which have been mostly good enough to get our ancestors through their fertile years, but not much further. Many plant compounds that act as antioxidants in test tubes appear to modulate endogenous antioxidant, inflammatory, and repair responses, but probably not through their direct antioxidant activity.Thanks.OK. But so I understand this correctly, what about if a Buddhist Monk (i know some) goes a couple weeks fasting in Bangkok, Thailand, home to some of the worst air pollution on earth. He walks the city streets during the day, sleeps in bedroom with screens letting in the filth of the city’s exhaust…..yet he has absolutely no ingestion of antioxidants coming in. He is also creating some free radicals in his daily walks. This isn’t a hypothetical situation, it is actually occurring throughout the year. With many people. I don’t know what the theory says, and maybe you explained it in your last post and I’m not able to figure it out, but wouldn’t he (they) be exposed to a fair amount of free radicals in today’s day and age of living in a questionably toxic-city? And having zero-antioxidants coming in. Maybe you answered this above, I don’t know, but does the human body have its own mechanism in place (regardless of food ingestion) to combat free radicals? Thanks for making any sense of this.Air pollution can have awful effects, especially to the lungs, but only some of that is due to free radicals. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons intercalate between DNA base pairs, causing copying errors. NOx compounds react to become nitric acid in lung mucus. And yes, during the breakdown of ozone to oxygen some radicals can attack proteins & lipids in the lung endothelium. These can overwhelm local endogenous antioxidant capacity. As endogenous antioxidant capacity (in the form of reduced glutathione, uric acid, and enzymes like superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxiredoxins, thioredoxins etc) are orders of magnitude more potent than ingested direct antioxidants, air pollution would also overwhelm any ingested direct antioxidants.The neat thing about many plant compounds is that they can upregulate production of endogenous antioxidants, sometimes by a few fold. Unfortunately, plant ORAC score (the numbers you’ll note in this video) is a poor measure of this mechanism. For example, the broccoli compound sulforaphane is exceptionally potent at inducing endogenous antioxidant responses, but broccoli itself is barely in the top 200 foods ranked by ORAC.I think I get it now….when you mention endogenous antioxidants, you are referring to that which is already in us (not from food sources). I just assumed that the human body was entirely dependent on the human making a choice to eat certain foods, but it seems we have this innate (endogenous) system in us already that produces antioxidants. Thanks.Was trying to do the math but figured it might be quicker just to ask. Anyone know how a cup of green tea and/or hibiscus tea stacks up using the above scale? Seems like he is using a different scale in this video versus others.Alas, ORAC assays say next to nothing about how polyphenols function in living systems. For that, we’d need composite measures of bioavailability and potency of the compounds and their metabolites in inducing endogenous antioxidant responses, because their absorption and in vivo direct antioxidant activity are negligible. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6At best, ORAC appears to offer a very rough proxy for polyphenol content.Does it make sense to speak of a “sweet spot” for the concentration of endogenous antioxidant enzymes as well as inflammation modulating compounds? To your knowledge, has anyone tried to define what that sweet spot would be, even coarsely?Probably.At the extremes, mice deficient in Nrf2 (and with limited endogenous antioxidant capacity) develop normally but are highly susceptible to oxidative stress, while constituative Nrf2 activation (full antioxidant response, all the time) is lethal. Some reactive oxygen species are required in normal signalling. Eg this review details the role of ROS in muscle adaptation to exercise, while page F of this one concerns the role of ROS in insulin sensitivity and preventing metabolic syndrome. A good discussion of the sort of balancing act between conflicting goals you may be thinking about is offered in part 5 of this excellent paper.Likewise, some inflammation is necessary. NADPH oxidase, an important superoxide generating enzyme in inflammation, is implicated in seemingly every chronic disease, but those born with defective versions, or chronic granulomatous disease, suffer recurrent infections, and once all died in childhood. Likewise, potent anti-inflammatory TNF inhibitorsand IL-1 inhibitors, prescribed for inflammatory auto-immune disorders, all increase the risk of severe infections.I am replying to my deleted question here to provide a context for Darryl’s response below. The original question was something like:Do you think that there is a ‘sweet spot’ in the cellular concentration of Nrf2 inducers as well as anti-inflammatory inducers?Does it matter when you eat your antioxidants?I’m not sure this is a huge concern, since my diet overwhelmingly is made up of fruits, veggies (real ones, not iceberg lettuce), nuts/seeds, legumes, & whole grains. I also drink a good bit of green tea throughout the day. I’m curious though because I’ve gotten into the habit of making a smoothie before bed which includes hibiscus & amla powder. A lot of these videos on antioxidants talk about how you start your mornings at an antioxidant high and work your way back down, if you don’t mediate the decline with antioxidant-rich foods. If that’s the case, is it better to load up on antioxidants when you first wake up, or is your body able to absorb a huge antioxidant load (as is found in an amla/hibiscus combo) at any time of day? I’m concerned that I’m wasting all of that antioxidant power by loading up on them before bed, especially if they’re not really all that necessary during sleeping hours.Hi Richard, somewhere in the vast database here Dr. G covered that one with some data showing that it IS better to “smoothie” out your intake throughout the day. I keep a glass of cold-brew green tea going and top it up all day long (and night). I believe I can actually feel the difference just adding green tea makes. You might try searching the alphabet menu to the left.Once again I am moved to say THANKS! I need to come back here regularly else I start to veer off course. BTW/ what are “little red beans?”. I’m heading out to Binn Inn and thought I might get some strange looks asking for LRBs, heh.This is an amazingly informative video and discussion. I’m not sure who Darryl is, a Nutritionfacts staffer or simply a forum member, but your contributions are exceptional. Like a previous poster I enjoy a daily smoothie (Nutriblast) packed with pretty much everything Dr. G has featured including amla. I did some research into triphala since it is an even more amazing antioxidant than amla alone. Taking the heavy metal concerns into account I went ahead and switched to triphala after reading the quality control statement of a particular company in which they specifically address the issues of heavy metals and pesticides. Unless they are commiting out and out fraud I am satisfied that the benefits outweigh the risks.I try to eat healthy – I avoid meat, fish, eggs, dairy, poultry etc. I limit my consumption of sugar, aim for as little salt as possible in cooking, use very little oil in cooking, consume only plant-based products. I take a reasonably small number of supplements to buttress this vegan diet. However, beyond that, I rarely get intense about “health foods”. Certainly I don’t go out of my way to consume large portions of fruit, given that I have a tendency towards metabolic syndrome. I am concerned that the pursuit of anti-oxidant rich foods misses the point about eating whole, healthy diets with abundant food variation. It misses the point on how poor the SAD is. It may just be icing on the cake after converting to a no junk food plant-based diet. And it’s largely based on in vitro (level 5) evidence. I think in getting the public to clean up their (dietary) act, we need to focus our resources and efforts wisely.Can you offer all theses videos in print instead as an option? I’m never in a place I can listen but I can always read.Just a tip, at work I use my ‘ear buds’ on my computer when I want to hear something non-work related. Just plug them into the tiny hole on the side with the tiny picture of headphones engraved in it. Or watch these quick little videos on your cell phone using the same ear buds, hope that helpsThere is a ‘Transcript’ option under each video which provides exactly what you are looking for.In the black bar to the right of each video you’ll see View Transcript, Sources Cited, Acknowledgments, and Topics. Click on View Transcript to see a transcript of the text of the video by a volunteer transcriber. This will not contain the visuals, so you may need to read along with the video (volume low or off), stopping the video from time to time to check between the two. I am much more oriented to reading rather than listening, so almost always go to the transcript (not necessarily first) for best comprehension.Do you have a URL to a good list of fruit and veggie antioxidant contents? I would like to keep one handy and also to learnveganrunner posted a link with all the values, look through the comments.Dr. Greger, I was wondering if you would be kind to tell me what software you use for making these videos – especially the flip-flopping of charts and stuff. I am a student and have to make a presentation and would like to use similar graphics. Thanks. I love your website and youtube channel and have told family and friends about it. Thanks.I will let Dr. Greger correct me if necessary but I believe he uses Keynote.Dr. Forrester: Thanks for posting this! I’ve been wanting to know the answer to this question too.Hi Thea, Happy Holidays. Dr. Greger has been advocating that I switch to Keynote from PowerPoint in my presentations. Who knows maybe next year will be the year. Thanks Michael!Dr. Forrester: I think Dr. Greger might be on to something. I love PowerPoint, but can’t imagine doing what Dr. Greger does in PowerPoint without spending a huge amount of time – if it could all be done at all.I just checked into Keynote. If I understood correct, according to Wikipedia, Keynote is for Apple/iOS software only. That leaves me out. Bummer.Yes Keynote is an Apple product. I have Apple computers but use Powerpoint… my former employer had a Microsoft system. You can purchase software for Macs that allows for PowerPoint but sometimes certain things get lost in translation when going back and forth. If you do presentations you might be interested in the book, PresentationZen. It has led me to dramatically change my public presentations. As they point out fancy technology and lots of details doesn’t always make for good presentations.Thanks for the book tip!The foods that have been shown in scientific studies to prevent cancer, heart disease, stroke, brain diseases, bone diseases, kidney diseases, immune diseases, and diabetes the best in real populations of real people have very low ORAC antioxidant scores compared to the foods that Dr. Greger always recommends, which tend to have extremely high ORAC antioxidant scores.This confirms what the vast majority of nutritionists say about ORAC antioxidant scores: We should not rely on ORAC antioxidant scores as the main criterion for selecting our foods. Although the ability of our foods to inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one important facet of a healthy diet, there are a dozen other important considerations that we must factor in when trying to optimize our food selections.For example, the foods that can lower our blood levels of estrogens (such as ground flaxseeds, nori, and foods made from soybeans) have been shown to prevent the killer diseases much more effectively in real populations of real people than the foods that inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species most effectively.Other examples: The foods that contain organosulfur compounds (such as garlic and onions) have been shown to prevent the killer diseases much more effectively in real populations of real people than the foods that inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species most effectively.Other examples: The foods that contain glucosinolates and myrosinase (such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, red radishes, giant white turnips, and mustard seeds) have been shown to prevent the killer diseases much more effectively in real populations of real people than the foods that inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species most effectively.Other examples: The foods that contain marine omega-3 fatty acids (such as wild sockeye salmon, wild pink salmon, and oysters) have been shown to prevent the killer diseases in real populations of real people much more effectively than the foods that inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species most effectively.Other examples: The foods that contain the most dietary fiber may have very low ORAC antioxidant scores but have been shown in real populations of real people to prevent the killer diseases much more effectively than the foods that inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species most effectively.Other ideas: Foods that inhibit the formation of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) [nitrosation-causing], reactive carbonyl species (RCS) [carbonylation-causing], and reactive sulfur species (RSS) [thiolation-causing] may be just as important to our health as Dr. Greger’s favorite foods, which tend to inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species [oxidation-causing] most effectively.Other ideas: Foods that increase our muscle mass and bone density because they contain phytosteroids (such as fenugreek seeds and forskolin from Coleus forskolii).Conclusion: Dr. Greger makes the mistake of selecting purple-colored fruits and vegetables (because they have high ORAC antioxidant scores) instead of many foods that have very low ORAC antioxidant scores but have been shown in real populations of real people to prevent the killer diseases and help us to live longer much more effectively. [Purple-colored plants are rich in anthocyanins, which are non-tannin polyphenols which usually – but not always – come together in our foods with tannins, which are the most powerful antioxidants in the human diet].Another idea: People who regularly eat pork (worst), poultry, or beef have been shown to have shorter life expectancies than people who don’t eat those foods. However, people who regularly eat cheese tend to live just slightly longer than people who don’t eat cheese. This is incredible because cheese is high in artery-clogging saturated fat and also aluminum, which like iron, copper, and manganese, is a pro-oxidant. People who regularly drink high-fat milk tend to shorten their life expectancies, although not as severely as meat eaters. People who drink low-fat milk tend not to increase or decrease their life expectancies. People who drink fermented milk or yogurt tend to live even longer than cheese eaters: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3573184/This indicates that fermented foods can be beneficial, even though they have very low ORAC antioxidant scores. Natto, the delicious, fermented, whole soybean food from Japan, doesn’t cause flatulence, is rich in the 3 soy isoflavones, is rich in other soy phytonutrients, and is 20 times higher in vitamin K2/MK-7 plus vitamin K2/MK-8 than cheese. In the case of teas, however, it’s healthier to drink unfermented teas instead of fermented teas.Another idea: Mushrooms have extremely low ORAC antioxidant scores but people who regularly eat mushrooms tend to live much longer than people who don’t eat mushrooms: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19048616As for green tea, the big picture is that Dr. Greger is correct that green tea is extremely healthy for us to drink: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16968850However, drinking 8 or more cups of green tea per day has been shown to greatly increase nitrosation, which is the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines and/or the formation of reactive nitrogen species (RNS): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10518007 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19123468Also, drinking green tea will partly block our ability to absorb folate (and folic acid) into our bloodstream. This means that pregnant mothers should avoid drinking green tea during the first trimester and especially during the first month of pregnancy: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21068474 [However, pregnant mothers should greatly increase their consumption of green vegetables and marine omega-3s throughout their entire pregnancies].Also, people who suffer from acid reflux disease (GERD) might want to completely avoid or greatly minimize their green tea drinking: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3179841/Dr. Greger’s favorite tea, hibiscus tea, is a very risky choice because hibiscus tea contains powerful tannins which might or might not irritate our throat lining and increase our risk of developing oral, laryngeal, pharyngeal, esophageal, and gastric cardia cancers even more strongly than the less powerful tannins in green tea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocatechuic_acidYou are the best! Thanks!Thanks!!! I only eat a vegan phytonutrient diet, and I know that some vegetables/fruits are more powerful than others, but I didn’t know the magnitude of the difference. And, I didn’t know that what you chose could MAKE that difference. I’m now thoroughly motivated to eat blueberries, not oatmeal.Try blueberries in your oatmeal (with a sprinkling of ground flax).What is “one serving” of blueberries? I always find it hard to understand what people are talking about when they say “serving”–I’d rather deal in something like grams. I know that even then the quality of a particular item may vary from time to time, but at least we’re being precise with the amount.I’ve always been in some puzzlement over servings, too; but I believe a serving is generally half a cup or the equivalent, such as a small whole fruit: a small apple, peach; a medium? or large? plum — whatever would fill a half cup measurement when peeled, cored, pitted, etc. When it comes to things like chopped fresh greens (lettuce, kale) a serving is a whole cup; which, if cooked would equal about a half cup. When it comes to things normally eaten cooked, like rice (3/4 C cooked) and beans (1/2 C cooked), the dry (precooked) serving size is whatever amount will make the cooked serving size. Then there’s oatmeal – which usually says 1/2 C dry, which makes a whole cup cooked (with 1 C water or other liquid). As to fruit, the volume measurement’s weight would depend on the weight of the particular crop, or piece, of fruit, largely how much water it contains, I suppose. And, for that matter, a soft fruit, like ripe figs, can be squished into that half cup, whereas, say, cherries would not be so easy to squish (unless pitted), or cranberries, and one might prefer that one’s blueberries remain fairly whole until eaten, rather than squished. So, it would be difficult to be truly precise. :-) And, is it necessary to be truly precise? –But yes, it helps to know what is meant. … Then, I’ve read in several places that our stomachs’ capacities are about one quart. That would seem to limit a meal to four cups of food. Except that if we chew thoroughly and therefore eat more slowly, some food is surely going out as more goes in, so we can clearly eat more than that at a sitting (holiday stuffings). What do others out there say?	antioxidants,apples,bananas,beans,beef,berries,beverages,blueberries,carrots,chicken,cucumbers,dates,dietary guidelines,fish,fruit,green tea,ham,herbal tea,hibiscus tea,kidney beans,lettuce,meat,oregano,oxidative stress,peaches,peas,pork,poultry,seafood,sleep,smoking,spices,standard American diet,tea,tobacco,turkey,vegetables,watermelon	Even nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day may not reach the minimum recommended intake of antioxidants if one doesn’t make the right choices.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/watermelon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cucumbers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oregano/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15186133,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17536129,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/222498,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9667503,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17384340,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20955646,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10946914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20595645,
PLAIN-2666	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/	Minimum "Recommended Daily Allowance" of Antioxidants	Glucose is the primary fuel of the human body, that's what starches are broken down into. Our body takes glucose in our diet and the oxygen we breathe in and makes energy to power our bodies, water, and carbon dioxide that we breathe out. Plants then take the water and CO2 and make oxygen and organic compounds like glucose and the cycle continues in this circle of life. That’s what carbohydrate means, basically hydrated carbon--carbon and water, which is what plants use to make carbs with, and all that’s left after we burn them for energy in our muscles and brain, but this process of oxidizing glucose to make energy is messy, and generates free radicals, such that if we chug down straight sugar water the level of oxidation in our bloodstream goes up over the next few hours. Why would our bodies evolve to have a negative reaction to our primary fuel? Because over the millions of years we evolved, there was no such thing as sugar water—all sugars and starches came pre-packaged with what? Anti-oxidants. In nature sugar always comes with phytonutrients.If you drink the same amount of sugar in the form of orange juice you don't get that spike in oxidation. Why? Because the sugar in fruit comes prepackaged with antioxidants. Can't we just drink vitamin C enriched sugar water? No, it wasn't the vitamin C in the OJ, but the citrus phytonutrients like hesperetin and naringenin that beat back the oxidation.If we don't eat phytonutrient-rich plant foods with each meallike fruit, then for hours after we eat our bodies are tipped out of balance into a pro-oxidative state, which can set us up for oxidant stress diseases. The free radicals in our body can oxidize the fats in our blood and help set us up for heart disease.Here're the levels of oxidized fat in our blood 1,2,3 hours after sugar water ingestion, and the corresponding drop in vitamin E levels in our blood as our body's antioxidant stores are being used up, within hours. If we don't eat phytonutrient-rich foods with our meals, our body has to dip into its backup supply of antioxidants and you can't get away with that for long. So while ideally we should stuff our faces with as many phytonutrient-rich foods as we can, in the very least we should eat enough antioxidants to counter the oxidation of digestion. In the very least we don’t want to slide backwards every day and end up with less antioxidants in our bodies than we woke up with.Just to break even here's about how many antioxidants we need every day, depending on how much we eat, just to counter the oxidation of digestion. (This is measured in millimoles of trolox equivalents). Men in the U.S. average about 2500 calories a day, and so should be getting at least 11,000 micromoles a day. Women eat about 1800 calories so should get at least 8,000 just to stay solvent. The average American, doesn't even get half the minimum! No wonder oxidant stress related diseases abound. We're getting so few antioxidants in our diet we can't even keep up with the free radicals created just digesting our meals. We are a nation in chronic oxidative debt.In developed societies we eat a lot of food, but not enough plants, which could result in exaggerated and prolonged metabolic, oxidative, and immune imbalance, presenting opportunity for biological insult that over time could supersede biological defense and repair systems manifesting in cellular dysfunction, disease, and ultimately death.	Can anyone please help moi understand why one might be having IBS issues while eating foods high in sucrose: sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, corn chips, brown rice and much more. Some of these foods don’t have a lot of “sugar” in them but when you look up the “sucrose” content it is very high. Fructose does not seem to bother me near as much. Is there some kind of chemical in sucrose that can cause issues? 1/2 cup of artichokes has more sucrose than a cup of red grapes. One cup of carrots has 4,600 mg of sucrose and one cup of raspberries has 264 mg. Makes no sense but these are the numbers and I don’t do well on high-sucrose foods.Maybe someone here that understands sugar chemicals can make sense of this for me. It has been a struggle on plant-based, because of this, and I have been vegan for many years.I had problems with IBS until I got rid of processed foods. Perhaps you should dump the corn chips and what ever else you’re eating that comes in a package.Yes, get rid of the corn chips. I used to drink a fair amount of alcohol and i also ate a lot of corn chips and potato chips. My stomach was bothering me and getting worse.Not wanting to give up the alcohol i gave up the chips first and my stomach problems went away. Just for the record i have given up alcohol since then. Praise the Lord !!!Ironically, it is mostly the raw, fresh, and “healthy” fruits and vegetables that cause me the most issues. Mangoes, apples, carrots, artichokes, pineapple – the ones highest in sucrose. I only eat corn chips once every 2 weeks or so. Sucrose metabolism might be an issue for some people, even with fresh unprocessed foods.I have a close friend with the same problem. We just could not understand why but the determination was there. He was successful by very slowly adding fruits and veg to his eating pattern. I can tell you it took some months but he is now eating whole foods, plant based. Good luck.Thank you for sharing this. There are fruits and veggies low in “sucrose” that do not cause me as much issue. Oh well, so it is.Annie, Have you looked into how much fiber you are eating? I find on the days with 80 grams or more I have an issue. And until I put my foods into a app I had no idea I was eating that much.Yes, same for me too. Good point.I find it difficult to be a vegan and not get tons of fiber, yet still get enough calories. How can one get enough plant based calories yet limit fiber? Drinking fruit juice is not the answer for me, nor is high-fat plant foods.I try and not go crazy with my morning smoothy and keep it a reasonable size. 30-40 oz causes a bad couple of days. If I keep to below 20 I am ok. Also I don’t do them daily anymore. My stomach just works better that way. I rotate oatmeal. I played with the FODMAPs but it didn’t make a difference. I don’t drink juice. I also do better with starchy veggies.So wait, you don’t want the fiber? Let me answer the calories first because i’m not sure what you meant by that. Nuts, seeds, cooked beans, vegetable oils, rice (wild rice (techincally a seed), japonica, brown rice and sushi rice are only ones I eat) will all give you good caloric content. It’s really easy to get enough calories, just not as concentrated like tissue (meat).How much soy are you eating? I find it is the worst of the bunch in foods and it is in almost everything you buy at the store. Do some research on Soy and I think that you will find it is the culprit.I never eat soy. Not a GI issue for me, the soy, but soy is not something I would put on my plate.Fodmaps!Annie, your data on sucrose is correct, but your interpretation of what it means is off. Yes, 1/2 cup of artichokes has more sucrose than one cup of grapes, but both have minuscule amounts, less than 1/4 teaspoon, as does 1 cup of raspberries. And a cup of raw carrots has about 1 teaspoon of sugar, as does a cup of sweet potatoes. In general, you should not worry about sucrose,or sugars in general in whole foods, including fruit.I’m not exactly replying, because I too have a sucrose question. Sucrose is a disaccharide made up of glucose and fructose. So for complete digestion, that sucrose molecule would have to be broken down into two monosaccharides: glucose and fructose. I’m confused how we would know if it was the glucose or the fructose causing a problem? Re the IBS: ditch any processed food including corn chips and see what happens.JoAnn, thanks for the question. I go to nutritiondata.self.com and type in the various foods that seem to cause me a bit of problems. What these foods have in common is a high sucrose content. You can click on the “carbs” tab for each food item, and the section will open up to reveal each sugar content : fructose, glucose, sucrose, etc.Is this just a random thing for me? I don’t know. But my experience is fairly consistent and interesting.I thought it was sugars at first with my stomach issues, even going vegan didn’t eliminate problems. Eventually I pinned it to fat intake. If there’s oils in things I eat or something is too fatty like chips I have stomach problems. I can’t tolerate nuts either, they cause me bad stomach pain, but seeds are fine. Try going low fat, if thats an factor. Just my experience but I offer it in case it helps.It doesn’t exactly answer the question you are asking, but kiwi fruit is supposed to be good for IBS. You might consider doing a little research and then including them in your diet. I like to peel them, slice and then freeze to include a few slices in my smoothies. Buy organic when possible.IBS is a nonspecific description of GI symptoms that can have many causes. Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose. Sucrose is broken down by an enzyme, sucrase, in the small intestine. Brown rice is very low in “sugar” but high in starches which are essentially long chains of glucose molecules. Sweet potatoes are somewhat higher in sugars but still have 4X as much starch. You can use the website, Cronometer, to check the various contents. Since it is complex and difficult to understand you have to go with what works. I would avoid high sucrose foods but check the foods so you have accurate information and aren’t “throwing out the baby with the bath water”.Thank you. And I’ll check out cronometer.I read in “The McDougall Program for a Healthy Heart,” published in 1996, that too much sugar can raise cholesterol, and so, Dr. McDougall recommends only two servings of fruit a day, or three at most. Is this a good idea, or do the antioxidants and fiber prevent damage from the sugars, allowing us to eat more servings than that?Too much fruit intake can indeed raise cholesterol. I believe that it raises your triglycerides. Vegetables have antioxidants too so you can get them there too…I have the privilege of working with Dr. McDougall at the McDougall Whole Foods program which is an 8 day program similar to the McDougall 10-day program. Most patients in my experience can tolerate up to 4 servings of fruit/day. Most participants in the McDougall program see drops in cholesterol in the order of 30% by eating what they want consistent with the whole food plant based diet with no oils. If they still have problems with their cholesterol or triglyceride targets while on the correct diet then limiting fruit intake would be the next step. It is the fructose in fruit and sugar (e.g.50% fructose) that causes the elevation. It is also appears, based on limited scientific studies, to be less of a problem if the intake of fruit is spread out over time. Eating a variety of vegetables and some fruits should give you adequate antioxidants. You will need to work with your physician to come up with the best path for you. Good luck.Excellent information, as usual. Thanks! But am I the only one seeing a fuzzy, low quality video? Could someone have uploaded this incorrectly? I can’t read the charts, etc. Thanks in advance.Looks fine here. The only fuzziness occurs for a few seconds after switching to full-screen, but that’s typical on all sites.I think that’s just a function of the poor quality of the original source material. Some of the old literature is scanned in fuzzy.Brilliant and so true…to the point….Dang wish I had said this! Well done Dr. Greger.This video is absolutely awesome! I have followed recommendations from Dr. Greger and also from Forks over Knives and it have changed my life to the better. Blood pressure is 112/72 and I am off Statins which totally surprised my GP (Most GPs unfortunately have limited knowledge of antioxidants and free radical damage) My antioxidant levels are scanned every four weeks and as long as I can maintain my high AO score, I am less likely to get any illnesses and diseases as Dr. Greger mention in this video! Thanks for this wonderful web page and videos!!Can you share what kind of test is it that checks for antioxidant content? Is it a standard test? How do you get it done? Thank youI will be happy to see if there is a scanner operator in your area. Please email me your zip code to kjell@springeramerica.com, and I will let you know what I can find!thanks, very clear informationThank you for this video and transcript that informs us how antioxidants work and how many millimoles we need to eat each day, but how does that translate into servings of food? I think I missed that part or didn’t understand. How many oranges do I need to eat? Or cups of strawberries? Is there a table or graph somewhere that has this information? If I need to eat 8,000 millimoles to break even, how do I get it?Looks like you will get your answer in tomorrow’s video!Yes indeed! Stay tuned. Please feel to subscribe at http://bit.ly/nutritionfactsupdates so you don’t miss it.Can a person get too many antioxidants and would it be harmful?I got a “404 Page not found” when trying to view “How to Reach the Antioxidant RDA”It’s not up yet! Stay tuned until tomorrow.The mechanism of dietary “antioxidants” is a bit more complicated. Absorption of dietary antioxidants is too low (excepting vitamin E in lipid membranes), and their reaction rates are too slow, to account for any quenching of reactive species in vivo. See How do nutritional antioxidants really work: Nucleophilic tone and para-hormesis versus free radical scavenging in vivo, or the presentation by author Fulvio Ursini, who has worked in free radical and oxidation research for 35 years.Dietary compounds that act as test-tube “antioxidants” generally have labile structures that act as redox cyclers in vivo. For example, cancer cells in culture can be killed by reactive oxygen species generated by green tea polyphenols. So how do low doses of these compounds reduce oxidative stress? There’s a large body of evidence that they act via pro-oxidant modifications of proteins that regulate stress responses, for example the Keap1/Nrf2 regulated endogenous antioxidants, or NF-κB regulated inflammatory responses.In light of the latter and this video, another recent paper of considerable interest was There is no evidence that mitochondria are the main source of reactive oxygen species in mammalian cells, which reviews evidence that our energy-converting organelles, contrary to decades of widespread assumption, are not the major source of reactive species. It appears that two enzymes in inflammatory responses, NADPH oxidase and xanthine oxidase, found in macrophage phagosomes, activated microglia peroxisomes, and serum, may be the major sources of oxidative stress. Many dietary phytochemicals inhibit NF-κB and hence inflammatory responses, some, like our friend phytate, inhibit oxidases directly.The scientific consensus on how dietary antioxidants function in vivo has changed markedly in the past decade, Turns out that its far more complicated than quenching trolox in a test tube.I just went through your post and Ursin’s presentation with great interest. I wish I could say I understand what is being said, but I unfortunately am no chemist.I probably misunderstood, but I came away with the impression that that polyphenols produce their beneficial health effects by mimicking pro-oxidants and that this stimulates an endogenous anti-oxidant response that is helpful. Terms like nucleophilic displacement reactions were confusing to me. But I must be misunderstanding, because I don’t get why this is hormetic (or para-hormetic, to use Ursin’s term); where does the J shaped curve come from? Time permitting, it would be useful if someone could provide us with a simple example to illustrate the typical process whereby antioxidants produce their effects — without too much jargon (i.e. kitchen table explanation) please! Say one consumes one specific polyphenol from green tea. How will it produce a beneficial effect? Anyway, thank you for a very thought-provoking post.I’ll probably oversimplify, but chemical potential energy is lower when every atom has complete outer electron shell. An oxidant is a compound that can achieve a lower energy state, and hence “wants”, to take an electron or hydrogen from others. Hence the term electrophile. Singlet oxygen wants two hydrogens to become water, and that reaction releases enough energy to launch rockets. Free radicals, which have an unpaired electrons, have very low activation energies to overcome, and are hence extremely reactive oxidants.An antioxidant is simply a compound that can easily give up a electron or hydrogen. Polyphenols have their electron charge distributed over an aromatic ring, and hence their potential energy doesn’t rise so much after loss of a hydrogen from one of their hydroxyl groups. In donating a hydrogen to a free radicals, the energy of the polyphenol increases a little, but that of the oxidant decreases dramatically, which means the net effect is much lower net energy.Endogenous antioxidants like glutathione use cellular energy to contantly recycle into their reduced (antioxidant) state. Some dietary antioxidants like vitamin C are recycled as well (though levels are restricted to limit reduction of redox active Fe & Cu). But what happens to a polyphenol like tea EGCG after its given up a couple hydrogens? It becomes a quinone, with a couple doubly bonded oxygens in place of its hydroxyl groups, which is itself an electrophile. Here’s where it gets interesting. Quinones are reactive with sulfhydryl groups, like those of cysteines that cells use to detect electrophiles (in signalling, and redox homeostasis). One of these is Keap1, a protein that holds the transcription factor Nrf2 in the cytoplasm.http://i41.tinypic.com/2pzwk6f.gifThe disrupted cysteines change the conformation of Keap1, releasing Nrf2 to enter the nucleus and initiate transcription of hundreds of cytoprotective genes, including those for glutathione synthesis & recycling and other endogenous antioxidant enzymes.This explains how small concentrations of EGCG and other dietary “antioxidants”, once oxidized, react in prooxidant fashion to induce endogenous antioxidant responses. The endogenous antioxidants are orders of magnitude more potent than EGCGs own contribution. Moreover, it also accounts for why high, non-physiological concentrations of EGCG and other polyphenols have a prooxidant effect. It cycles between reduced (phenol, nucleophile) and oxidized (quinone, electrophile) forms, overwhelming the capacity of endogeneous glutathione to keep it in a reduced state.My last chemistry class was 20 years ago, and covered none of this, so I’d very much appreciate it if any experts could critique my understanding.This explanation is brilliant! I think you actually completely answered my question. Wow!Oh, so this is kitchen table explanation, lol! Will have to reread this 100 times and hope it sinks in….True – his second post in this thread is still somewhat technical, though less so than his first. He is exceptionally generous; if you ask him a question he will mostly likely provide you with an excellent answer.Thank you for the kind words.A related cool thing I just learned. Roasting coffee reduces its in vitro antioxidant capacity but dramatically increases its ability to induce Nrf2 endogenous antioxidant responses and inhibit NF-κB inflammatory signalling in vivo. You can guess which one I want.You’re saying drinking roasted coffee is a good thing, right?Coassociation of coffee drinking with smoking confounded recognition of coffee’s potential health benefits for decades, but that’s changing:• Association of Coffee Drinking with total and cause-specific mortality • Association of coffee consumption with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality • A meta-analysis of prospective studies of coffee consumption and mortality for all causes, cancers and cardiovascular diseases. • Effects of habitual coffee consumption on cardiometabolic disease, cardiovascular health, and all-cause mortality. • Prospective study of coffee consumption and risk of Parkinson’s diseaseWhile Dr. Greger still favors green tea (which is believed to act through the same cellular mechanisms), even there direct comparisons offer surprises.• Coffee, tea, and incident type 2 diabetes: the Singapore Chinese Health Study • Midlife coffee and tea drinking and the risk of late-life dementia: a population-based CAIDE study • Coffee and tea consumption in relation to prostate cancer prognosis • The impact of green tea and coffee consumption on the reduced risk of stroke incidence in Japanese population • Consumption of coffee, but not black tea, is associated with decreased risk of premenopausal breast cancerThe evidence at present is that both coffee and tea (especially green tea) offer health benefits, assuming they don’t interfere with sleep. I drink both, depending on the time of day.Thanks, got it. Am reading through and learning a lot from all your comments. Thanks for taking the time to explain.Yes, seems like a good argument to take up roasted coffee.Darryl,If I could be so bold as to attempt to really simplify what you’re saying here, is the following paraphrase correct? And if it’s not, would you be so kind as to edit it?“Anti-oxidant activity may be too simple a description of how compounds in plants exert beneficial health effects. The ability of plant nutrients to inhibit a compound called nuclear factor-kappa B (NF- kB) may be more important than their ability simply to scavenge free radicals. NF-kB helps cancer cells hide from the immune system and promotes the expression of cancer-promoting genes.”Darryl, do free radicals of oxygen trigger our bodies to produce NF-kB? Could you explain that? I may be totally misunderstanding you.Not quite.NF-kB is a “information integrator”, a signalling hub between inflammatory stimuli and responses. Its absolutely necessary for immune response to infection and wound healing. For example, the redness around a wound is due to inflammatory action (vasodilation, angiogenesis, white blood cells engulfing pathogens).Cancer cells can benefit from chronic inflammation as it encourages angiogenesis of new blood vessels throughout the tumor. Here is a small collection of papers on the roles of NF-kB in cancer.Inflammation, incidentally, is the major source of free radicals in multiple disease states. The very same enzymes responsible for digesting pathogens in inflammatory response (like NADPH oxidase/NOX and xanthine oxidase) can become overactive in chronic inflammation. Overactive NOX, for example, is suspect in:Atherosclerosis / Hypertension / Cardiac Hypertrophy / Congestive Heart Failure / Aortic Aneurysms / Sleep Apnea / Tissue Damage stemming from Heart Attack or Stroke / Insulin Resistance Syndrome / Major Complications of Diabetes, including Kidney Failure, Blindness, and Heart Disease / Erectile Dysfunction / Cartilage Loss in Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis / Osteoporosis / Inflammatory Carcinogenesis / Alzheimer’s Disease / Parkinson’s Disease / Liver Cirrhosis associated with Hepatitis or Alcoholism / Sun-Induced Skin Damage and Sunburn / Pulmonary Fibrosis / Periodontal Disease / Pre-eclampsia / Asthma / Allergies / Septic Shock / Scleroderma / Glaucoma-induced Blindness / Sickle Cell AnemiaThe overwhelming majority of free radicals our bodies are exposed to are produced endogenously, primarily by inflammatory superoxide generating enzymes like NOX and in normal mitochondrial metabolism. Environmental exposures are small by comparison. As we grow older, more of our cells become senescent through the actions of p53 and other tumor suppressors, and for reasons not entirely understood, senescent cells produce more inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-6 etc) upstream of NF-kB, resulting in chronic inflammation, overactive NOX, etc.Many, many plant phytochemicals inhibit NF-kB activity, but not necessarily because they are functioning as direct antioxidants. There are other “information hubs” that respond to different kind of stress (Nrf2=oxidative stress, AMPK=energy shortages), that when activated, also happen to suppress NF-kB activity, often through complex negative feedback mechanisms.Its a really fascinating tangle of wires down there on the switchboards. No person well ever have a complete knowledge of the network, but the regulatory hubs are fewer and more comprehensible. Less than a dozen, including NF-kB, Nrf2, AMPK, mTOR, Sirt1, PPAR etc. pop up repeatedly in the past decade’s literature on nutrition and disease prevention at the cellular level. In a few decades, some of these will be as familiar as “spleen” or “pancreas”, at least to those who want to know why some diets prevent disease…Are you referring to the 12 or so signalling pathways that regulate cell fate, cell survival and maintenance of the genome?http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6127/1546Neat paper, which I plan to read. From skimming the 12 proteins listed in that paper deal more specifically with carcinogenesis, but some of those 12 oncogenes, like PI3K (upstream of mTOR) or STAT (downstream of NF-kB and mTOR) are closely related to the hubs I’ve been reading about. Various scientific communities can talk about much the same nexus or pathways with different labels. In the tiny (by comparison) gerontology community mTOR reigns, but oncologists may prefer to talk about PI3K.To get an idea of why NF-kB and similar transcriptional regulatory hubs are so interesting as dietary intervention targets, consider this depiction of cell signalling pathways leading through it. Its like Grand Central Station.Have you read that paper? Any more enlightening comments? (All your comments are enlightening!) Speaking of which, I recall you speculated somewhere that vegans should perhaps aim for a certain amino acid profile–perhaps low methionine and something else? Could you repeat that thought please?There’s speculation in the literature that some of the health benefits of vegan diets arise from their lower quanties of methionine and leucine. Cancer cell proliferation is methionine-dependant, and excess methionine may contribute to both elevated homocysteine and mitochondrial oxidative stress. Excess leucine rather directly activates mTORC1, the intracellular anabolism/catabolism regulatory hub, increasing protein synthesis and reducing autophagy. As every successful anti-aging intervention in mammals (caloric / protein / methionine restriction, rapamycin, metformin, NGDA, aspirin(!), etc) inhibits mTORC1 and induces autophagy, it stands to reason that moderating leucine stimulation may also be a benefit of vegan diets.Methionine moderation in vegan diets is rather easy, as vegan proteins are on average about 1.4% methionine, while animal proteins are 2.6%, and many vegan proteins have high glycine / methionine ratios (which may reduce excess free methionine in cells). One can still tally up a high vegan methionine intake if soy protein isolates and some other higher protein foods represent a big part of one’s calories. Oats and peas are especially attractive as low methionine foods with higher glycine content. I’d guestimate most whole plant based diet would be around 150-250% of the ~0.7 g methionine requirement, whereas most omnivore diets are 3-600%.The difference in leucine content is not as great between plant (5-8%) and animal flesh (7-8%), but significantly lower than dairy (10%) or eggs (9%). Its very difficult to restrict leucine content in a varied whole plant based diet, but the more moderate protein intake and absence of dairy and eggs would result in intakes of 2-300% of the ~2.7 g requirement, vs. (again) 3-600 in omnivore diets.The main amino acid for most vegans to pay attention to is lysine, which many plant proteins are deficient in. A couple servings of legumes (in the context of an otherwise varied diet) can ensure lysine sufficiency, but a very high-legume diet would also raise methionine and leucine to omnivore intakes.Right now, determining an optimum protein intake is pretty speculative, as there are positives for leucine too: mTORC1 activation functions in the hypothalamus to satiety (and aid dieting), in muscles to increase muscular growth, etc. For longevity and chronic disease risk reduction, though, it looks like moderation in overall protein intake, at least till age 65-70, may be a winning strategy. For the elderly, more mTORC1 activation may be desired to keep weight up. See:Levine, Morgan E., et al. “Low protein intake is associated with a major reduction in IGF-1, cancer, and overall mortality in the 65 and younger but not older population.” Cell metabolism 19.3 (2014): 407-417.Just wondering if you’ve read that paper and if you have any more insights re: the signalling pathways discussed therein? No rush.Wow! Eat veggies or die!Eat fruits even more!I agree! no need for the scare tactics! let the data speak for itself.So I am trying to compare this video (which states 8 to 11K millimoles of Trolox equivalents is the needed minimum intake to keep up with the oxidation caused just by digestion) with the better breakfast video which shows Dr Greger’s smoothie having a total of 1558 total but am not able to clearly read the units of measurement (10 to the negative 1 millimoles? is that correct?). He says he gets more in his one smoothie than the average person gets in an entire week (which according to this video is less than 5K millimoles of Trolox equivalents). I want to calculate how much of the recommended 8 to 11K is the blueberry/alma powder smoothie supplying. Can someone shed light on the units of measurement so I can compare apples to oranges so to speak. Thanks!Michael Greger, you are my hero! hope to meet you someday!Speaking tour here: http://www.DrGreger.org/dates.html Hope to see you on the road!Will you really be in Tampa 1/16/14? Link isn’t working.This information is only helpful if we’re given some clue about how many antioxidants there are in fruits/veggies. Last i checked, antioxidant levels are not listed on the ingredients labels so i imagine no one has a clue?Where do cooked wholegrains (brown rice, oats etc.) and beans/legumes lie on the antioxidant scale?Hi Mike, the link to the ‘how to get to the recommended RDA’ does not seem to be working, can you check the url?Won’t go live until the video does tomorrow at 8am–sorry for the confusion!the How to Reach the Antioxidant RDA. link doesnt work!My wife works out 2 hours per day and has been doing wonderfully on the 100% Vegan for about a year and her health has improved along with her blood numbers. With my energy levels low would there be foods you might suggest I get back into to repair what you outlined as missing (heme iron, taurine, CoQ10, not to mention cholesterol, saturated fat, and protein generally) in your email? I would appreciate it. I’m thinking olive oil or fish(oil) fresh from the sea or sardines? Your book is very interesting so far and again thanks for sending it. FYI, just for interest sake this is what I eat each day:Everyday starts 1 Quart of Lemon Water (this has appeared to be very helpful to me)Breakfast 6 various fruits per day Oatmeal(real oats) with Chia/Millett/Flax/raisins/drop of MS or Agave/ goji berries, hemp hearts(have this about 3-4X’s per week(weekends flax bread with PB&J)Lunch 3 pounds of salad made up of broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, red pepper, snow peas, carrots, tomatoes, quinoa, red onion and a drop of homemade dressing(olive oil/lemon) or large homemade mushroom or other vege soupSupper Cooked various vegan cookbook fair with lots of vegesDesserts Homemade ginger cookies or banana bread or fruitI figure if you saw what I eat maybe you would have some quick suggestions about ‘what foods’ I’m missing. I sincerely appreciate your thoughts as this is becoming quite frustrating when I have ALWAYS been perfectly healthy and although I only workout 30 minutes per day, have always had stamina!PS: For the past 8 years our meals have been similar except we ate ‘fresh from the sea’ no processed varieties of NS fish 4 nites per week.Happy New Year. RossDr. Greger — The majority of your videos covering antioxidant research seem to focus on the quantity of antioxidants rather than the quality. Hibiscus has more antioxidants than matcha, amla has more antioxidants than blueberries, etc. However, I find myself wondering if all antioxidants are created equal. I would love to see a sort of ‘one stop’ video comparing the unique benefits of different antioxidants. I am assuming that a diet rich in a variety of antioxidants would be superior to one saturated with EGCG but lacking in others.Kaleb: I can’t answer for Dr. Greger, but I have a thought for you. Dr. Greger does seem to have several videos that argue against taking *any* single anti-oxidant. Even vitamin C by itself may do more harm than good. But foods like oranges and broccoli with not only vitamin C, but a bazillion other antioxidants consistently show themselves as being good for us.Thus, I would argue that Dr. Greger has already addressed your interest. In other words, based on my understanding, Dr. Greger wouldn’t want to have a video that argues for one particular antioxidant over others because that would go against the main message that focusing on whole plant foods provides the most and safest benefits — especially focusing on those whole plant foods that consistently show large benefits in studies (for example, berries and dark leafy greens).Rather than looking at specific antioxidants, a more interesting question to me would be looking at whether our bodies absorb or benefit from those antioxidants more or less with some whole foods vs others. I think he has addressed this in one or more videos, but I’m not able to think of a specific one just at this moment.Anyway, that’s just my thought on the topic. Good luck to you.I understand that whole foods are superior to isolated nutrients. However, one cannot argue that oranges provide a vast supply of vitamin C. Likewise, green tea provides a hefty supply of EGCG. I think it would be nice to show a comparison of different antioxidants from whole food sources, of course.I am also interested in this. I drink green tea and hibiscus regularly. Supposedly, Hibiscus has more antioxidants, but the antioxidants are different and must differ slightly. Strength would be one interesting comparison. Time active in the body would be another, as well as absorption.I guess it comes down to whether we see antioxidants as simply units of free radical neutralizers, or we look into their other functions too. For example, Vitamin C is not as strong as others, but it performs essential other tasks, like connective tissue formation.I like the prepackaging of sugar which is why a whole food diet is very important.Ok, so I need 11,000 units of phyto nutrients. How does that translate into the food I eat? How many apples or blueberries do I nee to eat?Recently the USDA’s Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) removed the USDA ORAC Database for Selected Foods from the NDL website due to mounting evidence that the values indicating antioxidant capacity have no relevance to the effects of specific bioactive compounds, including polyphenols on human health.There are a number of bioactive compounds which are theorized to have a role in preventing or ameliorating various chronic diseases such as cancer, coronary vascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. However, the associated metabolic pathways are not completely understood and non-antioxidant mechanisms, still undefined, may be responsible. ORAC values are routinely misused by food and dietary supplement manufacturing companies to promote their products and by consumers to guide their food and dietary supplement choices.A number of chemical techniques, of which Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) is, one, were developed in an attempt to measure the antioxidant capacity of foods. The ORAC assay measures the degree of inhibition of peroxy-radical-induced oxidation by the compounds of interest in a chemical milieu. It measures the value as Trolox equivalents and includes both inhibition time and the extent of inhibition of oxidation. Some newer versions of the ORAC assay use other substrates and results among the various ORAC assays are not comparable. In addition to the ORAC assay, other measures of antioxidant capacity include ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and trolox equivalence antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays. These assays are based on discrete underlying mechanisms that use different radical or oxidant sources and therefore generate distinct values and cannot be compared directly.There is no evidence that the beneficial effects of polyphenol-rich foods can be attributed to the antioxidant properties of these foods. The data for antioxidant capacity of foods generated by in vitro (test-tube) methods cannot be extrapolated to in vivo (human) effects and the clinical trials to test benefits of dietary antioxidants have produced mixed results. We know now that antioxidant molecules in food have a wide range of functions, many of which are unrelated to the ability to absorb free radicals.Hiya – is there any evidence that shows that an anti-oxidant rich diet has a marked increase in health/average lifespan. If so, what is the best quality of evidence available at the moment. I.e. is there a systematic review of randomised double blind trials? Or is the best available evidence still found in in vitro studies? Many thanksGood questions, Ben. I think these citations listed under “Sources Cited” are a good start. Searching pubmed also helps ;) I took a quick look and it appears many trials are being conducted looking at antioxidant status and age-related disease Antioxidants in erythrocytes in aging and dementia. When searching all cause mortality and antioxidants one research study looked at Resveratrol levels and all-cause mortality in older community-dwelling adults. And another Low blood vitamin C concentrations in the older British population are strongly predictive of mortality. See if these help. You may also considers studies exploring the Blue Zones, places in the world where folks seem to live the longest.Best, JosephHi, I’ve recently decided to go vegan after watching your videos – thank you for such a great website! I’ve also seen the research on vitamin supplements, but I would like to know if the same applies to powder-based superfoods? I try to eat as varied diet as possible but noticed after I stopped taking Nutrilite’s Double X (a highly concentrated multivitamin, multimineral, phytonutrient supplement supposedly from plant based material) – that my mood and energy slipped back. I was hoping to get this energy lift back by adding something like Vital Greens Phytonutrient Superfood – but not sure if that’s essentially the same as taking harmful vitamin pills? Thanks..	antioxidants,chronic diseases,dietary guidelines,energy,fat,fruit,fruit juice,heart disease,heart health,immune function,juice,mortality,orange juice,oranges,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,standard American diet,sugar,vitamin C,vitamin E	How many antioxidant-rich foods do we need to eat every day just to stay out of oxidative debt?	If those citrus phytonutrients sounded familiar to you, it’s because I mentioned them before in videos like Keeping Your Hands Warm With Citrus and Reducing Muscle Fatigue With Citrus. It’s still better to eat the whole fruit though (See Best Fruit Juice and Apple Juice May Be Worse Than Sugar Water).Digestion isn’t the only physiological source of free radicals—exercise is too. See Preventing Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress With Watercress.Background on the role free radicals play in aging and disease can be found in my video Mitochondrial Theory of Aging. Antioxidant-rich diets can even change gene expression: Plant-Based Diets and Cellular Stress Defenses.Is there a refined sweetener that doesn’t cause free radical formation? Yes: Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant.What’s the best way of reaching our daily minimum of 8-11,000 antioxidant units a day? So glad you asked! Covered in my next video, How to Reach the Antioxidant RDA.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15186133,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17536129,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/222498,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9667503,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17384340,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20955646,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10946914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20595645,
PLAIN-2667	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/	Eggs and Diabetes	Type 2 diabetes is becoming a world pandemic. We know the consumption of eggs is related to the development of some other chronic diseases, what about diabetes? Researchers found a stepwise increase in risk the more and more eggs people ate. Eating just a single egg a week appeared to increase the odds of diabetes by 76%. Two eggs a week appeared to double the odds, and just a single egg a day tripled the odds. Three times greater risk of type 2 diabetes, one of the leading causes of death and amputations, blindness, and kidney failure.This is not the first time a link between eggs and diabetes has been reported. In 2009, Harvard found that a single egg a day or more was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in men and women, and that finding has since also been confirmed in other populations: Asia in 2011 and Europe in 2012. And the "high" consumption of eggs associated with diabetes risk was less than one a day, though it appears you have to start early—once you get into your 70s avoiding eggs may not help.Once we then have diabetes, eggs may hasten our death. Eating one egg a day or more appears to shorten anyone's lifespan but may double the all-cause mortality for those with diabetes. Not good news for the egg industry. From a transcript of a closed meeting I got through the Freedom of Information Act: "Given the rate at which obesity and incidence of type II diabetes is growing in the US, any association between dietary cholesterol and type II diabetes could be a "showstopper" that could overshadow the positive attributes in eggs.”	Just wondering how many eggs do vegetarians consume indirectly weekly eating pasta, bread and cakes, as most them are made with eggs?I’ve had a meat eating friend ask this before and I was a really surprised because I’ve never had trouble finding pasta or bread without eggs. The idea that eggs were common in them puzzled me because it didn’t match my experience at all.Cakes, of course, are another matter. You do have to go out of your way to find a cake without eggs. I definitely don’t eat as many cakes as I did back when I ate eggs. That’s probably a good thing, though.Most nutrition labels list things like this …. I don’t see any eggs on the whole grain pasta I eat …. but I also don’t eat bread or cakes, and those products may not be well-labelled when they are prepared fresh by grocery store chains.I do not eat pasta that has eggs I also do not eat any baked foods that contain eggs or dairy.there are plenty of recipes online to make breads and desserts without eggsNever had a problem with bread and pasta. Cakes are not really my thing.I did stumble across a loaf of bread on one occasion that had egg listed in the ingredients. It was so shocking that it stuck in my memory. It was a gluten free loaf, which may have had something to do with it.Pasta does not have egg, you have to ask because some home made pastas and gnocchi have egg in them…eggs can be substituted really easily in cakes and cookies…some “vegetarians” eat eggs….I know, eggs are for the purpose of bringing a new chicken or rooster into the world. Why do humans think eggs are here for us to eat? Crazy!Isn’t the purpose of plant seeds to bring new plants into the world? I don’t eat meat, but your logic is not convincing.Yet plants are not sentient beings, with the capacity to suffer, experience pain, and try to avoid pain. They do not possess a central or peripheral nervous system. There is a reason that doctors use the term “vegetative state” to describe someone with no consciousness, sapience or sentience. Thus I do not think the analogy to plant seeds begetting plants makes any sense at all. The suffering of crated chickens in the egg laying industry is enough to revolt most people who have awareness of the conditions under which those eggs are produced for human consumption. Ethically it seems open-and-shut, if one first looks into it at length.The case for plant-based eating for health reasons is strong. If people don’t care enough to guard their own health, they are not likely to buy into your ethics regarding “sentient beings”. In fact for a long time I was suspicious of this whole story because Dr G, Essy and so many others are deeply into animal ethics. This site is about, errm …digesting the science so we don’t have to. You may lose more converts than gain with your argument. Dig me?Holistic nutrition is about combining health *and* ethics. I’d recommend the book “Eating Animals” to anyone with interest in either. I cannot carve off my approach to health from my personal responsibility to not cause great harm and suffering through something so basic as eating. And if you respond – as so many others have – that this means I should give up driving my car or living without central heating, then my response is that I am not attempting to seek perfection, because that is a false, unachievable ideal. A little harm reduction, perhaps, but not perfection. Eating plants instead of animals is a relatively painless way to cause less pain in this world, though certainly not the only way. Giving up my vehicle would be another way, and many have. But to separate health and ethics — I just don’t buy it. Also, I had no idea Dr Esselstyn was deeply into animal ethics. Frankly I’m surprised, since he’s an endocrine surgeon, and so many achievements in his field have been hard won on the backs of experimental animal subjects.Setting aside whether plants are sentient (I believe they are) why do we not look at the millions of small mammals and other animals that are killed in highly unnatural ways each day by plowing, planting and other activities related to the growing of crops. I believe that eating animals does not increase animal suffering – and may in fact decrease it – compared to eating plants. There may be other health and ecological reasons for preferring plants to animals but reducing suffering is not one of them.Do you have any empirical evidence that plowing/planting/harvesting results in the death of millions of small mammals and other animals? I have heard that frequently from carnivores, but I have never heard a statistic to back it up. How many animals would have to die to serve me plant food for a year versus animal food? And multiply that by how many people there are in the world, and all our pets, obviously. Even granting your statistic, life feeds on life, and without death and killing, there would be no life (we can’t just eat minerals). However, there is a real moral difference between the inadvertent and relatively quick demise of animals in the course of planting and plowing or harvesting a field versus subjecting deliberately genetically distorted factory farm animals to weeks or months of horrendous suffering. It is not necessarily the death of animals that I object to, as regrettable as that is; rather, it’s the current factory farm system which delivers ridiculously low cost animal protein to consumers, virtually paid for on the backs of the suffering that caged, confined, victimized, often deliberately maimed, and genetically overgrown animals must endure. That is why a book like “Reading Animals”, written by an initial skeptical vegetarian, is so eye-opening. I had no idea what conditions existed on a modern factory farm, having never been to one, or at a slaughterhouse. And how are plants sentient? Isn’t consciousness of pain and suffering considered evidence of suffering? The fact that plants can flower in the daylight and move towards the light – due to chemical reactions in the absence of a functioning nervous system – does that constitute sentience in your view? Or am I being overly “speciesist”? Really I am open to debate on these important points, and do not wish to prejudge.It seems you are neglecting to factor in the vast amount of corn/soy/alfalfa crops that are grown to feed “livestock”. So, in all of these fields, small animals are apparently killed. Many wild animals are displaced/killed in the US and in many other countries when wild lands are clear-cut for growing livestock feed and for foraging livestock. The amount of land that is needed to feed a vegan is lots less than to grow the crops to feed a meat eater and dairy consumer. I don’t have the statistics at hand but I’m guessing another site visitor does.The energy, water and waste produced in producing beef far exceeds that of whole plant-based production. If you would visit a corporate “farm” where chickens are grown or check out whether fish feel pain you would not be indicating that produce farming results in more harm to live creatures.You do know that more crops are grown to feed livestock than humans, right? it takes growing one pound of corn to get a pound of corn onto your dinner plate. How many pounds of corn did it take to get that pound of steak onto your plate? So if you really do care about the field mice and moles etc, go vegan, otherwise this argument rings hollow.Hmmm, you ASSUME that plants are not sentient beings. You ASSUME they have no capacity to suffer, experience pain, etc. Perhaps our understanding is stunted.So plants are sentient? We better not eat them then!Biologically the main difference is the lack of a central nervous system. What one considers “sentient” depends on your definition. I believe the term has Buddhist roots. It can relate to “awareness” or “feelings”. Clearly plants have environmental responses. Since we need to eat something I would argue to minimize the “harm” we cause in the world. Of course our species doesn’t have a good track record in that regard unless you look at certain groups. Given today’s science… always subject to change… it appears that eating a whole food plant based diet is the healthiest and causes the least amount of harm. It is also consistent with our design as hind gut fermenting herbivores. You might be interested in the post re: Paleo diet from a conference in Frankfurt Germany on the “paleo” diet.. see http://hells-ditch.com/2012/08/archaeologists-officially-declare-collective-sigh-over-paleo-diet/.Or feed them to the cows, pigs and chickens!!!Your understanding is certainly stunted. Try using some common sense and gather what we know rather than assume about chickens, cows and fish vs a wheat plant…Trees in group’s move closer to one another. Maybe they know more than we think.Lol. Maybe because they grow and get fatter??Eggs aren’t sentient beings….and the suffering of a hen in a cage says a lot about the owner of that hen, not about the production of eggs. I don’t however, eat eggs.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGLABm7jJ-YWe need to produce foods for ourselves, not mass produce for others. Health problems solved in the simplest words possible.How do you know there is no sentience within plant life? Just because a human finds difficulty in communication with flora, yours is a sweeping statement .Plants do feel painNo; the purpose of a plant is to bring more seeds into the world–If you eat only seeds, fruits, grains, nuts, milk and eggs you do not kill anything. Vegetable eaters are killers as much as animal eaters.I find it rather peculiar that humans eat what is basically the menstrual cycle from a hen.That’s disgusting and not true.That’s absolutely true. Eggs are the menstrual cycle from hens….Not all eggs are fertilized, therefore no chick is involved.true, but it is still the female donation needed to make a baby chick. I do not think that humans were ever intended to eat an egg. If you think outside of the mind conditioning that says it is Ok you might just realize how strange it is.MmBb: This line of discussion is off topic for NutritionFacts. So, so far, I have bit my tongue to stay out of it. But I just couldn’t resist a reply to your comment.re: “…therefore no chick is involved.”This is true only in a limited sense. Here’s how I explain the ethical side of eating eggs to people who think it is possible to eat certain eggs ethically:What is the very best you could do ethically and still eat eggs? The hens would belong to a healthy variety. The hens would have all of their physical (including not just exercise, but medical), emotional and mental needs met. The hens would be allowed to live their entire lives even when their egg laying days are over. That’s a pretty sweet-sounding setup and so extremely rare as to be *almost* non-existent.So, where’s the problem in the best case above scenario? For each of those “girls” who lay the eggs, a beautiful boy baby was also born. The babies were sexed and the vast majority of the boys were destroyed – often enough in a horrific manner.I’ve seen a video of a common enough sexing process where the boys are thrown live into a giant trash can. I don’t know if the ones hitting the bottom break any bones or not. But they are certainly screaming and suffering. Then more and more babies are thrown on top. I presume the ones on the bottom are slowly suffocated by the bodies of their peers on top. When the screaming, flapping, terrified babies reach the top of the trashcan, the human gently closes the top so that the chicks who are still alive slowly suffocate.Imagine doing this to human babies or puppies. It would not be acceptable to most humans. We had boy roosters in our neighborhood for a while. Someone released them into the “wild”. I LOVED them. They were colorful, fun, and a joy to watch. But roosters are illegal in the city limits and a neighbor caught and then got rid of them.So, consider again: “…therefore no chick is involved.” There is a range of “ethical badness”? / moral problems when it comes to eating eggs. The range is huge–from super evil to … I don’t know how to call it: ?just bad? But you really can’t eat eggs in any practical sense completely free of moral problems. There is always those boy baby chicks (born at the same time the girls are born) to consider, a majority of whom are killed one way or another.Something to think about.A rooster is a chicken, so is a hen, and they both come from eggs. A chicken is simply the egg’s way of reproducing itself. Eggs are food for many animals besides humans. Which came first? The rooster came first.same reason raccoons, snakes, birds or other animals think eggs are there for them to eat… animals eat things.and humans are not animals?It’s a period egg. Not a fertilized egg.I eat eggs from my pet chickens once every 2 monthsI’m wondering why my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles all ate eggs daily and not a one of them ever came down with diabetes! Really? Is it the eggs doing it NOW?The rest of their diet matters as well. They may also be lucky, as some people that eat poorly still manage to live long lives.I agree. They may be the rare genetically gifted individuals with phenomenal lifelong insulin sensitivity. Or perhaps other factors come into play like physical activity or other protective factors (good psychosocial health and functioning).The food that our parents and grandparents ate when they were growing up is not the same that we are eating today. Everything from feed, pesticides, “nutritional” additives, hormones, antiobiotics, environmental issues, farming practices, etc. is generally less natural.@PJ I agree, foods were different. Their over-all diet was good. They grew their own food, and pretty much everything was made from scratch. They were active and generally happy people, but not free of stress. My father was one of 10 kids. Ergo…perhaps it’s not the eggs at all that is actually contributing to diabetes. I’m just saying that I’m thinking that there are other factors involved in that process besides just consuming an egg per day.I eat a hard boiled egg every single morning and have perfect sugar. This has been my routine for the past 2 years. At my last physical my sugar was 77. Cholesterol was 160, triglycerides were 41. I think the egg has nothing to do with it. The rest of the diet needs to be taken into consideration. Like high fructose corn syrup. It’s in everything. THAT will cause diabetes.Studies have clearly indicated that type II diabetes is not caused by sugar….however, fructose does cause other problems.Sugar does indeed indirectly aid in the development of diabetes. That although, is not what I said. I said “high fructose corn syrup”.Do you really think that chickens today are fed like they were 60 or more years ago?What part of the eggs is the cause, cholesterol or protein?im eating egg whites but not the yolk im wondering too if the whites are that badEven if i think too many eggs is not a good idea, i can’t believe that a single egg a week could cause such damage… i need to study better and deeper this issue…Now we need to know if egg whites cause Type 2 or just the Yolks?The etiology of type two diabetes appears to be fat in the diet. Yolk contain alot of fat. Egg whites contain very little fat. Of course there are other reasons not to consume egg whites.I’d need for more detail to be convinced by this scary research snippet.If you look under the video window you will see “Sources Cited.” Click on this and a list of citations will appear. These citations will take you to scholarly articles that will give you more information.I think SFAs could be one culprit. There is an excellent editorial in JAMA Archives of Internal Medicine ( http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1697792&resultClick=3 ) that talks about the mechanisms by which meat intake increases the risk of type 2 diabetes (sorry it’s behind a paywall but here is one excerpt):“Perhaps a better description of the characteristics of the meat consumed with the greatest effect on risk is the saturated fatty acid (SFA) content rather than the amount of oxygen-carrying proteins. … increased consumption of SFAs has a powerful short- and long-term effect on insulin action.”Eggs are rich in SFA, cholesterol and choline, contain virtually no carbohydrate yet increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.DH: Interesting post that really adds to the discussion. Thanks.1.6 g saturated fat per large egg isn’t a large amount considering median intake is 23 g/day.Could it be choline?That’s interesting, because choline deficiency is supposed to promote fatty liver disease (in both humans and animals), and fatty liver disease, if we go back up the pathway, is a common consequence of type 2 diabetes.Phosphatidylcholine seems to be found in a lot of weight-builders supplements. I am curious if they are doing harm to themselves by taking this. Is diacyl-phosphatidylcholine the same as regular lecithin-based phosphatidylcholine?The four diacyl-phosphatidylcholine species positively associated with diabetes risk in the EPIC-Potsdam study are produced from dietary choline (most of which in the form of phosphatidylcholine), and saturated and monounsaturated fats. Excess dietary choline perhaps increases their synthesis.If I understand the nomenclature used, from their fatty acid distributions egg lecithin should natively have more of the suspect diacyl-PCs than soy lecithin, though the native form may not matter: C32:1 C36:1 C38:3 egg 0.6 % 14.0 % 3.0 % soy – 1.3 % -Thank you. I am avoiding high doses of choline. My intake is about 200 mg/day. I do get 40 mg from a B100 complex, which I’ve started on because I developed angular stomatitis (cracking at the corners of my lips). Clearly, my diet is not completely balanced as, in addition to the B100 complex, I also take DHA, vitamin D3, and kelp.Mentioned elsewhere, but I recommend checking out a typical daily diet on CRON-O-Meter. I discovered that I was mostly doing fine (with similar supplementation, nutritional yeast is my B supplement), but was consistently low on magnesium on days I don’t gorge on nuts.I have done rigorous checking of my dietary composition on peacounter, but many of the foods I eat are missing from the database. Because I eat a fair amount of nuts each day (both as a snack and in smoothies), I never lack for Mg2+. Regarding magnesium supplements – a randomized trial in BMJ in or around 1993-1996 showed increased risk of cardiac death from magnesium oxide (or citrate?) supplementation in patients with coronary artery disease. Not sure if you are supplementing with magnesium or not, but thought I’d mention it. Always better to get nutrients from whole foods, and I thought I was doing well, until angular stomatitis arrived.is it ok to eat just the egg white ??Like some of the other viewers, I found that this particular piece doesn’t quite explain what it is about eggs that cause diabetes and if it’s more the yolk or the whites or both, is it worse if the egg is eaten alone or does it help if the egg is baked in another product, etc. Also, I would think that people who eat eggs regularly might also eat higher fat and/or glycemic foods such as bacon, pastries, toast, etc. and I would like to know if those variables were considered.From what I see in the sources cited, other factors that affect the risk of diabetes are adjusted for…I agree Louise. The reason I even read all these comments was to see if the ‘why’ was answered. Perhaps he will answer that in a future video. I do have to laugh at some of the defender-of-meat comments regarding suffering and sentience! I say let them eat their animals and get sick. You can lead a horse to water……..The association of eggs with type two diabetes relates to their high fat content. It is the fat in the diet that appears to be the cause due to fat leading to insulin resistance as well as down regulating the genes that run mitochondria that burn glucose. Of course we can’t rule out effects of adipocytes in overweight and obese individuals. Egg whites have very little fat and are in fact mostly protein… you can check out the details on Cronometer. So I would imagine it doesn’t contribute to type two diabetes. You do have to ask yourself why you would want to eat a high animal protein food given the evidence that too much protein intake especially animal protein is harmful to your kidney function and associated with certain cancers. Egg whites also have a very high amount of selenium. The devil is always in the details.Dear Dr. Greger. We all love your research. and You have brought so much joy in my life highlighting the crap we Americans eat. But I notice often you omit opposing research.Please do refer to studies that contradict your conclusory remarks. In many of your remarks you often fail to talk about contradictory research. While I have absolutely no regard for excess egg or protein, it appears that your vegan philosophy often omits research that may contradict your opinion. Here are three latest egg research showing the opposite of your assertion.Nutr Hosp. 2013 Jan-Feb;28(1):105-11. doi: 10.3305/nh.2013.28.1.6124.Egg consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in a Mediterranean cohort; the sun project.Zazpe I, Beunza JJ, Bes-Rastrollo M, Basterra-Gortari FJ, Mari-Sanchis A, Martínez-González MÁ; SUN Project Investigators.Collaborators (18)SourceUniversity of Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain.Abstractin English, SpanishINTRODUCTION AND AIM:The prevalence of diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in nearly all countries. Some studies from non-Mediterranean populations suggest that higher egg consumption is associated with an increased risk of diabetes. The aim of our study was to prospectively assess the association between egg consumption and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in a large cohort of Spanish university graduates.METHODS:In this prospective cohort including 15,956 participants (mean age: 38.5 years) during 6.6 years (median), free of diabetes mellitus at baseline. Egg consumption was assessed at baseline through a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire repeatedly validated in Spain. Incident diabetes mellitus diagnosed by a doctor was assessed through biennial follow-up questionnaires and confirmed subsequently by medical reports or records, according to the American Diabetes Association criteria. Analyses were performed through multivariable non-conditional logistic regression.RESULTS:After adjustment for confounders, egg consumption was not associated with the development of diabetes mellitus, comparing the highest versus the lowest quartile of egg consumption (1 egg/week): odds ratio = 0.7; 95% CI 0.3-1.7.CONCLUSION:Egg consumption was not associated with the development of diabetes mellitus in this Mediterranean cohort.Atherosclerosis. 2013 Aug;229(2):381-4. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2013.05.008. Epub 2013 May 31.Egg consumption and coronary atherosclerotic burden.Chagas P, Caramori P, Galdino TP, Barcellos Cda S, Gomes I, Schwanke CH.SourceDepartment of Health Sciences, School of Nutrition, Federal University of Santa Maria – UFSM, Av. Independência 3751, 98300.000 Palmeira das Missões, RS, Brazil. patriciachagas.ufsm@hotmail.comAbstractOBJECTIVE:To verify the association between egg consumption and coronary atherosclerotic burden.DESIGN:Observational study.SETTING:Cardiac catheterization laboratory.PARTICIPANTS:Adult patients referred for coronary angiography.MEASUREMENTS:Socio-demographic data (age, education level, and occupation), cardiovascular risk factors (smoking, systemic hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and family history of coronary artery disease), and egg-eating habits were assessed using a research questionnaire. Egg consumption was divided into three categories: less than one egg a week; one egg a week; and more than one egg a week. Coronary atherosclerotic burden was assessed by a blinded interventional cardiologist using the Friesinger Score (FS) obtained from the coronary angiography. This score varies from 0 to 15 and evaluated each of the three main coronary arteries separately. For this analysis, the FS was divided into three categories: 0-4, 5-9, and 10-15.RESULTS:The study sample was composed of 382 adult patients; 241 patients (63.3%) were male. The average age was 60.3 ± 10.8 years (range 23-89 years). The egg-eating category was inversely associated with dyslipidemia (p < 0.05) but not with the other cardiovascular risk factors. A significant association was found between egg consumption and FS (p < 0.05), showing that patients who ate more than one egg a week had a lower coronary atherosclerotic burden. By multivariate analysis, the atherosclerotic burden was independently associated with sex, age, hypertension and egg consumption.CONCLUSION:In this observational study of patients undergoing coronary angiography, the consumption of more than one egg per week was associated with a lower coronary atherosclerotic burden.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.KEYWORDS:Angiography, CAD, Coronary Artery Disease, Coronary atherosclerosis burden, Egg consumption, FS, Friesinger Score, NutritionAm J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jul;98(1):146-59. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.051318. Epub 2013 May 15.Egg consumption in relation to risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Shin JY, Xun P, Nakamura Y, He K.SourceDepartment of Nutrition, Gillings Schools of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.AbstractBACKGROUND:The associations of egg consumption with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes are still unclear.OBJECTIVE:We aimed to quantitatively summarize the literature on egg consumption and risk of CVD, cardiac mortality, and type 2 diabetes by conducting a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.DESIGN:A systematic literature review was conducted for published studies in PubMed and EMBASE through March 2012. Additional information was retrieved through Google or a hand review of the reference from relevant articles. Studies were included if they had a prospective study design, were published in English-language journals, and provided HRs and 95% CIs for the associations of interest. Data were independently extracted by 2 investigators, and the weighted HRs and 95% CIs for the associations of interest were estimated by using a random-effects model.RESULTS:A total of 22 independent cohorts from 16 studies were identified, including participants ranging in number from 1600 to 90,735 and in follow-up time from 5.8 to 20.0 y. Comparison of the highest category (≥1 egg/d) of egg consumption with the lowest (<1 egg/wk or never) resulted in a pooled HR (95% CI) of 0.96 (0.88, 1.05) for overall CVD, 0.97 (0.86, 1.09) for ischemic heart disease, 0.93 (0.81, 1.07) for stroke, 0.98 (0.77, 1.24) for ischemic heart disease mortality, 0.92 (0.56, 1.50) for stroke mortality, and 1.42 (1.09, 1.86) for type 2 diabetes. Of the studies conducted in diabetic patients, the pooled HR (95% CI) was 1.69 (1.09, 2.62) for overall CVD.CONCLUSIONS:This meta-analysis suggests that egg consumption is not associated with the risk of CVD and cardiac mortality in the general population. However, egg consumption may be associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes among the general population and CVD comorbidity among diabetic patients.Thanks for a glimpse of reason. To blame egg consumption, on just about anything, is completely ridiculous. Especially if they are eggs from wild, free-range, organically fed chickens.Eggs from that source are one of the most nutritious foods aout there. ~~~Thank you. I posted a number of studies below that suggest the total opposite of what this video suggests. No one even responded. This site is so conveniently blind to the discourse at the heart of scientific research. I love this site and agree with many of its premises but it is so dishonest and unreflective in regard to its driving bias — which is disheartening.Sam and Kim: I have some thoughts for you. I want to make clear first, though, that I am not speaking on behalf of Dr. Greger or NutritionFact.org. I am offering personal opinions.I don’t think this site is blind to anything. Every site/organization is going to have a scope and a set amount of resources. The scope on this site is Dr. Greger’s take on *relevant* science regarding nutrition. He reads all those studies “so we don’t have to.” To me, that means that Dr. Greger should not be sharing all of the studies that he doesn’t consider relevant. I come to this site, because I don’t have time for that.I imagine that Dr. Greger doesn’t have the time/resources to post and respond to every study either. You can always find conflicting studies about anything. As I have posted in the past, you can even find studies that show that smoking has nothing to do with cancer. Those studies may even look quite convincing. But if I went to a site that boasted, “I review all the science on smoking so that you don’t have to.”, I would expect to see the studies filtered to what the presenter considers relevant to the big picture of what we know about smoking.There can be all sorts of reasons that Dr. Greger would consider a study not to be relevant. I personally don’t need to know those reasons at this point in my life. I just know that I don’t have the time or training to go through it all myself. I am content that Dr. Greger looks at conflicting information like the studies you site and weighs them accordingly. I can think of three videos off the top of my head where Dr. Greger shares studies that would be considered at least on the surface to be against the plant food message or that contradict traditional vegan beliefs. Also, there are plenty of videos where Dr. Greger makes it clear that we don’t “know” something. That he is just sharing what we know so far. So, I feel comfortable that Dr. Greger is thinking critically when he makes his decisions about what to include. And based on what he has presented, I feel comfortable that he is not only thinking critically, but is also making good decisions.As you and others have done, you can feel free to post any opposing studies you want in the comments section. Sometimes people reply. Sometimes not. I would imagine that most people feel the same way that I do – that opposing research is relevant only in the context of deeply understanding all of the studies on that topic and being able to weigh them in the big picture. We have some commenters who can do that. But most of us can’t and/or don’t have time.If you feel like you need to see a debate on these topics, you might consider keeping NutritionFacts in your back pocket, but also going to other sites which give equal time and weight to all studies/sides–regardless of validity. (For me, such a site is likely to end up being about false equivalencies and create more confusion and miss information than actual scientific discourse. But maybe there really is a site where you can take all valid studies and debate them.) For this site, we get the bottom line, which is something many people seem to appreciate.I welcome people posting opposing opinions. I just don’t consider it Dr. Greger’s job to do so. He has already done his job by screening out what he considers riff-raff. I don’t get all of my nutritional information from one person/this site. This is just one valuable source of info with a known and realistic scope.So, I’ve said the same thing multiple ways. Hopefully I was able to get my point across in a respectful way. I actually sympathize with your position. I just disagree with it in terms of this particular site.The conclusion of the meta-analysis you cite, “However, egg consumption may be associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes among the general population and CVD comorbidity among diabetic patients.” confirms Dr. Greger’s conclusion, although I do worry that there is a lack of balance in the studies reported at times. I think it behooves the average person to do a bit of their own, outside research and not just rely on one source of information.I’m not diabetic. For me, this enormous study seems to indicate no association with eggs and heart disease or stroke. Why can this be discounted?http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/1999/04.22/eggs.htmlI think the egg is not a risk for diabetes, provided the perfect egg portion to touch each individual is consumed, as the case of each. Could intervene as certain factors such as age, height, complexion, inherited antescedentes family, etc.. which take into account that within the total basal energy expenditure of each individual egg that was consumed between corresponding portions within, and not exceed, for which there is no health risk when consumed, yet on the other hand I agree that in fact only one egg a week if it exceeds the limit portions of the group in which the egg enters the food pyramid, if there is a risk.I find the data for the conclusion to be pretty flimsy. To quote from the most recent data (from a long term well designed study and then peer reviewed in a main stream journal http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20534749) – “n this cohort of older adults with limited egg intake, there was no association between egg consumption or dietary cholesterol and increased risk of incident T2D.”I think it is just as likely that it is the protein intake which is the culprit. Those who eat eggs generally eat more protein in general. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22850191 “High protein intake was associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes (hazard ratio (HR) 1.27 for highest compared with lowest quintile;” or some other associated variable.In my case of Type II Diabetes I really don’t think eating EGGS had all that much to do with me acquiring the illness. Well, not as much as did MONSANTO and getting sprayed with AGENT ORANGE for a full year. (By the way, Agent Orange doesn’t have anything on Round Up, when it comes to killing vegetation). But now that I have Type II Diabetes, I can see no reason for continuing to eat eggs. I for one am heading toward a Vegetarian Diet and Growing as much as I can in MY OWN GARDEN!I just don’t get this. Eggs are a natural whole food.I had to read the research for this topic. Djousse’ 2008 study showed several conflicting pieces of information. 1. Both men and women eating >7 eggs per week had lower incidence of high cholesterol than those not eating eggs. 2. Both men and women eating >7 eggs per week also had up to 4 x the incidence of smoking and alcohol use than non-egg consumers. 3. BMI and HTN were also higher in egg eaters. Do we assume that eating eggs cause obesity and HTN also? IF we use this logic then eggs will help lower cholesterol also or make us want to smoke and drink. Are there studies on eggs with control groups (everything equal except consumption of eggs) for risk of heart disease, diabetes, cholesterol.For those eating Western diets, little dietary cholesterol is absorbed and serum cholesterol levels are largely related to saturated and trans-fat intake. A 100 mg increase in dietary cholesterol translates into an increase of only about 2.2 (mg/dl) in serum cholesterol. However, cholesterol uptake is considerably higher in those with lower serum levels, like low-fat vegans:Its plausible that among those eating a Western diet, those choosing to eat eggs rather than sausage would have lower serum cholesterol, as the saturated fat (lower in the eggs) would be the predominant determinant.The heart attack proof zone for serum cholesterol is under 150 mg/dL total cholesterol, achieved through dietary means. This typically means a vegan (or nearly vegan) diet with high fiber, high plant phytosterols and no added fats. Addition of egg cholesterol to that kind of diet would have a pronounced adverse effect.there’s factory farmed eggs, and then there are real eggs. Eggs that are scrambled or fried have the cholesterol and fatty acids oxidized. Poached and soft boiled, not so. Eggs are an anabolic food. Diet needs to be matched to the individual. Most of these kinds of proclamations are made from epidemiological studies, which cannot ever assess cause and effect, and there seems to be little interest on the part of the groups that have the money (like NIH) to do careful long term studies of different diets. So, all this is basically guess work…Dwight McKee MDIn light of this video, I’m wondering if someone help me make sense of the following:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16340654http://www.metabolismjournal.com/article/S0026-0495(12)00318-6/abstractZazpe I, et al.Egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in the SUN Project . Eur J Clin Nutr. (2011)Hu FB, et al.A prospective study of egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women . JAMA. (1999)Scrafford CG, et al. Egg consumption and CHD and stroke mortality: a prospective study of US adults. Public Health Nutr. (2011)Nakamura Y, et al. Egg consumption, serum total cholesterol concentrations and coronary heart disease incidence: Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study. Br J Nutr. (2006)Djoussé L, Gaziano JM. Egg consumption in relation to cardiovascular disease and mortality: the Physicians’ Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr. (2008)Qureshi AI, et al. Regular egg consumption does not increase the risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases. Med Sci Monit. (2007)Njike V, et al. Daily egg consumption in hyperlipidemic adults–effects on endothelial function and cardiovascular risk. Nutr J. (2010)Fernandez ML. Dietary cholesterol provided by eggs and plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. (2006)Jones PJ. Dietary cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients: a review of the Harvard Egg Study and other data. Int J Clin Pract Suppl. (2009)http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8539What gives?Is this risk reduced by removing yolks and eating only the whites?What about egg whites, and not consuming the yolk? Is the incidence reduced?In left wondering what is it about the eggs that would have this result.that was not made clear. Is it the high cholesterol in the yolk? Our the white, or both?If God didn’t intend us to eat animals why did He make them out of meat?Did you make this up yourself? I have never heard it before. It is so clever. They’re Made Out of Meat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tScAyNaRdQb00mer: That video is really hilarious. I’m glad Yonder posted just so that you would post that link. ;-)Terry Bisson’s short story from 1991.In that same vein: Thank goodness, we can eat you! I’ll have a leg. No a breast. No…I have type II DM a1c was 18 4weeks ago. Uncontrolled Dm for 5years with a poor diet and no meds. My bs avg was 300-600 daily. I changed my diet 4weeks ago to a high protein low carb no complex carb diet. All my carbs coming from the simple carbs in skim milk. I eat 6 egg whites a day raw in my protein shakes. Workout 6 days a week and my bs has not bbeen over 90 in 4weeks with no meds!!I’m a vegetarian and have also cut out dairy and I try to eat vegan most of the time, though I do enjoy eggs from the farmers market. My issue with these studies is that I always wonder if they take into account the rest of the individual’s diet and life style. I would suspect that a person who eats a lot of eggs may also easy a lot of cheese or bacon, for example.This makes no sense. I don’t buy it. Yes, eating more plants or all plants is better for your, but, no doubt the other 99% of your nutrition has far more to do with diabetes than an egg. The study would have to be run with people eating an all vegan diet and adding the eggs to see the difference. Otherwise there’s no way to tell for sure. Was the study group washing down there eggs with soda? Who knows.Im just curious if there was any research done on eggs cooked differently like hard boiled vs fried. And if theres any difference if maybe someone ate egg whites only?the Wellness center that I’m going to for treating my diabetes without drugs changing my whole way of eating, all whole foods, veggies & some fruits and supplements, told me today that if you have diabetes you cannot be a vegetarian because you need the protein in animal fat – is that true??Martha: This is patently UNtrue. I highly recommend that you read the book “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes – The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes Without Drugs”Bottom line: Dr. Barnard ran a clinical trial where people were able to reverse their Type 2 diabetes by changing their diet to a vegan, whole plant food based diet. His diet is “3 times more effective than other diet plans”. And there is no animal protein or fat in the diet.The book not only includes great info, but recipes. I highly recommend it.I’m sorry to hear you have diabetes. I hope you are able to get it under control. Good luck.thanks so much for your help!!Thea, are you a doctor?Kim Y: No, no. I’m sorry if I gave that impression. I try hard to say often that I am not an expert of any kind. I’m more of a “power user” of information, having spend several years now studying and learning what I can in my smattering of free time. I’m just a lay person who happens to know a little bit more than the average lay person in America.But I’m not nearly as advanced as other commenters on this site such as Toxins and Darryl and others. I just try to share what I know in a user-friendly way. Also, by volunteering on this site, I hope to help create a community of respectful people who are interested in learning and sharing together how to be healthy through diet.Just HOW do eggs cause diabetes? Until you can show me the scientific or chemical route in which eggs directly cause diabetes, I won’t believe it.Mk Grant: Your skepticism is healthy and fully understandable given the brainwashing we get about eggs.My understanding is that we don’t know the exact mechanisms which cause type 2 diabetes, but we have a good theory that is backed by strong science. Dr. Barnard explains the mechanism by which fat build-up in cells over time lead to type 2 diabetes.Here is a quote from figure caption in the book: “Normally, insulin attaches to receptors on the cell’s surface and signals the cell membrane to allow glucose to enter. However, if fat, called intromyocellular lipid, accumulates inside the cell, it interferes with insulin’s intracellular signaling process. Tiny organelles, called mitochondria, are supposed to burn fat, and their failure to keep up with the accumulating fat may be the original of type 2 diabetes. Luckily, evidence shows that diet changes can reduce the amount of fat inside the cell.”You would learn more details about this process by reading the book of course: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386875271&sr=8-1&keywords=dr.+barnard+diabetesWhat all this means is that the problems type 2 diabetics have with blood sugar is a symptom, not the cause of the disease. And as I said, the science seems to back this up. If you get the fat out of your cells, your body can regulate the blood sugars very well.So, how does this relate to eggs? I’m thinking about the fat in the eggs that goes far above the 10% fat (if memory serves) that Dr. Barnard shoots for with the patients in the clinical trial. I personally think that there may be something about the protein in the egg whites that also contributes given the findings of the studies from this video, but that’s just a layman’s wonderings.Something to think about.So easy to eat too much fat…. peanut butter and tahini are my major culprits …. one needs to be really careful not to eat too much of our favourite fats…..re: easy… Amen! But I clearly have bigger vices than you. I still eat way too much chocolate, etc. I consider the nut and seed butters to be generally healthier. And I eat too many of those too.At least I know what is healthy and am working towards it. I try not to be too hard on myself. Then again, maybe it is about time I got a little more discipline…Well, we all have our vices (mine is not chocolate or sugar though). If the omega-6:omega-3 story is true, then tahini and peanut butter are some of the worst sources in my diet; the only thing that could be worse is industrial seed oils.Thank you very much. So, in his book, does the Dr. teach how to remove the fat from the cells? I’m assuming it’s not just a matter of limiting the fat in one’s diet?You assume wrong! :-) It turns out that getting rid of the fat in one’s diet is the key.In the chapter “How to Get Started”, Dr. Barnard summarizes that the key to success is to eat foods that are 1) vegan (100%!), 2) low fat (no or little oil), and 3) low glycemic.Of course, he defines low glycemic in a rational way. Low GI foods include: beans/legumes, green leafy vegetables, most fruits, barley, etc. and “Surprisingly, pasta has a low glycemic index, unlike other wheat products.” (Personally, I’m a huge fan of brown rice pasta, which gets me both good-textured pasta and whole grain.)I really do highly recommend the book for more detailed info than I can give here.Thea’s post gave an excellent overview of the science behind the current best paradigm that type two diabetes is a “sugar” actually glucose processing problem caused by fats in the diet. You need to reduce fats both animal and concentrated plant sources such as oils to give the body the best chance to reverse the disease. By following the whole plant based diet without oils you improve your chance of avoiding, reversing and/or curing type two diabetes. Animal foods are very high in fat. You can check the details out at cronometer.com. Eggs are just high in fat. They don’t cause type two diabetes they just increase your risk of getting it and if you have it get in your bodies way of reversing it. Of course there are alot of other reasons not to eat eggs from a health standpoint. If you eat the correct diet you will decrease your total calorie intake and your body will clear the fat our of your cells and decrease the size of your fat cells. Fat cells are metabolically active. It is possible that they may contribute indirectly to type two diabetes. It is clear if we lose body fat we lower our risk for a variety of conditions.Physical activity is one of the best ways for decreasing the amount of fat in cells. I personally don’t think that egg consumption is one of the main causes for the development of type 2 diabetes. A high intake of simple carbohydrates is one of the main contributors to type 2 diabetes. Where do we find this type of carbohydrates? In refined flour, sugars (soft drinks and other sweetened beverages) and other type of caloric sweeteners such as HFCS. The constant stimulation of the pancreatic cells by high intake of simple carbohydrates eventually may lead to type 2 diabetes. Of course, high intake of saturated fat and trans fat may increase your cardiovascular risk associated with type 2 diabetes. Instead of trying to blame certain “whole-foods”, how about we focus on limiting or avoiding high processed foods with high amounts of sugar, saturated and trans fats and sodium?Congrats you can be the worlds second worst scientist right behind the most dangerous killer of humans in history–Dr. Ancel Keys and his proven bogus “cholesterol theory” What bullshit ! Dr. you need to go back to the drawing board with your studies. Severely FLAWEDDoug: You can disagree all you want. You can even assert the most silly of pseudo-science. We allow it all the time. But we do not allow personal attacks. This is a site for mature adults only. I am deleting your comment. Feel free to post again if you can follow the rules.Here is a reference to a much larger study which states an opposing opinion:“In multivariable-adjusted models, there was no association between egg consumption and increased risk of T2D in either sex and overall. In a secondary analysis, dietary cholesterol was not associated with incident diabetes (P for trend = 0.47). In addition, egg consumption was not associated with clinically meaningful differences in fasting glucose, fasting insulin, or measures of insulin resistance despite small absolute analytic differences that were significant.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/06/09/ajcn.2010.29406.abstractwhat one eats not only impacts your health but the health of every living being the whole entire earth. It all is connected. Watch this video http://www.you tube.com/embed/8PkQrJZYN4″please remove the last comment I posted, for some reason the video is wrong! I meant to post the video by Will Tuttle PhD on youtube.Stupidity squared! Not a single shred of evidence! As Mark Twain has said: There are three kinds of lies: Lies Damn Lies StatisticsJust for the record: I was referring to the video and NOT to any comments below.Was this a controlled study? How do you do it, you have people eating the exact same thing and change just the amount of eggs they eat? Seems to me like the usual crappy food science you see every day. Yesterday eggs where the best food for you, today they can kill you, tomorrow who knows.An interesting question. Why is everyone so concerned about eggs? I was at one time in my life, stuggling to get my choestrol numbers in line. Then I came across whole30 eating (not really a diet, but rather a new way of looking at food and then choosing goog foods) concept. See the book It Starts With Food”.Now I eat three eggs every morning for breakfast, i have a healthy diet, eating lots of veggies & fresh fruit, I eat most all meats in moderation. No grains, very little dairy, only certain nuts (cashues & almonds), sweet potatoes, not white and watch the carbs, I hate the energy spikes they give you, and no sugar. That’s why I love eggs, the protein gives me energy and satisfies my desire for in between snacks.I exercise regularly, i.e. before work i ride 32 kilometers every other day on the bike (Heart rate never more then average 115 bpm) plus Sat & Sunday. I go to bed at 9:00 PM and get up at 4:00 AM every day. I am a MD of small manufacturing company and so put in a good 9-10 hrs. Every day, with energy to spare. I am 64 years old, love my work and have time for family life.Guess what ALL of my colestrol figures are the best I’ve ever hadI was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes September 2013.I think I had it for a while, just didn’t know what was causing the symptoms.I was extremely thirsty, drinking brita pitchers of water and was stilltongue stuck to the roof of my mouth thirst. I would have terriblenausea and vomiting bouts, vomited anything I ate, even water.Slowly my body would recover, I would eat tiny teaspoon of honey,because it was the only thing that would stay down.My doctor, Dr. Alan Kavetz put me on Kombiglyze XR.He also gave me a list of food to cut out, white rice, potatoes, bagels, etc.On my own, I bought a blender and go to a Fairway near me, buyKale, Dandelion Root, Spinach, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Beets and makea slurpee of this and eat it. It helped my symptoms.But on the internet, I found this vegetable called Bitter Melon.I wanted to stop taking the Kombiglyze XR, because it is linked toPancreatic Cancer. Bitter Melon does keep my symptoms under control.In NYC Chinatown, it’s all over the place, for a $1.00 each.In the Union Square Whole Foods, when they have it, it cost $5.00 foreach one. I stopped taking Bitter Melon, because I ran out and myvomiting, nausea, sweating, feel like there there are ants crawlingunderneath my skin, my toes and soles of my feet, pinpricks of pain.It feels bad. My son took me to Whole Foods Union Square,where Lo & Behold they had the Bitter Melon vegetable.I bought 5, hurried home and put it in the blender with the other vegetables.My symptoms began to subside and by the next day, they were gone.I take the Bitter Melon supplement that I find in Vitamin Shoppe.I have tried Bitter Melon Solaray and Himalaya.But I find, that for me, they do not work, I still get the symptoms. It’s only the vegetable, Bitter Melon, eating it that I get relief. I do not like the taste of Bitter Melon and I have to force myself to eat it. I am 63 year old Female.What makes egg eaters so unhealthy – almost as unhealthy as pork eaters? The cholesterol in the yolk of the egg only raises our blood cholesterol slightly – not nearly as much as eating saturated fat or trans fat. The choline>>TMAO connection could be an important cause but can’t possibly explain the whole misfortune by itself. The nitrosamines, heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dietary advanced glycation endproducts, dietary advanced lipoxidation endproducts, alkanals, alkenals, and trans fatty acids are present in fried eggs but not in hard-boiled or poached eggs that have no salt added. Pathogenic bacteria can be present in raw eggs but not in hard-boiled or poached eggs. Anyhow, the eating of raw eggs is extremely uncommon. Heme iron, a pro-oxidant, is present in all eggs but total iron is actually quite low in eggs compared to meats and fish. Furthermore, most of the small amount of iron in eggs is the less harmful nonheme type. Also, eggs contain phosvitin, a protein compound that binds iron molecules together and strongly prevents the human body from absorbing iron from foods. The arsenic that egg farmers feed to hens to keep them free of diseases doesn’t get into the eggs that humans will later eat. So the only remaining possibility are the cancer-causing synthetic estrogens that egg farmers feed to hens to increase egg production and keep egg prices as low as possible: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20104980Dear Dr. Greger I am an amateur bodybuilder and I’ve recently replaced my whey (milk) powder protein with black beans and soy milk after watching your videos. However there are times throughout the day where I must take protein but no carbs. It’s simply a rule that I must follow to make maximum muscular development. My question is, if my only option for high protein low carb food is to eat whey protein isolate or egg whites, which would you suggest? I need to consume about 30 egg whites in addition to my soy milk and black bean protein in order to meet my daily protein requirement. All the negative things about cholestrol and choline are only in the yolk, and there’s less choline in an egg white than there is in a vegetable.(virtually no choline in egg whites) One egg white contains 3.6g of protein, while a scoop of whey protein contains 30g. Thanks in advance, P.S. I love your videos. Sincerely, M.K.What is your evidence that your body requires pure protein and no carbs for muscular development? “The anabolic phase is a critical phase occurring within 45 minutes post-exercise. It is during this time that muscle cells are particularly sensitive to insulin, making it necessary to ingest the proper nutrients in order to make gains in muscle endurance and strength. If the proper nutrients are ingested 2 – 4 hours post-exercise they will not have the same effect. It is also during this time in which the anabolic hormones begin working to repair the muscle and decrease its inflammation. Immediate ingestion of carbohydrate is important because insulin sensitivity causes the muscle cell membranes to be more permeable to glucose within 45 minutes post-exercise. This results in faster rates of glycogen storage and provides the body with enough glucose to initiate the recovery process (Burke et al., 2003). Muscle glycogen stores are replenished the fastest within the first hour after exercise. Consuming carbohydrate within an hour after exercise also helps to increase protein synthesis (Gibala, 2000).”Gibala, M.J. (2000). Nutritional supplementation and resistance exercise: what is the evidence for enhanced skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, 25(6), 524-535.There is no evidence that one must supplement dietary protein in order to gain muscle mass. As long as one consumes adequate calories then adequate protein will also be met. Basically, eat when your hungry, till your full. It may be difficult at first to accept that your body does not need to supplement protein but it is unfounded to believe otherwise.I agree with Toxins excellent post. If you want to read more about protein I would suggest articles in three of Dr. McDougall’s newsletters, see 12/2003(History), 4/2007(sources) and 1/2003(overload). I would not recommend protein supplementation as a path to improved health. Although the science is changing and new science is coming out so you need to stay tuned.Hi MK, for expertise on body building and whole foods diet – you may want to check the internet as this sector of the population is growing. For example check out Derek Tresize, ” My favorite is Sunwarrior’s raw brown rice protein; it tastes great and is raw so it’s minimally processed and still has intact nutrients.http://engine2diet.com/the-daily-beet/engine-2-interview-with-body-builder-derek-tresizeM.K.:I think the answers you already got are top-knotch. But if you are still convinced that you need to supplement, I would refer to you to the the following article and link. If memory serves, these guys were recommending a particular vegan protein powder at a VegFest Conference I attended a few months ago. If you look at their profiles on the site linked to below, you can see what supplements/protein powders each person recommends/uses.(from meatout mondays) Vegan Bodybuilders Dominate Texas CompetitionThe Plant Built (PlantBuilt.com) team rolled into this year’s drug-free, steroid-free Naturally Fit Super Show competition in Austin, TX, and walked away with more trophies than even they could carry.The Plant Built team of 15 vegan bodybuilders competed in seven divisions, taking first place in all but two. They also took several 2nd and 3rd place wins.For More Info: http://www.plantbuilt.com/Hope that helps!quoting from the study: “We did not collect information on whether participants consumed egg yolk (rich in cholesterol) to further examine the contribution of dietary cholesterol from eggs on type 2 diabetes risk in this study. In addition, we had limited dietary data for men to further assess the interplay of eggs and other foods, energy, and nutrients with the risk of type 2 diabetes.”The second sentence is of particular relevance to this articles headline. Could it be that the self-reporting participants were eating their eggs with high-carb foods such as white toast with jelly/jam, potatoes, sugary coffee, etc.? I think it’s a rather irresponsible study and a rather irresponsible statement to make as a headline just to draw readership.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/Couple of things…* One of the cited sources says: “In multivariable-adjusted models, there was no association between egg consumption and increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes in either sex and overall. In a secondary analysis, dietary cholesterol was not associated with incident diabetes (P for trend = 0.47). In addition, egg consumption was not associated with clinically meaningful differences in fasting glucose, fasting insulin, or measures of insulin resistance despite small absolute analytic differences that were significant.”* Everyone associates eggs with an increased risk for heart disease. It’s very likely the people in these studies who ate more eggs were less health conscious than those who didn’t.* These are all observational studies.* Here are 3 randomized controlled trials that show eggs are very beneficial in people with diabetes and metabolic syndrome:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21134328 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24079288 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23021013I really find this hard to believe. http://authoritynutrition.com/why-are-eggs-good-for-you/Eating pasta without eggs might be an incomplete pasta dish avoiding it bcos of its eggs contentOdd that my husband has diabetes and has always had normal to slightly low cholesterol levels. And yes, I know about the ratio. My mother(82) and father(83) ate eggs every morning all my life as have I, and we all have had normal levels with no diabetes, heart disease or dementia.Eating eggs quantitatively does NOT increase type 2 diabetes. This scribbling is garbage.But, I have to ask did this research include organic eggs, free range eggs, and/or chickens that were not given antibiotics?So , all the older folks in my family who ate eggs all their lives , and did not get diabetes , means nothing ! I rather think it is the sugar , and meat protein that is the cause of this “epidemic ” of type2 ! If it was not on your great grandmother’s plate , it ain’t food ! Farmers have gone out of their way to kill bugs, and we eat the results ! They have given fertilizers the go ahead , and we eat the resulting crop ! Growth hormones , insecticides ,,,,,,,! There’s ya problem right there !I wonder weather the problem with egg consumption is at all connected with what egg producing chicken have been fed. Do organic eggs have the same effect? Any mention of this in the studies?There are inherent compounds in eggs that make no difference whether the eggs are organic or conventional.I only eat egg whites. Is this issue related to the yolk or the white?Andy: I would guess that the connection between eggs and diabetes is related to the yolk more than the white. However, there are other health problems with the egg whites. So, it is best not to eat any part of an egg.Here are some of the problems with the egg white: Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, there are two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out two other health issues with egg whites.With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?I know this is a little late …But then why does Dr Ornish allow egg whites and has shown reversal with them in his diet plan? Thanks.Were the eggs from organically-raised chickens?… What type of diet were the participants eating – the SAD? Were the participants also eating toast made of Wonder bread spread with margarine?… Were the participants on a calorie or methionine restricted diet?…. This “study” was a SELF-REPORTED study with WAY too many variables to lead to any type of logical conclusion. :-)Please see here for more on eggs. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=eggsTake note, that many of the issues are independent of organic vs conventional. There are inherent compounds in eggs (sat fat, cholesterol, arachidonic acid) that cause most of the harm.How one linear are those studies? Don’t those people who consume eggs in the morning, eat bacon, sausage with it as well..? I eat a lot of eggs, love em. Eggs and milk cream (organic) have helped me get over a depression due to the fat content. I feel great after drinking a glass of milk cream, helps me sleep. I don’t know. I am so tired of all this contradicting advice out there… I think Dr. Greger is right in one thing; all that contradicting info is dangerous. I have been, for the past 25 years, trying to be a conscious, healthy eater, a vegetarian and still ended up with a 106 fasting blod sugar… No family history, always active, go to the gym, etc. So frustrating. And Im not the only one like that. I have friends who are like me; seemingly perfect, clean, healthy diets and diabetic. So let’s not talk about unhealthy diet, obesity and diabetics as this is obvious. Let’s talk about the cases where people are doing everything right or almost everything right!I’d appreciate if someone could reconcile the studies cited here with studies showing that egg eating – and cheese consumption – significantly reduces diabetes risk.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3024374/The-secret-staving-diabetes-Eat-four-eggs-week-plenty-cheese-yogurt.html#ixzz3WIqhzK00There seems to be contradictory information about this:http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20141009/eggs-type-2-diabeteshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150402081806.htmhttp://sciencenordic.com/eating-more-eggs-may-reduce-risk-diabeteshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2010/06/16/us-eggs-diabetes-idUSTRE65F6PH20100616I know this is a little late …But then why does Dr Ornish allow egg whites and has shown reversal with them in his diet plan? ThanksOkay so this sounds just ridiculous. I know people that eat a dozen eggs per day and they don’t get diabetes. Also much of the citations listed here are based on questionaire responses and not clinical studies.Here is a Web MD article that clearly disagrees..http://www.m.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20141009/eggs-type-2-diabetesI know this is a little late …But then why does Dr Ornish allow egg whites and has shown reversal with them in his diet plan? Thanks	aging,amputations,Asia,blindness,chronic diseases,diabetes,eggs,Europe,eye disease,eye health,Freedom of Information Act,Harvard,industry influence,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,lifespan,longevity,mortality	Even just a single egg a week may increase the risk of diabetes, the leading cause of lower-limb amputations, kidney failure, and new cases of blindness.	More Freedom of Information Act insights into the egg industry can be found in:Flax seeds may help control blood sugars (Flaxseeds for Diabetes) as well as Indian gooseberries (Amla Versus Diabetes), but our best bet may be a diet composed entirely of plants (How to Prevent Diabetes and How to Treat Diabetes).I’ll be covering gestational diabetes (high sugars during pregnancy) in an upcoming video—stay tuned!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/08/flaxseeds-for-diabetes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/freedom-of-information-act/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amputations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22390963,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400720,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20471806,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20534749,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19017774,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22850191,
PLAIN-2668	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/	Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis	Health authorities from all over the world universally recommend increasing consumption of whole grains and legumes—beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils—for health promotion. But what about the phytates?Phytate is a naturally occurring compound found in all plant seeds, meaning all beans, grains, nuts, and seeds, which over the decades has been badly maligned as a mineral absorption inhibitor. That’s why, for example, you hear advice to roast, sprout, or soak your nuts—to get rid of the phytates so we can absorb more minerals like calcium.The concern about phytates and bone health arose from a series of laboratory experiments performed on puppies published in 1949, suggesting high phytate diets have a bone softening and anti-calcifying effect. Subsequent studies on rats, in which they fed them the equivalent of 10 loaves of bread a day, confirmed phytate’s status as a so-called anti-nutrient. But more recently, in the light of actual human data, phytate’s image has undergone a makeover.If you put people on a high phytate diet and measure their calcium balance, their bodies appear to become accustomed to the extra phytate over time and it all worked out, but this study was done on only 3 people. So I was glad to see this study published, which asked the simple question, do people who avoid high phytate foods—legumes, nuts, and whole grains—have better bone mineral density? No, in fact just the opposite. Those that consumed more high-phytate foods had stronger bones, as measured in the heel, spine, and hip. The researchers conclude that dietary phytate consumption had protective effects against osteoporosis and that low phytate consumption should be considered an osteoporosis risk factor. This is consistent, with reports that phytate can inhibit the dissolution of bone similar to anti-osteoporosis drugs like Fosamax.A follow-up study found the same thing: improved bone density in those that consumed the most phytates, but this is the most convincing study to date, actually measuring phytate levels flowing through women’s bodies and following bone mass over time. And women with the highest phytate levels had the lowest levels of bone loss in the spine, and the hip, and so no surprise that those who ate the most phytates were estimated to have a significantly lower risk of major fracture, and lower risk of hip fracture specifically.This is thought to be in part because phytates help block the formation of bone-eating cells, and their bone-eating activity. You can see how much more bone is eaten away in the nonphytate group on the left.Now the drug Fosamax can have a similar beneficial effect, but phytates don’t have the side effects associated with bisphosphonates, like osteonecrosis.There’s a rare side effect associated with this class of drugs called osteonecrosis of the jaw. The whole reason people take these drugs is to protect their bones, but by doing so, also risk rotting them away.	I had no idea beans were important to bone health.Thanks Dr GI eat a can of black beans per day – over 1 1/2 cups – and I am concerned that I may be taking in too much manganese. When I add up other vegan sources of food in my daily food intake that are high in manganese (grains) I end up exceeding the daily recommended allowance – by a lot! I am assuming manganese is a heavy metal – should I be concerned if I have days of over 200 percent of RDA? Does the body need a few days off from ingestion to eliminate overload of certain minerals?I wouldn’t worry to much, most of it is probably not readily absorb and poop out. The power of fiber!!http://veganhealth.org/articles/manganesePretty sure heavy metals cannot be eliminated by the body at all..?Should we not soak beans now? To preserve phytate?Replied to similar question below–thanks for your interest in my work!Try sprouting them.Significantly off topic, but I have decided not to eat any more raw uncooked cruciferous vegetables and will be steaming mine, after I did a thorough review of the animal and human literature on eating brassica (cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli). I don’t mind eating a small, occasional quantity uncooked, but the consumption of large amounts is thyrotoxic in that it causes goiter; moreover, in people with marginal iodine status, it is a risk factor for thyroid cancer (though appears not to be, in iodine-replete individuals). I’ve also been advised by a vegan RD to steam them and not eat them raw. If they are cooked, there is absolutely no risk of thyroid problems.Are you 100 percent positive in your last statement, that there is absolutely no risk of thyroid problems if the brassica foods are cooked? Does steaming truly eliminate the thyroid risk? Is there convincing research that puts this issue to rest? Thanks.No one can be 100% positive in an area like this, until a definitive randomized trial is performed, preferably in a closed metabolic ward. But one study which puts the issue to rest was a 4 week study on cooked brussel sprouts which was published more than 30 years ago:Journal Title: Human toxicology Article Title: Preliminary observations on the effect of dietary brussels sprouts on thyroid function. Year: 1986-1 Volume: 5 (1) Pages: 15-19( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2419242 )I’ve also seen animal data suggesting that cooking dramatically reduces the goitrogenic risk.You wrote: ” If they are cooked, there is absolutely no risk of thyroid problems.” Are you certain of this? Does the research to date guarantee that steaming brassica insures no thyroid risk?Scientists at last month’s annual conference of the American Institute of Cancer Research presented new evidence showing that steaming most crucifers briefly is helpful for maximizing cancer-fighting compounds, especially if you eat the steamed crucifers along with a little raw radish, wasabi or spicy mustard. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2013/11/30/anti-cancer-recipes-groundbreaking-news-about-crucifers-another-bombshell/You could also opt for a little arugula or watercress (both crucifers) instead.Harriet, I have been steaming mine for a good 4 minutes until the broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower is semi-soft (not too soft, but not still hard). My concern is the risk of goitrogens in consuming large amounts of daily cruciferous vegetables in a raw condition, and I think there’s enough evidence – mechanistic, animal, and human (both controlled and case reports) – to suggest this is a bit of a concern.The scientists at the conference suggested 3 to 4 minutes for broccoli (and didn’t discuss cabbage or cauli.) If you cook too much, you destroy the myrosinase enzyme, which starts the reaction that produces the cancer-fighting compounds. To get more of that enzyme, however, just eat a little–not much– of the suggested raw crucifers (radish, etc.) http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/anti-cancer-recipes-groundbreaking-news-about-crucifers/Myrosinase is exactly that which I wish to inactivate, since it hydrolyzes and liberates the glucosinolates which are goitrogens (in humans and animals). I will get the wasabi though. I think that’s a great idea. Happy Saturday to you!Glucosinolates are also the anticancer compounds. You maybe throwing the baby out with the (broccoli) water. Raw crucifers are not thought to be a problem if you get enough iodine in your diet.Vegans and many vegetarians tend to score very low on iodine levels (according to a recent paper in J. Clin. Endocrin. Metab.). If your iodine intake is marginal, there is a nearly two-fold increased risk of thyroid cancer from consuming high amounts of cruciferous vegetables. I, personally, take a 1/4 of a kelp tablet (which intact provides 650 micrograms per day of iodine), as well as using iodized table salt in cooking. The salt in processed food is not iodized. But I am more concerned about my risk of hypothyroidism than my risk of thyroid cancer (as I have no risk factors for this disease). There are some animal data to suggest that even in iodine-repleted rodents, raw crucifers contain sufficient goitrogenic effects to cause problems (Horm. Metab. Res 27 (1995) 450-454) — “These results emphasize that, moderate intake of iodine, adequate to meet iodine requirement, may not ensure normal functioning of thyroid in the presence of goitrogens.”And there are plenty of human and animal case reports of goitrous hypothyrodism from raw crucifers. Thus I am – again personally – trading off the theoretical benefits of anticancer compounds (which I may never need, or which could be obviated by some other dietary factor that I don’t know about) against the real, practical, and documented hazards of consuming large, daily quantities of Brassicaceae in an uncooked state (thyroid cancer and hypothyroidism). From the animal literature, it is very uncertain much iodine would be protective, and where the tipping point into iodotoxicity begins (certainly the UL is 1100 micrograms per day, which is quite low).Interesting discussion. FYI, this 2013 paper examined whether there is an association between vegan diets and hypothyroidism.That data is very reassuring but they did not systematically screen TSH or thyroid indices in all participants. Rather, they relied on people to go to their doctors with symptoms of thyroid problems and get diagnosed that way — that is not a systematic testing procedure, and thus it is prone to all sorts of problems. We know that vegans visit their doctors less for cancer screening procedures such as prostate specific antigen testing. Therefore, they may simply get less bloodwork in general. It is not possible to diagnose thyroid disease without screening bloodwork.Good point, thanks. You will likely find interesting this recent book chapter reviewing the evidence for an association between subclinical hypothyrodism and disease states. I was struck by how unclear such an association seems to be for mild subclinical hypothyrodism (TSH<10 mU/L).I’m eating cruciferous veggies primarily for the isothiocyanates (the prime goitrogenic suspects), absorption of which is higher from raw crucifers.I can always take a sea kelp iodine pill at bedtime or in the morning, after the greens are well on their journey.Your approach is a sensible one, but I am not entirely convinced, from the literature that I have seen, that iodine repletion fully abolishes the goitrogenic effects of raw crucifers:1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16837428 2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10520350 3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8575723 4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1765328One theory that might account for endemic goiter is that its caused not by excess thiocyanates, but by the combination of iodine deficiency, selenium deficiency and high isothionate diets.Selenium and the thyroid: how the relationship was establishedThiocyanate induces cell necrosis and fibrosis in selenium-and iodine-deficient rat thyroidsThe epidemiology of iodine-deficiency disorders in relation to goitrogenic factors and thyroid-stimulating-hormone regulationYour second paper was on endemic goiter in West Bengal – Environmental hypothesis: is poor dietary selenium intake an underlying factor for arsenicosis and cancer in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India?On the other hand, in North India, it appear iron deficiency is the only good correlate: Persistence of goitre in the post-iodization phase: micronutrient deficiency or thyroid autoimmunity?It’s pretty clear science doesn’t have a good handle on the causes of endemic goiter:Other dietary factors which could potentially contribute to goitre–vitamin A or selenium deficiency or intake of large amounts of thiocyanate-producing goitrogens–were found not to be a problem among these women. Multiple regression analysis of the causes of goitre, including measures of iodine status and anthropometric variables, could account for only 12% of the variability in goitre grade.I came accross a couple of studies where goiter prevalence varied three-fold in neighboring villages with the same iodine & selenium status and presumably similar diets – its a bit bewildering, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the major contribution was by viral infection or autoimmune disorder, with iodine, selenium, and thiocyanates making underlying disorders visible.The Marwaha study states: “Significantly higher median urinary thiocyanate (USCN) excretion was observed in goitrous subjects (0.75 mg/dl) compared to controls (0.64 mg/dl; P < 0.001) and goitrous girls compared to goitrous boys. "In any case, most of these studies were done in the developing world, and extrapolation to vegans in industrialized countries may be difficult, including from some of the studies that I had also quoted.Those involved in animal husbandry have known for quite some time that it is a bad idea to forage their animals on cruciferous vegetables; unless low-goitrogen strains have been selected for grazing. Presence of iodine supplementation did not seem to make a difference to these cattle:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1953333("Though thyroid and epithelial cells were enlarged, this enlargement was not so obvious as in animals exposed to higher glucosinolate level. In spite of 1 mg supplementary iodine/kg feed, the feeding of the conventional RSM [rapeseed meal] resulted in a lower serum T4 level a reduced thyroid iodine content and the enlargement of thyroid and that of epithelial cells.")Whether we can extrapolate these data to "human grazers" is a question I have — but I don't intend to personally be the one that finds out!In the following case report ( http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc0911005 ), an 88-year-old woman in NYC presented with myxedema coma. The patient "had been eating an estimated 1.0 to 1.5 kg of raw bok choy daily for several months in the belief that it would help control her diabetes. She had no previous history of thyroid disease.""In our patient, the problem was her consumption of considerable amounts of raw bok choy. When eaten raw, brassica vegetables release the enzyme myrosinase, which accelerates the hydrolysis of glucosinolates; the cooking process largely deactivates the myrosinase in these vegetables. This case demonstrates the potential for nutritional factors to have a profound effect on health."However, this patient had an extreme diet, and it is difficult to consume 1.0-1.5 kg of raw bok choy every day for several months. No word on what her iodine status was like, but iodine deficiency is rare in North America.I’d like to thank you for bringing this issue to my attention. Curiously, there’s relatively little work on the goitrogenic potential of different isothiocyanates – ideally one could eat isothiocyanates with high chemopreventative and low goitrogenic potential. I found this article pretty interesting:Chandra, Amar K., et al. “Goitrogenic content of Indian cyanogenic plant food & their in vitro anti-thyroidal activity.” Indian Journal of Medical Research 119 (2004): 180-185.Worst culprits? Not the cruciferous vegetables, but bamboo shoots and cassava. Moreover, cooking didn’t help:Boiled extracts showed maximum inhibition of TPO activity followed by cooked and raw extracts. Excess iodide was found relatively effective for raw extract but less effective for boiled and cooked extracts in reversing anti-TPO activity. Inhibition constant (IC50) was found highest with bamboo shoot and least with cabbage.Of course, all the usual caveats about in vitro studies apply. There was a fun citing article too:Milewski, Antoni V., and Ellen S. Dierenfeld. “Supplemental iodine as a key to reproduction in pandas?.” Integrative Zoology 7.2 (2012): 175-182.Clearly, living in low-iodine mountainous regions and eating nothing but the most goitrogenic food can’t be a good combination. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen an intelligent panda, perhaps they all suffer from goitrogenic cretinism.Darryl, do you think the anti-cancer compounds in cruciferous vegetables are destroyed by steaming, since these are the same compounds that are potentially goitrogenic?I take a balanced approach and steam one portion of crucifers for 4 minutes while snacking on red cabbage at dinner. Both get raw horseradish on top. Not sure if red cabbage has enough of the necessary chemopreventative compounds.The beneficial glucosinosolates (Glucoraphanin Glucobrassicin, others have some but lesser benefits) are uneffected by steaming, but the enzyme myrosinase that cleaves them to their biologically active isothiocyanate forms (sulforaphane, indole-3-carbinol, there are many others) is rendered inactive. Gut bacteria also have myrosinase, but total isothionate absorption is half or lower of that when cooked, and some important transformations, like conversion of indole-3-carbinol to 3,3′-diindolylmethane catalysed by stomach acid can’t occur.Thanks, that’s helpful! Do you know whether the comparative amounts of these compounds greatly differ between broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, green/white cabbage, and horseradish? Those are my “go-tos”, but for raw food snacking, I mostly eat red cabbage (it is nicely stomach-distending).Some useful papers:McNaughton, S. A., and G. C. Marks. “Development of a food composition database for the estimation of dietary intakes of glucosinolates, the biologically active constituents of cruciferous vegetables.” British journal of nutrition 90.3 (2003): 687-698.Unfortunately, it doesn’t breakdown the glucosinolate composition. Some, like glucoraphanin (precursor to sulforaphane), mostly in broccoli sprouts and broccoli, are likely considerably more potent in inducing cellular stress responses (yes, that’s a good thing).Rungapamestry, Vanessa, et al. “Effect of cooking brassica vegetables on the subsequent hydrolysis and metabolic fate of glucosinolates.” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 66.01 (2007): 69-81.I talked a bit about this before, but here’s a more detailed explanation:At the recent American Institute of Cancer Research conference, food scientist Elizabeth Jeffery, Univ. of Illinois, talked about how certain crucifers can swing both ways, so to speak. For example, when the myrosinase enzyme acts on broccoli’s sulfur-containing compounds, sulforaphane (which fights cancer) or nitriles (which don’t appear to) can be produced. Other crucifers capable of producing nitriles include cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, and Jeffery suggested that if you steam these lightly, just until bright green, you’ll keep nitriles from forming.Cooking, however, will degrade the enzyme, so she suggested adding it back by eating just a little raw crucifer in the same meal–a couple of radishes or 1/2 teaspoon of mustard or wasabi would be sufficient, she said, based on her research.http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/jafcau/2012/jafcau.2012.60.issue-27/jf2050284/production/images/medium/jf-2011-050284_0004.gifFrom Wang, Grace C., Mark Farnham, and Elizabeth H. Jeffery. “Impact of Thermal Processing on Sulforaphane Yield from Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. ssp. italica).” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 60.27 (2012): 6743-6748.Would you mind sharing the cite to that study of thyroid 1-131 accumulation?The original paper isGreer, M. A., & Astwood, E. B. (1948). The antithyroid effect of certain foods in man as determined with radioactive iodine 1. Endocrinology, 43(2), 105-119.The 1957 review is open access, and reports Greer and Astwood’s results.Thank you. Would it be ok to quote your comments on this site in articles I write? If so, how would you like to be identified?I’d be happy to send you the exact language so you can vet the wording prior to publication.Goitre is rare in North America, but not sub-clinical iodine deficiency.Same question – Should we not soak our beans if we want to preserve phytates? I soak my beans overnight and cook in a pressure cooker the next day. Is this the best practice?Still need to presoak dried beans (except lentils and peas) before cooking. Or, can use canned beans if you want to save yourself the hassle (Canned Beans or Cooked Beans?). Soaking nuts to get rid of phytate no longer makes much sense though.What about enzyme inhibitors that block trypsin? I read that seeds, nuts, and beans contain these trypsin inhibitors, and that they impair our ability to digest protein effectively, causing us to miss out on certain amino acids. A concern?Until a study is done or your hair and teeth rot out, don’t sweat it. If so take a protein supplement separately.I’ve never heard of people being protein deficient, unless it was in severely malnourished people. Please stop worrying about protein.Would you mind further explaining this statement? Why is there an exception for lentils and peas? Why doesn’t it make sense any longer to soak nuts? What about soaking and sprouting oilseeds such as pumpkin and sesame?Ok. I am confused. Why would we soak beans if we don’t need to worry about phytates?It takes time for the inner part of larger beans to rehydrate. Cook a kidney bean, or worse garbanzo bean without soaking, and you’ll get a soft bean around a hard, unpalatable core.There’s also a potential benefit from releasing oligosaccharides into the soaking water, reducing fuel gut fermentation for good (reducing flatuence) and bad (the same oligosaccharides promote beneficial bacteria). This is best achieved by boiling briefly to break bean cell membranes, then soaking for hours as usual, discarding the soak water, and rinsing.Ok. For cooking but not regarding the phytates. I cook beans a couple times per week so I have that down. Thanks DarrylThank you!!!To soak nuts and seeds, or not? What if you don’t soak them? What if you do? Advantages and disadvantages? Soaking: How long? Overnight? Or generally allow them to soak and store in refrigerator? Thank you!The natural way is the best. Soaking nuts is “processing”, isn’t it? I’ve never done this since I think that in the wild nobody was probably thinking of soaking nuts and seeds… and they were fine and healthy. So healthy we are here now.Phytates v. osteoclastogens, phytates win! Take that, anti-legume nuts!This is probably the same phenomenon long known as phosjaw or phossyjaw in industries that use certain forms of phosphorus. The makers of this drug must have seen this coming.I find this topic very interesting and relevant, as someone who eats lots of phytate-rich foods. However, it sounds to me like these studies make conclusions that are from correlation and not causation. How do we know that high-phytate foods don’t have something else really healthy in them that is good for bone health? (In fact, I’m sure they do.) A much better study would be to compare two groups of people who eat high-phytate foods, but one group soaks/ferments/sprouts their food and the other does not. This would be much more telling!Does the beans’ ability to inhibit the osteoclasts also lead to the same brittleness seen in users of the osteo drugs?Sounds Corny but. . . I love you man! Just an amazing production!Beans, beans, the more than magical fruit, The less you eat, the more you stoop!Everyday I feel I should take the position with PCRM just so I can be around the geniuses (you, Neal and the crews that support you both!) that are at the forefront of medical change!I must also apologize for not being able to comment more. I have just been way too busy with my new position and I wish I had more time to be an active team member. Keep up the good work everyone!Phytate binds binds AND RELEASES calcium so may act as a calcium buffer that mitigates against bone loss during periods of metabolic acidity. I’m so tired of hearing about the dreaded phytate. I always wondered where that fear came from. Hope the tomato effect does not apply to this one too.“Tomato effect?” Are you referring to night shades?No, I was referring to an earlier vid about the powerful herd mentality that prevents humans from accepting new positive information. I meant that someone close to me who won’t eat certain foods or drink some good stuff because she heard it contained toxic phytatic acid…O Ayyyaannnn…you listening … its just a bogeyman.I can’t resist telling this, I’m 60 now…I remember my third grade teacher, the wonderful Mrs. May, telling us about how people used to call tomatoes the “Death Apple” because they thought it had so many seeds it would choke a person. She said we should always question things and think for ourselves.Hmmm. 9 years ago at age 58 I was diagnosed with osteoporosis (dexascan) My doc told me to get off meat and dairy and start lifting heavy weights for all muscle groups. So I did. And that’s exactly when I started eating about a cup of beans a day for protein. A few years later I had reversed the osteoporosis to the mid-osteopenia range. My increased bone density probably results from a combo of the changes I made, but hey, the beans could have played an important part!Kudos.Jo Ann. Would you be so kind to share………do you soak your beans? That would help to clarify my doubts I an also concerned with osteoporosis. ThanksEsther, I soak dried beans overnight, dump the water and rinse thoroughly before cooking. I also use Eden Organic no added salt beans which come in a BPA free can when I’m lazy! I eat a LOT of kale and other high calcium plant foods so my daily calcium intake is always around 1000mg according to the Cronometer.Thanks. Very kind to share your experience. I find wise advise and appreciate this group of people for ther generosity sharing more than knowledge Best wishes and full recoveryI couldn’t help thinking that the positive correlation found between phytate levels and bone mass could largely be explained by the micronutrients that tend to accompany phytates, such as boron, magnesium, vitamins B6 & B9. But the lab study does point to phytates directly inhibiting bone breakdown. Thanks for bringing it to our attention and lets hope more research happens soon! As an aside, I wonder about that other calcium-binding “anti-nutrient” found in many green leafies: oxalic acid. Is it bad for bones, or has it been maligned?Are calcium supplements safe? Do they protect bone health, or are they harmful like some other supplements? How easy is it to get enough calcium eating greens and beans (Does one have to eat gigantic portions?)? How about the daily recommended intake of calcium, have there been studies that suggest the intake should be different for plant based eaters? if the reccomentdate daily intake is 1000MG of calcium, does this mean I need to eat 334 almonds daily? (based on a calcium content of ~3MG per almond)I do not have any problem with getting 1000 mg or more of calcium in my diet, but I eat 1/2-cup portions of beans throughout the day, and take half a cup of fortified unsweetened almond milk in the morning. I’ve become very creative about how I incorporate beans into my diet, including black soybeans into salads, green soybeans into pasta dishes, and black chickpeas into smoothies. I am getting over 1000 mg by doing that. In general, nuts, seeds, and leafy greens have much less bioavailable calcium content. Peanut butter, a legume product, also has a fair bit of calcium content.The one study I am aware of addressing your question is EPIC Norfolk which found that vegetarians with less than 530 mg/day of calcium intake had a higher risk of bone fragility fractures, so you definitely want to aim above 530 mg. I would not take supplements unless there was absolutely no way to get calcium from your diet – there is some evidence that supplements may be harmful in terms of cardiovascular risk.Jack Norris has an excellent evidence base on this at:http://veganhealth.org/articles/bonesIt is important to limit sodium intake and animal product intake to minimize calcium balance levels.Calcium needs for humans are not as high as the DRI may recommend, and if we consumed a low sodium diet low in animal protein, our calcium needs can be as low as 450 mg per day as discussed more extensively in this article from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. As represented in the figure below, and citing from the article “In a western-style diet, absorbed calcium matches urinary and skin calcium at an intake of 840 mg as in Figure 14. Reducing animal protein intakes by 40 g reduces the intercept [calcium balance] value and requirement to 600 mg. Reducing both sodium and protein reduces the intercept value to 450 mg.”http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y2809E/y2809e0h.htm#bm17It may be incorrect to assume that vegans are somewhat protected from osteoporosis by virtue of the fact that they do not consume any animal protein in their diet. This is not exactly what you were saying in that last post, but one could have drawn that as a corollary (incorrectly).http://www.theveganrd.com/2013/08/calcium-and-protein-and-bone-health-in-vegans.htmlhttp://jacknorrisrd.com/calcium-and-vitamin-d-for-vegans-summarized/If what these nutritionists are saying is true, then it may be mythological that we need less calcium simply because we don’t eat animal protein.Having not researched this area myself in detail, I can only go by what experts are suggesting based on their own review of the literature (I have no ‘skin’ in the game).Thank you, that is helpful! Sadly where I live there are no calcium fortified foods. Beans it is!You’ll find 1000 mg of calcium in 3/5ths a cup of firm tofu, or 5 cups dark greens (collards, mustard greens, kale etc.), in both cases about or under 200 calories. To get the same amount from almonds would be a whopping 2200 calories.Nuts are the densest sources of minerals, but are poor in nutrient density per calorie.After fracturing my pelvis due to a bad fall, my physician who was also my surgeon for a total hip and knee replacement in 2006 and 2007, told me today that he would expect to see new bone to be created after 3 months, but I had created new bone in less than one month after the fracture. My fall and fracture took place November 22, 2013. At the time, I was recovering from a spinal fracture, and yes, I have osteoporosis. So I guess my spine has also healed.I had been eating an average of 4-8 cups of cooked chopped organic collard greens per day, sometimes mixed with kale, and lately mixed with cannellini beans, which I’ve learned are high in calcium, magnesium and other nutrients. http://www.cannellini.com/beansI steam well washed collards without salt, but add up to one half tablespoon of certified organic and non-GMO Eden Organic Shiro miso after they are cooked. This contained the lowest quantity of salt of all the misos (and added my sweetness to the collards).I chose Eden Organic miso because it is Non-GMO Project verified as well as certified organic. This means it is not sprayed with Roundup/Glyphosate or other weed killing mineral chelators . Mineral chelators bind calcium, magnesium and other necessary minerals and make them unavailable to the plants, as well as the people and animals who eat the plants. Hence, if I’m NOT careful, GMO crops will cause me not to heal properly and there is nothing that physicians or new medicines can do to change this. The same is true with collards, which can be high in pesticides and herbicides. I want those grown by the organic method ONLY.Dr. Don Huber, Ph.D., soil and plant pathologist, professor emeritus from Purdue University has said that all weed killing chemicals are mineral Chelators and he explain what mineral chealators are doing to plants, especially herbicide resistant Genetically Engineered seeds.If I want to heal, I must avoid GMO’s at all costs!I’ve been eating basically dark leafy greens, red onions, mushrooms, berries and calcium/magnesium rich beans, as well as minimal amounts of cashews, almond butter and seeds every day or every other day, trying to get the right nutrients in my bones so I could heal better.Before I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, I had ingested 1000 mg of calcium-magnesium supplements per day, but they did not protect my bones from osteoporosis. And, a number of alternative medicine physicians (online or via books) suggested getting most nutrients from food not pills. Hence, I’ve been purchasing bone support in addition to basic vitamins and minerals from Andrew Weil, M.D. and getting most of my calcium, magnesium, boron, and other nutrients from food. This way I receive the entire complex, rather than individual vitamins/minerals.I must be doing something right, because my physician (who had also been a surgeon for former injuries) said he could see massive amounts of new bone building after less than a month. It was what he expected to see after 3 months.For most of my 70 years and counting, I consumed lots of dairy, which did NOT help me prevent osteoporosis even with the vitamin/mineral supplements. Back then, physicians only recommended 400 IU vitamin D, which is not enough, for people who spend most of their lives inside on computers rather than basking in the sun for 15 minutes during the most dangerous times of the day.I was worried about skin cancer, and chose to stay in protective clothing or in shade. My skin has not wrinkled or aged, but I do have osteoporosis. However, eating a healthy vegan diet, I am healing faster than my physician had ever seen anyone heal before.Using the goal of consuming through food and minimal use of calcium citrates to achieve 1500 mg calcium per day. However, I added several raw (organic cashews, and other seeds minimally eaten. Because I got tired of just collards, I ate cannelini beans with the collards, which also contain calcium. I even added Eden Organic crushed tomatoes and quinoa pasta to make food more interesting and add more plant protein, amino acids and other nutrients. I did not know what I was doing, but they tasted better than eating just collards.Susan: That’s some story. I’m sorry to hear you have osteoporosis, but it was nice of you to take the time to share your experiences and what you have done about it. Very inspiring.Since we all really enjoy your videos and would like to see them continue forever, could you add the funding graphic to the main page? I mean the one which shows how much has been donated so far to meet the 50K yearly goal! This will help to maintain awareness and has worked very well for other causes!Now this is the kind of non mainstream reporting that knocks conventional thinking and makes this interesting to come back to watch. As per Sven’s comment, I donating $20.Don’t these compounds also bind to vital minerals like zinc and also impair gut integrity, thus leading or perpetuating leaky gut and inflammation?I agree with Dr. Greger that the phytochemical, phytate, delivers substantial health benefits that far exceed its one disadvantage. Here are the 5 advantages of eating phytate-containing, plant-source foods:(1)Phytate partially blocks the absorption of calories from proteins and starches, thereby causing less weight gain than the calories contained in phytate-containing foods would predict.(2)Phytate partially blocks the absorption of toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, and barium by binding with them.(3)Phytate partially blocks the absorption of iron, which like copper, manganese, and aluminum, is a pro-oxidant which, if consumed in excess, will damage every cell in our bodies and cause heart disease, cancer, and a dozen other killer diseases.(4)Phytate is a moderately powerful antioxidant which will partly block the damage to our cells inflicted by free radicals.(5)Phytate always comes together with over 100 other beneficial phytochemicals contained in the same foods.The only disadvantage of phytate is that it partially blocks the absorption of zinc, which like selenium and iodine, is a beneficial antioxidant. Scientific studies show that vegans are not deficient in zinc. However, people who still want to swallow zinc supplements for the antioxidant benefit or to treat or prevent diarrhea should buy zinc gluconate tablets because zinc gluconate is always much lower in cadmium than all other forms of zinc supplementation.For preventing and treating osteoporosis, phytate is just one of more than 100 antioxidants in plants that will work together to protect our bone-building osteoblasts. Garlic and onions have been shown to have the strongest benefit in inhibiting bone resorption. All green vegetables have been shown to be moderately beneficial in inhibiting bone resorption. However, the inhibition of bone resorption is just one of many variables that needs to be optimized in planning our defense of our bone health.Green tea and soy have been shown in real populations to be moderately beneficial in maintaining bone density and preventing future bone fractures even though green tea and soy did not prevent bone resorption at all in the same scientific studies that garlic, onions, and green vegetables prevented bone resorption well.In one scientific study, people who swallowed pills containing the soy isoflavone, genistein, developed substantially better bone densities than people who swallowed the placebo pills. However, in other scientific studies, people who ate flaxseeds did not have better bone densities than people who didn’t eat flaxseeds.However, the combined effect of all of the beneficial phytonutrients in all plant-source foods is still inadequate. Although their risk of future bone fractures is about the same, the bone densities of real populations of vegans is just slightly worse than the bone densities of real populations of omnivores. Why?(1)Real populations of vegans are eating mostly only white bread, white noodles, white rice, and white potatoes and not eating enough green vegetables.(2)Real populations of vegans would have substantially better bone health if they swallowed one 600mg calcium carbonate tablet daily. However, swallowing more than 600mg of calcium daily would do more harm than good to their overall health.(3)Real populations of vegans would have substantially better bone health if they consumed a little more protein, perhaps from soy foods, fenugreek seeds, other legumes, yogurt, fish, or oysters.(4)Real populations of vegans would have substantially better bone health if they consumed plenty of EPA and DHA, perhaps from algal DHA or double-strength fish oil softgels.The fermented Japanese soybean food called, natto, is by far the healthiest food for our bones. Eating tofu, edamame, or soybean meat will deliver only about one-fourth to one-third of the total health benefit to our bones that eating natto will deliver. The map of where hip fracture risk is highest in Japan is virtually identical to the map of where natto is least consumed in Japan. There was absolutely no correlation between the high hip fracture risk map and the consumption map of any other soybean food (soft tofu, firm tofu, fried tofu, miso, edamame, shoyu, okara, soymilk, soy flour, soy sprouts, soy yogurt, or soybean meat) in Japan: http://j-nattokinase.org/en/jnka_nattou_03.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16614424 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21394493 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11369171 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17012826About half of all people who suffer from heart disease have calcified arteries when examined by chest X-ray. Natto is the only food that can prevent, treat, and reverse calcified arteries. Natto removes the calcium from the calcified arteries and puts that calcium where it belongs – in our bones where it prevents future bone fractures. No other food and no prescription medicine can reverse arterial calcification. The statin drugs that medical doctors prescribe will dramatically improve our cholesterol numbers but they will also make calcified arteries much worse!!! Natto also contains generous amounts of nattokinase (subtilisin), which prevents, treats, and melts away pathogenic blood clots in both humans and animals.GREAT POST! Thanks for taking the time to put this much detail into it. I’ve been making a lot of things with koji lately, but having a lot of trouble trying to find any nutritional info so this was a helpful post.Removes the calcium for the calcified arteries? Seriously? That’s incredible! Any negative effects from natto? Where do you like to buy it?Usually the Asian markets like H-Mart will carry it. It comes frozen in bundles of 3-4 individual 45-50g polystyrene packed servings. There may be a lot to choose from and hard to tell, but the main diffeerence is the little sauce packets that come with the plain natto and you should just throw those away and use your own flavoring, e.g., a bit of miso, soy sauce, mustard, sauerkraut, etc. or some combination of that. So it doesn’t really matter what the ingredients say or which brand you buy if you are trying to stay vegan the fish stuff is in the sauce that you toss. I take a set out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw out overnite etc. Do NOT try to make this at home (very stinky)!Thanks! Yeah I read that it’s incredibly stinky. Is it alright to cook or does that destroy the beneficial properties? Like if I microwaved it and added hot brown rice or something. I was unable to find a study showing reduction in artery calcification, do you know where I can look?Awesome, thank you. Again, do you have any source on the artery decalcification you mentioned? I would love to read the study! Can’t find anything with a Google search.What about phytates and leaky gut, crohns, and colitis?Legumes are good for you. What’s new.My question is about poop. I love beans and would be glad and happy to eat a can or cup a day but with the high fiber and whole grain, soybean, greens, fruit, seeds & nuts, etc. etc. I have very urgent “alerts” and very soft stools, today I was at the grocery store (and that is not the place I WANT to go but what can you do) I have learned not to try to wait. I do have osteoporsis and have been a vegan for 3 years (year ago scan saw positive movement to the better) but this poop-thing has stayed the same…., well at first it was just diarrhea (sorry for the more delicate) but I thought I was getting rid of toxins then. I wonder about absorbing the nutrients though, any help would be appreciated.Lynda, you may want to check out the following Q & A from Dr G:http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/does-adding-baking-soda-to-soaking-beans-reduce-raffinose/Also, you should look at the one of the first comments there, by Billy Baker:http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/does-adding-baking-soda-to-soaking-beans-reduce-raffinose/#comment-721749843You don’t eliminate toxins through your gut but rather through your kidneys and liver.Perhaps you should bump up your probiotics? You may find that you are low, lots of things in our environment that bring them down and they are the KEY to good stool (after adeq fiber). BTW, it is easy for a vegan to hit 40-60 grams of fiber a day compared to those joke of fiber pills that have 2-3 grams. Regular docs just don’t get how much healthier we are :). Regarding probiotics though, I was told by a vegan doc in order to really be affective you need 100 billion a day, you can get probiotics capsules that high, but then I decided to just do a cup of water kefir daily, stools are now great! Perhaps try spouting your beans first too? Water Kefir is packed with vitamin b’s and others. The Kefir you buy in the store is really just probiotic mix of a couple. What you want is to get some Water Kefir grains, they are about 40-50 strains of probiotics, about 100 billion per spoon full of kefir water, I drink a cup a day, started giving it to my chronically constipated 83 yr mother and it straightened out her colon. You can buy it on amazon, ebay, lots of places, a couple good ones (I had to replace my batch due to mis-feeding), anyway, the best batch I got was from a guy named Michael-Paul Patterson at kefir-grains. org, then also on amazon had a good one Keysands, remember order ‘WATER’ kefir not milk kefir to get the better vegan kefir. Read up about them first before you order so you will have everything ready, one set of grains should last you a lifetime if you treat them right as about a cost of 6-10$. You just keep making them everyday for the next day, really easy and so very healthy for your colon. Anyway, thats an idea for youThanks DH but I really have no problem with gas it’s just the very urgent need to go and the softness of the stool, I go very often, even at 5 in the morning before any food, etc. I’m not going back to the SAD but thought someone might have the same problem. The gastro doctor at my last colon exam said fiber supplementation but once a day dose doesn’t help very much, I will try the baking soda though.Lynda I find that it is gas and cramping that prompts the rectal urgency that signals me to go. Yes it’s possible to be a hyperdefecator on the basis of irritable bowel syndrome (rapid intestinal transit) without any evidence of increase flatulence, but how do you think we push out the stool in the first place? Intestinal gas production from anaerobes like Clostridium perfringens plays a major role, as does mucus production and intestinal peristalsis. I am thinking of trying that hing stuff mentioned in Billy Baker’s post.Lynda, I had similar problems as you until I tried soaking the beans with baking soda. That simply solved most issues.Phytates may also be important in preventing atherosclerosis:McNally, J. Scott, et al. “Role of xanthine oxidoreductase and NAD (P) H oxidase in endothelial superoxide production in response to oscillatory shear stress.” American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology285.6 (2003): H2290-H2297.Oscillatory shear stress occurs at sites of the circulation that are vulnerable to atherosclerosis…Xanthine oxidase is responsible for increased reactive oxygen species production in response to oscillatory shear stress.Muraoka, Sanae, and Toshiaki Miura. “Inhibition of xanthine oxidase by phytic acid and its antioxidative action.” Life sciences 74.13 (2004): 1691-1700.Generation of the superoxide was greatly affected by phytic acid; the IC50 was about 6 mM, indicating that the superoxide generating domain of xanthine oxidase is more sensitive to phytic acid.1. I’ve only heard recommendations to soak nuts and seeds with reference to their ENZYME inhibitors, not their phytate content. 2. Don’t osteoclasts “eat” only spent bone spicules that need to be removed, not healthy bone tissue?Wow, I have been thinking about probotics, thanks so much fineartmarcella, my husband thinks the milk kefir worked well for him with his gut problems but I have tried to get him to take supplements and he won’tt do it. I had never heard of water kefir but will definitely get some, have already watched a couple of youtube things on it. My husband says are you sure they aren’t making beer, he would be in line to try that…..yeah right. I will get some, thanks again. I have been off my broccoli and a lot of beans but will try sprouting the beans I know I need these for health.Well, that was a tickler. I just finished a week long pot of sprouted kidney beans (shredded raw veggies with of course) and feel pretty springy in my step. Now i know why. :))Thank you for this information. I am looking forward to reading more articles on phytates. I have recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis with a moderate 10 year fracture rate. My doctor has prescribed Fosamax but I do not wish to take this drug. I eat a low fat, plant based starch diet and am researching the benefits of nutrition over medication. I wonder if you could suggest a daily minimum amount? What is a good phytate level and how do I achieve that with diet? Thank you so much for the work you do.i read that healthy high fibre high bran foods and legumes cause calcium to chelate and therefore leach ? What to believe?I’m a 61 year old woman recovering from a foot stress fracture & diagnosed with osteoporosis & also osteoarthritis. I’ve been eating WFPB for 2 years now & am oil free, following Dr. Esselstyn’s plan, even though I’m not really a heart patient. My cholesterol dropped from 210 to 165. However, the osteoporosis is the most pressing concern. Do you recommend continuing strictly WFPB for the bones? I take calcium and Vitamin D in addition to eating plants full of calcium. Thank you in advance for help. Thank you also for NutritionFacts.org. It’s a gem.Ruth Ann: I’m sorry to hear about your bone problems. The cholesterol change is wonderful, but I agree that bone weakness is scary.I think you would do well to check out the book: “building bone vitality: A revolutionary diet plan to prevent bone loss and reverse osteoporosis” It sounds like you are already generally going down the path recommended by the book, but by reading the book, you may find ways to be able to tweak your diet and/or give you confidence that you are on the right track. I also highly recommend taking a look at the chapter on exercise that is in the book. http://www.amazon.com/Building-Bone-Vitality-Revolutionary-Osteoporosis–Without/dp/0071600191/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416510734&sr=1-1&keywords=building+bone+vitalityHere are more videos on this site on the topic of “bones”. None of them would indicate that you should give up a WFBP diet. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=boneConcerning the arthritis. An idea is to search the videos on this site. You obviously found this video, but there are others that are on the topic of osteoarthritis. And you will notice that none of them indicate any reason to stop eating a WFBP diet. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=osteoarthritisHere are some general videos on inflammation, which I think is related to arthritis: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=inflammationGood luck.A New Way to Soak Brown RiceSo, with this new information…how long should we soak the beans before home cooking it? can we throw the soaking water out? is there any kind of beans that does not need soak?	animal studies,antinutrients,beans,bone fractures,bone health,bone mineral density,calcium,chickpeas,Fosamax,grains,legumes,lentils,medications,nuts,osteoporosis,phytates,polyphenols,seeds,side effects,split peas,sprouts,women's health	Women who consume the most high-phytate foods (whole grains, beans, and nuts) appear to have better bone density.	Eating healthy can help us avoid other drugs as well. See, for example:Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, & Calcium Loss is another surprising video on bone health.How might one counteract some of the mineral blocking effects? See New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found.Beans might not just help our skeleton last longer, but the rest of us as well. See Increased Lifespan From Beans.For more context, check out my associated blog post: How Beans Help Our Bones.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-fractures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antinutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/split-peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-mineral-density/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fosamax/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18255213,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22905230,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21737657,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1989423,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19709447,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1392604/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5281215,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/88737,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19053869,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7077425,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22614760,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11198165,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20515779,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17663640,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22536493,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18863774,
PLAIN-2669	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/autopsy-of-chicken-nuggets/	Autopsy of Chicken Nuggets	In a scathing expose of the USDA’s new meat inspection program, the Washington Post quoted a representative from the inspector’s union, who said pig processing lines may be moving too quickly to catch tainted meat. “Tremendous amounts of fecal matter remain on the carcasses,” he said. “Not small bits, but chunks.”What about the other white meat? The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine created this infographic to highlight what they consider to be the five worst contaminants in chicken products. In their investigation of retail chicken products in 10 U.S. cities they found fecal contamination in about half the chicken they bought at the store. But with all the focus on what’s in chicken products, we may have lost sight on what may be missing, like actual chicken.Researchers recently published an “autopsy” of chicken nuggets in the American Journal of Medicine. The purpose was to determine the contents of chicken nuggets from two national food chains. Because chicken nuggets are a favorite of children, and the obesity epidemic now extends to them as well, they thought knowing a bit more about the content of the contemporary chicken nugget could be important. The nugget from the first restaurant was composed of approximately 50% skeletal muscle, with the remainder composed primarily of fat, with some blood vessels and nerve present, along with generous quantities of skin or gut lining and associated supportive tissue. The nugget from the second restaurant was composed of approximately 40% skeletal muscle with lots of other tissues including bone.“I was floored,” said the lead investigator, ”I had read what other reports have said is in them and I didn’t believe it. I was astonished actually seeing it under the microscope.”They conclude that actual chicken meat was not the predominant component of either nugget—it was mostly other tissues, concluding the term chicken nugget is really a misnomer.	Clearly no nutritional expert in their right mind would advocate eating commercially bought “chicken nuggets”. But while a diet rich in plant foods can be quite healthy, taken to excess, it can lead to certain harms. For example, a total absence of animal foods deprives one of vitamin B12, riboflavin, essential fatty acids like DHA, iodine, vitamin D, etc; it also extremely low on other important micronutrients like bioavailable iron, calcium, riboflavin, tryptophan, choline, carnitine and taurine. Conversely, many members of the population (at least a third) have, for good reason, evolved a “supertaster” gene preference to avoid bitter green leafy vegetables for the very reason that many plants and their products (seeds, etc) contain natural pesticides and other relatively toxic compounds, including phytates, oxalate, lectins, and goitrogens; not to mention large quantities of omega-6 fatty acids in many seeds and nuts. Eaten to excess, these moieties could cause severe problems including mineral deficiency, hypothyroidism, and uncontrolled inflammation.It is probably the case that the best of both worlds combines a diet rich in plants with a diet containing adequate amounts of oily species of fish, preferably those tested to be low in contaminants such as mercury, PCBs and furans like dioxin. This explains why pesco-vegetarians had the most optimal pattern of disease-free outcomes in the recent Adventist Health Study II, published this past spring in JAMA Internal Medicine. Finally, any diet that requires taking a fistful of supplements is probably not a very healthy or nutritionally intact diet.Pretty much everything you said is incorrect. Greger already talked about all of this in his other videos, backed by hundreds of scientific study.DHA should be supplemented in a vegetarian diet. That part is accurate but otherwise it’s completely off course. Riboflavin and B12 not in any vegetarian diet? Try looking into that again.Humans do not need dietary DHA, it is not an essential fatty acid. Humans only requires ALA, found in plants. This is the position of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Science. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=423Sorry, this is still in debate as the conversion rate is very different, depending on age, sex, fat intake, fat types and genetic.A diet including 2-3 portions of fatty fish per week, which corresponds to the intake of 1.25 g EPA (20:5n-3) + DHA (22:6n-3) per day has been officially recommended on the basis of epidemiological findings showing a beneficial role of these n-3 long-chain PUFA in the prevention of cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. The parent fatty acid ALA (18:3n-3), found in vegetable oils such as flaxseed or rapeseed oil, is used by the human organism partly as a source of energy, partly as a precursor of the metabolites, but the degree of conversion appears to be unreliable and restricted. More specifically, most studies in humans have shown that whereas a certain, though restricted, conversion of high doses of ALA to EPA occurs, conversion to DHA is severely restricted.The use of ALA labelled with radioisotopes suggested that with a background diet high in saturated fat conversion to long-chain metabolites is ∼6% for EPA and 3.8% for DHA.With a diet rich in n-6 PUFA, conversion is reduced by 40 to 50%. It is thus reasonable to observe an n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio not exceeding 4-6. Restricted conversion to DHA may be critical since evidence has been increasing that this long-chain metabolite has an autonomous function, e. g. in the brain, retina and spermatozoa where it is the most prominent fatty acid. In neonates deficiency is associated with visual impairment. abnormalities in the electroretinogram and delayed cognitive development. In adults the potential role of DHA in neurological function still needs to be investigated in depth. Regarding cardiovascular risk factors DHA has been shown to reduce triglyceride concentrations. These findings indicate that future attention will have to focus on the adequate provision of DHA which can reliably be achieved only with the supply of the preformed long-chain metabolite.http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2315106Human beings are poor DHA synthesizers, possibly because of their LC(n-3)P-abundant ancient diet. Dietary changes in the past century have lowered the (n-3) status to a current state of subclinical deficiency that is epidemiologically related to CVD, inflammatory disorders, mental and psychiatric diseases and suboptimal neurodevelopment. The strongest evidence comes from randomized controlled trials with LC(n-3)P, showing reduced mortality from CVD, improved neonatal neurodevelopment, and lower blood pressure in later life. With these studies as evidence, we conclude that DHA is likely to be essential.http://jn.nutrition.org/content/134/1/183.longMy proposal: go for an Omega 3 blood panel of your red blood cell’s membranes. If your index is >8% you have it well done, if it more or less <6% you are in the same range as Joe Sixpack on his SAD…I would not messa round with this as a healthy brain should consist 30-40% of DHA!This is my understanding too. That’s why I continue to consume 250 mg of DHA as a vegetarian supplement. In some brain tissues (e.g. gray matter), DHA concentration exceeds 50%. There is significant evidence that our early hominid ancestors in the Rift valley system had broad access to fish species rich in DHA, and that this may have promoted frontal cortex development onto a path allowing for the development of language and other “higher order” functions. See: Broadhurst CL, Cunnane SC & Crawford MA (1998) Rift Valley lake fish and shellfish provided brain-specific nutrition for early Homo. British Journal of Nutrition 79, 3–21.There are numerous studies of vegetarians and vegans who do not consume fish and have very low DHA levels. One except is the EPIC study, but this has been heavily criticized (see Jack Norris’s commentary on this study on veganhealth.org at http://veganhealth.org/articles/omega3#n3intake ). So if we can’t make DHA in sufficient quantities from ALA, and what production we can afford is subject to high background rates of linoleic acid intake present in most plant-based diets, it only makes sense to supplement with DHA. The only downside is cost.“Interest in the cardiovascular protective effects of n–3 (omega-3) fatty acids has continued to evolve during the past 35 y since the original research describing the low cardiovascular event rate in Greenland Inuit was published by Dyerberg et al. Numerous in vitro experiments have shown that n–3 fatty acids may confer this benefit by several mechanisms: they are antiinflammatory, antithrombotic, and antiarrhythmic. The n–3 fatty acids that have received the most attention are those that are derived from a fish source; namely the longer-chain n–3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n–3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n–3). More limited data are available on the cardiovascular effects of n–3 fatty acids derived from plants such as a-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n–3). Observational data suggest that diets rich in EPA, DHA, or ALA do reduce cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death; however, randomized controlled trial data are somewhat less clear. Several recent meta-analyses have suggested that dietary supplementation with EPA and DHA does not provide additive cardiovascular protection beyond standard care, but the heterogeneity of included studies may reduce the validity of their conclusions. No data exist on the potential therapeutic benefit of EPA, DHA, or ALA supplementation on those individuals who already consume a vegetarian diet. Overall, there is insufficient evidence to recommend n–3 fatty acid supplementation for the purposes of cardiovascular protection; however, ongoing studies such as the Alpha Omega Trial may provide further information.Combined with the lack of convincing clinical data in favor of n–3 fatty acid supplementation for cardiovascular endpoints and the lack of data in those that consume a vegetarian diet, it is difficult to make the recommendation that vegetarians should consume fish to optimize their cardiovascular mortality.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/5/1597S.long“Comparison of the PLLC n23 PUFAs:DALA ratio between dietary-habit groups showed that it was 209% higher in vegan men and 184% higher in vegan women than in fish-eaters, was 14% higher in vegetarian men and 6% higher in vegetarian women than in fish-eaters, and was 17% and 18% higher in male and female meat-eaters, respectively, than in fish-eaters This suggests that the statistically estimated conversion may be higher in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20861171In addition, another study showed that despite this “theoretical” low conversion rate, there is no evidence of any harm so, the problem may not be in the conversion rate, but in the assumption that it is low.“There is no evidence of adverse effects on health or cognitive function with lower DHA intake in vegetarians”“In the absence of convincing evidence for the deleterious effects resulting from the lack of DHA from the diet of vegetarians, it must be concluded that needs for omega-3 fatty acids can be met by dietary ALA. ”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500961Thank you Toxins for a great post!Jack Norris RD had some interesting comments about the EPIC Norfolk DHA findings (see http://veganhealth.org/articles/omega3#n3intake ):“Vegans and vegetarians have been shown in many studies to have lower levels of long chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) than meat eaters. Table 4 shows the results of some of these studies. The general trend is that lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans have lower levels of EPA and DHA in their blood. One exception is the 5 vegan women in the 2010 UK study who had, on average, higher DHA levels than even the fish-eaters. This is probably an anomaly for a few reasons. First, “vegan” was simply defined as someone who did not list eating animal products in their 7-day diet diaries. These vegans might have only been vegan for one week. Second, there were only 5 vegan women in the study making the finding unlikely to be statistically significant. Third, the standard deviation for the DHA levels of the vegan women was very high at 211 µmol/l. That means that one or two of the vegan women had very high levels of DHA but some had very low levels.”Also, a follow-up letter-to-the-editor strongly criticized their methodology and findings: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/93/5/1154.1.longSo it is important to get the full context on these cited papers.Dr. G recommends an algae oil supplement, so I have started taking 250 mg DHA, also comes with a tiny bit of omega 6.A couple of years ago Dr. G also recommended taking 4000 IU / day of vitamin D and then reduced this recommendation by a factor of two the following year. No doubt the dude is a genius, but that doesn’t make him infallible. He may or may not be right about the DHA/EPA issue, but the issue seems unsettled as you can tell from this discussion. Here’s a summary of the 2009 position of the American dieticians:“Vegetarians should include good sources of ALA in their diet, such as flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil, and soy. Those with increased requirements of n-3 fatty acids, such as pregnant and lactating women, may benefit from DHA-rich microalgae”The conversion rate is adequate for all age groups. There are literally millions of vegetarian people around the world (Jains, Buddhists, Taoists, Seventh Day Advenists) who produce and maintain normal brains throughout life and have low risk of vascular disease without consuming preformed EPA or DHA in the amounts that you suggest, and “there is no evidence to suggest that the capacity for DHA synthesis in vegetarians is limited.”http://www.bryceacarlson.com/files/h2m7/carlson%20and%20kingston%202007a.pdfAll studies showing limited conversion are done on men, who have very low DHA needs, probably because they don’t bear costs of child-bearing and ~97% of neural DHA is recycled. Long term vegan men have stable long-chain n-3 fatty acid levels. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CD8QFjAC&url=http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/2/327.full.pdf&ei=ss5dUuWrKMWhqgG8q4CoAg&usg=AFQjCNF7ejHmtOKC1oAHYnkLtEP9TTN7EQ&sig2=8_TraMNKj2anRFphW-5exA&bvm=bv.54176721,d.aWMWomen of child bearing age have an ongoing conversion rate more than 200 times greater than men, as needed for pregnancy and lactation, and they store it in their adipose for use during pregnancy and lactation. Numerous buffer systems protect both mother and child from DHA insufficiency during the child-bearing years, regardless of DHA intake. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type=1&fid=635956&jid=NRR&volumeId=19&issueId=01&aid=608700&bodyId=&membershipNumber=&societyETOCSession=Ingestion of both excess n-6 and DHA suppresses conversion of ALA to DHA, confounding studies such as you have cited, since omnivores have DHA intake, this suppresses the conversion. In other words, studies of ominvores eating fish or animals regularly will show lower rates of conversion because the body regulates the amount of DHA by negative feedback…high dietary intake suppresses conversion.Infants also convert ALA to DHA so long as n-6 intakes are low. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type=1&fid=927832&jid=BJN&volumeId=96&issueId=01&aid=927820&bodyId=&membershipNumber=&societyETOCSession=We also have evidence that dietary EPA and DHA may have deleterious effects on embryo development, which would explain why the body attempts to regulate DHA conversion (produce only small amounts as needed, particularly in individuals without high requirements). Eating DHA bypasses the regulation step, leading to potential toxic accumulations. http://Maternal%20supply%20of%20omega-3%20polyunsaturaed%20fatty%20acids%20alter%20mechanisms%20involved%20in%20oocyte%20and%20early%20embryo%20development%20in%20the%20mouseThe studies I cited post-date the article wherein Muskiet et al argue partly on the basis of a hypothetical ancient diet that humans require dietary DHA. The idea has been a boon to those who sell fish and fish oil, but humans have no dietary requirement for fish or fish oils. Period.donmatesz: Thanks for taking the time to write out this information. I found it to be very helpful and well worded. Thanks.Very educational post! Your last link doesn’t work. I am interested in reading this study please.Yes, but Greger has an answer for literally everything. He and his sponsors have an ideology and science can be cherry picked. I think there is a lot of good information here and it seems likely that minimizing animal foods in the diet is the best for health, but I question the wisdom of going 100% vegan for health reasons.Also, is it really a problem that chicken nuggets are 50% muscle but also contain other chicken parts. Aren’t those parts ultimately either protein or fat? They’ll either be digested and used or passed. What’s the big deal?“Also, is it really a problem that chicken nuggets are 50% muscle but also contain other chicken parts. ”It is if, as in this case, the “nuggets” contain things like intestinal lining (which they shouldn’t). Have you heard of campylobacter, E. coli, salmonella, listeria and shigella? These are all present in chicken fecal material. I, for one, would prefer not to eat chicken feces or intestines.Who are Dr. Greger’s sponsors? I can’t find any advertisers on his website.Steve: The only “sponsors” are those everyday people who respect the quality of the work on this site. It’s people who understand that Dr. Greger carefully reviews the “body of evidence” (all studies), not just one or two studies, and then keeps us informed by sharing the relevant individual ones. In other words: People like you and me who donate our own money to keep this site going for the benefit of all. That’s it as far as I know – after the initial grant money got used.I think respondents here would do well to explain their points rather than just say “Dr Gregor says…”“many members of the population (at least a third) have, for good reason, evolved a “supertaster” gene . . . ” Ha, ha. That’s rich. I have evolved an automatic BS meter and the needle is going off the chart with your post.I would love to meet the person who eats way too many bitter leafy greens…and shake their hand.Chessie: Hee, hee. Me too! I need to hang out with these super people. Good habits might rub off on me.This comment is full of inaccuracies, exaggerations and outright falsehoods. To start with, the various claims about a “total absence” of certain nutrients in a vegan (a.k.a. “plant based”) diet are just plain false.Vitamin B12? WRONG. B12 is produced by bacteria, and the exact same bacteria that produce B12 in the gut of an animal can produce the exact same B12 in a culture dish. If you think that’s unnatural, then don’t EVER eat ANY food produced by fermentation, including yogurt and bread.Riboflavin (B2)? WRONG. B2 is plentiful in legumes, peas, nuts and seeds as well as green vegetables including broccoli and collards.Iodine? WRONG. Kelp is an excellent source of iodine.Essential fatty acids? WRONG. Hemp oil and flax oil are rich in essential fatty acids. (I notice that you condemn a vegan diet for lacking essential fatty acids, and then contradict yourself by condemning seeds and nuts for containing “large quantities” of omega-6 fatty acids, which suggests to me that you are really ignorant about this issue, and worse, didn’t even read your own post).Vitamin D? WRONG. The main and best way to obtain vitamin D is through exposure to sunlight, which enables our own bodies to produce vitamin D. Most of the vitamin D consumed from animal foods comes from “fortified” foods which have Vitamin D added (e.g. milk), and similarly fortified vegetarian alternatives (soy milk, rice milk) are just as good.The rest of your babble about plant foods being “extremely low on important micronutrients” is just more equally ignorant and blatantly false rubbish, as are your ridiculous suggestions that green leafy vegetables should be avoided because they contain “toxic compounds”.Look, if it’s your job or something to spread anti-vegetarian propaganda, you need to up your game, because this is REALLY, REALLY bogus, lame, laughable stuff, as anyone who takes 10 seconds to consult some basic nutritional references will immediately realize.You’re right, the post was full of information, but its one correct point was on B12. Unless you take a supplement of B12, you won’t get any on an all-plant diet. You won’t have any problem getting B12 on an animal food diet, though of course you’ll get the rest of the load of detrimental substances too.B12 deficiency has been detected in meat eaters, too.Comment appreciated. The body consists only of cells and the cells recognize their nutritional needs. Enzymes are required to enable nutrients to access the cells and if there is a lack of enzymes the nutrients will be wasted. Enzymes are manufactured by the body and you can read more about that in books such as that written by Lita, Lee and Goldberg. (“The enzyme cure – How plant enzymes can help you relieve 36 health problems”). Some people have an enzyme shortage whilst in any case our bodies manufacture less the older we get. The best source of enzymes would be fruit and live green veggies. The enzymes start dying off at temperatures exceeding 118 degrees F. So eating dead cooked food might still have some surviving nutrients but they still have to be piggy-backed on enzymes to get to the cells. So, the more dead food the bigger strain on the body’s metabolism to get its engine working optimally.My spouse is 85 and I am a youngster of only 77. We have been following a vegan diet for the last 14 years and use some supplements which are considered to be live food. We are not evangelical about it but in general would stay away from animal proteien. This works for us and the only regret which we have is that we did not make an earlierstart on this journey. Our choice was health driven.obviously you havent done a whole lot of research on an all plant b ased diet.you do not need meat and dairy or “oily”fish to get all the nutrients you are talking about.i have been on the forks over knives/engine2 diet for a few months now and my blood levels have improved drastically in a short period of time,and i take NO supplements.if you know WHAT to eat,you can get it all and prevent cancer,diabetes,heart disease and animal abuse all in one shot with a plant strong diet.its all in there.Isn’t it illegal to name a product by anything other than the main ingredient?it’s just a product name, they can call it whatever they want, think about it, there’s no milk in soy milk or almond milk, there’s no apple nor pine in pineapple, there’s no egg in eggplant, there’s no ham in hamburger and the list just goes on.Ha. I think you should keep the list going on. It’s kinda funny.There’s no law on this, you can name thing as you like. Think about it, there’s no milk in either soy milk or almond milk, there is no apple nor pine in pineapple, there is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger and the list just goes on.That’s not true. There are laws concerning some product names. It’s not legal to call cheese-like substances cheese for example. Look at a pack of Velveeta or Kraft Singles (“American cheese”) and you will not see “cheese” on the package. You could see “cheese food” or “american pasteurized cheese product” but they can’t just call it a cheese. Certain kinds of alcohol are regulated closely in various countries.Yup….and what about the added chemicals–like simethicone, a type of silicone oil. –Also an antiflatulent drug.What are some natural sources of good bacteria? Is kombucha good for you?Derrek:Dr. Greger has a video about kombucha. I highly recommend watching that video before consuming any.I have an idea for you: I have been making a home-made probiotic called “rejuvalac”. I make mine from quinoa, which goes very fast. I use it as an ingredient in vegan nut cheese, but I know that some people drink it. It doesn’t taste awesome by itself, but it doesn’t taste bad either. And you could put it in juice or something. Perhaps you might want to research rejuvalac?FYI: The instructions for making it looked intimidating to me at first, but after I did it the first time, I decided it is super-easy. You just have to be willing to wait a couple days for the finished product. If you are interested, I am willing to write out how I make it.The other thing you might want to research is “water kefir”.I don’t know how much either of these products is likely to have the type of bacteria that you are looking for, but it seems worth investigating to me. It would be something that is fresh and vegan. And it might help???Hope that helps!Could you provide the recipe for it? Also, how do you ferment veggies and fruit without adding a bunch of junk llke sugar and etc.?Rejuvalac: Part 1 – Intro TextDerrek: I’m sorry, but I have no idea about fermenting fruits and veggies.I also thought I would mention my own personal situation: when I went to a whole plant food diet, I didn’t any change in frequency of gas. But I did notice that the odor decreased significantly. Others I have read about noticed similar change. So, while I have no idea what might actually be wrong with you, I do agree that something isn’t right. I hope you are able to figure it out. I have no idea if rejuvalac would fix your problem, but it seems worth trying.——- The following directions for rejuvalac are modified from the book Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner. The modifications are what works for me, including knowledge I had picked up from reading a couple books on sprouting. I found that if I use the quinoa for the grain, both the sprouting phase and the culturing phase take the smallest amount of time given the expected time ranges listed below. Though time also depends on temperature. Some day I want to try different grains to see if they taste different.The following makes about 6-8 cups of rejuvalac. I don’t know how much you should drink a day to meet your needs. But suppose that you make 7 cups and you drink a cup a day? (Say 1/2 cup two times a day???) Then the following recipe would cost you the price of a cup of quinoa or other whole grain each week. I would think that would cost less than buying the pills. FYI: I use organic quinoa that I store in my freezer with the idea of keeping it super-fresh and free of as much bad bacteria as I can. (That’s just a theory on my part.)Best of luck to you!!!Rejuvalac: Part 2 – The InstructionsIngredients ————— > 1 cup whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, kamut, millet, oat, rye wheat or a combo) >6-8 cups filtered waterEquipment ————— If you can find one of the giant sprouting jars (Half gallon size – Whole Foods sells one), then you can use that single container for all steps. Otherwise: >One quart jar with lid /cover for soaking and sprouting phases listed below – a one quart canning jar with steel screen or cheese cloth bound with a rubber band works well. Here is a place to get the screen: http://www.amazon.com/Down-to-Earth-Sprouting-Screen/dp/B000N05GJW/ref=pd_sbs_gro_2 >Glass container for culturing – big enough to hold 6-8 cups water (or can use 2 jars of a size of a quart or do what I did and get a single big glass container with a lid)Process ————— >Soaking Phase: Put grains in a sprouting jar and cover with regular water to a couple inches above the grain. Let soak 8 to 12 hours. Drain off water. (Note: I do not use filtered water for this step or the next one. However, I live in a place that has excellent quality tap water.)>Sprouting Phase: Rinse grains several times with fresh water. Then drain thoroughly. (Some people prop the jar on it’s side or at an angle downward. Be sure there is plenty of air circulation, though through the lid/cover. In other words, don’t store completely upside down. I shake the jar until the quinoa is spread out on the side of the jar as it rests on it’s side.) From this point on, you want grains constantly damp, but not sitting in any standing water. Rinse and drain 2-4 times per day until you see tails on the grains. (Tails = grains have begun to sprout.) This step takes 1-3 days depending on grains and temperature. (I have had quinoa take 12 hours on a summer day.)>Culturing Phase: Put sprouted grains in the culturing jar(s). If you are using two jars, then split up grains between the jars. Fill with the *filtered* water. Using filtered water is important at this step. If you do not have filtered water, try what I did the for a while – just boil and cool the tap water overnight first. Loosely cover and place in a warm place out of direct sunlight for 1 to 3 days until done. It’s done when the water turns cloudy/white/yellowish. It should taste a bit tart, a little bit like a watered down lemon juice – but more complex/different.>Wrap Up: Strain the liquid into a clean jar. Cover tight and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.I sure hope this helps! Please let me know if you try this, how it works out for you.I don’t know… if the bone, nerve, cartilage, epithelium, are all from chicken, how is “chicken nugget” a misnomer? It’s still chicken.Personally, I don’t see why any of those parts, or other non-muscle parts, are any different from the muscle, with respect to eating them. It’s all eating chickens. Don’t eat chickens.It’s shameful the 2 food establishments were not sited. I know to us it doesn’t matter but it’s the point and principal of the matter surely. Shameful.Hi Dr. Greger, love your videos, first time commenting! Whilst I would never consume either of the “nugget” products from your video, it got me thinking about articles I’ve read previously about a tendency of native cultures across the planet preferring eating the non-skeletal muscle portions of animals – I even recall reading about one culture in which the lean meat of carcasses was used to feed animals instead of humans.As I am finding more and more there are often good reasons for why ancient peoples did certain things and so I’m wondering what the science says about consumption of parts of animals less consumed in Western culture, and if the type of composition of these “nuggets” could be considered healthful if it came from well tended organic poultry?	animal fat,chicken,children,farm animals,fast food,fat,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,meat,obesity,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,pork,poultry,processed foods,processed meat,USDA	If the bulk of fast food chicken nuggets is not actually chicken meat, what’s in them?	To which other reports might the principal investigator be referring? I profiled similar pathology reports in What’s in a Burger? and What Is Really in Hot Dogs?.More on fecal contamination from chicken in Fecal Bacteria Survey, fish in Fecal Contamination of Sushi, and pigs in Yersinia in Pork. How can that be legal? See Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal.More on the preservatives in chicken in Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola and antibiotic contamination in Drug Residues in Meat. Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens also build up in poultry in particular, something the Physicians Committee also tested for previously: Fast Food Tested for Carcinogens.If we’re going to eat something chickenish that isn’t chicken meat, why not truly boneless chicken: Chicken vs. Veggie Chicken.For more context, check out my associated blog post: What is Actually in Chicken Nuggets?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/18/what-is-actually-in-chicken-nuggets/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/physicians-committee-for-responsible-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24035124,
PLAIN-2670	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caramel-color-carcinogenic/	Is Caramel Color Carcinogenic?	Used as a coloring agent in products ranging from colas and beer to gravies and soy sauce, caramel coloring may be the world’s most widely consumed food coloring, helping to sell over a billion servings a day. Unfortunately, the manufacturing of certain artificial caramel colorings can lead to the formation of carcinogens, such as 4-methylimidazole, which causes cancer in mice, but not rats, or at least not male rats, but it is unclear whether humans are more like mice or rats in terms of their response to the carcinogen.To be safe, California officially listed it as a carcinogen and started requiring warning labels on soft drinks containing more than 29 micrograms per can. The soft drink industry was unsuccessful in opposing the action, so they were forced to reduce carcinogen levels in their products, but only in California. Buy coke anywhere else and it may have up to 5 times the limit.Remember Coca Cola's Tab Clear, though, or Crystal Pepsi? Clearly… they can do away with carcinogenic colorings altogether.	The Youtube account is back! No one messes with the Doc! =DYes – the good Dr. G is back online!why what had happened? Had they tried to stop his account for speaking the truth??If I recall well, someone flagged Nutritionfacts.org’s Youtube account but I don’t remember why (copyrights, ballbusting, etc.)Ih many thanks for your prompt reply. :) I love he’s work! long live Dr. M. Greger ;) I much appreciate Sebastian. CheersI’ve started eating olives, because my BP went down too far on WFPBD and I was getting presyncopal symptoms. Are any of the following constituents, commonly seen in olives, harmful?-sodium alginate -guar gum -calcium chloride -potassium sorbate -lactic acid -citric acidI would not trust Guar Gum, it’s usually GMO. Depends how much salt is added too (potassium sorbate), Lactic acid comes from milk and is not good for you. Sodium Alginate (E401) is extracted from brown seaweed, not sure if that is good or bad. Calcium chloride I am also not sure about. Not sure where the olives are?I will look into organic olives. The problem is their price and the fact they are not available in bulk (here). If worse comes to worse, I will simply consume table salt and give up the olives entirely.Why would you consume table salt? Just go to a farmers market, they will have loads there I am sure, probable taste better too, nice and fresh.You should eat very little to no salt. Most people get way to much salt in their diet. You should make sure your salt intake is low. And more inline with nature, and where you would get salt from. As in food.I am also sure if you don’t know any farmers markets that you can find some olives not in liquid. Or with next to no crap added to them. Just look at the different brands.If you’re blood pressure is too low eat more nuts and seeds. Chia seeds and flex seeds are good sources of Omega3, and walnuts are not bad either, but higher in omega 6 but it depends how much fats you eat whether you need to worry about omega 6.Be weary of potassium sorbate. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-potassium-sorbate-bad-for-you/Having low blood pressure can be a result of other factors and not necessarily low sodium. Sodium needs for humans are extremely low. The bare minimum one needs for survival is around 130 according to the NIH. Of course excessive sweating will raise this but not an incredible amount. A safe limit of salt is 1500mg or lower.Toxins, my BP has gone down after going with a WFPBD, and I am extremely lightheaded immediately upon standing for a sitting or lying position. I calculated my 24 hour intake of sodium chloride to be well under the 2300 mg recommended in the latest IOM report – in fact, it’s more like 300-400 mg per day. As soon as I “salt-loaded” with olives, I felt immediately better. The dizziness and cognitive dysfunction are now a thing of the past. I think this speaks to the great variability in sodium needs between individuals. A WFPBD just does not contain a lot of sodium, since more than 80% of sodium arrives at the table in the form of processed food, and about 20% is added from the salt shaker (and I was not doing either of these things). Of course, for a hypertensive individual, sodium chloride needs are a lot lowly – closer to the 130 mg per day that you quote, and certainly under 1200 mg per day is best.D.H: I’m not a doctor or expert in any way, but I had a thought for you. I had a co-worker who went vegan (whole plant foods) and started feeling shaky and weak. After talking to her about her diet, I thought she might be a bit low on calories. So, I suggested she add nuts/seeds/avocados. that fixed her problem.The reason I thought of this when I saw your post is that olives are so calorie dense. So, is it the salt in the olives that made you feel better or just that you were getting some much needed calories? If that’s the case, then you would have more options on what to add to your diet to fix the problem (ie, not just olives).As I said, I’m not a doctor, so my thought may be completely off base. Just thought I would share the idea in case it is helpful.Yes they are calorie dense but it is the salt that saved me. I could do table salt instead. My peacounter tells me I am getting less than 300 mg of sodium per 24 h intake without addition of a salt source, and thus getting extremely lightheaded upon standing. Feeling ‘grayed out’ and unable to tolerate my normal exercise regimen. Adding olives fixed all this.If you have a healthy diet there aren’t any worries about taking salt, see here Dr Pam Popper commenting the results of the latests studies:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvCxTm-aA3QWe do need salt, otherwise you would have an imbalance too much potassium vs sodium, which might land you in hospital.I use Trader Joe’s Greek Kalamata Olives. The label only lists olives, water, salt and red wine vinegar. Am I missing something?why would anyone ever eat something with this stuff in it? I would’t even question your curiosity if I were you. Find olives that don’t contain this stuff. They are available.Low BP (lower than 90 or 60) can be a sign of serious illness. Eating olives may not be the best plan. The only thing I would be concerned about in your list is potassium sorbate. It harms fungi. I can’t say if it is harmful in humans. Please let us know how you make out with your BP…would you care to tell us what it is?White coat (public environment) systolics of around 100-106 mmHg, but much lower at home, and of course with standing up, even more drops.I meant to say that bp lower than 90 DIASTOLIC or 60 SYSTOLIC is considered LOW by the professionals. The symptoms you describe may be serious and you should see your GP about it. Best wishesHow about mollasses, then? If I recall you had a video pointing it out along with honey as the healthiest source of tea-sugar, due to nutrient contents. But is there anything bad coming out of the Maillard reaction in mollasses? Blackstrap has a reputation for some as a health food, so the question may be somewhat important.This gets me wondering about Liquid Smoke. I’m sure it is not an optimal condiment, even if I can find one without caramel color. The one I have does have caramel coloring (water, natural hickory smoke flavor, vinegar, molasses, caramel color, and salt). What the heck is “natural liquid smoke flavor” anyway? Not only is it the product but it is also an ingredient in the product. I’ve avoided this condiment in the past but recently bought some after seeing, in a video, Chef AJ use a capful in a batch of split pea soup. I’ve been having a hard time getting some of the no-added-oil/low-fat, low-sodium, refined-sweetener-free, plant-based recipes to taste appealing, which is why I bought the Liquid Smoke.There have been many studies on levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons like benzo[a]pyrene in liquid smoke. The maximum seen in commercial liquid smoke preparations hovers around regulatory limits (1 ng/g in the EU). It appears to be a rather small dietary source compared to high heat cooking methods and fats. From this review:Chemical analysis of foods shows that flame-grilling can form both PAHs and heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAA), and that frying forms predominantly HAA. With detection limits of about 0.1 ng/g, amounts found in commercially processed or restaurant fooods range from 0.1 to 14 ng/g for HAA, and levels of PAH up to 1 ng/g in liquid smoke flavoring. Laboratory fried samples have greater amounts of PAH, up to 38 ng/g in hambugers, and high levels of HAA, over 300 ng/g, are mesured in grilled chicken breast.JD: Keep looking around for different brands of liquid smoke. I found that my local health food store had a brand of liquid smoke that contained all the extra garbage (sweetener, color, etc) that you list above. Then, to my surprise, the brand of liquid smoke at my Fred Myer contained nothing but liquid smoke. Win!Sometimes that bit of liquid smoke in a dish really makes the dish. I don’t use that much of it or all that often. Thus: It is one ingredient I’m not willing to give up! Just my personal thoughts on the topic. Good luck.How does one know that ‘natural flavor’ or ‘color’ is necessarily garbage? Isn’t that a case of “guilty until proven innocent” with what one is eating?DH: There is quite a bit of evidence that many of our “colors” are indeed harmful to us.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-harmful/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/Most people consider sweeteners to be junk food. There might be some saving grace for say black strap molasses, but does anyone really consider it a health food? Something to poor straight on your veggies? I don’t. Not that I don’t eat plenty of sugars, but I don’t pretend that they are good for me.When I purchase a product like liquid smoke, I expect the contents to match the label. The brand that I saw in my health food store had corn syrup in it as the sweetener. I wouldn’t be using much of it, but why have it at all? Especially when I can avoid it completely with a different brand.What about the salt? Most people don’t want salt added. They want to add it/control it themselves. Etc.When it comes to people and principles regarding people, I am a *firm* believer in innocent until proven guilty. When it comes to food, I take a more middle ground–especially when food companies in general have a proven track record of harming us with their products.That’s just my 2 cents. Everyone of course has their own approach to what they consume. I responded above because the original poster did not seem aware that liquid smoke could be purchased with out all the “junk”/extras.Could you look into this study about pesticides in tea leaves? (And any similar studies.) http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/10/26/whats-in-your-mug-the-toxic-truth-about-tea/	animal studies,artificial colors,beer,beverages,California,cancer,caramel color,carcinogens,Coca-Cola,food additives,gravy,industry influence,Pepsi,safety limits,soda,soy sauce	Concern that one of the most commonly consumed food colorings may cause cancer has led to changes in soft drink formulation in California.	There’s another class of additives that the soda industry uses to make its soda brown. See Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola.The meat industry has also used potentially toxic additives for cosmetic purposes: Arsenic-containing drugs to make chicken pink (Arsenic in Chicken). Phosphate Additives in Chicken also help maintain the color of poultry. Carbon monoxide is used to keep red meat red, Acanthoxanthins keep salmon pink (Artificial Coloring in Fish).The junk food industry uses titanium dioxide to whiten processed foods (Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease). It’s amazing the risks the food industry will take to alter appearances (Artificial Food Colors and ADHD).There are other harmful additives in soda as well (Is Sodium Benzoate Harmful? and Diet Soda and Preterm Birth).For more context, check out my associated blog post: Does Caramel Color Cause Cancer?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/13/does-caramel-color-cause-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepsi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gravy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-colors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy-sauce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caramel-color/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17619857,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21075160,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23026009,
PLAIN-2671	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/one-in-a-thousand-ending-the-heart-disease-epidemic/	One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic	This is a list of diseases commonly found here (and in populations that eat and live like the US), but were rare or even nonexistent in populations eating diets centered around whole plant foods.These are among our most common diseases, like obesity. Hiatal hernia, one of the most common stomach problems; hemorrhoids and varicose veins, the most common venous disorders; colorectal cancer, the #2 cause of cancer death; diverticulosis, the #1 disease of the intestine; appendicitis, the #1 cause for emergency abdominal surgery; gallbladder disease, the #1 cause for nonemergency abdominal surgery; and ischemic heart disease, the commonest cause of death—here, but a rarity in plant-based populations.This landmark study suggesting that coronary heart disease was practically non-existent among those eating traditional plant-based diets in Africa claimed that there was adequate autopsy evidence to confirm that fact. Let's look at it.Doctors in sub-Saharan Africa during the 30s and 40s recognized that certain diseases commonly seen in Western communities were rare in rural African peasants. This hearsay talk greeted any new doctor on arrival in Africa. Even the teaching manuals stated that diabetes, coronary heart disease, appendicitis, peptic ulcer, gallstones, hemorrhoids, and constipation were rare in African blacks who "eat foods that contain many skins and fibres, such as beans and corn, and pass a bulky stool two or three times a day.” Surgeons noticed that the common acute abdominal emergencies like appendicitis in Western communities were virtually absent in rural African peasants.But do we have hard data to back that up? Yes. Major autopsy series were performed. First thousand Kenyan autopsies—not a single case of appendicitis, not a single heart attack, 3 diabetics out of a thousand, one peptic ulcer, no gallstones, and no evidence of high blood pressure, which alone affects 1 out of 3 Americans.Maybe the Africans were just dying early of other diseases and so never lived long enough to get heart disease? No, here are age-matched heart attack rates in Uganda versus St. Louis. Out of 632 autopsies in Uganda, one myocardial infarction. Out of 632 Missourans—same age and gender distribution—136 myocardial infarctions. More than 100 times the rate of our #1 killer. In fact they were so blown away they did another 800 autopsies in Uganda, and still, just that one small healed infarct (meaning it wasn't even the cause of death) out of 1,427 patients. Less than 1 in a thousand, whereas in the U.S. it's an epidemic.How do the doctors even know what to look for over there then? Though practically unheard of among the native population, the physicians are quite familiar with heart disease because of all the folks that immigrate to the country.The famous surgeon, Dr. Burkitt, insisted that modern medicine is going about it all wrong. A highly unacceptable fact that is rarely considered yet indisputable is that with rare exceptions there is no evidence that the incidence of any disease was ever reduced by treatment. Improved therapies may reduce mortality but may not reduce the incidence of the disease. Understand what he's saying? Take cancer, for example, the vast majority of effort is devoted to advances in treatment; the second priority given to screening programs attempting early diagnosis. Is there any evidence that the incidence of any form of cancer has ever been reduced by improved treatment or by early detection? Early diagnosis may reduce mortality rates and medical services can have a profoundly beneficial effect on sick people, but have little if any effect on the number of people becoming ill. No matter how fancy heart disease surgery gets, it's never going reduce the number of people falling victim to the disease.He compares it to an engine left out in the rain. If an engine repeatedly stops as a consequence of being exposed to the elements, it is of limited value to rely on the aid of mechanics to detect and remedy the fault. Examination of all engines would reveal that those out in the rain were stopping, but those under cover were running well. The correct approach would then be to provide protection from the offending environment. However, considering the failing engine as the ailing patient, this is seldom the priority of modern medicine. He sums it up with the cliff or the ambulance.If people are falling over the edge of a cliff and sustaining injuries, the problem could be dealt with by stationing ambulances at the bottom or erecting a fence at the top. Unfortunately, we put far too much effort into the provision of ambulances and far too little into the simple approach of erecting fences. And then of course there are all the industries enticing people to the edge, and profiting from pushing people off	Very good video. It should be learned in schools ! I wonder when it will be no longer accepted to let people falling into cliff for the sake of money.“The love of money is the root of all evil.” St Timothy“Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.” Dalaï Lama“This is not a conspiracy folks, it’s business as usual.” John McDougall.FYI “The love of money…” quote should be attributed to the Apostle Paul, since the passage comes from the letter written BY Paul TO Timothy, not from Timothy to Paul. (1 Tim 6:10)Thanks I didn’t know thatYW. Another way to attribute it is to cite the scripture itself in parentheses or after a dash. (1 Timothy 6:10):-)This is not a conspiracy folks, it’s business as usual.” John McDougall.Which is what I say about him when he poo poos GMO affects and gluten(starch!) during a lecture where he’s plugging the crowd for donations to HIS ideas. . . meanwhile he will not hear that some folks (like myself) do NOT do well on grains and starches AT ALL, and greens and algaes and starchless veggies work for me FINE as my CORE, as well as as much omega 3’s as I can ingest in greens and unshelled/unsprayed nuts – without eating animals or their fodder or grains. . . He’s a mirror of Adkins but less aware of himself. Adkins at least ate from a garden of greens after losing his weight, to supliment carbs and while his followers grabbed ice cream, cookies, bread and pasta and gave him a bad name. animal and starches aside, at least Adkins had the greens down, and for the tone of his mind when I heard him interviewed, seemed quite sound and sane and open minded, while McDougal seems fanatic, fat headed and self agrandizing. . . He can’t stand up straight and it looks obvious to me he’s way over starched and low on raw and fresh veggies. . . . for what my 2 cents are worth. ;)That’s only partially true, Ruby. John McDougall is aware and willing to eliminate gluten food and even potatoes in some cases of gluten intolerance or other auto-immune disease. But you have to recognised that it is not the case of the majority, and there is a huge hype against gluten food nowadays. The gluten-free but still junk food industry had 30% growth every year (at least in my country) while the gluten intolerance and gluten sensitive don’t goes up as well, in fact it stay flat. And we know that people in the ancient times get heart disease and cancer well before the invention of pesticide, GMOs and the like, in a world that everything was organic by default, because their diet was too rich in animal food. John McDougall doesn’t say GMOs are good, he just say that it is not the main cause of disease in America, and you know what ? He might be exactly right.If you do just fine on non starchy vegetable as your core with gluten-free starchy food, I don’t know where the problem is ?You’re missing the point, and glossing over, as he did – he is NOT correct about his dismissal of GMO foods which cause cancer. In THIS video he dismisses gluten alergies entirely, despite your contentsions that he, perhaps at some other point in time, said someything opposite (hypocrite?) about starchy foods being the core of his diet. Certainly he never siad any such thing since his contention of a starchy core is his entire core contention, period, Adrien. You are obviously trying to hold to his suinking ship for whatever reason. perhaps a startchy diet works for you. Whatevrr. The POINT is that his dismissal of this new info about both GMO’s and Gluten intolerence contest hhis contensions of what makes a person healthy – the gluten alergy specificaly pulls the rug out from under him, and he has bills to pay and donations to sequester dear, as he did all through the vid, and addressing these contensions would as he said, distract from his point he needed todrive home – donate to his ideas and forget. . . . “pay no attention to the man behind ths curtain!”, Wizard of Oz scene my dear. The fact is that his dismissal is unintelligent, and shows his real interest is in paying his bills and getting funding, and NOT refining his diet ideas to actually help people – this helping people is now (though it may not have been at his career onset) a side issue, and these contentions are distractions to those who might find his cause worthy of funding. The “problem is” that he is not correct, and that he is misleading people with his inertial inistance on pressing a diet which is NOT healthy in the long run so he can fund his perspective into the ground, and live out his retirement, pay for college etc. Just LOOK at his posture Adrien. He can’t stand upright any longer. He has the posture of an old asian man. Asians eat a lot of white and VERY starchy food – white rice. In his younger years I saw a vid where he mentioned that folks suggested that too much white starchy food is not good and he had a disgusted look on his face when he mentioned it (petulant like a child? – and startchy foods are a childs’ diet, btw) and dismissed the idea without so much as addressing his perspective on WHY – ie? unintelligent. He’s a petulant old man, as he was a petulant young man, starched out. And adult diet consistes of a core of greens and low starch veggies, then beans, and THEN maybe starchy rooters, and if you ask me, grains need be eliminated as we age period. He looked way better as a young man. . . which makes my point Adrien. You don’t need to take his side. You just need to see my point. If you want to address my comment, please just stick to the issues broached and contest them, rather than defend a man who is making foolish dismissals so he can line his pockets. Thanks. Best.John McDougall never say that you should eat ONLY starch. And humanity is NOT gluten intolerent dude ! Don’t think everyone is in the same situation as you. Human civilisation is living on starch right now, and has been for the dawn of time. Apart accusing him, you haven’t deal with any of my points or validate yours with scientific background or study. Indicating me that you’r just here to troll against John McDougall and his diet. A diet that, remember to us all, just happen to reverse heart disease, the most commom cause of death in America, and that kill 18 millions people over the globe. Atkins – with a T – just die with this disease, btw. It seems to me that you are more in business of keeping big industry money making machine running at the expend of our health than John McDougall is.You’re ranting now, in an irrational rage. It’s undignified and unintelligent and makes no points, but rages when your points are addressed and defunked. Please get a grip. Heart disease is healed not from HIS diet, but from a plant based diet. HIS diet says starch is core. Many folks don’t do well on it. Many can’t eat starch much at all. That’s all documented scientifically – celiacs is an example. HIS diet is just vegan with starch as core. He’s nothing new, but his contension of starch as core is obviously a problem he is unwilling to adress or consider because he needs funding. I’m done here.Adrien: You make some good points, and as just another poster here I appreciate your thoughts. But getting angry and making nasty accusations against Ruby’s motives just because you don’t like the post is not what discussion boards are about. We’re here to exchange ideas, not beat up people with a slightly different point of view.Ruby: I see what you’re saying and even Dr. Joel Fuhrman argues with Dr. McDougall on the need to emphasize nutritionally dense foods in our diets, not just starches. I followed Dr. McDougall on his radio show years ago, and read his books and have always thought his approach seemed incomplete. Others also complained that they did worse on a starch-based diet, although. (BTW, I always thought that beans and pluses (lentils) were also considered a starch.) People should know that they need to find the right foods for them on a plant based diet and to eat as great a variety as their body accepts. I’ve known and heard about people that try a plant based diet for a few days and if it doesn’t feel comfortable for them they immediately go back and say that they’re bodies need meat. Sometimes the body is just detoxing while the bad gut microbes die off and the good ones increase. Sometimes a food intolerance. Even after years, my body has a hard time with greens and certain veggies, but I just keep trying to take them in because they’re important and my body is slowly adapting to some.Anyway, I think discussions like these are helpful so we can see how others are trying to be well.MBGlife, thnks for your comment and support of sharing views and ideas. I want to make one comment abou your mention of beans. I am under the impression Dr McDugals favortie starches were grains and even more, potatoes of the starchy variety – al thiese foods create sugar spikes in blood, which I account for my intollerance of them all my life, even as a vegan which is how I started my adulthood, but I assumed they were my core food, so it was a LONG time before I even concieved deleting them for a trial, and discovering them as the CAUSE for my troubles. As for beans, they actually heal and balance high bood sugar levels. IE if they are too high, beans in the diet will lower sugar blood. Dr G has a vid on this in more depth. Beans are now my core diet and it’s UNBELIEVEABLE how I no longer have a crash after eating yet feel full and warm. As for digestion difficulties with those who try to get off meat, I have found their discomfort more from the digestion issues they uncover their body has, now trying to digest foods containing nutrients which have not already been predigested by the animals. And if they will integrate (as we all should anyway) fermets like krout and pickles and also acids(lemon is great) with and throughout all meals, those who get off meats tend to do fine, as long as they steer clear of starchy, blood spiking foods which are not what their body’s are used to. Beans and salads and veggie juices, is my 2 cents on the transition, and I speak for experience, going from vegan, to meat and salad(meat is easier to digest but hell on the mind and joints), to vegetarian with raw goat dairy ferments only(that killed me like poison), to grainless vegan who loves me some beans and feels great all around. I am still healing. My stant with raw dairy was just last year. Ok toodles!It has taken me years to figure out which foods I can have a lot or only a little or not at all. It was a long hard, miserable time. But now I’m mostly ok. And it took years of eating only a little lettuce (any type) at a time before I could eat them without having a small, but ongoing uncontrollable discharge of a clear liquid fluid (someone said it might be that lettuce has latex and it might be that; I don’t know). But Inow seem to tolerate lettuce in normal amounts. So I know its all individual and takes time. Beans are my among my favorite foods. I several servings if have them or lentils every day. Nice to hear you’re finding and sharing what works for you. I’d skip worrying about trying to change others’ minds (like McDougall). It just distracts people’s from your real message, which is “here’s what worked for me”.Aloha again. Interesting your trouble with lettuce. I wonder, do you think adding a ferment with your raw foods might help? Or fresh lemon? These to increase stocmach acid, which I wonder if the body’s ability gets compromised and needs help, after a stint in sickness or poor diet. I found them hepful after similar diegstion issues, and both lemon and ferments helped perfectly, as do very small meals at a time. Also, the antients always made ferments so it seems an old wisdom. I’d be interested in your feedback about this. . . To refer you your suggestion that my real message is “this is what worked for me”, it is not my message. My message was that the contensions made were quite obviously incorrect, as a means of conversation about those contentions and to have an intelligent conversation, or so I hoped(rather than open a hornets nest of someones defenses). When I mean to say “what worked for me”, that’s generally what I say, as I have here, about beans, and also as I have implied, about ferments. Cheers!I’ve eaten a little active “live” sauerkraut with most meals for years. I actually produce too much stomach acid and have resisted going on any acid blockers for it and have tried to control it by watching trigger foods. But it recently got so bad that I finally agreed, after 7 years of resisting my doctors, to start do a 2 week course of an acid blocker. It’s working, but I hope to get off it again at the end of the 2 weeks. So, I know my problem is not too little acid and the problem was with lettuce and things I didn’t know I was allergic to, like sesame, and if I eat more than just a little of something. And the impact isn’t always to the stomach, sometimes it’s dizziness or optical migraines (caused from ripe bananas and avocados), hibiscus, makes me cough, and other food with other symptoms and blah blah blah. So, thanks for wanting to help, but I’ve mostly figured it all out ‘for me’.Hm. Do you eat animal products at all? And, do you eat any grains at all? Your issues sound autoimmune and, if yes to either, I wonder if stopping grains would help? Sprouting the beans? And about fats, they are so necessary. What fats do you ingest and do you do so when yu eat your raw veggies? Dr G has a vid indicating studies that show an almost non digested salad vs a high nutrient absorption with the salad had fats with it, in dressing. I read just the other day, maybe I can find the site and link it for you, that indigestion due to LACK of stomach acid can phenom/present as symptoms of indigestion from LACK thereof, and suggested this is very often misdiagnosed. Just food for thought, as to trying other additions such as good fats, to aid your digestion. maybe seseme is not the right one. Is there a nut you gravitate to? Any thyroid related symptoms at all? Thyroid manages enzyme production as I understand, so there mey be a correlation. . . If so selenium may play a part, and brazil nuts be of help. I appreciate your sharing so much and hope our dialoge finds a tid bit of data that may prove helpful. :) Also, have you done any liver/gall cleanses?I just found this today. I thought it might be of some help.Here’s the link – hope it’s useful. It answers a lot of questions for me for sure.: http://authoritynutrition.com/resistant-starch-101/Just curious: respectfully, do you have any feeling/thoughts/ideas/reaction to my contensions about the high glycemic index foods, such as most grains and starchy taters as perhaps being exacerbaters of your digestion sensitivities? I ask in earnest and from concern/interest, not contention. I can understand how my vehimence about Dr M’s error and blind side might meet with vehiment mirroring, lol. But with that past us, and your elucidation of your digestion issues (which would be an expected exacerbation from Dr M’s diet paradigm, which is why I was vehiment, as I have had my own digestion issues to batle and having discovered letting go of what I now understand are “high glycemic” starches, and adding ferments and acids with all meals, and making all of those meals small. . .. I find is my answer. And as long as I stick to that diet regime, I’m fine as frog hair. . . . So in that vein I share the idea and make my contentions. You know? So I’m asking about what you think of that idea about the high glycemic foods, and if they are at all a part of your diet and if so, might you notice any more trouble with those high glycemic foods. I ask since you still apparently have some issues severe enough to have you on pills, which you would rather not be on. Might this info be of use for your diet, and maybe be the answer to your present need for pills??? I’m intersted for personal and human reasons, as well as purely scientifically blood-houndish ones, as a lifetime healer/healee. Lol. I appreciate the elucidating diologue, and I find personal experience to be a better and much more pioneering way to get data. Thus your experience rates bigger than Dr M or any compiled study data. If you’re open to sharing and thinking on these things at all.Without going into needless detail and clog the discussion board, I’ll just say this: I’ve been refining my diet for 30+ years; following this site almost since the beginning; read lots of books & blogs; and, experimented with various theories. I know your suggestions and lists of guesses are well meaning, but they’re not helpful. As I mentioned, food sensitivities & alergies are individual and I’ve done a very good job of working out mine. So, thank you for your concern, but please don’t worry about me. I’m actually in excellent health.I too have struggled with health for my own 30yr stint. This is my reason for being open to the conversation with you, and the reason for my initial comment to your post. The subject I have been trying to address with you since my first comment to your post, to be a lead to what I have found is a soultion, MGBlife. I am just trying to help you, via conversation, but you seem unopen if the conversation leads to disagree with someone you hold in regard at this time. So if you are not interested in a conversation or information that could be an answer, then, I trust your doctors with continue to take good care of you. I certinly do not need to bother you with a topic you have covered. Wish you well then. Adieu again.Hi Ruby: It appears there might be some confusion in terminology and I want to clear it up for those that might be reading this post.You state: “I don’t do well on starchy food at all”You also state: “I do well on beans” and “Beans are now my core food”.Beans are a starch and they appear to be a staple for you.Starch examples: Grains: Barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, wheat, wild riceLegumes: Beans, lentils, peasStarchy Vegetables: Carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, potatoes, salsify, sweet potatoes, winter squashes (acorn, banana, butternut, Hubbard), yamsHm! Well, I appreciate the elaboration of what qualifies as starchy! And I am generally aware and perhaps I could have been more clear, but I believe I also mentioned about Dr McDougall that in many many hours of vids I never heard him mention any veggies at all, and seems to talk only of potatoes, siting a “study” of 2 athletes (thus with constitutions which would be WAY more attuned to a hugh glycemic index starches such as potatoes) on a diet soley of potatoes, a high starch of high glycemic index kind, which causes many digestion issues. I also mentioned his complete dismissal of the cancer causeing GMOS that are starchy, and any issues with celic disease and those who imply cannot digest gluten type starches and who diegst poorly on high glycemic kinds of starches. So I thougt my comments were qualified as such, despite that I did not address the wide array of starch based veggies, nor mention gylcemic index foods, since my comments were already taking up space and it seemed beyond the point being made, which was his unqualified dismissal of cancer causing GMO’s and celiac sufferers, while vying for donations from the same suffering crowd :). That’s just what he did. perhaps I should have sited the video I was refering to.I know Ruby, hard to carry on a complex conversation via internet posts. I just wanted others to know that beans are indeed starches.To address your follow up statements:McDougall advocates for veggies and fruits – for example: “On the McDougall Diet, you may add as many green, red, yellow or orange vegetables as you wish to a meal….” “eat plenty of fruits and vegetables”.If weight loss is the desire he states: “increase the amount of nonstarchy vegetables”, avoid flour products breads, pasta’s, etc. Simple meal plan: like sweet potato and broccoli or beans and rice with a non starchy vegetable, etc.Foods to avoid: http://bit.ly/OSJVe5He does recognize Celiac: http://bit.ly/1gSMxiaAnd GMO foods: “Just to be on the Safe Side: Avoid GMO foods” http://bit.ly/1hhrAhGI am not advocating for him just want to keep facts at the forefront. Thank you for understanding my stance.The vid i refer to, where he is plugging the sick audience for funding, he completely disisses these two issues as unimportant and beside the point. Did you delet that post as well wehre I defend my contensions of his stance? Or is tha fact that after the funding plug his readdressing those issues at some later date, more important? You know, the point and the inspiration of my initial comment was his “business as usual” bumper sticker he uses to explain why coroiprations who own animal producing meat farms, dismiss health concerns raised, while he was doing the exact same thing in the vid I saw him in. Now that he has changed his tune and updated his stance after the funding party is over, does not make my elucidation of the quote i was commenting on, less hypocratic, therefore my words no more inflamitory or inapropriate here. Changing his stance later, as he may well, after the funding party was over notwithstanding, what he did puts his motives and thus his authority in a questionable light. . which is fair and just reporting of info and conversation here, surely. excpet that you deleted my elucidation. Who and what have you served?Ruby, you have no deleted posts by me or other administrators.I see now I was mistaken I thought it was gone when I scrolled. My appologies.Ruby, what on earth do you mean by this comment “not grains, not veggies, STARCH”? You do realize he IS talking about grains and vegetables and not literally purified starch or something?Yes I do realize. You do realize he only mentions starch? I’ve seen several vids and all he seems to talk at length about is potatoes. It’s silly. he even claims some “study” he supposedly did with 2 (yes just 2 people) athletes who ate potatoes for 6 months and “did fine”. . . I jsyt think he has no basis for this idea and he is just a pilot fish, gleaning a diet idea from a basic plant based/vegan, and that he has no real diet at all, LOTS of reasons to support my idea, but this forum is not for that chat. I eat a vegan diet but stay as far from starch as I can, because I do not do well on starch AT ALL. Makes me VERY tired and sluggish – I don’t digest them. They make my hole system freeze u[p. I don’t eat grains because of this, nor potatoes (which he goes on and on about expressly because they are very high in starch, and make me sick literally, btw). It seems very apparent he does not have any real diet, and he dismisses GMO’s and celiac disease sufferers (I saw a vid where he literally said all that didn’t matter, if only they’d just eat starchy foods, the more starch the better).. . . So he would dismiss me if I were in his crowd asking why I as a vegan do very unwell with starchy foods and have to go to great lengths to avoid his idea of what we should all be eating. Starch raises blood sugar and those with blood sugar issues do better on low starch, high fiber. Resistant starches are ok for me and I do them sparingly, mostly in winter time, like beans, which actually lower blood sugar, as all resistant starches do. Hope that clarifies, but if not I have many posts on this topic here in this vid.I think you do him something of an injustice, as he says, all the world’s largest most successful populations are founded on some kind of starch based diets. Those are the great foods of the world we’re mostly familiar with, Barley, Corn, Millet, Oats, Sorgum, Rice, Rye, Pototoes and Wheat. This isn’t really controversial.As for your own circumstances I guess it’s perfectly possible you can’t eat starchy foods for some reason? I’m no expert.I’m sure he wouldn’t dismiss you, as you seem to think, he’s not out trying to deceive people or defend some false picture that would lead him to want to ignore your case, in fact if I judge his character correctly I think he’d be most sympathetic toward understanding your condition.Hi Adrian, per our chat about starches, I wanted to share this page I just found, which I think may shine some light on starch differentiation. Hope you find it as elucidating as I. Cheers http://authoritynutrition.com/resistant-starch-101/Thanks Ruby, great article to read, indeed.Thank you for reminding me of this page I shared. I now have it saved for reference. Cheers Adrien!You’re welcome! Sorry to not have been able to continue this discussion with you at that time. But I’m glad that others did. So you find out that you where following a starch-based diet after all ? ;) Beans are starch indeed, and the most nutritious one! I always wanted to use them as my core, since Dr. Greger talked about their amazing benefice, and I’m glad because I find some organic no salt added brand here in France without plastic coating inside.No, I was not and am not following a starch based diet at all. Beans are a certain kind of resistant starch, which is the only exception to any kind of starch I consume, for reasons you know well, if you went to the site you thanked me for sharing. But for instance they work exactly oppositely to starches in the body, lowering rather than spiking blood sugar levels, and they heal insulin absorption issues phenotyped in body issues like, but not limited to, diabetes. Alright? Beans are a small part of my calories, especially since winter is well over. You are repeating what Jaquiline said, and she was likewise making things up out of the air. I don’t know what is wrong with everyone here on this site, but my time here is well over, so I am just trying to be polite by responding. Dr McD is still what he is, quite apparently a corporate mole, duping folks into starches as if potatoes and other starches heal anyone, and are all we need, as if, OMG, frankly. It’s well documented ridiculousness, but I’ve quite well made my point and am done with posts as conversation on both this topic and site as well. As I said, I stick to the vids. You take care and please don’t write me again. The mental issues of people writing me on this site are disconcerting to me, and I am no longer able to respond any better than I have already. Please don’t harass me with this strange vein again, if you don’t mind. I don’t want to be rude, and I’ve made my point, if it’s to be absorbed – all my points are already documented here, unless they’ve been deleted, which I have no control over. My work here is done. Ok? Again take care. And you enjoy your brand named plastic bag beans dear. I will stick to making my own from scratch. Thanks again for the reminder of the site on resistant starches I had shared. take care.Hi Ruby, we actually welcome debate of the science and sharing of personal stories. However, we aim to make NutritionFacts.org a place where people feel comfortable posting without feeling attacked by comments that are inappropriate, like personal attacks (here aimed at McDougall and in a subsequent post later on the page). So please, for everyone’s benefit, help us foster a community of mutual respect but keeping to the science and your story. Thank you, JacquieIn what way did my words “attack” McDougall? And in what way did I veer from science and my story please? I used scientific fact, common observation and my story to make my comments. the person I was making my comment to made irrational contentions to my mind but if you disagree, please be clear what I said you have contentions with please.Many comments Ruby, I will not repeat them all here but to give you a couple of examples:“this is quite apparent looking at him”, “which even he quite obviously does not do well on”, “look at his delapidated posture, panders, schleps,etc.These were just observations, made to qualify my statments, not slights of character Jacquie. Perhaps if you are going to make contentions and judgements, as I have, you should take the time to qualify them, rationally, as I have, so that they are not insulting and without reason. By your way of reason, we should not comment on any misdeads, of governement or corporations or persons, so as not to show them in a poor light – in other words hide their misdeads. I’ll not entertain this train any longer. Good day.Sorry, Ruby you feel this way as the comments I pulled can be easily seen in the context and you asked for examples. So as I first just asked that you refrain from personal attacks, please do so or I will need to delete that specific post – this is Dr. Greger’s request for this site.Again, I didn’t say you made up what I said, I said you pulled them from context, making my words seem like personal slights rather than the cogent and fairly made arguemtn to his diet paradigm and yes, his integrity, by the way he dismisses very plausible holes in his contensions, not unlike the wizard of Oz telling us not to pay attention to the man behind the curtain. Again, but your argument, you are essentially saying that when someone stands on a platform of authority, they are held unaccountable for fraud, so their flow of money and power will not be compromised. I understand it is a strong statement, but yet again, not without qualification. Bottom line is i think he should be held accountable, ESPECIALYY BECAUSE he is a medical professional, and that I think he knowingly and my contention is obviously paints himself in this light. . . . . expressely because he wants money. The validation for my journalistic contentions are in the video which I have now brought into this converstion as defense. In it, he expressely dismisses two audience members questions as to his stance on both celic disease, and GMO’s. He dismisses them out of hand, period, and claims they are NON ISSUES Jacquie, while they are quite obviously not non issues. . . . and all throug this vid, he makes please for money and donations. It can be easily deducted that he will not address these two questions because doing so may compromise his donation viability. I think this shows lack of medical integrity. This video makes my point, and shows the posture of this man who I suggest though it quite tall and smoothly complected (no toxins in his body from a plant based diet over a long time) he cannot stand errect. One must wonder why. My suggestion is his high glycemic starches which are all he talks about, that I have seen, in many hours worth of watching him. Jacquie, please hear me when I say, it seems WHOLLY irrespnsible and wreckless to dismiss a sick person’s question about celiac disease and HG starches when she is in the audience ahd he claims to want to help people. Pay no attention to that, you don’t matter, just do what I say, give me money and you’ll be fine, seems to be the message, however politely delivered. Someone like that women, and someone like myself, would be harmed by his dismissal, since he stands as authority. he should be held to ethical standards. From this vid alone, I contend his ethical standards are questionable at the least, if not down right harmful. If Dr G condones this kind of thing, or will not tollerate eluciadation of knowingly unethical perspectives by his peers, I would lose respect. I hope if you do decide to delete my comments, you will at the very least run this matter by him before you make such a decision. This may be considered by you to be a grey matter, but to me, my words all stand as qualified journalism and not slander and certainly not libel. Like you, I feel it’s important to let those speak, but to offer other arguements, as long as the comments are qualified and not sloppily slanderous. Thank you for your consideration.http://vimeo.com/77139434I hope you will watch the vid and honor my request to run this mater by Dr G before you do that yanking of my cogent and valid elucidative comments about Dr M, his diet and his dismissals to keep from retarding funding of his ideas. And will reread the post below this one which now include the video I refer to, and I think smart suggestion that Dr G may not want to align with the lack of medical integrity aludded to in it. Also, in yanking my contensions you perpetuate his dismissal of pertinant question to his stance on starches as core, which is participating in covering up info that may cause people harm, as it would have me, had I listened to him as an authority on the matter, and likewise dismissed the audence questions as a non issue (including his dismissal of GMO’s in the diet). My intensions were to keep others from being harmed. Deleting my post would allow that harm a potential my post might have disarmed. You and Dr G will be responsible for such a harm if it happens, even if so without you knowing. That will be your choice, and your karma on your record.Ruby, your posts will not be deleted for providing information. As I said prior, It is just the personal attacks on anyone, MD or not, that we as a team are trying to prevent.I made professional comment. Nothing personal whatsoever, in any way, an be infered nor was implied, and I have addressed your repeated suggestion more than needs be any further, yet you persist in your unfounded contentions without so much as one rebuttel, which is painitn me in colors you are wearing. this is likewise unprofessional for your position. I understand your position is not an easy one to be in judgement, and perhaps you were swayed in your judgements by the infamitory reaction to my initial post, and wanted only to sooth her pain. Nonetheless, her contentions are not rational if you really look at what I said and why. And since my small chat with her today, it seems very apparent to me from her terrible health and long standing digestion issues which I personally commiserate with more than either of you could know, that she sounds very much in pain to the point of being unable to take in any further info on this matter which I was trying to address and make contact with her, in hopes of helping her, because I think I have the digestion thing nibbed, and I hoped to be able to share how and why, but she is still in a defensive stance over my insult of someone she regards with respect, and so is not able to hear anything I suggest against him or his ideas, since to her they are married. It is unfortunate and sad. But if you leave my words, perhaps at some later date she can listen, and maybe continue the chat, as we almost started again this morning before your caustic adressing in her stead distracted that chat.. . . I thought I could not see my original post any longer, so if it is still up, my appologies. As consession to you, after all words said, I regret my passions and defence of my own view were frothy enough to close ears to someone I might have helped, because she is that injured on so many levels. In this case it would have been better if my delivery were more cool and dry, but as consession to myself also, it makes me VERY angry when those with the platform of authority, use it for their own means, which is what I think I observed in that video, and it’s infuriating frankly – we’ve all be so mislead for money reasons etc, I am not alone in my anger as a rule, and outing tis kind of thing is an imperative, so I’d rather err on the side of speaking too loudly than too quietly to be heard. I think it is very important to communicate with humility and an open mind, always aware that your ideas are the next level in an ever widening vista, and not to petulantly disregard cogent arguments, as I have observed the MD is question do, via video, over the course of his career. That said I agree and appreciate a lot of his work and sharing of plant based diets, and I took a long time and many many vids with a totally open mind and setting aside my contentions of his petulant dismissals, giving him girth to be human before I assessed him as irresponsible, soely from that vid where he is pandering for donations. To do this when he looks for funding is an entirely different matter, and NOT human err. . . and in so doing he resembles his accuzations of corportae mogels he critizises, the hypocracy of which was more than fair to point out, is still the point I hold to.I appreciate your entertaining the lengthy dialoge. I think the matter has been combed through to anyone’s satisfaction that I can imagine. Lol. Have a good eve Jacque.Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.” Dalaï LamaLOL!! I used to say the same essential same thing to my dad when I was young. He was old and friendless and hd 3 heart operations by the time he retired, with more money than he could spend, and no ability to have fun with it. . . .That was a great quote. Thanks for sharing.Beautiful video, bravo again!!Is Burkitt the self-same Burkitt of “Burkitt’s lymphoma”? That, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, were the only two types of malignancy which were more common in China than in the West, and have oncogenic viral origins (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2).I also appreciate Adrien’s lovely quotes below.Yes, Denis Burkitt has quite an accomplished career!Dr. McDougall has a youtube about how Dr. Burkitt was one of his mentors…you can see a video of Dr. McDougall interviewing Dr. Burkitt, good stuff! Lots of talk about Dr. Burkitt living and working in Africa.Dr Greggor, I would like to request your oversite of a decision made by one of your staff about comments made here a while back and a dialogue that ensued today as a result, which ended in the removal of my comment. In so doing, I contend that what was essentially removed was elucidation of lack of ethics on a collegue of your’s Dr McDougall. the contensions made to me about my comment seemed unfounded. Yet when I confronted the lack of foundation, I was dismissed, and then my comment removed. In so doing I contend you and your site’s responsibility is to elucidate potentially damaging and unethical suggestion by a professional in your field. This professional did 2 things which I think were unethical, and I stated both and qualified boith contentions with a video of his actions and statements which i will state simply here: 1) In a video where he was on stage to elucidate his diet suggestions, and get funding for his paradigm, he dismissed, out of hand 2 cogent contensions with his supposed ideas. His audience was filled with, obvious to me, sick people. One of them asked him about the dangers of GMO’s (proven as cancer agents as I understand it). His answer was abject dismissal as GMO’s being a non issue and unimportant. according to him, in this vid, where he is obviously trying to get funding, and staes this through out the video, his answer to this woman was that as long as someone was eating the starch diet, the GMO issue would be unimportant. (A cancer causing agent unimportant???), Secondly another person asked about those with celiac disease, and he similarly dismissed this as a non issue on his diet. I think he may have said it would be ok to avoid gluten if it was desired, but as I recall, he seemed to imply it was an option, not a necessity. This seems highly inflamitory statements crossing the boarder of ethical, to suggest a cancer agen was no longer important if adhering to his diet, and that a disease causing strong autoimmune responses could be dismissed, or not, depending on preferencve alone, as opposed to medical and ethical prudence. My comments and the discussion is lengthy, due mostly to one person on your site who took personal offence to my elucidation of a possible ethical nature regarding a Dr she apparently held in high regard. Her post of one of his quotes inspired my initial and now removed comment. In case my comment is no longer available, I will clarify the reason it inspired my rebuttle post. the quote was from his video, it was a quote he is known for, a quote meant to make comment on the corporate stance in favor of animal proteins. He is known for saying their stance is not conspiracy, but “business as usual”, meaning they have there bills to pay, and economic agenda. his quote inspired my initial comment in question, and now removed, because of the video I site where he panders the audience for funding, while dismissing thsoe 2 very important issues which conflict with, or are at least questions that certainly diserve to be addressed with more than dismissal, if not respectable and cogent enough to deserve plausably addressed answers by this professional. The vid is up, or if it has now been deleted I can certainly resend it to you. I thank you for your site in it’e entirely, and for your consideration of this very important issue of a peer’s ethical stance, your the decision of your site workers to delete what seems to be a highly important elucidation for those who are seeking health, and to avoid cancer. I am almost guffawed that my elucidation of his dismissal of GMO’s as being dangerous was removed from this site. I hope you will agree, as so far I have the highest regard for you and your work, while i regard many in your profession will markedly less respect, and my opinion comes from being from a family where everry single one holds a place in the medical profession, so it is my roots. I hope you will consider this situation with due gravity. Aloha.No comments made by Ruby have been deleted.Gracious sir, have you found and info on burtyric acid? I found some astonishing info today I wanted to share in hopes of seeing a vid from you with more detail. It connects eating beans which are resistant starches containing butyric acid and what that does, in addition to lowering blood spikes and much more. One thing that I take note of regarding butyrate, (as a suffereer of a neurological issue and ATP creation), is this quote from the second link: ” It also massively increased the function of their mitochondria, the tiny power plants of the cell.” I hope you will agree it and resistant starches like beans (a good llist would be awesome) merits some scouring. Here are the two links(the second comes from the first, from clicking the word “article” in the body):http://authoritynutrition.com/resistant-starch-101/http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/12/butyric-acid-ancient-controller-of.htmlThanks for all Dr G.Dr Greger, Toxic has deleted my posts alerting him that you showed a study(from your vid in 2001 at what looked like a school – the one titled a vegan dies of heart attack at 40) which indicated that vegetarians who “occasionally ate meat” lived longer than both vegans and meat eaters. Toxic was admonishing/advising a poster to to stay clear of meat 100% so as not to “overdo”, and I thought that study was pertinent to his advice. He deleted my post of the elucidation of your study, after petulantly reacting to my suggestion your study existed, saying it didn’t, and after I responded again with the video and told him where to find the study you indicated in that vid. His reactionary return post to that elucidation indiacted he had not read my post, nor watched the vid: he said only that the title of it was irrelivant and again demand that I show him a study. He obviously did not read either of my posts Dr G. He seems very high strung and reactioanry and unprofessionally vitriolic. I alerted him that he was in a reactive stance and obviously not reading either of my posts and that’s when he deleted all of them. I think Toxic seems to have a problem. The name seems way too indicitive of the personality, and unbecoming to say nothing of wholly unprofessional. I thought you should know . . . If there has been a more detailed and better study ragarding occasional meat eating, I’d like to know about it.Ruby,I still see your comment. I think I’ve figured out that if you click an older email link, the newer comments don’t show for that viewing- only what was posted up until that point. If you want to see your comment, go up into the URL and delete the “comment #******” from the end of the address and click enter. The missing comments will appear.For future reference, you can also get a direct link to your comment by floating your cursor over the small “share” button under your post after you make it- a mini-menu will slide out and if you click the icon that looks link a chain link, the URL will update to reflect the direct link to your comment and you can copy it from there.Oh wow. I had no idea. Maybe that’s what happened the other day too. And I’ll take not of hovering over the “share button” if I have any future issues with worry over deleteion from this staff. Lol. Thanks so much for alerting me and your kind direction. So nice of you! I find the other posters here so warm and freindly and sharing, while having had some real personality issues with Dr G’s staff. Pretty ironic really. Lol. Again, so appreciated Phaedra. Aloha nui!Nope, I don’t see them after deleting “comments” from the URL. They’ve been deleted by Toxic. I was refering to my alerting him below this post to his comment to guet about Toxic’s advice to him/her to absatain 100% from meat. My alert to Toxic was of a study elucidated in one of Dr G’s vids indicating that vegetarians who ate meat “on occasion” lived longer than both vegans, vegetarians who abstained 100% and meat eaters of course. I hope Dr G gets some alpha energy on his staff. They seem to me to relay info less and advise more, which I do not apreciate at all, as I have my own ideas and love Dr G’s studyes, and info sharing and have no interest in being advised without invitation. I don’t appreciate their tone at all and would like to stay clear of any interaction with them and just stick to chat with other posters. It’d be nice if that could happen. I’ve made Dr G aware, so it’s his ball from here. I’ll just try from here to stay clear of them and ignore any uninvited commentary. Thanks again and cheers Phaedra.Can I ask you to try one more thing? From the page, click on your user icon (the picture itself, not the name). A smaller activity window will pop up and your comments will all show there. If you find your elusive comment there, click the blue timestamp next to your name, and it’ll take you directly to its location on the page. If it doesn’t show there, it has been deleted.I forgot to mention that you have to close the pop-up to see your comment. (:When I do as you suggest and hover over my icon pic, I can go to my profile and see the comments but they are not here on the page, below, where I made them, even when I eliminate #comment etc from the url. Are you seeing my comments on this page or via my profile??If it shows in your profile, it hasn’t been deleted from the page. Try clicking the blue timestamp from your profile, it’ll say something like “12 hours ago”. Then click the gray “X” in the upper right hand corner of the popup window, and the comment that goes with the timestamp you clicked should be visible when the box closes.I’m seeing your comments in both places.Man. This is a trial and you’re a trooper. I didn’t have this issue with my other staff member volly on this vid. Ok I’ll try. ThnksHowdee. Looks like your comment got sanitized too Phaedra. No suggesting anything off color of the staf here or off with her head hu? Lol. Priceless. You’re dleted post was so mater of fact and clearly stated, but stil a no no. Personally I’m no longer interested in dialogue with the oversite (insert adjective here). 6 Years up and this place is still a ghostown. It’s no wonder. well, I’m done with the click club myself – I can’t wear a pink ballerinas tutu, and take myself or anyone else seriously, and since that is apparently the uniform, and anyone not wearing it is scrubbed off, I’m done with posts on this site. Just wanted to jump in a jiff and say thanks, and see if you saw that even your post agreeing with me was deleted. I thought that was funny white washing. Like, leave no trace of a disturbence. Lmao. Anywho, cheers to ya.…and possibly Alzheimers : http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22029452.300-if-diabetes-causes-alzheimers-we-can-beat-it.html?cmpid=RSS|NSNS|2012-GLOBAL|online-news#.UpiedsTQkadwere the people in these studies eating any meat, fish, or poultry, even in small amounts? Were they able to maintain the absence of these mentioned diseases while still eating some (yet small) amounts of fish, meat, and or poultry? Also, I am wondering what the people were doing to get their vitamin B12. Very nice video today. Thanks for any input on letting us know the daily ounce amount of animal products these people were consuming.Hi guest, If you look below the video in sources cited all the research articles used to put it together are listed. That should help with your questions.Thank you. I think it would help us if Dr. Greger mentioned the amount of animal products these people were, on average, able to continue to consume, and still avoid modern day diseases. The irony of these studies is that they are proving that people are, in fact, able to eat minimal amounts of animal products and still maintain absence of these diseases. Correcting me if I am wrong (maybe i am missing something in my logic here) but don’t these inadvertently show this?I think it is reasonable to say that there is an amount of animal products that can be consumed that will not cause any noticeable health problems. I think the issue is we have no idea how much this is, and that it is in human nature to overdo an allowance of a food that can be easily overconsumed. Modern day uses meat as the star of the dish, whereas in actuality it should be only a small condiment used on occasion. The okinawans, for example, had the most centenarians per capita and they consumed, on average, 70 calories per day of animal products. 70% of their diet is the purple sweet potato so this highly nutritious food may also counteract and alleviate any consumption of animal products. I think overall, the cons outweigh the good for animal products, and I can see it being used as a condiment occasionally, but I think this is difficult to apply. It would be the safest, most practical and most beneficial to simply not consume any animal products rather then try to consume a very tiny amount.There is also the ethical argument to be made against eating meat, as in Safran-Foer’s book “Eating animals”. I, personally, find it very persuasive. Even if it were healthy to eat a little bit of animal protein every day, I believe one can be optimally healthy on a 100% plant-based diet and eat more ethically in that fashion. Causing undue suffering to sentient lifeforms does not provide me with psychological or spiritual health……Agreed. I like Toxin’s wording and argument. You add one more great argument.And then there is the third argument that I also find persuasive. According to statistics I have seen, the animal industry is the largest contributor to global warming – a health issue (life and death) for all of us and an ethical issue (looking after future generations). Between all three of those arguments, the idea of eating any animal products has no appeal for me.I agree, I read Eating Animals which prompted my veganism. I feel that an ethical backing is not as persuasive as enforcing good health. I center my dietary ideals primarily around the health aspects although I fully understand the ethical argument and do have that as one of my foundations for this diet. People are much more convinced to change their diet for their own health, as is selfish human nature.You’re absolutely right. But if people understood what goes on in a factory farm and slaughterhouse, they might become on-the-spot vegans! Unfortunately, we as a society are totally hermetically protected against knowing the source and methods of any of our food production, particularly animal products. It is an unknowing conspiracy of silence. What got me vegetarian (but still initially consuming fish and dairy) was health, and then what took me all the way to veganism was Buddhist ethical practice. So everyone has a different story.What got me started was gagging when I ate a piece of meat and hit gristle or a ligament (like in a chicken leg). Plus, I would always wonder while chewing, “did this thing have cancer or some animal disease; was it rotting before processing; what hormones and additives did they give it?” I decided to try going vegan for just one day, but after eating just breakfast and lunch it was such a relief to avoid all that stuff that I never went back. The more I learn all these years later (especially on this site), the happier I am that made that change. And back in the day it was hard to do because there weren’t many dining options with friends or at restaurants, and people really got on your case for being one of those crazy, misguided hippies. Quite different than today, and I did it in California, not the beef belt in Texas.mbglife: It’s always interesting to me what exactly it is that causes people to make a change in their life path. (Sort of like, “How did you two meet?”) Thanks for sharing your story.I would like to agree but due to Dr G’s video and elucidation of the study I mention above, I hold my idea about this matter in abeyance for now. For now, my tatsebuds enjoy it, but something about meat feels wrong. affects my mind. makes me want bad things, for no reason, out of the blue, when otherwise I have no craving issues at all, whatsoever. I hope, that the study I refer to that Dr G references, is true perhaps because the folks on the diet did not eat as balanced and well digested diet as could be, with ferments, and greens and fastdious attention to orgnic, propper nuts and such as good fats, etc etc. Fingers crossed, and I think, tentatively, I aslo agree. . . with only a slight reserve. And if I do feel a need to indulge, it’s not an idea that makes me happy frankly. :) So I hope there was s loophole in that study. Lol.The Okinawans centenarians also have something identified as a “longevity gene” in the Okinawa Centenarian Study“Okinawan centenarians have HLA (human leukocyte antigen) genetic polymorphisms that place them at lower risk for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases (see figure below: Takata et al., Lancet 1987).”“[L]ongevity tends to run in families. In support of this, we found that a mortality advantage exists for centenarian siblings versus their age-matched birth cohorts. This advantage appears sustained over the course of the siblings’ lives. At each 5-year age interval until age 90 years, siblings of Okinawan centenarians maintained approximately a 50% lower mortality risk. This resulted in an average of 11.8 years extra lifespan compared to their age-matched birth cohort.”This has nothing to do with diet.”In the short view, but you can’t say so in the long view, that diet does not create the gene inertia – chicken or the egg scenario seems to me.And yet their offspring eating an American diet are dying younger. So diet is a factor. Also, we know foods can turn many genes on or off.Well, according to Dr G’s video, clinical studies show that those vegetarians who consumed meat “on occasion” lived longer than either meat eaters, staunch vegetarians, and vegans, (who consumed no meat at all), so your suggestion to eiminate meats entirely for fear of overdoing, as being unhealthy, directly contradicts the data Dr G has shared, which is that to live longer, as well as healthier, having meat “on occasion” is the way to go. Am I wrong?Dr. Greger has showed that meat can lead to disease, and even small amounts such as with diabetes aggravates the disease. He has never demonstrated studies that show pure vegans suffer due to lack of meat. The IGF-1 videos are an example of this, how one must be completely vegan to achieve the benefits of lower IGF-1.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/You mean have shown. Or has shown. Grammar. :)I guess though you work for him, you haven’t seen all his vids. As I said, he described studies of what I said. I didn’t make it up in my imagination. You could have just asked where I heard him say it, rather than dismiss my words and contend he didn’t, especially since you obviously haven’t seen al his vids or know his work so thoroughly. Toxins. In it he clearly and unequivocally states exactly what I said: vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters all live about the same length of time(though meat eaters much less healthily), but vegitarians who ate meat on occasion lived slightly longer than the rest, interestingly.Enjoy the vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04The upshot of the video is that vegans should get adequate b12 and omega-3s, not that meat is necessary to prolong life.You also state above in reply to another poster ‘I think it is reasonable to say that there is an amount of animal products that can be consumed that will not cause any noticeable health problems’, so you are even contradicting yourself. You seem rather confused and sharing conflicting views in the same post. You work for Dr Gregger? Really?My point was we don’t know how much is too much, not that we should include a tiny bit to be on the safe side. I am not contradicting myself. If you have studies to share then please do, otherwise we are arguing word choice and nothing more.No. We’re not. At all. You keep changing the subject. Hm. . . . Your initial point was to argue my elucidation that Dr G relayed a study that SOME meat, on OCCASION, made vegitarians LIVE LONGER. Your statement implies that any meat is bad but perhaps not “too bad”, so you councel abstinance to combat having “too much”, which would have adverse affects, and so best to be safe than sorry, which seemed to imply you did not know of Dr G’s vid where he relayed a study showing how meat eating “on occastion” made vegetarians live LONGER. IE. Total abstinance from meat, according to Dr G relayed study, would cause a earlier death to those with a plant based diet.Your response to that was reactionary denial of my contension, then defence with references that did not even reference what I said Toxic, as if you didn’t read it – going on about diabetes and such and saying Dr G said no such thing. If you were not aware of Dr G’s relayed study I was refering to, rather than change the subject and defend an off topic, all you had to do was ask me for the reference of Dr G which I was refering to, rather than contest that he said anything of the kind and change the subject to diabetes and the detriments of a cornivore diet – which had nothing to do with what I said at all. You must be having a chaotic Tuesday. Anywho, here’s the vid link. Enjoy and see the point you missed. It’s about 3/4 through as the grand finale study, which dropped my jaw frankly. . . I don’t really want to eat any meat at all, and feel much better mentally and physically when I don’t. . . . But I do want to live a good long while as well, so, study or no, jury’s out on this topic for my concerns. I just thought your cautioning absolute abstinance was, for one, in contradiction with Dr G’s own study relays, and as such, not a good representation of his work, which this site, and you as a staff member, are meant to represent, and if you were speaking unawares, I thought I would inform you, and the poster you were advising, in Dr Gregers stead.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04&list=WLvqhf3CnF6V1j1shnLa7tHpxezjbuFO7SI am not here to debate with you the exact word choice of Dr. Greger or myself. Nor do I think it is surprising if a vegan died of a heart attack, as “vegan” is a broad term and does not at all equate to the health of a diet. Again, I suggest you share studies rather then ramble on and on about who said what. If you choose to respond again do so wisely, as another long winded reply misconstruing my statements will not receive a response by me. I will repeat again, share STUDIES if you have them showing that low fat vegan diets are less healthful then vegetarian diets.i don’t know what’s wrong with you mentally and emotionally, but I already sighted the study dear, in the post this yet another angry rant is irrationally reacting defensivly to. The video and directions to whereabout in the video is also there.You have some kind of problem. This is Dr G’s relayed study, as I said in my very first comment to you. Man, your name sure suits you.So at the risk of overwhelming you, here’s your quote I was refering to when I communicated about Dr G’s study: “I think it is reasonable to say that there is an amount of animal products that can be consumed that will not cause any noticeable health problems.”. . . .This means that some may be ok and not harmful, but suggests none is of course better and safer. The STUDY indicated the opposite, that SOME is beneficial so much that it lengthens life. PERIOD Toxins. Period. Thats’ the entire gist. It is NOT more beneficial to abstain entirely, suggest STUDIES, relayed by your boss and the author of this site. Sakes alive. Whew! Lol. I’m done here.Ruby– I’ve deleted your last comment. I think I can tell that you aren’t trying to hurt anyone’s feelings here, but if I were Toxins, I don’t think I would appreciate being insulted or called names. We do take this “no ad hominem attack” policy very seriously. We really want to keep this a safe and tolerant place for everyone and that comes down to treating each other and responding to arguments we might not agree with, with respect. I hope you can appreciate that. I don’t like to repeat this again, but if you cannot stick to this agreement in your comments, we will have to ban you from commenting. Thank you!Seeing as Toxins is a moderator himself, does he really need you to delete comments, or couldn’t he be allowed to determine for himself whether he found a comment insulting enough to delete and then do so of his own volition?Has the posting policy for this forum changed recently?I typically do not delete comments when aimed at me unless they get severe. The study you speak of is interesting. Of course we would have to analyze what the vegan diet constituted of, as the opposing diet consisting of fish provides mass amounts of pollutants. Do you know of a direct hyperlink to the study?This is the VegSource article where they explain that putting fish and occasional meat-eaters into the omni group where they belong, removes any longevity benefit formerly applied to vegetarians. Don’t Go Vegetarian Or Vegan For Health BenefitsThe link to the SDA study is located in the first paragraph.The vegsource article points out the vegans were near overweight, consumed a relatively high fat diet, and did not eat to the standards of a low fat whole foods plant based diet, as advocated here.If you’re making a case for the overall quality of a diet, I agree with you. However, it is just as likely that the omnis and vegetarians were eating similar quantities of junky food (unless you believe that the standard occasional meat-eaters and pescatarians have some motivation that vegans don’t have to eat a higher quality diet?). The point being made was that in the two largest studies looking at disease and longevity in the different groups, no difference was found– and that as Dr. Greger pointed out, the occasional meat-eaters and fish-eaters had the best health, neither being strictly PB. If meat worsened disease risk all on its own, the vegetarians and omnis should be less healthy than the vegans, even if both groups eat some junky food. If you think Dr. Greger doesn’t understand the data, maybe a special request from you would get a more comprehensive response from him. He seems to give you some special leeway.Since, not just my assessment of him as having mental and emotional issues based on the two irrational defensive responses from Toxic, where he seemed to not even be reading what I said, or addressing my words within, in my very last post, but the entire line of my post was deleted, including the link to the vid with the study and directions to it (offered in the post before his repsonse demanding it), I’ll leave it here for you Phaedra, so someone has it. I’ll also forward my deep concerns to Dr G. He’s obviously got some rserious plroblems with hsi staff.If you get about 3/4 way through the vid he has a kind of grand finale of studies as to who lives the longest, and vegetarians who ate meat “on occasion” won out over both those who abstained 100% and those who ate it freely, who both, interstingly, die about the exact some time. THAT’s why I thought Toxic’s advice to abstain 100% contradicted prudence and Dr G’s studies, and was, ironically, perhaps toxic.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KeRwdIH04&list=WLvqhf3CnF6V1j1shnLa7tHpxezjbuFO7SI just found this and wasn’t informed in my email. What about the content of what I was sugesting and the study?? And hsi misinforming a poster with info that conflicts with Dr. G’s study? How are your standards helping ayone and not helping a staff member misinform and insult(me). What about his vitriloc, defensive reply indicating he did not even ready the study I offered him?? What about that my initial post was VERY polite and his respinse what reactionary and defensive without cause? What about all that?? You delete ME because I was respondning normally to vitriolic reactionary irrationality?? What the heck is going on here?I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, I thought you’d seen that particular message so I thought you were referring to a different comment being deleted. I’ve already objected to the nanny-state feel of the new commenting rules, but now that you’re pointing the specifics out, it does seem really biased, and maybe getting Dr. Greger involved is the best thing. If you aren’t allowed to voice your opinion about the impact that diet has on a person’s physical stature without it being seen as an attack, there will never be any kind of truly energetic debate here. But even so, if you’re not allowed to make uncomplimentary observations about someone else, why would a moderator be allowed to make them about you?The warning for your description of Dr. McDougall, someone who isn’t a guest in this thread, as looking unwell does not match up with Toxins’ replies to you. You’ve been accused of rambling on and on, of responding unwisely and of being long-winded- all personal attacks, and you are actually a part of this community. He wasn’t taken to task for any of that. Maybe Dr. Greger will address it if you continue to press him to respond. He said “Pushing visitors away from the gems on this site (which is already happening) we’ll create a small, intellectually homogenous community – which smacks of “isms” more than healthy scientific skepticism”. Hopefully, he really means that.Thank you so much for your suport an conveying Dr G’s mental paradigm of ism’ness being an unwanted. Hooray! That’s so comforting to hear but not surprising. he seems QUITE an intelligent man. Lots of respect for him, and this site is a gem. These staff members are a problem, I thought so since I started tooling around but took my time making this assessment. I guess the hornets nest has them all outed at this point so that’s a good thing. Indeed they all seem to be herding this forum EXACTLY to ism land with their little cloistering of bullying, while also, misinforming intentionally, and subverting important clarifying info, in the name of slander. I say call a spade a spade, and spare no grease, but make SURE you have the backing in data, or shut up til you do. Otherwise? No censorship of opinions and info. I have never made one unqualified statement against anyone, meaning not without a host of data and evidence, and at that point, I acess that data, share it, and call it what it is, with a descriptive word, such as mentally instable and irrational, and vitriolic and petulantly defensive and shwoing clearly that he, Toxic, was not even reading my post. His postings show mental instability and an aggrressively volcanic personality. I can also say taking my post down was subversive, and can only be interpreted as intentionally done to mislead the poeple here (I’m refering now to the post which was deleted which I gave you the video for). In addition JacquieRN has shown some mentally twisted analogies, when equating a whole fresh coconut with 80% medium chain fatty acids and only 20% long chain, to a coke, with water (dr G did a vid of this analogy when a corporate sponser said coke had some good things like getting folks to drink water). At best extending that analogy to a coconut is at the very least reversing the percentages (80% bad and 20% water – if you can even say water is anywhere near 20% of that equuation) while a coco is 80% good and arguably 20% “bad”, but it’s a whole food so that analogy belly flops for me right there and then. her analogy was just a big error in calculation and thus wholly erroneous. As a staff member, to relay such inanities seems WAY out of line, and to my mind, I’d hold a staff member to a much higher standard of information dissemination than posters at random seems prudent, if not responsible. That someone on his staff would make such a faux pas seems like a big red light to me. Another example of irrationality and questionable mental abilities. Anyone can have a brain fart, but staff should take time to think before they type, if anyone should. I think the whole lot, 3 of the 4 I’ve now dealth with, seem to have some very deep mental and personal emotional issues and if this were my site I’d do some serious spring cleaning. I won’t be laying down on this and will be making a doccument of all my posts from here on out so no evidence gets lost. I wish you could have read Toxic’s replies to my post. he seems like a deeply disturbed person, and I say so becase staff should be of a different ilk, especially if they are going to posture as authorities as all his posts seem to by my measuring stick(which is another contention I have with the staff – even Dr G gives NO OPINIONS AT ALL. he shares nothing but studies ad data and rational conclusions that can be easily and plainly seen. These poeple have the sticker “staff” on every post and type away with all thei opinions like they are gods. No one should be giving unqualified opionions. My opinions are always conjunct reasons for my own assessments, and I appreciate other posters with qualified ideas and story sharing. These staff members are creating a TOTTALLY DIFFERENT environment, and I am going to make the case to Dr G and see if he’ll scour posts to see the character quality and mental eruditeness of his staff. I think something is deeply wrong here so I hope I can get Dr G’s attention. I won’t stop till I get at least that done. From there it’s his ball, since it’s 100% his site.. . . I may be long winded but not without pith. ;) And it takes making a case to get to these folks, and even that seems to not be cracking any skulls of conmprehension. I’m on a mission at this point. Lol. Take care and thanks for your supoort Phaedra.Please stop. I never commented about coconuts.Dearest Jacquie, there is no real point in responding to this post from you, since the post you are referring to, and the post it was in response to, from another supportive guest of my general contentions therewithin,, has also been likewise sanitized from view and removed. I dare suggest that this post to you may well never make it to your email, because of the content suggested within, shining an unseemly light on the moderator of this site, and the sanitization regime applied to the content attempted to be shared here. However in hopes that this will somehow make it to your gentle eye, I will invite you to continue this conversation in personal email, so we will always have the content to refer to, and we can avoid this scrubbing happenoing here. I would enjoy that opportunity. Here is my email addy: rubifyitatgm. . . Fingers crossed my friend. AdieuJust in case, I want to say this, I could not see this initially for obvious reasons, but I now realize you have been caught in the crossfire from the git-go, and have been trying to do what you percieved as your job, innocently enough, and well meaning. I’ll leave further comment to you for an email chat if you got the email addy and wish to do that. rubifyitat gmail. Otherwise again, I bid you adieu.ToxinsDr. Greger was citing the SDA study. It found that fish eaters and occasional meat-eaters were the healthiest groups, above vegans, vegetarians and SAD-eating omnis.You would fast foward through most of the video. That study finding was part of his grand finale, at least 3/4 through. Great vid. Hope you enjoy.In “The China Study” by T. Colin Campbell, they were able to show statistically that even small introductions of animal products increased the likelihood of disease.[T]hey were able to show statistically that even small introductions of ISOLATED CASEIN increased the likelihood of disease.I was not referencing the casein studies, which were not part of the “China Study”. I was referencing the statistical evidence collected in the “China Study” itself as commented on by T. Colin Campbell.The only actual RCTs done by Campbell were done with casein. The rest was observational. His research showed nothing but that RCTs were needed to tease out the cause. He also found a 4-times higher risk correlation from wheat, something that the Chinese eat a significant amount of.His own data showed a stronger correlation between disease and plant protein than animal protein.I don’t know the source of your information, but it is incorrect. I suspect it was the Denis Minger article, whose criticisms have shown to be totally incorrect because she misapplied the statistics and had no knowledge of the statistical analysis it takes to correctly asses the data.I’ve read the China Study and all of the supporting data from beginning to end. My source is the China Study. Just share the data that you believe supports your assertion. People love to share the “body” but mostly they have no idea what the actual research shows. So just share the actual data and skip the vague references.Campbell finds the regions that eat the most meat also eat the most wheat. So tell me, how can we conclude that it is meat and not wheat causing the disease? Campbell writes, “[The] correlation of wheat flour and heart disease is interesting but I am not aware of any prior and biologically plausible and convincing evidence to support an hypothesis that wheat causes these diseases.” ~The China Study Even though in “Diet, lifestyle, and the etiology of coronary artery disease: the Cornell China Study,” he writes, “[T]he wheat-flour effect appears to be independent of meat consumption, so enhancement of coronary artery disease risk by wheat consumption may be a possibility. Hmmmm…This IS from Minger’s blog–These are quotes from several individuals that Campbell has dubbed his “physician colleagues”: “Many scientific studies show a strong association between the consumption of white flour products, such as pasta and bread, with diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. … Whole grains are the least nutrient-dense food of the seed family, and they do not show the powerful protection against disease that is apparent in the scientific studies of fresh fruit, vegetables, beans, raw nuts, or seeds.” ~Dr. Joel Furhman “My experience has been that people who are having problems getting their … triglycerides under control need to stop using refined flour products and simple sugars.” ~John McDougall (the “Starch!” guru)Even assuming the wheat effect is true, that does not reverse the findings on animal products. The “China Study” findings on animal products have been corroborated by many other types of studies (not epidemiological) that have been presented here on NF.And, of course, the two doctors you quote, Furhman and McDougall, are fully on board with the negative impact of animal products on health.- Was that your idea of data?  I think I missed it.  “The “China Study” findings on animal products have been corroborated by many other types of studies (not epidemiological) that have been presented here on NF.”Excellent!  Please share just ONE randomized controlled trial comparing a whole food (not isolated elements) PB diet to a whole food Omni diet that shows that the omnis were less healthy.We can pull individual elements out of plant foods and prove they’re toxic– refined starches, sugars, goitrogenic compounds, tannins, selenium, etc… and yet point that out to a PB advocate and they’ll scream about how that isn’t “whole food”, that it’s reductionist… and yet those same PB advocates rely on data from isolated compounds in animal foods.I would appreciate a balanced argument.Aaahh, the reductionist argument. Reduce it to individual components that have no bearing on the effect of the whole.By the way, T. Colin Campbell does a much better job of refuting the criticisms than I could ever hope to do and I offer the link here for the others who read these comments:http://www.vegsource.com/news/2010/07/china-study-author-colin-campbell-slaps-down-critic-denise-minger.htmlI realize that you are a ‘Paleo’ troll just trying to find someone to debate you. Well, it is not going to be me. This will be my last post on the subject, regardless of how you respond.I think you missed the point, and that was that you should SKIP reductionist arguments, not make them. ~groanz~ Maybe your thinking is a little cloudy. You did what most PB advocates do when asked to produce a whole food argument, you bowed out. That is wise. I was invited to this blog by Dr. Greger’s paleo post. Now I’m here to stay. =)Ernest, your efforts are going to be completely ignored. Paleo huntress is the town troll of nutritionfacts.org. She is only here to disrupt, and anything you say will simply be ignored. Although she will deny it, she has gone so far as to make multiple user accounts to back herself up as confirmed by email and IP address. There is really no point in debating this unpleasant individual to put it kindly unless you want a headache.Yeah, I got it. You know, I think she might be Denise Minger.She is not her, we have confirmation of her true name. She is a clear copy cat though with the same caustic style.As I have mentioned before, Disqus has my consent to share any other user names with anyone who asks. If anyone finds themselves as paranoid as Toxins and absolutely MUST KNOW, just send a message to Disqus and they will tell you how many accounts I have. (Exactly… one.)Toxins has broken NF’s privacy policy and posted the IP address and email of one of its members. The only person with anything to be ashamed of is him. But then this just really detracts from the main point and that is that whenever challenged with the task of producing whole food data that demonstrates that animal food is unhealthy, the PB camp claims it is beneath them to support their argument. The fact is, they can’t support their argument… so what else can they do but bluster about supposed trolls.Even conceding every anti-China Study argument, the China Study shows at minimum that a plant-based diet can be very healthy.He =also outright states (I have at least two separate sources, one a video of the man saying it) that animal fat has no correlation whatsoever with disease in his research, even though plant fat does.The words of colin campbell are not holy. You seem to always refer to his statements as if everything he says is gold. Typical of your style though, not so surprising.Oh come on now, Toxins… you’ve made it abundantly clear that Greger is YOUR god… and Campbell is Greger’s god. He taught Campbell’s nutrition course at Cornell University. Dr. Greger himself believes Campbell’s work is ‘holy’. It’s a bit like worshipping at the alter of Peter while claiming that Jesus Christ doesn’t know what he’s talking about.  >.<Further on the omissions and inaccuracies of Ms. Minger. As well as information supporting the linkage of animal protein and fat to disease:http://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/2012/08/forks-over-knives-and-healthy-longevity.htmlhttp://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/2012/08/forks-over-knives-and-healthy-longevity_17.htmlAnd here I thought we’d already read, “This will be my last post on the subject, regardless of how you respond”… I guess that’s not really surprising. These are not studies or trials. Please post a citation to an ACTUAL scientific study. Don’t you have any any? I hear the evidence is overwhelming. Skip the staw men. Ms. Minger is your red herring. The only thing I quoted from her is the PB advocate’s position on wheat, and unless you’re providing evidence that Furhman and McDougall don’t actually say this about wheat, I don’t care about Minger’s claims. Just one single citation that compares a whole food omni diet to a whole food PB diet. Just one.Unless THAT was your ACTUAL last post on the subject?The cholesterol skeptics will also attempt to downplay the scientific consensus often by insisting that scientists are ignoring certain studies, studies which these denialists fail to mention are compromised by a number of very serious flaws and omissions.5 6 7 Diethelm et al. also explains the motivations behind denialism:Denialists are driven by a range of motivations. For some it is greed, lured by the corporate largesse of the oil and tobacco industries. For others it is ideology or faith, causing them to reject anything incompatible with their fundamental beliefs. Finally there is eccentricity and idiosyncrasy, sometimes encouraged by the celebrity status conferred on the maverick by the media.Perhaps the cholesterol skeptics persistent denialism can be explained by conflicts of interest associated with the sales of merchandise or the desire for celebrity status on the internet. Brownell et al. reminds us how serious and real conflicts of interest are, describing the tactics used by the tobacco industry, who for decades attempted to dismiss the ‘junk’ science linking smoking to lung cancer and other associated diseases, whose personal gain from this caused millions of people to perish. They asserted:8 A striking event occurred in 1994 when the CEOs of every major tobacco company in America stood before Congress and, under oath, denied believing that smoking caused lung cancer and that nicotine was addictive, despite countless studies (some by their own scientists) showing the opposite. This merits exploration as to whether the cholesterol skeptics motivations are any different than these other denialists, and whether many of the hundreds of peer-reviewed papers they also dismiss as ‘junk’ science are actually informative and contain potentially life-saving findings.You wrote, “individual components have no bearing on the effect of the whole.”Unless you’re advocating a PB diet… then reductionist arguments about isolated components like cholesterol are par for the course.Just. One. Whole. Food. Study.Please.=)One study? I could put here dozens. Even the most cursory search in this site will find you many of them.Just randomly:Harvard:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/ Pan A, Sun Q, Bernstein AM, Schulze MB, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Hu FB. Red Meat Consumption and Mortality: Results From 2 Prospective Cohort Studies. Arch Intern Med. 2012;0(2012):201122871-9.The National Institutes of Health AARPR. Sinha, A. J. Cross, B. I. Graubard, M. F. Leitzmann, and A. Schatzkin. Meat intake and mortality: a prospective study of over half a million people. Arch Intern Med. 2009 March 23; 169(6): 562–571.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/Dr. Greger present many of them in this post:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/Really, is like someone asking to proof that the earth is a sphere — because they still don’t want to believe it, or just like to annoy.Or has monetary reason to keep people confused for as long as possible.I am really not posting to you, because you are clearly trolling the people here, but for the benefit of any casual readers on this site. I hope they do search the huge amount of data available here.I believe there is some confusion over what constitutes ‘whole food’. Perhaps you’d like to try again?MEAT is whole.Notice I didn’t put any of the myriad studies about saturated fat, cholesterol, animal protein etc. Not meat components. MEAT as a WHOLE.So try reading.~smacks forehead~  A WHOLE FOOD DIET. Would you like to try yet one MORE time? So try READING. Share data from a study that compares a whole food plant based diet (you know, the diet that includes WHOLE plant foods rather than Pringles and Twinkies) with a whole food omni diet, (you know the diet that includes WHOLE omni foods rather than Pringles, Twinkies and Big Macs.) This is a simple concept… for most.Ernest: Great links! Wow. Great info. Thanks so much for sharing.That’s dairy right?Really? Wow.Well, 2% of 2000 kCal per day is only 40 kCal. I haven’t done the math but I imagine that’s about what’s in a tablespoon of dairy cream. Apologies if I’m wrong (probably I am off a fair bit) but my point is that this is such a trivial amount of calories, why not exclude it entirely — less trans fats, saturated fat, cholesterol and probably other toxins that way. And those can build up over a lifetime just as a bathtub gradually fills up even with a single drop of water added each hour. Over large populations, a 2% difference in animal intake would probably drive at least a few vascular events.I did not present the question to make an excuse or reason for myself to eat a little bit of meat or dairy. I like my vegan diet and hope to keep it that way, I just like to know what the science shows, objectively speaking, in regards to today’s (and other videos).From memory, I believe T. Colin Campbell (“The China Study”) presented a slide where he said the safe limit of animal products was 10% of calories consumed.M85: re:”Hi NutritionFacts.org i wrote my email by mistake in the comment above could you get rid of it. Thanks”I was able to delete the comment, but then was not able to reply to your request to do so. So, I am replying one level up to Chris just to let you/M85 know that I tried to get rid of your e-mail off the site.I hope that works.Thanks Thea, the thing is there is still my email in my reply to my messed up post below….OK. I think I took care of it now. If not, I’m out of ideas… I understand the concern. So, I really hope this works.ok, perfect thanksJudging from their cholesterol levels they were practically pure vegetarians or at least very close to it.Hi NutritionFacts.org i wrote my email by mistake in the comment above could you get rid of it. ThanksIn regard to your question about B12, it is my guess that it has not been depleted from the soil in that country as it has in most industrialized countries due to modern farming practice.This video, and its predecessor, are just outstanding. Dr. Greger always comes up with interesting stuff, but these two knocked my socks off.Here’s a nice clean PDF of the Shaper study:http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/41/5/1221.full.pdfGarth Davis, M.D. shared this very video on FB today too…*let*us*keep*getting*the*word*out!!!!!Mike Quinoa: Thanks for sharing that link! Very nice.There is an article in the magazine Nutrition Action featuring Christopher Gardner who is the director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and is an associate professor of medicine at Standford University. The article is a question and answer session with Mr Gardner. He mentions the studies they have done regarding obesity, etc., low carb, Ornish etc. They seem to be looking to genotyping for this. I’ve read Whole by T. Colin Campbell who addresses this issue. The article also looks to insulin resistance as part of the problem and if you meet the criteria that they lay our for insulin resistance then they maintain that you should be on a lower carbohydrate diet (not Atkins). I am eating plant based, but unfortunately I notice that when I do I gain weight; if I cut out more of the carbohydrates I lose weight and I do fall under the insulin resistance criteria, am 63 years old and also have borderline hypothyroidism, but not on a med for this. Mr. Gardner (Stanford University) is still recommending animal proteins in this article; amazing after watching all your videos and lectures by McDougall et al including lectures by the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii featuring Dr. Milton Mills also from Stanford etc. Do these “colleagues” converse with each other? They even mention Washington University in St. Louis in the article – uh Dr. Luigi Fontana IGF-1. Animal protein promoting liver and kidney inflammation? My dilemma is that I ascribe to plant based eating yet I find myself gaining weight with eating carbs. If I cut out or limit myself to a cup of carbs per day (Fuhrman) I’m hungry and there is no animal protein to contribute to the satiety. Solution?Carbohydrates are perfectly healthy as long as they come from unprocessed, whole plant sources. White flour, added sugars and the like are not good sources of carbohydrates. Complex starches are far more satiating. Do you consume any added oils?White flour IS a complex carbohydrate. Only sugars are simple.Stick with lower-carb plant foods, which is what I do.Every morning for breakfast I make a smoothie from limited amounts of nuts and seeds, wheat bran, wheat germ, cocoa, limited amount of blueberries for sweetness, black kabuli chickpeas (these are especially low carb), hemp protein powder, flaxseed, and two brazil nuts. On the side I eat some raw cruciferous vegetables and a carrot.Then for lunch a dish I make that contains green soybeans and a limited quantity of whole wheat orzo, cherry tomatoes, chopped walnuts, lemon, basil, dill and other herbs. On the side, steamed veggies with a sauce someone on this site recommended that I make from scratch (it’s very low carb).For dinner, a salad with beans (either Eden organic soybeans or black chickpeas), various salad vegetables and a home-made salad dressing. It’s very filling.Like you I had insulin resistance but this diet has caused tremendous weight loss and weight maintenance. You shouldn’t be hungry if you are eating enough legumes in your diet, non-starchy vegetables (especially raw, stomach-distending), and some nuts and seeds.Happy to post more specific recipes if you tell me what you want.No reason to be afraid of whole grains, don’t be dragged away by the “atkins by any other name” propaganda.An analysis of a bunch of randomized drug trials suggests that taking a blood pressure lowering medication for high blood pressure may reduce the risk of getting a heart attack by 15% and the risk of getting a stroke by about 25%. What a coincidence, a recent study found that we may achieve similar benefits eating just 3 portions of whole grains a day.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/As Toxins says, make sure your carbs are whole plant food. I eat a LOT of grains and beans. Oatmeal, whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa, etc. And I would like to put on a couple pounds, but I just can’t seem to do it. Of course individual variability is wide.That’s interesting. I’m the exact opposite. The high carb, SAD was very bad for me, weight-wise. I’ve lost 47 lbs now, down to a nadir of 123 lbs. I’ve gradually added back the carbs but I’m still on a carb-restricted diet plan. Some people are extremely tolerant to high carbohydrate diets and some people are extremely intolerant to them. And as you said, the TYPE of carbs matters a great deal – processed vs unprocessed.In my opinion low carb doesn’t work long term, you’re probably going to feel weak and hungry. Check out John McDougall and his book the “Starch Solution”, i highly recommend it.Yeah and high carb medium/high fat diet fails as much even vegan, actually high fat low carb works better but medium/high carb, low fat is the best~Thats probably why Chiappe and DH medium/high carb diet didnt or doesnt work because they probably were also eating medium to high fat diet.If you avoid animal foods for health reasons, what would it hurt to put them back in your diet for 30 days and see what happens? I became diabetic on a WFPB diet and I reversed the diabetes and am no longer insulin resistant on a paleo diet (which contrary to popular belief is NOT a “meat” diet and is mostly veggies.) =) What if for just four weeks you cut out grains and legumes and added some pastured/wild animal foods? it could be eggs or fish if that’s easier.Why not give it a shot and see what happens to your lipids and inflammation? It’s not risky and you could find it makes all the difference. If you see no improvement, you haven’t lost anything.It’s much better to compare the incidence of diseases in a well-nourished but healthy nation (Japan) versus a well-nourished and unhealthy nation (United States). Researchers can also show that the Japanese in Japan have much lower incidences of diseases than the Japanese in the United States. Researchers can also show that the incidences of diseases is rapidly increasing in Japan because they are beginning to eat more and more American foods (KFC, McDonald’s, etc).The trouble with comparing the incidences of diseases in India and Africa against the United States is that the average life expectancy is between 40 and 50 in many poor nations. The risk of developing most Western diseases increases dramatically with age. As for cardiovascular diseases, people who can’t afford to eat any meat and die before age 60 of something else will, of course, not die of clogged arteries. That’s no big surprise.In her book, “The Omega Diet, The Lifesaving Nutritional Program Based on the Diet of the Island of Crete,” presidential nutrition advisor Artemis P. Simopoulos describes a scientific study that examined the overall health of two different villages in Africa. Researchers had strongly expected that the vegan village in Africa would turn out be at least a little bit healthier than the fish-eating village in Africa that never ate any plants. These researchers were absolutely shocked when just the opposite turned out to be the case. The fish-eating village was substantially healthier than the vegan village: http://www.amazon.com/The-Omega-Diet-Nutritional-Mediterranean/dp/B003F76IZQ#reader_B003F76IZQFishermen and their families do eat plants too. Probably more than the regular land meat eaters.Aaaah, but you missed the part where the data is derived from autospy results and is age adjusted when comparing to Western populations.Top-notch…DEFINITELY one of your very best videos, Doc! Thank you!what happened to the videos? You tube says the account was shut down !?!?And the fight with the egg, milk and meat industry has begun ;) LOLSo if they want war… they will have it!! Forks over Knifes!!If it’s a food fight they wanted, they just got it. Now, it’s personal.Yes, here we go again with people trying to SILENCE Dr. Greger…youtube pulled his video “More than an apple a day” a few months ago after reaching 100,000 views (or “likes” can’t remember which). But now is has escalated to terminating his entire channel…quite outrageous!well… at that time i didn’t know about the existence of Nutritionfacts.org so i’m going to think that Dr Greger’s work is making someone angry… this is a “good” thing indeed because it means that Dr Greger totally nailed nowadays problems about nutrition and really find out who is the culprit of this bad situation… meat, egg, diary e junk food industry are afraid… video after video, one day they will pay for all the sins they had committed…You have been kicked from youtube sir. Can’t watch it ^^ .The Youtube channel has been terminated. Are you kidding me?i cannot play this video: the message was that the account associated with it has been removed from youtube. technical problems?Oh no! :-(Clicking play shows the message, “This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated.” Going straight to the NutritionFactsOrg channel on YouTube.com says at the top: “This account has been terminated due to repeated or severe violations of our Community Guidelines and/or claims of copyright infringement.”Dr. Greger, I hope this was a simple mistake and/or miscommunication with YouTube and can be rectified quickly. If not, let us know how we, the community, may help.DOC!!! Your youtube channel has been terminated!!!!! Please check it out…SINISTER forces are up to no good since you are getting the word out…holy heck!Please put the video up on some kind of server, so we can download and watch it. I would like to watch it very much!All of the video’s are now not available. What a bummer.Anyone know why?Anyone know why the account was closed that is.Nooooooo your channel on youtube is no longer up what happened :(Hi Doc, I really enjoyed watching your video’s, but it looks like either You Tube or Google didn’t like what you are saying. Or could it be that that company, we don’t talk about, (Mon), has put way too much pressure on them because you stepped on someone’s toes. Either way, I for one hope you find another way to post all your great vid’s!I wonder why the medical profession and/or individual doctors have not been sued for medical malpractice for not revealing information about vegan diets that could have prevented (and in some cases reversed) herat disease and other killer diseases.Perhaps some enterprising lawyers might look into this.We MDs who do not at least mention the vegan diet as an option should be brought to task. Most MDs pay at least lip service to “more fruits & veggies”, “whole grains”, etc., but then they add “low fat dairy”, “fish”, and “lean meats” to their prescriptive preaching. I do not think lawsuits are the way to go; rather, better education of physicians.Sure, I am all for educating physicians, but why hasn’t this happened and why is it not happening? Perhaps onedoctor being sued would be a wake-up call.Doctors get sued for anything and everything in the United States, and it is unlikely that such a lawsuit would pass the bar of not being judged vexatious and frivolous. One issue is standard of care. Cry as much as we’d like about it, the consensus treatment guidelines uniformly do not recommend a vegan diet for any patient or any health condition. That is going to be a very difficult bar to pass, evidence-wise. Sure you can get expert witnesses like Dr G and others to testify in such a case, but they, unfortunately, do not make the guidelines that all physicians and litigants rely upon. Until those guidelines change, the standard of care will never change. What would make those guidelines change is a large, convincing randomized trial…..What makes Dr. Greger an expert in your eyes? Why is he more expert than an actual researcher doing the trials? He reads the publications, and so can you. He isn’t doing the research. You can be as much an expert as he is, just read the data for yourself.The dilemma is “community” standard of care vs the best scientific evidence. The science at this points to the fact that we reduce our risk of disease and disability the most by eating a whole food plant based diet with adequate Vitamin B12 intake and being fit (e.g. aerobic, strength, flexibility, balance and stability). Expert consensus guidelines have been shown to not be a good way of getting knowledge professionals to learn about and follow best practices. The better approach is apply quality improvement techniques at the level of the clinical team. Unfortunately physicians aren’t generally trained appropriately and don’t practice in environments that reward the achievement of health in their patients… at least this docs perspective for what it is worth.I was diagnosed with bladder cancer 3 years ago at age 52 after living an active life with lots of physical activity (I’d run marathons and climbed lots of mountains). I was not overweight and had never smoked. My doctor recommended removing the tumor, which he did, and then he recommended coming back every three months to monitor my bladder and remove any further tumors that came back.I asked him what I could do to reduce the chances that a tumor would come back and he had no other suggestions. I had a few of these tumor removal surgeries before getting a new doctor.I asked the new doctor what he would do if he got bladder cancer and he said he would eat mainly vegetables and fruit, and make he said for me to make sure they’re organic as he had a concern that I might have a sensitivity to pesticides and herbicides in regular produce.I have not gone to a completely vegan diet yet, but I started eating way more fruits and vegetables, very little meat and sugar and no processed foods. I am now a year cancer free. I know that my cancer may yet return and that I am not cured, but it sure feels like I am on the right path.Although grateful for the initial diagnosis from my first doctor, I am left with the feeling that he had no interest in curing my disease; that I would not be a continuing revenue source for him if I got better. This saddens me greatly on a number of levels even as I celebrate my health.The community standard of care is basically to do nothing to help people help themselves to get better. It doesn’t seem to me that is enough.Hello Don! First of all, thank you for your amazing support here in the forum. Now, my question: Do you know about trustfull references that discuss about the reduced efficacy of angioplasties, stents, bypass surgery and statin drugs on reducing the incidence of myocardial infarctions and death? Thank you in advanceHi Coimbra, A good resource is Dr. Esselstyn’s book on Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease. Last July he published the results of almost 200 patients in the Journal of Family Practice… titled “A way to reverse CAD?. Unfortunately the medical industry doesn’t do a very good job of tracking results and identifying problems with medical interventions or medications over time. And an even worse job about publishing the results. A reliable science based resource on the issues involved can be found on the Number Needed to Treat website… http://www.theNNT.com. Of course just staying tuned to NutritionFacts.org will keep you appraised of the latest science with a bit of humor thrown in as well.:) Thank you Don! It’s a pleasure talk to you directly! Of course I will stay tune, this is an amazing resource of trustful information!Thank you for the amazing answer, mainly the resource http://www.theNNT.com. It’s a really great tool and easy to check! Thank you one more time :)Another bar to pass would actually be proving that a vegan diet would have saved a patient’s life. It is much easier to say that giving antibiotics in a timely fashion would have saved a meningitis patient’s life, as there is an extremely large probability of foreseeable treatment success in that case. Who is to know whether a specific person with coronary disease or not would have had their life saved as a consequence of a vegan diet being advised to them. The information on vegan diets is widely available, and extends beyond physicians. Few people have not heard of veganism. The probability of a vegan diet succeeding in a given case is far better than chance, but there are no absolutes.OK. Good points. So how do we get doctors to stress the health benefits of vegan diets more?As a doctor, I can preach to my colleagues and give Grand Rounds presentations on vegan diets. As a patient, you can bring in ample literature and references (preferably full text and not just print out from internet websites) for your own doctor(s). As Eleanor Roosevelt said, change happens one person and one mind at a time – it’s the way it always has. We will eventually reach a tipping point where this comes into the mainstream but it is going to take a lot of time and effort. None of my friends or family are vegetarian, how can I expect my doctor to be? They are people too. And there are huge competing health messages from paleo, Atkins and low carb/high fat, which seems to be resurgent. Not to mention, the Mediterranean Diet reigns supreme in the medical nutrition world, and it advocates fish, poultry and dairy products. Vegetarianism is really seen outside the mainstream. Many of my patients have been extremely resistant to it, despite my exhortations to consider it.I don’t have a one shot answer or magic bullet to how to get doctors to stress the health benefits of vegan diets more. What’s obvious to the two of us is just not obvious to the general public or physicians. I do know there are groups that train doctors to prescribe vegan diets (like the Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine – Dr Neal Barnard’s group), but they are not well known outside the vegan community.Yes a lawsuit could raise a big splash, but I don’t recall any diffusion of medical innovation that ever resulted from a lawsuit. The successful lawsuits in medicine – e.g. against Vioxx or Baycol – were almost always against drugs that were unsafe that industry tried to cover up. In these lawsuits, it was not generally physicians who were being sued. If someone were to counsel a patient to go on Atkins and they had a heart attack as a result, a lawsuit would be in the offing. If someone neglected to counsel a patient to go on a vegan diet and they had a heart attack as a result, it is unlikely a lawsuit would be in the offing, as the patient would never know about the diet, and this is an error of omission rather than an error of commission (and therefore fundamentally more obvious and striking).Good luck and be well. Saw your comments on the jpost website and loved them.The reason doctors aren’t being sued is because you’d need evidence that PB diets were healthier. Ahem. Plus, doctors average about 25 hours of nutrition education in med school. They’re not nutrition experts.Agreed, we should skip the grains and the dairy and the meat and fish should never be lean.Yes, VofR, we too have wondered if there might not be a good basis for many class action suits. Many people sue docs and hospitals when their family members die Some with not good cause, some with good cause. I would think that a few big class action cases would establish a required norm that Docs and their institutions have the obligation to prescribe the best known cures or treatments even if the patients refuse them. I thought that was in the law, but perhaps not. Now that there is so much good research on the benefits of WFPB diets, is there now a new and proven best practices norm in diet? What threshold does one have to surpass to say the medical community does or must accept the research as conclusive? Now that Kaiser has decided to teach WFBP, I wonder if that would help?This is one of my favorites.But I am very concerned about the cancellation of the youtube account.If it isn’t reinstated, we should all consider mobilizing. The best way to do this in my opinion is to reach out to others, McDougall, PCRM, PETA, Vegucated, etc. and ask that they put up a notice about the situation… and that their subscribers/members write Google and protest the decision.This could begin happening to others. It is hard to imagine that the account would be pulled without a some sort of review of the material being presented.Thus, if would have been known NOT to be in violation of any community standards.That in itself suggests a high level attack by industry and with the possible support of some branch(es) of government.Many of us are familiar with the slander of T. Colin Campbell, the cancelling of appearances by John Robbins… and in my own case, many such attacks.I hope none of my concerns prove true but I am momentarily feeling VERY concerned for this movement and those most important to it such as Dr. Greger.Yay, so glad to see THIS one back up…I truly believe this was the last straw for whomever sabotaged your youtube channel…IT IS A DOOZY of a video, Doc!NutritionFacts devotees…..deluge Google with complaints! I have already sent mine.I’d wait a tad before doing this. I think that some degree of a “shoot first, ask questions later” policy is appropriate for Google from an economic point of view provided that they actually deliver with a review that keeps the video-sharing site as a reasonably open forum for information and debate. When you see enough flags, you ‘cancel’ the account automatically in case the content is really flagrantly objectionable from a multitude of different idealogical viewpoints, but you keep the account itself on hold in your memory banks pending further review in the case that the deleted user cares enough to appeal. Adjudication takes time and money, and there are a lot of dogmatic people sniping in this way at sites that make them feel uncomfortable, but also a lot of videos posted that do deserve to be taken down, so adjudication is necessary in this sort of situation in order to be probably correct.It’s enough of a victory to be sabotaged by crackpots, really. This fact can only increase this community’s reputation. Jumping to attack the media corporation wouldn’t necessarily have that kind of effect, in this case, and could easily make NFers seem a tad touchy and vindictive themselves.If they don’t reinstate, though, then yeah, complain, and if you can find better-moderated video sharing, stop using YouTube as much as possible, and let your friends know the reason why you think that the site is establishing a dysfunctional community.“but also a lot of vide os poste d that do deserve to be taken down, so adjudication is necessary in this sort of situation in order to be probably correct.”You are not suggesting that videos on NF deserve to be taken down, are you? That is ludicrous.I, for one, don’t find your argument compelling. If there is no response to Google’s actions from the users of this site, then why should they feel compelled to review anything.Gregor already submitted an appeal. Youtube structures the process to enable appeals, and probably has a bureaucratic procedure in place for processing them. They have planned for this sort of contingency, in other words. No, I’m not in any way suggesting that NF’s account has any videos at all that are flagrantly objectionable, merely that some of the videos that people post to YouTube are, to the point where it would be justified to take down the account ASAP.I think you need to build more than one video source. And Let people choose. Some people might prefer to watch them on a viveo player or a YouTube Player. Plus this way you get more social awareness. Just having two players available is a good idea. It’s really easy to develop as well. I could do it. It’s a couple of divs, and display hidden happens on the links. It’s really easy honest. And you would just share both videos. If they have a behind the scenes link where you past the video all they would need to do is erm… change it so you posted both videos at the same time. It really isn’t that complicated. :-)Uh oh someone feels threatened. The Youtube account will likely be reinstated.Don’t worry folks, we’ll keep on going, Youtube account or not.Before the facepalm conspiracy theories begin, does anyone have any information on how easy/difficult it is to get Youtube to terminate an account? I’ve read of accounts that had a lot less viewers which were terminated under equally mysterious circumstances. My guess is that getting someone’s account terminated can be done fairly easily (unfortunately). I have no idea how to get an account reinstated, although I have heard of it happening ( I think theAmazingAtheist had his account terminated and reinstated some time back). Also, why does Youtube terminate an account? Why not just disable all of the account’s videos and put a notice of dispute on the account page? That would be the non-evil way of doing it. But, Youtube is part of Google and Google is evil. So there you go.Perhaps because it’s more than the videos themselves that can be deletion-worthy for a user. Censoring the entire body of content makes sense from this point of view; if a part of it is sufficiently bad can impugn the entire source, not just the collection of videos. I agree, though, I’d like it much better if they were transparent about whether the account is deleted for good with no turning back, processing an appeal, waiting for an appeal with time limit of K days, or what.While we are waiting for this wonderful site to be up and running again might I recommend watching Food Inc. I am not saying the powers that be had anything to do with the sabotage but…If you haven’t watched it, it is a must see. You will never look at meat the same way.Was that your closing statement for this clip? or is it a continuation of the quote from Denis Burkitt MD? “….all the industries enticing people to the edge and profiting from pushing people off” Whoever it belongs to – it is an insightful statement.Dr. Greger,I’m interested to know what your stance on vaccines is. Particularly childhood vaccines. I know your videos are primarily nutrition based but as you are a big proponent of preventive medicine and you obviously look at all the research, I’d like to know if you see any evidence for or against vaccines and how you would choose to vaccinate your children?There is so much (mis)information on the internet regarding this topic, I’d love an evidence based approach to whichever side you choose.Thanks for your timeBThanks for another informative video. MY guess is that the fences you are talking about are NOT stents. Sure hope this presentation wasn’t the cause for the recent video infarctionAmericans eat less animal food and saturated fat now than we did in 1950 when there was no “Heart Disease Epidemic”. If it was animal foods causing the ‘epidemic’, how could that possible be the case?It is a myth put about by paleo types that animal product consumption has dropped. WHO figures for industrialized countries are for annual per capita meat consumption: 61.5Kg in 1965 and 88kg in 1998 and that is projected to be over 100kg by 2030. For milk it was 185KG in 1965 and 212kg in 1995, also projected to rise in the future.By “paleo types”? There are paleo vegetarians and paleo vegans too, are they also perpetrating this myth? Paleo is closer to veganism than to the SAD. You may wish to learn the difference between meat and animal food too. ;-) According to the USDA Profiling Food Consumption in America Report,In 1950, people averaged:138.2 lb of total meat 41 lbs (374) eggs 703 lbs of dairy 10.5 lbs lard and tallow 9 lbs butterHere’s the other side of that equation-Fruit consumption is UP 30 lbs per person, per year.Fresh veggie consumption is up 53 lbs per person, per yearGrain consumption is up 45 lbs per person, per year (within that, corn consumption has doubled and rice consumption has quadrupled) Wheat consumption is up 21 lbs per person, per yearLiquid veggie oil consumption is up 26 lbs per person, per yearVeggie shortening consumption was up 13 lbs per person, per yearSugar consumption is up 43 lbs per person, per yearSo let’s look at that again, the total intake of animal foods is down 75 lbs per person, per year, and the total intake of vegetable foods (mostly processed) has risen exponentially… and yet, heart disease is all about the animal food? Right.Or maybe, it’s all about the processed food, which any thinking person not caught up in the vegan religion would be able to see.Here’s the other side of that equation-Fruit consumption is UP 30 lbs per person, per year.Fresh veggie consumption is up 53lbs per person, per yearGrain consumption is up 45 lbs per person, per year (within that, corn consumption has doubled and rice consumption has quadrupled) Wheat consumption is up 21 lbs per person, per yearLiquid veggie oil consumption is up 26 lbs per person, per yearVeggie shortening consumption was up 13 lbs per person, per yearSugar consumption is up 43 lbs per person, per yearSo let’s look at that again, the total intake of animal foods is down 75 lbs per person, per year, and the total intake of vegetable foods (mostly processed) has risen exponentially… and yet, heart disease is all about the animal food? Right.Or maybe, it’s all about the processed food, which any thinking person not caught up in the vegan religion would be able to see.You state “in 1950 there was no “Heart Disease Epidemic”.” In fact not only was heart disease the leading cause of death in the US in 1950, it became the leading cause of death in 1910 and never looked back. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/lead1900_98.pdf(Assuming no environmental risks), those on a whole-food, plant-based diet since birth are immune to most diseases; if their parents did the same, even better, & so on, back through the generations, whew! What about those who begin at, let’s say, age 60?, when staving-off mortality’s a more common interest. If a non-symptomatic sexagenarian, on no medications, goes all out WFPBDiet, how close can he expect to reach “safe”, & how soon?Dr. Greger, What do Vegans in the USA die of? If most of the USA’s top 10 killers are mitigated by a vegan diet, what are vegans dying of in the end? Don’t say “old age” or “natural causes”. What is the physiological final straw? Suicide – because they haven’t been able to enjoy baked brie in 50 years? (just kidding… sort of….)They die from the exact same causes.From veghealth.org:Epic-Oxford: Preliminary Results (2003) In 2003, preliminary results from EPIC-Oxford (Oxford component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) comparing death rates of 46,562 subjects were reported. About 33% of the subjects were vegetarian (including many vegans). The results showed no statistically significant differences between the vegetarians and non-vegetarians in any of the mortality categories which included cancer, circulatory disease, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), all other causes, and all causes combined.Thanks for the study link, Paleo Huntress. I hope that Dr. Greger might add his two cents as well.You’re welcome. He rarely does, but you never know.There are too many research articles on quality of life, life expectancy, life span, end of life to list here. So I would refer you to the following to get Dr. Greger’s view on the subject with links to his some 30 videos on the subject. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/.So true, if you want Dr. Greger’s opinion, you should stay at his site with his cherry picked references.Oh my misunderstanding, I thought you wanted Dr. Greger’s opinion on the subject. Being a holistic nurse I have done and continue to do my own research as well as review Dr. Greger’s posting.I think your understanding was accurate. But I’ve watched all of Dr. Greger’s videos and he’s pretty careful to NOT mention what vegans die of- it’s only those who eat animal food where that matters seemingly. He would need to address ReluctantVegan’s question directly if he’s going to get the answer he’s looking for.  I wish that when people asked for more evidence here that they weren’t simply pointed to yet another Greger video and were instead pointed to the actual data. Greger could make an even bigger fortune selling cherry pie.Actually, it was I, ReluctantVegan, who wanted Dr. Gregor’s opinion. It was not Paleo Huntress who was asking for it. Because I have an analytical mind, but don’t have the time or background to review thousands of studies and convert them into food on my plate, I am willing to accept the very well-educated opinion of someone dedicated to the field. Dr. Gregor’s opinions based “cherry picked” studies is exactly what I am asking for. I’ll go watch the videos you’ve suggested.There are many who are also well educated and dedicated to the field that disagree with Dr. Greger. Would you like the links to their videos as well?The intellectually honest answer would be, “yes, please”, but the truth is, I will be overwhelmed if I am presented with too much info – especially if it is contradictory. I’ll let Dr. Greger be my professor for now. Maybe I will learn from others in the future. Thanks so much for the offer!I appreciate and admire your honesty. If you change your mind at a future date, you are still welcome to it. I personally am not a proponent of dairy, but during a period of exploration with ancestral food prep and my first knowledge of pastured and alternative animal food resources, I found some local small family farms that hand-milk, don’t use hormones or antibiotics, and actually raise the calves alongside their mothers on organic pasture. We bought the dairy raw, and then soured and cultured it ourselves. As a rule, I don’t eat dairy, but when we decide to indulge, we go with something from one of these farms. The animals are raised well and treated like royalty. They even get hand-hayed hay in Winter. My experience of 2 years of veganism was a net weight gain of 65lbs (after an initial loss of 25 in the first couple of months, but I regained that PLUS 65 more) plus the development of diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and other disease. I hope your husband has a better experience with his journey. Good luck to you both. =)Wow! How frustrating for you! I’m so sorry it backfired. The disease onset you mentioned is very scary!As Thea suggested, I may need more calorie dense foods than my husband might, since he really LIKES eating and started out obese, whereas I (mostly) eat in order to not be hungry, and have always been petite.We got baseline labs before we switched from Lacto-Ova-Pesca Vegetarian to Whole-Food Vegan, and will get follow up labs in about a month. We’ll give it a trial period, making sure that we stick with WHOLE FOOD choices. If either of us starts gaining, or not feeling well, we’ll modify – perhaps employ the help of a dietitian.Good luck, and thanks for your input!Thea and RV,What an interesting exchange! Thank you both. I think your correspondence would be useful to many on this site. Is there any way to feature it? And, RV, haw are you doing now, in August ’14? We think our path was easier because by the time we saw Dr.Greger’s ’12 and ’13 summary videos that turned the key for us, we had already via PBS-TV come across Dr. Fuhrman and watched 10 of his videos that taught us how to use a Vita Mix and cook in different ways. Above all, He supplied us with delicious recipes that we loved. Thus, we did not have to jump over the abyss to a bleak steamed vegetable world. We had a bridge and we already knew that the food over there was totally delightful. Since then, we have found so many delish recipes online. Dr. Greger’s daily education and inspiration has been a wonderful reinforcement. As I see my friends undergo awful treatments for Cancer and Diabetes, and CAD, our gratitude to Dr. Greger only grows. I don’t know if my switch at age 64 will save me from a similar fate, but it’s well worth the effort and the contributions to less cruelty and environmental harm is also motivating. Thea, your kindly and useful suggestions are wonderful in practice and in tone. I have admired greatly your posts here and elsewhere. Best to you both, GayleGayle,We’re still Vegan! It’s going much better now – since we know what to cook and have met some other Whole-food vegans. We’ve found 3 all-vegan restaurants, and found vegan items at normal restaurants. We even found a nearby Mexican restaurant owner who makes “off-menu” vegan items just for us. I keep snacks in the car at all times. I don’t miss cheese as much now, but every once in a while, a restaurant will forget the “no cheese” request and I get a mouthful of sinful divinity. I’ve gotten smaller, if it were possible. I was very glad that we were already eating vegan when I recently watched the movie “Earthlings” about animal abuse in the animal food industry. If I were still a meat-eater, I would have immediately gone into denial mode upon seeing the facts – because they were too atrocious to bear – rather than allowing myself to be moved to tears with the knowledge of our callous cruelty towards creatures that can feel pain. (I’m no animal lover – but I’m also not a sadist.) I am relieved to know that as vegans, we are not contributing to that horror. My dear husband has reached the weight goal set for him by his doc, and his cholesterol is 114, down at least 100 points from pre-vegan.Sadly, (unknown if related to veganism), his hemoglobin dropped precipitously (from 16 g/dL pre-vegan to 10 g/dL last week), he got a deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in leg), and a pulmonary emblolism (blood clot) in both lungs. These are life threatening conditions – and shocking since he has ZERO risk factors, is healthy, exercises, and eats right. Preliminary diagnosis is NOT B12 or folate deficiency – everyone’s first assumption since we’re vegans – those numbers were good. The diagnosis is Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anema – when your body attacks your own red blood cells. It is rare – 1:100,000.If anyone knows of any study linking veganism to WAIHA, please post.ReluctantVegan: Thank you so much for taking the time to give us an update! I was elated reading the first part of your reply. And I really appreciated you talking about Earthlings and your response. I think that information could be really helpful for people even though this is primarily a health-related site.The last part of your post was a real shock and made me so sad. I am so, so sorry to hear about the problems your husband is facing. I’m not a doctor and do not have any advice that can help. All I can do is think good thoughts for you both and hope that this can be safely resolved. If I see anything related that might help, I’ll come back here and post it.My heart is with you.Sorry RV, I see that now I had replied in the wrong place I will be more careful next time. I know Dr. G. tries to respond to as many posts as he can but it is overwhelming. At least he keeping the commenting option open for the rest of us to help each other as well. If I may ask, why are you reluctant?As soon as I stumbled on Dr. Greger’s website and watched the 2 annual compilation videos, I realized (with sadness) that if we wanted our diet to protect our health maximally, we would have to switch from Permissive Lacto-Ovo-Pesca Whole-Plant Vegetarians (permissive means we reverted to SAD-in-moderation when guests in others’ homes), to full-on Strict Whole-Plant Vegan (not low-fat). I am SO appreciative of Dr. Greger and his team for educating me. We took a while to transition, and were completely converted over by Jan 7th, 2014.Two weeks into it, I am still “reluctant” because I really LOVE cheese and kefir (cultured milk). I feel hungry too frequently, and have to sit down to eat so much more often now, and the wasted time annoys me. At any one sitting, I eat ’till I’m full, but have to keep filling up over and over throughout the day! I’d rather grab an ounce or two of cheese and be done with it till the next regularly scheduled meal.I would have named myself “Very Reluctant” if I had known the Whole-Plant Vegan diet totally trashes your social eating experiences (unless you are the cook), and you better keep a fridge in your car, because there is no place to get “quickie” whole-food Vegan unless all you want is an iceberg lettuce salad. I know I sound like I’m whining, because I AM.It wasn’t so bad when we were permissive, and I could eat cheese. Because I have always been low-normal BMI, I get no gratification from anticipated weight loss, though my obese husband does. It is difficult for me to persevere when the prize is an indistinct and very distant “increased lifespan”, but I am still trying. I will give it a couple of months to become habit. If I still hate it, I am switching back, and the cheese can HAVE those last 10 yrs of my life!ReluctantVegan:I greatly admire people who do hard things for good reasons. For whatever it is worth, you have my admiration.I have some thoughts for you. I’m just trying to help. You may have thought of all these things already or think little of them. But just in case you would find these ideas helpful, I wanted to share.1) Go beyond health You are not the only one (I share it and I know many others who do too!!!) who can find it hard to make a positive food choice today just to lower the health risks of tomorrow. One thing that helps many people stay on the path of health is to do some research on the other reasons (beyond your personal health) why choosing a plant-based diet is a good idea. Here are two examples:a) Cows are sentient, gentle giants. But the dairy industry is arguably one of the most cruel food industries out there. (For just one example: Eating diary is akin to eating veal. After all, what do you think is done with all those calves who were supposed to get the milk?) Once you learn about cows and see pictures of what is done to them, it becomes a lot harder to eat that delicious cheese. For practical purposes, there is no such thing as ethical dairy. Maybe some people can suggest some movies for you to check out that will help educate you on this topic. A good visual is often helpful.b) Global Climate Change. There is a big connection between the animal industry, including diary, and global climate change. This is an especially good topic to research if you have kids and their future concerns you.2) Cheese, Cheese, Dear Gd, Give Me Some Cheese! Cheese is quite literally addictive. (Check out info on PCRM.) For years, I was a vegetarian. Cheese was the last and hardest animal product I gave up. I’ve been a full vegan for 4 years now. And I still absolutely crave cheese. It’s visceral.Since you are so close in time to eating cheese, the following may not help you, but I recommend checking out the book Artisan Vegan Cheese. While it doesn’t really take the place of cheese, it takes the place of cheese. I don’t know how to explain it, but the food is awesome and hits the spot in ways that cheese hits the spot. And since you don’t have to worry about calories (unlike me darn it!), this idea may be just the thing for you. It may even help with your hunger issues. I made a cheese platter for a party based on the recipes from Artisan Vegan Cheese book, and it was a HUGE hit. Finding even just one recipe from this book that makes you happy could go a long way toward weaning yourself from the dairy disaster.3) Being Hungry/Eating All The Time I had a friend with a similar problem. I encouraged her to add more nuts, seeds, avocados, and dried fruits to her diet. It solved the problem. I’m not a doctor, but maybe this is something you could try. For me: eating more often is a huge plus! But I can see how it wouldn’t appeal to everyone.4) Vegan On The Go/Social Aspects I suspect that this is an issue because you are so new to this. Once you get over the learning curve, I think you will find both of these issues almost disappear. I’ve seen resources out there that have ideas/address both of these issues. Let me know if you want me to try to track some ideas down for you.I hope some of these thoughts are helpful. And I wish you and your husband all the luck in having healthy, long lives with a transition that is not so painful.Thank you so much, Thea, for your kind and helpful response. I am especially excited about the Artisan Vegan Cheese book, since I used to make cow’s cheese at home. I’ll look into all you’ve mentioned.ReluctantVegan: So cool! Thanks for the feedback.After I sent the post above, I came up with some more ideas to share, but I thought I would wait to see if it would be appreciated or not. :-)> Water Kefir You mentioned a liking for milk kefir. I’ve spoken to people who swear by water kefir as both tasting great and having great probiotic properties. To make water kefir, people buy a set of crystals and instructions, I think. The kefir/water can then be grown indefinitely as long as the crystals are taken care of. I believe that people typically flavor water kefir with small amounts of fruit juices or lemon twists, but I was thinking that you might add some cashew cream if you wanted a creamy drink like you would get with milk. I’ve never actually had water kefir myself, so I’m just passing on an idea.> Meetup/New Social Options There’s no getting around having to deal with existing family (holidays) and friends (potlucks/restaurants), but I thought I would suggest that you might consider using this as an opportunity to get new friends too. If you live in America, you may be able to take advantage of a site called Meetup. Meetups are locally managed groups/clubs where people literally “meet up”. There are many, many meetups around America for vegetarians/vegans. I actually run one in the smallish town I live in, and the membership is constantly growing. We welcome everyone, but the food is always vegan. We get together all the time and do potlucks and cook together and even watch videos (such as watching Dr. Greger’s year end summary videos or Jeff Novicks Fast Food DVDs). I’m a big fan of Meetup and think it is a great way to make new friends who understand the concept of plant based eating. If there is no Meetup in your area, there might be some other similar group you could hook up with.> Food For Cars Some people keep mini-boxes of raisins on hand for snacking. Other people make wonderful, whole-food “energy bars” around for eating on the go. Just some ideas.I don’t know where you live, but I was able to find some local restaurants that make some great vegan meals. For example, there is one place has a cheap rice and beans bowl with a ton of toppings and a unique sauce. The same place also sells chicken and dairy, but at least they make something good that is beyond salad. (And it is fast and cheap.) My point is: It may not yield any results based on where you live, but it is worth looking around some more at your local businesses to see if you can find food that will be filling and yummy and plant based.I think you are at the hardest point in your transition. If memory serves, statistically 2 weeks is just about when people give up on making new habits – JUST before it becomes a true habit. I love that you are looking long term to try to make it work. Once again, good luck!Thea, a note about water kefir– it is touted as something of a health-tonic, but the only real benefit to water kefir is the enjoyment of a fizzy drink and a few traces of some vitamins. The flora do not survive the stomach environment so they cannot truly be probiotic for the gut. The real value in probiotic foods lies in how the flora changes the food itself before it is eaten. Proteins are broken down, carbohydrates are consumed and essential fatty acids and vitamins (like C) are formed. In the case of water kefir, you are literally mixing sugar with water to feed the culture, but there is no actual “food” that is changed by the flora. Kefir changes dairy in some very beneficial ways but it doesn’t do anything for water– so if you’re gonna drink it, drink it because you like it and know that it is an added-sugar drink. Also, expect to pay through the nose for it if you don’t make it yourself. lolThea, thank you for sharing all your actionable advice, and for your encouragement. FYI, I put a bowl of nuts, raisins, and dried apricot by my desk today (per your advice), and it completely solved my hunger problem (I mean, munching on it all day). Unfortunately, husband found it!! I had to shoo him away.ReluctantVegan: You just made me laugh. I almost had tea coming out my nose! Alas, I have no advice about training husbands.Thanks so much for taking the time to tell me that the nut and fruit trick worked. That helps me to know that the idea is worth continuing to pass on. And I feel so good knowing I helped someone. You just made my day. Thanks!Thea, I just responded to you in a reply to Reluctant Vegan below RV’s next post.Gayle Delaney: Thank you so much for your nice feedback above. I am just a volunteer. Feedback like yours is what helps to keep me going!I’m not sure how to feature certain conversations, but now that NutrtionFacts has a staff (not me, but real people), I’m sure they will keep this idea in mind for the future.I’ve enjoyed reading your posts too. Thank you for being a positive voice in this community.Thank you for sharing your story. You certainly can find a supportive community on some other sites as well.Hey Mr. reluctant. You can get most benefits by scrapping animal product intake to just a few times a week and go vegan style for all other hours.I’ve settled on 2 meat/fish days a week on which I’ll consume 2 animal proteine meals within 4- 6 hours from each other.Due to my ADHD and milk morfines I can’t drink milk anymore , if I could I’d place that intake within those 4 hours too. I really can’t take it because I get clearly noticeable junky eyes(stoned looking red lines) after taking milk :(.Most toxins of meat will be cleared after 24 hours after intake which still gives to a very sizeable part of the week healing your body. Any defeciencies will be avoided though methyl b12 will till be adviseable.For now I myself seem to flourish on this regime.On cheese , it seems curd cheese can clean your arteries via the vitamin K2 in it. Curd cheese is preferred because its low fat. You can check up on it by googleling a fellow dutch guy Cees Vermeer who has led decades of study in the netherlands on the stuff. Studies embodying up to 15000 people. Calcified arteries of rats got 50% cleared with a 360mgr human equivalent dose of K2 in 6 weeks time. Coronairy death dropping astonishing rates with dose dependance.Since I cannot eat cheese I went the natto way. Nasty slimy soy beans, but I like it when mixed through a smoothy. And 45 grams of the stuff is enough.Thank-you for sharing the interview with Cees Vermeer, PhD. For those of us who don’t or can’t use dairy, he gives plenty of information on taking the vitamin K2 supplement especially the MK7, to clear the arteries of calcification. My husband has peripheral artery disease, and this information can change his life. JeanneThanks JacquieRN, I’ll go watch them.JacquieRN: I’ve been meaning to thank you for your high quality posts throughout NutritionFacts. You are one of the extremely helpful participants.After reading ReluctantVegan’s original post, I had meant to explain answer the question of what vegans die of and at the same time had been lamenting that I hadn’t kept a list of all of Dr. Greger’s videos on the topic. I have no idea why it didn’t occur to me to check out the topics page. So, thanks for this reply.In addition to the info you provided, here is one more study of interest on the topic that I got from PCRM:“Vegetarian diets can extend life expectancy, according to early findings from the Adventist Health Study-2. Vegetarian men live to an average of 83.3 years, compared with nonvegetarian men who live to an average of 73.8 years. And vegetarian women live to an average of 85.7 years, which is 6.1 years longer than nonvegetarian women. This study is ongoing and includes more than 96,000 participants. The results further indicate vegan diets to be healthful and associated with a lower body weight (on average 30 lbs. lower than that of meat eaters), and lower risk of diabetes, compared with diets that include animal products.Fraser G, Haddad E. Hot Topic: Vegetarianism, Mortality and Metabolic Risk: The New Adventist Health Study. Report presented at: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic (Food and Nutrition Conference) Annual Meeting; October 7, 2012: Philadelphia, PA.”Just thought you would be interested.Thea,I’ve been making an effort to not nit-pick the comments that show up in my email notifications, but some of the claims just need more clarification to be understood accurately. The very first interaction you and I had here at Dr. Greger’s site was over T. Colin Campbell’s misrepresented data. I think plant-based advocates mostly have the best of intentions, though plant-exclusive has never been shown to be healthier or to provide more longevity. And it is data like the Adventist study you reference that is twisted and manipulated to appear to be something that it isn’t. From Vegsource.com <–(a pro-vegetarian website)You see, the Adventist researchers at Loma Linda used a different method to group people as “vegetarians” than the EPIC study used.For starters, the healthiest SDAs were the fish eaters (omnis), not the vegans. And while it’s compelling when you look at the conclusions published by the researchers, the actual data tells a different story. The SDA study lumps pescatarians and occasional meat-eaters, as well as egg and dairy eaters in the “vegetarian group”. The EPIC study I referenced does not. But even when the fish-eaters and occasional meat-eaters alone in the Adventist study were assigned to the “non-vegetarian” group rather than the “vegetarian” group, the benefit of reduced mortality for vegetarians goes away. What’s also interesting to note is that those who identify as vegetarian eat about as much animal food as typical omnis, it just isn’t “flesh foods”. The Adventist study data actually shows no difference in mortality rates between vegetarians and non-vegetarians.Thank you Thea! Together we can help Dr. G.!I didn’t share any links, BTW. Disqus turned the name of the website into a clickable link. You can find more info here- http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/dxrates#prelimI followed the reply link from my email and found this comment deleted. Did you delete it yourself, Ruby?  If it was deleted by a moderator, can I ask what rule it violated because I’m confused about what people are actually allowed to say here.Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.” Dalaï Lama LOL!! I used to say the same essential same thing to my dad when I was young. He was old and friendless and hd 3 heart operations by the time he retired, with more money than he could spend, and no ability to have fun with it. . . .That was a great quote. Thanks for sharing.I want information about high blood pressure and veganism please I have been a vegetarian for years and am now vegan but still my pressure is high/. help!!! I will follow your advice gladly. xxooo elayneCan following a whole foods plant based diet help cure my hiatal hernia?	abdominal pain,Africa,appendicitis,beans,body fat,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,colon cancer,colon disease,colon health,constipation,corn,diabetes,diverticulitis,diverticulosis,fat,fiber,gallbladder health,gallstones,heart disease,heart health,hemorrhoids,hernia,hiatal hernia,hypertension,lifespan,Lifestyle medicine,longevity,medical profession,mortality,obesity,plant-based diets,prediabetes,rectal cancer,standard American diet,stomach health,stomach ulcers,stool size,surgery,Uganda,varicose veins,vegans,vegetarians	Many of our most common diseases found to be rare or even nonexistent among populations eating plant-based diets.	If all a plant-based diet could do was reverse our #1 killer (see also my last video, Cavities and Coronaries: Our Choice), then shouldn’t that be the default diet until proven otherwise? And then the fact that it also appears to reverse other leading killers like diabetes and hypertension just makes the evidence overwhelming. See my last two live presentations if you haven’t yet, Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death and More Than an Apple a Day.So why doesn’t the medical profession embrace it? See The Tomato Effect.So why don’t many individual doctors do it? See Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Disease.So why doesn’t the federal government recommend it? See The McGovern Report.But you can take your destiny into your own hands (mouth?) and work with your doctor to clean up your diet and maximize your chances of living happily ever after.For more context, check out my associated blog post: We Can End the Heart Disease Epidemic.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/11/we-can-end-the-heart-disease-epidemic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallbladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hemorrhoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hernia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallstones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-ulcers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/appendicitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uganda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/varicose-veins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hiatal-hernia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6283683,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22212999,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2479700/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2006199,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3031417,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1787805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21308015,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23045197,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23045196,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1998476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1072556/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8450092,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13838030,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23045195,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17862537,
PLAIN-2672	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cavities-and-coronaries-our-choice/	Cavities and Coronaries: Our Choice	Many of today's lifestyle medicine doctors, myself included, were greatly influenced by Nathan Pritikin, the nutrition pioneer who started reversing heart disease with a plant-based diet and exercise, opening up arteries without drugs and without surgery, effectively curing our number 1 killer disease. But where did he come up with it? We tend to think of rural China as a place with a fraction of our disease rates, forgetting about Africa.Pritikin was 43 when he was told by his cardiologist that he was at great risk of death from heart attack, so he began to live on a diet patterned after the black population in Uganda. This was a population living off plants that was essentially free from death from heart attacks. After curing his own heart disease with a plant-based diet he went on to save the lives of thousands of others. What was the data that so convinced him?Last year, the International Journal of Epidemiology reprinted this landmark article from the 50's that started out with a shocking statement: "In the African population of Uganda, coronary heart disease is almost non-existent." Our number one cause of death, almost nonexistent? What were they eating? Plantains and sweet potatoes, other vegetables, corn, millet, pumpkins, tomatoes and, "green leafy vegetables are taken by all." Their protein was almost entirely from plant sources, and they had the cholesterol levels to prove it, similar to modern-day plant-eaters. Apart from the effects of diet and of the blood cholesterol levels the researchers couldn't figure out any other reasons for their freedom from heart disease.50-year-old findings just as relevant today. They showed dietary intake to be a key, modifiable, established and well-recognized risk factor for heart attacks…without needing to invoke novel, as yet undiscovered, risk factors. This contrasts with the rather desperate search in recent decades for even newer cardiovascular risk factors. We have all the risk factor we need, cholesterol, we've had it for 50 years, and we can do something about it.According to the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Cardiology this year, the only risk factor required for these atherosclerotic plaques, our #1 killer, is cholesterol. Elevated LDL or "bad" cholesterol in our blood. To drop our LDL cholesterol, we need to drop our intake of three things: trans fat, found in junk food and animal foods; saturated fat, found mostly in animal foods; and dietary cholesterol, found exclusively in animal foods.The epidemiology journal actually went back and located Dr. Shaper, now 97 years old, and asked him to personally reflect on this groundbreaking study he performed a half-century before. It would be cheering to think that his article actually helped, and attitudes to diet have been changing in recent years, however to his personal surprise and disappointment we still lack a deep commitment to the diet–heart hypothesis, and it is likely that atherosclerosis and its complications will follow us throughout the next half century.What he discovered is that heart disease may be a choice. Like cavities…If you look at the teeth of people who lived over 10,000 years before the invention of the toothbrush, they pretty much had no cavities. Didn't brush a day in their lives, never flossed, no Listerine, no water pik… yet no cavities. That's because candy bars hadn't been invented yet. Why do people continue to get cavities when we know they're preventable though diet? Simple. Because the pleasure people derive from dessert may outweigh, the cost and discomfort of the dentist… And that's fine!Look, as long as people understand the consequences of their actions, as a physician what more can I do? If you're an adult and decide the benefits outweigh the risks for you and your family, then go for it—I certainly enjoy the occasional indulgence (I've got a good dental plan). But what if instead of the plaque on your teeth we're talking about the plaque building up in your arteries? Another disease that can be prevented by changing your diet.Then what are the consequences for you and your family? Now we're not just talking about scraping tarter. Now we're talking life and death. The most likely reason most of our loved ones will die is heart disease. It's still up to each of us to make our own decisions as to what to eat and how to live, but we should make our choices consciously, educating ourselves about the predictable consequences of our actions.	This video gives me confidence to keep going plant-based. And it does not seem like they had a lot of dietary fat in their food choices. Lately I have been struggling with whether or not to eat my sweet foods and high-glycemic foods with fat, as I get advice that you should always mix insulin increasing foods with fat, but I also get advice that the fat can actually be what is causing the diabetes. So does the fat help or hurt? Maybe it helps in the short-term but hurts (makes diabetes worse) in the long term. Is it actually not wise to eat my rice cakes without fat? This is all confusing to me. So many contradictory opinions and theories on this specific dietary regimen.The general rule is that fat hurts. Whole grains generally have a low glycemic index, meaning that they don’t cause big spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels. And when it comes to the addictive qualities of certain foods, the combination of sugar and fat is HIGHLY addicting – the calories are so concentrated that your body responds as it would to an opiate, like heroin or cocaine. So having sweets with added fat is not a great idea. Good luck with your plant-based journey. I went vegan for ethical reasons but subsequently got a certificate in plant-based nutrition. Now I’m beyond convinced it’s the only way to go health-wise!I’m sorry to give you contra but the GI of whole wheat is much higher that than that of e.g. icecream or even a snickers:http://www.genalivings.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Glycemic-index.jpgPuffed wheat:110 Glucose; 100 Rice flour:95 Brown Rice: 81 Sweet corn:80 White rice:70 Rice cakes:85 Coke: (with HCFS):70 Whole Grain Bread:68 Whole Grain Spaghetti: 61http://www.oneresult.com/sites/default/files/u3/GI%20Index.pngWholemeal flour 68-85 (depending on origin) http://i2.wp.com/foreveryoungforeverfit.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/wheat-bread.jpgBreads and bakery products, including those made with wholemeal wheat flour aren’t good representatives of whole grains since these have been grinded, thus making the starch much more accessible to amylase enzymes and more readily digestible.In addition, the wheat used in breads and bakery is of the soft variety (referred to as common wheat, or bread wheat), different from the durum wheat (actually, they are different hybrid species), from which the semolina is obtained to make he pasta, or it’s directly eaten as grains.Do you really mean one should eat the whole, ungrinded grain as a single piece? How do you digest that, with which enzyme?I’ m sure you will see the grains allmost untouched in your feces, so why to ingest it at all?Regarding the durum wheat: as long as you not tell us what a differerent outcome it will have this is just a acedemical note without any value to this discussion. So please explicate more!In fact iIn fact it is the Glycemic Load that you should look at. GI just tells you the quality of the food, GL considers quantities as well. GL draws a quite different picture about how much different food raise blood glucose level.I disagree, too. A snickers bar has a GI of 68 while potato has a GI of 104. If a take a a serving size of 2 oz for a snickers bar and 3 oz for a potato dish (as starter) we hava g glyc. load of 136 for the snickers vs a whopping 312 for the potatoes!So a snickers bar is much better that potato!But is this really what you would use to measure the quality of a given food?Markus, your values are incorrect. 1 serving (60g, ~2oz) Snickers bar has GL 18, 1 serving (150g, ~5oz) boiled white potato has GL 21.http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htmYou’re also neglecting the negative affects of fat. It is high fat in the blood which leads to sugar problems. Get rid of the fat and watch your sugar problems disappear. Our cells run on sugar. You need not fear it.Yes but the more important point is that ice cream and snickers have tremendous quantities of fat. Reduce the fat in your diet to 10% and watch your glycemic issues disappear.I had never heard of combining high-GI foods with fat, and it sounded so intuitively wrong to me given the inhibitory nature of fat on insulin, that I had to look it up. What struck me were the instructions (per diabetes.org) to combine high-GI foods with low-GI foods, low-GI meaning either FIBER or fat. It sounds like you’re familiar with Dr. Barnard’s work on dietary fat and diabetes, but if you’re still concerned with glycemic index values, I would definitely concentrate on combining with fiber and limiting the fat.This is right; fat is wrong. If you get your sweet from whole foods like dates, figs, apples, oranges, etc. it already has the fiber built in. Deconstructing food and trying to reconstruct it with isolated nutrients rarely has the same effect. Fat clogs the cells up from the inside and is associated with inflammation that also clogs from the outside, so as to promote insulin resistance and make diabetes worse.Everything I’ve read about the GI makes it seem either useless or worse than useless: eating pure fat is a-okay since it doesn’t have carbohydrate, pineapple is equal to swedish fish, oatmeal is higher than chocolate… can’t believe mainstream medicine still promotes such an obviously ridiculous concept, though I guess if someone is trying to “mop the floor” rather than “turn off the faucet”, it’s a great paper towel!Believing this is the sad result of the success of low carb diet huxters. Your cells run on sugar. Get the fat low in your diet. Your body loves carbs. As long as you deprive it of them your body will rebel. Read 80/10/10 by Dr. Graham or anything by Dr. McDougal and have your eyes opened.Nonsense. You do realize that are many plant foods are rich in fat, right? Plant foods such as flaxseeds, sesame seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, macadamias, cashews, pumpkin seeds, avocados, ripe olives, etc.Saturated fat is code for pro-inflammatory animal products, but if you eat too much of it, especially in an ad hoc isolated or refined form for the purpose of gratuitously increasing fat intake which is what this thread is about, regardless of where it comes from it will in fact cause problems for a lot of folks.these r the good fats!Rice cakes have an extremely high GI (82/100). Probably best to choose a whole grain cracker lower on the index. And spread with a bit of nut butter. Yum. Good luck!I am in our local teaching hospital’s “Cardiac Research Institute” (Medical University of the Soviet Republic of South Carolina) right now where they spend millions each year trying to find a cure for heart disease! I find it hard to believe these doctors are either stupid or ignorant.It appears they are trying to find a cure that can be patented, and prescribed. Telling patients to eat a whole foods, low fat, plant-based diet is likely to reduce the billions of dollars now going to doctors, medical research, and pharmaceuticals.i also eat plain 100% whole grain brown rice cakes(unsalted) daily with slices of tomato and cucumber. is this ok??me to with peanut butter or almond butterWhat a great video, Dr Greger! I think this is the one to share with my patients in my vascular medicine practice. I will also check out the links in the ‘Doctor’s Note’, some of which I have read before.You are performing a great and heroic public service for many patients at risk for heart disease as well as those with established heart disease, peripheral arterial disease and cerebrovascular disease. Your video here is brief enough that I can watch it with my patients and answer any questions that come up.I am at a real loss why a plant-based diet is not more widespread among practicing physicians, even physician-patients. Do you have any thoughts on that? When I talk about plant-based diets with my colleagues, their eyes roll over; same thing with patients. Scientists tend to think this is ‘wackaloon’ stuff. I’ve read great criticism of Ornish in a New York Times article published 15 years ago by Gina Kolata in which she quotes many eminent and respected names in preventive cardiology who take turns criticizing plant-based diets and Ornish in particular. Why is that?Human nature, tale as old as time. I remember the story my mom told me about the doctor back in the seventies who rested his ashtray on her pregnant belly. If you were against smoking would you have been considered a wackaloon back then?Doctors like you are awesome!!! And – according to the American Physical Society, only ten percent of a population has to become convinced to reach the “tipping point”, where an idea becomes the majority consensus. http://pre.aps.org/abstract/PRE/v84/i1/e011130So it comes down to maverick opinions vs. the mainstream. There are just too few plant-based physicians, nutritionists and other “thought and opinion” leaders — i.e. well under 10% of the population is vegan. We are reaching more critical mass – I heard yesterday Al Gore has gone vegan. But the trend seems to be restricted to liberals and democrats, although I’m sure there’s a few political conservatives. Medicine is extremely conservative in that majority opinion sets the guidelines, reimbursement schedules and publication policies (at both editorial and peer review levels). For many years, bloodletting was the norm. Just because something is the norm, does not mean it is ok. If everyone wanted to jump off the Brooklyn bridge, would you…? etcThanks for the compliment, by the way.Also, you mentioned elsewhere about balsamic glaze. Where do you buy this stuff? I’ve never heard of it. Same thing as balsamic vinegar?True, majority opinions aren’t always a good thing! But I have hope that our current one will be slowly replaced by a better [plant-based/preventative] one. And obviously the profits associated with the current model is an additional hurdle when it comes to healthcare. Perhaps change will come less from the healthcare system itself and more from the general public educating themselves and actually forgoing many of our modern healthcare practices. But people have to get that education somewhere; some people will get it from nutritionfacts and FoK, but some lucky ones will hear it from their healthcare professionals, and as a bonus, get the additional counseling and assistance that some people really need to make the change.Balsamic glaze, my favorite! I get mine from our local ethnic foods store (cheapest option), but I’ve also seen it at the local co-op. Don’t think I’ve seen it at our ‘normal’ grocery store, but ours is kind of small; I would imagine a TJ or WF would have it.It’s basically balsamic vinegar, reduced way way down. So technically you could make your own but life’s too short in my opinion! Mine is sugar-free, but I’ve noticed some recipes use a whopping amount and I’m betting some commercial varieties do too, so something to look out for.Very cool. “but life’s too short in my opinion!” Sounds like something the Buddha would say (WWBS). We have a local olive oil and balsamic vinegar ‘tasting room’ store, and I’m going to ask them if they sell it. Yes a low sugar version would be ideal as I’ve noticed alot of balsamic vinegars are heavy on carbs. I’ve been trying to whip up low-fat salad dressings and it sounds like balsamic glaze cannot be beat for simplicity, speed-of-use, and the fact it is fat-free.Just a quick note. If you start with a fine Balsamic Vinegar and add nothing, you simply have to heat it so it barely reaches a simmer for as long as you want to get the thickness of reduction you like the most!! Incredibly simple, cheap and wonderfully flavorful.There are notable conservative businessmen who are vegan: Steve Wynn, Michael Eisner, Tom Freston, John Mackey to name a few.You may be a fine physician, but your understanding of ideology and your characterization of those of us who don’t share your political/economic philosophies is truly offensive — not to mention naive and clearly based in ignorance. Ernest Mayberry offered you a handful of names of Republican businessmen who are also vegan. I would add that these are also highly creative & visionary entrepreneurs. Notably, Wynn & Mackey are downright plant-based nutrition ACTIVISTS with whom you are obviously unfamiliar. (Do you live under a rock?) Your false characterization and false analogies (allopathic medicine is “conservative” = political affiliation with Republican = what? meat eaters?, etc.) are parochial and inaccurate. Stick to medicine.Beyond the marquee-name vegans mentioned, there are many of us who are proudly die-hard economic/political “conservatives” & libertarians who much appreciate Dr. Gregor’s research-based educational outreach. You clearly equate people who support limited government, free-market economics, respect for private property & individual liberties, etc. with close-mindedness & rigidity.I think it YOU who displays close-minded bias & bigotry with your politicization of nutrition. I (a pro-2nd Amendment Tea Party vegan) am working very hard to persuade a radically left-wing dear friend with cancer to change her diet. It’s an uphill slog. It would never occur to me to slam her politics because of her receptiveness (or, rather, lack thereof) to making these nutritional changes.With your insight into human nature, it’s a fine thing, too, that your branch of medicine is not psychiatry. Do you actually believe everyone who works with Dr’s MacDougal, Esselstyn, Fuhrman, etc. vote Democrat? Do you actually believe that only people who vote Democrat display flexibility & creativity? Google “Crunchy Cons” and learn something.Thanks, SeaBreeze! I enjoyed your post. It did put me in my place. True, I made a number of unfounded assumptions. But I am worse than a liberal, I am actually a Canadian! And while we learn so much about your politics on the nightly news, many Americans learn nothing about Canadian politics (we have a right-wing Conservative Party government which is still to the left wing of Ralph Nader). Oh boy. I probably just offended someone else! :-)Thanks for the gracious reply across boundaries. I have come to wide eyes about scary Canadian corporations and your present government up there. All my Michael Moore stereotypes have come crashing down, or anyway most of them. I would like to say I have been told, from actual Democrats, that there is a libertarian caucus in the D party. I would need to see this with my own eyes to believe this completely. I will consider it a myth until I see video of a lib-D discussion.“…according to the American Physical Society, only ten percent of a population has to become convinced to reach the “tipping point”, where an idea becomes the majority consensus.”Those committed change-agents need to be homogeneously (randomly) distributed throughout a population. We’re not seeing that in proselytizing a vegetarian diet, as there’s primarily a clustering of those agents, e.g., at this site.I know I look like just a bunch of letters on a computer screen, but turns out I’m a real human with real human friends and family! Parents, one sibling, and three close friends plus two of their husbands already adopting a plant based diet. I am fairly certain I know no one else who comments on this site regularly in real life. …but I bet they’re real humans too! And many of them doctors with practices and patients to boot. And even though our comments look really close together on the screen, I’m betting we live pretty far apart in real life too. p.s. interesting use of the word proselytizing, I’m sure you didn’t mean any negative connotation with that. I tend to regard promotion of proven public health strategies as ‘advocacy’, but hey, to-may-to, to-mah-to as they say.The word “proselytizing” was used in the study’s abstract: their word, not mine.“as there’s primarily a clustering of those agents, e.g., at this site.”Is that really surprising? Go to a paleo site and yo u will see paleo diet advocates. Go to a raw foods site and you will largely see raw foods advocates. Are you at all surprised there are people proselytizing a plant-based diet here? I would be surprised if you were surprised. There’s huge self-selection and referral bias with all these sites.It has nothing to do with my reaction to clustering, but it has everything to do with the study’s claim of the need for change-agent homogeneity within a population in order to effect a population-wide social change. Clustering is not a homogenous distribution.Thanks! I was curious about the article you mentioned. Here it is I think: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/29/health/scientist-at-work-dean-ornish-a-promoter-of-programs-to-foster-heart-health.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm Seems most of the criticism was based on how few patients he had studied, but now that he’s published on thousands we can be confident in his remarkable results.Depriving the body of a certain amount of fat can produce all sorts of problems. It depends on the genome of the person (regular docs now seem to have a fad of wanting to call their medicine “precision” to acknowledge they now know human beings are individuals).Many individuals will not maintain cell walls properly without sufficient fat in the diet. The symptoms from this are serious.One is a lack of satiation, which will lead people to binge despite their best intentions. I can’t come up with a link right offhand, but I know there is a French group using avocado-based therapies to get plant-based fat to address some issues. Use of coconut products has also spiked as people try to address this.Another problem with insufficient fat is uptake of other nutrients, in particular the fat-soluble vitamins.I participated in a clinical trial with the National College of Natural Medicine where researchers from the Helfgott Institute are trying to track changes when cohorts cook together and discuss the science of nutrition weekly for three months, advising individuals of the changes along the way, at baseline, at 3 months, and then continuing in 3-month intervals. This is somewhat similar, probably, to what the Esselstyns do at the Cleveland Clinic.I do not know of other institutions working to do this kind of research. The research at NCNM is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, a Portland institution. The now senior owners of the mill have passed ownership to their employees and have also donated a lot of money to get the health-oriented teaching schools in the Portland area to cooperate, which is something I hope to see.The Seattle area seems further along with this regarding cancer. Both Swedish and University Hospitals participated with Bastyr (a school of natural medicine) in assimilating mushroom-based aromatase-inhibitors (long used in Japan and China) to address immune system issues in cancer.Great defensiveness is to be expected as U.S. medicine is forced into acknowledging other ways of addressing medical challenges that have used thousands of years of documented history rather than 3-month studies that are easily fudged.It is inconvenient to have to look at each individual as an individual. Nonetheless, a loss of market share is driving U.S. medicine to do that. I know because I track cancer research assiduously.The individuals who left the study addressed here may have left because they felt existential risk from the diet they were put on, and some may have feedback-looped into more risk as they tried to get to homeostasis. I don’t know if we can do sufficient blood analysis now to figure that out, but people respond differently, and some plant diets may thin the blood dangerously (I love to speculate).Also, there is danger in abrupt change from routine. Withdrawing from benzodiazepines and alcohol are notable examples, but there may be more subtle ones.Depriving the body of a certain amount of fat can produce all sorts of problems. It depends on the genome of the person (regular docs now seem to have a fad of wanting to call their medicine “precision” to acknowledge they now know human beings are individuals).Many individuals will not maintain cell walls properly without sufficient fat in the diet. The symptoms from this are serious.One is a lack of satiation, which will lead people to binge despite their best intentions. I can’t come up with a link right offhand, but I know there is a French group using avocado-based therapies to get plant-based fat to address some issues. Use of coconut products has also spiked as people try to address this.Another problem with insufficient fat is uptake of other nutrients, in particular the fat-soluble vitamins.I participated in a clinical trial with the National College of Natural Medicine where researchers from the Helfgott Institute are trying to track changes when cohorts cook together and discuss the science of nutrition weekly for three months, advising individuals of the changes along the way, at baseline, at 3 months, and then continuing in 3-month intervals. This is somewhat similar, probably, to what the Esselstyns do at the Cleveland Clinic.I do not know of other institutions working to do this kind of research. The research at NCNM is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, a Portland institution. The now senior owners of the mill have passed ownership to their employees and have also donated a lot of money to get the health-oriented teaching schools in the Portland area to cooperate, which is something I hope to see.The Seattle area seems further along with this regarding cancer. Both Swedish and University Hospitals participated with Bastyr (a school of natural medicine) in assimilating mushroom-based aromatase-inhibitors (long used in Japan and China) to address immune system issues in cancer.Great defensiveness is to be expected as U.S. medicine is forced into acknowledging other ways of addressing medical challenges that have used thousands of years of documented history rather than 3-month studies that are easily fudged.It is inconvenient to have to look at each individual as an individual. Nonetheless, a loss of market share is driving U.S. medicine to do that. I know because I track cancer research assiduously.The individuals who left the study addressed here may have left because they felt existential risk from the diet they were put on, and some may have feedback-looped into more risk as they tried to get to homeostasis. I don’t know if we can do sufficient blood analysis now to figure that out, but people respond differently, and some plant diets may thin the blood dangerously (I love to speculate).Also, there is danger in abrupt change from routine. Withdrawing from benzodiazepines and alcohol are notable examples, but there may be more subtle ones.In connection with the previous video’s discussion on DHA/EPA supplementation, I wonder if we follow your reasoning and maintain our LDL levels at the heart-attack proof level, then why is DHA/EPA supplementation necessary (above of course the minimum amount that can be manufactured by the body from ALA (taken from flax, chia, hemp, walnuts, etc.))? The context of my question is that it seems the main argument for recommendation algae oil supplementation has been to reduce inflammation that leads to an increased likelihood of atherosclerosis. But, if LDL is “the cause” of atherosclerosis and inflammation is only secondary, then why not focus on the root problem (by avoiding trans fats, dietary cholesterol and saturated fat) and thereby skip taking the DHA/EPA supplements?Exactly! Seems like these supplements wouldn’t even be needed if we eliminated the wrong things (you’ve mentioned them) and added in the right foods. I hear of no mention of this by Dr. Greger and I am confused why not.Great video, as always and a great discussion. What would be the best algae-based DHA/EPA product to buy? I am looking for a brand name.If you want to go that route, I’ve found Ovega-3 to be the best value. You want to not only look at the number of capsules per bottle but also the amount of DHA/EPA per capsule.Dr. Greger seems to stick to simply reporting published findings; connecting the dots as VegAtHeart has indeed seems plausible, but it may still be conjecture at this point. And unfortunately even studies looking at “vegans” aren’t necessarily looking at people with diets based on whole foods that are high in omega 3 and low in omega 6/trans/saturated fats. I look forward to studies specifically on the wfpb oil-free community in the future.Dr Greger,As always – thank you for the continuing inspiration.Do you have any plans to address the cannabis issue in the near or distant future? Humanity has such a long history with this plant.Keep up the amazing work.Great video! But the last bit compels me to add that I think it’s important to recognize that choices we make with harmful impacts that extend beyond ourselves cease to be “personal.” Certain food choices come at great cost not just to our own health, quality of life and longevity, but to non-human animals, the world’s hungry, the environment, and the human toll and health care costs borne by society.Can we really use the Ugandan population to study diet’s connection with heart disease, though? We have to keep in mind that life expectancy in Uganda right now is only about 54 years, not to mention 50 years ago when it was even 10 years less. According to Wikipedia, it is estimated that 87% of the people who die of coronary heart disease are 60 and older. Now, I’m not saying that plant-based diets shouldn’t be the way to go in order to prevent heart disease. I’m just saying that the study mentioned in the video should be taken with a grain of salt.No, we can’t. At best, it’s poor ‘science’ to do so–and this video exemplifies that poor science. There are simply too many confounding factors that are not controlled for, such as genetics, lifestyle, amount of daily exercise, etc.A controlled study would resolve this issue. Thus, be *very careful* with the prescriptive diet advice based upon a descriptive study, as offered in this video.I see you only believe in reductionist science. Consider the viewpoints presented in “The China Study” and “Whole” by T. Colin Campbell. Reductionist science does not have all the answers. But if you have followed the videos of Dr. Greger long, you should have observed plenty of studies that support and confirm the epidemiological science presented in the cited study (did you observe that 16 articles are cited by Dr. Greger for this one video).You want further proof. Review all of these and then let me know if we need ‘several pounds of salt’…http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2013nl/feb/pritikinpdf3.pdfhttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=11832674uidTrue, ecological comparisons are confounded, but the two populations being compared both lived in Uganda (one was native, the other were Indians of the Ismaili class – Gujaratis from India). And in these types of cross-cultural comparisons, the outcome was not necessarily MI after the age of 60 but rather how much coronary plaque was present at postmortem. We know from studies of Korean and Vietnam War casualties that most people in the general Western population already have advanced atherosclerosis by their 20’s, and the study in question Dr G is mentioning actually adjusts for age effects in that it was an age-matched study.“…one was native, the other were Indians of the Ismaili class – Gujaratis from India…”Factors are still confounded. How much did the Gujaratis’ diet while in India contribute to atherosclerosis? Was their lifestyle, daily exercise, total diet the same? What about genetic differences between the populations? Adjusting for age merely adjusts for one factor.There’s nothing wrong with sharing the study’s findings, but generalizing those findings to other populations is unjustifiable and irresponsible.Well sure, you’ve seen one clinical study, you’ve seen one clinical study… I certainly agree that generalizations must be done with care, but unless populations are born and raised in hermetically sealed environments and shifted infinitely slowly, in exactly the same atmospheric conditions, between separate hermetically sealed environments in exactly the same atmospheric conditions…The issue’s not simply tautological; the issue’s a matter of a study being well designed such that high-confidence generalizations can be made from it.Yes, but there are always many confounding factors in a clinical study (i.e. done on anything as complicated as human beings). And certainly some studies are designed better than others (and even apparently well designed studies can be shown to be flawed when better understanding develops). But you’re implication that because there were many confounding factors that this study produced virtually no evidence of the effect of a plant based diet on the incidence of coronary heart disease seems as unwarranted as concluding that it’s an open and shut case.Please see my comment to Dikaiosyne above.“Yes, but there are always many confounding factors in a clinical study…”No, not always. Some use matched populations (controlled variables) except for the populations’ target independent variable, and then gather data on the study’s dependent variable’s delta. The statistical heuristics mentioned can help normalize the results for making justifiable study generalizations.The Uganda study may provide a glimpse of a *trend*, but making prescriptive diet claims from it is folly.Mixed effects models and other statistical tools are very useful but it’s simply incorrect to say that one can eliminate confounding factors. One can control, using those statistical methods, for what one is aware of and this can be done more or less effectively. But there still could be a host of confounding factors for which the researchers are unaware (and which might come to light subsequently, as has happened on a number of occasions).It wasn’t my impression that Greger was basing his prescriptive diet claims on the Uganda study, only arguing that they provided additional evidence for the prescriptive claims he was already making based on a host of other evidence.This is but one study among many different types and lines of research that are converging on the same conclusion. Yes you can take any study out of context and say it is flawed and biased. It is an imperfect puzzle piece, on its own does not tell us much. But fit it into the larger jigsaw puzzle and take a bird’s eye view of the entire landscape – randomized trials, cohort studies, ecological studies, case-control studies, in vivo and ex vivo animal studies, in vitro studies, expert opinion. There are multiple lines of research that satisfy most, if not all, of the gold standard Bradford-Hill criteria for causality here, with respect to plant-based diet and coronary risk. But people take one study, like the China Study, and criticize it to tear down the entire concept that plant-based nutrition is heart-healthy. When they do this, they are ignoring every other line of research, both converging and diverging. In virtually all evidence that I have seen, the data converge on one conclusion. In any field of medicine or public health, you are going to get some outliers and yes there are some negative studies too (for example, a subgroup analysis of a secondary endpoint of one single vegetarian study suggested higher rates of mortality for ONE type of cause of death among Oxford vegetarians). Do 20 analyses and 1 will be a false positive due to chance alone. I urge you to look at the entire, gestalt evidence landscape before concluding that this study should be taken with several large pounds of salt. Please.It would have been better to cite a well-designed meta-analysis to make the point here than to cite a single, poorly-designed study. The onus of proof resides with the good Dr. Why, then, weren’t his claims sufficiently grounded?Interesting discussion. There is no such thing as a meta-analysis which combines data from in vitro studies, animal studies, cohorts, case-control studies, ecological comparisons, randomized trials, etc. But there have been a lot of background briefing papers on this in the literature, e.g. by Ornish, Esselstyn, Pritikin, Barnard, MacDougall and their ilk. Most readers of this website are well aware of the background. Most videos are short enough to elaborate on a single or maybe two important scientific studies. He could have picked any of them…. information overload would mean picking all of them. And I for one would prefer that an original research paper be discussed than someone else’s synthesis/opinion piece. That way, we all learn. Most epidemiologists, nutritionists and public health physicians accept the diet-heart hypothesis because it has stood the test of time, meaning more than 65 years. A very small but vocal group despite it but have had no success in positing an alternative that is evidence-based and has led to treatment success (for example, the Atkins diet).Also you can follow the links on the “Doctor’s Note” to read other contributory evidence.And again, there will always be outliers. Science moves us closer to the truth – no one study is perfect though. We can certainly learn from outliers so long as their methodology is not the cause of the problem.“There is no such thing as a meta-analysis which combines data from in vitro studies, animal studies, cohorts, case-control studies, ecological comparisons, randomized trials, etc.”Nor was I expecting such a meta-analysis. However, a meta-analysis of similar studies from which results can be aggregated and analyzed for trends is a reasonable expectation.“Most epidemiologists, nutritionists and public health physicians accept the diet-heart hypothesis because it has stood the test of time, meaning more than 65 years.”Empirical claims are not justified by standing the “test of time”–and I suspect you didn’t literally mean that. Empirical claims must stand the test of scientific inquiry, sans any agenda. Even then, those claims are always epistemologically tentative, as that’s the nature of a posteriori assertions.Please don’t misinterpret my challenging this article’s cited study…Just image that you’re a Judge hearing evidence for a case before you w/o bringing in prior knowledge on the issue. The cited study–and accompanying, anecdotal information–simply doesn’t get the job done in favor of the plaintiff, unless one’s preaching to the choir. If the goal of this article is to get the word out about plant-based diets, why not put time into creating a high-quality publication? Doing so doesn’t mean “information overload,” but it does mean offering well-justified claims.Some of the language you use is a bit above my pay grade. However, I’ll humor you, since it’s nice to see a dissident voice and keeps the discussion lively. Yes I did mean that diet-heart has stood the test of time – 65 years – meaning all the scientific inquiries over those years, “survival of the fittest” [theory] if you will. And finally, this article was judged important enough to warrant re-republication after 60 years in the leading global epidemiology journal, plus an accompanying opinion piece by the [now]-96-year old author. Sure I’m using a “resort to authority” argument here, but I rely on journals all the time to do my work for me in terms of selecting appropriate peer-reviewed epidemiological data – I don’t have time to re-peer review each and every manuscript. This was published in the world’s leading medical journal 60 years ago (The Lancet), so in a sense, it’s been peer-reviewed twice (Lancet and Int. J. Epidemiol.).Do you want to get into other examples? Take, for instance, the migration studies on epidemiological transition. Asians who move to the West – such as the Japanese to Hawaii – get breast cancer, prostate cancer and heart disease rates that match their locale. Now you can’t make the argument that the genetic comparison (to those who stayed back) is confounded. What is the most common change in such people? They adopt the local fare, meaning diet. Similar things happen when people move from rural areas to the city – they adopt a meat-based, western diet. You might still say it’s exercise-related, or that they all start smoking, or industrial pollution, but again you have not looked at the full database of studies. Each study draws a quibble. Put them together and we call that science.“Asians who move to the West – such as the Japanese to Hawaii – get breast cancer, prostate cancer and heart disease rates that match their locale.”Interesting that you would mention this, as I was thinking of this, too, when crafting my last reply to you. This is certainly good evidence of the impact of diet on health. It can also be good evidence of the impact of a western lifestyle, in general, on health.Our western diet is generally very pro-inflammatory and terribly lacking in anti-inflammatory phyto-nutrients and omega-3s. It’s also *much more* sedentary than the Japanese.When I visited Japan a few years ago, I suddenly noticed that I was only seeing a very few overweight Japanese. It was absolutely stunning! This was while waiting to board a train–a part of most Japanese’s daily routine. Generally speaking, they get much more exercise each day than most in the west do in weeks.The Japanese typically consume good amounts of seafood–and some red meat–but this is usually accompanied by generous amounts of plants–including soy bean products. They also eat tons of rice–a high-GI food.I’m not the “dissident voice” you may think I am. My diet it primarily plant based; haven’t eaten red meat for almost 30 years, but have seafood now and then. Have also cut way back on dairy products. I go absolutely nuts for nuts!My only point here was to encourage well-founded claims by change agents, so little work is left for the readers/viewers.It’s evident that you have a good background in this area, so you bring that context into this reading. However, those who have no background in this diet issue who are also skeptics will leave as skeptics after viewing this poorly-done video.When I ate a diet rich in red meat, butter, eggs, fish, poultry and green leafy vegetables, my cholesterol and apoB soared to levels seen in familial hypercholesterolemia patients (who often succumb to complications of atherosclerosis in their 30’s and 40’s). This seems to be a constant theme on paleo and LCHF websites – people continuously experiencing the same effect, often written off as ‘bouyant LDL’ (I did a VAP too at the time, which suggested the LDL was not buoyant, despite major weight losses and insulin resensitization).I then went to a pesco-vegetarian diet with dairy – very similar to what you are eating. During this time I became a Buddhist and for ethical reasons, stopped eating either fish or dairy. While a difficult transition, I am happy to avoid the saturated fat and cholesterol in these products, even if, in moderation, they would not have harmed me. The literature does suggest that small differences in lipid concentrations, especially over long periods of follow-up and populations, do account for more cardiovascular events. This may not apply to a specific individual, who could have protective genes. Or it could apply, especially if that individual had other risk factors or say was a cholesterol hyper-absorber.The Japanese are interesting in that they have always had much higher rates of stroke than heart disease, and there have been a couple of explanations for that (including their sensitivity to dietary salt, the steepness of their BP-stroke risk gradient, and the relative predominance of hemorrhagic stroke vs. ischemic stroke in their cerebrovascular disease burden). However, as their diets have westernized, and come to resemble ours more and more, their has been a significant ‘catch-up’ in coronary artery disease to their (falling) stroke rates. In other words, CAD has not dropped as steeply as stroke has in their population. I call this the McDonaldization of their diet and certainly non-marine animal products are a major portion of this problem.But if you want to look at the impact of a western diet on population health, look no further than Mexico, our neighbor to the south (I am in Canada) – a country with the fastest-growing rate of type 2 diabetes in the world. The traditional Mexican diet – legume and maize-rich, largely agricultural/agrarian – has been replaced by fast food, junk food, processed food – sugar, salt, fat. Their consumption of meat during this time has skyrocketed – it’s not all about junk carbs. The result is a ticking time bomb for public health.I will view the video again but I really don’t think it was poorly done. It is simply impossible to cover all the epidemiological basics of diet-heart in a single less than 10 minute piece. The good doctor provides links to background information on the side. If your contention is that he could have picked a better study that was not confounded and prone to ecological fallacy, many other videos on this site look at well-designed prospective cohort studies. I, personally, also like videos and talks on historical epidemiological articles – it is fascinating to me that people were actively working on this 2-3 generations ago, and here we are, still arguing about their findings! Ansel Keys would probably be depressed by how infamous he has become.DH: I’ve enjoyed your posts. Thanks for participating on this site.:-) You’re most welcome! I’ve enjoyed yours too.For meta-analysis, one needs the skills of Stephanie Seneff, but not everybody can have her resume and her chutzpah. She looks unapologetically at population data, without worrying about having the old saw about correlation thrown at her.Others searching patterns of harm do this also. As she says, there are hints in the correlations that show patterns and trends.The fraud-apologists from Forbes (Entine) go after searchers who do this kind of work. Entine dissed Vandana Shiva, which probably hiked her speaking fees. He also dissed Tyrone Hayes, which for sure hiked his fees, especially after the New Yorker article about Syngenta’s dissing teams.Back to Seneff. She has the academic heft that efforts to marginalize her are entertaining and contribute to substantive discussion across boundaries.Seneff herself now hews to the Weston A. Price cohort, from what I gather on the net.I am thoroughly enjoying the discussion here. In mediation, one has to allow some dissing. It keeps things going, although sometimes the fire gets to hot, and caucuses are necessary. Discussing substance is hard work.Very well said DH.The other issue here is whether it is a fat problem or a reactive-protein problem? This can be tested. I do not know if anybody, other than NCNM, is doing this. NCNM is doing it.In addition, not carefully attending to B-12 issues can be a reason for heart attacks, even in vegans. Catching and correcting in time will reverse the damage. I believe the damage is from not from fat deposition, but from reactive protein. I do not have the study at hand, but I do not think it would be hard to find. Some cardiovascular issues can be seen with an eye exam. I know this because I am an eye model, sometimes, at the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM).The video was about the historical source of Mr. Pritikin’s inspiration. It explains that we’ve had solid evidence for this diet-disease connection for some 50 years but somehow we just don’t get it. Dr G’s point at the end is most relevant. The data is now in, the INFORMED choice is yours. May you live long and prosper.Hello Dr. Gregor, Have you ever commented on the italian immigrants who built the town of Roseto in Pennsylvania? it seems their lifestyle and not the food impacted their health in a very positive way. it would be interesting to hear your perspective on this interesting town.What is the life expectancy of the people in Uganda? What is the thing that kills them most?What do we make of Dr. Mark Hyman’s reporting of things–one being that 70% of people who have heart disease/go in for surgery (I believe that’s what he said) have “normal” cholesterol . . . that saturated fats like coconut oil are good, and even lean meats are fine to eat . . . the the “real” problem is our consumption of sugar? I’ve been eating a vegan diet for nearly 20 years, and I’m not planning on changing that–but as I pick up pre-med coursework and work with patients on their diets in an internship, I want to be sure I really understand what’s what.Of course you do. Bear in mind that these studies were measuring fasting lipids, which are not physiological, and not postprandial lipids, which are physiological. In other words, we normally don’t go fasting for 14 hours every day – we have multiple cholesterol and triglyceride spikes on the basis of food consumption. So measuring a fasting cholesterol is like only seeing the carrot rather than the snowman (Dr D. Spence’s analogy – http://www.researchgate.net/publication/10647774_Fasting_lipids_the_carrot_in_the_snowman). Anyone’s cholesterol can be “normal” if measured in a fasting state where nothing but water has been consumed for 14 hours. But the postprandial spikes from the chylomicronemia of omnivores far exceed those of vegans.“Normal” cholesterol levels (<200) as quantified by mainstream medicine are *not low enough* to successfully prevent heart disease based on epidemiological evidence. Among whole foods plant based physician advocates, you will always see a recommendation of <150, which *is low enough* to prevent disease based on epidemiological evidence. It is also known in mainstream cardiology that the only way to achieve <150 is through statins or a pure vegetarian/vegan diet.I am curious where these people in the study got their B12? I’m guessing they got their vitamin D from the sunshine and not a pill.They got it from the untreated water of course :) Microbes make B12. We kill them with chlorine. It’s a trade off. I’d rather take a B12 pill than get cholera and die of a bacterial infection.Dear Dr Greger, thanks for another great video… the more i follow this site, the more i want to know about nutrition… i’ll try to spread your message even in Italy… cancer and hearth disease are the two major causes of death even in my country…I wish it were so simple as to just follow the rules and all would be fine. But how come so many raw fooders who eat only a plant based diet have so many problems with teeth and erosion of enamel, etc. Did the Bantu eat any fruit?I don’t really see where your question is stemming from, since nowhere in this video or on this site, is a raw food/fruitarian diet promoted.Raw fooders/fruitarians – teeth problems (don’t know about this myself, taking your word for it)vsBantu whole food plant based (definitively *not* raw) eaters – perfect teeth.If you want the teeth (and the arteries) of the Bantu, “plantains and sweet potatoes, other vegetables, corn, millet, pumpkins, tomatoes and, green leafy vegetables”.I don’t see the conflict. Apologies if I’m misunderstanding your question.I may have misunderstood, but I thought the point was to eat a healthy plant-based diet to protect health and teeth. It seems that those who eat so many fruits and vegetables have concerns about enamel erosion, etc. When I became a vegan over 40 years ago, I ate predominantly raw fruits and vegetables, with some cooked potatoes and grains, etc. I encountered problems with enamel erosion. Admittedly, I was in law school at the time and focused on study and neglected to rinse after every mono-meal of fruit. But I hear many say that excessive fruit consumption leads to problems with teeth. Is this about the Bantu diet or plant based in general?Erosion is apparently a problem if you brush right after eating acidic foods that soften your enamel, addressed by Dr. Greger in another video. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/It’s confusing because google gives an article showing the Bantu diet: “Their food acquisition was primarily limited to agriculture and hunting, where generally the women were responsible for agriculture and the men drew for the hunt. Except with the Tsonga (and partially the Mpondo), fishing was surprisingly of little importance. The diet consisted of corn (introduced from South-East Asia), meat (mostly wild game and beef), vegetables; and milk, water and grain beer (which contained very little alcohol compared with European beer).”Also, it’s my understanding that fruit sugar feeds bacteria in the mouth that poops, and the bacterial poop is what demineralizes the teeth, causes erosion, and dental carries. So a diet of fruit could be more threatening.The best advice does seem to be rinsing right after a meal and brushing well after a pause of about 45 minutes.So we can either have bad breath for the hour after eating and brush then to minimize enamel erosion, or never brush and not get cavities. If I were living on my own, I would totally see what six months of not brushing would do while eating a while food plant based diet.What’s your opinion on fasting for 2 18-24 hours? Is it helpful? I heard it has health benefits. Is have to the studies though.I have always had cavities, even after 10 years of being vegetarian and then vegan, and after years on a plant based fully healthy diet (according to this website and other science scources). BUT I do clench my teeth in my sleep, I think that damages them and creates cavities.Hi Ann,clenching one’s teeth is quite often a symptome of low magnesium. Do you also have muscle cramps or Migraine sometimes? Make a test for your blood serum Magnesium, it should be >0,9 umol/l, optimum would be 1,0 umol/l.If too low, look out either for Magnesium citrate or for the Sango coral.Hi Markus! Thx for replying to me :)My magnesium is fine. I get a yearly bloodtest and everytime my magnesium is high. I dont have headaches or muscle cramps. I think I have a sleep disorder, since I often wake up tired, especially after I dreamed a lot. And I sleepwalk almost every night. Nothing major, usually I end up opening my curtains or something. But I feel it causes my quality of sleep to decrease. Maybe the clenching has something to do with it. Once I broke a back tooth that way. I am actually thinking about doing a sleep study in the hospital to see whats up.My magnesium was 2.2 , and the reference range here is: 1.6-2.6 mg/dLIs fasting for 18-24 hours healthy? I heard it has health benefits.Human trials are limited, but intermittent and alternate day fasting are intriguing calorie restriction mimetics. Systemic effects include better insulin sensitivity, higher HDL & adiponectin; lower triglycerides, IGF-1, & inflammatory cytokines, and in animal studies, increased autophagy, mitochondrial efficiency and reduction of reactive oxygen species. Its certainly not for everyone, but I’m considering trying it.The last fairly comprehensive review I found is somewhat dated, and focuses on alternate day fasting: 2007: Alternate-day fasting and chronic disease prevention: a review of human and animal trials These are worth a skim as well: 2006: Caloric restriction and intermittent fasting: two potential diets for successful brain aging 2010: The impact of religious fasting on human health 2013: Intermittent fasting: a dietary intervention for prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular disease?life expentency in uganda is 54 yearsi would love to know ‘who knows who’ …eeerrrrrr! “I’m like, wtf?!?” …then i read the tiny green writing… hope u r up and running soon!A Canadian study has challenged the use of corn and safflower oils as healthy substitutes for saturated animal fats, saying the oils may increase the risk of heart disease.In a paper published Monday in the Canadian Medical Assn. Journal, researchers concluded that polyunsaturated vegetable oils that were rich in omega-6 linoleic acid, but relatively poor in omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid, were not associated with beneficial effects on heart health.Specifically, authors said a review of recent research suggested that though omega-6 linoleic acid lowered serum cholesterol levels, it also seemed to increase the risk of coronary artery diseases.Study authors Richard Bazinet, a professor of nutrition at the University of Toronto, and Dr. Michael Chu, a heart surgeon at the London Cardiac Institute in Ontario, said it was unclear why the oils increased health risks. However, they said it might have to do with the chemical process known as oxidation.“The detrimental effects of linoleic acid were seen in participants who were smokers and those who consumed alcohol, people likely to be under increased oxidative stress,” the authors wrote.In Canada, corn and safflower oil are used in foods such as mayonnaise, creamy dressings, margarine and chips.The federal Food Directorate allows the food industry to label products with corn and safflower oil as healthy replacements for saturated fats. Study authors are now asking the government to reconsider its labeling eligibility.The authors note that canola oil and soybean oil, which are consumed to a far greater degree, are associated with health benefits. Those vegetable oils contain more omega-3 alpha-linoleic acids, which lower cholesterol and lower the risk of coronary artery disease.http://www.latimes.comI find it interesting that Dr. Greger correlates sugar/cavities to saturated fat/cholesterol. While it is true that the Ugandans ate a low fat plant based diet, they also ate a low refined sugar diet. Humans have been eating foods high in saturated fats for thousands of years, yet refined sugars have entered our diets in only the past several hundreds of years, and even then only the rich had access to abundance amounts of sugars until the 20th century.As Dr. Lustig would say, it ain’t the fat people, its our over consumption of refined fructose for the heart disease epidemic that has plagued western society for the past hundred years.	Africa,animal fat,animal products,candy,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cavities,cholesterol,corn,dental health,exercise,fat,fruit,greens,heart disease,heart health,junk food,LDL cholesterol,Lifestyle medicine,medical profession,medications,millet,mortality,mouthwash,oral health,plant protein,plant-based diets,plantains,Pritikin,protein,pumpkin,saturated fat,surgery,sweet potatoes,tomatoes,trans fats,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetables,vegetarians	Coronary heart disease, our #1 cause of death, was found to be almost non-existent in a population eating a diet centered around whole plant foods.	Who is Nathan Pritkin you ask? I briefly intro him in Engineering a Cure and talk about the impact he personally had on my family in Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped and The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle.Dr. William Clifford Roberts is the distinguished cardiac pathologist who doubles as the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Cardiology that I quoted. More from him in Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death and Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet.More on lowering LDL in Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero.What about the rates of other diseases among those eating traditional plant-based diets? That’s the topic of the next video, One in a Thousand: Ending the Heart Disease Epidemic.This is among the most powerful material I’ve ever come across. I hope you’ll share it with your circles and consider donating to the 501c3 nonprofit that keeps this website alive so I can keep digging!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plantains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/millet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6283683,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22212999,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2479700/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2006199,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1406058/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1787805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23045197,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1998476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8450092,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1072556/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2501914/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=23045196,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13838030,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23045195,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2378204/?page=1,
PLAIN-2673	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/	Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development	Just because fish-eating mothers may give birth to children with smaller brains, doesn’t necessarily mean their children will grow up with neurological defects, but using real-time functional MRI scans you can actually see the difference in brain activation in teens whose moms ate a lot of seafood when pregnant. This is what a normal brain looks like when you flash a light in someone's eyes, but this is what you see in the mercury and PCB exposed groups, suggesting toxicant related damage to the visual centers in the brain. Fish consumption may also increase the risk of our children being born with epilepsy.Does maternal fish consumption have an effect on how smart our kids turn out? Well, look, the DHA in fish, that long chain omega 3 fatty acid, is good for brain development, but of course mercury is bad for brain development. So what these researchers did was look at 33 different fish species to see what the net effect of these compounds would have on children's IQ. And for most fish species they found that the adverse effect of mercury on the IQ scores of children exceeded the beneficial effects of DHA. So much lost brainpower from fish consumption that our country may actually lose $5 billion in economic productivity every year.For example, our most popular fish—tuna. If pregnant women ate tuna every day the DHA in the fish would add a few IQ points. But the mercury in that very same tuna would cause so much brain damage that the overall effect of eating tuna while pregnant would be negative, wiping out an average of 8 IQ points. In fact the only two more brain damaging fish were pike and swordfish.At the other end of the spectrum, the brain boosting effect of DHA may trump the brain damaging effects of mercury in salmon by a little less than 1 IQ point. Unfortunately, IQ just takes into affect the cognitive damage caused mercury, not the adverse effects on motor function and attention and behavior deficits. We think that attention span may be particularly vulnerable to developmental mercury exposure, probably due to damage to the frontal lobes of the brain.And the IQ study didn't take into account the relatively high levels of PCBs in salmon and the accompanying concerns about cancer risk. Adding sustainability concerns adds another wrinkle, as farm-raised salmon are considered a "fish to avoid." Whereas king mackerel is considered a best choice for sustainability, the mercury levels are so high as to warrant avoiding consumption—exceeding both the FDA and EPA action levels for mercury contamination. The way I look at it is why accept any loss in intelligence at all when pregnant women can get all the DHA they want from microalgae supplements without any of the contaminants. Get the brain boost without the brain damage.	Does the science really show clearly and conclusively that vegans need to take a DHA supplement?Or is ALA good enough from flax, while also limiting omega-6 from diet?Yes! See http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Should-vegans-and-vegetarians-take-supplements-of-EPA-and-DHA-omega-3sThe article you cite doesn’t support your unqualified “Yes!”.There is evidence, not sure what you are looking for. Here is some more:“A UK research group, led by Dr Ailsa Welch at the University of East Anglia, estimated dietary intakes and blood levels of ALA, EPA and DHA among 4,902 fish-eaters and non-fish-eating meat-eaters, vegetarians or vegans. Surprisingly, despite the significantly lower intakes of EPA and DHA among non-fish-eaters, their blood levels ofEPA and DHA were much more similar to those of regular fish eaters. The researchers estimated the conversion of ALA into EPA and DHA by calculating the ratio of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids to plant-derived dietary ALA. This ratio was significantly greater in all the non-fish-eating groups than in the fish eaters, suggesting that in non-fish-eaters the body may compensate for the lack of EPA and DHA by boosting its conversion of ALA from plant foods.”If this is the study I am thinking of – EPIC-Norfolk – the data are based on very few vegans, a questionnaire that defined veganism on the basis of one week of food intake, and there was a huge range in numbers. Jack Norris actually critiques this paper in detail here: http://veganhealth.org/articles/omega3#n3intake“The general trend is that lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans have lower levels of EPA and DHA in their blood. One exception is the 5 vegan women in the 2010 UK study who had, on average, higher DHA levels than even the fish-eaters. This is probably an anomaly for a few reasons. First, “vegan” was simply defined as someone who did not list eating animal products in their 7-day diet diaries. These vegans might have only been vegan for one week. Second, there were only 5 vegan women in the study making the finding unlikely to be statistically significant. Third, the standard deviation for the DHA levels of the vegan women was very high at 211 µmol/l. That means that one or two of the vegan women had very high levels of DHA but some had very low levels.That is a fabulous question and one I have been deliberating on and researching many months. I think the best answer is “we don’t know”. Any other answer, ultimately, is dishonest and it comes down to a matter of balancing values and preferences for each individual. Vegans make DHA in very small amounts, far less than what regular marine fish consumers get from their diets. And there is a lot of evidence correlating DHA intake, and achieved DHA levels, with various positive health outcomes. However, none of it is randomized, and none of it is in vegans. Evolutionarily, there is some evidence that our early hominid ancestors had broad access to DHA-rich food sources in the Rift valley; and in brain structures, the majority of EFA is DHA. Some scientists have made the argument that access to DHA is what caused our divergence from other, non-human primates in terms of frontal cortex size. But this remains an argument. They weren’t actually there at the time to study this phenomenon. The question I struggle with personally is: “Can all the benefits of eating oily marine fish be distilled to a single molecule – DHA”? I think the answer is likely to be no, but if some of the benefits (without the risk of contaminants) do translate to consumption of just DHA in ‘vegan’ supplements, then it would be worthwhile to consume DHA. But we really don’t know. Fish contain millions of molecules, not just DHA (and EPA). While blood levels of DHA in observational studies remain a health predictor based partly on confounding by healthy lifestyle habits in fish consumers (viz. Mozaffarian’s studies), I am not going to take chances with my neural health and potentially cause dementia by shooting my DHA levels down to undetectable levels. On the other hand, taking DHA as an isolated micronutrient could conceivably cause harm, as the SU.FOL.OM3 study suggested in women consuming a combined DHA/EPA supplement (increased cancer risk, but in a subgroup analysis). So I respect people who have either opinion on this issue – for or against – and I believe there is no definitive answer to whether DHA is truly a ‘vitamin’ (essential for bodily function). It is up the individual’s values and preferences in weighing all of this, at times contradictory, evidence.When in doubt, do a meta-analysis (31 trials, 100,000 patients). The effect of EPA+DHA supplementation on risk of cardiovascular events is strong (36% reduction), while the effect on overall mortality is modest (5% reduction, and non-significant). Most interesting, there was no further benefit after the first 200 mg EPA+DHA.This is truly a moving target though. There’s been a number of negative trials published since that meta-analysis was published, and it appears to conflate observational with randomized studies (I admit that I only read the abstract). A much more recent meta-analysis by Mozaffarian et al in The Lancet found that randomized trials in aggregate found no benefit in terms of cardiovascular risk – and this meta-analysis did not even include the latest neutral trial, the Risk and Prevention Study.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673613612994“When the analysis was restricted to RCTs, the effect was 0·95 (95% CI 0·87–1·05) per 100 mg/day EPA+DHA.”It seems like none of the studies look at the merits of a vegan diet rich in omega 3 greens, nuts, and seeds, and if an abundance of these foods on a daily basis would provide the same reduction rates as the EPA + DHA supplementation. Do you know if there are studies that have looked at this?These are good thoughts. It is possible that the observed positive effects of DHA/EPA supplementation may arise from improvements to the large number of sufferers of chronic inflammation, especially those who follow a pro-inflammatory diet. It would be useful to learn more about how these supplements affect those on an anti-inflammatory diet.To date, the important vegan diet intervention trials like those of Ornish and Esselstyn looked at disease markers rather than outcomes or mortality, so they’re not quite comparable. Adventist 2 is perhaps the first prospective study large enough to compare vegan with other diets with respect to disease outcomes (mortality), and do note the Adventist omnivores that serve as the reference are among the world’s healthiest.As for ω-3 from plants, there is a 2012 meta-analysis of ALA studies, all of which have used prospective cohorts rather than RCTs. Among the 15 studies measuring ALA intake using dietary questionaires, there was a significant 10% reduction in CVD events, and significant 20% reduction in CVD mortality. However, the ones that use biomarkers for ALA intake found a non-significant 20% risk reduction trend, but no effect on mortality. It seems likely there’s an positive effect, but both effect size and strength of evidence are smaller than with EPA+DHA.Esselstyn’s about ready to publish a long term follow up with some remarkable results. Caution needs to be used when viewing meta-analytic studies. They are becoming popular because they are relatively inexpensive. You have to be careful and see what criteria were used to exclude studies and remember that any statistical flaws in the studies used are brought along with them when the studies are rolled together. At this point I would avoid fish and fish oil and for my patients that I think might benefit from algae based sources.I’m enjoying the great discussions on here. I’m hoping i can find an inexpensive vegan source of DHA/EPA.I’m mostly interested in neurological aspects right now, and would like to share some of the more interesting studies I have found. These are not vegan specific mind you…http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23391975 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23395782 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23746276AbstractThe increasing life expectancy in the populations of rich countries raises the pressing question of how the elderly can maintain their cognitive function. Cognitive decline is characterised by the loss of short-term memory due to a progressive impairment of the underlying brain cell processes. Age-related brain damage has many causes, some of which may be influenced by diet. An optimal diet may therefore be a practical way of delaying the onset of age-related cognitive decline. Nutritional investigations indicate that the ω-3 poyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of western diets is too low to provide the brain with an optimal supply of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the main ω-3 PUFA in cell membranes. Insufficient brain DHA has been associated with memory impairment, emotional disturbances and altered brain processes in rodents. Human studies suggest that an adequate dietary intake of ω-3 PUFA can slow the age-related cognitive decline and may also protect against the risk of senile dementia. However, despite the many studies in this domain, the beneficial impact of ω-3 PUFA on brain function has only recently been linked to specific mechanisms. This review examines the hypothesis that an optimal brain DHA status, conferred by an adequate ω-3 PUFA intake, limits age-related brain damage by optimizing endogenous brain repair mechanisms. Our analysis of the abundant literature indicates that an adequate amount of DHA in the brain may limit the impact of stress, an important age-aggravating factor, and influences the neuronal and astroglial functions that govern and protect synaptic transmission. This transmission, particularly glutamatergic neurotransmission in the hippocampus, underlies memory formation. The brain DHA status also influences neurogenesis, nested in the hippocampus, which helps maintain cognitive function throughout life. Although there are still gaps in our knowledge of the way ω-3 PUFA act, the mechanistic studies reviewed here indicate that ω-3 PUFA may be a promising tool for preventing age-related brain deterioration.Dr. Greger, what is your position on DHA supplements in elderly? For example, in your opinion, can a vegan over 65 years of age, obtain all the DHA and EPA he/she needs from flax seeds and greens only, or is a DHA supplement needed? Obviously I’m referring to vegan people who can’t be tested for blood DHA and EPA levels. Unfortunately, in many countries, these expensive tests are not available.That’s my current recommendation. I am working on updating my omega-3 recommendations, though, as they were made back in 2011 and there have been about 4,000 studies published since…Thank you so much! ;)I currently supplement with an EPA-DHA algal oil combination by Deva. However, there is a much cheaper variety of another brand at a local store that is only DHA. I understand that DHA supplies brain benefits, and can be converted to EPA for heart benefits, but is there a significant difference in effectiveness?(I do consume hemp protein, ground flax, soy and occasionally chia mixed with water or fruit juice, as well)Also, with regard to related heart health, I just got blood work done with the following cholesterol readings:LDL = 52 HDL = 65 TG = 43Now, I know you said in the past that there is no such thing as too low, but that number really stunned me. Even if its super cardio-protective, could it be an indication of some other health issue? (like how cancer lowers cholesterol, though my HDL is pretty good so I don’t think that could be a possibility?) Could it be the algal oil?My background: I’m a 24 year old male caucasian lacto-ovo vegetarian (vegan on most days depending on what’s available). I am slightly underweight at 135 and 6’0″ and largely sedentary with a loaded schedule of college, work and very little sleep. I do drink alcohol, as well. 1-2 beers a day — craft beer only for health and taste interests (typically never more than 3-4). Vitamin D3, B12, calcium and iron tested good. Folate kind of high (23.5 ng/mL) I do eat candy or protein bars 2-4 times a week when I’m too busy for a meal and pizza 1-2 a week (nearly a full large sorrento in one night). So, I am confused with the results. My family has “normal” to high cholesterol almost across the board, but are all omnivores.EPA is an intermediate in algal DHA synthesis, and the major supplier of refined algal oil produces a product with a EPA:DHA ratio that appears to range from 1.6 to 2. The EPA might not be mentioned on the label, and the DHA amount might also be considerably higher than listed (the label indicating a minimum amount).“I understand that DHA supplies brain benefits, and can be converted to EPA for heart benefits, but is there a significant difference in effectiveness?”You can make EPA from ALA but you can only make trivial amounts of DHA from ALA.“Even if its super cardio-protective, could it be an indication of some other health issue?”Unlikely in a 24 year old male“Could it be the algal oil?”If anything one would expect to see rising levels of LDL with long-chain fatty acid supplementation, rather than a hypocholesterolemic effect.All vegan DHA supplements contain added vitamin E, and you have a video alerting people not to take vitamin E, and other popular vegan doctors have done the same…..yet you are taking a vegan DHA supplement that contains added vitamin E (unless you have found one without E. Last I checked, there aren’t any on the market without E.)Please explain this contradiction as it is confusing a lot of vegans out there.Due to “adverse climatic conditions”, there’s a current fish oil / meal supply crisis as fish oil supplies fell 27% and fish meal by 34% in 2012. This likely further reduces the EPA+DHA content of farmed salmon, which has already fallen by two-thirds from 2000 to 2012.You can get DHA & EFA without resorting to marine sources. Supplements Like YES EFA take mercury out of the equation and let your body make the DHA it needs.In addition to the 23 scientific studies indicating that a baby’s BRAIN HEALTH will not be harmed by a mother who eats plenty of fish, which I posted under Dr. Greger’s previous video, here are 13 more scientific studies which indicate that if a mother eats plenty of fish, her baby’s OVERALL HEALTH will be substantially better compared to a mother who didn’t eat any fish: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24265794 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24094480 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22449171 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23963690 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21199856 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22006485 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21535434 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11395920 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21534748 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400711 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18403927 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15716794 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12509593Fyi, I can’t see your comment on the previous videoIn the list here, I see three possibly meaningful studies regarding infantile wheeze, weight, and asthma.The rest don’t really convince me that eating fish per se is beneficial, rather that having good n-3 levels is beneficial:studies showing n-3 supplementation is better than n-6 supplementation (4 studies); n-3 supplementation is better than a placebo (1 study); two reviews looking at why n-3s are important overall and one looking at n-3 vs n-6; one study showing higher n-3 levels are better than higher n-6 levels; and confusingly, one study showing meat intake related to higher rates of rhinoconjunctivitis.The benefits of good n-3 levels are clear and not in dispute. But personally, there’s still no way I would introduce the carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, heavy metals, etc to my already ala-rich/low n-6 diet (avg about 300-400% rda, with ~2:1 n6:n3 ratio), *especially* with a developing fetus involved. When pregnant and breastfeeding, I would choose algae-derived n-3. Effects from carcinogens may not be visible for decades following exposure, and several bioaccumulated environmental toxins have been shown to have trans-generational epigenetic effects. Why anyone who’s been educated on the risks would advocate for fish over algae is baffling to me.to add, those studies you posted were on omega 3 supplementation, not on pregnant women who ate fish.I recently became a vegetarian I have a question for you does Marshmallow have any pork or fish in them at all ? this is every important to me thank you so much for your help .It has gelatin, which is an animal slaughter by product.Animal-derived gelatin is made from skin, bones, and connective tissue. You can purchase vegan marshmallows online (amazon has them), or you can also make your own – I saw this recipe just recently and people seem to give it good reviews:http://www.veggieboards.com/t/12910/marshmallow-fluff-in-the-jarScroll to about halfway down the page to see it. Keep in mind, these are vegan but NOT healthy!I want to add, you can make a very unhealthy Vegan diet, in otherwords as the saying goes ‘don’t throw out the baby with the wash’. A good Vegan plant-based diet would focus more on whole foods and less on processed foods, stay on the outside isle at the grocery store, avoid the middle ones :) . Although I have to say, it took alot of the ‘transition’ foods to help me move away from an almost 100% meat diet 25 yrs ago. My total cholesterol was over 400 at 30 yrs old, now its 141, but there was a time I was considered a ‘Fat Vegan’, it is so easy to do, there are lots of fat and unhealthy Vegan foods waiting for your buying dollar, so word to the wise, if you ‘need’ to dip into the processed bad foods for a while to help you ‘pass over’, do it, but do it over a short time. Find vegan whole foods that you enjoy, learn how to spice food to where it tastes so good you look back at the flesh-eating years and wonder what was clogged in your brains cells for so long!!! hehepunky: Congrats on becoming a vegetarian.Daniel and b00mers replies were both great. Here’s the third piece to know – how to get vegan commercial marshmallows for those times when you have an urgent marshmallow need and don’t want to make your own.I recently got to try the brand Dandies. I LOVED them. The Dandies were just like I remember marshmallow’s tasting. Below is a link if you are interested. Of course, as b00mer points out, they aren’t healthy. But at least they are ethical and no-worse health-wise than a standard marshmallow. And as an occasional treat, they are just fine.http://www.amazon.com/Dandies-Original-Vanilla-Marshmallows-10/dp/B003L7DFQA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385658913&sr=8-1&keywords=dandies+marshmallowsthank you for your help .Each day for breakfast I eat a ton of raw veggies and on the side I make a smoothie mixed with following items: -1/4 cup frozen blueberries -1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk -4-5 heaping tablespoons of nuts & seeds (mix of almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds) -2 brazil nuts (selenium!) -2 tbsp. of wheat bran -1 tbsp. of wheat germ -1 tbsp. of hempseed -2 tbsp. of flaxseed (whole) -1 tbsp. of raw cacao nibsDoes anyone think this contains too much fat? If so, what substitute would you recommend for all the nuts and seeds?(A small modification I am going to make is to change from raw nibs to cacao powder, but this won’t drop the fat all that much – perhaps by 1-1.5 g only)THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!Simply have your doctor run a Lipid profile (cholesterol) and see how you are doing, I would go ahead and ask him to check your Omega 3 too as it will have the EPA and DHA breakdown. Having lab run is very easy and will help support your good choices. If you haven’t gained weight I would also assume your dietary intake of whole plant food fats has not exceeded your body’s needs. Remember, we do need fats, and the best way is to get them in whole foods as you are doing. Remember there are always those out in there wanting to knock down healthy plant-based eating over their own S.A.D. choices.Marcella, thanks for your comments. I agree we need fats. I just am not sure that a lot of nuts and seeds qualifies as whole plant food fats, if taken to excess. I like your comments.I know some are very contaminated, but are there some fish oil based DHA supplements that are not too contaminated to take? I have not found the algae based DHA and the fish oil based supplements are quite inexpensive at Costco. Similarly, can we find safe organic Triphala that does not contain pesticides or heavy metals?From Dr. Gregers video: “Is Distilled Fish Oil Toxin- Free?” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/“[researchers] found the same PCBs and insecticides, even in the supposedly “PBC-free” fish oil. And the exact same levels of other industrial pollutants. The bottom-line: ‘This suggests that the commercial molecular distillation treatment used for removal of toxic contaminants is only effective for some of the contaminants.’ So, they conclude, that you have to balance the trade-off between risks and benefits, especially given how ineffective current fish oil treatments are at removing some of these contaminants.”As you said, the algae-based DHA are pricey, and I also have concerns about stability and shelf life when it comes to any n-3 supplements. For the time being, I feel comfortable with my wfpb diet with leafy greens, chia, and flax. I will revisit this of course in the future when I am considering pregnancy. Darryl has mentioned prices of algae-based supplements possibly decreasing in the (near?) future due to expiring patent issues and more competition.You make a good point about stability and shelf life. This is one reason that DHA vegan tabs are loaded with antioxidants like rosemary extract and the like. I don’t refrigerate mine but probably should. From my reading of every vegan DHA status paper I could get my hands on, as well as talking to Jack Norris about this issue repeatedly, I’ve come to believe that without supplementation it is impossible to achieve normal DHA status on a plant-based diet, no matter how much ALA one consumes. However, the question is whether DHA status is important or is it just a marker of a healthy lifestyle (as seen in people who tend to eat fish – they are typically healthier in other respects, so confounding by healthy user bias). I don’t know the answer but in my own case, after an interregnum, I decided to resume DHA as a “just in case” measure. The biological plausibility that DHA is important for adult nervous system health is pretty compelling.Oh, and regarding triphala/amla: I have purchased both triphala and amla from Banyan Botanicals. They have a page specifically about quality control in regards to heavy metal testing, microbial testing, and identification. I got a half pound of organic powdered amla and triphala each for $9.99. I like to add just a pinch to my oatmeal. They also require sustainable farming practices from their sources and do not sell several Ayurvedic botanicals that are endangered.http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/quality-control.htmlWe put about a tsp. of amla or (for my more taste-tender tongue) triphala, in our daily green smoothies. Bansi Brand triphala distributed by deepfoods.com (N.J.) $1.99 for 7oz. in a San Rafael, Calif. Indian grocery/restaurant. My partner, Kevin researched it, looking for a lead, etc. – free brand. Thank you for the Banyan Botianicals lead, B00mer! We will look again.Question: I have taken your advise on giving up fish in favor of vegan DHA. Now, on one hand i’m told the best source of DHA is fresh, cold pressed, refrigerated oil (e.g.flaxseed oil). On the other hand, i’m told recent study shows ALL oils are bad (for cardiovascular reasons). So my question is; should I still use the “higher quality” liquid oil, or go for the DHA powder capsules???Thanks for the GREAT content. This is real public service!“So my question is; should I still use the “higher quality” liquid oil, or go for the DHA powder capsules???”Alon, I have never seen vegan DHA in any form other than either a container of liquid (like an elixir) or in a liquid gel-cap (I myself take the latter). That is because at room temperature DHA has the properties of an oil and is fluid. If you have found DHA in powderized form, it is likely significantly denatured.And you cannot make sufficient quantities of DHA from high-quality flaxseed oil, unless you have bought a mix (like Udo’s oil) that contains both flaxseed oil (which is ALA) and DHA. While vegans do have more ability to convert ALA to EPA than non-vegans, all of the data that I have ever seen suggests that transformation to DHA is extremely limited (at best 15%, and probably lower), and thus vegans who do not consume DHA (either from diet or supplements) end up with very low levels of DHA.I re-watched the video. I assumed all those containers shown contained powder (minute 3:15), but the visible ones are indeed gel capsules. Thanks for the correction.So since it is liquid oil in capsules. How do you weigh the benefit from it versus the damage from consuming oils in general?Hmm. Good question. Not all oils are bad. Good oils are omega-3 (ALA, EPA, DHA). Bad oils include omega-6’s in large quantities (found in many vegetable seed oils), and saturated fats and trans fats. A relatively benign oil is monounsaturated fat – but all oils are high in calories. The nice thing about the omega-3’s like DHA is that you really do not need a lot of it to have benefit. We are talking about fractions of a gram here (less than the weight of a paper clip). It is micronutrient dosing, typically in milligrams rather than gram quantities. I would not blanket avoid an oil unless I knew what it was. So yes, coconut oil is bad for you, as is lard, sewet and butter. On the other hand, DHA, EPA and ALA are not bad for you – they are quite healthy.Caldwell Esselstyn (who seems to have great reputation) got me paranoid about oils: please tell me what u think after watching this…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_o4YBQPKtQAlon, if you go back to the original Rudell studies that Ess is talking about, the monkeys assigned to the polyunsaturated fat diets did best, whereas those on the MUFA and SFA diets did the worst. In addition, I believe Ess has long recommended omega-3 fatty acid supplements to his patients. Again we are not talking about fats in macronutritient amounts, but rather in micronutritient amounts, and we are referring only to the ‘good fats’ like omega-3’s, which are also labelled as “Essential Fatty Acids”, solely because they cannot be manufactured by the human body. The Essential Fatty Acids include omega-6 linoleic acid (in small amounts), omega-3 alpha-linonlenic acid (ALA – a plant-derived fat), omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and omega-3 docosahaexanoic acid (DHA). When Ess refers to ‘oil’ in his video, he is largely talked about cooking oils, especially olive oil, which is a source of empty calories and contains substantial amounts of the MUFA that accelerated atherosclerosis in the 5-year Rudell studies.When you take any speech out of context in a 4-minute snapshot like that, you are going to miss the broader picture.Thanks for clarifying this.DHA and EPA are not essential.interesting as usual :-) .. I wonder though, what do you think about this article that claim that what because the Selanium:MeHg ratio is more important then the MeHg alone: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20561558 I know that the fish industry and compenies like starkist quoting this guy and claiming that their tuna is with good ratio…Why risk it?Hemp oil is better! http://www.ratical.org/renewables/TherapHoil.htmlWhat about BMAA from cyanobacteria in Algae?Question #1: Are vegan DHA supplements safe? Aren’t they also contaminated with pollutants or other toxic elements? Question #2: If we consume seaweeds like Nulse, Arame, Nori, Laver, do we get DHA/EPA?Sebastian: Concerning your question #1: I could be wrong, but it is my understanding that vegan DHA supplements are based off of algae that is grown in special sanitary vats under controlled conditions. In other words, they are not harvesting the algae from the sea. So, unless the company is using dirty water, the vegan DHA supplements would be very clean/safe.I can’t swear to that, but I remember reading it a couple places when I did research some time ago. You could always ask a specific company if you were interested in a particular brand.I don’t know the answer to #2.Thanks.1985 – birth of fish oil hypothesis: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198505093121902 1995 – death of oil hypothesis: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199504133321501What is your opinion on Wild Alaskan Salmon (mostly Sockeye) and Pacific Sardines, both of which are on Monterey’s safest seafood list? These are my only exceptions to a vegan diet. What about for my baby granddaughter?Mainely Vegan: Regardless of where fish spend their formative years, their flesh still has a lot of saturated fat (at least 15% I believe), and their flesh is still animal protein. If you are interested, you might want to check out the series on IGF-1 on this site which shows how cancer growth is linked to animal protein consumption. Also, it’s my understanding that even the most remotely raised fish are showing signs of contamination. So, while some seafood may be safer compared to other seafood (ie, on someone’s “safest” list), that doesn’t mean it is actually a good idea to eat it…For me: I can’t think of any reason for anyone to eat fish – but most especially for a baby/young person. Why give them a taste for something that is not only bad for them long term, but is contributing to destroying the ocean – something a child will care about greatly in the decades to come?Having said that, I would think that if salmon were a very small part of a person’s diet (1 percent of calories??), it wouldn’t hurt an adult health-wise at this point in time.I’m not an expert. I’m just sharing my 2 cents. Good luck to you and your granddaughter.Can epilepsy be treated through diet? I have started having seizures and am wondering if there are any alternatives to meds that are effective. MRI, CT scan and EEGs have been unable to discover anything wrong with me.You’be talked a lot about mercury in fish, but I’m curious about mercury in seaweed and other plants in the ocean. You’ve discussed seaweed’s health benefits for preventing breast cancer, but how much mercury is in it and how often should you eat it? Or should you even eat seaweed at all if you are pregnant?What about the mercury exposure to infants/kids in vaccines?Liamvogel this video and discussion should help with your question. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/Hi. LOVE your site! Question: Following the prevailing wisdom of times past, we used to eat a lot of fish. And we now know that in the future we can get DHA by switching over to non-contaminated sources (like flax, or molecularly-distilled DHA supplements). But what can be done to undo the heavy metals (mercury, lead or cadmium) that we may have already consumed? I understand that the problem with heavy metals is that they are relatively non-reactive, so it is difficult for our bodies to excrete them. Are there any foods or supplements that can help us to detox our bodies (perhaps by chelating the heavy metals)?Great question. A plant-based diet is a great start and avoiding sources of contamination in the first place is best. I don’t recommended supplements except B12 and maybe vitamin D, but nothing specific other than eating a wide variety of antioxidants from food.Forgot this blog! How to Reduce Exposure to Alkylphenols Through Your Diet. Make sure to click on related links. This should really help answer your questions let me know if it doesn’t. Thanks, Heavy-Metal.	adolescence,algae,attention deficit,birth defects,brain health,children,cognition,DHA,EPA,epilepsy,FDA,fish,heavy metals,infants,mackerel,mental health,mercury,omega-3 fatty acids,persistent organic pollutants,pregnancy,salmon,seafood,supplements,sustainability,swordfish,tuna,vision,women's health	Risk/benefit analysis of 33 fish species contrasts the brain boosting effects of DHA with the brain damaging effects of mercury to determine the net effect on intelligence (IQ).	What was that about smaller brains? See my last video, Fish Intake Associated With Brain Shrinkage. More on the effect on teens in my video Nerves of Mercury.More on PCBs in:The “package deal” concept is a recurring one (see, for example, New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found). Yes, dairy products are the #1 source of calcium in the U.S., but they’re also the #1 source of saturated fat. Thankfully there’s a way to get calcium without all this baggage and the same with DHA (and iron, and protein, and…).It is a rare circumstance where I recommend supplements, but there is at least one (vitamin B12) that is critical for those eating plant-based diets. My latest summary of recommendations can be found here.For more context check out my blog: Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/swordfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sustainability/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epilepsy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/attention-deficit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mackerel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22275730,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22293416,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6763633,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21195558,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21967782,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/739273,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17450232,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21364465,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22442397,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22534056,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17065718,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22079313,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21543421,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22453298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16905002,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18590765,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13588955,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11700268,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21257163,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21545807,
PLAIN-2674	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/	Fish Intake Associated With Brain Shrinkage	All fish contain small amounts of methylmercury, the most toxic form of mercury, and fish consumption represents the main source. We’ve seen that mercury exposure through fish consumption, even within the government’s safety limits, can have adverse neurological and behavioral effects on child development. Severe exposure can cause overt structural brain abnormalities like microcephaly, which is a shrunken brain disorder. But we didn't know whether low exposure could also affect brain size until this new study.Autopsy studies suggest mercury preferentially affects the developing cerebellum, and so researchers used ultrasound to measure its size in newborns of mothers who had high body levels of mercury compared to a control group of women who had low levels. Let’s put that into practical terms.Compared to the low level control group… here’s where the high-level mercury women were. How much canned tuna consumption is that equivalent to? Here’s what your bodily mercury burden is if you eat one serving of canned tuna a day, about half a can. Here’s what two cans a week will do to you, and this is just one can a week. So the bodies of the women suffering high mercury contamination in the ultrasound brain study were considered heavily contaminated, but even just a little canned tuna once in a while could bump your levels even higher. So the high really wasn't that high, but what did they find?They demonstrated that newborns born to mothers with higher hair mercury levels had cerebellums up to 14% shorter than those born to mothers with lower hair mercury levels. They conclude that prenatal exposure to what may be considered low-levels of methyl-mercury does indeed influence fetal brain development as detected by decreased size of a newborn’s brain.	It should be added by law on every canned tuna that “tuna consumption can shrink the brain of your child”. And if this industry “will suffer important economic loss”, and so WHAT ? The greater good for all.No, such a notice shouldn’t be affixed to canned tuna–unless the effects of fish consumption upon fetal brain development are also seen in children who consume fish.unborn child, or fetus to be more precise indeed.Today’s title is somewhat misleading: 1) mercury ingestion not fish et.al has a material developmental effect. Canned Tuna being a known high mercury candidate. 2) The mercury ingestion evidently impedes fetus developmental brain size, NOT shrinking brain size.Fish is the prime cause of mercury ingestion. I don’t know what is worst. If your brain shrink or if it does not develop, I don’t see the fundamental difference. Results are scary in either way.according to the WHO (1991 & 2003) dental mercury fillings are the largest exposure to mercury in the population (who have them) – 120 million peopleInteresting, can you source that info ? According to Dr Greger: One canned tuna a week is like having 29 amalgan in your mouth.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/I’m not surprised that dental fillings can be the largest exposure to mercury when you don’t consume fish. But when you consume fish regularly, it’s a no brainer.Hi AdrienHere is the link to WHO 2003, where they state “Dental amalgam constitutes a potentially significant source of exposure to elemental mercury, with estimates of daily intake from amalgam restorations ranging from 1 to 27 µg/day, the majority of dental amalgam holders being exposed to less than 5 µg mercury/day.”http://www.who.int/ipcs/publications/cicad/en/cicad50.pdfBut a more recent Risk Assessment was done in 2010 utilizing the CDC’s NHANES dataset. It found that if using the EPA’s 20 year olf RfC (mercury safe limit) then 60+ million were over the safe level everyday just from 1 filling. But if the more recent Cal-EPA RfC was used (revised in 2008 to 10x lower) then all 120 + million are over the daily safe allowable dose.you can watch a video with the author of the study, Mark Richardson herehttp://www.mercuryexposure.info/science/risk-assessment/item/452-amalgam-risk-assessmentThis is the researcher Dr. Greger quotes in his Tuna Vs Amalgam article, which I did not agree with his conclusion. So I had Mark Richardson write a more comprehensive comparision and by far amalgam presents more risk because of higher exposure and it’s RfC is some 10 times lower than methylmercurya video with Mark explaining is herehttp://iaomt.org/amalgam-vs-tuna-risky/his write up comparing mercury exposure and toxicity of Tuna Vs Amalgamhttp://iaomt.org/wp-content/uploads/Which-delivers-more-mercury-amalgam-or-tuna.FINAL_.pdfThanks for all the details. So the worst things will be to have mercury fillings and to consume regularly fish. And the least harmfull one will be to not having mercury fillings and to not consume fish at all.Exactly….SO WHAT! So an industry that is poisoning people suffers economically, that’s a GOOD thing. Mercury poisoning is an ugly way to go, for adult or child. But your government spends taxpayer dollars to prop up industries that poison it’s own citizens, on the theory that industry is good and necessary, jobs are jobs. The Feds are too stupid to recognize that free market forces will level any disturbance in any industry, and capital will flow to where it’s most productive if honest information is not withheld. Because Doctors are self-interested, and refuse to even tell patients they’ll live longer and better without meat or fish, AND the Feds are protecting industries that are destructive to human life, the free market forces are being blunted, by deliberate misinformation from a government that only cares about being elected because of jobs reports… as for the people? Let them eat poison. Do us all a favor, hang a politician today.I am speechless!You don’t say :)A quick question. On your graph you say the “body burden of canned tuna” – are these numbers based on Hair samples or serum samples? I know that the graph axis says Hair samples, but I’m always sceptical of such radical graphs. I wonder if the canned tunned numbers you plot don’t account for normal excretion.As a person who likes to watch the video without further reading I’m left wondering if you’ve compared two different measurements to make your argument look stronger.Sorry if I’m being stupid and nitpicking but with such a strong argument just wanted to be sure as you the describe the higher numbers as “body burden”Great video though, keep up the good work!If you click on the Sources Cited link above you can read the studies yourself!horrorshowI read this and immediately thought of this:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_diseaseLife Magazine ran some tragic pictures of thisThis is an *acute* instance of MeHg exposure and symptomatology.Why in the world wasn’t this article titled “Fish Intake Associated With Fetal Brain Shrinkage”? As it stands, the current title suggests brain shrinkage for all fish consumers.I wonder if in the graph with the tuna, it showed eating a serving of sardines every two weeks. There are some seafood options that have low levels of mercury people can eat in moderation: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_health.aspxWith the many vegan seafood alternatives available, why not instead opt for them: http://fishfeel.org/seafoodresources.php They’re better for people, fish, and the environment.“They’re better for people, fish, and the environment.”Can you cite a well-designed empirical study that supports this claim?There are many that address these issues. However, in a nutshell: It’s better for the fish because they’re not tortured and killed. It’s better for the environment because aquatic habitats aren’t wrecked in the quest for fish, which also harms and kills other aquatic animals, all of which degrades ecosystems. It’s better for people because, for example, they don’t ingest mercury, dioxins, and other toxins that bioaccumulate in fish tissues. All the nutritional benefits that can be derived from fish can be more safely, humanely and environmentally responsibly obtained from plant sources.I appreciate the tuna mercury info, but am really bothered by all the tuna I ate in the past. Is mercury held in the body or does it detox out? I also have a question about turning orange with eating a lot of carrots or carrot juice: one site says that it is the liver detoxing that causes the orange color and another place says it is in fact the carrots. What is your take on that?Begerow, J., et al. “Long-term mercury excretion in urine after removal of amalgam fillings.” International archives of occupational and environmental health 66.3 (1994): 209-212.The long-term urinary mercury excretion was determined in 17 28- to 55-year-old persons before and at varying times (up to 14 months) after removal of all (4–24) dental amalgam fillings. Before removal the urinary mercury excretion correlated with the number of amalgam fillings. In the immediate post-removal phase (up to 6 days after removal) a mean increase of 30% was observed. Within 12 months the geometric mean of the mercury excretion was reduced by a factor of 5 from 1.44 μg/g (range: 0.57–4.38 μg/g) to 0.36 μg/g (range: 0.13–0.88 μg/g). After cessation of exposure to dental amalgam the mean half-life was 95 days. These results show that the release of mercury from dental amalgam contributes predominantly to the mercury exposure of non-occupationally exposed persons. The exposure from amalgam fillings thus exceeds the exposure from food, air and beverages. Within 12 months after removal of all amalgam fillings the participants showed substantially lower urinary mercury levels which were comparable to those found in subjects who have never had dental amalgam fillings. A relationship between the urinary mercury excretion and adverse effects was not found. Differences in the frequency of effects between the pre- and the post-removal phase were not observed.You can get tested for your heavy metal “burden” – even hospitals have the ability to do this and are aware. Most holistic doctors can send urine and hair samples to see what your burden is currently. If heavy metals such as mercury and lead do not detox from your body, they leave your active system and bury deep into tissues/fat. This can make you very ill. Do not try to detox with those health food store systems. If you pull heavy metals back out into your active system too quickly, your body will not be happy! Mercury detoxing is done slowly to avoid this problem. Lead poisoning can be detoxed more quickly. I wish I had been tested before my pregnancies. Every single fish is contaminated now thanks to our commercial industries. The smaller fish with shorter life spans are safer to eat if you must. Larger fish with a longer life span are the worst!The point is that our food supply is heavily contaminated and bioaccumulation happens in animal products. Another reason to avoid (or seriously limit) intake of animal carcassI eat fish 4 times a week with vegie n sweet potatoes is that ok or what, I don’t under stand, I thought fish was good for us is it???????.It depends upon the type of fish: http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.aspBobby Ramos: I fully understand why you would think that fish is healthy. That misinformation is *all* over the media and internet. To learn the truth behind fish consumption, check out this nice NutritionFacts summary:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/Each of those links will take you to a NutritionFacts video that explains why again and again, we see that fish consumption is not good for us. Today’s video is just one more example.Good luck.Yeah, fish consumption’s not good for us. That precisely why a 2013 Harvard study concluded a lower mortality rate in fish consuming adults: http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1671714Dikaiosyne: And I have a study showing fish eaters live shorter lives.It’s never about one study. You can find studies that show that smoking has nothing to do with cancer. But the body of evidence, the mountain of evidence says otherwise.The same is true concerning fish. There is a mountain of evidence that eating fish – yes, all kinds – is not generally healthy for humans. (I’m sure a bite every couple of years would be fine. So, there is a line there somewhere. But we don’t know where the line is, and it is better to error on the side of caution – if not for your immediate health, then for your health as it gets effected when the oceans and planet dies.) That’s why I shared the link above. The link above takes you to a page containing a nice summary of just some of evidence against fish – and that summary is impressive just as is.—————–If you aren’t Paleo Huntress herself, you are her identical twin. So, I’m leaving the conversation here. If you want to eat fish, go for it. May you live long and prosper.Thea – what is your study reference? The cited one is not insignificant.Rich: Even if the cited one is significant, I think my point is still valid. But I’m happy to share the blurb I have for whatever it’s worth. :-) ————————– from : PCRM Vegetarians Live LongerVegetarian diets can extend life expectancy, according to early findings from the Adventist Health Study-2. Vegetarian men live to an average of 83.3 years, compared with nonvegetarian men who live to an average of 73.8 years. And vegetarian women live to an average of 85.7 years, which is 6.1 years longer than nonvegetarian women. This study is ongoing and includes more than 96,000 participants. The results further indicate vegan diets to be healthful and associated with a lower body weight (on average 30 lbs. lower than that of meat eaters), and lower risk of diabetes, compared with diets that include animal products.Fraser G, Haddad E. Hot Topic: Vegetarianism, Mortality and Metabolic Risk: The New Adventist Health Study. Report presented at: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic (Food and Nutrition Conference) Annual Meeting; October 7, 2012: Philadelphia, PA.Thea – excellent, thanks for the reference.It’s not the fish, it’s the long-chain ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Stuff that your body can make if you don’t binge on ω-6 oil and that you eat enough dark green leafy, walnuts and flaxseed. Study show that Vegan have more than 200% the convertion rate than omnivore. And let us remember than you can have the benefits of fish consumption without the risk (that cannot be separated otherwise – at least to my knowledge) using algae-based DHA supplements.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=DHAFish are unhealthy in part because they are polluted, and they are polluted because they live in the sea. It’s not because some fish are smaller that they magically become good for us. It just mean they are less toxic. Consider this: the sea was the biggest garbage of the world for more 50 years – and still today in many parts of the world. One example: the nuclear industry throwed 100 tons of nuclear waste into the sea before it was declared illegal to do so. And with Fukushima between 20 and 40 billions of becquerels just leak into the ocean.Still want to consume fish ? I don’t. Beside, we don’t need to eat fish for anything. Do you really want to drop mortality rate from CHD events (and many other like cancer) like the study you talk about ? Ever consider honesty being vegan ?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/It appears that pescetarians (those who eat only fish, among animal foods), have comparable mortality, and perhaps a non-significant edge over vegans in the Adventist study II in overall mortality, though not in cancer mortality. I believe the best candidates for any pescetarian edge are B12 deficiency among vegans that don’t supplement, long chain ω-3 fatty acids, taurine (1, 2), and iodine.Dr. Greger recommends supplements for B12, EPA/DHA, and iodine. Vegan supplements (to exceed pescetarian intakes) for B12, taurine, and iodine are very cheap, EPA/DHA less so.Disregarding the health and animal welfare concerns for the moment, the world’s oceans are already overfished, and we couldn’t feed but a fraction of the current population on a pescetarian diet, much less all 9 billion of us mid-century. If we can get the benefits without consuming heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, or sending fish populations into long-term collapse (the Grand Banks cod fishery still hasn’t recovered, two decades after being closed), why take the personal and global risks?@ Darryl “Vegan supplements for B12, taurine, and iodine are inexpensive (< $10/year total)" Please share if you know one product containing those nutriements with this price. Aside Dr. Fuhrman’s Men’s Daily Formula (with B12, taurine, iodine + D3 and K2 which is at best 198$/year) and the possibility to buy cheap B12. I'm desperate to find one good not expensive supplements without folic acid.liquid methylcobalamin: 53 years at the RDA, 1.3 years at Dr. Greger’s recommended daily dose, for $11, so between $0.20 and $8.50 / year. taurine powder: 277 g for $5, the highest excretion in WHO-CARDIAC was 270 mg/d (males of Beppu, Japan), so thats a 2.8 year supply, or $1.80 / year. I add these to a big pitcher of hibiscus tea brewing in the refrigerator, my main afternoon/evening beverage. iodine: essentially free if one uses iodized salt or eats seaweed regularly, otherwise 500 capsules sea kelp at 1.5 x RDA for $4.49, or $3.20 / year.Shop around. I’ve no complaints about PipingRock or VitaCost.Thanks Darryl for all the details, I appreciate.Darryl, I am also curious where you are purchasing algal DHA at $100/year. The brand I am consuming, which is DHA supplement made by Flora and is 250 mg/d. costs me about $34 (with taxes) for a two-month supply. Thus a one-year supply would exceed $200, which I consider to be very expensive. I am interested to know if you know of another producer or company which sells “vegan” DHA for lower cost to the consumer.(The rest of my supplements – B12, kelp, D3 – are dirt cheap).Do you think that taurine supplementation is necessary on a vegan diet? Thanks for any thoughts on this.I don’t know. I can say there’s evidence of lower taurine levels in vegetarians, numerous studies of potential benefits, no evidence of any adverse effects, and its rather inexpensive. It has a similar status to EPA/DHA: harmless, likely disease preventative, and lacking from vegan diets.With the exception of B12, we can produce all the “carninutrients” (B12, taurine, carnosine, creatine, carnitine and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids) ourselves, but perhaps not at levels optimal for resistance to chronic disease, ostopenia/frailty, or longevity. I’d love to see a supplement company produce a reasonably priced “carninutrient” pill to match omnivore intakes, so that vegans (and prospective vegans) could get the benificial components from omnivore diets, without the numerous deleterious ones.Thank you. Yes, I find it interesting that as vegetarians we may not have optimal taurine levels. I try to maximize vegan protein foods to make up for this possibility but I am considering a supplement of taurine. My only concern is that taurine in supplements (from what i can tell) might not be from natural sources – thus, synthetics.Sorry to go a bit off topic, but I am interested in your claim that EPA/DHA is harmless. I assume that you are referring to the supplements. Have you come across any safety evaluations that convinced you so?I don’t regard diminished synthesis from ALA as an adverse effect. Vegetarians can still markedly increase EPA/DHA via supplementation, and there have been no consistent adverse effects seen from LCPUFA supplementation. Personally, I’m not fond of the fishy burp, but its not bad if taken with meals.As to whether any positive effects are worth the expense, here are reviews of benefits seen in omnivores in primary & secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, slowing cognitive decline, or treating depression. You’ll note that EPA (rather than DHA) appears the effective agent in some trials. This makes mechanistic sense given EPA competes with arachidonic acid (AA) for conversion to inflammation mediating eicosanoids, whereas DHA largely serves as a neural membrane component, important in child development, but maybe adequate in vegetarian diets for adults.Would any positive effects be smaller in vegans? Its difficult to say, vegans have lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, dementia and depression than omnivores. While consuming less less pro-inflammatory preformed AA, their plasma AA levels are about the same as omnivores. Its plausible that vegans who consciously consumed high ω-3:ω-6 ratio fats (flax, chia, canola oil) while avoiding high ω-6 foods (grapeseed, sunflower, corn, soybean & sesame oils, walnuts & pine nuts) might have much higher EPA:AA ratios without supplementation. On the other hand, they’d also shift the ratio more with smaller intakes of supplemental EPA.As far as I can tell, there are no studies of health outcomes with LCPUFA supplementation in vegans or vegetarians. A daily Ovega-3 starts at $93/year, I happen to consider it cheap insurance, but should high EPA/DHA transgenic flax come to market it would cost a small fraction as much.A 10 year study was completed a few years ago where absolutely every fish known to man was tested for mercury. The world and it’s waste management programs have succeeded in contaminating every single fish known with mercury. No fish is “safe” to each. The smaller the fish and the shorter their life span, the less mercury. But there will be mercury in all.Anecdote, My ex’s uncle used to fish in Lake Ontario until he developed dementia from mercury and heavy metal poisoning. He had to be hospitalized and have chelation for dangerously high blood levels. I don’t think any body of water is safe any more.That’s a shame. So many moms are trying to do the right things (they think), and end up hurting their precious babies instead.What i find really amazing is the amount of trolling that systematically goes on in the comments section here below….. NutritionFacts.org is the favourite target for every kind of low carb/paleo troll.The most extensive current survey of mercury levels in U.S. market seafood is this article, and don’t miss the full lists in its supplemental material.Is Calcium Phosphate safe? I am looking to use caffein to lose a little weight and also for a little extra energy. I really have been going caffein free. Calcium (from Dibasic Calcium Phosphate)75 mg8%CaffeineI am amazed that people who profess to follow Dr. Greger actually state that they doubt his integrity.All of this talk about Fish, Mercury and Unborn babies is good info, but how does this relate to us as adults. CAN we eat fish and which fish is best to eat and lastly, how much or that best fish can we eat? I for one love a nice slab of Cod now and then.Richard: There are plenty of good reasons/science behind *everyone*, including adults, skipping the fish (all meat really). Check out the following page if you want to do more research: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/Something to think about.Fish from river, pond vs. Fish from ocean. Is there difference? Fish without polluted environment is good?An analytical method and results are given for the determination of total mercury residues in: Brussels sprouts; cabbages, heading broccoli and kale; potatoes; apples; carrots; imported tomatoes; tinned tomatoes, tomato juices and purees; rice; sugar. Residues in the 146 samples were in the range <0.001 to 0.010 parts/million, the mean being 0.0027 parts/million.The mean maternal hair total mercury level was 6.8 ppm and the mean child hair total mercury level at age 66 months was 6.5 ppm. No adverse outcomes at 66 months were associated with either prenatal or postnatal MeHg exposure. CONCLUSION: In the population studied, consumption of a diet high in ocean fish appears to pose no threat to developmental outcomes through 66 months of age.Many of us routinely eat salmon, not tuna, because salmon has a higher level of EPA/DHA in its tissue than tuna and almost any other fish. Can you offer any data on the toxic burden of salmon tissue per ounce / gram, vs. other fish (including tuna)?Please see here for more on salmon http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=salmonNothing is fit to eat anymore!Anna: SO MUCH is fit to eat today! When you eat a healthy diet of whole, unprocessed grains, legumes, veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds, you have incredible variety and taste all in a package that gives us great nutrition and best chances of avoiding the major diseases of our time.Here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/If you are interested, I could give you some advice on where to get great recipe ideas/get started eating healthy.I wonder how incompetent you are? Corelation dont imply causation. Check maybe Japanese nation with highest fish consuption rates and why we dont see any problems there in brain imaging studies?.	birth defects,brain health,children,cognition,fish,heavy metals,infants,mental health,mercury,microcephaly,persistent organic pollutants,pregnancy,safety limits,seafood,tuna,women's health	Exposure to mercury during pregnancy appears to influence fetal brain development as detected by decreased size of a newborn’s brain.	I’ve covered mercury in fish before in videos such as Nerves of Mercury, Hair Testing for Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy, and Fish Fog. For more on canned tuna in particular, check out:What else can we do to protect our newborns? See:But what about the long chain omega-3 DHA in fish—isn’t that necessary for healthy brain development? That’s the topic of my next video, Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development.For more context check out my blog: Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microcephaly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22275730,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8714873,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22293416,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6763633,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21195558,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21967782,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/739273,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17450232,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21364465,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22442397,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22534056,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3768541,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17065718,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22453298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16905002,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22732656,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18590765,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13588955,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11700268,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21257163,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21545807,
PLAIN-2675	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/	Are Fatty Foods Addictive?	The food industry, like the tobacco companies and other drug lords, have been able to come up with products that tap into that same dopamine reward system. Why a picture of a cheeseburger rather than sugary soda pop?Well now we know fat may have similar effects on the brain as well. You feed some people some yogurt packed with butter fat, and within 30 minutes you start see the same changes in brain activity you get when you drink sugar water.People who regularly eat ice cream—sugar and fat—have a deadened dopamine response in their brains to drinking a milkshake. It's like when drug abusers have to use more and more to get the same high. Frequent ice cream consumption is related to a reduction in reward-region responsivity in humans—they're talking about the pleasure center, paralleling the tolerance observed in drug addiction. Once you've so dulled your dopamine response, you may subsequently overeat in an effort to achieve the degree of satisfaction experienced previously, which contributes to unhealthy weight gain.What do fatty/sugary foods have in common? They are energy-dense foods. It may be less about the number of calories than their concentration. Consumption of a calorie dense diet compared to the same number calories in a calorie dilute diet leads to that numbing of the dopamine response. It's like the difference between cocaine and crack. Same stuff chemically, but by smoking crack cocaine we can deliver a higher dose quicker to our brain.As an aside I found it interesting that the control drink in these milkshake studies wasn't just water. They can't use water because our brain actually tastes water on the tongue—I didn't know that. So they had to use artificial saliva, they made people drink a solution designed to mimic the natural taste of saliva—ew!Anyway, with this new understanding of the neural correlates of food addiction, there've been calls to include obesity as an official mental disorder. After all, both obesity and addiction share the inability to restrain behavior in spite of an awareness of detrimental health consequences. That's one of the defining criteria of substance abuse. You keep putting crap in your body despite the knowledge that you have a problem that is likely caused by the crap, yet you can't stop.Redefining obesity as an addiction, a psychiatric disease, would be a boon to the drug companies that are already working on a whole bunch of drugs to muck with our brain chemistry. For example, you give people an opiate blocker like they do for people with heroine overdoses to block the effects of the drug, and people eat significantly less cheese. Just doesn't do as much for them any more.Rather than taking drugs, though, we can prevent the deadening of our pleasure center in the first place by sticking to foods that are naturally calorically dilute, like whole plant foods. This can help bring back our dopamine sensitivity such that we can again derive the same pleasure from the simplest of foods. And this is not just for people who are obese. Yes, when we regularly eat calorie dense animal and junk foods like ice cream we can so blunt our pleasure that we may overeat to compensate, but when our brain down-regulates dopamine receptors to deal with all these jolts of fat and sugar we may experience less enjoyment from other activities as well.That's why cocaine addicts may have an impaired neurological capacity to enjoy sex, why smokers also have an impaired ability to respond to positive stimuli. Since these all involve the same dopamine pathways cover, what we put into our body--what we eat--can affect how we experience all of life's pleasures.So to live life to the fullest, what’s the solution? The food industry, according to some addiction specialists, should be given incentives to develop low calorie foods that are more attractive, palatable, and affordable so that people can adhere to diet programs for a long time. No need! Mother nature beat them to it.	What about binging/overindulging on dates and bananas? Or other kinds of fruits? Could this behavior be deadening the dopamine pathways? Borderline food (sugar) addiction? I see so many fruitarians online claiming to eat 15 bananas a day and multiple pounds of grapes, melons…. It all sounds tasty and indulgent but could it be a problem?It seems like a sensible amount of fruit is OK and nutritious, but a daily indulgence?I have had discussions with Jeff Novick RD on this issue. I think the jury is still out on the “addiction” potential of fruits. Fruits contain glucose, fructose and sucrose( i.e. one molecule each of glucose and fructose). I think it is sensible to limit intake to 4 servings of fruit a day. The concern I have is the amount of fructose. I’m still looking for pharmacokinetic data on fructose metabolism by the liver. It clearly contributes to inflammation in the liver and production of fats and triglycerides. It depends on the individual as we find sometimes we have to limit fruits. It is best to work with a knowledgeable physician to help work out what is best for you.The fiber is the antidote, is it not?Beyond the liver effects, there is also the issue of contributing to insulin resistance syndrome by consuming very large amounts of high-glycemic index fruits. Fruit is necessary because it contains many healthy antioxidants, but a large amount packs a mean sugar load (http://www.sugarstacks.com/fruits.htm). Some fruits in particular tend to be lower in fiber and higher in sugar. The new 2013 European guidelines for the treatment of hypertension recommend that obese people cut back on their fruit intake.Thank you. How do you feel about grains and the sugar effect they can have?I stick to whole grains in moderate amounts. I used to avoid them entirely when I, mistakenly, ate an Eco-Atkins diet. I now see them as a valuable source of B vitamins, fiber and protein, as well as other constituents. I avoid highly processed grains and try to limit my carbs overall. If I didn’t eat grains, I would probably have to resume a B complex, which I’d rather not have to consume, because I feel it’s always preferable to get one’s nutrition from food sources than from pills, in part because the milieu of food is so different from the milieu of high-dose isolated synthetic micronutrients.Yes, I am diabetic and I have to steer clear of bananas. Man those things pack a wallop. If I eat one my sugar jumps through the roof and then plummets to dangerous levels just as quickly. However, If I mix a moderate amount in with my smoothies or baked goods for example, this doesnt happen, but eating those high sugar fruits straight seems to really effect me big time.Fruits don’t cause insulin resistance. It’s bad fat foods and lack of good healthy nuts seeds olives avocados coconuts consumption. It’s also caused by refined carbohydrate processed foods with GMO fructose corn sweetener that causes #InsulinResistance.And also the individual’s microbiota/enterotype I would guess, since some gut bugs may mediate fructose metabolism especially if regularly accompanied by fiber, resistant starches and other ‘prebiotics.’ Would be interesting to compare vegans vs. low-carbers to see if there is an effect like that with choline/carnitine=>TMAO in regular meat eaters but not in the vegans who volunteered to eat their first steak in years for the study.4 servings seems very low. I think kids need much more then that, otherwise they are going to crave the junk desserts. There are studies that show a bone building effect from much higher then 4 servings of fruit in children.good luck finding that ‘knowledgeable physician’, tho.Speaking only from personal experience, I’m quite sure that on my strict vegan diet the dates and nuts have become my emotional foods, though nuts always were… I go to these TOO much. It’s like an addiction but one I can easily resolve. But it’s hard because I don’t want to remove those foods from my home because I know how healthy they are. And if they’re gone, will I merely replace them with… say, my recent new favorite, whole dried bananas, which I similarly consume like a wild beast. So, the solution will be to unlearn emotional eating and shift toward more meal planning, which can include these foods but no longer as random snacks. Finally, banana ice cream (made from only frozen bananas) tastes exactly like ice cream to me, and when I have it I tend to take large servings. Awaiting more info on this interesting subject.Thank you for your response. The liver issue concerns me as this is not the first time I have heard people mention concern that excessive fruit – high sugar fruit, regardless of fiber content – could be harmful to the liver. I do wonder if excessive high sugar fruit consumption is just low grade alcoholism, yet with sobriety.Its important to recognize that its sugar sweetened beverages, snacks, and fruit juices that are the major source of fiber-free and rapidly absorbed fructose in Western diets. Its big doses of fructose all at once which overload the liver (inducing de novo lipogenesis), with downstream effects like increased LDL/VLDL, hypertriglyceremia, insulin resistance, and higher protein glycation from the fructose that gets through. Whole fruits contain fiber and are incompletely chewed which slows their sugar absorption.There are some chemoprotective phytochemicals that come only from fruits and all the epidemilogical evidence favors some fruit daily. Personally I prioritize the ones with higher densities of flavonoids per calorie (in descending order: elderberries, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, lemons, strawberries, currants, kumquats, raspberries, grapefruit…). These range from 7-44% fructose (by calorie), but spread intake of 3 servings of whole berries/citrus through the day, avoid added sugars, and you’re still only getting about 4% of your calories from slowly absorbed fructose (vs. about 11-12% of quickly absorbed fructose in the average American diet).And to think that some fruitarians are getting over 70% of their calories from fructose. I like your berrie-approach you follow.Fruit can range from 7% to about 60% fructose (by calorie), with the average around 40%. Its pretty well impossible to get 70% of calories from fructose eating whole foods.Mind, a zero-saturated fat diet confers other advantages that may cancel out high fructose diet effects on plasma lipids. Perhaps the main concern would be higher advanced fructation product formation, which has been observed in Czech vegetarians eating a lot of fruit/honey.;(Darryl, regarding the elderberries. Do you make an extract or are you able to consume them whole?About a year ago I added whole elderberries to my smoothie and I experienced nausea….subsequently I made an extract that I keep frozen and use when we are fighting a viral infection. It did not previously occur to me to consume elder berries on a regular basis as your comment suggests. Thanks.I haven’t found elderberries locally. That list is simply from combining data from the USDA database for flavonoid content with other USDA nutrient data. Elderberries have a ton of cyanidin (well, 0.5%).Among berries, I mostly consume strawberries (daily morning smoothie with a cup of frozen strawberries, half banana, cup water, 3 tbsp flax seed, 2 tbsp wheat germ), as their flavonoid, fisetin, appears particularly potent in inducing cellular stress responses and crossing the blood brain barrier. Fisetin is also found at lower concentrations in apples and higher concentrations in the Japanese wax tree (the source for supplements).Obviously getting my fructose in a smoothie rather than chewing each berry doubtless makes for a higher blood fructose spike. Oh well, perfection is for monks.Have a look at this paper:Cancer Causes Control (2010) 21:1183–1192“We found that high consumption of cruciferous vegetables was associated with thyroid cancer among women with low iodine intake (OR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.01–3.43 for iodine intake <96 ug/day). The high consumption of cruciferous vegetables among Melanesian women, a group with mild iodine deficiency, may contribute to explain the exceptionally high incidence of thyroid cancer in this group."The fruitarians have no choice but to consume that quantitiy of food. They are constantly in search of calories and the only way to do this would be to eat an absrud amount of fruits per day. I am unsure of the health consequences, if any, of eating pounds and pounds of fruit per day.Why peoples still deny the frugivorous anatomy of Homo Sapiens? This is astounding especially on this site~http://imageshack.us/f/153/2oms.png/Does bonobos who almost have the exact same digestive and dental anatomy as humans have any problems with 50-90% calories per days coming from fruits? Debate closed~Although we can make these types of comparisons, one cannot consume 2,000 calories per day and achieve macro nutrient and micrnoutrient needs on a strict fruitarian diet. You can test it yourself using the cronometer. One needs to eat 3,000+ calories per day to achieve nutritional needs on a fruitarian diet. I know of no evidence showing that a fruitarian diet is more healthful then a whole foods vegan diet with cooked food. http://cronometer.com/Nature(or the creator is much more intelligent than his creatures if you believe~) is way more evidence than human science naturally~Or there is another answer: maybe it is because all RDA are way overestimated(from 100% to 500% like Shelton hygienism and reality* demonstrated) I use cronometer and i changed all nutritional targets because the official ones are ridiculously too high especially for a the least toxic diet~Raw ripe fruits are the food that contains the least toxic substances and are the easiest to digest for our specy, i’m pretty sure most peoples know it on this site; i hope~*two strong example:http://imageshack.us/f/33/hb2q.png/http://imageshack.us/f/543/jg7o.jpg/I am unsure of the validity of your statements, I am not interested in philosophical debates regarding nutrition. If you have solid facts from studies, such as those from peer reviewed journals then please do share. The images you keep linking are not supportive.Allright, actually the calcium chart comes from a John Mcdougall article, he is not really a person but i guess the peoples on the chart with healthy bones living with only 200-400mg and the Yanomamo indians peoples doesnt exist because science and papers say it is not possible~We are in agreement for the DRI of calcium and sodium, as it is definitely too high.Calcium needs for humans are not as high as the DRI may recommend, and if we consumed a low sodium diet low in animal protein, our calcium needs can be as low as 450 mg per day as discussed more extensively in this article from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. As represented in the figure below, and citing from the article “In a western-style diet, absorbed calcium matches urinary and skin calcium at an intake of 840 mg as in Figure 14. Reducing animal protein intakes by 40 g reduces the intercept [calcium balance] value and requirement to 600 mg. Reducing both sodium and protein reduces the intercept value to 450 mg.”http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y2809E/y2809e0h.htm#bm17It is well understood that our minimum intake of sodium is indeed quite low and there is no need to consume dietary sodium.The issue is most of the RDA’s are used as a bare minimum to prevent a deficiencies so we should make sure this is understood. Dr. McDougall does not at all advocate a fruitarian diet and Jeff Novick, the primary dietician who runs the forums for Dr. McDougall, has spoken against it during several instances.On the other hand Colin Campbell said 80/10/10(which is the frugivore one from the book) diet is the healthiest possible diet.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9F_2aQnSnIHere another interesting video of Mcdougall and Graham which show differents points of view on starch based and fruit based diets~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRI9fZyB3ZcFor someone who claims to scour the world for nutrittion research, I can’t understand why nothing has been said here about the Gluten Summit which was heard around the world over the last week by 110,000 people including doctors and everyday people trying to get well on the stuff that is promoted and not working for us. The speakers at the summit included the most qualified scientists, doctors, neurologists etc. in the world. Everything points to no grain and more fat (the brain is 70% fat) plus lots of vegetables. Everything that has been thrown at us for the last 20 years or more has been turned on its head. Fat does not cause heart disease. Grains, lactose and sugar are the culprits.Wrong. All wrong. Spammer really. Using this forum to spew bad information and draw others to your interests. Please remove your post. Thanks.I second your post. As usual these people make all sorts of claims but they have no peer reviewed research to back it up. It’s dietary religion.What interest Tobias? I have no financial interest in what I posted. I am simply a person who is interested in researching facts, and also seeing results. Is encouraging people to take personal responsibiity for their health by examining scientific data from the world’s top researchers in their fields, including results from ‘real’ peaple, spamming? I overcame multiple sclerosis and am now battling celiac and have come to realise the gluten link between the two. Just wanted to share what I had learned. You will notice I did not include any link.Those wanting to know more can find more information themselves and then make their own decisions. After all, this is supposed to be a site that shows the latest in the world’s nutrition research. I wish you well, Tobias. I will not post here again nor visit the site.Not participating in this site is your choice. The gluten issue isn’t as much of a concern as the publicity suggests, as only a small proportion of the population has celiacs. Anyway. If you’re leaving, please remove your post first.Actually, the gluten issue is a concern to far more people than those that just have celiac. Lives are changed by going off gluten for the gluten intolerant.Also, Dr. McDougall, one of our favorite vegan authorities, claims on his website that gluten can be a causative factor in mental illness. Some noteworthy Doctors from Columbia University have raised some red flags as well. Gluten intolerance is the real deal for a lot of people, not just a few. And in my experience, the people who abstain from gluten for 6 moths (they walked the talk) are amazed at how much better they feel without gluten – and other grains as well.It is a real problem — but, apparently, only for a minority, less than 1% of the population, though I could be terribly wrong about this. I believe the Egyptians used wheat for a very long time, no?Yes, 1%, but what strikes me as fascinating is that 100 percent of the vegans I know who have gone off grains completely, no cheating, for 6 months all claim they feel better. I have no discourse on these matters with meat eaters, it’s the vegans I know that sing the praise of being grain-free. I had no idea before hand, and it took walking the talk for six months to realize that going grain free could quite possibly help way more than the 1%.I do know vegans who eat gluten and or grains and seem to have good health, but they do admit that they have no frame of reference for what I am talking about as they have never experienced in their own bodies how it feels to be grain free.Please use your real name. This lends credibility to your statements. Anyway. You didn’t mention what your sample size was in this little personal survey of friends. Therefore, it’s impossible to reply to you. This site is about science, mr guest.If someone has a food-related disorder like Celiac’s or Phenylketonuria or any of the myriad things that can go haywire in our biochemistry then we should treat the problem AND NOT condemn the food as universally bad. Unless of course the “food” is not real food and IS universally bad. We know that humans should eat whole foods/plant based. Spread that message and you will extend lives, help mother Earth and improve geopolitics. No flags, no magic potions just good nutrition.Well said.helena there is a whole foods plant based version of atkins style diet reviewed on this site http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/. I think from my understanding that often eating a high fat whole foods plant based diet can be something that happens when transitioning as well. When i was younger and became ill, even someone adding a small amount of wheat would give me a headache but once I became well this was no problem. I think the issue with cutting out all grains is that they can stabilise blood sugar over a long period although legumes look fabulous for this. I think there is a lot of possibilities within the plant based whole food diet and i hope you find what works for you.I agree with Thea, well put;)I do not know the details of this summit, but if it were legitimate, there would be countless studies showing that this position is true. We do not see this in the iterature, and in fact, all studies on whole grains show reduced risk of all chronic diseases.Sugar is the new tobacco.Michael Moss’s book Salt Sugar Fat is an absolutely enraging overview of how the food industry consciously works to get us hooked. here’s an excerpt: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/magazine/the-extraordinary-science-of-junk-food.html?_r=0Pam Popper presented a video recently explaining that the salt part isn’t as concerning as the others.Great vid as usual, getting down into the hard science! You always hear vegan apostates tell the story of how going vegan made them feel weak or unhealthy (usually junk food vegan at that and claiming they gained weight without meat/dairy) and they just had to have it. Of course, when you take away all the foods that originally stimulated their dopamine, they are going to go through withdrawal and feel like crap til they get over it. Psyche-man Lisle gives a great explanation on TedX if you don’t have time to read his (and Goldhamer’s) book The Pleasure Trap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX2btaDOBK8.Yes indeed. the loss of Doug from the Art world is truly as much their gain as it is to the health & nutrition world!Thanks for sharing this!DanielFaster: I like the content of The Pleasure Trap, but the wording leaves a lot to be desired. I loved this short video and plan to share it with friends. Thanks for posting the link.I agree that binge-eating and overeating would be beneficial to be classified as an addiction, but I don’t think I would lump ALL obese people in the “must have mental illness to be obese” category. Also I think the “fat is similar to sugar in its effect on the body” was nicely demonstrated in the movie “Supersize Me”.This explains a lot of the emotional reaction I get from family and friends. They range from a defensive “don’t tread on me” to openly angry attacks. When you are Jonesing for grease things can get pretty ugly. I’m so lucky I had strong support for that critical first 3 weeks.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzCoacervate: Well said. Having support is vital. While my parents didn’t immediately jump on the band wagon, at least they didn’t try to discourage me and were mildly supportive. I’m impressed you were able to get through the initial hurdles when you had family and friends who were offering negative emotional reactions. That’s tough!Thank you. You are one positive and supportive person too. I think about the “team”…including Mcdougall’s Army and Essies FOK and the retrospective respect people have for Kempner, Ornish, Pritikin…the tide is turning. The media is powerful and people are starting to get it. People who used to go all weird and defensive…those same people now tell me they have 1 meatless day a week. If we can just get to the children and teach the schools to teach them good nutrition…oh happy day. As for family…those are the toughest nuts to crack. They are impressed with my new body but no one wants to give up that darn BBQ. Totally addicted. I’m gonna chain em up to a radiator or something. Make them watch a slaughter house cam. Watch what we do to animals and our “food”. Chain em up and send them to the 7th day Adventists for 3 weeks. I’d better stop now :) Someone will take me seriously. Thanks Thea. I see what you do here. Very thoughtful.mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmI C U………….:)I’ll stick to McDougall and Dr. Greger’s fact checking till I hear anything that sounds even a little realistic on the other side. I’ve tried all those theories and they nearly killed me. It’s hard to argue with eating fresh whole food, including basic whole starches, high fiber and nutritious…little fruit. I feel better than I have in years. Thanks Dr. Greger for carrying the message of good health through what we eat.Brilliant. This is similar to society first learning that cigarettes were addictive AND that the industry knew it and hid the facts from us. They’re paying now, yet the battle goes on. Addictions are very hard to break.SQUALENE is good for blood cells but risky for life? Despite of the video, I’ve checked on the web it also was responsible for a golf syndrome when injected – but what about in capsules or liquid? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDXAFcH40O8So, you admit that junk food is addicting and then your solution is just to eat healthy foods and eventually your dopamine receptors will be more sensitive. But…that’s like telling a crack addict to go cold turkey and if they wait long enough they won’t be addicted anymore. It just doesn’t work like that. I have been able to incorporate many healthy foods into my diet but no matter what, the chocolate and cheese are always there, everywhere, tempting me. Being a food addict is much worse than being a crack addict because the drug of choice is legal and advertised on every corner, and in every store.But even though it is hard, we still tell crack addicts to go cold turkey. A crack addict can find crack in 15 seconds regardless of legality, so it is ever present in their world too, I have seen crack addicts sell their babies for crack, haven’t seen an obese woman sell her baby for a Snickers…. But, I do understand what you are saying. I can tell you, it is the type of diet, the eating lifestyle that you choose to lose weight by, that keeps your food addiction going and repeats failures. To say ‘eat less fried chicken than yesterday’ is an absurd request to someone addicted to fat, salt, and sugar. You may find changing your entire food world may be what you will find works better. ***And SPICE YOUR NEW FOOD CHOICES so WELL that it tastes better than anything you ate in your ‘old’ life. IF you don’t know how to do that, than find a healthy vegan, or go to vegan FB groups to assist you, your eating world will open up. Be careful though not to get into fats, salts or sugars there either, there are many obese vegans, its all in your eating ‘RULES’. ***You have to move yourself away from the Standard American Diet, not tell yourself to just eat less McDonald’s, less KFC, less peanut butter, less cheese…(Peanut butter is good for you, according to our favorite Greger!)Believe me, I’ve done all those things you’ve prescribed. Of course I eat healthier than I did three years ago, but unless I go and live by myself in a cave there’s no way I can “change my entire food world.” My choices are healthy at home, but do honestly expect me to forego work lunches, church functions, family reunions, holidays, heck even the library has a bowl of mints at the checkout counter! (And don’t tell me, “just bring your own healthy choices,” because that’s hogwash. Would you tell a crack addict to go hang out with his druggie friends but bring an apple along, that’s sure to stop him from craving the drug?)I don’t know what drug addicts you’ve dealt with, but are you aware of the low, low success rate of attempting cold turkey? Just google “evidence-based drug addiction treatment” and you’ll quickly find that scientifically founded treatment almost always calls for medication assistance.Regardless of whether I’m trading my baby for a snickers bar, food is still an addiction. Would you scoff at the seriousness of an Alcohol Addiction just because she didn’t trade away her baby for a hit of scotch? Of course not. And yet when it comes to food you think the proper “treatment” an addict needs is to ADD MORE SPICES? That’s like telling an alcoholic that all he needs to do is add a little more sugar to his nonalcoholic eggnog and it will be even better than the alcohol version he misses drinking. What a load of crap.Fascinating hypothesis: Our ancestors evolved inflammatory responses to dietary long-chain saturated fats, because they often presaged influx of pathogens.I’m 60 and for the last month have totally given up meats, dairy products, coffee, sugar etc (never too late) I’m really feeling the benefits of plant based eating but am wondering about some ‘withdraw’ symptoms (headache for one) Are there any studies/facts on this or am I overly sensitive. Thanks for the great site and advice.Wow, Rain! How exciting for you!I haven’t heard of any studies on this–though I have heard anecdotes of detox symptoms from friends going through similar changes. It seems like our bodies do take time to adjust to any major dietary changes though. Dr. Greger talks about giving our taste buds time to change here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/.He also talks about boosting our liver’s detoxifying power by eating broccoli: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/.Hope that helps! Good luck with your transition! :)@Tommasina, feeling so much better in such a short time far outweighs the slight detox symptoms. Grapeful for your response and links :)Rain, I’m so glad to hear that. You’re Welch-ome! (Er, that was a stretch!) :D@Tommasina, lettuce leaf it at that, I’m getting beet :)Wow. Wow. Wow. This totally represents my experience when dipping experimentally into both meats and dairy. Wow. And it was immediate as well. . . . and incontrovertabley 100% corrolation. Wow. Really.That is so deep…. just think of the billions of people today who are not enjoying life to the fullest because of their blunted dopamine response due to our high fat/high sugar western diet… every experience is less enjoyed… so perhaps this is leading to a society that is in general less happy, and consumes more in every aspect to fulfil their life? I’m getting a little philosophical here but perhaps a lower fat /lower sugar diet would lead to a happier society and a more peaceful / less violent world?That is so deep…. just think of the billions of people today who are not enjoying life to the fullest because of their blunted dopamine response due to our high fat/high sugar western diet… every experience is less enjoyed… so perhaps this is leading to a society that is in general less happy, and consumes more in every aspect to fulfil their life? I’m getting a little philosophical here but perhaps a lower fat /lower sugar diet would lead to a happier society and a more peaceful / less violent world?	addiction,animal fat,animal products,body fat,brain waves,burgers,caloric restriction,calories,cheese,cocaine,dopamine,energy,fat,hamburgers,ice cream,industry influence,junk food,low-fat diets,medications,mental health,plant-based diets,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,smoking,soda,sugar,sweeteners,tobacco,vegans,vegetarians,water,weight loss,yogurt	Those eating calorie-dense diets may have a reduced capacity to enjoy all of life’s pleasures by deadening dopamine pathways in the brain.	What about that sugary soda pop? See my last video, Are Sugary Foods Addictive?.So how do we break ourselves out of the Pleasure Trap? By starting to eat healthy we can actually change how things taste. See my video Changing Our Taste Buds. And healthy means whole plant foods, which tend to be naturally dilute given their water (The Ice Diet) and fiber content. Not only is fiber also calorie-free, but one might think of it has having "negative” calories, given the fermentation of fiber in our bowel into anti-obesity compounds (as well as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer compounds). For this reason, those eating plant-based diets eat hundreds of fewer calories without even trying. See my recent video Nutrient-Dense Approach to Weight Management.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/addiction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ice-cream/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-waves/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocaine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22338036,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15627579,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9226337,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23016694,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22572644,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22647300,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22016109,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22647302,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11058476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22647299,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11545466,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21371174,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21205113,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21464344,
PLAIN-2676	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-sugary-foods-addictive/	Are Sugary Foods Addictive?	People have chewed coca leaves for at least 8,000 years as a mild stimulant without any evidence of addiction, but when certain components are isolated and concentrated into cocaine, we've got a problem. The same may be true of sugar. People don't tend to binge on bananas. It's perhaps the reason we're more likely to supersize soda than sweet potatoes, why we’re less likely to overeat this kind of corn, compared to that kind of corn.The overconsumption of sugar-sweetened diets has often been compared to drug addiction, though this parallel was based, until very recently, more on anecdotal evidence than on solid scientific grounds.But now we have PET scans, imaging technology that can measure brain activity. It all started with this publication, showing decreased dopamine sensitivity in obese individuals, and the heavier they were the less responsive they appeared to become. We see the same thing in cocaine addicts and alcoholics. This would suggest that a reduction in dopamine receptors is associated with addictive behavior irrespective of whether it is due to food or to addictive drugs as seen in substance abusers.Dopamine is considered the neurotransmitter primarily involved in the pleasure and reward center of our brain, helping to motivate our drive for things like food, water, and sex—all necessary for the perpetuation of our species. It was healthy and adaptive for our primate brains to drive us to eat that banana when there wasn't much food around, but now when fruit is loop form… this adaptation has become a dangerous liability. The original Coca-Cola formulation actually included coca leaf, but now, perhaps, its sugar content may be the addictive stand-in.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Ariel Levitsky.	What about the science on salt and oil ? Tomorrow’s video :) Pamela Peeke talk about salt, oil and sugar. Stuff that can interfere in a vegan diet if it’s not whole food. It seems that whole food is the “Fix” of that issue. No evidence of any whole food and food addiction ? What about animal product and food addiction, milk and caso-morphin ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob2sjR51Z8sI have a few videos on casomorphin. Check out http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/casomorphin/I have found that after several years of avoiding sugar, as well as artificial sweeteners, that my blood sugar becomes whacky if I have anything containing any sugar at all. It’s as if I’ve taken some horrid drug or something. Now I eat only whole foods. Fruit mostly.When I cut out grains (completely) and then added them back after a long hiatus (one year) I had what might be the same experience. It was though I was diabetic or something. I would just absolutely “crash” and zone out after eating rice or wheat. Same goes for dried fruit, honey, agave, brown sugar, etc. My system seems to not be able to handle it now when I add this sort of stuff back in. Could we become too pure to handle these types of foods?Whole, unrefined grains do no cause blood sugar spikes the same way that refined grains would, as the resistant starches and fiber is intact. Also, sugars from whole fruits are not quickly absorbed due to the fibers. Eating honey, agave or other non whole food sugar sources is undesirable.Thank you. I wish this were the case with me with the unrefined whole grains, that they did not cause blood sugar spikes, but it is not so. And wow, seems as there are plenty of others who have problems with whole grains as well (as far as blood sugar spikes). Oats cause me a bigger spike then honey. I find this interesting.Are you monitoring your blood sugars? If you are a type 1 diabetic or autoimmune type 2 or burnt out pancreas then I think it’s quite possible that whole grains could be problematic for you. On the other hand, many people talk about blood sugar spikes without actually measuring them – based on how they feel symptomatically. But I’m not sure this is as accurate as measuring your blood sugars peripherally using a device.Instant oats can be absorbed quite quickly. Fine and coarse flours also tend to cause undesirable blood sugar spikes. Please note Figure 1 http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/47/4/675.full.pdfHey Toxins, when you put koji mold on brown rice (or theoretically any grain) it turns it really really sweet (a drink the Japanese call amazake), apparently the enzymes hydrolyze the polysaccharides to sugars. Sure seems a lot more filling than steamed rice, but I am wondering what the saccharide profile on this would look like and whether the koji digestate is saccharide-nutritionally more like honey (undesirable) or dates (fiber-mediated).I’ve noticed, for myself, that my body becomes less tolerant of certain foods (such as dairy) when I try to add it back into my diet after have cutting it out. This videohas some good information on gluten intolerances specifically.Sugar, salt and processed oils are the recipe for (health-) disaster. The right amount of these 3 things, and you can make people eat nearly anything – even stuff so highly processed that it cant be categorized as food anymore.What about freshly pressed raw sugar cane juice?cane juice = sugar + waterCane juice is unprocessed and contain more than sugar, right? I am looking for any studies on the health benefits of sugar cane juice.Not quite, cane juice = sugar + water + molasses.The molasses has a decent amount of Ca, Mg, and K. I’m not sure the Cu and Mn are as welcome. But Ruth Heidrich used blackstrap molasses daily, and I can’t argue with her results.Once in a while I make a hot drink concoction with plain cocoa and unsulphured blackstrap molasses (wonderfully gooey stuff). I made one for my son, and he made a bit of a face and said “Bitter!” He still drank it all though. The molasses are apparently a good source of Fe.Dr Pam Popper, who is close to Dr McDougall, recently argued that the salt issue is blow out of proportion, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvCxTm-aA3QI wonder what kind of salt we should consume? Himalayan salt is all the rage these days, but it has no iodine. So if we consume Himalayan we better make sure to consume some dulse or other seaweed along with it. They sell dulse flakes in a salt shaker at Whole Foods. That’s what I was using but now I’m thinking maybe I should add a little Himalayan salt as well.The Adequate Intake for sodium for adults is 1.5 g, provided by two-thirds a teaspoons of salt (Himalayan or otherwise). That amount of Himalayan pink salt would provide: Mineral % RDA (or AI) Sodium 1500 mg 100 % Sulfur 48 mg – Calcium 16 mg 1.6 % Potassium 13 mg 0.3 % Lithium 1.6 mg – Magnesium 0.62 mg 0.1 % Iron 0.15 mg 0.2 % Zinc 9.3 μg 0.02 % Bromine 8.2 μg – Barium 7.7 μg – Tantalum 4.3 μg – Aluminum 2.6 μg – Cobalt 2.4 μg – Copper 2.2 μg 0.2 % Manganese 1.1 μg 0.05 % Nickel 0.5 μg – Chromium 0.2 μg 0.6 % Vanadium 0.2 μg – Selenium 0.2 μg 0.3 % Silver 0.1 μg – Other elements were below detection thresholds. In other words, its slightly contaminated salt, with negligible amounts of either essential trace minerals or toxic ones. Like any other salt, its easy to push dietary sodium to levels that increase risk for hypertension, stroke, vascular dementia etc.Personally, I detected the inorganic sulfur and metallic taste and didn’t care for it. If you use non-iodized salts (sea salt, rock salt, or kosher salt), ensure you have an alternate source of iodine. Iodine deficiency effects 2 billion and is a leading cause of mental retardation.Thanks for the info, Darryl. I wonder if there are phytonutrients in Himalayan salt from the pink color? I bet that’s another reason it’s so popular, people figure the pink color must offer some anti-oxidants. If it did have phytonutrients, that could mitigate some of the potential damage from the toxic compounds. But only 2/3 of a teaspoon? I guess Pam Popper would say a little more is ok. I’ll probably go with just 1/2 a teaspoon to be on the safe side. Just get the extra sodium needed from celery and seaweed.What kind of salt do you use?No phytonutrients (“plant nutrients”) whatsoever. Sodium chloride is a pretty tight crystal, and doesn’t permit much of any other atom in its lattice. In Himalayan salt, there’s just enough trace elements for absorption of some visible wavelengths, much as trace elements do in colored quartz. The conditions of its deposition in ancient evaporite basins (like the modern Dead Sea or Salt Lake) were also too extreme for much biology. See this slide presentation for the geology, which was much the same in Ediacaran era India or Permian era Arkansas. All mined salt is sea salt. Some is just refined to reduce metallic taste.I don’t use much salt, but I have some kosher salt by the stovetop. Its just large-grained non-iodized refined salt, but I have wakame and nori often enough I suspect I’m getting sufficient iodine.Awesome info, Darryl, thanks!A tip of the hat to Kathleen DesMaisons’ 1998 book Potatoes not Prozac. She had it pretty right-on 15 years ago.THe comments section from “How to Avoid Phosphate Additives” in not loading. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/This does not seem to be the case for other videos, just this one.For me, the big ‘addictogen’ has always been fat. I was able to get rid of sugar and salt from my diet completely and quickly. I have never regretted that, or craved substances rich in processed sugar or salt. But despite adopting a completely plant-based diet, I remain unable to minimize its fat content. For example, in the morning I continue to blend 4-5 tablespoons of nuts and seeds into my breakfast smoothie (though I’ve ramped down on the brazil nuts and got rid of avocados). For my lunch salad, I have yet to be able to create a salad dressing that does not contain some form of oil — has anyone got a good recipe for this? The best I can come up with – and it’s delicious – is a tablespoon of tahini with copious amounts of lemon juice, and whip it until it’s very fine, add nutritional yeast to sprinkle on top.For dinner, I’ll take in about 1/3 of a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.What I’d really love to do is eliminate all of this junk fat and go with an ultra low fat plant-based whole foods diet. I don’t think there are really good ‘equivalents’ for fat in terms of interchangeability of ingredients, so I may just have to try a different type of cuisine altogether.Have you considered that nutritional yeast might be a neurotoxin? I don’t know for sure but if you google-it there will be a wealth of people who avoid nutritional yeast with the utmost conviction. Interesting.And they have no peer reviewed research to back up any of their claims. I don’t listen to the dietary philosophers.Why would nutritional yeast be a toxin?It’s the people that claim glutamate is toxic. They often extend their fear of msg to nutritional yeast, though tend to overlook other naturally savory umami-rich foods like tomatoes or mushrooms. Just my observation.Glutamate is only toxic when it is released from destroyed neural tissue, such as can be seen in an acute stroke (glutamate-mediated excitation of ischemic tissue in the penumbra). Glutamate antagonists do not prevent stroke or reduce the complications of stroke, so that destroys the glutamate theory in my view. I think it’s silly to generalize from a food that contains glutamate to a molecular marker that participates far downstream in neurological events such as stroke, TIA, etc.Glutamate might not be toxic but what about synthetic vitamins in nutritional yeast? Are they toxic long term? I don’t know the answer but I am concerned.That’s a good point. I only eat the unfortified brands, and since I consume very little grain, I actually need those B vitamins (especially thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, niacin and pantothenic acid). Unfortified nutritional yeast flakes actually have some of these, although obviously a lot less than the fortified stuff. I eat maybe 2 tbsp. per day on salads.I am being told by what seems to be the main producer of nutritional yeast that the “un-fortified” version does not have synthetic vitamins added to it after it is grown, (thus it is un-fortified), but it was grown using synthetic vitamins. This seems to be a loop-hole to be able to call the product un-fortified when in fact it was grown with “fortified ingredients”. The niacin and pantothenic acid and other B vitamins are predominately synthetic, even in the “un-fortified” version. I know this probably sounds confusing but I hope I make some sense here.I don’t know the answer to this but I’ll chime in and say that when the nutritional yeast says “unfortified” “no added vitamins” on the label, it was likely grown with synthetic vitamins. I had a major seller of nutritional yeast admit to me that their “unfortified/no added vitamins” nutritional yeast is grown with synthetic vitamins. This way they are able to add them before the finished product and still be able to claim no synthetics. I think the question that should be asked is “are synthetic vitamins something humans should be consuming?”No I haven’t; sounds like it could be the same folks saying cholesterol is good for you and grains have antinutrients, but it’s Dr. Blaylock I believe because it contains the amino acid glutamate, a mythic ‘excitotoxin’ per http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-msg/.Doing a lot of strenuous biking in cold weather, I swear by the stuff myself: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/And Dr. Greger is really good on talking about neurotoxins, even in vegan food faves: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=neurotoxinsDan, There are a lot of different, very delicious balsamic vinegars, you can use on salads. Blend it vith a little mustard and garlic. BTW: I cant get rid of the salt…That’s the obvious answer I hadn’t considered. Thanks PSdoc.Have you tried balsalmic glaze? It’s my go-to salad dressing. Straight vinegar is too watery for me. Weirdly it looks like chocolate sauce when you drizzle it on but it tastes great!As ‘Toxins’ and Dr. Greger will surely advise and you seem to understand, oils are nutritionally deficient caloric catastrophes. That said, you can still have a wee amount in your diet if you have no cardiovascular issues. I have opted out of oils completely, which was a lot easier than it sounds; albeit makes ordering in a restaurant a bit time consuming and arduous (I live in Indonesia, where oil is king). As I eat copious amounts of raw vegetables, I have had to get fairly creative with the types of dressings that are not only tasty but also nutritious. One that I found ages ago online that I still use as a base with slight variations in the herbs is as follows:Add all ingredients into a blender or food processor:+/- 1 cup organic tofu+/- 1 cup homemade organic soy milk(amounts depend on the desired consistency)a very large handful of your favorite fresh herb, I often use Basil or Coriander1-2 cloves of raw garlic3-4 shallots (any onion can be substituted if necessary)a generous pinch, two or three of black pepperpinch of organic sea salt (not necessary)juice of a quarter lemon2-4 tablespoons of ground organic flax seed for flavor/Omega 3s/ and to thicken1/4 teaspoon dried celery seedBlend for a few minutes until desired consistency and add more ground flax if you want it supah-dupah thick. Any variations/suggestions that anyone else has tried would certainly be appreciated. Good Luck and good health!!!Bon AppetitMichaelMichael: Thanks for posting this. Just 2 days ago, someone asked me for salad dressing recipes that don’t contain oil. I’m going to pass on this one. :-)Also Thea you can try say 1/2 cup of nuts (walnuts e.g.) or edamame or green garbanzos (can buy frozen) and 2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari or miso and a clove or two of garlic in the vitamix with 1/2 cup water (or non-dairy milk) +/- to desired thickness. I think this follows an Esselstyn recipe called OMG walnut sauce.For mayo you can find some silken tofu-based recipes that don’t use added oil – great for vegan potato salad!Thanks! Much appreciated.Vegan vigilance:Just be sure not to actually use the ‘silken style’ tofu, as they are typically made with egg.Don’t know where you heard or saw that?? Sometimes eggs are cooked with tofu, but I’m not aware of any tofu containing egg ingredients. What is your source?Here’s a North American reference for you:http://www.sunrise-soya.com/soy-products/mandarin-tofu.phpI live in Indonesia and it plainly states it in the ingredient list on most, if not all, silken tofu packaging. It’s commonly used in a dish known as ‘Ma Po tahu, originally a Chinese dish (tahu=tofu:Indonesian) as it works much better with a very soft textured tofu.You’re very welcome! We all have to help as much as possible.Michael, that sounds amazing. Is it necessary to use home-made organic soy milk? Are you doing this to avoid hexane? I am actually going to try this recipe – would it work in a very large blender (like a ninja 2 L blender), or do you need a smaller blender/food processor? And do the flax seeds need to pre-ground, or can they be ground in the main blender? I am really going to try this one! Thanks!It really is amazing. No, it’s not necessary to use ‘homemade’ organic soy, I just make my own as it’s about ten times cheaper than buying it, far tastier and really easy to do; I’ve also noticed most commercial soy milk having a few too many added ingredients that I would prefer not to ingest. No deal breakers really, simply trying to stick to as close to WFPB-ed as possible.As per the blender situation, I use a cheap little 1.5 liter generic one that works fine.Yes, I grind the flax seeds separately with my little grind attachment to the aforementioned cheap-o blender. You should give it a go. I love it.Also, as b00mer suggests below, I’ve also experimented with dijon mustard and herbs and varying other ingredients such as ‘doenjang’ (Korean miso paste). I’d steer clear of commercially bought ketchup however.Enjoy!!!I usually use tofu also, but if you want the creamy style dressing but don’t want to get out a blender, I’ve seen other people whisking different ingredients into [non-dairy] yogurt.Fresh garlic, dijon, ketchup, sweet pickle relish, and dill added to tofu make what other people have informed me is “thousand island” style dressing (recipe here: http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/burgers.html). Left overnight the garlic gets super strong and almost spicy. I love to eat it on a salad with crumbled up bean burgers. I love it so much I’ve taken to calling it “crack sauce”.More great ideas! Thanks.Michael, one more quick follow-up question for you on this recipe.1) Do you use soft, medium, firm or extra firm tofu? (I imagine soft works best, since it’s a dressing, but wanted to check with you).Thanks.I occasionally use a more medium textured tofu for the recipe, but as the best organic brand over here, Indonesia, only has a firm one, I use that one. I haven’t noticed a taste difference and a very slight texture difference but hardly noticeable.Michael! I made it last night precisely as your recipe stated (the only difference being store-bought organic soy milk instead of home-made). I’m not sure if I did something wrong but it came out incredibly oniony! My mouth was on fire, perhaps because I put it onto a salad that already had lots of scallions (green onions) down to their roots.I think next time I will back off on the shallots – I used three big ones, plus two cloves of garlic. One quarter teaspoon of dried celery seed, as you suggested in the recipe. I also squeezed the hell out of that quarter lemon with a lemon press and wonder if that contributed to the flavor punch; finally, I used a heap of basil, but I don’t think that’s the issue.I am going to see how it sits overnight in the fridge to let the flavors meld a bit better.Next time, less shallots!Perhaps it’s the combo of the copious amounts of scallions that you used as well; the white roots can be quite potent. I also do the recipe without lemon juice as well with nice results.You could simply check it out tomorrow, but I think to really save the batch you would need to cut it with a bit more tofu and soy milk. Or, if it’s beyond repair, next time simply cut back on the allium family of veg; although, it’s wise to get as much of that as possible.Good Luck and let us know.Hi Michael,(sorry for all the name changes – settling on a handle here – it’s all the same guy though)1) It did meld much better the next day! I have been eating it twice a day on my plants. I love this recipe but it is a bit time-consuming in that one has to ensure one has fresh herbs, fresh tofu and soy milk (I don’t make it from scratch). Not so much a problem as I shop once a week for these items, but it’s not exactly an off-the-kitchen-shelf dressing…..2) ….but what do you think of the fat content of this recipe – I suppose it’s coming from the soymilk and tofu. Now with the tofu, one can purchase low fat tofu (these tend to be the less firm types), but with soymilk, unless one is making one’s own (which you do – have no idea how you do that!), low fat soymilk tends to have A LOT of sugar added to sweeten it. Just my impression. Also if the soymilk and tofu are adding alot of omega-6-rich fat (soybean oil) to this recipe, is it somewhat self-defeating? Are these omega-6’s better than tahini (sesame seed fat)? I think it’s all the same – linoleic acid.3) In that vein, what do you think of the OMG Walnut Sauce recipe that someone else posted here, basically just a 1/2 cup of walnuts, 2 tbsp of low sodium tamari, 1-4 garlic cloves, and water — the fats would be more omega-3 (ALA) coming from the walnuts, although if you calculated the density per volume, you are probably looking at the same amount of total fat. I eat a large amount of omega-3 ALA already, but I am trying to keep down my omega-6’s, to enable conversion to EPA from ALA (omega-6 acts competitively to inhibit the desaturase enzyme that converts ALA to EPA).Thanks for sharing your recipes here.Good Morning DH; at least you have a handle now. I’m a bit busy with work at the moment but wanted to reply to a few of your concerns.1. Great news on the success of the dressing mellowing out after a day in the fridge.2. Low fat tofu? Really? I’m not concerned about the fat content at all, as it merely contains 3 grams of saturated fat for the whole recipe that I can easily use on 4 – 6 salads. In regards to the higher Omega-6 content due to the soy milk and tofu, that is why I use flax seed in order to balance the fatty acid; perhaps this was simply overlooked. I use at least 4 tablespoons per batch. Remember, we’re looking for the Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio to be as close to 1:1 as possible. This recipe boasts slightly better than this coming in at:Omega-3 = 7208 mgOmega-6 = 7113 mg3. To be honest and only from your description of the aforementioned dressing; It doesn’t sound too appealing to me. But, different strokes.In reference to the scenario you presented concerning conversion of ALA to EPA; while there is a distinct competition by the PUFAs Omega-3, 6 & 9 for them, the desaturase enzymes exhibit a preference to the Omega-3 first and foremost, followed by 6 and then 9.Anyway, your concerns should be mitigated by the fact that your levels should hopefully be near the aforementioned ratio of 1:1 in your overall dietary intake.Good LuckMichael, perhaps just call me ‘Dan’. Easiest that way. I am relieved that you have numbers on the balance of omega-3 and omega-6 in this dressing, and frankly, given your obvious fine intelligence, intellect and knowledge base, I am not surprised that you’ve worked it out. Thank you!I was concerned because soybean oil — obviously not the same thing as tofu or soymilk — is a particularly rich source of omega-6. This is the main reason I am trying to get away from sesame paste in my dressings. I do realize that your dressing, which I have now enjoyed for 4 or 5 nights, is not the same thing as direct soybean oil. But if you had access to low fat organic tofu in Indonesia, would you use it in place of the regular medium firm organic tofu? (you might have to up the flaxseed to increase the consistency).Speaking of which, I didn’t overlook the flaxseed. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with it because I am already getting copious ALA in my diet and there have been some epidemiological worries about macular degeneration with too much ALA. But I did add 2 tbsp of ground flaxseed at the beginning.I love your recipe and the only things I would tweak in it, for my own tastes, is to drop the shallots to 1-2 from 3-4, and perhaps consider using low fat tofu rather than regular tofu (having said this, I’ve never purchased low fat tofu before, and I’ve never seen an organic version of it, which is more important to me than potentially something that has been sitting in a hexane bath and is described as “low fat”).I would love to hear your recipe for making homemade soymilk, although you may be too busy to post it and so I can check this online with google.Michael – thanks for all your help! It’s a brilliant recipe and I certainly wasn’t attacking it! I think it’s going to be my go-to — I’m already putting it on my steamed vegetables as well (I eat both raw and steamed to reduce goitrogenic risk from too much raw cruciferae) :-)You’re very welcome! Sorry for the extremely late response; hibernating. I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. How is your dietary shift coming along I wonder. Please keep us updated. In so far as using mint, I think it’s a fabulous idea, although I’ve never tried it before. I think you could probably skip most or all of the garlic and shallots in that case and stick with the lemon to give it a somewhat Mediterranean taste; that said, perhaps throw some chickpeas into the mix while you’re at it!PS, Michael, I wonder how your recipe tastes with other herbs, in particular mint leaves, which I often enjoy ‘raw’. Might be overwhelmed by the shallots/garlic, but have you ever tried it with mint? I am also going to try coriander as per your original post…Are 30 bananas a day overeating? Do we know which genes cause the low dopamine levels? Is there anything we can do? Mucuna Pruriens? I wonder why there is so much more obesity now. I suppose the real problem is how ubiquitous sugary treats are these days though I did grow up with a pretty steady diet of sugar in the 60’s.You might want to consider reading the book ‘The Pleasure Trap’ by Lisle and Goldhamer (or watching ‘Losing weight without losing your mind’ on youtube).My daughter feels good after eating 100% chocolate but feels depressed after eating fruit. What’s up with that?Hi, Wegan. I just found your question and have some thoughts on it. I hope that your daughter’s situation is better now, but just in case if this can still be helpful to you or someone else:– Does her depression happen after eating any fruit or only certain types of fruit? – Does depression happen with any other food or just fruit? – Did you notice her depression being triggered if she eats any high glycemic index foods or is it localized to fruit only? If so, she could have fruit malabsorption. “Fructose malabsorbers showed significantly lower plasma tryptophan concentrations and significantly higher depression scores compared to normal. Fructose malabsorption is associated with lower tryptophan levels which may play a role in the development of depressive disorders..” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10721040 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11099057She could get tested to be certain, and by the way, this condition could be genetic.I hope this can shine some light in the right direction. I love fruit, but have intolerance to certain fruits, so I understand how frustrating this can be. Wishing you both all the best!	abdominal fat,addiction,alcohol,body fat,brain waves,Coca-Cola,cocaine,dopamine,fat,fruit,obesity,processed foods,soda,sugar,sweeteners	Evidence from PET scans suggests brain activity changes from the overconsumption of sugar may parallel that of drug addiction. Diminished “pleasure center” dopamine pathway sensitivity in obese individuals may be analogous to that found in cocaine addicts and alcoholics.	Tips on moving our children away from junk food can be found in my videos Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at Home and Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at School.What about artificial sweeteners? Though some are less harmful than others (Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant as opposed to Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia), they could still have adverse effects regardless of their individual chemistry. See my 3-part series:What about fatty foods like meat? That’s my next video, Are Fatty Foods Addictive?.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/casomorphin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/addiction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-waves/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocaine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22338036,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15627579,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23016694,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22572644,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22647300,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22016109,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22647302,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22647299,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21371174,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21205113,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21464344,
PLAIN-2677	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/	How to Avoid Phosphate Additives	How often is poultry injected with phosphates? The vast majority of chicken products—more than 90%—were found to contain these additives and most of the packages of meat didn't list the additives on their label.Sometimes they call the phosphate additives "flavorings" or "broth," and sometimes the labels don’t say anything at all. If they do list them, it will probably be ones of these. I'd recommend minimizing one's intake of anything with those four letters: p.h.o.s. They're also used in a lot in junk foods and fast food. This one has phosphorus and aluminum. You see this a lot in processed cheeses. One grilled cheese sandwich and we may exceed the World Health Organization’s provisional tolerable daily intake of aluminum by 428%.And the food industry no longer has to list phosphorus content on the Nutrition Facts label.There have certainly been calls from the public health community to mandate that phosphorus content of foods be included back on the nutrition facts label. Good luck with that.All these studies bring home the same strong message: phosphorus-containing additives are present in most meat products and significantly increase the phosphorus content. Moreover, the lack of this information in the Nutrition Facts labels and even in nutrition databases prevents patients and dietitians from accurately estimating food phosphorus content and intake. So as if animal products weren't bad enough already, the added phosphates may bring them up to here.	What do you make to the European Food Safety Authority Study on Aluminum in Food?http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/754.pdfI know you have done some videos on this sort of stuff but the study I have referenced lists mushrooms, spinach, radish, swiss chard, tea leaves, herbs, spices, and cocoa products as having aluminum levels that some would consider rather high.Are you concerned?Hello Dr.:How does one detox. or remove aluminum in our tissues?The best way is to avoid intake and let the body work on removing it via the kidneys. One agent available for detoxifying is deferoxamine. However it’s use should be restricted to aluminum toxicity.If I recall correctly (from my training), deferoxamine is also used to chelate copper in Wilson’s disease and mercury in organic mercury poisoning, but since my knowledge base is dated, I may be completely wrong!A recent study showed that consuming 1L per day of silicon rich mineral water such as found in Fiji and Volvic brands can remove Aluminum from the body: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2216608/Drinking-litre-day-mineral-water-prevent-onset-Alzheimers-flushing-aluminium.htmlDr. Greger,What about tricalcium phospate used in almond and soy milks to supplement calcium? Are these harmful?Curses. The only almond milk I liked was 365, largely because Ca3(PO4)2 didn’t impart the same chalky taste to creamed soups as the CaCO3 used in other brands.Dr Greger, I drink a lot of ‘milk’. I prefer non cow. Which one do you like NOW?Looks like phosphate is another amongst the veritable litany of toxins found in our meat and dairy supply…Do non-dairy cheeses have this same problem?Some do. Among vegan cheeses, Daiya, Dr Cow, Road’s End Chreese and Teese products have no phosphate additives. Tofutti and some Go Veggie and Vegan Gourmet products do include phosphate salts.How about yogurt? I cannot find any non-dairy yogurt which does not have tri-calcium phosphate in it. So Delicious, WholeSoy, Silk Live all list tricalcium phosphate in their ingredients. It is very frustrating. I became vegan to be healthy but I can’t seem to avoid these additives unless I make my own home-made almond or soy milk.Yep, I’ve looked at 8 brands. The tricalcium phosphate (TP) doesn’t seem neccessary from a preservative, buffer, or emulsifying agent standpoint, its there to approach and even exceed dairy yogurt’s calcium (Ca) content.The amount varies from Almond Dream providing 20% of the Ca DV in 6 oz to WholeSoy with 50% of the DV in 8 oz. In the later case, the 10 g of soy protein would naturally provide 8% of the Ca requirement, so 42% of the Ca is from the added TP. Using the 1000 mg Ca RDA for 19-50 year old adults as the DV, that’s 420 mg Ca and 216 mg inorganic phosphorus from the TP. Nearly the equivalent of four 12 oz cans of cola.Email the companies that add this to their products and let them know you have stopped buying their said products until they remove the try-calcium phosphate (just a suggestion. but this approach has worked for other questionable ingredients over the years).Great idea Elsie ! I will do that. Darryl, thanks for the info. In the meantime I checked my almond milk that I buy. It’s called “Califa Farms” brand. It does not have any phosphate but it mentions “calcium carbonate.” Is that also a curse?Calcium carbonate should be fine. Refer to the following video by Dr. Greger (video shows soy milk with calcium carbonate as additive):http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/Darryl, I noticed that my smoked paprika also contains, in addition to paprika, silicon dioxide and ethoxyquin. Wasn’t able to find out anything about these two additives. Do you know anything offhand about their safety?Silicon Dioxide is found through out nature and studies show it to be very safe. Ethoxyquin is a double ringed pesticide also used in spices to avoid change in color. It is not used in Europe due to health concerns. I would avoid as much as possible.Thanks Don. For some reason I have the vague feeling that Silicon Dioxide is glass, but perhaps I am wrong. As to ethoxyquin, I did a pubmed/medline search and found a wealth of studies confirming what you said – it damages DNA. I am throwing out that smoked paprika pronto!The FDA’s estimate of cancer risks from ethoxyquin use as a spice preservative was less than 0.000002.The dose makes the poison. If I threw out all the foods that contained known natural carcinogens (in rodents, at high doses), these would have to go:Allspice, anise, apple, apricot, banana, basil, beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, caraway, cardamom, carrot, cauliflower, celery, cherries, chili pepper, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, coffee,collard greens, comfrey herb tea, corn, coriander, currants, dill, eggplant, endive, fennel, garlic, grapefruit,grapes, guava, honey, honeydew melon, horseradish, kale, lemon, lentils, lettuce, licorice, lime, mace, mango, marjoram, mint, mushrooms, mustard, nutmeg, onion, orange, paprika, parsley, parsnip, peach, pear,peas, black pepper, pineapple, plum, potato, radish, raspberries, rhubarb, rosemary, rutabaga, sage, savory,sesame seeds, soybean, star anise, tarragon, tea, thyme, tomato, turmeric, and turnipThat’s a great perspective. I did not know any of that, although I did know that the dose makes the poison and that rat carcinogencity testing is extremely controversial (and probably doesn’t predict even mouse carcinogencity, let alone human carcinogenicity). Ames has a competing test (patented?) that does not rely on intact animals and thus he has ‘skin in the game’ – though that doesn’t mean he isn’t right on with his comments.Darryl, what is your opinion then of organic produce and pesticides/herbicides/fungicides? Should we follow the same principle as in ethoxyquin and forgo the much higher prices of organic produce? (at least here in Canada, during the winter, the prices are dramatically higher for organic, and I’ve always wondered if it’s worth it). Thanks for your input.Iam so thankful Dr Greeger to your videos and series you done..in that way i learn so much for true health and much more the nucleus of nutritions…..Dr Emma.Dr. Greger,I was going to ask… I know that a type of protein tryptophan is highest in meat and cheese, and this protein helps keep people awake during heavy periods of work. I’m at university studying architecture and do alnighter’s occasionally. in addition to a good strong coffee? It helps lol.What I was going to ask is? Is there any evidence that states that cheese such as Mozzarella and Parmesan isn’t as damaging as other cheese? Because I hear it doesn’t harm Lactose intolerant people anywhere near as badly as other forms of cheese.Maybe a video such as “the least harmful cheese” video might suit people and help them ween off of the stuff.I myself only ingest it for short term benefit whilst I have heavy loads of work to be doing. We architects in England have the same grueling workloads as you medicine folk. It can be tricky.Sebastian, there are much healthier ways to boost tryptophan levels and in fact, meat and cheese actually do the opposite. Check out: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/Dr. Greger, you’ve clearly stated on many occasions over the years that chicken is full of toxins and other things we want to avoid. I want to know, is organic chicken any safer or better? We eat a lot of organic chicken and organic eggs. Are these foods any safer and cleaner?? They are raised and fed differently, and I can taste a difference, and the texture is different than conventionally raised chicken. I also notice a difference in how I feel when I’ve eaten organic versus non-organic chicken. Are there any studies showing the levels of the toxins and flame retardants in organic chicken and eggs? Thanks for answering my questions.Does organic chicken contain phosphates?	aluminum,animal products,cheese,chicken,dairy,fast food,food additives,industry influence,junk food,meat,phosphate additives,phosphorus,poultry,preservatives,processed foods,processed meat,turkey,World Health Organization	The vast majority of chicken and poultry products are injected with phosphorus preservatives, which are often not listed in the ingredients. Reducing one’s intake of meat, junk food, fast food, and processed cheese may help lower intake until labeling is mandated.	This is the third of a three-part video series on phosphate additives added to meat and junk food. The first, Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola, described the risk for the general population associated with the consumption of these preservatives and compared the phosphorus levels in various foods. In my last video, Phosphate Additives in Chicken, I described the food safety implications (beyond the cardiovascular and kidney concerns).I’ve previously touched on the aluminum in cheese in Aluminum in Vaccines vs. Food. More concerning, though, are the levels of lead in venison (Filled Full of Lead) and mercury in tuna (The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages).For more context, check out my associated blog post: Where are Phosphate Additives Found?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/21/where-are-phosphate-additives-found/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phosphorus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aluminum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23402914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20173061,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21535864,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12753675,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17720105,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19608709,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22334826,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22220204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21055967,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19376617,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15742973,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22004823,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19628683,
PLAIN-2678	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/	Phosphate Additives in Chicken	Most future medical professionals surveyed were insufficiently aware—in fact 2/3s had no clue—of the risks related to prolonged high dietary phosphate intake and even if they knew it was a problem, they didn't know which foods have had it added. 99% knew sugar was added to soda, but only 7% knew that phosphates were added. I bet even fewer would know they inject it into most packages of meat.Though this practice remains banned in Europe thanks to a 1982 ruling, 11 different phosphate salts are now allowed to be injected into meat and poultry in the United States. Despite the fact that phosphate is considered an arterial toxin, causing our arteries to stiffen up within just two hours of consumption, making modern poultry not only more dangerous from a heart disease standpoint, but may also be making poultry more dangerous from a food safety standpoint.What are the effects of phosphate additives on the survival of our #1 cause of bacterial food poisoning in chicken exudates? Chicken exudate is the same as poultry purge, the chicken "juice." It's the fluid that seeps out from processed poultry carcasses and is often found to be contaminated with considerable numbers of Campylobacter bacteria. It is comprised of water, blood, fats, and other materials added to the poultry during processing. If you don't inject chicken with phosphate, the exudates seeping into the package may grow about 100 campylobacter bacteria (this is a log scale). You add some phosphate and you're up to a hundred million bacteria--a million times more.The addition of phosphates to chicken has the potential to increase the survival of Campylobacter by 100 fold or more. The infectious dose for campylobacter has been shown to be as little as 500 organisms. How much might there be in chicken? 100,000 can be easily recovered from washes of whole chicken carcasses.So what does a million times more food poisoning bacteria mean for the risk to consumers? Well even just a hundred fold increase in these fecal matter bacteria can mean a 30 fold difference in the number of human outbreaks of Campylobacter, a food borne disease that can leave people paralyzed. But hey, if the poultry industry doesn't add phosphates, how are they going to enhance the moisture absorbance, color and flavor, and reduce product shrinkage?	My family just eat poultry today for lunch, arguing that butter was good for health and meat necessary for human. And all around me, rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, stroke, type 2 diabete, diverticulosis, constipation, heart disease, and so on. And off course, they don’t listen to me. What can I say ? What can I do ?The best thing you can do is be a good role model for them. Don’t lecture them. Purchase healthy food, prepare healthy food, eat a healthy diet for yourself, and provide healthy choices for your family. If they ask you why you eat the way you do, simply tell them, without any emotion or lecturing.Tell them that a Doctor (Me) asked you to sit down with your family and watch the documentary Forks Over Knives together. It’s very well done and appeals to nearly everyone and is available on Netflix and free on Hulu.That way if they don’t like the information they can “hate” the doctor and not you!Then if they find that interesting have them watch the most profound one hour lecture I have come across, “Uprooting the leading causes of Death” by Dr. Greger. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/These to sources provide stellar, eye-opening information that few can ignore! Hope this helps.I tend to get politely interested in the M.D.’s hanging around sites like this, partially just to see how they come to their position, and partially to know what sort of specialties in medicine are represented. Your name choice indicates some specialty that connects with blood flow, but if you didn’t mind telling, I’d be interested in knowing your area of expertise more exactly.The one fly in the ointment about FoK is that it did get pretty lukewarm reviews. It’s professionally done, no doubt, but it competes in a fairly large space of professionally done documentaries aiming to get the viewer to behave with better purpose. Whether or not the weak critical reception is a reflection of poor production, cognitive dissonance in the critic, or the anticipation of a biased audience, we can anticipate that a fairly high proportion of people will disagree that the documentary was well done and trustworthy and motivating.Untoured have you viewed F over K or are you commenting on the reviews only? Did you like it? I found Food Inc a real eye opener. Have you seen that?I’ve considered viewing FoK but the main barrier so far has been the relative inconvenience of non-freeness since I don’t use netflix. Hemo said to look at hulu and I just tried that yesterday but full service of the documentary is not available, only trailers.Haven’t seen Food Inc yet either, but I did view a short BBC series on the history of marketing processed foods some time ago, which may have covered somewhat similar ground.Untoured: Have you checked your local library? Just a thought. I think Forks Over Knives is very worth seeing.Looks like it’s in the library, so I’ll probably get around to it eventually. The money for a youtube purchase would be no permanent barrier, anyway, except one of convenience. Part of the issue is that I’ve already spent time with the broad thesis that a wfpb diet is worthwhile for long term health, and accept that general position, to the point where b12 supplementation will become a necessary part of how I will be playing the dietary game, and I’m already playing that way. So I don’t have so much to gain by examining another argument pro because it’s not likely to radically redefine my own behavior to reach further benefits. I have a casual interest in nutrition of course but in terms of my life, I want my investigations in the subject to not consume too much time, and to be well-chosen, in the sense that they further refine my understanding of how foods relate to health, or they give me something with the authority to convince others or at least plant the seeds of change.A (sort-of) Christmas present for my father may be to get him off a ‘low carb’+exercise approach to lifestyle, so that’s my biggest focus for the tools to make a convincing argument on a nutritional topic. I want to be authoritative without seeming overly zealous, myself, or insistent about conversion to veganism. Many of my particular views about particular aspects of diet may be wrong, even though I think I have enough to weigh in on the unhealthfulness of his dietary strategy. My hope is that it would be sufficient to get him thinking and reevaluating his position, because I think he didn’t go about the process of informing himself very thoroughly to begin with; rather he was just motivating himself to be persistent in keeping to the general plan, to do it in a relatively healthy and convenient fashion.The thing about chronically developed disease is that there is a relatively large window of time to inform yourself, so I’d be satisfied just to reopen his mind to the topic now that his enthusiasm for the diet may be flagging. I don’t want to close his mind on this topic though, no matter whether it’s his irrationality or mine or both that does it. That would be the worst outcome since it looks like he is slowly returning to a more ‘moderately’ meaty diet without my meddling. If he officially announces going ‘off’ the low-carb in the near future, then that would also clearly be a good time to add a little bit of my viewpoint to the discussion, so I wouldn’t want to spoil that potential opportunity.Untoured, a book I am reading now called ‘The Pleasure Trap’ by Doug Lisle and Alan Goldhamer has been very beneficial in terms of understanding the predicament we are in with the modern western diet and why we should move to a plant-based diet. It’s written for the educated reader. Doug Lisle is the psychologist with the McDougall program.Thanks for the recommendations, Dan.Untoured: I fully understand about not wanting to spend all your free time studying nutrition. It makes sense to want to put the time you do put into learning about nutrition to try to get the most “bang for you buck.”I’m thinking that Forks Over Knives would be great for your father more than for you. Not everyone, but lots of people find the movie compelling. So, it might do the job.Of course, just being a good role model yourself and as you say, not pushing your father too hard, are also good strategies. Best of luck to you both.Cardiology and Family MedicineThanks kindly.Family Medicine with additional training in quality improvement and medical management. I got interested after having success with my type 2 diabetic patients. That led to giving talks on the prevention and reversal of chronic conditions. Another documentary that is informative is Processed People. If you can’t find at the public library you might check any Vegan or Vegetarian Groups in town. They often show the films at meetings… at least in my town.Pehaps sharing this video will help? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/I have used my birthday as leverage to get certain close loved ones to watch something with me or on their own as my birthday “gift” (what others have suggested: FoK, Uprooting, Apple a Day). It’s hard to argue with the birthday girl! :)This is a good reason to buy chicken (if you eat chicken) from your local, sustainable farmer so you know what goes (and doesn’t go) into raising and processing the chicken.According to one study, chicken may harbor a cancer causing virus:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21497401I don t want my vegetables grown in chicken feces or other byproducts, let alone eating it.Fascinating!I agree there are many issues with chickens and meat in many cases. I almost always eat meat that is beyond organic, so I don’t have to worry the issues with factory farmed meat.I consider studies objectively, how we interpret studies and conclusions we make, how many variables were involved and were they taken into consideration or not, methodology, who funded the study, independent research and peer reviewing, etc. It’s a complicated topic so I always like to get different viewpoints and interpretations of studies and research that is done.I understand vegans and vegetarians viewpoint and have no problem with people not eating meat. I also support my sustainable and ethical ranchers and farmers based on all the information available to me.If chicken and other meat contain cancer causing viruses as the research above suggests, “organic” or “beyond organic” is not going to help you much.Depends on what sources you are getting the information. Does all chicken contain viruses that cause cancer? Is all chicken bad for you? It depends on what chicken you are eating. Not all chickens are raised and processed the same. And a lot of studies that analyze chicken do not separate out the factory farm vs the sustainable farmed chickens.The primary issues I see with chicken, whether organic or conventional, are the marked levels of arachidonic acid http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/cholesterol http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/The ability to induce endotoxemia and the ability to raise IGF-1 levels. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/Even wild game causes inflammation http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/I’m not convinced that cholesterol is as bad as we originally thought. I know most people on here are against eating meat and support the cholesterol argument. Inflammation in the artery wall should be considered as the issue we should be focused on.Also, if people are worried about inflammation they should reduce processed foods. How much inflammation would you get from a bowl of processed grain cereal coated with sugar vs a piece of 6 oz wild game. And what benefits do each have.Most foods have pros and cons. Different meats have pros and cons, different vegetables and fruits do too.I would encrouage you to view the links with a neutral view rather then read what I titled them as and jump to conclusions.Having high cholesterol is the only factor needed to cause heart disease.According to the national academy of science, “Given the capability of all tissues to synthesize sufficient amounts of cholesterol for their metabolic and structural needs, there is no evidence for a biological requirement for dietary cholesterol. Therefore, neither an Adequate Intake nor a Recommended Dietary Allowance is set for cholesterol. There is much evidence to indicate a positive linear trend between cholesterol intake and low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, and therefore increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A Tolerable Upper Intake Level is not set for cholesterol because any incremental increase in cholesterol intake increases CHD risk.” http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=542According to the editor in chief of the American Journal of Cardiology “As shown in Figure 1, most of the risk factors do not in themselves cause atherosclerosis [heart disease]…The atherosclerotic risk factors showing that the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis is cholesterol.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/Also, “Serum cholesterol concentration is clearly increased by added dietary cholesterol but the magnitude of predicted change is modulated by baseline dietary cholesterol. The greatest response is expected when baseline dietary cholesterol is near zero, while little, if any, measurable change would be expected once baseline dietary cholesterol was >400-500 mg/d. People desiring maximal reduction of serum cholesterol by dietary means may have to reduce their dietary cholesterol to minimal levels (<100-150 mg/d) to observe modest serum cholesterol reductions while persons eating a diet relatively rich in cholesterol would be expected to experience little change in serum cholesterol after adding even large amounts of cholesterol to their diet." http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.full.pdfSo lets not debate whimsical thinking or false ideas that cholesterol is negligible. Chronic low grade inflammation is the primary underlying cause of nearly all chronic disease. Endotoxemia has important implications in this regard.Nobody here is advocating sugary cereal. The message is to consume whole, unrefined plant foods.Thanks for all the info.What do you think about this argument? http://myscienceacademy.org/2012/08/19/world-renown-heart-surgeon-speaks-out-on-what-really-causes-heart-disease/My intent is to consider other viewpoints, and consider there could be other factors that are just as important.THe latest Am Heart Assoc/NIH recommendations are to lower LDL as much as tolerated. Perhaps you will be one of the lucky ones who are either unaffected or die fast. Prepare for that so you don’t saddle your family with end stage issues.Based on the available evidence, even organic chicken should generally be avoided. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/Consistently, you impress with food facts MDs and RDs should know and disseminate in order to practice “preventive medicine”, which many consider only to be medical tests, Xrays, etc. I congratulate you for the work you do in bringing such information to the forefront. However, the real problem, as I see it, is that those who should be implementing food and nutrition facts and information, e.g., the medical profession in educating both medical students and healthcare consumers and the food processing industry, in particular, tend to ignore it. Thank you for what you do.This really should be an expose on Dateline, or 60 Minutes!!!!!! Thank you for bringing this to the forefront of information. I wish I knew some gutsy producers at CBS or NBC to take this on. It’s ludicrous that our FDA sits idly by and lets this stuff happen. Big business is BAD business! Creating jobs is important but doing it at the humans and animals expense is reprehensible! My rant for the day.Rant on!I am also having difficulty counseling my patients in my office to go plant-based. What is the best short video clip of Dr Greger’s to show them? I often only have 10-15 minutes max to do anything with them. Ironically, the new AHA/ACC guidelines on lifestyle modification for patients with cardiovascular risk factors that were released today don’t even mention vegetarian or vegan or plant-based diets. The systematic reviews behind these guidelines actually did look for studies on these diets but they come out with the guideline to eat more poultry and low fat dairy!!!I thought Dr. Ornish’s approach (outlined in The Spectrum and a couple of presentations from last year) has a lot of merit from the point of patient compliance. He ranks foods by their propensity to cause disease, and empowers his patients to choose their own health outcomes. Avoiding the demonstrably worst foods is likely to slow progression, while cutting out progressively lesser harm-ranked foods is likely to halt or perhaps reverse disease.Perhaps the decisive argument would then come from frankly describing the efficacy and side effects of drugs or surgical interventions. Or little known symptoms: my last animal-product was eaten the day I watched Dr. Essylstein describe multi-infarct dementia (much scarier to me than fatal heart attack).Darryl, are any of these videos short but sweet (say 5 min MAX)?Another thing I was thinking, based on what you said, is to develop a one pager listing all the current medical interventions for cancer and heart disease and stroke, their point estimate relative risk reductions, and comparing that with what Ornish achieved in terms of CV events in his landmark ‘Lifestyle Heart Trial’. I think that would blow them away as patients definitely prefer relative risk reductions to absolutely risk reductions.Alas, those Ornish talks aren’t presentations for patients, but instead 40-50 minute talks to health management & sales rep conferences. In the book Ornish presents a list of foods (much prettier than mine here summarizing my takeaways from a year’s reading), but also takes hundreds of pages to lay out the rationale. I’m sure it could be condensed, and I’d like to see any handouts for the Multisite Cardiac Lifestyle trials.Thanks, Darryl. I’m certain those talks are extremely edifying, and I plan to watch those in the near future. I will keep looking for the ‘one’ short video or documentary that will help the undifferentiated patient change their mindset about “meat-centric diets” vs “plant-centric diets”. I work in a vascular medicine clinic so it shouldn’t be too hard to come up with something.Wow, Darryl, I like your handout! I agree with 99% of it and only differ on the issue of MUFA. I come at this from two points-of-view/sources of evidence. The first is that Jenkins at the University of Toronto has long been using almonds as part of a “portfolio diet” to lower cholesterol, and has shown results as good as some of the moderate-strength statins in terms of LDL-lowering.Second is that PREDIMED pretty much put the nail in the coffin that MUFA is bad for us. Although the study has flaws (Ornish and Esselstyn aver the fact that the control group was not at all fat-reduced), the interesting thing is the dramatic reduction in stroke with randomization to either nuts or extra virgin olive oil. I do not slather either in my diet due to calorie control, but the amount of evidence supporting these two interventions is pretty immense. You’ve said you weren’t impressed with PREDIMED, but in my view, it largely backs up the dramatic findings from the Lyon diet trial (de Lorgeril et al).Med diet differs from a strict plant-based diet in a couple key aspects — much more fish, encourages poultry (instead of red meat), and allows low-fat dairy. On the other hand, no butter or red meat, and encourages lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, etc. In addition, many plant-based diet plans eschew nuts and seeds, as well as their products (nut and seed oils/butters). The omega-3 : omega-6 ratio is probably most optimal on a Mediterranean Diet plan, not that I am advocating consumption of poultry, fish or dairy. Instead, I would like to take what I see as the best elements of the Mediterranean Diet and merge them into a plant-based diet, while still remaining vegan. In other words, reasonable, judicious amounts of nuts, seeds and olive oil. Red wine, by the way, is also encouraged in the Mediterranean Diet but I view that as a personal choice and not something that should be blanket-promoted for health purposes.The predimed study didn’t impress me much either, from the standpoint of determining what dietary patterns are optimal. If the groups were nearly matched in terms of fat intake and saturated fat, you can probably make a good guess as to the quality of the carb and protein foods that replaced fat in the control group. The guidance given to the control to simply ‘reduce fat’ and nothing else reflects this problem, as does the special attention to ensure compliance and behavior change in the intervention groups. The study was pretty flawed for comparing a high-fat meditteranean pattern against a strong low-fat contender for the control, and the gifting of nuts and olive oil reflect the industry ties behind the study design and implementation.Untoured, thanks for your input on PREDIMED. A couple random thoughts:1) I don’t think the control group was ever meant to be a comparison of a high fat mediterranean diet with a strong low-fat contender; instead, the control group was more the standard dietary recommendation to moderate your fat content. It is in the range recommended for the Mediterranean Diet, and more or less represents ‘usual care’ or ‘attention control’ condition.2) Unfortunately, there was contamination of the comparison of dietary patterns in that the active treatment groups got alot more attention than the control group, but an analysis done by the authors after they fixed this problem by ‘re-attending’ their control group showed that there was no difference in the relative risk for events before or after they repaired the issue. Still, it’s undesirable and I don’t know the power of the interaction test that they used to test secular trends.3) Just because industry provided some financial support does not mean the trial is necessarily biased towards industry. The investigators went around the world before doing this trial (according to the NY Times), asking for the best possible advice from people at Harvard and other centers on nutritional trial design. I would prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt with respect to their academic integrity than merely impugn their motives because the California Nut Council gave them some funds or some nuts — after all, the Council provided their support not knowing what the trial result would be, and it equally could have shown a disastrous increase in stroke for high nut fat use.4) I don’t look at predimed in isolation but against the very large backdrop of trials of the Mediterranean Diet (including the Lyon trial by de Lorgeril) and multiple high quality cohorts from the Med basin.I’m not sure why plant lovers don’t like this trial. The two interventions tested – extra virgin olive oil and tree nuts – are not exactly high on the list of carnivore diets and aren’t meat products. Yes meat was consumed as a background in both trials but did not differ between groups significantly. This may be why the trial has been ignored by vegetarians and vegans; as well it breaks with the very low fat plant-based diet plan (Ornish, Esselstyn, McDougall, etc), in that the two active interventions are both high in fat, albeit good quality fats (MUFA and PUFA).I don’t impugn academic integrity with impunity just because of industry connections, but bias is bias and it shapes research, whatever the source. The effect is compounded when money is involved to motivate motivated reasoning in design and implementation and reporting. Everyone has bias but to differing degrees, and in science it’s important to correct for it as much as possible even as our abilities to investigate the literature of even one study are limited in time.The reason why I have a problem with the monograph is that it doesn’t adequately examine the flaws in the study design or the problems in statistical confounding and statistical power. It wants to downplay them so that the media can claim that high fat is not so bad because a ‘low-fat’ group failed, so that one can cheerfullly use the benefits of a pattern that advised the increased intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes and olive oil relative to a control as a basis for claiming that olive oil was what did it; note that the questionable inference from large between variance in OO to the conclusion that OO probably explains most of the between group inference is set very carefully in the conclusion of the monograph, while the contrary details are left unexamined within the supplemental appendix. This is pretty profound bias.I clearly have no profound problem with saying that a more intensive multifaceted intervention toward a med pattern works a lot better than merely advising low fat intake and shutting the door to your office, at least for the med pattern specified here, which redistributes fats away from animal sources and toward plants and marine n-3, doesn’t appreciably increase fat, and reduces the protein derived from meat. Note how even the main way they advised the addition of OO (as ‘sofrito’) helps to confound the increased OO with increased fruit&veg. Out of a sample population at high risk of heart disease at baseline, a med pattern group does better when compared to a group that doesn’t change their eating pattern appreciably in the direction of a whole-food diet and which doesn’t decrease their intake of meat. I think the Lyon trial supports this sort of conclusion as well, but I fail to see what inference should come out of PREDIMED as earth-shattering news, or as much-needed confirmation of a hypothesis which was before in doubt.Perhaps there is some important inference that we can make from PREDIMED though, and I’m just not expert enough to see it.Dan, Unless patients from their hearts really want to impower themselves and really want to make a change, I am very pessimistic about informing them that there is another way. I have spend hours trying to inform close relatives about a WFPB diet instead of drugs without any luck. Dr. Ornish also thought that a big change would come after his results in the early 1990s, but also experienced that there is another dimension than information. Information is not enough.Plantstrong, when I used to coach patients to carb-restrict (which I don’t do anymore, thank god!), I did have some people who had dramatic success and really improved their diet and lots huge amounts of weight, with concomitant increases in biomarkers. So it all depends on the patient. The ratio is probably 80:20. At least I have informed them – they can take the information and do what they want with it. A short video clip can often “speak a 1000 words”, just like a picture does.I often think about how dramatic things happened after Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” – the power of a movie to effect change. Or how “Schindler’s List” really raised awareness about the holocaust for a generation who never gave it much thought. I think that is why people like Dr Greger still give presentations to the public; if they felt it was hopeless, with zero benefit to anyone out there, I think they would pretty much give up.But in general I agree with you that people have to be ready to make a change.What made me make the change from eating meat to going vegan was fracturing my spine and having severe pain as a result. I read Dr. Neal Barnard’s book, Foods That Fight Pain and decided it was worth a try. As a result of staying away from potential trigger foods, I lost 65 pounds, my blood cholesterol returned to normal –bad cholesterol at 100 down from 300, heart murmur disappeared, had lots of energy, joints no longer hurt. Pain in my spine has disappeared. Plus, since that time in 2012, I’ve been engaging in Pilates with private lessons 3 hours each week and walking on a treadmill (street walking alone with a total hip and total knee replacement is too scary. I do have osteoporosis which is another good reason for eating vegan!As for a movie, I think Food Inc., while not short, is very powerful and a reason for many people to change how they eat. Here is the Truth about Your Food with Food Inc. film maker Robert Kenner, which is on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Oq24hITFTYSusan, I want to congratulate you on the way you’ve taken control of your health and reverse all those problems through your diet. I wish I heard more stories like this from my own patients. With education and knowledge, we are truly empowered! Kudos to you!Thank you, Dr. Dan.I have shared information within Dr. Barnard’s book with a variety of patients enrolled in the Wellness program where I used to take physical therapy to let them know it is not just for back pain, but various pains that the body experiences, including cancer. However, most people would rather take a “pill” or injection than change their diet. Some people even left the Wellness program because of the message I (as a Wellness enrollee) shared. And, I was asked by the owners not to share the information, even though I felt passionate about the changes I experienced.The Cajun diet is horrid. It is high in both animal and transfat, low in healthy vegetables and fruit, high in sugar. The results of their behavior is diabetes, cancers, neurological damage and more. But they refuse to change the way they have always eaten and tell me I need to pray more often. It’s their way of expressing their denial that diet is what is causing their health problems. Many of the men and women in the pool are well over 300 pounds and continued with their toxic lifestyle.Just the thought of a neurosurgeon who was too obese to continue practicing surgery and opted instead to inject his patients with corticosteroids in their spine every few months for pain, made me search for another solution. I read at the National Library of Medicine (HSDB) that corticosteroids had been linked to osteoporosis. Did this physician choose to hide this from his patients because he made a living keeping his patients on drugs? He criticized me for opting to use diet and vitamins/minerals instead of using his drugs. I bit my tongue instead of saying what I wanted to him.Susan, you will find (as you have) that the modern medical establishment is extremely resistant to non-mainstream practices like plant-based nutrition to treat a wide spectrum of diseases. I’ve been called a ‘wackaloon’ for stating that the modern western diet is responsible for the wide spectrum of civilizational diseases of affluence that our distant ancestors never experienced (even those who lived to a ‘ripe old age’).Good for you for having the courage to question the health recommendations you were given and going to the literature to read up on injectable steroids! I would far prefer my patients with chronic pain read Dr. Barnard’s book and implement a natural whole plant foods diet than become addicted to NSAIDs, opioids and steroid injections for the rest of their lives while their bodies continue to deteriorate on a meat and processed food diet. I am going to recommend this book to those with chronic pain. Thanks for sharing your anecdote with me, and I believe this is how real change happens.I had two checkups recently with two different physicians. My local GP, ordered full blood work expecting problems and found none. He said whatever I’m doing, to keep doing it. My “surgeon” whom I requested after falling badly and fracturing my pelvis just before Thanksgiving, said after seeing my X-ray less than one month from the onset of the fracture: “I’d expect to see new bone growing within 3 months, but not 3 weeks.” Upon studying another X-ray last week (one month after the second x-ray), he said, “You are totally healed.” Whatever you are doing, keep doing it!” I told him that I was eating only certified organic, and a whole food plant based diet. I no longer eat vegetable type oils like olive or canola. But, occasionally eat olives in my salads. I select whole foods that have one ingredient only that are grown by the organic method. And, I take very seriously what Don Huber, Ph.D. soil and plant pathologist and microbiologist has said about herbicides being mineral chelators. Even if something is labeled organic, it may not be regulated by this USDA-FDA as such, and I use my common sense over empty words. If my body tells me that something doesn’t feel correct, I avoid purchasing it repeatedly. This happened with bananas recently. When my esophagus burned as the “USDA certified organic Del Monte banana” went down. I now avoid Del Monte, a company who contributed to the Right NOT to Know if GMO’s are in our food campaigns in California and Washington state. I have purchased raised beds, which are 4 feet off the ground, and am planning to grow much of my own food, which will be easier with vegan. My diet will simply not be as varied as it was prior to herbicide resistant agriculture.That is fantastic to hear thanks for sharing your story and insights.:-) Thank you for your feedback, JacquieSusan I also watched Food Inc with my family when it first came out. It was an eye opener and my son loves to shock his teenage friends who come over to view it.As a physical therapist I am able to spend more time with my patients then you. And I have found that over time most will make changes in the diet. The most important thing is simply bringing the subject up. Most MDs don’t even do that.Unfortunately health care professionals don’t have the time needed even if they have the basic knowledge of the studies. In my last years of practice I was working for an organization where the American Diabetic Assn. diet was being taught. The best suggestion is to tailor your interventions to the patients goals and fears. For type two diabetes I found Neal Barnard’s book on Reversing Diabetes particularly helpful.. for fat loss the best references are Jeff Novick’s Calorie Density CD and Doug Lisles presentation,How to lose weight without losing your mind. Follow up visits are important as patients get to different locations in their journey.Getting others in your organizations to support your efforts can be very beneficial. BTW in my quality improvement training we reviewed the literature that shows that Expert Consensus Panels are not a good way to come up with reliable guidelines.Dr. Forrester: I just wanted to let you know that I have appreciated all your comments, but most especially the ones telling us about Doug Lisle’s presentation and Jeff’s DVDs. I have found both to be very, very helpful. (I know you are having a different conversation with Dan, but I saw your post and wanted to make sure I thanked you before I forgot.) Thank you!You are welcome. It is nice to work with a supportive group on the NF Team. Have a nice holiday season coming up. Best wishes.“Unfortunately health care professionals don’t have the time needed even if they have the basic knowledge of the studies. ”I couldn’t agree more. In 15-30 minutes, I conduct a detailed history (including recording medications and OTC supplement use), perform a physical examination, review old records, evaluate laboratory and ultrasound tests, request further testing, answer questions, AND document all this information on the patient medical record. I have neither the training nor the time to do detailed dietary counselling, though I have started using handouts as an adjunct to the clinical visit. What I really need is a dedicated nutritionist, but my hospital does not have one for the unit where I work (the days of outpatient nutritionists are long gone in my setting, except for very specialized programs like dialysis care).I will check out Lisle’s presentation. Thank you for that!Other resources which I have found helpful have been Dr. Esselstyn’s book plus the free PCRM downloadable booklets… The Vegetarian Starter Kit and Nutrition for Kids. Depending on the financial aspects of your practice group visits can be useful. Dr. McDougall’s website is very helpful. He has posted articles on just about every issue facing primary care physicians on his website. I often recommend specific articles to patients depending on their conditions… hypertension, reflux, type two diabetes… all free and referenced. Good luck.Totally. I’ve seen “vegetarian starter kit” and downloaded it. It’s in colour but translates well to black and white. I’ve also been using a colleague’s handout which is full of recipes (that’s half the battle done right there, for my patients). I will check out Dr. McDougall’s site. I watched Doug Lisle’s talk last night and was extremely impressed. It explained a lot to me. Thank you again, Don!Maybe you can make a take home cd or link them to nutritionfacs.org for the Uproooting the Leading Cause of death video. It is a concise, and compelling one. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/Perhaps something they can view at home?I think that a more appropriate name for chicken juice is carcasse juice, because that is what it is, fluid from a rotting carcasse….and of course your body needs that to thrive….“poultry is considered an arterial toxin” 0:51, nice lapsus! I agree…Apparently the USDA is going to allow China to export processed cooked chicken to the US. Probably because China’s exports have pristine a health & safety record. Sheesh!Darryl, I have a hard time swallowing your recommendation on canola oil over olive oil. Canola is from the GMO rapeseed plant. Modified for high yield and pest control. Olive oil has been shown in many studies to have therapeutic value. Just look at any study based on the Mediterranean diet. Which coincidentally favors lots of veggies over meats.I have issues with the ecological effects of agricultural monocultures, oligopolistic practices of seed IP companies, and think children should be educated and the public should be informed about GM content of foods. On the other hand, I’m outside the anti-GMO echo chamber, and think the technology should be assessed on a case by case basis. Most GM is currently just two genes: glyphosate-resistant EPSPS, which appears harmless (and beneficial in terms of no-till/soil conservation and reducing use of more harmful herbicides); and Bt insecticidal enterotoxins, which I’m less comfortable with, but on the other hand are liberally applied to organic crops, too. Some current GM crops like β-carotene enriched Golden Rice appear to offer tremendous boons to preventing developing world blindness, while projects in the pipeline adding LCPUFA pathways to oilseeds could offer the benefits of EPA/DHA without overfishing or expensive algal oils. As someone depressingly familiar with projected consequences of climate change this century, I believe more drought resistant grains from both conventional breeding and GM will be critical to averting famine.I strongly recommend former anti-GMO activist and current climate journalist Mark Lyna’s blog posts on GM.If you are personally concerned about the roughly 26% of canola that is GM (just glyphosate-resistant, no Bt as yet), organic canola oil is available. Seed oil refining for cooking oils also generally removes water-soluble proteins like EPSPS and their substrates.My preference for canola over olive oil arises from its lower saturated fat content (6% vs. 12%), its more attractive n-6/n-3 ratio (2.6 vs 7), and also its lower monounsaturated content (56% vs 78%). See Degirolamo & Rudel 2010, and Vogel et al. 2000, and note the use of canola in the Lyon Heart Health Study. Minor constituents of virgin olive oil like oleacein and oleuropein likely have benefits through upregulating cellular stress responses, but frankly other phytochemicals like cruciferous vegetables and green tea appear considerably more effective. Ultimately, no cooking oil has the benefits of the high n-3 levels of flax, hemp or walnut oil, but unfortunately these aren’t heat stable.I have stopped eating ALL canola oil, since the majority if genetically engineered to tolerant massive amounts of Roundup. Look at the studies that are coming in from around the world on GMO’s in corn and soy, and what affect these herbicides or GMO’s have on all animals species, including humans. Go to gmoevidence.com.Dr. Don Huber, professor emeritus from Purdue University whose area of training is soil borne diseases, microbial ecology, and host-parasite relationships. At Purdue, he taught plant pathology, soil microbiology, those micro-ecological interactions as they relate to plant disease. Dr. Huber has said that Roundup is the most chronically toxic herbicide known and should never have been permitted in the first place. It is used all over the world for a variety of things with propaganda on its “safety.”I avoid all food crops grown with gmo’s and especially herbicides, because as Dr. Huber has said either here or in other interviews, “All herbicides are mineral chelators. They work by binding the minerals in the soil and making them Unavailable to the plant, or the animals and people eating the plants.http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/ExpertInterviewTranscripts/InterviewDrHuber-Part1.pdfPerhaps, my avoidance has paid off thus far, because after fracturing my pelvis (due to a bad fall just before Thanksgiving), within 3 weeks from the onset of the fracture, I was already growing bone, according to the X-ray as interpreted by my physician. He had never seen that before in anyone. I told him I was carefully selecting vegetables, fruits and seeds and nuts high in calcium, magnesium, boron and other bone building nutrients, AND, ONLY EATING foods from with the ORGANIC METHOD.My physician said that whatever I’m doing, to keep it up! I appreciate the guidance I’ve received from this website.There is a transcript of the interview at: http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/ExpertInterviewTranscripts/InterviewDrHuber-Part1.pdfGood for you.At least 4 brands of organic non-GMO canola oil are available.I personally share the opinion of American Association for the Advancement of Science, the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the British Royal Society, and every other respected organization, that current GM crops pose no greater risk than non-GM crops.For nutrition, social and environmental reasons, I’d prefer the best of both worlds: nutritionally enhanced GMO foods (like Golden Rice and high EPA/DHA transgenic flax), pursued in the public sector and distributed at nominal cost to farmers (as with Golden Rice), using low chemical input methods borrowed from the sustainable side of organic agriculture.Organic crops that find their way to grocery wholesale are almost invariably grown on high chemical input factory farms. This kind of organic is arguably worse for the environment, as higher application rates of less selective and arguably more toxic compounds are required, and yields are about 20% lower requiring more tilled land. We’re probably not going to see widespread sustainable, but labor intensive practices (crop rotation, integrated pest management, companion planting) in large scale organic agriculture so long as energy inputs are so much cheaper than labor.I’m not particularly impressed by either Joe Mercola or Don Huber.While the rhetoric is that GMO rapeseed is modified for higher yield, there is no proof that the higher yield of any GMO plant has occurred. In the USA, most GMO crops in the Federal Register, are modified to resist Roundup or other herbicide spraying, such as Roundup Ready Canola, Roundup Ready Soy, Roundup Ready and Bt corn, Roundup Ready Sugar Beets, Roundup Ready Alfalfa. ALL these seeds have been patented and are owned by Monsanto.“The oil from the rape plant was used for industrial purposes…And the real problem with the name of rapeseed “rapeseed oil” is that the oil was so toxic that the FDA banned it for human consumption in 1956.”Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034733_canola_oil_rapeseed_food_labels.html#ixzz2krKoUXYSMustard oil has been the preferred cooking oil in Bengali and Nepalese cuisine for centuries. Its up to 42% erucic acid (vs the 0.5 to 1% in canola). We humans do a much better job digesting erucic acid than other species, so the myocardial lipidosis seen in rats and nursling pigs has never been documented in humans. The high consumption of mustard oil through much of the Indian subcontinent makes for a rather large human cohort for this adverse effect to have been missed.One consequence of the FDA ban that mustard oil is available in bottles labeled “for external use only”. A small obstacle for traditional consumers and those who enjoy mustard oil’s pungency.No meat or dairy for me for a long time. And loving it! Will pass this info along to my grown sons. Off topic request DR. GREGER, but could you point me to where I would find the info for how many cardiac events/heart attacks were documented in the Framingham Heart Study for those people with cholesterol/LDL levels below a specific figure? Thanks.Obesity as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease: a 26-year follow-up of participants in the Framingham Heart Study by H B Hubert; M Feinleib; P M McNamara; W P Castelli Abstract http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/67/5/968.short	Campylobacter,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,Europe,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,food additives,food poisoning,foodborne illness,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,meat,medical education,medical profession,phosphate additives,phosphorus,poultry,preservatives,salt,turkey	The phosphorus preservatives injected into poultry may not just be an arterial toxin. They also appear to dramatically increase the growth of food poisoning Campylobacter bacteria.	Why does the meat industry inject phosphate additives? See my last video, Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola.Other concerning additives used by the meat industry include asthma-type drugs (Ractopamine in Pork), bacteria-eating viruses (Viral Meat Spray), larvae (Maggot Meat Spray), Arsenic in Chicken, nitrosamines (Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat), and antibiotics (Drug Residues in Meat).What does Campylobacter do? See Poultry and Paralysis. How is it legal to sell meat contaminated with food poisoning bacteria? See Unsafe at Any Feed and Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal.Since phosphate additives don’t have to be listed on the nutrition label, how do you avoid them? I’m glad you asked—all in my next video, How to Avoid Phosphate Additives.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Phosphate Additives in Chicken Banned Elsewhere.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/16/phosphate-additives-in-chicken-banned-elsewhere/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phosphorus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23402914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20173061,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21535864,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12753675,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22220204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21055967,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22004823,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17720105,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19608709,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22334826,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19376617,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15742973,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19628683,
PLAIN-2679	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/	Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola	In my video, Treating Kidney Failure Through Diet, I profiled research suggesting the use of a vegan diet for patients with kidney failure, because control of dietary phosphorus intake is the lynchpin in the successful control of a leading cause of disease and death in kidney failure patients, too much phosphorous in the blood.But now we're beginning to realize that absorbing too much phosphorus isn't good for anyone. Having high levels in our blood has been found to be an independent predictor of heart attacks and mortality in the general population, increasing the risk of not only kidney failure, but heart failure, heart attacks, coronary death and overall death. Higher phosphate levels associated with a significantly shorter lifespan. Dietary intake of phosphate is an important matter not just for persons with kidney disease, but also for everybody. It's thought to cause damage to blood vessels and accelerate the aging process, and even potentially hurt our bones, by contributing to osteoporosis by disrupting hormonal regulation. The estimated average requirement of phosphorus is less than 600 a day, but the estimated average intake is nearly twice that in the United States. How do we stay away from the stuff?If you look at nutrient tables, it looks like many plant foods have as much phosphorous as many animal foods, so why are plant-based diets so effective in treating kidney failure patients? Because most of the phosphorus in plant foods is found in the form of phytic acid, which we can't digest, so the bioavailability of plant phosphates is usually less than 50%. See only a third to a half of plant phosphorus may be absorbable, whereas most animal products are up around 75%.So when you adjust for how much actually gets into our system, you see plant foods are better. It's like the absorption of heme and non-heme iron, your body can protect itself from absorbing too much plant-based iron, but can't stop excess blood-based, or heme iron from animals slipping through the intestinal wall.The worst kind of phosphorus, that’s absorbed nearly 100%, are phosphate additives added, for example, to cola drinks. Why would they do that? Cola drinks would otherwise be black. Without the added phosphate, there would be so many glycotoxins produced that the beverage would turn pitch black. Thus, cola drinks owe their brown color to phosphate.Phosphate additives play an especially important role in the meat industry, where they are used as preservatives, for the same reason, to enhance a meat product’s color. Just like the dairy industry adds aluminum to cheese, meat and poultry is "enhanced" by injecting it with phosphates. If you look at meat industry trade journals and can get past all the macabre ads for head dropping robots for the kill floor and foot chopper-offers,you'll see all these ads for injection machines. Why? Because of increased profitability. Enhanced meats have better color and less purge.Purge is a term used to describe the liquid that seeps from flesh as it ages. Many consumers find this unattractive, so the industry views it as a win-win. When you inject chicken with phosphates the consumer benefits through the perception of enhanced quality, and the processor benefits from increased yield because they just pumped it up with water and they sell it by the pound. The problem is that it can boost phosphorus levels in meat nearly 70%, a real and insidious danger for kidney patients, but now we know it's a danger for all.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Ariel Levitsky.	Crazy story once again. I’m happy to be vegan sometimes. I got some questions in mind: Do we have dietary need for phosphate ? The bones aren’t made of calcium and phosphate bonded together ? and it doesn’t get inside the ATP molecule too ? Are we at risk of high phosphate intake if we use creatine supplement with a whole plant based diet ? Sometimes I’m confused, phosphate, phosphorous, phosphoric acide.. It looks like iron, needed but not too much. It’s seems that once again, plants offer the best choice.Adrien, intestinal phosphate loading actually reduces calcium absorption by complexing with calcium in the gut and inactivating it so that the calcium cannot get absorbed. Thus despite the fact that our skeletal predominant article is calcium hydroxyapatite (which has phosphate in it), we do ourselves a disservice by taking in too much phosphate in the diet. This is one of the reasons that colas literally leach our skeleton of calcium (another is that they are highly acidic).Thanks for the hint on phosphate and calcium absorption/balance. But, on the subject of leaching calcium from our bones (due to an acidic environnement) that theory had been revised. And it seems that acidity damage more our muscles than our bones. That being said, I don’t drink soda and has been since a while and I think my diet is slightly alkali. Thanks to my favorite doctor, I discovered the amazing “flower power” hibiscus tea ;)More hints on my other questions, anybody ?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/Adrien, I did not realize that the theory on how soda pop damages bones by being acidic has been revised. Certainly soda will rot your teeth enamel, in part due to hyperacidity.Also, with respect to your other questions (ADP + P = ATP), I would make a conjecture that as long as you are not hypophosphatemic, bioenergetics will not be compromised. It is very difficult to become hypophosphatemic through diet alone. Certain tumors of the gastrointestinal tract can leach large amounts of phosphate which can cause hypophosphatemia and all the problems therein (e.g. muscle breakdown).I hope someone else can answer your question about creatine, as I really don’t know. I am not aware of any evidence linking creatine supplements with hyperphosphatemia.@disqus_7EbxqJ0UaN:disqus I’m happy to be vegan all the damn time :-)DAMN RIGHT!!!We do have a dietary need for phosphorus. Our bones contain phosphorous. But what we need and what we are getting from industrial and agrochemical companies are two different stories.That’s an amazing video. Yes phosphate is a really hot topic right now in kidney circles. Interestingly, calcimetics which bind up and inactivate phosphate do not appear to lower mortality in kidney disease patients (e.g. BEACON and ANCHOR trials). This has led some to believe that phosphate is an epiphenomenon (not causally related to death and cardiovascular events in kidney disease patients); however, these agents may have significant off-target toxicity (like the HDL-raising drugs) that obviate any phosphate-lowering benefit.The injection industry is also fascinating. I did not realize that chickens are dunked in a bath of basically pus-water to boost up their weight; in fact, up to 30% of the weight of the chicken that people are buying in the grocery store consists of this added pus-filled water. Why pus? Because of the factory farm system being so hard on animals; read it in “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran-Foer. Fascinating!Who wants to eat injected anything? I agree with Adrien that videos like this only confirm my decision to go vegan. I thank you, Dr Greger, for continuing to produce them.And hence the responsible governments in US, Canada and Europe will ban the use of phosphate additives to protect the consumer………..won’t they ?Not unless there is money to be made out of it…Indeed, have you notice that there is war against cancer, but not against homelessness ? No money can be made out of poor people, but a lot of diseased and scared people. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lncLOEqc9RwAnd the war on cancer has been going on for 40 years with limited results (I mean we are not winning), probably because of wrong approach – attack (toxic treatment) instead of defence (prevention). Reason: A lot of money in treatment, no money in prevention.Re: the war on cancer — I thought this was a really good article. Definitely changed my perspective. Even when the mainstream powers that be talk “prevention” what they’re typically describing is actually treatment/tests, or fear-mongering, without any real guidance on real preventative measures (i.e. vegetables).“Our Feel-Good War on Breast Cancer” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/magazine/our-feel-good-war-on-breast-cancer.html?_r=0I’d like to note I have never had breast cancer or even had any close loved ones have it, and I’m not personally trying to discourage the self-tests or mammograms; I just think this article raises some good questions for discussion.Actually mammography is pretty controversial. Even here in Canada we over-screen with it. The group that sets the guidelines for clinical practice has just told doctors to substantially back off and start at a later age. There is not a lot of high quality evidence that mammography saves lives or prevents advanced cancer. The head of the Cochrane Nordic Centre in Denmark is adamantly against breast cancer as he feels that the balance of benefits and harms is highly weighted towards harms (false positives, unnecessary biopsies, unnecessary anxiety, radiation-associated tumors). I am not in the field so I do not keep “abreast” of the recommendations as closely as I would need to if I was in oncology or family medicine, but it seems many cancer screening practices have lately been turned against – e.g. PSA testing and mammography, just to name two. Of course the oncologists, urologists and surgeons are up in arms against these recommendations as this represents a direct threat to their bottom line. A woman is much more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than breast cancer, but most worry far more about breast ca than they do their vascular health, which can be definitely influenced through diet.Yes, Screening is not prevention, but early detection, and that can be problematic as Dan points out. The 5 year survival is longer with early detection, not necessarily because of treatment, but because you were diagnosed at an earlier stage of disease.I recommend all women who are considering getting a mammogram read the Cochrane Leaflet on Screening Mammography and discuss with their physicians… http://www.cochrane.dk/screening/mammography-leaflet.pdf I believe all physicians/nurse practitioners/physician assistants who are involved with breast cancer screening read Peter Gotzsche’s book. See Dr. McDougall’s May 2012 for more information on this book which goes through all the studies.b00mer: That NY Times article is SO good and comes at such a good time for me given a family conversation I am having. Thank you for posting it here.You’re welcome Thea, I’m glad you found it helpful. :) I can remember back to learning about self breast exams in middle school – being taught to “fear our breasts” as the article describes as pre-teens. But of course no one ever taught us about broccoli, tea, mushrooms, soy, etc, any of the real proactive and empowering preventative measures we could take. It’s a shame about how much money gets funneled into perpetual fund-raising rather than research by the big advocacy groups, and yet at the same time there is *so much* that women can do to help themselves with the research and knowledge that we have so far. If only that knowledge was being presented in the mainstream media rather than the message that we’re all helpless victims.I resonate with everything you just wrote!!I feel a lot more empowered now about my own health. All aspects of it, including avoiding breast cancer. Too bad this info isn’t more widely shared. Ah well, one person at a time…Industry – agribusiness and junk food manufacturers like Coca Cola – would stop any effort to ban the use of phosphate additives to protect the consumer, as they will not want to lose market share (e.g. by turning their product ‘black’ or stopping purge). On the other hand, no one is speaking up to government to protect our ‘nutritional health rights’. It is classic ‘David vs Goliath’ and we are all David (those of us who are even in the ‘know’). The only solution that I can see is to stop consuming phosphate-rich sources like meatstuffs and cola, as well as junk food with processed, unpronounceable ingredients.Yes, The best is to eat food with only one ingredient – broccoli contains broccoli!As long as broccoli is grown by the original organic method, and preferably by individuals rather than mass producing farmers.Well, yes.I agree. But, how are we going to avoid GMO’s which resist more Roundup, when our government seems to now be owned by Monsanto and the Obama Administration is weakening regulations on organic agriculture by undermining the Rule of the Law –allowing synthetic ingredients on a regular basis and misnamed inert ingredients in pesticides to be used on organic agriculture? Even when avoid meat and colas, we will still get more phosphorous from Roundup sprayed agriculture. When cannot grow all our own food in the city and in small city lots!Oh my God… The ways we are…Thanks Darryl for your interesting post.I am wondering about the connection between two recent articles that you cited and the upper limit on phosphorus intake provided by the 1997 IOM report pg. 187, which was 4g per day for adults – way above the median intakes.Unless I am mistaken,1- The Juno paper seems to focus on human aortic smooth muscle cell (HSMC) cultured in media containing phosphate levels comparable to those seen in hyperphosphatemic individuals (>1.4 mmol/L). If this is only a simulation of blood conditions, I don’t know if it really challenges the IOM’s numbers, which concern intake of phosphorus.2. The Shuto paper seems to focus on flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery before and 2 hrs after meals containing 400 mg or 1200 mg of phosphorus. Not only does this dose of phosphorus seem quite high for a given meal even by American standards, but the effects being described are only acute endothelial effects – right?, so I am not sure this challenges the IOM’s numbers if they are based on likelihood of developing hyperphosphatemia.Maybe I have misunderstood something…what are your thoughts?1200 mg phosphorous is a lot in one meal (though 5% of young men consume twice as much daily). On the other hand, its also the amount in 5 oz of Velveeta (all the processed cheeses are high). In 8 of 11 young (25 year old) men, the high P meal raised phosphate to > 1.5 mM, which appears to be into the range of direct adverse effects on endothelium (elevated reactive oxygen species, diminished flow mediated dilation, increased calcification) seen in vitro in the two papers. Older people tend to have lower phosphate diets (less cheese nachos?), but they also have slower hormonal signalling and lesser kidney function – perhaps their postprandial peaks would be higher.The lead source for this video offers a potential indirect mechanism for harm to bones. Excess serum phosphorus is regulated by bone cells releasing hormone FGF23 to increase urinary excretion. FGF23 also suppresses cacitriol (active vitamin-D) synthesis, leading to elevated parathyroid hormone release and secondary hyperparathyroidism. I’ve no idea whether a high phosphorous diet, in the absence of kidney disease, would require enough urinary regulation via FGF23 to cause bone weakness.This is very good for learningWow! Now I better understand why I have osteoporosis.How long as this practice been going on –injection in meat? And with soft drinks, has it gone on as long as the 1950’s, when soft drinks became really popular? Or, earlier?I’ve read that “Many fertilizers contain a high proportion of phosphorus and are manufactured from concentrated phosphoric acids. Worldwide demand for fertilizers has greatly increased in recent years as their importance to agriculture and farming has grown.” http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/15/phosphorusIsn’t Roundup, trademark, glyphosate made with an abundant amount of phosphorus? With genetically engineered crops and some so-called biologic *recombinant DNA” genetically engineered pharmaceuticals that are alleged to build bone also using phosphorous (which I refused to take for other reasons), no wonder so many Americans have diseases and ailments which Europeans do not have.This research has really opened my eyes further.Thanks Dr. Greger!!!!Phosphorous in fertilizer (including organic ones) is a required plant nutrient that is part of organically bound plant DNA, RNA, ATP, cell membranes phospholipids, and in plant seeds, phytic acid. The concern in this video is the inorganic phosphate salts used as preservatives, acidifying agents, acidity buffers, and emulsifying agents. Unlike organically bound phosphates, these are quickly absorbed in the gut, leading to postprandial serum spikes.The EU has approved many inorganic phosphates for food use: eg. (E 339), potassium phosphate (E 340), calcium phosphate (E 341), salts of orthophosphoric acid diphosphate (E 450), triphosphate (E 451), and polyphosphate (E 452) for their food system, and I haven’t come across evidence their intakes are substantially different from American ones.Just curious. Are Phosphate Additives added to certified organic chicken/turkey as well?Not that I am planning to eat any meat againAdd cancer to the list:Jin, Hua, et al. “High dietary inorganic phosphate increases lung tumorigenesis and alters Akt signaling.” American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 179.1 (2009): 59.You responded to a post of mine about tricalcium phosphate additive in almond milk. You came up with a calculated amount, which I believe was on the order of 150 mg.Just wanted to give you a nutrition label comparison I found on almond milks, one using calcium carbonate and the other tricalcium phosphate. The former was 2% of RDA for phosphorous and the later was 4% or RDA (per 8 oz.) Now my internet search on RDA came up with 700 mg for adults, a little different than you mention. Anyway, 2% is only 14 mg. It appears to me that the tricalcium phosphate is only adding 14 mg, which really is a trivial amount.You’re a font. Love this. I’m here all day skipping about. . . .what an amazing site. What work was done here, gathering, assessing, relaying. I’m astounded and humbled, and grateful Dr G.Ruby: Glad you were able to find the site. Welcome aboard.at location 2:39 in the video, I see beer at the far right with 100% absorption. However there was no mention of beer so I am wondering if beer is particularly dangerous?Darryl, Does this mean that the calcium phosphate that is added to commercial soymilk is doing more harm than good for those of us with osteopenia/osteoporosis consuming soymilk to help boost the calcium in our diet? There does not seem to be any other kind of calcium used in the soymilks available to me locally.Most non-dairy milks use chalk (calcium carbonate), with no phosphate, others use calcium phosphate (which I prefer as it doesn’t add a chalky taste to soups). My understanding is the levels are fairly modest in most, however, a non-dairy productserving with 50% of the calcium AI (500 mg) in the form of calcium phosphate would provide 257 mg inorganic phosphate. Those with normal kidney function can handle this amount without issue, but when levels approach 1200 mg P in a single meal, even healthy young kidneys are challenged. My concern is less with non-dairy milks, than with processed cheeses, as 1200 mg inorganic phosphorus is the amount in just 5 oz of Velveeta (where its used as an emulsifier.).OK, so it is both total amount, and amount at one time, that is at issue. Very helpful – many thanks.	aging,animal products,antinutrients,beef,bone fractures,bone health,bone mineral density,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,Coca-Cola,cola,food additives,glycotoxins,heart disease,heart failure,heart health,hormonal dysfunction,iron,junk food,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,lifespan,longevity,meat,mortality,osteoporosis,phosphate additives,phosphorus,phytates,phytic acid,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,preservatives,soda,turkey,vegans,vegetarians	The consumption of phosphorus preservatives in junk food and injected into meat may damage blood vessels, accelerate the aging process, and contribute to osteoporosis.	Here’s a direct link to my kidney video: Treating Kidney Failure Through Diet. And my discussion of plant versus animal iron sources: Risk Associated With Iron Supplements.Another toxic addition to alter the color of meat is arsenic-containing drugs fed directly to chickens. See my video Arsenic in Chicken. Carbon monoxide is used to keep red meat red, anthoxanthins keep salmon pink (Artificial Coloring in Fish) and titanium dioxide is used to whiten processed foods (Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease). It’s amazing the risks the food industry will take to alter food cosmetically (Artificial Food Colors and ADHD).There are other harmful additives in soda as well (Is Sodium Benzoate Harmful? and Diet Soda and Preterm Birth).What else is in poultry purge (chicken “juice”)? Find out (if you dare!) in my next video, Phosphate Additives in Chicken.For more context, check out my associated blog post: What Do Meat Purge and Cola Have in Common?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/14/what-do-meat-purge-and-cola-have-in-common/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-fractures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antinutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phosphorus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormonal-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-mineral-density/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23402914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20173061,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21535864,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12753675,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17720105,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19608709,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22334826,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22220204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21055967,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19376617,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15742973,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22004823,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19628683,
PLAIN-2680	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/	Counteracting the Effects of Dioxins Through Diet	It is not very common that a single molecule attracts enough interest to merit international scientific conferences of its own, but the Ah receptor belongs to the rare elite of such molecules. That's the receptor on our intestinal immune cells activated by broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables. The latest conference offered exciting new reports about the way plant-derived compounds in our diet are necessary for a fully functioning immune system of the gut. One study in particular expanded our understanding of how diet impacts immunity and health by showing that a plant-derived nutrient profoundly shapes the capacity for intestinal immune defense. And intestinal defense is not just against the pathogens we may ingest, but the toxins as well.We're constantly exposed to a wide range of toxins in cigarette smoke, in exhaust fumes, furnace gases, cooked meat and fish, dairy products, and even in mother's milk because of what they themselves are exposed to. Many of these pollutants exert their toxic effects through the AH receptor system. For example dioxins invade the body mainly through the diet, more than 90% of exposure, as it concentrates through the food chain, presenting a serious health concern. But there are phytonutrients in fruits, vegetables, tea, red wine, and beans that block the effects of dioxins at close to the kinds of levels you can find in people's bloodstream after eating fruits and vegetables. It took like 3 apples a day to cut dioxin toxicity in half or about a tablespoon of red onion, more than most people eat in a day. And the half-life of these phytonutrients in the body is only about 25 hours so we have to keep it up day after day, but if we eat enough, the intake from a plant-based diet should be enough to inhibit the cancer causing effects of dioxins.See at first, we just thought it was only cruciferous vegetables that were able to lock in these receptors and fend off toxins, but does that make evolutionary sense? Given the variety and flexibility of most mammalian diets, a specific dependence on cruciferous vegetables for optimal intestinal immune function would seem overly restrictive. Rather, it seems likely that many other foods contain compounds with similar immune-stimulatory properties.And indeed, the search for foods containing similar immunomodulatory compounds has begun. Now we know that a wide variety of natural plant compounds can counteract the chemical pollution to which we're all exposed. There is actually one animal product that has also been shown to potentially block the cancer-causing effects of dioxins, though, camel urine. Camel urine, but not cow urine, was found to inhibit the effects of a known carcinogenic chemical. Importantly, the researchers emphasize, virgin camel urine showed the highest degree of inhibition, better than pregnant camel urine for example. So the next time your kids don't want to eat their fruits and veggies, you can just say hey, it's either that, or camel pee.	Camel Pee ?! WTF ? Can there be an evolutionnary explanation of that mysterious discovery ? Since I don’t beleive in coincidence… I don’t want to imagine any further what possibly happened in our african past. :OPlease remove the “WTF”. We all know what it means and I think this website forum is best served in the absence of implied foul language. No judgment here, I know you mean well, and you did provide an interesting idea with our past….evolutionary happenings.[Rolls eyes]The word “F” is a very degrading word to some women. We find it very insensitive. It can single-handedly hurt someone’s feelings when used in conversation/text. It can also ruin someone’s day. Most of us here (all of us, I hope) get this. And I find people don’t have bad intentions, they just are not aware of how their actions effect others, at times. We help each other by waking our fellows up. And hopefully do so with kindness.When I see ‘WTF’ I think of it as What The Fantasy – try it, you might like it! (also, might give you more time to think about the subject matter, rather than simply its delivery)My favorite interpretation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDeqc8sTLpcF is not a word!Luckily for you, “some women” (like your mother) aren’t as hypersensitive, and thus, you are here. To complain about “F”.How ironic.What the frell is “frak”?Leslie: I concur. This website is not the place for implied foul language. Let’s keep the focus where it belongs:exceptional nutrition and the research. Adrien: No judgement, just a friendly reminder for all of us.The comment to which I’m replying is the third, excluding my own eyes roll, that has nothing whatever to do with nutrition. “WTF” is an common expression all over the Web and in many instances, as in the initial instance here, there is nothing unkind or rude in its use.So let’s stick to nutrition rather than attempting to impose our linguistic preferences on others, eh?This will be my last off-topic comment in this thread.And that no BSIf you want to keep the focus on nutrition and research, you fail miserably by posting only to criticise somebody else speech, saying nothing about either nutrition or research in the process.It’s really not appropriate for you to go through life just waiting for your next opportunity to be offended by nothing.Sorry if I “ruined” someone’s day. But I find it difficult to believe it. I’ll be more careful in the future. A future where we can no longer say “Oh my god” or “For christ sake”, since it can offend some people. Beside, it was not my will to offend any, and I think everybody got it. I just use it as a way to express that I was shocked by the fact that another mammal’s urine got a substance that can enhance our immune system, and figure it out how it happened from an evolutionnary perspective. Further more, my original comment was – I beleive – like the end of the video, on the humour side. Maybe it’s totally inappropriate or maybe it’s my poor understanding of the english language, but I just don’t see why my statement can possibly be “very degrading to some women”, If it is, it should not, in my opinion. Hoping this answer will not trigger unnecessary debate. I whish you a good day and a life In Health. Adrien.Leslie are you serious? While “WTF” may not be cool in a scholarly journal, I doubt anyone would have noticed it if you hadn’t added the tempest to this teapot.Oh jeez Leslie, relax. BigFDeal if you get my drift. I thought when my wife got breast cancer last year it was F’d up, trust me. So there. That is why I am here on this site after meeting the man (Gregor) himself at Healthy Ventura with my wife and I going vegan on that date. Her breast cancer markers have been low to the point her doctor says her blood appears like someone who has never had cancer thanks to a healthy lifestyle and no chemo or rads. If you ever get cancer, you will see it is a pretty F’d up deal. Hopefully you won’t if you follow this great man’s advice. There are many more things in life to worry about than what comes out of people’s mouths or their fingers in this case. Be strong and quit eating meat and dairy. That’s your challenge for today.This is great. It reminds me of the kiwi DNA repair study. Speaking of which, is it the flesh of the kiwi, the skin of the kiwi, or the chewed up seeds of the kiwi that provide the beneficial aspect in the DNA repair? Or is it some combination? I didn’t pick up on an answer to this in any of the videos, and I find that most people don’t eat the kiwi skin nor grind up the seeds with there teeth.It reminds me of the plant vs pesticides video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/Most people — true. But I like to eat the skin: I eat a kiwi as one would an apple, except I discard the ends rather than the core. I rinse it well first.Leslie could you refrain from using DNA – it’s offensive to some public servants who have been traumatised by the unregulated use of acronyms – I would feel safer if you used the full Deoxyribonucleic acid next time thanks.Ok. Normally when you mention a new food with health benefits is goes right into my morning blender. I have a feeling this one is going to be more difficult than Alma to find! :-)Who’s Alma? Where’s Alma?All you need to know.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/He was poking fun at your misspelling…oh…..my fingers are sometimes faster than my brain.I also responded with the same link. You can never tell with some members how serious they are!Amla is an extremely healthy berry. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/There is a revered tradition.Darryl: thanks for the link. Interesting but no way! :0)I know you like being on the “Leading Edge”/but this one is about as far out there as you tend to venture. Suggestions for where to get this great item and in what form/and to consume how much? And when? This will take some time to “digest” :-)Detoxification? Sounds like a job for the Nrf2-mediated Phase II response (activated by many phytochemicals). And sure enough, Ahr is acting at least in part by upregulating Nrf2 (1), and some important cytoprotective genes have both XRE (for Ahr) and ARE (for Nrf2) promoter sequences (2). Seems Ahr is the transducer for planar aromatics, whereas canonical Nrf2 induction via Keap1 detects electrophiles (3), a neatly evolved integration of xenobiotic detection to generate common stress responses.Darry, you are incredibly knowledgeable about nutritional biochemistry and physiology. I wish the evidence for nutritional research included more Level 1 evidence (large randomized trials with hard outcomes like the PREDIMED trial). It is difficult to know how well these basic science findings translate at a causal level in real people without the benefit of large randomized controlled trials.RCTs are a gold standard, but expensive, and I believe funding will grow ever more difficult for non-drug trials. My hope for better epidemiological evidence lies with larger health-oriented vegan or near-vegan cohorts in the general population, and developing world cohorts who retain traditional diets while benefiting from modern sanitation and vaccination.We’ve known for 30 years that cruciferous vegetables are chemopreventative for cancer. Basic science is throwing out numerous plausible explanations, but I’m not sure there’s a lobby big enough to fund the definitive RCT (hello David Murdock).There was an interesting editorial in Canada’s national newspaper today with the headline “99.9% of nutritional research is garbage”. I couldn’t agree more. I tune into Dr John Ioannidis (sp?) and his views that so much of biomedical research is pure bunk. Without RCTs, we will never know what is fact and what is fiction. Instead we are called to embrace an ever greater creed called “nutritionism” based on basic science alone in our ever more orthorectic ways of eating.The fact that molecule A kills mutated cancer cell line B in vitro means absolutely nothing in comparison with what 100,000 people eating food containing molecule A (along with a couple thousand other molecules) for five years do, in terms of development of that type of cancer, versus 100,000 people who do not eat food containing molecule A (along with a couple thousand other molecules). The former is a fallacy, the latter is real science and I’d argue unachievable in today’s current trial climate. But PREDIMED lights the path towards best research practices in nutrition, flawed as this trial may be. And self-reported FFQ’s are hopeless, as Archer has recently pointed out.I understand what you mean, but we will probably not see many RCTs on plantbased diets. There are many reasons for that: They are expensive, very time consuming, no pill to sell, a trial will take many years if you want real hard endpoints – death, cardiovascular event, cancer – and not accept surrugate markers, compliance to a plantbased diet could be a challenge compared to popping a pill and a vegan diet is not enough – it has to be WFPD. There are a lot of epidemiological evidence suggesting that a plantbased diet is the best diet for humans, and epidemiological evidence involves real people, living real lives so there are a lot of usefull information in epidemiological studies. I know, it is not RCT. Personally (based on our current knowledege) I am convinced that a diet primarily based on vegetables, fruit, legumes and starch is the optimal diet, but of course one can always argue that I am a fanatic orthorectic doc, but on the other hand I also say, that there are not enough evidence to say that a 100% plantbased diet is better than a 98% plantbased diet – I dont think that an occasional piece of cheese or chicken will kill ya. Unless you get food poisoning…Well, I got food poisoning from kale – it was either a nasty GI bug or intestinal angioedema with profuse, watery diarrhea and tenesmus lasting 5 days. Remember that the field workers that often pick our crops – and this sounds elitist – often have conditions like hepatitis A and may not have the best bathroom hygiene. Most of the produce in Canada seems to come from Mexico. I am slowly moving towards organic but I doubt this will fix the problem.I kinda agree with you except for the starch part. Having had significant metabolic syndrome (with 3 or 4 of the major NCEP criteria out of 5), limiting my starch has dramatically improved this condition as well as all the associated risk factors (BP, lipids, visceral weight/waistline). I know people advocate for 80% starch-based diets but I am big time into complex carbohydrates to the greatest extent possible (meaning soluble and insoluble fiber). I don’t consider starch to be a complex carbohydrate – maybe I need to be corrected here.Ornish did an RCT of a vegan diet with both hard outcomes (coronary events) and surrogate markers (degree of coronary stenosis in %). It was a very small trial but still published in high-impact journals (Lancet, JAMA). The Lyon Heart Trial in 605 patients showed dramatic reductions in CV events – Lancet and Circulation. The St Thomas Atherosclerosis Regression Study (STARS) with a very low fat diet showed dramatic reductions in both hard events and coronary stenosis (Lancet). It was a very small study (<200 patients, if I remember correctly, with 3 arms). But dramatically positive. Of course, PREDIMED with about 6000+ patients published in NEJM with a mean follow-up of just a couple years.If all the gurus got together and approached NIH for funding, a trial on the order of the Women's Health Initiative low-fat trial could be done, probably at a fraction of the price, greater compliance, with shorter follow-up. Remember that was a $400,000,000 trial that failed, in 48,000 women followed for a half-dozen years.How do you go about advocating plant-based diets to your patients? Do you use a handout? If so, would you mind emailing it to me at dhackam@uwo.ca.Many thanks DanDan, Thanks for your answer. I work in a tertiary center and my patients have not diet-related diseases (as far as I know!). Regarding the starch, I mean the healthy ones: Brown rice, barley, quinoa, rye-bread. But I confess to eat potatoes and white rice (aaarrrrggghh!). Agree, if one have metabolic issues it has to be complex carbs. Are you a G.P.?Clinical pharmacologist specializing in vascular medicine patients. I too am in tertiary care. And ALL of my patients have diet-related diseases (as did I, and still do, to a certain extent, whenever input of calories exceeds output of calorie expenditure).Kale and collards, while especially nutritious when grown by the organic method, are very high in pesticides and herbicides grown by conventional agriculture.Herbicides are mineral chelators and according to retired Purdue professor Don Huber. they bind the minerals in the soil and make them unavailable for plants and the animals/people who eat the plants. Listen to the video at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/10/dr-don-huber-interview-part-1.aspxOk, you convinced me, i’ll eat even more veggies than i already do. ;-)So, where can I buy this camel urine? Amazon?Good Question! I was about to ask that too. And does the good Doctor consume this product? Recommendations for amount and frequency. Best Alternatives?Dr. Gregor has made many videos that justify my decision to eat only plant-based food products, but this one may be the most compelling.Anyone selling a camel…..?Who would’ve thought to test camel urine? And who drinks camel urine?A plant based diet of dark leafy greens, onions, mushroooms –vegetables–berries (fruits) maintains more healing properties than eating dioxin which accumulates and concentrates in the fat of animals.Who would drink the urine of camels? Those dying of thirst on the deserts of Africa.Dear Dr. Greger,I prepare the green or white tea that I drink (daily) by soaking teabags in a clear glass pitcher of unheated (cold) water. My concern is that the fluorescent bulbs that I use in my kitchen might be causing a deterioration or loss of valuable phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants in the tea.Are you aware of this issue? Please tell me if there is some nutrient loss in the tea due to artificial, fluorescent light.I appreciate your time and thought on this matter.Thank you.Thanks for all the great information here! Your site is regular affirmation that my WFPB diet is the right choice. QUESTION: Any studies on how a WFPB diet can help treat restless leg syndrome? It runs in my family. Thanks again, Dr. Greger.science found out just recently but prophet Muhammad s.a.v. has recommended as a cure for some people. But not every camel, the camels that are eating naturally not the feeded ones.I was laughing so hard about telling ones’ kids that it is either veggies or camel pee!!!! Hahaha I love your videos sir :)Is gluten really healthy for you? A lot of people I know recommend to not eat it.Please see Dr. Greger’s videos here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/Found these in the times section called “Room for Debate” and provide interesting counterpoint for investigation, discussion, and developing and refining further insights.http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/17/is-veganism-good-for-everyone/a-choice-with-definite-riskshttp://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/17/is-veganism-good-for-everyone/the-jury-is-still-outhttp://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/17/is-veganism-good-for-everyone/meat-is-brain-foodAny videos on fluoridation of water and also fluoride in toothpaste?	Ah receptor,animal products,apples,beans,beef,breast milk,breastfeeding,broccoli,cancer,chicken,cruciferous vegetables,dairy,dioxins,fish,fruit,immune function,industrial toxins,meat,onions,persistent organic pollutants,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,red onions,red wine,seafood,smoking,tea,turkey,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,wine	Phytonutrients in certain plant foods may block the toxic effects of industrial pollutants like dioxins through the Ah receptor system.	What is this Ah Receptor thing? Please check out the “prequel,” The Broccoli Receptor: Our First Line of Defense.I report different mechanisms but similar outcomes in Plants vs. Pesticides and Eating Green to Prevent Cancer. So this all suggests a double benefit of eating lower on the food chain, since it would also entail lower exposure to toxic contaminants in the first place (Industrial Pollutants in Vegans).How Chemically Contaminated Are We? Check out the CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure. Where are dioxins found so we can avoid them in the first place? See Dioxins in the Food Supply.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Counteracting the Effects of Dioxins Through Diet.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ah-receptor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22036556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20883769,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12929624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22076557,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10913616,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22371237,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18950284,
PLAIN-2681	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/	The Broccoli Receptor: Our First Line of Defense	Our greatest exposure to the environment, our body's greatest interface with the outside world is not through our skin, but through the lining of our intestines that covers thousands of square feet. And in our gut, all that separates us from the outside world is a single layer of cells, 50 millionth of a meter thick. The distance between the outside world and our bloodstream is less than the thickness of a sheet of paper.In contrast, here's a layer of skin. Look at that—dozens of layers of protective cells to keep the outside world, outside of our bodies. Why don't we have multiple layers in our gut wall? Because we need to absorb stuff from food into our body. It's a good idea for our skin to be waterproof, so we don't start leaking, but the lining of our gut has to allow for the absorption of fluids and nutrients.With such a thin fragile layer between our sterile core and outer chaos, we better have quite a defense system in place, and indeed, that's where intraepithelial lymphocytes come in.They serve two functions. They condition and repair that thin barrier and provide a front-line defense against intestinal pathogens. These critical cells are covered with receptors, called Ah receptors. The Ah receptor is like a lock, and for decades scientists have been searching for a natural key to fit in that lock to activate those receptors and sustain our immunity, and we just discovered the key is broccoli.Cruciferous vegetables--broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts—contain a phytonutrient that is transformed by our stomach acid into the key that fits into the Ah receptor locks on our intraepithelial lymphocytes leading to their activation. Here's a less busy diagram that illustrates the same thing. Broccoli leading to the activation of our immune foot soldiers.So now we know specific dietary compounds present in cruciferous vegetables act through the Ah Receptors to promote intestinal immune function. From childhood we learn that vegetables are good for us, and most of us eat our veggies without giving much thought to the evidence behind this accepted wisdom or to the mechanisms underlying the purported health-boosting properties of a vegetable-rich diet. But now we know that specific dietary compounds found at high levels in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are essential for sustaining intestinal immune function." Green vegetables are in fact required to maintain a large population of those protective intraepithelial lymphocytes.Maybe that's why vegetable intake is associated with lower risk of inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, whereas the more meat-based Western diet is associated with higher risk of inflammatory bowel diseases. Because the activating receptors on our intestinal immune cells are basically a sensor of plant-derived phytochemicals.This raises a broader question, why did our immune system evolve this requirement for broccoli and other plant foods. Well, think about it, when do we need to boost our intestinal defenses the most? When we eat. Thus, linking heightened intestinal immune activation to food intake could serve to bolster immunity precisely when it is needed. At the same time, this would allow energy to be conserved in times of food scarcity, since it takes so much energy. Why remain at red alert 24/7 when you only eat a couple times a day? Since we evolved for millions of years eating mostly weeds—wild plants, dark green leafy vegetables, or as they were known back then, just, leaves. By equating veggies with food our bodies may be using them as a signal to upkeep our immune system. Thus, the old recommendation “eat your veggies,” has a strong molecular basis.This discovery has been all exciting for the drug companies who are looking into Ah receptor active pharmaceuticals."However," as one research team at Cambridge concluded, "rather than developing additional anti-inflammatory drugs, changing diets which are currently highly processed and low in vegetable content, may be a more cost effective way towards health and well-being."	could u please make a video about cruciferous being goitrogenic ? and the whole iodine issue on a vegan/low or no sodium/ no seaweed- diet itself. I seem to be iodine-deficient since i m doing 80 10 10. No salt no seaweed. And i always ate a lot of cruciferous. Broccoli etc cooked but cabbage usually raw. Now i dont eat it anymore coz i m so afraid of the goitrogenic effect.You should be ok if you cook your broccoli. Iodine is available if you eat a bunch of varied greens and fruit (my opinion). I am assuming you don’t eat cooked food, though. Maybe a bit of steamed brocc. ever once in a while if you permit.More importantly, if you are on 80 10 10 you are eating a a diet of lots of fruit sugar, as in 1500 to 3000 calories each day in fruit. Are you comfortable with this excess sugar not causing any long term problems internally? Do your pancreas and liver and hormones get screwed up by this? I do not know the answer but there seems to be concern. I love fruit but are we designed and enabled to eat excess fruit to this magnitude and not at some point suffer?I agree about fruit. Our diet truly needs to contain many more vegetables than fruit in temperate climates. Perhaps in the tropics it is a different story.Have you been able to find any research that shows high fruit consumption is harmful? I don’t want to harm my pancreas and liver but I have not been able to find any studies online that have looked at this issue. But there are plenty of vegans online who claim that high fruit consumption is not good for us.I dont know exactly why high fruit consumptions is not good for us. would it because of the fructose… but truly it is over exaggerating if we eat a lot of fruit will harm our liver and pancreas. unless the “a lot” means “Too much” or qualified as illogical consumption like the soy consumption 5-18 servings in the other vid.Dr. G has a video on goitrogens. You can look it up in the index or do a search for it on this page. I don’t think you need to be afraid of cruciferous vegetables goitrogenic effects, just cook them first to deactivate the goitrogenic effectsFor those of you who are battling cancer, have a look at the research of the Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Aleck Hercbergs. He has found that people with cancer who have low thyroid function have a better prognosis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20689420is anyone studying he effects of taking a proton pump inhibitor on this mechanism. Reducing stomach acid doesn’t sound like it would be helpful. I stopped taking prevacid 2 years ago (after 14 YEARS) and am now concentrating on rebuilding magnesium and other nutrients I missed during that time. I’m also trying to alert my younger brother and sister to the dangers of PPIs. The FDA required statement on their ads is woefully insufficient! Thankyou Dr. G for all that you do. I plan to volunteer to help your site when I. Am back home…currently in CA looking after my 89 year old dad.Yes PPIs cause malabsorption of magnesium, B12, calcium and no doubt other important micronutrient vitamins and minerals. But for some people, they are a real lifesaver. Anyone on one should supplement with calcium+magnesium and B12; maybe zinc too.The other little thing that happens with high doses of Nexium or PPI’s is the development of stomach polyps. I had hundreds of them and after stopping PPI’s and going to Zantac..H2 type acid reducer…almost all of the polyps are gone. I am hoping with my plant based diet that all will be gone eventually.I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one here who is dealing with chronic reflux issue.This has not resolved for me, despite being plant-based and it can be tough to avoid spicy foods on this diet (but I do, and I’m very strict about that). My main vices are chocolate and eating late in the evening, so I guess I have more work to do!What if already have IBD and are on immunosuppressants?I would look into weaning off immunosuppressants and build your immune system with as much raw fruits and veggies, sprouts and fresh, green vegetable juices as possible. Also do your research on Low Dose Naltrexone for Crohn’s and Colitis. Two of our family members are on LDN for advanced Crohn’s Disease. You can go to LDNandIBD@yahoogroups.com Peace & Raw Health, EYeah I haven’t found any drs so far willing to let me off them. I haven’t had approval for LDN either. I was just wondering about broccoli and immunosuppressants….I know someone who had Chron’s. He went vegan for ethical reasons and when I last spoke with him (1-2 years ago), he said his Chron’s had been in remission for 10 years, and that the hospital staff was so surprised they requisitioned the paperwork for his initial diagnosis (biopsy results, perhaps, or some kind of scan, I didn’t pay attention to the details at the time).For those seeking more syllables, the most studied aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) ligand from cruciferous vegetables is 3,3′-diindolylmethane, produced by digestion from indole-3-carbinol, which is itself produced when cruciferous vegetables are injured (eg. chewed) from the glucosinolate glucobrassicin by enzymatic cleavage by myrosinase.While the related cruciferous vegetables (Broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are all cultivars of one species, Brassica oleracea) all have admixtures of several glucosinolates, the one that appears to have the most glucobrassicin is Brussels sprouts, followed by cauliflower, kale, and cabbage. So Ahr might be better called the Brussels sprouts receptor.Darryl: Really helpful post. Thanks! Of the cruciferous veggies, I like broccoli and cauliflower hte best. So, I was happy to see that cauliflower made it second on your list. :-)Thanks, this is really helpful. The only thing going still in my garden are collard greens, and possibly a small amount of kale, so I was kind of relying on the collards for my main cruciferous supply. I’ll pick up some other ones in the produce store today.How do broccoli sprouts and the sprouts of other crucifers compare to the mature vegetables in terms of glucosinolates? Do sprouts contain more/less than the mature plants?These intraepithelial lymphocytes are part of the lining of the large intestine, right? Do they also line the small intestine? To what degree?And let’s not forget watercress! The Heidelberg cohort of the EPIC study found that watercress, out of many crucifers, was highest in glucobrassicin. The second highest was Brussels sprouts. https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2015/05/04/anti-cancer-foods-watercress-indoles-and-why-you-ahr-what-you-eat/can i have frozen broccoli. Someone told me that frozen broccoli has lost his sulfurophane . Is that true?The flash-blanching of broccoli prior to freezing likely inactivates the myrosinase that cleaves glucoraphanin to sulforaphane. However, our intestinal bacteria also produce myrosinase that can do the conversion. Some is lost, but its also absorbed in a time-release fashion.From: Vermeulen, Martijn, et al. “Bioavailability and kinetics of sulforaphane in humans after consumption of cooked versus raw broccoli.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 56.22 (2008): 10505-10509.http://i43.tinypic.com/34o599c.gifThanks you so much…really helpfulYes, however, “Consumers can even reinstate the cancer-fighting agent in broccoli themselves by steaming frozen broccoli with raw radishes, cabbage, arugula, horseradish, spicy mustard or wasabi”I steam the broccoli quickly with red cabbage and make a horseradish sauce to drizzle over just to be sure.Man do I love these massive broccoli, cauliflower, brussels spout, chopped asparagus, carrot, green bean, and onion salads I’ve been making! Unbelievably filling.Thanks I really appreciate your answerThis is good news for those of us who love cauliflower. Can anyone clarify: If eating crucifers activates our immune system, what’s the difference between that and causing inflammation in our intestines? IOW, does the immune activation equal inflammation?This is very interesting. I recently had a severe reaction to eating kale involving 5 days of profuse diarrhea, abdominal pain, tenesmus and nausea. This is the first time I had ever eaten kale. I have found from the internet that such reports are not rare. I have no problem with cauliflower or broccoli or asparagus. I am a bit concerned about collard greens, since they are so closely related to kale.Was the kale you ate raw or cooked? If it was raw, did you tenderize (massage) it first to break it down a bit. I’ve heard and read that raw kale can be hard on the digestive system. It can cause bloating, gas and other abdominal issues for some people. It sounds like this is what happened to you. If raw kale is the culprit perhaps cooked kale might be better on your GI system?It was both raw and cooked. I ate a small raw portion and a larger steamed portion. The diarrhea lasted 5 days and was severe.If RAW – maybe contaminated?Possible but I doubt it. I had no fevers and actually very little abdominal pain (just a bit of cramping). I think it was more like intestinal angioedema from the kale antigens. If you look online, there are a lot of stories like this. And for 5 days I could smell that kale on my breath every time I burped – it was very odd. I did eat a small amount of uncooked kale but the main portion was steamed for 5 minutes at heat.I too have had bad reactions to kale. Collards and swiss chard are problem for me as well. Spinach and romaine I am ok with. My best guess is that there are inherent properties in kale that are acting as natural pesticides, trying to protect itself. Maybe it isn’t so odd that bad reactions from kale and some other greens exist. It makes me realize that even when a foods is “so good for us” it doesn’t mean we should eat it. Sort of a zen-saying, but it makes sense.….but there are plenty of people who do fine with kale and such, so one is left to find out which camp they fall into.Will stay away from collards and swiss chard then!Thank you so much for this. I am into good guts and great vegetables, as you know. This reinforces what I already know and makes it even more important for my next book Nutrition CHAMPS to come out. The C stands for cruciferous vegetables. Yippee. Keep up the great work.Outstanding!! I have family that owned Mann Produce in California. They were the first to start broccoli slaw. I forwarded this to the patriarch of the family. Eat Your Broccoli. I end all my correspondence (almost) with this. Thank you.I knew it – broccoli rules !Dr. Greger, Can you please comment on whether eating cooked cruciferous vegetables, whether from frozen or cooked from fresh raw provides the same result as you describe in this video? thanks, rachelleSo what I take from this video lesson is that to try eating cruciferous vegetables at every meal. The bar has been set higher in consuming more dark leafy greens. I accept the challenge!I have similar questions to the others:1) Is it best to eat these veggies in a smoothie, to break down their cell walls and release their phytonutrients?2) And if you get far more nutrients from a smoothie than raw unbroken-down versions, do you still have to consume that smoothie three times per day?3) Are frozen veggies as good as fresh?Hello, I am very interested in foods that do not contain sulfates or how to get rid this toxin . My daughter has developed an intolerance to these substances resulting in painful migraines. I’ve read that all her favorites/most nutritious have them, such as broccoli, grapes, eggs, citrus, onions,etc. What can we do?Liz:PCRM (Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine) has a great page talking about migraines and listing safe foods and foods to avoid. The page also gives you a step by step approach for figuring out what the food triggers are and thus now to avoid them:http://www.pcrm.org/search/?cid=158Also, while eggs may be one of her favorites, they are definitely not nutritious. (It’s not even legal for the egg industry to claim that eggs are nutritious in their advertising.) So, getting rid of that food is nothing to be sorry about. You can learn more about eggs in the following video as well as many of the individual videos here on NutritionFacts.org.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/Let me know if you have concerns about how to feed a child a healthy diet after eliminating meat, dairy and eggs. I have a recommendation on that too.Best of luck to you and your daughter.video, sound so soft could not hear it.Volume is fine here. Might want to make sure your youtube volume is up.Broccoli is such a super food it seems. I always feel bad when i throw away the broccoli stalks when i cook them. Are the stalks nutritious to eat?Mark, My understanding is that the stalks are nutritious. And they are edible too. Just cut off the outer/skin hard part. The inner part might take a bit longer to cook, but it cooks up great/soft. I make “coin” shapes of mine.Another idea: my dog loves to eat the coins raw. So, then you would at least not be throwing them away and your dog (if you had one) wouldn’t get fat. :-)Just some ideas for you.Cool! Now I know of another dog that likes this sort of snack! Does your dog also go for cabbage cores and nubs of cauliflower? One thing that dogs really seem to love is the trimmed tips of fresh green beans. These are both sweet to their taste and extremely easy to eat.largelytrue: My dog adores cabbage! He also likes the cauliflower “nubs”. I haven’t played too much with green beans, but my dog will drool for sugar snap peas. We often split a bag. :-) (Where my dog gets his as part of training or mental enrichment games throughout the day.)Thea, These intraepithelial lymphocytes are part of the lining of the large intestine, right? Do they also line the small intestine? To what degree?Harriet: I’m sorry, I don’t know the answer to your question. I’m not a doctor or RD, etc. I don’t have a medical background. I hope you find your answer.The stalks are delicious and sweet (in part due the inulin, I think), and their being in an edible condition (rather than dry and cracked) is a sign that you still have fresh broccoli. Cut off the bottom of the stems and trim any particularly gnarly bits on the skin, but I disagree with Thea and find the skin to be perfectly edible in general. Coin shapes are okay but you may also try slicing them lengthwise to lengths of about an inch or so. If you really wanted to get fancy you could mandoline the stems together with, say, some carrots, and have the base of a nice pickle or salad. Food for thought: brassicas have been cultivated in every which way. For every plant part you can think of, there’s a brassica which has been bred explicitly so that people can get a good crop from that part. Kohlrabi is roughly what you get when you try to grow a plant with giant broccoli-style stems.Where is the inulin in broccoli?The stalks? Didn’t I say that?Yes, you did. But is it only in the stalks? Or is there inulin in the flowers, too? Thanks, largelytrue.I don’t have a detailed map on hand, but inulin is water soluble and functions as energy storage and frost resistance for a plant; loosely speaking it does some of the things that fat does for the animal kingdom, but you’d be more likely to find it in the fleshy parts and the plant’s fluid systems than in the ‘skin’. Therefore I’d still say that the interior soft part of the stem is likely to have the bulk of the inulin in a broccoli tree. The buds may take up some extra inulin under cold stress.What happens when a top ad agency gets the broccoli contract.Yeah, Kuck Fale.Dear Dr. Greger,My husband and I truly appreciate all you’ve done to share the latest in nutrition info with the world!We became whole foods vegans 2 years ago and it has made great changes in our heath, especially my husband’s! We’ve both lost weight and are BMI 20-22, but the big thing is his T2 diabetes is close to pre diabetes levels, his blood pressure is mostly under 140/80 without meds and his cholesterol is 180 without statins (it was over 300 before we went vegan).He strained the muscles in his back 4 months ago and has been in pretty constant pain since. We found a back specialist who diagnosed him with Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH or Forestier’s Disease).The doc told him to do yoga, Pilates and swimming, along with taking Ibuprofen to reduce inflammation. We eat lots of antioxidant foods which should also be anti inflammatory but were looking for a source to tell us the most anti inflammatory foods to eat. He wants to reduce inflammation with food rather than pills.What are your suggestions for the best foods to reduce the inflammation and pain in his back?Thank you,Kim	Ah receptor,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,cabbage,cauliflower,cruciferous vegetables,energy,greens,immune function,inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,kale,medications,phytonutrients,processed foods,standard American diet,ulcerative colitis,vegetables	There is a receptor in our intestines activated by phytonutrients in cruciferous vegetables that boosts immune function (the aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor).	Did we really evolve eating that many plant foods? See my video Paleolithic Lessons.As remarkable as this story is, this is just the tip of the cruciferous iceberg! See, for example:How else can we protect our immune function? Exercise (Preserving Immune Function In Athletes With Nutritional Yeast) and sleep! (Sleep & Immunity).Given the variety and flexibility of most mammalian diets, a specific dependence on cruciferous vegetables for optimal intestinal immune function would seem overly restrictive, no? I address that in my next video, Counteracting the Effects of Dioxins Through Diet.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Our Immune System Uses Plants to Activate Gut Protection.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/10/07/our-immune-system-uses-plants-to-activate-gut-protection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ah-receptor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ulcerative-colitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brussels-sprouts/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20890736,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15790845,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15032579,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22450895,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16048545,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22044254,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22036556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22236230,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22879383,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21681197,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22371237,
PLAIN-2682	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/	Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Disease	Though I was trained as a general practitioner, my chosen specialty is lifestyle medicine. Yes, most of the reasons people go see their doctors is for diseases that could have been prevented, but Lifestyle medicine is not just about preventing chronic disease—it’s also about treating it. And not just treating the disease, it's treating the causes of disease.If people just did 4 simple things—not smoking, exercising a half hour a day, eating a diet that emphasizes whole plant foods, and not becoming obese--they may prevent most cases of diabetes and heart attacks, half of strokes, and a third of cancers. Even modest changes may be more effective in reducing cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and all-cause mortality than almost any other medical intervention.The key difference between conventional medicine and lifestyle medicine is instead of just treating risk factors we treat the underlying causes of disease, as described in this landmark editorial. See, typically doctors treat "risk factors" for disease such as giving a lifetime's worth of medications to lower high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, and high cholesterol. But think about it. High blood pressure is just a symptom of diseased dysfunctional arteries. Yes, you can artificially lower blood pressure with drugs, but that's not treating the underlying cause, which often comes down to things like diet and exercise, the penicillin of lifestyle medicine."Disregarding the underlying causes and treating only risk factors is somewhat like mopping up the floor around an over-flowing sink instead of turning off the faucet, which is why medications usually have to be taken for a lifetime. If a floor is flooded as a result of a dripping tap, it is of little use to mop up the floor unless the tap is turned off. The water from the tap represents the cost of disease, the flooded floor, the diseases filling our hospital beds. Medical students learn far more about methods of floor mopping than about turning off taps and doctors who are specialists in mops and brushes can earn infinitely more money than those dedicated to shutting off taps. And the drug companies sell rolls of paper towel, so patients can buy a new roll every day for the rest of their lives. Paraphrasing Ogden Nash, modern medicine is making great progress, but just headed in the wrong direction.Preventive medicine, is, frankly, bad for business….When the underlying lifestyle causes are addressed, patients often are able to stop taking medication or avoid surgery. We spend billions cracking people's chests open, but only rarely does it actually prolong anyone's life. In contrast, how about wiping out at least 90% of heart disease?Think about it… heart disease accounts for more premature deaths than any other illness and is almost completely preventable simply by changing diet and lifestyle. Those same changes can prevent or reverse many other chronic diseases as well—the same dietary changes. So why don't more doctors do it? Well, one reason is doctors don't get paid for it. No one profits from lifestyle medicine, so it is not part of medical education or practice. Presently physicians lack training and financial incentives… so they continue to do what they know how to do: prescribe medication and perform surgery.After Dean Ornish proved you could reverse our #1 cause of death, heart disease, open up arteries without drugs, without surgery, just with a plant-based diet and other healthy lifestyle changes, he thought that his studies would have a meaningful effect on the practice of mainstream cardiology. After all, a cure for our #1 killler! But, he admits, he was mistaken. Physician reimbursement, he realized, is a much more powerful determinant of medical practice than research.Reimbursement more than research. Salary over science. Wealth versus health. Not a very flattering portrayal of the healing profession, but hey if docs won't do it without getting paid, let's get them paid.So Dr. Ornish went to Washington arguing that look, "If we train and pay for doctors to learn how to help patients address the real causes of disease with lifestyle medicine and not just treat disease risk factors we could save trillions, and that's just talking heart disease, diabetes, prostate and breast cancer.” The Take Back Your Health Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate to induce doctors to learn and practice lifestyle medicine not only because it works better but here's the critical factor: physicians will be paid to do it. The bill died, just like the millions of Americans will continue to do with reversible chronic diseases.	I’m not exactly sure, but the Affordable Healthcare Act does give better reimbursement for preventative medicine, so things are changing for the better, right?There is a big difference between a physician telling her patient to stop smoking, and a physician effectively counseling a patient.As an greenhorn medical student I think I have an ok understanding of lifestyle factors on health, but I totally lack confidence in counseling patients on lifestyle interventions.Things are definitely getting better! And I totally understand what you’re saying about the skills, not just the knowledge. Check out videos like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm-rJJPCuTE that explore motivational interviewing techniques. I’m so glad you’re psyched about prevention–we need more good doctors like you!Thanks for all of this Michael. Your work is priceless.Thanks for sharing Dr. G. I am at an infantile state in my training busting through an Anatomy course. It’s nice to reminded about the importance of clinically relevant skills.I’m in an allied health profession, and the link to motivational interviewing is valuable. I’m not allowed to prescribe dietary interventions in my scope of practice, so I have to do work-arounds. Maybe I can look at our profession changing this regulation; in the meantime, the best I can usually do is refer patients to a dietitian or ask motivational questions. I can have literature in my office, so I should see if I can print out useful, readable, and credible documentation.I went to medical school to have choices. I would refuse to practice in that environment. The purpose is to help the patient. It’s already hard enough but to be bound and gagged is ridiculous. I encourage you to consider seeking work elsewhere. Consider the ramifications that your contractual obligations have on your liability, your patient outcomes and your overall happinessThe “Affordable Health Care Act” is a control grid that centralizes all decision making and processes through the central government and insurance industry mega corporations. It takes from those who are proactive, who eliminate risks from processed foods, GMO food sedentary lifestyles and self destructive behaviors and forces them to pay for those who do not do the same. The most affordable health care is to take care of yourself, eat God’s food, not man’s food and take God’s medicine, not man’s medicine. This is a corporate-government takeover that has at its core the control of your life and your money.The administration is fighting companies that want lower insurance rates for healthy lifestyle clients.Dr. Greger, are there any jobs/careers out there for nurses in the lifestyle medicine field? I currently work in a surgical/transplant/trauma ICU and although is it way less depressing than when I worked in the medical ICU, I find myself becoming burned out by the level of distress my patients (and families) are in and disillusioned by the attitudes toward health and treatment that my coworkers all hold. I love learning about nutrition and would love to somehow find a nursing job that incorporates that, but have yet to find anything when I have tried searching. Any input you have would be greatly welcomed. Thank you so much for the work you do. It has literally changed my life :)You should totally check out the next American College of Lifestyle Medicine conference. I think it’s on the west coast next year. Great place to make these kinds of connections. Let’s keep people out of the ICU in the first place!Dr. Greger, I live on the West Coast in Portland Oregon. I would love to see a Lifestyle Medicine Dr. How can we find out where these Drs are?The ACLM has a searchable directory with a couple of members in Oregon.Sara, I do not know where you are (geographically), but I am a Board certified EM MD, who is now practicing (plant based) nutrition and lifestyle medicine on the East Coast. Check out my website http://www.NHWFFL.com. If you are in the vicinity, let’s talk.Hi Mona, I’m actually in central Mass :) I would love to talk. Can I contact you through your website?Totally: contact me via my email at info@NHWFFL.comThe dripping faucet/floor mopping analogy is brilliant!Reality sets in…what you conclude is true, sad, with a hint of brilliance!You list 4 simple things to do to prevent disease; not smoking, exercise 1/2 per day, eat a plant based diet, and not becoming obese. So… I got the first three down pat, and am struggling with obesity. I cannot lose weight. Any thoughts?http://www.amazon.com/Mcdougall-Program-Maximum-Weight-Loss/dp/0452273803Thank you for the recommendation. I just ordered the book and will get it Wed.Kathie. I also have been plant-based for 2 years and although I feel great, I have not lost weight. I have recently started replacing 2 meals per day with juicing fresh fruits/vegetables and watching out for oil, and go to the gym 3 times per week and I have now started to lose weight. Juicing is great and you can drink as many as you want, very nutritious and filling! I have lost 10 lbs and Im in my 3rd week. So far so good.Thank you for your comment JenniferM. Good luck to you. i am not so sure juicing is a good option for me.Hi Kathie,This is a great presentation by Dr. Doug Lisle, a psychologist who was featured in Forks Over Knives and works with the McDougall programs. It is an hour long, but very much worth watching if you can find the time.“How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQThanks for the tip. I really like the cookbook ‘Forks Over Knives’ !Boomer, this was FANTASTIC! Thanks for sharing it, I”m sending it to several friends.Glad to hear you liked it! I recommend this one as much as I recommend Dr. Greger’s hour-long presentations.Check out the informative book by Dr. Robert Morse THE DETOX MIRACLE SOURCEBOOK. It contains a lot of information in a language taht is easy to understand.What helped me was cutting out sugar (except that in whole fruits) and processed grains. Grains are converted to sugar very quickly by the body, and when blood sugar spikes, so does insulin. Insulin is a fat-storage hormone. I lost weight when I cut out sweets and grains. Not hard when I allowed myself a little more fat! Nuts, seeds, avocado, 86%+ cacao and coconut oil (with healthy MCT’s) are my new best friends!This situation is ABSOLUTE MADNESS! Seriously, what is wrong with these people?I would say, what is wrong with our economic system, because that is – I believe – the real cause of all of this.AWESOME!!!I’m on the pre-med track and was fortunate to land an internship at our local free medical (and dental) clinic. As a “Diabetes Education Intern”, I follow the approach modelled in the video Dr. Greger posted. Patients who come to the clinic, already aware they have diabetes–or who are diagnosed there, are invited to find out about our education program.If they are interested, either I or my fellow intern who is bilingual in Spanish give them a brief overview of the program, which involves an initial in-person consultation, which first entails finding out what the patient already knows about the “treatment” of the disease, filling in any gaps (covers diet, exercise, and foot checks), and setting a very specific goal that the patient deems is achievable by rating it between 7 and 10 on the scale mentioned in the video. “Achievability” tends to be based on the patient noting not only what he/she wants to change in diet or exercise regimen–but when (days of the week, and time/mealtime) and quantity (e.g., how long a brisk walk will be, or how much of the plate will be devoted to produce). With that goal established, we interns then make weekly calls for 10 weeks to see how things are progressing. During each call (done at an agreed upon day and time), we ask them for their thoughts on their progress in achieving the goal–and may “tweak” it to make it more achievable or, if achieved, either keep with the goal or add to it.I love the idea of this approach–but it’s not always smooth sailing. Some people won’t take calls, some people report doing well but their tone suggests otherwise, some people lose interest, some people didn’t grow up with the “on a scale from 1-10″ model so are alienated by that mechanism to pin down or adjust a goal, etc. I think so much of the problem stems from having been “brainwashed” by industry (Most everyone is middle-aged) and not necessarily believing what a plant-centric eating regimen can do for them, having established certain foods as comfort foods, and not having the structure of having weight, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, etc. measured by their physician throughout the 10 weeks. There are definitely successes, but I am eager to find out how to strengthen this model.I think it’s more deeper than that. Adressing the root cause of this problem will send us down to the core – the very fabric – of our economic system. After all, feeding cheap food to lifestock to produce meat, the incentive behind this is the profit motive. And this generate poor health in the mean time. But guess what, more profits can be generate from sick people. And at every step of this process – animal and human suffer – but it generate growth, which our economy cannot function without. And every year it has to be more growth than the year before. NO WONDER that the low-carb is all of rage and that the mcgovern report wasn’t take into account. Our economy requiere infinite growth. This mean more ressource taken, used and trashed, more hamburgers, more obese that eat more and more, more drugs, more surgery, more stent, and more bypass to generate GDP, and low carb gurus are there to make us swallow the pills. It doesn’t take rocket science to figure this out, a finite world cannot support an infinite economic growth. One day or another, all of this will come to an end. All the question is: will we still be there to see it ?I think the illusion of compliance is a factor as well. For example, I was watching a CME presentation about hemmorroids. There are 4 stages, 4 being the worst. The doctor was saying that most patients with stage 1 and 2 could be cured will fiber treatment (ie taking metamucil), but patient compliance is difficult. I don’t know how much is perceived vs real, but it appears many people would prefer to go under the knife than add a fiber supplement! Though i do not know if patients did not comply or were not told of that option. This was discussed in Essylstein’s book too, that patients are not told they can reverse heart disease with a vegan diet because they think they will not comply, but are all gungho to put them under the knife!The problem is complex. Reimbursement is definitely a part of the problem, but probably to a lesser degree in some parts of the world – northern Europe – where healthcare to a lesser degree is buisness, but still the focus is on drugs and hi-tech procedures. There are national guidelines you have to follow, so if you prescribe broccoli and brussel sprouts to a heart attack patient instead of aspirin, statin, candesartan and an elektive stent, you will be in serious trouble, even though you will save government-money (and your salary will be the same). So the problem is also lack of knowledge at a higher level. I do not underestimate patients, but a lot of patients wants the easy solution – a pill, a procedure – a have spent hours trying to convince some close relatives to change their diet and habits instead of popping pills for their lifestyle diseases, but without any luck at all. I have a very skilled colleague with newly diagnosed type 2 DM (obese) and even though he totally agrees, he doesnt have the belly ( :-) ) to change his habits and diet.In medical school long ago (17 years?), we learned an ancient Chinese adage, which went something like this:“To administer medicines to diseases which have already developed is comparable to the behavior of those persons who begin to dig a well after they have become thirsty.”I was surprised only half of all strokes could be prevented with the 4 lifestyle changes. Why not more?Karen, That is a very good result. NNT (Number needed to treat ) is 2. No medication can match that. Diet an exercise is a (big ) part of the equation, but it will not cure or prevent everythingAlso, if you have ever heard a presentation by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, you will note that hemorrhagic strokes actually increase with vegan diets a lot of the time because people do not decrease their sodium intake when they cut out high fat foods. This leaves their smaller arteries and veins weak in their defense against blood pressure spikes. It could be worth checking into if you are still interested!i love the leaking faucet/paper towels analogy. thx -georgeI have been a ‘good’ vegan for almost three years now and exercise every day. At first I lost some weight, but have since gained it back and then some. Also, my insulin use as a type 2 diabetic is up.In the past three decades I have lost and gained substantial weight in excess of ten times, and will not do so again. I am counting on the health effects of the food choices and daily exercise.It seems to me that it is time to give up the ‘diet’ mentality when discussing obesity. It has never worked for more than 2% of the population. Further, it does not explain the reason that Dr. Greger does not have millions of subscribers and lots of financial support, or that the findings about diet aren’t government policy in a country going bankrupt.My experience in successful weight loss has to do with ‘stress’ in its broadest meaning. The more I reduce my stress, the less I weight. Today I weight 245 lbs. but spent most of my life over 300 lbs. Of most importance, I am healthy, mobile, and very alive at age 65.Thank you Dr. Greger for your large part in making it happen!HI Frank- I and a lot of my friends who are vegetarian couldn’t lost weight because we were basically “starchetarians”. What helped was eliminating the white foods (white flour, white potatoes, white rice etc.) which, although vegan, are very high glycemic. Actually, whole wheat is almost as high-glycemic as refined, and therefore wreaks havoc with insulin because it converts to sugar right away in the body! Insulin drives the body to store fat. Grains (even whole grains) & sugar used to lead me on a wild blood sugar roller coaster and vicious cycle of cravings all day long. Wheat in particular is basically an appetite stimulant for me. I lost weight by increasing my intake of nuts, seeds, avocado, cashew cream, nut butters, coconut oil (a superfood), and even dark chocolate that’s 80%cacao or more (low-glycemic). The higher fat content leads to greater satiation, so you feel fuller much longer.Always the same beginner mistake: Saving trillions is good for a corporation, but for a nation it means lower GDP – and that’s BAD.As always, another great article. Thanks! My Ph.D. is in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine. We learned about Dr. Ornish’s work in grad school. I’m always happy to hear people talk about him, because I don’t think he gets enough recognition for his groundbreaking work. Also, I’m happy to be one of the lucky ones who makes a living by helping people address the source of their issues, and manage their health without medication and surgery in most cases! However, insurance still is a problem, because it often won’t reimburse for these services.Doesn’t “cure” everyone. I still need antihypertensives but my blood pressure is much easier to control and a minimal dose. No type of food is going to improve upon my low HDL cholesterol. So while there can be dramatic improvement, I wouldn’t sell this as a cure all.I think doctors today are treating the lifestyle, not the person. Maybe for some people that is exactly what they want for awhile. But it is another thing to convince them that there’s nothing that change of lifestyle (and/or diet) would make any difference. That is where the criminality of it all starts.How do you get doctors to do lifestyle medicine for someone already dealing with a chronic disease like cancer ? You have a GI cancer, you test negative for Celiac’s and you have Hashimoto’s, yet no doctor is telling you to avoid gluten? Is there a connection to these or all coincidental ? Why don’t doctors look at lifestyle and make connections and give patient directions?I have a deep respect for the work done by Dr. Greger and the NF team, however I have some ambivalence about this video describing the virtues of lifestyle medicine.To preface, I am in complete agreement that the best medicine involves prevention rather than cure. Our biggest health burdens would be very much tempered by preventive approaches to care, and it would be an absolute delight to see the reliance on pharmaceutical and biotech industries dismantled. However, the most common chronic diseases in North America are distributed disproportionally among those of lower socioeconomic status. The Whitehall studies, and the prolific research built upon the foundations of the Whitehall findings clearly highlight the inextricable link between socioeconomic position and health; the “social gradient”. Indeed, previous comments to this video have already alluded to broader issues contributing to health, such as access to affordable care and chronic stress. (Adrien makes some very compelling observations!) Our current economic situation sees a growing income disparity, time poverty, the expansion of food deserts in urban centres, environmental decay, and the commercialization of public green space…all detrimental to health and health related behaviours.It would be a shame if lifestyle medicine, in its disregard for the broader ecological influences on health, is accused of taking a blame the victim approach toward those burdened by cancer, heart disease, or type 2 diabetes.While I think behavioural change is virtuous and those that adhere to a clinical model of lifestyle education should be commended, I nonetheless have certain reservations about behavioural models for lifestyle change as a whole:Behaviour and lifestyle choices are strongly influenced by normative values; the decisions and actions of others in one’s cultural, physical, and social sphere strongly affect personal decisions regarding lifestyle. Additionally, we assume that by providing adequate information, people can—and will—make decisions about their health in a way we have predetermined as rational. We often fail to situate intrapersonal decision-making within a broader framework that includes, for example, psychological support and physical resources.What lifestyle medicine appears to assume is that the resources that enable healthy lifestyles are readily available: access to affordable and nutritious food, the precious time to prepare it, the safe places to go outdoors for exercise, the time and energy to engage in leisure activity, the social support by others that share the same lifestyle values, and the sense of self-efficacy or empowerment required for personal change. In other words, lifestyle medicine makes the assumption that all have access to lifestyle choices optimal for health.I hypothesize that when we look beyond intrapersonal failures and consider social failures for the maldistribution of poor health in North America, epidemiological outcomes will be much more inspiring.This is an important perspective that is all too often left out of the conversation. Most of us are familiar with all of the recommendations on how to make a plant based diet affordable: bulk dry beans, frozen veggies, etc, but in making those suggestions we are exposing our own privilege by assuming even those basic foods are accessible. So unfortunately we have food deserts and a lack of information/outreach centered smack dab on the populations suffering the greatest from lifestyle-based disease. What to do? I genuinely don’t know. I’m no social scholar.I would love to see Dr. Greger or any of the other plant docs team up with someone like Ron Finley or Will Allen for a nationwide tour, focusing on venues in communities that need it the most.Sharonmc- You read my mind. Inner city dwellers absolutely need greater fresh food access, in addition to the education piece. Healthy eating is difficult on a limited budget because unfortunately some of the worst foods are the cheapest. Exceptions: potatoes, bananas, and broccoli. All cheap but nutritious overall. We are learning more about food deserts paradoxically in rural areas as well . . . but everywhere, the tyranny of processed and fast food has robbed us of all desire to cook our own food, which is half the battle.Geez, how un-American can you get Dr. Greger !? Eating large quantities of chicken fried streak (and chicken fired chicken…) and getting on a cocktail of heart and cholesterol meds, oils the wheels of commerce that we all depend on !I’m a pre-med student but I really love the field of lifestyle medicine and prevention-focused care. Do you know if there are specific medical schools that focus on this, or a certain type of medicine that would be best to bridge me into this field for my career? Thank you!You are of course correct Dr Greger. It is so much easier to prescribe a statin and dismiss a patient than to level with them and coach them to adopt a plant-based diet. The former takes less than 5 minutes, the latter usually 30-40 minutes and serial sessions. We need to change the reimbursement scheme for lifestyle-oriented medicine so that lifestyle once again becomes foundational, rather than drugs. I say this as a clinical pharmacologist.Dr. Greger, how did you set up your computer to your treadmill? Also can you write while walking? I have a lot of school Work to do usually.There was recently a case in Australia where a patient successfully sued their general practitioner for failing to ensure that they had weight loss surgery. Apparently making an appointment with a weight loss surgeon was not enough. This judgement was appealed all the way to the High Court of Australia before it was finally overturned.See http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-26/overweight-man-luis-almario-legal-battle-prompts-obesity-warning/4913292I wonder what would happen if a patient sued their doctor for not making them eat a healthy diet?Dr Greger , I learn so much from you. We need more doctors like you. Prevention in the key not bills. .Any studies on papaya leaf extract helping increase platelet counts?o dear dr gregor!!! just please keep ringing the bell and more and more you and we are getting heard, its a slow change but still saving lives along the way! bravo to you!!!!Un buleevable. But you know what? In my 30 yrs in the health field (alternative) that is exactly the feedback I got and why I was happy to reinvent myself when the economy changed. . . healing yourself is more work than is worth the trouble. . . As my father (a neurologist) said of his obese dog, riddled with tumerous, oozing, lumps and barely able to walk, laying next to him with his spoon and half gallon of ice cream, while addressing that maybe he should not feed the por dog so much when she never leaves the house for so much as a walk – his reply, “but what else has she got to live for but her food?”. . . . Nuff said. I come from an entire family in the med profession, with as little interest in health, when money and status are the real richness in life, and indulgence and gluttony the entitled reward.. . . Well, there are those really seeking who you can touch. Folks still believe in the med profession blindly, so the coat and letters help in your favor. . . . I was just a voice in the wind of howels of diet and propaganda. . . . I love what you are doing. Makes me proud to be human and that’s something I don’t think I’ve ever said. :)I have training in both medicine and theology. The reason that most physicians and patients cannot hear your excelent advise is that they are in violation of Natural Law which has consequences. As to why, Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws on England, Book 1, Sec. “2 Of the Nature of Laws in general, ” page 41 states “This law of nature, being co-eval with mankind and dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries, and at all times: no human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this; and such of them as are valid derive all their force, and all their authority, mediately or immediately, from this original.” and in the forth book which is criminal law, Blackstone said that the highest crime is treason against God while treason against the king was second. If you look in current books on legal analysis they totally ignore God. I have read that this is due to the infamous Erie v Tompkins case. The consequences are repeating the book of Jeremiah all over again where 15 times some variation of “Jer_24:10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them,” is stated. Famine can be bad food causing an epidemic of heart disease which they cannot hear.Hi. I have hypotension (low blood pressure) due to low aldosterone and currently have to take fludrocortisone to keep my blood pressure up. Any suggestions or thoughts on this one? Thank you :)I do have to note as an MD who cared for thousands of amputees, diabetics, stroke survivors, complicated CABG survivors, etc., I essentially took a cut in pay to perform very thorough histories and examinations, 1.5 hours, and follow up visits, 0.5-1 hour, to spend time educating my patients on lifestyle changes. On every hospitalized patient with complicated medical and surgical problems due to lousy lifestyle practices, I consulted a nutritionst to evaluate and counsel the patient and their families as well asking both nutritionists and patients to discuss the consults with me. My group of patients were particularly recalcitrant, and hospitals were no better serving the worst possible foods to my patients. Before smoking was banned on hospital grounds, patients would often complain of recurrent TIA’s, wound healing issues, and recurrent chest pain while smoking. With the way they were fed, as well as visitors bringing junkfood to the hospital, blood sugars were either through the roof or in the toilet. Patients and their families must be held accountable for compliance. We must pay doctors to educate patients, but the patients must be held accountable by some means and I would be interested in your thoughts.	blood pressure,blood sugar,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,chronic diseases,diabetes,Dr. Dean Ornish,exercise,heart disease,heart failure,heart health,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,Lifestyle medicine,longevity,medical education,medications,men's health,mortality,obesity,plant-based diets,prostate cancer,prostate health,reversing chronic disease,smoking,stroke,surgery,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	If doctors can eliminate some of our leading killers by treating the underlying causes of chronic disease better than nearly any other medical intervention, why don’t more doctors do it?	By treating the root causes of diseases with plants not pills, we can also avoid the adverse side effects of prescription drugs that kill more than 100,000 Americans every year, making them a leading cause of death. See my live presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death.For those surprised that policy makers wouldn’t support such a common sense notion as preventive health, check out my video The McGovern Report. What about medical associations? Medical Associations Oppose Bill to Mandate Nutrition Training.For those unfamiliar with Dr. Dean Ornish’s landmark work, watch the story about my grandmother in my videos Resuscitating Medicare and Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped.There is another reason that may explain why the medical profession remains so entrenched. See my video The Tomato Effect.For more context, check out my associated blog post: 4 Things to Help Prevent Most Disease.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifestyle-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943572,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19203313,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1973470,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21361800,
PLAIN-2683	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/	Canned Beans or Cooked Beans?	Canned beans are convenient, but are they as nutritious as home cooked? And if you do used canned, should you drain them or not? This recent study spilled the beans. The federal government recommends about a half a cup a day, counting them as both a protein and a vegetable since they have the best of both worlds, excellent sources of fiber and folate; and they are good sources of plant protein, plant iron, vitamin B1, and minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and copper, all while being naturally low in sodium.Yet Americans, don't know beans. 96% of Americans don't even make the measly minimum recommended intake of beans, chickpeas, split peas, or lentils. Actually the same percentage of American doesn't eat their greens every day. Two of the healthiest things on the plant greens and beans, and hardly anyone even makes the minimum. Just another "piece added to the rather disturbing picture that is emerging of a nation’s diet in crisis."Anyway, back to the study—don't get me started on greens. In addition to their health benefits, beans are cheap. The researchers did a little bean counting, and a serving of beans costs between 10 cents and, if you want to go crazy, 40 cents.As you can see canned beans cost about 3 times more than buying dried beans and cooking them yourself, but beans can take hours to cook so my family just goes wild and splurges, on that extra 20 cents a serving. Nutrition-wise, cooked and canned are about the same, but the sodium content of canned beans can be 100 times that of cooked. Draining and rinsing the canned beans can get rid of about half the sodium, but you're also draining and rinsing away some of the nutrition, so I recommend when buying canned beans get the no-salt added varieties, and keep and use the bean juice. Bottom line "Beans, regardless of type or form, are a nutrient rich food and should be encouraged as part of a healthy diet."	I was waiting for this video ! But I have a few questions, I’m concerned about Bisphenol-A and other possible endocrine disruptor in the plastic inside of the can. Is this really a reason of concern or not ? I’m not living in the US and I just can’t find no salt added canned beans in regular supermarket. I do sometime find some white beans in glass jar (so no endocrine disruptor and less environment damage), but those one never come without added salt. Canned are so much more convenient, but can it be recycled efficiently ? I’m feeling sad about all the waste I can produce everyday with canned box.I added too many images, Sorry. I didn’t find the way to remove it..Adrien good point about the waste. I prefer to make my own beans–I think they taste better. Add some spices. Amazing!It is time the canning companies switched over to offering glass containers. More expensive, but less chemicals.Are the lids in glass containers something to be concerned about?I think so. But if the consumer speaks up, the company will change.There are some stores if you live in california that you can my beans and other things in bulk and take home to store in your own glass jars. Like whole foods. cheaper way to go is a food co-op.Cook your own beans and leave the cans and plastic on the shelves. It’s that simple. BPA is only one of many known chemicals that are estrogen mimickers in plastic.http://www.npr.org/2011/03/02/134196209/study-most-plastics-leach-hormone-like-chemicalshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222987/What about the plastic that the beans come in at the store? There is still waste involved.If there’s a place near you that sells beans in bulk, as many natural food stores do, you can bring your own reusable container or bag.Where do you live? In Australia, I shop at Woolworths and they have a number of canned vegetables including beans with no add salt.This has been bothering me for some time. From time to time, I enjoy the canned beans in tomato sauce, since they require no work. Open and eat. That said, I have seen a couple demo’s of Chef AJ using an electric pressure cooker. Can’t be easier or cheaper, and I think it will be a worthwhile investment for me even as the only bean eater in the house.I own an electric pressure cooker and I highly recommend it. I cook all of my beans in it. It takes less than 60 minutes to cook chickpeas and that is without soaking them first. Mine is called “Instant Pot”.I got one last year, but I honestly don’t use it much (yes, the programmable Instant Pot) for beans. I find things take a very long time to cook because of the pre-heat time, even when using hot water. I will use it more in winter, though. Great for butternut squash, as the peel becomes edible too.Where are you from? Canada? My bean cans are recyclable.The concern isn’t with recylebility, but the chemicals that line the tins, such as bisphenol-A.I so imagined this was going to be related to the consequences of flatulence associated with bean consumption….Thanks for addressing this question; I’ve always wondered. Is there a risk that metals from the can may leach into the beans?I’m personally more concerned about endocrine disruptor (particularly Bisphenol-A and Phthalates) and environmental damage.“[…] studies have shown that chemicals called phthalates can trigger what’s known as “death-inducing signaling” in testicular cells, making them die earlier than they should. Yep, that’s cell death – in your man parts. If that’s not enough, studies have linked phthalates to hormone changes, lower sperm count, less mobile sperm, birth defects in the male reproductive system […]”http://www.ewg.org/research/dirty-dozen-list-endocrine-disruptorsEden brand beans don’t use BPA. I share your concerns, though. See for example my video BPA Plastic and Male Sexual Dysfunction.I know for Eden brand, but unfortunately it’s not available in my country. Thanks to remember me this video, it’s good to see them twice. Do you have data about draining possibly reducing the BPA content ? I had an minor skin issue – epigastric pyogenic granuloma – that I personnaly correlate with canned corn consomption. Wild guess or possible link ? Is that mean my angiogenesis is out of balance ?http://www.iHerb.com The Eden brand is possible to order on iHerbYou can buy them by the case on Amazon, ship to your home. Much easier to just by bulk beans and cook up a batch on Sunday to last most the week. When I first went veggie, I would cook a huge pot on Sundays and wrap them as a burrito, freezing 10 burritos per bag, pulling them out the day before to eat the next day.Thanks for the tips, but for Amazon they said: “We’re sorry. This item can’t be shipped to your selected destination. You may either change the shipping address or delete the item from your order.”They may not use BPA, but the alternative isn’t necessarily safer. It just hasn’t been researched yet.As far as Eden canned beans…I was recently told at the Nature’s Market of Wegmans that Edens is taking their BPA free label off. Seems the lining that they are using has been dissolving into the beans. I noticed a metallic taste last time I had them.Sue: That’s very interesting. I didn’t notice a change in the label, but I did notice that the can of Eden beans that I opened this weekend did not have a white lining like it had previously. Thanks for the possible head’s up.Thanks for clarifying that, Dr. Greger. I was wondering the same thing. It is nice to know that I can buy Eden brand without worry. Thanks for all your posts – they are wonderful!!Great video and I can live with the minimal gas. I don’t know what they use as an alternative and whether or not it poses any risks, but Amy’s brand doesn’t use BPA (and their vegan chili’s are one of my favorite ways to get my daily beans ! )You should be worried about anything that touches plastic if you are concerned about BPA.http://www.npr.org/2011/03/02/134196209/study-most-plastics-leach-hormone-like-chemicalshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222987/Thanks HemoDynamic, I try to avoid plastic in water bottle, and food container indeed (that’s good for mother earth too). I learn from scientist that these chemicals don’t stay very long in our systems, but chronicle exposure is of concern. And we should consume beans almost daily if I get it right…BPA is used in production of SOME PVC (type 3) and SOME “other types” of plastic (type 7). Water bottles, food packaging, and food containers are usually made of polypropylene (PP, type 5), polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE, types 2 and 4) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET, type 1). Sometimes polystyrene (type 6), there might be a reason not to heat food in PS containers, but it’s not BPA.As every one has been saying, BPA in fact affects our hormones. Hormones in turn affect our ability to be fertile or not. This video tells more.Dried beans don’t take hours to cook if you use a pressure cooker. Chickpeas (which can take 90 minutes in a conventional pot) only take 15 minutes if they are presoaked, and you can even do a 10-minute quick-soak in the P.C. if you didn’t plan ahead. If you cook the beans directly in the soup or stew you’re making, you won’t lose any nutrients from the water. A good pressure cooker can be a bit of an investment, but for me it was well worth it. I use mine all the time. If you want some good bean soup recipes for the P.C., check out Lorna Sass’s Complete Vegetarian Kitchen.llilly: Concerning that Lorna Sass book. I’m a big fan of Lorna Sass’s “Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure” The title says “Vegetarian”, but the recipes are really all vegan. Just an FYI.Sprouted beans and blanched (about 2 min. depending on size) that can be much better choice,How do you think?Give us more!Sprouting is the way to go, the enzyme inhibitor is released and makes the beans much more digestible for folks with protein probs. Besides less energy and time to cook ‘em. Takes about 1 1/2 days to sprout them through the skin. Temp. makes a difference. Learn how to sprout its healthier. I cook them slow on a wood stove.Are there any studies that have compared the heavy metal content of canned beans before they are cooked inside the can to the heavy metal content after they are cooked inside the can? These cans and containers do not seem as strong as a pan we’d use on the stove. Also, when I take a can opener and open the lid, what happens to the tiny metal fragments that separate the lid from the can? Please address these pertinent issues. They are of major concern for many vegans.Metal shavings or pieces can be a problem. About 40 years ago there was a can opener that removed the lid by prying it apart from the can without cutting. Don’t know if they are still available. Maybe a search on the web will be productive.Leo: About 10 years ago I bought one that does just that! I got mine from Bed Bath and Beyond, and I believe that “Pampered Chef” still sells one. The trick is to find one that “breaks the seal” on the can rather than doing any cutting.I absolutely adore mine. No sharp edges. No metal fragments. No dirty top of can falling into the food. Just breaking the seal. I don’t know if this type of can opener is any harder to find now-a-days in real stores, but after a lot of searching I was able to find one on-line. So, I know they can still be purchased one way or another.“guest” : I hope you can find one if you are interested.Reminds again, the recommended serving size and frequency of Beans and of Greens. Thank you.I “call” your kidney beans and “raise” you a cup of anasazi beans!They’re Magical!The Jalapeno is for “kicks”! ;-)I use President’s Choice brand organic beans for emergencies & snacks (no BPA) but do believe Dr. Sherry Rogers’ (holistic environmental illness specialist) who states the canning of beans destroys the very small amounts of extremely important trace minerals such as molybdenum and vanadium, extremely important for detox & pancreatic function respectively. When making my own beans I can add kombu which will dissolve & provide its many mineral nutrients as well as adding celtic sea salt at the end, providing more of those 78 precious trace minerals that are so difficult to find in the average diet. I must discipline myself to make quantities & “can” them in mason jars for reasons of convenience, health & recycling.Puka, how do you “can” your beans afterwards? I’m a new mom, and I have very limited time. I really can’t be making my beans all the time, but I can usually find a few hours in the evening to make a big batch. I just don’t know how to best store them so that I can use them days, if not weeks later. Advise?If you have a slow cooker, you can use that to cook beans overnight while you sleep. Lots of sites on the web with instructions. Then I just put them in containers and freeze them. (I’m still working on finding non-plastic containers for the freezer though!)Great idea, thanks Rika!wide-mouth glass jars for freezer containers, tops can be the canning lid and rims or a plastic top with a rubber ring made by Tattler.After cooking your beans, put them into sterilized canning jars with lids & put them into a canning pot with a lid, boil until sealed (15 minutes). It seems the ideal way for me as my freezer is full of homemade food for my dogs.I don’t know what Sherry Rogers says, but it simply is not possible to “destroy” molybdenum or vanadium by canning any more than it is possible to destroy other metals such as iron or calcium by canning. Perhaps you have not properly interpreted her argument.Just as a matter of validation, I am a research chemist (PhD).Thanks. Nice to have a rational response that is actually informed by knowledge, rather than the kind of knee-jerk Luddism that Rogers practices–“Canning bad–destroys minerals.”I wonder how it is that people like Rogers think the can survives the canning process. It’s metals, minerals, too.I’m wondering is perhaps I am not remembering her comment correctly. I wonder if she was comparing non organic to organic. It’s been a long time since I’ve read her excellent books (I was very sick with MCS during time).What about BPA in cans? Anyway. I share your frustration with cooking my own. However, two different friends from Brazil recently informed me that they both use a pressure cooker and it’s works very well. It cuts the cook time and repeats the process easily without having to monitor the cooking process. Instant Pot seems to be the machine to own. Will try my new one soon.Eden canned beans do not have BPA. Please view Dr. Greger’s response. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/canned-beans-or-cooked-beans/#comment-1104917603Dr G – great video as always. When I prepare beans in a crock pot, I first soak them for awhile and then drain/rinse. Then I cook them. They end up several shades more pale than canned beans or photos of beans you see in recipes. Is this a concern? Am I losing nutrients? Should I adjust my prep technique?I think overall, it is not a major concern. Cooking anything will create a loss of some nutrients. But the amounts are too small to have any physiological harm.It was interesting to find that Dr John McDougall has a line of prepared bean meals packed in carton containers with very low salt. Quite good, IMHO.I cook batches of beans and put them in canning jars or glass peanut butter jars and freeze them – it’s fast and easy to make my own convenience food! I usually cook them in a pressure cooker (my favorite is the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker). I especially love cooking chickpeas – I used to avoid them because I can’t stand the smell of canned chickpeas. Freshly cooked are wonderful, and I’m amazed that there is such a difference.I am concerned about BPAs in canned beans, and about the as-yet-un-researched BPA alternatives in cans used by Eden and other manufacturers. I avoid canned foods altogether–the so-called “convenience” of canned foods is not worth the potential damage by hormone disruptors. It doesn’t have to take all that long to cook beans–google the “Russ Parsons method”–can be adapted to stove-top or slow cookers as well.I have hemochromotosis and beans are high in iron. I eat two cups of beans daily for the fiber. Should I adjust this? Please advise.check out the video again, it said 1/2 cup at every meal, a late snack would work too bringing beans to 2 cups.For the love of god people, just buy a pressure cooker. Why do we insist on eating food barely fit for a fallout shelter. It will take about as much time as cooking rice. Now, canned rice… There’s an idea. What’s wrong with you America!?! Why doesn’t everyone just eat canned rice?!?Roger, Roger!I am with you Roger. I am not really understanding the difficulty of cooking beans. I don’t use a pressure cooker and cooking them is easy. What am I missing? Do people not spend 2 hours in a row at home?Veganrunner: re: “Do people not spend 2 hours in a row at home?”I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with your approach here. I don’t think it is productive to be dismissive of people who eat canned beans. People eating whole beans whether from a can or dried are doing a million times better than the people who don’t eat beans at all.While I agree that cooking beans is not hard, it is far from convenient. First, you really have to plan ahead – re for soaking time or slow cooking time or 2 hours cooking time. When you cook the beans, you are usually not making your meal. You are just making *one ingredient* in your meal. (Obviously I’m not talking about soups etc. here – just when you want cooked beans.) All of this is yet one more step for home cooking your food. For someone like me who hates to cook, that extra step of making individual ingredients first is a burden. The issue is compounded, because I do all my cooking on weekends. Fitting in all that elapsed time for beans restricts when I can cook the rest of my dish. I want to do other things on weekends besides just cooking.And the hassle goes beyond the actual cooking of the beans. To be even close to as convenient as cans, you then have to “can” or freeze the beans. I literally do not have the room in my freezer. My freezer is packed with frozen veggies, fruit, grains and leftover dishes. Even if I had the room in the freezer, there are two more considerations: 1) I would then have to have a system in place for labeling and organizing the containers. 2) I have to add “defrosting time” to get to use the beans the next time I want to cook a recipe with beans.Is all of this hard? No. Am I around for 2 hours? Yes. But it’s not an additional 2 hours that I want to spend dealing with beans (even in the background) on top of the already burdensome cooking chores I have taken on each and every weekend in order to eat healthy. So, not hard, but it is time consuming and a mental burden.Balance that thought against this one: the canned beans also taste very good! I may like the dried beans that I cook up better than canned, but the canned ones are also truly delicious. When I open a can of beans for a recipe, I often sample one. And then another. And I have to make myself stop or I won’t have enough for my recipe.Bottom line: I cook beans in the pressure cooker sometimes. Other times I use cans. Yeah me for eating my beans!Hi Thea, I am not being dismissive of people eating canned beans but of the idea that cooking beans is an issue. There are many of my friends and family who would say cooking beans is difficult but I can also say they have never tried.I eat lots of beans that I cook myself in a pressure cooker. It’s fast, uses less energy, and the beans come out better and more flavorful. I cook about a pound of dried beans per week, yielding about 6 cups. I use them in tacos, I make a veggie chili and top a potato with them, I make veggie patties with them. And Dr. Greger it was nice meeting you in person in Boston this past weekend. I was the guy with the 130 cholesterol, 54 HDL, and 53 LDL. Maybe my low LDL can partially be attributed to my high bean consumption, LOL! (I’m sure it’s not hurting me.)Biggest myth is it’s so troublesome to cook beans. Nonsense. Simply add water to beans before you go to bed–in the morning they’re ready for the slow cooker. Which is effortless to use.Or use in any time frame–soak em during the day, they’re ready to cook that afternoon/evening. Or overnight in slow cooker set on low.Please, Dr. Greger, as soon as you and other great educators point out any healthy food is inexpensive, the price goes up. Garbanzos not too long ago were around a buck a pound where I bought them. Now they’re over $3 a pound! Happens whenever you point out the relatively cheap price of healthy foods. Red cabbage ain’t cheap anymore where I shop–price has gone thru the roof!If you happen to have a 99 cent Store chain near you try them. They have almost every kind of dried bean you can think of as well as tons of fresh produce for a fraction of what I’ve seen anywhere else. I go there once a week to stock up on my smoothie fixins.It is a myth. I have a feeling people aren’t even giving it a try. They taste so much better!I prefer to cook my own beans – I share the concern regarding canned food, and home cooked beans have a better texture and taste. To prepare beans is nearly a reflex now – water and beans in a bowl at bedtime, place the bowl in the fridge, after work the next day, you cook the beans for one hour, and in this hour you can work, run, play with the kids, talk to the wife, read the paper, listen to Michael Greger on NF etc. Make a big bowl so there are enough to several days, and put the rest in the freezer in small boxes. Then you have beans for several days. Worktime 5 min. I dont look at the beans cooking :-)Perfectly said.Can you store beans in their cans in the frig? Which beans cook at the same rate so they can be cooked together?They make me gassy…I know this may not be the right place for this – as it’s off-topic – but Dr G. asked me to post this question on the website rather than email him directly.I was wondering if you could help me to optimize the breakfast shake I make for breakfast. Actually it’s more of a puree than a shake, since it’s not drinkable – I take it with a spoon.In a magic bullet container: -4-5 tbsp of mixed assorted nuts & seeds (walnut/almond/filbert/pecan/sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds) -2 brazil nuts -1 tbsp of organic cocoa nibs (whole) -1 tbsp of hemp protein powder -2 tbsp of whole flaxseeds -1 tbsp of wheat germ -1 tbsp of wheat bran -0.25 cup of frozen blueberries to sweeten -0.5 cup of ‘motherless’ unsweetened almond milkI use to put 2 tbsp of sesame seeds in this, but I’ve taken them out.On the side, I eat raw vegetables and a glass of water.Is there anything else that should go into this?Thanks in advance!Chai spices, oats, and bananas go well with the berries and nuts/seeds in smoothies, per my experience.Thanks, Brandon! I used to have metabolic syndrome so I am trying to avoid high GI grains and high GI fruits, but will look into the Chai spices.i see you have 2 T of whole flax; i hope its ground because Dr. G has reported we only get the nutritional benefits when flax is ground. plus it’s a great texture in a smoothie. i think grinding them separately is the way to go, they fluff up that way and it’s just so nice! then i’d say add an antioxidant spice: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/ though make sure to check the comments there for updated info.I don’t know about the Magic Bullet, but the Nutri Bullet (same manufacturer) makes quick work of whole flax seeds when combined with the other ingredients without the need to grind them separately. I would be inclined to leave out the hemp powder. The nuts provide plenty of protein. In its place I would add some greens or either up the berries or add some other fruit such as an apple. Also, as Dr. Greger has mentioned previously, a teaspoon of amla powder really supercharges the antioxidant value.Thanks Psych MD. The Magic Bullet does grind up the whole flax seeds. Agree about the hemp powder but I just bought another bag of it! :-( Oh well. I don’t think 1 tbsp will hurt me. I eat a lot of greens on the side – raw spinach, broccoli, red cabbage, carrots, green string beans – I can’t fit all that into a magic bullet, and one thing I like best about the magic bullet’s size is calorie control. I agree that the hemp does not add much to the nuts since both are relatively low in lysine.Hi Faang, I agree. The flaxseed is ground up by the magic bullet’s blades, otherwise it would be fairly useless. Which antioxidant spice gives the best flavour punch?I think you have too many fats in this smoothie…ie nuts, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, cocoa nibs….You should limit it to 1 TB total and put handfulls of greens instead. I also throw in 1/2 cup of whatever beans I have on hand. Those nuts are not just protein but fat. Good fat but unless you are super thin that is too many nuts according to Dr Fuhrman.Thanks Kathleen. It IS a lot of fat. When I was also eating an avocado on the side and also more brazil nuts in the smoothie, I would occasionally get a major stomach ache from all that fat. I ditched the avocado and limited the brazil nuts to two only (for selenium). This took the stomach ache away. Regarding being thin, I am 127 lbs, 5 foot 6.The hemp is isolated protein powder, and has very little fat in it (about 250 mg of omega-3 – i.e. 0.25 g).Greens won’t fit into my magic bullet, which is very small. Rather, I eat these on the side. I could add some beans but wonder about the taste. Only one way to find out, I guess! I would take something away to make room for the beans so I am not overloading on protein (perhaps fewer nuts).I would just add a bit more milk or water to make it drinkable, and add a leaf or two of kale or other dark green leafy.I think a great smoothie for me (athletic, fast metabolism) has plant sources of fat (nuts/flaxseeds), protein, fruit, motherless milk and some kind of dark green leafy. Any place you can sneak in dark green leafies is good, and here’s an opportunity to eat a raw piece of collard greens or kale, without hardly tasting it!An interesting question is the importance of how one drinks the smoothie. Does it make a big difference if you swallow quickly vs. if you chew or swirl it around in the mouth, to get the digestive enzymes breaking these phytonutrients down…?Thanks, Jordan. I am allergic to kale, and tend to eat all my greens on the side. I tried adding chai spices today and they made the shake unpalatable (even at 1/4 tsp. I will try again at 1/8 tsp). I wonder if collard greens are related to kale and thus I won’t tolerate them either. Do not want to go through 5 days of explosive diarrhea and nausea again…My personal favorite bean is the kabuli black chickpea, which has considerably more fiber (and less starch/sugar) than the regular pale white chickpea. Goes by a number of different names including “Bengal gram”, “Kala chana” or “Chhola boot”. They apparently cause considerably fewer blood glucose oscillations in diabetics than the traditional pale colored chickpea which is very high in starch and sugar. One can get them at middle eastern stores, Pakistani stores, Indian stores and some regular large grocery store chains like Loblaws.I soak them overnight, drain and rinse them and then simmer them on the stove for 20-25 minutes. I test them to make sure they are still crisp but not too crisp to the taste. I then dump the water and re-rinse them. A half cup cooked provides 35% of daily iron needs. They are a wonderful source of protein and can be put into any dish (soups, salads, etc). I have not been able to find them in cans but don’t mind soaking and cooking them from a bag of dried beans. I don’t use a pressure cooker to do this, just a saucepan and a lid.Here’s a couple sources for Eden beans. Watch the sites for sales and volume prices. No one in the world should be without the food they need. If you have a computer, and it looks like you do, keep up the hunt. Eden is making large cans now too, so it is even cheeper. No salt, No BPA and cooked in pure water with some Kombu. Just like home cooked, and organic. I haven’t seen organic in those bulk bins. Vitacost…http://www.vitacost.com/productResults.aspx?NttSR=1&previousText=eden+beans&ss=1&x=49&y=11&ntk=products&Ntt=eden%20beansEden…http://www.edenfoods.com/search/results.php?q=Beans&cx=009247966643282937544%3Aqxe4kvxpbgg&cof=FORID%3A11&sa.x=9&sa.y=5&sa=SearchWhat do you mean by “pure water”? Do they use tap water, and, was the water chlorinated? I’d love more info. on this, so thanks.I buy Eden Organic foods regularly. And, I was delighted to learn that their pressed tomatoes are housed in glass containers, which I now buy by the case.But, I’m concerned about both BPA and BPA-Free. The latter of which are now said to be more toxic than the BPA, itself.“BPA is a synthetic estrogen that can disrupt the endocrine system, even in small amounts. It has been linked to a wide variety of ills, including infertility, breast and reproductive system cancer, obesity, diabetes, early puberty, behavioral changes in children and resistance to chemotherapy treatments,” according to research gathered by the Environmental Working Group.http://www.ewg.org/bpa/We must also consider packaging materials which can leach into foods, especially those that contain liquids, if we are to become as healthy as possible.This is the reason I have yet to purchase a Vitamix blender, because of the jar, which is a BPA substitute.How about all the evidence against beans here: http://jdmoyer.com/2011/02/15/to-bean-or-not-to-bean-that-is-the-question-legumes-lectins-and-human-health/It is nonsense. It again brings up non issues of eating raw beans which nobody really does. Every study out there shows a strong link with bean consumption and lower mortality.Regardless of what the good doctor says, cooking dried beans takes less than an hour if you simply soak them the night before. Black beans take the longest, chick peas take half as long, and lentils don’t need to be soaked to cook in around the same time as chick peas or garbanzo beans.PS – shopping for organic non-BPA canned beans low in sodium can be more time consuming than grabbing a bunch organic bulk beans and taking them home to soak overnight.Paul: Once you know where your preferred brand of canned beans are, you go right to them each time. Very fast. And when you get home, you don’t have to soak them. You can just open the can and eat them.When you buy organic bulk beans, you not only have to find the the type you want for the first time, but every time. The bulk section at the store I go to has 4 pretty big isles of bulk-type foods. The beans are generally in one area, but there is a large number of varieties and organic and non-organic are mixed together. Plus, the store moves things around fairly often. So, my organic garbanzo beans may be 1/3 down the isle on the top shelf somewhere today, but moved down a shelf next week. It always takes me a lot longer to find the say organic garbanzos in the bulk section than it does to find them in the canned.And then I have to find a bag to put the beans in. Then I have write down the bin number.Is it hard to find the dried bulk organic beans? No. It’s quite do-able, and I do it all the time. But I can’t imagine a situation in which the purchase process of bulk beans would actually be faster than canned.I just want to make sure we don’t exaggerate one method or the other. I think its truly awesome that you get your beans from the bulk bin. You are a good role model for the rest of us.When you open a can and then eat the beans, you are also eating all the components which make up the cans like lead in the sodder, or aluminum in the can, or epoxy of bisphenol A which is in polycarbonated coated cans or a substitute which is said to be more toxic than BPA in BPA-free cans!These make your fast food even more toxic than soaking the beans in carbon filtered or Reverse Osmosis filtered water, throwing out the soaking liquids, and cooking them in freshly filtered waters. You can speed up the process by first rinsing and sorting the beans. Boiling them for 30 minutes, pouring off the boiling waters. Start with fresh filtered waters again, and cooking until done, which is generally under 2 hours on a low temperature without salt. Salt after they are cooked.If you ignored the packaging materials, you are taking risks with your health and that of your family.Hi. Here in Northern Europe there is a fantastic brand of beans (http://www.gogreen.no/) which are organic, cheap and packed in tetrapack, so no metal or plastic. Their motto is:Yes we can. Forget the can :DDo you have something like this in the US? Is it safe this kind of packaging? I guess it is at least a lot safer than Can and plastic.I hate to burst your bubble, but as I understand it, Tetrapak involved about 5 layers of plastic.And also aluminum.“Aseptic packages are made of several laminated layers, including paper, aluminum and low-density polyethylene. High amounts of non-wood materials and [there is] a lack of knowledge on the manufacturing process.”http://www.environmental-expert.com/Files/0/articles/2268/tetrapak.pdfI wonder which layers would come in contact with food or liquids. I should think packaging dry goods like beans in LDPE would be safer than packaging in unknowns, and then preparing the beans yourself.Shaikailash: re: “Do you have something like this in the US?” In fact, we do. But it is very hard to find. I haven’t found beans in a tetra pak in my area. I only know it is available in the US because I saw a DVD from Jeff Novick recently saying that he found some in his grocery store. But that DVD is a couple years old already I think, so maybe that company went out of business?Your question was interesting to me and prompted me to to a bit of research on tetra packs. I have no idea how reliable the following is, but here are some quotes that I think are relevant:“Hard data notwithstanding, the new paper versus plastic debate is still very nuanced. Tetra Pak cartons are only 75% paper; the rest of the package contains aluminum and polyethylene. As is the case with PET bottles, not all municipalities recycle Tetra Pak cartons, though the fault often lies with cities, not with packaging companies. Furthermore, both PET and Tetra Pak cartons have come under scrutiny for their long-term health effects on consumers.” from: http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/tetra-pak-versus-plastic-bottles-waterand from Wikipedia: “Since the aseptic packages contain different layers of plastic and aluminum in addition to raw paper, they cannot be recycled as “normal” paper waste, but need to go to special recycling units for separation of the different materials.”So, when you write, “no metal or plastic”, how sure are you of that?If it is true that these packages have both aluminum and plastic (and since at least in my city the tetra paks can’t be recycled), that tells me that the tetra paks are probably no healthier for us or the environment than cans. What a bummer!Thanks for your post. You prompted me to do some research and learn about the tetra paks.It is my understanding that tetrapaks are lined with polyethylene plastics, which are safer than polycarbonate …or perhaps, less studied.I have not seen them for packaging beans.There’s an article in the Huffington Post about BPA and substitutes, as well as other web site links for more info. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elaine-shannon/bpa-and-food-we-can-fix-t_b_345775.htmlExcellent. I have been wondering about this for a long time. Now onto another topic: My girlfriend just sent me this link http://www.realfarmacy.com/sweden-becomes-first-western-nation-to-reject-low-fat-diet-dogma-in-favor-of-low-carb-high-fat-nutrition/ and asked my input. I found it to be a little far-fetched, but wanted to run it by an expert (I.E.you) to verify its veracity and its implications. Thanks.Is raw kidney beans ok to eat if they have been sprouted?Thanks again for great info. Takes TOO LONG TO COOK BEANS? the smart way to cook grains or beans is to SOAK THEM beforehand and throwaway the soak water then rinse them.. I soak beans for 12+ hours or more before cooking, and grains 8 hours. It takes way to long to cook dry beans, what wasted energy. I once worked in a vegetarian restaurant. We would put a huge pot on the stove daily filled with water to cook dry beans. We could have saved 1/2 or more of the cooking time by soaking them before……namaste’, rachelThanks you for doing this video! I have often wondered about if there is any huge difference – working full time makes it hard to cook our own beans so we heavily rely on canned beans! Now I can stop worrying! :-)Learning to properly soak, sprout or cook beans is a crucial moment in healthy plant eating. They taste sooooooo much better than canned. I soak everything – beans, grains, and sometimes seeds and nuts. I do not cook beans in their soaking water. Taste test hummus with canned versus soaked and cooked chickpeas. Also try raw hummus with sprouted chick peas. Yum.Electric pressure cookers are a very convenient way to cook beans, grains, or potatoes. They are programmable so you have fresh food when you get home from work. It will pay for itself quickly and it’s better for the environment because you aren’t throwing bean cans in the trash.Dr. Greger, thanks so much for your hard work and research. Because of you, I’ve converted to a plant-based diet and feel amazing. My Dad is a diabetic, and I’ll keep flooding him until he converts to veggie as well. :-PMy question is: I’m concerned with beans and “anti-nutrient phytates”. I know that if preparing from dry, soaking and boiling mostly deactivates the anti-nutrient properties, but what about canned? Good straight from the can, or should I boil before?Or does it depend on the brand?Jon: It is my understanding that all canned beans are cooked right in the can. I.e., canned beans are cooked. So, the phytates are not a problem.Good luck with your dad. I know how hard it is to see family members needlessly suffering. All you can do is be a good role model and give a little nudging and info when the recipient is able to hear it. I hope your dad will be able to listen soon!Phytates not only double as antioxidants, but are deactivated with cooking. No concern necessary. Canned beans are pre cooked.All canned beans either receive epoxy of Bisphenol A [BPA] or BPA free substitutes, which are in polycarbonate plastics. These leach the toxic chemicals from the containers into the canned food and liquids. Independent studies show that these are endocrine disrupting chemicals. The endocrine system regulates the body’s hormones.Eden Organic switched from BPA cans to BPA-free cans years ago to protect consumers, but at the time, no studies were done on BPA-free. Now they are coming in.Learn more about BPA at: http://www.ewg.org/bpa/Thanks for this info on beans. What can you eat to get better if if you have been diagnosed with Hpylori? Won’t beans give more gas?Beans don’t have to give you gas. It depends how they are cooked. Soak overnight first. Pour off the soaking waters, rinse with filtered waters (carbon filtered to reduce pesticides or some industrial chemicals and chlorine; reverse osmosis to reduce fluoride, toxic heavy metals including some from fracking practices).Add new, freshly filtered water and cook up to 6 hours depending on the beans at a low temperature. Pinto beans take about 2 hours, soybeans (get organic, of course) will take longer, at least 4 hours or more. The fresher the beans, the faster they’ll cook. Old beans take a very long time, I’ve learned.But the key is starting with an overnight to 12 hour soaking time and pouring off the soaking waters to reduce flatulence.Bein’ and agreein’ to bean here now!If there was a Nobel Prize for recommending the most flatulent diet, then Dr. Greger would be the winner. Dr. Greger doesn’t seem to understand that the vast majority of working class Americans need to minimize their flatulence and end up selecting their daily diet based on which foods didn’t cause much flatulence. Avoidance of flatulence and avoidance of calories are the 2 biggest reasons why low-carb diets are so popular despite their health disadvantages. Dr. Greger worsens the flatulence problem by recommending high-sugar foods such as dried fruits, which cause about one-fourth to one-third as much flatulence as whole beans.The typical Japanese person in Japan has a living space that is only one-seventh that of the typical American. Despite this, the Japanese in Japan have learned to survive on foods made from soybeans. Natto, which is the healthiest food that anybody can eat, doesn’t cause much flatulence because it is fermented. Tofu and unsweetened soymilk, because 90% of the fiber has been removed, don’t cause much flatulence either. Edamame, because about half of the flatulence-causing raffinose has been bred out, can be eaten in moderation because the flatulence that it causes is substantially less severe than whole soybean foods and TVP (American-style soybean meat).The Japanese in Japan eat plenty of both brown rice and white rice. Rice is the only starch that doesn’t cause flatulence.Please see the previous video regarding beans for reference. It may clear up what you consider the issue of flatulence. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/Soaking beans 8 hours/overnight and pouring off the soaking waters. Cooking/ simmering with fresh (and carbon filtered) waters eliminates flatulence.TVP adds another problem. Most if not all TVP is GMO soy. Flatulence will be the least of your problems with GMO soy.I am so faithful to my crockpot. It cooks any kind of bean so slowly and gently. Remember you can add spices to the water at the beggining but do not salt them til the end.I always cook my own. It takes time but it’s not “active” work. They’re just soaking overnight or simmering on the stove. Make a pile and throw them in the freezer! Just thaw them when you need to throw them in a meal!Thank you for clarifying this information. Very useful!what about BPA lining in cans?I avoid BPA and the toxic substitute, which is now said to be worse than BPA, buy purchasing dried beans, rinsing, soaking for 8 hours (pouring off soaking waters), and then cooking them myself. I bring the pot to a boil, and reduce the flame to low for 2-3 hours.Presoaking reduces cooking time, and the gas produced from beans. And, presoaking over night, helps shorten preparation time for the next day.A slow cooker can help, if you have a hot setting. But, mine does not get hot enough to cook the beans by dinner time, so I cook them on the stove for a couple hours with fresh, carbon filtered waters.I recently went to purchase mung beans in bulk, and saw they came from China. I am not satisfied about Chinese food standards and regulations. So, I went to look for something local. I found a local Canadian company called ShaSha Co. that packages local sprouted mung beans, adzuki beans, lentils and brown rice, which I purchased. I have a question about whether there is any meaningful nutritional benefit to sprouted mung beans, adzuki beans, lentils, and brown rice, compared to non-sprouted beans, lentils and rice.Hummus in the Blender You can make this with either canned or home cooked chickpeas. If you’re using canned, I recommend using organic beans. Drain the liquid from one of the cans, but leave the other undrained and use its liquid instead of the water. If you’re using home cooked chickpeas, you may need less water so start with barely 3/4 cup and add more if the hummus is too thick. Ingredients 3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 15-ounce cans, 1 drained) 3/4 to 1 cup water or chickpea cooking broth (or the liquid from 1 can of chickpeas) 2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled 2 tablespoons tahini (or 4 tablespoons sesame seeds) 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/4 to 1 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or cayenne pepper Salt to taste Instructions Place all ingredients except salt in the blender in the order listed, using the smaller amounts. Start the machine on low and increase speed to high. Use the Vitamix plunger to break up air pockets and push chickpeas toward the blades, if necessary. (Other blenders: Stop and use a spatula to do this.) If the mixture is too thick, add additional water a little at a time. Turn up to the highest speed and blend for a few seconds until hummus is completely smooth. This is a recipe from the website of the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen I leave out the tahini, cumin paprika and chipotle and only put one garlic clove and put in a jar 4oz of drained pimientos and 3-8 cashews depending on peoples preferences. Most people who don’t like hummus like this spread/dip version.Can one eat too many fresh raw green beans? Or carrots? I liked your videos on too much tea and too many broccoli sprouts. I have a raw foodie friend who can eat a pound or two of raw organic veggies every day- usually mostly green beans and some carrots.With my basic pressure cooker, I haven’t met a bean yet that takes over 35 minutes to cook from bag to plate! In the long WI winters, I even get to keep the stove heat for the house.I disagree with Dr Greger — that’s a first for me! Beans are QUICK to cook from dried ( modern pressure cookers are small and fast!) ! Jill Nussinow’s book, “The New Fast Food: The Veggie Queen Pressure Cooks Whole Food Meals in Less than 30 minutes” is crammed full of information for anyone wanting to pressure cook dried peas, beans and lentils to perfection FAST, so those little rock-like beans, etc are soft and edible as FAST food. Also, putting a piece of Kombu (sea vegetable) in the cooking water with the beans increases their digestibility, etc. I have a 2.5 and a 6 quart Fissler pressure cooker (got as a set) and use them really often. Modern cookers have heavy bottoms to avoid scorching, and do not make noise or steam-up the kitchen, and can do many other things well too. Investing in a modern pressure cooker can be a huge enabler where beans are concerned, and uses much less energy and water to accomplish tender beans.Cooking beans is not difficult at all if you have a pressure cooker. Just soak them overnight and cook in the pressure cooker for 20 min and wait until it cools off a little and store in fridge. I cook the beans in this way maybe once a week, which is a piece of cake and my hubby use it for his protein shake, I add it to all kinds of soup and salad for a week. Also I try all variety of beans each time. You don’t have to worry about sodium or chemicals in canned beans.Phytohaemagglutinin found in slow cooked beans is toxic. How to eliminate?Get a Phytohaemagglutinin filter at your local 7-Eleven.Buying canned beans may be convenient, but it’s virtually as convenient (and certainly cheaper) to buy them dry, and soak them overnight before cooking. You can also avoid the added salt that’s usually in the canned ones.	beans,chickpeas,cooking methods,copper,cost savings,dietary guidelines,fiber,folate,iron,lentils,magnesium,phosphorus,plant protein,potassium,protein,sodium,split peas,standard American diet,vegetable protein,vegetables,vitamin B1	Canned beans are convenient, but are they as nutritious as home cooked? And if we do used canned, should we drain them or not?	My family always just keeps an open can of beans in the fridge so we can spoon extra nutrition onto any meal.Why should we go out of our way to include beans in our daily diet? See the last two videos Increased Lifespan From Beans and BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy, as well as videos like Beans and the Second Meal Effect.Concerns about gas? See my blog Beans and Gas: Clearing the air.And beans are such a bargain! More tips in:If the 96% statistic wasn’t depressing enough, feel free to check out my video Nation’s Diet in Crisis.For more context check out my blogs: Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013 and Are Canned Beans as Healthy as Home Cooked?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potassium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phosphorus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/copper/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/split-peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10068391,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20702750,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22104320,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648714,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15228991,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21899787,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22524810,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10068382,
PLAIN-2684	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/	BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy	Why do people who eat legumes—beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils live longer? Well, men and women who eat legumes tend to be lighter, have a slimmer waist, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugars, lower cholesterol, lower triglycerides, better kidney function and so no surprise may live longer, but, interestingly, bean intake was a better protectant against mortality in women than men. They think this may be because cancer was the leading killer of women in this population, especially breast cancer. And we know that breast cancer survivors who eat soy foods, for example, have a significantly lower likelihood of the cancer recurrence, eating soy foods appears to protect against the cancer coming back. This 2012 review looked at the three prospective human studies done to date and found that women who ate the most soy had a 29% lower risk of dying from breast cancer and a 36% lower risk of cancer recurrence. And a fourth study was since published, and it showed the same thing. Soy food intake is associated with longer survival and lower recurrence among breast cancer patients. With an average intake of soy phytonutrients above 17 mg/day, which is about what's found in a cup of soymilk, the mortality of breast cancer may be able to be reduced by as much as 38%.Here’s the survival curve over five years… The purple line represents the survival of the women with the highest soy consumption. As you can see, after 2 years all of the breast cancer survivors eating lots of soy were still alive, but a quarter to a third of the women who ate the least soy were dead. And after 5 years 90% of the tofu lovers were still alive and kicking, where as half of the tofu haters kicked, the bucket. And you see a similar relationship when you look at breast cancer survival and soy protein intake, as opposed to the phytonutrient intake.How does soy so dramatically decrease cancer risk and improve survival? Soy may actually help turn back on BRCA genes. BRCA is a so-called caretaker gene, an oncosuppressor, meaning a cancer-suppressing gene responsible for DNA repair. Mutations in this gene can cause a rare form of hereditary breast cancer, popularized by Angelina Jolie’s public decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy, but only about 5% of breast cancers run in families. So 95% of breast cancer victims have fully functional BRCA genes, so if their DNA repair mechanisms are intact, how did breast cancer form, grow, and spread? It does it by suppressing the expression of the gene through a process called methylation. The gene’s fine, but cancer found a way to turn it off, or at least turn it down, potentially facilitating the metastatic spread of the tumor.And that’s where soy may come in. Maybe the reason soy intake is associated with increased survival and decreased cancer recurrence is because the phytonutrients in soy turn back on your BRCA protection, removing the methyl straightjacket the tumor tried to place on it, so researchers put it to the test. These are three different types of human breast cancer, specially stained so that the expression of BRCA genes shows up brown. So this is what full DNA repair would look like, hopefully what normal breast cells would look like. Lots of brown, lots of BRCA expression, but instead we have column 2, raging breast cancer. Well if you add soy phytonutrients to the cancer, BRCA gets turned back on, the DNA repair appears to start ramping back up. Though this was at a pretty hefty dose, equivalent to about a cup of soybeans, their results suggest that treatment with soy phytonutrients might reverse DNA hypermethylation and restore the expression of the tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. May help with other breast cancer genes as well. Women at increased genetic risk of breast cancer may especially benefit from high soy intake.	Thanks to point out that study. It’s seem that soy benefit more to the woman than to the man. Is there other case of activating tumor suppressor genes in man by a specific food ? Other than flaxseed for the prostate, that I think you’ve covered before with Dean Ornish’s study. Or other example of switching on and off oncogenes by food ? It really seems to me that Genes are not our faith and that the most important things our parents can give to us is good or bad habits, not good or bad genes.Genes are not our fate! Our fate is a complex interaction between genes and the environment, and the latter you can control to a large extent – no doubt about that. Too much focus on genes.Are split peas (green or yellow) the same thing as the green frozen peas found at the grocery (where they can also be found in cans yet those always seem quite tasteless)?Similar, but not the same. ‘Dry’ or ‘field’ peas are left in the field to mature completely and dry and then split thereafter, and are thus starchier than ‘fresh’ or ‘garden’ or ‘English-style’ peas (the English were the culinary innovators, in this case). Petite peas are even younger versions of fresh peas, which is why they are sweeter and more savory. The green or yellow distinction with split peas is just a matter of how the chlorophyll breaks down.In health benefit terms, are they on the same page?They are quite similar in overall nutrient and pisumsaponin content.How does edamame fit into all this? When you say a cup of soybeans could this mean edamame? But generally is edamame a star compared to other foods in this category?I AM CONCERNED ABOUT SOY DR ELIAZ THE DEVEOPER OF MODIFIED CITRUS PECTIN TAKES PATIENTS OFF SOY FOODS FOR BREAST CANCER. THEN,THE BOOK ISOFLAVONES: CHEMISTRY, ANALYSIS, FUNCTION AND EFFECT EDITED BY VICTOR R. PREEDY 2013. YOU CAN READ MOST OF IT ON GOOGLE SCHOLAR. ISOFLAVONES AND HUMAN ESTROGEN RECEPTOR: WHEN PLANTS SYNTHESIZE MAMMALIAN HORMONE MIMETICS. PATRICIA DE CREMOUX AND YVES JACQUOT @ UNIV. PIERRE & MARIE CURIETHIS IS AN EDITED CHAPTER 11 SYNOPSIS THE 2 MOST ACTIVE GENISTEIN METABOLITES ARE EQUOL AND O-DMA AND THAT O-DMA PRODUCED BY 80% OF POPULATION AND EQUOL BY 30-40% OF THE POPULATION SUGGESTING INTER INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. – IT IS GUT BACTERIA DEPENDENT. – GLUCURONID > 80% OF ELIMINATED FORM OR SULFATE CONJUGATED AGLYCONES ELIMINATED URINE AND BILE. HOWEVER, BACTERIA CAN CATALYZE DECONJUGATION LEADING TO RE-ABSORPTION THROUGH ENTEROHEPATIC RECYCLING. ACCORDINGLY, A SECOND PLASMA PEAK THAT CORRESPONDS TO RE-ABSORPTION IN BILE IS USUALLY OBSERVED. FINALLY, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT ISOFLAVONOID AGLYCONES DISTRIBUTE EASILY IN FAT TISSUE, SUGGESTING THAT RETENTION CAN OCCUR IN WOMAN WITH HIGH BODY MASS INDEX. THIS IS FROM CHAPTER 11. CHAPTER 10 BY AN ITALIAN GROUP STATED OK GENISTEIN PREMENOPAUSAL WHEN THERE IS MORE ESTROGEN BINDING TO ER-ALPHA IT PREFERS ER-BETA. POST MENOPAUSAL IT WILL OCCUPY ER-ALPHA. CHAPTER 9 IN THE SAME BOOK IS PRO SOY PROTEIN. I AM POST MENOPAUSAL SO NATURALLY I AM CONCERNED. IT COULD BE THAT JAPANESE ARE PROTECTED FROM OTHER DIETARY HABITS LIKE HIGH OMEGA 3 & LOW OMEGA 6 DIET ALONG WITH GREATER VEGETABLE INTAKE. I AM A RECENT CONVERT OF YOURS TO VEGAN. CAN YOU OR YOUR TEAM GIVE ME FEEDBACK?•Reply•WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING? You can read more information in the ‘sources cited’. The information presented in the video seemed pretty clear that soy was a benefit against cancer.The capital text is extremely difficult to follow. Information on soy can be found here. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/Agreed. Absolutely no need for all CAPS. Please follow appropriate posting etiquette.She is perhaps typing from a Japanese keyboard with limited or cumbersome English letter and punctuation functions. Similar thing happened to me when I was typing English from a computer in Switzerland. I have “translated” it as a reply to her comment.If what that book says about genistein preferently binding to different estrogen receptors pre versus post menopause is true, it is interesting. But have a look at the ref cited in the video by Nechuta et al because they looked at whether the protective effects of soy consumption on breast cancer survival differed by menopause status, and they didn’t – so that is reassuring.Below is the lowercase translation of CONCERNED’s comment so we can all read it. Brackets, [..], indicate where I added or guessed at words for the sake of grammar and clarity.I am concerned about soy. Dr. Eliaz, the developer of modified citrus pectin, takes patients off soy foods for breast cancer. Then, the book “Isoflavones: Chemistry, Analysis, Function and Effect”, edited by Victor R. Preedy 2013. You can read most of it on Google Scholar. Isoflavones and Human Estrogen Receptor: When Plants Synthesize Mammalian Hormone Mimetics, Patricia deCremouq and Yves Jacquot @ Univ. Pierre & Marrie Curie.This is an edited Chapter 11 Synopsis: The 2 most active genistein metabolites are equol and O-DMA, and that O-DMA [is] produced by 80% of [the] population, and equol by 30-40% of the population, suggesting inter-individual differences. It is gut bacteria dependent.Glucuronid: > 80% of eliminated form, or sulfate conjugated aglycones, [is] eliminated [in] urine and bile. However, bacteria can catalyze deconjugation, leading to re-absorption through enterohepatic recycling. Accordingly, a second plasma peak that corresponds to re-absorption in bile is usually observed. Finally, it should be noted that isoflavonoid aglycones distribute easily in fat tissue, suggesting that retention can occur in women with high body mass index. This is from Chapter 11.Chapter 10, by an Italian group, stated OK genistein [genistein is OK in?] premonopausal [women?] when there is more estrogen binding to ER-ALPHA, [as] it prefers ER-BETA. Post-menopausal, it will occupy ER-ALPHA. Chapter 9 in the same book is pro soy protein.I am post-menopausal, so naturally, I am concerned. It could be that Japanese are protected from other dietary habits like high omega 3 and low omega 6 diet, along with greater vegetable intake. I am a recent convert of yours to vegan. Can you or your team give me feedback?The problem, for me, is that the government has been able to put GMO’s in soy and finding soy without GMO’s (hard to believe labels) is too rare anymore.Organic foods are non GMO, so if this is a concern for you, you can buy organic.I buy certified organic soy/tofu made by Eden Organic, which is doubly certified, yet not with the USDA for the reasons you mention. The owner of Eden Organic also does not trust the way the USDA Secretary has changed the organic regulations,which do not confer the the Rule of the Law. Hence, he founded the Non-GMO Project and the Non-GMO Project verifies if the food does not contain GMO’s.The second company I trust is MoriNu, which also is verified by the non-GMO Project and may have certified organic. The Non-GMO Project is committed to labeling food that has been verified. They demand regular testing. I have never been made ill from eating certified organic and non-GMO Project verified tofu or soy milk. But, I would not trust someone just peddling their soy without either the certified organic or non-GMO Project verification label.I also am concerned with the way both political parties are going along with this GMO deception! In order to be patented, “life” must be substantially different, and independent scientists around the world have done studies on Glyphosate/Roundup which show the consequences with GMO soy, GMO maize to lab animals, livestock, and humans. http://gmoevidence.com/I contribute money to support mandatory labeling and the right to know if GMO’s are in food. I’m contributing part of my food allowance to the Washington State ballot initiative Yes on 522, even though I cannot vote in Washington State.I’ve been making my own soy milk with non-GMO soy beans. It’s simple, cheap, delicious, and there are no mystery ingredients.I am a vegetarian and taking bio-identials? Is the only good Soy to eat Tempeh, spouted or fermented as all the others are too processed? Thank you for a reply !Be weary of bio identical hormones. http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/04/are-bioidentical-hormones-safe/Just read an article from Dr. David Brownstein, a holistic MD who specializes in the treatment of thyroid issues, who wrote, “most soy products cause a myriad of health issues, including thyroid problems, and deficiencies in many vitamins and minerals. Soy is one of the most potent trypsin inhibitors know to science. Animal studies have shown that trypsin inhibition results in illnesses of the pancreas as well as cancer. Non- fermented soy contains anti-thyroid agents and enzymes that block the absorption of many vitamins and minerals. Non fermented soy examples are: Soy milk Soy based meat substitutes Soybean oil Tofu Many types of spreads with soy in them Non-fermented soy leads to hypothyroidism as well as autoimmune thyroid problems such as Hashimoto’s disease and Grave’s disease. And it is nearly impossible to rectify thyroid problems in patients who continue to eat soy as a major protein source. Fermented soy can be eaten in small amounts without causing any thyroid problems or deficiencies and examples are; Miso Natto Tempeh Fermented soy sauce” My question is this, would the reason unfermented soy can be dangerous is due to it being a highly GMO crop meaning it can be sprayed with round up all through the growing cycle?The issues presented are mostly with animal models and raw soy beans. Trypsin inhibitors are inactivated when cooked. More on soy can be found here. Its a very healthful food. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/I have had hypothyroidism for 24 years but have only been vegan for almost three of those years. While I do not rely heavily on soy, I do include it in my diet from time to time and it has made absolutely no difference in my thyroid levels and functioning. In fact I had my dose of thyroid medication lowered not too long ago as my TSH was too low and I was on too much thyroid med. Meaning my thyroid is working BETTER. I mostly consume tempeh as a source of soy but sometimes go through bouts of drinking soy milk as I can not overlook the health benefits that it offers. I rarely use processed vegan mayonnaise, vegan butters such as Earth balance with soy in it, or other commercial products with soy (and it’s interesting that there is a lot of soy found in animal based omnivore foods such as breads, crackers, tea, mayo, and in animal feed too). I make my own bread but do on occasion use Ezekiel which has soy in it. BTW I am also surgically post menopausal due to loss of ovaries seven years ago at a very young age for endometriosis. If anything, I believe the hormones in dairy and meat products made my endometriosis condition worse and I only wish I had stopped consuming them before losing important endocrine organs. I am not too worried about the soy I consume in comparison.As one responder pointed out, GMO-soy needs to be considered. The inordinate amount of spraying with glyphosate in the growing of GMO-soy ought to be of concern, especially for breast cancer patients. Why? Well, glyphosate impairs cytochrome P450 pathways that help to form and breakdown molecules in cells [1], plus other pathological damage in the body.Furthermore, most commercial soy products are not organically grown and therefore are GMO-soy, which needs to be examined in the context of how glyphosate impacts the healing properties heretofore attributed to soy.[1] http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/blogs/new-review-points-to-glyphosates-dangerous-health-effects/IT does not matter if the soy is GMO free or organic. It’s the wrong bean.Evidence is on the contrary, please view this note. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/Are beans “The Fountain of Youth” ?Interesting. I had previously read that soy’s phyto estrogens could TRIGGER a tumor, regrowth, or a current tumor to grow faster. As a vegetarian, it would be wonderful if I did not have to worry about that, as both my mom and my sister had breast cancer.All human studies show just the opposite, higher survival after breast cancer diagnosis and prevention of breast cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/My mother-in law was diagnosed with breast cancer and her oncologist told her not to eat any soy products because they mimic estrogen, which feeds tumors. Are the studies cited here in disagreement that soy products can produce estrogen?I have a friend who is in remission now who was told the same things by her doctor. Where is this disconnect happening? Why are oncologists saying this to women battling breast cancer?I think you will find Darryl’s comments here very helpful, as he sums it up very well.“There are (at least) two types of estrogen receptor, an alpha receptor responsible for both the feminizing effects of estrogen and promotion of breast and uterine cancers, and a beta receptor without feminizing effects that appears to suppress cancers of the breast, prostate and colon. Soy isoflavones in dietary amounts selectively activates the beta receptor (and hence one can eat soy without feminizing effects), but in a few animal studies, very high (non-dietary) doses of soy isoflavones can also activate alpha receptors. Another case of whole-plant food good, pill extract bad.” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/#comment-1101982650Soy isoflavones do not mimic xenoestrogens. It is a common myth that soy is harmful, as it does just the opposite. Please view the provided link, plenty of studies to share within the link.Check SOY posts and video on SOy by Andreas Moritz then research “BRAIN HEALTH’ by Russell Blaylock M.D.Please view this video. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/It would be nice to have evidence grades posted at the bottom of each study slide, according to the GRADE schema. For example, expert opinion would be regarded as level 5 evidence (editorials, commentaries, etc). Case reports, case series and poorly done cohort studies would be level 4 evidence. Unfortunately, most studies in nutrition are at level 4 or level 5. Randomized trials with surrogate outcomes that are not direct patient-important outcomes like survival get very low evidence grades. This way, we know what to ignore and what to accept.For the complete schema at Oxford see:http://www.cebm.net/?o=1025Note that level 5 evidence gives a Grade D recommendation; whereas level 4 evidence alone gives a Grade C recommendation.I have never heard of this schema before. I think that would be a FANTASTIC idea, especially for everyday folks who are not scientists.It’s well known in the literature and most medical societies that make guidelines have moved or are moving to the GRADE system.So in your opinion, for the 5% of people who have defective BRCA genes, as opposed to functional genes that are just being turned off by lifestyle choices, does it make sense to go beyond just relying on a healthy lifestyle (healthy plant-based diet, exercise, etc.)? Does it ever make sense to resort to surgery, like Angelina Jolie did, for these rare people with defective BRCA genes? It certainly makes no sense to do that alone, and ignore healthy lifestyle changes, but is there a case to be made for these people doing both? Thanks.Dr. Greger, someone, please answer these questions! They are very important to the small percentage of us in this situation! I would also add, for these questions, does the answer depend on whether you are BRCA1 faulty or 2? Thank you!As a BRCA1 mutation carrier, I want to say THANK YOU, Dr. Greger, for posting this! There’s so little information out there for us.I am confused about the intake of soy now. Can you expound on why some researchers would say that soy is bad and if that indeed is true? Something to do with suppressing certain vitamins vital to our immune system. ThanksI think you will find Darryl’s comments here very helpful, as he sums it up very well.“There are (at least) two types of estrogen receptor, an alpha receptor responsible for both the feminizing effects of estrogen and promotion of breast and uterine cancers, and a beta receptor without feminizing effects that appears to suppress cancers of the breast, prostate and colon. Soy isoflavones in dietary amounts selectively activates the beta receptor (and hence one can eat soy without feminizing effects), but in a few animal studies, very high (non-dietary) doses of soy isoflavones can also activate alpha receptors. Another case of whole-plant food good, pill extract bad.” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/#comment-1101982650Also, all antinutrients are eliminated with cooking so this is not a concern.Soy bean was invented in Sweden in l961 for Industrial Purposes. It’s a man made bean… Nothing healthy in it. Do some research ‘brain’ by Russell Blaylock M.D. It causes Dementia/Alzhymers…… and people promote it as ‘health food’?I am now confused. I was told by my oncologist and internist to stay away from soy after I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My tumor was estrogen positive and I was told that soy mimics (or something to that affect) estrogen. It is very upsetting to have such contradictory information.I think you will find Darryl’s comments here very helpful, as he sums it up very well.“There are (at least) two types of estrogen receptor, an alpha receptor responsible for both the feminizing effects of estrogen and promotion of breast and uterine cancers, and a beta receptor without feminizing effects that appears to suppress cancers of the breast, prostate and colon. Soy isoflavones in dietary amounts selectively activates the beta receptor (and hence one can eat soy without feminizing effects), but in a few animal studies, very high (non-dietary) doses of soy isoflavones can also activate alpha receptors. Another case of whole-plant food good, pill extract bad.” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/#comment-1101982650SOY TVP TOFU should not be consumed by humans. It was a bean invented in l961 in Sweden for Industirial purposes… not for eating. It’s the wrong bean and it does not matter if it’s GMO free or Organic. Too much estrogen of phytoestrogen which competes with estrogen causing too much estrogen and that necessitates more testosterone production in both men and women! WOW! so what is confusing? so what about health? It’s simple Kleuna: don’t be confused: HUMANS SHOULD NOT BE EATING SOY/TOFU/TVP….P.S. research Glycine Soya vs Glycine Max“Too much estrogen of phytoestrogen which competes with estrogen causing too much estrogen” your sentence is confusing..that’s whattoo much ‘estrogen’ from phytoestrogen from soy… competes with our body’s production of estrogen…….. what’s so confusing?your sentenceHi Kleuna,I agree, soy is a confusing topic. Sorry to hear you are facing such contradictory statements, let alone dealing with breast cancer, how frustrating!Forgive my delay, but I saw your post and wanted to comment. I believe the best evidence we have to date shows whole soy foods like tempeh, edamame, and even tofu are safe, even for women with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, according to two recent studies (1) (2). Dr Greger has so much great info about soy (3). It is important to listen to your doctor and follow her or his advice. I suggest relaying any information you receive about soy with your health care team.Lastly, I wanted to point out that large cancer organizations like the American Cancer Society (4) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (5) also have a position on soy. These organizations say, 2-3 servings of whole soy foods are safe, and even healthful.1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20571498 2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19996398 3) http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/ 4) http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/expertvoices/post/2012/08/02/the-bottom-line-on-soy-and-breast-cancer-risk.aspx 5) http://www.aicr.org/foods-that-fight-cancer/soy.htmlI hope this finds you well. JosephWe stopped all unfermented soy products 2 years ago, when my Mom, who had a mastectomy, all of a sudden grew enormous breasts. Three weeks after stopping all the growth was gone. How can you explain this? All products were non-GMO and organic.Hi Tina. I had my mastectomy last year. One of my oncologist’s advises was “Do not eat soy and soy products!” Apparently, it is the isoflavones present in soy that accounted for your mom’s breast enlargement. Isoflavones or phytoestrogens have estrogen-like properties. Hope this will help you. http://www.livestrong.com/article/156002-what-are-the-dangers-of-soy-isoflavones/As Dr. Greger points out, soy does not have estrogenic properties that apply significantly to humans. Perhaps in extremely large quantities then yes. All studies on soy and breast cancer show that soy helps prevent breast cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/Any time people who suffer from any disease show it’s suppression and / or dissapearance…. **as in ”SOy has also been shown to suprpress colon, pancrating, lung cancers;” see above: That is due to ” REMOVE THE CAUSE” and the body starts healing itself. That is not necessarily to soy consumption…. as now the body will start accumulating new ’cause’ and start creating new disease…..which will not be attributed to ‘healthy soy’ which it isn’t! Millions of people who suffer from all sorts of diseases…. stop SOY Tofu TVP and their symptoms go away almost within days…..So quick follow-up questions: was GMO vs organic soy addressed in any of these studies? Second, I see an easy confounding variable here in that that soy eaters are more likely to eat less processed meats while consuming more leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, and other legumes. It is my understanding that these would thereby increase methylation pathways, reduce oncogenesis and increase apoptosis. Thoughts?Hey Dr. Greger , does UHT soymilk have less nutrients?Thank you for this and other related videos to soy products. I was just wondering your opinion about this web page: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/18/soy-can-damage-your-health.aspxThere’s a lot of cognitive dissonance around soy that freaks me out.Thank you anyways. Love from a vegan.Hi @alejandra_hdez:disqus, I hear your concern! It sounds like eating too much soy can be dangerous since soy mimics the way meat protein acts in our body. Have you checked out Dr. Greger’s video on that: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/ ? I think most of us aren’t eating 7-18 servings of soy a day though. I hope that helps! :)“No matter what genes we inherit, changes in diet can affect DNA expression at a genetic level.” I have the gene HLA B-27 and since last September I’ve had Axial SpondyloArthritis. I am a vegan, and have been for many years. Is there anything I can do to get rid of my disease? I would be most grateful for your help! Best regards, AliHow much soy is genetically modified?Could you comment on isolated Soy, benefits and side effects?I am convinced that my eating soy products to have good health actually GAVE me breast cancer. I was advised by my oncologist to stay away from it. There are many hidden aspects of soy that are bad for us that we never hear about. The article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/soy-health_b_1822466.htmlThis just in:“Soy Consumption May Promote Overexpression of Breast Cancer Genes in Some Women”http://www.mskcc.org/blog/soy-consumption-may-promote-overexpression-breast-genes-some-womenI’m wondering if there have been any studies looking at the effect of plant-based diet on BRCA1 or 2 carriers Anyone know? My closest friend just had ovaries removed as a preventative step and anticipates being screened for multiple cancers 4 times per year for the rest of her life.Can you debunk this for me, please? I am a Vegan, and I’ve heard numerous times about Chinese women not consuming soy at the rate we do or the brands we do, etc. However, I am not sold on what worked in lab animals (cruel, for starters) as this article indicates. I see fewer studies indicating soy is problematic, but this article got my attention. Go!My main concern about soy beans is that 91% of soybeans grown in N.A. are GMO, and there is scientific proof that GMOs increase tumour production in lab studies. So it appears that soya could be a double edged sword.Nutrirka: Here’s a way to put it into perspective:I understand the concern about GMO. However, if you look at the packages of most traditional soy products in the store (like tofu, tempeh, and say soy milk), you will see that those products are either organic (which means non-GMO) and/or labeled as non-GMO. I’ve checked in multiple stores in my area. Your area may be different, but other people on this site have reported similar experiences. So, it is really easy to find and eat *healthy* soy products that are not GMO.On the other hand, if we are eating heating highly processed, non-organic food products with soy in them (say store-bought veggie burgers laden with oils and various kinds of fake meats), it may be harder to find one made with non-GMO soy. (I don’t know as I haven’t checked the processed foods for GMO-ness. I just try to skip the processed foods. For here, I’m just making an argument.) But those products are not healthy even if the soy is not GMO. So, go ahead and skip that product for a whole bunch of reasons. You can still get healthy soy easily another way.Great points!Hi, Dr., any plans to post some research on the BRCA gene mutation? Both my husband and his sister were recently diagnosed with the BRCA 2 mutation, and I’m scared that means they’re “doomed” to get cancer since this gene doesn’t work properly. Is there any way to “make up” for the fact this gene is mutated?What is the truth about the danger s of soy? Lately, I have heard a lot about soy and its negative effects on the body’s ability to absorb protein and essential minerals.Whole soyfoods are perfectly fine if one chooses to consume them. I sum it up in my post Should I stay away from soy if I have breast cancer?Can someone please respond to this post by Dr. Mercola regarding soy. I am very confused and i don’t know whether or not to allow my family to drink soymilk or not. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/18/soy-can-damage-your-health.aspxWhole soyfoods are perfectly fine and healthful if one chooses to consume. Soymilk is considered a whole soyfood, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. I suggest soy beans (like edamame) as a better choice, but a cup of soymilk is fine. I sum it up in my post Should I stay away from soy if I have breast cancer? and include several more of Dr. Greger’s videos. Note that we provide all citations and links to the actual studies. You can read them yourself and ask your health care team is soy is right for you.	abdominal fat,Angelina Jolie,beans,blood pressure,blood sugar,body fat,BRCA genes,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,chickpeas,cholesterol,DNA damage,epigenetic changes,fat,hypertension,kidney function,LDL cholesterol,legumes,lentils,lifespan,longevity,metastases,mortality,phytonutrients,plant protein,protein,soy,soy milk,soybeans,split peas,tofu,triglycerides,vegetable protein,weight loss,women's health	One reason why soy consumption is associated with improved survival and lower recurrence rates in breast cancer patients may be because soy phytonutrients appear to improve the expression of tumor suppressing BRCA genes.	Legumes leading to a longer life? See my last video, Increased Lifespan From Beans.No matter what genes we inherit, changes in diet can affect DNA expression at a genetic level. For examples see:I’ve previously covered the available science in Breast Cancer Survival and Soy. Other effects detailed in:It may be possible to overdo it, though (How Much Soy Is Too Much?).For more context check out my blogs: Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013 and Can Eating Soy Prevent Breast Cancer?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/18/can-eating-soy-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epigenetic-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triglycerides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brca-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/split-peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tofu/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angelina-jolie/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-foods-menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2986447,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23664318,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22104320,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648714,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15228991,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14987362,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22631686,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10068382,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22820987,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22339411,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10068391,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20702750,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11742561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21899787,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22524810,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19258476,
PLAIN-2685	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	Increased Lifespan From Beans	Legumes may be the most important predictor of survival in older people from around the globe. They looked at five different cohorts in Japan, Sweden, Greece, and Australia. Of all the food factors they looked at, only one was associated with a longer lifespan across the board: legume intake. Whether it was the Japanese eating their soy, the swedes eating their brown beans and peas, or those in the Mediterranean eating lentils, chickpeas, and white beans, only for legume intake was the result plausible, consistent, and statistically significant from the data across all the populations combined. We're talking an 8% reduction in risk of death for every 20 gram increase in daily legume intake. That's just like two tablespoons worth! So if a can of beans is 250 grams and you get 8% lower mortality for every 20 grams, maybe if you eat a can a day you'll live forever? Let's find out!If you want to increase your lifespan, eat beans. If, however, you're suicidal and want to decrease your lifespan, “A Bean-Free Diet May Increase the Risk of Death.”So having arrived at the one dietary fountain of youth, what's the #1 reason people aren't clamoring for them? Fear of flatulence. So is that the choice we're left with? Breaking wind or… breaking down? Passing gas or passing on? Turns out that people’s concerns about excessive flatulence from eating beans may be exaggerated.Add a half-cup of beans every day to people's diets for months and what happens? What's the number one symptom? Nothing. The vast majority of people experienced no symptoms at all, though a few percent did report increased flatulence, so it may occur in some individuals but not all people are affected. Even among those that were, 70% or more of the participants who experienced flatulence felt that it dissipated—no pun intended—by the second or third week of bean consumption, so we’ve just got to stick with it.And you know a small percentage reported increased flatulence on the control diet without any beans. People have preconceived notions about beans such that just the expectation of flatulence from eating beans may influence their perceptions of having gas. They didn't actually measure farts in this study, they just ask people what their perception of the amount of gas they had was, and we know from previous studies that you give someone a product labeled to contain something that may cause intestinal distress, it causes more intestinal distress whether it actually contains that ingredient or not. " In other words… just thinking they were eating it caused digestive distress, or the perception of it, to a proportion of persons.So people thinking beans are going to cause gas may just be more likely to notice the gas they normally have. Either way it tends to go away. After a few weeks of daily bean consumption, people perceive that flatulence occurrence returns to normal levels.In this other study where they added more than a half a cup of kidney beans to people's daily diets the research subjects reported that the discomfort they initially felt within the first day or two of adding beans quickly disappeared, so again stick with it.Bottom line—no pun in tended: An increasing body of research and the latest Dietary Guidelines supports the benefits of a plant-based diet, and legumes specifically, in the reduction of chronic disease risks. In some people it may result in more flatulence initially, however, doctors should emphasize that it will decrease over time if we just keep it up and the nutritional attributes of beans in the diet outweighs the potential for transitory discomfort. The long-term health benefits of bean consumption are great. And indeed eating beans in the long term may make your term—on earth--even longer.	I’ve noticed that whenever you talk about beans, you always mention CANS of beans. I’m pretty sure that in most of the countries you mention above, eating beans from a can is a little strange.I live in Brazil, where beans are a staple, and was talking to a house cleaner the other day who was really interested in the American diet. She nearly threw up when I told her that we rarely eat beans in the US, and when we do, they come from cans.I think most people focused on a plant-based diet will/should frown on eating from cans when there is a suitable alternative. Are there any studies on canned vs dried beans? In the video about the best way to cook vegetables, you showed a study stating that using a pressure cooker is not the best way to prepare vegetables, is this true with legumes also?Thanks for all of your hard work!Its funny you mention that, stay tuned, because Dr. Greger will dig into canned vs dried beans in the next couple videos!I always use dried beans, mainly because they seem to be a much better value for the money, than canned.The usual objection to canned beans is the high sodium content. Mostly unmentioned is the fact that as canned beans are pressure cooked, they have a higher glycemic index than home slow-cooked beans. The resultant higher insulin surges can have negative effects on serum cholesterol, weight control (and weight control by diabetics on vegan diets), and perhaps cancer risk (1, 2).While even canned beans have rather low-glycemic indices compared to white bread or baked potatoes, it seems prudent to to lower glycemic indices where feasible. And beans from the slow cooker just have a nicer texture. I admit to pressure cooking beans weekly (I don’t wan’t to live forever while waiting hours for meals), but I’m also venturing into the slow-cooker realm for beans when I plan ahead.I generally have some beans with most meals…in salads and in soups. I usually use canned. I would cook dried beans but have an issue with the NEED to look for the stones that are always in with the beans….one broken tooth is going to pay for a boatload of beans. Damned cans are so convenient. Wish the food companies would pack them in glass and with low sodium though. Still trying to get my animal protein reduced….beans are a good sub…at least taste-wise. Looks like I’ll live forever….Roger: Thanks for the bit of international perspective. Very interesting.Personally, I think that eating canned beans is like the difference between eating conventional vs organic fruits and veggies. If it is the difference between whether or not you will eat the food, then by all means, choose the less desirable option. You still come out ahead in terms of health risks. In other words, if you are looking at eating canned beans vs none at all, good grief, eat the canned!For me, convenience is a huge factor. I love my pressure cooker and I think that pressure cooked beans taste far superior to canned. But I also appreciated the convenience of canned and there are plenty of times when convenience wins out. That’s just my personal take.Thanks for starting this conversation.theres the lining-of-can with BPA issueAre you concerned about the high temperatures and drastically longer cooking times required to cook canned beans while in the can? The cooking process of canned beans vs. stovetop seems to be night and day. And are you concerned about the BPA-alternatives?How about possible leaching of the steal from the cans and or the aluminum from the cans? I am assuming these cans are not as “strong” as actual pots and pans we cook beans with at home. Have there been any studies that have measured the amount of “non-bean” ingredients (metals from can/pan, chemicals, etc. of regular stovetop vs. canned?Stay tuned, Dr. Greger covers canned vs. dried beans in then ext few videos.If you soak the beans overnight, the cooking time is greatly reduced. So is are the negative “anti-nutrients” of legumes. Besides, buying dried bulk beans is cheaper, and they can be stored with a long shelf life also.Great video! I eat beans, often a whole can, every day. The Eden Organic No Added Salt Beans have low sodium, a BPA free can, and Kombu added which raises iodine intake. Dr. Gregor, I love your videos, follow your advice, and hope one of these days you’ll address the NMR lipid profile, specifically LDL-P.Hi Jo Ann, This is informative. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3070150/Why did you post this? It seems off topic. This article/video by Dr. Greger is about beans. Beans are not even mentioned in the study you posted… just wondering…I was relying heavily on Eden canned beans until I researched the seaweed Kombu. Great source of natural MSG (in fact it is the original source from which MSG was first isolated). Since I was having lots of troubles with irregular heartbeats, I had to dig deeper into the food facts of the foods I was eating. Other aspects of canned beans raised more questions: Were the beans pre-soaked to reduce the phytate content? Does cooking the beans “in the can” increase the metal content of the beans? I have since stopped eating Eden beans and have been preparing my beans at home from bulk.I appreciate that the cans were BPA free, but the canned beans still were not as wholesome (IMHO) as beans cooked from beans that are pre-soaked. Convenient, yes. As good as home cooked, no. And the home cooked beans are much cheaper and you know exactly what you are eating and how they have been prepared. And it is much easier than I thought to prepare them.Hi Humzee, I posted the study for Jo Ann. She was asking about LDL and I think it does a good job.Yes I saw the significance of your post after I reread Jo Ann’s original post. I tried to delete my post but you saw it before I could delete. Thanks for the post.There is really no issue with dried and cooked beans vs canned beans as long as the sodium is low. Dr. Greger will get into this in an upcoming video.Thanks for your opinion. If you are referring to Dr. Greger’s video #17 on DVD Volume 15, I have already watched it, and in my opinion his presentation does not get a passing grade for several reasons which I don’t have time to go into right now as I have to leave. I will continue this entry when I get home later…From Humzee (can’t seem to log in under my name): Thank you for the two links to the “safety” of MSG. I know folks have to put their faith in some source for reliable information, but the indiscriminate dependence on “scientific research” is dangerous given the long history of “science” being subverted by private/commericial interests.“It is obvious that the FDA has been captured by the chief MSG manufacturer, the Ajinomoto company, the food industries, and their public relations organization, The Glutamate Association. By producing a multitude of spurious studies purportedly showing that MSG is safe as a food additive they can say with impunity, ‘The weight of the scientific evidence demonstrates that MSG is safe for human consumption'”. – Russell Blaylock, M.D. (board-certified neurosurgeon), from “Excitotoxins, The Taste That Kills,” p. 56.In just one example Dr. Olney (who has done experiments showing the harmfulness of MSG) points out how a Dr. W. A. Reynolds published a report claiming that MSG fed to infant monkeys showed no toxic effects to the infant brains, contrary to the studies by Dr. Olney. Further investigation revealed that the researchers failed to report that the MSG was frequently vomited before it could be absorbed, that the monkeys were under anesthesia with a powerful glutamate receptor antagonist (phencyclidine), and that the areas of the brain shown in micrographs were areas of the hypothalamus known to be unaffected by glutamate.I find it objectionable and borderline “worthless” when studies are used in presentations such as Dr. Greger’s without a listing or reference so that conscientious seekers can check the validity of the research being quoted. I like the way Dr. Greger occasionally shows the actual research documents he is referring to so that some of the material he presents can be checked. In the MSG studies linked above, this is not the case. The studies are “blurred out” and it is not possible to check the sources of this information. I would recommend showing the entire document in a series of frames so that the studies could be evaluated by the reader. It would not add that much to the total time of the clips.I don’t have time to go into my objections to the bean video at this time. It takes a lot of time to document and list references for my statements…something perhaps Dr. Greger and NF Team members might do more of… I know it would increase their credibility in my eyes, and I suspect I am not the only one that feels this way.Humzee: Interesting info. about that research. Thanks for sharing.From your comment, I’m not sure if you noticed that there is a “sources cited” section under each video. You have to expand it, but all the studies referenced in the videos should be in that section – especially in the more recent videos.Hope that helps.I think there are waxed boxes that some cooked beans come it – cant remember the brand off-hand. To avoid the BPA issueCanned beans add salt and preservatives so I try to stay away from them. How many cups (0.5, 1) would you recommend daily? What is the maximal amount to extend your life?Derrek,It’s true that most canned beans add salt, but not all of them. If you want to keep some cans around for bean emergencies, you can look for the salt-free versions. (Eden is one such brand. And their cans also include a good source of iodine in the liquid.)Just an FYI.Thank you! I worry about many of my friends who have bought into the paleo theory of eliminating grains and legumes.There is not a single study showing beans are harmful. Many paleo people try to point to the phytic acid (which actually doubles as an antioxidant), trypsin inhibitors and other antinutrients as reasons to eliminate legumes. They fail to mention that cooking, soaking, or sprouting will eliminate these antinutrients altogether and this is fairly well established nutrition klnowledge. Seeing that most people consume cooked beans, I don’t see the issue.Is there a minimum soaking and cooking time to ensure that antinutrients are eliminated?Typically, dried beans cannot be consumed unless soaked and then cooked, or else they will still be hard. Cooking till soft suffices.I drank the paleo juice as a new type 1 diabetic looking for answers. i was ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED to eat ANY carbs for the first two years I had been dx’d. Diagnosed for 30 and a big believer in nutrition, it made sense to me to not eat carbs for maintaining health. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why it was so hard to keep doing my endurance biking, trail running, and mma. Then I met a great health coach that put it into perspective for me. I still need carbs, maybe not that many. My pancreas is broken, I drive stick shift and everyone else has automatic. I am enjoying fruit, beans, and some grains after avoiding them all for 2 years. I still haven’t reached for cake and cookies though. I also converted myself to a mostly plant based diet with yogurt at breakfast and wild caught salmon twice a week. I’m loving it and I am finally having stability in my BGs and losing weight!Pardon my general ignorance, but a newly diagnosed type *1* diabetic? Do you have any references for how that occurs in general, or the cause of the diabetes in your particular case? I was under the impression that this doesn’t really occur at all, so it seems like I might have the potential to learn something new here.it’s called LADA. you can google it. i don’t think anyone really knows what causes it. basically it is autoimmune like type 1, but it doesn’t usually affect people until they are 30 years or older. hope that helps.Thanks. That’s a pretty scary metabolic shift. Hope things feel better for you now.Thanks, every day is a learning experience. It has helped me decide to go back to school to pursue a degree in nutrition myself. It’s interesting what the body can decide to turn on and maybe off depending on what we eat. That being said, to know that I am a diabetic has answered so many questions about the way I felt after eating things in the past. I remembered thinking there was something special in the orange juice the teachers gave us as kids before tests. Turns out I probably felt weird because of my blood sugar. HA!“The paleo folks often rail against legumes and grains, but how do they account for the fact that epidemiological studies clearly show legumes and whole grains are among the healthiest choices?” Well, I will tell you. The Paleo people have talking points for these types of questions. The one I usually get is the usual extreme: that scientific research cannot be trusted because everyone tends to bias their research or is being funded (also often misinterpreted as “paid”) to bias results.+1, it’s always their argument. never mind that all the people in the paleo-sphere have something to sell themselves. n=1 is a good concept that they also use a lot…..To bean or not to bean :) Maybe, I’ll switch my strawberrie for a bean.That was a lovely video, thanks Dr Greger!For the type 1 diabetic worried about the effects of beans on blood sugar, kabuli black chick peas have far more fibre and far less starch than regular white chick peas. They are also incredibly delicious. You can buy them in any Indian, Pakistani, or South Asian grocery store, or in Middle Eastern stores. What I do is soak them overnight in about three inches of cold water, leaving them out on the counter, and then simmer them for 45 minutes after first bringing to a boil (leave the lid on all the way through). I have substituted kabuli black chick peas (also called Chana Black, or Desi) for many dishes requiring beans. From my reading online of a physician’s blog on type 1 diabetes, they lead to much fewer swings in blood sugar control. Also David Jenkins published a trial showing significant reductions in A1c burden with addition of legumes to the diet of type 2 diabetics. So rock on with your beans!totally not afraid of beans! i have them daily! :)Very pleased for you. My brother has LADA and requires insulin as well as BP meds, but he is not a vegan. A very low calorie diet can completely reverse type 2 diabetes, but not LADA, unless the latter is complicated by obesity.While I love beans, I find that even after many years as a whole foods vegan, most of the varieties cause me a great deal of digestive issues and I find that yes, flatulence is a problem (no matter what method I use to prepare beans). I’ve now reduced my bean consumption and am feeling much healthier and my stomach issues are gone. I was eating 3-4 servings/day and having issues, but now eating 1 serving a day or 2-3 servings of tofu and find I have no issues. Is there any research about digestive effects relative to quantity ingested?Canned beans? Are you kidding me? I cook all types from dried organic, all it takes is time. I am not a great cook and have a limited amount of patience but beans are so easy! Forget fancy recipes, for Pinto Beans (my favorite), cook like rice, stirring progressively more frequently. I start with an onion sauteed in olive oil and then add 3 times water to beans. Takes three hours from boil. Easy to freeze and so yummy.As you will see in an upcoming video, low sodium canned beans vs regularly prepared beans have very little differences in terms of nutrition.“Passing gas or passing on” I will consider flatulence a benign side effect for life extension…I just put some beans (unmashed) into a cake batter (rolled oats, mashed bannana, oatmilk, apple, vinegar etc) and was quite pleased with the result. Thinking to sneak them into other cookie, cake, pancake recipes. Wonderful videos- helps to keep me on the straight and narrow.li – great idea and you are not alone. I’ve seen several brownie recipes with black beans.Also, there are cookie recipes with beans. Here is an example:http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/31/deep-dish-cookie-pie/You may want to hunt around on that site for other ideas too.Good luck.I have learned to add “Fennell Seeds” when I cook dishes with beans. Fennell seeds help decrease the gas. I also make “Fennell Tea” to relieve discomfort from gas. In India they chew “Fennell Candy” after meals for this. I have heard that adding “Baking Soda” while cooking beans also decreases the gas. Linda.What about bean sprouts. I take a product which has garbanzo bean and adzuki bean sprouts. I have read that sprouts have a higher concentration of nutrients than the plant. This is certainly true when it comes to sulfuraphane in broccoli sprouts relative to broccoli.Dr. I have been diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy, A-Fib and A Flutter. What can I do…PleaseI noticed that no one responded to your comment. I think there is a way to reach Dr. Greger. Also, try drmcdougall.com in their discussion group , and Dr. Esselstn’s website. Also, there is a cardiologist who has a healthy lifestyle clinic in Montifiore hospital in the Bronx. He is interviewed by Chef Aj: http://www.healthytasteonline.com/chef-aj-teleclasses.html as well as another cardiologist from Texas who she interviews. Try to listen to the interviews she has with the cardiologists and maybe you can contact them. Of course, read Dr. Esselstyn’s book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. Good luck!what i wonder is if there’s a difference between daily intake or a few times a week intake. keeping fresh beans going everyday seems pretty labor intensive for me. i’ve made cake from adzuki beans but figure this doesn’t count – then again i feared putting ground flax in baked goods didn’t count but Dr. Greger mentioned indeed it remained nutritionally sound. i’d be able to guess better if Dr. Greger said exactly what it was about legumes…The flatulence issue is due to the increased fiber pushing through your system. Once your system is running at optimal levels it dissipates.Yes. I would imagine it’s your gut flora “evolving” from the probiotics in the legume fiber. What I would do, If I rarely ate beans wanted to start, would be to take a probiotic daily for awhile when introducing beans. As the gut adjusts and builds new flora, taper off the supplemental probiotic to individual maintenance level.No it is mainly due to a special carbohydrate present in beans which cant be digested~This is good news. Been a ‘beaner’ for many years. I make a 1 lb. pot of beans for the family every 3 days to go with our brown rice as the base for our dinners. The balance is topped with various raw ‘veg de jour’. Anything from a can, bottle, package, box, wrapper, or container…is processed food.And…No Oil…!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_o4YBQPKtQDr. Veith has an interesting discussion on types of gas at 1:10:20 in the following link. You might go back a few minutes for more discussion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGR0bnxKCW4&list=PLD4F9A9FEAA5E5842&index=1Here is the whole link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGR0bnxKCW4&list=PLD4F9A9FEAA5E5842&index=1Or go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0GI9IBK6Zw That may show a little bit about the degree of Veith’s intellectual honesty when it comes to subjects that are emotionally charged by his religion.Veith is a creationist, and while he apparently has a doctorate in zoology from the University of Cape Town, he’s not specifically an expert in human nutrition. The creationism shows a willingness to distort science to support a dogmatic worldview, the lack of focused expert training suggests that he would be less likely to be speaking from genuine authority in the subject of human nutrition, and his Seventh-Day Adventism suggests that he has fairly powerful religious preconceptions about human health and nutrition that he will be motivated to cling to and serve.I don’t doubt that I could learn many things from him, and the video clip that was suggested is interesting, but because I’d have to check his facts and inferences extra carefully, and because the lectures don’t do a particularly good job of citing primary source material, the learning process would likely be much less efficient.That is a VERY good video… along with others by Walter Veith (I watched about 6 of his videos in the Life at Its Best series as well as one entitled “clean and unclean” by him).For gas go to 1:10:20 in the following link: 301–Life at its BestAnd so what about phytate?Phytate is not only an antioxidant, but it is eliminated with cooking, sprouting or soaking so this is a non issue.Not only that, but phytates do not affect nutrients in other foods that they are combined with. In other words, if there is any phytic acid or phytates in a food like beans, it is only bound to certain constituents in the bean itself, not to the other foods the beans are prepared with. I think people miss this major but subtle point.Dan, I am interested in the evidence for that statement. I had no idea this was the case, can you please share the referenced study? Please know I ask not because I doubt it, but because I like to have proof before I accept an idea. The thought of this is very interesting.I cannot recall where I read it. I will go hunt for the reference.Yes, please do. If you can give me a piece of the title I can try and search for it as well.I think it might be in Jack Norris’s book “Vegan for life”, but then it probably does not have a citation for it. I could look in the book in the section on phytates.Did you ever locate this reference?–I eat 15 bean mix just about every day, without much problem from gas. These are cooked beans and it only takes a couple of hours on low heat. I think canned beans are yucky–they taste like the can. –A little bowl of lentils though will put me on the moon and have my gut blowing non stop gas for three days. –I eat beans with kale. Then I can say that I eat “beans & greens.”I find this video very interesting, but I’m wonder, is this link between beans and lifespan *correlation* or *causation* ? Can you please comment on that ? This difference is a very common source of confusion.Having a long life causes you to eat beans? Or does eating beans cause a long life? Or neither, they are correlated by fluke? (These are all rhetorical questions by the way). We can only rule out the first question.I hope peanuts count as one of those helpful legumes too.What’s everyone’s opinion on protein powder? I’m trying to gain muscle but right now might just do whole foods instead.You can eat whole plant foods and still gain muscle mass. Its about the stress of the exercise and not how much protein you consume. Consuming protein does not automatically mean your body will create muscles, as protein is used on an as needed bases. Protein powders supply much more protein then necessary and the majority of it is converted to fat. Please see this video regarding plant based body building. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/You will never become protein deficient unless you are malnourished. Eating when your hungry, till your full, of whole plant foods will supply all of the protein you need.Phfffffff…this NutritionFacts.org sh!t rocks (no pun intended). I so appreciate your sense of humor; it’s totally up my ally (no pun intended). You’re the bomb, Dr. Greger (no pun intended)! No, really, I love me some beans and Dr. GregerAre these type of studies peer reviewed or is just some speculation studies looking at one part of peoples living habits. I think lasting good health is more complicated than just eating beans. It seems almost like a glorification that does not take into consideration things like phytic acids. So it is hardly the healthiest food type but definitely one of the most diverse and important. Regardless not everyone prepares their legumes and beans properly (by soaking, germinating, fermenting or sprout),. It is just a fact that high contents of phytic acid can limit the intake of iron and calcium in some cases. Yeah beans and legumes can be very healthy but they are no miraculous food either. Longevity has to do with many factors and not primarily beans. It makes it sound like beans will make you live extra long just by eating beans! Paleo people do over exaggerate the harmful effects of grains but people who pretend that there are not inhibitors in grains and legumes are equally delusional.Cooking eliminates these antinutrients so this is a non issue. Phytic acid also doubles as an antioxidant. Furthermore, Dr. Greger is merely sharing more research showing the power of plant foods, he has no intention of showing that beans are magical.Any studies on the harm of protein powders and decreased life expectancy? Sorry this isn’t really relevant to the video.There is no dietary need for protein powders, and consuming them is actually more harmful the helpful. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/Excess protein also is stored as fat, and protein powders inherently give you excess since we have no dietary need to consume them.I am a vegan who eats two cups of beans daily, but I have hemochromotosis (iron overload) and must try to limit iron-rich foods. Any suggestions. Thank you.If you eat solely a plant based diet, your intestines should be bale to completely block excess non heme ironYou will be much better off by eating a plant based diet and avoiding any supplements that contain iron. You should of course make sure that you consume enough Vitamin B12. See the 5 video’s on Vitamin B12 beginning with http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/. You should have your iron levels checked and work with your physician(s) to see if and when you need to be treated.I have hemochromotosis and must limit iron rich foods. Any suggestions? ThanksWhat advice for us with hemochromatosis? Thank you.Flatulence from cooked beans can be reduced by first soaking your beans with seaweed (kombu or sweet kombu) and then cooking the beans with seaweed. The seaweed helps to release the enzymes that cause flatulence and increase the minerals you intake because of the seaweed! You can purchase radiation free seaweeds at http://www.seaweedmermaid.com We test our seaweed three times a year and have had radiation free seaweed from the Mendocino Coast of California for the past three years! Get your seaweed while you can- we cannot predict the future of the ocean’s conditions!Seaweeds store for long periods of time, so you can buy today and have nutritionally dense seaweed far into the future as long as you keep them dry and out of the sun!Dr. Greger, you should do a video on protein powder and it’s effect. I saw the heavy metals but so many people use them and I’m just wondering the health risks associated with consuming them. ThanksDerrek, I have responded to you several times regarding protein supplements and you continually ignore my responses either unintentionally or purposefully. My position is the same as Dr. Greger’s. There is no dietary need to consume them, and they are overall harmful. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/What vegan foods are highest in valine, isoleucine and leucine? I’m looking for a good and healthy post workout shake. Thanks!I’m sorry I want trying to ignore them purposefully. I just didn’t know if there were any studies besides the heavy metals conducted on them. I trust you and D. Greger. Thanks!There are the IGF-1 studies which have a strong link between cancer and “complete” protein intake. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1I have hemochromotosis but love beans. Any advice?Any discussion of on the longevity benefits of beans deserves a mention that they’re the best dietary source of spermidine, an inducer of macroautophagy (cellular “spring-cleaning” of aged proteins and organelles). Spermidine both increases lifespan and healthspan in animal models, and is enriched in the blood of humans living past 90.Given your post, I am contemplating the following video by Dr. Greger: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/ I was struck by the high levels of putrescine listed for fruits in your cited Ali paper. I don’t know why Dr. Greger did not mention this in the above video – wouldn’t that be relevant? In your opinion, are there risks associated with consuming high levels of these polyamines?From my readings, it seems the research consensus on the polyamines has changed markedly in the past decade – from concern with potential for cancer promotion, to an appreciation of health-promoting benefits. Its not dissimilar to the situation with folate/folic acid, where yes, its a limiting nutrient for tumors, but there’s also recent compelling evidence of vascular benefits. Many nutrients seem to promote both general health and cancer cells, and may always present Scylla and Charybdis dilemmas. Personally, I’m satisfied by the 2004 legume & longevity study that the net effect of a high dietary polyamine diets is positive.I’m fascinated at the moment with autophagy (another folder), which is implicated in every lifespan increasing intervention to date, and which may have unique importance in neurodegenerative disorders. Unlike other important general anti-senescence pathways like Nrf2 induction, NF-kB inhibition, epigenetic interventions or glycation inhibitors, there aren’t that many potential levers known at the moment, with the only significant dietary ones being spermidine and the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol.Nice point on the shift in perception on polyamines and health and I appreciate your autophagy articles provided in draft 1. Maybe someday you’ll share your entire collection with us? True that the recent Ali paper was not available for the previous Dr. G video, though an earlier Ali paper (and other such papers) listed under his Sources Cited section had supported high putrescine in fruits. Oh well.Sure. Most material on autophagy at: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.Thank you very much Darryl- saved it.Can phytoestrogens cause growth plates to fuse ? Can phytoestrogens be neutralised like phytates ?Nothing wrong with phytoestrogens from soy. They are in fact helpful. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/Aren’t phytoestrogens SERMSThe receptor system reacts differently with p-hytoestrogens unless consumed in huge quantities. Here is a quote from one of our members summing up the issue nicely.” came across a review that clarified my understanding of estrogen receptors, and owe you a revision to my explanation:There are (at least) two types of estrogen receptor, an alpha receptor responsible for both the feminizing effects of estrogen and promotion of breast and uterine cancers, and a beta receptor without feminizing effects that appears to suppress cancers of the breast, prostate and colon. Soy isoflavones in dietary amounts have a greater affinity for the beta receptor (and hence one can eat soy without feminizing effects), but in a few animal studies, very high (non-dietary) doses of soy isoflavones can also activate alpha receptors. Another case of whole-plant food good, pill extract bad.” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/#comment-1101259182My boyfriend hates legumes of all kinds except for Peanuts (which are technically legumes). Do these health benefits apply to peanuts or does it look like I will outlive him by a long time?Dr. Greger is correct that beans are among the healthiest plants that we can eat. Only allium vegetables and cruciferous vegetables can match the health benefits of eating legumes. However, Dr. Greger is being dishonest with us when he claims that legumes don’t cause flatulence. Dr. Greger needs to visit a Japanese tofu factory to learn how the Japanese make tofu and unsweetened soymilk from soybeans, which are first boiled and then ground down into soybean puree, which is later separated into okara (soybean pulp) and unsweetened soymilk. The unsweetened soymilk coagulates into soybean curd, which is made into tofu. The unsweetened soymilk and tofu do not cause much flatulence and they retain most of the health benefits of eating soybeans, including the isoflavones, genistein, daidzein, and glycitein. The Japanese locate their tofu factories very close to animal farms because more than 95% of the okara (soybean pulp) is fed to animals (mostly hogs and dairy cows) and about 4% of the okara becomes fertilizer (compost) because it is fairly rich in nitrogen and trace minerals. Despite being rich in fiber and rich in health benefits, less than 1% of the okara (soybean pulp) is fed to humans. Why? Because although they make delicious vegan burgers, okara (soybean pulp) strongly causes flatulence. The fiber in legumes is not that fermentable so technically, most of the flatulence comes from the resistant starches, including raffinose, and not from the fiber. The sugars and digestible starches are quickly absorbed by the human body and so they don’t cause as much flatulence as the resistant starches, which are slowly fermented by our gut microbes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okara_(food)I like beans, but have trouble getting motivated to eat them everyday. Any good recipes to help make a variety of tasty dishes?Wil: I have some ideas for you.1) Get Lorna Sass’s book, Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure. Several of her bean recipes are simply delicious. I particularly like the Chickpea and Onion recipe. Here is a link to the basic recipe:http://mealsteps.com/recipe/chickpea_stew_with_sweet_onionsI prefer red kidney beans with this recipe rather than the chickpeas. And red onions work just fine.2) dips and dressings I personally find that beans don’t have all that much of a taste. Mostly they have a shape and texture that changes from bean to bean. So, for me, it is the sauce or seasonings that really matter. You can give yourself a double-bean dose by creating a great bean-based sauce and then putting it over a bowl of grains, veggies and, yes, beans. I like to put the following maple-mustard dressing over a mushroom-barley-broccoli bowl, but it goes great with anything.Maple-Mustard Sauce (adopted from somewhere I don’t remember). Blend all of the following:> 1/4 cup nut butter (or if using commercial blender, throw in some cashews directly > 1/4 cup mustard (more to taste. Try Dijon) > 1/4 cup nutritional yeast > 1/4 cup fresh/frozen real lemon juice (try frozen Minute Maid) > 3 TB low-sodium tamari or soy sauce > 3 TB 100% pure maple syrup (to taste) > 1/4 to 1/2 cup water (leave out water for great dip) > 1 can beans (my favorite: pinto, red kidney, or any white)One of my new favorite cookbooks, Let Them Eat Vegan, has a bean-based dip/sauce that I thought was pretty good even though the title had the word “kid” in it. That one goes good on potatoes and other hearty foods.3) cookies, cakes and browniesWhile you wouldn’t want to rely on cookies and cakes for your daily bean dose, they can be a good way to sneak in some more beans. More and more dessert recipes are using whole beans or bean flours.For example, David Gabbe’s book has an Orange Bean Cake with Orange Maple Glaze that I thought was pretty darn good and not too sweet. It’s dense like a coffee cake. The bulk of the ingredients are homemade oat flour (ground up rolled oats) and cooked beans. The sweeteners are maple syrup and orange juice concentrate. Not bad health-wise for a dessert! Plus, it is easy to make.4) Other cookbooks. There is actually an entire cookbook with vegan bean recipes. Check out: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_10/192-1007975-9810418?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=vegan%20bean%20book&sprefix=vegan+bean%2Caps%2C294You may also want to look into vegan slow cooker cookbooks as those books would likely have several good recipes that involve beans.Hope that helps!I’d love to see a video about eating sprouted beans…!Is there a difficulty between eating beans and lentils on a daily basis, which are high in protein, while maintaining a low overall consumption of protein, in particular of the amino acid methionine, also recommended by Dr Greger in the videos on calorie restriction vs protein restriction for life-extension? It seems that maintaining 40-50 grams of protein per day would be very hard if beans are included…I cook beans twice a week and never soak and never get gas. (I’m in the business and only eat new crop beans.) the real problem with canned is the slime factor. Most bean broth in cans is nasty and recipes have you rinse the beans. Once you eat good beans, you know that the bean broth/pot liquor is half the fun.Where is the video? It’s not playing :(Where is the video? It seems to be gone. Help.Hi Barbara, I’m able to see it, maybe try reloading the page and hopefully that will solve the issue.Soak those none canned beans in salted water…..generally the STONES will fall to bottom of bowl……then carefully pour beans into strainer…….repeat a couple times…..should do the trick: STILL NEVER HURTS TO GRAB A HANDFUL AND CHECK OUT QUICKLY.What about the dangers of BPA in canned products? It doesn’t take long to soak legumes if you do it overnight, they’ll be ready in the morning. They taste so much better than canned. My Persian friends peel their chickpeas for hummus. I was shocked! But then I tried it and it doesn’t take too long if they are cooked. I just grab a handfull from the pot, and rub them between my fingers and the skins fall off. It is much easier to digest without the skins. Not as much roughage, but no gas either!Hey Leslie. Great question. Have you seen our videos on BPA? There are many! I think Dr. Greger mentions a few brands without BPA if you are looking to avoid it. Please send Super Smooth Hummus to my House ;-) Thank you for your questions let me know if those videos have the answer?Best regards, and no you do not have to share your hummus. Enjoy! JosephAnd the hummus is very creamy and delicious!I also add cooked carrots and yams to my hummus sometimes, to make a great spread for rice cakes or rice tortillas. it makes a hearty delicious base for many other toppings. I put in lots of lemon and olive oil and blend it all up in a cuisine art.Folks, I would like to share with you an amazing discovery that I have stumbled upon. I think I discovered the fountain of youth! However this fountain of youth is not a place but a food. I believe I discovered a miracle food dish that can without a doubt produce a very healthy body by anyone who eats it. I am calling this dish Adelynn’s Miracle Beans after my 1 year old granddaughter who helped me come up with the dish.Adelynn’s Miracle Bean recipe/diet is a food dish that help’s your body to create perfect cells of all kinds. That is why Adelynn’s Miracle Beans is the perfect cell therapy food. The mind can arrange perfect cells from food providing all the nutrients that it needs to create perfect cells. Constantly giving the body the nutrients from Adelynn’s Miracle Beans on a daily basis several times a day will enable the mind to create a very healthful you. Over a lifetime these beans can help you live a much healthier life.After six months on Adelynn’s Miracle Beans you will see a new you being created. You will see changes in your body fat, muscle tone and bone density. You will also greatly improve your blood circulation which will improve your health in many ways. Men who have erection problems will see great improvement from Adelynn’s Miracle Beans. The diet will make it so that men won’t have to rely on Viagra a lot. Also men in the Far East who have animals killed just to get something from the animal to give them more vitality in and out of bed will see that Adelynn’s Beans will do the job much much better and in a healthier way. Adelynn’s Miracle Beans does it in a natural way. The way the body was designed to operate! Also Adelynn’s Miracle Beans will greatly decrease one’s chance of getting a stroke or heart attack because the Adelynn’s Miracle Beans diet constantly gives the body nutrients it needs to keep the veins blood flowing freely and properly built cells that will built a better heart and veins.Adelynn’s Miracle Beans are great for losing weight. After being on the Adelynn’s Miracle Bean diet for four months you will see your body fat decrease and your muscle tone improve. That is because beans can’t in any way produce fat cells because it lacks the ingredients to do so. Thus the bean diet will keep your body manufacturing non-fat cells which will give your body the cells it needs to create a healthy you. Then your body will burn off the stored fat to get it’s energy to perform your daily life. Believe me you will see the weight come off on Adelynn’s Miracle Bean Diet!Just what is Adelynn’s Miracle Beans you may ask? Adelynn’s Miracle Beans are a combination of all the hard beans that you see at a grocery store which is about twelve different kinds of beans. Also included are lentils, barley, peas and any other cooked from scratch items in the bean section. These beans and other items are to be cooked together and when they are nearly done you are to mush the beans and other items together as you would mash potatoes. Doing this mushing of the beans insures that the proteins and other things that are good for you in food will be blended together to make the food easily digestible so that the body will quickly and easily convert the food into perfect body cells. Just as smoothies are an excellent way to eat and digest fruit and vegetables mushing beans together makes the food easily ready for the body to quickly absorb maximum nutrients. And all the nutrients are ready at once so that the body can create perfect cells. The mushed beans nutrients will be easily absorb into the stomach lining and converted by the body into perfect cells.Adelynn’s Miracle Bean Diet is a diet that haves you eating all the fresh and canned fruit, fresh and cooked vegetables and Adelynn’s Miracle Beans that you want unless you are a diabetic. Eating these items will greatly help build your body correctly without adding bad fat. Also on this diet in moderation you can eat oatmeal, whole grain rice, yogurt, limited amount of fat free milk or fat free milk products like cottage cheese, lean fish, and lean meat. If weight is no problem then you can also eat nuts, potatoes and whole wheat pasta. The foods you should avoid are all deep fried foods, greasy foods, all white flour products such as pastries and breads except oatmeal bread, whole milk and processed meats. Deep fried foods should be eliminated from everyone’s diet because deep fried foods are very bad for your health because once the cooking oil is heated up to cooking temperature the molecules separate. The body then doesn’t have the capacity to arrange the cells in their proper sequence for the body to use thus giving your body a lot ingredients to digest which it then turns into cells that aren’t good for the body.Now Adelynn’s Miracle Beans is the perfect food These beans, when mushed together and mixed together, provide all the proteins and many other nutrients that the human body needs to grow and operate. And the way Adelynn’s beans are cooked and prepared guarantees that the human body gets all the proteins it needs to perform the task of creating a perfect healthy you! That is the miracle of this Adelynn’s bean dish. If you give the human body all the different proteins and other nutrients that it needs then the human body will create a near perfect human body. When you don’t give the body all the nutrients and proteins that it needs then it produces an imperfect body, an unhealthy body. Every day at every moment your body is going through a rebuilding process. By going on the Adelynn’s Miracle Bean Diet you will have in six months given your body a healthy makeover and after years of being on this diet you will see that your body has rebuilt itself into a much better you! Day by day, cell by cell create a new you!Vegetarians will benefit immensely because Adelynn’s Miracle Beans contains the building blocks that create a healthy body. Vegetarians can easily not get enough proteins from their diets but Adelynn’s Miracle Beans prevents that. Vegetarians are usually lean people without a lot of muscle tone. Adelynn’s Miracle Beans will help their body build a better body and the muscle developed will be stronger than it was before.Now Adelynn’s Miracle Beans must have spices and other things added to make it taste better. How one does that is up to their taste. And certain spices and vegetables seem to improve the benefits of the beans. Time will tell which ones. The study to see how well these beans do will take years to realize all the benefits. But the benefits are there and you will start seeing results after three months on this diet.Now I make a big pot of beans and then put aside enough to last me four days. The rest I freeze in containers to use later. I will cooked the beans with a liquid such as mushroom soup to help lock out air so that the stored beans last longer since the liquid soup will help keep the air out of the beans which helps preserve them. Then I will make a pot of whole wheat pasta and a pot of whole grain rice to add to the beans that I have in the fridge but not to the beans that I have in the freezer. Rice doesn’t last long and doesn’t freeze well so cook what rice one is to use in the next four days. Then always immerse the rice in a liquid base such as soup to keep the air off of it so that it last longer.However those with weight problems should not eat pasta because pasta is a food that the body will easily convert into body fat. If weight is no problem to you or you need to gain weight then can eat pasta. So add the rice or pasta to the beans for more filling of a meal.You can add Adelynn’s Miracle Beans to stews, meatloaf, salads, chili, or other creative dishes that you like. The beans will dramatically increase the nutritional value of any meal. You can add any meat or fish to the beans to add nutritional value. You can add soy sauce, ranch sauce, barbecue sauce or any other sauce for better taste.Now every day that you eat the beans you can and should add vegetables to the beans or on the side so that your body gets more nutrients that it needs to make a perfect body. Vegetables, fruits, nuts and beans are the ingredients for Adelynn’s Miracle Bean Diet. Eat these items every day for obtamin health. If you have a weight problem then lay off the nuts.Adelynn’s Miracle Beans should greatly improve one’s health to the point that beans will help fight off different cancers, diabetes, hearth attack, stroke, digestive problems, birth defects and other deceases. By giving the body the right ingredients it needs to make perfect cells the mind will then create perfect bodies! Give the body ingredients that are not good for the body and the body will create an imperfect body. If everyone was to eat Adelynn’s Miracle Beans then perhaps we can eliminate or greatly reduce many birth defects and illnesses.When you think about it many people eat accordingly to how they were raised. We all eat what we learned to eat. However many customs and ethnic ways of life leave many of us eating foods that are customary to our culture but not good for our health. The Jewish people and the Spanish people are two groups that prove my point. The Jewish and Spanish people seem to have certain illnesses that are prevalent in their society. And I think that some of those illnesses are caused by their diet. Adelynn’s Miracle Beans overcomes those shortcomings in the nutritional needs of the body by providing all the nutrients that the body needs to create perfect cells.If you give the body all the nutrients it needs to create a perfect body then the mind will direct the body to do so. The mind has the power to do so. However the way we eat today is creating problems for our bodies because the body doesn’t receive all the nutrients it needs every day to create a perfect body. Now the mind can create a perfect body if it is given the ingredients to do so. But the modern day diet does not provide a perfect food diet that the body needs to create a perfect body. However Adelynn’s Miracle Beans does! Eating two servings of Adelynn’s beans a day will create a healthier you!Adelynn’s Miracle Beans are great for athletes too especially weight lifters. Athletes need strong muscle tone and these beans will provide that. Weight lifters need to add strong muscle and Adelynn’s Miracle helps them do that so that they can cut down or eliminate taking supplements to improve their muscle building. They will build muscles in the natural way which should also be good for the body.People with cancers may benefit from Adelynn’s Miracle Beans. I’m sure there are ingredients in beans that help fight off cancers and if you overwhelm the body with these ingredients then the body should in some way take these ingredients and use them to fight off cancer. If you are willing to try anything to cure your cancer then give Adelynn’s Miracle Beans a chance and your the doctor know so that the doctor can monitor your progress.There should be a big study done on what Adelynn’s Miracle Beans can do for you. However we can start our own study on ourselves. Start eating Adelynn’s Miracle Beans Diet and tell your doctor to start measuring your health so that you can see the improvement in yourself. Then let others know of your benefits especially those in the medical field and the government. I’m trying to get a government study started so just send your results to the White House and we’ll hope they start looking into Adelynn’s Miracle Beans. Perhaps if enough of you start requesting the study then the government will do so. I’m trying!Adelynn’s Miracle Beans Diet will certainly help the digestive system. This bean diet will guarantee that someone will not need laxatives at all. These beans ensures regular no strain bowel movements and the color of the stool is light brown which is good. The human stomach and bowel system is a system of digesting and disposing food. It was not meant to be a storage area for rotting food. However today’s modern diets render our bodies into a parking lot for already digested foods that are bogged up in our bowels and can’t get out because our diets are sending signals to our bodies that causes are bowels to not move enough of the food out of us quickly enough so that the waste doesn’t stay in the body long enough to cause damage. For irregular bowel movements and very hard stools are things that can lead to the body absorbing some toxins from the bodies waste material which in turns leads to medical problems of different kinds.Cancers should be decreased on Adelynn’s Miracle Bean Diet because so much good food should create a better you! Cancers are caused by imperfect cells. Give the body less imperfect food and more perfect food and one certainly will see the body create more perfect body. The body takes the food you eat and turns it into you!Alzheimer’s patients should greatly improve from eating Adelynn’s miracle Beans! Being that Alzheimer’s patients seem to react to protein therapy Adelynn’s Miracle Beans will deliver all the proteins that humans need to be healthy. Belief me, these beans are working for me. I have the oncoming symptom of Alzheimer’s and it has helped slow the process in me. It will work for you too possibly!When you think about it we humans are derived from beans. Think about it, what was the only food that the earliest human beings were able to store so that they could eat it in the future? The answer is beans. Beans were the only food that early humans were able to store for weeks, months and maybe longer. Beans was the stable food of wagon trains in early living. We humans are the end product of beans! Beans have created the human race. In beans are the ingredients that us humans need to survive. We have been doing it for millions of years until recently in the last 100 years when we went to eating other foods. And since then our problems began. Diabetes, cancer, birth defects, digestive problems, hearth attacks, strokes and many other illnesses have multiply since the human race diet went from how it was 100 years ago. Beans were part of our diet then and must become part of our diet now!Sadly beans are rarely eaten by most people. Those that make baby food don’t even offer beans in their baby food. Why? School lunch programs don’t offer much beans if any. Why? Old people don’t eat beans much. Nursing homes don’t serve many beans. Why? We have to start getting everyone to eat Adelynn’s Miracle Beans! We have to give the whole human race the opportunity to develop their bodies so that they are healthy and free from deformities And we have to especially get the children, the elders and the sick to eat Adelynn’s Miracle Beans. We need to set up a program that monitors the health of people before and after they have been on Adelynn’s Miracle Bean Diet so that we can get a better picture on how good this bean diet is. Each of you that go on this diet should work with your doctor so that you can become aware of the improvement of your health so that others can learn from it. The medical, health and government personnel worldwide should look into this Adelynn’s Miracle Bean Diet so to understand it’s benefits and then promote them!Adelynn’s Miracle Beans are a great food for the poor and for the military. The poor can benefit a lot from this bean diet because the bean dish is very low cost to make. Adelynn’s Miracle Beans are mostly just beans which don’t cost a lot. The poor world wide will be able to have a low cost healthy diet. The military will benefit because Adelynn’s Miracle Beans can sustain the health of troops on the battle front. Getting enough nutrients should allow the soldiers to be able to do their job better.If we can get millions of people around the world to adapt to a bean base diet we can also help the planet in many ways. If people ate more beans to to get their protein instead of meat then they would be healthier Also the world wouldn’t need so many farm animals which would have a good impact on the environment. And beans are a lot easier and cheaper to grow than producing meat.I know most of you are thinking that you have eaten beans before so what’s the big deal about Adelynn’s Miracle Beans. The difference with Adelynn’s Miracle Beans is that it is a recipe that calls for one to cook all of the different beans together and then also to mash them together. How many of you out there have ever done that before? I doubt many. And out of those that have mixed and mashed all the beans how many of those people had to stay on this diet for almost a year like I have? I don’t think any of you have ever done that. But after being on this diet for a year I am seeing improvements in my health in many ways. So this Adelynn’s Miracle Bean recipe is actually a new dish that has yet to show it’s potential to make all of us healthy. I know there are bean products out there that sell the beans mix together for soup making but the soup when eaten doesn’t give one the same amount of beans as Adelynn’s Miracle Beans recipe does and it doesn’t mash the beans together which gives a cocktale of ingredients that are readily available for the body to recreate into perfect cells. We are going to have to proof that it does work because this dish has never been tested before by anyone!!! Sometimes doing things differently creates a whole lot better something. This is that situation!We need for the governments, researchers, the medical community and the food industry to step forward and get as many people as they can to start eating this bean recipe and then to observe their body’s reaction to the beans. We need for people with cancers, weight problems, digestive problems, pregnant woman and woman who want to bear children, the sick, the old, the fragile, people with birth defects, athletes, weight lifters, health enthusiast and any other people who want improve their health to eat 2 to six 8 oz. servings of the beans daily. The sicker you are the more servings a day you would need. Those in the medical fields and research fields should get behind this project in a big way. Many illnesses will be cured with Adelynn’s Miracle Bean recipe. We must find out what illnesses are helped. Those in the bean industry gain to make a lot of money on people’s interest in eating more beans so they should try to get people to try this bean recipe. Those in the philanthropy field should get someone to make and distribute low cost or free Adelynn’s Miracle Beans worldwide to as many poor people as possible. Every starving person will certainly benefit nutritionally and quite possible relief themselves of the harm from under nutrition.We can design the way we package this bean dish so that the container can be reused in some way to help poor people live. We can make containers so that they unravel into a piece of material that could be used to built a dwelling to live in. A thousand cans of beans or a thousand pouches of beans should yield enough metal or material when unraveled and laid out to build a small room, roof or cover.We can also make the bean containers so that they can be heated up by the sun. We can design something that will take the rays of the sun and concentrate those sun rays on the bean container or any other food container We have to give the poor devises to use to help them cook their food with the assistance of the sun. We have to stop having people rely on firewood to cook and heat themselves. Our planet, especially poor areas, needs all the trees that it has and we have to do something to get people to not rely on live trees for fire wood. Dead trees are alright to use but people in poor areas such as Africa and India are chopping down trees just to get firewood to heat the food that they eat and for heat. We have to stop that if we can. Making a device that uses the sun to cook food and to heat dwellings will help people and the environment. Positioning tiny mirrors on a satellite dish and positioning the rays created by those mirrors on a small spot will create enough heat to cook and heat anything! Someone help get these things created and distributed!I urge everyone to start making these beans at home. For those that want to buy them cooked from the grocery store someone is going to have to start making the beans for them. Someone help to get these beans made and distributed world wide. I would like to see companies set up where the beans are sold cheap so that the poor can afford them. It would be nice to be able to sell these beans for 50 cents for a 32 ounce can. It would be nice to be able to afford to get your daily nutrients from a 50 cent can of beans! If you like to work with me to set up a company let me know. Or set up one up yourself. The bean companies around the world should join in the effort to make Adelynn’s Miracle Beans a regular diet for everyone. So should the governments and medical personnel too! Also the fast food companies and restaurants should offer cooked Adelynn’s Miracle Beans as a side dish to spruce up their menu with nutrition. A humus style bean dish for Adelynn’s Miracle Bean dish would sell real well. In fact it could be advertised as one of the most nutritional items sold in the store!I like to see some of the profits go towards a program that will feed, water and protect the endangered species of animals around the world. Also I like to see a fund set up where people can send money to get these beans and the cooking/heating devices out to the poor worldwide. Hopefully someone out there can see the benefits of doing this and helps get it done. Philanthropist from around the world should join together to make and distribute Adelynn’s Miracle Beans to all the poor people worldwide! Doing this would give poor people a chance to have a healthy body!I don’t have the money to do so. I’m poor. I don’t have any monetary gain to be had from Adelynn’s Miracle Beans. There is no such item to be bought. Adelynn’s Miracle Beans is only a name I use for references to the bean recipe. Hopefully someone will investigate and or make and distribute the recipe I refer to as Adelynn’s Miracle Beans. I think it’s a good name for the bean recipe and I know it will be a very good food for you! So cook up a patch of Adelynn’s Miracle Beans and eat your way to a better body!!!!Sincerely,Ron McCune 38523 Scottsdale Ct. Zephyrhills, Florida 33542813-602-8845 presidentron999@gmail.comDoes freezing cooked beans increase or decrease resistant starch?	aging,Australia,beans,chickpeas,chronic diseases,dietary guidelines,elderly,flatulence,Greece,Japan,kidney beans,legumes,lentils,lifespan,longevity,Mediterranean diet,mortality,nutrition myths,peas,reversing chronic disease,soy,soybeans,split peas,Sweden	The intake of legumes—beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils—may be the single most important dietary predictor of a long lifespan, but what about concerns about intestinal gas?	I’ve previously covered intestinal gas in one of my more amusing blog posts, Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air.The paleo folks often rail against legumes and grains, but how do they account for the fact that epidemiological studies clearly show legumes and whole grains are among the healthiest choices?More on bean benefits (beanifits?) in videos such as:What about soybeans and breast cancer? Stay tuned for my next video, BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy.For more context check out my blogs: Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013 and Eat Beans to Live Longer.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/16/eat-beans-to-live-longer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/australia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greece/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweden/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/split-peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flatulence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10068391,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2986447,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20702750,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22104320,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648714,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15228991,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21899787,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22524810,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10068382,
PLAIN-2686	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/	How Many Poppy Seeds Are Too Many?	The same opium poppy that people make heroine out of is the same opium poppy people make muffins and bagels out of. But the idea that poppy seeds could serve as the source of appreciable amounts of codeine/morphine was not given much credence despite the existence of the old European custom recommending to quiet a noisy baby by means of a poppy seed filled pacifier. Not given much credence until a mother tried giving her 6-month-old some strained milk she had boiled some poppy seeds in with the very best intentions of helping the child sleep better. It worked…a little too well, culminating in respiratory arrest, leading to governmental warnings that it's not a good idea.The cases aren't limited to children. Evidently if you eat spaghetti with a half cup of poppy seeds on top, it can make you a little loopy.So what's the upper limit of poppy seed consumption that's probably safe? About a teaspoon for every 7 pounds of body weight, so that means someone weighting about 150 pounds, or 70 kilos should probably not eat more than 7 tablespoons of raw poppy seeds at a time. Cooking may wipe out half of the morphine and codeine, though, so that gives you some more leeway when baking. If you soak the seeds for 5 minutes first, and then discard the water before adding them to your recipe you can eliminate another half if you're making some poppy seed filled pastry or something for kids. Otherwise, though, there shouldn't be any risk at usual levels of intake—unless, you're going in for a drug test, in which case you may want to avoid poppy seeds altogether.	What do you make of Dr. McDougall’s comment below…he has this on his website.Dr. McDougall“A serious psychological disease caused by foods in some people is schizophrenia. In hospital-based studies, some patients have been identified who react with dramatic behavioral changes to milk products and high-gluten foods (like wheat, barley, and rye). Some people with schizophrenia have actually been cured of their disease by changing their diet, to eliminate the trouble-making foodstuff.”And from Columbia University…..An emerging group of people with gluten sensitivity have such psychiatric and neurological disorders as schizophrenia, ADHD, depression, and bipolar syndrome, and “a higher rate” of some antibodies, said Dr. Peter H.R. Green, director of the Columbia University Celiac Disease Center in New York.There are studies out there that have looked at glutens role in mental illness. A future video on this?Hmmm. Rather reminiscent of the connection between ergot fungus and the hysteria or mental illness that led to the New England witchburnings in the 1700s…Another Interesting week of Videos! Thanks! Have fun at the ACLM conference. I will try to make it next year!You have given me a nice idea, however, for this Thanksgiving–I will replace the Prozac (in the caption below) with Poppy seeds to calm the most savage beast this Thanksgiving.“Let food be thy medicine!” ;-)Can you comment on the recent news recommending reducing carbohydrates and reporting that saturated fat is ok?http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2472672/Is-high-fat-diet-GOOD-heart-Doctors-say-carbs-damaging-arteries.htmlThanksNearly a century of research shows just the opposite, and a low fat vegan diet is the only diet thus far to demonstrate that heart disease is reversible on such a diet. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/I wil share with you what I have shared with others on this site regarding saturated fat.“Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the associationof saturated fat with cardiovascular disease”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/535.full.pdf+htmlThis Meta-analysis looked at 21 different studies, and came to the conclusion that “there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD [heart disease].”Shared by Jeff Novick:One major problem with this study is they did not look at any studies where the saturated fat intake was less than 7%, which is the level recommended by the American Heart Association. Most of the diets had saturated fat intakes in the range of 10-15% (or more).So, just like the studies that criticize “low fat” diets, but never analyze any diet that is truly low fat and based on the principles of low fat, high fiber, whole plant foods, this study criticizes the impact of lowering saturated fat, but never looked at any diet that truly lowered saturated fat to the level recommended.Another problem with the study is what the subjects replaced the saturated fat with when comparing the 2. For many, if not most, it was with either (or products containing) hydrogenated/trans fat, while flour, white sugar and/or mono fats.People who replaced saturated fat in their diet with polyunsaturated fat (omega 3/6) reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by 19 percent, compared with control groups of people who do not.http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000252Side Note: Be cautious as replacing saturated fat with the polyunsaturated fat is not what is being advised. We should strive to not add any fat in the form of oil to our diet. The point was just to show that indeed saturated fat is worse than polyunsaturated fat. Eating high omega 6 foods though is not healthful, and we should really be eating more omega 3 “Advice to substitute polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats is a key component of worldwide dietary guidelines for coronary heart disease risk reduction. However, clinical benefits of the most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid, omega 6 linoleic acid, have not been established. In this cohort, substituting dietary linoleic acid in place of saturated fats increased the rates of death from all causes, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease. An updated meta-analysis of linoleic acid intervention trials showed no evidence of cardiovascular benefit. These findings could have important implications for worldwide dietary advice to substitute omega 6 linoleic acid, or polyunsaturated fats in general, for saturated fats.”http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8707Lastly, studies on all-cause mortality trumps findings for subsets such as CHD and CVD. Most all-cause studies demonstrate a direct relation between saturated fat intake and all-cause mortality and the lower the better. Here is a list of studies showing just this.“the results of this study support earlier observations that dietary intakes low in SF or high in FV [fruits and vegetables] each offer protection against CHD mortality. In addition, however, our data suggest that the combination of both high FV with relatively low SF intake offers greater protection against both total and CHD mortality than either practice alone.”http://jn.nutrition.org/content/135/3/556.long“The major finding of the present study is that the average population intake of saturated fat and vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers are major determinants of all-cause mortality rates. Saturated fat and smoking are detrimental, but vitamin C seems to be protective in relation to the health of populations…The potential effect of changes in saturated fat, vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers can be illustrated as follows. A change in saturated fat of 5% of energy is associated with a 4.7% change in age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate (Table 3).”http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/2/260.long“A high RRR pattern score, which was associated with high intake of fat and protein and low intake of carbohydrates, increased the risk of death. Subjects with a pattern score belonging to the highest quintile obtained on average 37·2 % of their energy from fat and 37·6 % from carbohydrates and thus did not meet current dietary recommendations (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2002). Food groups that contributed to this unfavourable pattern of energy sources were red meat, poultry, processed meat, butter, sauces and eggs, whereas a high intake of bread and fruits decreased the pattern score.”http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FBJN%2FBJN93_05%2FS000711450500111Xa.pdf&code=6fbdbd311fb43ee23a840b894cced959From the National Academy of Science:“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions; they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither an AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids. There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acid intake increases CHD risk”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422“The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al., 1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432From the editor in chief of the American Journal of Cardiology.“As shown in Figure 1, most of the risk factors do not in themselves cause atherosclerosis [heart disease]…The atherosclerotic risk factors showing that the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis is cholesterol.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/I’d like to know if poppy seeds taken with grapefruit juice make it more potent. I would think you’d want to reduce your poppyseed intake well below the guidelines if you are consuming grapefruit juice (unless you require a serious pain killer).Great! Apart from the codeïne and morphine is there any nutritional value to be found in these little specks?Dr. Greger, During four weeks I ate a tablespoon of poppy seeds each morning with my oatmeal. This was part of my monday through friday routine but during the fourth week I began to feel dizzy, a severe case of vertigo and anxiety attacks. I immediately stopped eating the poppy seeds. I’d never had these symptoms before and was curious if the poppy seeds could have this effect on a 150 lbs person?It is very possible as narcotic like drugs cause a variety of side effects especially relating to central nervous system symptoms. Since there is no need for you to take poppy seeds you might switch over to ground flax seed in your oatmeal. Dr. Greger has done a number of video’s citing the benefit of flax seeds.Yes! Here’s one of my favorites on flaxseeds: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/And flax could play a role in cancer prevention: Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Prevention (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/) and Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/). You’ve inspired me, Guest and Don! I’m going to go put some in my oatmeal right now. :)	alternative medicine,bagels,children,complementary medicine,cooking methods,drug testing,infants,milk,morphine,poppy seeds,safety limits,seeds,sleep	Soaking and cooking poppy seeds can lower their morphine and codeine levels, but those undergoing drug testing may want to avoid them altogether.	Other videos on not overdoing healthy foods include:In my research I run across reports of reactions to foods that are so rare I figure it's not worth doing a whole video about them, but then I worry that I may be missing an opportunity to help a few people. Like my videos on kombucha (Is Kombucha Tea Good For You?), star fruit (Are Star Fruit Good For You?), nutmeg (Don’t Eat Too Much Nutmeg), tarragon (The Safety of Tarragon), or grapefruit (Tell Your Doctor If You Eat Grapefruit).For more context, check out my associated blog post: Overdosing on Poppy Seeds.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/11/overdosing-on-poppy-seeds/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/morphine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bagels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/drug-testing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poppy-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-star-fruit-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16848508,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3979930,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19901868,
PLAIN-2687	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-dense-approach-to-weight-management/	Nutrient-Dense Approach to Weight Management	We know that vegetarians tend to be slimmer, but there's this perception that veg diets may be somehow deficient in nutrients, so how's this for a simple study—let's just analyze the diets of 13,000 people and compare the nutrient intake of those eating meat to the those eating meat-free.They found that those eating vegetarian were getting higher intakes of nearly every nutrient: more fiber; more vitamin A; more vitamin C; more vitamin E; more of the B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, & folate), more calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium, while at the same time eating less of the harmful stuff like saturated fat and cholesterol. And yes, they got enough protein.And some of those nutrients are the ones Americans really struggle to get enough of—fiber, vitamins A, C, and E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and those eating vegetarian got more of all of them. Even so, though, just because they did better than the standard American diet isn't saying much—they still didn't get as much as they should of. I mean yes those eating vegetarian ate significantly more dark green leafy vegetables, but that comes out to just two teaspoons of greens more.In terms of weight management, the vegetarians were consuming on average 363 fewer calories every day. That's like what you do when you go on a diet and restrict your food intake, but that seemed just like what vegetarians ate normally, so a vegetarian diet could be considered an all-you-care-to-eat version of a calorie-restricted weight loss diet, naturally inducing weight loss and also helping maintain healthy weight status long term. So just following a vegetarian diet alone, without focusing on calorie reduction, could result in weight loss.How sustainable are more plant-based diets long term? They are in fact among the only type of diets that have been shown to be sustainable long-term,perhaps because not only do people lose weight but they often feel so much better.And there's no calorie counting or portion control. In fact, vegetarians may burn more calories in their sleep! Those eating more plant-based diets appear to have an 11% higher resting metabolic rate. Both vegetarians and vegans in this study just naturally seemed to have a revved up metabolism compared to those eating meat.Having said that, the vegetarian dietary pattern in this study included eating eggs and dairy, so while they were significantly slimmer than those eating meat, they were still, on average, overweight. As we've seen before, the only dietary pattern associated on average with an ideal body weight was a strictly plant-based one. Still… this study does help dispel the myth that meat-free diets are somehow nutrient deficient. In fact, in response the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association asked, what could be more nutrient dense than a vegetarian diet?	What could be more nutrient dense than a vegetarian diet ? … a vegan nutritarian diet (fuhrman/greger vegetable-based style) ? With added B12, Sunshine, Flax (and maybe DHA). With the addition of regular exercices. ;)Good answer! :)I’ve done my homework :) did I won a DVD ? :DFlax ? DHA ? Why Add this ?Flax gives us awesome Omega 3’s in ADDITION to fiber, lignans, and other vital nutrients…that’s my 2 cents!ok thanks :)Vitamin D adequacy with supplementation. Also zinc. Yes on the B-12. 1 TB Ground Flax each day, yes, G-Bombs don’t forget! Yes, on the exercise…I agree!Theresa: WHAT is a ‘G-bomb’?? I’m following you here and need to know!Also, there are credentialed people who have YouTube presentations that are very convincing regarding the Paleo or modified Paleo diet. One series is by Mark Sisson, another is by Dr. Eric Westman, Duke University, Director of the Lifestyle Medicine Clinic there. Westman sites research findings over 20 years that a modified Atkins type diet, with moderate protein from meat, high fat (especially saturated fat!) yields excellent numbers for blood work ups. His video presentation on YouTube is very compelling to many, I’d guess, especially in view of the fact that many find a Vegan diet is hard to do, or at least very hard to stay with, long term. Your thoughts? Anyone else, also? I have T2 Diabetes, I think, don’t take meds, want to follow a diet that will normalize my numbers and halt any further indications for good.Many thanks!G-BOMBS is Dr. Fuhrman’s acronym to remind you what to eat every day, Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds. http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/gbombs.aspxoh! Very cool! I like it. Thanks for the help! Actually, I keep wondering if beans/legumes contain too much carbohydrate for a T2 diabetic who is trying to reverse that.Kristin you should watch the videos regarding diabetics on this website. Go up to top and browse topics. That is a great place to start.A high carb, low starch, low fat, low protein diet that incorporates blending vegetables and fruit juices, and drinking plenty of water. Also using herbs occasionally to strengthen and clean the organs. I haven’t been sick since I adopted a plant based diet, lost and have kept of 25lbs, and always super-energized.Aqiyl I couldn’t agree more! Because I run/exercise a lot I do best with purple, red potatoes, quinoa, etc in my diet. I crave them! Last thing I want is a hunk of cow. The more I run the more I want a big chunk of squash.LOL Vegan runner! A hunk of cow. LOL!YES. ” I want a big chunk of squash”. That is what makes our engine running! Not meat, not dairy, especially not eggs….. see more1Get yourself a copy of Food for Life by Dr. Neal Barnard, a copy of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Then you’ll find your answers on what you can do to reverse your diabetes….Thanks for clarifying. I thought you were making a joke about gas! (My adolescent mind at play! )please see Dr. Gregers note on diabetes. A whole foods plant based diet with some exercise can reverse diabetes and bring your bloodwork to a good range without the ill health affects of an atkins style diet. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/Hello everyone, I have been T2 diabetes for about 5y now. For the past 14 months or so, I have been totally vegan (with SOME exceptions here and there) – i.e. sushi once every three months . Haven’t reversed the diabetes, haven’t lost any weight. Yes, my body has changed, but on the scale, nothing… I do yoga twice a week and run, train at the gym… Is it the dark chocolate I have every day 90% cocoa? I need advice!Abe: Good for you for trying to do what you can to improve your health through diet. I have some thoughts for you that may be of interest.1) Not yet reversed diabetes nor lost weight.That’s got to be a serious bummer. However, as Dr. Greger says, when you eat healthy, even if it doesn’t fix a particular problem, at least the side effects are nothing but good. I would suggest that it is possible that because of your diet changes, even if it hasn’t reversed your T2, it has probably helped to control both your T2 and weight issues. Plus, at least with your mostly vegan diet, you aren’t contributing to cancer, etc. It’s a great start.2) reversing diabetes and chocolate.The book that I recommend the most for people with diabetes is “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes without Drugs”In that book, you will learn how to fine-tune your diet to have an effect on the T2. One of the things you will learn is that T2 diabetes is largely a “too much fat” problem. So, that 90% chocolate? It may be low in sugar, but sugars are not your biggest problem. Fat is. So assuming you meant chocolate (and not no-fat cocoa powder), that 90% chocolate is definitely a problem. (re: Chocolate problem is one that you and I share! So, I get it.) You will also want to stay away from oils. Which would also help with weight loss.3) Weight loss. – Dr. Dons who often comments on this site recommends two sources for weight loss and I think both are excellent. One is the following free video, How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQThe other source is to get Jeff Novick’s DVD on Fast Food. Great info, easy, fast, yummy, super-healthy, and no-fat recipes!Hope you found this helpful.I’ve been vegetarian and mostly vegan the past 14 month and also had not lost any weight……..until…..3 weeks ago when I seriously cut back (not out) my fat consumption. Since then I have lost 5 lbs. I’m very pleased.Nita: That’s truly awesome!! Good for you! It’s that calorie density concept. Fat is just so calorie dense. Makes so much sense. Thanks for sharing your story. That will help others too.Going vegan is a good step, but we need to get as whole foods plant based as possible. This means eliminating all processed foods, like white flour, oils mock meats, etc. I would advise going as low fat as possible. The McDougall approach works the best for this, which is essentially a diet based on complex starches. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/ http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/dec/diabetes.htmAbe, congratulations! You are going in the right direction for sure. As Thea and Toxins said, reducing fats is key. And I think the closer to raw vegan you can get is best. That will automatically eliminate all processed foods, which even when vegan are not healthy and contain hidden ingredients your body will have trouble eliminating. I also eat dark chocolate every day, but just have a one inch square of a 70% bar. I also make wonderful cocoa with dry cocoa powder, stevia, and almond, flax, or coconut milk. Add a little cinnamon, ginger powder, and cayenne pepper for a kick in the pants! Namaste.I’m 74. I went cold “tofurkey” 2 yrs ago to vegan diet. No problem transitioning! Lost 20 pounds, all medical tests are excellent! Now I’m transisitioning to raw (90% maybe). Set your mind to YES and just do it. Namaste.goturnumba: I would highly recommend watching plant positive’s primitive nutrition series on youtube.I would also recommend PlantPositive.com for anyone that wants to get deeper into research concerning Paleo claims.I wouldnt supplement zinc when not necessary. Ive been vegan 8 years, vegetarian for 4 and I had my zinc levels tested last year and they were highNice Video, thanks Dr. Greger!Really any diet could beat out the S.A.D.I guess it is appropriate to mention here….B12…(supplement), vitamin D…(soymilk and supplement), omega 3’s … (flax seed), and iodine … (seaweed or supplement).It is pretty easy for plant based people to get those nutrients, but not all do and not all are aware.Dear Dr. Greger, I’m a fellow physician and a vegan. I saw a segment on the Oz show a couple of days ago with Dr. David Perlmutter, author of Grain Brain. Dr. Perlmutter says all carbs are bad for our brain health and the worst are the ones that come from grains (including whole grains) and veggies that grow under the ground like potatoes, sweet potatoes and beets. Perlmutter also says grapes, bananas, and pineapple are also very bad for us. He advocates for a diet high in fat, including saturated fat. His theory seem to be the opposite of Dr. Neal Barnard (Power Foods For The Brain; bananas and sweet potatoes right on the cover!). Is there science to support a causal relationship between (healthy) carb intake and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, as Perlmutter suggests?I will share with you what I just shared with another concerned user. Basically what is being advocated for is a low carb, high fat/protein diet. This would essentially be a ketogenic diet.Ketogenic diets have been shown to be helpful with children with epilepsy for the short term. All other aspects of the diet for the short term show ill health effects. Its not something you want to put your body through. I will share the SHORT TERM evidence below. The long term evidence is also damning, but here is short term data.“Cognitive Effects of Ketogenic Weight-Reducing Diets,” researchers randomized people to either a ketogenic or a nonketogenic weight loss diet. Although both groups lost the same amount of weight, those on the ketogenic diet suffered a significant drop in cognitive performance.After one week in ketosis, higher order mental processing and mental flexibility significantly worsened into what the researcher called a “modest neuropsychological impairment.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8589783A review over low carb diets revealed that “Complications such as heart arrhythmias, cardiac contractile function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, impairment of physical activity and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbohydrates in the diet.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14672862Low-Fat Versus Low-Carbohydrate Weight Reduction DietsEffects on Weight Loss, Insulin Resistance, and Cardiovascular Risk: A Randomized Control TrialThis study looked at 24 people who were overweight/obese and divided them into 2 groups. One group was low carb, high fat and the other high carb, low fat.High carb group: 20% calories from fat/60% calories from carbsLow carb group: 60% calories from fat/20% calories from carbsIn addition, the study was designed so that participants would lose 1 pound per week, so calories were reduced by 500 per day.Volunteers were given pre weighed foods given as daily portions and were assessed by a dietician to make sure that they were adhering to the diet. After 8 weeks, this is what was found to be significant between the two groups. The low carb, high fat group experienced arterial stiffness which basically means impaired arterial function. What this means is that the people on this diet experienced low grade inflammation which can lead to the growth of atherosclerotic lesions and can become heart disease. “It is possible that the high fat content of a low-carbohydrate diet exerts detrimental effects on endothelial function, which raises concerns regarding the long-term safety and efficacy of low-carbohydrate diets…Currently, supported by evidence from long-term trials, we believe that a low-fat diet should remain the preferred diet for diabetes prevention.”http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/58/12/2741.longBenefit of Low-Fat Over Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Endothelial Health in Obesity20 subjects participated in this study. “The [low carb] diet provided 20 g of carbohydrates daily, supplemented with protein and fat content according to the Atkins’ diet recommendation.19 The [low fat] diet provided 30% of the calories as fat, modeled after an American Heart Association diet.” I wouldn’t exactly call the low fat diet “low fat”, but regardless, its far less fat then the low carb diet. Both groups were given 750 calories less with pre made meals so they would stick with the protocol.After 6 weeks, there were significant differences between the low carb and the low fat group. The researchers performed a brachial artery test which basically tests to see if arterial function is impaired or not. Typically, the arm is cut off from circulation for about 5 min., then they release the arm, and measure how dilated the blood vessels are. If the blood vessels are constricted, it represents arterial impairment whereas dilation indicates good arterial health.On week 2 of the diet, both low carb and low fat groups had poor arterial health and were not significantly different, but by week 6, those on the low carb diet had far worse arterial health then before, and those eating low fat had far better.(See figure 1: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702133/figure/F1/ )This again shows that this type of diet is promoting heart disease risk.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702133/Low carbohydrate, high fat diet increases C-reactive protein during weight loss.Unfortunately, I was unable to find the full text of this study so it is difficult for me to view the details and all I can do is base my conclusions of the study based on the abstract which is not something I like to do. Regardless, the study revealed a very interesting finding. It showed that when subjects of the study went on a low carb, high protein diet for 4 weeks, they had a 25% increase in C-reactive protein. C-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation which basically means that this group of people were promoting the development of a chronic disease. In contrast, the high carbohydrate subjects decreased their levels of C-reactive protein by 48%.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17536128Comparative Effects of Three Popular Diets on Lipids, Endothelial Function, and C-Reactive Protein during Weight MaintenanceThis study is quite interesting. It examined 18 adults aged 20 or over for 6 months. The aim of the study was to examine their health when on 3 diets, the Atkins diet (high fat, low carb), the South beach diet (Mediterranean) and the Ornish diet (low fat, high carb). They found no significant differences between the 3 diets in terms of calories consumed. The results are interesting as seen in table 1 of the study.They found higher LDL in the Atkins diet and lower LDL in the low fat Ornish diet. They also found significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein in the atkins diet as opposed to the Ornish diet. What was also found was that the atkins diet had poor results for the Brachial Artery test which again shows impaired arterial function. “High saturated fat intake may adversely impact lipids and endothelial function during weight maintenance. As such, popular diets such as Atkins may be less advantageous for CHD risk reduction when compared to the Ornish and South Beach diets”http://engine2diet.com/usrfiles/files/publishedstudies/obesity/comparative-effects-of-3-diets.pdfMy husband and myself have been following Dr. Esselstyn’s Whole Food diet (and the Engine2) for 6 weeks now; we’ve never felt better; he lost 20 pounds and I did lose 15 pounds. We have much more energy and we also have a lot of fun creating new exciting and delicious recipes. And the results are just amazing! After more than 20 years trying to lower his blood pressure below the dangerous 150/90 mark it is now at a perfect 121/80 and his blood sugar fell from 8 to 6.3… We do eat a little bit of fats from nuts, seeds, avocado and, very rarely, 1 tsp of olive oil in hummus, for instance. That’s the only difference with the plan Dr. Esselstyn is proposing… But no added fats 99 % of the time… Now I have a question for you about the best way to adjust his diet to help him go through some new medical challenges in his life. A few days ago, he had to start a 48-week treatment to cure chronic Hepatitis C (with Interferon and other drugs); his genotype is of type 1, the most common and, apparently, the most difficult to cure; on top of that, he had surgery 4 years ago to remove his prostate due to an aggressive cancer, followed by some radiotherapy treatments in 2010. Now his PSA is starting to slowly go up again; we don’t eat any dairies nor meat of any kind anymore since we’ve learned about their terrible effects on men with prostate cancer; what else could he eat to help him face those two difficult challenges he’s dealing with at this time? We have added flax seed in our daily diet as well. Thanks so much for your help! This ressource is fantastic!Q. to Toxins- I wonder if there are any studies in regard to what is beneficial, a vegan higher fat diet (since Atkins is animal fat) vs. a vegan higher carb diet ?The only studies that show that heart disease is reversable is on a low fat vegan diet that is high in complex carbohydrates. A high fat vegan diet is more healthful compared with a high fat animal based diet http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/But i find it questionable that a high fat vegan diet would be protective against cardiovascular disease compared to a high carb vegan diet when the carbohydrates comes from whole food sources. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/It may be difficult to maintain adequate cholesterol numbers on a high fat plant based diet.Thank you! yes that is what I was thinking how could the whole food carbs be harmful, from a laypersons intuitive point of view I would think it would turn out that the best proportions in a vegan diet would mimic the composition of carb to fats in the actual whole foods, adding it up in a large variety of whole foods. To eat a proportionately high fat vegan it would probably include eating extracted oils and other non whole foods? or too many high calorie foods but I didn’t see the Dr. Oz show.The majority of the calories would have to come from nuts if from whole foods. Nuts are fine, but when the bulk of our calories come from nuts we may 1. Get too much saturated fat 2. Get too much omega 6Nuts are very rich sources of omega 6, which can off balance the omega 3. An adeuqate ratio is 4:1 of omega 6:3. Peanuts have a ratio of 5230: 1 Almonds have a ratio of 2010: 1 Brazil nuts have a ratio of 1142: 1Walnuts, chia and flax seem to have the best ratio.Yeah to walnuts and almonds. I know that almonds has a high omega-6 content so there are concerns about inflammation, but studies show that almonds have an anti-inflammatory reaction in teh body due to its phytonutrients. Chia and Flax seed are awesome. I am experimenting with black seed right now. A whole-food plant based diet, high carb (from fruits), low starch, low fat, low protein, and plenty of water have done wonders for me. Lost and kept off 25lbs, always energized, always have a clear mind now, and I haven’t been sick in over two year, not even a headache, flu, or even the pesky cold.Indeed, almonds are health promoting. My caution is simply for moderation.I used to eat a lot of almonds everyday and closely monitored myself and health. When I first adopted a plant based diet I ate 8oz a day a least a year, never got sick, lost 25lbs, and my energy level was and is still incredible. I cut down on the amount of nuts I eat now because I eat a lot more fruits and eat a high carb diet, and the carbs are mainly from fruit. I lost a lot of weight eating the large amount of almonds, but I lost more going to the high carb – low fat route.Those ratios for peanuts, almonds and brazil nuts, although correct, are misleading. You have to look at the omega 6:3 balance in the diet as a whole. As long as you eat some chia or flax as well as the other nuts and seeds, and minimise other sources of omega 6 (through oils or animal foods), then your omega 6:3 ratio will be fine. If you adopt a low fat vegan diet with only flax or chia and no other nuts or seeds, you could run the risk of your 6:3 ratio being too low.Exactly my point, being that these nuts can offset your diet. Eating a serving of peanuts does not automatically make your ratio 5230:1. It is difficult to get too low unless you supplement omega 3.awesome post. Ive featured it on my Vegann page :) https://www.facebook.com/pages/VegAnn/633821396708452Dr Perlmutter also thinks that walking about in bare feet ‘earths’ the body and neutralises free radicals. The guy has zero scientific credibility.Hi Dr. Grieger, Because we talk so much about plant based diets, I want to bring your attention to a NPR article you may be interested in…”When Edible Plants Turn Their Defenses On Us”http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/10/01/228221063/when-edible-plants-turn-their-defenses-on-us?ft=1&f=1NPR Blog: Meatless Monday Movement Gets More Veggies on the Menu http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/10/21/239126655/meatless-monday-movement-gets-more-veggies-on-the-menuLucy: Nice article. Thanks for sharing.Personally, I really like the free Meatless Monday e-mails. They are fun to get.As an experiment, I started eating mostly vegan this summer and will be continuing into the fall. No weight loss- but I have shrunk a size or two ( from an 8-10 to about 6-8) and I find that I have the energy to get through the day and my workouts. I am finding that I am more muscular- and i am not supplementing with vegan protein. If I want to really get the scale moving down, should I reduce oil? Nuts? Seeds? Sweet potatoes?!?Edith: Good for you for trying this experiment!I had a thought for you: You say that you haven’t lost weight. But I presume you haven’t gained weight because you would have said so. Plus you say that you are more muscular and that you have lost a size or two. All that suggests that you have put on more muscle while loosing fat. I’m guessing it is not your goal to “loose weight”, but really to loose fat. And you have probably done so!If you want to loose more fat, I think you would be interested in the most excellent talk from one of the Forks Over Knives guys, Doug Lisle, Ph.D. He does an amazing job in the following talk explaining the science behind losing weight and which foods will help you do so. See what you think:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQHope you find that helpful.Oh. And I had one more thought. I don’t your situation, so have no idea what would be healthy for you. But I would think that a size 6-8 is pretty good. Do you really need a goal of, “really get the scale moving down”? Some fine tuning maybe, but massive changes??? Just something to think about.I am not sure, to tell you the truth! I have not gained any additional weight- and being at the size is good for someone of my height (5’5) but my weight is a bit high for my height (148).Avoiding oil is one of the best things you can do for yourself after going vegan, the key is to get as whole foods plant based as possible, avoiding all processed foods and white flours, including oil.I followed an Atkins diet for 5 or 6 months, but stayed in the induction phase for the entire time. While I saw dramatic improvements in my HbA1c, body weight, blood pressure, inflammatory markers, HDL and triglycerides, on the other hand, my homocysteine, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, direct LDL cholesterol, and apoB went up to levels as high as patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Perhaps I am a cholesterol hyperabsorber or just sensitive to saturated fat overkill. The data suggest I would have killed myself on this diet, given time.I am now on a vegan diet. There are deficiencies that need to be considered, such as B12, iodine, vitamin D3 and perhaps DHA (although the jury is still out on this latter one), and some people can develop significant iron deficiency, zinc deficiency and choline deficiency on pure vegan diets (although the significance of these states is arguable). Vitamin A can be obtained from beta carotene and vitamin K2, if it’s even important, can be synthesized from gut microbiota. It’s important not to overdo linoleic acid intake.I think a supplemented, carefully well-rounded vegan diet is far better for health than a sloppy omnivorous farm factory animal-based diet with a couple of greens and fruits tossed out.Actually, I still restrict my carbohydrate intake, eating very few free carbs as possible, as I have a tendency (genetic) towards metabolic syndrome. My brother, mother and several uncles all show this. And lots of vascular disease in the family.Thanks, DanWhole foods plant based vegans rarely develop iron, zinc, and especially do not develop choline deficiencies. These compounds are abundant in the plant kingdom. The only supplements you need are b12 and vitamin d, and the vitamin d would be needed by everyone, not just vegans. Please see Dr. Greger’s note on supplements here. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/Thank you for that. I do think that iron deficiency, particularly in premenopausal women who are extremely physically active and are vegan may be commoner than you might think. It is certainly well reported on the web and there are some pubmed papers – don’t have the citations off the top of my head.The only other thing I would point out is that an ultra low fat vegan diet is unnecessary and difficult for many people to adhere to in the long term. There are no randomized data suggesting that an optimal omega-6:omega-3 ratio should be 4:1; all of the data come from observational studies, not trials. On the other hand, we have excellent data from PREDIMED that high nut consumption prevents stroke; in addition, there are 5 or 6 observational studies suggesting associations with lower rates of sudden cardiac death and coronary artery endpoints (e.g. myocardial infarction). Thus I would not knock nuts. I’m not saying this because I eat a lot of them (although I do) – I believe high nut consumption to be protective, even though it refutes the omega-6:omega-3 hypothesis.A meta-analysis of omega-6 supplementation trials showed no increase in inflammatory markers. This is cited on Jack Norris’s website veganhealth.org.As for multivitamins being unhealthy – I don’t take them – but a very large trial (PHS II) found a statistically significant reduction in total cancers (about an 8% relative risk reduction) and a nearly significant reduction in fatal cancers. This was a large double-blind randomized trial. I believe they used Centrum Silver or 50+ (or some such).The issue with omega 6 and 3 is more from a biochemistry standpoint and not necessarily something you would find in an interventional study.Omega 3 and 6 from plant sources are involved with competitive enzymes. If there is more omega 6, there will be less omega 3. This is simply a matter of fact. Omega 6 is more abundant then omega 3, so this can be a problem when a diet is heavily based on nuts.Nuts are healthy, but they should not be the base of ones diet, as they are extremely rich in omega 6.As for iron deficiency, again it is more of an issue for someone that does not follow a healthful diet, as even a vegan diet can be based on white bread, French fries, and candy and still be considered “vegan”. You can put your food intake into chronometer and see for yourself how much iron you consume. Just from whole plant foods, I typically exceed the recommended daily intake every day. http://cronometer.com/Also, my reference to supplements was with vitamin supplements, not multivitamins specifically. Please view the link I previously provided.My personal history as a pre-menopausal woman:Prior to vegan, but still eating a “healthy” omnivorous diet (still ate plenty of beans, veggies, fruits, grains), I was diagnosed as borderline anemic with Hb = 11.8-11.9. I was told this was actually pretty normal for pre-menopausal women and I should maybe try to eat a little more meat but not to really worry about it.Now vegan, my Hb = 13.7, which is considered very good. When I track on cronometer, I nearly always get exactly 18 mg iron/day, the recommended amount for my age/gender. I make no special effort to get this amount either. I just make sure to eat enough food, and eat a variety of veggies, fruits, grains, beans, and a few seeds.I’ve heard it said kind of offhand that vegans (women at least) should get double the recommended amount due to heme vs non-heme iron. I never took that recommendation seriously, since I never saw a legitimate basis for it, and also since meat is 60% non-heme iron anyway. Also doesn’t take into account the higher vitamin C intake of plant eaters.So, this is all anecdotal, n=1 stuff, but I just wanted to present a story in which going vegan resulted in better iron levels.Thanks for sharing! Thats the kind of thinking I advocate. A very relaxed approach to diet, and not thinking too much “am I getting enough iron, calcium, b vitmains, etc,” but just eating whole unrefined plant foods to meat caloric needs.Really interesting B00mer, actually i’ve heard of quite a few women improving their iron levels when going vegan: paradoxically lots of meat eating women are actually quite anemic! You’ve definitely got the right approach to being vegan. Thanks for sharing.b00mer: I wanted to add my voice to thanking you for this post. Yes, it is n=1, but those kinds of personal stories make the science real for many people. And your story with those details is so interesting. It helps to address the fears that some people have around a vegan diet and being anemic. Well done.My comment about multivitamins was based on the synopsis of supplementation that you linked to. In general, multivitamins are discouraged on this site, even though PHS-2 showed a statistically significant decrease in cancer (by about 8%) in healthy men randomized to multivits. As with you, I am against most high-dose isolated supplements, unless someone has documented deficiency. For example, I discourage the use of supplemental vitamin E, vitamin A, folic acid, iron (for willy-nilly unmonitored use), vitamin C, Zinc, lecithin, coconut oil tabs, omega-3 supplements, etc.The omega6:omega3 ratio is more controversial than you make it out to be. Yes there is no question there is competitive inhibition of the production of EPA by omega-6, but there appears to be a growing consensus, based on meta-analyses and more recent feeding trials, that omega-6 is not pro-inflammatory (unlike saturated and trans fatty acids). In the Sydney Heart Trial that you referenced from the BMJ – a very impressive study – there was no control for trans fat intake in the margarine they used, and they had no way of detecting it at the time.Canola and olive oil both have positive evidence for cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular prevention in large randomized trials (Lyon Heart and PREDIMED).When I need a cooking oil, my go-to option is high oleic (HO) safflower oil, because it does not have readily degradable omega-3’s and has a significantly higher smoke point than most seed oils.People who eat lots of fish, eggs, dairy and meat have no problem achieving the so-called optimum omega-6:omega-3 ratio of 4:1. Yet they may drop dead from coronary disease, stroke, or AAA rupture. Vegans typically have ratios of 15:1 or higher (mine is about 10:1). I suppose it’s possible to eliminate all omega-6 from your diet by eliminating most nuts and nut butters (except walnuts), most seeds, seed butters and seed oils (except flax, chia), grains, and legumes including soyfoods. But then what is there left to eat? Vegans are already far ahead of omnivores in terms of ideal health but to further insist on optimizing the omega-6:omega-3 ratio just causes unnecessary headaches in my view. It is like the difference between 99% and 100%. You have already done tremendous work to get to 99%, but do you want to avoid all the wonderful foods that contain omega-6 fatty acids just to get to that 100%?I agree with your reading of the literature Dan, but you might like to read the rapid responses to the Sydney Diet Heart Trial posted on the BMJ website. There are 2 there that I found of particular interest – the one by Ram Singh, and the one by one of the study authors C Ramsden. The latter explicitly addresses (and largely discounts) the possibility that transfats in the intervention group margerine could have explained the results. I think the evidence for the healthy, anti-inflammatory effects of nuts is overwhelming and I imagine that had the participants in the Sydney trial been led to increase their omega 6 levels to the same extent with nuts rather than margerine, the results would have been the opposite.Anyway, my real point is that you don’t need to eliminate nuts and seeds in order to reduce your omega 6:3 ratio down to around 4:1. I eat close to 3 oz of nuts and seeds per day, including 1 rounded tablespoon of flaxseed, and I use 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in salad dressings and cooking (I avoid frying at high temps). Within the context of a vegan diet that brings my omega 6:3 ratio to around 4:1, often lower depending on the nuts or seeds eaten that day. So if you substitute olive oil for the safflower you are using, you would presumably find the same thing.Hi Kate, I did read those replies and I even corresponded with the PI. Though his explanations are convincing, unless he can develop a time machine to go back in time to the 1960’s/1970’s, there is absolutely no way to exclude the possibility that trans fatty acids were responsible for this trial’s results. Another possibility is that dietary worsening in other components in the active treatment group – a kind of carte blanche to eat what you want – may account for their findings. It was not a blinded study after all.I was using olive oil to cook but my understanding is that this is a bad idea because olive oil has a relatively low smoke point and in particular in extra virgin olive oil, heat rapidly oxidizes its key constituents.HO safflower actually contains a lot of MUFA, as with olive oil. I use about a teaspoon per week. I do not think it is a big deal.By the way, Ram Singh is the PI of the retracted Indo-Mediterranean trial, which was most likely a fraud (at least according to The Lancet, for what do I know?).I didn’t know that about Ram Singh, or that that trial was retracted – do you happen to have the Lancet ref for that? Interesting!I agree that olive oil is not suitable for high heat cooking and you can water-saute and then add some oil at the end if you want the oil. Mostly I use it in salad dressings.I do not know the references off-hand. There were a slew of articles published on Ram Singh and the Indo-Med trial in 2005 in both the BMJ and The Lancet – the results of several investigations of his work by both journals. Richard Smith, the editor-in-chief of BMJ, had one such article.As to olive oil, I do not use it in my diet. For salad dressings, I use tahini, which is crushed roasted sesame paste. Huge amounts of linoleic acid – about 10 g per 4 tbsp of the stuff. But rich in sesamin and very good cholesterol-lowering effect. Also very delicious when admixed with lemon juice as a salad dressing.Thanks for your input, I agree that nuts are healthful, and I have never advocated to eliminate them.My goal is not to eliminate omega 6, it is an essential fat. My point was to moderate its use, as omega 3 is more scarce. Those on an omnivorous diet tend to get far more preformed arachidonic acid, so no omega 6 processing necessary. Regardless of this, I doubt that they reach this ratio to begin with. The American diet is rich in omega 6. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/Including oil in your diet is not something that is advocated for on this site, as it is empty calories and it further contributes to the omega 6 in your diet. Have you measured out your ratio or are you making assumptions? Without measuring it, you would be surprised how off you could be. I would also be cautious lumping vegans together in one category, as a simple vegan diet is not what is advocated for here, but one that is whole foods plant based.Also, I should add that nuts and nut butters are not the base of my diet, but complex starches are. A low fat vegan diet is the only diet thus far proven to reverse heart disease. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/Toxins, I have measured my OM6:OM3 ratio on peacounter. At one point, I was quite concerned about it because of all the negative publicity one reads on internet blogs. However, after exhaustively investigating the topic by reading full text articles on PubMed, including randomized feeding trials and meta-analyses, I am no longer much concerned about my OM6:OM3 ratio.I put it this way: say that a nutritional scientist were to study the adverse effects of the standard American diet, and as part of her investigations, she went through their household garbage. She noticed that people with worse health have a higher proportion of plastic and tinfoil candy wrappers, styrofoam containers from take-out restaurant food, discarded burger wrappers, and empty plastic bottles of condiments like ketchup, mustard and relish. She then publishes a paper stating that “In our research, plastic and tinfoil wrappers, styrofoam containers, burger wrappers and empty plastic bottles, were strongly associated with adverse health outcomes. We believe that people should reduce their intake of these containers and wrappers.” Ridiculous, right?I believe the same thing is happening with OM6:OM3. In other words, it’s an epiphenomenon. OM6 is abundant in junk food diets, whereas OM3 is abundant in fish, flax, walnuts, canola oil, chia – very healthy foods. These things are travelling along with the really detrimental or healthful exposures, respectively. In other words, it is not the wrappers and squeeze bottles and styrofoam takeout containers that are worsening health, but the foods once contained therein and (now) consumed. OM6 is added to foods which are extremely high in refined carbohydrates, saturated fat, trans fats, other artificial (non-natural) additives and preservatives, food colorants, etc. Think of all those cookies with soybean oil. So using the OM6:OM3 of the SAD (standard American diet) to indict its role in health is exactly like using candy wrappers as a scapegoat when we should really be blaming the candy!The Sydney Diet Heart Trial is intriguing and impressive but – the numbers (especially for the accompanying meta-analysis) are barely statistically significant and there was no control for trans fat intake in the industrial margarine that was used.And if I recall correctly, a randomized study using corn oil at a Veterans center in Los Angeles in the 1960’s showed a halving of the rate of coronary events – half the participants got corn oil to replace saturated fat in their diet. You can’t get much more omega-6 than corn oil, which is particularly rich in LA.Zinc was the one mineral which I considered supplementing with, thinking that I must be deficient since I don’t eat pumpkin seeds every day (since of course if you look up “sources of zinc”, you get 1) calf’s liver, 2) fortified cereal, and 3) pumpkin seeds).Lo and behold, I actually start tracking on cronometer, and turns out I get plenty of zinc!It made me realize even more than I already knew how reductionist our society’s nutritional thinking is: “Food X is a source of Y nutrient. No other foods contain Y, and X has nothing else in it”. What I’ve taken away from cronometer is the huge variety of nutrients that are in all plant foods.Same with omega-3. I do eat flax daily, which usually gets me about a 1:1 ratio of 6:3, but even without the flax, I usually have a 2:1 ratio (and >100% rda for omega 3). Yet we tend to be inundated with the idea that if we don’t eat either fish or flax, we will have zero omega 3 intake.Exactly so! We don’t need the flax for the omega 3, its just helpful. And because beans are high in protein doesn’t mean every other plant food will not provide us with protein. Well said!I always cringe a little when I see blogger/fb posts about “vegan sources of protein”. ;)Most of the vascular and metabolic (sugar metabolism) disorders are caused from to much fat in the diet and not caused by whole food sources of carbohydrates. Keeping the overt fats to approximately 10% of calories will help greatly in blood glucose levels and inflammation of the epithelial lining of the vascular system. Keep in mind that most fats cause inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids reduce inflammation – keep them in whole food form and not oils and the fiber and constituent nutrients are intact and beneficial as well.I am concerned. My friend is a vegan who consumes nothing but fruit – 2500 + calories per day -, he claims. And a few hundred calories of kale and romaine and a few seeds and nuts. Is this detrimental to the liver or pancreas organs? He easily eats 20 medjool dates a day, ten bananas, lots of apples, grapes, and melons. He takes B12, so OK there, but the sugar/fructose overload worries some of us. Are homo sapiens designed to handle this degree of fruit sugar? I would think long term it might screw up his hormones. I’ve seen other fruitarians and a lot of them look too thin and unhealthy.The fruitarian diet has its appeals, but its not sustainable. It is the only diet that cannot provide enough protein simply because your not consuming the proper foods in the correct caloric amount. You can put the data into cronometer and see what is missing. I did a test for you.It is nearly impossible to consume as much kale as you are saying, as that would call for 10 cups or more of chopped kale, so I did 3 cups chopped. I did 20 dates, 10 bananas, 5 wedges of melon, and 3 cups of grapes as well as a half cup of almonds. The results?About 3500 calories. We have enough protein, but we made it with 3500 calories mainly due to the 3 cups of kale and .5 cups of almonds.This person is achieving all micronutrient goals, but there is a cause for concern with the amount of calories needed to reach these goals. It sounds like this individual must eat ALL day to remain satiated and satisfied. There is no evidence showing that a fruitarian diet is more healthful compared with a whole foods plant based vegan diet. I would say based on these results, we can conclude that a fruitarian diet is not sustainable. http://cronometer.com/But is the excessive fruit sugar harmful even if it was 2500 calories of fruit? I’ve been telling him all along that huge loads of fruit on a daily basis can’t be great especially when it is derived from high fructose fruits like dates. He does eat well above 3 cups of kale. I’ve seen him eat the whole head and also blend a whole head of romaine into a smoothie with lots of bananas and dates and drink that throughout the day throughout the morning.Back in the early 90s Michael Klaper M.D. said: “There is absolutely no nutrient, no protein, no vitamin, no mineral that cant be obtained from plant-based foods.”This means that a well planned plant based diet has inborn calorierestriction with optimum nutrition, which probably can explain some of the health benefits from a plantbased diet.Hi Dr Greger. Big fan of you and watch your posts every day. I have recently noticed that you are placing a picture of yourself in the lower left hand corner as a way to entice viewers to subscribe. Whilst you are a handsome fellow, just like me, your wonderful picture covers part of the video which I want to see. Please remove it. Thanks.Lawrence: That picture bothers me too. One saving grace: If you hover your mouse over the picture, you will see that more stuff pops up to cover even more of the video, but on the plus side, there is a small “x”. If you click that small “x” the whole shebang disappears. I do that every time. It’s an annoyance, but you can get rid of it pretty easily.Does that help?I can appreciate all the work to prove what our ancestors ate, or how we evolved to eat up to this point in our evolution, it seems to help some of the population get oriented and feel alright making adjustments. What I think really matters is the cause and effect of what people eat today. I don’t think I have seen any studies or evidence in vegans and meat eaters that refute anything at all put forth by Dr. Greger. In my experience: One gal who was vegan and felt very ill, and after exhaustive medical tests showed no illness or deficiency, and she felt better after putting in a small amount of meat back into her diet. On the other hand my 72 year old mother who was raised in the South, is 1/4 Native American, was never vegetarian and has had numerous health and weight issues, recently eliminated animal intake and her blood pressure is better than it has ever been and her colesterol is, after decades of worry, way different. She had been gradually eliminating meat eggs and dairy and felt better all the time, and now she is a new woman. I am vegan 4 years and never get a cold or flu, and feel better than I did eating animals. My conviction is that humans and all species are spontaneously adaptable, and we humans have an understanding of the way our personal choices work to change our lives; and there is science now that supports the idea that each individual’s choices evolves him or her instantly. To some scientists we may have the appearance of herbivores and the mechanisms to be omnivorous, but it goes deeper, we are adaptable. What do you think of this idea: Health is more than diet (and exercise), but has to do with our relationship to our environment and each other-mind body and spirit. We are in an age where with the click of a button we can see what is happening and how we are making it happen. If we are to evolve health we will only do it evolving peace. I think many of us understand that and many more have that information subconsciously. That may be why the dangers of eating animals are mounting. We more and more understand the potential for peace, Are we perhaps adapting to only accept, on a cellular level, peaceful solutions to our needs and desires?Can you comment on some of the studies mentioned in this article? Especially those regarding eggs, meat and gluten. THANKS. Much of the contradictory information hurts my brain :). http://www.businessinsider.com/13-nutrition-lies-that-made-the-world-sick-and-fat-2013-10?op=1Dont worry about what you may hear on articles or blogs, because this is typically from misconstrued data or simply contains false information. The key is to look and exam studies which Dr. Greger does. Please see Dr. Greger on eggs, meat and wheat here. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wheat/Avoid gluten for six months and your life will most likely change for the better, even if you do not have celiac. It is nothing short of amazing. Dr. McDougall has written about the harmful aspects of gluten (although his comments might not apply to everyone. Other doctors from esteemed staffs at US hospitals have spoken out as well. Going gluten-free is amazing. It is so hard for people to understand this because most have never gone an extensive amount of time 100 percent gluten-free. Most in the US have had some form of gluten in their everyday since birth. Go for it. No one else can do this for you but yourself.guest: For someone for whom gluten is a problem, I have no doubt that going gluten-free would be very helpful – in the same way that a person with a peanut allergy would experience great benefits by going peanut-free. But how much of a problem is gluten for the general population? I think your opinion may not match the data. I’m not interested in doing in-depth research myself, but I was able to follow up a bit on your Dr. McDougall reference.re: “Dr. McDougall has written about the harmful aspects of gluten…”I’m not sure what writings you are talking about. However, there is a free recording available of a McDougall talk that happened just last month. If you skip to the end of the talk where Dr. McDougall takes questions from the audience, you will see that he addresses the gluten issue. It doesn’t sound to me like he thinks gluten is much of a problem. (Maybe 3% of the population according to the numbers he pulled out of his hat to make his point about his opinion.) So, whatever he has written in the past, I don’t think he considers it a big deal now.If you are interested, go to the following page and play the talk with the following title:“John McDougall, MD: September 20, 2013 Autoimmune Disease and the Impact of Diet presented at Enhancing Health with Plant-Based Nutrition Medical Conference 2013.”http://nwveg.org/presentationsHope you find that helpful.Thea, here is the McDougall link.http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/common-health-problems/depression-and-anxiety/I encourage you to try gluten-free for 6 months. This can change the way the human brain functions, monist other things for the better.The only way to experience this to abstain from gluten-grans for a while.meant to say “amongst”, not “monist.”I have been eating a whole foods plant based (low cal high nutrient) diet for about 5 years now. How do I square your comment about higher metabolism with the fact that I am consistently colder all the time, and more to the point, need about 1/2 the calories to maintain my weight as I did when eating a lot of meat, cheese, etc? I have always thought that a CRON type diet would decrease metabolic rate. No?I too am often cold on a plant based diet. I wonder if this is due to the body having no idea to warm itself up – create a slight fever? – to deal with the meat and dairy bacteria. Are there any studies that look at why vegans often complain of feeling cold?I meant to type “i wonder if this is due to the body having NO NEED to warm itself up when not eating meat, dairy, egg.Thinking that eating meat dairy egg causes the body to feel warm….the body has a slight fever to deal with the bacteria of the meats dairy?I am freezing in the wintertime when eating plant based.Dear Dr,I read an article elsewhere about 5 brain nutrients that cannot be obtained from plant based diets and one of them was carnosine. Could this nutrient potentially benefit people with diabetes/pre. Are there risks/side effects and what are the best sources to get this nutrientthank you !MaxAll essential nutrients (except b12) can be found in plants, the rest are synthesized by the body.About the % of the recommended daily intake appearing on a label–does it represent the % of the intake recommended to avoid deficiency or that to allow optimum health?ThanksIt is used to avoid deficiency. The recommendation for vitamin c is just enough to avoid scurvy. You can find this trend through out all the nutrients. Calcium seems to be an exception though.Calcium needs for humans are not as high as the DRI may recommend, and if we consumed a low sodium diet low in animal protein, our calcium needs can be as low as 450 mg per day as discussed more extensively in this article from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. As represented in the figure below, and citing from the article “In a western-style diet, absorbed calcium matches urinary and skin calcium at an intake of 840 mg as in Figure 14. Reducing animal protein intakes by 40 g reduces the intercept [calcium balance] value and requirement to 600 mg. Reducing both sodium and protein reduces the intercept value to 450 mg.”http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y2809E/y2809e0h.htm#bm17In this video, Dr. Greger mentioned many of the nutrients that vegans have no trouble getting enough of. However, Dr. Greger forgot to mention the critical nutrients that vegans tend to be deficient in: Methylcobalamin (vitamin B12), niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin D, vitamin K2/MK-7, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), selenium (antioxidant), zinc (antioxidant), iodine (antioxidant), phosphatidylserine, lysine, and methionine.The most shocking information in this video, however, is that real populations of “vegetarians” are eating mostly only white noodles, white bread, white rice, and white potatoes and not eating that much of the healthiest plant-source foods. No wonder “vegetarians” don’t live much longer than meat eaters in scientific studies.Healthy whole foods plant based vegans do not suffer from the nutrient deficiencies you suggest. Vitamin d is deficient among most people in general and vitamin b12 is acknowledged multiple times by Dr. Greger. Put your food data into the cronometer and you will see you will reach the values for nearly all of the vitamins and minerals. ALA from whole plant foods is converted to DHA and EPA so there is no concern unless one consumes a high fat, high omega 6 diet. The amino acids you suggest are also quite abundant. There is no amino acid deficiency among vegans or vegetarians. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iodine/ http://cronometer.com/Been following your nutritional advice for ten months now, and rather than losing weight I have GAINED thirty pounds! In ten months! After being at a stable weight for 3 years! Of course this is a health concern so I went to the doctor hoping for help. After all blood tests came back normal the only thing the doctor could offer me is a weight loss pill. Ugh.Dr. Greger, please tell me you have some research up your sleeve concerning vegans who mysteriously gain weight!Lauren: What a serious bummer. For the most part, people loose weight when they eat a whole plant based diet. However, I have heard of people who are in your situation. I’ve become a big fan of the resources that Dr. Forrester points people to:Check out Jeff Novick’s DVD series on Fast Food and Lighten Up. I personally have seen (and tasted recipes from) the first two Fast Food DVDs and think very highly of them! Example:http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Novicks-Fast-Food-1/dp/B00466DP42/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387583608&sr=8-1&keywords=jeff+novick+fast+foodThe above DVD gives you recipes that really are all of the following: fast!, cheap!, nutrient-dense without being calorie dense!, yummy!Also, here is a free lecture on How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind. I hope you will find it helpful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQHi Lauren, Congratulations on your efforts so far. If fat loss is your goal it is all about calorie density and exercise. Mainly calorie density as if you get it low enough you can lose weight on a couch with a remote. Given the value of regular exercise I don’t recommend the sitting on the couch approach. Definitely no weight loss pills. I would recommend Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density; Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer. I agree with Thea that the free online lecture by Dr. Lisle on how to lose weight without losing your mind gives useful insights which are helpful. Dr. McDougall’s website is a valuable resource especially his newsletter article, The Fat Vegan, which was published in his December 2008 newsletter. You might also watch Dr. McDougall’s free online lecture, The Starch Solution, which goes along way to freeing folks from their misunderstanding about carbohydrates. His website also comes with many recipes from the unsung heroine of the McDougall team… his wife Mary. You can reasonably expect to lose 1/2 to 2# per week depending on your diet’s calorie density and exercise. On the other hand cutting out alot of the unhealthy foods you were eating has benefited many not so obvious parts of your anatomy and physiology. Truth in advertising… I have the pleasure of working with Dr. McDougall, Jeff Novick and Doug Lisle but honestly after 35 years as a Family Medicine doctor the science is in and just keeps reinforcing the best path. Good luck.You made this comment ten months ago. How have the second ten months gone? Have you eliminated add oils?I got pregnant shortly after posting this and now have a newborn. Ate mostly plants while pregnant and was healthy enough, but of course no weight loss. My typical diet is oatmeal with chia and soy milk for breakfast, salad for lunch, and vegetable/whole grain dinners, with seaweed, nuts, and fruit as snacks. Blood tests during pregnancy only found a vitamin D deficiency, so my weight gain still seems a mystery. Gonna try the weight loss medication after I am done nursing, I guess.Track your food intake through https://cronometer.com/You might be surprised what foods are contributing most to your caloric load. Oils and fats can really wrack up the calorie count.I hope you don’t need to go for the weight loss medication. The only thing I would suggest is of course take a vitamin D supplement, and maybe, just maybe try using fruit and other things in your breakfast cereal instead of the soy milk. Best of success to you! Trust the principles, and make sure you’re sticking with whole foods and filling up to satisfaction on starches and vegetables and fruits like you’re doing! Last resort, maybe see how much and what types of nuts you’re snacking on, although according to Greger’s findings, nut consumption is not at all associated with weight gain. Although whole food plant based diet advocates besides Greger mostly encourage a definite avoidance of many nuts at all besides chia/flax. Walks are a great way to increase metabolism too :) You’ll do it, just stick with the principles and maybe replace some nuts with more grains and veggies instead.Hi ! One of my client is suffering from sarcodiosis. Please guide what kind of diet and supplements I can suggest him. He is fond of eating non vegI find interesting and necessary to consider the genetic background of each individual, as showed in this two articles, it could be determining in the development of obesity and other metabolic diseases with a heavier contribution than diet or physical activity according to their findings: “Genetic Studies of Body Mass Index Yield New Insights for Obesity Biology”. Joel N. Hirschhorn, Ruth J. F. Loos, Elizabeth K. Speliotes, et. al., Nature 518, 197–206 (February 2015)“New Genetic Loci Link Adipose and Insulin Biology to Body Fat Distribution”. Cecilia M. Lindgren, Karen L MohlkeNature et al., 518, 187–196 (February 2015)Took me all of TWO days to start feeling better, weight continues to fall away after 3 months, but the rate has slowed. So easy to continue eating this way, somebody should tell the sick people. 8-p	animal fat,animal products,b12,beef,calcium,calories,chicken,cholesterol,fat,fiber,fish,folate,greens,iron,LDL cholesterol,magnesium,meat,metabolism,plant-based diets,pork,potassium,poultry,protein,riboflavin,saturated fat,seafood,thiamine,turkey,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin A,vitamin B1,vitamin B12,vitamin C,vitamin E,weight loss	Americans eating meat-free diets average higher intakes of nearly every nutrient, while maintaining a lower body weight, perhaps due in part to their higher resting metabolic rates.	Anyone can lose weight in the short term on nearly any diet, but diets don’t work in the long term almost by definition. We don’t need a diet; we need a new way of eating that we can comfortably stick with throughout our lives. If that’s the case, then we better choose to eat in a way that will most healthfully sustain us. That’s why a plant-based diet may offer the best of both worlds. It’s the only diet shown to reverse heart disease, our number one killer, in the majority of patients. See for example Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death.There are a number of theories offered as to why those eating plant-based are so much slimmer on average. See, for example:For more context, check out my associated blog post: The Healthiest Diet for Weight Control.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/09/the-healthiest-diet-for-weight-control/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wheat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thiamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-a/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potassium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/riboflavin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21616188,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21616193,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21616194,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8177051,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21144137,
PLAIN-2688	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preserving-immune-function-in-athletes-with-nutritional-yeast/	Preserving Immune Function in Athletes With Nutritional Yeast	Moderate exercise improves immunity and decreases illness rates. By far, the most important finding that has emerged from exercise immunology studies during the past two decades is that positive immune changes take place during each bout of moderate physical activity. Over time, this translates to fewer days of sickness with the common cold and other upper respiratory infections. We're talking a 25% to 50% reduction in sick days. Name one drug or supplement that can do that.And it doesn't take much. Let kids run around for just 6 minutes and you can boost the number of immune cells circulating in their blood stream by more than a third.At the other end of the life cycle exercise may help prevent age-related immune decline. Sedentary women in their 70s may have a 50% chance of getting an upper respiratory illness during the fall season every year, but walk a half-hour a day and your risk is down to 20%. The runners in the group got it under 10.Now while regular physical activity improves immune function and lowers upper respiratory infection risk, sustained and intense exertion may have the opposite effect, forming a so-called J-shaped curve relationship. As you go from inactive to active, your infection risk declines, but hardcore athletes that overtrain may actually put excessive stress on their bodies and increase their risk of infection. Then you could lose training days, and your performance could suffer. So what can you do? Well traditional sports medicine doesn't appear to have much to offer, advising athletes to you know, don't pick your nose, avoid sick people, and get a flu shot.A new study, though, found that one can better maintain one's level of circulating white blood cells after exhaustive exercise consuming a special type of fiber found in baker's, brewer's and nutritional yeast. Brewer's yeast is bitter, but nutritional yeast has a nice cheesy flavor. I use it mostly to sprinkle on popcorn. Anyway, normally 2 hours after cycling-your-brains-out you can experience a dip in circulating monocytes, one of our first lines of defense (white blood cells), but those who had been eating the equivalent of less than 3 quarters of a teaspoon a day of nutritional yeast ended up even better than when they started after strenuous exercise. But does this increase in immune cells translate into fewer illnesses? Well let's try it on some marathon runners.In the weeks following the Carlsbad Marathon, this is how many runners reported experiencing upper respiratory tract infection symptoms taking a placebo. But if instead they had the equivalent of a daily spoonful of nutritional yeast they cut their rates in half.And what's even more remarkable is that they felt better. They were asked how they felt on a scale of 1-10. People taking the sugar pills were okay down around 4 or 5, but those taking identical looking capsules of the fiber found in nutritional yeast were up at like 6 or 7. Evidently elite athletes tend to normally experience deterioration in mood state during intense training periods, and before and after a marathon race—but sprinkle on a little spoonful of nutritional yeast and you may feel less tense, less fatigued, less confused—even less angry, and my favorite, significantly more vigor!	Excellent discovery!! Thank You!!!! A little “dab” (sprinkle) will do you :-)You’re supposed to eat it, not put it in your hair! :-) (Ah, the memories of the Brylcream ads–For men who use their heads about their hair.)Cool. Is there an alternative you are aware of that you think would achieve the same benefits of this nutritional yeast/brewers yeast, in this regard? Say, Broccoli, beans, fruit, etc.?I believe the form of beta-glucan discussed in this video (1-3, 1-6) is also the kind found predominantly in mushroom species too. The kind found in grains (especially oats) is also known to be biologically active, but not as much. It contains a different beta-glucan format (1-3, 1-4).Thank you.Barley?The kind of beta-glucans found in grains like barley is not the same kind of beta-glucan discussed in the video. However, both are known to have immune boosting advantages.Thanks again Dr. Greger for ferreting out some fit facts we can use!Nice finding. I’ve found using multi B-vitamin supplements (higher dosage versions w/B12) helpful in maintaining respiratory immune robustness in athletes. Have you experienced this?Have you seen Dr Baylock’s studies of Nutritional Yeast being an excitoxin? Can you research this and see if it is true? Thanks so much!I also am curious of this. There are people out there that swear this stuff is toxic. I’ve always wondered why they are so passionate and serious about pointing out how bad nutritional yeast is for humans…is there something to this?Is Brewers Yeast/Bakers Yeast safe for people suffering from Inflammatory Bowel disease? Is pure Beta Glucan safer? Antibodies to Saccharomyces cerevisiae in patients with Crohn’s disease and their possible pathogenic importance. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1379444/Interesting. I hope Dr. G will explore this further.I’m also interested in this research as well. I’m curious what kind of research was done by Dr. Blaylock on this. Was it an actual trial or just a hypothesis?Data suggests that long term excessive exercise may cause myocardial fibrosis and risk of malignant ventricular dysrhythmias and may increase coronary artery calcification. Mortality is lower in people doing moderate excercise than in sedentary people, but probably also lower than in people doing excessive exercise . The U curve again. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23197444Dr O’Keefe is basically the Gary Taubes in trying to prove that running is bad for your health. He has an agenda and cherry picks data to support a more hunter gatherer level of physical activity. Of course a few people in the running community found a lot to critique with what he had to say:http://www.runnersworld.com/health/too-much-running-myth-rises-againhttp://athletesheart.blogspot.com/2012/12/dont-stop-running-yet.htmlhttp://alertandoriented.com/james-okeefe-on-exercise-prescient-or-premature/In the article I refer to, I dont think that the author tries to prove that running is bad for your health, I think the point is that extreme levels of excercise is not (heart) health promoting. I dont no anything else about the author, but why would anybody have an interest in claiming that running or exercise is bad for your health?I should clarify, no he isn’t trying to say running or physical activity is bad for humans, but like I said, O’Keefe wants us to believe we need to be only as physically active as hunter gatherer populations were and that anything more than that is inherently bad for you. You will find his name listed here along with Lauren Cordain and other prominent Paleo promoters on research regarding a Paleo lifestyle http://thepaleodiet.com/published-research-about-the-paleo-diet/#2005. That right there should raise some red flags. I know the articles I posted are only journal articles and opninon pieces, but they do outline some of the issues with his research and data analysis. Here is another response I forgot to post as well http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/a-running-bias-against-runners/OK, I get your point. My agenda is not to defend this point of view, but O`Keefe is not the only scientist raising concern about excessive exercise and heart health, and we probably all know of professional athletes dropping dead at a young age, and that is in my opinion a reason to concern, so I think it is a legitimate guestion to raise. Of course running, biking, crosstraining, spinning is health promoting, but maybe there is a safe upper limit.Ya, I’m definitely not trying to go to the other side and say there is no safe upper limit, but I would have to say we honestly just don’t know what it is at this point from what I’ve looked at. The problem with O’Keefe is that he is trying to get the data to say something it doesn’t at this point in time. But there are reports that go both directions on this issue and hopefully we know more in the near future with the amount of interest their currently is in marathons, ultra running, triathlons, etc.There is quite an interesting study that will be published soon looking at French Tour De France cyclists and rates of mortality, heart disease, cancer, etc. It would be one of the best studies to date at least showing that for people that have engaged in very strenuous levels of repetitive exercise, we aren’t seeing this U shaped curve in terms of the benefits of high intensity physical activity. Of course this is just 1 population study, but we really have yet to see a real trend showing mortality in even the people that exercise well over an hour a day in a responsible manner.http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tour-de-france-cyclists-live-6-years-longer-than-average.aspx?pageID=238&nID=53736&NewsCatID=373Thanks, Aaron, as a late middle age amateur bike racer this is very encouraging info to reassure my doctor. However, not sure TDF racers are good role models: in 1960 it was won by a chain smoker and as recently as the 80’s racers had to ask not to be bunked with smokers; before that amphetamines were found in the jersey pockets of cyclists who died on the road from heart attacks; Chris Horner who just won the Vuelta Espana is known to eat McDonald’s and Burger King death patties between GMO pillows after stage wins. On the other hand it may be a good sample since their habits do seem to reflect society in general. So far David Zabriskie is the only vegan TDF racer I know of in 2011, http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/page/latest-news/?id=103315#.UmfxaPmkod0, out of a field of 189/yr (much less than 1%), so as a group they are still behind the curve. A lot of the old-school trainers/coaches like Joe Friel still swear by animal protein and refined carbs, hard to change that momentum.Ya I have little knowledge of the health habits of French Tour De France riders, hopefully the study will highlight this issue, but if they do tend to live unhealthy lifestyles with the only exception being they exercised for hours a day,that could help increase the relationship between exercise and decreased mortality, cancer, heart disease, etc.Most of the riders in the TDF, as well as the other 3-week stage races in Italy and Spain, are not French, but they seem to more or less reflect cultural norms. It will indeed be interesting to see if the study considers confounding factors to narrow the focus on the effects to intense endurance activities.That study may not be terribly relevant to the average strenuous exerciser given the widespread doping in competitive bike racing.I’ve watched presentations by Dr. Keefe. I was an ironman triathlete before becoming aware of his views and continue to be an ironman triathlete after seeing his research. That is – a vegan triathlete of course :-).Nutritional yeast does not contain B-12!. I was always told that Nutritional Yeast was s non-meat product but it had B-12. I just bought some and the box said “Nutritional Yeast with B-12″. The box next to it just said “Nutritional Yeast”. I read the ingredients on the one with B-12 and it is a ADDED INGREDIENT not naturally in it. On the happy side we use nutritional yeast on more things than pop-corn. It is usually added into many of our sauces and salad dressings. Be creative with it.Perhaps the b12 was an added ingredient for the brand you bought, but nutritional yeast has naturally occurring b12 as well. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/1323565/2I’ve consistently been told from multiple sources there is no naturally occurring vitamin B12 in nutritional yeast and that it has to be added. Yeast itself does not naturally create vitamin B12, only bacteria do. That link you provided is almost definitely fortified nutritional yeastYeast is a microorganism, not a plant. The link I provided is to the USDA nutrition database, they typically state whether an item is fortified or not. In this instance, they did not, which tells me that it is naturally occurring.Yeast are classified as fungi. They are unicellular eukaryotes which means that they are single celled organisms that consist of membrane-bound nuclei and other organelles. Bacteria on the other hand are prokaryotes which implies that they do not contain a membrane-bound nucleus or other organelles.Your link shows that the nutritional yeast used for their analysis was KAL brand nutritional yeast flakes. Here is a link to that states vitamin B12 was fortified as were other B vitamins: http://www.vitacost.com/kal-nutritional-yeast-flakes-22-oz-1Theoretically some species of bacteria that can produce B12 could potentially grow along with S. cerevisiae (the species of yeast used in nutritional yeast) in the wild, commercially produced nutritional yeast is grown in controlled conditions that would normally not allow those bacteria to grow. Therefore, nutritional yeast should not be relied upon as a source of B12 unless it is fortified, which it is in almost all cases.Thank you for sharing this information. I did not realize that KAL was a brand name. I am aware of the distinction between fungi and bacteria, but I did indeed think yeast was a bacteria without investigating or thinking much of the matter. After further investigating, I do indeed see that yeast is a fungi.My pleasure. I didn’t mean to call you out, but I just didn’t want there to be any confusion from anyone when it comes to B12 as we know that can create major problems for most people if they aren’t finding a reliable source. But luckily almost all brands of nutritional yeast I have seen are in fact fortified, so it shouldn’t be an issue what brand you used.The literature I’ve read claims that B12, if it occurs in nutritional yeast naturally (as in, the nut. yeast did not have B12 added to it), is a B12 analogue, thus, not a true form of B12, and of no B12-related benefit. Thoughts?I have no knowledge of whether the natural B12 on nutritional yeast would be active or inactive, but I think it would be largely irrelevant because I’ve never seen manufacturers that allow bacteria to grow alongside their yeast strains.I use Bragg’s nutritional yeast which is fortified with the B vitamins including folic acid and B12, but more for the cheesy flavor. Anyone with pernicious anemia or eating 100% plant based diet has to fortify with B12. I have pernicious anemia and I eat a whole foods, plant based, minimally processed diet, inject B12 monthly, have normal B12 blood levels, and am as healthy as a horse.I recall reading a dietitian stating that nutritional yeast, except Red Star, is not a reliable source of B12. That was either from the Vegetarian Resource Group or Jack Norris, RD. Each of these sources vary on their recommendation of B12 for vegan diets, with the VRG recommending 2000 micrograms/week (or perhaps it was 1000 mcg twice per week, which is similar).Here is Jack’s postion:Eating fortified foods is fine and is mostly how I get vitamin B12 (I take a 1,000 µg pill once in awhile). But brewer’s and nutritional yeast do not have vitamin B12 unless they are fortified with it. You also have to take care not to let them sit out in the light as that can damage B12.I have heard this as well from Jeff Novick. Its best to supplement anyway, otherwise we’d have to consume nutritional yeast 3 times a day.I’ve been using nutritional yeast for about 10 yrs. One side effect I’ve not read about is the neon-tint hue it gives to urine as short as 30-min after ingestion. The effect is short-lived, but is constant. Has anyone else noticed this? Is it naturally occuring or is there an added dye in this product. None is mentioned anywhere. 6rturyIt is natural. It happens when you take too much b vitamins, which also occurs with a b complex supplement. Nothing to worry about! http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/1323565/2I need to corredt my post of 7 minutew ago. I meant to say it imparts a nluorescent yellow tint to the first urine after ingestion. 6rturyGads — I am groggy. Corrections of below: …correct…minutes…and fluorescent. Note final corrections. SorryThat tint is a result of the excess B vitamins being excreted through your urine. Perfectly normal and happens to pretty much everyone.Dr. Greger – I’m very interested in your thoughts on this article: Nutritional Yeast—Super Supplement or Neurotoxin? http://www.daystarbotanicals.com/nutritionalyeast.htmlThis finding is VERY exciting for me! What about vegemite? Could someone please offer their opinion if Vegemite would have the same benefits?The Unusual Suspects Salad-6 fronds organic* kale, de-stemmed (if large stems) and torn into pieces -3 leaves purple cabbage, chopped -1 green or red pepper, diced -1 small summer squash or zucchini, diced -1 small cucumber, diced -3 slices onion, chopped -1 cup cooked lentils -1 tbsp sunflower seeds -2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped -1 slice lemon -black pepper -sea salt -1-2 tbsp nutritional yeastCombine all ingredients except lemon, pepper, salt, and yeast. Toss ingredients and squeeze lemon slice over top and mix in lemon pulp. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper and top with nutritional yeast.*Kale may contain pesticide residues of special concern so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php~Complements of lovestobeveganthere is a debittered brewer’s yeast. ‘nutritional yeast’ is sadly adulterated with synthetic b vitamins (person who asked if it was toxic answer is yes.)I may be entering the ER today since my doc cant see me anytime soon for possible candida. I dont think a supplement like these would be safe. I cant eat or drink anything without a terrible hangover-headache and I get so dizzy I feel drunk. Dr Greger, please do a video on fungal-infections. I cant have a banana without a debilitating headache and severe paranoia. Its like being on drugs,even my thoughts are not me.http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=70291#p70291“We have tested IGF-1 about every 3 months since 2003. We test it along with the IGF binding proteins 1, 2 and 3, insulin, T3 and the VAP test.We wanted to see how total protein fared against the above battery of tests as well as individual protein concentrates including whey, brewers yeast, soy protein isolate, nonfat yogurt, kefir. and a mixture of individual amino acids. The results were frightening — each one of these substances sent IGF-1 significantly higher — independent of total calorie intake.The goal was to customize our CR diet to produce IGF-1 in the lower third of the reference range and to get IGFBP1, which is an indicator of SIRT1 activity, glucagon activity, etc., at the high end of the reference range.This is consistent with the downregulation of energy availability and of anabolic activity that is shown in long-lived CR animals.I have found, however, that protein absorbability makes a greater difference in IGF-I (and the binding proteins) than total protein, if the protein is from vegetables and grains, beans (this does not mean concentrates), and fruits.””As seen above, nutritional yeast has been associated with an increase in IGF-1 activity.From the linked discussion:“Elevated IGF-1 levels in adults can increase the growth rate of cancer. Even isolated plant proteins (like soy) can raise IGF-1 levels. We want lower IGF-1 levels especially as we get older.The above studies showed that higher “total” protein levels raised IGF-1, and so keeping “total” protein levels low, was important.” – Jeff Novick, RDThe Cron-o-meter assesses Red Star Nutritional Yeast as 56.7% protein as a percentage of calories.I wonder how the runners would have fared with plant-based nutrition post-race, like a baked potato or an apple, as opposed to supplemental yeast.> whey, brewers yeast, soy protein isolate, nonfat yogurt, kefir and a mixture of individual amino acids. > each one of these substances sent IGF-1 significantly higherIMO, good reason to stay away from yeast supplements.Hi Dr. G. I am a very physically active vegan- bodybuilding, spin classes etc. and was very interested in this video about nutritional yeast. The problem is that every time I eat something which contains nutritional yeast, I get this awful blood filled blister in my mouth. It is painful until it bursts. Then it turns white and takes about a week to heal. The last one I got was right on my tongue! I usually one get one blister and it forms while I am eating the food. Is this something I should be concerned about? I don’t get any other symptoms. Is there anything I can do to prevent these blisters from happening? Thank you!Michael, You briefly mention in this video, regarding nutritional yeast, that you “use it mostly to sprinkle on popcorn”. I have been doing this all year, and I love the taste. But now I want to boost the health promoting effects of popcorn even further, by eliminating the use of oils, and adding dulse/seaweed flakes (for iodine) as a salt replacement – but I cannot find any videos in which you specifically talk about popcorn (or how you prepare it yourself). If I switch to a hot-air popper, how could I get nutritional yeast and other sprinkled goodies to actually “stick” to the popped kernels? Does anybody else have ideas to share?It appears that there is controversy regarding nutritional yeast due some research that it raises IGf1 levels because of the synthetic folic acid, and had been linked to colorectal and other cancers. This is very concerning to us plant-based folks who use it liberally in place of cheese! It’s rumored that neither Dr. Goldhammer at True North or Jeff Novick approves of it Apparently Dr Fuhrman has research why ONLY to consume the non- fortified version, since it’s the synthetic folic acid that is suspiciously involved in raising IGf1. I’m finding it difficult to ferret out the facts as regards what to buy, if at all! Can you shed some light on this topic for us? Thanks so much!IGF is more likely a function of branched amino acids (ie leucine, isoleucine, valine) than folic acid.So are you saying that regular nutritional yeast that can be found in bulk in, for example, Whole Foods is safe to eat? It is probably the fortified versionBased on below abstracts, my conclusion is that the increase in IGF-1 associated with nutritional yeast is more likely a function of it’s branched amino acids (http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/baked-products/5130/2) than that of folic acid. Yeast is a concentrated, protein-rich food (91% of cals). 2 heaping tables spoon provides approx 9 g of protein. It is safe to eat. It can be used to reduce reliance on animal products. I prefer not to as I think I get enough protein from fruits and veggies and because of a leaky gut issue.Abstract (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22397069) suggest folic acid could decrease the risk of colon, breast and prostate cancers mainly in wine drinkers, whereas it increases the growth of preneoplasic cells of the latter cancers. 24465421) suggests folic acid supplementation may promote the progression of established mammary tumors in rats. 16728583 suggests folic reduces risk of colon cancer by decreasing IGF-IR. 16111879 suggests folic deficiency retards rat embryo skull bone development via IGF-IR. 25207954 suggests maternal vitamins and folics supplementation reduces childhood leukemia. 23682073 suggests folic prevents the initial occurrence of sporadic colorectal adenoma in Chinese older than 50 years of age. 24090688 suggests folic supplements before and possibly during pregnancy may protect against childhood brain tumors. There are many other abstracts related to using folic acid conjugates to kill cancer cells.I personally wouldn’t take nutritional yeast as I don’t need to push IGF-1 levels. If I had to take it, I would consume the non-fortified one. I’m a minimalist :)Jay, I appreciate your responses regarding nutritional yeast. I understand you don’t use it, but if you were to use it for flavor( not protein supplementation) which kind would you use or recommend – the synthetic fortified folic acid kind or the unfortified folate? It seems that there are mixed reviews! Thanks so much.very interesting! i heard that the sweet nutritional yeast don’t have this good proprieties like the natural and bitter one, it is that true? because in the process to take out the bitter flavor you lost some vitaminsHow much nutritional yeast is too much?? If one consumes more than the recommended dose daily, are there negative effects as a consequence?	aging,beta glucan,brewer's yeast,children,cognition,common cold,exercise,fatigue,fiber,immune function,mood,nutritional yeast,respiratory infections,stress,yeast	Athletes who overtrain may put excessive stress on their bodies and become more susceptible to respiratory infections, but the fiber found in nutritional and brewer's yeast may prevent this immune decline in marathon runners.	More on the benefits of exercise in:Don’t have time? Yes you do! See: Standing Up for Your Health.What else can we do to preserve our immune function? See:Nutritional yeast that’s fortified can also be a convenient source of vitamin B12 (Safest Source of B12).For more context, check out my associated blog post: Why Athletes Should Eat More Nutritional Yeast.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/04/why-athletes-should-eat-nutritional-yeast/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-glucan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brewers-yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/respiratory-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutritional-yeast/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17021002,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22575076,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21878385,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16572599,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24149590,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10910297,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21784146,
PLAIN-2689	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/	Enhanced Athletic Recovery Without Undermining Adaptation	Ultramarathon runners may generate so many free radicals during a race that they can damage the DNA of a significant percentage of their cells. Now some have looked on the exercise-induced increase in free radical production as a paradox: why would an apparently healthy act, exercise, lead to detrimental effects through damage to various molecules and tissues. This is somewhat of a misunderstanding as exercise in and of itself is not necessarily the healthy act, it's the recovery after exercise that is so healthy. The whole that-which-doesn't-kill-us-makes-us-stronger notion. For example, exercise training has been shown to enhance antioxidant defenses by increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes. So yeah during the race ultra-marathoners may be taking hits to their DNA, but check out a week later.Six days after the race, they didn't just go back to the baseline level of DNA damage, they had significantly less, presumably because they had so revved up their antioxidant defenses. So maybe exercise-induced oxidative damage is beneficial, kinda like vaccination. By freaking out the body a little, maybe you'll induce a response that's favorable in the long run. This concept that low levels of a damaging entity can up-regulate protective mechanisms is known as hormesis. For example, herbicides kill plants. But in tiny doses… may actually boost plant growth, presumably by stressing the plant into rallying its resources to successfully fight back.Wait a second, though. Could then eating anti-inflammatory anti-oxidant rich plant foods undermine this adaptation response? We saw that berries could reduce inflammatory muscle damage; and greens could reduce the free radical DNA damage. Dark chocolate and tomato juice may have similar effects. The flavonoid phytonutrients in fruits, vegetables and beans appear to inhibit the activity of xanthine oxidase, considered the main contributor of free radicals during exercise. And the carbs in plant foods may decrease stress hormone levels.So in 1999, a theoretical concern was raised. Maybe all that free radical stress from exercise is a good thing, and increased consumption of some antioxidant nutrients might interfere with these necessary adaptive processes. So if you decrease the free radical tissue damage, maybe you don't get that increase in activity of those antioxidant enzymes.The cherry researchers responded, look, although it is likely that muscle damage, inflammation and oxidative stress are important factors in the adaptation process, minimizing these factors may improve recovery so you can train more and perform better. So, there are theories on both sides, but what happens when you actually put it to the test? What does the data show?While antioxidant or anti-inflammatory supplements may prevent these adaptive events, researchers found that a berry extract—black currant in this study, although packed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties actually augmented—boosted the health benefits of regular exercise even further.You take antioxidant pills—vitamin C and vitamin E supplements and you can also reduce the stress levels induced by exercise, but in doing so you block that boost in antioxidant enzyme activity caused by exercise. Now maybe you don't need that boost if you don't have as much damage, but vitamin C supplements may impair physical performance in the first place. Whereas with plant foods, you appear to get the best of both worlds.Check out this recent study on lemon verbena, an antioxidant-rich herbal tea. It protects against oxidative damage and decreases the signs of muscular damage and inflammation, all without blocking the cellular adaptation to exercise. They showed that lemon verbena does not affect the increase of the antioxidant enzyme response promoted by exercise. On the contrary, glutathione reductase activity was even higher in the lemon verbena group. Here's the level of antioxidant enzyme activity before and after 21 days of intense running exercises in the control group. With all the free radical damage that caused, the body started cranking up its antioxidant defenses. But give a dark green leafy tea, and not only do you put akabosh on the damage due to all the phytonutrients and antioxidants, but you still get the boost in defenses—in fact, in this case, even better.	I’ll swim, bike and run to that!!! Your tireless work has helped so many, including those of the Original Hawai’i October Ironman World Championships which just completed last weekend. Cheers to good Health!This is great news for athletes. For performance and for health, plants rule.A plant only diet is superior in nearly all health areas. One area of concern is with elite athletes regarding tendon strength and ply-ability which often is neglected in a plant only diet. Complex b-vitamins and other specific proteins needed for tendon health (readily available in meat proteins) have been challenging to replace adequately in plant only diets leading to statistically significant tendon failures (ruptures). This is particularly evident in athletes competing in anaerobic events.Coach Rich (elite competitive runner +44years, track & field coach +25years)Hi Ric, which foods/supplements do you recommend for tendon repair? I already take protein as meat, I am not vegetarian. Thanks.Gabriel – am not prone to giving advice outside of my direct oversight and responsibility of athletes I coach and work with. In general I can say that I am very supportive of high plant diet content and support 100% plant diets for those that are not competitive high performance athletes. My experience is real world over 40+ years that few can match. I am a nationally certified coach, an engineer with significant scientific and sport medicine background (but I am not a doctor). I am generally not a big supporter of supplements since they seeks to short cut the body’s use of great naturally available nutrients that ingest and metabolize more effectively and safely in the athlete’s body.Ligaments and tendons are made primarily of collagen, which our bodies make from non-essential amino acids. Vitamin C plays an important role in collagen synthesis. The only B vitamin at issue with non-meat eaters would be B12 – mostly among vegans. All ingested protein is broken down into the individual amino acids that comprise them – regardless of source – and only then does our body begin to utilize it. Apples, black beans, broccoli, a baked potato, peanut butter, and a million other non-meat foods contain “complete” proteins that supply all essential amino acids our bodies need to assemble our own proteins. By what mechanism does a plant only diet lead to more tendon failures?Short answer – its a matter of science vs engineering. It’s a matter of real world practice vs the theory. BTW – It’s not just what your body is made of. In the real world, based on what your “machine” is doing, getting the correct availability of specific building blocks at the right time is the key to prevent injury in high performance athletes. Sorry for the brevity, if you were one of my athletes we would spend quite a bit of time on this.But you claimed statistical significance in the rate of tendon injuries among those eating a plant only diet, and statistical significance is not something typically associated with anecdotal evidence….but rather evidence-based scientific research. I was hoping you’d share your source so I could take a look and evaluate the data. If it’s a matter of noticing patterns over the course of your career, then that’s another matter….and I am tempted to point out that the runner in the picture for the video is Scott Jurek, who I assume you know is the greatest ultramarathon runner of all time, and also a vegan.And Rich RollAC – sorry for my lack of clarity. I was trying to clarify that anecdotal is not statistically relevant as I run across “one up” examples all the time. I agree that vegan suits well for aerobic events, Scott is a great case in point. Little of my experience has been with marathon or ultra marathon athletes but with shorter distances ~1500m, sprints, jumps and other anaerobic events. A good part my experience is pattern identification over enough data be relevant. To your point it isn’t a scientific study involving controls. In the 1990s there were a few university sports articles on vegan diets and tendon injuries.Again I have to ask. How many vegan/vegetarians have you come across? And of the few you have seen you can say they have torn tendon?Very relevant question. 2 vegans, one with a torn tendon, means that 50% of the vegans have weak tendons.oh goodness. You are so funny. But you got my point.It seems to me that Rich got a Phd in Bro Science.thanks Adrien – I’ll take that as a compliment to the many athletes (some of them “Bros”) I’ve had the privilege of supporting.hi AC – yes you nailed one of the issues B12.Interesting, but we need references – “statistically significant “?In this context I mean non anecdotal and non random outlier data. I’ll have to do some digging to find published references (it’s been quite a while). My experience of coaching 1000s of athletes over +20 years at all levels from Highschool through world class olympians (as well as my 40+ year extensive racing career – and still going) has demonstrated an increase tendon failure rate of over 3-4x with vegan athletes over typical dieters (i.e. animal meat eaters). Mostly in the legs and abdominal areas. There are of course many positive influences of plant diets. This problem area is very critical for safe high explosive performance (you might say it is an achilles heal of sorts, no pun intended). You can search a related tendon failure mechanism related to younger women (16 – 30) during menstrual cycles – this is well documented through scientific studies over the past 30 years and relates to low of ply-ability (and temporary brittleness of said tendons) due to specific hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle. It’s not the same thing as I am referencing above , but there is some significant understanding to temporary loss of tendon robustness that is relevant to this topic.Does anyone here know Carl Lewis? He is a vegan and if anyone on this message board knows him personally, maybe you could reach out to him and ask him his experience, in this regard, with his own body/tendons and with other elite Olympians he has trained with over the years. From what I know, Carl is still vegan and going strong.Elsie – thanks for your feedback. Yes, I am very familiar with Carl and his vegan diet. He wasn’t always a vegan. Carl has a very rare muscle composition which complimented his high performance for a longer period than most sprint (anaerobic event) athletes. Vegan is an excellent choice for post competitive athletes, and you are right there isn’t much (if any) long term data. My experience with 1000s of athletes shows significant challenges. Let me make a very crude comparison (please do not take this as an endorsement of any kind) – let’s say that high nutrient red meat is a form of performance enhancement drug (I won’t even mention the name but you know what drugs I’m referring). An athlete can take in this high content red matter and quickly build strength and robustness while training. But it comes at a cost – long term (and sometimes short term too) which can greatly damage the body beyond repair. My experience of success uses a safe balance which results in great performance and longevity in a practical way. Look at some of my other postings to gain additional background. Just remember that knowledge comes by using great wisdom in testing and evaluating the data (and not all data is equal). Best of success to you.Rich, why is it that there are vegan athletes out there that dominate their sport of choice? It has to make the meat-eater wonder, hey maybe I should go vegan? Is it that some of these vegan athletes are so gifted that it doesn’t matter what they eat?Genetics are a primary factor, as are mental drive, spirit, experience, and life style choices. Vegan can be good, but it is not a magic bullet. Do your research, peek performance isn’t all science and competitive success isn’t that simple.Rich, I just want to compliment you in how well you word your answers. You may not be a doctor but you are a bright individual and well spoken. I on the other hand hold a doctorate degree and only recently (18 months or so) have my eyes been open to the athletic improvements by eating a primarily plant based minimal processed food diet. Hence, despite my degree I was quite ignorant on this subject matter previously. Here’s to plants and to an occasional bite off my girlfriend’s meat based protein plate. ;)elsie: That’s a reasonable question. I don’t know the answer about long term data. But I thought since we were all sharing anecdotes, I would remind readers that there’s more than just one or two seriously competitive vegan athletes out there, some who have been vegan for many years. ————————- (from meatout mondays) Vegan Bodybuilders Dominate Texas CompetitionThe Plant Built (PlantBuilt.com) team rolled into this year’s drug-free, steroid-free Naturally Fit Super Show competition in Austin, TX, and walked away with more trophies than even they could carry.The Plant Built team of 15 vegan bodybuilders competed in seven divisions, taking first place in all but two. They also took several 2nd and 3rd place wins.For More Info: http://www.plantbuilt.com/——————— When Robert Cheeke started VeganBodybuilding.com in 2002, being the only vegan athlete he knew of, he may not have imagined that the website would quickly grow to have thousands of members. Robert says, “We’re discovering new vegan athletes all the time, from professional and elite levels… to weekend warriors and everyone in between.”For More Info: http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/ —————– There was that other guy who just did a world record in weight lifting. “Congratulations to Strongman Patrik Baboumian who yesterday took a ten metre walk carrying more than half a tonne on his shoulders, more than anyone has ever done before. After smashing the world record the Strongman let out a roar of ‘Vegan Power’…” For more info: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/vegan-strongman-patrik-babaoumain-breaks-world-record/—————– Here’s another site that I like: http://www.greatveganathletes.com/I found this story on the above site: “Pat Reeves has set a new world powerlifting record at the WDFPA World Single Lift Championships. The 66 year old lifter, who has been vegan for 46 years, lifted 94 kg to set a record for the under 50.5kg weight class while competing in France in June 2012. The lift was more than 1.85 times her bodyweight, which is exceptional for her division. Pat is now officially the oldest competing weightlifter in Europe.”Hope everyone finds this helpful.Thea, thanks for posting all this stuff.And bodybuilders need strong tendonsI work with athletes. And I have never come across a vegan athlete. So if Coach Rich has coached 1000 runners which is not difficult if you have a high school team with 120 runners, I can ‘t imagine he has actually come across vegans with torn tendons. And better yet, there are so many meat eaters who are running and tearing tendons! The sport is ridiculously intense. That causes injured runners. Especially when they are 16 and growing.Veganrunner: That was also my thought, but you express it with some authority that I lack. It’s my guess that Rich is really basing his comments on those magazine articles that he read decades ago. And who knows what those articles were based on? Thanks for chiming in.And I am sure he is an absolutely wonderful coach! We need more people willing to dedicate their time to the high schools. It is often time a thankless job and parents can be so difficult to work with.;-) My thought exactly.A whole foods plant based diet based complex carbohydrates can provide plenty of b vitamins and there is no whole plant food that is missing an amino acid, as all whole plant foods contain all the essential amino acids. If you are referring to the fact that whole plant foods have different ratios of amino acids then animal products, this is also not a concern. Getting all the amino acids in at once at the same meal, or even in the same day, as some may suggest, is not necessary due to the amino acid pool, which is a circulating level of amino acids in the blood, that the body can draw from if needed. As long as one follows a whole foods plant based diet, the amino acid pool will maintain a sufficient stock of any potentially needed (or limiting) amino acids.“A plant only diet is superior in nearly all health areas. ”Mmmm…could it be that maybe humans were designed to eat just a plant-only diet? (:Maybe that is what your experience is and that is interesting if it could be scientifically proven but all the evidence points to the weakest tendons in those with decreased blood flow to the areas in question: Poor blood flow=poor tendon health=increased risk of tendon rupture (Also those that use anabolic steroids have very high rates of tendon ruptures). The persons with the poorest blood flow will be those with the poorest diet, and the worst substance to put into the body from many perspectives (Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, Cancer, Athletic performance) is meat, eggs and dairy, because the excess protein, saturated fat, and cholesterol (among many other destructive molecules PHiP, Neu5GC, Viruses, Bacteria, etc) cause a chronic low level of inflammation.Chronic mlow level inflammation (Meta-Inflammation) is destructive to our bodies! And low level inflammation decreases blood flow to working tendons and muscles, causing earlier fatigue.It’s important to remember vessel size in regards to blood flow: Blood flow is proportional to the blood vessel radius to the fourth power, meaning a 2 fold decrease (or increase) to the radius results in a 16 fold decrease (or increase) to flow respectively. Inflammation reduces blood flow!With regards to Anaerobic work and Plant based lifestyles: Tony Gonzalez, Tight-End Kansas City Chiefs which holds the record for most catches and touchdowns for tight ends in the NFL Billy Simmonds the 2009 Mr. Natural Universe—Plant based Joe Kirkillis, Bodybuilder, Plant based And now Patrik Baboumian, Vegan Strongman, Record for most weight carried 10 meters 550kg (1172 lbs) And of course 6 time IronMan champion Dave Scott all done while Vegan. If I remember correctly all the times he didn’t achieve first place he was not Vegan.And there are other numerous vegetarian/vegan athletes that have performed very well: Carl Lewis (Vegan) Billy jean King, Martina Navratalova, Robert Parish, Joe Namath and the list is growing.Vegan athletics is very doable. And I fail to see in the literature and in my own anecdotal experience the increase in tendon ruptures related to Veganism.It may not be for everyone, and that is because of their own values but not because of the scientific evidence, and there is some tweaking about eating enough calories for these athletes, but if done correctly appears to be quite superior to any other lifestyle for not only athletic performance but achieving the healthiest lifestyle known to date.This is what many researcher’s and scientist’s have shown but the most notable are: Dean Ornish, MD, Caldwell Esselstyn, MD, T. Colin Campbell, PhD, Neal Barnard,MD, John McDougall, MD, and of course Michael Greger, MD.Good morning Dr Hemo, Len Miller is one of our most famous running coaches. He has coached many of our olympic athletes and he coached Steve Scott throughout his running career. He is a friend of mine and we have had this same conversation regarding his runners. He just read Jureks book and it seemed to have broadened his thinking.Keep it up! I don’t say much to people about eating healthy unless they ask or are in my office. And sometimes I use the, “It may not work for you but it works for me.” statement to deflect direct criticism.That said, last week I had a young patient get really irate and almost throw a punch at me because I wouldn’t give him opiates for his acid reflux. He had just been discharged from the ER for severe stomach and chest pain which they determined was GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). And he was clearly altered by pain medication while in my office–glazed over eyes and slowed responses.I explained to him the physiology of the acid production of eating animal foods vs. Plant foods. I had to explain this multiple times because he wasn’t wanting to understand what I was saying because it didn’t fit into his malingering needs.But eventually he repeated back to me, “I have all this pain and you’re sitting here telling me to stop eating all meat, and dairy and to start taking Prilosec and that will fix all the PAIN I HAVE!?! That’s a bunch of crap and I want something for my pain!”While in the office he was such an a$$hole to his wife, whom he kicked out of the room by yelling at her and told her to leave and go to the lobby, and belligerent towards me that I just stated he is going to have to find another doctor to take care of his needs and yes, “No I will not prescribe pain meds for your GERD!”But Veganrunner, the more we get the word out the less the world will challenge the benefits of eating a plant based diet!Dr Hemo I feel for you. Most of my patients are back patients so opiates are often prescribed. Poor guy. He must think you are crazy!Dr. Hemo, You still there? Could you explain this a bit more? Why does the excess protein, sat fat, etc. tell the immune system to rush in and create inflammation? And why do the blood vessels then reduce in size? Thanks for all your helpful comments.Dr. Hemo, Could you explain this a bit more? Why does the excess protein, sat fat, etc. tell the immune system to rush in and create inflammation? And why do the blood vessels then reduce in size? Thanks for all your helpful comments.Hi Coach Rich, As a runner, mother of young competitive runners, and an orthopedic physical therapist IMHO the problem is the intensity of the sport. Have you actually ran into that many runners who don’t eat meat? We are a rarity.Only a few dozen athletes but growing in the past decade. It’s a small percentage of those I’ve coached (but with disproportionate injuries). Training & diets have evolved significantly since the 70s (when I began). My baseline is decades of experience and it iterates conservatively. Continued learning may lead me to a plant only solution, but I’m not there yet. Coaching & running is my passion and I strive to keep improving. Enjoy the journey with your kids.Wow. More than I would of thought.There are so few research articles on running. I would bet 0 on vegan runners and tendon injury. Some on mechanics of course but injury, not so much.You would be surprised.Here is a wonderful 5-minute totally paleosafe video that explains how strenuous exercise generates free radicals that damage DNA, but the recovery process more than makes up for it. Antioxidant supplements like vitamin C and E pills (unavailable to the caveman) may actually interfere with the recovery process as shown in some studies, while the phytonutrients in plants are shown to greatly enhance it. Another blow to the supplement industry.The only “magic bullet” i know of, is made of broccoli….DanielFaster: That was a really nice summary. I appreciated it. And actually, I had read your comment before watching the video. I think your comment helped me absorb the information in the video better. Thanks!hello! can you please do video about controlling asthma with nutrition. greetings from slovenia!jurij – So cool that someone from Slovenia is tuned in. Welcome to the group!Yes. This is “The invasion of The Planteaters” :-)I just forwarded this to my husband who is competing in a cyclocross competition as we speak. Plants are the best!I have a colleague who is running more than 100 km per. week without any problems. I think he attributes his stamina to WFPDAbsolutely. And recovery is faster. Both Rolls’ and Jureks’ books were the last push I needed, along with my nutrition facts.org friends to push me into the abyss.Actually Rich Rolls book inspired me to do much more cardio – and my NF friends help me stay on track. No support in the MD community – sad but true. And I appreciate your comments on NF.Well thank you Plantstrong. Oh I know. Most MDs think I am nuts but that is ok. They also can’t argue with the fact that we are ridiculously healthy. One of my doctors just said to me, “But most people can’t do what you do.” What is that? Why do people make the choice to eat crap and be unhealthy? It baffles me. Or to not exercise.I learned nothing at all about nutrition and health in medschool, doctors dont talk about it, and probably dont care. I have worked in a stroke unit, and nutrition was never mentioned. Actually it was a coincidence, that I came across the subject of WFPD and health, but I immediately got interested. MDs know about diseasecare, not healthcare.I hate to bag on doctors because I work with you guys on a daily basis but you are so right. What is really interesting now is that they are starting to talk about the importance of movement. Like that concept is something new! And prevention. Well I am glad they are starting to show up. Better late than never.Exercise is also important. The most common injury among modern man is probably – and sadly – repetitive strain injury from using the computer, and lumbago from reaching out for the TV-dinner…..Found it. http://findingultra.com/mobile/index.phpWho said vegans can’t be tough!It`s a great story – and he`s tough!Did you ever watch the video he released to promote his book? He looks amazing doing butterfly across the pool. I look at that and I want some–good health not Rich. ;-)I agree, although anecdotal, I am a competitive climber and I have noticed significant endurance gains since going pant based.Very true toxins but we so rarely sway–it’s fun every so often to remind each other how great we feel!I need less sleep since going plantstrong.In regards to sleep, what I noticed was that I had high energy all day, until it was time to sleep at night. Then I was hit by a wave of tiredness and had to sleep or risk being a mindless zombie.Approximately how many of gms of dried lemon verbena leaves was utilized/day? I can see from the second page of the Lemon Verbena/cytokine article that an extract was prepared. But only pages 1-2 are available for free online. Is there enough information in the rest of the article to roughly estimate the amount of dried leaves that would be equivalent to the extract and how often it was ingested? Thanks for the excellent video!I wonder whether pure freeze dried montmorency cherry capsules would count as food, or as a supplement? I take these to improve my post-exercise recovery and don’t want to think it is counter-productive! Surely it is the same as eating the cherries (just more convenient and cheaper) and therefore OK? I would be interested to know thoughts on this….I like the hormesis way of thinking. Radiation hormesis strengthens the immune system.I do eat a vegan diet, but also take a freeze-dried cherry supplement to speed exercise recovery – this is just pure freeze-dried cherries in a capsule, nothing else.(Cheaper and easier than eating pounds of cherries!!) Would this count as food and therefore be OK? Or would it behave like a supplement in undermining the benefits of exercise recovery? I would be interested in thoughts on this…Great video, thank you! You mention “the right time” of getting blackcurrant or/and cherry juice. What is this right time for runners? Is it before running or during the workout? Best regards, martaI love this website and the analysis, and making research available to all. That said, this was a very difficult video to follow, and since I have analysed it in more detail, I’m a bit disappointed. There is a claim that “Plant Foods Offer the Best of Both Worlds”, yet, it is based on one study of athletes who took a lemon verbena tea supplement. So, they weren’t eating the plant,and I don’t think they were even drinking the tea. As a supplement, wouldn’t that imply that it has been processed (like the Vit C supplement, that impaired physical performance in athletes?) Vit C is obviously in a lot of plants, too. I would say the claim that plant foods offer the best of both worlds is unsubstantiated by the evidence provided in this analysis.Hello, this is not really a question specific to this video, but I am curious as to any other websites that focus more on exercise that you would give your approval to. I essentially use this website as my end all for any question that arises nutritionally, and I wish I had a similar ‘encyclopedia’ to reference when wondering about more fitness related questions.Dear Dr. Greger,you mentioned black currant in this video and its antioxidant content activity. There is an antioxidant substance in black currant which appears to be especially interesting: Keracyanin (Sambucin, Cyanidin 3-rutinoside, Meralop, (same as Antirrhinin?)). It is an antioxidant and appears to inhibit some proteases (MMP1, MMP9, neutrophil elastase), protecting erythrocytes from apoptosis, but inducing apoptosis in the highly tumorigenic RE-149 DHD cell line. When added to food, keracyanin chloride significantly reduces body weight gain, resistance to insulin, and lipid accumulation in mice fed a high-fat diet. I think this is an interesting topic on its own, what about producing a video on keracyanin, a polyphenolic anthocyanin found in black currants and other plants?You find references here at a research product vendor site: https://www.caymanchem.com/app/template/Product.vm/catalog/15778Keep rockin it Dr. Greger. Your work is both informative and inspirational. I’m gonna go get a good 10 miler and a green smoothie! Thank you for all that you and your team do!!yeah the Marriott Got It Covered for me!http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jan2015/nimh-19.htmhttp://www.soulradiouk.com/There was a story today in the Daily Mail (and elsewhere) on how jogging is only good for us at a moderate pace, around three times a week. More intense runs are reported to shorten lifespan as much as sedentary living; could this be attributed to oxidative stress?http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2936615/Too-jogging-just-bad-doing-none-short-run-three-time-week-key-longer-life.htmlN.B.: I haven’t looked into the studies behind the stories in the popular press, so take this with a pinch of salt!	antioxidants,beans,berries,beverages,cherries,chocolate,currants,DNA damage,exercise,flavonoids,fruit,fruit juice,greens,herbal tea,hormesis,inflammation,juice,lemon verbena,muscle health,muscle inflammation,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,supplements,tea,tomato juice,tomatoes,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin C,vitamin E	Might the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of plant-based diets undermine some of the benefits of exercise?	More on enhancing athletic recovery in my recent three-part video series:Then there’s my 15-video series on using nitrate-rich vegetables to boost athletic performance starting with Doping With Beet Juice and ending with So Should We Drink Beet Juice or Not?More examples of plants over pills in:If it’s lemon verbena’s antioxidant content, then there may be a better option. See The Healthiest Herbal Tea and Better Than Green Tea?I’ll continue this thread in my next video, Preserving Immune Function In Athletes With Nutritional Yeast.For more context, check out my associated blog post: How to Boost the Benefits of Exercise.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/28/how-to-boost-the-benefits-of-exercise/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemon-verbena/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/currants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19403859,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22777327,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10671036,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16336008,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20845212,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20967458,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15059637,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21917014,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2680430/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16572599,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14563981,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10604201,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21465244,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3238154/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19883392,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22396752,
PLAIN-2690	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/	Chronic Headaches and Pork Tapeworms	Neurocysticercosis is the infection of the human central nervous system by pork tapeworm larvae. Little, baby pork tapeworms invading one's brain has become an increasingly important emerging infection in the United States, and it is the #1 cause of epilepsy in the world. It is the most common parasitic disease of the human brain and use to only be found throughout the developing world—with the exception of Muslim countries of course. That all changed about 30 years ago, and now it's increasingly found throughout North America.Besides seizures, the pork parasites may actually trigger brain tumors or cause an aneurism or psychiatric manifestation like depression, but who wouldn't be depressed having worms in their brain? It can also result in dementia, but the good news is that with deworming drugs it's often reversible. Only rarely do you have to open someone’s skull and extract the larvae surgically, though once they get into your eyeballs you really do have to remove them, dead or alive.I've talked about pork tapeworms before, but what's new is that now we know that they may present as chronic headaches—either migraines or so-called tension-headaches—even when the worms in your head are dead. What they think is happening is that as our body tries to chip away at their calcified bodies it may release bits of them into the rest of our brain causing inflammation that could be contributing to headaches.Now it's still rare, and even if you live in an endemic area you can avoid getting infested with an adult tapeworm in the first place by cooking pork thoroughly, but what does that mean exactly? Well first of all it's found in some parts of pig carcasses more than others, and you can freeze the little suckers to death,no matter how infested the muscles are, by storing pork cut up into small pieces for a month at subzero temperatures. Then cook the meat for more than two hours. That is one well-done pork chop.The New England Journal of Medicine recently featured a case of some guy who must have had thousands of pork tapeworm larvae wriggling through his muscles. See all those little white streaks? That's why you can get infected by pork, it gets in the muscles. So cannibals might want to cook for two hours too.Not all parasites are associated with meat, though. An anxious but healthy 32-year-old male physician presented to the family medicine clinic with a sample of suspected parasites from his stools, which had been retrieved from the toilet that same day. And here they are. They look to be about an inch long. He had previously traveled to India, had Chinese food the night before—who knows what he had. Maybe it was hookworms? The sample was sent to the microbiology laboratory for analysis.Later that day, the microbiology physician called to report positive identification of Vigna radiata (previously known as Phaseolus aureus) in the stool sample. Or in common parlance, a bean sprout. They were bean sprouts!"The patient was called and gently but firmly informed of the diagnosis. Given the nature of the identified specimen, the information was presented in a non-judgmental, respectful manner so as not to offend the sensibilities or sensitivities of the patient."Their parting advice to fellow physicians in cases of this nature would be as follows: as comical as the findings might seem--try not to laugh!	Is this neurocysticercosis only possible if one eats uncooked pork from infected pigs? Are there specific traditional dishes that involve uncooked pork? What is the probability of getting infected upon eating uncooked pork?I wanted to understand how common this is (even though I’m a vegetarian) and this is what I found in a Google search:Dr. Theodore Nash, chief of the Gastrointestinal Parasites Section at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), cites side effects such as stupor, coma, loss of motor functions, violent seizures, blindness and even death.Although clear figures are difficult to ascertain, Nash estimates that 2,000 people in the United States might have brain tapeworms. Global numbers are much higher, though estimates are difficult to assess because neurocysticercosis is most common in impoverished areas with poor public-health systems. Nash estimates that anywhere from 11 million to 29 million people have neurocysticercosis in Latin America alone.re: “try not to laugh” Can I giggle in the privacy of my own home? ;-)Real life story. I work at a seafood restaurant. With my severe discount, it was pretty standard for me to eat wild Copper River salmon 3-4 times a week, seared to a beautiful rare to medium-rare. This was standard practice for about a year, year and a half.One day, I get severe constipation (at the time I was quite regular and regularly ate salads and veggies, as well as animals), this lasted about four days. I decide to tackle the problem with Dulcolax (some kind of laxative). I take two, no immediate recovery (here in America, we demand results, not excuses), so I pop three more. Problem solved! I was painting the toilet in no time!Little did I know the strength of these little pills. I had severe diarrhea for 3 days… Like 8-10 times a day. I was really concerned about dehydration, and the violent bowel movements were really wearing me out physically. I tried to lay low for a bit.Day three, I decided to continue on with my life (after visiting the bathroom four times that morning). So I go shopping at Sam’s Club (with my parents lol…) and the debilitating-punch-to-my-gut feeling returns, by this point, I’m familiar with the routine and know what’s in store. I excuse myself and brace for the pain in a well stocked bathroom stall. Like clock work, the janitor is going to have their work cut out for them.–Disclaimer, it get’s a bit (more) descriptive here..–But this time was different, after finishing, there appeared to be a long piece of lettuce hanging about six inches out of my anus, I’m a bit confused to see anything resembling food after 20+ bouts of explosive diarrhea over the last few days. “Whatever, grab a fist full of TP and pull it out,” I think to myself.I kept pulling it out, gently, replacing my toilet paper hand armor as necessary. I managed to extract about three feet before the “lettuce” became taut like a shoelace and snapped apart.I watched in the reflection between my legs in the water of the toilet (you know what I’m talking about, don’t play coy), as the “lettuce” proceeded to slither it’s way back up my asshole. I was hopeless, I couldn’t maintain any kind of grip on the slimy bastard as it proceeded to violate my derrière and flee to the safety of my innards.One can only imagine my horror when I realized it wasn’t a rib of romaine.I’m not a total idiot (although, in retrospect five dulcolax is pretty stupid), and coincidently I had recently heard about this new trend diet called the “Tape Worm Diet” where people voluntarily infect themselves with tape worms to reduce their caloric intake. It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to connect the dots. “Mother F’er, I got a tape worm!” I lamented to myself.I knew “Wall-e” (since Sam’s Club was a part of Wallmart, and Wall-e is just a great movie overall, seriously, check it out), as he had become to be known, had won this round. I exit the stall, defeated, a broken man, face paled, covered in sweat and fear; I looked like I had witnessed a murder.My parents immediately noticed my distress, “What’s wrong Scott? Are you okay?” they inquire.“Mom… Dad… I think I have a tape worm. I named him Wall-e” They don’t believe me. I proceed to describe the story, they laugh at me. My parents are awesome.As a young, uninsured, bachelor, college drop out turned musician of Generation, I knew there was only solution…. le interwebz. Hours or googling and research, I learn all about tape worms, the different kinds (fish, pork, beef), their overall anatomy and risk factors involved. Given my dietary choices, I was convinced Wall-e was a fish tapeworm.Some good news, some bad news. Good news, the internet says the fish tapeworms are the least likely to leave the intestines and party down in the rest of the body (much like the pork does), bad news, these bastards can grow to be over 30 feet long! I learned that they tend to anchor themselves in the small intestine and cover as much surface area as possible to maximize their nutritional absorption. The laxatives must have really shook Wall-e up and peeled him off the walls of my small intestines and swept most of him away in the sh*t storm.I have my diagnosis. Now enter the beauty of the international latticework that is the internet. I managed to get an “online diagnosis” from a doctor in Asia (granted, I had to do a bit of homework… here what I have, here’s the meds I need, sign on the dotted line and I’ll give you twenty bucks), and a pharmacy in Turkey that would accept the prescription. It only cost me $50 for everything, diagnosis, meds, and shipping. See, being uninsured isn’t so financially debilitating.Long story, even longer, the US postal service lady comes to my door a couple weeks later with a sketchy package from Turkey half expecting it explode half expecting to give her ricin poisoning. I tear the package open. The meds have some fancy, 28-syllable, pharmaceutical name and they’re made by Bayer brand, good enough for me, what choice did I have after all.Google research told me that there are a couple different kind of tapeworm killer meds, one paralyzes the worm and you crap him out whole, the other removes the protective coating on the worm that keeps them safe from digestive juices.I was praying that I had the former of the two. If Wall-e was to be my first offspring, I wanted him in his full glory when I sh*t him out! I popped a couple dulcolax (I didn’t want to put up a fight lol..), wait a couple hours eat one of these meds. They’re about the size of a Tums, you chew and swallow them. They taste kind of like vanilla, surprisingly satisfying actually.Again, like clockwork, painful cramping of projectile diarrhea looms it’s ugly head. The showdown begins… man vs. worm. I grab a bucket from the garage, some latex gloves, and queue Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with the volume set to 11. This will be the best Facebook photo ever.You can imagine my disappointment when the bowl was filled with tapeworm confetti. “Oh well, I’m glad that sh*t is over,” I sigh. Wall-e was no more.I spent the next week trying to convince everyone I knew they had worms and to eat some “vanilla worm assassins”. Apparently, I was the only one with a Wall-e.This experience began my odyssey into the world of nutrition, health, wellness and fitness. A long chain of events that opened my eyes to the corruption and the pathetic state of our food system. Through links, facebook pages, references and conversation I finally discover nutritionfacts.org. An absolute God-send in a sea of misinformation, lies, oppression and deceit.Dr. Greger, if you read this, I’ve learned SO much from your website. I can’t even begin to describe let alone thank you enough for inspiring me to take control of my health and elevate myself above all the fucking bullshit that is pumped into our brains and onto our dinner plates. Although, I’m not 100% plant based (yet) thought I’ve eliminated the majority of animal based food from my diet.I’m sure you can’t even begin to quantify the countless number of diseases you’ve helped prevent, lives you’ve helped save through prevention and proper nutrition. You’ve changed my life, and subsequently I’ve been been reaching out to friends and family, emailing links and preaching the perils of hot dog cigarettes.I’ve motivated my parents (my mom is a two time colon cancer survivor) to start drinking a veggie/fruit blend every morning. She has, in turn, motivated my obese brother to take control of his health and put down the chicken wings and booze. It’s not an overnight change, but a lifetime journey. I also have my girlfriend on board (she can’t cook worth a damn so she eats whatever I put in front of her.)I’m in the best shape of my life. I feel happier, healthier, and younger than than I ever thought possible. Every day it gets better and this is only the beginning of my journey! You and your website were the catalyst for my life style change. Your facebook link to Rich Roll’s online video series was the final straw. I bought a vitamix the next day.I would say I love you, but the internet is already a creepy enough place :P. Take care and keep saving lives!WOW! Once I started reading I couldn’t stop. What a story Scott! I am glad you managed to rid yourself of the tapeworms although it was in a sketchy fashion. Keep up the plant based eating and if you have any questions, Dr. Greger, myself, or other NF Team members will gladly assist you. What a fantastic story!hilarious! great stuffThe reasons to go plantbased are various, but this is one of the more entertaining! This scary story must convince even the most hardcore meateater…Oeeww, my sphincter just slammed shut. Ever hear of epazote?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysphania_ambrosioidesHoly **** what a story! If I weren’t already vegan, this would be enough to make me never go near fish again. Also I have to say you have quite a gift when it comes to writing. Impressive that you could make a horror story that hilarious.Scott R: You have a future in comedic writing. Wow.Thanks for taking the time to share all this with us. I’m glad you found the site!Hi Scott! Consider standup comedy. Really :)Wow, what a story. Hilarious but I’m going to have to investigate this. I was raised with a dad who passed on very bad diet habits including the hot dogs and pretty much no vegetables other than corn and potatoes. I did give up all pork products completely a few yrs ago and have been trying in the last yr to find ways to cut things out that I’ve discovered are very harmful for you like hydrogenated oils and so on. It’s downright scary what I’m finding out is in our food and water! I try to share things I learn with my family and friends an FB and no one seems to want to listen. I keep trying though. Thanks for the post.Thanks for sharing. I’m happy for you. RIP worm.Oh my!! When I started reading I was wiped out from a long day at work…then I found my cheeks (on my face) hurting because I was giggling so much!! I lost it when I read, “and queue Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with the volume set to 11″. Thank you so much for the excellent writing/story. I so enjoyed it!Thanks for the kind words everyone! This one just hit too close to home for me not to share. I’m glad you all enjoyed the story.OMG ! Glad I am vegan.Just taking this opportunity to say that Dr Greger’s stuff is the best information, on nutrition, on the planet – Up to date, based on science and delivered by an expert.And with great humor!Hilarious story! It reminded me of my own miserable experience during the holiday season, 8 or 9 years ago. I was not a vegan at that time, and did a lot of eating out at that time –.not only at friends’ houses, but also local restaurants. I had a “What’s that squiggly looking stuff in the toilet bowl?” thing going on. This annoying diarrhea lasted several months before I finally (embarrassed as hell when I turned over my BM specimen) saw a doc. She gave me some deworm pills, and it did the job. (I eat pumpkin seeds every day now; I read somewhere the little rascals don’t like them.)As an aside: Some years before that, I looked in the toilet bowl and saw something white attached to you-know-what. Huh? Turned out I’d scarfed down one of those stickers you see slapped on various fruits and veggies. Yeah, I could still make out what it said. :-)Oops, looks like I hadn’t edited this very well. Didn’t mean to write “at that time” twice in one sentence.I hate it when that happens. :-(So … how are they diagnosed and how are they gotten rid of? What should I request my dr do? thanksI think this link could help: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tapeworms-in-humansanyway worms infection normally do not show symptoms so if you think to have this nasty passengers in your bowel i think it’s better to talk with your doctor… problably he will tell you to collect some stools to make lab analysis…i was a suspect host. so after researching and talking to a “doctor” i optioned for D.E. Freshwater food grade Diatomaceous Earthworkshealth.com to be exact. after ingesting a heaping tbl spoon a day in about two weeks time i noticed a major improvement in my gut… less gas, constant gurgling sounds stopped, and all discomfort simply went away. no spaghetti in the toilet so probably not tapeworms. around the second week i did feel tired, exhausted some days. i guess when they die its a strain on your body but sooooo glad they’re gone. D.E doesn’t disturb your gut flora ( no pre-biotic/pro-biotic follow up) and all the side effects are health promoting! not to mention silica is ancient microscopic freshwater plants called diatoms …. PBWF too! well sort of. by the way i thought it was funny that the wise “doctor ” i spoke to is my vet for whom D.E. is a well know subject. if you got them so do your pets, stats show indoor animals increasing your risk as well. parasite screen is only $60 for fydo or whatever sample you may bring to the lab. http://youtu.be/nP4oQlqVlNk“Bean sprouts”? My mama always said, “Don’t wolf your food”. Chewing is an (obviously) essential step in human digestion. He did demonstrate another essential (but often neglected) last step of good digestion, a cursory stool assay. (A nutritional stool assay is also a good part of an annual physical, (also rarely done.))Should we former meat eaters get tested for worms? Or is there a simple protective measure like eating raw onion and garlic? My sister has migraines. What type of test should she get to rule out parasites? Thanks!I still am a meat eater, although I don’t feel OK, I fought some bacteria already, but I think I am still infected, I really would like to know what type of test should we get to rule out parasites :) Thank you	aneurysm,brain disease,brain health,brain parasites,brain surgery,brain tumors,cooking methods,dementia,depression,epilepsy,eye disease,eye health,eye parasites,food poisoning,foodborne illness,headaches,inflammation,meat,migraine headaches,muscle disease,muscle health,neurocysticercosis,parasites,polyphenols,pork,seizures,sprouts,surgery,tapeworms,worms	Chronic headaches such as migraines or “tension” headache symptoms may be a sign of pork tapeworms in the brain.	I previously covered the topic of brain infections with pork tapeworms in my videos:Other parasites in meat include toxoplasma (Brain Parasites in Meat), sarcosystis (USDA Parasite Game), and Anisakis (Allergenic Fish Worms). There are even some critters in some dairy products (Cheese Mites and Maggots).Eating Outside Our Kingdom describes a brain malady caused not by meat parasites, but by meat proteins.One of the nice things about eating plant-based is that plant parasites, like aphids, don’t affect people. When is the last time you heard of someone coming down with Dutch elm disease?For more context, check out my associated blog post: Chronic Headaches and Pork Parasites.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/26/chronic-headaches-and-pork-parasites/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurocysticercosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epilepsy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aneurysm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seizures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/usda-parasite-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22174352,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22303492,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3735614,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22111738,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10880719,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3355196/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22292097,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22900769,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16024900,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22300228,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21915772,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20404310,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22110518,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21998230,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9219748,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22547511,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22280984,
PLAIN-2691	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/	Eggs, Choline, and Cancer	Two million men in the U.S. are living with prostate cancer, but that's better than dying from prostate cancer. Catch it when it's localized and your 5-year survival is practically guaranteed, but once it really starts spreading your chances drop to 1 in 3. "Thus, identification of modifiable factors that affect the progression of prostate cancer is something that deserves study.” So Harvard researchers took more than a thousand men with early stage prostate cancer and followed them for a couple years to see if there was anything in their diet associated with a resurgence of the cancer, such as spread to the bone.Compared to men who hardly ate any eggs, men who ate even less than a single egg a day had a significant 2-fold increased risk of prostate cancer progression. The only thing worse was poultry consumption. Up to 4 times the risk of progression among high-risk men. They think it might be the cooked meat carcinogens—the heterocyclic amines that for some reason build up more in chicken and turkey muscle than in other meats.But what about the eggs? Why would less than once-a-day egg consumption double the risk of cancer progression? It may be the choline. A plausible breakfast mechanism that may explain the association between eggs and prostate cancer progression is high dietary choline. Egg consumption is a determinant of how much choline you have in your blood, and higher blood choline has been associated with a greater risk of getting prostate cancer in the first place. So the choline in eggs may both increase one's risk of getting it, then having it spread, and also having it kill you.Choline intake and the risk of lethal prostate cancer. Choline consumption associated not just with getting cancer and spreading cancer, but also a significantly increased risk of dying from it. Those that ate the most had a 70% increased risk of lethal prostate cancer. Another recent study found that men who consumed 2 and a half or more eggs per week—that's just like one egg every three days--had an 81% increased risk of lethal prostate cancer. Now it could just be the cholesterol in eggs that's increasing fatal cancer risk, but it could also be that choline.Maybe that's why meat, milk, and eggs have all been associated with advanced prostate cancer, because of the choline. In fact, choline is so concentrated in cancer cells that if you follow choline uptake you can track the spread of cancer through the body. But why may dietary choline increase the risk of lethal prostate cancer? Remember, dietary choline is converted in the gut to trimethylamine, and so the Harvard researchers speculated that the TMAO from the high dietary choline intake may increase inflammation. This may promote progression of prostate cancer to lethal disease.In the New England Journal of Medicine, that same Cleveland Clinic research team that did the famous study on carnitine repeated the study, but this time instead of feeding people a steak, they fed people some hard-boiled eggs. Just as they suspected, a similar spike in that toxic TMAO, so it's not just red meat. And the link between TMAO levels in the blood and strokes, heart attack, and death was seen even in low-risk groups like those with low-risk cholesterol levels. Thus eating eggs may increase our risk regardless what our cholesterol is, because of the choline.It's ironic that the choline content of eggs is something the egg industry actually boasts about. And the industry is aware of the cancer data. Through the Freedom of Information Act I was able to get my hands on an email from the executive director of the industry's Egg Nutrition Center to an American Egg Board executive talking about how choline may be a culprit in promoting cancer progression, "Certainly worth keeping in mind as we continue to promote choline as another good reason to consume eggs."	Great job exampling (the graph really helped) how increase intake of Choline can lead to a spike in TMA levels in throughout the body! Also love the email at the end. Priceless!! Thanks again Dr. Greger!Is there Choline in egg whites? Does the consumption of egg whites promote the same results?See my comment above, the choline is primarily in the yolk.Is it the methionine in egg whites that might be problematic?Choline has been touted as good for your memory – and is only in the yolk? Is this true and what else can do the job of choline for your memory? ThanksThere is choline in many plant based sources,only in much lower amounts.SFR53inAZ: I highly recommend the book, “Power Foods For the Brain” by Neal D. Barnard, MD. I think that book will answer your questions about the best way to protect your memory. Good luck.Thanks Thea – I found the book and will most likely be buying it – in the meantime I found this very informative link as well: http://www.alzheimers.net/wp-content/uploads/misc/alz_ebook_power-foods_v3.pdf Thanks for being so considerate!!Dr.Barry Sears states that the only way to eat eggs is to throw the yolk away since it contains so much aracodonic acid. After I looked up the choline in whites vs yokes, I found that the choline is primarily found in the yolk.Regardless of this fact, egg whites have the potential to raise IGF-1 and should be generally avoided. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1A scientific advisory from the American Heart Association has favorably evaluated the health impact of dietary omega-6 fats, including arachidonic acid.[21] The group does not recommend limiting this essential fatty acid. In fact, the paper recommends individuals follow a diet that consists of at least 5–10% of calories coming from omega-6 fats, including arachidonic acid. Dietary ‘ARA is not a risk factor for heart disease, and may play a role in maintaining optimal metabolism and reduced heart disease risk. It is, therefore, recommended to maintain sufficient intake levels of both omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids for optimal health.’http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachidonic_acidLMAO about TMAO! Did you get a Whiff of that? (Gotta have some fun these days :)Please view the last video for some reference. Choline is easily attained and most people get too much already. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/what about choline from soybeans. how much is harmful?Should we also shun radishes (which help prevent prostate cancer) and peas due to the choline content?http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000144000000000000000-18.htmlI have a similar question: do high choline plant foods contribute a problem here?Dr Gregor- is it still safe to continue taking my plant derived choline supplement?Based on the evidence, I see no reason to consume supplemental choline, as people get it n far more then adequate amounts through diet alone.I’ve vegan and input my daily food consumption into peacounter.com and found that I can meet or exceed the DRIs on all vitamins/minerals except choline. I don’t see any way I can get to the recommended 550 mg per day for men without a supplement.I just saw this comment from Jack Norris, the creater of peacounter.com, who says on his blog: “The USDA database doesn’t include the choline amounts for most foods (and so neither does PeaCounter). That is a problem with the whole choline issue. But for items that show no choline, I extrapolate from other sources. Hopefully the USDA will include them in the future.”Therefore, I can’t rely on peacounter.com to determine how much choline I’m getting.1 stalk of broccoli has the same amount of Choline as 1 egg according to nutritiondata.self. Is eating broccoli 2.5 times per week then also not recommended?hello MichaelI was reading this article and could not figure out if choline from animal products was found to be a worse offender than choline from veg products. it seems like there is a lt of choline intake from veg products too. I could not quite figure it out so defer to the bigger brain (you!).thanks!http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3441112/Background: I’m 25 years old and in good athletic shape. I weight train 3-4 days a week, while doing cardio at least 6 times a week(2 sprint sessions 4 walking sessions to help increase lipolysis). I eat at least 7-12 servings of vegetables a day. Is it still that detrimental to my health to eat 3 whole eggs 5-6 days a week even though I eat them either with 2 pieces of Whole grain bread or 3 servings of vegetables?Being fit, and of good weight is one aspect of good health, but it does not necessarily protect you from chronic disease. Please see Dr. Gregers summary of eggs and view the attached links. There are many ill health attributes with eggs. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/I’m wondering, does the choline increase the results from a PSA test. My PSA is always high. Runs about 8. We have done the biopsy thing and there is no issues that can be found. I’m wondering if I eat eggs before the test would it raise the result?? Just thinking out loud.Does eating foods containing eggs, like pasta or some breads like banana nut, still have the same effect?Huh….then why does WebMD say only good things about Choline?http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-436-CHOLINE.aspx?activeIngredientId=436&activeIngredientName=CHOLINEAnd Wikipedia calls it an ‘essential nutrient’?‘Choline must be consumed through the diet for the body to remain healthy.[6] It is used in the synthesis of the constructional components in the body’s cell membranes. Despite the perceived benefits of choline, dietary recommendations have discouraged people from eating certain high-choline foods, such as eggs and fatty meats. The 2005 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey stated that only 2% of postmenopausal women consume the recommended intake for choline.[7]’http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CholineIt is sad to see so many believe this propaganda. You often see many nutritionists come at the cholesterol in eggs(which eggs actually contain good cholesterol that can help move out the bad) but now you’re coming at the best thing about eggs? You keep saying you “think” or “it could also” but there is absolutely no supported research directly against choline. HOWEVER, if you believe this crap maybe you should also avoid salmon, shrimp, beef, chicken, cauliflower and many other healthy foods rich in choline. Do some research people and don’t let this guy think for you..Derek Edmunds: Yes, the strong recommendation is for people to avoid salmon, shrimp, beef, and chicken if they want the best chances at being healthy. For more information about meat:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/Giving up eggs was easy, feel a lot better, I do not know what is wrong with people Whole Plant Foods is the only way to go….http://my.clevelandclinic.org/about-cleveland-clinic/newsroom/releases-videos-newsletters/2013-04-24-cleveland-clinic-research-shows-gut-bacteria-byproduct-predicts-heart-attack-and-strokeThanks for posting about TMAO. It’s linked to FMO3 gene mutation. a genetic disorder. 23andme does not test for this gene yet, but they said maybe they will in the future. It’s pretty obvious if we have this mutation, when we eat high choline & carnitine foods. I wonder if heavy metals lke mercury toxicity can trigger this gene. i never noticed an issue until about age 40, when i was diagnosed with MTHFR, CBS, COMT, MAO, double DAO & others. Either Addressing methylation or the overload of metals must have triggered. So, I’m eating low choline now & take charcoal for mold biotoxins & other serious detoxing.I have prostate cancer, and my main staple of my diet is eggs. have put on 30 lbs [which I needed]. my psa went from 90 to 1.3 in 6 monthsGlad to see the PSA fall and you were able to gain weight!I am a huge fan of your website and am interested in breast cancer, so I looked at another study about choline and saw that greater consumption deceased breast cancer. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430758/#!po=50.0000	American Egg Board,cancer,cancer survival,carcinogens,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,carnitine,chicken,cholesterol,choline,Cleveland Clinic,dairy,eggs,Freedom of Information Act,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,heterocyclic amines,industry influence,inflammation,lecithin,meat,men's health,metastases,milk,mortality,poultry,prostate cancer,prostate health,red meat,steak,stroke,supplements,TMAO,trimethylamine,turkey	Choline may be the reason egg consumption is associated with prostate cancer progression and death.	If you’re a long-time follower and some of this sounds familiar, it’s because I had to fast-track some of this choline information to offer background for my Dr. Oz Show appearance. A longer video that covers this can be found in Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection. In my last video, Eggs and Choline: Something Fishy, I talked about what trimethylamine might do to one’s body odor.With regard to the prevention of prostate cancer progression, chicken and eggs may be the worst foods to eat, but what might be the best? See my recent video Prostate Cancer Survival: The A/V Ratio.More on the heterocyclic amines in chicken and eggs in:To prevent prostate cancer in the first place, see videos such as:What about reversing cancer progression? See Dr. Ornish’s work Cancer Reversal Through Diet?, followed up by the Pritikin Foundation: Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay. Flax may help as well (Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer).For more context, check out my associated blog post: Why the Egg-Cancer Link?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/21/why-the-egg-cancer-link/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/choline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carnitine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steak/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lecithin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tmao/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/freedom-of-information-act/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trimethylamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cleveland-clinic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17584499,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11325827,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22952174,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20042525,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21930800,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19423531,
PLAIN-2692	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/	Eggs and Choline: Something Fishy	If you remember, I lampooned the egg industry PR campaign trying to promote eggs as a source of eyesight saving nutrients such as lutein by noting the amount found in a single spoonful of spinach had as much as nine eggs. The reason you'll only hear that egg industry claim on websites and TV shows and never in an ad or on an egg carton is because there are laws against false and misleading advertising that don't allow the industry to say eggs contain lutein because there's such an insignificant amount. This is an email retrieved through the Freedom of Information Act from the head of the USDA's poultry research and promotion programs reminding the egg industry that they can't mention lutein in an egg ad. Can't say it helps people with macular degeneration. Can't even talk about how good lutein is for you since eggs have such a wee amount, and given eggs’ fat and cholesterol content this is a nonstarter for anything but PR. So for public relations you can lie through your teeth, but there're laws covering truthfulness in ads.Also can't say eggs are a source of omega 3s,or a source of iron or folate. Can't even honestly call eggs a rich source of protein. The USDA Agriculture Marketing Service suggested the egg industry instead boast about the choline content in eggs, one of the only two nutrients eggs are actually rich in, besides cholesterol.So the egg industry switched gears. A priority objective of the American Egg Board became ‘to make choline out to be an urgent problem and eggs the solution.’ Maybe they could partner with a physician's group and write an advertorial. They developed a number of "advertorials" for nutrition journals. An advertorial is an advertisement parading as an objective editorial. They sent letters out to doctors arguing that "inadequate intake of choline has tremendous public health implications.” So forget about the cholesterol, the "elephant-in-the-room," as the industry calls it, and focus on this conjured epidemic of choline deficiency.Turns out most people get about twice what they need and, in fact, too much choline may be the real problem. For one thing, too much choline can give your breath, urine, sweat, saliva, and vaginal secretions an odor resembling rotten, dead fish. Millions of Americans have a genetic defect that causes a fishy body odor and might benefit from a low-choline diet, since choline is converted in our gut into the fishy compound trimethylamine (TMA).In fact, individuals oozing trimethylamine often become vegans, as reducing the ingestion of dietary animal products rich in lipids decreases TMA production and the associated noxious odor. The other 99% of us, though, can turn the fishy choline compound into trimethylamine oxide, which is 100 times less stinky. We used to think extra choline was OK for the 99%, but not anymore.Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found that dietary choline, found predominantly in eggs, milk, liver, red meat, poultry, and fish, (after it is converted in our gut to trimethylamine and oxidized in our liver to form trimethylamine oxide) may contribute to plaque build-up in peoples’ arteries. This may set us up for heart disease, stroke, death, and cardiac surgery.The good news is that this may mean a new approach to prevent or treat heart disease, the most obvious of which would be to limit dietary choline intake. But if that means decreasing egg, meat and dairy consumption, then the new approach sounds an awful lot like the old approach.Choline may be one of the reasons people following the Atkins diet are at increased risk of heart disease whereas a plant-based diet like Ornish’s can instead reverse our number one killer. This new research adds choline to the list of dietary culprits with the potential to increase the risk of heart disease, making eggs a double whammy—the most concentrated common source of both choline and cholesterol.	Thanks. What about consuming large amounts of choline exclusively from plant-based sources? Should this be of concern, and are there any studies that have looked at this?This is more of a theoretical answer, and I can’t provide citations cause I’m not aware of any yet.However, based on what we currently know, the kinds of bacteria that proliferate from the consumption of animal products metabolize choline into unfavorable compounds, like those discussed in the video. The kinds of bacteria that flourish from the consumption of plant products don’t produce these same metabolites from choline.For instance, in one study they gave large steaks to omnivores and vegans (who agreed to do it for the research). The omnivores produced the harmful metabolites from the choline, the vegans did not. So the most likely answer to your question is that we should first and foremost be concerned about our gut flora populations, and less concerned about actual choline intake.Which are the specific gut bacteria that promote the harmful metabolites? Are they present in probiotic supplements and can be found listed on the labels? Seems this is something people who take probiotic supplements ought to know.Information regarding probiotics, including the good bacteria you want, is all here. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/The studies in question are:2011: Gut flora metabolism of phosphatidylcholine promotes cardiovascular disease 2013: Intestinal microbial metabolism of phosphatidylcholine and cardiovascular riskIn the first, supplementing ordinary mice chow with 0.5 or 1.0% pure choline (6-12 times the chow amount) was enough to roughly double atherosclerotic lesions.Important? Not really.Choline and TMAO: Eggs Still Don’t Cause Heart Disease“Dr. Hazen’s team did show a temporary increase in total TMAO after eating eggs. However, as Dr. Chris Masterjohn pointed out to me in an email dialog, the researchers’ own data show that there’s no way that the “choline challenge” could have contributed to this increase in total TMAO. If it had, we would expect to see an initial increase in labeled TMAO followed by an increase in labeled TMAO. This would indicate that the labeled choline supplement (that participants ate with the eggs) had been metabolized by the gut bacteria and then converted into TMAO in the liver.But that’s not what happened. Figure 1C and Figure 1D” from the study. Figure 1C shows an increase in total serum TMAO at one hour after the choline challenge. But by hour four, total TMAO is back to baseline and by hour 8 it’s even below baseline (i.e. the participants had lower TMAO at 8 hours than they did before they ate the eggs/choline).What’s more, the researchers didn’t mention that other commonly eaten foods have a much more significant impact on TMAO than eggs. A 1999 study tested the effects of 46 different foods on the urinary excretion of TMAO in 6 human volunteers. Eggs had no effect on TMAO excretion compared to a light control breakfast, yet 19 out of 21 types of seafood tested did. In fact, halibut generated over 53 times as much TMAO as eggs! This is not surprising, because although all species of seafood contain lower amounts of choline than eggs, they do contain trimethylamine and TMAO. Dr. Hazen’s team was aware of this study, because they referenced it briefly in the discussion section of the NEJM paper. They acknowledged that “TMAO has been identified in fish” and “the ingestion of fish raises urinary TMAO levels.” But remarkably, they did not explain how much greater fish’s impact on TMAO was when compared to eggs.Finally, this paper did not prove that eating choline-rich foods (or any other foods) increases TMAO levels over time. In fact, the researchers themselves seem to suggest this is unlikely in the discussion section of the paper. They said: “the high correlation between urine and plasma levels of TMAO argues for effective urinary clearance of TMAO.” In other words, even if eating food does increase total TMAO levels, most people are able to quickly and efficiently clear that TMAO from their blood by excreting it in the urine. This makes it doubtful that dietary factors alone explain chronic elevations in TMAO”.“some research suggests that consuming large amounts of whole grain increasePrevotella bacteria in the gut, which were associated with the highest levels of TMAO in Dr. Hazen’s previous study on TMAO. If this is the case, consuming large amounts of fiber from whole grains may actually increase the risk of heart disease.”I don’t think this is the paper to hang your hat on, Darryl.And regarding the first study of the two?Does Dietary Choline Contribute to Heart Disease?This is a study using MICE:[T]he authors showed that blood levels of choline, its metabolic byproduct betaine, and TMAO all correlated with the incidence and severity of cardiovascular disease in humans, although this was not prospective data showing that the occurrence of these compounds in the blood early in life predicted the development of heart disease later in life.”“They also showed that feeding mice phosphatidylcholine did in fact produce TMAO, but only in the presence of gut bacteria. Further, feeding mice five-fold or ten-fold higher concentrations of choline chloride than they would ordinarily receive, or simply feeding them TMAO itself, increased atherosclerotic lesion size, and atherosclerotic lesion size correlated with blood levels of TMAO.”Sounds pretty damning, right?There’s just one major problem with this hypothesis. Studies in humans have shown that neither phosphatidylcholine nor choline-rich foods produce detectable increases in trimethylamine.Oops.Here’s a figure from a 1983 study by Ziesel and colleagues showing urinary excretion of trimethylamine after supplementation with different types of choline in humans. The third bar in each panel represents the excretion of trimethylamine in the urine. Choline chloride and choline stearate led to the production of large amounts of trimethylamine, but lecithin (phosphatidylcholine), the main form of choline found in food, led to only a small increase.It turned out, however, that their lecithin was contaminated with some trimethylamine. If they “cleaned” it to remove the contamination, shown in the fourth panel, the lecithin did not increase urinary excretion of trimethylamine at all.”A 1999 study by other authors came to similar conclusions. They looked at the urinary excretion of both trimethylamine and its detoxification product TMAO in humans. They found that 60 percent of free choline and 30 percent of carnitine, another potential precursor, was excreted in the urine as one of these two products, but that neither betaine nor phosphatidylcholine converted to either product at all.Here’s another- published just a few months ago: Is L-Carnitine the Link between Red Meat and Heart Disease? J Nutr Food Sci 3:e119“A meta-analysis of L-carnitine and cardiovascular disease (CVD) found analogous results [8]. Compared with placebo or control, increased dietary L-carnitine is associated with a 27% reduction in all-cause mortality, a 65% reduction in ventricular arrhythmias, and a 40% reduction in angina symptoms in patients experiencing acute myocardial infarction. Thus, based on the totality of the clinical evidence, as much as 4 grams L-carnitine per day administered up to 12 months not only improved cardiac function, but also increased life expectancy. It is, therefore, difficult to understand how others have linked dietary L-carnitine to worsening CVD outcomes.”According to the USDA Database for the Choline Content of Common Foods and the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, high choline-containing foods include (per 100 g): beef liver (430 mg), eggs (250 mg), spinach (24.8 mg), cooked broccoli (40.1 mg), Brussels sprouts (40.6 mg), and tomato paste (38.5 mg). No clinical evidence exists linking the TMA/TMAO generated by ordinary diets to health risks. In one trial, TMA/TMAO levels in the urine were insignificantly small after consumption of 45 different foods from a varied diet including meat, fruit, vegetables, cereal and dairy products.The rapid clearance of these compounds under normal circumstances suggests that dietary intake of L-carnitine containing food is not sufficient to produce toxic levels of TMA/TMAO. Also, it is likely that the association between CVD and elevated blood concentrations of L-carnitine and related compounds such as choline are indicative of dysfunction(s) elsewhere and not causal.More sophisticated analytical techniques can now measure previously unquantifiable levels of blood TMA confirming that fish, and not red meat, is the primary dietary source for TMA/TMAO. More importantly, no study has shown a benefit of consuming beef over fish for cardiovascular health. The increased risk of CVD from elevated TMA/TMAO levels was deduced primarily from animal data. The TMA thesis may not hold up even in an atherogenic-prone mouse model selected to demonstrate various aspects of the same argument.[F]requent antibiotic use may lead to alteration in the normal microbiome resulting in chronically high outputs of TMAO.Neither dietary L-carnitine found in red meat nor choline and phosphatidylcholine found in liver, eggs and broccoli under normal circumstances contribute to a significant elevation of blood TMAO.You can copypasta Weston Price articles at me all you like, but my response was purely on the subject of whether free choline had been studied to independently effect atherosclerosis. Pretty much every food (including plant foods) that contains phosphatidylcholine also includes some free choline. I’m on record elsewhere on this site expressing reservations about the Hazen studies.I think you missed the point, and I certainly understand that you’re not a fan of the WAPF, I’m not either. (This piece you responded to is directly from the published article though, not from WAPF)You really can’t discount the argument when the data is right there backing it up. The point isn’t that veggies also contain choline but rather that it doesn’t matter. Dietary sources didn’t produce chronically elevated levels of TMAO and in fact, the levels actually dropped for a while (a rebound maybe?) after foods with higher levels were consumed.re the J food Nut Sci article,Anyone catch the point that L-Carnitine showed benefit in AMI when it was depleted ? The authors state there is no known benefit in preventionHmm… I wonder if there are any other “conjured up epidemics” 2:08 based on non existent nutritional deficiencies?I also wonder about dangers of veggie sources of choline i.e. spinach that has 9x the amount of choline than in 1 egg. If excessive choline intake produce health havoc producing TMA, will it matter whether it’s animal or plant source?I’m not sure where you are getting those numbers from but a quick look at nutritiondata.self shows that you would have to eat nearly a 1.5 pounds of spinach to equal the choline found in a single medium egg.thanx for ur reply…the first minute of the vdo talks about lutein (NOT choline) rich in spinach. since the main topic of the vdo is choline in eggs, i assumed that the initial info that dr. g talks about is choline..So what is a person trying to adhere to a plant-based diet supposed to do for a natural source of B12? Since B12 is primarily found in meats and cereals.BeerThere’s nothing wrong just taking a supplement for B12.Dr. Greger recommends supplementation http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/Scott: am95 and Toxins have given you some great responses. I’ll also suggest that you look into nutritional yeast if you are very concerned about a “natural” source. I don’t know if nutritional yeast would count as natural to you or not, but it has a different feel than just taking a pill. Plus it is yummy. (But you would have to figure out how to work enough nutritional yeast into your regular diet each day.)Personally, I think Dr. Greger’s recommendation on b12 supplementation makes so much sense, I can’t imagine everyone (regardless of diet) not doing it. Check out those videos that Toxins pointed you to. Good luck.Yep, nutritional yeast! YUM!Apparently as we get older it’s harder for us to cleave the B12 from a protein source, so fortified foods and B12 supplements are the best way to go anyway.“Many older adults, who do not have enough hydrochloric acid in their stomach to absorb the vitamin B12 naturally present in food. People over 50 should get most of their vitamin B12 from fortified foods or dietary supplements because, in most cases, their bodies can absorb vitamin B12 from these sources.”http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-QuickFacts/Even the youth need to supplement b12, especially when on a plant based diet. Elderly people over the age of 65 may need 1000 mcg of vitamin B12 a day.http://1.usa.gov/1cGfluZHow do you think those dead animals got it in the first place? For example vitamin D is created if you’re out in the sun. 99% of the animals in the industry don’t even know what the sun looks like. Same story for b12, those poor animals never ate life plants and got some b12 from the soil.They got supplemented! Just google for “lifestock supplementation.Yet another bad argument for eating meat.I have been on a plant based journey the past year and a half thanks to people like Dr. Greger. As a cardiologist, I would like to inform my colleagues about the benefits of a plant based diet. I have already had great success with my patients. Are there any “hot off the press” journal articles Dr. Greger might recommend to be discussed at an upcoming journal club meeting that would be relevant to my military cardiologist colleagues who are either unconvinced or uninformed about the benefits of a plant based diet?Any input from the nutrition guru would be appreciated! Our health care providers must be informed if we are to make a difference in peoples’ lives!As a patient, I wish I could find a cardiologist who was genuinely interested in working with me to incorporate diet and exercise as part of my treatment program and to possibly allow me to reduce or eliminate some of the drugs I am taking. I have a good cardiologist but he is not enthusiastic about the diet I am on – not discouraging, but neither dose he seem to care much even though, among other things, I drove my LDL to under 70 on diet alone ( I stopped the statin for a few weeks to prove that diet alone would work). I also found it discouraging that the association of cardiologists in Florida could not tell me which of their many members had an interest in lifestyle effects such as diet and exercise.I am a 59 yo male who thought was eating fairly healthy these last few decades. Since my late 20s I ate little pork or beef, some fowl, but a lot of fish and nuts. At a minimum a small can of tuna every day, then switched to salmon. I cut back on salmon a couple of years ago and relied more on a variety of nuts. My BMI was 25 to 27 range. A year ago I had a stress induced cardiac event (very similar to a heart attack). During evaluation cardiologist found 3 coronary arteries partially blocked, one at 90%, the others at 20 to 30. My carotids are also at about 20% blockage. This is only anecdotal of course as I cannot proof a conection, but I am very interested in this gut microbiome/TAMO connection to heart disease. It seems possible it is what happened to me. I have been on a plant only diet this last year and have seem my lipids drop dramatically and am hopeful that the heart damage and the atherosclerosis will not get worse and maybe improve a bit over time.Doctor Al Sears MD, states eggs are the perfect food, he eats them every day, and he says they are the Gold Standard by which he rates all other protein, and that all of the amino acids are there in the ratios you need in one place, is Al Sears a total idiot or what.Getting enough protein is something we should not concern ourselves with unless we do not get enough calories, which would mean malnourishment. This would apply mainly to those living in third world countries that do not have good access to food. There are for more issues with eggs then just the high choline content. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/The said doctor clearly has not examined the evidence!The concept of eggs as the perfect food or protein source is totally outdated. Eggs are the perfect source of cholesterol and thats it.Hi Gary,Also, you can watch these for a different perspective on whether animal proteins really are “higher quality”:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/The essential amino acid profile of eggs is virtually identical to broccoli and asparagus. It is more concentrated in eggs due to the lack of fiber. Given adequate calories of a varied diet it is not possible to be “protein deficient”. In fact consuming high amounts of protein especially animal has been shown to be harmful. Dr. McDougall wrote two excellent articles on protein with references.How does an egg equal “too much protein”? Is there any reason one can’t eat eggs without eating too much protein? Two large eggs equals 12 grams of protein but a cup of steel cut oatmeal contains 10. If you add a few nuts you’re right there with the eggs.The eggs are high in the amino acid methionine, which has undesirable consequences compared to plant foods. Plant foods have better ratios of arginine, BCAAs, and other desirable amino acid profiles lacking in animals products, necessarily eggs.So, to conclude… the answer is no, there is no reason why one can’t eat eggs without eating too much protein. Thank you.Because your body will not absorb excessive amounts of protein indefinitely, the more undesirable amino acids in one’s diet, the more permanent displacement of desirable amino acids.Compounded by the fact that more methionine means more cellular proliferation, which leads to cancer progression and tumor growth. Eggs are very high in methionine.And yet, people who eat eggs don’t have more cancer. Hmmm… Citation, please.It’s a phenomenon termed “methionine dependence”. You can google the phrase and find much information on it.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7645948The take-home point here is that an optimal diet, assuming optimal is maximizing health and longevity, is a diet that is lower, rather than higher, in methionine. This necessarily requires a reduction or avoidance of animal products.That argument would be far more convincing if vegetarians had lower overall rates of cancer, but they don’t. They simply have different kinds of cancer– with plant proteins having a higher correlation to cancers overall than animal proteins.Do you know what else cancer cells have an absolute dependence on?Glucose.ALL cancer growth will be inhibited by a diet that favors fatty acid metabolism over glucose metabolism. If you’re concerned about cancer, you should be looking into a hypo-caloric ketogenic diet.Citation, please…In much the same way that plant-based proponents argue that a good combination of different plant foods will provide a complete amino acid profile, the same can be said for animal food. When glycine is added to the diet (good sources would be poultry skin, gelatin and stock/broths made with skin and cartilage– the parts that people used to routinely eat), methionine becomes a non-issue. Turns out it isn’t about too much methionine, but rather too little glycine. A point of context, whole grains and wheat germ, etc.. are also quite high in methionine. An ounce of egg white contains 191mg, but an ounce of wheat gluten contains almost twice that at 375mg– and an ounce of wheat germ contains 165mg. You can see how other cereals stack up here. http://wholefoodcatalog.info/nutrient/methionine/cereals/high/Dietary glycine supplementation mimics lifespan extension by dietary methionine restriction | FASEB J. April 2011 25While there are a number of studies demonstrating adverse health consequences from choline-free diets, quantitative measures of our requirements are sparse. The Intititute of Medicine’s current adequate intake for choline (550 mg for men, 425 mg for women) was set using just two studies. In one study on rather sick patients fed intravenously, 100-170 mg choline (as PC) was adequate to maintain plasma choline levels. In the other study, on healthy men found 500 mg/d dietary choline was found adequate, and 13 mg/d inadequate, in preventing increases of liver alanine aminotransferase. 38-fold is a wide range, the IoM chose the high-end + a margin, and who can fault them given how little was known.Choline is used in the body for synthesis of phosphatidylcholine in cell membranes, the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and via betaine, cycling homocysteine back to methionine. I suspect betaine (rich in beets, spinach, and wheat) spares some of the choline requirement, but again, evidence is spare.What about CLA (conjugated linoleic acid)? My mother-in-law has read the only source of CLA is animal products, therefore I should eat meat and dairy. Is there a plant source of CLA? How important is it?There is no dietary need to consume CLA, as our body converts ALA and omega 6 to CLA in adequate amounts.Thanks. I will stock up on mushrooms.CLA is found in mushrooms of many types :)Including common mushrooms like crimini.Thank you. Now I have something to counter with.The CLA in mushrooms is found in very low concentrations. One would need to eat approximately 1/2 pound per day to reap the benefits.You don’t want to consume too much trans-fat. Just barely above none-at-all is best. You get the perfect amount of trans-fat per day from a vegan diet. You’ll average about 100mg per 2000 calories.CLA is the trams-fat exception. More is better.There is an optimal amount desired. Humans consuming a diet high in plant foods have two benefits in regards to CLA, which humans consuming omnivorous diets don’t have. First off, vegan digestive tracts have higher bifidobacteria populations. Secondly, plant-based diets generally have large amounts of ALA intake. The bifidobacteria bioconvert large amounts of the ALA to CLA.This conversion in compromised in individuals with digestive pathologies, like those associated with intake of animal products, and in those lacking adequate bifidobacteria populations, like those consuming large amounts of animal products.The result here is that most omnivores and probably some vegetarians are ‘deficient’ in CLA.Wow! That’s quite the claim to make without backing data. Citation please.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22405353http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22740680http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17277221Citation, please….Am I right in interpreting the post above as choline is important in reducing homocysteine in the body?Homocysteine can be remethylated back into methionine either through the folate cycle (which requires folate, B6 and B12), or via BHMT (which requires betaine). Betaine occurs in foods , especially beets, spinach, wheat; and can also be produced from dietary choline. Deficiencies of any of the cofactors in parentheses can result in elevated homocysteine.Dynamite video! Very clear and convincing.Wow..that’s scarey…thanks so much for all of your info….Should vegans avoid soy lecithin in bread making/bakery products? It has a reasonably high amount of choline… or is it not enough to be significant? Someone once advised me to add lecithin to kids food as they need more for brain development – surely this is unnecessary on a wholefood plant-based diet?Perhaps choline is under-represented in USDA database, but, on the vegan diet, I rarely get more than, say, 30% RDA. I used to take 14 mg of soya lecithin a day, but switched to a choline supplement because of the fat content. (I must admit I often forget to take the supplement).So, I, too. would like to know what choline intake I should strive to.Hello, I have a Colonoscopy Bag at this time due to Colon Surgery. “Eggs” really make my bag stink! Especially after two days in a row. Garlic does too but, that is a much better smell. LLEggs are rich in beneficial sulfur compounds, so that makes sense. Leave some steamed broccoli sitting around for a few days and see how ripe that gets. ;-)Is there the same problem mentioned in the video with choline if one only eats egg whites? What about egg whites in general, if eaten occasionally?I question everything because there is so much misinformation everywhere, especially when things like money, prestige and notoriety are the key motivating factors for putting out the information. I agree with much of what I saw on a video I watched last night put out by Dr. Greger. However, I am skeptical about some of the information as well. After watching the video, I subscribed to this site to do some more investigating. This was the second video I watched, and I am now even more skeptical. I know that the egg industry is motivated by money, so information they put out is something I completely ignore. I have had vast improvements in my health since changing to a primarily plant-based diet. I do wonder, however, about the wisdom of relying on any “supplement.” Nature provides everything we need, and it always has – long before companies began making supplements to sell. I can honestly say I don’t know much about choline. That is one of the reasons I chose to watch this video. However, the anti-egg and cholesterol hype makes me question the bias behind any information found here as well. I am not certain whether eggs are healthy or unhealthy overall. My guess would be that eggs produced naturally and consumed in moderation are probably beneficial to health. As with everything else, dosage (keeping balanced proportions) is likely the most important factor. Even too much water, something of which we can consume large amounts and is absolutely necessary for our survival, is deadly when taken in excess proportions that throw our chemistry out of balance. Eggs are a natural source of B12 (although B12 is produced by bacteria and only stored in animal source foods and cooking, from what I understand, may reduce it’s bioavailability. I am currently looking into fermentation as another possible source). From what I gather, if a person is otherwise healthy and has a good balance of gut flora, even the choline in eggs is probably not likely to cause any major problems if taken in moderation. Cholesterol, on the other hand, is absolutely necessary to our survival as well. It has been known for a long time that there is no connection between cholesterol in food and cholesterol in blood. The connection that was promoted was based on faulty science motivated by money, prestige and notoriety. By far the bigger culprit to many of our current health epidemics is a plant-based sugar called fructose. Of course, it would be ridiculous to encourage everyone to avoid eating plants because of this, even those containing fructose. Instead, moderation and proportion, are key to good health, at least in my humble opinion.I personally appreciate your skepticism. A few things I would take into consideration are that, for starters, the bioavailability of b12 in eggs is very poor, such that to meet one’s daily needs, he or she would be far exceeding any “balanced proportions”. And asides from the b12 content, I’m not aware of anything interesting about nutrition in eggs (certainly not the protein, since it’s too high in methionine).Also, while fructose is harmful when processed and used by itself, in the context of a whole plant food, added to a diet with plenty other variety, it’s perfectly fine and healthful.Thank you for your feedback. I would like to point out, however, that I was not arguing in favor of eggs (or against them either). I think that much of the worry over B12 intake is overblown actually. I also agree that fructose, when taken in conjunction with its whole food source is probably not overly problematic. Our addiction to sweets in general, however, is much more of a concern. I, personally, have a great deal of digestive problems related to consuming most animal products. Therefore, I support the idea of eating a primarily plant-based diet. But I would have no qualms about eating anything that my body needed for optimal health.The purpose of my previous post was to point out the fact that some of the things represented in the video and on this site are citing faulty science. When I see this kind of thing from any informational source, it is a red flag for me because this knowledge has been out there for a long time. I simply cannot believe that people claiming to be experts are still demonizing cholesterol found in foods. Usually when I see that, I simply cross off that information source as being not credible because it is perpetuating a falsehood. It makes me question whether there is some hidden agenda here.I think there are so many proponents of WFPB diets who simply don’t understand how much damage they do to their message by lying or misrepresenting evidence. Once you’ve been labeled a liar, people just stop listening to you. Dr. Greger may “scour the research”, but he only shares what he believes supports his message. And that is unfortunate.It is confusing. It is important to be skeptical and to look at the literature. Our bodies produce cholesterol naturally. In my clinical experience there is a direct relation to cholesterol in the diet and the blood cholesterol. Fructose has a much smaller effect but can be significant if fructose is consumed in large enough amounts. Fructose is metabolized by the liver to uric acid, inflammatory aldehydes, triglycerides and some glycogen. I await the pharmacokinetic studies which help sort this out but until then it seems to me the science supports a whole food plant based diet with adequate B12 intake. I advise my patients to avoid eggs for a variety of reasons. For an exposure on the complexities involved I would recommend Dr. Campbell’s recent book, Whole.The key with articles that random authors post is to examine whether the claim they made is true. This would require looking through their references and checking the validity of their conclusions based on the referenced studies. Any author can say anything really if they misconstrue the data. Also, because a study concludes so and so, it does not mean this is a solid fact. You actually have to read how they conducted the study and if what they studied was significant. For example, a study Dr. Greger shared showed that fruit and vegetable consumption was not associated with lower mortality, but the amount of fruits and veggies consumed for the “high intake” group was still below 5 servings. We cannot then conclude that this study was significant, because 5 servings of fruits and veggies is still sub par.Thanks for the response. i get it about random authors but this is the information that is served up over and over again. i wish we could put the Doctors/Authors up for debate on issues like EGGS and have them battle it out and finally for once and for all have the TRUTH. Who is telling the truth? it just seems like every year something becomes bad for you…but oh wait… next year or so it’s not…ugh. I really feel like the minority here when it comes to the EGG debate- especially when the majority of “opinion” is that EGGS are the most amazing food out there. I keep re-posting Dr. Greger’s videos on my Fb page and I get the fight of a lifetime. .. not that it will stop me….but I guess I just want to be 100% sure. It’s not easy training an old brain to rethink everything it was once taught.Its not just about the opinions, but whether they have the evidence to back their claims.As i posted above, its important to “examine whether the claim they made is true. This would require looking through their references and checking the validity of their conclusions based on the referenced studies. Any author can say anything really if they misconstrue the data. Also, because a study concludes so and so, it does not mean this is a solid fact. You actually have to read how they conducted the study and if what they studied was significant.”Here is a good summary of eggs.Eggs are considered good sources of lutein and omega 3 as well as an excellent source of protein. For these reasons, they are considered health foods. Looking at these claims in detail, chickens have lutein due to the fact that they have a varietized feed, these nutrients are not inherent of eggs. Based on the nutrient data found on the USDA database, 10 grams of spinach has approximately 12 times more lutein then 10 grams of an egg. We cannot really consider eggs an appropriate source of this nutrient.https://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR25/nutrlist/sr25a338.pdfRegarding Omega 3, current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day. A large egg contains about .037 grams of omega 3. Omega 3 in the ALA form processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA. These fats are anti-inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. According to the National Cancer Institute, eggs are the number 2 top contributor of arachidonic acid in the American Diet.http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/fatty_acids/table4.htmlBased on this as well as the low omega 3 content of eggs, the benefits received from omega 3 are masked by the high quantity of preformed Arachidonic Acid. High intake of arachadonic acid is linked to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with cancer development.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616uidhttp://img2.tapuz.co.il/forums/1_156375095.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128Eggs have been associated with heart failure as noted here. “After 13.3 years of follow-up in this cohort of approximately 14,000 white and African-American men and women, greater intake of eggs and of high-fat dairy foods were both associated with greater risk of incident HF, whereas greater intake of whole-grain foods was associated with lower risk of incident HF. These associations were independent of demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, prevalent CVD, diabetes, hypertension, and other food groups.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2650810/As well as an association type 2 diabetes with egg consumption of 1 egg a day. “Overall, the observed increased risk of type 2 diabetes with daily consumption of eggs in the current study raises the possibility of undesirable health effects with high rates of egg consumption and may help explain previously reported increased risk of CHD that was restricted to individuals with type 2 diabetes in the Health Professional Follow-up Study”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/?tool=pubmedIn the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, David Spence (director of the stroke prevention/atherosclerosis research center and one of the worlds leading stroke experts), David Jenkins (the inventor of the glycemic index) and Jean Davignon (director of atherosclerosis research group) posted a review on eggs claiming that the egg industry has been downplaying the health risks of eggs through misleading advertisements. As soon as you eat one egg, you expose your body to several hours worth of oxidative stress, inflammation of ones arteries, endothelieum impairment (what keeps you blood running smoothly) and increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidize (beginning stages of heart disease). The authors go into great detail regarding dietary cholesterol and it is a very fascinating read indeed. The author’s final words “In our opinion, stopping egg consumption after a myocardial infarction or stroke would be like quitting smoking after lung cancer is diagnosed: a necessary act, but late.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9001684The egg industry has claimed that cholesterol from eggs is not important and does not raise cholesterol levels. The fundamental flaw in the study the egg industry has used to make this claim is that they measured fasting lipid levels at night and not levels through out the day after egg consumption. “Diet is not all about fasting lipids; it is mainly about the three-quarters of the day that we are in the nonfasting state. Fasting lipids can be thought of as a baseline; they show what the endothelium was exposed to for the last few hours of the night.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/?tool=pubmedA single egg yolk contains approximately 215 to 275 mg of cholesterol. A safe upper limit can be capped at 200 mg if one is looking to prevent heart disease as recommended by the CDC as one of their nutritional recommendations as seen on page 92. One egg far exceeds this daily upper limit.http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hp2000/hp2k01.pdfThe balance of science is clearly against even moderate egg consumption as this food is a packaged deal. We do not get the nutrients found in eggs without getting the cholesterol and saturated fat. This similarity can be seen with chicken in terms of cholesterol and arachidonic acidhttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/703/2as well as even the leanest beef containing an undesirable quantity of saturated fat as well as cholesterolhttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/3820/2“Tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) set by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) are important, in part because they are used for estimating the percentage of the population at potential risk of adverse effects from excessive nutrient intake. The IOM did not set ULs for trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol because any intake level above 0% of energy increased LDL cholesterol concentration and these three food components are unavoidable in ordinary diets.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21521229In terms of saturated fat, the link below displays the top food sources of cholesterol raising fat.http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/sat_fat/crf.htmlwow! thank you SO much for all of this information. i appreciate you taking the time to spell all this out for me. seriously, thanks. I am copying this and will be sharing this with friends!Good to see that your copypasta skill is still alive and well.Unfortunately, plant sources of lutein are particularly difficult to assimilate. In this study, the folks eating the spinach (12,000 mcg/100 gram serving– that’s 3 CUPS, and 12 TIMES as much lutein by measure) DIDN’T improve their serum lutein levels as much as those eating the eggs- in fact, only 1/3 as much.So, even though the spinach contains 12 times the amount of lutein as the eggs, eating the spinach only increased serum lutein 1/3 as much as the eggs.This was even after COOKING the spinach with some oil, which researchers found significantly improved lutein availability above raw and cooked without oil.In the interest of transparence, the eggs had higher lutein levels than standard eggs, but nowhere NEAR the levels of the spinach.J. Nutr. August 1, 2004 vol. 134no. 8 1887-1893And your point? I don’t know of a lutein deficiency among vegans. Consuming a single food for one nutrient is a poor approach to diet. Food is a package deal, one cannot consume the eggs without the marked levels of arichidonic acid and dietary cholesterol.Aw now don’t be sore– clearly you think it’s important or you wouldn’t write about. And yet you DID write,“Based on the nutrient data found on the USDA database, 10 grams of spinach has approximately 12 times more lutein then 10 grams of an egg. We cannot really consider eggs an appropriate source of this nutrient.”And my point is that eggs raise lutein levels MORE than spinach, even though spinach “contains” significantly more lutein. So contrary to your claim (and the claims of so many PB advocates that gush on about what a plant foods contains instead of what really matters, what is bioavailable) we really CAN consider eggs a good source of lutein.Lutein and zeaxanthin, which are both xanthophylls, are absorbed best when consumed with fat. So add some avocado, olives, or nuts and seeds in with your dark leafy greens.That will definitely help a little.Rather than posting opinion articles, why not track down his references yourself (he usually includes them) and post those links instead?Stanley Hazen’s research group at the Cleveland Clinic has shown that egg-induced TMAO elevations are strongly linked to the development of subsequent cardiovascular events over follow-up. That is a prima facie case for abandoning eggs in the diet. Not only that but taking choline, L-carnitine, steak or eggs puts TMAO to extremely high levels, and TMAO appears to induce atherosclerosis in both humans and mice. Vegans have a lesser elevation but it is still strikingly high. This is aside from the very high cholesterol content of eggs. Also one can build an ethical case for not eating eggs, even free-range.That sounds interesting, Dan. Would you share the citation please?Look in PubMed by author – Stan Hazen at the Cleveland Clinic. His papers have been in Nature Medicine and the New England Journal of Medicine.“I know I’m right, I just do, now go prove it for me.”Uh huh.As an aside, anyone can build an ethical case for not eating row crops too, even organic and local.You are so right! There is so much information and misinformation out there that it is enough to keep your head spinning for the rest of your life. I love to do research, and I use the information I gain to do my own experiments. One thing I have learned is that we all may have some general or broad nutritional needs, but each person is also unique. Just as no two fingerprints or snowflakes are identical, every individual has a unique chemistry that is determined by both genetics and environment. Therefore, I only use the information I find as guidelines and experiment to see what works best for me. I have learned to become very attuned to what my body tells me. Even if every bit of bias was removed from science (which it is not), then the best it can offer is theories based on the specifics of it’s study (those involved and which factors were controlled). Human beings do not live in a controlled laboratory setting. We are always having to adapt to conditions in our environment. Therefore, our nutritional needs can vary significantly from one individual to the next and even one point in time to the next. For example, if I was starving, not only would I be thrilled to have an egg, I may look at other types of food for survival that I would not otherwise even consider and my body would likely be happy for it! Since this is not my case (at least at this time), I can be more choosy about what I eat. Again, I listen to my body about what it needs. From time to time, I seem to crave eggs. I am not sure what I am lacking when that happens, but my body recognizes that eggs have provided whatever it is in the past and creates this craving within me. When I eat an egg or two the craving disappears and even the thought of eating an egg sounds repulsive. I think it is useful to gather information so you can learn more about what kinds of things to try for yourself. The key is to learn to listen to your body first before worrying so much about what various sources say. Use information to get ideas for trying new things to see what works best for you. Using this method, maybe one day I will find what it is about eggs that my body wants and be able to consume that instead of eggs. Until then, eggs it is! =)I totally agree with what you are saying.For me, I had stopped eating eggs years ago because I would immediately get nauseated- then I tried fresh farm eggs and I didn’t feel ill. Today I look at them differently with all of this information that is not good- and I just can’t bring myself to eat them. I used to LOVE scrambled eggs every morning, now i have a smoothie…I just can’t take the chance. My Mother, father, and most of my family has died form one cancer or another- and YOUNG. I just don’t want to take a chance on eggs killing me first!I feel like I have gone back to college and my major is now FOOD! I really do want to know as much as possible, obviously or we wouldn’t be on this site, but sometimes it’s overwhelming.Every person is unique in how they respond to different foods, but FWIW, after 2 years of consuming NO animal foods, I returned to eating them, especially eggs. My serum cholesterol dropped almost 150 points and the ratio corrected itself. Turns out that for me, it was starch and grain that was elevating my endogenous production. So you need to figure out what enflames your body chronically and avoid those things.Clearly your original vegan diet was lacking in nutritional quality.Precisely. A WFPB diet was lacking in nutritional quality. It’s good that you’re able to acknowledge that WFPB is.You are seriously abusing your moderator privileges. It’s getting rather comical now. Maybe I just need to send a personal message to Dr. Greger and point out how bad your behavior is making NF look.Total fasting cholesterol is a rather poor marker of future cardiovascular events – it would be interesting to see what your postprandial levels are doing.Cholesterol in general is a poor marker of future cardiovascular events. What’s far better is inflammatory markers.Actually, Ridker has demonstrated numerous times that LDL cholesterol and hsCRP share about the same, fairly poor predictive value for cardiovascular events. I take no reassurance from having either a low LDL cholesterol or a low hsCRP. I take much reassurance from the quality of my diet and its absence of animal protein, low levels of choline and L-carnitine (which are demonstrated adverse cardiovascular risk factors, at least in humans), absence of cholesterol, low saturated fat and virtually no trans fat, no highly oxidative heme iron, and low phosphate load, little or no PAH’s and HCA’s.I simply do not see any benefit in terms of eating meat, eggs, dairy or fish – and much potential for harm, even if only from contaminants (and I don’t believe it’s only from contaminants). Eat as much grass-fed, organic, antibiotic and growth hormone-free red meat as you want – it’s still a leading risk factor for colorectal cancer (one of the top 3 cancers in men and women). Eat as much wild salmon as you want, it still produces unhealthy levels of TMAO and likely contains at least some bioaccumulative mercury.And if you’ve ever seen how a cow or a fish is killed, you’ll also likely never want to consume them again (but that maybe just me). The fact that a whole foods plant-based diet is healthy dovetails nicely with its impact on the environment, sustainability, animal welfare, global warming, even income disparities in poor nations (farm factory workers are amongst the poorest paid in our society).As far as I know, none of the above is a lie, and all of it is based on peer-reviewed science.Well thank you for the sermon, but let’s stick to facts you can cite rather than your opinion.The “Eggs(food)” article on Wikipedia is misleading in many regards of their nutritional value. If you know of anybody looking to support your egg research, perhaps a good testing ground for debate on these issues would be in the Eggs (food) article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_%28food%29The trimethylamine produced from eating an excess of cruciferous vegitables such as broccoli and cauliflower can also cause the fishy odered bacteria to rear up. Is this a cause for consern for vegans?I was unable to locate any information about TMA or TMAO in brassica vegetables. In the studies discussed on TMAO, researchers observed that vegans eating a steak (for the sake of science) were unable to produce the deadly compounds in their guts due to such discrepancies in intestinal bacteria species.They had to KILL all of their gut flora first to accomplish this though. Vegans’s guts (mostly) all contain this same flora because most ate animal food at one time. So the only way any vegan could manage this is to take a powerful antibiotic and kill off all of their existing flora– and this is never a wise thing to do.Google trimethylamine broccoli. There are quite a few references to brassica and choline reactions.I recently read a vegan nutrition site, and the author mentions choline as something vegans are at risk of getting too little of.I then did a Google search on choline and found an article (http://www.livestrong.com/article/84483-foods-rich-choline/) saying women need 425mg per day and men 550mg per day.The same article made it seem that getting enough choline as a vegan is possible, but only if consciously eating the right foods in the right amounts, and even then it would be a bit of a challenge. It made me consider taking a choline supplement. Then I saw this video and now I’m confused.Do you think that the current daily recommended intakes of choline are too high (due to the link with cancer)? Or is it true that most vegans probably aren’t getting enough choline and need to put in the effort to get enough?Please no choline supplement. Just eat a balanced diet of berries, legumes, dark leafy greens, whole grains & starches, and nuts & seeds, with ample amounts of all the others fruits and veggies.Jack Norris, RD article on Choline… http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/cholineCholine may be necessary in those with certain genetic SNPs which can negatively impact the SAMe methylation conversions and your rather superficial use of “cholesterol” as problematic in itself implies that the cholesterol is the problem whenin most cases it is [it’s] oxidation that is more of a problem.	American Egg Board,animal fat,animal products,animal protein,Atkins diet,bad breath,bile acids,body odor,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cholesterol,choline,Cleveland Clinic,dairy,Dr. Dean Ornish,eggs,eye disease,eye health,fat,fish,folate,Freedom of Information Act,gut flora,halitosis,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,iron,lutein,macular degeneration,meat,milk,mortality,omega-3 fatty acids,oral health,plant-based diets,poultry,protein,red meat,saliva,saturated fat,seafood,stroke,surgery,trimethylamine,turkey,USDA,vaginal discharge,vaginal health,vegans,vegetarians	Too much choline, a compound concentrated in eggs and other animal products, can make bodily secretions smell like rotting fish and may increase the risk of heart disease due to conversion in the gut to trimethylamine.	I previously did a more in-depth dive into the choline issue in Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection. More on eggs and cholesterol in Egg Cholesterol in the Diet and Avoiding Cholesterol Is a No Brainer.More Freedom of Information Act juiciness in Eggs and Cholesterol: Patently False and Misleading Claims, Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis, and my latest live presentation More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases.What else might make you smell fishy? See Bacterial Vaginosis and Diet.For more context, check out my associated blog post: How Eggs Can Impact Body Odor.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saliva/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bad-breath/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/freedom-of-information-act/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trimethylamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/choline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lutein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/halitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-discharge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cleveland-clinic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15565078,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475195,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475185,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11325827,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22952174,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1913918/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1741321,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20160273,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17041178,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15556922,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19423531,
PLAIN-2693	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bold-indeed-beef-lowers-cholesterol/	BOLD Indeed: Beef Lowers Cholesterol?	Imagine you worked in the now defunct Twinkie division of Hostess Foods and wanted to take the tobacco industry tack of not just downplaying the risk of your product, but actually promoting it as healthy. How do you do that?Your first problem is it has 2.5 grams of saturated fat, so that's going to raise cholesterol--the #1 risk factor of our #1 killer, heart disease. How are we going to get around that?Well, what if you designed a study in which you took a bunch of people eating your archrival, Little Debbie cloud cakes. Now they only have 1 gram each, so what if you took a group eating 5 cloud cakes a day—5 grams of saturated fat--and then cut that saturated fat intake in half by switching them to eating 1 Twinkie a day. What would happen to their cholesterol levels? Cutting saturated fat consumption in half? Their cholesterol would go down. So technically they went from zero Twinkies a day to one Twinkie a day, and their cholesterol went down.You publish it and crank out a press release. "New research shows that eating a Twinkie a day can be good for heart health by improving cholesterol levels. The media takes your press release and runs with it: "Consumers can eat a Twinkie every day if they choose and feel confident that science supports Twinkies’ healthy benefits, which now include cholesterol-lowering effects!” Twinkies, you just proved with science, have cholesterol-lowering effects. Too outlandish a scenario?Check it out. This study, bought and paid for by the beef industry,added beef to people’s diets. At the same time they removed so much poultry, pork, fish, and cheese from their diet that they halved their saturated fat intake from 12% of their diet, down to 6% of their diet, so of course their cholesterol went down. If your diet goes from 12% saturated fat down to 6% saturated fat, it doesn't matter if that 6% comes from beef, chicken, lard, or Twinkies. If you cut your total saturated fat in half, your cholesterol will follow, especially if you eat more fiber and vegetable protein.They conclude: The results of the BOLD study—standing for Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet—provide convincing evidence that lean beef can be included in a heart-healthy diet that meets current dietary recommendations and reduces cardiovascular disease risk. Crisco could be included. Krispy Crème could be included as long as you cut your total saturated fat intake. What they fail to mention is that risk would drop even lower if you dropped the beef, as was pointed out by the chair of nutrition at Harvard, who's previously pointed out that plant sources of protein are preferred.The subjects in this study went from a high risk of dying from heart disease to a high risk of dying from heart disease. Remember we need to get our cholesterol down to 50, 60 or 70 to become essentially heart attack proof. For most people that means eliminated saturated animal fat and cholesterol intake completely.This study is really just showing how bad saturated fat is from any animal source. Yes, based on saturated fat levels lean beef is often better than chicken (and Twinkies), but that's like touting the health benefits of Coca Cola because it has less sugar than Pepsi. It does--16 spoonfuls of sugar per bottle instead of just 15. Doesn't mean we wouldn't be better not consuming soda at all. Reminds me of this study "Cheese intake lowers cholesterol… compared, to butter.”Yet here's the release, here's one of the 60 news outlets they brag about carrying their story. That's how they ended up with the cholesterol-lowering effects of beef. If you cut out enough poultry, pork, fish, and cheese from your diet, you could replace this with almost anything (bacon grease, candy, frosting, deep-fried snickers bars, sewer sludge, etc.)	Great video Dr. Greger.Have you seen this?http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_battling_bad_science.htmlA classic!Or this gem on Relative Risk versus Absolute Risk by H. Gilbert Welch…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcHQElKhWFcSome good points Goldacre makes. But in the end, isn’t he still a vaccine promoting, pharmaceutical industry supporting shill of some sorts, when the truth is that our bodies need to be exposed to the antigens through natural exposure, creating mucosal response, enzymatic response, biliary response, the biggie – the response from the intestinal flora, and then cell mediated response, to effectively create humoral immunity that lasts, where the antibody survives much longer after healthier B cells create the antibody, as well as effective excretion through the colon and urinary tract, and skin, making our diet (with green leafy vegetables being very important) key, with tons of fruits & veggies, excluding bacteria and inflammation forming animal products and the TMAO from them?This is one of the best videos I’ve seen to show how information can be misleading. Misleading is a mild descriptive. The BOLD study was down-right deceptive.Great video, showing how easy it is to conduct a (lousy) study to prove anything. Actually it is embarrassing to conduct a study like this. Science is not always science.Why do some studies show that nut consumption (which have significant saturated fat content) reduces the odds of heart disease? Or more specifically, what is it in nuts that compensates for the saturated fat to make it a heart healthy food?I find it difficult to have applicability with the nut studies because they typically involve people consuming a standard American diet and then adding nuts. I would find results more intriguing comparing a very low fat diet to a diet that included a moderate amount of nuts.Yes, I would definitely agree!I’ve got a bunch of videos on that! Check them out at http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutsSo glad I can help!In health, MichaelI am interested in making a donation, however, I am not confident in the security on your donation page. I do not have paypal.Paypal is a very safe tool for transferring money and is easy to establish. If you ever have problems paypal will also reimburse.So kind of you to consider supporting this work! You can send a check made out to “NutritionFacts.org” to:Michael Greger, M.D. 700 Professional Dr. Gaithersburg, MD 20879Another great video! This is exactly the technique used in the Mediterranean diet study.Dr Geiger always seems to focus on Cholesterol and LDL cholesterol – and conveniently ignores two other major risk factors – tricyclerides and HDL.My experience and on the advice of my doctor eating a diet high in saturated fat while reducing carbs raises HDL and lowers my TG, and importantly significantly improves the TG/HDL ratio which is a more powerful indictor of heart disease risk than is total cholesterol. Since I changed my diet my risk factors have decreased and I sure enjoy my food a lot more – which is sort of the point of living, isn’t it?I would really appreciate a response from Dr Geiger.Hi oderb, I was about comment on the same lines. I know several people who had high cholesterol trying to eat whole grains and veggies, then switched to high fat/low carb, and their bad cholesterol went down, then their good cholesterol went up. Curious about a response :)An atkins style diet, or “paleo” diet is discussed in great detail here by Dr. Greger http://atkinsexposed.org/If this type of diet is indeed what you are talking about, Dr. Greger looks at much more then cholesterol. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/Available data suggest that simply increasing the amount of circulating high density lipoprotein cholesterol does not reduce the risk of coronary heart disease events, coronary heart disease deaths, or total deaths. The results support reduction in low density lipoprotein cholesterol as the primary goal for lipid modifying interventions.From: Briel, Matthias, et al. “Association between change in high density lipoprotein cholesterol and cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality: systematic review and meta-regression analysis.” BMJ: British Medical Journal 338 (2009).Thanks for another amazingly educational post!Excellent Darryl, I am looking forward to reading through the 8 studies posted at the end regarding low carb, high protein diets.There’s not much else in the way of mortality data or large diet trials, at least according to these two more recent meta-analyses (1, 2). From the first you’ll see that in most diet vs. diet studies, “low-fat” isn’t low at all, dig further and discover dismal adherence in most trials, but I think they still give an idea of the direction if not magnitude of blood marker changes with adherence.I omitted fairly consistent evidence that ketogenic / LFHC adversely effect cognition, memory, and mood: 1, 23. I’m pretty sure Dr. Greger has covered this side effect in a prior video.Yes, I have seen a few on cognitive function but the ones you presented are also new to me. Thanks for the additional information.Darryl, may I ask, what is your occupation? You are very knowledgeable in nutrition. I myself am a student of nutrition and have much to learn, but I am curious about your field.I’m in software, though I majored in biochemistry. Dr. Greger’s videos often inspire me to delve (sleepless nights on PubMed), but I post here from enthusasm rather than credentialed authority. It just helps me organize and remember my own findings. Its a great time to be a casual science fan, as anyone can search the last 45+ years of abstracts without leaving bed, read many papers in full, and listen to graduate seminars while walking the dog. I somewhat regret being on the sidelines, but my past self lacked the persistence for another decade of school & post-docs.That’s awesome Darryl! Who cares about credentials. You join the high company of Dr. Greger himself as a nutrition autodidact.Darryl, This post is a big nail in the coffin for low-carb, high-protein, animal based diets.Diction alert! “tobacco industry tact” — should be “tack”. A common error. This usage of “tack” derives from its nautical meaning of a sailing maneuver. “Tact”, on the other hand, is sensitivity in dealing with others.More relevantly.. The BOLD diet reduced SFA intake from 12 g to 6 g, not 12% to 6% of kcal; the percentages went from 27.9 to 15.4. This is per the study table displayed in the video.Thank you so much brec! I corrected tact for tack. I think I got the percentage right, though. You can tell the parenthetical number is the grams, because otherwise they would be getting 287% of their calories from carbohydrates :)Carbs are healthfood, so 287% are OK – you just need a bigger plate……Oh that sneaky beef industry ! I am vegan and plan to stay that way! They can keep their bull !It’s terrifying what 5 minutes on google can showhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/science/study-finds-fraud-is-widespread-in-retracted-scientific-papers.html?_r=0http://www.rsdfoundation.org/en/Fraud.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_PoehlmanHi Dr. Greger, I thought the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was a peer-review scientific journal. How did they justify publishing this?This is a very reasonable question, since it would seemingly require a conspiracy to publish such a preposterous paper! Yet this paper found its way into a major nutrition journal of respectable impact factor. My opinion is that the peer review process for most journals is an imperfect filtration of bad papers. Typically only two scientists in the field have to approve of a paper for it to get published. Sometimes even one positive enough reviewer can persuade the journal editor to accept the paper. In cases where a paper is rejected, the authors are entitled to re-submit their paper to other journals. Each additional iteration of peer review will increase the odds that a favourable reviewer is found. Thus, for persistent enough authors, finding a suitable match is inevitable. Furthermore, scientists are rewarded primarily based on the number of times a paper is cited. So, in theory, a paper could be cited 300 times, all citations of which argue that the paper is dreadfully bad and yet this would be of great value to a scientist’s career in terms of grant and award earning potential. So now you understand the temptation to become a scientist. You are revered as if you belong to the modern priestly caste and the secret to success is nothing more than persistence.Thank you, Dr Greger!Amazing video Dr. Greger. I have to compliment you on your choice of graphics and visuals—true eye candy. They make your videos not only educational, but entertaining as well.Cholesterol does not cause heart disease, nor saturated fat. Get you fact straight.WOW! With this kind of very strong arguments, backed up by references to countless scientific articles, you will convince everybody…….NOTEvidence for your statements?Well, in fact both saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease in monkeys, apes, horses, and numerous other animals that are not obligate carnivores or true omnivores (which have the physiological equipment to eat meat, such as dogs). And humans fall into the same category as the other animals–animals in whom cholesterol and saturated fat do cause heart disease, or atherosclerosis. The reason is that meat is not a natural or appropriate food for humans–as evidenced by its causing numerous diseases in humans.Those are straight facts. Get yours straight.I get the impression that studies on fish eating populations are similiar to this: these people often don’t consume meat or dairy and that might be the reason they live longer not because they eat fish. The traditional okinawan diet was almost 99% vegan with only about 15 grams of fish daily and then people say it’s the fish that makes them live long!Dr Greger,Thank you for being a continuing source of inspiration.Would you consider doing a video about raising pets on vegan food? I imagine this could be quite relevant to a lot of your readers.Keep up the amazing work!mykamakiri: You may be interested in a talk given by Armaiti May, DVM. She’s been talking about vegan dogs and cats for years. The link below is to page of a bunch of videos. But if you scroll down, you can find Armaiti’s talk from 2011. I saw the most recent version a couple weeks ago and it was great.http://nwveg.org/presentationsFYI: I’ve been feeding my Great Dane a vegan kibble for about 4 years now. He’s 10 years old (which is good for a Great Dane) and is doing fantastic health-wise. One of the tricks is to get the right vegan kibble as they are not all the same in terms of nutrients.Hope you find that helpful.Thank you so much for this.Dear Dr G: The correct word is “tack,” not “tact.” “Tack” is a nautical metaphor for setting a direction; “tact” is social sensitivity in behavior–not an abbreviation for “tactic.” “…and wanted to take the tobacco industry tact” should be “and wanted to take the tack of the tobacco industry.”This is a great piece. Dissecting how the beef industry–and, it should be added, several academics who have deplorable scholarly standards and should be ashamed of themselves–lie with statistics and tell a whole lie with a partial truth.I am not saying that nuts are unhealthy, but even the Adventists do not have the same type of whole foods plant based diet you or I follow.You apparently did not read what I wrote. I said that my HDL went up as a result of diet, not medication. The two should not be equated.Just look at diabetes drugs that bring down glucose while doing nothing for mortality, unlike diet which can lower glucose and mortality.And you neglected to mention that the side effects you list are found in mice. Are you aware of any high quality studies that show similar effects in humans? I’d like to see them.I think your analysis of the Beef study is wrong, They were comparing HAD and DASH to BOLD and BOLD+. I realize that the funding draws into the question the results, but I think you’re interpretation is equally misleading. For real insightful and unbiased views, I would check-out Dr Attia and NUSI. They, as far as I can tell, the only objective sources of nutritional information.Taubes and Attia the most unbiased and knowledgeable leaders in the nutritional world?! You sure?http://plantpositive.com/warning-signs-nusi-guys-1/Plant Positive is far from unbiased himself – clearly pushing his personal agenda. He also has his share of critics:http://anthonycolpo.com/why-primitivenutrition-aka-plant-positive-is-a-shameless-and-cowardly-liar/At least Dr. Attia publishes a disclosure, which appears accurate:http://eatingacademy.com/disclosuresI was hoping NUSI would have published results by now, and I’m not sure why they haven’t. Guess research takes time.Some people are better at working around their biases than others when arguing about matters of fact. If Colpo is the most prominent critic of Plant Positive that comes to mind for you, that’s a sign that Plant has little to worry about in terms of competent counterargument.Referring to a rambling post from Colpo would be like me referring to you to an extended rant by durianrider. Neither of them are academically skilled and neither are focused enough on a careful discussion of scientific claims.Attia’s disclosure has some parts which are covered by plausible deniability, but even then when he only states that with respect to Generation UCAN, “I occasionally discuss or mention them in my posts”, he’s being less than fully accurate. He has given an entire presentation promoting the product, complete with carefully compiled testimonial statements from people who he has trained:https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=KZA-Ik58WcI#t=3347Note that part at the end about another presentation planned. The UCAN website also has this blogpost with this question and response by athlete Christopher Kelly:“What attracted you to SuperStarch and Generation UCAN?This year it finally dawned on me that first step to optimal athletic performance is general health. A yearly routine blood test had always shown low haemoglobin and hematocrit and I decided it was time to find out why. More test revealed chronic inflammation, a leaky gut, and gluten sensitivity. Adopting a strict autoimmune diet protocol fixed these issues, and extensive reading into the hows and whys lead me to a better understanding of how blood glucose affects our health and athletic performance. I found Peter Attia’s presentation on UCAN and exchanged a few emails with my coach and the Ph.D. medical researcher that fixed my leaky gut. On paper, Superstarch was clearly an improvement over maltodextrin.”So though the internal link is now broken for some reason, the company previously hosted a resource which Kelly thought was a presentation by Attia about the merits of UCAN. The website also has a stray tagging structure for Attia-related content:http://generationucan.com/blog/tag/peter-attia/I wouldn’t call this evidence of a little blogging here and there, and no more.	animal fat,animal products,bacon,beef,butter,cake,candy,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,Coca-Cola,Crisco,fat,fiber,fish,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,meat,Pepsi,plant protein,pork,poultry,protein,saturated fat,seafood,smoking,soda,sugar,tobacco,turkey,Twinkies,vegetable protein	The beef industry designed a study to show that a diet containing beef was able to lower cholesterol if one cuts out enough poultry, pork, fish, and cheese to halve one’s total saturated fat intake.	How are Americans exposed to saturated fat? Burgers actually fall well below chicken. See Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero.The beef industry is by no means alone in having a corrupting influence on the scientific method. See, for example:For more on being heart attack “proof,” see Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death.For more context, check out my associated blog post: How to Design a Misleading Study.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/14/how-the-meat-industry-designed-a-highly-misleading-study/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crisco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepsi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/twinkies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22170364,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22030228,
PLAIN-2694	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tell-your-doctor-if-you-eat-grapefruit/	Tell Your Doctor If You Eat Grapefruit	If you have people eat half a grapefruit three times a day before each meal for a couple months, they may lose about two pounds, but that's no more than if they ate 3 apples or pears a day. In this study the grapefruit eaters not only saw their weight go down, but their waist got slimmer, and their body fat melted away. If, however, you repeat the experiment and instead ask people to drink a half cup of water before each meal, you get the same result. So this belief that grapefruit has some special fat-burning quality appears to be just a long-held myth.Here's the latest, showing grapefruit consumers had a drop in weight, significant drop in cholesterol, and significant drop in blood pressure. Conclusion:This study suggests that consumption of grapefruit daily for 6 weeks does not significantly decrease body weight, cholesterol, or blood pressure. What?! That made me do a little double take, but again, it's because the grapefruit didn't do any better than placebo.Other studies have found a legitimate cholesterol-lowering benefit, especially eating red as opposed to white grapefruits, and even a little dip in triglycerides. This was one grapefruit a day for 30 days, but as you can see though, they went from one life-threatening cholesterol level to another life-threatening cholesterol level. To prevent heart disease, you really have to get down to a total cholesterol of around 150, the average cholesterol of those eating diets composed exclusively of plant foods, not just grapefruits.Even though grapefruits alone don't do much, the researchers suggest that people might be more likely to stick with them than cholesterol lowering drugs, noting that most people with heart disease stop taking their statin drugs within a couple years because of the adverse side effects. Grapefruit alone don't have any side effects, but, ironically, combine grapefruits and drugs together and you can make drug side effects even worse.Now hopefully if you eat lots of fruits and vegetables you won't need a lot of drugs, but certain phytochemicals in plants can affect the metabolism of drugs in the body, and grapefruit is the poster child, described as a pharmacologist's nightmare. Natural phytochemicals in grapefruit suppress the enzymes that help clear more than half of commonly prescribed drugs, and less drug clearance means higher drug levels in the body. Now this may be good if you want a better caffeine buzz from your morning coffee, or your doctor wants to help you save thousands of dollars boosting the effects of expensive drugs, instead of just peeing them down the toilet.But higher drug levels may mean higher risk of side effects. Women taking the pill are at a higher risk of blood clots, particularly, perhaps, if they have been consuming grapefruit. Taking the pill with grapefruit juice may increase blood concentrations by 137%.If suppressing our drug clearance enzymes with grapefruit juice elevates levels of ingested estrogen, what might it be doing to our own estrogen levels? This study, associating grapefruit consumption with breast cancer freaked out the medical community, but subsequent studies on even larger groups of women found no evidence of a link. In fact if anything the Harvard Nurses’ Study found a decreased risk of the scariest breast cancer type, so it doesn't look like one has to worry about grapefruit affecting our natural chemistry. For those prescribed unnatural chemistries, it may be a good idea to discontinue grapefruit consumption for 72 hours before use of a drug that may interact with it. If you don't want to give up your grapefruit, you can ask your doctor about switching from one of the grapefruit-affected drugs like Lipitor to one of the citrus-proof alternatives.	Please check out the petition below (link included) petitioning Whole FoodsMarket to provide to the consumer a different line of dairy products.While the likelihood of Whole Foods doing this is slim, the awareness it will raise will possibly create a lot of people getting off dairy. The average consumer has absolutely no idea that 99 percent of US dairy comes from mother cows separated from their calves, denied what they gave birth to. Please let me know what you think of the petition, and please pass it on if this resonates with you.https://www.change.org/petitions/whole-foods-market-sell-a-line-of-dairy-products-sourced-from-milk-of-cows-who-are-not-separated-from-their-calves-all-allowed-to-live-their-lives-as-a-family-no-forced-pregnancies-no-veal-beef-futures-for-calvesI tend to try to always err on the side of caution. I can and will do without the grapefruit.Better to do without Lipitor!Interesting, I suppose we could use grapefruit to have a better buzz from tea instead of coffee. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems that is the opposite effect of broccoli ! Is that overall great ? Could it decrease the benefice of broccoli ?Bergamottin from grapefruit juice is one of many direct inhibitors of the CYP3A4 enzyme. Sulforaphane is not metabolized by CYP3A4, so there doesn’t appear to be any inhibition in that direction. In vitro, extraordinarily high sulforaphane levels can reduce transcription of the CYP3A4 gene. The tested 10μM concentration is much higher than that seen from broccoli ingestion (< 0.1 μM peaks from 200g broccoli is typical), and even that just resulted in 30% reduction of CYP3A4 transcripts. Very high doses of broccoli sprouts might have a minor and additive effect upstream of grapefruit on CYP3A4 drug metabolism.Thanks Darryl.Does this mean mixing grapefruit with alcohol will get me more drunk?CYP2E1 is the major cytochrome P-450 involved in ethanol oxidation, and it isn’t inhibited by grapefruit.Yes, the more drinks with vodka and grapefruitjuice you drink, the more drunk you will get ! Amazing….The dear doctor has it mostly just backwards. Grapefruit will enhance the adsorption of many foods. For example, if you need to eat a cup of broccoli you can get about the same effect by eating 1/2 cup along with grapefruit. Also, most oral medicines can be significantly reduced (25-75%) by taking some grapefruit with them. Saves money and you a quicker effect from the consumption.What evidence do you have supporting this statement?Pres: I thought Dr. Greger did an excellent job of explaining *how* grapefruit can be of both benefit and of harm (ex: when combined with certain drugs). And he has the studies to back up his statements. Just what is it that you think Dr. Greger got wrong?I guess the point is to eat grapefruit, other fruit, vegetables, beans and grains (98% of the time) in the first place, in an attempt to avoid prescription drugs.Lately the videos are coming through but not the voice part. I get other videos so I am not sure it is me. Has anyone complained about that. thanks.No problems here Ra.Ra: I am having the same problem. The solution is to click the Volume symbol that is right next to the play symbol.For some reason, YouTube is setting the volume to “mute” by default for several of us. I have no idea why. I first noticed this problem for myself yesterday and it persists through today. At least there is an easy work around.Hope that helps.list of drugs with most dangerous interactions with grapefruit: http://www.rxeconsult.com/articles/view.php?id=272&sthash.N8mz9RpZ.mjjo&goback=%2Egde_761417_member_254136005#%21Thanks for this! Just eat a healthy, plant-based diet, and we should be fine….Does grapefruit also lower the effectiveness of oral contraceptives like St. John’s wort does?Not trying to be a stickler about it, but at 3:09 in the video it should be “blood concentrations *to* 137%”, not *by* 137%. I was listening to the audio and this had me do a double take.I’m a student NP, I would like to keep the last chart entitled ‘Grapefruit-Drug interactions and alternative therapies’ handy, but I cannot see the reference, could you please direct me to the origination of this chart?So . . . does grapefruit consumption enhance the bioavailability or blood levels of natural nutrients such as alma, broccoli sprouts, etc.?You always seem to have the latest info. I just read about the drug interaction on another site. This got me wondering if a plant based diet could actually reduce/eliminate the dependency upon the type of drugs that cause the interaction. Thanks. http://www.vidavibrante.com/2012/11/28/are-grapefruits-dangerously-hurting-your-abuelitos-medications/I was only on beta blockers, but now I’m on a plant based diet and have normal blood pressure without the beta blockers. I take no drugs prescription or otherwise and feel great.Dear Doctor, Have you seen any studies on recombinant apoA-Im and are you aware of any plant based food sources? Thanks.I have been able to find studies of Chloroform extract of Papaya Seed being used as a MALE CONTRACEPTIVE conducted on animals but was intrigued to know if there were any further studies that have been conducted on actual humans. A male contraceptive with no adverse side effects derived from a Whole food, what a concept!!Suggested related topic for a future video: Tell Your Doctor if You take St. John’s WortThe active compound in the herb St. John’s Wort, hyperforin, is a potent inducer of the pregnane X receptor and subsequent cytochrome and drug transporter expression, and hence dramatically speeds metabolism and reduces tissue levels of many drugs. Undisclosed St. John’s Wort self-medication has resulted in transplant rejection and unwanted pregnancy with oral contraceptives, and is common enough that a video covering the topic would be a public health service.NOTED! Thanks, Darryl.I would appreciate your comments (or maybe a new video…) on this chapter, Dr. Greger: Fruit/Vegetable-Drug Interactions: Effects on Drug Metabolizing Enzymes and Drug Transporters [http://www.intechopen.com/books/drug-discovery/fruit-vegetable-drug-interactions-effects-on-drug-metabolizing-enzymes-and-drug-transporters]Hi Dorange. Thanks for your note. Anything specific you’d like to know about the paper?Hi, thanks for the reply! Well, I found it very confusing… it seems anything we eat has a potential bad effect, particularly if a person is taking any drugs. I have particular interest in how to make the enzyme Cyp3a4 work in our benefit (through diet), helping in estrogen detox. It seems that eating grapefruit, grapes and even leafy vegetables, for example, deplete the enzyme, increasing circulating estrogen!? Cranberry juice seems to have the opposite effect, though. Could you clarify this, please. I believe this is very important for people with estrogen dominance, and estrogen induced cancers. I wonder how these would also relate to young females taking contraceptives.Plant’s do not contain estrogen. Only in isolated and concentrated forms could be they be problematic. Doctor’s are pretty good about discussing potential drug-nutrient interactions. Grapefruit is perhaps the most common. Also, too much vitamin K from dark leafy greens can effect warfarin, but to my knowledge doses can be adjusted so folks can still eat greens. Other Doctor’s may be able to help me answer this question in more depth. I really like your link, thanks for sharing! Especially table 1 describing traditional uses for plants. I think you’re onto something, as “food is medicine” and it will have thousands of biochemical reactions in the body. Still, plant-based diets seem to offer the best protection for health and wellness.Thanks! I am onto plant based diets! :) Now, my question would be which foods, besides cranberry juice (which has too much sugar…), would help enhance Cyp3a4 enzyme and estrogen detox?	abdominal fat,apples,beverages,birth control pills,blood clots,blood pressure,body fat,breast cancer,breast health,caffeine,cancer,cardiac disease,cardiac health,cholesterol,citrus,cost savings,fat,flexitarians,fruit,grapefruit,grapefruit juice,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,LDL cholesterol,Lipitor,lovastatin,medications,mortality,nutrition myths,obesity,pears,placebo effect,plant-based diets,side effects,statins,triglycerides,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,water,weight loss,women's health	The role white and pink (red) grapefruit may play in weight loss and cholesterol control, as well as the suppression of drug clearance enzymes within the body.	Another benefit of not taking drugs? You don’t have to worry about grapefruit consumption! See Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants.We don’t want to take cholesterol-lowering drugs unless we need to. See Statin Muscle Toxicity. To get cholesterol down naturally, see:Another video on the risks associated with taking estrogens: Plant-Based Bioidentical HormonesOther videos on citrus include:Can’t eat grapefruit without sprinkling sugar on top? Try erythritol instead just to avoid the empty calories: Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant.For more context, check out my associated blog post: How Grapefruit Affects Prescription Drugs.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/12/how-grapefruit-affects-prescription-drugs/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/placebo-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-control-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lovastatin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiac-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triglycerides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pears/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-clots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiac-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22417366,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17622247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21288350,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8485024,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16506849,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16939181,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21931020,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19224379,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19345832,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16579728,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15621963,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20972517,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11678492,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18439712,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18026192,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17635950,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8631189,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22304836,
PLAIN-2695	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-your-diet-with-pee-purple-cabbage/	Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple Cabbage	If our body isn't buffering the acid formed from our diet with our bones, how is it neutralizing the acid? Maybe with our muscles! Our blood gets more acidic as we age, as our kidney function declines, and this may be a reason we lose muscle mass as we get older. The modern Western diet based on animal products generates an acid load that may cause a lifespan state of unnoticed and growing metabolic acidosis," and this chronic low-level diet-dependent metabolic acidosis might contribute to the progressive shrinking of our muscle mass as we age.See muscle wasting appears to be an adaptive response to acidosis. When our muscles break down, amino acids are released into the bloodstream. Our liver can then take these amino acids and make something called glutamine, which our kidneys can use to get rid of excess acid. And indeed, in this three year study, those over age 65 eating alkaline diets were better able to preserve their muscle mass, which they think may be because the alkaline-producing fruits and vegetables helped relieve the mild acidosis that occurs with the ingestion of the standard American diet. But show me a study in which fruits and vegetables aren't associated with health benefits.So when the latest review asks does an alkaline diet benefit health? If you're asking does a diet low in meat, eggs, and dairy—all acid producing, and high in fruits and vegetables with lots of dark green leafies, well then of course the answer is yes, an alkaline diet benefits health, but if you're asking does it matter what the pH of your pee is (whether your urine is acid or alkaline) regardless of what actually goes into your mouth? Then the answer is... still yes, it does matter, but the accepted benefits of having alkaline urine appear limited to two areas, lower risk of kidney stones and better uric acid clearance... We knew about kidney stones, but the uric acid data is new. researchers found that alkalization of the urine is effective for removing uric acid from the body... And if you remember uric acid is bad stuff, potentially increasing one's risk of fatal stroke, heart disease, and death.So those eating plant-based diets are at an advantage. The average vegetarian diet is alkaline producing, and the average meat-eating diet is acid producing. Even though there are some acid-forming meat-substitutes, like some of the quorn prducts, they're not as bad as something like, tuna, and they're typically consumed in smaller quantities than meat consumers consume meat. As the protein in plants is usually accompanied by much more potassium, which is alkalinizing, there is good reason to meet protein needs preferably from plant sources. And if you actually measure urine pH, those eating strictly plant-based diets have the greatest advantage, significantly more alkaline urine than omnivores.How can you tell what your urine Ph is? Well you can be all boring and order some ph paper strips to pee on—or, you can use what you should have right now in your crisper , a purple cabbage. Everyone should have a red or purple cabbage in their fridge since it one of the single best nutrition bangs for our buck, but you can also do science with it!You can either boil some until the water turns deep purple, or a quicker safer way (since then you're not dealing with hot liquids) is to just blend some raw in your blender with some water for that gorgeous purple and just strain out the solids. Then what do you do with that royal purple liquid is you pour it in the toilet bowl after you pee. (You can imagine how much fun kids have with this).If it stays purple your urine is acidic and you should eat more dark green leafy vegetables. If the toilet bowl turns pink your urine is really acidic and you should, eat more dark green leafy vegetables. You're looking for blue. If it turns blue that means your urine is neutral or even basic if it's sky blue, and that means you should… continue, to eat more dark green leafy vegetables.	Thanks very much for posting this. We are entering a season where it is of great importance. I understand sweets can also increase acidity in the body. It’s great to have a simple way to test.is it me or is there a problem with the sound on this video? I’ve tried it on two devices and can get no sound.It’s you. Not sure why you’re having problems. Try head phones.sorry – figured it out :)How did you get the soundI get no sound either…what’s the secret to getting sound ?Bev: I too am not getting sound – and I have not had this problem before. Hopefully Dr. Greger’s technical people (should such exist) will read this and see if they can fix it.Thanks for reporting in.Oooh! I just figured it out! Somehow, the YouTube thingy got changed to a default of “mute”. Perhaps a YouTube upgrade? (read: bug)For the fix: On my screen, there is a speaker symbol just to the right of the play button. I was able to click it and adjust the sliding bar thing that showed up so that it went from zero sound to plenty of sounds. I hope this helps other people.OMG, this is hilarious. So much more fun than the PH test strips. ;)Oh, so funny! I had to laugh at the end of this video too.Oh, fun! Can’t wait to try it. I’m curious is it possible to be too alkaline? For example, number 11 in the test tube?If it’s 11 you should be dead :) In fact too much alkalinity can be deadly. Quite literally! But I guess in our world with loads of stress (which is acid producing) we can never be too alkaline.Do results depend on the volume of either pee or cabbage?I agree. see my comment regarding this. thanks!From WEB MD this week: “Tips to keep your joints healthy”“Drink Milk to Keep Bones StrongCalcium and vitamin D help keep bones strong. Strong bones can keep you on your feet, and prevent falls that can damage joints. Dairy products are the best sources of calcium, but other options are green, leafy vegetables like broccoli and kale. If you don’t get enough calcium in your diet, ask your doctor about supplements.”Why do they teach this? Do they not know of the research Dr. G describes? Do they not want to know? Are they paid to ignore it? How can we expect people eating SAD to trust other sources over the docs at Web MD etc.?Gayle: Good find and good points. I do so share your frustration. Shame on Web MD.yep shame on Web MD,People in the US and Norway consume huge amounts of dairy and have mucho osteoperosis. Asians are mostly lactose intolerant and have little or no osteoperosis?Because the amount of calcium pulled from your bones to neutralize the acid is about 1/10 of the amount you gain back after the acid is neutralized.Bone loss has already been shown to not be related with an acidic diet. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/So basically, consumption of meat and milk has no impact on bone loss.Nobel prize material, right there.Not.Simple fact known to anyone with half a brain.I am unsure why the hostility is necessary, Dr. Greger does an excellent job of gathering the evidence and data FOR bone loss through an acidic diet and in turn, shows how the mechanism is misunderstood. Did you view first link?Did you even take the time to watch the videos? Perhaps you should before you get hostile…Gregger is a hack and a quack, and I would sooner trust my neighbour/fortune teller than this piece of shit asshole.How about this: I was diagnosed with osteopenia (quite progressive!) when I was only 21. “Healthy” omnivore diet all my life, grew up on home grown food and meats (we killed our own calf, pigs and chicken), lots of dairy (min 1/2 litre/day) milk and yogurts and cheese (homemade), plus every day fresh fruit and vegetables and bread with everything. In my family I was the only one ever to develop bone problem (my siblings not, sister could not digest it, so she ate only very little when our parents made her), I was the one who ate it at large amounts, at teenage years started even more, and when working as a trainer I added whey shakes with milk (for weight lifting, bodybuilding at the time). So by now I consumed 1-2.5 ltr of diary / day. Even weightlifting did not prevent osteopenia. My sis (2 years older) does not do any activities, no diary for years when she moved away, no health issues (occasional anemia). Me? Osteopenia was not the only thing I got on the way. In short-I’m now completely healthy! After 11 years of health battle, and doc told me that osteoporosis was inevitable (my bones at the time he said were like 70yo) I had it enough, went vegetarian, no improvement, then vegan, stopped progression, then raw reversed it all! Now since I’m raw for over 3 years, I had everything gone! (even family eczema problem) Foreign diary is toxic to our adult bodies, I just consumed it in larger quantities then average, to prove this. And “control subject” was my sis (and the rest of the family). Good news, my sis turned vegan when she saw what happened to me, her anemia (as it started to get worse) gone! In weeks!!! And she is even a smoker!Now your sister only needs to get rid of the cigarettes and she’ll be the healthiest ever!Greetings long lifers!!! Hey I’m 100% vegan (for almost a year) and I eat more kale and spinach than Poopeye and Mr. Ed combined,… I’m on no meds except for combivent for asthma. (about one puff per day) but my Pee remained purple after this test. Needless to say I’m not happy about that. I WANT BLUE PEE!!! What else can I do to move towards alkalinity?Are you sedentary? That increases acid in the body. I would recommend weightlifting where you do a hard set then rest for a few minutes. Or you could sprint for, say, 40 yards, then rest for 3-4 minutes and repeat. Train to increase your power and speed.I walk for 45-60 minutes 6 times per week.I think just walking is not enough. I may be still young and need more active exercising, but you could gradually increase your exercising. Add some more active and sweat-producing training. Walking only increases the happy hormones :) But active sport can be a real booster!In the cited study, vegans still had an acidic urinary pH of 6.15 ± 0.40, which would still be in the purple range for cyanidin (the pH indicator in red cabbage). The methyl red + bromothymol blue pH test strips aren’t expensive, and offer better resolution in the critical 6-7 range.A standard formula for estimating the potential renal acid load of foods is presented in Remer & Manz, 1995. It can be calculated from food composition data with the formulaand will yield positive values for acidic foods and negative ones for alkaline foods. I’ve added it as a column in this spreadsheet of plant food nutrition data. The most alkaline (non-dried) foods (per 100 g) appear to be palm hearts (-31.9) and yams (-15.12), but spinach (-11.84) and kale (-10.74) aren’t far behind. Nuts, grains, baked goods, and legumes are all somewhat acidic by the PRAL measure.Here are additional items using these same calculations.Cereals, oats, regular cooked with water, w/o salt/ 2.18Bananas, raw/ -6.93Blueberries, raw/ -1.04Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked/ 2.18Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt/ -3.57Cauliflower, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt / -1.33Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt/ -4.10Peaches, raw/ -3.11Beans, kidney, cooked, boiled, w/o salt/ -0.69Kale, raw/ -8.34Animal FoodsChicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted/ 17.30Egg, whole, raw, fresh/ 9.43Fish, salmon, Atlantic, wild, cooked, dry heat/ 7.57Beef, bottom sirloin, tri-tip, separable lean only, trimmed to 0″ fat, choice, cooked, roasted/ 12.79Cheese, cheddar/ 19.00Are there any grains that are in the negative range? if not, perhaps we should limit our consumption of grains and eat starchy foods like yams insteadI have not found any grains in the negative range, but overall, I do not think its a major concern as long as one balances it with other plant foods which tend to be highly alkaline.Many of the alkalizing diet people eat only millet and amaranth – as they say they have an alkalizing effect on the body. Although not true grains, they might be worth checking out. I also agree with Toxins on this one – in that a diet full of leafy greens and vegetables will probably balance out the addition of a few grains easily.Millet is actually slightly acidic as well registering at 3.175 and I am assuming amaranth is about the same.One interesting thing about that PRAL measure is the acidic contribution of phosphorus.The estimated average phosphorous requirement for adults is 580 mg, its so ubiquitous in foods that essentially no one is deficient, and the median intake is about 3 times the requirement. Yet food processors add more phosphorous compounds as preservatives, acidifying agents, pH buffers and emulsifiers. Excess phosphorous doesn’t just increase potential renal acid load, it impedes calcium absorption, increases kidney disease risk and mortality, and is a predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality (source).There’s 69 mg phosphorous (mostly as tartifying phosphoric acid) in every 12 oz can of Coke, and 55 mg in the diet version. Its not just eating away your teeth enamel.i think my lovely you are missing the point, ” know it all iteus” is a crippling diseaseroger: Daryl’s knowledge, contributions and time have been a huge benefit to the NutritionFacts community, greatly appreciated by everyone else. Your comment, on the other hand, is about tearing down, not “building” anything. Something to think about.roger: The time and effort that Darryl puts into his sound scientific responses and comments are greatly appreciated. If you can’t appreciate his contributions, then simply ignore them.Sometimes excessive eating is also acid producing. Bad thoughts, sadness, negative emotions, stress, anger, etc… It’s not just the food that is alkalizing or acidifying.How much purple solution is needed for each testing? Tablespoon, quarter cup, half cup, or even more?In theory the shades should match regardless of density but in practice it will be hard to tell. The answer is basically “Enough so you can get a reading.” Don’t worry about a wrong reading – dilute blue looks like dilute blue. It doesn’t look like red.Perfect! Could not have said better. This–correct pH, i.e., alkaline base–is KEY in utilizing nutrition and diet for treatment and management of any type of cancer. Thank you for your ‘kitchen science 101 course’ in how to determine pH.Thank god Dr. G is not a rock-star – he would run away with all the ladies !!!! :-)Are you sure he isn’t? I went to one of his lectures. The women were kinda swarming. Me included. I felt like a groupie.Damn…….So if the protein in omnivore diets aren’t leaching our bone calcium, as explained in your previous video, is alkaline diet and the prevention of age related muscle loss promoting a decrease in osteoporosis that might be seen in societies that follow traditional plant based diets and don’t have osteoprosis? Has that relationship be specifically looked at?What kind of volume of purple cabbage solution here are we talking, a cup, 2 cups. Do we blend up an entire cabbage and how much water do we add to the blender? I need an SOP STATI broke out the pHydrion 5.5 to 8.0 tape. Apparently my peanuts and pistachios addiction is overpowering my green tea, broccoli sprouts, 99% vegan, 90% whole foods regimen. Results pH=6.2 on the acid side. (Whole Food Reference: I consider Restaurant spaghetti and my extra virgin olive oil to be junk foods.) Raisins look good so I may indulge in my whole food vegan candy: stuff mouth with raisins and peanuts and chew. And maybe up the ante on the powdered kale I make into a tea or as my wife calls it a dark green veggie liquor that she won’t touch but I love.Thanks for posting this. Before becoming a vegan, I let my health go for over 30 years and my weight went out of control. As a result I became a type 2 diabetic and my arteries all clogged giving me high blood pressure. I was put on crestor (40 mg per day), metformin, and high bp medication (quinapril/hydrochlorothiazide). Now my weight and overall cholesterol levels are pretty good but my high bp is only controlled and my A1C was still 6.1. My physician lowered my crestor dose to 5 mg and I would like to get rid of it. He says that it is necessary to keep my LDL down and has some effect in preventing Alzheimers. I am wondering what I should do.What constitutes your vegan diet? Perhaps you should consider reducing your sodium intake to no more than 1500 mg a day, avoid ALL oils, all white flours and processed foods, and consume a diet primarily consisting of complex carbohydrates, such as beans, potatoes, brown rice, oats etc with veggies. Also consuming cruciferous greens each day will prove helpful.I would agree with Toxins post. The oils will contribute to your insulin resistance and interfere with any plans to lose fat. You may be one of the patients who can benefit on taking a statin. I think it is best to avoid statins as much as possible. To help make a decision you can ask your clinician what the NTT (i.e. Numbers to Treat) is for your LDL level. You might find several of Dr. McDougall’s newsletters of interest see 9/02 on Cholesterol, 6/03 on cleaning out arteries and 5/07 on statins. Congratulations on the improvement and good luck going forward.I really appreciate this sort of cross-referencing, Dr. Forrester. Your join-forces attitude is very welcome.My thought is that the more banding together, rather than competing among people such as Drs. Fuhrman, Esselstyn, Ornish, Mc Dougall, and Greger, the stronger will be the voice for personal and governmental diet reform. I know little about Dr. Neal Barnard, and you, but you know what I mean. Competitive spirits have done much to cripple the advance of my own field (the psychological study of dreams) since the petty, but fanatic (true-believer-syndrome) battles of Freud and Jung and most who followed.BTW, who are the women researchers or publicly-oriented female authors, doctors, etc. in this Plant-based world of education and practice?Are you familiar with Pamela Popper, PhD, ND of the Wellness Forum in Columbus, Ohio? She was featured in the doc Forks over Knives, her new book Food Over Medicine is a breezy intro to McDougall-type diet benefits, and her seminars and Q&A/topical videos are worth viewing.So, doctor, does eating animal protein contribute to osteoporosis or not? Your previous video placed some doubt on this and this video has not clarified the issue.The sound doesn’t work for me eitherShouldn’t the chromophore cyanidin (0.21% by weight of red cabbage) do its trick regardless of extraction method? The 6 diacylated triglucosides of cyanidin found in red cabbage doubtless vary in solubility and stability, but according to the first link, the glucose substituents don’t change chromophore electron confinement or color absorption, much.This kitchen chemistry demonstration is evidently regularly done in California schools. They use the blender method.Darryl what would we do without you!I started adding the fenugreek to my morning smoothy. I stopped one week later. I don’t like smelling like maple syrup. Actually I think it made me smell sour. But it was amazing to experience the smelly armpits. Now on to the pee!!!I tried it but once, and discovered I didn’t particularly care for the fenugreek aftertaste in my regular strawberry/banana/flax smoothie. Back to lentil dals with double and treble the recipe spices.It seems that this whole thing goes in a circle for isn’t it the muscle pull on the bones that causes the bones to strengthen (please disregard my untech wording) so if the muscles are weakened the bones are not strengthened as well with exercise.Hi Susan, Bones are one of the most dynamic tissue in the body. Best way to prevent bone loss is to hit the ground. Walk, run, jump, skip rope. And yes lift weights. But that doesn’t compare to the feet hitting the ground.I love your videos. Should I be concerned about being too alkaline? I eat an organic, unprocessed plant base diet. My pH strips go up 8.0. About half the time my morning urine pH is in the 7’s, but the other half it is 8+.Yesterday I posted Web MD’s advice in their huge circulation weekly emailing:” Drink Milk to Keep Bones Strong.”Today I received Univ. of California’s Berkeley Wellness Letter email on “8 Facts About Milk.”http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food/lists/8-key-facts-about-milk/slideid_419?ap=603?ap=edTHESE NEED STRONG REBUTTALS.The Berkeley Wellness Letter includes a warning not to believe anti-milk groups that dairy harms bones, states that there is no research showing that connects milk to mucous production, and so on. Here is the article. Is there anyone on the TEAM who could write letters and leave comments on WebMD and BWL?8 Key Facts About MilkAt one time, milk was promoted as “the perfect food.” Of course, no one food is sufficient in itself, but milk and other dairy products are very nutritious (they remain the chief source of calcium in the American diet) and can be part of a heart-healthy diet. Still, legitimate questions, plus a number of myths, have multiplied. The arguments are highly politicized, with the dairy industry on one side and milk opponents on the other. Fortunately, there is plenty of well-designed research to help answer the questions you may have about milk.1Is there a cancer connection?Does cow’s milk cause cancer or protect against it? There’s no clear link between milk and cancer, one way or the other. Dairy opponents say milk increases breast, prostate and ovarian cancer risks. But only a few studies support this, and many studies have found no increased risk. In addition, milk may reduce colon cancer risks, because of its calcium and vitamin D. For example, a study in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2006 found that people who drank very little milk had a somewhat higher risk of colon cancer than those who drank at least a glass a day.2Is milk good or bad for bones?Don’t believe claims by anti-milk groups that dairy harms bones. Though osteoporosis rates are lower in Asia, where dairy is rarely consumed, other factors other than diet affect bones, and most studies show that calcium from dairy is protective. Dairy is protein-rich, and very high protein intake slightly increases calcium excretion. But some protein is needed for strong bones, and dairy’s high calcium may more than offset any small adverse effect of its high protein. Plus, in addition to calcium, milk provides vitamin D, magnesium, potassium and other key bone nutrients.3What about milk and heart disease?If you consume a lot of whole milk, whole-milk yogurt and cheese, you may see your blood cholesterol levels rise, especially if these foods contribute to weight gain. But you can get dairy products in nonfat or low-fat versions, which are lower in calories. There is evidence that increased intake of milk is linked with a reduced risk of stroke and heart attack. Certain substances in milk may even help lower cholesterol. In addition, nonfat or low-fat dairy products are an important part of the DASH diet, designed to control blood pressure.4Does milk cause acne in teens?For many years, teens and their parents have blamed diet for acne outbreaks—with chocolate the prime suspect. Most experts don’t think specific foods play a role. Still, some dermatologists disagree, and some blame milk. The theory is that hormones in milk interact with human hormones and cause pimples. In the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2008, researchers presented preliminary evidence that skim milk was associated with acne in young boys. There was no explanation for why only skim (not whole) milk would have this effect.5Can milk help you lose weight?Some studies have suggested that milk (or its calcium) can help people lose weight or at least prevent weight gain. A few years ago the dairy industry trumpeted this possibility in ads, but the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) told it to stop doing so. Even the positive studies, which were mostly funded by the dairy industry, showed only very small benefits over long periods.6Is it important to drink organic milk?Studies have consistently found no major nutrition or safety differences between conventional and organic milk. Batches of milk tested may vary—organic milk may have higher (or lower) levels of nutrients than conventional—because the composition of milk depends on the cows’ diets, the season and other factors. If you feel you are voting for better agricultural and humane practices, and can afford the high price of organic milk, that’s a reason to buy it. Whatever you do, always buy pasteurized dairy products, since raw milk is dangerous.7Does milk increase mucus production?Thus far, studies have found no connection between milk and mucus formation. This idea persists because whole milk tends to coat the mouth briefly. If you don’t like this quality of whole milk, that’s yet another reason to switch to low-fat or nonfat milk. If you find milk unpleasant when you have a cold or cough, you can simply stop drinking it until you feel better.8What if you are lactose intolerant?People who have difficulty digesting lactose (the natural sugar in dairy) can consume lactose-reduced products or take pills that contain lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose) before consuming dairy. Yogurt tends to be less of a problem, since bacteria in it break down some of the lactose. Still, if you don’t like dairy products, or they don’t like you, you need not eat them. You can get calcium from other foods, including leafy greens such as collards and broccoli, canned salmon with bones, soybeans and calcium-fortified foods.We have evidence to the contrary, so these are blatant lies.1. Cancer http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/2. Milk for the bonesA review published in the Journal of Pediatrics focused on the benefits of dairy “the findings of epidemiologic and prospective studies have raised questions about the efficacy of the use of dairy products for the promotion of bone health. ” after a review of the existing literature and finding “A positive relationship between dairy product consumption and measures of bone health in children or young adults was reported in 1 of 4 cross-sectional studies; in 0 of 3 retrospective studies; in 0 of 1 prospective study; and in 2 of 3 randomized, controlled trials. Only 1 of these randomized clinical trials adequately controlled for vitamin D intake, and it showed no significant effect of dairy products on BMD [bone mineral density]” , they concluded, “Scant evidence supports nutrition guidelines focused specifically on increasing milk or other dairy product intake for promoting child and adolescent bone mineralization.”http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/115/3/736.longA meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal found, “The small effect of calcium supplementation on bone mineral density in the upper limb is unlikely to reduce the risk of fracture, either in childhood or later life, to a degree of major public health importance.”and “The authors concluded that the literature did not support recommendations for consumption of dairy products for bone health end points in children and young adults…Our quantitative systematic review confirms this conclusion” The authors also state, “Our results also do not support the premise that any type of calcium supplementation is more effective than another.” Even studies that used intakes of 1400 mg per day of calcium showed no benefit.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1602024/?tool=pubmedAn editorial accompanying this meta-analysis pointed out, “Populations that consume the most cow’s milk and other dairy products have among the highest rates of osteoporosis and hip fracture in later life. Given this fact, it is important to ask whether sufficient evidence exists to continue assuming that consumption of these foods is part of the solution.” They concluded “It is time to revise our calcium recommendations for young people and change our assumptions about the role of calcium, milk, and other dairy products in the bone health of children and adolescents. While the policy experts work on revising recommendations, doctors and other health professionals should encourage children to spend time in active play or sports, and to consume a nutritious diet built from whole foods from plant sources to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and provide an environment conducive to building strong bones.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1602030/A review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of the research on the effects of dairy products on bone health found 57 studies, and of these, 21 studies were considered to have stronger-evidence, worthy of inclusion in this review. “Of 21 stronger-evidence studies, 57% were not significant, 29% were favorable, and 14% were unfavorable.” Keep in mind that the majority of these studies were funded by the dairy industry, and even with this natural bias and influence to produce positive outcomes, no better than 29% of the studies were favorable to bone health. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/72/3/681.long“…although vegans have much lower intakes of dietary calcium and protein than omnivores, veganism does not have an adverse effect on bone mineral density and does not alter body composition.” The vegan participants had been on a vegan diet an average of 33 years.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/193503413. Heart diseasehttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/4. Acne http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-acne-2/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/6. Conventional milk http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/7. Milk and mucus http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/BRAVO, Toxins, BRAVO! Is there any point of sending this rebuttal to WebMD and Berkeley Wellness Letter? To whom? From whom? What a shame that such influential communicators are so dangerously misleading and either incompetent or dishonest.If it were to be presentable, the studies would have to be well cited and primary sourced and not through Dr. Greger video links. I personally do not have interest in sending a letter, but if you are so passionate as to do so then by all means!I agree, Toxins, but I am a psychologist who specializes in dreams and problem solving; I don’t have the chops to write such a letter. Alas! But such potent newsletters should be responded to publicly. Is there no one on the NF Team who could and then keep the letter posted as a quotable template to rebut the common arguments that could be cut and pasted and sent by members to the misleading publications they receive?Gayle, I stopped reading Berkeley Wellness Letter several months ago. It used to be one of my main sources for nutritional guidance until I discovered Dr. Gregor’s site about this time last year. Berkeley’s May 1, 2013 issue http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/nutrition/article/sunny-side-eggs had a long article recommending consuming one egg a day and listing all the benefits to doing so. I was stunned at their lack of current research knowledge. I had trusted the Berkeley name brand but now that I am much more educated (thanks to Dr. Gregor, and to all the other knowledgeable readers) I was able to see the Berkeley Wellness letter as full of fluff pieces at best, and perhaps, at worst, advocates for the meat, egg, dairy industries (which are huge contributors of money to university research).My confidence in Berkeley’s advice is further diminished because the letter only sites itself as reference sources and it offers no forum for reader questions and comments, like this site.The incontrovertible fact is that countries with the highest consumption of dairy products has the highest rates of osteoporosis.You’re talking Old School now bro!This is what my first college Chemistry teacher used in 1984 for us to use as an indicator to determine the acidity or alkalinity of chemical solutions. Quite cool stuff! I never thought of having my kids have fun with this in the toilet bowl. Guess what kids? Tonight we’re going to have a pee party!HemoDynamic: You just made me laugh out loud!Watched the video, did have purple cabbage in the fridge but chose to use the test strips I also had. My urine test strip showed 7.6 pH so my husband did his. We eat the same things all day every day so should be close, right? Wrong, his showed 5.4 pH. So decided to do a saliva test to see what that showed, my saliva test was 5.6 pH & his saliva test was 7.6 pH. Now, I am really confused, how can our pH be so different between urine & saliva???How do you get the sound on this videoI took the test and the results are here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQj4WjHjowAInstruction weren’t clear.Ended up with my dick stapled to a cactus.On a more serious note, I eat meat(The red and juicy kind) and fat(the buttery kind. none of that plant matter. yuck), with about a fruit a day. Veggies are blech.Urine turned sky blue.Where’s your vegan god now?!My husband and I both did the test with pH strips that we already had. I took the test about an hour after my morning glass of lemon water. My urine was very alkaline. We each continue to test throughout the day. I’m an avid green tea drinker and that seemed to have an acidic effect when tested. My husband tested before and after lemon water showed the lemon water having the same acidic effect that I saw. This is a pretty small sample but logically makes sense. Do you think regular consumption of lemon water should be encouraged?I dont see any problem with consuming lemon water. I must say though, that’s alot of purple cabbage down the toilet!Sorry for the delay in response Mike and Bev. I hope you have been able to figure it out. My problem was my own stupidity – wrong ear buds.thanksInteresting… but how they are sure that the amino acids comes from the skeletal muscles, they could comes in the blood stream from the diet too. It is a bit frustrating – the acidosis is caused by the (dietary) muscle mass and is neutralized by amino acids comes …. also by animal muscle mass (your own).I don`t doubt that the plant-based diet support the muscle mass prevention, I could see on myself. I start a plant diet as experiment … to see how I will feel and I was curious of consequences about 4 months ago. One on the effects is my fitness improvement, without to change anything of my exercises – they are quite low intensive – 20 min jogging, 3-4 series pullups, 50 pushups (3-4 series) once weekly. This is quite little, so I had not any effect until I switch to plant diet. May be is visual effect of some fat loss (I have never been overweight), but I looks more muscular now. Increase the maximum pullups in series with about 30 % for a month also. Except of fat loss, other possible explanation could be in improvement of protein gain/loss ratio in the muscles. Of course this is only one of the many good effects I feel after I avoid meat and most of the animal product (except yogurt) completely.How much water should you add to it, I juiced it and have not added water, so when I peed in it… it didn’t change colour at all… I added some acid and it went red… What does that mean?when substances are mixed it is as purple as the purple cabbage… confused here. any heads up or how to interpret it?I believe the video (4:15) and the transcript address your question:“If it stays purple your urine is acidic and you should eat more dark green leafy vegetables.”Dr. Greger is making a big mistake by getting us to become obsessed about acid versus alkaline. The most recent studies have shown that acid versus alkaline does not directly affect our bone health. However, the combination of more than 100 phytonutrients in plants will improve our long-term bone health (and our long-term muscle health, kidney health, etc.). Studies indicate that people who eat garlic, onions, green tea, and soybean foods tend to have good bone health. However, the Japanese fermented soybean food called, natto, appears to very easily be the grand champion for bone health. The map of where natto is most heavily consumed in Japan and the map of where hip fractures are least likely to occur in Japan are almost exactly identical. Despite studies in China proving that overall consumption of soybean foods definitely improves Chinese bone health and despite double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies proving that swallowing genistein pills will substantially improve bone density, there was no visible correlation between bone fractures and the consumption of any soybean food other than natto in Japan: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16614424 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21394493 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11369171 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17012826 http://j-nattokinase.org/en/jnka_nattou_03.htmlHaving an alkaline urine may have disadvantages. Although it has been shown that the good bacteria thrive extremely well in the presence of non-tannin phytonutrients and that vegans almost always have much better intestinal microflora than omnivores, a large percentage of the good bacteria are acid-loving lactic acid bacteria (lactobacilli and bifidobacteria) and may thrive better in the presence of the LEAST alkaline non-tannin phytonutrients rather than in the presence of the most alkaline non-tannin phytonutrients. [Tannins have been shown to inhibit both the good bacteria and the bad bacteria, although one of the good bacteria, namely, Bacillus subtilis natto, can survive triphala, pomegranate, cranberry, and other strong tannins]. For example, adding citric acid to phytonutrients in test tube experiments will greatly increased the number of lactobacilli. However, adding ascorbic acid (vitamin C) will not increase the number of lactobacilli in test tube experiments, possibly because ascorbic acid isn’t as strong of an acid as citric acid: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21411170Dr. Greger has already established that the PH of ones diet has nothing to do with bone density, please see here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/ and here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/ for some context.I will try this when I get home thanksCity water is already alkaline, so it’s best not to do this test in a toilet bowl which will give a false positive result. The purple cabbage water will turn blue before urine is even added.This video is absolutely gorgeous! Thanks Doctor!Is there any basis for the claim that alkalizing diets fight cancer?Your side shows that soy and lentils are highly acidic. For those with IC, snd vegan, what can we eat for protein and reduce the acid in urine and in our bodies…and as we age?Lentils and tofu are not highly acidic, but mildly acidic. Vegan sources of protein include everything you eat, as all these foods have adequate protein. There is no need to seek out protein rich foods.Yes they’re not so acidic that eating green vegetables and fruits can’t balance it out.I’ll have to sort of disagree with toxins on not seeking out protein rich foods like legumes however. I’m not saying you need loads. Providing you’re eating sufficient calories, and your diet isn’t too fruit based, it is pretty easy to get enough protein without legumes, nuts and seeds, but getting most of your protein from grains might leave you a little short on lysine so it’s best to eat a cup or so most days.peeing on cabbage may be fun and good therapy for R.Kelly but I’d rather eat it!Whoopie I’m dark blueThanks I think your info is invaluable. I post alkaline recipes on my blog at http://www.cookalkaline.com. Living an alkaline lifestyle is not difficult and we would all be healthier if we adopted this way of eating.Awesome video Dr G! :) And I DO have a purple cabbage, right in my kitchen, fermenting as I type, with wonderful juicy purple liquid all ready. Can’t wait to test my morning pee daily and judge it based on my daily diet. Really awesome!! :))Why does my urine turn red when I drink beet juice???Thats totally normal, it happens when you eat whole beats as well. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/Wow I must full of them cause it always does in my stool as well .Will this improve over time? I became Vegan a few months ago. ThanksYes it happens in the stools too. Ive experienced that myself. No it wont stop if you keep eating beats, but it not a bad thing. No harm will come from this.I did the test yesterday and my pee stayed pink. Ate lots of veges etc the rest of the day and this morning. Now it stays purple, getting better. But then I had a fruit smoothie, apple, banana, raisins and amla powder. 30min later my pee went pink again. All these fruits are alkaline so this should not have happened. Is it because of the sugars in the fruit that urine goes acidic again?I have tested this again with the same result. Is there some truth in the Acid/alkaline foods list on the energiseforlife.com website? Here foods like “raisins” and “apples” for example are on the acidic foods list due to the sugars in the foods becoming acidic. Your comment on this would be appreciated.Can your urine become too alkaline? I tested it today with a ph strip and it seems that it’s closer to 8 than to 7. It’s the 4th week of my diet change towards a plant-based one…dr greger does it again!!! your videos are always informative and fun! thank you for your never ending dedication to making us all healthier (and keeping us entertained)!Out of curiosity – how much “liquid” do you need to pour for this experiment? Just till the water changes color?I was thinking the same thing. If u put to much purple in, u’d never be able to change the color.mine stayed purple :-(Interesting! I just had to do a medical, and my urine pH was 5. I was very surprised, as I am vegetarian since 25 years, eat mostly organic and unprocessed, and eat only plant-based since more than a year. No alcohol, no smoking, no medicine, no drugs. And I do exercise a lot. How can my pH be so low?My urine pH was 7.4 but my blood pH is too acidic at 6.9. I only eat fruits, veggies, and small amount of nuts. I do not eat animal products or processed foods. Why is my blood pH too acidic?I have a couple of questions….1) can your urine be too basic?2) What are some possible health risks from too high a pH. (In the video about the cabbage, nothing was mentioned).3) can someone eating a WFPB diet get kidney stones?4) If so, wouldn’t there other evidence to indicate this is happening (blood work?)5) If so, are there foods to avoid on WFPB diet that would help stop the formation of kidney stones?6) What else can I do to help stop UTI?I have ADHD, and I occasionally take amphetamines to get things done.I have never liked taking them, and have been breaking my pills into smaller pieces to get smaller doses.I recently went to the doctor and she seemed surprised at the tiny doses of amphetamines I take.I also recently learned that the treatment for amphetamine overdose is to acidify the urine. Lower pH draws amphetamines out of the body and into the pee.Might vegans with ADHD be slower secretors of amphetamines? Might vegans at be higher risk for amphetamine overdose due to alkalanized urine?Any other vegans taking amphetamines out there?HOLY SHIT!!!! A clearance rate difference of 7500% from between lowest and highest urinary PH. So when I was slowly eating less and less meat in favor of a WFPBD, I was slowly poisoning myself because I was taking my dex-amfetamine? Happily I have a similar attitude as tbatts666 when taking my pills, typically I only take them lifting down’s up, so being non-compliant might have been a brain saver this time.tbatts666: Choline might help you go down, make the world a little less harsh, it has a similar mellowing effect as a cigarette but it lasts longer. I sup my WFPBD now with 500- 1000 mg. My brain went pressure cooker critical for a long time (half a year), first day 750 mg choline later pressure was off, it was amazing relief. http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.nl/p/map.html http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.nl/2011/01/zombieland-2-you-are-what-you-eat.htmlQuorn contains chicken eggs.At 3:07, is there a typo on the slide? It says “Yofu soy,” and I think that should be “tofu soy.”For the past three years I havae been a vegetrian and almost a vegan for the past two years. I have been watching your videos for these three years and am covinced because of the evidence you present, that plant based eating is the way to go. I appreciate all the research and work that you do to educate us. I grow my own vegetables but during the winter often have to resort to store bought vegetables.Even with my good diet, I was recently diagnosed with cancer of the anus and will be going in a few days to have chemo and radiation treatments. I will be staying at a lodge connected with the oncology section of the hospital, for seven weeks. My meals will be provided for me-hospital cafeteria meals which I do not consider adequate for my way of eating or for my health, especially at the moment. I will be taking my own fruits and vegetables and baking with me to supplement the meals there.As food is such an important part of being healthy and helping to recover from illnesses, I cannot understand why more attention isn’t paid to nutrition in hospitals.My question is: do you have a recommendation for what vegetables would be best for my condition? I do eat a lot of pumpkin and squash too, as well as broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, etc.GreenstarI did the test and was mid-scale. Then I drank a quart of alkalized water (sodium bicarbonate per another video here) and moved to the blue side. Now is good time to re-check, been vegan all week!You didn’t mention what does it mean if your pee remains yellow, as in number 11 probe. Can we be in a TOO MUCH alkaline diet?I was wondering just as other people that have posted what the amount of water vs urine should be. How much water do we add to the blender. When is the best time to measure? Does it matter?Wouldn’t other additives in the water, like chlorine or fluorine, affect the color? I just poured some purple cabbage juice into the sink water and it turned a beautiful light blue.	acid/base balance,aging,alkaline diet,animal products,animal protein,anthocyanins,beef,bone health,bone mineral density,cabbage,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,cost savings,dairy,eggs,fish,fruit,gout,greens,heart disease,heart health,kidney disease,kidney function,kidney health,kidney stones,lifespan,longevity,meat,milk,mortality,muscle health,muscle strength,omnivores,pH,plant protein,plant-based diets,pork,potassium,protein,Quorn,seafood,standard American diet,stroke,tuna,uric acid,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetables,vegetarians	Plant-based diets tend to be alkaline-forming. This may help protect muscle mass and reduce the risk of gout and kidney stones. The pH of one's urine can be estimated with natural pigments using kitchen chemistry.	Now I have a low-flow toilet, so there’s very little water in the bowl to start with. The effect might not be as dramatic if diluted in a larger quantity of water. More bathroom chemistry can be found in Pretty in Pee-nk and Asparagus Pee.What does acid have to do with bones? You might have missed the prequel to this video, Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, & Calcium Loss.How else can we protect our muscles? We can eat healthy enough to avoid statin drugs (see Statin Muscle Toxicity) and the neurotoxins that can cause movement disorders (Muscle Tremors & Diet).Superfood Bargains is the video in which purple cabbage takes the gold, though it was unseated in Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck.Why do I always go on and on about dark green leafy vegetables? Check out my 58 videos on greens and find out!For more context, check out my associated blog post: Test to See If Your Diet is Alkaline or Acid Forming.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/05/test-to-see-if-your-diet-is-alkaline-or-acid-forming/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/quorn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-strength/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alkaline-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-mineral-density/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gout/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acidbase-balance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potassium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-stones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21976719,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22494767,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21457266,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22013455,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19889822,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9614169,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12612169,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8548506,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21481501,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15546911,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18326605,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22676161,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22127335,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18721741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19864406,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21248199,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20054653,
PLAIN-2696	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/	Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, & Calcium Loss	For most of the last century, a prevailing theory within the field of nutrition was that by eating acid-forming foods such as meat we were, in essence, at risk of peeing our bones down the toilet. And no wonder! Experiments dating back to 1920 showed over and over that if you add meat to the diet you get a big spike in the amount of calcium being lost in the urine.And this made total sense. We had known since 1912 that meat was acid-forming within the body, and how do you buffer acid? What are in antacid pills, anti-acid pills like tums? Calcium.Meat and eggs have a lot of sulphur-containing amino acids, 2-5 times more than grains and beans) that are metabolized into sulphuric acid, which the body buffers with calcium. That's why the antacids like Tums are made out of calcium, calcium compounds can buffer acid. And where is calcium stored in the body? The skeleton. So the thinking was that every time we ate a steak our body would pull calcium from our bones, bit by bit, and over time this could lead to osteoporosis. Based on 26 such studies, for every 40 grams of protein we add to our daily diet we pee out an extra 50mg of calcium. And look, we only have about 2 pounds of calcium in our skeleton, so the loss of 50 a day would mean losing close to 2% of our bone calcium every year. By the end of the 20th century, there was little doubt that acid-forming diets would dissolve our bones away.But if you actually look at all the studies done on protein intake and bone health, that's not what you find. So, where's the flaw in our logic? Meat leads to acid, which leads to calcium loss, which leads to bone loss, right?Well, it's uncontroversial that protein results in greater calcium excretion, but we've just been assuming it's coming from the bone—I mean where else could the extra calcium dumped in our urine be coming from but from our bones?This is the study that appeared to solve the mystery. An intrepid group of researchers tried feeding a group of volunteers radioactive calcium and then put them on a high protein diet. What happens when you put people on a high protein diet? The amount of calcium in their urine shoots up, and indeed that's just what happened. But here's the big question, was that extra calcium in their urine radioactive or not, and to everyone's surprise? It was radioactive. Meaning, that the excess calcium in their urine was coming from their diet—remember they were feeding them radioactive calcium. So the excess calcium in their urine wasn't coming from their bones, but from what they were eating.What seemed to be happening is that the excess protein consumption boosted calcium absorption, from down around 19% up to 26%. So all of a sudden there was all this extra calcium in the blood so presumably the kidneys are like "whoa what are we going to do with it all?" So they dump it into the urine. 90% of the extra calcium in the urine after eating a steak doesn't appear to be coming from our bones but from our diet. We're not sure why protein boosts calcium absorption. Maybe the protein increases the solubility of calcium by stimulating stomach acid production? Whatever the reason, yes, more calcium lost, but more calcium gained such that in the end most of that extra calcium is accounted for. So in effect more calcium is lost in the urine stream, but may be compensated by less loss of calcium through the fecal stream.This was repeated with even more extreme diets— an acid-forming five burgers a day worth of animal protein diet that limited fruits and vegetables versus an alkaline diet emphasizing fruits and vegetables. More calcium in the urine on burgers, but significantly greater calcium absorption such that at the end it was pretty much a wash.Other studies have also since supported this interpretation. Here's an ingenious one. Feed people a high animal protein diet, but with an alkali salt to neutralize the acid. The old thinking would predict that then there would be no calcium loss since there is no excess acid to buffer, but no, even though the acid load was neutralized there was still the excess urinary calcium, consistent with the radioactive isotope study, "challenging the long-standing dogma that animal protein consumption results in an acidosis that promotes the increased excretion of calcium….So if our body isn't buffering the acid formed from our diet with our bones, how is it neutralizing the acid? Maybe with our muscles--alkaline diets may protect our muscle mass—all covered in my next video, entitled Testing Your Diet with Pee and Purple Cabbage—stay tuned !	So am I understanding this correctly… “excess protein consumption boosted calcium absorption, from down around 19% up to 26%.”?It seems to me that this lends itself to the possibility that a more acid-forming diet is better for calcium absorption. Is my (our) plant based diet too alkaline? Vegan bodies becoming less able to absorb the calcium than our fellow carnivores? I’m a bit thrown off by all this thinking. Anyone?Absorption (intestine) but that doesn’t mean it is being used by the bones. In the studies it is turning up in the urine.Agree with you Elsie….true, this is confusing. That leaves me thinking, should we also infer that calcium from animal sources is not used by the body in the sense, it simply passes through the digestive tract and gets excreted! Whatever calcium we derive from the diet is ONLY from plant sources?! We need more research.. – Vegetarian since birthI believe that’s precisely what the video is not saying. Acid/alkaline has no or little influence on the absorption of calcium in the digestive system but protein seems to increase calcium absorption.Why is there more calcium excreted in the urine? I didn’t quite catch that. Maybe because there tended to be more calcium to begin with from animal sources?i wait the test…The science is a bit confusing and these studies do challenge the scientific paradigm of acid base. As we see the science keeps coming however it is important to remember that our bodies consist of many systems working together. Bone health is about alot more then calcium… Amy Lanou’s book, Building Bone Vitality, lists 18 other substances needed for bone health. From a general health standpoint a varied non GMO whole plant based diet with adequate Vitamin B12 seems to be best supported by the science. For patients with osteoporosis the “best” diet is now being rethought. It seems that there is general agreement that weight bearing exercise is beneficial for everyone. The problems with animal protein in the diet as far as other diseases such as kidney disease and cancer are still there. These studies demonstrate the need to keep up with the science but also point to the limitations of reductionistic studies when dealing with complex systems.More confusion…. My understanding was that all the earlier studies on protein raising increased calcium excretion were all net calcium. That is, (all calcium in) minus (all calcium out). Nothing else makes sense. Since calcium is an element, it is neither created nor destroyed in the body. Thus, the net pool of calcium in the body MUST be decreasing with increased protein intake. This calcium can only come from that stored plus that circulating on the way to being stored or released. Measuring some radioactive calcium in the urine does not mean that it is all radioactive (some stored, plus some circulating being peed out). This whole mess strikes me as more confusion being promoted by the meat/dairy industry, which now wants to claim that eating meat actually increases calcium storage and the whole bone problem is one of inactivity. However, sound science has already shown that BOTH a good diet (whole foods vegan is the best) and moderate activity are needed for skeletal and overall health.We’re discussing calcium and bone health here. Please don’t go off topic. And refer from spreading common myths.(E.g. adding the “non-GMO” part was really unnecessary given that there is a positive scientific consensus on “ts health effects already (those that are on the market) while the few studies portraying it as bad has been severely debunked and labeled as agenda-biased pseudoscience.)Non corporate sponsored citations please?Even if the quality of GMO food was equal to organic food concerning human consumption it does grevious harm to the animals in the ground and the environment. Did you notice all those bees and ladybugs have gone missing? Do you notice all those pests getting stronger and stronger each year? We must not use pesticides and genetic modifications to increase yields! You can’t eat money!I never noticed I had a reply. Non-corporate sponsored? How about every major scientific society and national academy of science on the topic? [1] http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/ [2] http://www.aaas.org/news/aaas-board-directors-legally-mandating-gm-food-labels-could-%E2%80%9Cmislead-and-falsely-alarm [3] http://ec.europa.eu/research/biosociety/pdf/a_decade_of_eu-funded_gmo_research.pdf [4] http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10977#toc [5 ] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2408621/ [6] http://www.genetics.org/content/188/1/11.long [7] http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2013/10/08/with-2000-global-studies-confirming-safety-gm-foods-among-most-analyzed-subject-in-science/ [8] http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/Y5160E/y5160e10.htm#P3_1651The [9] http://www.akademienunion.de/pressemitteilungen/2006-06/english.html [10] http://www.sivb.org/publicPolicy_CropEngineering.asp [11] http://www.toxicology.org/ai/gm/gm_food.asp [12] http://academy.asm.org/images/stories/documents/100yearsofbtcolor.pdf [13] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16442880 [14] http://www.apsnet.org/members/outreach/ppb/positionstatements/Pages/Biotechnology.aspx [15] http://www.ascb.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=315&Itemid=31 [16] http://www.siga.unina.it/circolari/Consensus_ITA.pdf [17] http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/my.aspb.org/resource/group/6d461cb9-5b79-4571-a164-924fa40395a5/statements/genetic_engineering.pdf [18] http://www.worldseed.org/isf/biotechnology.htmlDo you have any citations to reputable scientific papers for your claims? Thus far the consensus is clear on both health and environment. The International Council for Science summarized the statements by over 100 national academies of science and 30 scientific unions which also concluded “Currently available genetically modified foods are safe to eat” and “there is no evidence of any deleterious environmental effects having occurred from the trait/species combinations currently available.”Also there is no evidence – according to the last 50 years of research – of any health benefits of organic food over conventional food. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2009/07/29/ajcn.2009.28041.abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20463045 http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1355685It may not even be more environmentally or ethically friendly due to low yields which increases rates of deforestation and erosion while putting up higher emissions. As summarized in the last reference; “However, from the 34 reviewed LCA studies, which compared products from organic and conventional farming systems, it is not yet possible to draw a conclusive picture on the general environmental performance of the different farming systems.”http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v485/n7397/full/nature11069.html http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969713010255 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479712004264 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706114000020 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479714004964Lastly. You are aware that organic agriculture uses pesticides as well, and even more of it due to their inefficiency which may pose greater risks to biodiversity. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100622175510.htmSorry for the long posts but that’s what happens when you pull up so many different issues. Again. Note my original point about sticking to the topic.Dear Eskil,Your arguments are utterly unconvincing.Be more specific. What research is unconvincing to you? There are over 2000 studies on the topic demonstrating safety of GM crops from both an environmental and health perspective. There is no general biological mechanism that would rank a GM plant as more dangerous than a conventional or organic plant.If anything you should theoretically be more concerned with traditional breeding and mutation techniques that involves up to thousands of gene manipulations at once rather than just one or two as in GM crops – i.e. the much more predictable technique which is thoroughly tested for each new crop, unlike most organic and non-GM conventional crops.I remember a news story that a woman suddenly became allergic to taco bell corn shells. She only had an allergy to shellfish. It was discovered that the corn was genetically engineered using DNA from shellfish to increase the plants ability to thrive in a salty environment. This report was a while ago. I’ve been hearing several people say that they use to eat this or that but now they can’t. I think it’s GMO’s.I don’t know the details of that story but significant allergens should always be listed, irrespective of how the food is derived. According to Food Allergy Research and Education: “nearly any food is capable of causing an allergic reaction.” and 90% of those allergies are caused by primarily milk, eggs, fish/shellfish, wheat, soy, and nuts. Only soy here available as GM food. So the main issue is primarily animal products.Aside from that; it’s more or less a personal anecdote and doesn’t really qualify as much evidence compared to actual studies that look for causes. And thus far there’s no conclusive evidence that GM foods contribute to allergies. And in fact; geneticists are now experimenting with highly allergic foods like peanuts to derive new varieties without the allergens which may actually help reduce risk. [1][1] http://www.wired.com/2008/11/peanuts-with-le/My mind leaps ahead – then why do countries whose people eat more meat and consume more dairy have proportionally higher rates of osteoporosis? One theory I have heard is that these people are more sedentary. There’s always another question!There’s also a vitamin D link with bone health, and most of the high dairy consuming countries are further north of the equator. (or perhaps the casein protein in dairy damages the bones as well??)When I ate meat and dairy I was NOT sedentary. But, for the most part, other than walking my dog 2.5 miles per day, I was not doing weight bearing exercise. Instead, I was swimming 1.5 miles per day plus walking.Since fracturing my spine, going vegan to reduce pain and inflammation, I’m doing Pilates, which is more weight bearing to build stronger bones, and am trying to walk, which is very painful.Wow, Exactly the kind of exciting video I was waiting for ! Since “Is Protein Bad to the Bones” we were in lack of explanation. Can’t wait for the next video !! I used to believe in this theory and I find it really sane to challenge my own dogma, that’s the only way to move forward. Congratulation Doc.I still find it more painful to consume dairy or meat including fish than eating a plant based diet and getting my calcium from collards, and to a lesser extend kale, and bok choy than yogurt, which I loved but did not help me prevent osteoporosis.It is actually painful for me to eat dairy or flesh of animals and it is not just in my mind. My injured (but now healing) spine and legs where I have had a total hip and knee replacement scream in pain. Perhaps, the pain is caused by all the poisons that have built up in animal protein (and fat) from excessive use of pesticides that are falling from the sky as rain, in surface and groundwaters. Livestock and wildlife do not drink carbon or RO filtered water. They drink whatever comes from the tap or the waterways. So, even if the livestock are raised by the organic method, they are still consuming pesticides and industrial poisons.It’s healthier to eat very slow on the food chain –plants!You mention that the calcium in and the calcium out are pretty much a wash… so in my thinking you are not getting calcium to build bone mass if you are getting rid of what you consume. Eating a plant based diet may not give you the calcium absorption but you also would not be excreting what your eating. Why do the countries that consume the highest amount of dairy have the highest amount of osteoporosis? Maybe it is because they are excreting the calcium they consume and so there is not enough for bone building?Is exercise the missing factor here? The body will only absorb what it needs and excrete the rest. If the bones is not being “built” through weight bearing exercise, it would be logical to assume that the body excretes any excess, regardless of where it comes from (plant or animal origin). I am very much in favor of a vegan diet and I do believe it is more efficient to provide calcium to the body, but if the body is not being challenged through exercise, it has no need of excess calcium.The only interesting thing is hard end point. Calcium here and calcium there – as Dr Forrester points out, bone health is about alot more than calcium. We are too reductionistic when we think of bone health and calcium. The question is, who is getting more hipfractures, meat eaters or people on a WFPB-diet. Well off to my calcium-pill………HEY, I’m a meat eater along with good source of vegetables (cruciferous mostly) ,I have a bone density of a forty year old .I’m sixty-five. So what gives!! Dr .Bill NatuschPerhaps an exception to the rule, or you don’t eat that much meat. ;)DrBill is on target. The five-dollar term he might have used ,’bio-chemical individuaity’ predicts and allows for bio-chemical variants … like yourself.And arteries of a ninety year old…. ;-)Perhaps you do strength-training?Bone density in and of itself is not an indication of health – obese people generally have very high bone density because of the excess weight they carry around.I thought that also. But, it is not true. Despite my initial weight gain prior to going vegan, I was carrying around a lot of weight and fractured my hip and later my spine, and was diagnosed with osteoporosis.I think one could est s pirce of meat with hot peppers. hot peppers lower stomach acid. i have them with every meal to prevent GERD which started after gall bladder surgery. gall bladder went bad (dr said) from a combo, low fat diet and long time vegetarianism. then i beceme anemic and had to eat beef liver and their were new guidelines from healthy fats……. perfect stormInteresting about hot peppers for GERD. Hope you have better health in the future.According to the studies cited, the extra absorption accounted for 93% of the extra excretion, or “nearly” the same amount. That still leaves a 7% loss. We wait to see where that is coming from. We also wonder what is the actual mechanism increasing absorption, and how we might accomplish that without meat protein.2 questions. 1> What if someone has very low calcium intake from his diet but still consumes lots of meat products, thus requiring buffering of the acidity in the blood. Where then, would the calcium be coming from. 2> Since some of the “marked” calcium would be absorbed and integrated in the bones, how can we know for sure which is excreted (short half-life ?)would be nice to know about the yield of ALA transformation to EPA and DHA in our body. Wiki says that it’s virtually non existent. Is this true? If it is true why do people take flax seed oil?This study showed that the conversion rate in Vegans is 2x that of a fish-eater from ALA to DHA/EPA.“Comparison of the PLLC n23 PUFAs:DALA ratio between dietary-habit groups showed that it was 209% higher in vegan men and 184% higher in vegan women than in fish-eaters, was 14% higher in vegetarian men and 6% higher in vegetarian women than in fish-eaters, and was 17% and 18% higher in male and female meat-eaters, respectively, than in fish-eaters This suggests that the statistically estimated conversion may be higher in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20861171interesting, thank you!another topic to cover is racemization of amino acids by microwave irradiation. Also, how method of cooking influencing isomerization of cis fats?Excellent suggestions, Denis. I second your motion!The idea that consuming calcium will strengthen your bones is about as silly as thinking protein consumption will build muscle mass. In both cases, physical strain is needed to promote growth/strength.There are many articles about some studies that show vegans have lower bone density. They are all extremely misleading. If you read the studies, you will find that they do not compensate for the weight of the participants. And since vegans, on average, weigh less than non-vegans, their bone density is going to be less because they don’t have to support that extra weight. When the data is adjusted to include weight, there is no significant difference in bone density between any of the groups.Indeed “Under the extreme condition of immobilization, rapid bone loss occurs despite consumption of 1,000 mg ” http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=5776&page=74This was way to confusing. The thing I understood was dietary calcium with meat was absorbed better into the body but no evidence showing it actually going to the bones. It mean it could have been laid down on the arteries for all we know. So then there is the acid problem which calcium then is leaching from the muscle to neutralize this. So two different situaitons going on. Protein helps absorption from diet but then the acidity of that protien causes mucles to leach calcium therefore weakening the muscle. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00198-012-2236-ySo if dietary calcium is absorbed but then the excess gets filtered out do we know that any calcium is reaching those bones? A lot of unanswered questions about the whole process.And yes to much focus on calcium, innactivity and lack of sun are factors as well and probably thousands of other reasons we have not accounted for. Even gladiators had good bone density and markes that showed that they were vegetarian alkaline eating people. http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/features/what-gladiators-were-really/.. So the take away to me here is more greens, enough sun and physical activity keeps good bones. More junk and high acid forming foods, low D and low to no exercise is a recipe for bone fractures.If the body sees ‘radioactive’ calcium being dumped into the system wouldn’t the body dispoae of the ‘radioactive’ calcium… straight away?? I know i would! I have osteoarthritis in the hips… I have never been a great consumer of dairy, hated milk as a kid still do, loathe cheese, but have a fondness for new zealand butter but in no great quantities sometimes on bread or a baked potato. And i would walk everywhere.But my diet choice was the atkins diet! 1lb of sausage for breakfast, piece of chicken for lunch…. So i reckon i am going to stick with the calcium down the toilet theory1I would concur – calcium is extracted from the bones to neutralise acid.People’s lives are saved by applying the theory that acid causes calcium from the bones to be extracted to neutralise the acid. Explanation: Hydrofluoric Acid is lethal in the smallest of topical applications to any extremity of the body; the HF acid draws (over the period of a number of days) calcium from the bones to the extent where the body is no longer able to regulate the electrical signals to the heart (as this is mediated through the skeletal bone structure) resulting in the patient dying from multiple ever increasing heart attacks. So how do they protect against this in industry? Besides having complete PPE (covering everything including hair, etc.) there are fully funded hospital wards for the application of calcium cream should the need ever arise (much like the addition of calcium to neutralise an acidic stomach). The system of death resulting of exposure to HF acid is stronger proof than any radioactive studies that the body does extract calcium from the bones to neutralise acid. They’ve also forgotten the obvious – what happens if there is no calcium in the diet – where do the researchers imagine it would come from then?Perhaps John Bergman’s You tube video Healthy bones,Healthy Life : Osteoporosis Cause and Solution will help . 45 minute lecture with some great points.Very interesting video. I am all for learning, unlearning and relearning :). So eating an animal protein diet increases blood calcium levels to a point that it is excreted in the urine. Why is this calcium not getting into the bone matrix to supplement the daily calcium loss (due to natural causes of course)? Would it be beneficial for these folks to take high doses of Vit D3 to help this calcium get into the bone matrix or some other transport agent (for eg R-ELF)? Would this slow down the excretion process and actually utilize the calcium better?I am now taking 2,000 IU vitamin D3 per day, as recommended by several physicians. Before I fractured my hip in 2006, I was swimming laps outside in the sun or walking my dog, again, outside. Wouldn’t I get enough vitamin D from the sun if I was exercising outside 45 minutes to 2 hours per day year around.We are living in South Louisiana.We all need calcium for other bodily functions, not just our bones, but I was trying to minimize bone loss without taking dangerous severe symptom drugs.BTW, I took cal-mag and other nutrients as part of my multi-mineral supplement with vitamin D for decades. But the level of vitamin D in the supplement was low then…about 400 mg. Now, online physicians and most nutrition researchers recommend 2,000 IU. I’ve found that if I take 2,000 IU or more, I urinate constantly. But, when I took 1,000 IU of vitamin D, my bones were not repairing themselves. Now, I try to ingest all my vitamin D for the day by noon.Here is info on vitamin D relevant to you http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/When I consumed dairy, as well as supplements containing calcium, it did not prevent me from getting osteoporosis. I was getting enough vitamin D from the sun, as I was swimming outside mid-day.However, I was not getting enough weight-bearing exercise and that may have had a big impact on the weakening of my bones.Do we know if higher dairy consumption leads to weaker bones? If we do know this do we have theories as to why?What I know is that I consumed one quart of milk and 1 quart of low fat yogurt per day, which helped my bad cholesterol rise, and did nothing positive for my bones after I passed menopause. I did this for my entire life.I now have osteoporosis, and have had a total hip and total knee replacement and 3 spinal fractures.Since going healthy vegan (two years), I’m breaking less bones, doing Pilates 3x week, and walking very slow and a very short distance 3 days a week. I’m getting stronger.I think eating healthy vegan is better because my calcium and other nutrients are coming from dark, leafy greens and calcium rich beans instead of dairy and I no longer eat any kind of meat. I think plants are more easily absorbed by the body. But, I’m no expert.Hi Becca,I travel quite a bit for work, and when on the road, I will seek out more ethnic vegan cuisine than the Americana vegan junk food. Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, Chinese, Ethiopian, etc, tend to be mostly whole foods. Sometimes I just get a salad from Whole Foods salad bar, but that is usually pretty expensive. There are still some restaurants that offer salad bars. Souper!Salad! is all you can eat, and they have a pretty good selection on their salad bar.Your Pilates and other exercises will do more for your bones than increasing nutrient intake.Thank you for your feedback.My main concern was getting enough calcium, as I am getting enough magnesium, manganese and other nutrients needed for strong bones, but calcium seem to be always lacking. With significant osteoporosis in my spine, I’m trying to ingest 1000mg of calcium from food per day. This is no problem at home, but a major problem when I have no control over what I eat.Ingesting calcium is not the only factor for having strong bones.Calcium needs for humans are not as high as the DRI may recommend, and if we consumed a low sodium diet low in animal protein, our calcium needs can be as low as 450 mg per day as discussed more extensively in this article from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. As represented in the figure below, and citing from the article “In a western-style diet, absorbed calcium matches urinary and skin calcium at an intake of 840 mg as in Figure 14. Reducing animal protein intakes by 40 g reduces the intercept [calcium balance] value and requirement to 600 mg. Reducing both sodium and protein reduces the intercept value to 450 mg.”http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y2809E/y2809e0h.htm#bm17“Under the extreme condition of immobilization, rapid bone loss occurs despite consumption of 1,000 mg (25 mmol)/day of calcium” http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=5776&page=74So exercise is important. Cooked greens like collards and kale can provide a lot of well absorbed calcium.Hi Becca, great comment :) I know this probably seems obvious, but, if you can, call the restaurant you plan to visit ahead of time, and ask them about healthy plant-based options. I have been surprised several times in the last year when I was handed a “Veg Menu” at chains such as Cheesecake Factory and Roy’s. Good luck :))I’d like to interview you – please send contact info to tomporter128@yahoo.comWe do have the data to suggest this, but it was attributed to the acid/alkalinity theory. I do not know at this point.At least based on this video I would suggest that the theory still stands other than the calcium is used to boost alkalinity before it ever gets to the bones. Final result being the same – more animal protein equals weaker bones.Hi, I have been meaning to contact you about my pet peeve: Alkalarianism. As a Respiratory Therapist we study acid/base balance extensively. We analyze blood gasses from persons coming in for a simple PFT to the most critical of patients. The results that we see are predictable and reproducible, the hallmark of very good science.Dr. Greger, you and I, both know that it is VERY HARD to shift your pH out of the range of 7.35-7.45. Our respiratory system responds quickly to acidic metabolic changes, and our kidneys respond more slowly to respiratory acidosis in order to bring us as close to the normostatsis of 7.40. You and I, both, know that it is only the MOST critically ill patients who have pHs outside of that normal range.Furthermore, Alkalarianism condemns vinegar, ph of 2.2, as an acidic evil, yet, promotes lemon juice, pH 2.0, to alkaline, angelic-status. AHEM, Alkalarians, lemon juice is MORE acidic than vinegar. So, then the Alkalarian responds, “But it PROCESSES in the body as acid or alkaline.”….and I’m thinking…WHAT!??Blood pH is the most accurate way to measure the body’s pH. Has anyone drank a quantity, say, a third of a cup, of said “poison”,vinegar, then had a blood gas measured?…and then drank the same quantity of lemon juice with a follow-up blood gas? I bet not.My conclusion: Alkalarianism is bad science and quackery!Thanks, Susan Zinaich, BS, RRT 20+ year ethical vegan.Thank you Susan, you had the courage to say what I did not. Where the heck is this coming from? What is an alkalarian?I’m a chemist. Calcium cannot be a not a buffer. Its a divalent ion. There are cations and anions… some, like quaternary amines and carboxylic acids or carbonate ions can accept or donate protons so they are buffers. Calcium ion does not do that.This is all too strange to me. but you know, its Dr G. So what gives?2.5 years vegan, ethics…not so much.I agree with the posts always nice to have scientists and other health care professionals joining in to the discussion. In my experience people are just trying to negotiate a complex world by developing beliefs or paradigms… term coined in The Structure of Scientific Revolution by Thomas Kuhn and more recently popularized in The Tipping Point. Remers work in 1990’s which looked at the effect of specific foods on the pH of the urine is the best one I have seen that has contributed to the alkaline/acid issue. Looking at his list of acid/alkaline foods you realize that animal products are at the acidic end and plants at the alkaline end. When you read Dr. Campbell’s new book, Whole, you get a sense of the limitations of reductionistic science when looking at complex systems. For me at this point in time and given the science as a clinician it is clear weight bearing exercise and eating less dairy and animal products makes the most sense. I don’t know if that is do to acid/base issues or vascular issues (i.e. the effect of blockage of middle lumbar arteries on low back health for instance) or the other almost 20 factors associated with bone health. Given our anatomy and physiology we are designed as hind gut fermenting herbivores who are adapted to eating starches. If we eat according to our design we do better. It is not a guarantee but stacks the odds in our favor. If you put diesel fuel in a gas engine you have problems. Keep tuned in to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps coming.What about the studies that show higher intake of animal protein, with adequate calcium present, increases bone density more than vegan diets? I am confused as to whether I should go back to eating meat for to maintain a higher bmd?Susan,Consider this. When a food is eaten that creates acids upon metabolization, the calcium, or more likely, phosphate in the blood immediately reacts with that acid and neutralizes both into salt and water. The body doesn’t see a change in blood acidity, but it does see a change in blood calcium or phosphate levels. So, calcium or phosphate is pulled from the bones to maintain the blood calcium level.When you exercise, your blood calcium and phosphate levels increase as your CO2 levels in your blood increase to maintain pH. If they didn’t, you would enter respiratory acidosis. If you were to hyperventilate, your blood calcium and phosphate levels would drop to maintain pH. If they didn’t, you would enter respiratory alkalosis.I wouldn’t call it quackery, I would simply call it misuderstood. Lack of evidence doesn’t mean something is false. There are plenty of people who have cured cancer and many other diseases by eating an alkaline diet. I know I have seen many health benefits.“There are plenty of people who have cured cancer…”Who, and how do you know they had cancer, cured it through their actions, and in particular through a change in dietary pattern? There’s plenty of quackery which relies on the emotionally appealing promise of CURING CANCER but which can only provide the weakest of evidence in favor of that claim.Anecdotal evidence may not be proof, but it is evidence, and to ignore it is foolish. Most empirical studies are based on the reports of multiple people’s anecdotal experiences.There are numrerous studies that show the benefits of a plant-based diet concerning cancer risk and growth. Since most plant-based diets are alkaline, you can draw a parallel hypothesis between an alkaline diet and cancer risk and growth.There are many studies that suggest many health benefits are obtained from a alkaline diet. Why is it difficult to believe that it may help prevent, or even cure some peoples cancer?I agree there is strong evidence to suggest that a plant based diet is the way to go for cancer treatment, prevention and reversal; but I would disagree on the point of anecdotal evidence. Anecdotal evidence is the lowest standard for evidence and is generally not accepted in the scientific community.Toxins, You will find that most empirical studies first started as reports of anecdotal evidence. If enough people claim that cranberry juice helps prevent UTI’s, then scientists conduct a study to determine if it is a real phenomena or imaginary.Of course, anecdotal evidence is the most powerful evidence by whom it is experienced.Your body maintains the ph balance using many many complex buffers. Citrus fruits are acidic but metabolize to net alkalinity.Susan I just read your note above and am so glad I did. I am an RN. I think a lot of good science gets lost for the sake of hearsay which in this case is dangerous. I was just about to ask for help to understand how this “lemon theory” is any different from Kombucha which becomes basically vinegar once it ferments. I have osteopenia and want more than anything to stay away from acidic foods, like Kombucha, and I think now I understand that all I need to do is continue a plant based diet, and get away from all the “theories” and hype about acid/base foods. I’m not eating animals and that is the most important issue here. Thanks again for your explaining about PH. I am in agreement.Thanks for reposting this question, Elizabeth RN. There are four videos that discuss acid/base balance that you may find helpful. There is so much good research on citrus fruits! I can’t speak directly to kombucha and how the stomach breaks it down. It may have some healing properties but there are concerns about its consumption I love what you added and feel it;s very true ” I think now I understand that all I need to do is continue a plant based diet, and get away from all the “theories” and hype about acid/base foods.” YES!.THANK YOU so much and for taking the time so quickly to get back to me. I never saw a video on Kombucha and I do not make mine with mushrooms, but it’s vinegar for sure when I drink it and it’s time to GIVE IT UP. If even a couple of T a day, I’m done. The person who taught me drinks 12 ozs. a day and am passing the video on to her. Have a wonderful life and thanks for being there for all of us.Elizabeth Berry RNI was trying to play your videos and had no sound. tried several times on my Mac1 the video plays, but no sound. I then tried on my ipad and got some sound then went away. This is the first time I have had trouble. Any thoughts?But aren’t there studies showing that country-by-country per capita osteoporosis rates correlate highly with per-capita protein consumption rates?Interesting..makes sense. all that is needed now it work out what really promotes osteoporosis? Just like any disease or symptom there is more than one road that can lead to it.I’ve been eating vegan for 2 1/2 years (whole plant diet) with lots of cooked kale and green veggies,(as I am hypothyroid) with 1/4 of diet in whole grains, but my urine ph in the morning is always very acidic. After eating, by lunch time I’ve gone up to 6.8-7.0, but don’t seem to sustain this. My question; why is my morning ph so acidic? Is this cause for concern? I’m post menopausal and have osteopenia and I am noticing significant bone loss in my mouth, not at the gum line but the bone above the gum line seems to be diminishing. I have good dental hygiene, but clench my teeth. Do I have a nutritional deficiency. My dentist and periodentist are not interested in this question as there is no bleeding or gingivitis. I went to a bone doc who said, ask your periodentist!It is certainly more complex than looking at just the calcium portion. However, minerals come from the soil, so they are abundant in plants…the only reason animal flesh has calcium and other limited amounts (vs. plant based) minerals is because they eat plants (used to anyway, now they are supplemented in their feed). Instead of going through an animal for these minerals or nutrients, it makes much more sense to go to the source.Side bar here, I want to touch more on the alkaline diet and a video I saw about, “The New Biology” and Dr. Robert Young stating that fruits that are acidic are not healthy. Is there truth to this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S299c1B2wjIYes…which is not a good thing…We do not need a lot of protein in the diet. And there is not a single person on the face of the earth who has ever been calcium deficient on a healthy dietAbout being calcium deficient on a healthy diet and even having higher osteoporosis risk than standard american diet: More Osteoporosis Seen With Raw Foods Diet. March 28, 2005 — Raw-food vegetarian diets are associated with osteoporosis, a new study shows.The study appears in the March 28 Archives of Internal Medicine.The study compared the bone health of 18 vegetarians who ate only raw foods with a similar group that ate a standard American diet. All participants were about 54 years old.The vegetarians had been following this diet for 18 months to 10 years. Food diaries showed they ate various raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains, and cereals. They strictly avoided cooked, processed, or animal-based foods. That eliminated dairy products in their diet, a major source of calcium.The researchers measured bone mineral density and also took blood and urine samples to measure bone turnover.The raw-food vegetarians had low bone mineral densities, indicating osteoporosis.http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/news/20050328/more-osteoporosis-seen-with-raw-foods-dietBased on the evidence, Raw food diets are not necessary, and indeed may lead to possible consequences if not well planned. Please see here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/Meta studies show that hip fracture rates are proportional to the amount of per capita dairy consumed in a particular country. What’s causing the additional bone loss in countries that eat more dairy? Other studies have also calculated BMD and determined it is inversely proportional to acid food consumption. Are people who eat less animal products, and hence more fruit and veggies, being protected by micro-nutrients that stimulate osteoblasts?If you end up absorbing more calcium eating more meat-can’t that access calcium be used to neutralize the acid that is formed from the animal protein? .. and eventually you pee it out? Why is there a question still of how the acid is being neutralized? At the end of the video, Dr. MG claims that just because it is in the urine does not mean it is being used -but it also does not mean that it is not being used to neutralize.,,, correct?See the following studies showing that the alkaline mineral potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) attenuates bone loss. Potassium citrate, found in abundance in fruits and vegetables, converts to potassium bicarbonate in the body, and therefore does the same if fruits and vegetables are consumed in sufficient quantities vis-a-vis acid-forming foods, such as meat, legumes and grains.IMPROVED MINERAL BALANCE AND SKELETAL METABOLISM IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN TREATED WITH POTASSIUM BICARBONATEhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8190153?dopt=AbstractTREATMENT WITH POTASSIUM BICARBONATE LOWERS CALCIUM EXCRETION AND BONE RESORPTION IN OLDER MEN AND WOMENhttp://press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/jc.2008-1662LONG-TERM PERSISTENCE OF THE URINE CALCIUM-LOWERING EFFECT OF POTASSIUM BICARBONATE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMENhttp://press.endocrine.org/doi/full/10.1210/jc.2004-1350I’ve improved my own bone mineral density over a two-year period as demonstrated via dexascan by supplementing my diet with KHCO3 along with ensuring that my urinary pH is kept sufficiently alkaline.The research done to provide the evidence you site is brilliant and exceptionally useful. As with all things, to resolve any issue you must deal with facts not conjecture. It just goes to prove the point that old beliefs are not correct simply because they are old. Those who have held to the idea of calcium loss is directly associated with bone loss will have to re-educate and re-evaluate. On the other hand, there are still outstanding issues with highly acidic diets as they relate to things like arthritis and cancer. For me being vegan is still the best option.Dr Greger, I have a question. Are amino acids destroyed in foods during the cooking process?Hello Doctor!So this morning I was talking to another mom and she commented that cheddar cheese prevents cavities in growing children. I would love to prove her wrong. I also read an article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11193329/Three-glasses-of-milk-a-day-can-lead-to-early-death-warn-scientists.html saying that milk causes osteoporosis but cheese and yogurt don’t.Thanks for your time.This is so confusing. Dr. Greger should either withdraw this or explain it more clearly. Just because someone pees dietary calcium doesn’t mean a small percentage isn’t from bone – does it? How much of a small percentage during years beyond menopause ultimately leads to osteoporosis? Does the fact that the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association funded some of this research need to at least be acknowledged by Dr. Greger? Shouldn’t Dr. Greger point to a sentence in the study lauding the increased IGF-1 due to meat consumption as a potential reason to eat meat for bone protection? What am I missing here?Well strike us down from our vegan high horses! Is this the new combining recommendation: Should we eat our collard greens with beans?If this is true, then why does adding potassium bicarbonate to one’s diet stop bone loss and even help to restore it? because it does. See for example:Frassetto et al. Potassium bicarbonate reduces urinary nitrogen excretion in postmenopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 82:254-59 (1997). Frassetto et al. Long-term persistence of the urine calcium-lowering effect of potassium bicarbonate in postmenopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 90:831-4 (2005). Sebastian A, Harris ST, Ottaway JH, Todd KM, Morris RC Jr. Improved mineral balance and skeletal metabolism in postmenopausal women treated with potassium bicarbonate. N Engl J Med. 1994 Jun 23;330(25):1776-81See the following diagrams at the end of this post: The first diagram (the line graph) shows the effect on urine pH of adding various amounts of potassium bicarbonate to the diet. The more KHCO3, the higher the urine pH. The second diagram (the black bar graph) shows the results for net renal acid excretion, which is a determinant of calcium excretion. Before supplementation, the NEA is high, during supplementation it drops dramatically almost to zero. After supplementation, it again rises to the previously high level.Potassium citrate is also effective for preventing and restoring bone loss (although potassium chloride is not): M. Marangella, et al.: Effects of Potassium Citrate Supplementation on Bone Metabolism. Calcif Tissue Int (2004) 74:330–335 DOI: 10.1007/s00223-003-0091-8 Moseley et al. 2013. Potassium citrate supplementation results in sustained improvement in calcium balance in older men and women. JBMR 28(3):497-504. See also: “Potassium Citrate Boosts Bone Density in the Elderly” — http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/733234Despite their obvious benefits, these potassium supplements can interact with some medications, including ACE inhibitors, potassium-sparing diuretics, angiotensin receptor blockers and indomethacin, increasing your risk for hyperkalemia, or high potassium — so only take them under the the supervision of your doctor.I’m trying without success to delete this post, which unfortunately included graphs and diagrams that were not intended to be part of it. But every time I try to edit my own post, the edited result is rejected. I’m baffled as to how correct this. Does anyone know?I am on it! Let you know asap.Hey William. Only moderators can delete comments, but you can edit yours in Disqus See if that link helps?Dear Dr. Greger, Here is a copy of a question that I posed for Dr. Campbell. I was wondering what you thought about the 10% of the calcium that was not radioactive. In other words, would the calcium(non radioactive portion) urine loss be the same if they fed vegans some radioactive calcium and then a vegan diet? The assumption is that they’d have less radioactive calcium but they would still have the same amount(not percent) of non radioactive calcium in their urine. I was wondering the effect of the protein on only the calcium in the body that was not ingested with the food. Does the protein increase, decrease or have no effect on this fraction? Thank you.————————————————————————————-Dr. Campbell indicated that animal protein causes an acidic state in the body which is buffered by calcium. The calcium comes from the bones which causes increased calcium loss from the bones and contributes to osteoporosis.I’d like to present to the TAs and to Dr. Campbell information gathered by Dr. Greger that shows a different mechanism for the calcium loss in those eating an animal based diet that was elucidated via a radioactive calcium study.? I’d like to know if Dr. Campbell finds any flaws in this information. I’d also like to know if the 10% of the calcium that was lost in the urine that was not radioactive was the normal amount of calcium for a person on a WFPB diet. Or did the animal protein not only increased calcium absorption from the intestine but also increase calcium loss from the bone simultaneously. Thank you.Hi PaulaE. I am not sure the answer. I don’t think a study like that has been conducted so we can make assumptions, but we won’t know for sure. Have you read all the studies Dr. Greger references? I suggest starting there to understand the research better. Did Dr. Campbell respond?What is about the bioavailability of the radioactive calcium? Is it the same like natural calcium, so it doesn’t matter?	acid/base balance,alkaline diet,animal products,animal protein,antacids,beans,beef,bone fractures,bone health,bone mineral density,burgers,calcium,chicken,eggs,fish,fruit,grains,hamburgers,kidney disease,kidney function,kidney health,meat,medications,osteoporosis,pork,poultry,protein,steak,stomach health,Tums,turkey,vegetables	The decades-old dogma that the acid-forming quality of animal protein leads to bone loss has been called into question.	Note the boost in calcium absorption described in the video can only compensate if you’re taking enough in. For example, dietary acid load may be associated with lower bone mineral density in those getting under 800mg a day.I previously touched on this topic in my video Is Protein Bad to the Bone? But I promised I’d take a deeper dive, and here it is! If there are other topics you’d like me to cover in greater depth please note them below in the comment section.Plant Protein is Preferable to animal protein for a variety of reasons (tends to have less methionine, is less IGF-1 promoting, etc.), but it’s not clear how much of an advantage it has when it comes to bone health.Note to chemistry geeks: of course it’s the calcium salt anions that really do the buffering (carbonate in Tums and phosphate in bones), but I’m trying my best to simplify for a largely lay audience! Get ready for some kitchen chemistry (actually bathroom chemistry!) in my next video Testing Your Diet with Pee & Purple Cabbage.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Does Animal Protein Cause Osteoporosis?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/31/does-animal-protein-cause-osteoporosis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-fractures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acidbase-balance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antacids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steak/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tums/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alkaline-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-mineral-density/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21976719,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15546911,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22494767,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21457266,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22127335,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18721741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22013455,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23873776,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19864406,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21248199,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19889822,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2597402/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20054653,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21481501,
PLAIN-2697	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-vegetable/	Breast Cancer Survival Vegetable	A half million Americans are expected to die this year from cancer, equal to 5 jumbo jets crashing… every day. The number of Americans who die from cancer each year is more than all those who have died in all US wars combined. And this happens every single year.After a cancer diagnosis people tend to clean up their diets. About a third to a half of breast cancer patients, for example, make healthy dietary changes following diagnosis, such as increasing in fruit and vegetable consumption and decreasing meat, fat and sugar intakes. Does it actually help that late in the game? Well, the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study was undertaken in few thousands breast cancer survivors to determine if a plant- based, low-fat, high-fiber diet could influence breast cancer recurrence rates and survival.Previously they famously reported that simple changes—5 or more servings fruits and veggies a day and just like walking 30 minutes a day 6 days a week was associated with a significant survival advantage, cutting risk nearly in half. Note I said fruits and veggies and exercise. Here's the proportion of women with breast cancer surviving 9 years in the study if they had low fruit and vegetable consumption and low physical activity, or high in one and low in the other. But here's the survival curve, of those high in both.And it worked just as well in women with estrogen receptor negative tumors, which normally have twice the mortality… unless, you eat a few fruits and veggies, and taking a few strolls. The "high" should really be in quotes, I mean you could eat 5 servings in a single meal and certainly walk more than like 2 miles a day.Imagine, for a second, you have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Imagine sitting in that chair, in the doctor’s office, as your doctor gives you the news... But, there's a new experimental treatment that can cut your chances of dying in the next few years from like 16% down to just 4%. To quadruple their survival rate many women would re-mortgage their homes to fly to some quack clinic in Mexico, would lose all their hair to chemo, but most, apparently, couldn't stand the thought of eating broccoli.And indeed that's what the latest report from the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study found, fruits and vegetables may be good, but cruciferous vegetables may be better. For women on tamoxifen, for example, if one of their 5 daily servings of fruits and veggies was broccoli or cauliflower/collards/cabbage or kale, the risk of cancer recurrence may be cut in half.	The bar plot flashed at around 1:37 minutes through the video seems to show a much greater effect of high fruit and vegetable consumption or physical activity on reducing the mortality of patients who have estrogen-receptor negative breast tumours. Can anyone provide insights on why that might be the case?Hi VegAtHeart, Thanks for your thoughtful question. Based on the study mentioned at 1:37 minutes, risk of death (mortality) for women who follow a plant-based diet is similar (~3-4%) whether or not the breast cancer expresses the genes for estrogen receptivity. I am not sure, but I suspect that the reason for the relatively larger overall decrease in mortality in the estrogen-negative (ER-) receptor breast cancer is that ER- cancer may be less sensitive to circulating estrogen and more sensitive to the hormone IGF-1, which is triggered (or not) by the food we eat. Check out Dr. Greger’s video about this for more details: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/ I hope this helps. Love your pic, btw :)Thanks for your positive response. It is interesting how you look at this from an IGF-1 perspective. It seems that one of the challenges in interpreting research on whole foods is that there are so many possible mechanisms that could simultaneously be at work.The unedited figure can be found as figure 3 Pierce et al, 2007. The ER-/PR- cancers demonstrated a better prognosis than ER+/PR- or ER-/PR+, not the expectation, so we may be seeing small sample size effects.Given only 75 patients had the ER-/PR+ tumor receptor status highlighted in the video, just one or two deaths (or their absence) would have changed the mortality (%) quite a bit. You’ll note that the four-fold larger (and hence more statistically reliable) cohort of ER-/PR- patients demonstrated an improvement from veggies and exercise, but less than the improvement seen in ER+/PR+ cases. This makes intuitive sense, too, given the importance of phytoestrogens in modulating estrogen & progesterone signalling.Thanks for pointing out the limitation of sample size.I am trying to understand your argument concerning phytoestrogenic modulation…Are you saying that the relatively higher quantity of phytoestrogens in the high fruit and vegetable group might diminish the negative effect of a person being ER+/PR+, which would in turn provide a relative reduction in mortality?ER+ and PR+ tumors express receptors to normally occurring hormones for breast tissue growth, and this provides the therapeutic options of silencing that growth signalling with tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors. The availabilty of these therapies have dramatically lowered mortality for ER+ and PR+ breast cancers, while outcomes with ER-/PR- and triple negative cancers haven’t improved as much.Common phytoestrogens like flax lignans and soy isoflavones bind estrogen receptors, and while there competitively block binding of native estrogen; but they don’t have quite the right shape to efficiently change the receptor conformation and send signals downstream. I visualize them as rubber keys: they can enter a lock (their receptor), perhaps turn it better than no key at all, but overall they largely block the effects of the correct brass keys, which can’t enter while the rubber key is stuck.So, diets high in fruits, vegetables and phytoestrogens like those in flax, soy and other vegetables can be expected to have a tamoxifen-like effect on ER+ cancers, in addition to their non-phytoestrogen effects. With ER- tumors, only the non-phytoestrogen effects of high fruit-vegetable diets would appear. This suggests to me that we might expect a larger reduction in mortality from high fruit & vegetable diets in ER+ tumors than in ER- tumors.In the study that was the case in comparing the two largest cohorts (ER+/PR+ vs. ER-/PR-), but wasn’t the case comparing ER+/PR+ with the smaller ER-/PR+ and ER+/PR- cohorts.Thank you so much for taking the time to answer; I think that this is an outstanding answer and really helps me appreciate the effects of phytoestrogens.I came across a review that clarified my understanding of estrogen receptors, and owe you a revision to my explanation:There are (at least) two types of estrogen receptor, an alpha receptor responsible for both the feminizing effects of estrogen and promotion of breast and uterine cancers, and a beta receptor without feminizing effects that appears to suppress cancers of the breast, prostate and colon. Soy isoflavones in dietary amounts selectively activates the beta receptor (and hence one can eat soy without feminizing effects), but in a few animal studies, very high (non-dietary) doses of soy isoflavones can also activate alpha receptors. Another case of whole-plant food good, pill extract bad.Thank you for this information. That is extremely interesting and an excellent point to use to defend against some of the false claims we hear regarding soy and estrogen. Would you mind making the source of the review available (even citation would do)?The review & hypothesis I read referenced Kuiper, George GJM, et al. “Interaction of estrogenic chemicals and phytoestrogens with estrogen receptor β.” Endocrinology 139.10 (1998): 4252-4263.The first citation is a weak one (comedy books have been written about the non peer reviewed journal Medical Hypothesis), but the Endrocrinology paper is one of the most cited papers in the phytochemical literature.Thanks again. I was trying to make sense of Table 2 from the Endocrinology paper and found this article which provides a breakdown of the specific phytoestrogen components in foods. I don’t know why the USDA data tables do not seem to provide food content of phytoestrogens, since they have gone to the trouble for micronutrients such as lycopene.Could you help us read Table 2 in the Kuiper study?Genistein’s binding affinity for ERalpha is 87; for ER beta .7. So why do you say that it has a greater affinity for the beta receptor? Is it because when genistein binds to ER alpha, it turns off any actions ERalpha may trigger?The formatting is off in the html version. In the pdf version, there are two experiments to determine relative binding affinity, in solid phase and in solution, with the binding affinity of the endogenous ligand estradiol arbitrarily defined as 100.solid phase solution ERα ERβ ERα ERβ estradiol 100 100 100 100 genistein 4 87 0.7 13That makes much more sense. Thanks. But this doesn’t make sense: The study was received in 1998 and published in 2013?All of Endocrinology back issues from 1917-2012 appear have been initially published online on July 1, 2013.This guy wasn’t taking an extract, he was EATING soy.Endocr Pract. 2008 May-Jun;14(4):415-8.An unusual case of gynecomastia associated with soy product consumption.OBJECTIVE: To document a case of gynecomastia related to ingestion of soy products and review the literature.METHODS: We present the clinical course of a man with gynecomastia in relation to ingestion of 2 different soy products and review related literature.RESULTS: A 60-year-old man was referred to the endocrinology clinic for evaluation of bilateral gynecomastia of 6 months’ duration. He reported erectile dysfunction and decreased libido. On further review of systems, he reported no changes in testicular size, no history of testicular trauma, no sexually transmitted diseases, no headaches, no visual changes, and no change in muscular mass or strength. Initial laboratory assessment showed estrone and estradiol concentrations to be 4-fold increased above the upper limit of the reference range and he described a daily intake of 3 quarts of soy milk. After he discontinued drinking soy milk, his breast tenderness resolved and his estradiol concentration slowly returned to normal.This is acknowledged paleo huntress, lets not misconstrue the science. The servings of this individual are far greater then any normal person. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/Either whole soy stimulates ONLY beta receptors or it doesn’t. Quantity shouldn’t be a factor.Quantity is a factor, as shared by the video. We are talking in terms of IGF-1 which we can expect similar results with the receptors for the estrogenic effects.. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/100 grams of whole, steamed edamame contains almost 19 grams of isoflavones. Firm tofu contains 23 grams per 100 grams serving. Soy milk contains 2.5 grams per 100 gram serving. In other words, WHOLE soy sources are MUCH higher in isoflavones. An 8 oz cup of steamed edamame contains almost 45 grams of isoflavones. A cup of soymilk only contains 7.5. 3 quarts (the amount consumed in the study) contains about 90 grams of isoflavones. So don’t suggest that the soy-milk consumption is an exceptionally excessive intake of soy, when 2 cups of whole food soy equals the very same level of isoflavones- and it isn’t unusual for a whole food vegan to eat that much soy. And even if you don’t eat THAT MUCH, clearly, if two cups can cause man-boobs, it’s having a significant overriding effect on a man’s testosterone. This means that even smaller quantities effect natural androgen levels.Just a quick question. Was the issue of other estrogen raising products out of his diet that might be enhancing this breast tissue growth. In Australia we have some research on alcohol and it enhancing gynecomastia.So do lignans also show a preference for the beta receptors? What about the coumestans?Dietary lignans are converted by gut bacteria to enterodiol and enterolactone, which have weak estrogenic or antiestrogenic effects at physiological levels and perhaps act through other mechanisms (aromatase inhibitors?). I’ve searched and come up empty trying to find their comparative binding affinities. Studies are mixed, but they appear to have benefits in reducing prostate and breast cancer progression. Here’s a review.Coumestrol was covered in the highly cited Kuiper et al 1998 study. Its had much more affinity for ERα than other phytoestrogens, and while its affinity for ERβ was still 3-7 times greater, this is much less selective than the soy phytoestrogen genistein. Dietary coumestrol was found inversely associated with ER- BCA risk in this study.Darryl, I don’t know if that “rubber key” metaphor is an original with you but I found it delightful and very enlightening. I will not forget that image.Alas, in this case it was a bit of a naive take on the effects of phytoestrogens. My comments here and here offer a better read interpretation.Yay for Broccoli… my fav.But not for this cute little girl.She’s just upset that she only got one head of broccoli :)If broccoli were a drug, it would be really expensive……Dr. Gregor, I love all your work and am disappointed at your comment on this video, about the “Quack clinic in Mexico”. Do you know for sure that this clinic is Quack? If you are speaking of the Gerson institute then you are wrong! There are many people out there who have survived cancer and other diseases because of Max Gerson’s brilliant discovery.Check it out for yourself before you slander a clinic dedicated to helping people get their lives back form ravaging diseases.Dr. Greger has covered gerson therapy here. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gerson-therapy/He didn’t name any particular clinic. I’m pretty confident there are some quack clinics in Mexico. Certainly, I like the raw juice diet aspect of Gerson, and there is likely financial bias in many of the studies of Gerson patients, but perhaps a whole-foods, plant-based diet is superior to Gerson. Coffee enemas and injected calf liver from Gerson are two procedures that don’t seem to offer benefit, in my mind, unless they can publish their studies, ideally with peer review.Is there any information on whether broccoli or broccoli sprouts would be helpful with a diagnosis of Triple Negative Breast Cancer?There are many in vitro studies using the TNBC cell lines in table 1 of Chavez et al 2010. Plugging sulforaphane and that list yielded about 1120 results in Google Scholar, but many of those mention sulforaphane in passing. I’d start with the 8 results in PubMed where sulforaphane and one of the TNBC cell lines are mentioned in the abstract., and plug them in with “sulforaphane” in PubMed, or better (because it searches the text), Google Scholar.Tea+broccoli vs triple negative MDA-MB-231 lineThanks, Darryl.Which do you think is better for a breast cancer diagnosis, raw broccoli and sprouts or cooked/lightly steamed?Raw is typically best to preserve the sulforaphane. More info here.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/Thanks, Toxins! In your opinion what would a super smoothie made with a concoction of veggies to target breast cancer consist of.I would use the data from this study covered here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/Full text: http://growyourownhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/anticancer.pdfNutritionist are selling powdered broccoli. How effective is it.Typically you would find an extract of the broccoli, such as a component from the food to the pill. Although yes sulforaphane is a potent phytonutrient, there are thousands of other phytonutrients at play when eating the whole plant food. Isolating one component of that food and consuming it usually does not result in the same health benefits as eating the whole food would.Actually, I think the answer is a bit more complicated. The best way to eat broccoli sprouts is lightly steamed–thus you destroy the potential for the precursors to sulforaphane to produce nitriles instead (which don’t fight cancer)—and then combined with a little raw crucifer to add back the myrosinase enzyme, which catalyzes sulforaphane production.http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/how-to-prepare-broccoli-to-fight-cancer/Sulforaphane is eliminated from the body fairly rapidly, however,. One researcher I spoke to suggested that you’d need to eat a heaping cup of broccoli sprouts, lightly steamed, in combo with a few raw red radishes (or other source of myrosinase) three times a day to keep up the levels of sulforaphane that have been shown to be helpful in fighting cancer. http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/how-to-prepare-broccoli-to-fight-cancer/Thanks for the positives in this and other vids. Lets encourage our friends and families to be healthy. Lets think before we speak…We can all improve and should try to do so. You might want to try to constrain the attitude. I’ve been in that chair, got some very bad news and hit rock bottom before slowly climbing out of the pit. The advice I got was all bad. Pure chance led me to Essy’s FOK and it all fell into place after that single lucky event. So you can believe me that I know whereof I speak. IF I had been aware of the power of this way of living I and most people would have made the changes early.I witnessed my mothers struggle with diabetes and her increasingly desperate efforts to “fix” her diet with various diets. She taught me what she believed was best for me. Then it was my turn. History repeats. We all get the same load of bull coming at us from all angles. It does no good to be superior… to berate people for their ignorance no matter how frustrated you may feel. When you do that you sound just like a …. doctor.When you score points by degrading peoples diet choices you risk losing them. When we lose them they die badly.You sound like you are pandering to your loyal groupies more than trying to reach people. You might benefit from considering reading a book about persuasion. Youre getting too full of yourself mate.I have utmost respect for the doctor and his work, but I just couldn’t forward this on to my friend who was diagnosed two years ago. I do usually send her links to research showing improved breast cancer survival rates. I’m not sure I felt he was too full of himself, but I felt it might make her re-live the trauma of being told by the doc that her lump was cancerous.Yes exactly…thanks. In our case, our oldest dearest friends started referring to her in the past tense…in her presence! Cripes. Can’t people think a little before speaking?Anyone care to share their recipe for a delish vegan broccoli soup? I’ve been try to concoct one, but have not found one that I really like yet.Try Brenda’s Queen of the Greens soup using broccoli.VegAtHeart, Super yum! Thanks for sharing :)Looks good but boy so does that Ginger Squash soup! I think I might try that one first :)Here’s another blended green soup (can use any cruciferous green leafies or broccoli or both). I like to add a little rosemary to it. I also omit the oil and use regular ol brown rice. The rice blended into it gives it a wonderful thick and creamy texture.Also the directions as written are kind of involved, but I just caramelize the onions, then cook the crap out of everything else, then blend. I do it all in one pot and use an immersion blender.http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/basic-green-soupRe: Brenda’s Ginger Squash soup, what would you suggest in place of coconut milk, which is high in saturated fat? Btw, thanks for your response and link.In a couple Thai recipes, I’ve used soy or almond milk with 1/4 – 1/2 tsp coconut extract per cup milk. I got the suggestion from fatfreevegan or the Healthy Librarian, can’t remember which. And come to think of it I think they got it from Ann Esselstyn. Anyway I think it tastes great, plus once you have the little bottle of extract, as long as you have milk in the fridge you always have “coconut milk” on hand. Which otherwise for me would be a special trip to the store.b00mer: re:”coconut extract” Very interesting idea! I want to try that too.I also thought I would share my initial thoughts: The idea didn’t make sense to me initially, because most of the time when I am using coconut milk, it seems that the recipe is wanting the high-fat / saturated fat nature of the coconut milk. Especially for savory dishes, I thought the inclusion of coconut milk had more to do with tradition and texture than with taste.But then I thought about how Dr. Barnard talks about people’s natural adjustment from drinking say whole milk to 2% or from 2% to skim. It tastes watery at first, but then you get used to it. So, I imagine the same would be true with your/fatfreevegan/Healthy Librarian’s trick — with even less of an adjustment since the “milky” coconut milk that comes in cartons is not really any thicker than say soy milk I think. Also, I was thinking that adding some strong coconut flavor might make a difference taste-wise and really enhance a dish.Just sharing some thoughts with you. I appreciate the idea. I can see how it has potential!What about bitter Mellon?Dr. Greger is making a mistake by linking cruciferous vegetables with the prevention of just one type of cancer (breast cancer) or with just one group of cancers (hormone-dependent cancers). The truth is that cruciferous vegetables prevent ALL cancers extremely well and they also prevent heart disease, stroke, brain diseases, bone diseases, lung diseases, kidney diseases, liver diseases, pancreatic diseases, intestinal diseases, vision loss, hearing loss, etc: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16227704Just remember that cruciferous vegetables need to be eaten raw and that boiling them will destroy about half of the beneficial glucosinolates. Freezing them will also destroy about half. Freezing then boiling cruciferous vegetables will destroy about three-quarters of the beneficial glucosinolates. Fortunately, most other vegetables can be boiled or canned without too much destruction of their beneficial disease-preventing phytonutrients.He just did a video a few days ago explaining how to prepare cruciferous veggies OR eat them with mustard, horseradish or wasabi – the sulforaphane and the precursor are thermally stable, the enzyme to convert the precursor to sulforaphane is not and is destroyed by cooking or blanching for freezing. But if you chop them up and let them sit before cooking them or eat them raw the enzyme will do its job; or if you add the enzyme which is present in the bitter herbs it will also do its job on the cooked veggies.Wonderful Dr. Greger.Dr. Greger, What is your opinion on the ketogenic diet for cancer patients in which total carbohydrates are limited to 20-30 grams per day. Total fat grams plus total protein grams in a meal is generally kept at a 3-5 ratio to one gram of carbohydrate. From what I have been reading, this limits the amount of carbohydrates used by cancer cells. Is this effective in cancer treatment? Thank you, DaisyNot effective. First of all, fat and protein and carbohydrates are not food groups. If you review this site you will see it does not advocate refined oils or animal products or supplements but generally eating whole foods, all plant based. You will never get more than 10-15% protein or 10-20% fats eating whole foods and never get to less than16-25% carbohydrates on such a diet unless perhaps you eat nothing but avocados, nuts and coconut. Dr. Greger wrote the book on scam low carb diets. Better to get fiber and phytonutrients.Dr. Greger, in this video, you mention that “there’s a new experimental treatment that can cut your chances of dying in the next few years from like 16% down to just 4%. To quadruple their survival rate many women would re-mortgage their homes…” I believe there is an error here. My father pointed out that “cutting the chances of dying from 16% to 4% does not quadruple your survival rate. The rate increases from a good 84% to an excellent 96%, a substantial benefit but hardly a quadrupling….” I believe that it would be more accurate to say that it quarters one’s death rate.	animal fat,beef,breast cancer,broccoli,cabbage,cancer,cancer survival,cauliflower,chemotherapy,chicken,collard greens,cruciferous vegetables,exercise,fat,fiber,fruit,kale,low-fat diets,meat,Mexico,mortality,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,side effects,sugar,tamoxifen,turkey,vegetables,women's health,Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study	Simple changes in diet and lifestyle may quadruple a woman’s survival rate from breast cancer.	I recommend that all women with breast cancer eat broccoli sprouts. See my 8-part video series:They may also help out with other cancers (Lung Cancer Metastases and Broccoli and Raw Broccoli and Bladder Cancer Survival).For more on breast cancer survival, see:And even better, preventing it in the first place! Here are the last 10, but there are 81 other videos on breast cancer:Some of this video may sound familiar—I included it in my 2013 live presentation, which you can watch here.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Quadrupling Breast Cancer Survival.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mexico/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tamoxifen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gerson-therapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-healthy-eating-and-living-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17557943,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21784951,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22158313,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20607600,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22950089,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21335508,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22592101,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21221774,
PLAIN-2698	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-survival-the-av-ratio/	Prostate Cancer Survival: The A/V Ratio	It is now 8 years since the famous Ornish study was published, suggesting that 12 months on a strictly plant-based diet could reverse the progression of prostate cancer.Wait a second: How were they able to get a group of older men to go vegan for a year? They home delivered prepared meals to their door, figuring men are so lazy they'll just eat whatever is put in front of them.But what about out in the real world? Realizing that you can't even get most men with cancer to eat a measly five servings of fruits and veggies, researchers settled on just trying to change their A to V ratio, the ratio of animal to vegetable proteins, and indeed were successful in cutting this ratio in half at least, from about 2 to 1 animal to plant to kinda half vegan, 1 to 1.How'd they do? Looks like their cancer was slowed down. "The average PSA doubling time (an estimate of how fast the tumor may be doubling in size) in the half vegan group slowed from 21 months to 58 months. So the cancer kept growing, but with a part-time plant-based diet they were able to slow down the tumor's expansion. What Ornish got, though, was an apparent reversal in cancer growth, the PSA didn't just rise slower, it trended down, which could be an indication of tumor shrinkage. So the ideal A to V ratio may be closer to zero.If there's just no way grampa's going vegan, and we just have half-measures, which might be the worst A and the best V? Eggs and poultry may be the worst, respectively doubling… and potentially quadrupling the risk of cancer progression in this study out of Harvard. Twice the risk eating less than a single egg a day, quadruple the risk eating less than a single serving of chicken or turkey.And if you could only add one thing to your diet, cruciferous vegetables. Less than a single serving a day of either broccoli or Brussels sprouts, cabbage cauliflower or kale may cut the risk of cancer progression more than half, defined as the cancer coming back, spreading to the bone, or death.This animal to plant ratio might be useful for cancer prevention as well. For example, in the largest study ever performed on diet and bladder cancer, just a 3% increase in the consumption of animal protein was associated with a 15% higher risk of bladder cancer, whereas a 2% increase in plant protein intake was associated with a 23% lower risk. Even little changes in our diets can have significant effects.	Vegan means no animal products and is not open to interpretation. Thus, I disagree with the narrator’s claim that the Ornish prostate cancer study used a vegan diet or a “strictly plant-based diet”. You can at best call it near vegan.The error can be found on page 2 where you see that fish oil was consumed in addition to several other lifestyle changes:“Experimental group patients were prescribed an intensive lifestyle program that included a vegan diet supplemented with soy (1 daily serving of tofu plus 58 gm of a fortified soy protein powdered beverage), fish oil (3 gm daily), vitamin E (400 IU daily), selenium (200 mcg daily) and vitamin C (2 gm daily), moderate aerobic exercise (walking 30 minutes 6 days weekly), stress management techniques (gentle yoga based stretching, breathing, meditation, imagery and progressive relaxation for a total of 60 minutes daily) and participation in a 1-hour support group once weekly to enhance adherence to the intervention.10 The diet was predominantly fruits, vegetables, whole grains (complex carbohydrates), legumes and soy products, low in simple carbohydrates and with approximately 10% of calories from fat.11 The diet is intensive but palatable and practical. In earlier studies most patients were able to adhere to this diet for at least 5 years.”Has anyone found a vegan food option yet that has a source of DHA/EPA and astaxanthin in it? I still have a serving of salmon once a week and would like to cut it out of my diet if I could replace it with another wholefood that were plant based.Algael DHA suppliments are vegan, not sure about astaxanthinThere is no plant food that exists that has preformed DHA/EPA unless you get algae oil supplements which is not technically a plant.There is no need to consume preformed DHA and EPA. If you consume omega 3 in plant foods in the form of ALA your body will convert it to DHA and EPA if your omega 6:3 ratio is adequate, adequate being 4:1. The best way to do this is to eat plenty of fruits and veggies and minimize nuts and seeds. What nuts and seeds you could eat that have plenty of omega 3 are Flax, walnuts and chia seeds. Other nuts and seeds have very poor omega 6:3 ratios and should be eaten more in moderation.The National Academy of Sciences does not recognize EPA and DHA as essential. This means there is enough evidence for them to conclude that we can make enough of it without eating it in its preformed state.“Comparison of the PLLC n23 PUFAs:DALA ratio between dietary-habit groups showed that it was 209% higher in vegan men and 184% higher in vegan women than in fish-eaters, was 14% higher in vegetarian men and 6% higher in vegetarian women than in fish-eaters, and was 17% and 18% higher in male and female meat-eaters, respectively, than in fish-eaters This suggests that the statistically estimated conversion may be higher in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20861171In addition, another study showed that despise this “theoretical” low conversion rate, there is no evidence of any harm so, the problem may not be in the conversion rate, but in the assumption that it is low.“There is no evidence of adverse effects on health or cognitive function with lower DHA intake in vegetarians”“In the absence of convincing evidence for the deleterious effects resulting from the lack of DHA from the diet of vegetarians, it must be concluded that needs for omega-3 fatty acids can be met by dietary ALA. ”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500961This is informative thank you.Interesting arguments suggesting that taking algae oil supplements may be superfluous for vegetarians/vegans.They may even turn out to be worse than useless. In ‘Becoming Raw’ (2010), Davis and Melina argued on page 127-128:“DHA is the most highly unsaturated fat in the diet and also the most unstable (meaning it is easily oxidized by free radicals in the blood). Oxidized fats are bad news; they contribute to all sorts of disease processes, including cardiovascular disease. It’s possible that our bodies are smart enough not to bother making DHA when it’s not needed. In addition, it’s possible that when DHA is in our bloodstream, it’s rapidly transported to locations where it’s needed and incorporated into tissues, such as the brain and the retina of the eyes.”As you probably know, the supporting articles for algae DHA sources are often financially supported by algae oil manufacturers such as Martek Biosciences. I doubt authors of such articles would be objective. Until more thorough research on long-term effects is done, I would not favour consuming algae oil.Sorry Brandon for my repetitive information regarding the ratio, I forget that I already discussed this with you. Either way, I am sure others who have not seen this information will appreciate it.Yes, I do appreciate it. Thanks.http://www.drfuhrman.com/shop/supplements.aspx#DHAThis is a DHA/EPA supplement sold by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. It is completely vegan and clean, if you feel that you need to supplement.The red stains on the bottom of dried out birdbaths are the astaxanthin-rich cysts of the green algae Haematococcus pluvialis. They’re also the source of astaxanthin supplements. Astaxanthin also appears in trace amounts in krill oil, shrimp, flamingo feathers etc.Just a note on the Nutrex – they have two types of capsules. One is gelatin, and the other is vegan..the vegetarian one is called MD formulas Bio AstinAnyone know if Dr. Ornish eliminated all dairy in his cancer/diet study? I am writing an article for my local newspaper and don’t want to state that unless I am 100% certain.Vegan diet.The paper is online to download free.http://www.ornishspectrum.com/wp-content/uploads/Intensive_Lifestyle_Changes_and_Prostate_Cancer.pdfWhat are your thoughts on this recent review?…http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/13/3/Sounds like the usual industry-funded bullshit to me. I thought we had got over the irrational fear of fat and cholesterol – oh well, while there are still idiots buying statins I suppose the lies will continue.	A/V ratio,aging,animal products,animal protein,bladder cancer,bladder disease,bladder health,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,cabbage,cancer,cancer survival,cauliflower,chicken,cruciferous vegetables,Dr. Dean Ornish,eggs,fruit,Harvard,kale,men's health,metastases,mortality,plant protein,plant-based diets,poultry,prostate cancer,prostate health,protein,PSA,turkey,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetables,vegetarians	Reducing the ratio of animal to plant protein in men’s diets may slow the progression of prostate cancer.	For those unfamiliar with that landmark Ornish study, see Cancer Reversal Through Diet?, which the Pritikin Foundation followed up on with Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay.What else might help men with prostate cancer? See Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer and Saturated Fat & Cancer Progression. What about preventing it in the first place? See: Poultry and eggs may be related to cancer risk in a variety of ways:Crucifers may also help with other cancers. See:I’m going to highlight it in the next video Breast Cancer Survival Vegetable.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Cancer and the Animal-to-Plant Protein Ratio.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/24/cancer-and-the-animal-to-plant-protein-ratio/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/av-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brussels-sprouts/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22618737,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400281,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22853988,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21823116,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16094059,
PLAIN-2699	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/	Treating Multiple Sclerosis With the Swank MS Diet	Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable and frightening degenerative autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system in which your body attacks your own nerves. It often strikes in the prime of life and can cause symptoms in the brain--cognitive impairment, in the eye--painful loss of vision, tremor, weakness, loss of bladder control, pain, and fatigue.The most frequently prescribed drug, for multiple sclerosis is beta interferon, which can make you feel lousy and cost $30,000 a year, but hey--it might be worthwhile if, it actually worked. We learned last year that it doesn't seem to prevent or delay long-term disability.That leaves chemo drugs like mitoxantrone that causes irreversible heart damage in 1 out of every 8 people who go on the drug and treatment-related acute leukemia—it causes leukemia in nearly 1% of people who take it. But hey, MS is no walk in the park. If only there was a cheap, simple, safe, side effect free solution that also just so happened to be the most effective treatment for MS ever described.Dr. Roy Swank, who we lost at age 99 was a distinguished neurologist whose research culminated in over 170 scientific papers. Let's look at a few.As far back as 1950, we knew there were areas in the world that had a lot of MS--North America, Europe—and other places—Africa and Asia—that hardly had any. And now we have all these migration studies showing that if you move from a high risk area to a low risk area your risk drops, and vice versa. So it seemed less genetics, and more lifestyle.Dr. Swank had an idea, as he recounts in an interview with Dr. John McDougall, at the ripe young age of 84: "it seems possible to me that this could be a matter of food, because the further north you go the less vegetarian a life is led and the more people are carnivores you might say, they spend a lot more time eating meat."After looking at the multiple sclerosis data from world war two in occupied countries where meat and dairy were rationed, and his famous study in '52 finding the frequency of MS directly related to the amount of saturated animal fat consumed daily in different areas of Norway, he concluded it might be the animal fat, so he decided to put it to the test, by restricting people's intake of saturated animal fat.Here's his first 47 patients before cutting out about 90% of the saturated fat from their diet, and here's after… showing a decrease in both the frequency and severity of MS attacks. Normally, you're lucky if you can get people to stick to a diet for 6 months, and so that's why most dietary trials last a year at the most. This is reporting results from the first 3 and a half years.Then came the 5 and a half year follow-up—he adds about another 100 patients. Then the 7 year follow-up, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Then the 20 year follow-up, 34 year follow-up.How did they do? If you can get to people early in their disease, when they're only mildly disabled, and restrict their saturated fat intake, Dr. Swank showed he could stop their disease in 95% of cases—no further disability 34 years later. But if they started slacking on their diet—even years in, their disease could become reactivated. They felt so great they were like hey I can cheat a little bit, I got this disease under control. But eating just 8 grams of saturated fat more a day was accompanied by a striking increase in disability and a near tripling of the death rate.How about a 50 year follow-up! They were able to track down 15 of the original patients that stuck to the diet, now in their 70's and 80's, with multiple sclerosis for over 50 years, and 13 out of 15, were walking around normal in all respects. They were active and, evidently, unusually youthful looking. Conclusion: "This study indicated that, in all probability, MS is caused largely by consumption of saturated animal fat.He thought it was the sludging of the blood caused by even a single meal of saturated fats that can clog tiny capillaries that feed our nervous system. See diets rich in saturated fat and cholesterol can thicken the blood, and make our red cells sticky. A single meal of sausage and eggs… can stick our blood cells together like rolls of quarters. And this kind of hyperaggregation can lead to a reduction of blood flow and oxygenation of our tissues.If you put someone's blood through a machine that sucks out about 90% of the cholesterol in their blood, you can demonstrate an immediate improvement in microcirculation in the heart muscle, but what about the brain?The eyes are the windows… to your brain. You can visualize—in real-time—changes in blood vessel function in the retina at the back of the eye, which gives you a sense of what's happening further back in the brain. And if you lower the cholesterol level in the blood, you can immediately get a significant improvement in vasodilation, the little veins open wider and let the blood flow.So yes, it could be the animal fat leading to clogging of our capillaries, but now we know animal fats can have all sorts of other deleterious effects such as inflammation, so who knows what the actual mechanism may be by which cutting animal fat can cut MS progression. Regardless, patients with MS that follow a diet with no more than 10 or 15 grams of saturated fat can expect to survive and thrive to a ripe old age. Of course cutting out saturated fat completely might be better, given that heart disease is our number one killer.The bottom line is that the results Dr. Swank published remain the most effective, treatment of multiple sclerosis ever reported in the peer reviewed medical literature. In patients with early stage MS, 95% were without progression of their disease 34 years later after adopting his low saturated fat dietary program. Even patients with initially advanced disease showed significant benefit. To date, no medication or invasive procedure has ever even come close, to demonstrating such success."Doesn't cost $30,000 dollars; doesn't give you leukemia—and works, better!Of course this all begs one big obvious question: If Dr. Swanks results are so stunningly impressive, why haven’t other physicians, neurologists, or centers adopted this method of treatment? Good question.One reason may be that MRI machines weren't invented until the 1970s. MRIs are how we track the progress of MS today. We don't have to rely on patients’ subjective reports or doctor's clinical judgements, we can see the disease get better or worse right there in black and white.It's like in the 1970's when Nathan Pritikin appeared to reverse heart disease by the thousands but no one took him seriously until angiography was invented and the likes of Ornish and Essylstein could hold up images like this, proving conclusively that a plant-based diet could literally open up arteries, right there in black and white.So what we need is someone to repeat Swanks experiment today, with MRI scans every step of the way… and, I'm happy to report that exact experiment was just completed, by Dr. John McDougall. Dr. Swank was one of Dr. McDougall's medical mentors, and Dr. McDougall is one of mine. Study enrollment was completed last year and we should have the results sometime soon.	Is there anything in Swank’s literature that draws distinctions or similarities between animal-based saturated fats vs. plant-based saturated fats, in this regard?I am not promoting any particular diet, just answering the question: Dr Wahls promotes a Paleo Diet. https://youtu.be/KLjgBLwH3WcHave you watched this video, and read further into the research? Swank’s MS diet is actually a diet that has considerable merits, as far as the science and data. I doubt there is another diet out there that has measured up to his, regarding the results, research and such. And Swank was fine with M.S. people eating some meat/poultry/fish-based paleo foods. It is the fats he drastically restricted, even plant-based fats.If there is any diet I’d ever suggest to anyone with MS, it is the Swank diet, but one that focused on plants/fruits, no beans, no grains, no dairy, no eggs…… lots of plants and fruits. And I’d go even lower in fat that Swank suggested.This is fantastic news! THANK YOU Dr. G. Let’s get the word out. Any ideas on how we can get the annual MS150 ride from Houston to Austin to offer an I BEAT MS lunch break and rest stop snacks???? They are big on BBQ here, it is ‘ethnic food’.My esteem for Dr. Mcdougall just skyrocketed…I wonder why he was not already high in your esteem. John is close to be a hero for me. He stand and speak the truth since so long. All the credit for this study will go to Dr Swank as John requested. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WHn6DFZmwkThis is the same Dr. Mcdougall that claims vitamin D pills are harmful and should not be taken. I believe him. He also believes that mental illness, in some cases, are caused by gluten grains. Both of these statements he has put in writing on his website. He is very clear about this feelings on both these issues.Gluten grains? I need to see the evidence before I get on board with that one.That’s not right. Dr. McDougall says only gluten is a problem for celiac patients and there is also wheat allergy for other people. The celiac is rare (1%) and a lot of people avoiding gluten (the protein of wheat grain) free now are drawn into it by industry promotion. Rice, quinoa and many others are gluten free.This is one of my favorite volume 15 videos. I love when Dr. Greger presents such compelling data in the quantity of studies that he shares. I find it comparable to the Rheumatoid arthritis video. The evidence against saturated fat and animal product consumption continues to pile up on the mountain. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/Toxins: I agree! This video is simply awesome and so compelling.Thanks for reminding us of the Rheumatoid arthritis video too. Anyone who hasn’t seen that one will want to take a look.I agree about the arthritis video. Prior to watching it I was gluten, dairy, sugar and junk-free. That video convinced me that eating less animal protein wasn’t good enough to decrease inflammation–I had to stop it completely! And that I did.Yes I have personal experience with it as does my wife, arthritis is better without meat. We or rather she recognized it is an inflammatory process and became low fat vegan after seeing Sanjay Gupta’s report on Bill Clinton. A few relapses early on brought instant pain.DanielFaster: Another great comment. Particularly telling was this part: ” A few relapses early on brought instant pain.” That’s some serious bio-feedback. Enough to convince anyone that they are on the right track (when abstaining from animal products and high fat).Veganrunner: Thanks for this update! I know that while some people go cold turkey, the rest of us follow a path to health, going step by step. I find it so interesting what event or information causes people to take the next step in eating healthier.That Nutrition Facts played a part in helping you take the next step is just so cool. It makes me proud to be part of the Nutrition Facts community.Thanks Thea. Food is the best medicine!I’d also like to hear if there would be a difference between animal-based fats and plant-based in this regard? Namely, I eat an enormous amount of nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts) which all have high levels of saturated fat. Is that still bad when it comes to some of these chronic illnesses?You’ve probably already gotten the answer to this but yes, go easy on the nuts and seeds. Too much fat, even if it is healthy, causes problems. See Dr. Esselstyn’s yell out to audience, “No Oil!”, this also implicates excessive intake of nuts and seeds and avocados.Great story, I would like to ask the same question as elsie. Can we eat plant based saturated fats like Coconut oil?Dr. Greger does not recommend consuming coconut oil http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/And I can tell you anecdotally that my own symptoms are made worse by coconut oil, as well as very much in the way of chocolate.I’d like to add that Dr. Jelinek advocates an even lower-saturated fat diet than did Swank, and those fewer grams of saturated fat make a difference for me.Vickey: I wanted to thank you for taking the time to share your personal experiences. While anecdotal evidence is not science, it sure is helpful in making the science real for people. I’m sure that your comments will be helpful to people in similar circumstances. Thanks.If Dr. Swank’s leaky gut theory of why saturated fats cause MS is true, then coconut oil is problematic. A study this year, demonstrated that n-3 fatty acids (like those in flax) reduce endotoxin transport from the gut by 50%, olive and most vegetable oils had no effect, but coconut oil increased transport by 60%.So, are endotoxins in particular (the lipopolysaccharide cell walls of gram-negative bacteria, found both in food and in gut microbiomes), responsible for MS? Well, as far as I can tell MS is a multifactorial disease, but one can find plenty of articles demonstrating that LPS receptors and inflammatory cytokine cascades, like those brought about by LPS, play a role, at least in animal models.Any research on chondrocalcinosis and diet? Is this also autoimmune?When I had a knee X-ray due to an injury I was diagnosed with this. I’ve been low-fat vegan, (Esselstyn) for the last 4 years, but ate SAD before that. SallyVery interesting. Lets turn it around. Are there any studies suggesting that saturated fat and animal product consumption improves any inflammatory condition (MS, bowel, rheumatoid arthritis) or any type of cancer?The only things I’ve seen are the coconut oil for Alzheimer’s which only appears to be a mild transient delay of progression (addressed by an NF video already) and didn’t make it for long term studies; and the conjugated linoleic (linolenic?) acid from beef fat (CLA are the trans fats from beef) which appear in some studies as a supplement to have a very mild positive effect on cardiovascular health in some people (NF video says transfats from animal sources must be bad but does not address the CLA claims). It may also not be that bad if you are treating starvation and there’s nothing else to eat (you can always devise a study to show something has a benefit under special circumstances or is harmful under special circumstances). But you are right you can’t find any breakthroughs to treat and reverse heart disease or cancer or anything else with unhealthy food as a medicine.MS is a horrible, horrible disease. Much of my first three decades were spent aiding my mother in caring for my grandmother (who had primary progressive MS). In my earliest memories, my grandmother was on crutches, but for her last decade, we learned to interpret whether she wanted water, a trip to the bathroom, analgesic, or anxiolytic by the way her eyes rolled. My mother tried some ineffective complementary interventions (I recall accupuncture), but at no point do I recall a neurologist mentioning a low fat diet. Cream cheese and kielbasa sausage were normal fare.Dr. McDougall has gives a presentation on diet and MS to his study weekend participants, and there notes he won’t appear in the author list of the forthcoming paper. I suspect Dr. Bourdette, who wrote Dr. Swanks obituary in Neurology, now holds Dr. Swank’s chair, and has continued his work, will have that honor.Darryl: I’m sorry to hear about your grandmother.While I did not have such a prolonged or close experience, I did have a friend who came down with MS when we were both in our early thirties come. It hit her pretty hard, pretty fast and she died about a year later. I saw how awful it was for her near the end when she couldn’t even scratch her own head. I would bet she wasn’t told about diet changes.I saw Dr. McDougall this last weekend at a nutrition conference near where I live. He mentioned his MS research and that it would be published soon, but he didn’t give any details. I’m excited to hear what happened in this latest study.wow how one doctor can fix soo many things is just mind bogaling .proof after proof of how our own goverment has put all of ask risk when the real cure for most disease is cured or controled thru diet ..and the food chains feed us poison and nobody does anything about it…..if it wasnt for the internet or library’s .our own goverment could keep killing us and we wouldnt be the wiser …i am ashamed at what this country has become …I just looked at the details of the Swank diet (on this page: http://www.swankmsdiet.org/About%20The%20Diet) and it’s not a vegan or even vegetarian diet. Whether you consider it “plant-based” is debatable.It recommends two servings of (nonfat or 1%) dairy and a teaspoon of cod liver oil every day, and allows unlimited white fish and shellfish, 1-3 ounces of fatty fish, and 4 ounces of skinned poultry daily, as well as 3 eggs a week. After the first year it also allows 2-3 ounces of red meat each week as long as the meat is not too high fat.Nor does it seem that low-fat. It allows up to 65g of fat a day. On a 1750 calorie a day diet (typical for a sedentary woman) that’s 33% of calories from fat a day. Not super higher fat but not what I think of when I think of “low fat” diet either.Surprisingly, the diet only recommends two servings of fruit and two cups of vegetables a day!It also restricts all processed foods containing fat, saying “No processed foods containing saturated fat.” and “Commercially-prepared pastry usually contains shortening, butter, margarine and/or processed oil. Therefore, you should avoid these foods.” It explicitly forbids hydrogenated oils and margarines. It encourages whole grains over refined grains. So it’s clearly changing a number of aspects of people’s diets, and probably has the result that people end up eating at home and doing more from-scratch cooking. All good things, but there’s much more going on here than a “low-fat plant-based diet.”Are you sure that’s the original “Swank diet” or is it a modern super watered down version? I remember Dr. Mcdougall saying how the Pritikin diet was slowly watered down over the years and is now a much more moderate version of what Nathan Pritikin taught.Yeah, from what I can tell it is Swank’s original diet. The criticism on Mcdougall’s webpage of the “Swank diet” seems to correspond to the diet on the website I looked at. Scroll down to the part titled “The Swank vs. The McDougall Diet” on this page: http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/jan/ms.htmIt says “The Swank Diet focuses on drastically reducing saturated fats, which are abundant in red meats and high-fat dairy products. Included in his diet are low-fat dairy foods (skim milk, fat-free cheese, fat-free ice cream, etc.), egg whites, skinned white-meat chicken, white fish and shellfish. Meats with significant amounts of saturated fats are allowed only in very small amounts. Dr. Swank also included additional vegetable and fish oils in his diet.”Alma, this is very interesting. Thank you for posting the link. I wonder if the current Swank Protocol is the protocol Swank used in the studies Dr. Greger sourced. If so (and why wouldn’t it be) Swank was not suggesting a vegan diet to cure/help MS. Low fat, and absence of certain types of fats, yes.Great video!Here i found the food do not allowed by the McDougall Program (i don’t know if it is the only program)…http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/free-mcdougall-program/steps-to-recovery/foods-not-allowed/I think is very similar to a plant based diet… other users more expert than me could give a feed back about this?Dr. McDougall offers, in my opinion, the best program. It is based on science and is extremely satiating and practical. Not to mention there is an incredible forum section with Jeff Novick to answer any question you may have.This is awesome… if i remember correctly one of my friend when i was studying physics suffer from this pathology and she was really young, so i will try to find her email in my old contacts… i think this information could really help…Thanks Toxins for the reply!!My niece has primary progressive MS which accounts for maybe 10% of MS patients. Any known results among that population?Wouldn’t you be mad if you had MS and your doctors never shared this info with you?You are absolutely correct. I’ve had MS since ’99. The only doctor, out of the millions I have ever seen or known, who has EVER talked to me about MS and diet, is my own step-father. He is a psychiatrist. I started the Swank diet in 2001, except I decided to go totally vegetarian right away. I have not had a relapse since 2002! I began the McDougall diet a few years ago and went totally vegan from there. Dairy is a hard thing for a WI girl to give up! When I presented the results from this most recent study to my neurologist last week, she still looked at me like I was a rare bird or something. It is hard to find doctors who take more into consideration than drug therapy, especially where I live. I make an annual long trip to see a “more” open neurologist who is located six hours from me once a year. I hope to be able to attend a McDougall ten day program some day. For now, I will have to continue to rely on the live video feeds he has available for his advanced study weekends. The state of “modern” medicine and medical training infuriates me. I absolutely believe the stable status of my disease is due to Drs. Swank and McDougall!Thanks for sharing. Best wishes for more success.Why are the most recent comments at the bottom? Recent comments should be at the top like Youtube. But, hey, why do it the popular and familiar way? :)You can organize it by “newest” oldest” and “best”. Its based on your settings.Awesome and thank you!Okay, I have a serious question. We know that if a person consumes too many carbohydrates, the human body has an ability to convert some of those excess carbs into fat. But not just any old fat. It converts them into SATURATED fat.So our bodies thrive on glucose…but saturated fat is problematic and detrimental. Scientists also try to explain that this ability to generate and store SATURATED fat evolved to get us through times of famine. Huh? We evolved a means of generating and storing copious amounts of the most harmful fat to help us survive in the long term? This is the absurd paradox science seems to be telling us.Dr. Greger, will you please resolve this?We store the fat from excess carbohydrates as triglycerides although saturated fat serves certain structural needs. The point being we make enough saturated fat so we have no dietary need to consume any more.From the National Academy of Science:“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions; they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither an AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids. There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acid intake increases CHD risk”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422Also, I know of no information suggesting our body struggles to conserve excess macronutrients as fat. This is not a problem regardless when you are eating whole, minimally processed plant foods when your hungry till your full.Thanks Toxins,You said: “I know of no information suggesting our body struggles to conserve excess macronutrients as fat.”I was inquiring about converting carbohydrates, not conserving macronutrients.The message I’m getting from science is this: Saturated fats are bad for us and we evolved the ability to generate and store them to help us survive.That is a logical absurdity. I honestly can’t blame low-carbers and paleo dieters when science presents this kind of mixed message. It is the saturated fat paradox.Let me clarify what a macronutrient is. A macronutrient is Protein, Fat, or carbohydrates. Too much of either, and it will be stored in the form of triglycerides. Rarely, unless there is a medical condition, will we ever urinate out glucose. Our kidneys are very good at conserving glucose.The message from the nutritional community is that EXCESS saturated fat does not promote health. There is a difference between consuming saturated fat and our body creating all that it needs.How could someone possibly downvote this? They are offended by recitation of biochemical and physiological facts? Would they downvote an anatomy phys textbook if they could? People these days are reading blogs and drawing their own conclusions that contradict what the experts with decades in the field have to say, all the while not even having a handle on the basic vocabulary. Sad in more ways than one.How could someone possibly downvote this? Because it did not answer the question. Would they downvote a textbook? If the textbook is wrong I would hope so. Are you suggesting textbooks are always correct? Are you suggesting blogs are always wrong and scientists are always right? How about we stick to the question at hand and set aside the tangential (and irrelevant) cheering and jeering?LOL, low carb troll, who else.A paradox? Your body requires something, so your body produces it. Because your body produces it, you don’t need to consume it. Because you don’t need to consume it, eating what are relatively huge excess quantities of it causes problems. Where is the paradox again?Your body requires something, so your body produces it…therefore it is not bad for you. Is vitamin C bad for animals that produce their own? What about amino acids? Please give one other example in nature where an animal produces their own nutritional factor that is bad for them if they consume it?Your intuition makes sense. But nutritionally almost anything in excess has been shown to not be beneficial to long term health. Multivitamins and nutritional supplements are a good example. No long term benefits.Hi Duke It does seem confusing at first, doesn’t it?!…However, in looking closely at the articles you mention, it becomes a little a clearer…The first study you mention included just 16 people total and did not include a non-treated (control group) for the duration of the study, so difficult to assess if any conclusion would be statistically meaningful (or useful). Additionally, MS can produce many symptoms: muscle weakness/spasm, fatigue, memory problems, bowel and bladder incontinence, and more. This study (which may or may not be useful given the above-mentioned limitations) only speculates that beta-interferon helps with the memory issues…it is not felt to help with symptoms of weakness, fatigue, incontinence, etc.The second study states that it was funded by pharmaceutical companies and that the physician-authors are also funded by pharmaceutical companies. The last line reads “The study was funded by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Ebers reports that he has financial relationships with Roche, UCB, and Bayer-Schering. Dr. Gooding discloses that he has financial relationships with Novartis, Bayer-Schering, Teva, and EMD Serono. Dr. Weinstock-Guttman discloses that she has financial associations with Biogen Idec, Teva Neuroscience, EMD Serono, Pfizer, Accorda, Novartis, Aspreva, and Cognition.” For more about research design and conflicts of interest, please check out Dr. Greger’s piece on study funding:http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/arent-studies-funded-by-corporations-bias/Thank you,Here is the response:I agree with a lot of stuff in the article you sent, especially the de-stressing obviously…and the healthy diet and exercise.Their credibility got hurt when they did not mention that the geographical relationship is mostly based on how far you grew up from the equator during your adolescent before 15 years old years. The research points to a strong relationship with Vitamin D from the sun.And the fact that they are biased toward the Swank Diet, just like they accuse the doctors of bias toward the drugs. Everyone has biases. There are many other studies supporting the beta interferon links, especially the ones that has to be done to get Avonex approved. There is no sense them cutting it down, it has been proved to work…. That does not say that plant based diets from birth might be preventative also.They would be more creditable if they did not try to prevent their case so one-sidedly….that really hurts their credibility.Geographic DistributionThere is a very specific geographic distribution of this disease around the world. A significantly higher incidence of the disease is found in the northernmost latitudes of the northern and the southern hemispheres compared to southernmost latitudes. This observation is based on the incidence of the disease in Scandinavia, northern United States and Canada, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The data from migration studies shows that if the exposure to a higher risk environment occurs during adolescence (before 15 years of age,) the migrant assumes the higher risk of the environment. This concept is nicely illustrated in studies of native-born South African white population with low incidence of the disease versus high incidence of MS among white immigrants from Great Britain, where the disease is much more prevalent (Saud A. Sadiq,James R. Miller et al.) “Epidemics” of MS have been reported and these provide further evidence of importance of environmental factors in MS. The most notable “epidemic” was described on the Faroe Islands after they were occupied by British troops in W.W.II. Similar increases in incidence of the disease were seen on Shetland and Orkney Islands, in Iceland, and in Sardinia. A specific “point agent” for these “epidemics” never was identified.Many experts, on the basis of epidemiological data showing less MS where there is more sun, animal work on improving experimental auto-immune encephalomyelitis with light therapy, reduced risk of MS with adequate sunlight or vitamin D supplementation and limited human studies, believe that sunlight improves MS. The evidence is convincing. People with MS can feel comfortable that sunlight is likely to improve their outcome from the disease, and protect them from many others in addition. Provided the amount of UV radiation is not excessive, this is a very safe therapy. In winter, in most places in the world, a vitamin D supplement is necessary to keep vitamin D levels optimal at above150nmol/L (60ng/mL for those in the US). Regarding vitamin D and multiple sclerosis, research suggests strongly that high-normal levels are required, so some people with MS aim even higher, perhaps at 200nmol/L. In my view, this will soon become accepted medical practice in the treatment of MS. The medical community is rapidly coming to an acceptance of the importance of adequate vitamin D levels for good health.And even Avonex’s site, Active Source, http://www.msactivesource.com/ms-diet-and-exercise.xml?utm_campaign=Health%2520and%2520Wellness&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Diet%2520%2526%2520Nutrition&utm_term=ms%2520and%2520diet says medication is only part of the answer, diet and exercise are important. So the folks pushing the Swank diet are trying too hard in my opinion.I started reading and studying the Swank Diet when I was first diagnosed with Secondary Progressive MS in 2006. At that point, I was grossly overweight and got to the point of using a cane/walker to get around. I have been following the Swank Diet all these years. Not only have I lost over 120 lbs but I am now running. I just finished running my first 1/2 marathon! Does nutrition make a difference – YES!!!!OMGosh, you could be the poster child pjohns!I’m so proud of Dr McDougall for creating the new MS study, it is doctors like him that do the work that the snob nosed ‘reject anything the boys at the club’ would not approve, and in doing so safe lives. He did it and will go down in history as a leader.There is no excuse anymore for people to get these diseases, if they have a computer and can type ‘google’ then they have no excuse, and I have no pity for them. Thank you Dr Greger for putting this information up with the scientific proof to back it up!Update from a McDougall admin: “soon” has now turned into an April 2014 release date for the Oregon study. They keep pushing back the release date so I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see results until late 2014.Dr. Yadav, who is one of the co-investigators for the Oregon Study, presented some of the results of the one year study at the McDougall Advanced Study Weekend in September. The results in compliance and non MS parameters were very impressive. She did not present the MS results. Dr. Bourdette had spoken previously at another McDougall Advanced Study Weekend at the beginning of the study. He mentioned that given the number of participants, the length of the study and the nature of MS it would be unlikely to show significance. He was hoping that this study will lead to larger studies. Dr. Yadav mentioned that Dr. Bourdette will be presenting results in April at a national convention. The jury may still be out but two things are clear… one there is no downside to the prescribed diet and two if you have MS you certainly don’t want to add another chronic disease such as diabetes, arterial disease or obesity to the MS diagnosis. Given the nature of the disease and the efficacy of the drug therapy I believe it is prudent to recommend the McDougall diet for patients with MS.Dr. John A. McDougall was once my neighbor who lived about 2 blocks away from where I lived in Maunawili, which is on the windward side (southeastern area) of the island of Oahu.Dr. McDougall advocates plenty of solar exposure, which I feel is very unwise because of the permanent damage to our skin and eyes. The healthiest way to get the vitamin D that we need is from supplements, mushrooms, fish, and/or only a very limited amount of solar exposure.In the 1980s and 1990s, Dr. McDougall was severely criticized by many nutritionists for advocating zero calcium supplementation. At the other extreme, the National Osteoporosis Foundation encourages everyone to become obsessed with calcium supplementation and memorize the calcium content of various foods. Both extremes are wrong. The optimal dosage of calcium supplementation is 300mg to 600mg per day of calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is superior to all other forms of calcium supplementation because it strongly lowers our risk of developing colorectal cancer by binding with up to 70% of the total heme iron in our intestines. Like copper, manganese, and aluminum, iron is a pro-oxidant which, if consumed in excess, will damage every cell in our bodies and increase our risk of developing numerous killer diseases. All other forms of calcium supplementation can bind with only 10% to 20% of the total heme iron in our intestines.At a dosage of 300mg of calcium carbonate daily, we would derive about 90% of the maximum benefit to our bone health and suffer 0% of the maximum damage to our arteries. At a dosage of 600mg of calcium carbonate daily, we would derive 100% of the maximum benefit to our bone health and suffer about 10% of the maximum damage to our arteries.If blood calcium levels are low and need to be increased, the smart way to accomplish this is by eating shiitake mushrooms and not by swallowing forms of calcium supplementation that are different from calcium carbonate. Shiitake mushrooms contain vitamins D1, D2, and D4. Vitamin D4 has health benefits that vitamin D1, D2, and D3 lack. Some medical doctors prescribe vitamin D4 pills to increase blood calcium levels in patients with low blood calcium levels.About half of all people who suffer from heart disease have calcified arteries when examined by chest X-ray. The statin drugs that medical doctors prescribe will greatly improve our cholesterol numbers but will also make our calcified arteries much worse. The delicious, fermented, whole soybean food from Japan called, natto, will remove the calcium from our arteries and put that calcium in our bones where it will prevent future bone fractures. No other food and no prescription medicine can reverse arterial calcification: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._McDougallRonald, you wrote “Like copper, manganese, and aluminum, iron is a pro-oxidant which, if consumed in excess, will damage every cell in our bodies and increase our risk of developing numerous killer diseases.”What about vegan foods that contain a lot of manganese and copper? Rye bread and some beans and certain nuts and seeds, multiple times per day, can send these metal levels well above the 100%RDA. I find manganese is easy to surpass 200-300%, depending on the foods and quantity. And iron as well in beans. Are these plant-based metals you have mentioned what you are referring to, or are you speaking specifically about meat-based forms?Also, thanks for the natto information. I had no idea.Update from Dr. Yadav: The abstract has been submitted. They should know by the end of Jan 2014 if it will be accepted. They think they may be able to release results by April 2014.Update from Dr. Yadov: Results will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s Annual Meeting in Philly on May 1, 2014.Has the study about low fat diet and MS with patients that could received MRI by Dr McDougall and yourself been completed? If so, are the results published and available for consultation?The huge question is why the MS Society doesn’t promote the Swank diet. If a drug could freeze ms in its tracks in 95% of cases, some company would make billions. I assume that they don’t believe the data that Dr. Swank published.I firmly believe this!! PLANT BASED diet it is !!So where is the published study? The “randomized control trialed” results that Dr. McDougal mentions will be out “in the next year”? If the study report was completed in 2012… Any word if the results were as predicted?Just published a week ago (as a poster abstract). It was disappointing: Yadav, V., Marracci, G., Kim, E., Spain, R., Cameron, M., Overs, S., … & Bourdette, D. (2014). Effects of a low fat plant based diet in multiple sclerosis (MS): results of a 1-year long randomized controlled (RC) study (P6. 152). Neurology, 82(10 Supplement), P6-152.After baseline difference adjustment, the groups showed no significant changes in the number of active lesions (0.4, 95% CI -1.2 to1.9, p=0.6) or other MR parameters, relapse rate, disability expanded disability status score, timed 25-foot walk and fatigue severity score.I was waiting for this study to come out ! So “no significant changes in the number of active lesions” do not mean that there desease are undercontrol and no longer progress ?No significant changes between the experimental and control groups. Basically, the variation of disease progression was big in both groups before the study, and any benefit was small and overwhelmed between the groups, statistically, by this individual variation.If saturated free fatty acids are directly mediating inflammation in MS, perhaps its more difficult to achieve Swank’s results in the short term in modern, more overweight populations (those fats get released upon weight loss). Swank’s studies were also done in the pre-MRI era, so perhaps were more prone to selective recall by patients. Most importantly, perhaps, was the limited 1 year duration of the experiment;some forms of MS progress by fits and spurts, and Swank’s results may have required inhibiting several of these before a measurable benefit was seen.I see, thanks for precising things. So we can’t see any difference at least for one years on overweight people. I hope they will do a follow up..I send you a message on FB by the way, if you might look at it. Thanks again.I visit FB once every few months, if at all. I found your message and responded.Thanks :)Just found out about Dr.Swank. I have Multiple Sclerosis and can barely walk with a walker anymore.I’m at a terrible point with this disease. Could you please tell me what the name of the book is by Dr.Swank that focuses on Multiple Sclerosis? Thank you.Hi Kat, sorry to hear you are dealing with MS. Check out the Swank Foundation website: http://www.swankmsdiet.org/.LDN(low dose naltrexone) has been found to stop the progression of MS in about 85% of patients. http://www.ldninfo.org It is FDA approved at 50mg, but used in a low dose of 1.5 – 4.5 mg/day. It is inexpensive, no side effects except some sleeplessness the first week or so in some people, and is used by thousands with success. Join the Yahoo LDN group mentioned on the LDN link above and ask any of the over 11,000 people there who use LDN any questions you may have. Another supplement that can have astoundingly positive results for MS is Lion’s Mane Mushroon. Best wishes.Dr. Greger, an even more interesting fact looking at the map is why is the southern hemisphere completely void of MS?The Swank Diet appears to include meat, eggs and dairy. It is not a vegan diet. To really benefit one needs to go Vegan Plus and eat a diet of whole organic plants while avoiding salt, sugar and refined carbohydrates.This have a lot of merits. My take. In the USA a lot of folks with MS have Indian descent whether known or not. The Indian couldn’t eat the SAD. Interesting enough, the Indian diet, exercise and magnesium therapy, can have people living MS symptom free. My wife has had it since 1995 and the liaisons have been basically in the same place for the past 14 yearsI’m trying to gain info about erythromelalgia — aka red feet — and diet. TEA website is not wildly helpful. Any studies on that ?Hi, if we limit the intake of saturated fats to 15g max, how much good fats are we allowed to consume on top of the 15g? Thanks, we recently had a family member diagnosed and would like to know more about this diet.After not seeing a follow up video, I read the results of the Diet & Multiple Sclerosis Study (https://www.drmcdougall.com/2014/07/31/results-of-the-diet-multiple-sclerosis-study/) and the results were not promising. Sure, patients lost weight and experienced improved lipid profiles—but the extent of their improvement was that they felt “better”. MRI images showed no differences between the diet and control groups, and there was no difference in disability or relapses between the groups as well.Do you have any commentary or insight to these results, Dr. Greger?Dr. Mcdougall himself stated why the results were not unexpected. The study was too small and there was an inherent bias based on the health and severity of the disease in the two groups.Until February 2015 the study results were still not posted here: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT00852722Keep us posted if it becomes published or if you find related studies on diet and MS.“The diet group consisted of much sicker patients than the control group.”Hi Mark. That link doesn’t appear available can you repost it? I think even if what you state is true, even if they felt better isn’t that reason enough to try a healthier diet? The fact we have so much research on diet and MS is promising for patients who are trying to deal with the symptoms of the disease. Sometimes anything is better than nothing, especially if one could reduce the progression of MS. The idea of the video and research is to build awareness about the connections between diet and MS. If you find more research please share with us, and I’ll do the same. Hope that’s alright :-)Low Fat Diet and Multiple Sclerosis study has been completed but no study results were posted, February 2015: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT00852722Low Fat Diet and Multiple Sclerosis study has been completed but no results were posted on ClinicalTrials February 2015: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT00852722Please let us know when it’s available! Thanks.I have been investigating protocols which help MS, for a friend. Nutrition is obviously ver beneficial, (Swanks, Jelinek, yourself). So are large doses Vitamin D3 (Dr Cicero Coimbra, Brazil). (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOfO29rL-gI) in case you are interested. (Has English subtitles). I wondered why both seem to benefit MS sufferers, (and others).I read somewhere that certain foods prevent the processing of Vitamin D.They mentioned the usual suspects, sat fat, animal protein, not enough fibre etc, and suggested that it was because all these things raised cortisol levels which then prevents Vit D working, (perhaps in people who have a genetic problem with Vitamin D ). Have you come across evidence to suggest this? The diseases linked to low Vit D seem to also be linked to poor (as in not whole food,plant based) diet, so presumaby there is a connection. I would be really interested in any research on this. Thanks again, Anne JamiesonHi Anne, Thanks for reposting your question. There are studies that focus on The role of vitamin D in multiple sclerosis and this review may explain more. Vitamin D acts like an immune modulator. It serves so many important roles in the body. The vitamin is more like a hormone. Some research suggests MS patients cannot properly maintain vitamin D levels, and may experience certain changes in their DNA that negativity affect vitamin D receptors.Drinking too much milk (or having a high calcium intake) seems to increase prostate cancer risk. One theory behind this is because high loads of calcium can down-regulate the parathyroid hormone, which is responsible for producing active vitamin D in the kidneys, therefore increasing prostate cancer risk. We know Vitamin D is very important for immunity and health so it’s important to assure we get outside and soak up the sun! Here are Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations, if interested.Thanks for your questions! Let me know is this helps. Josephsir plz tell us about systemic sclerosis?’When do you expect the results of the study? Or did it turn out to be inconclusive?Hello everyone. I never post anything online, but I noticed this on the site and felt compelled. I have had this monster disease since i was nineteen and now am sixty-three. When I was first cripple, I was determined to overcome it. So, I started researching, without computers. I sent my teacher friends to the medical library and elsewhere to get books for me so that I could try to figure this out. My hands were both waving around like sea anemones so I had to turn pages with a gadget. Ha Well, as it turns out, I designed a diet very similar to Dr. Terry Wahls and Dr. George Jelinek sp? I looked at my behaviour at the time and decided that vitamin D played an integral role. That is why I added wild caught salmon oil, cod liver oil and the most nutrient dense vegetables that I could get. Also, I rotated between calves liver and wild caught salmon and tuna. I have not had ANY changes on MRI since 2003 which could be some proof. I also insure that I have gut bacteria replenished every single time that I take an antibiotic using kefir and those expensive probiotics that are refrigerated. I was allergic to milk as a child. I also had the worse case of measles known to mankind. I seldom eat any other kind of meat because liver is the most nutrient dense substance that I could find when I was designing the diet. I do not like it. It gets bigger in my mouth as I chew it, but it seems to give me instant energy. That is the ONLY reason that I put it in the diet. I try to get 20 minutes of sun at noon because of where I live. If I can’t get out or I get MSy, I take a supplement 5000-10,000 daily. You must have several other vitamins for it to work because it is synergistic with them. (magnesium, K2) This wonderful doctor on this site could tell you, of course. I think that one day they will identify a type of gut bacteria that the body reacts to combined with low vitamin D levels. My first cousin has MS also so there must be a genetic component. I hope that this helps someone! My mom’s prayers are very effective. Cheers!! I am still walking…and playing guitar.In a small percentage of MS cases (maybe as high as 7 %) there is a vitamin B12 deficiency present. Your positive experience with liver, a rich source of B12, suggest B12 might be worth a try. I would look into methylcobalamin shots (1000-15000 mcg) or at least high oral doses (5000-30000 mcg). After the first 30 micrograms the rest is passively absorbed at about 1-2 percent of oral intake. See the book: <> by S. PacholokThis low fat diet works for MS according to Dr. Stephen Fry because the protomyxzoa (parasite) that feeds on the myelin needs fat to grow. When we cut the fat out, these parasites die back. It’s very interesting research! http://protomyxzoa.org/	acute myeloid leukemia,Africa,aging,angiogram,animal fat,animal products,Asia,autoimmune diseases,beef,bladder disease,bladder health,brain disease,brain health,cardiovascular health,chemotherapy,chicken,cholesterol,cognition,dairy,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Dr. Dean Ornish,Dr. John McDougall,Dr. Roy Swank,eggs,Europe,eye disease,eye health,fat,fatigue,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,LDL cholesterol,leukemia,low-fat diets,meat,medications,milk,mortality,multiple sclerosis,nerve health,Norway,pain,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,Pritikin,saturated fat,sausage,side effects,surgery,tremors,turkey,vegans,vegetarians,vision,weakness	A plant-based diet may not only be the safest treatment for multiple sclerosis, it may also be the most effective.	I touched on this in my live 2013 year-in-review lecture More Than an Apple a Day, but I’m excited to be able to take a deeper dive into this extraordinary story.Those interested in supporting Dr. McDougall’s landmark study (headed by Dr. Dennis Bourdette, M.D. and under the supervision of Dr. Vijayshree Yadav) can donate to his nonprofit McDougall Research & Education Foundation (you can also donate to NutritionFacts.org to help keep us bringing you similarly underreported yet life-saving science by clicking on the Donate button above).Another reason Dr. Swank’s work hasn’t been embraced may be The Tomato Effect.Other videos on the role diet may play in neurological disorders include:What’s in sausage and eggs that may cause so much inflammation? See my video series on endotoxins described in my blog How Does Meat Cause Inflammation?Where is saturated fat found? See Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero.Those unfamiliar with Pritikin can watch a short introduction in Engineering a Cure, and Ornish and Esselstyn’s great work is profiled in videos like Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped and China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death.For more context check out my blog: Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013 and How to Treat Multiple Sclerosis with Diet.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-john-mcdougall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/norway/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acute-myeloid-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angiogram/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-sclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tremors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-caldwell-esselstyn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-roy-swank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weakness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22666902,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20439849,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12451193,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14771073,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1973220,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14929306,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001747/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15095396,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22797642,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12591551,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21827937,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12591552,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12996138,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5471652,
PLAIN-2700	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/	Heart Disease Starts in Childhood	It was this landmark article published in 1953 that radically changed our view about the development of heart disease forever. A series of 300 autopsies performed on U.S. battle casualties of the Korean War, average age 22. 22 years old, but 77% of their hearts had gross evidence, meaning visible-to-the-eye evidence, of coronary atherosclerosis, hardening of their arteries. Some of them had vessels that were clogged off 90% or more. As an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded, "This widely cited publication dramatically showed that atherosclerotic changes appear in the coronary arteries years and decades before the age at which coronary heart disease (CHD) becomes a clinically recognized problem.” Follow-up studies on the hearts of thousands more soldiers over the subsequent years confirmed their results.How young does it go? Fatty streaks, the first stage of atherosclerosis, were found in the arteries of 100% of kids by age 10. What's accounting for this buildup of plaque even in childhood? In the 80s we got our first clue in the famous Bogalusa heart study. This looked at autopsies of those who died between the ages of 3 to 26 year-olds, and the #1 risk factor was cholesterol intake.You could see the stepwise increase in the proportion of their arteries covered in fatty streaks as the level of bad cholesterol in the blood increased. As powerful as this was, this was only looking at 30 kids. So they decided to study 3000: three thousand accidental death victims, ages 15 through 34.After thousands of autopsies, there were able to produce a scoring system that could predict the presence of advanced atherosclerotic lesions in the coronary arteries of young people. The higher your score, the higher the likelihood you have these lesions growing in the arteries that pump blood and oxygen to your heart. So if you're in your teens, twenties, early thirties and you smoke, your risk goes up by one point. If you have high blood pressure at such a young age, that's 4 points. If you're an obese male, that’s 6 points, but high cholesterol was the worst of all. If your non-HDL cholesterol (meaning your total cholesterol minus your good cholesterol) is above 220 or so, that was 8 times worse than smoking.Let's say you're a woman with relatively high cholesterol, but you don't smoke, you're not overweight, your blood pressure and blood sugars are OK. At your sweet 16 there's just a 1 in 30 (3%) chance you already have an advanced atherosclerotic lesion in your heart, but if you don't improve your diet, by your 30th birthday, it’s closer to a 1 in 5 (20%) chance you have some serious heart disease, and if you have really high cholesterol it could be closer to 1 in 3 (33%).Bring your cholesterol down to even just that of a lacto-ovo vegetarian and your risk levels are way down, and if you exercise to boost you HDL you can extrapolate down to here, etc. So what this shows us is that even in 15- to 19-year-olds, atherosclerosis has begun in a substantial number of individuals, and this observation suggests beginning primary prevention at least by the late teenage years to ameliorate every stage of atherosclerosis and to prevent or retard progression to more advanced lesions.If you start kids out on a low saturated fat diet, you may see a significant improvement in their arterial function by 11 years old. "Exposure to high serum cholesterol concentration even in childhood may accelerate the development of atherosclerosis. Consequently the long-term prevention of atherosclerosis might be most effective when initiated early in life,” as in weaning infants.Atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, begins in childhood. Remember, by age 10, nearly all kids have fatty streaks, the first stage of the disease. Then… the plaques start forming in our 20s, get worse in our 30s, and can start killing us off in early middle age. In our hearts it's a heart attack, in our brains it's a stroke, in our extremities it can mean gangrene, and in our aorta, an aneurism. If there is anyone watching this video that is older than 10 years of age, the choice likely isn't whether or not to eat healthy to prevent heart disease, it's whether or not you want to reverse the heart disease you already have.Ornish and Esselstyn proved you can reverse heart disease with a plant-based diet, but we don't have to wait until our first heart attack to reverse the clogging of our arteries. We can start reversing our heart disease right now. We can start reversing heart disease in our kids, tonight. Heart disease is a choice.	Excellent video.I am still just speechless when people say that satuated fat and added cholesterol in our diets are necessary and harmless.Who are these people? Why would they make the decision to go against this common knowledge?I don’t know the full answer to your relevant question, but here is one thought: The question of what causes heart disease may be subdivided into two different questions: 1- What physiological state increases the likelihood of heart disease? 2- What lifestyle choices promote the physiological state that increases the likelihood of heart disease?There will often be different types of studies and arguments to answer each of these two questions, which may contribute to confusing people.I was one of these people, before i got informed. my excuse to eat fatty foods was because something i read stated basically, “you need fat, your brain, nervous system and hormones are all made up by fats, without it you could not function”. So i took this as permission to eat all the fatty foods I wanted.6 mos ago i watched Forks over Knives and it changed my life. I am 100% plant based whole food diet now and have lost nearly 40 lbs (from 215 at my heaviest). That is all the evidence i need to keep eating this way for life.People like to hear good things about bad habits, and they insist on believing it despite the evidence. Its common knowledge that we have no dietary need for these 2 substances.According to the national academy of science, saturated fat has the unique ability unlike monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat to suppress LDL receptors which subsequently causes production of LDL. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432And from the Editor in Chief of the American Journal of cardiology, “As shown in ​Figure 1, most of the risk factors do not in themselves cause atherosclerosis…The atherosclerotic risk factors showing that the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis is cholesterol.” Figure 1: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/figure/F1/ Full text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/Saturated fats also promote cardiovascular disease through non-LDL receptor related effects. A common saturated fat, palmitic acid, gives rise to the pro-inflammatory mediator ceramide, which compromises insulin function and promotes atherosclerosis. Similar effects are seen from diacylglycerol, another metabolite of saturated fats. And saturated fats promote transport of inflammatory endotoxins through the intestinal wall.Thanks for the additional information! I am particularly interested in the pro-inflammatory effects of saturated fats in the diet.However, just lowering cholesterol with statins does neither halt nor reverse progression of atherosclerosis.Veganrunner, You are right. People can say that they dont care, that they have great insurance,they rely on medication, the surgeon or take the change etc, but claiming that meat, eggs and dairy are not harmfull is complete nonsense, and ignore the bulk of evidence. Satuated fat and cholesterol in our diets are not only unnecessary, but also harmfull. I have seen no reliable data suggesting anything else.Veganrunner: Sadly, there will always be “Flat Earth People” that will get more attention than they rightly deserve. A variety of societal factors conspire for this to happen. Evidence – over time – renders the fallacies and the promoters of them powerless and useless. Those of us who are informed with the truth about diet and its effect on good health must be diligent to influence others about the positive effects we have experienced. Sometimes by word, sometimes by deed.Dr. Greger,What do you think about high-fat vegan diet?To control my cystic acne I eat an extremely low-glycemic diet. Most of my calories come from nuts, flax seeds, sesame seeds, tofu, supplemented by small amount of seaweeds, mushrooms, garlic, kale, leeks. Once in a while I eat a small amount of fruits, mostly berries.All the nuts and seeds I eat means I consume a lot of fat. Is such a high fat vegan diet unhealthy? Or it is only high animal fat diet that’s unhealthy?All the literature I’ve been able to find seems to lump vegan and low-fat together. I can’t really find any study on high-fat vegan diet.A high fat vegan diet, even in the form of whole foods plant based, is not the most healthful diet. You can expect alot of omega 6 and saturated fat. Whats wrong with complex carbohydrates?I’ve been eating a high-fat vegan diet for 3-4 years now, and all of my blood test parameters are excellent. As long as one is getting all the nutrition he or she needs, and from appropriate sources, a little extra MCT or stearic acid is not going to be an issue. Also it doesn’t matter how much n-6 he’s consuming, as long as there is a proportionate increase of n-3, which he is probably accomplishing with the flax, sesame, and tree nuts.We cannot determine the healthfulness of this individual’s diet based on your interpretations of a high fat vegan diet. Tree nuts (excluding walnuts) and seaseme seeds are extremely rich sources of omega 6 and one can easily tip the balance of this delicate 4:1 omega 6:3 ratio.Concern also stems from the fact that it is difficult to heal athlerosclerotic lesions consuming a high fat diet, no matter what the fat is.A 2 year study looked at coronary artery lesions of the heart after consuming different types of fat. Polyunsaturated fat, Monounsaturated fat, and Saturated fat. They looked at angiograms a year apart after intervening with increasing one type of fat in each group. All 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2407875Of course, the information must be put into context, as the diet of these groups was not the healthiest, but even so, the results are thought provoking and still may be applicable.Looking at individual fats tells us nothing about the effects of wholefoods. And the study you referenced has little bearing on a discussion for vegan diets; the study specifies it was testing fatty meats and dairy. Neither of these are vegan, so how can vegans extrapolate useful information from them?The fats in tree nuts and seeds come with a host of other beneficial compounds, many of which have been shown to ameliorate heart health. This would include high ratios of L-arginine (NO precursor), tocotrienols and tocopherols, magnesium, polyphenols (especially catechins and myricetin), and phytosterols, just to name a few. If you have any information showing that tree nuts and seeds worsen heart health, rather than help, please post here for us to read over.Coconut is also a high fat vegan food, but I have not ever come across and information linking whole coconut to problems with cardiovascular diseases. The MCTs in coconut don’t even have similar metabolism pathways as those of animals fats, so how can we arbitrarily class these together? Coconut is also a wholefood deal. It’s not pure MCT, it also has a very high fiber content, as well as a high phytosterol content.There is not sufficient evidence to start promoting low-fat diets for healthy vegans. In fact most of the benefits seen from promoting low-fat diets in non-vegans is probably from the fact that eating a low-fat non-vegan diet means cutting out more animal product.To repeat what I had said “Of course, the information must be put into context, as the diet of these groups was not the healthiest, but even so, the results are thought provoking and still may be applicable.”I am not saying that nuts are not healthful, and I am not saying that some coconut is fine. I would strongly disagree that a diet where the bulk of the calories are based on tree nuts and coconut is MORE healthful compared with a lower fat, complex carbohydrate based diet. Complex carbohydrates from beans, whole grains, potatoes, etc. has an array of nutrients including the ones you listed as well, and due to the lower fat content of these foods, it is easier to achieve satisfactory omega 6:3 ratios.In addition, coconut has medium chain fatty acids which are still not established to be quite negligible, and despite this, coconut still contains long chain saturated fats. Coconuts and nuts can be included in a healthy plant based diet but basing ones diet where the bulk of the calories come from these foods is not optimally healthy for the reasons stated. http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251I got into this online debate with a Paleo adherent who was saying that whole grains are always bad, because of the sugar content. He thought that nuts were fine. I said that both whole grains and nuts were good. I consume a big bowl of oatmeal everyday to get complex carbs and often I consume legumes when I am off from work. I eat a lot of nuts and pumpkin seeds and ground flaxseed as well. I tend to have a higher fat, higher complex carb diet, which the amount of exercise I do enables me to do both. I used to have very high cholesterol and was taking a high dose of statins. Now that I weigh 100 pounds less, my LDL is 95, HDL is 77, the total cholesterol is 182 and triglycerides are 48 without taking any medicine. Should I be concerned? I am all for both complex carbs, as well as fat from nuts and seeds- I don’t take any plant food off the plate.Toxins, thank you for sharing this. I think it is one of the most important group of words put together on this website.It is so easy (and fun) to eat a high-fat vegan diet, and just as easy to excuse oneself because it is plant-based. I, and I think others, needed to hear/read your words today.Again, the amount of useful data that can be extrapolated from a study testing the effects of meat and dairy on cardiovascular risk is approximately zero when we’re discussing vegans. There is zero evidence, I repeat, zilch, that whole plant foods that happen to be high in fat are bad for our health in any way.I’ll tell you what. I’ll donate $50 to the 501c3 here, if anyone can show me a single study (just one) that any of the following foods have any negative impact on heart health (or health in general):Olives Coconut meat Any edible tree nut Any edible seed Avocados CacaoOf course 4 of these 6 have been linked to being some of the best anti-cardiovascular disease foods known. The oldest lived individual in the world reported that she thrived off of the highest fat plant food – cacao. She passed on at the age of 122.Anyway, got my credit card ready here guys.You sound really really silly here, but for starters, you need to define some more specific criteria for a link. If a really old person eating cacao is a great enough link to insinuate that high fat cacao is great, then maybe the saturated fat in it is plenty to imply that it is terrible. Sat fat has been linked to heart disease and cacao has been linked to sat fat. Of course you dismiss this argumentative line, but if you are going to credibly get your credit card out you need to put out with intellectual honesty, too, something that actually implies that the mind behind the card is reasonably open to change.Dan, I am not “sounding silly” here. It’s called science. So let me explain.First and foremost, let’s recognize that in science, we use careful, controlled observation to prove something exist. We do not ever assume something exist and say that science has to prove it does not.In the context of our discussion here, this means that we must use science to show that a high-fat vegan diet is sub-optimal to a low-fat vegan diet, before we start promoting a low-fat vegan diet over a high-fat vegan diet. It also means that we do not suggest a low-fat vegan diet is healthier than a high-fat vegan diet, simply because science has not specifically proven false the idea that a high-fat vegan diet is equally healthy or healthier than a low-fat diet.Thus, the best anyone can say right now is that both low-fat and high-fat vegan diets seem to promote great health, and there is currently no data to allow us to decide if one has slightly more benefit than the other. I asked for anyone to provide information contrary to this, and if someone does, I will donate $50 to the 501c3, in the interest of applying science to human health, nutrition, and longevity.Secondly, when we organize studies, document them, and extract information from them, we are careful not to over extrapolate the information in ways that are not appropriate. In fact, the amount of definitive claims we can make from most studies are few and far in between, and the rest we say we need further study and research on.This means that because saturated fat as an unnatural, isolated nutritional factor, is causing health problems in test subjects, or that saturated fat intake associated with intakes from animal products is causing health problems, then we say that saturated fat as an isolate or as an indicator of animal consumption is strongly associated with said health problems.We then might say that we are interested to know if saturated fat found in plant foods (olives, edible tree nuts and seeds, coconut meat, avocados, and cacao) is associated with similar health problems (or any health problems at all) in the way that the saturated fats from animal products is associated with health problems.So at this juncture of scientific inquiry, we are unable to specifically promote a high-fat vegan diet over or under a low-fat vegan diet. At this juncture all we can say is that we are interested to know more, based on what we know we know (animal saturated fat kills), and based on what we know we don’t know (does plant saturated fat kill or heal).That being said, what evidence we do have on plant foods high in fats, especially saturated fats, is that they either have neutral effects on heart health, or grossly positive effects on heart health.In case anyone is interested to read, I’ll post some examples:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23150750(Cacao polyphenols and heart health, cancer, & diabetes and other metabolic disorders)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20199998(Nuts, blood lipids, and cardiovascular disease risk)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22720792http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22607645(Table olives, their phenolics and tyrosol-esters, and cancer and cardiovascular disease risk)It’s silly when you are mentioning the dietary habits of a single exceptionally old person. That’s of minimal weight in any scientific discussion that has data on whole populations, so I wonder why you lead with it. I also wonder why you aren’t directly answering the question about what would be a ‘legitimate’ study suggesting a link between olives and cancer. But it seems that for you a study of dietary components would be looking at the olive independent of its awesome olive-y context, while a study on populations might lump in olives with too much other context for your taste. So what do you need, an RCT in vegans? A retrospective study that specifically codes for olive consumption, what?Also, what is ‘edible’ in the context of your challenge? Bitter almonds and peach pits are edible in the sense that they find their way into the occasional batch of marzipan, but they have deleterious effects on health due to their high cyanide content and it is quite easy to eat to excess. Clearly in that context it doesn’t matter that cyanide is a mere component that may not have been adequately studied in special vegans, so why can’t we take, say, the acrylamide content of black olives as a stroke against their general healthfulness?The old lady eating chocolate was just a cute little anecdotal story. Of course we can not make decisions or draw conclusions on it that would affect the lives of potentially millions of people. When asked for further explanation, I posted one (of many) of the studies on cacao and it’s health implications.Edible in the context of my challenge means it should be fit for daily human consumption. So as you explained, this would rule out bitter almonds. Small amounts of hydrogen cyanide can be formed from many of the foods we eat, and our bodies detoxify them as need be. Most foods have components in them that need to be detoxified. But you have to look at the “whole deal” to see what you’re getting. In the case of bitter almonds, a single almond can have as much as 9mg of pro-hydrogen cyanide. The LD50 is as low as 50mg. So if eating 6 bitter almonds a day might kill you off by day two, then let’s agree it’s not fit for daily consumption, and we’ll place it in the “inedible” category.Okay, but how about the black olives? Fit for daily consumption, we could say, but shifting a high portion of daily caloric intake into black olives may not be the best choice over the long term. Are we really ruling out discussion of dietary components completely, and what about statistical comparisons between/among the dietary patterns of whole populations? For instance, if I were to produce a study correlating worse heart disease outcomes in Israel relative to other countries with their high consumption of high Omega-6 oilseeds like sunflower and sesame, would you have a reason prepared to dismiss the type of link that they are suggesting?Shifting a high portion of daily caloric intake into any one food would not be the best choice long term. Variety is just as important as the diet being plant-centric and whole foods based.Olives that have been naturally fermented, versus having undergone unnatural curing processes, lack the acrylamide content. So again, a point we can all fall back on and agree to, the closer to nature the better.I am not against the consumption of higher fat, whole plant foods, if in fact we are still discussing whole plant foods. I think people may confuse the data and adopt the same benefits to the oils of these foods which are well established to not be healthful.I also think its important to note that most studies where high fat plant foods replace calories or add calories on to ones diet, that person’s diet initially was not healthful. It is difficult to assign the same benefits of these foods to someone already consuming a diet comprised of low fat plant based foods. Perhaps there is benefit but perhaps also to a lesser degree considering that all whole plant foods have beneficial phytonutrient compounds.For example, English walnuts appear to be far more anti inflammatory than black walnuts most likely because of the high content of omega 3 and possibly other phytonutrients at play.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/I find Jeff Novick to be extremely insightful in regards to nutrition and these issues. If you are unfamiliar with Jeff Novick, he is a very important and well spoken plant based dietician in the WFPB movement. He is one of the most knowledgeable people I know and has scientific grounds for all of his statements. He runs a forum with Dr. McDougall and has a special section devoted to common issues people ask, including topics such as nuts, coconuts, and cacao.http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=7828Based on your responses, I assume that you have interest in understanding the topic fully and are looking for evidence based statements. I think you will thoroughly enjoy reading some of these topics Jeff Novick has shared.Wow, looks like loads of information to read over. Thanks Toxins!Aside from my other post, I do not know as much about the importance of omega-3 to omega-6 ratios. I mean, I know the basics of course, like n-3 being anti-inflammatory, with n-6 promoting inflammation if there’s too much of it compared to n-3.I wanted to read more about what ratio would be optimal, since I noticed my ratio is 2.5:1 according to cron-o-meter. Should I consider increasing my intake of omega 6?The lower the better, of course we don’t want to get too low or we may get side affects such as the inability to heal well from cuts and other hemorrhage type side effects. Your ratio is good, consuming 1:1 is by no means unhealthful.The ratio is important because of competitive enzymes that convert ALA to DHA and EPA and Linoleic acid to Arachidonic acid. Too much of either and you will not get adequate conversion rates. Unfortunately, most foods tend to be high in omega 6 which is pro inflammatory.At the very least one can say that at the present time there are no studies showing the effective treatment and reversal of heart disease or cancer with a high fat diet, whether plant based or animal.There are many studies linking the consumption of raw cacao (or the least, very dark chocolate) to drastic improvements in cardiovascular health. More than drugs have accomplished.And algae oil too. But supplements do not a high fat diet make.I would echo what Toxins said. In my opinion the glycemic index can be useful but it can add some confusion into the mix. It depends on what your goals are. For instance glucose is very high glycemic whereas fructose is very low glycemic. Starches which are complex carbohydrates are long chains of glucose. Fructose is metabolized primarily by the liver to uric acid, triglycerides, and inflammatory aldehydes among other things. By backing off the higher fat plant foods and adding complex carbohydrates you should get adequate calories. If you do change your diet it will be interesting to see what if any effect it has on the cystic acne. Good luck with the acne.Thanks, Dr. Gregor. Excellent piece.Freaking Scary!This is a very powerfull video. We are not only responsible of our own health destiny, but also the health destiny of our children. Atherosclerosis starts in childhood. I am NOT saying that children should be raised on a low fat vegan diet, but the parents have a responsibility to limit the amount of junk they put in to their children – limit the burgers, pizza, cheese, candy etc and increase the vegetables, fruit and grains. Actually my smoothie experiment is a succes. High amount of kale, broccoli, beetroot and a little ginger in the Vitamix with some fruit, and my son loves it – and now it actually tastes of blended vegetables. Adults have a choice – if they are fully informed (and insured!) and choose to die or get a heart attack in the burgerbar, so be it, but the children does not have that choice.Plantstrongdoc: Thanks for the follow up on the smoothies you feed your kid. That’s so cool that you are are creating a kid who truly has a taste for veggies. You are doing him a huge favor.Actually he likes brussel sprouts and light steamed broccoli (7 years old). I am trying to convince him to eat beans, but that is a little difficult….Ever try to make black bean burgers? I have made these before and they are really good! http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/quick-black-bean-burger/Although when I asked him in person, Jeff Novick told me we SHOULD raise our kids on a LFWFPB diet, but he recognized that it’s not easy, because of environment (school, peers, previous habits, etc.). We are more lenient with our 4 kids than we are with ourselves (not always low-fat, and sometimes less than whole food), but we do strive to keep their nutrition within Dr. McDougall’s plan guidelines as much as possible.This information needs to spread! Attend the North American Plant Based Healthcare Conference if you want to help others! Great video Dr. Greger. Looking forward to learning more…One of your best, Dr. Greger—had me spellbound. Thank you so much.“Dr. Lewis Kuller, a professor of public health from the University of Pittsburg from his 10 years cardiovascular health study made the following statement in April 2006: “All males who are 65 years of age and older who have been exposed to the traditional western diet have cardiovascular disease and should be treated as such.” ” As profound as the above quote is, it looks like the years of age may have to be revised downwards.I think this video in one of the most important that i’ve seen here on nutritionfacts.org …I presumably built up arterosclerotic plaques for most of 39 years (even in ovo-lacto-vegetarian years). Ornish and Esselstyn’s recommendation of a very low fat plant based diet is central to my personal program to reverse the dames, and has certainly helped with lipid profile and blood pressure. There are numerous other ways besides fat content where plant based diets help, and one that Dr. Greger hasn’t gotten around to yet is the central role of subclinical vitamin K deficiency in arterial calcification. In humans, supplementing with about 3x the RDA halves the rate of calcification, while rats, high K intake reverses arterial calcification.So where to we get vitamin K? Dark green leafy vegetables, especially parsley, swiss chard, kale, collards, mustard greens, and spinach, which all have more than 500 µg (3 x the RDA) in every 100g (about 1 ½ cups raw).What is wrong with people who deny this message? I talk about this all the time and yet, people seem to scoff and dismiss it. Having seen my father have a massive coronary at 46 and then die at 61, I want to change my health destiny. I have been plant-strong since April 2013 and in that time have lost about 30lbs and made a huge difference to my health. I am off to get my cholesterol tested again tomorrow – lets see how much it has come down by.If you want to follow my journey and to get some PLANTALICIOUS recipes – take a look at my blog – http://wp.me/p3EfqD-apNice Barry! Thanks for your post.Plant-based diet by all means. However, something being overlooked that is endemic and affects everyone, including very young children, is fluoride in municipal drinking water. Below are several published studies implicating fluoride in atherosclerosis / hardening of the arteries.Fluoride & Arterial CalcificationLi Y, et al. (2012). Association of vascular fluoride uptake with vascular calcification and coronary artery disease. Nuclear Med Comm 33:14-20.Song AH, et al. (1990). Observations on fluoric aortosclerosis by two-dimensional echocardiography. Endemic Diseases Bulletin 5(1):91-4.Stookey GK, Muhler JC. (1963). Relationship between fluoride deposition and metastatic calcification in soft tissues of rat and guinea pig. Proceed Soc Exp Biol Med 113:720-25.Susheela AK, Kharb P. (1990). Aortic calcification in chronic fluoride poisoning: biochemical and electron microscope evidence. Exp Mol Path 53:72-80.The incidence of Moenckeberg calcifications in patients with endemic fluorosis. Fluoride 17(1):4-8.Varol E, et al. (2010). Aortic elasticity is impaired in patients with endemic fluorosis. Biol Trace Elem Res 133:121-7.A JAMA 2012 article, “Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Autopsy-Determined Atherosclerosis Among US Service Members, 2001-2011″ provides some evidence that incidence of atherosclerosis in soldiers has substantially declined since the 1953 Korean War and later Vietnam War studies.http://www.jamanetwork.net/data/Journals/JAMA/926137/joc120127_2577_2583.pdfThanks for pointing this out – it illuminates some potential biases in the much smaller Korean War and Vietnam War studies.Dr. Greger covers fluoride here http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-dangers-of-fluoride/(Previously incorrectly posted as a reply to another comment.)A JAMA 2012 article, “Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Autopsy-Determined Atherosclerosis Among US Service Members, 2001-2011″ provides some evidence that incidence of atherosclerosis in soldiers has substantially declined since the 1953 Korean War and later Vietnam War studies.http://www.jamanetwork.net/data/Journals/JAMA/926137/joc120127_2577_2583.pdfI have been Vegan for 7 months thanks to your 56 minute video. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/ I switched to a 200mg Vegan DHA, which I take twice a day, but of course I am not getting the EPA I was getting in fish oil. Should I be doing something to replace the EPA?Your body converts effortlessly between DHA and EPA as it needs. The problem is from getting EPA from ALA (the plant omega-3)I ran into someone today who went to a nutritionist (MD with specialization in nutrition) who was pro-vegetarian, but claimed to her patient that some people are not evolved to handle a vegan diet, such as the Inuit. Anyone have any research on vegetarianism and genetics? I don’t know if she was referencing the disproven blood type diet, but it was before the paleo diet came out.Scary but empowering indeed.Dr. Greger, I was wondering though if a very low cholesterol level could be a problem too for someone, like me, eating a plant based diet. I have a level of 95 total (not 195, but 95) and 50-55 HDL. Many people in my family have low levels, but no one like me, as I am the only veg*an.Now, I’ve read a couple of studies on Pubmed that suggest a correlation between low cholesterol and intracerebral hemorrhage. Any thoughts on this? Should I try to raise this level? How? Thank you so much.See here for low cholesterol http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/Thank you, but that video seems to address only the correlation between low cholesterol and cancer risk, not low cholesterol and intracerebral hemorrhage as the mentioned articles on Pubmed do.There is no dietary need to consume cholesterol, so if it were to become abnormally low,this would be due to other physiological reasons, and not diet. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=542Dr Greger, I thought this article of professional (and possibly dangerous) naivety in this British Cardiologist’s assertions (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24625808) that the role of saturated fat is dramatically overplayed might interest/terrify/dishearten you. I can understand why the role of sugar should be addressed more (pursuant to Dr Lustig’s work on the subject), however it appears damaging when portrayed in the media that saturated fat is someone deemed de facto healthy/acceptable by the medical fraternity, confusing the consumer more with mixed/mis-information.There is nearly 100 years of research showing that saturated fat and cholesterol are the causes of heart disease. Sugar has no part in forming athlerosclerotic lesions, and to think glucose, the primary fuel source of the body, will cause athlerosclerotic lesions is nonsense. This Meta-analysis looked at 21 different studies, and came to the conclusion that “there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD [heart disease].”Studies like this one are misleading.Here is Jeff Novicks take on the matter.One major problem with this study is they did not look at any studies where the saturated fat intake was less than 7%, which is the level recommended by the American Heart Association. Most of the diets had saturated fat intakes in the range of 10-15% (or more).So, just like the studies that criticize “low fat” diets, but never analyze any diet that is truly low fat and based on the principles of low fat, high fiber, whole plant foods, this study criticizes the impact of lowering saturated fat, but never looked at any diet that truly lowered saturated fat to the level recommended.Another problem with the study is what the subjects replaced the saturated fat with when comparing the 2. For many, if not most, it was with either (or products containing) hydrogenated/trans fat, while flour, white sugar and/or mono fats.People who replaced saturated fat in their diet with polyunsaturated fat (omega 3/6) reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by 19 percent, compared with control groups of people who do not.http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000252Lastly, studies on all-cause mortality trumps findings for subsets such as CHD and CVD. Most all-cause studies demonstrate a direct relation between saturated fat intake and all-cause mortality and the lower the better. Here is a list of studies showing just this.“the results of this study support earlier observations that dietary intakes low in SF or high in FV [fruits and vegetables] each offer protection against CHD mortality. In addition, however, our data suggest that the combination of both high FV with relatively low SF intake offers greater protection against both total and CHD mortality than either practice alone.”http://jn.nutrition.org/content/135/3/556.long“The major finding of the present study is that the average population intake of saturated fat and vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers are major determinants of all-cause mortality rates. Saturated fat and smoking are detrimental, but vitamin C seems to be protective in relation to the health of populations…The potential effect of changes in saturated fat, vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers can be illustrated as follows. A change in saturated fat of 5% of energy is associated with a 4.7% change in age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate (Table 3).”http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/2/260.long“A high RRR pattern score, which was associated with high intake of fat and protein and low intake of carbohydrates, increased the risk of death. Subjects with a pattern score belonging to the highest quintile obtained on average 37·2 % of their energy from fat and 37·6 % from carbohydrates and thus did not meet current dietary recommendations (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2002). Food groups that contributed to this unfavourable pattern of energy sources were red meat, poultry, processed meat, butter, sauces and eggs, whereas a high intake of bread and fruits decreased the pattern score.”http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FBJN%2FBJN93_05%2FS000711450500111Xa.pdf&code=6fbdbd311fb43ee23a840b894cced959From the National Academy of Science:“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions; they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither an AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids. There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acid intake increases CHD risk”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422“The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al., 1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432From the editor in chief of the American Journal of Cardiology.“As shown in Figure 1, most of the risk factors do not in themselves cause atherosclerosis [heart disease]…The atherosclerotic risk factors showing that the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis is cholesterol.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/Obviously i was referring to the nefarious role of fructose at chronic consumption, inducing hyperinsulinemia; Leptin resistance; and metabolic syndrome. Sugar just happens to be the vehicle of fructose we have a particular penchant for in today’s society.Perhaps lumping artifical sweetners into the equation then yes, but fructose from fruits has not proven to have any ill health efects.Well Toxins, that’s an ill informed assertion. See Dr Greger on – http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sugar-vs-corn-syrup/ – and – http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/ – Fructose is fructose whether it arrives at the liver from a can of coca cola or from your minute maid orange. The fundamental difference when it’s consumed as part of a whole fruit is the fibre, which regulates the absorption of fructose and how quickly and at what intensity it arrives at the liver. There fructose is not stored as glycogen (as glucose is) but rather is metabolised by the mitochondria, resulting in uric acid, and in its interaction with Junk 1 results in a disruption of the role of insulin at the liver and a need for the pancreas to send more insulin to the liver, leaving increased insulin levels all over the body. A hyperinsulinemia state can disrupt leptin signalling at the hypothalamus which can lead to consumption problems.Artificial sweetners don’t have fructose in them, so there won’t be the biochemical disruption that chronic fructose consumption induces at the liver (although there could be hedonic issues, and issues with stomach peptides).I recommend Dr Lustig’s seminal lecture on the role of fructose – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oMExcuse me when I said “artificial sweeteners” I meant added sweeteners.The very point I was making was that when consumed from fruits, it will not be an issue for the implied reason that the fiber content slows the absorption and that whole fruits are more satiating then a food with added sweeteners so you would inherently get less sugar.I agree, the tide of fruit juice consumption is only compounding the fructose problem with the removal of fibre. This australian study differentiated clearly between whole fruit/vegetables and fruit juice in terms of colon cancer risk – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21963014I have followed the Esselstyn diet for five years and have had significant reversal of arterial plaque (I am 68), from dangerous to mild-moderate. I have avoided oils almost completely during this time. However, I am aware that eating nuts or sunflower seeds would increase vitamin E intake and perhaps lower the risk of cognitive decline. Question, then: will the increase in fat from an ounce per day of sunflower seeds negatively affect arterial plaque? Esselstyn’s position on this is unclear to me.I have reduced dangerous arterial plaque through five years of the remarkable Esselstyn diet. I am 68, though, and also concerned about cognitive decline, so would like to increase vitamin E intake. But I am uncertain whether nuts and seeds, because of their fats, would be safe for me to re-introduce. I would not want to jeopardize the gains I have made through the diet.I would love to know who, exactly, found “By age 10, nearly all kids have fatty streaks in their arteries”. Do you have a citation I can quote for that. Where and when??? Thank youGeoffrey: Underneath every video is a section titled, “Sources Cited” You can expand that section and see that a few of the titles look promising for being the source you are looking for. Beyond that, you are on your own. :-) Dr. Greger links to the full study when he can, but often the full study is not available free on-line.Hope that helps.such a GREAT video.I am studying Msc in human nutrition ,,, and I’ve started to think seriously about studying fatty streaks among children here in Jordan for my thesis after watching this vedio , but until now I cant find a valid method to detect them on LIVING subjects without killing them!! or without being Invasive. so please I need helpWhat’s the status of atherosclerosis among vegans? How long does one have to be vegan before all damage is repaired?Why was this unlisted, and relisted just now on youtube?My friend said she had genetic high cholesterol, I think its called familial hypercholesterolemia? She was pretty adament that nothing can help except medication. Can a vegan diet help lower this?	abdominal fat,adolescence,aging,aneurysm,animal fat,aortic aneurysm,blood pressure,body fat,brain disease,brain health,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,children,cholesterol,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Dr. Dean Ornish,fat,flexitarians,gangrene,HDL cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,infants,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,longevity,low-fat diets,men's health,mortality,obesity,plant-based diets,saturated fat,smoking,stroke,tobacco,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	By age 10, nearly all kids have fatty streaks in their arteries. This is the first sign of atherosclerosis, the leading cause of death in the United States. So the question for most of us is not whether we should eat healthy to prevent heart disease, but whether we want to reverse the heart disease we may already have.	Given the importance of this message, I encourage folks to please share this video with those in your circles. I know it's scary, but hope it's empowering at the same time. The bottom line is that we have tremendous control over our medical destinies.Heart disease is a choice.How do we go about reversing our heart disease? I address that exact question in my new live annual review presentation More Than an Apple a Day. Or, for shorter snippets:For more context, check out my associated blog post: Stopping Heart Disease in Childhood.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-caldwell-esselstyn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hdl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aortic-aneurysm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aneurysm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gangrene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17015535,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3455748,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3534337,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16330680,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14381267,
PLAIN-2701	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/	Methionine Restriction as a Life Extension Strategy	This recent review, (noting that vegan diets, in part because they tend to be naturally low in methionine, an amino acid and thus a “building block” of protein), may prove to be a useful nutritional strategy in controlling cancer growth) also looked at methionine restriction and lifespan extension. It seems that the less methionine there is in body tissues, the longer different animals tend to live. But what are the possible implications for humans?I've talked before about the free radical theory of aging, the concept that aging can be thought of as the oxidation of our bodies just like rust is the oxidation of metal, and methionine is thought to have a "pro-oxidant effect." So the thinking is that lower methionine intake leads to less free radical production—the creation of so-called reactive oxygen- and fewer free radicals would slow the rate of DNA damage, which slows the rate of DNA mutation, slowing the rate of aging and disease, thereby potentially increasing our lifespan.There are three ways to lower methionine intake. The first is caloric restriction—they call it dietary restriction here, meaning you cut your intake of food in half, for example, by only eating every other meal. That would lower your methionine intake. Or, because methionine is found concentrated in certain proteins, you could practice protein restriction across the board, eating a relatively protein deficient diet. The third option is eat enough food, eat enough protein, but just eat plant proteins that are relatively low in methionine.Caloric restriction is hard, because you walk around starving all the time. Something like every-other-meal eating is never likely to gain much popularity as a pro-longevity strategy for humans, so it may be more feasible to achieve moderate methionine restriction, in light of the fact that plant-based diets tend to have low levels of methionine. As we've seen, plant proteins tend to be lower in methionine than animal proteins.Yes, protein restriction across the board can be performed to avoid the hunger of caloric restriction, but again, methionine restriction could also be performed emphasizing low-methionine, high quality vegetable sources of protein. Among foods containing plant proteins, legumes are especially rich in essential amino acids, offering excellent substitutes for proteins of animal origin.The fact that beans have comparably low methionine has been classically considered a disadvantage. But given the capacity of methionine restriction to decrease the rate of free radical generation in internal organs, to lower markers of chronic disease, and to increase maximum longevity, this “disadvantage” is actually a strong advantage. And it fits well with the important role of beans in healthy diets like the traditional Mediterranean diet. Interestingly, soy protein is also especially poor in methionine, and it is widely considered that soy-containing foods have healthy effects in human beings.On a population-wide level, folks could benefit from just lowering their protein intake, period. "The mean intake of proteins [and thus methionine] of Western human populations is much higher than needed. Therefore, decreasing such levels has a great potential to lower tissue oxidative stress and to increase healthy life span in humans while avoiding the possible undesirable effects of caloric restriction.” We're eating around double the protein we need, so the first thing doctors can recommend is just that decreasing the intake of protein has a large potential to bring health benefits.We can also get our methionine even lower by eating a plant-based diet.The reason why plant-based diets are so protective is not known. Yes, vegetables contain thousands of phytochemicals, but separately investigating their possible protective roles would be an impossible task. The idea that the protective effect is not due to any of the individual plant food components, but to a synergic “combined effect” is gaining acceptance. However, based on the relationship of excess dietary methionine to vital organ toxicity, as well as its likely mechanism of action through increases in free radical generation, the possibility exists that the protective effects of plant-based diets can be due, at least in part, to their lower methionine contentThis is not a new idea. It was proposed back in 2009, but is only now gaining increasing acceptance in more mainstream scientific circles. Therefore, "The low-methionine content of vegan diets may make methionine restriction feasible as a life extension strategy"	Mushrooms are even betterT Colin Campbell’s book: Whole: Rethinking the science of nutrition explains why Dr Greger reports “The reason why plant-based diets are so protective is not known.”Nutrition is a wholistic idea and cannot be known by reductionist research.Calvin: I also thought of Campbell when I saw this (excellent) video.Here’s the part that got me (around 4:05): “The idea that the protective effect is not due to any vegetal food components, but to a synergistic (combined) effect is gaining acceptance…”This is what Campbell has been saying for *years*!!! And it makes perfect sense to me. It must be a huge relief for Campbell if his points are finally getting some notice.The plant-based diet that Dr. Greger always recommends in his videos (high in legume protein and dried fruit sugars) greatly increases flatulence and is therefore not practical for most working class Americans. The Japanese in Japan, who typically must live in a room with only one-seventh of the living space that Americans occupy at home, have learned to eat foods that don’t cause anywhere near as much flatulence as Dr. Greger’s recommendations. The extremely healthy foods that the Japanese in Japan eat that don’t cause much flatulence include: natto (fermented whole soybeans), tofu (soybean curd with 90% of the fiber removed), edamame (baby whole soybeans with about half of the flatulence-causing raffinose bred out), unsweetened soymilk (fiber removed), green tea, fish, shellfish, brown seaweeds (wakame, kombu, arame, mozuku, and hijiki), red seaweeds (nori and ogo), mushrooms (fresh shiitake, dried shiitake, maitake, reishi, enokitake, buna-shimeji, bunapi-shimeji, hon-shimeji, hatake-shimeji, king oyster, nameko, hiratake, and matsutake), konnyaku slices (zero calories), shirataki noodles (zero calories), sukiyaki (uses shirataki noodles), brown rice, white rice, wholegrain buckwheat noodles, tomatoes, daikon (giant white turnips), and green vegetables. Strangely enough, rice is the only plant starch that does not cause flatulence: http://metamodern.com/b/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/gapminder_spending_health_L.png http://userdisk.webry.biglobe.ne.jp/014/143/38/N000/000/000/121333176807216106944.pngI eat large quantities of beans and legumes in general and i have very little flatulence: i tend to digest them really well. I’ve heard some people say that legumes cause them flatulence but these are often meat eaters who eat them quite rarely, perhaps the human body gets used to them over time.Me too – and i also know dozens of vegans who also eat so many legumes and have only some have gas issues. When it happens to me, a good probiotic helps. I choose one with over 10 billion CFU and over 10 different species. I bought a bottle a year ago and still have lots left since a single tab does the job – like hitting a reset button on the gut bacteria!Me three! The only time I have issues is when I go off my usual diet, e.g. during travel (still vegan, but not as whole vegetable/grain/bean-based, and higher fat). During travel I’m fine, but when I get back to my usual diet, I’m off for a day or two. Healthy Librarian shared a study once showing that even just one day of high fat (high sugar too? don’t remember) eating severely disrupted the gut population.If anyone’s interested in gut population, the Healthy Librarian (she has a blog and is on fbook) is really into it and posts a lot of interesting studies.I eat tons of beans and have no flatulence. As doctor Greger says your body has a fast learning curve when it comes to beans, we adopt fast!I agree. My daily diet includes lots of beans and cruciferous vegetables and my gut bacteria are quite used to it. They only rebel when my diet changes and I’m eating *less* of these foods.Nor am I bothered by flatulence and I prepare a pot o’ beans every Sunday for the week ahead (OR lentils!)…I even will eat beans for breakfast when I want a savory change-up!Most likely it’ll be the sugar that is the ‘culprit’ here. It creates a fermentation effect. This is the issue with low fat diets. When fat is removed from foods, sugar is added to enhance the taste. Many studies have now shown that the studies showing fat is a problem in our diets were flawed.Hi Judith, eating large amounts of refined sugars is undoubtedly unhealthy, however that’s not the issue with my situation. When I’m travelling and eating vegan takeout or restaurant food, the amount of refined sugar hardly changes, while the fat content drastically does. I am eating nothing close to a low fat diet when travelling. On my last trip I remember eating veggie burgers and fries, tofu stir fry, falafels and hummus, veggie plantain fajitas, etc, which would be both low fat and low sugar if cooked at home, but in a restaurant are either filled with or cooked in oil. Or both. The only change in simple carbohydrate consumption typically comes from a white bun or bread if I can’t get a whole grain option. It is pretty much impossible to find any vegan dessert while travelling, unless one finds a restaurant or cafe specializing in it, and deliberately alters travel plans to seek out the establishment.“This is the issue with low fat diets. When fat is removed from foods, sugar is added to enhance the taste.”This is simply not true in regards to those who eat whole foods plant based diets, which is the type of diet promoted on this website. This isn’t the Snackwell’s and pretzels “low fat” diet of yore. Refined sugars and grains and refined fats are excluded or minimized. Taste is “enhanced” by allowing the taste buds to become re-sensitized to the real flavors of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and spices, which occurs when one removes desensitizing and hyper-stimulating refined oils and sugars from the diet. I encourage you to study the recommendations of Greger, Novick, McDougall, Esselstyn, etc, to get a more accurate picture of what a whole foods low fat plant based diet really looks like.“Many studies have now shown that the studies showing fat is a problem in our diets were flawed.”A couple highly flawed recent studies have been used to popularize the myth that large amounts of fat in the diet is either harmless or beneficial, one being the Mediterranean vs “low fat” diet study of 2013, and the more recent “low fat” vs low carb study. You can read some excellent responses linked to below that detail the incredible incompetence of the researchers who performed those studies and the meaninglessness of the data collected.“Diet Research, Stuck in the Stone Age (a review of recent the low carb vs “low fat” study): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/post_8304_b_5752160.html“Does a Mediterranean Diet Really Beat a Low Fat Diet for Heart Health?” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-dean-ornish/mediterranean-diet_b_2755940.htmlI’ve gone back and forth on legumes. Everytime, the initial period is flatulent and then it flattens and normalizes.Dr. Greger will cover flatulence of beans in one of his upcoming videosThe α-galactosides like raffinose responsible for flatuence also promote beneficial intestinal bacteria like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacilus. Given the short generation times and rapid adaptation of gut microbiota to habitual diet, feeding the good bacteria with resistant starches may be a good deal more effective than popping probiotic supplements.I found that when I first adopted a vegan diet almost 4 years ago, I indeed produced more gas and had bouts of diarrhea for almost a month, until my digestion and gut microbiota adapted. Thereafter its been smooth sailing, with little more gas than when I was an omnivore.Its also plausible that the lower sulfur content of many plant foods compared to animal foods could reduce intestinal production of hydrogen sulphide, dimethyl sulphide, and methyl mercaptan, the compounds most responsible for malodiferous flatuence. It seems opinions on the net markedly on this point, though.Yes, commensal Bacteria are known to thrive on intestinal mucin which contains Sulphur. In view of this fact, is there any point in worrying about the Sulphur conten of Plant food or Animal protein?So… Where does the intestinal mucin get its sulphur? Does this mean that the period of adjustment will be longer if your protein balance in your body is off?What? I eat beans all the time and legumes and I rarely fart. I fart more after eating fats to be honest.Simply soak the beans/seeds/nuts over night and throw away the water. and u can even freeze them for later use. And remember to chew your food slowly.Doctor, I know this study is way to small to be remotely conclusive, but the results seem very interesting:http://news.yahoo.com/lifestyle-change-may-reverse-ageing-cells-112550336.htmlhttp://I am interested in your thoughts about it.The full text:Ornish, Dean, et al. “Effect of comprehensive lifestyle changes on telomerase activity and telomere length in men with biopsy-proven low-risk prostate cancer: 5-year follow-up of a descriptive pilot study.” The lancet oncology (2013)It’s a follow up to:Ornish, Dean, et al. “Increased telomerase activity and comprehensive lifestyle changes: a pilot study.” The lancet oncology 9.11 (2008): 1048-1057.Dr Ornish has been interested in telomeres for a while. Here’s his editorial accompanying the first paper: Telomerase and the Benefits of Healthy LivingThank you. I appreciate your research, and agree with what I think is your conclusion: the study is too limited to get excited about.There was a rather large study with 2284 nurses on telomere length, which found obesity and n-6 vegetable oil intake associated with shorter telomeres and dietary fiber intake associated with longer ones. No association was found with physical activity or pack-years of smoking, and Ornish’s interests in conviviality and meditation weren’t addressed.Methionine is an essential Amino Acid. Just because it may be pro-oxidant does not mean we should restrict it in our diet. Oxygen is an Oxidant and may be the cause of ageing. Should we all stop breathing?No, but we only need 21% oxygen, in higher concentrations the negative effects are amplified.Ashwin: Your logic is loose. These articles are about “restriction” not elimination of Methionine. Oxygen comes to us limited to 21% and there is little can do about that (other than live a very high altitude). Methionine comes to us in a great or lesser amount depending on what we eat. It may be essential…but we don’t need very much. More may be worse….just as more oxygen can be worse. Elimination of either is not good…or advised here.A little goes a long way #1: Brazil NutsMethionine 100g Per cup (133g)Per ounce (28g) 1124mg (154% RDI)1495mg (205% RDI)315mg (43% RDI) Other Nuts & Seeds High in Methionine (%RDI per ounce): Sesame Seeds (34%), Watermelon Seeds (32%), Pumpkin Seeds & Chia Seeds (23%), Sunflower Seeds (19%), Flaxseeds (14%), Pistachio Nuts (13%), and Cashew Nuts (11%). Click to see complete nutrition facts.“The dose makes the poison” – Paracelsus, 16th centuryThank you for this enlightening research video summary… I will pass the link for this on to those with cancer!Love your sense of humor… “Doctors can now bring their Lab to the lab… gives a whole new meaning to pet scan”! Too Funny!Outstanding information. I’m slowly but surely going vegitarian. Don’t know if I’ll ever be vegan (72 years is a lot to make up for) but we’ll see what the future holds. Don and I CAN! :-))Southlander: I wanted to give you some encouragement.re: “slowly but surely”That’s the way to think of it. You are on a path. I just encourage you not to limit where you will end up. My parents are in their late sixties and early seventies. They went vegan about a year ago I think. For *years* my father swore that he would never go vegan. He wasn’t even vegetarian.I kept up a polite sharing of information, including Dr. Greger’s videos. And then both of them started to get some unpleasant health news. They finally got serious about eating a healthy diet. It has been really great for both of their healths. While they could do better about staying away from oils and processed grains (me too for that matter!), both of my parents’ health by several measures have significantly improved since they went vegan.So, you don’t have to go cold turkey. And you shouldn’t expect miracles. But I do encourage you to set your end goal to be as healthy as possible. Because I totally agree: You and Don CAN!!!Are there any arguments against a whole food plant based diet? You feel better, you look better, you are more disease free, you smell better, you live longer and the food taste better. The bulk of evidence support a WFPD as the best diet for humans.I know of no arguments against a whole food plant based diet. In my experience it is a journey and changing your behaviors from shopping, cooking and eating out in the world takes time. We also have to reorder our priorities to include setting aside time for our new nutritional behaviors and working on fitness… aerobics, strength, flexibility, balance and stability.It take prescribed fish oil. Am I swallowing “methionine bullets”?Fish oil is an extremely concentrated source of pollutants. It is strongly advised against. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/Anytime you extract a fat especially a poly unsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs) you have problems with oxidation. This is why whole foods are best.I am a raw vegan, I was told a few months back that raw beans are toxic, do you know if they are, and if they are, then are kidney, pinto, black beans ok if sprouted?Beans contain many anti nutrients and protein inhibitors when consumed raw, sprouting does significantly reduce these chemicals.@Toxins:disqus I know some people who practice that a bit dogmatically, and I don’t Dr. Greger posted on the benefots of sprouting. Would you have solid references to share to support the benefits of sprouting? Thanks.Dr. Greger has shared evidence showing significant antioxidant improvement in certain foods up to 10x.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/Most people do not eat raw beans, as they must be soaked and cooked anyway before consumption so this is not really an issue. In addition, many antinutrients, such as phytic acid, have strong anticancer properties and no evidence exists that they do indeed lead to mineral deficiencies in the general population.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/@Toxins:disqus, your answer above showed up a response to my question, but I think you wanted to reply to @fineartmarcella:disqus. If so, you want to click reply on her comment instead ;)I was replying to you youcef, you asked the question..Youcef Toxins • a day ago Toxins I know some people who practice that a bit dogmatically, and I don’t Dr. Greger posted on the benefots of sprouting. Would you have solid references to share to support the benefits of sprouting? Thanks.My bad, I missed that the first sentence was addressed to me or about sprouting so I didn’t click the link. But you’re right, and thanks for the link. Also, I corrected the original question, would you delete the quote you made of my original question please? I’ll follow by deleting my comments to keep content relevant. Thanks ;)sureThe recommended intake of methionine + cysteine for me is 1 g a day. I track my nutrient intake with cronometer.com. It’s impossible to get less than 100%. I usually get 1.2 g of methionine a day, and even more cysteine. That’s with a vegan, mostly whole food diet. My protein intake is usually 75 g a day, but even when I get only 45g of protein a day, I get way more methionine + cysteine than recommended.The famous life extensionist and calorie restrictor Michael Rae says that methionine restriction is impossible in humans, because plant foods (he is not a vegan, but avoids animal products) still contain too much methionine. He practices methionine moderation as well as cysteine moderation and leucine moderation.It would be awesome to be able to buy foods with methionine removed (at least for cancer patients), but I don’t expect it in near future.This seems to be an important point in this discuss which Dr Greger hasn’t tackled yet, or maybe I’ve missed something. If we at the beans and legumes that he recommends, it’s going to be very hard to have “low protein”, say 45 g for a 70 kilo person, and thus of methionine. I’ve been using Cronometer too and after a month set to lose 2 pounds per week (which, BTW, is too fast for me), that is, at a net calorie intake of 1400 calories per day, still my protein level is 66 grams (lost 8 pounds during this period down to 168 lbs). In the last week I tried reducing lentil consumption and protein averaged down only 3 points, with methionine remaining fixed at .8 grams. I would really like to see some commentary on this question. Oh yeah, once I resume eating at maintenance level, I expect protein to be up near 75 grams. I’m on a strict plant-based diet where I restrict nuts, seeds to only 1 oz per day, and when I eat lentils or peas, it’s 5 ounces.Read Sabatini and his work on mTOR pathways… — dietary restriction of Methionine really had no impact unless augmented with a specific type drug.As usual, very few want to dig through the details.Good morning, Me and my husband are on a daily basis eating brocolli, sesame seeds(in the form of tahini), and pumpkin seeds, in order to protect our selves from heart and cancer problems. Now by this new theory of methionine restriction, we will have to take the above mentioned food out of our lives?Is this true? Thanks in advance for you reply.Hi dina,Methionine is an essential amino acid, meaning it is required that you ingest it, and also, that it is present in all natural whole foods. So 1) you do need to eat some, and 2) you couldn’t completely eliminate it even if you want to. The idea here is just to not go overboard on methionine (by eating animal products with extremely high amounts of it).To put things in perspective:An entire medium head of broccoli contains about 80 mg methionine, a Tbsp of tahini contains 90 mg, and a couple Tbsp of pumpkin seeds contains 100 mg. Even though these could possibly be higher values compared to other plant foods, compared to a serving of beef, chicken, or fish, which average closer to 1100-1600 mg, you can see that even these plant foods have relatively low amounts of it.As an average height, slim female, my daily requirement of methionine is 600 mg/day. I eat a WFPB diet, with plenty of vegetables including a LOT of broccoli (my favorite!), beans, whole grains, and usually some sunflower, sesame, or pumpkin seeds daily. With that I average only about 110% of my daily methionine requirement. I wouldn’t want to go below 100%, since it is essential, but I’m happy to be on the lower end. Contrast that with eating just a single chicken breast, *with nothing else*, and I would already by at about 250% of my daily requirement. You can use cronometer.com or the USDA food databases to track these things yourself if you would like.So while there are other issues at least involving seeds (omega-6 and overall fat content) to be aware of, I don’t think you should worry about methionine content. And definitely don’t cut back on the broccoli! :)Thank you for trying to flesh out this issue and for providing your details. Fellow Cronometer users.I’ve seen low methionine status in people eating omnivorous diets. There are various situations where repleting methionine has been beneficial. One example is with methylmercury exposure (MeHg).“In summary, our results show that Met(hionine) pre-treatment produces pronounced protection against the toxic effects induced by MeHg and/or the MeHg-Cys complex on mitochondrial function and cell viability. Consequently, this amino acid offers considerable promise as a potential agent for treating acute MeHg exposure.”Modulation of methylmercury uptake by methionine: prevention of mitochondrial dysfunction in rat liver slices by a mimicry mechanism. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2011 Apr 1;252(1):28-35. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2011.01.010. Epub 2011 Jan 27.Lab study… — try not to extrapolate to humans.I am not extrapolating a study to humans – that is your imagination. However, the original article posted here does do that – perhaps you are referring to that?As you can see, in my first paragraph I share my observations of lab markers of methionine status in people eating omnivorous diets – they can just as easily be low. Mere nutrient intake does not necessarily correlate with final nutritional status. I also have not yet seen lab markers of DNA damage consistently elevated in omnivorous humans (as is suggested in the original post here), and even the opposite.The main concern in the original post is that of oxidative stress. I am pointing out that methionine can also be protective of sources oxidative stress such as certain environmental pollutants. I have seen plenty of people benefit from increasing their methionine status.Reductionism is useful but for practical understanding we would do best to simultaneously consider the “whole” as much as possible. I also do not recommend being dismissive of any type of study – they are all useful. For a practical understanding we need all kinds of information, different methods of investigation, as well as deep consideration.I then give an example of that which is well known in human physiology (some protection from environmental pollutants). Finally I simply cite a study as food for thought. Where and what exactly do you see being extrapolated to humans?Is S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e) the same as Methionine? I’ve recently seen SAM-e advertised at Trader Joe’s as a remedy for depression, liver problems, joint pain and premature ejaculation. Are these claims supported by research? What are the potential side effects? Are there any food sources of SAM-e?What are your thoughts on morning a plant that’s high in methionine but said to fight Cancer?That’s moringa …not morning a belowThank God for Dr. Greger.Interesting!I wonder if Methionine can be found in all food rich in proteins, are there a higher rate of cancer patients in health clubs for instance, or people who eat a lot of protein rich food just to increase their muscle tissue…Just to go off on a tangent, since everyone is talking beans and flatulence – what I’ve learned in my 1 1/2 years eating vlf vegan is that if I chew my food a lot more thoroughly then I did before the change in diet it greatly reduces the problem. Chewing apples, and beans, and anything with an outer husk gives the small intestine a chance to digest much more efficiently, and therefore less food to ferment and cause issues in the big intestine. My theory, anyway…OK, then…should I keep or toss out the $4.00 bottle of BRAGG’ Liquid Aminos All Purpose Seasoning I just bought that has methionine in it? HELP, please, I don’t want to fuel cancer cell growth!!!What is classed as low? 0.5g? Lower?Even when I cut out bean and lentils from my strict plant-based diet (limited to 1 oz of seeds per day plus a teaspoon of ground flax) my total protein intake remains close to 70 grams (65-67), and this during my weight-cutting effort where my total daily intake is restricted to 1900 calories. So, I don’t see how plant-based can be adapted to the level of 40-50 grams of protein per day, especially while consuming bean and/or lentils, even at modest amounts. What would this type of diet look like? Does anyone here have their protein intake this low? What does your diet consist of?Theraputically low methionine levels should only really be sought by those with active cancer. For those of us without known cancer, a well designed WFPB diet will be sufficiently low in methionine to reduce cancer incidence, and the beans also have phytic acid and other potent anti-cancer phytochemicals that will help prevent cancer.A temporary pure fruit and (low protein) vegetable diet may be effective for those with active cancer issues to affect extreme methionine restriction (and a high antioxidant/phtochemical load relative to calories consumed, which should be beneficial in your body’s fight against cancer cells.)And what about the Methionine in protein shake? Good or bad compare to meat intake?Less damaging than meat (depending on the composition of the shake) but still damaging to your body, and completely unnecessary.Insufficient protein is not an issue in virtually any diet imaginable, excessive protein usually is.So… methionine is bad for you, glutathione is really good for you, and methionine and cysteine are constituents of glutathione…Does this just mean that moderate methionine restriction is good but extreme methionine restriction is bad?	aging,animal products,animal protein,beans,caloric restriction,calories,cancer,cancer survival,DNA damage,flexitarians,legumes,lifespan,longevity,Mediterranean diet,methionine,mortality,oxidative stress,plant protein,plant-based diets,protein,protein powder,soy,soybeans,standard American diet,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Plant-based diets may prove to be a useful nutrition strategy in both cancer growth control as well as lifespan extension because these diets are naturally lower in methionine.	For an explanation on how and why plant-based diets are an effective dietary methionine restriction strategy, see the last video Starving Cancer with Methionine Restriction.For background on the free radical theory of disease, see Mitochondrial Theory of Aging.Plant-based diets can also mimic other benefits of caloric restriction, such as improving levels of the "fountain of youth" hormone DHEA. See The Benefits of Caloric Restriction Without the Actual Restricting.Americans Are Living Longer but Sicker Lives. That's why we need a diet and lifestyle that supports health and longevity. I have a whole presentation on the role diet can play in preventing, arresting and even reversing many of our top 15 killers: Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, one of my Top 10 Most Popular Videos of the Year.I've touched previously on the irony that animal protein may be detrimental for the same reasons it's touted as superior in Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk.What other properties do magic beans have? See Beans and the Second Meal Effect. What about intestinal gas, though? Check out my blogBeans and Gas: Clearing the air.For more context, check out my associated blog post: A Low Methionine Diet May Help Starve Cancer Cells and How Plant-Based Diets May Extend Our Lives.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/methionine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/americans-are-living-longer-but-sicker-lives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15955547,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11603655,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21282130,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18789600,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15388612,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4524624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22342103,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8495409,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22345057,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8431598,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14585259,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22171665,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21836027,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18252204,
PLAIN-2702	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	Starving Cancer with Methionine Restriction	In designing an antibiotic, you couldn't create a drug that destroyed DNA, for example, because that's something that both humans and bacteria share in common. It would kill bacteria, all right, but it might kill us, too. Instead, many antibiotics work by attacking bacterial cell walls, which is something bacteria have that we don't.Antifungals can attack the unique cell walls of fungus. Pesticides can work by attacking the special exoskeleton of insects. But fighting cancer is harder, because cancer cells are our own cells. So fighting cancer comes down to trying to find and exploit differences between cancer cells and normal cells.Forty years ago, a landmark paper was published showing for the first time that many human cancers have what's called absolute methionine dependency, meaning that if you grow normal cells in a Petri dish without given them the amino acid methionine, then normal cells thrive; but without methionine, cancer cells die. Normal breast cells, for example, grow no matter what, with or without, but leukemia cells—they need that extra added methionine to grow.What does cancer do with the methionine? Well, tumors generate gaseous sulfur-containing compounds with it – that, interestingly, specially trained dogs can actually detect. There are mole sniffing dogs that can pick out skin cancer. There are breath-sniffing dogs that can pick out people with lung cancer. Pee-sniffing dogs that can diagnose bladder cancer and, yes, you guessed it, fart-sniffing dogs for colorectal cancer. Doctors can now bring their lab to the lab…Gives a whole new meaning to the term "pet scan."Anyway, methionine dependency is not just present in cancer cell lines in a Petri dish. Fresh tumors taken from patients show that many cancers appear to have a biochemical defect that makes them dependent on methionine, including some tumors of the colon, breast, ovary, prostate, and skin. Pharmaceutical companies are fighting to be the first to come out with a drug that decreases methionine levels, but since methionine is sourced mainly from food, a better strategy may be to lower methionine levels by lowering methionine intake, eliminating high methionine foods, or both, to help control cancer growth.Here's the thinking: look, smoking cessation, consumption of diets rich in plants, and other lifestyle measures can prevent the majority of cancers. Unfortunately, people don't do them, and as a result, each year hundreds of thousands of Americans develop metastatic cancer. Chemotherapy cures only a few types of metastatic cancer…Unfortunately, the vast majority of common metastatic cancers, like breast, prostate, colon, and lung, are lethal. We therefore desperately need novel treatment strategies for metastatic cancer, and dietary methionine restriction may be one such strategy.So, where is methionine found? Particularly in chicken, and fish. Milk, red meat and eggs have less, but if you really want to stick with lower methionine foods, fruits/nuts/veggies/grains and beans are the best. In other words, "In humans, methionine restriction may be achieved using a predominately vegan diet.”So why isn't every oncologist doing this? "Despite many promising preclinical and clinical studies in recent years, dietary methionine restriction and other dietary approaches to cancer treatment have not yet gained wide clinical application. Most clinicians and investigators are probably unfamiliar with nutritional approaches to cancer. [That's an understatement.] Many others may consider amino acid restriction as an “old idea,” since it has been examined for several decades. However, many good ideas remain latent for decades if not centuries before they prove valuable in the clinic. With the proper development, dietary methionine restriction, either alone or in combination with other treatments, may prove to have a major impact on patients with cancer.”	Add excessive methionine to the list of pasture-raised meat baddies.What else have you got on that list? I’m intrigued by your username!parasites, live pathogens, endotoxins (dead pathogens), saturated fat, trans fats, cholesterol, TMAO (depends on your enterotype), harmane, Neu5Gc, heme iron, PAH’s (PhIP), added hormones, natural hormones, IGF-1, environmental toxins (PCB’s, dioxin, mercury, cadmium, etc.). Other than the added hormones, these are all present in the cows or caused by eating their meat before they are put in the feedlot.I remember TMAO and the Organochlorines (PCB etc) from Dr Gregors videos. IGF-1 is fairly well accepted now – what about harmane, Neu5Gc and PAHs ? What are they?Presumably organic meat would at least not have any added hormones? But I agree – some people swear by the Paleo diet – even some well known doctors – but I don’t buy it.Dr. Greger has vids/articles on all of these you can find via the search function. Harmane associated with meat consumption leads to essential tremors, Neu5Gc is a sialic acid tumors use to cause inflammation/vascularization (and also causes arthritis), and PAH’s are cooked meat carcinogens.If you really want to fight cancer by way of Methionine restriction …Fruit.You can live on fruit only! (Lots of Indian Gooseberries and Cranberries in frozen Mango,Banana smoothies.) However maybe 10 days fruit only diet then 10 days consuming the highly Anti-Angiogenic vegetables. Broccoli Sprouts, Garlic , White button Mushrooms , Leaks, Yellow Onions, Brussels sprouts, Turmeric, Parsley ,Beets, Pepper…. that’s soup. Anyway …If I had cancer, I would. [ and nothing else ]I’ve been using cronometer to track my food intake. I tend to consume about 150% of the recommended amount of protein in general (using the “standard” recommendations), and all essential amino acids are well above the recommended values, up to 400%. Methionine however, is consistently the lowest value, averaging no higher than ~120%, and is the only one which, once or twice, has dipped down to only 98-99%.What are you using to measure your food intake exactly, b00mer? I’m really intrigued.Cronometer is a valuable tool for measuring food intake and uses data from the USDA database. http://cronometer.com/i will take a look – sounds great and very useful. ThxWhat Toxins said! I’ve never used a food diary before since most of them are just calories and macronutrients, but using this one is FUN. I love seeing how everything adds up in the micronutrient categories. Highly recommend it, even if you just use it for a few days to get a snapshot of your diet. You can even use it for a week, look at the nutritional data for each day, plus look at your overall averages for the week. It’s pretty cool. :)PET scan at the dog`s office…. :-)So are you now saying the Gerson style diets work?Yes to the plant-based part, no to the kooky things like the coffee enemas (okay to drink) and raw calf’s liver: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/09/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/If you’re concerned about harmane, you don’t want to drink coffee.The problem with a plantbased diet with low methionine is that it is low-tech, not sexy and no money involved.Actually there is a lot of money involved – in the saving to the victim or potential victim who avoids the disease all together. It is my life goal to bankrupt the crooked medical, pharmacy and agribusiness corporations to the fullest extent of my capabilities, save the money for vacations longevity and enjoying life!wow. cool. how are you going about doing that, in addition to having a non ag-bus diet, etc.?As much as I can, eat whole foods – and natural foods as much as possible, grow some organic foods at home, even forage in national forest for some natural foods – yes largely dependent on industrial farming, but avoid dairy, sugar, ect.I agree – Food giants don’t want you to know this, afterall – they’d rather push their “food-like” products at you.Now I am wondering about Sam-e. Its name is S-adenosylmethionine. Does this have the same effect on cancer? I hope not since 400 mg daily makes joints feel better. My vegan protein powder also adds 225 mg of methionine amino acid to its mix. Is this just depleting the benefit of using vegan protein powder? This video has brought up some interesting questions for me. It is like eating chicken and fish for the lower cholesterol and the good omega 3 acids; but getting more methionine to cause cancer. Where does it all end?Even assuming the Sam-e funtions in the same manner as methionine, perhaps I can share my perspective: yesterday, with my WFPB diet, I consumed 700 mg methionine total. In just one chicken breast however (280 cal), there are 1480 mg methionine. So even if I took my entire day’s worth of food, added your 400 mg Sam-e, and the 225 mg methionine from the shake, I would still be consuming less methionine than a non-vegan who consumed just one chicken breast and nothing else that day.I realize it’s not really an answer, just my perspective. Is there a reason you feel like you need the protein powder? A WFPB diet will provide more than enough protein without any supplementation.I wonder if the phytic acid in many plant foods inhibits our absorption of methionine. That could be a good thing, right?Dr. Greger, Thank you for pointing out this most important information, which WORKS. I’ve been on a vegan diet and have ungrown a tumor in my R breast, as proven by sonograms. No surgery, no radiation, no chemotherapy. However, the key in eating vegan is to eat ORGANICALLY-grown vegan! No GMOs! Plus eliminate vinegar and high-acid base foods, e.g., sodas, junk foods, etc. A plant-based diet impacts pH in the body, which is part of the equation for beating cancer. I’ve written a book about the ‘odyssey’ I am on; it’s A Cancer Answer, Holistic BREAST Cancer Management, A Guide to Effective & Non-Toxic Treatments, available on Amazon.com. The book is written in 3 parts. Part II deals extensively with diet: the reasons for eating certain plant foods; types of foods to eat; meal plans and, of course, recipes. My expertise is a retired natural nutritionist who was in private practice and physicians’ offices. I’m 75 years young. I agree about oncology missing the boat on the importance of a plant-based diet in cancer management. Yes! The late Dr. Max Gerson, MD, plant-based and juicing diet is extremely efficacious in managing and curing many, if not all, cancers. Personally, I think a properly designed plant-based diet for oncology to embrace would be a God-send to cancer patients. I would be willing to offer my help and experience to any oncologist interested. However, be forewarned, I won’t recommend that GMO foods are the same in food/nutritional values as heirloom or organically-grown foods. My reasons are legion, but the primary one is all the glyphosate that is sprayed on crops in the fields, which leaves toxic residues in food. Toxins and poisons are one of the precipitants for DNA adducts leading to cancerous tumors/growth. Again, thank you for all the good work you do. I, for one, truly appreciate an MD who gets it regarding nutrition.Actually, vinegar becomes alkaline in the body…Actually, you are wrong, sorry to have to say. You may be thinking of apple cider vinegar, which some claim turns alkaline, but vinegar is vinegar, and turns into an acid ash in the body! Please refer to this websitehttp://www.ask.com/question/ph-level-of-vinegarVinegar is a clear and bitter liquid used for cooking. It is also often used for natural cleaning. The pH level of vinegar is 2.5, which means it is highly acidic.I am unsure of vinegar, but acidic foods such as citrus metabolize to a net alkalinity. The actual PH of the food has little to do with the renal acid load.What are you talking about?Coacervate maybe you need to more specific. What are you asking?Almost all plant foods will produce a potential renal acid load (PRAL) that is negative (alkaline) because of the amino acid makeup. Grains are very slightly acidic but most animal products are several times times more acidic. The PRAL can be calculated with this formula PRAL = 0.49(Protein) + 0.037(Phosphorus) – 0.021(Potassium) – 0.026(Magnesium) – 0.013(Calcium).http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7797810You can go to the USDA nutrition database and calculate the alkalinity or acidity of certain foods this way using a 100 gram serving sample.http://nutritiondata.self.com/Here are a list of common plant foods. A negative number indicates alkalinity whereas positive means acidity.Cereals, oats, regular cooked with water, w/o salt/ 2.18Bananas, raw/ -6.93Blueberries, raw/ -1.04Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked/ 2.18Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt/ -3.57Cauliflower, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt / -1.33Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt/ -4.10Peaches, raw/ -3.11Beans, kidney, cooked, boiled, w/o salt/ -0.69Kale, raw/ -8.34Animal FoodsChicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted/ 17.30Egg, whole, raw, fresh/ 9.43Fish, salmon, Atlantic, wild, cooked, dry heat/ 7.57Beef, bottom sirloin, tri-tip, separable lean only, trimmed to 0″ fat, choice, cooked, roasted/ 12.79Cheese, cheddar/ 19.00As you can see, all animal foods are acidic. This acidity is bad for our bones as explained by this study. “In response to chronic acid stress such as is imposed by an acid-ash diet, cellular responses mobilize bone and calcium as a buffer.”http://jn.nutrition.org/content/128/6/1051.fullThis acidic environment increases the production of cortisol which further diminishes bone density.http://ajprenal.physiology.org/content/284/1/F32.full.pdfThis chronic acid load people put on their body causes bone loss leading to osteoporosis later on in life and possibly other diseases.UPDATE: The PRAL does not contribute to bone loss as previously hypothesized, but to calcium loss from the food eaten. It is still not negligible though because an acidic diet does indeed contribute to muscle wasting, poor uric acid clearance and kidney stone formation. Dr. Greger will share this data in one of his upcoming videos in volume 15.Can you please do something on s adenosylmethionine (SAMe) supplements?Could you cite the studies that indicate foods that contribute to an alkaline balance in the body are protective against cancer?I am unsure of these specific studies you speak of, but Dr. Greger has a video covering this. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/The video focuses on the effects of acid/alkaline diets on bone loss. I am unsure of those studies too. I am not even sure they exist. I’ve never seen any. What I’m wondering is: From where come the claims that we need to eat alkaline diets to combat cancer? Those claims are voiced all over the internet, and I’d like to see the science that backs them up. Can anybody help explain the connection?really… your reference is ask.com?Dr. Greger’s brilliant message labels cause and effect dietary direction for those to prevent cancer growth.I just passed this to my sister if she wants to pass it to my 69 yr old brother who has been diagnosed with metastatic duodenal cancer. Five years ago, when I went vegan, I tried to get my family to and if fell on deaf ears. My brother says he doesn’t believe an omnivorous diet caused his cancer, and his doctor’s are telling him that diet will have no effect on his prognosis. I really wish he would at least give it a try, but, I’m sure he will continue to rationalize his meat addiction, right to his own demise.Very upsetting to me. Plus, he once said that he didn’t care about animals, something that really shocked and disappointed me. I think it’s kharma: what we do to the animals, we do to ourselves.ifyoucareenough: It is always so hard when the people we love and want to help don’t listen to us. You can’t force people to change. All you can do is provide information when they are ready to take it in.In the mean time, congratulations on your own healthy diet. You are being a good role model, and some times that is all you can do.Best of luck to you.And what is your view of s adenosylmethionine (SAMe) suppliments?Thanks, passing this on to my daughter, doing her fellowship in Heme/Onc at UCSF.So I am reading (albeit old copy of) A-Z guide to supplements (Balch MD) & it says good sources of Methionine are beans, eggs, fish, garlic, lentils, meat, onions, soybeans, seeds, & yoghurt?Livestrong says ..Poultry eggs,Oats wheat germ, red peppers, onions, garlic, Brussels sprouts and broccoli. That’s pretty much all the veggies I eat…. So I’m pretty much dead man walking??I eat a ton of of beans, lentils, onions, garlic, broccoli, and oats. My methionine intake is rather low, about 1% of my total protein intake. I wouldn’t go by qualitative lists and descriptions, I’d check out the actual numbers:Assuming 300 calories worth of each food:Chicken breast: 1590 mg methionine Salmon: 1370 mg Ground beef: 1250 mg Eggs: 760mg Broccoli: 370 mg Black beans: 310 mg Oats: 240 mg Lentils: 200 mg Garlic: 160 mg Onion: 10 mgOr in terms of the percentage of methionine out of total protein: Eggs: 3.2% Salmon: 2.8% Chicken: 2.8% Beef: 2.6% Broccoli: 1.6% Black beans: 1.5 % Garlic: 1.0% Lentils: 0.83% Onion: 0.12%So perhaps they were trying to include some plants with the highest methionine content (compared to other plants) to round out the list, but you’re still better off with plants vs animals.Good display boomer!Thanks!In perspective, It would take quite large bowl of Broccoli to equal an egg.oviously you no fan of german new medicine,and prefer for patients to remain to be held hostage by rockefellers medical mafiaI find it offensive that some posing as humanitarians,still push grains on the uneducated masses,disregarding the proof of grains poisonous affects on the human bodyGrains are perfectly healthy foods and no studies have shown deleterious effects from consuming grains. http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251“…disregarding the proof of grains poisonous affects on the human body” you could provide a link to some of this proof pleaseTry this website. It’s why I gave up grains and had remission of many symptoms that had been plaguing me for 15 years.http://www.greenmedinfo.com/page/argument-against-consumption-wheatPeer reviewed studies would be best shared. You can find websites sharing all kinds of unsupported dietary nonsense.Fabulous! The gas that the dogs smell, what is it specifically? Is it different for different tumor types? Could there be a link between Met requirement and sulfur compounds in cruciferous veg anti-cancer activity?One small dietary tip I have learned to the good folks here: If you don’t feed a troll, it will wander away.I just read this in http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23408942 “Higher intake of folate is marginally associated with a lower risk for ER- breast cancer, and higher intakes of vitamin B-12 and methionine are marginally associated with a lower risk of ER+ breast cancer.” Now I’m confused.If it’s from the government, I’m not going to probably believe it seeing as how the RDA’s and the Food Pyramid are government affiliated and so outdated and wrong!http://www.healthvitaminsguide.com/aminoacids/methionine.htmMethionine is found in good quantities in meat, fish, beans, eggs, garlic, lentils, onions, yogurt and seeds. It’s everywhere!!Yes, it’s one of the essential amino acids so it will be found in all foods. However, there is a huge difference between the amount found in animal foods vs plant foods. By calorie, chicken has 159 times the methionine compared to onions. By percentage of total protein content, there’s a 23-fold difference. I eat in a whole day what other people eat in half a chicken breast. There’s no comparison.Is whey protein powder alright to drink? Or is that cancer causing?Check out the videos on the top of this page. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1Getting excess protein is unfounded and can contribute to cancer growth.Whey, a cheese production byproduct, does have lower levels of methionine than cheese, which has the high methionine amino acid profile of whole milk casein.From a pure personal health perspective, whey isn’t quite the smoking gun that casein is. Personally, I recognize that dairy also involves environmental and animal welfare costs, and that was enough for me to choose to stop being part the problem, and stop buying dairy products like whey.There are plenty of vegan athletes, indeed the PlantBuilt team seems to have dominated this year’s 2013 Naturally Fit Supershow. In other words, pea protein works as well as whey for building muscle.Methionine itself isn’t cancer causing; its cancer promoting. We are all exposed to enough chemical mutagens, radiation, and endogenous copying mistakes to produce dozens of cancerous cells every day. In part, what high methionine does is send growth signalling messages that promote lone cells into tumors.Another amino acid, lysine, is perhaps most important for vegan diets, as vegans who get enough lysine likely get enough of the other essential amino acids. For other vegans looking to get enough protein while limiting methionine, legumes offer much higher Lys/Met ratios than grains do, and lentils (9.0), adzuki & fava beans (8.0), split peas (7.5) and pigeon peas / toor dal (6.71) stand out as the legumes with the highest Lys/Met ratio.I downloaded the table from the USDA food composition data link that you provided but did not see methionine in the table. My concern is that I take a fenugreek seed supplement and now I’m wondering if that’s adding an appreciable amount of methionine to my methionine intake.NDB# 2019, fenugreek seed, has 0.58 g methionine and 0.35g cysteine per 100 g, up there with sesame seeds and sunflower seeds as some of the plant foods with the highest methionine. A large 00 capsule can hold at 1g, so a normal sized adult would need to take on the order of 100 capsules daily just to meet the estimated average requirement for adults of 15 mg/kg/day of methionine + cysteine (each spares requirements for the other).I’m pretty fond of fenugreek (and methi is cheap at the local Indian grocery), in fact, I’m chewing on a handful of seeds right now.Fenugreek lowers fasting blood glucose, LDL and VLDL in Type I and Type 2 diabetes, and fenugreek extracts preferentially kill cancer cells in vitro. In rats, oral fenugreek prevented DMBA induced breast cancer, and of considerable interest to me, seems to have increased autophagy (the longevity-promoting cellular spring cleaning) in the process.Darryl do you soak the seeds first?I mostly use them in curries, most often as part of panch phoron Bengali dishes, but the spice cupboard was just 5 steps away from from my computer yesterday. I can see where they might work in the morning smoothie (which is already half flax and wheat germ).I am liking the smoothy idea.Somewhere in this wealth of informative discussion you suggest that oats and peas are good choices because they’re high in glycine and low in methionine. What kinds of peas are you suggesting? Dried ones such as splits, pigeon peas? chickpeas? fresh green peas?With respect to glycine/methionine ratio, legumes have the highest ratio among food groups, while legumes with particularly high G/M are fava, peanuts, lentils, split peas, azuki, soy, lima, mung beans, pigeon peas (in that order). Soy has relatively high methionine among plant proteins, which perhaps calls for moderation, but its not named Glycine max for nothing.As cysteine spares methionine requirements, and serine readily interconverts with glycine, I’ve also looked at the (G+S)/(M+C) ratio. Legumes (in aggregate) still look very good here: legumes (4.1), nuts (3.0), mollusks (2.8), grains (2.5), tubers, red meat, poultry (2.4), dairy, pork (2.3), fish (2.1), though collagen and its rendered product gelatin have the highest ratio among foods (36, with G/M=32). Legumes with higher (G+S)/(M+C) ratios would be: soy, pinto, kidney, black, navy, lima, azuki, peanuts, fava, and lentils. Buckwheat, with oats not far behind, are comparable among grains.Restricting Meth in your lifestyle has always been beneficial!! ;-)Dr. Greger is misleading us that fish contain much higher levels of methionine than other animal-source protein foods such as meats, eggs, cheese, cream, and milk. The truth is that some fish contain 20% to 30% more methionine but other fish contain 10% to 20% less methionine than other animal-source protein foods: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000-1.html?Note that in the above list of foods that are highest in methionine, 200-calorie portions were measured for each food. This makes high-calorie fatty meats such as beef, pork, and chicken look much lower in methionine than they would if equal WEIGHTS of each food were compared against each other.The big picture: Studies show that people who eat lots of fish have LOWER cancer death rates and LONGER life expectancies than vegans. This is despite the fact that most fish eaters use plenty of salt to make their fish taste better. Salt always contains cancer-causing nitrosamines.As for methionine, I agree with Dr. Greger that it is one of more than a dozen reasons why vegans have lower cancer death rates than meat eaters. Methionine increases blood levels of the cancer-causing growth hormone, IGF-1.However, keep in mind that methionine and lysine are the 2 essential amino acids that are most likely to be deficient in human nutrition. Several poor nations have fortified their soymilk with methionine or lysine. This despite the fact that soybeans (and fenugreek seeds) already contain more methionine than all other plant-source foods. Vegans who are worried about deficiencies of amino acids should just eat more plants. Well-fed vegans are never deficient in essential amino acids.When soy infant formula, which is already naturally high in methionine, was fortified with even more methionine, the health of newborn human babies improved: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/574352i would like to see a response to thisresponse aboveFish is not a health promoting food, and of the epidemiological studies I have seen where pescetarians and vegans are compared, it is never specified how healthy the vegans actually were. Even so, Dr. Greger covers fish here http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/There are 3062 single ingredient foods in the USDA database with at least 1 g protein / 100 g food and measured methionine content.Avg. g methionine per: 1000 kcal 100 g protein animal foods (1999) 3.88 2.59 dairy & eggs (168) 1.87 2.67 poultry (351) 3.53 2.65 cured meats (120) 1.87 2.51 pork (306) 3.05 2.48 beef (474) 3.17 2.57 fish & shellfish (245) 4.64 2.85 lamb, veal & game (335) 3.02 2.43 plant foods (1064) 0.69 1.36 spices & herbs (20) 0.76 1.38 breakfast cereal (57) 0.44 1.75 fruit (44) 0.16 0.99 vegetables (485) 0.70 1.12 nuts & seeds (124) 0.64 1.95 legumes (190) 0.97 1.25 grains & pasta (144) 0.54 1.77While these spreadsheet averages don’t necessarily reflect these foods relative contribution to diets, I do think they tell us a few things. Animal products have more methionine than plant foods, both on a per calorie and per g protein basis, and among animal foods, fish & shellfish do indeed have the highest levels.Darryl: Very nice reply. I like how you put the hard numbers to it to explain the point.I’ll just put my own spin on it by saying that Dr. Greger’s videos are by necessity high-level summaries. There is nothing misleading about it. As anyone can see by the numbers that Darryl dug up, fish in general is indeed worth pointing out at he worst/highest category of methoionine.Thanks again Darryl for your high quality info.I personally believe the slight advantage of pescetarians have over vegans in mortality studies should be seen in the light of nutrients taurine and long-chain fatty acids (DHA/EPA), absent in plant foods and for which fish are good sources. The long-chain fatty acids have been covered regularly on NutritionFacts and Dr. Greger recommends algal DHA supplements. Taurine has been perhaps neglected. Vegans often have low taurine levels, and taurine has consistently demonstrated cardioprotective effects in epidemiological, individual, and mechanistic studies. In the CARDIAC study, when taurine excretion is over 1200 µmol or 150 mg / day, IHD mortality was uniformly low, and as that much taurine powder would cost around $2.75 per year, and there’s no apparent risks, its seems a no-brainer for vegan health insurance. Perhaps Dr. Greger will come around on this in the future. Is the apparent heath benefit of pescetarian diets entirely accounted for by taurine and long-chain fatty acids? There isn’t enough data to say. I think the likelihood is high.I found two sources that indicate 0g of methionine in fenugreek seeds. I’m curious, where did you see that fenugreek seeds contain more methionine than all other plant-source foods?Hi tedster, just a suggestion – do you know what “serving size” your sources are using? Sometimes when you look up a food it might be giving you the information for what’s in for example 1 g of the food, and many of the values end up reported as zero or close to zero. Methionine is essential, so it is present in all whole foods.One source said 0g/100g and the other 0g/11.1g, but I wasn’t necessarily comfortable with the sources. Up above, Darryl responded that there is 0.58g methionine / 100g fenugreek seed. He cited NDB# 2019, which I think is a USDA nutritional database, however I’m not positive. I see how the second source I found would round that to zero, but I’m not sure how the first source rounded to zero from 0.58. I will pay more attention to the serving sizes. I assumed they were standardized, but it looks like not every source reports that way.The USDA gives all its values (in its nutrition data, its flavonoid content data, etc) per 100g.I’ve further streamlined William Harris’s spreadsheet conversion of the database to just vegan foods of interest to me (ie, those with significant nutritional value I’ve ever seen locally), and you’re welcome to use or copy it from here.Thanks for the reference table. Super cool!Darryl: I’m behind on my e-mails, but I didn’t want to forget to say, “Thank you!” for sharing this spreadsheet. Very cool.Also keep in nind the nutritional data bases are an average of a range e.g. one crop might be 0.3 and another 0.9 (just making these up) for an average of 0.6. Then because of tens of thousands of enzymatic feedback and feedforward loops if your body “needs” a particular nutrient it will act to enhance bioavailability of that nutrient or reduce it if it is not in short supply. Its really quite pointless to try to micromanage individual nutrients All you need to know is to not eat so many foods with a lot of what you don’t want and seek out those you want, and eat a variety. Your body and your microbiota will usually figure it out.Dear Dr. Gregor, I just received your latest email about the collected works on DVD. In that email you asked for donations and mentioned that you give away all proceeds from speaking engagements and publications to charity. I made a donation because I support this most excellent and essential work. But I would advocate as a business person that you squirrel away enough cash–or donate it to this particular non-profit–to keep the engines running. Perhaps that’s what you already do. But I can’t think of a better cause to support with your speaking and publishing than this, and there is no other source for this level of objective and timely information out there. In support and gratitude, MelissaMelissa: I can’t speak for Dr. Greger, but if memory serves, I believe I did read a comment from Dr. Greger on another page where he said something like: He used to change the charities that he donated the proceeds from his DVDs to. But now that this site is doing so well and costing so much, he does put the money into this site.So, I think you and Dr. Greger are on the same wave length. And I personally couldn’t agree with you more.But doesn’t restricting sulfur containing amino acids (vegetarian diets) lead to subclinical malnutrition, hyperhomocysteinemia and atherogenesis? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21872435In human trials, severe methionine restriction appears to reduce reduce homocysteine somewhat, as two amino acids regularly cycle between another in a methylation cycle. To ensure body stores are preferentially partitioned towards methionine rather than homocysteine, its probably important to consume the methyl donors folic acid (highest in greens & legumes), betaine (beets, spinach, wheat) and vitamin cofactors B6 (garlic, nuts, legumes) and B12 (vegans must supplement).The point isn’t to eliminate methionine from the diet (impossible for those who eat food), but to reduce levels to adequate for metabolism while avoiding intercellular (insulin/IGF-I) and intracellular (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) growth signalling that arise from methionine excess.If the purpose is to avoid intercellular (insulin/IGF-I) and intracellular (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) growth, then why not use curcumin, egcg, and spices (all of which reduce the above), instead of risking clinical malnutrition by avoiding meat altogether? It’s not just tumor cells that need those amino acids.While the polyphenols you mention can indeed effect nutrient signalling pathways when added to cell cultures at non-physiologically relevant concentrations, they’re not particularly potent. They’re comparable to other polyphenols like resveratrol and quercetin (which require extracellular concentrations in the 100s of μM to markedly inhibit ATP synthase, which activates AMPK, which inhibits mTOR, or more than 100 times whats possible from even high dietary intakes 1, 2). Curcumin, EGCG, and spice polyphenols are of much more interest as inducers of phase II enzyme response and inflammatory transcription factor NF-kB inhibitors, where their bioactivity is more plausible.I’m not particularly worried about methionine deficiency. The estimated average requirement of 15 mg/kg/day of methionine + cysteine (each spares requirements for the other) for adults isn’t particularly difficult to achieve, especially if nuts and soy products are daily fare. My guesstimate is my varied vegan diet brings Met+Cys to around 150% of the EAR, vs 3-400% when I was a heavy animal products consumer. There’s simply not an epidemic of kwashiorkor (methionine deficiency) among vegans or among most people in the developing world eating varied near-vegan diets.re: “…instead of risking clinical malnutrition by avoiding meat altogether…”If you watch enough videos on this site or take in other sources (which I can suggest if you are interested), you will see that eating a whole plant food based diet is the best way to avoid clinical malnutrition. See: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Or put another way: adding meat, dairy and eggs is by no means a way to prevent clinical malnutrition and sometimes gets in the way of good nutrition. I think the underlying assumption behind your comment/question is not valid.The MTHFR 677T genetic mutation interferes with the mythelation cycle, inhibiting eventual conversion of folate into 5-MTHF. Supplementation with 5-MTHF is said to circumvent this deficiency.Would taking a 5-MTHF supplement increase one’s methionine level, and cancer risk?I can’t speak on that, but it seems 5-MTHF supplementation is a great idea for those with the MTHFR 677 C>T mutation, and studies like this one may upend current thinkng on homocysteine:Vascular 5-MTHF, rather than plasma or vascular homocysteine, is a key regulator of endothelial nitric oxide synthase coupling and nitric oxide bioavailability in human vessels, suggesting that plasma homocysteine is an indirect marker of 5-MTHF rather than a primary regulator of endothelial function.Thanks, Darryl. Very generous of you to find that study.You might also want to see this paper on vitamin B2:Wilson, Carol P., et al. “Riboflavin offers a targeted strategy for managing hypertension in patients with the MTHFR 677C→T genotype: a 4-y follow-up.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 95.3 (2012): 766-772.If you have the MTHFR 677TT polymorphism, you might want to look at a number of papers showing a benefit of riboflavin (B2) supplementation on blood pressure.Thanks for the information again Dr. Greger, and the jokes.A previous video on Bragg relative to MSG indicated it to be harmless. What about the high methionine content of it? Is it still safe to use?Braggs’s is just hydrolysed soy protein, and a Tbsp will have 1.86 g protein, of which 26 mg will be methionine. For a 150 lb adult this would be only 2.5% of the estimated average requirement. The thing to worry about with Bragg’s or soy sauce is the sodium content: at 960 mg sodium that one Tbsp is 42% of the recommended maximum sodium intake of 2,300 mg for adults.Sodium should ideally be kept below 1200-1500 mg.What about starving cancer by living in ketosis? Cancer cells need carbs right?“While short-term carbohydrate restriction over a period of a week can result in a significant loss of weight (albeit mostly from water and glycogen stores), of serious concern is what potential exists for the following of this type of eating plan for longer periods of months to years. Complications such as heart arrhythmias, cardiac contractile function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, impairment of physical activity and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbohydrates in the diet. The need to further explore and communicate the untoward side-effects of low-carbohydrate diets should be an important public health message from nutrition professionals.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14672862Ketogenic diets are strongly advised against.Ironically, of all the meat I avoid, I always felt safe eating chicken and fish once in a great while. Maybe the high concentrations of methionine, that make chicken and fish the worst of the meats, are in the skin of the chicken and fish. However, on the other hand, chicken and fish do have higher amounts of protein so that may also explain the higher levels of this amino acid.One boneless, skinless chicken breast, meat only, contains 1480 mg methionine.I only briefly checked but did not find an entry specifically stating skinless fish (since I think it’s assumed people don’t typically eat the skin?), but one can of tuna, which is definitely skinless, contains 1740 mg methionine.In terms of percentage of total protein, thus negating the point of them being “higher protein” foods (which they’re not really, they’re just more calorically dense), then methionine makes up 2.8% of the total protein for both. Compared to percentages in plant foods, even the plant foods confusingly labeled as “high methionine” by a source someone listed above, these values for chicken and fish are incredibly high. Reposted from my comment above, here are a few animal-based and plant-based percentages:Eggs: 3.2% Salmon: 2.8% Chicken: 2.8% Beef: 2.6% Broccoli: 1.6% Black beans: 1.5 % Garlic: 1.0% Lentils: 0.83% Onion: 0.12%So it stands that chicken and fish are indeed among the worst offenders, skin or no skin, and regardless of overall protein content.Chicken and fish may be less healthy for other reasons including high levels arachidonic acid and pesticides. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/Another excellent article – keep up the good work. I have shared this on my blog. Anyone looking for plant-based recipes – please take a look – it’s called Plantalicious and can be found here – http://wp.me/P3EfqD-1There are recipes and videos – I hope you find them a source of inspiration if you are looking to increase your plant-based nutrition intake. BarryHow can you tell if it is in a supplement, if it’s an amino acid. All amino acid supplements? Vegan amino acid supplements? Other things?What do you think of coffee enemas? I had peritonial cancer and had surgery for it at UCSF. When Lugols solution is added to supplements, electrolyte balance would be ok, no? lelajosalynrose@yahoo.comDr. Greger doe not recommend coffee enemas http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/Great Articles, say can you do one on Goat Milk. Some information I’ve seen say’s it’s a Blue Zone Food that is really good for you but if Animal products are bad then Goat Milk would fall under that category. I’d love to see how it stacks up against cows milk.Goats milk is a high protein animal food which triggers the release of IGF-1 which promotes cancer growth. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/Is there a baseline total daily amount (mg) of methionine that one should aim for in cancer prevention? I keep myself to under 20g/day of carbs following a ketogenic diet. I am now aware that restricting methionine is also part of starving out cancer. It seems limiting both offers a reasonable and not onerous approach to cancer prevention. Any ideas?So what about the methionine in Braggs amino acids? Avoid or not?I’ve occasionally used L-methionine 500mg daily to treat allergies since it effectively reduces histamine levels. Is L-methionine the same as methionine and should I discontinue taking it?Here’s an interesting article with a possible reason for low protein vegan diets being cancer protective http://catalyticlongevity.org/prepub_archive/GCN2.pdfUnless one wanted to utilize L-Methionine in a mitohormetic manner, in which case it ,may help contribute to one’s longevity potential. :-)Here is a link that shows that L-Methionine is necessary only in the very young: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9451752I accidentally ran into a site that claimed positive effect of ketosis on Cancer with the idea that cancer is fed by glucose. So I searched around a bit and: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/749855_1I wouldn’t call that much of an effect.I’m a vegetarian and don’t car etc. eat meat, but how do you reconcile the latest study published by the AMA showing that vegetarians who ate eggs, dairy and fish lived longer than any other diet in the U.S.?…http://www.ecardiologynews.com/specialty-focus/epidemiology-prevention/single-article-page/latest-studies-fine-tune-accaha-dietary-guidelines/49301e2b4a5706f96b7405f7655bcf94.html?tx_ttnews%5BsViewPointer%5D=2I can’t find the specific study in question on that article page, but its important to look at the numbers. A vegan diet does not equate to health. One must consume whole grains, very low fat, and whole unprocessed plant foods to really benefit from a plant based diet. A standard American diet can be just as unhealthful as a vegan diet. This really sums up the issue nicely https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=36550Toxins: Really great set of posts. Thanks for this link.I’ve been a vegetarian since 1980 and don’t care to eat meat, but how do we reconcile recent data that shows that at least in the U.S., that group of people who ate eggs, dairy and fish lived the longest of any other group?…http://www.ecardiologynews.com/specialty-focus/epidemiology-prevention/single-article-page/latest-studies-fine-tune-accaha-dietary-guidelines/49301e2b4a5706f96b7405f7655bcf94.html?tx_ttnews%5BsViewPointer%5D=2No mention of glycine? You can have your meat, you just need glycine to help get rid of the methionine. Glycine is in the skin, tendons, and cartlidge. So, you can eat meat, just don’t eat too much and take glycine or make homemade bone broths. Vegans actually live slightly shorter lives than the regular eater in North America. Partly because they have B12 deff. and low stomach acid, therefore less magnesium, zinc, etc.That’s correct. If your glycine / methionine ratios are good then it’s not an issue. There’s a recent study that shows that glycine intake is the same as methionine restriction.Thoughts? http://180degreehealth.com/glycine-methionine-balance-revisited-matter-timing/I recently saw a video on Harvard’s public health website about dietary restriction and longevity:Video: https://youtu.be/9Z1eL5vkzi8Page: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/multimedia-article/benefits-dietary-restriction/They tried to narrow it down to what exactly is the mechanism that helps, and it seem that it was something about removing some sulfur based aminoacids from the food (methionine was one I think), for which the stomach reacted by making its own hidrogen sulfide gas. Now, I’m no specialist, but I do remember that animal products, especially proteins, contain a lot of sulphur, so could this be a topic of discussion about plant-based diets and longevity?Great find! Yes, plant based diets are low in these two aminoacids: methionine and cysteine. I found a text about the paper: Molecular mechanism behind health benefits of dietary restriction identified.Shout it from the rooftops!oh wait, they’re all wearing earbuds and fixated on the gadget in their hands.Share it via your social media!If you really want to fight cancer by way of Methionine restriction …Fruit.You can live on fruit only! (Lots of Indian Gooseberries and Cranberries in frozen Mango,Banana smoothies.) However maybe 10 days fruit only diet then 10 days consuming the highly Anti-Angiogenic vegetables. Broccoli Sprouts, Garlic , White button Mushrooms , Leaks, Yellow Onions, Brussels sprouts, Turmeric, Parsley ,Beets, Pepper…. that’s soup. Anyway …If I had cancer, I would. [ and nothing else ]	animal products,beans,beef,bladder cancer,bladder disease,bladder health,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,chemotherapy,chicken,colon cancer,colon health,dairy,dogs,eggs,fish,fruit,fungicides,grains,insects,leukemia,lung cancer,lung disease,lung health,meat,medications,metastases,methionine,milk,nuts,ovarian cancer,ovary health,pesticides,plant-based diets,poultry,prostate cancer,prostate health,rectal cancer,red meat,skin cancer,skin health,smoking,tobacco,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health	Methionine restriction—best achieved through a plant-based diet—may prove to have a major impact on patients with cancer because unlike normal tissues, many human tumors require the amino acid methionine to grow.	This video can be considered a companion to Anti-Angiogenesis: Cutting Off Tumor Supply Lines, in which this same diet could starve these same tumors of their blood supply.There are compounds in animal products that may actually stimulate tumor growth. See How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies. Animal protein may also boost levels of the cancer-promoting hormone IGF-1 (The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle). Combined, this could all help explain why plants and plant-based diets have been found effective in potentially reversing some cancer processes. See Cancer Reversal Through Diet?, Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer, and Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer.Sorry if you were distracted by the pet puns—I couldn't help it! :) Another way companion animals may protect against cancer is explored here: Pets & Human Lymphoma.Why might the medical profession be so resistant to therapies proven to be effective? The Tomato Effect may be partially to blame.If you were looking closely at the title of the review I featured, noting that plant-based diets may prove to be a useful nutritional strategy in cancer growth control, you'll notice it also looked at the role of methionine restriction in life-span extension. That's the topic of the next video Methionine Restriction as a Life Extension Strategy.For more context check out my blog: Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013, A Low Methionine Diet May Help Starve Cancer Cells, and How Plant-Based Diets May Extend Our Lives.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/10/how-plant-based-diets-may-extend-our-lives/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/methionine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fungicides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovarian-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15955547,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11603655,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21282130,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18789600,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15388612,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4524624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22342103,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8495409,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22345057,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8431598,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14585259,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22171665,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21836027,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18252204,
PLAIN-2703	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/	Eating Outside Our Kingdom	Although slaughterhouse workers with the most poultry exposure appear to suffer the greatest excess mortality, increasing risks of death from cancer are also found in other slaughterhouse workers.This research goes back decades and shows higher cancer rates in butchers, slaughterhouse workers, meat cutters, and those working in meat processing plants. The bottom line is that it's clear from this large study and many others that workers in the meat industry are at increased risk of developing cancer and dying from it.The increased risk may be due to animal-to-human viruses or antigenic stimulation through chronic exposure to animal protein. And in fact, cancer-causing virus exposure could help explain why those who eat meat have higher cancer rates. There's even a retrovirus associated with cancerous fish tumors, which has been speculated as the cause for increased cancer rates in American seafood workers.Growing up on a livestock farm is associated with higher rates of blood-borne cancers—lymphomas and leukemias- but growing up on a farm raising only crops is not.Worst is growing up on a poultry farm, which is consistent with chicken consumption being most closely tied to these cancers. A quarter of a daily chicken breast is associated with a doubling or tripling of risk of these cancers.Researchers are finally able to start connecting the dots. High levels of antibodies to avian leucosis/sarcoma viruses, and reticuloendotheliosis viruses recently found in poultry workers provides evidence of infectious exposure to these cancer-causing poultry viruses. And the highest levels were found not in the eviscerators, or gut-pullers, or those that hang the live birds, but among the line workers that just cut up the final product.In an attempt to narrow down which diseases were associated with which meat, researchers tried separating out those in pig slaughtering and pork processing. One of the primary sources of concern in using pig organs and tissues as transplants in humans (this is widely practiced) is the fear of introducing zoonotic infections from animals. They're concerned about what's called PERV transmission, the pig-to-human transmission of porcine endogenous retroviruses, raising theoretical concerns about cancer, immunological, and neurological disorders. However, you don't need to get a pig transplant to be exposed. They’re also found in blood, so people exposed to pig blood may be exposed to the virus.The main finding unique to the pork study, which was not found in beef and sheep processing, was the significant excess deaths from senile conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. It reminds me of all those poor pork brain extraction workers. You think your job is bad, how would you like to work at the head-table—well, that doesn't sound so bad, until you learn it's where, in the unbridled use of compressed air in the pursuit of maximum yield of soft tissue, they blow the brains out of severed swine heads."As the line speeds increased, the workers reported being unable to place the skulls completely on the brain removal device before triggering the compressed air, causing greater splatter of brain material”. The aerosolized "mist of brain" is suspected to be the cause of dozens of cases of inflammatory neurological disease in workers who started with symptoms as mild as pain, tingling and difficulty walking and ended up as bad as doctors having to put them in a coma for 6 weeks because of unrelenting seizures.At first they thought it was a brain parasite, but now it's known to be an auto-immune attack triggered by the exposure to aerosolized brain. A similar mechanism has been blamed for meat proteins triggering inflammatory arthritis in people eating meat. By eating fellow animals, we are exposed not only to fellow animal diseases, but to animal tissues that our body may mistake as our own. This may be one advantage to eating a more plant-based diet. By eating outside of the animal kingdom—dipping into the plant kingdom or fungi like mushrooms- not only do you not have to worry about getting something like Dutch elm disease, but never has an auto-immune polyradiculoneuropathy been blamed on a head… of lettuce.	Powerful and brilliantThanks for making today’s video.You mention in the video “a quarter of daily chicken breast consumption is associated with a doubling or tripling of lymphoma risk.” In numerical terms, what do doubling and tripling refer to here……for instance, if 2 out of 10,000 get lymphoma even if they do not eat chicken breast, if the 10,000 did eat chicken breast then 4 or even 6 people could be expected to have lymphoma in association with eating 1/4 pound of daily chicken breast?I’ve always had a difficult time understanding this sort of stuff in doing the conversions to hard numbers. I hear people say “if you eat that you’ll increase your change by cancer by 44%.” Does that mean that of, say, 100,000 people, and 212 of them, say, are expected to get cancer under normal conditions, if they consistently ate something bad, in this case causing the 44%, that 93 more people would get cancer,(.44 x 212)? Thanks for any help understanding this.Very informative… but how do we get enough calories without animal or fish products? 1 famous doctor has also eliminated all oils to prevent heart disease… what to do, please…losing too much weight!I’ve been a vegetarian since 1971, and vegan since 2011. Never had ANY problems losing too much weight. Eat more nuts, seeds and coconut. Good luck, it’s worth it to explore this new diet.Confused… with high glucose that fruits cause, and fat from seeds and nuts which clog arteries, what amount of carbohydrates are healthy… And safe? Underweight is negative, too… and. no dairy, either… well, this is way too difficult to process…fat from nuts and seeds does not clog arteries. Check out some vids about them, they are quite amazing. Anyway … live is deadly -> can’t really help that. But you can surely boost quality and quantity of it with the right nutrition :).No dairy, no B12, no oils… from 122 to 101… 5’5.5″… hypothyroid… heart and primary care doctors said start eating… but I do, I just need more calories… that are not available as Toxins says below in greens veggies and fruits! And what about calcium, magnesium and potassium… can’t eat beans due to constant gas… potatoes are high glucose… still can’t figure this out… lettuce has no food value and how do we get Omega-3’s if not from fish that I’m now paranoid about because of fish tumors that I have never heard of before… and the high glucose and high blood pressure are scary… didn’t think that vegetarians could even have those… going to the grocery is like walking through a mine field… everyone wants the perfect fuel, but, with so much division in thinking, how can we ever be sure… and happy at the table, an important ingredient in life, at least to me…B12 via supplement or fortified foods.You don’t need dairy – no other mammal consumes dairy as an adult why should we?Calories through fruit. Eat avocadoes, asparagus, brocolli, capsicum (peppers), spinach, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots the list is almost endless.Flaxseed oil is high in Omega 3 as are Chia seeds.On the whole vegans have less health problems than meat/egg/dairy eaters.Beans may give you gas initially but if you keep eating them you may find you gut bacteria adapt to them and handles them with no gas.Eat mushrooms.Vegans foods are on the whole cheaper than animal based foods. Buy the local farmers markets not supermarkets.Thanks, but, what about high glucose in fruit because of high readings? I love fruit, too! Will check out Flaxseed… mushrooms, well, I guess, but eating fungus does not ring my chimes… Yes, we do buy at farmers’ markets here… hope to overcome feeling so limited…The sugar in fruits cannot be compared with straight table sugar. Eat plenty of fruits. Also, stick with the ground flaxseed, not the oil.Don’t focus on what you can’t eat – focus on what you can. The whole vegie aisle!Not sure about your glucose concerns? Very few vegans have diabetes. Drink water not soft drink or bottled juices. Fruit comes with fibre and all the nutrient not just glucose.There are lots of milk alternatives. Not many cheese alternatives unfortunately.I’d much rather eat a fungus that the flesh of a dead animal.Hi Mercedes, do you have diabetes, and is that why you wish to avoid fruit? You may find this information from PCRM helpful.http://www.pcrm.org/health/diabetes-resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-diabetesCarbohydrates are fine, however lowering fat in the diet is necessary in order to improve (decrease) insulin resistance. Consuming sugar is not really the problem; consuming sugar and then having that sugar remain in the bloodstream, rather than being taken up by the cells, is the problem.In fact if a type-2 diabetic currently taking insulin switches to a low-fat vegan diet, it is recommended that they do it under doctor supervision, since within only a couple days their current dosage can become too high and they may become hypoglycemic.High glucose readings, I have read, can be worsened with fruit… yes, this is helpful… a platelet lowering med may be causing insulin production problems… so grateful for this info… not in insulin… and hope to never be on it… grateful for this info… :-)Hi Mercedes, when I first went plant based I was overwhelmed with what I should and shouldn’t eat. Its new and confusing for everyone at some point so don’t worry. Some of the experts have good books with recipes – like Dr Fuhrman’s book Super Immunity, or Thrive Foods by Brendan Brazier.In order to keep up the calories, I eat boiled potatoes, rice, whole grain oats, quinoa, millet, root vegetables, berries and other fruit – and I eat lots! These foods are more calorically dense. Lentils are easier on my system than beans, and really nice to cook with. I have enjoyed getting into indian cooking – things like potato and spinach sag aloo with rice is easy and delicious. Or a Tarka Dahl with red lentils and tomatoes. If blood sugar is a problem, avoid sweet fruits and monitor your levels, Many insulin sensitive people do great on fruit – and some do not – but if you eat right insulin sensitivity can resolve itself, so fruit becomes more of an option.Good luck!Don’t worry so much about the details of the diet, proper nutrition is easily had. This diet is quite simple to follow. Beans are only gassy because they are prebiotic, but you can expect this to dissipate after a while. Greens have plenty of calcium, potatoes are perfectly healthy foods. Getting enough omega 3 is easy if you include flax or walnutsi n your diet, even without walnuts or flax, you can still get enough omega 3 consuming veggies. Check out these links below to calm your nerves. https://www.facebook.com/notes/jeff-novick-ms-rd/potatoes-diabetes-dietary-trends-truths-about-taters/434650191818 http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/ http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=7828Mercedes: Others have already given some great responses. I thought I would add one more bit of advice that I don’t think has been mentioned yet: the 21 Day Kickstart Program.http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/This program is free on-line. It holds your hand through the whole process – from grocery lists to recipes to meal plans to inspirational articles and videos and even mini-cooking shows. It is a great resource for people who feel overwhelmed about how to change their diet. By doing the 21 Day Kickstart program, you will get very good feel for what a healthy diet looks like. It should remove all the confusion and angst.Best of luck to you.Thanks so much… I will look at this program right now… Again, thanks for this link.Complex carbohydrate sources such as beans, brown rice, potatoes, whole grains, oats, etc. should make up the bulk of your diet. this will ensure proper caloric intake, as consuming purely greens, veggies and fruits is very difficult to maintain as you will be grazing all day. If you are consuming food when your hungry, till your full from whole plant foods, you will stabilize at a healthy weight.Reading that some of us do not have proper digestive enzymes to effectively digest beans… what about that? I’ve tried for years and pay dearly every single time that I eat them! I don’t want it to be that way, but the bloating and discomfort are unacceptable… Thanks for your thoughtful concern…I personally don’t have any problems digesting beans, but you are certainly not the only one who does! There are many traditional remedies which I personally haven’t tried, but that might help you:Traditional Indian medicine uses Asafetida to help with digestion of beans. Kombu (a seaweed) is sometimes used as well. There are also many other herbs (search for “carminative herbs”) that are said to help. These include common herbs you might already use like garlic, ginger, mint, thyme, cumin, coriander, oregano, and many others. Although if you are on any medications (you mentioned a platelet thinning medication), I would check these individually to make sure they would be safe for you.b00mer: Great reply.Another idea to try: Baking soda. Check out this:http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/does-adding-baking-soda-to-soaking-beans-reduce-raffinose/One advantage of plants is that they have fiber. It is often explained that meat doesn’t provide beneficial fiber into our diet. Do fungi give us beneficial fiber?Yes, fungi, such as mushrooms, do have fiber according to the USDA database. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2482/2OMG this is one of the most shudder-producing videos you’ve done. I’m still shuddering at the notion of the head table. I am SO happy I’m a vegetarian of long standing.Ay, my poor father, the late butcher.Dr. Greger, what if anything is known about exposure to fish flesh in one’s own home? I’m thinking specifically of “human grade” canned pet food made from fish and the inevitable splash-ups of the wet kind–and our washing their dishes day in and day out and the cans the food came in (for recycling), in terms of something like mercury exposure (and other concerns I don’t presently know about). As people who eat a vegan diet, we’re all too aware of the bad that comes to ocean life and the environment, at large, from purchasing such foods; now I am wondering about human exposure to fish “essence”, even if those humans eat a vegan diet. Thank you for your time.Aerosolized brain !? Sometimes humans ask for problems…..Very informative video and no one would have put this out but you! I am a vegan with a big problem and now I’m really concerned about it. I have hypothyroid and I take a Thyroid product that is made from porcine. I can’t go off my thyroid, so should I take a synthetic thyroid, what is that made from??? HELP.Ask your doctor for synthroid instead. It’s identical to human thyroid hormone but made in the lab so it’s 100% pure. BTW, my friend cured her hypothyroidism by taking a tablespoon of coconut oil a day. I can’t figure out that one! Could be she was really suffering from an adrenal condition.Thank you, Dr Greger!When i first became a vegetarian, I used to worry quite a bit about combining foods to get enough “complete” protein, but all that has fallen by the wayside, and I’m healthier than ever! Without processed foods or animal protein to mess up my system, I get all the protein I need from vegetable sources. Vitamins and fats, too. There’s no going back!Indeed, all whole plant foods contain all the essential amino acids and are complete proteins.Animalia – our shared KIngdom. Maybe eating IN our own Kingdom is the problemI wonder when meat will come with a warning? Probably never because of “BIG FOOD” corporations.I am having a bit of trouble as a recently diagnosed celiac regarding what to eat to ensure adequate absorption, particularly while my damaged gut heals over the next 6 to 12 to 16 months, depending. It seems that any argument made regarding ease of absorption of foods may not apply in this case. When people have malabsorptive disorders, whether (hopefully) temporary (though some research shows that few adult celiacs entirely recover from the damage inflicted while undiagnosed) or chronic, what are good recommendations regarding eating as a vegan, regarding absorption of, let’s say, iron, for example, from plant sources while the gut heals? Will the vitamin C added to iron still work for us? Are we just supposed to deal with the fact that we are going to be that much less capable of absorbing things? Doctors elsewhere tell me to eat easily absorbed foods (i.e. animal-based) which bothers me, but plant-based people only seem to have advice for people with perfectly functioning villi. So what do we do? It seems eating meat (or even being exposed to it at all) is out of the question but how to cope with less absorbable nutrients when we already suck at absorbing things? In case it wasn’t obvious, I am so frustrated.I found my digestive system was at its best after a 10 day juice fast – and I’ve read that juicing is easy on the digestive system and easily absorbed. Have you looked into juicing? I started in carrot and apple, lemon and ginger – and now do green juices of apple, spinach, kale and wheatgrass. One of the nicest recipes was a green juice that was then blended with half an avocado and ice – the avocado fat would help the absorption. Fermented and predigested foods might also be an option – but I guess high fibre and raw foods may be out for now.Fiber is the best antidote for a digestive tract, as being able to easily absorb something does not equate to the healthfulness of the food. Oil is very easily absorbed but it does not improve digestive health and the same can be said for sugar water, which is what juice essentially is in terms of macronutrients. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/If you must have it in liquid form, smoothies retain the fiber.Of course, fibre is essential for digestive health – but this is a specific case where perhaps digestive rest for a short time may be really good in the case of severe damage to the microvilli.Maybe it would -maybe it wouldn’t – but I was merely stating my opinion that juice fasting did wonders for my digestive system – and I stand by that.You know, food is also essential – but water fasting is miraculous for short periods in certain situations.And to compare juicing to water or oil, based on macro nutrients completely misses the point of juicing, because it is all about the micro nutrients!Juicing gives the digestive system a break, whilst at the same time supplying nutrition. Sometimes this can be a useful tool.Amazing information Dr. Greger. Thanks.Okay, does this mean that people who work in meat departments of grocery stores are also at risk? My partner, also vegan, works at one: he packages meat, and will at some point be trained to cut it as well. Jobs are hard to come by around here (the other option is seasonal work at a fish processing plant)… He wears gloves, and is very hygienic, but in your opinion is he still going to be at risk working there? We were under the impression that this would be a relatively safe job.YUK!!!This is very disturbing – but in truth, we get what we deserve. I am only sorry that the first line of people affected are the marginalized folks who have no choice but to perform these jobs. As we eat misery, so shall we enjoy.Hi Dr. Grieger. This is facinating, could you please post the references for the papers you cited here, I would really like to read them, this research provides valuable evidence for my current Post Doc in environmental education and a case for prioritising plant-based education. Sincerely. DylanI hope you found the sources in the Sources Cited tab.I have done some terrible jobs in my life, but fortunately blowing the brains out of pigs heads wasn’t among them. Rates right up there with diving in sewage treatment ponds (not making that up – it’s a real job). Fortunately being vegan, and not a commercial diver allows me to avoid both.Since we first began to hear about swine flu and various strains of bird flu, I’ve held the opinion that there is a strong connection between non-human animal viruses and human health. Evolutionary theory holds that all change in organisms is the result of mutation in a species – be it a virus or a more complex multi-cellular organism.The exchange of genetic information in one form or another is one means by which interspecies transmission is possible of materials needed for mutation to occur. Somewhere in the midst of all this, viruses learn to adapt to and overcome our normal defences and we are presented with a new health threat.While the studies you have mentioned do not specifically deal the mutation of viruses, it does point to the potential for damage simply from exposure to materials from other species. In the greater scheme of things, this alone should raise a red flag with regard to what we are doing to ourselves by ingesting things we were never designed to actually to process.Nice will shareBrain material is by nature conserved among species and uses compounds to communicate that are polar around an axis. The only thing that can dissolve brain is a likewise polar substance. Breathing brain material is a major cause of brain deterioration and a cause of something resembling zombism. Serotin and Dopamine are bad for the brain if breathed, as are compounds that are non-polar mirrors, like acidic fats found in brain. Maybe pig workers have brain problems because they’re brains are dissolving from compounds that attack the highly sensitive receptors in the brain of these very mirrored polar compounds. Smelling varnish or paint or gas fuel, which is mostly non-polar with some polar additives, can break down the brain. Some people do this to unlock memories when old. Sometimes when memories die in the brain we can see them. What is strange is the memories can be reborn or recreated, perhaps through the mirror pathways of the electro chemical mind. The brain is mostly made of fat, and nothing helps this as much as familiar tastes like berries, beans, nuts, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and dark chocolate. I hope there is a solution for the brain melting in pig workers and those with alzheimers. Perhaps their brains are attacking themselves. Perhaps this could be solved with reality, not despair. Perhaps mad cow disease is a kind of protein or particle that can get in the blood and dissolve the polar mirror surfaces. Perhaps drinking juices or tea can lessen the spread of this killer.	Alzheimer’s disease,animal products,animal protein,arthritis,autoimmune diseases,avian leukosis/sarcoma virus,beef,blood cancer,brain disease,brain health,brain parasites,brain tumors,brains,cancer,cancer survival,cancer viruses,chicken,coma,epilepsy,farm animals,fish,immune function,inflammation,lettuce,leukemia,lymphoma,meat,mortality,mushrooms,organ meats,pain,parasites,plant-based diets,polyradiculoneuropathy,porcine endogenous retroviruses,pork brains,poultry,poultry viruses,poultry workers,protein,reticuloendotheliosis virus,rheumatoid arthritis,seafood,seafood workers,seizures,sheep,veal brains,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,viral infections,zoonotic disease	A higher rate of cancer deaths among those that handle and process meat is attributed to infection with viruses and chronic exposure to animal proteins.	See the last video Poultry Exposure Tied to Liver and Pancreatic Cancer for the data on poultry exposure and cancer deaths.Though exposure to farm animals growing up might be associated with cancer risk, what about growing up with dogs and cats? See Pets & Human Lymphoma and Are Cats or Dogs More Protective for Children’s Health? You still probably shouldn't eat them, though (see Foodborne Rabies).For more on foodborne illnesses one can contract from fellow animals, see, for example:Probably the strangest example of this whole concept is the Neu5Gc story. A 7-part video series definitely worth checking out:For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Handling Poultry Tied to Liver/Pancreatic Cancer and How Animal Proteins May Trigger Autoimmune Disease.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/01/handling-poultry-tied-to-liverpancreatic-cancers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epilepsy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veal-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyradiculoneuropathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/porcine-endogenous-retroviruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organ-meats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seizures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avian-leukosissarcoma-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sheep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reticuloendotheliosis-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-selection-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17393666,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21795741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21724184,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7740353,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19787653,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22662646,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21497401,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15329910,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1963317,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20849338,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22225855,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20169641,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21467730,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20884795,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21884967,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21158943,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20130162,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19945916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20541185,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21696495,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19561064,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19886343,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20865275,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21469007,
PLAIN-2704	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/	Poultry Exposure Tied to Liver and Pancreatic Cancer	Thousands of Americans continue to die from asbestos exposure decades after many uses were banned, because the cancers can take years to show up. We are now in the so-called “third wave” of asbestos-related disease. The first wave was in the asbestos miners, which started in the 1920s; the second phase was in the workers—the ship-builders and construction workers that used the stuff in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Now, as "buildings constructed with asbestos over the past six decades begin to age and deteriorate, not only are workers at risk, but "Potential also exists for serious environmental exposure to asbestos among residents, tenants and users of these buildings, such as school children, office workers, maintenance workers, and the general public.” "The Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have projected that over the next 30 years approximately 1,000 cases of mesothelioma and lung cancer will occur among persons in the United States exposed to asbestos in school buildings as school children." But it all started with the workers. As one internal industry memo callously put it, "if you've enjoyed a good life while working with asbestos products why not die from it."To see if something is carcinogenic, you study those who have the most exposure. That's how we learned about the potential cancer-causing dangers of asbestos, and that's how we're learning about the potential cancer-causing dangers of poultry viruses. For years I've talked about the excess mortality in poultry workers associated with these wart-causing chicken cancer viruses that may be transmitted to those in the general population handling fresh or frozen chicken. Last year I talked about the largest study at the time “confirming the findings of three other studies to date that workers in poultry slaughtering and processing plants have increased risk of dying from certain cancers,” and adding penis cancer to the risks linked to poultry exposure. That was looking at 20,000 poultry workers. Well, we have yet another study now looking at 30,000.The purpose of the study was to "test the hypothesis that exposure to poultry cancer-causing viruses that widely occurs occupationally in poultry workers—not to mention the general population--may be associated with increased risks of deaths from liver and pancreatic cancers." They found that those who slaughter chickens have about 9 times the odds of both pancreatic cancer and liver cancer.Just to put this in context, the most carefully studied risk factor for pancreatic cancer, one of our deadliest cancers, is cigarette smoking. Even if you smoke for more than 50 years, though, you ‘only’ about double your odds of pancreatic cancer. Those that slaughter poultry appear to have nearly 9 times the odds.For liver cancer the most well-known and studied cause is alcohol. Those that consume more than a four drinks a day have triple odds of liver cancer. As with pancreatic cancer, poultry slaughtering appears to increase one's odds of getting liver cancer 9-fold.There are diseases unique to the meat industry, like the newly described "salami brusher's disease" that affects those whose job it is to wire brush off the white mold that naturally grows on salami for 8 hours a day, but most diseases suffered by meat workers are more universal. The reason the connection between asbestos and cancer was so easy to nail down is that asbestos caused a particularly unusual cancer, which was virtually unknown until there was widespread asbestos mining and industrial use. But the pancreatic cancer one might get from eating chicken, is the same pancreatic cancer one might get smoking cigarettes, so it's more difficult to tease out a cause-and-effect-relationship Bottom line: despite the extremely high risks of deadly cancers, don't expect an asbestos-type ban on Kentucky Fried Chicken anytime soon.	Hmmmmm. My father was a butcher. He handled mostly red meat but some pork and chicken for years. He survived both colon and prostate cancer until he contracted a rare degenerative blood disease (Amyloidosis) and that took him. I wonder if butchers are more at risk….perhaps﻿ we can conjecture???I actually published a paper about amyloidosis and meat consumption in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition, and Public Health. Full text can be found here: http://birdflubook.com/resources/Greger_IJFSNPH_1_2_103.pdfMy sincere thanks, Dr. Greger. I read it. I’m not a medical professional. I’m an engineer but i was able to follow much of it. A very fine article. I must share this with my family. I wonder if anything has been published since your article on the link btn amyloidosis and nutrition???? 1000 thanks!I had fostered a small number of ex-battery hens, and I was worried about this. Fortunately, since they are white leghorns, they are immune to the AA fibrils, thank goodness. Well, according to your article and the research of the day. It wouldn’t surprise me if they have somehow lost the immunity. If not, it begs the question as to why they have immunity, and all other vertebrates do not. Very interesting stuff!The video posted above is about asbestos mortality. Thought you might want to know.Ooops, didn’t read far enough. Disregard.So, no evidence of a link to the general population yet. Excellent!That is gross and one more reason I’m glad to eat plant-based, whole foods. Wasn’t there a movie starring Denzel Washington, where the intelligent powers that be used a virus to combat some other illness? Although it was fiction, it didn’t turn out to well. Yah, I’ll stick with veggies.I believe it was Will Smith – I am LegendAre the conveyor belts at the supermarket check-out counters contaminated with Salmonella and other types of harmful bacteria that derive from fresh meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy? Any studies on this?Jed L: The following video from NutritionFacts.org may interest you:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/I appreciate the link. We are all being exposed to chicken juices, beef juices……on these checkout counters and belts when paying for our groceries. The video didn’t go into this but I am wondering what effect these “juices” are having on my veg’s and fruits. This is the study and video I hope to see someday.Ah. Yes, very good question.Whether there is a specific study on this particular topic or not, I believe those counters and belts have to be terribly contaminated and some transfer is inevitable. I’ve taken to bringing re-usable produce bags and bagging up everything, including stuff I would not have previously bagged, like bananas. I think the produce bags provides a layer of protection. Of course, it is not perfect and you then have to wash the bags…, but after watching Dr. Greger’s videos, I don’t like having my food directly touching such likely contaminated surfaces.Of course, it’s not just the belts. What about the hands of the people stocking the produce? Etc. We could drive ourselves nuts thinking about this. So, I also try to keep some perspective on the issue. While reasonable precautions are a good idea, it is not worth living in fear. Better in my opinion to accept some risk without a second thought.That’s just my 2 cents worth. Good luck to you.Shopping at a farmers market, getting your food through a CSA or other local food distribution can prevent this as well.Or making sure you shop somewhere that cleans the belts and has a clean operation.I don’t think they can clean it good enough. Did you see the recent series Dr. Greger did on people cleaning their kitchens – even with detailed directions using bleach – and there were still dangerous bacteria found in the kitchen. Even if a supermarket somehow managed to truly clean their surfaces (which I don’t think they can) every single day, the first time someone plops their contaminated packages on the belt that day, the bacteria is back. I’m just saying, I don’t care how clean it looks or how much the sales person tells you she/he cleans the surfaces they work around, I would treat it at germ-laden.Makes me wonder about the real risk of cross contamination whenever chicken dishes are served in a restaurant with ‘vegan’ options. They are not biohazard labs either.IMHO the more I research the more I find that there are bacteria and viruses every where. (To include already in your body.) You can not get rid of them. The fact that they are airborne means that you can kill them with chlorine but in a few minutes they are replaced. That is not to say we should not clean. But I think along with cleanliness the biggest factor is our bodies ability to defend against them. And a plant based diet empowers us the most to do that.I’m a big fan of farmer’s markets too.Yes, let’s not live in fear but consider this: there seems, to me, to be a big difference in what is on the person’s hands stocking the fruit and veggies verse the dripping salmonella juices dripping through raw chicken packages….the blood from red meat packages…as it forms a nice layer on the conveyor belt that several hundred and more people will pass through each day. I am not saying be saying this in sarcasm. If someone stocking produce had salmonella juices and red meat blood constantly on their hands I think they would be removed and put in the….meat department. Yuck. But blood and raw chicken juice seem to be prevalent at the register. And I don’t think a swipe of the paper towel counts as “cleaning things up.”Agreed.We need veganic grocery stores!I would love for a “fast food” chain to open up that served whole foods plant based, low sodium low fat meals at a low price. I have always dreamed of this kind of store! Sadly, the only few places that I can truly eat out at and stick to my diet are whole foods and Kublai Khan.Call your local TV news station to do the tests in your local markets. KATU in Portland does this kind of testing and boy is it informative. But someone please explain to me why grocery checkers always act like I’m such a hassle when I ask them to clean the conveyor belts.Was there any distinction between workers who worked in large factory farm plants vs workers who worked in a more sustainable operations where the chickens we able to actually run around and be chickens? I wonder if you studied the two groups separately you would get different results. This report makes it seem like all workers who slaughtered chickens have the same risks, but that might not be true and it might be dependent on what type of plant/farm they worked on. Think of Tyson compared to Polyface farm, big difference.When you were talking about liver cancer being caused by alcohol, you suddenly switched and said lung cancer. I’m assuming you meant liver cancer throughout that segment, since you had already covered lung cancer in the previous paragraph.Did this include chicken’s egg which are organic, free range?Dr. Greger love your work. Saw you here in Buffalo. Thank You for what you do. Your work has made a profound impact on my food consumption. I share it with others all the time.Do you feel like the source here is mass produced poultry or ALL poultry? In the past we have had farm chickens here and have eaten a few. Not sure we want to get some again. I do like the manure for my garden and the bug reduction around the garden and barn. We don’t eat them or the eggs “much.” I’m down to less than one serving a week of meat/poultry/eggs.Also in the above chart on alcohol consumption it looks like people that have a few drinks a day have reduce risk. Do you feel this way?“Don’t expect to see a ban on Kentucky Fried Chicken soon.” Excuse me! You don’t BAN what you think is unhealthy; you INFORM people of the dangers or risks and let them make their OWN choices. You are not a health dictator! At least I didn’t think you were.Stick to what you do best — providing excellent information to those who will benefit by it, if they choose to follow your advise.I don’t think the good doctor is being a dictator. Asbestos has been banned for health reasons, so has lead in water pipes. There are precedents, but I don’t think Dr. Greger was telling people to lobby for the abolition of KFC (although I personally wouldn’t touch the stuff). It was more a bit of his sense of humor. If you’ve seen him speak in person, you’d probably pick up on that. Can’t blame if you if you didn’t, though.Since my Dad died of pancreatic cancer, now I’m doubly glad I’ve given up poultry (& meat)Although heating asbestos would make no difference, since it is fire resistant, wouldn’t cooking poultry denature the virus, and thereby stop it from causing cancer by this route? Then the risk would apply to workers that handle live virus, but not to people who eat cooked poultry, right?Very good question! I guess it depends on whether the cooking temperature kills the particular virus in mind and whether (as it seems to be the case) that the virus enters the body before the package of the chicken is even opened (see recent video on the subject).I recommend this video (regarding bacteria rather than viruses, but still relevant to the point of cross-contamination):http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/Excerpt:“Can’t you just use a meat thermometer and cook chicken thoroughly? We’ve known for 36 years that it’s not always the meat, but the cross-contamination… [ ]… And they know it was cross-contamination because the jump happened after the animal was prepared but before it was eaten. Not only did it not matter how well the chicken was cooked, it doesn’t even matter if you eat any! It’s the bringing of the contaminated carcass into the home and handling it.”Can you just clean your kitchen? Well, you can try:“After [the volunteers] cook the chicken [they] have to wash everything with hot water and detergent; they were told specifically to wash the cutting board, knobs on the sink, the faucet, the fridge, the doorknobs, everything. The researchers still found pathogenic fecal bacteria everywhere. Fine. Last group. This time they were going to insist that people bleach everything. The dishcloth was immersed in bleach disinfectant and then they sprayed the bleach on all those surfaces. Let the bleach disinfectant sit there for 5 minutes. And still they found campylobacter and salmonella on some utensils, a dishcloth, the counter around the sink and the cupboard.”Viral infection of a chicken tumor was first discovered in 1909. There are many types and strains of virus with different effects. Viruses can be used to treat cancer too. Newcastle disease is caused by a virus that can be transmitted from chickens to humans. It has been shown to selectively kill human tumor cells with low toxicity to normal cells. Its anti-cancer properties have been known since the 1950’s.Animals raised for food in deplorable conditions (closely packed, extreme stress, mediocre food, prophylactic drugs etc) are likely to have immune suppression and other factors contributing to chronic infection.Research on plant viruses and their possible impact on human health – negative and positive – is emerging. The most abundant viruses detected in human feces are not human viruses but a “large and diverse community” of plant viruses. The most abundant plant virus is mild mottle virus found in “peppers”.Species have evolved defenses against being eaten. Animals have “fight and/or flight”. Plants don’t have flight but can defend and “fight back” with physical attributes like thorns, bitter compounds to dissuade the eater or anti-nutrients and toxins to make the eater suffer or die.Researchers have just started looking into possible DNA damaging substances in common plants used as food such as tea and coffee. Excessive DNA damage is another mechanism behind cancer. When DNA is damaged the p53 gene gets activated for repair. Tea and coffee activate this gene as much as 30 fold, similar to the chemotherapy drug etoposide…at least in lab dishes. We’ll have to wait and see what that means.Dear Dr. Greger: my daughter and I are both in the Alternative health industry and we debate as to why folks that get off eating animal products get weak and lethargic. I say it is because the body starts to dump impurities and she says its because the blood sugar drops. which is right? Millan ChessmanMillan: re: “…folks that get off eating animal products get weak and lethargic.”I’ve never met someone who went on a whole plant food based diet get weak and lethargic – other than one person who wasn’t getting enough calories. As soon as she added some nuts and seeds to her diet, she not only stopped feeling shaky, but she developed a ton of energy.I can’t imagine what kind of people you are seeing. You might want to check out Dr. Gregers video on body building as there are several references there about some of the strongest, fittest, most athletic people on the planet being vegan and winning strength awards. These people are the opposite of lethargic. Something to think about concerning your base assumption.I have been in the health industry for 32 years and have seen over 30000 + clients. might want to read my book “Cleanse Internally”. I can tell you people do get lethargy when they change their diet to plant base. seen hundreds of these folks. I believe because they are releasing impurities. Dr. Greger would love your input. http://www.millanchessman.comWhat are these workers doing to these chickens?I have no doubts about these studies. However, assuming women still handle most chicken in the typical American home (if there is such a thing), how do you explain the rate of pancreatic cancer seems to be fairly split between men and women.Hello Dr. Gregor,My family and I are big fans of yours. I and all of my immediate family members are vegan. I became a vegan about 11 years ago, then my sister, then my father, and then my brother. My mother was the last one to make the switch about 7 years ago. We owe much of this to your great work and how readily available you’ve made it to the general public. Thank you for that!!!However, my extended family is not as receptive to the vegan message. My father called me a couple days ago and informed me that my uncle (his brother-in-law) had recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Interestingly enough, he decided to see a doctor after noticing that he was having trouble digesting chicken. As you know, pancreatic cancer is a very serious cancer and although my uncle is optimistic about his future, many of us are not. We would love to tell him to go vegan to improve his chances of survival, but we suspect this sentiment would not be well received.My question for you is: Do you happen to know of any cancer treatment centers that employ a plant-based diet as a part of their treatment program? You know, one where they wouldn’t be telling you that you’re eating vegan, but on their program you essentially would be. My uncle lives in the Chicago, IL area. Any input or advice you have on this topic would be much appreciated!Thanks again! -AnnaAnna: I’m happy to hear about your immediate family’s success. I went through something similar with my parents, but like you, the rest of my family still doesn’t get it – including a sibling and my poor, young nephews. I can so relate to your post.I’m very sorry to hear about your uncle. I’m hoping someone can jump in and answer your specific question. I just don’t know of anything like that personally.What I have to offer is probably not going to be helpful, but just in case, I thought I would share: I have watched a McDougall video (available free on YouTube) titled, “Why did Steve Jobs Die?”. I am not suggesting you have your uncle watch that video. I just thought I would share that the video talks about Steve Jobs living with pancreatic cancer for 30 years. That’s really quite a long time given how fast the cancer usually grows. And Steve Jobs was vegan most of that time.Dr. McDougall was not claiming that being vegan helped Steve Jobs to live longer than Jobs would have otherwise. We just don’t know one way or another. Put it is a very interesting story and we have reason to believe that the diet probably did slow down the cancer.The reason I bring this story to your attention is that sometimes anecdotes, especially of famous people, can be motivating to people. I figure it is a really slim chance that you would want to mention this story to your uncle, but you might think about it to see if mentioning how, “Steve Jobs lived *30 years* with pancreatic cancer on a vegan diet.” would be helpful or not.Best of luck to you and your family.Five and a half years ago I developed an episode of acute pancreatic necrosis. After a month in a hospital bed I finally recovered, thankfully, without having to undergo surgery. Of course, i immediately gave up alcohol, lemonades, fried, spicy and high-fat food. Later I shifted to a vegetarian diet (mainly for ethical reasons). I tried going altogether vegan but failed to stick to veganism properly. Last year, being a vegetarian, I nonetheless developed 2 more episodes of acute pancreatitis. Sadly, in Ukraine where I live there are very few physicians, to say nothing of dietitians, who know something about veganism. All of them vehemently recommend that I resume meateating or, at least, consume more dairy. Surely that’s not an option for me. However, I can’t figure out a proper vegan pancreatitis menu on my own. To make matters worse, the range of vegan options in this country is terribly limited. I understand that eating oatmeals, blueberries, strawberries, acai, apricots, beetroot, cucumbers, broccoli and tomatoes won’t supply me with all the necessary nutrients and vitamins. What else can I add to my grocery list? (Yet again: it’s hard to lead a vegan lifestyle in this country even for a healthy person, let alone someone diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis and chronic cholecystitis.)	alcohol,American Academy of Pediatrics,beverages,cancer,cancer survival,cancer viruses,CDC,chicken,children,EPA,industry influence,liver cancer,liver disease,liver health,lung cancer,lung disease,lung health,mesothelioma,mold,mortality,pancreas health,pancreatic cancer,penis cancer,penis health,poultry,poultry viruses,poultry workers,salami,salami brusher's disease,smoking,tobacco,turkey,viral infections,wart viruses,warts	Cancer-causing viruses in poultry may explain increased risks of death from liver and pancreatic cancers.	I've addressed this topic before. See:It's ironic that the meat industry wants to add viruses to meat (Viral Meat Spray) to combat fecal bacterial contamination. But I'd take that over their other bright idea any day (Maggot Meat Spray).A human wart virus, HPV, can be combated with green tea (Treating Genital Warts with Green Tea) and plant-based diets in general (Why Might Vegetarians Have Less HPV?).Although workers with the most poultry exposure appear to suffer the greatest excess mortality, increased deaths from cancer are also found in other slaughterhouse workers. More on that in the next video Eating Outside Our Kingdom.If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.For more context, check out my associated blog posts: How Animal Proteins May Trigger Autoimmune Disease and Handling Poultry Tied to Liver/Pancreatic Cancer.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-academy-of-pediatrics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/warts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mesothelioma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salami-brushers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salami/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wart-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17393666,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21795741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21724184,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7740353,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17849022,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22662646,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21497401,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15329910,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20849338,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20169641,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1809120,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20884795,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21884967,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21158943,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19945916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21696495,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19561064,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20333310,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20865275,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21469007,
PLAIN-2705	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/	Eating Better to Look Better	Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption may kill millions around the globe every year, so the public health community is not beyond appealing to vanity. Health is intimately linked to attractiveness.How do you tell if someone's healthy? You look for that golden glow that comes from the carotenoids in fruits and vegetables, found to increase the attractiveness of African, Asian, and Caucasian faces. Here are kind of before-and-after shots, with more and more fruits and vegetables as you go left to right. Most think the greater fruit and veggie group on the right appear healthier and more attractive.College students going from 3 servings a day to the recommended minimum of 9 servings a day for just 6 weeks significantly improved skin color, and it's possible that even smaller dietary changes could help as well. And if we do switch to a healthier, plant-based diet, the worse we eat now, the more attractive we may become later!Public health advocates hope that research suggesting healthy eating may "affect mate choice and sexual selection" can provide a powerful message for promoting healthy eating, towards boosting fruit and veggie intake up to 13 servings a day.And while a rosy glow associated with cardiovascular health in the face and lips can also increase one's appearance of healthfulness and attractiveness, the color red can also reduce junk food intake. People drink less soda from cups with red stickers than from cups with blue stickers and eat less from red plates than from blue or white plates. How crazy is that? They speculate it's because our brains subconsciously are thinking "red traffic lights, stop-signs, red alert," and therefore, what are you putting in your poor body!?!	So red meat is actually a warning sign !HaHaHa. Hot red peppers too!I understand what you’re saying, but didn’t understand the sentence “And the worse we now eat, the more attractive we may become!” What?Yeah, that got me too. Whaa? So I paused the video and read the accompanying text and realized what he meant: “Thus, individuals with the lowest fruit and vegetable intake may enjoy the most improvement in appearance.” [assuming they start eating the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables.] In other words, if you start out with a horrible diet, looking terrible, you have more room for improvement than someone who doesn’t eat, or look, too bad. It’s like saying people who are one hundred pounds overweight and go on a diet can lose more weight than people who are twenty pounds overweight and go on a diet.Perfect explanation!!!!! Thank you :) I also paused at this point to see what he meant :)After 71 years, I’m finally beginning to eat more fruits and veggies. However, I may be a wee bit to late for the “glow”; but I’m going to keep trying. Don and I CAN! :-))It’s never too late for the glow! Good for you and Dan on your efforts to be healthy. It’s impressive when people are willing to change habits that have built up literally over a life time. I enjoy your posts Southlander.“Red alert”, was that a Star Trek reference? Awesome.This is another great video. I have no objections, but the end of the video got me to thinking:Without looking at the study about how much people eat based on plate color: I’m willing to concede that it is possible that people’s consumption changes based on the plate color.But the researchers explanation for that difference makes no sense to me. I am under the impression that humans are particularly attracted to the color red. For example, many berries are red. We LOVE berries. And tomatoes. And red bellpeppers.And while not exactly proof of anything: many people have asked the dog toy company, Kong, why their products are red when dogs don’t see red. (But dogs do see yellow and blue.) The company reply: “Dogs don’t buy Kongs.” I believe the implication is that the company expects humans to buy more red Kongs than blue or yellow. I don’t know if they did any studies to back it up, but I do believe it is the prevailing street theory that humans like red. So, why would humans eat less food on a red plate?My tentative answer for myself: Just because humans may pay particular attention to red, does not necessarily mean that we see it as a safe color. But then I get back to those berries. My opinion: We need a lot more thought before we can feel comfortable that we have a reasonable explanation for the phenomenon.All of which is really beside the point of the video. :-)In all of the pictures shown, the people look like they’ve gotten a tan. It’s been proven that we have a biological preference for tanned skin so I suspect it isn’t about the carotenoids but about the UV-induced vitamin D3.Carotenoids can work synergystically with a tan to cause an intense “glow”. Even alone without a tan, the effects are noticeable. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/If you put two people side by side I’m sure you can see the difference. When my oldest was an infant, he ate so many sweet potatoes he was actually yellow. People asked if he was sick, they didn’t seem to find it appealing.What I’m saying is that I think people find it more appealing when you show the same person with and without it, because they perceive it as a tan. We are biologically hardwired to find a tan appealing.How do you define a plant-based diet, Toxins?Check out these folks, they are pretty golden. They’re not eating many carotenoids though.If you check out Dr. Greger’s source for that claim, you find that the people in the pictures did NOT consume more fruits and veggies progressively, but rather the researchers simply photoshopped their pictures. They have no idea if we prefer looking at the faces of people who eat more fruits and veggies because they didn’t look at that.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3296758/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/#comment-1044130124The study supports my argument, I am only presenting the data. If you have conflicting evidence then please share, otherwise I see no point in arguing a philosophy.Your argument doesn’t refute my argument. Whether it’s a tan or yellow baby syndrome, we perceive it as a tan. And in many cases, the culture merely has that color skin naturally, like those Inuit pictured below who eat little or no plant food.Every wino has a red face and nose too, I wonder who sees that as attractive?As pointed out by Dr. Ian Stephen in regards to the study ‘Carotenoid and melanin pigment coloration affect perceived human health': “We found that, given the choice between skin colour caused by suntan and skin colour caused by carotenoids, people preferred the carotenoid skin colour, so if you want a healthier and more attractive skin colour, you are better off eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables than lying in the sun.”Too bad the red Solo cup doesn’t reduce drinking alcohol for some folks…Are there any studies on dark circles around the eyes? Been following this site since summer with a whole food plant based diet, and no improvement. Green smoothies, even reduced sodium intake. I know it’s not genetic b/c there are those very, very rare days where I don’t have them, and then the next day they’re back. For example one day after eating at an indian buffet (which has a lot of oil and fat but lots of antioxidant spices)… the next day my face and circles were very clear.Do you itch or rub your eyes often, for example from allergies or makeup sensitivity? This can lead to minor bruising under the eyes which shows up as dark circles.Are there any studies on dark circles around the eyes? Been following this site since summer with a whole food plant based diet, and no improvement. Green smoothies, even reduced sodium intake. I know it’s not genetic b/c there are those very, very rare days where I don’t have them, and then the next day they’re back. For example one day after eating at an indian buffet (which has a lot of oil and fat but lots of antioxidant spices)… the next day my face and circles were very clear.In leu of the effects appearance has on personal behavior, it may be interesting to investigate the effects of veganism on eating disorders. I personally have been prone to compulsory overeating, which I feel has been somewhat cured by veganism. Maybe there have been some studies published?Kaleb: I’m not aware of enough research to be able to answer your question. However, I wanted to share a related comment. I am in the process of reading Dr. Barnard’s book titled, “Breaking the Food Seduction: The Hidden Reasons Behind Food Cravings—And 7 Steps to End Them Naturally” One of the subjects Dr. Barnard covers is how a proper vegan diet can control food cravings. I’m not sure if it is the kind of proof you are looking for. But if this subject interests you, you may want to check out the book.Good for you on taking your own health into your hands. Good luck!Thea, thank you I will check this out.wowwww so now i understand why I am crazy about my lady’s appearance and vice versa. so our vegetarian diet make us both appealing to each other (but yes of course this is one package with love) ahhahahahaDear god!Go metric already crazy medieval/dark age Americans! 9 – 13 servings, ounces and cups, LOL. Abolish those crazy cup feet and ounces already!Decimals have been proven to be more usefull to everybody, expecting the entirety of your populous to be mathematicians, as is needed for imperial system, is just full blown insanity!Are you at least teaching your kids that there is this other way of measuring that works like regular math? Its like Galileo Galilei vs the catholic church refusing to accept the new reality over there.A lot of good it did the church too in the end, it effectively lost its power over nations because practical observation overtook dogma.The longer you people wait with the switch the louder the laughs across the rest of the word. To most with any decent education across the rest of the globe your stubbornness is already worth a chuckle, just so you know.Anyway nice vid Dr. Greger on the skin tones.Regards from across the pond, Arjan den Hollander.People drink less from red-stickered cups than blue cups? Well Coca cola has obviously had its marketing ALL wrong for years. They could have been a REAL success if only their cans had been blue….Even though I am a vegetarian /vegan/raw food activist I kind of don’t agree with pictures that was shown in your videos . they all look to be the same picture of a person in different lighting !I agree with you, it looks like photoshop was used in the pictures.We use Creative Commons to find picture. If you ever have a suggestion for a great picture just let me know.What’s the best type of nut and/or seed for your skin?I recently emailed this question and was asked to pose the question on here.What is the best but and/or seed for anti aging your skin?Are there any other foods you recommend specifically?Thank youHi LittleVoice thanks for reposting. We know protein and B vitamins in general aid skin, hair, and nail growth. Dr. Greger has a page on skin health that may be super helpful, as it explains other foods for skin health. I am not sure the best nut, but it seems walnuts, flaxseeds, and Brazil nuts offer a host of heath promoting benefits. See if these links help and let me know if you have further questions?Best regards, Joseph	cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,fruit,heart disease,heart health,junk food,mortality,physical attraction,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,sexual selection,skin health,soda,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Public health campaigns can use vanity to improve fruit and vegetable consumption, since experiments show carotenoid phytonutrients improve the physical attractiveness of African, Asian, and Caucasian faces.	I previously covered this topic in Golden Glow and Rosy Glow, though I'm so glad we now have data from people of color as well. Can't we just swallow supplements instead of salads? See my video Produce, Not Pills to Increase Physical Attractiveness.I'm certainly not above appealing to vanity. Whatever it takes to get people healthy. Hence videos like:50 Shades of Greens describes a similar tact to promote more plant-based eating by appealing to sexual function and performance.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Improving Attractiveness in Six Weeks.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/26/improving-attractiveness-in-six-weeks/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-selection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/physical-attraction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21775554,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22390433,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22390434,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21289225,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3728360,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22245725,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22384969,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19337378,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20942361,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21829156,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12725716,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21680931,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21757270,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22412966,
PLAIN-2706	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-our-taste-buds/	Changing Our Taste Buds	How can we overcome our built-in hunger drives for salt, sugar, and fat? We now have scientific evidence to back up the claim that if you go a few weeks cutting down on junk food and animal products, your tastes start to change. We now think humans may actually taste fat, just like we taste sweet, sour, and salty, and people on low fat diets start liking low fat foods and high fat foods less.Our tongues may actually become more sensitive to fat. And the more sensitive our tongues become, the less butter, meat, dairy and eggs we eat. Whereas we get a blunted taste for fat if we pile too much of it in our faces, it’s also associated with eating more calories, more fat, more dairy, meat, and eggs and even being fatter ourselves. And this change in sensation, this numbing of our fat sensation, can happen after just a few weeks.Put people on a low salt diet, and over the weeks they like the taste of salt-free soup more and more and the taste of salty soup less and less. Your tastes physically change.  If you let them salt their own soup to taste they add less and less the longer and longer they’re on the diet. It tastes just as salty with half the salt. A control group liked lots of salt in their soup, but to those who've been on sodium restricted diets regularly salted foods taste way too salty and they actually prefer less salty food. People should be assured that their diet gradually may become more acceptable as their taste for salt diminishes. The longer we eat healthier foods the better they taste.	Does not take weeks to change our taste. Takes a day, according to Doug Lisle, the first video on http://treegrower.org/Health/Health%201.htmlMy taste changed by coincidence. I started eating whole-food plant-based foods and my taste changed.It can take up to several weeks to months for peoples taste receptors to change to prefer natural, whole plant-based foods. Everyone is a little different in how long it takes.Several years ago, I started eating sweet corn with no salt or butter. I find it to be much more delicious and fresh-tasting than when I salted-and-buttered it.Part of that might be because you couldn’t really taste the corn’s taste as it was being masked by the salt+butter. In a sense, it’s a new taste for you. I feel sad about corn, that I might never have it fresh and organic again living on Maui the GM seed corn production center of the whole world (Maui produces and ships 80% of the GM seed corn for all the GM corn grown worldwide). I’ve painted myself into a similar corner with tea. I add a ridiculous amount of honey, + the juice and chopped zest of a quarter or half lemon + a teaspoon per cup of juiced ginger root. I now realize I’m using the tea to deliver the honey+ginger+lemon I’ve become kind of addicted to. When I wake up I start thinking about it. Is that an addiction sign?I am a living testimonial that this process of changing taste is true. By way of illustration, here’s a quick anecdote.In 1979 I was diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia. My condition. was severe enough that under the direction of my nutritionally oriented doctor, I eliminated all concentrated sweeteners from my diet.After a month with nothing sweeter than steamed carrots I noted how most vegetables I would previously thought to bland seemed remarkably sweet and had a more intense and delicious taste.A week later, while on a business trip with an associate we stopped at a famous Canadian donut shop. As I stepped through the door I was virtually knocked back by the overwhelming sweetness of the air inside.Until that moment I was entirely surprised by the sensory overload I got just from being in the same room with dozens and dozens of sugar offered confections. I found the smell to be so powerful I actually had to leave.Not only was the sweet smell no longer attractive, but it had actually become repellent.mdouble – Thanks for posting this story. I love it.I totally agree. As like you in the 70’s I was diagnosed with the same condition, and followed the same plan. I find I cannot walk past one of the fast food stores that sells foot long rolls. The overwhelming smell of the bread ingredients bowls me over. And as for sensory overload, I find it difficult to be in a crowd where the people are bathed in perfumes/deoderants/body products. Something that I had never noticed before. I can’t/wont eat processed foods the taste is “off”, everything now is organic, home grown or home made. It was like I have been in a fog for a great part of my life.Food odor molecules binds with receptors in the nose, that signal to the brain the type of food ect. In this case, it was overly sugary and not being addicted to this drug, by a proper lifestyle change, the brain found this too overbearing and as a result, one was repelled from the very presence of this substance.This is so true. Happened to me especially with butter and fried foods that i used to pile on my plate. But no more!Okay, cutting out refined sugar, bad fats and too much salt is doable for the health conscious. I’m concerned that some of the GMO’s have so much sugar engineered into them. I can’t eat some oranges because it’s like eating a mouthful of sugar. It didn’t used to be that way.Perhaps the sweetness of the orange itself has over time become too intense for your taste buds? All fruits we eat today have been bred to suit us better. For example, seedless grapes, bananas and others.I have a unique palate maybe. If I get too much sugar in my mouth, it will form into a big sugar luge, which I spit out. I dare not swallow it. I’m guessing other people do not do that. I know that sugar embedded within fruit fiber is okay. I eat lots of seedless grapes, seedless watermelon and bananas by the bunch.we have definitely bred fruits to suit us better, but the idea that cultivated fruit is sweeter or higher in sugar is a myth. most of the changes have to do with the thickness of the skin/rind, the size of the seeds and how long the ripe fruit will keep before rotting. from a caloric perspective, fruit contains the same amount of sugar whether wild or cultivated, and about 50 percent of that is fructose.“Both wild and cultivated fruit seem to average around 90% of calories from carbohydrates, and have a sugar composition that yields roughly equal parts glucose and fructose. And both wild and cultivated fruit can be relatively high or low in fiber.”~rawfoodsos, Wild and Ancient Fruit: Is it Really Small, Bitter, and Low in Sugar?I never commented on the sweetness of the fruits, I was commenting on the fact that we altered them. Bananas were once more mango shaped and seedless grapes are an altered product as well.“I never commented on the sweetness of the fruits”whuh?“Perhaps the sweetness of the orange itself has over time become too intense for your taste buds? All fruits we eat today have been bred to suit us better.” toxins, 4 days agohow many separate personalities are rattling around in your noggin?Your taking it out of context. I was referring to the desensitization of his taste buds, not the fruit itself being modified.I like peanut butter, Toxins. Do you ski?ah ha hah! my kid sister used to say that all the time. i think it went over his head tho.I could argue for the multipart personality of you and paleohuntress. I believe you 2 are the same person, why else would “paleo huntress” come to this page only to up-vote your comment and down-vote mine along with your down-vote. Team effort? or just 1 person with 2 users. Fishy indeed.I follow RWV’s feed, and up/down voting is a simple matter from my iPhone while out or at work. Composing a comment though is better done from home with an actual keyboard. (like now) I often visit the threads of people I follow, and when appropriate I up/down vote comments too. Sometimes they’ve said all there is to say and there’s nothing to add.On this page, there are several comments that have been up-voted by others who themselves have not left comments in the thread.This is very, very fishy, indeed.>.<Is that why you both have the same IP address of 96.233.76.15? Is that why a supposed “vegan male bodybuilder” has the email address of fantsc_girl_2@yahoo.com? drop the act. The IP address alone is hard proof.I check the feeds of the people I follow when I come to the site to respond to the comments directed at me. It’s not magic, Toxins, it’s a dashboard.I don’t know enough about IPs to argue a case, but according to this source,“Due to the shortage of available IPv4 addresses and the way that ISPs manage their networks, most IP addresses change often. For residential internet access, this means that the IP address typically changes every few days to few weeks.IP addresses may be controlled by 12 different people in one year, or hundreds of different people in one day. This is because the IP isn’t a human, it is simply a routing address, similar in some ways to your phone number. Unlike a phone number, most IPs aren’t assigned to individual humans.”It seems to me that since I created this account in Late Spring and RWV joined a few months later, even if both accounts were from the same person, they wouldn’t share the same IP address.NutritionFacts’s privacy policy states, we “may disclose your personal information only when: We have your express consent to share the information for a specified purpose”. If you had valid access to his account, you’d have to refrain from publicizing his real email and IP address or risk ejection from the group, so we both know it’s a smokescreen. And if you’re not a mod, hacking someone’s account may be commonplace online, but it’s frowned upon in most civilized communities.If you continue to slander my ID here, I’ll lodge a complaint directly with Disqus and Dr. Greger. No matter how potentially fond he might be of you, showing members that his privacy policy is meaningless, or leading them to believe you’d hack accounts, isn’t likely to be something he’d approve of. They can’t keep you from coming back under a new ID, but you’ll lose access to everything you’ve plagiarized into comment windows for the last 3 years.Not buying that your not RWV, and I have no intention of “hacking” anyone’s account. I was simply showing the evidence which is available to anyone with a disqusPay no attention to that man behind the curtain.By the way, good job in changing your email address from fantasc_XXXX_X@yahoo.com to realworldXXXXX@yahoo.com. You need to cover your trails better next time you choose to act like a child and fake 2 accounts.holy transexualism batman! a dude spends one weekend away and comes back a dude-ette! [my wifes brushin my inner girls hair right now]. if i kept gettin failed for plagiarism and craptastic arguments, id want to draw attention from it hella bad too.you got me. im totally paleo huntress and im gabriel cousens and denise minger and robb wolf too and lets see who else…….. oh yeah dude im also ginny messina and matt frazier and chris masterjohn, im even t colin campbell. we are rockin a party. come join us here where we know the diff between correlation and causation and where observation never = controlled trials.no really— come on.rwv a/k/a the paleo huntress et alGood cover paleo huntress but not buying, the IP’s do match, which means the same computer is being used. Enough of your absurd game.why cant I see the IPs? I dont know where to look.you said anyone with a disqus could see. Is there a special page? could you post the address for it?Toxins is a NutritionFacts volunteer, which is why he has the “NF Team” symbol in the gray box next to his alias. This means that he has been given moderation privileges allowing him to see every user’s email and IP address. All of the NF team members can easily confirm the validity of what he is claiming.Im taking an internet safety/privacy course in school right now and what he’s doing isn’t ethical and may even be criminal. As a website owner, a moderator that abuses his power and publishes personal information about members isn’t someone Id want representing me. Nutrition Facts may even be held responsible because they’re supposed to vet anyone acting on their behalf. A reactive moderator who is willing to ignore the policies of the forum he or she is supposed to be maintaining could be dangerous. I can see from his activity that this moderator went outside this thread to post the information in other threads too which adds to the severity of the violation. And because people get email notifications, even when a comment is edited, the notifications will still contain the original information. Using XXX to change the last several letters doesnt protect the member’s privacy when the email address matches the member’s user ID. The moderator may as well have spelled it out completely and if I understand the comments, it looks like he shared an email address in its entirety once before, before editing it. I’ve been coming here on and off since I went vegan a little over two years ago and have commented several times in many of the same threads as Toxins, I’ve voted up him comments and have occasionally replied or commented to him. We’re becoming a digital world and now that I’m learning about internet privacy, Im concerned about this kind of moderator behavior. Knowing that a moderator ignores Dr. Greger’s owns policies makes me feel unsafe commenting here. I expect a moderator to be above this, they have to be or they shouldnt moderate. I hope others are willing to speak up about it too, just because you agree with the way someone thinks, doesnt mean you should accept unethical behavior. Having two accounts isn’t illegal and doesn’t seem to be against the rules here, but what this moderator has done is probably both illegal and against the rules. Id hope that the person he violated doesnt pursue any legal action because it’ll probably be the doctor that it ends up costing. At the very least this site’s reputation may suffer. I’m gonna share this site with my TA this afternoon and see if he thinks it’s a good example to analyze with the class and maybe itll turn into this semester’s project. I’m also juiced at the thought that the information here might help a few of my classmates still trying to take off the freshman 15! I don’t think they’ll risk becoming members but they can still read. We’re supposed to start our own blogs, which is what brought me here to poke around the other day. I wanted to pay closer attention to how the different blogging sites work before I chose one.Nice post. The following the threads has been an education.The straightforward application of Occam’s razor suggests that the internet personas identified as ‘Paleo Huntress’, ‘Real World Vegan’ and ‘Liz’ are all the product of the same mind.Correct, the IP’s do matchI recommend that we all use sincere communication, rather than deception, to deal with disagreements on nutrition. A litigious person can only get so far, as illustrated by the Rocky Balboa response.Nice try Paleo HuntressShe does this all the time on Youtube. She’s fanatical.She trolls all the time on Youtube. She’s fanatical.She trolls everywhere… she is an equal opportunity troller.As a person she has fixated on, I’m riveted and just shaking my head about this. It explains SO much! Thank you!But not by “genetic modification”, as in “transgenic” , correct?Kind of a version of the ratcheting method. In optometry you always need a new eye exam and a new prescription if you need glasses. They get stronger every time, the wearer gets more and more dependent. So a lot of us are used to continual high amounts of (_____)I would like this to happen with mushrooms for me.amnimatty: While I happen to love mushrooms, I totally understand your sentiment. There are foods that I really *want* to like, but just don’t. Yet. I tell myself, ‘yet’ to make sure that possible future preference changes are not blocked by a closed mind.I have some ideas for you that may or may not help with your mushroom problem :-) : The first thing is to try to figure out if your dislike is texture or taste based. Or both.For example, I have a friend who told me for *years* that she didn’t like broccoli. So, one day I brought her a sample of the ‘broccoli slaw’ you can get in stores that is made up mostly of slaw-shaped broccoli stems. She liked it. Turns out she had a problem with the texture of the florets, not the taste of broccoli. Now she has something to work with to get broccoli into her diet.If it turns out you have a texture problem with mushrooms, you might try playing around with different forms and amount of cooking them. Or hiding them in other foods. (Say putting small pieces in sauces). Or marinating them. Etc.If it turns out you have a taste problem, you might try some of the less common mushroom types. I understand that taste varies quite a bit between varieties. Or do the hiding in other foods trick.You might also try to think if your dislike of mushrooms relates to an unfortunate negative childhood association. For example, I used to think that I didn’t like red cabbage because my mom always served it in a dish that I didn’t like. And for years, I avoided it if at all possible. But when I tried red cabbage by itself as an adult, I realized that it wasn’t too terrible. I didn’t really like it at that point, though, because I had too strong of a negative association with it. So, then I worked to put red cabbage in some dishes that I really liked and was able to slowly change my association to the food. Now I like it.Just some ideas for you. Good luck.Great ideas Thea. I used to “hate” kale until I learned to mix it with other foods I liked (hiding it, as you said) and also chopped it finely so I wasn’t put off by the texture.Seri: Yes! Texture is so huge. I didn’t realize how important a factor it was until I started trying to eat healthy.While I do not hate the taste or texture of kale, I did start putting it in my slosh (think fruit smoothie… but not very smooth) and I was really expecting it to be bitter or something. I put a BUNCH in there and don;t even notice it. Thought about making the chips, but I am so not a kitchen person… maybe one day I’ll try that.Guess I was bored last night, so I decided to try a hot beverage consisting of unsulphured blackstrap molasses and cocoa powder. Just spooned the two ingredients into a mug, added a couple of ounces of boiling water, and stirred the mixture. Then I added the balance of the boiling water and stirred again. Super-intense chocolate flavour without any bitterness. This can’t be legal.Mike Quinoa: You idea so intrigued me that I kept your post around until I could try it. My conclusion: You are a taste sensation genius. I was really surprise how good it tasted.I ended up doing a ration of about 2 to 1, molasses to cocoa. I appreciated your idea of mixing with a little water first and then adding the rest. I did it all in the microwave and that worked fine too.Anyway, wanted to say, “Thanks!” for taking the time to share your inspired idea. I appreciate it.Hi Thea, Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier. Glad you enjoy it. Apparently that cocoa is just loaded with good stuff :)From personal experience, I found this to be exactly true. In my 20’s, having been plagued with flu and colds, I decided to throw out everything that isn’t healthy in my kitchen, including the white bread, white rice and white sugar that I greatly preferred. I replaced them with the brown rice and bread, and honey, and forced myself to eat them, since that was all there was in my kitchen. In exactly 2 weeks i was completely surprised to find I preferred the less refined pasta, whole grain breads, etc. Also, every once in a while I stop all added sugar, and any and all sweetened foods, and a month or so later, a quarter of a teaspoon of honey sweetens my tea, where before i required a teaspoon or two. Slowly my “tolerance” builds until it’s time to cut it out again.“OUTSTANDING” video filled with intelligent information for all. I’ve not used – except for occasional french fries and am slowing going to “nutritional years” and/or garlic – in over fifteen (15) years. Do not miss it. Don and I CAN! :-))Ok – so how long will it take for me to love broccoli and broccoli sprouts as much as blueberries?! I’ve noticed my taste change alot – but I just haven’t found a way to prepare broccoli yet which makes me really look forward to it. Any tips?Light steamed broccoli with some spicy salsa on top.I prefer brocolli florets raw, in salads, and there its really all about learning to make your own dressings. The vinaigrettes I make for my own salads are so piquant with pressed garlic, mustard powder, black pepper and powdered herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme etc), that I mix up blander concoctions for family & guests. Do look into fruit vinegars, as they can really change up a balsamic heavy routine.As for steamed broccoli, I’ve come to like it with prepared dijon mustard. If you prepare your own mustard (without cooking the myrosinase out), there’s evidence mustard can improve sulforaphane production in cooked broccoli.I love it in soup made with yellow split peas. I just recently discovered that split peas make the soup somewhat creamy. Delightful for those of us who like a somewhat thick texture.Thanks for your replies! How about a recipe for a garlic vinaigrette Darryl? The split pea soup is a nice idea. I sometimes make lentil dahl and I’m going to try that with broccoli.Char grilled broccoli will change your life! Seriously it makes it taste completely different.This is exactly what I experienced – being much more sensitive to salts, sugars, “fats”, etc., and find it almost impossible to eat many processed foods. I noticed it about 30 days after beginning to eat “clean”, but after about 3 months, I was very salt intolerant, fats intolerant, and super-sweet intolerant.This is a subject, with regard to specific neurology and physiology, where I would like more specifics. I found this far, far too basis. There was no topical reference to neurology, orthonasal, and retronasal impressions. How cellular turnover on the tongue and of the nerve cells in the nose effect the olfactory bulb stem cells. These specifics are literally how taste and thereby preference for particular tastes change and develope. Does this particular video deal exclusively with the “experience inducible mechanism” in the taste buds themselves? And is the reason for taste change occurring in a 2-3 week period because that is also the lifespan of cells on the tongue?Logan810:FYI: These videos are meant to be executive summaries of one or more scientific studies of interest. Anyone who wants a more in-depth understanding of the science can follow through with the original studies by expanding the “Sources Cited” section.Hope that helps.Gotta agree. The longer I eat vegetables, the more I enjoy them :)Seek Jesus and HE will solve all of your problems, nothing else will. God Bless.Eliminating added sugar, salt, processed foods not only results in the taste buds’ sense of salty, but also of all the other flavours in whole foods. After giving up sugar and salt, bananas, raspberries, strawberries – for instance – tasted not only better but also different. I felt several flavours I could not feel before.I agree, I can eat an entire box of pre washed baby arugula just like that without dressing and I find it sweet and flavorful. Others find it too spicy and bitter. I don’t taste those flavors at all, perhaps very mildly.Is there any research done on natural/Greek yogurt? Is it healthy or unhealthy?NormanAllen: I don’t know if Dr. Greger has specifically addressed traditional Greek yogurt, but he has definitely addressed dairy in general. And yogurt is just concentrated dairy. There is plenty of research suggesting all dairy, including yogurt is not healthy. This will get you started:http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=dairyHope that helps.And also, when veggies become your mainstay, you’ll begin to notice subtle differences in varieties and sources and nuances one cannot distinguish as you could when eating the salt/lard/sugar laden diet. Among the first things a vintner learns is how sugar can “hide a multitude of sins” when things don’t come out just right.Honestly I personally know people in the high carb low fat community who have ben hospitalized for hyponatremia, me included! All because of the lack of sodium in our blood which is vital for basic human function and lacking this mineral leads to death. Dr.Greger are you absolutely sure that we ALL should avoid salt? I mean this is a serious matter… It’s one thing to avoid animal products high in sodium and all processed food but for those of us who already follow a whole food plant based diet, specifically high in carbs and low in fat, are you sure that we should also avoid salt??? I’m no scientist so I trust your advice but I have to say that most of your audience here is already vegan and eating minimally processed food and that a little salt miht probably be just what “the doctor ordered “, in order to avoid the terrible experience that many of us have had. Hyponatremia is serious and can lead to fast death. Looking forward for your reply! Please do reply? Thank you so very much. JoanaPs- please take a look at this study if you get a chance: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/expphysiol.2007.039891/fullNot “avoid” but keep under 1500mg.day based on the latest recommendations by the American Heart Association. I agree that It can be a problem, Dr Greger mentions “drinking too much water without replacing electrolytes on hot days in people unaccustomed to the heat can lead to dangerously low sodium levels, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t in general lower our sodium intake” MGDr. Greger plans to do more on this topic very soon!. In the meantime this paper sums up the need to lower sodium nicely.Thank you for answering Joseph!	animal fat,animal products,body fat,butter,calories,cheese,dairy,eggs,fat,junk food,low-fat diets,meat,milk,obesity,salt,sodium,soup,sugar,taste buds,weight loss,yogurt	Within a few weeks of eating healthier, our taste sensations change such that foods with lower salt, sugar, and fat content actually taste better.	This is exciting news! That's why I've always encouraged my patients to think of healthy eating as an experiment. I ask them to give me three weeks. The hope is by then not only do they feel so much better (not only physically, but in the knowledge that they don't have to be on medications for chronic diseases the rest of their lives after all!—see Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants), but also that their taste sensitivity has been boosted such that whole foods-as-grown regain their natural deliciousness. To see how a healthy diet can make you feel, check out the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine's 21-Day Kickstart program at http://www.21daykickstart.org/.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Want to Be Healthier? Change Your Taste Buds.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/24/want-to-be-healthier-change-your-taste-buds/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taste-buds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19337378,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21775554,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22390433,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21289225,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3728360,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21829156,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12725716,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21680931,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22245725,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22384969,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21757270,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22412966,
PLAIN-2707	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-adults-to-eat-healthier/	Tricks to Get Adults to Eat Healthier	We saw that just changing the name of healthy foods can have a significant impact on children's eating habits. Are adults as gullible? Yes. For example, in one study, people actually reported "traditional Cajun red beans and rice" tasted better than just "red beans with rice" even though they were both the exact same dish!Back in World War II, lots of domestic meat was shipped overseas, leaving lots of organ meats behind: the hearts, kidneys, brains, stomachs, intestines, and even the feet, ears, and heads of cows, hogs, sheep, and chickens. The challenge was to encourage people to eat chicken heads and sheep ears. To accomplish this, the Department of Defense evidently enlisted dozens of the brightest, most famous, psychologists to determine how dietary changes could be accomplished. Taste wasn't the problem. People would eat brains as long as you didn't tell them they were eating brains. So their solution was to invent mystery meat. Just don't tell consumers what they're eating. And the same can apply with healthy foods.As with organ meats in the 1940s, the suggestion that a food contains soy may be so powerful that some people convince themselves they do not like the taste. For instance, you give someone an energy bar that says it has soy protein in it and people rate it as grainy and tasteless, compared to identical bars with no mention of the word soy. In reality, there was no soy in either of the bars. It's what you call a "phantom ingredient" taste test. Simply the suggested presence of soy made people believe they tasted it, and they evaluated it accordingly. In general, a large percentage of consumers taste what they want to taste.So can you use the same vegetable sneak attack tactic, so successful in children, on adults? It turns out that covertly adding hidden pureed vegetables to meals works for adults, too—and even for vegetables they didn't like. It was shown that the adults’ dislike of the vegetables that were incorporated into the entrees did not affect the consumption of the vegetable-enhanced entrees. This indicates that the incorporation of pureed vegetables into entrees increased the intake of vegetables even when the added vegetable was disliked, the big babies. And of course, the more vegetables you eat, the fewer calories you get, so you get the twin benefit. They were eating up to a pound of vegetables a day and 350 fewer calories. Keep that up you could lose 30 pounds a year without even trying.	thanks for the videoYou are most welcome!What do you think of sneaking into meals good veggies like cabbage through sauerkraut? Would this fall under the no-no by you (kimchi bad)?Also, how about sourdough bread? Is this sort of fermentation similar to kimchi, with similar negative consequences to health?Olives that have been soaked in brine (just about all have) concern me as well. Any similarities with the kimchi process of making?These seem like all good foods raw or cooked, but the whole fermentation, brining, sourdough culturing things worries me because of the kimchi studies.Jed: I’m not sure what you are getting at. Are you suggesting that people would eat more veggies if it came in the form of sauerkraut? I can’t imagine Dr. Greger or any of the good doctors on this forum recommending sourdough since it is usually made with refined grains. So, it’s not something you would want to sneakily get more into adults.You don’t have to respond. I just thought I would let you know that your point or question may not be clear.FYI: I do know the kimchi studies you are talking about. Those were very interesting.Is sauerkraut as bad as kimchi, according to Dr. Greger’s thinking – kimchi videos? I assume they are one and the same. I’m a bit confused on this. sauerkraut is easy to sneak into foods, but if it is bad like kimchi, I should stop.Sourdough can be made with whole grains. I just assumed that the culturing, fermentation,bringing process were interrelated and therefore was wondering if there were shared negative traits amongst kimchi, sourdough fermentation, and brining/salting of olives.Ah. I think I understand your question better and share it myself to some degree. Dr. Greger has at least one video showing fermented foods having negative impacts, but I believe there is at least one other video (which I can’t find right now) which looked at different types of fermented (pro or pre-biotic?) foods which had a positive impact. So, what’s up with that?I’m not an expert. I hope someone who is will answer your question. But for what it’s worth, here’s my take: The term ‘fermentation’ seems to cover a wide range of end products and bacteria mixes. Some of that bacteria would be good for us and some bad and in some cases, a mix since the final product would not be controlled. Thus, without much more research, it would be hard to make blanket statements to answer your question.Olives, sauerkraut go through the curing, pickling, lye, brining processes, and they come out tasting wonderful but others elsewhere have expressed concern.I do wonder if Dr. Greger has ever flat out said “don’t eat sauerkraut. Don’t eat olives.”While kimchi and soybean pastes are risk factors for gastric cancer, its not clear if its the increased nitrates and secondary amines in these fermented foods, or just the high salt content, that is responsible. In another study correlating salt and nitrate consumption with stomach cancer mortality, the focus was squarely on the salt, as at lower salt intakes stomach cancer was lower with higher nitrate (also a marker of vegetable) intakes.So maybe high salt-sodium intake is what is causing the problems with kimchi. At least this is what I took from your latter citation. I do wonder if significantly reducing the sodium content in the kimchi would negate the negative effects of N-nitro compounds. Darryl, thank you for your insight and knowledge.And to all vegans here: Seriously vegans of this community, does the science available really suggest that even small and occasional servings of kimchi and sauerkraut can be harmful, if one is following a diet that has a healthy sodium intake?Does Dr. Greger’s available science really suggest that a weekly serving of kimchi could be raising someone’s cancer risk to a degree that is worrisome? And isn’t this -kimchi and sauerkraut- a crafty and tasty way to sneak in some vegetables? They taste delightful!From the first paper, the odds ratio for those consuming more than 1½ lbs of kimchi a week of having gastric cancer was 1.57 compared those eating less than 1½ lbs, ie a 57% higher risk. That’s significant, but the delineation at 1½ lbs also represents a huge amount of kimchi for a westerner (a half-cup serving every weekday).Yes, 57% greater risk seems significant. Could you explain in numbers how this equates to odds, meaning, if 10,000 people ate Kimchi at 1 1/2 lbs. per week, how many would be expected to get the cancer as a result? If the second group ate no kim chi, how many of them would be expected to get gastric cancer? I’ve often had a difficult time understanding the math of these figures.No, the study estimated that if you split the entire S. Korean population into just two kinds of people, the half that ate less than about1½ lbs of kimchi weekly, and the half that ate more, the “high” consuming half woulld have 1.57 times the gastric cancer incidence of the “low” consuming half. Ie,low could mean zero, occasional, or a ½ serving every other night. high could mean every night, or binging on jars. The study wasn’t large enough to achieve significance using more statistical bins represesenting different intakes.Actually this is sad. Regarding adults arguments should be enough. Do you want to get sick and die early, then eat meat, eggs, fish, dairy and processed oils. Do you want to stay healthy then eat beans, grains, fruit, vegetables and nuts (98% of the time). How hard can it be…..My personal trick to start eating healthier was to buy a Vitamix to blend all these healthy greens together and cover up any potential funny taste with a scoop of vanilla protein powder. Voilà, a healthy smoothie that tastes awesome :)Daniel: Great idea to share your tricks. I hope lots of people will jump in with ideas on what got them to start eating healthier.Here’s how I did it: I didn’t (don’t) like veggies that much in general, but I realized that there were some I tolerated much better than others. Don’t like kale? Fine! Eat the broccoli you do like. Don’t like big tomatoes? Fine! Eat the cherry ones. Don’t like eggplant? Or zucchini? Fine! Eat the yellow, red and orange bell peppers that you do like. … While there were far more veggies that I didn’t like than did like, I could focus on the ones that I did like. And then slowly work on expanding my pallet. This worked pretty well.Another “trick” that worked for me was to fill a bag each morning before work filled will 2-3 raw fruits and veggies. I never skimped due to cost. I filled it with things I like: Fuji apples, a pound of strawberries, blueberries, 2-3 bell peppers, a bag of sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, etc. And all things that didn’t need prep (which is a key factor for me). Then first thing at work, I put the food in an array on the desk in front of me. (Between the keyboard and monitor) I naturally reach for these foods all day long. I’ve been doing this for probably 10 years now. Prior to this practice, I probably ate a single serving of fruit or veggie once or twice a month. My diet was *terrible.* Now, I’m eating fruits and veggies all day long at least 5 times a week. Over time, my preferences for what I like has changed. But my rule is still to eat what I like, while trying to keep an eye on nutrition density, so that I look forward to each day’s set of snacks.That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.Bottom line: It is not that difficult to eat healthy, if you have the willpower – thanks for sharing.My tricks: sriracha, spicy mustard, curries, and after cooking disasters, more sriracha.Whoohoo sriracha!Darryl: re: “and after cooking disasters” I laughed a that. Been there, done that!Your tricks would make me cry. But if you put aside the painful part of your answer ;-), I think this is a fabulous trick. I’ve used it myself. If you can find a sauce or two or three that you absolutely love, you can put it on almost any combo of veggies, grains, beans, and mushrooms and have a wonderful meal that makes your tongue happy. Good trick.Protein powders are NOT healthy!Thank you. I have ice cubes of pureed kale and butternut squash in my freezer and I pop them in whatever I’m making for my family (works well in pasta, sauces, even oatmeal). It’s time to start renaming the veggies too.I will definitely keep this in mind with my husband and children. Thanks a bunch!Try this stew pureed for a delicious, thick and rich bowl.Heartfall Harvest Stew– 1 cup dried lentils – 5 potatoes, peeled and cubed – 1 carrot, cut in rounds – 3 organic* apples, diced – 3 scallions, sliced – 1 large red onion, chopped – 3 cloves garlic, minced – 5 cups water/homemade vegetable broth – Sprig fresh rosemary – ¼ tsp white pepper – Sea saltPlace all ingredients, except salt, in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until lentils and potatoes soft, about 40 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.*Apples rank 1st (most contaminated) for yet another year in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php~Complements of lovestobeveganThis is one of my favorite videos.Dr. Greger, I was hoping this video had more to do with organ meats, which are touted so highly in some doctor’s diets. I would like to be completely vegan, but these doctors insist that eating organ meats is required for better health — particularly brain health. These same doctors also promote the eating of oils — like coconut oil — which I have been persuade is bad by Dr. McDougall and Dr. Esselstyn.Hope you will touch on these subjects later!	animal products,beans,beef,beef brains,body fat,brains,calories,chicken,children,cooking methods,fat,meat,obesity,offal,organ meats,plant protein,pork,pork brains,poultry,protein,rice,sheep,soy,soy milk,soybeans,U.S. Department of Defense,veal brains,vegetables,weight loss	Changing food perceptions and incorporating pureed vegetables into entrees can improve the dietary quality of kids and grown-ups.	How healthy are those beans and rice regardless of what you call them? Check out Beans and the Second Meal Effect.What's wrong with eating brains? See Avoiding Cholesterol Is a No-Brainer and Foodborne Rabies.Does soy deserve its bad rap? No, see Breast Cancer Survival and Soy. They may be overrated in the cholesterol-lowering department though: Soy Worth a Hill of Beans?Another way to entice men and women to eat healthier is to appeal to their concerns about sexual function (50 Shades of Greens) or vanity:This is the final of a 3-part video series on practical tips for dietary improvement, after addressing Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at School and Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at Home. But how can we overcome our built-in hunger drives for salt, sugar, and fat? That's the subject of the next video, Changing Our Taste Buds. And then another vanity appeal in Eating Better to Look Better.For more context, check out my associated blog post: How to Get Kids to Eat Their Vegetables, How to Get Our Kids to Eat Their Vegetables, and How to Get Parents to Eat Their Vegetables.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veal-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/u-s-department-of-defense/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organ-meats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/offal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sheep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21775554,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22390433,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22390434,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21289225,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3728360,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22245725,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22384969,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19337378,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20942361,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21829156,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12725716,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21680931,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21757270,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22412966,
PLAIN-2708	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/	Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at Home	If you offer kids broccoli or a chocolate bar, which do you think they'd pick? 4 out of 5 pick the chocolate.OK, how proud are the parents of the kids that chose the broccoli right now?But what if you put an Elmo sticker on the broccoli? When an Elmo sticker was placed on the broccoli, it was half and half. 50% chose the broccoli.It works in schools too. A picture of SpongeBob saying, “Got beans?” and 37% more boys and 17% more girls chose green beans. One little sign and kids were eating significantly more vegetables.We saw how we should cut up (or cut out) cookies to minimize consumption. How should we cut up vegetables to maximize consumption? Which do you think 9 to 12 year olds ate more of? Whole slices, sticks or stars? And do they like them bigger, or smaller?The results were strikingly clear. Turns out "Shape was very influential; children clearly preferred having their vegetables cut.” Stars were liked the most. What about whole slices versus sticks? No difference. It turns out that size only mattered for the whole chunk: the ordinary size was preferred to the miniature versions.If they're still not biting, you can apply the same trick I use to get our dog to eat stuff she doesn't like: dip it in peanut butter. "Pairing vegetables with peanut butter may successfully increase intake, even in vegetable-resistant children.’ Offering a salad dressing dip may help, too.Then there's always the hidden vegetables strategy.  In another study, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini were covertly added to familiar entrees so that the appearance, flavor, and texture of the original recipes were maintained, like pureeing vegetables into a pasta sauce, and families weren't any wiser.  Covertly incorporating vegetables into foods can have a beneficial effect on children’s vegetable intake, but it should not be the only way that vegetables are served to children.  Since the appetite for an initially unappetizing vegetable can be increased through repeated exposure, it is important to use several strategies to ensure that children experience different forms of vegetables, especially whole vegetables because they're not always going to be at home.If worse comes to worst you can make a video game. There’s a public/private partnership, “The Quest to Lava Mountain,” where you can apparently harvest kale and gain "knowledge about the health benefits of eating healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods,” and the detrimental effects of eating junk.What may be the best way, though, to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables? This study looked at all sorts of parenting styles - should you pressure them, should you lay off? - and what was the most important factor? The most important predictor of children’s fruit consumption was… wait for it… the parent’s consumption, and that was pretty much the case with vegetables, too. If we want our kids to eat healthy, we have to model healthy behavior. The researchers concluded that in order to try to increase children’s fruit and vegetable consumption, parents should be guided to improve their own darn diets.	Having a good role model is so important for kids. I really like this video.It got me to thinking: How much do role models affect adults? How much does my eating healthy affect the adults around me? I know it goes the other way. People eating poorly around me sometimes entice me to eat poorly. (Those chips shared in the break room sometimes… argh!) This is an important question because it puts the impetus for having healthy kids on everyone in the community, not just the parents — as other people affect parents and then the parents affect their kids.Over the last couple of decades, more and more people are choosing to eat a whole food plant based diet. I wonder how much of that increase in healthy eating is due to influence from other adult role models. While we may not know how much our behavior affects others, we know it does have an effect. Something to think about the next time I sit down to have lunch in the break room or attend a potluck.A number of people have come up to me and said that I have beautiful skin and hair. If my skin is healthy, I thought it was because of good genes and not getting too much sun. But, they said they thought it was more, like my diet.My diet is mostly dark leafy greens for calcium, and magnesium, carrots and sweet potatoes for vitamin A and totally vegan to reduce pain and inflammation, which is a constant.battle since injuring my spine. But, my diet is better now than ever before. I’ve dropped lettuce and added more nutrient rich veggies; dropped meat, white potatoes and dairy inc. eggs, and added healthy veggie and fruit fiber and lots of blue and black berries.I wear no makeup since reading the Environmental Working Group report on Cosmetics. But, even before I read it, make up was really not my thing. With me, it’s what you see is what you receive.Nice. Sounds like your diet is pretty near perfect. You are a great role model for your community and a walking advertisement. :-)This is a great comment, Thea, and a great example of how we are all a part of the issues and solutions. Adults absolutely can affect other adults, just as you note in your chips example. The same concept is why the “buddy system” is promoted for exercise plans – we tend to be more likely to keep up with a regimen when we’re held accountable to someone. Thanks for the great post.TCB Health: Thanks for the feedback!So, what does TCB stand for? I’m guessing “The Country’s Best”Solution: Vitamix, broccoli, beetroot, kale, fresh and frozen fruit and a little juice. And then off to school.Whoa–them are some lucky kids!Great idea…but I am not a gifted cook and am likely to create a disaster unless I have the exact recipe….what proportion of ingredients did you use?You have to use a high-power blender, so there are no chunks (of broccoli). I use Vitamix. 1 fresh peeled beetroot, approx 30 grapes, 3-4 bouquet of broccoli, 1 big handful of fresh kale, 1 slice pineapple (incl. stem), frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, 1 peeled fresh orange, approx 300 ml (depends on the thickness, so it can vary) of apple juice (not from concentrate), 1 slice of lemon or a little piece of ginger. Difficult to be more specific than this in the recipe. It will make approx 1500 ml of the best smoothie. Some would argue that there are too much fruit and too little vegetables, but it is designed to sneak powerful vegetables in the kid. Slowly you can increase the content of vegetables. This and a cup of coffee and I am off to work!Thanks for posting this recipe! I have a hard time coming up with smoothies that work for my own tastes. I probably need your kid version.I was thinking that the one thing I would do add is some ground flax seed. Just a thought.Thanks again for posting this.Actually, I have thought of exactly that – for health benefits. BTW I keep the peel on the slice of lemon (organic of course).Just got around to making your smoothie. Amazing!This smoothie is a great way to get beets into the diet, which is something I have been struggling to find. Can anyone provide any other tips on how to painlessly sneak beets it into the diet? Say, for example, an exact recipe for a whole foods plant based version of Borscht soup.Have you tried to bake them with other root vegetables (sliced like french fries) with a little salt and spicesI found the best way to eat them is to peel the beets, cut it in cubes steam them for 20-30 minutes and then add a couple of tablespoon Organic cider vinegar with a touch of honey to your liking. The cider vinegar seems to eliminate the beet taste and the honey makes it yummy : )Glad to hearDr. Michael what do you suggest for younger children around 12-24 months?I modeled eating veggies even though they mad me gag. I used to pretend to like them, then swallow them whole. Little by little, I learned to enjoy their flavors, though. Now in their 20s and 30s, they all love most vegetables.just me: Wow! That’s amazing. I’m really impressed. What a great parent you are.Question for the good doctor: When we puree or blend vegetables and fruit are we “damaging” the fibre and other nutrients or are we just making them more accessible?I doubt that the fiber and nutrients are damaged from pureeing or blending. Boiling, maybe. But I think they are made more accessible. My two year old grandson has been drinking kale smoothies since he was weaned. He’s very healthy, lean and solid muscle. No fat on this kid.Thanks beccadoggie. That is what I thought but I was wondering if there was any research on this point.When my daughter was small, she never received junk food from me. When I took her to the pool at age 2 1/2, I also took a container of frozen mixed vegetables. And, some frozen cubes of apple or some other juice. By the time she was ready for something to eat, the veggies and ice cubes were thawed and very appealing.Now, my daughter is using her memories on her son although he has always received healthy snacks and meals from her. One way to get Ethan to drink kale smoothies was to puree kale, fresh ginger, and apple in a Vita-Mix blender so herself, and of course, Ethan also wanted whatever his mom was drinking. At the age of 2, Ethan was drinking Kale smoothies. He’s a chip of the ole block!beccadoggie10: Another great story. Thanks for sharing.Does everyone grow their own food? Or, do you buy organic produce and other foods?I ask because I just received an important heads up from the Cornucopia Institute.http://www.cornucopia.org/2013/09/food-safety-draft/Also, http://www.cornucopia.org/food-safety/Unless you grow all your own food…or even if you grow all your own food, it may be at risk because of bad policy at the FDA and USDA, which smells of Monsanto to me!Involvement is important.I’ve been using the Humane Society’s (Michael Greger’s) research and attachments to put comments into the record at the US FDA, and as usual have been ignored. This needs a large momentum to save organic and healthy agriculture!!!.Americans spend a lot of time, money, and chemicals on growing the biggest crop there – lawn grass. I live in a fairly rural community in Japan and most people here have fruit trees and vegetable gardens. Some are organic, many people use chemical fertilizers, but few use herbicides or pesticides. Gifting of fruits or veggies among neighbors is very common.It is isn’t perfection, but which social arrangement has the best opportunity to improve? I hope Americans move increasingly toward food over grass in the yard and from there to organic food. Don’t wait for the government to do something.At least here I have an opportunity to discuss the matter with neighbors as we give each other part of what we’ve grown and encourage better ways of producing healthier food.Cheers.Pandabonium: I’m jealous. Sounds like a way better way to do things to me!I refuse to keep an American style lawn, but I hate gardening and don’t have much of a front or back yard. So most trees and growing my own food are out for me.I love the picture you paint of what happens where you live. Maybe some day I’ll work more on growing my own food. I do have some nut trees growing in my small yard right now. Maybe they will actually produce nuts at some point in the future, and I could gift them to my neighbors. If so, I’ll think of you. :-)Thea, growing food isn’t for everyone, but perhaps you can grow some wild flowers to attract insects (like butterflies and bees) which pollinate food crops and provide food for other animals. Even just sowing some clover will create a nice ground cover that enriches the soil with nitrogen. No maintenance required.Nut trees – awesome. Bless you.Pandabonium: re: “wild flowers” Yes! Got that covered. My yard is a mine field of bees at certain times of year. But I take pride in what grows and what lives there. I have a very healthy family of garden snakes that I glimps fairly often. Also I have seen praying mantises every couple of years. It may be hubris or coincidence, but I think I have a nice diversity of fauna because I keep my landscape natural and chemical-free.Thanks for your thoughts.Here’s the video game for kids mentioned in this video….https://thequesttolavamountain.com/It says it’s available free but you need a “game code” to get it to work and it doesn’t tell you how to get one.If anyone figures it out, please post.MikeHi Mike, I work at The Cooper Institute. We are the developers of Quest to Lava Mountain. In order to get a game code, you child’s school must be using FITNESSGRAM10 software to assess student activity levels in PE class. Do you know if they are using this assessment software? Here is more information about FITNESSGRAM: http://www.cooperinstitute.org/fitnessgram and http://www.fitnessgram.net. Thanks, Amyhttp://engine2diet.com/the-daily-beet/what-amber-brought-to-the-school-picnic/Hi. I’m a mother of 3 kids, and my youngest just turned a year old a month ago. So far all three as toddlers insisted on eating meals consisting of a lot of fruits, as well as other foods like legumes, spelt pasta, vegetables, mushrooms etc, but when it came to fruit it was definitely their favorite, and they would eat pretty big amounts of it at sittings. Health recommendations are that toddlers can’t handle a lot of fiber, and even your article states that they don’t do well on raw food diets (never tried that exclusively). But I’ve had 3 kids and they’ve ALL done this. Even when they eat avocados they still demand fruits like grapes, bananas, berries. For example they left oatmeal uneaten, toast uneaten etc all in favor of a lot of grapes as toddlers and never been sick from it, or anything like that. That’s the reason they actually say they recommend milk and eggs for toddlers (avocados are considered “substitutes for veg*ans).What I’m asking is your thoughts regarding the theory that toddlers can only handle concentrated food sources. I understand that at times small children do go through periods of reduced appetite, so I see the value in prioritizing nutrient-dense foods during those times, but in general? I should add that I have yet to have a child with a small appetite.leanna: I don’t have an expert reply for you, but I wanted to share my appreciation for your posts. You have some lucky kids!My understanding of the point about nutrient-dense foods for kids is to make sure they get enough calories. If a parent has every indication that their kids are getting enough calories and are eating enough variety of foods, I don’t see the point in worrying about pushing say the avocados. That’s just my thoughts/agreeing with you.As for the large amounts of fruits: I don’t know. But if your kids are turning out great and are eating more than *just* fruit, I wouldn’t think it is a problem worth worrying about???Sounds like you may already be aware of the following information (or may be questioning it), but it is worth taking a look at I think the site is very trust-worthy:http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htmHere’s the whole series. Another article may also interest you:http://www.vrg.org/family/I hope you get better replies than mine. And good luck!thankyou :) very reassuring.	beans,broccoli,cauliflower,children,chocolate,cookies,cooking methods,dressings,fruit,grains,green beans,greens,junk food,kale,pasta,peanut butter,squash,tomatoes,vegetables,zucchini	Tips like cutting vegetables into shapes, covertly pureeing greens into sauces, and modeling healthy behaviors can improve our children’s diets.	Where were the kale video games when I was growing up!? :)For a smattering of other video's on children's health, check out:This is the second of a 3-part video series on practical tips for dietary improvement. Check out the last video of the day Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at School (which includes the cookie cutting experiment). Next I'll cover grown-ups in Tricks to Get Adults to Eat Healthier.Anyone think their kids would have chosen the broccoli?For more context, check out my associated blog posts: How to Get Kids to Eat Their Vegetables, How to Get Our Kids to Eat Their Vegetables, and How to Get Parents to Eat Their Vegetables.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cookies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zucchini/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pasta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/squash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanut-butter/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21775554,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22796947,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21289225,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22771184,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20849895,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22027046,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21680931,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22846502,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22032916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22391143,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22741167,
PLAIN-2709	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/	Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at School	What happens if you give one group of kids a plate of cookies and the other group the same number of cookies, but cut in half, and tell both groups they can eat as many as they want? Researchers reported that decreasing cookie size led to 25% fewer cookie calories eaten.The goal of this study was to help counter obesity-promoting eating behaviors facilitated by the availability of large portions of junk food, and the findings suggest that reducing the size of cookies (without altering the total amount of food) decreases children’s short-term caloric intake, a ‘‘dietary strategy’’ for guardians to discreetly decrease unhealthy behaviors. But do you know what's in these things? Partially hydrogenated oil, trans fats. No one should be eating those. In fact, I can think of another "dietary strategy" to decrease kid's intake - don't give them any.Admittedly, this is easier said than done. Even in the ‘granola crunchy’ San Francisco Bay Area, when parents and school administrators proposed to ban junk food it sent a faction of teachers into an apoplectic fit.In Texas, there was such parental outrage, they got lawmakers to pass a Safe Cupcake Amendment. The amendment, known as Lauren's Law, ensures that parents and grandparents of schoolchildren celebrating a birthday can bring whatever the heck they want to school.Fine. What if you just offered fruit in addition to the cupcakes at classroom celebrations? To observe student response to the addition of fresh fruit, bowls of fresh, cut-up fruit provided by the researchers were added to the party food brought by the parents at half of the 4 kindergarten or preschool celebrations. No special effort was made to encourage students to choose the fruit: they just put it out there. Would kids actually eat fruit when there was birthday cake, ice cream, and cheese puffs taking up nearly a whopping third of their daily caloric intake? Yes! On average each kid at a full fruit serving. Take that, cheesy puffs!There are entire curricula available now for schools, such as veggiecation, where for a whole year classrooms feature a new “veggie of the month,’ sprinkled with nutrition mantras like, ‘‘Fiber equals a happy tummy.’’ And it works! " The active engagement of students in tasting and rating of vegetable dishes seemed to have contributed to higher consumption of featured vegetables.”One school was able in some cases to double vegetable consumption-just by giving them attractive names. Elementary students ate twice the number of carrots if they were called “X-ray Vision Carrots,” compared to when they were ‘just’ carrots, or generically named as the “Food of the Day.”How about Power Punch Broccoli, Silly Dilly Green Beans, or calling broccoli Tiny Tasty Tree Tops? Selection of broccoli increased by 109.4%; green beans by 177%. Conclusion: “these studies demonstrate that using an attractive name to describe a healthy food in a cafeteria is robustly effective, persistent, and scalable with little or no money or experience.” These names were not carefully crafted, discussed in focus groups, and then pre-tested. They just thought them up out of thin air. And kids were suckered into eating healthier for months by putting out silly little signs. In this school, vegetable intake was up nearly 100%, while in the control school without signs, vegetable consumption started low and actually got worse. So why isn't every single school in the country doing this right now?! Bring it up at your next PTA meeting.And if you want to get really bold, you can join the nutritious school lunch revolution led by pioneering organizations like the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food.	When I was a child, we all loved to eat spinach because we saw Popeye eat it during Saturday morning cartoons. We wanted to be strong like PopeyeThanks for another practical video. The point is well taken and entirely appropriate. There is no nutritional value to food which is not eaten. Getting kids to eat healthy can be especially problematic. Any strategy which makes it easier to overcome the apparent barriers , on both an individual and social level is much appreciated.Put Joan Cusack on it. The little ankle bitters will eat right, like it AND clean up their rooms!I like the idea with attractive names – what about non-attractive names:Stroke-beef Cancer-milk Inflammation-egg Mercury-fish Diabetes-cheese Coronary occlusion-poultry Cavity-candy :-)Plantstrongdoc, Thanks for the laugh! Great idea! Kind of along the lines of the “horrors of smoking” ads seen in recent years.Plantstrongdoc: Too funny!My contributions include: * poop-crusted legs (for chicken) * puss milk (or puss cheese – take your pick) * die-early eggs * constipation steakI don’t know if it would make any difference given what many kids and their parents seem happy to eat, but it would be worth a shot. :-)Great vid! This is really encouraging, but the news media are still reporting the backlash. http://news.msn.com/us/some-school-districts-dropping-healthier-lunch-programs. Same story as the last year’s brouhaha from Kansas as the usual fate of such efforts. See http://www.khi.org/news/2012/oct/01/some-say-new-meal-guidelines-should-be-scrapped/. Sigh.Dr.Greger, why are you recommending that site when it recommends that 25% of diet is animal food?That’s a good point worth reflecting on. Regardless, if the goal is healthy food, nutritionally educated people need to get involved and raise the bar so the food is actually healthy (animal-free, as you imply).This is another fascinating video but what is your objection to using adverbs? Given the education context, it would have been appropriate to get the grammar right.Prescriptive grammar is arbitrary. Dr. Gregor is trying to educate people, so he writes the way they talk. I don’t think it takes away from his professionalism. He seems to be trying to make these videos accessible to the average person. Be honest, would you really say “more healthily” if you were talking to someone?This isn’t an English exam. Perfect grammar isn’t everyone’s top priority. The good and important thing is that health information is being shared, and people are being greatly helped by it. PeaceIt’s easier to get kids to eat fruit because kids have a sweet tooth. They don’t really crave candy, like lifesavers, they crave tart berries, sweet strawberries, tasty bananas, wonderful watermelon. They are drawn to candy because conventional, pesticide-grown fruit is bland. Put organic ripe fruit on the table and kids will drop the artificial candy and devour nature’s candy. Remember that Lifesavers got its flavors from nature.As the study suggests, adding cool names to platters of ripe, organic fruit will increase eating even more.doing the cute names,making eating the food a game is just what the food companies do with their packaging & commercialsOr the reason why MC Donald calls the Happy Meal his product, which real name should be the Unhealty Meal, to be honest.	abdominal fat,broccoli,cake,calories,carrots,cheese puffs,children,cookies,cupcakes,fat,fiber,fruit,green beans,hydrogenated fats,ice cream,junk food,New York Coalition for Healthy School Food,obesity,oils,School Lunch Program,Texas,trans fats,vegetables,Veggiecation	Interventions to improve child nutrition at school have included everything from reducing cookie size, adding fruit to classroom cupcake celebrations, and giving vegetables attractive names, to more comprehensive strategies such as "veggiecation" curricula and transforming school cafeterias.	What's so bad about trans fats? See Trans Fat in Meat and Dairy, Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero, and Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat.Whenever I find myself frustrated by half measures, I am forced to remind myself just how SAD the Standard American Diet is. See Nation’s Diet in Crisis for a reality check. One of the problems is that parents may not even realize there is a problem (Mothers Overestimate Dietary Quality).Feel free to check out the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food website at http://www.healthyschoolfood.org/.This is the first of a 3-part video series on practical tips for dietary improvement. In my next two videos I will cover Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at Home and Tricks to Get Adults to Eat Healthier.For more context, check out my associated blog posts: How to Get Kids to Eat Their Vegetables, How to Get Our Kids to Eat Their Vegetables, and How to Get Parents to Eat Their Vegetables.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/12/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/17/how-to-get-our-kids-to-eat-their-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/19/how-to-get-parents-to-eat-their-vegetables/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cookies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/school-lunch-program/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/texas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hydrogenated-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cupcakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese-puffs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ice-cream/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggiecation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-coalition-for-healthy-school-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mothers-overestimate-dietary-quality/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21775554,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22796947,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21289225,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22771184,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20849895,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22027046,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21680931,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22846502,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22032916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22391143,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22741167,
PLAIN-2710	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/	Artificial Food Colors and ADHD	It is estimated that there are currently thousands of additives in our food supply. Some are good—like supplementing foods with vitamin B12, for example; other additives you have to weigh the risks and benefits—like the nitrites in processed meats, yes, they may increase your risk of cancer but, as preservatives, they decrease your risk of dying from botulism. Then there are additives used for purely cosmetic purposes, like food dyes, used to provide color to colorless and "fun" foods. According to the FDA, "Without color additives, colas wouldn’t be brown, margarine wouldn’t be yellow and mint ice cream wouldn’t be green.” God forbid! Color additives are now recognized as an important part of practically all processed foods we eat.Because we're eating a lot more processed foods, we're now getting 5 times more food dyes in our daily diet than we were 50 years ago. 15 million pounds of food dyes are used every year in foods, drugs, and cosmetics in the United States.I always wondered why they called them like Blue #1 instead of their actual chemical name in the list of ingredients. Then, after reading this report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, I realized why. Here's a box of Kraft mac and cheese. It has Yellow #5. Do you think people would be as likely to buy this product if instead of Yellow #5 it listed Trisodium 1-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-4-(4-sulfonatophenylazo)-5-pyrazolone-3-carboxylate) on the label?This list used to be longer, but different dyes kept getting banned, including Violet #1, "which, ironically, was the color used in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s meat inspection stamp,” so they may have been actually further cancer-ing up the meat.Years ago I featured this landmark study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge in perhaps the most prestigious medical journal in the world, showing artificial colors increased inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity among young children. So what happened? Well, the British government said, “OK, there's no health benefits to these dyes; only health risks, so it's a no-brainer"—and they mandated that food manufacturers remove most of the artificial food colors from their products. In fact the whole European Union said, “fine, you want to continue using these dyes, then you have to put a warning label stating: ‘may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.’” Many international food companies have taken them out of their products in Europe, but continue to use them in the same products here in the U.S., where similar regulations are not currently in place. Why not?The FDA put together a committee that looked at the landmark study and conceded that the food additives may have resulted in changes in behavior, but the "type of treatment effects reported in the study, even though the investigators referred to increases in levels of ‘hyperactivity,’ were not the disruptive excessive hyperactivity behaviors of ADHD but more likely the type of over-activity exhibited occasionally by the general population of preschool and school age children," to which a distinguished toxicologist responded—look, low level lead exposure may only shave off a few IQ points off of kids, but just because they'd still fall within a normal range, doesn't mean it's OK to expose kids to it. And. in fact, looking back now, the lead in leaded gas may have been causing brain cancer and possibly even urban violence: the aggravated assault rate in cities around the U.S. seemed to follow the lead levels in the air pretty closely.Anyways, the Center for Science in the Public Interest continues to call on the FDA to ban food dyes and for food companies to voluntarily stop using them. Good luck with that. In the meanwhile, some researchers recently suggested a way to see which food colors may be damaging your child's brain, advising parents to test artificial colors by purchasing little bottles of food dyes at the grocery store. Then have their kid do to some homework or something and then have them chug down an artificial color and see if it affects their handwriting/reading/math at 30 minutes, then at 90 minutes and then 3 hours. Also see if they get irritable later, have problems sleeping, and so on. If that's OK, they say you should try even more to see if that will mess with their mind. Hmm… If I may offer alternate suggestion, maybe we shouldn't buy our kids processed crap in the first place.	Maybe we shouldn’t be buying our children processed crap in the first place!!!Congratulations, Dr. Greger! This article is so on point, I cannot express how much, and how much really should be taken seriously not only by parents but by the U.S. FDA. The book Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick (on Amazon.com) discusses in detail what chemicals are capable of doing, where they are found, which consumers unfortunately don’t realize, and how they affect human health. Food dyes contain man-made toxic chemicals–and lots of them, too!, as you so correctly point out in the FDA-approved Yellow 5 example. Not only should food coloring chemicals be suspect for affecting brain function — and banned, I feel — but all neurotoxic man-made chemicals–regardless–that are so generously supplied in food, water, and the environment. I wish medicine would take seriously the problems man-made petro-chemicals, in most cases, contribute to the detrimental health and well being of everyone from prenatal status to senior citizen. Thank you for the work you do; it is a light unto accurate science and biochemistry.Of course not all chemicals are a problem but the range of manufactured chemicals in the US environment is really staggering. At least in Europe they have taken some positive steps like banning some chemicals such as cadmium and phthalates. The book, Exposed, goes through the issues. Unfortunately given our political structure in this country I believe we will continue to dance around the issue. The best path for us at this point is to avoid animal products as they are the leading source of persistent organic pollutants in the standard american diet. Avoid GMO’s which can be difficult. Buy organic plants when able and you can afford. Of course in the long run as we run out of oil and natural gas this all becomes academic… if interested in pursuing this line of argument I recommend, Richard Heinberg’s book, The End of Growth, or The Post Carbon Reader.In Europe it is a start banning phthalates in the production, but we still import a lot from China containing phthalates! I dont care about money or production, if the manufacturer cant prove that his product is not harmful, then ban it. Then they will come up with a solution – and quickly. But of course it is utopian – money talks.One of many factors in the 4-decade slide of the health status indicators propelling the US to the bottom among developed countries. Hence the stock expression, “US health disadvantage.” See http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleID=1556967&utm_source=Silverchair%20Information%20Systems&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MASTER:JAMALatestIssueTOCNotification02/26/2013The artifical food colors being phased out in Europe include E102 (FD&C Yellow 5), E104, E110 (FD&C Yellow 6), E122 (FD&C Red 3), E124, and E129 (FD&C Red 40).The natural dyes European food processors are replacing synthetics with may do more than reduce ADHD risk, quite a few may have their own health benefits. Yellow curcumin (E100) from turmeric, yellow lutein (E161b) from kale, spinach etc., red/purple betanin (E161) from beets, and red/purple/blue anthocyanins (E163) from berries and red cabbage are currently being investigated for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cancer chemopreventative, and anti-dementia roles.I could not agree more, skip all the processed junk food and be WELL. I’ve done it and at 67, I have blood pressure almost always below 120/70 and take no meds, exercise regularly and eat no sugar in any of its varius incarnations. At first it was hard to give up the meat, dairy, poultry, fish, cookies, etc but hey its so worth it. In my view YOUR HEALTH IS YOUR GREATEST WEALTH. Recomend a classic book regarding chemicals in food called “THE CHEMICAL FEAST” by The Ralph Nader Study Group on the Food and Drug Administration circa 1970. This book is an excellent intro into the political forces paid for by the large food and chemical manufactuers that have corrupted the FDA WAY BACK in the 1950’s. And it continues to this day. Anthony G. Environmental Scientist.The message is clear – avoid processed crap – vegan or non-vegan. Of course artificial crap has a negative impact on your body. We have to eat what we are designed to eat – fruit, vegetables, grains, beans (and a little alcohol :-) ) Some years ago I was horrified to learn that a common food dye, was also used in shoe polish! We have to protect our children and just say NO, when they want some crappy highly processed food, that dont even look like food anymore….. Of course you say NO if your children want to drink some gazoline, because it is not healthy, but if they want to eat or drink some crap, which will make them fat and sick in the future, we dont have the guts to say NO – thats what we have to change – because government in the US and Europe will not help us. This change will only come from the grassroots – us! Rember what Popeye used to eat to become muscular – spinach! What are Ninja Turtles eating – Pizza Pepperoni! Put a ban on commercials (candy, sugarloaded breakfast, fastfood) for children on TV. That could be a start.I will say that although no one should be eating cake every day, it’s very difficult to make red velvet cake without dye. None of the ”natural” dyes I’ve found has given good color, but maybe the high quality ones just aren’t available state side.Try using cochineal (carmine dye) made from crushed bugs. The Aztecs and Mayans used it to create beautiful reds and I drank it everyday in Europe for years as an ingredient of a grapefruit drink.Ewwwww. Gross. Not vegan. Thanks though.Well of course cake is fraught with all the baddies not recommended on this site – refined carbs, refined oils, and usually eggs or dairy – but have you tried beets? They are a natural dye that is quite good for you -http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/ – and they will make the cake very moist!Hello Dr. Greger,This is a gem of a website and thank you so much for your beneficial work. I am wondering if there exists a concise general summary of all of your dietary recommendations for healthy adults who wish to remain healthy for as long as possible. This would be very welcome as there is so much excellent information on the website that is all spread out.Thank you,James MJames: I don’t know that this is everything that Dr. Greger recommends, (for example, it doesn’t mention flax seeds, which I believe are high on Dr. Greger’s recommendations. However, here is a blog post that is a high-level summary of Dr. Greger’s Optimum Nutrition Recommendations:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Hope that helps.Thank you Thea, that’s just what I was looking for!Dr. Greger, do you know of any studies concerning germinated brown rice vs regular brown rice? Thank you.The links above for tricks to get kids to eat healthier are expired. I’d love to see that info if it still exists.Buy pure natural ingredients and make foods yourself! Mac & cheese = whole wheat pasta, shredded cheese (maybe whole wheat flour) & milk. Add salt & pepper to taste. That’s it!Dr. Greger does not advise cheese or milk, and these foods are not considered health promoting for a variety of reasons. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/Processed food is CRAP!!!Colored Rearranged And Packaged (notice the Acronym)for our consumption!Thirty yrs ago I read a book Dr Finegolds diet. He called for no artificial flavors or coloring in food. I made pancakes and waffles from Bisquick. At that time they came out with the first natural peanut butter and maple syrup. It was hard cooking dinner and making foods for a child.My Dr would not put my stepdaughter on meds. If she came home from school bouncing of the walls I knew she had candy or cake from someones Birthday Party. I noticed a big difference. I really believe there is something to the food and ADHD .Back then we did not have a lot of fast food.Great video, it’s amazing how processed our food has gotten and how acceptable this is as ‘normal’ parts of most people’s diet. As a dietitian I try to help my clients to reduce the amount of processed foods they eat and increase the amount of natural whole foods. This video highlights some of the things people don’t consider about processed foods. Thanks featuring it.	ADHD,artificial colors,attention deficit,b12,botulism,brain health,brain tumors,cancer,Center for Science in the Public Interest,children,Coca-Cola,cola,Europe,FDA,food additives,food dyes,heavy metals,hyperactivity,ice cream,Kraft,lead,margarine,nitrite,preservatives,processed foods,processed meat,sleep,United Kingdom,USDA,vitamin B12	In response to definitive evidence showing artificial colors may increase inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity among young children, a call has been made by consumer groups to ban food dyes.	I originally covered the landmark Lancet study in Are Artificial Colors Bad for You? There's even sometimes Artificial Coloring in Fish.This whole saga reminds me of the artificial flavor video I did the other day, Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn or Breathing. Amazing what the food industry is able to get away with.There is a campaign to get Kraft to remove yellow #5 from their mac & cheese, but even if the stuff didn't glow in the dark, it's still just a blob of sodium (750 mg), saturated fat (4.5 g), and trans fat (2.8 g). The food movement might better spend its time encouraging healthier fare altogether.How can we get our kids to eat less processed junk? I review some practical tips in my next two videos, Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at School and Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at Home.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Food Dyes and ADHD.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/10/food-dyes-and-adhd/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-dyes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-colors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/attention-deficit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/margarine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/center-for-science-in-the-public-interest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ice-cream/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kraft/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-home/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-at-school/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3261956/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21821291,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22484219,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21729092,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21926033,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21127082,
PLAIN-2711	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-adhd-without-stimulants/	Treating ADHD Without Stimulants	Every year in the United States doctors write 20 million prescriptions for stimulants like Ritalin to give to kids for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and it goes up every year. In fact, more than any other drug class: another 800,000 added every year to that 20 million. That's a lot of amphetamines for a lot of kids.These drugs are thought to act by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain. Guess what else can increase dopamine and norepinephrine levels? Exercise. And it happens within minutes of getting on a bike, the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine shoot up. Medications take an hour to work; physical activity works almost immediately. But does it work for ADHD? According to the latest review, there isn't a lot of research out there, but the current evidence suggests that both acute and chronic physical activity can mitigate ADHD symptoms.So while medications and exercise with regard to ADHD shows that they both work to more adequately regulate dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain, some of the new long-acting formulations of drugs can work for up to 12 hours, whereas the therapeutic effect of exercise may only last for an hour or so. But the drugs produce unwanted side effects and have the potential for abuse. Exercise has been shown to be effective in controlling ADHD symptoms and has essentially no side effects. However, that's not really the full story. It should be noted that a major difference in the 2 treatment modalities is that medications have a defined effect on ADHD symptoms alone, whereas exercise produces physical, mental, and emotional advantages that are far-reaching. So exercise does have side effects, but they're all good.	Speaking as an adult sufferer of ADHD: 60 to 90 minutes is not going to cut it. There is no recess for me to enjoy when I have to work a shift. I can’t pop by the gym and pump out a work out every 60 to 90 minutes when I spend a day at college.That doesn’t mean that I DON’T engage in exercise for all the other stated benefits. It’s just a bit annoying to have people demean a legitimate condition with a legitimate medication.I don’t think he is being demeaning. I think what Dr. Greger is doing is demonstrating the evidence that exercise can be used as a sort of effective treatment for ADHD, while demonstrating the negative side-effects of medications. That doesn’t necessarily mean medications are a bad choice.But I know what you mean. People often tell me that they don’t think ADHD actually exists. That somehow a lack of attention is due to a lack of willpower or something.I am in Med School now, and I don’t think I would have made it here without medication.I feel for you John Smith. Attention issues are rough.I don’t think it’s demeaning, Dr Greger also posts about treating migraines without medication for example, that doesn’t mean he says migraines aren’t a legitimate condition. That said, I totally agree that the fact that exercise only works for an hour or so makes it practically worthless as a treatment for ADHD. At best you could say that if you had a test coming up and had the possibility to do some exercise right before that, it might be a good idea to do that. But for day to day life, work and study, people need something that works for 8 hours, not 1.You know what that says to me, assuming you’re correct in saying that medications are necessary in order to function in this society? That perhaps society is the problem, and that we need to restructure things so that all people, of all kinds, from the hyper-focused to those constantly needing to explore new things, etc. can function optimally. Seems ludicrous to me that we should expect all children to be able to sit still for hours every day, learn in the highly rigid, controlling way we’ve decided is appropriate (rather than letting them pursue their own interests, making the material more exciting, encouraging and fostering true excellence rather than praising meaningless achievement, etc.).Yes and no. I agree completely that kids will do far better if they pursue what they are fascinated about, but unfortunately, there are some things that kids don’t want to learn but need to. It would be nice if there was a way to create that fascination for new topics.Also, regarding meaningless achievements. Praise and criticism should be on what they did, not who they are. Young chess players who were told they were brilliant when they one a game had a much more fragile attitude than you chess players who were congratulated for working hard.The video doesn’t claim ADHD isn’t legitimate. It also states that medication and exercise both work, while stating the obvious extra benefits of exercise. That’s far from a “demeaning” or bold statement.Make time. Your boss isn’t the owner of you and maybe you could be a little more creative about exercise instead of taking like you’re a slave.Another way of looking at it is that exercise plus medication might work better than education alone.I have read about top chess professionals that were having trouble concentrating in an important tournament and fixed the problem by walking into the hallway and sprinting for 30-60 seconds.I take Adderal occasionally. Diagnosed as a kid.I usually medicate with coffee and tea, which probably have lower side effects than AMPS.I’m not an expert on ADHD, but it seems to me that severity can vary, and that the struggle can be task dependent. i.e. I can cook just fine, but I struggle organizing my thoughts enough to clean my room.I commute by bike. Now that I read this, yeah it is easier for me to task in that time period right after I get to my destination.I think that we could be helping kids with ADHD in identifying what tasks they think they need the medication for, and what tasks they can manage without medication.Dr. Greger.Is there any evidence that caffeine is an effective treatment for ADHD?In the mean time I can use it as a reason to drink more green tea.I’m a psychotherapist and have had ADD symptoms throughout my life. In studying and exploring various natural and alternative treatments for this I’ve found a number of very helpful things. Not just exercise, but various movements that activate cross-hemispheric stimulation are very good, like walking & biking. There are exercises called Edu-K that have been used with kids that involve simple left-right alternating movements and something as simple as tossing a ball or hackey sack back and forth, left to right hand, following the movement with your eyes has a calming and centering effect.I’ve focused on foods that can increase dopamine levels; walnuts, wheat germ, dark chocolate (cocoa powder), oats, and fava beans. I also drink a lot of strong green tea (in the form of matcha green tea powder) which gives me an alert calmness and clarity of mind. The original prescription drug for ADHD was called Deaner. Ritalin made it obsolete and it’s no longer a prescription med, but is available as a nutraceutical supplement called DMAE (I get a vegan formulation). It’s a chemical found in sardines and anchovies, has a mild stimulant effect and has been written about as a “smart drug”.I don’t thing there’s a lot of specific research on these things, but with myself and coaching others with ADHD, have found them to be safe and helpful alternatives to amphetamines for many people.This is not that surprising! Intense exercise is known to grow brain cells, reduce anxiety and ameliorate depression etc. See http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/03/how-exercise-can-calm-anxiety/ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/how-exercise-could-lead-to-a-better-brain.html?pagewanted=allWhy not employ a tool that has only beneficial side effects?Because most of us/me, will exercise as a last resort when we feel all scattered. All I want to do is get straightened out and calm.In my original post I mentioned Edu-K exercises to help with ADHD and didn’t realize that this was an old term for what is better known as “Brain Gym”. You’ll find much more info on this if you Google, Brain Gym ADHD.My daughter is eleven and takes Adderal. We really didn’t want to use medication with her, but she begged for it because she was struggling so much. In the end we agreed to let her try it because, she knows her body better than we do. She gets on average about two hours of strenuous exercise daily, sometimes more, as she has a black belt in martial arts and both attends and teaches classes. She takes the lowest dose possible, and it flushes out of the system quickly. For her, it’s like night and day. It makes a huge difference for her, and her reading skills are now almost up to grade level. So far she’s had zero side effects, and done amazingly well on it.Anyone can find and excuse NOT TO EXERCISE. Your objective is to find an REASON/EXCUSE TO EXERCISE and, exercise is not just pumping iron. Walking, stretching, isometrics, biking to work etc. are all forms of exercise. Don and I CAN! :-))ADD and ADHD have been linked to other conditions, as well. I have had severe ADD since I was a kid. When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and started a gluten-free and eventually gluten-free vegan diet, my symptoms became much more manageable.It just depends on the person. Exercise works for some people and not others like many treatments.Exercise can have bad side effects too. (1)Exercise greatly increases oxidative stress in the short term. Studies have shown that people who exercised after eating plants got much more benefit and much less harm from the exercise compared to people who exercised without the presence of plant-based antioxidants in their blood. (2)The numerous benefits of exercising regularly are all completely lost after a person stops exercising for only 3 months. In other words, people who exercised continually for several years will revert back to exactly what they would have been if they had never exercised if they quit exercising for only 3 months. To retain the numerous benefits of exercise, people would need to exercise continually and never quit until the day they die. (3)Exercise wastes time and decreases comfort during life. (4)People who exercise regularly suffer from more injuries, accidents, and even crimes compared to people who don’t exercise. Stress fractures have been shown to be much more common among people who exercise. Fatal heart attacks can be triggered by exercise. Joggers have been shown to suffer from knee injuries due to wear and tear and increased arthritis. Accidents and crimes are leading causes of death.For example, Jane Higdon, Ph. D., who worked for the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University as their most respected nutritional author, died painfully after being run over by a truck while exercising with her bicycle on a beautiful road: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/fw06/memoriam.html http://www.janehigdonfoundation.com/ http://www.janehigdonfoundation.com/jane.php http://www.kval.com/news/local/26122154.html http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/zinc/ http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminB12/ http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/omega3fa/Jane Higdon’s sudden death at age 47 reminds us that Exercise Can Heal, Exercise Can Kill.Exercise wastes time and decreases comfort during life? You sir, are an idiot.Please no ad hominem attacks. Everyone has the right to express their opinion.If that was true no hyperactive child would ever had attention-deficit.There are so many good reasons to exercise I am always happy to see new angles of evidence for the benefits of being active animals. For a thorough report of the effects of physical activity on symptoms of ADHD – and a whole list of other challenges assisted by activity – Ratey’s book Spark is a must read. Thanks for underscoring the connection, Dr. Greger.Lani MuelrathThanks, Lani, for the book suggestion. Sounds like a great read.What is the evidence to prove that stimulants help ADHD issues?Actually the evidence based on studies shows no long term benefit. I would highly recommend that you read Robert Whitaker’s book, The Anatomy of an Epidemic, especially chapter 11.. The epidemic spreads to children. His book reviews the history and studies concerning the common psychiatric dx… schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, bipolar an ADHD. Given the studies he cites I can no longer recommend anti anxiety and antidepressant medications for longer then 6 weeks in adults. The use of stimulants such as Ritalin, a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, in children is something I can’t recommend. I would recommend that any physician who writes Rx’s for psychiatric medications read his book and look into the studies he cites. Patients and parents of children considering drug therapy should read the book as well. Giving children whose brains are still actively forming a drug with similar but longer acting actions to cocaine should be approached only after consideration of all the evidence and with a large dose of the precautionary principle. Physicians have a responsibilty to “first do no harm”.very interesting….I have attention issues and have been on an off of dexedrine for the last 15 years. This year I decided, no more. I have adapted a vegan diet, work hard to fit in an hour of exercise a day (different every day), and stopped smoking. I have never felt better and my ability to focus for long periods of time is steadily increasing. This is not coincidental. These drugs are worse than the diagnosis in my opinion. One thing that is consistent is the lies we are told with intent or without on how to best manage our health. This is because the bottom line ends in a dollar sign.Melody: Thank you for sharing your story! It’s so inspiring. Good for you for taking your health into your own hands. Diet is not a magic pill, but it sure seems like one sometimes!Keep up the great work. You have inspired me to try to get in a little more exercise myself. :-)Seeing how the brain runs exclusively on glucose (created from whole, unprocessed, fruits and vegetables) the answer to me for attention deficit disorders is pretty obvious, that person is under carbed. In this day and age of high protein, low carb diets, it’s a simple case of eating the wrong food for our design.Hi Dr. Gregor. I actually have some questions regarding Ritalin use. I am thirty years old and I have suffered from ADHD. I have never used medication because I wanted to deal with it “naturally”, and I did so for much of my adult life. I had workedin very active job roles, and while I studied my first three years of college in my mid-twenties I biked to work and school everyday a total of 16 miles. I found that during that time I contolled my ADHD spectacularly. However, the last three years I have not had such a luxury of such intense exercise before and after school/work. I have found my ability to focus extremely diminished and I have trouble retaining information as well because of it. I have recently considered trying Ritalin, but I am scared because I do not take any medications and I am very health conscious. I am vegan and still physically fit. I rock climbing 5 days per week, but I am not doing so much Cardio as before. Would you recommend Ritalin when necessary? What are the negative side effects? Do you have any other advice?Hi Ashley. Thanks for reaching out I think you bring up important points. Another guest made a great post above yours as well. I think it is so personal it’s hard to say what medications to take. I would encourage a healthful diet and plenty of exercise you enjoy (the rock climbing sounds amazing)! Work with your doctors and find out if the meds are right for you and ask about the side effects. Know there is no shame in taking what works so yes when necessary I think medication can be very helpful. We need to weigh the benefits and risks of taking them and it varies for all of us. Hope that helps a bit. Best to you, JosephI was diagnosed with this condition as a child, and struggled terribly, not only through school, but dozens of office desk jobs, later on. I’ve been off the pills, and eating a plant-based diet for over 13 years now, and have noticed that it does improve my condition. I’ve also noticed the same beneficial effects from exercise, and plenty of rest, as well as getting enough healthy social activity. Recently, I decided to take a more wholistic approach to life. And, because I spend most of my waking time at work, I decided that instead of (afterwards) figuring out how to make up for everything I was missing out on while I was at work, I would make those things a part of my work. I began a physically and intellectually demanding technology industry trade, which includes working with the public, and a fair amount of creativity. Combine that with my simple diet, and I have all my bases covered during the day, so I have plenty of free time, and can relax, take it easy, and just enjoy my life. I also have more money, because I’m not spending it on pills, doctors, or at the gym. Now, I get to work out my entire being: mind, body, and spirit. For me, work is rarely ever difficult, and never has to feel stressful or convoluted. A positive attitude, like seeing challenges as opportunities for personal growth makes it easier to stay focused on my goals. Besides, I enjoy my life the way it is now, and definitely feel like what I get out of it is worth the sacrifice. Working and eating are both things which we all have to do, and so why not make them something which offers more benefits, and satisfies more than just one need? Food has to satisfy our hunger, but can it not also nourish, heal and protect our bodies? It doesn’t have to be about eating less, and working more. It’s simply about changing what we eat, and what we do.Well said. Thanks for sharing your helpful thoughts.	addiction,ADHD,alternative medicine,amphetamines,attention deficit,brain health,children,complementary medicine,dopamine,exercise,hyperactivity,medications,mental health,Ritalin,side effects	Exercise has been shown to be effective in controlling attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder symptoms, and carries only positive side effects.	Other benefits of exercise include a strengthening of cancer defenses (Exercise & Breast Cancer and Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both?), an improvement in cognition (Reversing Cognitive Decline), and a longer lifespan (What Women Should Eat to Live Longer).This reminds me of other safe, natural, side-effect free solutions like tap water gargling to prevent the common cold (Can Gargling Prevent the Common Cold?) and drinking water to improve scholastic performance in kids (Does a Drink of Water Make Children Smarter?). The fact that they are cost-free is both an advantage (they're free!) and disadvantage (no corporate budget driving their promotion so we never hear about this kind of research). If only corporations could find a way to stuff exercise into a pill bottle for their stockholders…For more context, check out my associated blog post: How to Treat ADHD Without Drugs.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/03/how-to-treat-adhd-without-drugs/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/attention-deficit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amphetamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/addiction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ritalin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21281664,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/502747,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22711728,
PLAIN-2712	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn-or-breathing/	Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn or Breathing	The poison gas phosgene, first used extensively as a chemical warfare agent during World War I, can cause a horrific lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans in which your small airways are essentially obliterated, a generally irreversible, fatal condition that may also be caused by butter-flavored microwave popcorn.I've warned previously about diacetyl, the artificial butter flavor being linked to a condition known as “popcorn lung” in workers who had been exposed to it and started dying from it. It turns out the industry knew about the dangers for decades but covered it up. Even when workers started dying, they swore the chemical was safe for consumers, that it was only an occupational health hazard. In fact, they even had ads with Orville Redenbacher telling consumers to breathe deeply, but I quipped in my last video that any ingredient requiring the use of a gas mask is probably not something you want to feed your family. I wanted to err on the side of caution, and I'm glad I did.Here’s a quick series of cases of consumers of butter-flavored microwave popcorn developing bronchiolitis obliterans. 47-year-old woman who consumed 3-5 bags a day and now can't even walk without getting out of breath. She's awaiting a lung transplant.56-year-old man, another lifelong nonsmoker, but ate 2-3 bags a day before he started to cough up blood. His doctor alerted the FDA, but it’s still on the market.A third, 1-2 bags a day and sheended up with lungs so scarred they had what's called honeycombing and patches with the appearance of ground glass.The chemical is found in real butter, too, but it’s heavily concentrated when added as additional flavoring, and remains on store shelves and legal to this day. The regulation of health hazards from food additives has simply “fallen between the regulatory and health surveillance cracks." They recommend a series of steps to protect consumers, such as allowing the bag to cool completely before opening (but who wants cold popcorn?) and then opening in a well-ventilated area away from the face. One solution they didn't mention that would also eliminate the risk of lung disease? Don't buy it.	Nutritional yeast and a bit of tamari or soy sauce offers a great way to flavor pop-corn, which by the way pops just as well in a pot without oil as with oil. Just try it but don’t forget to shake the pot so the corn doesn’t burn.After reading the book by Dr. Russell Blaylock called EXCITOTOXINS, we no longer use nutritional yeast or soy sauce. They contain free glutamic acid, which acts on the brain the same way MSG does–destroys neurons slowly and cumulatively over a lifetime. Very informative book. I wonder if tamari sauce has the same problems? I would think so. It is SO difficult to avoid dangerous food these days.Glutamic acid is an amino acid present in practically all proteins (plant-based whole-food sources included). Free glutamate is the ion of a salt of this acid – which changes form readily both in living cells and out of them depending on local chemical conditions. Soy sauce and tamari (and other “umami” foods = glutamate-containing) have been produced and enjoyed for many generations in Asian cultures with no evidence of adverse effects. And in fact, the glutamate consumed with these products makes a very small contribution to the amount present in the human body. There is no credible scientific evidence for harmful effects of any of the food additives containing glutamate as a food enhancer or component (including Aspartame and pure MSG powder). Unfortunately the web is dominated by pseudoscience and hysteria on the topic of glutamate but here’s something sensible, if you’re interested: http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/msg-myth-versus-science/Yes, many plants have glutamic acid–but the way I understand it, it is part of an amino acid chain that is slowly broken down by our digestive system. Manufactured food with MSG has already broken it down, and it is therefore absorbed in large quantities too rapidly. Soy sauce made in this country is in no way similar to the time-honored way it was made in Asia for centuries. “Hydrolyzed protein” in my veggie burgers? How many know the ingredients are boiled in acid for hours and then bathed in lye to neutralize the pH? We will continue to avoid manufactured “food” such as this and use organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains and dried beans, raw nuts and seeds. I do not trust the corporate profit motive, but I do trust myself. You are right that the web has opinions on both sides, but we recognize those whose interests lie with the manufacturers of this “food”–all in the name of profits. I will buy unprocessed organic non-GMO real food the way it came out of the ground and make our own food from scratch. I am the shopper, menu-planner and cook for the family I love. The extra time I spend not opening a jar or can of ingredients of questionable quality is an expression of my caring for them. If I have judged wrongly, better that my error is on the side of safety.You are right on Skylady. My Paleo food program told me to rid my Kitchen/pantry of all chemicals including soya. I now use Raw Coconut Aminos a soy-free seasoning sauce. Coconut Secret brand/Whole Foods. 100% organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, Non GMO. I also make my own mayonnaise, Ghee, all sauces and read every label of everything that I purchase. Like Skylady I cook everything because I know exactly what is going into my body. I insist on nutrient-dense, clean food. Born in 1945 I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. I take no pharma, allow no invasive procedures, chemicals, toxic food in or on my body.People are addicted to the processed, altered food chain. The food companies hire scientists, pay them exorbitant amount of money to addict you to the food. More people are pre-diabetic than diabetic. This health epidemic is just beginning. Until people educate themselves about food, their body, the correlation to dis-ease and dying, demand changes, the horror of it all will continue.this is the first ive heard of coconut aminos. what does it taste like? can i find it at whole foods or do i need to go online?I got mine at Whole Foods, in the soya section. I also like to prepare Asian, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese dishes that call for Fish Sauce. Commercial Fish Sauce like commercial soya is filled with chemicals, made from GMO’s. Now I use Red Boat Fish Sauce, made in Vietnam. It’s excellent and Paleo approved. Whole Food carries that too. ;->It tastes like soya only better.I thought they stopped using d-acetyl in popcorn a few years ago. Am I mistaken?It hasn’t been in microwave popcorn since 2007.The seeds are trying to kill us! –The Jaminets, Perfect Health DietWhat Does That Mean?????Inside joke, the paleos are always saying don’t eat grains or seeds or legumes of any kind because they are constantly evolving to keep us from eating them.precisely. the fruits of plants evolved to draw an animal to eat them and the undigested seeds are scattered via fecal matter. the hulls of the seeds are indigestible for a reason. the natural toxins are there for a reason. plants evolved this mechanism to spread their offspring. eating the fruits and leaves makes sense, eating the seeds doesnt.I am not a botanist but: Not universally true, in fact perhaps the exception not rule. Flax, chia, savi, peanuts, tree nuts, cashews, sunflowers, beans, peas, garbanzos, coconuts, sesame, squash, grasses/grains, buckwheat, etc. all have that phyto-woo in them of course. Other plants have poisonous fruits and/or leaves. There’s no reason to evolution it is a totally random product of the environment there is no intelligent design guiding it. Edible seeds can still be a viable propagation mechanism if they are not all eaten or digested.bottom line, plants, just like all other living beings, evolved mechanisms to keep their offspring alive. it has nothing to do with intelligent design, it is survival of the fittest. when a plant poisons the critter that eats its offspring, the critter stops eating it. and tho i agree that the mechanism allows for some of the seeds to end up broken down, it depends on most staying intact and even on the fermentation process in an animals gut. of all the plant foods we can possibly eat there is nothing more potentially toxic than the plants seeds.But this hypothesis does not support the exception fallacy, i.e., the paleoism that all seeds should be universally avoided or its ‘logical’ corollary that animals are safe to eat.spell it out dude.No worries, man.cool. think youll be doing that soon?Couple of days ago, son. You’re welcome.is this a game you play mr lundeen? i asked you to spell out your meaning here-‘But this hypothesis does not support the exception fallacy, i.e., the paleoism that all seeds should be universally avoided or its ‘logical’ corollary that animals are safe to eat.’if that was just a bit of trollish snark im actually ok with that, but if you were making a point, i dont understand it and was asking you to clarify.A clever remark is wasted on someone who doesn’t understand it. If you’ll take the time to snark, why not also take the time to explain?I’ve not had any wheat , seeds, grains, rice, legumes,white potatoes in my body for three months. The wheat of today is far different than the wheat of my era (born in the 40s). Since beginning Paleo three months ago I’ve lost 19 pounds, 12.5 inches, but most importantly I’ve never felt better, had more energy, been healthier. Paleo is no joke.true that, paleo is no joke. it makes perfect sense that you feel better even if the snark brigade tries to discredit your experience.No one can discredit my experience via clean food, good health, happy body, clear mind. I’ve lived too long, know too much, applied the information, to pay attention to the naysayers.Is it safe to go to the movies?I ditched my microwave over a decade ago, and no, it’s not safe to eat movie theater food. The popcorn is full of GMO corn, the “butter” infused in chemicals, isn’t butter, the rest is sugar in every form imaginable. Buyer/consumer beware. Your body hates this stuff.My bride and I ditched the microwave popcorn well over a year ago. We now pop our own in a lunch bag punctured once with a table fork: 1/4 cup popcorn, secure the top tightly by double folding. Into the microwave for the 3 ounce setting. Must pay careful attention. When the popping slows to 1 or 2 pops per second – STOP. Burnt popcorn is awful. Season with melted butter; garlic or nutritional yeast. Experiment. Don and I CAN! :-))The instruction manual for my microwave says that paper bags should not be used in it. I stick to my hot air popper.Or use organic popcorn, do it the old fashioned way in a heavy stainless steel pot/lid on the stove top. Use organic coconut oil instead of chemically enhanced vegetable oil to cook the popcorn. Melt more coconut oil mixed with ghee if you want a more buttery flavor and season with pink Himalayan salt. Delicious AND healthy.Phosgene is rather easy to synthesize, and is consistent with the symptoms observed in recent chemical weapons attacks in Syria.Thank you Dr. G for highlighting this parallel. I don’t presently have any microwave popcorn in the cupboard, but I presume diacetyl is also the butter flavor in vegan margarines. Today’s project is investigating adverse effects from diacetyl from non-popcorn sources.I guess this includes organic microwavable popcorn?You can also pop plain popcorn in the microwave using a plain brown lunch-sized bag – just fold the bag closed and it works great, and uses so much less packaging than store-bought microwave popcorn. (I haven’t found it necessary to poke a hole in the bag with a fork.) I like adding some nutritional yeast or cinnamon into the bag before popping – it sticks better than if you sprinkle it on the popped popcorn after cooking. On a related note, does anyone know why some plain popcorn calories vary so much in calories? I’ve seen some listed as 120 calories per 1/4 cup, and some up to 180 calories per 1/4 cup. And this question is especially for Dr. Greger – how crucial is it to buy organic, non-GMO popcorn? I eat a lot of popcorn and generally buy regular rather than organic, simply because the calories for the organic brand are a lot higher than for the non-organic variety I like (see above).I recommend that you avoid consuming non-GMO foods especially corn and soy. Their are basically two types of GMO foods… those which are rendered “round up” ready and those whose cells produce Bt toxin. Bt toxin kills insects by punching holes in their intestines. The limited studies available on these products is not good. You should go to the Institute for Responsible Technologies website for a guide on avoiding GMO food. After hearing Jeffery Smith speak, watching the movie,Genetic Roulette and reading Jeffery Smith’s book I have added non-GMO to my whole plant based Rx for my patients.Dr. Forrester: Thanks for this nice concise summary. I appreciated it.You may be interested in knowing that there is a new documentary out called: GMO OMG. I’ve heard good things about it, but I haven’t seen it myself. So, I’m just sharing about the possibility of more good info to add to what we already know.Also, I’m pretty sure you meant to write: “I recommend that you avoid consuming GMO foods…” or “I recommend that you consume non-GMO foods…”Just in case anyone gets confused.Glad you caught that Thea.Avoid GMO. Buy organic when possible.Thea thanks for catching the mistake. Corrected the post.Thanks for the info – but from my Web research, it sounds like popcorn is not GM. Various sites even cite Jeffrey Smith on this. Do you know otherwise?absolutely true. there is no gm popping corn variety as of yet. interestingly, there is no gm wheat being grown in the US either. its definitely hybridized but it isnt gm. wheat doesnt need to be gm to be harmful.Thanks RWV. I was kind of freaking out bc I eat so much popcorn. It’s far & away my grain of choice.There’s a big lawsuit going on in the US of GM wheat that has been growing in the Pacific Northwest for ten years: Source: http://rt.com/usa/monsanto-lawsuits-gmo-wheat-603/Red Fife is a heritage variety of wheat, so one could use that for your own baking, or a certified organic wheat.interesting story, herehere, thanks for sharing.i dont worry about gmo grains because i dont eat grains. considering we know that gluten causes gut inflammation when its eaten [even in peeps who arent intolerant or allergic], traditional wheat is plenty bad enuf. soil fertility is so poor now, we really dont need anything preventing us from absorbing the already diminished nutrients in our food. if you wanna avoid gm wheat, just avoid wheat. youll feel better all around.i appreciate the link, its another compelling reason to avoid wheat, and something ill be sharing in the other communities i post in. thanks again.Per my amazing Paleo guidelines I absolutely agree with you Dr. Forrester.There are NO chemicals, GMO’s, processed foods/beverages in my kitchen, pantry, refrigerator anymore. I make pretty much everything from scratch, including mayonnaise, ghee, sauces, condiments. I now use Raw Coconut Aminos a soy-free seasoning sauce. Coconut Secret brand/Whole Foods. 100% organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, Non GMO.Are there brands of microwave popcorn that have real butter or at least no poisonous gases?Thanks to those people who shared the microwave popcorn ideas. It’s a huge win for anyone who hasn’t heard of that idea before.What I worry about is the work environment. In some offices, people pop that artificial stuff all day long. The fumes (“ah, I love that popcorn smell” say people) permeate the office. Just like with the air fresheners that people spray every day in the toilets. It creates a sickly environment for everyone, and I know of no way to minimize the risks and still keep one’s job. So frustrating.According to Wikipedia:“In 2007, the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association recommended reducing diacetyl in butter flavorings.[20] Manufacturers of butter flavored popcorn including Pop Weaver, Trail’s End, and ConAgra Foods (maker of Orville Redenbacher’s and Act II) began removing diacetyl as an ingredient from their products.[21][22]“In 2012, Wayne Watson a regular microwavable popcorn consumer for years, was awarded $7.27 million in damages from a federal jury in Denver, which decided his lung disease was caused by the chemicals in microwave popcorn and that the popcorn’s manufacturer, Gilster-Mary Lee Corporation, and the grocery store that sold it should have warned him of its dangers.[23][24][25]” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diacetyl and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronchiolitis_obliteransDoes that mean I have to get rid of my RedNeck Fire Detector?It’s a stovetop Jiffy Pop pan hanging above our doorway. ;)Have to be in the south to precise this! Haw haw!Your messages are life saving. We stopped the ready microwave popcorn years ago after noticing a weird residue on the hard palate and how aweful the popcorn tasted the next day.What about Flavocol butter-flavored salt? It lists “artificial flavoring” in the ingredients, but does not specifically list diacetyl? How do I find out what’s in the “artificial flavoring”?Artificial flavorings are considered proprietary. The various businesses in the “artificial flavorings” industry develop these to meet specific needs of food processing businesses. There is no way to find out what are in them so it is best to avoid them.I’m a naturalist. I enjoy it plain. Sometimes I sprinkle rice vinegar and shake black pepper on it. Cayenne pepper is good too.The more firm admonition is “Don’t Eat it.”WARNING – PALEOZOMBIE ALERT – Vast swaths of the comment board below (or above if you are viewing oldest first) appear to have been overrun! Dr. Greger literally wrote the book on paleo, or I should say the unscientific basis for it, see http://www.atkinsexposed.org and http://www.amazon.com/Carbophobia-Scary-Truth-Americas-Low-Carb/dp/1590560868, so he’s not going to address any of the foolish comments made on each and every one of the 1500+ videos by those attempting, and failing miserably with obvious logical errors of both formal and informal nature, replete with ad hominems, to impugn his fine work and that of his full-time research staff, for which I and nearly all of this site’s visitors here are rather appreciative (!!!) and fully support with generous financial and other contributions to spread the word.He’s already killed the low carb conversation many times over, yet the paleowoo, e.g., the ridiculous claims that cholesterol and saturated fats are good for you and grains, seeds and legumes are universally bad, keeps showing up like a B movie. And he’s posted 1500+ videos on this site and provided them in a searchable database, so if one of the paleosnarks mentions some hairball idea that Dr. Greger has already debunked on multiple occasions, it’s fair game to refer the poster to other places in this site where the topic might be more appropriately discussed. The videos (other than the hour-long annual presentations) will include a tab where you can see the transcript if you find Dr. Greger’s entertaining productions personally offensive, and a tab with links to the scientific articles.Sometimes, the paleoposters may have or may at least appear to have some common ground with the nutritionfacts.org defenders on things like food additives, GMOs, organic veggies, milk, refined oils/carbs and maybe even the outsized nature of the gut microbiota that makes even identical twins with their own enterotypes much different people that respond quite differently to the same nutritional inputs. After all there can be no disagreement that we are NOT ‘evolved to’ take supplements, eat chemical-laced foodstuffs or stay indoors most of the time.Perhaps it is also the case that such common ground is a reason for celebration and joint action. Nevertheless, sometimes civilly and other times not so much, the low-carbers, fresh from the argument clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQFKtI6gn9Y, will express disagreement on things, usually taking issue with any mention of cholesterol, saturated fats or another one of the plethora of known meat baddies (for one, see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/ and http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12931&page=105), and they are absolutely horrified by any mention of one of the many well-established benefits of whole grains and legumes for the vast majority of the population, see e.g., http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/. Other times, when overwhelmed with facts and logic, the low-carber(s), with the cowardice of anonymity and/or multiple web aliases, will launch into ad hominems – vicious personal attacks on Dr. Greger, his staff or more commonly one of the valiant defenders of this site (including not-so-veiled threats that hopefully are reported to the appropriate authorities).That is not to say that there are not some good comments and worthwhile discussion below/above – there are! – or that you should be fearful of posting a question or wading into discourse; however, the casual visitor should be alert to the presence of avowed vegan-haters posting impolite comments, lies and disinformation.Meanwhile, the tide is rising for folks adopting a whole-food, plant-based, healthy, ethically uplifting, and environmentally aware lifestyle, even as the unfortunate consumers of animal products and processed foods suffer ever worsening health and sadly, a premature diminishment of their ranks.you got some mad c&ping skills there too dude. doesnt your firm give you a secretary for that stuff?paleo and low carb are not the same. just like the plant based SAD of the typical american and the plant based whole food diet are not the same. what is the point of continuing to go on about it? i think you are trying to look clever but it just makes you look like you cant learn anything new.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2JbTtJ3AeoI think it’s high time that the government consider a cruise missile strike on microwave popcorn factories. After all, they are using chemical weapons against Americans and unlike some countries I could name, actually killing some of them! Call the White House, Congress, and Senate. Let’s move on ConAgra. Even their “ordinary” popcorn is genetically modified.Ah the freedom of choice in American capitalism – do I want poison gas and/or genetic modification with that?Why do you want to bomb them? Can’t you just not eat it?My tongue was firmly in my cheek when I posted that Iggy. Just satire. Sorry if it didn’t make you laugh.That Majorly Sucks.Our local movie theaters are pungant with the smell of (artifical) buttered popcorn: the public is exposed, to say nothing of the staff. Is there a way to measure the levels? Or, if we can smell it, is it already too much? The lobby is full of kids on any Saturday afternoon.Disturbing indeed.Just FYI, and something interesting you put me on the trail of, this nectarine season as I was eating lots of them, I noticed that the residual smell left on my hands after eating them smells just like butter. I was thinking how this would be a good vegan substitute for that flavor. After watching your video, I wondered if it was diacetyl that caused this, and sure enough, when I looked for diacetyl in nectarines, it’s one of the only fruit listed with it naturally occuring. Interesting little epiphany :-)Very interesting indeedNate: That truly is fascinating. Thanks for taking the time to share it. I plan on doing a serious sniff effort the next time I come across a nectarine.Apart from this specific microwavable popcorn issue, I have yet to read any convincing evidence that microwaving foods makes them unhealthy for us. I’ve read plenty of articles that talk about how terrible microwave ovens are, but I remain unconvinced. Is there real evidence of negative effects of microwaving? I sure wish you’d take that up as a topic, Dr. Greger! :)It’s not been in microwave popcorn since 2007 but it is naturally in butter, buttermilk, beer, and other alcoholic drinks.	artificial flavors,bronchiolitis obliterans,butter,butter flavor,diacetyl,FDA,food additives,industry influence,lung disease,lung health,microwaving,mortality,Orville Redenbacher,phosgene,popcorn,popcorn lung,safety limits,smoking	The artificial butter flavoring diacetyl has been linked not only to deaths of workers handling the chemical, but also to serious lung disease in consumers of microwave popcorn.	My previous video on the topic is Is Artificial Butter Flavor Harmful?What about food dyes? Are Artificial Colors Bad for You? The next video I have coming out is Artificial Food Colors and ADHD.What else can we do to protect our lungs?Meat safety is another example of regulatory breakdown. See, for example, Drug Residues in Meat, Deadly But Not Illegal and Past the Age of Miracles.Anyone have any good recipes for making air-popped popcorn delicious? I spritz with some apple cider vinegar and sprinkle on chlorella and nutritional yeast.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Avoid Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/29/avoid-butter-flavored-microwave-popcorn/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diacetyl/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bronchiolitis-obliterans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orville-redenbacher/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter-flavor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phosgene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/popcorn-lung/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microwaving/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-flavors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/popcorn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17427353,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12151475,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17201913,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22550695,
PLAIN-2713	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/	Pistachio Nuts for Erectile Dysfunction	Erectile dysfunction is a major cause of decreased quality of life in men - in fact, so much so that one early theory suggested that this may explain the link between impotence and heart attacks. Depression is a risk factor for coronary heart disease, and the thought was that men who couldn't get it up become so depressed that they like die of a broken heart.But now we know that erectile dysfunction and heart disease can be two different manifestations of the exact same root problem, diseased arteries—inflamed, oxidized, cholesterol-clogged blood vessels. So it’s no wonder that a diet chock-full of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering plant foods would improve sexual functioning in both men and women, as well as reduce the risk of heart disease. And a totally plant-based diet can even stop and reverse our number one killer.Of all the plant foods individually examined so far, nuts appear most tied to longevity. Just two handfuls a week may extend a woman's life as much as jogging 4 hours a week. So, if nuts reduce the risk of heart disease, might they also help with sexual dysfunction?Men eating 3 to 4 handfuls of pistachios a day for just 3 weeks experienced a significant improvement in blood flow through the penis accompanied by significantly firmer erections. This is not surprising. Remember how antioxidant-rich foods have a Viagra-like effect of boosting nitric oxide production? Well, pistachios are certainly rich sources of antioxidants. And remember how the citruline in watermelons helped with erection firmness by boosting arginine, which is what our body makes nitric oxide out of? Well, pistachios have a bunch of arginine, which may help explain the improvement in blood flow.And we know that cholesterol is an important predictor of sexual dysfunction in both men and women, and after just three weeks on all those pistachios there were significant improvements in cholesterol. And like other studies that piled on hundreds of calories of nuts a day there was no weight gain. Conclusion: "Just three weeks of pistachios resulted in a significant improvement in erectile function with additional improvement in cholesterol without any side effects.”Note the two important differences between diet and drugs. Just taking drugs like Viagra, to poison this enzyme and artificially boost nitric oxide signaling, just covers up the symptoms of the underlying problem, unhealthy arteries. Whereas eating whole healthy plant foods like nuts actually helps attack the root cause—cholesterol, oxidation, and inflammation—and only has good side effects,The enzyme that Viagra-like drugs muck with is found primarily in two places in the body: the erectile tissue of the penis and the retina of the eye. That's why the FDA encourages people “to stop taking drugs like viagra, and call a doctor right away if you experience sudden loss of vision” (assuming you can still find your phone).Though the harms tend to be self-limited and reversible, such as cyanopsia in which everything in your vision suddenly becomes tinted blue, why risk side-effects at all, when the problem can reversed and cured in the first place, improving the quality and quantity of our lives. Improvement of sexual function in men should be added to the growing list of clinical benefits brought about by healthy lifestyles in human beings.	Caldwell Esselstyn’s remarkable success with cardiac patients based on whole plants nutrition that is very low fat, and which explicitly excludes nuts, is causing me some cognitive dissonance just about now. Pistachios are about 2/3 fat by calories.I am wondering if it isn’t because he is working with people with severe heart disease and is trying to reverse damage. I know this can be such a confusing issue. I often wonder the same.Esselstyn’s cardiac patients (17 of them if I recall correctly) had severe coronary disease and 5 of them were given less than a year to live, so that was the reason he was so strict with them. People may disagree with me but for the general population (and most of my patients) they can eat nuts and seed without any problems, in fact only benefits.I do, however, have patients that have severe coronary disease two of which were given less than six months to live and weren’t candidates for any type of surgery (stents or bypass) which I did place on a very strict Esselstyn diet. Both are still alive, thriving and have had no cardiac events in 2 years. And secretly they have had some nuts and seeds! About a handful a week. I know it’s anecdotal but they ain’t dead yet! ;-)These responses seem question-begging. If pistachios help ED by improving arterial function, why would having serious heart disease be a reason to avoid them?There is a difference between the penis and the heart. In flacid state the blodflow to the penis is very low; it does not function, but it “survives”, but the heart can not survive with severe restricted blodflow.For what it is worth, I agree. Severe coronary disease = Esselstyn diet (if you want to survive). For prevention = WFPD incl nuts and seeds. Anecdotes are the basis for new ideas – so they are always important.What is the theoretical basis for the different dietary recommendation with respect to nuts and seeds between prevention and reversal/survival?brec, As I see it (for what it is worth), if we are talking reversal (removing of fat deposits) of severe coronary disease, you have to avoid fat (in general) as much as possible. If we are talking about not building up deposits of fat in the arteries, WFPD is OKI believe it is the fact that nuts/seeds contain saturated fats which are converted to cholesterol and omega 6/3 ratio. For Pistachio nuts the Omega 6/ Omega 3 ratio is about 5/1 (e.g. 16772 mg/ 332 mg) which is more then the recommended 6/3 ratio of less than 4/1. This ratio would tend toward more inflammation. Of course we don’t only eat pistachio’s so the rest of the diet would need to be factored in.The omega 6/3 ratio is more like 50/1.At this point I think I should say that I’m not trying to be a PITA; I have coronary atherosclerosis, am eating per Esselstyn, and have an intense interest in whether or not pistachios and/or other nuts would be healthful for me.I think my question hasn’t been answered: why would nuts and seeds, or more generally PUFAs in nut/seed “containers”, not contribute to creating lesions on the one hand, but interfere with their removal on the other?I don’t know if there is a great answer for you yet but the analogy is if I want patients to lose weight the fastest then I put them on a very, very low-fat diet: No animal products and no added oils, and avocado’s, nuts and seeds only as occasional treats–meaning once a week and only a hand full. Why? The fat you eat is the fat you wear! And the fat you don’t eat is the fat you burn off your body–meaning weight loss! Same with your arteries. If you want to lose the fat (cholesterol) from your arteries the fastest way is to minimize the fat you put in your mouth. But occasional nuts and seeds don’t seem to cause a burden to you arteries that they start producing atherosclerosis. However, that said, I do not know if anyone has actually visualized the arteries forming fatty streaks while on a vegan diet with nuts and seeds vs no nuts and seeds. I hope this helps.There are factors which change as your body changes. For example, overweight people have a decreased ability to turn carotenoids into vitamin A – where as healthy people convert much better.Theoretically that might mean that an overweight person might have to use a non-vegan diet to get to a state of health where a vegan diet would be ideal.This is just my theory, but I am sure there are many factors which work like this – perhaps the nuts example is one?However, an overweight person would lose weight following a WFPB diet and that would help with conversion. Just make sure the diet is high in carotinoid-rich foods to insure sufficiency.I was just using this as an example to illustrate that the body’s function might change depending on what state it is in. Perhaps Esselstyn is right to leave pistachio nuts out of his diet, but for a prevention diet perhaps pistachios are a good addition.This wasn’t a comment on the effectiveness of a WFPB diet or about weight loss.Thank you Joe, point taken.I am having the same confusion over this. My husband has suffered 2 heart attacks and is now trying to follow Esselstyn. At this point he has decided to not eat nuts. But this research really seems to point in the direction of nut consumpion…You have shown great personal restraint to stay away from all the possible nutty jokes in this video. Because this is such a hard-pressing matter, I won’t hold it against you.LOL! WaltYz. Yes I have come to expect and anticipate Dr. Greger’s humor.But pistachios do not even make it in the top 15 sources of arginine. What a pity that soy protein and pumpkin seeds weren’t studied. If the antioxidant protection of eNOS is more important, why not study amla or cellular antioxidants and erectile improvement?Soy protein WAS studied: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=erectile+dysfunction+soy – Conclusion: Unusual LARGE quantities of soy isoflavones – due to their estrogenlike properties – INDUCE E.D. .Soy protein isolates also increase IGF-1 concentrations, we should stay away from the stuff in general.… “up to three servings did not increase IGF-1.”… http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/Soy protein isolates and soy protein are completely different substances, one is an extract, the other is a whole food.40 grams of soy protein isolate will increase GF-1 concentrations significantly and is far more potent than the milk based protein in increasing IGF-1, as IGF-1 concentrations are nearly doubled when 40 grams of soy protein isolate is compared with 40 grams of milk based protein.“When comparisons were made for women within the HRT (hormone therapy) and no-HRT groups, baseline values did not differ for the SP and MBP treatments. Similar to the overall findings, serum IGF-I levels were increased by both protein supplements; however, soy protein had a more pronounced effect in increasing serum IGF-I levels in women who were not on HRT”http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/88/3/1048.longhttp://jcem.endojournals.org/content/88/3/1048/F1.expansion.htmlTofu is made by coagulation of soy milk from WHOLE soybeans. It is not only a soy protein isolate. Are there people who eat pure soy protein extract?I apologize, there is some confusion. When I commented originally on your post I assumed you were talking about supplemental soy protein. You can find this commonly in energy bars, in protein supplements, and mock meats. Tofu alone is not soy protein isolate, as you stated, and cannot be viewed the same, as you also stated.Though eating pistachios have their benefits I stay away from eating them, and instead I eat lot of almonds and walnuts, and I eat a plant based diet. I am a believer and I have benefited from keeping my pH at an alkaline level of 7.4-5. I found that when I ate a lot of pistachios it dropped my pH level.I eat only whole-food plant-based food, including daily a couple of tablespoons of peanuts, almonds, and walnuts and a smoothie mostly of green leaves I pick from vegetables like broccoli and kale and weeds. Erectile dysfunction went away in about 3 months, with this diet.Excellent Calvin!But what is “significant improvement”? can someone tell me how many percentage of people got better from the pistachio diet?In any case eating a WPBD (whole plant based diet) is he key to ED and anyone who follows Dr. G’s daily video and blogs is well aware of this. We are ‘meat leavers’ on this site and as before leaving meat, recall how mich animal product we used to consume so it still rings true that too much of anything is no good.So, wondering if it matters how the pistachios are processed (roasted, raw, etc).The problem with consuming nuts of any kind is a problem for many of us specifically because of the arginine content. Cold sores and other herpes related problems are exacerbated by increased arginine intake.What about men supplementing with arginine capsules? Recommended?Clearing Up Nut ConfusionA low-fat, whole-food, strictly plant-sourced diet = simultaneous calorie minimization (aka calorie restriction), and volume maximization = optimal health without hunger.We know that calorie minimization with high nutrients, i.e. calorie restriction, is the only intervention to increase both average and maximum healthy, cognizant lifespan.From Dr. Esselstyn and from others including Drs. Castelli, Roberts & Campbell we know the key markers for cardiovascular health are sufficiently low total and/or LDL cholesterol numbers.As explained in my book, Eat Your Way To Health: Healing, Kindness And The Plant Life Cycle (which received a 5 star book review from Maynard Clark, Research Administrator at the Harvard School of Public Health) successful calorie restriction is a matter of achieving and maintaining those low numbers (150 and 80 respectively or possibly a little lower than that).Nutrient to calorie ratio (nutrient density) follows the plant’s reproductive life cycle. The early appearing plant parts like leaves, stems and buds (broccoli) have the highest ratio, while seeds and nuts have the comparative lowest ratio (the later a plant part develops the more time the plant has had to increase it’s calorie storage potency).We are mostly the same, but with some differences. Yes, nuts have nutrients, but they also have lots of calories. So the test is can YOU keep your cholesterol numbers low enough while eating nuts or not? Some can and some can’t. It’s a simple matter of a blood test.If your numbers are below the threshold while eating nuts, great – if not don’t eat nuts. This is the complete nut confusion solution – no more cognitive dissonance.All I can find are roasted pistachios in any store. The video didn’t mention whether the pistachios were raw or roasted in the study. Please help. Denny in SarasotaAsk the author Dr. Mustafa Aldemir: drmaldemir@yahoo.com.trGo to Nut.comUnfortunately, pistachios, peanuts, and Brazil nuts are the 3 nuts with the highest risk of containing cancer-causing mycotoxins: http://om.ciheam.org/om/pdf/a94/00801301.pdf http://www.chem.agilent.com/Library/applications/59660632.pdf http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23605337Mycotoxins occur, and exert their toxic effects, in extremely small quantities in foodstuffs. Their identification and quantitative assessment thus generally require sophisticated sampling, sample preparation, extraction, and analytical techniques.Under practical storage conditions, the aim should be to monitor for the occurrence of fungi. If fungi cannot be detected then there is unlikely to be any mycotoxin contamination.http://www.fao.org/Wairdocs/X5008E/X5008e01.htmwhew! I’ve never heard of mycotoxins before so what does this mean bottom line for how I store these three nuts in particular ? : the fridge or the cupboard ?no offense, but a better voice for the voice-over would be appreciatedDr. Greger donates his own time and voice for these videos. I appreciate that he takes the time to do this work. And I and others love his voice. You are entitled to your opinion on this topic, but it is not necessary to voice it. “No offense, but” that kind of criticism is petty and unnecessarily hurtful. (I’m sure Dr. Greger has a thick skin by now. But still, take a moment to practice basic manners brian.)maybe i care more about the success of the site, which i think is good and important, than i do hurting someone’s feelings who has probably heard this before (judging by your ‘thick skin by now’ comment.) thanks for patronizing me though, excellent manners! i’m sorry if his self-esteem rests entirely on his thinking he has a voice-over quality voice.I have never had any problems with Dr. Greger’s voice holding me back from understanding fully what is being discussed on these videos. I have to agree with Thea, Dr. Greger works hard to bring this information to light, we need to be grateful that someone like him can spend hours (along with his crew of interns) scouring the latest studies for the latest in nutrition research. Very very few people can do this, and even better, present it in easy to understand videos with the studies attached below, for free! Just to enlighten and educate.i’m not debating anything that you’re talking about except the voice. just because it doesn’t distract you doesn’t mean it doesn’t distract others. how will we even know if it is a distraction to others if people who politely comment on it are responded to as such.Another option is to use the feedback section of this website.Personally I love Dr. Greger and his voice. He projects the necessary convincing sincerity to give credence to his information.Good point Thea. Yes, Dr. Greger is extremely generous and also an internationally respected professional speaker. We are very lucky indeed to have this nutrition resource!!Speaking of lectures, I have yet to meet Dr. Greger in person. I currently live in Houston, ill have to make a drive up to Marshall, TX this coming January.I have met him in person. It is worth the drive!Austin has Houston beat in that area, and many other areas too. I currently attend the University of Houston and am excitedly anticipating my graduation so that I can leave this city. The only whole foods plant based restaurants I can eat at are Genghis Grill, which I have only done once, and and whole foods market.Oh that’s too bad that there are too few WFPB restaurant choices in Houston. That’s one good incentive for you to venture off. Given the passion for nutrition that you exude, I guess you must be majoring in something related at Uni? If so, you may some day offer the NutritionFacts community some of your own breakthrough discoveries.Brian what does your comment have to do with the information presented? Odd.But I did catch Dr Greger giving a wonderful lecture in my hometown. Great speaker. He knows his stuff.the information presented came in the form of his VOICE. sorry you don’t understand that.I subscribed but cannot view any videos.total and utter nonsense.. absolute distortion with misleading thoughts and comments …another MD trying to sound smart and contemporary about serious medical issues they know little or anything about. More hype than substance. People need to eat an Organic plant based diet, exercise regularly, cardio and muscle building, respond w “cool” to stress i.e. less stress, desire pleasure and feel the benefits of lubricants and oils…and love sex…Please stop all the BS Greger, it will destroy your credibility..Dr. Greger supports an organic, plant based diet with regular exercise. There is no disconnect with this message. He is merely sharing an interesting study that was recently published showing potential benefits of pistachio consumption which adds to the bigger message showing the power of plant based diet.Thanks for the video, Dr. Gregor!I have been following a strict Vegan WFPB diet for 19 months–pretty much starch-based McDougall style. I also include copious amounts of the best veggies and some fruit. After remarkable success with my weight (83lbs lost) and health, ED problems still persist despite improvement.So I am giving this pistachio thing a try. I am unclear as to whether 100 grams of pistachios should be measured with or without the shell??I must admit to being a little concerned about the added fat and calories…I’m hoping that if that works, a reduced consumption might be sufficient for long term benefits.Fan: I’m a fan O you! :-) That’s a great story, though I’m sorry to hear that your ED problems are not fixed as well. I think its great that you are doing all that you can to help yourself. And now you are going to take another step.I can’t answer you question in regards to the grams, but it may help put your mind at ease a bit on the issue of calories. Dr. Greger has a video (which I don’t have at my fingertips, but hopefully won’t be too hard to find), which shows how some people actually loose weight eating nuts. There are no guarantees. (I know other WFPB people who say that they had to give up nuts in order to loose weight.) But it seems worth a shot.Best of luck to you and I hope that someone can answer your question and that you will report back to us how it goes.I have the same question… was the 100 grams of pistachios used in this study measured with or without the shell??1. To my knowledge, only one study about pistachios effect on erectile dysfunction is in Pubmed. Placebo effect and psychological effects during testing is possible.2. In several other studies pistachio consumption was associated with low blood cholesterol levels, but not one single study (to my knowledge) has confirmed an actual effect of pistachios on atherosclerosis, heart disease or mortality from heart disease.3. Pistachios are often contaminated with Aspergillus flavus, which produces aflatoxin. Aflatoxin can induce liver cancer. No association between pistachios consumption and liver cancer was established so far, though.To answer some comments:Roasted pistachios have about 60% lower antioxidant activity than fresh (raw) ones. But the direct beneficial effect of any antioxidant on heart or other disease has not been proven so far, as I know. If it was, I would appreciate a link.One possible nutrient in pistachios that could improve erection is arginine. No effect of various lysine/arginine levels on vascular reactivity was found in this study:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2878850/I made a research about possible health benefits of pistachios with references to all of my above claims here:http://www.ehealthstar.com/are-pistachios-good-or-bad-for-you.phpPlease view the sources cited section under the video for some context. Also, roasting increases the bio availability of the antioxidants.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/The actual health benefits of antioxidants in any form for human health have not been confirmed so far. So, increased bioavailability of small amount of antioxidants from roasted pistachios may not translate in any health benefit.It is the same issue like in sunflower seeds, which are exceptionally high in selenium and vitamin E, two known antioxidants, but there is no studies, which would prove their actual health benefit.http://www.hxbenefit.com/are-sunflower-seeds-good-for-you.htmlAlso, studies with vitamin E supplements in doses more than 200 x as high as in sunflower seeds did not reveal any health benefit.http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminE/I’ve checked the video in your link, which says that some antioxidants (vitamin C) are partially destroyed and others (beta-carotene) become more available; yes I can agree with that.I am prepared to believe that if someone is severely deficient in antioxidants, antioxidants from food can help him/her. But when someone has enough of oxidants already, adding more antioxidants may not help.Antioxidants have been proven again and again to be beneficial for human health.They have been shown to slow aging http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/Reduce inflammation http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/Prevent and treat COPD http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/Prevent cancer http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/1-anticancer-vegetable/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/veggies-vs-cancer/Prevent the hardening or arteries http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/Increase stool size http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/There is no limit of antioxidants one can consume as our cells are always under threat of oxidation http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/Antioxidant consumption should be focused on when we are stressed or get very little sleep. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-level-dynamics/Antioxidant supplements, like vitamin E supplements are harmful http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/Great point at the end Dr. G, why rely on a pill to “get it up” when instead you could just change your life style and be able to perform when the time is right without having to worry about taking a pill.I don’t see whether this study was done with California or Turkish pistachios. Does anyone know if that makes a difference?So, this site is really just a front for anti-fat vegetarianism. The last vegetarian expo I went to I was the skinniest person there. I was a low-carb meat-eating reed amongst hippos all extolling the virtues of rice, pasta, bread and potatoes…. Vegetarians thy name is in denial obesity. The bug-a-boo is not saturated fat or cholesterol per se but a diet high in simple carbs. Cholesterol is just the cop who shows up at the scene of the inflationary high-carb crime. Ditch the simple carbs, no cholesterol cops, better arteries, better bedroom. Your message isn’t a bad one if you get off your plant high horse and the lipid hypothesis rant. You also might want to now and then consider having a graphic of a male penis that is not mutilated. Circumcision is sexual assault and should be prosecuted. It’s a mistake that lasts a lifetime. And in my lifetime the vast majority of wars and violence has been caused by damaged men.Love to see these discussions steering away from “mainstream” medication to a more natural approach.After a long period of junk food and low exercise coupled with alcohol fueled nights, I found myself having erections issues at only 25! It was the trigger that got me back to dieting, daily cardio for at least an hour. I must admit I did try a few mainstream and alternative solutions but whatever it was worked. I’m inclined to believe it was the physical activity. Still occasionally have issues but I believe those are just self induced. I have a very nice diet now with veggies, nuts and seeds and lot of raw stuff.By the way any thoughts on stuff like Hogweed tincture? like this stuff http://hogweedtincture.com? Is it something people have tried?Best, AlexReally liked this blog.Buy Generic Viagra	antioxidants,arginine,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,citrulline,cyanopsia,depression,erectile dysfunction,exercise,eye health,FDA,heart disease,heart health,impotence,inflammation,LDL cholesterol,lifespan,longevity,medications,men's health,mortality,nitric oxide,nuts,oxidative stress,penis health,phytosterols,pistachios,plant-based diets,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,side effects,vegans,vegetarians,Viagra,watermelon,weight loss,women's health	Men eating pistachio nuts experienced a significant improvement in blood flow through the penis accompanied by significantly firmer erections in just three weeks, perhaps due to pistachios' antioxidant, arginine, and phytosterol content.	This is the final installment of 3-part video series on sexual health. If you missed the first two, check out Survival of the Firmest: Erectile Dysfunction and Death and 50 Shades of Greens.The watermelon effect via citrulline is documented in Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction and the jogging statistic, taken from the Harvard Nurses Health Study, can be found at What Women Should Eat to Live Longer.The absence of weight gain is, surprisingly, par for the course when it comes to studies on nuts. See Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence. This may be for a number of reasons (see Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories), including the "pistachio principle" (Testing the Pistachio Principle).In addition to improving penile blood flow, nuts may also help prevent breast cancer (Tree Nuts or Peanuts for Breast Cancer Prevention?), inflammatory diseases (Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell), and sudden death (How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?).I discuss the epidemic of adverse prescription drug side-effects in my 2012-13 annual review Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death and my new 2013-14 live presentation More Than an Apple a Day.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Foods for a Long Life and Love Life, Pills vs. Diet for Erectile Dysfunction, and Pistachios May Help Erectile Dysfunction.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/20/pills-vs-diet-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pistachios/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytosterols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/watermelon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viagra-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrulline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cyanopsia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17673936,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21624550,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21798391,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22332174,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19900167,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16395320,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21920268,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21135028,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22810987,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19592078,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21771280,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7977280,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21228801,
PLAIN-2714	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/	50 Shades of Greens	Motivating patients to change poor lifestyle habits can be extremely difficult. Preventing cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or strokes are relatively distant benefits, whereas barbecued ribs and cheesecake or sitting on your butt promises almost instant gratification. So public health experts are hoping that prevention or improvement of erectile dysfunction could be a more immediate motivator that physicians can use to improve their patients’ lifestyle and in turn their overall cardiovascular health. That's how doctors can save a life during a clinic visit for erectile dysfunction.We used to think of erectile dysfunction in young men, in their 20s and 30s, as psychogenic in origin, meaning it's all in their heads. But now we’re realizing it's more likely an early sign of vascular disease.But even when the penis heads in the wrong direction, the heart need not follow. Atherosclerosis in both organs can be reversed with lifestyle changes. We know that a substantial body of knowledge demonstrates that the abundant consumption of vegetables, fruit, and whole grain, and the dietary patterns rich in these foods, convey a markedly lower risk of coronary disease. So one group of researchers tried putting impotent men on a Mediterranean diet, the main characteristics of which includes an abundance of plant-based food. 37% of the men on the Mediterranean diet for 2 years regained normal sexual function. What about the diet appeared to do it? Improvements in erectile function were tied to 5 things: increased intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and, essentially, the ratio of plant fats to animal fats.Similar benefits were found for women. The same kind of diet significantly improved sexual function, together with a significant reduction of systemic inflammation. As a whole, these findings suggest that a Mediterranean-style diet may be a safe strategy for amelioration of sexual function in women with pre-diabetes or diabetes, who found significant improvement in sexual satisfaction on the healthier diet.Why? Well, as dietary fiber may have anti-inflammatory roles, it may be due to the fiber content of all those plants in the Mediterranean diet, magnified by all the antioxidants. This is the current thinking, given the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of a plant-based diet. But does it really matter? From a public health perspective, it may be unnecessary to elucidate every mechanism of single components: let's just recommend people eat healthy, such as by decreasing fat and increasing whole grains and greens.	When I taught patients as a Certified Diabetes Educator, motivating them to make lifestyle changes was nearly impossible until I started to emphasize the connection to E.D., then their EARS perked up!Their EARS perked up. Well, it’s a start :-).This site will not only save people`s lives, but also their marriage :-)When it comes to (especially) young men clogged arteries is not the only reason. See here:http://yourbrainonporn.comThanks for the great videos!Remember those fruits and vegetables that resemble the parts of the body that they benefit? Same with greens. The vessels and capillaries that require clear passage for sexual juices are clearly indicated by the beautiful, intricate structure of a leaf. The blood in those tiny tubes is similar to the chlorophyll-hemoglobin parallel. Fascinating stuff, anatomy and physiology. Eat yer greens!!! An easy way to eat greens: KALE CHIPS!!!!!!!!! yum!!!Dr. greger, “we used to think erectile dysfunction in young men as psychogenic in origin”, are you saying the problems of cholesterol and plaque could appear in men in their 20’s?And do cigarettes also cause that same plaque?It could even be during their teen years, and not only men. Although I don’t have the references in hand, I remember reading autopsy studies of people (age range between early teens to mid 30s) who died from traumatic events, which found that virtually all people studied had some level of atherosclerosis in their arteries.You are referring to the Prevalence and Extent of Atherosclerosis in Adolescents and Young Adults published in JAMA in 1999. See a brief summary of results in my post above. Another study “Vascular Age” is Advanced in Children with Atherosclerosis Promoting Risk Factors” published in Circulation in 2009 used carotid artery thickening measurements to demonstrate advancing arterial disease in children aged 6 to 19. So when I speak to audiences I like to point out it isn’t a question of if you have coronary disease but what you will do about it.In your opinion, is atherosclerosis inevitable as we get older, or could one imagine 80 years old arteries totally free of even fatty streaks, in a person living on WFPD without any added oils, from birth? Or will we still see some degree of atherosclerosis, but not progressive enough to be problematic?Cigarette smoking causes constriction of all the arteries of the body decreasing blood flow. I imagine that some of the many chemicals in cigarette smoke also interfere with the nitrous oxide system which is necessary for healthy arteries.Awesome video. Thanks for the relevant, informative and easy-to-digest videos!YOUTUBE TERMINATED THIS ACCOUNT? With all the junk they keep? Crazy.Wow, plants are so awesome! It’s amazing what they can do to heal the body! What took me so long to become so fascinated with plants?Why? Because the problem night not be fat/cholesterol but simple carbs, thus yes what is working in the Med. Diet is important to ID.37% of the men? Was there a control group?	animal fat,animal products,antioxidants,beans,cake,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,dairy,diabetes,erectile dysfunction,fat,fiber,fruit,grains,greens,heart disease,heart health,impotence,inflammation,meat,Mediterranean diet,men's health,mental health,nuts,penis health,plant-based diets,prediabetes,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,stroke,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health	Since both coronary heart disease and impotence can be reversed with a healthy diet, sexual dysfunction can be used as a motivator to change poor lifestyle habits.	This is the second of a 3-part video series on sexual health. If you missed it, check out my last video Survival of the Firmest: Erectile Dysfunction and Death, and stay tuned for the next video, Pistachio Nuts for Erectile Dysfunction.More on preventing sexual dysfunction in women in the first place in: Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction.A similar Mediterranean diet failed to help fibromyalgia in the short term (see Fibromyalgia vs. Mostly Raw & Mostly Vegetarian Diets), but diets that were even more plant-based were found to be beneficial: Fibromyalgia vs. Vegetarian & Raw Vegan Diets.Other benefits of fiber may include improved bowel function (Bristol Stool Scale) and frequency (Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet), lower colorectal cancer risk (Stool Size Matters), lower breast cancer risk (Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen and Fiber vs. Breast Cancer), lower blood pressure (Whole Grains May Work as Well as Drugs), lower blood cholesterol (How Fiber Lowers Cholesterol), weight loss (Beans and the Second Meal Effect) and a longer lifespan (What Women Should Eat to Live Longer).For more context check out my blog: Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013, Foods for a Long Life and Love Life, Pills vs. Diet for Erectile Dysfunction, and Pistachios May Help Erectile Dysfunction.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/20/pills-vs-diet-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17673936,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20214715,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22519624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15093875,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16226175,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21624550,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12932937,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22862865,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21798391,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21911624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22332174,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16395320,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21920268,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20584213,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20487239,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20722781,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19693019,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18783349,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16387561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15184915,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22503513,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21426494,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19538544,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20233287,
PLAIN-2715	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/	Survival of the Firmest: Erectile Dysfunction and Death	Erectile dysfunction is defined as the recurrent or persistent inability to attain and/or maintain an erection in order for satisfactory sexual performance. It is present in up to 30 million men in the U.S. and approximately 100 million men worldwide. Wait a second. The U.S. has less than 8% of the world's population, yet up to 30% of the impotence? We're number 1!Who cares, though, we've got red, white, and blue pills like Viagra. The problem though is the pills just cover up the symptoms of vascular disease, and don't do anything for the underlying pathology. Erectile dysfunction and our #1 killer coronary artery disease are just two manifestations of the same disease: inflamed, clogged, and crippled arteries, regardless of which organ. Atherosclerosis is considered a systemic disorder that uniformly affects all major blood vessels in the body. Hardening of the arteries can lead to softening of the penis because stiffened arteries can't relax normally, open wide, and let the blood flow. So erectile dysfunction may just be the flaccid tip of an iceburg in terms of a systemic disorder. In two-thirds of men showing up to emergency rooms for the first time with crushing chest pain, their penis had been trying to warn them for years that something was wrong with their circulation.Why does it hit the penis first? Because the penile arteries in the penis are half the size of the coronary artery in our heart—that's the so-called widow-maker. So the same amount of plaque in the heart, that you wouldn't even feel, could half clog the penile artery causing symptomatic restriction in blood flow. You may not feel chest pain until about here. That's why erectile dysfunction has been called penile angina. In fact, by measuring blood flow in a man's penis you can predict the results of his cardiac stress test with an accuracy of 80%. Male sexual function is like a penile stress test, a ‘window to the hearts of men.’40% of men over 40 have erectile dysfunction. Men getting erection difficulties in their 40s have a 50-fold increased risk of having a cardiac event like sudden death. You've heard me say various things increase heart disease risk by 20% or 30%. This is nearly 5000%, leading the latest review to ask, is there any greater risk? That's because it’s not so much a risk factor for atherosclerosis, it is atherosclerosis. A man with erectile dysfunction (even if he doesn’t have cardiac symptoms) should be considered a cardiac patient until proved otherwise. It's considered to be a cardiac equivalent; it's a marker of the coronary artery you likely already have. Thus, there’s more to treating ED than establishing an erect penis; it offers an opportunity for reducing cardiovascular risk.The reason even young men should care about their cholesterol is because it predicts erectile dysfunction later in life, and that predicts heart attacks, strokes, and a shortened lifespan. Just going to keep eating crap because you can pop some pills? All the Viagra in the world may not help your sex life after a stroke. The take home message is a simple equation: ED stands for early death.	Been a vegan 1 year; erectile dysfunction went away in 4 months.Good for you Calvin. Spread the word. I am also a vegan, and a plant based diet in general just cures!I was perhaps too young to have full-blown ED, but will add to the anecdotal chorus: a whole plant based diet improved the tip of my iceberg, and in about the same timeframe.Amazing that a plantbased diet helped in just 4 months! This is hard (!) evidence, that a plant based diet really cleans up the arteries. Thanks for sharing.A diet overhaul eliminating processed sugars, cured meats, and trans fats, while sticking to healthy protein sources and being conscious of what you eat… not necessarily jumping on a vegan diet.. can also work.Do you have any studies to back your statement?There is as much anecdote supporting what Alex is asserting as there is surrounding the magical powers of the strict vegetarian diet. I don’t consume any processed foods and the only grain that I eat is rice in strict moderation. I eat meat (primarily game meats) at virtually every meal along with some form of greens or tubers. I drink raw dairy and consume raw fermented dairy products. I feel better than I did in my twenties, my joint inflammation is gone and I have lowered my cholesterol to 175 (which is very low for my family) and my last BP was 115/70. The vegan advocates have part of the answer, but I can do it too without subjecting myself to that diet – so I have part of the answer as well.If you look elsewhere on this site, you can see hints that chickens and cows are far less healthy today than they were 100 years ago. The fact you have had good results with game meats is probably not good evidence that someone else eating factory chicken will have similar results.If you look yet elsewhere, you can see hints that it is far easier for the average slob-turned-disciplined omnivore to acquire high-quality, responsibly raised, free-foraged beef, pork and poultry that will rival the quality of game meats than it was five years ago. I completely agree that what we Americans call “food” is actually very sad, but the reality is that it isn’t very difficult to find good foods.. I just prefer “best” to “better” or “good.”Been vegan 8 years and am in my mid fifties. I feel like a teenager in the sack. My blood pressure is nearly identical to my 17 year old son.I regret that you fail to provide more than basic options for avoidance and prevention of ED leading to early death. Is it because there has been little or nothing done in this area to lengthen the life of men or to prevent clogging men’s hearts. You stop short of saying a vegan lifestyle will do it. No evidence? Of all the issues you discuss, this is much more important than other subjects. More, please.Are you in denial, or something? Maybe a plant-based 2X4 up the side of your head will do it? What else are you imagining Dr. Greger is saying? Maybe you’ll take it from me? Eat a vegan lifestyle and you’ll get a hard on for life, prevent ED and avoid early death from a cardiac event.Ramon have you tried a plant based diet? I am a vegan and I know a plant based diet in general just cures. I am 45 and I have returned to my weight of when I was in my 20’s and I have the energy and stamina of when I was in my 20’s also. Stop knocking it and give it a try.anecdotal evidence is work about zip due to the propensity remember the hits and forget the misses. Real science would be nice rather than worked for me quips.He knows it’s an anecdote. It’s trivial. Real science is the hundreds of sources out there that support the vegan diet.There are plenty of videos on this websites that share the evidence to show how a plant based diet can prevent heart disease.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/Dr. Greger, omega-3’s have been known to aid in ED. Could you please tell me why you supplement with omega-3 instead of getting the O-3’s from flax, leafy greens, walnuts, and such? I have perused the sight and have been unable to find mention by you of why you feel it is necessary to supplement. I think the 0-3 issue is super relevant to today’s wonderful video.Others have asked you this question in the past but unless someone here can point me to your answer, it seems as though you have yet to give some sort of explanation to your readers/viewers/followers for your silence on this issue.He briefly covers it at the end of Algae-Based DHA vs. Flax. Evidence suggests humans can produce 20:5(ω-3) EPA from 18:3(ω-3) ALA (abundant in flax, walnuts, & leafy greens), but not enough 22:6(ω-3) DHA. In my reading, the EPA (and its ratio with 20:4(ω-6) AA) seems more important for inflammation and vascular health, whereas DHA is important in neural membranes, and brain/mental health.I watched the video but Dr. Greger seems to leave it vague as to specifically why he feels relying on plant based omega 3’s might not be enough, and that supplementation should be considered. Is he citing specific studies to back this up? Do you know, specifically, what he is basing this “feeling” on? Thanks, Darryl.From that second citation:Short-term dietary supplementation with α-linolenic acid increases the proportion of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) but does not increase the proportion of DHA in blood lipids. Small amounts of preformed DHA (as low as 200 mg) result in a large increase in the proportion of DHA in blood lipids in vegetarians and vegans.Darryl, thank you. Am I to assume that this is what Dr. Greger is basing his choice to supplement with with omega 3’s? There seems to be some vegans on this website (as well as other sites) claiming vegans eating plenty of flax, greens, walnuts, and such have no need to supplement.Short-term. Long-term, all available evidence indicates that people eating plant-based diets can and do produce all the DHA they need without ingesting preformed DHA. Men have very low DHA needs since they don’t gestate or lactate. Women perform the conversion approximately 200 times more efficiently than men.AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY 19:132–141 (2007). Page 138 in particular.Burdge GC, Calder PC. Dietary α-linolenic acid and health-related outcomes: a metabolic perspective. Nutrition Research Reviews (2006); 19: 26–52.The failure of so many fish-oil trials made me highly suspect the pro-DHA arguments. And there aren’t any cold-water fish within 100 miles of any hominin fossil sites older than 125,000 kya, after modern humans, so clearly dietary DHA wasn’t necessary for most of hominin evolution.DHA is still an important part of neural membranes, so as a male, I’ll continue taking algal DHA just to be on the safe side.You don’t need to supplement, use wholefoods. I eat a lot of nuts, plus I add flax seed or chia seeds to my daily veggie juice.Be cautious, as most nuts have omega 3:6 ratios so bad that you wont get much omega 3 from them. Walnuts, flax seeds and chia seeds are the best sources.Thanks Toxins. I basically eat walnuts, almonds, flax seeds, and chia seeds.Black walnuts: 4:1 (omega 6:3) Almonds: 2028:1 (ditch ‘em!!!) Flax: 1:4 Chia: 1:3The thing with almonds though is in studies they show an anti-inflammatory affect in the body.Almonds have beneficial phytonutrients but as is the case with black vs English walnuts, they both have phytonutirents but one has more omega 3 which seems to make a big difference. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/English walnuts not black!http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3137/2Yes, got my walnuts backward … thx English walnuts: 4:1 Black walnuts: 16:1It is a bit complex but we are starting to understand it a bit better. You can follow up on the links that Darryl suggested. The studies on O-3’s and 0-6’s were done in folks on standard american diet and/or consuming alot of processed oils such as corn oil. If you are following a proper whole food plant based diet with Vitamin B12 you need to exercise caution in taking isolated supplements. The current data support this approach. It has to do with ratio of O3 to O6 in the diet as they both go through the same enzymes to make the noninflammatory and anti-clotting (EPA/DHA etc.) and inflammatory and clotting substances such as (AA etc.)… your body needs both. Patients who persist in eating a diet with high O6 to O3 ration might indeed benefit from a supplement but would certainly go with a plant based option and not consume fish or fish oil… remember it is the algae that produce the O3’s not the fish. Of course the best and cheapest option is the correct diet.Don, thank you. “The cheapest option is the correct diet.” I hope this is the case. Dr. Greger seems to differ. Hopefully he will do more research/videos/blogs on this subject in the future.Wowza!!! Thanks Dr. Greger. Keep reminding us that a plant based diet cures this. A plant based diet cures diseases in general!Dr. Greger,My husband had a heart attack at age 69 last year due to a bloodstream staph infection that attacked his heart. According to the angioplasty that was done, my husband did not and does not have atherosclerosis. He had to have emergency open heart surgery and a mitral valve replacement due to the heart attack and resulting death of his papillary muscle.My husband has had trouble maintaining an erection for a few years due to an injury to his penis during sex. On top of that, after the heart attack last year and with him now being on a beta blocker (generic Lopressor), it is very hard for him to get an erection much less maintain one. It was decided last year that his heart’s ejection fraction was too weak after the heart attack, so his Electrophysiologist implanted a combination Pacemaker/IED. He is on one beta blocker (Metoprolol) 25 mg twice a day, one ace inhibitor (Ramipril) 5 mg once a day and an enteric coated aspirin once a day. We would like to get him off all the meds if possible but must speak with his cardiologist first about the safety of doing this.Anyway, he has his yearly cardiologist appointment on Thursday and we want to ask the doctor among other things about the Metoprolol my husband is on and is it causing or exacerbating his ED among other things i.e. fatigue, weakness in the legs, short term memory loss etc. I’ve read that beta blockers are one of the top 19 most dangerous drugs and are implicated in actually making the heart weaker over time rather than stronger.For the record, we are not vegan but we don’t eat a lot of meat. What are your thoughts on the ED being exacerbated by the beta blocker? In your opinion, is it safe to either reduce or stop the beta blocker over time since my husband has not had another heart attack and the first one wasn’t caused by atherosclerosis? Could his ED also be caused by his age (now 70) and a reduction in testosterone?Please give me your insights on these questions and thanks! I’m a big fan of your videos and articles, by the way, so thanks for continuing to make your knowledge available to the rest of us.the man is 69+ …what sex!?Do you think people stop wanting to have a satisfying sex life just because they age? We have always had a good sex life up until he injured his penis during sex and even after that, the sex wasn’t bad. Obviously, he was embarrassed to go to the doctor for that and so he didn’t and scar tissue built up and made an erection difficult but not impossible. Just because people get older doesn’t mean they don’t need love and affection and yes, even sex. Good grief. Ageism is alive and well.Madam. I am impressed AND inspired.I knew a nurse that worked with the elderly and she told me stories about their desire for sex that stoned me. I like it.The beta blockers and all antihypertensive medications have erectile dysfunction as a possible side effect. The issue of arterial health is itself complex involving both blockages and the nitrous oxide system. It is impossible to know if the damage to the mitral valve was solely due to the staph infection or a “heart attack” in small vessels supplying the papillary muscles of the mitral valve or a combination. It is clear at this point that the healthiest diet for the arterial system is a whole food plant based diet with vitamin B12 and no processed oils. Drs. Esselstyn and Ornish published that work in the 1990’s. Dr. Esselstyn has a new article due out in the near future on the follow up of his patients with severe coronary arterial disease. I would encourage you to read his book on preventing and reversing heart disease. It is estimated that over 90% of patients on antihypertensive medicines can be taken off their medications if they follow the correct diet. This needs to be done with the guidance of your regular physicians. I recommend that my patients get a home blood pressure cuff and take their blood pressures in the morning and record on a run chart for each month. The Y axis has the blood pressure values both systolic and diastolic and the X axis had the day of the month. His ED could be contributed to by other factors but given his history it’s most likely arterial disease. The weakness and fatigue have many causes including medications. I would recommend that you go to John McDougall’s website and follow the hot topic link to view how he treats some of the conditions you are interested in. You might start with his November 2009 article in his monthly newsletter entitled, “How I treat patients with elevated blood pressure”. His website has alot of other supportive information including recipes by his wife Mary and his lecture on the starch solution. I have been amazed by the power of the correct diet in my patients to allow the body to stabilize, reverse and/or cure chronic conditions. Keep tuned to nutritionfacts.org as the science keeps coming. Good luck.Thanks, Don. I checked out McDougall’s website, and I’ll probably buy his newest cookbook, The Starch Solution. I appreciate the heads up. I have heard of Dr. McDougall as well as Dr. Esselstyn and Dean Ornish. I have Dr. Esselstyn’s son’s cookbook, The Engine 2 Diet. When I cook at home, I almost always prepare vegetarian meals unless I’m cooking fish which is rare. However, when we dine out, we eat whatever we are hungry for and that sometimes includes meat.I would imagine years of my husband eating whatever he wanted to helped contribute to some hardening/clogging of arteries even though my husband has always been extremely active. According to two cardiologists, he doesn’t show signs of atherosclerosis, but from what I read on McDougall’s website, my husband’s hypertension was caused by a “sick” vascular system. Also, his father died of heart disease so there is a genetic factor at work, too.Chickens always come home to roost and I guess this eating “high on the hog” plus the staph infection probably caused the heart problems. Anyway, thanks again, Don for the information.One thing I wanted to add is that when a cardiologist says that your husband doesn’t have signs of atherosclerosis they are only looking at a shadow image of his heart which is the angiogram. It (the angiogram) cannot see the actual arterial wall and if there is any fatty infiltration of the wall (atherosclerosis). So even though it may look “normal” on the angiogram, the wall could in fact be quite diseased.Also most Cardiologist’s will call an artery “normal” if there is no blockage greater than 25% because it takes a blockage of about 30% to actually be seen by the angiogram. And some of the time the significance and amount of disease is a judgement call.It is also now well established in the literature that if you are eating animal foods and added oils greater than 10% of the diet you are causing meta-inflammation (low level inflammation) throughout your arterial system which activates the immune system to try and repair the “damage” caused by these foods on the arterial system. It’s this “repair” process that causes atherolsclerosis.Also toddlers who have died suddenly and have had autopsies have shown atherosclerosis when they were eating significant animal products and processed oily foods. It starts at a very young age and more likely than not your husband has atherosclerosis even though it may appear “normal”.Thank you for that information.No problem. You’re on the right track. Keep up the good work!And it is not the old, large plaques that are most dangerous, but the smaller and “younger” plaques, that have the highest risk for rupture, and hence occlude the artery, meaning that you can drop dead from a massive heart attack the day after your cardiologist has told you and your wife that everything is fine.Quite true as well!Excellent presentation! Very, very well done! Thank you so much! VanA very “prick-ly” subject.America #1. “Red, White, and Blue. . . Pills” says it all. ;-)It’s not that simple. ED can result from a number of causes, not just atherosclerosis. While plaque may be the leading cause, it is by no means the only cause. I am on a plant based diet, have been for 2 years. It hasn’t reduced my symtoms in the least because they are not the result of arterial disease. (other causes can be injury, nerve damage, the inability for the penis to shunt the veins after erection, and others) I think that Dr. Gregor loses credibility when he covers a topic from such a biased point of view.Richard, he is covering ED from the perspective of atherosclerosis, which appears to be the main cause of ED. He mentions atherosclerosis specifically and not every other cause of ED.You are correct there are different causes of ED. It should be viewed as a condition and not a diagnosis. However in evaluating men for ED there are some conditions that can be checked for such as low thyroid and low testosterone but in my clinical experience you find that rarely. Even if you find something it doesn’t mean that arterial dysfunction isn’t a contributing factor. There is no good way to evaluate arterial dysfunction of the penis. The treatments are limited as well. As a primary care physician there is no downside to working to improve your arterial system. As pointed out in the PDAY study it is present by age 15 in individuals consuming a standard american diet.It is not manly to smoke, soon it is not manly to eat a steak. Maybe this video will convince men to go plantbased !“Throw another log on the fire” guys who go plant based have better body odor for details see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/body-odor-diet-2/.So the meat eating guy not only gets heart attack, stroke, prostatecancer,fat, diabetes and impotent – he also stinks ! I`m off to my broccoli…..You men are having so much fun with this topic today! Love the screen pic above.If the women are feeling left out they should view Dr. Greger’s previous video on female sexual dysfunction… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/. We all suffer when we eat in ways that violate our design as “hind gut” fermenting herbivores.Just a question regarding the logic behind cardiac bypass surgery. As Dr. Greger mentioned, atherosclerosis affects all vascular systems in the body. That means someone needing a bypass probably has occluded arteries everywhere. I would imagine then that the surgeon would harvest for transplant veins and arteries (even though somewhat occluded) of a larger inherent diameter than the cardiac arteries. Is this correct?Typical the surgeon use a vein from the lower part of the leg. The “low pressure system” (veins) are not so atherosclerotic, but they are not “built” to the “high pressure system” (arteries), so they easily get clogged efter by-pass surgery, when inserted in the “high pressure system”, and then you will get a stent, and then a new pypass, and then a stent, and then you will die, unless you are wise enough to shift to a whole foods plantbased diet…..Thanks for the excellent explanation, Plantstrongdoc M.D.I know that one of my acquaintances had a major vein removed from his arm, instead of his leg. I think it was a quadruple bypass. He hurt like heck afterwards, and couldn’t sleep comfortably or get up comfortably for months. Still can’t convince him to go veg, but he was a daily meat eater (BBQ none the less). He has certainly made efforts over the past year to boost his plant intake and his exercise.Some people never learn. My farther, first heart attack at age 46, later dilation of the coronary arteries two times and by-pass surgery at age 62 still gorge on meat, eggs, butter, dairy, “healthy” oils, white bread and all kinds of junk. His best argument is that I am the only doc telling him to go plantbased. I think it was Søren Kirkegaard who said – trust the minority, not the majority…Plantstrongdoc: It’s so hard when our loved ones don’t listen to us. You actually help all sort of people, but one of the people you really want to help the most doesn’t pay attention. It’s a pretty common human reaction (“what does the kid know anyway”), but it still hurts the kid.By the way, for some reason I laughed out loud when I read your comment previously about, “So the meat eating guy not only gets heart attack, stroke, prostatecancer,fat, diabetes and impotent – he also stinks ! I`m off to my broccoli…..” Thanks for the smile. And speaking as one of the ladies, I do so appreciate the broccoli eating type of man.Thea, Thanks for your (always) thoughtful response(s).Yeah, my older brother is slated for a triple bypass in a few months. I mentioned to him and his wife that a plant-based diet might allow him to bypass the bypass. Unfortunately, I only got a very lukewarm response.I’m reading a very interesting book called “The Great American Heart Hoax,” the author of which opines that many bypasses are performed unnecessarily. The author suggests a near plant-based diet to obviate the need for heart surgery.Of course, two great heart books are Dr. Esselstyn’s “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease,” and Dr. McDougall’s “The McDougall Program for a Healthy Heart.”And Dean Ornish`s work and book: Reversing heart disease – from 1990. The knowledge has been around for so many years, and I heard absolutely nothing about this in medschool, or when I worked in a strokeunit.Thanks. I forgot that one. D’oh! 1990? You think we would have clued in by now. Still, I think the word is slowly getting out there.Yes, eating meat is definitely more tasty and enjoyable than obviating bypass surgery.I am a little weary about the statistics about the US’s ED and the rest of the world. I don’t know how much of the rest of the world is up about reporting how many of their men can’t get it up.True enough. But then, this isn’t the Olympics. If you want to conclude that one can keep eating an artery clogging diet because the numbers about ED rates aren’t internationally comparable due to sampling errors, though, I think you’re getting the wrong takeaway.What about ED due to diabetic neuropathy? Is that a different type and what can plant-based diets do to correct it, if anything?Dr’s Pulde and Lederman, in “Keep It Simple, Keep It Whole” note that while most people who eat a whole food, plant based diet and limit Omega 6, can see their omega 3’s produce EPA/DHA. However, even with a proper plant based diet (limited Omega 6, plenty of Omega 3 from flax), Diabetics might still not convert the Omega 3 to DHA. Maybe still not enough enzymes such as arachadonic acid? Might be advisable for them (especially Type 1 Diabetics) to take an algae based DHA supplement?…MikeThank you so much Dr Greger for the accurate infos your are giving me with each video… this is so important to know the thruth about our healt!Is it fair to conclude that interventions that improve erectile function are good for my heart, like pornography?You shouldn’t confuse things that cause erections with the measure of erectile function. If you are concerned about your heart function and avoiding heart disease I would advise reading Dr. Esselstyn’s book on preventing and reversing heart disease. The best approach is a whole food plant based diet with adequate Vitamin B12 intake. Exercise can be helpful but it is probably more like >80% diet and <20% exercise in non smokers. Other common disorders that are associated with arterial disease are back pain, narrowed disc see video's… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/.Something else for me to worry about. Thanks for nothing.Two years ago, before embarking on a plant based, I had to seek a blue pill before lovemaking, or come up with an excuse.Now, an erection has become my morning wake-up call.I am 75 and every year, since turning 65 I have recieved a cup with ” 65(age0 and it still works”. I will turn 76 shortly, expecting a cup again, as I EARN it throught the year. Go, plant based diet, makes my skin soft but stiffens in the right place. My wife makes the cups herself.LOL, I love this image!!This is one reason why I’m so glad I’ve embraced more vegetarian/plant-based eating habits.Works for me too!I’ve been vegetarian for over 20 years and vegan for five or more, including a couple as HCLF raw vegan. I’ve had ED for a few years now, almost synonymous with going vegan in fact. Since most of this time I haven’t had a partner or much desire for self-sex I didn’t really notice when it started. When I was with my last partner is become an issue after a short time in the relationship. I always got the sense it was psychosomatic and would be fine if I was with someone else, but that is speculation. The prospect of HD and arterial damage is something I’ve never considered given my avoidance of vegetable oils (occasional deep fried food when out but <1 a fortnight and many years where I had zero).I'm nervous about starting a relationship without investigating the cause/potential cures for my ED, I've read that it's very rarely low-Testosterone (something I had imagined might be the case). I've already gone vegan years ago so that is ruled out as a cure (could it have been a contributing cause?!). I'm 46 yo and a bit depressed about this. I meditated daily for at least two hours for many years (~10 years) and part of the end goal for that (Vipassana in S N Goenka tradition) is coming out of sexual desire so I wondered if that was behind it. I might go ask some meditators if they have any experience of it. 40% of 40-50 yo males effected by ED I guess I am one but I'm a vegan so what's the other possible causes?Thanks for sharing such a personal story. I am unsure the underlying causes. Check with your doctor about options if problems persist.Best wishes, Joseph	aging,angina,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,erectile dysfunction,heart disease,heart health,impotence,inflammation,lifespan,longevity,medications,men's health,mortality,penis health,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,stress test,stroke,Viagra	Because penile arteries are only about half the size of the coronary arteries in the heart, erectile dysfunction can be a powerful predictor of cardiac events such as sudden death.	Thankfully, Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped. Check out my video on Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death. More background can be found in Arterial Acne and Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease.This is the first of a 3-part video series on sexual health. Stay tuned for 50 Shades of Greens and Pistachio Nuts for Erectile Dysfunction.Previous videos on the subject include:A similar relationship appears to exist for female sexual function as well: Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/22/foods-for-a-long-life-and-love-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/20/pills-vs-diet-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/27/pistachios-may-help-erectile-dysfunction/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viagra-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17673936,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20214715,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22519624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15093875,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12932935,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16226175,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21624550,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12932937,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21798391,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21911624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22332174,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19181643,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16395320,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21920268,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20584213,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20487239,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20722781,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19693019,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18783349,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16387561,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22503513,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21426494,
PLAIN-2716	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/	Which Seaweed is Most Protective Against Breast Cancer?	Unfortunately, as the traditional diets of East Asia have westernized, their breast cancer rates have risen, which some have linked to a quadrupling of animal product consumption.This is the breast cancer rate of Japanese women living in Japan. If they emigrate to the United States, within 10 years, they're up to here, and if they hang around long enough, here's the risk of resident Japanese Americans living in the United States. Note, though, that it's still somewhat lower than the U.S. national average. This may be because of some of the dietary habits they carry with them, soy consumption, green tea, maybe eating more mushrooms, but maybe partly it's the seaweed.We've known for over a decade that in vitro, in a Petri dish, seaweed broth is effective at clearing cancer cells. Here are three different types of human breast cancer, measuring cancer cell death. Here's what a widely used chemotherapy drug can do, and here's seaweed. It worked even better, and unlike the chemo, it didn't hurt normal, non-cancerous breast cells. What about outside of the test tube, in people?Well, a population study comparing women with breast cancer to women without found that consuming a single sheet of nori a day may cut a woman's odds of breast cancer in half. We think it's because seaweed favorably alters estrogen metabolism, likely due to modulating women's gut bacteria. See, the more seaweed you eat, the less estrogen you have in your system, which may lower breast cancer risk.This may be because of all the fiber in sea vegetables, or it may block the enzyme that undermines our body's attempt to flush out excess hormones, or even somehow interfere with estrogen binding to estrogen receptors. Whatever the cause, to effectively lower their estrogen levels, Asian women may be able to get away with about one sheet of nori a day, but American women are so much bigger that it may take closer to two. There are lots of yummy seaweed snacks out there to make it a tasty experience—just try to get some low-fat, low-sodium ones."Walk-ka-may," the seaweed used fresh in seaweed salads, unfortunately did not appear to reduce breast cancer risk, though it has been found to rather dramatically lower blood pressure in hypertensives, people with high blood pressure. Just two teaspoons of seaweed salad a day for a month dropped their blood pressure 14 points and after two months was associated with up to a 2 inch skinnier waistline.As I've mentioned before, though, I'd recommend avoiding hijiki, which tends to have too much arsenic, and kelp, which tends to have too much iodine. In fact, too much seaweed of any type may actually increase one's risk for thyroid cancer because of the amount of iodine you'd be taking in, but there does not appear to be increased risk at the levels of consumption I'm talking about, like a sheet of nori every day. And a study of seaweed eaters in California actually found decreased risk, but, again, we're talking modest levels of intake.You know I've frequently talked about the benefits of dietary diversity, eating different families of fruits and vegetables, eating different parts of individual plants—beets, and beet greens. If we just stick to land plants, though, we're missing out on all the plants from the other 70% of planet earth. Sea vegetables have phytonutrients found nowhere else, types of fiber, and unique carotenoids, and polysaccharides, and various polyphenol defense compounds, each of which may have anti-cancer properties. I encourage everyone to try experimenting until you find one you like, even if that means just sprinkling some powdered dulse on your food.	Our favorite sea vegetables are dulse and nori. The nori we have left in our stash we purchased pre-Fukishima calamity. I’ve never seen nori for sale that didn’t come from Japan (or at least the Pacific) – do you think its health-promoting properties override any radiation (and other toxins and pollutants) it might contain? Too bad life’s not more simple, our species sure knows how to garp things up.re: “Too bad life’s not more simple, our species sure knows how to garp things up.”Argh. I agree! To eat seaweed-to not eat seaweed. It’s not an easy decision to make now-a-days. Personally, I still eat it. I live on the American west coast and figure I’m probably getting plenty of Fukishima radiation directly from the air and other foods grown locally here. So, I might as well get the benefit of the seaweed.But note that’s not an educated opinion as I don’t have the information to balance the risks. That’s just my thinking right now and I thought the perspective might be helpful.If you haven’t seen it yet, Dr. Greger has a video on this topic:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/Good luck.Thanks, Thea! Sorry I didn’t see this till now! :-)I think there is a lot of seaweed that is packaged in Japan but sourced from China. At least that’s what I found last time I went to our local Japanese grocery store. I worry about contamination.This is great news. My seven year-old son LOVES toasted Nori. I limit him to 2 sheets/day but he would gladly eat more. It is his absolute favorite food! I also enjoy it. I am also glad to hear about the safety of Wakame, which I use to make broths. I had wondered about it since hijiki and kelp are best to be avoided. Thanks!I absolutely love those roasted, oiled and salted nori packets that can be attained from Trader Joes (it was even pictured in the video). But as Dr. Greger cautioned, it would be best to stay away from the added oil and salt. I tried purchasing the sheets of plain, roasted nori, but I just don’t like them. I eat a packet-a-day of the Trader Joe’s stuff, but am I doing myself more harm than good with the included oil and salt too? I don’t know the impact of the whole food. (Of course, I do know the impact on the environment is inexcusable.)My other issue with the nori is the iodine levels. One of the reasons I want to eat the snack nori (aside from the pleasure) is for the iodine, which I especially need to balance out the healthy veggies that I eat. I know Dr. Greger has a video on this topic, but if memory serves, I haven’t been able to find any good data that assures me that the product I’m actually eating has consistent and adequate iodine. (I don’t get the iodine in my salt because I happen to like the super-fine sea salt that I get. So, I’ve been blindly banking on the nori snacks.)All of that aside, it is awesome to learn from this video that there may be even more health benefits than I had originally thought from eating my daily packet (or sometimes 2) of nori.Hi Thea, I put my nori sheets on my toaster (it has a top for rolls that pops out) and put the toaster on max for 2 times per side. I then cut up the nori sheets into strips. They taste a lot better when toasted and become crunchy. I don’t have Trader Joes here on this side of the planet, so I can’t compare…barbarabrussels: Thanks for the tip! I’m going to give it a shot. :-)i eat sushi with unsalted nori so im good idk about the raditon but we are probably exp hawaii and cali being affected….I wish I could open a package of hot teriyaki nori without eating all 80 chips. Its a regular shopping list item when I visit the local Asian grocery.To date, there don’t appear to be any published studies of post-Fukushima radiation in edible seaweed. In this late 2012 video on the resumption of Miyagi province nori production, no contamination was found, but this early 2012 video from South Korea strikes a cautionary note.It plausible that regular currents drew radioactive seawater south from Fukushima and out to sea (sparing famed Miyagi yakinori).Cool pictures. And as usual, great post. Thanks!I know that the safe upper limit of iodine is around 1100 micrograms, shades of excitement! And all sea vegetables are packed packed packed with iodine. So what’s the safe upper limit of sea veggies??????? Do tell!! maybe 2 to 4 ounces once or twice a week. Do tell Do tell !!!Kragdar: The following video gives some idea of safe quantities of sea veggies to eat for iodine:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/You have to be patient and wait until after the 2 minute mark.I hope that helps.I “Sea” your vegetables! And I raise you a Teaspoon of Wasabi. ;-)Hi Dr Greger, Once again, a heart-felt “thank you” for your amazing site and the information you have provided. Implementing your dietary advice is having a profound impact on my health and weight. I have one question with regards to the incorporation of sea vegetables in my diet. Given, that a lot of the sea vegetables are harvested in the oceans around Japan, I am concerned regarding radio-activity and heavy-metal content of sea vegetables from the leakage of contaminated groundwater from the Fukishima Nuclear Reactor. Could you please advise? kind regards,BenLove these gems from the peer reviewed literature. Thanks! I have acquired a taste for nori seaweed. I get it at Costco and it comes from Korea – away from the prevailing currents from eastern Japan.Thankfully, my breasts are not as susceptible to breast cancer as those of women. On the other hand, women don’t have to contend with an aging prostate. I have noticed that Dr. Greger has reported on several foods that help prevent breast cancer but also seem to help prevent prostate cancer. Dr. Greger, have you noticed any studies on seaweed and prostate cancer?How about the pollution of sea water (mercury, pcb’s) including the radiation on the quality of seaweed??I guess my next prescription could be Rp plants, No as much as possible, Ds 3-4 times a day, prophylactic against cancer, CVD, inflammation, diabetes and hypertension (side effects: None)could I please have the spelling of the type of seaweed that lower blood pressure. Thank youWakame. It is the seaweed that is used when you order Miso soup at a Japanese restaurant. Yummy stuff.If you already have cancer, however (or perhaps “have had,” a tense of the verb we survivors yearn to use) , stimulating thyroid function could be risky. Dr. Aleck Hercbergs of The Cleveland Clinic has addressed this in several papers. How much iodine is in nori–and how does that compare to other sea vegetables? –Harriet at http://www.eatandbeatcancer.comHarriet:You might want to check out the following NutritionFacts video:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/It doesn’t say exactly how much iodine is in each type of seaweed, but it does compare between different varieties, giving you a general idea of what might be in nori compared to others.Hope that helps.The “experts” in the scientific community now say that seaweeds are not plants, animals, or fungi but should be placed in several separate kingdoms outside of the plant kingdom.As for the wonderful benefits of eating seaweed, let’s not forget that sea salt always contains cancer-causing nitrosamines and nitrites. Fortunately, the salt can be easily and quickly washed away before eating the seaweed but unfortunately, most people can’t resist the temptation to eat seaweed deliciously.Sea salt is basically comparable to table salt and what nutrients are in sea salt are so small they are basically negligible.1 tsp of Sea Salt contains12 mgs of calcium7 mgs of potassium27 mgs of magnesiumThe recommended daily values of these nutrients are600 mgs of calcium4700 mgs of potassium400 mgs of magnesiumSo to get just 25% of this daily value, we would need to eatCalcium, we would need to take in 24,600 mgs of sodiumPotassium, we would need to take in 335,000 mgs of sodiumMagnesium, we would need to take in 7,407 mgs of sodiumHey Ron, What’s your documentation for sea salt having nitrosamines and nitrites. Sounds a little off to me.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/171001 71 http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-i f-blood-pressure-is-ok/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/867154 9 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7927911 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9589435 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17713196Two of the above links printed defectively for some unexplainable reason. Let’s try again: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17100171 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8671549Vegetables That Heal will transform into Vegetables That Kill when salt is added: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19860848 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20432165 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19862003 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1831733 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7797354 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16227704Biologists can’t agree on the total number of kingdoms that all living things should be divided into. Many of the most modern biologists prefer to create eight separate kingdoms instead of the just four, five, or six kingdoms preferred by past biologists.Seaweeds belong to three kingdoms: Kingdom Plantae (chlorophyte, or “green” algae seaweeds), Kingdom Plantae (rhodophyte, or “red” algae seaweeds), Kingdom Chromista (phaeophyte, or “brown” algae seaweeds) Kingdom Chromista (xanthophyte, or “yellow-green” algae seaweeds), and Kingdom Bacteria (cyanophyte, or “blue-green” algae seaweeds).Seaweeds that belong to the Kingdom Plantae are plants; the others, strictly speaking, are not. Kombu (kelp), arame (kelp), limu moui (kelp), hijiki, mozuku, and wakame are not plants. Wikipedia places them under Kingdom Chromalveolata because they are classified as “brown” algae seaweeds. However, nori (laver), ogo (limu), and dulse are classified as “red” algae seaweeds and are placed under Kingdom Plantae.Kingdom Protista, which includes the chlorophyll-containing, self-propelling euglenozoa, is a fourth kingdom of algae which contains no species of seaweeds.I wonder why Nori works while Wakame doesn’t. Thanks to the Doc, I developed a taste for Dulse. Thought I try not to eat too much in order not to have too much Iodine.Hi Dr Greger, I’ve been taking in your nutritional advice one video at a time, and it’s been ever so rewarding. In fact, I took up running, because I felt a need to spend excess energy, this is an absolute first for me! Anyways, here’s my question I’ve been buying from asian markets, and so many dried products (like nori) include a little sachet that reads “absorptive chemicals to protect the content against humidity.” Any idea of its safety level? Thanks a bunch.Eating a sheet of nori each day is so easy to do…and now I’m finding out that one of my cats also loves it!!! I tear off a few small pieces for her and she gobbles it up! vval: My dog loves the stuff too. :-) On the other hand, my dog is a bit ‘out there’ in terms of his tastes. He’s a big fan of many fruits and veggies, including broccoli and kale stems and sugar snap peas, etc.Hi Dr, I love your videos and am very glad you do the work you do. I am wondering about the levels of heavy metals in sea vegetables and health risks involved considering polluted waters?	abdominal fat,animal fat,animal products,arsenic,Asia,beet greens,beets,bile acids,blood pressure,breast cancer,breast health,California,cancer,chemotherapy,dulse,estrogen,fat,fiber,fruit,gut flora,hijiki,hormones,hypertension,iodine,Japan,kelp,low-fat diets,medications,nori,phytonutrients,salt,sea vegetables,sodium,standard American diet,sushi,thyroid disease,thyroid health,vegetables,women's health	Nori seaweed snacks may favorably alter estrogen metabolism by modulating women's gut flora, resulting in decreased breast cancer risk.	Seaweed snacks are like kale chips, munchies made out of dark green leafy vegetables—can't beat that!More on some of the other protective dietary components in the diets of Japanese women in Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer? and Breast Cancer Survival and Soy.If you dig anti-cancer comparison videos, make sure you also check out Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better? and #1 Anticancer Vegetable.I've done videos on why hijike (Avoiding Iodine Deficiency) and kelp (Too Much Iodine Can Be as Bad as Too Little) are not the best choices.If you'd rather stick to terrestrial plants, see Preventing Breast Cancer by Any Greens Necessary. And for more on lowering breast cancer through diet:And more on the importance of dietary diversity in Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation, Apples and Oranges: Dietary Diversity, and Constructing a Cognitive Portfolio.For more context, check out my associated blog: Which Seaweed to Help Prevent Breast Cancer?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/15/which-seaweed-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kelp/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hijiki/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nori-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sea-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dulse/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22054936,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19968892,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19686228,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19713172,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11535551,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2102295,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19321575,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11376555,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22414981,
PLAIN-2717	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/	Preventing Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress With Watercress	If oxidizing glucose to produce energy for our bodies is so messy, creating free radicals the way cars burning their fuel produce combustion by-products out the exhaust, even if we're just idling, living our day-to-day lives, what if we rev up our lives and start exercising, really start burning fuel? Then we create more free radicals, more oxidative stress and so we need to eat even more antioxidant-rich foods.Why do we care about oxidative stress? Well, it's “implicated in virtually every known human disease and there is an increasing body of evidence linking free radical production to the process of aging.” Why? Because free radicals can damage DNA, our very genetic code. Well, if free radicals damage DNA, and exercise creates free radicals, does exercise damage our DNA if we don't have enough antioxidants in our system to douse the radicals? Yes, in fact, ultra-marathoners show evidence of DNA damage in about 10% of their cells tested during a race, which may last for up to two weeks after a marathon. But what about just short bouts of exercise? We didn't know until recently.After just 5 minutes of moderate or intense cycling you can get an uptick in DNA damage. We think it's the oxidative stress, but "regardless of the mechanism of exercise-induced DNA damage” the fact that a very short bout of high-intensity exercise can cause an increase in damage to DNA is a cause for concern. But we can block oxidative damage with antioxidant-rich foods. Of course, when drug and supplement companies hear antioxidant rich foods they think, pills! You can't make billions on broccoli, so "Pharmacological antioxidant vitamins have been investigated for a prophylactic effect against exercise-induced oxidative stress.” However, large doses are often required and in pill form may ironically lead to a state of pro-oxidation and even more oxidative damage. For example, guys doing arm curls taking 500 mg of vitamin C appeared to have more muscle damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress.So, instead of vitamin supplementation, how about supplementation with watercress, the badass of the broccoli family? What if, two hours before exercise, you eat a serving of raw watercress, then get thrown on a treadmill whose slope gets cranked up until you basically collapse? In the control group, without the watercress preload, which I imagine would describe most athletes, here's the amount of free radicals in their blood stream at rest and after exhaustive exercise, which is what you'd expect. So if you eat a super-healthy antioxidant-packed plant food like watercress before you exercise can you blunt this effect? Even better. You end up better than you started! At rest after the watercress you may start out with fewer free radicals, but only when you stress your body to exhaustion can you see the watercress really flex its antioxidant muscle.What happens to DNA damage? Well, in a test tube, if you take some human blood cells bathed in free radicals, you can reduce the DNA damages it causes by 70% within minutes of dripping some watercress on them. But does that happen within the human body if you just eat it?If you exercise without watercress in your system, DNA damage shoots up, but if you've been eating a single serving a day for two months your body's so juiced up on green leafy goodness you get no significant damage after punishing yourself on the treadmill. So - with a healthy diet, can you get all the benefits of strenuous exercise without the potential risks?We know regular physical exercise is a key component of a healthy lifestyle, but it can elicit oxidative stress. To reduce that stress, some have suggested pills to improve one's antioxidant defense system, but "those eating more plant-based diets may naturally have an enhanced antioxidant defense system” without eating pills to counter exercise-induced oxidative stress, due to the increased quantities of plants alone! Remember that plant foods average 64 times more antioxidants than meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. And on top of that, the animal protein itself can have pro-oxidant effects. Anyone eating sufficient quantities of whole healthy plant foods could plausibly reach an antioxidant status similar to vegetarians. It's not just about what you're eating less of - saturated fat and cholesterol - but what you're eating more of, the phytonutrients. Whether it's about training longer or living longer, we've got to eat more plants.	Awesome! Love the graph depicting how eating just a “singe” serving of watercress a day can blunt the oxidative stress produce by exercise. Love your message at the end “Eat More Plants”!Bless our vegetables. Every one.Whenever a video or article says one serving, I am left wondering what is a serving size? I weigh and measure my food because it helps me set useful boundaries. For me, a serving of broccoli is 8 ounces. That’s more than many people eat in a month (not us, on here of course)! My dinner salad (now with home grown broccoli sprouts, thank-you!) is 12 ounces.So what is a serving size or watercress? Is there a generally accepted serving size for vegetables, say, 4 ounces?I also wonder about serving sizes. I’m inclined to say that this is something very individualistic and highly variable according to the amount of exercise/activity one does, the type and quality of the food being ingested, the person’s age and probably a few other factors that I haven’t considered. However, when it comes to eating fruits and veggies, especially leafy greens — my serving size is unlimited :).A USDA serving is 1/2 cup of cooked or chopped vegetables or 1 cup leafy raw vegetables. It’s not much, my typical dinner salad (covering a 12 inch plate) must count as a half-dozen servings.What are your thoughts on which is more nutritious: Veggie juice made in a masticating juicer or made in a vitamix?Vitamix! Then you’re not throwing away the fiber.fiber aside, what about nutrients and enzymes? Also, related to today’s video – I am a little confused. If I am juicing greens everyday – do I come out better related to the DNA damage or does the consumption need to be just before exercise to come out ahead? P.S. – now with my 2 types of kale, spinach, romaine, cilantro, parsley, carrot, red pepper and celery I will add in the watercress.have not heard back, any thoughts on aboveFirst you can’t put fiber aside–it is very important and Dr Greger has always stated juicing is not as good as drinking the entire fruit and vegetable in a smoothy.Next the video states that in the study conducted the participants were on the watercress for months. Read abstract in Sources cited above.not sure who you are but don’t really like the tone of your response nor was I asking you. I am well aware of the abstract and what the video state. I am also a doctor and well aware of the benefits of fiber and I discourage people from juicing fruit due to the glycemic impact but in this case you can put fiber aside because my question is about denaturing enzymes and vitamin content (since according to the Vitamix company, their product “rips through the cell walls”). Next time please let the good Dr. answer his own questions.Hi Gregg,My apologies–no tone intended in my response. That’s what I get for trying to be concise on an iPad.Your question is answered in the cited studies and around 4:00 of the video. Here is a quote from the paper. .“These findings suggest that short- and long-term watercress ingestion has potential antioxidant effects against exercise-induced DNA damage and lipid peroxidation.” Looks like the addition of watercress to my morning smoothy will be benefitial.The cell wall needs to be broken for nutrients to be realist so the VitaMix has to be the best way to make a smoothy by add water or a salad.Plants power the human body and heal it. No wonder that there are so many high performance vegan athletes, Rich Roll, Carl Lewis, Mac Danzig, Brendan Brazier, Rip Esselstyn etc. Are there any Atkins-diet eating high performance athletes………………?Plantsrongdoc: Great entry. I thought you might be interested in this article from the Meatout Monday people. It’s so cool!———————————- Vegan Bodybuilders Dominate Texas CompetitionThe Plant Built (PlantBuilt.com) team rolled into this year’s drug-free, steroid-free Naturally Fit Super Show competition in Austin, TX, and walked away with more trophies than even they could carry.The Plant Built team of 15 vegan bodybuilders competed in seven divisions, taking first place in all but two. They also took several 2nd and 3rd place wins.Plant Built was started in 2012 with the goal of promoting a plant-based diet in a sport where eating animal products is often believed to be the only way to achieve success. Their first time out as a team, they’ve destroyed that myth and are recreating the sport. Look forward to more proof positive from the Plant Built team that vegan food choices can power even the strongest athletes.… visit PlantBuilt.com and VeganBodybuilding.com for more inspiration.Thea, Thanks. They don`t look protein deficient ! ;-)I guess that kind of addresses my comment I just made a second ago before I read through the other responses.That is inspiring news. However, why is it that so many studies find decreased muscle mass in those following vegetarian diets? Have we isolated the responsible variables? (Calories, excess complete protein, taurine, carnitine, creatine/water retention, CLA, etc.)I can’t find any studies on the cause and what variables might reverse the disparity.Synergy: I’m not aware of those studies you are talking about which put people with vegetarian diets at a disadvantage for muscle mass.I have some off-the-wall thoughts for you though: If the studies simply looked at vegetarians and not whole-plant-food based eaters, then they could have been including a whole bunch of junk food eaters for the vegetarians. Many vegetarians are vegetarians for ethical reasons and eat both non-flesh animal products and other junk food. If health is not their thing, then maybe they don’t exercise much either. I would think that for a study to be valid, you would have to compare a healthy vegan diet to a (relatively) healthy non-vegan diet (i.e., as healthy as one can get while still taking on the health risk of eating animals). They would also have to adjust for exercise levels. I would think that it might be hard to find be sure one is comparing apples to apples.Of course, since I don’t know anything about those studies, I have no idea if they were careful in choosing subject groups or not. I also wonder how big the subject groups were and how long term the studies were. For example, if someone just switched to a whole plant food based diet, it is not the same as someone who has been on it for years or decades.As I said, I don’t know the answer, but I hope these ideas give you something to follow up on if you choose to pursue it. (Maybe someone more knowledgeable than me will jump in – especially if you can point us to some specific studies.)Synergy: Since you found the above link to vegan bodybuilders helpful, you may also find this link helpful:http://www.greatveganathletes.com/The above link features information on all sorts of vegan athletes, not just body builders. Are you a coach or athlete yourself? Maybe these sites will help inspire the people you talk to.One more thought: I’m sure you have already used this analogy for people: But tell them to take a look at the muscles on gorillas. Oh dear. And no meat? No dairy after weening? Wow. That analogy won’t work for some people (who won’t be able to get their minds past the thought that gorillas aren’t humans), but it will help others.Hope that helps!Congratuations! That is inspiring! I will visit your site soon!SteveSteve: I agree that it is inspiring, but to be clear, that’s not my team or website. I’m just sharing.Since I’m out sharing, here’s part of this week’s story from Meatout Monday, another inspiring vegan athlete:————————-Vegan Hiker Shatters Record“Josh Garrett, a dedicated vegan and avid hiker, crushed the previous world record for hiking the grueling Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,655-mile trek from Mexico to Canada. His official time was 59 days, 8 hours, 14 minutes — averaging 45 miles per day! … Josh teaches exercise physiology and knows that plants are the way to fuel a champion’s body. He fueled his journey on ProBars and vegan mostly raw foods (raw so he wouldn’t have to pack cooking gear).”I think hormesis explains why plants work and isolated vitamins don’t: http://www.integrativepractitioner.com/article.aspx?id=17183 I would love to see a future video about hormesis.Recommend this article and blog which references the Dr. Rountree talk for an introduction to hormesis. This blog also has some great research links, though some entries could use a editor.Not entirely unrelated, but what do you think about the Ketogenic diet? Particularly as described here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NqwvcrA7oe8Does the ketogenic diet also produce the same oxidative stress if the energy source is not from glucose?Cool video. Is there something special about watercress, or would a similar effect come from other cruciferous or green leafies? As to the serving size question, one serving of veggies equals 1 cup raw, or 1/2 cup cooked. Correct?Watercress is, like broccoli and kale, a cruciferous vegetable, and its major pest-deterring and health promoting glucosinolate is converted by the action of chewing insects and humans to phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC). PEITC shares the same -N=C=S reactive bit as sulforaphane from broccoli, and the much the same cellular mechanism (induction 100s of genes with the Antioxidant Response Element promoter, mediated by Keap1-Nrf2).So, can we expect similar reductions in exercise induced oxidative stess with broccoli? So far, I’ve only found animal studies, but it seems likely.Other cruciferous sources of glucosinolates include mustard, horseradish, and real wasabi. You can guess my favorite condiments.Thanks for posting those links Darryl! I add a lot of exercised-induced oxidative stress to my body almost every day, but now I wonder if the “super antioxidant” smoothie that I nurse on throughout the day works indirectly (productive) or directly (counter-productive). For the antioxidant power I’m using kale, blueberries, mango, and amla powder.There’s no way I could do justice to the complex mixture of phytochemicals in those plants, but various glucosinolates (really, their isothiocyanate products) and quercetin from kale; the anthocyanins from blueberries; mangiferin from mangos; and gallic acid, ellagic acid, quercetin, kaempferol from amla all induce the “adaptive stress response” as described above. These foods contain many other structurally similar polyphenols that simply haven’t been investigated at this level yet.Thanks for the in-depth info! Sounds like I’m ingesting the right stuff.Interesting arguments. Based on your absorption kinetics argument, I am speculating that a saturation effect may limit how much we benefit we get. If so, wouldn’t this suggest that it is better to have fairly steady intake of antioxidants (such as obtainable by sipping away all day at antioxidant rich beverages like green tea) rather than infrequent consumption of large doses of antioxidants (such as big meals rich in kale)? On the other hand, is it possible that there is also an adaptation effect that may come from maintaining steady levels of antioxidants (perhaps more relevant if hormesis is the fundamental explanation for the health benefits)?In vivo, xenobiotic phenols and isothiocyanates and their conjugates remain elevated for 6+ hours (eg see kinetics for quercitin and sulforaphane), while In vitro, Nrf2 inducers elevate Nrf2 levels and translocation to the nucleus hours (depending on how long they remain stable in the cell. The cytoprotective enzymes, however, remain elevated for days, one can rub green tea or broccoli sprout extracts on nude mice and their skin is still protected from UVB carcinogenesis several days after being washed.So, unlike direct/stoichiometric antioxidants, where short timing and washout from the body is a problem, with the indirect “antioxidants”, it seems the main issue is getting dosage into the hormetic range (but not beyond, a lot of these xenobiotics are mutagens or hepatotoxins at high doses), and throughout the body (some penetrate the blood-brain barrier better than others).I nurse green tea throughout the day, but I also just make a point of preferring foods with known hormetins at meals:allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) – wasabi, horseradish, mustard, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts capsaicin – chili peppers carnosol (aka carnosic acid) – rosemary cafestol – coffee 3-O-caffeoyl-1-methylquinic acid – bamboo leaves cinnamaldehyde – cinnamon chlorophyllin – plant leaves, esp spinach curcumin – turmeric diallyl sulfide – garlic & other Allium diallyl disulfide – garlic & other Allium diallyl trisulfide – garlic & other Allium epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) – green tea ethyl ferulate – solanaceae family ferulic acid – tomatoes, sweet corn, rice fisetin – strawberries, apples, grapes, onions genistein – soybeans indole-3-carbinol – broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, collard greens, kale isorhamnetin – parsley, dill, kale, mustard greens, fennel leaves, chives, asparagus kaempferol – capers, saffron, kale, mustard greens, arugula, watercress, chinese cabbage kahweol – coffee alpha-lipoic acid – spinach, broccoli, yeast extract luteolin – widespread flavonoid lycopene – tomatoes, red bell peppers, watermelons, papayas myricetin – fennel, parsley, carob, goji berry, cranberries, black currants naringenin – oregano, grapefruit, oranges, tangerines naringin – grapefruit phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) – chinese cabbage, turnips, rutabagas, watercress and radishes piperine – black pepper plumbagin – black walnuts purpurogallin carboxylates – black tea quercetin – capers, lovage, fennel leaves, red onions, watercress, kale, onions resveratrol – grapes, red wine, japanese knotweed S-allylcysteine – garlic sulforaphane – broccoli sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts xanthohumol – hops zerumbone – Thai ginger (Zingiber cassumunar)Thank you so much Darryl for an excellent response to my question. Over the past weeks, I have been reading your posts with great interest and really appreciate your generosity in sharing your knowledge. It is exciting to live at a time when the knowledge is becoming available to allow those informed to conceivably design diets that provide optimum stimulation of health-promoting biochemical pathways. As far as implementation is concerned, it would seem that making soups and stews by mixing a wide variety of whole plant products would be the best bet, although interactions effects may be an issue. If you come across any credible sources that provide rules for combining fruits and vegetables to maximize antioxidant benefits, please do share. Many thanks.How does Astaxanthin work under the same conditions?? any studiesAstaxanthin reduces exercise induced oxidative stress in mice and induces endogenous antioxidant responses by the same mechanism as PEITC from watercress, though there aren’t studies (with, say, Nrf2 gene knockout mice) to prove this mechanism is responsible for the exercise benefit.Yes, but is not stress THE POINT of this exercise, to stimulate adaptation?Living out here in the sticks I am blessed with a nearby artesian spring and fresh watercress growing in the cold runoff water. Are you aware of any studies of the potentially B12 producing micro-organisms that could be present in fresh spring water? Couldn’t B12 producing micro-organisms possibly still be on the surface of fresh watercress?Martha: How wonderful to be able to walk out your front door and gather fresh, healthy greens.I don’t authoritatively know the answer to your B12 questions, but I have a thought for you: It’s very possible that there is some B12 on your fresh watercress. Very possible indeed. However, given how very severe the consequences are if you don’t get enough B12, I would want to have the insurance that a supplement gives me. I would not want to rely on the on-going existence of microorganisms in fresh water. Even if you had your watercress tested today, what would guarantee that some dufus dumping chemicals/pesticide runoff upstream would not kill off those lovely micros in the future, meaning no more production of B12?One other thought for you: I don’t know how old you are. I just want to point out that everyone I know recommends that everyone, regardless of diet, take a B12 supplement after the age of 50. I would think that would apply even if you were getting some B12 from fresh, wild greens.Good luck to you!Hi Thea Thank you for your input. I am (nearly) vegan (half raw) so I take 500mg B12 3-5 times a week just to be safe. I drink the spring water and use it for cooking as well – it is tested regularly – since our tiny town uses the artesian spring for the town’s water supply. It would be nice to know the stats on any remotely located springs for B!2 content though – just to get some idea what might be there. I am 60yrs old and have been vegetarian since 20yrs old (apparently the anti-wrinkle, anti-oxidant properties are working because people often say I don’t look it!) In addition to a small garden, I pick lots of wild greens like, dandelion (the king of greens), purslane (for dha), henbit, sorrel, lamb’s quarters, chickweed, wild garlic, winter cress, dock, etc. for salads and cooking. In addition to other wild foods I make lemony staghorn sumac and pine needle tea for extra vit C.Stay safe and healthy, MarthaMartha: Your diet sounds great and you sound great! So cool.And it sounds like she lives in paradise.Aye! Sounds perfect to me.Any natural source of water might well contain bacteria that produce Vitamin B-12. Without testing it would be hard to know. Even with testing the amount may vary from time to time. I would recommend you view Dr. Greger’s video’s posted from 2/3/12 to 2/9/13 concerning Vitamin B12. Taking a supplement is definitely recommended. Congrats on your excellent health.Thanks Don I have heard that anywhere from 2 quarts to 2 liters of unprocessed spring water could have a day’s supply of B12 but I always like to see the research for myself. Having worked in health foods I know there are lots of unfounded rumors, as well as misleading, if not outright harmful misinformation circulating around.What about rocket lettuce (Arugula)? Or Dandelions? Would this have the same effect as watercress?Dr. Greger covered Arugula here — http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/;-)I am loving these exercise-related nutrition facts videos! Keep it up!The most common complaint I get while discussing vegetarian diets is that they are poor for athletic performance — nullifying any other benefits in the minds of my gym rat buddies.I wonder if there has been any further study as to why muscle mass is consistently found to be lower in vegetarian vs. omnivore athletes. Is it the reduced caloric intake? The IGF-1 promoting complete protein sources? Increased taurine, carnitine, creatine (increased water retention increasing “muscle” size)? Could it be related to CLA somehow? I’ve always wondered this, but I haven’t been able to find any data really looking for the causes of this disparity.Hi Synergy, Do you have references to “muscle mass is consistently found to be lower in vegetarian vs. omnivore athletes” because this is new to me. I know of no vegans or WFPD complaining of reduced athletic performance or musclemass, but “know” is of course not science.There are a few on pubmed if you do some digging. Here is one example:“Relationship between animal protein intake and muscle mass index in healthy women.” via The British Journal of Nutrition, 2009.Finding: “a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower muscle mass index than is an omnivorous diet at the same protein intake. A good indicator of muscle mass index in women seems to be animal protein intake.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19678968It doesn’t make sense to me that there would be anything special with regard to omnivorous diets. Unless it has to do with the variables I listed, all theoretically correctable on a vegan diet.I’m not going to look at the study right now, but bear in mind that many studies are flawed. One minor flaw immediately visible is that the researchers do not know the correct meaning of omnivorous. A vegetarian diet is omnivorous since it involves the eating of animal products. I suspect that they have not been able to measure true muscle mass correctly without discounting fat and water.Meat-based and other unhealthy diets may cause muscle mass to apparently increase by causing the cells to swell with water retention. Increased consumption of toxins (or producing toxins as by-products, eg urea from too much protein) causes increased water retention to dilute them. Their muscle weighs more but they don’t actually have more muscle cells. Think of a chimpanzee: they are “skinny” looking but are 5-7 times stronger than humans. Another study though, found that vegetarians eating an average of 75 grams of protein a day built muscle at the same rate as meat-eaters eating, IIRC, 125 grams of protein. So the studies are hardly “consistent” like you keep saying.I know what you mean. Is it because of some factors inherent to a veg diet, or is it perhaps that there are so few veg strength and power athletes? After all, there are plenty of omni “hard gainers.” As for the diet, Jeff Novick RD hints that there may be some short term benefit to “over nutrition” that might aid in hypertrophy. It is probably a combination of all the factors you mention, but my money is on IGF-1. I remember bodybuilders being enthusiastic about whey protein in part for its ability to raise IGF-1.Which then begs the question, could vegan athletes benefit by raising their IGF-1? Could they get the good aspects of IGF-1 elevation and negate the bad (increased cancer risk) with a huge consumption of fruits and vegetables?I would like to increase my watercress consumption. Can you suggest a good recipe that includes watercress?Hi Dr.Doess the Watercress works in the above manner better than Amla ? Thanks!What do you suggest for patients who have blood-clotting problems? I have been on Coumadin since 2005 following a massive PE which occurred after knee surgery. The ER doctor felt I would have been dead had the ambulance arrived 15 minutes later (not sure how he calculated the time), so I take the problem seriously and have continued on Coumadin since that time. My INR is followed closely, and we have not been able to get me to the point that I can even try 2 cups of green tea daily and have a control to work against – the INR has bounced around for unknown reasons. I am followed by Coumadin specialists at a major medical institution as well as well as the chairman of the Dept. of Vascular Medicine of another major medical institution and no one can figure out the problem. The Coumadin MUST be continued due to my resumption of using estrogen (controversial, but continuation is necessary due to rather severe uro-gyn problems and I use transdermal). How can I get the anti-oxidant benefits of so many important vegetables when I can’t handle high or medium Vitamin K foods?I have a gut feeling that arugula works even better than watercress.Ok, Watercress and all those goodies mentioned AND your Hibiscus/pepper tea throughout the day with 300mg Ubiquinol and 20 mg PQQ. WooHoo!love this video! Does something like fresh basil leaves work as well as watercress did in the video? That i can grow a lot of basil and can eat everyday, however i have a difficult time finding good watercress :(Hmm, I wonder how arugula stacks up against watercress. I eat 5oz of arugula 2 hours prior to exercise to boost performance. I wonder if the arugula has exercise induced oxidative stress reduction benefits, also?Certainly. All dark green leafy vegetables are excellent sources of antioxidants.	aging,animal fat,animal products,animal protein,antioxidants,athletes,beef,broccoli,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,cruciferous vegetables,dairy,DNA damage,eggs,exercise,fat,fish,inflammation,lifespan,longevity,meat,medications,milk,muscle health,muscle inflammation,muscle strength,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,protein,red meat,saturated fat,seafood,supplements,turkey,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin C,watercress,yogurt	Those eating a more plant-based diet may naturally have an enhanced antioxidant defense system to counter the DNA damage caused by free radicals produced by high-intensity exercise.	I should do more videos on watercress! The only other one I think I have is Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True.This video is the third of a 3-part series on enhancing athletic recovery times. Check out the first two if you're interested: Reducing Muscle Fatigue with Citrus and Reducing Muscle Soreness with Berries.For more on the free radical theory of disease, see Mitochondrial Theory of Aging.The 64 times more video is Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods.Why else is it important to eat antioxidant rich diets? See, for example, The Power of NO and Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants. And why else is it important to eat broccoli family (cruciferous) vegetables? Check out:Crucifelicious!Check out my associated blog post for more context:  Which Common Fruit Fights Cancer Better? and Preloading with Watercress Before Exercise.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/13/preloading-with-watercress-before-exercise/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-strength/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21442676,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16336008,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20845212,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 17922957,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11557312,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15059637,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20839226,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22475430,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10755825,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11728819,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7934967,
PLAIN-2718	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/	Reducing Muscle Soreness With Berries	The burning sensation during strenuous exercise may be related to the build-up of lactic acid in your muscles, but that's different than the delayed onset muscle soreness that occurs in the days following a bout of extreme physical activity, which is thought to be due to inflammation caused by muscle cell damage, little micro-tears in the muscle. If it's an inflammatory reaction, than might anti-inflammatory phytonutrients help? The bioflavonoids in citrus might help with the lactic acid buildup, but we may need to ramp up to the anthocyanin flavonoids in berries to deal with the inflammation.We know, for example, that if you eat about 45 cherries a day you can significantly reduce the levels of inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein in your bloodstream. Such anti-inflammatory effects “may be beneficial for the management and prevention of inflammatory diseases," but what about reducing muscle soreness?Well, if you take some guys and make them flex their biceps against way too much weight over and over and over again, the next day the strength in their arms is way down, about a 30% drop, and man are their arms sore! But if they were drinking some cherry juice their arms end up hurting less—and they were able to better preserve their strength. Why not just feed them cherries? Well then you can't do a placebo group, since you can't really create a convincing fake cherry, but you can make fake cherry juice, in the form of cherry Kool-Aid.This was the first study to examine the effect of the consumption of any cherry product on the symptoms of exercise induced muscle damage, and it seemed to work. Follow-up studies show it also works on reducing muscle pain in long-distance runners, speeding recovery after a marathon. And, as we know, "Optimizing recovery from exercise is the holy grail of exercise science.”A similar study showing anti-inflammatory effects of eating blueberries took it a step further and actually paid athletes enough to take a muscle biopsy so they could see what's happening to their muscles on a microscopic level.  It's like this study showing massage could decrease inflammation. At first I was like: “ooh, I wouldn't mind being part of that study—free relaxing massage!” until I read the protocol: you got to rest a few minutes then, the scalpels emerge and they cut out some muscle samples. No thanks.Bottom line, there's all sorts of new high tech treatments for sore muscles, from needle electrodes, ultrasound, hyperbaric oxygen—even whole body vibration! Don't those ladies look happy?And of course there's drugs, there’s always drugs, but with drugs there are side effects, so this cherry study, noted a editorial comment, may provide more of a sensible and realistic treatment option for those suffering from sore and damaged muscles. The scientific question of how to treat the damaged muscle is an important one, and these researchers should be applauded for finding a potential treatment that is not only practical, but one that can be enjoyed!	Think this may apply to raisins? I frequently eat raisins before a workout, mostly for the carbs. However they’re technically a berry. I don’t know if their anthocyanidin content is affected from the processing from grapes to raisins.I do know that raisins have a high glycemic index and will shoot up your blood sugar, which increases inflammation. It would be better to eat the raisins after your workout when the sugar will be quickly absorbed by your muscles and your blood sugar will not rise. Working out on an empty stomach will force your body to burn more fat, if you have a long workout. Consider switching to grapes for better nutrition.I don’t think the anthocycandin content should be affected by drying. Eating whole plants works better as the sugars in the fruits (glucose, fructose and sucrose) will be absorbed somewhat slower in whole plant form. The exercise also routes blood away from your GI tract when exercising. The problem with trying caloric restriction to force the body to burn fat is that it also burns protein when the glycogen and sugar stores have been depleted from your liver and muscles. Grapes would provide the nutrition plus the hydration. I wouldn’t worry too much about the glycemic index. When your duration of exercise is long you will want to make sure you eat before you are hungry and drink before you are thirsty to avoid performance problems.Dr Forrester: I may (easily) be missing your point. I just wanted to ask this question: I think I remember Dr. Greger saying that green, seedless grapes are sort of like the wonderbread of the fruit world – ie, that they aren’t very nutritious compared to many other fruits/berries.If I remember that correctly, then wouldn’t it be better to recommend that a person snack on whole berries of something other than grapes?I’m sure I’m missing your point. I’m just curious what you think about having a sports person eat say cherries or blueberries vs grapes. Why not eliminate muscle soreness and get other benefits too like max anti oxidants? That’s where my question comes from.Would certain fruits that are called berries (blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, etc.) also help reduce muscle soreness caused by exercise? Also I’ve watched your video about anti-inflammatory effects of purple potatoes, would that mean that those might help as well?The power of fruits and plants are amazing ! I have provided an acquaintance of mine with a lot of informations about WFPD, and the first thing she noticed during the transition, was that she felt much more energetic. I have the same experience – 6 hours of sleep and I am ready for the day! (well after the cup of coffee…..:-) )I am looking for help with Fibromyalgia. Would the same treatment hold true for Fibro? I have heard that blueberries have something in them that irritates fibromyalgia. Do you know about that?All my fibromylgia videos (so far!) are here: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=FibromyalgiaTo be effective, what quantity of cherry juice (or whole cherries) or whole blueberries would be recommended? Only post exercise – or daily? My personal training clients often do their strength training 4 days a week with cardio on the other days. They would be thrilled to discover an effective treatment for muscle soreness…..since I make sure they are always sore…Jo Robinson, in her book “Eating on the Wild Side”, said that grapes lose a lot of antioxidants in becoming raisins. Concord grapes have a lot, but raisins, not so much. John S PDX ORonly time and conditioning truly eliminates soreness, this stuff is marginal at bestThanks for including the transcript. I rewound a few times and could not tell if the narration was 4 to 5 or 45 cherries.	alternative medicine,anthocyanins,athletes,berries,blueberries,C-reactive protein,cherries,citrus,complementary medicine,exercise,flavonoids,fruit,fruit juice,inflammation,juice,lactic acid,medications,muscle health,muscle inflammation,muscle soreness,muscle strength,pain,phytonutrients,side effects,sports drinks,sports medicine	Anti-inflammatory phytonutrients in berries may explain why cherries can speed recovery after a marathon by reducing muscle pain in long-distance runners.	How about improving athletic performance more directly? See my video series on performance-enhancing vegetables described in my blog Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance.What about reducing the immediate burning sensation during strenuous exercise? See my last video Reducing Muscle Fatigue with Citrus.Mushrooms (Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation), nuts (Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell), and purple potatoes (Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes) may also reduce inflammation (along with plant foods in general, see Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants and Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods). In fact so well that plant-based diets can be used to treat inflammatory conditions. See, for example, Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease, Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Potassium and Autoimmune Disease. Animal products on the other hand may increase inflammation through a variety of mechanisms, including endotoxins (How Does Meat Cause Inflammation?), arachidonic acid (Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation), and Neu5Gc (The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc).For more context check out my associated blog: Citrus to Reduce Muscle Fatigue and Berries to Prevent Muscle Soreness.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sports-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lactic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/c-reactive-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-strength/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sports-drinks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21214349,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22301554,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2072832,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21917014,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22341015,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16790484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16549461,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22111516,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19883392,
PLAIN-2719	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/	Reducing Muscle Fatigue With Citrus	The same lactic acid that makes yogurt tangy is the same lactic acid that builds up in our muscles when we exercise strenuously. Instead of bacteria fermenting the sugar in milk to make energy for themselves, our muscles ferment sugar in our diet to produce energy to contract. If, like when we're sprinting, lactic acid builds up in our muscles faster than it can be removed we can end up with a burning sensation in our muscles, forcing us to stop.Now, if we train, we can increase the number of blood vessels in our muscles and clear out the lactate faster. For example, if you take some "overweight sedentary women” and start them on an aerobic training program of running and walking, at the end of three months their lactate levels during exercise dropped 17%, but those on the same program who drank 2 cups of orange juice a day dropped their levels 27%. They did the same exercise program, but the citrus group experienced a significant decrease in blood lactate concentration, indicating an improvement in physical performance with less muscle fatigue.I don't recommend drinking juice, because you're losing all that wonderful fiber that slows the rate of fruit sugar absorption into our system. Here's the blood sugar spike one might see after drinking Coca-Cola. Compare that to the spike you see with orange juice. No difference. But what if you ate the same quantity of sugar in the form of orange slices?So the whole fruit is nearly always better than fruit juice. Now this is not to say OJ isn't better than coke. OJ has those citrus phytonutrients like hesperidin, which may be why the women's triglycerides didn't go up even though they were drinking 2 cups of fruit juice every day. Hesperidin may actually help lower our digestion of fats, but once you get up to 3 cups a day you really can start bumping your triglycerides.	Dr Greger, Speaking of triglyceride levels: If one has a genetic predisposition to low hdl levels and elevated triglyceride levels despite exercise, good overall cholesterol levels and the consumption of a plant based diet, is there anything that can be done to increase the hdl and lower the triglycerides? Is one eventually likely to have heart problems due to this continual elevation of triglyceride levels?Highly recommend reading “The Cholesterol Myth” by Dr. Stephen Sinatra (Cardiologist) to get bigger picture of cholesterol and heard disease connection. JBJB just curious. Have you watched the videos under cholesterol and the role it plays in heart disease? Or the videos under Heart disease? Why would you choose to believe Dr Sinatra and not all the current research presented here? I believe both dr Greger and Dr Sinatra have an issue with prescribing cholesterol lowering drugs although maybe for different reasons.I am not being flippant. I really want to know how someone makes the decision to follow a guy selling a book vs the overwhelming research suggesting something different.Darryl’s posted article above on the Tarahumaras is fascinating and I think highlights the importance of exercise in the equation along with a low fat diet. And of course they don’t eat junk. Although they do eat this really high energy porridge I believe made from a root vegetable. Very interesting group of people.A good narrative source on the modern Tarahumara is Chris McDougall’s [i]Born to Run[/i] (no relation to Dr. John McDougall). The traditional Tarahumara diet is (by calories) 71% corn and 19% beans, about 75% carbs (6% of which being sugars), 13% protein, and 12% fat. Coronary disease among these ultra-marathoners was unknown and their total cholesterol is a low (by American standards) 125 mg/dl, while their mean triglycerides of 120 mg/dl was slightly above (the then) mean American level of about 116 mg/dl.Though the post you reply has been deleted (it happens a lot on weekends), I thought I’d share a statement from the AHA on triglycerides, which notes the difficulties with using their level as an independent CVD risk factor.I read that book. Of course afterwards I had to try barefoot running.Why do they get deleted? That was very informative.Worth noting the “heart attack proof” Tarahumara of Mexico have elevated triglycerides, triglycerides increased slightly in Ornish’s landmark low-fat diet heart study, and those genetically predisposed to high triglycerides are not at elevated risk for atherosclerosis.This paper argues that the association of high triglycerides with coronary risk isn’t causal, but is instead a marker for metabolic syndrome (diabetes etc) which increases risk by other mechanisms.Leg cramps at night. Potassium, magnesium, calicum, hydration all check out okay. What else to check?Consider side effects of any medications that you are taking.Try drinking more water.How about some body work? Stretching, yoga, or massage? Perhaps mind/body work might help, too. Meditation, progressive relaxation?Dear Brocca,A few years ago I had severe leg cramps at night, perhaps similar to those of yours. At that time I wasn’t a “real” vegan, but more of a “bread-milk-coffee” vegetarian, eating (much) too little vegetables, and (much) too much of my home-made whole-grain bread (whole wheat, either alone or mixed up with rye), coffee with milk, and also some factory-made white bread, and butter and olive oil occasionally.Although I cannot exactly remember all circumstances involved, I do remember that I some days were out walking a couple of miles. And I never did any stretching afterwards of any parts of my legs. So that could have been one causative factor.More likely, though, is an explanation based on something that I ate, or did NOT eat: so either it was a toxins issue (most likely), or a vitamin/mineral deficiency issue.As for the toxins explanation, it could have been the coffee or the bread (or both). Perhaps the coffee and the grains had some pesticides or storage chemicals on them. This could be related also to the idea that I at this time had a very poor blood sugar management, and frequently woke up with cramps. This poor blood sugar management was probably (partly) an effect of that I did not eat any beans and lentils, and thus I did NOT get the “lentil effect” (see Dr. Greger’s video “Beans and the Second Meal Effect”: nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect ).If one plays around with a deficiency type of explanation, one could note that I did NOT take any vitamin B12 or vitamin D at the time. So it could have been a vitamin B12 or/and vitamin D issue. It is interesting to note that some researchers link B12 deficiency with seizures (Kumar 2004, “Recurrent seizures: An unusual manifestation of vitamin B12 deficiency”, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15069260 ).It may also be interesting to note that I haven’t had any cramps since I started my “serious” vegan diet. So I have skipped all milk, coffee, tea, butter, and olive oil, and most bread. Instead I now focus on green veggies and beans and lentils, and being very careful to ALWAYS sprinkle some lemon or orange over the veggies AND at the same meal also eat some fat (whole nuts or avocado, NOT any oils). I think this has really helped to maximize the vitamin and mineral absorption from all the (mostly cooked) green veggies that I eat: kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cauliflower stalks and leaves, celery, dill, parsley, fennel, carrots, tomatoes, etc.As for other explanations for leg cramps, I came across on the web a person who reported that eating three Brazil nuts every day for a month was the trigger (http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2009/03/19/brazil-nuts-beh ). Although it would be easy to simply say that it might have been the total amount of selenium that triggered it, or, perhaps, that it was the relative high dose of saturated fat that triggered it (which one might compare with my own previous intake of saturated fat in milk), another, perhaps more realistic explanation, might be that there were some pesticide or some storage-chemical sprayed on the brazilnuts that was toxic to the nervous system.I forgot to explicitly state a before-and-after effect in my reply above, so here it is.Previously when I was a bread-milk-coffee vegetarian I sometimes got leg cramps at night after having been out walking for miles. But nowadays, being a more strict mostly-green-veggies-and-beans vegan, I can be out walking for miles, even on hot days, and hardly drink anything at all (not before, during, or after the walk), and NOT doing any stretching at all (not before, during, or after the walk), and STILL not getting any leg cramps during the night (or at any other time).So in my case it is seemingly NOT about dehydration, or stretching. I attribute my new state to the synergetic nutritional effect of all the different green vegetables and beans (no soy!) and lentils that I am now eating, and to the vitamin B12 (1000 mcg/day) and D3 (2000 IE=50 mcg/day) and iodine (using Dr. Vogel’s Herbamare vegan salt with kelp) and selenium (one brazilnut/day), and to the complete avoidance of coffee, milk/dairy products, and commercially produced breads.This is likely dehydration/electrolyte deficit. I bicycle about 100 miles per week average, and sometimes get leg cramps. What helps me is coconut water post ride on hot days. Dr Greger said that coconut water has been used as a blood volume expander directly into the blood stream. When I drink coco water the cramps stay away. 11 ounces, sometimes I mix with blended cranberries and mango for a post ride smoothie. It tastes awesome, and no cramps.I don’t know what brand coconut water you use, but be aware that VitaCoco paid a $10 million settlement for, in part, knowingly overstating the electrolytic content of their product.What I know is that I don’t get cramps when I drink it, and do get cramps if I don’t (on hot days). Even if its a placebo effect, it works, and that’s what’s important for me. ;)Most of my patients with back pain have leg pain or cramps when lying down or walking, because straightening the back and the hips at the same time causes pain down the legs, due to various mechanisms. Lying down with a pillow or two under the knees flexes the thighs slightly, so they have less pain. These patients also tend to have more back and leg symptoms when walking but not when bicycling, for the same reason. Consult with your doc or a spine doc if this seems to describe you. Andy, Physical TherapistMight need to consider having your veins checked. Leg cramps at night can be a sign of poor circulation in your legs due to faulty vein valves–Allowing blood flow back down and circle in your legs instead of moving up to the heart. This condition is called chronic venous insufficiency.Another thing to think about is hypothyroidism. That can cause muscle cramps. I take synthroid for the condition, and if I don’t get enough (and my TSH numbers go up) I start getting vicious leg cramps from that.Yes, leg cramps may have something to do with hypothyroidism. But it may also be connected to alcoholism, i.e. liver problems, as well as with kidney failure or some kidney condition (see University of Maryland Medical Center’s “Muscle cramps” page at http://umm.edu/Health/Medical/Ency/Articles/Muscle-cramps ).My own theory is that these apparently different manifestations all are connected to vitamin D deficiency (and potentially other factors as well). Here are some observations:First, vitamin D deficiency is commonly linked to LIVER problems, for the liver may have problems hydroxylating the D2 or D3 to 25-hydroxyvitamin D (which is needed by the kidneys to further convert it); also, “Vitamin D functions intricately with parathyroid hormone (PTH) to maintain plasma calcium and phosphate concentrations” (Stokes et al. 2013, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/liv.12106/full ).Second, we know that a not fully functional KIDNEY may result in a decline in the production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (from 25-hydroxyvitamin D), and that this may be linked to hyperparathyroidism (Wisam Al-Badr and Kevin J. Martin 2008, “Vitamin D and Kidney Disease”, http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/3/5/1555.full ).Third, since the parathyroid (despite its name) is not the immediate controller of the thyroid (for the pituitary gland is), we are not surprised that some studies associate *increased* concentration of parathyroid hormone with HYPOTHYROIDISM (see Bouillion and de Moor 1980, “Influence of Thyroid Function on the Serum Concentration of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3″, http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/51/4/793.abstract?sid=857effc0-28a4-4482-be4e-7dcc301210bf )Fourth, we are also not surprised to see that vitamin D apparently upregulates gene expression in the pituitary gland (Perez-Fernandez et al. 1997, “Vitamin D receptor gene expression in human pituitary gland”, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8995530 ). This might support the idea that vitamin D deficiency is one factor that may lead to hypothyroidism; and perhaps low iodine levels are not as important as some think, in terms of being a factor behind hypothyroidism.So because my own leg cramps were NOT caused by any dehydration or by “forgetting to stretch” (see my separate posts in this thread), it seems possible to suggest that my D3 supplementation has positively contributed to the elimination of my cramps (which I nowadays don’t have at all), perhaps in combination with the extra supplements that I take: iodine (kelp), B12 (methylcobalamin), and selenium (brazilnut).Pasteurized over the counter OJ makes me gassy, but freshly squeezed does not. Any ideas? Placebo effect?What about eating oranges? Any problems there? I personally refuse to drink juice unless I blend whole oranges as a smoothie.I juice oranges, eat the pulp first, then drink the juice. Same as eating whole oranges. I can down 20 oranges this way after a strenuous morning workout. Then I rinse my mouth out with water and little baking soda to neutralize the acids.What about lemon, lime, or grapefruit? Can we assume these would help as well?Using a centrifugal type juicer will give you all parts of the orange…except the fiber which is needed, so not great. We need the fiber for proper digestion and use. Using a food processor on the whole orange, some maple syrup, or whatever suits you, some great seasonings…cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, or again…whatever suits you…gives you a great whole “marmalade.” Pile on sweet potatoes…or again, whatever suits you and mmmmmm! Healthy and delicious. Eating the whole fruit give us everything that is built into the orange including the bioflavanoids, which I think is found in the skin. Enjoy! Try to use a non sprayed fruit or wash well.The sugar spike from citrus juice is concerning. I would also be concerned with the acid/tooth decay curve. I want to eat more citris fruit, especially with the benefit described in the video. On something maybe related, I’m working on aroma scents. The lavender video got me started. I bought several little bottles of food extracts—vanilla, mint, strawberry, cinnamon and so on. I gave a box full of them to my 85 year old mom to see if she could identify the scents. She did fair to midland, but her strongest hits were on lemon and orange and there was a happy face that went with it.The United States currently has the greatest number of known centenarians of any nation, with 53,364 according to the 2010 Census, or 1.73 per 10,000 people. -Wikipedia-How can this be if we are the largest consumers of meat and why are we going to China to do studies when we are the ones living longer.So would consuming an orange or drinking OJ while performing an endurance event help reduce lactic acid build up?Last winter I spent some time in Norway and I was surprised how insistent the Norwegians were in taking tangerines with them on their cross country ski trips.They almost wouldn’t go without any. I couldn’t see why (except that they’re tasty). Now with the last two videos (citrus might help against hypothermia and lactic acid build-up), it starts making a lot more sense :)No biggie, however, lactic “acid” is not formed in the body. Lactate in the plasma is simply a maker of glycogen utilization and not responsible for pain or fatigue. It does correlate / corresponds with pain and fatigue since the body at this point has an increased reliance on glycolytic, fatigable muscle fibers. It is not an acid at a physiological pH (PKa ~ 3.5); at high intensities muscle acidity is due to intracellular hydrogen ion formation within the cell due to higher levels of ATP hydrolysis and NADH formation (a high ATP demand/O2 supply ratio). Also, in some cases, higher levels of SNS activity leading to vasoconstriction and anoxia in working muscles to maintain adequate central blood supply at maximal exercise intensities.	athletes,blood sugar,body fat,citrus,Coca-Cola,dairy,exercise,fat,fatigue,fruit,grapefruit,hesperidin,lactic acid,lemons,limes,milk,muscle health,oranges,phytonutrients,sugar,triglycerides,yogurt	Daily citrus fruit consumption during athletic training may reduce muscle fatigue, as evidenced by lower blood lactate concentrations.	The burning sensation during strenuous exercise may be related to the build-up of lactic acid in our muscles, but that's different than the delayed onset muscle soreness that occurs in the days following a bout of extreme physical activity. That's thought to be due to inflammation caused by muscle cell damage, little micro-tears in our muscles. If it's an inflammatory reaction, than might anti-inflammatory phytonutrients help? Find out in the next video Reducing Muscle Soreness with Berries.More about what citrus phytonutrients can do in my last video Keeping Your Hands Warm With Citrus.For more context check out my associated blog: How Citrus Might Help Keep Your Hands Warm, Citrus to Reduce Muscle Fatigue, and Berries to Prevent Muscle Soreness.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/08/berries-to-prevent-muscle-soreness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hesperidin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triglycerides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/limes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lactic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17654232,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20729016,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2049981,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17933690,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11063434,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22142698,
PLAIN-2720	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keeping-your-hands-warm-with-citrus/	Keeping Your Hands Warm With Citrus	In 1936, Albert Szent-Györgyi who won the Nobel Prize for discovering vitamin C, described a vitamin "P," which we now know encompasses a class of thousands of phytonutrients called flavonoids. Some, like quercitin, are widespread in plant-based foods. You can tell something is widespread in the plant kingdom when you can even find it in iceberg lettuce.Others, however, are only found in specific plant families. For example, hesperidin is found primarily in citrus fruits. This may be one of the reasons that, out of all the different types of fruit that have been looked at, citrus may cut our risk of stroke the most.The citrus phytonutrient hesperidin increases blood flow. Using a machine called a Doppler fluximeter you can measure blood flow through the skin using a laser beam, a laser Doppler fluximeter; sounds like something from Back to the Future. And if you give people the amount of hesperidin found in 2 cups of orange juice, blood flow goes up, though if you instead just give them the orange juice itself, that works even better, so there's other beneficial stuff besides just the hesperidin in citrus.For example, if you measure the changes in genetic expression, orange juice consumption induces changes in the expression in 3000 of our genes, whereas hesperidin alone only modulated the expression of about 2000. Still, nearly 2000 stretches of our DNA expressed differently because we consumed just one of the thousands of phytonutrients in plants is pretty mind-blowing.And these changes in blood flow are not just “in theory.” Researchers have taken volunteers with cold sensitivity, cold hands, cold feet, put them in an air-conditioned room and measured the temperature of their finger tips after drinking a placebo drink—like orange Kool-Aid, versus drinks with two doses of actual citrus phytonutrients. In the Kool-Aid group their fingers got colder and colder, dropping nearly 9 degrees Fahrenheit, but the fingers of those consuming low, or high doses of citrus didn't as much. That's because their blood flow remained steady—here's that laser test again. When you're exposed to cold temperatures your body starts to clamp off peripheral blood flow to keep your core warm, but if you eat a bunch of oranges before you go skiing your risk of frostbite may go down since you're keeping up your blood flow to your fingers and toes.They even took these poor women and plunged their hands into some chilly water, and as you can see their finger temperature rebounded faster towards normal in the citrus group. Having warm hands is nice, but maintaining blood flow to your fingers is not as important as maintaining blood flow to your brain.	What are those apparently tiny citrus fruits in the video’s initial picture?Kumquats! I’m so glad you asked–they’re my fave. The skin is so thin, you eat them skin and all so get all those rind phytonutrient goodies. My grandma used to have a kumquat tree that I have fond noshing memories of from my childhood.The produce guy at my local Whole Foods says that kumquats tend to be available in the winter.Is there any evidence that eating citrus or taking hesperidin alone may be helpful for those with Raynaud’s phenomenon?That’s exactly what I was thinking JB! Unfortunately, I’m not seeing anything: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Raynauds+citrusBummer!I’m excited about this finding. I also get cold hands and feet quiet often (I believe it is related to my Hashi’s). I am hoping that this citrus finding might help me get the blood flowing. However, I did a similar search as yours Dr. G on PubMed and found nada. :(Still, I’m going to try chomping on more oranges to see if I can sense a difference.Thanks for this interesting study find! Again, deeply appreciated!Great question JB. I’ve always had the ridges in my nails, but it wasn’t until I was an adult that the cold started cutting off the circulation in my fingers. The condition has gotten worse as I have gotten older and it adds an element of fear when I consider participating in outdoors events during the winter. (My doctor’s only help (which to be fair may be all that she had to offer) was to wear gloves – which does absolutely nothing for me.)I guess I’ll just have to eat a bunch of oranges this winter and see if it helps.Agreed that gloves are little help, sometimes even seem to make Raynaud’s cold fingers worse. Ample mittens, big enough to ball your hands up inside, work much better. My partner’s Raynaud’s used to be big trouble; but he’s had no finger shutdowns in the last few years, since taking to a plant based whole foods no added oil diet.JPotter: Thanks for sharing! I’ve been pretty close to whole plant based diet – though I do sometimes have oils in my diet. (Most of the time I modify a recipe to take the oils out.)I’ve also found that the best approach is to keep all the fingers together and curled up into a fist if possible. My approach has been to pull my hands inside my sleeves when I can. I often can’t make-due with mittens. I’m usually out with my dog and end up needing to have actual use of my hands/fingers fairly frequently. I can pull my hands in and out of my sleeves pretty easily, but it’s really not a great solution. Too often I still get the “progressive vessel collapse” (as I think of it).I’ve tried those hand-warmers with some, minimal, success.Thanks again for sharing.I use the curled up fist technique, as well.Feet are another animal altogether, though. At night, I try to warm my feet on my partner. He does not appreciate that much. So, sometimes I sleep with socks on.If time and circumstance allow, I take a hot bath; that seems to warm me up pretty good. If time and circumstance do not allow, I sometimes warm my hands under warm running water.re: unappreciated warming of one’s feet on one’s partner. Oh pish-tosh. What are partner’s for?re: running water: Yes, a huge help for me. What causes me concern is when I’m at a place like the beach (which gets very cold and windy here) and I can’t guarantee that I will have access to warm water. I worry about that sort of thing a lot. It’s been fine so far. I just worry. Of course, now I could down a few oranges/orange juice – but then I expect to have some bathroom problems. There’s never any pleasing me.“What are partner’s for?” Ha ha! That’s what I tell him. :)Yes, have to remember that part. Thanks. Going to start with one orange and test it out.Raynauds is a problem for me to, so hope the oj works too. As far as the ridges in the fingernails, mine have really improved since being on McDougalls. Keepin it preety tight. Whole only. Going for the healthiest possible outcomes.JB I will let you know if it works because my son (13 yo) has this problem of Reynauds phenomenon. It’s always worse when he eats dairy, or gets dehydrated which happens when he is playing basketball. So even though it will be anecdotal we are going to try and control the variables [eliminate all dairy (which he almost always does) and stays hydrated] and see if it (the orange) works for him.Your son eats dairy !? Is he smoking too !!!? :-)It’s rather a funny story. He doesn’t eat dairy a lot but we went camping last week and instead of camp grub we decided to go to a local Mexican food restaurant and get some food. So (in his infinite wisdom–at 13 yo) he decided to order a Cheese Quesadilla which he never eats and happened to be packed with cheese. He even stated to me, “Hey Dad look at this (pointing to the huge amount of stringy mucus–cheese) on his quesadilla and proceeded to eat all that cheese. Then after we went back to the camp he went with his friend down to the store which sold Soft-serve ice-cream about 20cm tall!!! He told me the next morning it was the worst night of his life! He woke up about 1am and had to run to the bathroom and had explosive diarrhea (visual in effect) that lasted about 20 minutes and for three more times that night. The next day his stomach was so upset that Pepto Bismol helped but he said I am never going to eat that crap again. Letting kids do what they want is the best lesson of all, rather than “brain-washing” them to believe what “we” already know! No, he’s not smoking–yet! ;-( At least that I know of.Interesting. I use orange essential oil in hand lotion on my feet on cold nights. I swear it keeps my feet warmer. Is that possible?Dr G, when is your show on Dr Oz going to air?How many oranges would one have to eat to equal 2 cups of OJ?Less than you might imagine. Hesperidin (and other citrus polyphenol) concentrations are highest in the peel, not the juice.Nogata, Yoichi, et al. “Flavonoid composition of fruit tissues of citrus species.”Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry 70.1 (2006): 178-192.Take a look at table 3 (peel concentrations) and table 4 (juice vesicle concentrations) and you’ll note hesperidin levels are higher by roughly 30-40 fold in the peel.Hi Darryl, I really appreciate your thoughtful and scholarly posts. Including orange peel in the diet is intriguing.I guess when comparing OJ with whole oranges on the basis of nutrient content, another potentially important variable is the fullness factor. Say OJ gives you half as much of an important nutrient than the equivalent amount of whole fruit but you can consume four times more OJ without feeling as full, then aren’t you still better off going with the OJ?Be careful with consuming citrus peel as it contains aromatic oils which can upset your tummy.We use orange and lemon “essence”…peel in foods all the time and the pith is where the bioflavanoids are. I have eaten it since I was a kid. Always liked it. Funny what some of us throw out as garbage.Is taking vitamin C supples as effective as eating or drinking the citrus?Why does blood flow increase? Caldwell Esselstyn describes blood flow and the role of nitric oxide. Any connection, do you think?Yes:Rizza, Stefano, et al. “Citrus polyphenol hesperidin stimulates production of nitric oxide in endothelial cells while improving endothelial function and reducing inflammatory markers in patients with metabolic syndrome.” Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 96.5 (2011): E782-E792.I can vouch for this. I had a long history of cold hands and feet, even in the summer. When I went “raw”, I no longer suffered from bad circulation. When winter came and I ate some cooked lentil soup, my hands and feet got cold again. I thought to myself, “Deer live outdoors all winter…” so I went back to eating raw – especially dark green leafy vegetables – and my hands and feet grew warm again. Green leaves contain chlorophyll, which is only one ion different from hemoglobin. The structure of a leaf reflects the veins and vessels, capillaries in our bloodstream.Does grapefruit also have at least reasonable levels of hesperidin?Because (1)orange juice contains just as much of the flavanone polyphenol, hesperidin, and the carotenoid, beta-cryptoxanthin, as whole oranges and (2)drinking orange juice has been shown in studies to be substantially less beneficial to our overall health in many ways compared to eating whole oranges, we can conclude that the flavanone polyphenols and the carotenoids in citrus fruits aren’t anywhere near as wonderful as the phytochemicals found in allium vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, legumes, mushrooms, white tea, triphala, Korean red ginseng, psyllium, and wheat bran: http://www.inspirationgreen.com/assets/images/Food%20blog%202010/harvard%20weight%20gain%20study.jpgDoes the study mention whether the core gets colder as a result of the increased blood flow to the extremities? Since as you said, our bodies decrease the blood flow to our extremities to conserve heat, I worry that this might have an unwanted effect in that respect.I’m no expert, just a Raynaud’s sufferer. I have read that the extremities won’t warm up till the core is warmed up sufficiently. That answered my question about why, when I get this blanching or darkening, I have to turn all the heaters on and am completely frozen till I get warmed up “inside” and then and only then, will my fingers return to normal and then I can see why everybody else is saying “It’s hot in here.” Sowwy!Very cool and smart post.Has hesperiden been studied for cold urticaria (allergic reaction to cold)?Dr Greger..Thank yolu so much…So interesting. You didn’t mention whole oranges but, I can only imagine that it would be good. Less juice to the serving, of course. I have raynauds and this sounds like something I could use. For some reason I have stopped drinking oj and less whole oranges too. I think it is the fruit sugar/triglyceride/belly fat issue. Also I have a realated question that I’ve been wondering for a long time. Many people have told me not to eat the skins of oranges. Considering they are clean, I don’t understand that. I thought the best source of bioflavanoids is the pith of the orange. I have always liked it. Aaaand don’t we zest the skin of the orange for lots of uses? Can you direct me to some info? I’m trying my best to use whole foods and not rely in supplements which I don’t really think are good for us. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you, Dr. Greger for these great video’s and blogs. Much appreciated. LynnI get cold so easy, especially in my fingers and toes. Wow, this is just what I need. Citrus it is!I have been diagnosed with Raynaud’s some years ago and have been eating entirely plant-based for six months now. I feel much better in general, but while the Raynaud’s situation has not gotten any worse, it didn’t improve either.I tried taking a lot of citrus for a certain period, but it doesn’t seem to help much. I couldn’t find any more information specific to Raynaud’s on the website. I did some research for myself, and found that buckwheat is also a good source of quercetin, which supposedly helps, but alas, I have been eating it for a while but notice no improvements. I also found that caffeine has been believed to have a strong vasoconstrictive effect on the extremities. I also found that theanine, present in tea, ‘counteracts’ the caffeine. Yet I could not find any good information related to Raynaud’s or vasoconstricting/vasodilating effects of tea.Could you maybe point me in the right direction? The questions I have are: 1. Does caffeine / coffee indeed restricts blood flow to the hands? 2. Is this the same for (green) tea, or does the theanine counteract the caffeine (maybe there is even a small vasodilative effect due to the warmth that needs to be dissipated?)? 3. Did you maybe come across some more research that might help with Raynaud’s ?Thanks in advance!Any alternative treatments for Raynaud’s phenomenon (primary) worth trying? I’ve been following a healthy whole-foods plant based diets for around 5 years, but still experiencing cold hands and feet – even in the summer time.What do think about Magnesium supplements for this cause? Is it worth trying out? Are there any side-effects? Or perhaps there are some other supplements that might help out?Hi, I’ve read that Hesperidin is mainly concentrated in Citrus peel and albedo, hence I wonder if orange juice has, instead, a low concentration of such Flavonoid…Hmmm, since it increases blood flow, can citrus be a healthy version of Viagra??	cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,citrus,cold hands,flavonoids,fruit,fruit juice,grapefruit,heart disease,heart health,hesperidin,juice,lemons,lettuce,limes,orange juice,oranges,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,quercitin,stroke,vitamin C	Phytonutrients in citrus such as hesperidin may increase blood flow sufficient to warm the hands and feet of those with cold sensitivity.	Because different families of fruits and vegetables can have entirely different phytonutrient profiles, variety is important. See, for example:Eating oranges is always better than drinking juice. I'll discuss the difference more in the next video Reducing Muscle Fatigue with Citrus.Please make sure to rinse your mouth with water after consuming sour fruits to protect your tooth enamel (see Plant-Based Diets: Dental Health).For more context check out my associated blog post: How Citrus Might Help Keep Your Hands Warm and Citrus to Reduce Muscle Fatigue.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/06/citrus-to-reduce-muscle-fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/05/01/how-citrus-might-help-keep-your-hands-warm/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hesperidin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cold-hands/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/limes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/quercitin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20729016,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10517425,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10995297,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21840468,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21068346,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22142698,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22307524,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19646291,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17933690,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22110589,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22224368,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22888839,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22741166,
PLAIN-2721	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/	Infant Seizures Linked to Mother's Spirulina Use	On his first day of life an infant is hospitalized with seizures. The researchers concluded that his mother's daily spirulina use starting in the 4th month of pregnancy was likely to blame. I've talked previously about the liver and nerve toxins present in many spirulina supplements, but the supplement companies swear up and down that spirulina doesn't produce those toxins and they may be right.But if spirulina doesn't produce toxins, how is it that toxins are found in spirulina supplements on store shelves? It appears to be contamination of spirulina with toxin-producing blue-green algae.So, for example, if you look at the new U.S. Pharmacopeia safety evaluation of spirulina, they conclude “the available evidence does not indicate a serious risk to health or other public health concern when spirulina is properly identified, formulated, and used." Ah, but that's the catch. You grow and collect spirulina in some open lake and you have no idea what other algae are going to crop up. The researchers report all sorts of adverse reactions of people taking spirulina products, but they attribute these issues to non-spirulina algae toxin contaminants within spirulina supplements known to be toxic to the liver and cancer-causing. So unless there's third-party testing of each batch, which no company could presumably afford to do, I continue to encourage people to avoid spirulina products.	Dr. G, you know anyone at ‘Whole Foods” in upper management (the founder of whole foods is a fellow vegan) whom you can get to watch this video? They sell spirulina in all their stores, and they also formulate some of their store-brand multivitamins with it. No judgement here, I honestly think they don’t know any better.They also sell meat, fish, dairy, and junk food. While your idea is a noble one, I doubt they’d pull the spirulina off the shelves unless forced to do so my some regulatory board. They are a market, albeit a “whole foods” specialty market and they are in the business of making money. I assume like most businesses they will sell what continues to sell. In other words, buyer beware, or more like buyer be educated.Maybe if you and other consumers wrote them a letter to see if they could guarantee the safety of or reformulate their spirulina supplement that might have a bigger impact. Maybe?Good suggestion in the last paragraph.Elsie, There are thousands of studies showing that most added supplements to ones diet create more problems than benefits. But Whole Body (the part of WFM that sells supplements) makes a very large profit for WFM and as WholeFoodChomper states below they sell lots of other toxic foods as well, so I do not think they will stop selling the stuff if people keep buying it. Let your Dollar be your vote! If no one buys the stuff they won’t sell it–it’s that simple. Problem is education (again as WFC stated).Yes, I agree with the comment below. ‘Spirulina’ is not a priority when you want to start discussing foods/supplements that need to be removed from shelves. Also, this research is presented in a biased way, you should start reading literature for yourself.Have you seen solid evidence that the B12 analogues/inactive B12 in spirulina does not in anyway compromise the utilization of true active B12 in humans? Vital information for the consumer to know the truth of.Thank you for sharing this. I’ve never experienced insomnia until I tried spiralina about two weeks ago. I had absolutely no idea it would cause such a disruption.Unfortunately no surprise that supplements are contaminated – why not – think of the degree of contamination of the regular food – beef with growth hormone, chicken with feces, fish with mercury and prescription drugs, milk with pus and flame retardants and nothing is done. Money talks.I worked for years in the edible algae business and make no profit from Spirulina. More detailed fact checking is in order here. Microcystin contamination can possibly come from blue green algae strains of AFA (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae) which are harvested in the wild from Klamath Lake in Oregon. It can also come from other species of AFA. Please see link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10811570Historically, microcystin contamination has never been found in either Chlorella or Spirulina any more than malaria has been found in Vitamin C. It is that unlikely. However, microcystin toxins are recorded to be commonly found in AFA blue green algae. The FDA considers Chlorella and Spirulina to be GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe). Factually speaking, AFA blue green algae has never received GRAS designation from the FDA due solely to the occasional presence of microcystin which naturally occurs with it. If AFA was mixed with Spirulina, the presence of some microcystin contamination is indeed possible. Otherwise, the presence of microcystin in Spirulina is nil.Good on you Algae Expert for some balanced comments to offset the scare mongering on Spirulina.Personally I find Spirulina beneficial.There are other studies around that show Spirulina to be beneficial.eg vegan source of Vit K2 beneficial for cancer treatmentetc· The neurotoxicity BMAA scare had no science behind it and was disproven years ago. The notion that Spirulina, unlike AFA, contains hepatotoxins like Microcystin has no scientific basis.Please help. I was taking raw preserve which contains AFA and Spirulina. Am I in danger? I’m so worried I’m having panic attacks. Please help. Can bmaa be cleansed from the brain / body?Shane, as you saw in this video, Dr. Greger is not saying anything about the health or lack there-of of spirulina itself. What I understand the video to be saying is that there is ample evidence that contamination is so rampant in spirulina products that one faces severe risk in consuming them. The health benefits of the spirulina itself are irrelevant if the product contains something overwhelmingly harmful. He’s not saying that *every* incidence of sold spirulina contains harmful contaminants. Just that [too] (in my not-humble opinion) many do. It’s a significant risk.I’m all for people taking risks if they want to. Truly I am. What is important is that we all be informed of what the risks are. Then you can decide if that risk is worth it or not. That’s why this video is so valuable.A thought for you: I’m willing to bet that whatever benefits you get from spirulina, you could get more safely from other whole plant sources. If so, why not do so?exactly, you can get all the vit K and cancer protection you would be getting from spirulina from just consuming some extra kale in its place. .Sorry, I agree with Algae Expert on this. My opinion from other sources – Scientific Testing on Spirulina has found it to be safe from cyanotoxins like microcystins and BMAA. However there are doubts on the safety of AFA blue green algae.I use Hawaiian Spirulina , nothing from China.I don’t have links to anyone that sells Spirulina.There is anecdotal evidence that raw green salads can cause gastro problems and parasite infestation. I also eat a significant amount of raw leafy greens daily.The blue pigment C-phycocyanin, about 0.5% of the dry weight of Spirulina (and present in other blue green algae), is of considerable interest, as it can function as a NADPH oxidase inhibitor, overactivation of which is implicated in oxidative stress and diseases with inflammatory causes. A quick scholar search.There is a U.S. source 30% phycocyanin extract sold to supplement manufacturers, but its rather expensive.Darryl: Interesting. That adds another level to consider. Thanks.Thank you so much for all your factual information. I was and still am worried sick about consuming AMAZING GRASS “raw reserve” . I am 7 months Pregnant and would add 1 tsp daily in my protein shake. I left a message with Amazing Grass and they stated they would look into this topic. I’ve never heard back:(. Do you have any advice or information about the spirilina in this product? Any piece if mind would be SO APPRECIATED. THANK YOU for any information.dear dr. greger, do you know anything about the “lithotamnium calcareum” algae, that is added to my soy-rice-milk because of the calcium? I didn’t find anything about it in the internet. regards from germanyI live in a part of America that experiences “blooms” of blue-green algae that kill dogs every year. I take such warnings to heart. Unless there was some independent agency who could somehow guarantee that a particular spirulina product was contaminant-free, I wouldn’t want to eat it. It doesn’t seem to me that the benefits outweigh the risks.Do you know if Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica grown in ponds on the west side of Hawaii Island, in water pumped from deep in the ocean, is any less likely to contain dangerous contaminants?If I’m remembering correctly, aren’t those ponds like right near the airport? I’m just thinking jet fuel contamination, but maybe I’m getting my geography wrong. Anyone want to look it up?Oh my gosh; you’re right! Yikes! Thanks.Though it the seizures could be caused by the mother’s spirulina use nothing is said about the infant getting any vaccines in those first 24 hours. Most hospitals vaccinate infants for Hep-B shortly after delivery. Only the mother telling them not to stops it. This vac has caused lots of problems for the infants including death. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/05/19/us-government-concedes-hep-b-vaccine-causes-systemic-lupus-erythematosus.aspxhttp://www.nvic.org/vaccines-and-diseases/Hepatitis-B.aspxIt’s incredible how much I learn, not only by watching the videos and articles by Dr. Greger, but from people’s comments too. This is awesome! Thanks everybody!Not planning to buy any more spirulina. I did finish my last bottle of spirulina that I bought from whole foods and I did not experience any ill effects. The number of people harmed by spirulina is probably a small number so we don’t really hear about it in the newspapers and nobody is stopping the selling of spirulina. The newspapers did cover the Costco frozen fruits with hepatitis A and the same company continues to sell frozen fruits in Costco. I actually ate the Costco frozen antioxidant mix with pomegranate seeds every week for 4 months and did not get hepatitis A.Dear Dr. Greger;This is the response that I got when I expressed my concern to the manufacturer about the quality of the Spirulina in the products that I use.Also, there are algae companies that use third party testing. They test the daily harvest on the lake and send samples of the batches to 3 independent labs.Kindest Regards, JanDear Jan,Thank you for your email. The powder is tested for microcystin and is not allowed to be more than 0.5ppm, with results of non-detected.The spirulina we use is the only Organic Spirulina to be certified by the USP under US Pharmacopeia-Ingredient Verification Program.About USP Program: Products and ingredients that meet all USP verification requirements – including a GMP audit, product and ingredient testing, and manufacturing documentation review – are then awarded the distinctive USP Verified Marks.Manufacturers of dietary ingredients that pass USP Verification can display the USP Verified Ingredient Mark on containers of verified products, as well as on an accompanying Certificate of Analysis. When the manufacturers of dietary supplement finished products see this distinctive mark on the containers of ingredients they buy, they can feel confident that Products and ingredients that meet all:• The ingredients are consistent in quality from batch to batch. • The ingredients meet label or certificate of analysis claims for identity, strength, purity, and quality. • The ingredients are prepared in accordance with accepted manufacturing practices. • The ingredients meet requirements for acceptable limits of contamination.If we can assist you further, please let us know. Kind regards,Jeanne Morris Sales Operations New Earth 800.800.1300 Life Starts Here Living Begins NowI’m a little anxious considering I’m seven months pregnant and have been consuming AMAZING GRASS (raw reserve) for about two months. I use a tsp a day in my protein shake. After reading and watching Dr. Gregor video I’m so scared that our unborn blessing will have any issues from my consumption. Any help or extra info on this product would be GREATLY APPRECIATED. Thank you, Tuni Tunib@sbcglobal.netHi Dr. Greger — Does brand matter? I got some samples of Vitamin Mineral Green by Health Force Naturals (given at the Seed: A Vegan Experience in NYC a few months ago) . I believe the founder is Jameth Sheridan, who is along with yourself one of the interviewees on Veganpalooza. Health Force Naturals line is supposed to be top of the line.Eating a whole food plant based diet with a variety of vegetables, fruits, starches and beans generally avoids the need for any supplementation except Vitamin B12. If you do take supplements as Dr. Greger points out their are many hidden issues. Most companies do not do third party testing. Best to use the precautionary principle and avoid supplements. Of course with individual variability there are always exceptions.Thank you. And I was reminded by a friend about green smoothies using kale, spinach, etc. Only thing I hate to shop but I guess I have to bite the bullet.I am truly enjoying and being enlightened with the information and opinions/concerns presented here from everyone. As mentioned above New Earth has addressed the many concerns voiced here. Please click http://www.teamnewearth.com/deanbjames/Company to find out more.What about chlorella? I remember you mentioning that it is safer, but would it suffer the same problems if grown outdoors? Thanks, joeIs there a difference in certified organic spirulina?Hi Dr Greger, What you have to say makes total sense, but what about the company NUTREX HAWAII that produces Pure Hawaiian Spirulina Pacificia. Is your video/article based off of ALL producers of Spirulina? Have you included this NUTREX company in your study as well? Thank you for your interest in this subject. I look forward to hearing your reply.Comparing this with my Lifepak and with all the recent updates about Spirulina I have read, I would still not dare to replace my Lifepak daily dose. :) read and learn more about it. it’s perfect for everyone!Been taking it for almost 4 years, never’ve been so satisfied every year when I see my regular blood chem and urinalysis results!This is in supermarkets and even in the local coop:Simply Nutritious brand’s “Mega Green” which is lower in grams of sugar than most any other fruit juices:Ingredients: “FILTERED WATER (SUFFICIENT TO RECONSTITUTE), APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE, BANANA PUREE, PINEAPPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE, PEACH AND MANGO PUREES, SPIRULINA, CHLORELLA, BROCCOLI AND SPINACH POWDERS, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), GELLAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR, PEACH JUICE CONCENTRATE.”There are videos on NF saying that spirulina however is harmful as a “supplement” but about about as one ingredient in a juice…since this juice by R.W. Kudsen is sold all over the place (and since I like the taste and the low sugar) I’m wondering if in the amounts present (amounts of spirulina) in that juice if it’s harmful or harmless?Dr. Gregor. Is all spirilina contaminated with blue green algae? Should we avoid any product that contains spirilina? Have you heard of shakeology? Spririlina is in all of their flavors. Do you know of any testing done on shakeology?vaccine damage ? creepy,as soon as it comes out,they’ve got a vaccine waiting for the little one !That was very enlightening and helpful Doctor, thank you.THIS DOESN’T LOOK RIGHT http://www.safeeggs.com/store-locatorI was under the impression that the egg industry cannot use the word “safe” in their products. I … http://www.safeeggs.com/store-locatorSo if I buy spirulina that is grown indoors in man-made ponds, is it safe from contamination?	algae,blue-green algae,cancer,infants,liver disease,liver failure,liver health,natural toxins,nerve health,pregnancy,safety limits,seizures,side effects,spirulina,supplements	Contamination of spirulina supplements with toxins from blue-green algae raises safety concerns.	Pregnancy is a very vulnerable time and requires an even higher level of dietary vigilance:Some supplements are risky for everyone though. See my last video Safety of Noni and Mangosteen Juice.I've previously addressed green powders in:If one wants something to sprinkle on their popcorn I'd recommend chlorella instead (Is Chlorella Good for You?).For more context, check out my associated blog post: Toxin Contamination of Spirulina Supplements.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seizures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spirulina/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21842336,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21793723,
PLAIN-2722	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safety-of-noni-and-mangosteen-juice/	Safety of Noni and Mangosteen Juice	Another case report of acute toxicity linked to noni juice ingestion, this time in a 14-year-old. At least his liver didn't fail more completely like in two of the earlier cases. What do you expect from a product also known as vomit fruit. The multi-level marketing company that sells noni products blamed aloe vera juice the boy had also consumed, which is indeed something else I'd encourage folks not to drink, but what about all the scientific studies promoting these types of products bandied about on their websites?Recently, a public health researcher took the time to review the "Science in liquid dietary supplement promotion,” evidently a $23 billion dollar market. "Central to the marketing of many such products is the citation of ’scientific studies’ supporting the product’s health claims. While these studies seem deliberately created for marketing purposes, their findings and quality are generally presented in a manner that appears designed to mislead potential consumers.”Here they use the case of mangosteen juice—another product I've warned about in the past—as an example of how widely marketed and consumed liquid dietary supplements use exaggeration and pseudoscience to bolster their web promotions of product effectiveness and safety.The multilevel marketing company that sells mangosteen cited a study they paid for to support its assertion that their product is "shown to be safe at all dosages tested" and indeed "safe for everyone." The study involved exposing just 30 people to their product, though, with another 10 given placebo. As the researcher notes here, with that few people exposed, the stuff could kill 1 or 2% of people and you'd never even know.This study of the multi-level marketing supplement Metabolife had 35 on the stuff and they seemed to do just fine until… it was withdrawn from the market after being linked to 18 heart attacks, 26 strokes, 43 seizures and 5 deaths. Oops.Hydroxycut was studied on 40 people. No serious adverse effects, and same story: withdrawn after dozens of cases of organ damage including massive hepatic necrosis requiring liver transplants, and death.And oftentimes the multilevel marketing study researchers don't disclose their funding sources, pretending to be objective scientists, but a little detective work exposed a whole web of financial conflicts of interest, "at best reducing the face-validity of findings, and at worst [they] represent deception.”	If I rember correctly, you need 125,000 “patient-years” with a conventional drug, to exclude rare sideeffects, so a trial with 30 or 40 people followed for a short period of time, is an embarrassment, if you talk safetyThe U.S. FDA has no fixed requirement for phase II and phase III trial “patient exposure years” or “patient years of exposure” prior to drug approval, but from the first few hundred search results they seem run between 130 and 20,000.Darryl, Yes, and that is why very rare sideeffects emerge several years after approval. That is one reason not to want “the newest” prescription drug from your doctor. Somtimes it is better to get an older drug, that has been on the market for several years (or go plantstrong!)I’m with you PSD!Darryl,Change in topic. I am trying to find the b12 supplements (methylcobalamin) you mentioned and I can’t find it. The ones I find have a lot of preservatives.Thanks for posting again.The liquid methylcobalamin I take has little in the way of preservatives. 4 oz. represents a 54 year supply at the U.S. RDA, but I stick it in the refrigerator to ensure it might last a significant fraction of that.You are the best! Thanks.Dr. Greger, what are your thoughts on bottled coconut water? good or bad?What do you think of noni juice from fresh noni? I live in Hawaii and many friends drink fermented and fresh noni juice from fruit off trees in their yard. I would assume it would be equally toxic?I will stick to whole foods thank you.These type of videos leave me feeling disgusted. I keep hearing government officials proclaim on TV that our food supply is safe, but they seem to do nothing to actually make that statement true. This is another one of Dr. Greger’s videos that should be on the 6:00 news.Gad, they are doing about the same thing Monsanto and many pharmaceutical companies routinely do!The outer “latex” of aloe leaves is a very harsh laxative. What is wrong w/ the inner get only which is a mild, anti-inflammatory, tissue healing nutritive? Any specific negative research on the inner gel alone?Re: Metabolife- I do think “weight loss” products are pretty misguide if not outright stupid. That said, “active ingredients” were guarana and ma huang, both of which are central nervous system stimulants; guarana weighs in at an average of 5% caffeine if I remember correctly. Is this product somehow different than other stimulant herbals that have been seriously misused and abused by idiots seeking either performance enhancement (generally illegal) or seeking magical rapid weight loss without any change in lifestyle and eating habits who then blame the herb for their troubles?Morinda Noni Juice IS approved as a safe food“Hepatotoxicity and subchronic toxicity tests of Morinda citrifolia (noni) fruit.AbstractMorinda citrifolia (noni) fruit juice has been approved as a safe food in many nations. A few cases of hepatitis in people who had been drinking noni juice have been reported, even though no causal link could be established between the liver injury and ingestion of the juice. To more fully evaluate the hepatotoxic potential of noni fruit juice, in vitro hepatotoxicity tests were conducted in human liver cells, HepG2 cell line. A subchronic oral toxicity test of noni fruit was also performed in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats to provide benchmark data for understanding the safety of noni juice, without the potential confounding variables associated with many commercial noni juice products. Freeze-dried filtered noni fruit puree did not decrease HepG2 cell viability or induce neutral lipid accumulation and phospholipidosis. There were no histopathological changes or evidence of dose-responses in hematological and clinical chemistry measurements, including liver function tests. The no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for freeze-dried noni fruit puree is greater than 6.86 g/kg body weight, equivalent to approximately 90 ml of noni fruit juice/kg. These findings corroborate previous conclusions that consumption of noni fruit juice is unlikely to induce adverse liver effects..”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19797868Mangosteen is a pretty common fruit in asia so I won’t worry too much about the dangers of mangosteen. I don’t know if noni is commonly consumed in its place of origin. Aloe vera is a very effective laxative and there is probably some danger from using any laxative for a long period. Most of the commercial aloe juice are required to be filtered to remove the laxative so the laxative free aloe juice might be safer. Aloe juice is good as a mouthwash and does kill bacteria in the mouth.In tradition, the inner gel of aloe vera was used as a burn treatment so the safety of ingesting the inner gel is something we might not be so sure about. The laxative free (filtered) aloe vera juice is sold in many stores and there are no newspaper reports of people being harmed by it. Some commercial mouthwash has aloe vera as the main ingredient. In tradition, the yellow bitter laxative from the latex of aloe vera has been used as a laxative for ages and was never intended for long term use as with any laxative.Does the danger lie in the fruit itself (whole fruit, dried, powder, etc), or is the danger simply in the supplement, which may have a host of other unwanted items?This wasn’t clear to me in the video.I put the inner portion of aloe in a smoothie, is that safe? I saw that filtered aloe juice drinks have the laxative properties filtered out, but I try to go whole food instead of processed, when possible. Do you find raw aloe to be dangerous?Natural News just printed that noni stimulates the immune system to reject tumor cells: http://www.naturalnews.com/041…Again, read this about Noni from Morinda, a safe tested Novel food in Europehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19797868I came to know that 1 USA based company FOREVER LIVING PRODUCT is providing stabilised Aloe vera Gel, Bee honey based supplements which are very beneficial to humans for optimal health. And also the products correct prescription and consumption cures many diseases, I saw in my home town. What is your view?My aunt has a noni tree on her property in Jamaica and she drinks noni juice all the time without any ill effects. She has lost a lot of weight and her energy is sky high.Not sure that I agree with just about anything you have posted…but especially Mangosteen….with the Mayo Clinics double blind study and all the independent research being done all over the world…you are either bought out and believe everything Big Pharma tells you, or you represent another company. People must do their own research and check their own findings. For me…will never be without…and my liver enzymes improved ( no more fatty liver) and my CRP dropped a bit over 3 pts. to .069 ! Please do your own independent research.Clover: Dr. Greger donates his time for this website. He makes no money off of it, and he is quite conscientious in his research. The only people Dr. Greger represents are everyday people like you and me.You are entitled to your opinion. Alternate opinions, especially personal experiences, are quite welcome on this site. However, false accusations are immature and unwelcome. We all make mistakes; you might consider fixing your post…This is the only item on your website that even mentions gymnema. Some articles I have read claim gymnema is helpful to diabetics, acting either by increasing insulin output, or by regrowing beta cells. Any chance you could research and/or comment on this? Please and thanks!Not sure if I need to specify: gymnema sylvestre.	aloe vera,beverages,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,children,fruit juice,heart disease,heart health,hepatotoxins,Hydroxycut,industry influence,juice,liver disease,liver failure,liver health,mangosteen,Metabolife,mortality,natural toxins,noni fruit,safety limits,seizures,side effects,stroke,supplements	Multilevel marketing companies accused of using exaggeration and pseudoscience to promote potentially dangerous products such as Metabolife and Hydroxycut by designing studies that appear to purposely mislead consumers.	Other beverages to avoid include alcohol (Breast Cancer and Alcohol: How Much Is Safe?), soft drinks (Is Sodium Benzoate Harmful?), yerba maté (Update on Yerba Maté), and kombucha (Is Kombucha Tea Good For You?).I prefer water (Does a Drink of Water Make Children Smarter?), white tea (Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea), and hibiscus tea (Better Than Green Tea?).Other cautionary tales about supplements can be found in:In my next video I'll offer another update on spirulina with Infant Seizures Linked to Mother's Spirulina Use.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Is Noni or Mangosteen Juice Safe?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/24/is-noni-or-mangosteen-juice-safe/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hydroxycut/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/noni-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aloe-vera/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mangosteen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seizures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hepatotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-failure/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife%c2%ae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus%c2%ae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-yerba-mate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20939120,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21734603,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20191055,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319627,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22454810,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20104221,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15056124,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21119544,
PLAIN-2723	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/	Is Carrageenan Safe?	Six hundred years ago, people living along the coast of Carragheen County, Ireland started using a red algae, which came to be known as Irish moss, to make a jellied dessert, now the source of carrageenan, a food additive used as a thickener in dairy and nondairy products, and as a fat substitute, perhaps most famously in the failed McLean Deluxe.In 2008 I raised a concern about it. We had known for decades that carrageenan had harmful effects on laboratory animals, but this was the first study done on human cells to "suggest that carrageenan exposure may have a role in development of human intestinal pathology.” This was all 5 years ago, though. What's the update?Well, after the activation of inflammatory pathways was demonstrated in actual human colon tissue samples, Europe pulled it from infant formula, thinking that just might be getting too much at a vulnerable age. The latest suggests carrageenan consumption could possibly lead to a leaky gut by disrupting the integrity of the tight junctions that form around the cells lining our intestine that form the barrier between the outside world and our bloodstream. This was just an in vitro study, though, in a Petri dish. We still don't know what effects, if any, occur in whole human beings. Some researchers advise consumers to select food products without carrageenan, accusing the FDA of "ignoring [it's] harmful potential."Personally, after having reviewed the available evidence, I continue to view carrageenan the way I view acrylamide, another potential, but unproven hazard. Acrylamide is a chemical formed by cooking carbohydrates at high temperatures. So should we avoid eating a lot of these foods, like the EPA suggests? Well,  "Food safety concerns must also be considered [in the context of dietary] consequences." Where's it found the most? Foods that are already unhealthy. So, sure, use your concern about the probable carcinogen acrylamide as just another reason to avoid potato chips and French fries, but until we know more, I wouldn't cut out healthful foods like whole grain bread.Similarly, I'd use potential concerns about carrageenan as additional motivation to avoid unhealthy foods, but until we know more I wouldn't cut out healthful foods, though I would suggest those with inflammatory bowel syndrome or other gastrointestinal problems try cutting out carrageenan at least temporarily to see if your symptoms improve.	I’ve been wondering about this, especially since two of my favorite vegan products — a creamer and a candy bar — contain it. They both do qualify as junk food, so given the emerging evidence, perhaps it’s time to seek out new delights ….I’m so glad I could help!Suggestion to all: email and call the vegan companies that add carrageenan to their products……vegan ice creams, almond milks, soy milks, treats, etc….and tell them you are no longer going to be a customer until they remove the carrageenan from the said products. The companies will listen.Also, many canned dog foods have carrageenan. I expect cat foods as well. The poor animals have no say in what’s in their food. I wrote one company about licorice root in their dog food with possible links to kidney failure as it is harmful for humans; they said their diet experts were not concerned even with animals consuming it every meal.It’s true too for cat foods. When choosing food for my cat, I read labels on every brand in the pet store. Majority of them do contain carrageenan along with other fillers. I wound up finding a limited ingredient gluten and grain free brand of food, Simply Nourish, that is just water, tuna, potato, tapioca starch, sunflower oil and added nutrients. Before, my cat was throwing up her food with alarming regularity. In the two weeks since I switched her diet to include both wet and dry forms of Simply Nourish, she hasn’t thrown up once. :)A regular diet of Tuna is extemely dangerous for cats and commonly leads to thyroid issues later in life ..it is extremely high in murcury and other contaminants and is so palatable that once cats are hooked on tuna/fish its very hard to get them off anything else.Skip the tuna. Really, ..not good at all. A raw diet is ideal, but if you cant find/make a good one with all essential enzymes etc, look for a LID (limited ingredient) wet food ..one protein source and one carb (not the same as grain) can be potato etc**off the tuna and to eat anything elseInstinct canned, Weruva Cats in the Kitchen canned, and Fancy Feast classic formulas do not contain carrageenan. Raw food is the best, but you’ll need to experiment. My cat does fine on Primal raw, but throws up the Instinct raw (though he’s fine with canned, go figure?) Like with human food, you have to read the labels on everything, and avoid the bad stuff.Also, adding a probiotic to her diet will help with the throwing upSuggest you consider feeding your cat or dog a raw foods diet. http://www.rawfedcats.org/feedingraw.htmElsie, I wrote to Turtle Mountain Foods back in May, and asked them to remove carrageenan from their So Delicious Coconut Milk products (I love the creamer, beverage, yogurt and frozen dessert, which all contain it). I was told that they are reformulating these products and will be removing the carrageenan sometime in the future. In the meantime, I am making do with Organic Valley Soy Creamer (no carrageenan, but doesn’t taste as good) and Whole Foods Organic Almond Milk, one of the few non-dairy mylks that doesn’t contain carrageenan. The stuff is in everything!So Delicious Almond Milk doesn’t contain carrageenan, unlike Silk and Almond Breeze.I just looked up this product on their site and the list of ingredients includes carrageenan. (08-12-2013)I’m sorry. Silk AlmondMilk is actually the one without carrageenan (although most of their other non-dairy products include it.) I wish this weren’t the case because I’d much rather support Turtle Mountain over Dean Foods.Great and informative video. Thank you.I’ve always wondered what your take on this was because of the reliability with which carrageenan causes inflammation. It is used very successfully and frequently to induce inflammation in rats and mice to test the efficacy of anti-inflammatory products, foods and medicines. And a search on pubmed ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=carrageenan+and+inflammation ) yields greater than 3500 hits for Carrageenan and Inflammation.So for my patients that have severe inflammatory issues (fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Crohns Disease etc.) I do warn against this additive as well. So who carries carrageenan free almond milk? Whole Foods Market used to have a store brand Organic Almond Milk that didn’t contain carrageenan but it was pulled from the shelves because it was found to not be organic. So I direct these patients that like almond milk to Trader Joe’s because their store brand of almond milk is Carrageenan free. Thanks for the update!Silk Pure Almond also has no carrageenan.In Canada, Natur-a brand soy milk has no carrageenan, is organic and non-GMO—my fave.I buy Whole Foods 365 Organic Almond milk unsweetened & it doesn’t have carrageenan. Ingredients: organic almondmilk (filtered water, organic almonds), tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, potassium citrate, organic locust bean gum, gellan gum, organic sunflower lecithin, vit A palmitate, ergocalciferol (vit D2), DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (Vit E).I knew about carrageenan for years and avoid it. Always read labels even with prepared foods. I noticed Costco’s prepared foods contain carrageenan.If you’re buying canned dog food, read the label. Chances are carrageenan is in it.Toothpaste from health food markets also may contain carrageenan. Read the label.Whole Foods brand, 365, has organic almond milk without carrageenan and it is the only brand w/o it that I have been able to find in NYC. Trader Joe’s organic brand, in fact, does contain carrageenan.Interesting about your Trader Joe’s Brand. I buy their Almond milk (it doesn’t say Organic) and I just read the label again and there is no Carrageenan. Maybe NYC gets their Almond milk from a different manufacturer.Great point! I have mild osteoarthritis (self-diagnosed), so I will try to avoid this for a while. Such a shame that seaweed could be inflammatory. I guess pharmaceutical researchers use it because it is cheaper than meat.Thanks for this great video! It confirms what I already know to be true…I have Crohn’s disease and through the elimination of some foods, I realized that carageenan was a common denominator in an increase in my symptoms. I avoid it like the plague, but it is frustrating to find it in many organic versions of foods (whipping cream, non-dairy milks, etc).Just another nail in the coffin of processed foods – vegan or not. Eat food that look like food – avoid food with a long ingredient list. Broccoli contains broccoli !I only hope you a right (that it is a nail in the coffin of processed foods).Wow, I’m glad to finally have that question answered! I’ve wondered. My husband recently found a soy milk at walmart with pretty simple ingredients and minus the carageenan. Guess we’ll be sticking with that from now on :)It might be minus the carageenan, but “Soy” is GMO if it’s not organic.I am not a big fan of walmart, but I know my local one has organic soymilk. Haven’t checked for carageenan, though.Same here. In fact, all of the tofu and tempeh at my local grocery stores is organic (with most being specifically non-gmo project certified), and the soy milks are about half organic and half non. When buying specifically soy foods, I don’t think finding organic is a problem. People that eat processed foods with soy *in* them are probably consuming a lot more non-organic/gmo soy.Interesting blogs this week for me as an Ulcerative Colitis sufferer. I have been avoiding carrageenan for years since I heard it was used to induce UC in lab mice. Always keeping my ears pricked for a potential silver bullet, I recently came across something suggesting an intolerance of dietary sulfur as a potential contributor for IBD, particularly in encouraging already active disease, as I recall. Interestingly, carrageenan was cited from at least one source as a food extremely high in sulfur. Suspecting a possible correlation, I just had to try a low-/high-sulfur diet comparison to see if I could tell a difference from one week to the next. Unfortunately, there was no revelation to be had for me regarding dietary sulfur restriction. Still, thought some might find it worth hearing.This video is so disappointing to me. One of the things I like to make is vegan cheeses made out of nuts. My favorite vegan cheese cookbook is called Artisan Vegan Cheeses. Many of the recipes are carageenan-free, but the *meltable*!!! ones, which make *awesome* cheeses, use carageenan. Plus, I hate the texture that agar produces and love the texture that cargeenan produces.The one glimmer of light I take from this is the sentence about putting carageenan risk in the context of the whole diet. I assume that some carageenan nut cheese is probably OK. The problem is that I just don’t know how much is OK and I do drink a lot of almond milk and sometimes soy milk. I do try to get Trader Joes brand, but they don’t always have it in.Thanks for this video. I’ve been waiting with bated breath to see what you had to say. I was just hoping for a different outcome. ;-(A related ingredient used by many of the nut cheeses in the book I mentioned above is xathan gum. If you have any information on xathan gum, I’d appreciate learning about it in the future.I did a “Google Scholar” search using keywords “xanthan gum” & “human health;” i could not find anything negative regarding xanthan gum.gb: That was so kind of you! Thanks for taking the time to do that. That’s encouraging news…Xanthan gum has been studied far less than carageenan, and for every paper looking at it specifically there appear to be hundreds that mention its use as an “inactive” ingredient in controlled release drug formulations. A tough slog.There are no concerns with toxicity in long term xanthan gum feeding experiments, and xanthan gum has been injected in arthritic joints with no ill effect, perhaps some improvement.This study found xanthan gum induced interleukin-12 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha production in mice, which I believe might be considered signs of inflammation, but in this case also happened to stimulate immune responses to cancer and retarded tumor growth.Darryl: Wow. That’s great info. And a very good point in regards to: no information does not necessarily mean no bad effects.I really appreciate you posting this info. If nothing else, while my brand of almond milk does not have carrageenan in it, it DOES have xathan gum.Thank you too for taking the time to check this out. I bet lots of people (not just me) will really appreciate it.That’s exactly what I was going to post! Aren’t her recipes incredible?!Yes!!! I’ve enjoyed being an artisan cheese maker. :-) And really, you could skip the recipes with carrageenan in them. But my thought is: If I get carrageenan out of my diet most other ways, then sometimes having it in my nut cheese might not be so bad. That’s the story I’m telling myself right now anyway. If nothing else, I still have a very expensive container of carrageenan sitting in my cupboard. Can’t let that go to waste, now can I? ;-)That’s my hope. Since I have soymilk at least once a day, I’m hoping that even if I have it in my occasional meltable cheese, getting it out of my daily soymilk to good enough….? :-)I emailed Miyoko about this video. She’s great at returning emails (which makes her 1000x more fantastic in my mind), so we’ll she what she says. :-(I also started buying WestSoy and EdenSoy unsweetened shelf stable soy milk since I don’t like almond or rice milk, etc. I emailed Silk and put a comment on 365 Soymilk page about it. I think this video has caused quite a stir in the vegan community, so hopefully we can cause some change with our dollars.Yes my sentiments too– i was quite disappointed because up until now i preferred the non-dairy drinks that had carrageenan, owing to the creamier consistency. My taste buds are capable of adapting however; the science leads the way.gb: On the topic of adapting taste buds: That’s a good point. Though I think there is a genetic limit to how much we can adapt, it is wonderful that humans have this capability. It makes it possible to eat healthy AND happy.For those who use soy milk and wish to avoid carrageenan and other suspect ingredients–buy a quality soy milk maker and select your own high quality ingredients. Making soy milk is easy and the cost savings will pay for the machine in short order.I’ve been meaning to try a soy milk maker. Do you have a brand recommendation, for taste, ease of cleaning, etc?I’m using the SoyaJoy G4 to good effect.Here’s my process: soak or sprout 3/4 cup dry organic soybeans, then add to the machine with 1/4 cup dry organic brown rice or oats (for creaminess), fill water to the 1700ml line; you’ve got about six cups of sprouted soymilk less than thirty minutes later.Pour it through a nut milk bag–I find bags to be far better at filtering out pulp than included strainers–then whisk in 1/4 tsp sea salt (I use pink Himalayan), 2.5 tsp of calcium carbonate (provides ~500mg calcium per cup, all which your body probably won’t absorb, but I’ve accounted for that), 1 drop of 1000IU liquid vitamin d2 or half of a pulverized 2400IU vitamin d2 pill (120-200IU vitamin d per cup), and just enough vanilla extract to subtly change the flavor, maybe 1 tsp, without making it taste of vanilla.The final cost depends heavily on what you can get everything for, but I calculated the cost at $2/lb for the soybeans, and altogether it comes out to less than eighty cents per half gallon for unsweetened, sprouted, organic, calcium and vitamin d-fortified soymilk, as opposed to $3+ retail.Thanks Kyle! SoyaJoy G4. I think I can find that one easily around here. Those are great tips, too, especially about oats for creaminess! I’m also thinking of a vitamix or alternative, and I’ve heard they do soymilk, too. Decisions, decisions…A Vitamix could easily make soy or nut/grain milks as well, the only difference is that you’d have to cook the soybeans separately first to remove more of the phytic acid, whereas a dedicated milk maker will do the cooking for you. And the milk maker is a lot cheaper. But if you have the money, I’d just say go for the blender since it can do more.Our family drinks a mix of soymilks and nut/rice milks, all without carageenan. For almond milk we use the Pacific Foods brand — Organic Original Almond. For Soymilk we use the Organic Original soymilk from WestSoy (we mix the sweetened and unsweetened versions to bring down the overall sugar levels). For rice milk we’ve been blending our own in a Vitamix from organic brown rice and mixing with Rice Dream – Original, which has no carageenan.Thanks for the brand recommendations. Looks like i’ll be switching to these. The preponderance of research indicates that carrageenan be omitted from the diet (sigh).FYI: I think Pacific actually does have carageenan…I have Crohns disease and avoid gluten and milk (I’m vegan). I’ve noticed that I don’t react well to vegan cheeses which probably contain carrageenan. So this may be a link. Also, I’ve noticed a sensitivity to soy, but seem to do well when I culture unsweetened soy milk into a kefir. So, this is great stuff to experiment with and I think I’ll try and make my own nut milks–that way I can control the processes and the cooking process, which seems to be linked to inflammatory issues. By the way, I seem to do better with the Crohns when I exercise regularly. Do you have some links to managing Crohns disease? Thanks!re: “…I think I’ll try and make my own nut milks–that way I can control the processes and the cooking process…”For almond milk, the recipe that I have used in the past involved grinding up soaked, raw almonds. No cooking at all. :-)I have just the video! Check out: Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s DiseaseUmm, soymilk isn’t healthy…. did you seriously just say in this video soymilk is a health food??! I am amazed. It’s all kinds of harmful.Emm: If you watch other videos on this site, you will see why soy milk is healthy. I know there is a lot of negative information out there about soy, but as you know, just because something is on the internet does not make it true.Here at NutrtionFacts, you can learn about what the science has to say about various subjects, including soy. Sources are sited under each video and Dr. Greger reviews literally thousands of studies every year in order to present an accurate big picture of what the studies tell us. What this means is that while you can no doubt find a study to tell you anything you want to hear, the key is to find out what the “body of evidence” tells us . The key is to find out if there is overwhelming evidence one way or another on a particular subject. Luckily our scientists have created a body of evidence which do give us relatively clear, overwhelming information on a wide range of nutritional subjects.Good luck.Again, my sentiments. You beat me to the punch. People need to cite studies if they want to make (controversial) claims. This is obviously a pro-vegan website, so no need to provide citations for avoiding animal products, but if you are going to counter Doctor G’s statements– back it up with studies from peer-reviewed journals!I view this site as a pro-healthy-eating website, not pro-vegan. If meat, eggs, dairy and fish where health-foods, then the topics would be about that. The bulk of evidence just happens to tells us to avoid (or seriously limit) animal-products. It is always OK to counter everything with reasonable arguments. Peer-review does not necessarily mean that it is the truth – it is often more complicated than that.Speak it out loud, sistah! :)My mother suffers from Lupus, I somehow managed to stop her having dairy and we are on soya milk, the alpro make. Anyone know if that is bad too? and where I could find soy milk or almond without Carrageenan? ThanksHey, Thank you for this video. Where can I buy soy milk or almond milk without carrageenan from in the UK?? please.My mother suffers from lupus and I somehow managed to get her to drink soy instead of dairy, we are drinking the Alpro make. Not sure if thats bad too??Thank you!!Very good point that carrageenan is mostly found in foods that shouldn’t be part of a regular healthy diet. The only item I regularly consume that may contain carrageenan is non dairy milk. After reading labels on all the milk varieties available at my local supermarkets, I chose to stick with oat milk because it had the purest ingredient list next to rice milk. I prefer oat milk for it’s overall mouthfeel and flavor for use in teas and coffee, but I use rice milk when I need a large amount in recipes.I’ve also found that carrageenan is added to toothpaste. Old habits die hard, and I prefer a tooth paste over a gel. Since I’m spitting it out, I don’t concern myself with the carrageenan.Does this include raw Irish moss? It’s used a lot in raw vegan desserts.Chondrus crispus in its natural state is 55% carrageenan.Man, this was not the result I was hoping for. And I noticed that all three carrageenan types were shown in that graph. Now I have to find a soy milk that’s non-GMO, unsweetened, and without carrageenan. (I don’t like the other non-dairy milks.) Any suggestions?!Eden Organics, though it is not fortified eitherNot sure if you have the time, but perhaps you can try making your own non-dairy milk. A quick search online resulted in quite a few recipes that seem relatively quick and easy to make.Uch that’ll never happen. (Despite being willing to make my own cheese, I’m too lazy to make soy milk.)Soy milk is actually one of the easiest non-dairy milks, especially if you use one of the dozens of automatic soymilk makers. These can also be used for making tofu at home, as tofu is a pressed coagulate of soymilk protein made using gypsum or nigariThat said, Asian soymilk has a very different flavor from the kind adapted for Western tastes, much closer to liquid edamane than dairy milk. This is one reason for all the sweeteners and flavor additives. I personally couldn’t stomach it.Yeah though if I make my own, that wouldn’t be fortified either. I guess I have to choose which is more important. Hopefully if I eat enough leafy greens and such, non fortified soy milk is okay?You will need a vegan B12 supplement, but if you eat your rainbow, you should be otherwise fine. If you live in a cloudy or northern area, especially if over 50, a vitamin D would be great. I use D2, which is vegan, but is less effective or at least not well absorbed. I have seen ads for a vegan D3, but you may have to order it online.Good to know! Thanks for the info about the taste difference.Westsoy has a soy milk that only contains soy beans and water.I caught wind of this ingredient after looking into the Dairy Queen Blizzard (which, unfortunately, I thoroughly enjoy no more). I appreciate your insight on this as I was curious about knowing more as well. Seems that the jury is still deliberating, but you are absolutely right that the food where we find Carrageenan is typically unhealthy anyway so we should avoid it as a precaution.By the way, love your site and the topics.Dr Greger, my question is this. What is the relation to carrageenan and Irish Moss in it’s natural state. As a raw foodist i find that Irish Moss is a wonderful component to making certain desserts such as raw cheesecakes. is there a difference>? I am hesitant to throw out the Irish Moss because I believe that the information you present is more for “processed” and “heated” forms of these certain drinks on the market that are mass produced for consumption. -thank you, DartI am a bit confused…several people posted their chosen brands of almond milk stating that they are carrageenan free. I was just at Trader Joe’s a few days ago to check and both Trader Joe’s brand almond milk and the Pacific brand both contain carrageenan. I only buy regular, non sweetened, organic almond milk so what’s the deal? I am in the U.S., is it possible these companies sell carrageenan-free almond milk in some places but not others?Donna I know what you mean. What I do is stand in front of the alternative milk and search the labels. I have not found it at TJs either. Takes time doesn’t it?Donna: That’s so interesting. Because of the discussion on this site, I checked my TJ’s almond milk ingredients just this morning – and no carragenan. I don’t know if it’s relevant or not, but I get the one that is unsweetened, but with vanilla added.So, either you are using a different version or TJ’s has different formulas in different parts of the country. The latter would be concerning to me.I wrote to Silk and their PR response was rather disappointing. They belittled a researcher who studies this, Dr. Tobacman, and rationalized its use by referring to in an industry sponsored review paper.Here is their response:Thank you for your recent e-mail to Silk®. We appreciate your interest in our products.When developing new products, we look for nutritional, ingredient, and flavor profiles that have a broad appeal to a wide variety of consumer tastes and preferences.Carrageenan is a naturally occurring thickener derived from red seaweed. It is also known as chondrus extract or Irish moss. There are two different types of carrageenan, food-grade and degraded. Silk® Soymilk uses only food-grade carrageenan as a natural thickening agent. It is used in many other food products such as cottage and cream cheeses, pie fillings, chocolate products, ice cream and salad dressings, among others. Degraded carrageenanis never used as a food ingredient.Recently there has been some negative press on the safety of carrageenan. An article published in 2001 by Joanne Tobacman, a researcher at the University of Iowa, claimed that carrageenan may cause lesions or cancer in the gastro intestinal tract (Tobacman: Env. Health Per., Vol. 109, No. 10, Oct 2001). However, the Tobacman study was performed using only degraded carrageenan, not food-grade carrageenan, an entirely different substance.Many consumers express concern that stomach acid could turn food-grade carrageenan into degraded carrageenan during the digestion process. However numerous studies on the digestion of food-grade carrageenan have shown that “it is either not degraded, not degraded to the same molecular weight, or not degraded in the same way” as the degraded form, and that the limited degradation that has been detected, has had “no effect on the gut wall” (Sept., 2003 http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v19je05.htm).The safety of food-grade carrageenan was substantiated at a joint meeting of the FAO/WHO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) in June 2001. JECFA recommended an Acceptable Daily Intake of “not specified”, the most favorable ADI a food additive can receive. The JECFA review was based on extensive safety studies of food-grade carrageenan, including evaluation of such matters as degradation and carcinogenicity.Additionally, a review paper by Samuel Cohen, M.D., Ph.D and Dr. Nobuyuki Ito, adopted by the JEFCA in their deliberations, evaluated and rebutted the evidence of claims of carcinogenity. The paper states, “In long term bioassays, carrageenan has not been found to be carcinogenic, and there is no credible evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect or a tumor-promoting effect on the colon in rodents.” Drs. Cohen and Ito are well-known and respected cancer researchers.A review of existing scientific literature indicates that food-grade carrageenan is safe for all food uses. It is neither toxic nor carcinogenic. Silk products contain only the highest quality food-grade carrageenan available. We will continue to use only natural and safe ingredients in all of our products.Although we regret that Silk® products do not meet your specific needs, we hope you give one of our many different products a try.We hope this information is helpful.There’s no belittling there.I emailed Silk and shared the link to above video. I asked them if they had any plans to remove carrageenan or had any products without it. This is their response…basically they are saying that food grade carrageenan is safe and that the studies showing it was harmful were done with degraded carrageenan. Is food grade carrageenan safe?Thank you for your recent e-mail to Silk®. We appreciate your interest in our products.Carrageenan is a naturally occurring thickener derived from red seaweed. It is also known as chondrus extract or Irish moss. There are two different types of carrageenan, food-grade and degraded. Silk® Soymilk uses only food-grade carrageenan as a natural thickening agent. It is used in many other food products such as cottage and cream cheeses, pie fillings, chocolate products, ice cream and salad dressings, among others. Degraded carrageenan is never used as a food ingredient.Recently there has been some negative press on the safety of carrageenan. An article published in 2001 by Joanne Tobacman, a researcher at the University of Iowa, claimed that carrageenan may cause lesions or cancer in the gastro intestinal tract (Tobacman: Env. Health Per., Vol. 109, No. 10, Oct 2001). However, the Tobacman study was performed using only degraded carrageenan, not food-grade carrageenan, an entirely different substance.Many consumers express concern that stomach acid could turn food-grade carrageenan into degraded carrageenan during the digestion process. However numerous studies on the digestion of food-grade carrageenan have shown that “it is either not degraded, not degraded to the same molecular weight, or not degraded in the same way” as the degraded form, and that the limited degradation that has been detected, has had “no effect on the gut wall” (Sept., 2003 http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v19je05.htm).The safety of food-grade carrageenan was substantiated at a joint meeting of the FAO/WHO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) in June 2001. JECFA recommended an Acceptable Daily Intake of “not specified”, the most favorable ADI a food additive can receive. The JECFA review was based on extensive safety studies of food-grade carrageenan, including evaluation of such matters as degradation and carcinogenicity.Additionally, a review paper by Samuel Cohen, M.D., Ph.D and Dr. Nobuyuki Ito, adopted by the JEFCA in their deliberations, evaluated and rebutted the evidence of claims of carcinogenity. The paper states, “In long term bioassays, carrageenan has not been found to be carcinogenic, and there is no credible evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect or a tumor-promoting effect on the colon in rodents.” Drs. Cohen and Ito are well-known and respected cancer researchers.A review of existing scientific literature indicates that food-grade carrageenan is safe for all food uses. It is neither toxic nor carcinogenic. Silk products contain only the highest quality food-grade carrageenan available. We will continue to use only natural and safe ingredients in all of our products.Our Silk® Pure Almondmilk products do not contain Carrageenan.We hope this information is helpful.Sincerely, John Davila Consumer Response RepresentativeRef: N1811841Thanks so much for this! Like Jessica, I have been wondering about this ingredient for years. I believe my almond milk is the only product I have with it but I recently started making my own milk so that eliminates that!Zuri: I wouldn’t mind making my own almond milk, but I have three issues with it. I’m curious if any of these issues bother you:1) Calcium. I could get all the calcium I need from greens, but I’m not very good yet about eating a steady amount of say kale. So, I rely on the solid 1 to 1.5 cups of almond milk that I drink every day to supplement the calcium I get from my food. If I drank the almond milk I made myself, I wouldn’t have the added calcium I get from store products. Does this concern you?2) Grit. I use a fine strainer, but the home-made I have tried to make always comes out (while of superior! taste) a bit gritty. I am very sensitive to texture. Do you have this problem? (I have made my almond milk in a commercial blender. I try not to go at full strength so that the pieces are big enough to catch in the strainer. But it never fully works out.)3) Storage. I don’t want to be making individual portions of milk every time I want some. So, I would want to make a big batch which I store in an air tight container. I don’t want to store in plastic and most of the available glass pitchers are pretty small. I did actually find one glass pitcher on Amazon that was a) big enough and b) had a good lid, but it was a hard find. And I wonder if there is something better out there. I’m curious what you do for storage.Just wondering. I would understand of course if you don’t have time to reply. And I would be interested if anyone else wants to comment on these issues.Hey Thea!Very valid concerns. I can offer some suggestions…1) Calcium. In all honesty, I do not pay enough attention to calcium as I probably should/probably will a bit later in life. I would however look at the amount of calcium present in almonds (or any other nuts you may add to the mix–I love cashew milk and I’m going to start mixing some nuts together to make milks and also “cheese” spreads). Also, look into what source is used to add calcium to the milk you consume. Maybe a simple calcium supplement would be equivalent?2) Straining. I know the grit you are referring to :) Throw some cheese cloth on top of the strainer before straining the mixture and reap the glorious benefits of using cheese cloth (a nice food quality brand–not a cleaning brand because it is much more permeable)! Feel free to blend the nuts as finely as you like–the cheese cloth will catch everything and you can wring it out to squeeze all the “milk” out. The remaining nut pulp can apparently be dried out and used as flour but I have yet to take that next step. I get my cheese cloth at Bed Bath & Beyond. I think It’s the only brand they sell–comes in a clear bag with a natural, cardboard label with black font.ALSO, I just got hip to a recipe that may change your life! I haven’t done this yet but apparently you can make your nut milks by blending NUT BUTTER with water, vanilla, sea salt, etc. I personally use dates to sweeten practically everything and they make the milk delicious (the longer the dates are in your liquid being sweetened, the sweeter it gets just FYI). If this works out, it will cut out some time consuming steps and leave more time to experiment with ingredients.3) Storage. I honestly recycle old glass bottles of all sizes and hope I have a future use for them. I put a batch of milk in an old rum bottle…then I started playing around with rum milk…lol yeah. But I typically do not consume the milk after 3-5 days (the new recipe may help extend that shelf life a few days tho). As far as sealing off some milk in an airtight container I have not done this but I’m sure you can find some info out there on how to preserve things that way.I hope this helps!!Zuri: Awesome reply! Thanks for taking the time write out your response. I particularly like the cheese cloth idea. I also have a nut milk bag, but I haven’t tried using it yet. I sort of figured it wouldn’t necessarily be any better than the fine strainer.Also, the calcium issue is still a big one for me. I hate to take supplements if I can avoid it and I don’t want to get too much calcium.I really like that idea of starting out with a nut butter. I’m going to look into that.Thanks!!!There is no such thing as “Carragheen County, Ireland”. According to http://www.seaweed.ie/uses_general/carrageenans.php, there may be a place called Carrigan Head in County Donegal, but even that does not show up in Google Maps nor in Bing Maps. So the origin of the name is unclear.Can you PLEASE tell me if using Irish moss (preparing it from the seaweed itself) is better for you than Carrageenan ? I have used and like the irish moss you soak or boil to make a gell like substance, I would hope that it not being processed makes it a better alternative.Does this mean raw vegan desserts made with Irish moss are also a problem?Dr. Greger: Would you please comment on this research as I cannot understand it. I have CLL and have kept it controlled with a vegan diet. Once had total white cell count of 90,000; now over 20 years later: 24,000. I use Silk Soy with carrageenan. Should I stop?Oops: here is the research paper: J Biol Chem. 2010 Jan 1;285(1):522-30. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M109.050815. Epub 2009 Nov 6. B-cell CLL/lymphoma 10 (BCL10) is required for NF-kappaB production by both canonical and noncanonical pathways and for NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK) phosphorylation.Is there any research on the use of Irish Moss as a whole food used infrequently in small quantities (raw vegan treats), not just the isolated component (carageenan) like in store bought almond milk or in daily food items (quantity/frequency of ingestion). Does this make a difference whether whole or processed form or is the Irish Moss something to completely eradicate from the diet? Seems the Irish folks who used the whole food didn’t have leaky gut or colon cancer concerns..Weren’t the human studies on cadaver colon? Living humans have a variety of immune, metabolic, digestive pathways that really cannot be compared to a dead one when doing these type of tests.So….could we then expect that all sea weeds, like dulse, komba, ect to be inflammatory?Would you please comment in laymen’s terms on the following? I have CLL and have controlled it with a vegan diet for over 20 years. Should I avoid carrageenan containing products like Silk soy milk? J Biol Chem. 2010 Jan 1;285(1):522-30. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M109.050815. Epub 2009 Nov 6. B-cell CLL/lymphoma 10 (BCL10) is required for NF-kappaB production by both canonical and noncanonical pathways and for NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK) phosphorylation. Bhattacharyya S, Borthakur A, Tyagi S, Gill R, Chen ML, Dudeja PK, Tobacman JK. Source Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.Carrageenan is a processed refined food derived from Irish Moss seaweed. Irish Moss seaweed can also be used as a thickener and I wonder if the natural food Irish Moss seaweed would be safer than carrageenan.Is bee pollen helpful?I love gelatin, but the problem is all jelly in this stupid bad country is made of carageenan, many foods are mix with that. I notice I get stomach bloating and pain when I eat gelatin. I can’t find gelatin that is made of animal collagen.AMee: Some people use “agar” (or agar agar) to make a fruit “jello”. It works pretty well and allows you to avoid both animal products (like gelatin) and carageenan. You might want to look into it.Good luck.Dr Andrew Weil published an A in a Q&A on his site that included research by Dr. Joanne Tobacman that discussed the previous assertion that undegraded carrageenan was ok but degraded carrageenan was not. Her study concluded that all forms of carrageenan are capable of causing inflammation. This article was from Oct 1 2012 and I’m shocked that so many products, including Orgain, use it still.what about Dr. Baylocks assertion that carrageenan activates the COX-2 enzyme which can accelerate cancer growth?I have a real problem with carageenan. I break out in painful, itchy blisters when I consume it. It took me over a decade to discover the culprit.I could scream every time I read a comment about how safe carrageenan is. The authors must work as P.R. reps for the big food companies.Thank you. Im hoping this has been the cause of intestinal problems since recently drinking a lot of Silk Vanilla Almond milk.I just checked my Soy milk (Vitasoy reduced fat in Australia), it only has Gum Arabic (E414)The scientific community at large continues affirmation that carrageenan is safe for even the most vulnerable populations. The esteemed and independent scientific body that reviews food additives for the World Health Organization, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), announced this June a scientific review finding carrageenan safe even for use in infant formula.The International Agency for Research on Cancer is the body which advises the World Health Organization on cancer risks for substances and their findings for carrageenan clearly state that “Native (undegraded) carrageenan was tested for carcinogenicity in rats and hamsters by administration in the diet; no evidence of carcinogenicity was found”JECFA’s thorough review considered the entire body of available scientific research on carrageenan safety for all population, incorporating the most relevant research into its final decision.All dietary studies intended to simulate the conditions of actual human consumption of carrageenan have found carrageenan to be safe, including a recent study of neonatal pigs that replicated the conditions of human infants consuming carrageenan in infant formula and found no safety concerns even in this most vulnerable population.Long-term studies of rodents and primates fed carrageenan (including infant baboons) have also found no indication of harm, carcinogenicity, or negative effects from carrageenan on the intestinal tract or other organ systems in test animals.There is no lack of information on the safety of carrageenan. There is simply continued mischaracterization and misapplication of science regarding this important additive.Ingredients Solutions: I wonder why you call it an important additive. To me, important additive would be one that prevents disease because people can’t get that substance naturally and they need it. Even if you were right, and I’m not saying one way or the other, but even if you were right that carrageenenan is safe in amounts eaten normally by most humans, I don’t see how that makes it an “important additive.” What is your definition of an important additive? Note that this site promotes whole plant food based eating as the diet that optimizes nutrition and health.Your name, “Ingredients Solutions” is interesting. Where does that come from?http://www.ingredientssolutions.com/carrageenan.htmJean: Good find. At least this person was honest enough to self-identify with his/her company.Ingredients Solutions, Inc. (ISI) is “The World’s Largest Independent Supplier of Carrageenan” offering a full range of Natural and Organic-Allowed products from multiple manufacturing sites for reliable supplies, the most complete product line, and the best values in the industry.I’ve got rid of it from my diet, not because it’s proven bad for humans, but because the animal studies showed it to be bad both in the food grade and the degraded forms. The degraded form was found to be carcinogenic, and the food grade co-carcinogenic. There is some breakdown of the food grade into the degraded form in digestion and food processing, as well.I know human studies are not done yet, but that isn’t a reason to go ahead and consume this thinking an absence of evidence is absence of harm. Tolerating it without symptoms also does not answer. Asbestos probably doesn’t cause symptoms when inhaled, just decades later, etc.I’m a bit confused here because there is a difference between degraded and undegraded Carrageenan. If there is one thing I don’t like it’s a bunch of chicken littles running around telling people not to use something based on anecdotal evidence. Where are the studies linking undegraded Carrageenan to harmful effects?Comments like these below: “Suggestion to all: email and call the vegan companies that add carrageenan to their products”Are asinine. And what scientific basis are you going to tell them to stop using it? Really, I mean now more than ever you have these trendy hipster food snobs who think they are on the cutting edge of health and nutrition but don’t have the science to back it up, or misinterpret already existing studies, looking for pieces of a study they can understand and pulling it apart, or my favorite, quote mining.This new chicken little phenomenon seriously needs to stop, it is harmful.Dr. Greger – While I’m less concerned about dietary carrageenan than most in this feed, I must applaud your moderate comments regarding research into carrageenan as well as acrylamide in the diet, in that it just doesn’t point in one clear direction yet. However, based on the information I was able to find, Carrageenan has been found safe for use in food by government regulatory bodies not only in the United States (U.S. Food & Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture), but also the Joint WHO/FAO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). According to the World Health Organization (http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v042je08.htm) and the European Commission on Health and Consumer Protection (http://ec.europa.eu/food/fs/sc/scf/out164_en.pdf), “…intakes of carrageenan and processed Eucheuma seaweed from their use as food additives were of no concern.” A recent review of available research (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12389870) into carrageenans supported the WHO conclusion. But again, as you said, a wise approach is to limit intake as much as possible until more is known.I stopped buying Almond Breeze due to carrageenan and now buy Silk unsweetened almond but I see Silk has carrageenan in Silk Coconut Milk.If it helps, at the beginning of my IBS flare I would get TERRIBLE reactions with nondairy milks…I was trying to understand why and then I realized it was the carraageenan. Since I buy nondairy milks without it I still have IBS but never had such awful attacks.Ah man … I switched from almond to soy milk about a month ago because of the drought in California, and I’ve been dealing with a bad bout of colitis for the past few weeks. I really hope it’s not the soymilk.First, I’m disappointed that you haven’t done your homework once again Dr. Greger. This really should embarrassing for you.This has been answered over, and over and over again.http://followyourheart.com/is-carrageenan-safe/I’ve been told that the inflammation was shown from “lambda” carrageenan, not “kappa” carrageenan. Can you confirm this? I’m being encouraged to use kappa carrageenan when making a vegan cheese.I just noticed Tom’s toothpaste has carrageenan in it.The Bible – OT or NT. Seemingly this has been proved to be the case in a recent Scandinavian study where it was seen that the pesticides were flushed out with the excrement!!!Carrageenan is only the other form of MSG! The plant that grows in Ireland. But MSG (Mono-sodium Glutamate) is MSG–very dangerous ingredient!Hi, I’m just curious on knowing if there’s any new studies that gave more information on Carrageenan? I’m very curious since this is very common in the “replacing” dairy products. It can be difficult to find a substitute depending of your region. Thank you Keven	acrylamide,algae,bread,carrageenan,cheese,colon health,cooking temperature,dairy,EPA,Europe,fat,FDA,food additives,french fries,grains,infant formula,infants,inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,Ireland,leaky gut theory,McDonald’s,milk,potato chips,safety limits,yogurt	Carrageenan is a food additive used as a thickener and fat substitute in a variety of dairy and nondairy products. Concerns about potential intestinal tract damage are placed in the context of dietary consequences.	Titanium dioxide is another additive used in nondairy substitutes. See Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease for the latest on its safety. My acrylamide video can be found at Acrylamide in French Fries.Other videos on food additives include:For more context, please refer to the following associated blog post: Should We Avoid Titanium Dioxide and Should Carrageenan be Avoided?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/22/should-carrageenan-be-avoided/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcdonalds-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acrylamide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ireland/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrageenan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potato-chips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leaky-gut-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infant-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acrylamide-in-french-fries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-potassium-sorbate-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11940442,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22444664,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22410212,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22561171,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22519244,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12055056,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22240413,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8747100,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18287351,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17095757,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18719267,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1242073/,
PLAIN-2724	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-for-painful-menstrual-periods/	Dietary Treatment for Painful Menstrual Periods	Dysmenorrhea is the medical term for painful, crampy periods. It affects almost half of menstruating women, yet despite the substantial effect on quality of life and general wellbeing, few women will seek treatment as they believe it won’t help. There are treatments available, though. Modern medicine to the rescue. There are surgical options such as neuroablation, where surgeons go in and attempt to cut or destroy the nerves leading to the uterus, or doctors can just take out your uterus completely, though there are certainly a bunch of hormones in pills and shots that can suppress the menstrual cycle.Since the pain is caused by inflammation, anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen are the most commonly used, achieving symptomatic pain relief in about two thirds of women. These drugs are effective, though women using them need to be aware of the significant risk that they may cause adverse drug side effects. Though there are a bunch of non-drug, non-surgical treatments like acupuncture, the evidence for the effectiveness of these treatments is generally weak.One of the latest advances in treatment involves the use of a single high dose of vitamin D. Take a look at this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The placebo did nothing, in fact, most women got worse, but the women who got the vitamin D all felt better.But wait a second! If it's pain caused by inflammation, how about putting women on an anti-inflammatory diet? 33 women suffering from painful periods were placed on a vegan diet for two cycles and experienced significant reductions in menstrual pain duration, from 4 days down to 3 days, and a significant reduction in pain intensity, as well as an improvement in symptoms of PMS symptoms like bloating.This was a crossover study, so after two months eating vegan the women were supposed to go back to their regular diets, to see if the pain would return, but the women felt so much better that when the researchers said OK, now we need you to go back to your regular diet to test before and after, several said İNo way José! and refused even though they were required to by the study.Doctors too often patronizingly think that patients simply won't adhere to therapeutic diets, but when they surveyed these women during the study, not only did they have fewer cramps, but they were losing weight, reported increased energy, better digestion, better sleep. This showed that you don't have to be in some Ornish or Esselstyn study facing certain death after a heart attack to stick to a plant-based diet. It's well accepted even when testing more benign conditions.	very interesting! although I know of long term vegans 5+ years eating low fat that become effected with amenorrhoea and depression which seemed to potentially caused from primarily extremely low cholesterol levels. (b12 levels were fine as were vitamin d.)It’s quite concerning!Could it be possible that a whole foods vegan diet may not optimal (in a immediate well-being, thriving sense) for all individuals because of certain genetic predisposition that makes it difficult obtaining and utilising enough various nutrients from the plant foods menu?Surely some anecdotal reports of people failing to thrive on a whole foods vegan diet are worth more thought. For the sake of animals! cheers :)Hey Oliver, it looks as though amenorrhoea might be caused by the low fat in a females diet and not low cholesterol? The article below describes athletes suffering from amenorrohea due to low body fat. See here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3600234…Brian the abstract you present does not support that low fat levels cause amenorrhoea and states, “These data do not support the idea that low body fat per se causes athletic amenorrhea.”Hey Brian, Thanks anyway :)Hi Oliver, I am curious to look at the diets of the vegans you are speaking about to see if they are eating a balanced diet. Every diet (plant based or not) needs to get a balanced amount of nutrients, and may they weren’t eating a balanced diet. As far as the cholesterol, the body makes its own cholesterol and will make up whatever it needs to support body functions. If the body can’t make its own cholesterol or not enough of it, that is another issue.As Brian pointed out, it is not low cholesterol levels that may be associated with amenorrhoea, but it is low fat levels and this is not proven.Brian the abstract you present does not support that low fat levels cause amenorrhoea and states, “These data do not support the idea that low body fat per se causes athletic amenorrhea.”Hi AqiylHenry, I can’t be sure of there exact diet, I am skeptical and open to the possibility that their actual eating habits may differ from their proclaimed healthy plant based diet. There was a woman who did have unhealthily low cholesterol levels and depression which seemed to be remedied by added dietary coconut saturated and more plant protein. I am aware that usually the human body produces and regulates enough cholesterol, but perhaps some folk need a little help from saturated fat? cheers :)Yes I agree that some may need help getting some more good saturated fat in their diet, which is not a problem at all with a plant based diet, if the person eats a balanced diet. Coconut oil is excellent and I sometimes drink tablespoons of it for quick energy. i have gone towards eating a lot more carbs (fruits) and less fats now though. Oh, I am a vegan and I am very healthy, energetic, and always in an energized mood.I’m glad you are feeling powerful! have you been vegan for long?Thank you. I have been vegan for 2 years now. :)Hi Oliver, I may have read the blog entry that you are referring to. It was called something like ‘Failing Health on a Vegan Diet’. The woman’s liver did not function properly due to years of substance abuse. The symptoms she endured were also quite severe. So if someone had similar extreme symptoms and a similar medical history of substance abuse and organ damage, then perhaps the higher protein/saturated fat diet could be warranted.However, regardless of how much better she feels now, other organs like the endothelium and kidneys may be experiencing negative side effects. For her these side effects could very well be worth it, but I would be hesitant to expand on this specific case to say that it would be wise for other people without a similar history to alter their diet in this way.hi boomer! Thanks, that’s really interesting info, that particular story does sound very familiar!Tell me what you think of this site if you have the time, quasi-vegan.blogspot.com, its very pseudo-scientific and some of her sources are suspect, but I think she raises some interesting points/ideas.Thanks again:)Were they on a raw food diet? This study found 30% of women on a raw food diet had partial to complete amenorrhea. As there are cultures that have subsisted on cooked vegetarian and near vegan diets without noting this effect, it may just be low calorie intake from the difficulty of digesting some raw plants.Non-vegan women athletes often suffer the same issues of amenorrhea and low-bone density as part of a syndrome called the female athlete triad. Not veganism, just a low ratio of calorie intake to output.Richard Wrangham’s theory is that cooking, by making foods (especially tubers) more digestible, made the larger brains and bodies and smaller digestive tracts of Homo erectus possible ~1.8 million years ago. Its plausible that in losing the comparatively large bellies of chimpanzees and gorillas we lost their ability to consistently thrive on large intakes of raw fruit and leaves.Hi Guest, thanks for that info,Some were eating a partially raw diet and others not.I will check out those links soon!I am a vegan, eat 90-95% raw food, and I am in the best shape an health of my life and I am 45. I am at the same energy level as when I was in my 20’s. I am very active. I box, kick box, cycle, power walk, and run. The do eat whole fruits and vegetables, but also blend vegetable and fruit juices.I have never come across anyone that could not thrive on a whole foods plant based diet when they are consuming an optimal nutrient dense diet. I have however met many unhealthy vegans – they are not eating nutrient dense foods, they’ve merely eliminated animal products. If your body fat is too low, which of course can cause amenorrhea, then perhaps you need to increase your caloric intake? difficult to say w/o knowing your diet, history, etc. There of course could be other issues that are not diet related which are causing your symptoms.I totally agree with you.Hey EH&T,thanks for your response, I too know vegans who eat poorly, but unfortunately I do hear of some vegans who eat well that still struggle feeling optimal, of course this can not be entirely blamed on vegan eating but does need more thought I think.I think you hit the nail on the head: some vegans eat junk food, consume a surplus of calories but are micronutrient-deficient, and some vegans consume a very micronutrient-dense diet but fail to get enough calories.When I first went no-oil, nutrient dense, I felt great at first but then became fatigued. I figured out that even stuffing myself, I was only eating about 900 calories a day! That’s about half what I need. I looooove telling people that in fact I do sometimes have to count calories… to make sure I’m eating enough! And that I intentionally supplement my diet with stuff like rice and potatoes to increase calories. I’ve gotten a couple partial converts that way. It’s a totally foreign concept to most people who are trying to eat a standard american “healthy diet”. But it feels so much more natural. What kind of animal even thinks about limiting its calories. No wonder people fail at diets.for the sake of animals…. smhHi jim, I don’t understand your comment, could please clarify?If you have used the acronym “smh” as in shaking my head, I fail to see the usefulness in expressing disappointment towards my comment regarding other animals.Your Body produces the Cholesterol you need from a balanced diet. You do not need the cholesterol produced for another animal in your diet! You need a balanced diet!! A good balance of Whole Plant foods!!!! You can eat a White Bread sandwich with a spread on it and call your diet VEGAN!!!!!!If you check Michael Video on depression, all improvements come from the plant kingdom, not the animal kingdom! The races that live the longest and importantly free of disease, Hunzas etc have little or no Animal in their diet.I have been vegetarian for 25 years and Vegan for 3 years and the benefits are enormous. Also you need to see who is financing the reports as the meat and dairy industry pay for a lot for reports to protect their turf for the people to see that only rely on the media only for their Dietary choices!!!!!My Dad died in 1981 from a Massive Coronary at 52 from Blocked areteries. I know what he ate!!!!!!TonyHi tony, I am a vegan and have been for 5+ years now and I’m not a junk food vegan!, I agree mostly with what your saying but if some people can’t thrive being vegan shouldn’t we figure out why it doesn’t work for them?Hi Oliver you mention that they have low cholesterol but not much else about your female friends. Amenorrhea occurs in female athletes, primarily runners who run a lot of miles and do not eat enough calories. Seen with highschool cross country runners. They are very lean and can have eating disorders. Coaches can contribute by suggesting an already tiny girl be tinier.Hi Veganrunner, thanks for your input, interesting info :) Some of the women I read about, and others I know personally, I’m sorry I don’t have more specific details about other potential causes.One woman I read about did claim she ate a low-fat vegan diet and did claim her tested cholesterol levels were extremely low, her specialist suggested she include more saturated plant fats to raise her cholesterol.Yeah generally has to do with calorie intake being insufficient. You mentioned satuated fat and coconut oil. Today’s blog (see above) is on coconut oil. You might find it interesting. The current research would suggest that it is not a great thing to consume.Thanks, I have seen Dr. Gregers videos on coconut oil and mostly every other nutritionfacts.org video. So I am concerned about using coconut oil, but knowing it may help some vegans feel optimal makes it difficult to completely reject.What if you’re already vegan but still get gawd-awful cramps? Is there anything else we can do? Can you tell us more about the vitamin d thing?I can only say that my mom in age of 72 became vegan. She used to have cramps in her legs every night. After only few days of vegan diet cramps have gone away! And we were eating just normal polish – but vegan version of food these days, like dumplings with cabbage and mushrooms, soy cutlets with cooked vegetables etc. But we made plenty of smoothies this days and I convinced here to eat plenty of raw fruits. It could be that bananas and water melon took part in it, because she didn’t eat them before at all, for years, I believe. It’s just not a standard old polish kitchen, and it’s a shame!:) We included plenty of them in these smoothies these days.Mijamoto: Great stories! Thanks for sharing.That’s great for her! Still wondering about what to do about already being vegan and about vitamin d…..IIana: I’m not a doctor, so I can’t say anything with authority. But Dr. Greger does have a couple videos on this site about relieving PMS symptoms. This is just one such video. You might check out the one about saffron.Also, I’m sure you are aware that there is “vegan” and then there is “vegan”. A healthy diet is not just refraining from meat, dairy and eggs, but eating whole plant foods as much as possible. Maybe you are already doing this. But I thought I would mention it just in case that is an area you could improve on and which *might* help with the cramps.As for vitamin D – what’s wrong with supplements? Or another idea is to expose your mushrooms to sunlight before cooking and eating them. You would have to do some research on that to get the particulars.I’m not sure I’m any help here, but I hope you are able to get some relief in the future.Yeah I already do whole plants diet, so not much I can do. Based on his other videos, I don’t want to take too much vit d all month, but I started upping my vit d a few days before my period. Helps a little, I dunno. I wish there was more info on what I should actually do.I found relief in raw ginger root. I blend a piece about the size of half my thumb in some orange juice. I take it one time at the very beginning of any discomfort and that’s all I need for the week. I eat a low fat plant based diet, primarily fruits and leafy greens, and have been doing so for 7 years. I’m 45. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu…I’ve had the same experience as reported in the study, however, after two years on a vegan diet my ferritin levels hit rock bottom and I was constantly tired (needing a nap during the middle of the work day). This turns out to be a big problem for women on both vegetarian and vegan diets and I really wish some of the men advocating the vegan diet would stop pretending that this isn’t a problem. Half of the young vegetarian women I know seem to end up either anemic or iron deficient, and many of them give up the diet as a result (as an example Gweneth Paltrow, a vegetarian, recently reported that she almost diet from a miscarriage due to her anemia, I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t start advocating the paleo diet next). What I would like to know is how often and how much iron do I need to take to keep my ferritin levels at an acceptable level? The mega B12 dose once a week seems to work just fine, but I have no guidance on the iron issue from anybody. Just trying to eat grape nuts and pumpkin seeds just isn’t working for me. Would love to see a video on this topic Dr. Greger.Hi rumicat,I have always tended to be a bit anemic whether eating meat or not. I take a plant based supplement called Blood Builder.There are videos on this topic under Nutrition Videos above with informative discussions in the comments section.Didn’t your doctor recommend a supplement?I’ll have to look into blood builder. I am on a supplement but don’t really know how long to take it, my doctors don’t seem to know either, the plan is to just keep testing my ferritin levels. I’d like to have some kind of well-researched advice on the issue. I had to get myself diagnosed, I walked around feeling tired for a year. The doctors initially tested my for anemia (CBC) but not ferritin. You can actually be exhausted and suffer from sleep disturbance from low ferritin alone even if you hemoglobin is fine. I had to find this out on my own and tell my doctors to test my ferritin level (after walking around for a year felling completely exhausted). Supplements solved the fatigue within a week. The thought is that low iron in the brain messes with your dopamine production (tyrosine hydroxylase required an iron-containing enzyme) Anyway, I seem to have an met an uncommon number of young female vegetarians who have either been diagnosed with anemia or complain about being tired all the time. I’ve become a bit perturbed with the vegan community for glossing over this problem, which seems to be pretty common.So, lots of people think you got to eat a steak every day to keep your iron up. I think if you did this you’d have a lot worse problems than low iron lol. But people forget about the non-heme iron (primarily plant based). If you’re going to consume a lot of something to get your iron up, it’s much more healthy to consume a lot of plants as opposed to a lot of meat; so as to avoid as much cholesterol and saturated fat as possible. Not to mention getting the much needed vitamins from the plants.Trick with non-heme iron is to consume with a source of vitamin C to make it more bioavailable. My trick is to make a fruit and veggie smoothie in the morning and either add a tablespoon of molasses to it or just take a spoonful of it like you would cough syrup. I prefer the latter because molasses has a powerful “prune” taste to it that can overpower the smoothie. I add lots of spinach, kale and swiss chard to my smoothie, assuring there is an orange mixed in there too, to get the vitamin c. I also snack on high iron things like pumpkin seeds. Here’s a chart showing iron content in foods from Harvard University:http://huhs.harvard.edu/assets/File/OurServices/Service_Nutrition_Iron.pdfThe chart shows pumpkin seeds closely rivaling beef liver, and I don’t know about all you but I rather eat a handful of pumpkin seeds than beef liver any day. lolI’m one of the only women I know who is not anemic and I am also the only vegan. Maybe I’m just a fluke. But it couldn’t hurt to give it a try.Will have to try the molasses suggestion, thanks I do have some black strap molasses at home.Well don’t get frustrated. Make sure you take with C and no calcium, tea, coffee. Katelyn has great suggestions but for those who don’t absorb iron well a supplement may be needed. As I said I have had this issue whether eating meat or not. When I originally went vegan I stopped the supplements in hope that I would no longer have the issue but still low. And as a runner it is just hard if I don’t supplement. The Blood Builder is easy on the stomach. As far as how long you need to get retested once you start to feel better.Sounds reasonable, thanks.I had severe menstrual cramps since I started my period at 15. It was so bad that one time I fainted from the pain, sometimes I vomited. I couldn’t pass through a cycle without meds until I became vegan 4 years ago. I was also infertile. After becoming vegan, the number of days between my period gone up (my sister observed the same for herself), and the pain slowly went away. Strangely, so did my infertility, baby is 11 months old now.Congratulations, J!I too have noticed a change in my cycle. I still have normal cramping, but the time between cycles is a few days longer and the intensity of them is lesser. I’ve been vegan one year and I think the length of my cycle is also shorter now. I say “think” cause I keep thinking it’s temporary, although I’ve noticed it for a few months now :)Congratulations on the birth of your baby!I use acupuncture for dysmenorrhea with great success. Acupuncture is an excellent anti-inflammatory treatment and works on all types of pain. However, I have noticed that when I am eating mostly plant-based diet my menses is shorter in duration and I have less cramping…. My transition to 100% plant-based has gone slowly but I hope to get there one day and this is one of the many reasons why.I have eaten a low fat/high carb plant based diet for over a year now. My periods remain very heavy (actually even heavier since childbirth 3 years ago) but I don’t suffer from pain any more. I do take a vitamin D supplement.I have been a vegan (in fact quite closely following the diet promoted by the “Forks over Knives” team.. whole food plant based) for about 6 months now, and did not notice much change in my menstrual cramps. They still incapacitate me for a day or so the same way as before.well, of course. you are significantly dropping your omega 6s. you could also add a little fish oil. I must confess I did not see your video. Isn’t the result from blocking prostaglandins 2 and 5? thank you for posting, and all the great information you pass along….from fish oil, I meant…My dysmenorrhea has got a lot worse ever since I went vegan about 4 years ago and my periods are also very heavy and lasting about 7 or 8 days. I’m on a whole foods plant-based mostly cooked diet (not low fat) and follow Jack Norris’s recommendations for vegan nutrient intake to the T. So I’m definitely getting enough protein and calories and eat very healthily. I’m still slightly underweight and my cholesterol is quite low, but my B12 and iron is good and I take a Vit D supplement. I love how all the men commenting here immediately jump to the conclusion that if you’re suffering you must be on a junk food diet or doing something else wrong. My theory is that the problem either lies with hormone imbalance due to low cholesterol, or my body not being able to sufficiently convert the plant Omega 3’s to counter prostaglandins. I’m considering adding mussels and oysters to my diet (the mushrooms of the ocean, I’ve heard them being describe as) as I have tried just about everything possible, including eating lots of flax and walnuts, exercising, vit D, natural progesterone cream, etc. to no avail, and the pain is enough to make me almost pass out and incapacitates me for 2 days a cycle. I don’t have endometriosis either.“I’m considering adding mussels and oysters to my diet (the mushrooms of the ocean, I’ve heard them being describe as)…”Actually, mushrooms are fungi, whereas mussels and oysters belong to the animal kingdom.Hi A, I’m not a doctor, but a woman suffering of dysmenorrhea like you. I switched to a vegan diet 3 months ago, and pain is improving. For me, the key is to stay away from oils, sugar and refined cereals. It’s hard, but you can consider how many of these do you eat and reduce: they are all very inflammatory and very bad for menstrual cramps. I suggest you to go low fat, low sugar, low refined creals and see if you get some results.Hi Doctor, my question may be a few months late..but here goes. I’ve followed a plant-based diet (plus on and off vegan diet) for 11 years now. Originally from an Africa where we barely consumed milk in its liquid form (usually it was cultured in some way) and since living in the West still following this diet, I’ve had ongoing and growing pains when I have my cycle. Often I have to fast for a day (or day and a half) from solids in order to keep the pain low. When I eat solids on my cycle the pain is horrible and has me running to the loo a lot. I’ve tried acupuncture, herbs and nothing so far has had repeatedly positive effects. A Chinese herbalist once mentioned that my spleen was out of order. Any idea what I could do/ look into for this problem?Thank you in advance.Increasing pains with your menstrual cycles could be caused by a variety of things. I think trying diet modification is a good first step but if that isn’t working I would see your physician for further evaluation.Hi! I suffer from dysmenorrhea since I was 16 (now I’m 29) Thanks to this study I decided to switch to a low fat vegan diet from a vegetarian one, gradually. On my first month completely vegan and almost low-fat (I still eat nuts and seeds and sometimes oils when I eat out) I still had a painful period, but I was out of all my medications, and didn’t faint, vomit or had cold sweating, diarrhea or excruciating cramps on my first day (something I’ve ALWAYS had if I didn’t take naproxen pills! Very debilitating!). The overall period was a little shorter and I had more energy.Something incredible and very welcome! I’m looking forward to seeing how it’ll become next months.. Thank you!!Sara: Thanks for sharing your story. I always felt my situation is bad, but then I read about situations like yours and I know how very luckly I am.I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you! I hope you continue to get improvement. Let us know how it goes over time.Hi Thea, many thanks for replying!I’m sorry you’re passing through this too.Things are going better, my periods are shorter (3 1/2 days) and I loose half of the blood. The pain of the first day, more or less, is as strong as it was before I became low-fat vegan, but I don’t feel like I’m dying anymore, I think it’s because of the lighter flow. I’ve had one cycle on which I could entirely skip the medications, then others where I’ve taken a small dosage.I hope you are feeling better too. Cheers from ItalyI have terrible cramps (already vegan though) and my dr recently told me I was very low on vit D, so I am now taking the super strength vit D pills to get my levels back up. This is the first month I haven’t had debilitating cramps!!!! Dr Greger recommends 2,000 mg/day vit D, but I wonder was the maximum safe levels I can take?? Should I just take it near my period to reduce cramping, or do you think I have to take it all the time?Hi! I have dysmenorrhea and suspect endometriosis. I’ve found a lot of recommendations about avoiding gluten and/or wheat (together with soy, sugar, meat, dairy) for this condition, both on forums and official endometriosis associations websites. I’ve found only one study that supports the theory of the connection gluten-endometriosis pain:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23334113Are there other relevant studies about this subject?Hello, I have been Vegan for about 3 months, (vegetarian since I was 9, now 23) and I am sitting here, with a hot water bottle strapped to my stomach because I am in so much pain (you guessed what time of the month it is haha!) But yeah, it’s not fair! I want less pain and suffering! I am not on the pill, and don’t want to take pain killers, what else can I do? Is there a strong herbal pain killer out there? (And I am not talking about cannabis) Something instant, but natural? They have always been really painful for as long as I can remember, I cannot do ordinary things during this time! Please help x@Vegan Girl In Pain – see my post below re: raspberry leaf tea. Cheap, doesn’t taste bad, and works! It seems to relax the uterine muscle! You can try the boxed version first to see if it works for you.Vegan/high-plant diet greatly reduced my cramp severity and also reduced my number of days of cramp discomfort from 3 days to less than 1 day. Raspberry leaf tea helps amazingly well with cramps. Works best when taken at the first sign of cramping. I like to cold-brew it in a big mason jar, but hot is fine if the cramps catch me off guard. You can buy in bulk or use Traditional Medicinals or Yogi Tea brands (which seem to be more potent than my bulk tea, but the bulk is a lot cheaper and stays good for years, so I just brew a few more leaves of the bulk). I use the tea bags at work and cold brew in a water bottle. I used to take a lot of ibuprofen (600 mg 3x/day) during my period as a teenager. Now I take 200 mg ibuprofen with my raspberry leaf tea perhaps 4 times per year — only if I forget to drink the tea before the worst cramps set in.My sister had this for 5 year prior to menopause. The pain stopped the day her period stopped. No previous history of pain. I’ve had no history either until 6 months ago. I’m 45. I knew there had to be a better way than taking otc meds all week, like she did, which did little to help. I found relief in raw ginger root. I blend a piece about the size of half my thumb in some orange juice. I take it one time at the very beginning of any discomfort and that’s all I need for the week. I eat a low fat plant based diet, primarily fruits and leafy greens, and have been doing so for 7 years. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19216660I read an extremely interesting article about the role of histamine and histamine intolerance in a lot of body functions and also in some health issues, such as dysmenorrea.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/5/1185.long(Please see “histamine and sexual steroids” chapter).I’d love to see a video about the role high histamine containing foods (alcohol, yeast, soy products, vinegar and pickled food in the vegan world) play in allergies and in our health in general. This may help people who already eat whole foods plant based diets but continue to suffer from some symptoms, and also people who suffer from allergies.Hey Sara. Forgive the massive delay but your study it great! I wrote more about it based on what you found. So thanks! Here was my comment:“Someone commented on this before, I’ll link you to her comment as she found a study about histamine in foods. The dried fruit may contain sulfites, which can be problematic. The study posted says “Histidine is generated from autolytic or bacterial processes (74). Therefore, high concentrations of histamine are found mainly in products of microbial fermentation, such as aged cheese (75), sauerkraut, wine (76), and processed meat (77, 78) (Table 3⇓) or in microbially spoiled food. Thus, histamine, tyramine, putrescine, and cadaverine serve as indicators of hygienic food quality (73). Tyramine and putrescine also may lead to intolerance reactions in combination with histamine.” Dr. Greger does have info about putrescine, which may also be helpful. Lastly, the Academy of Nutrition of Dietetics published a short review Is There a Diet for Histamine Intolerance? that lists many foods. I hope this is helpful.”	bloating,energy,hormones,Ibuprofen,inflammation,medications,menstruation,pain,plant-based diets,premenstrual syndrome,side effects,sleep,surgery,uterine health,vegans,vegetarians,vitamin D,weight loss,women's health	Women suffering with dysmenorrhea who switch to a plant-based diet experience significant relief in menstrual pain intensity and duration.	I've touched on this body of work briefly in Plant-Based Diets For Breast Pain. Plants that may be especially helpful include flax seeds (Flax Seeds For Breast Pain) and the spice saffron (Saffron for the Treatment of PMS and Wake Up and Smell the Saffron).For those unfamiliar with the work of Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn, see, for example, my video Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped or my blog Heart Disease: There Is A Cure.The vitamin D results were astonishing. See my series justifying my vitamin D recommendations starting with Vitamin D Recommendations Changed and ending with Resolving the Vitamin D-Bate.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Treating Menstrual Pain with Diet.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/17/treating-menstrual-pain-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/14/heart-disease-there-is-a-cure/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uterine-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menstruation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premenstrual-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ibuprofen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bloating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14583938,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17230282,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10674588,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22586231,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1459624/,
PLAIN-2725	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	Cayenne Pepper for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Chronic Indigestion	Nearly 50 million Americans come down with food poisoning every year. Over a hundred thousand are hospitalized and thousands die every year just because of something they ate. If they had ordered something different or chosen something else at the grocery store, they or their loved one would be alive today. But in the vast majority of cases food poisoning cases manifest as little more than a case of “stomach flu,” a few days of pain, vomiting, diarrhea and then it's gone. So what's the big deal?Well, as described in this recent editorial in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, in many cases that acute infection can trigger a chronic "postinfectious functional gastrointestinal disorder” that can last for years or even forever, the two most common of which are irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia, which is chronic indigestion.Up to 10% of people stricken with Salmonella, or E. coli, or Campylobacter are left with irritable bowel syndrome. The thought is that the transitory inflammation during the infection could lead to subtle but permanent changes in the structure and function of the digestive system, causing the lining of the gut to become hyper-sensitized. How do they determine if someone's rectum is hypersensitive, though?Innovative Japanese researchers developed a device to deliver repetitive painful rectal distention, basically a half-quart balloon hooked up to a fancy bicycle pump that was lubricated with olive oil, inserted and inflated until they couldn't stand the pain anymore. And those with IBS had a significantly lower pain threshold, significantly less “rectal compliance.”Healthy people felt the pain where you'd expect to feel the pain with, effectively, a balloon animal in your butt, but many with IBS also experienced abdominal pain, indicating a hypersensitivity of the entire gut wall. Well, if that's the problem, how can we desensitize the gut?We learned in the cluster headache story about the ability of hot pepper compounds to deplete pain fibers of substance P, a neurotransmitter used for transmitting pain.It's bad enough to have to rub hot peppers up your nose, where do you have to stick them for irritable bowel? Thankfully researchers chose the oral route.Conclusions: “The results of this preliminary study indicate that the chronic administration of red pepper powder in IBS patients with enteric-coated pills was significantly more effective than placebo in decreasing the intensity of abdominal pain and bloating and was considered by the patients more effective than placebo, suggesting a novel way of dealing with this frequent and distressing functional disease.”Though after 48 million cases of annual food poisoning, 10% may end up with IBS, even more may end up with chronic dyspepsia — chronic indigestion. How do peppers work against that? You can't use whole peppers because then you couldn't double blind a placebo, but if you give capsules of red pepper powder to folks suffering from chronic indigestion, about one and a half teaspoons a day worth, and compare to placebo, within a month their overall symptoms dropped, including their stomach pain… and feeling bloated as well. There’s less nausea too. The frequently prescribed drug Propulsid (cisapride) worked almost as good as the red pepper powder, and was considered generally well tolerated… that is, until it killed you. Propulsid was pulled the market after causing dozens of deaths.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Ariel Levitsky.	This is remarkable! Where can one obtain red pepper powder pills?Dr. Greger, Does this treatment help Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis?I’m a long-time UC sufferer, Kathy, and I’ve read about and tried a LOT of things. I tried cayenne once while in full disease and it turned out to be a bad idea. I had one doctor, who was actually one of the most open-minded and knowledgeable I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with, tell me to strictly avoid all chiles. Turns out he was right, at least when in active disease. My advice: If you’re bleeding, avoid the spice. I’ve learned the hard way that you’re just a special case with active disease and what’s normally healthy is not necessarily so then. Soft, easily digested foods are essential to healing your inflamed gut, and that needs to be your top priority!I will tell you that a plant-based diet seems to have had the most positive effect among the things I’ve tried. I got the idea from that Japanese study discussed on this site (Thanks, Doc!). However, you really need to watch the fiber when in active disease. I find that I have to be very cautious with legumes, brown(red, or black) rice, and nuts or seeds or my system stays irritated and I don’t heal. If you haven’t done so, try eating a strict plant-based diet for about a week with a foundation of potatoes (not fried), noodles and white rice with enough cooked veggies and non-seeded fruit to get some good nutrition and see how it works for you. It was hard to get my mind around eating mostly foods with a high glycemic index and I seem to feel worse for it in some respects, but it helped me heal. When you’re better, slowly start adding whole grains, nuts, etc. to the point you can tolerate them.Another biggie for me, even if you don’t feel like it, exercise every day!Good luck!Kevin, I have been in remission with UC for over 10 years now. I was very very sick.what helped me was Fenugreek. I used to soak the seeds and drink the water, all day. Now I just drink it 1st thing in the morning. I hope hat helps.That’s just crazy enough to work. I think I’m gonna try it, Orly.How long do u soak them for? also, how many teaspoon do u use? do u grind them etc?Soak for about two hrs, for one tblsp add 12 oz of hot water, no need to grind and you can eat the seeds, they get the texture of sunflower seeds, when ready to drink, add more hot water1/4 cup and drink.if you have leftover seeds, add a little more water to drink later.Thanks muchThe nice thing about eating cooked white (or sweet) potatoes is that you’re getting a lot…a lot…of the right kind of fibers, starches, and nutrients, which are not harsh, but still provide the necessary vehicle to build up the probiotics/good bacteria, needed to fill the intesine and yet not irritate. White rice also works for me, though not as nutritionally good, but no noodles or any other flour products. I often don’t eat a lot of beans when I am in a flare, but peas are ok. Peas are a real super food for us. Stick with alkaline creating foods. Don’t know what you mean by non seeded fruit, but maybe non pitted fruits might be what you’re talking about, like peaches etc. Can’t eat them. Oranges are acid going in, but result in an alkaline effect on the body…really excellent. Eating baby greens with an orange squeezed over it, cut up the flesh and enjoy it in the salad too. A great healthy (for the gut) is the wonderful sweet onion out now. No oil at all. Use a few slices of avocado, but absolutely no oil….at all. U can live well on these items and get all you need. You can eat only one thing at a time tio do an elimination type investigation. Put what you eat into the site “cronometer.” It will tell you what nutrients you are getting…and log onto the discussion panel of Dr. McDougall’s web site. drmcdougall.com Many others are dealing with your issues and worse. I get lots of help ther and you’ll see Dr. Greger there too. This is a lifetime of help you (and I) need, not a simple answer.Don’t worry about the “Glycemic” levels of the vegetables. These are the natural foods for us humans. Talk to JeffN, RD, who has a forum on the disscussion forums. He is been dealing with all these issues for years. Come on over. See you there. LynnBy seeded fruits I mean strawberries, blackberries, etc. I’m curious, do noodles make you ill or is it just the idea of wheat gluten you’re against?whole grain fiber is like a sandpaper for the one-cell-layer thin intestinal wall, see if you are better off avoiding grains while in acute phase. A book 80/10/10 is a good read if you what to “eat” your way out of IBS and Chron’s on plant-based diet. Recently Dr Campbell – the author of China Study names 80/10/10 as the healthiest diet out there http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9F_2aQnSnII take 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper in my smoothie a day. I found that my body adapted to being able to accept the cayenne pepper by starting of with a little of it and building in quantity over time. Some people do have adverse reactions to the solanine compound it contains, which is the reason some people have issues with cayenne and other nightshades.If you have a bleeding ulcer do not use it. But if it is not bleeding it could help. My doc said if it is not bothering me do it. It has helped my gastric problems. But I also just sprinkle some on my foods. Like eggs , or put a little in any dish it won’t make much of a taste change. I won’t do the pills as I don’t want to much and plus I believe natural is best. Backing soda may help you. A tbsp in a glass of water ever day. Studies have also shown it can help keep you from getting cancer. By raising your ph levels.You can also try earl grey tea. Which is said to help with digestive issues.Interesting. So it is used as a pain suppressor? Does that mean that the symptoms may have been treated but not the cause? Or have I missed something in the video. Apart from that, brilliant website, very interesting material. Is there a section where we can read all the studies that you quote? To see what kind of value these studies have, because not every study is as thorough as it should, isn’t it.Thank you for your answer.Look above under Sourses cited.Pain is an interesting thing. It must work more as a desensitizer.oh great, I hadn’t noticed the sources section. Thanx for pointing me in the right direction, Veganrunner.This article rocked. Pure snuff-y adult entertainment lolWhere does one find enteric-coated Red Pepper pills?If you can’t find them (I couldn’t) have them made up by your nearest compounding pharmacist. That’s what I ended up doing.Again a very interesting video and presented with great humor! NF is very informative – also for healthprofessionals. (Mostly) interesting comments from great people in the comment forum.Where can one buy enteric-coated red pepper (cayenne) pills/caps?Search for “Cayenne” or “Capsicum” at amazon.com and you’ll find a number of options.I searched as you suggested and find none that are enteric-coated. Please share with me the specifics of the product(s) you have found.I suggested this to a close friend. He had these symptoms exactly. Onset IBS symptoms after food poisoning and could not eat corn products. After a week of taking cayenne his is symptom free. He says, “I am completely healed.” Thanks Dr. Greger!!!! I will try it for my own bowel issues.Please let me know where your friend purchased enteric-coated cayenne pills/caps. I find many sources for cayenne but none are enteric-coated. Thanks.I would be grateful if you could let us know how much cayenne your friend took, in what form, and how often?care to weigh on this?…And here’s a tip from our good friend Chris Kresser:“For those of you with digestive issues, including IBS, constipation, diarrhea and acid reflux: eat fewer vegetables.”Yep, that’s right. He said fewer vegetables.http://Www.alexmanos.co.uk/fodmaps-ibsI’m not sure many here would agree with you… This site promotes whole foods ‘plant based vegan’ diets devoid of animal products to heal the body. Chris Kresser is certainly not a friend of this site…He is one of those Paleo hacks looking to cash in on the public’s ignorance about the dangers of animal food consumption. The article you linked to promotes eating beef liver and other animal products again not supported by this site. Low-carb Paleo diets are a fad like Atkins and the sooner they go away the better.check it out ~~> http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/a few more…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/Agreed, not necessarily my point of view ether. I should have put it in quotations. But still someone is making this recommendation based some success. I have been PBWF for 2 yr but I have no commitment to anything other than what is optimum for me, whatever that may be.I watched those video and many more. Critics say that facts are cherry picked to promote an animal friendly diet. The first video states the problem with animal products is not the fat nor the protein but the endotoxins. See how the other side responds to this problem.http://www.paleohacks.com/toxins/endotoxins-in-food-18623Hi Nodelord, thank you fo the reply. I’m curious as to why you are following a plant based diet yet arguing against it at the same time? That makes no sense… So instead of linking to paleo sites how about we discuss the wonderful positives of being plant based and lets leave the paleo stuff for the paleo sites. So what do you like about your plant based diet so far after 2 years? Can you tell us what you are eating these days? I’d like to hear some positive things about what made you switch to plant based? and congratulations for making the switch.You are confusing me with the sources of info that I found. I find, that in many cases the truth is hard to find, as the evidence providers offer findings with some measure of bias. I am constantly looking at this from as many angles I can find. So far I haven’t found strong evidence to change to anything but a PBWF diet. My current diet is much like a GF Dr. McDougall diet.There is a crazy amount of variables and permutations when it comes to matching an individual with their optimum diet.Here is something that may be of some interest.. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl/aug/wars.htmDr Greger – how can someone with IBS including gastritis, which would be irritated further by taking cayenne pepper capsules take advantage of this possible solution? Wouldn’t this make the inflammation worse?Hi BenJ. What did the study say? Did it mention how and where the enteric coated caps “dissolved”? We would not know anymore information than the researchers who conducted the study. You make a good point, as it seems logical that someone with stomach sensitivity should be cautious of hot peppers but interestingly this study proved the opposite. Plus, the alternative is taking drugs for chronic dyspepsia, which will also have side effects. Really up to the person whether or not they’d want to try red pepper or medication, but how neat that simply taking red pepper is an option!It is a very good question, also if you eat cayenne peper, (one and half tea spon a day) i wonder how react the stomach to it. it may not affect to much the gastric acid ad in this case it is a great solution for the intestines… will be good to see the impact of red pepper in the stomach.DOES RED PEPPER HELP WHEN I HAVE ULCERATIVE COLITIS?	abdominal pain,bloating,Campylobacter,capsaicin,Cayenne pepper,chronic diseases,colon disease,colon health,dyspepsia,E. coli,food poisoning,foodborne illness,indigestion,inflammation,irritable bowel syndrome,medications,mortality,nausea,pain,peppers,Propulcid,Salmonella,side effects,spices,spicy food,stomach health,substance P	Chronic red pepper powder ingestion may be an effective treatment for IBS and chronic dyspepsia (indigestion), both of which can arise from food poisoning.	If you missed Wednesday’s video of the day Hot Sauce in the Nose for Cluster Headaches?, it explains how hot pepper compounds work by depleting pain fibers of their substance P.I've covered some of the long-term consequences of food poisoning in videos such as Poultry and Paralysis, Fecal Bacteria Survey, and Amnesic Seafood Poisoning. The meat industry is all over it, though! Check out Viral Meat Spray and Maggot Meat Spray.Why is it legal to sell meat tainted with our leading foodborne killer? Find out in Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal.I also explore another natural treatment for IBS in Kiwi Fruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Cayenne for Irritable Bowel.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/substance-p/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/propulcid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/capsaicin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dyspepsia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cayenne-pepper/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bloating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spicy-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16699855,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21666422,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21844806,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22664848,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8527013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12030948,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21573941,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19925683,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7797041,
PLAIN-2726	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/	Hot Sauce in the Nose for Cluster Headaches?	If you cut a hot pepper and rub it inside your nostrils, your nose will start running, hurting, and sneezing. (Capsaicin is the burning component of hot peppers). Why would you do this experiment? Anyone who's handled the compound in the lab knows if it gets up your nose it causes an intense burning sensation; however, this phenomenon has not been formally investigated. Therefore it appeared worthwhile to study the effects produced by the topical application of capsaicin in the human nose. It therefore appeared worthwhile because… it had never been done before? OK…So they took some medical students, dripped some in their nose and they started sneezing burning and snotting. Describing the pain as like 8 or 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. No surprise, but here's the interesting part. What do you think happened when they repeated the experiment the next day? You'd think they might be sensitized to it, still all irritated and so it might hurt even worse, but no, it hurt less. Then they did it again the next day and the next. By day 5 it hardly hurt at all, they didn't even get a runny nose, no sneezing. Came back the next week, day ten and still nothing.Sheesh, were they permanently numbed? No, after a month or so the desensitization wore off and they were back in agony whenever they tried rubbing it in their nose. What the researchers think is happening is that the pain fibers, the nerves that carry pain sensation, dumped so much of the pain neurotransmitter called substance P that they ran out. Day after day of this the nerves had exhausted their stores and could no longer transmit pain messages until they made more from scratch, which took a couple weeks. This gave researchers an idea.There's a rare headache syndrome called cluster headache. It has been described as one of the worst pains humans experience. Few, if any, medical disorders are more painful. It's nicknamed the “suicide headache” because patients often consider taking or have taken their lives over it.It's thought to be caused by arterial dilation putting pressure on the trigeminal nerve in the face Treatments involve everything from nerve blocks to Botox to surgery. But hey, that same nerve goes down to the nose. What if we cause the whole nerve to dump all its substance P? “Preventative effect of repeated nasal applications of capsaicin in cluster headache.”Same as before, daily capsaicin in the nose and by day 5 they could hardly feel it any more. Note though that these were cluster headache sufferers and so what was rated as an 8 or 9 on the pain scale by the wimpy medical students was like, maybe a 3 or 4 by those used to the violence of the cluster headache attacks. Having achieved desensitization, what happened to their headaches?Well, cluster headaches are one-sided headaches: you only get pain on one side of your head. So those who had rubbed capsaicin in the opposite nostril, on the wrong side of the head, nothing happened. They started out having like 40 attacks a day and a month later the headaches were still going strong, but those that rubbed the capsaicin in the nostril on the side of the head where the headaches were cut the average number of attacks in half, and in fact half the patients were cured, the cluster headaches were gone completely. All in all 80% responded, at least equal to, if not better than, all the current therapies out there.	Awesome ! Amazing finding after amazing finding, I just love you doc ! Your website is by far the most impressive compilation of life saving information. I just recommend you to everyone (who speak english…) Could we get this in French someday ? :)Yes – we want Michael to tour Europe as well ! :-)You can get it in French right now–if you help translate! Instructions here: https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1VLQvCUNrC47Yrti861QcH09YesAmY5e-pJgzBQAyBR4Dr. I am a cluster sufferer I am trying to figure out what I need to buy from the above referenced video that uses Capsaicin – Zostrix/Sinus Buster? Im in Toronto Canada and it seems most Dr’s here are unaware of this cure and have no clue what I am suppose to buy. Please help me with this – thanks for your attention. JeffreyI am a long time episodic sufferer as well and for the past 3 days, I use simple Ground Red Cayanne Pepper found at any grocerystores seasoning section. Its ground/fine.1. I pour about 1/2 of a dime worth onto the counter 2. Wet my finger and coat with the pepper 3. On the affected side, I use finger and rub inside the nostril 360 degrees 4. Once the burning starts (worse 1st time), I sniff. Note this will allow some to drain in the throat so have water handy and be prepared to cough/spit it out.I have found that it hasn’t aborted an attack for me yet, but, has pushed the onset of the attack out as much as an hour and a half allowing time for my sumatripitan to kick in which has been a blessing since my headaches come full blown within about 3 minutes.I usually have found I do steps 1 thru 4 immediately. Then about 15 minutes later redo them again and that pushes it out. You will feel the nerve tingle across the entire pathway from the eye back to the neck. Im on day-3 and now the pepper isn’t burning like it did on days 1 and 2.Sinus Buster for me (in only my experience with Clusters) is too diluted and has no affect.Very interesting! Cluster headache is very, very painfull. Could be interesting to combine this with conventional therapy in patients who do not respond sufficiently to sumatriptane, oxygen and verapamil.You might be interested in this.The inventor of Sinus Buster nasal spray made his discovery because he was intentionally sprayed with a pepper spray for demonstration purposes just when a cluster headache happened to appear. His cluster headache went away in seconds.After fine tuning the product, it also works just as well for migraine sufferers.Wish my family members were open to the ideas presented in your NutritionFacts videos. The videos have revolutionized the way I related to foods. Thank you so much. LouAbsolutely fascinating! I for one am super grateful that I do not suffer form these terribly debilitating headaches,but I am happy to know what the remedy is all the same. Really interesting information… as always.I agree that this is really cool information. But it boggles my mind that a) some experimenters decided to put pain powder in people’s noses in the first place and b) people let them – not just once, but day after day. You would have to pay me mega amounts of money to volunteer for an experiment like that!Sounds like those cluster headaches must be pretty darn bad (an understatement, I am sure). I suppose if I suffered such pain, I would try just about anything to relieve it as well, even if that meant stuffing peppers up my nose.WholeFoodChomper: I completely agree with you for the second experiment where they were testing it on people who suffer from cluster headaches.I was talking about the first experiment where they tried rubbing the powder in the nose “just cause” and on people with no particular issue that they were looking for help for.Oh yeah, I know what you mean. It seems like a leap in logic was made there. A more convincing explanatory statement in the paper would’ve been nice. ;-)Thea, They were probably paid. A lot of my fellow friends in medschool participated in various experiments for money. Of course I didnt….. :-)I hope they were paid well!Trust me, we Cluster Head Busters will do anything – a friend of mine sent me this new treatment theory and I will be trying it very soon. I have been in all sorts of pain from bad car accidents, renal colic, broken bones, gout, gall stones with pancreatitis (which is considered “overwhelming pain”, and it is, even with massive amounts of morphine I wanted to die) – they are nothing compared to C.H. They aint called suicide headaches for nothing. I am mentally getting over the idea of using a scotch bonnet chili to line my right nostril with, but I will. My doctor will be interested.Actually I have been using mucosal lignocaine spray into the nose for a while now – quite effective, but hellishly expensive. I was shaking so much a couple of times from the pain I squirted it into my eye. That isn’t recommendedCapsaicin is pretty remarkable. Invented by Capsicum plants to deter consumption by mammals: birds, who can’t detect it, disperse seeds more widely. As a vasodilator, it increases bloodflow to the skin, making tropical climes more comfortable. As a selective calcium channel binder, it causes a false impression of heat, while depleting stores of the pain signalling neurotransmitter Substance P. As a NF-κB inhibitor it reduces inflammation. By modulating a number of cell signalling pathways (eg reactivating tumor suppressor genes JNK, p38 et al) it induces apoptosis and reduces cancer growth (in cell culture, at least). A recent review on capsaicin & cancer chemoprevention. The most recent capsaisin & chemoprevention review, behind paywall. But before you start rubbing your entire body down with habanero sauce, a word of caution.I can attest to habituation to capsaicin, as I can without much discomfort drink a bottle of Tabasco sauce straight (don’t ask). I’ve had to move on to hotter sauces like Marie Sharpe’s and Melinda’s for my fix.I don’t get cluster headaches, just migraines, tension, and sinus and Sinus Buster (capsacian based nose spray) usually helps quite a bit. I’ve been getting headaches almost every day the past 2 weeks and the spray doesn’t really irritate me much anymore, I now know why, thanks.Gina: Thanks for the tip, re: Sinus Buster. I had not heard of that before.Your tip is also interesting, because with a marketed product out there already, it sounds like we already knew about the connection between squirting the capsaicin up the nose and headache relief. It may be news concerning the cluster headaches, but not news in general.The inventor of Sinus Buster nasal spray made his discovery because he was intentionally sprayed with a pepper spray for demonstration purposes just when a cluster headache happened to appear. His cluster headache went away in seconds.After fine tuning the product, it also works just as well for migraine sufferers.Dear Dr Greger! I absolutely love your daily videos on health topics! Do you know if there are any studies done on the effect of a vegan diet when it comes to endometriosis?I have suffered from this illness for some years now and have read all I could find on the subject. The most effective diet seems to be one that excludes wheat, dairy, soy, animal fat, sugar and alcohol. I therefore thought that a soy-free, wheat-free vegan diet might be the able to help me. However, isn’t it difficult being on a vegan diet without wheat and soy?You wrote ” isn’t it difficult being on a vegan diet without wheat and soy?”The majority of vegans I know avoid soy like the plague. Whether this is warranted or not is not the issue here. What I want to encourage you with is that tons of vegans have a wonderful, rich, satisfying vegan diet and never ingest soy in any shape or form, even in tiny amounts.Anyone can enjoy a wonderful, full, rich vegan diet without wheat/gluten grains. You can buy wheat-free and/or gluten-free products ……..but please don’t ever get the idea soy and wheat are necessities in a healthy and satisfying vegan diet.I don’t intentionally avoid wheat or soy, but I don’t eat them very often. My diet is so varied with regards to grains and legumes that I don’t eat any one with much frequency. So for me to get rid of any particular grain or legume, even wheat or soy, would be quite easy.However I eat a diet based on whole foods and very few processed foods. For someone eating a diet based on processed foods, avoiding wheat or so would probably be more difficult or at least more expensive.Actually I eat chickpeas a lot. It would be hard to get rid of chickpeas :)Hello @tinejensen:disqus, eating a diet without wheat and soy is not hard at all (as others below have already stated). There are TONS of great resources out there (internet and books) that you should explore for recipe ideas. You’ll see how easy it can be to eat a plant-based whole food diet without wheat and soy. There are many ways to eat plant-based, you just need to find the one the method that works for you best. Happy exploring and eating!Hi Tine,Same here. Vegan no wheat or soy. Easy. Also no processed foods.Good luck.THANKS to all of you for your replies regarding wheat and soy – it is good to know that a wheat and soy free vegan diet IS possible!Have any of you (girls ;-) experienced any improvement of endometriosis on this vegan diet? Or has anyone experienced any improvement with regards to monthly periods? (Pain level, duration, flow etc)Yes – avoid processed vegan foods – I looked at the ingredient label today of some vegan sausages and vegan kebab. Totally junk! Could be that a steak with gravy was more healthy…(probably not, but you know what I mean)There are no studies on vegan (or vegetarian) diets and endometriosis risk. However, a few studies come close:Fjerbæk, Agnete, and Ulla B. Knudsen. “Endometriosis, dysmenorrhea and diet—What is the evidence?.” European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 132.2 (2007): 140-147.The articles concerning human consumption found some relation between disease and low intake of vegetable and fruit and high intake of vegetarian polyunsaturated fat, ham, beef and other red meat. Results concerning fish intake were not consistent.Confounding that is this study:Trabert, Britton, et al. “Diet and risk of endometriosis in a population-based case–control study.” British Journal of Nutrition 105.3 (2011): 459.Increased total fat consumption was associated with decreased endometriosis risk … Increased b-carotene consumption and servings/d of fruit were associated with increased risk… We also found a suggestion of decreased endometriosis risk associated with the consumption of dairy products.Ie, several studies have found high plant, low meat, low vegetable oil diets helpful, but this more recent study found high-fat, low-fruit, low dairy diets helpful.There are a couple of anecdotal reports on the internet about vegan diets, and particularly the elimination of dairy, reduced endometriosis symptoms. There’s little risk in trying that experiment oneself.Wow – thanks for the references! I am really impressed ;-)I am very surprised to see that the endo risk was lower with an increased fat intake in that last study. It is well-known that endometriosis is fuelled by oestrogen, and, as oestrogen levels rise on a high-fat diet, that sounds very strange to me…Speaking of my own experience, my pains definitely increase if I eat wheat, dairy and too much animal fat or sugar. If I eat too much omega 3, my periods get even heavier (and they are already extremely heavy) so the only way of keeping a healty omega 3/6 ratio for me would be to decrease omega 6 consumption.After having seen Food Matters and other videos about a vegan diet, I guess I am hoping that a vegan diet might be the actual cure ;-) It seems that a vegan diet should improve one’s immune system, and this might be the key to healing my body.I would really appreciate it if some of you could list an example of a daily menu for a vegan? What do you eat over the course of a day?First of all – wellcome to the party! Second living vegan (or near-vegan) is not difficult, just remember B12. A daily menu could be: Breakfast: Oatmeal cooked with applejuice, water and a little cinnamon. Lunch: Ryebread with tomatoes, cucumber, onion, avocado and salt & peber. Dinner: Vegetable wok (or tagine), with garlic, chilli and ginger – and you can add some beans – with rice. Bon appetit…Thanks for the menu, Plantstrongdoc! I already eat oatmeal (though usually not cooked) with nuts and rice milk almost every morning. Lunch is usually rye bread with e.g. chicken and veggies. Dinner always includes either rice or tubers and plenty of veggies and some kind of lean meat.Maybe I could just leave out the meat stuff and see how it goes…!Well you are pretty close! Just rember that there are no such thing as lean meat – all meat contains saturated fats and cholesterol (and too much protein, antibiotics, growthhormone and so on). Use beans and lentils instead of meat. Consider to buy one of dr. Gregers DVD`s – they contain a short list of optimum nutrition recommendations regarding B12, Omega 3 (vegan), Vitamin D, Calcium, Iodine, Iron and Selenium.Hey there! Yesterday I had ghallaba (a Lebanese vegetable stew) over a bed of rice and hummus for lunch, and for dinner had Dreena Burton’s “no-fu” lentil loaf with roasted rosemary garlic potato wedges (coated with chickpea flour) and steamed broccoli with lemon juice and pepper. Today I’m having hummus, rice, and ghallaba for lunch again, and for dinner will be having a Tadzhikistani Chickpea, Onion, & Tomato Stew made with cumin, coriander, saffron, and cinnamon over rice. (Thanks Thea!) :)Usually in the winter I have my quintuple berry oatmeal with flax for breakfast, but lately I’ve been having straight up pressure-cooked kale with balsamic vinegar and some fruit. I rinse the fruit, chop, then toss with a Tbsp of flaxseed and a pinch of amla powder. It’s the easiest way I can think of to get flax without eating oatmeal or smoothies.So there’s a couple days of vegan meals with no oil, wheat, or soy, without even trying! Hope it gives you some ideas. The sky’s the limit with grains and legumes in a vegan diet! Cheers!Wow – I must say that this menu sounds really delicious!Maybe my worst problem is that I’m not so good at cooking and also find it difficult to find the energy for cooking lunch as well as dinner every evening ;-) Maybe I should just try to find a few recipes and cook them over and over until I get used to them.Thanks!Unlike you, I love to cook. Vegan cooking is not that tough, although during the transition there might be a bit of a learning curve. Overall, though, as with all cooking it can as simple or as difficult as you want to make it.I try to do the bulk of my cooking every other day so that I have leftovers that we can eat for lunch or dinners. Cooking extra and freezing for later use is a great time saver as well!Hi Tine, my lunches are always leftovers from previous dinners. There’s no way I could cook both either! And yep, you just gotta find recipes you like one recipe at a time. The ones I mentioned are ones that I make over and over. Also it’s pretty easy to “assemble” vegan meals where you don’t even need a recipe: black beans, salsa, and avocado over a baked potato, a simple rice bowl with stir fried veggies, or rice and steamed broccoli over hummus.And fwiw I find vegan cooking a lot easier. You just have to make your peace with chopping lots of veggies. But other than that, I think grains and beans are a lot easier than cooking meat.Tonight we’re going to make Mexican Lasagna from the fatfreevegan blog, also wheat and soy free :)Hi b00mer: I checked out the blog, and there are certainly some interesting recipes. I would also like to thank you for your suggestions regarding easy vegan meals – I think I will try them out (especially the baked potato solution ;-) Yesterday I made a Chinese dish with some stir-fry vegetables and rice – it tasted fine although I didn’t feel very full. Actually I have just eaten left-overs and already feel hungry again! Maybe I should have added some beans instead of just sprouts and green beans. I already love chopping veggies so that’s not my problem – just making the dishes taste better and finding the energy for making them…!re: “…it tasted fine although I didn’t feel very full”Tine, another thought for you: I had a co-worker who overnight switched to a whole plant food based diet. She was doing really well and really liked it, but she started to feel shaky. We discussed various possibilities, but she was convinced that the problem was that she was eating so many fruits and veggies, but not enough calories. So, I did some research and suggested that she make a special effort to be sure to eat nuts, seeds and avocados each day. And also, while the fruits and veggies are great, to not skip out on the *whole* grains and legumes. (White rice might not work so well since it would almost devoid of fiber.) These changes worked perfectly for my co-worker. She no longer gets shaky and she says that the meals fill her up so that she isn’t hungry all the time.I don’t know if this would work for you or not, but I thought the info might be helpful.Also, you may need to simply start eating more volume-wise. Whole plant foods are naturally lower in calories than animal and junk foods. While this is a plus for someone who is trying to loose weight, it can lead to being hungry if you aren’t eating enough. You should not be hungry on your diet and it is important to make sure you get enough calories. So, you might think both about volume and types of food you eat to make sure you are getting the nutrition that you need to get.I’m not a doctor or an expert at anything. So, take it all with a grain of salt. But I hope this has been helpful. Good luck!Hi Thea! Thanks for your input! For many years, I have eaten a lot of vegetables and whole grains so I’m used to eating larger volumes of food in one sitting ;-) The other day, I used brown rice, and my belly was completely full to the point of bursting ;-)However, I do think you might have a point about the caloric density of my meals – maybe I should make sure to add more fat to my diet in the form of avocado, nuts and seeds.It is very uncomfortable to go hungry so I would really like to find a solution to this problem.Tine, it sounds like you are off to a great start!Thanks WholeFoodChomper!Fantastic recommendations and advice, Thea!Hi Tine, another suggestion re: not feeling full on the stir fry. Stir fry is one meal where I definitely eat soy; I absolutely adore tofu stir fry :) BUT! I haven’t tried it yet but have seen recipes for “Burmese tofu” which is made out of chickpea flour and water. It looks pretty easy, just mix together on the stove, pour into a pan and let set. That might be a good alternative. Also maybe stir fry recipes that use peanut butter in the sauce might work well for you? Don’t know if you can eat buckwheat, but if you can find 100% buckwheat soba noodles, those are definitely filling!Have fun with the Kickstart. I’ve never tried it myself, but the recipes look pretty good. Also if you happen to like Indian food, I noticed that there’s a parallel “21-day Kickstart India” site which is all Indian food.OMG! I am so excited to try Burmese tofu! I have never heard of it before this post. I love to try new culinary treats, especially if they are plant-based. Thank you, b00mer, so much for sharing this suggestion.P.S. There are some really yummy recipes on “21-day Kickstart India” ;-)Hi b00mer The Burmese tofu sounds very interesting – I will try to find some chickpea flour when I get the time ;-)Me too! I think now that Burma is experiencing some new found and well-deserved freedom and opening up, that we as a global society will be introduced and exposed to many more delicious foods that Burmese cuisine has to offer, especially once more travelers and tourists begin to visit Burma.BTW- I have read that chickpea flour (aka, garbanzo, gram, and besan flour) can be made from either raw chickpeas or roasted chickpeas, and that the roasted variety is more flavorful, while the raw variety has a slightly bitter taste. So, hopefully I can find some roasted chickpea flour at my market.Good luck with your culinary experimenting!WholeFoodChomper: That’s very interesting concerning the garbo flour being roasted or raw. To my thinking, there may be times when I want as neutral/mild a flavor as possible (for example, if I’m making brownies with some garbo flour in it) and other times when a stronger bean taste would be more helpful. But I never want a bitter taste. So, if the raw stuff is bitter, then I agree that I would want the roasted variety. I’m pretty sure that it doesn’t say either way on the bulk bin where I get my garbo flour. But now that you have me curious, I may ask the grocer to find out. And if it’s not the roasted version, maybe I could look around. Thanks.b00mer: I wanted to give you some feedback and thank you for sharing about the Burmese/chickpea tofu. I found a very easy version of the dish on “girl cooks world”. I gave it a try and it came out deeeelicious. Thank you so much for turning me on to this!!Like you, I am happy to eat tofu when I can. But I love having variety. And here’s something interesting: While I will eat tofu in dishes, I do not like to eat it plain. And I’m not usually fond of the texture until it is further cooked or disguised in some way. But Ioved the taste and texture of the chickpea tofu that I made. I was nibbling plain cubes of the stuff just because I liked it – before I made the veganized version of the Burmese Tofu Salas With Sesame and Cilantro that I was aiming for as the final product.I had never heard of this before and appreciate you sharing. Thanks!b00mer: I know where you got that “no-fu” recipe. I haven’t made that one yet, but I’ve recently been cooking my way through the Let Them Eat Vegan book and happily found several winners.So glad you are still enjoying that stew.I really recommend the no-fu loaf. It’s my favorite loaf that I’ve tried so far. It’s a long ingredients list, but it’s all a one-pot process and pretty quick. Though I do make some mods to cut back on the salt.That stew is amazing, though it is actually hindering me from progressing through the rest of that cookbook because I keep making it :)Plant-based meals we usually enjoy:Breakfasts:Usually oatmeal with fruit and spices or fruit smoothies. (On the occasional Sunday, we’ll eat a tofu scramble with sauteed potatoes.)Lunches:Usually, leftovers from dinner from the night before. Or a yummy simple veggie sandwich w/ or w/o a salad.Dinners we enjoyed this week:Lazy Pierogi (Super fast and easy to make) Portabello “Steak” Sandwiches w/ roasted sweet potatoes Vegan refried bean tacosI made enough of those 3 dishes to last us most of the week (there are just two of us).Other dishes we have eaten recently, that I prepared at home:Moroccan Chickpea Tangine Vegan Chili Panzanella Salad (Very minimal cooking, but can be done w/o cooking) Ginger Asian Noodles (No cooking involved) 3 bean salad (No cooking involved)I would recommend signing up to get weekly recipe suggestions emailed to you from:The Humane Society<a href=" http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/kickstart/kickstart-programs”>A great way to start would also be with NutritionMDs 21 Day Vegan Kick Start ProgramAnd, you can also find great simple recipes here.Tine: I know that someone else already gave you a link to the 21 Kickstart Program. I thought I would give it a second shout-out because that program directly answers your question in such a good way: it is 21 days of full-day meal plans. They hold your hand thru the whole process, from grocery lists to meals plans to recipes to inspirational messages, etc. They do a new 21 day program starting at the beginning of each month. It may be just what you are looking for.On the other hand, I saw in another post from you that you don’t like to cook. Neither do I!!! I do, however like to eat really yummy food and also be healthy. So, in the last three years or so, I have resigned myself to cooking. My approach is to cook 1 or 2 big dishes on the weekend and just eat it over the week. This works well for me and minimizes time in the kitchen.Finally, if you get 1 or 2 good cookbooks, you are likely to find a set of recipes that you really like and that are easy to make. Some suggestions for places to start: > Let Them Eat Vegan > Vegan On The Cheap > Everyday Happy Herbivore.Good luck!Great plug and recommendations, Thea! A couple of easy vegan books I like are: _Vegan Unplugged: A Pantry Cuisine Cookbook and Survival Guide_ and _The Accidental Vegan_. I think both offer a variety of yummy and low-to-no hassle recipes.Thea and WholeFoodChomper: Thanks for your suggestions – I will certainly look into this!Regarding the 21 Day Vegan Kick Start Program, I am wondering if it is free? I can’t tell from their website… As I am from Denmark, we use different measurements (kgs instead of lbs, celcius instead of fahrenheit etc) so it would probably be a bit tricky to follow an American recipe, but I think I could make it work ;-)Yes, it is free. I did it last summer. Really a great tool. Also, you can convert measurements on Google. Not that tricky. I’ve had to do that a lot when using one of my Polish cookbooks. ;-) Wishing you much yummy luck!Great – I have now joined the Kick Start Program starting next month amd am really looking forward to it! Thanks again for your help ;-)Super! Good luck and have fun with it. Do let us know how it goes.I don’t have the source but I have read long ago that the “spicy hot” taste felt in the mouth when we eat spicy food is in actuality pain.A couple of weeks ago (at night of course…) I suffered an intense tooth pain that rapidly evolved into a trigeminal neuralgia ( later I learned it was all due to a molar root infection an since then I antibiotic and a root canal had to be performed); I tried it all…the ONLY thing that gave me relief from pain (although for only 30-45 minutes at a time) was doing a mouth rinse with a pinch of cayenne paper hoping that the “spicy” would block the pain. It really made the pain go away! and it didn’t hurt at all it just felt really spicy…Freakin’ awesome! Sounds rather painful tho….hahaha thanks loved it!What about burning mouth syndrome? Suffering from it after a awful treatment done by a periodontist. Eight years and counting. No relief.WEAK ASFNice post, I bookmark your blog because I found very good information on your blog, Thanks for sharing more informatiomhttp://goo.gl/tGqfRsWhere and how do I get and try what I need? Dosage or instructions. PLEASEMitchell: You might try looking up the product “Sinus Buster”. I believe that there are other similar products on the market too. I can’t testify that they will work, but the active ingredient is (I think) in line with this video. Follow the instructions on the bottle.Hope that helps.thanks for sharing….I am suffering from cluster headache from 3 days, will capsaicin permanently cure me….I am a long time episodic sufferer as well and for the past 3 days, I use simple Ground Red Cayanne Pepper found at any grocerystores seasoning section. Its ground/fine.1. I pour about 1/2 of a dime worth onto the counter 2. Wet my finger and coat with the pepper 3. On the affected side, I use finger and rub inside the nostril 360 degrees 4. Once the burning starts (worse 1st time), I sniff. Note this will allow some to drain in the throat so have water handy and be prepared to cough/spit it out. http://www.covetfashioncheat.com/madden mobile cheats: http://www.maddennflmobilecheats.com/wwe immortals hack: http://www.wweimmortalshackonline.com/covet fashion: It sounds like you are serious about giving his a try. Is it too soon to report on whether or not this has worked for you? Just curious. Thanks.	alternative medicine,chili peppers,cluster headaches,complementary medicine,headaches,pain,peppers,suicide,surgery	Daily application of capsaicin, the burning component of hot peppers, into the nostril on the affected side of the head of cluster headache sufferers results in an 80% therapeutic response rate.	This extraordinary finding reminds me of the findings in Lavender for Migraine Headaches.Headache sufferers may also want to experiment with avoiding potential triggers such as aspartame (see my video Diet Soda and Preterm Birth). Saffron may also help with headaches (Saffron for the Treatment of PMS) as well as avoiding certain parasites (Pork Tapeworms on the Brain and Avoiding Epilepsy Through Diet). A note of caution, though: Pregnant migraine sufferers seeking natural remedies should be wary of advice they may get (Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees).Those eating healthy diets are less likely to be on pain medications in general (Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants). See, for example:Might the consumption of hot peppers also successfully desensitize the gut? Find out in my next video, Cayenne Pepper for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Chronic Indigestion.For more context, check out my associated blog: Natural Treatment for Cluster Headaches and Cayenne for Irritable Bowel.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/10/natural-treatment-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/15/cayenne-for-irritable-bowel/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chili-peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/suicide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19272284,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3370386,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7708405,
PLAIN-2727	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/	Tart Cherries for Insomnia	We know that not sleeping enough is associated with changes in diet—people tend to eat worse, but what about the opposite question-- can food affect sleep? We saw from the kiwifruit study that this seemed possible, but the mechanism they suggested for the effect—the serotonin levels in kiwifruit, doesn't make any sense, since serotonin can't cross the blood-brain barrier. So you can eat all the serotonin you want and it shouldn't affect your brain chemistry. A different brain chemical, though, melatonin, can get from our gut to our brain.Melatonin is a hormone secreted at night to help regulate our circadian rhythms by the pineal gland in the center of our brain. Supplements of the stuff are used to prevent and reduce jet lag, and about 20 years ago MIT got the patent to use melatonin to help people sleep. Melatonin is not only produced in the pineal gland, though, but is also naturally present in edible plants.That might explain the results of this study, the Effects of a Tart Cherry Juice Beverage on the Sleep of Older Adults with Insomnia. This research group had been doing an earlier study on tart cherry juice as a sports recovery drink. See, there's a phytonutrient in cherries with anti-inflammatory effects on par with drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen, so they were trying to see they could help reduce muscle soreness after exercise and some of the participants in the study just anecdotally said they were sleeping better on the cherries. That was unexpected, but the researchers realized that cherries are a plant food source of melatonin, so they put them to the test.The reason they chose older subjects is that melatonin production tends to drop as we age, which may be one reason why there’s a higher insomnia rate in the elderly. So, they took a group of older men and women suffering from chronic insomnia and put half on cherries and half on placebo. Now they couldn't use whole cherries for the study, because how could you fool people with a placebo cherry? So they used cherry juice versus "cherry Koolaid," and found significant but modest improvements in sleep. Some, for example, fell to sleep a few minutes faster and had 17 fewer minutes of waking after sleep onset, meaning waking up in the middle of the night. So it was no insomnia cure, but it helped without side effects.How do we know it was the melatonin, though? They repeated the study, this time measuring the melatonin levels and indeed saw a boost in circulating melatonin levels after the cherry juice, but not after the koolaid. Similar results were found in people eating the actual cherries—7 different varieties, boosting melatonin levels and actual sleep times. The effects of all the other phytonutrients in cherries can't be precluded, maybe they helped too, but if it is the melatonin, there are more potent sources than cherries.Orange bell peppers, an ounce of walnuts. A tablespoon of flaxseeds has about as much as a tomato, all less than the tart cherries, but people may eat a lot more tomatoes than cherries, especially tart cherries. Sweet cherries have 50 times less melatonin than tart. Dried cherries appear to have none.In fact the melatonin content of tomatoes was suggested as one of the reasons traditional Mediterranean diets were so healthy.A few spices are pretty potent, just a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds, or mustard seeds has as much as a few tomatoes, but the bronze, silver, and gold go to almonds, raspberries, and goji berries off the chart.Now even gojis just have 15 micrograms an ounce, but melatonin is potent stuff. You inject 10 into people you can boost their blood levels 50 fold in 5 minutes.	Shouldn’t the title be Gogi Berries & Raspberries for Insomnia? Was your point that these 2 should have even a bigger impact on sleep than tart cherries but tart cherries had the research?Great question! If the reason tart cherries work is the melatonin content (as the researchers speculate) then indeed one would assume gojis and raspberries would work even better. But that’s a big if. We’re not sure why the tart cherries work. But fingers crossed Big Berry will fund some research and we’ll have your answer! :)Thanks.Dr G, The question about whether goji berries need to be fresh or will dried gojis work is valid. Any research on this?Great stuff! Thank you. If gojis have 15 melatonin micrograms an ounce, how many dried goji berries should one consume — pre-bedtime — to adequately boost brain melatonin levels? Thanks, again.But do dried goji have the high melatonin or only fresh? There was apparently none in dried cherries.Goji berry juice is brilliant, I have been drinking it for 7 years, the dried berries don’t have the active polysaccharides in them.Thanks for another great video! I’m curious as to the serving size of the “gold, silver, and bronze” of melatonin foods mentioned. Also, do you know if the sweet cherries tested were fresh whole cherries, or was it a sweet juice? Surprising they had “50 times less” melatonin than tart cherries. Sweet whole bing cherries a have worked wonders for me in the past! :)“Now they couldn’t use whole cherries for the study, because how could you fool people with a placebo cherry? “…simple: order chinese cherries lolWhat about calamine tea? It makes me tired. It also relaxes me too.To do a placebo you could make two smoothies. One with cherries and one with something else, and then they might not be sure if it had cherries in. They then would not know if it would work or not. As long as both where a similar colour and a food was used to masks the taste of cherries. They would never be sure it had cherries in.A lot of people have smoothies for breakfast. Perhaps those with insomnia problems should try having their berry smoothies for dinner instead. Would be interesting to see what happens.Or maybe it doesn’t matter. I didn’t catch how long the extra melatonin stays in the body. So, maybe having it for breakfast is just fine.You are better off getting your melatonin shortly before you plan on going to sleep.Thanks for the clarification! I’ll pass that on to a family member who has sleep issues.OK if that works for people great. I do wish to sound a warning because I suffer horribly with long stretches of wakefulness on alternate nights. I read about the decline in melatonin as folks enter geezerdom so I started taking 3 mg tabs. I immediately got soooo depressed I just knew it was the pill. I am normally quite giddy. In desperation I tried it again some weeks later and sure enough, the world turned grey and I had to stop even though I was sleeping soundly.FWIW, recently my sainted spousal unit forced me to do a 10 min workout she got off Dr Oz (whom I’ve seen but don’t trust). Anyway we are a week into it and I seem to be sleeping much better. I hate exercise but really this is quite painless and she always makes me laugh with the rabbit thing…you have to see it to understand but I still don’t. The back pain is better too. hmmmm.heres the link if you want to try it: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/tony-hortons-10-minute-workoutPlease diregard the second (bottom) url…I don’t know where that came from? looks phishy to me.Hey Coacervate,I’m sorry to hear about your experience. I take melatonin pills from time to time and have never experienced any mood changes or negative effects. I also read, “Melatonin: Nature’s Sleeping Pill” by Ray Sahelian (http://www.amazon.com/Melatonin-Natures-Sleeping-Ray-Sahelian/dp/0895297752), and I found it an honest portrayal of this hormone pill: he listed both bad and good experiences, but they were overwhelmingly good. Some people close to me also use it from time to time and it works very well for them.However, I’m glad you found a different remedy regardless.Dr. Greger, What if you added a section to NF with recommended meal plans and recipes, which could be linked to specific videos and blog entries. I am sure many of your followers would be interested in hearing how you put all this great science into practice. This could be a section of your website that you update regularly with new discoveries (e.g. eating cherries at the end of the day for better sleep).Berry Berry Good Karma Bowl– ½ cup regular rolled oats – 1 cup water – ½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/ – ⅛ tsp each, ground cloves, ground ginger, nutmeg – 1/3 cup raspberries – 1/3 cup blackberries – 1/3 cup organic* blueberries – 24 almonds – 2 tbsp flaxseed meal^Bring water to a boil and cook oats with spices and fruit (only if using frozen fruit). Lower heat and simmer oats to desired consistency. Add remaining ingredients to a bowl and top with cooked oats. Stir and top with a sprinkling of uncooked oats and dash cinnamon.*Conventional blueberries were found to have the residues of 52 different pesticides so choose organic. http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=ST^ Seeds need to be ground for proper digestion. A coffee or seed grinder works well or you can buy ground flaxseed meal.~Complements of lovestobeveganSleep doctors recommend melatonin some 2-3 hours before bedtime (in pill form). How long before bed should the raspberries / goji berries be consumed for effectiveness?Thanks for the video! I’m going to try Goji, I’m willing to try anything for my insomnia by now. But do you think dried Goji will do the trick? and how much of it? Thanks!If those foods can really rise your melatonin levels why do they not make you feel tired when they are eaten at daytime?Don’t know about the rest of the folks in this country but here in Californee ai ay no one ever hears of sour cherry unless it’s in a roll of life savers. I have lived for a while in Hungary where they have very real, killer 5 story sour cherry trees – mej (spelled there: megy), sour cherries they’re really a TINY bit sour or just taste ever so slightly different then regular cherries or cheresnee (spelled there: csereszni) like we have here. Now that’s the real Mc Coy, the genuine article, everyone talks about sour cherry but I can never find them! Where on earth besides Central Europe of course can a poor soul get fresh sour cherries here??? They’re to die for, I love ‘em!!Dr. Greger, I missed this video when you first posted it, so I don’t know if/when you will see this response. I am very interested in melatonin, though. I have a 4 year old grandson with autism. It usually takes him several hours for him to finally fall asleep each night and he often wakes up afterwards. Naturally, this just exacerbates his autistic symptoms and he is so tired when he gets up in the morning and off to school — it is heartbreaking to see how he has to struggle so each day (not to mention the wear and tear on his parents). He has been on a casein and gluten-free diet for a couple of years now. He eats pretty healthfully, at least compared to his peers, but introducing new food to him can be more than a little challenging. Recently, my daughter began giving him a melatonin supplement. It has worked like magic. He takes his bath, they read him a couple of stories and he happily goes to sleep, sleeps through the night, wakes up happy and refreshed in the morning. This is a life-changing event for all of them. Are there side effects to a melatonin supplement that we should be concerned about? I would be interested in your thoughts about this or resources you might point us to. I am so afraid that this is too good to be true. Thank you so much for all you do.Does almond milk have the same effect (melatonin) as whole almonds?Really cool, I have heard of using melatonin to help fall asleep but never heard of berries helping. I also like to use a guided relaxation or sleep meditation if I’m having a hard time falling asleep for a nap or at night.These doses seem awfully low. We in our cab driver house use melatonin spray which has 1.5 mg /spray. This helps onset of sleep and avoids the hangover effect of tablets. With the spray you can release a smaller shot if you like a half shot. But we are talking about 500-1000X difference. Amazing the difference.I don’t see that Dr. Greger ever answered the question about whether or not dried goji berries also contain melatonin and, if so, how much in comparison to fresh. Was the study in the video done on dried or fresh? I have never even seen fresh goji berries so I’m wondering… thank you!Hi Helyn, The very last of the video talks about how much they do have! I have never had them fresh and I assume Dr. Greger means dried gogi berries. Hope that helps!JosephSublingual melatonin works great for me, as well as tart cherry pills swallowed. Those are my two favorites when I need help and they make me feel really good while falling asleep too.Wild raspberries are about to get ripe here in the South. SO much better than fruit factory berries and easier to pick than black berries. Go BERRIES!I’ve heard that melatonin can prevent cancer too. Are there any clinical studies that confirm this?	aging,almonds,aspirin,bell peppers,berries,cherries,dried fruit,elderly,exercise,fenugreek,flax seeds,fruit,fruit juice,goji berries,hormones,Ibuprofen,inflammation,insomnia,juice,kiwi fruit,medications,Mediterranean diet,melatonin,muscle health,mustard seeds,nuts,phytonutrients,pineal gland,raspberries,seeds,serotonin,side effects,sleep,spices,sports drinks,tart cherries,tomatoes,walnuts	The melatonin content in certain plant foods such as almonds, raspberries and goji berries may explain the improvement in sleep quality associated with tart cherry consumption.	The mention of kiwifruit is in reference to Friday's video of the day Kiwifruit for Insomnia.I've previously explored Human Neurotransmitters in Plants in the context of boosting serotonin levels in the brain to improve mood. See:Melatonin may also play a role in cancer prevention. See Melatonin & Breast Cancer.Aren't goji berries really expensive, though? Not if you buy them as lycium berries. Check out my video Are Goji Berries Good for You?For some context, please also check out my associated blog post:  Raspberries Reverse Precancerous Lesions and Two Kiwifruit an Hour Before Bedtime and Foods with Natural Melatonin.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tart-cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fenugreek/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bell-peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raspberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ibuprofen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sports-drinks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pineal-gland/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20536683,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22038497,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14671201,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16366675,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12662344,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18205730,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22652369,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16584848,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20547498,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12076414,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11600041,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20089002,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21669584,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21570690,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10075763,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21432696,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20438325,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16790484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21229414,
PLAIN-2728	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-insomnia/	Kiwifruit for Insomnia	The number one question in sleep research is why do we sleep, followed by the question “How much sleep do we need?” After literally hundreds of studies we still don't know the best answer to either question. A few years ago I featured a large hundred thousand-person study suggesting that "Both short and long sleep duration were associated with increased mortality, with people getting around 7 hours of sleep living longest. Since then a meta-analysis of all such studies including more than a million people was published, and they found the same thing. We still don't know, though, if sleep duration is a cause, or simply a marker of, ill health. Maybe sleeping too little or too long does make you unhealthy, or maybe we see the associated shortened lifespan because being unhealthy causes you to sleep shorter or longer.Similar work has now been published on cognitive function. After controlling for long list of factors, men and women in their 50s and 60s getting 7 or 8 hours appeared to have the best short-term memory, compared to those that got much more or much less. Same thing was just demonstrated with immune function: "both reduced and prolonged habitual sleep durations were associated with an increased risk of pneumonia.”It's easy to not get too much sleep, set an alarm. But what if you're having problems getting enough? What if you're the 1 in 3 adults that suffers symptoms of insomnia? Sure there are drugs like valium you can take for insomnia in the short term, but they have a number of adverse side effects. Non-pharmacological approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy are often difficult, time-consuming, and don't always work. Wouldn't it be great to have "natural treatments that can improve both sleep onset and help patients improve the quality of sleep while improving next-day symptoms over the long term?The "Effect of kiwifruit consumption on sleep quality in adults with sleep problems." Two kiwi fruit an hour before bed every night for four weeks. Why study kiwifruits? Well, people with sleep disorders tend to have high levels of oxidative stress so maybe antioxidant rich foods may help, but all fruits and vegetables have antioxidants. Well kiwifruits contain twice the serotonin of tomatoes, but it shouldn't cross the blood/brain barrier. Kiwifruit has folate, and a deficiency might cause insomnia, but there's a lot more folate in some other plant foods. The reason they studied kiwifruits is because they got grant money from a kiwifruit company, and I'm glad they did because they found some really remarkable results: Significantly improved sleep onset, duration, and efficiency using both subjective and objective measurements. Went from sleeping 6 hours a night to 7, just eating a few kiwifruit.	http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/07/17/one-second-from-everyday-of-this-babys-first-year-of-life-compiled-into-adorable-time-lapse-video/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=Share+ButtonsYou have to put a excessive cuteness *warning* on that link! :)If they received “grant money from a kiwifruit company”, then why is their study any less biased than those studies you previously referred to that were funded by the salt or dairy or meat companies. Isn’t the whole purpose of science to reach objective explanations by eliminating biases? If so, shouldn’t we disregard all studies that are funded by corporations?All studies are funded by someone.True, but some people are bad.Just like we should take studies funded by the Salt Institute with a grain of salt, we should take these findings with a grain of kiwi :)The difference between this and the other examples you cite is what’s the worst that can happen? Even if this data was totally fraudulent, the worst case scenario if someone follows this advice is that they eat a really healthy fruit and only get all its other benefits (even if it doesn’t actually help with sleep). That’s the wonderful thing about plant-based research!And industry influence is rarely about outright fraud but about study design. One just has to be mindful about study sponsors to make sure the study wasn’t constructed in a way to bias the results.re: “One just has to be mindful about study sponsors to make sure the study wasn’t constructed in a way to bias the results. That is something for which I am indeed constantly on the lookout.”That’s what the average lay person (and according to Dr. Campbell, even the average scientist and medical professional) can’t do for themselves / must rely on a responsible expert for. That you care about this aspect of studies is one of the reasons I love your work.Thanks for taking the time to answer BPCveg’s question as I think it was a good one. And you had a good answer too.Well put Dr. Greger!In reference to “industry influence is rarely about outright fraud. . .” I don’t know if you (or anyone reading this) has ever seen this documentary on the business of cancer but it will open anyone’s eyes to the corruption of the FDA, NCI (National Cancer Institute), ACS (American Cancer Society) and AMA (American Medical Association) and expose the outright fraud involved in Cancer treatment and the bias to ensure expensive, pharmaceutically based therapy and procedures. Backed up from numerous hard statistics, peer reviewed articles, research and verifiable references.Warning not a feel-good movie and will utterly disappoint one about the absolute corruption involved in the treatment (or lack thereof) of cancer.Titled, “Healing Cancer from the Inside Out.” A link for Amazon is below if you are further interested. http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=healing+cancer+inside+out&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4379198355&hvpos=1s2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1260389170734642939&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_40drrvwgi9_bThanks for your reply, though I have to disagree with you. You yourself have provided evidence that certain plant products (e.g. coconuts and avocados) are of dubious health value – but you had to cut through a lot of conflicting studies to reach those conclusions. So how come you are so accepting of corporate sponsored kiwi research? Is it any more obvious that a kiwi is beneficial than a coconut? Same question applies for any animal product!I hope you were joking when you said that “industry influence is rarely about outright fraud but about nuanced study design”. Else it may be time to re-read ‘How to Lie with Statistics’ by Darrel Huff.Corporations have no other interest than profit. They will bend-over-backward to skew research in their own favour.I second the motion made by SFV below, which suggests that some kind of validity rating be provided to give your audience a sense of the credibility of any study that you report.Great points Dr. Greger.Interesting, but I’m wondering if it’s just the combination of sugar and fiber in the kiwifruit that are doing the trick. Low blood sugar levels can raise your cortisol levels and keep you up at night, one of the reasons a little milk before bed has been recommended for years. Would a glass of soymilk do the same thing? Maybe the Silk people should fund a study.What about eating Kiwi fruit for diabetics?!Interesting for myself. But my mother 70 years old is suffering from insomnia. Unfortunately she has some kiwifruit allergy. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.Let me sleep on that! ;-0 zzzzzzDid that study have a control group or a placebo group? I can’t tell from the abstract, but it looked like it didn’t. Did the subjects know they were in a study designed to see if sleep could be improved eating kiwi?I’d like to see the results of a study which subjects think is looking at whether kiwi impairs sleep. Probably they’d be up all night.Did anyone else look at that time-lapse video of the baby and notice how underweight, colicky and covered with eczema he was for the first few months? I wonder if he had an undiagnosed dairy allergy. Poor thing. He did not look like a happy baby for quite a long time.Hi Dr. Greger. I think it would be a big improvement if the videos could briefly indicate the limitations of the studies that are mentioned. There is basically no meaningful conclusion from a study with 24 subjects and no control group. Few people, if any, will be able to act on every study that you mention, so distinguishing well-designed studies and highly substantiated results and recommendations from methodologically weak studies and tentative conclusions would help viewers to focus on the most critical actions they can take to enhance their health. I know that’s what you are aiming for in your longer video summaries. I also understand that time is very limited on the daily video clips. Maybe you could have a 1-to-5 type validity rating for the studies that you cite. Viewers without a research background or a strong grounding in nutrition issues might come away thinking the the China Study and the kiwi study are equally valid. That would be a shame. I don’t want to end this comment without expressing my daily gratitude for the work that you are doing for the benefit of us all.I strongly support this suggestion.Can simply try 2 kiwis an hour before bedtime and see if it works for you! Like with anything else, one’s man food is another man’s bad meal.Guess he does not ask for himself but “for the greater good”.Just remember, if you ate some watermelon earlier with your dinner (for your erectile dysfuntion), not to have kiwifruit for a bedtime snack—cross-purposes.I’m the worst sleeper I know ever since childhood. Thanks very much for the research.Too bad the starting image is of a baby sleeping on its stomach. This is not the recommended position nowadays — to avoid infant sudden death syndrome.yes–face up to wake up! I’ve got three videos on SIDS.Would you please look into and report on perilla seeds? It seems they are now being hailed as the next big “superfood” with the “selling factor” being their Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio (allegedly 6:1). Is there any truth to the claims or is this more hype?Love the subtitles, but could they have a background so they’re easier to read? Not that I actually READ them… but I’m thinking of others…Thanks! Will try this instead of my regular 2 shots of Jack Daniels.	aging,alternative medicine,antioxidants,cognition,complementary medicine,folate,fruit,immune function,industry influence,insomnia,kiwi fruit,lifespan,longevity,medications,memory,mortality,oxidative stress,pneumonia,serotonin,sleep,sleeping pills,tomatoes,Valium,vegetables	Two kiwi fruit an hour before bedtime may improve sleep quality and duration without the side effects associated with sleeping pills.	More on the power of kiwis in my videos Kiwifruit and DNA Repair and Kiwifruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and more on sleep in Sleep & Immunity and Optimal Sleep Duration.Videos on other natural remedies for various conditions include:Stay tuned for Monday's video of the day Tart Cherries for Insomnia.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Two Kiwifruit an Hour Before Bedtime and Foods with Natural Melatonin.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/01/two-kiwi-fruits-an-hour-before-bedtime/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pneumonia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleeping-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/valium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tart-cherries-for-insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-sleep-duration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12531146,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21532950,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12683469,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21354261,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21669584,
PLAIN-2729	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/	Fighting the Blues With Greens?	Why does frequent consumption vegetables appear to cut ones odds of depression by more than half? And by more frequent they mean eating vegetables not 3 or more times a day, but just 3 or more times a week. But even that seemed to cut the odds of developing depression by 60% after controlling for a long list of variables.In the 2012 study that found that eliminating animal products improved mood within 2 weeks. The researchers blamed arachidonic acid, primarily in chicken and eggs, which may adversely impact mental health via a cascade of brain inflammation, but better moods on plant-based diets could also be from the good stuff in plants,a class of phytonutrients that cross the blood brain barrier into our heads. This recent review in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience suggests that eating lots of fruits and vegetables "may present a noninvasive natural and inexpensive therapeutic means to support a healthy brain. Yeah, but how?Well to understand the latest, we need to understand the underlying biology, the so-called monoamine theory of depression, the thought that depression may arise out of a chemical imbalance in the brain. Here's the oversimplified version: One of the ways the billions of nerves in our brain communicate with one another is through chemical signals called neurotransmitters. Here's the end of one nerve and the beginning of another.This is what it actually looks like under amicroscope. Note the two nerve cells don't actually touch—there's a physical gap between them. To bridge that gap, when one nerve wants to tap the other on the shoulder it releases chemicals into that gap, including three monoamines, serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. These neurotransmitters then  float over to the other nerve to get its attention. The first nerve then sucks them back in to be reused the next time it wants to talk, but it's also constantly manufacturing more and an enzyme, monoamine oxidase, is constantly chewing them up to maintain just the right amount.The way cocaine works is by acting as a monoamine reuptake inhibitor. It blocks the first nerve from sucking back up these three chemicals and so there's this constant tapping on the shoulder this constant signaling to the next cell. Amphetamines work in the same way but also increase their release. Ecstacy works like speed but just causes comparatively more serotonin release.After awhile, the next nerve may be like enough already and down-regulate its receptors to turn down the volume. It puts in earplugs. So you need more and more of the drug to get the same effect, and then when you're not on the drug you may feel crappy because normal volume transmission just isn't getting through.Antidepressants are thought to work along similar mechanisms. People who are depressed appear to have elevated levels of monoamine oxidase in their brain. That's the enzyme that breaks down those neurotransmitters, and so if you have too much of that enzyme in critical parts of your brain, as the study show—the black circles are the levels in the brains of depressed individuals, and white circles that of the healthy individuals, if your levels of your neurotransmitter-eating enzyme is elevated, then your levels of neurotransmitters drops, and you become depressed, or so the theory goes.So a number of different classes of drugs have been developed. The tricyclic antidepressants, named because they have three rings like a tricycle, appear to block norepinephrine and dopamine re-uptake, and so even though your enzymes may be eating these up at an accelerated rate, what gets released sticks around longer. Then there were the SSRIs like Prozac, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Now you know what that means—just blocks the reuptake of serotonin. Then there are drugs that just block the reuptake of norepinephrine. Or more dopamine. Or the opposite. But if the problem is too high levels of monoamine oxidase, why not just block the enzyme? Make a monoamine oxidase inhibitor—and of course they did, but they're considered drugs of last resort because of serious side effects, not the least of which is the dreaded "cheese effect," where eating certain foods while on the drug can have potentially fatal consequences. If only there was a way to tamp down the activity of this enzyme without the whole bleed-into-your-brain-and-die thing.Now we can finally talk about the latest theory as to why fruits and vegetables may improve our mood. There are inhibitors of the depression-associated enzyme in various plants. There are phytonutrients in spices, such as clove, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg, but people don't eat enough spices to get enough into the brain. This dark green leafy has a lot, but its name is tobacco, which may actually be one of the reasons cigarettes make smokers feel so good. OK, but what if you don't want brain bleeds or lung cancer? Well there is a phytonutrient found in apples, berries, and grapes, and kale, onions, and green tea that may indeed affect our brain biology enough to improve our mood.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Ariel Levitsky.	i personally like the detail explanations you give. Your illustrations and analogies are excellent and the fact that you discuss the process or mechanisms helps to educate us. Three things are important:1. Length of the video, for me 2 – 4 minutes is ideal. 2. Summarize early and at the end the meaning so the reader knows what action they might want to take. 3. Humor – I always enjoy this.I’ve sent countless number of people to your website as the best way to stay up to date on nutrition. It is much better than Coursera courses I’ve taken on nutrition and the shortness of the daily message is an excellent way to parse out the information. I must remember to update my donations, my credit card expired and I just noticed that donations had stopped. You are providing a fantastic service to all of us…. thank you!Thank you for your feedback (and renewed monthly support!). I was afraid this one was a bit too long–I think I got carried away! For the first year of NutritionFacts.org I aimed for 2 minutes each, and for this second year shot for 3 or 4. I’d be interested in what others have to say. I think your 2-4 is probably right in the sweet spot.I thought the length of this video was fine because it involved unpacking complex biochemical processes which require a more nuanced presentation. There’s obviously a point of diminishing returns in terms of both time and explication of content. 2 to 6 minutes is probably an optimal range to thoughtfully – and succinctly – convey the research. Thank you for all that you do, Dr. Greger.One of the many great things about this site is if you don’t have the time or care to watch the video you can still read the transcript for it.Anything under 10 minutes is good for me! I prefer a longer video if it means that you have time to better explain a point or bring up important history and background. I think the quality of your videos have improved greatly this year because you haven’t tried to limit to the 2 minutes.Of course, what’s best is to make each video as long as it needs to be in order to do the job. Short is fine when that’s all that’s needed. Longer is better if it is needed.Thanks mike for bringing up the question! Thanks Dr. Greger for asking for people’s input!I would say that anything below 10 minutes is perfectly fine. On that matter, you may be interested in checking this research Coursera are using for their course design:https://plus.google.com/+Coursera/posts/KWM1XpAvPEthttp://blog.coursera.org/post/49750392396/on-the-topic-of-boredomOn a personal note, I don’t think this video was too long at all. Your explanations of complex biological processes, coupled with references to the relevant medical literature, were the main reason I was so drawn to your work in the first place (well, and you’re the Carl Sagan of nutrition as I read someone else saying a couple of weeks ago!).The world is full of doctors saying “Do this [because I say so, I’m an expert!]”. Am I supposed to trust them just because they call themselves doctors or show us a picture of themselves in a white coat and a stethoscope? That doesn’t work for me.Trust is something you build up for every single person you interact with. I implicitly trust you now because when I first learnt about you I could listen to your thought process and read enough of the literature you quote to know you’re not spinning it/making stuff up. But I can’t make someone else trust you… unless you are objectively a credible person all the time. So yes, keep providing us with all the detailed explanations (and respective sources wherever appropriate) =)Once again, thank you for all the amazing work!Sagan was actually my next door neighbor at Cornell! He was an advisor for one of the student groups I ran and so I had an excuse to go over and knock on his door a few times a year :)Wow! What a coincidence!Wow, supernova of scientific minds!You see, I’m not the only one who is completely blown away at how valuable your website is. Daily in my office I mention NutritionFacts.org at least 10 times. “Hey did you guys see todays Video? Todays Blog?” No Yokin’ either!Please don’t ever stop creating, your work (and all the people behind the scenes) is just too valuable and critical to our nations health! Yes it is that important!Make Your Rabbit Jealous– 1-2 bunches favorite greens (beet greens, carrot tops, radish greens, etc.) – 2 handfuls of raisins – 2 organic* apples, diced – 3 garlic scapes, diced – 3 green onions, chopped – handful pumpkin seeds – sea salt – black pepperCook raisins and apple in a covered skillet with a splash water for 2-3 minutes. Add greens and continue cooking until greens bright green. Place garlic scapes, onions, and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl and top with cooked fruit and vegetables. Season to taste with black pepper and sea salt.*Apples rank 1st (most contaminated) for yet another year and spinach ranks #6 (up two from last year’s 8th) in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php~Complements of lovestobeveganI definitely like the fact that you give detailed explanations. It makes your site unique and brilliant (along with your films)! So long as you do a brief, simplified explanation first and then Read More for those that like more detail – you’ve pleased everyone!I appreciate the detailed explanations; it helps to know how the body responds to good nutrition.This was great! Many people in my family suffer from depression and will benefit from this information. Thank you.I think that medicine’s students got really to follow this site… difficult theories explained in few minutes and great stuff post nearly all the week long… great job as usual…Feedback. I am a how and why person. I have rarely felt, that the videos been too complicated. You are doing a great job at simplifying and summarize some pretty heavy stuff out there, and for that I am grateful. If you feel that you need to explain something in 2,4,6 or even 8 minutes, then that’s what you should do. Keep up the good work!My vote is to have you continue with your current in-depth explanations. As a scientist I’m very interested in understanding the underlying mechanisms and I think diverging from your current methods will be disadvantageous to your overall message. I think the majority of the populous has the mentality of, ‘sure eating plants is beneficial, but why should I stop eating meat?’ For me, understanding how the body functions and exactly how eating plant foods will affect particular enzymatic processes, as well as the deleterious effects of meat consumption, delivers a stronger message as to why I should make better dietary choices.Ah, now I finally get MAO inhibitors. For me, this was an excellent clip.One of your best “because” of the detailed explanation. Excellent graphics and , as always, just the right amount of humor.Please do not stop giving the detailed explanations on the underlying mechanisms.There are a million blogs out there, often run by people with limited or no scientific background, that say whatever fancies them without any justification. “This cures this”. “That causes that”. This site is SO unique in1) its use of peer reviewed lit,2) its use of *the latest* peer-reviewed lit, and3) actual explanations as to the context of the findings.If people want the bottom line, I think they could get that just by reading the caption in many cases. For those who want an explanation, they can take the time to watch the video. I never find the length to be a deterrent. Some topics take more time to explain, some take less. It’s all good.This was fascinating! I must be in the second camp. The only part I didn’t understand was why Effexor is “the opposite.” What action does it do?Effexor is “the opposite” of drugs that block uptake of a single neurotransmitter, as it inhibits uptake of serotonin, norepinephrine, and (weakly) dopamine as well.You can judge for yourself whether that means three times the potential for side effects.Thank you for the explanation Darryl. I thought that what’s Effexor does, but didn’t see how that was “opposite” of the SSRIs. I guess you could consider “multiple” to be “opposite” to “single.”Thanks Dr. Greger – a great video. I have to say that my move to a plant-based diet has certainly contributed to being able to come off my anti-depressant medication after 4 years.Keep up the great work!I LOVE the detailed explanations! Those who don’t just don’t need to listen as closely, but I forwarded this to several in my family, because the science behind the condition can really help to combat depression practically, and inexpensively, while benefiting the rest of the body. Thanks again for such great info!I find the length of your videos perfect for someone without a medical or scientific background, like me. You make otherwise complicated information easy to understand and utilize. I look forward to your videos and articles as they teach me enough in one sitting to absorb the information without overloading my brain. Actually, I liked the 6 minute video better than the 2-3 minute videos- those leave me wanting more info. Thank you for all the information that you share. It is meaningful and important!I would love to eat tons of phytonutrients in grapes, etc., but is it safe to eat the grapes and broccoli, etc. from California due to the Fukushima fallout? I don’t know if this is the page to bring it up but it is a major worry of mine.Fukushima emissions had neglible impact on already present long-lived radionuclides in U.S. soils.It seems advisable to avoid seafood from NE coastal Japan, and fungi and mushrooms (which bioaccumulated radionuclides after Chernobyl) originating from Fukushima, Tochigi, and Gunma provinces in Japan if you’re concerned about dietary radioactivity.Unfortunately, I don’t think any of us really know at this time just how bad things are from Fukushima. I really don’t know.The other study “… investigated by using the micronucleus test for anticlastogenic activity and the thiobarbituric acid assay for antioxidative activity. A single gastric intubation … 2 h prior to γ-ray irradiation …” – in mice, published 1996.I contemplated deleting that last paragraph. I was struggling to find good studies that would support my intended point that the grapes and broccoli Thinkabouddit seemed worried about may offer protection from subsequent radiation exposure. Reservatrol from grapes and sulforophane from broccoli induce Antioxidant Response Element (ARE) promoted gene transcription via the Keap-Nrf2 signalling pathway: hundreds of proteins, many of which participate in DNA repair, recycling endogenous antioxidants, or are themselves antioxidants. The sort of activity one wants upregulated prior to exposure to millions of decay events from ingested/inhaled short-lived radionuclides.Demonstrating chemoprotection from UVB induced carcinogenesis has become an oft repeated lab technique, but I couldn’t anything on resveratrol or sulforaphane vs. ionizing radiation (α and β particles and γ-rays) of the sort one is exposed to from I-131, Cs-137 or Sr-90. I suspect fewer labs have the facilities or desire to conduct that sort of experiment. This was fairly close, demonstrating radioprotection from Co-60 by the compounds AITC and PITC found in cruciferous vegetables. If you are curious about the state of research, here are some recent reviews on radioprotective phytochemicals and herbs, the first two offering free access (1, 2, 3, 4)1 Indian Journal of Natural Products and Resources 07/2011; 2(2):137-150: no conflict of interest statement.Have you found any research which links Alzheimer’s Disease with animal protein? Conversely, will a vegetarian/vegan diet give one added protection from Alzheimer’s Disease?I enjoy your videos. They are so informative. Thank you.Linda: You may be interested in a book by Dr. Barnard called “Power Foods For the Brain”. He tries to make it broader than just “Alzheimer’s”, but that is the main boogey man in the book, I believe.I haven’t actually had time to read the book myself, but my understanding is that Dr. Barnard presents the latest in scientific information between food and Alzheimer’s. So, in reading that book, you should get the answer to your question – along with many other similar questions.Hope that helps.Dr. Greger – I follow your work closely – thank you so much! See you at lunch this Saturday.The monoamine hypothesis never was a cause and effect explanation of mood disorder and is recently being supplemented – if not replaced – by a number of other theories. One such theory is depression by inflammation. There are an increasing number of articles even in the mainstream “green journal” (American Journal of Psychiatry) attesting to that. An interesting historical correlate that comes to mind immediately is St John’s Wort (hypericin) thought for years to be an MAOI, then found to inhibit the reuptake of several monoamines, is also an anti-inflammatory (also antibacterial AND antiviral) compound.It’s difficult to imagine how any plant constituent could have any specific activity on a human neurosystem like reuptake inhibition of monoamines in neurons but totally understandable how the advanced anti-inflammatory and antiviral chemical system of plants could help with a similar function in other species.Dr. Gregor, I’ve been watching your videos for about 8 months now. I have not eaten any animal products for the last 6 full months. I like the “why” explanations you provide and especially appreciate your care in pointing out when you are describing emerging theories vs. well established mechanisms. Video length of 4-7 minutes is just right for me. 2 minutes always feels too short. I also especially like the “sources cited” section, which is what sealed it for me (made me vegan). I read many of the original studies cited in your videos for about 2 months before I was convinced that you knew what you were talking about and were giving subscribers complete and accurate information. You are providing an incredibly valuable service for which I am deeply grateful. I’m going to begin a regular donation to your organization. Thank you!I like the “why” as well as the “what” and “how,” and I enjoy and appreciate the videos and find the information very helpful. Thank you for all the time you spend to give us this information and for sharing it so willingly so that all of us can benefit from it.I use to have very bad depression and only eating greens never worked.I had to raise my Vitamin D levels with Vitashine & Sunshine and eat leafy greens daily for two weeks to experience an effect. They seem to have a synergistic effect.I hope you can do a video on how the fat soluble vitamins, A-D-K and their natural metabolites, like retinoic acid, play together to balanced the neurotransmitters and prevent an addictive personality in the first place.Here is some interesting research I’ve gathered. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cbf.955/abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2719307/ http://www.pnas.org/content/94/26/14349 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17105922 http://jn.nutrition.org/content/early/2011/06/08/jn.110.137638.full.pdfThe more detail the better! I could listen to Dr. Greger’s wonderful voice and awesome insight for hours on end, and sometimes I do just that. Obviously my issue is OCD, perhaps you’ll do a video on that one of these days. I’ll keep checking daily until you do, LOL! -Nutrionally ObsessedI am greatfull for these in depth explanations since I believe only that kind of info provides real significant and valuable knowledge . Thank you very very much for this great work!!!!i thought it was easy to follow. thank you for all your videos/explanations. -e :)Your presentation of details and underlying mechanisms is essential for understanding. I agree with Mike’s comments below. Despite the length of your annual Nutrition and Medicine presentation, I greatly enjoy them.The more in depth explanations definitely add to the educational value in my view. You have a great way of making complex science concepts understandable, and I’m glad to see that most of the previous commenters seem to agree.Ahh…..thats why I smile when I eat my fruit and veggies….The in-depth explanations explanations add to the educational value of the discussion, in my opinion.@Michael_Greger_MD:disqusThank you for this! And I wanted to ask – are you aware of Tony Wrights theory in Left In The Dark, which touches on the evolutionary impact of our ancestral diet (including the MAOI they contain) on the development of the human brain?I love to know how and why and don’t mind a slightly longer video when it is needed for the explanation. It makes me feel smart to know a bit of the details :)The short videos are the urgent news and what I can absorb immediately by each spoonful. Time and attention span is the commodity when on the net. I do appreciate the detail very much, I need the explanation for my conversations with others. This helps in the holistic approach to mind, body, spirit. Fact gathering is another method I us in healing and making change so the info is crucial in some instances. I love that your info is truly genuine from the research, some even decades ago. Keep up the good work. You and your team are the best with the right intentions. Yaay for us all. Thank you!PS. remember males speak in sentences and females speak in paragraphs.Please continue to do the detailed explanations, I enjoy the longer videos–I rip them to mp3 and listen to the hour plus ones while I walk. You are right, though, you probably have two audiences, and if you have a topic that really requires more explanation, you might do both a long and a short version.I really enjoyed the (audio) of the video about vegetarians and vegans vs meat eaters and heart disease related death. The data driven presentation was exactly what I wanted to hear–material from someone who has done the reading. I like that you cite your sources too. It does save the rest of us the work we don’t really have time to do.I’ve been all over the place trying to decide what to eat to lose the fat that just accumulated all over my body, but especially in the middle, after stupidly letting myself get talked into a hysterectomy. (that was only the mildest side effect of that nightmare surgery I experienced)I have looked at gluten free (doing it) sugar free (mostly) and back and forth between Paleo, protein with all carbs, low carb, mostly plant based, and while I have not had any luck with anything (hormones are just very messed up) I am glad to find that some of the things the Paleo people had suggested to me are not true (beans are bad, lentils are bad, peanuts are bad)They got me eating butter (I do mostly cook with Olive oil) and eating too much meat and dairy, because they were so positive that it was healthier. But I think that diet only works on the young and if you are weight lifting.I am now adding much fruit (they scared me off that ) and keeping up adding as many vegetables and greens and spices and herbs as possible, while cutting way back on the meat and using only vegetable broth for cooking.Excellent public service you are providing. I am linking my vegetarian friends and a few others.I have already added flax seed to my salads thanks to the one long broadcast, and have learned a number of things from the shorter ones.best, KarenDr. Greger has dispelled the low carb myth here http://atkinsexposed.org/Karen: I just started reading The Starch Solution by Dr. McDouggall. He not only has some great nutritional information in that book, but he has a meal plan and recipes. It would be a healthy way to loose weight.Another option is a free on-line program called the 21 Day Kickstart. They have 3 weeks of meal plans and recipes. They also have cooking videos and a moderated forum where you can ask questions. This program would be another healthy, safe way to loose weight. If you are interested, you can register here:http://support.pcrm.org/site/PageServer?pagename=21day_vegan_kickstart&JServSessionIda003=upegog3qg1.app234cFYI: I have a relative who is in the same boat – hysterectomy followed by weight gain. Going vegan was all she needed to loose a bunch of weight. She feels so good now too. Her joints stopped aching.I know it is confusing, but as Toxins showed you below, that paleo/low carb stuff is both not backed by science and dangerous. I’m glad you found this site. Good luck to you!I enjoy and would say, I need, the details to understand why something works or doesn’t work. Your explanations are so understandable for me. I have fought depression for years and am constantly looking for the key to end the duldrums, as I call it. Thank you so much for this video. I had never read or heard that food affected depression.gmlandis: I agree that this information is well presented and often quite eye-opening. I hope that you are able to get results that help with your depression. Good luck!Another great tool to combat depression is exercise. Other plant foods seem to have beneficial effects as well. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/I quit smoking about 5 weeks ago. Recently, I’ve noticed that I have difficulty concentrating on tedious tasks. I have read that exercise could help in my situation. Are there any foods that could also help recent ex-smokers to concentrate better?This is getting a lot of traction on Whitehouse.gov now- please share with your followers:Please sign and share- this is a winnable fight that will have major impacts on the economy, corporate lobbying, the environment, and health care: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-using-my-tax-money-subsidize-meat-and-dairy-industries/JhQcCCbF❤More is better — size does matter.I like to know the “why”. It gives me a deeper understanding.I appreciate and enjoy the discussion and the details provided. I like the 3-4 minute videos but when a subject is a bit more detailed (as is this one) I have no problem spending the time. I love the videos and all of the great information that it provides – many thanks.I love your in-depth explanations of the mechanisms of action! Thanks, and please keep them coming! :)Why the studies as this one keep appearing? :(Conclusions: In Western cultures vegetarian diet is associated with an elevated risk of mental disorders.Vegetarian diet and mental disorders: results from a representative community surveyInternational Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2012, 9:67 doi:10.1186/1479-5868-9-67http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/9/1/67The more details and mechanisms the better! I am a physician@Michael Greger M.D.I know I’m a year late. But I have read an article that contradicts your MAOI theory. The paper attempts to find a reason for why there is an increased rate of depression in smokers. They pinned it down to the MAOI released from burning tobacco. The MAOI makes the smoker feel good (as you said), but only very temporarily. Maybe the paper’s a bit dated but here it is: http://www.pnas.org/content/93/24/14065.short (free version) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC19495/ (full version)I think under 8 minutes for videos is perfect. Though to be honest, I usually just read the transcripts while I’m on the bus to work. I like knowing the simplified versions of the how and the why of the processes you discuss; it helps me to remember and incorporate it into my life. Thanks for all the informative videos and the light-hearted approach.Excellent video – didn’t mention the king of MAO inhibition… Ayahuasca. I agree, I believe Greger has some mystical connection maybe even he’s not aware of – lol :) I liked background info on neurotransmitters… keep educating us doc!	alternative medicine,amphetamines,aneurysm,animal products,antidepressants,apples,arachidonic acid,berries,brain disease,brain health,cheese effect,chicken,cinnamon,cloves,cocaine,complementary medicine,depression,dopamine,ecstasy,eggs,fruit,grapes,green tea,inflammation,kale,lung cancer,lung health,MAO Inhibitors,medications,mental health,mood,nutmeg,onions,oregano,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,Prozac,serotonin,side effects,smoking,spices,SSRI's,tobacco,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Natural monoamine oxidase enzyme inhibitors in fruits and vegetables may help explain the improvement in mood associated with switching to a plant-based diet.	More on the inflammatory omega-6 arachidonic acid in chicken and eggs that may impact mental health via a cascade of brain inflammation in:For other natural treatments for mental illness, check out:I got some feedback from those that previewed this video on DVD that my explanation of MAO inhibition was a bit much (too complicated). I think there are different camps of NutritionFacts.org viewers. Some that just want to know the bottom-line, and others that are fascinated by the underlying mechanisms and are eager to learn the underlying biology (the "why" not just the "what" and "how"). I'd be interested in everyone's feedback. Do these more in depth explanations add or detract from the educational value?For more context, check out my associated blog post: Can We Fight the Blues with Greens?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/11/new-dvd-on-the-latest-in-nutrition-all-proceeds-to-charity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/27/can-we-fight-the-blues-with-greens/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amphetamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cloves/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antidepressants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mao-inhibitors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocaine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ssris/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aneurysm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oregano/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ecstasy/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19442174,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22176686,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8255365,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21190052,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16884739,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22333737,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17088501,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5906469,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22947380,
PLAIN-2730	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/	Anti-Angiogenesis: Cutting Off Tumor Supply Lines	Probably about a third of common cancers can be prevented by eating a healthy, plant-based diet, being physically active, and maintaining a healthy weight. One of the ways plants may help is by cutting off the supply lines to cancerous tumors.A tumor cannot grow without a blood supply. Currently, it is believed that a tumor mass cannot exist in a volume greater than about size of the ball at the tip of a ballpoint pen without a proper blood supply, which indicates that angiogenesis—angio means vessel, so the genesis—the creation of new blood vessels is critical to tumor growth. Each one of us has cancer cells in us right now. By age 70, microscopic cancers are detected in the thyroid glands of virtually everyone, for example. Most of these tumors never cause problems, never become clinically significant, leading to the concept of “cancer without disease” as a normal state during aging. Cancer cells are commonly present in the body, but they can't grow into tumors any bigger than that tiny dot size, no more than 10 million cancer cells before needing to get hooked up to a blood supply. So tumors diabolically release angiogenic factors, chemicals that cause new blood vessels to sprout into the tumor. The most important one is called VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor. But we can suppress VEGF with Ve-ggies.Many of the phytonutrients we know and love in tea and spices and fruit and berries and broccoli and beans can block cancer's stimulation of new blood vessels. They're ideal for prophylactic long-term use against breast cancer because of their reliability, availability, safety, and affordable price. Dietary agents used to suppress angiogenesis may be an important step in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer, and in fact all types of tumors. The review concludes that we now have convincing evidence that dietary plant constituents possess the unique ability to affect tumor angiogenesis, which may be deemed advantageous in the prevention and treatment of human breast cancer.Most of these studies have only been done in a petri dish, though. You stimulate human blood vessel cells and they start forming these tubular structures trying to make new capillaries to feed the tumor, but if you add plant flavones like apigen or luteolin, found thoughout the plant kigdom—like in citrus, celery, and peppers, you can see they help block the tube formation.  Here’s the effect of fisitin, a phytonutrient found in strawberries and other fruits and veggies. It just shrinks the beginnings of new blood vessel formation right down.Where do researchers get their hands on human blood vessels?  Human umbilical vein endothelial cells. They get them from discarded umbilical cords, or, more controversially, from the eyes of aborted fetuses.  But either way you can stimulate blood vessel formation with the tumor compound VEGF and then abolish that effect with plant compounds, in this case from purple rice. Therefore, the daily consumption of natural foods containing adequate flavonoids could be beneficial for the prevention of cancer metastasis or could improve cancer prognosis.Given the power of plants, one might speculate that the foundation of an anti-angiogenic approach to cancer might be a whole food vegan diet.	Just wow !best web site i have ever read or seen only hear about things that are happening at the momentYou are so sweet to leave a comment. hank you so much for your kind words. So glad I can help!In health, MichaelGreat series in the month of Astrological Cancer!Great post… this info are really interesting…More amazing info, with numerous 2012 sources! Thanks Dr. Greger! Why isn’t this headline news everywhere? :( The silence of the press is deafening. This 4-min. video is further confirmation of William Li’s fantastic 2010 TED Talk, “Can We Eat To Starve Cancer?,” http://www.ted.com/talks/william_li.html.I can’t believe that being a vegan only reduces one’s chances of getting cancer by 1/3–or did I miss something?There are a lot of “junk-food” vegans. Also, there’s only one very large prospective cohort study looking at vegans specifically, Adventist Health Study 2, whereas EPIC-Oxford had a mostly ovo-lacto-vegetarian cohort – in both cases, the reference omnivore cohort was markedly healthier than the general population.I suspect veganism, per-se, is just one part an anti-cancer diet (reducing exposure of carcinogenic compounds and tumor growth promoters concentrated in animal products). An anti-cancer diet also needs to be low or moderate in complete protein and high-insulemic index foods (to reduce growth promoting IGF-1), and perhaps low in methionine specifically while high in fiber, phytochemical hormetics (to induce endogenous antioxidant responses and toxin removal), epigenetically active compunds (to reexpress tumor suppressor genes for induce cellular senescence or apoptosis), inflammation inhibitors, and antiangiogenetic compounds. Ie, Green tea, cruciferous vegetables, onions, berries, citrus, whole beans rounding out the calories, but not really the fake meats & cheeses or sweet desserts that ethics oriented vegans may be eating.Thank you! I will view Dr. Li’s talk. I know I am not, nor is anyone cancer proof, but my erudite opinion is that vegans have more of a chance, generally, to improve their odds against ever getting cancer, and I thought from previous studies, that the odds are well over 2/3ds against getting cancerThanks for your useful insights. In his talk, Dr. Li also raised an interesting point on how weight loss is associated with anti-angiogenic compounds. I wonder if this might explain the lower BMI of vegetarians and vegans relative to the general population. Do you have any thoughts on how fruits and vegetables should be combined in the diet to maximize synergistic effects for the prevention of cancer?Cao, Yihai. “Angiogenesis modulates adipogenesis and obesity.” Journal of Clinical Investigation 117.9 (2007): 2362-2368. is just the first of 40,000+ Google Scholar results for “angiogenesis obesity”. Adipocytes (fat cells) need a blood supply, too.I can’t claim any expertise in food combinations that potentiate anti-cancer effects The Nrf2 activating hormetins may prevent initiating mutations, while epigenetic modulatiors encourage transformed cell suicide or senescence and angiogenesis inhibitors starve larger tumors. For chemoprevention, these classes are probably all helpful, but their benefit will occur at different stages of disease progression.The plasma lifetimes of some important “nutraceuticals” like sulforaphane (cruciferous vegetables) or epigallocatechin gallate (green tea) are around 4-8 hours, but once they’ve activated transcription factors, levels of cytoprotective genes can remain elevated for days. So while continuous high plasma levels would require chemoprotective foods at every meal, that might not be necessary.I’ve seen studies that point to synergies from targeting a given signalling pathway like Keap-Nrf2-ARE with multiple compounds. Variety is probably important.Many of these beneficial plant compounds seem to serve the plants as pesticides (hence their concentration in the leaves and skins of fruit). Our ancestors evolved to deal with these exobiotic toxins with robust endogenous antioxidant and detoxification responses, and in their absence (eg, in a highly processed diet), our cells don’t get the expected cues to ramp up defenses. But, after a point, more is not necessarily better (see these videos on broccoli juice and green tea extract overdose). A variety of chemopreventative whole foods (rather than supplements) may keep dosing in the hormetic range.If you’re interested in multi-tiered approaches to cancer prevention I recommend looking around Vincent Giuliano’s Anti-Aging Firewalls site. Like many life-extension self-experimenters he’s a bit supplement happy for my taste, but he’s pointed me to a lot of active research avenues and has put together some useful summaries.I can’t claim expertise in chemopreventative phytonutrient combinations, and I suspect few experts exist. While there are studies pointing to synergistic effects of targeting say, phase II enzyme induction with multiple phytochemicals, that’s just one chemopreventative mechanism. Most of the work exists as in vitro studies on cancer cell cultures, with a few comparing different phytochemicals’ effectiveness (eg. high throughput studies for drug candidate discovery), and to my knowledge none comparing different phytochemical combination regimens for in vitro cancer progression, much less on in vivo outcomes.The various anti-cancer mechanisms assume varying importance in different stages of cancer progression. The Nrf-2 inducing hormetins are perhaps most important in preventing initial mutations, while they may have a negative impact on advanced cancer (by protecting cancer cells). Angiogenesis inhibitors, on the other hand, won’t have much effect on microscopic cancer cells. Given we don’t know what stage our occult cancers are at, it seems reasonable to adopt a multi-tiered approach. Vince Giuliano, who has studied this for a decade, likens his approach to the redundant firewalls in computer security, and I’ve learned a lot from him.Kinetic studies of EGCG from tea and sulforaphane from broccoli show plasma peaks 4-8 hours after ingestion, but cytoprotective enzymes remain elevated for days. Its probably unwise to try megadoses of a lot of these compounds, as their benefits sometimes arise from the cell’s detoxification response to clear them out. Variety, and regular, small (food rather than supplement size) doses are sensible. An ideal anti-cancer diet might be triathlete and cancer survivor Ruth Heidrich’s diet, but even I’m not sure I’m ready for salad every meal.This is not a guarantee. A dear friend of mine who was a Vegan vegetarian died of lung cancer this past February. Her circle of friends were shocked at her diagnosis and then her death. I think that eating a variety of fruits & veggies helps supply you with agents that help to eradicate the cancer cells’ blood supply which is crucial to their survival. However, many people do not understand the concept that cancer is a MULTIFACTORIAL disease. In other words, there are many other factors that can contribute to cancer causation such as genetics, lifestyle factors, environmental contamination, stress, vitamin deficiencies (particularly Vitamin D3 which also has an impact on cardiovascular disease) and so forth. Be well!!!Wow…the eyes of aborted fetuses. Who knew.Awful, isn’t it?This is great stuff as is usual from you Dr. Greger!It does “beg the question”, What foods PROMOTE angioenesis??? Those would be ones to avoid most likely though not always. Beets for example promote nitric formation which in turn may promote angiogenesis. And really any foods high in arginine may well do the same and that would include nuts/seeds/rice… Would really love some more/deeper clarification on this one!Go up to the sourses above and look into Dr. Li’s work. He has a website that lists the foods. Most are the “best of” foods that appear in Dr Greger’s videos.There is much talk that sugars, including fruit sugars, feed cancers. Where does that fit into a cancer-killing vegan diet?Thinkabouddit: I’m not familiar with studies showing that whole fruits, with their sugars, feed cancers. I am familiar with studies on this site showing that whole fruits fight cancers – especially berries. And I *think* there is even a video showing dates fighting colon or rectal cancer. (But I may be making that up.)I can imagine that table sugar would be a problem, but I have a hard time imagining that a whole fruit, especially organic, would be a promote cancer. Maybe if you took the sugars out of the fruit – but that is not how we enlightened people eat fruit.I wonder if Dr. Greger’s recent blog post could shed some light on things. Here’s my thought: What if those studies trying to say that sugar in fruits feed cancer are really confusing other aspects of the fruit – such as pesticides? Here’s what I’m getting at from Dr. Greger’s blog post:“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption.”From:http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/Just a thought. I’m just guessing that the studies which say that fruit feeds cancer are probably either a) getting mixed up in what they are measuring or b) are focusing on those 10 extra cancer cases listed above and missing the bigger picture of the 20,000 avoided. Again, just a guess.It’s just what “they” say. I don’t believe that organic fruit could be anything but healthy.Sugars feed all cells, including cancer cells. So if you eradicated all sugars from your diet, yes you could “starve” cancer cells along with every other cell in your body. However it is true that due to the rate at which cancer cells divide compared to most other cells, they are more sensitive in general to interventions that target growth. This is how traditional chemotherapy works and why other rapidly dividing sites such as hair follicles (hair loss), stomach lining (nausea), and bone marrow (immune system impairment) are inadvertently targeted along with the tumor. Traditional chemotherapy kills cancer cells, sure, but it also kills every other cell in the body, albeit at a slower rate. Administering it is a balance between trying to kill the tumor before you kill the rest of the patient.So I guess my point is that context and balance are key. Things that kill cancer cells can kill normal cells, though indeed many plants are capable of targeted cancer cell killing, and this is an exciting area of research. And on the other hand things that cause cancer cell growth can be necessary for the growth of normal cells as well, though there are many things that cancer cells require (like angiogenesis factors for one) that normal cells don’t. However sugar is not one of those things. It is needed by both cancerous and normal cells.Eradicating sugar from your diet wouldn’t starve the cancer as your body always has glucose in the blood as it’s our cells energy source. If we don’t eat sugar then our body converts fats into sugar via lipolysis…. and puts it into blood stream for cellular energyWow, recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, I found this video not only “eye opening” and “earth shattering”. As I’ve told so many folks over the years. “you don’t have to believe; but you’ve definitely got to think about it”. In any case, “THANK YOu” so very, very much and “vegan” here I come. Don and I CAN! :-))nSouthlander: Sorry to hear about your diagnosis.Good for you for your positive attitude. While diet is not a magic pill and there are no guarantees, there are many, many stories of cancer patients who are able to reverse their cancers on a whole, plant food based diet. But probably not just any diet. Darryl listed some great ideas to start to figure out which foods to focus on. See Darryl’s post above. It’s great.Also, you may want to check out a very inspiring story that Dr. Greger posted on his Facebook page about a 90 year old man who appear to have beaten prostate cancer: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=679724962044016&set=a.505323302817517.132300.215513991798451&type=1You may also want to check out the many more videos on this site that deal with cancer. You will learn that there are many ways in which a whole plant food (supplemented with B12!) diet fights cancer. I think a good way to start is with the blog posts that have a subject matter of cancer. Then you can watch the videos that Dr. Greger links to in his blog posts.If you are not familiar with plant-based eating, there are some great recipe books out there. The food is fantastic. Most people find themselves surprised at how their food horizons expand, when they expected nothing but contraction. You just have to find the recipes that you like.Good luck to you!Can”t understand why people would rather hack burn or bomb symptoms with poisons than feed the body good phytonutrients to cure it. Should be taught in schools at an early age ideally ? Probiotics too ?Dr Li of the Angiogenesis Foundation gave a TED talk on this in 2010. Part of the talk discussed results of experiments which showed the inhibiting effects of diet (plant substances) on cancer cell growth. One reason I drink green tea and eat berries…http://www.angio.org/understanding/diet.php From what I am coming to understand, much of the positive and negative effects of substances in foods is due to impact on cell signaling, not the quenching or generation of free radicals. This would include influencing gene expression.I’ve come to similar conclusions. A few papers that clarified my thoughts on exogenous antioxidants: Significance of dietary antioxidants for healthExogenous antioxidants—double-edged swords in cellular redox state: health beneficial effects at physiologic doses versus deleterious effects at high doses.Plant-derived compounds as antioxidants for health—are they all really antioxidantsResearch strategies in the study of the pro-oxidant nature of polyphenol nutraceuticalsAntioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humansA systems biology perspective on Nrf2-mediated antioxidant responseThe ORAC and similar in vitro antioxidant assays seem to provide a rough measure of biologically active polyphenol content, but the benefits of polyphenols may be through pro-oxidant interactions with cell regulatory molecules, rather than mopping up reactive nitrogen and oxygen species themselves.Take note of the statement at the very end of the video (which no one seems to have picked up on), that low fat plays an anti-cancer role.Just wanted to share a patient that came to the office yesterday.Young female started a Vegan diet after visiting our office about 2 months ago. A couple weeks later was having such severe pain while breathing in she went to the ER for evaluation.CT scan showed 3 cm tumor growing in right lung.Cardiothoracic surgeon and second opinion both agreed needed at least a biopsy because it looked like Cancer. Because of the severe pain, regardless of whether or not it was benign or malignant, patient opted to have it removed rather than biopsied and then removed.5 days ago the patient went in for surgery, was prepped and sent for repeat CT to zero in on where tumor was. The radiologist and first surgeon couldn’t find the tumor anymore. They called the original Cardiothoracic surgeon to take a look and he could barely see where it was. They were dumbfounded!! The tumor was so small they didn’t need to operate. They sent her home!Patient called me and asked my opinion about what happened to the tumor. I stated there is no way to actually prove (that I know of) that changing her diet was the actual cause of the shrinkage of the tumor but as the days Video shows the evidence is quite compelling that changing her diet was probably what caused the tumors demise.Patient has no more pain and is able to exercise and live life normally thanks to what looks like a simple change in lifestyle. No other conventional treatment has ever been so successful!In fact the patient shared that all the nurses were asking her what she did because they have never seen something like this before. And she told them the only thing she did was change her diet–she couldn’t even exercise because the pain was so severe. She said they were all amazed.Interestingly she said the doctors didn’t seen to be so impressed with her tumor disappearance which I personally find disappointing.We are going to write this case study up with the CT images and hopefully get it published.Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks to Dr. Greger for disseminating the peer reviewed research on the benefits of lifestyle changes. You really are a lifesaver!Very interesting story! Thanks for sharing.Yes, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I thought it was great! I’ve had a couple of other like this as well but not a dramatic nor in such a short time.Wow. She came to you 2 months ago and you were able to convince her to become a vegan? You’re good. What did you say to convince her?One key is I always try to meet the patient where they are. If they aren’t ready to change I won’t even go there. But she was already willing and so the change was easy, she just needed the support and that is what we are experts at where I work.During an office visit the patients get 90 minutes with a health coach and me. The health coach brings them in for the first 30 minutes, then all of us together for the next 30 min. where I teach the pertinent points in the benefits of lifestyle change (much of what you see on this website. Here’s a lecture that I did a while ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh6XL3JoIto –not as good as Dr. Greger’s but you will get the idea of what I teach by watching.), then the last 30 is reinforcement time to review what we went over and to provide a food plan. And then phone or email follow-up about every week. Makes it much easier to keep the patients on track.You must be so satisfied. The move was worth it right?That video is great!Thank you so much. I’m glad you enjoyed the info.Dr Dynamic, Great video!You are too kind. Thanks for watching!I have this patient I am just trying to get to decrease from 10 servings of fish per week! “But they live longer in Japan.” He is cutting back on all animal but it is like pulling teeth!I always tell my patients about how fish are the biotoxic accumulators of our environment because every single drug that People take and every single environmental toxin ends up in our oceans and hence, our fish. And then there is PHiP in all cooked meats that is very pro-inflammatory and all animal protein regardless of source turns on the genes that promote cancer, etc.But as the Buddhist proverb states, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”And Confucius, “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”Remember life is wonderful in that we have free-will so as long as you provide the information you should feel great and not worry about the other person changing. You have planted a seed and some take longer to sprout than others.Agreed.HemoDynamic: Awesome story!! Thanks so much for taking the time to share that. I love stories like that.What a fantastic anecdote! Reading this story made be feel good all over. What an amazing outcome for this patient. The power of healthy plant-based eating does not cease to amaze me. Keep sharing the positive anecdotes please!Just got to this but wow……. you keep your heart and pelvic arteries open with plants and you keep your tumor arteries closed with plants. How wonderful the body isFrom the 1st source cited (“Tumor angiogenesis as a target for dietary cancer prevention”), the lead author, Dr. Li, did a great Ted talk on this subject. It can be watched here: http://www.ted.com/talks/william_li.htmlI was wondering if there are any cookbooks you can recommend. Thanks!Karen: I appear to be addicted to vegan cookbooks. I have over 70 of them now. (Seriously addicted.) While I am by no means an expert and have had time to try only a small number of the recipes in all those books, here’s my favorite all-around cooking books so far:> Vegan on the Cheap > Happy Everyday Herbivore > Let Them Eat VeganIt’s hard to restrict to just three, but those would be my top three as of this moment. They are mostly whole-plant food based, but very do-able and most of the recipes I tried from these books come out to my liking. And best of all, I believe that the majority of the recipes in these books would fit with Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations. (Not that I am speaking for Dr. Greger.)I think this is a great question and hope that other people will chime in with their favorite books as well.What is your opinion on the Ketogenic diet for the treatment of breast cancer?So what do you have to say about someone who is a total vegan and excersises daily in otherwise excellent health and ends up with breast cancer?p sully: I’m sorry to hear that you or someone you know has cancer.Here is how I explain this situation to people that I work with:People who smoke can live long lives without any lung cancer. And yet, people who smoke have dramatically more risk of developing lung cancer. Conversely, those who do not smoke have dramatically less *chances* of getting lung cancer. But even people who don’t smoke can and do get lung cancer.Diet is just like that. It is not a magic guarantee of anything. But ohhhh boy can a NutritionFacts diet *dramatically* decrease the risk of developing a range of major diseases, including cancer. Not a guaranteed, but wonderful insurance.That’s a perspective for you. I think I would also add that diet is just one factor in affecting diseases. It is a biggie. But not the only factor.I hope this reply helps and that whoever we are talking about experiences remission.You say that diet etc. can prevent one third of cancers. I have been reading and hearing numbers much higher than that. I am more comfortable with what you say here. Would you tell where the number of one third comes from.Can a plant diet also inhibit the formation of new blood vessels for non cancer cells or does it just affect cancer growth?Maybe cancer cells serve a useful function we do not know?I heard that veggie Diet cure cancer and there are Dr. that do this sore of thing to help people .One more for the good guys.The review you cited about rosemary being anti-angiogenic looks fascinating (Anti-angiogenic properties of carnosol and carnosic acid, two major dietary compounds from rosemary.) Any indication of how much should be consumed to receive the benefit?Excellent and short! Love this website!What about benign tumors? Is anti-angiogenesis equally important for non cancerous tumors to grow? Can benign tumors perform apoptosis? A beloved family member is facing surgery for removal of a tumor (likely benign) pressing into the spinal column. This involves sawing off the back half of a vertebra to access it. Any ideas are welcome.Oooookay, the end remark promoted a vegan diet. I find that one claim might make your entire video biased. For everyone’s information, hunter-gatherer populations are the healthiest in the world, with incidences of cancer being rare. THOUSANDS of epidemiological studies on hunter-gatherers, their diet, correlation between vegetable intake and cancer, compounds in Brassica vegetables all point in one direction: vegetables (especially brassica vegetables like Broccoli) and fruit help prevent cancer. Because cancer is rare in hunter-gatherer populations who eat a traditional human diet of MEAT (wild meat that is), fruits, vegetables and nuts, you do not need to go vegan to prevent cancer. However, many studies have shown how unhealthy and cancer-promoting western, grain-fed, factory raised meat can be. The nutritional composition of our meat versus wild game, or traditionally raised meats, has dramatic differences, with the wild meats actually being good for you and the western raised meats not so good. No one needs to go vegan in order to prevent cancer. Just stop eating processed foods, cook your own food, try to eat grass-fed beef or pastured chickens, seafood, and eat fruits and vegetables 3 times a day each. Eat your broccoli raw for maximum absorbtion of glucosinolates (precursers to anti-cancer comounds).Hello, I’m Martin from Argentina. When i look all these videos I can’t stop surprising milself. Its amazing the stuf your explaining with that all evidence. Congratulations. And thank you for sharing it. I have one questios if you let me. What happens with a person diagnosticated with cancer start with the plant based diet, should he stopped the tradicional medicine that Dorctos supplied him? Would that medicine interfere whith the benefits of the plant based diet? Ill be gratefull wiht your answer, and sorry for my English. Thank you MartinMartin: I’m not a doctor. I just wanted to make sure someone responds to you.I’m so glad you are getting benefit from these videos. I’m a big believer in the importance and practical application of this information.As for your question about treating cancer, I’ll give you my lay-person’s 2 cents: I don’t think anyone can answer that question for you. You would need to sit down with someone who understands your particular situation (what type of cancer, how fast it’s growing, your risk factors, etc) AND who understands nutrition AND who understands the pros and cons of traditional medicine options for your situation. That person would ideally be able to help you answer your question and/or refer you to sources that will help you make that decision. And ideally, that person would be your doctor.In America, it is very hard to find a doctor who could do this, but it is possible, especially if someone is willing to do a lot of their own research. I don’t know how things are in Argentina. I’m thinking good thoughts for you (or whoever you are asking about) that you can find someone who understands both traditional medicine and the powerful cancer fighting effects of proper nutrition. There are lots of videos on this site related to cancer too. I those can also help. *Good luck.*My husband first found out he was diabetic, then that he had prostate cancer. We found the video ‘forks over knives’ at our local library – Ontario, Canada; and he was off to the races. He had been a huge meat eater and lover of all animal carcasses, once diagnosed completely changed to a vegan diet – no oils, no fish, no chicken, no red meat, no dairy which included eggs, no fat in products over 2 grams and became completely diabetic and cancer free within months – that was 3 years ago and still free….it works!Dee: That’s such a *powerful* story. Thanks for sharing it!!!Has there ever been a link between nutrition and non-cancerous lipoma? I have been eating a vegan diet for 2 years now and still manage to get lipomas once in a while.	aging,angiogenesis,antiangiogenesis,apigen,beans,berries,breast cancer,breast health,broccoli,cancer,cancer survival,celery,citrus,exercise,fisitin,flavonoids,fruit,luteolin,metastases,peppers,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,polyphenols,rice,spices,strawberries,tea,vegans,vegetarians,VEGF,weight loss,women's health	Cancer cells are commonly present in the body, but cannot grow into tumors without hooking up a blood supply. Angiogenesis inhibitors in plant foods may help prevent this from happening.	The cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1 is another angiogenic factor, helping tumors turn on the gravy train. This may be another reason plant-based diets protect against cancer, since as few as two weeks on a healthy diet can lower IGF-1 levels. See my series on the elegant experiments that discovered this:One way cancer turns on the tap is silencing certain tumor suppressor genes. How do you turn them back on? See, for example, Apple Skin: Peeling Back Cancer.How else can strawberries smack on the cancer kibosh? See Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer and Cancer Fighting Berries.Because we all likely have cancer cells inside us, Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing. To die with cancer rather than from cancer, we need to slow down cancer doubling time. Check out one of my oldie-but-goodie video Slowing the Growth of Cancer.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Flax and Breast Cancer Survival and Starving Tumors of Their Blood Supply.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antiangiogenesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegf/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apigen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/luteolin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angiogenesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fisitin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22314287,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22139440,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21977033,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22125182,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21633982,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22522122,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12781633,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22878362,
PLAIN-2731	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/	Why Might Vegetarians Have Less HPV?	Cervical cancer is now considered a sexually transmitted disease, originally suspected as such as it was supposedly found less in nuns and more in prostitutes, but now we have DNA fingerprinting proof that virtually all cervical cancer is caused by a sexually transmitted virus, human papilloma virus, which also causes cancers of the penis, vagina, vulva and throat. HPV is considered a necessary, but not sufficient cause of cancer.Most young women contract HPV, but most don't get cervical cancer because their immune systems are able to clear out the virus. 70% of women clear the infection within 1 year and more than 90% within 2 years before the virus can cause cancer, unless you're immunocompromised or something.Well if that's the case, maybe those with particularly strong immune systems might clear the virus even faster. That's what may behind this new study that found vegetarian women appeared to have significantly lower infection rates with HPV, one of many studies reporting that vegetarians have lower risk of HPV infection thought to be because of the presence of more fruits and vegetables in their diet which are rich source of all sorts of good phytonutrients.So for example if you take a bunch of women with cancer causing strains of HPV infecting their cervix and follow them out and retest at 3 months, and then 9 months while analyzing their diets, what do you find? Higher levels of vegetable consumption may cut the risk of HPV persistence in half, double one's likelihood of clearing this potentially cancer-causing infection. And "higher" levels just meant like 2 or more servings a day.What do antioxidants in plants have to do with viral diseases? Different antioxidants affect different viruses in different ways, but against HPV don't you know that electrophoretic mobility supershift assays showed "Irrespective of enhanced c-fos expression, c-jun was phosphorylated and became primarily heterodimerized with fra-1, which was also induced after PDTC incubation," I mean duh. I had to read this paper like 5 times, long story short, antioxidants appear to suppress the activation of critical segments of the virus' DNA. Maybe that's why smearing green tea on genital warts—also caused by HPV—has been found so effective in clearing them.In terms of preventing cervical cancer, through their role as antioxidants, phytonutrients like lutein, found in dark green leafy vegetables, and lycopene, the red pigment in tomatoes, may decrease viral load, thereby decreasing persistence and progression to disease. Whereas the protective associations may be due to their antioxidant properties, they have all sorts of other wonderful effects, so who knows, who cares, bottomline: higher consumption of vegetables may decrease risk of HPV persistence," which may help explain why this 2013 study found vegan woman have significantly lower rates of all female cancers combined, including cancer of the cervix.	Putting the Yum in Grandma’s Yam Salad– 3 small yams, cubed – juice of ½ a small lemon – 1 avocado – pinch sea saltSteam yams until soft. Meanwhile, mash avocado with lemon juice and sea salt. Add cooked yams to avocado mixture and stir gentle to combine. Enjoy hot or cold.Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium~Complements of lovestobeveganlovestobevegan: I appreciate that you are excited about your diet and sharing your recipe ideas. I love to see that kind of enthusiasm.However, this site is for discussing the videos. Sometimes we share a recipe, but mostly the discussion is (properly) about nutrition science. You seem to be posting everywhere on NutritionFacts with the sole intention of getting people to go to your website. I’m not the moderator here and I’m only one voice, but I thought I would give you some feedback that you are actively turning off at least one person.Look at it this way: You have shared your website and recipes with the people on this site quite a bit already. So, now, please do stick around for some discussion if you wish. I think that making some really great discussion points on NutritionFacts is the best way to get the people who like to visit these pages interested in your site.Just a thought for you. Good luck with your site.Does this gang have a fav forum? I would love to have a reliable place to ask questions that don’t always correspond to the topic of the day but is WF/PB.I’ve wondered that as well. Unfortunately, I haven’t really found one. A lot of vegan/activist forums out there, but even the boards talking about diet aren’t really focused on whole foods diet, just a vegan one. Then there’s the Fuhrman website, but you have to *pay* to even view the forums, which I actually did once (it was just a few bucks) but I found them pretty uninspiring. I would say perhaps the McDougall forums are your best bet. Though McDougall reeeally likes his starches, and has less of a focus on the super duper veggie foods we’re usually talking about here. But it seems like nice people there and a pretty active community.Thank you!this might be good someday:http://wholevana.com/Hi Thea, I agree with you and do find it somewhat distasteful as well. I know that you and I have actually swapped references to different recipes on here, but it feels quite different to have someone posting unsolicited advertisements rather than making a genuine recommendation in the context of a conversation. One person posting advertisements doesn’t hurt, but I just hope this doesn’t turn into a billboard section for every person with a vegan blog, since that tends to dilute and discourage genuine conversation. This is one of the few comments sections on the internet where genuine conversation actually takes place. I do hope it stays that way.The comment with only a recipe and a promotion for a FB page has nothing to do with this article. Therefore, I’m flagging it as inappropriate. Be polite, QUIT SPAMMING!It’s a shame you feel the need to cut other people down. I’m working toward the same goal as Dr. Greger by promoting a plant-based diet with my own plant-based recipes. Perhaps next time you should think about what you would gain with such unnecessarily hostile words.“Hostile words”? Drama much? Spam is spam, even vegan spam. You obviously have a serious need to be validated or just be the center of attention. Maybe you could work on your insecurity instead of your juvenile need to have people approve of you.According to the Cambridge dictionary, spam is defined as “unwanted email, usually advertisements”Ref: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/spam_1 Thus, for the word “spam” to be used correctly, we must be referring to email that is unwanted.You said vegan Spam. HahahaI love the recipes! The video was about how healthful a plant-based diet can be. The recipe is plant-based. Sounds like a perfect match to me! It’s one thing for me to tell people to eat healthy, it’s quite another to make healthy food yummy, so I encourage any and all recipes and tips on healthy eating.Your recipes sound delicious. Did you invent them yourself?Hi BPCveg, Yes, the recipes are all my own creations. Thank you for your kind words.Great video! Too bad being vegetarian or vegan doesn’t automatically mean someone eats a lot of vegetables.Exactly! From a health perspective it is not about being vegan – but to eat a whole food plant based diet (97% of the time), which is vegan +You say that HPV clears up with women who have regular immune systems. I have severe endometriosis and have been aware of my C1N1 mild displasia for about 5-6 years. I am wondering what your thoughts are on the two playing a part in this together. For instance, since I am immunally compromised (hence my Endometriosis), is that why my HPV is not going away on it’s own? Please correct me if I am misunderstanding this. Also, is there any way of knowing if I have a high chance of getting cervical cancer?Since January I have been minimizing (not eliminating) dairy, meat and gluten.Thanks for your advice. I appreciate your work!I disagree with Dr. G’s advice. Once again the research presented here only accounts for the success stories, there are plenty of vegans who develop cancer. I had HPV and has been clear since 2011, living as a pescatarian. I would eat an overall healthy diet, which isn’t about elimination, focus on moderation. I know I wouldn’t be happy down the line if I lived a life of restriction and then became ill. Genetics and environment, hm.In concordance with what T. Colin Campbell has demonstrated; aflatoxin gives you livercancer if you eat a diet rich in animal protein. The culprit is not the “bug”, but the diet. You are not a victim – you are in control (if you want to be!)I´m a happy vegetarian hahaWhat causes Hyperkyphosis (Dowager’s Hump/Hunchback)? Can it be cured by changing the diet?I was told it is a spinal deformity. For me, I have a straight neck that doesn’t curve back, thus causing my hump.Hi Paul,First off, I have no idea about your particular condition. But I will share an experience of mine anyway:Due to my work (desk and lab work), I used to get really bad pain in the side of the neck and in the upper back between the shoulders. I started doing “The Cactus” yoga pose for it, and it worked tremendously for me, however I also read that it helps improve the humpback condition as well. I can’t speak to that but you could give it a try:Stand with your back against a wall, with heels, butt, and if you can, shoulders touching the wall (or as close as you can get them). Bring your arms up and out to the side to form a “goalpost” position with them (upper arms parallel to floor and forearms perpendicular to floor). Try to keep the entire length of your arms touching the wall, especially at the elbows and hands (or get them as close to the wall as you can). Continue 20, 40, or 60 seconds, whatever you can do comfortably. Do several times a day. Hope this helps. :)do plant eating vegans get fewer cold and flu episodes too? Seems likelySeems that way to me. I know you are asking if studies show this. But my sick time has dropped to nil. Also, 2 weeks after switching to WF/PB eating I had my last migraine. Two years later, no more shimmering lights or blind spots. You have to live it to understand how great it is to have that behind you. Also, all the weird little growths that my dr told me not to worry about have dropped off or gone away…Or did you mean Plant eating vegans…Feed me Seymour!mattA: I’ll just echo what Coacervate says. I can’t remember if there are studies on this or not, but there is a mountain of anecdotal evidence that supports that whole-plant food based vegans get many fewer colds and flus. Plus, I know from my personal experience, in those rare cases where I do get sick, it is a fraction of the level of severity that my co-workers experience. Most recently, I had many many co-workers very sick for literally weeks. I didn’t manage to escape completely this time, but all I experienced was being medium-low level sick (subjectively and based on talking to co-workers) for a few days.Kind of funny: just recently I was kind of wishing for a day off but caught myself thinking, “I can’t say I was sick, I never get sick!”. And my coworkers have taken notice of this. So you see, a wfpb diet does have its downsides… ;)I know Dr. Fuhrman has a book called “Super Immunity”. I haven’t read it but it does deal with this topic if you want to check it out.What does the .66 lower cancer rate for vegan women mean? That they get 66% less female cancers?It means that the rate is 1/3 less than non-vegan women.We need to be aware that HPV is readily transferred to males to cause throat cancer as a result of oral lovemaking.Yes, now known as the Michael Douglas syndrome…Dr. Greger, what is your opinion on the HPV vaccine? The pediatrician groups push it. Should my girls (14 & 12) get it?As a practicing OB/GYN and vegan, I would recommend the HPV vaccine. While a plant-based diet may help protect one from HPV infections, the vaccine would further decrease one’s chances of developing cervical cancer. 70% of the world will acquire HPV infections at one point or another.I don’t recommend HPV vaccine as a general rule for patients except for specific high risk populations over age 18 and rarely for high risk populations under age 18. By practicing safe sex and minimizing the number of sexual partners they will lower cancer rates, unwanted pregnancies and sexual transmitted diseases as well. In medicine we have developed excellent vaccines and had a lot of success. Many physicians are trapped into the paradigm of all vaccines are good and lack the training and time to evaluate the recommendations and present those to the patients and their families. What is lacking at the clinical level is good shared decision making support for individuals and families. Other vaccines with marginal benefit would be the vaccine for shingles in adults and flu vaccines for healthy children and adults under age 65. It is true that vaccines are generally safe… although using single dose vials to avoid preservatives is my preference.If a women has a positive pap smear, could dietary changes like these to eradicate HPV still be meaningful?Dr. Gregor, is there any recent research on vegan diet with hsv or zoster? Given the high arginine content of many vegan staples, would this be a rare example of a disease made worse by a vegan diet?Mjs1231 athotmail dot comI need helpI think i was exposed in 1999 to hpv via my x wife.In the last few years i have started getting spots all over my body, ankles, shins, hands, legs, face, i itch all over to the point its driving me insane.I have been vegan for 3 years and it just seems to be spreading all over my skin.Im about to realy freak out. No solutions that i can find, i have tried everything posted in every forum but it just keeps getting worse, 2 weeks ago i seem to have gotten a red rash on my uh ya that isnt going away.I have had 3 episodes in in the past 14 years where i felt super bad for a few days, 4 and 5th day i sweated severly. Then got better fast.Whats happening to me ? I feel like im being converted into some mutant creature. Im seriously thinking about that bullet. If there is no escape from this, im not going to be converted to some mutant shunned by humanityI fkn refuse that path.How the hell do i stop this shit from assaulting my body ?Practicing medicine can be a challenge. It is much easier if you have the proper diagnosis. Based on your description this doesn’t sound like HPV but you need to see your primary care physician and/or a dermatologist. The nice thing about practicing a whole plant based diet with adequate Vitamin B-12 intake is that you minimize but not eliminate alot of conditions. Good luck with obtaining an accurate diagnosis and then proper treatment.Thank you for creating this video. Yesterday, I was wishing you would do one on HPV…and here it is. Thanks!Great video! I experienced this first-hand. I had been fighting off pre-cancerous and abnormal cells on my cervix for five years to no avail. I had to get pap smears every six months and a few colposcopies over the years. I always thought I ate “healthy” but three months after switching to a plant-based diet (not just vegan) I was able to clear the abnormal cells completely. Prior to that, I consumed both meat and diary, but not nearly as much veggies.Is it a coincidence that it cleared after cleaning up my diet? Maybe…that’s what my OB/Gyn thinks. I feel strongly otherwise though and would recommend a diet change to anyone going through this.Sarah: I agree with you. It’s awfully hard to believe that is a coincidence, especially since there is so much good scientific evidence to back up your theory.Good for you for figuring this out. Congratulations on your results!	adolescence,antioxidants,cancer,cervical cancer,cervix health,fruit,greens,human papilloma virus,immune function,lutein,lycopene,penis cancer,penis health,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,sexual health,sexual transmission,throat cancer,throat health,tomatoes,vaginal cancer,vaginal health,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vulva cancer,wart viruses,women's health	Most young women get infected with human papilloma virus, the cause of cervical cancer, but most are able to clear the infection before the virus causes cancer. What dietary changes can improve viral clearance?	Vegetarians appear to have lower rates of all cancers combined (see Vegetarians Versus Healthy Omnivores), but this is the first study of cancer rates among thousands of North American vegans. There are other reasons that help explain these results; from lower levels of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1 (The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle), the foreign meat molecule Neu5Gc (How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies), and heterocyclines in cooked meat (Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens) to more of the good stuff (#1 Anticancer Vegetable and Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better?)Other viruses may actually be found in the food. See, for example:The other HPV video I reference is Treating Genital Warts With Green Tea.More on improving immune function with improved nutrition can be found in Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation and Boosting Immunity Through Diet.For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Why do Vegan Women Have Fewer Female Cancers?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/18/why-do-vegan-women-have-fewer-female-cancers/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vulva-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-transmission/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lutein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervical-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/human-papilloma-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wart-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervix-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lycopene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17327523,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23169929,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12223432,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8985358,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16362994,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1657209,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11553823,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22357204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17634464,
PLAIN-2732	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/	Past the Age of Miracles: Facing a Post-Antibiotic Age	In a keynote address last year the Director-General of the World Health Organization warned that we may be facing a future in which many of our miracle drugs no longer work. "A post-antibiotic era means, in effect, an end to modern medicine as we know it," she said. "Things as common as strep throat or a child’s scratched knee could once again kill."The Director-General's prescription to avoid this catastrophe included a global call to "Restrict the use of antibiotics in food production to therapeutic purposes." In other words, only use antibiotics in agriculture to treat sick animals. In the United States meat producers feed literally millions of pounds of antibiotics to farm animals who aren't sick just to promote growth or prevent disease in the often cramped, stressful, unhygienic conditions in industrial animal agriculture. The FDA estimates that 80% of the antimicrobial drugs sold in the U.S. every year now go to the meat industry.The discoverer of Penicillin warned us back in the 40's that misuse could lead to resistance, but the meat industry didn't listen and started feeding it to chickens by the ton. The food and drug administration finally wised up to the threat in 1977 and proposed stopping the feeding of penicillin and tetracycline to farm animals. That was 36 years ago. Since then, the combined political power of the factory farming and pharmaceutical industries has effectively thwarted any legislative or regulatory action, and this stranglehold shows no sign of breaking. We realized this reckless practice was a public health threat decades ago, and yet what's been done about it.“Present [farm animal] production is concentrated in high-volume, crowded, stressful environments, made possible in part by the routine use of antibacterial [drugs] in [the] feed,” the U.S. Congressional Office of Technology Assessment wrote as far back as 1979. “Thus the current dependency on low-level use of antibiotics to increase or maintain production, while of immediate benefit, also could be the Achilles’ heel of present production methods."Industrial operations use antibiotics as a crutch to compensate for the squalid conditions that now characterize much of modern agribusiness. The unnatural crowding of animals and their waste creates such a strain on the animals’ immune systems that normal body processes like growth may be impaired. That’s why a constant influx of antibiotics is thought to accelerate weight gain by reducing this infectious load. The problem is that "Each animal feeding on an antibiotic becomes a “factory” for the production and subsequent dispersion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria," offering a whole new meaning to the term “factory farm”.	Any vegans out there take bee pollen? ….some people with autoimmune issues are told not to use it, some, though, claim it helps, and some feel it isn’t even vegan! Dr. Greger, any thoughts? Any of the other doctors on here have any experience with this?My thoughts – for what it`s worth – what purpose should bee pollen serve in humans? I wouldnt rely on any single food item, og any single supplement, to do anything good.My consideration (haven’t yet) for bee pollen is for its B12 content (very small amounts, but still some B12). I am adversely effected by B12 supplements…all forms of B12. I’ve tried them all, in different doses, different times of day, with and without food. My body fights back pretty hard “don’t take this little pink pill.” I get a racing heart, heavy breathing, weight loss, amongst other stuff. So, I am in a tough situation – I need a food based B12 source, even if it is B12 in tiny amounts. I know there are some vegans (and studies) who/that claim that Laver (nori) has a bioavailable form of B12. Any thoughts on this? Any concerns about the high cadmium levels in laver? Much gratitude for any feedback.elsie: What a pain. I sympathize.Have you tried eating nutritional yeast? I love the taste (sort of cheesy) and it goes well in many foods. I don’t know if you would be able to incorporate enough nutritional yeast to get the b12 that you would need, but I think it would be worth looking into.Just a thought.Thea, thank you. I have not tried nutritional yeast. I have been told that nutritional yeast has vitamin B12 added to it, the same form(s) of B12 found in supplements. And yes, you can buy nutritional yeast that has no added B12, only the naturally occurring B12, but all credible sources I’ve read claim that this is not a bioavailable form of B12. These sources claim that the inherent, naturally occurring B12 in N. yeast is an analogue. I know of others who have been adversely effected by B12 supplements and find themselves in a tough spot: what to do?! We need B12. By the way, I have asked the nutritional yeast company that sells the “naturally occurring” B12 yeast product (I won’t mention the brand name) for proof/some sort of verification that the B12 in their product has true, bioavailable B12 and not an analogue. I get no response, and I have tried several times over the years.elsie: Wow. That’s news to me. I had not heard of issues with nutritional yeast and B12 before.You may be absolutely right about the issues you raise. I am not knowledgeable enough to say one way or another. However, you prompted me to look up one of my favorite authorities for nutritional information – Brenda Davis, RD. In one of her slides, she lists Nutritional Yeast (specifically listing Red Star) as a legitimate method of getting B12. That slide says that a heaping tablespoon a day would do it.Just thought you might find that helpful. Brenda Davis is a very careful person. She wants people to be healthy, so she is careful about making recommendations. (Though of course, not everyone is right about everything.)Best of luck to you.Thea, yes, nutritional yeast does have true B12, and Brenda is right, but only if the B12 has been added to the yeast product. And the B12 that is added to the yeast is the same B12 in the supplemental form we ingest in the little pink/red pills. It is not naturally occurring in the yeast. I like Brenda and her message. I may try the yeast to see how I react…maybe there are other things in the yeast that might prevent the B12 from adversely effecting me.elsie: I have one more thought for you concerning nutritional yeast.First a side story: There is a poster on this site who reported getting very ill eating flax seed. She really wanted to incorporate ground flax into her diet though. So, while the recommended daily amount is about 2-3 tablespoons, this poster started with 1/4 teaspoon. She found she was able to tolerate that amount. And then proceeded very slowly to up the dosage until she hit the recommended amount without being sick. I love this story and have no reason to doubt the poster.So back to you: My thought is that the little red pills contain *exponentially* more B12 than the daily amount one would get from nutritional yeast. Plus, you don’t have to start out with a heaping tablespoon of the nut yeast. You could start even smaller like the woman with the flax seed. I wonder if you tried a similar approach, maybe you could build up a tolerance for it.Just a thought for you. I’ve been wanting to write it for days and just didn’t have the time. Whatever happens, good luck.Thea, I like the story you shared regarding flax. And good advice for navigating down this path. I am going to look into a few of the different brands of nutritional yeast and try to find one that does not have folic acid (synthetic folate) added to it. And then I’ll start with a small daily amount. Thea, thank you for reaching out to me. (And pretty please, Dr. Greger, chime in on your thoughts on synthetic folate and your expert opinion based on studies you consider credible. I think a video on this would be big-time relevant.)Dr. G weighed in on folic acid vs. folate in this videoGreat video. Thanks. Maybe I need more folate to help my brain search the archived videos more precisely before asking. Or maybe B12 would help on that one as well!Have you tried the Healthy Habits B-12 Energy Patch? Maybe that would help.I had considered taking this a ways back but found out they add folic acid to the product (folate in synthetic form) and have been led to believe that this synthetic should be avoided like the plague. (Dr. Fuhrman, for one.) Maybe Dr. Greger can do a video on this synthetic vitamin, showing the pros and cons. For now, I’m erring on cons. Thank you, though, for the suggestion.I didn’t know that. Does anyone know if it is a good product. Kevin Gianni, Mat Monnarch, etc., are selling it. I thought it was a good product.Ask Kevin Gianni and Matt Monnarch to watch Dr. Greger’s video on Folic Acid. I just saw it. Dr. Greger makes very clear his belief that folic acid (synthetic folate) should be avoided. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/ Matt could hopefully suggest to the company that they remove the folic acid from the product.The form of B12 produced by soil bacteria is hydroxocobalamin. The form most commonly used in supplements and food fortification is cyanocobalamin (because its easy to purify and hence cheap), and cyanocobalamin is known to cause allergic reactions and other side effects like yours in some people. A third form, methylcobalamin, has higher bioavailability (you’d need to ingest less) and is the kind prescribed in Japan.As there are no reliable plant sources of B12, as a vegan you need to either eat dirt rich in B12 producing bacteria, take supplements, or eat fortified foods.Its possible that if you have adverse reactions to the cyanocobalamin in supplements and highly fortified foods, that methylcobalamin or hydroxocobalamin supplements may not cause the same reaction. My favorite internet supplement shop sells 8 brands of methylcobalamin (aka methyl B12) in both subligual tablet and liquid forms, but the bacterial form of hydroxocobalamin is more rare and expensive – I found a handful of brands that sell it direct online.Myself, I add a few liquid drops of the common cyano- form to my pitcher of chilled hibiscus tea in the fridge. We have a limited ability to actively absorb B-12 from the gut, so more is absorbed if we spread out the dose over the day.Darryl, thank you for your time and lengthy response. My reactions to the methylcobalamin, hydroxocobalamin, and dibencozide forms of B12 are even worse than the cyanocobalamin. I’ve tried pills to swallow, sublingual, and injections. All, and all supplemental forms, cause very pronounced and worrisome reactions. There are people who claim that certain individuals who react adversely to supplemental B12 have screwed up methylation cycles, whatever that means. And from reading the message boards online, a fair amount of people have negative reactions on par with mine. Darryl, what about the possibility of raw laver (nori) containing a true B12?Darryl,Do you have a link to your favorite internet supplement shop, and where you can buy hydroxocobalamin? PS DocVitacost seems to have the most reasonable prices on the few supplements & herbs I use, but does not carry hydroxocobalamin. But a few other shops/brands turned up in google: 1, 2, 3.ThanksBeekeepers use antibiotics toothere’s no such thing as a vegan that takes bee pollen, because bee pollen is not vegan :)Vegans don’t use animal products or use animals, so they don’t use bee products. Check out –> 3 reasons not to eat honey http://gentleworld.org/3-reasons-not-to-eat-honey/Reading this link made my day. Thanks.36 years of warning and nothing happens…..Meatproduction is such a great thing, the endproduct kills you, the produtionmethod makes superbugs (that kill you), the animals suffer, not to mention pollution af water, air, global warming, deforestation……When will people wake up?I agree! But the problem is complex and until we get Meat, Dairy, Eggs, etc out of our Political Structure which subsidizes them with at least $16,000,000,000 per year it is going to be tough to educate the general population on the subject. But kudos to Dr. Greger and this fantastic website!!!!And of course John McDougall, MD, Neal Barnard, MD, and Dean Ornish, MD, T. Colin, Campbell, PhD, Michael Klaper, MD, Caldwell Esselstyn, MD, Jeff Novick, RD.If “organic meat” animals are not fed antibiotics, what happens when they get sick and need medicine? Are organic meat animals then fed antibiotics?As I understand it, once one of their animals get sick and require anti-biotics they no longer use it for meat-theoretically.thanks for the reply. i wonder what the animals are used for then?Probably food to other animals…… :-(When animals are pastured, instead of being confined in a barn as the conventional dairy farms do and chicken farms do, they are healthier and need far less medical interventions. Antibiotics are not needed.There are two options. One is to treat the animal with antibiotics and keep it separate from the rest, according to the methods laid out by the organic certifying body. If it were a dairy cow, for example, the milk could be sold as non-organic.The other option is to isolate the animal and treat it with herbs, TLC and time, (traditional methods, you could say).I know of a local organic farm who gave their sick dairy cow to a start-up organic farmer. The diseased animal was pulled from the main herd, and went to a farm with only 4 to 6 bovines. It was original thought to be mastitis, but in the end, it was something else wrong with part of the udder. It was treated without antibiotics. What happens to a chicken with a broken wing or fracture, I don’t know. I think in big ag, they have so many in a barn they wouldn’t even notice until it was dead. I would call that a failure to provide adequate care to an animal.I would just add that all we need to do is stop this abuse of antibiotics (and ourselves) and all those superbugs will go away.There is a high metabolic cost to the bugs to maintain resistance. Remove the selective pressure (the antibiotics) and the regular wild type bugs will win the battle for survival because they won’t be wasting energy manufacturing resistance factors. Classic Darwinian science.greed greed and more greed!I thought I was doing great eating lots of organic apples and pears until I read that they are sprayed with antibiotics to prevent fire blight! http://www.naturalnews.com/039472_antibiotics_organic_fruits_petition.htmlHere’s another article: http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/04/06/antibiotic-use-organic-apples-pears. It’s definitely a dilemma for organic apple and pear farmers. However, the majority aren’t using antibiotics in the US. And for those apples sprayed with the antibiotics (on the blossoms only), the author couldn’t find antibiotic residue on the fruit but that was only his own personal test. Apple varieties naturally resistant to fire blight: Jonafree, Melrose, Northwestern Greening, Nova EasyGro, Winesap, Prima, Priscilla, Quinte, RedFree, Sir Prize. Pears naturally resistant: Orient, Summercrisp, Kieffer, Warren. Fire blight hasn’t arrived yet in Chili, China and Argentina, so farmers haven’t had to take measures against the bacteria there.Dr Greger, while I very much appreciate your videos and information, I wonder why you never talk about animal ethics. I’m sure you would agree that the whole reason we should stop using animals for food, clothing, entertainment or other reasons is because using sentient beings as property is morally unjustifiable, and is great violence. When we﻿ talk about this issue in terms of health and environment, we deny this very important truth.Fluroquinolones and QuercetinThe literature I have read states that Quercetin acts on the same part of bacterial DNA that fluroquinolones act on. For this reason, foods high in Quercetin are suggested to be avoided. There are one or two papers that show “in vitro” Quercetin does increase the MIC’s for the pathogens researched, but the implications “in vivo” are just theorised.A vegetarian/vegan diet is very high in Quercetin, but, it is also very high in other biologically active phytonutrients.My question is, are there are research papers looking at the clinical effectiveness of fluroquinolone therapy when comparing between (low vegetable) omnivores and vegetarians/vegans. This type of study would help to answer the question of Quercetin and Fluroquinolones “in vivo”.It is difficult to decide whether to increase your vegetable/fruit intake to boost your immune system and anti-oxidant capacity, or to choose to increase the efficacy of the antibacterial compound, at the cost of a diminished immune system.A study like this could help to conclusively show whether eating your greens may, “in vivo” boost your immune system AND increase the efficacy of fluroquinolones.if one eats organically grown vegetables or mushrooms (e.g.) and ingests some of the unwashed soil, would that be a way of getting enough vitamin B12?It not a reliable source of b12, please see these videos http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/Hi Dr. Greger.I hope you are planning on making a video about the Dec 11th FDA recommendation to phase out certain preventative antibiotics in animal feed.I’m pretty scared of the idea that people who follow in our footsteps will not be able to reap the benefits of antibiotics in the future.‘Superbugs’ Kill India’s Babies and Pose an Overseas Threat“Five years ago, we almost never saw these kinds of infections,” said Dr. Neelam Kler, chairwoman of the department of neonatology at New Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, one of India’s most prestigious private hospitals. “Now, close to 100 percent of the babies referred to us have multidrug resistant infections. It’s scary.”	animal products,antibiotics,beef,chicken,children,factory farming practices,farm animals,FDA,growth promoters,immune function,industry influence,meat,medications,mortality,penicillin,pork,poultry,superbugs,turkey,World Health Organization	The Director-General of the World Health Organization warns that we may be facing an end to modern medicine as we know it thanks in part to the mass feeding of antibiotics to farm animals to accelerate growth.	This issue, perhaps more than any other, lays to bare the power of moneyed interests to undermine public health. Look at the list of endorsers of legislation to reform this practice, yet the sway of nearly every single medical organization in the United States is no match for the combined might of Big Ag and Big Pharma.For more on this issue, see:What else do they feed farm animals? Check out:For more context, check out my associated blog post: When a Scraped Knee Might Once Again Kill.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/13/when-a-scraped-knee-may-kill-again/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penicillin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/growth-promoters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/superbugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22091640,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22980012,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22755514,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659980,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20573657,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16813980,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10451482,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16735149,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16103351,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21976606,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22572674,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22260927,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22389375,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10634269,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22247155,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21235394,
PLAIN-2733	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/	Beans and the Second Meal Effect	We've known for decades that beans have an exceptionally low glycemic index. You give someone cooked beans, peas, or lentils and you don't even get half the blood sugar spike that you get with the same amount of carbs in the form of bread, pasta, or potatoes. So if you're going to eat some high glycemic food like white rice, consider having some beans with it and the more beans the better. Check it out, as your bean to rice ratio increases from left to right from more rice with some beans to more like beans-with-some-rice you can see these trends towards improving cardiometabolic risk factors. "Substituting one serving of beans for one serving of white rice was associated with a 35% lower risk of metabolic syndrome, or pre-diabetes."Why do beans have such a low glycemic index? Maybe it's because they've got so much fiber that absorption is just slower or something, but it was this next study that blew people's minds.Started out same as before. Give someone bread for breakfast, and get a big spike in blood sugar and insulin levels, but give the same amount of carbs in lentil form and you blunt the effect. OK, but now let's follow through to lunch.At breakfast, same as before, big spike with bread, small spike with lentils but then for lunch both groups got the same meal. Both got bread, and those that had lentils four hours earlier for breakfast had less of a glycemic reaction to the bread. At the time they called it the, lentil effect, but chickpeas appear to work just as well, so it has since been dubbed the second meal effect. Eat lentils for dinner and then for breakfast, even if forced to drink sugar water, you have better glycemic control. Beans moderating your blood sugar not just at the meal you eat them but even hours later or the next day. How is that even possible? The mystery has since been solved. Remember what our gazillions of gut bacteria do with fiber? They produce compounds like propionate with it, which gets absorbed into our system and slows down gastric emptying, slows the rate at which food leaves our stomach so we don't get as much of a sugar rush. It's like symbiosis. We feed our good bacteria and they feed us back. So, you have a bean burrito for supper and by the next morning it's time for your gut bacteria to eat that same burrito and the by-products they create which may affect how our breakfast the next morning is digested. They figured this out by giving people rectal infusions of the amount of propionate your good bacteria might make from good burrito and you can see the stomach relax within minutes. So I guess if you forgot to eat any kind of beans for supper and need to blunt the effect of your breakfast doughnut, it's theoretically not too late, but in general I encourage people to administer their food orally.	Might this effect be acquired with soybeans and tofu as well?Interesting question. Without knowing the answer, I would guess: Since soybeans are simply a type of bean, the effect would definitely be there–when eating the *whole* soybean.However, if the theory is that it is the fiber creating propionate (sp?) that causes the beneficial effect effect of beans, then tofu would not have the same effect. My understanding is that tofu is congealed soybean milk.Thus, tofu would be lacking the fiber. (Not that I have a tub of tofu in front of me to check.)Actually, tofu is pressed soy beans and the milk is the liquid that is left over from making tofu.Having worked in a small artisan tofu factory, tofu is in fact coagulated soy milk. Just like you coagulate cow, goat or sheep milk to make cheese, you coagulate soy bean milk to make tofu. After coagulation, the curds come to the top, which are skimmed off and then pressed to make a slab of tofu, which is then cut up into squares. That’s it. Not much to it. But, no fiber in tofu. There is a by product called okara, which is what’s left over after pressing the soaked and then ground soy beans to get the milk. It can be used for many dishes. Hope this helps.Great info Crama! its really too bad all the fiber is pulled out. I wonder how the occasional tofu would affect intestinal motility.I would be interested to find out why these chemicals are needed to coagulate soy milk? Why not something like lemon juice, or just citric acid?Definitely, those should work as well. But wouldn’t they impart a sourness to the tofu? If so, that’s probably why magnesium chloride and calcium sulfate are being used.tofu can be made with vinegar as well. it doesn’t taste sour. but I don’t think there is an issue using nigari or gypsum.Good to know that vinegar does not impart any sourness to the tofu.Back in my early days of discovering tofu, I got it from one health food store that it turns out didn’t change the water daily in the bulk tofu bucket (this was in the days before pasteurized prepackaged tofu). So, because of that, their tofu quickly became sour, which I thought was how it was supposed to be, until I ate some really fresh tofu. I asked, what’s wrong with this tofu, it’s not sour? And was told that tofu isn’t supposed to be sour.Live and learn!if its all about the soluble fiber then there should be lots of other options. according to the mayo clinic, 1/2 cup of brussels sprouts have as much soluble fiber as half a cup of beans (2 g), but since they have only a quarter the glycemic load, theyd do more for your morning blood sugar. Turnips and asparagus have 1.7 grams in a half cup and the same load or less of the sprouts. half a cup of carrots has 2 g of fiber and a load of 3.I’m somewhat concerned about the issues that some raise regarding the toxins in beans, legumes, and grains (i.e., the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors, for example). I typically soak mine before cooking, but I’ve heard that even that doesn’t remove all the toxins from these otherwise superfoods. The authors of The Perfect Heath Diet explain this in detail. I would much rather consume beans than meat as a protein/nutrition source, but not if the toxins won’t treat my body right. Any thoughts on this from Dr. Greger?Bob, hmm…I think it’s important not to think of phytic acid as a toxin. Phytic acid has been shown to be beneficial in certain cases. Studies have shown that phytic acid may reduce the incidence of numerous types of cancer, Alzheimer’s, cirrhosis, arthritis and Parkinson’s Disease.Yes, phytic acid strongly binds to metallic cations. However this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In some cases this is good. For example, arsenic is in many foods. Phytic acid binds to arsenic. If you eat seafood, phytic acid binds to mercury.If, however, you have a mineral deficiency then perhaps you may need to be strategic in terms of when you consume certain phytic acid rich foods.Very interesting–and thanks for pointing that out. I’m still researching this, so what you raise is certainly worth considering and looking further into. Thx.The thing about phytate, yes it does bind certain mineral ions at physiologic pH. But picture it like a buffer, when fully saturated with goodies, it releases them when the concentration becomes low…that is, when they are needed most. its one of the most basic functions of buffers in living systems. It is just a convenient lie to say phytic acid binds important minerals and not explain the rest of the story. easy way to cast phytate as a serious “toxin”. it is kinda true but a lie. I can hear Paul Harvey: “now you know the rest of the story….Goodae” Hey, he musta had kiwi blood!Coacervate, “it releases them when the concentration becomes low” if this were true there wouldnt be any evidence of mineral deficiency in cultures that eat primarily whole grains and legumes. but if you check out the Hardin Village dig in the US, [kentucky i think?] the skeletons showed severe mineral deficiency disease compared to a group with the same heritage eating other foods.After some research, I’ve decided that most of the beans or especially “soybeans are bad” is a myth. This link summarizes most of this:http://zenhabits.net/soy/So one of the recent blogs that seemed to endorse the Hallelujah Diet which criticized soybeans for their estrogen content was probably not based on sound science…………also same for all their expensive supplements with the message that eating whole plant food will still leave one malnourished!I worked for one group who made it clear my job was to make soy look bad. e.g. Trypsin inhibitors- how could something that inhibits digestion be a good thing? It was easy to make up true lies that TI was bad for you …and of course too much is…but if you search “trypsin inhibitor cancer” you will learn some very interesting truth.Soybean contain LAL (lysinoalanine) and that is bad. True and lie. Processing at high pH does create damage in the form of LAL and other protein crosslinks. Are they really bad? Well definitely not good for you.So don’t overly process your soy protein. If dairy wants to through stones, look at casein, the only significant food protein that contains phosphorous. And guess what, this form of phosphorous (phosphoserine) is a “good leaving group” meaning it easily converts to a reactive form that is highly prone to making LAL and other crosslinks.The spin game is never ending. Look to see who funds the research. This site is a “candle in the darkness” to quote Carl.Coacervate: That’s a fascinating peak into the food industry. Thanks for taking the time to write this.I each much more grains/nuts than soy, so soy is not a major concern of mine. While I am concerned about adverse health/digestion effects from legumes in general (call them anti-nutrients, phytic acid, whatever), this thread seems to be co-opted by a discussion regarding soy and marketing. It has, however, been interesting to read some of the links above, so thanks to the commenters above.But what about grains and nuts? We eat plenty of those. Any thoughts regarding the claims being true/substantiated of the folks that say that the adverse health effects of the anti-nutrients in grain/nuts/legumes outweigh the benefits?I’d think a Dr. Gerger video series on that (the science behind the toxins/anti-nutrients in grains/nuts/legumes) would be very popular. There’s got to be some research on the subject, no?im of the opinion that grains and legumes shouldnt be eaten at all, but even nuts and seeds are quite high in antinutritious components, especially of you eat them in qunatities similar to the grains and legumes. so if youre going to eat them i think it makes sense to use ancestral soaking, souring and sprouting methods to reduce their anti nutrient content and toxic impact.We have to be careful not to make the reductionist mistake, to point out single nutrients, and label single nutrients good, bad, healthy, not healthy. We know for a fact, that the bean as a whole is a healthfood.Bob, I read that book too. At the time there was a lot of truthiness to it, but ultimately I concluded that while there was a sliver of common ground on things like dairy is bad and veggies are good, the rest is pure fantasy. Grains and legumes are trying to kill us? Bleed yourself regularly to keep iron (it comes from from the meat, you know) from building up? Really? People have a complicated – and varied – biology and it is impossible to micromanage individual nutrients – if you do finish PHD you should move on to an author who really knows his stuff and has actually done nutrition/cancer research like T. Colin Campbell, in his new book Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition, and also his first book the China Study.bob, i dont eat beans or meat and i dont think you need to choose either of them. there are quite a few high protein veggies like greens, asparagus and broccoli and these dont contain nearly the level of toxins and anti-nutritious components that legumes do.One toxin to be aware of is phytohaemagglutinin (let’s add that to next year’s spelling bee!). It is found in high concentration in red kidney beans. YOU HAVE TO COOK THE BEANS AT 100 degrees Celsius for 30 MINUTES to neutralize ‘most’ of the toxin. If you slow cook at 80 degrees, you actually increase the toxicity of the beans. I live at 4500 foot elevation and water never gets above 95 degrees when it is boiling so I need to invest in a pressure cooker or rely on canned beans. BTW Eden Organic doesn’t use Bisphenol A in the linings of their cans but they do add Kombu seaweed which has an MSG effect on my system (Kombu is the seaweed MSG was first isolated from)…. Lastly a comment about the trypsin inhibitors in soybeans. Your body’s supply of endogenous digestive enzymes like trypsin and chymotrypsin are one of your first lines of defense against developing cancers in the body. Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez uses pancreatic enzymes with his patients to break down their cancers, and soybean products are not on his acceptable foods list because of the trypsin inhibitors…Beans, lentils.. never give me gassIt took a while, but I no longer scare away people or animals. also bean gas is sooo much lighter than carne-vapour eew :)Others have said to start slowly, build up to regular serves. Struth.Hi Ann. I’d have to agree with Coacervate’s comments. With frequent consumption of beans your intestinal microflora will change and after some time you will not have this issue.Thanks Devin, I want to take the opp to say, some months ago I complained that flax seed made me sick. I solved the problem by going back to this principle. I quit completely then started using only 1/4 of a teaspoon in the grinder. that was ok. slowly I’ve upped the “dose” until I’m close to 1 tablespoon a day. Going slow is the key to making these radical positive changes to your diet.i ate beans daily for almost 18 months, they never stopped giving me gas. this is true for lots of people.Another great post Dr. Greger. Readers might also be interested in ‘Glycemic Index–Not Ready for Prime Time’ from McDougall’s July 2006 newsletter.Huh. So the ole song “let’s eat beans with every meal!” can be updated to ‘every other meal’ to offer actual health advice!Dr. Greger, are you at all concerned with eating “canned” beans due to excessive cooking times coupled with high temperatures? Canned beans are cooked inside the cans for several hours, and at very high temperatures. Are there any studies examining any sort of detrimental effects to the proteins, fats, carbs, sugars, etc. as a result of this method of cooking?Elsie, i don’t presume to speak for dr greger. I would say that canned foods, modern cans are lined with plastic that leak harmful chemicals. bis phenol A is a plastiziser that we are getting forced to eat. … from cans and plastics. so that alone is bad enough. but does harsh processing affect the nutritional quality of canned foods…well yeah. you know, just on general principles we know that some heat treatment improves nutrional quality and too much decreases. so what do you think. is retorting your food a good idea. NOPE. i don’t think so. I say keep cans for emergency or immediate needs but use dried beans as mucha s you practically can. I recommend an electric pressure cooker…too useful to pass up. Unless you worry a lot about explosions …then just soak and cook, you know.If you check the glycemic index of canned beans it is a lot higher than cooking from raw. In general once a food is processed the glycemic index shoots up.the index is only higher because the starchy cooking liquid is included in the measure. processing does shoot the index up, but cooking them yourself is no diff than cooking them and canning them.I have the same concern – I rarely use canned beans. I prefer dried beans, and I always cook the hole bag and freeze the beans in portions. That way I always have “fresh cooked” beans. Easy.I want to know that is it good to skip dinner.What do you mean, phum? how did you get that question from the video? are you asking a question? if so put a ? mark at the end ok? how could it ever be good to skip dinner? are you confused about the conclusions of the research? write lots of words ok?i take that to mean if beans provide a true second meal effect and you eat them for lunch, that should mean you can skip dinner. though i think it was tongue in cheek.This isn’t really about beans. I was just reading about astronomy. Apparently they were looking for planets and they found one that was just like Earth…so they’re gonna keep looking. heh.And on a related note, when you refrigerate beans and other carbs overnight and then eat them, the starch changes structure (according to http://www.montignac.com) and has less effect on your blood sugar.Bring on the leftovers! http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/anti-cancer-strategies-bring-on-the-leftover-carbs/I wonder if this could be good news for dieters. If blood sugars are more stable with the inclusion of beans in the diet, it stands to reason that appetite – even the next day, will be lower.I love beans and the bean burrito for breakfast sounds awsome. Anything to wrap in a tortilla, (wish I could find oil free) and eat out of hand is good to me. The more beans, the better? Aren’t you worried about too much protein? I am trying to follow the McDougall plan and am aware that we as a country/society, eat too much protein, even as vegetarians/vegans with our use of beans. Thus the use of a lot of starches which have a lot of protein too, but tend to be more filling without overdoing the protein. I will say here, that I’m no expert and have a lot to learn, but this seems like it might be an issue. What say you? Dr, Greger. and thanks for all you do. Much appreciated. LynnLynnCS: Fellow bean-lover here.I don’t understand your concern about too much protein when it comes to eating beans and following the Dr. McDougall plan. The reason I say that is that I believe that Dr. McDougall counts beans as a “starch”. So, I would think that no matter how you look at it, you are doing good with eating beans. (Of course, all good-for-you foods in moderation…[I know, that word is meaningless.])So does Hummus count?The Brits take baked beans for breakfast, but it doesn’t seem to affect their obesity rank… =)Dear Dr,Question: On the very first paper you reviewed, the area under curves are not equal. Specifically, the area under the “Grains” appears greater than the area under the “Dried Legumes”. This would mean that the energy provided by 50-g of grains is greater than the energy provided by 50-g of Dried Legumes.I’d have﻿ expected equal areas under the curves. Kindly clarify.grains contain more energy by weight than beans [not much more], why do you think they should be equal?I’ll restate my point. The aim of the paper is to compare the increase in the glucose levels due to intake of beans and other carbohydrates (grains, bread, pasta etc.)My point: to have a fair comparison of rise in postprandial glucose level, the calories in beans, grains, bread, pasta etc. should be the same.The study doesn’t keep the intake calories constant, rather it keeps the weight constant (at 50 g). Calories in 50 g grains are greater than the calories in beans; of course the mean and the peak blood glucose level will be higher for beans.In my opinion, the study is flawed, and the conclusion is biased. On the other hand, my understanding of the study could be incorrect, please correct me if that is the case.You can read the complete paper at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1713902/dude, i wasnt challenging you, i just didnt understand your point. i agree with you. the study most definitely is flawed and the conclusions drawn from it even more so.Business in the Front, Party in the Back Millet Stew– 1 small red onion, chopped – 1 small yellow onion, chopped – 2 cups large button mushrooms, sliced – 3 cups water/homemade vegetable broth – 1 cup uncooked millet – Jar strained tomatoes – 1 tbsp chili powder – 1 ½ cups cooked* adzuki beans – 4 cloves garlic, minced – black pepperCrush and mince garlic then set aside. Sauté onion and mushrooms in a large pot until onion translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except beans and garlic. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes, until millet is cooked. Add in beans and garlic 5-10 minutes before millet is fully cooked. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.*If using canned beans select those packaged in BPA-free cans such as Eden Organic brand. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium~Complements of lovestobeveganLove your sense of humor and the way you put together these entertaining yet enlightening videos!Thank you for great video. It seems propionate is good, but do propionate producing bacteria thrive of legumes only? Can you point out what kind of fiber do they like as well? Is there any kind of second meal effect after tomatoes, raisins etc.? Just wondering about proper fiber…they like soluble fiber and there are lots of other rich sources of it.this post took me ages to finish because im not tech savvy with formatting, but my wife was helpful in setting that up for me.im flabbergasted at what passed for evidence in this post. has anyone examined the citations themselves? there isnt a single one that demonstrates what dr. greger claims it does. The first issue being that in almost every study, the beans are compared to the only whole food that is actually higher on the glycemic index or load than they are- grains. take a look-R. C. Mollard, C. L. Wong, B. L. Luhovyy, G. H. Anderson. First and second meal effects of pulses on blood glucose, appetite, and food intake at a later meal. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2011 36(5):634 – 642this study found that people who ate a meal with beans had better blood glucose and less appetite than those who ate macaroni and cheese.J. Mattei, F. B. Hu, H. Campos. A higher ratio of beans to white rice is associated with lower cardiometabolic risk factors in Costa Rican adults. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2011 94(3):869 – 876This one showed that blood glucose was better if people ate less white rice. i dont think this one even needs explaining.T. M. Wolever, D. J. Jenkins, A. M. Ocana, V. A. Rao, G. R. Collier. Second-meal effect: Low-glycemic-index foods eaten at dinner improve subsequent breakfast glycemic response. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1988 48(4):1041 – 1047this study found that the total glycemic index of dinner was the determining factor on BG in the morning. and they specifically state that “Eating, at dinner, foods with different fiber contents but the same GI had no effect on postbreakfast glycemia.” in other words, fiber content was irrelevant as long as the total GI of dinner was low. most every plant food other than grain has a lower GI than beans. if you stick with greens and non-starchy plant foods your total meal GI will be even lower than it would be with beans.F. Brighenti, L. Benini, D. Del Rio, C. Casiraghi, N. Pellegrini, F. Scazzina, D. J. A. Jenkins, I. Vantini. Colonic fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates contributes to the second-meal effect. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2006 83(4):817 – 822this study didnt use any actual whole food. “test meals consisting of sponge cakes made with rapidly digestible, nonfermentable amylopectin starch plus cellulose, amylopectin starch plus the fermentable disaccharide lactulose, or slowly digestible, partly fermentable amylose starch plus cellulose.”D. J. Jenkins, T. M. Wolever, R. H. Taylor, H. M. Barker, H. Fielden. Exceptionally low blood glucose response to dried beans: Comparison with other carbohydrate foods. Br Med J 1980 281(6240):578 – 580in this study, the beans were compared to grains, cereals and pasta, breakfast cereals, biscuits, and tuberous vegetables [of the tubers, the sweet potatoes had similar GIs to the beans]D. J. Jenkins, T. M. Wolever, R. H. Taylor, C. Griffiths, K. Krzeminska, J. A. Lawrie, C. M. Bennett, D. V. Goff, D. L. Sarson, S. R. Bloom. Slow release dietary carbohydrate improves second meal tolerance. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1982 35(6):1339 – 1346this study compared whole lentils to whole grain BREAD and found the beans performed better.come on people, grains are the only food that beans could possibly look good against but that means that against everything else, theyre not better.I find the glycemic index interesting and consistent with what we understand about the metabolism of simple and complex carbohydrates and protein. However, clinically it causes alot of confusion with my patients with diabetes who assume they should consume low glycemic foods. Although low glycemic foods tend to not cause as high a rise in serum glucose they also contain fats which make the diabetes worse via insulin resistance and down regulating mitochondria as well as fructose which is metabolized by the liver to among other things fatty acids and uric acid. They can also contribute to weight gain and obesity worse because they tend to be higher in Calorie Density. A clinical example are patients with diabetes. It is important for them to appreciate type two diabetes is a “glucose” processing problem caused mainly by fats. Furctose which is very low glycemic can contribute to worsening the diabetes if consumed above a certain threshold. Dr. Greger’s 8/9 video on Reducing muscle fatigue with citrus cites two articles that relate to the threshold issue with Orange Juice see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-fatigue-with-citrus/. You might find his series of videos in early 2013 relating to Uric acid and fructose of interest as well: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/; http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/ : and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse- than-sugar-water/. Of course you need to stay tuned to Nutrition Facts.org as the science keeps coming.there are more very low fat, low glycemic plant foods then there are animal foods. Eat a salad or a bunch of greens. almost every non-starchy veggie is low-glycemic and will perform better than beans for your blood sugar.please dont refer to me to other posts by dr. greger. after seeing that every citation in this post was a fail, i dont consider him a reliable resource for information and prefer the science journals themselves. the discussion is more informative.i dont agree that diabetes is caused by fats. ive seen data where high fat diets cured diabetes. dr. cousens uses vegan diets that are almost 50% fat to cure them.The glycemic load of beans are quite low, I am not sure where you are getting your information from.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4284/2same place as you, dude.when talking glycemic load, low is under 10. moderate is 11-20 and high is over 20. the black beans you linked to have a load of 14, the same as the buckwheat groats [grain]. Adzuki and navy beans have a load of 21, thats the same as brown rice, amaranth and millet, and like paleo huntress pointed out, a fudge brownie or a small snickers bar. pink beans 20, kidney and pinto beans are 15.but spinach has a load of 2 and kale a load of 3. tomato and red pepper both 2. eggplant and zucchini both 2 too.Beans have a significant glycemic load. if you want better blood sugar in the morning, you should probably skip the beans and eat your veggies instead.I agree. Dr. Cousens is the only plant-based guru that I have any respect for. When you listen to him talk, it is clear that he is respectful of all whole-food diets and his voice is absent of the sneering and condescension heard in so many of the voices of the pb gurus. Plus, I’ve been following his research on diabetes and he very much is curing it with a moderately high fat diet.Don, i want to add too that the creators of the glycemic index state very emphatically that the index is useless without serving size information, which is where the load measurement comes in. carrots are a high glycemic index food but a low glycemic load food. beans are low glycemic index food, but a moderate to high glycemic load food. the index uses a set amount of carbohydrate to compare foods but the load uses the index and serving size in its calculation. dr. greger keeps talking about the low glycemic index of beans but he doesn’t mention the moderate to high load. when you look at the loads of other plant foods and see most are less than 5, and that white rice he says is high glycemic has a load of 23, a load of 21 no longer looks “low”Great comment Dr. Forrester.Would you clarify what it is that you mean when you write,“Although low glycemic foods tend to not cause as high a rise in serum glucose they also contain fats”Are you talking about the trace fats found in foods like greens, celery and peppers or were you referring to only the animal-based low glycemic foods?You also wrote this-“They can also contribute to weight gain and obesity worse because they tend to be higher in Calorie Density.I don’t disagree that there are some high calorie, low glycemic-load foods, but many are lower in calories too. Chicken breast is lower in calories than the same amount of brown rice or ripe banana and pretty much every non-starchy vegetable is both lower in calories and lower in glycemic load. Even the super-high fat avocado is lower in calories than that cup of rice.Please let me know if I took away something different from your comment than what you intended.Garbanzo beans (chickpeas): We usually remove the skins from garbanzo beans when making hummus because it makes smoother, creamier hummus. Are we losing a great deal of nutritional value by doing this?seems to ME that fiber is lost doing this…just guessing.How about butyrate formed from complex carbohydrates, fermented by gut bacteria? These carbohydrates were insufficiently digested and non-absorbed in the small intestine so they continue to be broken down in the large intestine. Different complex carbohydrates (serving the function of pre-biotics) feed different strains of intestinal flora and promote good intestinal health, providing short chain fatty acids for the cells of intestinal lining as a source of energy and also create a pH favoring good intestinal health – this all reducing the risk of cancer, also by controlling the proliferation and promoting apoptosis of the intestinal lining tissue.Dr. Gregor, when you put your sprouted lentils in your smoothie, do you cook them first or are they raw sprouted?Since Peanuts are also legumes, would they also cause the second meal effect? Is so, peanut butter in oatmeal would be a good choiceDoes this include green peas… like whole petite peas in the frozen section?cool!Lectins in beans would make them seen that they need to be fermented. Lentils have traditionally been fermented and this reduces their lectin level to zero.I wish there was clear documentation concerning which bacteria are involved in producing propionate. I still have trouble finding the original studies. I maybe have to search harder.	beans,blood sugar,bread,chickpeas,diabetes,fiber,garbanzo beans,glycemic index,insulin,lentil effect,lentils,metabolic syndrome,pasta,peas,potatoes,prediabetes,rice,second meal effect,sugar	The so-called "lentil effect" or "second meal effect" describes the remarkable effect of beans to help control blood sugar levels hours or even the next day after consumption.	But what about the gas? Check out my blog post Beans and Gas: Clearing the air.What other superpowers do beans posses? They are packed with potassium (Preventing Strokes with Diet), mad with magnesium (Mineral of the Year—Magnesium), and a preferred source of protein (Plant Protein Preferable). They improve breast cancer survival (Breast Cancer Survival and Soy), reduce hot flashes (Soy Foods & Menopause), delay premature puberty (The Effect of Soy on Precocious Puberty), and they're a great bargain to boot (Eating Healthy on a Budget). Which beans are most antioxidant packed? See The Best Bean and The Healthiest Lentil (hint: skip the jelly variety). Which lower cholesterol the most? See Soy Worth a Hill of Beans?Lentils for breakfast? Well, the Brits like baked beans on their toast but I've started using a handful of sprouted lentils in my breakfast smoothie (see A Better Breakfast and Antioxidants Sprouting Up)The propionate video I reference is Fawning Over Flora with a follow-up Boosting Good Bacteria in the Colon Without Probiotics.For more context check out my blog: Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013 and Why We Should Eat More Beans.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-more-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentil-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garbanzo-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pasta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/second-meal-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycemic-index/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-foods-menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2844076,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16600933,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6282105,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21957874,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21813808,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1713902,
PLAIN-2734	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/	Eggs and Cholesterol: Patently False and Misleading Claims	For decades, “on the basis of concerns from the American Heart Association and consumer groups, the Federal Trade Commission carried out successful legal action - upheld by the Supreme Court-to compel the egg industry to cease and desist from false and misleading advertising that eggs had no harmful effects on health."See “anti-cholesterol attacks on eggs resulted in severe economic loss through a reduction in egg consumption,” so the egg industry created a "National Commission on Egg Nutrition" to combat the anti-cholesterol, anti-egg publicity with ads like this, exclaiming there is no scientific evidence whatsoever that eating eggs in any way increases the risk of heart attack," which the U.S. Court of Appeals found patently false and misleading.Even the tobacco industry wasn't that brazen, instead of just trying to introduce the element of doubt, arguing that the relationship between smoking and health remains an open question. The egg ads made 7 claims, each of which, in truth and in fact was determined to be.The Court determined the egg industry ads were and are, false, misleading, and deceptive. In fact legal scholars view what the tobacco industry tried to do as the same as what the American Egg Board's National Commission on Egg Nutrition tried to do. As with the egg ads, the tobacco industry did more that just espouse one side of a genuine controversy but just denies the existence of scientific evidence.Over the last 36 years, the American Egg Board has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to convince people eggs are not going to kill them—and it's working. "In combination with aggressive nutrition science and public relations efforts, research shows that the advertising has been effective in decreasing consumers concerns over eggs and cholesterol/heart health." This is from their internal strategy documents I got a hold of.Currently they're targeting moms. Their approach is to "surround moms wherever they are." They pay integration fees for egg product placement in TV shows. To integrate eggs into The Biggest Loser, for example, could be a million dollars. But getting some kids storytime reading program to integrate eggs may only take half a million, though. The American Egg Board keeps track of who is and is not a "friend-of-eggs" They pay scientists $1500 to sit and answer questions like "What studies can help disassociate eggs from cardiovascular disease?"From the beginning, their arch nemesis was the American Heart Association, with whom they fought a major battle over cholesterol. In documents retrieved through the Freedom of Information Act, we see even the USDA repeatedly chastising the egg industry for misrepresenting the American Heart Association position. In a draft letter to magazine editors, the egg industry tried to say that the "American Heart Association changed its recommendations to approve an egg a day in 2000 and eventually eliminated its number restrictions on eggs in 2002,” to which the head of USDA's poultry research and promotion programs had to explain, the quote-unquote change in 2000 wasn't a change at all. Nothing in the guidelines or recommendations was changed. What happened is that in response to a question posed by someone planted in the audience, Heart Association reps acknowledged that even though eggs are the most concentrated source of cholesterol in the diet, since an individual egg had under 300mg of cholesterol technically an egg could fit under the 300 mg daily limit, and in 2002 they just eliminated the specific mention of eggs for consistency sake, but the AHA insists that they haven't changed their position and continue to warn consumers about eggs.So here's from the AHA website at the time. If one egg has 213 and the limit for people with normal cholesterol is 300 you could fit an egg in if you cut down on all other animal products. You have an egg for breakfast, and some coffee, some skinless turkey breast etc., you could end up at 510, nearly twice the recommended limit. So if you are going to eat an egg you need to substitute vegetables for some of the meat, drink your coffee black, and watch for hidden eggs in baked goods. And the limit for folks with high cholesterol is 200mg a day, which may not even allow a single egg a day.This is how the senior director of nutrition education at the American Egg Board's Egg Nutrition Center characterized the American Heart Association guidelines: “Maybe I'm being overly sensitive, but this reads like: If you insist on having those deadly high cholesterol eggs your penalty will be to eat vegetables and you can't even have the yummy steak and creamy coffee you love. Really it's not worth eating eggs. Oh, and if you think you'll be able to enjoy some delicious baked goods, forget it, the deadly eggs are there too!"	No Senior Directly, you’re not being overly sensitive. Actually that’s a perfect paraphrasing of the guidelines. Maybe you could break it down like that in your next advertisement.I’m confused. You are commenting on the egg “lobby” and misleading information. What are YOUR facts about eggs?If you make the effort to use the index or search function of this website you’ll find plenty of additional information about eggs.What are you? A moron? Oh, you are showing us your observation and research skills… All the info on the problems with eggs are RIGHT UNDER THE VIDEO! Worse than an ignorant person is an ignorant who thinks they know it all.It does seem that your post is best directed to yourself and your asinine presumptuousness.Hi joeboosauce and mojo191.Per Dr. Greger: “We welcome vigorous debate of the science, but to make NutritionFacts.org a place where people feel comfortable posting without feeling attacked, we have no tolerance for ad hominem attacks or comments that are racist/misogynist/homophobic/vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. I’ve gotten more sensitive to this after a physician who graciously donated his time to answer people’s questions stopped contributing because of the acrid atmosphere. So please, for everyone’s benefit, help me foster a community of mutual respect.” (effective Feb 2104)FYI: Since these comments were posted 9 months ago, we have had a change in the of the comment section programming, I cannot currently delete these old posts or I would.If you are enforcing Dr. Gregers own policy, why wouldn’t he have deleted this comment himself when it was first posted? Obviously he read it, because he commented on it. Back then, he allowed the PB advocates to call others morons and juvenile, but today, if someone disparages a pb expert (McDougall) even one that isn’t part if this debate, he is threatened with deletion and barring?Per my post at the first quote you sent: Dr. Greger needed to change his stance from simply ignoring to deleting – I dated so you would know it was as of Feb 2014. This is across the board no matter who the commenter is or who they are disparaging. I will just add Phaedra, you can’t see the totality of all the statements and if necessary deleted comments on this site.Just as with anything in life things change, just like the policies and procedures in any job. And because of disparaging comments we have lost valuable volunteers who don’t have the time (nor want) to deal with rude and disparaging remarks. Thus, there is less tolerance for these types of comments on this website.I suspect that you’ve lost valuable posters because of a rude moderator too. I do hope that same tolerance level is applied to the NF Team as well.what about egg whites ?Why are we attacking someone for asking a question? Let’s not insult someone because we’re reading into the tone of an all caps “YOUR”. What kind of environment (real or online) resists questions and/or potentially differing points of view? Pushing visitors away from the gems on this site (which is already happening) we’ll create a small, intellectually homogenous community – which smacks of “isms” more than healthy scientific skepticism. Play nice, even if we all don’t see eye to eye.Thank you for putting these people straight!! I never saw such disrespectful juvenile comments on such an issue!!What is wrong with these people?Insulting people isn’t helping anybody.Contempt of court! It’s been settled for decades. The burden of proof is on the party challenging the litigated facts; the party with the established facts doesn’t need to re-prove them every time someone crawls out from under another rock.Diane Reimers:Maybe you should continue to eat eggs. Some people need to learn the hard way.I eat organic eggs. Every day. For years. My cholesterol went down when I ditched wheat and started eating eggs for breakfast.Me too. 6 months ago I went for blood tests, my doctor said my cholesterol was the lowest she’d ever seen @ 79.2mg/dl & Triglycerides @ 10.26mg/dlIf you go to his videos, and look up the lists of sources, you’ll find lots of studies on eggs, fish, meat, oils, and other unhealthy foods, as well as healthy berries and good for you foods. This web site has greatly helped me change the way I eat.All facts and citation are listed under “sources cited” and we have a lot of citations on egg consumption. Of course, everyone here is encourage to make their own dietary decisions and work with their health care teams. Thanks for your question.JosephTypical reductionist thinking when holistic thinking is needed. You can read T. Colin Campbell’s latest book Whole:… to understand this reductionist thinking that will never find what is going on with nutrition. Besides Campbell, Greger is close to holistic thinking too, using reductionist data and then looking at it all holistically.Thank You!!Wow man! I absolutely thought eggs are actually good for you, especially free range omega 3’s, and I had some of those every day, at least 4!Well thank you so much for clearing up the fact from fiction Dr. Greger.MarkI had migrated back to eating eggs as well. Usually just one. Although we don’t need as much protein as previously thought. I have found that I feel weak at times since quitting meat and need something with protein. The choice is either an egg or processed tofu/meat substitute. I wish I had time to always have fresh veggie burgers or some other healthier choices on hand. I will start reevaluating again. What is fairly quick, wholesome and hearty and meatless that will give a person a boost when needed? Please don’t say nuts, thats not an entrée.Sally you need to read some books by Mcdougall, Campbell and Esselstein;father and son(sorry if I misspelled any names) and you will find more than enough meatless, plant based ideas and you will also find that protein is found in almost everything and in some cases much much more than meat and if you are feeling weak I have a suspicion that it is more to do with a lack of adequate ingestion of foods.And ALWAYS remember if it is plant based there is never any need for moderation. Eat until your body tells you that you have had enough.“[P]rotein is found in almost everything and in some cases much much more than meat…”There is no vegetable source of protein that provides more protein than meat. And even for those that come close, the protein isn’t nearly as bioavailable. Vegans can certainly get enough protein from plant foods, but let’s skip the mythology and keep it real.Position of the American dieticians on protein for vegetarians and vegans:“Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal (8). A meta-analysis of nitrogen balance studies found no significant difference in protein needs due to the source of dietary protein (9). Based on the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score, which is the standard method for determining protein quality, other studies have found that although isolated soy protein can meet protein needs as effectively as animal protein, wheat protein eaten alone, for example, may result in a reduced efficiency of nitrogen utilization (10).Thus, estimates of protein requirements of vegans may vary, depending to some degree on dietary choices. Food and nutrition professionals should be aware that protein needs might be somewhat higher than the Recommended Dietary Allowance in those vegetarians whose dietary protein sources are mainly those that are less well digested, such as some cereals and legumes (11). Cereals tend to be low in lysine, an essential amino acid (8). This may be relevant when evaluating diets of individuals who do not consume animal protein sources and when diets are relatively low in protein. Dietary adjustments such as the use of more beans and soy products in place of other protein sources that are lower in lysine or an increase in dietary protein from all sources can ensure an adequate intake of lysine. Although some vegan women have protein intakes that are marginal, typical protein intakes of lacto-ovovegetarians and of vegans appear to meet and exceed requirements (12). Athletes can also meet their protein needs on plant-based diets (13).”Source: http://www.eatright.org/About/Content.aspx?id=8357@BPCveg:disqus, keepin’ it real! :-)LMAO… So, which part of my comment was that supposed to refute? The part where I wrote that there are plenty of sufficient vegan protein sources? The part where I wrote that meat ALWAYS contains more protein than plants? Or do you simply like the role of echo chamber using hundreds more words than are needed… Yeah, that’s keepin’ it real alright. Some folks have trouble with language comprehension, that’s certainly real. ;~}“The part where I wrote that meat ALWAYS contains more protein than plants?” Depends on how you measure it.Broccoli has 11.1 grams of protein per 100 calories while steak has 6.4 grams of protein per 100 calories.http://blog.timesunion.com/healthylife/the-food-with-the-most-protein-is/7185/“Steak”?Would this nebulous term be something like the nebulous “vegan” term that you objected to? I guess it’s OK to use nebulous terms when they suit you.So which steak exactly? Strip? Sirloin? Filet? Round eye?100 calories of an eye of the round steak contains 18 grams of protein and that’s in less than 3 oz. The steak is about 6/10 water.The broccoli is about 9/10 water.For the same amount of protein from broccoli, you’ll need to eat almost TEN ounces.100 calories of chicken breast contains 20 grams.100 calories of pork loin contains 19 grams.And hey, it’s not technically meat, but close enough in the eyes of most vegans–100 calories of egg white contains almost 23 grams.Now if you want to debate fiber/bulk and water, feel free– but for the folks who really NEED the extra protein, the consideration of a few ounces of animal food versus a couple of POUNDS of plant food is a valid one.Plant amino acids are also less bioavailable due to the natural protease inhibitors contained in plant foods. So it isn’t about how much they contain as much as it is about how much you don’t feed to the toilet.Meat has a higher protein content by volume ALWAYS, and most of the time, by calorie too. Meat is a denser source of protein. Period.Perhaps you could just take that at face value.According to data using Nutritionist Pro Nutritional Analysis Software, Version 4.7, 100 calories of broccoli contains 11.1 grams of protein. One hundred calories of Beef Short Loin, Porterhouse Steak, separable lean & fat, 1/8″ fat, broiled contains 8 grams of protein, and with 1/4″ fat, 6.5 grams.We are talking whole foods as eaten here, so unless you scrape away every last vestige of fat from the meat with a scalpel, in this instance, broccoli does indeed have more protein.Your generalized statement, “Meat ALWAYS contains more protein than plants” is incorrect.A scalpel? Be real. Meat is meat, not meat and fat. If the fat is marbled into the flesh, that’s one thing. If it’s sitting at the border, that’s another altogether.Beef, short loin, porterhouse steak, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 0″ fat, all grades, cooked, broiled10 grams of protein in 100 calories. But let’s look at that 100 calories. It takes less than 2oz to get it. So let’s say 2 oz covers the same amount of protein contained in the broccoli (contained, not bioavailable)- that’s still means I have to eat 4 TIMES as much broccoli to get the same protein. And this means… saying it again–> the meat contains more protein. Even in your own example.So let’s imagine you’re Real World Vegan and your intake is about 200 grams/day for your mass gain. That would entail eating more than ELEVEN POUNDS of broccoli. But that’s still less than 1300 calories and you need to get to 3000 for your mass gain. So after that 11 pounds of broccoli, you’re still going to have to stuff in 1700 MORE calories.“And this means… saying it again–> the meat contains more protein.”Well, you had better take it up with the makers of the Nutritionist Pro Nutritional Analysis Software. They say that for the particular measurement benchmark of 100 calories, broccoli has more protein than steak.I wonder which one of them can eat 11 pounds of broccoli. We should ask them. =Dyoure spot on huntress, i cant get enough protein in without purified protein powders. i was too stuffed to work out and i was on the commode at least 6 times a day.Maybe you and Paleo Huntress should hook up. You could make a website devoted to proving the health benefits of eating meat and publish the first ever study showing that a paleo diet provides health benefits.dude, who pissed in your green smoothie this morning?You are no friend of mine. Once you have finished with your verbal dump on this page, please clean up your mess. Your mom doesn’t work here.i dont know why youd mention friendship dude, we dont even know each other. count yourself lucky that my mom doesnt work here cuz the boy who makes a habit of insulting others and then deleting the insults from the public forum so they cant be made to cop to them would be taken over her knee for correction. better to be a man and just own it, tho that would make it harder to bash someone else for it.re: “…for the folks who really NEED the extra protein,…”I don’t know of anyone in the developed world who is getting enough calories, who needs (let alone NEEDS) any extra protein. The possible exception might be fruitarians and anyone who runs over 50 miles a day all the time. Most people who think they need X amount of protein are simply confused about what their bodies need.i dont know you thea, but i interpreted that as really condescending. i cant imagine that you know most people so perhaps it is you who is confused about knowing what everyone else needs. its possible isnt it?Real World Vegan: I’m sorry for the confusion about my post.I have never claimed that I know most people. What I do know well enough is the nutritional science and the nutritional recommendations of leading American and world authorities. What these sources say about human protein needs do indeed apply to most (the vast majority of?) people. This is not conceit or assumptions. This is what humans know right now about the protein needs of humans. To disregard such information – now *that* would be conceited.To help you understand further: Brenda Davis, a famous and well-respected registered dietician, wrote: “The RDA for protein is 25% higher than biological requirements” and “It is set to surpass the needs of 97.5% of the population”Take Brenda’s information along with: I believe that the vast majority of Americans far exceed the RDA. Thus, the idea that people need more protein is not supported by the evidence. (Put another way: Some people may *think* they need more protein for a variety of social and political reasons. But it’s not because 97.5% or more truly need it.)You get the gist. Protein is simply not something most people are hurting for – certainly not when they are getting enough calories and a varied diet (ie, not just all fruit).I hope that helps you understand what I originally wrote.how do you -know- it thea? because some gurus said so? how do they know it? i think thats pretty important to know. im familiar with Brenda Davis, she is a vegan dietician. that right there says she has a bias. you quote the claim but not any evidence for it. the question is tho, why is she a leading expert? has she done any of the research herself? i haven’t seen any papers authored by her and i dont know why she is any more expert than an omni dietician.in 2010 a review of previous protein requirement studies was done using a more reliable model than the older nitrogen balance method [indicator amino acid oxidation technique]. they found that current protein recommendations were about 50% too low. and no, the funding wasn’t the meat, dairy or egg industry, it was The Research Institute at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. and they weren’t testing sick children, they were looking at healthy male adults.using this data, a 200 lb non-athlete male should consume between 84 and 108 grams of bioavailable protein each day. thats 12-14 cups of quinoa or 16-20 cups of cooked spinach. i mean holy crap thats a sh*t-ton of food!why do you think Ms Davis is more reliable than the data itself?Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2010 Jan;13(1):52-7Real World Vegan: Brenda Davis is not a guru. She is a Registered Dietician. In addition to her original education to get her degree, she has continued to do extensive research, written extremely well-researched books with all the study citations, and participated in original research in the Marshal Islands showing how to prevent and reverse diabetes. (FYI: It’s done with a truly low-fat whole plant food based diet.)Is Brenda Davis biased? Well, ask yourself, is someone who advocates for a meat diet biased? What if both believe that the research supports their position? Brenda would only be biased if she started out with the desire to prove a position. After reading her books and hearing her speak, I highly, highly doubt that.But if you don’t like Brenda as a source, how about the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and United Nations University.I didn’t count, but it looks like a good dozen experts participated in their (almost 300 page!!) paper on protein. They wrote:“The protein requirement is derived as an average (or median) value for the population, with its variance. For an individual, a safe individual intake has been defined as the 97.5th percentile of the distribution of individual requirements, nominally the average + 1.96SD. Thus any individual receiving such an intake will have a very low (<2.5%) risk of deficiency (intake < requirement)."They also wrote: "As indicated above, in developed countries most people consume substantially more protein than the safe level…"I don't know anything about the study you cited. What I do know is that science is always about the body of evidence, not a single study. As you know, you can find any single study to support any position you want. I'd take Brenda Davis's exhaustive research, looking at the big picture, over your single study any day. Also, the idea that people need more protein than had previously been recommended makes no sense given what we know about which individuals have the best health.Which brings me back to my original comment: Most people are not hurting for protein. There is no NEED for most people to focus on protein like it is hard to get enough of. They have plenty whether they know it or not – unless they are eating an unbalanced diet (say mostly fruit and some other single veggie) or are not getting enough calories or are unusual in some other way (fitting into that less than 2.5 percent of the population).I understand that you don't agree. That's fine. What I hoped to clarify for you is that my original comment had been based on basic accepted science, basic math and basic logic (whether you agree with it or not). Which means that I have fully answered your comment of, "…i cant imagine that you know most people so maybe it is you who is confused…"Good luck to you.Stated beautifully!thea, a guru can be almost anything professionally. look up guru in the dictionary and youll find her picture there. [lol just kidding] but seriously, look up guru and youll see shes the epitome of a guru and she has a major investment in being right. she also has a serious financial motive as she profits from book sales and speaking engagements. she is a guru, no more or less valid than any other. show me the actual data, i dont care about gurus.having said that, i respect a persons right to choose a guru. if youve read the data that backs her claims and you find it sound you are more than welcome to follow her. however, in a debate with others, you’ll still need the backing data to make your points.a final point, the quote you copied and pasted is from a document that was last revised in 2006 and the data i shared with you regarding minimum protein requirements and the methods used for determining them is quite recent. the group paper has not been updated to reflect these new findings.Real World Vegan: I also wanted to add one potentially unrelated thought for you.Do you get the Meatout Monday e-mails? In the latest issue, they did a mini-article on vegan body builders. The vegan body builders “Dominated Texas Competition” The article also points to a website for vegan body builders. You may already be aware of that group (or may even be on the team yourself). I just thought I would point it out in case you are not aware.http://www.meatoutmondays.org/current.htmthank you, thea.Why do people bother to argue with this huntress who argues so aggressively?Really it only makes the forum harder to read by those seeking real info, which is exactly what the puppets seek to do.This is bull. 100 grams of steak has just over 11g and 100 grams of broccoli has just over 8g. And not all protein is created equally. A 4 ounce steak has 30g of protein and fulfills almost all of your daily amino acid requirements. To get 30g of protein from broccoli would require eating over 10 cups and you’re not getting any essential amino acids. Your source for measuring protein comes from a well known bull%^& book by Dr. Furhman, who used nutritional info from 1986.The focus on consuming enough protein is unfounded in this developed nation. If you consume enough calories, you are getting enough protein. Perhaps in the 3rd world country where food is scarce, then getting enough calories (i.e. protein) would be an issue.“Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal ”http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdfAs Jeff Novick puts it..Many say that plants foods are incompleteIf “incomplete” means not containing all the essential amino acids then…. (the incomplete protein theory)1) All plant foods are complete as they contain all the essential amino acids.2) the only food that is not a complete protein is an animal food, gelatin.If “incomplete” means lacking in sufficient quantity of one or more amino acids…(the limiting amino acid theory)1) Getting all the amino acids in at once at the same meal, or even in the same day, as some may suggest, is not necessary due to the amino acid pool, which is a circulating level of amino acids in the blood, that the body can draw from if needed. As long as one follows a whole foods plant based diet, the amino acid pool will maintain a sufficient stock of any potentially needed (or limiting) amino acids.2) However, as long as one consumes enough calories, eats a variety of food, and limits junk foods and refined foods, and is not an all fruit diet, then they will get in enough protein and enough amino acids in sufficient quantity. There will be no limiting amino acids3) there is some evidence that the amino acids that are slightly lower (but adequate) in plant foods, may actually be a benefit to health and longevity and not a concern. This evidence stems from the fact that eating foods that resemble the protein structure of humans causes the liver to release excess amounts of the growth hormone, IGF-1, which accelerates aging and promotes tumor growth.What Toxins said – great post! – in a world of chronic diseases caused by eating too much animal protein, the comparison of animal and plant protein is apples and oranges. Animal flesh is inflammatory and devoid of fiber and phytonutrients, and comes chock full of things that are bad for you. It’s totally dishonest to say regularly eating any meat is good for you – perhaps that one time you are starving for a couple weeks or more and there’s absolutely nothing else to eat. In view of the overwhelming evidence you are fooling yourself to think otherwise.Still building your entire identity built around me? I’m flattered!Don’t flatter yourself paleo huntress, most that know your history here do not hold you in high regard. You have put that upon yourself with your multi-user personalities which is distressing to think someone would go that far to make their case. Clearly you do not have confidence in your own viewpoints, as you would not need to make multiple accounts or aggressively handle yourself with other users if you had a sound argument.For anyone who wonders if Toxin’s accusation is true, Disqus has written consent to disclose the number of accounts that originate from my home IP address. I can’t imagine that anyone cares, but if you do, free to email and ask them.I’d imagine that what would be significantly MORE distressing is that even Dr. Greger’s privacy policy states,“NutritionFacts.org may disclose your personal information only when we have your express consent to share the information for a specified purpose.And yet a representative of Nutritionfacts broke that policy, and worse even, is that there was no consequence for the moderator that did so. Obviously Dr. Greger isn’t the honest or honorable individual that his followers believe him to be.Toxins, the only reason you continue to make this claim is because you can’t back-pedal out of revealing someone’s personal email address in this forum while in your role as moderator. If I were to reveal your identity to Disqus, they tell me that your user account would be deleted for “violation Disqus TOUs”. This wouldn’t prevent you from posting further, you could come back under a new ID, but you would lose your encyclopedic copy and pasted, posting history too, and that would be a shame considering you don’t write much of your own stuff. =(And let’s be real, Annoyed by Paleofraud uses my name in his user ID… I’m not flattering myself, he’s flattering me! Hell, he named himself after me.Interesting… the comment I posted about you breaking the site’s TOUs is strangely absent this morning, Toxins… No big, this time I’ll post from my email and the sent message will serve as proof that it was posted. Disqus has my consent to reveal the number of accounts that exist that are connected to my IP address (1) to anyone from this discussion that requests the information. I don’t know why anyone would care, but if it really matters to you, feel free. What people should REALLY be concerned with is the NF moderator that ignores Dr. Greger’s privacy policy whenever he feels like it- publishing personal information about NF members, including their personal email address, online. The policy reads,What’s even more disturbing is that there were no consequences for this moderator, bringing Dr. Greger’s professional honesty and integrity into question in that he doesn’t enforce his own policies. Tech support at Disqus tells me that if the person who was violated files an official complaint, that the user account of the moderator responsible (Toxins) will be deleted along with his encyclopedic copied and pasted postings. Toxins has since edited the comment to remove part of the email address, but the original was sent to anyone who enabled email notifications of new comments, and those messages can’t be edited.Interesting… the second comment I posted about you breaking the site’s TOUs is absent now too, Toxins… Considering Dr. Greger says he doesn’t delete ANYTHING unless it’s  people have been abusive (name-calling, racist, etc…)”, that does make one wonder.(Third time posting)Disqus has my consent to reveal the number of accounts that exist that are connected to my IP address (1) to anyone from this discussion that requests the information. I don’t know why anyone would care, but if it really matters to you, feel free.What people should REALLY be concerned with is the NF moderator that ignores Dr. Greger’s privacy policy whenever he feels like it- publishing personal information about NF members, including their personal email address, online. The policy reads,What’s even more disturbing is that there were no consequences for this moderator, bringing Dr. Greger’s professional honesty and integrity into question in that he doesn’t enforce his own policies.Tech support at Disqus tells me that if the person who was violated files an official complaint, that the user account of the moderator responsible (Toxins) will be deleted. (along with his encyclopedic copied and pasted postings).Toxins has since edited the comment to remove part of the email address, but the original was sent to anyone who enabled email notifications of new comments, and those messages can’t be edited.1) All plant foods are complete as they contain all the essential amino acids. 2) the only food that is not a complete protein is an animal food, gelatin.Gelatin isn’t a whole food, it is an extract from animal food, much like gluten is an extract from wheat… and this is from your “expert”? Sheesh. No integrity, Toxins, from you or Jeff Novick. Regarding the “complete protein” argument, it trusts that the person reading it understand that a trace is not the same as an affective level. We move air though the eustachian tubes in our ears too, so that “proves” we can actually breathe through our ears… but let’s see anyone cut off air flow through their nose and mouth and not die from lack of oxygen. Most plant foods do not have the correct balance of amino acids to be considered “complete”. That isn’t very relevant in a diet where different plant foods are eaten and can fill in the deficits… but it’s still true.The comparison was made with 100 calories, not 100 grams, of food. Using that benchmark, broccoli does indeed contain more protein than steak. Where does a grass-fed cow get her protein?My source was the Nutritionist Pro Nutritional Analysis Software, not Dr. Fuhrman.The issue of course is that you refuse to make the comparison honestly, you want to include a quarter inch ribbon of fat in your calorie count that most people trim away. It is akin to trying to include the netshell in a fiber comparison. And as I pointed out months ago, a significant amount of the protein in the broccoli won’t be assimilated, so even if it contained as much gross protein (and it doesnt) it doesn’t net nearly as usable protein as a steak. Why can’t you just make a straight up comparison?My statement from the very beginning (and now) was that 100 calories of broccoli has more protein than 100 calories of steak. I said or inferred nothing else. That’s about as straight up as you can get—nothing disingenuous whatsoever. If you don’t agree, please post a reputable link that shows this is not so.I would hope that Nutritionist Pro Nutritional Analysis Software researchers obtain their data from commonly-purchased, whole, “as eaten” foods. Meat naturally contains fat within the muscle tissue itself, apart from the extraneous visible fat. Broccoli contains a lot of water and fibre. These are real foods, and protein is only one constituent element.You are arguing with a brick wall when it comes to paleo huntress. I would not get too frustrated with this individual. She is only here to be disruptive.Thanks Toxins—like your posts. I’m not talking about PH here, but I’ve found that people with contrary views to mine usually inspire me to do my homework, thus broadening my knowledge base. I know a lot of these discussions end up in stand-offs anyway, but most of them just more strongly re-affirm my belief in a whole foods, plant-based diet.FWIW, I’m not the least bit interested in your position on diet. I don’t mean that with insult, rather I’m just making a point that I have no expectation that anyone as fully entrenched in WFPB will look for something else until their health fails. When that person starts seeking answers, they’ll visit blogs like this one and instead of encountering only the rigid “you failed the diet, it didn’t fail you” dogma found in this and other vegan communities, they’ll find others who were also harmed by the wrong diet and they’ll find other options for healing. Plus, those on the fence won’t be quite so easily swayed by the cherry-picking. It’s good to have both sides represented since we clearly cannot count on Dr. Greger to share all of the relevant data. I think you’re a good guy with good intentions, but whether or not you are convinced is moot to me. Your arguments give me repeated openings to share very relevant data to the contrary. I’m grateful for that.Oh I know, but your statement was false. The fact that you continue to defend an apples to oranges comparison is what is disingenuous.Paleo Huntress,If my statement is false, please prove it false.Checking the relative protein content of different foods is disingenuous??? Don’t think so.Will my health fail on a vegan diet?Vegan diets can be very unhealthful, but if done right can be very healthful. Just ask Dr. Ellsworth Wareham who is 98 years old. He retired voluntarily from his position as a cardiothoracic surgeon at the age of 95 years.He went vegan in his fifties.“As a middle-aged man, Wareham spent a lot of time in the operating room cutting into one patient after another who had heart problems. There, he noticed something: patients who were vegetarian mostly had much cleaner and smoother arteries than those who ate meat. The arteries of meat-eaters tended to be full of calcium and plaque. So he made a choice. He decided to become a vegan.”If my statement is false, please prove it false.I did… repeatedly. Meat has more protein than ALL plant foods both by volume and by calorie.Vegan diets can be very unhealthful, but if done right can be very healthful.The same applies to omni diets. If done right, they can be very healthful. As has been pointed out time and time again, first world vegetarian observations suffer from user/confirmation bias. If people think going veggie will make them healthier, than they go veggie ALONG WITH a slew of other changes proven to improve health. Then after removing vegetable oils, refined flours and sugars, quitting smoking and drinking and starting a fitness and relaxation program, they turn around and claim, “It was all about the meat”. LMAO  If removing meat from the diet improved health, we’d see improvements in religious vegetarians too. We don’t. We see worse health, not better.Just ask Dr. Ellsworth Wareham who is 98 years old.Blah blah blah… N=1 Just ask Ross Horne.“Meat has more protein than ALL plant foods both by volume and by calorie.”According to Bowes & Church’s Food Values of Portions Commonly Used, 100 calories of broiled short loin porterhouse steak (separable lean and fat) has 8.39 grams of protein, while 100 calories of raw broccoli has 10.83 grams of protein (spinach has even more at 13.34 grams of protein per 100 calories).“If removing meat from the diet improved health, we’d see improvements in religious vegetarians too. We don’t. We see worse health, not better.”Really? Then how do you explain the fact that Seventh Day Adventist vegetarians have greater longevity than do average Americans?Dr. Ellsworth Wareham was doing heart surgery until he was 95 years old. He got to see firsthand into the arteries of the nation, and that’s why he went vegan in his fifties.Seriously? You mean the group that doesn’t smoke, drink, use drugs or have promiscuous sex? Oh come on Mike, are you just literally unable to make an honest comparison? They are Americans and subject to the same user/confirmation bias as any other American. Still though, take a look at their data, the vegetarians eating dairy and eggs are healthier than the vegans. And those who eat meat are less devout, and as such, they smoke, drink, use drugs and have promiscuous sex more than the more devout vegans. In cultures where people are under no illusions that removing meat will make them healthier, those that do so simply because they are called to by their faith, are less healthy than their omni neighbors. If simply removing meat improved health, it wouldn’t matter why it was removed.Paleo Huntress, you said: “If removing meat from the diet improved health, we’d see improvements in religious vegetarians too. We don’t. We see worse health, not better.”I replied: “Really? Then how do you explain the fact that Seventh Day Adventist vegetarians have greater longevity than do average Americans?”Not only do the SDA vegetarians (“religious vegetarians”) have better longevity than the average American, but they also have better longevity than non-vegetarian SDAs, who I assume don’t smoke, drink, use drugs and have promiscuous sex either. There’s your apples to apples. Personally, I’m not seeing “worse health” for the veg SDAs.Feign ignorance all you wish, Mike. There are two possibilities here, either you truly are too ignorant to understand the distinction, or you understand it perfectly and you’re too unethical to make an attempt at any semblance of a genuine comparison.Who says there are only “two possibilities” here? Your mudslinging only demonstrates you have no strong retaliatory argument.Studies have shown veg SDAs to be healthier than their non-veg SDA counterparts. As I said before, I’m not seeing “worse health” for the veg SDAs. I’m sure both factions don’t smoke, drink, use drugs, or have promiscuous sex, so I would contend this is a very fair comparison between two groups who are similar apart from their chosen diet.They’ve also shown that the fish, dairy and egg eating SDA vegetarians are healthier than the vegans. The point to making the religious distinction is to stress that nothing but meat consumption changes. Now you can argue the letter of my distinction or you can pull up your big-boy britches and acknowledge the spirit.“Now you can argue the letter of my distinction or you can pull up your big-boy britches and acknowledge the spirit.” Or I can pursue some other tack.You seem to have a real issue with giving people ultimatums—a bad case of the fallacy of false dilemma.Ah yes, comment on being called out rather than on the topic itself. What other choice do you really have? If you acknowledge the spirit, your argument falls apart… I don’t blame you.When you can eat grass and you have a rumen to ferment it, and you are able to extract as much protein from it as a cow can, THEN you can ask that question with integrity.Your source wasn’t Dr. Fuhrman, it was a vegan blogger.My point about the cow is that all plant foods contain protein—even enough to build a cow.“Your source wasn’t Dr. Fuhrman, it was a vegan blogger.”Yeah, I know. I already explained to LieDetector that my source was not Dr. Fuhrman.I believe he was addressing the “skip the mythology” part of your comment and indicating that there is no mythology there.“[P]rotein is found in almost everything and in some cases much much more than meat…”Myth.Yes. I also intended to point out that, according to the dieticians, the fact that meat has more protein (by mass) is irrelevant to human health. It is as if, you, Mike and I are arguing with a potato chip addict who says “look you get more salt on a diet based on chips’…..and we are thinking ‘maybe, but who cares!’Isn’t it funny, you weren’t interested in telling another vegan that the protein content was irrelevant. Only the omni that pointed out the error.I’ve never seen that dance before. ~rolls eyes~It is a MYTH that there are veggies that contain more protein than meat.You don’t have to like it, you don’t have to find it relevant, but it’s still true. And if it were truly as irrelevant as you suggest, it wouldn’t be something anyone would bother trying to prove or disprove. Actions speak louder than words. =)Protein is most definitely important to human health, no one is arguing it is not. However, BPCveg did not say that protein content was irrelevant. He said, according to dietitians, “the fact that meat has more protein (by mass) is irrelevant to human health.” Again, not that protein was irrelevant.BTW-It’s not a dance, it’s a discussion. Although, I like the metaphor of dancing.WholeFoodChomper,~SMH~ Sometimes I wonder of the plant-based community has to WORK at misinterpreting or if it really is a symptom of the diet.It wasn’t the protein that he said was irrelevant, it was that meat contains MORE, that he said as irrelevant. Do try and keep up. Then you won’t have to use so many words unnecessarily.I was following the flow of the conversation. In the previous comment YOU said, “Isn’t it funny, you weren’t interested in telling another vegan that the protein content was irrelevant. Only the omni that pointed out the error.”That was the part of your comment I was responding to. If I misunderstood, fine. Mea culpa. No big whoop.If you feel like you need to duke it out over the so-called “protein myth,” so be it.However, condescension, sarcasm, and snarkiness (symptom of the omni/paleo diet, perhaps?) will do nothing to make your points any more valid, in fact they make you very off putting.@WholeFoodChomper:disqus , I agree with you that this discussion has turned disrespectful, which is why I am reluctant to directly communicate with this person.I’ll keep that in mind the next time I’m engaging with another cherry-picked-data enthusiast. It’s good to know there is a reliable way to shut them down. =)Oh don’t be silly.I. Eat. Meat.That is the deciding factor for “off-putting” and the one that most of the folks here use- though there have been a few who can see past that and have been kind. You interjected yourself into this part of the thread where you really had no business, first to respond to a comment directed at someone else with what you believe was intended, and then again to “school” me on what turns out to be your misunderstanding, rather than mine. It’s not that there are any rules against you posting anywhere you like here, but it’s a bit like sitting in a restaurant having a conversation with your dinner-mate and the person at the next table feels its their place to interject. Legal, but still rude.There is no duking it out over the protein myth- it is only vegans who create any myths about plants having more protein. The scientific world knows better, it isn’t disputed. And I haven’t made ANY arguments about how much protein is needed or whether either source is “better”. I have made only ONE argument- and that it this- It is a myth that there are any veggies that contain more protein than meat. That so many here appear unable to differentiate between a scientific fact and a position-argument is rather frightening given the scientific slant of this blog.So you’ve defended yourself but you didn’t apologize, and if you’d either-1.) stayed out of a conversation that wasn’t directed at you– or2.) Made SURE you understood the context before taking it upon yourself to criticize–-you wouldn’t have any cause to.…and you’re inferring that I’m rude?Right.This is a discussion board. People come here to discuss and comment. Sometimes that means that they include themselves in other conversations/threads. That is how a discussion board works.I’m not inferring that you are rude. You have made it abundantly clear that you are rude all by yourself.You seem very angry. Maybe you should do something about that.Best of luck to you.BTW- I. Eat. Meat, too.Oh I’m happy to have people JOIN the conversation with relevant info, but butting in to school someone when you have NO IDEA what they meant is just rude. Perhaps it takes one to know one?  I’m OK with being rude, some folks just beg for it. =)It seems we have philosophical differences on how to be human.Are you familiar with the seagull mentality? This is when a person sh*ts on you and they “fly” away… They do it from a distance, from a place they believe to be elevated and then when you complain, they pretend to be utterly unaware of the trespass.You are a seagull. That’s why you don’t know how to be human.I have been reading all the posts and I have to say I hope everyone can take a step back and evaluate whether or not what they say (type) is constructive or destructive. If it’s in anyway destructive than maybe we could retype it in a way that we all benefit and not alienate each other.@HemoDynamic:disqus I agree with your advice and have removed the inappropriate comments that I previously made on impulse. Thank you for your input.Is this BCPVeg?Yes, with a new alias.VegAtHeart,you seem to understand the posting technicalities of this forum pretty well and kudos to you for removing the ugly posts [tho adding an apology wouldve been better]. lots followed suit but they appear not to know that the forum doesnt remove comments when you click ‘delete’ and that the content has to be edited or it stays put, but the authors name is removed from it. definitely a plus to the person who wants to pretend they werent bashing, but unfortunate that it allows the ugliness to remain in the thread without the author being held accountable for it. anonymous bashing is even uglier than the blatant crap.I apologize for the disrespectful remarks that I previously made.Disqus has provided instructions on how to edit and delete comments.All the best.Its not a myth that only meat(animal products) contains cholosterol.re: “…very off putting.” Amen!Paleo: No one here cares what you eat. What we care about is having a civil dialog. That you think it is appropriate to try to “…shut them down” at all, let alone by being rude, shows that you do not understand this site or maybe lack the maturity level to participate.I don’t know how old you are, but if you are old enough to post on this site, you should know better.There was a great discussion on another page on NutritionFacts where “Margaret” pushed the paleo line really hard. While Margaret didn’t always make sense, her posts were almost always respectful. I carefully read what she wrote. She understands the concept of exchanging ideas civilly, and she is welcome here as far as I am concerned.I am clearly not the only person put off by your rudeness. It is time to clean up your act or go elsewhere.I haven’t pushed the “paleo line” AT ALL, actually. Lies are lies, ignorance is ignorance and myths are myths. I called them out. You don’t have to like my methods or my “tone”, but it doesn’t change that the message is true. You want to sit around and pat each other on the backs for all agreeing, that is of course your prerogative, but I’m not going to help you with it. The truth is more important to me than “civil dialogue”. That is for the politicians and the good ‘ole boys, not the folks changing the world. =)Paleo huntress: “The truth is more important to me than “civil dialogue”.”This is where the problem lies! Truth discussed in a civil way has a much more positive and powerful impact and engenders growth, not demise.Several times a year, my family unplugs from the internet for a few weeks. We’ve found it’s pretty easy to lose perspective when engaging with others, all from behind anonymous user IDs. So I’m back with a fresh perspective and a positive attitude and will do my best to be civil. =)When the choices are between civil lies or curt truth, I’ll still take the truth. The tone of the truth isn’t as important to me as that it IS the truth, but I agree that it’s important.What I find interesting (and it applies pretty universally, not just to this forum) is that sarcasm and ugliness is pretty well-tolerated from people we agree with and is called out from people we do not. I’m pretty sure that it’s just human nature, but I think it’s a worthwhile thing to be aware of when we’re getting ready to comment about someone else’s behavior.I just finished reading over a couple of weeks’ worth of comments from this community and the ugliness and snark is pretty well represented by the pb members here, but criticism of that ugliness is noticeably missing from their pb peers. Most of us appear more than happy to tolerate watching someone being treated badly if we disagree with them. And it’s easy to spot those who know their own behavior is bad, because they go back and delete the evidence. Hopefully that is about restoring the integrity of the thread and not about avoiding responsibility for the insult.These are a just a few observations from someone with a fresh perspective. I’m hoping that going forward we are all able to do better.Too bad b/c it precisely civil dialogue that has done more to change the world for the better than hate speech and sarcasm ever have. Truth is hard to hear and see when covered in the goo of anger and venom.It does make me wonder why the low-carb/Paleo folks get so angry when making their points. This is not the first time where I have seen such exchanges become so disrespectful.I’m betting it has something to do with ignorant vegans lumping low carb and paleo together.Perhaps, that may be (part of) it. Still, that reason does not warrant name calling, disrespect, and anger.Thank you, Thea, for helping to gentrify this forum by ushering out the ruffians and shit disturbers.“Kicking up and bringing to light the stinking rot of bullshit wherever she finds it!” ~Paleo Huntress, Bullshit Disturber ExtraordinaireThat’s the spirit. In case you haven’t noticed, there are plenty more NutritionFacts pages covering cholesterol and paleo issues that you haven’t vandalized yet:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/ http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=paleoSorry, but you need to recheck you facts. Meat does NOT “always contain more protein than plants” as you said. Green leafy vegetables like kale, romaine lettuce, and broccoli have MORE protein per calorie than a high quality beef steak. This is also true of lean chicken and eggs. And vegetables do not contain all of the artery clogging cholesterol that animal products contain. It is dangerous that our food industry uses false marketing claims and spreads mis-information to sell products that harm us. It is apparent from your post that it has worked on people that are uninformed.lol  well if you say so, it must be true.  but Im not interested in your say-so, provide some -evidence-. I think it is -you- that needs to recheck your facts. According to data from the USDA database:50 calories of sirloin (a high fat cut) contains 7 grams of protein50 calories of kale contains 3 grams of protein 50 calories of broccoli contains 4 grams of protein50 calories of romaine lettuce contains 4 grams of proteinThe sirloin is almost 100% assimilable, while the kale, broccoli and lettuce are at best, 66%, putting the net protein absorbed from the plant foods even lower. (per RWV)Wheat is the cause of countless cancer and other diseases of this modern day. Modern wheat is not good for anyone and not everyone is meant to eat vegan.Hi Lisa, could you please cite research that connects wheat to cancer?You are on a computer. Look it up. Read the Wheat Belly book. There is plenty of research. I’ve done mine. Do your own because unless you do it yourself you aren’t going to believe it anyway.Hi Lisa, I have done nutritional research for years as well. The reason I asked you to share your resource is that we aspire to scientific debate on this site. Sharing research, links, resources, etc., is helpful for knowledge exchange. Therefore, thank you for sharing one of your resources as the Wheat Belly. I have read it and it is not particularly well backed up by evidence theory.For instance: Davis states that the wheat grown & used today is “the altered offspring of thousands of genetic manipulations” that doesn’t even remotely resemble the wheat consumed by our ancestors. He blames changes in the gluten protein in modern wheat (from that found in wheat as recently as 1960) for the increased incidence of celiac disease and inflammatory diseases ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to inflammatory bowel disease. I have seen no evidence that substantiates these claims.As one source (of many) with references to research on the flipside check here:https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jan/smoke.htmI am at work and don’t have the time right now to look up and post countless studies that prove what I say. I have seen countless people quit wheat and lose huge amounts of weight including that ring of dangerous fat around the middle. I’ve seen people improve their health in massive ways. People who cured their diabetes and could go off those medications that they had been taking for years. People with chronic rashes and other health issues that went away with in a week of stopping wheat. My acid reflux…gone after just a week off wheat. One slice of bread will being it back. And the withdrawl symptoms…horrible. Anyone I know who have kickd the wheat habit find themselves feeling very ill upon ingesting it after a time of obtaining. I suppose it’s all in who you choose to believe. I will choose to believe studies done by those who don’t have a stake in the wheat industry. If the study is in anyway connected to our government then I’m sorry but it is skewed in some way. Our government and the agencies that belong to it have a huge stake I. Keeping us I’ll and unhealthy.Actually greens have more protein than meat (per calorie or per weight, or both). The myth is that we need as much protein as we consume. Check out vegan bodybuilders.Your statement that evidently offended one, namely, “protein is found in almost everything and in some cases much much more than meat” was correct.For example, wheat gluten, which is a vegetable source of protein (81% protein) has much higher protein than most meat products.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/7738/2Even beans fair much better than certain types of meat.e.g. compare lima beans (20% protein) with a frankfurter (14% protein):http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2791/2http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sausages-and-luncheon-meats/1515/2Those who are proud of over-consuming protein should also note the dangers of excessive protein consumption:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_(nutrient)#Excess_consumptionLike I said, @BPCveg:disqus is keepin’ it real!Oh please, we’re talking about whole food, right? Wheat gluten is not a vegetable, it’s the purified protein FRACTION of wheat. <–(and the absolute WORST thing you can put in your body) Shall we compare that to whey? (also around 80% protein)– a purified protein FRACTION of dairy? .<So let's look at the lima beans and hot dogs for a moment- (Hot dogs aren't meat, btw, and this one you used for comparison hasn't been grilled or fried, so its fat and water content is much higher than it would be after it was prepared- [more disingenuous comparisons] and there is no measurable amount of carbohydrate in actual meat, but I'll humor you because your comparison is STILL in favor of my argument.) ~shrugs~Both contain 5 grams of protein, but by volume, the hotdog (52 g serving) contains more than twice the protein of the beans (124 g serving). Or, to put it another way, you have to eat more than TWICE the beans to get the same protein. You really have to stick to the same measures across the board.And for the last time, the protease inhibitors found in plants food, ESPECIALLY LEGUMES, prevents the cleaving of the amino acids (as much as 50% in some cases). So when you see that beans contain x-number of grams of protein, you should count only one half to two thirds in your calculations.Even straight up though, content to content, there is no vegetable with more protein than meat.a google search for ‘paleo vegan protein’ flagged this page and I find you here! we vegans can be real d*cks. if I recall you were once vegan so you probably know that first hand. as a paleo vegan i get crap from both camps, the vegans say you cant be paleo and vegan, and the paleos say you cant be vegan and paleo. i can be what i am tho, a vegan that eliminates legumes and grains.i wish more vegans understood that people are more savvy today and that you cant educate others with lies anymore. pubmed is a click away and people know how to use it. as soon as we get caught in a lie, people realize its all BS and stop listening. i enjoy your contributions in every forum ive bumped into you in, even tho sometimes i dont agree. im amazed you managed to stay civil.there are valid reasons a person can have for being vegan, we shouldnt have to lie to convince others and it wouldnt hurt to be just a little less reactive because wed save a lot of time without the strawmen.Hi RWV!I think the last thread we shared was about body building? You added lots of great information to that thread, it really bulked up my library.Yeah, my tolerance for BS runs low at times, and it gets harder to be civil toward folks who use passive-aggression rather than being straight-forward, but I manage for the most part.It’s good to see you here, it’ll be nice to see comments from a vegan who doesn’t believe his diet is the stuff of the gods and who knows what the actual science is and therefore the real-life advantages and limitations.Perhaps you and your new boyfriend, RWV, could exchange love letters elsewhere.wow dude, i know we dont agree about everything but i admit i expect a level of maturity above ‘if you like her so much why dont you marry her’. we’re not in the schoolyard. adults exchange compliments, advice and ideas in the real world. lighten up.You are welcome. Please start by changing your pompous alias.abusively and insultingly accusing others of being abusive and insulting? rich. i live in the real world where i can see past my own choices and wfpb is only one kind of healthy diet and where there are many more. you should join the rest of us here in the real world. you might find yourself with a sunnier nature.I noticed the bb (bimbo boyfriend) has been acting a little defensive lately. You may want to encourage him to cut back on all those roids that have been clouding his judgement.‘Thank you, Thea, for helping to gentrify this forum’ -VegAtHeart f/k/a BPCvegwe vegans are such a pious, self aggrandizing bunch. huntress left that comment 4 days ago and you’ve been active in the community every day since. why would you post this crap now? it doesn’t add anything to the topic, its pure spirit. no argument, blogs are pollyanna places when everyones uber polite, but they certainly aren’t as informative or entertaining as those with a little edge. it boggles that some of the people commenting about huntress believe themselves so righteous with you proudly starting a bashing campaign while thanking someone -else- for ‘helping to gentrify’ the forum. what kind of person responds with such juvenile taunts as ‘bimbo boyfriend’? roids? vandal? pompous? its laughable that you criticized her for name-calling and at the worst, i see her suggesting a lack of reading comprehension [and after reading the comments she was responding to, her frustration was warranted] and the insistence that veganism isn’t magic. not the politest thing to say but light years ahead of the ugly sh*t youre spewing.you are the bully. you rally others against huntress, entreating them to ‘mock and ridicule’? there is nothing in her comments that warrants it, but damn she makes some really good arguments and they are contrary to yours.i hope this forum sees you for who you are and isnt prompted to join you in the gutter merely because youre vegan. most of the world already finds us insufferable, we dont need to prove them right.“what kind of person responds with such juvenile taunts as…” Real World VeganAlthough I was not the one to throw the first spear, you are correct that I recently returned a few. I remind you that this all started with you entering into my conversation with Paleo Huntress, taking sides and labelling me a hypocrite. You launched these ad hominem attacks without rationally discussing your points of disagreement. I was very hurt by the disrespectful manner in which you spoke to me.You have insinuated a number of times that I am trying to proselytize veganism. Nothing could be farther from the truth. My interest is solely in understanding the science of vegan nutrition and how to effectively implement it. There is no arrogance it trying to become more learned on subject of personal interest.I think that the essential reason for the bad blood in this particular discussion is a disagreement over the claim that some people require meat (or eggs) for health benefits such as protein and cholesterol. I do not believe this argument to be true as I feel that it contradicts the established scientific knowledge as communicated by the dieticians and Dr. Greger. As you can see from the thumbs up next to many of my comments, some readers have found my contributions on this topic to be of value.taking sides? there are no sides here. there is truth, there is myth and there is opinion. we are all trying to find what works best for each of us. becoming more polarized by taking sides is counterproductive imo. ive read the comments about issues w/reading comprehension and they offended pretty much everyone, but the observation is tough to deny when it keeps happening, even after people have already been made aware. when your whole identity is defined by any one thing in your life [like diet] you start viewing the world through that filter and that can make it hard to listen or -read- honestly.1st dude, i didn’t call you a hypocrite and even explained that the comment wasnt directed at you personally and that i was just posting at the bottom of the thread where yours happened to be the last comment. still tho, regarding the hypocrisy i mentioned, Coacervate shared an anecdote about statins and you appeared to accept it at face value and respond to his story respectfully. in fact many anecdotes that favor pb diets have been shared throughout the thread and they all seem to be accepted as truth or at the very least are not challenged. but when someone shares an anecdote that doesnt support pb diets, suddenly anecdotes are worthless and the person sharing one is a liar or even too stupid to have done veganism ‘right’. i assume that you are able to appreciate the hypocrisy in that? we cant have it both ways.2nd not a single person has claimed that meat or eggs are required for health, even huntress who eats both hasnt said so.3rd, huntress was recently told, ‘People come here to discuss and comment. Sometimes that means that they include themselves in other conversations/threads.’ looks the community accepts this and i assume youve been part of it for a while? your comment was snarky and dismissive of a valid point and you were comparing lima beans to hot dogs? seriously dude, way to be dishonest. it looked like only vegans are taken seriously in this forum so i thought it was important to share that vegans can definitely have issues with protein. your comment also included more bashing for claims that she didn’t make, which though i understand having it pointed out isn’t comfortable, its hard to deny that there appears to be a trend with you bashing people and denying claims [straw men] that aren’t actually being made. in your shoes, id be concerned about what was triggering me and preventing me from hearing the message the way it is written and id take some time trying to defuse that trigger. i know it can be hard to hear advice amidst criticism so feel free to tell me to go to hell, but i hope you can take it at face value and believe i mean it to be helpful.i think youre saying youre a nice guy and that you behaved out of character. i apologize that my tone or your perceptions of me taking someones side against you deeply hurt you. [i wonder if huntress was deeply hurt by your tone, or you taking toxins side against her, ‘I have closely followed Toxins’ comments on Nutrition facts for over one year and think he is one of the most intelligent contributors.’? considering you know what its like to be reactive to someones tone, perhaps you are a little more empathetic to her reaction now?] ive also been deeply hurt by people, by loved ones, by friends, by colleagues at times, but i cant say ive ever being deeply hurt by a stranger on the internet. if you are truly not the abusive guy youve been being here in the last few days, why would you give a stranger the power to turn you into him? being that reactive makes your position look insecure. another possible place for introspection?the term ‘established’ doesnt mean its the dominant theory, it just means there are some people with cred that agree. the dominating position in nutrition science is still that animal foods and protein are significant and important. in response to this, ‘my interest is solely in understanding the science of vegan nutrition and how to effectively implement it. There is no arrogance it trying to become more learned on subject of personal interest.’ perhaps it is the fact that you have dismissed other nutrition sciences as valid that creates the problem here. isnt it more ideal to look at -all- of the nutritional science? if the only school you bother with is the wfpb school you cant possibly be well informed on nutrition in general and with your eyes closed to half the data, how could anyone not be proselytizing when talking about it?i love this vegan athlete blog and i think this guy has the right attitude. hopefully i can get the formatting to copy over. enjoy!No Meat AthleteWhy Vegans and Paleos Should Stop Hating Each OtherMost of the foods that I eat — and those in a typical healthy vegan diet (as opposed to the junk-food variety) — are Paleo.Sure, the seeds are iffy. And I probably eat beans three or four times a week, and even wheat once in a while, which Paleos wouldn’t do.But beyond that, the foods on my list, by and large, could have been eaten by a caveman.Guess what? The converse is true, too. Most (yes, most) of a Paleo dieter’s foods are vegan. They’re whole foods, including a ton of vegetables and nuts, a fair amount of fruits, and no dairy.Though we focus on the differences in our diets, and fight like pissed-off hornets as a result, the healthy versions of both Paleo and vegan diets look an awful lot alike.Here are just a few of the things we agree on:-Vegetables are good, and organic vegetables are better.-Nuts are good.-Fruits are good (with some qualifications).-Fast food is awful.-It isn’t natural or healthy for adult humans to drink milk meant for baby cows.-Whole food is crucial; we should eat food as close to its natural state as possible.-Processed food is evil, and there’s something very wrong with the system that is foisting it upon us.Do you realize what a small minority these shared beliefs put us in?Each day, 1 in 4 Americans eats fast food. Forty-four percent eat it once per week!Only about a quarter of Americans never eat fast food, so we’ve got a lot in common already, without even considering our common avoidance of dairy. I can’t find a figure for how exclusive a group it is that doesn’t consume dairy, but and as NY Times columnist and Vegan Before 6 advocate Mark Bittman puts it, “Drinking milk is as American as Mom and apple pie.”And we still haven’t even cordoned ourselves off from the masses who buy mostly processed, packaged foods to eat at home — the vast majority of whoever remains after we eliminate fast food and dairy, I’m sure.Essentially, those of us who avoid fast food, pass on milk, and choose whole foods are the weirdos, in a world of processed food and rapidly expanding waistlines.Even when it comes to meat — the “staple” of the Paleo diet (more on this in a second) — I think most Paleos would agree that what our factory farm system produces, whether due to the way the animals are confined or what they’re fed or what’s injected into them, is not healthy.And the healthiest vegan athletes, by my judgement anyway, advocate limiting grains or avoiding them entirely. Very often they rely on pseudograins like quinoa (technically seeds) instead, which don’t jive with Paleo, but I think most Paleos would agree that seeds trump wheat and grains any day.Basically: we’re far more alike than we are different.So why do we hate each other?I get that the ethical issues muddy things up a bit. Vegans hate that Paleos so proudly eat meat; Paleos hate that vegans try to tell them something that humans have done throughout our history is suddenly wrong.But for now, let’s put that aside, and acknowledge that if all meat-eaters ate meat raised the way the Paleo diet specifies it should be, our food system would be a heck of a lot more humane (and healthy) than it currently is.Speaking of meat, I asked my online-buddy Joel Runyon, what he thought about the vegan/Paleo feud, he had this to say:The biggest misconception about the paleo diet is that it’s all about eating meat. Not true! Paleo is about eating whole, real food that hasn’t been processed a thousand times & packed with tons of sugar.And as he explains on his new site, Ultimate Paleo Guide,… that means no twinkies, oreos or your favorite breakfast cereal. Sorry, but we’re not sorry … if it’s got a bunch of chemicals that you can’t pronounce in it, it’s probably not paleo – sorry!Gee, sounds a lot like how I eat.im a bb and my last mass gain was a nightmare to get through. i found it impossible to get enough protein from whole foods and had to resort to concentrated vegan protein powders, which goes way against my whole food ideals. before that i was eating all day long which aint easy when you have to work for a living. why take offense at the truth? if you decide it doesnt change anything for you that’s fine, but insisting you can make the claim true when its not possible without processed food just makes our entire community look like frauds.i didnt see any claims of pride about over consuming protein and am beginning to understand what huntress meant when she said you were being disingenuous. watch the strawmen dude, they bite us in the a**.Good points, @9bc1cfb1178977ce8d7d9681ec6fedd4:disqus. Humanity has proved time and again that we are not so good at moderation. I believe it was Dr. McDougall who said, “Moderation is for moderate personalities.” When it comes to eating in the Western world moderation is a losing proposition. It has not and will not work to improve Westerners health via eating habits.This is just a general reply. I think Paleo Huntress is implying that to get enough protein on a vegan diet, we have to eat a lot of veggies. That sounds like a win-win.Re: wheat. It has been a staple food in the Near East for 10,000 years, so that wouldn’t be my candidate for “worst” thing you can eat. Studies show that one slice of processed meat a day significantly raises pancreatic cancer risk. To name one food group worse than wheat.Gary Loewenthal,I don’t believe “processed meat” is really a food group if we’re talking about whole food. I also think that the paleo community gets a lot of stuff right, that it does take time to adapt to certain foods and that we are not universally adapted to all of them, and that since this is the case, many of us are healthier when we don’t eat them. If wheat was a staple in the Middle East and you happen to be of Middle Eastern heritage, you’ll probably tolerate it pretty well. The same way that Northern dairying cultures tolerate dairy pretty well (including those in the Middle East) with lactase persistence. I see the discussion about Dr. Campbell finding a closer relationship between disease and wheat, than with meat, and it seems likely that the Chinese ate plenty of processed meat if they were eating processed wheat. If we can distinguish between whole and processed wheat-based foods, we should be able to distinguish between whole and processed animal foods. I’ve never met a pro-dairy vegan, they are usually quick to point out that we aren’t adapted to eating dairy, but usually that same vegan is arguing for eating wheat, even though we know that all human babies are born with the ability to digest dairy and that the same can’t be said for wheat.[“Re: wheat. It has been a staple food in the Near East for 10,000 years, so that wouldn’t be my candidate for “worst” thing you can eat. Studies show that one slice of processed meat a day significantly raises pancreatic cancer risk. To name one food group worse than wheat.”]Well, an egg is not really an entree either, but that is not the point here. Eating the occasional egg– or dare I say– another animal based protein while consuming a predominately PBD, is probably fine.You said don’t mention nuts, however, I have found that when I am “starving” and not much is at hand (that is, I need to whip up a meal) that a handful of nuts does a great job of tiding me over until I can have an entree. Similarly, whole wheat toast, a tortilla, or apple slices with an almond (or other nut butter) butter spread is quite effective as well (the addition of cinnamon makes it extra yummy).Another quick go to, is beans. It does not take much effort to whip them up into a dip or spread. Ever try a bean no-egg salad? Or, if that requires too much time even just eating beans plain works, too. Although, for a super duper quick fix, I usually season them a bit or make them into a bean salad (beans and salad dressing is all that is required).My best strategy, however, is to try and not find my self in a situation where I am super hungry with nothing on hand. When time permits, I try to prepare a few meals all at once and in advance, so that I can have them ready when necessary to save time and get food in the ol’ pie (bean?) hole ASAP. Pre-preparing homemade bean/veggie patties, soups, as well as other favorite entrees when I have the time really is a huge time saver when time does not allow for more than reheating and eating.Finally, lets not forget greens and grains. Green veggies are all rich in protein, and they provide loads of micronutrients with no cholesterol and virtually no fat. As for grains, just one cup of cooked quinoa contains 18 grams of protein. Other whole grains, including whole grain bread, brown rice, barley are all healthy protein-rich foods, as well.So, I try to keep greens, beans, and grains on hand for quick meal preparations, as well.The other thought I had was if you are finding that you are feeling weak since you have started a PBD, you may want to ask yourself some additional questions to see if you are truly not getting enough protein (which is very rare in the Western world even on a PBD)? Are you eating enough? Are you getting enough B12, vitamin D? Are you eating too much raw kale and other raw goitrogenic veggies that might have made you hypothyroid (and thereby lower your energy)? How are your iron levels?This article by Dr. G may be of further guidance: http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/according to my functional medicine doc, protein deficiency due to poor absorption is pretty common in the vegans he sees. the first thing he recommends is an elimination diet (like GAPS). he says the vast majority of his patients respond well to removing grains and legumes (and sometimes nuts and seeds too) and that sometimes after healing the gut they can add them back again. he also said that quinoa causes even more trouble for some. the natural soap it contains can make holes in the gut lining and allow tiny particles of food directly into the bloodstream which may in turn cause autoimmune reactions. It can take up to three months to see the difference but most see it within 30 days. its a pretty benign experiment that could really pay off.That’s why you rinse quinoa thoroughly—to get rid of the saponins.very true, unrinsed quinoa is gagworthy. but rinsing doesnt get rid of all or even most of the bad crap. this study found that after ‘scrubbing and washing’ not just rinsing, the level of saponin-A was reduced by 31% tops, and in some cases not at all. the phytic acid was reduced only by about 30% tho it isnt super high in quinoa to begin with. so even after rinsing, the saponin content is still pretty high and it still has the potential to wreak havoc in the gut. and unlike gluten it has nothing to do with whether youre sensitive or not. its a chemical reaction thats pretty universal.Food Chemistry Volume 48, Issue 2, 1993, Pages 137–143I researched your link. To view the full report it cost $35.00. No thanks. But I was able to print the summary: “After scrubbing and washing, the level of saponin-A remaining in the seeds decreased to 0·31% of the dry weight, and saponin-B was completely removed by this process.The content of phytic acid in the quinoa seeds was about 1% of the dry matter, and scrubbing and washing reduced the phytic acid content of the seeds by about 30%. Neither protease inhibitor nor tannins were detected in the quinoa seeds.” So, the saponin-A was reduced to 0.31% of the dry weight. Don’t know what it was in the beginning. The dry weight of the phytic acid is actually more than the dry weight of the saponin-A. Anyway, doesn’t sound so bad. I’ll keep enjoying my quinoa.dude, no one said you shouldnt eat quinoa. [youve chosen to be its namesake FFS]a minor correction- the study doesn’t read 0-[.]31%, it reads 0-31%. Theres a huge difference there. i gotta say, i participate in a lot of vegan forums and there are a few that are powder kegs, but this community is definitely up there in reactivity in the realm of my personal experience with pb forums. doc says some people cannot heal their guts when they eat quinoa because the saponins punch little holes in their mucosal cell walls. and as stated, since scrubbed quinoa still contains saponin. those people probably shouldnt eat quinoa. its pretty straightforward and really doesnt say anything about whether you specifically should eat it or not.we could haggle over the numbers and what they should mean to each of us but why not just look at the effect of saponins on the gut? this study concluded ‘saponins readily increase the permeability of the small intestinal mucosal cells, thereby inhibiting active nutrient transport, and facilitating the uptake of materials to which the gut would normally be impermeable.’ Journal of Nutrition 12/1986; 116(11):2270-7.who knows how much quinoa different individuals might need to eat for gut probs, but there is definitely evidence that they do occur for some people.Actually, it is 0.31%, not 0-31%. They use a period, not a dash. And it’s not as if their keyboard lacks a dash key—they use it in the phrase “saponin-A.”Your quoted study doesn’t reference quinoa at all, washed or no. It was, as well, an in vitro study on rats. An in vivo study on humans would be more informative for our purposes.The authors did conclude, however, that saponins may be useful in controlling human plasma cholesterol and in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.sorry dude. this is a snapshot of the page.Take a look at the dash-mark in the phrase “saponin-A.” That is not the same character as the one used in “0·31%” Why is that so? My post of two days ago was a copy and paste from the website document. If you have a link to access the full report for free that would be helpful. As I pointed out, it was an in vitro study on rats. Not exactly conclusive for humans.it isn’t an in vitro study on rats, its a measure of the saponin in scrubbed quinoa. and i cant give you access dude, i get full access at the uni library but theres no way to transfer it to you.i also cant tell you why its so, but id guess that in one case the dash represents a link between the parts and in the other case it represents a range. but studies are full of odd characters and copying and pasting isnt always reliable if your computer cant duplicate the special characters. my keyboard offers three different dashes. its obvious that it isnt the same character as the dash seen in ‘saponin-a’, but its even more obvious that it isnt the period used at the ends of the sentences.I think the mystery is solved.This is from their abstract:“The amount of saponin A was 0·7% of the dry weight and that of the saponin B was 0·2% of the dry weight. These were the major saponins found in the quinoa bran collected while polishing the seeds. After scrubbing and washing, the level of saponin-A remaining in the seeds decreased to 0·31% of the dry weight, and saponin-B was completely removed by this process.” So it is, in fact, a decimal point, meaning there aren’t a lot of saponins remaining in scrubbed quinoa.i see the exact same thing as before. you are using your interpretation of the conclusion to define the original parameters but that isn’t what i see. i see that they tested several samples and they are telling us that the amount of saponin ranged from 0% in some sample to 7% in others.anyway, setting the argument over differing interpretations aside, ill take a look at it through your interpretations for a sec. if the original content was .7% and [considering that you rinse the quinoa before cooking i believe its a safe assumption that you believe the saponin is mostly undesirable] and the finished content is .31%, the reduction is even poorer than i stated. in my analysis, the reduction was almost two thirds and in yours in is just over half. [i don’t know how much saponin it takes to cause a reaction and without that information id be wary of defining .31% as safe. im sure the poison is in the dose too.] if the point is to prove quinoa is safe after rinsing, the original interpretation of the data favors it more than the one you’re insisting on, but id rather be accurate than ‘right’ so im glad you offered your interpretation too.clearly dude, you’ve bonded with the quinoa and im confident in ppls ability to weigh evidence for themselves. im gonna bow out of this piece of the thread and leave you and your manna in blissful solitude.“They are telling us that the amount of saponin ranged from 0% in some sample to 7% in others.”Let’s say the “·” is in fact a dash mark denoting a range. Then the starting amount of saponin A was 0 – 7% of the dry weight.After scrubbing and washing, the level of saponin-A remaining in the seeds decreased to 0 – 31% of the dry weight??? Decreased to 0 – 31% from 0 – 7%. That makes no sense.So it is, in fact, a decimal point, meaning there aren’t a lot of saponins remaining in the scrubbed quinoa. Anyway, it hasn’t killed me yet (lol).The latest generation of veggie meats are not very processed. For instance, Field Roast sausages are basically grains, veggies, fruits, legumes, and spices/herbs – foods that have sustained most of the world since the dawn of civilization. A bit high in sodium though. Maybe not an everyday food, but delicious and filling in chili, hash browns, etc.For decades, conventional medicine has made cholesterol the big bugaboo, conveniently forgetting that cholesterol is needed by our bodies in order to manufacture not only all of our hormones but even more importantly, CoQ10, without which our hearts are unable to beat. One wonders whether the whole controversy might not have been been deliberately manufactured by the medical-industrial complex (Big Pharma) in order to ultimately reap big profits putting all Americans on Lipitor and other statin drugs for “maintenance” for the rest of their lives… not that those on statins haven’t shown other problems like severe muscle wasting disease and cardiac insufficiency.The problem, as I see it, is not cholesterol, per se, but, rather, oxidized, calicified cholesterol plaque. With regard to the calcification, sufficient intake of Vitamin K2 is essential to keep the parathyroid gland from taking too much calcium out of the bones and teeth and depositing it in the blood, where it can calcify softctissue, arteries and cholesterol that has been deposited to sooth arteries that have been irritated by excess homocysteine. And, as far as oxidation of the plaques, themselves, sufficient intake of antioxidants should make that a less likely occurrence.If such precautions are taken, I can’t see any reason why eggs (especially if they are organic) couldn’t be taken in moderation. Just saying…All the cholesterol you will ever need is made by your liver. You need 0 intake. Look it up. If it were not true then life long vegans like Joaquin Phoenix would be dead right now. I haven’t had cholesterol in 2 years now and my heart beats quite well.Also what does moderation mean? One egg a week? One a day? One a month? Moderation is worthless because it means something different to everyone. Why not just eat the healthiest way possible. Why have one cigarette a day when you could just quit?Editor d: “All the cholesterol you will ever need is made by your liver. You need 0 intake. Look it up.”Editor d, your assertion, shown above, presupposes a case in which people’s livers are healthy and have not have not sustained any damage due to heavy metal toxicity which, in the world we currently live in, is sadly not the case.When liver toxicity has damaged the liver’s cytochrome p450 enzymes, they are no longer capable of making all the cholesterol the body needs for its various functions. See below:“Breaking down toxins creates byproducts that can damage the liver. Although the liver has a great capacity for regeneration, constant exposure to toxic substances can cause serious, sometimes irreversible harm.” http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/toxic-hepatitis/DS00811/DSECTION=causes[The liver’s] “cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes are essential for the production of cholesterol, steroids, prostacyclins, and thromboxane A2. They also are necessary for the detoxification of foreign chemicals and the metabolism of drugs. CYP450 enzymes are so named because they are bound to membranes within a cell (cyto) and contain a heme pigment (chrome and P) that absorbs light at a wavelength of 450 nm when exposed to carbon monoxide. There are more than 50 CYP450 enzymes, but the CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP3A4, and CYP3A5 enzymes metabolize 90 percent of drugs.1,2 These enzymes are predominantly expressed in the liver, but they also occur in the small intestine (reducing drug bioavailability), lungs, placenta, and kidneys.”2http://www.aafp.org/afp/2007/0801/p391.htmlIn addition, if a person with damaged cytochrome p450 liver enzymes is trying to get by with your scanty recommendations above, it may be highly recommended that they also get their cholesterol blood levels checked quite regularly to make sure that they have adequate levels of cholesterol in their blood, as too low levels of blood cholesterol have been correlated, in research studies, with the risk of hyper-aggressive behavior and suicide — see below:Psychiatr Pol. 1996 May-Jun;30(3):499-509. [Low concentration level of total serum cholesterol as a risk factor for suicidal and aggressive behavior]. [Article in Polish] Ainiyet J, Rybakowski J. Source Kliniki Psychiatrii Dorosłych AM w Poznaniu. Abstract“The data have been presented for possible association between low total serum cholesterol concentration and the increased risk of suicidal and aggressive behavior. The analysis of results from some long-term epidemiological studies shows an excess of suicides and violent death cases among persons with low baseline total serum cholesterol level and in those in whom this level was lowered by means of pharmacotherapy or dieting. In patients hospitalized on psychiatric wards, having low total serum cholesterol concentration, a higher intensity of suicidal thoughts and tendencies was found. Such relationship was most evident in patients with depression. In some populations, an association between low total cholesterol level and the tendency to aggressive behavior was also found. Higher intensity of aggression was also observed in animals receiving low-cholesterol diet. A hypothesis was discussed, postulating the connection between low cholesterol level and lower activity of central serotonergic structures responsible for the inhibition of impulsive behavior.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8848510Interestingly enough, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, imbalances in the liver and gallbladder have been correlated for millennia with emotional imbalances regarding the emotions of anger, resentment, blame and guilt, which dovetails nicely with the study above, if we take account of situations in which the liver’s cytochrome p450 enzymes have been rendered not sufficiently operative to synthesize all the cholesterol that the body might need, thereby generating the aggressiveness and suicidal ideation and behavior noted in the research paper cited above.Hi mojo191,You seem to agree with Editor d’s statement that, “All the cholesterol you will ever need is made by your liver. You need 0 intake,” with the caveat that most people’s livers are damaged from heavy metal toxicity, and can longer produce adequate cholesterol. What percentage of people are we talking about here? That would give some context to your remark.You seem to be implying that dietary intake of cholesterol will raise cholesterol levels to a healthy benchmark in people that may suffer from the aforementioned damaged livers. It seems then that dietary cholesterol can raise one’s cholesterol level. Is this a good thing for those people who have not undergone any heavy-metal related liver damage? In other words, these people’s livers are already manufacturing adequate cholesterol for their needs.Also regarding your comment about the possible association between low total serum cholesterol concentration and the increased risk of suicidal and aggressive behaviour, does that mean that the rural Chinese with an average total cholesterol level of 127 mg/dL are more prone to these types of behaviours than any other given population subset?Whenever I have friends or relatives who get their bloodwork tested, they have never been diagnosed with a lack of cholesterol. In most cases, it seems their levels are too high. They are encouraged to make dietary changes and if they fail to do so, they are commonly put on statins. A study came out last month showing that statins increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and kidney injury (failure). I’ve never heard of anyone getting sick from too little cholesterol. I’d like to see the data on this, it is a thought-provoking topic.the same thing can be said about glucose. you need zero intake and your body can make all it needs from protein. we know that extra glucose causes inflammation, metabolic dysfunction and fat gain, so maybe the best choice would be not to eat any carbohydrate at all. why have even 50 grams a day when you could just quit?“Why have even 50 grams a day when you could just quit?” Because fruits and vegetables contain wonderful antioxidants and phytonutrients. As you pointed out, “extra” glucose is the problem. People who are concerned can always look for low glycemic load carbs.‘Because fruits and vegetables contain wonderful antioxidants and phytonutrients.’and eggs contain wonderful antioxidants and nutrients too. a 2011 study published in the journal Food Chemistry found that egg proteins were converted by enzymes in the stomach and small intestines and produced peptides that act the same way ACE inhibitors work. they also found that two raw egg yolks have almost twice as many antioxidant properties as an apple and about the same as half a serving (25 grams) of cranberries and that when cooked they were still better than the apple. ive never heard anyone say that they eat eggs for the cholesterol, but it seems reasonable to me that if we know that the body will make less cholesterol when we eat more cholesterol, than there is about as much risk of getting high serum cholesterol from eggs as there is getting diabetes from carrots or rice. so then the question becomes, are eggs nutritious? by every scientific standard they are.you could also argue that there are unhealthy components in eggs, but that rap applies to plant foods too. saponins, protease inhibitors, chelators, lectins, phytate, soyatoxin, oxalates, goitrogenic compounds, salicylates, aflatoxin, oligosaccharides, phytoestrogens, free fructose and the sh*t list goes on and on. wanna claim that experts believe that some of these are healthy? the same argument applies to most of the components of eggs.it makes us hypocrites to claim that we should just quit eggs because they contain components that we decided are unhealthy in excess when we cant refute that plants contain many similarly unhealthy components too.Food Chemistry, 2011; 129 (1): 155Do you not eat fruits and vegetables? They have fiber, while eggs have none.i do not know what youre saying here dude. people who eat eggs usually eat fruit and veggies too. what if I said we shouldnt eat eggs cuz they contain no vitamin d? youd probably say i could eat something else that does. we vegans dont have a corner on plant eating. eggs dont need to contain fiber cuz no one is eating only eggs.You’re the one that suggested that, “maybe the best choice would be not to eat any carbohydrate at all. why have even 50 grams a day when you could just quit?” If you eat fruits and vegetables, you’re getting carbs. If you don’t want any carbohydrates at all, then you won’t be eating fruits and vegetables. As you pointed out earlier, one can obtain protein-derived glucose.please keep it within context, its a more respectful way to debate. the argument is that we dont need to eat carbohydrate to get glucose, the body makes it. just like the body makes cholesterol. and just like the body makes more cholesterol when we eat less of it, it makes more glucose when we eat less of it. one could exceed their daily need for fiber with greens and still consume fewer than 20 net grams of carbohydrate. is it really so hard to concede that the points are similar?We seem to be talking in circles.You’re the one that originally suggested that, “maybe the best choice would be not to eat any carbohydrate at all.”Then I mentioned “fruits and vegetables contain wonderful antioxidants and phytonutrients.”But, fruits and veggies have carbs.And I agreed with your statement that one can obtain protein-derived glucose.I think we are in agreement about all those points.my point is that suggesting we not eat eggs because the body can make cholesterol is the same as suggesting we not eat carby veggies because the body can make glucose. Both contain other nutrients that are valuable. if you agree with that, then we are in agreement.Unless you’re in starvation mode, and cannibalizing your own tissues, your body will get its glucose preferentially from food. Whereas you don’t need to eat eggs or other cholesterol-containing foods for your body to synthesize its own cholesterol.‘starvation mode’ is an inflammtory buzz term used by low-carb opponents, and in the same way that pb advocates argue that protein isnt an issue when getting enough calories, glucose isn’t either. ketogenic pathways arent starvation mechanisms, they are alternative energy pathways used by the body when the energy composition changes.the body goes into ketosis every single night which is why most of us wake up with ‘morning breath’ even though we brushed our teeth before bed. ketosis is muscle sparing and the bodys need for glucose is really reduced on a ketogenic diet. we are amazingly versatile machines. if a person eats only animal food [as surely most primitive people did for most of the winter in colder climates], the body will make glucose from dietary protein, not its own muscle. and if youre trying to lose body fat, the bonus is that the conversion is inefficient and almost half the calories are lost to the process itself meaning youll use more calories for the same activities.bottom line, the body doesnt need plant foods for glucose. so why eat them? the answer is because they contain other stuff thats good for us. just like eggs.“Bottom line, the body doesnt need plant foods for glucose. so why eat them? the answer is because they contain other stuff thats good for us.”That’s what I’ve been saying all along.Actually, what I meant by “starvation mode” was a person that was actually starving to death. I didn’t realize the phrase was an “inflammatory buzz term used by low-carb opponents.”im glad i was able to help you learn something today dude. im just gonna hit the comment that started this thread. “Why not just eat the healthiest way possible. Why have one cigarette a day when you could just quit?” and you have made an excellent argument for eating eggs. eggs and veggies arent cigarettes, they are highly nutritious foods. people dont quit eggs for the same reason they dont quit veggies. both are nutritious foods full of antioxidants and both contain components considered harmful when separated out or consumed in excess.RWV,The thing I had an issue with was your statement: “”maybe the best choice would be not to eat any carbohydrate at all. why have even 50 grams a day when you could just quit?” I’ve shown how that would be unhealthy by, of necessity, excluding fruits and veggies. Have you ever personally attempted a zero carb diet? Also, why is a vegan such as yourself continually promoting eggs???that should read ‘what if I said we shouldnt eat cranberries cuz they contain no vitamin d?’ will edit the original comment and delete this one.i expected you to have an issue with it, its as absurd as suggesting we not eat eggs for the same reason. eggs are only one kind of animal food though, what if id said we should all just quit kale or we should all just quit Brazil nuts? same diff.yes, i followed a ketogenic diet (no plant foods) for almost 6 months several years ago.the only thing im promoting is honesty. i dont eat animal foods for ethical reasons but thats because i seem to do pretty well without them. if that ever changes, ill eat them again. my wife doesnt do well as a vegan so she eats eggs and fish and her health is just better with them. obviously some people do well on a vegan diet but ‘some’ isnt all, and people dont take us seriously when we lie, even if its accidentally.like it or not there are lots of good reasons to eat eggs.“yes, i followed a ketogenic diet (no plant foods) for almost 6 months several years ago.”So why did you give it up?” i dont eat animal foods for ethical reasons but thats because i seem to do pretty well without them.” If you’re an ethical vegan, then that makes your adulation of eggs an even more mysterious thing.I gave it up because i got bored. my performance and energy were phenomenal but my food choices got seriously repetitive.it aint ‘adulation’ of eggs, its honest science. if i had to choose an animal food that was most ethical, it would be the free range eggs my wife gets from a friend of ours. those hens are treated like royalty. the only way my insistence that eggs are nutritious would be mysterious to you is if your diet was so much doctrine that you couldnt separate the science from the ethics. people are wiser to BS artists and more savvy now. and they rarely give you a second change once youve shown yourself a liar, so i choose to stay honest in it.id go back to eating pastured animal foods today if i had to choose between veganism with beans and grains or paleo omni without them. from the ethical angle, the latter diet kills fewer animals and uses up fewer resources. at the moment, being vegan is something of a personal challenge, i like being able to say i eat zero animal food. but like i wrote previously, if my health or performance ever declines [and it prolly will cuz few vegans dont see an eventual decline in health and performance] ill include ethical animal foods again. animal welfare is important to me, but i live in the real world where human welfare comes first.“cuz few vegans dont see an eventual decline in health and performance” So why are you still vegan? And what’s your scientific reference for that statement?dude, you seem like a decent enough guy, but id rather have a convo than swing at balls from a pitching machine. you dont seem into a discussion and no matter what response i give, you have another challenge waiting to pitch my way. and hey, i love a good challenge, but im not into it just for the sake of arguing. if you want to justify your choices with a barrage of challenges thats your business. im not interested in batting anymore.im vegan because it works for me right now. its inline with my ethical ideals and tho my strength and performance didnt improve when i went vegan, they havent dropped off either. i hope that people are fluid enuf in their life to tweak something when it doesnt work and as i said, if [and/or when] veganism stops working for me, itll be ethical omni. what more could anyone want than to do what works until it doesnt?Hi Real World Vegan,I think we’ve had a few good discussions. Anytime someone makes a blanket statement, they should be prepared to scientifically back it up. That’s why I asked for clarification of your previous post. I fully expect other people to question my assertions if I don’t back them up scientifically.I disagree with you about eggs. Even if the cholesterol doesn’t harm you, something else in it must. The Harvard Physicians Study found an increase in all cause mortality as a result of eating just one egg a week.The question of Vitamin K2 is an interesting one however, one that I’ve wondered about. Our bodies are capable of converting some vitamin K1 to K2, which can then prevent calcification of the arteries. However, I wonder if this is sufficient, or if we need some in our diet or as a supplement for optimal health. Natto is a natural vegan source of K2 but it tastes too nasty for me. This subject would be an interesting one for Dr.Greger to present in a video.Really, guest 2? Well check out the study referenced by Robert J. Rowen, MD, below, for a “second opinion”:“What about cholesterol? Don’t eggs raise your cholesterol levels? I’ve told you in the past that eggs don’t raise LDL cholesterol levels. And this study [see below] confirmed that. These researchers found NO increase in serum LDL (bad) cholesterol. However, HDL (good) cholesterol increased 5%. Total serum cholesterol did increase. However, I’d expect that in this group, since most were taking statins. Statins would poison their livers’ natural production of cholesterol. So, the increase would reflect absorption from the eggs offsetting the damaging effects of the statins. The point here is that eggs actually improve the cholesterol sub fraction ratios.Why are eggs so good for your eyes? It’s the deep orange/yellow color of eggs. As in fruits and veggies, the deep color indicates its richness in eye and health-preserving nutrients. The color of egg yolks is far richer from eggs of range-fed chickens than factory farms. Why? The natural compounds chickens eat in range insects and seed is what the animals really need over the manmade feed designed for production, not health.I consider eggs a very healthy food. Eggs are the standard for quality protein. They’re loaded with lecithin, which protects you from unwanted effects of cholesterol. The problem with eggs is only the source, and how you cook them. Again, seek organic free-range eggs. Confirm their quality with visual inspection of the yolk color. The darker/richer orange/yellow the better.” – Robert J. Rowen, MDRef: Am J Clin Nutr, 2009; 90(5).http://www.secondopinionnewsletter.com/Health-Alert-Archive/View-Archive/1770/How-a-chicken-can-save-your-eyesight-.htmIt was believed for decades that lecithin was protective of heard disease, but new research shows it increases the risk of cardiovascular events. Although eggs have healthy things in them, they are not healthy. Sorry egg industry.“The research, published in the April 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, focused on microbes in the gut and blood levels of that chemical mediator, a substance called TMAO (trimethylamine-N-oxide). When you eat an egg, bacteria in the gut help convert the lecithin to TMAO.In the study, those with the highest levels of TMAO in their blood had a “2.5-fold higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events” than those with the lowest amount of TMAO, MedPage Today reported.” Source: http://www.latimes.com/features/food/dailydish/la-fe-dd-eggs-lecithin-heart-disease-20130425,0,2290039.storyIf eating meat increases heart disease we’d expect to see lower rates in vegans and vegetarians. Early studies suggested that was the case, but newer, higher quality studies that have controlled for confounding factors don’t found any survival advantage in vegetarians. One study compared the mortality of people who shopped in health food stores (both vegetarians and omnivores) to people in the general population. They found that both vegetarians and omnivores in the health food store group lived longer than people in the general population. This suggests that eating meat in the context of a healthy diet does not have the same effect as eating meat in the context of an unhealthy diet. A very large study performed in the U.K. in 2003 including over 65,000 subjects corroborated these results: no difference in mortality was observed between vegetarians and omnivores.Check out this study, of 70,000 published in 2013. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261382.phpThere is also a study of 45,000 done in England and Scotland, released in January of this year, showing a 32% reduced risk of hospitalization and death for the vegetarian group, after accounting for factors such as “age, smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, education level and socioeconomic background”. That is a huge difference. http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2013/130130.htmlI’m sorry HereHere, I insist my data be of high quality.A meta-analysis covering over 1.2 million participants found that consumption of fresh, unprocessed red meat is not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke or diabetes.ConclusionsConsumption of processed meats, but not red meats, is associated with higher incidence of CHD and diabetes. These results highlight the need for better understanding of potential mechanisms of effects, and for particular focus on processed meats for dietary and policy recommendations.And in cultures where religious vegetarians live side by side with omnis, eating the same foods in every way except for meat, the vegetarians have MORE disease.~shrugs~I’m sorry Paleo, it seems you did not examine the links I sent. The first link, if you read it, showed that the study was published in the peer-reviewed and highly respected Journal of the American Medical Association (Internal Medicine). They state: “Vegetarians may live longer than meat-eaters, according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The research involved over 70,000 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and showed that vegetarian diets are linked to reduced death rates with more favorable results for males than females. The potential association between diet and mortality is a critical area of research, the authors explained.” (June 2013) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261382.phpThe second link I posted was done by Oxford University researchers, one of the leading Universities in the world.It was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which is also a peer-reviewed medical journal. The article states, “The risk of hospitalisation or death from heart disease is 32% lower in vegetarians than people who eat meat and fish, according to a new study from the University of Oxford.” http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2013/130130.html.I’m glad that you are seeing success with your diet, and I hope the effects are long-term and serve you well. Just keep in mind, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) has posted information about the paleo diet under “healthy weight/fad diets” and while recognizing some merits of the paleo philosophy, they state, ” But a typical plan also exceeds the Dietary Guidelines for daily fat and protein intake and falls short on carbohydrate recommendations, according to a review from U.S. News & World Report. ” (source: http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442471551) (and they also say the diet may require supplementation, lack variety, and may be hard to sustain).I’m glad you are on this forum to get and share information. I would encourage you to cite your sources, especially when quoting direct text. I wouldn’t want you to have to fight charges of copyright infringement due to plagiarism. It is also helpful for other readers, who would like to be able to verify the statements and the source of the statements.ps – I make excellent scrambled eggs on toast using soft tofu, some nutritional yeast, salt, and mustard. It has no cholesterol and almost no saturated fat. Since anthropologists have found a variety of grain microfossils (and lentils) on our paleolithic ancestor’s dental calculus, grains should now be considered perfectly fine in the paleo diet. (Citation of research on p. 13 of this PDF: http://www.nsca.com/uploadedFiles/NSCA/Inactive_Content/Program_Books/PTC_2013_Program_Book/Aragon.pdf). The presenter holds a M.Sc. in Nutrition, so I think he has some credibility, but he is simply citing other scientific researchers.Sorry for the long post; I hope you find it helpful and encouraging.First, my quotes usually INCLUDE the citations. (Note the citation in the second quote) I think I overwrote the first citation when I started writing the second paragraph. And though I believe EVERYONE should take responsibility for evidencing their own argument, anyone who is as reliant on internet search engines as you appear to be can find that source in less than 3 seconds.It’d be great if instead of citing opinion articles, if you would simply point to the DATA.Back to the topic though, there’s nothing wrong with the information in the studies themselves, the problem is that you treat them as though they mean significantly MORE than they actually do. Observational/population studies simply cannot prove the cause and effect you are claiming that they can. This is where the lack of quality comes into play. And it’s unfortunate that so many are so easily duped by this kind of bait and switch BS.I am curious though, what type of encouragement are you hoping I’ll find?And finally, what is the defining qualifier in the title of the article you linked? I’ll give you a hint, I’ll put it in bold font for you.“Vegetarians may live longer than meat-eaters, according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.”So even the RESEARCHERS can’t find cause and effect so they don’t conclude that vegetarians DO live longer, but that they may. And these are the folks to DID THE STUDY. And yet somehow, you know better? This is how data gets twisted and misrepresented by the vegan community.PS. You make scrambled TOFU on toast. (funny that vegan foods all “replace” a real food) I don’t eat either. You’d have to hold a gun to one of my children’s heads to get me to eat soy especially. But hey, I’m glad that you are seeing success with your diet, and I hope the effects are long-term and serve you well. If you want to have a pissing contest over specific diets, I suggest you head over to one of the paleo forums and ask what people eat. In the meantime, you are making assumptions and don’t have a clue what my diet looks like so I invite you to not be the snark who believes themselves clever while actually putting their foot in their mouth, and stick to the topic at hand. =)Thank you for your citation. I was able to find a free, full-text copy of the meta-analysis. That is rare, and very helpful. The meta-analysis does have some big problems, however. One is that they are all based on observational studies (a method which you yourself have critiqued, although one which I think has significant epidemiological merit). A second is that all studies specifically comparing vegetarian and vegan diets to meat diets were excluded. A third is that it is weighed excessively one a single study (see critique, in the same published journal, here: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/123/3/e16.long#ref-4)The Chinese study of 100 people is interesting. The researchers conclude, “In summary, contrary to common belief, vegetarians, at least in the Chinese, might have accelerated atherosclerosis and abnormal arterial endothelial function, compared with omnivore control subjects. The increased risk could only be partially explained by their higher blood pressure, triglyceride, homocysteine, and lower vitamin B12 concentrations.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109705020024Note the use of the word “might”. I would also note that although they did age and gender matching, they did not match for income, which could be a huge a factor in any country. Hopefully, all the patient cohorts had a similar socioeconomic profile.I don’t have a link to the actual data for the 7th Day Adventist Study done in the USA, but there is some data in the abstract, and here is the concluding statement from it: “CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Vegetarian diets are associated with lower all-cause mortality and with some reductions in cause-specific mortality. Results appeared to be more robust in males. These favorable associations should be considered carefully by those offering dietary guidance.” Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23836264For the Oxford study, the full free text is not available, except to those with deep pockets, for the Oxford study yet again. I did find an abstract on PubMed. The conclusion: “Consuming a vegetarian diet was associated with lower IHD risk, a finding that is probably mediated by differences in non-HDL cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure”. There are some data in both these abstracts, but won’t give you as complete a picture about the study as a full text http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23364007As for encouragement, I was thinking that you were here to seek out nutritional facts based on evidence-based research to help you refine your diet. I am always trying to learn more about nutrition so that I can better refine my diet (and still enjoy food!). Since you had mentioned on this site that you had reversed two very serious diseases using diet, and your screen name uses the word paleo, I did make an assumption about your diet. Sorry. Given your success, I am sure you can understand the power of foods. As the evidence comes in over the days and years, I make adjustments to my diet (and lifestyle). I’m glad that I am seeing success with my diet (not that I had any serious disease before), and I hope the effects are long-term and serve me well, too. :DYou might be interested in the research presented on this website on soy, specifically whether it is harmful or helpful, dangerous or cancer-protective on this website. Even water can kill, so it goes back to the ‘dose makes the poison’ and finding out what dose (e.g. daily intake) is beneficial, and what dose is harmful. It seems the safe upper limit is somewhere around 5-7 servings per day, but that is what I concluded from the research. (I have also researched soy on pubmed, and it prevents breast cancer and the recurrence of breast cancer in those who have had it). You can have a quick look and make your own conclusions. You may have other research at your fingertips. You may still want to avoid soy, or you may not. That is entirely your choice.Soy is high in inflammatory poly fats, high in chelators, high in protease inhibitors and high in estrogen mimickers. It’s also goitrogenic and most is GM’d. So sure, none of that stuff should be TOO dangerous in small quantities. But frankly, small quantities wouldn’t contain enough nutrition to be worthwhile and I can get the same nutritional benefit in a serving of animal food, especially the protein, in a mere fraction of the volume of soy I’d need to consume. And… without the anti-nutritional components. That just makes more sense to me. ~shrugs~ Not to mention that fact that tofu is just… gross. The stuff vegans convince themselves is tasty is a riot. Even the Asians (who ate SO VERY LITTLE of it traditionally) knew it needed LOTS of help from animal food and salt to be edible.And check it out, when it benefits your argument, you actually ARE able to determine which science is bad. It’s a shame you can’t do that with the science that contradicts your argument too.ALL observational studies are good for little more than helping us form a hypothesis. I was confident you’d help me make that point if I shared similar data that was contrary to your ideals.Best!Paleo, what is the reference for your statement:“Even the Asians (who ate SO VERY LITTLE of it traditionally) knew it needed LOTS of help from animal food and salt to be edible.”How do you define “so very little” in units of measurement? Okinawans eat quite a bit of soy and they enjoy one of the longest lifespans on the planet.The Okinawans don’t represent traditional Asia AT ALL. In fact, the purple sweet potato they’re known for is native to the Americas. Still though, most of their soy is fermented, in fact, unlike other Asian cultures, the Okinawans even ferment most of their tofu. And they max out at 3 ounces, which represents approximately 75 calories. And even in their low calorie diet, 75 calories is less than 5% of their intake.I’ll add too, it appears that regardless of what they eat, Okinawans have an advantage.“Centenarians represent a rare phenotype appearing in roughly 10–20 per 100,000 persons in most industrialized countries but as high as 40–50 per 100,000 persons in Okinawa, Japan. Siblings of centenarians in Okinawa have been found to have cumulative survival advantages such that female centenarian siblings have a 2.58-fold likelihood and male siblings a 5.43-fold likelihood (versus their birth cohorts) of reaching the age of 90 years. This is indicative of a strong familial component to longevity. Centenarians may live such extraordinarily long lives in large part due to genetic variations that either affect the rate of aging and/or have genes that result in decreased susceptibility to age-associated diseases. Some of the most promising candidate genes appear to be those involved in regulatory pathways such as insulin signaling, immunoinflammatory response, stress resistance or cardiovascular function.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3259160/In other words, the Okinawans may have the ideal genes to handle a high carb diet and their longevity may not be related to their diet much at all.We are not Okinawan.But still, how do you define “so very little” in units of measurement? “So very little” is a subjective generalization. Surely you have a concrete figure in mind as the basis for your statement.HereHere,I realize that I read your last comment far too quickly and misjudged your tone. Please accept my apology for the harshness of my response. I suspect you and I probably have more in common than have differences and you seem really genuine.I agree… I eat at least two a day and sometimes as many as 6. My diabetes and heart disease have vanished, so I’m good with the nutrition and health properties of eggs. Eggs rock!The problem with observational studies is the confounders. Real scientists know that the value in an observational study comes only in the forming of a hypothesis that will lead to controlled studies. We cannot ascertain direct cause and effect from population observation.For example, what do most people eat WITH eggs? Hash browns? Toast? Home fries? Pancakes with syrup? Sausage? Fruit juice? How do you know it’s the eggs and NOT what was eaten WITH the eggs?Short answer? You don’t.Contempt of court! Cholesterol and eggs are bad for you period and do not do you any good whatsoever. It’s been settled for 50 years.Dan, your statements seem more apropos to ones heard from members of a religious cult than they do to statements made in scientific research papers, as you can see in research studies I’ve cited below.I smell a troll! And I thought rotten eggs were bad. I’ve got a court order and that makes me sound like a religious zealot to a cholesterol confusionist with broscience?It’s par for the course that Dan will accuse you of trolling or of being paid by whatever industry he decides you’re promoting– that his constant comments about Campbell’s new bible read MUCH more like those from the bloggers paid to promote HFCS not withstanding.That’s ridiculous PH the thread was about Campbell’s upstanding work.Oh? Do tell me what this comment had to do with Campbell’s “upstanding work” before you inserted it there. lol Zealots are rarely aware of the depth of their zeal.Comment from Dan to Hannah • 2 days agoThere’s a reason PH and the other paleotrolls on this site are banned from posting their nonsense on other sites . . .Oh? Which sites have I been “banned” from? Please do tell, I’m quite curious to know whose skin I got under.It’s comical that you MODERATE an online forum. The idea that you can be even the smallest bit objective about the subject matter is ludicrous. <–(Not a moderator after all.. Phew!)I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on the nutrient deficiencies of grains and seeds. Seems even you are concerned about nutrient deficits from eating grain. Who’da thunk.“Vegan diets are low in zinc, and phytates found in grains, nuts, seeds and legumes are known to inhibit absorption of zinc from the digestive tract. Does anyone have any practical advice or experience in getting enough zinc on a vegan diet?”FWIW, Dr. Greger invited me here with his Paleolithic post. =)I enjoy reading different points of view. Paleo Huntress you are welcome here!A properly designed vegan diet will give plenty of zinc. A poorly designed one will be deficient in lots of things! We should remember that you could live entirely off bagels and call yourself vegan.I think we need to be careful of finding studies that justify our point of view. Its tempting, but sometimes studies can be misleading – or poorly executed. Nothing is proven absolutely. In my case I don’t eat eggs because I feel the balance of evidence leans towards the negative. Could change though!I agree with mojo. And if people are paying attention, it all has to do with the “mighty buck” and the giant pharmaceutical companies that are trying to get everyone sick, and keep it that way. they have a pill for EVERYTHING, and cover up side effects with pills instead of getting to the root of the problem. Rx drugs are all man made synthetic drugs that our bodies cannot recognize. Be your own advocate. Do your research, and never trust the government. :) Afterall, look at Monsanto, and what they are able to do. Poisoning all Americans without anyone knowing for years.Many vitamins and most minerals, that are also required by our bodies, have harmful effects above certain levels or under certain conditions. No scientist need resort to a conspiracy theory to study how cholesterol may also be harmful above certain levels or under certain conditions.“For decades, conventional medicine has made cholesterol the big bugaboo, conveniently forgetting that cholesterol is needed by our bodies…” Many vitamins and most minerals, that are also required by our bodies, have intake levels above which they are harmful to our bodies. Conventional medicine need not conveniently forget anything about cholesterol to understand that it is required but also dangerous under certain scenario’s.You are so right, Chad- I mean, look at how valuable selenium is… but eat a couple of cans of Brazil nuts in a week and you’ll poison yourself with the stuff. The human body uses about 1000 mg of cholesterol. An egg contains about 150. Endogenous or exogenous doesn’t matter. Eggs are incredible.Oops. Didn’t know what the website did with my comment, hence the double entry. Anyways, my only point is that saying that some nutrient cannot be bad for you because it is also required is too simplistic. And as such, stating that conventional medicine had to overlook the fact that cholesterol is required in order to raise concerns about excess cholesterol seems to me to be unfounded.I understood you, and I absolutely agree. It has been shown repeatedly that altering dietary cholesterol has only a 5% impact on serum cholesterol either way. Elevated serum cholesterol is a function of systemic inflammation. So go ahead and eat your eggs- you’d have to eat buckets of them to get “too much” cholesterol. Then if you find your serum cholesterol is too high, try cutting out inflammatory grains, plant fats and free fructose and watch it drop like a lead weight.Nice statements made & I agree mojo191. My hens are completely free range as a fact. I do use “free range” as a marketing ploy. The only time they are enclosed, in any way, is at night when the temperature is high enough to make raccoons active. They come and go at will into an open pen under one of my barns which is where their roosts are. I’m not a big operation and am more concerned with the quality of the end product. I haven’t had my eggs tested but I think they are a superior product. Other factors such as letting the hens raise their own chicks is a plus. It creates a “social dynamic,” to a point where they are more self sufficient. Interesting how people have been “educated,” to a large degree, that when they hear the word “cholesterol” many make the assumption that it’s “bad” and if out of balance it can be….but cholesterol is also necessary for our bodies to grow and repair itself. People should learn about what they feed themselves….most i think have no clue i.e. “Lets open a box of____ and make a meal.” I won’t go into what I think about GMO’s but say that there is no good in them. Thats my opinion. Statistically we throw away, or food is spoiled in some fashion, to a toon of 30% in the U.S. There are allot of factors involved than to say “eggs are bad” as a blanket statement.I understand that frozen custard is so creamy because of egg yolks. Culver’s frozen custard is a favorite of mine, but I am wondering how many egg yolks I am getting in a small serving. Any way to find out?DrakeMo, why not experiment and find a dairy free custard that you can love? Last year I adopted a plant based, whole foods diet, even though I loved the taste of yogurt, cheese, butter, eggs, mayonnaise, etc…. but after learning new recipes and substitutes, I’m (surprisingly!) not missing a thing! My taste buds have change too. I was making someone else a sandwich with regular egg mayo and got some on my finger. I licked it off my finger without thinking and EWW, I almost gagged! I couldn’t believe it! It had only been 3 months since I would put like 4 tablespoon of mayo on my own sandwiches. There are tons of options and substitutes for what you’ve been used to, I promise!http://www.veganbaking.net/component/jreviews/recipes/vegan-custard-and-pudding-recipes_c243/#.UdRrIzBBmAkHeather: Nice reply! I agree with you and have had similar experiences. It’s amazing what substitutes are out there.You can download the nutrition guide here: http://culvers-bece73af.s3.amazonaws.com/page-content/menu/nutrition-guide.pdf One pint has 300.3 mg cholesterol and 1.6 g of trans fat. So it is a food best avoided. According to the USDA, a poached large (50g) egg has 185 mg of cholesterol, so there would be slightly less than 2 eggs per pint. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/119?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=eggI like Julie’s organic sorbets, which are dairy free and have a lovely texture (as long as you don’t freezer burn them, of course). Great as an occasional treat.lol We absolutely KNOW sugar is toxic and yet it’s OK for a treat– but an egg will kill you? Oh the twisted thinking of the vegan.Even the FdA does not allow the egg board to use the words “safe” or any form of the word “healthy” when advertising eggs. What does that tell you? Watch Dr. Greger latest year-end video for all of the freedom of information act released paperwork he has, citing the Egg Board and FDA conversations. So funny when they are trying to figure out words to use to describe eggs…… trying to convince foolish people that they should really eat the unsafe unhealthy things.“Even the FDA”?LMAOWell there’s your problem right there, you consider the FDA an authority. They are so corrupt and negligent that I use their advice as my guidance for what not to do.15 Disturbing Facts About the FDAFeel free to take advice from special interest groups. I’m good with you not eating eggs, that leaves more of the phenomenally nutritious little powerhouses for me and my family. Human beings and our ancestors have been eating eggs since the beginning of our evolution– MILLIONS of years of empirical evidence FTW!Toni, the FDA may have their shortcomings but definitely have the facts here: 100’s of thousands poisoned every year by proteobacteria laced unsafe eggs and each unhealthful egg is packed with cholesterol and other baddies. The paleo trolls generally don’t watch the videos or review the sources cited and only want to scream and shout total nonsense like salmonellae and cholesterol iare good for everyone. The egg industry wants to tell us that there is absolutely no evidence that eggs are unhealthy or unsafe. those are the lies the fda stopped. Best to ignore the paleotrolls if you want meaningful discussions.There isn’t a SINGLE documented case of food poisoning from eggs at home. Not. A. One.Hundreds of thousands? Please. Instead of watching videos, perhaps you should open the CDC’s report instead.http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-custard000000000000000000000.htmlWhat the egg production industry does to unwanted male chicks — the shredder — should be enough to make you pass their aisle by. Goes for dairy as well. (Many ways to shred. How about the life of a veal calf?) The cost of production per unit of protein makes it clear that it’s simply smarter to eat the veggie rather than feed it to “livestock” and the sad lives they are forced to lead.Chickens are perfectly formed to eat the cereal grains that human beings cannot eat healthfully. Just as cows are perfectly formed to eat the grass that we cannot eat healthfully. The animals turn something we can’t eat, into something we can.Perfect.And their quality of life? Is that being seen to? That’s the question. But yes, cows should eat grass, not corn / grain, esp Monsanto corn.That would depend on who is raising them. Grass-fed beef is being raised on pasture so chances are they have a pretty good life. When it comes to animals in the wild, do you know which ones are most likely to be killed first? Its’ the babies. My neighbors have laying hens who happily pluck the pests out of their garden all day, and we get our eggs from them. They don’t throw any animals into grinders.Bottom line though, animals that can turn plants that human cannot eat, into food that we can eat, and can do it with little or no cultivation, irrigation or loss of topsoil is the better use of our land and the SMARTER choice.How I wish this could be the way it is done everywhere. I suspect, and studies back it up, that the mass warehousing and unnatural, unbalanced feeding and even breeding of animals gretly contributes to the detrimantal studies we find here.Agreed. To quote Michael Pollan’s An Animal’s Place– “Grass fed beef for everybody!”Grass fed beef for everybody? That will never happen. Most North American families can’t afford it. As well, there’s not enough pasture land to produce the quantity of meat we now consume. If you want to look at the relative healthfulness of meat, you have to look at factory-farmed meat, because that’s the type of meat the vast majority of the populace consumes.http://michaelpollan.com/I’m sure Mr. Pollan would love to hear your thoughts. You should hit him up.According to a March 2011 CNN article, the market for grass-fed beef is still relatively small — possibly less than 3% of all U.S. beef sales. I’m sure it has gone up somewhat since then. Still, grain- and soy-fed factory-farm grade beef is what most North Americans eat.Do you consider that kind of meat a healthful food? I don’t. Most people would agree that grass-fed is the healthier choice. The infrastructure is not there to produce grass-fed beef for everybody, nor do ranchers like the much longer to-market time.So Americans eat a not-particularly-healthful food. Like eating an apple turnover, when they should be eating the apple.Couldn’t I say the very same thing to you about NOT eating meat? Less than 5% of people are vegetarian, and only a tiny fraction of that are vegan. Would you be swayed to eat conventional meat again simply because vegetarians don’t make up much of the population? That’s a silly argument.Ranchers will produce the product that people buy. Like it or not, what we BUY drives the market. What we don’t buy isn’t even noticed. If you want animal food to be humanely raised on its natural diet, you need to BUY those foods. When other producers see a market growing, they will investigate finding a place in that market. No one notices when you stop buying meat because EVERYONE eats produce and there are more than enough conventional meat-eaters to make up for your drop in the bucket. But if your dollars go to another market, that gets their attention.Problems don’t get solved by abandoning them. That is what the vegan movement is akin to, abandoning the animals to their conventional lives. You have to work from within the problem to solve it. If the consumer demands healthy, humanely raised animal food, you’ll get it. Otherwise it’ll be conventional all the way, but at least you can comfort yourself with the knowledge that you aren’t eating it.The world has more natural grassland than any other type of land. It is foolish to think it makes sense to cultivate this land for crops when ruminants can graze on it with few to no resources going into the land, and the land remains healthy. Now this doesn’t mean that we can feed the world on pastured beef, but we can’t feed them on crops grown on that land either.Maybe I didn’t express my point clearly enough.I’ve read a lot of forums, and the posters there that promote the consumption of meat always seem to promote only grass-fed, organic beef. Is this not what you eat and recommend yourself? The silent implication is that this elite group of people look down on regular beef, and would never consume it themselves.This is not however what the majority of Americans eat. They eat the grain- and soy-fed factory-farm grade meat, as well as non-muscle, “mystery” meats, such as hot dogs, sausages, and conventional hamburgers.Fifty years ago all cattle were pasture-fed, but both the population and the level of meat consumption have increased significantly since then. Many families can’t afford grass-fed beef, so they’re stuck with an inferior product. They would be much better off with inexpensive and healthful sources of plant protein.Public lands in the west are becoming decimated and “cow-burnt” by over-pasturing. Only if the price of grass-fed beef drops substantially (highly unlikely) will it create a dent in the market.Vegetable protein is healthful, complete, and a much better choice for the average American than the de facto standard, feedlot beef.You expressed your point just fine, I simply disagree. Unless and until people evolve the digestion appropriate to eat grass, ruminants will be a valuable conversion.The majority of Americans don’t eat organic and non-GMO either, but it doesn’t stop us from insisting on it ourselves or encouraging others to eat it. Does that make all of us “elite”?No.It doesn’t matter whether we agree on “how much” pastured meat should be a part of the diet, the fact is that it SHOULD be a part of the diet in whatever ratio it gets there in. As plant-only sources of protein are a wasteful and inefficient use of our land and resources. When we have less money, we simply eat less meat, we don’t eat poorer quality meat. And seeing as fresh produce is the most expensive thing in the human diet both by calorie and by protein content, even next to grass-fed beef, it’s a little disingenuous to suggest it’s a cheaper alternative.“As plant-only sources of protein are a wasteful and inefficient use of our land and resources.”How so?“When we have less money, we simply eat less meat, we don’t eat poorer quality meat.” Good luck in selling that to the general public.I didn’t mention fresh produce specifically, but calories and protein content are certainly not the only parameters to judge a food’s nutritional worth by. Things like phytonutrients, fiber, and anti-oxidants have a huge bearing on our health. Fresh produce is loaded with the latter.I agree that fresh produce is the bomb, but when people have less money to spend, they’re going to look for the foods that provide the most calories and protein per dollar. And though it may be hard to sell eating less meat, it’s much easier than selling eating NO meat.And as I said, grain and legume agriculture decimates our land. We are destroying our topsoil with it 17 times faster than it can be replaced. Managed grazing ruminants reduce that loss by 80%. And they don’t need fertilizers, cultivation or tons of water like the crops do.The most calories and protein per dollar? You can’t beat beans, peas and lentils. Consumption of produce is non-negotiable. You have to eat produce to stay healthy regardless of what else you eat. In-season or on-sale produce is not expensive. It might not be organic, but it’s not a whole lot of money.As you know, most of the grain grown is fed to livestock in meat production, not directly to human mouths. Our current legume / grain production could feed the entire world if we ate it at source.Avoiding monoculture crops, and strategic crop rotation can help preserve topsoil.Factory-farm ruminants (once again, this is where the bulk of our meat comes from) are absolute water guzzlers.I think you must have missed this–> “grain and legume agriculture decimates our land.”Here is the answer- eat pastured meat. =) When the market grows, production grows. That is capitalism at its finest.“I think you must have missed this–> “grain and legume agriculture decimates our land.” ”Where are your citations for that statement?“Here is the answer- eat pastured meat. =) When the market grows, production grows. That is capitalism at its finest.”As I’ve stated before, families without a lot of income can’t afford pastured meat. Production can’t grow for a commodity that’s, for many, unaffordable in the first place.Since you seem to strongly favour grass-fed beef, I have a question for you. Only given the two choices, would you eat factory-farm beef or chickpeas?Me personally? Since the high carbohydrate content of chick peas would cause disease in me in no time, I’d eat the meat. I guess it’s a good thing we live in the real world where we have more than two choices, eh?From Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating AnimalsClearly vegetarians who eat soya, chickpeas, lentils, rice and certain imported foods are not as green as a Fife dieter eating locally grown turnips, kale and oats. Ask a preachy vegetarian to audit their food sourcing and they may not come out much cleaner than a “selective omnivore”.It is argued that the average rich world vegetarian may not consume much less of the planet’s resources than the average moderate omnivore: a report last week for the Worldwide Fund for Nature on the impact of food production pointed out that highly processed vegetarian meat substitutes or foods made of imported soya (as in tofu) might actually use more arable land and resources than their beef or dairy equivalents.Naturally if you source your produce locally, you will be greener. A vegan or vegetarian can do that as well as any other type of consumer, Fife dieter or no. “If one cares about the environment, one must care about eating animals … Someone who regularly eats factory-farmed products cannot call himself an environmentalist without divorcing that word from its meaning.” Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals“Livestock agriculture produces more greenhouse gas emissions than every train, truck, car and aeroplane put together. The resources consumed by one average omnivore in pursuit of animal protein would nourish as many as 10 vegetarians.”Grass fed beef for everybody? That will never happen. Most North American families can’t afford it. As well, there’s not enough pasture land to produce the quantity of meat we now consume. If you want to look at the relative healthfulness of meat, you have to look at factory-farmed meat, because that’s the type of meat the vast majority of the populace consumesAs you wish, Buttercup. Feel free to post it a third time even.Hi PH, if you feel you have an educated opinion on nutritional aspects of eating animals, by all means share. I enjoy checking out the citations you offer.However you are quite clearly unaware of certain aspects of animal agriculture in terms of animals’ well-being.Since this is a forum for nutrition discussion, I won’t address the inaccuracy of your claims. If you choose to learn, there are plenty of other places to do so. If you don’t want to know, that’s fine too, but then be responsible and refrain from commenting on the subject.b00mer,When you know me or have participated in a thread where we’ve discussing animal welfare, you may then be qualified to determine what aspect I’m “clearly unaware of”. In the meantime, I ask you to respect that you are not the only one who knows when a topic is inappropriate for a forum. However, in my case, I choose to NOT insults folks over it BECAUSE this is not the place to hash it out and it is far more respectful to honor that than to make passive-agressive attacks such as the one you just made.FWIW, I’m an ethical omni– animal welfare is of the utmost importance to me and my current diet takes fewer lives than my vegan diet did.In the future, I’ll expect you to refrain from commenting on things and people you are clearly unaware of certain aspects of.Thank you.Your statement that your neighbors don’t put their hens into grinders indicates that you don’t understand the context of the original statement. That is not my opinion of you, that is the logical interpretation of your comment.ALL of interpretation is based on opinion, so yes, it IS your opinion. But the fact that you can’t differentiate between different types of animal agriculture speaks to your ignorance on the subject, not mine. I KNOW what happens in the conventional egg industry, that’s why I don’t eat conventional eggs. It isn’t necessary to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Most folks think we should keep the baby… I like the baby… I agree.  =)Any evidence to claim that cereal grains are unhealthful? This review examines whole grains and the compounds within as well as their health benefits. I fail to see any mention of the ill effects of whole grains since they apparently wreak such havoc upon our health.http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251I know my user name sort of invites criticism from those who cannot differentiate between the topic at hand and their own biases, but I’ll not be dragged into debating MY diet for your amusement. We hashed it out pretty thoroughly in the paleo thread and if you wish to continue to do so there, I’m definitely game. In the meantime though, unless you want to be challenged by a slew of unrelated comments about the “toxins” in your diet, I suggest you stick to the topic. ;-)I am curious as to how you come to your conclusions. I am unsure why you are being so evasive and I can only assume that you don’t have any evidence for your assertion that grains are unhealthful. It is also strange to me that you try to “talk” your way out of situations you are uncomfortable with. This is not a forum with a set of guidelines on what can be asked or what cannot be.Yup. =) Lots of evidence.Aoki K (1991) “Time required for gene frequency change in a deterministic model of gene-culture coevolution, with special reference to the lactose absorption problem.” Theoretical Population Biology, vol. 40,pp. 354-368.Auger I et al. (1997) “A function for the QKRAA amino acid motif: mediating binding of DnaJ to DnaK.” J Clin Invest, vol. 99, pp. 1818-1822.Batchelor AJ et al. 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(1991) “Conference summary: Diet as an environmental factor in development of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.” Can J Physiol Pharmacol, vol. 69, pp. 311-319.Sedlet K et al. (1984) “Growth-depressing effects of 5-n-pentadecylresorcinol: a model for cereal alkylresorcinols.” Cereal Chem, vol. 61, pp. 239-241.Simoons FJ (1978) “The geographic hypothesis and lactose malabsorption: A weighing of the evidence.” Dig Dis, vol. 11, pp. 963-980.Simoons FJ (1981) “Celiac disease as a geographic problem.” In: Walcher DN, Kretchmer N (eds.) Food, Nutrition and Evolution. New York: Masson Publishing. (pp. 179-199)Singh VK et al. (1993) “Antibodies to myelin basic protein in children with autistic behavior.” Brain, Behavior and Immunity, vol. 7, pp. 97-103.Sly MR et al. (1984) “Exacerbation of rickets and osteomalacia by maize: a study of bone histomorphometry and composition in young baboons.” Calcif Tissue Int, vol. 36, pp. 370-379.Sobiech KA et al. (1983) “Determination of amylase by measurement of enzymatic activity and by enzyme immunoassay and radioimmunoassay.” Arch Immunol Therap Exp, vol. 31, pp. 845-848.Stead IM, Bourke JB, and Brothwell (1986) Lindow Man: The Body in the Bog. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.Stephen A (1994) “Whole grains–impact of consuming whole grains on physiological effects of dietary fiber and starch.” Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, vol. 34, pp. 499-511.Storlien LH et al. (1996) “Laboratory chow-induced insulin resistance: a possible contributor to autoimmune type I diabetes in rodents.” Diabetologia, vol. 39, pp. 618-620.Warren RP et al. (1996) “Strong association of the third hypervariable region of HLA-DR beta 1 with autism.” J Neuroimmunol, vol. 67, pp. 97-102.Watkins BA (1990) “Dietary biotin effects on desaturation and elongation of 14C linoleic acid in the chicken.” Nutr Res, vol. 10, pp. 325-334.Zohary D (1969) “The progenitors of wheat and barley in relation to domestication and agricultural dispersal in the old world.” In: Ucko PJ, Dimbleby GW (eds.) The Domestication and Exploitation of Plants and Animals. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Co. (pp. 46-66)Too many studies to honestly look through, I tried but I realized after the first few how irrelevant many of them were. Many of them refer to anti nutrients which are eliminated with cooking, and some that even double as antioxidants, most are animal studies with rats. Some of the studies regarding whole grains encourage their consumption. I could not get the full text on this one but based on the abstract “Evidence indicates that such effects are beneficial and that whole-grain consumption should be encouraged.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7811380I don’t even know where to start. If this was truly a mountain of nutrition knowledge showing that whole grains were harmful to health its hard to believe that dietary recommendations would not be influenced. My guess is that you didn’t even look at these and just copied and pasted from somewhere to have the appearance of actually having evidence.dude, you claimed was that there was -no- evidence and now that a comprehensive list has been provided, its ‘too much’ to look thru? you wrote, ‘I am not a “zealout”, my diet is based on science’, but dude, if youre only willing to read what you believe supports your choice, its not based on science at all. its cool to c&p citations, thats why theyre created, to give credit to the researchers. whats ugly is c&p-ing the review without giving giving credit.you cant say theres no evidence anymore dude, you can only say you dont know. it was offered and you didnt feel like reviewing it. that falls on you.theres a more concise peer-reviewed summary here- Cereal grains: humanity’s double-edged sword. (1999) World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 84,pp. 19-73the list huntress provided looks like the citations from this article.Yes, RWV, it is the resource list from the Dr.’s paper.The paper brings up many non issues and has many false premises that animal foods and dairy are essential to ones diet for optimal health. I didn’t realize that human beings had also been suckling cows for more then 10,00 years.The author bases his stance on an evolutionary standpoint which is more philosophy then anything, the fact that grains are missing vitamin A, b12 and C is also not significant and also that grains contain anti nutrients which as I said above, double as antioxidants or are eliminated with cooking.Using this criteria then of course, grains are poison, but its not applicable to modern life. I know of no evidence from studies showing that whole grains are deleterious, as the author claims. The opposite is true, as whole grains have been strongly associated with decreased mortality from chronic diseases.Toxins,“The paper brings up many non issues and has many false premises that animal foods and dairy are essential to ones diet for optimal health. I didn’t realize that human beings had also been suckling cows more then the 10,000 year mark.”From this statement alone it is easy to see that you didn’t read the paper. Dairy is NOT part of Cordain’s paleo diet (Cordain wrote the article you are commenting on) specifically because primitive people didn’t eat dairy (or grains and legumes) in quantity, or at all.From an article titled- The Adverse Effects of Milk co-authored by Dr. Cordain:“I believe that all dairy products are problematic. Cheeses do not cause the high insulin response as does milk, yogurt and other fermented dairy products, but is one of the most acidic of all foods.”“[T]he commonly held notion that milk is a highly nutritious food is simply untrue.“I don’t view it [lack of dairy] as a nutritional gap, but rather a liability [consuming dairy] which causes our health to suffer in the long run.“Humans have existed on this planet for 2.5 million years, and only in the past 10,000 have we ever consumed milk or dairy products. Like all other mammals on the planet, we did quite well without milk (once we were weaned) for the rest of our adult lives.”The fact that you somehow came away from that paper believing it claims “dairy is essential” is even further evidence that your biases blind you to evidence offered by others. The reason you see no evidence is because you’re willfully blind to seeing it, not because it isn’t there.“However, as more and more cereal grains are included in the diet, they tend to displace the calories that would be provided by other foods (meats, dairy products, fruits and vegetables), and can consequently disrupt adequate nutritional balance….However, as is the case for vitamins, as more and more cereal grains are included in the diet, they tend to displace dairy and vegetable sources of calcium.”So it appears he is advocating for the nutritional quality of dairy.His only comment on dairy being harmful is that it has a similar amino acid profile to humans which can trigger autoimmune disorders, which by the way, meat has been implicated in the same regard. http://www.direct-ms.org/pdf/NutritionOther/ArthritisMeat.pdfAgain, the points the author raises are NON issues. Its a desperate scramble to find something wrong with grains. As I said again, the antinutrients the author goes in depth about are eliminated with cooking and this is fairly well established common nutrition knowledge. I will post again many of the positive attributes and phytonutrients of grains for your viewing pleasure. http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251OK Toxins… let’s look at it.From your quote, Cordain writes-“they tend to displace the calories that would be provided by other foods (meats, dairy products, fruits and vegetables)In your first comment, YOU wrote,“The paper… has many false premises that… dairy are[is] essential to ones diet for optimal health.”Would you show me where the statement (or even the implication) is made that dairy is essential to one’s diet for optimal health?This is a paper on cereal grains, not a paper on dairy. You should be able to differentiate between a statement of fact (“grains have replaced other foods including dairy”) and a statement of support. (“dairy is essential”)I am not interested in your reductionist evidence. You have demonstrated repeatedly that you can dismiss the individual nutrients found in animal foods, so evidence of individual nutrients found in plant foods is similarly moot.Instead, show evidence that animal foods cause harm in a whole food diet or that grains improve health in a whole food diet. Reductionist thinking is worthless, as we don’t eat parts of whole foods, we eat the whole food.The site you keep linking to to prove grain is healthy (healthgrain) is NOT a scientific journal or subject to peer-review. It is the global grain-industry’s marketing network and is funded by memberships purchased by corporate processed-food manufacturers. (go to the page for the rest)So the micronutrients do not exist then? Does bias negate studies? I could claim, and do in fact claim, that the review you posted is extremely biased and does not paint a truthful picture. Even ignoring the opinions of the authors of the study I shared (which are by the way backed with legitmate cited evidence), the phytonutrients still exist and are quite health promoting.I don’t know of any studies showing the ill effects of whole grains other then that ridiculous review which brought to light every antinutrient that exist in grains and blaming grains for every possible disease. I would like to see some actual legitimate studies proving his point rather than this biased and irrelevant review.Address the data individually and explain why each trial isn’t relevant. You don’t get to group together and dismiss an entire body of work merely because you don’t like it. Even Campbell found a stronger correlation between disease and wheat than disease and meat. How do you define a plant based diet? This is a simple question, right?“Does the bias negate papers?”I can’t believe you actually ask this considering this entire post is about the biases created by an industry that does its own research. Yes, bias DOES negate papers. Does it negate all of them? I’m sure it doesn’t- but when something is funded by an industry, you have to look very closely at the conclusions.Data is data. Don’t point to a blog, to an article or to a vegan website. Point to the data. If you consider a specific piece of data “ridiculous’ then cite it and explain why. You keep going on about how bodies of evidence are more significant than individual studies, and when an entire body is offered, you probably don’t have much choice but to back-pedal.Campbell published several papers looking at the effect of wheat, and found it correlated with disease. He wrote:“Wheat protein, unlike casein for example, did not stimulate cancer development, but when its limiting amino acid, lysine, was restored, it acted just like casein. There have been literally thousands of studies going back many decades showing a similar effect on body growth and other events associated with body growth—all resulting from differences in amino acid composition of different proteins.~T. Colin CampbellIn other words, when you eat beans with bread for example, [like when you eat a veggie burger], you fill in the lysine deficiency in the wheat, and the wheat becomes disease promoting just like the isolated casein did in his studies.I see this as pretty relevant and unbiased, Toxins. What do you think the plant-based Campbell’s bias could be?How much protein caused an increase in IGF-1? Where is the evidence for campbell’s claim? Dr. Greger has covered IGF-1 growth due to protein and the only plant food found to cause elevated igf-1 levels was soy, but only after 3-5 servings. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/I don’t idolize campbell like you may think, I am unfamiliar with his work.This is another reductionist argument. You continue to argue for the pros and cons of isolated compounds instead of looking at the whole food. We can’t know what other compounds a food might contain that could nullify effects you consider negative.For example, we know that the naturally occurring selenium in fatty fish prevents the absorption of heavy metals the fish may contain. Obviously if we measure the heavy metals on their own we will conclude that the fish aren’t safe to eat, but when compared to a low selenium, mercury-contaminated, plant-food (like rice), the fish would actually be safer to eat because the net value of mercury absorbed will be lower.Who cares about isolated IGF-1? Wheat consumption has 4 TIMES the association with disease as meat does according to Campbell [Greger’s mentor]. Obviously there is something else in meat that is protective.“I know of no evidence from studies showing that whole grains are deleterious, as the author claims.This would be because of that willful blindness I mentioned. There is a citation list a mile long and you haven’t read any of articles cited. You can say you truly don’t know, but that’s not because the evidence doesn’t exist, but because you refuse to read or acknowledge it.“The opposite is true, as whole grains have been strongly associated with decreased mortality from chronic diseases.”No, Toxins, I’m sorry, the opposite is not true. Whole grains have NOT been strongly associated with decreased mortality from chronic disease. What has been associated, is replacing processed grains with whole grains. There is no evidence whatsoever that whole grains decrease mortality when compared to whole-food diets that are completely grain-free. In fact, just the opposite.This fact has been pointed out to you repeatedly and you continue to ignore it. You appear to have scads of citations stored away to support your ideals, so why not simply share the citations from the studies that show a decrease in mortality from chronic diseases when whole grains are added to an already grain-free diet?toxins,paleo huntress has been trying to post a response here and for some reason it isnt posting. she sent me the post and asked me to try posting it for her.The website you keep linking as proof of the healthfulness of whole grains (healthgrain.com) is NOT a scientific journal or subject to peer-review. It is the global grain-industry’s marketing network and is funded by memberships purchased by corporate processed food manufacturers. The group is funded by memberships from Big Food and agribusiness.Members include- (This is a list from their website)Barilla- “Italy’s largest food-processing industry.”Budapest University of Technology and Economics- “Technological research including development of new food products and functional food.”Cereal Partners Worldwide- “[M]anufacturers of breakfast cereals. The business was formed in 1990 as a 50:50 joint venture between Nestlé S.A. and American food giant General Mills.CreaNutrition AG (CN)- “international marketing, sales and research subsidiary of Swedish Oat Fiber AB, instrumental in the development of unique and proprietary technologies relative to the processing of oat based food ingredients”Danish Whole Grain Campaign- “consumer education programs and active support of manufacturers who are making whole grain products.”DeVries Nutrition Solutions- “16 years experience in the Research & Development of the food industry, respectively in the Dairy Industry and the Bakery Ingredient Supplies Industry.ETH Zürich- “Developing new precompetitive innovative healthy bread products with SME bakeries throughout Europe”Finnish Bread Information- “Acts as a general information service of bread business. Promotes the importance of bread on improving the public health in Finland by using different methods of communication. Established in 1961″Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council (Australia)- “Go Grains provides leadership to the grains and legumes industry by focusing on: Industry issues in relation to grains and legumes, awareness and increased consumption, Consumption and trend data, Proﬁles and networks with industry leaders”Innova Management (Switzerland)- “Research into products, recycling and resource efficiency, water management and the food & drinks industry.”IGV (Germany)- “The unit works on milling, extrusion, roasting and non-food use of cereals, pulses, oilseeds and other processing of agricultural raw materials.International Association for Cereal Science and Technology- “ICC is a non-political, non-profit-making, neutral forum for cereal scientists and technologists.”Kellogg- Self explanatoryI’m not even half way through the membership list yet and it’s glaringly obvious that this organization is about increasing profits for the processed foods and processed grains industry. THIS is why the actual data matters.Thank you, RWV.This citation makes the claim that whole grain consumption should be encouraged based on its pre-biotic ability to produce butyrate. However, butter is the richest known source of butyrate (and it’s preformed). So given that there are better sources of butyrate, the recommendation is rather moot.But this is what I’ve been referring to since we started debating here- you take the conclusion as data– but the people writing the conclusions are just people, with real biases and funding sources they are required to respect. The conclusion isn’t data, only the data is data.You have been asked repeatedly to provide just one single source demonstrating harm when eggs (or saturated fat) are eaten within the context of a whole food diet. You keep saying the evidence is overwhelming, and I’m definitely open to exploring it. But I’m not clear why you haven’t yet shared a single whole-food study if there are so many to choose from.Also, when you take the data directly from “Diet, Life-style, and Mortality in China”, Campbells opus, you find this-Wheat has a correlation of 0.67 with heart disease- the strongest association between any food and heart disease.Plant protein has a correlation of 0.21 with heart disease (positive)Non-fish animal protein has a correlation of 0.01 with heart disease (neutral)Fish protein has a correlation of -0.11 with heart disease (inverse)Meat intake has a correlation of -0.28 with heart disease (strongly inverse)Fish intake has a correlation of -0.15 with heart disease (inverse)Egg intake has a correlation of -0.13 with heart disease (inverse)Wheat does not equate to whole wheat and usually means refined grains. I am also unfamiliar with the China study as I have never read the book or paper.These weren’t epidemiological or observational studies, they were controlled studies performed by Campbell.Perhaps it’s a good time to get familiar with it then. You keep saying there isn’t a shred of evidence, but it seems more likely that you are just “unfamiliar” with the evidence.fwiw, reading over doc gregers ‘about me’ page turns this up-“Dr. Greger is…honored to teach part of Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s esteemed nutrition course at Cornell University.”dr greger supports campbells work. can you worship at the alter of greger without paying homage to campbell too?is this part of minger’s review?Yes. =)Eggs should be labeled with a warning sign – “Ingesting eggs causes cardiovascular disease ” My father (first heartattack at age 46) came happily to me, and said that scientific investigation showed that you can eat up to 7 eggs per week without problems! The egg lobby is doing a great job! The bulk of evidence shows clearly that eggs is not a health food. The safe upper -limit is probably one egg…………per year.At the end of my two year stint in whole-food veganism, I’d gained 65lbs and had a fresh diagnosis of type II with a total cholesterol of over 300. My CRP was off the charts! Six years into a paleo template, eating 2-6 pastured eggs per DAY, my cholesterol is down almost 150 points and the ratio idealized. I’ve lost over 100lbs and the inflammation and diabetes is gone.It would be interesting if this was an unusual case, but it’s quite common. In my case, the eggs should have had an “Ingesting eggs cures cardiovascular disease” claim instead. =)The incredible edible egg!Clearly you were doing something wrong to be gaining this much weight on a diet with such low caloric density. Speaking of personal anecdotes, which by the way really does not add any scientific ground to this conversation. I went from 157 pounds to 148 once going whole foods plant based. Not much weight loss, but I am 5% body fat after hydrostatic weighing. I couldn’t help but lose those few pounds. I ate plenty of food yet still I lost weight. Now you see the problem with personal anecdotes, they go both ways. Some may claim with the same standard of evidence that their grandmother lived till their 90’s but smokes a pack of cigarettes everyday.Dr. G, FYI in my opinion you should include the court rulings as authorities, especially since you read from them in the video. The case went to the 7th Circuit twice, the first time they reversed the trial court which had found for the NECN, and the US Supreme Court denied writ of certiori, and after remand to the trial court, the second time they affirmed the trial court after it found for the FTC. For all those interested the 7th Circuit Opinions in which the NECN were held to be liars and frauds are available here:http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=11113845817486470381&hl=en&as_sdt=2,44http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15949682007365413108&hl=en&as_sdt=2,44The NECN was notably enjoined from advertising that: A. 1. Represents that there is no scientific evidence that eating eggs increases the risk of heart attacks, heart disease, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, or any attendant condition; 2. Represents that there is scientific evidence that dietary cholesterol, including that in eggs, decreases the risk of heart attacks, heart disease, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, or any attendant condition; 3. Represents that there is scientific evidence that avoiding dietary cholesterol, including that in eggs, increases the risk of heart attacks, heart disease, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, or any attendant condition; 4. Represents that eating eggs does not increase the blood cholesterol level in a normal person; 5. Represents that the blood cholesterol level is prevented from being raised or lowered by dietary cholesterol intake; 6. Represents that the human body increases its manufacture of cholesterol in an amount equal to a decrease in dietary cholesterol intake; 7. Represents that the average human body eliminates the same amount of cholesterol as that eaten; 8. Represents that dietary cholesterol, including that in eggs, is needed by the body for building sex hormones, for transmitting nerve impulses and for maintaining life in cells; or 9. Utilizes the name “National Commission on Egg Nutrition” unless it is clearly and conspicuously disclosed in immediate conjunction with the name that the National Commission on Egg Nutrition is composed of egg producers and other individuals and organizations of, or relating to, the egg industry. B. 1. Represents that eating eggs does not increase the risk of heart attacks, heart disease, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, or any attendant condition or 2. Makes any representation concerning the relationship of dietary cholesterol, including that in eggs, to heart attacks, heart disease, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, or any attendant condition unless it is clearly and conspicuously disclosed in immediate conjunction therewith that there is a controversy among medical experts concerning the relationship of dietary cholesterol, including that in eggs, to heart disease, and that respondents are presenting their side of that controversy. C. 1. Represents that there exists, or describes, scientific evidence which supports the theory that consumption of dietary cholesterol, including that in eggs, does not increase the risk of heart attacks, heart disease, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, or any attendant condition or 2. Makes any representation concerning the state of the available evidence or information concerning the relationship of dietary cholesterol, including that in eggs, to heart attacks, heart disease, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, or any attendant condition unless it is clearly and conspicuously disclosed in immediate conjunction therewith that many medical experts believe that existing evidence indicates that increased consumption of dietary cholesterol, including that in eggs, may increase the risk of heart disease. D. 1. Represents as insignificant the available scientific evidence that the consumption of dietary cholesterol, including that in eggs, may increase the risk of heart attacks, heart disease, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, or any attendant condition, or represents that there is overwhelming scientific evidence or otherwise misrepresents the amount of scientific evidence that eating eggs does not increase the risk of heart attacks, heart disease, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis or any attendant condition. 2. Misrepresents in any manner the physiological effects of consuming dietary cholesterol or eggs.Thank you so much for posting these Dan!Michael, You are the eggspert….Contempt of court! “more than 40 years of research have shown that healthy adults can eat eggs without significantly impacting their risk of heart disease” http://www.incredibleegg.org/health-and-nutrition/cracking-the-cholesterol-myth Can anything be done to stop these fraudsters?Great video. Remember, that it may also be the excess choline in the eggs, not just the cholesterol, as pointed out in a major ground-breaking study that came out in the past year. Dr. Greger has a video about it. It is suspected that the carnitine in meat AND the choline found in eggs and other animal products are turned into TMAO by omnivores’ gut bacteria, and it is this TMAO that is so dangerous to our systems.Search for the video called: “Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection” for more info.Dr. Greger, the paleo diet fanatics love to point to recent research that claims that cholesterol is not bad for you. They are actually recommending the increase in egg intake. Have you seen any of this so called research and what are your thoughts on the tie in with the paleo diet?I think I’ve just lost [another] friend. He came over and busted a gut on a big job for me…I made a vegetarian lunch (I caved in and put cheese on the burrito). The “protein question” came up. How do you get enough. “I have to eat eggs or I don’t get enough”. Well I’ll let you fill in the rest. It did not exactly end well.How can we explain to people when they’ve been brainwashed so effectively? He raises his own chickens, knows what they eat, knows they are healthy for him and his family. He really didn’t want to hear about eggs. I am not a pushy type but I can’t remain silent. There is no easy way is there?You reading this you derned stubborn dutchman? I’m not standing by quietly while your healthy food plugs up your and your beautiful family’s plumbing. Eat whole foods/Plant-based. Just do it for a month. See if you go protein deficient. You won’t. What can I do JZ? I know this is truer than the truest thing. Should I just pretend its ok that the Machine’s got you? I cant fight alone against this monster. THEY know the truth. They twist and spin and lie so your family will suffer while they get the benefit. All we have to do is throw a spanner in the works and it will all come crashing down. Like the Matrix, except this is freakin reality.READ/Watch this website, watch Forks over Knives, watch Dr Gregers vids. I know you would never think of smoking. This is just as bad…just as deadly. You are addicted mate, just as surely as a junkie is to … junk. Meat is not murder, it IS suicide. Don’t eat cholesterol. Do as I say. I am superior to you. I am the king of you. I am omnipresent. I heard that! Put that butter away. Eat raw unprocessed grain. and Kale. and that hedge. It is way overgrown. I’ll wrastle you for it…………. Pals right? You know I’d cut off an arm for you…except you’d just BBQ it. Eggzactly.Well, this has got to be the most emotional post ever written. To clic or not to clic… et manu et corde!I find it is usually not beneficial to argue the facts of your research against the facts of their research. I try to avoid such conversations by not making claims of what I do or do not eat and why. Of course it is easier said than done. The only answer I find that gets people to maybe stop and think for a minute is: “Yeah, it’s tuff but we all got choices to make; but the results are getting pretty substantial now.”For men, it’s also fun to point out that erectile dysfunction (ED) may be a mostly vascular condition.Coacervate: Ouch. I feel for you. When it is someone you care about, it can be *very* hard to keep quiet.For what it’s worth, here’s how I handle it when I’m dealing with someone I’m not all that close to: wince or other look to show that I’m baffled by such a bizarre statement (like someone just told me that smoking cigarettes is good for them – bleeeesssssss their heart), but actually say nothing. I think that there are few people who have the skills to have the kind of conversation that would make a positive difference. I’m not one of them. So, the best I can do for such a person is continue to be a role model.On rare occasions, if I think the person if smart enough to benefit, I will *later* e-mail the person some 3rd party information about the topic at hand (say “protein”) with an intro such as: “I was thinking about what you said about protein. I thought you might be interested in learning what the experts say about it. See below. If this doesn’t interest you, no problem. Feel free to let me know if you would rather not get this kind of information.” The key here is to give 3rd party, authoritative information, not just your personal summary. And then, if possible, back it up with some anecdotes. The other key is that it is by e-mail, which might help the person to think and “take in” the info instead of just reacting to conversation.I handle the same situation differently for someone that I am very close to: I still do not debate it head on as pressure causes people to act defensively. Instead, I wage a long-term “war” and do things like send Dr. Greger videos (but not too many so as not to overwhelm) and invite to vegan conferences with me, give presents of the movie Forks Over Knives, share lots of my food and excitement about food, buy cookbooks as presents, share articles, etc. Also known as: with as little pushing as possible, while never suggesting that they change their ways, do the best I can educate. At the same time, use well-known behavior changing techniques: positive reinforcement, ignoring the bad behavior. (You can learn a lot about this in modern dog training circles.) This 2-pronged strategy has had great success with the people closest to me, though it is not an over-night process. What I can say is that people who have sworn to me on many, many occasions that they would never be vegan are now happily and enthusiastically consuming the whole-plant-food diet.That’s just my 2 cents. Good luck with your friend. I hope you are able to mend fences.Very good advice. Much obliged. I should report that I’m back in good graces although he did not watch this vid. We’re invited for din din soon so I’ll try some of your tips. I do remember hearing my own negativity echo inside my gourd when it didn’t provoke the desired reaction in others. I could try remaining silent. Gosh, now that WOULD be a challenge, har!“The “protein question” came up.”The reason humans need protein is not really the protein, but the nine indispensable amino acids we can’t make ourselves. They originate from plants, not animals. So eating the plants cuts out the middleman that comes with cholesterol and saturated fats, and more harmful components.For any vegan advocate, I highly, highly recommend this easy to read, easy to use psychology book: Instant Influence by Michael Pantalon. He has several steps that really work. Start with affirming their autonomy “I understand this is completely your decision”. As permission to ask a question and get them to rate on a scale of 1-10 how motivated they are to become (let’s say, vegetarian to start; or you could even ask them about eating less meat). If they say 2, you act surprised and ask them why they didn’t rate it lower. Then, they talk about the rationale they have (maybe they think it would be a bit healthier, maybe they think it would be better for the animals). That’s them figuring it out, not you preaching. The rest of the steps are in the book. But those first few steps are really key. Good luck! Don’t expect an easy, quick fix. Things take time. Sometimes years, but sometimes things happen faster.thank you. I just started reading it. I’ve definitely been using the tell-and-sell approach in all segments of life and pretty much failed. their eyes sorta glaze over and i would keep smelling salts handy. time to change tack!Hi coacervate, I know the feeling. I will say that these days I take a firm, but friendly and relaxed (I may even appear bored) approach. I make it clear that I am happy to have a discussion on nutrition but that I will not engage in an “argument” based solely on the person’s taste preferences or personal beliefs without any factual information or substance. I just got sick of the blanket baseless statements of the sort: “well not eating *any* meat can’t be healthy” or “everyone’s body is different, and I need animal protein”. Oh really? Why is that? Which exact nutrients in meat do you need? What exact characteristic of the protein in meat is it that makes it so healthy and necessary? I mean most people do not even know what a protein is. I start by asking questions, essentially giving the platform over to them, and once they have completely floundered in their attempt to defend their position, I will bring up a couple objective and rather dry points. I guess you could say that I first make them defend the logic and substance of their own criticisms, before I will address them. I don’t let them get away just calling something nutritious, or saying they need it. Give me specifics.Regarding protein: I will usually explain that mathematically it is impossible to be protein deficient, e.g. given 2000 cal, avg 10% cal from protein, you’ve got 200 cal from protein, and 50 g. Since 10% is in line with raw foodists, personally I think ~15-20% cal from protein is more likely if you’re eating a lot of green leafies and beans, which would give you 75-100 g. Way more than needed. I try to drive the point home that the “high” protein content of animal products is simply a function of caloric density, not of protein density itself. I fully concede that in the past, high caloric density was undoubtedly favorable, but most will agree that in our modern world this is no longer beneficial. I personally love these questions I got from Fuhrman’s Eat to Live: “which do you think has more protein, 100 calories of broccoli or 100 calories of beef?” or “where do you think the calories come from in broccoli, from fat, carbs, or protein?”.In addition, if they bring up the “quality” of protein issue, I will address that actually, that’s now considered an antiquated perspective and will bring up igf-1 issues (don’t know if you’ve seen these videos, one is called “Higher protein means higher risk”).And you know what, a lot of people will agree that eating something like a 95% WFPB diet is extremely healthy; most people wish they ate more vegetables. It’s just that fear of completely letting go of their comfort foods that prevents them from endorsing it fully. So I will kind of poke and prod around that, like “why is it that you think that eating so many fruits and vegetables and beans etc up to that point is so healthy?” and “if we closed that gap and made it 100%, what is it that you think you would be missing out on?”. And if your buddy even tries to bring up lutein in eggs, give him a leaf of kale and let him know it has twenty times the lutein.I also tend to explain my diet from a nutritarian perspective, and I let em know, that hey, even a little bit of meat is gonna be a couple hundred calories, and my calories are valuable real estate for shoveling in all those glorious anti-cancer anti-aging health-promoting micronutrients. I don’t want to waste my calories on nutrient deficient foods. Oh that’s another favorite tactic of mine. Refer to animal products as nutrient deficient. Watch the forehead scrunch up and the head tilt. If they want to claim that animal products are nutrient dense, then they need to defend that statement.You never know, sometimes the people that seem the most agitated at first are the most unsure about their own diet and the most receptive to change in the end. All the best.Much confusion has been generated by emotionally-charged attempts to interpret human studies without keeping in mind the background of non-human animal research. Back to 1913, Nikolaj Anitschkow fed rabbits pure cholesterol and observed that they developed atherosclerotic plaques that were eerily similar to those found in humans. Anitschkow went on to describe the precise mechanism by which dietary cholesterol leads to artery clogging plaque in rabbits. This phenomenon was later confirmed in numerous other herbivorous species. In carnivores, these same results were reproduced, but only after supressing thyroid gland function. These early and somewhat forgotten studies laid the foundation for cholesterol research in humans. For further information on Anistchkow, refer to: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9395267Research on humans, in contrast to animal research, is limited by the challenge of controlling for variations in human anatomy and behaviour as well as restrictions posed by ethical and financial factors. Despite these limitations, there is a still a vast amount of research suggesting that the same connection exists between dietary cholesterol intake and atherosclerosis as that observed in non-human animals. For instance, observational studies on the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico, by and large a plant-based society subsisting on “beans, corn and squash” where “meat was seldom eaten. The chief animal food product consumed with some regularity was eggs, averaging 2 per week”, showed that cholesterol intake was directly proportional blood cholesterol levels. For details refer to: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/31/7/1131.full.pdfFor anyone who wants to gain a solid understanding of the history of cholesterol research, written by an expert, I suggest “The Cholesterol Wars : The Skeptics versus the Preponderance of Evidence” by Daniel Steinberg. For those pressed for time, a good start is to read “Twenty questions on atherosclerosis” by William Roberts: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1312295/Thanks for the references. The last one … from NIH…one question was about statin safety. The response was the straight party line, 1 in 10,000 get myopathy.Informally, I observe a lot of people who take statins. Many, I would say most, report achy joints, tiredness, muscle weakness and “senior moments”. AND most seem to be convinced these are signs of aging and to be expected. I was among them for 8 long years. When I finally got the courage to go off them my symptoms just went away over about 2 weeks.Isn’t it likely that the medical folks focus is on the wrong side effects? OK, 1/10000 have their muscles dissolve. But what about all this anecdotal evidence?I’m asking because every time I see my dr he pleads with me to “go on a small dose of simvastatin”. He apologized because he kept upping the dose because my cholesterol was outta sight. Of course I was eating all the eggs and meat and dairy I loved because I was taking a magic pill. I certainly do not blame him…although he SHOULD have told me about vegan options. He admits it…He figured it was too hard, he could smell the McNuggets on my breath.Now I’m statin free and vegan for 2 years. Yet my cholesterol continues to decline (3.9 at last count). I’m asking…What would you do? Would you take a small dose? How small? Open question to all really. ThanksThanks for sharing the inspiring story of your transition to veganism. I wish you very well and hope that you continue to benefit from all the excellent advice on nutritionfacts.org.To provide my point of view on your interesting question, I can offer you the story of my father. After developing stable angina fifteen years ago, my dad switched to vegetarianism under my influence. He simultaneously followed his cardiologist’s suggestion of taking a standard dose (20mg/day) of atorvastatin (i.e. Lipitor). He has complained of the standard symptoms (leg pain, memory loss, etc). He has also been moderately active, given physical limitations posed by angina and asthma. Four years ago, convinced by the weight of nutritional evidence, he again followed me on the path to veganism and has, ever since, been following a Gregeresque whole-foods plant-based diet. Encouraged by Greger’s website and hoping to wean himself off of all drugs, my father gradually reduced the drug dose while having his cholesterol levels measured every 3 months. He has cycled between 20mg and 0mg and we have plotted his LDL versus time along with his statin dose versus time. These curves clearly show, in his case, an inverse relationship between his statin dose and his LDL level. It seems that he requires 5 mg pills to maintain his LDL levels in the ideal range for a heart patient (i.e. < 70 mg/dL, to use American units). So he continues with the healthiest vegetable rich diet he can possibly attain, while maintaining this low level of statin. It is a compromise, but hopefully the right strategy to achieve the correct balance to reduce medication while still maintaining a healthful lifestyle. I hope that my description of this strategy will be useful to someone out there in a similar situation.OK sounds good. in principle. I’ll see if my GP would go along. Any idea what the time intervals should be? how long does it take for a statin regime to level out? Also, I have always wondered if there is a lower limit to blood cholesterol levels? Can I go too low?I only have an anecdotal response to your first two questions: when experimenting with atorvastatin (i.e. Lipitor) dose in the range of 0 to 20 mg, my father found that his LDL leveled off between dose changes every 3 months.I suspect that there is a lower limit to the healthy range of blood cholesterol levels, which may explain the side effects that you described. See. for example, an old Lancet abstract discussing this issue:http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/9643758Thanks again BPCveg…we are only allowed simvastatin here and 10 mgs sounds much better than the 80 I was on…But the thing is even on that high dose my cholesterol was too high. It was only after I switched to WF/PB that it started coming down. I’m a mystery to science! (Of course I was eating SAD while taking statin…like so many I was going to take a pill to solve my health problems.) The only person who really got me thinking about diet was my Indian cardiologist. I wish you could see the look on her face when after the bypass, I asked her how much pork was allowed. Ho boy, heh. Come a long way Baby!i didnt bother with defending huntress cuz she holds her own pretty well, but im reading the entire string of messages thru and the word hypocrite comes to mind when talking about anecdote.In my statement “I only have an anecdotal response”, the word “only” concedes that I am not providing serious evidence. Nice try.my comment wasnt directed at you specifically, i just chose the end of this piece of the thread for the comment. i dont know why stating that its an anecdote makes it valuable when all anecdote is ‘worthless’, but thats your logic at work not mine. this entire sub-thread started with an anecdote so i couldnt help but appreciate the irony.Coacervate: I don’t have any advice for you, but I wanted to thank you for sharing your story. If more doctors read stories like this, it might help others avoid the pain you have suffered. Good for you on taking your health into your own hands!Thank you Thea, It feels like coming out of a coma or something.My cholesterol rose steadily as a vegan. It was well over 300 at the end of my 2 year stint. When I ditched it and went paleo, it dropped almost 150 points.I’d never take a statin… but as a vegan I was told to several times. Now my cholesterol is low normal (and I eat 2-4 eggs EVERY day) plus butter, lard, red meat, cream and other assorted animal foods.Paleo, you will admit that you are a mystery to science and should be studied? I mean that sincerely. One important way science advances is by studying the outliers at the extremes of a given phenomenon. Meanwhiile, best of luck and keep eating assorted animal foods.If I were an outlier, I’d absolutely agree. Unfortunately, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome and heart disease is pretty common among vegans.I expect you’ll be quick to point out that all of this can be avoided with the “right” vegan diet– but then you’d also be quick to deny that all of the issues connected to omni diets can be avoided too. So many vegans are unable to differentiate between different omni diets while railing on about how many different vegan diets there are. The bottom line is that disease is connected to processed and artificial foods. The human animal has been eating animal foods for hundreds of thousands of years healthfully. It’s just as likely that it is the junk-food in the omni diets that causes disease, as it is the junk-food in vegan diets. Once that is eliminated, it comes down to finding what works best for your individual physiology. Veganism was terrible for me… and it is for many, and I’ve found that returning to whole food omni restored my health. It isn’t magic, it’s just the truth.I’ve been eating a paleo diet for more than 6 years now. I’m still waiting for the arterial sclerosis, hypertension, tooth decay, obesity and elevated cholesterol that surely WILL re-assail me <–(according to most every militant vegan I've met) to make its way. In the meantime though, I thank you for your well-wishes as I intend to continue eating assorted pastured animal foods and avoiding the grains and legumes that caused disease in me and that are responsible for the deaths of billions of animals collaterally. =)Your claim that “Unfortunately, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome and heart disease is pretty common among vegans.” is contrary to the position of the American dieticians.The following link will take you to their position statement:http://www.eatright.org/About/Content.aspx?id=8357 On page 7, they state the following:“Two large cohort studies (97,98) and one metaanalysis (99) found that vegetarians were at lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease than nonvegetarians. The lower risk of death was seen in both lacto-ovo-vegetarians and vegans (99).”“Based on blood lipid levels in one large cohort study, the incidence of ischemic heart disease was estimated to be 24% lower in lifelong vegetarians and 57% lower in lifelong vegans compared to meat eaters”Next, your claim that “The human animal has been eating animal foods for hundreds of thousands of years healthfully.” is not based on reliable data at all. You seem to passionately argue in favour of the paleo diet, but with what evidence?If we rank sources of nutrition data based on reliability, paleontological data would rank lowest. Here is my ranking of nutrition source data from most to least reliable: 1- controlled studies on non-human animals (most reliable; relevance to humans is debatable); 2- randomized group trials on humans; 3- observational studies on human populations; 4- case studies on individual humans; 5- anecdotal reports by people; 6- archeological/paleontological studies of ancient humans (least reliable).Ah yes, in the US where health factors confound the data. People believe going vegan is healthy and alongside that they quit smoking, stop drinking, get fit, cut out junk food, etc… But in cultures where people are vegan for religious reasons, their health is worse than omnis. Go figure. FWIW, “lower risk” means nothing more or less than “lower”. It doesn’t in ANY WAY suggest that the disease isn’t still quite common. So if for example, omnis had an overall disease rate of 80% and vegans had one of 79%, that would both be less risk AND “quite common”. So your “evidence” does nothing to refute mine. Vegans have better health than the general SADer in SPITE of cutting out animal foods, not because of it.What you have stated above doesn’t make any sense to me. It just seems like you have provided rant after rant trying very hard to convince people interested in vegetarianism that they should go paleo. But I wonder, if you are so dead set against vegetarianism, why bother participating in a website devoted to it. Don’t you have something better to do, like chasing squirrels around.Awww, don’t be silly, there are lots of vegetarian paleos. I have no issues at all with vegetarian diets. =) I’m here because I was invited by Dr. Gregor with his Paleo post. I’ve also been welcomed by members of this community… get over yourself. I recommend research from sources outside your comfort zone, things will start to make more sense then.Okay.Conduct yourself in a more professional manner and perhaps your posts will be taken with more seriousness rather than your caustic, egotistical replies. I know of no evidence whatsoever supporting the “health benefits” of a paleo diet. The paleo diet is unfounded on real science and is based on philosophical thinking. Why should we idolize ancient people who had no knowledge of nutrition and ate whatever was available to them, this does not determine the healthfulness of their diet. They lived on average till the mid 50’s so I see no point in idolizing this group.More straw men? Please try to stay on topic.I’ll let my lawyer speak for me: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I’m just a caveman. I fell on some ice and later got thawed out by some of your scientists. Your world frightens and confuses me! Sometimes the honking horns of your traffic make me want to get out of my BMW.. and run off into the hills, or wherever.. Sometimes when I get a message on my fax machine, I wonder: “Did little demons get inside and type it?” I don’t know! My primitive mind can’t grasp these concepts. But there is one thing I do know – when a man like my client slips and falls on a sidewalk in front of a public library, then he is entitled to no less than two million in compensatory damages, and two million in punitive damages. Thank you.~clutches chest wounded~ I’ve never heard that one before. Aren’t you the clever one… did you think that one up all with your own small mind? Nothing says, “I have no good argument” better than a personal attack. Thank you for making it so clear.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfrozen_Caveman_LawyerPeasThe reference has been done to death. Try an original thought.http://www.cheeseslave.com/top-10-reasons-im-not-paleo/my cholesterol spiked when i went vegan too, plus my gut was a mess and i was so gassy that my then girlfriend went on strike. as a bb i was already eating a whole food diet so im guessing that thats why the usual benefits seen by a new vegetarian werent there. my motivation was animal ethics and i wasnt willing to give up yet. i ate mostly whole grains and beans to meet my protein needs and a paleo guy at my gym suggested that could be why. so after a little research i tried a modified 30 day paleo challenge and went back for more blood work. i already knew my gut was better but i was really surprised at the cholesterol. the hdl stayed about the same but the ldl dropped almost 40 points in a month. i ate just as much carbohydrate but got it from tubers and fruit mostly. my doc thought i might have celiacs but the tests all came back negativei ate just as much carbohydrate but got it from tubers and fruit mostly. my girlfriend is now my wife and she is a paleo vegetarian who eats eggs and some cultured dairy. we never have eaten much added fat but we’ve been adding coconut and palm oils to our diet for the last few months and my body fat percentage actually went down another point and though my cholesterol hasnt changed much, my inflammation markers have all improved since adding it and it helps with the mass gains.its all a work in progress but its working well for us and we stay open to new options. anyway i wanted to add my own anecdote {worthless though it may be} to huntress’. i had high cholesterol as a vegan too, higher than when i ate animal food. and even now its higher than it was before i went vegan.Interesting RWV, I’m not quite clear, what do you mean by “I was bb” . I too saw a big increase in cholesterol when I started WF/PB. But I attributed that spike to the fact I also stopped the statin “cold turkey”. It took a full year for it to finally get to my goal of under 4 mMolar.I talk to everyone who will listen about cholesterol. The story seems complex. Here is a post I posted in MacDougalls “Discussion Board” to the echos of crickets: **************************************************** From a previous poster eXtremE: ….”All humans want as much pleasure as we can get and as little pain as possible.Coacervate: I with you right up to here. All humans don’t want pleasure. Remember Jack Nicholson in Little Shop of Horrors? He loved being in that dentist’s chair. We all had a good laugh but the fact is for any trait there are going to be poles or extremes as your name implies.I was thinking in the context of this thread… that the history of the forum was not always balanced. I would say about once a month I get someone sorta in-my-face about their low cholesterol on a SAD diet. Not everyone has “attitude”, however, they all are sincere. If significant groups see their blood chemistry worsen on any particular diet there is an opportunity to learn more about the etiology of chronic disease. I just wish we could test the hypothesis is all I’m saying. Am I in the wrong place to be asking this question? I’ve been very bad and I simply must be punished************************************************************** End of snipWe hear arguments that humans ate this way or that or that we evolved in such and such an enviroment. Really, the whole nature of mutation/selection causes isolated populations to diverge. So there could easily be a significant gene pool tuned to Plant-based nutrition and, perhaps those derived from isolated populations living in all sorts of environments where other foods were more accessible. I can envision a present day human mix with people ranging in these traits just as they do in every other trait. In fact couldn’t we make the argument that it would be really unlikely that we would be universally homogenous in this single capacity? Is it heresy to even ask the question, are there actually some Paleo’s among us?im sorry for the confusion, bb stands for body builder. there are cultures around the globe that eat extremely varying diets, both in macro and mirco nutrient content, in good health. i dont know how any thinking person could believe that we dont have varying nutritional needs, so basically, i agree. i eat a significant amount of carbohydrate, but because of what i do, my diet still ends up being partly ketogenic. i time my meals to my workouts and use the carbohydrate to fuel and replenish glycogen and the insulin to repair muscle. but then the glucose is gone and im depending on fat again, and even more so when im cutting. there is no doubt in my mind that both glucose and insulin cause inflammation when allowed to sit around in the bloodstream. this forum appears to favor the long drawn out trickle of slow carb sources of glucose like beans, but my research tells me that this just keeps insulin levels up and causes inflammation in me. plus i find that alternating between glucogenic and ketogenic mechanisms seem to keep both sharper and i no longer get the post meal energy crash or depend on my last meal to fuel my next workout.regarding your snippet about pleasure, thats the place where we disagree. i did a research project in college on the mechanisms behind sadism and masochism and ultimately those who enjoy pain do actually enjoy it. it is pleasure for them. so just as love and hate for the same person can exist at the same time, so can pain and pleasure. so id say that even those people are driven by the desire for pleasure.ive never been on a statin and my cholesterol was good before i went vegan. it got much higher within the first few months and the ratio was bad, the ldl shot up and the particle size got dense and small. i actually dont buy into the idea that cholesterol is much to worry about unless it is extremely high and see it more as a diagnostic tool. if my cholesterol rose again but my inflammation stayed low, it wouldnt concern me in the least. i expect it to rise as i age since it appears to have a protective effect, especially in women. i voraciously consume data as its published and im convinced that low cholesterol is more harmful than high as long as the high isn’t out of the park high.OK if you like pain then pain is pleasure and I’m wrong. But I’m right becasue my point, poorly made, was that even for something as intense as physical sensation there is a bell curve or some shape of curve. usually most people are somewhere in the middle…normal. But there are ALWAYS some folks at the extremes. I’m trying to make a case that some folks may be better suited to a high fat / low carb diet. Maybe You are a rare breed. I’m serious when I say we should study you. Under anesthetic of course!But there is one point I think you should completely rethink. You’ve read studies that have convinced you that low cholesterol is more harmful than high….up to a point. What if some studies are done by scientists who are paid to get a certain result? Or they have some interest that biases their interpretation of their own data? What about Forks over Knives, did you watch that? That fighter, Mark Danzig, how does he do it? The unique thing about this site is the total focus on INDEPENDENT research and good science vs. the bad science from people with a financial interest in feeding you their product.I have a cholesterol meter. We should get some hard core paleos and some willing WF/PB (oh, thats whole foods plant-based you bb) and get them to switch diets for a month and see what happens. Young folks who are able to withstand the change. Not me…way too far down the atherosclerotic nightmare to change paths now.What are your other blood chemistry like? BP good? Is “cutting” bb lingo for heavy work out?I believe that people are sincere about their experiences. But the data that I’ve seen is very sound: The vast majority, the ones in that center portion of the nutritional bell curve, are far healthier on WF/PB. We can still learn a lot from the outliers. Now relax and count backward from a hundred, pay no attention to the drip.it wasn’t me you said should be studied dude and my case isnt extreme. my cholesterol went up when i went vegan and down when i removed grains and beans. its in the healthy range now but its still ‘higher’ than when i was omni. I maintain my membership at the uni library so i have access to all of the data and im very well versed in following the funding. im with you that its an important factor to consider. knowing that the statin industry is a multi billion dollar industry and the best selling drug in pharma history, who will rake in the most cash by convincing us that our cholesterol levels should be lower? 50 per cent of heart attack victims have low or normal cholesterol and 50 per cent of people with high cholesterol don’t have heart attacks. that is some pretty da*n solid empirical evidence.i did see forks over knives. i enjoyed it for the most part but it was littered with half truths and misrepresentations and as a vegan it bugs the sh*t out of me when well meaning film makers take too much creative license and end up making the community look like buffoons.as an aside, there are a significant number of paleo vegetarians (my wife) and paleo vegans (myself) and a large segment of the paleo omni community that started in veganism and left to go paleo. most of them say they left it because it was making them ill. i dont know how many were as ill as huntress, but its not an uncommon story at in the paleo communities. i dont know why you havent heard about it but it could be that communities like this one cater to people coming into veganism and not the ones leaving it.If a person’s cholesterol spikes when they stop eating cholesterol, that is interesting. at least to me that signals something important we could learn about metabolism. I do not mean to use the word outlier as an insult or anything.After the spike (as mine did but I attributed it to a rebound effect from statin withdrawal) does it come back down over time? Mine did. And I wonder if you had stuck it out would yours do so too. I have a friend who said he wanted to try WF/PB but green leafy’s made him gassy. I got him to start with a single tablespoon of chopped kale in his soup. and gradually he increased his “dose” until his bowel bugs switched to happy plant munchers. For many the change must be gradual.But you are not concerned with cholesterol and I think we will differ on that, I can tell. Ah, life in the trenches of the diet wars is not easy. But someday…who knows.Would you consider this…on a scale of say 1 to 10, what are the chances you might consider gradually switching to WF/PB (not “vegan” per say) over some period, a few months? Not that your going to actually do it. But could you put a number on the possibility?thanks for clarifying what you meant by outlier but id like to assure you that i didn’t take offense to it. what im trying to make clear is that im -not- an outlier, my experience is quite common. if you search google or yahoo for ‘high cholesterol vegan’ youll see lots of vegans complaining about it. granted they arent all wf but theyre not eating any cholesterol either.i already eat a wfpb diet, the only exception is during a mass gain where i supplement vegan protein powders. it is interesting that it spiked because i went from meeting my protein needs with dense animal food sources to grains and beans. the vegan community is in love with grains and beans but they are very inflammatory foods for most people and most vegan athletes tend to limit them. since it is inflammation that raises serum cholesterol it makes sense that mine rose when my consumption of grains and beans rose.i waited almost 18 months before going paleo and i dont know how long the rebound could be expected to take but going vegan paleo corrected it almost instantly. it would have been an interesting experiment to see if it ever returned on its own, but why would anyone not stick with what gave them immediate and lasting benefit? life is too short to mess around with stuff that aint workin.RE kale, i eat a whole food diet with lots of greens [spinach, cabbage, mustard, collards, beets] and lots of cruciforms. there are no probs with my gut flora.OK I did google it..lots of folks with high numbers. So you, the huntress, and I all saw our cholesterol spike. And lots of others it seems too. Yep, theres something in that.One thing about the teeming masses of “bad” vegans. You know, I keep getting caught out by processed foods containing hydrogenated crap in it. Pretty much given up anything in a package. Am lucky to live where i can grow my own food pretty much year round. I really feel for people trying to come to grips in the supermarket. its not easy.Also, I have to admit, I was an avid hunter and butchered my own farm animals but now the thought of hurting any of them…the chickens have names, know what i mean? Thats weird how much i’ve changed. Did plants do that or have I just gone soft. no matter of course, it is what it is.Did not know beans/grain are inflammatory. My CRP is so low it comes back with no number, just LOW. Thats what i mean, some can tolerate, some cant.I know some people have leaky bowels. I had the worst ungodly screwed up mess of a digestive non-process. I was so sick I just stored up enough “medicine” to take myself out. Really. I only did this WF/PB thing out of desperation…so depressed nothing mattered so it wasnt a will power thing…just quit eating meat/dairy/fish you know the drill.The message that I’m getting is cholesterol causes inflammation in arteries, meat microbes release endotoxins causing low level inflammation. Bad gut flora cause leaky guts leading to inflammation. Thats something I can get my head around. Eliminate the causes of inflammation and the body heals itself. You seem like a person more interested in squeezing top performance from an already healthy body. We come at from different perspectives looking for different outcomes, not so? SOO the big question could be, should the means be the same even if the ends are different?You are obviously watching you chemistry and keeping in the groove. You’ll win.coacervate, cholesterol -doesnt- cause inflammation, just the opposite, it is the bodys own endogenous anti inflammatory. the reason cholesterol builds up is because the body lays it down in layers over chronically enflamed areas, and the reason serum levels rise is because something is causing widespread inflammation [like a food intolerance]. to coin a phrase from my wapf days, ‘firefighters are found at fires and if we used the same logic that cholesterol opponents use, we should get rid of the firefighter if we want a safer community. but the firefighter is there to put out the fire just as the cholesterol is there to soothe the inflammation. the key is to prevent the inflammation, not reduce the bodys healthy response to it.’ its also the bodys precursor to endogenous d3 which is why people on statins have very low d3 levels across the board and may be why depression is rampant and suicide common among the elderly.the plaques found in sclerotic vessels are three quarters poly fasorry, forgot this. cutting is the fat loss phase before a competition. it refers to the definition between muscle groups and fibers where the muscles look ‘cut’ or well defined. it follows the mass gain phase which is the heavy lifting, heaving feeding phase where muscle mass is built.The description you have provided of your status as a vegan is incomplete because there is no such specific vegan diet that we can all relate to…In fact, vegan does not refer to one diet but an infinite collection of diets that share a common restriction. You would need to seriously qualify your statement for it to have any meaning whatsoever. Judging by what you say you currently eat, you clearly flout mainstream dietary advice anyway. Thus, I would not consider your testimonial to be reliable at all.Vegan does not equate to health. I can live off of white bread, potato chips and candy and be considered vegan. The quality of ones diet does not depend on whether or not you are vegan. The emphasis is whole foods plant based, oil free.Psssst… there are comments all over this thread stating specifically that I was a “whole food vegan”. White bread, potato chips and candy are not whole foods.You are right, vegan does NOT equate health… even whole food veganism. Good try though.We do not know what exactly you were eating, and even so, personal anecdotes do not count as evidence.Anecdotes DO count as evidence… evidence of the impact that something had on the individual sharing the anecdote. My anecdote is proof that whole food veganism made me ill. And because it made ME ill, it’s evidence that whole food veganism is NOT good for everyone. But that is not the point, our history on this site shows that you have trouble following the context when comments are offered. For example, you insist that certain diet experts advise proponents to eat a low carb diet- then when evidence to the contrary is offered, you argue that they don’t know what they’re talking about. Well, the fact is, an expert does actually know what they advise– just as I actually know that whole food veganism was bad for ME.I didn’t offer my experience as proof that it’s bad for everyone, I offered it as proof that it isn’t GOOD for everyone.I don’t believe I have ever argued for a low carbohydrate diet. To think that there is such genetic variation in the population that plant foods become unhealthful is quite shocking to think and I highly doubt this. Even so, the vast majority of the people, which is what these studies are aimed at, benefit immensely from a whole foods plant based diet. If you are the outlier (which I doubt), then what you are preaching is not applicable to the majority of the population.~smacks forehead~  You are just utterly unable to comprehend and follow a discussion. For anyone who is interested (though I can’t imagine why), navigate to Dr. Greger’s post on paleo diets and read Toxin’s claims that paleo gurus advocate low carb. He doesn’t remember what he wrote, but it’s all still there if you want to see it.I have closely followed Toxins’ comments on NutritionFacts for over one year and think he is one of the most intelligent contributors. Please show more respect for those who know more than you.You claim that while experimenting with a whole foods vegan diet, you became ill – you claim it almost killed you. From that experience you conclude that “My anecdote is proof that whole food veganism made me ill.” Notwithstanding the possibility that you may have overlooked an important step in healthful veganism, there are numerous other possible explanations for your experience. There are always simultaneous factors that can influence one’s health, such as: 1- metabolic, hormonal and genetic factors that cycle over one’s lifespan; 2- stress related changes (sometimes delayed responses after stressful experiences); and, 3- infections and benign diseases that can go unnoticed.BPSveg,Your loyalty toward your board-mate is admirable, but you don’t know anything about me or what I know. I have no respect for Toxins because he can’t follow a discussion, because his bias creates a zeal that blinds him to even the most basic logic and scientific principles and because he builds straw men and then denies them. ~shrugs~Imagine for a moment that I took it upon myself to challenge every vegan here who found better health when they went vegan– it wasn’t the removal of animal food but the removal of JUNK food. It was the switch to whole food, it was the new fitness program, etc. Let ME tell YOU why removing meat had NOTHING to do with your health improving. You’d find that pretty arrogant, wouldn’t you?YOU are arrogant, Toxins too. I spent two YEARS exploring whole food veganism, several different iterations ranging from all cooked to all raw, from high fat to low fat, from high starch to low starch… 80-10-10, McDougal, Skeletor, Cousens, etc. I saw a VEGAN dietitian every two weeks during that time frame and we worked with my doc to get monthly blood work. I also saw a functional medicine doc several times over the last 6 months. I didn’t have any infections, no parasites, no digestive issues… what I had was a body that couldn’t tolerate the excessive carbohydrate in a vegan diet.Now seeing as there are many whole food cultures that eat lots of carbohydrate, I’m fairly certain that had I not grown up in this culture, with fractured and artificial foods, I’d probably have tolerated it well, but seeing as I DID, and I’m pretty sure veganism’s magic doesn’t extend to time-trtavel, and can’t take me back to a time before that occurred, I have to live in the real world where as an American, my physiology can’t be compared to that of other high carb cultures.At the end of my 2 year stint with whole food veganism, I had a fresh diagnosis of type II diabetes. Now listen carefully, this may shock you. My current diet is absolutely IDENTICAL to the last 6 months of my vegan diet in every way except that I now eat humanely raised, pastured animal foods too. Do you understand that? I eat the same kinds of veggies, I cook them (or not) the same way.However, after replacing some of the starches in my diet with animal foods, my blood sugar was under control in less than three weeks. My cholesterol came down in less than 3 months. My A1C plummeted like magic. I never counted a calorie but I lost 100 lbs in 10 and a half months. I went from having one menstrual cycle a year to one every 28 days like clockwork within the year. My skin cleared up within the month.There’s no mystery in this. It’s just what’s true. Your magic pill isn’t magic after all. So get your head out of your presumptuous, arrogant a** and stop pretending that you know jack-sh*t about strangers.And then finally, in cultures where health isn’t the reason for choosing a vegan diet, omnis have better health. This isn’t anecdotal, it’s documented. Veganism doesn’t prevent or improve metabolic syndrome over vegetarian or omni diets either. So why don’t you head over to those forums and tell THEM how they’re all wrong because your vegan pill is magical and it ALWAYS works.Oh, I’m sorry that you were offended by my comment. Perhaps you do know more than I have given you credit for. You just haven’t provided any evidence of this.Some points,1. I am not a “zealout”, my diet is based on science which is what prompted my dietary changes to begin with.2. You cannot continue using your personal story as evidence, this is not how one gains credibility and proves a point. Some real studies and evidence would be helpful in this situation.3. You are correct in that their is no native population that is completely vegan, but there is one that is quite close, and they have the most centenarians per capita.Caloric Restriction, the Traditional Okinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life SpanAnn. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785Total weight (grams) 1262Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9)Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85)Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6)Saturated fatty acid 3.7Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)GrainsRice 154 (12)Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7)Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1)Sugars 3 (less than 1)Oils 3 (2)Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1)Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1)Eggs 1 (less than 1)Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69)Other potatoes 2 (less than1)Other vegetables 114 (3)Fruit less than 1 (less than 1)Seaweed 1 (less than 1)Pickled vegetables 0 (0)Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Their diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a day.As it turns out, even those Japanese who are Okinawan by birth but who live in different cultures have extended lives. (And you already know this because I shared the data in Dr. Greger’s Paleo diet post) If it was the diet, that wouldn’t be the case.Also, other sources that take into account food animals raised privately, put the animal food content closer to 20-30% of total intake. And as I’ve already pointed out, the purple sweet potato isn’t native to Okinawa, but to the Americas. It isn’t a traditional food.This thread is about eggs. Do you have anything to add that has to with eggs or is this yet another attempt to drag the paleo thread into this one?Paleo Huntress: “This thread is about eggs. Do you have anything to add that has to (do) with eggs or is this yet another attempt to drag the paleo thread into this one?”Not one comment you have left has had anything to do with eggs. So please if you are going to stick to the topic please do so! Your berating of people is disappointing and defeating to the purpose of this site.Click through to the page and enter “huntress” in the find feature of your browser. Read the comment I’ve left and then see if you can still write that same comment with any integrity. =) Go ahead, we’ll wait. Go on…HemoDynamic: I just wanted to express that I appreciate your polite and mature manner of handling this frustrating situation. I hope that your approach works out. I was wondering if the NutritionFacts team has considered more aggressive approaches for dealing with wackos who ruin the forum, such as: 1- appointing a bouncer who gives at most one warning before banning the offender; 2- appointing someone to apply the Richard Dawkin’s philosophy: “mock them, ridicule them”, which may seem harsh at first, but this kind of social pressure would at least put them in their place.A moderator might be a good idea, but the Dawkin’s strategy seems counterproductive and hypocritical. I think this is one arena where fighting fire with fire does not work. I say respond by role-modeling the behavior you want to see displayed, or just ignore it (admittedly, the later is quite hard to do). Plus, it makes those who speak with hate seem even more foolish.Yes I have claimed that paleo diet is an equivalent to low carb diet but I have never myself advocated for a low carbohydrate diet.This is what I wrote-“For example, you insist that certain diet experts advise proponents to eat a low carb diet- then when evidence to the contrary is offered, you argue that they don’t know what they’re talking about.”Please point to the line where I write that you advocate low carb diets. No the Toxins, what I wrote is that you misinterpret and misunderstand what you read quite often, just as you’ve done again here.Nice post BPCveg!Thanks Thea. I always love your posts!Plant Positive, the destroyer of cholesterol confusionists!BPCveg,“http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/31/7/1131.full.pdf”This would be the same study that found that even though the they ate only two eggs per week and their diets contained very little fat, (11-12% with only 2% saturated.) that “Their mean [triglyceride] values were higher than those of normal subjects in the United States.” “Tarahumara children had higher triglyceride levels than American children, 144 mg/dl versus 54 in Iowans and 49 to 73 in Ohioans. “16% of the children (both sexes) had triglyceride levels exceeding 150 mg/dl, and 5% in excess of 200 mg/dl. Of the adults, excluding pregnant and lactating women, 26% had levels above 150 mg/dl, and 6% had levels in excess of 200 mg/dl.”“VLDL [the MOST dangerous of the lipoproteins] levels were also elevated from this same comparative point of view.“HDL [the HEALTHY lipoprotein associated with heart health] cholesterol levels were lower than most normals in the United States.” <–this is not a good thing.I will reiterate my earlier comment that “research on humans, in contrast to animal research, is limited by the challenge of controlling for variations in human anatomy and behaviour.”The Tarahumara Indians are not representative of people in the United states. They differ in numerous ways including (but not limited to) the following: 1- genetics; 2- environment; 3- fitness level (in fact they are competitive runners); and, 4- diet.Since this study is not a controlled experiment, it is impossible to draw any inferences on the effect of diet on cholesterol markers.My intention of citing this article was to show that this observational study on the Tarahumara Indians showed an interesting relationship between the amount of cholesterol that they consumed and their blood cholesterol levels. It is interesting ONLY because it happens to be the EXACT SAME relationship that has been observed in HIGHLY CONTROLLED studies on non-human ANIMALS.Please note I am not claiming that this study is proof of anything…it is only suggestive! In fact, no observational study of humans can ever prove or falsify any claim about diet. The problem is that there is too much variation in any group study. The only way to get close to an understanding is by studying mechanisms. Only animal research can allow us to do this thoroughly, because we can clone animals and control their environment. Human research is meant only to show correspondence.Your specific quotes, although valid, were not of any concern to the authors because (see pg.9 paragraph 3):“populations consuming high carbohydrate diets of which the Tarahumaras are a classic example, habitually have a low incidence of atherosclerosis and do not have elevated triglyceride levels”So all your interjections on how harmful specific markers were is of no consequence, because the bottom line is that they didn’t get very much heart disease. Of course, I agree with you that we cannot attribute that to carbohydrate intake since this is not a controlled experiment.BPCveg,“Since this study is not a controlled experiment, it is impossible to draw any definitive conclusions on the effect of diet on cholesterol markers.”It’s funny how a study is significant enough to cite when it appears to support your claim, but becomes insignificant when it doesn’t. Not surprising given the source, but still funny. =)You’ll likely argue that your disclaimer “research on humans, in contrast to animal research, etc, etc…” said as much, but then you wouldn’t bother citing and directly quoting from that citation, if you didn’t believe it supported your position regarding cholesterol.You are correct though- Observational/ epidemiological studies are worthless for ALL conclusions except the conclusion that a controlled study might be warranted. Until that controlled study is done, the only conclusion we can draw is that the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico have different diets and different disease markers than Americans do. We cannot conclude anything about the relationship between the two.“it is impossible to draw any definitive conclusions on the effect of diet on cholesterol markers.”Precisely. Thank you for helping me make that point crystal clear.Paleo Huntress, Since you enjoy poking holes in diet articles, maybe you are up for the challenge of dissecting the position statement on vegetarian/vegan diets by the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, namely: http://www.eatright.org/About/Content.aspx?id=8357 Have fun!According to John McDougall, MD, having a lower HDL is not uncommon, or undesirable, when your other values are also low.This study did have some very interesting conclusions as to the healthfulness of the Tarahumara diet.“Of note was the fact that almost all (96%) of the protein in the Tarahumara diet was derived from vegetable sources.”“Previous observations indicate deaths from cardiac and circulatory complications are unknown.”“In addition, no hypertensive Tarahumara person was encountered and there appeared to be no rise of blood pressure with age.”“The relative incidence of obesity in the Tarahumaras was clearly much less than that of Americans. Not a single overweight man was seen.”“Particularly notable was the virtual absence of the hypertension, obesity, and the usual age rise of the serum cholesterol in adults. Thus, the customary diet of the Tarahumaras is adequate in all nutrients, is hypolipidemic, and is presumably antiatherogenic.”“This study did have some very interesting conclusions as to the healthfulness of the Tarahumara diet.”Forgive the distinction, but the study didn’t actually conclude anything at all about the effect their diet has on their health. You seem to be reading something into their statement that isn’t actually there– implying (I believe) that their statements conclude that the diet provides them health, but they don’t say that at all.They say it provides “adequate nutrients” and that it’s hypolipidemic (low fat). Neither of these facts speaks to anything but the actual components of the foods themselves. Then they say that they “presume” it is anti-artherogenic. This is an important distinction because if they could show cause and effect, they’d state that it IS anti-artherogenic, and they don’t.The only thing we can conclude from this study is that the diet they eat doesn’t seem to harm them. We can’t even conclude that it makes them healthy since there were no controls. Such is the drawback of an observational study. The only thing it is good for is forming a hypothesis. In this case, the hypothesis might be, “The Tarahumara diet is a healthy diet for everyone.” But this a hypothesis, not a conclusion. Then they would need to design a controlled study to either prove of disprove it.FWIW, the traditional Maasai ate a diet found to be nutritious and hyPERlipidemic, with about 80% of calories coming from animal food and saturated fat. They were also healthy, strong and free of atherogenisis [formation of atheromatous lesions in arterial walls].A critical thinker might look at these two cultures and say that clearly, if a low fat pb diet was the key to health, the Maasai would have disease– and conversely, if a high fat, animal-food-based diet was the key, the Tarahumaras would have it. So perhaps the health isn’t about animal versus plant, or high fat versus low fat, but rather whole food versus processed food.And still the only take away is that the diet of the Tarahumara appears nutritionally adequate and doesn’t appear to harm them. Such is the limitation of all observational studies.i think its rockin that we all have access to the original data now, but the downside is that peeps dont always learn how to read it before they start to. science has its own language and it is used very conciously. imo, most people who misinterpret data are not educated about the language and they do it accidentally, [no assumptions or implications about you, lemontree] but there are a few ‘experts’ who appear to do it very deliberately too.in too many cases its knowing ‘just enuf’ to be dangerous.The Maasai, though very healthy, do exhibit evidence of atherosclerosis (atherogenesis, if any, apparently not studied):“Mann, G. V. (Vanderbilt Univ. School of Medicine, Nashville, Tenn. 37203), A. Spoerry, M. Gray, and D. Jarashow. Atherosclerosis in the Masai. Am J Epidemiol 95: 26–37, 1972.–The hearts and aortae of 50 Masai men were collected at autopsy. These pastoral people are exceptionally active and fit and they consume diets of milk and meat. The intake of animal fat exceeds that of American men. Measurements of the aorta showed extensive atherosclerosis with lipid infiltration and fibrous changes but very few complicated lesions. The coronary arteries showed intimal thickening by atherosclerosis which equaled that of old U.S. men. The Masai vessels enlarge with age to more than compensate for this disease. It is speculated that the Masai are protected from their atherosclerosis by physical fitness which causes their coronary vessels to be capacious.” It would be an interesting comparison if researchers could perform similar autopsies on the Tarahumara.Yes, I’m familiar with Mann’s work. =)I’m going to suggest that in much the same way as McDougall claims that a condition that is unhealthy for most Americans (low HDL cholesterol (4 TIMES more predictive of heart disease than high LDL) can be healthy in some, the same applies to the Maasai. If the atherosclerosis never leads to actual disease, it’s not a risk factor.They’re also not as active as one might assume when reading the term, “very active”. Dirk Lund Christensen (Associate professor at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, and the lead author of a different study of the Maasai) wrote:“Earlier studies from the 1960s and 1970s concluded that the Maasai were ‘very active’, in the way it was interpreted, they generated the false consumption that the Maasai displayed an athlete level of physical activity. From our objective measurements we can now see that their daily physical activity does not equal that of athletes. Most of their everyday physical activity is in the form of walking; very little time is spent running, which may not correspond to most people’s image of the Maasai.”I imagine that if they examined them closely enough to determine that their arteries were sclerotic, they would likely have noted lesions as well, had there been any. That doesn’t mean they’d mention them, but given that they were looking specifically for heart disease, it seems pretty likely.What’s also interesting to note is now that they’re eating corn amd millet, they are developing some obesity, but even the overweight Maasai have normal blood sugar. According to Dr. Greger and several others in this thread, saturated fat consumption causes diabetes and issues with regulating blood sugar. That clearly isn’t the case with the pound-of-butterfat-a-day Maasai.The fats found in arterial plaques (those formed over lesions) are 3/4 PUFAs, suggesting saturated fat from animal foods isn’t a likely contributor.A low HDL is not predictive of heart disease if one’s LDL and total are low as well. You seem to imply the Maasai are becoming obese due to the consumption of corn and millet, meanwhile the EPIC-Oxford study found plant-eating vegans to have the lowest BMIs.LemonTree,I’m not implying anything. I’m saying that since adding corn and millet to their diets, the Maasai have developed the first obesity their culture has ever known. You can extrapolate anything you like from that. I’m familiar with the EPIC-Oxford study, and though interesting, it suffers from the same issues as every other observational study– confounding variables. In a study where people’s food shopping habits were studied, it was found that people who shop in health food stores were equally as healthy, regardless of the diet type they chose, and healthier than the general population. What this suggests is that a person who is striving for better health through diet, usually finds it. These people also move more, drink and smoke less and have better overall lifestyle habits. Consider that most plant based followers are looking for health, right?  So you are taking a entire group of people who are TRYING to be healthier overall pretty much across the board and comparing them to “everyone else”, as if the mere eating of some animal food makes the quality of all of the remaining diets identical. The problem is though, it doesn’t. There is a MASSIVE difference between the SAD and a whole food omni diet, or a pesco-vegetarian diet. In cultures where people are vegan for religious reasons, they aren’t slimmer, healthier or longer lived, in fact, just the opposite. They aren’t even any less likely to develop insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome. So while it’s a good place to form a hypothesis for study, it isn’t a conclusion, it’s an observation. In order to conclude anything, we’ll need some controlled studies.Where is your evidence that a vegan diet causes diabetes? Where is your evidence that whole corn and millet is implicated in causing obesity? http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/how-to-treat-diabetes/Where is your evidence that that claim was made?Strawman.I will not respond to links posted as if they are a comment. If you have an argument, make it, and make it it your own words. Then cite the data that supports it. Anything else will be ignored. If you can’t be bothered to author your own argument, why should anyone waste any time on you?I figured no evidence existed for your claim.Why be childish, Toxins? I’ll provide evidence for any claim I made. What is the claim? Just copy and paste it here. Most of your posts involve copying and pasting other people’s work so this should be simple matter for you.Paleo Huntress,If you’re not implying anything (about corn and millet), I guess it’s just a random statement. As everyone is so fond of saying, correlation does not equal causation anyway.“Consider that most plant-based followers are looking for health, right?” I’ve found a few surveys online, and they indicate most vegetarians or vegans became that way primarily over concern for animals / animal rights. Health was also a motivating factor, but further down the line. This may explain the lousy diet of junk-food vegetarians and vegans. They are fulfilling their ethical “obligations” without paying much attention to what they’re eating. I think as time goes on, and the science on plant-based diets becomes more refined, the health statuses of health-conscious vegans will continue to improve.Another thought about BMI, its a poor measure of body composition. It includes lean mass as well as fat mass. Considering that a muscular person would also have a higher BMI (I’m betting RWV would be considered obese by his BMI even though he’s below 10% body fat I think he said). Perhaps the study speaks as much to vegan muscle mass as it does fat. Who knows…BMI is not a perfect guideline (muscle vs. fat disparities, etc.), but it is still a usable guideline nonetheless.Not brand new, but I just came across it in another forum I frequent and it’s worth repeating.In 2009 a national study of more than 136,000 people was published in the American Heart Journal. It compared cholesterol levels in heart attack victims. They found that nearly 75% of patients hospitalized for a heart attack had LDL levels below 130, and 50% had LDL levels below 100. (McDougall calls 90 “optimal”). Almost 18% had LDL levels below 70.More than half had HDL levels below 40 mg/dL. McDougall writes this about HDL- “higher is better, but a healthy diet makes this fraction of total cholesterol lower because all fractions of cholesterol are reduced.”He says total cholesterol should be less than 150.If we look at the data again, we find that more than half of the people who had heart attacks had total cholesterol of less than 150 and near ideal LDL cholesterol by McDougall’s standards.So, if half the people having heart attacks have low cholesterol, how can high cholesterol possibly be the culprit?(Am Heart J 2009;157:111-7.e2)“If we look at the data again, we find that more than half of the people who had heart attacks had total cholesterol of less than 150 and near ideal LDL cholesterol by McDougall’s standards.”That statement flies in the face of the findings of the long-running Framingham Study, which demonstrated that people who had a total cholesterol of 150 or less were virtually heart attack proof.“According to John McDougall, MD, having a lower HDL is not uncommon, or undesirable, when your other values are also low.”tru or not, the other values werent all low. note the quote huntress shared,“VLDL [the MOST dangerous of the lipoproteins] levels were also elevated from this same comparative point of view.”their dangerous cholesterol levels were higher than people living in the us and eating the s.a.d. i take this to mean their good cholesterol was low and their bad cholesterol was high, i dont think that fits mcdougalls parameters.No it doesn’t fit Dr McDougall’s parameters, which are: It’s okay to have low HDL (lipoprotein carrier) if your LDL and total are also low. Its services aren’t as necessary.The high VLDL (I’m not sure what a “normal” range is) is cause for concern, but in the long run doesn’t seem to be an issue:“Previous observations indicate deaths from cardiac and circulatory complications are unknown.”“In addition, no hypertensive Tarahumara person was encountered and there appeared to be no rise of blood pressure with age.”i agree, it doesnt seem to be an issue. my angle is that cholesterol levels in general just arent an issue hi or lo.in your quote from mann. it says, “—but very few complicated lesions.” looks like they did look for artherogenesis and didnt find anything worth reporting.They seemed to focus on just the hearts and the aortae. It’s too bad they couldn’t have taken a better look at the condition of the whole vascular system.The more I read the posts here, the more I’m struck by their eerie resemblance to posts one would see in a religious cult of “true believers”.Carry on folks… I wish you the best.What exactly are you saying? There is no argument there. Time to go back to school. Logic 101 would be a good start.It was just my way of bidding you all farewell… that wasn’t meant to be a logical statement… and, judging by your behavior, you’re no one fit to be schooling anyone.What I find most amusing about many of you, though, is how any statement or research study that goes against your egg-hating/cholesterol-hating “religious orthodoxy” provokes an angry/disdainful/rage-filled response, giving more and more credence to the research study which found that low serum cholesterol was correlated with significant aggressive tendencies. With time, we’re likely to also find out whether low serum cholesterol’s correlation with suicidal ideation and behavior is equally merited and valid.Perhaps you missed the ‘Sources Cited’ section, just below the video, which lists numerous scientific articles relating to the video and discussion…something you will never find in a “religious orthodoxy”. Nonetheless you ARE free to believe what you like. Happy trails mojo191…I think you might be referring to mine. I was trying to take the edge off the serious-ity by being over the top. I shouldn’t have written that. It really is about making choices as pointed out by “b” below. But why not stay, keep us honest, and keep contributing. As long as I’m able to keep learning something I will keep coming back. Educate me, I mean that. I mean, surely you must be interested else you would not have written in the first place.Thanks for eggsposing the egg industry, as it really is. This is important information to have available on the Internet.Raised MY blood pressure with the big bleep! Couldn’t listen to the rest. Can we expect that in future posts? Let us know now! Thanks.Eggs are good for you…don’t believe this hack.Oh bull hockey. I’ve eaten eggs all my life. I LOVE eggs. I have hens in my backyard and sometimes eat a half dozen eggs in a day (in season). My doctor tells me I have the heart of a 20 year old (I’m 52) and she envies me.Cholesterol is NOT the evil thing that it’s been made out to be. Studies are showing the consumed/ingested cholesterol has little or no effect on your body’s heart health. Read this: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2012/October/Cholesterol-Myth-What-Really-Causes-Heart-Disease/Now, go buy some lovely free-range organic eggs and make yourself a nice supper! And YES, be sure to have lots of lovely GREENS to go with them. They make a fabulous combo. =)Just because you have the heart of a 20 year old doesn’t mean you have the arteries of a 20 year old. Have you ever had your blood drawn and gotten the labs done?it doesn’t guarantee it but a healthy heart is pretty indicative of healthy arteries. if the arteries were hardened or sclerotic, her heart would be enlarged from having to work harder.I get my eggs right off the farm. I eat two if I feel like I’m low in Iron and it helps ! I don’t eat them regularly. I have heart issues so I eat a mainly vegetarian diet. I haven’t had any adverse side effects. What do you think about that?I have been reading a lot about the harm of statin drugs, and how cholesterol really is not the problem that causes our heat disease problems (see the first issue of What Drs. Don’t Tell you magazine). So I am wondering if free range yard eggs which has been in the human diet for thousands of years is really the culprit. Mind you factory farms where chickens live a miserable life, eat one feed, and are pumped full of antibiotics, etc. are very different eggs!Re the cholesterol confusionist posts in the comment sections such as this one: That which is gratuitously asserted may be gratuitously denied of course. I just don’t get why folks with veins in their teeth post total nonsense about eating animals and animal products on a plant-leaning forum board. Does the meat/egg/dairy lobby have that much paid depth and desperation, or does grinding and suckling other animal species (including their parasites, pathogens, heme iron, saturated fat, cholesterol, Neu5Gc, PhIP, ILGF-1, TMAO, PCB’s, antibiotic residues, dioxin, cadmium, mercury, no fiber, low potassium, no phytonutrients etc.) have psychological effects? Why should we have any respect for the carnivore posters after toiling selflessly to respond to their crazy posts with numerous sources that they don’t even bother (or intend apparently) to check out? How does being trolled give any meaning to these comment threads?Hey, at least it means you’ve really made it when the trolls show up right?If those dissenting bring sources with them (real sources; not their favorite blogger), I welcome them. Even if they do sometimes bring a little grumpiness to the table. Of course fewer of those nasties you mentioned and a higher intake of serotonin and dopamine from plants might also help them out…Dan,“Those familiar with this site and who actually enjoy listening to Dr. G, however, know that most people will receive enormous health benefits by eating carbs from whole plants such as beans and dates (more sugar than jellybeans)”Pointing to Dr. Gregor’s own blog posts to evidentiate his claims is like trusting Pharma to test its own drugs. Bottom line, the preponderance of data to date shows that if you have metabolic disease or a tendency toward it (like more than 50% of the adults in the American culture), eating a diet high in carbohydrate will worsen it. As a whole food vegan who developed type II during my 2 years in that unfortunate mistake where chick peas were a big part of my diet, I don’t need a blog post to try and convince me otherwise– I’m living proof. =)Plus, a Taiwanese cohort showed that vegans were no less likely to develop metabolic disease than vegetarians or omnis.Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2011;20(3):404-10 “[T]he vegan diets did not decrease the risk of metabolic syndrome compared with pescovegetarian, lactovegetarian and nonvegetarian diets”It’s not about you. Even in a population such as Taiwan with a very low incidence of ms to begin with the veg lactoveg and pescoveg cohorts in the study you cite still did better than the nonveg although not statistically significantly in the author’s opinion. This doesn’t refute numerous studies referenced on this site to the contrary. These are statistical data that will serve most readers well rather than to think that they are another exception fallacy.Have you looked into the possibility that you may have a gut dysbiosis? There is too much genetic diversity in the gut microbiome to find that particular nutrients or foods will have universal effects on all people across cultures. The second meal effect from beans.for example will depend on the presnce of the right bacteria in your gut to make the proprionates and butyrates. It’s way too complicated to say that wfpb fails because it didn’t work for one person with an unusual enterotype or other unusual medical condition.It’s not about you.Given that you were criticizing the meat eaters in this thread, it very much IS about me. And FWIW, there are no “carnivores” here. That is yet another disingenuous inflammatory vegan label. A carnivore eats ONLY meat. My cat is a carnivore. I’m an evolutionary omnivore, as are you.“a population such as Taiwan with a very low incidence of ms to begin with”What is your evidence of this claim? In this study of over 6000 Taiwanese, researchers found, “a high prevalence of obesity and MS in Taiwan. The definitions of MS by the modified ATP III and MS-TW criteria were better able to detect high CVD risk than the MS-IDF(C) criteria.” Prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome in Taiwan | J Formos Med Assoc. 2006 Aug;105(8):626-35“although not statistically significant”There is a reason the term “statistical significance’ was created. it was to keep folks like you from attempting to redefine the data.“This doesn’t refute numerous studies referenced on this site to the contrary.”It does actually. Because these studiues aren’t done in cultures where health is NOT a factor for eating a vegan diet.“These are statistical data that will serve most readers well rather than to think that they are another exception fallacy.”Only those more interested in shoring up their religion than in learning the truth. You have to pay attention to the confounders… you just do.“Have you looked into the possibility that you may have a gut dysbiosis?Yes. Are you familiar with what a functional medicine doc does? Anyway… let’s just look at this for a moment logically. I am eating the SAME foods now. The VERY SAME FOODS, with the addition of pastured animal food. What are the chances that the dysbiosis would magically disappear because of that? That would suggest that animal foods correct gut dysbiosis. Hmmmm…“There is too much genetic diversity in the gut microbiome to find that particular nutrients or foods will have universal effects on all people across cultures.”Ding ding ding! Funny how vegans can only apply that logic when it comes to defending their religion but it magically disappears when looking at omni diets.“It’s way too complicated to say that wfpb fails because it didn’t work for one person with an unusual enterotype or other unusual medical condition.”First, I didn’t have an unusual medical condition, I had a very COMMON one, it’s called metabolic syndrome (more than 50% of American adults have some level of it). Second, please cite me making this claim–> “wfpb fails because it didn’t work for one person” If you can’t, it’s time to withdraw it, spend a few introspective minutes considering your bias and as such, your inability to read what is written, and then offer an apology for yet another straw man.I would contend there is no gratuitous assertion going on here. The simple reality is 70% of the population are hypo responders to cholesterol and the old data this video is based on simply is not relevant based on new research. See below. It’s easy to verify in numerous RECENT studies . I am neither a Paleo lover or a meat industry troll. The facts are the facts. The data simply does not support the “meat is bad, eggs are bad” contention. Most interesting, of the 13 dietary studies that have been done on indigenous populations, the net of all those studies is the diets of indigenous peoples is 64% red meat from grass fed animals, 33% carbohydrate from tubers, and the rest from nuts and plants. And these are some of the healthiest people in the world.Research on hypo/hyper responders here.A review of scientific research and recommendations regarding eggs. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15640512Effects of eggs on plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21776466Exploring the factors that affect blood cholesterol and heart disease risk: is dietary cholesterol as bad for you as history leads us to believe? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22983850Dietary cholesterol provided by eggs and plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16340654Men classified as hypo- or hyperresponders to dietary cholesterol feeding exhibit differences in lipoprotein metabolism. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12672915DNAistech,The data you shared is comprehensive but they simply don’t care. They follow religion, not science, and reading real data is heresy, and we are the blasphemers. Dr. Greger may “scour the research”, but he picks and chooses what he shares with his flock, ie: the stuff that supports his first passion, animal rights activism and the humane society.The upside is that for anyone who visits who’s still on the fence, the data you shared is likely to push them back into a place of common sense. The others will just have to wait until they become ill, to consider the full body of data, and in many cases, they’ll continue to destroy their health even after becoming ill because religion can’t be wrong.I know of no evidence concluding that whole foods plant based vegans who supplement vitamin b12 and vitamin D become ill due to the quality of their diet. What part of the diet will cause ill effects? The deadly beans, whole grains and potatoes? The deadly cruciferous greens, and array of veggies? The deadly apples, berries and peaches? Or could it be the lack of empty calories from oils, or lack of the inflammatory and IGF-1 promoting animal products. Get over yourself paleo huntress.Well said. And that is really the heart of the issue – personal preferences cloaked as empiricism. In fact I don’t have any issue with people who have a preference for being vegans, I understand their reasons, and there are some valid research points supporting veganism over the typical western diet, but dressing up personal preferences as science and refusing to acknowledge any data to the contrary while using the authority of credentials to silence discussion is a wide spread issue that affects many sciences today and I have a problem with that.Wow! Prevent and reverse heart disease just by eating eggs! Thanks for the info. Oh wait I have to get tested to see if their cholesterol is bad for me? And what about arachidonic acid, TMAO, methionine, pathogens etc?The link between dietary cholesterol and heart disease is not unfounded as many here may claim. http://www.pnas.org/content/110/37/14833.fullThis is really dinosaur information of yesteryear. Recent research since about 2006 clearly shows that the issue with egg consumption has to do with cholesterol hypo responders and not the population in general. I notice all that data is conveniently left out. There is now abundant research demonstrating this fact and I don’t see any of that mentioned in the video. Doctors, hmm. how many hours of nutrition training do these guys get?Not much…“[A] vast majority of medical schools still fail to meet the minimum recommended 25 hours of instruction.”Nutrition Education in U.S. Medical Schools: Latest Update of a National Survey | Academic Medicine: September 2010 – Volume 85 – Issue 9 – pp 1537-154225 hours? 25 HOURS of education makes one an expert? Not hardly.It’s amazing how passionate people are about their eggs! Thanks for the entertaining comment section.What about the consumption of egg whites alone?Fred,Contrary to popular opinion over the last few decades, whole eggs are actually BETTER for us than egg whites. Not only is the lutein 200-300% more bioavailable than that found in greens or supplements (J. Nutr. August 1, 2004 vol. 134no. 8 1887-1893), but a study last year found that when eaten by people with metabolic syndrome, their cholesterol profiles and insulin sensitivity were significantly better than those who ate egg whites instead. (Metabolism | Volume 62, Issue 3 , Pages 400-410, March 2013)Even if the lutein is 200-300% more bioavailable in eggs than that found in greens, greens contain astronomically more lutein. An egg has 353 micrograms per hundred grams, while raw kale has 39,550 micrograms per hundred grams. The kale wins out handily.If you’d bothered to read the data in the study I cited, you’d see that clearly that didn’t matter as the folks eating the spinach (12,000 mcg/100 gram serving)– that’s 3 CUPS btw, and 12 TIMES as much lutein by measure) DIDN’T improve their serum lutein levels as much as those eating the eggs- in fact, only 1/3 as much.So to paraphrase, even though the spinach contains 12 times the amount of lutein as the eggs, eating the spinach only increased serum lutein 1/3 as much as the eggs.Eggs rule. =)Your quoted study used eggs from chickens that were fed a lutein-enriched diet containing 5 times the amount of lutein found in conventional eggs. As well, raw kale contains 3 times as much lutein as raw spinach. All things being equal, if you pitted conventional kale against conventional eggs, then according to your paraphrased conclusion, kale would provide better lutein bioavailability.excuse the nit picking, but the amount contained has nothing to do with its bio availability. you could increase the content 100 fold and that wont change the bio availability at all.and maybe im different from other vegans but i cant eat kale. i like it and ive tried it prepared in every way imaginable and it just ravages my guts. i eat all other greens, just not kale. my wife cant eat it either and they stopped serving it at our monthly vegan meet and greet because it turned out that lots of people attending couldnt eat it without discomfort and it was being thrown out. obviously im not going to eat eggs, but for those who do, it seems they are far less upsetting to the digestion than kale may be.RWV,Were we in a forum talking about kale once before?  I’d swear we were. I can’t usually eat it either even though I LOVE it. But not too long ago a paleo friend convinced me to try kale chips and it turned out that I have no issues with it that way. I coat it with rendered pastured bacon fat, but I’ll bet coconut oil would work really well too. I just wash, spin dry, toss well with a little of the fat, season and bake in a single layer at 300° until crisp. The finished chips are super thin and really delicious. Maybe this method could work for you too?Perhaps you and your new boyfriend, RWV, can share your preposterous version of the “truth” elsewhere. Happy trails..huntress, my wife and i tried your recipe for kale chips using coconut oil, garlic powder and a sprinkling of sea salt and they were phenom! no gut issues after eating them, tho it took 2 batches to get the cooking time right and you have to brush your teeth after eating them cuz the little particles get caught everywhere. still a major win for us. thanks.lol I should have mentioned the particles! My boys say it’s like eating fish food because the finished chips are tissue paper thin like those flakes you feed fish. I’m glad they worked out.“Excuse the nit picking, but the amount contained has nothing to do with its bio availability. you could increase the content 100 fold and that wont change the bio availability at all.”No, it won’t change the bio availability percentage, but when you initially have a lot more of something, it will definitely change the net amount absorbed (in other words, you will in fact get more of the nutrient in question).While it’s reasonable to believe it may, there is no evidence that it does. For example, dairy contains significantly more calcium than most anything else and yet we know that extra dairy consumption doesn’t necessarily mean better calcium levels. There are many factors involved, bioavailability being one really significant one.I like my kale raw, but apparently if you cook the kale on low heat, and then eat it with some fat, bioavailability is increased.You are correct that when the greens are cooked that the lutien is more bioavailable. However, the greens were cooked in the study and it didn’t appear to change much, and they cooked both with and without oil. And I’m all for adding some fat, but for the wf/pb-no added fat/oils vegan, I don’t see that happening often.Eggs are actually better raw and already contain the necessary fat for absorption.It does make one wonder how primitive man got his lutein if he was plant-based, raw and added-fat-free. It wouldn’t make sense for him to bypass the perfect little egg powerhouse for more leaves. But a little mythology goes a long way.Yeah, but in your quoted study the eggs were not even conventional eggs—they were lutein-enriched. There is sufficient native lutein, and zeaxanthin, found in greens. Primitive man would have done all right. A few nuts will provide the requisite fat to improve bioavailability.like i pointed out a few days ago, bio-availability has nothing to do with content. and it was only improved in the study when the greens were cooked with the fat. i guess you could grind nuts up and throw them in the cooking pot.“like i pointed out a few days ago, bio-availability has nothing to do with content.” Percentage bio availibility, true; net nutrient absorption, not true. “No, it won’t change the bio availability percentage, but when you initially have a lot more of something, it will definitely change the net amount absorbed (in other words, you will in fact get more of the nutrient in question).”Because something is high in calcium or is a high “complete” protein does not necessarily make this product a healthy food. This same example can be seen with eggs.Eggs are considered good sources of lutein and omega 3 as well as an excellent source of protein. For these reasons, they are considered health foods. Looking at these claims in detail, chickens have lutein due to the fact that they have a varietized feed, these nutrients are not inherent of eggs. Based on the nutrient data found on the USDA database, 10 grams of spinach has approximately 12 times more lutein then 10 grams of an egg. We cannot really consider eggs an appropriate source of this nutrient.https://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR25/nutrlist/sr25a338.pdfRegarding Omega 3, current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day. A large egg contains about .037 grams of omega 3. Omega 3 in the ALA form processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA. These fats are anti-inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. According to the National Cancer Institute, eggs are the number 2 top contributor of arachidonic acid in the American Diet.http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/fatty_acids/table4.htmlBased on this as well as the low omega 3 content of eggs, the benefits received from omega 3 are masked by the high quantity of preformed Arachidonic Acid. High intake of arachadonic acid is linked to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with cancer development.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616uidhttp://img2.tapuz.co.il/forums/1_156375095.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128Eggs have been associated with heart failure as noted here. “After 13.3 years of follow-up in this cohort of approximately 14,000 white and African-American men and women, greater intake of eggs and of high-fat dairy foods were both associated with greater risk of incident HF, whereas greater intake of whole-grain foods was associated with lower risk of incident HF. These associations were independent of demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, prevalent CVD, diabetes, hypertension, and other food groups.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2650810/As well as an association type 2 diabetes with egg consumption of 1 egg a day. “Overall, the observed increased risk of type 2 diabetes with daily consumption of eggs in the current study raises the possibility of undesirable health effects with high rates of egg consumption and may help explain previously reported increased risk of CHD that was restricted to individuals with type 2 diabetes in the Health Professional Follow-up Study”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/?tool=pubmedIn the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, David Spence (director of the stroke prevention/atherosclerosis research center and one of the worlds leading stroke experts), David Jenkins (the inventor of the glycemic index) and Jean Davignon (director of atherosclerosis research group) posted a review on eggs claiming that the egg industry has been downplaying the health risks of eggs through misleading advertisements.As soon as you eat one egg, you expose your body to several hours worth of oxidative stress, inflammation of ones arteries, endothelieum impairment (what keeps you blood running smoothly) and increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidize (beginning stages of heart disease). The authors go into great detail regarding dietary cholesterol and it is a very fascinating read indeed. The author’s final words “In our opinion, stopping egg consumption after a myocardial infarction or stroke would be like quitting smoking after lung cancer is diagnosed: a necessary act, but late.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9001684The egg industry has claimed that cholesterol from eggs is not important and does not raise cholesterol levels. The fundamental flaw in the study the egg industry has used to make this claim is that they measured fasting lipid levels at night and not levels through out the day after egg consumption. “Diet is not all about fasting lipids; it is mainly about the three-quarters of the day that we are in the nonfasting state.Fasting lipids can be thought of as a baseline; they show what the endothelium was exposed to for the last few hours of the night.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/?tool=pubmedA single egg yolk contains approximately 215 to 275 mg of cholesterol. A safe upper limit can be capped at 200 mg if one is looking to prevent heart disease as recommended by the CDC as one of their nutritional recommendations as seen on page 92. One egg far exceeds this daily upper limit.http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hp2000/hp2k01.pdfThe balance of science is clearly against even moderate egg consumption as this food is a packaged deal. We do not get the nutrients found in eggs without getting the cholesterol and saturated fat, arachidonic acid and other inflammatory factors. This similarity can be seen with chicken in terms of cholesterol and arachidonic acidhttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/703/2as well as even the leanest beef containing an undesirable quantity of saturated fat as well as cholesterol and trans fat.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/3820/2“Tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) set by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) are important, in part because they are used for estimating the percentage of the population at potential risk of adverse effects from excessive nutrient intake. The IOM did not set ULs for trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol because any intake level above 0% of energy increased LDL cholesterol concentration and these three food components are unavoidable in ordinary diets.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21521229In terms of saturated fat, the link below displays the top food sources of cholesterol raising fat.http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/sat_fat/crf.htmlI get the bulk of my O-3s from cold water fish. Why do I care about the O3 in eggs? The 03 in plant foods converts at about 10% efficiency. If your diet is very low fat, you quite literally cannot consume enough fat to convert adequate ideal O3 fatty acids. And since you mention it, the remainder of the vegetable sourced fat is mostly the inflammatory O6s. A diet without grains and legumes and WITH animal food removes the bulk of the O6s and provides superior O3 fatty acids.According to T. Colin Campbell, saturated animal fat is NOT associated with inflammation and disease, and plant fat is. I guess it all depends on your guru.And bottom line, people eat lots of eggs WITHOUT developing hypercholesterolemia, WITHOUT developing inflammation, WITHOUT developing disease. If eggs were the cause of these things, that would not be possible.Many whole plant foods that are not nut sources (other than walnuts, flax and chia) have near 1:1 ratios of omega 3 and 6. Low fat does not equate to no fat. Whole plant foods have naturally occurring fat.The National Academy of Sciences does not recognize EPA and DHA as essential. This means there is enough evidence for them to conclude that we can make enough of it without eating it in its preformed state.“Interest in the cardiovascular protective effects of n–3 (omega-3) fatty acids has continued to evolve during the past 35 y since the original research describing the low cardiovascular event rate in Greenland Inuit was published by Dyerberg et al. Numerous in vitro experiments have shown that n–3 fatty acids may confer this benefit by several mechanisms: they are antiinflammatory, antithrombotic, and antiarrhythmic. The n–3 fatty acids that have received the most attention are those that are derived from a fish source; namely the longer-chain n–3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n–3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n–3). More limited data are available on the cardiovascular effects of n–3 fatty acids derived from plants such as a-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n–3). Observational data suggest that diets rich in EPA, DHA, or ALA do reduce cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death; however, randomized controlled trial data are somewhat less clear. Several recent meta-analyses have suggested that dietary supplementation with EPA and DHA does not provide additive cardiovascular protection beyond standard care, but the heterogeneity of included studies may reduce the validity of their conclusions. No data exist on the potential therapeutic benefit of EPA, DHA, or ALA supplementation on those individuals who already consume a vegetarian diet. Overall, there is insufficient evidence to recommend n–3 fatty acid supplementation for the purposes of cardiovascular protection; however, ongoing studies such as the Alpha Omega Trial may provide further information.Combined with the lack of convincing clinical data in favor of n–3 fatty acid supplementation for cardiovascular endpoints and the lack of data in those that consume a vegetarian diet, it is difficult to make the recommendation that vegetarians should consume fish to optimize their cardiovascular mortality.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/5/1597S.longOmega 3 sources from fish does not reduce inflammatory markers. This 12-week randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled intervention trial did not show that 1.5 g/day n-3 PUFA (fish oil) significantly affected the serum inflammatory response in healthy individuals, nor did patterns of inflammatory markers. Thus, a healthy middle-aged population may not benefit from fish oil as an anti-inflammatory agent.“If anything, there was a trend that allserum inflammatory markers tended to increase after fish oil supplementation, but this was not statistically significant. No marked differences in patterns of serum inflammatory markers between treatment groups were observed. Our results contribute to the body of evidence that, in studies with healthy individuals, generally no effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation on inflammatory markers were observed”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19623203The inflammatory benefits may be nulled because of the PCB’s which contribute to negative cardiovascular eventshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430232/In fact, you cant even find pollutant free fish oil, as the distilling process does not even work. Similar levels of pcb’s were observed with distilled free fish oil as regular. Seeing that these pollutants accumulate in fat, and fish oil is 100% fat, you are basically drinking these toxins.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19265383Since fish and fish oil are the top sources of DDT (a banned pesticide) and PCB’s i do not see the logic in claiming that getting omega 3 from fish is healthfulhttp://www.efsa.europa.eu/de/scdocs/doc/1701.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19200125This recent study showed that the conversion rate in Vegans is 2x that of a fish-eater.“Comparison of the PLLC n23 PUFAs:DALA ratio between dietary-habit groups showed that it was 209% higher in vegan men and 184% higher in vegan women than in fish-eaters, was 14% higher in vegetarian men and 6% higher in vegetarian women than in fish-eaters, and was 17% and 18% higher in male and female meat-eaters, respectively, than in fish-eaters This suggests that the statistically estimated conversion may be higher in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20861171In addition, another study showed that despise this “theoretical” low conversion rate, there is no evidence of any harm so, the problem may not be in the conversion rate, but in the assumption that it is low.“There is no evidence of adverse effects on health or cognitive function with lower DHA intake in vegetarians”“In the absence of convincing evidence for the deleterious effects resulting from the lack of DHA from the diet of vegetarians, it must be concluded that needs for omega-3 fatty acids can be met by dietary ALA. ”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500961Furthermore, I have no interest in the opinions of doctors, including Campbell if we do not have the evidence to back up these claims.You have a lack of understanding from what is termed “inflammation”. Inflammation does not refer to swelling of the body, it is low grade inflammation which can be attributed to every chronic disease and can be tracked by impaired arterial blood flow. Indeed, eggs as well as saturated fat from animal sources increase this low grade inflammation as the following evidence will show.Chronic low grade inflammation has been implicated in the development of chornic illnessess and diet is the primary cause of this inflammation. “Inflammation is a pathological condition underlying a number of diseases including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic inflammatory diseases. In addition, healthy, obese subjects also express markers of inflammation in their blood. Diet provides a variety of nutrients as well as non-nutritive bioactive constituents which modulate immunomodulatory and inflammatory processes. Epidemiological data suggest that dietary patterns strongly affect inflammatory processes.” Phytonutrients found in plants can regulate inflammitory markers in humans as explained in great detail here.http://193.146.160.29/gtb/sod/usu/$UBUG/repositorio/10300435_Watzl.pdfThe effect of a single high fat meal has been known to impair endothelial function in ones artieries, possibly causing ones risk of LDL cholesterol to oxidize to increase significantly. “The high-fat meal (900 calories, 50 g of fat, 14 g of saturated fat, and 255 mg of cholesterol) consisted of an Egg McMuffin®, Sausage McMuffin®, 2 hash brown patties, and a noncaffeinated beverage (McDonald’s Corporation). The isocaloric low-fat meal (0 g of fat, 13 mg of cholesterol) consisted of Frosted Flakes® (Kellogg Company, Battle Creek, Michigan), skimmed milk, and orange juice. Lipoprotein and glucose determinations were repeated 2 and 4 hours after eating.” The effect of inflammation can be seen below, and lasts for several hours following ingestion. This amount of fat is not that uncommon for a meal in the current American diet, and constant consumption of eating these high fat foods results in chronic inflammation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002914996007606This inflammation can also be seen to occur in our lungs after a high fat meal. “These results demonstrate that a HFM, which leads to significant increases in total cholesterol, and especially triglycerides, increases exhaled NO. This suggests that a high-fat diet may contribute to chronic inflammatory diseases of the airway and lung.”Why is it that our body reacts in this way after a meal high in fat? It is an immune response to a percieved threat. It has been hypothesized that it is the animal protein itself that causes the body to become inflamed as theorized with Rheumatoid Arthritis in this case report of a women who ceased animal protein intake and recovered from her RA outbreaks.http://ncp.sagepub.com/content/25/1/90.extractWhipped cream caused a similar effect in inflammation. It was discovered that pre and post meal, endotoxins were found in the blood stream. Endotoxins are bacterial toxins that can trigger our immune system to become inflamed. This spike can be seen below after consumption of whipped cream.The question now is where are the endotoxins coming from. It was hypothesized that the bacteria from the gut was causing the endotoxemia.The saturated fat found in these animal products were acting as a pathway for the endotoxins to enter our blood stream. “Because the human gut is host to 100 trillion commensal organisms, which together contribute to an enteric reservoir of 1 g LPS (8), we hypothesized that most of the circulating endotoxin may derive from the gut and that a small amount of commensally derived LPS maycotransit with dietary fat from the gut after a high-fat meal, which thereby increases plasma endotoxin concentrations postprandially” This idea that saturated fat acts as a pathway out of our intestines is known as a leaky gut, as in the permeability of our intestines is increased after a high fat meal. “saturated fats also appear to increase the permeability of intestinal epithelium and contribute to the breakdown of the intestinal barrier.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2858203/pdf/zdc991.pdfhttp://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/86/5/1286.full.pdfAs seen in this study, “Subjects from the first group…were asked to ingest a 910-calorie HFHC meal (egg muffin and sausage muffin sandwiches and two hash browns, which contain 88 g carbohydrates, 51 g fat [33% saturated] and 34 g protein [carbohydrates 41%, protein 17%, and fat 42%]), while subjects from the second group (six males, BMI 22.8 0.6 kg/m2, mean age 31.2 1.1 years) were given an isocaloric meal rich in fruit and fiber consisting of oatmeal, milk, orange juice, raisins, peanut butter, and English muffin (carbohydrates 58%, protein 15%, and fat 27%)”After the high fat meal, endotoxin level significantly increased as seen belowIf the hypothesis that our own gut flora is causing the inflammation is correct, then we should see the spike in inflammation several hours later, as the large intestine is where the bacteria lie. A new hypothesis must come from this, as our own gut flora cannot be causing this inflammation. One might hypothesize that the endotoxins are coming from the food itself, and this is what we indeed find. “We therefore aimed to determine whether common foodstuffs may contain appreciable quantities of endotoxin or other similar agents that may be capable of eliciting innate immune activation of human monocytes….Forty extracts were therefore prepared from twenty-seven foodstuffs common to the Western diet, and the capacity of each to induce the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α from human monocytes was measured and compared ” The capacity of these foods to cause white blood cells to secrete inflammatory signals was measured. The results are shown below.“These findings therefore suggest that apparently unspoiled foodstuffs may nevertheless contain at some point in their preparation or processing a sufficient microbial load to release TLR2 and TLR4 stimulants into their growth environment. This notion is supported by many previous studies showing that certain commonly consumed foodstuffs can contain a high bacterial load before cooking, such as fresh beef mince which has often been shown to contain approximately 105–107 colony forming units/g” It appears as though that the food itself contains the endotoxins, and any food exposed to bacteria, such as with fermentation, will have endotoxins. These endotoxins are resistant to heat as well as changes in ph typically found in the body as the bacteria no longer have to be alive for endotoxins to be present. ” LPS and BLP were found to be highly resistant to typical cooking times and temperatures, low pH and protease treatment. In conclusion, apparently unspoiled foodstuffs can contain large quantities of stimulants of TLR2 and TLR4, both of which may regulate their capacity to stimulate inflammatory signalling.” the authors finishing statements “Thus, it is tempting to speculate that the occasional ingestion of meals high in LPS and/or BLP could promote transient, mild, systemic inflammatory episodes that predispose subjects to the development of atherosclerosis and insulin resistance”http://journals.cambridge.org/action//displayFulltext?fromPage=online&type=6&fid=S0007114510003193&aid=7948514&next=true&jid=BJN&volumeId=105&issueId=01&next=Y#cjofig_fig4Citing again from the study previously mentioned titled Differential Effects of Cream, Glucose, and Orange Juice on Inflammation, Endotoxin, and the Expression of Toll-Like Receptor-4 and Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling-3 “Thus, saturated fats may have a more profound role in the pathogenesis of postprandial inflammation, as they may also perpetuate inflammation through the increases in LPS and TLR-4.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2858203/pdf/zdc991.pdf“The combined importance of dietary lipids and LPS in determining inflammatory risk may arise, since endotoxin has a strong affinity for chylomicrons (lipoproteins that transport dietary long-chain saturated fatty acids [SFAs] through the gut wall) as endotoxin crosses the gastrointestinal mucosa (23–25). As such, atherogenic and inflammatory risk may arise through a combination of dietary lipoprotein patterns and an increase in circulating endotoxin, exacerbated by feeding patterns (26,27). Therefore, altering the lipid profile through dietary intervention may reduce endotoxin and the arising inflammatory response…. Finally, while the most obvious solution to metabolic endotoxinemia appears to be to reduce saturated fat intake, the Western diet is not conducive to this mode of action, and it is difficult for patients to comply with this request”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3263907/Saturated fat from animal products cause this inflammation and yes, eggs do indeed cause inflammation as well.Whew! That was some INTENSE copying and pasting you did! (You know it’s plagiarism to pass someone else’s words off as your own, right?)For those that you credited, good on you for linking the source– but one has to wonder if you have any arguments of your OWN or if you’re just another repeater.Before I go to the trouble of shredding your evidence, do you have any that includes WHOLE FOOD? I see fish OIL supplements, I see fruit JUICE, I see Frosted Flakes <–(WTF?!)… but I don't see any whole food. I also don't count opinion articles as scientific "evidence", however if you wish to cite the original data the opinions are based on, and then use some of your own words to build an argument, that'll work.I have better things to do than debate with someone's Google-Fu.The above is indeed copied and pasted, but only from a write up I did to keep this information handy. You will see the same information regarding eggs posted elsewhere on the website because yes, I have all of this information already written up privately for easy access. Most of the information regarding inflammation is available on this website. I don’t see how quoting studies counts as plagiarism. Using this as an argument is quite pathetic. You clearly have little understanding of nutrition and I assume you get your information from some book you read or a prized blogger. Your responses are also filled with degrading, “clever” remarks that show your immaturity and further reduces your credibility. You have not presented a shred of evidence that proves any of your points, and what you have shared has not been applicable or shares only half the story. Your evidence has continually been “this diet was not good for me, so it must be terrible for everyone”, that’s not how science works or is conducted. I will leave it up to the neutral visitors to decide who’s point is more valid. As for this “discussion” I have had with you if you wish to call it what, it has not gotten us anywhere. No new applicable information has been shared that I have not already seen before so I must go where the science goes and conclude that a whole foods plant based diet is indeed the most healthful diet currently.“The above is indeed copied and pasted”Clearly. Heaven forbid you continue to think when you can rubber stamp the same static thought into different forums with no opportunity for growth or an open mind- and considering its you who is depending on a previously written text, something far more indicative of dependence on a blogger (like Dr. Greger), with no discernible ability to discus the topic fluidly, it is YOUR understanding of nutrition far more than mine that that reflects on.“but only from a write up I did to keep this information handy”Actually, THAT is a lie. There are also several uncredited segments without quotes that are copied and pasted word for word from other websites, not from study publications, but from opinion articles, including Dr. Greger’s, where you are passing off his words as your own but only only crediting the data and not him. This is easy to see when you paste them into google in quotes and the true source comes up strangely not “the Toxins”. Passing off someone else’s work as your own is pretty darn small but I hope you have sufficiently thanked him for putting into words the ideas that you clearly cannot form on your own.So is it safe to assume you don’t have any actual studies using whole food? The fact that you think that a McDonald’s meal evidentiates your claims about high fat meals is certainly in line with your seeming inability to differentiate between whole and processed foods. I’d hate to have to shred twice, so if you have any data on whole food, this is the time to flaunt it– because at the moment, I’m seriously underwhelmed by your schooling.‘Many whole plant foods that are not nut sources have near 1:1 ratios of omega 3 and 6.’would you name some of the many? if you’re talking about greens and veggies, im with ya cuz thats what i eat. but if youre talking about whole grains and legumes, the staples of my former whole food vegan diet and what most of my vegan friends are eating, they have no ratios like that. brown rice has a ratio of 22:1 (O6:O3), whole wheat is 20:1, buckwheat is 12:1, tempeh is 21:1, tofu is 7:1, potatoes are 3:1, lima beans are 3:1, black beans 2:1.bear with me, my wife is contributing too. sockeye salmon has a ratio of 1:3.an egg and a cup of brown rice have the -same- fatty acid content and ratio but the rice has a little less protein. a person who cuts out grains and legumes from their omni diet is probably getting a similar fatty acid profile to a wfpb vegan who eats them.Fruits and veggies are a different matter, and this is what I am referring to. The greens in particular are an especially rich source. Even so, adding a tablespoon of flaxseeds or a 1/4 cup of walnuts would suffice.Eggs are too rich in pre formed arachidonic acid to be used as a source of omega 3.didn’t huntress say she doesn’t eat eggs for O3?‘I get the bulk of my O-3s from cold water fish. Why do I care about the O3 in eggs?’ ~paleo huntressi don’t think its about getting in enough O3 anyway, its about keeping O6 low. if youre gonna eat flax and walnuts instead of grains and beans that could work, but if youre still eating grains and beans it really doesn’t change anything to add flax and walnuts.I get the bulk of my Omega 3’s from plant foods –walnuts, blueberries and other yummy foods which I much prefer over animal proteins including cold water fish. My chosen omega 3’s do not contribute to inflammation and pain in my body. Eating wild salmon and cod, did and it raised by bad cholesterol just like eggs and the flesh of “grass fed” livestock.Eating egg whites kept my bad cholesterol high. Reducing inflammation and bad cholesterol is as simple as eating more healthy vegetables and a plant based diet with plant proteins. It worked for me.My brother is on drugs and his a stint because he could not keep clean and kept purchasing the toxic foods he grew up eating. I’ve changed my diet to vegan and have none of the health problems that plague him. I avoid all animal protein from dairy, eggs, fish and other meats.There are fat vegans, vegan drug addicts, vegans with high cholesterol, vegan diabetics, vegans with heart disease… the number of people with mental and emotional issues is higher in the vegan community than the omni community as well. How do you explain that?There are fatter meat and egg eaters, meat and egg drug addicts, meat and egg eaters with higher cholesterol who are also on drugs and have stints like my brother, and a myriad of people with mental and emotional issues in the animal eating community.I ate meat, dairy, though rarely eggs for 71 years was never a drug addict then or now. But I had high cholesterol. I did not have mental or emotional issues. After fracturing my spine due to osteoporosis, I chose to go vegan to reduce pain and inflammation rather than be injected with corticoid steroids every few months to reduce pain. Eating a healthy plant based diet worked. I lost 65 pounds, my bad cholesterol dropped from 300 to 100, other than having osteoporosis and continually fracturing bones, I feel great. I have no emotional and mental health issues. I can only speak for myself and those close to me.I would like to see the citations and studies that suggest what you have opinioned,If you are not interested in the plant based life style, why are you on this list?Show me your scientific studies or documentation! Not that I would change. I feel better avoiding eggs, and all my pain returned to my total knee and hip replacement and spinal injuries when I tried to eat meat. My body is telling me that although my mind misses the taste of eggs or meat. I don’t eat baked “goods” at home or outside the house. Now what don’t you know about how I choose to eat. I eat to AVOID PAIN AND INFLAMMATION avoiding deadly eggs prepared in any and all ways, and avoiding meat even though I have to prepare it for my helpless husband who even eats GMO ice cream instead of healthy food. I do not have heart disease, diabetes, hope my bad cholesterol has returned to 100. I have NO mental or emotional issues OTHER THAN YOU, who likes to read your own garbage.What about egg white only?What a load of chickenshit…to demonize one of the most healthy foods on the planet is absurd.i was pointed to the below trial in a comment at another forum and it seemed like this group could benefit from it as well. my bad if its already been posted and i missed it.researchers found that people who ate 3 whole eggs a day for 12 weeks dropped their small-LDL levels by 18% on average.High intake of cholesterol results in less atherogenic low-density lipoprotein particles in men and women independent of response classification. | Metabolism. 2004 Jun;53(6):823-30Eggs are good http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-berardi-phd/egss-and-health_b_3499583.htmlShhhhh… what does a PhD in Dietetics know about such things?!Does anyone know what the health effects of egg whites? Are they as unhealthy as the whole egg?The igf-1 would still be at play http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1Hi Dr Michael Greger. I am registered with Discus on your Forum as BallyIrish.Whilst viewing your video on eggs, in the tobacco section, my AV screamed, and a huge banner saying B******t spread across your presentation! I am just mentioning it so you know that your site may be compromised.My Dad and Mom died of natural causes at 93, and 99 respectively, and as a child we five siblings (all still alive and old now) ate home-grown eggs almost every night, and very often we had boiled eggs for supper.These were eggs from hens who had 3 acres to roam about it in, and were fed on whole mealies (corn) every afternoon, when they all assembled at the fowl-run gate for their supper! These were pucker FREE RANGE EGGS. We also ate FREE RANGE chicken often, skin and all.I am 76 and have eaten eggs and chicken all my life, but only those sold as “free range.”Eggs have an astonishing amount of vitamins, but – here comes the buut: the way hens spend their lives in these highly intensive egg-producing wire cages disgusts me – hens too, are what they eat and how they live. It’s shamefully cruel and unhealthy. And what for? Filthy lucre. Eggs and chicken mass-produced in this way, I refuse to eat. (Of course, all our vegetables were home grown as well.) I agree with your video, in that consumers in general are in fact eating inferior eggs and chicken, that can only be unhealthy food the way they are produced. Best regards. BallyIrishHi Dr. Greger,I would like to know your insights about this meta-analysis release in january 2013? I’m a little bit confuse about this new information? Thankshttp://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8539Egg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies BMJ 2013;346doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e8539(Published 7 January 2013)Cite this as:BMJ2013;346:e8539This video would benefit you greatly and clears up the confusion with studies like these. http://www.plantpositive.com/23-cholesterol-confusion-6-die/That is one of the many studies Greger missed while “scouring the world’s nutrition research”. Don’t bother with the link offered, it is an opinion piece that goes after the opinions of others. As a thoughtful person you can understand the data yourself, unlike those who merely copy and paste.And you understand the data yourself Laura? Lets not pretend that is true. All you have to share are off hand quotes.I don’t know what Laura knows… but I DO know who spends his days posting links in blogs to other blogs posts. He does it so often that he saves time by saving the more lengthy compilations in Word, where he fails to credit the real authors, and then copies and pastes them into blog after blog.Your credibility is infamous at nutritionfacts.org. I see you know your stuff. Creating 2 other false accounts of a vegan male body builder and an overweight freshman girl in college is something to be quite proud of.Yeah, according to tech support at Disqus, for people who respond from email, there will be literally thousands of posts with the same IP address. When it comes to credibility, the mod who is publicly posting member’s IP addresses and personal email addresses really shouldn’t be throwing any stones. Bottom line though, Melanie… ignore the non sequitur BS here because it isn’t relevant to your question. if you stick to the data and avoid the opinion pieces, you’ll be golden. =)A subsequent meta-analysis Egg Consumption in Relation to Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis found significantly increased risk.How does this translate to a significantly increased risk for the general population?CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that egg consumption is not associated with the risk of CVD and cardiac mortality in the general population. However, egg consumption may be associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes among the general population and CVD comorbidity among diabetic patients.It’s disingenuous to suggest this applies across the board rather than to a population that already has metabolic disease. This meta-analysis actually corroborates the one that Melanie cited.Hi, Is work out and hard work (for example as a construction worker) are “cleaning” the LDL etc? Are those poeple in less risk after having eggs and other cholesterol products? ThanksI am posting this as a serious question. If I eaHelp! Just as I’m about to give up on eggs, an acquaintance who has kept up with dietary information through the years in order to feed her family in the healthiest possible way, claims that the whole cholesterol issue disappears if you take the eggs raw. For instance, she used to put raw eggs in a bowl and have her kids dip their pieces of uncooked broccoli. I have serious reservations on her position but would appreciate some backing…Veganwannabe: It’s my understanding that eating raw eggs is extremely dangerous from a food safety/salmonella, etc perspective. And since you can get all the nutrition you need without eating any egg (cooked or otherwise), why do it?Here is a summary of some of the known problems with eating eggs. The links take you to more of the videos about eggs on NutritionFacts.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/You might also want to check out a great summary that takes up a good portion of this video:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/That should give you all the backing you need! Good luck.There isn’t a single documented occurrence of food-borne illness caused by eating a raw egg at home. ALL instances involve food-service and restaurants where contaminated food sits around in warmers for hours. The ideal way to eat your eggs is with the white cooked and the yolk mostly raw as in over easy or over medium, poached or soft boiled. This way, the white is most digestible and the lutein and b12 are most bio available and the cholesterol in the yolk is protected from oxidation. Skip Greger’s videos and review his source list. Note the conspicuous absence of whole food data.I found no evidence against eggs, with the exception of the AMA info, in this video. Am disappointed. I continue to be confused by the dietary cholesterol issue. There is research that indicates that dietary cholesterol intake is not the culprit, but high triglycerides and inflammation caused by foods like sugar, flours, etc. are the real problem. Seems Many people are eliminating these foods from their diet and so can’t they enjoy an egg or two for breakfast? I eat one or two for breakfast ( have my own chickens ) and my triglycerides are very low. I do not eat wheat, have only occasional whole grains, and very little to no added sugar in my diet. I do not avoid foods with cholesterol ( meat ) and eat plenty of vegetables and fruit every day.And who put that information out? The meat and egg industries?When I ate cold water wild fish as my only “meat” source, my cholesterol was still very high. The only way I could lower my cholesterol with diet was eating vegan. At the same time, I’m lowering the PCBs, dioxins, organochlorines pesticides and other chemicals that have built up at the top of the food chain.I’ve found that while I miss eating certain animal proteins, I don’t miss the pain from my spinal fractures which come back when I consume those foods.I began eating an anti-inflammation diet over 2 years ago to reduce the pain and inflammation in my body. And it works as long as I eat whole foods and healthy vegan.Anyone who seeks information on nutrition and health topics, opens a site on the internet and finds an expert who speaks .Just like in here. But there are many other sites on the internet in which, other doctors and experts speak often about the SAME topic but take the exact opposite position.On the one hand you have(for instance here) Dr.Gregger talking about eggs being very bad for your health and on the other hand you have an other doctorexpertscientist ,assurring you that eggs are GREAT for you. They are both doctors,experts, and they both refer to STUDIES to support what they say. WHAT on EARTH should you believe? You have 2 doctors,2 experts,1 topic and 2 contadictory positions.I don`t care who is who and obviously this is not a matter of preference “whom to believe“ ,just like it is in the case of “which football team to support“ ,but the above simple fact may make it difficult to decide what to do. ( specifically about eggs,I`ve seen at least 3 doctors speaking in favor of eggs, on you tube .It`d be useful to listen to each other`s take on the arguements of the other. ) Maybe we could play the game “fact or fiction“ or put the names of the contradicting experts on a graph .Kidding of course :D . I`d like to read any commentsanswers on how to handle this dilemma and information.Thanks.People have been eating eggs since the beginning of time … now all of a sudden they are bad for you?of course it took smoking 400 years to decline – apparently eggs have always been bad for you http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/My father had cardiovascular disease due to something in his diet. And, looking back some 68 years, my mother, who did not eat eggs did not die from heart problems. Although, she pushed eggs on me. I gagged when forced to eat eggs sunny side up. And, once I my own, never ate eggs again.Recently, I had blood work for everything including cholesterol. My bad cholesterol was very low. The doctor was amazed, but said, I don’t know what you are doing, but keep doing it.My secret: Eating vegan–avoiding meat, dairy, and EGGS. My fingers tell me if I’ve eaten them because they become numb, which I attribute to the cholesterol, and the other poisons that have accumulated in animals products. In fact, with fractures from osteoporosis, which normally would cause a great deal of pain, are reasonably low pain as long as I don’t eat foods from animals. If I do, all the pain comes rushing back.When you stopped eating eggs, does that mean you stopped eating all baked goods that contain eggs as well? You stopped eating birthday cake, cheesecake, breakfast danish, French toast, ice cream, cookies, etc?  I’m guessing that the answer is no, which would mean you were still eating eggs, just not eggs alone.GAPS diet significantly lowers cholesterol and improves FMS- whole food, removes sugar, wheat and dairy, but contains meat, fish and eggsPaleo diet significantly lowers cholesterol and improves FMS- whole food, removes sugar, wheat and dairy, but contains meat, fish and eggsAlkaline Diet significantly lowers cholesterol and improves FMS- whole food, removes sugar, most wheat and dairy, but contains meat, fish and eggsPrimal Diet significantly lowers cholesterol and improves FMS- whole food, removes sugar, wheat and dairy, but contains meat, fish and eggsAntiInflammatory Diet lowers cholesterol and improves FMS- whole food, removes sugar, most wheat and dairy, but contains meat, fish and eggsDo you notice any pattern here?Considering so many people lower their cholesterol and get relief from FMS while eating meat, fish and eggs, but when removing sugar, wheat and dairy, it would appear that it is the sugar wheat and dairy that are the common denominator and that your meat, fish and egg removal is merely incidental. The exception would be if you were particularly sensitive to sulfur, particular meats or types of fish, or if you are a cholesterol hyper-responder– in which case your dietary changes would help YOU, but wouldn’t apply to the population in general.  You can lose weight and lower cholesterol in any number of unhealthy ways, TB, cocaine addiction, full paleo. See today’s vid http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=low-carb-diets-and-coronary-blood-flow&utm_source=NutritionFacts.org&utm_campaign=020d1cfd0e-RSS_VIDEO_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_40f9e497d1-020d1cfd0e-23450601You certainly can– obsessive veganism being one as well.But then, people eating the diets listed don’t just lose weight and lower cholesterol, they see reversal of disease and disease markers across the board. Your suggestions that any of the whole food diets listed are innately unhealthy is patently false.I’m not interested in “today’s vid”. Too many idealists building misconception on top of misconception because they quote someone, who quotes someone, who quotes someone else… and so on. If there are peer-reviewed RCTs, just cite them directly.“Obsessive”? Implies bias. While there are unhealthy vegan diets this site advocates whole food plant based diets – its common sense to avoid the chronic poisons meat fish dairy eggs which have no nutrients you cant get from a healthier source without cruelty in an environmentally responsible way. Dr. Greger cites the latest research papers not from the paleobubble. There is a tab for the references.Annoyed by Paleofraud,What is the “paleobubble”?“Dr. Greger cites the latest research papers not from the paleobubble”I take that back he does rip the paleo bubble a new one every now and again http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/What gives with the ID? You are so invested in expressing your disagreement with a diet that you make your whole identity here about that? Seems a little obsessive to mePhaedra, I think you already know that we don’t tolerate insults here. We’d love for this to be a safe, respectful place for everyone. Please take this into consideration when posting or we will have to delete your comments and/or ban you from commenting. Thanks!Fair enough, Tommasina, though in my defense, using “annoyed by paleo fraud” as your ID doesn’t seem like a very respectful action. It seems like a standing insult (it looks like he changed it from Dan Lundeen in mid-conversation specifically to insult a paleo member) and your forum appeared to tolerate that pretty well. I think the members of this forum would find it disrespectful and insulting if I chose. “Annoyed by vegan fraud” as an ID, and that calling someone a fraud trumps calling them obsessive, don’t you? Or does the insult not matter if the person originally being insulted has left the forum? If that’s the case, it doesn’t seem like a safe and respectful space at all.I STOPPED EATING PROCESSED FOODS YEARS AGO, including certified organic eggs. After 1996, and seeing what soy did to my daughter, I stopped purchasing soy ice cream, even when it claimed to be organic. About the same time, I stopped eating all forms of sugar, partially because I have had a weight problem, and partially because my blood cholesterol was very high and I did not want toxic drugs to wreck havoc on my body. So, I began eating beans and greens, which helped reduce my blood cholesterol as well as pain and inflammation in my body.In 2012, I fractured my spine for the first, but not the last time.. Not only did I avoid sugar, meat, fish, and eggs, wheat and dairy, but all corn products. I began following recommendations in the book by Neal Barnard, M.D., entitled Foods That Fight Pain. And, the pain just went away. Also, high cholesterol levels, my heart murmur disappeared and all the blood tests came out in the amazingly good to great range. But, I have a long way to go before I get fit with severe osteoporosis. I eat lots of veggies, fruit, some quinoa, and oats, a tiny bit of organic soy milk. My biggest problem is creating a colorful plate because I cannot stand long enough before all pain returns. My brother on the other hand, after returning from climbing the highest peaks on all the continents, including Mt Everest, reverted back to the heart damaging diet of his youth and was on the way to diabetes and heart disease. He crash dieted for climbing but did not change the way he ate and ended up with stints. My father had heart problems, but died of a rare brain cancer at age 56. My mother pushed my brother and I to eat eggs, liver, and other animal foods, but avoided them herself, feeding her portion to our dog, who also had similar health problems. My mother died of a dementia like disease, perhaps because she ignored my advice to her about pesticides. She lived on a golf course. I was very active my entire life until we moved to Louisiana in 1976. Now, my goal is to eat healthy in order to reduce pain and inflammation in my body, and to further reduce my girth without crashing. Eating healthy vegan is easier than reducing portion size of the wrong foods. And, I find that I love the taste of veggies without oils, but prepared with garlic, red onions, and other nourishing ingredients.I never ate most of the processed foods that you cite. For my entire married life, I always have cooked from scratch, have always been on a diet free of sugar, white flour, and other junk foods. And since the 1980’s, have eaten totally certified organic or lived without.As cited elsewhere, I became vegan when looking for and finding ways to reduce pain and inflammation caused by osteoporosis and several spinal fractures. Eating vegan without wheat, corn, eggs, dairy, fish, and other meat sources worked for me. And, while I have certified organic sugar in the house that was purchase 5 years ago, it has not been opened or used. I am now consuming sulfur because I eat one red onion per day, but I do not eat sugar of any form, wheat, or dairy, meat, fish (which is meat) or eggs in any way shape of form. I eat lots of dark leafy greens, broccoli, and a wide variety of certified organic healthy vegetables. The only potatoes I eat are sweet potatoes, once a week. Occasionally, I eat certified organic long grain brown rice with my beans, that I’ve stored in the freezer. But, I’m trying to eat an alkaline diet. I never ate sulfur rich foods prior to this year, but after trying to follow the diet by Joel Fuhrman, M.D., they are now becoming part of my life.Becca,What I’m trying to ascertaine is whether you’ve ever eaten the same diet WITH animal foods. It sounds like you cut out nightshades, grains and corn especially at the same time. (Like a vegetarian Paleolithic diet)I had eaten both organic and pesticide raised eggs. And both caused my bad cholesterol to rise significantly. The pesticide eggs were eaten from age 5 or 6 until age 54, when while in the hospital for a fractured hip, the hospital physician had my blood tested for the bad and total cholesterol levels. It was something like 300. He insisted that I take cholesterol lowering drugs immediately. I refused and instead opted to eat beans rather than fried chicken. The latter of which I did not eat anyway. Let me tell you, hospital food is horrible and unhealthy even if one makes requests. I requested fresh broccoli, steamed and received pressure cooked and mushy broccoli grown with toxic pesticides. It was inedible. So I had my husband bring my own which I steamed in the microwave in a glass casserole. It was just fork tender, still contained toxic economic poisons, but was edible after a fashion. The plain beans were gross. They needed onions, garlic, cumin and perhaps some hot peppers, as well as a tab bit of salt. Eating meat back in 2005-2011 made my joints hurt as well as my fingers, but I did not know the reason. Reading the book, Foods That Fight Pain by Neal Barnard, M.D. helped me enormously in 2012 after I fractured my lumbar spine the first time. I lost 65 pounds and the pain and inflammation just went away. There is nothing like being in severe pain to make someone stay with the diet. The neurosurgeon to whom I was sent wanted to inject the nerves in my spine with corticoid steroids every four months. I refused. That’s when I found Neal Barnard, M.D., and his book changed my life and way of eating. Whenever I think it’s been long enough and I try to eat meat again, all the pain comes rushing back within 8 hours just to reinforce that eating animal protein causing pain! I never knew I was allergic or sensitive to animal foods before, but a spinal fracture changed everything. Eat whatever you want, but let me warn you. All animal proteins cause pain and inflammation. All animals may drink water sprayed (drift) with Roundup and 2,4-D, as well as other highly poisonous herbicides and other pesticides, and receive fallout from other industrial chemicals and chemical bi-products like dioxins. They collect in the lipids (fat)of fish, the yolks of egg and other animal fats, and are concentrated in human infants from their mother’s (and perhaps father’s) diet, Perhaps, that is the reason some children are born with cancers. I trued cutting night shades, but they did not help as much as cutting out animal proteins! I never knew I was allergic to grains, but today with GMO grains and GMO field corn and some gmo fresh corn, I no longer eat corn. Organic corn was always hard to find, now it’s almost impossible because the Obama USDA allowed gmo corn and soy to be planted in National Wildlife Refuges across the USA. Where I live, I could not find anyone to help me locate and pull out the crops. They did not want to get involved. That’s why Louisiana is the dumping ground for the nation! Ignorance and apathy!ALL MEAT including wild fish, DAIRY, and EGGS have cholesterol, whether or not they are free range, pastured, and fed GMO corn and soy. The GMO corn and soy are fed to all livestock in the USA unless they were pasture raised. ALL FARMED FISH receive GMO corn and soy. In fact, even Memory Foam mattresses are made from herbicide intensive GMO soy, as well as some plastics, printing ink, and newspaper/magazine inks, which means they are just as toxic as those made from other petrochemical solvents! The plans are apparently to change the dna of everything on the planet so everyone and every animal will be unable to reproduce, the population will be greatly diminished, and cancers and other health damage greatly increased. If you think genetically modified foods are a good thing, read the clinical effects and side effects of genetically engineered biologics in pharmaceuticals. II refuse to go there, even though my osteoporosis is worsening. At least, the rest of my health is good.It has come to our attention there are many statements in this post that are not in keeping with the desire for this community. Dr. Greger is kind enough to allow comments on all his posts so that we can continue our learning from each other. To keep this going, please read and follow his request:Per Dr. Greger: “We welcome vigorous debate of the science, but to make NutritionFacts.org a place where people feel comfortable posting without feeling attacked, we have no tolerance for ad hominem attacks or comments that are racist/misogynist/homophobic/vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. I’ve gotten sensitive to this after a physician who graciously donated his time to answer people’s questions stopped contributing because of the acrid atmosphere. So please, for everyone’s benefit, help me foster a community of mutual respect.” (Effective Feb 2104).At the time (Feb 2014) Dr. Greger did delete several comments as well as ban some users. Some of which previously commented below in this post.Due a change in the comment functionality software we can’t currently go back to last year to delete inappropriate comments.Fair enough, I can’t see them all, but with my first comment, I start getting a copy of every comment after that in my email so I see a lot of them, and I see what is allowed to remain.It is understandable that some of the old comments cannot be deleted, but surely Dr. Greger’s moderators have the ability to edit or delete their own comments? Discus allows even years-old comments to be edited or deleted by the author. If the policy has changed and those comments have been called out, should they not then be edited to reflect good faith?  It doesn’t give your “be nice” policy much tooth when the site’s own moderators have posted comments that are rude and/or disrespectful and let them stand even though they do have the ability to modify or delete them as users.What if the banned user figures out how to just set up further Disqus aliases and return with the same drivel all over again?Hi Doctor – You have me interersted in food science, and I am currently participating in an EdX course called Food For Thought Chem181x. In their section on Food and Heart Disease, the professors discussed eggs. They cited this article: http://journals.lww.com/co-clinicalnutrition/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2006&issue=01000&article=00004&type=abstract. They make the point that egg intake does not change blood cholesterol, and if it does, both HDL and LDL go up. What are your thoughts? Thanks.It really is painful to see my wife and friends eat eggs and sausage gravy with buttered waffles every morning. No amount of reasoning seems to get to them, so I keep quiet and eat my oatmeal seasoned with piquante sauce, topped off with a banana.That’s all you can do!It is painful to watch friends and family consuming unhealthy diets. The best way to support them is to lead by example. As Medical Director for EarthSave’s Meals for Health program it is not unusual for folks to start asking participants what they are doing when they are successful at reversing chronic conditions and losing weight. The best answer is to refer them to commercial free websites like NutritionFacts.org or websites by PCRM or Dr. John McDougall. At least those are the three that I find to be most helpful and reliable.I’m eager to find the valuable information and for me this is the right place to get the good stuff.medical negligence lawyerI don’t get it the heart foundation not the egg industry looked at long term studies on populations and found no link to heart disease hence the eggs are ok message. Nothing to do with egg marketers. I eat them every day we have our own chooks. I am healthy according to my doc, follow a meat eating no dairy no grain no legume eating regime. Cholesterol in the diet is irrelevant unless u have genetic cholesterodemia (sorry spelling) According to my nutritional biochemistry bible.Wow what a rant this thread was. As a person who used to eat eggs regularly at one time all I can say is that extra cholesterol is not required by the human body. This extra cholesterol is required to be removed or it will become a problem. Cholesterol does form plaque build up in arterial walls in conjunction with sugar consumption. Since the vast majority of those eating the SAD diet consume enormous amounts of sugar they are all at serious risk. In addition, those consuming the paleo diet may consume sugar, white four products and so forth and are at risk. Furthermore, the body has ways of removing that extra cholesterol and forming gallstones are one such way that the body attempts to remove it. Thus eating extra cholesterol is not the best idea as it does come with a cost and that cost is your health. Cholesterol causes problems there is no question and it is relevant. As far as protein is concerned the USRDA is about 50 for men. Plant foods can easily make up this amount. Though because meat is devoid of many nutrients and are not a symbiotic package like plants are it is much more difficult for the human body to utilise the nutrients that are contained inside. Forget the difference between the two types of nutrients for now and the imbalanced state that they are found in. I fail to understand the point of arguing how much protein is in any such food since the idea is that variety of foods can supply the required amount. Plants contain various phytonutrients unlike meat and they assist each other by helping them be assimilated and utilised properly by the human body. Therefore because of this symbiotic relationship within plants and within the human body more nutrients are absorbed and they are more potent because of this relationship. In addition, to the relationship between various plants themselves. As such, plants contain a myriad of chemicals that have innumerable properties. These properties include; antioxidants, antiviral, antineoplastic and so forth. It is these properties that are contained within plants that protect one from the harmful individual components in the plant itself and from outside damage from toxins, water, air, junk foods, and even the damage associated with consumption of animal foods. Thus comparing plants to animal foods there is no contest. One type of food promotes health while preventing disease and the other requires more nutrition(plants) in order to offset the problems associated with its consumption. Ps the result of eating eggs daily for a few years resulted in gallstones for me and I do not suggest eating them on a regular basis as they are not a necessary for consumption. There is nothing in eggs that cannot be found in plant foods which are far superior. Now everyone is different and has different constitutions thus is may take longer for someone else to develop the same condition or it may take them less. Though extra cholesterol(more than what our body produces) is not required just like too much protein, grains, fats and so forth.Waooow!!! Really very cool site of blogs. You can imagine what you have done for me.click here – ppiclaimshandler.org.ukeat the egg, wait for science to catch up. eat normal food, lift hard, learn to relax. you can’t do better. scienctists mostly study sick people, by sick I mean people who do not eat normal, lift hard, and learn to relax. Lets see what makes those people sick. It sure isn’t an egg.when i say normal I mean real foods, not food like products. eat happy animals that see sunshine and eat their natural diets. eat lots of vegetables. don’t overdo the carbs. keep away from as much artificial stuff as possible. eat fat, eat a lot. Take vitamin D. Pre world war two generations lived a long time eating meat greens and lard.I am not a doctor. But there are plenty of unhealthy people eating these “healthy” diets. Are they any better off?I’m really frustrated right now. I openend scholar.google.nl to seek for “eggs and heart”. And I continue seeing studies with conclusions like:– “Higher consumption of eggs (up to one egg per day) is not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke.” http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8539.full– Conclusions We did not find a significant positive association between egg consumption and increased risk of mortality from CHD or stroke in the US population. These results corroborate the findings of previous studies. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1368980010001874– “Conclusions: No association between egg consumption and the incidence of CVD was found in this Mediterranean cohort.” http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v65/n6/abs/ejcn201130a.htmlI’m not an egg advocate or something but feel frustrated about conflicting messages. I don’t have the authority at this point to judge all this information. I’m just left feeling frustrated about this. One party says: avoid eggs like the pest. The other says: eggs are ok. Can the true egg-conclusion please stand up.I think these videos are most relevant to you. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/Also http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/And there are others. The studies you cited used food frequency questionnaires which are helpful, it must be stated though that it is not the most powerful assess of study. Several interventional studies as the two above have shown just exactly what eggs do to our arterial health. I think this would also be of interest to you http://plantpositive.com/23-cholesterol-confusion-6-dieThanks Toxins. interesting stuff! I’ll look into that more. My username has changed in something weird… but I’m the “JH” who asked the question.Ok nice points. I learned that measuring cholestrol levels of people who are already on a cholelestrol boosting diet, is not good way to conclude “eggs are ok”.However… people in a mediterranean cohort are not people with a high cholestrol and saturated fat intake? I don’t have access to http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v65/n6/abs/ejcn201130a.html . So I’m not sure about that experiment mediterranean cohort study. But mediterranean diet does contain a lot of plants/fiber that could compensate for the cholestrol intake?I don’t have access to the full text to really know. Keep in mind the current MED diet is not what it used to be. Regardless, the larger body of evidence points away from egg consumption, so despite a couple studies showing that eggs are neutral, the majority do not. Thus we must conclude that eggs are not healthful. As I stated before, we understand the mechanisms, and know what eggs do. We don’t need a food frequency questionnaire to determine the health of eggs. If you see the plant positive video in my last post to you (the last one) it discuses eggs in further detail and shows why some studies may show this.I come to Michael Gregor’s site for trustworthy nutritional information. I don’t usually read comment blogs but thought there might be some additional useful stuff. However, having seen that it just appears to be dogmatic arguments between the same few protagonists I won’t bother again and will just stick to the main content.Sorry Tracy, I have deleted a few of the comments that did not pertain to scientific discussion. I hope you will reconsider and ask questions or leave comments so we can engage in constructive conversations about nutrition. No worries :) Please do what is comfortable. We wish you the best in health.Sincerely, JosephYou ought to see what kind of misinformation they give to women as described in this video.Reading my news outlet which pop out a article about 9 best flat belly super foods. Eggs is one of them.Here the article.Claiming eggs has “choline, a fat buring nutrient.”Thanks, Hecman. We have more on choline here is interested.This is the second time i have seen an article in AARP this month saying eggs are OK to eat again. The first one was in the Bulletin. I just received the latest copy of AARP Our Guide to Health @ 50+. On page 50 under the title “When Bad Foods Turn Good”; It lists eggs as full of choline an essential nutrient that can boost memory. Does someone respond to these things? This magazine is distributed to millions of Americans.What’s really terrible is that the efforts of the egg industry actually work very well. I had a conversation with family about the subject, and their response was basically to give up since one study says it’s bad, and another says it’s good. It’s also sad that people don’t bother questioning more or doing any real digging when it comes to something as serious as their health. Most people do more research on a car they want to buy than how to live a healthy life!We should not eat eggs, because this callous industry causes great suffering to the hens. But from a nutritional standpoint, why do the New Dietary Guidelines (2015) contradict the conclusions laid out here? It is now stated, “Cholesterol is no longer a villain. The 2010 guidelines suggested we should limit cholesterol from foods to no more than 300 milligrams daily. (A large egg has about 186 mg of cholesterol.) Experts now say cholesterol is ”not a nutrient of concern,” because cholesterol from foods doesn’t cause higher blood cholesterol levels.” http://www.webmd.com/diet/20150226/food-guidelines-surprisesEverybody says not to eat egg whites also but yet Dr ornish has shown reversal with them in his diet plan?Yeah, I’m also curious. Here is an Egg White and Vegetable Frittata recipe, http://ornishspectrum.com/spectrum-recipes/egg-white-and-vegetable-frittata/Right Joshua so can somebody explain it to us?One thing is for sure just because a certain diet works for someone does not mean it will work for u way to many variables involved.Vince: I haven’t studied Dr. Ornish’s work the way I have other similar experts. But I have to wonder if Dr. Ornish allowing egg whites is like Dr. Esselstyne allowing small amounts of dairy in his early experiments. The dairy was never a major part of the diet and it turns out that the patients got better *inspite* of the dairy, not because of it. I would guess that Ornish’s diet is similar: patients may have some egg whites – but they are getting better despite the egg white, not necessarily because of it.My other thought is that even *if* someone believes that egg whites are heart-neutral, we have plenty of evidence that egg whites are bad for us for other reasons. So, there is no good reason to eat them.Hi Thea.Question what is your style of eating?Plant based, Med diet,Paleo diet?Just curious.vince: My current style of eating doesn’t really fit any of those titles you listed. I aim for a healthy diet, but still fall far short. I don’t eat any meat, dairy or eggs, but I still eat way to much processed food in addition to the self-prepared food which would make Dr. Greger, Dr. Barnard, Dr. McDougall, Dr. Esselstyne, etc proud. I am constantly working to make my diet healthier.How about yourself? How would you describe your style of eating?I eat a Mediterranean style of diet of sorts…lots of veggies,salads,beans,(All organic) fresh caught Salmon(I have friends on the copper river in Alaska I buy from) Organic free range chicken,Organic fruit. Work out for a hr 5 days a week,drink a gallon of water a day.Drink decaf green tea.I would say pretty healthy lifestyle.I dont drink or smoke lost 50 pounds in the last year.And the rest I leave up to God…lolHi Vince. Egg whites don’t have cholesterol. They still have protein, but lack fiber and antioxidants. Not sure exactly how their protein relates to increased risk of IGF-I, but animal protein may increase IGF-I production. I like Thea’s take, too. Hope that helps a bit.	American Egg Board,American Heart Association,animal products,cake,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,coffee,cookies,dietary guidelines,eggs,Federal Trade Commission,Freedom of Information Act,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,meat,poultry,safety limits,smoking,steak,tobacco,turkey,USDA,vegetables	Egg industry claims about egg safety found to be patently false, misleading, and deceptive by the U.S. Court of Appeals.	I shared some of my other Freedom of Information Act finds in my last egg video, Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis.I've also explored the presence of carcinogenic chemicals in eggs (Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine?), carcinogenic viruses (Carcinogenic Retrovirus Found in Eggs), industrial pollutants (Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals and Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants), the eggborne annual epidemic of Salmonella (Total Recall), arachidonic acid (Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation), misleading claims about eyesight nutrients (Egg Industry Blind Spot), and, of course, cholesterol (Egg Cholesterol in the Diet and What Women Should Eat to Live Longer). To my surprise, though, eggs are actually not the most concentrated dietary source of cholesterol. See Avoiding Cholesterol Is a No Brainer.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Egg Industry Caught Making False Claims.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cookies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steak/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/federal-trade-commission/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/freedom-of-information-act/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9497196,
PLAIN-2735	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/	Male Fertility and Diet	Infertility affects 10–15% of couples attempting to conceive and in about half the cases a problem is found in the man. A recent Harvard study found that increasing saturated fat intake just 5% was associated with a 38% lower sperm count, but why? I've talked about the role of xenoestrogens, endocrine disrupting industrial pollutants that build up in animal fat, particularly fish, but male fertility is not just about sperm count—the number of sperm, but about how well the sperm work.A recent study found that "successful pregnancy and fertilized egg implantation outcomes are decreased in patients reporting a more frequent intake of meat. This finding is consistent with poor semen quality associated with a higher intake of products that may incorporate these chemicals and steroids. The use of these compounds in the food industry results in an increased total level of xenoestrogens and sex steroids in processed foods, such as meat or milk, whose intake contributes significantly to daily exposures. Xenoestrogens are highly lipophilic substances that can accumulate in fat-rich foods, such as meat, and may be suspected as partially responsible for the decline in semen quality. Conclusion: Couples having trouble conceiving must be advised about the drastic effect of both the male and female lifestyle on treatment success.”This is consistent with previous findings that “frequent intake of fat-laden foods like meat products or milk may negatively affect semen quality in humans, whereas some fruits or vegetables may maintain or improve semen quality.” Vegetable consumption was also found protective in the new study, which may be because of the antioxidant and nutrient content.The adverse effects of meat could be from other pollutants as well. Exposure even as an infant to low levels of dioxin can permanently reduce sperm quality. The general consensus is that human sperm quality has declined over time in different areas. We're still not sure why, but dioxins may be playing a causal role.The reason why maternal beef consumption may alter a man’s testicular development and adversely affect his future reproductive capacity is thought to be due to the anabolic steroids implanted into the animals, but as the accompanying editorial pointed out, "the steroids could also be interacting with other xenobiotic, meaning industrial chemicals present in meat, such as pesticides and dioxin-like pollutants, and even chemicals that may be present in the plastic wrap.Heavy metals may also play a role. Lead and cadmium exposure as measured by levels in the bloodstream was associated with a significantly longer time to conceive. Where might exposure be coming from? Common types of seafood right out of fish markets and supermarkets were sampled. The highest cadmium levels were found in tuna; highest lead levels in scallops and shrimp. The greatest risk from different metals resided in different fish; some of which got really high. Thus, the risk information given to the public (mainly about mercury) does not present a complete picture. There are other toxic metals in fish as well.The largest and oldest fish had some of highest levels, and we see that with other animals as well. For example, contamination of beef by cadmium and lead is clearly dependent on the age of the animal.The only beverage associated with infertility in women was soft drinks, though this may be from an indirect route, with soda linked to obesity and obesity then linked to reduced fertilization rates, though there has been a study on one really direct route, the effectiveness of Coca Cola as a spermicidal agent in vaginal douching. Diet coke apparently had the strongest effect, Harvard researchers published in the New England Journal of Medicine.What about Coke versus Pepsi? Tax-payer money hard at work for this head to head test. And neither of them really worked—Coke nor Pepsi, though they explain their methods for preparing the sperm-cola mixtures differed from the Harvard group. Bottomline: soda probably isn't good for you going into any orifice.	Good message, Dr. Greger. If you are right, then after a few generations the results will speak for themselves. The lower reproductive rate of meat eaters will provide a natural selective pressure that should lead to a decrease in the frequency of this behaviour. Vegans rule!Real men eat plantsi am a 24 years old male, been a vegan for around 9 months, recently i felt as though my libido has gone down. i was wondering if you have any suggestions. from what i read on the internet, there seem to be many males with this problem.thanksBefore going into specifics, a lower sex drive could be symptomatic of any number of nutritional deficiencies affecting overall health. On a whole foods plant based diet with plenty of variety and supplemental B12, you should get all of the nutrients you need, provided you are consuming enough calories. So a couple questions to start off: are you aware of how many calories you are consuming and are you sure you’re getting enough? Are you taking a B12 supplement? B12 is not optional on a vegan diet.I remember a study Dr. Greger mentioned that indicated that vegan men actually had higher levels of testosterone, but perhaps this is not the case for you. Perhaps lower testosterone could be leading to your lower sex drive. So, next question: do you know your cholesterol levels? Generally I would recommend a low fat diet (still containing fat from whole food sources, but low fat compared to SAD and even to mainstream “low fat” diets). However for some individuals whose liver has been damaged by past unhealthy habits, cholesterol production can be impaired. I also remember reading about a congenital issue leading to extremely low cholesterol levels, though I don’t remember the name. If either of these possibilities applied to you, perhaps you require higher levels of saturated fat to increase your cholesterol levels to produce the necessary sex hormones. I would never suggest this possibility as the most likely one to any normal healthy person, but for the rare individual this could be a possibility. That said, disregard if your cholesterol levels are ok.Knowing nothing about your diet, it’s pretty hard to make any recommendations. A vegan diet could mean tater tots and mountain dew, or it could be a greger/esselstyn/novick/fuhrman style nutrient dense diet based on a variety of whole foods. If you haven’t yet, I would check out any books or resources by the above listed individuals. I think the “eat to live” style diet by fuhrman or the “plant perfect” style diet by esselstyn are the most potently health promoting and would be best for someone struggling with health issues. In the meantime, check on a few nutrients: overall calories, b12, zinc, EHA and DHA from flax/chia or from supplements, and go from there.What about the heavy metals from ‘chemtrails’ geo-engineering, the aerosol spraying in our skies. Look up, we are being poisoned, daily all over the planet. Watch the movie,”What in the World are they Spraying”.and the THRIVE movie.The geo-engineering problem is a great problem… it’s a “science” born in the military environment and in fact there is a document call “Owning the weather in 2025″ that explain how weather could be use as a weapon…The last part made me chuckle.Since the poor earth is so grossly overrun with humans, I’m all for the meat eaters having lower reproductive rates. My main concern is the quality of kid that comes out when they do reproduce.That said, this video is important in showing yet one more angle in which we have evidence showing that the best, healthiest diet is based on whole plant foods, with b12 vitamin. Nutrition science is never about just one study. It is all the studies, the body of evidence, that is meaningful. I like how this video fill out that knowledge.A long time vegan, my zinc is low. Are their some surefire vegan ways to ensure adequate zinc levels? Is a handful of nuts and pumpkin seeds really enough? I do eat walnuts and flax in my oatmeal and plenty of greens during the day.Clic on zinc in the alphabetized list, upper left of this page.I did. But there really is a dearth of information on how to safely and adequately be certain of raising zinc levels.What is your current level and target level?My zinc, plasma, was at 49 in February. The clinic says the range is between 60 to 130. So my zinc level appeared low in that test.Thinkabouddit, Please don’t misunderstand – I am not a doctor. She is the one most qualified to help you assess your needs. Well, hopefully.My OPINION however is that you are not low in zinc. On the day in February your number came back under the minimum. This sort of thing happens all the time. For example, what is the standard deviation of the measurement? Is that range right for you? Are you having problems/symptoms of low zinc?You know the list of good sources so you’ve been eating beans, legumes (peas are great)… If you have been eating whole foods/Plant-based since February then it would be really unusual for you to be low in zinc now. Are you a lactating woman? If so you may need to top up.On the flip side, too much zinc is very bad for you too. Be careful not to go overboard.That’s just Mother Nature’s way of keeping the population down. I think BPCveg has it right also—after awhile vegans will rule.Seems that the main problem isn’t with meat, it’s what us humans are putting into the meat with antibiotics and pollution, and we are all to blame for that. So please dont give your “vegans are more worthy to reproduce” – it is very close to something Hitler would say. #justathoughtHi Timothy, there are plenty of health issues with meat that have nothing to do with environmental toxins, including but not limited to Neu5Gc, PhIP, saturated fat, cholesterol, endogenous hormones, pathogens, animal protein itself and its effects on our liver, kidneys, and igf-1 levels, etc. While these are typically mentioned specifically with regards to CVD, cancer, or liver or kidney disease, any one of these conditions are obviously detrimental to overall health.As an aside, pesticide residues and antibiotics in the environment are overwhelmingly due to animal agriculture. Yes, we are all to blame for environmental pollution, but meat-eaters contribute on a much higher level.I agree. I just have friends who are non-vegans who are struggling to have kids and flippant remarks insinuating that they deserve to fail as it is “just Mother Nature’s way of keeping the population down” or “I’m all for the meat eaters having lower reproductive rates” is insensitive and elitist, irrespective of the cause.This site is supposed to be inclusive and educational, and persuade people to better diets based on “nutrition-oriented, science-based” discussion (as Coacervate says).;)Agreed. It’s probably not the best way to welcome those that may be coming here and are new to the topic! It’s also good to remember that a lot of us like to send these videos to family and friends!Although someone who eats plant based can get a lot of crap from people, and I can get people wanting to let off steam once in a while. I’m sure I’ve made some snarky remarks myself. But perhaps that would be better suited to a closed forum setting. Cheers.what kind of person can continue to eat meat knowing how much pain and horror animals have to go through for you to have your meat ,it is not all about health,why should i respect person who does not care about thatIf we agree to keep this a nutrition-oriented, science-based place for discussion then it becomes a resource for the many, not a sounding board for the few. or the one. Live long and perspire.Wow, you’re all just as gullible as the Paleotards who insist eating piles of meat and fat is the only way to go. Here’s a free tip to all the hardcore fanboys/fangirls.. If your messiah(in this case Greger)is selling something – like books, seminars and other “professional lectures”, and has over a thousand MONETIZED videos on youtube – there just may be ulterior motivation to the “facts” and “science” and “proven studies” that spew forth.There’s also the irrefutable fact that this whole no meat go green garbage that Greger is promoting is his response to seeing animals in a stockade, not some vegan revelation from the magic produce fairy.Here’s an insane notion that absolutely will not sit well with first world tools who need fads and books and “special diets”.. let’s all just cut out processed food and eat balanced and varied organic diets, including meat. Kinda like humans have been doing since oh, I dunno, forever?Just sayin..I just wanted to clarify that not a single one of my videos is “monitized.” That’s why you’ll never see ads running on any of my videos. And all the proceeds from the sales of my books, DVDs, seminars, and lectures all goes to charity.This is a point I ALWAYS make when telling people about this site. I always mention the dvds (since I do think they’d be a great kick in the butt for someone new to a wfpb diet to get all that info thrown at them at once) but I always specifically mention that anything you sell (books, dvds, even lectures when possible) are available online for free. I don’t hold it against the plant based docs that do sell stuff for profit, but I think the non-profit angle does say a lot about credibility to a newbie who may be a bit cynical.So hey by the way, thanks for all the free stuff!Most people around the world (the healthiest ones at least) eat a diet that is very close to a whole foods plant based diet, with a small amount of animal products added. This is actually very close to the totally whole foods plant based diet that Dr. Greger advocates. Now if we have a pile of evidence that animal products are harmful, and plants are healthful, then obviously a rational person may decide to go from eating mostly plants to all plants. Where exactly is your conflict in opinion with this?Although I do think that vegetables and fruits are very important to our diet, to say that ALL meat is bad and everyone should be vegan is quite a statement. As a nutritionist and someone that has written and spoken on toxin awareness, toxins are more the issue!! They are everywhere!! You can not compare organic grass fed meat to the crap found in stores. Also everyone goes to the extreme. Either they eat ton’s of meat or none. There is a balance. Also you look at the digestive track of an herbivore and it is long and loaded with enzymes and especially rich in the enzyme cellulase, which we do not make, and is required to break down plant cellulose. They have long digestive tracks and many times 2 stomachs. Our digestive track is closer to an carnivore and our stomachs have 2 things, pepsin and hydrochloric acid, which is designed to break down animal protein. The problem arises when people eat too much meat and not enough fruits and vegetables. Also not enough fermented foods. Gut health is what it is about and it is essential for a healthy body!! The grains we have today have been modified and create inflammation in our bodies. Science needs to leave our food alone. Only a healthy gut can tolerate grains. All the vegans and vegetarians (with the exception of 2 people) I have known and worked with have ton’s of nutritional deficiencies and have high body fat. To make a blanket statement that meat eaters are more unhealthy just isn’t true. The real issue is reducing your toxic load regularly and eating a more balanced diet, with lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds is key.Okay, you definitely lost all credibility at “Our digestive track is closer to an carnivore”… but let’s address each of the things you’re saying anyway.Toxins are indeed everywhere. They are more concentrated as you go up the food chain. Even your precious grass fed cows are part of the food chain. They are not exempt from dioxins, heavy metals, flame retardants, or any other environmental toxins. I’ll give you certain pesticides and antibiotics that they’re spared in their food, sure, but other environmental toxins are concentrated in their flesh just like any other animal. For being a self-proclaimed expert in toxins, you are certainly unaware of one of the most basic ideas in toxicology: bioaccumulation.Pepsin and HCl are for breaking down protein, which is found in both plants and animals. Herbivores consume protein and as a result have both pepsin and HCl. As do humans.Herbivores don’t produce cellulase. Herbivores have bacteria that produce cellulase. As do humans.A hypothesis that grains cause inflammation is just that, a hypothesis, maybe it’s even a good one, but it has not been shown to occur to any significant effect at a clinical or epidemiological level.Are all the vegans and vegetarians that you have met coming to you as a nutritionist because in fact they are in poor health? If so, you may want to look up a term called selection bias. Not to mention, if someone were to receive nutritional advice from you, given your stellar knowledge in regards to the human body, I am not at all surprised that they were in poor health.Dr. Greger doesn’t make blanket statements. He describes and posts links to thousands of peer-reviewed articles. If you have a problem with what he’s presenting, you don’t need to discredit him, you need to discredit the thousands of scholars he’s citing. I’m sure with your clearly extensive educational credentials you’ll have no problem with that.Dr. Gregor, what are we to make of cadmium levels in vegans and vegetarians testing at several times that of omnivores? http://jacknorrisrd.com/cadmium-levels-in-vegans-zinc-supplements-and-alzheimers-disease/I am 36 year old male who has never ate a typical “american” diet. I grew up in central europe and now live in south east asia. I would say that my only vice was sweets. I loved pastries, tortes, cakes, chocolate, creamy stuff etc. I became vegan about a month ago and never felt better.It is hard for me to except that I am infertile. Especially when you see friends and people in your close environment, who are fat (some are clearly obese) and eat a diet high in meat, dairy and fat, popping out babies like there’s no tomorrow. I am currently under the care of a naturopath who prescribed herbs and lots of supplements. I don’t care much for the supplements but I still have the hope that they work and that my sperm motility and morphology improves.Levon, Do you have an email address I could contact you? I’d like to pick your brain about the your experience with the naturopath. Regards.it’s levon.tostig@me.com	animal fat,animal products,antioxidants,beef,cadmium,chicken,Coca-Cola,dairy,dioxins,douching,endocrine disruptors,fat,fertility,fish,fruit,Harvard,heavy metals,industrial toxins,infants,infertility,lead,meat,men's health,mercury,milk,obesity,Pepsi,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,phytonutrients,pork,poultry,pregnancy,reproductive health,saturated fat,seafood,semen,sexual health,shrimp,soda,sperm counts,steroids,testicular health,tuna,turkey,vaginal health,vegetables,xenoestrogens	Dioxins, endocrine disrupting pollutants, heavy metals, saturated fat, and steroids in the meat supply may be affecting sperm counts, semen quality, and the ability of men to conceive.	The video I reference about the endocrine disrupting industrial pollutants in fish is Xenoestrogens & Sperm Counts. More on the hormones used in meat production in Anabolic Steroids in Meat. Then there's Dioxins in the Food Supply for those that want to avoid dietary dioxin exposure.I also cover male fertility in Soy Hormones & Male Infertility and female fertility in Meat Hormones & Female Infertility.My videos on heavy metal exposure (dietary as opposed to auditory) include:For more context, check out my associated blog post: Male Fertility and Dietary Pollutants.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepsi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadmium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shrimp/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/douching/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/semen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xenoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/filled-full-of-lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3679247,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22416013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11049816,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19279491,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18314116,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22971403,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19966832,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4058526,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17392289,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21262597,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16307983,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19680959,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17392290,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22309709,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20597616,
PLAIN-2736	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/	Trans Fat In Meat And Dairy	Trans fats are bad, increasing one's risks of heart disease, sudden death, and diabetes. Even, perhaps, aggression. Trans fat intake has been associated with overt aggressive behavior, impatience, and irritability.Trans fats are basically found only one place in nature, animal fat. The food industry, however, found a way to synthetically create these toxic fats by hardening vegetable oil in a process called hydrogenation, which rearranges their atoms to make them behave more like animal fats. Although most of America's trans fat intake has traditionally come from processed foods containing partially-hydrogenated oils, a fifth of the trans fats in the American diet used to come from animal products, 1.2 grams out of the 5.8 total consumed daily. But now that trans fat labeling has been mandated, and places like New York City have banned the use of partially hydrogenated oils, the intake of industrial-produced trans fat is down to about 1.3, so that means now about 50% of America's trans fats come from animal products.According to the official USDA nutrient database, cheese, milk, yogurt, burgers, chicken fat, turkey meat, bologna, and hot dogs contain up to about 1 to 5 % trans fats. They also found small amounts of trans fats in non-hydrogenated vegetable oils due to steam deodorisation or stripping during the refining process. Is getting a few percent trans fats a problem, though? The most prestigious scientific body in the United States, the National Academies of Science, concluded that the only safe intake of trans fats is zero. In their report condemning trans fats they couldn't even assign a Tolerable Upper Daily Limit of intake because "any incremental increase in trans fatty acid intake increases coronary heart disease risk."There's been controversy, though, as to whether the trans fats naturally found in animal products are as bad as the synthetic fats in partially hydrogenated junk food. The latest study supports the notion that trans fat intake, irrespective of source—animal or industrial, increases cardiovascular disease risk, especially, it appears, in women.“Because trans fats are unavoidable on ordinary, non-vegan diets, getting down to zero percent trans fats would require significant changes in patterns of dietary intake.” One of the authors of the report, the Director of Harvard's Cardiovascular Epidemiology Program famously explained why—despite this—they didn't recommend a vegan diet: “We can't tell people to stop eating all meat and all dairy products," he said. "Well, we could tell people to, become vegetarians," he added. "If we were truly basing this only on science, we would, but it is a bit extreme."  Wouldn’t want scientists basing anything on science now would we? "Nevertheless," the report concludes, "it is recommended that trans fatty acid consumption be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet."Even eating vegan, though, there's a loophole in labeling regulations, which allows foods with trans fats that contain .5 grams per serving to be listed as having, you guessed it, zero grams of trans fat. This labeling is misguiding the public by allowing foods to be labeled as ‘‘trans fat free’’ when they are, in fact, not. So to avoid all trans fats, avoid meat and dairy, refined oils, and anything that says partially hydrogenated in the ingredients list regardless of what it says on the Nutrition Facts label.	Very true on the labelling… LOL, “If we were to base this only on science…”What a great demonstration of the power of disclosure to a well educated population. Doing the math, it appears that the FDA’s requirement that trans fat content be disclosed on nutrition labels contributed to a 72% reduction in consumption of trans fats in the US.No wonder Monsanto is running scared over GMO labeling.Knowledge is power! The FDA estimated that revealing the trans fat on labels would save between 2,000 and 5,600 lives a year.Very interesting… but i got a question: there is a way to mitigate the deleterious effect of this fats? For example if i eat a meal with a portion of trans fats(for example if i go to MC Drive) and at the same time eat a lot of veggies(lettuce, carrots, broccoli etc) i reduce the damage, or not?No. That’s like saying you can drink water with poop in it if you add more water to it.i think it is more difficult than that… example: we know that fiber is good for us and accelerate the food transit in the intestine so if i eat a peace of meat and a salad, the meat will remain for less time than without salad… so its deleterious effect would be decreased… am i wrong?Maybe for trans fat you’re right because are really not suitable for human diet but also for other substances matter the amount… IMHO…Anyway thanks for the answer!!Hi Merio, a lot of my friends look for loopholes just as you do. I don’t think you’ll find too many people here to help with that. You could try doing my trick… only cheat yourself rarely, acknowledge and enjoy the feast, then go on living a healthy lifestyle. How many feasts per year do you require to be happy? The weird part happens when the healthy food becomes your indulgence!Great post!! Now i’m trying to manage my skin problem(atopic dermatitis) and maybe i finally found the solution(99% vegan plant base diet)… but it’s early to talk(i see the first results just in these days)… my family isn’t really happy of my choice and does not want to get informed as me… but your reply is really helpful… i think that in other words it’s not the exception that kills, but the day habit… Thanks.P.S.I cited MC Donald before… well, in my entire life i ate there only 15 times… it is my house the problem :-)If you can tilt your consumption in whole from a heavy meat and dairy proportion toward a heavy starch, vegetable, and fruit proportion and much less meat and dairy, it is mitigating. The less meat and dairy and more starch, vegetable, and fruit, the better. Get the animal foods down to zero and you’ll be best off, most likely.But plant foods are not antidotes you can just ADD to a diet of animal foods and/or transfats, without changing the amount of animal foods. If you eat a porterhouse steak nightly, you won’t improve your health by adding a cup of arugula to your meal while still eating the porterhouse steak nightly.You’re right… i’m near to accomplish that result… the problem is mantain the vegan regime through the time… sooner or later i will win over my temptations… Thanks for the answer!Can you please comment on a recent study of trans-palmitoleic acid? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23407305There are likely differences between synthetic trans fat and the natural trans fats. A drop in diabetic markers is a good thing – but personally I wouldn’t take that as a green light because of the raising of LDL and the industrial pollutants that come with most dairy products.I think there could be a lot tied up in the oxidation of fats that we don’t know about yet.Dr. Greger, do the studies highlighting the bad effects of the trans-fats in meat and dairy analyze raw meat and dairy, or in cooked form? What do you think about all the carnivorous creatures out there that consume raw meat, in the wild (there, apparently, are some humans in this category)? Might they be susceptible to these damaging “trans fats” sources, or does raw in any way lend itself to these trans fats being harmless? I can’t help but wonder what the negative effects on trans fats that are cooked are vs. raw. Maybe these fats don’t even exist in raw form?“Maybe these fats don’t even exist in raw form?” You got it! Cooking creates and enhances the problem.Here’s a nice little game…..take a carnivore, say a cat, and force it to eat a vegan diet. What happens?http://www.petmd.com/blogs/nutritionnuggets/cat/jcoates/2013/aug/vegetarian-diet-nearly-kills-kitten-30848what are you implying?is there trans fat in nuts and seeds?No. Plants do not create intrinsic trans fats. Overheating bottled polyunsaturated oils, however, may create trans fats. Dr. Greger endorses whole food sources of healthy plant fatty acids (with the exception of an algal DHA supplement) instead of commercial free oils.OH yes – to tell the public to go vegetarian or vegan is extreme – to get coronary heart bypass surgery is not extreme !? To get anaesthetized, to get your chest cut open, to get your heart stopped, to get a fragile vein inserted, to get minor brain damage is not extreme !? To get breastcancer, to get mastectomy, to get radiation therapy, to get chemotherapy, to get minor brain damage is not extreme !? To get prostatecancer, to get prostectomy, to get impotent, to get incontinent is not extreme !? BULL SHIT !!! Leave people with a choice. Inform the public. NOW.You mean propagandize the public? If animal proteins and fats were so bad, how did the native non-western people do so well on that sort of diet? With a general absence of all the problems you mentioned, while eating lots of meat and animal fat. I’m thinking of the Inuit, Masai, Plain’s Indian, etc etc ad nauseum. You should check out the Weston A. Price Foundation. Because you may be wrong. http://www.westonaprice.org/about-the-foundation/healthy-4-lifeWhat software did you use to make this video? I really like it!I’ve been about 80% paleo for a little over a year now.Since I started Paleo I dropped about 10-15 pounds, I’m below 10% body fat. My blood pressure is about 110/50. My triglycerides (bad cholesterol) dropped 41%. My HDL (good cholesterol) went up 26%.I used to limit my consumption of meat, eggs, bacon and fats or feel guilty if I ate too much of them.Now I eat meat, eggs, bacon and (good) fats without restriction or worries and my markers for good health and heart disease risk IMPROVED dramatically in a year.We’ve been sold the lowfat, multi-grain diet for about 30 years now but the health of Americans has been deteriorating dramatically over those 30 years. Obseity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiac disease, cancer and a myriad of other diet related health problems are increasing at epidemic levelsI do not believe that many true nutrition researchers recommend nearly as much grains as we have been sold. As for the health of the country, the deteriorating health is NOT caused by a low-fat, multi-grain diet. It is caused by a high fat, white bread, McDonalds diet.Sarah, you should research grains a little more, all grains, before you give them a pass. Hint: google ‘grains anti nutrient’Wow…fascinating results Zak! You may, in fact, be well on your way to overturning age-old nutritional dogma. You are almost there… for validation purposes we just require a few more pieces of information, including the following:1- a public record of your DNA to confirm that it is representative of the general population;2- an accurate and reproducible specification of the diet that you actually followed during the test period, since “paleo” refers to an infinite collection of possible diets;3- a randomized controlled experiment on an appropriately large number of clones of yourself (to provide statistically significant results). Please also perform this experiment over the full human lifetime for each clone, not just the 1% of a lifetime that you have hitherto tested.Thank you on behalf of the committee of critical thinkers.Just because “We’ve been sold the low fat, multi-grain diet for about 30 years now” doesn’t mean the US population has been observing good nutrition. In fact the opposite is true. Get some science into your nutritional intake.Ahhh, the perennial appeal to ‘science’ and the conceited assumption that the opposite pov is unsupported by it. Ok, here’s your science…. http://caloriesproper.com/?p=2030But on this we are agreed, the US pop has not been observing good nutrition. The question is: What is good nutrition?Look to the China Study for the most comprehensive epidemiological study ever performed. Oh hang on a blogger somewhere ‘debunked’ hundreds of thousands of doctorate hours of research. Scratch that reference.I am not looking to be convinced of veganism or vegetarianism. From the very simple fact that you need B12 and can only get it from animal sources tells me veganism is a stupid fad.The China Study? Sorry, not a work of sound science.http://www.westonaprice.org/vegetarianism-and-plant-foods/the-china-study-mythGreat reference Black Bart Lol.Great reference Black Bart Lol. Got anything else, you clearly don’t know the difference between peer review science and opinion.You’re simply showing your arrogance and ignorance. Go ahead and damage your bodies and minds…idk.Studies dictate the nutrition information here, not opinionated authors.Vitamin b12 is a byproduct of bacteria and at one point could be found in drinking water and even on plants do to the soil. Common hygiene practice prevents this from occurring. The China study is one study literally upon hundreds clearly linking animal product consumption with chronic disease. To debate this fact is silly once you have all of the background information. I encourage you to explore this website, and come to your conclusions once you have seen much of the data.I encourage you to explore further, such as here http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/Based on your recent comments, it is clear you get you information from youtube videos and fringe bloggers, nutritionfacts.org is not that. The information shared here is not incorrect and you will find many nutrition claims made elsewhere examined in detail here.Read carefully:”The B12 vitamin is of note because it is not available from plant products, making B12 deficiency a legitimate concern for vegans. Manufacturers of plant-based foods will sometimes report B12 content, leading to confusion about what sources yield B12. The confusion arises because the standard US Pharmacopeia (USP) method for measuring the B12 content does not measure the B12 directly. Instead, it measures a bacterial response to the food. Chemical variants of the B12 vitamin found in plant sources are active for bacteria, but cannot be used by the human body. This same phenomenon can cause significant over-reporting of B12 content in other types of foods as well.[30]’http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_vitaminsThe argument i am making is not that we don’t need b12, it is that food is a package deal and although animal based foods have b12, the harms outweigh the benefits, so it would be much wiser to supplement b12 then get it from animal based foods.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/I thought B12 was only produced by Bacteria and that Animals obtained B12 from eating dirt. Am I mistaken? Thank you.Oh, I see Toxins comment below confirming this.“The China Study” is a compelling collection of carefully chosen data. Unfortunately for both health seekers and the scientific community, Campbell appears to exclude relevant information when it indicts plant foods as causative of disease, or when it shows potential benefits for animal products. This presents readers with a strongly misleading interpretation of the original China Study data, as well as a slanted perspective of nutritional research from other arenasThere have only been a small number of studies on the paleo diet, and those have only been done on small numbers of participants (subjects). I’m glad you are seeing some good progress, but I’d encourage you to make decisions based on the best evidence available. Studies on vegetarians have been done for 30 years, and they do live longer. Vegan studies are less common, but also show excellent results. Whatever you decide, the research is clear that adding more vegetables, and a greater variety of vegetables each day, improves health outcomes.Its true the low fat diet has been sold for a long time, but no one is buying. If you consider only food sources of fat, two largest are cheese and chicken, consumption of cheese went from 10 to 35lbs/yr, and chicken from 30-odd to 90-odd lbs/yr, between 1960 and 2008, so its no surprise that total fat intake went from about 130 to about 180 grams/day per person. “the fat you eat is the fat you wear”That simply isn’t true. (the fat you eat is the fat you wear) Only in terms of calories in/calories burned.The fact is, carbs break down to sugar. The body can only utilize a small amount before the bloodstream is in danger of over-saturation. Then insulin is released to assist in the conversion of the excess sugar so it may be stored as fat.Then you are hungry all too soon and need to feed again. ( whereas fat is satiating, and doesn’t leave you craving more food an hour later)Fat doesn’t make you fat. Simple carbs and sugar does.Can you give us the source of that info Brooke. I’ll appreciate. I need references for writing and for my personal curiosity. Thanks.That was not what happened to me at all when I went on a “Paleo” diet. I cut out all grains and only ate meat and really high quality vegetables. My blood pressure soared to 220/120 and I had two heart attacks. My complexion was horrible. Now I look great and my skin is in great shape. It actually looks translucent. You will not find many models who eat Paleo. It ruins their looks too much.Besides, when was the last time that you heard of wonderful anti-oxidants in meat? Now I am on a totally vegan diet. After my last heart attack they wanted to do another stent, but following the lifestyle advice of Drs. Greger and Fuhrmann I declined the stent and have brought my blood pressure way down. I was on six medications to lower my blood pressure and am now down to two. I could not walk out to the car without strong chest pains. Now I walk two miles a day with no chest pains.It makes me seriously question the virtues of the Paleo diet. Besides, if you watch enough of Dr. Greger’s videos it becomes obvious that meat is not good for us for so many reasons that there is no question but that Veganism is the way to go.The one way that the Paleo diet might be an improvement for some people is if they ate small servings of meat and stopped eating junk carbohydrates. That would bring their blood sugar down and, yes it would be an improvement. But not as much improvement as going on a low sugar vegan diet.The only way that anybody could seriously promote a Paleo diet is by either being unaware of the research that Dr. Greger explains or by being a regular practitioner of cognitive dissonance. Watch more of the videos and you will get off from the Paleo diet.‘…grass-fed meat surpasses grain-fed ….[because] … it contains considerably more antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, are precursors to vitamin A that are found as pigments in plants.’http://chriskresser.com/why-grass-fed-trumps-grain-fedFor sure – eating the plants in pasture provides cows with many antioxidants and minerals, while grain-fed cattle receive higher levels of pro-inflammatory nutrients that are stored in the meat consumed. However, eating the plants ourselves gives us higher levels of antioxidants and mineral directly consumed.Zac, I am glad to hear of your successes. I am not sure what 80% Paleo means though and what you were eating before that caused the numbers to be off. For instance, elevated triglycerides can stem from too much sugar like fruit juice, oreos, etc.Note: one correction for your statement: “My triglycerides (bad cholesterol)…” Triglycerides are not “bad” cholesterol. Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fat exists in food as well as in the body. They’re also present in blood plasma and, in association with cholesterol, form the plasma lipids.Since this is Dr. Greger’s reporting forum for research he has reviewed more on the subject:http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/ http://www.atkinsexposed.org/Finally, the Paleo era did not have bacon.Australia and New Zealand adopt food traffic light labellingMembers might be interested to know that last Friday, Australia and New Zealand adopted a system of food traffic light labelling. See https://ama.com.au/ausmed/healthy-food-choices-stars The 5 star system is in response to spiraling rates of overweight, obesity and diabetes. A recent report predicted that Australia’s rate of diabetes would triple to 3 million people by 2025 (from a total current population of 23 million). This has caused such concern in Australia that the State and Federal governments felt that it was necessary to do something about it in order to curb rising health care spending and a rising burden of chronic disease. The traffic light labelling system was originally developed by the US Institute of Medicine, but Australia and New Zealand will be the first countries to actually implement it, despite opposition from industry. See http://theconversation.com/seeing-stars-ministers-poised-to-approve-new-food-rating-system-but-industry-seeks-a-delay-15163Dr. Greger, I wonder what you thing about a nutritional supplement called Juice Plus+. Have you ever studied the research done on this product?Just go to my topics page and you’ll see I have a few videos on it! http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/I am confused by all the negative press that micro wave cooking gets. And yet you seem to be reporting that the micro wave is likely the gentlest form of cooking. Taking away the least amount of antioxidant value in the process. I would love to be able to go back to micro wave cooking with a clear conscience. Can you help me with that?,Does human breast milk contain trans-fat? It seems possible to me that it does since cow milk does. I wonder what the side-effects are for calves drinking trans-fats as their main (only) food group in their first stage of life. Maybe since the cow milk isn’t cooked the calves are not harmed, or, maybe the cattle producing the milk were fed a diet that contributed to a buildup of trans-fats…i don’t know but I think it is important to get clarity on this for the sake of the scientific method of the studies as they they relate to our thorough understanding of them. Maybe cattle fed grass, exclusively, do not pass these trans-fats on to their calves. And maybe human mothers don’t pass on trans-fats to their babies if they don’t consume the trans-fats in the first place? I can’t imagine human babies being fed nothing but trans-fat-breeast-milk in the first year of their lives. Nor can I imagine calves being fed nothing but trans-fat milk from “their” mothers. Something seems missing here.I feel extremely fortunate and relieved that I do not consume dairy at all. But I truly want to understand this study not to promote grass-fed raw dairy or raw meat or anything like that…and I think all of our awareness of the facts are limited until we find out whether raw or cooked dairy determined the results, and what the dairy cattle were fed (their natural diet, or one of human imposed/determined feed.I’d be grateful for anyone out there who might have some understanding on this. In the meantime I will reach out to the USDA and ask them for clarity.Dr. Greger, in 2010 an article about trans fat in milk was published – Annals of Internal Medicine, and it said that those trans fat are actually good! and that they increase HDL and lower the risk of dieabtis type 2! are you saying that its not true?I dont know the specific article, but with poor reductionist study designs you can “prove” nearly anything – even that trans fat are healthy! Who founded the study – the milk industry?The weight of evidence shows clearly that trans fat increase the risk of various diseases. The safe upper limit is zero. Claiming that trans fat from a specifik source are healthy makes no sense.“The safe upper limit is zero. Claiming that trans fat from a specifik source are healthy makes no sense.”I disagree that this is necessarily the case. What is the mechanism of trans fat’s contributions to poor health? What if the body’s metabolism of and/or endocrine/immune reaction to a trans fat is isomer-specific? And once we know the mechanism, is it counteracted by other factors in diet or lifestyle?Now, I am not recommending anyone to eat a brick of butter every day. I appreciate the caution in limiting or even eliminating saturated fat and trans fat until we know more, since neither of these fats are necessary. However, not being open to other ideas that the research does not give us any reason to rule out is patently unscientific.I will review the available studies on CLA and the like further and see if some compromise can be reached between the no-fat and the “bring on the bacon” crowd.Thank you for another informative video! Keep up the awesome work!I first picked up the “no oil” message from Cleveland Clinic surgeon, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. HD kills one in two. Esselstyn said HD could be relegated to a paper tiger and kill near zero. No Oil!!! Dumb founding.Vegans, beware! There are meat substitutes that contain trans-fats. In fact, they have more transfat than the meat counterparts. It was shocking; we have to remain ever vigilant. The products I found with trans-fat are Garedein produced, Blue Label ‘vegetarian chicken breasts’ and ‘vegetarian chicken nuggets’. I found them tasty, but I will not touch them again. Dieticians also report that no level of trans-fat is considered safe. Health officials say the same thing about asbestos: there is no safe level of exposure. We must not accept the vegan health halo, but work on eating healthy vegan food, such as E2 diet recipes.HereHere: You are right that most of the mock-meats are unhealthy. However, I would argue that they are a (tiny) step up on the health scale as they don’t have all of the risks that you get from animal products. Further more, I believe that these mock-meats are stepping stones to healthier diets. Dr. Bernard calls them transition foods. I believe that these products help people transition to healthier diets. I’ve seen it myself.My 2 cents is to be clear with people about what is healthy and what is not healthy, but also to be cognizant of the benefits of transition foods as the information is presented. I do so with the people I talk to and it seems to help them take the next baby step.Just some thoughts for you. I’m not disagreeing with you. Just putting things into a different perspective.John McDougall has a talk about “The Fat Vegan”. You can easily be vegan and eat very unhealthy. Cola with sugar, french fries, potatochips etc are vegan. Avoid processed food, also vegan processed food. Eat food, not food-like things (I think that was Jay Gordon – from Processed People). It is not about eating vegan food, but a whole food, plant based diet. (98% of the time).I also forgot to mention, most vegan margarine has trans fat also (Earth Balance). The other brand I’ve seen have a long list of unpronounceables. Now, if you have ever read veg news, these types of products are often reviewed and/or advertised. Funny thing, I don’t see this type of discussion in VegNews. I think the meatless ‘meat’ products are great for getting people off the awful animal products, so I think there is a real need for them. Let’s face it, most people don’t care enough about the long-term effects of what they put in their mouths, they will happily eat their hot dogs, deli meat, etc. because it tastes good. Switching from a deli-meat to a vegan deli alternative might be a huge health step forward for these eaters, even if it is still not a perfect diet.Australian table margarines have gone healthy with brands available that contain plant sterols, veg oils and soy..some trans fat remains, but only at trace levels (0.3%) and therefore of no consequence. These margarines are composed of natural ingredients and quite superior to artery clogging butter.You are blatantly wrong about all trans fats being bad. Just look at CLA (found mainly in grass-fed meats), which has anticancer properties and helps manage weight (although it’s not counted as a trans fat for the purposes of nutritional regulations and labeling, so maybe that’s how you missed it). The main trans fatty acid in milk fat (vaccenic acid) is converted to CLA in the body as well.What’s the conversion rate for vaccenic acid? I ask vegans the same question about ALA to EPA/DHA.The trans fat in dairy foods is not any more harmful than the saturated fat in dairy foods. However, the trans fat that we create when we cook foods with vegetable oil are much more harmful to our health than saturated fats. The reason is that the trans fat from fried foods also contains nitrosamines, heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dietary advanced glycation endproducts, dietary advanced lipoxidation endproducts, alkanals, alkenals, and other byproducts of high-temperature combustion. Meanwhile, the omega-7 trans fat from the bacteria in the cow’s stomach, which is called, trans vaccenic acid, does not contain these mutagenic byproducts of high-temperature combustion.People who drink high-fat milk have an all-cause mortality that is about 20% higher than people who don’t eat any dairy foods. People who drink low-fat milk have the same all-cause mortality as people who don’t eat any dairy foods. People who eat cheese have an all-cause mortality that is about 5% lower than people who don’t eat any dairy foods, probably because of vitamin K2/MK-7 and vitamin K2/MK-8, both of which remove unwanted calcium from our arteries. People who eat yogurt have an all-cause mortality that is about 15% lower than people who don’t eat any dairy foods, probably because of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, both of which manufacture beneficial chemicals that help us to prevent heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, diarrhea, and constipation.From the Wiki on Drl. Greger:‘Professor Joe Schwarcz of McGill University recommends Greger’s videos but says they contain “cherry-picking of data” and that Greger has swallowed veganism “hook, line, and sinker”.[4] Sceptic and physician Harriet A. Hall has also criticized Greger’s video Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, saying his videos are part of a genre featuring “a charismatic scientist with an agenda who makes sweeping statements that go beyond the evidence, makes unwarranted assumptions about the meaning of studies, and omits any reference to contradictory evidence”.[5]’Dr Joe Schwarcz and Harriet A. Hall are entitled to their assessment of this site and Dr. Greger’s work, as are you. I would encourage everyone to study, research, assess their health situation and goals in order to make informed decisions. Personally, I have for the past 20 years and will continue to do so.Research bias and outcomes are just one factor in choice for many things, culture, beliefs, etc. play a role. As for food choice fro example: “We don’t see meat eating as we do vegetarianism – as a choice, based on a set of assumptions about animals, our world and ourselves. Rather, we see it as a given, the “natural” thing to do. We eat animals without thinking about what we are doing and why because the belief system that underlies this behavior is invisible.” Melanie Joy, PH.D. from her book you may what to read: Why we Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows.Melanie Joy is also entitled to her opinion. Frankly, such a statement as hers is reminiscent of college polemics. It goes beyond the realms of her expertise and wanders into the realm of conjecture and speculation.As for myself, I chose vegetarianism way back in college, then chose to eat meat again during the same time.The problem isn’t that people are operating like robots on autopilot, its that they have been so &$#@ confused by the conflicting opinions of ‘experts’ they don’t know what the hell is good for them.I consciously eat animals because:1) all our ancestors did, and we are physiologically omnivores2) I am stronger and healthier because of it. 3). I am not trying to find salvation by avoiding meatI am glad you are knowledgeable and have made the right nutrition choices for you.blackbart: Anyone who actually watches and understands the information presented by Dr. Greger on NutrtionFacts would see for themselves how obviously incorrect the above quote is. Remember, the internet is a famous place for incorrect information and anyone can say anything.As Toxins suggested, I recommend that you spend some time checking out this website for yourself.Finally, I’ve seen the criticism Hall did of the Uprooting talk and the criticism is full of points that make absolutely no sense or are just incorrect/misleading. Again, I encourage you to do check out some reliable sources, such as this website and/or Plant Positive etc yourself.Good luck.Dr. Gregor’s opinion on nutrition is tainted by his ‘moral’ agenda or more precisely, crusade.There could be no clearer and obvious suggestion of a conflict of interest than the fact that he is the ‘ director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture for The HSUS and Humane Society International.’Case in point, he used 36 year old scientific opinion regarding the safety of eating eggs to dissuade people from eating eggs.…..a point of view that has been found since to be inaccurate.http://www.humanewatch.org/hsuss-schlock-doc-has-breaking-news-from-36-years-ago/Dr. Gregor has an implicit agenda to present nutrition ‘facts’ in a light that is unfavorable towards meat consumption, because that would involve taking an animal’s life, and that isn’t nice, because animals are all furry and huggable. Or they lay cute babies in white shells.Note re: deleted comments/banned users. We welcome vigorous debate of the science, but to make NutritionFacts.org a place where people feel comfortable posting without feeling attacked, we have no tolerance for ad hominem attacks or comments that are racist/misogynist/homophobic/vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. I’ve gotten more sensitive to this after a physician who graciously donated his time to answer people’s questions stopped contributing because of the acrid atmosphere. So please, for everyone’s benefit, help me foster a community of mutual respect.I had not the time to read these comments, but I don’t feel that I miss something.I agree that isomeric specificity, as well as the mechanisms of how saturated fats and trans fats contribute to CVD risk, must be accounted for when making prescriptive recommendations on limiting intake. Wholesale demonization of these classes of molecules based on epidemiological evidence alone is premature.That being said, I understand the recommendation to limit both until further molecular and bloodwork evidence is available, given that we have no reason to believe these fats are essential.I have a question about the amount of trans fats present in animal products mentioned at 1:40 in the video. Is this a percentage of fats or a percentage of a whole product? I hope I made myself clear. Thank you for your work, Dr Greger.Hi Julia, the amounts are the percent of trans fat found in the food listed.Oh my. So 5,15% of ground turkey is trans fat? Most peaole I know eat turkey as a health food. It’s a good thing ot to eat meat :)According to the US National Nutrient Database, 100 grams of raw ground turkey contains only 0.103 grams of trans fat. Even as a percentage of total calories (most ground turkey is actually water), trans fat is significantly less than 1%. The figures for 100 grams of cooked ground turkey are a little higher by weight (there is less water in cooked ground turkey) but even lower as a percentage of total calories.So if I take 100g of ground turkey, I get 5,15g of trans fats?Trans fat is not in turkey, but is present in beef and milk. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/932/2There is a copy of the original Reuters story containing the quote by Eric Rimm, about not telling people to become vegetarians, here (ironically, it is a pro-Atkins low carb website!): http://forum.lowcarber.org/archive/index.php/t-50159.htmlNot sure if you’ve figured it out already or not… but pretty sure if you Right Click on the link itself you can choose “open in new tab or window”… I’m using Firefox so if could be your browser.That “0.5g = 0g” TFA labelling really ticks me off! It’s easy for someone to have 2 servings of a product with “0g” TFA, twice daily.Irresponsible government.What about poultry or even pork? When we say meat its usually regarding beef, maybe pork, etc… i.e. its a separate category of animal protien.All animal products contain naturally occurring trans fats.	aggression,animal fat,animal products,bologna,burgers,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cheese,chicken,dairy,diabetes,dietary guidelines,fat,hamburgers,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,hot dogs,hydrogenated fats,junk food,meat,mental health,milk,mood,mortality,National Academy of Sciences,New York City,oils,omnivores,plant-based diets,pork,processed foods,safety limits,trans fats,turkey,USDA,vegans,vegetable oil,vegetarians,women's health,yogurt	About half of America's trans fat intake now comes from animal products.	More on trans fat can be found in my videos Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease and Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat.There may also be no safe intake of dietary cholesterol, which underscores the importance of reducing animal product consumption. See my video Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. Speaking of which, I'm going to be addressing the role of saturated fat and declining sperm counts in my next video, Male Fertility and Diet. While unrefined oils such as extra virgin olive should not contain trans fats, to boost the absorption of carotenoids in your salad why not add olives themselves or whole food sources of fat such as nuts or seeds? Other videos on oils include:For more context, check out my associated blog post: Trans Fat in Animal Fat.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/27/trans-fat-in-animal-fat/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-city/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hydrogenated-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aggression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-academy-of-sciences/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bologna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22403632,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22059639,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21192743,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22439632,
PLAIN-2737	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/	Reducing Radiation Damage With Ginger & Lemon Balm	The German Medical Association finally just apologized for the profession's role in the Nazi atrocities, 65 years after 20 physicians stood trial in Nuremberg. During the trial, the Nazi doctors argued that their experiments were not unlike previous studies by researchers in the United States, like Dr. Strong's injection of prisoners with the plague. Nazi Docs were hung; Dr. Strong, went on to Harvard. And we were just getting started. The few examples the Nazis cited were nothin' compared to what the American medical establishment started doing after Nuremburg. After all prisoners are much cheaper than chimpanzees.Much attention has focused on our cold war radiation experiments, which remained classified for decades. Declassification, the American Energy Commission warned, they would have a very poor effect on the public, because they described experiments performed on human subjects, including the actual injection of plutonium into the body. Subjects like Mr.Cade, a 53 "colored male" who got in a car accident and ended up in the hospital—great! Let's inject him with plutonium.Who else is powerless besides patients? How about kids, at the Fernald School for the mentally retarded in Waltham, Massachusetts who were fed radioactive isotopes in their breakfast cereal. Despite the Pentagon's insistence that these were the "only feasible means" of developing ways to protect people from radiation, researchers have since come up with a few ways that don't violate the Nuremburg code, which states the only time doctors are allowed to do experiments that may kill or disable people if they themselves are willing to sign up as experimental subjects as well.One way is to study cells in a petri dish. The protective effect of Zingerone against radiation-induced genetic damage and cell death in human white blood cells. What is zingerone? It's a phytonutrient found in cooked ginger root. You blast cells with some gamma rays and you get less DNA damage and fewer free radicals when add ginger phytonutrients. They even compared it to the leading drug injected into people to protect them from radiation sickness and found the ginger compound to be 150 times more powerful. And without the serious side effects of the drug itself.They conclude that it's an inexpensive natural product that may protect against radiation-induced damage. In fact lots of different plant-products have been found to be protective in vitro against radiation damage by a whole variety of mechanisms. After all, plants have been utilized since time immemorial for curing diseases, so they started screening plants and also found radiation-protective benefits from other plants one can find at grocery stores: garlic, turmeric, goji berries, mint leaves but this is all just on cells in a test tube. None had actually been tested in actual people, until now.How are you going to find people exposed to radiation you can test stuff on? Well, aside from pilots, another group that suffers inordinate radiation exposure is the hospital workers that run the X-ray machines, who have been found to suffer chromosomal damage as a result, compared to other hospital staff, and higher levels of oxidative stress on their bodies. Although X-rays can damage DNA directly, much of the damage is caused by the free radicals generated by the radiation.So, they asked radiology staff to drink two cups a day of lemonbalm tea a for a month, an herbal tea known to have high levels of antioxidants as I showed in one of my favorite videos, Antioxidants in a Pinch. So what happened? The level of antioxidant enzymes in their bloodstream went up and the level of free radical damage went down, leading to the conclusion that oral administration of lemonbalm tea may be helpful for the protection of the radiology staff against radiation-induced oxidative stress and improve antioxidant defense system, especially enzymatic defense, due to its antioxidant properties. And if that's the reason that practically any plant should fit the bill. So know that as you're sucking on some crystalized ginger to prevent travel sickness on some airplane, little did you know that you may be protecting yourself from the cosmic radiation at that altitude as well.	Speaking of ginger, does anyone know if the pickled ginger that they serve with Sushi is actually good for you? Ever since I saw Dr. Greger’s video about Kimchi I have been skeptical of most fermented vegetables.The pickled ginger is not a fermented product, its pickled with added vinegar (itself interesting due to lowering postprandial blood glucose), much as American “bread & butter” pickled cucumbers are.Kimchi, like miso and doenjang from soy, is fermented, resulting in increased nitrates and secondary amines. Its these components, and perhaps also the high salt that are believed responsible for higher gastric cancer in populations that consume a lot of kimchi and fermented soy products.Kim, Jong-Won Kang, and Heon Kim. “Kimchi and soybean pastes are risk factors of gastric cancer.” World J Gastroenterol 11.21 (2005): 3175-3181.Thank you so much for that insightful answer! I’ve been wondering about this for almost a year and I couldn’t find anything credible with a simple google search.Also I was under the impression that miso and fermented tofu were actually healthy for you. Is my understanding still correct? I think Dr. Greger did a video on miso on one of the earlier volumes that stated Miso is in fact beneficial for us. I could be wrong as I couldn’t relocate that video.The paper I Dr. G cited in his kimchi video only looked at gastric cancer, which is very high among Asian cultures eating a high-salt, high fermented food diet, and used to be similarly high in America in the early 20th century, before nitrites were banned from cured meats. Its plausible other components from the miso, doenjang or douchi are protective against other diseases. George Mateljan put together a summary of some of the research into miso benefits.In another study correlating salt and nitrate consumption with stomach cancer mortality, the focus was squarely on the salt, as at lower salt intakes stomach cancer was lower with higher nitrate (also a marker of vegetable) intakes.Joossens, Jozef Victor, et al. “Dietary salt, nitrate and stomach cancer mortality in 24 countries.” International journal of epidemiology 25.3 (1996): 494-504.It may just be the high salt in miso that’s bad, so tempeh is off the hook. Red miso varieties developed in warmer southern Japan are preserved with salt than white miso from colder northern Japan, but they’re all pretty high (300-900mg/Tbsp).Thanks again for all of your insight! It is greatly appreciatedDoes raw ginger give the same results?“Fresh ginger does not contain zingerone but cooking the ginger transforms gingerol into zingerone through a retro aldol reaction.”Should people be recommended to drink high amounts of lemon balm before and after flying?My husband will most likely be going through his third round of radiation treatments for his recurrent low grade lymphoma. Would consuming this tea/ginger lessen the effectiveness of the treatment at all, or could it help prevent future problems that the treatment itself may cause?Here’s a site that offers recommendations of foods that synergize with radiation treatment for breast cancer, others to be avoided that reduce treatment effectiveness, and a bland low-antioxidant diet for during radiotherapy:Food for Breast Cancer: What should breast cancer patients eat during radiation treatment?The site offers extensive references to news items and studies for every food listed. I think the rationale for many of their recommendations should apply to other cancers.Hi Dr. Greger, I was just wondering if you had read anything about Graviola fruit/sour sop. There seems to be some hype going around the internet touting its ability to fight cancer. Here is one example: http://www.hoax-slayer.com/soursop-cancer-cure.shtmlI am being a bit picky here, but people are hanged, while a coat is hung.I don’t know whether to be amused or just confused with this article. “When eating healthy becomes dangerous” http://www.komonews.com/news/health/When-eating-healthy-becomes-dangerous-213193871.html“A local doctor said awareness is growing locally around orthorexia, an obsession to consume only healthy foods that can leave sufferers far from well.”Talk about inventing a disease…..now it is a disease to eat a healthy diet….can you get a pill to cure this terrible condition !? Of course it is a threat to the diseasecare system if people start to eat healthy.Just to ask, what were the other 6 spices/herbs analyzed in the antioxidant table? What was the number 1 with 721?I have a question. I’ve been hearing a lot about lemon water (squeezing half a lemon in a glass of water) , that it has lots of beneficial effects, including weight loss, improved digestion, breath-freshening, boost immune system, cleanses your liver of toxins, give you an energy boost, keep skin clear, reduce inflammation. I’d be curious to hear what the science says about this, and just how much of this is actually true.Also, I’ve been drinking this for a while, and I feel good, and it would make sense since it is a citrus fruit and should be healthy, and I do a plant-based diet anyways, but I’d still like to hear if there is more science backing it up.Hello. Is crystallized ginger healthy or unhealthy? Does it have similar effects to non-crystallized ginger? Is the amount of sugar unhealthy?Oh, and what about the antioxidant content in non-crystallized ginger compared to crystallized ginger?	antioxidants,breakfast cereal,children,DNA damage,garlic,Germany,ginger,goji berries,Harvard,herbal tea,lemonbalm,medical ethics,medications,mint,Nuremburg Code,oxidative stress,peppermint,phytonutrients,plutonium,radiation,side effects,spices,tea,turmeric,X-rays,zingerone	A component of cooked ginger root protects human white blood cells in vitro against radiation-induced genetic damage, and lemonbalm tea appears to protect radiology staff against radiation-induced oxidative stress.	This is the final installment of a five video series on preventing and treating radiation damage. I started with Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood, on avoiding radiation exposure in one's diet and then moved to diagnostic medical and dental radiation in Cancer Risk from CT Scan Radiation and Do Dental X-Rays Cause Brain Tumors? In the last video, Mediating Radiation Exposure from Air Travel, I reviewed population studies of airline pilots and Chernobyl victims that studied which dietary components may decrease radiation-induced DNA damage and cancer risk.For those interested in the Nuremburg narrative, I touch on other cases of medical mistreatment in:The prior lemonbalm video I reference is one of my favorites, Antioxidants in a Pinch.What else can ginger do? See:I've since added ginger to my pink juice and hibiscus punch recipes.For some more context, please check out my associated blog posts: Dr. Greger's Natural Nausea Remedy Recipe, Are Dental X-Rays Safe?, Fukushima Radiation and Seafood, How Risky are CT scans?, and Ginger & Lemon Balm for Radiation Exposure.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/25/ginger-lemon-balm-for-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/13/how-risky-are-ct-scans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/18/are-dental-x-rays-safe/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-ethics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/x-rays/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plutonium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zingerone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast-cereal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuremburg-code/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/germany/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemonbalm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22376091,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14552298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12576305,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11644626,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2690293,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8922454,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11746256,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22596078,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22893146,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11644795,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9418095,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15799007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21783591,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21335001,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20858648,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11643280,
PLAIN-2738	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/	Mediating Radiation Exposure From Airline Travel	Doctors appear to be causing tens of thousands of cancers with CT scans; dentists may be causing a few brain tumors with dental X-rays. What about these new-fangled airport full-body scanners that use so-called backscatter technology to reduce X-ray exposure? A thousand times less radiation exposure than a chest X-ray, though they're still being phased out. In fact you may get 100 times more radiation during the flight every hour, just because you're so high up in the atmosphere and exposed to more cosmic rays. Wait a second, does that mean a roundtrip cross-country flight is almost like getting a chest X-ray? Yes. Anyone who's been on my website and seen my speaking schedule knows I'm totally screwed. But what can you do? As is the answer to so many health questions, you can eat healthy.High dietary antioxidant intakes are associated with decreased DNA damage in airline pilots. Note the word dietary. Antioxidant supplements didn't work. No benefit was found for those taking multivitamins, vitamin C pills, or vitamin E pills. But those getting the most vitamin C from food saw a significant decrease in DNA damage, B carotene from food, cryptoxanthin from food, lutein zeaxanthin from food. These are all phytonutrients, of course, so when they say food, they really mean plants. And because antioxidants can have synergistic effects the greatest protection was found when they were eating a combination of phytonutrients, so the greatest protection was found in those eating the citrus and broccoli, AND nuts and seeds, AND pumpkins and peppers, AND dark green leafy vegetables, though if one had to pick, greens may be the best.And all this time I'd been packing kale chips on planes as a snack just because they're so lightweight, but now I know their dual purpose. These findings suggest that a diet consisting of a variety of fruit and vegetables that provide a natural source of these antioxidants as well as other potential protective factors may offer the best protection against cumulative DNA damage associated with ionizing radiation exposure. Our results may be applicable to flight crews, astronauts, and frequent flyers in the general population.Same thing was actually found after Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors followed for decades. Models based on the available data suggest that the cancer risk reduction by vegetables in exposed persons may have went from about 50% increased risk, knocked down by daily green and yellow vegetable consumption, down to about 30% increased risk and similarly with fruit consumption. So fruit and vegetable consumption can decrease but not eliminate the risks of radiation.Same thing with kids after Chernobyl. Consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits afforded protection to the immune systems of young children, whereas egg and fish consumption was associated with significantly increased risk of chromosome damage in their bloodstreams. This was explained by saying look, maybe the eggs and fish were radioactive, or maybe it was just damage from the animal fat intake alone.	Dr. Greger, If our bodies are being potentially damaged during long distance plane trips, is the food that is sitting in our laps during these trips also experiencing some sort of DNA damage, negative alteration, that we are then consuming during the flight? I can’t help but wonder if one is actually better off not eating or drinking during these flights (dehydration would set in, though). And are medicines, vitamins, supplements being “damaged” up in the air during these trips? Makes me wonder what happens to a mother’s breast milk during these flights. Truly hoping you have some information and suggestions on all of this.You bring up a good point that the DNA of our food should get damaged too during flights, but I don’t think it matters. What we want out of food is antioxidants and vitamins (and whatever other goodness) which as far as I know will still be there even after they’ve been exposed to some in flight radiation. I don’t think it will matter that the DNA of our food is damaged because we don’t use that DNA. The digestive enzymes in our stomach will break apart the cells of our food, break apart the nucleus and eventually break apart the DNA, damaged or not. The reason damage to our DNA is bad is because it might cause a mutation which will lead to problems as the DNA of that cell is replicated and used to make proteins.By Dr. MercolaA little-known carotenoid called astaxanthin is now believed to be the most beneficial antioxidant nature has to offer. Astaxanthin’s benefits are so numerous, I’ve written several articles to cover its many activities, from UV-radiation protection, to eye and heart health, to improved athletic performance.My opinion as a biochemist with 35 years in the food industry is that any single antioxidant is going to be much less effective and possibly dangerous than a broad spectrum of antioxidants in your diet. The problem stems from the way antioxidants mitigate against damage.A high energy radical such as singlet oxygen reacts with an acceptor molecule. Hopefully this acceptor is an antioxidant and not your DNA. If you only have 1 type of antioxidant then you build up a high concentration of high energy oxidized antioxidants (aka, radicals). These oxidized molecules, although less energetic than singlet oxygen, are still able to inflict damage.You need to have a range of antioxidants to form a kind of energy absorbing cascade, each taking some of the energy out of the “hit” in turn until it arrives at the liver in a form ready for safe tagging and elimination via the kidney.By way of analogy, a bullet will pass through a single layer of plastic but if you build up enough layers it will be stopped because the energy has been absorbed a little at a time, one layer at a time.Also, ask yourself, among the Drs who are in the media, who offers a maximum of science data with a minimum of words like miracle and paypal? Hint: Starts with a G, rhymes with Dr. Greger.Coacervate: That’s an awesome explanation. You gave an understandable explanation as to *why* eating a variety of antioxidant whole foods appears to provide the most protection (as explained in the video). Thanks.Happy I ordered vegan-lunch on my upcoming flight to Spain! :-)Yes, but is your vegan lunch somehow being denatured, nuked, DNA-altered/damaged (whatever one should call it) way up high in the air? Just as our bodies are being harmed, are the “bodies” of fruit and veggies somehow being harmed, and then we’re ingesting this “harm?”Looks like I’ll be calling NASA . Standby, this may take longer than a trip to mars to get answers on this one.Elsie, my educated guess is that the gross amount of damage is so low it would be barely detectable in food. The problem is the relatively small amount of damage done to flying people includes their functioning DNA. If you happen to have a compromised DNA repair system too then you are at high risk.However, what about irradiated food that has been exposed to very high doses of ionizing radiation. Eating that food is not likely to damage your DNA (I don’t think), but the rads ARE high enough to compromise nutritional quality … although the Machine keeps telling us not to worry about it. “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”I have looked for and never found a risk benefit analysis or even an acknowledgement that there is risk from irradiated food. “Care for a dose of free radicals Scarecrow?”Thank you for taking the time to think about this. The whole issue of zapping, x-raying, air-travel-damaging our food concerns me, as you can probably tell. Many of the shipping containers at US ports getting x-rayed for contraband, the same shipping containers bringing over many vegan products, supplements, nuts, seeds, the list goes on. A lifetime of eating zapped food. Maybe these studies are decades away.Yes, I see what you mean. I don’t know if it would be practical or even possible for this site to be the starting point for a political action group of some dimension. We should have a voice in how our research $ are spent. Who sets the priorities? It seems as though there are forces at play that think that we cant handle the truth.One thing I can envision is Dr. G confronting the congress critters directly with science. “Have I got a Package Deal for you….” Jimmy Stewart would have been proud!For the record, I keep my name secret because I know what can happen when I speak truthfully about food science and the food industry. It is not pretty. That is another reason I admire Dr’s Greger, Campbell, Esselstyn and others. Takes more guts than I have.Hi Coacervate,Another biochemist here (with considerably less experience than you!), and I actually just got done teaching the nuclear chemistry portion of my freshman chem course. There was a section in the text about irradiated food, which summarized that 1) concerns about the food itself becoming radioactive have no evidence to support them, 2) destruction of nutrients is however a very real concern, and 3) the radicals produced can of course go on to combine with other molecules, although the same effects result from cooking with heat. It’s unclear whether they’re simply stating that the same process (ie radical formation) occurs, or whether it’s to the same degree. It did mention food irradiation as having an “uncertain future”, but that was in the context of nutrient loss, which seems to be the main concern.Hi Boomer,Although my life of education has hurt me some, i’ve managed to unlearn a great deal over the years.Of course I have not taken your course and have no reason to doubt your qualifications BUT Your cited text is a good example of how the lobby works:“the radicals produced can of course go on to combine with other molecules, although the same effects result from cooking with heat.”The statement is simulatneously both sorta true and a lie. The key point that is being glossed over has to do with the energy levels, the bonds broken. Do you notice anything strange about equating heat energy with gamma rays?Which would you prefer, a match-burned finger, a sun burn or the same wattage in gamma rays? Why?Peer reviewed scientific publication is rife with false spin doctoring to suit the goals of the funders. And of course physics tells us that the magnitude of the spin is directly proportional to the size of the grant. (heh)The concern about nutrient loss is just smoke to get you focused on an easily solved problem.For me the war is over, I’ve tried to do what I can to promote critical thinking. Now it is your turn. Fortify yourself with strong green tea and into the breach once more. Ka Boom!so bottom line, is food irradiation helpful, harmful or neither?Hi Coacervate,I should have been clearer; those words were my paraphrasing, not the actual text. My key point at the end there was that it was unclear whether the end result was what they were equating (i.e simply that radicals are formed) or whether they are saying that it’s happening to the same degree, which based purely on my intuition at this point, I would also doubt. I would agree with you that equating heat and gamma rays is silly, but it should be said that I’m not sure the text was doing that. Their phrasing was ambiguous.I also agree with your suspicion regarding “the lobby”. I took many opportunities to show the students examples of biases of omission or emphasis. You can go through an entire chapter on atmospheric chemistry plus “educational” films (pbs specials are now “brought to you by David Koch”…) and not a peep about livestock. The text focuses almost exclusively on CO2, with literally a one sentence mention of the other greenhouse gases. Let’s everyone bend over backwards spending $100,000 on a tablespoon of biofuels, debate the safety of fission based reactors, discuss the logistical struggles of raising efficiency standards, but don’t bother mentioning the single biggest contributing factor to greenhouse gas emissions. Another example: regarding equilibrium and how to get your hens to produce thicker eggshells and I had to inform the class that also, leaving the hens alone was another alternative. Another example: repeated misuse of the term “essential” in reference to amino acids.So throughout the semester I give them a pretty heavy handed spiel about not believing everything you read, no matter how authoritative the source appears, thinking beyond the inevitably filtered material that was presented, and checking source affiliations when possible.Now regarding the literature, I agree that being written by humans, it’s as fallible as any other medium, but that said, I cringe when I hear people dismissing the integrity of science as a whole (which you didn’t do here, but it’s something I hear often). When it comes to our funding, some proposals get funded and some (most :) ) don’t, so obviously there is bias in that. But at the end of the day, our projects are our own ideas, and the only pressure from NIH/NCI/NSF/etc is that we get results. They have no influence on what those results are, and we have never had any problems with publishing. That said, we know our place in academia, doing the initial work and publishing it in the public realm so that industry can take it, pick up where we left off and make a buck.I bring a mug of green tea with me every day to class :)Bottom line, given the choice, I would choose non-irradiated food over irradiated, but it’s not something I’m going to lose sleep over. Also cost/benefit analysis may be different for someone else living in remote or austere conditions, or in different situations like supplying troops with food, etc.Apologies for the tome. You caught me mid-latte. I will just say that teaching these young people is a wonderful experience. They are still deciding who they’re going to be, and they don’t have the lifetime of being so sure who they are and what they believe that they’re unwilling to think critically. They welcome it. It’s exciting to them, not frightening. They give me hope for the future.Dr. Greger, your frequent flying habits may not necessarily be as harmful as you think!Researchers in the field of radiobiology are actively exploring the hypothesis known as radiation hormesis, which states that low doses of radiation reduce cancer risk by stimulating beneficial repair mechanisms in the body. Although there is currently no scientific consensus in support of radiation hormesis, this counter-intuitive theory does seem credible. See for example:http://dose-response.metapress.com/media/2724frttmr4ynmlpgw97/contributions/a/1/6/g/a16g412m35450318.pdfThe jury is still out. But, if this line of thinking ultimately pans out, flying may one day be considered beneficial for cancer prevention (provided, of course, you continue to munch on your vegan sandwich while flying).Is that the same as the “J-curve” we saw in the alcohol/cancer vids?so you lob in a grenade, your body sends in the Marines and they mop up the whole area, clearing out any bands of outlaws and bandits hiding in your tissues? sounds like a plan.We could test it with mice….send in the murines, heh.Right on dude!Among 19,184 male pilots,. 28,000 male cockpit crew may have elevated melanoma risk,High-altitude cosmic radiation might not be the melanoma culprit,Less equivocal outcomes are seen among female flight attendants, where there’s a roughly 11% increased cancer riskKale chips taste SOOOOO GOOD!!! (I like the ones from Trader Joes)Should the title say “mitigate” not “mediate”?The hormesis theory is looking stronger with time. The increases in cancer with aircrew seem more related to disruption in circadian rhythms as occurs with other shift workers. It has long been noted that alpha-lipoic acid offsets radiation exposure. The cosmonauts took it as did Chernobyl victims.	air travel,airport scanners,animal fat,antioxidants,bell peppers,beta carotene,broccoli,Chernobyl,children,citrus,cosmic rays,cryptoxanthin,DNA damage,eggs,fish,fruit,greens,Hiroshima,immune function,kale,lutein,multivitamins,Nagasaki,nuts,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,pumpkin,radiation,seafood,seeds,supplements,vegetables,vitamin C,vitamin E,X-rays,zeaxanthin	Based on studies of atomic bomb survivors, Chernobyl victims, and airline pilots exposed to more cosmic rays at high altitudes, fruits and vegetables may decrease radiation-induced chromosome damage.	For more on the cancer risk associated with CAT scans and dental X-rays see my last two videos Cancer Risk from CT Scan Radiation and Do Dental X-Rays Cause Brain Tumors? Wednesday I'll review interventional studies where plant foods are actually put to the test in Reducing Radiation Damage With Ginger And Lemon Balm.Those who want to count my chest X-ray equivalents can view my speaking schedule here—just don't tell me!USDA keeps a nice list of phytonutrient resources. Cryptoxanthin sources listed here. Healthy Pumpkin Pie anyone?Lutein and zeaxanthin can help us Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther. Are these eyesight-saving phytonutrients also found in eggs? You might be surprised: Egg Industry Blind Spot.For more on why produce is generally preferable to pills, check out:Why might eggs be harmful even if not radioactive? See Egg Cholesterol in the Diet or my other 57 videos on eggs. I cover natural and artificial radioactivity in fish in Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood and explore concerns about other pollutants in my 89 fish videos.For more context, check out my associated blogs: Are Dental X-Rays Safe?, Fukushima Radiation and Seafood, How Risky are CT Scans?, and Ginger & Lemon Balm for Radiation Exposure.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/25/ginger-lemon-balm-for-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/13/how-risky-are-ct-scans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/18/are-dental-x-rays-safe/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zeaxanthin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cosmic-rays/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/air-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/x-rays/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/airport-scanners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bell-peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lutein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cryptoxanthin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multivitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nagasaki/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chernobyl/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hiroshima/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus®/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12729509,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19793852,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16946440,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15225589,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22492363,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11746256,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11572275,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21357493,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22935292,
PLAIN-2739	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-dental-x-rays-cause-brain-tumors/	Do Dental X-Rays Cause Brain Tumors?	Every year, doctors cause an estimated 29,000 cancers a year dosing patients with x-rays during CAT scans. What about dentists? 100 million Americans are exposed to dental X-rays every year, but what about the lead apron and the thyroid shield? Doesn't that cover up all your vital organs? All your vital organs except one, called the brain. Dental X-Rays and Risk of Meningioma. The objective of this study was to examine the association between dental X-rays—the most common artificial source of ionizing radiation—and the risk of intracranial meningioma, the most common type of brain tumor.They found that those who report ever having a bitewing X-ray had twice the odds of a brain tumor, and those that got a panoramic series—the full mouth X-rays – before age 10 had nearly 5 times the odds.So does this mean dental X-rays cause brain tumors? Well, the jury is still out. Just because dental X-rays are associated with brain tumors, argues a group of dental radiologists, doesn't necessarily mean the X-rays caused the brain tumors—maybe brain tumors caused the X-rays! Seriously—they criticized the paper for not entertaining alternative explanations, such as the facial pain that can be caused by brain tumors triggering the need for dental radiographs, meaning you go to your dentist because your face hurts and your dentist orders some X-rays. Little do either of you know it could have been a brain tumor all along. Or maybe there's a third variable, such as head trauma resulting in both additional X-rays and brain tumors. Getting hit in the head as a kid increases your risk of developing a brain tumor and getting hit in the head is also a good way to end up in a dentist chair getting X-rays for broken teeth. While more research is being done, the bottomline is, as with all sources of artificial ionizing radiation, considered use of this modifiable risk factor may be of benefit to patients. This means that the dentist should consider carefully the justification for every exposure. This means dentists should not prescribe routine dental X-rays at preset intervals for all patients, like every 6 months or every year or whatever. Says who?Says the official recommendations of the American Dental Association. Dentists should not prescribe routine dental X-rays at preset intervals. There is little evidence to support irradiating people looking at all the teeth in search of hidden problems in asymptomatic patients. Accordingly, dentists should select patients wisely – only take X-rays when there is patient-specific reason to believe there is a reasonable expectation the X-rays will offer unique information influencing diagnosis or treatment.	I was just at the dentist for a routine cleaning about a week ago and they requested several x rays from me. I’ve had several x rays a few years back and I was concerned about the all the radiation. When I declined, his entire staff looked at me as if I was some kind’ve eccentric nut. Thanks for posting this!Maybe bring some copies of those articles to give to them at your next checkup!crap. a friend just got operated on for this kind of a cancer a few months ago. (with a good outcome, we think.) he’s super health conscious and *exactly* the type to be meticulous in getting all the recommended tooth xrays.Last time I went to the dentist I told the tech I was declining x-rays. Minutes later the dentist walks in and asks why. I told her I wanted to limit radiation exposure as much as possible. She gave a condescending chuckle (I am a physician) and said, “The amount of radiation is very low. Much less than an MRI.”I’ve encountered my fair share of condescending chuckles! The pat answer I so often hear is, “you get more radiation from the sun”. But, my fave has to be (notoriously phrased in question form), “do you fly in airplanes?” You mean, as opposed to using my wings, or teleportation? ;)Tell your dentist that Dr. John Gofman, professor of medical physics at UC Berkeley & the discover of uranium-232 and 233, warned that the risk of cancer goes up with the amount of radiation. And the largest source of radiation for us as people is medical radiation. Yes, we get radiation from the sun, background radiation and the like, but that’s not as hazardous as the ionizing radiation that comes from xrays. So if your dentist tries to pat you on the head, come preprared with the facts, and you can pat right back on his ignorant crown.This is a great wording. This makes a lot of sense to me. Thanks for taking the time to write this out.I wish I would have been this prepared at my dentist appointment this morning! When I stated that I was concerned about my brain being exposed to the radiation after they recommended an x-ray, they also chuckled claiming that people receive more radiation from the sun…Same EXACT response from my dentist and his assistants, as if they’re all programmed by the same source (ADA?), along with spiel about how beneficial and benign flouride is. This harmful ignorance is but one example of the massive sickness in the sick care system – the allopathic conveyer belt keeps moving, with massive inertia.Pick up a basic toxicology text (I bet you could find one on amazon for a penny) and bookmark the section for her where carcinogens are defined as having no threshold. You need a single molecule (whether it’s a radical or some other form of carcinogen) to damage a single DNA molecule within a single cell, and if that single DNA molecule is replicated, you have the opportunity for cancerous growth.Obviously, we are surrounded by carcinogenic compounds and radiation that are just a product of our natural world, and our body has defense mechanisms to keep things in check. But why expose yourself to any more than is necessary? Like the other dentist comment below “you get more from the sun” …and why would I want to add any radiation on top of that?! Just because radiation is unavoidable, that doesn’t make it harmless and it doesn’t mean you should go out of your way to get more than you have to!Per your source: “Exposure to some dental x-rays performed in the past, when radiation exposure was greater than in the current era”, did your research indicate that current levels of exposure also put us at risk? If so, which articles showed that. I would like to be well prepared when addressing this with my dentist (as he is my uncle).Like most truisms, how can this connection not make sense? My question has always been when they are x-raying your mouth, what insures the x-ray stops at the target instead of continuing to travel through your head into your brain? I think we all know the answer. Nothing stands btween the two!The fact that the machine isn’t pointed at your brain makes a difference.How about the fact that its pointed at something far more important than your brain. Your thyroid.I don’t recall ever having a dental xray in which the device was pointed at my thyroid. It’s usually pointed horizontally, or very close, while the thyroid is located below the jawline, almost on a level with the collarbones.I will defer to the radiation physicists to wade into the specifics of scatter and exposure of the thyroid vs brain. The key point is to minimize exposure to X-rays as much as possible. From a clinical stand point there is a difference between using X-rays to help diagnose a problem vs recommending X-rays as routine for a population without symptoms or signs. The ADA is no longer recommending routine dental X-rays. Even with some populations like those with a sprained ankle we now have the Ottawa guidelines based on Bayesian math to help avoid up to 30% of X-rays while reducing costs, time in ER and no decrease in quality. Another example is the difference between using mammography to help diagnose a breast lump vs routine screening women with no symptoms. The Nordic Cochrane Collaboration booklet on Screening Mammography is a must read for any woman considering a “routine” screening mammogram. For those who want to delve into the science and studies in depth Peter Gotzsche’s book is recommended. You can view a brief 8 minute video of Peter Gotzsche done at last fall’s McDougall Advanced Study weekend on John McDougall’s website… http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/videos/advanced-study-weekend-experts/peter-gotzsche-01/ and the booklet. As Peter Gotzsche points out there are problems beyond the radiation exposure. Once armed with an understanding of the problems with “routine” X-rays… not just exposure but other issues including errors in administering and over diagnosis… you will be better able to “Just say no”.I appreciate the information and agree with your caveats, Don.Now rising 75, I was able to innocently enjoy wiggling my toes in the fluoroscopy machine and see my bones moving during shoe-fitting. I didn’t enjoy the frequent chest-xrays looking for TB at least in part because I never got to see them. But as my Dad was away dying of TB, I understood the need. I’m sure I didn’t get as many dental xrays as other kids since, with both parents disabled, we subsisted on the dole, which didn’t include dental care other than pulling teeth when they became problematic. But I did get a lot of standard dental xrays in adulthood courtesy of being a pre-fluoridation kid. All in all, it’s probably a wonder I don’t glow in the dark.Nevertheless, I’m glad that my dentist today uses an ultra-low-power direct-read device, and doesn’t take any more shots than he must for diagnosis. And I’ve avoided routine mammos all my adult life, reckoning that all the irradiation my chest got from the Public Health looking at my lungs was probably more than enough to go on with for one lifetime.Yes… things have changed over the years. I converted my TB test as a 3rd year Family Medicine resident. When I went to work for Kaiser Permanente we were requiring all skin test positives to get annual chest x-rays. This was a state regulation written by a cardiologist interestingly enough. I was in charge of employee health at the time. I worked with the Infectious Disease and Pulmonary Departments to come up with a four question survey. We applied for and received program variance from the state. We reserved the chest x-rays for those who answered yes to any of the four questions. Better quality, better patient satisfaction and lower cost.You better be glad you were a pre fluoride kid. Probably why you are alive at 75. It’s probably as bad for you as xrayshave you ever heard of radiation scatter. you can aim it but it is going to scatter to some extent so your thyroid and brain. and if you don’t get far enough away to the one taking the xray if there is no sheildThe is going to be scatter and that is going to your brain and thyroid. There is no way to keep that from happening.Probably true. But below a certain level of intensity/frequency it doesn’t seem to matter.Is there any connection with amalgam fillings scattering the radiation? I have a large filling in a lower molar, which to my thinking could potentially scatter a lot of those rays directly up at my brain.Thank you I will use your words next time and tell others when offered check-up x-rays.Good thought-provoking video, Dr. Greger. There is no doubt that we should all avoid unnecessary exposure to x-rays.To put this safety concern in perspective, however, please note that the equivalent dose from each dental radiograph compares favourably to other radiation sources such as cosmic ray dose during a coast-to-coast round trip flight, house-hold radon gas dose and even doses from food sources such as Brazil nuts. For example, see the table provided on the Public Health England website:http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/Radiation/UnderstandingRadiation/UnderstandingRadiationTopics/DoseComparisonsForIonisingRadiation/Furthermore, according to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s website:http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/bio-effects-radiation.html“About half of the total annual average U.S. individual’s radiation exposure comes from natural sources. The other half is mostly from diagnostic medical procedures. The average annual radiation exposure from natural sources is about 310 millirem (3.1 millisieverts or mSv). Radon and thoron gases account for two-thirds of this exposure, while cosmic, terrestrial, and internal radiation account for the remainder. No adverse health effects have been discerned from doses arising from these levels of natural radiation exposure.”You’re back! Thank goodness!!!Thanks, Veganrunner! It’s good to be back.Dr. Greger, the video is missing a crucial piece of information – are you referring to standard x-rays or digital. which purportedly use 90% less radiation than standard machines?I also wonder if the risk goes up based on the number of dental x-rays you’ve had. I’m in my 30s now and worry about the panoramic x-rays I had in my teens when I got braces. The dentist claimed I wasn’t sitting still (though, I swore the machine was shaking) and re-did the x-ray several times. I also get the bite-wing x-rays, but try to put them off to about every 3 years instead of the 1.5 – 2 that my dentist recommends. Maybe I will avoid them altogether now that I’ve seem this video. Though, my dentist also claims the “digital” x-rays use less radiation.“Though, my dentist also claims the “digital” x-rays use less radiation”He was probably told that from the guy who sold him the machine.The dose reduction for digital is dependent on the short exposure capabilities of the x-ray machine and what kind of film the digital sensor is replacing: Health Physics Society: Dental Patient IssuesA typical skin exposure for Group D film (ultraspeed) is about 300 mR, for Group E (Ektaspeed) about 150 mR, and for Group F (Insight) about 110-120 mR. One digital-imaging manufacturer recommends setting the exposure for its equipment at about 20% of D-speed film, or about 60 mR. Some institutions have found that approximately a 50% decrease from F-speed film provides a good image.It is possible that digital imaging may require as much exposure as film if the user does not consciously reset the x-ray machine to lower exposure or if the x-ray machine timer cannot accommodate the short exposure times (usually an old machine, not the current models). With respect to digital panoramic radiographs, there appears to be no dose reduction compared with film-based panoramic images because there is already a large dose reduction as a result of use of intensifying screens in the panoramic cassettes.So digital seems to offer about a 50% dose reduction from the fastest film. If only film is available, ask for F speed film.of course the ADA found flaws in the study. They make a ton of money every year off of xrays. Got to keep those guys paying their huge ADA duesMy hygenist kept wanting to X-ray my mouth as she “couldn’t quite get the picture right.” After 3 or 4 tries, I said “That’s enough!” She became very defensive and said that there was absolutely “no problem” and that it was digital. I felt as though she truly felt I was an extremist.The exact thing happened to me too! I was so upset, I never went back. Of course my new dentist is giving me the take x-rays or find a new dentist ultamatum.Anything this aggressively insistent comes from above. Look at the “smart” meter issue – same thing.Do we need dental insurance reform? I’ve had before and after x-rays because dentists say it’s needed to prove the work was done.I’ve been refusing dental x-rays for years, especially when the young, inexperienced (usually dumb) ‘technician’ has to do them over. . .and over . . . and OVER because she doesn’t know how to position the beam correctly. When the dentist says look we “have” to do a full set, I know, and he knows, it’s really only because of the higher insurance reimbursement he gets. Forget it, I say please, just do this tooth and that tooth and the remainder by visual inspection. Dentists, like doctors, work for us — not vice versa.Dr. Greger, would you recommend that children also not get dental x-rays? I wish we had been declining them all these years. My son has never had a cavity, so I’m not really sure what the point was.I am a hygienist in a general practice. In one instance, we had a young patient with no clinically visible dental caries. We sent that child to a pedodontist as we were unable to take successful bitewing radiographs. The radiographs that ended up being taken at the pedo office revealed several cavities between the posterior teeth that were not visible clinically. I agree that need for radiographs should be determined on an individual basis. There are many carious lesions that cannot be detected clinically. What does one say to the patient who finally has agreed to radiographs that show a large carious lesion between the teeth, or even an abscessed tooth, when they exclaim “Well how long has that been there?” I am a regular reader of NutritionFacts.org and agree with much of what is posted, however this is a reply from the hygienist’s point of view. I have been a dental hygienist for almost 30 years.I am also a dental hygienist and if you can not detect a large carious lesion on a baby tooth, even interproximal, visually then you need glassesAs with any proposed health intervention (or most actions in life, really) I reckon its prudent to assess the risk/benefit ratio.It is true that dental decay will sometimes occur in areas where it can’t be detected without X-rays, and that if allowed to progress will result in the need for root therapy or loss of the tooth.It is also true, I think, that most people would consider the loss of a tooth a less serious outcome than a brain tumour. Even so, losing a number of teeth can have a significant negative impact on a person’s overall health.It is also true that the radiation from digital dental X-rays is relatively small. (This is easily measurable and in Australia dentists will not be licensed to use equipment unless the radiation output is regularly tested independently – it’s not just what the X-ray machine salesman says!)I believe it also would be true that there would be other lifestyle factors besides dental X-rays that would contribute to one’s risk of brain tumour.A person’s individual risk that dental decay would be present would also be determined by things like diet and flossing skill & diligence.So, all these things need to be considered, but in the end an individual’s informed decision should be respected.I work with my husband who is a dentist, and his recommendations for X-rays do vary with his knowledge of a patient’s previous decay history, their dental hygiene and what he can ascertain of their diet (ie the likelihood of decay being present).If a patient declines X-rays, he does explain that there may be decay present that he can’t see, and he does point out that dental X-rays represent a very small percentage of the average person’s total radiation exposure, but then respects their informed decision as being their own choice for their own body – there are no condescending chuckles. We are the patient’s partners in their oral healthcare. (We also have a range of materials by Drs Fuhrman, Esselstyn, and Barnard as well as Forks Over Knives in our reception area.)There have been many instances where we have been able to save teeth with minimal restorative work because X-rays were taken. Likewise, there have been many instances when we have taken X-rays and not found any decay, so, in hindsight, they weren’t necessary. (That darned hindsight that makes decisions so easy – if only we had it beforehand!)We’re always grateful for the info and discussion on this site as we continue to educate ourselves :)I’ve been treated as an eccentric nut and a problem patient after refusing annual mammograms (after more than 20 years of them) — treated with such condescension and having technicians calling me at home to remind me of the “need” for them because someone above them told them they had to call me (some of techs sound like they’d rather be digging out a sewer than making that call.) At the dentist, they get very adamant about x-rays, too. You have to be tough, stick to your guns, and be your own health advocate.I work in a dentist off ice and have for 30 years. We just got the hand held Nomad xray unit about 3 years ago. We don’t have to leave the room to take xays so they say. I have just been diagnosed with a mengioma that I did not have 2 years ago. It was checked after a car wreck and all was good 2 years ago. It is fast growing and requires brain surgery. Don’t let them force you. I bet you won’t see them giving their families xrays every 6 months or year. They get them when neededbellasue02: I’m so sorry to hear about your cancer. Your story is very powerful and gives me food for thought since my dentist appointment is coming up very soon.Can you elaborate on what you mean by, “They get them when needed.” ? What criteria makes getting an xray wise? I am trying to figure out when it is appropriate to get an xray and when it is unnecessary.I’m hoping it is benign but it is a meningioma. I would get them when something is sensitive or looks like you may have a cavity. A good dentist or hygienist can usually see by direct vision or during the cleaning by feel if something is going on. If something looks or feels different than it should I would let them get an x-ray. Maybe just a couple of bitewings once every 2 years. I have worked for dentist that forced people to get a full mouth every time the insurance would pay for it. That use to be every 2 years until dentist abused it and now every 5 years. I would be sure also it is digital. If a dentist doesn’t care enough to spend extra money to protect his patients go somewhere else.bellasue02: Thank you so much for your reply. That sense of a guideline is super-helpful.Again, I’m so sorry to hear about the tumor. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.Dr. Greger, how about a video on cavity causing foods…..and things we can do to prevent the “need” for dental x-rays in the first place. There are vegan foods (certain grains and unripe-pineapple) that cause me intense tooth pain, so it has been relatively easy for me to abstain from foods that seem to be compromising the integrity of my teeth. Interestingly, if I eat sprouted bread instead of non-sprouted I don’t experience tooth pain. Experience has led me to believe that it isn’t an issue of vegan vs. meat, dairy, egg in causing cavities/tooth problems, but maybe meat, dairy, egg harm the teeth in their own ways?Look into Theobromine from Chocolate (Cacao plant) for Cavity prevention and then try Raw Cacao Beans. “Theodent” brand toothpaste is also recommended to try. Good luck.I’d would love to have a copy of the official recommendations of the ADA to bring with me on my next dental visit in July. Where can I get this? I tried your links but could only get the abstract which didn’t include the recommendations.I actually found it with a Google search. For those of you interested:http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/broadcast/hs/dental/oralradiology2/2008/jada.pdfThank you!This brings up a related topic. A lot of people say irradiated food is safe. The more I hear it the less I believe it. Look at his blurb from NCSU: What Happens When a Food is Irradiated?When ionizing radiation passes through a foodproduct, some energy is absorbed by some chemicalbonds. Some bonds rupture and produce free radicalswhich are highly reactive and unstable. Theyinstantaneously rejoin with neighboring compoundsand the results are called radiolytic compounds.end of snip.I’ve learned here that free radicals are bad. Really bad. But it seems the Machine says the free radicals caused by ionizing radiation are safe. And chock full of natural antioxidants I bet too.The late phd dr John garthman , an expert on ex-rays said there is no such such thing as a safe ex-ray and if a doctor says they are safe he is either lying or incompetent . One ex-ray is known to be a carcinogen …..One of my doctors told me it,s no more harm then the radiation you get when you fly across the country but dr garthman said that,s not how ex-rays work they go right thru the body .The late Dr Garthmann was a professor at UC at Irvine and was considered America,s foremost expert on ex-rays.My husband claims that I am being paranoid, but I call it informed. The dentists and physicians alike the various industries who are poisoning us for their profit claim that there is more radiation skiing in the Rockies, flying in an airplane than there is from full body scanners and full mouth scans.But, I already have background radiation as a result of living in the Rockies for over 20 years, flying in airplanes, and I don’t need more so that dentists or physicians can be protected from potential law suits.I had a full body CT scan when I fractured my spine as well as an X-Ray. The second time, I chose not to go to the doctor. Hence, no scan. Instead, I wore my brace, and am gradually getting stronger so I can do weight bearing exercise.The dentist and periodontist go away with one full mouth scan, but no more. I’m not falling for that prevention routine again. They are protecting themselves, not my health!I will copy the study and give them a copy when I go to the periodontist next week. Thank you, Dr. Greger.I wonder if that was the reason my father died on a brain tumor the size of an ostrich egg on his brain in 1956. We suspected it was because of government secrecy.I am slightly skeptical. How about increased mobile/cell phone use? That’s much longer exposure compare to occasional dental x-raysThe important difference is the wavelength. Ultrashort length x-rays pack such a strong punch it causes chemical bonds to break. Phones emit low energy microwaves that make molecules bounce around. I grant you, boiling your brain with microwaves is not too smart either. But the two types of radiation are many orders of magnitude different in energy.Where’s the logic in stating that you are skeptical of one hazard warning because there is another one? They’re both hazardous and if one is “more” hazardous or risky it does not negate the risk of the other. Look up ‘bioaccumulation’.Dr. Greger covers cell phones here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/I have been told that many shipping containers containing imported food and beverages arriving into USA ports are x-rayed….the x-rays peering into the containers, revealing possible contraband, weapons, etc. I wonder what effect this has on food. Maybe the pure spring and mineral waters aren’t so pure after being x-rayed. Berries, supplements, fruits, veggies, you name it. If it is in a container it might be getting zapped. Anyone out there have any clarity on this? Dr. Greger, any veritable studies examining food integrity as a result of shipping containers being x-rayed?Eat local.X-rays pass through the food, and yes the plants may be harmed by that process, but I think we harm them more when we chew and swallow them. I wouldn’t worry too much about the plants health.Radiation given at the level of dental exposure has recently been questioned as to whether it could actually be ‘good’ for you . Some claim that the body actually overshoots the assault and results in a healing episode. Interesting as this sounds I’m sure it is not ready for prime time. Point being though is that radiation does it’s damage by creation of free radicals. These harmful ions are drenched and made harmless by antioxidants. You are able to keep yourself safe during dental xrays by making sure that your antioxidant levels are up. It is that simple. The video points out that there are 100’s of millions of dental xrays taken every year. This number does not correlate with the number of brain cancers. Cancer happens in bodies with chronic inflamation. Get healthy and stop worrying. Stress is risk factor number one. Of course beware of dentists who take ‘routine’ xrays. Nothing is routine when it comes to the human body. Timely xrays can help to diagnose and head off big problems. The decision of when they should be taken should come with some thought. Be Well, Dr.MarkThe point of my comment was that, contrary to my (former) dentist’s dismissive remark, an MRI does not employ radiation.I was able to refuse “as per the official recommendation of the American Dental Association”! I just got a blank stare.———–Help———please direct me to this legal clause that says I can refuse x-rays per the official recommendation————please print this out clearer———–all i can find that if I refuse————dentist can refuse treatment??? like don’t want to wear helmet— no go-cart rides for you!!!! DennisFind a biological dentist or another standard one who has thought his way out of the brainwash. Good luck.where can I find a dentist who doesn’t take xrays all the time?It seems the 2006 ADA recommendation “Dentists should not prescribe routine dental radiographs at preset intervals to all patients” might have been supplanted. The 2012 ADA dental radiograph guidelines still recommend initial and regular interval x-rays for just about everyone but toothless adults – posterior bitewing radiographs for asymptomatic adults at low risk of dental carries at 2-3 year intervals, and for other patient groups at shorter intervals.I went to the dentist today and refused xrays. They spent more time talking to me saying that I need to get Xrays than they did cleaning my teeth. They were very surprised that the ADA would not recommend getting Xrays. They said they will not clean my teeth if I do not have an xray done at least once every 2 years!!!!And that is only for patients that have good oral health. How is that even legal? This ticks me off. Also, I see the ADA document is from 2006. http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/broadcast/hs/dental/oralradiology2/2008/jada.pdf They have a new one from 2012. Are they reverting what they said in 2006 because of pressure from Dentist offices?A stronger hypothesis is that the pressure comes from the radioimaging industry who make the expensive machines and lobby and/or bribe the ADA. Happens all day, everyday, with corrupting lobbyists and their corrupted congressperson targets. There is raging corporitis in every area.My young son who is due to turn 7 later this month (December 2013) is due to have an X-ray of his skull next week here in England as he suffers from a very rare genetic disorder (Occipital Horn Syndrome) and the clinical genetic paediatricians want to look at his occipital prominences in more detail (the occipital bone is a saucer-shaped membrane bone situated at the back and lower part of the cranium). Sorry to sound naïve but does Dr. Greger (or anyone else here) know if the full mouth (panoramic) X-rays referred to here (in the accompanying video) would be the same procedure and method (and therefore present the same degree of invasiveness) as for a skull x-ray? Whilst we are or course keen to learn more about our son’s condition, understandably we have no wish to put him at risk from any other consequences from the radiation risk posed if it’s not entirely necessary. Any comments would be most gratefully received. Many thanks, Steve KAt least insist on DIGITAL, although they may counter that digital is not appropriate in your son’s situation. If so, corroborate that claim with an independent source.I have been going to the same dentist for about 30 years. When i began there I was still in my childbearing years, pregnant three times after I started going to him. When i realized I could get out of getting xrays by being pregnant, I would say, “Well, I might be pregnant and not know it yet.” Then when I got to old to be believed about that, I just said I didn’t want the extra expense that xrays cost. So, I am thankful that I have avoided about 60 dental xrays over the years. My mom was a nurse and told me long ago that xrays were dangerous.Hahahaha! I love your sense of humor!Enenews dot com has been reporting on Fukushima daily.People refuse dental xrays at the office I work at all the time. However, you can have a painless abscess or an interproximal cavity and have no pain. An xray is the only way to detect these things. Digital xrays have 90% less radiation. I don’t give my patients a hard time if they don’t get their xrays, but don’t blame the dental staff when you lose a tooth, or get killed by a tooth abscess.Dentist are giving 3 or 4 year olds panoramic xrays. What would be the reason other than to make money. What would you need to see on a pano of a healthy child that young. Panos do not show cavities or abcesses clearly. The are good to show widom teeth but a child would not need one. Now I read anyone that gets that kind of exposure before age 10 has a 5 times more chance of getting a brain tumor from the radiation. I bet you won’t see dentist x-ray their own children at that age. Don’t let them do it. It’s not neededaww crap:(Interestingly, they removed that sentence from the revised 2012 version of the document.	American Dental Association,brain disease,brain health,brain tumors,cancer,dental health,head trauma,iatrogenic,Meningioma,pain,radiation,thyroid health,X-rays	Getting bitewing or full mouth (panoramic) X-rays at the dentist may be associated with an increased risk of meningioma, the most common type of brain tumor.	I was just actually at the dentist for my check-up and was again offered a set of full mouth X-rays (because I was "due"). Normally when I refuse routine dental X-rays I've just explained that I try to minimize my radiation exposure, but this time I was able to refuse "as per the official recommendation of the American Dental Association"! I just got a blank stare.More on avoiding brain tumors in:This is the third in a five part series on preventing and mediating the adverse effects of radiation exposure. The first, Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood, described the natural and artificial sources of radioactive isotopes in our diet. The last video, Cancer Risk from CT Scan Radiation, detailed the estimated 29,000 cancers that doctors cause with CAT scans every year. In my next video, Mediating Radiation Exposure from Air Travel, I talk about those full-body scanners in airports and I'll close out with ways to mediate all these risks with Reducing Radiation Damage With Ginger And Lemon Balm.For more context, check out my associated blogs: Are Dental X-Rays Safe?, Fukushima Radiation and Seafood, and Dealing with Air Travel Radiation Exposure.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/18/are-dental-x-rays-safe/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/x-rays/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iatrogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/head-trauma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meningioma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-dental-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-radiation-damage-with-ginger-and-lemon-balm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mediating-radiation-exposure-from-airline-travel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12729509,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19793852,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16946440,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22376091,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15225589,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21357493,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22935292,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22492363,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11572275,
PLAIN-2740	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/	Cancer Risk From CT Scan Radiation	The greatest radiation exposure risk comes not from the Fukushima fallout or the polonium naturally found in all seafood, but from doctors. This was the study that originally shook things up. Estimated Risks of Radiation-Induced Fatal Cancer from Pediatric CAT scans, which concluded that the best available risk estimates suggest that pediatric CT will result in significantly increased lifetime radiation risk. How increased? Well in the United States, of the approximately 600,000 abdominal and head CT scans annually performed in children under the age 15, 500 of these individuals might ultimately not just get cancer but die from cancer attributable to that CAT scan radiation. In response to this revelation, the editor in chief of the leading radiology journal admitted that radiologists have not been watching out for children.These estimates were based on data from Japanese atomic bomb survivors, in terms of how many cancer deaths one can expect from what kind of radiation dose, but there's never been a study able to actually document the excess cancers, until now.Turns out the X-rays released by cat scanners may be twice as carcinogenic as the higher energy gamma rays released from the atomic bombs. A few CT scans may triple the risk of brain tumors and leukemia in children. Other studies are being performed around the world to quantify the risk and should be out in the next few years. Until then what can we do? Well, first of all we should only get X-rays when absolutely necessary. Good evidence suggests that between a fifth and a half of CAT scans aren't necessary at all—they could be replaced with another type of imaging or just not done period. That's a lot of added cancer risk for no added benefit.Now this kind of CAT scan is ok but this kind carries risks. The risk of developing cancer after a single CT scan may be as high as 1 in a 100 for a baby girl. It can take years for cancer to develop, though, so that's why the risk is lower in the elderly since they have fewer years to live. The diagnostic medical radiation dealt out in one year is estimated to cause 2,800 breast cancers among women in the United States, and 25,000 other cancers. That's doctors causing cancer.One chest CT scan is like getting 400 chest X-rays, and a stress test heart scan can be like getting over a thousand X-rays. Doctors need to communicate the risks of these procedures. For example, the risk of a chest CT is like the risk of having a car crash during 2500 miles of highway driving or of smoking 700 cigarettes. You pick up a pack of cigarettes and there's a warning label, but then you go in for thallium heart scan, and no one minds telling you that the risk corresponds to smoking 1400 cigarettes. 1 in every 270 middle-aged women that get an angiogram may get cancer because of that one test. The best way to avoid the risks of radioactive scans is the same way to best avoid the risks of medication--living and eating healthy enough to help avoid the need for them in the first place.	I had a course(little) about in vivo diagnosis techniques this year… i think that were some risks but not like this… i need further study about this subject…ugh, i had at least 4 CT scans between the ages of 18-30 for kidney stones. of course i was vegan (still am) and exercised all the time, and still developed kidney stones. not fair. my risk of cancer is probably sky high. :(have you tried consuming natrium bicarbonate ?my GP doctor give his patient natrium bicarbonate for curing stone kidney. we know we can easily have it from baking powder but we have to know the dosage. i am sure many physician and health practitioner here can help u in detail. wish u a healthy lifeFrom the cited Pearce study ( http://humansubjects.energy.gov/news/articles/2012PearceRadation.pdf ): “For an abdominal or pelvic CT scan, the lifetime risks for children are one cancer per 500 scans irrespective of age at exposure. These absolute excess lifetime cancer risks (to age 100 years) are very small compared with the lifetime risk of developing cancer in the general population, which is about one in three”Ie, for those with the maximum increased risk (children younger than 18) 4 abdominal CTs would increase risk from 0.33 to 0.34 .As a physician I am aware of the harm modern medicine can cause to patients and also I am encouraged that somebody is speaking out. I want to learn more from you.Defensive medicine (thanks to lawyers and legislation) will only increase this problem in the future. Every doctor knows about ordering unnecessary CT and MR scans – just to avoid problems in the future (for the doctor). For every test the indication has to be right. Everything has a price. CT and MR is only to confirm your clinical suspicion. I really hate the thought that we do harm to our patients. There has to be a change, from trying to fix unfixable problems, to helping people avoid the problems in the first place. McDougall has this great picture of a man with hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol going to his doctor. The next picture: The same man with hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol and now he is carrying a bag full of prescription drugs! Has he become more healthy? No!Is it likely that even darker forces are applying pressure to use these machines just to draw in some cash flow?I understand the question; diseasecare is complicated. The doctor, the patient, false expectations, the drugs, the procedures, the politics, the money, the screening, the reductive science, the defensive medicine etc. I would advice every patient to ask their doctor what he/she expects to get out of a procedure, blodtest, CT or MR scan, PET etc.I know this, and my daughter has had one CT scan..and many xrays..and me as well…WHAT CAN WE DO TO UNDO THE DAMAGE!!???? PLEASE GIVE US SOME ADVICE???it was mentioned that we have to eat more veggies and fruit. go back to plant based diet or in the other word become a vegan. it will enhance our self repair system, fix the damage and helps body to remove the unwanted cells (cancer cells).There are a few videos dealing with radiation exposure that Dr G has done. Particularly, lemon balm tea and ginger had a big positive effect. Also, anything that is going to help repair DNA, like veggies and especially cruciferous.Also, Chlorella might be very useful. Spirulina also, but as Dr G mentions, it suffers from some contamination issues. It is important to get clean, radiaiton and toxin free chlorella. CGF is associated with DNA repair.Also, research medicinal mushrooms.Citrus, To reverse the damage get your health and body well nourished if you aren’t already.1. Opt for MRI’s,Sonograms and Thermography. If you must have X-rays ask for low radiation X-rays or CT Scans.2. There are ways to detox your body and protect it from radiation. I was concerned about getting X-rays due to a back injury so I went on to research and found out that protecting your DNA before and after any of those procedures is possible by juicing certain vegetables and fruits high in antioxidants (ginger, berries, turmeric etc..) and in this case radish. I have this juice here: http://www.healyounaturally.com/dna-protect-liver-cleanse-juice/ (Please Dr. G and team let me know and I will remove this link if you feel it isn’t appropriate).3. By supplementing with superfoods such spirulina, radiation free-chlorella and other top supplements. I have hand picked those supplements and much more in my “natural healing shop” under Supplements on the site.Hope this helps!Hi Astrid. I would just be cautious of recommending spirulina and chlorella. Companies can not seem to get pure cultures of it so contaminated blue-green algae may be the reason why in the store, so-called pure spirulina, has toxins. For chlorella, this case study on psychosis is enough to issue caution. Chlorella appears to be helpful for patients with Hepatitis C and perhaps others, it also does not appear to produce muscle, nerve, or liver toxicity that’s been linked to spirulina, but this case on psychosis is enough to sound the alarm per Dr. Greger. I suggest supplementing with whole plant-foods and not juicing as it removed more than just fiber.What can be done if you already had a CT scan? Can the dammage be tracked? Can eating lots of antioxidants through plant foods really help or is the level of radiation too high? This video really upset me as I have had multiple CT scans and now it seems like I will most probably end up getting cancer, be it in 20 or 30 years… Is there anything that can be done?Have you seen the videos: “Slowing the Growth of Cancer” and “Cancer Prevention & Treatment May Be the Same Thing”?Even thousands of years ago, before industrial waste and toxic food products, we still encountered naturally occurring radiation and carcinogens that our bodies had to guard against. Our DNA repair enzymes are working all the time and our immune system is working to extinguish precancerous and cancerous cells all the time. It’s not a matter of “having cancer” or “not having cancer”; we all have cancer! It’s really just a matter of chronic treatment and suppression. You can wait until you have a full blown tumor and throw some super potent chemo at it, or you can give any little fledgling cancers you might have started already some low-dose chemo in the form of tea, greens, onions, and mushrooms on a daily basis.I hope these two videos give you a new perspective and some peace on the subject.I’m trying to find the videos you’ve mentioned, but the site’s search isn’t picking it up. Do you have direct links? Thanks.Hi Lloyd,That’s weird how the search button doesn’t pick it up. I’m always leery of putting links in comments lest they get thrown out, but if you go to the ‘prostate cancer’ tab in the alphabetical topics list on the left hand side of the page, the “Treatment & Prevention” video is on the 3rd page of the search results, and the “Slowing the Growth” video is on the 5th page. They’re great videos, a couple of my all time favorites! Enjoy.The search isn’t perfect, and on the note of technical difficulties, my browser is having a hard time signing in with FB so here I am, as some “Disq” user.Thanks b00mer. I know you spent some time finding them again so it’s appreciated. I’m going to post the links for anyone else if they like:Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/Slowing the Growth of Cancer http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/Plant diet for life.tHANKS.I will check them out!Also..is there a best approach to fight Radiation induced cancer? are there certain supplements/food that are best suited for those exposed to excessive radiation?Yes, it was a scary video to the MANY of us who’ve had scans..I wish the doctor would have included a plan to detox from the radiation and fight the potential for cancerThis site is filled to the brim with videos on how to fight cancer!Under the ‘cancer’ tab, 205 videos come up. Even if half of them are about things that cause it, that would still give you over a hundred videos about treating it!I have had two ct head scans and one brain angiogram all in space of 2 weeks as I had a bad Lumber puncture which gave a possible false read of billirubin 0.0073 just 3 over the cut off period and had to have all these tests which concluded perfectly normal but I’m worried about all the radiation exposure anyone have any advise please? Jasmin boytHi Jasmine. It is so hard to say. The best advice I feel was laid out in Dr. Greger’s video. Limit exposure when possible and eat a clean diet and lifestyle in hopes to prevent disease. If your doctor is requiring CT scans I am sure there is a qualified reason. It is important to realize the risk of “not” receiving the proper medical treatments, also. Perhaps there is a balance with preventive medicine and the ding the best we can, and diagnostic testing that although harmful, may be necessary to live. These are only my thoughts and I cannot give medical advice.Warm thoughts, JosephCitrus and Joelle, I know where you are coming from. My son also had a CT scan and plenty of chest X-rays. It’s all very well to say that the best thing to do is to avoid them by staying healthy. In some cases that IS JUST NOT THE RIGHT ANSWER. In my son’s case it was a matter of life and death – he was already very sick. No amount of eating plants would have prevented him contracting pneumonia, being misdiagnosed by a paediatrician and then developing complications!I would also like to know how you can mitigate the risk. It has already happened. He had a CT scan. Do I now wait with baited breath for him to develop cancer? Do I watch him like a hawk for unusual symptoms? Do I not allow him to eat nasties like sweets and crisps like other little 6 year olds do on occasion? Etcetera, etcetera. FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE? (All of which I do. And as he says to me, he wishes he were another boy who is allowed to eat what other little boys eat (and probably whose mother doesn’t go hysterical at the first sign of a illness)). I’ll admit that I am paranoid but until I discover something other than lifestyle to minimise his risks (healthy plant-based diet, fresh air, sunshine, plenty of sleep, going to a pediatrician who doesn’t hand out antibiotics like sweets), this is what I have to do to minimise his risk. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT parents like Citrus and me who are scared witless can do? Anyone?Hi Angela, I mentioned to Joelle above the two videos “Slowing the Growth of Cancer” and “Cancer Prevention & Treatment May Be the Same Thing”.Our bodies are truly designed to fight cancer, provided we give them the materials they need to do the job (plants!). In short, I know of nothing specific to undo the damage of radiation that one can do after the fact, but I would watch all the videos Dr. Greger has on mushrooms, tea, greens, cruciferous, alliums, berries, etc, and know that every time you feed them to your son, you’re giving him little doses of preventative chemo. You should know you’re doing your best by him and feel good about it, especially since it sounds like the CT scan in your case was truly warranted.These plants are so powerful, especially when you look at the doses involved; half a mushroom a day, three spinach leaves a day, etc, make such an incredible difference in cancer prevention. Good health to you and yours, cheers.Yes, Angela…You and I have the same issues here…hope to hear from the doctor soon on this! :)It would be nice if Dr Greger could provide some information about how to interpret statistics for those not familiar with that topic. Many people misinterpret an increased risk of 30% for having a 30% chance to develop some disease while it means that a base risk of 1% increases to 1.3%. Which is not that much more.I already had one CT – Scan and the presented facts are really disturbing. But let let me just add something which might sooth one or another.You should always see an increased risk in relation to the unavoidable basic risk to develop cancer during live time. This basic risk is usually quite low depending on the type of cancer. And to triple a risk doesn’t mean that you are likely to develop cancer.Let’s say if “1.49% of men and women born today will be diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas at some time during their livetime”, than tripling this risk is still relatively low. (http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/pancreas.html)Anyway, all this is only statistics and average values. The probability of individuals scatters a great deal and if your diet is healthy and risk reducing you have a good chance that you belong to the fraction of people with fairly reduced cancer risk.Everything is relative. Nothing is absolute.Excellent information! Perhaps a permanent sticky note or tag line on the subject below each video would be helpful; I’m sure Dr. Greger wouldn’t want to explain it anew in each video, but you’re right, most people aren’t statisticians.I wonder how the radiation of mammograms compares to CT scans? Even if mammograms have much less radiation, I think the risks should be determined and shared with every woman in helping them make the decision on what to do.Personally, the document linked to in the following paragraph convinced me (along with my doctor) that mammograms are not a good idea for most women – including me.“McDougall Breaking News – The Cochrane Committee now recommends against mammograms for women of all ages. Screening for Breast Cancer with Mammography – Published by the Nordic Cochrane Center 2012. What are the benefits and harms? How many will benefit and how many will be harmed? What is the scientific evidence?”– Source : http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012other/news/jun/mammogram.htmMammogram doses are much smaller than CT doses – screening mammography has doses near 3 mGy total (for 2 views of each breast), wheras each adult abdominal CTs averages 14 mGy and adult head CTs averages 60 mGy.The Cochrane review of screening mammography was concerned less with medical radiation than with the high rates of false positives, unnecessary treatment of ultimately harmless tumors, and (in the 2012 update) negligible savings in lives from early diagnosis.Darryl: Thanks for the reply. (Sorry it took me so long to get back to this.)I have read the Cochrane study in detail, but was curious about the radiation doses. I appreciate you taking the time to answer that question. Very interesting.I stopped getting mammograms many years ago. I have opted for thermography imaging instead. It’s not only ZERO radiation, it’s also completely painless and they usually also include your torso (front and back), neck and head. These are normally not covered by insurance, but the cost of around $150-200 every couple years is really worth saving the risk of cancer!Dr. Gregar, as a recent cancer survivor – 1st stage lung with top rt. lobectomy and no chemo/radiation, how should I think about balancing the risk of bi-annual follow-up CT scans vs return of cancer? Thanks.Stay tuned for a video on what you can do to mediate your risk. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it: http://bit.ly/nutritionfactsupdatesDr. Greger, please could you help me with this question? is really important to me. I would like to know which are the maximum levels of kV kilov-oltage and mAs that ct machines have? and if a high kV/mAs is used during a ct exam, does the patient have symptoms? radiation exposure depends on them and Im really worriedIn January 2007 I had 13 CT scans after an accident, primarily done to my head. What can I do now to protect or heal myself?My young son who is due to turn 7 later this month (December 2013) is due to have an X-ray of his skull next week here in England as he suffers from a very rare genetic disorder (Occipital Horn Syndrome) and the clinical genetic paediatricians want to look at his occipital prominences in more detail (the occipital bone is a saucer-shaped membrane bone situated at the back and lower part of the cranium). Sorry to sound naïve but does Dr. Greger (or anyone else here) know if the full mouth (panoramic) X-rays referred to here (in the accompanying video) would be the same procedure and method (and therefore present the same degree of invasiveness) as for a skull x-ray? Whilst we are or course keen to learn more about our son’s condition, understandably we have no wish to put him at risk from any other consequences from the radiation risk posed if it’s not entirely necessary. Any comments would be most gratefully received. Many thanks, SteveNo sound!It’s much worse than that. ER doctors and staff routinely pressure patients to get unnecessary scans. Once I had extreme pain from kidney stones and the ER staff wanted to get a scan, even though I brought my stone diagnosis with me as well as a CD containing the data from my last CT scan that was only a few weeks old. Doctors described the risk of a CT scan as “minimal” and nurses said the scan was “perfectly safe” and that there was “literally no risk” from a scan. I tried to say no and the nurse insisted. Then she fetched a doctor to convince me. I said “no” with total conviction and the doctor said I was “refusing treatment”(!) and tried to frighten me. They made it very difficult to not get a scan and this is typical.These doctors and nurses aren’t thinking at all about the damage they are causing with the radiation exposure. Their priority is covering their ass and minimizing their liability. And that means unnecessary tests and unnecessary scans. In a perfect world, doctors would be making the call about whether or not these scans are necessary. Unfortunately, for the time being, we as patients are going to have to act as our own advocates.thank you doctor greger. I’m actually almost in tears at how grateful I am that you will fight against the establishment for us to bring us this kind of information. Now I know to keep my own mother away from those death machines. Time to start reenforcing a better diet plan and not a better healthcare plan.I’m getting a CT scan tomorrow to find out what is causing my severe Hydronephrosis. I don’t want to be giving myself cancer in the process. What can I do in the next 22 hours to minimize my risk? Load up on all the antioxidants I can? Already vegan (not exactly the healthiest, should eat more veggies, I’ll obviously start with that). Trying not to freak out because I know that stress depletes antioxidants as well. Gotta go make some hibiscus tea. Tips would be great.Gina: I’m not sure what you can do in a short period of time, but I think you can definitely work on long-term changes that could be of great help.Dr. Greger has several videos on this site that talk about the importance of cancer growth rates. Some of the information is very powerful. I may not have all the details right off the top of my head, but here is the gist of the idea: We are exposed to carcinogens all the time. Suppose you get that first cancer cell from a CT scan. No one ever died from a single cancer cell. It takes about a billion (?) cells before your body will start to register that you have a problem. So, depending on how fast the cancer cells multiply, you could actually get cancer in as little as 2 years or as many as 85 years (or more?) from now. Depending on how old you are now, getting cancer in 85 years might not be relevant…Clearly, how fast cancer grows is key to being “cancer-free”. While there are no guarantees, studies on this site seem to show that you have some control over how fast cancer cells grow. This is the great news. Because we are all exposed to carcinogens – not just people who get CTs.I hope you will take some time to find the cancer videos on this site. (I don’t have a handy list myself or I would have shared it with you.) You should be able to use those videos to figure out how to tweak your diet to make it a good long-term diet that minimizes your risk of getting cancer.I hope your CT scan went really well and you are able to figure out a solution to your problem. Good luck!I have to undergo a nuclear stress test on my heart this coming week. Either that, or go back in a cath lab for another angiogram — both involve high exposure to radiation – but my cardiac symptoms are pretty severe.I already became a vegan when diagnosed. But, can anyone suggest REPUTABLE articles on foods, herbs, etc that I should really emphasize over the coming weeks to reduce DNA damage and cancer risk?Hi hello, Someone that exposed high levels of radiation by repeated ct scans, can prevent a radio-induced cancer by eating health or nothing to do ?	angiogram,brain health,brain tumors,breast cancer,breast health,cancer,CAT scan,children,CT scan,heart disease,heart health,Hiroshima,iatrogenic,infants,Japan,leukemia,mortality,Nagasaki,radiation,smoking,stress test,women's health,X-rays	Pediatric CAT scans are estimated to cause hundreds of cancer deaths every year.	As I explain in my full-length live presentation on preventing, arresting, and reversing the 15 top killers (Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death), adverse drug reactions from prescription drugs are estimated to cause more than 100,000 deaths in the United States every year, making doctors the sixth leading cause of death. That's not counting other "iatrogenic" (physician-caused) harm, such as medication errors or infections acquired in hospitals. My profession needs to do a better job of offering fully informed consent, clearly and comprehensively explaining the risks and benefits of each alternate course of action.The risk associated with the thallium heart scans was shocking to me. By eating healthy, we may not only eliminate the death and disability associated with heart disease and its treatment (such as open heart surgery), but the risks associated with heart disease diagnosis as well. See:What was that about radioactive polonium in seafood? See my last video, Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood.What about cell phone radiation? See Do Cell Phones Cause Cancer?And what about getting X-rays at the dentist? All in my next video, Do Dental X-Rays Cause Brain Tumors?For some context, check out my associated blogs, How Risky are CT Scans?, Are Dental X-Rays Safe?, Dealing with Air Travel Radiation Exposure, and Ginger & Lemon Balm for Radiation Exposure.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/25/ginger-lemon-balm-for-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/13/how-risky-are-ct-scans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/18/are-dental-x-rays-safe/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/x-rays/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iatrogenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ct-scan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angiogram/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nagasaki/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hiroshima/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cat-scan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17844927,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11159059,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC521582/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22681861,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22382352,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21343316,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20008689,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11159057,
PLAIN-2741	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood	With prevailing westerly winds over Japan, radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear power plant tragedy was detected throughout North America at levels comparable to those seen 25 years earlier from Chernobyl, the only other category 7 nuclear events in history.The highest levels of radioactive iodine in rain water was found in Boise, Idaho and the highest levels in milk were found in San Francisco at levels ten times higher than the federal maximum allowed in drinking water, but below that which would be expected to pose a direct threat to U.S. public health.A controversial paper in the International Journal of Health Sciences suggested the radioactive plume from the nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima may be responsible for the subsequenta bump in U.S. mortality similar to what we saw after Chernobel, though the authors themselves underscore their research shows merely a correlation, and potential evidence of a causal link, and that more research is necessary.Of all the radiation released, only a tiny fraction of the fallout reached U.S. shores—most was absorbed by the Pacific Ocean. What does that mean for seafood safety?Reserachers report unequivocal evidence that Pacific bluefin tuna have transported Fukushima-derived radioactive fallout across the entire North Pacific Ocean. Tuna actually migrate from Japan to California and appeared to have taken some radioactivity with them.Even there was 10-fold spike in radioactive cesium levels in tuna, they put it in context by noting the baseline levels of radioactivy in fish even before Fukushima due to everything from thermonuclear weapons tests and sunken nuclear submarines to just the radioactive elements found naturally in the earth's crust. The levels in seawater of radioactive polonium are miniscule, but it strongly bioaccumulates up the food chain into fish.This is the same polonium used in the horrific assassination of Russian dissident Litvinenko. That's the same polonium in fish. It's a by-product of uranium decay and frequently cited as one of the reasons that tobacco is so carcinogenic. Something the tobacco industry was well aware of and could have easily removed, but the process that could have removed the polonium affected the absorbability of nicotine and the loss of the nicotine “kick” sensation was found unacceptable by industry executives. And so they kept the polonium in.The radioactive polonium in cigarettes has been specutively blamed for the link between smoking and male infertility, but most of human exposure comes from diet, mostly from fish and shellfish. And this was before Fukushima. So what then happens if you eat seafood? Researchers measured the increase in radioactive polonium levels in semen after a single seafood meal. It caused a 300% spike in levels. Probably not enough to cause infertility, but that was just one meal. Whether the kind of dose you can get from eating seafood would be enough to damage sperm enough still needs to be established. You may have to eat as much as a pound of seafood a month, before one might realize harmful effects of the radiation.Interestingly, there's 8 times more polonium in cooked shrimp than in raw. Isn't that fascinating? They think it's because most of the polonium is in the shrimps' internal organs, which is released in to the boiling water and contaminates the muscle, so gutting crustaceans before cooking may decrease radiation exposure.	So what about seaWEED from Japan after Fukushima?Don’t eat it. Get it from MaineDo you ever feel like, i dont know, i just cant shake this overpowering urge to dig a big hole in the back yard and climb in.Obituary: Planet Earth, aged 4.5 billion years, finally died of a thousand cuts. Donations may be sent to the glow-in-the-dark roach foundation.What about swimming in the Pacific here in California?A bunch of USA’s food is grown in California, lots of fruit and veggies and nuts and seeds…..wondering if that toxic air drifting over from Japan lends itself to the accumulation of this junk in our vegan staples?! What’s going to happen if/when one of California’s nuke reactors implodes due to an earthquake?Yeah and California has no rain because Gov jerks use CHEMTRAILS to dry the atmosphere.This huge problem is brought to you by the Nuclear Industry that wants to play with forces that are far from being adequately understood…The fission process and its risks are well understood. The problem is they don’t care.A “pound a month” would be extremely easy to meet, I would think. On more than one occasion, I have heard “experts” recommend eating fish at least once a week. Eat fish 4 times a month and one could easily hit a pound. While I understand that the science is not yet conclusive, if the suggested harmful limit of a pound a month is true, then bye, bye sperm for those males following mainstream nutrition advice.On one hand, I think, “so sad”. On the other hand, there are too many humans already ruining the oceans. …The “norm” for sperm count has gone from 80,000/in2 to 20,000/in2 in the last 10 years.Wow.I saw seaweed was a biggest slice on the pie chart after seafood. I’m assuming that needs to be avoided too.Is Maine seaweed safe for consumption?Yes, so far.This is the biggest experiment of them all: How many years will it take for one species to destroy a planet. Within the last 100 – 200 years we have polluted the oceans with dioxin, mercury, nuclear waste and prescription drugs, polluted the air with dust, smoke and harmful gases from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas, and gasoline, not to mention the greenhouse effect, we have destroyed the ozone layer making it dangerous to get vitamin D from its original source – the sun, deforestation to produce livestock (which ironically turns out to kill us prematurely), species become extinct because of human behaviour, we process food so much that it does not look like food anymore, and then wonder why we get sick, we release GMO into the environment etc, etc…….Humans are great….Is there a forum for Dr Greger’s work or for the WF/PB community? I would be grateful for information, thanks.Dr. Greger, You’ve done a number of videos on the health benefits of Green Tea. But what about radioactivity in Green Tea imported from Japan or China? How can we be sure the tea we’re drinking is safe?Good question. But radioactive muck is only one factor. Chinese rice is loaded with cadmium, but so is clean, green New Zealand produce and meat: http://www.3news.co.nz/The-dangers-of-Cadmium/tabid/367/articleID/293891/Default.aspx?ref=video_2012-11-22“In New Zealand the group with the highest cadmuim levels are the vegetarians…”and the meat that is too poisonous to export?… cat and dog food.So how do we know our food is safe? We dont, we cant, We are powerless. I tried to make my own soil, but if the raw materials are loaded with heavy metal, then so is the compost.In the USA it is arsenic in rice. This is just the little icy tip of the berg we see/hear about. What behemoths are lurking beneath the surface?I know. Lets reproduce ourselves faster. 8, 9 10 billions. Vison that one. The teeming masses all working and praying together to make the Commons a paradise. la la la Technology will save us. Run Logan, Run!“Clean, green New Zealand”?? Just do a search on pesticide use in NZ and you might want to rethink that.I think he was being sarcasticI get organic green tea from EarthFare, made in the U.S.A.Call them and ask how much fluoride is in the tea. Ask if they have even measured it. Organic or non-organic tea, apparently tea pulls a lot of fluoride from soil. Do you add lemon to tea? I’ve read that adding lemon to tea dramatically increases aluminum in the tea.BLACK tea already has high levels of AL in it. The lemon makes the absorption rate go up a bit. Herbal tea has much less AL in it.As for teas from Japan, you may want to look for teas grown in regions far south of Fukushima– especially the Kagoshima prefecture, the second largest tea-growing area and thousands of kilometres away. A windshift during a critical period brought radionuclides back onto some parts of the main island. Initially, some samples of teas from Shizuoka, Japan’s largest tea-growing region, showed evidence of Fukushima’s footprint; according to the Shizuoka prefecture,teas tested in 2012 and 2013 appeared to be safe.Still, Japan’s federal government says that tea leaves are among the “food items from which 1/2 of the maximum limits for radioactive cesium has been detected,” and monitoring is continuing. (That’s from a March 2014 statement.)I’ve been reporting on the story for a while now. Mushrooms and seaweeds seem to soak up radionuclides like sponges. What’s really pissing me off is restaurants outside of Japan selling dishes made with potentially contaminated ingredients, including Japan’s fish.Japan’s system of monitoring leaves lots of power in the hands of the locals, not the feds. That, too, is disturbing.See http://zesterdaily.com/world/should-you-avoid-post-tsunami-seafood-from-japan/For more on tea, see http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/anti-cancer-recipe-have-a-berry-merry-tea-party/.Could somebody tell me how to create hyperlinks in these comments?I’m not convinced by the Mangano & Sherman paper ( economic factors like foreclosures were hitting hard in the U.S. at the time http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000087 ).As xenobiotic hormesis appears to be an important mechanism for disease prevention by whole plant based diets, I think its worth perusing the extensive literature on its academic predecessor radiation hormesis ( http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=radiation+hormesis ), as a number of cellular mechanisms are shared. A worthwhile summary presentation: http://www.dose-response.org/conference/2006/powerpoint/Scott.pdf As its a difficult argument I don’t expect hormesis to appear in mainstream sources in the near-term, but I believe I’m far from the first health oriented vegan to find the subject fascinating.iS your brother named Darryl?I worry more about the cosmic radiation Dr. Greger is exposed to during all his plane trips!The “study” you cited about infant deaths is more than controversial, it is downright shamefullly bad science. As Michael Moyer pointed out in Scientific American, if they had not just compared deaths in the four weeks prior to the Fukushima Daiichi accident and rather had gone back to the beginning of the year, they would have discovered that infant mortality had actually declined. Not saying that the accident wasn’t bad or dangerous (I live only 100 miles from the damned thing!) but that study was not at all scientific and IMHO does not deserve to be referenced here.I was going to ask about seaweed and other Japanese foods too. I like a lot of the macrobiotics type foods from Japan.When I was a child, my mother would take me to Buster Brown Shoes. Back in those days, I climbed up on this boxy thing and had my feet x-rayed. 65 years later, I’m wondering whether I’m going to get cancer of the feet.that’s the funniest comment i’ve read for a long time anywhere. I remember standing in line at a school and being given a pink sugar cube of polio vaccine, we all thought it was so wonderful. And we all had a huge scar on our upper arm near the shoulder from the ugly small pox caused by those immunizations. My scar is still visible.Hi Dr. Greger, first of all I like to thank you and your staff for doing such a wonderful job informing the public on nutritional health.I’ve got a question and wondering if you have any opinion or answers to them, your time is greatly appreciated. I’ve noticed you’ve placed a great deal of emphasis on eating and incorporating green leafies in our diet for optimal health, however with the recent years fukushima catastrophe, could you give us any real information on how safe consuming these broad leaf vegetables really are, especially if you’re near the west coast, there seems to be so much misinformation out on the internet there is much confusion. I try to adopt healthy eating habits for my family, and I spread the vegan gospel, whenever I can, to my friends and community alike, but I’m particularly concerned for children bc they’re more vulnerable due to their growth development. Thank youLOL 120 – 138 lung cancer deaths per year per 1000 smokers!Not a single person would smoke and not a single siggarette would be sold if it were anywhere near those numbers. That’s just a complete fabrication those numbers.I would be dead 3 times over as would half the people who smoked for 4 years. This is clearly not true as most smokers only start showing irreversable debillitating signs of damage after decades of smoking.I got a lot of respect for you Dr. Greger after watching numerous usefull video’s, problem is always that reputation is lost faster than it is gained.This just shreds your reputation quoting obvious nonsense, you should remove this video or at least the quoted smokers research bit. Since its clearly fuzzy math and done or written by chimps.I’ll be watching out for disinformation in your video’s a lot more keenly from now on, as you are degraded from guru to meer mortal :)Regards, Arjan den Hollander.In that table on polonium concentration in surface seawater, to what degree do the differences in numbers matter?Dear Dr. Greger,I am concerned about the Fukushima radiation effecting California farms. Most of the berries and vegetables my family consumes are grown in California, near the Pacific Ocean. I would like to know if our foods contaminated by radiation? Organic or not aren’t all farms exposed? Are there any studies on matter?I haven’t found any solid evidence but there are alarming articles online about the situaiton: http://www.nationofchange.org/new-uc-berkeley-test-reveals-fantastically-high-cesium-levels-california-roadside-1392911534AMERICAN POLICY….You don’t get sick we don’t make money. Brought to you by FDA USDA EPA and any other paid off Greedy branch. For the corporation by the corporation.Please, please Dr. Greger, will you put your world-class resources to bear in giving us all an overdue update on the ongoing Fukushima radiation exposure in our food supply. There are many Independent Scientists documenting total loss of multiple species along West Coast areas, and this runs the gamet from sea vegetables to ocean animals. What about the very high levels recorded way inland and on both coasts? Doesn’t this beg the question of possible contamination of NA’s prime agricultural land? We have no other way to be informed because our government agencies are in total blackout and suppression of independent data collectors is widespread. It has been nearly 4 years now, and the pace and degree and complexity of the contamination has accelerated, not diminished, and as we all know, radioactive contamination bio-accumulates which means whatever snapshot was taken years ago of this problem is irresponsibly misleading. Someone needs to help us and I think you are qualified for this job.Yes….would love an update. We live right on the Southern Oregon Coast.This so-called nutrition advocacy site only monitors negative comments. They do not respond to what I would consider to be truly citizen interactive requests which matter to us.We’re working on it! I see the comments, but we have so many! Thanks for your patience I’ll look into an update ASAP and put it right here! I wrote about BMAA in a more recent post. Many are inquiring about the safety of algae, too. I intend to tackle these topics in a new post. Please stay tuned!Interesting they didn’t test to see if degutted shrimp had less radiation after cooked. My guess is cooking also increases the toxic load of all types, such as pesticides on produce.	beverages,carcinogens,cesium,Chernobyl,cooking methods,cooking temperature,dairy,fertility,fish,Fukushima,industry influence,infertility,iodine,Japan,men's health,milk,mortality,nicotine,polonium,radiation,reproductive health,safety limits,seafood,shrimp,smoking,tobacco,tuna,water	The majority of radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear power plant tragedy was absorbed by the Pacific Ocean. What does that mean for seafood safety?	Unfortunately our oceans have become humanity's sewers; everything eventually flows down into the sea. This has implications for other aspects of seafood safety:More on infertility in:Cigarette manufacturers' protection of stockholders over the public is not unique to that sector. More industry hijinks in:The greatest radiation exposure risk comes not from Fukishima fallout or the polonium naturally found in seafood, but from doctors. Stay tuned for my next video, Cancer Risk from CT Scan Radiation. If you sign up for daily, weekly, or monthly updates I'll email when new videos are released.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/20/dealing-with-air-travel-radiation-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/13/how-risky-are-ct-scans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/18/are-dental-x-rays-safe/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polonium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shrimp/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fukushima/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chernobyl/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nicotine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-ct-scan-radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21074911,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22645346,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22456673,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21296469,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22403909,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19745220,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21956761,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22356354,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19292030,
PLAIN-2742	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/	Childhood Tea Drinking May Increase Fluorosis Risk	If cranberries are so good at keeping bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder, what about the keeping bacteria from sticking to other places? Well there's in vitro research suggesting cranberry phytonutrients may reduce adhesion of H. pylori bacteria in the wall of the stomach, and so maybe should be given along with antibiotics to help eradicate the ulcer-causing bacteria. And hey, what about our teeth? Dental plaque is bacteria sticking to our teeth, particularly streptococcus mutans. We've known that those with different drinking habits, be they coffee, tea, barley coffee, or wine, have about 10 times less of this plaque bacteria. Since those are all beverages from plants, maybe phytonutrients are fighting back at plaque.If bacteria cause plaque and cavities, why not just swish with some antibiotic solution, either synthetic or natural. Well there are downsides to just indiscriminately wiping out bacteria both good and bad, as I detailed in antiseptic mouthwash video. So maybe if we just stop the bad bugs from sticking to our teeth? Well, there is some evidence that cranberries might affect the adhesion of bacteria to fake teeth in a petri dish, but nothing yet definitive. Green tea also appears to help prevent cavities, but that may be because of its natural fluoride content in the tea plant. I have a video about a woman that developed fluoride toxicity drinking up to like 5 dozen cups a day, but what about just regular consumption?During the tooth development years, up to about age 9, children exposed to too much fluoride can develop dental fluorosis, a mottled discoloration of the teeth—it's just a cosmetic issue and usually just faint white spots--but is the main reason the EPA is reconsidering current tap water fluoridation levels. Currently, the suggested upper limit in water is 2 parts per million and the mandatory upper limit is 4. Herbal teas were fine about 100 fold under the limit, but caffeinated teas exceeded the suggested limit, and decaf teas exceeded the mandatory limit.Remember, though, that's the limit for tap water. So tea drinking would only pose much of a risk if drank all day long as one's primary beverage. So in terms of the dental ramifications, kids who primarily drink non-herbal tea as a source of hydration will be at risk for dental fluorosis.	What do you think of fluoride in toothpaste? Do you think we should stop using fluoride containing toothpastes? What do recent studies show? Thank you!Oh sorry, I just saw your Q&A on the Dangers of Fluoride.Thanks for the tip about that page. I checked it out too. :=)Sorry that this is off topic…but it looks like Dr. G got a Google Glass!http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/04/04/sergey-brin-google-glass-0020_610x407.jpgHang on, are Yamanaka et al concluding that cranberry juice selectively inhibits adhesion of pathogenic bacteria but not beneficial bacteria?Fluoridation Opposition is Scientific,Respectable & GrowingOver 4,600 professionals (including 365 dentists and 566 MD’s) urge that fluoridation be stopped because science shows fluoridation is ineffective and harmful. See statement: http://www.fluoridealert.org/researchers/professionals-statement/text/Nobel Prizewinner in Medicine, Dr. Arvid Carlsson, says, “Fluoridation is against all principles of modern pharmacology. It’s really obsolete.”To me the most logical way to defend against tooth decay to defend against tooth decay is to gargle with white tea sweetened with Xylitol.	antibiotics,berries,beverages,caffeine,cavities,children,coffee,cranberries,dental health,EPA,fluoride,fruit,green tea,herbal tea,mouthwash,oral health,phytonutrients,polyphenols,safety limits,stomach health,stomach ulcers,tea,water,wine	Green tea consumption may help prevent cavities, but excessive consumption among young children may lead to dental fluorosis due to the natural fluoride content of the plant.	What may be the best source of hydration for kids? See my video Does a Drink of Water Make Children Smarter?Might tea also cause dehydration? Check out Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating?Beyond cosmetic issues, what should we eat and drink to keep our mouth healthy? See my videos Plant-Based Diets: Oral Health and Plant-Based Diets: Dental Health.What was that about cranberries keeping bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder? See my last video, Can Cranberry Juice Treat Bladder Infections?The mouthwash video I reference is: Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash and the fluoride toxicity case report at Overdosing on Tea.What about all those folks that say fluoride is a poison to be avoided at all costs? I offer my brief two cents in the Q&A The Dangers of Fluoride? There are elements for which there is no safe level of exposure. I explore a few in my next video, Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood.For more context check out my blog: Tea and Flouride Risk	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-dangers-of-fluoride/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-ulcers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fluoride/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21720161,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15582295,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17201096,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18804350,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15107065,
PLAIN-2743	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/	Can Cranberry Juice Treat Bladder Infections?	How could any bacteria cause a bladder infection without just getting flushed away--literally? Certainly if you're not drinking enough, or men who have prostate enlargement and can't empty completely, leaving behind a stagnant pool, but in most people there should be a constant flow of water through there. Well bladder infection-causing E. coli evolved these finger-like projections (fiubrae) that they use to stick to the walls of the bladder so they don't get washed away. Almost 30 years ago now, it was demonstrated that if you drip cranberry juice on E. coli they don't stick as well. Grape juice doesn't work, nor does orange or apple juice, or even white cranberry juice made from unripened berries, so maybe it's one of the red phytonutrients that's doing it.Even if it works in a petri dish, though, you don't pee cranberry juice. How do we know that the anti-adherence phytonutrients are even absorbed through the gut so they make it into the bladder? Well subsequent studies showed that if you drip the urine of someone who drank cranberry juice onto E. coli they don't stick as well either. Ah, well now we're getting somewhere. Here's the stickiness of strains of E. coli wading in urine from someone drinking water; and here's the stickiness in the urine of someone drinking cranberry juice. Within hours of consumption there's a drop in E. coli stickiness that appears to last throughout much of the day. So might cranberries really help prevent bladder infections?Well the best way to prevent infections is to not get infected in the first place, which may involve the avoidance of chicken, as I've already discussed, so you're not constantly re-infecting yourself. But if that doesn't work, if your gut remains stubbornly colonized with these bad bladder bugs, various tested cranberry products appear to reduce the recurrence of bladder infections by about 35%, not as effective as antibiotics but doesn't foster antibiotic resistance and has fewer side effects.There's no good evidence to suggest cranberries are an effective treatment, though, which makes sense, right? Cranberries prevent the initial adherence, but that occurs at the start of the infection, but when the infection is present and already stuck there's no clinical data to suggest that cranberries are effective in the treatment of urinary tract infections, meaning it doesn't work better than placebo, but placebos work! For example, ibuprofen seems to work just as good as antibiotics for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections.Now some people you really do need to treat with antibiotics—pregnant women, children, men, those with kidney infections, systemic symptoms like nausea and vomiting, but for most healthy women, bladder infections just go away on their own without antibiotics. So all the women who drink cranberry juice and have their symptoms disappear may falsely attribute their recovery to the juice, but when it comes to most UTIs, nothing works! Nothing, in fact, actually works, leading doctors try to figure out how they can harness the placebo effect themselves.	Thank you, Dr. Greger. What about eating cranberries? Any anti-adherent effect here?Thank you, Dr. Greger. Drinking unsweetened cranberry juice always worked for me when on the rare occasion I had a bladder infection. They never seemed to return.I had an interesting experience with cranberry UT prevention. I don’t particularly like the taste so I started taking the cranberry food supplement capsules. One fine day I discovered red spots all over the lower half of my body. Not a rash but red spots had developed as if capillaries leaked just beneath the skin. I called the doctor and he said, “What’s new?”I told him about the capsules I had been taking. He advised me to stop taking them, and that each capsule contains the chemistry of a pound of cranberries. He told me that apparently I had set up a cranberry allergy and that I would have to avoid cranberries in the future. The spots went away when I stopped taking them. However they quickly come back if I eat or drink anything with cranberry in it. I have become mostly vegan so I never get the UTI’s anyway.I had terrible bladder infections a few times per year for 10 years. I often had to go to emergency because of the pain and take antibiotics, of course. The doctors always seemed shocked that I had blood in my urine, and I always tested positive for bacteria even when I didn’t have an infection. I drank cranberry juice off and on for years, the real stuff. About six years ago I got into a phase of drinking very diluted apple cider vinegar every day. This was for a few months. I haven’t had a bladder infection since (6 years and counting), and my urine tests are clear of bacteria. Are there any studies that explain this?Curious how diluted was your apple cider vinegar drink? My mom who is 86yrs old has been dealing with UTI’s from 5/2012 to present. She has been on numerous antibiotics, some more thn once. They do fine until about 7-8 days after last dose then another UTI pops up. Feel so bad for her that I can’t help her in some way on a natural path. Tried the cranberry juice & pills but they aren’t doing any good. I am at a loss & no faith in the medical field at this point. U can contact me at satynros@aol.comMy dog got a UTI as a puppy and the antibiotics did not help. I tried diluted apple cider vinegar in her food and water and like magic she improved virtually straight away. I used for a few weeks and gradually tapered the vinegar off and the infection has never returned. Would use it again that’s for sure!I used to get bladder infections pretty regularly and cranberry juice seemed to help but then it stopped working. I then discovered D-mannose ( there is some in cranberries, secret ingredient?) I would take a couple of caps at the first sign and for a day or 2 after – worked for me. I still carry it with me, though I haven’t needed it in quite a while. I wasn’t eating or cooking chicken at the time, mostly vegan diet but too much sugar and peri menopause perhaps. There is no way I could sit around and wait for it to go away on its own, that sucker hurts!This is so interesting. I have a duplicated ureter and required kidney surgery for a horrible infection when I was 19. I wonder if it didn’t show up before then because I never really ate a lot of chicken? I was vegetarian (but not vegan) at age 19.Anyway, this is the same advice my urologist gave me when I was sick, and I pass the same info on to my friends with UTIs looking for treatment. The thing I found that works the best is to drink a lot of water. Since you feel the constant urge to pee, actually having urine in your body makes it a little more comfortable to do so. I haven’t had a UTI treated with antibiotics in years.nasturtium and horseradish also seem to be effective against UTIs.Dr Greger, please comment on D-mannose. Are there any studies which show its effectiveness treating UTIs? I have been told it is always effective if the bug is E.coli.Am interested to know more research on uti studies, are there any suggestions on helping with regular bouts that isn’t antibiotics?The important factor of a human being can experience is “healthful body”. But, how can we have a healthy living? By eating a nutritious food such as vegetables and fruits. And we also need to drink juices from vegetables & fruits. In extracting liquid needs a machine. What is the best juicer?. Visit: http://www.benefits-of-juicing.net/What about oral sex and bladder infections?Dr. Greger, have you found any studies regarding D-Mannose and UTIs? And/or could you comment on cranberry supplement vs. cranberry juice? As a healthcare provider, I would like to know how to advise my patients regarding preventative medicine. Also, at a low-income community health clinic, supplements are cheaper than pure unsweetened cranberry juice. Thank youHello Molly, I can attest to the effectiveness of D-Mannose. I suffered with recurrent UTIs for 17 years and tried everything under the sun including gallons of cranberry juice, gallons of water, cranberry pills, you name it, I tried it. After discovering D-Mannose, I never again needed antibiotics for a UTI and it’s now been ten years since I had one. The best thing about D-Mannose is you can take it as a prophylactic whenever you are in a situation when you might be prone to an infection. You don’t ever have to have another UTI ever again.HI Molly. Have you clicked on the links in the “doctor’s note? Dr. Greger addresses cranberry juice and UTIs. As far as D-mannose I only see one clinical trial, here.	antibiotics,apple juice,berries,bladder infections,chicken,children,cranberries,cranberry juice,E. coli,fruit,fruit juice,grape juice,juice,kidney health,medications,men's health,nausea,orange juice,phytonutrients,placebo effect,poultry,pregnancy,side effects,superbugs,urinary tract infections	Cranberries may reduce the recurrence of urinary tract infections, but their role in treating infections is limited.	The reference to poultry as the source of bladder-infecting E. coli is from my last video, Avoiding Chicken to Avoid Bladder Infections.What else can cranberries do? Check out my recent videos Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better? and Cranberries Versus Cancer.How can you consume cranberries palatably? Check out my recipe for Pink Juice with Green Foam.I find it so fascinating that the white berries don't have same effect. For more on these elusive phytonutrients, see Phytochemicals: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label and for those doubting the power of plants, Power Plants.I discuss the controversy around doctors giving placebos in The Lie That Heals: Should Doctors Give Placebos?If cranberries are so good at keeping bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder, what about keeping bacteria from sticking to other places like our teeth? That's the subject of my next video, Childhood Tea Drinking May Increase Fluorosis Risk.For more context check out my blogs: Does Cranberry Juice Work Against Bladder Infections? and Tea and Flouride Risk	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/06/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/04/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urinary-tract-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/superbugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/placebo-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6368872,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21480803,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18253990,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19042940,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21788542,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22377351,
PLAIN-2744	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/	Avoiding Chicken To Avoid Bladder Infections	Where do bladder infections come from? Back in the 70's, longitudinal studies of women over time showed that the movement of rectal bacteria up into the vaginal area preceded the appearance of those same types of bacteria in the urethra before they were able to infect the bladder, but it would be another 25 years before genetic fingerprinting techniques were able to confirm this so-called fecal-perinealurethral theory, indicating that indeed it's the E.coli strains residing in the rectal flora that serve as a reservoir for urinary tract infections.But it would be another 15 years still before we tracked it back another step and figured out where that rectal reservoir of bladder infecting E.coli was coming from chicken. Researchers were able to capture these extraintestinal (meaning outside of the gut), pathogenic, disease-causing E. coli straight from the slaughterhouse, to the meat, to the urine specimens obtained infected women. We now have "proof of a direct link between farm animals, meat, and bladder infections," solid evidence that urinary tract infections can be a zoonosis. Urinary tract infections are an animal to human disease. And we're talking millions of women infected a year costing over a billion dollars.Even worse, the detection of multidrug resistant strains of E. coli in chicken meat resistant to some of our most powerful antibiotics.The best way to prevent bladder infections is the same way you best prevent all types of infections, by not getting infected in the first place. It's not in all meat equally—beef and pork appear significantly less likely to harbor bladder-infecting strains than chicken.Can't you just use a meat thermometer and cook chicken thoroughly? We've known for 36 years that it's not always the meat, but the cross-contamination. If you give people frozen chickens naturally contaminated with antibiotic resistant E. coli, let people prepare and cook it in their own kitchen as they normally would poof--the bacteria ends up in their rectum ready to cause trouble. In fact, 5 different strains of antibiotic resistant E coli jumped from the chicken to the volunteer. And they know it was cross-contamination because the jump happened after the animal was prepared but before it was eaten. Not only did it not matter how well the chicken was cooked, it doesn't even matter if you eat any! It's the bringing of the contaminated carcass into the home and handling it. Within days, the drug resistant chicken bacteria had multiplied to the point of becoming a major part of the person's fecal flora. Here's all this drug resistant bacteria colonizing this person's colon, yet the person hadn't taken any antibiotics—it's the chickens who were given the drugs. That's why the industry shouldn't be routinely feeding chickens antibiotics by the millions of pounds a year. It can end up selecting for and amplifying superbugs that may end up in your body.What if you're really careful in the kitchen? The effectiveness of hygiene procedures for prevention of cross-contamination from chicken carcasses in the domestic kitchen. They went into five dozen homes, gave them each a chicken and asked them to cook it. I expected to read that they inoculated the carcass with a specific number of bacteria to ensure everyone got a contaminated bird, but no. They realized that fecal contamination of chicken carcasses was so common that they just went to the store and bought any random chicken.After they were done cooking it, there was bacteria from chicken feces—salmonella, campylobacter—both serious human pathogens, everywere, on the cutting board, utensils, on their hands, on the fridge handle, cupboard, oven handle doorknob. But this was before they cleaned up. What about after cleaning? Still pathogenic fecal bacteria everywhere.OK, fine, obviously people don't know what they're doing, so they took another group of people and gave them specific instructions. After you cook the chicken you have to wash everything with hot water and detergent, they were told specifically to wash the cutting board, knobs on the sink, the faucet, the fridge, the doorknobs, everything. The researchers still found pathogenic fecal bacteria everywhere. Fine. Last group. This time they were going to insist that people bleach everything. The dishcloth was immersed in bleach disinfectant and then they sprayed the bleach on all those surfaces. Let the bleach disinfectant sit there for 5 minutes. And still they found campylobacter and salmonella on some utensils, a dishcloth, the counter around the sink and the cupboard. Definitely better, but still, unless our kitchen is like some biohazard lab, the only way to guarantee we're not going to leave infection around the kitchen is to not bring it into the house in the first place.The good news is that it's not like you eat chicken once and you're colonized for life. In this study the chicken bacteria only seemed to last about 10 days. The problem is that people tend to eat chicken more than once every ten days so they were constantly introducing these chicken pathogens into their system. For example if you start feeding people only sterilized meat that's been boiled for an hour, within 3 weeks there's a 500 fold drop in the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria passing through their bodies.	I’m usually the [vegan] cook in our house most days, but once in a while my significant other decides to prepare some dead animal. He always acts like I’m overreacting about being grossed out and getting out the clorox cleanup when he’s done. I’m showing him this video when we get home tonight!Haha, you’ll have to let us know how that goes!Chicken from the store contains shit (oh – sorry, fecal residues), it can leave you paralysed (Guillain-Barre), it can kill you slowly (cancer, cardiovascular disease) or rapidly (shitting yourself to death in the bathroom), workers in poultry slaughtering and processing plants have increased risk of dying from certain cancers, you get bladder infections, you get antibiotic-resistant bacteria (that can`t be nuked) – is it legal to sell this stuff !?Also, besides cranberry, try a potent course of multi-strain probiotics for several days instead of antibiotics. Antibiotics may kill what’s ailing you, but they will also kill all your good bacteria (microflora) and you’ll be more susceptible to infections afterwards.MarkThis is so, so fascinating. Awesome video. Thanks!Oh goodness. That is crazy!So, if the bacteria is everywhere in the flesh-eater’s kitchen, don’t they spread it throughout the world (e.g., equipment at the gym, door knobs, telephones, grocery carts, etc.)?In other words, how can I, as a vegan, avoid these bacteria when most of the rest of the world appears to be swimming in it?Hi Dave, The 2 things that you have to your advantage are that you are not physically engaging (intimately) with the non-vegans and that your have some filters between you and this bacteria. (This may seem obvious, but I had to say it). The filters of your epidermis and your body’s natural resistance to foreign matter will overwhelm the vast majority of the remainder. Our resistance to disease is like a muscle when it’s exercised properly (not over- or under-worked). It will get stronger and stay in shape for the next time it needs to perform. If you’re are concerned about specific strains of bacteria, I wholly recommend some in depth research. I’d be out of my depth to recommend a treatment plan. Personally, I take NAC and a few other supplements to keep my resistance up when I feel a little less than 100%.Unless you’re living in a bubble, you have to get dirty and trust that your God-given ability to resist disease is sufficient to resist and manage most forms of bacterial exposure to maintain your health.Wishing you well.Hi Dr. G. As always, I would have never found this information without your level of insight. Your videos are SO relevant and salient. There is no safe way to handle an infected dead chicken…proof positive. I wish I had been better informed about this when I was younger. This makes me sad that I used to think that I was doing so well as a father of 2 daughters. I am sad that they (and me) would be sick too often (me more than them), so I can attribute this to our heavy meat diet. Things have changed. I hope that they will change their diets as well.I am now a strict vegan after a health scare and at the moment on a 60 day juice fast…We are on day 38. We (wife and I) are going to be raw-vegan after this (80-90%).I am saddened and frustrated with the state of our food industry. I have such a love for our country however we’ve become a ruthless commercially driven enterprise more than a society of opportunists with integrity. There are so many countries that won’t even accept an import of our animal products for this very reason…because the product is unsafe for their populations. So why would we allow OUR populations to endure this experimentation without regard for the natural consequences? It is unconscionable to except such poor judgement and justification from governmental officials, drowning in and tainted by the imbalanced self-regulated “research” documents that are representing the “safety” of the meat and dairy industry’s products. (and don’t get me started on big pharma and their “research” and FDA approval process impact).The farm, ranching, grocery and pharma lobbies need to be barred from access to (state and federal) congressional representatives. The respective governments need to be far more objective in their analysis and diagnosis of recommendations on the viability of these population affecting products from the perspective of national security and critical infrastructure and much less so on the perspective of economic gain.Hi having read this im guessing you live in USA ? I live in the UK. Have you heard anything about TTIP ? Im guessing but you probably haventnt as its yet another secret discussion about TRADE between USA and EUROPE. If this goes ahead it will be detrimental to ALL of us for lots of reasons, but one of which is the relaxing of our very strict laws on food regulation !! If the corporates get their way in USA we’ll ALL end up eating chemically infected meats !!! Please read about TTIP its imperative that we all STOP this being passed !!!Do any of the meat studies differentiate between organic and conventional? I am wondering if organic meats have less health risks.Dear doctor Greger, i just read your article on chicken and bladder infection, and i understood that only after one hour boiling the chicken is e-coli free. Is that correct? Thanks in advanceNow I know why I suddenly had regular bladder infections from the age of 18. It is when I left home and started doing my own cooking. (At the time the doctor and my Mum blamed sex with my boyfriend). 20 or so years later i stopped getting bladder infections; about the same time that I became too lazy too cook, so called, “proper” meals any more.I had campylobacta twice as well, as least doctors knew that was from chicken.This really begs the question…. what about supermarket belts and counters. Think about a trip to the store… A few people before you buy chicken… some juice leaks out on the belt, and you put your fresh veggies on the belt. Seems like it MUST be contaminating us too.Hi Dr. Greger, I looked at your pink juice, & would like to know what is erythritol & where can you find it? Thanks JoyThank you Dr. Greger for all you do. Now I would like to know to what extent eggs present the same problems?what about buying cooked chicken from the butcher or other store? (It isn’t clear to me if you get this bacteria just from eating chicken, if you didn’t cook it yourself, therefore didn’t handle it.)Dear Dr. Greger,I just got through watching your videos on UTIs and was wondering if switching to turkey would make a difference in the E-coli infestation brought on by consuming chicken. Also, would an organic variety of fowl make a difference? I realize this must sound like a ridiculous question, seeing these two meats are from the same type of animal, but we are transitioning to a vegetarian lifestyle and aren’t quite there yet. We still need to have some protein in our diets. We don’t eat that much meat, merely a few ounces per day, but it’s still a requirement in our lives, unfortunately. I thank you in advance for your time, Thank you for all that you do. I am grateful for all the info you send out in your emails. I make sure to pass them on to everyone I know. All my friends think you ROCK!Sincerely Yours, Maria—————— Submitted from: http://nutritionfacts.org/?utm_source=NutritionFacts.org&utm_campaign=75b4249a8d-RSS_VIDEO_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_40f9e497d1-75b4249a8d-23361277Maria: Congratulations on working to make your and your family’s diet healthier.As I understand it, you are thinking that you might still want to eat some turkey just to make sure you get enough protein in your diet. That is an understandable concern given how the media portrays our protein needs. However, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to meet your protein needs from whole plant foods. One of the best tutorials I know of (and an easy read) is the following page. Just reading even the first part will start to give you enough confidence to wean yourself off of protein fears: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlAlso, Dr. Greger has some great videos on protein and the best sources to get them. If you haven’t seen the following series yet, click on the link below and then keep doing “next video” until you get through to the body building video.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/Once you get through that series, you might think twice about substituting turkey for chicken regardless of the e-coli question. Hope that helps.Thanks for reposting, Maria. In addition to what Thea mentioned here is a video about Superbugs in Conventional vs. Organic Chicken. There still seems to be concerns with Turkey and salmonella. Here is a link to the many videos that discuss turkey. I hope these help! Good luck on your transition to a healthier lifestyle it sure sounds like you’re on the right track and going at a comfortable pace. I feel that is important for lasting changes. Let us know if you have further questions.Best wishes, Joseph	antibiotics,beef,bile acids,bladder health,bladder infections,Campylobacter,chicken,colon health,cooking methods,cooking temperature,E. coli,factory farming practices,farm animals,fecal bacteria,food poisoning,foodborne illness,gut flora,meat,pork,poultry,Salmonella,superbugs,urinary tract infections,vaginal health,women's health	Handling chicken can lead to the colonization of one's colon with antibiotic resistant E. coli that may result in bladder infections in women.	I originally explored this topic in Chicken Out of UTIs, but decided I needed to take a much deeper dive, especially in light of the cross-contamination issue, which I also previously touched on in Food Poisoning Bacteria Cross-Contamination and Fecal Contamination of Sushi.More on the insanity of feeding antibiotics to farm animals by the ton in:Other videos about diseases that one might not typically associate with food include:More on urinary tract health in:What if you already have a urinary tract infection? Can Cranberry Juice Treat Bladder Infections? That's the next video!For more context check out my blog: Does Cranberry Juice Work Against Bladder Infections?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/04/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urinary-tract-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/superbugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9072556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2814222/?report=classic,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22615330,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/342480,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22033854,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10664978,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1517922/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21658865,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22377351,
PLAIN-2745	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/	Bacterial Vaginosis and Diet	In the same way fermented pickles, kimchi, and sauerkraut foster the growth of good bacteria like lactobacillus by maintaining an acidic environment, so does the human vagina. The normal pH of one's vagina is that of tomato juice. Once it starts creeping up to that of, coffee, though, an overgrowth of bad bacteria can take hold and cause bacterial vaginosis, which affects an astounding 29% of American women—that's nearly 1 in 3 women in the United States. That makes it the most frequent cause of vaginal complaints among younger women, affecting tens of millions. It's commonly diagnosed with the so-called whiff test, where the doctor takes a whiff of the vaginal discharge sniffing for the characteristic fishy odor.Traditional risk factors for bacterial vaginosis include douching, which has also been associated with a wide range of problems. With no demonstrable benefits and considerable evidence of harm women should be encouraged to not douche. Medical professionals need to clearly explain that the vagina is naturally self-cleaning.Recently, poor nutrition has been added to the list of risk factors. You appear more likely to get bacterial vaginosis if you have lower circulating levels of phytonutrients like vitamin C and beta carotene in your bloodstream, indicating a lower intake of fruits and vegetables. In recent years, though, the field of nutrition has shifted toward examining overall dietary scores as opposed to single nutrients, because it has become recognized that nutrients are not consumed in isolation, that individuals consuming one health-promoting nutrient also tend to consume many others, and that the specific source of nutrients may be of importance. What a concept!So nutrient rich food indices have been devised to enable folks to get the most nutrients out of their calories. And the more nutrient rich one's diet, the lower one's apparent risk for bacterial vaginosis.Why, though?  Well, it's thought that high fat intake, particularly saturated fat— which comes mostly from dairy, doughnuts, and chicken in this country--may increase vaginal pH, thereby increasing the risk of bacterial vaginosis. So now that we know, -- The next steps ahead, include sharing these findings with gynecologists, obstetricians, and general practitioners, as well as increasing the awareness of the general community to the importance of optimal nutrition to prevent infections of the genital tract, reduce associated disease, and maintain reproductive health.	Things I learned from this video:1. Women have a self-cleaning oven and if you want it to smell like fish, eat Dairy and Chicken.2. If you want to keep your oven working optimally, don’t clean it and don’t feed it cheese, doughnuts or chicken. Give it what it really wants–A whole food Plant Based meal plan.When is the last time that you tried making baking a casserole in a vagina? :-O I’ll stick to feeding myself via my mouth and I’ll leave my vagina out of cooking altogether.I had BV for 3 years I tried everything including medication and holistic remedies!!!!! I finally cured it by eating a homemadeSauerkraut fermented in an organic garlic-brine…GONE!!!!Any chance you could share your recipe? Have a link? Thanks!Sauerkraut fermented in an organic garlic brineI would approach it like this: http://holisticsquid.com/purple-garlic-sauerkraut/. you could use plain or purple cabbage and could add extra garlic to ensure its very garlicy.When you put it in the jar, use the awesome technique in this recipe to hold the cabbage down under the brine by placing zip lock bags fulled with salty water on top of the cabbage. You’ll find it makes it much easier than trying to fill a small jar completely or using marbles/rocks to hold it down.you could add whey to speed up the process. this is because whey is an effective lactobacteria food source.. Possible sources of whey include:-the clear liquid that sometimes separates out of plain POT-SET yogurt (impt..yogurt fermented with gelatine may not separate). Shaking the jar or pressing on the surface with a large spoon increases the release of liquid)-water or milk kefir-the clear part of curdled milk (could curdle a small amount at home yourself with lemon juice as in making simple cheeses)So don’t eat high fat? What about high sugar? How much is “too much”? What are ways of keeping the vagina acidic?The vagina doesn’t need ‘extra’ help staying acidic it naturally stays between 3.8 – 4.2 ph, unless we eat S.A.D., then we can upset the whole thing, but eating a diet low or nil of saturated fat foods and high in raw fruits and veggies will give you a good healthy vagina, until you hit menopause, the ph will then go up and make it more vulnerable to bad bacteria, then you may want to get into fermented foods, like drink some homemade Kefir everyday, I drink about 1/2 liter every morning as my base for my breakfast smoothie :) . Remember in nature we would be eating things off the ground, the trees, seed heads, etc and getting plenty of bacteria to stock our intestines and our vagina against the ‘bad guys’ :)!While probiotic beneficial bacteria do migrate to the female urogenital tract and help maintain vaginal health here is more information on Preventing Bacterial Vaginosis With DietIs this information also could be related to Vaginal Yeast infection? I have it for years now ( comes and goes) . For almost a year I am vegan. My diet is nutrition dense, whole foods and no processed foods, but I still have vaginal discharges, sometimes very heavy. I rarely drink coffee. Please, do you have an information on this.If you’ve had difficulty eradicating your vaginal yeast infections, I found the best cure for recurrent vaginal yeast infections in my practice is boric acid vaginal suppositories. They are cheap (about 2 cents each) and relatively safe. Though the mechanism is unclear, vaginal boric acid suppositories are effective in curing up to 98% of the patients who had previously failed to respond to the most commonly used antifungal drugs.Boric acid is toxic if taken orally (if swallowed). DO NOT EAT BORIC ACID. Also keep it away from children and open wounds. Boric Acid should NOT be used when you are pregnant.To make your own suppositories, fill up large empty capsules with boric acid (like with the tip of a knife and a baggie). Insert one capsule into your vagina before bedtime every day for 2 weeks. You may want to wear a pad as it tends to be runny. It can also be helpful is to take some of the loose powder and spread it on your labia and under your clitoral hood.Stop the treatment if you experience burning or get a bloody discharge.Back in the day, I took a Women’s Studies health class (which was fantastic btw), and one of the recommendations for treating yeast infections was plain yogurt suppositories (due to the probiotics in the yogurt). However, this is a fantastic self-treatment alternative. Thank you for sharing it with us!And, THANK YOU for bringing up the dangers of douching. I can’t believe that those products are still available on the market.Invaluable treatment information! You’re like Felix the Cat–you’ve got a lot in that ‘Bag of Tricks” of yours.Thanks for adding to my cheap and effective treatment arsenal.I’m not convinced about Boric Acid as safe in any mucus membranes. It’s MSDS states it’s quite toxic. I’ve recon firmed this other places as well. I went in search of some suppositories at my local healthfood store (which still sells questionable products) and they had discontinued due to toxicity.Yeast, also known as candida, are a normal part of the vaginal microbiome (microorganisms). Lactobacillus, an acid producing bacteria that is also found in the vagina, helps to keep candida (yeast) in check by providing an acidic vaginal pH between 3.8 to 4.5. Vaginal yeast infections tend to occur because something disturbs the microbial balance and pH and allows the yeast to overgrow producing a whitish, “cottage-cheese”-like discharge that is itchy. Factors that have been linked to vaginal yeast infections include the use of antibiotics, menopause (lower estrogen), oral contraceptives, spermicides, and even diabetes.Restoring the normal pH can help prevent and treat yeast infection. Dr. Greger mentioned the use of boric acid vaginal suppositories, this is one way to restore natural acid pH of the vagina. If taking an antibiotic, the use of non-dairy, Lactobacillus acidophilus capsules can be use orally, wait at least 2-hours before and after ingesting the antibiotic, during and for a period of time after stopping the antibiotic. Avoiding refined sugars, as you are doing is also strongly recommended.Yeast, also known as candida, are a normal part of the vaginal microbiome (microorganisms). Lactobacillus, an acid producing bacteria that is also found in the vagina, helps to keep candida (yeast) in check by providing an acidic vaginal pH between 3.8 to 4.5. Vaginal yeast infections tend to occur because “something” disturbs the microbial balance and pH allowing the yeast to overgrow producing a whitish, “cottage-cheese”-like discharge that is itchy. Factors that have been linked to vaginal yeast infections include the use of antibiotics, menopause (lower estrogen), oral contraceptives, spermicides, and even diabetes.Restoring the normal pH of the vagina can help prevent and treat a yeast infection. Dr. Greger mentioned the use of boric acid vaginal suppositories, this is a way to restore the natural acid pH of the vagina. If taking an antibiotic, the use of non-dairy, Lactobacillus acidophilus capsules can be use orally, wait at least 2-hours before and after ingesting the antibiotic, during and for a period of time after stopping the antibiotic. Avoiding refined sugars, as you are doing is also strongly recommended.I have been a vegetarian for 5 1/2 years and have been dealing with BV off and on for the past 2 years. My partner thinks it gets worse when I eat a lot of butter, and I think it gets worse when he uses saliva instead of lubricant since saliva is full of bacteria.I share your concern, however I can’t help but wonder if it’s better to live with the initial bacterial load of using saliva instead of dealing with the longer lasting pH alteration caused by many lubricants. And I highly suspect there my be a good number of “endocrine disrupting” chemicals in most lubricants too. Has anyone tried gel from boiled flax, chia, or psyllium seed?Dear Dr. Greger, could you, in a future video, please tell us more about this “nutrient-rich food index” as the related study is not available for the general public but sounds rather promising. This is of course only in case this index is helpful and/or contains new information for regular readers of this site. Maybe your “What is the best XXX” videos are based on better research.I started eating a plant-based diet over a year ago and started having recurring yeast infections around the same time. I’ve tried everything and read a lot about it. Everybody recommends a diet low in carbs, sugars and fruits. I’m not ready to go that route yet, since I’ve never eaten healthier in my life, and I feel great eating plan-based food. But I’m getting desperate. Can a plant-based diet cause yeast infections?Yes plant based diets will cause not only yeast infections, but diabetes, cancer, heart disease, etc. Eating processed and refined foods will make you super healthy and will ward off all of these problems!I’m kidding. Fruits and veggies will not cause yeast infections. From my experience though, they do bring issues you’ve always had to the surface (I always had acne, it got worse before it got better when I became a fruitarian). So not, a plant based diet will not cause yeast infections. :) 30bananasaday.comI would make sure you’re eliminating your waste well. Your gut can ferment foods. I use Triphala but try to find a Western company. Helped me a lot.Eating a lot of sugar can increase your incidence of yeast infections (I cannot quantify how much “a lot” is). Simple sugars like those found in many carbohydrates are included. Reducing sugary foods – soda, desserts, etc. – and switching to whole grain carbs can help. The benefits of fruits and vegetables outweigh any link to infections, but try and experiment to see what might be your triggers. Be sure, also, to drink plenty of water.It is important that, in addition to becoming healthy example individually, we need to push the message so the field workers get the message. I have tried for years now to get my GP on board. He acknowledges the truth of vegan health but he just doesn’t seem to get it. No, he gets it but, I get a subtle sense of skepticism from him. That no matter what the science is saying, it just isn’t right to quit animals and animal products. of course the fact that i live in a country whose entire economy is based on dairy may be a confounded factor.Thirty years ago a physiology professor said something to this (self cleaning) effect. He did a few lectures on the importance of vitamins and nutrients.At the end of every summer I have to visit my OBGYN for Bacterial Vaginitis. I know, it is caused from “ICE Cream”. Need to take off your wet bathing suits too and put on some dry undies too. Have a great summer.Couple questions related to this. 1) What is the most healthful lubricant to use? 2) are there any “natural” lubricants that one should try using?Our gynecologist told us to stay away from lubricants that are touted as “natural” because apparently they are more likely to cause “problems.” I think she meant that they are more likely to cause irritation, illicit allergies, or promote infection.Background: My wifes pH level seems to be very sensitive to our choice of lubricants. We’ve tried most of the products lines (even the “natural” ones) of the major brands (KY, Durex, etc.) but they often seem to predispose her toward either BV and/or yeast infections. The one we keep coming back to is called “Pink Indulgence Cream” but I can’t help but to wonder if the ingredients are deleterious for longevity. http://www.amazon.com/Pink-Indulgence-Cr%C3%A8me-3-3-fluid-Ounce/dp/B004I6J6H0/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_tnr_2What about yogurt? And goat milk/yogurt? Do they contribute to the same risk factors, or are processed in a way that eliminates the presence of the hormones in question?I was tormented with yeast and BVs for years! The yeast seemed very hormonally affected and the BVs seemed sexually brought on. When I married and became pregnant I could not rid myself of the BVs especially. The prescription meds didn’t keep them away and I feared in the long term use to my fetus.Basically I was vegetarian but did eat loads of fats with cheese and dairy. What truly kicked it was my following recipe, having the baby (hormones) and getting off my thyroid meds and on a very cautious diet of whole foods/plants, some supplements and a few other regimens. When I treated my husband, leveled my hormones, took out sat fat. I no longer get any yeast or BVs. My immune system is so much better.The first step was this 3-day treatment that’s much more natural than borax or even garlic etc.Bacterial Vaginosis Cure3 day peroxide douche: 3 min full strength peroxide for 3 nightsStart Fem-Dophilis 2x by mouth immediately for 2 weeks. 2x vaginally after the 3-day douche for 2 weeks.No sex for 2 weeks.Increase vitamin D3 1500mg daily.Increase water intake!Buy 4% Hibiclens solution and dilute to 1%. Put some in spray bottle for partner to use in shower. Pour full glass over wet wipes to keep by toilet and use after BM’s and sex. It’s extremely important to treat partner with Hibiclens or the bacteria will simply come back.After the 2 weeks is up, sex can be resumed. Reduce vaginal Fem-Dophilis to 1 daily. After a month, reduce oral Fem-Dophilis to 1 daily. Treat until you’re certain immune system is strong enough. May want to continue 1 oral daily as regimen.After one month, reduce D3 to 500mg during summer and 1000mg during winter. Continue taking as regimen.I had BV intermittently over a period of several years, sometimes extremely severely. I finally realized the culprit for me was a very high fruit diet and also an absence of good bacteria that showed on lab tests. I took antibiotics for years as a teen, prescribed by my doctor. The last bout of BV was about a year ago. No one and nothing helped until I found my own cure. It was raw garlic and oil of oregano. A severe case of BV was much better within days and gone in a week. I have not had any relapses. Since then, I take a great probiotic a.m and p.m and raw sauerkraut daily and garlic regularly. Also, I eat very little low-glycemic fruit.how did you prepare the garlic and oil of oregano. I have chronic BV and I am about to drive myself crazy. Nothing has helped. I have been on everything you could possibly imagine. I have been dealing with this so long, my doctor finally said what is causing the BV is I have extra blood in in my uterus. I had the novasure (ablation) 3 weeks ago, I am still very miserable. Don’t think that was it at all. My husband just does not know how to feel. I am willing to try anything at this point.This is very very true! After years of trying to figure the issue out, I finally caught a grasp! I woul go to the doctor every 9 days after the medication they gave me was used properly and wore off only after two days of finish! I tried everything I was told! Don’t wear tight clothes, don’t use scented stuff, wear cotton panties, douch, try yogurt, don’t douch, limit partners, don’t have sex, and the list goes on! After years of testing everything And constantly paying for treatment, I did a ton of research! No doctor ever said anything about food, diet, water or whatever! I read a million times the same preventative stuff which never helped! It gets annoying when you find out that absolutely nothing the doctor prescribed works! It gets annoying when every preventative thing you read This is very very true! After years of trying to figure the issue out, I finally caught a grasp! I woul go to the doctor every 9 days after the medication they gave me was used properly and wore off only after two days of finish! I tried everything I was told! Don’t wear tight clothes, don’t use scented stuff, wear cotton panties, douch, try yogurt, don’t douch, limit partners, don’t have sex, and the list goes on! After years of testing everything And constantly paying for treatment, I did a ton of research! No doctor ever said anything about food, diet, water or whatever! I read a million times the same preventative stuff which never helped! It gets annoying when you find out that absolutely nothing the doctor prescribed works! It gets annoying when every preventative thing you read doesn’t work! So I took it upon myself to study the ph stuff! I would measure my ph and try different foods and waters! Over time I found that alkaline food and water highly affected my oh levels and helped the Bv! Ph water and an alkaline diet is the only relief I have from it! I have not been to the doctor in over half a year! I can prevent any infection simply by drinking my ph water! No yeast, no Bv, and no bladder infections! If I feel themdoesn’t work! So I took it upon myself to study the ph stuff! I would measure my ph and try different foods and waters! Over time I found that alkaline food and water highly affected my oh levels and helped the Bv! Ph water and an alkaline diet is the only relief I have from it! I have not been to the doctor in over half a year! I can prevent any infection simply by drinking my ph water! No yeast, no Bv, and no bladder infections! If I feel them coming on and I just drink the water! I have also gone on an all alkaline diet! The alkaline directly works! We eat and need water everyday anyway so it is convenient! I figured this out on my own! No thanks to doctors and wasted money!Hi there, I am curious about the alkaline diet? what does that entail and most importantly do you know why it works? secondly why is your message repeated so many times is that intentional? Lastly I also agree doctors are not very good in this area. It too specific for them to work out unless they live with you.Check out this video! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/giving up (my beloved) goat milk kefir.. made all the difference	animal fat,bacterial vaginosis,beta carotene,cheese,chicken,coffee,dairy,douching,doughnuts,fat,fruit,milk,pH,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,poultry,reproductive health,saturated fat,side effects,tomato juice,vaginal discharge,vaginal health,vaginosis,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin C,whiff test,women's health,yogurt	A more plant-based diet may help prevent vaginal infections, one of the most common gynecological problems of young women.	More on the detrimental effects of saturated fat in videos such as:The fishy odor is a consequence of a compound of decay called putrescine, which is also found in certain foods. More about these "biogenic amines" in:Now nasal douching is another matter. See The Risks and Benefits of Neti Pot Nasal Irrigation and my answer about the "brain-eating amoeba."More on vaginal health in Treating Genital Warts With Green Tea and more on achieving maximum nutrient density in Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score.	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/should-i-sterilize-my-neti-pot/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacterial-vaginosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/douching/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/whiff-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/doughnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-discharge/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18254882,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17621244,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18254881,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18503038,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21734062,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2567125/,
PLAIN-2746	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/	Lavender for Migraine Headaches	Lavender has been studied recently for several purposes including treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, as well as a number of other things. Its analgesic effect, however, its painkiller effect, is one of the widely studied properties. Surprising, then, that there hasn't apparently been a single documented clinical trial to study lavender for the treatment of migraine headaches that affects tens of millions of Americans every year. Until now: "Lavender Essential Oil in the Treatment of Migraine Headache: A Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial."Migraine sufferers were asked to—at the early signs of headache—rub 2–3 drops of the lavender essential oil onto their upper lip and inhale its vapor for a 15-min period of time and score the severity of their headache for the next two hours. In the control group they did the same thing except they used drops of basically unscented liquid wax. Neither group was allowed to use any painkillers. In the lavender group 74% of patients had an improvement in their symptoms, significantly better than placebo. Though in the study lavender wasn't directly compared to more conventional treatments, lavender appears to stack up pretty well compared to typical drugs. Lavender helped about three quarters of the time, high dose Tylenol only works about half the time, and Ibuprofen 57% of the time. The #1 prescription drug, generic imitrex, is effective 59% of the time, and then the hardcore treatment they use in emergency rooms where they inject you under the skin, 70%. All of these work better than the original migraine therapy, known as trepanning, where doctors drilled a hole in your head to let the evil spirits escape.Conclusion: The present study suggests that inhalation of lavender essential oil may be an effective and safe treatment modality in acute management of migraine headaches.	Yes, but lavender seemed only to help with some of the symptoms of migraine, but the one it did not help was the pain…which is the most significant symptom….I am a big believer in alternative meds, but sadly never have found anything to help me other than imitrex and advil..Try acupressure (buy book and inform yourself) or acupuncture. Or buy a book on help with gemstones (color and stone itself works) Google otherwise but do not kvetch (complain) there is nothing in altern. med.Im not complaining, but stating a simple fact in my quest for alternative forms of relief for relieving pain and frequency of Migraines. Unless you are a chronic migraine sufferer and have found relief other than mainsteam meds, you cannot speak on this subject…migraines are more complex than you seem to be aware of…even seasoned acupuncturist admit they are very difficult to treat.Lavender helps? Hmm perhaps it is a thing I could try. I also wanted to share this headache relief methods video I found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgHcae0YbK0I’ve suffered from severe, debiliatating headaches/migraines since puberty. Lasting 3 to 4 days with nausea, severe vomiting, constant uncontrollable dry heaves, pain so severe I roll around on the floor and wish to die. My parents didn’t believe/couldn’t afford doctors. I got married and cried the day I found out that other people do not have headaches on a daily basis. I was in my mid-20’s then. I finally went to a Dr and was put on every migraine treatment avail. I do not drink alcohol, do not smoke, do not wear perfume, avoid all loud conversations, places, chemical smells, etc. I go get neck massages to relieve tension at my expense to reduce/relieve migraines.I never took a preventative and would end up at the urgent care or ER for a demerol/phenergan shot. Thanks to all the drug addicts out there, they have discontinued that treatment. Since I went for years sick and out of work for days w/o going to a dr everytime i had a scratch, they say I have no HISTORY of migraines. That means you have to go be a wus and go to the dr everytime you have a cramp.I had went to the ER 1x in 2 yrs and my BP had gotten so high they thought I was having a stroke. they treat me like a drug seeker. Who are these people? and why does everyone have to pay for their stupidity? My husband refuses to take me any longer. A neuro told me NOT to wait til I was that bad off to take my meds. He wrote me Fioricet and it is the only thing that works. My now dr won’t write me a Rx for it. I pay a fortune to have insurance and then the dr visit, time off work to go all for nothing. I don’t think rubbing lavender oil on my head is really going to do anything. I actually have it and sprinkle a few drops on my pillow at night for relaxation. This was advised by the massage therapist.It used to be the only thing that worked for me was a shot of Toradol at the ER. Then an ER nurse mentioned Toradol comes in a generic pill now. Now that I have that, no more trips to the ER. You just can’t take them for more than 5 days in a row.I feel your pain! I’m still suffering with headaches so bad that I lay on the floor and cry, wishing to die. I have tried every traditional medical treatment out there, with 100% failure! Not to even mention the side effects that are just as bad as the treatment.It finally gets bad enough that I go to the emergency room and the emergency room doctor does treat me like I’m seeking drugs. I’ve been in the emergency room twice in 2 years. It’s absolately ridiculous. Yet tne doctor attempting to find a solution! I just get passed from one doctor to another.So I’ll try lavender. Least it is better than the latest drug that isn’t going to wanyway or if it might work, the side effects are just as bad as the migraine to begin with.Please look at medical massage with boris prilutsky (googe it), massage 2 times a week and self treatment in between for a period of 15-20 treatments has been clinically proven to help restore mechanical receptors related to stress, anxiety, muscle tension and fascia tension. please you have to try this before it becomes a life threatening issue. this is not something new but something thats been ignored in our society of quick fixes and pills.One teaspoon of Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) in water, at first symptom, should stop it in it’s tracks. An external lotion, “Migraine Buster” by “Florida’s Best”, along with 2 Naproxen is a 2nd best solution. Imitrex side effects include rapid heart beat.Can the wax really be called a placebo? No one is going to put lavender essential oil under their nose and not realize it, and likewise no one in the wax group is going to wonder if they’re getting the lavender. I just thought the point of using a placebo meant that the subjects wouldn’t know what group they were in. Otherwise… could the success of the lavender itself be a “placebo effect”?That said I’m not doubting the results; if I had migraines I’d give it a try.I agree. They should have had something that smelled like lavender, but wasn’t actually real lavender oil.Thanks, but now my headache is already gone. :-|Maybe ill try it another time. :PFunny, I have subscribed and resubscribed and it says I do not have permission o view the video.I found some lavender scents at the store, but no lavender tea or edible oil. Lots of stuff on the Net though. I’m anxious to try something.You can purchase edible essential oil from DoTerra.com The oils are therapeutic grade.Thanks, I will try it.Thanks for info on Lavender. I’m always interested in migraine therapies. Many readers may like to know the Journal of Neurology published in 2012 a comprehensive assessment of 284 clinical studies of migraine prevention between 1999 and 2009. http://www.neurology.org/content/78/1/1346.full.html I quote here some of what the authors published: “RECOMMENDATIONS: Level A. The following therapy is established as effective and should be offered for migraine prevention: Petasites (butterbur). Level B. The following therapies are probably effective and should be considered for migraine prevention: i.) NSAIDS: fenoprofen, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, naproxen sodium; ii.) Herbal therapies, vitamins, and minerals: riboflavin, magnesium, MIG-99 (feverfew); iii.) Histamines: histamine SC.”I stopped eating gluten and my constant migraines went away. :) I still get them very occasionally, though, and will try the lavender next time.After purchasing oil of lavender I noticed that the label said to avoid contact with skin, eyes, mucous membranes, lips and tongue. How can I reconcile this with the video recommendations?Not all essential oils are created equal. Many are distilled with chemicals and should be avoided at all costs. Some are filled with carrier oils but are still labeled as pure, as the essential oil industry is unregulated. I personally trust only Young Living, but have heardsome encouraging things about doTerra. I’ve tried other brands and can tell the current, once with harmful results.After years of migraines, fortunately, treatable with imitrex, I began utilizing essential oils. For my migraines, I’ve found specific methods of using peppermint eo, lavender eo, frankincense eo, plus the blends of ProgessencePlus and M-grain, to ease away 90% of the pain and symptoms. A nap in the dark and quiet soothes what remains.I want to mention the book “Heal Your Headache” by Dr. David Buchholz. The recommendations that he has in his book and his 30+ years working with migraine sufferers is exceptional. Here is the link http://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Headache-David-Buchholz/dp/0761125663/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372358375&sr=1-3&keywords=migraine+relief. You will see reviews from others as well. If you follow his steps to a tea, you will definitely see results. I also use a supplement called Butterbur Extra and a Homeopathic supplement, Migratox liquid. Between the recommendations in the book and these two supplements my migraines have reduced significantly. I am a health professional and am in the process of trying to put together a program that will help others. It is such a blessing!Lavender helps? Hmm perhaps it is a thing I could try. I also wanted to share this headache relief methods video I found http://youtu.be/FgHcae0YbK0What is the difference between therapeutic-grade lavender and that which can be purchased at a drugstore?I’ve been inspired to explore the effects of lavender scent. Not because I have headaches or pain though. The soothing aspect is interesting and I think it may have a relaxing affect on me. –I bought lavender flowers at a flower store and set them out a week. It made my sister’s nose itch a bit. I liked the smell. –My mom and I pulled the flowers off the stems and put them in oil. I’ve been trying the oil on my upper lip and on my temples, and even on a burn. –I received in the mail today some lavender oil (NOW) ($6) (1 oz.) that I got off Amazon.com. Nice smell. Seems to have an alcohol edge to it though. Not sure I would ingest it. It is supposed to be 100% lavender oil though. –I am inspired to try other scented oils also, like peppermint and tea tree, and possibly others.I don’t get them anymore…it was from my environment and stress, as is the case for most I suspect. All these so called remedies are in my opinion really band aid fixes for the real solution which is a change of venue and/or reduction in stress.After 40 years of almost daily migraines, I have gotten tremendous relief with cranio-sacral therapy. Days go by with no pain now and, the headaches that I do get are usually much less intense.Funny I had a bad headache and put some under my lip and it’s gone. Amazing.Lavendar grows like weeds. I have a bunch of it in my yard. I crushed some and put under my nose (the oil) and it’s amazing.I used to be plagued with migraines. Then I stopped eating meat and had no attacks for five years. They did return but the frequency and severity of them has diminished greatly.No more bad headaches (not migraine though) since I discovered that a green smoothie that includes 4 cups or more of spinach/arugula/kale/swiss chard – mix of any of those – heads them off at the first twinge. Or if I’ve had chocolate (very sensitive to caffeine) I’ll have a smoothie some hours later and one the next day. Really it’s easier to just have the smoothie on a daily basis but I’m too lazy. Hope this info helps someone.As an ex Healthfood Store employee, I NEVER told a pregnant woman she could use anything other than eating crystallized ginger for nausea!I have been suffering from migraine headaches most of my life. They are now so severe that I am unable to function on any level. They are even to the point that I have had instances of blindness. I’m allergic to any of the vast number of medications that have been prescribed. In addition, emergency room treatment only makes the problem worse, as I have had allergic reaction to all those treatments now. All I know is that nothing is working anymore yet I’m still suffering.Lavender is something I have also tried, as well as just about everything I read about!Nothing works!It STILL comes down to not being able to function about 10 days per month and being depressed because I cannot control when those instances occur and get any relief!Specifically, what diet do I need to follow that may help with these headaches? Is there a supplement that might be beneficial?I just recently started having migraine headaches. I tried the lavender and peppermint oils and the headaches went away, but came back in full force about two hours later. My trips to the ER were successful when they gave me magnesium by IV and a steroid. Demerol and Phenergan made me drunk and woozy, but did not take the pain away.	acetaminophen,alternative medicine,aromatherapy,brain health,complementary medicine,headaches,Ibuprofen,lavender,medications,migraine headaches,pain,side effects,Tylenol	A placebo-controlled clinical trial of lavender essential oil aromatherapy shows it to be an effective migraine therapy.	Taken internally, lavender may even work as well as powerful drugs for the relief of anxiety. See my last video, Lavender for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.Migraine sufferers may also want to experiment with avoiding potential triggers such as aspartame (see my video Diet Soda and Preterm Birth). Saffron may also help with headaches (Saffron for the Treatment of PMS) as well as avoiding certain parasites (Pork Tapeworms on the Brain and Avoiding Epilepsy Through Diet). A note of caution, though: Pregnant migraine sufferers seeking natural remedies should be wary of advice they may get (Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees).Those eating healthy diets are less likely to be on pain medications in general (Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants). See, for example:	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tylenol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ibuprofen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acetaminophen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aromatherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12383060,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0014702/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20879892,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10985632,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22517298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12434581,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12112282,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21464715,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20236342,
PLAIN-2747	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder/	Lavender for Generalized Anxiety Disorder	Lavender oil, distilled from lavender flowers, is most often used in aromatherapy and massage. Despite its popularity, only recently have scientifically-based investigations been undertaken into its biological activity. There have been small-scale studies suggesting benefit from lavender massage, but maybe it's the massage, not the lavender.There was a study on patients in intensive case comparing massage with odorless oil to lavender oil, and though patients massaged with lavender oil did say they felt less anxious and more positive, there were no objective differences found in terms of blood pressure, breathing or heart rate. Frankly, maybe the lavender was just covering up the nasty hospital smells.Subsequent studies using more sensitive tests did find physiological changes, though. We know the smell of lavender changes brain wave patterns, but what effect does that have? Well the it evidently makes people people feel better and perform math better—faster and more accurately, whereas the smell of rosemary, for example, seemed to enable folks only to do the math faster—not necessarily with greater accuracy.But what if you actually eat lavender flowers, or in this case take capsules of lavender-infused oil so you could double-blind the study to compare lavender head to head to a drug like valium—lorazepam, also known as Ativan for generalized anxiety disorder.Generalized and persistent anxiety is a frequent problem and is treated with benzodiazepines, benzos, or downers like valium. Unfortunately, these substances can not only make you feel like you have a hangover but have a high potential for drug abuse and addiction, so they decided to give lavender a try. The drug Ativan certainly reduces anxiety, but so does lavender. By the end you couldn't tell which was which. And in fact among those that responded to either, the lavender actually seemed to work better.Since lavender oil has no potential for drug abuse and causes no hangover effects it appears to be an effective and well-tolerated alternative to benzodiazepine drugs for amelioration of generalized anxiety.One cautionary note, however, there was a case series published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Prepuberty gynecomastia linked to lavender. Reports of young boys exposed to lavender-containing lotions, soaps, hair gel, and shampoo starting to develop breasts, which disappeared after these products were discontinued, suggesting that lavender oil may possess hormone disprupting activity and indeed when dripped on estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells do show estrogenic effects and a decline in male hormone activity. It's unknown if similar reactions occur inside the body when lavender flowers or lavender oil is ingested.	I still don’t know what to do with this information even though it is erudite. Maybe only treat women with GAD with Lavender (Gynecomastia in women is a welcome side effect for men) but the decrease in Testosterone in women may also mean a decrease in libido since testosterone is the hormone associated with increased sex drive. What’s a person with GAD to do? Well I guess when the GAD is so life altering, the side effects may not outweigh the benefits.Thanks for your hard work!HemoDynamic: Do you think the data suggests that breathing?/eating?/lotions? lavender by a woman who has too much testosterone would be a safe way to lower her way too high testosterone levels? I had looked at licorice as a way to do this, but Dr. Greger’s warnings on licorice show that licorice is not a safe way to do it. Just wondering if you have any conjecture on this idea based on your experience/gut and this video. I’m not expecting medical advice. And of course, if you are too busy to respond, I would understand that too. :-)By the time the video was finished I decided that it would be prudent to avoid lavender. Even with the positive GAD attributes, the last section of the video makes it pretty clear, to me at least, that lavender might not be such a good idea! Anyone else out there have this reaction? Was this your intention, Dr. G?Agree. Interesting, but the side effects – especially long term – is a concern. This is a very fine example – because the “drug” is from the nature, that does not necessarily mean that it is safe.I had the same reaction as Elsie. My daughter takes a med for GAD but she is also in a family with risk for breast cancer. If I understand this video correctly, Lavender oil is a PLUS for GAD but a NEGATIVE for breast cancer. For now, I think I take a pass on this therapy.What’s a person with “GAD” to do? Gosh, how about utilizing a behavioral approach? Like good ole short term behavior therapy. What’s with the knee jerk we’ve-got-to-go-with-a-pill approach? For example, there’s a number of studies out there that show therapy to be superior to meds when dealing with depression.Robert, thank you. Please continue to spread this message.Good ole’ exercise also seems to work for both depression and GAD:Ströhle, Andreas. “Physical activity, exercise, depression and anxiety disorders.” Journal of neural transmission 116.6 (2009): 777-784. http://www.robertwhitaker.org/robertwhitaker.org/Solutions_files/Physical%20activity,%20exercise,%20depression%20and%20anxiety%20disordrs.pdfOne wonders how much mental disorder arises from simple lack of regular walks, sleep, and friendship.Because behavioral therapy is expensive and usually not covered by insurance companies. I would love to go to therapy but the fact is I can’t afford it so I use bandaides instead of getting stitches. It may not be as effective but I have to get through the day somehow. I have been all over with therapies and medicines and NONE of them has worked for more than a few months, eventually the monster rears its ugly head and I’m right back to where I started. Plus it’s really hard to find a therapist that you jive with. I have gone through four and all of them but one, who simply retired, said or did something irredeemable like push religion or raise their fee out of the blue. The truth of the matter is that the most effective methods involve both therapy and medication whether they be herbal or not and if you can just be okay with therapy you probably don’t have full true GAD because GAD DOES affect (or is a result of) your neurological and chemical compositions.According to “Herbs Demystified” by medicinal chemist Holly Phaneuf (highly recommended, browse at: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1569244081/qid=1118163253/ ), linalool (~30% of lavender oil, with another ~50% as its ester for extended release) appears to act through competitively blocking the exitatory neurotransmitter glutamate at NMDA receptors, indirectly potentiating the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, and reducing acetylcholine release. Other NMDA antagonists are commonly used as dissociative anesthetics, so its unsurprising lavender oil might be calming – its herbal ketamine.There’s a line about all medicines being toxins applied at low doses. While lavender oil appears safe in moderation, that observation may apply here. In addition to the estrogenic effects noted in the video, its anticholinergic effect can be an issue.Acikalin, Ayca, et al. “Anticholinergic Syndrome and Supraventricular Tachycardia Caused by Lavender Tea Toxicity.” http://www.kjm.keio.ac.jp/past/61/2/66.pdfLong-term use of other NMDA antagonists like ketamine is associated with brain damage, at least in lab animals in kept in a perpetual k-hole. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olney%27s_lesions ). As linalool also has that anticholinergic effect, it might itself neutralize that potential side effect ( http://www.lycaeum.org/drugs/Cyclohexamines/nmda-toxicity.html ).There’s nothing magical about herbal medications. Their active components differ from other drugs in being nonpatentable, and accompanied by hundreds of other chemicals of use to the plants. Fortunately herbal preparations with acute toxicity at therapeutic doses have been “off the market” for hundreds of years, but information on long-term effects after their chronic use is sparse, if available at all.By the way, linalool and its ester are not unique to lavender – its common to many plants that attract moth pollinators at night. Basil, hops, many thymes and mints, indian bay leaf; over 200 species.So, why take the risk when both theanine and kava have excellent safety profiles and work well on generalized anxiety disorder. In 2002 and 2003, there were reports, mostly in Europe, of hepatoxic effects of Kava (liver). However, many of these cases were actually attributed to prescription drugs. In addition, many of the supplement manufacturers in an effort to get more profit included stems and leaves from kava instead of just the root. Stems and leaves contain alkaloids that are hepatoxic not found in the root. When prepared with just the root in the South Pacific, there has not been this effect of hepatoxicity. And kava has been shown clinically to be very effective against GAD vs. drugs. As with all substances, it’s not for every day but rather when you are going into an anxious situation. I like Gaia herbs though they are expensive. They have an excellent QA program and very high quality kava.Other herbs with some success (though less than kava) that are anoxylitic include: lemon balm, relora (magnolia bark), passionflower, skullcapA reference for the curious regarding the hepatotoxin pipermethystine present in the aerial portion (but not roots) of the kava plant.Nerurkar, Pratibha V., et al. “In vitro toxicity of kava alkaloid, pipermethystine, in HepG2 cells compared to kavalactones.” Toxicological Sciences 79.1 (2004): 106-111. http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/content/79/1/106.shortI’ve only taken kava on vacation in Fiji. Its an acquired taste.I tried kava over and over and never could tell any effect, years ago. FWIWHi Dr. Greger, good stuff! a question:Assuming I want to consume lavender through dried lavender herbs as in tea with hot water, what would be the amount to match the same as the people in the study took? one cup a day?Hi Dr. Greger : )) Can you do more videos on essential oils?I’m so glad you appreciated it! I try to stick to food, but sometimes I stumble across something too interesting to pass up!To be fair, there is lavender in food items too. For example, I once bought a chocolate bar flavored with lavender. Also, I think there are teas with lavender in them. So, this video is not that far off your normal scope. :-)Please note this report: http://roberttisserand.com/articles/TeaTreeAndLavenderNotLinkedToGynecomastia.pdfmention was made about side effects in young boys using lavender oil , are the effects the same with senior citizens 60+How much lavender oil would a a 30 year old male who weighs about 150 take for pretty bad general anxiety?Question – I’m male, just about 30, and have some gynecomastia from what I would call my teens/puberty. I’ve been eating a 99% plant based diet for 2.5 years now and my health has tremendously improved. Unfortunately, I seem to have tissue under each of my nipples. Have you ever come across anything that indicates that a plant-based diet can reverse this? Any specific foods? I worry about the increase in male breast cancer risk from having gynecomastia.Hmm. I am now conflicted as to what to do. I occasionally sniff lavender oil for anxiety and I find it helpful but reading about the other side effects like breast cancer is not appealing ;-) How often can one sniff lavender oil and it be safe?I’m more of a rosemary person:From:Moss, Mark, et al. “Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults.” International Journal of Neuroscience 113.1 (2003): 15-38.Hello Dr Gregor.I hope you can give me some insight on this issue…About a month ago,a friend gave me some culinary lavender,dried lavender flowers.Well,I almost immediately became completely addicted.I am eating about a cup{sometimes more} of cleaned,screened,organic lavender flowers every day! Previous to this,for 10 years,I was addicted to fresh Rosemary,eating as much as I could get my hands on,often buying the plant in a greenhouse and stripping it to eat on the way home.I craved Rosemary,and now Lavender like many folks crave chocolate or maybe even cigarettes.None of the local health practicioners know what to make of it.Can you give me some insight as to whether it is bad for me,or if I should be wary of anything about this bizarre compulsion? Why do you think my body would crave Fresh Rosemary,and now dried Lavender? I would dearly appreciate ANY ideas or recommendations that you might have,as no one in my area knows what to make of it..Thank you so much for your precious time!Sincerely,KristinaI’m not a doctor, my interest is more general. It’s unlikely to be a nutritional need, more like the brain finds it chemically useful. The other explanation is you just like it a lot. Human variability of taste and desire may be wider than we give it credit, may not mean anything pathological. So maybe the craving is yours and not your body’s? Did you enjoy or not? You may have just discovered something you really like, that’s lucky.Dr. Greger,This past summer I developed sleep issues to the point where my nerves were frayed. Then my father unexpectedly got ill and died within a week. Then a relationship I was in came to an abrupt end. I was waking up in the middle of the night with a racing heart several times a week, going to work on only 3-5 hours a sleep.Lavender oil capsules made a huge difference for me.I would have taken them sooner, but reports of that 7 year old study about the hormone thing scared me away.Instead I listened to my doctor and got on lorazapam for several weeks. Getting off of it was unpleasant.Fortunately I found some information that study was just one bad study. Lavender oil has been well studied since then, proven safe, and is even used for GAD in Germany.I’m not a doctor, but you are. Please consider reading and evaluating these links, possibly as a prelude to updating your videos on lavender.It has the potential to save a lot of people from the nasty effects of benzo drugs.Thanks either wayhttp://naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2012-02/lavender-oil-anxiety-and-depression-0http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24456909http://examine.com/supplements/Lavender/http://www.naturalhealthadvisory.com/daily/depression-and-anxiety/lavender-reduces-signs-of-anxiety-in-women/Dear Dr. Greggor, this is the only video that i think may be relevant for my question on gynecomastia. I’m hoping you can help me with this bizarre health problem I’m having. I’m a 34year old man, 6’1”, 172lbs, I have been vegan for 3.5years and have been eating a high carb, low fat vegan diet for the last 12 months. I exercise and I’m in the best shape of my life and have cleared up a host of previous health problems! BUT, about 6 months ago I noticed a hard lump under my right nipple. It continued to grow and become sore. I’ve had an ultra sound and nothing sinister was found. The lump has continued to grow and it has pushed my nipple out, creating a “man boob” only on the right side. My doctor has no clue and said I may have this forever… which is not acceptable. So, I’m wondering what your opinion is and what you’d suggest I do. My guess is that the lump is a result of my change in diet… when I switched to a high carb vegan diet, I was probably eating more calories than I needed and I read that this might be taxing on the liver which could have affected my hormone balance. My triglycerides and cholesterol have both markedly increased as a result of my increased carbohydrate intake, so I’m guessing this might be linked to the lump. But I’m guessing! Would really appreciate your thoughts. Thank you in advance!Has anyone heard of fried lavandería flowers?	addiction,anxiety,aromatherapy,Ativan,benzodiazepines,blood pressure,brain waves,breast cancer,breast development,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cognition,endocrine disruptors,estrogen,gynecomastia,heart rate variability,hormones,lavender,massage,medications,men's health,puberty,rosemary,side effects,Valium,women's health	In a double-blind study, lavender oil worked as well as the valium-like drug lorazepam (Ativan) for relief of persistent anxiety, though there are concerns about estrogenic effects.	The math thing is so cool! How else might one use natural means to improve cognitive performance? Check out my video Does a Drink Of Water Make Children Smarter? More mind-body brain hacking tips in Dietary Brain Wave Alteration.More on dietary interventions for anxiety in:In fact the saffron may be aromatherapeutic too. See the follow-up to the PMS study, Wake Up and Smell the Saffron. And speaking of brain effects, there's Saffron vs. Prozac, Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s, and Saffron Versus Aricept,For more flower power see my blog and videos on hibiscus tea (Better Than Green Tea) and chamomile tea (Red Tea, Honeybush, & Chamomile and Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy). And hey, broccoli florets are just clusters of flower buds. See The Best Detox, Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells, and dozens of other broccoli videos.How else might diet affect with the hormonal balance of young boys? Check out Dairy & Sexual Precocity.More on lavender in my next video Lavender for Migraine Headaches.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/massage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gynecomastia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/addiction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/benzodiazepines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-rate-variability/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aromatherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/valium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rosemary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ativan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-waves/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lavender-for-migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/%5Bhttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7897075,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17267908,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20839219,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22612017,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10069621,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19962288,
PLAIN-2748	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/	Gut Feelings: Probiotics and Mental Health	Before Thorazine was invented in 1950, mental illness was often treated surgically.  In fact in 1949 the inventor of the lobotomy was awared the Nobel Prize, but before tens of thousands were lobotomized, colectomy was all the rage. There was this theory that bad bacteria in the gut, intestinal putrefaction was the cause of mental illness, so the cure, was to just surgically remove the colon. Yes, the surgery killed about one in three, but when they didn't die surgeons bragged that, for example, when he resected the colons of school children as a preventive measure, there was a cessation of abnormal sex practices, such as masturbation, which was viewed at the time as a precursor for mental illness later in life.There were others, though, that took a less drastic approach, suggesting one could instead treat this intestinal putrefaction by changing the intestinal flora. So over a century ago there were reports of successfully treating psychiatric illnesses like depression with a dietary regimen that included probiotics. Doctors percieved a connection between depression and feces deficient in quantity and moisture and very offensive in odour. And so they gave patients probiotics and not only did people feel better psychologically, but their "feces increase in quantity, become softer, and of regular consistency, and the offensive smell diminishes." Concurrent with the probiotics, however, all patients were started on a vegetarian diet, so it may not have been the probiotics at all.This field of inquiry remained dormant for about a hundred years, but a new discipline has recently emerged known as enteric—meaning intestinal---neuroscience. Our enteric nervous system, the collection of nerves in our gut has been referred to as our "second brain given it's size, complexity and similarity. We've got as many nerves in our gut as in our spinal cord. And it kinda makes sense. The size and complexity of our gut brain is not surprising when considering the challenges posed by the interface…with our largest body surface. We have a hundred times more contact with the outside world through our gut than through our skin. And we also have to deal our 100 trillion little friends down there. Takes a lot of processing power.Now anyone who's ever gotten butterflies in their stomach knows that our mental state can affect our gut. In fact every day stresses can affect the integrity of our gut flora. This innovative study looked at feces scraped from used toilet paper in undergrads during exam week. This is how many bacteria they had in their feces before the exam, but look what happened on exam day and in fact lasted the whole week. So our mental state can affect our gut, but can our gut affect our mental state? We didn't know until recently.For example, "many suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome complain of gut dysfunction, so researchers tried giving people probiotics to see if their mental and emotional state could be improved, and it indeed appeared to help. What about for healthy people though? This is the study that really rocked the scientific establishment. An assessment of the psychotropic properties of probiotics.  One month of probiotics was found to significantly decrease symptoms of anxiety, depression, anger and hostility. How is that possible? Well, a variety of medchanisms have been proposed for how intestinal bacteria may be communicating with our brain.Until that study was published, the idea that probiotic bacteria administered to the intestine could influence the brain seemed almost surreal. Like science fiction. Well, science yes, but fiction no. Likely, organisms already inside us carry out some degree of influence on our mental well-being. So might people suffering from certain forms of mental health problems benefit from a fecal transplant from someone with more happy go lucky bacteria? We don't know, but this ability of probiotics to affect brain processes is perhaps one of the most exciting recent developments in probiotic research	lactobacillus has anything to do with cow’s milk? and if it has, where the logic of this to say that we should not have any contact with dairy products? why the name lactobacillus?and more, how to restore the intestinal flora without milk products like yogurt?You can buy probiotics in pill form. There are also non-dairy yogurts with probiotics in them – soy, almond milk and coconut milk – and they’re readily available these days in grocery stores.Yeah, and most of these are supplemented with synthetic vitamins. Try finding a vegan yogurt with no added vitamins.Fermented vegetables (sauerkraut, kimchi)Many viewers here are vegan, and try to avoid products using animal products, even in the processing. Most lactobacilus supplements are initially grown on a dairy medium, but there are a few brands with vegan supplements (SunBiotics, Rainbow Light).The genus Lactobacillus (of which the species L. acidophilus is a member) are called such because they metabolize sugars to lactic acid. Its not a reference to the lactose sugar in dairy milk.This study found no significant difference in fecal Lactobacillus count between lacto-vegetarians and vegans, so it isn’t necessary to consume dairy products to introduce them to the gut: http://www.hablemosclaro.org/pdf/noticias/A_vegan_diet_alters_the_human_colonic_faecal_microbiota.pdfWhen you refer to a number of relevant lecture videos I wish you would just string them together like ABC does with its news. I want to hear all of them but I don’t want to sit at the keyboard to pull them up individually. I can multitask while I listen–after all, they are generally formatted as lectures. When there is show and tell I can always glance at the screen but I have to cook meals for my family which I am able to do while listening and learning.That’s why I put together the DVDs, so you can watch the video series straight through. This series is off my volume 13 DVD: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/11/new-dvd-to-help-spring-clean-your-diet-all-proceeds-to-charity/Enjoy!The DVDs are great for showing less technologically inclined family members. I’m only up to 6, but I really should pick up the rest soon.As a workaround, there’s a website that will play YouTube uploads in chronological order, eg: http://play-users-youtube-videos.appspot.com/?VideosFromUser=NutritionFactsOrg&reverse=true From that page, you may need to go full screen (“[ ]” in the bottom right), and then click ahead a few times (“>” in the bottom right) to get to more recent series.It is my understanding that we can set up a playlists, both here and on YouTube. Would that work?Could the good doctor set up pre-made playlists?I love this series. There’s so much confusion about probiotics out there. I like how we are starting to figure out more about them and this series helps us to understand what we do and do not yet know. Very nice.Hi Dr,Greger!, Thank-you for the on-going ‘Meducation’. Have YOU seen and are aware of this site? ccic.net I enjoy Raw Juicing too!As a psychologist and psychoanalyst who has long lamented the mental health professions’ disregard of nutritional factors in psychological well-being, I’m heartened by this body of research inquiry. It’s about time we transcend the mind/body duality in our thinking and interventions. There are obviously many ways to work through one’s s–t, so to speak. Thanks Dr. Greger for your work!Completely new meaning of “shit for brains”……;-)A few years ago my husband took a refrigerated probiotic capsule prescribed for my daughter and had a hallucinogenic trip. I guessed it happened because it was past the expiration date. Last year he was on antibiotics and I gave him a Dr O. He said he felt strange and had global temporary amnesia. It went away a few hours later & $3,000 hospital bill. Coincidence?For my…research…what is the name and where do they sell that refrigerated probiotic Cap?Recent research has indicated that often, what you see on the supplement label is not always what you get.Similar experience. Probiotics have created some scary reactions in me.I wonder if the fecal transplanant from centenarians or slim people could be reduced to an advanced probiotics pill, with all the thousands strands of bacteria in the right proportion. Complex, yes, but not undoable.I’ve been vegan for 6 years. For 40 years before that I had frequent bouts of depression. Since being vegan I have only had a few ‘down’ days–no depression! Maybe gut flora is part of the connection between my mental health and my diet.Dr. Greger,Can you tell me which brand of probiotics are the best? My mom was told to take them and has no idea what to get. Thanks again.My Grand daughter is feeding my Great Grandson egg yolk. Making me sick just to think about. Dr. Greger can you please send me info about eggs?? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese. thank you Millan Chessman. I will pay for it.Here is the evidenceEggs are considered good sources of lutein and omega 3 as well as an excellent source of protein. For these reasons, they are considered health foods. Looking at these claims in detail, chickens have lutein due to the fact that they have a varietized feed, these nutrients are not inherent of eggs. Based on the nutrient data found on the USDA database, 10 grams of spinach has approximately 12 times more lutein then 10 grams of an egg.We cannot really consider eggs an appropriate source of this nutrient.https://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR25/nutrlist/sr25a338.pdfRegarding Omega 3, current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day. A large egg contains about .037 grams of omega 3. Omega 3 in the ALA form processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA. These fats are anti-inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. According to the National Cancer Institute, eggs are the number 2 top contributor of arachidonic acid in the American Diet. http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/fatty_acids/table4.htmlBased on this as well as the low omega 3 content of eggs, the benefits received from omega 3 are masked by the high quantity of preformed Arachidonic Acid. High intake of arachadonic acid is linked to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with cancer development.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616uidhttp://img2.tapuz.co.il/forums/1_156375095.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128Eggs have been associated with heart failure as noted here. “After 13.3 years of follow-up in this cohort of approximately 14,000 white and African-American men and women, greater intake of eggs and of high-fat dairy foods were both associated with greater risk of incident HF, whereas greater intake of whole-grain foods was associated with lower risk of incident HF. These associations were independent of demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, prevalent CVD, diabetes, hypertension, and other food groups.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2650810/As well as an association type 2 diabetes with egg consumption of 1 egg a day. “Overall, the observed increased risk of type 2 diabetes with daily consumption of eggs in the current study raises the possibility of undesirable health effects with high rates of egg consumption and may help explain previously reported increased risk of CHD that was restricted to individuals with type 2 diabetes in the Health Professional Follow-up Study”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/?tool=pubmedIn the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, David Spence (director of the stroke prevention/atherosclerosis research center and one of the worlds leading stroke experts), David Jenkins (the inventor of the glycemic index) and Jean Davignon (director of atherosclerosis research group) posted a review on eggs claiming that the egg industry has been downplaying the health risks of eggs through misleading advertisements. As soon as you eat one egg, you expose your body to several hours worth of oxidative stress, inflammation of ones arteries, endothelieum impairment (what keeps you blood running smoothly) and increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidize (beginning stages of heart disease). The authors go into great detail regarding dietary cholesterol and it is a very fascinating read indeed. The author’s final words “In our opinion, stopping egg consumption after a myocardial infarction or stroke would be like quitting smoking after lung cancer is diagnosed: a necessary act, but late.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9001684The egg industry has claimed that cholesterol from eggs is not important and does not raise cholesterol levels. The fundamental flaw in the study the egg industry has used to make this claim is that they measured fasting lipid levels at night and not levels through out the day after egg consumption. “Diet is not all about fasting lipids; it is mainly about the three-quarters of the day that we are in the nonfasting state. Fasting lipids can be thought of as a baseline; they show what the endothelium was exposed to for the last few hours of the night.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/?tool=pubmedA single egg yolk contains approximately 215 to 275 mg of cholesterol. A safe upper limit can be capped at 200 mg if one is looking to prevent heart disease as recommended by the CDC as one of their nutritional recommendations as seen on page 92. One egg far exceeds this daily upper limit.http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hp2000/hp2k01.pdfThe balance of science is clearly against even moderate egg consumption as this food is a packaged deal. We do not get the nutrients found in eggs without getting the cholesterol and saturated fat. This similarity can be seen with chicken in terms of cholesterol and arachidonic acidhttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/703/2as well as even the leanest beef containing an undesirable quantity of saturated fat as well as cholesterolhttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/3820/2“Tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) set by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) are important, in part because they are used for estimating the percentage of the population at potential risk of adverse effects from excessive nutrient intake. The IOM did not set ULs for trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol because any intake level above 0% of energy increased LDL cholesterol concentration and these three food components are unavoidable in ordinary diets.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21521229In terms of saturated fat, the link below displays the top food sources of cholesterol raising fat.http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/sat_fat/crf.htmlWow…thanks Toxins—amazing work.Great job, thanks so much for the info! :-) But this I assume is mainly caused by egg yolk and not so much whites? Many studies don’t make a difference between these two parts of the egg and it is misleading to many. Don’t get me wrong, you are amazing and I am thrilled to see these studies, but I am just saying….:-)Thanks, this is Dr. Greger’s previously shared information but simply condensed into a single summary.The issue with egg whites is that it can lead to elevated levels of igf-1. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/I was just thinking so that would also mean people eating cows might be affected by there germs. Also it means people who have a transplant of a heart or something along these lines… maybe this is what is also affecting their mental state. That is very interesting! :-)So I have a simple question: which biotics are the good ones? are there soy or other plant yogurts that contain them?. I just made a batch of soy yogurt; in this heat it took all of five mins plus a couple of hours wait. I assume that I could inoculate other plant milks that I prefer taste wise (almond, rice, coconut) similarly and have a good supply of probiotics to take with every meal. Am I correct? Someone mentioned kefir which I love; how do you make plant based kefir?85% of all soy in this country is GMO — it’s even contaminated the “organic” soy supply. It is, sadly, best avoided altogether as GMO damage far ourweighs the positives of the phytoestrogens of soy. (It is tragic how we are not just allowing, but enabling, the permanent destruction of our food supply.)This is an unwarranted conclusion. Organic, non-GMO soy is a treasure house of nutrient treasure. Enjoy!Dr. Greger, you might find this article amusing.http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_scary_truth_about_probioticsActually good info presented in a way that might grab some otherwise uninterested attention. I laughed until tears came at some parts.I’d really appreciate advice on which probiotics are best, and perhaps food-based ways to improve one’s gut flora.Dr. Greger, I appreciate your work so much! I’m wondering if you have any material regarding correlations between quality of microflora (symbiotic vs. pathogenic) and quality of diet (whole plant foods vs. animal). I’m particularly interested in what you might have to say about the consequences of animals without carnivore-strength gastric acid and long intestines eating a high protein calorie ratio, and what quality of microflora would grow in the intestines in response to high levels of incompletely metabolized protein to eat. And then, what happens to this animal’s microflora when it reduces protein consumption to match its HCL/pepsin production capacity?Hi Patrick. Have you seen his videos on gut health? Also, his video about how gut flora and obesity. See if any of the studies in those videos help? Some may discuss protein and gut health, too. If you can’t find any I’ll look into more. Thanks for your comment.Can not open videos. What app do I need?The visuals on this video aren’t showing up in my window just the sound, is anyone else having this problem?I have chronic fatigue syndrome and find that probiotics make feel a little bit better physically but make me very depressed. It is exactly the same effect that antibiotics have on me. Could you please explain why this might be? ThanksThis video is very relevant to your situation. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/I’m all in favor of probiotics from food. There are a lot probiotic type foods out there, e.g., kombucha (but NF has videos against this due to 3-4 anecdotal cases of lactic acidosis in immune compromised patients), miso/amazake (no videos), natto (no videos), lacto-fermented veggies (kimchi, cabbage, cucumbers etc., NF has videos against this because some people get stomache cancer from too much, e.g. the China Study), kvass and wild yeast fermented beer (sour beer etc. Gregor has videos against the least little bit of alcohol being carcinogenic). Dairy (yogurt e.g.) is verboten. Pills are not properly labeled or made and go against the admonishment to avoid supplements in favor of whole foods. It’s not fair to put out a set of videos touting the benefits of probiotics when there are all the other NF videos emphasizing the risks. I’d like to see some information balancing the risks and benefits of probiotic/fermented foods on a case by case basis cf. the NF video on heart health benefit vs. cancer/hepatotoxin risk for alcohol.DanielFaster: I understand your point, but to be fair, I do think Dr. Greger has provided a solution. He has argued in favor of feeding your gut properly with pre-biotics and raw fruits and veggies in order to foster healthy good bacteria in your tummy. re:From an article/blog post: “Unless one has suffered a major disruption of gut flora by antibiotics or an intestinal infection—in other words unless one is symptomatic with diarrhea or bloating—I would suggest focusing on feeding the good bacteria we already have, by eating so-called prebiotics, such as fiber. … Altogether, this suggests that the advantages of prebiotics—found in plant foods—outweigh those of probiotics. And by eating raw fruits and vegetables we may be getting both! Fruits and vegetables are covered with millions of lactic acid bacteria, some of which are the same type used as probiotics. So when studies show eating more fruits and vegetables boosts immunity, prebiotics and probiotics may be playing a role.”That may not fully address your concern, but I thought it was worth pointing out.Also, here is a bit of practical advice: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/Just some thoughts for you.Thanks, Thea, great point and it did get me to do some thinking about why I’m not giving up any fermented foods just yet.That being said there does seem to be a bit of a double standard on these items, e.g., the kombucha warning is based on a handful of poorly documented anecdotal cases in immune-compromised individuals yet the probiotic and antioxidant benefits are ridiculed by referencing some non-scientific publications http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/, whereas conjugated linolenic acid (CLA – the main transfat found in animal flesh) has some studies showing as an extract/isolate it may be marginally beneficial to heart health despite being a meat based transfat verboten per the standards of NF (and me as well).It’s just that I think if you look at the studies and the NF videos, fermented foods unfairly (IMO) get a bad rap in some of the videos without any mention of the usually huge benefits of naturally occurring probiotics, prebiotics, antioxidants and vitamins etc. It should also be pointed out that the bacteria have different strains in different geographical locations and also depend a lot on the enterotype, e.g., H pylori European strain vs. South American enterotype leads to high incidences of cancer in South America in modern times (recent Science article). Actually studies on probiotics and probiotic rich foods would seem to be woefully lacking if there is no discussion of the patient’s enterotype or microbiome.The old adage that anything times zero is still zero comes to mind. The kimchi vid http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/ is based on a case controlled study of prostate cancer in China where the incidence is 1.7/100k. If pickled veggies raised the risk factor by 10 (and this is not clear since moderate consumption decreased the relative risk ratio and the cases consumed less than half the fresh veggies/fruits of the controls) then the incidence would be 17/100k. I’d take my chances with that based on the seemingly universal risk of prostate cancer in the US.DanielFaster: Fair enough. While I think Dr. Greger’s videos on this topic are helpful in pointing out potential issues (and it is clear from the video that he is talking as you say about small single studies), your post also provides great information for discussion/evaluation. It helps to move the discussion forward. Thanks.Very interesting. Which probiotics did they use in the study?Any comments on kefir and its potential health benefits? I wasn’t able to find any information on this topic on the site… please advise, thanks!Robert: While you may not find much on this site in regards to kefir in general, you will find *plenty* on this site in regards to dairy. Kefir is just concentrated dairy with some probiotics thrown in. As you have seen, probiotics are great. But there are safer ways to get it than with kefir.Here is more information about dairy: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/An interesting article in Fast Company mag. A lot of startups doing work in the field of gut flora to find a cure for many illnesses. Gut Check.http://www.fastcompany.com/3039891/gut-checkBacteroidetes? You talk about these helping to lose weight – where can I find them and which probiotic contains these that help with weight loss?Hi Jan. Here is the video you are referencing. I watched again I I think the take home message was that polyphenols (antioxidants found in plants, especially dark blue, purple and red foods) can modulate the ratio Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. ​Here is a great Q&A written by Dr. Greger on​ probiotics. He recommends dietary changes for weight loss, not simply using a probiotic. In fact, Dr. Greger doesn’t recommend a probiotic for everyone and certainly not for weight loss. I am uncertain if a probiotic alone will alter the bacteria in a meaningful way beyond helping with diarrhea. As I dietitian, I always push whole foods first! See if these links help? And look for more info from Dr. Klaper (found in the Q&A I linked above).Thanks for your question,Josephand preferably a proboitic that is “free from” maltodextrin, gluten, wheat, diary, soy etc. and one that really does stop the bloatPlease see my below comment. Thanks!	anxiety,bile acids,brain health,children,chronic fatigue syndrome,colon health,depression,gut flora,mental health,plant-based diets,probiotics,sexual health,stool size,surgery,vegans,vegetarians	We've known our mental state can affect our gut flora, but might our good bacteria be affecting our mental state?	This closes out my 4-part video series on the latest in probiotic science. I started with the two most established indications for their use in Preventing and Treating Diarrhea with Probiotics, then moved onto a more speculative use in Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics?, and then offered practical advice on how to best take probiotic supplements in my last video, Should Probiotics Be Taken Before, During, or After Meals?.The colon removal story reminds me of the mastectomies they used to do for breast pain (Plant-Based Diets For Breast Pain).Why might the vegetarian diet alone have improved mood? Check out my videos Plant-Based Diet & Mood and the follow-up Improving Mood Through Diet as well as my serotonin series starting with Human Neurotransmitters in Plants.More on treating chronic fatigue syndrome in:What else might our good bacteria be doing for us? They may be helping with weight control (Fawning Over Flora and Gut Flora & Obesity) and serving up anti-cancer compounds! (Flax and Fecal Flora and Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True).For more context, check out my associated blog posts:  Probiotics and Diarrhea, How Should I Take Probiotics?, How Probiotics Affect Mental Health, and Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18023961,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20415856,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20939923,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21750565,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19338686,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2942462/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20974015,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21732397,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21732396,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19481599,
PLAIN-2749	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/	Should Probiotics Be Taken Before, During, or After Meals?	Though foods may be better carriers for probiotics than supplements, if one does choose to go with supplements, should they be taken before, during, or after meals? When it comes to probiotic supplements sold in capsules the commercial literature is often confusing in that sometimes the consumer is instructed to take the probiotics with meals, sometimes before or after meals, and occasionally on an empty stomach. This has led to serious confusion for the industry and the consumer. Surprisingly it doesn't appear as if any studies had ever examined this question, until now.To be able to measure probiotic concentrations, minute by minute throughout the process, they had to build a fake digestive tract, a fake stomach and intestines, but complete with real saliva and digestive enzymes, acid, bile, etc. What did they find? Here's the survival of three different types of probiotics before, during, and after meals, and separately in oatmeal and milk, milk alone, apple juice, juice, or water.Conclusion: probiotic bacterial survival was best when provided within 30 minutes before or simultaneously with a meal or beverage that contained some fat content.	Thanks again Dr. Greger for this informative video!!How about hyperactive intestines. Would probiotics and prebiotics help in that situation?Hyperactivity can be a result of the variety of cells trying to compensate for intestinal destruction while fighting pathogens in the gut, so I personally believe that pre and probiotics, but mainly food culture, can assist in helping the rebuilding, maintenance and battle-for-good in your gut. Also, just to note, prebiotics are usually fibers (or whatever non digestible substance) that promotes growth, well being and activity for gut flora.So﻿ eating a pro-biotic vegan yogurt… would that be good?Eating a probiotic yogurt may help, just be wary of the sugar content. Shoot for non-sweetened varieties and consume it with a whole fruit. Aside from probiotic yogurts though, consuming more fermented/cultured foods (and probiotic supplements if you desire, I don’t rely on them) will aid in the defense line and repair crew of your gut.Skip the dairy and go directly to whole fruits and vegis, grains, starches. The dairy causes mucus which adds to the gut trying to rid the body of them. The fiberous natural foods will heal the gut, sweep it clean, and give the little gut bacteria something to grow on.I heard the man say FAT CONTENT. Seems odd that your interpretation did not include FAT.The question was about vegan yogurt : )Man we are getting so smart.Re: probiotics for diarrheaSeven years ago, I had a serious case (all 10 biopsies came back positive) of microscopic colitis. I had been sick — and getting progressively worse — for several months, had become severely lactose intolerant, and had lost 15 pounds. Other options eliminated (liver nearly destroyed, with talk of transplant possibly necessary), my gastroenterologist said the only remaining option was corticosteroids. Having spent a lifetime keeping my weight under control, I refused, saying I’d rather die, and, frankly, expected to do just that.My husband put me on an “all white food diet” (nothing to stress the colon) that he found on the Internet and bought the most potent probiotics he could find. With his treatment, I was completely cured in about six weeks.I am a firm believer of probiotics… And VERY glad I refused the steroids.EdieP you should review our probiotic products. http://www.myxcellentchoice.com/riverwoods23. Our formulator John R Taylor Naturopath and author of The Wonder of Probiotics collaborated with world renowned probiotic expert Dr. Khem Shahani. Dr. Khem Shahani was a pioneer in the field of probiotics and is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading probiotic authorities on their role in digestive health and immune response.What was on your “all white food” diet?A question we have all pondered…. Thanks!I have a question…are probiotics recommended as a daily supplement or just as a “treatment” for a period of time after taking antibiotics (or for some other digestive issue)? If the latter, for how long should they be taken?From my experience, if you needed them once, better keep taking them. They’re expensive, so I’ve tried dropping them after all seems well, but every time I do, it isn’t long before problems begin to resurface.You only need to take them a few times before the bacteria in you gut will self colonize. Adding more probiotics after this point is pointless. Typically diet determines which strain will proliferate.There are very few, if any, probiotic strains that actually colonize (they are foreign organisms to the body after all), most do not last. So yes, you need to take them on a regular basis.Gut bacteria feed on soluble fiber and the colony grows. Plant food is known as a prebiotic for this reason. The gut is an ecosystem of its own, the flora is not threatened by the bodies immune system. There is no evidence to conclude that one must continue taking probiotics after the gut is colonized. Yes they are foreign, but they are not circulating throughout the blood stream.And is their ability to remain within the gut dependent upon the existence of an appendix? There are many variables here…Just went to a seminar where the Phd recommended 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off. If the bacteria get too used to being supplemented, they could get lazy and not reproduce. If you give them a little shock every 2 weeks, they remain strong. I am in the midst of trying it.Would be good to have a reference to evidence for this if know.i particularly like when you make written comments on the audio as I often do not have time to listen to the complete audio version. I think I am a visual learner, rather than auditory. Mthx, love you info.Does cooking kill the probiotics in a food? Does Tempeh contain probiotics? Can Tempeh be eaten straight from the package without cooking?The answers are : yes, no and no. Tempeh does not contain any known probiotic. Unless specifically added no naturally fermented product can contain probiotics. These have to be added specifically. As tempeh is a fungus, it is wiser to fry or cook it before eating.A slight tangent, but as living with pets has been associated with reduced infections and allergies in children (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/), I thought this recent paper examining the microbiota of families with dogs was worth sharing. Dogs are bringing a bit of nature back into our sanitary, but less biotically diverse households, and sharing it with us:Song, Se Jin, et al. “Cohabiting family members share microbiota with one another and with their dogs.” eLife 2 (2013). http://elife.elifesciences.org/content/2/e00458Dogs: the probiotic for your household.Darryl: The study you point out reminds me of a study that I saw summarized on TV not too long ago. They looked at the bacteria on the skins of a team of roller derby (? I think it was that – where they race around a tract in teams on roller skates) women. They looked before and after a game. After the game, the bacteria had changed significantly. The team members were sharing a lot more bacteria with each other. Or something like that.My (Great Dane) dog lies on my lap on the couch and licks my face in the morning to get me up. I imagine I’m just swimming in his microbiota (a new word for me). But as long as it’s mutual, I guess I have no reason to be grossed out.Thanks for bringing this up.I love it when a doctor tells me I have an excuse to eat, “a meal or beverage that contained some fat content.” ;-)Alas and alack, I don’t think I have a reason to take a probiotic supplement at this time. If I do find myself with the need in the future, I’ll be reviewing this video.Interestingly enough, it was my dog who recently needed a probiotic supplement after being on antibiotics. He ate a special probiotic powder made just for dogs for a couple of weeks in addition to his regular meals. I think it’s kind of funny that my dog got probiotics in light of Darryl’s comment about “Dogs: the probiotic for your household.” (nice comment Darryl!) Sort of a circular thing at my house.Just one more reason to love dogs!Thea No need for supplements, just try some live wild cultured whole foods like cashew or other nondairy cheese, sauerkraut, kimchi, natto, miso, kombucha, mustard, nondairy yogurt, kefir water etc.I am a big fan of cashew cheese made of home-made rejuvalac. I’m just super-conscious of how calorie-dense it is. That’s a big concern for me. And of course, I couldn’t feed that to my dog…Also, I have no idea what/which probiotics are actually in the home-made rejuvalac – or if it makes a difference how old the stuff is. One theory I have is that the bad bacteria multiply and take over any good bacteria the longer the rejuvalac has been sitting in my fridge. My theory is that the anerobics are bad and anerobics can take over the longer the liquid is in an air tight container. I don’t have any evidence for that.Just some thoughts. I eat the cashew cheese for fun/taste, not for need. If I truly needed probiotics for a medical reason, I wouldn’t personally rely on any of those whole foods you listed. I would want to take something that is controlled with the correct/needed bacteria. If you have a link to a site showing specific analysis of the probiotics in the foods you mention, I would be interested in seeing that. I’m cuirous to know what was found and how much variation there is from product to product and batch to batch.Thanks for your thoughts.I had seen something like that in my google scholar alerts but can’t find it now, I’ll be sure to post it here when it comes up again. BTW there are no bad bactria that grow on cultured food, except perhaps mold on the top you can just scrape off – wisteria, e coli, etc are all animal based and are only found on plants that have been comtaminated, i.e. someone pooped on it or put sewage sludge on it.http://link.springer.com/article/10.2478/s11756-014-0367-7#page-1 discusses the conversion of exopolysaccharides in probiotic bacteria to prebiotic nutrients for the distal colon bugs, good background write uphttps://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/Probiotic_Supplements_Lactobacillus_acidophilus_Bifidobacterium/probiotics/ is an apparently good report on probiotic supps but you have to pay to see itDr. Greger, I’m wondering if you could make a recommendation as to which brand or which bacteria I’m supposed to look for? (I recently had to take a round of antibiotics for a UTI.) There is a dizzying amount of products on the market, and I’m not sure what to look for. Do you have a favorite brand?Align is a good product and easy to find. It is packaged so that it does not need to be refrigerated, which makes it good for traveling or bringing to the office to take mid-day, if you prefer.Studies have shown the best time to take a probiotic is on an empty stomach before eating, preferably in the morning. But, if you’re not feeling better in a week, you may want to double the dose, so you’ll be taking it twice a day. This link (http://www.endomune.com/learn/suggested-uses-side-effects) has some good info about side effects.I work with EndoMune and I’d be happy to help answer any other questions you may have.I have several problems like dandruff, a yeast body odor, and my flatulents really stink. Any ideas? I’m vegan and eat very little processed food. It might be because I have low levels of good bacteria in my gut.What are the best sources of probiotics? I’m vegan and need to take probiotics I think.Thank you for these videos that answer questions I have a hard time finding answers to!!! If you get any info on brands of probiotics that would b nice!I’ve read about a probiotic called just thrive probiotic that claims 100% survivability because its in spore form. Not sure what that means or how true it is. Does anyone know anything about spore probiotics?How can you test a probiotic to see if it is still alive?Why do I often get diarrhea after taking probiotics? Does that happen to anyone else?who conducted the study?Joseph, I recall that Dr Greger said in an earlier video words to the effect that studies show introducing a high load of bacteria to the body (such as in some food cultures) can release a wave of endotoxins which cause inflammation throughout the body – and he stopped eating them because of this. Is he still of the same mind about this?Dr. Greger is very good at updating his videos if something is misrepresented, so you can assume his content is accurate. If it’s not and you see a goof he’d surely like to know about it! To try and help answer your question I think the bacteria Dr. Greger mentioned is very different from probiotics if that is what you are referring to? Here is his video that discuss bacterial endotoxins in food. Let me know if this helps and thanks so much for your patience.Sincerely, JosephI was referring to fermented vegetables. Previously, in response to someone’s question in the comments section Dr Greger said he stopped eating Kim Chi which he eat regularly before the below and another study which I can’t find the link to, showed that even fermented vegetables introduce a high load of bacteria to the body and it can release a wave of endotoxins which cause inflammation throughout the body. (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/) – would you ask Dr Greger whether he still avoids fermented vegetables such as those one can purchase in glass jars in health food outlets? I understand that its not necessary to eat fermented vegetables to get a healthy microbiome if one is eating well but I would still like to know whether eating fermented vegetables is something to avoid. Many thanks!Ahhh, okay, BenJ here is the video from 2010 on kimchi. If his position has changed from this video I’ll let you know!Thanks! Joseph	apple juice,colon health,dairy,fat,juice,milk,oatmeal,probiotics,stomach health,supplements,water	Proper timing of probiotic supplements may improve their survival.	What dose should we take and under what circumstances? See the first video in this series, Preventing and Treating Diarrhea with Probiotics. Then I compared probiotics to prebiotics in Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics?, and Friday I'll end on Gut Feelings: Probiotics and Mental Health.I was surprised to find so few actual data on this topic, but that is par for the course for much advice about dietary supplements. See, for example, this series:Vitamin D supplements should also probably be taken with meals for maximum efficacy (Take Vitamin D Supplements With Meals).For more context, check out my associated blog posts:  Probiotics and Diarrhea, Probiotics During Cold Season?, How Should I Take Probiotics?, and How Probiotics Affect Mental Health	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22704699,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22146689,
PLAIN-2750	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/	Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics?	Babies delivered via caesarean section "appear to be at increased increase for various allergic diseases.” The thought is that vaginal delivery leads to the first colonization of the gut with maternal vaginal bacteria, while c-section babies are deprived of this natural exposure, and exhibit a different gut flora. This is supported by research noting that a disturbance in maternal vaginal flora during pregnancy may be associated with early asthma in their children. This all suggests our natural gut flora can affect the development of our immune system for better or for worse.In adulthood, two studies published back in 2001 suggested that probiotics could have systemic immunity enhancing effects. Subjects were given a probiotic regimen between weeks three to six and saw a significant boost in the ability of their white blood cells to chomp down on potential invaders. And what's interesting is that even after the probiotics were stopped there was still enhanced immune function a few weeks later compared to baseline. The same boost was found in the ability of their natural killer cells to kill cancer cells.  Similar results were also found using a different probiotic strain.Improving immune cell function in a petri dish is nice, but does this actually translate into people having fewer infections? For that, we had to wait another 10 years, but now we have randomized double-blind placebo controlled studies showing that those taking probiotics may have significantly fewer colds, fewer sick days, and fewer symptoms.The latest review of the best studies to date found that probiotics, such as those in yogurt, soy yogurt, or supplements, may indeed reduce one's risk of upper respiratory tract infection, but the totality of evidence is still considered weak, so it's probably too early to make a blanket recommendation.Unless one has suffered a major disruption of gut flora by antibiotics, or an intestinal infection—unless one is symptomatic—with like diarrhea or bloating, I would suggest focusing on feeding the good bacteria we already have, by eating so-called prebiotics, such as fiber. After all, as we saw before, who knows what you're getting when you buy probiotics, they may not even even be alive by the time you buy them. They have to survive the journey down to the large intestine. Altogether, these points suggest that the advantages of prebiotics—found in plant foods--outweigh those of probiotics. And by eating raw fruits and vegetables we may be getting both. Fruits and vegetables are covered with millions of lactic acid bacteria, some of which are the same type used as probiotics. So when studies show eating more fruits and vegetables boosts immunity, prebiotics and probiotics may be playing a role.	Nice presentation of pre and probiotics!3-4 trillion cells and 30-40 trillions of bacteria living in dynamic equilibrium–that’s the amazing human body!Kinda weird to think I am just a large bag of bacteria using my flagella (arms and legs) to make my way through life.Once in a while you probably also use your brain – sure sounds like that! :-)Sometimes, but sometimes it’s just fun to walk around waving my arms and legs wildly.“Warning!! Danger, Will Robinson!”;)You have done it again. You start a series and I end up with more questions. Then by the end you have answered them all! I will keep eating my fruits and vegetables and feed my friendly gut friends.Dr G is also master of suspense….Wait a minute. Don’t we wash and cook the veggies to get rid of the bad bacteria?Also, what about kimchee and cancer? The more I learn the more confused I am.I live in South America and have to soak my fruits and veggies in water with grapefruit seed extract to clean them. Does this kill the beneficial bacteria, like probiotics, also? Is there a better way to clean my veggies (remember that even the water here isn’t safe to drink) that would maintain the beneficial bacteria? Thank you for the great information.I live west of you on an island where we collect roof water into cisterns and use that for everything. And we have high rates of asthma and water-borne disease. Two things I would suggest is use aeration in the water. I’m told it reduces the anaerobes (bad bugs are often that type). Second, pathogens are often gram-negatives (in this case gram refers to a type of dye). I’m no microbiologist but my reading indicates that gram negatives die when dried out. The good bugs are gram positive and can withstand a good drying. I’m sure others here will know how true or effective this is likely to be.We keep a supply of boiled drinking water at all times. Say, what does grapefruit seed extract do ? disinfect?Having a breakfast smoothie of fruit, vegetables, bran and fresh kefir that I make has relieved me of all irritable bowel symptoms I had for the past 10 years. though, I can still get a upper respiratory tract infection, it seems less frequent.I was so freaked out by the veg-borne E. coli infections , for a while I washed all the raw stuff obsessively. Even using dilute bleach to disinfect… AND yet I was so sick with IBS type syptoms for years. Finally I started growing most of what we eat. Now everything gets a quick rinse, then onto the plate. Not unusual to pick off a green cabbage patch caterpillar hanging onto some kale, they don’t seem to mind. Guess what, almost all my colon problems are history. Over the past 2 years things continuously improved. I’m told I can be heard singing Rocky (“gonna fly now…”) almost exactly the same time every morning.I make my own compost using our own stuff on our little 5 acre plot. Pet chickens, a 3 year old heifer, a way too fat ewe and goat, greens and browns… all contribute to our garden soil. So we can imagine the variety of bugs we eat and where they’ve been! But by the end of the composting process the whole ecosystem has speed-volved into real soil for real plants. Contrast with Industrial food growers who shortcut the process and expose your lovely veg to toxic poopie before its been worked over by the natural succession of microflora during proper composting.My point being, I’m sure this vid is spot on partly because the science supports it but also my personal experience has been so positive. I understand the path to the real dirt on farming. I can feel it in my bowels. I just want to go the distance!Thanks once again Dr. G!Absolutely wonderful life!Thank you once again Dr. Greger! You keep giving me reasons to continue eating a plant-centered diet! I also feel great too!Does this work because my colds are soo bad.London garage rentalsDr. Gregor, have you determined from the studies which was the most accurate brand of probiotics to take? What’s your recommendation?In the store there are probiotics that are in bottles on the shelf or there are one that are in the refrigerator. Are there refrigerated ones better? They certainly are more expensive but if they are better for us then they are worth the price.I do have one question, I noticed you don’t have any info on kefir or did I just fail to notice it. Just curious what your opinion on kefir is, is it as healthy as we make it out to be?Thank youbelieveinbee: I am aware of two types of kefir – one that is grown in a water base and one that is grown in a dairy/milk base. And Dr. Greger has much to say about the problems with dairy!: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/I think that people tout kefir as being healthy because it has probiotics in it. Dr. Greger also has a lot to say about probiotics. You can get what you need, especially with pre-biotics without resorting to dairy. So, while I don’t speak for Dr. Greger, I think the bottom line is that Dr. Greger would not recommend dairy kefir, because food is a package deal and the benefits do not outweight the harms. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=probioticsHope that helps.A little late but kefir can be used in plant milks with the addition of dates for the sugar source! Not quite the same but still awesome!In the Journal of Chemotherapy artice: Microboilogical Evaluation of Commercial Probiotic Products Available in the USA in 2009 I was wondering what are the names of the probiotic products that actually contained what was put on their labels?	allergies,antibiotics,asthma,bile acids,bloating,caesarean section,cancer,common cold,diarrhea,fiber,fruit,gut flora,immune function,infants,prebiotics,probiotics,respiratory infections,soy,supplements,vegetables,yogurt	Though prebiotics may be preferable, probiotics may reduce the risk of upper respiratory tract infections.	Probiotics do play an established role in helping to prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea and may speed recovery from acute gastroenteritis. See my last video, Preventing and Treating Diarrhea with Probiotics. When should they be taken? That's the subject of my next video, Should Probiotics Be Taken Before, During, or After Meals?How else might we reduce our risk of getting an upper respiratory infection? See:You can watch a video of white blood cells actually chomping down on foreign invaders in my video Clinical Studies on Acai Berries. A must-see for biology geeks!The immune boosting fruit and vegetable video I reference is Boosting Immunity Through Diet. See also Kale and the Immune System and last week's video Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation.For more context, check out my associated blog posts:  Probiotics and Diarrhea, Probiotics During Cold Season?, Probiotics During Cold Season?, How Should I Take Probiotics?, How Probiotics Affect Mental Health, and Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/respiratory-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caesarean-section/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prebiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bloating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-probiotics-be-taken-before-during-or-after-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21901706,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11349938,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12110824,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20803023,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21303743,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18266879,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11722966,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22840387,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22475949,
PLAIN-2751	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/	Preventing and Treating Diarrhea with Probiotics	Probiotics have moved from the field of alternative medicine into the mainstream slowly but surely over the past decade. The best evidence we have is for the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and the treatment of gastroenteritis.Antibiotics administration is followed in up to 40% of cases by the appearance of diarrhea, but, for example, you may be able to cut the risk in half in kids by administering probiotics along with the antibiotics. Which kinds and how much? Lactobacillus rhamnosis and saccharomyces boulardii appeared to be the most effective strains, and studies using more than 5 billion live organisms appeared to achieve better results than those using smaller doses. The importance of correct dosing cannot, evidently, be overemphasized.  For example in adults, going 100 billion organisms seemed to work nearly twice as well as 50 billion, in preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea.The second well-established usage of probiotics is in the treatment of acute infectious diarrhea, shortening the duration of symptoms by about a day.  But we still don't know the best probiotic doses and strains. Studies have used between 20 million organisms a day to 3 trillion, and there's thousands of different strains to choose from, and even if you wanted a particular strain odds are the label is lying to you anyway. Less than a third of commercial probiotic products tested actually contained what the label claimed. About half had fewer viable organisms, than stated, and half contained contaminant organisms, including potentially pathogenic ones as well as mold.Now ideally, we'd repopulate our gut with the whole range of natural gut flora, not just one or two hand-picked strains. And for serious infections, this has been attempted, starting back in 1958. Why not give people a fecal enema—take gut bacteria from a healthy colon and stuff it into an unhealthy colon. Or you can go the other route, and administar the donor stool through the nose. "Evidently, this route of administration saves times, it's cheaper, and less inconvenient for the patient. Preferred stool donors (in order of preference) were spouses or significant others, family members and then anyone else they could find, such as a medical staff member. What you do is first pick a nice soft specimen, whip it up in a household blender until smooth—a little vitamix action, put it through coffee filter and then just squirt it up their nose through a tube and into their stomach. Don't try this at home.How receptive were the patients to this rather unusual smoothie recipe? None of the patients in this series raised objections to the proposed stool transplantation procedure on the basis that it “lacked aesthetic appeal.”  However, since production of fresh material on demand is not always practical, researrchers up in Minnesota recently intro introduced frozen donor material as another treatment option. All described in great detail in the latest review on the subject out of Yale entitled, "The power of poop."	I think I’ll reserve my Vitamix for fecal-free smoothies, thank you!Fecal enema? Donor stool through the nose? Preferred stool donors were spouses (that must be love!)I prefer diarrhea and the can…..OK, I’m seriously grossed out.After the shock and disgust has died down a bit, I have to say that the important part of this video, and the reason I am so glad I listened, is in the middle where Dr. Greger told us how often the probiotics sold in stores do not actually contain what they say. And often even contain harmful contaminants. I long suspected such might be the case, but am still saddened to hear that it’s true. Since so many people are buying those probiotics, I wish this information was widely disseminated to the public.Help your body make your own probiotics by eating lots of raw fruits and veggies.I also wanted to share another concern/question I have: I’m a big, big fan of the recipes in the book, Artisan Vegan Cheeses. SO yummy!But those recipes start out with me essentially making my own probiotic. It is called rejuvalac, and I have been making it with quinoa (which works relatively fast). I have been making some delicious cashew-based cheeses, but I have no way of knowing if or when the little guys in the rejuvalac turn evil. I presume that the bacteria that develop in my rejuvalac come from a) anything that is on the (organic) quinoa itself and b) anything that is in my air and water.I haven’t keeled over yet. But I wonder, how healthy is it? Is there some way to tell when the bad organisms outweigh the good.On a different, but similar line of questioning: One of the key steps in the cheese making is where the rejuvalac-cashew mixture is left out to ferment. The word “ferment” is actually used in the book. I presume this includes the backeria in the rejuvalac having lots of time to breed. Is that what fermentation is? What I’m thinking of, is Dr. Greger’s previous videos on effects of drinking wine on our health. I wonder, do those effects apply to eating cheese too? Since it is fermented? Just wondering.Great post. I haven’t tried it yet, but learned of this method from Green Smoothie Girl. She didn’t show making the cheeses that I could see. Just drank it, which is ok too. Rejuvilac comes from the Ann Wigmore Institute. I’m looking forward to trying this. It appeals to me more in the form of a “cheese.” I do like to limit my use of nuts, so will see how it all works. Thanks for the update and the book title. LynnLynnCS: Thanks for your nice feedback.re: limiting nuts I’m in a similar position in that I get too many calories and thus cutting down on some calorie-dense foods like nuts would be a good idea for me. For the most part, I stopped making these cheeses, because I thought they were so delicious, and I didn’t have a working “stop button.”But I think the cheeses are still great for special occasion treats and serving to guests.Good luck!Did you ever find out the answers to your questions Thea?Scott: No. These aren’t super-burning questions for me. So, I didn’t even remember that post. But in thinking back on it, I don’t remember seeing answers over the intervening years. Now I’m curious again.Update: I still love those cheeses, but I know better than to make them too often, because I have a hard time eating those very calorie-dense foods in appropriate amounts.Oh my! This gives hole new meaning to…Eat Sh*t! And who wants to be the “Stool Pigeon” for this one? Thank goodness it’s Evidence Based ;)If you have ever had c-diff, which I had, the thought of using the power of poop is just a way to get rid of something that is much worst than the thought.What I don’t understand about these companies producing supplements and probiotics that are falsely labeled is why someone doesn’t sue them for false advertising or something along those lines. Don’t we as consumers have any protection that what the label says is what we’re actually getting? Any attorneys care to comment?Blanster. Thanks for your post. I’m not an attorney, but I fully support your sentiment!Wouldn’t this give you a bladder infection? Fecal matter is not meant to go through your digestive track (tract?). That’s why we wash our hands after we poop and before we make lunch. (yeah, and keep it AWAY from the blender!)Disturbingly, we found that only 4 of 13 products (31%) were in accordance with label claims.Is there a way to find out which 4 products were in accordance with label claims? Thank youI love the effective use of pauses that Dr. G used to emphasize how and where they derived the stool samples. Great detective work! Sniffin’ out the bad guys just like a Blood Hound!Poop is called waste for a reason; It should be eliminated from the body. The idea of putting it back in the body is absolutely disgusting. Surely, there must be better alternatives to populate the digestive system with probiotics.The whole probiotics thing confuses me. I thought we needed more bacteriodetes and less fermicutes – yet all the probiotic strains in products i looked up were fermicutes. Won’t that tip the balance the wrong way…?sorry, excuse my spelling – I mean Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes (knew I should have looked them up before typing the comment!)I suspect the strains are chosen based on those in the general population. And yes, Bacteroidetes (favored by vegan diets) are better, as gram-negative Fermicutes may provide a dose of endotoxins with every meal containing saturated fats.That first review cited above is so interesting. The role the gut microbiota might play in obesity is fascinating. And how quickly our gut bacteria can change amazing! Within 24 hours it can be a whole new population! Good read.What happens to the NG transferred bacteria while in the stomach acid? I’ve read concerns about taking probiotic pills that weren’t enteric coated because of stomach acids.And to be honest, although both sound unpleasant, I’d choose enema over NG tube any day. I’ve read that slow-drip, retention style enemas supposedly don’t trigger the need to empty one’s bowels.Simply put, this video is a total waste of time. I utilize this website to be informed not amused. In no way are any of us more informed about making a practical decision to use or not use probiotics from having watched this video. In regard to probiotic use, http://www.consumerlabs.com is way more helpful – though they do charge a small membership fee for the year. Sorry Dr. Gregor, I am a fan but you really struck out on this one.I respectfully disagree. We learned that there is still much to learn about probiotics. That actually is important. They are worth trying with patients but may not make a difference. The fecal part is Dr. Greger’s humor. Must we always be stuffy and professional?Actually, fecal transplants save lives for those with resistant CDiff, it is a medical treatment!I have read about fecal transplants for months now. Great to have more detail on what is a life-saving procedure for some people. Would I choose the enema or the nasal method? Not sure, but I absolutely know I would choose this treatment if it could save me from a c. diff. infection. I love the practicality of it and, it works. Kudos to the people who came up with this! I agree that Dr. Greger’s humor makes it entertaining, as well as educational!I am here for the info AND to be amused. Dr G has a great sense of humor.Sounds like Consumer Labs has a real conflict of interest in how it conducts its business. I’m all for finding out which supplements are what they say they are, but I don’t believe I’ll trust a company that takes money from both consumers and the companies it’s rating.I belong to Consumers Union and they don’t let companies pay for reviews like Consumer Labs evidently does.http://healthwyze.org/index.php/component/content/article/348-evaluating-the-evaluators-from-consumer-labs.htmlI turned it off after hearing about “picking a nice soft specimen” (turd) and about to put it in the nose … no thank you. TMI.I find the video misleading since I seen the same procedure in another video and the fecal matter was injected in the colon and not through the nose.Verdad go to sources cited above. There all the articles referenced are listed for you to read. It was through the nose.Both methods are used depending on the circumstances and what results are being hoped for.Isn’t this a method for getting vitamin B12 too?Yes it is, but only a single dose.“In one of the less appetizing but more brilliant experiments in the field of vitamin b12 metabolism in the 50’s, Sheila Callender (7) in England delineated that human colon bacteria makes large amounts of vitamin B-12. Although the bacterial vitamin B-12 is not absorbed through the colon, it is active for humans. Callendar studied vegan volunteers who had B-12 deficiency disease characterized by classes megaloblastic anemia. She collected 24-h stools, made water extracts of them, and fed the extracts to the patients, thereby curing their vitamin B-12 deficiency.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/48/3/852.full.pdfHow on earth did this study pass an ethical review board? How could none of the patients object? I think you are going to get a huge dose of e.coli amongst the other probiotics. I’d rather go with isolated probiotics or none at all. Tough to say if you’ve been exposed to antibiotics, but I remember my uncle leaving cheese on the top of the fridge to get more rank, thinking this would build his intestinal flora. This was some 25 years ago!Believe me, someone with a bad case of UC (or even a mild case) would be the first person in line for an enema. Transplanting a normal gut population back into a sick one sounds like a rational idea. The only issue I have with Dr. Greger is that he didn’t reveal the RESULTS of the studies he showed us! He usually caps off a topic with the Aha! moment- when he shows us the results that back his point. No such moment here. We’re left to track down those articles via PubMed or Sage or DeepDyve. C’mon Doc! No teasers!poop, there it is poop, there it is lolllllllllllLOL, clever.Bravo Dr. Greger. Bravo… poop. I mean bravo plant foods that make good poop.Dr. Gregor, have you figured out from the studies which was the most accurate brand of probiotics to take? What’s your recommendation?Dear Dr. Greger.I have question not strictly related to this topic but still there is some connection to the enema. I would like to know if there is some scientific information about the enema itself. For example it is bad idea or even dangerous to do shallow enema after excretion? Respectively douching the region between anus and rectum with the help of the shower head? Does the warm water from boiler pose a threat to the health? Should be used only boiled water? And what about oxygen or other gases which could be introduced into the rectum or further? I thing it is know fact that the rectal mucous membrane is much more sensitive, with non regulated absorption and without defense mechanism in compare to the gastric membrane. What do you think?Thank you in advance.Hi Lara: The important thing to remember about taking a probiotic: Be sure to take one containing multiple species of bacteria, as your gut needs to maintain the proper balance of bacteria to stay healthy and boost your immune system. Most high-quality probiotics contain the right balance.Does anyone have opinions on a probiotic like this? I’m on some anti-biotics and would like to keep my floral health good.https://www.vitashop.ca/acidophilus-probiotics/940-ultimate-protec-multi-probiotic-enteric-coated-90-vcaps.htmlI can’t find many reviews on this stuff.I am not familiar with that brand and there are many out there, making it difficult to figure out which to select. It looks like a suitable option, if you want to try that one. Align is a good one and is available in local pharmacies. (I suggest Align not because of any connection to the company, but because of personal experience.) This article offers some good information: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/719654_11What’s difficult is that they are in the process of dying as soon as they leave the factory. How long have they been on the shelf? Even in the refrig they are decaying. If you want to know if your probiotics are still good, put a little sugar water or milk in a saucer then dump the probiotic capsule into the mix. By morning the good probiotic will be gel, the dead will not. BTW, there are zillions upon zillions of probiotics in a healthy gut, you would be wasting your money to buy a probiotic that has only 1 or 2 billion probiotics in them, might as well lick the back of your hand and be done with it. Always get a brand that has at least 50 -100 billion per cap. The best and cheapest way is make your own Kefir water. Last time my mother was having a painful GI disturbance, the Kefir water quieted it down within minutesHow about yogurt in diet? Does it enhance, decrease or makes no difference in well being?Dairy is advised against. Please see here. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-sexual-precocity/Has there been any research related to probiotic use by people without a large intestine, which work best, etc? Or how to treat diarrhea when there is no colon? Due to cancer, I had a total colectomy and an ileostomy in 1980 and stopping the diarrhea once it starts is very difficult. Any useful information would be appreciated.Most probiotic activity goes on pre-colon, in the small intestines, so I would think that taking high dose probiotics (at least 100 billion) or drinking a cup of Kefir Water every day would really help. The Colon’s main purpose is to absorb water out of the contents, it doesn’t have much more of a function, so the probiotics should help you since you have a small intestines :). Once you start making your own Kefir water it is very cheap and easy. I drink 1-2 cups a day it contains around 100 billion per tablespoon of 40-50 strains. You can buy the Kefir Water grains online for $5-10, if you treat the grains right they can keep producing and last your lifetimethanks so much for the suggestions, I will definitely check them out. There’s a lot of info on line about Kefir water.Fecal transfers have saved the lives of people with resistant C-Diff. It is a good thing. Nice to see that probiotics are finally hitting the spot lightHello Dr. Gregor or staff, wondering when to take probiotics when taking antibiotics please? I don’t want to take antibiotics but I have a toe infection that I have been trying to heal by soaking twice daily in Epson salts and warm water, applying TTO 2-3 times daily and using an antibiotic cream 2 times daily. Still my big toe is red & oozing clear liquid. The doctor cut my toe with a scapel so as to drain the pus and now there is no more pain. Just redness and oozing. So I think I will have to take the antibiotics though I do not want to. I have had the toe infection for 10 days. Any thoughts? If I do start the pills in a day or two when should I take probiotics, before or after the antibiotics? Thank you for all your help in advance! Ann ~ Ontario CanadaThat’s a good quesiotn. ​Here is a great Q&A written by Dr. Greger on​ probiotics See if this helps? Check out the last link by Dr. Klaper he is the expert!Thanks for your question, JosephIn 2008, I was diagnosed with CDiff on my second trip to the ER for severe dehydration. I was symptomatic for 9 days it took 2 weeks of harsh antibiotics, little to no appetite, weakness, severe anemia (as you are losing blood as your colon begins to shed). I lost 12 pounds and about 2 months of wellness, still to this day I take probiotics at least 3-4 times a week and I am extremely paranoid about catching it again. I would have done this treatment in half a second if offered. I am healthy now, and I was so so lucky it only took one form of treatment to begin to heal. This treatment sounds horrible, but I can attest to the fact I would have done ANYTHING to recover. People do die from this and people who recover often call themselves survivors. I was a healthy 23 yr old, I had not been using any antibiotics, had been working out, eating “healthy” compared to the standard american diet. I most likely caught it from contaminated meat at the time. I know that videos like this seem gross, but the above treatment may have gotten me on my feet faster with less side effects. It also continues to save lives.what would you recommend for a probiotic supplement that been tested and meets the label?	alternative medicine,antibiotics,bile acids,children,colon health,complementary medicine,diarrhea,enemas,fecal transplant,food poisoning,foodborne illness,gut flora,probiotics,Yale	Probiotics may help prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea and appear to speed recovery from acute gastroenteritis.	This is the first of a four-part video series on the current state of probiotic science. Next up is Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics?, in which their effect on immune function is explored.Of course the best way to avoid antibiotic-associated diarrhea is to prevent the need for antibiotics in the first place by avoiding infection. See, for example:You can also avoid consuming antibiotics in your diet: Lowering Dietary Antibiotic Intake and More Antibiotics In White Meat or Dark Meat?Another mention of frozen "poopsicles" can be found in my video Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen.The mislabeling of probiotic supplements will come as no surprise to those who've been following my work. For example:Probiotics are one of the 1,553 topics I cover here on NutritionFacts.org, for example in Boosting Good Bacteria in the Colon Without Probiotics.For more context, check out my associated blog posts:  Probiotics and Diarrhea, Probiotics During Cold Season?, How Should I Take Probiotics?, and How Probiotics Affect Mental Health	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/02/how-should-i-take-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enemas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-transplant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=13592638&dopt=abstractplus,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20145608,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22290405,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22874805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19114770,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22928998,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21729093,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21641680,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21303743,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12594638,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17443557,
PLAIN-2752	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-risk-red-wine-vs-white-wine/	Breast Cancer Risk: Red Wine vs. White Wine	After diagnosis, women with breast cancer may cut their risk of dying nearly in half—estrogen-receptor positive; estrogen receptor negative—just instituting simple, modest lifestyle changes, 5 or more servings fruits and veggies a day and just like walking 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week. But what about preventing breast cancer in the first place?If you actually follow the advice of the official dietary guidelines for cancer prevention does it actually reduce your risk of cancer? If you manage your weight, eat more plant foods, less animal foods, less alcohol and breastfeed if you're a woman, based on the largest prospective study on diet and cancer in history, you may significantly lower your risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, stomach cancer, UADT cancer—you don't want to get cancer in your UADT, believe me—no, that means basically oral cancer, as well as lower risk for liver cancer, esophageal cancer, and all cancers combined.Of all the recommendations, the "Eat mostly foods of plant origin" appeared the most powerful. For example a study in the UK found that in just one year in Britain there were14,902 excess cases of cancer caused by something they were exposed to 10 years earlier. What was that something that ended up causing thousands of cancers? Deficient intake of fruit and vegetables. If that was some instead chemical spill or something causing 14 thousand cancers, people would be up and arms to ban it, but instead when that killer carcinogen is not eating their fruit and veg, as the Brits would say, it hardly get's anyone's attention.What if you throw in smoking too? Researchers created a healthy lifestyle index, defined by four things: #1 exercise, #2, a dietary shift away from the standard American diet high in meat, dairy, fat, and sugar towards a more prudent dietary pattern—for instance green and yellow vegetables, beans, and fruits. #3 avoidance of tobacco and #4 avoidance of alcohol. If young, women scoring higher on those four things may cut their odds of getting breast cancer in half, and older women may cut their odds of breast cancer 80%!We've covered how even light drinking can increase breast cancer risk, but for women who refuse to eliminate alcohol, which is less carcinogenic, red wine or white? Well some studies, such as the Harvard Women's Health Study suggest less or even no risk from red wine and we may have just figured out why. Remember how mushrooms were the vegetable best able to suppress the activity of aromatase, the enzyme used by breast tumors to produce its own estrogen? Well if you run the same human placenta experiments with fruit, strawberries get the silver, but grapes get the gold.But what kind of grapes? The whimpy green grapes used to make white wine didn't work, compared to those used for making red.  Bottom line, "red wine may serve as a nutritional aromatase inhibitor, which may ameliorate the elevated breast cancer risk associated with alcohol intake." But why accept any elevated risk, by instead just eating grapes. And if you do, chose ones with seeds if you can, as they may work even better.	The last comment in the video was to eat red grapes with seeds. I’d like too but they are no longer produced. They’re not even availabe at health food stores. I’ve asked for them but I’m told there is no demand. So next time you’re at your store, let your voice be heard.we have them in Itay..do you need to eat the seeds or is there something inherently different about the flesh of gapes that have seeds?Eat the seeds! Very nutritiousI love todays video for a number of reasons: 1) It shows women, without going thru breast removal surgery as to how they can decrease the risk of breast cancer (as well as cancer in general, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and the list goes on and on). 2) Many state that drinking wine has health advantages – as the video indicates its best to eat the grape, receive the health benefits and avoid the down side of alcohol, such as the fact that alcohol attacks fatty tissue, much of what the brain in composed of! 3) The video emphasizes the importance of not putting off a transition toward healthier eating, because when a symptom appears, such as dementia for example, its the result of what the person has been consuming for the last 10-20 years! What we do today determines our tomorrows.Thanks Dr Greger for another great lesson in health !Dr Greger, Great info, I saw somewhere that you were on Dr Oz, has it aired? If so, please let me know when or when it intends to air..thank youNice special effects. (the twinkling) Sort of reminded me of your older videos where we got to guess before you revealed an answer. I really like that format. I gets my brain into more active listening.But I gotsa say, I aint eaten no seeds! :-0Dr. Greger seems to contradict himself between his videos on light alcohol drinking: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/One of the many reasons why fruits and berries don’t prevent cancer in real populations of real people as well as cruciferous vegetables, allium vegetables, legumes (especially soy), tomatoes, mushrooms, and green leafy vegetables is that they are sweet: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20647326 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22922366 http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/pancreatic-cancers-use-fructose-165745.aspx http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/76/5/911.longAll these excellent citations seem to warn against the dangers of excess fructose in its free form, as in soft drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. However, I see no problem with the smaller amount of slowly released fructose and sucrose from fruits and vegetables, which are contained in a fiber matrix to slow absorbtion. In this case, the furctose will be metabolized by glycolysis rather than the pentose phosphate shunt, which will eliminate the problem of excess protein synthesis. The many epidemiological studies on fruit and vegetable consumtion show that they are helpful in preventing cancer.The majority of epidemiological studies say that fruits don’t prevent cancer as well as vegetables: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16227704Cooked cruciferous vegetables didn’t prevent cancer much better than fruits: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16172215From that very study, “These results suggest that increasing vegetable and fruit consumption, already recommended for the prevention of several other chronic diseases, may impart some protection against developing pancreatic cancer.”You claim that the majority of epidemiological studies say that fruits and veggies don’t prevent cancer….As evidence, you cite a case-control study that concluded, “higher consumption of raw vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, garlic as well as broccoli ***may decrease a risk*** of stomach cancer, whereas intake of citrus fruits has no relation with a reduced risk of the disease.”Small quantities of the bad arsenic – inorganic arsenic – is present in grapes, apples, red sugar beets, and rice bran: http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20111130/arsenic-in-apple-grape-juice http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/30/high-arsenic-levels-apple-juice_n_1121232.htmlOne cup of raw grapes are lower in dietary fiber (only 1.4g) and higher in total sugar (23.4g) than any other fruit: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1920/2Eating a small cluster of grapes should not cause gas or diarrhea in the vast majority of people: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16183355No Greger does not contradict himself. He reports that very modist alcohol consumption shows up on the graph for HEART disease as benifitial,but on a CANCER graph as risk producing.I believe I read somewhere that wine confers cardiovascular benefits above and beyond grapes because of some chemical that is produced in the fermentation process. I wonder if the same might be true for this aromatase activity of red wine. OK – I’ll admit it – I’m a woman who loves red wine (and drinks it in moderation).Here’s to women who love their wine! :) That said, I’m grateful for this new info because now I know how to lower my risk by choosing the right wine. And I love red wine far better than white, anyway, so this is good news indeed. Seems to me that if you are eating right (vegan), exercising regularly, and getting your five to nine servings of fruits and vegies, drinking in moderation is less risky. But I’d like to see more studies. The trouble is, most of these studies are carried out with subjects who eat meat and/or dairy, not with vegans. So I wonder how vegans wine drinkers would stack up agains people who don’t consume wine or alcohol but do eat a standard American diet centered on meat and dairy consumption. I’d be willing to wager that the vegan wine drinkers would still have much lower cancer risk due to a healthier lifestyle overall. To your health… Salud!Is there any research that compares alcohol consumption with a standard American diet to alcohol consumption with a plant based diet? Does not alcohol speed some things into the blood stream that might otherwise pass through the system?I’m not aware of any studies on alcohol consumption and SAD vs plant based diet. I also don’t know any studies that show interference of the absorption of nutrients by alcohol. However, alcohol consumption should be limited as it is viewed by the body as a toxin creating a myriad of effects on all systems (e.g. nervous, arterial, liver, endocrine). It is common to see vitamin deficiencies in folks who drink a lot of alcohol due to the lack of consumption of healthy foods. Alcohol(7) is more calorie dense then carbohydrates(4) or protein(4)… not as calorie dense as oil(9).White wine comes from red grapes, but is separated immediately from the skins and seeds.BTW, white wine is produced from the same grapes as red; they just discard the skins (and most of the intriguing polyphenols) for white wine production.Wine has resveratrol, beer has zantholhumol, but its possible ethanol itself is a hormetin, with positive effects, even on cancer mortality, at around one serving per day. See figure 4:Jin, M., et al. “Alcohol drinking and all cancer mortality: a meta-analysis.” Annals of Oncology 24.3 (2013): 807-816. http://www.uniad.org.br/desenvolvimento/images/stories/Ann_Oncol-2012-Jin-annonc_mds508_copia.pdfIn Italy there are no grapes without seeds. In Britain there are no grapes with seed . Which is more natural? British grapes are are sterile, fruitless fruits!!You can get grape seed oil to replace eating the grape seedsI was just wondering if you know any websites that focus more on plant based nutrition in the UK? As this is mostly centred round the US? So do you know a good doctor I can follow on plant based nutrition who focuses more on sources in the uk?Hi Dr. Greger, I’m a US medical student and fully support your website. There is absolutely nothing like it out there that I’ve come across! I was hoping you would shed some light on Resveratrol supplements as there have been so many studies but its getting hard for me to wrap my head around all the information. Thank you so much for your work!!I must have missed this one: Are you saying that Red wine isn’t healthy after all?	alcohol,animal products,aromatase,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,breast health,breastfeeding,cancer,colon cancer,dairy,endometrial cancer,EPIC Study,esophageal cancer,estrogen,fruit,grapes,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,kidney cancer,liver cancer,meat,mushrooms,oral cancer,plant-based diets,rectal cancer,red wine,smoking,standard American diet,strawberries,United Kingdom,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss,white wine,wine	Modest lifestyle changes that include the avoidance of alcohol may cut the odds of breast cancer in half, but certain grapes appear to contain natural aromatase inhibitors that may undermine the ability of breast tumors to produce their own estrogen.	My reference to the cancer risk associated with even light drinking (up to one drink per day) is explored in Breast Cancer and Alcohol: How Much is Safe?Wasn't there a study that found that fruits and vegetables weren't protective against cancer, though? See my video on the EPIC Study.For more on the aromatase story, see:More on grapes in Fat Burning Via Flavonoids and Best Fruit Juice.What if you already have breast cancer, though? Well, Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing, but I do have been a few studies on breast cancer survival and diet:Also, be sure to check out my associated blog post for more context:  Breast Cancer & Alcohol: How Much Is Safe? and Breast Cancer and Wine.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/20/breast-cancer-and-wine/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aromatase/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17204515,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21335508,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22158313,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17557947,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22592101,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22150098,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12095950,
PLAIN-2753	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/	Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation	There are lots of products that promise to boost your immune system—and who wouldn't want that? Well, there are millions of people with auto-immune diseases, inflammatory diseases and allergies.  Millions of people whose immune systems may already be a bit too active.I try to make sufferers of seasonal allergies feel better by explaining that having an overactive immune system is not all bad. Individuals with allergies have a decreased risk for cancer (compared with the general population). Yes your immune system may be in such overdrive it's attacking things left and right like tree pollen, but that heightened state of alert might also help bring down any budding tumors in the body. So it's tricky, we want to boost the part of the immune system that fights infection, while down-regulating the part that results in chronic inflammation. And mushrooms may fit the bill.There are thousands of edible mushrooms, though only 100 are cultivated commercially, and only 10 of those on an industrial scale.  And I do mean industrial, rising to over 20 million tones, and for good reason. They accelerate immunoglobulin A secretion.Though skin is considered our largest organ, we actually interface with the outside world more through our mucous membranes, that line our mouth, our entire digestive tract, our reproductive and urinary systems, inside the breast glands, on our eyeballs, occupying our largest body surface area. Our gut alone covers more area than a tennis court and much of it is only one cell thick.  One microscopic layer is all that separates us from all the toxins, viruses, and bacteria out there, and so we need one heck of a first-line defense, and that defense is call IgA, immunoglobulin A, our type A antibodies. Dietary intake may improve mucosal immunity by accelerating IgA secretion, but no studies have ever been conducted on mushrooms, until now.Half eat their normal diet, half eat their normal diet with cooked white button mushrooms every day for a week. Then using the passive dribble method for collecting saliva, just measured the amount of IgA they were pumping out. No change in the control group, but after a week of mushrooms, IgA secretion jumped 50% and even stayed up there for a week after they stopped. This study has shown for the first time that a dietary intake of white button mushrooms—just regular white mushrooms, about a cup a day--resulted in higher IgA secretion, and the elevated secretion remained stable into week two, but then fell back to baseline. so this suggests that in arresting or slowing the decrease of IgA in individuals such as the elderly or those with immune compromise, a continuous daily intake of the mushrooms may be necessary to maintain an increased IgA secretion, meaning you can't just eat mushrooms once and expect to be protected forever, you have to make them part of your regular diet.But if you continue to churn out 50% more antibodies, might that contribute to chronic inflammation, which is implicated in the development of a variety of diseases? No, in fact mushrooms appear to have an "anti-inflammatory capacity in vitro, suggesting that they could be regarded as a potential source of natural anti-inflammatory agents." For example here's an inflammatory response without mushrooms, and with mushrooms, both white, and a few other varieties. They think it might be the phytonutrient pyrogallol, found in a variety of mushrooms as well as in our old friend amla, Indian gooseberries, that similarly appear to reduce inflammation, while at the same time boosting immune and anticancer function.	Really cool. Thanks, Dr. Greger. I’m hoping that with time you are able to find other foods that have this same and or similar effect as the mushrooms and amla do. A very interesting study and topic to start the week! Thanks.Now I am looking even more forward to my pasta with mushrooms tonight!!!Curious… in Italy there is a great culture of mushrooms(especially in autumn)… and even i really appreciate a cup of rice with boletus edulis… now i’ve only to find if the way i eat my mushroom is okay with the findings of the studies…Should the mushrooms be cooked? I love them rawFunny, I only like them cooked.Unfortunately for you, I believe that eating the mushrooms cooked is the better idea. Check out this video from Dr. Greger:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/“Feeding studies using mushrooms and mushroom extracts have in general provided no evidence of toxicological effects of agaritine or mushroom consumption, in contrast to results of studies which have administered non-physiologically relevant concentrations of chemically synthesized hydrazine derivatives to mice. The available evidence to date suggests that agaritine from consumption of cultivated A. bisporus mushrooms poses no known toxicological risk to healthy humans.”Roupas, Peter, et al. “Mushrooms and agaritine: A mini-review.” Journal of Functional Foods 2.2 (2010): 91-98. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464610000241Interesting!!! That’s good news to the people who prefer them raw. Thanks for the additional info.So this is the same mushroom that you need to freeze, thaw, boil, discard the water to remove the carcinogen. I’m guessing that would get rid of the good stuff too.The subjects in the active group (n = 12, 41.4 ± 11.3 y old) consumed 100 g of blanched WBM daily with their normal diet for 1 wk,” Why were they blanched? Are these the same kind of mushrooms that are toxic in the raw state?I would suspect the blanching would be to kill external bacteria. I know white button mushrooms are grown on manure normally. Even though it would be well-composted, perhaps bacteria (or viruses) can survive and contaminate the mushroom. Shiitake and oyster mushrooms are grown on wood substrates. I’m not sure about other mushrooms, like the brown/portabello, etc.I’m curious if that cup of mushrooms is a measured cup cooked or a measured cup after cooked.I LOVE mushrooms, but I rarely get a whole cup of cooked mushrooms as part of my daily diet. I tend to consume 1 to 2 packages of 10 ounces worth of raw mushrooms each week. (I cook them before eating.) That seems like a lot right there to me…Great video! Thanks for all the background info.Hi Dr. Greger,Get your videos daily and so appreciate all the information and take it to heart.I’m a vegetarian, 10 years and a vegan for 2 years. Eat 5 times a week, oyster and enoki mushrooms and have been for years. Diagnosed with Alopecia Areata last week. The autoimmune system is attacking the hair follicles I am told.Diet was not an issue per the derma doc but again most docs don’t address ones diet but happily give prescriptions for meds and wish me a happy day!My question to you, can eating too many mushrooms as I do, compromise the immune system into overdrive?Thank you,BarbaraNF-κB is a master transcription factor for the inflammatory response, and this review details some of the mushroom compounds that inhibit this pathway.Petrova, R., et al. “Fungal metabolites modulating NF-kappa B activity: An approach to cancer therapy and chemoprevention (Review).”Oncology reports 19.2 (2008): 299. http://ww.mushroomhunter.net/chaga%20pdf/metabolite%20and%20cancer.pdfPast work points to the caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), which blocks NF-κB binding to DNA, as the active agent in white button mushrooms.How much mushrooms must one eat to gain the benefits of mushrooms in the diet? I’m not a fan of mushrooms but maybe I can hide them in some of my food. And must they be eaten daily or can I have them a couple times a week and be okay?The research suggests to me that if you eat a pound a day for a week, you can skip a week and still get the outstanding benefits. Since there is no research (presumably) on minimum dose or frequency, I would aim for even a small amount each day. Since we have varied diets, that may be hard to do, but even eating mushrooms more frequently should help the immune system. At a minimum, once per two weeks, but because we are likely to consumer lower doses than in the study, more frequent consumption would be wise. As for taste, I do think they are an acquired taste, so try them with your favorite herbs, seasonings, etc. until you find a few ways you like them. I enjoy them steamed with my veggies, but they can be bland that way. Pan-fried with garlic and salt is usually a big hit with people. Depending on how crowded your fry pan is, they will turn out either soft or browned. Good luck with your mushroom adventures!To get the benefits of mushrooms do they have to be cooked as I prefer them raw. thank you, ItaAustralian researchers say that the “fresh” mushrooms eaten in the following study were mostly only white button mushrooms and that the “dried” mushrooms eaten in the following study were mostly only shiitake mushrooms: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19048616Although the dried shiitakes were not as spectacular in preventing breast cancer in Chinese women as the freshly-eaten white buttons, freshly-eaten shiitakes might outperform freshly-eaten white buttons in another study – we don’t know: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicinal_mushroomsThe 2 reasons why Dr. Greger advises us to boil white buttons before eating them is because: (1)all Agaricus mushrooms, including white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) and the Brazilian mushrooms known as “mushroom of God” (Agaricus blazei) are high in cancer-causing agaritine, which can be deactivated only by boiling in hot water (or by canning). (2)white button mushrooms usually have pathogenic, Gram-negative, horse manure bacteria on the top, which can be killed by boiling in hot water but the bacterial endotoxins cannot be eliminated and will enter the human bloodstream even after the horse manure bacteria are completely killed by boiling in hot water or by the hydrochloric acid in the human stomach. It might be better to eat white button mushrooms fresh (raw) despite these 2 formidable disadvantages because the overall net health benefit is greater.Shiitake mushrooms, on the other hand, can be safely eaten fresh because they don’t contain much cancer-causing agaritine or horse manure. However, freshly-eaten shiitakes can cause rare, allergic skin reactions in Asians (but never in Caucasians).As for pyrogallol, one website says that smoked foods are extremely high in pyrogallol and that pyrogallol causes DNA damage: http://www.goodguide.com/ingredients/102723-pyrogallol http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/cancer_biologists_find_dna_damaging_toxins_in_common_plant_based_foodsi am appreciative of the information you give so freely…obviously not looking for monetary gain…thankyou!!My daughter was recently diagnosed with Lupus and has been put on medication. Do you have a particular recommendation for her?wish I had the answer for an ongoing inflamation of bones..major health foods ..never deviate…..Will cooking food with a couple of pennys provide enough zinc in the diet?	allergies,amla,autoimmune diseases,cancer,gooseberries,IgA,immune function,inflammation,mushrooms,phytonutrients	Cooked white mushroom consumption stimulates antibody production while potentially still playing an anti-inflammatory role.	The immune boosting fruit and vegetable video I reference is Boosting Immunity Through Diet. See also Kale and the Immune System and Sleep & Immunity.The balance between immune function and cancer is not always as straightforward as I noted. See my video series that starts with Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease.More about mushroom magic in:Probably best to eat cooked, though (Toxins in Raw Mushrooms?).How else to decrease inflammation? See:What can we do about allergic diseases? See:And if amla is not your old friend, become acquainted:Check out my blog posts for additional context: Vitamin D from Mushrooms, Sun, or Supplements? , Mushrooms and Immunity, and Probiotics During Cold Season?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gooseberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iga/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15248842,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17718097,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22212052,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18760383,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22975004,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22001417,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22113068,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22929092,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15790845,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12656350,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22310378,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22056333,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22286340,
PLAIN-2754	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/	Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer 	More berried treasure: A story similar to the strawberries and esophageal cancer revelation has emerged with black raspberries and oral cancer. Again it started with in-vitro studies. Oral cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers in the US with a flip-of-the-coin death rate. We can reduce our risk of oral cancer by avoid all forms of tobacco, restricting alcohol consumption, avoiding obesity, and eating at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day, as well as shooting for fewer than 6 lifetime oral sex partners and avoiding prolonged marijuana use—meaning more than about 20 years. But what if you already have precancerous changes in your mouth?Well, black raspberries appear to selectively inhibit the growth of both malignant and premalignant cells, but not normal cells—just what we want, but that's just in a petri dish. So they took some folks with precancerous growth in their mouths, so called oral intraepithelial neoplasia, and had them rub a black raspberry gel on it for 6 weeks. Like the esophageal study with strawberries, most of the patients' lesions improved, including complete clinical regression. Now you see it; now you don't. Thanks to just berries. They were able to follow a reversal of genetic changes that had led to the silencing of tumor suppressor genes.The gel was just to get the berries to stick to the lesions, so they didn't have to eat berries all day. Now they're getting even more high tech, developing Injectable Millicylindrical berry Implants. Unlike standard local delivery formulations, which require multiple, repeated dosing throughout the day, implantable vehicles alleviate concerns with multiple dosing schedules and poor patient compliance. They fill up these microscopic little barrels with black raspberry power, inject them into a lesion, and they slowly dissolve, releasing their phytonutrients over a whole month.For those who'd rather eat their berries the old fashioned way, unfortunately you have to pretty much be in Oregon the three weeks in July when these particular berries are harvested to get your hands on them. I've never seen them frozen in stores. You can order them online, frozen but they're like 20 bucks a pound with shipping. The freeze-dried powder is comparatively cheaper, but I've always wondered about how much nutrition is lost. Well, there's finally been a study. The antioxidant concentration was measured in fresh, frozen, and freeze-dried strawberries and strawberry jam, with the intent of measuring antioxidant content of foods typically available to consumers in grocery stores.On a gram for gram dry weight basis the freeze-drying holds up remarkably well, even better than freezing. Jam, though, presumably because of the heat processing, really takes a hit. On a consumed weight basis, though, the freeze-dried do shine, but just because an ounce of dried is equivalent to about a cup and a half of fresh.	I would be happy to eat berries all day if anyone wants to do that trial!A question from Daniel Manahan from youtube:“Dr. Greger what is your opinion on GMO veggies and their ability to cure cancer just as well?is there any science to show that a GMO berry would do just as good? or any other study﻿ showing the GMO equivalent would do just as good as an organic counterpart?”I would like to know that as well.1) At present there aren’t any commercially available GMO berries – its just not a large enough agricultural market compared to grains, soy, and oil seeds.2) Wild and organic berries have higher polyphenol content than cultivated varieties, and one theory is that they’re producing them to deter insects. It was more advantageous to have one’s seed disseminated widely by migratory birds during berry plant evolution.High thanks to your reply.I eat blackberries every day. They are cheap. Red raspberries are pricey and don’t taste as good as blackberries. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a black raspberry. I’ve thought about becoming a blackberry farmer. Them chiggers are somethin’ fierce though.aren’t blackberries the same beast as black raspberries?Blackberries, raspberries, dewberries and cloudberries are all from the same genus Rubus and subgenus Rubus, with some rather complex hybridization going on. There’s no single blackberry species, rather a bunch of them, and hybrids between as well. Raspberries arise from at least 15 species, and black raspberries arise from three.It must keep batologists up at night. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RubusBlackberry patches are a prime habitat for chiggers. I think suffering could be defined by the chigger bites after a walk through a patch.I did find an easy protection that won’t kill you, your kids or pet. Many years ago I heard that sulfur would repel them. I got a hand cranked blower and spread sulfur all over my three acres including the blackberry patch. I would have been happy for a week free of chiggers but I had no bites for the next year.Unless you already have acid rain it would probably be good for the soil too. Oh, and I don’t think we can have too many blackberry farmers.I’m confused. If you don’t think you’ve ever seen a black raspberry, then how do you know they don’t taste as good as blackberries?Both black raspberries and blackberries grow wild on my property. They’re from the same genus (Rubus), but they aren’t the same berry. They don’t even look the same. Like the red raspberry, the black raspberry detaches from the carpel when picked (it’s hollow inside), whereas the blackberry does not (it’s not hollow inside).Both are delicious! But the study does pertain to black raspberries, not blackberries. It would be interesting to find out if blackberries contain the same oral cancer fighting properties as black raspberries.My apologies, Painterguy! You were comparing red raspberries to blackberries, not black raspberries. My bad!Black raspberries are even pricier than red raspberries. That’s why I’m glad they grow wild on my property. Wine berries, too.We have black raspberries growing wild all around our farm in Western PA. We usually run out of interest in picking them before we run out of berries. Look for them in mid-to-late June. Love ‘em fresh or frozen in my morning oatmeal!Great video Dr Greger. I have a small quibble. “On a consumed weight basis, though, the freeze-dried do shine, but just because an ounce of dried is equivalent to about a cup and a half of fresh.” – the tone of this is unmistakeable begrudging. I think many vegan take heuristics like “eat fresh”, “eat whole foods”, “avoid processed foods”, and turn them into more than pragmatic, utilitarian rules of thumb, which is all they are. The advantages of the nutrient density of freeze-dried berry powders should be celebrated and emphasised.Black raspberries are actually pretty low in sugar vs. many other berries due to their high fiber content. The fiber portion of the berry has actually been shown in other studies to be very beneficial for health and for fighting against cancerous tissues. There is a company out in oregon called BerriHealth that uses whole berries just like you would find in a store for their powders and keeps the fiber in which would lower sugar per serving.There are a couple other companies that might do this as well, the one I used before ran out of stock about a year ago and was more expensive. However, a lot of companies just buy purees made from lower-quality material to freeze dry, which strains out a lot of the fiber too.Agreed. There’s tremendous wastage in fresh produce due to consumer demands for unblemished fruit. From a pragmatic standpoint, some types of processing can yield most of the health promoting phytochemical content, while making use of blemished fruit, reducing transport and storage costs, and making seasonally abundant fruit available year round.Even environmentally conscious consumers can conceed the advantage of freeze-dried or frozen local berries over say, air transport of fresh Chilean/New Zealand crops.Thanks for the info, I wonder if any commercial products make use of one of these methods?You probably wouldn’t want them. Solvent extraction using CH2Cl2 and CCl4 (also used in dry cleaning) is used all the time to isolate less water soluble compounds in chemical analysis and synthesis – my very first organic chemistry lab used CCl4 to isolate the caffeine from a kettle of very strong tea – but they’re not terribly environmentally or health friendly.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichloromethane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_tetrachlorideIts one thing to ingest small amounts of highly regulated pharmaceutical products that might use solvent extraction steps – it quite another to send all your berries through the dry cleaners.Using your knowledge, can you think of, or do you know of a different process that doesn’t have those problems?If you’re goal is simply sugar removal, than yes. Ferment the berry slurry in a vat, boil off the alcohol (perhaps sell it as fruit brandy), and you’re left with a somewhat unpalatable but most likely healthy mess of boiled yeast husks and undigested nonvolatile berry components, enriched in the anthocyanins.In general though, I think a better option is to choose a diet where occasional sugar rush from eating fruit is not a problem. They weren’t for our primate ancestors, who ate as much fruit as possible, when in season. Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are diseases of chronic fat poisoning, not high-glycemic index carbs. See Mark McCarty’s excellent life guide for more detail than I can offer here: http://www.nutriguard.com/eattolive.pdfI would agree that too the best approach is not to worry too much about the sugars in whole foods. I have had patients who have to restrict their fruit intake do to the effect on triglycerides but these were folks who were eating many servings a day. It is the fructose and not the glucose that has been associated with inflammation and other issues. Given the pharmacokinetic studies I have seen low dose fructose doesn’t appear to be much of a problem but I’m sure their will be more research coming. It is the fat in the diet,both animal and plant fats, that are the main cause of the insulin resistance. You can make a case for fructose indirectly causing it by its metabolism in the liver to fats. We are learning more about how metabolically active our fat cells are. Just another reason to maintain ideal levels of body fat. Thanks Darryl for some well informed and interesting posts…. reminds me of some of my undergraduate labs as a Chemical Engineering major.Mountain rose herbs have some organic freeze dried berry powders like acai. http://www.mountainroseherbos.com/index.php?AID=091391I agree. You can buy a two month supply of Juice Festiv for $22 at Costco. It contains, in powdered form, 46 different fruits and vegetables, the majority of which none of us would ever otherwise come in contact with.Unfortunately, Juice Festiv also contains whey and gelatin.Hi, Kman,I just ordered Amla powder, organic freeze-dried Acai berry powder, and organic raw berry power blend (12 varieties of berries) from Sunburst Superfoods. The powders seemed reasonably priced and are sugar free. Here is the link to the “superfood powders” page: http://www.sunburstsuperfoods.com/superfood-powders/. The toll-free number: 800-228-4436 (M-F only, 9-5 EST). Enjoy in good health!Thanks, but I can’t seem to find where it says these products are sugar free. Are you sure?Hey Kman, I think there are quite a few freeze-dried fruit powder purveyors. I am quite certain that additional sugar is not added. Although there is naturally occurring glucose and fructose in the powder, it is in similar quantities as what you would find in the fruit itself. I have used freeze dried powders and am quite happy with them. One other advantage is simply that they require less storage space.I wonder if freeze-dried berry powder could come in a low-sugar form – all the phytonutrients with less of the sugar?Hey Gang, I know this is a bit OT but get a load of this:http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/02/19/172421803/flax-seed-the-next-superfood-for-cows-and-beeftalk about roll on the floor laughing… Have you herd the new Beef eaters slogan? “You are what you eat eats!” hehAs for berry powders, why not just buy freeze dried berries, ( which are whole, no sugar added) and if you need powder form, grind them in a coffee grinder or small food processor. Heres one place to order them- all kinds of berries… ( i have done plenty of business with this retailer and highly recommend them) http://www.nuts.com/driedfruit/strawberries/freeze-dried.html?gclid=CMH9i5WunrcCFYxj7Aod0iMAAwBlackberries and raspberries contain even less proanthocyanidins (condensed tannins) than strawberries so the harm or benefit from high-tannin fruits, berries, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains on oral and esophageal lesions was not decided by this black raspberry gel study: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/134/3/613/T1.expansion.htmlOut of 19 patients with oral lesions, 7 improved, 2 got worse, and 10 did not get better or worse during the 6 week duration of this black raspberry gel study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3498466/figure/F3/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18413833I can think of many gels that might have worked better such as various medicinal mushrooms, olive leaves, olive fruits, garlic, onions, cabbage, broccoli, red radishes, giant white turnips, soybeans, fenugreek seeds, astragalus root, tomatoes, Korean red ginseng, astaxanthin, tocotrienols, alpha-lipoic acid, fucoidan, zinc, krill oil, white tea, rooibos tea, triphala (risky), tannin sorghum (risky), or any green leafy vegetables. Are the researchers trying to sell berries?Blackberries grow by the roadside here in Oregon. We pick them every year. One of these days, some corporation will try to own the whole mess and charge us for picking them. They grow everywhere like weeds. We love them.I planted raspberries and blackberries invaded :) And I love them more. I’m from the East Coast, and the blackberries here are one of the joyous things on earth.Fresh berries are compared to frozen. What about berries in powder? That is the only choice I have available where I live. Thanks.The approximately 50% reduction in antioxidant capacity of jam compared to fresh fruit is likely due to the fact that most jams are made from equal amounts of fruit & sugar by weight.Interesting point, Ilse, thanks. We don’t add sugar to our homemade jam, but the processing heat is still likely to destroy some nutrients.The picture of a single berry at the beginning of the video is not a black raspberry (rubus occidentalis) but a blackberry (rubus fruticosus).This flies in the face of Dr Greger’s video on Gerson therapy in which the “studies” stopped Gerson therapy during cancer treatment because people died faster.the videos are so nice. thank you. jeff you are right agree on your counsel. thank you.http://cracksmaker.com/recover-my-file-v5-2-1-patch/Pretty portion of content. I simply stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital to say that I get actually loved account your blog posts. Any way I will be subscribing to your feeds and even I success you get right of entry to consistently quickly.http://crackeygen.com/at this time now I’m confused. If you don’t think you’ve ever seen a black raspberry, then how do you know they don’t taste as good as blackberries?Both black raspberries and blackberries grow wild on my property. They’re from the same genus (Rubus), but they aren’t the same berry. They don’t even look the same. Like the red raspberry, the black raspberry detaches from the carpel when picked (it’s hollow inside), whereas the blackberry does not recover my file crackremote desktop managerNice Post i was just searching i saw this one It’s really nice thanks for this.photoshop cs6 product keyPretty! This was a really wonderful post. Many thanks for providing this info.DRIVER Toolkit 8.4 cracknice here felling happy nice to meet you your nutritionfacts is much valuable for me thanks keep it up. http://realcracked.com/nitro-pro-8-crack-serial-key-patch-keygen/	alcohol,antioxidants,berries,black raspberries,cancer,cancer survival,Cannabis,dietary guidelines,epigenetic changes,frozen fruit,fruit,jam,mortality,obesity,oral cancer,oral health,oral intraepithelial neoplasia,Oregon,phytonutrients,sexual health,sexual transmission,smoking,strawberries,vegetables	Black raspberries may cause complete clinical regression of precancerous oral lesions (oral intraepithelial neoplasia).	What strawberries and esophageal cancer revelation you ask? That was in my last video Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer, following up on Cranberries versus Cancer and Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better?I've previously covered the clinical trials of black raspberries (though in a different orifice) in Best Fruits For Cancer Prevention. I also touched on the adverse effects of breathing smoke from any source in Cannabis Receptors & Food.Berries in general are the healthiest fruits and I encourage everyone to try to fit them into their daily diet. Here are a few of my 37 other videos on berries:Check out my associated blog posts for more context:  Which Common Fruit Fights Cancer Better?, Anti-Cancer Nutrient Synergy in Cranberries, Strawberries Can Reverse Cancer Progression, Raspberries Reverse Precancerous Lesions, and  Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/17/strawberries-can-reverse-precancerous-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frozen-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epigenetic-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-raspberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-transmission/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-intraepithelial-neoplasia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cannabis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oregon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20528581,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22429603,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18413833,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22673108,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17005596,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20148292,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15860443,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18559542,
PLAIN-2755	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/	Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer 	Studies like these showing that the fruits can suppress the growth of cancer in a petri dish are all well and good, but we need to know if they can do the same thing within the human body. It's considered unethical to withhold conventional cancer therapies, like surgery/chemo/radiation to test out some fruit or vegetable, so what do you do? Well one direction researchers have taken is to use "combinatorial strategies," for example, adding phytonutrients from the spice turmeric and green tea along with chemotherapy to see if that works better than chemo alone, but this gets complicated because chemo and radiation often work by killing cancer cells with free radicals and so though antioxidants may certainly reduce the toxicity of the treatment there's a theoretical concern it could reduce the efficacy as well.Another way you can study the effects of plants on cancer is by testing dietary interventions on slow growing cancers like prostate, which is how Ornish and colleagues were able to show his apparent reversal in cancer growth with a plant-based diet. He could only get away with that because these patients were in the early watch-and-wait stage of cancer.Esophageal cancer is not the cancer to get. Five-year survival's only about 13%, with most people dying within the first year of diagnosis. The development of esophageal cancer is a multistage process. You start out with a normal esophagus, the tube that connects you mouth to your stomach. Starts out fine, then  precancerous changes  start to take place, then localized cancer starts to grow, then eventually it spreads and you die.Because of the well-defined, stepwise progression of esophageal, researchers jumped on it as a way to test the ability of berries—the healthiest fruits—to reverse the progression of cancer. A randomized phase 2 clinical trial of powdered strawberries in patients with precancerous lesions of the esophagus. Six months of eating 1 to 2 ounces a day of freeze dried strawberries—that's like over a pound of fresh strawberries a day, and the progression of disease was reversed in 80% of the high dose strawberry treatment. At the beginning of the study, none had a normal esophagus. They either had mild or moderate precancerous disease. But by the end of the study most lesions either regressed from moderate to mild, or disappeared completely. Here's some representative before and after pictures. From moderate to mild. Or from mild, to gone. By the end of the study half of those on the high dose of strawberries walked away disease free.A drop in tumor markers: before, and after. All because of just strawberries. Showing for the first time that dietary strawberries could significantly decrease the grade of patients’ precancerous esophageal lesions. Cellular proliferation before and after treatment, with strawberries.Recent population studies also suggest that plant foods are protective against esophageal cancer. Diets with lots of meat and fat appear to double the odds of cancer; and lots of fruits and vegetables may cut one's odds of esophageal cancer in half.A diet rich in foods from animal origin and poor in foods containing vitamins and fiber, in other words plant foods, may increase esophageal cancer risk. And now we know at least one plant that may even reverse the course of disease if caught early enough.The findings were heralded as groundbreaking in an editorial in the journal of the American Association for Cancer research. Given that it was written by a pair of pharmacy professors, though, they of course concluded "that the active components and molecular targets responsible for the efficacy of strawberries must be identified.” Posing the question, is the best approach to just eat strawberries, or can they make a strawberry-derived drug that works even better.	That’s Berry interesting! ;-} I’m just amazed that this study even happened.Dr Hemo where have you been? I got used to reading your daily comments. Then poof-gone!Feared that he was caught by the meat and dairy industri… :-)PS Doc, Good to see you back as well!That’s what happens when you eat to many plants–Poof Gone. Guess that’s what happens when there is not enough protein in ones diet! Kinda like Rapture! My body is gone and now I am purely spiritual! Nirvana! ;-)No, I became really busy in my practice in northern california and was doing well and then decided to throw that all away and move to one of the busiest places in California to start all over again. So that is why I have been silent. I’m spending too much time dodging people and car’s and starting a new practice.Thanks for enjoying my comments. I try to be punny/funny to bring a smile to people faces. Food may be thy medicine but a lot of times laughter is the best medicine.Are you in LA? You go from peace and quiet to dodging cars.Sounds like my life.Yes. LA it is.I would love a vegan doctor. Do you treat patients?I do treat patients but unfortunately I am under contract to only treat a certain companies individuals.;-(oh so sad!How much protein should one eat per meal? Dr. Mehmet Oz claims 25 grams per meal. I’d be eating all day and gaining weight in the process.I eat 4-5 meals a day so that comes out to 100-125 grams per day. Ridiculous I say!Even the RDA only recommends ~45 grams total for women and 55 grams for men. And if I am not mistaken the RDA was established to be an UPPER LIMIT of protein intake.One group of researchers has been recommending higher protein intake: (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-protein-recommendations/ ) For me though I stopped worrying about protein intake a couple of years ago because I have been feeling good following a whole food starch/plant based lifestyle. I am also a avid cyclist that is putting in about 50 miles per week road and 25 per week mountain biking (tons of push ups and weights as well) and the only time I seem to have problems with fatigue and not recovering well from working out is when I don’t take in enough starches. For what it’s worth.I should have put the full citation in. Dr Oz said to eat 25 grams of protein per meal in order to keep calcium in one’s bones.If I eat all day, I would sleep all day. I seem to be most sleepy right after taking my vitamins with food and as hard as I’ve tried, I am not losing weight.There may be something else going on here, but eating makes me sleepy. While not eating enough gives me energy. However, I want my spine to heal and am hopelessly confused about how much protein I should be eating.Just reading this post now. As a dietitian I can tell you that excess protein adversely affects bone. Here is an older reference, but to my knowledge, it is still true. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/128/6/1051.longjust a suggestion, I too was sleepy when I took my vitamins and after eating, for years I have tried to figure it out. After 2-4 days of not eating wheat, I was a changed person, no sleepy or tired and slept well at night. Good LuckI eat organic berries on my oatmeal every morning alternating between blackberries (highest in calcium), blueberries (for their brain boosting powers) and strawberries.I’ve not yet heart burn, much less acid reflux disease, possible because I only eat organic and for two years thanks to all your guidance have eaten vegan. But, I’ll keep this in mind about strawberries and share it with my network of family and friends.Thanks, Dr. Greger.this one was terrific. i have a relative who just got treated for esophageal precancer. he’s okay now but it was a huge panic, and this information is great! I will forward.i know it would be a hassle, but please consider publishing the transcripts for those of us who prefer reading to watching!Look above doctors notes. It already done. Click on transcript.The transcripts are published. Search for “Transcript” on this page. The link is below the video.Perhaps a bit off topic, but has anyone found a good source for reasonably priced freeze-dried organic berries?whereabouts are you from jms?I’m in South Florida, but willing to purchase online.cool, I’ll let you know if I come across any good sources, can you let me know if you discover any? thanksexcellent question – why isn’t this headline news?btw, another aspect to the “please publish the script” request is that when I forward this to my relative I will warn him that the images might freak him out.You know there is a “Transcript” tab below the video box and just above the good doc’s picture/post. You can cut and paste this btw, don’t think Dr. G would mind a little fair use.Dr. Greger, is it safe to assume that raspberries and blueberries would have some (but maybe not as much) of a positive effect, in this video’s regard, as the strawberries? Maybe raspberries do the same thing, but only 70% as effective, for example?worth asking because of the organic question (see my comment), and apparently strawberries are also one of the hardest crops to harvest – a lot of backbreaking work for the laborers.While strawberries rank below other berries in total anthocyanin and polyphenol content, there is some evidence that they have among the highest antiproliferative effects, at least in the test tube.McDougall, Gordon J., et al. “Berry extracts exert different antiproliferative effects against cervical and colon cancer cells grown in vitro.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 56.9 (2008): 3016-3023. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf073469nSeeram, Navindra P., et al. “Blackberry, black raspberry, blueberry, cranberry, red raspberry, and strawberry extracts inhibit growth and stimulate apoptosis of human cancer cells in vitro.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 54.25 (2006): 9329-9339. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf061750gYou’ll note from the title of the last paper, it seems all berries have anti-proliferative effects.Great post. You wrote……”Given standardized black raspberry extract also had high anti-proliferative effect and black raspberries are much higher in total polyphenols to begin with, its very possible the a serving of raspberries would be more potent than strawberries against cancer.” If this is the case, it seems to me that if one ate a larger amount of strawberries than the black raspberries, they may get the same/similar anti-proliferative effect. Does this logic make sense to you?Polyphenols are the class of chemicals in berries believed to exert chemoprotective and chemotheraputic effects, and every berry includes a complex mixture of many kinds. The study featured in this video is not the first to find the complex cocktail in whole plant extracts more potent than isolated compounds. Different polyphenols perhaps work synergistically through multiple cell signalling pathways, suppressing mTOR (cell growth), NF-κB (proinflammatory), VEGF (angiogenesis) and inducing Nrf2 (endogenous antioxidant and repair) pathways.At present, science can’t answer which polyphenol, or polyphenol source is best. Strawberries are rich in pelargonidin, kaempferol, ellagic acid, and matairesinol which all have anti-tumor properties in the laboratory, but other berries are richer in anthocyanins (after soy isoflavones, perhaps the most extensively studied class of anticancer polyphenols). Moreover, every cancer is unique based on individual genetics, tissue of origin and its set of carcinogenic mutations, and any ranking of berries may differ in different cell lines. Diverse berries, each offering a different polyphenol cocktail, may act as synergistically as the polyphenols in any individual berry.I just wanted to say that I appreciate the quality information in your comments. I read the sources you quoted and thought ‘wow!’.Blueberries are wonderful for strengthening your brain, and defeating memory threats, according to Neal Barnard, M.D. who cites blueberries in his book, “Foods That Power the Brain,” “http://www.nealbarnard.org/books/brain/okay, i can’t seem to shut up on that. it’s worth noting that strawberries are one of the most contaminated foods in terms of pesticides and other chemicals, so you really want to buy organic.You’re preaching to choir! Even so, according to TC Campbell and other Dr. G vids the effect of pesticides in fruit pales beside the effects of animal protein per se which probably accounts for at least 95% of all cancer. Meat would not pass FDA cancer screening tests! The chemical contaminants in fruit will not cause cancer unless you eat meat/dairy too. Also, the chemicals are even more concentrated in meat and milk and fish than in plants. My takeaway is that for vegans at least, conventionally grown food is not as bad as you’d think.thx – good perspectiveDan, when you say that ” Meat would not pass FDA cancer screening tests!” what are you basing this on? Are you saying that fresh meat shows signs of cancer, present within the meat itself? Thanks for any clarity.Yes Elsie, please read T. Colin Campbell’s books The China Study and Whole – animal protein turns tumor growth on and off. Campbell in Whole attributes 95% of all cancer to animal protein consumption. Dr. G also on this site has numerous postings showing meat has tumorigenic proteins in it, heme iron is carcinogenic and cooking (not burning) meat makes PhIP and your gut bacteria make TMAO. If you don’t eat animal protein you will almost guarantee to live cancer free.Why did they choose strawberries for this amazing study? My impression is that in many scales, blueberries and blackberries are better. And we’ve just learned about cranberries. Is there any reason to think that any of these other berries would have the same or better impact? And what about the other powerful anticancer foods we’ve learned about here, e.g. amla, which I eat every day. Or, is it that we just don’t know? This information sure makes me feel good about being vegan.[quote]This work was supported by the California Strawberry Commission and Faculty Startup Fund from the Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University.The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.[/quote]I would like to see studies made with tropical fruits because not everyone in the world can get cranberries and strawberries…… Whats the most anticancer tropical fruit?Dr. Greger, you said that berries are the healthiest fruit. Are you familiar with “Superfruits” by Paul Gross, PhD? On page 6 he ranks the top twenty true superfruits in descending order. Here’s the top ten:1. Mango 2. Fig 3. Orange 4. Strawberry 5. Goji (wolfberry) 6. Red grape 7. Cranberry 8. Kiwifruit 9. Papaya 10. BlueberryBerries, particularly wild (and rare ones) are higher in antioxidant content than other fruit (1) though antioxidant assays may simply be a proxy for polyphenol content which acts through non-antioxidant mechanisms (2).From (1) Antioxidant content in mmol/100gBerries (not incl. dried)Dog Rose 30.17 Chokeberries, black, wild 13.48 Blueberries 9.24 Rock bramble, frozen, wild 8.51 Bilberries, wild 8.06 Crowberries 7.41 Blackberries, wild 6.13 Sour cherries, cultivated 5.50 Blackcurrant, cultivated 5.49 Wild strawberries 5.44 Elderberries, black, wild 5.24 Red whortleberries 4.99 Blackberries, cultivated 4.53 Blackberries, cultivated, frozen 3.97 Sea buckthorn, berries 3.39 Elderberries, cultivated 3.37 Cranberries, cultivated 3.29 Raspberries, cultivated 3.04 Cloudberries, wild 2.98 Raspberries, wild 2.73 Blueberries, cultivated 2.55 Rowanberries, wild 2.36 Strawberries, cultivated 2.09and the highest ranking fruits:Pomegranate, whole 4.08 Apples, dried 3.81 Apricots, dried 3.11 Grapes, blue Carmel 2.42 Plums, Black Diamond 1.83 Dates 1.48 Plums 1.42 Kiwi 1.24 Apples, green, Greenstar Fruitmaster 1.22 Pineapple 1.21 Guava 1.20 Raisins Sun Maid 1.14 Juice, grapefruit 1.06(1) http://www.nutritionj.com/content/supplementary/1475-2891-9-3-s1.pdf (2) http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00018-007-7237-1Dr. Greger, Is it the effect of the flesh of the strawberry touching the esophagus wall on the way down or is the effect of the digested nutrients?I had the same question. I would guess that a little bit of both is going on, but I don’t know.no flesh of the strawberry was touching the esophagus as it was freeze dried powdered strawberry used.Unbelievable. Both the study and the pharmacists’ reactions.Yes, so interesting and fascinating – the power of the (right) food!!! And the reaction is almost stupid: Lets make a strawberry-pill……They dont get it; it is the whole fruit and not a single nutrient – T. Colin Campbell would agree on this…Why did they use freeze dried powdered strawberries as opposed to fresh?thanksBecause it takes a lot of fresh strawberries to make a unit of freeze dried strawberry powder. The concentration of phytonutrients would me much higher.Probably to reduce volume, otherwise they had to eat more than a pound of fresh strawberries a day every day for monthsthat’s not a lot per day if it’s in a smoothie or something. Just seems fresh would be best.Unfortunately the main thing I feel after seeing a video like this is cranky. That seems like an important study and though I try to point as many people as I can towards this site and Dr. Greger, a large part of the effect of the video is no doubt just preaching to the choir (i.e. those of us already aware of the efficacy of a plant based diet). Anyone have any suggestions for even micro penetration of the big-pharma media block ?I don’t feel cranky in the least! It do forward articles to friends, when I know the subject would interest them. Eventually, they will send one of the links to one of their friend’s. It’s not just ‘the choir’ that is reading these, although probably most often it is who comments. Everyone can spread the word a little bit. I do believe that visits to this site have grown by leaps and bounds.re: ideas for micro penetrationThis is definitely a micro idea, but getting the word out on a topic like this snowballs over time if people keep trying. This is what worked for me: 1) got permission to show the movie Forks Over Knives to my people where I work. 2) Followed up with an e-mail list of just those people who are interested. The “interested group” gets weekly education and support e-mails plus once a month meetings where we watch selected Dr. Greger videos. It works. I’ve helped several people where I work.Another idea is to get active with a “Meetup” group. Check out their website by subject and zip code. You are likely to be able to find a vegetarian and/or vegan group near you. These Meetup groups have a lot of visibility on the web and as long as the group is set up to be open to everyone, the groups end up attracting people who are interested in healthy and ethical eating, but who want to learn more. Thus the point is: By supporting the Meetup group in your area, you are helping to spread the word. (I recently showed Dr. Greger’s Uprooting… video at our local Meetup, and I know of two people who decided to become vegan by the end of the evening.)Finally, I agree with HereHere, you don’t want to annoy people. But if friends and family are open/interested in learning more, showing them Dr. Greger’s blogs from time to time and/or videos can be very helpful. You might also look up writings by other experts such as Dr. McDougal (sp?). That’s how I “converted” my parents! The trick is to be very gentle. You can’t push people or they will push back.Hope this helps. Best of luck to you.This “revolution” will come from the grassroots. People doing what you are doing, Thea. Not from government or the medical profession. Not from the medical industri – why should they – they make medicine, which often works, and people are happy to pop a pill. Radical new ideas are ridiculed within the medical community – there are several examples: Stomach ulcer and the fact that the reason is an infection with Helicobacter Pylori, Semmelweis claiming that doctors should wash their hands to reduce the risk of puerperal fever, and now we have a Doctor Greger MD, claiming that you can reduce your risk of heartdisease, stroke, cancer, hypertension, diabetes just by changing your diet to a whole food plant based diet! Whats next! Somebody claming that we were on the moon…..;-) Diet for prevention, reversal or treatment is considered with a high degree of skepticism within the medical community. This will not change overnight. In my experience (for what it is worth) doctors do not listen to this. They are also humans (yes it is true!) and a part of our meateating culture – they dont want to hear this either. Openminded, curious, intelligent, independent people listens – mostly women.The fact is that when the report returns from the pathologist, it says that the plaque from the arterie contained cholesterol and saturated fats – he never says remnants from tofu and broccoli (I think that was Michael Klaper).I love that part about tofu and broccoli.Thanks for the reply.I agree with the other posts that it will have to come from the grass roots. We each have to do what we can as different folks adopt change at different rates and for different reasons. I give presentations to both lay and medical professionals… they get the concepts but may or may not accept them or act on them. Keep pointing out reliable sources of information… for me that is Dr. McDougall’s website, NutritionFacts.org and PCRM. Keep spreading the word.Freeze-dried fruit INFLAMMATORY? A recent check of nutritiondata.self.com lists raisins and prunes as strongly inflammatory…cranberries as mildly inflammatory.Interestingly, raw, fresh grapes and plums are not listed nearly as high for inflammation. And fresh, raw blueberries list as mildly inflammatory. Dr. Greger, and/or anyone else out there with insight into this, is there the possibility that when we freeze-dry fruits such as cranberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc. we are creating inflammatory properties in these fruits? Is the information sourced from the website I referenced considered correct, according to the inflammatory readings it lists for the raw and fresh fruit I listed? Logic is telling me so far that there is a possibility that freeze-dried fruit is inflammatory, and that while it may have preventive, health-promtoing therapeutic effects, it may also, when not eaten raw, be creating inflammation. Anyone?Nutritiondata’s IF rating is based on a formula by Monica Reinagel, not any experimental data on the foods.Her formula looks at macronutrients like sugars (which she considers inflammatory) and omega-3 fatty acids (which she considers anti-inflamatory), and only considers the antioxidant vitamins like C,E,and β-carotene, not the far more abundant polyphenols. Berries, especially freeze dried ones, are pretty high in sugar per 100g, and so in Reinagel’s formula their glycemic index dominates.Study after study demonstrate that some phytochemicals like the anthocyanins in berries can suppress NF-κB mediated inflammation, and these are ignored in Reinagel’s formula. While I think there are some insights behind the IF rating (for example, it is important to aim for a high n-3/n-6 ratio in fats), I wouldn’t rely on it for dietary advice.This for this info. I may try contacting her to suggest she reconsider her choice in formulas to measure inflammation. Think it is worth it? A lot of people follow this “inflammation” rating of hers.The IF rating system is a numerical formula applied to nutrient measures from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8964Indeed, the entire nutritiondata website is simply a user-friendly interface to that USDA database. I myself have downloaded it when unhappy with how the nutritiondata website formatted data.There is no entry for total polyphenols, flavonoids or anthocyanins in current USDA data, so it seems unlikely that the Reinagel’s IF formula or ratings could be readily changed.Why strawberries? So many other fruits, vegetables, legumes, and mushrooms could have been used to prove what we already knew, namely, that hundreds of different beneficial chemicals in plants and mushrooms can combine to prevent cancers from starting, reverse precancerous lesions, and slow down but not cure advanced cancers. Strawberries have one of the lowest antioxidant scores among berries because they contain less tannins than most other berries, cherries, pomegranates, and some exotic fruits. [Despite this, strawberries inhibited cancer better than all other berries in one Petri dish study]: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/Tannins are the most powerful antioxidants in the human diet and fruits berries, legumes, nuts, and whole grains with the highest antioxidant scores always contain the most tannins. These researchers should repeat this experiment with a high-tannin fruit or grain, such as triphala or sorghum.Low-tannin superfoods such as onions (high-organosulfur), garlic (high-organosulfur), broccoli (high-glucosinolate), cabbage (high-glucosinolate), red radishes (high-unblocked glucosinolate), soybeans (high-isoflavone), ground flaxseeds (high-lignan), rooibos tea (high-polyphenol), tomatoes (high-lycopene), Haematococcus pluvialis (high-astaxanthin), and fish oil (high-DHA) also need to be tested to see which works best against precancerous esophageal lesions. In my opinion, strawberries were a poor choice for this study because they are not high in anything. Eventually, we might be able to predict which specific hydrolyzable tannins and which specific condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins) would be extremely helpful or extremely harmful to precancerous esophageal lesions.Interestingly, the non-tannin anthocyanin polyphenol, pelargonidin, is responsible for the red color of both strawberries and red radishes. Anthocyanins are usually [but not always] accompanied by large amounts of tannins but are not tannins themselves. People who eat red radishes have extremely low incidences of cancers but unblocked glucosinolates, not pelargonidin, is given the credit for the amazing cancer-preventing ability of red radishes: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1873452Strawberries, apples, grapes, and bell peppers are extremely high in pesticide residues: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/Great video! Will amla powder probably do the same thing? Are you going to add freeze-dried strawberries to your morning smoothie?will you lose vital nutrients if you freeze your fresh strawberries? I eat them fresh and add them to my smoothies, but sometimes buy too many at once. please let me knowHi vegan girl,Look under browse topics. There is a video on that. Whenever I have a health question that is my go-to source.Dr. GregerVery important video. Thanks.I have Barrett’s stage C1-M3.Please tell me where do I get powdered strawberries? Thank you.I found dried strawberries at nuts.com but they are $15.99 per 4 OZ.Any ideas. This price is out of my budget. Thanks.Hi … I asked a question below, maybe it’s relevant to what you’re asking. I was wondering if juicing with organic strawberries would have the same effect. I don’t see why it wouldn’t … they say juicing is very effective etc. .. not sure why it has to be powdered strawberries. Any thoughts … anyone?Hello Dr. Greger,Do you know if there are any on going studies that I could get into for this condition? Thank you.Interesting video. Couple of questions, how were the patients served the 1 to 2 oz. of powdered strawberries? Is it just diluted in water or something? And what I was wondering, wouldn’t juicing with organic strawberries be just as effective, if not more? Thanks for any replies.Burt: I’m not an expert, but I have these thoughts for you:Juicing tries to take the liquid out of the food and leaves the solid parts as waste. On the other hand, powdered fruit takes only the water out of the fruit (ideally), but tries to leave everything else behind, all nutrients and solids. So, there IS a significant difference between the two. (Assuming I understand correctly.)Put another way: For all I know, juicing would be very effective. The study did not look at juicing. However, it’s my understanding that powdered fruit would be more of the whole food compared to juicing. And whole foods seem to work better in many purposes. So, I would lean toward thinking that the powdered fruit would be more effective than juicing. But I don’t know that.So, if whole food is better, why not just eat the whole strawberry? Because with the powdered fruit, you can get more of the fruit into you without having to struggle as one would if one had to eat a pound or more of fully water-logged strawberries every day.Wish You to Get Well Bowl– ½ cup regular rolled oats – 1 cup water – 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/ – ⅛ tsp each, ground cloves, ground ginger, nutmeg – ½ cup organic* strawberries, quartered – 1 banana, sliced – 1 small orange, peeled and chopped – 14 walnut halves – 2 tbsp flaxseed mealBring water to a boil and cook oats with spices and fruit (only if using frozen fruit). Lower heat and simmer oats to desired consistency. Add remaining ingredients to a bowl and top with cooked oats. Stir and top with a sprinkling of uncooked oats and dash cinnamon.Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline~Complements of lovestobeveganSometimes, I just soak the rolled oats in almond milk and then add my spices and fruits…nice change up: cool n’ creamy vs. warm n’ sticky…oats are awesome!prunes are great for osteoporosis tooI want to know more about the content of the study. I have a pre-cancer throat with barrett’s esophagus and I have a brother on month 8 of a 6 month termination date of esophageal cancer. I have a very real need to learn more. Just point me in the right direction.Jim: I’m sorry to hear about your and your brother’s health problem.I don’t know if this will help or not, but look just under the video. Dr. Greger includes a section on “sources cites”. All you have to do is expand the sources.Also, I don’t know if it will help or not, but check out the comments on this page (or maybe it was one of the related videos). People listed websites where you can buy powdered berries. Couldn’t hurt I would think to try ti.Best of luck to you both.Thank you Thea. I was so caught up in the moment I didn’t take the time to search the site further then the posts.. I will now. Thanks againNo problem. You aren’t the first person to miss the areas under the video and you won’t be the last. :-)Another idea for you: You can enter ‘cancer’ in the search area of this site and get back a TON of videos. While most of the videos won’t be specifically about esophageal cancer, I believe that the principles are likely to apply to most cancers. My point is that there is likely to be plenty of additional helpful information on this site about cancer. There are no guarantees, but there is a lot you and and your brother can to do help your odds.Take care.Ok.. I’ve read through the papers and discovered that the tests used 30 g/d and 60 g/d.. Now, forgive my ignorance, what is “g/d”? And how would you convert the measurement to a “home” usable amount? signed Stumped.. lolGrams per day I believe. An ounce of fresh strawberries is about 28 grams but they were most likely using dried.30 grams per day, 60 grams per day This is equal roughly to 1 and 2 ounces.Having lost 3 members of my family to esophageal cancer, this article is very interesting. I was wondering if you can have the same effect with eating fresh strawberries or do they have to be freeze-dried? Thanks!Lyn: I’m so sorry to hear about your 3 family members. Wow, I find that shocking and sad to have so much of that kind of cancer in the same family.I’m not an expert in nutrition, but I thought I would offer my 2 cents worth on your question: Would fresh strawberries work just as well?Since the researchers didn’t actually study fresh strawberries, I don’t thing anyone can say for sure one way or the other. The question is, is there something especially effective about removing the moisture from the strawberries, amounting to feeding concentrated strawberry to people, that causes a more healthful effect than just eating the original strawberries themselves?My gut tells me that you could get just as much an effect eating the fresh strawberries – but that method would be hard to do in practice because of the pure volume of strawberries (and/or other berries?) that people would have to eat in order to equal what was ingested in the study.Just sharing a thought with you for whatever it is worth. :-) Maybe more knowledgeable people will share their opinion as well. Good luck to you.Thank you for your input Thea :)This is taken directly from the study:“Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of InterestDr. Gary Stoner is part owner of BerriProducts, Inc., a company in Corvallis, Oregon that sells freeze-dried berries including strawberries.Grant SupportThis work was supported by the California Strawberry Commission and Faculty Startup Fund from the Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University.The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.”Why is this conflict of interest ignored here but elucidated in other studies that conflict with the premises of this site?I am vegetarian for ethical reasons but let me be clear – I am also a scientist. As a scientist, I recognize that the data – when viewed objectively and as a whole – does not conclusively support vegan and/or vegetarian diets. Therefore, Dr. Greger let’s be more transparent about the personal and SUBJECTIVE beliefs guiding the research on this site. The fact that these conflicts of interest were ignored is simply egregious. You have a wonderful site here – don’t undermine your own work.Dr D.: re: “Why is this conflict of interest ignored here but elucidated in other studies that conflict with the premises of this site?” I can’t speak for Dr. Greger, but I can say that I consider the Sources Cited section to be quite adequate in addressing this concern. The vast majority of the time, Dr. Greger does not go into who funded the study one way or the other. And for good reasons. a) the videos need to be short so the info should only be shared when relevant and b) Dr. Greger is evaluating the studies for good science. If the science is good, the source of the funding is not that relevant.When relevant, the videos do discuss funding sources, including for industries like the kiwi industry. In other words, your suggestion that Dr. Greger only reveals funding sources for animal industry funded studies is simply not true.Everyone is welcome to use the Sources Cited section to check not only potential conflicts of interest, but the study design and details themselves. The latter of which is the real issue. In other words, is there really anything in the study itself that you have a problem with? If not…Which brings us to your other main point, “As a scientist, I recognize that the data – when viewed objectively and as a whole – does not conclusively support vegan and/or vegetarian diets.” It takes a lot more than being a generic scientist to know what the body of evidence tells us in regards to nutrition. A) It takes someone with medical/biology knowledge combined with the ability to evaluate study design. and B) It takes someone who actually has objectively reviewed a great deal of the data as a whole. For years and years, Dr. Greger has been reviewing literally thousands of studies (from every English journal he can get) each year in order to know what the body of evidence says. And of course, Dr. Greger is not the only person who has come to the conclusion that the body of evidence strongly supports a whole plant food based diet as the healthiest diet for humans.I would encourage you to watch many more videos on this site as well as reading books like The China Study, The Starch Solution, Whole, etc. And don’t forget to watch the movie Forks Over Knives. That sort of information would help you start to see what the body of evidence tells us and begin to understand how nutrition studies can look so good, even to someone generally trained with a scientific background, but not really be valid. The China Study has a great section in the back of the book that explains with a detailed example how difficult it can be for even scientists to find flaws in nutrition studies.As an aside: I applaud you for your ethical choices. I also encourage you to continue to learn about where your food comes from since dairy and eggs involve as much death and suffering (for both non-human and human animals) and environmental degradation as meat. (That’s off topic here and not something I will get into. I touched on it because you brought up the ethics argument, and I really appreciate people who care about ethics and then put it into action. I think you are a great person to be part of the NutritionFacts community and hope you will continue to learn.)Good luck.Thea, thank you for taking the time to write.I am quite familiar with this site. I am also quite familiar with sustainable farming issues and dietary research as my work requires that I stay informed.The resources you recommend I have seen and read – and they all have in common, along with this site, an entrance into scientific research with a point they are trying to prove. Nothing about this approach is truly scientific per se. I don’t mind having a particular point of view and then looking for “evidence” to prove it. I agree with the point of view of this site – however, I do not pretend that it’s solely guided by “objective” science because there are a plethora of well-designed studies that contradict the “facts” espoused on this site. Yet they are never addressed. Why? Because they affront the beliefs guiding this site.As a scientist, I cannot deny, especially from an epidemiological perspective, that some of the longest lived people/groups on this planet regularly eat meat and animal products (of course not in the voluminous amounts that Americans do). They are happy, healthy, and highly functional and independent well into their 80s, 90s, and sometimes post 100.So here’s my point: be transparent about the value commitments guiding the research you choose to focus on. Don’t hide values behind “facts”; it’s one of the oldest tricks in the book and its subtext is…”I am going to try to manipulate you to believe what I believe by convincing you that I know reality and you don’t.” This is lazy thinking, it is nothing new, and it drives fundamentalisms in all walks of life. Investigate for yourself. “If people knew what I know then they would get it…” This tendency is an ugly aspect of human nature.No one argues about what will happen if you drop a pen from your hand because we all know gravity. But people adamantly argue about nutrition facts. Why? Because they are much harder to discern. Human diet and nutrition is far too complex of a phenomenon to understand in black and white thinking. Be weary of anyone who covers life’s ambiguity with sweeping, broad-stroke answers and cures, including scientists. John Gray writes extensively about “Scientism.” Any true scientist know this temptation. Richard Dawkins also addresses this in many of his works.Instead, we should argue the value of vegan/vegetarian diets on ethical and philosophical grounds and not on empirical/scientific grounds. There is a difference between ideology and science. This site, and the resources you offered, all BELIEVE something to be true and then seek research that supports that belief and ignore or discredit anything that contradicts that point of view. THIS IS NOT SCIENCE. True science is terribly messy, conflicting, and painfully slow to evolve and nowhere is this more evident than in diet and nutrition.Last thing — even if science conclusively proved that eating animals products, in any amount, was better for one’s health than eating a plant-based diet, I would still be a vegetarian because I believe being a vegetarian actualizes my humanity. This understanding transcends science because we are human beings before we are scientists. We should not be afraid to justify our choices on ethical grounds. This is what gnaws at me about vegetarian and vegan communities – they pretend that they are not zealots and act like their lifestyle choice is purely scientific. 99% of people who become vegan/vegetarian do so NOT because of scientific evidence but because they BELIEVE and/or feel (yes, emotion) it is the right thing to do. Then they seek science to support that conviction.So let’s be honest about our convictions and that they precede science. There is nothing wrong with this because total objectivity is a farce. Philosophy refuted positivism over a 100 years ago and yet it still lives in scientific discourse and practice. Read Elliot Eisner’s article “Objectivity in Educational Research” or Chargaff’s “In Dispraise of Reductionism.” I also highly recommend you read the works of Peter Singer if you have not already explored them.Being a scientist means understanding the epistemological commitments guiding research and the world-views at the heart of such conceptions. Too often this site is completely and conveniently oblivious to the value commitments guiding what is posted and what is not posted. Just be honest about why.Best, mdThea,I have Barrett’s Esophagus –are there any on going studies for treatment that you know of that I could perhaps take part in?Thank you.bobcchicago: I don’t know how I missed this one! I’m sorry I didn’t reply sooner. I’m sorry to hear about your problems. Unfortunately, I’m not a doctor and am not aware of any type of studies for any type of disease. I’m just not in the know on that kind of thing.I wish you the best of luck. I hope you find something.Hello Thea,Thank you for your reply and wishes.Be well.I believe turmeric is also very efficient at preventing/killing esophageal cancer. I would love to see the Doc tackle this subject.The seeds of many berries like strawberries, blackberries etc contain amygdalin which will destroy cancer cells so i believe that including all these fruit raw and fresh and organic in our diet will stop the accumulation of cancerous cells into what we call tumours, i doubt that they will deal with the billions of cells in a large/several tumours…….mike CrossDear Dr. Michael Greger I have watched your post on nutritionalfacts.org regarding the Freezed Dried Strawberries for Esophagus. I have Barrett’s Esophagus and I am willing to try that. I would like to ask you ,If you could provide me with the information whether or not I have to buy organic freezed dried strawberries or can be the regular ones. Perhaps you know what type of strawberries they used on those patients.. Also would it be the same if instead of the freezed dried I can use fresh ones. Is there a reason for that they used freezed dried strawberries on those patients? Would you recommend a place or a good brand of those strawberries is best to buy? Thank you kindly Dr.Greger for your respond , IzaDr. Greger –I have Barrett’s Esophagus –are there any on going studies for treatment that you know of that I could perhaps take part in? Thank you.Thank you so much for this video I suffer from reflux esophigitus, so have some damage I will try this with out a doubt, more post like this please.Dr. Greger –I have Barrett’s Esophagus –are there any on going studies for treatment that you know of that I could perhaps take part in? Thank you.My husband has esophageal cancer but is unable to eat or drink – all nutrition is received thru a feeding tube..is it possible to make a drink using the strawberries that can be fed thru the tube ..or will it damage the tubeJuice the strawberries or blend them up into a smoothie like substance. He’ll then get the compounds that are in the strawberries and you won’t damage the tube.What about enemas with plant products like wheatgrass for colorectal cancer? (This is done at Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida, along with coffee enemas.) If strawberry powder down the esophagus reverses esophageal cancer, why wouldn’t strawberry powder (or another powerful antioxidant like wheatgrass) reverse colorectal cancer if inserted in the other end? Are there any studies on this? (My husband was just diagnosed with rectal cancer in August and we are seeking alternatives to chemo/radiation/surgery). Thanks! http://www.emilyhoneycutt.comis there any link to buy this product?Interesting, what about good jams?Sure. Jam is delicious!I know, but are they healthy?Depends. The fresh stuff with less sugar is probably fine. Refined sugar and processed crap not as beneficial. My friend used to pick berries and make jam. It was sweet (i think he added sugar, most all jams do) but I could taste the fresh berries and the seed stuck in my teeth. It is also relative to how much you eat. 1/2 cup of grape jelly probably not ideal, but 1-2 TBSP of fresh jam or fig jelly a better choice.I tend not to eat much and most of the jams I eat are very low in sugar 4-6 g per tbs. Thanks for your comment.What’s in your magic mix for Diabetes?These studies give insight into helping treat diabetes. From Dr. Barnard’s research, study participants received either a low-fat vegan diet or a typical diet for diabetes and found significant changes in weight loss and insulin levels. Dr. Greger presents the study in this video.Amla in my smoothie!My wife is starting chemotherapy for recurrent metastatic breast cancer. Would eating 60g of freeze dried or one pound of fresh strawberries per day interfere with her Gemzar chemo?Fascinating. Thank you.This video was the one that made me a 100% believer in the power of a WFPB diet to heal and protect the body. I can’t thank you enough for this and everything you do Dr. G.	animal fat,animal products,animal protein,antioxidants,beef,berries,cancer,cancer survival,chemotherapy,chicken,Dr. Dean Ornish,esophageal cancer,esophagus health,fat,fiber,fish,fruit,meat,medications,mortality,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,radiation,ranking foods,spices,strawberries,surgery,turkey,turmeric,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	A randomized phase 2 clinical trial on the ability of strawberries to reverse the progression to esophageal cancer.	This is one of the most important papers I've seen recently. Why isn't this headline news? If there was instead some new drug that reversed cancer progression, you can bet it would be all over the place. But who's going to profit from revelations about berries? Other than, of course, the millions of people at risk for this devastating cancer. If you appreciate this website, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support my work.The Ornish study to which I referred is Cancer Reversal Through Diet? This line of work was continued by the Pritikin Foundation in an elegant series of experiments that starts with Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay (along with the "prequel" Engineering a Cure).I touched previously on esophageal cancer in Bacon and Botulism and Poultry and Penis Cancer.More on strawberries in Cancer Fighting Berries and Maxing Out on Antioxidants. My favorite way to eat them? My chocolate ice cream recipe.If you missed the last two videos in this series, check out Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better? and Cranberries versus Cancer . Next, we continue the theme and close out with Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer.Check out my associated blog posts for more context:  Which Common Fruit Fights Cancer Better?, Anti-Cancer Nutrient Synergy in Cranberries, Strawberries Can Reverse Cancer Progression, Raspberries Reverse Precancerous Lesions,  Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013 and Starving Tumors of Their Blood Supply.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/17/strawberries-can-reverse-precancerous-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/25/starving-tumors-of-their-blood-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophagus-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21653682,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21899799,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12672037,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21508356,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12452674,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21793852,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21455992,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22219164,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22784609,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22135048,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18679388,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21083919,
PLAIN-2756	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/	Cranberries versus Cancer	In addition to suppressing liver cancer growth in vitro, cranberries have been found to have similar effects against human breast, colon, brain tumor, oral, and ovarian cancer cells. Here's the latest looking at prostate cancer cell growth. The United States has the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world, so let's try a native American fruit. Researchers started out with about 50,000 human prostate cancer cells in a petri dish and if you do nothing, within a day you're closer to 100,000, then 200,000 and then nearly 400,000 within 72 hours. But by adding just a smidgeon of cranberries, or two smidgeons, you can see they block that exponential cancer growth.The reason they tested such tiny concentrations, is that we only absorb a small fraction of the cranberry phytonutrients we eat into our bloodstream. Still, cranberries are cheap. If drug companies and supplement manufacturers are going to capitalize on this they needed to find cranberry's active ingredient. Here's some of the various phytonutrients in cranberries, so different fractions were tested against various types of cancer to find the magic bullet. Yes, the anthocyanin phytonutrients inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation about 15% for example, about the same with the proanthocyanidins, but nothing compared to the Total Cranberry Extract of the whole fruit. There seemed to be additive or synergistic antiproliferative effects resulting from the combination of the various components compared to individual purified phytochemicals. So it's always better to eat the whole fruit.How do you do that with cranberries, though? Although 5% of cranberries are sold fresh, the vast majority are consumed as processed products. To get the same amount of anthocyanin phytonutrients in a cup of fresh or frozen cranberries, you'd have to drink 16 cups of cranberry juice cocktail, eat 7 cups of dried cranberries, or 26 cans of cranberry sauce.The problem is that raw cranberries are so tart that folks may opt for the 7 cups of dried. In a taste test survey, consumers said they wouldn't mind eating sweetened cranberries every day, raw cranberries sloped down towards maybe once a year. The problem is dried cranberries tend to come sweetened. Raw cranberries don't affect your blood sugar, but sweetened dried cranberries do, even the low sugar varieties.What about cranberry juice, or shall I say quote-unquote juice? Cranberry cocktail is only about a quarter cranberry juice. The ruby red phytonutrients in cranberries and pure cranberry juice are powerful antioxidants, increasing the antioxidant capacity of our bloodstream within hours of consumption. But the high fructose corn syrup acts as a pro-oxidant, even if you add vitamin C to it as they did here, cancelling out some of the cranberry benefit. So how do you get the upsides without the down? Check out my pink juice video, where I offer a recipe for making no added sugar whole fruit cranberry cocktail.	Where can you buy raw frozen cranberries? I’ve looked online and I can only find the dried cranberries with vegetable oil and sugar. Is this something that they sell at costco or whole foods? Thanks for your time.I got mine from health food store (Central Market in Texas) in frozen food section. You could try wholefoods market.I buy mine at Whole Foods Market and my local Fred Meyer from Stahlbush Island Farms.Costco sells three pound bags of fresh cranberries in November prior to the Thanksgiving holiday which can be frozen. I generally buy three or four bags and store them in the freezer and use a quarter cup of them in my smoothie once every other day or so. Four bags seems to last me about a year or more.Thanks for the info! I’ll probably head to whole foods this week and buy several bags.What about freeze dried cranberries? Are they as good as frozen?I get my frozen cranberries at my local supermarket. Dole sells them by the pound which is 8 servings of 55g in each package. One serving goes into my smoothie every morning.Dr G thanks for this additional nail in the coffin of the supplement industry and nutrient micromanagement. This phenomenon where whole foods work but supplements rarely do is explained by T Colin Campbell in his new book Whole. Great read btw.Dan, thanks for letting us know about T. Colin Campbell’s new book “Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition”. I just bought it from Audible.com and am looking forward to listening to it!Every morning I have a smoothie for breakfast that includes 2 bananas, 1 cup berries, 1 cup plain soy milk (soy beans are the only ingredient), 1 bunch kale or collard greens, 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds, 1 tbsp hemp hearts, 6 ice cubes, and 1.5 cups water. And, of course, sometimes the berries I add are frozen raw cranberries from Stahlbush Island Farms. They certainly add a pop to my mornings unlike any other berry I have. SUPER tasty!Drats! I just read that my dried cranberries, that I’ve been eating for years, have sugar added to them. I have eaten whole cranberries, straight from the bag, but that didn’t last long. I’m thinking about blending with a Vitamix. I could put whole cranberries in the blender, along with sweeter fruit, to get a better taste.After yesterday’s video, I tried adding frozen cranberries to my morning smoothie in the Vitamix – which is quite similar to Randy’s described below. It worked very well. The cranberry tartness is offset by the sweetness of other fruits, and the combination is tasty. So, “painterguy” – yes, that seems to work and seems like a very good idea in light of today’s video.I’ve been putting frozen cranberries in my smoothies for decades. Good to hear it’s worthwhile. Bought 10 bags of fresh organics past Thanksgiving (on sale for 99 cents ;) and am on my last frozen bag. Time to go shopping! I always figured the dried sweetened ones were junk…too much sugar.Beware of possible kidney stones as a result of overconsumption of cranberries (juice, fresh cranberries, dried, etc.) Maybe Dr. G can comment on this. For some people this is a real concern.Good point! I’d like to know about that myself.This paper found cranberry concentrate tablets increased urinary oxalate and may increase the risk of nephrolithiasis: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090429500008840Another paper found cranberry juice decreased the relative supersaturation of calcium oxalate, and could hence be helpful: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1464-410X.2003.04472.x/fullAnd this paper found that by increasing urinary acidity, cranberry juice might help with brushite and struvite stones. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12373623So it may matter what form the cranberries take and what kind of stones a person is predisposed to.Do people who eat cranberries have a lower incidence of cancer? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8806382The best place to do a study on whether or not people who eat plenty of fruits and berries that contain high amounts of tannins (such as cranberries) have lower cancer death rates would be India, not China. The people of India have many high-tannin foods in their diet: http://www.scgcorp.com/pdf/scg_written_11.pdfThis paper wasn’t encouraging:Duthie, Susan J., et al. “The effects of cranberry juice consumption on antioxidant status and biomarkers relating to heart disease and cancer in healthy human volunteers.” European Journal of nutrition 45.2 (2006): 113-122. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-005-0572-9However the results of this study suggest that berry anthocyanins are sequestered in tissues, not plasma or urine:Kalt, Wilhelmina, et al. “Identification of anthocyanins in the liver, eye, and brain of blueberry-fed pigs.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 56.3 (2008): 705-712. http://www.researchgate.net/publication/5640785_Identification_of_anthocyanins_in_the_liver_eye_and_brain_of_blueberry-fed_pigs/file/d912f50e6f0318d449.pdfI saw a documentary called “Fathead”. One part that made me think was the part that he says that Mother Nature isn’t stupid, humans cannot be the only species that crave foods that are bad for them, so meat and fatty foods cannot be bad for us…Can’t crave things that are bad for you? Explain heroin?Isn’t the doubling rate for cancer cells about 100 days? Or do they replicate faster in a petri dish?What is the best way to eat cranberry? Juice?Smoothies for sure!My favorite smoothie to date – 250g cranberries 30g ground flax seeds 15g chia seeds 15g hemp proten tea spoon hibiscus tea spoon peppermint tea spoon chamomile 1 banana350ml rice milkSven: ooh, that sounds yummy! Nice use of tea leaves. Thanks for sharing.do you have this in other than grams, teaspoons or something american..I also buy bags of fresh cranberries at Costco & freeze them. Adding them to other mixed berries mitigates the tartness.OK — combining goodness of a few videos, how about orange juice + frozen banana + flax seed meal + frozen cranberries for one great smoothie! (sometimes I’ll sneak raw carrots in as well.) Go Vitamix!Concentrations of 25 and 50 um/ml may be a smidgen, but seem very high for in-vivo prostatic concentrations.I am speaking from the perspective of chronic bacterial prostatitis, not cancer.To quote an article related to prostate drug penetration: http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/50/12/1641.full“Only free, non-protein-bound antibiotic molecules enter tissues. Ordinarily, substances with molecular weights of <1000 pass through openings (fenestrae) between capillary endothelial cells, but prostate capillaries are nonporous. Passage of a drug through prostatic capillary endothelium and prostatic epithelium is enhanced by a high concentration gradient, high lipid solubility, low degree of ionization, high dissociation constant (pKa; allowing diffusion of the unionized component into the prostate), low protein binding, and small molecular size"Surprised that erythritol was included. I thought it was something to avoid.And new research on cranberries shows they deliver healthy prebiotic fiber. http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/6-healthy-ways-cranberries-bite-back/I like to put one bag of fresh cranberries and one orange and 1/4 c maple syrup into the fruit processor to make a YUMMY raw cranberry salad.food processor, not fruit processor!:-) Well, you are processing fruit… ;-)If we get the sweetness by combining cranberries with whole fresh or dried fruits, would the sweet whole foods have a similar counter-productive pro-oxydant effect like that found in (HFCS) high-fructose corn syrup?Here in NE US and Canada, we have frozen whole cranberries generally available year-round thought in the off season you might need to hunt around for them.No worried about eating bitter whole cranberries. Find some excellent oranges. Peel and mix one orange in the food processor small cup / small blade until it’s juicy and put in bowl. Chop a handful or two of cranberries same way. Put in bowl. Dice some fresh mint leaves. Mix all together. Call me stupid but this tastes extremely refreshing and yummy to me.Raw cranberries are delicious in salad! Or you can cook them in crushed pineapple and the unsweetened juice from the can until they pop and color the pineapple pink. Remove from heat, add a few drops of almond extract and maybe some raw walnuts, and chill. Easy way to eat them unsweetened.	anthocyanins,antioxidants,blood sugar,brain disease,brain health,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,colon cancer,colon health,cranberries,cranberry juice,dried fruit,fruit,high fructose corn syrup,liver cancer,liver disease,liver health,medications,men's health,nutrient synergy,oral cancer,oral health,ovarian cancer,ovary health,phytonutrients,prostate cancer,prostate health,rectal cancer,sugar,supplements,vitamin C,women's health	Drug companies and supplement manufacturers have yet to isolate the components of cranberries that suppress cancer cell growth.	The whole fruit cocktail of which I spoke is detailed in Pink Juice with Green Foam.How do cranberries compare to other common fruits? Check out my last video, Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better?More on nutrient synergy in:And for another reason to avoid high fructose corn syrup: Mercury in Corn Syrup?Suppressing cancer growth in a petri dish is nice, but what about within the human body? Wait until you see my next two videos—Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer and Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer. Hold on to your hats!Check out my associated blog posts for more context:  Which Common Fruit Fights Cancer Better?, Anti-Cancer Nutrient Synergy in Cranberries, and Raspberries Reverse Precancerous Lesions	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovarian-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/high-fructose-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21535498,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18558697,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12452674,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15113149,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21106916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22747948,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22388548,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18959407,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10879522,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21910124,
PLAIN-2757	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/	Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better?	There are many ways to compare the healthfulness of different foods. One can compare nutrient content, for example. So if you were interested in antioxidants you might compare vitamin C levels. If you did that with our two most popular fruits, apples and bananas, based on vitamin C content bananas would appear twice as healthy, 10 mg in a banana compared to only 5mg in an apple. But vitamin C is just one of thousands of different phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables. Turns out the vitamin C in apples accounts for less than 1% of an apple's total antioxidant activity.Here's the total antioxidant content of a red delicious apple. Here's how much the vitamin C in the apple contributes. You can hardly even see it. Even though there's only about 5mg of vitamin C in a small apple, it has the antioxidant equivalent of 1500 mg of vitamin C. I've reviewed before how taking that much vitamin C straight in a supplement may actually have a pro-oxidant effect and cause DNA damage, but you can get three times that antioxidant power eating an apple, without the adverse effects.Of course there's more than just vitamin C in bananas too. In fact I was surprised to see this study out of Harvard suggesting that not only blueberries and strawberries, but bananas was a significant source of anthocyanins, the red/blue/violet phytonutrients found in berries. Maybe I underestimated bananas. They are after all, technically berries.Still, I'm looking three fruits and I'm seeing some anthocyanins here and here, but not seeing much red, blue, or violet here. Now wild bananas are a different story. There's anthocyanins in blue, purple, orange red, red purple, and pink purple bananas, but none in yellow… So the Harvard researchers were challenged on it and they said look, we just took values from the USDA, and it turns out USDA apparently made a mistake. No anthocyanins in bananas, and despite twice the vitamin C, bananas were beat out by apples in terms of overall antioxidant power. But that's just measuring the ability of these fruits to quench an oxidation reaction in a test tube. It would be nice to measure actual biological activity. For example in this apple study, they also measured the ability of apple extracts, from both peeled and unpeeled apples, to suppress the growth of human cancer cells growing in a petri dish compared to control. Wouldn't it be great to be able to compare that kind of superpower between different fruits. Well, now we can.Here is a graph of cancer cell proliferation versus increasing concentrations of the 11 most common fruits eaten in the United States. They decided to use liver cancer for this study. If you drip water on these cancer cells as a control, nothing happens they start out powering away at 100% growth and they keep powering away at 100% growth. And pineapples, pears, and oranges don't do much better. Peaches start pulling away from the pack. At high peach concentrations, cancer cell proliferation drops about 10%, but bananas and grapefruits work about 4 times better, dropping cancer growth rates by about 40%. Red grapes, strawberries and apples do even better, cutting cancer cell growth up to half at only half the dose, but these two fruits are the winners, causing a dramatic drop in cancer proliferation at just tiny doses, lemons, and, cranberries. So if you look at the effective dose required to suppress liver cancer cell proliferation, apples are more powerful than bananas, but cranberries win the day. And there was no effective dose listed for orange, pear, and pineapple since they didn't appear to affect the cancer cell growth at all.	Hi Dr. Gregor. I am wondering if change the cancer cells used if we would see different results? Or can we assume that these will fight other cancer cells too? How does that work?Read Richard Beliveau’s book “Foods that fight cancer” where he tested different cancer cells with different foods. His research is also a large part of Dr. David Servan-Schreiber’s book titled Anti-cancer.Dr. Gregor, do you give a thumbs up on this book?Good question.Great piece! Many thanks! I’m guessing that drinking cranberry juice (as opposed to eating cranberries) would have a comparable benefit?Make them into a fruit salad. Yum!Interesting that the fruit concentrations that did the best were those lowest in sugar. I mean lemons and cranberries are both low sugar, sour and tart fruits. I wonder if some of the effectiveness in fighting cancer cells was not only the presence of antioxidants but also the absence of sugar/carbs?Paul: Thank you for your comment. I was scratching my head trying to figure out why oranges would have such a different effect than lemons. Your observation is helpful.It also raised this question for me: I’m not going to eat a lemon the same way that I would eat an orange. I have to put the lemon in other things and usually something that does make it sweeter. For example, lemonade. Lemonade is perhaps an extreme example where one is actually adding sugar to lemon water, but here’s my thought: *IF* it were true that the natural sugars in some fruits make those fruits less effective in fighting cancer, would you have the same lessening of effectiveness of lemon by the way that people actually eat lemon?Just a thought.Thanks again.Just chiming in here- I go through a lot of lemons, and almost never in the context of sweet. I think it’s rare that I make an entree type dish that doesn’t have at least some lemon in it. It’s a great flavor enhancer and I think it allows me to use less salt. I think I eat a lot of middle eastern food. But also most pasta dishes, tomato based dishes, stews, soups, etc. They all get lemon! :)Also btw Thea, the Chickpea & Onion stew is amazing! I’ve made it four times now :)b00mer: Good points! Not everyone is as sweet-focused as I am.Thanks for the feedback about the stew. I’m so glad you like it. The true test of a dish is whether or not someone would eat or make it again. Your answer is most clear. :-)Where is this Chickpea & Onion stew recipe you speak of? Sounds great.Hi Bob, the recipe is from Lorna Sass’s “Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure”, which is an awesome cookbook I would definitely recommend purchasing if you have a pressure cooker. But that recipe in particular you can find here: http://mealsteps.com/recipe/chickpea_stew_with_sweet_onionsEnjoy!b00mer: Thanks for finding this link! Someone else on NutritionFacts has asked for good recipes with beans. I was going to mention this recipe along with some other ideas, but I love that I can now point the person to an actual recipe in addition to mentioning the cookbook. Thanks.—FYI: to anyone interested. One of my tweaks for this recipe is to add a bunch of sliced mushrooms to the pot. Also, I experiment with various beans. I particularly like this dish with red kidney beans. Just some ideas.After having many cancers in my family, I finally had a Doctor tell me that carbs are cancer fuel!!! And if you are trying to fight cancer, limit the carbs.Which carbs? The ones from blueberries, corn syrup contained in muffins, whole grains,…?Yes, low glycemic fruits AND vegetables are the best for cancer prevention and treatment, as well as for optimum health. For complete explanation of this, get the Paw Paw Program, or check out the website http://www.NaturalPathRemedies.comAs of today, I’m changing the make-up of my fruit and vegetable smoothies. With “thanks” and “appreciation”. :-))I so love this video! It’s long and detailed enough to tell a great and interesting story.Like others, now I want to see this same type of experiment performed on other fruits and other foods and other cancers. And performed with food combos – like real cranberry juice that people drink which have added sugars. So, so interesting!I learned several things today. One of them was the real shocker: Bananas are a kind of berry? Wow. I did not know that. Cool.Just for illustration – could be interesting to see the same experiment with dissolved meat (I know – disgusting!) or eggs, maybe dairy or olive oil. My guess: Nothing happens – maybe growth of the cancer cells?Most work on meat extracts examine its association with colon cancer, where heme from red meat is known to damage, promote hyperproliferation and inhibit apoptosis of colon epithelial cells.It seems this proproliferative effect of a meat extract can be halted with spinach.de Vogel, Johan, et al. “Green vegetables, red meat and colon cancer: chlorophyll prevents the cytotoxic and hyperproliferative effects of haem in rat colon.” Carcinogenesis 26.2 (2005): 387-393. http://carcin.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/2/387.full.pdf+htmlDarryl,Thanks – very interesting article.Did I hear correctly that other varieties of bananas contain anthocyanins? I live in South America where there are a great variety of bananas, including my favorite, red bananas. Do they actually contain more antioxidants that the plain yellow ones sold in the States? Thanks for all the great information.The study on anthocyanins in wild bananas and cultivars:Horry, J., and M. Jay. “Distribution of anthocyanins in wild and cultivated banana varieties.” Phytochemistry 27.8 (1988): 2667-2672. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0031942288870407Alas, I’ve no access to this. Red bananas did have the highest β‐carotene content:Arora, Ajay, et al. “Compositional variation in β‐carotene content, carbohydrate and antioxidant enzymes in selected banana cultivars.” International Journal of Food Science & Technology 43.11 (2008): 1913-1921. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2008.01743.x/abstractNice vid! Wondering how the anti-cancer effects of EATING some fruits compares with NOT EATING any animal protein? I’d like to know if my no-animal consumption would dwarf the effects of being selective about what kinds of fruit I choose. Just guessing, but according to Dr. Campbell in Whole, eliminating meat/dairy/eggs/fish etc. has a much larger preventative and cure effect for most cancers than most cancer treatment drugs/therapies.PS were they liver cancer cells from a vegan or non-vegan??I recently heard that, to fight some particular disease, our organic apples and pears are now doused in antibiotics.To be fair, there the lines are somewhat arbitrary (though IMO justified by antibiotic resistance concerns):δ-endotoxin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria: organic http://biology.ucsd.edu/news/article_021903.html Tetracycline produced by Streptomyces aureofaciens bacteria: not organic (as of Oct. 21, 2014) http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/04/use_of_antibiotic_in_organic_p.htmlCertified organic is foremost a marketing category, and has never meant chemical free, or biotechnology product free.Unfortunately, no one has followed up this 2002 Liu lab comparative fruit study with a more comprehensive one. The U. Québec 2009 study really broadened and deepened the 2002 Liu lab comparative vegetable study.I suspect a more comprehensive fruit study would offer parallel results, generalizing benefits to entire classes of fruit like berries and concentrated citrus, much as the cruciferous and alium vegetable families ran away from the pack in the 2009 study.The Liu lab also did a comparative antioxidant and antiproliferative study on nuts. Walnuts and pecans got the highest accolades, as they often do: Yang, Jun, Rui Hai Liu, and Linna Halim. “Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of common edible nut seeds.” LWT-Food Science and Technology42.1 (2009): 1-8. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0023643808001771The lemon and orange comparison is interesting and presumably it’s the limonin rather than vitamin C that’s the more important factor. They do not specifically mention peel, pulp or the seed, which is highest in lemonin. Smaller lemons are more potent. Lemon peel can be toxic if taken in high doses. We already have grape seed extract, but need to add lemon seed extract to our supplement arsenal. It has a long half life and seems beneficial to the liver also.I don’t understand why cranberries were singled out in this study when blackberries have higher antioxidant activity according to previous studies shown on this site.The blackberry antioxidant value was published in 2010.This comparative fruit study dates from 2002. Maybe not the “Latest in Clinical Nutrition”, but its still the most recent comparative study on antiproliferative activities of fruit.What about kiwi? btw, love, love, love this site! :))The 4 best fruits for cancer prevention are olives (hydroxytyrosol), amalaki (gallic acid), haritaki (chebulinic acid and chebulagic acid), and bibhitaki (belleric acid, bellericoside, and bellericanin): http://www.lipidworld.com/content/10/1/127It’s a smart precaution to consume fruits that contain substantial amounts of tannins as capsules or tablets instead of eating them fresh, drinking them as herbal teas, or mixing their powders into drinks. The reason is that our digestive juices will deactivate the cancer-causing threat from tannins. That’s why tannins, which are the most powerful antioxidants in the human diet, have never caused cancer beyond the lower stomach and have been implicated in causing only cancers of the mouth, nose, throat, esophagus, and upper stomach: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19325180 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21517263 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22296352 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19123468 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/187761 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3412210 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1417698 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15532874 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12464852 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9528134 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4037999 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8585514 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7860613In real populations of real people, fruits tend to be less effective than legumes, allium vegetables, and cruciferous vegetables at preventing cancer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18356334 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19653110Tannins can heal but tannins can also kill: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959804908002591Some fruits contain much greater amounts of proanthocyanidins (condensed tannins) than others: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/134/3/613/T1.expansion.htmlPlease hire someone else to narrate your videos. I can barely understand you. Your narration sounds like someone trying to talk underwater with a mouthful of marbles.I have no problem understanding Dr. Gregor. I like his voice just fine, and frankly I think you’re being rude. This the rare doctor who is actually saving lives. You should be more appreciative. Just saying.I too have no problems understanding the video. Everyone has different ears and brains, so maybe you just don’t work well with these videos. However, (and I mean the following suggestion in all sincerity and kindness), I wonder if you should get your hearing checked? Or your computer hardware? No one else seems to have a problem….Happily, those with hearing problems can read the transcript – a feature that Dr. Greger so kindly provides on this site. Just click on the link above.Good luck.I was disappointed to hear you casually mention that supplemental vit c may have pro-oxidant effects. The source you provide for this is a 1998 publication. You fail to mention the many more recent studies which reach the opposite conclusion. While I support using foods vs concentrated supplements for the best nutrition, I think it is a mistake to discourage use of vit c supplements – since many folks may benefit from this who may otherwise not adhere to a good plant-based diet. What happened? You usually are more balanced in your review of the literature. BNThis review is somewhat in agreement:Lykkesfeldt & Poulsen. “Is vitamin C supplementation beneficial? Lessons learned from randomised controlled trials.” Brit J Nutrition 103.9 (2010): 1251. http://www.wealthandhealth.ltd.uk/articles/Is%20vitamin%20C%20supplementation%20beneficial.pdf“supplementation with vitamin C is likely to be without effect for the majority of the Western population due to saturation through their normal diet”, “large subpopulations, for example, smokers, do not achieve the RDA of vitamin C”, unfortunately “those individuals most likely to benefit from supplements also are those least likely to get them”That said, its still better to get vitamin C from food.Agarwal, M, et al. “Differing Relations to Early Atherosclerosis between Vitamin C from Supplements vs. Food in the Los Angeles Atherosclerosis Study: A Prospective Cohort Study.” The Open Cardiovascular Medicine Journal 6 (2012): 113. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3447163/Rautiainen, S., et al. “Vitamin C supplements and the risk of age-related cataract: a population-based prospective cohort study in women.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 91.2 (2010): 487-493. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/2/487.fullAnother information packed video! I already eat red delicious apples with skin on a regular basis thanks to Dr. Greger. Now, I’ll be upping my lemon intake in various ways and will snap up fresh cranberries whenever available and freeze them for use throughout the year. QUESTION: Using the data for lemons, for example, what is the blender recipe for obtaining a beverage that would contain, say, ’40 mg/ml concentration of fruit extract?’ In other words, how can I say definitively that I am drinking a therapeutic mixture as opposed to something tasty and refreshing but not even close to getting me on the lemon curve as shown. Thanks!Any idea where pomegranate (juice) might fit? It seems as if it would have a similar profile to cranberry, but is not considered in the study ?do you have a healthy diet for weight loss…..This research begs more research. I’d love to know about the effectiveness of limes, rhubarb, and mango.I cook my oatmeal with a few chopped halawi dates and 1/2 cup of cranberries every day, and it’s really good. Top it off with homemade almond milk and chia seeds or ground flax seeds and it’s a good way to cram in a lot of nutrition first thing in the morning.What happened to the Kiwi? That was the winner in one study?I have been diagnosed with uterine cancer. The Oncologist said I cannot eat raw fruit and vegetables because of bacteria. Everything must be cooked. I am a Vegan and I miss my salads. What I read is to eat veggies and fruit. I value your opinion and would appreciate your opinion and advice. Karen ZurawskiI disagree with your doctor. Little bacteria penetrates the skin of fruit and bacteria is destroyed by stomach acid. Even cooking doesn’t destroy all bacteria.Should we be eating the ENTIRE lemon or is this video only about lemon JUICE? Thanks!The video is explaining the antiproliferative effects of specific fruits on liver cancer. Lemons and cranberries appear to be the most effective in supressing cancer growth. Juices are concentrated forms of nutrients, however, eating the whole fruit you get the whole nutritional package which includes the fiber. Limonene is one of the major components found in lemon and has demonstrated anticancer activity. The white pith of the lemon has been shown to contain the highest content of limonene.Are you sure about the pith containing the most limonene, Dr. Sanchez? Or does the peel contain more?are freeze dried powders of strawberries ,blueberries and citrus fruits as good as the fresh variety for health benefits I have a few different ones we add to our cereal every morningThank you for including the complete citations for articles you reference in your videos. Now can you please convince the relevant journals to grant free (or reasonably) priced access? Sadly, they continue to act as though every interested party were affiliated with a major university and had scads of grant money to spend on subscriptions. Oh, well…in the meantime, your video summaries are an excellent stop gap. Thanks!There are many options to go around that : 1) You’ve got Deepdyve now as a decent option for people who to have access to full-texts but are not affiliated. They had a free trial period when I open my account with them. Deepdyve does not cover all the databases so quite a number are not full-text, even with paid subscription, but they’re growing on expanding and signing contracts with bigger publishers to they can offer more access. 2) Also do search for the article on Google with the full name, sometimes the full-text is accessible for free. You may add “filetype:PDF” at the end to extract only the PDF files. 3) Alternatively if you have been affiliated in the past, and published, you can join ResearchGate, a number of full-texts are accessible there. Sadly they’ve not been so open to independent researchers and will expect you to show them one science publication of yours at least. I hope they open their minds a bit to the idea that one can be researcher without having to be affiliated… 4) Many libraries offer their members access to peer-reviewed databases, their subscription can vary a lot. Also, some will require that you are in the library, others will grant you access from your online library account account from anywhere you are. 5) You can contact the authors directly and ask them to send you a copy of the article, but check their personal research page first, because sometimes the link to a copy is there. For the authors who have the time, I suppose they take pride in sharing with you their research. 6) You can ask a friend who is affiliated to a uni or the likes, from experience it’s best to ask them articles in bulk instead of whenever you need them. Some close friends may event grant you full access to their uni account or to their laptop with access, but that obviously comes with safety and liability issues as most user conditions require that the credentials are strictly not shared with other people.Cranberries aren’t eaten whole & raw. Is there an _edible_ form of cranberry that delivers the full anti-cancer effect?Eat the lemon? There’s much evidence that juice’s inferior to whole fruit. Who’s eating whole raw lemons?What parts of the lemon were tested? Does anybody have a copy of the study? I’ve always heard that the peel and pith are particularly healthy. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/anti-cancer-foods-lemons-limes-limonene/What about blueberries??Grapes and bananas finshed 5th and 6th but I can easily eat a pound of grapes or 8 bananas. When I do, I can skip my pasta or beans for that meal. Do 8 bananas pack more anti-cancer punch than 1 lemon or one cup of cranberries?The narrator has such a boring tone of voice… and when do we get to the cancer-fighting stuff?More importantly than trying with other fruits is carrying out the same study in vivo (as opposed to in vitro like in this study). In vitro studies along with studies on animals are less meaningful than in vivo. This holds particularly true when it’s about the effect of diet, since food is processed differently by different animal species. We don’t need to go that far, there are measurable differences just between different people. Also, a petri dish on which you put fruit extracts is nothing like the cell in the human body, fed by the body with whatever conditions resulted from digestion and metabolism.What about cooked fruits like baked apples?…my guess is there’s no nutritional value once the fruit is baked…just trying to come up with a healthy dessert for thanksgiving!Annette: re: “…my guess is there’s no nutritional value once the fruit is baked…” I think we have plenty of reasons to think that plenty of nutrition remains after baking. I’m thinking of other videos where Dr. Greger shows that cooking a food can keep the nutrition the same or even increase it. So, it may depend on the type of fruit and/or what you really do with it, but I would think that a dessert that involved some baked fruit would be very healthy.http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=rawJust an opinion from a fellow lay-person. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving.You say, “…I’ve reviewed before how taking that much vitamin C straight in a supplement may actually have a pro-oxidant effect and cause DNA damage.” And I believe that video/article is from 1998. And (from Ch. 10 of The Science of Nutrition- Thompson, Manore, Vaughan; Pearson Publishing; 2007 ISBN: 0-8053-9435-4) says, “Although the results of a few studies suggested that vitamin C acts as a pro-oxidant, these studies were found to be flawed or irrelevant for humans. At the present time, there appears to be no strong scientific evidence that vitamin C, either from food or dietary supplements, acts as a pro-oxidant in humans.” Who should I believe?Is there data available comparing limes? I live in Costa Rica and we have a wide variety of limes but very limited access to what you know as lemons.Hi Steve,I think lemons and limes would have similar properties. I found one study on lime compounds and colon cancer cells in a petri dish (which cannot translate to human trials yet still gives an idea of their potential) showing how they can induce apoptosis (increase program cell death) and help as a cancer preventative agent. Here is everything and more on citrus! Again, I feel the citrus fruits all have similar compounds that are amazing for boosting health. Hope that helps.Sincerely, JosephI add fresh raw cranberries in my smoothies and try and have a glass of water with lemon juice upon waking….Does it matter if they are cooked or not cooked?	anthocyanins,antioxidants,apples,bananas,berries,blueberries,cancer,citrus,cranberries,DNA damage,fruit,grapefruit,grapes,Harvard,lemons,liver cancer,oranges,peaches,pears,phytonutrients,pineapples,ranking foods,strawberries,supplements,USDA,vitamin C	The ability of eleven common fruits to suppress cancer cell growth in vitro was compared. Which was most effective—apples, bananas, cranberries, grapefruits, grapes, lemons, oranges, peaches, pears, pineapples, or strawberries?	This reminds me of my #1 Anticancer Vegetable video (along with it's "prequel, Veggies vs. Cancer). Other videos in which I rank various foods include:How can you consume cranberries palatably? Check out my recipe for Pink Juice with Green Foam.More berried treasure in my next three videos:For some more context, please check out my associated blog posts: 98% of American Diets Potassium Deficient, Dr. Greger's Natural Nausea Remedy Recipe, Do Vegans Get More Cavities?, Which Common Fruit Fights Cancer Better?, Anti-Cancer Nutrient Synergy in Cranberries, Raspberries Reverse Precancerous Lesions, and  Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pineapples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pears/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cranberries-versus-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21106916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21289224,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18959407,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12452674,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15113149,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20375263,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22388548,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10879522,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9560150,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21910124,
PLAIN-2758	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/	The Lie That Heals: Should Doctors Give Placebos?	A controversial paper was recently published arguing that it's not only OK for doctors to lie to patients, but that we have a duty to deceive. Unlike what you see on television, roughly half the time a patient walks into a doctor's office, a firm diagnosis cannot be made. Half the time the doctor doesn't know what's going on. So why not give the patient a sugar pill, a homeopathic remedy—which is often just that, an actual sugar pill, or a flower remedy, whatever it takes. Just because they don't work better than placebo, doesn't mean they don't work.  Certainly safer than prescribing an actual drug. "For a thousand years the action of the placebo has made vast numbers of patients feel better" so why stop now?Even just offering a made-up diagnosis and false reassurance seems to work. 200 patients for whom no definite diagnosis could be made were randomized into two groups. The honesty group was told I don't know what's wrong with you, and the dishonesty group was given some fake but firm diagnosis and told confidently they'd get better in a few days—and guess what, they did. They were 90% more likely to be cured. A deception flowchart has even been devised to help doctors decide, for example, if they should consider lying versus a non-lying deception to meet objectives.Those on the pro-truth side of the fence argue that first of all, placebos aren't necessarily always safe. The sugar in the sugar pills is typically lactose, milk sugar, for which most of humanity is intolerant after infancy. There was a famous cancer drug trial in which the chemotherapy caused a surprising reduction in nausea and vomiting compared to placebo, but that may have been because it was compared to a placebo made out of lactose.Pro-truth advocates accuse doctors of disease-mongering. By defining vague symptoms as an entity requiring a treatment, healthy people are converted into patients. They need explanation and reassurance that promote autonomy, not to be given faith in a non-existent disease and crackpot medicine." In fact, they say, “hey, if all you care about is beneficial medical consequences, might not doctors also have a duty to prescribe things like chanting, crystals, and séances?”  To which deception advocates reply, “Look, doctors have a duty to do the best they can to relieve a patient’s symptoms. If that means they prescribe a placebo, or even conduct a séance, then there is a duty to do these things. If a doctor can really convince a patient that a chant will cure his headache, then it very likely will, and she should chant like crazy.” In fact, "It is a type of deception that patients ought to be thankful for, just as we are thankful when we receive a mendacious compliment from a friend. Of course you don't look fat in that dress.So how many doctors lie to their patients? About half, of surveyed internal medicine doctors and rheumatologists in the United States report prescribing placebo treatments on a regular basis. Similar numbers have been found in Canada, Europe, Israel, and New Zealand."Prescribing placebo treatments seems to be common and is viewed as ethically permissible. It's ironic that physicians often condemn alternative medicine quacks for giving useless remedies when they themselves do the same thing. As one physician commented, “The vow we take is the Hippocratic oath—not the hypocritical one.”	Belief in the words of the doctor “you are going to get better” is a powerful part of treatment and cure. People with hope (such as cancer patients) often survive the odds when they believe they are going to get better. Doctors who use placebo know and understand that their words and treatment can affect the outlook of the patient. And that positive outlook on the patients part is powerful in the healing process.I really liked that last line, that was good. It made me think, if a doc doesn’t have a definitive diagnosis, why not suggest alternative methods, e.g. chiropractic, accupuncture. Inform the pt. let the pt. decide. Thanks for all you do Doc.My new physician prescribed recombinant DNA Boniva, a bisphosphonate once a month pharmaceutical. After looking at the side effects at the National Library of Medicine (TOXNET/HSDB), and based on what I’ve learned about GMO foods, I want nothing to do with it. GMO drugs may help, but they also may be a lie, alike GMO crops. And, I don’t want to be in any more pain than I already am in with no way to reduce the pain for the rest of my life, plus have a rotten jaw and still fracture bones other than the spine.I do not trust the U.S. FDA, which puts biologic recombinant DNA drugs (and foods) on the market, but does not require peer reviewed safety testing for human beings and does not necessary follow up and remove the drug when the added side effects cause death.I believe in myself. Not all treatments that I’ve had over the years to have worked, where non-gmo remedies that were not pharmaceuticals have worked. Now I worry with all the new GMO’s going into herbal medicinals, if I can treat myself with remedies recommended by naturopath physicians.You are wise to refuse Boniva. I took one pill, one time, two years ago, and am still having problems as a result, and fear permanent damage to my esophagus, stomach and intestinal system. It felt like I had swallowed battery acid or Draino. Since then, I have constant heartburn and other digestive problems. What is especially sad is that I asked the doctor beforehand if there were the possibility of side effects, and she assured me I wouldn’t have a problem. Now, I will never trust what a doctor says again,and will never take a pharmaceutical without doing my own research…When many physicians insisted that I have a Corticosteroid injection for every time a part of my body was inflamed due to injury, and I trusted what they said, only to find that it seemed to alter my immune system, I began to research myself of the side effects.I have since learned through the National Library of Medicine that corticosteroid injections increase the risk of osteoporosis in the body.Whether it was due to those injections, or my age and refusal to ingest Premarin and other hormone replacement therapies to prevent osteoporosis that were linked to cancer, I don’t know.But, I do know that many physicians peddle drugs, after all, that’s how medical schools train them. I feel that we, the patient, must learn all that we can about a drug prior to ingesting them…perhaps, even before filling a prescription in the first place. Although, I must say from experience, that some physicians will not let you return if you doubt their treatment. And, yet, perhaps a second or third opinion is better anyway, as long as they don’t go to the same medical school.Most genetically modified foods also give the same symptoms, either from the process of changing the DNA itself, or from the herbicide they are created to resist. For example, glyphosate (Roundup) when intentionally ingested in Taiwan. The abstract of the study said:“Intentional ingestion (80 cases) resulted in erosion of the gastrointestinal tract (66%), seen as sore throat (43%), dysphagia [difficulty swallowing] (31%), and gastrointestinal haemorrhage (8%). Other organs were affected less often (non-specific leucocytosis [ frequently a sign of an inflammatory response] 65%, lung 23%, liver 19%, cardiovascular 18%, kidney 14%, and CNS 12%). There were seven deaths, all of which occurred within hours of ingestion, two before the patient arrived at the hospital. Deaths following ingestion of ‘Roundup’ alone were due to a syndrome that involved hypotension, unresponsive to intravenous fluids or vasopressor drugs, and sometimes pulmonary oedema, in the presence of normal central venous pressure.”http://het.sagepub.com/content/10/1/1.abstractWhen I Googled the symptoms of GERD (gastrointestinal reflux disease) the symptoms looked similar. However, I am NOT medically trained. But I do know that clinical effects of pesticides mimic those of other diseases, because I have been poisoned with an insecticide and as well as solvents in a chemical floor stripper, and one of the chemicals in common was mixed xylene isomers, known because it was labeled.Boniva is produced by conventional chemical synthesis, not by recombinant bacteria (DIYers can look at US patent 8178712). No GMOs are involved.The FDA itself issued the warning to prescribers about long-term effects of bisphosphonates in 2008: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm124165.htm . It’s not uncommon for long term side effects to turn up years after initial safety trials (which focus on acute toxicity).Check out YouTube video, “Placebo: Cracking the Code.”The Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings, a U.S. EPA handbook, tells doctors to treat the symptoms of pesticide poisoning, not to treat the disease. But, even treatments can and are often more toxic to the patient than the prevention of not coming in contact with the pesticides themselves. And, not all pesticides (which include herbicides “weed”, insecticides, bacteriacides, fungicides, rodenticides, etc.) have antidotes. Most, do not.The book also says that most doctors don’t know how to diagnose the problem, because they don’t ask the correct questions. I found this true the first time I was exposed to a flea fogger, which caused me to cough up blood for over a year, and contributed to cognitive damage and memory loss afterwards.Even taking the product with me to the physician did not help. Medical schools do not train physicians to diagnose and treat chemical poisoning because they are state schools, dependent upon funding to the very industries that poison for profit.In the context of this article, there are two broad classes of patients: (1) Those who blindly accept their doctor’s advice and prescribed medications, and (2) those who research the diagnosis and prescription themselves after leaving the doctor’s office. The latter group is becoming much larger with the advent of the internet. A patient who finds she’s been deceived may not gain the power of positive thinking, and the doctor may lose the patient’s trust and business.This is a mental health issue that goes right to the core of the social fabric. We can continue to dance around it with various gimicks such as placebo, gun control laws, drug wars and lotto OR face up to reality. As long as we allow depression, anxiety, panic disorder and so on to remain “hidden” in stigma the consequences on our individual and collective social health will continue to devastate. In short, we need to educate people and put the proper value on happiness (cf. Bhutan happiness laws). We need to provide positive services to those who need it, not simply declare them cured and turn them out on the street.The results presented here may be valid but the conclusion, that to lie is better is a complete miss. Sometimes you just have to listen to the data and see the big picture.Did you know that Glyphosate, the herbicide (i.e. Roundup), has been strongly linked to not only inflammatory diseases, but to “depression” and other psychosomatic disorders?I can vouch for that after switching over to the plant-based diet and losing over 110 pounds in 11 months. the doctor closed the door behind him and later told me that this office was a candy shop and told me that never wanted to see me again after I questioned him! Haha #plant-powerQuestion- when you switched over did you have a problem with a huge craving for carbs and sweets? I’m trying to switch to a plant based diet but I’ve started craving cakes and pies like a drug addict craves heroin. What is happening and what can I do to turn it around?I still go through the same cravings from time to time. For me, the name of the game is ‘substitution’. When I crave filling/fatty sweets, I eat a small bowl of raisens and pumkin seeds. I fill up on that and it does the trick. Other nuts and dried fruits will work just as well.I switched to reduce the pain and inflammation in my body after fracturing my spine and not wanting drugs.My biggest cravings have been Swiss cheese and yogurt. Soy foods do not make it for me. I don’t miss sugar. But, do occasionally put certified organic dried pineapple in my green tea if I brew it too strongly.After trying an occasional piece of craved food, which is not on my diet, and experiencing severe pain within 12 hours, I’m cured for another several months. Maybe someday that will go away. I am learning how toxic meat, inc. fish, and dairy protein are because of how toxic our environment has become due to pesticides and herbicide resistant crops. Now I know why my nervous system is SCREAMING when I eat the wrong food.There is nothing like pain to set me on the straight and narrow.Just another reason to avoid doctors. (Not YOU, Dr. Greger : ))Doctors who know no nutrition, generally do not know about natural anti-inflammatory compounds, including turmeric, ginger, garlic and boswellia, which may work as well as aspirin and ibuprofen for treating osteoarthritis.Of course, if you are on drug thinners, you must take caution and consult with your physician. But, I pride myself in not taking drugs. And choose to use these natural remedies instead.But, we may soon lose these natural remedies as Monsanto has put medicinal herb seed companies out of business and is planning to change the DNA of most if not all items found in health food stores or prescribed by naturopaths very soon. Already the biotechnology companies have had the International Agency for the Research on Cancer test aloe vera and other herbs for the ability to cause cancer. It is my strong suspicion that they will take those results and write them into their patented GMO remedies saying there is “no substantial evidence” that the new medicinal is any different than any other and all the tests they claim but do not do.I appreciate everything that Dr. Greger has done to inform us. He, alike Andrew Weil, Neal Barnard, and a handful of other physicians I trust. Unfortunately, none of them are where I live.RMOne problem with medical trials is that patients often “break blind” by noticing side-effects of a drug, thus knowing they’re not in the placebo arm. This can seriously confound results, and especially in trials for psychiatric drugs. One counter to this is to use an active placebo, which has side-effects, but no known theraputic effects on the disorder being treated.For example, in Moncrieff, J. et al. “Active placebos versus antidepressants for depression.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev 1 (2004), http://www.update-software.com/BCP/WileyPDF/EN/CD003012.pdf the meta-analysis looked at 9 trials of 1st generation tricyclic antidepressants vs the active placebo atropine, which produces similar side effects but has no effect on brain serotonin. The theraputic effect of the antidepressants vs. active placebo wasn’t significant in 7 of the 9 trials.The current generation of SSRI antidepressants are safer, but not more effective than the tricyclics. They exhibit similar trial behavior, where inactive placebos have about 75% of their effect, leaving just 25% to any drug response. It’s little wonder that the use of active placebos has fallen out of favor in antidepressant trials submitted to the FDA.Before it was “in vogue”, my father-in-law, a psychologist, advised me that placebos were very effective. And currently, I’m in a 5-year clinical study with Vitamin D and Omega-3 … don’t know if I’m taking the real thing or the placebo … but I feel great!Best username ever.One thing that went unstated was that placebos and predictably ineffective treatments doled out by baffled doctors can prevent people from obtaining effective treatment elsewhere.[Rant]From when I learned to speak until the age of 19 I had near constant gut pain. I had several doctors give me many pills with confident assurances that I would get better. In retrospect most of those pills were nearly identical to, or different names for, previous ineffective treatments. It wasnt until I was put in substantial danger by a drug combination that I fired my doctor and decided to cure myself. In the end my constant painful intestinal inflammation was cured in a week by eliminating chocolate, processed meat, and eggs from my diet. I had been raised on a junk food diet. I’ve been 100% cured for 14 years now. Thankfully I didnt get cancer, liver failure, or permanent neurological damage from the pseudo-placebo antics of seemingly confident physicians. [/Rant]Every knowledgeable doctor knows that the relation (between doctor and patient) cures. Sometimes with drugs, sometimes without. Of course you can tell a patient, that you haven`t got a clue what is wrong (but it is not dangerous – because if it was dangerous you would recognize the symptoms), and if you have a good relation with the patient (and the patient has faith in you), the symptoms will disappear – without sugarpills.Hi Dr. Gregger, I got a question for you. I read a lot of times that calcium hinders iron absorption, but Dr. Jack Norris thinks calcium we get in food doesn’t (contrary to supplements). Would you give me your opinion on that issue? And what about foods high in both calcium and iron like sesame or tofu? Thank you very much!Oups, Greger*, sorry!Soooo, when these people go to their pharmacies to pick up their “placebo” prescription, are they:1.) from the same manufacturer of the original drug? 2.) charged the same amount or copay as the real drug?I want to believe that it might be possible to determine if a prescription is a placebo somehow, by looking up the code/photo or something else.Well done, Dr. Greger! Since we don’t know very much about healing, and since there is so much trauma induced in us that conventional medicine cannot address, the ‘let’s help’ no matter what is wonderful. No idea is more important than human suffering. The ‘truth’ is just a fictional idea.Very best regards, FrankThis makes me crazy. There are so many disease states that present with nonspecific symptoms. Maybe the trend of doctors lying is simply because it’s too expensive to test further, and there is risk of insurance not covering. I went through this personally, with fatigue and pain so extreme that I was mostly bedridden some years ago.To my knowledge, I never had a doctor use placebo, but I had several try things that were within their own specialty. My GP prescribed antidepressants (I wasn’t depressed); the sleep specialist diagnosed me with narcolepsy (while admitting at the same time I didn’t fit any of the profiles and didn’t have the genetic marker) and prescribed harsh stimulants.It turns out, years later, that the whole thing was a food-related intolerance that was easily resolved with diet changes. But, if we had never found this, my life would have been ruined by now. I urge doctors to think twice before judging pesky patients as “crazy” or “attention-seeking.” We just might be really, really sick.The same symptoms that many pharmaceuticals seem to cause, are also caused by the chemicals used to manufacture pesticides. After all, it has been the same industry! The petrochemical industry.I don’t have a background in chemistry or medicine, but after being accidentally poisoned with an insecticidal fogger and years later with volatile organic compounds in a floor stripper, and experiencing a whole range of symptoms which could be attributed to anemia and other diseases, but physicians not confirming the problem (despite my having the container in both cases), I was told it was psychosomatic..My fingers are still numb from when the floor stripper penetrated my gloves but was told I had high cholesterol. My cholesterol is in the normal range now, but the numbness, pins and needles sensation continues.And yes, I was told I was “crazy” or “attention-seeking” and my husband believed them. Receiving a computer and then searching the internet, I learned that what I felt was NOT in my mind other than affecting my brain, and peripheral nervous system.Eating certified organic foods and a change in diet, which I found helped me reduce pain and inflammation, helped save my life. But, that was from my constant research and NOT from the local medical community who are drug pushers.Have you guys heard of (read) Bruce Lipton’s work? (Biology of Belief)http://www.brucelipton.com/flipbook/biology-belief#/page/1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjj0xVM4x1I http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1879179,00.htmlIt’s reasonable to explain the placebo effect to patients, and it’s reasonable to teach strategies designed to achieve a positive outlook. But I, for one, won’t ever return to a doctor who knowingly cons me.I think the placebo effect would no longer work if you knew that it is a placebo. I think the whole point is that you are convinced it is not, that it is the “real thing” and that it will make you better. (-:In other words, the very act of con-ing you is what does it.Positive outlook and (positive) believing are different things, I think. Positive outlook is saying (or superficially thinking) “I’m going to get better by thinking positively”, but deep down you’re thinking “Yeah, right!” (-:I’m completely torn about this.On one hand, I fully believe in, “Do what helps.” And I think this video provides great support for the idea that a placebo can help when a doctor is feeling helpless and doesn’t know what else to do.On the other hand, I am one of those people who does not like to be lied to. Knowing that doctors do this, makes me less likely to trust or believe a doctor even when he/she is telling me the truth. That lack of trust could easily turn a future situation for me (and others like me) negative when it didn’t have to to be that way.I do think a potential happy compromise might be what Dr. Greger discussed near the end. Though I think it should go down like this: Dr. says, “I don’t know what is causing your problem.” (or “I believe I have the right diagnosis, but Western medicine does not have a reliable cure.”) “However, I have seen some good results with similar cases to yours by trying this ___ alternative idea. There are no guarantees, but I can work with you on implementing this to avoid side effects and if this doesn’t work, we will keep looking until we find something that does work. …” If a doctor took that approach with me, the trust would still be intact and I would be very happy and would respect the doctor a great deal more than a doctor who just proscribed a sugar pill.I went to an MD a year or two ago for a leg that was so stiff from an exercise I did with a personal trainer, I couldn’t walk on it. I hobbled in the office, he prescribed an anti-inflammatory, and I asked him if there was a natural alternative. He said sure, pineapple or papaya, but to take the naproxen anyway – and to use a cane. For an MD to prescribe food impressed me, but to this day, I think he did so as a placebo. I can think of a variety of other anti-inflammatory foods, and I don’t think pineapple is top of the list. But I did buy both fruits. I took 2-3 over-the-counter doses of naproxen (half of what was prescribed) and I was walking like normal within a day or two. Perhaps instead of prescribing fruit as a placebo, every MD should prescribe fruits and veggies every time patients come in, since about 90% of the population do not get adequate amounts.I would eat the pineapple and papaya first (assuming they were not genetically engineered –nearly all Hawaiian papaya and some of Florida’s papaya contain GMO’s). However, after reading the side effects of naproxen (and I think you smart for taking half of what was prescribed!), I would look for alternatives like natural anti-inflammation remedies. Roots of ginger, garlic, and turmeric (not yet GMO) do a wonderful job of reducing pain and inflammation in the body.And prior to biotechnology being released into the marketplace in both pharmaceuticals and foods, papaya and pineapple had substances that did the same in reducing pain and inflammation.When googling naproxen, I learned that it is associated with recombinant DNA (genetic engineering). Some of these genetic engineering drugs may work, but the side effects are horrendous. I would not say anything to the doctor, but take a copy of his prescription, and then personally research the drug before ingesting it.I alsoI certainly hope that no doctor has ever lied to me. It would undermine my trust in their profession.Dr. Gregor,This is off the topic of placebos but I can’t see where else to submit a general comment or question, so here it is:I humbly suggest you consider researching the contents of standard IV feeding in hospitals and what options exist for patients if any. If this is new territory for you you might start with the article I just read with the headline, “Sick Patients Are Pumped Full of Feed-Tube Formula of Corn Syrup That’s Produced by … Nestle.” AlterNet, May 28, 2013. http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/sick-patients-are-pumped-full-feed-tube-formula-corn-syrup-thats-produced-nestle?paging=offAnd thank you for the amazing work you do and the education you offer everyone through your website. I’ve been reading you and your knowledgeable subscribers for the past 6 months and have given up all animal products as a result, after 58 years of what I believed was healthy eating.Best regards, Jeffre: “I’ve been reading you … and have given up all animal products as a result, after 58 years of what I believed was healthy eating.”Wow. That’s awesome. Good for you for taking your health into your own hands!I definitely do NOT want to be lied to by my doctor and if I even find out she did it, she would no longer be my doctor. In future, I will remember to ask if a doctor feels it is okay to lie to a patient, BEFORE I take them on as my provider.We are such fans of this site and have passed it on to many, many patients, fellow physicians, family members and friends. That said, my husband and I are quite skeptical and disappointed with this “review blog and video” and feel it is truly misleading and out of touch with the reality of medical practice. We have been in medical practice for almost 30 years and have never worked in a hospital that even offers “placebo pills” from the pharmacy, nor do we know one health practitioner that has ever prescribed placebo/ sugar pills. Whatever one’s view is on whether or not lying to patients and treating them with sugar pills is ethical or not, it is against hospital policies, is a set up for litigation, and is not even available to physicians from hospital pharmacies. Use of placebo/ sugar pills may be used by some physicians in an academic setting if they are conducting clinical research, perhaps on mind/body medicine, but this is NOT something used in medical practices, and not something hospital administrators would be willing to risk litigation for. This video leads one to believe prescribing sugar pills is a common practice, which is absolutely false in a typical clinical setting, and quite frankly almost unheard of. Disappointed!	alternative medicine,Canada,cancer,chemotherapy,complementary medicine,Europe,Israel,lactose,medical profession,medications,milk,nausea,New Zealand,placebo effect,sugar	About half of doctors admit to intentionally deceiving patients by prescribing placebos, but might the ends justify the means?	What does everyone think about this practice? Would you want to be lied to by your doctor if it would help make you better?Is Homeopathy Just Placebo? It appears so, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work! Though I do offer a cautionary tale about the lactose concern in Infant Nearly Killed by Homeopathy.Be sure to check out my associated blog post for more context:  Half of Doctors Give Placebos	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/03/half-of-doctors-give-placebos/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/israel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canada/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-zealand/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/placebo-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lactose/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-nearly-killed-by-homeopathy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21507276,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20734279,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2193166,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20013490,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15377572,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20956710,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22550745,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7286642,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20013498,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20013497,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17494019,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6955683,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20013484,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12492603,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18948346,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12789709,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20013482,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3109581,
PLAIN-2759	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/	Breast Cancer and Alcohol: How Much is Safe?	Recently, the IARC, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the official World Health Organization body that decides what is and what is not cancer-causing, concluded that alcoholic beverages--all alcoholic beverages are to be considered carcinogenic to humans.Most recent research has focused on acetaldehyde, the first and most toxic alcohol metabolite, as a cancer-causing agent. Seems that bacteria in our mouths oxidize alcohol into this carcinogen called acetaldehyde, which we then swallow.There's convincing evidence that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer, but most of the data derive from studies that focused on the effect of moderate or high alcohol intakes, while little was known about light alcohol drinking (up to 1 drink/day), hence this new meta-analysis of studies that compared light drinkers to non-drinkers, and found a moderate but significant association with breast cancer, based on the results of more than 100 studies.They estimate that about 5,000 breast cancer deaths a year are attributable to light drinking, meaning nearly 5,000 women that died of breast cancer maybe wouldn't have if they had stayed away from alcohol completely, leading to an editorial in the medical journal Breast that concluded "women who consume alcohol chronically have an increased risk for breast cancer that is dose dependent but without threshold," meaning there's apparently no level of alcohol consumption that doesn't raise breast cancer risk at least a little. So, no safe threshold. Any level of alcohol consumption appears to increase the risk of developing an alcohol related cancer.For example, the Harvard Nurses’ Study found that even consumption of less than a single drink per day may be associated with a modest increase in risk. Forget a single drink what about a single sip. A new study found that even holding a teaspoon of hard liquor in your mouth for 5 seconds—and then spitting it out results in Carcinogenic concentrations of acetaldehyde produced from the alcohol in the oral cavity instantly after a small sip of strong alcoholic beverage, and the exposure continues for at least 10 min after spitting it out.Even alcohol-containing mouthwash can give you a carcinogenic spike. The researchers conclude, " All in all, there is a rather low margin of safety in the use of alcohol-containing mouthwash. Typical use will reach the concentration range above which adverse effects are to be expected. Until the establishment of a more solid scientific basis for a threshold level of acetaldehyde in saliva, prudent public health policy would recommend generally refraining from using alcohol in such products.So why isn't the same recommendation made for alcoholic beverages? Well, as the Harvard paper concludes "individuals will need to weigh the risks of light to moderate alcohol use on breast cancer development against the benefits for heart disease prevention to make the best personal choice regarding alcohol consumption. They're talking about the famous J shaped curve. While smoking is bad and more smoking is worse, and exercising is good and more exercise is better, for alcohol there appears to be this beneficial effect of small doses. A six-pack a day raises overall mortality, but so does teetotalling.The #1 killer of women isn't breast cancer, it's heart disease, and a drink a day reduces the risk of heart disease. Why just reduce the risk of heart disease, though, when you may nearly eliminate the risk of heart disease with a healthy diet? So a plant-based diet that excludes certain plant-based beverages may be the best for overall longevity.	Nice way to wrap it up MichaelThanks for sharing what others refuse to share.I wonder what the risk is if your use mouthwash like I do. Rinse with mouthwash, spit, light rinse with water, toothpaste, rinse and re-rinse until my mouth does not have any visible paste left. :{} ?What about alcohol based deodorants?What about social drinking? My heritage is French, Italian, and Spanish. Needless to say, we are wine drinkers. And for generations, the women in my family have lived well into their 80’s and 90’s. Most of us drink moderately, and not hard liquor either, but almost exclusively red wine. However, when we get together for family gatherings, we have been known to polish off a couple of bottles of wine. Does this social bonding help protect us against our ‘bad habit’.According to Dr. Dean Ornish, people with strong bonds — friends and family ties — enjoy a bolstered immunity which may protect them from coming down with maladies like cancer and heart disease, which affect the rest of the population eating the same diet (usually meat-based). Now, I am a vegan and I have a healthy life style overall, but I do enjoy an occasional glass of wine. And I don’t have any of the risk factors that are associated with developing cancer. What is wrong with women enjoying an occassional glass of wine?I have to say, I often wonder if some of these studies targeted at women aren’t motivated by a puritanical bias on the part of the researchers. I suppose we’ll hear next that men may still drink moderately, but if you’re a women, you’d better not take so much as a sip. Look, I know that many of these studies are not fool-proof. Researchers may be affected by unconscious biases towards certain groups (e.g. women drinkers). And the results may be skewed. So I have some questions. Did they take a healthy vegan lifestyle into consideration, or were they looking mainly at meat eaters? This is still a puritanical society when it comes to what women can or can’t do. Well, perhaps I’m just rationalizing. I do like my wine. All the same, I’d like to see more studies before I accept these results. I don’t see anything wrong with an occasional glass of wine enjoyed among friends.A lot of problems, which affect both genders, are associated with alcohol consumption – of course some of them dose dependent: Violence (probably mostly men), car accidents, hypertension, stroke, colorectalcancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, atrial fibrillation, heart failure etc. The true safe upper limit for both genders is probably low. That said, I drink wine every week, and I have no intention of stopping that. And you make a good point, you eat healthy, it is a part of social life, social bonding, eating well, it makes you relax, it tastes great – and hey its plant based! :-)For perspective, breast cancer accounts for only 3.3 out of 100 deaths among American women. Cardiovascular diseases accounted for 10 fold the number of deaths. (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/deaths_2010_release.pdf)I think these two papers are worth perusing:Sun, Qi, et al. “Alcohol consumption at midlife and successful ageing in women: a prospective cohort analysis in the nurses’ health study.” PLoS medicine 8.9 (2011): e1001090. http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001090Women who drank moderately (and even daily) had a better chance of living to 70 without a medical history of serious diseases (cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke, Parkinson’s, MS, etc.), loss of cognitive function, disability, or mental illness. This measure aggregates a whole range of potential health setbacks.And on the other side:Britton, A., M. G. Marmot, and M. Shipley. “Who benefits most from the cardioprotective properties of alcohol consumption—health freaks or couch potatoes?.” J EPIDEMIOL COMMUN H 62.10 (2008): 905-908. http://jech.bmj.com/content/62/10/905.shortPhysically active non-smoking women with healthy diets didn’t get the heart/stroke risk benefit from alcohol seen in the general population.I have started to have some tooth problems and I started to swish with salt water instead of the alcohol based mouthwash. I find the salt water is far more soothing than the alcohol based mouthwash, which is very irritating. Is salt water the best thing to swish one’s mouth with? I do use sea salt and of course don’t drink the salt water.The best thing to swish is organic coconut oilThanks, and what I found on the Web about “oil pulling” which I think you are referring to is very interesting.Hello, what about kefir? when you leave it several days it generates a little of alcohol , may be less than 1% but it’s alcoholI heard Dr. Oz recommend a glass of beer per day as being beneficial. I think that was irresponsible. Some don’t want to stop at one glass. And with the information in this video, it would be best to avoid all alcohol and go plant-based.How about grape juice?I wonder if this casts a totally different light on the use of alcohol based herbal tinctures. What do you think?How bad it is if I am using Listerine day and night, every day? And is it possible that it effects the liver?The teetotalers in the studies showing the J shaped curve may have been people who had a history of alcohol dependence. They also may have been abstaining because of other health problems such as liver disease. They need to re-do those studies, excluding those with a history of alcohol related diseases, and controlling adequately for other health-related behaviors.So what about alcohol in herbal tinctures?	acetaldehyde,alcohol,beverages,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,exercise,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,longevity,mortality,mouthwash,oral cancer,oral health,plant-based diets,safety limits,smoking,vegans,vegetarians,women's health,World Health Organization	Nearly 5,000 breast cancer deaths a year may be attributable to just light drinking (up to one drink a day).	Previously I've addressed the pros and cons in Alcohol Risks vs. Benefits. The other mouthwash video I referred to is Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash, part of a video series on improving athletic performance with nitrate-containing vegetables (if interested, start here: Doping With Beet Juice).As you can see in my volume 13 DVD listing, I've got another video coming up in a few weeks, Breast Cancer Risk: Red Wine vs. White Wine. Make sure you're subscribed (for free!) so you don't miss it.How else might one reduce breast cancer risk? See, for example:Or any of my 75 videos on breast cancer.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/11/new-dvd-to-help-spring-clean-your-diet-all-proceeds-to-charity/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acetaldehyde/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alcohol-risks-vs-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22045766,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21641957,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19444911,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17646865,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22513359,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22381152,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22459019,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22910838,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19298457,
PLAIN-2760	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/	Eating Healthy on a Budget	Most Americans don't even meet the watered down Federal dietary recommendations, but is it because healthy foods are more expensive? Are healthy foods really more expensive? It depends on how you measure the price. For over a century the value of food has been measured cost per calorie. If you were a brickmaker in massachusetts in 1894, you may have needed more than 8000 calories a day, so the emphasis was on cheap calories. So while beans and sugar both cost the same back then, 5 cents a pound, sugar beat out beans, for fuel value.Of course food offers much more than just calories, but they can be excused for their ignorance, since vitamins and minerals hadn't even been discovered yet. But even to this day, when the cost of foods are related to their nutritive value, the value they're talking about is cheap calories. And when you rank foods like that, then indeed junk food and meat is cheaper per calorie than fruits and vegetables, but that doesn't take serving size into account. If you measure foods in cost per serving… or cost per pound… fruits and vegetables are actually cheaper. For all metrics except the price of food calories, the USDA researchers found that healthy foods cost less than less healthy foods.Here's a 100 calories of cheese, candy, chicken, chips, bread, oil, fruits and vegetables. Which hundred calories is going to fill you up more? Most importantly, though, which is going to have the most nutrition? Here's the average nutrient density of fruits, vegetables, refined grains, meats, milk, and empty calorie foods. So while junk food may be 4 times cheaper than vegetables, there's 20 times less nutrition. For meat, we'd be spending 3 times more to get 16 times less. More money for less nutrition. Conclusion: Educational messages focusing on a complete diet should consider the role of food costs and provide specific recommendations for increasing nutrient-dense foods by replacing some of the meat with lower-cost nutrient-dense foods. Beans and raw vegetables are less expensive, nutrient dense, and may be more satiating, so, for example, incorporating more beans/legumes and less meat may be a cost-effective way to improve diet quality," not only for low-income populations, I might add, but for everyone.	Just imagine what the comparison would be like without all those government subsidies, otherwise known as your tax dollars, that go to hide the externalities in the true cost of animal agriculture.Great point. Your tax dollars and euros are subsidising foods that will kill you (and your government will save money on pension) or make you sick in younger age (and you will pay through tax or insurance for treatment) instead of foods that will save you and the planet. Michael Greger is so trustworthy – he is not in this for the money – proceeds for charity on books and DVD`s – and definitely not to get popular in the medical community. The bulk of evidence points only in one direction: A whole food plant based diet.The logic and visuals in this video are simply awesome. I LOVE it. Great job!I wish people would finally wake up. Dr. Greger, when will you be on Dr. Oz’s show? I am really interested to watch as Dr. Oz unfortunately wavers (I find) on his views depending on who is on.I have asked myself this very question, i.e., “can people afford to eat healthy?” I know beans are cheap, but what about them fruits and vegetables? Now I know. I’ve looked at the long game scenario also—what if you did pay a bit more for the good stuff?, wouldn’t you save money by not having as much health care cost. What about all those extra years you may live? What about just feeling healthier and happier?Exactly!Actually – if you look at it in another way, the standard western diet is cheaper. From the standard western diet you can get fat, cancer, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, impotence, heart attack and osteoporosis – If you eat a low fat whole food plant based diet you probably get nothing. 1 diet and 8 diseases…..thats cheap !! :-)I started a discussion on Amazon.com with the low carb folks.Unfortunately, they keep insisting on their false claims and even ridicule Dr. Greger, which I mentioned as a good point against low-carb.http://www.amazon.com/review/RYI6B7XSDRSRJ/ref=cm_cr_pr_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0307474259&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=#wasThisHelpfulIt is under the 1 star reviews for Taubes’ “Why we get fat” book.regards, DanielI enjoyed reading that rant although you should consider avoiding trying to debate people who are so attached to their ideas. Dr. Greger’s work has completely changed my life when I randomly stumbled across his DVD’s over 3 years ago (way before this site was up.) Whenever I showed them to people, they would always have excuses about why this isn’t practical or even claim that there is some sort’ve agenda behind the creation of this project. Many people find veganism (or even just vegetarianism) an attack on their ego. For these people, it is best to just smile and wish them well. Thanks for sharing Daniel!I am a plant-strong vegan. However, I find that weight GAIN is next to impossible! Everything vegan/vegetarian-related seems to be geared toward LOSING weight (including this wonderful site). I (and those around me) find that I am MUCH too skinny and I don’t like it at all. I’ve been trying hopelessly to find a way to gain weight without success. I’ve tried adding more calories, eating more food and excercising less to no avail. There’s just not enough time in a busy day to make, cook and prepare a vegan diet anymore AND find that I’m a bony toothpick! :) I’m fighting an uphill battle every day. It’s frustrating and I apologize for my rant.The image in Dr. Greger’s video above shows a comparison of different foods and their volumes/sizes with the same amounts of calories. But it’s a bit misleading as most of the larger volume of veggies/fruits in the image contains WATER and FIBER, which is what makes them so large…equals NO contribution to weight gain…and that’s my issue.Please share what your typical-day meals look like, and your exercise schedule.also your body weight and heightHi Keiki,I’m 5’10” and about 145lbs; late 30’s. I no longer do any excercising. I’ve calculated that I eat a daily whole-plant-based diet that contains about 2,500-3,000 calories. Whole grained cereals, berries, soy milk, nuts, fruits, natural peanut butter sandwiches on Ezekiel breads, lots of teas, crackers, steamed veggies, pastas and beans comprise most of my diet every day. Thanks, FrankHey Frank! I suggest that you log what you eat using a site like cronometer dot com. It’s very easy to estimate you’re eating 3000cals, while in fact you might be eating much less!If I wanted to gain weight I’d move slowly towards the 5000 cals threshold, because eating more than 3000 cals is actually a hella lot of work :) Then log your weight monthly while eating 4000 cals a day, 4500 cals a day, 5000 cals – always use something like cronometer to have a good estimate of your cals. If possible eat more cals of the good stuff – fruits and veggies! :DDon’t give up and good luck! :)Hi Keiki, thanks for the reply! Great info and I should definitely try out the calorie logging website. One issue with trying to gain weight from fruits and veggies is that you get satiated VERY quickly from them AND they have such little calories that you’ll need to eat a LOT of them (they contain so much water and fiber). So, it’s a catch-22 situation: need to eat a lot, but you’ll feel too full very fast. Also, eating more nuts and seeds (calorie-dense foods), as Dr. Greger has mentioned in a recent video on nuts vs weight-gain, does little to nothing for weight-gain! So…I’m stuck :(Up the good fats! I found I have a very similar problem as I tend to border on the underweight side of things. But when I ‘up’ the fats suchs as nuts, seeds, avocados I find I gain weight. Try putting some pine nuts through your pastas, put a scoop of almond butter in your smoothies (or try an avocado smoothie), spinkle seeds on everything.. Or just snack on almonds throughout the day.. You could also try some muscle-building exercises. Good luck!There’s nothing wrong with being on the slim side of things. I myself am a competitive climber and have a body fat percentage of 5%. This does not necessarily mean that I am underweight. If you are getting the essential fat, basically enough omegga 3, (1.1 grams for woman and 1.6 grams for men) then you will be fine. You wont expect yourself to whither away, as long as your eating enough calories for energy, this will never be an issue.On the nutrient density and price per serving table, grain comes out cheap but looks pretty poor for nutrients. Does this mean, besides fiber, my oatmeal is the least nutrient filled food I’m eating?Fiber is also important and oats sure beat a lot of standard breakfast fare hands down, but it’s not as loaded with nutrients like fruit and veggies no. You could improve your oats with fruit or put oats in a smoothie if you want. I also use it as a vehicle for my daily scoop of omega’s (chia, hemp, flax). It is also important to vary your fare, so oats are a healthy addition to your otherwise veggie/fruit diet.can I please have a link to the nutrient price per serving chart?I wonder though how the pricing changes when its organic vs. conventional processed junk food. We buy only organic whole foods (occasional organic chicken and wild fish) and our grocery costs are crazy! I blame alot on the fact that not many stores closeby carry a wide selection with a good price, and even local markets and CSAs are still quite costly.think about this, my friends and co-workers are always saying they can’t afford organic and ask how i can afford it (since i make just above poverty level income) they buy lunch and coffee just about every day, if you figure they’re spending $15 a day just on lunch and coffee alone, that’s approximately $450 a month on that alone!!! i spend between $400-450 on ALL of my food, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, dessert drinks, because i make it all myself and brown bag every day. And i never have to go to the doctor, they get sick quite often and have to go to the doctor, that’s way more money than i’m spending…and i do eat organic and free range, fish and meat. I do NOT eat any kind of soy since it’s bad for your thyroid and messes up your hormones.Simone, how do you pay the rest of your bills if you spend $450/month on food? You make just above poverty level income? I’m trying to make it on $1K/month and needs some tips? You must not have a transportation budget.Have you seen Dr. Greger’s videos here on the healthfulness of non gmo soy. The research shows it is really good for you…. Does not mess up your hormones and is not bad for your thyroid. It helps prevent cancer and prevents the return of cancer (breast) if eaten regularly.Did Dr Greger say that GMO soy was particularly different in that respect?The link for the USDA report doesn’t work. I’d really like to read it. Can you fix that? ThanksWorking for me. Anyone else having problems? http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/600474/eib96_1_.pdfworks for me, just takes an age or two to load.what do you eat on a daily basic?Veggies, Fruit, Whole-grains, Nuts, Seeds, Tea, Coffee, Spices, and Water-with sometimes supplements of B12 and D3 and iodine.Wakame seaweed is a good source of iodine and tasty too! There’s a video here about seaweeds pros and consGreat nutrition for your buck, but at the end of the day you still need to match your caloric needs if you do not want to lose weight.If your eating whole plant foods, especially starchy whole plant foods like whole grains, beans, potatoes, oats, brown rice, etc., there is no need to count calories as long as you eat when your hungry till your full. The foods listed in this video can be easily incorporated with starchy meals.My point was that you do need to match your caloric needs if you do not want to lose weight whether you count calories or not. Healthy foods might be cheaper per “portion” but you need more portions to get enough calories.Why count anything? Just eat WFPB and be healthy and happy whilst spending less at the market. WAY less if you can manage to grow some of your own. Also, the # of folks in westernized societies who “do not want to lose weight” is extraordinary low. We’re trying to steer some SAD eaters to a new understanding of health via nutrition.My point is you cannot look solely at nutrition without looking at energy. You are not actually spending less because nobody eats until 100% of daily nutrition is met. People eat until they have had enough energy or volume or nutritional value. Eating WFPB will make sure you land on your ideal weight. But if you want to compare costs with other foods you should look at more properties of the food beside just the nutritional values. I mean in other video’s WFPB is touted as better because it has more nutritional value per calorie, but when it’s convenient we do not look at the calories because that would skew the picture. I do not think that is fair.Yeah, I’m not going to quibble over the finest points. I’ll accept your analysis but I don’t think that is going to help folks turn away from SAD. That is my big concern, trying to get friends and family to treat their bodies to a more supportive/less destructive way of eating and possibly enjoy the benefits of a healthy weight and avoiding the Western diseases. Call me simple 8-p. CheersIf you need more calories just eat more calorie dense plant foods such as potatoes, rice, pasta, beans, corn or grains. These foods have fiber, are still loaded with nutrients and will give you plenty of energy. What is the alternative? Eat animal foods for more calories? Those foods have no fiber and nowhere near the nutrients of plant-based foods. More potatoes and rice is much cheaper than more chicken or beef.	beans,beef,bread,calories,candy,cheese,chicken,cost savings,dairy,dietary guidelines,fruit,grains,junk food,legumes,meat,milk,oils,pork,potato chips,poultry,ranking foods,sugar,turkey,USDA,vegetables	When measured on a cost per serving, cost per weight, or cost per nutrition basis, fruits and vegetables beat out meat and junk food.	I have some other videos along the same vein:Hasn't the nutrition of our crops declined over the decades though? Or is that just supplement manufacturer propaganda. Find out in my video Crop Nutrient Decline. And if you want to strive to maximize the nutrienbt density of your diet, check out Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Best Nutrition Bang for Your Buck	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/26/best-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potato-chips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/crop-nutrient-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21907624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20720258,
PLAIN-2761	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/	Does a Drink Of Water Make Children Smarter?	What is the hydration status of healthy children in the United States? Preventing cellular dehydration is integral to hormonal, immune, neurological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, muscle and skeletal function. So researchers recently got urine samples from a groups of 9 to 11 year olds in LA and Manhattan on their way to school to see how they were doing. 50 bucks to pee in a cup—not bad.The study was motivated by recent studies in Israel showing children did not seem to be hydrated enough, but Israel's in a desert. So they wanted to repeat the study under cooler and less arid conditions—yet, U.S. kids did just as bad as the Israelis.The urine from nearly 2/3's of the kids was considered too concentrated, an indicator that they were dehydrated. Why? They weren't drinking enough water. Three quarters of the kids did not drink water between when they woke up and when they went off to school.But most ate breakfast, so they must have been drinking something. The problem is that other beverages are not as hydrating. The levels of sodium, sugars, and amino acids in milk and juice can shrink cells and trigger the release of the hormone that signals dehydration.So what, though? Is there any actual negative impact of mild dehydration on their ability to function at school? Historically, most of the studies on hydration and mental functioning were done on adults under extreme conditions, like having people exercise in 113 degree heat, or giving people powerful diuretics like Lasix and putting them on a treadmill. Most of the studies on hydration and cognitive performance have been performed on military personnel to evaluate soldiers’ ability to function in extreme circumstances. It is easy to imagine that a soldier fighting in the desert with a heavy rucksack and a protective suit must be physically and cognitively at his best. It is, however, very difficult to translate this knowledge to normal real-life circumstances. But three new studies changed that.Simple study. Take a group of schoolchildren, randomly allocate them to drink a cup of water or not and then give them all a test and see who does better, and the winner was… the cup of water group. Conclusion: the results of the present study suggest that even children in a state of mild dehydration, not induced by intentional water deprivation or by heat stress and living in a cold climate, can benefit from drinking more water and improve their cognitive performance.So water worked for 2nd and third graders, what about 1st grade? Same experimental design but this time instead of forcing kids in the water group to drink a cup, the water group was just given some water and told to drink as much they wanted, and again found significant improvement in the performance of various tasks, leading to the same conclusion: Even under conditions of mild dehydration, children’s cognitive performance can be improved by having a drink of water.And the latest study that just came out, the largest to date, which really put it all together.  They too found a remarkable proportion of children were in a state of mild, voluntary dehydration at the beginning of the school day, found a significant negative correlation between dehydration and, for example, the ability to remember numbers. They offered a randomized group some water, and those kids on average felt better and performed better. Though dehydration might affect some cognitive abilities more than others, it is an adverse state that might render the school day more challenging for children.Even doctors often apparently fail to realize the connection. A recent study found that healthcare professionals under-recognised the importance of proper hydration for mental health. Who would care enough about the importance of human hydration to even do a survey? The European Hydration Institute, founded in part by The Coco Cola company.Significant improvement in cognitive performance, but not with coke. And not with Ritalin or some new drug, either, just plain water. Think how much drug companies could make if they could sell sugar pills but just tell kids to take the fake pill with… a glass of water.	“Imagine how much money drug companies could make if they told people to take a sugar pill with a glass of water”I wouldn’t give them no ideas, they’ll probably do it.After an initial period of creating a drug & getting it approved, the cost to manufacture it soon drops to not much more than refining & tableting sugar.I think maybe he was referring to vitamin supplements. To take a multivitamin in the morning, you would need a glass of water… so do you feel better from the multi or getting hydrated in the morning..Good segment. I suspect much of the American public is walking around in a state of chronic dehydration due to drinking junk instead of water and not eating enough fresh fruit and vegetables. I would like to know what Dr. Greger thinks of the study of intracellular water volume done by the Murad Research Lab. I am somewhat of a Luddite and don’t know how to link to the study but it can be googled easily enough. In a nutshell, the study suggests that consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is even more important than drinking large quantities of water in promoting high intracellular water volume. Is intracellular water volume a better measure of true hydration than urine concentration? I’m not sure but it sounds like it to me. Everyone should check it out.Benjamin: re: “…the study suggests that consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is even more important than drinking large quantities of water…”I’m very interested in that too. I saw once saw an experiment on done on TV. It wasn’t an actual study. It was just a loose experiment. They took twins who were obsessed (my word) with drinking tons of water. The twins also ate fairly healthy – lots of fresh fruits and veggies. They had one twin skip the water (and all drinking) but eat the regular diet. The other twin continued with the massive drinking of water in addition to their regular diet. At the end of some short time (a week?) they tested both twins. I don’t remember exactly what they tested. It was probably not very accurate. But the idea was that both twins ended up with the same amount of dehydration.Ever since then, I’ve been fascinated with the idea that we might be able to get much or all of the hydration we need from something other than just water – as long as it is fresh food. I would love to know more about studies that follow up on this idea.Thanks for sharing your information.I do hope that Dr. Gregor, or someone, can answer your question. Are fruits and vegies just as good, or perhaps better, for hydration as water? I’m also curious.I feel inept for not knowing how to link to the study I wrote about but it is there if you just google “Murad water study”. The women who drank the most water had the lowest intracellular water volume!Sounds like good science but I am still hoping Dr. Gregor will weigh in on the quality and conclusions of the study.We have been preaching the importance of water vs other beverages– many of which contribute to dehydration– so thank you so much for this excellent supporting evidence. May we also have the text of your spoken words above? Thanks in advance. –GerryHi Gerry,Under the video there is a tab labelled “Transcript”. If you click on it you can get the full text of the video.That’s pretty compelling research. Perhaps dry cereals, because of their dehydration, are doing no service to the children (beyond the harms of the sugar and possibly of the preservatives). It would be great to see similar research on adults. Do we go to work dehydrated most of the time? I’d like to know if your average soy milk has a similar osmolarity to the dairy milk cited in the research (300 mmol/kg I think it was – not 100% sure of the units)….oh, just found the research: it is 155-252 mmol/kg in Venezualan research. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20306717. As someone who doesn’t like how the city water tastes, I’ll just have to spike it with some fresh lemon or lime and stick with that for my morning hydration.How yellow or clear should your urine be to indicate you are adequately hydrated?The yellow pigments in urine include urobilin, stercobilin (both bile acids from normal heme breakdown), but also the bright fluorescent vitamin riboflavin (B2), various carotenes (from carrots and also greens), red pigments from beets, blackberries or rhubarb, and eating enough fava beans can turn urine brown to black. See: http://aliciac.hubpages.com/hub/Urine-Color-and-Its-SignificanceSo urine color isn’t just an indicator of hydration (where lighter might mean adequately hydrated), its also an indicator of the quality of diet (pigment nutrient dense fruits and veggies will color urine), supplementation, medication, as well as liver & kidney disorders.Thanks for the response Darryl, and thanks for the osmolality chart. I can now see that urine color is a multi-factorial issue.Just to add to Darryl’s excellent post all things being equal as far as dietary intake and medications clear urine is usually a sign of adequate hydration. I am a cyclist and it is important to maintain hydration especially on longer rides and on hotter humid days.I know that the beginning of the video talks about milk and juice as not being as hydrating as water. However, I would have liked to have seen more beverages tested. After watching videos on NutritionFacts, I’ve been under the impression (I’m just going off of memory here and may miss-remember) that drinking for example tea not only hydrates as well as water, but comes with extra nutrients. The conclusion is that tea is better than drinking water, because you get all of the liquid/water benefits plus the nutrients. Since tea does not have the sodium, sugars and amino acids listed in the video, I would expect tea to be fine.I would also like to know if almond milk has the same problem as cows milk in terms of helping or hindering hydration. Yes, there are amino acids, but presumably, the good ones. Hopefully they will do more studies on this and Dr. Greger can report to us.There aren’t any comprehensive guides to beverage osmolality but here are some rough ranges (in mmol/kg):Red wine: 2500 Beer: 1000 Fruit juice: 500-700 Sugary soft drinks: 415-500 Cow’s milk: 270-390 Sports drinks: 300-350 Brewed coffee: 30-50 Diet soft drinks: 30 Tea: 30 Tap water: 3From Wesley, J. “Osmolality-A Novel and Sensitive Tool for Detection of Tampering of Beverages…” Microgram (2003): 8. http://catbull.com/alamut/Bibliothek/Microgram_(DEA_News)/Jan-Jun2003.pdf#page=8 Dini, E. et al. “Osmolality of frequently consumed beverages.” Investigacion clinica 45.4 (2004): 323. http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/15602899 Mettler, S. et al. “Osmolality and pH of sport and other drinks available in Switzerland.” Schweiz Z Sportmed Sporttraumatol 54.3 (2006): 92, http://www.ssms.ch/ssms_publication/file/240/Osmolality_54_3_06.pdfFruit juice has higher osmolality than Coca-cola. Whoda thunk it?There was another study Grandjean, AC, et al. “The effect of caffeinated, non-caffeinated, caloric and non-caloric beverages on hydration.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition 19.5 (2000): 591-600. http://www.jacn.org/content/19/5/591.full.pdf+htmlwhich found, contrary to received opinion, that “This preliminary study found no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on hydration status of healthy adult males. Advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of the daily fluid intake is not substantiated by the results of this study.”Dr. Greger did a video on related paper which found caffeine in tea isn’t a diuretic: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/So I’m sticking to coffee at breakfast, green tea til dinner, hibiscus tea at night.Darryl: That is so nice of you to take the time to post this information.I don’t know what osmolality or mmol/kg are, but it is easy to get the gist of it from the context.That’s *fascinating* data. Thanks again.Osmolality is simply the aggregate count of all the molecules dissolved in volume or weight of liquid, whether that liquid is a beverage or urine. 1 mmol is 6.02 x 10^20 molecules, and a kg of water is 1 liter. Each sugar, amino acid, or mineral atom has an equal “weight” in osmolality, so its really just a convenient but perhaps misleading measure.For water and other beverages, lower osmolality seems to lead to faster water absorption and less other stuff (carbs, minerals) added to body fluids, while for urine, high osmolality is a marker for dehydration.Thanks for the clarification. Much appreciated.In simple terms, the amount of something dissolved in a liquid is an increase in its solutes. The way osmosis works is that when there is an area of higher solute concentration, water rushes in to balance the overall concentration (it is attracted by the electrical “charge” of the dissolved molecules). So a drink that contains a higher amount of solutes will cause water to be pulled FROM the tissues in order to balance it. A drink with low or no solutes will pull less or no water from the tissues. Instead, if the solute concentration in the tissues is higher than that of the drink, the water from the drink will rush to the tissues to balance them. Thus, hydrating the tissues rather than dehydrating them.Regarding school children not drinking water: my kids have told me repeatedly they avoid going to the bathroom in public schools to avoid bathroom terror! In order to avoid having to go to the bathroom, they minimize water consumption and deliberately dehydrate themselves.May we please have the references for one or more of the studies which suggested a link between water consumption by children and the children’s academic performance? Thanks.Hi George, I wrote two of those papers. Here are the full references.Edmonds, C.J. & Jeffes, B. (2009). Does having a drink help you think? 6–7 year old children show improvements in cognitive performance from baseline to test after having a drink of water. Appetite, 53, 469-472.Edmonds, C.J. & Burford, D. (2009). Should children drink more water? The effects of drinking water on cognition in children. Appetite, 52, 776-779.best wishes, CarolineThank you so much for chiming in Caroline! George, links to all the sources are provided above if you click on Sources Cited.Wow!!!!Great reminder of the importance of hydration and plain water. Thanks for another great one Dr. Greger. Even though I have an overactive bladder, I feel compelled to keep drinking.Did they ever say an optimal amount of water to drink in mild weather? I know I hear “8 glasses a day” but is this factual?just did and it disappeared CobyIt cannot be overstated – drinking plain water and staying hydrated is key to good health for all ages! Very informative post and video – appreciate the sharing of this information. http://www.aquapuresolutions.comLoma Linda University researchers found that men who drank five or more 8-ounce glasses of water daily cut their stroke risk by 53 percent compared with guys who drank fewer than three glasses. Water helps to thin the blood, which in turn makes it less likely to form clots, explains Jackie Chan, Dr.P.H., the lead study author.But don’t chug your extra H2O all at once. “You need to drink water throughout the day to keep your blood thin, starting with a glass or two in the morning,” adds Dr. Chan.The only water we should all be drinking is hydrogen rich water. I have tons of scientific info on the therepeutic benifits of water that contains active hydrogen gas….the most powerful anti oxidant available. If anyone wants to cite that info send me an email via my website http://www.bowral.enagicweb.infohttp://nutritionfacts.org/videos/alkaline-water-a-scam/Its not alkaline water.There’s actually <a href="an interesting story on H2 enriched water, which has been studied primarily in Japan for the past decade. Molecular hydrogen is a nonpolar antioxidant that diffuses throughout the body (including hard to reach spots like mitochondria and brain), and selectively scavenges hydroxyl and peroxynitrite radicals. Turns out its remarkably cheap & easy to make:I wouldn’t recommend leaving electrowinning pure magnesium ribbons in water bottles yet. The studies have largely been limited to animal models, there’s been not randomized controlled human trial to date, and I’d like to see more clarity on the adverse effects noted in the latter paper. But this may be a space to watch.While Malcolm is marketing one of the $4000 alkaline water machines, there is active scientific interest in molecular hydrogen (H2) and H2 enriched water. This 2011 review surveys the research, while this paper details an inexpensive way of generating H2 enriched water, using magnesium. Do note the adverse effects experienced in the second paper.Is drinking distilled water safe? I’m worried as I’ve been drinking it and that it has negative health effects.I once ate nothing but raw fruit and green leafy vegetables for several years, a so-called “fruitarian” diet. During several periods of over 30 days, it was unnecessary to drink any fluids at all because raw fruit and greens are about 80% water on average. I remained super hydrated the entire time.There’s some evidence that primates rarely drink fluids in nature for this reason. Anatomically too, we’re not particularly well adapted to drinking; imagine drinking without cups or other tools. Also low-fat diets tend to require less hydration because fats must be emulsified to be digested.In an ironic kind of way, it seems like I can somewhat judge the quality of my diet by how little supplemental hydration I need.Skeptic: Your post is quite thought-provoking.Not only do I appreciate it for its originality, but it backs up a non-scientific experiment I saw on TV some time ago. They took two identical twins who typically drink *a lot* of water in addition to eating lots of watery plant foods like tomatoes. They had one of the twins stop drinking any water/liquids for a week, but otherwise they both ate their normal diets. (Since they were living and cooking together at the time, they ate almost all the same things.) At the end of the week both twins had the same amount of hydration in their body. (However that was measured.)It’s really more of an anecdote, like your own story. But I think it is quite relevant. I have long been skeptical of the advice I have heard my whole life about how one has to drink X cups of water every day. I think the truth is not only much more of a “it depends”/”personal situation” on how much one must drink, but the advice is not as harmless as most people think. (I suspect.)Thanks for sharing.Its common in Fruitarian circles for people to not drink fluids. And you’re right, excess fluid consumption can be deadly, since it can, in a worse case scenario, overly dilute or wash out electrolytes. Its known as hyponatremia. So there are special situations where the advice to drink water is inappropriate.Should we drink before, during, after and/or in between meals?	beverages,bone health,brain disease,brain health,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,children,Coca-Cola,cognition,dairy,dehydration,heart disease,heart health,hormones,immune function,industry influence,Israel,juice,kidney function,kidney health,medical profession,mental health,milk,muscle health,New York City,protein,salt,soda,sodium,stomach health,sugar,water	Most children don't drink water from when they wake to when they go off to school. Interventional trials show this mild state of dehydration may negatively affect scholastic performance.	This is one of those groundbreaking findings (like my gargling video) that will likely never see the light of day because there's no profit motive for promotion. We're guaranteed to be assailed about all the new drugs and surgical advances because there's big business behind getting the word out. But who profits from tap water? Or even broccoli for that matter. That's one of the reasons I created this site, to bring to light all the findings that would otherwise just get buried in medical library basements (or, increasingly, vast private databases). If you've found this site useful, please consider making a donation to keep this site alive and kicking.The water content of plant foods may help explain why those eating plant-based diets are, on average, so slim. Like fiber, water is like a source of Nutrition Without Calories. See Dietary Guidelines: It’s All Greek to the USDA for a country with the guts to suggest water might be preferable to drinking soda. Juice and milk may not be as hydrating as water. What about tea? See my video Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating? What about Bottled Water vs. Tap? More on children's health in videos such as:If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-city/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/israel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dehydration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3743537,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22281298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22499450,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21736786,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19501780,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22841529,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19835921,
PLAIN-2762	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/	Flax Seeds For Breast Pain	A study on the effect of flax seed ingestion on the menstrual cycle found a tablespoon a day of ground flax seeds lengthened the luteal phase, meaning delayed their next period by about a day, and resulted in fewer anovulatory cycles. These are the same kind of improvements in ovarian function seen in women eating plant-based diets, a longer luteal phase and fewer anovulatory cycles, fewer failed ovulations, an indication that vegetarian women have fewer disturbances in their cycles. In fact those eating vegan never failed to ovulate at all, similar to women eating daily flax.Since those same hormonal changes associated with eating more plant-based diets seemed to improve premenstrual and menstrual symptoms such as breast pain, maybe flax seeds would help too. The effects of dietary flaxseed in women with breast pain associated with their cycles.  Although hormone treatments, such as tamoxifen, may be helpful, they often cause unpleasant side effects and there may be risks associated with long-term use of hormonal therapy.  Dietary flaxseed is therefore an attractive alternative for controlling these symptoms.So, 116 young women with severe cyclical mastalgia, severe menstrual breast pain, over a pre-study period of 6 months were randomized in a double-blind manner to either a muffin containing about 3 and a half tablespoons of flax seed or, a placebo muffin and followed for a few cycles. There was some placebo muffin effect, but there was a significantly greater reduction in reported breast pain, breast swelling, and breast lumpiness in the flaxseed group. It is concluded that flaxseed is effective in relieving symptoms of cyclical mastalgia without significant side effects and might be considered as an alternative treatment for cyclical mastalgia.But if it works, and there are only good side effects, why is it an alternative treatment, and not the primary, first line treatment? Well, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has not issued treatment guidelines, but the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada has. They first dispel the myth that caffeine is to blame or that vitamin E supplements are helpful. Instead, Dietary flaxseed should be considered as a first-line therapy for menstrual breast pain, and only then consider drugs if flax doesn't work. Oh, and breast pain should not be treated by use of mastectomy.	6 months ago my endocrinologist doc strongly recommended statins because of my high cholesterol,atherosclerosis and Berkeley heart lab lipid profile. I responded that i will make lifestyle changes recommended by Dr Greger to become vegan instead. He strongly opposed my preference and dutifully noted in writing his prescription and my refusal to adhere (a CYA letter-Cover Your Ass) Now six months later I’m 40 lbs lighter, my triglycerides and cholesterol are now within the low end normal range, my glucose levels have normalized and the Berkeley lipid profile indicates a tremendous shift away from the bad (small ldl lipids) that build as atherosclerosis. Go vegan, eat your flax and chia, Take your d3,b12,magnesium, probiotic,coq10, eat garlic and of course…eat your broccoli! Thanks Dr G !!!!Thanks for sharing! The science presented by Dr G combined with anecdotal stories from “real people” are very inspiring! May I ask – did you also drop the oils? Did you go 100% plantbased or “just” 98% to get these great results?We went 100% plant based and dropped all cooking oils. Within a couple of weeks my/our palate(s) totally adjusted to the change. We now steam vegetables or sauté in a low sodium veg juice. Nuts, seeds and avocado are probably the biggest source of dietary oils we consume.I like your name “eatyourbroccoli”.eatyourbroccoli: That is SUCH an inspiring story!!! Thank you for taking the time to share it. That kind of story keeps us all going.TY Thea ! Greger Rocks !Way to go. Thanks for sharing.Great story! I’d really like to know what your doctor said after seeing your results.It could be that Canadian doctors recommend flax seed partly because so much of it is grown in that country. But be warned. Canadian flax is contaminated with GMO and banned in Europe and Japan.http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/renegade-genetically-modified-flax-seed-is-crippling-canadian-market.htmlWith this argument doctors in the US should recommend steak instead of statins, the english doctors should recommend bacon and the german doctors should recommend sausages with sauercraut….;-) Could be that the canadian doctors just know the scienceDavid, thanks for the head’s up regarding GMO flax seeds, I purchase organic flax seeds at the local cooperative. It sounds like, based on your article and other sources that because organic flax seeds are organic, they would not be GMO. Having said that, thanks again as I’ll be sure to make sure that my friends and family purchase organic flax seeds.Ground flaxseed gives me a terrible headache. I’ve experimented to isolate the cause and I have no doubt it’s the flaxseed. I’m convinced of the health benefits of flax but at the cost of chronic headache, its not worth it to me. My question is, are there a percentage of people that experience headache when using flax, while others have no side effects? I can eat walnuts for the omega 3.It looks like, though “rare”, some people do have allergies to flaxseed…http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20648772Oops. I forgot to mention in my earlier post that 1-2 tablespoons of flax in our morning veg powder/veg protein smoothie very likely contributed to my wife’s lessened periodic monthly breast pain. Any research/comments out there regarding the pro/con effects of flax for males?(response to PlantstrongDoc) We went 100% plant based and dropped all cooking oils. Within a couple of weeks my/our palate(s) totally adjusted to the change. We now steam vegetables or sauté in a low sodium veg juice. Nuts, seeds and avocado are probably the biggest source of dietary oils we consume.Was it hard dropping the oils?Yep. But dropping dead would have been harder.Wonderful response! :DHi Vegangela,Another oil-free vegan here. I dropped oils after already being vegan for some time. One day I decided to try the water saute method out of curiosity, and thought, that was easy! Sauteing and other just random additions of oil while cooking was probably the biggest source of oil in our diets and has been quite easy to do without. I don’t think about it or notice it.I still eat avocado when we have mexican, and I do eat nuts but just not as a main meal component (such as a cashew alfredo sauce) and do not snack on them. I use them in an accent or garnish fashion.I ended up losing 15 extra lbs I didn’t even realize I had in about a month and a half or so. fatfreevegan and happy herbivore are both good sources if you want to try it out.I started taking flax for the other benefits, having no clue it would help with my insane daily breast pain. I did not know the connection of not being in pain anymore until I saw this video. This Vegan thanks you so much!Do hemp seeds have similar benefits to flax?Look under browse topics. Those important questions are answered.Im going to give this a try. I tried everything else. Had breast pain for 2years cause of my menopause…Had a full hysterectomy 2 years ago.so, is it really a “myth” that caffeine causes breast pain?I haven’t come across studies linking caffeine to breast pain. I have not had any patients who have noticed a connection. Through the years caffeine has been linked to many disorders due to other activities associated with folks who drink caffeine. That said if you personally notice a connection it might be a factor for you.What about the effect of the phytoestrogens of flax on pregnant women? Is it safe to eat 2-3 spoons of flax a day while pregnant? What about small children?Another question is regarding the phytic acid. Is it true that flax is reach in phytic acid that makes it harder for the body to absorb nutrients? Should flax seeds be sprouted?Phytic acid can have a binding effect on zinc and calcium but it also doubles as a potent antioxidant. Flax is not rich in calcium or zinc so I do not see this as an issue. Sprouting flaxseeds can have an extreme increase on the antioxidant content of foods.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/I haven’t been able to find a good answer to this – which is better, brown or golden flax seeds? (Assuming both are organic and I buy whole and grind myself.)Thank you so much for this amazing website! Q: Can one eat too much flaxseed? I drink 3/4 cup fresh ground a day, mixed water, cinnamon and honey. I am vegan and drink a lot of water. I feel great at 56 and all my vitals are within healthy range. Thank you.Wow! That’s a lot of flax! In my opinion that seems like alot, as 600 calories each day is contributed solely to flaxseed. Dr. Greger typically recommends 2 tablespoons for the benefits. I do not know of specific studies showing ill effects from consuming too much flax.Canada is great :-)Come to think of it, all my PMS symptoms went away around the time I started eating 2 tablespoons of ground flax every day. Now I have nothing at all that makes me think my period is about to arrive, which is crazy because I’ve always had physical pre-mentrual symptoms. I thought it might have to do with the flax, because I’d read that people use flax in “seed cycling,” which naturapaths use to help women get on a regular menstrual cycle, but this video confirms it.Hello Dr. Greger, I have a tasty pancake recipe that replaces eggs with ground flax seed. Is heating ground flax seed safe and healthy?Alex: Dr. Greger has several videos on this website showing the wonderful health benefits of ground flaxseed. In fact, Dr. Greger recommends that the average person eat about 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed every day.Here are some videos to check out: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=flaxI’ve made pancake recipes like the one that you are mentioning and they came out great. Also, I have a recipe book for vegan waffles that I use to make pancakes instead of waffles and the recipes are delicious! http://www.amazon.com/Global-Vegan-Waffle-Cookbook-gluten-free/dp/0981776434/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402935440&sr=1-1&keywords=vegan+wafflesYou might also want to check out this vegan brunch cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Brunch-Homestyle—-Asparagus/dp/0738212725/ref=sr_1_2_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402935492&sr=1-2&keywords=vegan+pancakesI hope your pancakes come out good.Alex: I just read your post more carefully and noticed that you said “heating” not “eating”. I don’t have the exact video at the tip of my fingertips, but I do remember a NutritionFacts video where we learned that heating the flaxseed did not destroy it’s benefits. The main issues with flaxseed was to keep it in an airtight container. That’s my memory anyway.	alternative medicine,breast disease,breast health,breast pain,caffeine,coffee,complementary medicine,fertility,flax seeds,hormones,infertility,mastalgia,mastectomy,medications,menstruation,ovary health,plant-based diets,reproductive health,seeds,side effects,surgery,tamoxifen,vegans,vegetarians,vitamin E,women's health	A tablespoon a day of ground flaxseeds appears to improve ovarian function and is considered a first-line therapy for breast pain associated with one's period (cyclical mastalgia).	What if your diet is packed with plants? See last week's video, Plant-Based Diets For Breast Pain. I've previously hailed flax in videos such as:So nice to see a professional medical association prioritize safe, natural therapies! See my video series that includes Medical Associations Oppose Bill to Mandate Nutrition Training to see the mentality here in the States. Do Doctors Make the Grade? Unfortunately, Doctors Know Less Than They Think About Nutrition. This is largely due to the lack of Medical School Nutrition Education, though there is also The Tomato Effect.Speaking of safe and natural, the subject of my next video is Does a Drink Of Water Make Children Smarter?For more context, check out my associated blog posts:  Treating Breast Pain with Diet and Treating Breast Pain with Flax Seeds	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menstruation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tamoxifen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mastectomy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mastalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-a-drink-of-water-make-children-smarter/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21884494,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8077314,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7985629,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10479230,
PLAIN-2763	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/	Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection	Earlier this month, a research team at the Cleveland Clinic offered another explanation as to why meat intake may be related to mortality. "Numerous studies have suggested a decrease in atherosclerotic disease risk—our #1 killer—in vegan and vegetarian individuals compared to omnivores, [but we've just assumed this was due to reduced intake] of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat…" But what they found was that within 24 hours of carnitine consumption—eating a sirloin steak, taking a carnitine supplement--certain gut bacteria metabolize the carnitine to a toxic substance called trimethylamine, which then gets oxidized in our liver to TMAO, trimethylamine-n-oxide, which then circulates throughout our bloodstream.The way we know it's the gut bacteria that's doing it, is that if you give people antibiotics to wipe out gut bacteria, you can apparently eat all the steak you want without making any TMAO, but then if you wait a couple weeks until your gut bacteria grows back, you're back to the same problem. What's so bad about this TMAO stuff? Well it may increase the buildup of cholesterol in the inflammatory cells in the atherosclerotic plaques in our arteries, increasing our risk of heart attack, stroke, death, and if that isn't enough, cardiac surgery as well.So how do you stay away from carnitine? Well there's zero dietary requirement; our body normally makes all that we need. The problem is that the bodies of other animals also makes all that they need so when we eat them, their carnitine can end up in our gut for those bacteria to feast upon, resulting in TMAO. Some animals make more than others; carnitine is concentrated in red meat, so then why's there also clipart of white meat, dairy, and eggs?That's what most media reports missed—even though it's the very first sentence of the paper. How do you think the researchers even thought to look into carnitine? Because gut bacteria can turn choline into TMAO too! Given the similarity in structure between carnitine and choline, they figured they’d find that same transformation into TMAO, and that's exactly what they found.Eggs, milk, liver, red meat, poultry, shell fish and fish are all believed to be major dietary sources of choline, and hence TMAO production. So it's not just red meat. The good news is that this may mean a new approach to prevent or treat heart disease, the most obvious of which would be to limit dietary choline intake. But if that means decreasing egg, meat and dairy consumption, the new approach sounds an awful lot like the old approach.Unlike carnitine, we do need to take in some choline, so should vegans be worried about the modest amounts of choline they're getting from beans, veggies, grains, and fruit? And same question with carnitine. There's a small amount of carnitine found in fruits, veggies, and grains as well. Of course it's not the carnitine itself we're worried about, but the toxic TMAO, and you can feed a vegan a steak—literally, an 8-ounce sirloin (anything in the name of science). Same whopping carnitine load, but basically no TMAO was produced. Apparently, the vegans don't develop those TMAO-producing bacteria in their gut, and why should they?It's like the whole prebiotic story. You eat a lot of fiber, and you select for fiber-consuming bacteria, and some of the compounds they make with fiber are beneficial, like the propionate I've talked about, that appears to have an anti-obesity effect. Well, if we eat a lot of animal products we may instead be selecting for animal-product digesting bacteria, and it appears some of those waste products, like the trimethylamine may be harmful.Even if you eat vegan, though, you're not necessarily out of the woods. If you regularly drink carnitine-containing energy drinks, or take carnitine supplements—or lecithin supplements, which contain choline, presumably you'd foster and maintain those same kinds of TMAO-producing bacteria in your gut and increase your risk of heart disease and, perhaps, cancer.About two million men in the U.S. are living with prostate cancer, but that's better than dying from prostate cancer. Catch it when it's localized and your 5-year survival is practically guaranteed, but once it really starts spreading your chances drop to 1 in 3. "Thus, identification of modifiable factors that affect the progression of prostate cancer is something that deserves study. So Harvard researchers took more than a thousand men with early stage prostate cancer and followed them for a couple years to see if there was anything in their diet associated with a resurgence of the cancer, such as spread to the bone.Compared to men who hardly ate any eggs, men who ate even less than a single egg a day had a significant 2-fold increased risk of prostate cancer progression. And maybe it's the choline.A plausible mechanism that may explain the association between eggs and prostate cancer progression is high dietary choline. Egg consumption is a determinant of how much choline you have in your blood, and higher blood choline has been associated with a greater risk of getting prostate cancer in the first place. So the choline in eggs may both increase one's risk of getting it and then having it spread, and also having it kill you.Choline intake and the risk of lethal prostate cancer. Choline consumption is associated not just with getting cancer and spreading cancer but also with a significantly increased risk of dying from it. Those who ate the most had a 70% increased risk of lethal prostate cancer. Another recent study found that men who consumed 2 and a half or more eggs per week—that's just like one egg every three days--had an 81% increased risk of lethal prostate cancer. Now it could just be the cholesterol in eggs that's increasing fatal cancer risk, but it could also be the choline.Maybe that's why meat, milk, and eggs have all been associated with advanced prostate cancer, because of the choline. In fact, choline is so concentrated in cancer cells, if you follow choline uptake you can track the spread of cancer through the body. But why may dietary choline increase the risk of lethal prostate cancer? It may be the trimethylamine oxide. The Harvard researchers speculated that the TMAO from the high dietary choline intake may increase inflammation and this may promote progression of prostate cancer to lethal disease.In fact, just yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine that same Cleveland Clinic research team that did the carnitine study repeated the study, but this time instead of feeding people a steak, they fed people some hard-boiled eggs. Just as they suspected, a similar spike in that toxic TMAO, so it's not just red meat. And the link between TMAO levels in the blood and strokes, heart attack, and death was seen even in low-risk groups like those with low-risk cholesterol levels. So eating eggs may increase our risk regardless what our cholesterol is, because of the choline. It's ironic that the choline content of eggs is something the egg industry actually boasts about. And the industry is aware of the cancer data. Through the Freedom of Information Act I was able to get my hands on an email from the executive director of the industry's Egg Nutrition Center to an American Egg Board executive talking about how choline may be a culprit in promoting cancer progression, "Certainly worth keeping in mind as we continue to promote choline as another good reason to consume eggs."	And the answer is NOT to pollute the meat further with antibiotics in the hope of wiping the bad-meat-eating-bacteria out. Probably the next suggestion from the meat industriy…Don’t give them any ideas! But it does make you wonder if, in a lot of these studies, they will need to start enterotyping the test subjects and the food contaminants to make sense of the data.WOW!! I was all set to buy L-Carnitine supplements online! Thanks Dr.Greger!! What about about carnosine? I know it has documented affects againts AGE’s.WOW!! I was all set to buy L-Carnitine supplements online! Thanks Dr.Greger!! What about about carnosine? I know it has documented affects againts AGE’s.I’ve been taking carnitine and lecithin for several years- but today is the day I stop! I wonder how many of the 35 or so other supplements I take are harmful. From previous videos here, vitamins B-12 and D are okay, but I think I may not renew my subscription to Life Extension. By the way, instead of taking carnosine, you can take beta alanine which is much less expensive and produces carnosine in your body. Carnosine is broken down to beta alanine by your digestion anyway.The only supplement I routinely recommend for patients is Vitamin B12. In my experience Life Extension can be a great way to get laboratory testing done. We used their services in the last Meals for Health program in the Berkeley/Oakland area. I avoid any other supplements unless a deficiency is documented. Unfortunately given the distribution of normal laboratory values in the normal population it is easy for medicine to change recommendations and to start recommending supplements or medications for people who are normal. If your Vitamin D level is low the best Rx is sunlight. Taking vitamin D supplement doesn’t improve the arterial system by the liberation of Nitrous Oxide from subcutaneous stores. Dr. Greger has yet to run a video on this subject… see the TED.com talk: Richard Weller: Could the sun be good for your heart? Of course their are times I recommend Vit D but very few.SeeThere are times I recommend TEDTalks like this one. But lately, they’ve been scraping the bottom of the barrel with Taubes acolytes Attia and Teicholz.How can we “test” for choline deficiency? If you have access to full articles what where the actual dietary levels measured that correlated to increased prostate cancer risk? I am nervous only getting 300-400 mg/day as an adult male. But supplementing to the AI also makes me nervous.Beta alanine will reduce taurine. Taurine has a lot of healthy benefits. However, if you try taurine, start slow and give your body time to get used to it. Taurine will facilitate the removal of some toxins from cells. You don’t want a fast detox reaction.Glad to hear you’re going to be on Dr. Oz. Not only will that help you to get the word and science out, but hopefully help Nutritionfacts.org with their fundraising!FYI: Dr. Greger’s appearance on Dr. Oz is available here.VegAtHeart: Thanks so much!! I’ve been wanting to see that clip and previous efforts to find it didn’t work. Much appreciated.You’re welcome!Yeah, I was kind of surprised he didn’t take a more aggressive stance, but I guess he was either being diplomatic as to not alienate the audience, or the show had “policies” about what and how it was handled?I saw something about this on CBS news earlier this week. INSTEAD of taking the opportunity to promote a plant-based diet they talked about drug companies hopefully being able to make a new drug to treat TMAO (insert face palm here). When are they going to figure this out. I wish HLN’s evening new show would include Dr. Greger several times a week. A reoccurring nutrition segment on national news would be wonderful and Dr. Greger keeps his information short and concise and throws in a little humor. It would be perfect for the masses!I am currently taking the more bio available Acetyl-L Carnitine as a supplement for some of the studies dealing with it’s protective qualities toward hearing loss. Being a 25 year low fat eating Vegan, can I assume that I am fairly safe from the TMAO production and it’s effects you are referring to?Don’t do this Michael. You are falling into the same trap they have.It is not the specific ingredients, either carnitine or lecithin, that is the problem. It is the gut flora that has developed in response to a refined ingredient and high sugar diet.Remember the 1875 patients were referred to their heart clinic because they already were really sick. Their gut flora was mainly firmicutes and some tenericutes, species that are not resident in a healthy gut flora.Restoring a healthy flora is the key here, not blaming highly processed ingredients that merely feed the bad bacteria. The liposaccharides from healthy flora does not raise TMA.Consuming polyphenols in veggies and fruits are the natural way to decrease firmicutes and support bacteroidetes and decrease heart disease. Antibiotics are not.Yes, it’s more about the gut flora than isolated ingredients. Japan has one of the lowest rates of heart disease, South East and South Central Asia have the lowest rates of prostate cancer. They eat fish and eggs. But their gut bacteria is different to begin with. US microbiomes are more focused on degrading amino acids, while, for example, Malawian microbes are focused on digesting starches.Very interesting …thanks for this postDouglas, are you suggesting that meat consumption is not the culprit here? Thank you for more clarity on your previous comments.My thought as well. Japanese eat lots of sugar. Meat, not so much. Sugar is likely an issue here in the US because of the lack of whole plant foods in the diet and the excess calories sugar contributes here. In other words, portion sizes count.Dr Greger is in no way advocating the use of antibiotics to treat CVD. Antibiotics merely confirmed the hypothesis that gut bacteria were involved in the conversion of carnitine and lecithin to TMAO. Which bacteria involved has not yet been determined.By now, I think it can be safely stated that pretty much anything we put down our gullets affects the ecosystem in our digestive tract.When are you on Dr. oz?AileenO: Friendly tip: Dr. Greger has a ‘Doctor’s Note’ under each of the videos. Above, you can see that Dr. Greger gives a link to a Facebook page where he will announce his Dr. Oz showing when he knows it. Hope that helps.This was an awesome video Dr. Greger. Your research is so up-to-date and wide-reaching. Your presentation is engaging and succinct. Thank-you for this and so many excellent videos.I think you should not say compared to omnivores but compared to meat eaters or vegetarians.﻿ As it gives the false idea that people are omnivores when really we are herbivores. So really people are not omnivores but herbivores that eat meat. Just like Panda’s are carnivores that eat bamboo.The similarity of our body design to that of the great apes make me wonder if we’re not actually frugavores. Apes eat mostly fruit and greens. Some eat grains- raw. Since we produce more amylase that most apes, it seems that we’re adapted to grains too. Chimps seem to be an exception. They also eat an occasional monkey, perhaps as a ritual to show dominance. Herbivores eat mostly grass, I’ve tried it in juice form once or twice (as wheat grass) and I find it to be disgusting. So, I’m afraid I wouldn’t make a good herbivore.Frugivores…LOL! :)Nonsense. Humans are omnivores, sheesh.I think you should not say compared to omnivores but compared to meat eaters or vegetarians.﻿ As it gives the false idea that people are omnivores when really we are herbivores. So really people are not omnivores but herbivores that eat meat. Just like Panda’s are carnivores that eat bamboo…I don’t know if I missed it but I didn’t catch any recommendations about Carnitine or Choline? And how much we need to get of both and or good sources in food? What do you recommend?No need to seek these nutrients. Carnitine is produced by our own body and choline is available in a variety of plant foods in adequate amounts. Choline deficiency is quite rare in healthy populations.There’s a problem with this notion.Studies in humans have shown that neither phosphatidylcholine nor choline-rich foods produce detectable increases in trimethylamine.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6842395http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10456680With reference to your second citation, the major weakness I see in the Hazen studies at the heart of this video is that cold water fish can contain significantly greater TMAO than the carnitine content of red meat, yet fish consumption has a far weaker correlation with cardiovascular disease than red meat consumption.I suspect that red meat’s combination of numerous inflamatory hazards (carnitine/TMAO, saturated fat, cholesterol, endotoxins, AGEs, Neu5gc, heterocyclic amines, persistant organic pollutants, etc) acting in concert after every meal, and its lack of significant anti-inflammatory components like omega-3 fatty acids, may result in it being a particularly potent cause of cardiovascular disease. More so than any one of its components in isolation.Serum TMAO levels in a cohort of Western omnivores are very strongly correlated with cardiovascular risk (http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1665659), but its also possible that that the TMAO is serving as a biomarker for consumption of a whole range of hazards, rather than a singular risk. At present, there aren’t any studies on other populations (ie. those on traditional Japanese diet) where serum TMAO may arise mostly from non-red meat sources.To tease out whether TMAO alone is a dominant cause of atherosclerosis in humans might require an impractical or unethical study like feeding Monster energy drinks (more carnitine than a Porterhouse steak) to vegans for an extended period.Darryl: re: “I suspect that red meat’s combination of numerous inflamatory hazards … acting in concert after every meal… More so than any one of its components in isolation.”That makes sense to me and is quite in line with the approach that is presented in the book The China Study. The idea is that we can work on understanding individual mechanisms on how things work, but diseases rarely operate on a single mechanism. It is the whole system that comes together to create effects. At least, that’s my understanding of the point of the book.Anyway, I was moved to reply to your statement, because literally hours before seeing this video, I had found what looks like the best recipe in the world for making vegan butter!!: http://www.veganbaking.net/fats/vegan-butters/735-vegan-butter#.UX2W_dtTVoP BUT it has lecithin.I wouldn’t be using the vegan butter (fat/pure oil) all the time anyway. I am trying to go in a generally more healthy direction. But I still want the occasional treat and say butter on pancakes would be a real treat.Thus, the vegan butter idea was really exciting. This video raised the question in my head about how harmful the lecithin would be in the vegan butter. Which gets to your point: I’m hoping that by itself, as part of vegan butter in a vegan diet, that the lecithin wouldn’t be so bad – at least no more bad than any plant-based fat.That’s what I’m going with anyway, because when I get all of the ingredients, I’m going to give it a try. Thanks for posting your thoughts. You helped me put things into perspective.Mr. Mooney, sorry, could you explain your use of first reference when it states, “A significant fraction of ingested choline is destroyed by enzymes within gut bacteria, forming trimethylamine”and then there’s this:http://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2011/05000/Lecithin_Supplements_and_Breast_Cancer_Risk.33.aspxMay 2011 Lecithin Supplements and Breast Cancer RiskVery interesting. I have two questions. First, if vegans, not having the gut flora that produce TMAO, are somewhat protected, would not this same protection apply to eating eggs as well? Second, does it make any difference if the eggs come from pastured, naturally fed hens?Nope – eggs are eggs. Some come from happy chickens, some from battery chickens and some come from organic chickens (which BTW can be battery chickens), but the composition of the egg is similar. If you are lucky – a little less dioxin….I could be misunderstanding your question, but eating eggs regularly will change your gut flora. You will no longer have the gut flora of a vegan i.e. you would no longer be a “protected” vegan.Hi, Dr Greger. Does this means we have to stay away from cauliflower, almond, and peanuts too? Last time I check 100g of cauliflower contains 45.2mg of choline. That’s close to 1/2 of an egg.My guess is that further studies will be completed on choline and we will have a better picture of it’s effects on intestinal microflora. My experience is that most egg based entrees, use 2 to 4 eggs per serving. So some people are consuming a lot of choline and quite frequently. Compounds in cauliflower (like glucosinolates) have an anti-cancer effect and are cardio-protective. So I’m just avoiding eggs and keeping cruciferous vegetables on my plate and flax seeds in my smoothies…I’m not a huge fan of peanuts, I like the taste..however I think there are options with more nutrients.Here’s the problem I have. The big issue with eggs seems to that the bacteria in the gut break down the lecithin in eggs and produce TMAO–which causes damage to the artery walls. Just this past week we saw the research promoting fenugreek as an herbal wonder which helps with everything from body building to sexual health. But fenugreek is high in lecithin. Why is the lecithin in fenugreek good for us and the lecithin in eggs a killer?I assume egg whites are OK?I take 650 mg of betaine per meal for protein digestion. Does this pose a risk insofar as choline is converted into betaine? Is is that choline itself to excess is dangerous or is it the betaine as an end product?Der Dr. Gregor, Outstanding video! I had totally missed the choline connection! It would be interesting to do some self experimentation by altering our diet in various ways for a few months and then testing our blood levels of TMAO, choline, & L carnitine, Do you know anything about the availability of blood tests for TMAO for the everyday person not in a research study? It would be interesting also to find out if supplementation with various kinds of probiotics and fiber might affect the proliferation of L-carnitine and choline metabolizing bacteria in people who do eat specific amounts of meat, and to answer the question of to what degree can competing bacteria reduce the populations of the L-carnitine & choline loving bacteria. Lastly, some of the other commenters raised some very good questions. We would love to hear your response to them. So far most of these questions have not been addressed.Urine TMA/TMAO is a not uncommon test for the genetic disorder trimethylaminuria, where the ratio, rather than absolute levels, is important – you may need to confirm reporting if you want to experiment. A list of labs from around the world that will perform this test: http://breathandbodyodour.proboards.com/thread/450?page=1I am so happy to see this video. I was vegetarian and now I am full vegan, but I kept wondering if I should supplement choline to get the brain boost. Now I know it is not necessary. Will you make a video about taurine in vegans? I saw in another video that taurine helps to protect against AGE’s. Thank you for these videos!I think I wrote that, having just read one of M McCarty’s many non-peer reviewed hypotheses: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987704002749 On further study, taurine has cytoprotective and atheroprotective effects, but evidence of inhibition of AGE formation is circumstantial (and weak, compared to some other nutrients).Why restrict your Dr Oz airdate announcement to Facebook? Some of us value out privacy too much to entrust it to Zuckerberg and Company. Please widen out your announcements to other communication channels.Agreed. I rarely if ever venture into Facebook territory.Maybe Oprah will give Dr. Greger his own show on her network.That might be tempting, though I’m not sure Dr Greger wants the commercial nature of show business to taint his message.It boggles my brain cells why anyone would eat meat, drink milk, consume cheese and eggs once scientists are finding these links to diseases that are preventable just by NOT eating this stuff. Is it the same idea as when people smoke? They know it causes disease but keep doing it? I still cannot figure that one out, except for the addictive properties, but are some humans addicted to meat, milk, eggs and cheese or is it just an unfortunate quirk of our current society? Why don’t doctors just tell people to STOP eating stuff that causes disease? Are they afraid of the meat and dairy industry?When it comes to diet and disease most docorts are ignorants. I dont think they are afraid, they just dont know the abundance of science that backs up a whole food plant based diet. In the medical community you dont hear much about nutrition. My mother (type 2 diabetic) says that I am the only doctor ever, who has told her that she is to fat. The only one! I have heard about a GP who recommended more read meat to a patient, because she allegedly lacked proteins in the blod (the story made no sense)! I know a person who went to his doctor to get some help to loose weight, because he was just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and the doctor replyed “you are not overweight” – despite the obvious fact that the man was at least 20 kg overweight. I was actually searching for something else, but found informations about this topic by chance.so many rhetorical questions! here is my take as an informed consumer who didn’t know this stuff until seeing ‘Forks Over Knives’ despite ‘paying attention’ to nutrition for many years. ordinary people don’t know this stuff. Dr. Greger’s recent video on the McGovern Report was an eye-opener. doctors don’t know this stuff! there is very little attention paid to nutrition in medical school and the pharmaceutical industry ‘friends’ them after school. lastly, there is inertia, a HUGE factor in why people don’t change.I’m vegan and took a 500 mg carnitine supplement for a few months to see if I felt any different. No difference at all. I did the same with 250 mg choline (and 250 mg inositol in the same pill) and also felt no difference. Seeing as now it may be harmful to use these supplements, I don’t plan on buying them again. What is your suggested intake of choline from food? What about carnitine, which I assume our body makes from eating foods high in lysine and methoinine?Update: Before I saw this video I bought a small bottle of acetyl-l-carnitine to test out. I’ve taken acetyl-l-carnitine at the levels from 250 mg – 750 mg daily for the last 8 days and, unlike l-carnitine which I didn’t feel anything, the acetyl form makes me feel bad. It’s causing heart palpitations and I have no history of any heart problems. I’m stopping this now and dumping the rest of the bottle. I will go the safe (and free!) route of just eating food and having my body produce whatever carnitine is needed on it’s own.Is choline present in egg whites, egg yolks, or both? Does eating just the egg whites have the same effect as eating a whole egg (in regards to choline)?Is that choline in the whites of the eggs also ?I agree with all this and the wonderful and proven benefits of a plant based diet. However, a friend who follows Weston Price Fndn and Mercola sent me this link. Any comments?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/Your link doesn’t appear to have worked; you’ve included the link to this video.Regarding Weston Price and Mercola, I would find it hard to critique either of them because they just can’t be taken seriously. In the blog world maybe, but in the world of peer-reviewed research, they’re just not considered legitimate sources. The few Mercola articles I’ve read, when I actually checked his sources, stated completely different conclusions than what he was peddling in his article. The Weston Price Foundation is based on the idea that we should ignore all of the clinical, epidemiological, and basic science research that has been done to date, and base our nutrition decisions on what a dentist from the 1920’s thought.However, if your friend has peer-reviewed modern research articles that they wish to share (since that is what this site is based on), I’m sure many would be happy to discuss them.I am posting here only because I searched in vein for a reference and found none. Dr. Greger, what is your opinion of coenzyme Q10 supplementation?–Far as I see the TMAO connection to heart disease has been promply de- bunkedhttp://chriskresser.com/choline-and-tmao-eggs-still-dont-cause-heart-disease?inf_contact_key=e5459684e0bea63561b832db0b48f32cba2c91715a3399db4c32b1052d801833Far as I can see the TMAO connection to heart has been justly refuted.http://chriskresser.com/choline-and-tmao-eggs-still-dont-cause-heart-disease?inf_contact_key=e5459684e0bea63561b832db0b48f32cba2c91715a3399db4c32b1052d801833Dr Gregor, Not to change the subject, I was wondering if and when you might discuss Chromium and linoleic acid. I would be interested in that topic. Thank you and I enjoy reading all your presented research online.Does the last chart show eggs or radioactive lecithin?Please take a look at yet another study (“L-Carnitine in the Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis”)Now, another study delivered by the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz delivers a study asserting that Carnitine, a compound found in red meats, appears to be cardioprotective in a systematic review — a finding that comes barely a week after a Nature Medicine study sounded an alarm about the heart risks of carnitine in the form of derivative TMAOs.OK….is this a case where the substance (LCar) itself is beneficial, but the by-products are not? Or… And if so, how does one balance or even evaluate the balance between the two effects.Thanks…Thanks for the question foxfyr! The study to which you’re referring can be found here.We’ve known for over 20 years (http://1.usa.gov/19s7dLe) that large doses of carnitine given intravenously in people within hours of a heart attack may have an antiarrhythmic effect, presumably by facilitating glucose oxidation in the failing heart muscle. Because it’s given directly into the bloodstream, it enters our body the way our own body creates it (bypassing the gut). Only when carnitine enters the gut could that toxic TMAO be made by the gut bacteria. In the context of a heart attack, even carnitine supplements given orally could help the patient live through that critical first post-MI period by lowering risk of ventricular arrythmia even if it might be contributing to further plaque progression elsewhere in the heart. Hopefully we will all never be placed in that situation by preventing the heart attack in the first place by decreasing our intake of carnitine, choline, cholesterol, saturated fat, and trans fats found in animal foods and junk. Check out my video series starting with Arterial Acne.The Linus Pauling group and others are saying that the adequate itake of choline for adults is betwem 425 and 550 mg per day. That’s something like seven cups of flaxseed, peanuts or almonds, or two-plus pounds of coliflower. What does Dr. Greger recommend?Notes-Pauling: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/choline/Serving size: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choline#Groups_at_risk_for_choline_deficiencyI just read in Healthy at 100 by John Robbins that he recommends L-Carnotine for vegans, and I started taking supplements, so I guess I should stop taking it??–NealYes, you probably should.My question Is whether L-Carnitine HCI, 500 mg is safe to to take?I don’t want to be a pest, but people refer me to Weston Price inst. analysis(Chris Masterjohn) of the studies above. I don;t have the tools or knowledge to refute any of it. I was wondering if there was any data pertaining to this “rebuttal” http://www.westonaprice.org/blogs/cmasterjohn/2013/04/10/does-carnitine-from-red-meat-contribute-to-heart-disease-through-intestinal-bacterial-metabolism-to-tmao/ I personally can’t take the Weston Price Institute seriously, but Mr Chris Masterjohn seems to have a following, and giving it a flick and wishing it away doesn’t seem responsible.abeleehane: Perhaps this will help you: Plant Positive on You Tube has several videos that competently address several of the problems with Weston Price information. I would guess that there are also other sources of information refuting what Price sells as good science. I just haven’t bothered to look further myself.Here’s one link that will get you started: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaiU6RVC2JkPlant Positive posts a series of videos. The above link is just to one of video in the series. If you (or others you want to educate) are interested, I recommend watching as much of the series as you can. Plant Positive addresses all sorts of claims by paleo and other types of diets.Good luck!Thank you very much, the videos seem to be well made and science based.PlantPositive is an Excellent Resource! FWIW Dr. Greger wrote the book debunking low carber truthiness, titled Carbophobia, and you can get a copy free or at very low cost, check out atkinsexposed.org. Don’t expect Dr. G to go over everything again on this message board, and if you watch just a fraction of his 1600+ videos you’ll see he already has.Dr. Greger, thank you for this valuable information. It does, however, present a personal problem for me. I had been vegan for a few years but for some reason could not stop eating all day long. I believe this has to do with undiagnosed hypoglycemia. At any rate, I find that the only dish that fills me up and prevents me from grazing and experiencing massive food cravings is stir-fried brown rice, veggies, and eggs in the morning. I eat vegan food for the rest of the day. I have tried protein powders, nuts, tofu, beans, etc. and none of the vegan sources of protein have the blood-sugar leveling effect of the eggs and rice. Do you have any suggestions? Is there some magical combination of vegan foods I could eat in the morning that would help keep my blood sugar level throughout the day?Perhaps eating more foods that are high in fiber or water would help fill you up.https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lfA_-WKQVas#at=168Is a guy named Tim, might know him from his youtube channel Running Raw. Raw vegan and marathon runner. Great explanation about TMAO.Interesting! Just curious – if, when vegans eat a steak it doesn’t increase their TMAO levels, because they lack the gut bacteria to metabolized carnitine or choline into TMAO – then why would vegans, who eat foods or take supplements containing choline, be at increased risk for heart disease and cancer due to TMAO’s?The Cleveland Clinic study that got this rolling was bogus, judging by a detailed, persuasive analysis from UCONN nutrition PhD candidate Chris Masterjohn: http://www.westonaprice.org/blogs/cmasterjohn/2013/04/10/does-carnitine-from-red-meat-contribute-to-heart-disease-through-intestinal-bacterial-metabolism-to-tmao/This study you cite has a number of serious flaws, and the connection between carnitine and heart disease is weak at best:http://chriskresser.com/choline-and-tmao-eggs-still-dont-cause-heart-disease?inf_contact_key=e5459684e0bea63561b832db0b48f32cba2c91715a3399db4c32b1052d801833http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryhusten/2013/04/12/is-red-meat-a-fish-story-why-you-should-never-believe-health-headlines/http://www.humansarenotbroken.com/red-meat-tmao/Sometimes it’s best to examine the methodology of the research a bit closer as well as the results to see if all extraneous variables are accounted for. Instead, it appears you are agreeing with it’s conclusions prematurely as a result of your own particular bias on nutrition. Not that I don’t agree with the majority of your input, but in this particular case it is flawed.These data raise good questions. More data need to address additional factors possibly associated with TMAO increases and then begin to narrow the correlates down to plausible causal factors. There are so many “maybe’s” and words like “plausible” and “presumably” in this article to have confidence in the conjectured causalities. No sense changing diet based on associational relationships alone. So many possible paradoxical effects to account for first.Avoiding normal dietary choline would be going far beyond what the evidence in the cited studies can yet support.Dear Dr.Greger, thank you so much for all your interesting lectures and presentations. I enjoyed one at the SF Vegetarian Festival a week ago. Recently I came across this article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jonny-bowden/red-meat-health_b_3119520.html where the author suggests (like some people were predicting that the reaction from those, who don’t want to part with animal products, and the industry, of course would be like it) that it might be factory farming toxins that are to blame for the TMAO producing bacteria not the meat and animal products themselves”. Since the body can be cleaned from any bacteria with the help of antibiotics, and it takes only 2 weeks to restore the intestinal flora – then it seems that it should not be difficult to check whether “clean” start with the “organic”, or non factory farm animal products would bring back the TMAO causing bacteria or not.Dr, Greger, Would you please comment on the recent Mayo Clinic paper disagreeing with the conclusions of the Cleveland Clinic study.You’ve pretty much demonized choline here without saying why the body needs choline, especially athletes who train heavily. While I’m not a vegan nor will I ever be one, I find your website helpful in balancing my diet and it has even led me to incorporate more veggies into it. Keep up the good work.I would urge you to have an open mind while viewing this website and be critical of the evidence. I think that as you search this site more and more you may find that a plant based diet is the healthiest route. Here are some compelling videos http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/Is carnitine play a role in Huntington’s as a factor in mitochondrial transport ?Dr. Oz had a show on last week where he recommended CLA supplement of 1500 mg twice a day. I have bought at GNC and started taking now I read this article?? Should I discontinue?Before following recommendations from TV shows such as Dr. Oz I would check out more reliable free websites such as NutritionFacts or Dr. John McDougall. I have not seen any credible science which shows that recommending for the general population to take CLA at 1500 mg twice a day is beneficial.Evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCT), do not convincingly show that CLA intake produces clinically relevant effects on long-term body composition. (1) Moreover, there is some concern that taking conjugated linoleic acid may worsen diabetes.Martha Belury and her Ohio State research team “found that CLA supplementation significantly decreased body fat in the first group of mice, but at the same time excessive amounts of fat accumulated in the animals’ livers. Belury linked this accumulation of fat in the liver to increased insulin resistance.” (2)A healthy lifestyle and a whole food plant-based diet along with exercise is the only proven method for long-term weight loss and weight maintenance.1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21990002 2) http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/cladiet.htmCould you update us on the CLA studies?Thank you Dr. Forrester and Dr. Sanchez for responding to me and so quickly!!Would this include supplementary CDP-Choline (aka citicoline)?is honey an animal protein and does it raise TMAO?This article made my Vegan Best of 2013 list! Thanks for all your research and expertise! http://www.heartyvegan.com/vegan-wins-of-2013The gorilla in the room is “Probiotics”–these products mite change the entire “chemistry” of TMAO in the gut.This is all bad news for me. I eschew meat but take carnitine supplements because I have heart failure that entails a significantly enlarged heart. The carnitine has allowed me to go about normal everyday activities without having to stop to catch my breath and without pooling of blood in my feet. Are there any alternatives that would provide the same coronary benefits as the carnitine supplements?So what’s the deal with lecithin? Is it good or bad? And is there a difference between soy lecithin and sunflower lecithin?Thank you. Being a descendant of early American settlers, I now know it was not my ancestors that killed off the natives, it was the natives high meat consumption! :)I have two questions: 1) the lecithin in eggs and TMAO – what about eating egg white only? 2) avoiding Lecithin supplements: soy protein shakes do include Lecithin. Is this critical or is the dose so small that it does not really matter?Should read as 1) Cholin in eggs and TMAO – what about eating egg white only?Now this video obviously answers my question can we safely consume eggs by adding flax and or/ garlic. However, choline is so prevalent in the vegetable kingdom that it is impossible to avoid. Even with broccoli a pound (180 mg) the concentration is higher than 2 eggs as two eggs. Furthermore, betaine and choline are protective in control of homocysteine levels. This situation as it seems makes it hard to eat healthily. I do comprehend that vegans can handle a steak because their gut flora has already been transformed to non choline-phil. What about an occasional egg after our transformation? I sound like an egg glutton! Seriously, I have nothing against veganism however most of the world especially in colder climates consume a small percentage of their diet animal products.this video is superb. my first thought was about phosphatidylserine (made from cow brains and soy beans) is sold in supplemental form to those with memory problems and to increase athletic performance. however, this research discusses phosphatidylcholine. yet when i researched the similarity between these two, it seems phophatidylcholine comes from the sames sources…i wonder if phosphatidylserine is bad for us as well??? gasp! anyone have any research or thoughts on this….if so please do share…thanks so much again dr. greger for this great presentation…Since Choline is a nutrient that is a precursor of the phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, both major components of cell membranes and inadequate amounts can affect memory especially in an unborn developing fetus. What would you recommend as a suitable choline source?A friend told me that granulated lecithin cleaned the cholesterol off the artery walls. Is this wrong info and why?Cool name…both “heal thyself” and “healthy self”…I love it!This doesn’t make sense.So choline and carnitine are converted by TMAO by “animal product-consuming gut bacteria” but not by “fiber-consuming gut bacteria”. This is why vegans produced no TMAO in the study by meat eaters did.Therefore choline and carnitine are safe for vegans with respect to TMAO.Why the need to avoid not just all animal products but also lecithin and energy drinks? If someone eats vegan then they should be able to drink all the carnitine drinks and take all the choline supplements they want and produce no TMAO.Right?In my opinion that really does not make sense for several reasons.First of all as a fat emulsifier the lecithin is going to aid in the absorption of fats in the diet and in the process will be absorbed itself. Therefore little if any of the lecithin would reach the majority of the flora, which is in the colon.Secondly, bile is released in to the intestines all the time as part of the natural digestive process. Bile is about 80% lecithin, which is why bile is an emulsifier. So how does Greger explain this lecithin not interacting with these bacteria?Third, lecithin is a component of cell walls. So why don’t these bacteria use the lecithin from dead cells being excreted in the feces?Any why don’t more people have heart disease from the TMAO since these processes in which TMAO is being produced occur from the beginnings of life? If TMAO was such a danger we would have all died by the age of 5 from heart disease.This sounds like one of those cases where someone is taking a little unverified information they read in a medical study and are blowing it out of proportion by ignoring things such as the body’s ability to deal with certain harmful substances.For example, someone could read some medical journal article on how cyanide can kill you and then exaggerate the claim that the cyanide found in the seeds of some foods will kill you if you ingest them overlooking the fact that we also produce an enzyme that convert this cyanide in to a harmless thiocyanate.So I am not going to accept Greger’s the sky is falling scenario over lecithin until he can explain why bile and dead cells containing lecithin and do come in to contact with these bacteria are not killing us with heart disease.Dr, As a 24 year old male who has been consuming at least 3 eggs a day, red meat and milk everyday, I am thinking of switching to a healthier lifestyle. What are the supplements that I should take to be healthy and gain muscle, in junction to a heavy intensity exercise and medium-lifting routine, while avoiding prostate cancer?…I was thinking of consuming the following supplements; I would like to ask your opinion on whether or not those are healthy or dangerous to take.1. Krill oil (Source Naturals ArcticPure Krill Oilr 500mg) 2. Astaxanthin (Nutrex hawaii Bioastin Hawaiin Astaxanthin -12mg) 3. Probiotic supplement (Nutrition Now PB 8 Pro-Biotic Acidophilus) 4. A multivitamin (rainbow light men’s organic multivitamin) 5. Whey protein powderI_O: The following is a link to Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations that apply just as much to body builders as anyone else. The page includes Dr. Greger’s suppliment recommendations. But also note what is *not* included in recommended foods: meat, diary or eggs. http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/The above diet is great for avoiding prostate and other cancers, heart disease, T-2 diabetes and much more!Let me know if you would like some advice on how to transition from your current diet to a healthy one. I’ll just say up front that one of the moderators on this site does some serious rock climbing. He generally follows Dr. McDougall’s The Starch Solution diet with great results. That book, which includes recipes, could be a good starting place for you: http://www.amazon.com/Starch-Solution-Regain-Health-Weight/dp/1623360277/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423698879&sr=1-1&keywords=the+starch+solutionFrom nutritionfacts videos I am sold to the idea that ingesting excessive choline is bad for us. But I am wondering how much would be an adequate amount of choline to eat daily.Official recommendations are 550mg/day for men over 19yo and 425mg/day for women over 19yo, but I’ve read that the need for dietary choline may also be dependant on the intake of folate.Working on data taken from nutritiondata.self.org, I found it somewhat hard to reach 550mg/day on a eucaloric vegan diet.Could someone please share some thought on this subject?Many thanks!I use peacounter.com and used to worry about this, too. Then I asked Jack Norris about it and he added this to the FAQ page there: —– “My diet seems to be far below the RDA for choline. Why would that be?As of February 2014, the USDA database still doesn’t have the choline amount listed for many of the foods. It’s likely that your choline intake is much higher than listed.” —–Thanks Brandon!I looked at my table and, in fact, I wasn’t considering any value for oats (which I found out under another entry that has 40mg/100g) and due to a formula error I wasn’t including in the sum the choline from Soy Protein Isolate (191mg/100g). With everything corrected, I’m getting ~580mg/day.But still, I must say it wasn’t easy. I am able to eat 3500kcal/day because I work out a lot and I am trying to pack up some muscles, but if I were to eat 2500kcal/day, it would be a difficult challenge to reach the 550mg/day mark…There is a myth about some people (Blajini) which says that 12 of them eat from only one eggQuestion: Does Coenzyme Q-10 have any similarity to carnitine and choline? I’m wondering if CO-Q10 could lead to similar harmful TMAO generation. It is commonly suggested as a supplement when taking statins and I see it sold with red yeast rice.I developed secondary TMAU in 2009 and at the time I was eating eggs every single day and red meat. I’m not sure if I developed this due to my diet at the time but I was also under severe stress and stress and diet can developed into this horrible disease.I am genuinely curious here. I would like to know why Dr. Greger seemed to overlook this meta-analysis n = 3600 via the Mayo clinic that found such positive associations with carnitine? The rebuttal’s reference section provides many seemingly credible links: http://www.lef.org/Magazine/2013/8/Rebuttal-to-Attack-Against-Carnitine/Page-01?p=1LEF sells carnitine supplements (among hundreds of other supplements!) so I don’t trust their analysis of the Mayo Clinic meta-analysis.Hi Paul, Thanks for being patient. Dr. Greger does mention a few of the studies mentioned from that article you referenced, such as Koeth RA, Wang Z, Levison BS, et al. Intestinal microbiota metabolism of l-carnitine, a nutrient in red meat, promotes atherosclerosis. Nat Med. Apr 7, 2013I don’t think he is overlooking the study. It is fine to talk about the benefits of the Mayo clinic study, but it is just as important to discuss the potential harmful affects of TMAO.Dr. Greger, it was Dr. Oz who should have been honored to have you on his show!When you Google “are eggs bad for you” the top 10 sites all say yes. From places like Mayo Clinic, WebMD, Harvard Nutrition, ect. What gives?Still waiting patiently for somebody to respond to my comment…Thanks for your patience. I responded below. Again, it may not be so much concern with carnitine, but the potential TMAO that is produced from ingestion. It may very based on foods vs. supplements.In response to your question about this study http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0088278&representation=PDF I am not sure what the diet looked like for the vegetarians and I did see the study had many limitations. Nonetheless it is important to consider. Thanks for sharing it!Best regards, JosephDoes a pregnant woman eating only plant foods risk neural tube development problems in the fetus? Is it worth eating some Wild Shrimp daily/weekly to ensure the requirements are satisfied? Are levels of 200mg/day enough to avoid complications in the womb? How about during nursing? Thanks.	American Egg Board,animal fat,animal products,antibiotics,beans,bile acids,bone cancer,bone health,brain disease,brain health,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,carnitine,chicken,cholesterol,choline,Cleveland Clinic,dairy,eggs,energy drinks,fat,fiber,fish,fruit,grains,gut flora,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,inflammation,LDL cholesterol,lecithin,liver,meat,men's health,metastases,milk,mortality,obesity,omnivores,plant-based diets,poultry,prebiotics,propionate,prostate cancer,red meat,saturated fat,seafood,steak,stroke,supplements,surgery,TMAO,trimethylamine,turkey,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,weight loss,white meat	Expanding on the subject of my upcoming appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, a landmark new article in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that choline in eggs, poultry, dairy and fish produces the same toxic TMAO as carnitine in red meat, which may help explain plant-based protection from heart disease and prostate cancer.	It was such an honor to be on The Dr. Oz Show last week. It's expected to air during sweeps week next month. I'll announce the date on the NutritionFacts.org Facebook page. The TMAO story is such a fascinating twist. It helps explain, for example, Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies. The role of the inflammatory "foam" cells (so-called because they're so packed with cholesterol they look foamy under a microscope) affected by TMAO is explained in my video series that starts with Arterial Acne and Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease.When I say we normally make all the carnitine we need, there's a rare genetic inborn error of metabolism that affects as many as 1 in 40,000 births, which can result in a need for dietary carnitine. Learn more in my video When Meat Can Be a Lifesaver.What does carnitine do? It's involved in energy production in the mitochondria ("power plants") in our cells. The enzyme that uses carnitine to help us burn fat, carnitine palmitoyl transferase, is actually upregulated by about 60% in those eating meat-free diets, which may help explain why those eating plant-based diets tend to be slimmer. More details in my video How to Upregulate Metabolism.The prebiotic videos I feature are Fawning Over Flora and Boosting Good Bacteria in the Colon Without Probiotics, though other videos describing the beneficial products our friendly flora make from the plants we eat include:And for another behind-the-curtain peek at the egg industry, see Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis and Egg Industry Blind Spot.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Avoid Carnitine and Lethicin Supplements, Why Are Eggs Linked to Cancer Progression?, and Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/14/avoid-carnitine-and-lethicin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/19/why-are-eggs-linked-to-cancer-progression/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy-drinks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steak/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prebiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trimethylamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/choline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carnitine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/propionate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lecithin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tmao/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cleveland-clinic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475195,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11325827,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21930800,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1741321,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20160273,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17041178,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19423531,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15565078,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17584499,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475185,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23563705,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22952174,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20042525,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15556922,
PLAIN-2764	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/	Plant-Based Diets For Breast Pain	Breast pain accompanying ones period, called premenstrual mastalgia, was dismissed in the 70s as a ''merely an expression of psychoneurosis of women. They're just frustrated and unhappy because they haven't given their husbands children yet. Now we know what women always knew, breast pain is all too common, may be severe enough to interfere with usual daily activities, and its effect on quality of life is often underestimated. Though pain can be severe enough to interfere with usual daily activities, the cause and optimal treatment remain undefined. Approximately 60–70% of women experience some type of breast pain at some stage of their lives, and in 10–20% of cases, it is severe." Some breast tenderness during one's cycle is normal, but breast pain is not.In many cases surgery was prescribed. Thankfully by 1999 we were evidently living an era of evidence-based surgery—what a concept—which behoves us all to justify the surgery we undertake, and so the profession stopped cutting of the breasts of women in pain.The hormone prolactin is considered to be a central factor, as women with cyclical breast pain were found to have elevated levels, and a prolactin inhibitor drug was found to be an effective treatment. The side effects, though, are so bad that some women couldn't even finish the study. There had to be better way.Well, while up to 2/3's of Western women suffer from breast pain in their lifetimes, it apparently may affect as few as 5% in Asian cultures. Maybe it has something to do with diet. Women eating traditional plant-based diets all their lives, like rural Bantu African women have lower prolactin levels. How do we know the difference isn't just genetic? Well, when you take those women and feed them a Western diet, meat, butter, milk, eggs, bread and sugar for a few weeks, they experience a significant rise in prolactin, in fact the hormonal changes were comparable to those found in women with the menstrual irregularies more common in Western women.What part of the Western diet was responsible, though--maybe it was the bread and sugar? To see if it was the meat, researchers took some New Yorkers and put them on a vegetarian diet for two weeks, and that alone brought their prolactin levels down suggesting that the removeal of meat and meat products from the diet can reduce the release of prolactin.So, let's give it a try for breast pain. The first pilot study involved ten women with severe cyclical mastalgia, put on a low fat diet for 3 months—either vegetarian, or mostly vegetarian, and all ten women got better.There was no control group, though, so part of their improvement may have just been the placebo effect, so a randomized controlled trial was undertaken. This Canadian research group had been carrying out a clinical trial of dietary fat reduction in patients with precancerous breast changes and they noted that that patients with cyclical breast problems frequently experienced striking relief of symptoms after reduction of dietary fat, so they randomized women into two groups; and again, a significant improvement in symptoms was found.Since then, we learned that vegetarian women have fewer menstrual disturbances than nonvegetarian women, only about 5% of their cycles were anovulatory, meaning they failed to release an egg, compared to 15% of nonvegetarian menstrual cycles.  Those eating more plant-baed low fat diets may also experience significantly less bloating and compared to placebo, women with painful menstrual cramps placed on a vegan diet, experienced significant relief.This was a so-called crossover study where they put meat-eating women on a plant-based diet for two cycles, and then switched them back to their regular diet with some placebo supplement, so you can show changes before and after and then back to baseline. The problem, is that several participants felt so much better that they refused to go back to their regular diet, thereby screwin' up the study.Bottomline is that a plant-based diet may offer relief from breast pain, as well as significant reductions in menstrual pain duration, pain intensity, and duration of premenstrual symptoms related to concentration, behavioral change, and water retention.	This does not surprise me, since i have switched to a vegetarian lifestyle, that time of the month is pain free wish i knew this 12 years ago..Great video=)Thanks for sharing this video. This is a problem for me – glad to know I’m doing the right thing to help. I would love to know if anyone has any info on the safety of natural progesterone cream. Even though I do all the things suggested for PMS on this site: mostly dairy free (and meat), drink green tea daily, eat lots of flax, b12, b6, magnesium, even smell saffron everyday at least once :), if I don’t use progesterone cream too, I’m a mess! Anything I’ve missed?Since taking on a mostly raw vegetarian diet I find that my period surprises me with its arrival. Before, on a “junk-food vegetarian” diet – hey, potato chips are vegetarian, right? – I find I no longer have menstral cramps. None. Zip. And the cure was so elegant, so simple: Eat Plants.Sadly, my menstrual cycle problems, which feel pretty awful to me and which interfere in my life, have had no change since switching to a plant based diet 3 years ago. (sad, long sigh) I wonder if it has to do with me eating animals for the first 40 years of my life. My body may just be permanently messed up. (Acne never cleared up either.) I know from recent blood tests that I have certain hormone problems that diet has not cleared up.That doesn’t mean that I will stop eating healthy. This is my take-away: It means that we have to be careful (and I’m not saying the video wasn’t careful) when we tell people about plant based diets. Not everyone experiences the noticeable health benefits that the majority of people experience. Despite how it seems sometimes, a healthy diet is not magic for everyone. We just have to be careful when explaining healthy diets to people.Just sharing the thoughts I had after hearing this video. I am happy for the people who get significant benefits like pain reduction.Very good point, Thea.Thea, Great comment. A whole food plant based diet is not a cure for all ailments. Many of us have been eating the wrong foods for 30 or 40 years, so damage has been done. A lot of different diseases will not be cured, because you change your diet to a whole food plant based diet – simply because the disease has nothing to do with food, the damage is permanent or because biology is complex. On the other hand the body has a great capacity to heal, so no doubt that “wrong-food-induced-diseases” (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, inflammatory conditions etc) can improve, be reversed or even cured with a plant based diet. That said, a whole food plant based diet reduce the risk of acquiring diseases – heartattack, stroke, cancer, DM, hypertension etc, so it is not only a cure, but also an insurance.Another thing is that “real medicine” – pills – do not work on everybody – you are probably familiar with the term “number needed to treat” (NNT). NNT show how many patients you have to treat, to avoid an event (disease, death) in one patient. For some drugs it can be 100 – you have to treat 100 patients for one to benefit. Changing your diet has (probably) no sideeffects, so no harm done if it doesnt work. benefit! Changing your diet has (probably) no sideeffects.Lots of ways to eat a plant-based diet: high or low fat, high or low protein, raw or cooked, fruit-based, grain-based, no grains, high or low vegetables, and so on. Perhaps you have not yet found the proportions and application that you need to heal your condition. For example, I know people who need to avoid cooked grains to establish health. Perhaps if not tried yet a high raw Jenkins style ‘simian’ style diet would help you: fruits, vegetables, only those beans and grains edible raw (e.g. peas and corn), nuts, and seeds. Dr. Greger says a bit about Jenkins here:http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/dr-jenkins-and-plant-based-diets/donmatesz: Thanks for your reply. Interesting idea about eating the simian style diet. My mother always called me a little monkey. ;-) (Sorry it took so long for me to reply.)Thank you to everyone who replied. That was nice.Don Matesz: You could be right that I just haven’t found the right diet. Also, I am always the first to say that I have PLENTY I could do to improve the health level of my diet.That said, I’m already eating so much healthier than the vast majority of people in America, and I’m already eating the type of diet that the vast majority of people report great benefits from when they bother to switch. My diet is filled with home-cooked, whole plant food based foods, supplemented with B12 and D. (Not that I don’t ever eat white flour, sugar, or oil…) Also, I don’t believe we have enough science to say that a more specialized say raw diet would make any difference. Going to a raw diet would be very hard for me to do. For me to make the effort, I would have to believe that it would really help. I just don’t see it.But I do appreciate you taking the time to offer suggestions. This is the kind of thing that I let sit in the back of my brain for a while. I very well may reconsider at some point and follow your advice at some point in the future.Did you concider fasting? Body works miracles when fasting. Try searching for details and give it a try if you can.You should also keep in mind that food isnt the only thing coming into our bodies. There are poisons everywhere in our environment and they can pass into our system even by a simple touch.A good example are estrogen mimicers in plastics, pesticides, …Just try increasing your green smoothie/vege jucie intake if you can’t do fasting.You can read a lot more about hormone disruptors on the internet.Maj0: the fasting idea is very interesting. I read the book The Pleasure Trap which talks about the benefits of fasting. I’ve done religious 24 hour fasts, but nothing more than that. It’s definitely something to think about.I no longer store or cook food in plastic. I don’t use pesticides or herbicides (other than vinegar) in my yard either, but of course, that doesn’t mean that I’m not exposed thanks to my neighbors or at parks.Thanks for the thoughts.Dr. Fuhrman wrote a book about fasting in the 90s. I’ve read a ton of books on the subject and I have found that his book is the most credible. If you have given any more thought about trying an extended fast definitely check out ” Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor’s Program for Conquering Disease”Thanks Cory, that’s really helpful. I have some issues with Dr. Fuhrman, but I’m a big believer in not throwing out the baby with the bathwater. If this is a good book, then it is a good book not matter who wrote it. :-) Thanks again.Perhaps the severity of your issues might be even worse if you didn’t follow the plant based diet? Who knows what kind of additional medications, surgeries, etc, you may have required by now if your diet were not as healing and health-promoting as it is now? I don’t know if that’s an uplifting or depressing thought, I certainly hope the former! All the best, and I hope someday you do find some relief.b00mer: Thanks for your thoughts. I’ll just go with “uplifting”. ;-) And I do try to console myself with similar thoughts. Thanks again.Off-topic but interesting recent research: Not only do humans have evolutionary adaptations to high-starch diets (http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v39/n10/abs/ng2123.html), but it appears in the course of domestication dogs adapted to eat starch as well (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v495/n7441/full/nature11837.html).Darryl: I haven’t followed your links, but I am aware of the relatively new study on dogs’ digestive systems in regards to starches. I find the study fascinating. It fits in so nicely with the theory that dogs evolved from hanging around human settlements and eating human trash/food discards.I don’t know if this is related to the study results or not, but I can say that my vegan dog is in great health. He seems to digest his food pretty well.I switched to a plant-based diet on April 1 of this year. So I’ve been eating this way less than a month. I have had 3 children, and since my last child was born in 2010 I have gained back 20 pounds after not losing all of my baby weight, putting me 40 pounds over my pre-baby weight from before my 1st child. I’ve also noticed my cycles became shorter between periods (it used to be 28 days on the dot, and since he was born it was closer to ever 24-26 days) but my periods have been heavier and I’ve had greater mood swings throughout my cycle. I attributed some of this to nursing, but as nursing starts to taper off, my body should have re regulated itself.Not only have I lost 8 pounds since starting a plant-based diet, I also had an unexpected change relating to my menstrual cycle. When I started this diet, I had just finished bleeding and was about a week away from my normal ovulation time. I started my most recent period this week and marked it down on my calendar- it’s been a full 28 days since my last one! This hasn’t happened in years. Also, the bleeding is not as heavy and I did not experience any cramping or mood swings like I have in the past. I am just so amazed at how quickly my body has seen benefits to this diet beyond just the weight loss.OutsideMom, This is so inspirational! Thanks for sharing.Dr. Gregor, did you see this study yet? I was wondering if you did a video or article on; wanted to hear your take. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v496/n7446/full/nature11868.htmlI’ve been vegetarian for years but it wasn’t until going mostly vegan and improving and increasing my vegetable intake AND cutting out refined sugar that I experienced amazing relief of menstrual cycle symptoms. I used to be very emotional during the premenstrual phase and sometimes have cramps and other uncomfortable things. Now I either have no symptoms or symptoms are so minor I can ignore them. My body no longer warns me of an upcoming menstrual cycle and I have to keep an eye on the calender.This video does not load. I have tried several times over the past few days.Anyone else having a problem with this video playing?Yes – starts and stops.Hi Nina, I checked the video and it played the entire way through without a hitch. So I would suggest you read the transcript that is available below the video.Can you do a video about evening primrose oil? I use this and have a lot of benefit for it: better skin, regular periods, less tiredThis video surprised me somewhat. I am vegetarian since 20 years (I’m 38 now), with some fish and egg occasionally. I became vegetarian gradually. We never had much meet and I grew up without junk food, on a whole food, plant based diet with loads of raw veggies – only seasonal veggies and more veggies than fruits (I am European). Nevertheless, I always had premenstrual breast pain – quite a strong one. In fact, it helped me to track and predict my cycle with a 100% accuracy. Nevertheless, interesting content! Thanks.I have been vegan for years and eating healthy whole foods for a bit over a year. Last year I started experiencing menstrual irregularities and a few other symptoms. As it turns out, I have mildly elevated prolactin. My doctor says it’s not high enough to warrant taking medicine, but she put me on the pill. I still suffer from other symptoms of high prolactin. I wish there was something I could do!	Africa,alternative medicine,animal fat,animal products,Asia,beef,bloating,bread,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,butter,Canada,cancer,chicken,cognition,dairy,eggs,fat,fertility,fish,hormones,infertility,low-fat diets,mastectomy,meat,medications,menstruation,milk,mood,New York City,ovary health,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,premenstrual syndrome,prolactin,reproductive health,side effects,standard American diet,sugar,surgery,turkey,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	Plant-based diets appear to offer relief from a variety of menstrual symptoms, including cramping, bloating, and breast pain (cyclical mastalgia).	The spice saffron is one plant in particular that may help. See Saffron for the Treatment of PMS and Wake Up and Smell the Saffron. In my next video I'll cover another, in Flax Seeds For Breast Pain.Another reason meat consumption may interfere with ovulatory function is explained in my video Meat Hormones & Female Infertility.The extraordinarily low rates of chronic disease among people eating traditional plant-based Bantu diets was one of the inspirations for Nathan Pritikin's work. See the series of videos that starts with Engineering a Cure.More on the medical profession's traditional views on women in my video Plant-Based Bioidentical Hormones. And I have more than a hundred other videos on women's health.For some more context, check out my associated blog posts: Plant-Based Diets for Psoriasis, Treating Breast Pain with Diet,Treating Breast Pain with Flax Seeds, and How Probiotics Affect Mental Health	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-city/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premenstrual-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mastectomy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canada/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menstruation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prolactin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bloating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3414596,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4677677,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7319468,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/61480,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21884494,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21903712,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3476798,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10674588,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16444894,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8077314,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/361149,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22892074,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3628545,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19138971,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16533457,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2899188,
PLAIN-2765	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	The Safety of Tarragon	Decades ago, concern was raised about some of the components of the spice tarragon, so much so the European Union's Health & Consumer Protection Scientific Committee on Food eventually concluded that one of the constituents may damage DNA, cause cancer, and so we should reduce and restrict its use. But they were talking about an isolated chemical from tarragon being used as a flavoring agent in alcoholic beverages, canned fish, and fats and oils. As recently as 2011, reviews concluded that consumption of the tarragon leaves itself should present little or no risk, but that was based on studies done on rats. A 2012 study made me feel better, suggesting that while the isolated tarragon chemical was toxic to human liver cells, full extracts of the leaves were not, suggesting that the whole food may contain compounds that counteract the toxic effects. And so I was going to leave it at that and not even do a video about it, since tarragon seemed to be cleared, but a 2013 study on human white blood cells reopened the question, finding that whole leaf tarragon extracts may have DNA damaging properties after all—remember the comet test? They conclude that tarragon does indeed appear to be mutagenic to at least a certain extent. However, the current data is not comprehensive enough to draw definitive conclusions regarding its potential risk to human health with sustained use, nor comprehensive enough to establish a safe dose or quantify the risk. Nevertheless, future use of tarragon in both diet or herbal medicine should be undertaken with an awareness of it's potential toxicity. So what have I taken away from all this? Well my family eats tarragon so rarely that it's probably not going to change our intake at all, but if you're a tarragon fanatic, I'd suggest moderating your intake and substituting another herb like a dash of fennel or anise-seed, or chervil, all of which have a similar licorishy tarragon taste. The only caveat I could find is that you probably shouldn't pick chervil wild, as it bears a resemblance to an herb known all too well to Socrates, poison hemlock.	Hi Dr. Greger,I don’t remember the comet test you reference. Which video could I watch to refresh my memory about it?Check out my “Doctor’s Note” aboveOy, I missed that! Thanks. :)Hello Dr. Greger,I have an unrelated question about extruded breakfast cereal (your site says to post any questions under video comments). I’ve been reading that the processes of extrusion renders the proteins in grains toxic. I’m hoping you can address this either in a video or your FAQ.Thanks!Hi Dr. Greger,Just wondering… how do we know that chervil doesn’t have any mutagenic properties?Curious Dr. Greger…does this rule apply to all varieties of tarragon? Or as I am hoping, it’s specific to the A. Dracunculus species… I grow Tagetes Lucida which is in the same family but has a different genus and family. I also talk about it in presentations so needless to say I’m very curious about this. Thank you.Curious Dr. Greger…does this rule apply to all varieties of tarragon? Or as I am hoping, it’s specific to the A. Dracunculus species… I grow Tagetes Lucida which is in the same family but has a different genus and species. I also talk about it in presentations so needless to say I’m very curious about this. Thank you.Sorry Dr. Greger, but are you really credible? You don’t seem to answer any questions…..I, among others, are part of the nutritionfacts team. We are here to answer questions to the best of our knowledge. Although at first, it was possible for Dr. Greger to acknowledge everyone’s question, the volume of questions is so great there is no way he can get to them all now as the popularity of this website has grown. He does respond to some every so often.Hello Dr. I am a culinary student and i have to do a presentation about tarragon and i came across your video i was wondering if you were talking about a specific kind of tarragon of just tarragon in general?Could you pls cover the benefits of more herbs and spices. Thankyou	alcohol,anise,cancer,chervil,DNA damage,fat,fennel,fish,hemlock,herbal remedies,herbs,liver health,oils,oxidative stress,safety limits,spices,tarragon	Long-standing concerns about certain isolated components of the spice tarragon have broadened into questions about the safety of even the leaves themselves.	For those scratching their heads over the significance of that red smudge, see my explanation of the comet tail test in Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids.For those that missed my last two videos on the safety of common spices, see Update on Cinnamon for Blood Sugar Control,  and Don't Eat Too Much Nutmeg.This new tarragon finding reminds me a bit about the in vitro data raising questions about the safety of avocados (Are Avocados Bad for You?) that thankfully appeared to not translate out into population studies. I'll keep an eye out for new data and post to the NutritionFacts.org Facebook page if I find anything. In the meanwhile, there are a bunch of other reasons to avoid canned fish:For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Nutmeg Toxicity and Tarragon Toxicity?If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/31/nutmeg-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/05/tarragon-toxicity/	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/any-update-on-the-scary-in-vitro-avocado-data/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hemlock/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tarragon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-remedies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fennel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chervil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23020916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21942448,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19913108,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23010670,
PLAIN-2766	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/	Don't Eat Too Much Nutmeg	In my research on cinnamon I ran across a peculiar paper, speculating that certain natural constituents of spices such as nutmeg may form amphetamine compounds within the body a "sufficient to elevate the mood and help provide some added Christmas cheer" during the holiday season. This hypothetical risk was raised as far back as the 60's in the New England Journal, where it was pondered whether the age-old custom of adding nutmeg to eggnog arose from the psychopharmacological effects described in cases of nutmeg intoxication. Such cases evidently go back to the 1500's, where it was used as an abortifacent, to induce a miscarriage and in the 1960s as a psychotropic drug. The researchers conclude that "While nutmeg is much cheaper for use and probably less dangerous than heroine, you don't want to take too much. The toxic dose of nutmeg is two to three teaspoons, which I assumed no one would ever come close to unintentionally, until I saw this report in which a couple ate some pasta and collapsed, were hospitalized. A big mystery until the "husband revealed that he had accidentally added one third of a jar of nutmeg to the meal whilst cooking it." That's like about 4 teaspoons. I don't know they could have ate it. I imagine the poor wife just trying to be polite.	A long time ago, I accidentally used about 2 tablespoons of freshly ground mace in a swedish meatball recipe. My boyfriend and I ate it for dinner, and also for lunch the next day. We couldn’t figure out why we felt so…stoned. I called my older brother, who had given me the (verbal) recipe, and he said, “Are you crazy? I said 2 pinches! Mace is part nutmeg. You could kill yourself with too much!” You wonder how the couple ate the food, but honestly ours was quite good like that. :)I knew it! I swear my dreams get funny if I’ve eaten nutmeg that day.Wow. Yet: Interesting on more of an intellectual level than anything else, since as you said, it seems unlikely that someone would really eat such a dosage unless by accident. Thus, I have some disagreement with the video’s description that nutmeg has a narrow safety of margin. That sounds like sensational headline-ism (which I hope this site will avoid!) – since that safety of margin seems pretty big to me given how much nutmeg one is normally likely to eat. The examples of someone getting hurt by nutmeg seem akin to me to be like the example of people hurting themselves with too much soy. They have to eat extreme amounts to get there. That’s just my opinion of course.That said, this is a good reminder that no matter how good something is for us, it should be taken in moderation. Since I had never heard anything bad said about nutmeg and I had assumed that the more, the better, I’m really glad to have viewed this video.One bit I would have liked this video to include what a little sentence on whether Dr. Greger still thinks that nutmeg in moderation is a good part of a healthy diet. It seems in past videos, (perhaps I am remembering incorrectly) that Dr. Greger highly endorsed nutmeg – especially given all of its antioxidants. Just some feedback on the video.Thanks.Um, FYI… That video is only 6 seconds long (including the intro tune). :-Mark: I am able to see all 1:57 minutes. Perhaps there is something wrong with your browser? I can’t help you trouble-shoot, but I thought you would want to know that it is working for some people.The same happens for me using Safari on a Mac, and also on my iPad. However, if I go to the YouTube website I can view the entire video on my Mac and iPad. Can’t imagine why this should be the case … maybe something to do with the embedding code.Thank you everyone for helping us get to the bottom of this–hopefully it will never happen again!Um, FYI… That video is only 6 seconds long (including the intro tune). :-One of my older friends recalled that as a child when he and his friends were getting too rambunctious at his grandma’s house, she used to take out her nutmeg and slice off slivers and feed it to them until they mellowed out. He said they usually all fell asleep on the sofas when she did that… hmmm.Nutmeg oil is used to make a cola flavor in at least one natural diet soda. Given the diet soda intake of some people, I could see them getting up to the higher doses of nutmeg.Way to break news that the effects of nutmeg have been known since the 1500’s… Exciting stuff.Breaking News: Too much of any one thing is bad for you.I heard this NPR story about nutmeg, and here’s the related article (you can also listen to the story if you like): http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/11/26/165657050/no-innocent-spice-the-secret-story-of-nutmeg-life-and-death. The article is called “No Innocent Spice: The Secret Story Of Nutmeg, Life And Death” — it’s about how nutmeg has a bloody history of imperialist powers competing to control its trade because it was popular among the rich for its hallucinogenic properties. If you listen to the audio, the Dutch actually wholesale slaughtered all the people who were native to the so-called “spice islands” (modern Indonesia) to control nutmeg. Also, the Dutch traded Manhattan to the British for the last of the nutmeg-growing islands they controlled.What happened? I recently posted how much I enjoyed the longer video and now can’t see any…DisappointingErowid has several articles discussing nutmeg’s intoxicant properties. http://www.erowid.org/plants/nutmeg/what exactly are the nutritional properties of Nutmeg and why does it make you high and become toxic past three teaspoons ?I’m going to die.I’ve seen people purposefully get stoned on nutmeg. as an observer it was funny watching people retch while trying to drink ground nutmeg that had been simmered in milk.By definition, ‘too much’ of anything is bad for you. Without a quantity, each ‘too’ statement is meaningless.I have always been a fan of nutmegs and I have just started using it on a daily basis. I will definitely cut down from daily to probably every other day now. Thanks for this informative video.	amphetamines,cost savings,eggnog,miscarriage,mood,nutmeg,safety limits,spices	The spice nutmeg may have a relatively narrow margin of safety.	There are also potentially toxic compounds in certain types of cinnamon. See my last video Update on Cinnamon for Blood Sugar Control.You can also overdo other healthful plant foods if you consume too much of the yellow curry spice turmeric, drink too much tea, eat too much soy, too much seaweed, too many broccoli sprouts, and even too many raw cruciferous vegetables.One more video in this three part series on the safety of spices in The Safety of Tarragon next.For more context, check out my associated blog posts:  Cinnamon for Diabetes and Tarragon Toxicity?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/05/tarragon-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amphetamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggnog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/miscarriage/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-tarragon/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11185977,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21942448,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19913108,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23010670,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16007907,
PLAIN-2767	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/	Update on Cinnamon for Blood Sugar Control	The use of cinnamon to help treat diabetes remains controversial. We know that cinnamon is so good at controlling one's blood sugar that you can cheat on a diabetes test by consuming 2 teaspoons of cinnamon the night before your glucose tolerance test. Basically they make you drink some sugar water and see how well your body can keep your blood sugar levels under control, and if you eat those two teaspoons right when the test starts or 12 hours before you can significantly blunt the spike. A half teaspoon doesn't seem to be enough… but about a teaspoon a day appears to make a significant difference. A review of the best studies done to date found that the intake of cinnamon by type 2 diabetics or prediabetics does lower their blood glucose significantly. So what's the controversy? Well, as I described before, cassia cinnamon, also known as chinese cinnamon, or probably what you're getting at the store if it just says cinnamon contains a compound called coumarin which may be toxic to the liver in high enough doses. Originally, the concern was mainly for kids during Christmas-time, where they might get an above average exposure, but more recently some researchers suggest that kids just sprinkling some cassia cinnamon on their oatmeal a few times a week might exceed the recommended safety limit. The bold values here are above the recommended upper limit. For little kids, just a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon a few times a week may be too much, and if they're eating that cinnamon sprinkled oatmeal more like every day even adults can bump up against the limit. So a teaspoon a day of cassia cinnamon might be too much for anyone, but no problem, just switch from cassia cinnamon to Ceylon cinnamon and you can get the benefits without the potential risks, right? Without the risks, yes, but we're not sure about the benefits. Nearly all of the studies showing blood sugar benefits of cinnamon have been done on cassia. We've just assumed that the same would apply for the safer cinnamon, Ceylon, but only recently was it put to the test. Owing to the presence of that toxic component, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Europe has warned against consuming large amounts of the cassia cinnamon, suggesting a switch from cassia cinnamon to Ceylon cinnamon, also known as true cinnamon. But we don't know whether or not the true cinnamon has similar benefits, until now. We saw that nice blunting of blood sugars in response to cassia cinnamon, but in response to Ceylon cinnamon, nothing. Bummer.  In fact they're thinking maybe that potentially toxic coumarin stuff was the active ingredient in the cassia cinnamon all along, so take out the toxin, you take out the benefit. So they conclude yeah, it's great that health authorities are recommending the switch, however, the positive effects seen with cassia could then be lost. So should we just give up on going out of our way to add cinnamon to our diet? No, I think it's still a good idea to shoot for a teaspoon a day of Ceylon cinnamon, since there's a bunch of other benefits linked to cinnamon besides blood sugar control, not the least of which is it's potent antioxidant content, in fact one of the cheapest food sources of antioxidants, beating out cloves, and just under purple cabbage. But cinnamon can no longer considered a safe and effective treatment for diabetes. Either you're using cassia cinnamon and it's effective but may not be safe; or you're using Ceylon cinnamon which is safe, but does not appear effective. But look, even the cassia cinnamon only brought down blood sugars modestly. In other words, only as good as the leading diabetes drug in the world, metformin, sold as Glucophage. Yeah it may work as good as the leading drug, but that's not saying much. The best way to treat diabetes is to attempt to cure it completely, reversing diabetes with a healthy diet.	Thanks Dr.Greger for the brain nutrition! Love it!I don’t get it – how are we supposed to know which cinnamon we have and how do we buy the right one?The cinnamon at Costco is Saigon. I’m going to have to find out who sells Ceylon. My kids eat it every day on their oatmeal.So was I! That’s my problem – he says cinnamon isn’t usually labeled so how are we supposed to know?You could contact the manufacturer or ask the grocer. I’m going to order off Amazon. They sell organic ceylon cinnamon.http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Organic-Ceylon-Cinnamon-Powder/dp/B00269VK20/ref=sr_1_6?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1366209700&sr=1-6&keywords=ceylon+cinnamonYou can get Ceylon cinnamon from Dr. Furhman’s website: http://www.drfuhrman.com/shop/soups_seasonings.aspx#ceylonMySpiceSage.com sells ceylon cinnamon, ground and sticksWhat effect does Saigon cinnamon (on every grocery store’s shelves of spices bearing the McC brand) have compared to Cassia and Ceylon varieties?I’d like to know the answer to this one too. I was using Saigon cinnamon before Dr. Greger’s earlier video which recommended Ceylon cinnamon, and I prefer the taste of the Saigon cinnamon available and Costco.Here’s your answer John, and I’m afraid it’s not good news; Saigon cinnamon is relatively high in coumarin.http://www.onlyfoods.net/saigon-cinnamon-vietnamese-cinnamon.htmlThanks Mack. I won’t be using Saigon any longer.Tim Ferris tested all three by wearing a continuous glucose meter in his side so he could tell what his blood sugar was doing after everything he consumed. This is what he found:“I tested three species of cinnamon as powders for glycemic index (GI) response: Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum or zeylanicum, also referred to as “true cinnamon”), Cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia or aromaticum), and Saigon cinnamon (Cinnamomum loureiroi, also known as Vietnamese cinnamon).Though Cassia is thought inferior to Ceylon or completely ineffective in some bodybuilding circles, it has lowered glycemic response in both published studies and in my experience. This is fortunate, since Cassia is what is most often found at coffee shops and restaurants if you ask for “cinnamon.” I found Saigon cinnamon to be most effective, with Cassia in close second place and Ceylon in much further third place.”Dr. Amen also looks at scans of brains all the time and he recommends cinnamon, so it can’t be that bad. I’m going to stick with the Saigon, since I bought a pound of it on iherb. If anyone needs a coupon, PEY 561 works.How does 1 teaspoon of cinnamon compare to OTC capsules dosed in mg? Are the OTC capsules usually cassia or ceylon?How do you know which cinnamom you are getting? If I am buying organic does that make a difference? Thanks Dr. G..You are helping me save my life—really…THANK YOU! Lisa O in NJI bought Saigon cinnamon specifically at iherb. See my post above for Tim Ferriss’ results of all three cinnamon types.For those who are asking about what kind of cinnamon you are getting, you can order the ceylon from on-line if you want to be sure. I got mine from Amazon after watching one of Dr. Greger’s earlier videos.QUESTION: The video gives an awesome history an explanation of why the safe cinnamon is not likely going to help with diabetes problems. However, video goes on to say that cinnamon has other great properties, so it is still worth it integrate ceylon into our diet.Well, just as past diabetes research focused on cassia, doesn’t it seem likely that past research on other benefits of cinnamon also focused on cassia? So, how do we know which, if any, benefits that ceylon has?The major benefit Dr. Greger is referring to is the antioxidant content which remains quite high.Thanks Toxins!What if you are consuming 1-2 cups of spinach per day? Would you recommend reducing or not consuming turmeric? (I am considering taking a turmeric supplement to help arthritic pain.)Dr. Greger covers this herehttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/What about eating a two teaspoons of cassia every two days? This can be harmful for adults?The recommended maximum consumption of ground Cassia for liver toxicity is half a teaspoon a day based on some sources. However, as the video suggests, that may also be too little to get the insulin sensitivity benefits. We really need more research.Therefore, is it ok to eat a teaspoon of cassia three times a week or less?ThanksI guess no surprise. No magic “pill” in nature either. Cinnamon and SAD will not improve your health, if you have type 2 diabetes, nor metformin and SAD. Changing your diet to a low fat, plantbased diet, and moderate exercise will surely improve your health, maybe even cure type 2 diabetes.Why do so many people target fat instead of sugar in diabetes? Sugar is the culprit, healthy fats are necessary for health.re: “Why do so many people target fat instead of sugar in diabetes?”Because the best studies show that sugar does not cause diabetes. Sugar problems are a symptom of diabetes, not the cause. If you want to learn more about the cause of diabetes, I highly recommend the book: “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program For Reversing Diabetes.” Dr. Barnard’s plan is 3 times more effective than other diet plans and he stresses truly low-fat.re: “…healthy fats are necessary for health.”While this sounds logical on the surface, “the devil is in the details.” Your statement would only be true depending on how you define healthy fats and at what amounts. Usually people who push “healthy fats” are actually pushing non-healthy fats (oils of one type or another) and amounts that are way too high. Plantstrongdoc’s word choice of “low-fat” is far more likely to lead someone in the right direction if they want to adopt a healthy diet.If you want to learn about what constitutes a healthy diet, you are in the right place. Keep watching more videos here. Also, check out the PCRM 21 Day Kickstart program. Good luck.so Saigon cinnamon is no good either?If you look carefully at the picture of the two types of quills you will note that the Ceylon variety curls in from both edges, whilst the thicker, woodier and darker, Cassia scrolls only from one edge to form a single spiral. The Ceylon variety also usually has more inserted inside each scroll and often has frayed ends. Because the Cassia is much cheaper you are more likely to find it used for the ground cinnamons, so unless the packaging specifically mentions Ceylon, then, as Dr Greger suggests, assume that its the cheaper and potentially toxic Cassia. If it’s origin is China or Indonesia, then it’s Cassia.It used to be thought that cinnamon was high in chromium, which helps in glucose control, but this may be due to the association of cinnamon supplements that also contained chromium picolinate that were popular quite a while back, but were later discredited as weight loss supplements. In the Cassia type it’s still uncertain as to whether it’s certain polyphenols or the coumarin that’s improving insulin sensitivity.Keep your cinnamon, especially the powder, in the fridge as it does go off.I use a Ceylon cinnamon stick with cloves in my water jug to create an infused water for my teas and coffee. Beware that the second boiling will violently boil over due to the cloves reducing surface tension. You can keep adding water for a day or two, but only reheat to below boiling.re: “Keep your cinnamon, especially the powder, in the fridge as it does go off.”That’s a great tip! When I bought the ceylon from the web, it came in a pound bag – really a LOT for what I need. I’ve only used a tiny fraction of it, and it’s sitting in my cupboard. I wonder if it’s gone bad by now? Do you know how to tell? I had thought that it might loose potency over time, but I hadn’t considered it going “bad”.Thanks.Apparently, as it goes off, it loses much of its typical aroma.You can buy a pound of organic Ceylon cinnamon at iherb.com for less than the price on amazon.com. And if you use code POD782, you can get another $5 or $10 off, depending on the size of your order. Also, click on “freebies” at the top of the page, and you can select a free sample of something.I read that cinnamon extract with Cinnulin PF can give you the benefits of cassia cinnamon without the coumarin, because it is the water soluble form of cassia which does not contain the coumarin, the latter residing in the dry portion of the spice.Thanks for cutting thru the clutter. Now I know why I purchased Ceylon and left Cassia on the shelf.Thanks Dr. for all your advice, I’m Ale I’ve been diagnosed with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) my dad has diabetes type 1, I was tested for hypoglycemia and was found to be positive, as well as high cholesterol, I didn’t expected my test to have those results as I try to eat really healthy exercising couple of times a week, I’m taking my pills in halfs (850g) Metformin at lunch and dinner, I’m also taking birth control pills to regulate my period, I also suffer from constipation. I wonder if you’ve got any advice??? many thanksNothing is better for constipation than oven roasted sweet potatoes. Really. :)Looks likey C. loureiroi and C. burmannii are dangerous as well: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf4005862Thank you Dr. Greger! Due to having given my husband and I this important information, I am now about to order my first bag of Ceylon Cinnamon! May God bless you! :))When my doctor told me my blood sugar level was too high, I started using cinnamon (in bulk, sprinkled on steel cut oats) from the Rainbow Grocery here in San Francisco. Whatever kind of cinnamon it was, it certainly worked beautifully. The Rainbow Grocery is just of of those stores you trust, so I’m sure it was fine.would anyone know what type of cinnamon is most commonly found in México? or is it possible to be able to identify ceylon from Cassia cinnamon when not int powder but in stick? … thanks!There is a simple test for distinguishing between Cassia and Cinnamon. Take a pinch of the powdered herb and apply a small drop of tincture of iodine. If the powder turns blue or purple, it is Cassia. The iodine will have very little affect on Ceylon Cinnamon.Here in lies the problem with why people turn away from health and diet. One day something is good for you or causes cancer and the next its totally new information. I have joined a really good gym and am doing High Intensity Interval Training. The membership came with an hour with a “Nutritional Expert”. Our meeting ended 2 hours and 15 minutes later…:) They pounded in to me that I was to eat Eggs, Butter and red meat and vegetables every day and that all the research has shown that in fact sources were wrong with cutting these staples out. They have up on the wall the cover I think to Time Magazine with show a scoop of butter and says “Butter is Back”. I was making a shack every day with 50 grams of Acai berry pulp, One stick of cinnamon, half a cup of blueberries, half a cup of cranberries and one cup of Kefer. Do I cut the cinnamon out now? I eat a cup of steel cut oats every morning with 50 grams of walnuts and a banana. The “nutritional Expert” says if I do not stop eating oatmeal I will make no gains no matter how hard I work out. Do you see where I am going with this? Google is butter good for you. Google are eggs good for you.The cinnamon that is available here is usually locally grown. How do I know which variety it is and whether it belongs to one of the safe types?How do we know that coumarin is toxic to humans? I have problem finding studies, that proof this theory. There have been some studies on rats, but this is a very weak proof. Is it possible, that EFSA released their recommendation based on those papers?	antioxidants,blood sugar,cabbage,cinnamon,cloves,cost savings,coumarin,diabetes,medications,oatmeal,oxidative stress,prediabetes,safety limits,sugar	Cinnamon can no longer be considered a safe and effective treatment for diabetes.	The Antioxidants in a Pinch video I'm so proud of can be found here. The Safer Cinnamon is where I originally brought up the coumarin issue. What about the Oxalates in Cinnamon? Not a problem, but the oxalates in too much turmeric may be a concern. Superfood Bargains is where I ranked foods in terms of antioxidants per unit cost.I talk more about the potential potency of plants in general in Power Plants and more about spices in particular in videos such as:Amla Versus Diabetes explores the use of Indian gooseberries as a way to help control blood sugar, though the best way to deal with diabetes is to prevent and treat it with a healthy diet. Books I would recommend (in order of publication) are Defeating Diabetes, Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes, and The End of Diabetes.As you're making your Healthy Pumpkin Pie, don't accidentally add too much nutmeg, the subject of my next video Don't Eat Too Much Nutmeg.For more context, check out my associated blog posts:  Cinnamon for Diabetes, Nutmeg Toxicity, and Tarragon Toxicity?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/31/nutmeg-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/05/tarragon-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cloves/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coumarin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-too-much-nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=search&term=cinnamon+intake+lowers+meta,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17924872,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19159947,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20425575,
PLAIN-2768	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	Can Cellulite Be Treated With Diet?	Gynoid lipodystrophy, known colloquially as cellulite, is the orange peel-type or cottage cheese-like dimpling of the skin on the thighs and tushes of the majority of women. Since it basically results from excess fat storage, attention has turned to spermine and spermidine as potential culprits. And indeed rubbing a spermine-trapping molecule on your thighs apparently results in a significant drop in thigh volume, circumference, and cellulite scores. Spermine was first discovered in human semen back in the 1600's, but only recently quantified in food. Top sources in the American diet: ground meat and lunch meat, such as ham turkey bologna and salami, as well as green peas, which is also the primary source of spermidine, along with cheese, such as American and cheddar. So would eating some cheesey peesey meat casserole make cellulite worse? It's never been tested, but if it did, this could be one of the mechanisms. The reason this study was funded by the National Cancer Institute is because of a concern that this whole class of compounds may increase cancer risk, for example, recently polyamine intake was associated with increased risk of colorectal polyps. The other cellulite theory has to do with the hormone adiponectin. If you biopsy the fat in the gluteal region of women with and without cellulite, there seems to be less adiponectin expression in the cellulitic butt fat, so maybe adiponectin is protective. How do you keep adiponectin levels from dropping? Don't eat a sausage and egg breakfast, which leads to a drop in levels within hours, compared to a vegetarian meal, and switching to a vegetarian diet appears to increase adiponectin levels 19%. They compared a meat-free, egg-free, diet of vegetables, grains, beans, fruits and nuts with animal products limited to a maximum of one portion of low fat yogurt a day compared to the conventional diabetic diet. Though they were made to eat the same number of calories, the veg group lost more weight, lost more waist, lost more cholesterol, more subQ fat, and more belly fat. And subcutaneous fat is what makes up cellulite. So a plant-based diet could be expected to decrease cellulite—but, we won't know for sure until it's experimentally tested directly.	“may help”, but not always. I’ve been on plant based diet for years and still have some on my ass. You cant see it in all lighting, but in some lighting you do see it. And I am slender.I’ve read that even rail-thin supermodels suffer from cellulite. It seems to be a result of something other than being overweight- although being overweight would certainly contribute to it.Yes, I think its hormonalVitamin D from the Sun should fix the hormonal issues however men or most men don’t have cellulite. Maybe its caused by the tight jeans, the skin not getting any fresh air.i think you should workoutI do work out. Yoga 2 hours a week, 1 hour bodysculpt, 2 hour bike ride, 3 hours walkingI don’t have cellulite when I don’t eat grains. I’m mostly raw vegan so I was experimenting with effects of different foods. Grains usually sap all of my energy.In the past, I have read more than once cellulite is caused by the uniqueness of female muscle fibers. They are slightly different than those of men and create a crosshatch pattern which small fat deposits bulge through and therefore appear dimpled. This is also why even thin women have cellulite.Hey Amanda, as a man I can sympathize with what your feeling. Even though I don’t have cellulite, I still haven’t lost much weight on a plant based diet for the past few months. I was considering going completely whole food plant based for a month to see what happens. Something in line with Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. Greger’s no salt, sugar, oil policy with just fruits, vegetable, seeds, nuts, grains, and greens.Also I was going to start a workout regiment like P90X or Insanity to see building muscle will help as well. I’ll figure this out eventually.I too am slender and have been on a vegetarian/vegan diet for awhile now. The most effective weight loss for me has come via proper food combining. I started doing green smoothies for breakfast (instead of whenever I could) AND made a diligent effort to not miscombine carbs and proteins at all other meals, and in a month the weight literally just fell off! AND it has stayed off following this regimen. But I still have some cellulite, SO I will now add green peas to my green smoothies and see what happens!! Best info ever: The Beauty Detox Solution by Kim Snyder. Read up!!The video states that green peas are high in spermidine and spermine, thus positively associated with cellulite.do you drink spermine in your smoothies?Hi, what do you mean “to not miscombine carbs and proteins” at meals? Thanks.Food combining is a myth. All veggies, beans, fruits and whole grains have proteins so she is obviously not speaking with knowledge here. Eat whole grains instead of simple carbs. Eat a larger % of veggies compared to grains. Keep sugars down and calories under control, eliminate added oils and eat fats as they naturally occur in foods (use avocado and olives, not olive oil, or coconut oil…. see Dr. McDougall) Good luck.McDougall provides the best nutrition lifestyle plan, I personally follow his plan as well.Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Eat To Live is an essential read and will most likely help. Even though people switch to plant based diets, they still go heavy on the dressings, and processed foods. The 6 week, whole foods plant based approach really helps get you down to your ideal weight. I believe I lost 20 pounds in the six weeks…True.Great Video! Thanks Dr. GregerInteresting video. I write as a vegetarian/vegan for 25 years and having consumed at least 50% raw foods for the previous 10 years. I am a woman who had cellulite and I cannot say the amount increased or decreased as a vegetarian/vegan. I say “had’ because it almost entirely dissolved by using a far-infrared mat for seven years that I also sell. Puckers of fat can MELT away through FIR heat but i would not trust creams to do the same thing. I do witness so many teenagers and those in their early 20’s who have obvious acne that surely is directly related to their animal food consumption and fried food diets….namaste’, rachelI have a FIR sauna at home and I also noticed a reduction in cellulite using it, BUT it was not a slam dunk, maybe a 60% reduction. I’m hoping inundating my diet with green peas will finish it off.According to the video, green peas are positively associated with cellulite, so you would probably want to avoid them.The issue could also be related to processed foods and glycemic load (definitely a factor in adiponectin), which can also be problems in a vegan diet.Same for me Amanda. I don’t eat any meat or dairy. I exercise daily as well. My thighs have the darn stuff and won’t go away.Ditto here Naray! Been vegan for 6 years and my “scrambled tofu” thighs aren’t going anywhere!Can kissing make it go away?I am donating spermine to any ladies that need some. i can help rub it in and apply directly to affected areas.Propriety aside, your comment is quite ignorant. Spermine and spermidine are implicated in causing cellulite and cancer, not treating it.How can green peas be in the same category as cheese and meat? Sorry, but peas are incredibly healthy and i dont see how they can cause cellulite. I see more people with cellulite who eat tons of meat and cheese vs those who eat tons of peas.Cherry pickingPolyamines (like putrescene, spermine, and spermidine) are ubitquitous in foods of both animal and plant origin, and they’re vital to our own metabolism. Peas were singled out in the cited study (Zoumas-Morse et al 2007) because there was SOME published data on the content of cooked peas at the time.Here’s a more recent survey of published polyamine food contents: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3022763/ The discussion therein of the beneficial attributes of polyamines will put even the horror-ibly named putrescene in a better light.From Table 1, the range of spermidine content found in 14 samples green peas in Czechslovakia varied from 2.9 to 88.4 mg/kg, with a huge standard deviation. Whether real or lab technique, who can say. And that paled in comparison with the amount found in soybeans in Japan.About all I can tell from the collected data is that polyamines are in everything, content varies markedly between samples, and there were two food groups that stood out (table 2): fruits (with high average putrecene), and cheeses (with high average spermidine).And men everywhere began hiding this article from their partners….Lol. Thanks Dr. Greger!So basically drinking sperm and eating green peas etc. can cause cellulite? My friend wants to know.Although I am a few kilos overweight, I only noticed cellulite on my thighs after I turned 50, when suddenly it seemed I had developed dimply ‘old ladies’ legs.’ I have read that the skin thins as you age, making the fat filled pockets more visible. For the last 5 years I have been on a mainly vegan+ seafood diet and it seems that although I still have some dimpling, my thighs look a lot smoother and this is without losing weight.uhhhh yea….I’ve been a vegan for four years and this is simply not true. I have never been able to shake the cellulite.I have to call a quick BS on this. I have been Vegan for 18 years and I still have it on my thighs and butt. Yes, I am active. I run 5x a week and do core/strength training. I know women who eat the worst diets ever, full of junk, not a veggie/fruit in sight, and they don’t have a simple dimple. Cellulite is more hereditary than anything. Thinking that eating a plant based diet will magically make your thighs as tight as Beyone’s nylon clad ones is fooling yourself.Vegan is a pretty broad term. How about minimally processed, low-fat vegan? https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=36550I think my cellulite has decreased since going vegan, mixed with moderate exercise. Either that, or I just haven’t noticed it in a long time.My wife turns 60 in a few months and has no cellulite anywhere on her body. However, regular exercise and healthy eating have been a part of her regime for most of her life. I do not think that you can let your body go, and then after, become a vegetarian/vegan for a few years and expect that you can un-do many years of irresponsible living. It is my deduction that there are three (3) numbers that will give you the best indication of just about 89% of your health. They are: 1. Resting Heart Rate (50 bpm or less) 2. Blood Pressure (115/65) 3. Body Fat (12-14% or less) Work for these numbers and the rest will take care of itself.I wouldn’t be so certain; if heart disease is reversible, and type 2 diabetes is reversible on a vegan diet, I see no reason why cellulite would not be reversible. Cellulite is the herniation of subcutaneous fat. Reduce the fat, then the herniation may resolve. I’ve always been very lean and fit – sometimes too physically active – and I used to have cellulite. I can’t find cellulite on me now. In my case, diet has reversed the cellulite.I also think a heart rate of 50bpm may not be reasonable for everyone. Trained athletes have heart rates from 40-60bpm, and most people don’t have the time to become professional athletes. I see no problem with heart rates of 60-100bpm in adults. Children usually have higher heart rates. (I also knew a guy who had a giraffes blood pressure – the highest I’d ever seen. He was 90 and going strong, not that I would advise high blood pressure).Unless you’re an elite athlete, a low resting heart rate usually equals a slow metabolism or low thyroid. The slowly really it is the he close this one death because enzymes can’t work in slow and cold body.By telling us in this video that green peas are extremely high in spermine and spermidine, Dr. Greger seems to mislead us into avoiding green peas. However, the following 3 scientific studies indicate that green peas are even healthier for us to eat than other legumes and garlic: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9303371 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22250848 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11600019Dietary spermidine may have benefits that far outweigh thigh cottage cheese. It stimulates autophagy, a cellular mechanism that recycles unneeded, misfolded, and aggregated proteins, reducing their accumulation associated with aging. In animal models, spermidine increases lifespan. Induction of autophagy by spermidine promotes longevity. (2009)Polyamine-rich food decreases age-associated pathology and mortality in aged mice. (2009)Best vegan sources of spermidine, per Polyamines in foods – development of a food database (2011) include: serving (g) mg/serving Soybean 190 9.7 Green peas 140 9.1 Pear 125 6.6 Lentil soup 250 5.5 Mushroom 50 4.4 Red beans 190 3.7 Broccoli 100 3.6 Cauliflower 100 3.0 Popcorn 50 2.1 Potato 150 1.8And, no, semen is not a dietarily significant source (5 ml would contain 0.1 mg spermidine)Hi! I eat a lot of green peas several times a week. Would spermine/spermidine be an issue. Should I cut back on my intake, or is there simply not enough data at the moment?I looked around and found that it seemed to, if anything, be a good thing as darryl has pointed out. But I also found that green peas contain m-xylohydroquinone, which seems to promote infertility. The fact that tibets population has remained so stable some people claim is because of their pea consumption. I also found some alarming animalstudies on the subject, where a 30%(?) pea diet left the mice infertile. As peas make up a large part of my diet, I would really appreciate if anyone has got any more information on the subject.	abdominal fat,adiponectin,animal products,animal protein,beans,beef,biogenic amines,body fat,bologna,calories,cancer,cellulite,cheese,cholesterol,colon cancer,colon health,deli meat,diabetes,eggs,fat,fruit,grains,ham,hamburgers,hormones,LDL cholesterol,meat,National Cancer Institute,nuts,peas,plant-based diets,poultry,processed meat,rectal cancer,salami,sausage,skin health,spermine,turkey,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health	Two theories about the build-up of subcutaneous fat, involving the chemical spermine and the hormone adiponectin, suggest a plant-based diet may help with cellulite.	For more on the adverse health effects associated with the intake of "biogenic amines" (chemical compounds of decay such as spermine and cadaverine) see my videos New Corpse Smell and Carcinogenic Putrescine.Ideally, you want to keep your Waist Circumference Less Than Half Your Height. If you're having trouble with abdominal fat, check out my videos:More on diet and physical appearance can be found at:For some context, please also check out my associated blog posts: The Anti-Wrinkle Diet and  Diet and Cellulite 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adiponectin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cellulite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biogenic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cancer-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spermine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salami/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bologna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/deli-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21480966,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20807262,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648715,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21413950,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17663805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14668275,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17524725,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18489272,
PLAIN-2769	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mcgovern-report/	The McGovern Report	George McGovern, who died last year age 90, was best known for his 1972 Presidential defeat to Richard Nixon, be he also chaired a committee that released the first dietary guidelines in January 1977. "The simple fact is, he said at the press conference of their release, "that our diets have changed radically with the last 50 years with very harmful effects on our health. These dietary changes represent as great a threat to public health as smoking." "The diet of the American people has become increasingly rich–rich in meat and other sources of saturated fat and cholesterol and sugar." "Most all of the health problems underlying the leading causes of death in the United States could be modified by improvements in diet." "Ischemic heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension are the diseases that kill us. They are epidemic in our population. We cannot afford to temporize. The public wants some guidance, wants to know the truth, and hopefully today we can lay the cornerstone for the building of better health for all Americans through better nutrition."As Dr. Hegsted later recounted in an interview--a founding member of Harvard's nutrition department that spoke at the press conference—"The meat, milk and egg producers were very upset."  And they weren't the only ones. The president of the International Sugar Research Foundation called the report “unfortunate and ill-advised," all part of the emotional anti-sucrose, anti-table sugar tidal wave conspiracy evidently. From the official record: "Simply stated, people like sweet things, and apparently the McGovern Committee believes that people should be deprived of what they like. There is a puritanical streak in certain Americans that leads them to become ‘do-gooders.’" The president of the salt institute felt that there is definitely no need for a dietary goal that calls for the reduction of salt consumption. In fact the assertion that "improved nutrition may cut the Nation's health bill by one third" was challenged. See, what you don't understand is that healthcare expenditures increase if the lifespan is prolonged. See if people live longer because they eat healthier it could be more expensive. As some researcher pointed out, "If tobacco were banned the increase in the expected lifespan would simultaneously increase the cost of care of old people which comes under the category of healthcare expenditures." If people eat healthier we might have more old people to take care of! The National Dairy Council likewise recommended the dietary goals be withdrawn and reformulated to have the endorsement of the food industry. You know as soon as Haagen das says their OK, then go for it.The two industries that went most ballistic, though, were the meat and egg producers who demanded additional hearings be held. The president of the American National Cattlemen's Association described why the industry "reacted rather violently," complaining that meat is never mentioned in a positive way in the guidelines. The only mentions of meat were those associating meat consumption with various degenerative diseases. "If these dietary goals are moved forward and promoted in the present form…entire sectors of the food industry (meat, dairy, sugar, and others) may be so severely damage that when it is realized that the dietary guidelines advised as surely will be the discovery production recovery may be out of reach.” "Thus guided by my conscience,” said the president of the national livestock and meat board, “I am certain that actions of the animal industries to ensure Americans are properly fed with abundant meat and other animal foods is an honorable and morally correct diet course."The meat industry recommended the committee withdraw the dietary guidelines and issue a corrected report. They especially didn't like guideline #2 to decrease meat consumption to lower saturated fat intake. Senator Dole—Kansas Senator Dole offered to have that amended from decrease consumption of meat to instead "Increase consumption of lean meat." “Would that taste better to you?” he asked the president of the cattlemen's association, who replied, “Decrease is a bad word, senator". By the end of the year, a revised version was released; Guideline 2 was changed to "Choose meats, poultry, and fish which will reduce saturated fat intake."That wasn't enough for the meat industry. They wanted the whole committee on nutrition to be eliminated completely and its functions turned over to the agriculture committee. The New York Times, noting that the Agriculture Committee looks after the producers of food, editorialized that this would be like "sending the chickens off to live with the foxes," And that's what happened. The Senate Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs got disbanded and placed within the Senate committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. McGovern, though, never gave up the fight. When an interviewer confronted him with the Serenity Prayer's "grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change," McGovern rejected the notion, saying: "I keep trying to change them."	Thanks Dr. Greger! Love the video!One of the reasons I started changing my diet 4 years ago was because of the knowledge I gained about the food industry/politics from reading Michael Pollan’s books. Not that I agree with his “grass fed beef is ok” mentality anymore but the history lesson was enraging. I felt so suckered by corporations. However, I realized we all have a choice of what’s on our forks. Of course Dr. Greger and Forks over Knives are the main reasons I’m vegan today. This is one of your best videos yet. Thank you.“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher, 1788-1860.The truth is out! (and has been for 35 years)Where the f… is the info to the general public…. Michael, you are the best.How long is it supposed to take to get to stage three??This video explains why our government fails to advocate proper nutrition for the country: special interests control our government. Dr. Greger, you have hit a home run!Right! A friend of mine living in Japan complained that she can’t find flax seeds anywhere. I looked into it and found out that the Japanese government had banned the importation of flax seeds because they tested them and found them to be genetically modified (She can still get chia seeds). Japan and most European governments exercise the Precautionary Principle to gaurd the health of their people. Here in the US, our government uses the “prevarication principle” to gaurd the health of corporate profits. I’m wondering if it may not be time to move.I have been to Korea and Japan. Their food is healthy but not all of it is guarding the health of their people lol. Everything has MSG and many snacks have aspartame.Unfortunatelly, the score is still Industry: 1000, Public: 0I haven’t been able to locate an online, full-text version of the 1st edition report from 1977. Can anyone point me to it? Thanks!I believe this is it (page scans only): http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112023368936Beautifully done!Thanks for an excellent history lesson.This is a great example of how our governments are failing us. We work, we pay taxes, and (generally) we are getting sicker. We work, we pay taxes, and they lie to us (fails to tell the truth). We work, we pay taxes, and the government fails to protect us.If McGovern had emphasized eating more meals composed of only fresh fruits and vegetables instead of demonizing other foods, he might﻿ have bypassed the whole debate. The other industries would have been forced to argue that we eat less fruits and vegetables.Fascinating and disturbing at the same time.Thank you for exposing the truth behind the politics.Thank you for the excellent information!Thanks for this article Dr. Greger. Its a good reminder of the USA’s degradation of governance. At some point, hopefully soon, according to Strauss and Howe of “The Fourth Turning”, this corrupt institution, which relies on financial support from major moneyed interests, will fail, and be replaced by a system that has an effective firewall against moneyed influence. I do wonder though, how that will come about…as it will likely be over the dead bodies of so many institutions and lobbyists who currently control our government.That was then, thank you. Who has risen to the challenge? To whom do we turn to lend our support in congress? Who to fight?We are the converted. Doesn’t this topic deserve a blog of its own?Become preachers: Some of us believe meat is murder, the science says it is suicide. Whatever your style, in-your-face or softly-softly, push the topic. force the issue. you may loose a “friend” or two..but together we must grass-roots this thing across the planet to grease political change…we can live with.Great video, once again the health of a nation was decided by industries that make their money without caring about the consequences of their actions.Goverments first aim is to think about the health of their people, not the health of some “biased” industries…Thanks Dr Greger!!I find this information fascinating. I also find it helpful in backing up something that I have been trying to explain to people – that the really big picture of what we know about healthy eating has not changed for decades. Some of the nuances have changed and will continue to change. But the over-all diet that equals healthy has been known for a long time.Compare that will all the confusing nutritional controversy you hear on the news all the time. American media anyway continues to do humans a huge disservice. I often wonder, if the American media did their job, would the government be able to get away with their misdeeds?Thanks again Dr. Greger for an awesome video. I’m looking forward to the new volume.This is one of your very best; reaches deep into the power relationships that determine whether we live longer and healthier or die sick and not yet old. Those interested should see Colin Campbell’s recollection of this moment in our government’s collusion with the livestock industry’s manipulation of truth, its abrogation of its regulatory function that is intended to keep us safe. See also David Servan Schreiber’s memoir for McGovern’s assessment of the disastrous effect that his Report and his refusal to repudiate it had on his political career. The agri industry is playing for very high stakes; we discount that fact at our peril.Bravo Dr. Greger! Thank you for educating the public on how we have been bamboozled and sold out by our federal government and the food industry. It is a true Samson and Goliath fight but our grass roots movement has taken hold and we will Never Ever give up on sharing the truth about how the villainous foods; animal protein, dairy and oil guarantee a life filled with disease and ailments. Cheers to the healing powers of falling in love with delicious foods that love us back!!The food politics is very similar in Canada, with a lobbyist registry. I don’t know that the registry has helped the animal rights movement, but it is at least a glimmer into the lobbying activity of various meat, milk, and egg industries in Canada. We as consumers, can play a much bigger role in publishing data from food inspectors, lobbying politicians, and so on. It may not tip the balance, but we may save a lot of lives by working together on specific ag issues.While fruits and vegetable help promote health, why is Gerson therapy not working base on the study by NCI?Great video. Just one thing I don’t understand: why does it say it’s the first U.S. dietary guidelines?The Wikipedia page shows there has been a few before 1977: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_USDA_nutrition_guidesthis was the first to be put out by the gov’t for the American people that suggested they change the way they traditionally ate that lead them to be way healthier than we are today.The tobacco industry was sued for knowingly selling a product that caused cancer…basically misleading their customers. Can a similar lawsuit be brought against the FDA?A fantastic piece!!! I think this should be broadcast on the nightly news– Every week!Thank you Dr. Greger, for this excellent video! Great to understand the history and politics behind nutrition guidelines.I wonder what our heath costs would have looked like if we had been able to take a strong public health initiative to truly improve our diet, instead of the compromised watered down version we have to contend with. It would have been such a great investment!Getting the correct unbiased, evidence-based information out there is the next best thing, because more and more people are demanding healthier nutrition as they discover the benefits.Thanks for your contribution to this information….it is invaluable!evidence-based and this website do not go togetherYap all you want, Mr. Corporate shill,,, you’re either that or a dumb sonovabitch that is so insecure you’d rather be ‘right’ than healthy. You ain’t right, nor do you have the brains to read a study… I still vote for ‘being paid by the evil tower of big business where you concoct lies to spew out.You do realize this report was spear headed by a vegan, and the report is why so many American fear real animal fats from eggs and beef, which is absurd.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbFQc2kxm9cThis little video is interesting enough, I suppose. Still, it has done nothing to sway my opinions. Yup, public policy involves a lot of politicking. Nothing shocking or revelatory there.Eggs and beef have never been the problem folks, and never will… don’t blame old foods for new disease… sugar, white flour, vegetable oils and many other processed foods yes, real foods like eggs/beef, c’mon get realAre you kidding? Have a look at the the swathes of research detailed on this site that say exactly that: yes, beef and eggs are a problem!In his “Trends in food availability” study, Dr. Barnard has pointed out:“Over the following century, annual per capita meat consumption soared from 123.9 pounds in 1909 to over 200 pounds in 2004. In the same interval, annual cheese intake rose from less than 4 pounds per person to well over 30 pounds. That extra 75 pounds or so of meat and 30 pounds of cheese—per person per year—have contributed a load of fat, cholesterol, and calories that are joined by more calories from sugar, the intake of which has surged as well .”Sure, sugar, processed grains, and oils are not healthy, but plenty of empirical research (in fact, the balance of the scientific research) bears out that beef and eggs are not health food and that plant-based diets are the way to eat for long-term health.Keep watching and reading this site to learn more about what current empirical peer-reviewed science has to say on the topic of nutrition and health.I have posted this before and Ill post it again so we can view what the science says about eggs.Eggs are considered good sources of lutein and omega 3 as well as an excellent source of protein. For these reasons, they are considered health foods. Looking at these claims in detail, chickens have lutein due to the fact that they have a varietized feed, these nutrients are not inherent of eggs. Based on the nutrient data found on the USDA database, 10 grams of spinach has approximately 12 times more lutein then 10 grams of an egg. We cannot really consider eggs an appropriate source of this nutrient.https://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR25/nutrlist/sr25a338.pdfRegarding Omega 3, current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day. A large egg contains about .037 grams of omega 3. Omega 3 in the ALA form processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA. These fats are anti-inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. According to the National Cancer Institute, eggs are the number 2 top contributor of arachidonic acid in the American Diet.http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/fatty_acids/table4.htmlBased on this as well as the low omega 3 content of eggs, the benefits received from omega 3 are masked by the high quantity of preformed Arachidonic Acid. High intake of arachadonic acid is linked to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with cancer development.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616uidhttp://img2.tapuz.co.il/forums/1_156375095.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128Eggs have been associated with heart failure as noted here. “After 13.3 years of follow-up in this cohort of approximately 14,000 white and African-American men and women, greater intake of eggs and of high-fat dairy foods were both associated with greater risk of incident HF, whereas greater intake of whole-grain foods was associated with lower risk of incident HF. These associations were independent of demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, prevalent CVD, diabetes, hypertension, and other food groups.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2650810/As well as an association type 2 diabetes with egg consumption of 1 egg a day. “Overall, the observed increased risk of type 2 diabetes with daily consumption of eggs in the current study raises the possibility of undesirable health effects with high rates of egg consumption and may help explain previously reported increased risk of CHD that was restricted to individuals with type 2 diabetes in the Health Professional Follow-up Study”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/?tool=pubmedIn the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, David Spence (director of the stroke prevention/atherosclerosis research center and one of the worlds leading stroke experts), David Jenkins (the inventor of the glycemic index) and Jean Davignon (director of atherosclerosis research group) posted a review on eggs claiming that the egg industry has been downplaying the health risks of eggs through misleading advertisements. As soon as you eat one egg, you expose your body to several hours worth of oxidative stress, inflammation of ones arteries, endothelieum impairment (what keeps you blood running smoothly) and increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidize (beginning stages of heart disease). The authors go into great detail regarding dietary cholesterol and it is a very fascinating read indeed. The author’s final words “In our opinion, stopping egg consumption after a myocardial infarction or stroke would be like quitting smoking after lung cancer is diagnosed: a necessary act, but late.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9001684The egg industry has claimed that cholesterol from eggs is not important and does not raise cholesterol levels. The fundamental flaw in the study the egg industry has used to make this claim is that they measured fasting lipid levels at night and not levels through out the day after egg consumption. “Diet is not all about fasting lipids; it is mainly about the three-quarters of the day that we are in the nonfasting state. Fasting lipids can be thought of as a baseline; they show what the endothelium was exposed to for the last few hours of the night.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/?tool=pubmedA single egg yolk contains approximately 215 to 275 mg of cholesterol. A safe upper limit can be capped at 200 mg if one is looking to prevent heart disease as recommended by the CDC as one of their nutritional recommendations as seen on page 92. One egg far exceeds this daily upper limit.http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hp2000/hp2k01.pdfThe balance of science is clearly against even moderate egg consumption as this food is a packaged deal. We do not get the nutrients found in eggs without getting the cholesterol and saturated fat. This similarity can be seen with chicken in terms of cholesterol and arachidonic acidhttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/703/2as well as even the leanest beef containing an undesirable quantity of saturated fat as well as cholesterolhttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/3820/2“Tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) set by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) are important, in part because they are used for estimating the percentage of the population at potential risk of adverse effects from excessive nutrient intake. The IOM did not set ULs for trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol because any intake level above 0% of energy increased LDL cholesterol concentration and these three food components are unavoidable in ordinary diets.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21521229In terms of saturated fat, the link below displays the top food sources of cholesterol raising fat.http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/sat_fat/crf.htmlI fully agree. We can’t blame ancient foods for modern day problems. Even since sugar and white flower have came into our diets, that’s when these problems started to occur.This video leaves me with a big, “so what”. Attack the food suppliers and you get a defense. The diet your grandparents ate is best, not the vegan propaganda.Sure, our grandparents probably did eat better than we did, but much has changed since those times (including how our food is produced and eaten).“Propaganda”? Nope, just the facts, the peer-reviewed, empirical and reproducible scientific facts. Facts are facts, and they speak for themselves.The balance of evidence on the benefits of a plant-based diet are abundantly clear. I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty of it, as this site does a fantastic job of it as do the many educated and eloquent contributors to the commentary section (e.g. @DrDons, @Toxins, and @Thea).Really, please just open your mind and keep watching and reading this site.I know how you enjoy good debates, if you could perhaps weigh in with me on this army of paleo dieters.http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/Oh, dear! WOW! Seems futile doesn’t it? You have done such a fabulous job (far better than I could ever). However, let me sit and ponder it, I may actually throw myself into the fray.Thanks for the compliment, and yes, futile indeed. All I can hope is that I made them stop and briefly rethink what they advocate. Its shocking really how many paleo dieters came to comment.You are most welcome. Yes, they are commenting more often than they used to, and probably will continue to do so in ever greater numbers. So, I have decided to pick my battles b/c frankly, at this point, I find these “debates” exhausting. It’s like arguing with folks who don’t think global warming is an issue or who think that the earth really was created in 7 days.But, that is part of the problem isn’t it? Thinking, that is. I love the internet and the availability of information on it. Sadly, I fear that most people accessing it do not know how to think critically, let alone discuss issues in an intelligent way. Hence, the intense exchanges, the internet trolls, all the conspiracy theories on all sorts of topics. To me it screams the need for better access to quality education and specifically to learning how “to know”, understand, and critique all sorts of information. A daunting task, indeed. However, I have faith that it is not an impossible task (OK, to be honest, sometimes I lose faith in this thought).It saddens and angers me that certain “experts” –some of them with prestigious titles and credentials — know this is the dynamic at play and choose to prey on these folks because it makes them richer. Meanwhile, public health suffers. (One of the reasons I admire Dr. G so, is that he does not make a profit off the work he does on behalf of public health.)Oy, I guess I went off on a bit a tangent. Really though, you handled yourself beautifully. You deserve a golden carrot.Indeed, the standard for evidence is so low for these people and they have no interest in investigating what they are saying. One of the prominent posters literally told me that there were so many nutrients in grass fed butter that there was no room to list hem all. I promptly checked the nutritiondata database and found quite the opposite, it was empty calories, as all free fats are. Some vitamin A to maintain freshness but that’s about it.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/2244512/2I am sure that this person read that grass fed butter was rich in nutrients and had no interest in finding out for themselves if this was really true. This mindset is exhibited by all of them and I am sure a prominent figure has given them this information. I agree with you, it is quite disturbing when someone like that purposefully misconstrues the data or shows misleading studies to promote their claims.Seems like these folks are simply cuckoo for coconut oil. So be it.I have reached the point if people want to guzzle gallons of coconut oil for so-called health benefits, let them. I will continue to eat in a way that makes sense nutritionally, environmentally, ethically, and, yes, scientifically, as best and as often as I can.Your efforts have been noble and tireless. (I read the butter exchange). Really, how do you find the energy and motivation to continue?My motivation comes from the fact that people may read the posts and come to a health decision based on these posts. I want to make sure that everything is covered, so I continue the debate to the point where they have exhausted their supply of usually flawed or misconstrued arguments and data. At the point that they begin going in circles with me I usually stop the debate, and leave it to the hopefully neutral readers to decide who’s argument is more solid and what advice they should take from it.These debates also get me to look up information which furthers my own knowledge.Well, you have worked your magic on me. I probably am not a neutral reader anymore, but I was at one point. And, your arguments and style have won me over.Keep on keeping on!As you point out correctly, there is indeed a lot of vegan propaganda on the web. That being said, a credible argument can be made for shifting in the direction of eating more plant products over animal products.The argument goes that plant products have much higher density of essential nutrients and antioxidants than animal products. Plant products also have a far lower concentration of toxins than animal products. Common concerns on nutrient sufficiency of vegetarian diets are authoritatively answered by the Academy of Nutrition and Dieticians, who argue that properly planned vegan and vegetarian diets are healthful at all stages of the life cycle. Follow the link below for details:http://www.eatright.org/About/Content.aspx?id=8357Keeping this argument in mind, Dr. Greger does provide some useful supplementary material for those interested in vegetarianism.Best of luck with your dietary experimentation!USDA and FDA advice is unreliable, according to William Harris http://treegrower.org/Health/Cal%20Presents.htmlthanks so much this is changing my life and my families. I don’t know if its possible but would love to share and swap healthy recipes with your audience.patti: I agree, this information *is* life changing. You are not alone.Concerning healthy recipes: Some of us do share recipes from time to time on this site, especially in context of a video/topic. However, there isn’t (yet?) a specific place on this site for doing so in any sort of significant way.I know that there are several good, free blogs where people post healthy vegan recipe ideas. But they aren’t so much about swapping recipes as sharing ideas from a particular person. If you are most interested in getting some good ideas for healthy eating, I’ll share my favorites with you:1) The (free) on-line 21 Day Kickstart program – where you can get 21 day’s worth of meal plans, including recipes from a very well researched group that gets results.2) My favorite cookbooks: Let Them Eat Vegan Everyday Happy HerbivoreGreat Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure Vegan On The CheapJust straight microwave or saute with water instead of oil when called for in the recipe and you are golder.Best of luck to you.Thanks Dr. Greger.I was curious if you have done any videos on farm subsidies.There is a lot of articles on the internet that suggest that a lot of taxpayer money goes to producing feed for farm animals. But I don’t know anything about politics. I am curious if there is any truth to this?The government should have no more role advising people on what to eat than advising them on what religion to practice. When you give that kind of power to the government, don’t be surprised when special interests determine the result, whether it’s what kind of food we must buy or what kind of health insurance we must purchase. The solution: get the state out of the health care business entirely. We need a separation of health and state for the same reason as a separation of church and state.What a fantastic and informative video The comments below are also important to read. Thank you, Dr. Greger and Toxins and almost all for your contributions!Elected representatives of the people, hahaha,,,, and big business donations, equal ‘let the people eat poison, it pays better’.Great one!Corporations have lobbyists with deep pockets. The American people have no lobbyists to protect their interests. It’s not fair.your just wierdspamspamspamspamspamspamspamspamspamThere are 3 goals in mind: 1) moneyed interests protecting profits 2) bought politicians protecting future political campaign contributions 3) ideologues who exercise confirmation bias and refuse (I mean absolutely refuse) to objectively consider anything nutritional science says that challenges what they do. (Paleo diet advocates come to mind)	animal fat,animal products,beef,blood pressure,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cheese,cholesterol,dairy,diabetes,dietary guidelines,eggs,elderly,fat,fish,George McGovern,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,industry influence,lifespan,longevity,McGovern Report,meat,milk,mortality,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,National Dairy Council,plant-based diets,pork,salt,Salt Institute,saturated fat,seafood,smoking,sugar,vegans,vegetarians	The story behind the first U.S. dietary recommendations report explains why to this day the decades of science supporting a more plant-based diet have yet to fully translate into public policy.	This is my favorite video of the year so far. It gets at a fundamental issue that I raised previously in another of my favorites, The Tomato Effect. If the data is so strong and consistent that a plant-based diet can not only prevent and treat but cure our number one killer (not to mention play a role in helping with 14 of our other top 15 leading causes of death), why isn't it not only the treatment of choice but also incorporated into the official federal dietary guidelines (as is the case to a small but wildly successful degree in countries like Finland)? I have a 14 video series from 2011 starting with Nation’s Diet in Crisis and ending with Dietary Guidelines: Pushback From the Sugar, Salt, and Meat Industries that discusses the politics of the latest set of guidelines released that year, but the McGovern Report story really encapsulates why decades of science have yet to translate into public policy and is as relevant today as it was 35 years ago.Be sure to check out my associated blog posts for additional context:  Is Coconut Oil Bad For You?, Industry Influence on Dietary Guidelines, and Top 10 Most Popular Videos from 2013	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/22/big-food-wants-final-say-over-health-reports/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-council/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/george-mcgovern/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cattlemens-beef-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcgovern-report/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	-
PLAIN-2770	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/	Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Survival: Clinical Evidence	The population data looked so promising that researchers decided to put lignans to the test by feeding women flaxseeds, the most concentrated source of lignans, to see what would happen.  The incidence of breast cancer is increasing in the Western world and there is an urgent need for such studies. One of the ways the chemotherapy drug tamoxifen works is by boosting the levels of angiogenesis inhibitors like endostatin, which is a protein the body makes to try to starve tumors of their blood supply.Using a technique called microdialysis, you can stick a catheter into a woman's breast and kind of suck out some of the fluid bathing the breast cells. If you give women tamoxifen for 6 weeks, the levels of endostatin within the breast tend to go up, and the same thing happens when you instead add 3 and a half tablespoons of ground flaxseeds to their daily diet. The flaxseed doesn't seem as powerful as the chemo, but further study was definitely warranted, and here it is: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial of flaxseeds in breast cancer patients.Between the time of first biopsy and surgery, patients were randomized into either the treatment or the placebo group; either a flaxseed-containing muffin or a control placebo muffin. Again, why flaxseeds? It's the richest source of lignans, with levels up to 800 times higher than those in 66 other plant foods tested in the vegetarian diet.They went all out: the muffins were wrapped up, labeled with numerical code, and the coded muffin packages were then dispensed. So what happened? Well, muffin compliance was good, in both groups. Remember they got a biopsy of the tumor before the study started, and then a little over a month later went in for surgery to get the tumor removed. So they had tumor samples before and after five weeks of flax or no flax. Those lucky enough to be randomized into the flax group saw, on average, their tumor cell proliferation go down, cancer cell death go up, and their c-erbB2 score go down, which is a marker of cancer aggressiveness and potential for forming metastases and spreading. They concluded: "Dietary flaxseed has the potential to reduce tumor growth in patients with breast cancer. And this was just in five weeks." If the therapeutic index seen in this short-term study can be sustained over a long-term period, flaxseed, which is inexpensive and readily available, may be a potential dietary alternative or adjunct to currently used breast cancer drugs."	Dr. Greger,This topic might not be related to this video but i would ask anyway. What is the best way to get my blood pressure down. I ate very well(vegan), cook from scratch, no soft drinks, butter, and all the bad stuff. triglyceride, HDL, LDL are all good but the blood pressure wont go down. i drink lot of hibiscus tea and exercise regularly and thinking about drinking more coconut water but i want to know what you think. Pls help. Love what you do.Hi, i am not Dr. Greger but i sow your coment and i hope i can help, i am 24 now, and i had the blood preasure problem…not anymore :) if i might give you some advice about that tricky devil which made me go nuts trying to lower it for a long time. – Stop using salt at all for a couple a days, and see if the salt is the reason, is hard, i know but is an experiment you need to make yourself so you can decide to regulate sodium intake ,as efectively as you can(NOTICE MY MISTAKE : Soy souce is full of salt i used it a lot in salad dressing, keep truck of the hidden salt in foods. Notice when you measure your blood preassure(NOTICE M.M. :I eat a lot and allways after lunch i get my B.P. up 500ml greet tea, 500 ml hibiscus tea, a cup of cocoa, a cup of amla powder, sometims coffee < which is great, but experiment and see mabie the too much fluids you intake might be the cause of you H.B.P. that your body try to flush from your kidneys through urinating as soon, which is cool, but dont forget, that with a vegan diet we intake extra fluids from fruits and vegetable( which consist of 90% of water by themself, and the thing which you might think is a bit off i left for last, meditation…i know is wiard but for me all of these togather was the answer to my HBP and to my high Cholesterol and LDL.. http://www.helpguide.org&lt; sorry for my english, but i live in greece, stay well :)Bjurni Selfo, Although I had been severly overweight for years, I never had a blood pressure problem, partially because I rarely ate processed foods. If I did, I bought the lowest salt content I could find and put the salt shaker on the table for my husband (he has severely low blood pressure and will pass out unless he uses a huge amount of salt). However I did have high cholesterol as I learned when the hospital physician looking for ways to increase my bill order blood tests. My bad cholesterol was 300. He immediately put me on drugs, and I reacted. So he put me on more drugs to reduce the reaction, and I reacted to them. Finally, I insisted that I immediately change my diet and began to eat vegan and by the time I was released from the rehab unit, my cholesterol was (temporarily) closer to normal.It went up after I left the hospital while I was learning how to season foods without butter, avocado, coconut, and learning how to reduce my meat consumption. But, I was still eating wild Alaskan salmon, which made me feel better, but still contained cholesterol. With this chat room, I learned to truly eat vegan. (Fish has not been eaten for nearly a 1 1/2 years now, and my cholesterol is still about 100.I recommend learning how to season without salt –use herbs instead. Garlic also helps in two ways. It seems to open the arteries and allow the blood to flow more freely and other online physicians say it reduces blood cholesterol. I use fresh garlic often with ginger and turmeric root because they reduce pain and inflammation as well as Advil, but without the damage to the stomach.. BTW, seafood as in fish are fine. Seafood as in shell fish are high in cholesterol. Greece serves a lot of shellfish. It may be tough, but limit your consumption. I’m originally from Colorado and ate mostly beef. If I can reduce beef from my diet, you can reduce shell fish.Hope this helps.Thank you for your advice, but as i said, it was 325 until 5 or 6 months ago, now it must be under 150 and keeps going down :) and i feel very proud of it, and all this thanks to Dr. Greger advices and research :) , It is in worlds conception that we eat a lot of seafood here in greece, but that is not true, we do eat seafood as fish and shellfish, but not much, for matter of fact i dont know anyone who eats more than once a week and most of the time not even that, and in small portions, i know people corelate Greece>Mediteranean diet and seafood , but unfortunately that is not the case in now days people here eat a loooot of meat, with the most used meat to be pork, and if you come to greece you will see a loooot of obesity, i understood this is dificoult to digest but this is just how reality is here:) (By the way, i am speaking for the majority of the people not all of them, i live in a big city so that is what i have in minde.We loved our stay in Greece, and your Feta and lamb was outstanding, especially compared to the way animals are fed in the USA. U.S. meat animals are often fed corn and soy created in a laboratory with genetically modified organisms of another species like E-coli bacteria, soil pathogens or viruses. And now increasingly, GMO grasses, alfalfa, or hay. It is natural for livestock to eat “grasses”. All meat from farm raised fish, to cattle, pork, rabbits, lamb and everything in between are often grown in factory conditions that never see the light of day, are unable to stretch their legs, treated cruely by farm laborers who increase the risk of illness and pain to the animals.I no longer eat meat, Feta or seafood. Instead, I eat chick peas (garbanzo beans), lentils, cannellini and other beans with rice, quinoa, and various whole grains with lots of veggies, dark leafy greens, root veggies, tomatoes, basil, and various herbs and mints. But nothing tasted as delicious as the fresh vegetables grown without petrochemical pest controls, the fresh Feta cheeses at the little cafes where we stopped in Athens, on the isle of Rhodes, and on Thera and Mykonos, when we left the paths of the tourists and explored.Yes, we saw many overweight Greeks. But, we Americans are becoming the most obese people on the planet and our dietary problems are similar. Too many desserts, too much meat and cheese and not enough veggies, whole grains, and beans. And way too much sitting and not exercising. How life has changed from both of our ancestors.I visited Greece after I had a total knee replacement (fractured hip was replaced a year before), but the combination made walking difficult at best. And, there was so much walking. Whenever possible, my husband hired a car to take me to a specific place where I waited and sipped a fruit softee while he toured the Isle of Mykonos. I longed to visit the windmills, but found them beyond my reach, unable to walk that far so I sat and photographed them from afar. We would have loved to move to Mykonos, just from that one day we spent there.The first time I was ever obese was when I lived in Greece from ’83-’85. Greeks consume a LOT of olive oil, which is high in calories, as well as a lot of bread. Greeks do eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, which is the positive aspect of theri diet. Yes, America has the highest obesity rate in the world, but Greece is not far behind at 5th in the world. Greece also has a very high smoking rate. My stepmother is from there and her sister recently died of lung cancer, as she was a chain smoker, as many Greek are.You are correct. Greeks (and Italians) eat a lot of olive oil and while it is healthier than butter, it is still fat, which accumulates if not enough exercise occurs.I find it easier to reduce my fat consumption than increase my exercise although, I need to get away from my computer and exercise more often.And yes, there is a very high rate of smoking in Greece, Turkey and throughout most of the continent as well as in Russia, and China. My father did not die of lung cancer, although he was a chain smoker. He had heart problems and died of another mysterious cancer. He developed a fast growing brain cancer. The tumor was the size of an ostrich egg and turned him into a vegetable after it was removed. Within a week, the tumor grew back and he died.The air and water of Denver, Colorado is so toxic that after my father’s death and college, I moved to the mountains. My brother and moved moved to D.C. I think government secrecy was part of the reason for my father’s death. Experiments were done on people without their knowledge, and then there was the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a chemical weapons manufacturing center, cloaked in government secrecy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_Arsenal. My father often visited friends who lived in the proximity. Both of his friends also died of mysterious cancers.Many Americans have stopped smoking, but cancers continue, even lung cancers occur to non-smokers. Some non-smokers spray petrochemical pest controls, others use other solvents which increase the risk.This planet is increasingly become toxic; it’s not just Greece.Then you are lucky you didnt visit Santorini, cos you wouldnt have left from there, i live in Crete by the way, which is the biggest island of greece.And you are right, we do have a lot of fresh food here, but that is overpriced cos is not much that is why we import a lot, we do have live stock, sheep being the most, but it is not many if you compear it to the population so we import most of meat from holland, macedonia, and new zeland.And i can imagin the industrialized pig farms in holland and lamb and sheep in new zeland.The problem is that everything is getting industrialized and stufed with hormones and insecticides so they can compeat the price of the market, as a friend of mine sayed once, and he is a farmer, that he’s cocambers grow in one night just popping up like ballons, and he saied that you can actualy hear the sound of poping and growing when he spray them with some hormones so they can grow fast, and the grow like water ballon, and fish…..well we do have a lot of fish but most of it that you will finde in the market is from fishfarms just a few is from the sea and a lot more from import, cos they get more profit selling the ‘Greek Catch’ at other countries and selling the import at greece with higher price…i know is crazie and i dont want to disapoint you, but i realized all this when i noticed my cholesterol level going crazie when i was working to the hotel i used to work, where the food was amaizingly deliciouse, and i could eat plenty of ‘fresh fish’ from farms and fresh ‘shell fish’ from california and delicious lamb chops from New zeland…Freshly Frozen ;)But thanks to NutritionFacts i start realizing what is going on. and was dificoult at first, but now only veggies, fruits and legumes, nuts and seeds :) and my doctor got shoked when he sow the ldl and hdl level in just one month of a healthy vegan diet, my HDL doubled and my Chilesterol felt by 50 points per month almost, but as i sayed, cos of healthy vegan and not just vegan, cos i tried just vegan and didnt work even half as good as with the tip’s of Dr.Greger on nuts, seeds , beverages, spices and categorizing the veggies and fruits in healthy, healthier and super duper healthy :)We did spend the day in Santorini. My husband downloaded my images to a CD while I sat in a restaurant overlooking the Aegean Sea and the community of Fira.If I would have been able to walk, I would have had more of an affinity for this place, as it is so picturesque, and such a wonderful place to explore. It would have been even better if we could have spent the night on Santorini, but with a new knee replacement and placing most of my weight on a cane, walking the streets would have been treacherous for me. Check out a couple of my snapshots at: http://tinyurl.com/ckazq3m and http://tinyurl.com/c4rvd2mWell, i wish your knee is not a truble to you anymore to walk and travell, there are plenty of places around the world to visit and explore.So i guess if you couldnt walk, then you couldnt visit the Red, the Black and the White beach, mabie another time :)Hi Kobby,Do you limit your sodium? I am sure you do. But you didn’t mention it.Do you eat cheese? Cheese is not only high in cholesterol, but it’s high in salt content. My fingers hurt when I eat cheese. I can sense my arteries clogging. Fresh garlic helps reduce that sensation, but avoidance of shellfish, and eating vegan has really helped keep my cholesterol under control.I don’t know if coconut water is high in cholesterol. I recall reading that the “meat” of coconut is very high in cholesterol.http://www.livestrong.com/article/520888-side-effects-of-organic-coconut-oil/?utm_source=livestrong_opar&utm_medium=5Since there is so much confusion on coconuts, I wonder if the pro benefits are funded by vested interests. As for now, I err on the side of precaution, and avoid foods that are laden with controversy.There is no cholesterol in coconut water or coconut meat. No plant products contain any appreciable amounts of cholesterol. Since coconut oil is high in saturated fat, that might increase one’s cholesterol level, but that’s due to the saturated fat. There is no cholesterol in coconut oil.Of note (in relation to this video), it seems likely that coconut water (like flax and soy) contains phytoestrogens: http://rdo.psu.ac.th/sjstweb/journal/28-5/01-young-coconut-juice.pdfHypertension seems to correlate better with a high sodium-to-potassium ratio than it does with sodium alone. See Sodium and Potassium in the Pathogenesis of Hypertension, N Engl J Med 2007; 356:1966-1978 http://www.eglobalmed.com/opt/AmedeoLiteratureGuide/content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/356/19/1966.pdf for a review. So its also important to eat a high-potassium diet. Beans, tomatoes, potatoes, greens and yes bananas are all good sources, but be wary of the sodium added to canned vegetables.There are several salt substitute products on the market but most contain potassium chloride. Finding a low-potassium salt substitute is challenging, because there are few available. My mother used to use Morton Lite-Salt, which contains 50 percent less sodium than regular salt because it is blended with potassium chloride. It also contains iodine, an essential nutrient. Lite Salt has less potassium than other substitutes because it is mixed with sodium chloride. And, Morton warns that this product should NOT BE USED if you are on a sodium- or potassium-free diet.Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/379849-low-potassium-salt-substitutes/#ixzz2QC8CIk4WAlso, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SaltHow much sodium (salt) do you eat? Canned foods can have a lot. Check labels. Salt raises blood pressure within minutes.Salt is the reason my father’s blood pressure was high; and despite my weight, not using salt is the reason my blood pressure is very low! Physicians often have nurses check it twice, on each arm and are so surprised when my blood pressure shows a very low reading.Hence, I would say to avoiding salting your food, avoid buying processed foods, which are often highly salted. And instead adding celery, of which 1 cup chopped is 96mg of sodium, instead of salting foods.If you buy miso, beware it’s very high in sodium. I always buy Eden OrganicShiro Miso, Organic Rice & Soybean, which has the lowest sodium content of all I’ve seen, but the number is still quite high. So, I use a smaller amount and dilute.Processed foods contain lots of sodium/salt.Blood pressure is a common problem in todays society mostly because of the lifestyle we live with processed foods, little exercise and high stress loads. However here re some things to consider: 1. Do you really have high blood pressure? Blood pressure normally fluctuates during the day due to variations in activities, stress and hormones. So, to b sure you have high blood pressure see a health care professional to have it checked. Your family physicians office has the proper equipment to verify your pressure. 2. Use dietary and lifestyle changes to reduce and maintain healthy blood pressure. Limit salt intake to recommended milligram amounts established by your healthcare provider. Limiting salt intake may mean reducing or eliminating processed foods such as microwavable meals, convenience foods, deli foods, condiments such as ketchup, and canned soups/foods. Most salt intake is consumed in processed foods when sodium is added for taste and preservation to food during production. 3. After consulting with your family physician, start an age and health appropriate exercise routine. Walking is a great form of exercise with many health benefits, the most important being it strengthens the heart over time. Startslow as directed by your Doctor. 4. Add heart healthy herbs and spices to your diet. Garlic is known to improve blood pressure. However, consult your physician to prevent any medication conflicts. 5. Avoid dehydration. Dehydration can cause blood pressure fluctuations. 6. Dont smoke or eat cured or preserved meats. They are high in sodium. 7. Sleep enough hours each night appropriately for your health and age. Poor sleep can elevate stress hormones and elevate blood pressure. 8. Remove chemicals from your environment as much as possible. 9. Take time to participate in a leisure activity you enjoy. 10. Eliminate sources of conflict in your life. Conflict causes stress and can elevate blood pressure. Good luck-11. Dont consume caffiene or stimulating beverages. Coffee has large amounts of caffiene that can elevate blood pressure and energy drinks also. Even herbal teas can have caffiene and stimulating substances that can elevate blood pressure. Its best to eliminate them from your diet completely until your blood pressure is under control and your Doctor has determined its safe to reintroduce them to your diet in liited amounts. 12. Evaluate all herbal and over the counter substances and medications you are using for potential bood pressure elevating effects. Many over the counter medications can elevate your blood pressure. Some herbs can also elevate your blood pressure and can even increase risk of stroke.. even vitamins today are being formulated with herbs in them. 13. Discuss magnesium supplementation with your doctor. Magnesium can help reduce blood pressure when taken responsiblly as directed by your doctor. Your doctor may require a blood test to check your magnesium levels prior to supplementation. 14.Eat more potatoes. Potatoes are high in potassium, a mineral that relaxes blood vessel walls and reduces blood pressure. However, do not attempt potassium supplementation without direction and supervision from your doctor. Potassium supplements can reduce blood pressure to dangerously low levels if not used responsiblly.Good luck-15. Discuss niacin supplementation with your Doctor, niacin works to relax vessel walls nd reduce blood pressure, however as with any supplements or medications, discuss it with your doctor first for recommendations.Whew! I think thats enough to get you started. If lifestyle and dietary changes are not sufficient to normalize your blood pressure, then your cardiologist or primary physician will take the appropriate action to ensure your good health, which may include prescription beta blockers or other appropriate action. You may also want to see an endocrinologist if your blood pressure is difficult to control. There are tests an endocrinologist can do to determine if your high blood pressure is related to an endocrine problem. Certain endocrine disorders can elevate blood pressure as can kidney disease or even adrenal/kidney tumors.Wish you all the best – :)Data like this is so clear to me. Yet when I tried to share these videos with someone who is on Tamoxafin (sp?) and has gone through all the treatments for breast cancer, she said that flaxseeds have too much phytoestrogens in them for her to eat them. They were “counter-indicated”. Obviously, this is what her doctor and/or nutritionist is telling her. I understand why she feels she has to listen to them, but the situation drives me nuts. I wish more people could understand what the science is telling us.Thea,Your comments are always great and relevant.The problem is that in medschool you learn absolutely nothing about nutrition, diet and the relation to disease – and definitely nothing about treating/improving a disease with diet. NOTHING!And ask dr. Greger or John McDougall what happens if you mention diet and disease in a big fancy hospital…And look: Surgery is sexy, prescribing drugs is cool, and a MD talking about broccoli and seeds must be nuts……;-)Trust the minority – not the majority……Medical schools also do not teach physicians which questions to ask when someone has been exposed to pesticides, nor do they teach how to treat patients for pesticide poisoning.One physician to which I went said it was all in my mind. I did not return to him. If I know more than the doctor, that is a sad situation. Pesticide poisoning mimics symptoms/conditions of other diseases. Having numbness, tickling, tingling, burning, pricking, of a person’s skin with no apparent reason does not mean that one is lacking B-12. It may mean exposure to volatile organic compounds, including pesticides. This is especially true when a patent brings with them the container of the product they were using.Sometimes toxicological screening tests may not show what has occurred, as I found when I was exposed to DDVP, which has since been banned because it caused sterility in men. It was not banned because I coughed up blood for nearly a year, nor that I experienced cognitive damage including the inability to add up simple numbers, assemble easy puzzles, or remember the reasons for my actions. Those were blamed on my not paying attention.It takes a physician that is trained in toxicology to properly diagnose some one who has been poisoned, and one does not have to drink the chemical compound to experience these reactions.I also had similar reactions when overly exposed to Minwax chemical floor stripper, which permeated the gloves I was wearing and wetted my hands including fingers. But it was my breathing problems that put my occupational toxicologist trained internal medicine physician into action mode. I could exhale, but not completely inhale and either way, the breathing was shallow, not deep. This particular physician knew exactly what should be immediately done and went into emergency mode.beccadoggie10: You have been through so much in your life. Your post is inspiring to me, though. You clearly stayed strong and advocated for yourself. That’s not easy. Good for you.I sincerely feel that the only reason I’m still alive is because of eating certified organic non-processed foods since 1986. Most of the chemical poisoning occurred in 1982 and 1999. Since 1999, I’ve tried very hard to avoid toxic shampoos, pharmaceuticals, and other products. Not always successful however.Recently, my hair dresser “fired me” because I insulted him, saying that he gave me a bad hair cut. Before he fired me, he insisted on washing my hair with his shampoo, something I rejected for years, but desperately needed a hair cut.My scalp burned for 3 days thereafter, even though the first thing I did when arriving home was to wash my hair again. (It had been washed in baking soda and Dr. Bronner’s gentle liquid soap prior to going, but that wasn’t good enough for him.) After the burning stopped, the itching began.Cosmetics, alike shampoos are NOT regulated by the federal government. Read the Environmental Working Group report, Skin Deep on shampoo. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/browse/shampoo/But, in the mean time, he told me never to come back again. And, after that episode, of his ignoring my wishes three times (once with his toxic shampoo because he insisted he wash my hair after I just washed it, and another time when he blew my hair dry before I drove to the pool where I took physical therapy and had to be swimming) and then charged me extra for this.I was willing to pay him not to wash my hair and not to blow it dry, but he refused.I have no desire to ever return or recommend him to anyone.Hey Doc, thanks for the kind words!re: “And look: Surgery is sexy, prescribing drugs is cool, and a MD talking about broccoli and seeds must be nuts” You made me laugh. :-)I’m glad there are doc like you around.State hospitals are funded by either the chemical or pharmaceutical industry, which are basically the same thing. The economy is run of prescribing pharmaceuticals, or pushing surgery, and making people sick.I am chemically sensitive thanks to exposures to volatile organic compounds which are also in aerosols and the Swifter floor cleaners which the hospital cleanup crew used. They made me dizzy, spaced out, and like on was in a brain fog. But, it was against hospital policy that I bring my air purifier from home which reduced VOCs in my ambient environment. Instead, they pushed drugs! Drugs I had never taken before in my life. And with reactions to drugs meant layering me on additionally drugs. By the time I checked out two weeks later, I was on 10 drugs that I never had before in my life (and did NOT renew).When I requested steamed broccoli, I received mushy, pressure cooked broccoli without nutrients. When I refused to eat meat because it contained cholesterol, the physician prescribed unseasoned beans and white rice (without fiber or the nutrients, which are in brown rice); the hospital would not even let me used garlic, ginger or turmeric. Yuk! It was awful but I did not want drugs. Everyone else welcomed friend chicken, but I refused to eat it.When I wanted to be on the rehab floor after receiving a total knee replacement the following year, I was told that I would have to have my good knee replaced to be on the floor. That makes no sense whatsoever. There was and is still nothing wrong with my good knee. Plus, the life span of a prosthesis is only 10 years.In a way, I hope they do reduce Medicare and reduce the unnecessary surgeries that most people have. People can reduce the inflammation and pain without surgery and drugs, using exercise, water therapy, and fresh herbs (garlic, ginger, and turmeric). I just did not know that then. Plus, my injured knee kept leaving the cradle. I would suddenly become detached while walking with a cane and did not dare walk without a cane.If you have to go into the hospital again, tell them you are a vegan – or at least a vegetarian. Request salads and lots of raw vegetables. (bring your own seasonings, shhhh…)Salads and most raw veggies do not have all the nutrients we need when eating vegan. We also need whole grains and beans/lentil/legumes to make complimentary proteins. I get very hungry just eating veggies. Plus, what I discovered in the hospital is they consider lettuce a healthy veggie. Lettuce is basically water, and there is little nutrition in it. It’s not like a dark, leafy green. I hope I never have to go to the hospital again. It’s a very toxic place.Phytoestrogens are good things, not bad things. They fill up your estrogen receptor sites and protect you from common female diseases caused by having too much estrogen.Very interesting! Do you know if they used whole flax seed or ground flax seed? I have read that whole flaxseed doesn’t get digested so if that is true, would whole flax seed have these benefits?1/4 cup ground flax seed per day. You can read it in the report he put on the screen, and he says it in the video. I recommend you grind it fresh in a little coffee grinder and add it to your daily green smoothie.It was ground flaxseed – Just 1 tablespoon with breakfast.I just googled “flaxseed nausea” and got a lot of hits… apparently I’m not alone. Wish I knew why, though – or some sort of work-around.tzulu, your reaction is a serious bummer. It’s nice to know you are not alone, but it would be even nicer not to have a flaxseed problem.On the plus side, your diet that you described above sounds so amazingly healthy. I am in awe. I think you are doing all that you can to take care of yourself.A thought: If I understood your original post correctly, it sounds like you can tolerate some amount of flaxseed, just not as much as a tablespoon a day. So, I wonder if your body is responding to flaxseed the way other people respond to beans when they aren’t used to eating them. On that theory, then, you might be able to start with small amounts of flaxseed (a half teaspoon a day?) and slowly work your way up to more. Maybe?This is just a wild, lay-persons idea. I’m not saying I know what is going on or if it will work or not. It just seems like in your case, trying to work the flaxseed into your diet would be worth the effort – IF you can do so without making yourself miserable.My other thought was that some people react flatulent-ly to beans because they don’t have the right gut bacteria to process it. I wonder it that is possible (hard to imagine given your healthy diet) if you simply lack the gut bacteria to process flax and maybe that could be fixed.The purpose of this post is just to try to provide some support. Good luck!Thanks so much for your thoughtful response, Thea. I think I will try your suggestion of adding it slowly back into my daily diet. And the gut flora issue had crossed my mind. I can only imagine what affects the chemo could have had system wide – there too, I assume? I have started including probiotics with that in mind. Thanks again!One tablespoon with breakfast is doable. I could also add some to a fast scratch muffin recipe to get my husband to eat some, as well.Can anyone advise me – I seem to be Flaxseed intolerant???I have included a tablespoon of ground flaxseed occasionally in my diet and have recently I tried to increase that to a daily tablespoon and have experienced extreme bloating and nausea – to the point that I was barely able to eat on those days… I also was experiencing constipation. In general, I would describe my diet as excellent; I am entirely vegan, approximately 70% raw. I was prescribed Tamoxifen, but had to stop taking that because of unbearable side affects. I am relieved to stop taking it anyhow – So tired of all of the chemo treatments!I soak 2 tablespoons of whole flax seeds overnight and eat them with my breakfast. Maybe this will help.That study is from 2005. With tumor reduction levels like that, why haven’t we heard more about it since then?If women consume 1/4 cup of flaxseeds per day, can we can PREVENT breast cancer?We are neglecting sesame seed here which is usually more easily digested. A mixture of flax and sesame is possibly best as it balances omega 3s and 6s.Nutr Cancer. 2012;64(1):65-71. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2012.630165. Epub 2011 Dec 2.Comparative effects of sesame seed lignan and flaxseed lignan in reducing the growth of human breast tumors (MCF-7) at high levels of circulating estrogen in athymic mice.AbstractFlaxseed (FS) has a breast tumor-reducing effect, possibly because of its high content of secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) lignan. Sesame seed (SS) is rich in the lignan sesamin (SES) but is non-protective. Both lignans are metabolized to estrogen-like enterodiol and enterolactone. The objective of this study was to differentiate the effects of SDG and SES on established human estrogen receptor-positive breast tumors (MCF-7) in athymic mice with high serum estrogen to help explain the different effects of FS and SS. Mice were fed for 8 wk the basal diet (BD, control) or BD supplemented with 1 g/kg SDG or SES. SES reduced palpable tumor size by 23% compared to control, whereas SDG did not differ from SES or control. Both treatments reduced tumor cell proliferation, but only SES increased apoptosis. SDG and SES reduced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and endothelial growth factor receptor expressions, but only SES reduced downstream pMAPK. Neither treatment affected IGF-1R, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2, Akt, pAkt, or MAPK of the growth factor signaling pathway. Thus, at high serum estrogen levels, SDG may not account for the tumor reducing effect of FS. SES was more effective than SDG in reducing breast tumor growth, but its effect may have been lost when consumed as a component of SS.Dr. Gregor,In this test study, were the participants eating a heathy diet in addition to the flax seed or were they eating the typical standard diet?Also, do you have a recipe that has the right amount of flax seed in each muffin, or can you take any muffin recipe and add the right amount of ground flax seed without ruining the recipe?For a 1 dozen muffin recipe, that would be about 3 cups of flaxseed. I’m interested in this because I have a friend that has breast cancer and would like to find a tasty, healthy muffin recipe to offer her.Thanks for all your helpful videos. I just subscribed about a month ago and it’s great getting nutritional studies to watch and listen to in my box each morning. Much nicer than having to always read everything. What a great idea!WAIT A MINUTE! If I ate 1/4 cup of flaxseed everyday I would have to LIVE in the bathroom. Important question – was that ground flax seeds or whole flax seeds? They do completely different things on their way to their final destination.Ground flaxseed is always best, but flaxseeds are not laxatives. Yes they are high in fiber but so is nearly every other plant food. Flaxseeds are not exceptionally unique in this way.How much flax seed is needed per day to achieve these results?Dr. Greger recommends 2-3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed per dayWhat about cooking (muffins) with flaxseed. Doesn’t cooking destroy the benefits of flaxseeds?Dr. Greger,Do you have a comparison between golden and brown flaxseeds?In another video he states that there is no difference in performance between the colors.Enjoy the taste of pumpkin pie, minus the baking, fat, and calories of your standard pie plus the benefits of flaxseed meal.Wannabe Pumpkin Pie Filling– 1 banana, mashed – 2 tbsp flaxseed meal – 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/ – Pinch ground ginger – Pinch nutmeg – Pinch ground clovesMash all ingredients together and feel good about enjoying this antioxidant-rich, pumpkin-pie-filling-esque treat as a healthy snack or dessert.~Complements of lovestobeveganWill Flax Seed Oil in capsule form has equal benefit as Flax Sees. How much quantity of 500mg of Flax Seed Oil capsules will be required for a day for consumption by a Breast Cancer patient?I would think you would get more benefit from the ground seeds if you were going to choose between the oil and ground seeds.Dear Doctor,Thanks very much  for the reply Warm regards, Dana BabuA large part of the benefits from flax seeds comes from the fiber content. Oil has no fiber. It is not a whole food. I grind enough flax seed for the week so that i don’t have to grind each day, and store bulk seeds in the refrigerator.I am on chemo for breast cancer and my doctor just told me today to quit taking flax. She said I should take it while I am doing chemo. I am on carboplatin,docetaxe, trastuzumab, pertuzumab, Does this seem right?I am on chemo for breast cancer and my doctor just told me today to quit taking flax. She said I should not take it while I am doing chemo. I am on carboplatin,docetaxe, trastuzumab, pertuzumab, Does this seem right?Can flax seeds give you breast cancer	breast cancer,breast cancer survival,cancer,chemotherapy,flax seeds,lignans,medications,metastases,plant-based diets,seeds,tamoxifen,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial of flaxseeds in breast cancer patients finds flax appears to have the potential to reduce tumor growth in just a matter of weeks.	The population data I mention at the beginning is from the previous video Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Survival: Epidemiological Evidence. And before that, the role lignan phytonutrients may play in prevention: Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Prevention.I have some more videos coming up on the role diet plays in angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels to enable tumors to grow, but I have touched on it already in Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease and How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies.The results here are similar to what was found with the other class of phytoestrogens found in soy (Breast Cancer Survival and Soy). A study similar to this was carried out in prostate cancer patients: Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer. This is the final video of a series on flax. Also feel free to check out the ones on diabetes and sensitive skin.For some context, please also check out my associated blog posts: Treating Sensitive Skin From the Inside Out and Flax and Breast Cancer Prevention 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/15/flaxseeds-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lignans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tamoxifen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20724470,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18614351,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22037685,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15897583,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21900115,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22094938,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21900107,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20463043,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20033482,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21984941,
PLAIN-2771	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/	Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Survival: Epidemiological Evidence	The class of phytonutrients known as lignans can be thought of as the Western equivalent of the isoflavone phytoestrogens found in soy foods popular in traditional Asian diets, as they share many purported anti-cancer mechanisms. Since soy food consumption is associated with both preventing breast cancer and prolonging breast cancer survival, one might expect the same to be found for lignans. There covered the population-based, in-vitro, and clinical evidence supporting prevention, but what about for women already diagnosed with the dreaded disease? Three studies following a total of thousands of women diagnosed with breast cancer were recently published. The first was from New York, reporting substantially reduced risks of overall mortality, and especially breast cancer mortality, associated with higher lignan intakes in postmenopausal women. Although higher lignan intakes may just be a marker of a diet high in plant foods, specific combinations of foods particularly high in lignans may be necessary to produce effects on mortality-related risk factors to subsequently impact survival." The next was out of Italy. At surgery, when the women were getting their primary breast tumors removed, they had some blood drawn and within 5 years those who had lower circulating levels of lignans were significantly more likely to die from their cancer coming back than those with more lignans in their bloodstream. They concluded, "Lignans might play an important role in reducing all-cause and cancer-specific mortality of the patients operated on for breast cancer." And same thing out of Germany, in the latest and largest study to date, Postmenopausal patients with breast cancer who have high serum enterolactone levels may have better survival." Here's the survival curve, the higher the better. Those who had the most lignans in their blood lived the longest and tended to live the longest disease free. So what should oncologists tell their patients?  "Given this objective evidence that a biomarker of lignan intake improves breast cancer outcomes, should we declare success and recommend that our patients with breast cancer supplement their diet with flaxseed?" Not based on population evidence alone, the editorial concluded, robust experimental evidence is needed, which I'll cover in the next video…	If you happen to follow Caldwell Esselstyn’s version of a whole-food plant-based diet, you’re already supplementing daily with 1TB ground flaxseed for omega 3’s. Since the series on fenugreek as an anti-cancer agent, I added a Tsp of ground fg seed (very bitter to start but maybe I’ve begun to like it) same with the hybiscus and green teas. My question is after you’ve been living like this for several years (20+years vegan, fit/slender pushing 60 no health issues), what should you specifically look for (and look out for) in your blood and other tests — living long-term as a WFPB vegan? Maybe this could be worth a series. Thanks.Off topic – just calling attention to a fascinating story in today’s NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/health/study-points-to-new-culprit-in-heart-disease.html?_r=0The gut bacteria of omnivores convert the amino acid carnitine in meats into trimethylamine n-oxide, and high TMAO serum levels were predictive of a 3-fold higher risk of heart attack/stroke/death (2.5 fold adjusted) in this paper http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1665659The diet of vegans evidently doesn’t support the same gut microbiota, so they didn’t produce TMAO, even when given carnitine supplements.Darryl: I wanted to thank you for your posts in general. You have supplied some great information to this site. While I have not responded to your posts before, I wanted you to know that I have read your posts and really appreciated them!Dr. Greger I’m hoping with Angelina Jolie’s recent disclosure that she had a preventative double mastectomy you could highlight all of your wonderful videos and articles on breast cancer prevention through diet (and perhaps speak to this in a new article?). Women really need this information. Thank you!	Asia,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,cancer,flax seeds,Germany,isoflavones,lifespan,lignans,longevity,mortality,phytoestrogens,phytonutrients,seeds,soy,surgery,women's health	Lignan intake is associated with improved breast cancer survival in three recent population studies following a total of thousands of women after diagnosis.	For more on breast cancer survival, see:What about the role of flaxseeds in preventing breast cancer in the first place? See the previous video Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Prevention. In the next video Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Survival: Clinical Evidence, I'll detail a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial in breast cancer patients where flaxseeds are actually put to the test.For some context, please also check out my associated blog posts: Treating Sensitive Skin From the Inside Out, Flax and Breast Cancer Prevention , and  Flax and Breast Cancer Survival 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/15/flaxseeds-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lignans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/germany/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/isoflavones/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18614351,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2955777/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2883619/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22037685,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15897583,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21900115,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22094938,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21900107,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20463043,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21984941,
PLAIN-2772	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/	Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Prevention	A quarter century ago, a theory was put forth as to why those eating plant-based diets have lower cancer rates.  Vegetarians appeared to have about twice the level of lignans circulating within their bodies, related to the amount of grains and other plant foods they were eating. Back in 1980 a new compound was described in human urine, a compound X, originally thought to be a new human hormone, but later identified to be from a large group of fiber-associated compounds widely distributed in edible plants known as lignans. Population studies suggest that high intake reduces breast cancer risk, but where's it found? Seeds, whole grains, vegetables, fruits and berries. So why isn't it just like the fiber story where lignan intake is just a surrogate marker for healthy plant food intake. Well in a petri dish lignans do directly suppress the proliferation of breast cancer cells but only after the plant lignans are converted into human lignans by the bacteria in our gut. That's why we want to use antibiotics judiciously, because a few days on antibiotics dramatically drops your body's ability to make these anticancer compounds from the plants that we eat, and it can take weeks for our gut bacteria to recover. That's why women with urinary tract infections may be at higher risk for breast cancer, because every time they took a course of antibiotics they were stymying their good bacteria's ability to take full advantage of all the plants they were eating, though this remains little more than a hypothesis or educated guess at this point. This is the National Cancer Institute study that provided the strongest evidence to date that there may indeed be something special about this class of phytonutrients for breast cancer prevention. They took a bunch of young women at high risk for breast cancer, meaning they had a suspicious breast biopsy, showing either atypical hyperplasia or carcinoma in situ, or already had breast cancer in the other breast, and gave them a teaspoon of ground flaxseeds every day for a year before getting a repeat needle biopsy to see if there was any change. Yes, there are lignans in sesame seeds, nuts, whole grains, legumes, certain fruits, and veggies, but they're most concentrated in flax seeds. They could have instead asked women to eat ten cups of strawberries a day for a year, but they'd probably get better compliance with just a teaspoon of flax. So what happened by the end of the year? The primary end point was the expression of a proliferation biomarker associated with cancer called ki-67. In 9 of the 45 women it went up, those in red, but in the other 80% of the women it went down. And indeed on average they found less cellular proliferation in their breast tissue, and fewer precancerous changes. For those that don't like the taste of flaxseeds, sesame seeds may work just as well. Even though flaxseeds have significantly more lignans than sesame, you appear to produce about the same amount of lignans from them, though this was comparing them whole, and when you feed people whole flaxseeds some may not get chewed and they can pass right through you, so ground flaxseed may be best.	Dr. Gregor,According to Jeff Novick, chia seeds are better utilized by the body as keeping flax seeds fresh is difficult. I had estrogen receptor positive Breast Ca in situ, stage 1 in 2009. Since then I use chia seeds in my morning smoothie. Are there sufficient lignans in chia seeds? I don’t grind them, should I?Milled chia seeds are being marketed now, so I expect yes.I’d like Dr Greger to evaluate any further research on chia versus flax. So far, he’s favored flax versus chia, though including both in one’s diet is great for variety.Storing ground flax is not “difficult”. That sounds like marketing.Whole seeds are stable for long long time against oxidation. Even Flax. Research shows that even ground flaxseed is stable for a month at room temperature. A cheap coffee grinder makes short work of a tablespoon of flaxseed. Grind daily if you are concerned. I dearly wish I could tolerate it myself! Good luckI grind a half pound at a time and store in a mason jar in the fridge. Can’t be bothered with daily cleanup or with watching the calendar. ;-)Unlike flax (with its lignans) or soy (with its isoflavones), there’s no phytoestrogen modulating normal estrogen binding in chia.Some (eg. bodybuilders) prefer chia for this very reason.Chia fats are readily absorbed without milling, unlike flax.Body builders have been misguided about the moderate consumption of phytoestrogens. They are beneficial, even to men.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/Of course, moderation and bodybuilding are not often bedfellows.Put them in the fridge. Problem solved.Dr. Greger covers this herehttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/Flaxseeds win out in terms of lignans.For those who don’t like the taste of flaxseeds, golden flax seeds have a much milder flavor. And that’s why I prefer the dark ones.MacSmiley: Funny you should say this. I found a website describing the difference between golden and brown and they said the brown ones are milder. :-)Perhaps the thing to do it for people to try the other type if they haven’t yet. Also, I think the easiest thing to do is mix it up in something where you won’t be tasting the flax seed at all. I don’t taste them in my chocolate oatmeal and others don’t taste them in their smoothies.How do you eat your flax seed?To each his own.I eat one tablespoon a day of ground brown flaxseed. Half a tablespoon goes in my smoothie and half in my oatmeal. (Take old-fashioned rolled oats, add boiled water and flaxseed, and let it sit for 5 minutes.) I then pour a little of my smoothie into the oatmeal for flavor.Interesting! Thanks for sharing.I’ve never liked cooked oatmeal but always loved granola and oatmeal cookies. So I was grateful to Dr. Esselstyn for pointing out in an interview that rolled oats are already cooked. The grain is steamed before it is rolled flat. It’s the only processed food I eat.I do not like cooked rolled oatmeal either! I believe it is mostly a texture problem for me.A couple years ago, I discovered steel cut oatmeal. That was a big moment for me. All of sudden, I was liking oatmeal, at least the way I started preparing it.More recently, I modified an idea that I got from (I think) Dreena Burton: I take whole, raw (organic) groats (the whole grain oatmeal) and grind them up in my blender to pretty much a powder. Than each morning, I mix some fo that with: ground flax seed, alma powder pinch, cocoa powder, home-made date paste and almond milk. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir. Then microwave for 1-2 more minutes. I then mound it up in the center of the bowl and poor in a moat of almond milk before eating. I love it. This idea works with other grains too such as wheatberries and millet.Just thought I would share some oatmeal ideas.Texture. You nailed the problem. Glad you found a solution suited to your preference.Aloha Dr. Greger,You cover in this video the adverse effect that antibiotics have on gut flora which raises a question for us as to other substances, foods, beverages etc. that could adversely affect gut flora. We are wondering specifically about alcoholic beverages generally and in particular red wine.Thank youSee http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/95/6/1323.short for the the effect of wine on microbiota.Another study at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=21885731 found found correlation with anthocyanins (grape & berry pigments) and microbiota composition, but no association with wine after adjusting for the anthocyanins.This is quite the best site I have found on the web.agree!Your posts are fascinating and informative. Thanks for the science lessons, which should be common sense.This is the real Mayo Clinic I think, saying some really cautionary stuff about flaxseed: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/NS_patient-flaxseed/DSECTION=safetyWhen you ignore the “balance” and tout the wonderfulness of something you are obviously sold on you put yourself on par with Dr. Oz (BARF!). Isn’t the Mayo some of the science that your read so we don’t have to?I love you, you save many lives …among them mine. This question sounds harsh on rereading…becasuse i have no tact. forgive me but I have been so sick for so long trying to get the goodness of flax. I blow up with major IBS flare up everytime I grind up a tablespoon of flaxseed into my porridge. No Flax = wonderful quality throne time.Cambria wouldn’t you then just decide flax isn’t for you? Don’t eat it. We hear so much about the benefits of turmeric but it doesn’t like me. (Mad rush to the toilet) That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t still recommend someone with joint pain give it a try to see if they get relief. Better than a daily dose of NSAID.I agree, just like wheat or certain whole grains may not be for someone who is gluten intolerant, and nuts may not be for someone who has nut allergies, it seems that flax seeds can be put in this category as well. Although, I do have to say that the Mayo web-site link did mention some interesting cautionary effects regarding flax seed safety, side effects, and warnings; some directly counter to what has been stated on this site. I’m not sure if the Mayo claims should be ignored, either.You might have a iodine deficiency if you have pain. Pain often disappears with Iodine. Did you remove salt from your diet? I think the salt in snacks should have iodine. At the first sign of pain, have some iodine. Sea salt is the worst. Table salt is great. Perhaps Iodine is being rationed.does toasting flax seed kill it’s value?From studies on flax processing (most behind paywalls) the lignan content (and hence estrogen antagonist effect) seems uneffected by sterilizing heat, though broiler heat is higher. Recovery of flax α-linolenic acid (its anti-inflammatory omega-3 fat) goes down by about a quarter when flax is baked in goods.Sesame lignans can stand microwave roasting for 30 minutes losing only about 20%.There’s not a lot in the literature, but it seems toasting would reduce beneficial compounds somewhat, not kill them.Great response!On the news this morning was an item about organic apples and pears being sprayed with antibiotics. As a result, antibiotic resistant bacteria are developing. Apparently there is a loophole for farmers to do this. I don’t want to give up these fruits. How safe is it to eat them and what can we do to protect ourselves, if we do? Thank you. –AliceJYou are correct there are a lot of loopholes and beyond that some farmers and folks in the food processing industry break the rules. The best way to avoid chemicals in the environment is to avoid animal products… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/ and see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/. Going beyond that we can protect ourselves by washing our produce wash our produce and to buy organic and non GMO foods.Does flaxseed oil have any of the benefits like ground flaxseeds?Flaxseed oil and flaxseeds have very different nutrition profileshttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/7554/2http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3163/2What makes ground flaxseed so healthful is the lignans, fiber and other phytonutrients, all of which are lost when in oil form. Also notice the significant increase in calories.Whats about flaxseeds and cadmium and cyano glycoside and these study:Health aspects of partially defatted flaxseed, including effects on serum lipids, oxidative measures, and ex vivo androgen and progestin activity: a controlled crossover trial ? Thank you for an answer. By the way excuse my bad grammar because i´m from germany.Dr. Greger, Thank you for making empirically based nutrition information so easily accessible! After watching your videos regarding nutrition and breast cancer prevention and survival I am wondering if there is any specific information regarding nutrition and premenopausal breast cancer associated with inherited mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes? These women are at high risk (60-80% increased risk from what I’ve read); were they included in this study? If not, is there data on this anywhere? Thanks!I don’t know if the beech tree is very common in the States, but here in Europe I often go beech nut gathering. It strikes me that linseed, which I’ve only recently been adding to my morning oatmeal, has a somewhat similar taste. Has the beech nut come up in any nutrional studies? Thanks for all the hard work doctor.I have heard that flax has estrogenic effects & therefore, women should be cautious. I am a healthy middle-aged female & eat whole flax daily. Should I be concerned?Holy hell! I’m eating 2 TABLESPOONS of the ground flax each day…so far, so good at age 57, just saying…ground flax is awesome from all perspectives I’ve researched!My wife throws 2T flax in a vitamix with 3 dates and 2cups hot water and some cinnamon (can also add vanilla or vanilla bean)-and its a yummy warm shake-like drink to have as dessert or as a companion to some fresh veggie juice.In the Ki-67 biomarker study, 9 individuals showed increase in this biomarker after eating flax. Doesn’t anyone find that scary? Weren’t some individuals responding to the lignans adversely? For 20percent of the women breast cancer risk increased right? I want to know more about this study. A sample of 45 is not that big. My mother died of estrogen driven breast cancer. I eat plant based but maybe I should avoid flax. It’s frustrating because I love flax and would eat it daily if I didn’t have doubts.	antibiotics,berries,bile acids,breast cancer,cancer,fiber,flax seeds,fruit,grains,gut flora,legumes,lignans,National Cancer Institute,nuts,omnivores,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,seeds,sesame seeds,strawberries,urinary tract infections,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health	Young women at high risk for breast cancer given just a teaspoon of ground flaxseeds a day showed fewer precancerous changes.	Today starts a three-part video series on the role flaxseeds may play in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. I covered their role in prostate cancer in Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer and Was It the Flaxseed, Fat Restriction, or Both?. Then for blood sugar control (Flaxseed vs. Diabetes) and skin health (Flaxseeds For Sensitive Skin).When I say "why isn't it just like the fiber story" I'm referring to the previous video Fiber vs. Breast Cancer. The graph comparing the lignan contents of various foods is from this video: Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake. Sorry if I covered the UTI-breast cancer connection a little fast—more background on the role our good bacteria play in Flax and Fecal Flora. As I note in the Flaxseeds For Sensitive Skin video, ground flax stays fresh even at room temperature for at least a month.What if you or a loved one has already been diagnosed with breast cancer, though? Hopefully you'll find the next two videos useful: Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Survival: Epidemiological Evidence and Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Survival: Clinical Evidence.For some context, please also check out my associated blog posts: Treating Sensitive Skin From the Inside Out, Flax and Breast Cancer Prevention , and Flax and Breast Cancer Survival 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/15/flaxseeds-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cancer-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urinary-tract-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lignans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sesame-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-clinical-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival-epidemiological-evidence/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20724470,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16201847,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22037685,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2374435/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22094938,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14521311,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21900107,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6253812,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20463043,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17576639,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7432490,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22234738,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3027456,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21900115,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20494649,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21915130,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14674738,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21056282,
PLAIN-2773	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/	Fiber vs. Breast Cancer	A recent editorial in the journal of the American Association for Cancer Research starts out “There are far too many breast cancer survivors,” by which she means it's great that women with breast cancer are living longer, but lamenting the fact that the number of women getting breast cancer in the first place isn't going down. 'A million women every year. As with any other epidemic, identification and aggressive reduction of any reversible risk factors must become an immediate priority. One such risk factor appears to be inadequate fiber consumption. For example, this new study out of Yale. Among pre-menopausal women, higher intake of soluble fiber (highest versus lowest quartile of intake) was associated with a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer, 62% lower odds. And when they just looked at younger women with the hardest to treat tumors, the estrogen receptor negative tumors, then those eating the most fiber appeared to have 85% lower odds of breast cancer. This is what's called case-control study, where you compare women who already have disease to those that don't and you ask both to tell you what they used to eat. And so how they get these statistics is that the breast cancer patients were significantly less likely to report eating lots of plant foods, the only natural place fiber is found. The reason it's important to understand how they arrived at their conclusion is that maybe it's not the fiber at all that's what's so protective. The reduced risk of breast cancer associated with dietary fiber intake observed in this study may in fact indirectly reflect the effects from other dietary nutrients, and thus dietary fiber here may simply act as a marker for other exposures which have been linked to a reduced risk of human cancer as well, such as folate, phytochemicals, carotenoids, vitamin C and E which are also like dietary fiber found in plant foods, such as vegetables, fruits, and pulses (legumes, beans peas lentils soy), as well as in grains. And look, if you're eating more plants, you may be eating fewer animals. An increased consumption of fiber from foods of plant origin (such as vegetables, fruits, and grains) may reflect a reduced consumption of foods of animal origin. A combined analysis of a dozen such studies published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute show they all found pretty much the same thing, a consistent, statistically significant, association between breast cancer risk and saturated fat intake, which is mostly from cheese and chicken, and consistent protective effect for a number of markers of fruit and vegetable intake was demonstrated; such as  , which like fiber, is basically only found in plant founds.  Every 20 grams of fiber a day was associated with a 15% drop in breast cancer risk. Case control studies are susceptible to something called recall bias, though, since they rely on people's memory. If people with cancer are more likely to selectively remember all the bad things they ate, since they may be feeling responsible for their condition, it could artificially inflate the correlation; so prospective cohort studies may provide stronger evidence.That's where you take a bunch of healthy women and follow them and their diets over time to see who gets cancer and who doesn't. By 2011, 10 such studies had been done, and the same thing was found. Every 10-g/d increment in dietary fiber intake was associated with a significant 7% reduction in breast cancer risk. Pretty much the same the other studies found, remember, 15% for every 20 grams? This has important public health implications. That was 2011. By 2012 we were up to 16 prospective, or forward-looking studies on dietary fiber and breast cancer, and they found the same thing.  But for the first time it showed a nonlinear response. The more fiber you eat the more benefit you appear to get. American women eat a little under 15 grams of fiber a day, less than half the minimum daily recommendation. Maybe that's why vegetarian women may have lower breast cancer rates, more plant foods equals more fiber. But vegetarians only seem to be averaging about 20 grams a day. So one might really have to venture out into vegan territory, off the chart at 47 grams a day, or a really healthy vegan diet (59), or eat lots of vegan thai food averaging 68.7.	Wow, those vegan Thai people.The statistic on vegetarian fiber intake really surprised me. Only 20 grams!I think there is a correlation with my high fiber diet and farting up a storm. I know Dr. Greger addressed the gas issue. In my experience that is still a big reason why many people avoid high fiber foods.Haha! How long have you been vegan? Or are you vegan?In hindsight, my gas level has actually decreased significantly since going vegan. I don’t know if it’s because I’m actually eating more of the presumably offensive foods (cabbage, cauliflower, etc) on a regular basis and have gotten more used to them, or if it’s that I’m not eating them in combination with meat left to putrefy in my gut. Don’t know, don’t really care. I guess I still toot, but it’s like it’s just air, no smell. That probably sounds like the most conceited high falootin vegan comment ever and may be tmi, sorry!Anyway, perhaps you’re just sensitive to certain foods? Have you tried an elimination diet experiment? Or conversely eating the crap out of the potentially offending foods to see if your body builds up a resistance of sorts? Best of luck! And at least farts are better than cancer. All the best.One more thing: I find I can eat an unlimited amount of naturally occurring plant fiber with no ill effects, but if I eat any of the “high fiber” cereals/breakfast bar products, where they add some sort of isolated refined fiber source, instant bloat.Since going vegan, I don’t know if I have more or less gas, but I do excrete a lot more, which is expected.This is important info – I would like all women to know this – and take action. The answer to fighting breast cancer is not screening and early detection, but to avoid it in the first place. A lot of problems with screening programs, but that`s another issue.Glad that there are a lot of survivors because of advanced treatment, but there are high morbidity – lymphedema after surgery, chemotherapy-related cognitive dysfunction etc.“Health magazines” promote milk to women to avoid osteoporosis, popular diets are high meat protein (which probably increase the risk for osteoporosis).Western diet sucks…….This is a *great* presentation because it packs so much compelling information in such a short little video. Thanks!Rant: What hit me so strongly after watching this video is how much this video and all of the studies it references so clearly backs up/repeats what researchers learned in the China Study decades ago. And yet you still get people like a recent poster on this site who actually think the China Study has been “debunked”. Argh. In fact, study after study after study after study… continue to build upon and support the conclusions of the China Study.It becomes the same argument you have with people who talk about Human-Made Global Climate Change being “debunked” or President Obama being born in Kenya. People believe what they want to believe regardless of the known, sound science or facts presented. It’s exhausting thinking about the lack of education and critical thinking skills found in humanity (especially Americans?).OK, rant over.While exhausting, it does highlight why sites like NutritionFacts are so important. I’m grateful not only to Dr. Greger for donating his time for this site, but also the great posters who help answer questions with quality information. I hope that this site will be able to get enough donations to keep running strong.I find it interesting that (as I see it) the discussion (in balanced science) is whether meat is harmful or neutral, and whether vegetables, fruit and legumes are healthful or very healthful. All (sciencebased) public health authorities recommends less meat, and more fruit and vegetables. Not the other way round. Why not go all the way…..re: “Why not go all the way.” Exactly. As the graph in the video shows, you can make great strides in your diet (say getting 20 grams of fiber) relative to people who eat SAD and still not get dramatic health benefits. The health benefits / risk reductions are a sliding scale depending on how far you go. But that sliding scale is not always linear. If you really want to reduce that breast (or pick your popular ) cancer risk to practically zero, the way to do it is with a whole-plant food diet, or “go all the way”.re: “All (sciencebased) public health authorities recommends…” If you haven’t already read the The China Study, I highly recommend at least reading the last part of the book. You will get a huge education on the politics of nutritional science. It explains a lot on how our recommendations have traditionally been formed. Shocking stuff. (At least it was to me. Blew me away.)Agreed! The psychology of eating is so interesting. I always say to people, hey, the majority of *everyone’s* diet should be vegan. Fruits, veggies, beans. Right? And people are forced to agree.And if you were to show most people a 95% plant based diet, they’ll think it’s super duper healthy, but if you go that extra five percent, they get scared.It’s like if someone told me that if I eat really healthy, I could probably get away with smoking a few cigarettes a day. Well fine, but no thanks. But people have a hard time believing that I don’t want the metaphorical cigarettes.Good pointThese naysayers aren’t scared. They just don’t want to give up their irresponsible behavior and “debunking” science is what they must do to justify their actions. Otherwise they have to admit their choices are stupid.I have been this person. It is hard to give up foods you enjoy, especially when high doses of salt, sugar, and fat cause your brain to fire off dopamine. For many, our unhealthy choices catch up with us and we make changes out of desperation.Yes, now and then, a study shows that there are no healthbenefits from eating fruit and vegetables – and everybody is happy and continue with SAD – but when you examine the study just a little, you find that one group was eating SAD + 2 servings of fruit or vegetables and the other group was eating SAD + 4 servings of fruit or vegetables (and ketchup was counting as a vegetable) – of course there is no difference in such a stupid study, but is shows what people want to hear, and it hits the newspapers.Dr. Michael Klaper with True North Health lectures that people are always eager to accept good news about their bad habits but quick to reject anything they don’t want to hear.I was amazed to read the press release issued by the Spanish government regarding their recent study on the “benefits” of olive oil. The press release reported the study was stopped early for ethical reasons because the olive oil benefits were so prevalent.What they did not mention is that there was a third group in the study where most of the olive oil was replaced by nuts and seeds as a source of fats. Those whole foods significantly outperformed the olive oil (something like a five-fold increase) while the olive oil only benefited cardiovascular health by a tiny margin.I suspect the study was stopped and the third group ignored because it actually proved olive oil is a bad health choice, unless perhaps you are substituting it for animal fat. What else can you expect when the study is done by a government with such a clear conflict of interest. I only read one report which stated that Spain had engineered and financed the study.I guess everyone’s reactions are different. I do actually remember a somewhat fearful feeling when I first decided to go vegan, because at that point in time I wasn’t aware of all the wonderful foods I would be adding to my diet. I was only thinking “I can’t eat this, I can’t eat that…”And we should remember that there are still people out there who genuinely think we eat nothing but lettuce and tofu, and that this is no doubt playing a role in their aversion to our diet.I personally think one of the best forms of outreach is showing people your food! I do believe I see a twinkle of jealousy in the eyes of those eating their greasy cafeteria sandwiches and Lean Cuisines at work.My MIL also seemed absolutely enamored when she saw my bean rice veggie bowl the last time we were over. I was just putting together the scraps I could find, but she thought it was just the most creative and delicious looking thing ever. They’re very meat n potatoes type.Bottom line we should never underestimate anyone’s potential to go vegan! Sometimes people really just need exposure to it.I agree that exposure to veganism educates people and anyone can go vegan. But my comment was directed at why people ultimately debunk a history of scientific evidence.When you talk to those who dispute that a plant-based diet will radically change one’s health, careful examination reveals they just don’t want to change their behavior because they believe it will be less pleasurable or inconvenient. This includes thinking you will not enjoy a vegan diet.While some people yield immediately to the scientific data, it is difficult for most people to change their behavior based on the degree of pleasure or convenience they perceive in their current choices when compared to alternatives.Greed and/or fear of loss are two instinctual motivators. These traits are a survival mechanism. They are become a character flaw when we do not change our behavior when the behavior has negative ramifications. Such circumstances tend to occur in situations where modern man has altered the terrain of his day-to-day life like diet or energy use.I initially thought recycling and paying attention to my carbon footprint would create many inconveniences but it wasn’t a bother at all. I found changing to a vegan diet to be a much harder and longer process (12 years). I always accepted the nutritional science but, like most people, still founds ways to justify my continued intake of meat and dairy because it pleased me and I was reluctant to change. Eventually poor health caught up with me and I had to change. It also became difficult to ignore my role in the horrific abuse of so many animals.Meditating: I’m sorry you have experienced health problems. Good for you, though, in doing something about it. I personally know people who would rather die than change their eating habits. And I agree with you that some people simply do not believe that eating healthy can equal eating delicious.One of the things that I often tell people, and which I think you would agree, is that it is important to educate oneself on the ethical side of eating. That’s because most people have at least a basic level of compassion for animals and other people and care about the future of the planet. It is quite common for people to believe with all of their mind that healthy eating = plant based eating. But they still can’t motivate themselves to change until they take the time to learn about the ethical/emotional side of their choices. Being healthy is as much about motivation (including overcoming fear) as it is about nutritional education. (*Not* that nutritional education is unimportant.)You are on a great path now. Congratulations.I have to agree with you about the ethics of eating animals. I just posted something on that to another comment here.It is amazing to me how growing, handling, preparing and eating foods which have not been molested or processed profoundly grounds and reconnects you to the physical world. It is truly wonderful and I dare say it seems to have some type of “spiritual” component for lack of a better definition. I can’t exactly explain it and try to dissect what is happening to me on a regular basis so hopefully I will have an epiphany on the subject. It is sad most of us are raised without this experience in the modern world.Great to see you back brother!! Plant strong all the way!! At McDougalls again. Wish you could be here. Someday soon.As its flax week, even videos with no mention of flax will be entitled “Flax vs. [insert disease]”.I guess it shorter than “Oatmeal, oat cereal, lentils, apples, oranges, pears, oat bran, strawberries, nuts, flaxseeds, beans, dried peas, blueberries,cucumbers, celery, and carrots vs. Breast Cancer” (all good sources of soluable fiber).Oops, that was me. For some reason I’m seeing “flax” everywhere this week.It’s worth looking also at Aune et al.’s dose response curve for fiber and colorectal cancer from their prior study, figure 2 in: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3213242/pdf/bmj.d6617.pdfAune et al (I’d prefer calling him Dagfinn) found a linear response, but just as strong, probably hitting negligible risk for the Thai vegans.Dr Greger what is the nutritional and health difference between soluble and insoluble fibre. Doug Grahame advocates for soluble fibre in “The 80/10/10 Diet” found in fruits. He says that’s the fibre that buffers fructose so that blood sugar levels don’t spike when eating high carb meals of all fruit. All lot of people seem to confuse dietary fibre with dietary roughage. Care to comment?Insoluble fiber promotes fecal bulking and helps allow stools to pass easily, insoluble fiber ferments and allow the gut flora to flourish. All plant foods have a mix of these 2 fibers and I know of no evidence showing that we should try to focus on any specific portion of the fiber.That last article cited for high vegan fiber intakes is a paper on mineral deficiencies and says “phytate and fiber are known to have a profound deleterious effect on mineral aborption.” Should this be a concern for vegans like it is for my fiber-avoiding paleobuds?I am not sure if fiber is the true culprit in mineral absorption, as I have not seen evidence supporting this. Phytates, on the other hand, are contingent with fiber so this may be what they are referring to. Phytates have the ability to bind up calcium and zinc, but they also double as a potent antioxidant. Regardless of this, cooking or soaking eliminates phytates so this is really not an issue. If one is consuming a healthful, unrefined vegan diet comprised of whole plant foods, then these “antinutrients” are not issues at all.Well, Toxins, that was my take too, thanks. Also looking at the stoichiometry there’s simply not enough phytate to bind more minerals than those present in the grains, assuming the multiple binding sites on phytate are not that strong after the first complex is formed.This chart is BS. I am assuming the dashed lines are the data that the curve is extrapolated from. Why does the curve continue downward when at around 35g/day the data has a distinct up swing?I don’t know for a fact, but the solid line probably represents a curve drawn through the actual data and the dashed lines represent “error bars” associated with the solid line. So there’s no up-swing in the actual data, just less confidence associated with the curve around 35g/day, and that’s probably because there are less data at this level (smaller n) because so few people get 35g of fiber per day.Which is fine, but if there is “less confidence associated with the curve around 35g/day” why does the video mention the benefits of 50+ g/day? My point is that showing the chart with the error bars, but not explaining it is bad science and bad journalism. Conjecture on the effects of what might happen if you go off the chart is simply living in the land of make believe…Awesome compilation!!Its also well known now that Asian people do not drink Milk as in the Western countries. Milk is another risk factor towards Breast cancer, as it contains cows hormones and it also increases the release of IGF-1 from the Liver.A nice video to emphasize this point would be nice Michael :)Yes but it it the fibre and/or all the other goodies that comes along with it in the plants?It could be both seems how plants have so many phytochemicals and antioxidants.	animal products,beans,beta carotene,breast cancer,breast cancer survival,cancer,fiber,folate,fruit,grains,legumes,lentils,lifespan,longevity,omnivores,peas,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,soy,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vitamin C,vitamin E,women's health,Yale	Inadequate fiber intake appears to be a risk factor for breast cancer, which can explain why women eating plant-based diets may be at lower risk.	Yes, but how might fiber intake lower breast cancer risk? Basically the same way Fiber Lowers Cholesterol. See my video Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen.Mushroom consumption (Breast Cancer vs. Mushrooms), nuts (Tree Nuts or Peanuts for Breast Cancer Prevention?), green tea and soy (Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer?), crucifers (Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells), and greens (Preventing Breast Cancer By Any Greens Necessary) may be particularly protective.The comparison of fiber intakes by diet could certainly help explain why vegans are such regular people (see the ending of Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet).Please also check out my associated blog posts for some more context: Flax and Breast Cancer Prevention 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/15/flaxseeds-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21775566,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22234738,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22350922,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22441432,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21616194,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2156081,
PLAIN-2774	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/	Flaxseeds For Sensitive Skin	About half of the American population say they have sensitive skin, defined loosely as tingling, chafing, burning, itching sensations when exposed to various factors. A similar high prevalence has been reported throughout Japan and Europe, especially in women. Often there are no obvious signs so it's dismissed. A ‘princess and the pea’ phenomenon and this mindset of the medical community has hindered the investigation of this problem. Now it's largely recognized as a genuine phenomenon of physiological origin, thought to arise "from an alteration of the skin barrier allowing potentially irritating substances to penetrate the skin and generate an inflammatory reaction." So what can we do about it? Well, recently Supplementation of Flaxseed Oil was found to Diminish Skin Sensitivity and Improve Skin Barrier Function and Condition.  In a randomized double-blind 12 week study, researchers gave women about a half teaspoon of flaxseed oil a day versus safflower oil as a control. That's the amount of oil found in about a teaspoon and a half of flax seeds. To measure skin sensitivity they painted an irritant chemical on their forearms, and after three months there was significant decrease in skin reddening in the flax group compared to the safflower group. Their skin ended up significantly better hydrated, had significantly better barrier function as evidenced by lower transepidemal water loss, less rough, less scaly, and smoother skin. You can actually see the changes in a close-up view of the skin. Skin looked pretty much just as dry and scaly before and after the safflower oil intervention, but significantly improved after flaxseed oil. Sensitive skin is typically treated by the topical application of lotion and creams but why not treat it from the inside. Daily supplementation with flaxseed oil improved skin appearance and led to a decreased skin sensitivity by improving epidermal barrier function and decreasing inflammation. The best source of flaxseed oil is within the flaxseed itself.  Then you get all the nutrition of the whole food, and it’s cheaper and more stable. Unlike the oil, you bake the seeds without destroying the omega 3s and can even store ground flaxseed for a month at room temperature without spoilage or oxidation.	Soon we will see flaxseed powder capsules – 50 times the price per ounce – like we have garlic capsules and ginger capsules, and the problem is that a lot of people will buy them, because they will promise better diabetic control, so you can continue your SAD, and they will promise better skin, so you dont have to quit smoking to avoid wrinkles, and the manufacturer will surely rember the lable with “These statements have not been evaluated by FDA” :-)Sadly, I think you see into the future pretty clearly.Can you tell me what the next lottery numbers will be? ;-)Argh! Doesnt work with lottery numbers, but I foresee a fine broccoli season……. ;-)Dr. Greger,You may not believe this, but I had the usual sun wrinkled skin on my chest from tanning when I was a kid. I am a regular consumer of flax and Chia seeds and I was looking in the mirror several weeks ago. Lo and behold the wrinkling on my chest has gone away by 90%. At first, I thought I was halluncinating, but my husband said my skin looked amazing not only where I tanned as a kid, but on my face as well. I am so happy that a study found this to be true!Soon? One can already get either oil or lignan extract in pill form.Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.Treating the skin from the inside out—just what I’ve been thinking of lately–coming out of the winter dry skin season. I eat flax regularly, but I had to use lots of lotion to stop my skin itching. I don’t have this problem when the warmer months come around–some kind of spring (vitamin D) vigor, or something. My itchy skin had irritated my bowel and I was having more gas; precisely what I don’t need more off. Slathering lotion all over my skin dampened my irritation considerably and the gas subsided.Dr Greyed, I wanted to make sure you were aware of life extending research being done at SENS where maintenance is targeted http://www.sens.org/Sorry, just trying to expand t he comment, not flag as inappropriate.Omega-3 derived eicosanoids competing with the arachidonic acid cascade reduce inflammation everywhere else, too.A topic which I hope Dr. Greger can discuss in future videos is endogenous advanced glycation reactions, which appear to be the main culprit in skin aging, through collagen cross linking (as well as arterial stiffness, vision deteriation, really the whole gamut of aging disorders). Most effects of diabetes seem to result from acceleration of glycation, and anti-diabetic pharmaceuticals are one of the most promising “gerosuppressants”.Dietary advanced glycation endproducts from browned meats (and sadly, also toast) accelerate the Maillard reaction in vivo by depleting our AGE receptor (PMID: 22908267), while numerous phytochemicals appear to interrupt glycation (see Odjakova et al. Plant-Derived Agents with Anti-Glycation Activity. 2012 for a review).Somewhat concerning is a single result that vegetarians had higher serum AGE levels (PMID: 11876491). I wonder if this might be a result of lower levels of taurine, a potent glycation inhibitor.Hi Darryl, Maybe email this to Dr Greger?This conclusion could be because most vegans and vegetarians are not the healthiest bunch, and still eat processed mock meats, refined grains and other non healthy plant foods.AGE Amounts In Food (per serving)Starchy vegetablesCorn, 20 Sweet potato, roasted, 72 White potato, boiled, 17 White potato, french fries, homemade, 694 White potato, french fries, fast food, 1,522 White potato, roasted, 45 min, prepared with 5 mL oil, 218Grains/legumes/CerealsBean, red kidney, raw, 116 Bean, red kidney, canned, 191 Bean, red kidney, cooked, 1 h, 298 Pasta, cooked 8 min, 112 Bran Flakes, 10 Corn Flakes, 70 Frosted Flakes, 128 Oatmeal, dry, instant, 4 Oatmeal, cooked, instant 25BreadWhole wheat, center, 16 Whole wheat, center toasted, 25 Whole wheat, crust, 22 Whole wheat, crust, toasted, 36 Pita pocket, 16FruitsApple 13 Apple, baked, 45 Banana, 9 Cantaloupe, 20 Raisins, 36High Fat Plant FoodsAlmonds, roasted, 1,995 Avocado, 473 Cashews, roasted 2,942 Olive, ripe 501 Peanut butter, smooth 2,255 Walnuts, roasted 2,366High Fat Animal ProductsCream cheese, 3,265 Mayonnaise, 9,470 Butter, 1,324BeefFrankfurter, boiled 7 min, 6,736 Frankfurter, broiled 5 min, 10,143 Hamburger, fried 6 min, 2,375 Hamburger, fast food, 4,876 Meatball, boiled in sauce, 2,567 Shoulder cut, broiled, 5,367 Bacon, microwave, 1,173 Deli ham, smoked, 2,114 Pork chop, pan fried, 4,277Chicken breast, skinless cubesSteamed 10 min and broiled 12 min, 5,071 Pan fried 10 min and boiled 12 min, 5,706 Chicken breast, skinless cutletRaw, 692 Boiled 1 h, 1,011 Broiled 15 min, 5,245 Fried 8 min, 6,651 Roasted, barbecue sauce, 4,291 Roasted, breaded, 4,102 Roasted, breaded, microwave, 1 min, 5,157FishSalmon, raw, 502 Salmon, smoked, 515 Trout, raw, 705 Trout, roasted 25 min, 1,924CheeseAmerican, processed, 2,603 American, processed, low fat, 1,425 Brie, 1,679 Cottage cheese, 1,744 Feta 2,527 Mozzarella, part skim, 503 Parmesan, grated, 2,535http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/1/6/1293.fullhttp://missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Cooking/sdarticle.pdfNote broiled/fried tofu doesn’t come off too well in any of the AGE surveys – though soyburgers (which lack the Maillard Rxn enabling sugar of Tofu) are fine.While dietary Nε-carboxymethyllysine (the usual marker) does raise serum CML (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21792213), Krajcovicova-Kudlackova attributed higher AGE levels in her vegetarian cohort to their consumption of roughly twice as much fructose through fruit and honey: “It is due to higher proportion of more reactive acyclic form of fructose vs. glucose. From the ratio of prevalence of the acyclic to cyclic form of monosaccharide results the relative reactivity for AGE production, because only the acyclic forms of sugar participate in the glycation process.” (http://www.biomed.cas.cz/physiolres/2002/issue3/pdf/krajcovic.pdf). A cautionary note for sugar cravers, and perhaps we should aim for high phytochemical density and less sweetness (eg. berries) with our fruit.Also, it looks like endogenous production of methylglyoxal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylglyoxal) thrown off by normal metabolism may cause more glycation than CML. We have enzymes to deal with it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactoylglutathione_lyase), the genes for which which happens to be activated by, yes, veggies. A long list of phytochemicals allium & cruciferous veggies, teas, berries, spices all activate the Nrf2 pathway (https://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0028-1088302). Curiously, they do so by being “sensed” as cell stressors, which they in fact are in large doses (http://www.pnas.org/content/109/14/5423.full). You can get too much of a good thing.Good news! Glad I’ve been making sure to eat flax seed. My skin is very sensitive. By the way, after watching your videos, I decided to cut out dairy. My chin (which constantly had one or more painful pimples) cleared up right away. I’ve even gotten some compliments on my complexion. Also, your videos have really helped me “manage” (nearly eliminate) my progressing PMS. Thank you!Awesome! Congrats!!!Having to go Gluten Free I have been using flaxseeds with my fresh fruit making drinks, I have seen a difference in redness and most of my sores from gluten are gone.It’s interesting to me how often conditions or symptoms that are mostly attributed to women are viewed as part of the so-called ” ‘princess and the pea’ phenomenon” within the medical community. I’m glad that this issue at least received some attention from the scientific medical community.how many Tablespoons of ground flaxseed per day is suggested?Is purple sweet potato more healthy than normal one (due to the purple color like red cabbage or blueberry)?Ooh, my favorite! I’m going to be covering purple sweet potatoes in an upcoming video on nutritionfacts.org — stay tuned! (spoiler alert: YUM!) Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it: http://bit.ly/nutritionfactsupdatesI’m not so sure why the flax seeds need to be ground. Soaking flax seeds in water for 10 or 15′ creates a viscous liquid much like egg whites — so something is being produced that needs no grinding.For me that was a great episode!! My son can’t thank you enough!Dr Gregor, can you advise me with chronic dry itchy skin, leaving skin legions and open sores? I am getting little help fom the dermatologists. Bi am eating flaxseeds and kale every day. Apply creams and olive oil to y skin twice daily and frustrated as all get out. Thank you.Many sources claim that taking cold showers is also a good thing for sensitive skin and hair, but there does not seem to be much scientific evidence for this. What do you know about this subject Dr. Greger?Since I stopped making smoothies, due to the damaged fiber, I forget to use the flax seed and chia seed. Hard to fit into my whole grain based food. It’s good to be reminded. I do believe that my skin got better when I was using it, so I’ll have to make a chia/flax pudding of some sort to have in the frig.The fiber is not destroyed in smoothies, just disrupted in the sense that it not longer keeps you as full. The benefits of the fiber are retained though.I didn’t know the seeds can be heated. A health food store employee told me I shouldn’t grind them in a (cheap) coffee grinder because of the heat of the grinding process, so i guess this isn’t true? (Reminds me of your video ‘Pharmacists Versus Health Food Store Employees: Who Gives Better Advice?’ :)) She also told me not to grind them up too much and that the golden flaxseeds are better. True or false? Haha!Golden flaxseed and regular flaxseed are pretty much equivalent. There is no harm with grinding the seeds from the heat, this is a non issue. It is always better to grind flaxseeds to absorb what within the shell.Thanks again Toxins. Yes, I know it’s pretty pointless to swallow the whole seed. Is it true though that they’re better bruised than ground up too much (powdery)?Dr. Gregor, Are sprouted flax seeds as effective as ground seeds ? (I hope so as they are easy to store and eat.)Although sprouted flaxseeds may have 10 times the antioxidants, being ground does not make them unhealthy for you. Ground flaxseed is preferable to whole because the shells of the seed must be broken to absorb whats within. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/It was interesting to know that ground flax seeds can be stored at room temp for that long before it would go rancid. I guess it must be due to the antioxidants in it.One must be careful if your the older male working out and want to have all the free circulating testosterone to can get as using flax seeds can lower testosterone, I would think it is a particular lignin doing it. MD Anderson cancer center uses about 4 tablespoons of flax seeds daily to significantly lower testosterone in their patients with androgen secreting ovarian tumors. To my understanding it is not so much that we decrease production of testosterone when we get older but more that it is bound up to binding proteins that is the issue.Storing whole or ground flaxseed for long periods of time does not make them rancid“Storage effects: Flaxseed, either whole or coarsely ground, appears stable to long-term storage at room temperature. Even after 308 days at 22°C (72°F) there was essentially no change in peroxide value as a measure of oxidation by-products or in the percentage of ALA in fat extracted from the stored flaxseed samples5. This demonstration of oxidative stability in common storage was later confirmed by direct measurement of oxygen consumption. One gram samples of whole flaxseed, milled flaxseed and extracted flax oil were held in individual sealed glass tubes for 280 days at room temperature with 12h alternating dark/light cycles. All three preparations showed little change in headspace oxygen during this time although the flax oil sample was more variable. The fatty acid composition of all three samples remained unchanged, suggesting that flaxseed ALA was stable to both heat and light6.These stability results with small samples have been corroborated by studies on l kg lots of milled flaxseed which were stored in closed packages at 23°C for 128 days. The samples were examined initially and at approximately thirty-day intervals. The packages were triple-layer paper bags with plastic liners, much like those used in the 60 lb. bags normally supplied to commercial bakers. Sensory tests by a trained panel showed no difference in the aroma intensity of water slurries of fresh and stored samples at any of the four storage intervals. Changes in chemical indices of oxidation (peroxide values, free fatty acids and volatile compounds) were negligible7. As further evidence of flaxseed’s storage stability, 36 consumers could not tell the difference between the taste of yeast breads baked with the either fresh or stored milled flaxseed included as 11% of flour weight in the recipe8.”6. Chen Z-Y, et al. J Am Oil Chem Soc. 1992; 71:629-632. 7. Malcolmson LJ, et al. Proc Flax Inst. 1998; 57:75-80. 8. Malcolmson LJ, et al. Flax Council of Canada, Internal Report, 1997, 15pp.Sweet thanks!it’s about a month or 2 that I have a very itch back and neck, sometimes my arms. what could be the reason and any solutions.I have noticed that if I shave (straight razor or DE) after eating 1-2 tbspn of ground flax seed, I am very likely to bleed (many tiny micro-nicks). The flax-bleed effect is immediate and seems to last 24-48 hours. I now eat flax after shaving, never before.Thank you for sharing this video.my dermatologist said i have “seborrheic dermatitis” on my scalp and he said diet has nothing to do with it. I disagree after i found a study by the “University of Maryland Medical Center” please click here http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/dermatitis that mentions diet does affect “seborrheic dermatitis” with foods to avoid eg meats, especially poultry, and dairy.Everyday i suffer from an itchy scalp from “seborrheic dermatitis” but not as much before i discovered plant based diets. However this is not a sensitive skin issue “Seborrheic dermatitis: may be caused by oily skin or hair, or brought on by stress”Your website really changed my lifestyle and i just hope this skin condition can be reduced.Michael Greger M.D. and Joseph Gonzales, R.D. i really appreciate your response.Hey Tim! Thanks so much for reposting. So glad to hear this site has helped. I think you’re onto something with the research you found on dermatitis from U of M. I searched around a bit and to my knowledge only 10-20 studies exist on seborrheic dermatitis and nutrition. One study dates back to 1988 Possible nutrient mediators in psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis. II. Nutrient mediators: essential fatty acids; vitamins A, E and D; vitamins B1, B2, B6, niacin and biotin; vitamin C selenium; zinc; iron. Another study looked “Biotin recycling impairment in phenylketonuric children with seborrheic dermatitis”. From what I gather, biotin (a B vitamin) may play a role. We know protein and B vitamins in general aid skin, hair, and nail growth. I would imagine having proper nutrition may help certain skin disorders. Dr. Greger also has a page on skin health.My thoughts are that diet cannot hurt this condition. There is no harm in trying to boost your nutrition, focus on food sources of biotin, essential fats, and other nutrients important for skin health.I hope that semi-helps, as I know this is not the best answer. If I find more info I’ll be sure to post here!Thanks, JosephDear Joseph,Thank you very much for your response and research.Its very much appreciated.Will certainly look into these studies and your comments.Thank you for pointing out the resource pubmed i just found a study on there where they applied topically “crude honey on chronic seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11485891 the conclusion mentions “It might be concluded that crude honey could markedly improve seborrheic dermatitis and associated hair loss and prevent relapse when applied weekly.”.Im using it with your recommendations to see how it improves.Thank you for your assistance.TimGood luck! And let me know if you want the 1988 study in full? I just received it. Doesn’t seem ground breaking from skimming the surface, but happy to share.Best, JosephDear Joseph,Hope your well.Yes please please share the 1988 study in full.Thank you for your assistance.Tim	Europe,flax seeds,inflammation,Japan,omega-3 fatty acids,safflower oil,seeds,skin health,women's health	Instead of treating sensitive skin topically, with lotions and creams, why not treat it from the inside out with diet?	I bet one of the reasons the medical community was so dismissive is because of its preponderance in women. Did you see my video about how the profession used to treat menopause? Ghastly: Plant-Based Bioidentical Hormones.For more on eating your way towards healthier skin, see:For more on flax, see the last three videos Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer, Was It the Flaxseed, Fat Restriction, or Both?, and Flaxseed vs. Diabetes. Sick of flax videos already? No problem! Stay tuned for the next video Fiber vs. Breast Cancer.For some context, please also check out my associated blog posts: Treating Sensitive Skin From the Inside Out, Flax and Breast Cancer Prevention , and Flax and Breast Cancer Survival 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/15/flaxseeds-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safflower-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20565500,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21088453,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21781068,
PLAIN-2775	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/	Flaxseed vs. Diabetes	Drug companies are hoping to capitalize on the fact that the consumption of certain plants appears to lower the risk of diabetes by isolating the active components for use and sale as pharmacological agents. Though not as profitable, why not just eat the plants? One plant in particular that's now been tested is flax. We've known for 20 years that having ground flax in your stomach can blunt the blood sugar spike from a meal, but it's never been tested in diabetics until now. An open-label study on the effect of flax seed powder supplementation in the management of diabetes. A tablespoon of ground flax seeds every day for a month, and, compared to the control group a significant drop in fasting blood sugars, triglycerides, and cholesterol, as well as the most important thing, a drop in A1C level and this was just after a month, though if one's sugars are already well-controlled there may be no additional benefit. No weight gain with an added quarter cup of ground flax a day for 3 months—in fact the flax group ended up with a slimmer waist than the flaxseed oil or control group. Or even up to nearly a half cup a day, though this was only for a month. How does flax help control blood sugars? It may improve insulin sensitivity in glucose intolerant people, after 12 weeks of flax there was a small but significant drop in insulin resistance, perhaps related to the drop in oxidant stress given the antioxidant qualities of flax. Now this was a non-blinded, non-randomized small study, and so if it was some drug they were testing, I'd never prescribe it based on this one study, but this isn't a drug. It's just flaxseeds. There're just good side-effects, so even if this study was a fluke or fraud, flaxseeds have other benefits. In the worse case scenario I'd still end up benefiting my patients not quite ready or able to reverse their diabetes completely with a plant-based diet.	Are they using fresh ground, whole.or pre ground flax seed?Look under sources cited. They were ground.I think that is a good question. I sometimes wonder how much nutrition would be lost if the pre-ground were bought rather than grinding it myself. Grinding myself is not a huge deal, but I am always looking to save time in the kitchen.Isn’t it more about the omega 3s going rancid? As far as I understand they are fragile and susceptible to oxidation – some people suggest eating ground flax within 15 – 30 minutes to avoid the damaged fats. Maybe this is a bit extreme – perhaps a good compromise would be to grind a whole load, and then put them in the freezer for later use?Joe: I agree that lots of people are concerned about the fats going rancid. And I agree that rancidity (who knew that was a word?) can be a problem. However, one of Dr. Greger’s videos talks about keeping flaxseed air-tight and then not worring about it. I grind up my flaxseed and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Seems to work fine for me for a good week. I just don’t get the sense that we have to eat ground flaxseed within 15-30 minutes. But I’m not an expert so I’m just expressing my opinion.As for nutrition loss: It is my understanding that the more processed a seed/grain is, the more nutrition that quickly gets lost (outside of the issue of the fat going rancid). I got this idea from watching one of Brenda Davis’s talks and see a slide where she ranked grains nutrition levels. Whole Grain Heirarchy: (from most nutritious to least) intact whole grains (wheat berries, oat groats, quinoa, etc), broken whole grains, whole grains (rolled oats, etc), shredded whole grains (shredded wheat), ground whole grains (whole wheat flour products), flaked whole grains, puffed whole grains.I don’t think that list is solely concerned with what happens to the omega 3s. Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.Steve, I purchase whole flax seeds by the pound at a local store. I grind up about 2 tablespoons in a coffee/spice grinder. The flax seeds are inexpensive as well as the grinder. I add the ground flax seeds to my blender along with rice milk, a banana and some frozen mixed berries for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon smoothie. The ground flax seeds act as a thickener (which is why I am able to use rice milk which is traditionally very thin and watery).Does it matter if they’re ground or not? Would whole flax seeds be as beneficial?Whole flax seed is known to be too small and hard and thus to pass through the digestive system without being absorbed. Your best bet is to follow Nan S’s advice: buy them whole (bulk bins are great!) and grind small amounts at a time to add to your food.I fill a re-purposed, air-tight peanut butter jar with my flax seed that I have personally ground in a little coffie grinder. The jar is stored in the fridge. I go through a jar very quickly as I consume Dr. Greger’s recommended (in a previous video a long time ago) 2 Tbls (or so) each morning. Also, I give a bunch to my dog each day, mixing with with water. He loves to lick it up.The trick to making flax part of your regular diet is to find something that you eat every day that goes with flax. Since I’m not a smoothy fan, putting it in oatmeal worked for me. Because of the way I doctor up my oatmeal, I don’t taste the flax and because the flax gets good an soaked before I eat, gritty texture is not a problem for me either.Good luck!Thanks, Thea! That makes sense. A few months ago I bought a Nutribullet and have been enjoying flax seeds in my green drinks. But I will grind them up and see if I can get them into powder. And, I have a dog! I’ll try them on her as well. Thanks for answering.>>Whole flax seed is known to be too small and hard and thus to pass through the digestive system without being absorbed.<<That may be true, at least for a part of the flax seed. However, soaking flax seeds in water for 10 or 15' creates a viscous liquid much like egg whites — so something is being produced that needs no grinding.Shay: Interesting thought.I believe that Dr. Greger has a video which mentions the importance of grinding flax seed. And another poster, on this thread or a recent one, also quoted a Canadian medical or government authority on flax seeds needing to be ground. So, I think there is *something* to the thought that it needs to be ground. I just don’t know how much of an issue it is. For example, what if you soaked the whole seeds for hours rather than minutes? Would that make a difference?I know what you mean about “flax eggs”. I have used several flax eggs over time and most recently in a recipe this last weekend. It worked great and the popovers came out delicious! But one interesting thing is that when I make a flax egg, I mix 3 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of *ground* flax seed. I’ve never tried it with a whole flax seed.You can get ground flax seeds by buying them whole, which saves you money and keeps them fresh, and then grinding them yourself- fresh- either in a blender, say as part of your smoothie, or in a coffee grinder. Mixing a tablespoon of them, ground, with a quarter-cup of water makes a good binding agent and a substitute for an egg in baking recipes too.Though not tested or part of this report, I’d be curious whether the Doctor thinks Chia seeds might have a comparable effect or value. Thoughts?Compared to flax, chia has similar levels of alpha-linolenic acid, but neglible lignan content. The lignans, functioning as either water-soluable antioxidants or phytoestrogens, may be responsible for the effects here.Chia also has high antioxidant activity, in the form of fat-soluable phenols, which accounts for the greater stability of chia oil. In a sense, the two seeds may be complementary as the water soluable vitamin C and fat-soluable vitamin E.Some health authorities warn against to high intake af flaxseeds because of the high content of Cadmium. There seems to conflicting informations about the problem. Opinions anyone? On the other hand – everybody in this forum knows that SAD + flaxseeds does not solve the problem. The solution to obesity induced type 2 DM is a lot of drugs………………NOT!!!! A low fat plant strong diet improves or solves the problem.Dr Grege, Just out….new cancer drug blocks cell protein http://www.newsbalance.com/cancer-drug-kills-every-kind-of-tumor-study-2013-03-29.articleA better source on the investigation using an anti-CD47 antibody in immunodeficient mice: http://www.pnas.org/content/109/17/6662Not the first, either, as anti-CD47 antibodies have been used since CD47 was characterized: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7998989Alas, as CD47 is also displayed on normal cells, it may be a long road before a CD47 targeted cancer drug that doesn’t cause general autoimmune mayhem is developed.Thank you, Dr. Greger. Question: Why would you not recommend as much as a half cup of flaxseed per day. Thank you. LouisaAny thoughts on whether or not this might work for my diabetic cat, who appears to be insulin resistent? And if it might work, could you please give a suggestion for a dosage for a 4kg cat? Thank you!Hi Maya,I don’t know if it would work for your cat’s diabetes but there is a product called Flaxy Cat that has flax seeds in it so apparently it’s not harmful to them. I’ve never used Flaxy Cat myself but I saw it advertised. It says it’s for coat and skin as well as digestion, joints and heart health. I would ask your vet though.Do toasted flaxseeds have the same benefits as raw or does the toasting ruin them?The polyunsaturated fatty acids in flaxseed are adversely affected by heat, light and oxygen, which is why it’s contained in a strong, protective shell, so you lose major benefits by toasting. Moreover, once ground, keep the flaxseed in the freezer.Is it true that unbroken flaxseeds may not break open at all as they pass through our digestive system and not yield any benefits?yes, MIchael Angel, the seeds need to be ground up…I grind enough for a week’s worth every Sunday and store in fridge…I store the whole seeds in fridge too. I chuck 2 TBSP. into my oats, my dark berry & kale blender concoction, onto my dark leafy green salads, you name it.Do Chia seeds need to be ground to get maximum benefit like the flax seeds?All seeds must be masticated to break the cell wall and reach the nutrients within, so yes, ground chia would be best for this purposeThank you for yor reply. I appreciate the info since I am new to the site and this lifestyle.NO. Chia for Health – Dr. Weil http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA365093/Chia-for-Health.html Cached Similar Andrew Weil Loading… And, unlike flax, they do not have to be ground to make their nutrients … As with ground flax seeds, you can sprinkle ground or whole chia seeds on … Another bonus: insects don’t like the chia plant so it is easier to find organically grown varieties. I expect we’ll soon be hearing much more about chia and its health benefits.I discovered this by accicident. I have been Type II for just over a year and take my fasting blood sugar every morning and also every evening 2 hours after dinner. On average, my morning readings average 133 and evening average 125. It’s been this way for six months. I do not take any medication for my diabetes. This week I noticed a big drop where my mornings for last 3 days 109, 106, 102 and evenings 101, 92, 101. The only thing i’ve changed in my diet is having a slice of home baked bread with every meal. The bread is made with 1/2 cup of ground flax seed to the dough. I started baking bread as a hobby and was unaware of the benefits to improving my health. I started adding flax meal as an experiment. Flax does not affect the taste at all and added to bread dough is undetectable when combined with whole wheat flour. This is the recipe I use. 1 package yeast, 1 cup warm water, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 cup milled whole flax seed, 1/2 cup oat meal, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour, (optional 1 tbsp vital gluten). Mix yeast, water, and brown sugar, together in a bowl and let set about 5 minutes until a nice foam begins on top. Add olive oil, salt, flax, and oat meal to the mix and stir. add whole wheat flour, then add the bread flour. At this point you have to abandon the spoon and start using your fingers. Keep some water and extra flour available to adjust the dough until it has nice texture and elastic ( I like to add vital gluten to keep bread from crumbling after its baked). Nead dough for 10 minutes then put in a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size ( about 2 to 3 hours). Remove dough and nead again for 2 minutes and place in a loaf pan that’s had the bottom sprayed with cooking spray. Let rise for about an hour or until top is nice and rounded over the top of the loaf pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Once the loaf has cooled, slice it and store in a bread box. I eat one or two slices at every meal. Note: This bread can get moldy after 4 days, but it’s so delicious, I doubt it will last that long.thank you for this. I just started blending my own with greens, sorrel, tomatoes green tea and everything nutritious in my kitchen. Makes a great morning mealMy PPBS levels are high as 300+ since last 3 months but I do not suffer from frequent urination, no weight loss occurred, wounds are healing surprisingly quick, no loss of appetite, no other symptoms of diabetes except dry mouth. I am not taking any tablets our insulin. what should i do at this stage?Good day, Dr. Grege! Thanks a lot for this helpful article. I really think flaxseed oil is good for people with Diabetes. A lot of research finding prove that it’s really true that’s why I’m planning to recommend this to my friends and relatives who have high blood sugar. What I admire about this essential oil is that it’s also a good remedy for other disorders such as high cholesterols, hardening of arteries, sore throat, constipation, and even different types of cancer. And it’s also a mood enhancer as what I’ve read from recent findings. I’ve also learned from these articles the other benefits of flaxseed oils including their uses: http://oilypedia.com/?s=flaxseed+oil.flax seeds when ground are really useful, great as an egg substitute in baking and good as a thickener. everyone seems to be rather polite about some of the effects of flax seed. It can make you jolly windy and make you run for the toilet. WARNING DO NOT EAT FLAX SEED BEFORE AN INTERVIEW!What about flax seed vitamins. Is it as good as taking the flax seedbuy them as whole …grind them them in yr mouth daily )It is so good to see one of our Diet-by-Evidence STARS, Dr. Greger, include in his work and his recommendations the work of his admired colleagues and mentors. I wish there were more cross-referencing among this group! Dr. Greger, you are such a tremendously LIKABLE person. Thank you for your work, your fabulous presentations, and your humor.Well this is very interesting to know. I also have osteoporosis and to replace my estrogen had been grounding 1/2 cup of flaxseed which are also known for its estroginic properties. Now i know that it also will help control my blood glucose Thank you Dr. Greger!.	alternative medicine,antioxidants,blood sugar,cholesterol,complementary medicine,diabetes,flax seeds,insulin,medications,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,prediabetes,seeds,side effects,supplements,triglycerides,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss	A tablespoon of daily ground flax seeds for a month appears to improve fasting blood sugars, triglycerides, cholesterol, and hemoglobin A1c levels in diabetics.	This video reminds me of the Prunes vs. Metamucil for Constipation one, or any of those talking about various foods that may control blood sugar (Amla Versus Diabetes), weight (Fat Burning Via Flavonoids), cholesterol (Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol), or sexual dysfunction (Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction). Yes, these foods may help, but why not get at the root of the problem and try to reverse the condition altogether with a healthier diet overall? That's why I called my 2012 wrap-up Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death.The two books I feature are the original classic from 2003, Defeating Diabetes co-authored by my favorite dietician, Brenda Davis, and then in 2007 and 2012, from two of my medical mentors, Dr. Neal Barnard's Program To Reverse Diabetes Now and Dr. Joel Fuhrman's The End of Diabetes. In fact Fuhrman's book is so new it wasn't even out when I recorded this video for my volume 12 DVD!This is my third flax video of the year. See what it can do against prostate cancer in my last two Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer and Was It the Flaxseed, Fat Restriction, or Both?. Next, we move on to Flaxseeds For Sensitive Skin.For more context, please refer to the following associated blog posts: Flaxseeds for Diabetes, Treating Sensitive Skin From the Inside Out, and Flax and Breast Cancer Survival 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/08/flaxseeds-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/07/new-nutrition-dvd-to-help-make-your-resolutions-more-resolutee-proceeds-to-charity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triglycerides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3112403/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8098222,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20595648,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22432725,
PLAIN-2776	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/	Was It the Flaxseed, Fat Restriction, or Both?	Preliminary but impressive results showed decreasing cellular proliferation rates in men with precancerous changes in their prostates with a flaxseed supplemented lower fat diet. However, given the composite nature of the intervention—both a lower fat diet and flaxseeds, it is unknown whether the effects can be attributed to flaxseed supplementation, a fat-restricted diet, or both factors working together.  To figure that out you'd have to do a study where you split men up into four groups, a control group, a flaxseed only group, a lower-fat only group, and then a flaxseed and lower fat group, and that's exactly what they did. 161 prostate cancer patients at least 21 days before their prostate removal surgery were randomly assigned to one of the those four arms. As the title describes, it was the flaxseeds but not dietary fat restriction alone that reduces prostate cancer proliferation rates in men pre-surgery. Here are the numbers. Whether they were eating their usual or lower fat diet, it was the men eating the flax that saw their tumor proliferation rate significantly drop, though if you look at what they actually ate, the low fat diet groups never got down to the target 20% calories from fat. They did drop their fat intake, but you'd hardly call a 25-28% calories from fat a low-fat diet.  Still the low fat groups were the only one's that saw a significant drop in cholesterol and body weight and saw greater drops in biomarkers of inflammation, though that may have been secondary to the weight loss. Bottom-line: further studies are needed before we can definitively support flaxseed supplementation as a proven complementary therapy for prostate cancer. To date, however, the evidence suggests that flaxseed is a good, low-cost source of nutrition and is well-accepted and safe to use, so why not give it a try?	What’s the percentage of a real low fat diet?@GENBL ^ 5-10% according to Doug Graham Author of The 80/10/10 Diet (80% carbs, 10% proteins, 10% fats/lipids). His rationale is that’s the ratio by calories that our closest primate consume. And that’s fats found in fruits and plants that you’ll get if you are consuming a high enough calorie diet to be getting the fuel your body needs to stay away from ketosis. I know plenty of peak athletes pro and amateur supervised by Dr Graham target 5-10% by calorie.Thanks! I’m eating more a 17-20% fat diet. I’ll have to stop eating nuts because they’re my only high fat food (no oil or prepared meal).As Dr Greger has observed while nuts are mainly made of lipids, they don’t seem to result in body fat increases the way other oils/fats do. I think the good Dr discusses in in one of his videos.agree with wideEyed, Nuts provide many benefits for our body. check more video study about nuts GENBLagree with wideEyed below, Nuts provide many benefits for our body. check more video study about nuts GENBLSo, how much flaxseed should a man consume daily? Thank youThe study was based on 30g/day which is about 3 tablespoons.Thank youFlaxseed, or ground flaxseed? Any difference?From the Flax Council of Canada – “Ground flax seed provides more nutritional benefits than does whole seed. That’s because flax seeds are very hard, making them difficult to crack, even with careful chewing. Grinding flax seeds breaks them up, making them easier to digest when eaten. Then the body can profit from all that flax goodness.If whole flax seeds remain unbroken, they may pass undigested through the body, reducing the nutritional advantage of eating flax seed in the first place.”I wonder how flax oil versus seeds would compare. i.e used in both the gerson and budwig protocols.What is the recommend daily amount of flaxseed? Further how does that compare to the group in the study?Dr. Greger recommends 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed per day. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/If you are grinding up flaxseed (removing the naturally protective shell’s integrity) , then you may as well add some ground sesame seed also as both contain valuable lignans. As the polyunsaturated oil in the ground seed is now vulnerable to light, heat and oxygen, you should store it in the freezer, or it will go rancid quickly producing harmful trans fats.Trans fats are unintentional byproducts of the partial hydrogenation process. The oxidation process that causes rancidity will not cause the formation of trans fats.These videos about inhibiting growth of prostate cancer are important, because regarding prostate cancer the most important issue could very well be to inhibit growth, because it seems that the easiest way to get prostate cancer, is just to be screened for it !! Or could it be intirely preventable through a low fat vegan diet (with flaxseeds) ?I really like your point and think it applies to any cancer for any gender. Modern humans are exposed to so many carcinogens, we can’t truly live a clean life. Our cells are going to mutate. The only question (in my opinion) is, “Are we going to do what we can so that our bodies can fight the cancer?”It seems clear that a plant-based diet goes a long way to meeting this goal. I find it very empowering that there is something I can do to help myself. I am not helpless in the face of cancer.Thea, good point. You can`t do anything about your genetic makeup (early cancer, heartdisease or diabetes in the family), single handedly it is difficult to do anything about the pollution of our invironment, BUT that doesnt leave you powerless – eat mostly low in the foodchain, remember that fish is not a healthfood (unless you think mercury, dioxin, PCB og Prozac will do you good :-) ). The foodchain is now so polluted that flame retardants have been found in milk !! So in my opinion the best you can do, is to base your diet mostly on plants – that said, I don`t think that an occasional (rarely) pice of chesse, an egg, a fish or a piece of meat will kill you. Hence I prefere the term plant strong (plant based) instead of vegan – but thats a detail.Flaxseed diet results in – protective – high eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels – not high prostatic Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), associated with DOUBLE prostate cancer risk, OPEN ACCESS PEER-REVIEWED Article, December 28, 2012: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3532426/How much fat in the food is required for the fat soluble vitamins to be absorbed? Will enough vitamin K from for example kale be absorbed when only eating lentils or other practically fat free food?	alternative medicine,animal fat,calories,cholesterol,complementary medicine,fat,flax seeds,inflammation,low-fat diets,men's health,prostate cancer,prostate health,prostatectomy,seeds,supplements,surgery,weight loss	Researchers set out to find out what it was about a flaxseed-supplemented lower fat diet that so effectively appeared to decrease prostate cancer growth.	If the title of this video made no sense to you, make sure you see the first half of Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer.This reminds me of the experiment described in Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? in which researchers try to tease out the individual effects of a similar composite treatment—a plant-based diet and walking—on the growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro.The difference between what researchers say they're testing and what actually gets tested (like the "low" fat diet here) comes up over and over (for example in EPIC Study). The new Mediterranean diet study is another good example.In the next video Flaxseed vs. Diabetes we'll see what hope our 7th leading killer has against the humble flax seed.For more context, check out my blog post: Flaxseeds for Prostate Cancer	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostatectomy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9215400,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15134976,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19064574,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21764858,
PLAIN-2777	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/	Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer	Why is there such a huge disparity in prostate cancer rates? The incidence of the clinically malignant prostate cancer is highest in African Americans, some 30-fold greater than in Japanese men, and 120 times greater than seen in Chinese men in Shanghai. Well, in general terms the ‘‘Western diet’’ is one in which animal protein and fat consumption is high, whereas the ‘‘fiber’’ intake is low. In contrast, the proportion of the total caloric intake from animal fat in the more vegetarian-style ‘‘Oriental diet’’ is low and the fiber content is higher. So maybe diet is playing a role in some of these diseases. But these healthier diets are not just low in animal proteins and fat and high in starch and fiber, they are also rich in weak plant estrogens, of which there are two types. We hear a lot about the soy isoflavones, but less about the other group lignans. This study found higher levels of lignans in the prostate fluids of men in countries with relatively low rates of prostate cancer and in vitro studies showed lignans can slow the growth of prostate cancer cells in a petri dish,so a pilot study was performed on flaxseed supplementation in men with prostate cancer before surgery. Why flaxseeds? Because while lignans are found throughout the plant kingdom, flax has up to 800 times more than any other food.  So they took a bunch of men with prostate cancer about a month before they were scheduled for surgery to get their prostates removed and started them on a relatively low fat diet with 3 tablespoons a day of ground flax seed to see what effect that might have on the growth of their tumors. Though they were skeptical that they would observe any differences in tumor biology in the diet-treated patients with such a short-term dietary intervention, they found significantly lower cancer proliferation rates and significantly higher rates of cancer cell death. That was compared to so-called historical controls, meaning compared to what the kind of growth one typically sees in their situation, not to actual randomized control group, but a few years later a study was published in which men were their own controls. These were men who just got their prostates biopsied and were scheduled to get repeat biopsies in six months. So they did the same thing, after the first biopsy, they reduced the fat in their diet and put them on ground flaxseeds to see if it made their repeat biopsy look any different. These were men with what's called PIN, which is like the prostate equivalent of ductal carcinoma in situ in the breast, precancerous changes. That's why they were getting repeat biopsies, to make sure it wasn't spreading. And this is what they found. Significant drop in PSA levels, which is a biomarker of prostate cell growth, drop in cholesterol, which is what one would expect with a lower fat diet and all that extra fiber, and the most important, a significant decrease in the cellular proliferation rate. In fact in two of the men, their PSA levels dropped so much they didn't even have to go through with the second biopsy. There hasn't been much research on this kind of prostatic hyperplasia, with only four epidemiologic studies reported at the time. They yielded varying findings, with increased risk associated with higher energy, protein, and animal product intake, and decreased risk related to the consumption of alcohol, fruit, and green and yellow vegetables—in sum, a low-fat, plant-based diet, high in phytoestrogens.	Obesity and obesity-related diseases increase the risk of prostate cancer (vegans weigh less than meat eaters), high concentration of IGF increase the risk of prostatecancer (higher level with animal fat and animal protein intake), dairy intake increase the risk of prostatecancer (IGF, high calcium intake). Lycopene has also been demonstated to have a positive effect in prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. Will this make meat eating men reconsider?Well said, Plantstrongoc. You know as well as I do regarding individuals who undergo a life altering event happens that makes a them reflect on their lifestyle and hopefully there diet. People ask all the time. How can I get this weight off? I tell them use positive words like fit and healthy and eat plants and lots of it :).Brian, and the good news is that you can improve your health even when you are ill, by switching to a plant based diet, and even avoid surgery. The body has great capacity to heal, when you remove the cause (SAD). Procedures and popping pills will not make anyone healthy.It may make some men reconsider but in my experience it is more effective if you tailor your message to the individuals fears, goals and values. In looking at Dr. Greger’s videos on vegetables and cancer see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/. Greens and allium family are more effective in vitro then lycopene which is somewhat effective for prostate cancer but is even beat out by celery.Here’s a question that I have long had: Brown vs golden flax seeds? My store sells both in the bulk bins. Brown are cheaper. I would *guess* that brown are also healthier (have more anti-oxidents and more other good plant stuff???), but I don’t know. If anyone finds any info on this, I would be interested.I think both colors of flax seeds taste about the same, but I haven’t really done any side-by-side taste tests, so I don’t know for sure. I think that doing a side-by-side taste test would have to be done carefully: I believe that the brown ones are cheaper because they are a lot less popular. Since they are less popular, it is my *guess* that they are older, even in bulk bins. If that is true, I wonder how much brown might taste different just because it is going toward rancid.I struggle on which color to get. I currently get brown, but I wonder if I would get fresher ones just getting the popular color. It just occurred to me, I could probably ask the store how often they replace the seeds in each bin…Our Whole Foods store labels then as “whole flaxseed” (brown) and Golden Flaxseed. I should ask them what they mean by “whole”?Shay: You inspired me to look into this issue a bit more. I don’t know how accurate this page is, but if true, it explains a lot about brown vs golden, including taste and nutritional values.http://www.ehow.com/list_7012878_differences-brown-flax-golden-flax.htmlThought you might be interested.Unclear in your series on Flaxseed whether the max benefit is after grinding the seeds or consuming them whole ? Great series; an answer much appreciated.Ground! Otherwise they might just pass right through us, come out the other end, and not do us any good!Whole! And chew them very well! Store them in the fridge!What does it mean higher ENERGY, protein, animal protein …What does the energy part mean in this video? What is dangerous energy?What about prostatitis? Is there anything that can cure and heal people from prostatitis through diet/exercise?didn’t monsatan gmo flaxseed? how/where can we find non-gmo flaxseed?This delicious breakfast bowl makes it easy to get your daily 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds which provide the healthiest source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Additionally, flaxseeds provide the highest content of lignans (phytonutrients which seem to help in both breast cancer prevention and survival http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/) of any food, and are a great source of iron, zinc, copper, calcium, protein, potassium, magnesium, folate, soluble fiber (which can lower cholesterol and triglycerides), and boron (a trace mineral key for optimum bone health). http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/Berry Berry Good Karma Bowl– ½ cup regular rolled oats – 1 cup water – ½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/ – ⅛ tsp each, ground cloves, ground ginger, nutmeg – 1/3 cup blackberries – 1/3 cup organic* blueberries – 1/3 cup raspberries – 24 almonds – 2 tbsp flaxseed meal^Bring water to a boil and cook oats with spices and fruit (only if using frozen fruit). Lower heat and simmer oats to desired consistency. Add remaining ingredients to a bowl and top with cooked oats. Stir and top with a sprinkling of uncooked oats and dash cinnamon.*Conventional blueberries were found to have the residues of 52 different pesticides so choose organic. http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=ST^Seeds need to be ground for proper digestion. A coffee or seed grinder works well or you can buy ground flaxseed meal.Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline~Complements of lovestobeveganInteresting article“Evidence of prostate cancer, omega-3 link US scientists say they have confirmed a surprising 2011 study that found a higher risk of prostate cancer among men who consume omega-3 fatty acids, raising new questions about the safety of supplements.”http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/evidence-of-prostate-cancer-omega-3-link/story-fni0xqll-1226677431871…but if you look at the data, you’ll see a number of flaws. This is not a causal link. Using the same logic, people who smoke and heavy drinkers are also more likely to develop PCa. Also, why do countries that traditionally consume a lot of fish not have increased incidence of PCa? Truly a rubbish study.Correct and just FYI saying supplements cause this or that is fine but has little bearing on what the whole natural food from which the supplement is extracted or copied from does when consumed. Unhealthy chemical ridden food cannot be compared directly with the same food in its natural form – in the sense that if you add chemicals to anything it will cause any number of problems. Stop comparing apples to oranges….Fantastic video about vegans etc living no longer and why on You Tube! So interesting the stages of the cascade into heart trouble. One needs to watch that lecture three times and take notes to grasp it all.May I ask a question on BPH? The idea seems to be to reduce conversion of testosterone into DHT – I think…..Flax seed lignans appears to be good for that and reduced average PSA lots in the small six month trial cited but betasitosterol as I understand it works the same way being also a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor. I think. Lots of trials on that.So are both together better yet?I took betasitosterol 160mg a day for four months and could not see much effect. I then added 15 grams a day of flaxseed. After a month my average nocturia rate dropped from average 2.5 to around 1.2. Quite suddenly and it’s stayed down about two months now.I thought good prostate effect! But then I realised what was happening was that the flow at night from the kidneys had halved to a normal proportion of total daily flow. I conclude as a layman that this is an effect in normalising vasopressin secretion. Whatever the cause it’s a great result. I think it’s continued too long to be a placebo effect. I need less sleep.I read at that point the suggestion that betasitosterol should be taken on an empty stomach. I’d not seen that in the umpteen encouraging clinical trials about BPH. So I’m doing that (middle of night) but it’s a little too early to say whether it will get a result in substantially improving flow rate (which the trials reported).Well I could not get any results with betasitosterol anywhichway but nothing works for everyone I understand.Flaxseed has continued to work in keeping down nocturia to once a night mostly. Quite a few months now. I take 15 g in the late evening.I can’t see any other explanation apart from the flaxseed. Unless it’s a coincidence. That would be a fluke.I was tested with a PSA of 11.1 and was having the typical lower back pain, urinary urgency with low volume, 3 – 4 bathroom trips per night, etc. I immediately went to a vegetarian (W/baked fish weekly) diet based upon cruciferous vegetables and within one year, PSA was 10.0, no lower back pain and no nightly bathroom trips and high volume with no urgency. I refuse needle biopsy, now proven to spread and worsen prostate cancer, and will go to Germany for transurethral hyperthermia if Color Power Doppler Scan reveals tumor(s). Why is American medical treatment (especially cancer) mired in the middle ages, except for the love of old money-generating procedures that are proven not to heal?apprin: Thanks for sharing your story. I think a story like this could be really helpful to someone who is trying to make decisions right now about their condition. Good luck.Thanks Thea … Am due for another PSA test. If symptoms (or lack thereof) are an indicator, My PSA will have fallen tremendously as nearly ALL symptoms have disappeared.It’s a tiny select band who are willing to try things out like this and stick at it over a long period. Most people give up after a week and then complain it appears. It requires a scientist’s appetite for experiment and discovery does it not?any update? did your psa drop againDoes flax seeds really make your boobs grow?No effect with this male!Great video. I am assuming we should ingest flax seeds via ground form as opposed to pill form to see these kind of benefits?Jeremiah, Because ground flax easily turns rancid and whole flax seeds are relatively inexpensive, it’s best to grind fresh as you need it. If necessary, ground flax can be stored away from light in a sealed container in the refrigerator to help slow rancidity. I took a look to see how the flax was administered and in what form and in the second study listed in Dr. Greger’s citations for this video: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19064574 – if you click on the link, you’ll see the full journal article…basically they administered fresh-ground flax in separate daily, opaque, sealed packets.Does this include plant-based fats, like avocado and nuts?Does the flax seed oil have any benefit? I use it on my saladAfter watching a number of videos from Dr Greger on flaxseed and it’s many benefits, I have for months been adding 3 heaping teaspoons ground flaxseed in with oatmeal. It even makes the oatmeal taste better.As far as the establishment medical community not bothering to do research on this proven remedy. . . is anyone surprised? Imagine how much it would cut into their revenue if many people could remedy their own prostate problems, or prevent it from happening in the first place. . . just by making their oatmeal taste better.	African-American,alternative medicine,animal fat,animal products,animal protein,BPH,China,Chinese food,cholesterol,complementary medicine,energy,fat,fiber,flax seeds,fruit,isoflavones,Japan,lignans,low-fat diets,men's health,phytoestrogens,plant-based diets,prostate cancer,prostate health,prostatectomy,protein,seeds,soy,standard American diet,supplements,surgery,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	What happens when men with prostate cancer and prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) are placed on a relatively low-fat diet supplemented with ground flaxseeds?	Slowing the Growth of Cancer is good, but how about Cancer Reversal Through Diet? In other words, if one plant could do that, what about a whole diet chocked full of plants? See my video series that goes from Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay (actually Engineering a Cure) to The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle. And for benign prostate gland enlargement Prostate vs. Plants, and Prostate vs. a Plant-Based Diet (with background in Some Prostates Are Larger than Others).What about for breast cancer? See Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake. More on these wonderful seeds in Flax and Fecal Flora, my smoothies (A Better Breakfast), and the oldie but goodie Just the Flax, Ma’am. What about chia? Find out which is better in Flaxseeds vs. Chia Seeds.Since the dietary intervention involved both reducing fat intake and flaxseed consumption, how do we know the flax had anything to do with it? That's the subject of the next video Was It the Flaxseed, Fat Restriction, or both?For more context, check out my blog posts: Flaxseeds for Prostate Cancer, Treating Sensitive Skin From the Inside Out, and Flax and Breast Cancer Survival 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chinese-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostatectomy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lignans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/african-american/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/isoflavones/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19064574,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11911282,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9215400,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15134976,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21764858,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11445478,
PLAIN-2778	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/	Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal	When researchers last year at the Emerging Pathogens Institute ranked foodborne pathogens to figure out which was the worst, #1 on their list was Salmonella, ranked the food poisoning bacteria with the greatest public health burden on our country, the leading cause of food poisoning hospitalization, and the #1 cause of food-related death. Where do you get it from? Well I've talked about the threat of eggs. According to the FDA, 142,000 Americans are sickened every year by eggs contaminated with Salmonella. That's an egg-borne epidemic every year. But salmonella in eggs was only ranked the #10 worst pathogen-food combination. Salmonella in poultry ranks even worse, the #4 worst infected food in the United States in terms of both cost and quality-adjusted years of life lost.  In terms of the Burden of Human salmonella poisoning attributable to various U.S. Foods, eating chicken may be 8 times riskier than eating eggs. Due to strengthening of food safety regulations under the Clinton administration the number of Americans food poisoned by chicken every year dropped from about 390,000 to 200,000, and rightly hailed as a significant accomplishment. So now eating chicken only sickens 200,000 people in the U.S. every year. But isn't that a bit like some toy company boasting that they've reduced the amount of lead in their toys and are now killing 40% fewer babies. Not exactly something to boast about.  And the numbers have since rebounded upwards. Since the late 90's human salmonella cases have increased by 44%. The rebound in incidence of salmonella infection is likely a result of several factors, but one important risk factor singled out is eating chicken, as the proportion of chicken carrying infection has increased.  When people think manure in meat they typically think ground beef, but when you look at E. coli levels, which "is considered an indicator of fecal contamination," sure, there's fecal matter in about two thirds of American beef, but that number is greater than 80% of fecal contamination in poultry—chicken and turkey. Why have we seen a decrease in the jack-in-the-box E. coli o157, but not chicken-borne Salmonella? In the last decade or so the infection of beef and subsequently children has dropped like 30%. Not only has Salmonella not declined in the past 15 years, but it's actually increased lately. One reason for the difference is that the o157:h7 was declared an adulterant, any poisonous or deleterious substance that may render meat injurious to health. So selling E. coli laden beef is illegal. Why is beef laced with E. coli contaminated fecal matter considered adulterated, but chicken laced with salmonella contaminated fecal matter a-ok? It certainly kills more people than the banned E.coli. It all goes back to a famous case in 1974, when the American Public Health Association sued the USDA saying, 'wait a second—you can't put a stamp of approval on meat contaminated with Salmonella.' What could the USDA possibly say in meat's defense? They pointed out that there have been salmonella outbreaks linked to dairy and eggs, for example, too, so since "there are numerous sources of contamination which might contribute to the overall problem" it would be "unjustified to single out the meat industry and ask that the Department require it to identify its raw products as being hazardous to health." That's like the tuna industry arguing there's no need to label cans of tuna with mercury levels because you can also get exposed eating a thermometer. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the meat industry position, arguing you can allow potentially deadly salmonella in meat because, and I quote, "American housewives are…normally are not ignorant or stupid and their methods of preparing and cooking of food do not ordinarily result in salmonellosis." What? That's like saying oh, minivans don't need airbags or seat-belts and kids don't need car seats because soccer moms don't ordinarily crash into things.	I love your analogies. It really helps to put the information into perspective.Fascinating! Thank you.The problem of bacterial contamination can largely be solved simply by not eating meat, poultry, eggs or other animal products. In other words, go vegan!While eliminating meat does lead to a general reduction in probability of infection from bacterial sources, there’s no way I would call it ‘solved!’ You can still get all manner of illnesses from vegetables, E. coli being the most prominent in the states. Bacterial contamination is still possible in a vegan diet, don’t use it as an excuse to skip food safety preparation steps! :)While what you say is true there have been bacterial outbreaks in vegetables. The outbreak on spinach in California a few years ago being the most famous. It is the result of disreputable farmers putting raw manure on their fields, not with any problem with the vegetables as vegetables do not have rectums. Beyond that I agree with you that everyone, Vegan or not should practice proper food safety. However I must say that it is much easier to practice safe food preparation if you are not flopping hunks of dead animal carcass covered with fecal contamination on your kitchen counter every day.I am so impressed with your work and research. Please continue and save our humanity. Very very appreciated. ~ YoshiThe only way to be healthy and happy at any age is to go Vegan. Thank you Dr Gregar. I heard your talk two years ag. I became 100 percent Vegan the very next day. I live in Cyprus where the BBQ is everybody’s way of life. Thank you again for all the information. Dianne.What? The government not looking out for the people? Say it isn’t so!Wow. Wow.. Wow!! Your passion for exposing the truth is evident in your wry sense of humor which makes this bunch of baloney from the meat industry tolerable to stomach. Pardon the pun!Another nail in the coffin for meat. Do you wanna die quickly – eat meat. Do you wanna die slowly – eat meat. Do you wanna kill the planet – eat meat. Ironically people shift from beef to poultry to be more healthy. PCRM suggested to label poultry with a warning label: “May contain feces”. Vegan rules.Welps, next time someone says chicken is the shit, I’ll nod my head in agreement.I just want to point out that the problem is in the conventionally raised factory farmed chickens. If you buy pastured, small scale farmed chickens, not only are they nutritionally healthier, they don’t run the same risks.Same goes for organic grass fed beef.This reply is made again and again in response to any negative claim regarding meat consumption. Could you please share your sources for this claim? As I have never seen any research comparing the two.If you have no sources, you should preface your statements with some indication that this is only your personal opinion, as people who frequent this site do so because they are interested in what peer-reviewed research has to say, not personal opinions.December 2013 – Consumer Reports Release:“Every one of the four major brands we tested . . . contained worrisome amounts of bacteria, even the chicken breasts labeled “no antibiotics” or “organic.” ”http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2014/02/the-high-cost-of-cheap-chicken/index.htm I think I’ll stick with the plan to avoid chicken altogether!What a fucking annoying voice – I will go and eat all chicken around me now.I flagged this comment as inappropriate and hope that it will be removed. This site is for civil discourse only.Hi Dr. Greger, greetings from The Netherlands. There’s a lot of media attention about ESBL here right now. ESBL (Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase) was found in almost all chickenmeat in the supermarket and in about 40% of the beef. This bacteria makes you resistent to antibiotics. The dutch authorities say it’s okay to eat the meat, as long as you make sure it’s cooked thoroughly. I’d like to know what you have to say about this.“What a concept” has become my favorite phrase!I’m a vegan. But I have to be objective here. Salmonella-produce ranked 8th. Yes. Washing helps. Never the less…….. if we go on the attack we have to be honest about the fact that all of the food chain is contaminated. We all need to look into doing our own farming as much as possible. Comments?	American Public Health Association,beef,chicken,cooking methods,dairy,E. coli,E. coli o157:H7,eggs,FDA,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,fish,food poisoning,food recalls,foodborne illness,heavy metals,meat,mercury,mortality,poultry,Salmonella,seafood,tuna,turkey,USDA	Hundreds of thousands of Americans are Salmonella poisoned by poultry every year, yet it remains legal to sell meat proven to be contaminated.	I've talked about this travesty before in my blog post Why is it Legal to Sell Unsafe Meat? My video Unsafe at Any Feed explores the meat industry's blame-the-victim attitude. Food Poisoning Bacteria Cross-Contamination explains raw meat can be dangerous no matter how long you cook it and Fecal Bacteria Survey features an industry trade journal explaining the difference between the attitude in Europe and the United States.Don't worry, though, the meat industry is on it! See my videos Viral Meat Spray and Maggot Meat Spray (if you dare! :)The Center for Science in the Public Interest has petitioned the USDA to bar the sale of Salmonella-contaminated meat, but so far to no avail.For more context, read the associated blog post:  Why Is Selling Salmonella-Tainted Chicken Legal?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/01/why-is-selling-salmonella-tainted-chicken-still-legal/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-recalls/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-public-health-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli-o157h7/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22091640,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22980012,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22755514,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659984,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20573657,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16813980,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16735149,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21976606,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22572674,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22260927,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22389375,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22247155,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21235394,
PLAIN-2779	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/	Raisins vs. Jelly Beans for Athletic Performance	After about an hour of strenuous exercise, long-distance athletes can really start to deplete their glycogen stores, the body's source of quick energy. Studies dating back to the 30's found that by hooking athletes on a treadmill up to an IV drip of sugar water, you could delay fatigue, and that drinking sugar water could help as well.  So the sports supplement industry has come up with an array of energy shots, gels, bars, and chews—even sports jelly beans, used, what a coincidence, by the Jelly Belly Cycling Team. In fact the Jelly Belly Candy Company paid for a study that found that said jellybeans could shave 4 or 5 seconds off of a 10km cycling trial compared to sports drinks or gels. But what about compared to raisins? Given that professional, collegiate, and recreational sporting events are supplement centered and heavily marketed to, athletes at all levels may be left with the impression that ‘‘specially designed’’ supplements are essential for optimal performance. Yet, these products are often expensive and cheaper, natural foods that may provide a healthier alternative are often overlooked. There are low-cost, natural food products rich in carbs, such as sun-dried raisins that have the potential to improve performance to a similar degree. Raisins are nutritious, convenient, typically palatable, and are a cost-effective source of concentrated carbohydrates. But do they work as well? They work exactly as well. Same time, same power output. Same thing comparing raisins to a commercial sports gels--same respiratory exchange, carb and fat oxidation, and energy expenditure. In fact the only significant difference was that in "hedonic scores" pleasantness scoring of raisins beat out the jelly beans. Versus jelly beans with flavors like extreme watermelon there was a greater preference for just raisin flavored raisins.	Dr. Greger, do you have any thoughts on people with lupus avoiding garlic because it can rev-up the immune system, which can be detrimental with those having autoimmune diseases such as lupus. The Johns Hopkins Lupus center has a list of “Things to Avoid” if you have lupus (Garlic being one of them). They also suggest avoiding alfalfa sprouts. Garlic is highly touted by many vegans but I think it is prudent to address this issue on your site as there are quite a few here that deal with autoimmune diseases such as lupus. One can still receive the benefits of a plant-based diet without ingesting garlic.Interesting predicament. I’m also very interested in the answer. Thanks for bringing it up.Yes, indeed. Maybe folks end up on a plant based diet because it seems to help lessen some of the symptoms of autoimmune diseases. A piece of advice I have often encountered is that one with autoimmune deficiencies/diseases should consider abstaining from anything that can either heighten, enhance, and or stimulate the immune system. This is the reason many folks claim to avoid mushrooms, chlorella, bee pollen, garlic and onions, echinacea….. I don’t know the true answer to all this, as some of these just mentioned substances can be beneficial for people, but this just might be for people with normal, balanced immune systems.Can anyone tell me where to ask a question on this site? I’m new to being a vegan, started a couple months ago and i’m gaining weight! I don’t eat junk food, it’s frustrating! Help!You may want to reduce the starch components in your diets like potatoes, pasta, grains, noodles and especially sugary foods. And increase non starchy veggies like kale, Brussels sprouts, brocolli, spinach etc. 1 lb of fat is ~3500 calories, so if you can cut at least 500 calories per day theoretically you can shed ~1 lb fat in a week. Be persistent and consistent and good luck!!thank you for your input!!Good words by the other people who have replied to you. Personally, I eat a whole lot of potatoes, grains, and legumes, and I won’t gain weight at all. Maybe you’re different. However, for sure avoiding processed foods (even veggie burgers) would only help; save your “junk food points” only for “emergencies”. I eat all the whole foods I want and won’t gain weight. I do gain a bit of a belly when I get on a junk food roll, which goes away real quick when I get back on the whole foods track.Keep consuming the whole foods, which includes the awesomes like kale and other darker greens. You can eat wholefoods until you’re full so please don’t calorie restrict; that would be a huge mistake. I really can’t imagine too many people gaining weight eating plant-based whole foods.Exercise burns calories and builds strength. I’d recommend high intensity workouts three times a week. I’d check out Funk Roberts MMA and start with Spartan Metabolic Workout Week 1. If you REALLY don’t want to exercise, then you should still lose weight, but I really think you should exercise.Oh, one more thing: vegans should supplement B12. Don’t worry about it not being “natural”; the world has changed and we must adapt. Look up B12 on this site and learn more. Be mindful of dogmatic vegans who speak in absolutes. Best wishes.I also eat plenty of grains, and they seem to have a minimal effect on my weight. How concentrated the grain is can make a difference though, e.g. grain flour in the form of bread compared to eating the actual wheat berries, rice, oats, buckwheat groats, millet, etc. For someone who’s tried everything else first to lose weight I might suggest looking into that.And although I eat as many grains as I want, the focus or priority of the meal is always veggies. I tend to fill up on the veggie “sides”, then move on to the grain and bean based part of the meal.I’d also reiterate what you said about never restricting! My personal philosophy is that if you have to restrict what you’re eating, you’re eating the wrong foods! What other animal ever tries to limit its food intake? All I ever think about is if I’m getting enough calories during the day. It feels like a much more natural way to live.Also I just wanted to clarify this since Sally’s new to this stuff, that veggie burgers are super duper great! Just make them yourself. :)Thanks so much for all the great input. I do make homemade vegi burgers. I do eat a lot of oats. does anyone think that may be a problem. I eat either steel cut oats or a homemade granola (oats, seeds, nuts, aagave, coconut) for breakfast and sometime i have the granola for a snack. I have a vegi sandwich on daves killer whole wheat bread for lunch and usually a salad and bean soup or pasta for dinner. Carrots, almonds, raisins, oranges for snacks. my husband went vegan only a few days a week and of course lost 4 pounds and i gained 2. I just thought i would lose weight.Sally – in a word – yes. Grains are very calorie dense as is the agave you use in the granola. Agave is very very high in fructose which is not favorable for health or losing weight. Nuts and seeds are wonderful foods but they’re not good for weight loss so you may want to limit those to 1/2 oz daily or no more than 1 oz. The bread is also calorie dense as is dried fruit like raisins. You can lose weight by centering your diet around vegetables which are naturally low in calories and the healthiest foods on the planet. Check out Dr. Fuhrman’s 6 week plan. The salad is the main dish so you could ditch the bread and crumble a home made veggie burger on your big salad for lunch! Good luck!Ji, Most resources cite 3,500 cal/pound of fat. But have you ever done the math? 9 cal/gram times 454 grams in a pound = 4,086 cal/lb of fat. My explanation is that the 3,500 number is for a pound of fat tissue which contains water and other non-caloric matter. But since when we lose weight, we are draining fat from cells rather than removing chunks of tissue, I believe the 4,000 figure is more accurate.Still, your sugestion of a deficit of 500 calories a day is good advice.Dr. Greger does regularly take questions from the comments sections and put them in the Q&A section, so perhaps he will see this one!If I could throw in my two cents, I would suggest looking into a few resources:1. Dr. Doug Lisle has a fantastic presentation called “How to lose weight without losing your mind”. It’s an hour long, on youtube. Highly recommend.2. Dr. Neal Barnard offers a slew of books as well as the pcrm website, which offers a 21 day kickstart complete with menus and recipes.3. The Healthy Librarian has a great blog and some great pointers when it comes to weight loss/maintenance3. Happy Herbivore and fatfreevegan are both online blogs with great recipes. Happy Herbivore also offers weekly menus/shopping lists for a small fee.What you’ll see that they all have in common is a two pronged approach. The first is to do away with animal products. You already have that part done! The second part is doing away with oil/oily foods. A teaspoon of oil here or there may not seem like a big deal, but it can make all the difference with weight loss.My personal story: upon going vegan I didn’t lose any weight, but after going oil-free, mostly out of curiosity, I lost 15 lbs in maybe a month and a half or two. I don’t know exactly because I actually didn’t realize I had any weight to lose and I wasn’t really paying attention. One day I just noticed. After that my weight was what it was basically in high school and the weight loss stopped. And I don’t feel like I really changed anything. You don’t even notice the lack of oil, but then when you do eat some in a restaurant or something, holy moly! The oil will have a really strong and kind of unpleasant taste.Hope that these resources help you out! All the best.thank you so much for the information!! I’m going to look up that info and will try cutting out oil. I don’t think i use much oil but i’ll focus on it now. greatly appreciate the info!!!I really hope these help you enjoy checking these out! Other authors you might look into include Rip & Caldwell Esselstyn, Jeff Novick, Joel Fuhrman, and Bryanna Clark Grogan. My personal favorite cookbook right now is Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna Sass. It is actually vegan. It uses a pressure cooker, which I had never used before, but am now obsessed with!Also if you happen to like Indian food, I only recently realized that in addition to the regular PCRM 21-day kickstart, they also have an Indian version! Lots of recipes, a meal plan, and cooking videos.I’m going on and on, but I get so excited about food! When people wonder what I eat, I just think, there will not be enough days in my lifetime to try all the vegan recipes I want to try!Congratulations on your journey so far and good luck!re: Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure I love that one too!The Garlic Lover’s Lentil Soup and Thai Chickpeas are the bomb aren’t they! What are your favorites? :)b00mer: concerning recipes from Lorna Sass’s book:re: Thai Chickpeas. Amen! I’ve brought that dish to several potlucks, served next to a bowl of quinoa that people could ladle them over – and they were big hits.I’ve not yet tried the Garlic Lover’s Lentil Soup, but now I’m going to.My current favorite is the Chickpea Stew with Sweet Onions. I’ve made it many times now with many variations. For example, if you want it to cook faster, just use a smaller bean. I’ve also had fun experimenting with the spices. And I’ve added other ingredients, such as mushrooms. I’ve replaced the red onions with fresh fennel bulbs. Etc. Basically, I’ve twisted it so many different ways that it doesn’t really resemble the original in some of my experiments. But that just means to me that the recipe is an awesome base to start with that lends itself to a lot of creativity so that you don’t get bored.If you are ever looking for dessert, her bread-pudding things (I can’t remember exactly what she calls them) at the back are really yummy and big hits with company.Thea: thanks for the suggestion! I’ll try the Chickpea Stew next. You just made next week’s menu planning that much easier. :) Definitely make the lentil soup! And be sure to roast those peppers. It comes out quite thick and thickens further overnight. I serve it over rice but over quinoa if you prefer would be great as well.Thanks so much for all the great input. I do make homemade vegi burgers. I do eat a lot of oats. does anyone think that may be a problem. I eat either steel cut oats or a homemade granola (oats, seeds, nuts, aagave, coconut) for breakfast and sometime i have the granola for a snack. I have a vegi sandwich on daves killer whole wheat bread for lunch and usually a salad and bean soup or pasta for dinner. Carrots, almonds, raisins, oranges for snacks. my husband went vegan only a few days a week and of course lost 4 pounds and i gained 3. I just thought i would lose weight.I don’t think oats would be a problem, they are pretty hard to overeat. However the nuts, seeds, and coconut are all more calorically dense and are a lot easier to overeat. That’s kind the gauge that I use. If you can overeat it, well, you can overeat it! Best to either avoid or pay close attention to it. Oats, pasta, beans, veggies, these are all low caloric density foods that your hypothalamus can more easily register and tell you when you’re genuinely full. Our bodies have a harder time figuring out this stopping point when the foods are more calorically dense.I know personally that I could eat an entire bag of cashews or pistachios and not even feel full. For this reason I avoid snacking on them. I do however use nuts in a more intentional and controlled manner when cooking. Some chopped peanuts added to pad thai, or slivered almonds as a garnish on a white bean tomato quinoa pilaf. When combined with all the veggies, beans, and grains, it is impossible to overeat the nuts themselves.In addition I eat flax and chia every morning as part of my oatmeal. But again, mixed into oatmeal, I know that I won’t overeat them.Of course this is if you are trying to lose weight (which you said you are). For people who actually need to gain/maintain weight, or Ironman competitors, foods like nuts, seeds, and coconut may be perfect. So don’t get caught up in one expert saying nuts are great, another saying they’re bad; try giving up nuts, seeds, coconut, or whatever for yourself and see what happens.I really like dr Furhrman as well. He does a great job getting someone started in the right direction. His book Eat For Health will be helpful for you. He is all about eating your greens.I want to know the answer to this also. I wonder what is new for Diabetic Neuropathy? I understand that the German’s treat it with Lipoic Acid, Vitamin D, and etc, and it is highly effective. thanks for your answer. Elizabeth in NY~After seeing this video I tried creating a raisin-based sports gel (raisins and water) that would match the carbs-per-gulp of commercial sports gels. GAG! It is way too sweet.The goal of sports gels is to get fast absorbing carbs into the body of endurance athletes. Most endurance athletes require low sweetness for palatability. That is why most sports drinks and gels use maltodextrin as the primary ingredient. Matodextrin has about the same fast absorbing glycemic index score as glucose but a much lower level of sweetness. Raisins are the opposite. Carbs from raisins are 50% frucose which are both slower absorbing and much higher in sweetness than glucose.When it comes to healty nutrition, grapes and raisins are the way to go. But the makers of sports drinks and gels know what they are doing for their market too.plenty of very high level endurance athletes, including ironman, use dates over sports gel and doing fine. the makers of sports drinks sure know what they are doing for their market, money.Hi Steve, I try and stay away from any sports products because they are so nasty. Have you tried just raisins? Or dates? Also for long runs I like coconut water. Also a fruit smoothy before a long run is amazing. None of the intestinal issues and plenty on board energy that lasts.I tried making a raisin “gel” which was too sweet to gag down. I’ll try straight raisins with a gulp of water and see how things go. How many raisins do you eat at a pop and how often? Thanks for the encouragement.No! no..no! Gels are MUCH more nutritional than f…ing raisins because they contain an artificial flavoring, like the kind found in a Burger King strawberry milk shake, containing the following ingredients: amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate, ethyl methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone (10 percent solution in alcohol), a-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol, rose, rum ether, g-undecalactone, vanillin, and solvent.As I said above. Nasty!Wow. Just wow.Now that’s just silly. First, we are not so fragile that 100% of our diet must be nutrient dense. Yes, absolutely, we need to eat a nutrient dense diet to be healthy. However, some of us have other needs that require attention, such as getting enough calories into my body during a 6 or a 20 hour mountain climb, some of which is at a high level of intensity. Well designed sports gels (which do not have an appalling ingredients list like the one you offered) are, at least for me, the most effective way to support good performance. Of course, what is also important is to remember to return to proper eating when you are done.I wish it were true that I could eat raisins rather than a sports gel to get the results I need during endurance sports. I’m jealous of those who can. But it is unreasonable to compare the motive for using a sports gel to the motive for drinking a Burger King milk shake. And it is unreasonable to conflate the design and intent of these two products.Why is it not true? Why can you not eat raisins during your mountain climb?it has been said…If you cannot pronounce it…you should not be eating it. Sounds sensible to me.Therefore you never find idiots eating quinoa! Or are they idiots because they don’t eat quinoa. hmmmmmAccording to a calorie counting website, one would need ~2.5 mini boxes of raisins to equal one 110 calorie pack of Clif shot gel (Vanilla-flavored: Organic Maltodextrin, Organic Dried Cane Syrup, Water, Natural Flavor, Sea Salt, Potassium Citrate.). I’d much rather eat whole foods, however, gels can often be more convenient during *endurance runs.* In my experience, it would be hard to dispense, chew on a sufficient amount of raisins, and run at the same time during a 50k run –and get my salt intake (to replenish what I’ve lost). (I have almost choked on food before, while running.) Thanks for the info! http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-raisins-seedless-i9298“however, gels can often be more convenient during *endurance runs.*”I’m with you on this point. I’ve tried all kinds of whole foods for runs, but the packaged up gels are easiest to carry and consume while mobile, and sometimes at high speeds.Very true for 50k. Even the gels can be stomach upsetting by the end of a marathon.Right on.Dear RC Brillantes. Take one cup of raisins, 2 tbsp water, chuck into operating food blender, add optional cinnamon, or other flavours….Pour blended mix into plastic food bag, twist & tie knot trim excess for convenience, keep in freezer till day before required….tear open corner of bag with fingers and teeth whilst running, and drink contents. Your welcome.Ha ha, loooove your sense of humour. “Raisin flavoured raisins.” :-)I stopped eating those bars…read, read, read the labels.. Warning.. bad fats!Hi, Looking for advice on increasing calories for a whole foods plant-based type II diabetic, training for a marathon. Thanks!I remember Dr. Gregor showing how green grapes are essentially the wonder bread of the plant kingdom. However, raisins are dried green grapes. I’ve been wondering if I should stop eating raisins for this reason. I wish they made raisins from red grapes.Although the antioxidant content of green grapes compared with red is much lower, it is not an unhealthful food, and still contains an array of phytonutrients which should not be avoided.	candy,cost savings,energy,energy gels,exercise,fatigue,industry influence,jelly beans,raisins,sports drinks,supplements	Raisins may be preferable to sports supplement jelly beans and commercial energy gels.	Other sports supplements may be worse than just a waste of money. See, for example, Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine? and Heavy Metals in Protein Powder Supplements.This is the third of a three part video series on the latest science on dried fruit. Check out the last three here:Compare the antioxidant content of raisins to other dried fruits in my videos Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol and Better Than Goji Berries.Beans, Beans, Good for Your Heart—but only the non-jelly variety!For more context, please refer to the following associated blog posts: Best Dried Fruit For Cholesterol  and Raisins vs. Energy Gels for Athletic Performance	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raisins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy-gels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sports-drinks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jelly-beans/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3325488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21881533,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18076252,
PLAIN-2780	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/	Do Fruit & Nut Bars Cause Weight Gain?	Dried fruits are calorically dense. Should we be concerned that eating dried fruit may make us fat? You may have noticed in the conclusion of the fig study I covered that adding 14 figs to people's daily diets did not lead to significant weight gain.  Wait a second. That's 300 calories of figs a day. Over 5 weeks that's 10,000 calories. Did they disappear into thin air, no, figs are so packed with fiber and satiating, that even without trying people just ended up eating less of other foods throughout the day. I get full just thinking about eating 14 figs a day. Was this just a fluke, though? Let's look at those other new studies. What about adding three quarters of a cup of dried apples to your diet every day for a year? 200 extra calories a day, but no significant change in weight. 200 extra calories of prunes a day for a year? No significant change in weight and same thing with a month of a daily 300 calorie load of dates. In general, the 5-10% of Americans that average a tablespoon or more of dried fruit a day tends to be less overweight, less obese, have a slimmer waist and less abdominal obesity. They tended to eat more, but weighed less.  Similar findings were found for those that eat nuts and nut butters, lower body mass index, slimmer waist and significantly less overweight and obesity.  I've already explored the potential mechanisms, nuts are filling, many boost metabolism, and we may end up flushing down some of their fat. What if you put them both together? What would be the effect of adding daily fruit and nut bars on top of one's regular diet for two months? Took about a hundred folks who were overweight, randomized into two groups. Half ate their regular diet, and the other half ate their regular diet plus two fruit and nut bars a day, totally an extra 340 calories. But these weren't candy calories; these were largely whole plant food calories, dried fruits and nuts. Two daily fruit and nut bars for two months did not cause weight gain. And they had added sugar in them. Maybe that's why cholesterol didn't get better despite the nuts, which should have helped. Recipes with less sugar might be expected to improve lipid profiles. So I'd recommend these kinds of brands instead. Or, even cheaper, just eat some dried fruits and nuts on their own.	Howdy Dr,Love your videos, I recently heard about soaking/sproating nuts and seeds to increase the bio-availability of their nutrients and also decrease their natural anti nutrients. Have you come across many studies on this topic? would love to hear your thoughts :)Thank you for the daily nutrition update. I truly appreciate your assistance in helping improve my health while advocating a plant-based diet.Dr. Greger,Are there any foods that you would recommend for healthy weight gain?Ditto that! Since going vegan 2+ years ago, I feel great. But a bit too ‘delicate’ and ‘boney’ compared to my meat-eating self. Only a small problem to have in exchange for good health? Or can I gain some weight back on plant foods and still be really healthy?Beans are a great way to gain weight, lots of protein and calories. Sweet potaotes as well or any kind of potatoesThe easiest way to gain weight on any diet is to simply eat too many calories. I am a 26 year old male, became vegan one year ago. I weighed 132lbs and really didn’t want to go lower than that. I did though, 6 months in I was 128lbs and was having a really hard time putting any of it back on. One month ago I started using cronometer.com to track my caloric intake. You get a feel really fast as to which foods are contributing the most calories and even without putting in any thought, you naturally start choosing more of the dense foods over the light ones if that’s your goal. You learn to eat e bit more even if you’re not really hungry and your body slowly gets used to it. The goal is to try to add an extra 250 calories per day in order to gain half a pound per week. Easy peasy.I am now 135lbs and feeling really confident about being able to keep this up. I also exercise about 20 minutes each morning and ride my bike everywhere. You don’t want all those extra calories ending up in belly fat :)This is really interesting to me. I’m curious if more studies would continue to support this idea. Certainly dried fruits and nuts are healthy calorie-dense foods but it seems unlikely that the high calorie content wouldn’t have any effect on weight somewhere along the line.I am curious about the details of this study. I recall one of the nut studies Jeff Nelson let us know that the subjects were calorie restricted and that is why the addition of the nuts did not cause weight gain. They just kept modifying calorie intake to maintain weight. So Im curious who funded this study? (Larabar?) Who wrote up the article (corporation vs researcher)? And what was the diet and calorie content of the subjects?Tom: check out the “sources sited” section. It is collapsed by default. But if you click on the words to open the section, you will see that Dr. Greger gives you links so that you can follow up on details about studies that he references.But does it inhibit weight/fat loss?Would you comment on these two studies:http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1200303?query=featured_home&#t=articleMethodshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16467234?dopt=AbstractSecond one is very intriguing… really!Hello Dr Greger, The apricots on you photo is orangeDried apricots have actually 3 types:Sulphured dried apricots (Orange color)Natural dried apricots (Dark brown color)Most common type of dried apricots are sulphur treated ones, which is applied before sun drying so it keeps the fresh color. The more you apply sulphur, dried apricots get brighter. Treating apricots with sulphur increase the shelf life, while making it’s taste worse (in my own opinion).Sulphur usage rate on dried apricots for Europe Union countries are 2000 ppm and for United States it is limited to 3000 ppm (brighter).Many people don’t know about that, but if you just lay apricots under the sun for drying without sulphur, color will get dark.Natural Dried Apricots are sweeter and have better taste because you don’t get the sulphur taste.What is your response to the other well-known vegan drs like McDougall and Essylstein who arduously advocate against all fat – even nuts and avocado. They have science, you have science – what do you think?What does all that sugar do to insulin level? Fiber isn’t always, if it ever is, the saving grace regarding insulin.What’s up with his weird speech pattern? The veeerrrryyyyyy strange way he draaaaaaws out words in an extremely annoying waaaaaay in a halting & unusually odd style????I like it!1:30 says “fried fruit”Doctor, is it okay to consume large quantities of dried fruit as I could fresh fruit? If not so well, then what is the problem/issue, and how may I prepare dried fruit to consume it similarly?It is easier to eat more calories of dried fruit than fresh fruit as they are more calorie dense. Generally eating fruits is not a problem. They contain fiber, phytonutrients, sugar, fructose and glucose. Some folks will experience a rise in triglycerides and/or cholesterol when consuming alot of fruit. So some caution is in order. It depends on what your goals are and how you react to the amount of dried fruit plus other lifestyle habits such as exercise… progressive weight training vs. aerobic. In general restricting fruit intake to about 4-5 servings per day is well tolerated. Some patients need to cut back others can get away with more. I don’t think there is a “right” answer to your question. Working with your health care provider who is knowledgeable about plant based nutrition might be something you should consider. dWhat about dehydrated and/or freeze-dried fruit and veggies? I’m curious about the nutritional profile of these foods and I can’t find a video on your site that covers these topics. Thanks! LOVE LOVE LOVE this website.Dr. I am a vegan and occasionally I have a Quest bar (protein bar). The company claims that these are high fiber/high protein bars with very little sugar. Have you heard anything regarding these bars as I somtimes need to supplement when I am too busy. ThanksHi Velk, I’m very familiar with Quest bars and might be able to lend some insight. The upside I’ve found is that they’re sweetened in part with erythritol, which appears harmless and doesn’t appear to cause gastrointestinal distress. Stevia is also used to sweetened many, but not all Quest bars, and as Dr. Greger points out, while some stevia can be harmless, too much can lead to genotoxicity. Of greater detriment, the 20 grams of milk protein Quest bars contain promote acne and may contribute to circulatory disorders and food allergies. There are also reports that Quest understates their caloric content by 20% and overstates fiber content by 750%. For these reasons, I might consider opting for something equivalently convenient when you’re busy like a handful of body composition-friendly nuts. I hope this helps!This is the wrong model.You need to add ad libitum of these foods, and check the results.Is there any known study regarding what would be the best fat:carbohidrate ratio per 100g of product to promote maximum weight gain in humans? I would assume farmers already know these ratios for different animals.Farmers load the animals full of antibiotics as a method of promoting weight gain, and also to offset horrid conditions. The “Hungry for Change” movie asserts that lab mice/rats are made fat by feeding them MSG.As far as humans go- who needs a study? Just follow the thunderous herd to the nearest dipped-in-oil-and-coated-with-sugar-meaty-mishmash of junk sold to us with smiles and slogans and coupons from every nook and corner of society. Also get a diet soda in a cup the size of a waste basket. Analyze it.Those Kind bars are so absolutely awesome for a cellophane wrapped product, but I they don’t fit my current budget at all. Nuts!Hey anybody have a good roll-your-own fruit and nut bar recipe? I’m about to experiment with dates, rolled oats, flaxseed, walnuts, pepitas, and spices. Have super-blender, but also want to keep some chunkiness to them. Won’t use oil or sugar.	abdominal fat,apples,body fat,calories,candy,cholesterol,dates,dried fruit,fat,fiber,figs,metabolism,nuts,obesity,prunes,sugar,weight loss	Despite the caloric density of both nuts and dried fruit, they do not appear to lead to the expected weight gain.	The video documenting similar findings in nuts and nut butters is here: Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence and the mechanisms are summarized in Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories and explored further in:What's the problem with eating added sugars? Besides all the empty calories, it can lead to the formation of excess uric acid in the body (Flesh and Fructose).If you missed my last two videos on dried fruit, check out Dried Apples, Dates, Figs or Prunes for Cholesterol? and Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet. One more coming up, Raisins vs. Jelly Beans for Athletic Performance.For more context, please refer to the following associated blog posts: Best Dried Fruit For Cholesterol , The Best Nutrition Bar, and Raisins vs. Energy Gels for Athletic Performance	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/19/choosing-the-best-nutrition-bar/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prunes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/figs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21883530,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3112406/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22214443,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22818725,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21745628,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22331685,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21811062,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19681613,
PLAIN-2781	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/	Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet	Though there is an International Prune Association keeping us all apprised of the latest prune news from around the world, in the U.S. the California prune board successfully pressured the FDA to change the name from prunes to dried plums, which evidently evokes more of a positive fresh fruit goodness image, in hopes of attracting their target audience, women.  Of course it might help if they actually included one or two on their Board.  In doing so though, they hope to de-emphasize its connections to digestive regularity issues. Why sell yourself short, though! Check this out: Randomized clinical trial: prunes vs. Metamucil, also known as psyllium. Constipation is a common problem that affects up to 20% of the world’s population. Nearly 60 million Americans suffer from chronic constipation, particularly a problem in women and the elderly. A pathological condition that is often severe enough to disrupt daily activities, derange quality of life, respond poorly to available medical remedies, and may prompt sophisticated and potentially harmful surgical procedures. Despite all this, it is still frequently considered a trivial issue and affected individuals tend to self-medicate either using OTC laxatives or ‘natural’ remedies, but none of these has been adequately investigated," until now. Fiber supplements can be inconvenient, taste nasty, cause bloating—even choking, so we need a food-based, natural, convenient tasty alternative, but do prunes work? Here are the study subjects at baseline. Each dot is a complete spontaneous bowel movement. Went from an average of 1.7 a week up to 3.5 on prunes, then back to baseline off prunes, then on Metamucil got up to 2.8, then back down. And remember the Bristol stool scale? Significantly better stool consistency on the prunes. They conclude treatment with dried plums resulted in a greater improvement in constipation symptoms than the commonly used fiber supplement, psyllium." So given their palatability, tolerability and availability, dried plums should be "considered as a first line therapy for chronic constipation.” If that's what adding one plant can do, what if all you ate was plants?	I always wanted to be the tops at something! Hooray! Were #1!As Dr. Greger says, “We’re #1 at #2″. ;-)Love it! Nothing like a good poo pun! :) That Dr. G sure does have a good sense of humor.at #2My whole life has changed since I eat way more and mostly vegetables. Thank you for this info.So glad to hear it!I have had IBS for over 40 years, I need the natural amount of crude fiber. I get that fiber from 1/4 cup/day Wheat Bran (AKA years ago Miller’s Bran)What a Crappy study! In a good way. ;-)3.5 a week?! holy hell.It’s true. As a vegan I help keep the toilet paper manufacturers in business.Me, too.I used to think I needed dairy yogurt to stay regular, but that was because I did not eat enough fiber in beans and dark leafy greens.What study does the 10.9 BM/week for vegans number come from?Just click on the Sources Cited link above for all the linked citations.Is prune juice just as good as the whole fruit?Fruit always has more fiber than fruit juice. Search for his juicing video.Invegat……I also was a long time sufferer of IBS…..HIGHLY recommend the book Irritable Bowel Solutions by John Hunter, whose advice has solved my problems.Since going vegan in July, I now have one very smooth, stress-free bowel movement every morning at about 7:30am. Also, thank you so much for these videos. They’ve helped a lot!To quote Anthony Hopkins playing Kellogg in the film Road to Wellville, “They’re huge and smell no more than a hot muffin.” That’s what a plant diet has done for me.How many prunes was it?Yes, I would also like to know how many Prunes a day/week each of the study participants ate?I can only think of this sticker!http://www.foodfightgrocery.com/im-vegan-and-i-poop-3-times-a-day-sticker/Any research on coffee and bms?Yes, I’d be interested in knowing this as well. Eating a mostly plant-based diet and a cup of joe in the morning really seems to help me with regularity.Coffee works great for me!Everybody poops — we vegans are just better at it. ;)“Whoever invented prunes must have been a genius!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5NxG_rr5aU&feature=youtu.beI had my 0.9 BM this morning.Stewed prunes work even better!Thanks. Great video. Was just trying to talk someone out of supplements and into more whole foods. Science always helps.Vegans are the shit!I’ve lived a life of struggling with off and on bad eating habits all while claiming to be a vegetarian. Finally, I made the decision to never eat anything except whole, high fiber foods. No more dairy or vegetarian junk. It’s taken a couple years to go all the way and start to heal a sick gut. It’s working…Yay, Vegan! Oh, and about the prunes. I’ll take them over all the horrible medications any day. Fresh is best.So the appropriate slogan might be “At least vegans aren’t FOS?”Prunes can be effective for treating constipation but they are inferior to psyllium. Here’s why: (1)Prunes contain large amounts of the cancer-causing growth hormone, IGF-1. (2)Although eating prunes will cause less weight gain than the calories that they contain would predict, they are still extremely high in sugars, extremely high in calories, and prunes will cause weight GAIN, not weight loss. (3)Prunes are expensive compared to psyllium capsules or psyllium powder, which comes in cylindrical canisters. (4)Psyllium has been shown to cause substantial weight LOSS by feeding the good bacteria, reducing the absorption of calories from fats and sugars, and by speeding bowel transit time. (5)Psyllium has been shown to lower colorectal cancer risk in humans by about 20%. (6)Because psyllium is less fermented than other plant fibers, it causes less flatulence than other plant sugars, starches, and fibers. (7)Psyllium is sugar-free and has been shown to be heart-healthy. (8)Psyllium has been shown to work better than docusate sodium, which is what medical doctors still prescribe. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19561384 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8287381 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10966900 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9663731 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17413119 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22863407Psyllium works faster for constipation than docusate sodium or prunes because soluble fiber can soften bowels that are already hard. If you need even quicker relief than psyllium, use gum arabic (a.k.a. Acacia Senegal or acacia gum), which is a less viscous soluble fiber than psyllium. However, for maximum weight loss benefit, use glucomannan soluble fiber (from shirataki noodles, konnyaku blocks, or sukiyaki) because it has a higher viscosity than mucilage soluble fiber (psyllium). Diarrhea washes away the weightloss-caising good bacteria and strengthens the weightgain-causing bad bacteria. Acacia gum can easily cause diarrhea. Glucomannan soluble fiber is the least likely to cause diarrhea. Mucilage soluble fiber (psyllium) can cause diarrhea but only if used in large quantities.Wikipedia mentions another diasadvantage of prunes. Prunes contain substantial quantities of the neurotoxin, acrylamide, which forms in all dried fruits (especially in prunes and in pears) during the drying process with hot air : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PrunesThe Environmental Working Group says that prunes contain more pesticide residues than most other fruits or vegetables: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.phpHow many prunes should one consume dauky?I’m a vegan and am chronically constipated!!! Eating prunes, kiwifruit, broccoli, and pears (I read these help.) What else can I do?Do you consume whole unrefined plant foods or do you consume processed foods, such as white flour, mock meats, etc. Being constipated as a vegan is quite strange if your following a whole foods plant based diet.Water is a major factor! Timing is very important too! Drink 10-16 ounces in the morning when you wake up before you eat anything! Your body needs to be rehydrated! stay hydrated throughout the day by continually drinking water. At night drink a glass of water before you go to bed (as much as you can without having to wake up in the middle of the night). Water recommendations: Take your body weight and divide it by 2Ex: A person weighing 200 pounds should drink at least 100 ounces of water each day.If overweight use your ideal body weight calculation found here: http://www.scymed.com/en/smnxpn/pndfc237.htmI punch my daily food intake into Cronometer.com and it tells me I get right around 100 grams of fiber a day. I have at least 20 BMs a week. Been a vegan for just over a year and love everything about it.Mark: Nice! Thanks for sharing.1.7 a WEEK??? OMG those poor people. I can’t imagine. I hope I never find out what that’s like.How many prunes are needed daily to be effective ?I find that taking freshly ground flax seed, about 1 tablespoon in a small amount of fresh juice or water daily really helps me a lot, and also drinking lots of water. It also reduces appetite by making me feel fuller, so I eat less too!	aging,alternative medicine,bloating,bowel movements,California,California Dried Plum Board,colon disease,colon health,complementary medicine,constipation,dried fruit,elderly,FDA,fiber,fruit,industry influence,laxatives,medications,Metamucil,plant-based diets,plums,prunes,psyllium,stool size,supplements,surgery,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	The average number of bowel movements a week is compared between those eating prunes, those taking a fiber supplement, and those eating a strictly plant-based diet.	Who can forget the Bristol stool scale? Even if you've already seen it you may want a refresher: Bristol Stool Scale. And while we're on the topic, here are some others on optimizing bowel function:Prunes may also help improve the health of our skin—see Beauty Is More Than Skin Deep.In general we should try to get our nutrients from whole food, not supplements (Some Dietary Supplements May Be More Than a Waste of Money).See the previous video Dried Apples, Dates, Figs or Prunes for Cholesterol? for a comparison of prunes to other dried fruit in terms of cholesterol-lowering capacity. And if you're worried dried fruit may be too calorically dense, the next video Do Fruit & Nut Bars Cause Weight Gain? should help put your mind at ease.For more context, please refer to the following associated blog posts: Best Dried Fruit For Cholesterol , Best Treatment for Constipation, Raisins vs. Energy Gels for Athletic Performance, and Flaxseeds for Diabetes	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/08/flaxseeds-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metamucil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plums/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prunes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california-dried-plum-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psyllium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/laxatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bloating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greasy-orange-rectal-leakage/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21535058,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21726250,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21679210,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21323688,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21488922,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14972075,
PLAIN-2782	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/	Dried Apples, Dates, Figs or Prunes for Cholesterol?	Daily dried apples versus daily dried plums: impact on cardiovascular disease risk factors in postmenopausal women. First thing I thought was well, was the study funded by the U.S. Apple Association or the international prune association? Turns out neither—just our taxpayer dollars hard at work—great! So what'd they find? 160 older women randomly assigned to a dried apple group or a dried plum group and followed for a year. A dozen dried apple rings a day or about 8 prunes. Within 3 months, a significant drop in cholesterol in the apple group, which stayed down throughout the rest of the study. Both dried fruit regimens lower c-reactive protein levels about the same, though perhaps dried plums may cause a quicker decrease in inflammation whereas dried apples may result in a greater decrease overall. 12 apple rings is equivalent to eating about 2 apples a day. They think that the cholesterol-lowering properties of apples may be due to its unique pectin fiber composition, which may increase fecal excretion of bile.  Or the apple phytonutrients alone, even without the fiber, appear to lower cholesterol on their own. What about dried figs? The California Fig Board did not want to be left out— sponsors of both figfest and figfeast, as well this recent study. 14 figs a day—that's a lot of figs—for 5 weeks and… nothin': Daily consumption of figs did not reduce bad cholesterol. And finally, what about dates? 4 or 5 dates a day for a month and again, nothing, though they did tend to bring down triglyceride levels, which is surprising given the sugar content in dates. A recent study on the glycemic index of dates found them surprisingly low. Here's what straight sugar water does to your blood sugars, and here's that same amount of sugar, but in date form. Dates beat out other common fruits in terms of containing more vitamins and minerals, in fact they’re touted as the richest source of dietary minerals, but because they're dried they have about 5 times more calories than fresh fruits So in terms of nutrient density they're really quite comparable with these others, though apples have them clearly beat when it comes to lowering cholesterol.	Are dried apples better than fresh apples? Do fresh apples provide the same benefit as dried apples?Regular apples are perfectly healthy. By weight, dried apples contain more antioxidants simply because they weigh less.Dr Gregor: Is there something special about dried apples, or would eating regular apples be just as good?Thanks.Dried fruits aren’t for everyone though. I can’t do any (I love prunes) without getting extremely tired and have my fibromyalgia flare. Could you perhaps address the issue of fructose malabsorption in a future clip?I could almost be certain that I heard Dr. Oz (a few months ago) say that he didn’t think there was a link between dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol, or that that we eat and what is in our blood. Surely I heard this wrong. However, I have an 83 year old mom that eats bacon and eggs for breakfast most mornings. I’m a health nut and hope I make it to 83.I’m not sure about what Dr. Oz said, but cholesterol is most definitely linked to the food we eat. You can learn more about that on this site (just do a search for videos on cholesterol). I can tell you that Dr. Orinsh has stated in many of his books that there is genetic variability in how efficiently (or inefficiently) human bodies can remove excess fat and cholesterol from their blood. The more cholesterol receptors people have the more able their bodies are of removing the excess cholesterol, the less receptors they have the harder it is for them to remove the extra cholesterol. It sounds like your mom may be genetically lucky in this regard; you may be, too.Or not.Dr. OZ also had a woman on his show who could speak to the dead, I wouldn’t take what he says seriously, as he often flip flops and advocates some wild things.I also do not see your diet as quite healthful, and as a health nut I hope you also see that as you explore this website.Same question: Do the apples have to be dried? It is laborious to make them in my dehydrator, and expensive to buy them. What about just eating regular apples?Regular apples are perfectly healthy. By weight, dried apples contain more antioxidants simply because they weigh less.Catherine I agree that trying to eat healthy can be very laborous and at times expensive. I’m not sure what you consider expensive, but I found these dried apple slices really really tasty http://futureceuticalsdirect.com/store/mightycrunch-fujiapple.html Hope this helps.In terms of calories, one medium apple is equivalent to just a bit more than 6 apple rings- so two apples a day, the same amount of apple as found in 12 2/3 apple rings, should give as good or better results as this study.Dr Greger, Thank you for this video. I received this bulletin in my email. Are antibiotics dangerous to our Flora when sprayed on organic apples? http://m.naturalnews.com/news/039472_antibiotics_organic_fruits_petition.htmlYou can get the same benefit from fresh apples because he said the active agents were pectin and polyphenols. Both of those are unaffected by drying. I was so sure it was going to be prunes. I hate prunes. Badly wrinkled.The other issue with apples is that it has already been shown that the most nutritious part of an apple is its skin and the redder the better. I have not yet found dried apples with the skin on. I would suggest that two fresh apples a day are much better overall. Also, the fact that prunes were not effective in this cholesterol trial overlooks the important fact that they did reduce inflammation and that they are a high source of fiber and life-extending polyphenols, particularly those maintaining bone mineral density..Great! Another food I can add to the list for my mother to eat to help decrease her LDL cholesterol, aside from beans! Thanks!When I started eating vegan, I put 6-8 dried apple slices in my oatmeal water every day because I had fractured my dominant wrist (and my spine) and could not easily cut an apple or stand very long. By the end of 5 months, I went from having a bad cholesterol level of 300 to 100 (don’t recall the other numbers) and lost 65 pounds from food changes alone based on blood tests run by the hospital lab. We (the doctor, lab, and I) were amazed.Until this study, I did not have any idea of the reason of the reason so much cholesterol disappeared. I thought it was simply eating healthy vegan rather than eating free range.organic poultry and dairy. But, looks both eliminating the meat and dairy and ADDING the dried apples played a big roll in this.beccadoggie10: That’s amazing! Thanks for sharing your story.I’m sure all those things that you did that helped with the cholesterol level, but it sure is cool that the little ol’ common apple can have such an additional helpful effect. Very cool.is there any health benefit to juicing?Juicing eliminates the fiber and actually leaves much of then utrients in the pulp. I consider it a huge waste of produce and Dr. Greger would agree.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/What is the difference nutritionally between dry fruit and fresh fruit? Let’s assume preservative-free and no added sugar for the dried fruit. I’m thinking about things like phytonutrients levels. Is anything lost in the drying process?Why/how is eating dried fruit different from eating fresh fruit? Isn’t dried fruit the same, minus the water? Or is there something else removed from the fruit when it is dried.Indeed, the antioxidants are high due to dry weight. 100 grams of apple rings and a 100 grams of fresh apple are very different.I love dried apples and even make my own using a dehydrator. Recently I began making smoothies and I often include an apple in the mix. When making my smoothie I generally include a scoop of vegan protein powder. The brand I use contains a good deal of fruit, including apples. I’d be curious to know if the dried powdered apples in this powder retain their cholesterol lowering qualities. In fact I’d be curious to know if the protein powder, which contains a ton of fruit and veggies has the same healthful benefits as would all those ingredients eaten raw or dried.It’s odd for fruit to be included in protein powders since fruit in general are not a significant source of protein. More importantly, why are you using protein supplements? A well designed vegan diet provides all the protein you need, from whole foods. Consuming significantly more protein than what your body needs actually harms your health.Almost all the dried fruit I find for sale, including at health food stores, have sulfur dioxide, to preserve color. Sulfur dioxide gives me horrid-smelling gas, and lots of it. Is this a common side effect, and is there anything I can do about it? It is even more of a problem when I am eating away from home, where my access to an ingredient list is not always possible.What about acrylamide in dried fruits (article Prune Wikipedia with reference to article link http://www.ethlife.ethz.ch/archive_articles/070920-acrylamid/index_EN . Something to worry about?Is the sulfur dioxide in dried fruits bad for you?Dates are NOT dried fruits. Just wanted to set the record straight.	apples,blood sugar,C-reactive protein,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,date sugar,dates,dried fruit,fiber,fruit,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,inflammation,LDL cholesterol,phytonutrients,plums,polyphenols,prunes,stroke,sugar,triglycerides	A comparison of the cholesterol-lowering potential of four dried fruit—apples, dates, figs, and plums.	This supports the extraordinary findings detailed in Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol. More on dried fruit can be found in Better Than Goji Berries, Amla Versus Diabetes, and To Snack or Not to Snack? Those with asthma may want to choose dried fruits without the preservative sulfur dioxide.Though variety is important (Apples and Oranges: Dietary Diversity), apples are an excellent choice. See also Apples & Breast Cancer and The Healthiest Apple.More on the sugar content of dates in Are Dates Good For You?, a recipe in Healthy Pumpkin Pie, and my favorite source here.Prunes may not help our cholesterol, but they may improve the health of our skin—see Beauty Is More Than Skin Deep. That's of course in addition to their customary regularity role, something I'm going to address in the next video Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet.For more context, please refer to the following associated blog posts: Best Dried Fruit For Cholesterol  and Raisins vs. Energy Gels for Athletic Performance	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/where-can-i-find-a-good-variety-of-dates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/sulfite-sensitivity-from-dried-fruits/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triglycerides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/c-reactive-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plums/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prunes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/date-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-apple/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22214443,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21619670,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22818725,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19681613,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21811062,
PLAIN-2783	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/	Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis	As I reported last year, the Harvard Nurses' Health Study found that the daily consumption of the amount of cholesterol found in a single egg appeared to cut a woman's life short as much as smoking 25,000 cigarettes. Following up on that research, a study in the journal Atherosclerosis found that just 3 eggs or more a week was associated with a significant increase in artery-clogging plaque buildup in people's carotid arteries going to their brain, a strong predictor of stroke, heart attack, and death.  In fact you see a similar exponential increase in arterial plaque buildup for smokers and egg-eaters. Those that ate the most eggs had as much as two-thirds the risk of those that smoked the most, the equivalent of a pack-a-day habit for 40 years or more. This did not go over easy with the egg industry. As revealed in a series of internal memos about this group of researchers retrieved through the Freedom of Information Act, the American Egg Board discussed the "wisdom of making industry responses when the public knows there is a vested interest…." So Mitch Kanter, the Executive Director of the Egg Board's "Egg Nutrition Center," proposed they contact "some of our 'friends' in the science community" to have an "objective, external source author the response." "If you do so," Mitch wrote to one of their "friends" at Yale, "we'll certainly compensate you…." But the prominent Yale physician refused to "participate in an overtly antagonistic letter" given his friendship with one of the co-authors of the review. If you can't find someone with credentials to counter the science, why not just make one up? How's this for a bizarre twist: An email was circulated to discredit the researchers by a Dr. Dr.—MD/PHD—and why not throw in an MBA while you're at it, who claimed the prestigious researchers didn't know a thing about nutrition. Only when the principal investigator of the egg study replied to the allegations did we learn that the Dr. Dr. doesn't exist. His email was hacked. The poor guy was like, “I was on vacation I don't know what you're talking about” and apparently the culprit was never found.	A classic eggsample of eggspionage.This recent meta-anlysis of cohort studies on the BMJ does not support the association: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538567/Did they test with authentic free-ranged chicken eggs which are known to contain less cholesterol? My mother has been eating these all her life (many more than 3 per week) and is 83 with no cholesterol or heart problems.My grandmother lived on a farm and ate organic eggs all her life and lived to be 104.My grandfather RAISED chickens and eat eggs EVERY morning for breakfast and he was 93 when he died, had his hair, his teeth and lived pretty healthy life! It amazes me what these so called ‘experts’ are telling people to be ‘fact’ these days.My grandfarher lived on a farm and ate up to 20 eggs per day and he was 110 when he died!Mother’s in China eat 10-20 eggs per day because they know how important they are to brain health and intestinal health throughout life!I love eggs, but how does anyone put away 20 of them in a day???How the heck is that even possible? 20 a day? Was there ever a moment during his day when he didn’t have an egg in his mouth? Yuck!No offence meant to you, but how old would he have lived if he had not eaten all those eggs? perhaps 103? We simply don’t know is the answer…but looking at the evidence from statistics. the more you eat the higher your risk of heart disease diabetes and lower longevity from animal proteins & TOR.He probably would not have lived all that much longer without the eggs.First of all, he didn’t spend his life at a desk in a cubicle. They can study the heck out of biochemistry, but until they factor in that we were meant to be mobile creatures, they’ll never get it completely right.Second, cancer risk is a probability and some people will always win unless the odds are 100% against you.ExactlyThe hired response? Seems likely given he’s from Yale, says he’s friends with Dr. Jenkins, and specifically responds to the study. How big do you think the check was? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/eggs-health_b_1818209.html?m=false&icid=hp_healthy-living_ftr_desktopThat’s disappointing about Dr Katz. I really enjoy his blogs on HP.Did you actually read it and the points made? Which points did you find to be fallacious?The Wikipedia description of atherosclerosis reveals how complex the disease is. Mentioned is the fact that several mummies show it. Why would pre-modern people have it? Possibly because most mummies come from the upper class, with excessive life style habits. Also mentioned is the high rate of atherosclerosis in autopsied, young veterans.The important point you made here is lifestyle differences. You could probably get away with eating a bunch of eggs if you also did physical labor or walked all day. You could probably get away with more alcohol consumption if you ate a vegetable based diet etc. all these factors come into play to create an overall lifestyle picture. One food or one factor will probably not kill you on it’s own ( except smoking) but all together, plus a sedentary lifestyle most certainly will. Vegetable based diet, daily activity or exercise and not smoking or drinking seems to be the formula for success. It’s about the big picture. I wish these health studies would do more of that. Because this focus on one type of food, although important, gives the wrong impression, IMO.I found over the years, that the source of the funding (I always check and ask) for surveys, studies, polls etc. is often times just as important (or even more important) as the results. HIgh cholesterol does not mean atherosclerosis; while atherosclerosis does mean high cholesterol. In any case, I’m cutting back on my egg consumption. :-))Dear Dr. Greger: See the first comment for this link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538567/ which brings us to a recent meta-analysis showing no link between egg consumption and heart disease or stroke. Are not the results of a meta-analysis more reliable than any one study alone, since they combine the data taken using different methodologies and across different samples? I look forward to your response. Thank you.Hi Bill,The linked study you provided didn’t quite give eggs a clean bill of health if you are diabetic:“Subgroup analysis suggested that consumption of up to one egg per day was associated with a significantly elevated risk of coronary heart disease in diabetic populations.”I also find the cloak-and-dagger damage control of the egg industry a bit disturbing. If their product is so healthful why would they resort to such machinations?Hello Mike, The egg industry’s behavior is indeed disturbing. However, I would prefer to be confident that when I pass along Dr. Greger’s summaries, I can count on them not being overstated. Otherwise, we both lose credibility.In court, when a party overstates their position, a second chance is rarely given.If a mistatement was made, it should be addressed, clarified, or explained away promptly.Hi Bill,I totally agree with what you’re saying about credibility. The study Dr. Greger referred to seems to deal solely with egg yolk in relation to carotid artery plaque. This study thus encompasses a fairly narrow focus. Dr. Spence (stroke expert and author of “How To Prevent Your Stroke”) and Dr. Jenkins (one of the inventors of the Glycemic Index) are, to my knowledge, very principled researchers. That their study doesn’t necessarily align with other studies out there doesn’t invalidate it, or Dr. Greger’s credibility in presenting it . The design of a study can have a lot to do with the results, which may explain why different researchers come up with disparate conclusions about the same thing.“one of the inventors of the Glycemic Index” ^ LOLSorry, I don’t get your lol.The fact that members of the egg industry discussed ways to protect the reputation of their product may seem distasteful to some but is perfectly natural behavior that we all engage in. Such behavior certainly does not prove that their product deserves a bad, or good, reputation. It just proves that they are humans looking to protect their way of earning a living.Since it’s a foregone conclusion that the egg industry will tout the healthfulness of its product, we should rightly question the credibility of their statements or any study in which they are involved. It’s distasteful – to put it mildly – when companies put profits over health or honesty, and no, we do not all engage in that behavior (nor should we).They are not “using methodologies”, they are using METHODSMeta-analysis is a useful tool but not necessarily better. When bringing together several studies you bring in all the limitations of those studies. The reason you are seeing so many of these studies is that they are inexpensive.Meta-analysis is a powerful statistical tool. You see more and more because they are easy to do and relatively inexpensive. The devil is in the details. When you combine studies you bring the limitations of each study into the new study. The researchers may exclude studies they should have included and included studies they shouldn’t have. Without knowing the details which are often hard to ferret out the results must be viewed with a grain of salt.There is nothing wrong with eggs per se, especially “real eggs” produced in humane conditions. Factory eggs are loaded with unnatural compounds from the feed and chemicals. Free range eggs are amazing food and should be a part of a well-balanced diet. Just stay away from all that junk food – that is the source of most health problems.I eat organic free range eggs every day also place tumeric spice over them with pepper. I am going to be 64 and my endocrinologist said all of my veins and arteries have no signs of being clogged. My cholesterol and other readings are all normal. If these people ate other items than eggs perhaps this study is tainted. Maybe it ain’t the eggs but all of the junk food and high fructose corn syrup that is really showing up.You are right on Sherri. Most of the sickness we see is a result of bad diet full of processed foods. Eat good natural food and live without illness. Interestingly, I eat free range eggs every day and I too sprinkle with turmeric and pepper. I am almost 71, haven’t seen a doctor in 10 years or more.Why do people who view this site still confuse anecdotal evidence with scientific studies ? Sure, eating non-processed food is healthier than eating processed food but that’s irrelevant to the points discussed in the video (with which it’s fair to disagree, but to do so credibly should involve presenting evidence of the same sort as that presented in the video). I’m sure you can find someone who’s grandmother smoked 4 packs a day and lived to be 150, insists that the higher rates of lung cancer found for smokers in various studies must really be due to asbestos, and recommends that people who want to enjoy a long healthy life of smoking simply stay away from old buildings.My sincere apologies, Karl. This is my first time at this site and I was unaware that it is strictly a forum to exchange data from scientific studies. Other posts led me to believe one could express personal opinions connected to the subject. I consider myself suitably chastised and will restrict my comments to those substantiated by appropriate studies.Dr Nitram that isn’t necessary. You can say whatever you want. I find the recipes and insights interesting.The videos are amazing aren’t they? If you look under sources cited you can read the actual research or at least an abstract.Karl, please remember that scientific studies, with all do respect, are still only marginally more meaningful than ‘anecdotal’ evidence. We have all heard of studies that claim one conclusion, only to be contradicted by studies that claim different conclusions. We are each left to chose which ‘anecdotal’ studies we prefer to side with.This is the purpose of meta studies.This comment.your comment to ‘dr’ nitram was spot on and his sarcastic comment to you was plain insulting.Can you do a video on this(http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2672.2003.01814.x/abstract;jsessionid=4C0BE78BB108EED3A69F1BD043FF9F1F.d03t01) and how it functions in humans?I found this same study mentioned in Latimes.com. It measured artery thickness. I bet a lot of studies just do blood tests. These don’t always detect atherosclerosis. Some people have normal cholesterol levels and/or pass EKG’s and still have heart disease. You actually have to look at the arteries, and that is what the study did that Michael Greger cited.Eggs are nasty chicken “periods”. Nobody needs the cholesterol in them, as we produce what we need. There are far superior and less expensive sources of protein than nasty slimey eggs! Cig. smoke is even nastier of course!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPEU1AyOQQoThis is a study on the effect of daily egg consumption on endothelial function and cholesterol. According to this study, over a six week period daily consumption of egg substitute resulted in lower LDL and improved endothelial function, as compared to daily egg consumption. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2904713/#B49Dr. G., I’m a fan and follower of your website and greatly appreciate the science-based evidence you present. I have referred many clients to Nutritionfacts.org–many of whom are not vegan or even vegetarian but who are wanting to make healthier food choices. I am hopeful that as they learn about the many benefits of plant-based diets, they’ll shift in that direction. The photo that accompanied today’s video (a cigarette butt smashed into an egg yolk) is, in my mind, gratuitous and may turn readers away from rather than towards your site. Realize that not all of your readers are vegans but some may become vegans if your approach is respectful. (Full disclosure: I’ve been a vegetarian for the past 30+ years. I eat 1-2 locally raised, humanely produced eggs per week.)What about eating egg whites without the yolks? does al l of the above apply?I would assume that most or all of the cholesterol content is contained in the yolk while most of the protein content is in the white (clear) portion.gram for gram, egg yolk has more proteinwhy are the negative symptoms of eggs so shocking? this site has promoted nothing but a plant based diet (and maybe a few insects) based on studies. i am sure there are a lot healthier foods (esp. plant foods) than eggs. so accept the data, and keep the flow of new data coming. I doubt you will ever see a study declare that eating 1 egg a day will make you live 5 years longer. some of you need to relax. even though all at lot of research states that fish are bad and toxic, i still have it in moderation, simply because you will never avoid all the unhealthy things in life. what i appreciate about this site most is that it gives reason to people to adapt new ways of eating, try new foods, and improve their health.Considering that fish is the most polluted animal product, next to fish oil, one can eat, I find it hard to accept heavy metals and other carcinogenic pollutants in moderation.Wow, Dr Greger sure hit a nerve with the egg eating folks, eh?Dr. Greger,Thank you very much for making us aware of this danger. These monsters in industry deserve to be put on a very short regulatory leash since they don’t respect our right to know what effects their product has on us. Their top officers should also be prosecuted for the medical costs (and deaths) they’ve forced onto us without our knowledge and permission.“this did not go over easy”cuteAnother study needs to be done with free range (non corn/crap fed chickens) vs traditional caged crap fed chickens to see if the cholesterol content in eggs produced have any impact on plaque buildup. (Or has a study been done?)Egg cholesterol varies very little between organic vs conventional, and this is simply an excuse people try to use to eat these unhealthy foods. cholesterol is inherent of eggs, and even if there was variability between the 2, it would be insignificant simply because these are all of the same species.So, eating non-cholesterol eggs such as Egg Beaters would be okay?I would disagree, as we still have the issue of elevated IGf-1 to deal with when it comes to egg whites.Thai women ( mean age 62, BMI 25) who ate THREE ADDITIONAL eggs DAILY, decreased LDL/ HDL-cholesterol ratio by 10 %, but BMI increased. It is not discussed why they took Atorvastatin etc. although they hat not even one other risk factor: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jl/2012/672720/ ( open access, published five months prior the Jenkins study) No conflict of interests – I do not eat eggs since 1982.These and so many other “research” articals are junk. Unless all the individuals in this study ate all the same thing and madew the same movement etc then there is no way to tell what they have ingested that caused the issues or their lack of movement. These are becoming tiresome-just like the report you found on the Gerson therapy. Why would I trust any MD with any study?Allow me to confirm that when I mention Not trusting an MD I am not referring to you-mostly:0)The general argument about eggs being bad depends on the interpretation of two research papers (shown in the video).Regarding the first paper, the video’s author makes a claim comparing egg consumption to smoking 25,000 cigarettes over some number of years. However, this study had nothing to do with egg consumption at all – if you search the article, the word “egg” isn’t used even once. The cholesterol-intake measure used by these researchers was for ANY dietary source of cholesterol, and not eggs specifically.Regarding the second article, the way these researchers defined cigarette consumption and egg consumption was complex and not readily interpretable. Further, the graphs showed in the video require further explanation, and do not represent what most people will probably think. Basically, what these researchers found was that eating two eggs per week was nearly as bad as smoking a whole packet of cigarettes per week (which is very alarming!). However, it should be noted that the participants in this study were patients who’d been referred to a heart disease prevention clinic. In other words, they were a sample of people who were vulnerable to heart problems, and NOT a representative sample of the general population. Furthermore, the sample was overweight (average BMI = 27.4) and 13.3% were diabetic (higher than in the general population). An even more serious problem is that it’s very plausible that the people in this study who ate more eggs also ate greater amounts of other high-cholesterol foods like burgers, steak, etc. If this is true, then the supposed negative effects of eggs would be inflated by these confounding variables – perhaps dramatically so. Another way of putting this, is that the measure of egg intake might *actually* be measuring the intake of a whole bunch of other foods as well. Since the study did NOT measure the intake of any other kind of food except eggs, there is no way of exploring this issue within this study. Thus, no firm conclusions can be made from this study about how bad eggs are for you, nor can any firm comparisons be made against cigarette consumption. Even if you *could* make these conclusions, they would not necessarily be generalizable to the general population.Don’t cut back on eggs and dietary cholesterol:Fred A. Kummerow. Interaction between sphingomyelin and oxysterols contributes to atherosclerosis and sudden death. American Journal of Cardiovascular Disease, 2013; 3 (1): 17-26respect,man!!You are sad. I would really like to know what you eat and how healthy you are? Judging by the picture not so much.put your brains to something useful.My family eats eggs every day, we grew up on them just like my dad and his whole family did, guess what here is a shocker for you the average age of death (Natural causes not accident or some other freak thing) 78 OMG Eggs are a killerLets just be clear that heart health issues are not something my family deals with at allIt depends how you cook them, obviously eating shit loads of fried eggs won’t do you much good, but there’s nothing wrong with eating eggs, and as a talented athlete my S&C coach encourages it as a meal, if I have a six egg breakfast I don’t need to eat again until 7/8pm, get real peopleA Michigan State University analysis, reported a year later, analyzed the diets and blood-cholesterol data for more than 27,000 people—a representative cross-section of the U.S. population. It found that cholesterol was lower in people who ate more than four eggs per week than among people who eschewed eggs.hi doctor,does the “cholesterol increase” effect can be happened if I eat the free-ranch egg. coz i prepare 6 free-ranch eggs a week for emergency meal if I dont have much time to cook any healthy vegan’s food. =)I’m new to this site and I have to say, I’m impressed and a bit overwhelmed. I have an egg/cholesterol question, but please bear with me as I go into a bit of exposition about my story.I’m a physician (psychiatrist) which means I received virtually no formal nutrition education. I have been a strong proponent of exercise for some time after I realized that I had gained 50# and my BMI exceeded 30 at age 29 in residency. Over the years I brought my BMI to just below 24 primarily by exercising moderately to intensely for an hour 6 times a week. My diet had not been bad by American standards. I would have a modest meat serving a day or so, eat 4-5 serving s of fruits/vegetables most days, eat breads/pastas/rice/cereals fairly frequently, eat fish a couple times a week. I have been addicted to diet cola since age 15 seeing the transition from saccharine to NutraSweet.I finally decided 3 weeks ago to stop diet colas and switched to a cup of morning coffee. This (and concerns about my parents’ health) led me to realizing I was clueless about health and diet and sent me searching for continuing education. I ran into http://www.nutritioncme.org and subsequently Dr. Greger’s lectures. At first, I was a bit annoyed thinking he was just proselytizing vegan. I even gave a rating of “somewhat biased” on the CME feedback. I found this sit though and have just been wowed.I’ve changed my diet to include daily greens/beans/nuts/berries. I’ve added regular citrus, apples and prunes and an evening glass of green/white tea (tonight with a bit of honey, cinnamon, cloves and lemon…not bad!) I still tend to have a serving of cottage cheese during lunch and sardines a couple times a week and boiled eggs a couple times a week.Here is my question. Is an entirely vegan diet necessary for optimal health if my labs physical health seem to be good?I had my yearly physical right before making any dietary changes. My cholesterol levels were as follows:LDL 79 HDL 95 VLDL 18This has been consistent over the last 6 years at least. This is not because of “good genes” as obesity runs on both sides of the family and heart disease strongly on my fathers. I’m a bit reluctant to abandon eggs and fish altogether if my labs are looking good and I’m in good health. I am willing to try reducing animal product consumption to under 20% of caloric intake as a start. I have noticed a 3-4 pound weight loss over the week of dietary changes (which I assume is due to water or fecal loss.)Anyways, this is an overly long monologue, but I’m not convinced that eating free range organic eggs is poison. I guess cognitive dissonance dies slowly. I would welcome feedback from anyone. Thanks.Pasture eggs are totally different…and cholesterol is our main hormone producing substance and is an antioxidant…so this seems to be very misleading and a poorly facilitated studyDoes it come from the yolk or the entire egg. Ive noticed lots of vegetarian foods like veggie burgers have egg whites in them. Whats the deal?My grandmother smoked 60 ciggarettes a day, without a filter, and ate 20 raw eggs a day. She lived until she was 28. What are these so-called experts talking about!Cholesterol is good for you. Sugars are the real culpritEven though I don’t eat eggs because of moral & ethical reasons, it looks to me like this study was done just eating egg yolks. I’m wondering what the research would have looked like eating whole, organic, pasture raised eggs. Or even any eggs for that matter. I normally think that eating whole food sources & not just a part of it is better (ie, eating a whole egg vs only egg yolks or egg whites).The most compelling reasons to stop egg consumption is that they increase levels of IGF-1 which promotes tumor growth, and they are highly inflammatory due to marked levels of arachidonic acid. This remains true whether organic or conventional. Links below detail more. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/I agree. IMO, it’s better not to eat animal products.I would be interested to know if the elevated cholesterol of those who ate the “one egg a day” was in individuals who were meat eaters also. Would the higher cholesterol level of a single egg be as deleterious for a vegetarian, nearly vegan person as for those who regularly eat meat?As shown from the graphs presented by Dr. Greger the more eggs you eat the higher your risk. Whether you’re talking about risk of strokes or heart attacks or getting a food borne illness such as salmonella see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/. Unfortunately the decision to avoid certain foods often needs to be made well in advance of the problems they may or may not cause. My preference and my recommendations to my patients, in an effort to have them avoid chronic disease and disability, is to minimize risk as much as possible by not consuming eggs.It appears as if these phantom doctors (Dr. Doctor) are also loose in the meat and dairy industries.TERRI, MARY, JC, EGGFAN and others, there are ALWAYS EXCEPTIONS to any medical study; not many though, but that does not negate the information in the post and video.Life styles, physical make-up and genes play an extremely important part in our mental and physical well being. Don and I CAN! :-))Deborah Gant Producer & Host of Focus on Natural Health Education & Community Development Inc. on Channel 18 PEG-TV. We should work on discarding all flesh products and bi-products from our diets. There are various diseases in all flesh meats, including all dairy products such as eggs, cows or goat milk, cheese etc. Please feel free to contact me at 601)278-1868 for further information.Hmm, this study stinks!“So what are we looking at here?We’re looking at a study in which a trio of researchers (two of whom with extensive ties to the statin industry) quizzed a group of middle-aged and elderly stroke patients about their lifelong egg intake and smoking history, making sure to stress the importance of accuracy and honesty in their answers. Yes, you heard me right: they expected people to remember every last egg they ever ate. Still, everyone in the study was assumed to have supernatural memory, so I guess it evens out.Those who ate the most eggs were the oldest – almost 70 years old on average, compared to the relatively sprightly 55 year-old egg avoiders. It’s pretty well accepted that with age comes the progression of atherosclerosis, a process that takes, well, time to occur. Plaque doesn’t just snap into existence; it develops. All else being equal, the older you get, the more plaque you’ll have.Those who ate the most eggs also smoked the most and were the most diabetic. To their credit, the authors tried to control for those factors, plus several others. Although they tried to control for sex, blood lipids, blood pressure, smoking, body weight index, and presence of diabetes, the study’s authors didn’t – couldn’t – account for all potentially confounding variables. In their own words, “more research should be done to take in possible confounders such as exercise and waist circumference.” Hmm. “Possible” confounders, eh?”Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/are-eggs-really-as-bad-for-your-arteries-as-cigarettes/#ixzz2pLSR71cAAnyone who seeks information on nutrition and health topics, opens a site on the internet and finds an expert who speaks .Just like in here. But there are many other sites on the internet in which, other doctors and experts speak often about the SAME topic but take the exact opposite position.On the one hand you have(for instance here) Dr.Gregger talking about eggs being very bad for your health and on the other hand you have another doctorexpertscientist ,assurring you that eggs are GREAT for you. They are both doctors,experts, and they both refer to STUDIES to support what they say. WHAT on EARTH should you believe? You have 2 doctors,2 experts,1 topic and 2 contadictory positions.I don`t care who is who and obviously this is not a matter of preference “whom to believe“ ,as it is in the case of “which football team to support“ ,but the above simple fact may make it difficult to decide what to do. ( specifically about eggs,I`ve seen at least 3 doctors speaking in favor of eggs, on you tube .It`d be useful to listen to each other`s take on the arguements of the other. ) Maybe we could play the game “fact or fiction“ or put the names of the contradicting experts on a graph .Kidding of course :D . I`d like to read any commentsanswers on how to handle this dilemma and information.Thanks.This page if filled up with Vegan Freaks. Eating crap is so healthy, especially horse crap.i don’t understand the comparison. how long do you have to be eating one single egg a day to compare it to 25000 cigarettes, 5 cigarettes a day for 15 years. do you eat 1 egg a day for your whole life or also for 15 years?	American Egg Board,brain disease,brain health,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,eggs,Freedom of Information Act,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,lifespan,longevity,mortality,smoking,stroke,women's health,Yale	A similar exponential increase in carotid artery plaque buildup was found for smokers and egg eaters.	This is the same prestigious research team that wrote the landmark review I based the videos Egg Cholesterol in the Diet and Avoiding Cholesterol Is a No Brainer on.The 25,000 cigarette study is detailed in What Women Should Eat to Live Longer and it’s the opener to my 2012 year-in-review video Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, in which I explore the role diet can play in preventing, treating, and reversing our top 15 killers.More on eggs in Carcinogenic Retrovirus Found in Eggs, Egg Industry Blind Spot, Total Recall, and Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation.Lots more Freedom of Information Act internal memo videos on their way—I've got stacks of boxes still to comb through!For more context, read the associated blog posts: Eggs, Cigarettes, and Atherosclerosis, Why Are Eggs Linked to Cancer Progression?, and Egg Industry Caught Making False Claims.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/06/egg-industry-caught-making-false-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/19/why-are-eggs-linked-to-cancer-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/10/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/freedom-of-information-act/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/	-
PLAIN-2784	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/	Herbal Tea Update: Rooibos & Nettle	Rooibos, or red tea, is anecdotally reported to aid stress-related symptoms, but has none of the mood-altering phytonutrients thought responsible for the increased calm and decreased stress after drinking green tea, so why do some people feel less stressed drinking red tea? Well researchers recently found human adrenal gland cells in a petri dish produce about 4 times fewer steroid hormones in the presence of red tea, yes this may possibly contribute to the alleviation of negative effects arising from elevated stress hormone levels" if it actually happened in real life, but the effect was so dramatic they were concerned it might adversely effect the production of sex steroid hormones as well, but that's not what they found when they tested it in human subjects. The same may not be true of nettle tea. Nettle is used to relieve the symptoms of prostate enlargement by boosting estrogen levels, but if men drink too much they may grow breasts and women may start lactating. It's safe as long as you don't drink too much, and as long as you don’t come down with atropine poisoning because you mistook it for this plant, deadly nightshade, and as long as you don't put the leaves in your mouth fresh. They don't call them stinging nettles for nothing. This is a picture of the impalement of a nettle spicule in the skin. Another thing nettle tea is touted for is being packed with minerals, which always seemed kind of strange to me. Yes, if you boil dark green leafy vegetables long enough, you do lose minerals into the cooking water, but how many minerals could we be getting if you just steep some tea? We never knew because it hadn't been tested, until now.  They compared the mineral content of nettle tea to chamomile tea, mint tea, St. John's Wort, and sage. Nettle tea didn't seem to have much more than any of the others, but maybe they're all really high? Well one cup of nettle tea has the iron of a dried apricot—that's more than I expected. The zinc found in a single pumpkin seed. One-twentieth of a mushroom's worth of copper, but 4 peanuts worth of magnesium and a fig's worth of calcium. I agree with the researchers that a cup of herbal tea may not be an important source of minerals, but it's not negligible. Greens are so packed with nutrition that they can just drink some hot water they've been soaking in a few minutes and get something useful.	Good morning Dr Greger,Update! My sisters cardiologist agreed to work with her going vegan as an alternative to the angiogram and stint. As you would expect he said, “but that’s really hard to do.”Thanks again for giving my sister the needed encouragement.What’s to hard…? Cracking open and pulling apart the chest, which is next, of flooding the kitchen countertops and fridge with fruits and veggies, so the choice is evident? Carl Esselsteyn MD has achieved amazing results with putting all his patients on veg lifestyle. If you need help, go to PETA’s website and see if cruelty wil be convincing. It make take your whole being to make the switch, but it’s only for your WELL being.Most doctors will say going vegan is hard to do. But we all know better.Veganrunner: Thanks for the update. The cardiologist may not be fully educated or 100% on-board, but it sounds like a good start. Better than other doctors out there. Good luck to your sister!She wrote him a letter with all the experts referenced, including this website. How could he disagree!That’s SO cool. Good for your sister.Put it in a nutshell, today’s health care is disease care. It treats your symptoms, not causes.This is very good news about rooibus as I really, really like it. Thanks!I think JUiCING nettle tea will deliver much more minerals ?!I bet that would taste GHASTLY….Do you have to worry about stingers?What about the Fluoride levels?Thank you Dr Greger for giving us those sources of informations.Your impact travels aroud the wold.i’m not so sure–a friend reported this morning that the lectures, Dr. Greger’s annual summaries of nutrition research are no longer on YouTube.In the video Herbal Tea Update: Rooibos & Nettle. Nettle leaf is the concern but is nettle roots (as it is given to man with prostate problem) the same action???My Grandmother’s caregiver is from the Philippines and mentioned Guyabano fruit, saying that it is antibacterial, anti inflammatory and inhibits cancer cell growth. The fruit is expensive and a little hard to find. Was wondering if the tea offered health benefits.Nearly every plant has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-pathogen, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer activity. Besides exotic and expensive ones, check out all those available at your local grocer.I brag about this website so much, my friends made me a refrigerator magnet that says “WWMGE?” (What would Michael Greger eat).Too funny! Thanks for sharing.Ooh, I want a picture! :)WWMGMDEIm curious how the different infusions are made? Im talking about V1, H2 and K2? Assuming they are different types of infusions and not just same method done three times… Might as well make it the most powerfull way if I’m gonna get some minerals from it :)Dr. Greger, Could you do some investigating on nettle leaf tea for allergies? It is concerning that this type of tea might have estrogenic effects. thanks!Is a little olive oil okay in a vegan diet? I am talking about a table spoon, maybe two table spoons daily.1 tablespoon = 120 calories 2 tablespoons = 240 calories You can see how this quickly can add up. Not to mention, olive oil is quite barren in nutritional value containing no fiber, minerals, vitamins or antioxidants. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/509/2Would simply adding a small serving of olives suffice?Olive oil is absolutely fine. You don’t need to worry about its caloric content if you are not overweight and not overeating or gaining weight. It has a higher omega-3 content than many other vegetable oils too, which is great on a vegan diet.Using 1-2 tablespoons/daily of any oil – depends on your health goals and health status. Why use any oil? Oil not only adds calories but is a source of inflammation therefore it wanting to avoid/arrest/reverse heart disease – the less oil the better.Good Morning Dr. Greger, I live in Columbia, Marylalnd area. I am looking for Doctors who practice or are open to preventive health care using diet for CAD/ Heart disease. I have read Dr. Esselstyn/ Dr. Dean Ornish Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease. I have read their books and am changing my diet to reap the benefits. I have many questions. Please Help me find doctors in this area that I can work with. Ann H.Dr. McDougall has a list: http://www.drmcdougall.com/doctors/I would also check with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington DC to see if they have members in the Columbia area who might be able to help. Your health plan may be able to help either through the internet (when I worked at Kaiser Permanente I had a website which provided information about my interest in working with patients on a whole food plant based diet) or member services. Good luck.Good Afternoon, Dr. Greger, As a woman of 34 with Addison’s Disease (Adrenal Insufficiency), I’m concluding that based on this research, I should avoid drinking Rooibos Tea and other red teas. Would you agree, and if so do you have any further recommendations regarding adrenal support through nutrition. After considering your evidence to support Hibiscus tea, I’ve been drinking it daily. One tea bag a bedtime in a Nalgene bottle of water in the fridge, and enjoy it in the morning. Our kids prefer I dilute their apple juice by 50% with mixed berry zinger, as opposed to just using water. Thank you for supporting my families health with good, solid research. May your tribe increase. Amy, Washington StateHow quickly do you have to drink the ice tea before antioxidants start to decrease or do they not decrease?The trouble with many scientific studies of medicinal plants is that they pay little or no attention to the traditional methods of gathering and steeping different teas for different purposes. Tests are run for nutritional values based on improper steeping methods.Nettles are supposed to be gathered in the Spring before flowering, steeped for four to eight hours a dry leaf-to-water ratio of one dry ounce of leaves (about 1-1/4C) per quart of water.Any word on the nutritional content of nettles gathered and steeped properly?I had breast cancer in 2006, now i am very healthy, and i like to drink tea, and recently i bought rooibos tea, but someone told me theat its not good for people who had breast cancer. Is that true Dr Greger ?If you search pubmed.gov for “rooibos cancer”, it returns 8 abstracts related to it’s anti-cancer effects.I would be most interested to see a report on B17/amygdalin/laetrile/apricot pits.This book seemed pretty convincing to me:World Without Cancer: The Story of Vitamin B17 by G. Edward Griffin (Author)Thanks for your great service!Hi foodman999. Thanks for reposting your question. I did a search, as I recall another member talking about apricot pits for cancer treatments and this vitamin B17 arose from discussion. I would take serous caution here. Just don’t think the science is there. This is old but relevant review discussing the lack evidence for vitamin B17. If I hear of more info or I see more data I will surely reconsider.Thanks! JosephFound a better citation, here. Thanks to one of our members :-)Hope that helps. JosephUh, you don’t get Nettles confused with other plants in the wild. One might when looking at photographs, but there’s a really really easy way to “test” your selection in the wild. ANY adventuresome (not always on the manicured park and trails type) who has recreated near a river or stream in short pants in this part of the world well knows the signature sensation of nettles stinging his/her legs. And yes I’ve eaten the green leaves raw. It’s all about the technique and selecting the youngest leaves from the plant. A bit of a sting won’t kill you, ask me how i know.	apricots,breast development,breast health,calcium,chamomile tea,copper,dried fruit,estrogen,greens,herbal tea,hormones,iron,lactation,magnesium,men's health,mushrooms,nightshades,peanuts,prostate health,pumpkin seeds,red tea,rooibos tea,side effects,St. John's wort,stress,tea,vegetables,women's health,zinc	Rooibos (red) tea may reduce stress levels by suppressing adrenal gland function. Nettle tea is mineral rich but may have estrogenic side effects.	I'm sorry this video had to be cut at the last minute from the volume 12 Latest in Nutrition DVD—I ran out of room!My go-to herbal tea is hibiscus. See the previous video, Herbal Tea Update: Hibiscus, and an earlier one, Better Than Green Tea? Mint would also be an excellent choice: Antioxidants in a Pinch.That micrograph of the nettle spicule made me think of the Migrating Fish Bones video—I think I'd take the nettles any day!The fact that so much nutrition leaches into the water in nettle tea is a reason we don't want to boil greens unless we're making soup or something where we're consuming the cooking water. See Best Cooking Method for more tips on preserving nutrients.Also, for more context be sure to check out my associated blog post: Rooibos & Nettle Tea	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/07/new-nutrition-dvd-to-help-make-your-resolutions-more-resolutee-proceeds-to-charity/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rooibos-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chamomile-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/st-johns-wort/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lactation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/copper/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zinc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nightshades/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apricots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migrating-fish-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21916535,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15130574,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22101210,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22127270,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22331521,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22893520,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21396858,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16635963,
PLAIN-2785	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-hibiscus/	Herbal Tea Update: Hibiscus	In my comparison of the antioxidant content of 282 beverages last year, hibiscus tea came out number one, so my family switched from drinking matcha, which had fallen from grace, to the hibiscus fruit punch recipe I shared. We have since switched from using tea bags to just bulk dried hibiscus flowers, which we soak, and then blend into the tea so we don't lose anything. But just because something has antioxidant power in the test tube doesn't mean it has antioxidant flower power in the body—maybe the phytonutrients aren't even absorbed. They were found to be bioavailable in rodents  but I haven’t had pet gerbils since I was a kid. We didn't know about humans, until now. Consumption of a Hibiscus water extract and its impact on systemic antioxidant potential in healthy subjects. If you take people and have them just drink water for 10 hours this is what happens to the antioxidant level within their bloodstream. Your antioxidants get slowly used up throughout the day fighting off all those free radicals unless you replenish your antioxidant stores. Now it's hard to get people to fast for 10 hours so in addition to water they gave the study subject something they knew wouldn't mess up their antioxidant measurements, white bread and cheese. So, water, white bread, and Gouda. What if instead at the beginning of the experiment you give people a single cup of hibiscus tea, within an hour you see a nice spike in the antioxidant level in your blood stream, but then the effect disappears, unless you sip hibiscus throughout the day or eat something other than wonderbread cheese sandwiches.	Do you have a recommended brand of the loose leaf version?Mountain Rose Herbs – they sell mostly organic bulk herbsIf you have a local Latin market then it is easy to find and likely could be fresher than mail order. Just ask for “Jamaica” (ha-mai’-ka) instead of “Hibiscus”.Is there any issue with having too much? I drink about a gallon of the cold-brewed wild berry zinger daily.Just smelling like Wild Berry Zinger. I know personally because I work out a lot and when I have a lot of WBZ or any other Hibiscus tea my sweat smells like flowers. And smelling like flowers is much better than the repulsive, pungent smell that oozes off the meat and dairy eaters when they sweat.I developed a calcium oxalate kidney stone, which my doctor says is due to the tea…I’m not sure about the oxalate content of teas (but that is a good question to ask), however, from this site I have learned that cinnamon and turmeric can contribute to kidney stone formation. Check out the cinnamon and turmeric videos.Michael, I’m not an expert on kidney stones and was interested in your comment as I consume quite a bit of oxalate and would like to prevent such an occurrence. I did do a search on PubMed and if I’m reading the abstracts properly of the studies I found it sounds like, surprisingly, hibiscus helps prevent kidney stones? I’m so sorry you had a kidney stone. Here’s the link to the studies I referenced: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21075390 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22057204Thanks for the references. Wonder if they translate to humans.Hi Mike, needless to say (?) just about all substances consumed in excess will have toxic effects. Indeed there was a study on hibiscus and I believe (if I’m interpreting the abstract properly) that providing massive amounts of hibiscus extract did indeed prove toxic. I’m guessing that one gallon a day is fine, especially considering that wild berry zinger has other ingredients as well and overall that’s not a huge amount of hibiscus constituents that you are consuming. Here’s the link to the study I referenced: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19003943If you sweeten like I do with Concord Grape Juice in a 50-50 ratio instead of sugar then you can drink twice as much (sort of).I think Dr. Gregor’s now recommending 2 glasses per day.I love hibiscus ever since you mentioned it I’ve been drinking it. It is so good! Now I know it’s good for my pet rats too I will start giving it to them also :)This video on hibiscus tea and its impressive antioxidant power yet extremely short term benefits makes me even more focused on endogenous antioxidants and foods that stimulate their production (e.g., turmeric). This also reminds me of the supression of endogenous antioxidant production during supplementation with antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin E. Since the body generates endogenous antioxidants in response to the need (such as after exercising), compared to dietary antioxidants which are not similarly timed, this seems to add support to the strategy of helping the body do its thing.And where would one get the bulk dried hibiscus?health food stores, online, some major grocery stores.thanksI found pure hibiscus tea at my local health food store imported from Thailand. You can also try a Mexican supermarket.I purchased mine on that online store that’s named after a South American river and forest. It was cheaper there than at the local ethnic supermarkets believe it or not. I put green tea bags in the basket of my coffee pot — sans coffee of course — and the hibiscus leaves in the glass pot and brew.One day I’ll be organized enough to cold brew tea instead of hot brew.I get mine here: http://www.sfherb.com/retail_store.aspMaybe you can find some here: http://bit.ly/WLewb8goussenorganics.com sells hibiscus flower in bulk and individually packaged!I buy dried hibiscus tea flowers in bulk at my local coop, and grind them down to powder in my coffee grinder. So long as you like the flavor in a dish, you can then add the hibiscus powder easily to just about anything, smoothies, oatmeal, etc.That said, although antioxidant capacity of a food seems important, it seems simplistic to rate the value of a food by its antioxidant capacity alone.First because the tests generally look at the ability of a food to inhibit a specific reaction, and free radicals cause a multitude of reactions. Use a different test, and you’ll change the rankings – sometimes quite significantly. And some reactions seem more biologically relevant than others – I prefer those that look at the ability of foods or substances to inhibit glycation reactions ( “Inhibition of Protein Glycation by Extracts of Culinary Herbs and Spices” by R. P. Dearlove et al (J Med Food 11 (2) 2008, 275–281, pdf https://docs.google.com/gview?url=http://www.globalcitizen.net/Data/Pages/1049/papers/2010022311157709.pdf ) , or even better, to inhibit DNA degradation or breakage due to free radical reactions.However, even in the best case scenario, ranking foods by their ability to inhibit biologically relevant free radical reactions, one also needs to look at other, often more important effects – – such as their epigenetic effects on DNA expression. For example, resveratrol in red wine and giant knotweed, fisetin in strawberries, and quercetin in onions, all activate the human “longevity gene” SIRT1. Their ability to scavenge free radicals seems pretty much irrelevant with respect to this primary epigenetic effect.Although blueberries rank much lower than hibiscus, as well as a number other berries with respect to their antioxidant capacity, I suspect that they have their primary effect on an epigenetic level. In one research study, simply adding blueberries to the diet of aging rats not only prevented declines in mental functions, but actually improved them. Like green tea, a plethora of research studies have validated a multitude of specific beneficial effects of blueberries in a wide variety of areas. Until similar studies validate the effects of hibiscus in other areas, blueberries and green tea will continue to outrank it for me as “superfoods” by a wide margin.Oh, I like your suggestion of grinding the tea leaves in a coffee grinder.Hey, Ed. I enjoyed your post. I add hibiscus leaves to my green/white tea each day. There’s a fair bit of research on the benefit of adding an acid to green tea, to make available more catechins. So I figure, in addition to some positive effects of hibiscus (there’s ~630 studies on hibiscus according to PubMed), adding the hibiscus will provide me with more beneficial catechins from the green tea.What is interesting to me about this study is that it shows something much more general than just hibiscus tea. I know the study only used hibiscus tea, but we don’t have any reason to believe that any food or liquid high in antioxidants wouldn’t have a similar effect/shape to the graph.So, I interpret these results to be showing that: 1) eating foods high in antioxidants does indeed have a significant, measurable impact on the body, 2) as Dr. Greger says, one of the keys to good health is taking in those antioxidant foods and drinks throughout the day – so that our cells are bathed in those cell preserving materials all day long.Very cool.We grow Hibiscus. Is a way to tell if ours can be eaten? ie are there different varieties with some inedible?Hi John. I’ve eaten hibiscus right off the plant before and it tasted just like the dried hibiscus I purchase. Do you know what species of hibiscus you have? If I’m not mistaken the most commonly consumed is Hibiscus Sabdariffa.I can barely get a bloom to enjoy. My dogs get to them and eat them before I can enjoy their beauty!If I were to cold brew some tea how much loose hibiscus would I use? I got some say the grocery store and would like to give it a try.Sorry if this is a double post. How much loose hibiscus should I use with a half gallon of water?So, Dr Greger. Several people asked how much loose hibiscus is used. No one answered so I’ll ask you: How much loose hibiscus do you use in how much water?I use a handful in about a gallon of water.Celestial seasonings tea is contaminated with pesticides! See this report! Anyone know of a safe source for hibiscus tea? http://www.examiner.com/article/dangerously-high-pesticide-levels-found-celestial-seasonings-teasIs this statement true: “Medical professionals already know that hibiscus can react with certain drugs and that it isn’t good for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.” It’s from this article: http://cooperaerobics.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/can-hibiscus-oust-hypertension/From Dr. Kenneth Cooper’s website, he of Aerobics fame. My daughter is breastfeeding and she drinks your hibiscus tea daily. We’re both big fans of yours. Should she skip the tea until she’s finished breastfeeding? Please advise. Thanks.do you eat the tea leaves afterwards?do you also eat the hibiscus after it has been brewed?I get palpitations – my heart feels like it’s pumping too hard. Since drinking hibiscus tea these palpitations come quite frequently ie a few times a day. Is anything known about this effect?How does this compare to green tea? Does the antioxidants in green tea stay longer in the blood stream than the hibiscus tea?Hibiscus plants are sold everywhere, why not just have your plant and pick the flowers from it everyday? They are everywhere here in Texas at least and super easy to grow, you can even neglect them. They bloom lots everyday.Is hibiscus tea safe for children? My 6yo has a rooibos every day, if its good for her I’d like her to have hibiscus also.My dogs used to eat the flowers of my perennial hibiscus plants, and I was worried about that causing a problem so I got rid of the plants. Does anyone know if it was o’kay for them to eat the flowers? I’d love to have them back in my yard!Dear Doc,Yesterday I made a mix of dried hibiscus petals (3 tsp) to 600mL water and sipped it over the course of an hour.After a while I started feeling woozy, lightheaded and slightly dizzy.Is this likely to be caused by the antihypertensive properties of the hibiscus?Many thanksWith flowers and water in my bike water bottle, inside or on the bike, the bottle filters the flowers and drink all day.Dr. Greger,After looking at the following study: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814613001726It appears that daily consumption of more than 1L of Hibiscus tea is too much due to excessive aluminum present in the tea. I would imagine that consuming hibiscus powder or the entire hibiscus flower would be even less than 1L.What do you think?Thank you so much–looking forward to checking it out. Maybe I’ll make a video out of it!Any data on the arsenic contamination found in tea also present in Hibiscus. The question was prompted by this recent article and the safety of tea. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jt/2013/370460/ Thanks!I think you are referring to Roselle Sabdariffa hibiscus, not the picture above which is clearly the ornamental hibiscus. You either dehydrate or simmer raw calyx for tea. You can add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a squeeze of lemon.Just for reference the herbal hibiscus Roselle Sabdariffa’s flower looks like an okra flower, and about the same size as the okra flower.Hi Doctor. Hibiscus petals are notoriously high in acid content. Is it likely that drinking hibiscus tea over a long period of time may damage tooth enamel? ThanksI grind dried Hibiscus petals and then blend it with berries, dates, greens. The taste is indescribably good and original.I seem to get palpitations if taking your recommended amount of hibiscus tea. Has anyone else experienced this that you know of? Many thanks Dr. Greger for all your hard work and dedication.Have you heard about Celestial Seasonings having pesticides in their tea? I have been drinking celestial teas such as red zinger so I ASSumed that they were a reputable brand.Would you care to shed any light on the subject?Here is a the source:https://glaucusresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/02/GlaucusResearch-The_Hain_Celestial_Group_Inc-NasdaqHAIN-Strong_Sell_Febuary_21_2013.pdfDr Mcgregor, can you please show us a study with regards to the eficacy of “ecklonia Clava” its aparently a very powerful seaweed antioxidant from japan with a huge whooping 12 hr lifespan effect in body. I’m rather dubious of it being more powerful than resveratrol found in japanee knotwood.Do you recommend drinking hibiscus tea for those already have breast cancer as I read there are some issue with hibiscus tea and estrogen.goussenorganics.com sells hibiscus wholesale as well as individually packaged!should I be worried about the extremely low ph levels of hibiscus tea? Could it wear the enamel off my teeth?How quickly do you have to drink the ice tea before antioxidants start to decrease or do they not decrease?Do not take hibiscus with acetaminophen. If you search the web for this topic you will find warnings on medical sites stating studies show hibiscus tea may INCREASE the rate at which your body uses or processes acetaminophen. Not a problem for the occasional user but those with chronic pain who use this as a regular pain it may be worth noting. I will leave the debate about pain meds and their use to others to debate and will focus on the tea. I respect others right to do what they need to as part of an overall pain management plan that works for them.simply “do not take acetaminophen” is the best rule. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VShP267zMdIIn this piece which I captured somewhere:What do you drink, Dr. Greger?Dr. Greger ~ Are you still drinking that yummy Hibiscus Tea? (I did not see it in your “morning mix”!)Kenton R. Mullins / Originally Posted in A Better BreakfastAnswer:A half gallon a day Kenton! I no longer do the teabags, though, but the bulk dried hibiscus flowers themselves (why hibiscus? See Better Than Green Tea?). My current recipe is a handful of dried hibiscus petals in 8 cups of water with a penny sized chunk of fresh ginger root (see Plants vs. Pesticides), handful of fresh mint leaves (Antioxidants in a Pinch), teaspoon of amla (Amla: Indian gooseberries vs. cancer, diabetes, and cholesterol), and erythritol to taste (3 tablespoons for me–see A Harmless Artificial Sweetener)–all blended up in a high speed blender and then sipped throughout the day. I’m on the road right now and I sure miss my concoction!Anyone have any suggestions for improving it even further (taste or nutrition-wise)?UPDATE: Due to concerns about the manganese content, I’ve cut back to a quart a day of filtered.oh, here it is:http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-do-you-drink-dr-greger/I am somewhat concerned with the notation about manganese. What does that mean and how should I consider using that information?AND I purchased:Hibiscus Flowers-5Lb-Bulk Hibiscus Tea Flowers-BulkSold by Sweet Pea SpiceCondition: Newfor $45 It says it comes from Jamaica From Amazon Anyone see any problem with using these flowers? I’m told by Jamaicans they drink this stuff all the time.A friend of mine also has to stay away from oxalates due to kidney stones. She drinks fruit teas instead http://www.mysteepedteaparty.com/DianeForTea has lots of teas with/without hibiscus you can make yourself.I am following your advice to drink hibiscus tea made from organic bulk flowers and have been cold brewing it as you suggest. I have two questions: 1) I’ve read that it is a good idea to heat herbal teas to kill possible bacteria contamination because they haven’t been heated in the production process as “regular” (camellia sinensis) teas have. 2) I think i saw in one of your videos that heating actually increases the antioxidant content of teas anyway. Can you please comment? Thank youI have no reference for 2g/day of Hibiscus/roselle calyces being a ‘dose’. but Nnam and Onyeke 2003 in Plant Foods for Human Nutrition vol.58 first article give amazingly high levels of iron in the tea. Aluminum and manganese are also problematic, but if the 2003 figures are near-accurate (and USDA, more modest, seems to lean that way, the prudent limit is 7/8 cup for pre-menopausal women. A pity; it tastes so good.goussenorganics.com sells hibiscus in bulk and individually packaged! check it out.Doc, you really need to clarify whether the hibiscus in these studies is the pretty hibiscus flower associated with tropical islands, or the plant that’s called “sorrel” in the Caribbean, roselle in Australia, bissap in some West African countries, etc. If you look up hibiscus sabdariffa, it is sorrel/roselle, not the pretty hibiscus flower seen on the boxes of hibiscus tea on supermarket shelves and in this video. Please research and clarify.is it necessary for our blood levels to always be high, or can we store tha antioxidants in our cells in an amout which can take us through a couple hours of only water?Hey Dominic, that’s a great question I am not entirely sure. I would expect antioxidant metabolites to make it to the cells and tissue, as they are used for many biochemical reactions. I can imagine researchers tests blood levels of antioxidants rather than biopsy certain tissues. Often the mechanisms are explained in the introduction and methods section of the studies. You may try searching the “sources cited” button above and read the studies in full. They might have some answers. Thanks for your question.Sincerely, JosephSweek Pea Spice on Amazon has good hibiscus.So now i’ll start harvesting my hibiscus flowers. I do believe I’ll propagate the plant as well. It’s such a beauty. Why does everyone think they have to run to the store/Amazon to procure every little thing in some packaged portions?If the data clearly shows that antioxidant levels greatly increase for a short while after the tea, how does the antioxidant level at the 10hr mark end up the same? Where did all the extra antioxidants from hour 1 go? What does the body do with it?	antioxidants,beverages,bread,cheese,dairy,herbal tea,hibiscus tea,phytonutrients,ranking foods,tea,water	Hibiscus tea elevates the antioxidant level of one's bloodstream within an hour of consumption.	Here's the beverage comparison video I mentioned with the hibiscus punch recipe: Better Than Green Tea? Note that's erythritol pictured, not sugar (see Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant) and I also throw in a teaspoon of amla (dried Indian gooseberry powder, see Amla: Indian gooseberries vs. cancer, diabetes, and cholesterol) and my most recent addition is about a half-inch of fresh ginger root—yum! If you throw in some fresh or frozen berries too you're approaching my Pink Juice with Green Foam. The impressive manganese content of hibiscus tea may exceed recommended limits at high intakes, though, so we probably shouldn't drink more than a quart a day.For a primer on the fluctuating levels of oxidant stress, see Antioxidant Level Dynamics.And for more flower power, check out what the saffron crocus can do against depression (Saffron vs. Prozac), PMS (Saffron for the Treatment of PMS), stress (Wake Up and Smell the Saffron), and dementia (Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s). There are also chamomile flowers (Red Tea, Honeybush, & Chamomile), though Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy, and the rose bush: Dietary Osteoarthritis Treatment. More comparisons of herbal teas here: The Healthiest Herbal Tea.Also, check out my associated blog post for more context:  Hibiscus Tea: The Best Beverage?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21916535,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15130574,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22101210,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22127270,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22331521,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22893520,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21396858,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16635963,
PLAIN-2786	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/	Treating Parkinson's Disease With Diet	Caffeine consumption, both in Asian and Western populations, appears to protect against development of Parkinson's, but what if you already have it.  A new study found that giving folks the equivalent of about two cups of coffee a day worth of caffeine significantly improved symptoms of the disease. Of course, there's only so much you can charge for coffee, so drug companies took caffeine and added a few side groups so they could patent it into new drugs ("Preladenant" " Istradefylline"), which appear to work no better than plain caffeine, which is dramatically cheaper and probably safer. Similarly, certain plants, such as berries, and plant-based diets in general may help prevent Parkinson's—whether because of the animal fat or animal protein or the dairy or the mercury or less of the protective anitoxidants, but again, what if you already have it. We had no idea, until recently. There have been successful case reports. Like this one, in which a dietician was struck down with Parkinson’s and she was able to clear most of her symptoms with a plant-based diet rich in strawberries, whole wheat, and brown rice, rich sources of these two phytonutrients. But there hasn't been a formal interventional trial published, until now. At its root, Parkinson's is a dopamine deficiency disease, because of a die-off of dopamine-generating cells in the brain. These cells make dopamine from L-dopa derived from an amino acid in our diet, but just like we saw with the serotonin story, the consumption of animal products blocks with the transport of L-dopa into the brain, crowding it out.  So at first researchers tried what's called a protein redistribution diet. Let's basically only let people eat meat for supper, then when patients are hopefully sleeping by the time the negative effects hit. But researchers didn't consider trying cutting out all animal products altogether until it was discovered that fiber consumption naturally boosts L-dopa levels, so hey, " a plant-based diet, particularly in its vegan variant, is expected to raise levodopa bioavailability and bring some advantages in the management of the disease through two mechanisms: a reduced protein intake and an increased fiber. That's why plant protein is the best, because that's where fiber is found. So they put folks on a strictly vegan diet, keeping beans towards the end of the day and indeed found a significant improvement in symptoms.	You forgot about Vitamin A(Retinol,Retinoic Acid,Retinal,Beta-carotene)!http://www.pnas.org/content/94/26/14349.full.pdf http://www.roaccutaneaction.com/Studies/2005.Lane.pdfThank you so much for this information! Just last night while caring for a parkinson’s patient, I felt, there was more help for him in diet and lifestyle changes and this morning I see this! The suffering is so great for parkinson’s victims! thank you for spreading this! I know it will help a lot of people.I appreciate NUTRITIONFACTS.ORG and learn more and more with each passing day. My most sincere “thanks” and “appreciation”. Don :-))Dr Greger thank you all of the wonderful and helpful information you gave my sister Nancy yesterday. She feels more confident with her decision to go vegan as the best treatment. She is now looking for a new doctor who is willing to encourage her choice.Thanks again, GaleThis series on Parkinsons is fascinating. And so important. Thanks!I was wondering….would this help someone with dementia with Lewy Bodies? Lewy Bodies is similar to Parkinsons. Thank you.Those darn persistent vegan facts again! LOL Viva la vegans!What about any correlation with prions?It’s wonderful to have your site for facts and information. Thanks, Dr. Greger.Thank you so much for your hard work. Any tips on which foods are high in hexacosanol and fisetin? So far I’ve found strawberries and whole grains but my searching isn’t coming up with anything else. Interesting that my spouse with PD felt the best all day after eating some strawberries and grapes. Coincidence? We ate those before I found this article…I wonder if similar steps would help with preventing antipsychotic induced movement disorders?I have seen some videos by David Perlmutter MD promoting glutathione as a treatment for Parkinsons on youtube.com. Also, glutathione has been touted as a super antioxidant but I do not see it listed in the blog topic index. Am I being led down the primrose or perhaps the Indian gooseberry path by this assertion?Why wait to eat beans in the evening ?Dr Gregor, do you have any advice for someone with Vascular Parkinsons? The patient is not swallowing at all, due to a blockage. He is in a nursing home in intensive care. I would really appreciate anything you can help with.	animal fat,animal products,animal protein,antioxidants,beans,beef,berries,brain disease,brain health,caffeine,cheese,coffee,dairy,dopamine,eggs,fat,fiber,fish,fruit,meat,medications,mercury,milk,Parkinson's disease,phytonutrients,plant protein,plant-based diets,pork,protein,rice,seafood,strawberries,vegans,vegetarians,wheat	Plant-based diets in general and certain plant foods in particular may be used to successfully treat Parkinson's disease in part by boosting L-DOPA levels.	What about preventing the disease in the first place? See the previous video Preventing Parkinson's Disease With Diet.The serotonin story I mentioned explaining the crowding out of precursor amino acids at the blood-brain barrier is described in my three-part series The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin, A Better Way to Boost Serotonin, and The Best Way to Boost Serotonin.More on the risks and benefits of coffee and caffeine in Coffee and Cancer and What About the Caffeine?And more on what fiber can do for us in videos like:For more context, check out my associated blog post: Treating Parkinson's Disease with Diet	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wheat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22846082,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2044618,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22855866,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3632370,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22491871,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21458354,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21535916,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22927157,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1330307,
PLAIN-2787	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/	Preventing Parkinson's Disease With Diet	Four things we can do that may reduce our risk of developing Parkinson's disease is exercise, avoid dairy products and pesticides, and avoid getting hit in the head, which means wearing your seatbelt and bike helmets. And, if you read journal articles written by medical researchers with way too much time on their hands, avoid getting attacked by extraterrestrials, a leading cause of traumatic brain injury in… comic books. What about avoiding pesticides and other industrial pollutants? A recent autopsy study found higher levels in the brains of Parkinson's victims of certain PCBs found in Monsanto's Aroclor, which was banned in 1979. And the more PCBs found in the brain, the worse the brain damage. The worse three appeared to be PCBs 138, 153, and 180, all of which are significantly lower in the bodies of those eating plant-based diets. So, does a vegan diet reduce risk of Parkinson's disease? Good question. Well we know that every single prospective study on "dairy products or milk" and Parkinson's disease found increased risk. And again it may be that dairy products in the United States are contaminated with neurotoxic chemicals. There's substantial evidence "suggesting that exposure to pesticides may increase Parkinson’s disease risk," and autopsies have found higher levels of pollutants and pesticides in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients, and some of these toxins are present at low levels in dairy products. They're talking about toxins like tetrahydroisoquinoline, a parkinsonism-related compound found predominantly in cheese. Although the amounts of this neurotoxin—even in cheese—are really "not very high," the concern is that the chemical may accumulate in the brain over long periods of consumption.	Thank you, Dr. Greger.You are welcome Janet!Thank you for this. I would love to know if there is any connection between ALS and mad cow.Not mad cow, but I do have an ALS video coming up — stay tuned! Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it: http://bit.ly/nutritionfactsupdatesI assume most vegans in the U.S. probably adopt veganism in adulthood after some period of consuming dairy and meats. It would be interesting to know how reversible the effects of earlier meat and dairy consumption are. For example, if one eats meat and dairy until age 30 and then eats vegan thereafter, what does the risk for Parkinson’s and other chronic diseases like cancer look like compared with those who eat meat and dairy for life and those who have been vegan all of their lives or most of their lives? How does that differ from conversion at age 50 to a vegan diet? And so forth…Interesting video! Thanks!If Parkinson’s disease may partly be triggered by pesticides, shouldn’t we worry more about our fruit consumption (especially if we eat lots of them, especially those most exposed to pesticides) than our cheese consumption?Nibiskusse: Good question.It never hurts to eat organic. But what we know about food contaminants is that they get concentrated the more you move up the food chain. So, if you think a fruit or grain might be bad, it’s worse with dairy or other animal products because cows eat plants and then we eat cows…That’s the idea. This video holds up this theory pretty well – at least on the surface: since people eating a plant-based diet had fewer of this pesticide in their bodies compared to the dairy eaters.Hope that helps.I thought Parkinson is considered to possibly be of inflammatory origin (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2848103/). If it could be the case then anti-inflammatory tactics should apply – just again. Also I was wondering if coffee might have a positive effect as in case with Alzheimers…coffee ,tea,pepper,okMany things contribution to inflammation, including glyphosate ( Roundup), which is an herbicide that should be labeled as a biocide, as it ultimately kills all living beings, animals and people alike. The U.S. EPA says that herbicides are pesticides, as are insecticides, fungicides, bacteriacides (like Lysol) , and so forth. They are all considered pests. Pesticides is an umbrella term for all petrochemicals that kill pests.Monsanto is headquartered in St Louis, where I know of a lot of people who developed Parkinson’s. That would be an interesting study to see if the cluster relates to the proximity to Monsanto.Evanoff, B. A., et al. “Geographic and ethnic variation in Parkinson disease: a population-based study of US Medicare beneficiaries.” Neuroepidemiology 34.3 (2010): 143-151.There’s no apparent cluster in St. Louis. However, rates are higher among white men, in the U.S. Northeast and upper Midwest, and in urban areas. The pattern is consistent with industrial pollution, but not very consistent with crop chemicals (note the absence of hotspots in the CA central valley or Iowa) or GMOs.lest we forget:’Michael Fox *** Parkinson’s and Aspartame’ By Betty Martini http://www.dorway.com/mjfox.html http://rense.com/general47/parkk.htmCuriously, Parkinson’s is the one major disease where biomarkers of animal product consumption (serum cholesterol and uric acid) appear associated with lower risk and disease progression (PMIDs:16905642, 17954784, 17177184, 18975349, 20945982, 21853051), to the extent that diagnosed gout is protective.Current speculation seems to be that the high uric acid is acting as a CNS antioxidant (PMID:20061611), which, unlike the abundant antioxidants in a whole plant foods diet, can easily pass the blood-brain barrier (PMIDs: 11406187, 19721819).There’s seems a lot of work on attaching plant antioxidants to nanoparticles to improve their penetration of the blood-brain barrier (one example: PMID 23229335) for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s therapy.There are a few high purine vegan foods (nutritional yeast & Porcino mushrooms) that one could theoretically induce gout with, but that seems a poor option. I think my project this week will be scouring the literature for vegan antioxidants that pass the blood-brain barrier.re: ” I think my project this week will be scouring the literature for vegan antioxidants that pass the blood-brain barrier.”Cool.Feel free to share!Apologies for the delay.The direction to pursue is not dietary antioxidants, but the brain’s own antioxidants like glutathione, available in concentrations thousands of fold greater. Its useless as a supplement (its digested), but you can induce its production, as well as that of hundreds of other cytoprotective and repair enzymes. Known inducers of the neuronal adaptive stress response include:resveratrol (red grapes & wine) sulforaphane (broccoli & other cruciferous vegetables)curcumin (tumeric)catechins (green tea)allium & allicin (garlic & onions)hypericin (St John’s wort)Does that list sound familiar? It should, and this beautifully written review may explain the mechanism behind many the videos on this site.Mattson, Mark P., and Aiwu Cheng. “Neurohormetic phytochemicals: Low-dose toxins that induce adaptive neuronal stress responses.” Trends in neurosciences 29.11 (2006): 632-639.http://dose-response.org/news/Neurohormesis.pdfNot related to antioxidants, per se, but caffeine is known to reduce risk for Parkinson’s disease, and we’re beginning to know why. It blocks adenosine A1 and A2A receptors on microglia, thereby preventing chronic inflammation:Brothers, Holly M., Yannick Marchalant, and Gary L. Wenk. “Caffeine attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced neuroinflammation.” Neuroscience letters 480.2 (2010): 97-100.http://faculty.psy.ohio-state.edu/wenk/documents/NeurosciLett4802010.pdfSorry for the delay:A growing body of evidence indicates that consuming large quantities of antioxidants like vitamin C, E, and β-carotene can interfere with the body’s endogenous antioxidant system.The effective mechanism of phytochemicals like the polyphenols isn’t through augmenting the body’s antioxidants. For one, obtainable tissue concentrations are only 2-4% those of endogenous antioxidants (uric acid, glutathione, bilirubin). The most effective phytochemicals appear to work by inducing the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway modulated Adaptive Stress Response, and they do so through reacting with sulfhydryl groups on Keap1 in pro-oxidant ways.The Adaptive Stress Response includes well over 100 cytoprotective proteins that participate in production of endogenous antioxidants, DNA & protein repair, damaged protein removal, toxin export, metal chelation, inflammation inhibition, or are themselves antioxidants. Small stressors like phytochemicals, exercise, or calorie restriction can elevate basal levels of the Adaptive Stress Response for days, while large doses of more bioavailable exogenous antioxidants (C, E, β-carotene) appear to suppress it.Some phytochemicals that have demonstrated protective effects in both tissue culture and animal models of Parkinson’s and neurodegenerative disease through the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway include:sulforaphane (broccoli esp sprouts, cabbage, kale and other cruciferous vegetables) curcumin (tumeric) epigallocatechin gallate (green tea) resveratrol (grapes allicin (garlic) hypericin (St. John’s wort) carnosic acid (rosemary) luteolin (thyme, oregano, rosemary, pepperment, chamomile, olive oil, and others)There’s evidence that ingesting multiple inducers has synergistic effects. Many other phytochemicals appear to act via the same mechanism, but haven’t been investigated in studies of neurodegenerative disorders.Carnosic acid from rosemary is particularly interesting to me, as it occurs at high natural concentrations (1-2% of fresh leaf, 5% of dried), has high bioavailability unlike some (eg curcumin or resveratrol), readily passes through the blood-brain barrier, and appears understudied.Further reading:http://www.researchgate.net/publication/51057815_Modulation_of_Nrf2ARE_pathway_by_food_polyphenols_a_nutritional_neuroprotective_strategy_for_cognitive_and_neurodegenerative_disorders/file/79e4150698ddad0a8b.pdf http://dose-response.org/news/Neurohormesis.pdf http://www.researchgate.net/publication/51821824_Cellular_stress_responses_hormetic_phytochemicals_and_vitagenes_in_aging_and_longevity/file/9fcfd50ed365196a94.pdf http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf904061x https://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0028-1088302Sorry for the delay – this is a synopsis of some of my reading over the past month touching on the subject – many of my uncritical assumptions were challenged.The effective mechanism of phytochemical “antioxidants” like the polyphenols is probably not through augmenting the body’s antioxidants. For one, obtainable tissue concentrations are only 2-4% those of endogenous antioxidants like uric acid, glutathione, and bilirubin. Moreover, reactive nitrogen and oxygen species (RNOS) are used extensively in cellular signalling, and cells adaptively regulate endogenous antioxidants on short time scales to respond to deletorious spikes of RNOS faster than we could ever achieve with dietary antioxidants. A growing body of evidence indicates that consuming large, supplemental doses of exogenous antioxidants like vitamin C, E, and β-carotene can interfere with the body’s endogenous antioxidant system.Rather, some of the most effective phytochemicals appear to work via the PRO-oxidant reaction of their quinone metabolites with thiols on the sensor protein Keap1, releasing the transcription regulator Nrf2 into the nucleus to initiate an adaptive stress response. This adaptive stress response includes well over 100 cytoprotective proteins that participate in production of endogenous antioxidants, DNA & protein repair, damaged protein removal, toxin export, metal chelation, inflammation inhibition, or are themselves antioxidants. Small stressors like phytochemicals, exercise, or calorie restriction can elevate basal levels of the adaptive stress response proteins for days, while large doses of the more bioavailable exogenous antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E, and β-carotene suppress their levels.Some phytochemicals which induce the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway and have demonstrated protective effects in both neuron tissue culture and animal models of Parkinson’s and neurodegenerative disease include:• sulforaphane (broccoli, cabbage, kale and other cruciferous vegetables) • curcumin (tumeric) • epigallocatechin gallate (green tea) • resveratrol (grape skins) • allicin (garlic) • hypericin (St. John’s wort) • carnosic acid (rosemary) • luteolin (thyme, oregano, rosemary, pepperment, chamomile, olive oil, and others)Many other phytochemicals appear to act via the same mechanism, but to my knowledge haven’t been investigated in studies of neurodegenerative disorders.There’s evidence that ingesting multiple adaptive stress response inducers has synergistic effects, and some whole plant extracts are considerably more potent inducers than pure compounds. Phytochemical cocktails may be interacting with multiple regulatory pathways upstream of Nrf2, and their various metabolites may react with different cysteine redox “sensors” on Keap1.Caffeine, functioning as an A2A adenosine receptor antagonist, also appears protective against Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Its believed that chronic inflammation has a role in dopaminergic neuron death in Parkinson’s, and blocking the A2A pathway attenuates these inflammatory responses.Some further reading:Plant-derived compounds as antioxidants for health–are they all really antioxidants? http://203.183.32.151/JournalsSup/images/0906/FPSB_3(SI1)1-12o.pdf Modulation of Nrf2/ARE pathway by food polyphenols: a nutritional neuroprotective strategy for cognitive and neurodegenerative disorders” http://www.researchgate.net/publication/51057815_Modulation_of_Nrf2ARE_pathway_by_food_polyphenols_a_nutritional_neuroprotective_strategy_for_cognitive_and_neurodegenerative_disorders/file/79e4150698ddad0a8b.pdf Neurohormetic phytochemicals: low-dose toxins that induce adaptive neuronal stress responses http://dose-response.org/news/Neurohormesis.pdf Nrf2 as a Master Redox Switch in Turning on the Cellular Signaling Involved in the Induction of Cytoprotective Genes by Some Chemopreventive Phytochemicals https://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0028-1088302 Cellular stress responses: hormetic phytochemicals and vitagenes in aging and longevity http://www.researchgate.net/publication/51821824_Cellular_stress_responses_hormetic_phytochemicals_and_vitagenes_in_aging_and_longevity/file/9fcfd50ed365196a94.pdf Caffeine Exposure and the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. http://iospress.metapress.com/index/R817357V22L37J8W.pdf Neuroprotection by caffeine and A (2A) adenosine receptor inactivation in a model of Parkinson’s disease. http://www.bumc.bu.edu/neurology/files/Files/ref3.pdfNothing seems to be safe to eat these days!Thank you for this video and a generally great website.I’ve been watching quite a few videos over the last month, and I often question the quality of the animal products that are consumed. Is there a difference in the health issues put forward here, if one consumes organic diary products instead? What about organic meat? I am convinced that the meat, egg and diary industry in the USA in general pushes products of low quality, but does that mean that meat, eggs and diary are bad for you no matter what?Thank you for clarifying that cheese does more harm than just clog arteries and cause fat. We know dairy causes cancer, Harvard has finally come out publicly to say milk is bad for human health. Dairy contains cruelty, blood and puss and is just GROSS. My father had Parkinson’s and I always thought it was caused by chemicals like pesticides as you describe, maybe fluoride and leads in the water, and also too much animal protein (animal flesh) in the brain causing it to misfire, and now I know dairy/cheese was a culprit too. Sad!I am vegan for my health to prevent cancer, dementia, stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, or any other illness, and also after learning about how horribly barbaric farm animals are tortured daily to produce meat and dairy.It’s so easy to switch to plant-based dairy like almond milk, soy, coconut milk, etc. Also vegan cheeses taste great and it takes 5 minutes to make cheeses like cream cheese, blue, sharp cheddar, etc. Simply no reason to eat dairy cheese that causes cancer, etc.Anyone can watch FORKS OVER KNIVES and FARM TO FRIDGE online to educate yourselves about how the food supply is killing people in epidemic proportions, and also the horrific cruelty to animals at ALL farms, not just factory farms. Time for citizens to EVOLVE and learn what you are “really” swallowing. Death and tortured souls. Not cool.My now deceased father-in-law who was born in Vietnam (in 1929) and was raised and lived in northern Thailand the remainder of his life, was extremely physically active…had virtually no dairy in his diet his whole life. And, was diagnosed in his last 25 years with Parkinson’s disease.Tea drinkers in China had a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s than coffee drinkers in China: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14607318 To block the absorption of toxic heavy(?) metals (arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, barium, beryllium) and industrial pollutants (PCBs, etc.), eat foods that are high in phytate such as wheat bran, fenugreek seeds, natto, edamame, TVP (soy meat), green peas, common beans, almonds, ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, etc. Phytate also partially blocks the absorption of iron, which like copper, manganese, and aluminum, is a pro-oxidant which, in excess, will damage every cell in our bodies. On the downside, phytate also partially blocks the absorption of zinc, which like selenium and iodine, is a beneficial antioxidant.That study on Parkinson’s involved Chinese in Singapore, not Chinese in China. Also, note that Parkinson’s was shown in that study to be a comorbidity of heart disease. Other comorbidities of heart disease and stroke include gum disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, and many cancers. If you already suffer from any one of these diseases, you are at high risk of developing many of the others. The good news is that we can prevent all of the above diseases by preventing heart disease. How? Eat a plant-based diet that is high in marine omega-3s, vitamin B12, vitamin K2/MK-7, and vitamin D.Yet another reason to give up dairy, as if we don’t already have enough. Ethical vegans like me can file this little detail away to add to the growing mountain of health related concerns related to dairy. It’s always nice to have a ton of compelling facts at hand when trying to overcome the on going propaganda campaign designed to further the absurd idea that milk his healthy. The irony of this is; so much time and energy is put into marketing a product which common sense should dictate was never intended for humans, especially adult humans.Except for organochlorine compounds, the vegetarian population may be more exposed to pesticide residues than the general population due to specific dietary habits. Thus, this population should be considered for risk assessment of pesticide residues.Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2009 Oct;26(10):1372-88. doi: 10.1080/02652030903031171.Impact of food consumption habits on the pesticide dietary intake: comparison between a French vegetarian and the general population.Van Audenhaege M1, Heraud F, Menard C, Bouyrie J, Morois S, Calamassi-Tran G, Lesterle S, Volatier JL, Leblanc JC.Vegetarians still consume dairy and eggs, but even looking at conventional fruit and veggies, here are Dr. G’s opinions.“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks. Having said that, why risk any bump at all? That’s one of the reasons I encourage everyone to choose organic whenever one can, but we should never let concern about pesticides lower our fruit and vegetable consumption.” http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/Dear Dr,Grager..iam so thankful for that amazin lessons you doing here…also i read so much your page and many times i said how right you have for that amazing informations…i wish with my heart good job all do u do…Dr Emma…AthensDr Greger,May I first start by saying you are an absolute blessing for your dedication to providing humanity with the information that you do. And I thank you.May I ask what your advice would be for administering an whole food plant-based diet to someone who has dysphagia and takes nutrition supplements via NG tube as a result, would be?My mothers diet consisted of regular fried (palm oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, etc) foods, chicken, white rice, eggs, milk, etc etc, which eventually led her to being prescribed statins (Lipator), which over time eventually lead to her being diagnosed as having “parkinson’s”. Oh and in between the statin prescription and parkinson’s diagnosis, she had a stroke The time scale from being prescribed statins to being ‘diagnosed’ with parkinson’s is some 5-6 years, with the stroke being some 2 or so years ago now.The material that I have researched, from both yourself and Dr. McDougall, leads me to the firm conviction that her diet has led her to where she is now.Can you please advise.Many thanks in advance, TheoTheo, I’m so sorry to hear about your mother’s situation. It’s such a sad story, and I’m sorry for all of you.I hope that Dr. Greger or someone else may be able to advise you. But I wanted to let you know that Dr. Greger doesn’t generally participate on these forums any more. I’m guessing he just can’t with his schedule. Hopefully someone else will jump in. I would recommend that you see if you can find a doctor in your area who really understands nutrition and can help. I know that there are doctors out there who follow the NutritionFacts site. Perhaps one in your area can help.Good luck.Hi Theo, I just came upon this post when I was looking for something else. I hope you were able to help your mom out with her eating. There are occupational therapists that specialize in eating and they would be a great help if you can find one in your area.	brain disease,brain health,cheese,cognition,dairy,exercise,industrial toxins,milk,Monsanto,neurotoxins,Parkinson's disease,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians	Low levels of neurotoxic chemicals in cheese may explain the connection between dairy product consumption and Parkinson's disease.	Here's the link to that video documenting the levels of PCBs in the bodies of those eating plant-based diets: Industrial Pollutants in Vegans. If this bit sounds familiar, it's because I featured it in my 2012 year in review Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. I also touch on Parkinson's in Risk Associated With Iron Supplements, Avoiding Other Banned Pesticides, and Industrial Carcinogens in Animal Fat.Avoiding dairy may have other benefits. See, for example:Or any of my other 73 videos on dairy.What if it's too late and you or a friend or family member already have Parkinson's? Treating Parkinson's Disease With Diet is coming up next!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Avoiding Dairy to Prevent Parkinson's and Treating Parkinson's Disease with Diet	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/monsanto/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20030906,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19165397,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19597089,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21472486,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22906799,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21938856,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23152586,
PLAIN-2788	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/	Clinical Studies on Acai Berries	An "Evidence-Based Systematic Review of Acai" berries was recently published by the Natural Standards Research Collaboration, an impartial scientific body that refuses to take support from product manufacturers cited by the World Health Organization as one of the most authoritative sources on such matters.  What did they find? Whenever a new purported superfood hits the market, the first thing researchers tend to do is look at its chemistry such as its antioxidant capacity, which was done back in 2006. Based on one measure, it had " the highest of any food reported to date," a remarkable finding I reported at the time, arguing that despite it's cost, frozen acai pulp represented one of the best antioxidant bangs for one's buck. But still didn't know what it did outside of a test tube. The next step is to go from test tube to petri dish and try it out on some cells. They dripped the concentration of acai berry phytonutrients one would expect in one’s bloodstream after eating on some blood cancer cells taken from a 36 year old woman with leukemia and saw a dramatic rise in cancer cell mortality, about twice that found previously using similar concentrations of hibiscus tea on the same cancer. Acai was also found to boost immune cell function at extremely low doses. This is a video of a human white blood cell gobbling up some invading yeast cells. Sprinkle some acai berry powder on them and they gobble more. With no acai for breakfast, white blood cells were able to engulf about 140 yeast, but in the presence of tiny amounts of acai engulfed closer to 200. Slowly but surely researchers began piecing together the mechanism by which acai affected cellular function. Still no human studies, though. Researchers moved from cells to animal models. Who can forget the "Addition of açaí to cigarettes has a protective effect against emphysema in mice." Instead of adding berries to their cigarettes, though, it might be easier to just encourage the mice to quit smoking. But then finally, starting in 2011, studies on actual people. Pain Reduction and Improvement in Range of Motion After Daily Consumption of an Acai in about a dozen folks with painful conditions like osteoarthritis.  After 3 months, antioxidant levels went up, and pain levels went down, though since there was no blinded control group drinking like some artificially acai-flavored Kool-Aid, placebo effects cannot be excluded. And finally, another pilot study. Effects of Açai on metabolic parameters. Ten overweight folks were given two packs of frozen acai pulp every day for a month. And even though they were allowed to take it with sugar, their fasting blood sugars dropped as well as their insulin levels and cholesterol. It significantly blunted the sugar spike caused by a standardized meal, all without any obvious adverse effects. In fact the only theoretical concerns cited in the review may be that it may work too well. If you're on diabetic blood sugar lowering medications it could potentially drop your blood sugar too low, or if you have an autoimmune disease or are on immunosuppressants it could stimulate your immune system too much. But what about the case report of the guy whose muscles started dissolving after using this acai berry supplement. Turns out, there were no acai berries in it at all! That's the problem with taking supplements, they are so poorly regulated you never know what you're getting. For example a study was done on 27 supplements of another purported superfruit, pomegranate.  "Of the 27 supplements tested only 5 appeared to be what they actually said. Fine, you say, no pills you'll just stick to the juice. "45 commercial pomegranate juice samples from 23 different manufacturers in the United States.  They said 100% pomegranate juice on the label but most of them lied, only 6 out of 23 were what they said they were. The only source where you can be guaranteed to get authentic pomegranate juice has no label at all.	Is there a link to the “Pomegranate juices don’t contain pomegranate juice” study?Sharon, click on the “Sources Cited” under the video.Dr. Greger, I am from Brazil and the açai berry is largely consumed here as we are one of the top producers in the world. However, there is a major concern about its consumption and most of the crops (at least here) may be contaminated by the “barbeiro” which is the insect who is responsible to spred the known Mal de Chagas. The decontamination proccess is very simple but our local media has been reporting that many producers do not use it and the parasyte survives even the freezing proccess, as it is really very resistant. Here in Brazil it is already a matter of public health and unless its origin is really certified, I would be really conerned about consuming it. Locally the habit is to eat a bowl of açaí with granola and just for you to have an idea – Pará in located in the North of Brazil, is the major producer of the açai berry and some cities concentrate 80% of the Mal de Chagas cases. So, please be aware of the benefits of the fruit but also its contamination.Celia: Thanks for this information. Nothing is ever simple.Thank you Celia for this information. Can you tell us what the decontamination process is?It´s called “branqueamento” meaning “whitening” – first you have to give acai seeds a thermo shock – by imersing them in hot water 80 degrees Celsius for 10 seconds and then in cold water. After that, you have to wash acai with Sodium Hypocloryde 2% twice and then the last wash with filtered water. It´s fairly simple for the producer and those are the recommendations of the Brazilian Health Authorities. But we know for a fact that they don’t do it only certified producers do it. so, as there is so much fuss about the acai properties many producers are aiming the fast buck and putting peoples health at risk of a deadly disease such as mal de Chagas. So, make sure you are buying from a reliable source.Why the seeds? Is this for next season’s harvest?As a source of the previous post – http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/15/4/08-1450_article.htmDr. Greger,Thanks so much for this video and all you do! As a regular consumer of pomegranate juice (in 1 ounce portions), I was naturally concerned about your statement that most pomegranate juices do not contain actual pomegranate. I read the abstract of the study at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20349921, and they are discussing pomegranate extract found in supplements. Your video implied there was no pomegranate juice in most commercial pomegranate juices, not supplements. Could you please clarify?Thanks! I think your work is terrific!I read the entire study on pomegranate juice adulteration thanks to my local library’s interlibrary loan program (support your library). Like you, I wondered which brands were pure and which were adulterated. Unfortunately, the researchers never gave the names of the products; they just assigned a letter to each sample, A through W.To clarify the study further, the non-pure samples weren’t other juices entirely. They were adulterated pomegranate juice samples. In other words, other components were added to pomegrate juice, not substituted entirely. Given that only 26% (6/23) samples were pure, and we do not know the pure brands, Greger’s advice to stick with the whole fruit seems prudent. And if that is not reason enough, here is what the FDA says about juice in general: adulteration of juices is occurring commonly in the marketplace.Skeptic shopping :-)Scottosphere: Thanks for taking the time to share the results of your research with us!Dr. Greger,Sorry, I was looking at the wrong study. Here is the correct one: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19249817. I can only access the abstract and not the whole study. Does it mention which brands are 100% pomegranate juice? I can see they included samples from China, India, Turkey, etc, so I understand those might not be well regulated according to U.S. standards. Does this mean some of the major U.S. brands like Pom and Trader Joe’s are cheating?Thanks again for all you do!I read the entire study on pomegranate juice adulteration thanks to my local library’s interlibrary loan program (support your library). Like you, I wondered which brands were pure and which were adulterated. Unfortunately, the researchers never gave the names of the products; they just assigned a letter to each sample, A through W.Skeptic shopping :-)I’m confused about the posts which say that there is no reference for the study that talks about pomegranate juice. I got the following link from Dr. Greger’s list above and it appears to be addressing pomegranate juice:Y. Zhang, D. Krueger, R. Durst, R. Lee, D. Wang, N. Seeram, D. Heber. International multidimensional authenticity specification (IMAS) algorithm for detection of commercial pomegranate juice adulteration. J. Agric. Food. Chem. 2009 57(6):2550 – 2557It is the second in the list of “Sources Cited” above. This link doesn’t give you the whole study, but if you have access to those materials, then you could look it up.Hope that helps.Amla or acai? Which is really the king of antioxidants?What are the 6 brands that were actually juice?I read the entire study on pomegranate juice adulteration thanks to my local library’s interlibrary loan program (support your library). Like you, I wondered which brands were pure and which were adulterated. Unfortunately, the researchers never gave the names of the products; they just assigned a letter to each sample, A through W.Any idea why hibiscus tea only had half the effect on cancer cells as acai? I found this surprising.Interesting post! I was nodding my head in agreement at the end when you were discussing the pomegranate juice. It is amazing how easy (and DELICIOUS!) it is to juice a pomegranate. Fairly inexpensive too.I like that the White Blood Cells were exposed to Acai extract’s and got the Munchies!!!!!-))What is the news on other exotic berries including camu camu, golden, maqui, and mulberry? How good are these for you?Dr. Greger- great video on Acai!!! and to respond to Celia’s question about Chagas the key to killing any potential of Chagas contamination is flash pasteurization which is not done for the most part in Brasil but is done for all products (as long as they are not labeled “raw” that come into the US). Cecila you can look for Tribal Acai in Brasil which is flash pastuerized.I also suggest you look at the myriad of studies that continue to get published on pubmed about acai since the review above was published. It’s clear the evidence is building around the health properties and benefits of the fruit.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=acaibonjour a vous je veux savoir au on trouve ce fruit s v p me répondre en français moi je prend soin de ma sante merci a vousDear Dr’s,It’s me,Teresa Donovan would you please help me to find a really great RA daily food cookbook or somewhere to find GREAT recipes for people with SEVERE RA? Thank youWhat were the six products that were pure pomegranta juice? Love getting your mail everyday!! I have learned so much but wish there was more on Hep C and what might be good for that.Thanks!!!!!!Unfortunately, the researchers never gave the names of the products; they just assigned a letter to each sample, A through W.Skeptic shopping :-)Dear Dr. Greger, There is a lot of hype lately about modified citrus pectin! can you shed some light on this subject? Thank YouI’m also curious about the Amla vs Açai super heavy weight battle.Dr. Greger, I have a question that I am hoping that you can help me with. Have you, or do you know of any research that examined the effect of nutrition on blood cancers and diseases? I am a 57 year old female. I have been vegetarian for about 4 years and a vegan for about 6 months. Over the past year to yare and a half two of my cell lines (WBC and platelets) have been consistently low. At one point there was some question about the possibiltiy of a diagnosis of T Cell LGL Leukemia. However, I did not meet the criteria for that diagnosis and the decision was made to wait and watch and monitor counts x 2/ year.I am hopeful that there is something that would be helpful for me so that I don’t progress to leukemia and need treatment with campath, vidaza, methotrexate, cytoxin, CSA, etc.Do you have any information that could be beneficial for me?BTW, I love your videos and have learned so much. Thanks for all you do.I hope you are doing well. Dr. Greger’s video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-angiogenesis-cutting-off-tumor-supply-lines/ is the best video to start with. There certainly is a lot of research that’s conclusive about how a whole plants diet — high in vegetables and fruits, and without dairy or meat — stops many cancers in their tracks, and kills the cancer cells. So, there is real hope!Hi, what is your take on Maqui berries, I hear they are off the charts in Vitamin c and higher than acai berrys in antioxidants, love to know if there is any scientific evidence or studys done.Maqui berries have not been studied; all berries are high in antioxidants, the body uses them well so be sure to eat them every day: see: http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/11/add-beans-berries-and-greens-to-more-meals/ for a broader context of awesome benefit.Update: for Ondy — I just found a 2014 study in Chile of 2 Chilean fruits — maqui and calafate — compared to blueberry with promising results that need to be replicated and researched in a peer review manner in the US. The practical gem at this time is to eat a variety of berries daily to get high anti-inflammatory benefit :)Has any nutritional research been done on Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) ? It is touted as a polyphenol leader. Thank-you!There is some. Here is a study on Maqui and smokers finding the extract may reduce inflammatory markers. Let me know if you want more I had never heard of it. Looks like a Chilean berry? Thanks, Matt. Oh and also see comments below they may help, too.	acaí berries,antioxidants,arthritis,autoimmune diseases,berries,blood cancer,blood sugar,body fat,cancer,cholesterol,diabetes,emphysema,fruit juice,hibiscus tea,immune function,immunosuppressive drugs,insulin,juice,leukemia,lung disease,lung health,medications,metabolic syndrome,muscle health,osteoarthritis,pain,phytonutrients,pomegranate juice,pomegranates,prediabetes,side effects,smoking,sugar,supplements,weight loss,World Health Organization	An independent review of the effects of açaí berries was recently published, including studies on immune function, arthritis, and metabolic parameters.	Here are the older açaí videos I referenced: Antioxidant Content of 300 Foods and Superfood Bargains.Indian gooseberries may also help control blood sugar (Amla Versus Diabetes) and rose hips may also help with arthritis (Dietary Osteoarthritis Treatment). Plant-based diets in general may help arthritis (Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis) and metabolic parameters (Metabolic Syndrome and Plant-Based Diets).I also have another video on pomegranate juice: Is Pomegranate Juice That Wonderful? And what's true of pomegranate juice is true of other juices (Best Fruit Juice) with one exception (The Fruit Whose Juice Is Healthier).Even if supplements contain what they say, they may not be useful (Dietary Supplement Snake Oil) and sometimes it's what's added rather than what's missing that is the problem (Some Ayurvedic Medicine Worse Than Lead Paint Exposure).For some context, please also check out my associated blog posts: The Science of Acai Berries, Raspberries Reverse Precancerous Lesions, and Probiotics During Cold Season?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immunosuppressive-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/emphysema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranate-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16478240,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3118329/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20349921,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3133683/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19249817,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17061840,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15922006,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21147193,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/288488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21386979,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21825959,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21682256,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22607647,
PLAIN-2789	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/	Protein, Puberty, and Pollutants	Early onset of puberty is considered a risk factor for a number of diseases in adulthood, including hormone-related cancers, a shorter lifespan, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease.  The conventional thinking has been that the age of puberty has been getting earlier and earlier because our children have been getting fatter and fatter. Well our kids have been getting heavier, especially in the United States—we're #1! But while the age of a girl's first period has been dropping in the US and Asia, in Europe--despite their kids getting heavier too--there hasn't been a steady decline in puberty onset. So it may be less about how much kids are eating and more about what they're eating. The most consistent link between diet and premature puberty has been animal protein consumption. For example, every gram of daily animal protein intake—that's the weight of a paperclip—is association with a 17% increase in the risk of girls starting their periods earlier than age 12. Why this link between animal protein and premature puberty? Well we know meat increases the levels of the growth hormone IGF-1 and that alone is associated with early onset puberty, but maybe animal protein is just a proxy for the endocrine disrupting chemicals that build up the food chain in animal products. Recent reports found "significant associations between exposure to environmental pollutants and sexual maturation." This was done in Europe. In the U.S. a similar relationship was found with the flame retardant chemicals found in fish and chicken. "Over the last three decades, human exposure levels of these industrial pollutants in the U.S. have increased from virtually nonexistent to almost everyone carrying them around. They appear to have multiple adverse effects, but "of all the potential toxicities, endocrine disruption may be the major concern in children. And those with the most circulating in their bloodstream appeared up to 10 times more likely to start their period early. But since they're found most concentrated in the diet in fish and chicken maybe the level of these chemicals in their bloodstream is just kind of a proxy for meat consumption. Either way, more animal protein is associated with early onset puberty, whereas plant protein has the opposite effect  "children with higher intakes of vegetable proteins start puberty 7 months later than average, and children eating more animal protein start puberty 7 months earlier than average. Soy seems most protective. "Girls with the highest levels of dietary isoflavone intake—the phytonutrients in soy foods--may experience their onset of breast development approximately 7–8 months later than girls with the lowest levels of intake." What effect might these shifts have on disease rates? Well "Delays in the timing of puberty in response to beneficial dietary habits (higher intakes of vegetable protein and soy, and lower intakes of animal protein) may be of substantial public health relevance: A later age of starting ones period is related to a reduced risk of breast cancer, and a later first period is associated with a lower total mortality, meaning a longer lifespan. Hence, a delay in the timing of puberty by approximately 7–8 months that is achievable with dietary modifications—either more plants or fewer animals--may translate into a 6% reduction in breast cancer risk and an up to 3% decrease in total mortality. And not just a problem in girls, boys eating more meat in childhood appear more likely to grow up with the kind of abdominal fat deposits that increase risk for heart disease.	I’m wondering if 0.90 and 0.91 are that different (although I totally believe in general message – another point from China Study which gets verified by another resource I trust). btw I noticed Caucasian teen guys who do wrestling get bald extremely early – so I was wondering if it is meat and/or excercise or probably both leading to excessive hormone production..It might be the steroids young athletes are inclined to take theses days.It could also be the supplements that many young athletes take: whey protein, creatine and I just saw that they have an IGF-1 in powder form.What is the lesser evil GMO plant protein or chemical laden animal protein?Both are avoidable, and the animal has probably been eating gmo all its life anyway.GMO1. Is this a genuine question or just a straw man? Why is non-GMO plant protein not an option?2. Let’s pretend it’s not an option: 80% of corn and 90% of soy in the U.S. is fed to animals, not people. A pound of meat requires sixteen pounds of grain to produce. Now which seems worse? Especially when you add in all of the other persistent fat soluble environmental toxins accumulated in the animals’ tissues?The answer is pretty clear.The answer is clear. Buy meat that is fed what it’s supposed to eat: grass. The difference between a grass-fed cow and a grain-fed cow is night and day. Just like you can buy homegrown organic vegetables you can buy farm raised hormone free animal products.Grass fed, organically raised beef A. Isn’t an option for 98% of the world, due to the sheer resources it would require to raise it. B. doesnt change the fact that the animal is still subjected to toxins in the air and general environment that are unavoidable and get stored in the animal. So you subject yourself to the animals toxins and your own.What are these magical hormone-free animals you speak of pray tell? What exactly do the use for cell-cell communication, soft whispers?Organic vegetables are not contaminant free. Nothing is. Your only choice is between more contaminated and less contaminated.A grass fed cow will consume even more food than a grain fed cow due to the lower caloric density. Their food may not be genetically modified, but they are still part of the food chain, their food still contains environmental pollutants, and they are still concentrating them in their tissues.How people can think that the nutritional profile of an animal completely changes with its diet is beyond me. If I eat mostly kale, or mostly corn, sure an analysis of my tissues may lead to some detectable differences, but it’s still going to be human flesh. I still produce hormones, I still have dioxin, pcbs, flame retardants in my tissues, I still have saturated fat in my tissues, arachidonic acid, etc.Frank, both are still evil! There are plenty of alternatively good options around for choices to keep you well!Learning about how much chemicals are circulating through our blood – so disheartening.It’s a shame we this info isn’t presented to all parents. It’s so vital.This may be a relatively crazy question, but could early-onset puberty have benefits in promoting earlier brain development? I’m thinking especially of prefontal cortex development, which could in theory reduce risky behaviors and therefore reduce overal (all-cause) mortality, despite increasing the risk of certain cancers, etc. I saw that one study says it is not. But this subject/phenomenon is, on the whole, poorly understood.I’m so glad I found this way of eating before i have my own children (which will probably happen in the next few years or so). I’m sure there will be all sorts of comments from the in-laws, but thanks to Dr. Greger I’ll have a mountain of information to respond to them with. I’ll be darned if people want to shame me into intentionally poisoning my children with animal products just to make themselves feel more comfortable.I am facing the same issue! My husband and I will probably start trying to get pregnant in a year or two and only one of the four future grandparents has agreed to feed them how I see fit. I foresee this being a big issue in my relationships with my family members.Do vegan children grow to normal height? Can you do a video on that please?Based on the science vegan children should grow taller. Going through puberty early does cause a growth spurt but also closes off the growth plates. Males who have lost their testicles never go through puberty and continue to grow into their twenties and end up taller. A proper vegan diet should result in delay in onset of puberty and later growth spurt and closing off of growth plates. You can eat an unhealthy vegan diet and end up as a Fat Vegan or a Sick Vegan(see Dr. McDougall newsletters on those subjects) December 2008 and October 2002 respectively.My four year old daughter has developed strong body odour, and has always been vegan. Do you have any advice on what I should try to eliminate from her diet? Chat rooms mostly talk of animal products, others sugar & I am thinking to start with removing processed soy products as a starting place eg tofutti cream cheese a d soy sausages! I would appreciate any diet related advice Thanks!Dr. GThank you for the work you do! I am still going back and forth on the topic of animal protein and I just wish you could help. I read both sides of the debate and I’m just left feeling annoyed. Do any of these studies that point towards a plant based diet compare those who DO eat meat BUT that meat is entirely grass fed, eaten in moderation, cooked in liquid and eaten along with copious amounts of plant foods AND whom also live generally healthy (no smoking, excess sugar, etc.)? I mean really, is ALL meat consumption bad?Again Dr Greger is fascinating and enlightening. I am 53 and didn’t start periods until aged 17, I was mainly vegetarian back then, vegan now. Also , the so called ‘change of life’ in women , I believe can be transited in a more gentle way on a vegetarian or better still vegan diet. I had no problems. Thank you Dr Greger for all your work.The paper “Effects of lifestyle on the onset of puberty as determinant for breast cancer” is not included in the “Sources Cited” below the video. It can be found here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17220700And strangely, I haven’t been able to find the parts that are cited in the video; for example: «children with the highest intakes of vegetable proteins or animal protein experience at least their growth-related puberty onset up to 7 months later […]»Where does it come from?Thank you.In the early North American trials of water fluoridation Newburgh NY had its water fluoridated while Kingston NY was used as a control and the water did not have its water fluoridated. The trial was started in 1945 and terminated in 1950 and declared a success in reducing tooth cavities. In the mid 1950’s an MD, I don’t remember his name, reviewed the data. One of his many observations was that the girls in Newburgh started puberty 6 months earlier than the girls in Kingston. It should be noted that the water sources for the two cities was different at the time with differing mineral content also. This is described in Christopher Bryson’s book “The Fluoride Deception”.However in trials with monkeys and Mongolian gerbils a similar effect is observed. These trials were conducted with good protocol.Earlier, post 1950, a chinchilla rancher made the same observation in his chinchillas. He also believed that there was a transgenerational effect also.These studies give support to the idea that endocrine disrupters are a cause of the early onset of puberty.Dr. Greger discusses fluoride here. http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-dangers-of-fluoride/The cause of early puberty is probably multifactorial. The trend started before the introduction of the many artificial chemicals such as phthalates. Many of the persistent organic pollutants probably contribute to the problem. Fluoride is another issue that is complex. Interestingly as Dr. Greger pointed out in his video Avoiding Common Disorders dental caries appear to be a more recent problem for us.. courtesy of the food processing industry. From a complex systems perspective introducing one chemical to prevent one problem has the potential for unanticipated consequences which can be either good or bad. We will probably never know about these since we don’t invest the time or have the expertise to look for these effects. Our reductionistic approach to our health has led to many advances but we need to understand its limitations.	abdominal fat,adolescence,animal products,animal protein,Asia,body fat,breast cancer,breast development,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,children,endocrine disruptors,Europe,fat,fish,flame-retardant chemicals,growth promoters,heart disease,heart health,hormones,IGF-1,industrial toxins,isoflavones,lifespan,longevity,meat,men's health,metabolic syndrome,mortality,persistent organic pollutants,phytonutrients,plant protein,poultry,premature puberty,protein,puberty,seafood,sexual health,soy,turkey,vegetable protein,women's health	The early onset of puberty in girls associated with animal protein consumption may be due to endocrine disrupting chemical pollutants in the meat supply.	For more videos on this topic see:If you're not familiar with IGF-1, I have a series of videos about the growth hormone (though mostly in relation to cancer risk). See, for example, The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle and Cancer-Proofing Mutation. And if you've never heard of "metabolic syndrome" I talk about it in Metabolic Syndrome and Plant-Based Diets. Is it possible to overdo soy? Yes, but you'd have to work at it: How Much Soy Is Too Much?I talk more about endocrine disrupters in:For more context, please refer to the following associated blog posts: Why Are Children Starting Puberty Earlier? and Schoolchildren Should Drink More Water	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/15/why-are-children-starting-puberty-earlier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/isoflavones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premature-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/growth-promoters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20584727,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21663902,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22364156,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20529402,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20197795,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22419724,
PLAIN-2790	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease	The latest review on diet and the risk of inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, suggests that of all dietary factors, animal protein from meat and fish was found most associated with a higher risk of inflammatory bowel disease. They think it might be the blood in meat which is degraded to carbon monoxide, or some of the toxins created by cooking muscle or added to processed meats, and then of course there's the arachidonic acid, the pro-inflammatory omega 6s, and meat contains huge amounts of certain bacteria that have been linked to inflammation, the antibiotics in meat could be mucking with people's intestinal flora. Who knows, either way, " A diet high in animal protein, may be associated with not only increased risk of getting inflammatory bowel disease in the first place but relapsing back if you already have it, consistent with the data I presented last year that even just a semi-vegetarian diet was highly effective in preventing relapses in Crohn's, for example. But one potential risk factor that I never heard of was micro or nanoparticles. Foodstuffs in developed countries contain increasing quantities of microparticles such as titanium dioxide, used by the millions of tons as a whitening/brightening pigment mostly to make white-colored paint, but also used as a food additive to make white-colored food. So much so that people eating conventional diets may be ingesting a trillion particles of titanium dioxide every day. Why care, though? Well a few years ago researchers found evidence of micro and nanoparticles in all 18 out of 18 samples of diseased colons they looked at—either colon cancer or inflammatory bowel, but none in the 3 healthy colons they looked at from folks who died in a car accident or from a heart attack. That's a tiny sample but it got people thinking, and more importantly putting it to the test. They took intestinal biopsies from people and added some titanium dioxide to see if it would cause inflammation. Here's the level of secretion of an inflammatory cytokine at baseline in the biopsy specimen, and here's after you add the titanium dioxide they use in food. Nothing. No inflammation. Maybe they got like dead tissue or something? So they tried adding a little or a lot of bacterial endotoxin. All right that worked. That got an inflammatory response. Before declaring the food additive safe though, they tried one last thing. What if you combined these together, the titanium dioxide and a little bit of endotoxin mixed together. Presumably you'd still be down here somewhere but instead got this. So their thinking was that while titanium dioxide itself is inert, nontoxic in the gut, it may act as a "transporters of inflammatory substances like the endotoxins from the inside of your gut into the gut wall. kind of a ‘Trojan horse’ mechanism. What happens in a petri dish may not happen in a person, though. How are you going to test the theory in people though—you can't go around trying to give people inflammation. So they took people actively suffering from Crohn's took microparticles out of their diet and saw if they got better.  18 patients with active Crohn’s; 9 stayed on their regular diet; 9 were placed on a low microparticle diet, and within a month those on the low microparticle diet had a significant decrease in disease severity and by the end 7 of the 9 were in remission, whereas none were in remission in the regular diet group. In addition to removing things they expected to contain titanium dioxide--coffee whitener, white cheese, powdered sugar--they also removed processed meats and fish, fearing that there were microparticles in them too, but that complicates things, because just cutting down on meat alone is one of the most powerful Crohn's interventions so maybe that's why they got better and the titanium dioxide had nothing to do with it, and indeed a larger trial in which both groups were told to cut down on processed meat and seafood found no difference between the two groups, which is consistent with this study that did not find that Crohn’s patients were eating significantly more white foods—like the crispy shell chewing gums, marshmallows, powdered doughnuts. So where are we now? Well high concentrations of dietary microparticles should not be completely ruled out as potential contributors to intestinal inflammation, but there's just not that much evidence suggesting they’re harmful. If you look at the most concentrated sources, though, out of nearly 100 products tested none of them are any good for you so if you want another excuse to avoid Hostess donuts well then there you go.	Hey Dr. Greger, Which article has the pretty chart shown at about 5:20?Based on where the graphic “flies out” from, I’m going to presume that you can probably find it in: J. C. Schneider. Can microparticles contribute to inflammatory bowel disease: Innocuous or inflammatory? Exp. Biol. Med. (Maywood) 2007 232(1):1 – 2 (mentioned in the Sources Cited section).Sadly, no, I looked and it’s not that one. I can’t seem to find the chart in any of the articles – but I might have missed it. It’s definitely not in the Schneider piece, tho. Thanks anyway! :-) It’s not really important, I was just curious.Curiosity is a good thing! ;-)I’ve added it into the supplementary info section above just for you!Thanks so much. Tic Tacs are practically like kale.Hey doc, thanks for wealth of info! What’s a coffee or tea whitener??Dinorah, I’m picking your from Aust/NZ? Down here we put milk in coffee. But before immigrating from USA we used “non-dairy” whiteners because you know, they were healthier than actual milk. It is a dried slurry of caseinate (so much for the non-dairy lie), saturated fats, emulsifiers, soy, silica gel and of course white paint. MmmmmThis is good to hear and hopefully true since many vegans have been able to enjoy the tasty Daiya cheese which has titanium dioxide in it.The larger message is the lack of principle and values in the food industry. It should go without saying that non-food should not be added to food. And yet we must say it. I know there will be exceptions that some will feel are important. Regardless I am opposed to being forced to analyze labels to decipher the weird crap the food industry does. Would you care for a little silica gel with your titania?BTW/ titantia is a photoelectric semiconductor substance. Of course there is not that much sunshine in the colon so I guess it is OK to eat this crap right?Hopefully eating it isn’t in fact a problem. Breathing it could very well be trouble.Please speak more on the matter of inhalation exposure to nano particles in personal care products. People are off-gassing this horrid stuff. Would Dr. Greger know of research studies? Are there any protective foods once one has been exposed?Sorry Fidel, but eating non food is not acceptable in this house. Breathing it, sucking up ones anus, nostrils ….pick your orifice….All are off limits for this crap in my temple o soul.Does desiccated coconut are also whitewashed?Thank you for this video. I have Crohns Disease and my doctor put me on a vegan diet last year and I have been doing much better. This is another reason why I should NOT go back to eating meat or processed foods.You have a good doctor — keep him/her! I’ve seen several stories where doctors actively resist vegan diets and insist on surgery and other invasive “treatments” for Crohn’s Disease.Thank you, Dr. Greger!Any info on Kaolin acting in a similar way as Titanium Dioxide? It must surely be a nano-particle and it is used in sooo many things food, including spraying on organic veggies.Thank you, Dr. Greger. I saw horseradish sauce listed in the video, Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease. I searched the site to find more about it to no avail. Please advise. With appreciation, RMMHello Dr.Greger what is your opinion on supplementing with digestive enzymes? Thank-youUnless specifically recommended by your doctor, I would advise against it. If you want a supplement for increased fecal bulking and bowel health then taking psyllium husk is a harmless option.So glad I have lost my desire (mostly) for prepared food. I am a pretty good “cook” so find it pretty easy to prepare some dandy dishes from scratch using only “from the ground or tree” foods. Now to find the best quality “organic” local and freshly picked produce. I have been toying with the Starch based diet, although find it harder to digest than the all produce all the time diet. I had some problems with that too, but feel it is cleaner. No telling where those grains and beans have been. My fave is sweet potatoes in a soup with onion, celery and cabbage. No whiteners there, but still, I can improve. So now that I am avoiding all these listed, bad actors, why do I still get so sick? How do I get that consistent good digestion? (You know what I mean.) Am I still suffering from all the years of bad additives? Been mostly vegetarian since 1980. That doesn’t mean I’ve been perfect, but I think it has helped me avoid a lot of the problems. Now that I’ve taken this post off track, I think I need to search your archives for some help. Thanks, LynnI was a vegan eating unprocessed organic foods for seven years when I acquired Ulcerative Colitis. I had my first symptoms after received the MMR vaccine. I am achieving remission by implementing the gaps protocol and eating LOTS of animal fats from grassfed good quality meats. A big adjustment for me, an exvegan.I cannot eat the high fiber vegan diet any longer without provoking bloody mucusy diarrhea. I cannot eat raw vegetables either. I think cutting out sugar and grains and eating lots of fats like high quality pastured butter, and coconut oils has helped my gut heal tremendously. Along with gelatin in bone broths. I have also lost fifty pounds since May 2012 eating this way.I don’t know how much research you’ve done but your vegan diet wasn’t the cause of your Ulcerative colitis. If thats what your saying? Just one place to get more info on it is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulcerative_colitisIf I go OFF my vegan diet I get colitis…. Sudden changes can cause your symptoms, but I doubt a long-term vegan (properly proportioned) is the cause of your symptoms. The GAPS diet would be better called the “suicide diet”. It consists mostly of items known to promote disease and death.diagnosed with CD, i have stopped taking all the dairy products, since then i have made lot of progress in the GUT “no pain” . can i replace with Almond MIlk from Dairy milk . please suggestthanks Dr Micheal greger , you are doing great Job , helping usI have two titanium hips, do I need to worry about this leeching into my system? I already have elevated cobalt and have just had 2nd blood test to see if it’s worse & if chromium is elevated.It’s not the titanium per se, it’s the physical form, the microparticles, that are touted to cause the problems. But if you watch the video carefully, there’s not much evidence to consider them harmful. Just don’t eat a huge amount of them. And don’t worry about your hips.I am really looking forward to your video on carrageenan. We are a vegan family and I have seen it in a couple of products we buy. The Cornucopia Institute recommends staying away from it and I would love to see what you think.Dr. Greger, Are the small titanium dioxide particles in sunscreens a potential problem? Are they small enough to be absorbed into the bloodstream?Thanks!DeanThankfully it doesn’t look like absorption on titanium dioxide from sunscreen is a problem – see PMID 20156837.DeanTitanium Dioxide is often added to Vitamins and supplements–I stopped taking Jarrow B complex because I noticed in contained titanium dioxide. I’ve stopped many supplements, but I’m essentially vegetarian and have to get B-12 from a supplement.Hi Martha, have you seen Dr. Greger’s response on where to get B12? http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-best-way-to-get-b12/ He usually recommends against supplements in preference of whole food nutrition, but there’s a few he does recommend and B12 is one of them! You can see other recommendations here: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Thank you so much for summarizing this data! You are making a big difference in many people’s lives.More evidence: Titanium dioxide nanoparticles increase plasma glucose via reactive oxygen species-induced insulin resistance in mice. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25826740	animal protein,antibiotics,arachidonic acid,artificial colors,beef,bile acids,cheese,chewing gum,chicken,colon cancer,colon health,Crohn's disease,doughnuts,fish,food additives,gut flora,inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,marshmallows,meat,nanoparticles,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,processed foods,processed meat,rectal cancer,seafood,sugar,titanium dioxide,turkey,ulcerative colitis,vegans,vegetarians	People eating conventional diets may ingest a trillion microparticles of the food whitening additive titanium dioxide every day. What implication might this have for inflammation in the gut?	Here's the link to the video I refer to on treating Crohn's: Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease.For more on that list of concerning compounds they noted in animal products, see Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens for the heterocyclic amines, Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation for arachidonic acid, Meat Additives to Diminish Toxicity for heme iron, Yersinia in Pork for the inflammation-linked bacteria, and Lowering Dietary Antibiotic Intake on some of the drugs fed to animals. I'd also add to that list The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc and Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxins.Other videos on food additives include:I've got a new video on carrageenan coming soon as well.For more context, please refer to the following associated blog post: Should We Avoid Titanium Dioxide?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/titanium-dioxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-colors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marshmallows/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chewing-gum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nanoparticles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/doughnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ulcerative-colitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-potassium-sorbate-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17922962,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15716665,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14585686,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15613257,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22055893,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11246607,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12002786,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17878997,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20096538,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17202580,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22260395,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10648120,
PLAIN-2791	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	Can Gargling Prevent The Common Cold?	Gargling is one of the best things to do to treat a sore throat. As one of my medical mentors Dr. Klaper instructs, you " take a glass of warm water, add a pinch of salt, hold the glass of salt water in your hand, open your mouth, and take a deep breath. Tilt your head back, slide a generous mouthful to the back of your throat, and, with your mouth still open, gently breathe out through the water. Continue until the end of the breath, and then spit it into the sink. Repeat until the full glass of salt water is used."  Works wonders to soothe a sore throat, when you have a cold. But I had never heard of gargling to prevent a cold. Though not popular in the Western world, gargling has been strongly recommended in Japan to prevent upper respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold.  However, there have been no controlled trials, and it remained unresolved as to whether gargling was really effective, until this one was published in 2005. "They found a significant drop in the incidence of the common cold, but not the flu, suggesting that simple plain water gargling is effective to prevent respiratory infections among healthy people. This virtually cost-free modality would appreciably benefit people both physically and economically around the world. What do they mean economically? Well most Americans, for example, report about 2 and a half colds a year. Between medical costs and work absenteeism, we're talking nearly $40 billion dollars a year. So even if you take into account the 71 seconds it took on average to walk to and from the sink and gargle, and multiply that by the average wage to calculate the "cost of gargling" in wasted time, it's still considered a cost-effective strategy. Here's the latest, a new study on whether it works in kids. Gargling for Oral Hygiene and the Development of Fever in Childhood. a total of nearly 20,000 preschoolers were observed for 20 days, and just like the study in adults, gargling appears to lower the odds of illness by about a third, and gargling with green tea appeared to work better. Note they speculate that the fact that tap water is chlorinated may have played a role, so gargling with filtered water may be less effective, and I would stay away from iodine solutions such as betadine since one can run into the same kind of iodine overload thyroid dysfunction you can get by eating too much kelp.	Vitashine Vegan Vitamin D3 is the best flu/cold prevention I’ve come across however taking too much over a long period of time causes insomnia.I only gargled after a sore throat but never thought to it before . And green tea? Gargling with green tea was best all. Amazing!Dr Greger thanks for posting your schedule! You are going to be speaking a few blocks from my house March 3. I am coming!Where is Dr. Greger’s schedule posted??First paragraph in Doctor’s Notes above. Highlighted.Found it, thanks. Suggest it should be prominent on the home page.How often do they recommend gargling, daily? How about the temperature of the water? I’ve always used hot salt water to gargle with.This is my question too.The yoga assana (posture) known as the “roaring lion”- it involves sticking one’s tongue out towards your chin as far as possible – also relieves sore throat and allegedly helps with a number of other problems. We wonder if the effectiveness of gargling and the roaring lion has to do with stimulating circulation in the throat.some may not agree, but I’ve gargled with straight Hydrogen peroxide for about 2 years now, and always! followed up with a gargle rinse of straight warm water at night and have never have had a cold since. Some say good some say bad? it works for me..You don’t gargle with straight hydrogen peroxide. Getting a drop of merely 30% hydrogen peroxide on the skin feels like a hot fire poker and kills the skin. You probably gargle with 3% hydrogen peroxide.Hmmm. I was taught as an RN 20 years ago to gargle salt water for a sore throat. Salt being a killer of ‘bugs’, it makes sense.Did I missing something? None of the references mentioned using salt in the water.I was wondering if it matters when you gargle with the salt water? I’m w/ Rie. As an RN the use of salt water for gargling is nothing new for sore throats, but for prevention- that is new-news.Hydrogen peroxide and water also helps eliminate a sore throat. But, I’m not certain if it prevents a cold. Thus far, the best remedy I’ve found to prevent a cold or the flu is common sense. Washing hands often with soap and warm water, using alcohol base sanitizers on shared equipment or while traveling, and eating vitamin A and C rich foods, and ingesting one capsule of Astragalus Root 470 mg once a day.Despite our housekeeper coming into our home repeatedly with colds or the flu, I’ve not been made ill, as long as I take low dosage of this herb during cold and flu season.On the other hand, my dentist demands the use of patients gargling with Listerine, which I find disagreeable and potentially toxic as I am already chemically sensitive and avoid such unnecessary measures.Sounds more like a requirement for his comfort (not having to deal with bad breath) than a dental health issue.Been doing a salt water sinus rinse twice/day for the past 5 years and have had 2 colds in that time. One of the colds was after I’d missed 2 days of the rinse and had been working in a K12 registration department, and the other right after my father passed away..high stress. I used to get colds 3-4 times/year and it always went to my chest. At least 1/2 the time it turned to bronchitis. Think I’ll add the gargle to my routine when things are really getting passed around. It makes sense given the success of the sinus rinse.I asked my MD about avoiding a prolonged cough after a cold. The advice was to exercise, or at least walk around more. The idea is to avoid letting the bug settle in the chest. I tried it, I was grumpy, but it worked.Thanks! How much walking? Walking just to move or actually get puffing and break a sweat? I don’t imagine that you’d go to the point of exhaustion though, right?I’m sorry for this question but, is there a risk of taking to much iodine or not. English is not my mother tongue and sometimes it goes all to fast fore me. Can any 1 respond pleaseSoeleejmen: The answer to your question is : YES. Check out this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/	children,common cold,fever,gargling,green tea,iodine,Japan,kelp,respiratory infections,salt,sore throat,tea,throat health,thyroid disease,thyroid health,water	Gargling, as commonly practiced in Japan, can not only soothe a sore throat, but may even prevent one.	This is one of the landmark findings that I'm afraid no one will ever hear about because no one profits. No one, that is, except the millions of people spared from infection! I've been taking a break from my merciless travel schedule to work on my 2013 batch of videos, but as soon as I'm back on the road I'm hoping those 71 seconds will help protect me from all those airport germs.If you liked this video you may also like The Risks and Benefits of Neti Pot Nasal Irrigation, (along with my brain-eating amoeba answer) Sleep & Immunity, Antioxidant Level Dynamics, and Zinc Gel for Colds?What else might we learn from the Japanese? See Smoking Versus Kale Juice, Bowels of the Earth, Asian Paradox, Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer?, and any of my 31 videos on green tea or 41 videos on soy.Check out my associated blog posts for more context: The Best Way to Prevent the Common Cold?, Schoolchildren Should Drink More Water, and Probiotics During Cold Season?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/should-i-sterilize-my-neti-pot/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kelp/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/respiratory-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gargling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sore-throat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zinc-gel-for-colds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17409604,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16242593,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22123226,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12588210,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17878657,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2651874,
PLAIN-2792	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/	Are Cats or Dogs More Protective For Children's Health?	To my surprise, "studies of the effects of pets on human health and well-being have [actually] produced a mishmash of conflicting results."  Some studies show pets lower your blood pressure, in fact in some cases more than drugs do, but other studies found no effect, or even that pet owners have higher blood pressure.  Does having a pet increase your survival after a heart attack, or decrease your survival after a heart attack? One area where there's a bit more consistency is children's health. The presence of furry pets in the home appears to cut the odds of acute respiratory illnesses in half, and even decrease the risk getting the common cold, but which pets work better? Cats like my Charlotte Emily and Ralph, or dogs like my Lilly? Published recently in the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics "Respiratory Tract Illnesses During the First Year of Life: Effect of Dog and Cat Contacts," "the first study that has evaluated the significance of pet contacts during childhood for the development of respiratory tract [symptoms and] infections," including ear infections. They found "dog and cat contacts during early infancy may be associated with less [illness] in general and may have a protective effect on respiratory tract symptoms and infections." But as to which is better, "In comparisons between cat and dog contacts, dog contacts showed a more significant protective role on respiratory infectious disease" "children having a dog at home were significantly healthier, had less frequent otitis, and tended to need fewer courses of antibiotics during the study period than children without dog contacts." "Cat ownership seemed to also have an overall protective effect, although weaker than dog ownership, on the infectious health of infants." Though when it comes to protecting children from tummy aches, both cats and dogs appeared equally protective in reducing the risk of gastroenteritis.	Yeah, but your cat is making you crazyhttp://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/and your dog is giving you breast cancerhttp://bit.ly/VZOk1iDogs in the home fill up hearts with unconditional love. NOTHING is healthier than love. My unscientific opinion..Unless your respiratory system revolts. There is nothing like dog and cat fur for the allergies. I have flu like symptoms for several days after being exposed to a house where dogs live.Let’s not talk about fleas. I just spent the last three weeks recovering from flea bites received courtesy of a pet friendly motel. When the dogs leave the fleas will get hungry enough to dine on people. Granted fleas do prefer the taste of dog.How does a dog give you breast cancer? Do you use harmful chemicals on the dog? If you do, shame on you!Anna, How is “your dog giving you breast cancer?” Link is dead! I’ve had dogs in my life from 1945 through 2006, and do not have, nor have either my mother or I ever had breast cancer, and neither of us were vegans during that period of time.My mother died of dementia or Alzheimer’s at the age of 90, and I am now almost 71. No cancers at all!Not everything you read online is true or even accurate.The cat stuff is old news, it seems that society is driven by that parasite in a subtle way: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/05/toxoplasma-the-brain-parasite-that-influences-human-culture/#.Umk84-0W2WA The “craziness” manifests only in people with compromised immune system it seems. Or well, in cat hoarders too. As about the the breast cancer and dogs study: maybe it should have been taken into consideration an important aspect: the emotional pattern of the women. Maybe most of the ill women needed pets/dogs in the first place because of some feelings of helplessness/loneliness/lack of love and affection. Maybe those emotional patterns are responsible, not the dogs. If yes, the dogs rather helped in keeping them healthier than without them in the households. It would be nice some study about health of humans and their dogs, studied in accordance with their measured heart coherence. And their cats too.Hi Dr. Greger,My question is a bit off topic, but what is your opinion of vegan cat and dog food?Best regards, Brigitteno dogs and especially cats should not go vegan. They have a totally different digestive tract to humans (theirs is short) requiring an acidic diet vs our need for alkalinity.. Dogs can be omnivores but should not be totally vegan, long term problems will result. Cats are obligate carnivores and totally cannot digest grains. I am vegan but feed my dogs fresh meat/veggie meals.As a physician I’m a very limited veterinarian in that I only know one species–sorry!Dr Andrew Knight, the world’s top authority on vegan pet food interviewed by Vegusto UKYou’ll have to excuse me, but I totally disagree with animal slavery… of any type!If you read the latest scientific evidence from the duke canine cognition center, you will find that dogs (as wolves) actually chose humans as companions, rather than humans purposefully domesticating them. And that during testing they found that dogs prefer the company of their humans over that of another dog or being alone.Interesting Taylor.Oh you are serious. I thought you were joking.Charlotte, Emily, Ralph and Lilly are adorable! :-)Cats and dogs in the home make it much dirtier.Cats and dogs in the home make the home healthier because of natural antigens which produce antibodies in our immune system. There is clean dirt/dust, pet hair, paw prints. And there is toxins from anti-bacterial cleaners which may increases allergies, infections, and disease.I’d rather have the natural antigens, and the love of pets!I hope they do a study comparing vegan children without pets in the home and non vegan children with pets in the home. My toddler and a few others (vegan and petless) are sick once a year and never an ear infection, compared to our friends’ toddlers (non vegan with dogs) who have ear infections every year and about 3+ bouts with colds/flu every year. All the tots were breastfeed and none attend daycare.It would be interesting to see which as a stronger influence on the immune system diet or dogs:)We have pets, I breast feed, great diet and my kids are rarely sick. Attendance awards for not missing school. Organic whole foods, no junk but not vegan. But tons of veggies and fruit, nothing processed. It must be the food and the cuddly dogs.I would still perfer a study on the subject. “Rarely sick” isn’t exactly scientific…;)Oh you really do want a study. Protections from respiratory infections by having pets isn’t adequate. You want to know if vegan kids without pets are sick less often?My children with pets and not vegans were sick less than once a year and were not vegan. Never had an ear infection and never have been on antibiotics. You mentioned your kids so I had an anecdotal reference to mine.But I will add, I wish they were vegan babies.My grandson from a non-vegan family with 3 indoor cats, and one outdoor-indoor dog who sleeps in the house, washes the face and mouth of toddler grandson. Yet, grandson is never sick, no ear infections, no antibiotics yet. Of course, he’s just turning 2. Daughter feeds him very well. All certified organic. Lots of vegan type foods. Since she’s allergic to soy, she does not give much to her son. But, he’s had and loved Miso. Even sucked on lobster legs at age one for Christmas, to my horror. But Ethan loved it and no repercussions, fortunately.Sounds like my kids. All those yummy germs.I had respiratory infections after moving to Louisiana from the Rockies, possibly because of the high degree of humidity, the vast use of toxic chemicals that were tracked into my home and left in the carpets, the spraying by exterminators of my house for insects. Something that is expected down here.When I put my foot down after having read multitudes of articles in Environmental Health Perspectives, the Journal of the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, a division of the National Institutes of Health, and said, NO MORE toxic chemicals in my house. The chemical treatments are worse than potential diseases from the insects. The spraying stopped. Removal of the wall-to-wall carpeting thanks to hurricanes Lili and Rita, and the placement of porcelain tile and wool area rugs stopped all respiratory infections. Wool area rugs are warm, and can be rolled up and cleaned under with non-toxic cleaners are beneficial. The more I learned what was in air fresheners, the less I used them. Phenols damage our health and our brains, they numb our senses.It’s time to use your brain by reading and writing down ingredients on products, doing research on them prior to purchasing the product. And remember that cleaning products contain, alike pest controls, so called inert ingredients which are proprietary secrets and may be more toxic than the active labeled ingredient.It is not pets that contribute to most respiratory problems, it is the chemicals you use to clean your home and mask odors.My daughter’s toddler son has 3 cats and one dog, and no one in the family are vegan, although Ethan is fed certified organic and very healthy veggies. Shortly after being weaned from breast milk at 19 months, he was drinking beet juice, kale with ginger smoothies; finger food included chick peas. He’s one healthy, trim and muscular baby, who is rarely ill, but his nose always runs. It could be the sage brush of the Texas hill country that have affected his and his families health.Dr. Greger – your furry kids are very cute! Lilly looks like she knows how to get comfortable. ;)I think the pertinent question is why would pets in the home have a protective effect on children’s health. What is the mechanism that provides the protective effect.Why? Pets and their dander, common household germs, or antigenic substances in a child’s environment may produce antibodies and boost immunity to allergens or some diseases. This, common sense approach, is called the precautionary principle, and it drives regulation in the European countries.In the USA, however, PR campaigns are driven by vested interests and one such drive is to evoke fear of germs and bacteria and then sell Triclosan, which was registered as a pesticide in 1969, and is now in a myriad of products to kill fungi, bacteria and germs. Toothpaste, hand soaps, body soaps, cleaner wipes for household and commercial surfaces. There are even antibacterial fabrics and clothing to prevent body odor, containing triclosan. With all these antibacterials, why do we need vaccines to fight influenza? Are people getting sicker because of overtly clean surfaces?Triclosan (2,4,4’ –trichloro-2’-hydroxydiphenyl ether) is a chlorinated aromatic compound used as a synthetic broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent. Triclosan was first registered as a pesticide in 1969. According to the U.S. EPA: “Triclosan is used as a registered pesticide only in a small portion of its overall uses. In commercial, institutional, and industrial equipment uses, triclosan is incorporated in conveyor belts, fire hoses, dye bath vats, or ice-making equipment as an antimicrobial pesticide. Triclosan can be directly applied to commercial HVAC coils, where it prevents microbial growth.As a material preservative, triclosan is used in many products including adhesives, fabrics, vinyl, plastics (toys, toothbrushes), polyethylene, polyurethane, polypropylene, floor wax emulsions, textiles (footwear, clothing), caulking compounds, sealants, rubber, carpeting, and a wide variety of other products. It has been used in latex paints; however registrants who use it in paint have recently requested a voluntary cancellation.” More at: http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/triclosan_fs.htmLaboratory studies have found that it may disrupt hormones, interfere with muscle function and promote the growth of stronger bacteria — and other research suggests it is building up in the environment to the possible peril of wildlife. What’s more, there is no evidence that hand-washing with soap containing triclosan or other anti-microbial ingredients offers any health advantages over regular soap and water, according to advisory committees for the American Medical Association and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to Dr. Sarah Janssen, a physician and senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group. “It doesn’t work, it’s not safe and it is not being regulated.”Read the Chicago Tribune article at: http://tinyurl.com/bxq5d8sCommon sense like having antigens including pets in the home has a more positive effect on children’s health because antibodies are produced that fight disease and build immunity to infections. This is absent is you listen to Madison Avenue Public Relations in the media.I’m guessing the protective effects are 1) increased physical activity while playing with pets 2) companionship, nurturing and happiness (hard to overestimate the the benefit to those who are lacking) 3) some parasites and possibly some low level diseases or allergy triggers might be beneficial. My opinion is they are generally a liability but the “hygiene hypothesis” has borne out on occasion and a pet lacking the really nasty diseases but having the right low level ones might very well be good for an excessively sterile immune system (all too common in average westerners). Of course, I would suggest low level toxins found in raw plants, grown at a reasonable distance from animals is a safer option.I am so sad to have lost my last kitty a short while ago. I don’t think I will ever get another pet. It is too hard to keep things up. I don’t have a recirculating/filtered heating or cooling system. I am still finding areas of the house that she found to use as a nest or a potty. She had feline asthma for years and required daily medicine which made her need to drink a lot and urinate a lot. I’m only saying this because like kids, you get what you get and it is a lifetime of caretaking. I couldn’t just let her go in and out to do her business so she required a litter box which added to the dust in the air and all around the house. If you work full time and take care of things yourself. It can be a lot of work and it also added to MY allergies. It’s always fun to have a pet, but like anything, there are side effects (so to speak!) It is really important to think hard before taking on a pet.I took care of my daughter’s cat after she left for college and then graduate school down under in New Zealand. The cat was obese. She was also elderly, and had diabetes. Every day I had to give her insulin injections. Nikki, the cat, would tell me when she had to use the litter box, but she would fall over, too weak to stand and squat. She also told me when it was time for her to go (die) just short of her 20th birthday. I took her to our vet and had her put down while I stroked her ears and under her chin and told her the pain would go soon.After Nikki died, we wrapped her in a warm cloak and buried her in the front garden. Several of our much loved pets had been buried in one garden or another. It gave both the pets and the three of us peace knowing that they would not be frozen and tossed into a dumpster and headed for a landfill. At least they were buried were they loved to lurk.I have empathy for your loss.My dog had to be put down the day I started Physical Therapy for a hip replacement, as I tripped over her pulling of up diaper. She had incontinence and I learned later, bone cancer. The bone cancer occurred from tasting some so-called “free” top soil my husband had filled holes in the backyard where Hurricane Lili tobbled a 60 foot tall cedar tree. The soil was contaminated with radionuclides from the drilling of oil and gas production waters in South Louisiana. Radionuclides are amongst the components of normally occurring radioactive material NORM wastes from pipe-yards and are a proven cause of bone cancer. Lots of pets, and people had bone cancers during the period of so-called cleanup operations where opportunists mixed the NORM waste with soil and gave it away to unsuspecting gardeners.Many things had occurred because my husband lacked common sense and thought as a “scientist” he knew better than I did as an environment activist. He was wrong. Because of his lack of consideration, he left our 10 year old German Shorthair pointer, who had always been a house-dog outside in an unheated dog house when it was a windy 26 degrees F. He even removed her sweater coat because he thought she looked “silly”. When I came home from having a hip replacement, I would let the dog in, he put her out, and we battled. I slept sitting up with her on a pillow by my side and washed down the house in the morning.That made me decide not to adopt another dog. If anything happens to me, he has proven that he cannot be trusted.All our lives we’ve had pets, and if it wasn’t for my injuries and his lack of common sense, I’d adopt another. But, now I care for the birds and coons in the back yard. They care for themselves as long as they have thawed clean water and fatty seeds or bark butter to give them more warmth and insulation, and shelter from the cold winds.When my daughter was an infant, she was rarely sick until we moved from Wyoming to South Louisiana (despite my not being vegan) but having a dog. After we lived in Louisiana for three years, she had constant ear infections, and ultimately followed the route of most young children. That is, needing tubes inserted into her ears to remove the fluid.We have always had dogs. But, having pets never made any difference to whether or not we had infections. What mattered here, was the humidity, and perhaps the mold and mildew. Wyoming was very dry alike my native state of Colorado. But, Louisiana is generally very humid especially in the warmer months. And, in both cases, our dog was in the house at night and on overly hot or cold days. Our dog was our daughter’s constant playmate.On the other hand, my daughter gave birth to her son in March, 2011 in Austin, Texas, another dry climate. Ethan was welcomed by three rescued cats and one rescued dog. The dog, Lokie adopted the baby and washed his face and opened mouth regularly, which was not detrimental to Ethan’s health. He’s been perfectly well all along. Granted, Ethan is just turning two, but so far, he’s in perfect health and all of his family eat meat.What may have made a difference in Ethan’s life is most fabric that come into contact with the baby were certified organic cottons–not recombinant DNA cotton, the food for his mom and for Ethan was all certified organic. Although, Heather was not very careful about what she ate or drank while nursing, to my dismay, And, when Ethan was weaned, his mother or father gave him juiced kale with ginger and apples –all organically grown. Not generally the first foods given to an infant, but Ethan survived and thrived.Ethan is solid. No fat anywhere, very healthy, Here, he’s trying to get his dog (seen only by her reflective eyes) into the shower, but the dog would not come out of his cave. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUwSZqQiLbc&feature=youtu.beCan you remove this video? I tried to edit it out but removed the message and the link remained?How weird, I must be the oddball exception. My mom rescued chows and I had tons of respiratory and ear infections and even stomach troubles all my childhood.What about 70 year old woman living alone?I question the wisdom of allowing young children to have poor boundaries or hygiene with their pets, due to toxicara parasites and other transferable diseases, not to mention Dr. Gregor’s own numerous comments about the risks of exposure to animal protein in general, even if we are not talking about consumption or slaughterhouse environments. Toxicara (why do pets go blind?) becomes especially active when transferring to newborn pups or kittens, and children themselves are especially vulnerable owing to less developed immune systems.Livestock of course are the source of terrifying bugs like trichinosis, and here is a great comment by Dr. Gregor about pork tapeworms in human brains. Can the disease morphology of livestock really be so different from that of pets?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/I recently acquired a dog. I’ve been eating WFPB/no oil for over a year and now I’m living with a carnivore. What do you, Dr. G, feed the carnivores in your life? And since poultry has numerous downsides, am I harming Miss Nina by feeding her chicken, albeit organic chicken drumsticks and wings?Good question I am not sure. I thought dogs were omnivorous and cats were the carnivores? I suggest asking the vet for their advice. One company I heard of was Evolution (unsure the spelling), maybe ask your vet about that, too?Thanks for your question, Barb. Good luck and let us know what you find out!Dr. Greger, Are you feeding your pets meat? If so, be so kind to share your views about this.Your three cats kinda blew my mind for a minute, they look almost exactly like 3 of my four, and my Emily looks identical to your Emily, funny! I never planned on having four, but how could I resist when feral kittens became trusting pussy cats? They are all so amazing and special…but I will NEVER tell them they are so cute I can eat them up, again!Dr. G, What do you feed the carnivores in your life? Kibble? (My little girl dribbles her kibbles.) Raw chicken’s a big craze up here in trendy Perlmutter and gluten-free Vermont. I’m told to just toss a Misty Knoll drum stick outside. The store bought pet foods contain chicken, turkey, duck, salmon, lamb and some wild animals (e.g., bison). I’m a compulsive clean freak eating whole foods/plant based/no oil and I’m living with a dirty little carnivore (who’s getting bigger by the day… her adoption papers state “mastiff”…) How is it that a dog can be okay eating raw chicken and raw meat?	antibiotics,blood pressure,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cats,children,common cold,dogs,ear health,ear infections,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,infants,lung disease,lung health,medications,pets,respiratory infections,stomach health,stomach inflammation	Sharing one's home with a cat or dog may decrease the risk of infectious diseases in children, including ear infections, respiratory illnesses, and gastroenteritis.	That's Lilly at the beginning of the video—is she a cutie-pie or what?!Protection from respiratory infections and tummy ailments is one thing, but what about cancer? See my video Pets & Human Lymphoma. Of course it's best if you don't eat them—see my last video Foodborne Rabies.Please be sure to check out my associated blog posts for more context: Which Pets Improve Children's Health?, Schoolchildren Should Drink More Water, and Probiotics During Cold Season?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/31/probiotics-during-cold-season/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ear-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/respiratory-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ear-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22778307,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19522884,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16569272,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18167154,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1762431,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20465487,
PLAIN-2793	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foodborne-rabies/	Foodborne Rabies	Normally, rabies is only contracted by getting bitten by a rabid animal, but case reports have been published of people coming down with rabies without any such history, like these two from Vietnam. In a truly man-bites-dog story, they both came down with rabies after butchering and consuming a dog or cat. The rabies virus should be killed by proper cooking, but they think it was the preparation of their brains that may have generated large amounts of virus. The dog brains were eaten steamed, but the cat's brains were pulped with bare hands to make some special dish. The doctors suggest the butchering and consumption of dogs should be better regulated, as high as 2% of dogs in slaughterhouses may be infected.  Same percentage found infected in China. In fact the long-distance live animal transport of dogs for the meat trade may be a factor in the massive human rabies epidemics in southern China, where farmers can get as much as $12-15 per dog.  The dog meat trade may also be playing a role in the spread of rabies in the Philippines, though again, as a doc with the Department of Health pointed out, “If the animal is cooked, the virus is destroyed, but many are eaten raw. And even if they're cooked, there may be cross-contamination during handling and preparation. Anyone cutting up a dead dog can transmit the virus to themselves if they touch their eyes or lips while they have traces of the dog’s fluids on their hands."	Sure gives a different meaning to mouthwatering food. Yikes.hahahahaSo sad that people still eat animals and then suffer the natural consequences. Who to feel sorrier for??? Tough call.Ewwwww! People actually eat dogs & cats? I thought it was a bad joke…The SWISS love DOG and CAT meat, fully legal and widely sold there.@cetude )-: That is not true! DOGS and CATS are loved but not eaten by most of the Suisse. There was an unusual incident some years back by one individual and provoked an outrage among the population in SwitzerlandThey all deserve it…just sayin’Oh man I better lay off the dog.Interesting video, Dr Greger!Thanks for the warning — I had to bypass this video. I love all animals, but especially cats and dogs. A colleague from China told me they ate cats all the time.GOOD! They deserve it.You will undo the good work here if you morph this site into an emotional discussion of the morality (or immorality) of carnivory. This site is about nutrition. Please keep it that way, I implore you.To many Americans, this is an emotional and moral topic (myself included). I wonder what makes you feel that this is not about nutrition. There are videos posted about how eating a certain fruit could kill you and no one takes exception to those. If you have an emotional reaction, that is on you… it does not mean that it should not be discussed.Hmmm. Rabies from eating Fluffy and Scrappy! Brings new meaning to a newer video I did about Karma and Food! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPEU1AyOQQoThe is beyond disgusting! I hope they suffer the same madness!How sad! Hopefully, one day people will finally see that eating our fellow creatures does not do anyone any good. Thank you for your videos.Good for them, the dog or cat had the last word!!Great info- thanks. This is useful for those who’s lobbying the government to ban all dog consumption in the country.I recently bought organic broccoletes. The package says it is “a relative of broccoli.” It is delicious. Is it as healthy for one as broccoli and kale and other cruciferous vegetables? Thank you.I’ve lived in China for the past 4 years and people DEFINITELY eat dogs and cats. It is not uncommon that a pet owner’s little friend disappears in the middle of the night never to be seen again. They know what happened and are usually saddened by the fact that one of their neighbors may have killed and eaten little taffy :-(.On another note, most people in China do not wash their hands so I am not surprised by the spread of infectious diseases through handling contaminated meat. Perhaps one day through education these dangerous habits may die out, at least I would like to hope that.Nobody tells any of you what to eat. The pig is no cleaner. You ever had a piece of roasted dog cheek meat, or steamed dog tongue? Hhmmm! Go heavy on the soy sauce with that.	animal products,Asia,Asian markets,brains,cats,China,cooking methods,cooking temperature,dogs,food poisoning,foodborne illness,meat,philippines,rabies,Vietnam,viral infections,zoonotic disease	The consumption of cat and dog meat may be playing a role in "massive human rabies epidemics" in Asia. (Some people may find some of the concepts and images in this video disturbing.)	Cross-contamination of foodborne pathogens during meat preparation is an issue regardless of the species. See, for example, Food Poisoning Bacteria Cross-Contamination and Unsafe at Any Feed. For a cheerier video, Are Cats or Dogs More Protective For Children's Health? is queued up next, featuring our 13-year-old Lilly!More on brains eating at Avoiding Cholesterol Is a No Brainer and Mad Fish Disease.Please be sure to check out my associated blog post for more context: Which Pets Improve Children's Health?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asian-markets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vietnam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rabies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/philippines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-cats-or-dogs-more-protective-for-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14583076,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19296718,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21937820,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19751579,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10323799,
PLAIN-2794	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/	Is Vitamin D3 Better Than D2?	Years ago, it was shown that vitamin D isn't just the sunshine vitamin for us, but for mushrooms as well. You take some mushrooms, and put them under a sun lamp for an hour and they make vitamin D just like we do lounging at the pool. Now most mushrooms you by at the store don't have any vitamin D because they're grown in the dark, but there are now there are sun-bathed varieties on the market that boast significant levels. Some mushrooms out grown in the wild have some as well, but only about 12% of one's recommended daily allowance per cup. But is the vitamin D bioavailable? In 2008 there was a case report of a dark skinned individual, living in England in the winter who—like the other 9 out of 10 South Asians living in the UK—was vitamin D deficient. His physician prescribed a vitamin D supplement, but after doing his own research this patient decided to self-treat. He bought a UV bulb from a local hardware shop and proceeded to shine this directly onto 2 cups of regular mushrooms a day, before stir-frying and consuming them. He repeated this on a daily basis for 3 months, and indeed his vitamin D levels shot up and he was cured.  So it's reasonable to assume that such mushrooms may be able to provide a source of vitamin D for those at risk for deficiency. This was just one person though, so further studies are necessary, and finally those studies have been done. "Bioavailability of vitamin D from ultraviolet light irradiated button mushrooms in healthy adults deficient in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D: a randomized controlled trial. They compared the mushrooms, to vitamin D supplements, to placebo and both the mushrooms and the supplements were equally effective in raising D levels compared to the placebo mushroom soup. The type of D made by mushrooms is vitamin D2, which is typically derived from yeast and is the form traditionally prescribed by doctors to cure D deficiency (drisdol). Most supplements, though are D3, which is the type found in plants and animals and typically derived from sheep's wool. Back in 2008 it was established that vitamin D2 was as effective as D3 in maintaining one's vitamin D levels at standard daily dosing levels. Whether folks were given D3, D2, or a combo of half D3 and D2 it didn't seem to matter much in terms of improving vitamin D levels in the bloodstream. But that was 5 years ago—what's the update? Is vitamin D2 better than vitamin d3?  It depends how you take it and what your starting levels are. Taken daily in doses up to 4000 units a day there appears to be no significant difference in the ability of D2 or D3 to raise vitamin D levels, but if you take megadoses on a weekly or monthly basis in doses up to 50,000 units at a time, D3 works better than D2.  And if you're not vitamin D deficient, if vitamin D levels are normal, for example, if you live in California and get enough sun, then taking D2 from mushrooms or supplements doesn't appear to raise your levels further, but if your levels are fine why take supplements in the first place? The only reason we care about the levels in our blood, though, is because of the benefits we expect to get from those levels, such as a longer lifespan. The latest Cochrane review on vitamin D and mortality found that while D3 supplementation was able to reduce mortality other forms of vitamin D, including D2, did not. This may be because most of the D2 trials used megadosing regimens up to 300,000 units injected into people, but until we have good data suggesting D2 supplementation can actually extend one's life, D3—the type of vitamin D found in animals and plants --may be preferable to D2, the vitamin derived from fungi. The best animal to get D3 from is… yourself, but if you live at a latitude where you're not able to make enough then there are both animal (sheep) and non-animal (Cladina arbuscula) sources of vitamin D3 supplements.	I’ve read somewhere that the body produces more than one Vitamin D on the skin, as in more than one photoisomer of Vitamin D; Is this true?Dunno, but if you watch the Richard Weller video I cited above, you may notice that Vitamin D supplementation did not have the same effect on the heart as sun exposure.Thanks for the video.It has nothing to do with what I asked.The video says.. Sunshine realeases the NO(nitric oxide) from the skin. NO is a vasoladitor… it widens blood vessels and makes blood flow smoothly which is excellent however a person does need to eat leafy greens in the first place to get NO in the skin.Next time. Please refrain from answering questions you don’t have the answer to.No need to be contrary. I felt the comment, though not a direct answer, was still pertinent, because…“Vitamin D supplementation did not have the same effect on the heart as sun exposure.”Be it multiple forms of Vit D, NO, or other processes we have yet to discover, there is plenty of room for an open mind and more research into the many ways sunlight benefits us.Although I live in southern California and might get adequate vitamin D from exposure to the sun, I’m aware of the dangers of sun exposure such as skin cancer and prematurely aged skin and so I prefer to stay out of the sun and supplement with Vitamin D caps. Eating a plant-based diet just won’t allow you to get adequate vitamin D unless you eat a huge amount of mushrooms every day, so supplementing is much easier and probably cheaper considering the price of two cups of mushrooms each day.Sun exposure: There’s evidently more going on in the body beyond the manufacture of Vitamin D.Richard Weller: Could the sun be good for your heart?http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_weller_could_the_sun_be_good_for_your_heart.htmlSkin cancer risk versus the nation’s biggest killer. You do the math.I agree! I have already seen that Ted presentation and it is fantastic what the evidence is showing. Everyone should watch that presentation. Also there is evidence that a plant based diet can reverse Gorlin Syndrome a Basal Cell Cancer genetic abnormality. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/ Recently I heard that a plant based lifestyle can reverse melanoma but I cannot find the research at this time. Thanks Mac for your post!I’m sure you caught the mention at the tail end of that talk about diet. If you want the sun to release the nitrates in your skin into your bloodstream, it behooves one to eat a diet rich in nitrate-rich plants so as to put the nitrates there in the first place.I expect Dr. G will enjoy reporting on that research ASAP.Vitashine D3 is a plant-based D supplement. It works well. I’ve been taking it for some time now and my D levels are excellent. Prior to this, I had a deficiency despite adequate sun exposure.Disclaimer: Pls note I have no financial interest or gain from mentioning this product.But two cups of mushrooms a day are great for you! LOL! The risk of skin cancer is incredibly low at 15 mins in midday sun, which is all you need is SOCAL ..The mental benefits of being in the sun also cannot be underestimated.Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t plant-based D3 supplementation a new and minuscule % of the overall D3 supplementation market? If so are we sure that these studies about D3 also pertain to the plant based derivatives? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a plant-based D3 supplement anywhere that wasn’t online.There is a vegan, Vitamin D 3 at Whole Foods. I think its made by the company, Mega Foods. It is made from mushrooms. I used Vitamin D2 to get my levels back to recommended levels. My boyfriend also did well with D2 as well.Vitamin D from mushrooms IS vitamin D2, not D3.D3 comes from the sun, and fish oil. My vitamin D3 now comes mostly from fish oil of sock-eye salmon (Vital Choice).In decades past, my vitamin D was from the sun and from vitamin D2, which was in comparatively low levels recommended by the American Medical Association of about 400 I.U. per day. That did NOT prevent the osteoporosis, which I have today and was diagnosed with in 2006 after first fracturing my hip. I have now twice fractured my spine.There is also mushrooms with D3 and lichen also has D3.Vitashine is a brand which get their D3 from lichen.Thank you for this information. I stand corrected with my statement.LOL. No you don’t. Its misleading.Lichen is a PLANT which contains D3. There is mushrooms with either D2 or D3. You jump to conclusions when you say that mushrooms only contain D2.This is a plant-based diet website. Fish-oil contains toxins.What was that at the end of video? A “vegan D3″? I’ve never seen a product like that. Puzzled.Google vegan D3. A number of products come up. Never used them, but they are advertised as vegan D3. Some are at Amazon.com and may also be in your health food stores.Country Life makes it using Vitashine D3, which is vegan since it is sourced from lichen. The spray bottle D3 shown in the early part of the video is also Vitashine D3, with the Global Health Trax label (though now it is Vibrant Nutraceuticals). These are the current U.S. distributors of Vitashine vegan D3. No, I don’t work for the company, just researched it since I recently bought some.Expanding this, the research, D3 and Multiple Sclerosis needs to be further explored and — imho — trumpeted. D3 has proven preventative for MS. And more than that, in our personal experience, it’s also curative — as in seeing no lesions on the the last MRI, and this is 4 years out from the last attack. And symptoms are simply gone. Note that the studies done with D2 showed no benefit. But D3 — at mega doses — bears out what I say.Advice for MS:Hit up hard on mega doses of full spec oils (use pharma grade fish oils). Same for vit D3: huge doses, then stay at 16,000 units. (Test blood. Forget the studies of D2. D3 is “food” so pharma will ignore it. Interferon? Um. Please. Read the studies carefully.) Keep exercising. MS is like a vandal on a bridge you have to keep painting so it won’t rust. Everyone’s nervous system is breaking down and replacing itself everyday, anyway. You just keep ahead of it. Fear not. Being upset helps the vandals. Copaxone makes sense. And giving yourself a shot everyday talks to your unconscious: we can do this, buddy! Eat REALLY well. Cut sugar and flour and all prepped food. Don’t take the steroids. Probiotics! Be in your heart. There is no distance between us.If one has a problem with gluten but does not recognize it, D3 levels may be very hard to keep up, even with 10,000 units per day. If one is tested for gluten sensitivity it should be done while still on a gluten diet.That’s great to hear your story. Here’s a clinical trial ending at OHSU on a very low fat Vegan Diet in March 2013 http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT00852722I got to work with Dr. McDougall a bit in the initiation of some of the MS patients to a very low fat Plant Based lifestyle. http://www.drmcdougall.com/res_swank.html http://www.drmcdougall.com/video/diet_ms.htmlThe preliminary results I have seen are astounding so you might want to research how a very low fat Vegan diet alone has had great success in Preventing, Arresting and Reversing Multiple Sclerosis.Thanks for this. Will follow it and would like more specifics. What sorts of fats do you use? We’re vegetarian but pretty much vegan, and very careful about organic, etc.,and the particular fats consumed. Keeping Omega 6 balanced, tramped down w abundant 3’s.No added fats at all! No Oils at all! Yes no Olive Oil! You want to follow a Varied, Whole Food, Plant Based lifestyle with up to one ounce of Nuts, Seeds or Avocados daily MAX! That’s a shot glass. Dr. McDougall would say, nuts, seeds, olives and avocados only as occasional treats. And since he is the expert I would have to agree! So Flax, Chia and Walnuts are your best choices.Thank you. Note — we did use oils, but are very careful with them. Nuts, seeds, important, esp flax seed.Early on in the MS puzzle, there was thought to be a link with mad cow. So many avenues have been explored. Scarlet fever, and other sequelae — which happened in our case. There certainly do seem to be environmental factors beyond exposure to sunlight. Pockets of MS occur. And likely it’s a collection of diseases. But arming your body as best you can — always the best defensive posture. :)All good wishes for your work.Whatever happened to treating MS with protease inhibitors?Pretty new. Haven’t seen it at the human study level yet. Looks promising, doesn’t it. Being used with HIV so…Reading the China Study (the excellent description of the complex vitamin D metabolic process) I noticed that excess calcium can block the release of activated D into the bloodstream. I found it interesting to note that, after Dr’s started recommending calcium supplementation for virtually everyone, within a couple of years everyone was suddenly vitamin D deficient. I would love to see a study of the interplay between calcium and vitamin D levels, especially since (as I understand it) calcium is a buffer when our diets are too acidic and (it seems) blood levels of calcium could rise through that mechanism without supplementation.Dr. Greger,Thank you for the interesting review on D2/D3 uptake. Apologies if this question has already been addressed…since Vitamin D levels are so important, and so many population groups are sub-normal, why not install a UV-B bulb in the bathroom where skin exposure is highest with often dose applicable? This seems to be such a simple directive that might resolve Vitamin D deficits especially in the elderly and those living in northern latitudes….Bill Misner PhDDr. Bill: I’m just a lay person, but your idea sounds brilliant to me. Thanks for sharing.The more I think about this, the more eloquent the UV B bulb seems as a solution. I may to try to find out for my bathroom, even though I’m not in a particularly high risk demographic other than being at a higher latitude (southern Canada). However, the dose seems very important. I have heard of psoriasis patients starting with 30 second treatments, and I have read that reptiles have exposure of 10-12 hours using a mostly full-spectrum bulb, where the UV B component would presumably be small. If you have some expertise in this field, could you suggest what kind of bulb (wide or narrow spectrum, or full-spectrum) and what kind of dose? Should the bulb be on a timer?All that I know is that I just accidentally fractured another spine in my lumbar region over the course of 10.5 months. Most of my calcium and other nutrients come from food, but with some supplementation (through Andrew Weil, M.D.). I take 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day, which comes from sock-eye salmon. We have not had much sun this winter –lots of rain or overcast days.What should I be doing to amass bone with a spinal fracture? What is missing in my diet. I am 70 years old and had consumed lots of calcium, vegetables and fruit, and received vitamin D from the sun much of my life, until 2006. Now, I tend to exercise indoors more. Is that the problem? Is that the reason I keep breaking bones? Yes! I have been diagnosed with osteoporosis. But why? I thought I was eating right. And, I suppose my exercise of mostly lap swimming was wrong. Should have been walking more.Becca: Good for you for doing your best to research and take care of yourself.I am not a doctor, but I highly recommend the book: “Building Bone Vitality: A Revolutionary Diet Plan to Prevent Bone Loss and Reverse Osteoporsis” by Amy Joy Lanou, PH.D. and Michael Castleman. It is always easier to prevent rather than reverse a problem, so I don’t know how much mileage this plan will get you despite the cover claims. But what I can say is that I have read the book several times and find it highly credible, a good read, and very helpful. It’s available on Amazon if you are interested.Good luck and I hope you get some help.Thank you, Thea, for this information. I’ll order and the book and check what it has to say.Doctor Gregor, thank you so much for sharing . I am both amazed and grateful for your generosity and knowledge.Hi Dr. GregorI recently had a blood test to check my vitamin d levels, and it turns out that it is at 13 ng/ml. It’s been recommended to me by my doctor to take the 50,000 iu once a week for 12 weeks, and then 2000 per day after that to bring my levels up. What are your thoughts on the mega dose once per week? Would it be better just to start taking 2000 iu per day instead? Also would the plant based D3 bring my levels up (I’m vegan). Any info would be great. Thanks!It would depend on your clinical situation. Assuming you have no symptoms due to deficiency and no other compelling reason to quickly raise your vitamin D level a more gradual approach is reasonable although you need to work with your physician(s). You might start with Dr. Greger’s series of excellent video’s on Vitamin D beginning with Dec 5, 2011… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/ and going until December 15, 2011… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/( 9 videos in all). We don’t know what optimal levels are or even what are normal for a particular patient. In one study Hawaiian lifeguards had levels in mid 20’s and I wouldn’t recommend supplements for them. When you look at the curve in video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/. it seems like between 20 and 30 is reasonable. Remember low Vit D actually reflects a “sunlight” deficiency. I recommend sunlight exposure as able. Avoid tanning beds see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/. There is now evidence that sunlight exposure helps our arterial system via the nitrous oxide system… see TED.com talk by dermatologist Richard Weller: Can sun be good for your heart. So there are benefits to sunlight exposure beyond Vitamin D. You also have to remember that Vitamin D is a fat soluble substance and there are cases of Vitamin D toxicity. A somewhat confusing area but keep tuned as we learn more. I think a reasonable goal is to raise your Vit D above 20 but whether that is done via sunlight, supplements or a combo would be for you and your doctor to decide.I wrote an app for Windows Phones devices that lets the user browse the NutritionFacts.org website’s latest, trending and popular videos with the ability to search. If you have a WP device, check out the free (ad-supported) version. If you like it, consider getting the ad-free 99cent version. (Links below.) Part of the revenue I make from these apps will be donated to this very awesome website! Please share.Here is a video of the app in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcLpM5MboRUNutritionFacts ($0.99) http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/nutritionfacts/791f650d-2b1e-49af-9e46-60200ffb939eNutritionFacts – Free http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/nutritionfacts-free/f248a1f1-97f0-47e1-a386-2b673e32304dI’m trying to find certified Vegan D3 and gluten-free drops. What brand was in your video, please?Look for Vitashine. If you’re in the USA, Rabbit Food Grocery has it for the best price and ships it for a few bucks.Very interesting. I never thought the source mattered. I guess it does. !Interesting new study:http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/GeneralEndocrinology/38605I generally find it helpful to summarize a study when posting a link. Otherwise, people will pass on it thinking it is spam or marketing. In this case, the link is interesting, a study paid for by a mushroom industry group, clearly showing that supplementing with D3 raised serum levels of Vit D the most; D2 was nonetheless highly effective at raising serum levels of Vit D, and a mushroom concentrate made from white button mushrooms was slightly better than Vit D2 supplement tested. The trial was very small: 25 participants total. The researchers remarked that other research shows that the higher D levels from supplementation could last from 6 months to several years.HereHere: Thank you for your summary. As you suggested, I personally never click on a link that does not have a good intro. And so l missed learning about this study/information. Thanks for taking the time to share.The big picture is that both vitamin D2 supplements and vitamin D3 supplements are equally well-absorbed and have the exact same effect on 25(OH)D at doses under 5,000 IU per day. The only clinical difference is at doses higher than 10,000 IU per day, where vitamin D3 is more effective at increasing 25(OH)D than vitamin D2. In my opinion, this makes vitamin D2 slightly better (safer) than vitamin D3 because the terrible sting from the life-threatening side effects of vitamin D overdose would be less severe with vitamin D2 swallowers. The benefits of keeping our blood 25(OH)D between 24ng/mL and 34ng/mL, which is exactly the same as between 60nmol/L and 85nmol/L, applies to all forms of vitamin D including sunshine. [Mushrooms produce vitamin D1, vitamin D2, and vitamin D4 when exposed to sunshine or artificial UV light]. Because sunshine causes permanent damage to our skin and eyes, it is the WORST way to increase our blood 25(OH)D to optimal levels.BREAKING NEWS: Many mushrooms contain just as much, if not more, vitamin D4 than vitamin D2. Vitamin D4 may have unique health benefits that vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 lack. It’s entirely possible that some of the fantastic health benefits enjoyed by people who eat mushrooms derives from their vitamin D4 content: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3411670/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicinal_mushrooms http://www.livestrong.com/article/434573-benefits-of-vitamin-d4/Can you please share this information with Dr. Joel Fuhrman? He uses non-vegan d3 in most of his vitamins (leaving just a basic formula for vegans). I tried to email him but someone replied saying to just use the basic formula one. Please tell him that it is unnecessary in normal doses.I wish I knew where to get this vegan vitamin D3!!!I am Vit D deficient and would like to take a plant based D. However, I was told you can only take D2 and that all D3 are animal based. I would so much appreciate direction and a good quality Vit D supplement to take.Thanks so much. BethThe Vegan D3 is actually made from Lichen (the white stuff the grows on rocks).. not technically a plant.Thank you – the horticultural definition of lichen: A composite organism made up of a fungus, usually an ascomycete, that grows symbiotically with an alga ora cyanobacterium and characteristically forms a crustlike or branching growth on rocks or tree trunks.Does anyone else feel uncomfortably amped up when supplementing with vitamin D–either form? Anecdotally some friends tell me they also feel “caffeinated” on vitamin D, but several doctors I’ve consulted say it’s unlikely. I get a weird “head feeling” and totally wired when taking any significant amount of D.steff: I don’t have any problems taking vitamin D, nor does anyone I know.However, I wanted to address this part of your post:”…but several doctors I’ve consulted say it’s unlikely.” I have a situation where a close family member consistently experiences some terrible site effects while using a family of eye drop medications. The doctors keep telling her that the shaky feeling could have nothing to do with the eye drops. But the side effects go away when she stops the eye drops. The problems come back when she starts the eye drops again.My point is: Despite how much all of us are the same, every person’s body is different. When it comes to medications, our reactions can be real and yet very different from the norm. Don’t let the doctors make you feel like you are crazy. If you experience problems on vitamin D, then you do. Start from that point, and then you can figure out what you want to do about it.I know this isn’t that helpful from an advice or data perspective, but I thought you might appreciate the moral support. Your story brought back what my family member is experiencing and it makes me angry that the doctors won’t listen to her.Best of luck to you.Did you get this side-effect with different brands of vitamin D? Maybe it is the brand you are using, but that would not explain why some of your friends report the same occurrence.Do you take the pill w/ or w/o food? For example, if I drink coffee on an empty stomach it can throw me into a full on panic attack at times, but if I drink it w/ a meal it seems to be okay. Perhaps vitamin D is the same way?Another thought I had is do you need to supplement w/ VD? Maybe you are not VD insufficient or deficient and the reaction you get might be your body saying, “Hey, enough already. We’ve got what we need right here.”WholeFoodChomper: Wow. Now *that’s* a really helpful reply. Great questions and thoughts.I haven’t observed any effects, cognitive or otherwise, from supplementation of D2. I only supplement Sept-April, due to a low sun angle in my region.If my vitamin D level is low as from the ridiculously low level recommended by the American Medical Association, I do not heal or make bone properly.Before I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2006, I had been supplementing with 1000 mg calcium, magnesium, and 400 IU vitamin D. The calcium was too high and the vitamin D way to low, as I learned when I had the level tested years later.Now, eating a plant based diet with careful selections of plant foods high in calcium, magnesium, boron, and supplementing with vitamin D3, I receive most of my calcium and magnesium from plants, and vitamin D3 from whatever source Andrew Weil, M.D. has.It does not bother me as to the source because I know the repercussions of a level too low. And, before I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, I swam in the sun for 2 hours every day. (Swimming alike dairy does not make strong bones and does not prevent osteoporosis. Only weight bearing exercise does, I learned afterwards.)I would not promote animal sources of Vitamin D because I’m an ethical vegan. There are a couple of plant-based vegan D3 supplements available. One is Vitashine D3. I’ve been taking it for some time now as I was D deficient despite getting enough sun (apparently D deficiency is widespread today) and it has worked very well in keeping up my levels. I have my D blood levels checked each year.i was tested HIV positive 2006 and since then i have been battling with this sickness, not until i came across this testimony online about this spiritual healer and decide to try it out. after taking his medication for two weeks, i receive and email from him i should go for test and to God grace i was tested HIV negative, all the illness was gone, you too can contact him via email. olufalayespellhome@gmail.comTo me it sounds like vitamin D2 might be BETTER than D3.Why?As Dr. Greger said, if you already have enough vitamin D in your blood (from sunshine or whatever), vitamin D2 won’t increase your vitamin D blood levels (look at 3:23 of the video, they mostly stay at the 70-80 nmol/L range). And too much vitamin D is associated with a decreased lifespan.In the doctor’s other video about Vitamin D, Morality, and the U-shaped curve, we want to be a little above 70 nmol/L (i.e. 30 ng/mL) measurement to best ensure a long life. Check out the 1:30 mark of this other video.But with vitamin D3 supplementation, it might get you into the unhealthy levels if you are already at healthy levels.For those of us not wanting to get our vitamin D levels tested all the time, isn’t it just easier to consume vitamin D2 everyday and not worry about it?One possible problem would be the study at the end that didn’t associate D2 with a longer life, but that is probably due to the megadoses of D2 used instead of daily doses.I think the megadose explanation is correct. I found this information related to a single oral doses of 50,000 IU for a 28 day period. “Both ergocalciferol [vitamin D2] and cholecalciferol [vitamin D3] produced similar initial increases in serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [made in the liver] over the first 3 days, indicating equivalent absorption. However, levels continued to increase with cholecalciferol [D3] and peaked at day 14, whereas levels decreased rapidly with ergocalciferol and were no different from baseline at day 14.” linkThis means you probably won’t have optimal vitamin D levels everyday if you just do a megadose of D2 once a month. And, thus, probably won’t get the lower mortality benefit.One should also note there are two types of 25-hydroxyvitamin (a D2 and D3 version, 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3, respectively), the chemical we test in the blood to calculate vitamin D levels, that is made in the liver, and from there the kidneys convert both types to the active form of vitamin D (which also has a D2 and D3 version, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D2 a.k.a 1,25(OH)2D2 and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 a.k.a 1,25(OH)2D3).Here is a great website showing a simple image of the different D vitamins but they refer to them with different, longer chemical names.Since the final, active form of vitamin D from D2 and D3 are two different chemicals, I have to agree with Dr. Greger that we need to wait for more studies before we can say D2 is just as good or better than D3 when it comes to morality (maybe after two years a study like that is out by now?).However, given the evidence above and since, as far as we know, the two active forms function the same, I think D2 is going to be proven the better vitamin (if taken daily).(Sorry for the long rant, I originally disagreed with the video above and tried to prove it wrong, but ended up pretty much agreeing in the end. However, I figured some of my fellow nutrition nerds would like the info I found.)Vitamin D3 supplementation made my blood levels higher than I wanted so I’ve bought D2 again to take when my current bottle of D3 runs out. Vitamin D2 is cheaper, too.Thank you for the information, Dr. Greger. However, I’m disappointed about the presentation of supplements made from sheep’s wool without any comment/hint about the disturbing exploitation involved of these gentle creatures.What about the use of UV-B sun lamps during the winter months? I’ve heard good and bad about D supplementation. Looking for the most natural solution to dangerously low D levels besides moving south. :)Here is another study that is now going to potentially cause some confusion or require additional studies unless they already exist. I hope there is a video covering both ends of the spectrum on this one in the near future. https://www.yahoo.com/health/too-much-vitamin-d-could-be-as-bad-for-you-as-too-113339394967.html Thank you,JeffAt 3:08 he says “and if you’re not vitamin D deficient…. D2 from mushrooms or supplements doesn’t appear to raise your levels (of serum 25 (OH)D) further”Does this mean that vitamin D2 is less likely to cause toxicity? Since once you reach a healthy level its harder for more doses of D2 to keep raising levels like D3 does?I would love Dr.Michael Greger to answer this.At 3:08 he says “and if you’re not vitamin D deficient…. D2 from mushrooms or supplements doesn’t appear to raise your levels (of serum 25 (OH)D) further”Does this mean that vitamin D2 is less likely to cause toxicity? Since once you reach a healthy level its harder for more doses of D2 to keep raising levels like D3 does?I would love Dr.Michael Greger to answer this.	Cochrane Collaboration,dietary guidelines,lifespan,longevity,mortality,mushrooms,sheep,sunlight,supplements,vitamin D,yeast	Vitamin D3, sourced from sunlight exposure, animal, and plant sources may be preferable to vitamin D2 sourced from fungi.	How much D should those who can't get enough sun take? I now recommend 2000 iu a day. That's not what the Institute of Medicine says though. I justify my recommendation on a two-week video series that starts with Vitamin D Recommendations Changed and ends with Resolving the Vitamin D-Bate. What about tanning beds? See Vitamin D Pills vs. Tanning Beds. I also recommend to Take Vitamin D Supplements With Meals. What's that bit about vitamin D and longevity? See Vitamin D and Mortality May Be a U-shaped Curve. You know I'm averse to mentioning brand names, but please feel free to leave any recommendations in the comments for cheap sources.I still think people should eat mushrooms though! For starters, see:There are another 20 videos and posts on mushrooms as well as hundreds of videos on more than a thousand nutrition topics.Check out my blog post for additional context: Vitamin D from Mushrooms, Sun, or Supplements? 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunlight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cochrane-collaboration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sheep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22765481,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18801283,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21540874,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22552031,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18089691,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21663327,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21735411,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22623385,
PLAIN-2795	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/	Does Coconut Oil Clog Arteries?	Why not give it a try, though? Well, unlike other natural remedies, like the spice saffron, which was able to beat out placebo and seemed to work as well as a leading drug without the side effects, coconut oil is one of the rare plant sources of saturated fat, normally only found in animals, which tends to increase LDL, or bad cholesterol, the number one risk factor for our number one killer, heart disease. So hey, you want to try it on someone with Alzheimer’s for a few days to see if it makes a difference, fine. God, I'd try almost anything. But if, as expected, you don't see an improvement, I would be hesitant to keep anyone on it long-term. Now those selling coconut oil say one needn't worry because coconut oil contains a saturated fat that doesn't raise cholesterol. You hear the same thing from the beef people. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association is always going on about how beef contains a saturated fat called stearic acid.  Unlike those evil saturated fats, palmitic, myristic, and lauric acids - which do increase blood cholesterol levels - stearic acid has been shown to have a neutral effect on blood cholesterol. That's true, and beef does have stearic acid, but guess what it has twice as much of the palmitic and myristic, which they just admitted does raise cholesterol. That's like coca cola saying they know for a fact that soda doesn't make you gain weight, because it contains water, and water has a neutral effect on weight gain. Yeah, but that's not the only thing in it, and the same with coconut oil. Years ago I profiled this study that found that cholesterol levels were significantly lower during a coconut oil diet—but only when compared to a butter diet. Yes you know you have a bad product when the only way you can make it look good is to compare it to diets rich in butter. Yes it made bad cholesterol go up, but not as bad as butter, but how much is that really saying. That was all the science we had for ten years, but four new studies have recently come out, a population study and three clinical trials. The population was Filipino women, and although those that ate the most coconut oil had the worst levels of bad cholesterol, they were also more overweight, which alone can raise your cholesterol. When the fact that the coconut oil eaters were eating a lot more calories, and were more overweight, etc. was factored out the rise in cholesterol lost statistical significance. To really control for factors, though, you've got to put it to the test. The first clinical trial involved giving people 2 tablespoons of coconut oil a day for 3 months and their bad cholesterol went up but not significantly. But during this time they were all forced to lose weight be being placed on a calorie-restricted diet. When you lose weight your LDL should drop naturally; the fact that it didn't on the coconut oil suggests an adverse effect. A most encouraging study was this one, an open-label, meaning not blinded, no control group, pilot study in which 2 tablespoons for coconut oil a day for a month added to their regular diet did not worsen their cholesterol, though when tested in a better designed study—a randomized crossover trial coconut oil did significantly worsen bad cholesterol, hence Walt Willett's recommendation from Harvard, if you are going to use it use it sparingly. Now look, if you're eating so healthy that your LDL cholesterol is under 60 or 70, then I don't see coconut oil as a problem. Unlike saturated animal fats, coconut oil doesn't cause that spike inflammation immediately after consumption of animal foods, which makes sense because as you'll remember it may be the dead bacterial endotoxins in animal products ferried into the body by saturated fat that are to blame.  So in this study when people were given chocolate cake made out of flax seed oil or coconut oil we didn't see much change in inflammatory gene expression, but the cod liver oil cake seemed worse.	Good video and I agree that coconut oil like all oils should be used sparingly in the diet. I have read that while coconut oil may raise LDL it also raises HDL significantly. I have also read that Lauric acid may have many beneficial properties. Coconut oil also contains medium-chain triglycerides which may be readily used by the body for energy which is why many athletes favor it. As Dr. Greger points out, it is healthier than comparable animal derived saturated fats such as butter. Makes a great pie crust though I also try to use pie sparingly in my diet.Just because both HDL and LDL go up, does not mean coconut oil is heart protective.Coconut oil manufacturers constantly point a finger to the medium chain saturated fatty acids being used for energy expenditure and therefore not being disposed of as fat in adipose tissue. Coconut oil does indeed contain medium chain fatty acids and this may be metabolized differently but there are very few studies to make the conclusion that coconut oil is “ok” or that medium chain saturated fats are negligible. A tablespoon of coconut oil has about 12 grams of total saturated fat. about 8 grams of this is medium chain saturated fat and about 3.7 grams of this is long chain saturated fat. We have an abundance of evidence concluding that long chain saturated fats are harmful so we cannot consider this oil a healthy option based on that alone.As far as minerals and vitamins go, there is not one significant vitamin or mineral in coconut oil. The only vitamin present in a tablespoon of coconut oil is .1 micrograms of vitamin k which does not even register as a percentage of daily value. Its also absent of any omega 3 fats. Just looking at coconut oils nutritional profile we see that it is clearly a junk food. Junk food is by definition empty calories.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2You’re the bomb, Toxins! I never thought I’d say that…Though I absolutely love coconut oil I think I will reduce consumption. I may have to leave it in my triple coconut cookies. Thank you for the input. Yes, another junk food when it is separated from the source.You can always apply it topically as a moisturizer.Your facts are outdated. There are two different types of LDL. Type A which is large and buoyant and type B which is small and dense. Type B is caused by oxidized lipids and can become lodged in the endothelium whereas type A is not. PUFA’s are responsible for type B.Please share evidence that long chain saturated fats are negligible in terms of LDL cholesterol levels.http://chriskresser.com/the-most-important-thing-you-probably-dont-know-about-cholesterolToxins, most of the studies that you cite are from Government agencies that have adopted the low fat mantra being spewed from their corporate sponsors. VERY BIASED info that recommends statins for health. Ridiculous !RIP Junk Science:http://www.activistpost.com/2014/04/researchers-urge-return-to-butter-and.htmlhttps://www.facebook.com/notes/eric/ldl-hdl-cholesterol-most-vital-lipids/10100635712918228Insofar as oxidized lipids are a culprit in atherosclerosis, coconut oil lacks the antioxidant protection of vitamin E which comes with many other oils, so using it for daily cooking seems unwise. Coconut flakes in moderation appear alright, probably due to the fiber in that. Moderate amounts of Daiya vegan cheese (made with coconut oil, palm oil, etc.) might be alright for the same reason, inclusion of plant fiber.Coconut oil has been used for so many years in India. It is one of the safest oils to use when deep frying. They use it in almost everything with NO SIDE EFFECTS.Where is this abundance of evidence concluding that long chain saturated fats are harmful ? The people of India, Philippines and Thailand use coconut oil exclusively to eat and cook with and there was never any history of CVD until modern industrial seed oils were adopted. This is all more Vegan propaganda designed to scare people.Bert – on the wider point of saturated fats – there is a ton of research from the last few decades pointing the finger. That is not to say it is right – I don’t trust the health agencies one iota – but the health agencies have made their recommendations based on those studies – its not simply vegan propaganda.There are also so many other factors. Thai diets for example are rich in greens and fruit and whole foods. If the saturated fat from coconut was causing damage, its quite possible that other magical things in their diets were negating it.Olive oil here in the med is another tricky thing to study, for that very reason. Anyway, one thing is for sure – those highly processed seed oils are bad news.Bert, could it be that the people from the countries you mentioned might have a genetic expression that protects them from the (perceived?) damages of long chain saturated fats?coconut oil is plant based and could be part of a vegan diet.It is true that some parts of India cook in coconut oil, but I am informed from good source that the tradition of using coconut oil was because that was common and available in their land, and since they toiled and worked in their land, they were healthy. Now those same people have a different lifestyle. They pay others to till their land and do not exercise as much. Hence they have developed many lifestyle ailments. They now use rice bran or other oils.I eat coconut oil every day. My HDLs went up and my LDLs and triglycerides went down when I stopped eating the carbs and starting eating healthy fats. My total cholesterol was dangerously low at 118. I have finally gotten it to 156. I feel so much better eating fat. The fats that are bad are transfats, too much omega-6 relative to omega-3s, too many PUFAs. Correlations studies from the past are being proven wrong. Good fats do not cause heart disease. Inflammation causes heart disease. A plant-based diet can allow for quite a bit of fat. I eat my own grass-fed chicken eggs, coconut oil, nuts, seeds and butters, some meat, avocados, olive oil along with lots and lots of greens and some fruit, including raw. I have never felt better. I was a vegetarian for 20 years. I ate healthy food, not junk food as a vegetarian but not enough fat, too many carbs and too much tofu and grains. real food is the key. Not this crap being called food that most people eat. A study that utilizes subjects that eat corn-fed animals or any of the staples of the Western diet already has confounding variables.So grains aren’t “real food”? Also what kind of chickens do you have that thrive on grass as a staple?Correct, grains as we eat them are not real food :-) To a few grains from the land is not unhealthy but to eat daily a dish full of grain manipulated to bread of pasta or even cooked rice or any other grains is simply not meant to be eaten. It’s unnatural and for that very hard on our digestion-system to digest. Simple as that.100% Agree!!! Grass-fed. :-)What about coconut water? I drink Harmlest Harvest 100% raw coconut water after a workout (ice hockey) as a substitute for Gatorade.Jerry: It’s my understanding that coconut water is completely different than what this video is talking about. It is so pure (when you get it pure – not the commercial stuff in the stores now-a-days) that it would technically be dripped right into your blood vessels. Dr. Greger has a video somewhere which mentions coconut water.When people are discussing the potential health problems with coconut products, they are usually discussing products made with the meat of the coconut – oil, milk, cream, and flakes.As for whether or not coconut water has any special health benefits, I don’t know. I’ve never heard that the water harms health in a signficant way. I’ve heard plenty of claims that it benefits health, but I don’t know if we have the science to back it up. You might want to check out Dr. Greger’s comment on this topic in his Ask the Doctor area: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-benefits-of-coconut-water/Good luck!Coconut water is loaded with electrolytes… it is great for dehydration and for uses where doctors would prescribe Pedialyte, if you are seeking natural alternatives.and what about coconut milk? Maybe I should switch back to almond milkDr. Greger covers coconut milk here:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/Hemp milk is likely the best alternative for humans to consume…. as hemp is also loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids and is a complete protein for adults, not sure about children.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract – ’nuff saidDr. Greger obviously doesn’t know that his idol Ancel Keys (the charlatan responsible for the current diabesity pandemic) in fact ate beef. I’ve never felt better and healthier since I found that the Lipid Hypothesis is a big made up lie (thanks to Gary Taubes) and started to eat grass-fed dairy products, pastured eggs, extra-virgin coconut oil, grass-fed meats, and eliminated wheat from my diet!Maybe you would appreciate watching these 4part vids and why Ancel Keys is absolutely no charlatan. If you watch you the whole 71 videos long playlist you might also find out why Gary Taubes is, well… funny.Why watch videos when as a biochemist I can read the literature and deduce that Keys was full of sh*t?I bet you have not really researched it to any depth and if you have you are biased like Gary Taubes is. Ancel Keys was not full of sh*t.The biggest bias comes from these vegan charlatans who perpetuate this low fat bunk.Bert…. where are you getting this ‘vegan charlatans’ bullshit? The low sat fat, high carb studies aren’t coming from vegan camps, they’re coming from FDA which is in bed with the meat and dairy industry as strongly as they are with soy…. I think this is your own personal thing. Maybe you feel guilty about eating meat?Lord on high, you all are argumentative. Personally for me a whole-food-plant-based diet (vegan if you wish) seems to work well, but it has taken basic calorie restriction to lose serious weight. I’m trying to integrate some MCTs into my diet by using coconut oil in place of much of the small amounts of olive oil that were part of my diet, and maybe a bit more. We’ll see how that goes. But quite frankly for some the Paleo approach may be more palatable, for others vegan. Then read and debate specific arguments and studies, don’t turn this into a sports blog!A little problem…most North Americans don’t actually eat, or can’t afford, the diet you consume. There’s not enough pasture land available for everyone to eat grass-fed, unless everyone cuts back significantly on meat as well.Well, sadly, I have to agree, but let’s not mix science and political correctness. All studies are done with adulterated foods! Unfortunately, those are the foods most people eat, but at least, as scientists, dare to note “commercially-processed coconut oil” so that it is loud and clear.Extra-virgin coconut oil is a “commercially-processed coconut oil”. With reports about a good percentage of extra virgin olive oil being less than virginal, and considering olive oil definitions are legally regulated, whereas coconut oil is not, I’d have trust issues with anything that comes from a jar these days.Eat a real, whole coconut instead.There are millions of acres of grassland that are not used and cannot be used for crop cultivation. Pastured ruminant animals reverse desertification by fixing CO2 back into the grass. Just another vegan biased lie of yours and Dr. Gregor’s.Bull.The grasslands of north america are unrecognizable specifically because of large scale animal grazing, and doing so prevents other wild ruminants from getting their dietary needs.This logic is right up there with shooting wolves to prevent them attacking livestock herds, because the natural balance has been disturbed so much and human population has intruded on their territory so much that they basically have no choice.They’re not malicious, they’re just animals. We’re the ones that can make a conscious choice to change our behaviour.also the main emotion I read from most of the people posting on this site is a paralyzing fear of DEATH.everyone try to breathe, fear is great at obstruction clear rational thinking.You are consuming quite the unhealthful duet for a variety of reasons. There are inherent compounds in these foods that you cannot separate simply by eating organic. Lets look at each.Firstly, lets look at dairy.These first few will discuss specifically calcium from cows milk and slowly evolve to showing the harms that arise from dairy consumptionA review published in the Journal of Pediatrics focused on the benefits of dairy “the findings of epidemiologic and prospective studies have raised questions about the efficacy of the use of dairy products for the promotion of bone health.” after a review of the existing literature and finding “A positive relationship between dairy product consumption and measures of bone health in children or young adults was reported in 1 of 4 cross-sectional studies; in 0 of 3 retrospective studies; in 0 of 1 prospective study; and in 2 of 3 randomized, controlled trials. Only 1 of these randomized clinical trials adequately controlled for vitamin D intake, and it showed no significant effect of dairy products on BMD [bone mineral density]” , they concluded, “Scant evidence supports nutrition guidelines focused specifically on increasing milk or other dairy product intake for promoting child and adolescent bone mineralization.”http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/115/3/736.longA meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal found, “The small effect of calcium supplementation on bone mineral density in the upper limb is unlikely to reduce the risk of fracture, either in childhood or later life, to a degree of major public health importance.”and “The authors concluded that the literature did not support recommendations for consumption of dairy products for bone health end points in children and young adults…Our quantitative systematic review confirms this conclusion” The authors also state, “Our results also do not support the premise that any type of calcium supplementation is more effective than another.” Even studies that used intakes of 1400 mg per day of calcium showed no benefit.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1602024/?tool=pubmedAn editorial accompanying this meta-analysis pointed out, “Populations that consume the most cow’s milk and other dairy products have among the highest rates of osteoporosis and hip fracture in later life. Given this fact, it is important to ask whether sufficient evidence exists to continue assuming that consumption of these foods is part of the solution.” They concluded “It is time to revise our calcium recommendations for young people and change our assumptions about the role of calcium, milk, and other dairy products in the bone health of children and adolescents. While the policy experts work on revising recommendations, doctors and other health professionals should encourage children to spend time in active play or sports, and to consume a nutritious diet built from whole foods from plant sources to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and provide an environment conducive to building strong bones.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1602030/A review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of the research on the effects of dairy products on bone health found 57 studies, and of these, 21 studies were considered to have stronger-evidence, worthy of inclusion in this review. “Of 21 stronger-evidence studies, 57% were not significant, 29% were favorable, and 14% were unfavorable.” Keep in mind that the majority of these studies were funded by the dairy industry, and even with this natural bias and influence to produce positive outcomes, no better than 29% of the studies were favorable to bone health. One of the studies that showed unfavorable results that was funded by the dairy industry showed some shocking outcomes. The findings showed post menopause subjects who received the extra milk (three 8 ounce glasses of skimmed milk daily) for a year lost more bone than those who didn’t drink the extra milk. The authors wrote, “The protein content of the milk supplement may have a negative effect on calcium balance, possibly through an increase in kidney losses of calcium or through a direct effect on bone resorption…this may have been due to the average 30 percent increase in protein intake during milk supplementation.” Skim milk is very high in protein so this is unavoidable unless one is to consume the very fatty whole milk in which 2-5% of the fat content is trans fat and is very high in saturated fat.http://www.ajcn.org/content/72/3/681.longhttp://www.ajcn.org/content/41/2/254.longIts evidence such as this that I am unconvinced calcium should be from cows milk. Long term studies on vegan bone density comparing the omnivores diet showed the same bone density “…although vegans have much lower intakes of dietary calcium and protein than omnivores, veganism does not have an adverse effect on bone mineral density and does not alter body composition.” The vegan participants had been on a vegan diet an average of 33 years.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19350341I find it interesting that modern society believes that the human species is dependent on the milk of another animal species. The primary biologic purpose of cow’s milk is to grow a 60 pound calf to a 600 pound cow in less than 8 months. This is no way natural to humans as cow’s milk has high concentrations of protein, potassium, sodium, calcium, and other nutrients to sustain rapid growth. In comparison, these nutrients are at a three to four times lower concentration in human milk than cow’s milk. Milk is used to promote growth, so how is this natural as human adults to be consuming milk, let alone another species of animals milk? Dairy is a heavy promoter of insulin like growth factor in adults. This spike in IGF-1 is the most likely source of positive bone growth in the studies showing favorable outcomes of dairy on bones, not necessarily the calcium. Elevated IGF-1 does more harm than good in adults, it heavily promotes tumor growth in breast, prostate, lung, and colon cells and accelerates the aging process.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12417786http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16168602The consumption of dairy in children has resulted in earlier puberty. “The effect of animal protein intake, which was associated with an earlier puberty onset, might mainly be due to dairy. “An earlier puberty onset has been related to an increased risk for hormone-related cancers in adulthood. For example, a meta-analysis of 26 epidemiological studies reported a 9% risk reduction for breast cancer with every additional year at menarche. Additionally, recent study results demonstrated that a 1-y delay in menarche was associated with a 2.4 to 4.5% lower total mortality.http://jn.nutrition.org/content/140/3/565.longThe concern with dairy and hormone dependent cancer is something to think about as well. It has been shown that consuming dairy significantly increases circulating steroid hormones in woman and that vegetarians have far less of this hormone. “In conclusion, greater consumption of red meat and dairy products might influence circulating concentrations of SHBG and estradiol, respectively. Given the well-established role of steroid hormones in breast cancer etiology for postmenopausal women, these findings may have important health implications” Tumor growth from these hormone imbalances is also evident “A dramatic increase in estrogen-dependent malignant diseases, such as ovarian, corpus uteri, breast, testicular and prostate cancers has been recognized. Ganmaa et al. investigated the incidence and mortality of testicular and prostate cancers in relation to dietary practices. Among various food items, cow’s milk and cheese had the highest correlation with incidence and mortality rate of these cancers” Children are at high risk “Among the exposure of humans, especially prepubertal children, to exogenous estrogens, we are particularly concerned with” These xenoestrogens from lactating preganant cattle (the majority of commercial cattle used for milk) significantly raised estrogen levels in male adults and reduced testosterone levels and did even more so in children. This is significant since these estrogens have mutagenic affects “Toxicological and epidemiological studies have indicated that E2 could be categorized as a carcinogen. Milk is considered to be a rich source of estrogens. Indeed, E2 concentration is higher in mammary drainage than in the peripheral circulation in high yielding cows.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20211044http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19904296http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19496976Lets look at eggs now, keep in mind, these are inherent compounds that cannot be separated simply by eating organic.Eggs are considered good sources of lutein and omega 3 and an excellent source of protein. For these reasons, they are considered health foods. I am going to present the real science behind eggs showing that this is false. Firstly, chickens only have lutein due to the fact that they have a varietized feed, these nutrients are not inherent of eggs. A spoonful of spinach has as much lutein as 9 eggs. We cannot really consider eggs an appropriate source of this nutrient. As for protein, all whole foods are complete sources of protein so this statement to its benefits is insignificant. Energy needs satisfy energy expenditures which is equivalent to protein needs. As long as you eat whole plant foods when your hungry till your full, then your getting enough protein.Regarding Omega 3, current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day. Omega 3 processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA, which is highly anti inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. The fact that eggs are the top source of arachadonic acid nulls and voids benefits received from the omega 3 in the egg itself. High intake of arachadonic acid is linked to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with cancer development.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616uidhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18774339http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128In fact, David Spence, director of stroke prevention/atherosclerosis research center and one of the worlds leading stroke experts, said that based on the latest research, you can eat all the eggs you want IF your dying of a terminal illness. Eggs are not considered health promoting nutritionally speaking.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400699Eggs have been linked with heart failurehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18954578As well as type 2 diabetes.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/?tool=pubmedFurthermore, in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, David Spence, David Jenkins (the inventor of the glycemic index) and Jean Davignon (director of atherosclerosis research group) posted a review on eggs claiming that the egg industry has been downplaying the health risks of eggs through misleading advertisements. As soon as you eat one egg, you expose your body to several hours worth of oxidative stress, inflammation of ones arteries, endothelieum impairment (what keeps you blood running smoothly) and increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidize (beginning stages of heart disease).http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9001684The egg industry has claimed that cholesterol from eggs is not important and does not raise cholesterol levels. The fundamental flaw in the study the egg industry has used to make this claim is that they measured FASTING lipid levels at night and not levels through out the day after egg consumption. “Diet is not all about fasting lipids; it is mainly about the three-quarters of the day that we are in the nonfasting state. Fasting lipids can be thought of as a baseline; they show what the endothelium was exposed to for the last few hours of the night.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/?tool=pubmedA single egg yolk contains approximately 215 to 275 mg of cholesterol. A safe upper limit can be capped at 200 mg if one is looking to prevent heart disease. One egg far exceeds this daily upper limit.Regarding coconut oilLooking at specifics, coconut oil has only 3 studies that supposedly support its use, but when the studies are examined in detail, we see that the evidence for its use is actually quite weak. Here is a summary on the 3 studies.Only 1 study on weight loss:Forty obese women cut their food intake by 200 calories a day and exercised four days a week. Half of them used two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 240 calories’ worth) every day in their cooking and the other half used soybean oil.After three months, both groups had lost the same amount of weight, about two pounds. To me this is not at all significant, and it could very well be attributed to the loss of calories as well as the exercise, not the oil.http://www.missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Coconuts/oil%20and%20obesity.pdfOnly 1 poorly concluded study with very mixed results on Alzheimers:Placebo and coconut fat takers scored no different on a cognitive impairment test when the subjects were randomized. If they weren’t randomized (which could represent stacking up the placebo group with very sick patients) then the coconut fat consumers scored slightly better after 45 days. After 90 days though everyone pretty much evened out. This is not something I would use as evidence either, yet it is.http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/6/1/31Only 1 old study done to supposedly support heart disease:In the only study done in people in the last 17 years, Malaysian researchers last year found that when they fed young men and women 20 percent of their calories from coconut oil for five weeks, LDL cholesterol was 8 percent higher and HDL cholesterol was 7 percent higher than when the participants were fed 20 percent of their calories from olive oil.Just because Both bad cholesterol and good cholesterol went up does not mean that coconut oil is protective against heart disease and it does not at all mean its healthy. This doesn’t make good sense.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2011/10/26/ajcn.111.020107.full.pdfThe above 3 studies are the only studies to date that support coconut oil use, and as you can see, they are quite insufficient.In addition, coconut oil manufacturers constantly point a finger to the medium chain saturated fatty acids being used for energy expenditure and therefore not being disposed of as fat in adipose tissue. Coconut oil does indeed contain medium chain fatty acids and this may be metabolized differently but there are very few studies to make the conclusion that coconut oil is “ok” or that medium chain saturated fats are negligible. A tablespoon of coconut oil has about 12 grams of total saturated fat. about 8 grams of this is medium chain saturated fat and about 3.7 grams of this is long chain saturated fat. We have an abundance of evidence concluding that long chain saturated fats are harmful so we cannot consider this oil a healthy option based on that alone. Coconut oil is also absent of omega 3 so we would be consuming a product that is 91% saturated fatIn addition to all this, there are endotoxins, elevated IGF-1, and other compounds that will help to cause chronic illnesses and are all inherent of animal products. Your diet is not a healthy one.Thanks for the wealth of resources, I will read later and respond when I get home, but I want to ask how many of those studies were made using unadulterated dairy, meats, and coconut oil? Because, for example, ultra-pasteurized and homogenized milk from inhumanely raised in dirt and misery, grain-fed animals, injected or fed with antibiotics and hormones, is not what I or any sane person would recommend. Just like vegans/vegetarians carefully select the foods they eat, conscious omnivores do the same. Regarding my diet being healthy or not, my lab results can speak for themselves. Just by replacing organic whole-grain bread and oatmeal in my diet with eggs, meat, cheese, and brisling sardines, I lost 15 lbs after I actually have increased my caloric intake as I now eat tons of raw almonds and avocados to alkalize, too.Like i mentioned, none of that matters, as homogenized milk, raw milk, and organic homogenized milk all contain xenoestrogens, same with the other foods mentioned, conventional vs organic makes no difference, these are inherent compounds.Regarding your meat centric diet, you very well could be consuming less calories. More calories does not equal weight loss, and less calories does not equal weight gain. This is physics. Regardless of your weight loss, you are now exposing your body to much more than you are bargaining for. Lets look at the paleo diet (which is basically a fancy atkins diet).The paleolithic diet severely restricts simple and complex carbohydrates and advocates high meat and vegetable consumption. The vegetable part is good, but the high meat and rejection of carbohydrates is based on pseudoscience. This is another Atkins diet essentially.If you are following the diet strictly, you should be in a state of ketosis. What this means is that your body does not run on insulin but uses fat as fuel. The state of ketosis is commonly seen with people in starvation or with severe illness. When one is consuming carbohydrates, fat can be broken down as well but it is not the same as ketosis, as fat is now burned as the primary fuel source and is burned inefficiently. The byproduct of this inefficient process are toxic substances known as ketones, hence the name ketosis. Your body does its best to rid itself of these ketones through the lungs (why strict paleolithic dieters have rotten apple breath) and through urine.Why does this matter? Well this can be attributed to your weight loss as not only does the state of ketosis inhibit hunger pangs (essentially making you eat less calories which is why people end up losing weight on this diet) but it also causes you to lose water weight. To wash these toxic waste products out of our system our body uses a lot of water. The diuretic effect of low carb diets can result in people losing a gallon of water in pounds the first week. The body also resorts to using its glycogen stores of glucose. Glycogen, stored in the liver and muscles, can meet the average person’s glucose needs for about 12 to 18 hours. With each gram of glycogen is stored 2.7 grams of water. The average body stores 300 grams of glycogen. Depletion of the body’s glycogen would result in an almost overnight weight loss of 3 pounds. This precipitous early weight loss encourages dieters to continue the diet even though they have lost mostly water weight.What else does ketosis entail?The symptoms of ketosis include general tiredness, abrupt or gradually increasing weakness, dizziness, headaches, confusion, abdominal pain, irritability, nausea and vomiting, sleep problems and bad breath. Ketosis impairs cognitive ability. As reported in the International Journal of Obesity article “Cognitive Effects of Ketogenic Weight-Reducing Diets,” researchers randomized people to either a ketogenic or a nonketogenic weight loss diet. Although both groups lost the same amount of weight, those on the ketogenic diet suffered a significant drop in cognitive performance.After one week in ketosis, higher order mental processing and mental flexibility significantly worsened into what the researcher called a “modest neuropsychological impairment.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8589783Ketosis does not allow your brain to make good use of serotonin (what makes you happy)http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2004/carbs.htmlThese are all short term side affects. What about long term side effects? High meat diets heavily promote the insulin like growth factor hormone. This hormone accelerates aging and heavily promotes tumor growth. Well considering that paleolithic societies don’t live very long (most don’t make it past 60 and the ones that do, like the Inuit, live on average 10 years less then the average Canadian (about the age of 65) this diet is already flawed.http://www.unm.edu/~jlancas/KaplanHillLancasterHurtado_2000_LHEvolution.pdfStudies at Harvard and elsewhere involving tens of thousands of women and men have shown that regular meat consumption may increase colon cancer risk as much as 300 percent.http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/54/9/2390.shortCancer is a disease primarily caused by diet. What’s the number one recommendation of the American Institute for Cancer Research? Plant based diets. The number one recommendation of the World Cancer Research Fund? Plant-based diets. The number one recommendation of the National Cancer Institute, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations? More fruits and vegetables. The number one recommendation of the American Cancer Society? More plants, less meat. In fact the American Cancer Society has officially condemned diets high in animal products. Cancer is preventable and in some cases reversible on a whole foods plant based diet.So high protein low carb diets heavily promote Cancer, what else? Since protein is not stored in your body but is excreted out through urine, kidney scarring is a very realistic threat to one on this diet. Kidney scarring results in heavily decreased kidney function eventually leading to kidney failure. Kidney failure is irreversible and the only way to manage it is through kidney dialysis or kidney transplantation.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198209093071104The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that high animal protein intake is also largely responsible for the high prevalence of kidney stones in the United States. Plant protein does not seem to have a harmful effect.http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/1115/p2269.htmlA review over low carb diets revealed that “Complications such as heart arrhythmias, cardiac contractile function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, impairment of physical activity and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbohydrates in the diet.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14672862The concern with bone health arises from the fact that muscle protein has a high sulphur content. When people eat too much of this meat protein, sulfuric acid forms within our bodies which must somehow be neutralized to maintain proper internal pH balance. One way our bodies can buffer the sulphuric acid load caused by meat is with calcium borrowed from our bones. This is actually why dairy tends to be harmful for the bones. Cheese has a very high sulfuric load. People on high meat diets can lose so much calcium in the urine which solidifies to form kidney stones. Over time, high animal protein intakes may leach enough calcium from the bones to increase one’s risk of osteoporosis. People may be peeing their bones into the toilet along with the ketones.Researchers from the university of Texas and Chicago published a study concluding that “Consumption of an LCHP [low carb high protein] diet for 6 weeks delivers a marked acid load to the kidney, increases the risk for stone formation, decreases estimated calcium balance, and may increase the risk for bone loss.” After just two weeks on this type of diet, the subjects were already losing 258 mg of calcium in their urine every day.http://www.ajkd.org/article/S0272-6386%2802%2900039-2/abstractWhat about heart disease? Since the paleolithic diet includes A LOT of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, the risk for heart disease has increased by a lot. No matter what you may here from a paleolithic diet book or what some crock “doctor” like taubes has claimed, years and years of research has directly linked dietary cholesterol and saturated fat with heart disease. Even independent of the effects on obesity, meat consumption itself has been related to an increased risk of coronary heart disease.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0091743584900173The fat from animal foods damages our endothelial cells, lining our blood vessels. These cells are responsible for clearing up plaque and dilating our vessels. A high animal protein meal will inhibit proper endothelial function for 6 hours until they heal and regenerate. Over time, excessive damage does not allow our cells to heal back until we change our diet to a purely plant based diet. This is why heart disease is so prevalent in America, its the high fat intake from animal products. Most people hospitalized with heart attacks have cholesterol levels considered “desirable” under the current recommendations. Having a “normal” cholesterol in a society where it’s normal to die of heart disease is not necessarily a good thing. The average cholesterol of the patients who were hospitalized for heart issues in this study were at 170. This is considered “desirable” to your doctor. The logic is not to assume cholesterol is negligible, but that the “desirable” levels for cholesterol are too high.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21146668It has already been proven that a purely plant based diet can reverse heart disease and that animal products promote the progression of atherosclerosis. So why continue to eat the wrong way and promote one of America’s top killers?Keep in mind, everything discussed here has to do with inherent compounds found in meat, and none of thee compounds change when one switches from conventional to grass fed.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=1973470Awesome information, Toxins! (When do you sleep?) I’m looking forward to delving into the many references you cite. I’ll remember your “response” so that I may direct potential “Paleos” to it so they can make a more informed decision based on science instead of Internet antidotes.Toxins is AMAZING, I wish I had half the talent/eloquence/smarts that s/he does. I, too, will commit this response to memory as the Paleo/Primal (re-formulated Atkins diet) viewpoint comes up ALL the time these days. I predict that it is a trend that will eventually fizzle out, once the health outcomes start to wreak havoc on people’s long term health.As Dr. Ornish has stated in his book _The Spectrum_ “… a convergence of scientific evidence can help us resolve conflicting claims and distinguish what just sounds good from what’s proven to be true.” (p.4). Dr. Greger has stated the same viewpoint many times on this site.There is A LOT of bad science out there, and sadly most people are not skilled at how to critically read and understand scientific papers.Jeff Novick does a great job of addressing this in his newsletter Todays Breaking Health News!!. I highly recommend it.The Jeff Novick link doesn’t work. Do you have a title for his article?@facebook-670735069:disqus I fixed the link; it should work now. If not, try this: http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Newsletter/Entries/2012/6/18_Todays_Breaking_Health_News!.html. The article is called “Today’s Breaking Health News!!”. It’s dated, Monday, June 18, 2012 and is in the Newsletter section of his web-site.Oh cool. Thanks very much!I love you Toxins!!! I’ve been studying diets of all kinds for almost 10 years and this one the best and most concise scientific reasons to adopt and in my case stick with a plant-base diet!! Simply Amazing! I’m copying and pasting this into the dicussion section of:http://www.meetup.com/Plant-Strong/RUBBISH !Serum Cholesterol levels have nothing to do with CVD. Even the Statin drug makers have conceded this fact. They now say the key factors for CVD are inflammation, C-reactive protein and triglycerides. Your info is out of date and merely reflects your biased vegan opinions. It has never been proven that a whole plant based diet will prevent CVD. Take one example; Davy Jones of the Monkees, RIP, was a vegetarian for decades and even jogged for exercise, died of a heart attack. Sam Simon was vegan since his teens and yet he developed cancer just the same. I know of at least 3 vegetarian women who got breast cancer too.From the editor in chief of the American Journal of Cardiology.“As shown in Figure 1, most of the risk factors do not in themselves cause atherosclerosis [heart disease]…The atherosclerotic risk factors showing that the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis is cholesterol.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/The information is not out of date, you are the one on the fringe who believes pseuodo science twisted by internet bloggers who think they are researchers. I am not interested in your anecdotes about vegans or vegetarians getting cancer, and I encourage you to have an open mind and explore this site as the issues you have difficulty with such as cholesterol and diet are explained in many videos through out this site with countless studies to back them up. This discussion regarding cholesterol particularly is silly once you have the background knowledge regarding cholesterol, its implications in heart disease, and the dietary influences. “Plant positive” has spent a lot of time gathering the data on what is already known and I encourage you to visit his site as well as explore more here. The video tagged below is a good starting point and cleans up the mess between what you might see in blogs vs the non-misconstrued data. http://www.plantpositive.com/18-cholesterol-confusion-1-pri/The link you provided is from a government website in which Dr. Dean Ornish is a part of. This info from this website is biased. Is this all you have ? Not much other than more BUNK !NCBI was started by the government and uses government data bases. The same people who encourage you to go on a low fat diet. The government agencies like the CDC are in lock step with whoever gives them the most money. Big Pharma is who is giving them the money for these studies and they are all biased in the low fat mantra.Before the 1920’s CVD was relatively unknown. People died of other illnesses other than CVD. The amount of saturated fat in our diet in the form of meat, eggs and dairy has decreased and yet CVD and cancer have increased since then. See any correlation yet ? Why is this Mr. Toxin ?I do have a very open mind. In fact, I was a vegetarian for 27 years, eating a mostly macrobiotic diet. So I have truly been there and done that. Since I changed my diet my health issues have almost completely gone away. I will never go back.Toxins is a “true believer”, Bert. He’s been a vegetarian for a little over 3 years, and it is his savior and his salvation. He really isn’t interested in evidence.If cholesterol was the cause of arteriosclerotic plaques, we could cause this in vegetarian lab animals by feeding them cholesterol. But we can’t. Rabbits are the animals most commonly used in cholesterol experiments. When they are forced to eat cholesterol, their serum cholesterol rises 10 to 20 times higher than the highest ever seen in humans. And then even though cholesterol is deposited in the arteries, the deposits don’t resemble the lesions of human atherosclerosis.The cholesterol correlation is garbage. More cholesterol is found when the body is inflamed because it is the body’s anti-inflammatory. Without inflammation, cholesterol is harmless.It is inflammation that causes arterial sclerosis.https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/anecdotalKetones are only toxic in high amounts. They aren’t actually harmful in and of themselves and neither is ketosis.Plant positive brings to light the science of ketogenic diets and its associated harms in much more detail than I can provide for you here. http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/26/tpns-58-61-ketosis-is-natural-natural-is-good.html http://plantpositive.com/the-ketogenic-advantage-nusi-gOr, you could go to the actual experts, those who’ve been doing the actual research and working with low carb and ketogenic diets for decades, Prof. Tim Noakes and Dr. Spencer Nadolsky. “Plant Positive” is not an expert or even a researcher. For that matter, Dr. Greger has never done any nutrition research either. None of those people are “experts”, the real experts as in those that are part of organizations that make honest health recommendations for the country, agree that low carbohydrate diets are damaging to health. Dr. Greger and plant positive have gathered the already available evidence to make this point. You don’t have to conduct a study to be versed in the literature. Branching outside of this coconut oil video would also be beneficial, as Dr. Greger has some very thorough and compelling videos with many relevant studies regarding this topic. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=low+carbWow. Once again Toxins, you are awesome!Brilliant information. Do you have anything to say about this study?http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8539These are all epidemiological studies which do not prove anything. Where is the clinical,double blind, placebo study ?Grass fed dairy and meat with pastured eggs sounds good, but there’s something wrong with it. I grew up on a remote cattle ranch and my dad was very much against the use of any kind of pesticide or growth additive, either in the animals or hay crops. So all we had was pure naturally organic and grass-fed beef, pork, totally free range chickens. We even made our own butter and milked our own cows, and made cottage cheese.We had a 2 acre garden that required a lot of work to keep kids busy and we had our own orchard. The only store bought item we consumed regularly was Quaker Old Fashioned rolled oats, but mostly our diets were anything beef — including sweetbreads and scrambled brains with eggs.Sadly 3 of my siblings died young as teenagers from illnesses of unknown origin. There were 5 of us, close and close in age. My surviving brother was not deathly ill, but had hay fever, asthma and a heart murmur. My aunt always said it was because we ate far too much meat — and it would make my dad furious to be told that. When my oldest brother left home, he became totally vegan, and now over 30 years later — he looks like Adonis, as well as being super fit — fast and athletic.I’m very sorry to hear about your siblings. However, this sounds like very anecdotal evidence. While the balance of research in general, taking into account many extremes, continues to suggest that a well rounded diet is best, with any beef being grass fed, but without excluding any of the 5 main “food groups, and yes, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. I haven’t seen any research linking meat to asthma, hay fever, or heart murmers, and certainly being physically fit requires physical exertion as much as a healthy diet. I’m very glad that your brother has gotten past his ailments and is doing well, though to claim that this proves that total abstention from meat was necessary is not supported, as opposed to the addition of newer, helpful dietary, medical, and/or exercise aspects. We cannot know what your young siblings passed from according to your post to attempt to link their deaths to meat or anything else. I hope that you and your family continue with the diets that you feel suit you best and that they continue to do so.No one on this thread is suggesting an all meat diet is healthy, no matter how the animals are treated.How is this any different from the paleo cheerleaders who claim they reversed all their diseases and lost 15 pounds from stopping carbs and eating cow and eggs and coconut oil?It’s ALL anecdotal unless actual studies take place to prove it.Furthermore there is ZERO evidence that increasing consumption of animal products is healthful, where as increasing whole plant foods consumption is, and has been shown in thousands of studies.Are there any other studies that absolve saturated fat’s impact on CVD, and what kind of sat fat was used in this study?It’s actually a meta-analysis which is compilation of a number of different studies (21 in this case). I don’t know what types of saturated fats were studied, but meta-analyses tend to be more comprehensive and reliable than single studies.…unless the meta- researchers cherry-pick their base studies to meta-analyze. One needs to know their sources as well.This is true.This is true.I disagree with your statement about the reliability of meta analysis. We are seeing more of them because they are relatively inexpensive to do. The problem from a statistics point of view is that when you combine studies you bring all the shortcomings together. You also don’t see the studies that were excluded. It is hard to assess single studies but when you have many rolled together it is very difficult. It can be a very useful tool but like all studies need to be viewed within the context of their strengths and weaknesses.Excellent point! I appreciate your feedback.“Supported by the National Dairy Council”I have been consuming coconut oil (a la carte) in copuious amounts for maybe 18 years, I recently had some blood work done and my numbers were great. I’m in my early forties and routinely eat coconut oil every morning as well as before athletic competitions. I workout maybe 3 times a week (nothing too intense). My resting heart rate is in the low 40’s. I enjoy smoking weed, doing yoga, holding hands and taking long walks on the beach. Coconut oil is great on your hair, skin (especially after getting sunburned), and makes for a phenomenal massage oil … the ladies love it :)Hey Dr. I ordered one of your videos a couple of years ago and you never sent it, what gives?CMSorry Charlie–please just email me your mailing address and what you ordered and I’ll send it right out.Wow I didn’t think you would be monitoring these comments but thank you for responding. Could you please send me an email address and I will supply the necessary informaiton. Thanks.mhg1@cornell.eduI hope you get this. I can’t figure out where to post this question. What do you think of the hCG diet. What reliable studies have been done specifically about the safety and efficacy of the use of hCG itself? I have heard Nay Sayers say that it wrecks havoc on your metabolism. I have looked for unbiased research or anything that says the latter and have been unable.Thanks for bringing a little humor to these sometimes heated nutrition discussions. :)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iScs0uzQZFkCan we please stop calling LDL “bad cholesterol”? First, cholesterol is not bad. Secondly, not all LDL particles clog arteries – only the small dense ones and your studies measured only LDL-C. You’re trying so hard to be a vegetarian/vegan nazi than you start bashing even healthful vegetarian foods, because they have something remotely similar to meat products. This doesn’t serve you well!Taubes is a fraud. This is well demonstrated in this series: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv3QDzdxan_JkGX47Rpboyh2oYyAFZDBADid you know that the scientists you criticise discovered cholesterol’s role in the body? It’s not news to them. Glucose is the only fuel that red blood cells can use so there it is vital to the body too. Just like cholesterol too much in the blood is bad for you. Did you know cholesterol cannot pass the brain-blood barrier? Your brain cells make their own and every cell is capable of this.Ancel Keys was a productive scientist whom used to recommend bacon and eggs. He proved himself wrong like any good honest scientist should.So, YouTube should be my source of (dis)information? When you pitch one or another theory so passionately (like the Plant Positive guy from the anti-Taubes YouTube series you mention) – being Ancel Keys, Gary Taubes, or Greger, you’re lead by your ego, agenda, and not purely by science. Cherry-picking studies that fit your point and ignoring others is being a charlatan and not a scientist. Even Ancel Keys knew that most circulating cholesterol is endogenous, yet, he vilified a super food like eggs! People are pushed from one extreme to another! Look at sodium, for example – another essential mineral was bashed with little evidence! Or take a look at the trendy gluten-free foods, which are trading celiac disease for diabetes! What Gary Taubes taught us is that traditional foods are best as they’ve passed through rigorous tests of time and that we’re best adapted to them. He also taught us that scientists are more often than not lead by interests other than science.If Taubes were not criticized and protested by the very scientists he cites for his taking their words out of context and for imputing intent that was contrary to the researchers’ true positions, I might actually have a little respect for his point of view.The youtube series is actually very well constructed and lays down the science very well. The paleo diet is indeed a crock.The thing that never ceases to amaze me is that no one make any specific criticism of Plant Positives work. Ever. Why is that?Gary Taubes also says there is no problem with factory farmed animal products as well. How is that traditional?All you’ve done is make big claims that scientists in general are wrong but have nothing specific.Dietary cholesterol does raise serum cholesterol you’re just picking the poor studies you want to pick there.Nobody criticizes Plant Positive’s work as nobody has the patience to watch it all. I don’t recall in any of Gary Taubes’ two books (the original and the shorter and more recently updated one) to pitch of factory farmed animal products and I am only discussing his books. Yes, dietary cholesterol raises serum, too, but 80% of serum cholesterol is endogenous, so, eating eggs or not won’t really make a big dent. And serum cholesterol is not necessarily bad. Recently there were studies showing that the lower the serum cholesterol is, the shorter the lifespan is. I’m sure you’re aware of Chris Masterjohn and his work.In his NY Times article, Taubes took his sources’ words out of context; that’s called dishonesty; no way around it.It’s called academic integrity and honesty which Taubes has demonstrated time and time again. He’s a journalist with an agenda to sell books. That’s all he is.And Chris Masterjohn is motivated by his psychological issues as he mentioned in a recent debate on intelligence squared. He has made really bad assumptions on his own health issues and diet. I think the poor guy is just lost and you get that from the debate. You should research the people who feed you this “research.”I’m not sure about Chris Masterjohn, but most vegans with no doubt make their dietary choices based on (often serious) psychological issues, not science.Study please? No? Didn’t think so. What is the name of the psych disorder when you pull things out of your behind? Butterpullerouter maybe?http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/9/1/67/abstractInternational Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2012, 9:67“In Western cultures vegetarian diet is associated with an elevated risk of mental disorders.”What is the name of the psych disorder where one prefers cherry-picked studies over real data and is insufferably pious and rude to meat eaters simply because they disagree with you.  Oh yes, I remember–Veganism.  Let’s see if your madness can be cured.Haha, Apparently, you have only a cursory understanding of the study you cite… Go actually read the study and read what it really says…Here is something to CONTEXTUALIZE that study for you… you ever see the skyrocketing rates of psych disorders in the USA??? Oh, let me guess, these millions upon millions are all vegans!You presented that study… here I’ll up you by 3.Restriction of meat, fish, and poultry in omnivores improves mood: A pilot randomized controlled trial http://www.nutritionj.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-11-9.pdfResearch Vegetarian diets are associated with healthy mood states: a cross-sectional study in Seventh Day Adventist adults http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-9-26.pdfArachidonic acid to eicosapentaenoic acid ratio in blood correlates positively with clinical symptoms of depression http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02637069If you want I can also give you the one with higher IQ correlation with veg children. And the pro-paleo attempted study which shows that paleo actually impairs brain function! LOL Are you part of that study?The first two links lead me to a blank, black screen. Perhaps you could simply provide the citations and I’ll find them myself.The third link says nothing about omni or vegan diets.These are the three you’ve “upped” me by? Well, ok.And yes, please elucidate me with a citation for the “pro-paleo” study that shows impaired brain function. I don’t know what this has to do with coconut oil or veganism, but I’d love to have it for my own library.The disorder is called “food with a face syndrome”.I’m all for a vigorous debate (even vehement disagreement!), but no insults or name-calling, please. Let’s keep this a safe place for all of us.Without a doubt. Start with Greger, the guy has never done any nutrition research in his life and his allegiance is to the Humane Society which makes ALL oƒ his anti-animal food advice suspect.I can’t imagine what he might be motivated by… but it isn’t science.Paleo Huntress: It is unacceptable to post known lies about a person on this site. As evidenced by the hundreds and hundreds of videos showing the results of likely thousands of hours of nutrition research, it is patently untrue that Dr. Greger has never done nutrition research.You are welcome to disagree with Dr. Greger’s conclusions. The rest of your post, which expresses your opinion, is acceptable, if in poor taste. But the flat out lie is unacceptable.You have a come a remarkably LONG way in improving the tone of your posts on this site. I appreciate that you have made such an effort in toning down the rudeness. Let’s not backslide now.Way to be triggered, Thea.  It is not a lie, it is the absolute TRUTH. I’m not talking about him sitting in front of his computer READING, I’m talking about him being involved in the actual research… the stuff done in a lab? I’ve probably spent more time reading research than Dr. Greger has, what merit am I owed for that? Cite any peer-reviewed nutrition article published in a scientific journal with Dr. Greger’s name on it. The only actual research he’s ever done was on agriculture, not nutrition.And please, save the judgmental sanctimony for someone who cares.My apologies, Thea… I was struggling with a stubborn teen at the time I responded to you. FWIW, I do find your last paragraph both condescending and superior, but I didn’t need to be so harsh in my response. We have a history of miscommunication– I will try to keep that in mind the next time you misunderstand me, and I would hope that you’ll try to keep that in mind the next time you feel compelled to respond so ferociously. If we both do that, I think we’ll manage better.Paleo Huntress: My sympathies in dealing with a human teen. That can be tough.My last comment was meant as a sincere complement/appreciation of you and meant to be encouraging. I had been thinking those thoughts for some time now and thought this would be a good time to share. I wish the sentiment came across to you as I intended, but I hear you that it does not. I have taken note of your feelings and will do my best to avoid complements to you in the future. Fair enough.Aww now, please try a little harder to be genuine. This is a compliment–> “You have a come a remarkably LONG way in improving the tone of your posts on this site.”This is a scolding–> “I appreciate that you have made such an effort in toning down the rudeness. Let’s not backslide now.”If there were any kind of relationship where you were a mentor, a boss, a parent or some other person in authority to me, it might possibly have context because one expects a relationship like that to foster a desire to please. But without any sort of relationship, the comment is condescending- in the same way that calling someone you don’t know by a familiar term like “Honey” or “sweetie” is.And I think you know that… it’s hard to imagine someone reaching your age without picking up some of the more subtle forms of communication. If you truly don’t, I apologize for the assumption.In the future, if you have an actual compliment to share that isn’t actually intended to provide context to a scolding, I hope you’ll feel free. =)I’m sorry but is that all you got? That is a feeble attempt. Wow. Hmmm… let’s see, he provides YOU with research which which has nothing to do with him and mostly non-vegan researchers (not that it matters except to a few dullards who don’t even have the slightest understanding of peer-review publishing). But, I see… you are too LAZY to actually follow INTERNET LINKS to articles and examine them yourself. That you in a nutshell? Yeah, thought so, but no skill on my part, you just made it that easy miss “paleo huntress.” I’m finding that those on “paleo” have a severe critical thinking issues. BTW, you know that that diet those diet gurus sell books for have zero understanding of what people ate back then. That’s the problem with “paleo.” No one knows with any certainty what they ate BACK IN THE PAST. Plenty of evidence that they did not follow “The Paleo Diet” (trademark).I have no idea where your assumptions come from, but that is all they are, ASSumptions. It isn’t often that Greger presents a citation to a published study that I haven’t already read, but when he does, I read it as well. There is nothing wrong with the data he posts, the issue is that he claims it proves something it cannot possibly prove, and he conspicuously leaves out the pro-meat data he found while “scouring” the research to the picture is never balanced, just perpetually biased.. If his intentions were truly to educate, he’d share everything pertinent to the topic, even if he disagrees with it. In fact, if he had a solid argument, a pro-meat study would give him the opportunity to show where the flaws are, but he just pretends it doesn’t exist. So again, instead of attacking strangers on the internet merely because they disagree with your religion, try reading what they write and responding to that instead. McDougall has done his own research. Frassetto has done her own research Ornish has done his own research.Cordain has done his own research.Campbell has done his own research.Cousens has done his own research.Greger has NOT done his own research. Greger scours OTHER people’s research. If you’re gonna look to a guru for information, you should definitely research the people who feed you this “research”– because ANY clown can learn to read at PubMed.“From:Disqus To: paleo.huntress@yahoo.com Sent: Tuesday, February 4, 2014 5:46 PM Subject: Re: New comment posted on Does Coconut Oil Clog Arteries?SettingsA new comment was posted on Nutrition FactsWhere is dog’s name would you think that ANYONE would think that Gregor has done research on what he writes about?!?!?? THAT is mind-blowing!!!! He does not present himself in that way. That’s a straw man and a red herring if I ever saw one. You’re gonna post crap faux intellectualism fed to you by the latest diet guru on the internet, I sure as hell am going to come at you.Where in cat’s name would you get the idea that I said that Dr. Greger misrepresents himself?Read. Again.I’m used to vegans with no real understanding of science “coming at me”. Bring it on. See if you can in any way stick to the science because the personal attacks are tedious and are generally the first sign that someone’s argument is too weak to stand on its own.Looky here at what you said:“McDougall has done his own research.Frassetto has done her own research Ornish has done his own research.Cordain has done his own research.Campbell has done his own research.Cousens has done his own research.Greger has NOT done his own research.”So the heck what? No sheet sherlock. Why in dogs name would you even need to make that statement? It’s a BS distraction. Did you watch his videos for a long time and get destoryed once you realized he was simply REVIEWING other research???? I would bet money no one else thought that. “Stick to the science.” You haven’t presented anything except “wah wah Humane society wah wah.”Joeboosauce, you are one ugly individual. Here, I’ll help you with a little context-“the guy has never done any nutrition research in his life and his allegiance is to the Humane Society which makes ALL oƒ his anti-animal food advice suspect.”“It is unacceptable to post known lies about a person on this site. As evidenced by the hundreds and hundreds of videos showing the results of likely thousands of hours of nutrition research, it is patently untrue that Dr. Greger has never done nutrition research.”“I’m not talking about him sitting in front of his computer READING, I’m talking about him being involved in the actual research… the stuff done in a lab.”What exactly is so special about reading Medline, picking out the data that supports your pet theory and posting it online? What kind of expertise does this require? Doctors get less formal nutrition training that nutritionists do and anybody can be a nutritionist, you don’t even need a degree. So what can Dr. Greger do that any half-literate person can’t also do for themselves at Medline/Pubmed?Nothing.I have no idea where your assumptions come from, but that is all they are, ASSumptions. It isn’t often that Greger presents a citation to a published study that I haven’t already read, but when he does, I read it as well. There is nothing wrong with the data he posts, the issue is that he claims it proves something it cannot possibly prove, and he conspicuously leaves out the pro-meat data he found while “scouring” the research, so the picture is never balanced, just perpetually biased.. If his intentions were truly to educate, he’d share everything pertinent to the topic, even if he disagrees with it. In fact, if he had a solid argument, a pro-meat study would give him the opportunity to show where the flaws are, but he just pretends it doesn’t exist.So again, instead of attacking strangers on the internet merely because they disagree with your religion, try reading what they write and responding to that instead.McDougall has done his own research. Frassetto has done her own research Ornish has done his own research. Cordain has done his own research. Campbell has done his own research. Cousens has done his own research.Greger has NOT done his own research. Greger scours OTHER people’s research.If you’re gonna look to a guru for information, you should definitely research the people who feed you this “research”– because ANY clown can learn to read at PubMed, even you.Coconut oil dies seem to trigger intense pro and/or con feelings and caused responders toward vehemence!Such is the nature of the controversial world of nutrition science these days. Although, I suspect that much of the claims made by the pro-coconut folks is not based on good science.This is such great info. The science and info is compelling. Thanks for addressing this topic. Much needed!!!There is a huge difference between organic extra virgin coconut oil and the coconut oil that is processed. Were the studies conducted with the processed coconut oil? Any studies done with the organic one? This should be answered before everyone gets on the bandwagen that coconut oil is bad for us.Says who? The people trying to sell it? Ha!All oils are processed foods divorced from their whole food sources.Then why have so many people regained their health by using Co oil? It’s highly recommended for gut healing, reducing inflammation, and helping with metabolism. I unfortunately know way too many vegans who are now paleo due to nutrient deficiency issues and other major health problem that they developed from a vegan diet… And yes, they were eating a near perfect vegan diet. Since adding back meat, their health has improved greatly: no more ibs/ibd, a healed gut, bettet energ . And sleep, no more depression or anxiety, stable wt, no intense hunger despite being full, balanced hormones etc. Can u please explain this?Hi Stacy,How do you know “too many vegans?” I find us to be rather rare. I live in Southern California and you would think being in the land of fruits and nuts I would know even just one. And I am not a recluse.Soon to know one though! My sister is going vegan after some disappointing heart health news. Now I won’t be the only one bringing vegan dishes to the holiday get-togethers!Because it is an unsustainable diet for long term health. B12 deficiencies can take decades to fully manifest, though there are others…Please show evidence of your claims.“Because it is an unsustainable diet for long term health.”Source?So I don’t know any other vegans because they are all dying off? Interesting.It’s true…a lifelong strict vegetarian (may have been a vegan?) reclusive runner died over a few years ago at the age of 96…Jack Kirk. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/JACK-KIRK-1906-2007-The-Dipsea-Demon-was-a-2620235.phpRandy I just got a good chuckle! Thanks.:)@facebook-100000430602810:disqus , good counterpoint. ;-)Thanks :)Maybe I’m missing something, but 1906-2007 is 101 years.Sorry! He ran his last race at age 96…died at 100 :)What a great story! Turns out he lived to 100, though. His diet and fitness likely helped him live to such a great age. I suspect it was more than this, though. I read a book on eccentric people (and I think Jack Kirk would qualify). They are usually healthier than other people… and they don’t care what other people think of them or how they like to live. Worth thinking about!I can guarantee you that this 96 year old didn’t start out as a vegan. Show me a 96 year old vegan from birth who was born of lifelong vegan parents. I’ll bet there are none, zero, nada. Not even Indian Gurus are vegan. They eat dairy.Wow, you’re demonstrating really bad critical thinking skills. Maybe we could assume your diet impairs brain function? Oh yeah, there is at least one study (which tried to be pro-paleo) and showed that paleo diet followers had impaired brain function! Pro-paleo study!joeboosauce: Personal attacks are not OK on this site. You can disagree with someone strongly, but a personal attack is unacceptable. We want this site to be a place where people can share ideas politely. A polite environment is the starting ingredient for a productive effort.Thea, I got pulled in by what I saw as ridiculous comments and acknowledge I got myself pulled in. Sorry, I’ll make sure not to get pulled in again. :(joeboosauce: Believe me, I fully understand. Thank you for this note.Link please ! Your brain is made up of cholesterol and fat and needs these substances to function properly that is why your cholesterol is recycled in the liver and not removed from the body thru your kidneys. Sounds like your brain is malfunctioning from lack of these critical nutrients.How do all these low-carb people know more vegans than vegans do? Show me a study of all these perfect vegans that had to go “paleo” because their perfect vegan diet failed them.I personally don’t know a single vegan in person, but I do know many non-vegans who are overweight and/or unhealthy from my perspective. What about the millions on non-vegan diets that get sick and/or die? Just ignore them. Paleo is fad and unhealthy (and it’s not even real paleo), no matter what your paleo gurus tell you.“How do all these low-carb people know more vegans than vegans do?”ROFLOLI’d love to find A vegan, A lacto-ovo vegetarian, or even A mostly whole plants flexitarian amongst my friends and relatives.Haaaaah! Good points. I’ve lived in Atlanta where I worked for a year at a health food store and now in a very small town. In that time I’ve only known 2 vegans. One of them I married.stacy,I happen to know several vegans as I am involved in a group of health, environmental, and ethically conscious people. NONE of them have had to add any animal products into their diet for any reason. Some of them have been vegans for *decades*. I know a 20 something person who has been vegan since birth, not counting breast feeding from a vegan mother in infancy. Every single one of these people are the picture of health.It is near impossible for me to believe that you know even one person, let alone many, who were truly eating a balanced whole-food vegan diet, with B12 supplement, and who developed nutrient deficiencies. Nutrient deficiencies are notoriously the problem of animal eaters since animal products contain trace elements of the vital micro nutrients at best. Thus, it is likely that if you know any former vegans who actually claim that they developed nutrient deficiencies, they have likely not been truthful with you about what their former diets were. Something to think about.The only time I have heard of someone running into a problem on a healthy whole plant-food based diet is someone who has a genetic defect, where their body is not able to make all of the proteins that the bodies of normal humans make. Dr. Greger has a video on this problem if you are interested.What you’ve posted seems like obvious rubbish. Where do you live? I would like to come to a place with so many vegans. Funny, I know so many people who eat paleo who have quit saying it is unsustainable and they felt like crap. It’s not hard since this fad diet craze has taken foot. Good thing I’m seeing is it’s dying down just like Atkins.A cursory search on Pubmed reveals that coconut oil (both plain and hydrogenated) has been used to induce elevated serum cholesterol and atherosclerosis in animal studies for the past 50 years.When I discovered this a few years ago, I was saddened; coconut milk laced curries were among my favorite dishes. I soon discovered that Tom Yum (Thai hot & sour soup) is even better than Tom Kha (Thai coconut soup), so all is well.Dr. Greger,Wouldn’t Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (important distinction) in moderation be superior to unsaturated vegetable oils when cooking at high temperatures given the free radical production of those “healthier” oils in such settings? Would that balance the scales at all?Along those lines, I would love to see more debate with regard to the paleo diet (exploding in popularity in my experience) and cholesterol/saturated fat proponents (Gary Taubes, for example). How can such a large crowd of seemingly credible dietitians (in many instances) come to such polar opposite conclusions?I don’t know how many times people have recommended I read Taubes books or Lierre Keith’s The Vegetarian Myth (which I have read much of) and other such books. Just look at the reviews on Amazon for Johnny Bowden’s The Great Cholesterol Myth!Why can’t the scientists just agree? Is LDL-cholesterol bad or isn’t it? This study doesn’t seem to think there’s a problem with saturated fat. http://www.bmj.com/press-releases/2013/02/04/study-raises-questions-about-dietary-fats-and-heart-disease-guidanceYour link refers to a recent analysis of data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study – a randomised controlled trial conducted from 1966 to 1973. It refers to substituting sunflower oil and sunflower oil margarine. I am surprised the margarine is not referred to as a trans fat, something that was not known to be harmful back in the 60’s and 70’s, but which are well known now.I’m sure Dr. G will get into the details of the data, but I know what Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn would say about it:http://youtube.com/#/watch?v=b_o4YBQPKtQCoconut oil is superior for cooking for the reason you mentioned, absolutely. There is plenty of science that demonstrates that cholestrol buildup in arteries and veins is not due to the presence of saturated fat, but due to the inflammation of the inner linings of the blood vessels, and that the laying down of cholestrol is a protective function of the body. What causes that inflammation? Probably the carcinogens we ingest, like the unsaturated fats in other vegetable oils that result from cooking, sitting on shelves too long, or factory extraction processes.As stated by me and others, check out Dr. Greger’s videos on post-prandial endothelial inflammation caused by endotoxins inherent to all animal products.Perhaps it is sugar. Dr. John Yudkin wrote about this in 1972 and his book, “Pure White and Deadly” has just been republished. http://amzn.to/16Sh5yRJust because someone writes a book doesn’t mean the information is true. Most books are just a conglomeration of an author’s opinions and NOT based on credible science.Try citing authors who do not distort and misrepresent the studies they cite.It seems that your scientific perspective is dated. There is little evidence that the amount of cholestrol in the blood stream correlates to thickening of plaque buildup in arteries. In fact, it is not thought that inflamation of the arterial and venous walls is what stimulates the blood stream to lay down a protective layer of cholestrol, which begins the process… I would dispute your findings on coconut oil increasing the presence in our systems, but i would dispute the idea that it really matters as much as you are insinuating (in the prevention of atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis)…Says who? Where are you getting this information from? Provide credible sources, please.It’s not inflammation instead of excessive cholesterol that contributes to coronary artery disease. It’s excessive cholesterol AND inflammation. They both go hand in hand.Check out Dr. G’s videos where he reports on the subject of endotoxins in animal products causing post-meal endothelial inflammation.If you are going to indulge in coconut oil, it makes sense to do so in the context of a 100% plant-based meal.Dr. Gregor,What do you suggest as a butter substitute for those of us trying to follow your recommendations? I’ve been able to rid my diet pretty easily of everything but real cheese and butter, and I’d be very interested in any suggestions or resources you may have. Thanks for all you do!This was recently posted on Facebook to support the Paleo thing. Any comments? http://www.gnolls.org/1444/does-meat-rot-in-your-colon-no-what-does-beans-grains-and-vegetables/The issues with these studie is that we have no idea what kind of oil was used etc. Grain of salt thingy applies here, just be sure to use real or sea salt:0)Hi everyone,My husband just forwarded me this great vegan-athlete website. I am really enjoying the videos. Makes me want to get out there!http://truelovehealth.com/dayinthelife/Thank you for this excellent and much needed information!! So many people are grabbing at the crazy notion that fats and cholesterol are no problem for your health. I love when people say they “know numerous amounts of vegans” who have had to go Paleo for their health. I can tell you, as a Seventh Day Adventist I know hundreds and hundreds of vegetarians and vegans who have thrived on those diets for their entire lives… Many of them well into their 80’s and 90’s!!! Numerous studies have been done on our members and time after time the studies have shown that not only are we healthier, but we also live longer than any other group of people. Find me a similar Paleo group that can show the same data for over 200 years… I don’t think you can. Thanks Dr. Greger for another educational piece!!i bought some organic virgin coconut oil, from Dr Bronner…LOL i am gonna USE a tbsp IN my BATH WATER…to see if my Vitamin D 15 minutes of sun daily improves my tan. I’m 67-65-68 now…i want 60-60-60 and 60 <— Vitamin D from sun. 67-65-68 <— everyone can see my cheats.Cholesterol is important for your body and living. Yes you might get higher cholesterol levels by eating saturated fat as butter and coconut oil, but it changes your cholesterol profile to a better one, that is not associated with getting heartdeceases. It changes your LDL particals from small ones that is a risk for heartdeceas, to big particals that flows easily through your veins, and don`t get stuck, and those big particals are not associated with heartdeceases. Oil and margarine made of plants are making an unbalance in your fatty acids balance, because of the amount of omega-6 acids. This could make inflammations in your veins and give a high risk of getting heartdeceases. Butter and extra virgin coconut oil is the best if you want to be healthy and well!Not all oils or margarine’s have poor omega ratios, or are hydrogenated. Many are absolutely fine. Canola is about 1:2. Olive 1:10. The best meats like grass fed beef are about 1:8. Butter 1:7. Coconut oil practically has no omega 3. Same with most conventional meats. One study saw that polyunsaturated fat intake was negatively associated with CRP (a marker for inflammation). In many studies saturated fat has caused inflammation.The crux of the argument lies in the title of this post: Does Coconut oil clog arteries? And the answer is probably not, since the oil in most studies raises HDL slightly more than it icreases LDL, thereby IMPROVING the lipid profile and CVD risk.Confirmed: coconut oil does facilitate intestinal endotoxin transport.V Mani, JH Hollis, NK Gabler. Dietary oil composition differentially modulates intestinal endotoxin transport and postprandial endotoxemia. 2013http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/10/1/6/For me, your condescending tone gets in the way of any information you are trying to convey.But how bad would eating coconut oil be, really, if you’ve been vegan for almost a decade getting no cholesterol and very very low levels of sat fat in your diet? I started eating coconut oil (sparingly, I use it to make refried beans and to roast the veggies I put in my soups) along with more avocado recently as, after 9 years of being vegan, I was feeling rather low-energy and moody and thought it might be due to low levels of cholesterol inhibiting some hormone production. I feel much better now not to mention my hair and skin aren’t dry as heck and I rarely get rashes/hives that used to be near constant. Am I just crazy or could there be some truth to needing SOME intake when you’re already eating low-fat vegan?This video and this so called Doctor are full of rubbish ! Complete RUBBISH !!!!“Rubbish”? Oh no, just the facts, the peer-reviewed, empirical, and reproducible scientific facts.In your dreams maybe !The problem is refined carbohydrates, sugars and vegetable oils which are all relatively new additions to the human diet. Vegetable (seed) oils have only been around for the last 100 years and are extremely unstable and go rancid quite readily especially when heated. These oxidized lipids then become free radicals in the body. It’s Tragic that we were told to abandon traditional Lard, (which, if it was from pastured animals is second only to Cod Fish Liver oil in it’s vitamin D content) and replace it with cancer causing free radical vegetable oils ! Lard is also made up of mostly saturated fats which do not oxidize when heated. All this because of the unfounded fear of cholesterol. Is it any wonder why we got so sick ????I agree wholeheartedly about refined oils, they have no place in a healthy diet; from what I gather this is Dr. Greger’s position as well. Common ground aside, I’m sensing a double standard (see the studies cited by Dr. G and show me the double blind ‘lard is good for your brain and heart’ studies — there aren’t any), as well as an irresistible affinity for good news about bad habits.Show me the studies that show lard is bad for me… There are none either !Fear based Vegan propaganda and nothing else. Show me the clinical trials with a double blind placebo study. There aren’t any dumbo !Click on the references cited tab above for the 2XB studies on coconut oil. Regarding your ‘dumbo’ comment this is not the forum for name calling and detracts from your arguments.more grist for the mill: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/13-evidence-based-medicinal-properties-coconut-oil [ my yearly usage of 2 gal. of horse liniment is history- cco is better:a superb analgesic for those of us prone to decades of mbike,ladder,roofing,skiing,mechanics,etc mishaps with attendant contussions,sprains,strains&blood. .. ]Any consensus on health risks with MCT oil as an alternative to coconut oil? It has a bit shorter chain then these oils so not sure if that helps or not?I smell bull shit…I http://naturalsociety.com/incredible-superfood-coconut-oil-benefits/Not a single cited study in the articleSeriously?! What can you eat nowadays without it being bad for you :(Whole, unprocessed plant food of course! Oil is not a whole plant food.Wrong again, Toxin. Gmo vegetables cause inflammation. Most nightshade plants cause inflammation. And yes, coconut oil is a wholefood plant.Evidence based nutrition Lauren, please share studiesHow about: whole fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. The range of healthy food options is huge. I recommend getting a good whole food plant based cookbook and you will be amazed at the variety. Good luck.Free range meat, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds. Most fruit and vegetables are gmo. Even if they aren’t they are at the most 30% bio available with nutrients. And let’s not forget they are carbohydrate which is tech talk for “sugar water”. As for grains, your body can’t digest most of today’s grains. Your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize most of the things you call food.Many citations are needs for your response. I have never seen a single study implicating gmo as inflammatory, nor have I seen studies implicating WHOLE unrefined grains as being bad for us. Pointing to Celiac disease is not evidence in itself that grains are harmful.“Paleo Huntress” has been banned (again) for her continued ad hominem attacks. I’m all for discussion (even vehement disagreement!), but name-calling has no place and detracts from the safe, welcoming space we’re trying to create here on NutritionFacts.org. Please email to alert me if you see any racist/misogynist/homophobic/etc. or otherwise innappropriate language in the comments section and I’ll try to attend to it asap: mhg1@cornell.edu. Sorry it took me so long to catch this–I’ve been so busy winnowing down the 500+ applicants down to just 7 people so far in the running! (http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/20/employment/)Thank you!!!!Hey, sorry, I should have realized she was a troll and should have known better than to get pulled into an argument!No shame but don’t feed the trolls anymore.She creeped me out several months ago by posting a lot of personal information on me from sources outside this forum, thought I would need to hire protection. Now I’m posting anonymously. Is there any way to have those old inappropriate posts deleted (if they are still there)?YOu should review the scientific literature over the past 60 years on heart disease/cholesterol/sat fat etc. Most of the material on your website are based on common medical dogmas. I suggest Paul Attias video reviewing most of the science on this – quite enlightening.The literature over the past 60 years clearly links cholesterol and heart disease. There is no disconnect. Books and bloggers are not scientific resources.Books and bloggers like you are not science – even if they have an MD. I have reviewed the science from most of the major studies from the nonsense that Ancil Keys put out in the 40’s to the Framingham to Jupiter etc. The results don’t support the continued dogma that you site is propagating. I urge your readers to study these findings instead of looking to authorities to explain them. Funny you would use the word disconnect. Thats exactly what it is.Peter Attia’s blogging is apparently a stunning success: “What could be a better outcome for a blog than to have a bunch of uneducated low carbers out there thinking they know more than their doctors about the one aspect of low carb most likely to kill them?” — Plant Positive, http://www.plantpositive.com/a-very-serious-low-carber-nusi/Or those who don’t know that plants are carbohydrates which is technical for “sugar water”. You always have some stupid vegan with no education in biology who believes they know everything. lol They believe sugar water is the key to health. Yeah, talk to the rats in the laboratories. As for knowing more than doctors…the average sixth grader probably knows more. They get all their info from pharm reps. What a maroon. lolToxins show me this research you refer to. I have access to pubmed. To my knowledge and I keep on this, there has never been a double blind study which conclusively related cholesterol to heart disease. Do you even know why you have cholesterol in your blood? It’s part of your immune system. It’s there to repair damage. If you have it, it’s because the arteries are already damaged. But if you have real research I don’t know about, please share it. Preferably something not funded by pharm companies who are selling cholesterol medicine. lol“Given the capability of all tissues to synthesize sufficient amounts of cholesterol for their metabolic and structural needs, there is no evidence for a biological requirement for dietary cholesterol. Therefore, neither an Adequate Intake nor a Recommended Dietary Allowance is set for cholesterol. There is much evidence to indicate a positive linear trend between cholesterol intake and low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, and therefore increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A Tolerable Upper Intake Level is not set for cholesterol because any incremental increase in cholesterol intake increases CHD risk.”http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI/DRI_Energy/542-588.pdfThere has been many many studies showing the strong relationship between serum cholesterol and heart disease. The 7 countries study, after 40 years, still shows the strong relationship between serum cholesterol and heart disease.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2642008/If your first thought is that Ancel Keys was a biased researcher with an agenda, you are mistaken. This is a faulty demonization by low carbers who simply do not understand the studies or data.Other studies have found thishttp://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199711203372102#t=articleResultsWe know that inflammation leads to the oxidation of cholesterol which leads to plaque. Several videos on this website have shared studies showing how eggs and animal based foods lead to this inflammation.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/I have a suspect optic nerve and am fifty five. I have been taking coconut oil of the spoon for a few days and my eyes have improved. So did my mood/ I am furious curious cancer survivor on google.I wish there were some research on eating coconut meat, since the refining process as you say guts the essentials of the fruit from which the oils are extracted, and to me this seems the reason that these oils are not so great – because they are extracted from their natural, edible environ – and not because the oils themselves are bad. All this talk and “research” of oils being bad seems to be throwing the baby out with the bathwater and nothing more, period. I think our nerves need the oils and that a society that eats bad one and howver extratceted ones may have a LOT to do with neurological and other nerve disorderes(I think psychological as well – and in so saying I am seaking to civilization and every on eof us in it)i was wondering about vegan or near vegan butter substitutes. For example Earth Balance organic. Are they healthy?http://www.amara.org/it/videos/nxWxMevQYF9P/info/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/ (Italian subs)Your voice is just AWFUL.Ohhh we’re all going to die! No one gets to stay forever. Coconut oil tastes better than other oils e basta! It’s nice to feel good – but in the end – genetics win out. Just live, people, and quit worrying about all of this.Saturated & mono-unsaturated fats make up of most of the fats in mammals milk. Why don’t infants suffer ill effects (ie diabetes, CVD, strokes)?At the end of the video basically discredits everything. Coconut oil in cupcakes are not extra virgin coconut oil. The key ingredient in extra virgin coconut oil is MCT which promotes HDL which is good for the heart. Or you could ditch coconut oil altogether and use MCT oil. Facepalm.This video and information on coconut oil is very disappointing and just wrong. Coconut oil is good for you…natural…and has no bad side effects. There is no link to coconut oil consumption and heart disease. Pleople have been eating coconut oil since the earth began..it is good for you!! Dr. Mercola has some good articles on coconut oil. Alzheimer’s is an epidemic and Lipitor, ( and the like), are causing this epidemic. Cholesterol is needed in our bodies, especially our brains to function properly. Let’s wake up people. The bad fats and are the man made vegetable oils, (Crisco, wesson…), and the meats that are raised wrong, (i.e. GMO Corn, Soy, antibiotics, ground animal, etc.). That’s what we need to watch out for …not coconut oil for goodness sake. Coconut oil is a good food…I eat alot…have for years and have no health problems.I had acne in my face for a long time, and i was so angry about it, days after, i was surfing in the internet, i just found some useful products one of them is Coconut oil for acne, i tried it , and i can proudly say, i don’t have acne in my face anymore, i want to help other people to try it. Thank youSource: http://www.coconut-oil-acne-guide.comWhen people are in the act of losing weight, their LDLs naturally go up. All of this talk about cholesterol levels in moot. Inflammation is key. Research does not agree with Dr. Gregor’s conclusions. Rarely do they. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22030224Does coconut oil saturated fat get absorbed into the bloodstream when topically applied?That is the funnies video I’ve seen. Thank you for sharing. Sounds like vegan crap to me. Never take a class in biology but they know everything there is to know about medicine. lol Coconut oil can not clog arteries. Do you know why you have cholesterol in the blood? Because there is damage in the arteries. Cholesterol is part of the immune system. Translation: Cholesterol comes in to heal the damage which is already there. If you continue to damage the arteries then the Cholesterol will continue to try to repair the body. To say Cholesterol or Coconut damages or clogs the arteries, is like saying the trucks they send out to repair the potholes caused the potholes. Most medical doctors receive their education from pharm reps. Rarely do they go beyond that. Sometimes they go to read the abstract. Extremely rarely do they actually read the study. And even rarer do they understand what they’re reading. But if you have pubmed links for me to review, I’d love to see them. It’s this kind of mis-information which is why most people don’t take “medical doctors” seriously.I can’t get my head around the polarity of opinion regarding coconut oil.Greger seems so sure of his opinion and others seem sure of their entirely different view. Both provide numerous link to research.How can such opposing opinions co-exist? Isn’t that what research is for, to settle such debates?I eat a lot of coconut oil, no bread, lots of veg. I’m very lean and feel great, but worried.Hello Hungry Shrew, I think this topic by Jeff Novick, one of the best dieticians out there, will be very informative for you. https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=44512The coconut oil proponents do not have good studies to back up their claims. For example, the study on weight loss they constantly circulate has 2 groups of obese women add either canola oil or coconut oil to their diet, they then cut calories and exercise and by the end of the 2 months they lost 2 lbs’. The study concludes that coconut oil can be a means to weight loss, but does that really seem true to you or effective? We must read beyond the conclusions. Also, coconut oil’s saturated fat still contains ~30% long chain fats, so don’t let people tell you its healthy.I wonder if EV coconut oil should be very limited-completely avoided by those who have metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and/or hypertension? My brother has diabetes, and consumed coconut oil (moderate amount). He also ate some foods that he shouldn’t. He never had EV coconut oil before, and said that he fell in love with it. This probably means that he was consuming the coconut oil at least once a week. The heart attack happened 3 weeks after his initial consumption of the coconut oil. When I spoke to him, a few days ago, he told me that he had a heart attack. His arteries were clogged. One was 90% clogged. The hospital implanted stents.Whenever I eat coconut oil ( I also love it) my body reacts strangely, and I get palpitations. I DO take atenolol and hydrochlorothiazide, so there is a (slight) chance that that could be the cause of the palpitations; although, I rarely get them….they occur always when I consume coconut oil, broccoli (perhaps I need my thyroid levels checked….it’s been a while).There are healthy fats and there are unhealthy fats. Coconut oil is a healthy fat. And we actually NEED some saturated fat. It would be absurd to associate coconut oil as unhealthy. The vegetable oil industry (i.e. corn, veg, canola, etc) demonized coconut oil decades ago to gain a foothold into the market. So, what do we have now? Many people don’t realize that those “vegetable” oils turn to trans-fats in your arteries when heated. Not to mention that corn oil and canola oil are both genetically modified (GMO). Not natural. Corn is actually a grain, not a vegetable. You know, they use corn to fatten up CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operations) cows before slaughter. If you must eat meat, eat grass-fed ONLY. Olive oil is an option if you don’t heat it up past the smoke point. Great on salads. Unfortunately, many olive oil producers are diluting their oil with other oils. You can look up a list of suspected diluted olive oil producers.Coconut oil can be heated to high temps without any problem. And it most assuredly can be a part of a vegan/vegetarian diet. Due to it’s antibacterial and antifungal characteristics, it is probably the healthiest oil for your body. And it’s great to slather on your skin.Boomer4Healther: re: “…we actually NEED some saturated fat.” This statement is false if you mean that we need to consume saturated fat. Our bodies make all of the saturated fat that we need. The only essential fats (ie, fats that we need to consume in our diet) are the omega 3s and 6s. Other than that, our bodies make everything we need fat-wise. Not only do our bodies make all of the saturated fat that we need, but consuming saturated fat in our diet is strongly associated with increased health risks.I had similar responses just about every point in your post. I would encourage you to educate yourself on the matters you listed. You can find out a lot about nutrition on this site. But for a really great overall understanding of fat and oils, I highly recommend this primer talk: From Oil To Nuts by Jeff Novick http://www.amazon.com/Oil-Nuts-Essential-Facts-Oils/dp/B003UYAQIY/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1413577376&sr=1-1&keywords=from+oil+to+nutsAnd if you want a free source to learn details about the scientific evidence against eating saturated fat, I highly recommend the videos from Plant Positive, who has put together a very scholarly work on the subject: http://www.plantpositive.comGood luck.Well said TheaThea those are great resources. I am amazed how people continue to be shocked when you tell them oil is not a food group, or for that matter neither are carbs, sugar or protein. But particularly fat/oil. They are only constituents of the foods (esp. the whole plant foods most of the people who follow Dr. Greger) will eat. The deconstruction of foods into these ‘food groups’ only serves the interests of the meat, egg, dairy and processed food industries (and the disease treatment machine that relies on the continued future of sick Americans and the fable of the magic bullet for their present business models), protein being code for animal products, fats coding for refined oils, carbs for starchy vegetables and sugary drinks etc. If you don’t argue the whole premise of ‘food groups,’ you’ve already lost – fiber and antioxidants and nature’s packaging can’t even be considered in that framework of course. If you consider food groups to be the types of similar plants, e.g., leafy greens, whole grains, beans, berries, citrus, mushrooms, etc., then the processed foods almost drop out of the picture entirely, e.g. factory meat can be considered as just a highly processed form of the products made by the corn and soybean processors, and coconut oil as an extract of coconut – they may be edible and food-like, but not really food at all.DanielFaster: Thanks for your reply. I’m SO with you!Yes, coconut oil DOES raise colesterol HDL COLESTEROL! The kind YOU WANT.Whole raw beets = Health promoting food Refined Beet Sugar = Junk foodWhole Soybeans = Health Promoting food Refined Soybean oil/protein isolate = Junk foodWhole raw Coconut = Health promoting food Refined coconut oil = Junk foodCoconut oil is useful when used in small amounts as a lubricant when cooking (due to it’s oxidation resistance), but you will do no good things to your health by ingesting it.However, used topically it is very effective as a moisturizer, lip balm, hair conditioner, and It is claimed to be good for oral health when swished (AKA Oil pulling, though I haven’t seen much clinical data supporting this)Remember, WFPB (Whole-Food Plant-Based) Not PFPB (Processed-Food plant based)Nice job, Mark!I would consider a one-month study hardly a study at all.Does coconut oil clog arteries .Good question Maggie: YES, indeed, coconut oil clogs arteries. Blood vessel clearing wishes on a WFPB — benefits galore — ‘diet’ :)Holy moly… First time (I think) I read this blog and I probably won’t come here again. Do a search on pubmed and find a bunch of articles regarding sd-LDL (small dense LDL) being involved in CVD and CAD. The regular LDL and total cholesterol markers have nothing to do with CVD or CAD. Get yourself updated. Eat saturated fatty acids. There is not one single study suggesting that SFA’s have anything to do with CVD. SFA raises regular (there are several sub classses) LDL and HDL. SFA’s do not cause small dense LDL. Ergo: No CVD from saturated fat. Vegetable oil (Omega-6) however causes your arteries to clog.What about using coconut oil for skin and hair?I have a question. can using coconut oil on skin raise cholesterol? I never eat any oil but do use coconut oil on my hair and skin every day. I really hope I get an answer on thisGood question. No, I really don’t think so ;) I use it on my skin as well and find it soothing. Almond oil is another one I have heard is helpful for skin.Best wishes, JosephHi, can you address whether and how the addition of coconut oil can decrease the caloric load of white rice (see blurb below)? And is it a particular kind of white rice? Does this same science have the same effect on brown rice composition?Method of cooking rice can actually cut caloriesRice is a staple in many places around the world, but given its content of both starch and calories, it’s not necessarily a healthy one.Scientists from Sri Lanka have figured out a way to lessen the weight gain-inducing effects of the popular grain, and it involves a cooking technique that’s simple enough to do at home. That trick is, as explained by one of the researchers, “… when the water is boiling, before adding the raw rice, we added coconut oil—about 3 percent of the weight of the rice you’re going to cook. After it was ready, we let it cool in the refrigerator for about 12 hours. That’s it.”Why it works is a matter of how the approach switches up the composition of the grain. When prepared conventionally, rice is primarily made up of starches that are easily digestible and thus quickly transformed into glucose, then glycogen and ultimately fat. The scientists’ preparation method turns part of that starch into matter the body can’t process, thus diminishing its undesirable effects. By how much varies based on the type of the grain used, but caloric reductions could be as high as 60 percent .No. The number one grocery product sold, the saturated fat which is a required way of saying good, because its small on the nutrition label would raise cholesterol. Saturated fats might be the good fats. Is there a good fat? Let’s try to see if there is a yes to fact that my first guess is yes.sold at amazon.gom groceryIs their a good fat? Was their a good animal?What about eating whole coconut; meaning coconut as a whole food as a vegan?If coconut has saturated fat, and using saturated fat is risky, what about MCT’s sold in Health Food Stores?Good question. I don’t think healthy individuals need MCT oil. MCT fats tend to go into formulas when folks cannot eat by mouth (cannot obtain any fat). A bit of nuts and seeds (perhaps coconut flakes) will give you all the fat needed.Anyone on eating whole coconut?Better than consuming the oil or the milk, as more concentrated sources of fat without the fiber. I little coconut goes a long way. I’d scale back or avoid if cholesterol is an issue. Thanks for reposting this.	Alzheimer’s disease,animal fat,beef,body fat,brain disease,brain health,butter,cake,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,Coca-Cola,coconut oil,cod liver oil,cognition,dementia,Dr. Walter Willett,fat,flax oil,flax seeds,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,lauric acid,LDL cholesterol,myristic acid,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,palmitic acid,philippines,saturated fat,seeds,stearic acid,USDA,water,weight loss,women's health	Sellers of coconut oil use a beef industry tactic to downplay the risks associated with the saturated fat in their products.	If you missed my last video, this is a follow-up to Does Coconut Oil Cure Alzheimer's?Here are the two saffron videos I referenced: Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s and Saffron Versus Aricept. The spice may also help with PMS (Saffron for the Treatment of PMS) and depression (Saffron vs. Prozac).Think my water-in-Coke joke was too over the top? When a corporate exec was asked on the stand if Coca Cola was "nutritious" he said that it is "providing water, and I think that is part of a balanced diet."More on meat industry hijinks in videos/blogs like:The "compared to butter" bit reminds me of the "compared to pork" nuttiness: Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering.What was that thing I said about saturated animal fat and endotoxins? See my three part series:Please be sure to check out my associated blog post for even more context:  Is Coconut Oil Bad For You?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stearic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/palmitic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cod-liver-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cattlemens-beef-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconut-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/myristic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lauric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-walter-willett/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/philippines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21669587,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19437058,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9756121,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21736782,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19664276,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22164340,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21702109,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22866697,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22030224,
PLAIN-2796	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-cure-alzheimers/	Does Coconut Oil Cure Alzheimer's?	Those that sell coconut oil claim it has miraculous powers—everything from X, Y, and Z. The boldest claim may be as a potential cure for Alzheimer’s, based on a series of anecdotes and one study. Study of the ketogenic agent AC-1202. You can certainly make money selling 20 pound buckets of coconut oil, but even more selling some kind of patented supplement, which is what this is, a concentrated form of the medium chain fatty acids, purported to be the active ingredient in coconut oil. At first it looked like it was working, but by the end of the study any effect it had had disappeared, though there was one genetic subgroup where it appeared to be working better, but when that group was properly randomized even that effect disappeared. So the only such study ever done on concentrated coconut oil components found little effect and no studies have ever been done whatsoever on Alzheimer's and coconut oil itself. As the Alzheimer’s Association put it, there is no scientific evidence that coconut oil helps with Alzheimer’s. And hey, the coconut oil promise has been around for more than three years. If the administration of coconut oil was, indeed, beneficial, it would presumably be shouted from every mountaintop." That's all we know so far. Why don't we know more? There have been over a thousand articles published on coconut oil in the medical literature, the problem is that they’re studies like this. Did you know coconut oil enhances tomato carotenoid tissue accumulation compared to safflower oil in the Mongolian gerbil? Which includes nuggets like this: "The testes of the coconut oil-fed animals weighed significantly less than those of the safflower oil-fed animals. Who says coconut oil isn't effectual? How else are you going to shrink the testicles of Mongolian gerbils?	Getting a bit “Test-e” I see about the whole Coconut Oil rave.;-)I like to go with the evidence and avoid the rumors and internet adds. Yet, my girlfriend was suffering from hypothyroidism and the prescriptions were just messing her up. Too little T3 and she was groggy all day and gained weight but at the next highest dose she was anxious, lost weight and couldn’t sleep. I watched her suffer for several months and then impulsively suggested she try a tablespoon of coconut oil each day instead of the drugs- even though I got this advice from the rumor mill. I figured, “What the heck, it’s only 100 extra calories. Can’t do any worse than the meds.” Guess what? It worked for her- even if it won’t for anyone else. Within a couple of months the doctor confirmed that her TSH levels were for the first time in the normal range without her meds, and she hasn’t had any complaints of a lack of energy or weight gain since. I’ve started taking the equivalent amount of whole coconut (about 2-3 square inches) each day myself.Now, two months later, still working?By the way, 100 extra calories a day is over 10 pounds of weight gain in a year.In theory that is. Calories from coconut oil can’t be directly translated to weight gain. Besides, the classic calorie dogma truly isn’t legit anymore…Mongolian gerbils natural diet consist of High Sat Fat coconut oil? No so don’t say that our human testes will shrink from consuming it. I’m surprised he didn’t list off reasons why the high saturated fat in coco oil was causing heart disease. Oh wait he didn’t because there isn’t any data for it.Guest: I don’t think you understood the point that Dr. Greger was making. Anyway, if you are interested in the heart disease connection, consider checking out next Monday’s video. Good luck.This information is desperately needed. There are so many people pushing coconut oil. I hear all the time about how people have heard about how good it is for you. Once a rumor like this gets started (like dairy is good for your bones), it is SO hard to stop it. Thanks for giving us a review and perspective on the science. MUCH appreciated!I really appreciate what I am learning from Dr Greger but have some reservations about his take on cholesterol and coconut oil. If cholesterol is a cause rather than just a correlation of CVD and coconut oil causes high cholesterol (as Dr Greger asserts) why is it that Dr Joseph Mercola can make this statement: “Did you know that multiple studies on Pacific Island populations, who get 30-60% of their total caloric intact from fully saturated coconut oil, have all shown nearly non-existent rates of cardiovascular disease?” He then backs it with a raft of study references?http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/22/coconut-oil-and-saturated-fats-can-make-you-healthy.aspx#_ednref1Dr. Mercola makes a lot of unsubstantiated claims, some of which he has received cease and desist letters for from the FDA.There is a world of difference between natives eating whole coconut and Westerners downing tablespoonsful of extracted oil.…which he just happens to sell.At any rate, Plant Positive has a video considering the evidence on these islanders:http://www.plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/27/the-tokelauans-the-samburu-and-the-masai-again.htmlDr. Mercola indeed has made some wild claims, some of which include not showering with soap and only with water for adequate vitamin d absorption.What is so radical about that? I do it, as soap is not good for your skin and the beneficial bacteria on your skin.All you need to do is use baking soda and vinegar on your arm pits, groin, and feet. You can even deodorize with salt.Personally, I view the cease and desist letters from the FDA as proof that he is correct. I HARDLY trust anything the FDA says now with the serious conflict of interest they have.If someone is to make health claims, they must use an honest, evidence based approach. Dr. Mercola is another Dr. Oz, believing in fads and showing poor studies to prove it despite the evidence to the contrary.I think most people give instant credibility to anyone with the Dr. prefix before their name, instead of realizing that anyone can be wacky or corrupted in the pursuit of money and fame. What’s great about this site is Dr. Greger & team are drawing all their information from STUDIES that have been done, in combination with specific medical knowledge to create new ways to see the studies in context with what delivers the most benefit since we can no longer escape exposure to toxins in modern life. But if I had to work next to a dude who only scrubs his nads with salt and vinegar, I’m pretty sure I’d show him the real meaning of the word radical.My understanding is that even though there may be an increase in cholesterol from coconut oil, the “good” cholesterol is what increases–which essentially lowers your risk of heart disease–or at least does not increase it. Do check this out…but as has been pointed out, populations which use coconut oil a lot don’t have nearly the level of heart disease as we do in the U.S. The lauric acid in coconut oil seems to have many positive health benefits. So if you take something other than virgin coconut oil, be sure it hasn’t had the lauric acid removed. Some “coconut oil” contains a number of medium chain triglycerides (also called medium chain fatty-acids), but may NOT contain LAURIC acid. Be sure your coconut oil hasn’t been tampered with!!! BTW, breast milk is also relatively high in lauric acid and is credited with providing some of the antimicrobial benefits to newborns.I can’t know the facts but I do know Mercola has financial gain to consider with his supplements, so I can’t put much stock in his “opinions”. Try taking his diet test? A joke…you say what foods agree with you and he pronounces your ideal diet. Thanks for nothing, I already knew that!Thanks for the always rational thinking in your videos. Sometimes I feel that vegans prefer to opt for crackpot theories instead of science based facts. Hopefully this bit of sanity will steer us towards reflecting at decisions made from our wishful thinking.Vegans and vegetarians do not have a monopoly on pseudoscientific beliefs and practices. Omnivores are in the majority in this regard, just as they are the majority in the general population.I love making decisions on good evidence-based research. Sometimes we stretch the research and generalize to the well-being of the whole organism based on favorable effects and data, ie. When certain foods or extracts zap cancer cells in the petri dish. So I’m wondering…if I just assume there are some good chemicals in coconut oil…whether or not there is solid evidence-based research and testing on humans…are those substances found in other whole foods as well? Perhaps ones with less fat. Or is there just something really special and unique about coconut oil?You may think that treating Alzheimer’s with coconut oil sounds like a bunch of bunk, but the drug companies don’t. One company has come up with a prescription-only “medical food” called Axona that provides ketones, similar to those in coconut oil.Alzheimer’s Weekly ran a cost comparison — a month’s supply of Axona costs $120 while a month’s supply of coconut oil costs $6.60. You can bet if there is money to be made the drug companies will be all over it.Dr. Mary Newport has written a detailed account of her husband’s treatment with coconut oil and his progress in Alzheimer’s Disease — What if There Was a Cure? It was very exciting and encouraging for me to see her husband’s progress with this home remedy.As a neonatal physician, Dr. Newport is familiar with the use of MCTs with newborns. They’re administered to premature babies because the oil is easily utilized even by babies with no digestive enzymes. MCTs are also added to all infant formulas.So I wouldn’t write coconut oil off, yet!Anecdotes are not science, however compelling.No, but with as many as there are, it should make us stop and question why they exist.Which is why Dr. Newport should have published a documented case studies of her husband and others rather than publishing unsubstantiated claims in the popular press.http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/expert-answers/axona/faq-20057790I think it’s pretty obvious now that there are no cure-all foods or products. Coconut is certainly one that companies have been trying to over-sell because of the versatility of the product. Although it may not cure alzheimers its definitly a healthy and delicious way to high cooked foods. Mushrooms sautéed in coconut oil mmmm.usualy, I agree with your videos , thistime not :I gave my 88year old mother her first coconut oil pot , 1 year ago….. the difference is AMAZING , she was in early stage ALZHEIMER , she regained clarity in 1month using 3 tablespoons per day ! her whole personality changed , vivid, joyfull, talking, energique…my old mam IS BACK…… so sorry that science does not back this up ….. I believe wath I SEE ( she still uses it, instead of other fat)I see nothing wrong with TRYING raw coconut oil in someone’s diet who has alzheimers or dementia to see if there is a positive effect. Most people consume poor sources of fat and at the very least coconut is healthier than lard, butter, margarine, olive oil (?), canola (the rapeseed hybrid–ugh!) and the awful oils listed in many processed food ingredients. namaste’, rachelIt is 91% saturated fat, this exceeds all percentages of saturated fat in lard, and butter.Maybe our recommended daily doses of Saturated fat are wrong…I eat eggs, butter, and coconut oil and milk everyday. I have no cholesterol problems, and I am very healthy.Sugar and grains are the real enemy of your heart.There is literally no evidence to justify your claims. Fad bloggers and appealing books are not considered evidence, and this is where the idea of “carbs are bad” comes from. If your cholesterol is in the normal target range, that is not exactly normal, as over 70% of heart attacks occur in the optimal range. This does not mean cholesterol is negligible, it means that the optimal recommendations are set too high. Having LDL below 70 and total below 150 is truly optimal. The foods you eat have more far reaching implications than raising your cholesterol, and I encourage you to explore this website further.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/08/10/making-sense-of-your-cholesterol-numbers.aspxhttp://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/cardiovascular/cholesterol/dangers-of-low-cholesterol.htmhttp://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/news/20070723/very-low-ldl-may-mean-more-cancer-riskAND… “Cholesterol is needed for life. It’s the parent molecule for all the major sex hormones, including estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. It’s needed for the immune system, and it’s needed for the brain. (In fact, one of the most serious side effects of cholesterol-lowering medication is memory loss.)” http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/cholesterol-facts-vs-mythsArticles to mercola, and other websites are not scientific primary sources. Please share studies, I typically have no interest in see these web pages unless you have a primary source.In addition…“Given the capability of all tissues to synthesize sufficient amounts of cholesterol for their metabolic and structural needs, there is no evidence for a biological requirement for dietary cholesterol. Therefore, neither an Adequate Intake nor a Recommended Dietary Allowance is set for cholesterol. There is much evidence to indicate a positive linear trend between cholesterol intake and low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, and therefore increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A Tolerable Upper Intake Level is not set for cholesterol because any incremental increase in cholesterol intake increases CHD risk.”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=542Your source is almost 10 years old.. Seems a bit outdated if you ask me.And all except one of the articles I posted have sources of their own. I think you can take the time to verify their validity by clicking on the links provided within the articles themselves. I’m not so concerned about your opinion that I will force feed it to you.My source is the national academy of sciences current recommendations, the year the page was printed has no bearing on the quality of the source.And I have little interest investigating each source from the shared articles, the fact that they come from random websites including mercola’s quackery is enough of a red flag for meI wonder, really, really wonder what Dr. (sic) Mary Newport is really selling here? Does “snake oil” ring a bell. While there is a lot of BS cures out there, there is absolutely “no real” cure or treatment or Alzheimer’s at this time. True story: A friend; who believed something about a cure that a friend of her’s told her about, asked me and roughly 100 plus other folks about the cure and they all (including me) all told her NO, it’s total hog wash. Upon asking the 126th person, she received a positive response to her cure question. The next day I received a phone call as well as an e-mail: See, I told you that it works. IF we really, really believe something, we can believe. Coconut oil is good for you. I use it almost daily but not to cure anything. It’s great on “toast”, in the “frying pan”, on “popcorn” etc.What makes this topic so difficult is the fact that both coconut oil and red palm oil are consumed in high quantities by certain ethnic groups in the Pacific and Africa without any of the adverse consequences associated with saturated fat consumption in Western societies.It could be that these fats are only harmful in the presence of inflammation, but there are other theories also, such as the protective effects of high MCTs or gamma-tocopherols in these natural products.It badly needs more research aimed at solving this apparent epidemiological paradox.Hi. Thanks for your articles and effort. Letting you know, I had a problem with your links though. “Find out in my next video Does Coconut Oil Clog Arteries?.” results in “sorry, the page you are looking for no longer exists”.That’s the video that goes up on Monday–the link will be live then. Sorry for the cliffhanger!Kudos on another great post! DOCTOR’S NOTE is GREAT. Dr. Greger’s Nutrition Facts web site is superbly organized!Thanks for your kind feedback. I only wish I started the whole Doctor’s Note thing from the very beginning! One of these days I hope to go back and add notes to the first few hundred videos.I love butter. Seeing as how it isn’t too healthy, I replace it with coconut oil for certain things. It certainly can’t be any worse than butter.What these tests fail to do is identify the kind of coconut oil being consumed and the remainder of the diet… Sure would like to trust these studies but we know most are bunk and will fall in favor of what is intended..I don’t agree or disagre with any of this…except one radically inane idea: That “if it worked” it would be shouted from the mountain top. WRONG. It has been scientifically proven–conclusively–that limiting animal protein in our diet absolutely inhibits and can even reverse some types of cancer growth. Who’s shouting that little nugget from a mountain top??? No one–the beef and poultry people wouldn’t allow it. And at last count cancer was far more prevalent and deadly than alzheimer’s. The outcome of any test or study is directly related to who stands to profit.I was wondering if anyone had heard about using perispinal Etanercept for Alzheimer’s. As far as I can work out they think it is caused by inflammation which is why the Etanercept seems to work.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOFFihG5n_kResults will always speak louder than any laboratorydo you have any helpf for MPS111 Sanfillipo syndrome children?On a related topic, i would appreciate a future video on utilizing the ketogenic diet to treat epilepsy. I do not know of any resources on how to go about this using a vegan diet. Perhaps coconut oil might find a useful place as part of that regimen.This video sucks ! big time ….Sugar , carbs and grains , wheat , factory man made food are the real enemy of your heart. not coconut oil ~ most Americans are becoming insulin resistant , the cause of most diseases ; Read the book called The Protein Power Lifeplan by Michael R. Eades, Mary Dan Eades (Paperback)Coconuts don’t grow where I live in Idaho. Not a food for me for that reason.you can buy the oil in a supermarketI am more self-sufficient than buying at a supermarket.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstractFlat earthers? I don’t think so.And you totally crack me uP!! Hahaha! <3This video sucks ! big time ….Sugar , carbs and grains , wheat , factory man made food are the real enemy of your heart. not coconut oil ~ most Americans are becoming insulin resistant , the cause of most diseases ; Read the book called The Protein Power Lifeplan by Michael R. Eades, Mary Dan Eades (Paperback)(99)coconut oil is so hard to take! is there a good way?Not sure it is needed. If you like it perhaps use 1tsp in a stir-fry. I use it, but mostly topically.I understand the science and from what it seems it is complete pseudo science, the claims behind why coconut oil works on Alzheimers. But one thing I wonder… How come there be so many personal claims of how it healed different peoples alzheimers? many different unrelated stories. Does anyone know? I am looking into this for my grandparents. My grandad is diagnosed with alzheimers and I am helping them switch to plant based. But they are also doing the coconut oil thing and I want to see if it is really valid for them.I am not sure. My grandfather had Alzheimer’s as well I wish we had more hard data supporting it’s claims. I intend to update the literature, please stay tuned I”ll be posting soon, as this is a hot topic. Thanks, Cecile.I saw a video on this where a woman who was a doctor with a husband with severe Alzheimer’s, or so she said. The man drew a picture of a clock that was almost unrecognizable. So, she got right on the Internet and did her research and came up with coconut oil, to sneak energy into her husband’s brain by ketones if sugar could not get in. That was the idea, that Alzheimer’s is a kind of diabetes of the brain and that energy cannot get into the brain so brain function declines. It sounds plausible anyway. Her proof was that over time her husband’s drawings of clocks got much better.It was claimed the fats in coconut oil could supply energy to the brain through ketosis or ketogenesis … or whatever.I thought this was confusing because if her husband was so bad that he could draw a clock, why would she not have noticed his Alzheimer’s long before that.I’m wondering just how many people out there are total scammers looking to lie, cheat and steal their way to success, versus anyone doing real work, and on just on the Mongolian Gerbil?The woman doctor’s name was Dr. Mary Newport who was trying to help her husband who was dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease. She claims miraculous results? What is her scam or is there one?	Alzheimer’s disease,brain disease,brain health,coconut oil,coconuts,cognition,dementia,ketogenic agent AC-1202,medium-chain fatty acids,supplements,triglycerides	Though there have been more than a thousand papers published on coconut oil in medical journals, there is little evidence it helps with Alzheimer's disease.	The "shouted from every mountain top" argument is not entirely convincing. For example, we've known for decades that our #1 killer is preventable and reversible (see Resuscitating Medicare, Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped, and China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death), yet the medical community continues to rely more on drugs and surgery. Why? Well they likely weren't taught clinical nutrition in medical school (Medical School Nutrition Education), or after medical school (California Medical Association Tries to Kill Nutrition Bill), and the medical establishment has shown a disturbing inertia even when presented with convincing evidence (see The Tomato Effect). The difference is that coconut oil doesn't have the data to back it up. What's the potential downside of giving coconut oil a try? Find out in my next video Does Coconut Oil Clog Arteries?Please be sure to check out my associated blog post for more context:  Is Coconut Oil Bad For You?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ketogenic-agent-ac-1202/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconut-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triglycerides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medium-chain-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21669587,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22164340,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19437058,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9756121,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22866697,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21736782,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22030224,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19664276,
PLAIN-2797	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/	Plant-Based Diets: Dental Health	The foods found most protective include raw and green/leafy vegetables, tomatoes, citrus, and carrots. Citrus fruits are acidic, though. Fine, less oral cancer, but what the health of the teeth themselves? Might eating lots of sour fruit eat away at our enamel. Well early case reports that raised red flags  involved things sucking on lemon wedges—not a good thing for your teeth. Or, rampant cavities as a result of the bizarre habit of sucking bananas. Turns out you should not give your preschool child a banana to suck on day and night as a pacifier. Juicing 18 oranges a day for a decade or two can also take quite a toll. The conventional wisdom that fruit juice may be bad for your teeth, but not whole fruit, was challenged recently. The ability fruits and their juices to erode enamel appear to be comparable, whether you're eating grape or grape juice, carrots or carrot juice, oranges, apples, tomatoes or raisins.  Now fruits and fruit juices weren't as bad as soda—diet coke takes the title for softening teeth the quickest, but it was a surprise that fruits and their juices had comparable effects, a result no doubt celebrated by the study's funders, the sugar bureaus as well as the Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Association.  It's interesting the spin the Dental Association put on it, if " eating fruits and vegetables as “whole” foodstuffs may cause similar demineralization in enamel to when they are consumed as a juice," then hey, saying hey maybe fruit juice is not so bad at all. Of course the glass half empty interpretation is that wait a second, fruit is as bad as juice? Maybe fruit is worse than we thought. And indeed, the latest research to study whether the consumption of fruit is cavity causing found that the frequency of fruit consumption was associated with higher odds of cavities, though they acknowledge that the role of fruit sugars in initiating dental cavities in humans has long been a subject of debate. But is this going to be a problem for those eating like this, as opposed to this. Among vegetarians, significantly more frequent consumption of sour products (predominantly raw vegetables and fruit and tomatoes) was observed.  Though the ''level of oral hygiene was similar in both groups, those eating vegetarian did have more erosive lesions, but did not find enough to be statistically significant, unlike the other study. No differences in plaque, gingivitis, cavities or tooth loss, but they did find a greater incidence of demineralization and white spots, in the vegan subjects compared to the omnivorous ones, markers of greater acid erosion. So what should people do? There are a number of foods and drinks that have the potential to cause dental erosion, both unhealthy foods like soda and sour candy, as well as healthy foods, such as fresh fruit and some herbal teas. In the biggest study to date, consuming citrus fruits more than twice a day was associated with 37 times greater odds of dental erosion compared to those who consumed citrus fruits less often. It also appears risky to consume apple cider vinegar or sport drinks once a week or more often, or soft drinks daily. These habits resulted in the odds of erosion being ten, four, and four times greater, respectively, than when the habit did not exist. So should we avoid healthy these foods? No. Even the study that found more cavities in kids eating more fruit  concluded that even though the consumption of fruit might not be considered completely safe to eat in relation to cavities, we are not in a position to suggest that fruit consumption should be curtailed as a cavity-preventive measure. At this stage, of greater importance is the preventive advice that children should brush their teeth twice daily using fluoride toothpaste. In fact that study that looked at the erosive potential of fruit was done on folks not using fluoride toothpaste . Just don't brush right after you eat the fruit. You have to wait at least 30 minutes. Acid softens your enamel such that if you brush right away you can actually brush away your enamel. They did this study where they had some folks swish some acidic solution —in this case diet Sprite, and then brush immediately after, 10 minutes after, 20, 30 or q full hour. As you can see if you drink soda without brushing at all you may lose some of your teeth, but you can double or triple that damage if you then start brushing your teeth when they're in the acidified softened state. They say we should wait at least 30 minutes and probably a whole hour to be safe. Instead, after eating anything sour, we should rinse out mouth with water to help neutralize the acids.  IS there evidence to support this? No, unfortunately Due to the limited number of clinical studies performed to investigate the association between diet and dental erosion, prevention and treatment (from a dietary perspective) are based on common sense rather than an evidence-based approach. In fact there's not a single study concerned with dentist advice for dietary change aimed at preventing tooth erosion."  But rinsing with water after eating or drinking anything acidic is the best advice we have so far.	Dr Greger – I have always felt and your video seems to confirm this, that drinking water after eating is beneficial, especially if its alkaline water, which is what I drink. I dont think there are any studies that specifically show that alkaline water reduces the risk of cavities, but from your video today, I suppose one could conclude that it would.Drinking alkaline water throughout the day, and even when waking in the night, taking a drink of alkaline water may decrease any acidity buildup.Thank you for your continued daily informational tidbits.David: If you haven’t seen it already: You might find Dr. Greger’s video that is specifically on the topic of alkaline water to be very interesting.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/Could someone help clarify? I drink unsweetened mild lemon water throughout the day; I love how it tastes and heard it was good for me. I’ve heard that the acid in lemons ends up having an alkalinizing effect. Should I be using baking soda in my water instead?I think it depends how much lemon you add to your water. If it reduces its pH to 5.5 or less, then you’re adding too much. That’s the point where cavities start forming. You can buy some pH test strips either on-line or at some health food stores to find out if you’re adding an appropriate amount. It might take a bit to get used to the taste of baking soda in water.I added the least amount of lemon juice to tap water that I could without using any special equipment (I’m guessing about 4 drops of lemon juice to 12 oz tap water) and the pH dropped from 6 to 5. I repeated the first step once again and the pH dropped from 5 to 4. It would be pretty difficult to add any appreciable amount of lemon juice to (unbuffered) water without the pH dropping lower than 5.5.Instead of adding baking soda to your water, I would suggest drinking your lemon water through a straw. I drank lemon water for more than a year–using a straw–and the dentist never mentioned noticing any accelerated enamel erosion. I also rinsed with regular water, if I thought I got some lemon water on my teeth. I personally wouldn’t just add baking soda to my water. Since lemon juice (very acidic) is apparently alkalizing for the body, (odd, I know), then maybe baking soda has an acidic effect on the body. Plus, your stomach pH can range from 1 to 5 acidic) depending on whether or not you are digesting food. The low pH is necessary for initial breakdown of proteins. Perhaps slurping a baking soda solution throughout the day would affect your efficiency of digesting proteins.“Since lemon juice (very acidic) is apparently alkalizing for the body, (odd, I know)”Odd and doubtful. An acid would be “alkalizing for the body” if some other process were involved like, oh I don’t know, decalcification?! From where does this idea comes from?From this data it seems that brushing is promoting teeth erosion???Not brushing per se; when you eat acidic foods, your enamel becomes softened for a period of time. It is brushing while your enamel is in this “softened state” that the erosion occurs. Giving your enamel time to harden back up before brushing will help to prevent the erosion. I have also seen the advice that if you do need to brush right away, rinsing with a baking soda solution prior to brushing may help. You do not want to stop brushing altogether! The bacterial buildup that would ensue would result in a lot more erosion.I’ve found rinsing with a dilute solution of baking soda (1/2 tsp in a cup of water) after eating foods – oranges, or even salads with a lemon juice based dressing, as extremely effective in reducing and even eliminating tooth sensitivity, both in the short and long term. Certainly it’s worked far better than any dental product I’ve tried, many of which seem both toxic and ineffective. I’d bet a dilute solution of baking soda works a lot better than rinsing with plain water, as it will neutralize any acids, even those in relatively inaccessible areas, almost instantaneously.Lovely! I’m going to give a baking soda rinse a try… This video for me was long-awaited because I want to take great care of my teeth, but they do feel slightly more sensitive after going vegan.Also, I’m curious which herbal teas may cause dental erosion. Anybody have some info on this?Dr. Greger – I am a vegan Family Physician (Edmonton, Canada) and take the opportunity to thank you for your comprehensiveness and dedication in sharing essential nutritional facts. I was inspired by you, as well as some other remarkable physicians (e.g. late Dr. David Servan- Schreiber) and provide free nutritional and healthy life style lectures. Evidenced-based knowledge about healthy life style is indeed one of the majo tools for preventative medicine in which nutrition plays the dominant role.As for Oral Hygiene – I’d recommend to mouthwash with alkaline water (cup of water with a pinch of baking soda – lasts for the whole day) after every meal. Teeth brush with a gently teeth paste (containing fluoride), flossing and rinsing with Listerine mouthwash before bed time.In light of your last video – can you comment on that?Specifically, what are the potential benefits and possible harms in using baking soda and Listerine?Thank you in the name of many who cherish your work.I tested Listerine with pH paper and found it to be acidic. I wouldn’t use it, but your baking soda idea sounds greatfluoride is toxic…Chloride is toxic too! And you put it on your food… as Sodium Chloride. Fluoride treatment is usually in the form of sodium fluoride. Remember salt can kill you as well as drinking too much water. Is water poison?Comparing fluoride to chloride isn’t so helpful. They have different properties and act differently in the body.Is arsenic not poison because too much water can kill you? 5 grams of sodium fluoride will kill you. Will five grams of sodium chloride kill you? You’re a doctor…I would have expected a MUCH better argument from you.Actually, sodium fluoride’s toxicity is rated at 52mg/kg. So 5.2g will have a 50% chance of killing a 100kg person. However, we don’t consume that much.Capsaicin’s LD50 is actually lower than sodium fluoride. 4.7g is enough to cause a 50% chance of death in a 100kg person.The point is that just because something is toxic in certain doses doesn’t mean it’s toxic in other doses. There are 4.0mg of sodium fluoride in a liter of drinking water. A 100kg person would have to drink about 1300 liters of water before risking poisoning.Also, if the fluoride in water were as toxic as you fear, then we would see more fluoride related deaths.Just curious why you think fluoride is necessary when so many studies suggest not? Also why do you think people should use Listerine? I don’t feel it is necessary for good oral hygiene. If you have a good diet and floss and brush (with non fluoride toothpaste!) you don’t need some chemical mouthwash! I also use to be a dental assistant and although most dentists push fluoride, (probably cause they make a lot of money doing treatments) I prefer not to use it and tell our dental office not to use it on my children and husband! Can’t believe they used it on my husband last time and he has fluorosis!!!The problem with listerine is that it kills the beneficial oral flora, see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/My dentist always comments on how my teeth are in the top 1% :-) I’ve had a high fruit diet for 20 years. Yes I can notice that my teeth are more sensitive after citrus though. But I avoid brushing them after citrus like the video says :-)Dr Greger, keep researching fluoride. There’s a BIG difference between Calcium Fluoride and Sodium Fluoride. Sodium Fluoride is some scary stuff. I’ve always avoided it and have perfect teeth. Unfortunately, recently, my city added it to the water and, although I don’t drink it or use fluoridated toothpaste (only shower in it), I’ve noticed a little Dental Fluorosis (white flecks on my teeth in my case) in the morning. Luckily due to the reduced levels of Fluoride in my system, it fades during the morning, but now I see many people with severe white flecks on their teeth. Something I never saw before the Fluoride was added. I’ve watched documentaries on the stuff. Scary.There are many misconceptions about fluoride. Fluoride is not necessarily toxic. It depends on the concentration. The drinking water in Denver, CO, for example, contains naturally-occurring fluoride very close to the levels that are recommended for drinking water fluoridation (0.7 mg/L to 0.9 mg/L). The water company (Denver Water) actually removes some fluoride when the naturally-occurring levels exceed the recommended levels. This water comes from the Platte River which is used by many other cities on down the line. This water supply has been used by millions of people over 100’s of years without problems related to fluoride. I find that the public’s perspective is that the government adds all of this fluoride to all of the drinking water. That’s simply not true. The communities that add it are using a target value that’s very close to a natural concentration of fluoride, just not the natural concentration in their particular water supply.Yes, but they’re not adding natural fluoride are they? They’re adding hexafluorosilicic acid from China. A dirty byproduct from the fertilizer industry contaminated all sorts of wonderful things.Why add it to the water anyway when it is in the toothpaste? Study after study has shown that topical application is all that is needed, and internal application is an unnecessary risk.The biggest misconception about fluoride is the misconception that adding a pharmaceutical product to the water supply is the best method for giving the correct dose to a public that hasn’t even given their consent.Very important to note that the study does not specify if the fruit juice was; fresh pasteurized, or fresh concentrated juice. Though these two should not be confused with fresh squeezed straight from a juicer. All three types are different and have different effects on the body. It is well known that concentrated fruit juice ravages teeth much like sugar (highly acidic).Fluoride is toxic, and is usually coupled with SUGAR, dyes, pork fat, among other substances in regular toothpaste and should not be consumed or used. Fluoride toothpaste comes with a warning in the usa as its a poison.The warning about fluoride is so you don’t swallow the toothpaste which can be highly concentrated in fluoride. Simply passing it over your teeth then spitting it out won’t hurt you.For the first time in decades, I had zero cavities at my last checkup. Perhaps, it is because I’ve been eating vegan and avoiding wheat as a way to reduce pain and inflammation.As for brushing, my dentist and periodontist said it’s not as important to use a fluoride tooth paste as it is to brush, even with plain or filtered water twice a day with flossing and brushing at night. This works! But, diet is also critical and eating healthy vegan has worked for me.Thanks Dr. Greger! This was very informative.So glad I can help bbb!Kangen water also will balance ph as it is alkaline. Please look at Kangen.com. Let me know if you have any questions.Would drinking through a straw help?I also wonder if straw drinking would decrease the negative effect. Are there any comparative studies on dental effects from straw vs non-straw drinking of fruit juice/smoothies?I’ve always thought it was funny that some people think that if they drink something through a straw, that it wouldn’t get on their teeth. It’s just impossible.What an incredible resource you are. Thank you very much for your great work. In your presentation regarding “Plant based diets and oral health” coffee was not mentioned. Where might coffee stack up when compared to fruit juice, or soda in terms of it’s erosive potential?I believe coffee is fairly acidic. I add a little salt to my coffee to help neutralize the pH.Should be important to note that a poor diet is associated with high risk of cavities vs a healthy diet has been shown to prevent and sometimes reverse cavities.I have never heard that reversal of cavities was possible. My dentist denies that, but it goes against the principle of the body trying to heal itself. Do you have a source for this? Thanks.melanie: I can’t provide you with a source, but I can repeat what my dentist told me. He said that they used to think that once a cavity formed, there was nothing that could be done about it. But now they have evidence that small cavities at least can be reversed. However, I was not given a site/source for this information. He also did not seem to know if we know what conditions need to be in order for cavities to reverse. I’m sharing this with you so that you know at least one other person has heard this same type of news.I think it is really exciting and wish they would do a lot more research on it.So if we follow the logic presented in the studies, should I NOT drink coffee/tea/wine right AFTER as well as BEFORE brushing my teeth? Seems like the dentin would be more easily stained or otherwise damaged either way.thnmdfgfb http://www.chatalex.com/I remember in the 90s, in Victoria, BC (Canada), there was a campaign to encourage people to eat cheese after a meal, claiming it helped reduce cavities. Or perhaps it was an apple and cheese. Looking back at it now, it seems like a bizarre recommendation, and I question what science was behind it and who funded it. It certainly hasn’t lasted the test of time.I’ve personally experienced this problem with my teeth. After eating a vegan diet high in fruits and veggies for 20 years, I began to get cavities that resulted from the loss of tooth enamel. I’m glad you’re reporting on this here. I like to use a Water Pik to rinse my mouth after eating, but now I know to wait awhile before brushing. I was doing that wrong!On page 169 in Dr. McDougall’s book, the Starch Solution, he says:”the methylcobalamin and hydroxycobalamin forms of B12 are better choices.” I respect both of you and would like clarification. Thank youI was given this same rec in the T Colin Campbell/eCornell Plant-Based Nutrition course.Chinese Taoist tradition use making of saliva enough to swallow loudly and at least 3 times with tongue tip to the anterior palate to promote health of the “kidney system” ( one of the 5 that include every parts and tissue of the whole body) that includes and support the bone, whose outward (glory) sign is the teeth; the the brain and all the nerves. Saliva is alkaline, has substances for immune defence, enzyme for digestion, neutralise toxins, has 27 names down the 2000+ yrs of history ,describing it in the Chinese health and Taoist literature–showed its significance. There are popular Chinese exercises described, to make more saliva, if it does not flow naturally–by swirling one’s tongue over all the surfaces of teeth, naming “red dragon (tongue)churning the sea (of saliva)”Dr Gregor , is there studies about the caries preventing effects of saliva?My old dentist told me that keeping your saliva healthy was the most important think for your teeth. He advised eating meat and no starches. Haha! He tried. Never said anything about alkalinity, but I soon got into Macrobiotics and learned about it there. It takes a lot to figure this thing out. Thank you Dr.Greger for your posts.I thought fluoride was a toxic poison and produced no beneficial effects on oral health.Fluoride in drinking water and toothpaste is poison! There’s all kinds of documentaries, studies and evidence that support my statement.Why would they encourage fluoride? Fluoride is bad for you. Wild animals do not brush their teeth and have no problem with dental hygiene. What about all of Weston Price’s work showing that native cultures eating their native diets had almost no incidence of dental problems. Most of them didnt practice what modern day considers good oral hygiene. I think when you brush your teeth, especially if you use a standard tooth paste, it disrupts the natural mouth flora.Lyn-doe:Some thoughts for you:1) Wild animals do not eat the types of unnatural foods that humans today eat2) Dogs, who tend to eat the processed types of foods that humans now eat, do have dental problems.3) “native cultures” would not have been eating candy bars and chips and TV dinners, etc. Thus, it would make sense that they would not have dental issues just like wild animal’s teeth seem to do pretty well – at least during their relatively short lifetimes.4) given that modern human eating habits do lead to dental problems, using having a substance that is clinically proven to prevent dental problems sounds like a good thing to me.5) Health information or guidance from the Weston Price foundation/website is of highly questionable value. I refer you to the scholarly work posted called Primitive Nutrition on YouTube if you want to learn about the weaknesses of the information given on the Weston Price Foundation site. Plant Positive covers much more than just Weston Price, but you can search until you find the Weston Price material (again, only if you are interested of course).http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egqf7k5Lzhk&list=PLCC2CA9893F2503B5Good luck to you.Ah, found it. While I highly recommend the entire series, it is Primitive Nutrition 26, where you can learn what you need to know to put the information that the Weston Price foundation gives out into perspective.Well dang, I don’t know where that picture above came from. I didn’t put it in and I can’t figure out how to get it out. If anyone wants to check out the Primitive Nutrition series of videos, I recommend clicking on my link, not the picture of the video that seems to be attached to my post.When visiting Anasazi Indian cliff dwelling ruins like Chaco Canyon,it was amazing to discover the poor dental health on skeletal remains which was attributed to grinding corn on sandstone. There are always various factors which impacted various native populations, but certainly a lack of refined sugars and grains was a common denominator, in the study you point out.Can tooth decay be reversed by diet?Appreciate the abundant relating of how increasing plants in diets is strongly helpful and healthful. However, in one footnote the use of fluoride toothpaste is advised. Use of fluoride has now been rejected by the Canadian Dental Assoc. and by most European Dental Associations as being a risk/hazard to long term health with little or no consistent benefit to dental health. Fluoride is a severe toxin, hazardous waste from chemical production. If fluoride producers could not sell it to toothpaste manufacturers, they would instead have great expense in securing safe disposal of this very hazardous, toxic chemical waste. Research it. Fluoride is extremely hazardous, harmful, toxic and has no credible benefit to oral health.Dr. Greger:Can you do a video on enamel remineralization? I eat A LOT of fruit and I am worried that it is keeping my oral pH too low and dissolving my enamel, even though the rest of my body and mind is loving it.Also, there is a book on amazon about remineralization and it says you need a diet high in oil and fat soluble vitamins (A, D, K) the only problem is that the diet it recommends is predominately non-vegan. BUT, people who have done the diet have COMPLETELY fixed giant black caries in their teeth! That’s crazy! Even though they did it by eating animals, it seems to be on the right track for what is necessary to remineralize enamel.Thanks for being totally awesome!That’s pretty interesting. Care to link to the book page, or give the title? Seems like a fluoride rinse is the best option at the moment, that I’m aware of.My dentist suggested that we eat more dark green leafy veggies to help re-calcify our teeth. I asked whether chewing the greens before eating would be more beneficial than just eating them (smoothies, juice, cooked, etc). Can you get any calcium out of the greens and into your teeth through mastication? I want to get your take on it. Thanks.	apples,bananas,Biscuit Cake Chocolate and Confectionery Association,cancer,candy,carrots,children,citric acid,citrus,Coca-Cola,dental health,dietary guidelines,fluoride,fruit,fruit juice,grape juice,grapefruit,grapes,greens,herbal tea,industry influence,juice,lemons,limes,omnivores,oral cancer,oral health,oranges,plant-based diets,raisins,raw food,soda,sports drinks,sugar,Sugar Association,tea,tomatoes,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vinegar	Those eating more sour fruit may risk greater erosion of their tooth enamel (especially if teeth are brushed in a softened state), but there's a simple solution.	That was a long one! Normally I'd split it up across a few videos into a series but I didn't want to leave people hanging. And I figure they're easier to share with friends and family if it's all packaged into one video. Well almost all--for other aspects of oral health check out the previous video Plant-Based Diets: Oral Health.What's so great about citrus? I've got a bunch of interesting videos coming down the pike, but there are a few on the site already that hint at the benefits:Anything else people eating healthy diets should be aware of? The most important consideration is vitamin B12. See my blog posts Vitamin B12: how much, how often? and Vegan B12 deficiency: putting it into perspective.I imagine there are those not happy with my mention of the F word, but I am not convinced by the concerns that have been raised about fluoride (see my Ask the Doctor entry The dangers of fluoride (tap water fluoridation)?), though it may be possible to get too much in tea, especially for children. See my video Overdosing on Tea.Also, be sure to check out my associated blog posts for more context: Do Vegans Get More Cavities? and Hibiscus Tea: The Best Beverage?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-dangers-of-fluoride/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raisins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fluoride/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/limes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vinegar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sports-drinks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biscuit-cake-chocolate-and-confectionery-association/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21513476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22173441,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18990606,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21733310,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6957849,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21876354,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12763762,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21282682,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22922855,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21217622,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4533006,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21505204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22316111,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22419315,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14684979,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14972061,
PLAIN-2798	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/	Plant-Based Diets: Oral Health	Two studies were recently published on plant-based diets and oral health. What do you think they found? Well for periodontal disease, the health of tissues surrounding the teeth, like gingivitis, gum disease, one of the leading causes of tooth loss, plant-based diets should be protective.  Inflammation is now recognized as one of the key underlying causal factors in periodontal disease, and we know saturated fats produce an inflammatory response, and so no surprise this recent study found that "High dietary saturated fat intake was significantly associated with a greater number of periodontal disease events," which in this country comes mostly from cheese and chicken. The same diet that leads to high cholesterol may also contribute to periodontitis as they both appear correlated. People with periodontal disease also suffer from arterial dysfunction. Inflammation, high cholesterol and arterial dysfunction, is it any wonder there may even be an Association Between Chronic Periodontitis and Erectile Dysfunction?  By looking in your mouth your dentist may find out more about you than you may have realized. We know we can reverse impotence with a plant-based diet, what about periodontal disease? A new study found that higher intake of high-fiber foods, especially fruits, may at least slowing periodontal disease progression.  For oral cancer it's a no-brainer. According to the latest review in the Journal of the American dental Association, " Evidence supports a recommendation of a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables as part of a whole-foods, plant-based diet."	That’s interesting. My dentist recently said that I’ve got almost no dental calculus. I went vegan two years ago.That makes me smile!Dr. Gregor, are you referring to only animal based sources of saturated fat as causes of the inflammation (amongst lots of other diseases) or are you also including in this causation group the vegan based/plant sources of saturated fat? (such as avocados, nuts, seeds.) Many vegans eat heaps of saturated fat on a daily basis. Could excessive vegan saturated fat intake cause these same ailments you mention in the video(s)?Avocados, nuts and seeds contain small percentages of saturated fats, the bulk being mono- and poly-unsaturated. The only plant source of saturated fats in high amount are tropical fats (palm, palm kernel, coconut), which are too often hidden in industrial products under the label “vegetable fat” or “vegetable oil”.i know lots of vegans (some that frequent this website) that consume, on average, 2 avocados a day, a handful of walnuts, a cup of pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts, pecans, ., ….yes, all on a daily basis, often exceeding well over 100 percent of the RDA for saturated fat. If one does the fat analysis using an online app, one will see that just the foods i mentioned above, eaten in liberal amounts that many vegans consume (not all vegans, but a lot), exceeds the 100 percent. When we have vegans out there eating these plant-based -saturated fats, in such liberal quantities, i think it is important for Dr. Gregor to address whether or not the detrimental effects of saturated fats talked about in this video, as well as other videos, applies to plant based saturated fats as well.…..and what about the vegans amongst us ingesting a couple tablespoons of coconut oil a day? It is easy to over-eat coconut oil, especially when one drops a tablespoon of it intio their salad, bean dish……one ounce of coconut oil, apparently, blows the the 100 percent RDA for saturated fat.Coconut oil (actually fat) is extremely high in saturated fatty acids, especially lauric – which is as bad as palmitic. Don’t use tropical fats, whatever the advertisments of the industy say.I agree with the ratio issue as both the omega 3 and omega 6 go through the same enzymes that produce the anti inflammatory/anti-clotting and inflammatory/clotting substances our body needs. The target is about 2/1 omega 6 to omega 3 but can be as high as 40/1 in some plant based diets especially with the ingestion of corn oil. I agree that on a whole food plant based diet you should be okay especially if you add in some ground flax or some walnuts. However the amount is also important and depending on one’s goals nuts should be limited to around 1 serving per day unless you are very active and can go to 2 servings per day… as general rules which… can vary from individual to individual. Dr. Esselstyn, who has had the most success with patients with clinically apparent heart disease, allows no nuts in his diet due to the saturated fats.I’m afraid your reasoning is faulty from the beginning. With such a “liberal” intake, one exceeds first of all the RDA for calories – unless he does a lot of physical activity – and then the reasonable percentage of fat – unless he eats a lot more of grains and pulses, in which case the total calories consumed must be very high – back to the same problem thus. The issue with saturated fats is the proportion. Our body synthesizes saturated fats (actually, fatty acids), because it needs them too, in the right proportions, to build membranes with the right structure and permeability. And it also has enzymes (desaturases), which transform saturated fatty acids to unsaturated (especially stearic to oleic). Also, all foods contain saturated fatty acids, none excluded. The real problem is when the proportion of saturated fatty acids (and actually not all of them; the three atherogenic ones, lauric, myristic and palmitic) are too abundant. Which is never the case by consuming unrefined plant foods with the exception of the tropical fats (pal, palm kernel, coconut).Interesting. I hadn’t thought of it that way. It seems like what your are saying is that the ratio of saturated fats, to other fats, if maintained in a proper way, is what determines whether the saturated fat dose is healthy or not. Even so, though, Dr. Gregor does seem to be concerned about the amount of saturated fat one’s diet, and once again many vegans out there blow through the 100 percent RDA, many well past 200 percent. Are you saying that this amount, if balanced with other fats, would not be of concern (in regards to the detrimental effects of saturated fats as stated in the video above? Are these excess plant based saturated fats exempt from causing the ailments that the meat, egg, dairy based saturated fats cause, according to Dr. Gregor?What I’m saying is that one cannot get an excess of saturated fats if he eats a whole-food plant based diet and avoids tropical fats. If his diet contains – say – 10% of fats as saturated fat (thus 90% is unsaturated), that proportion remains the same whether he eats 2000 or 4000 calories. If he is closer to 4000 than 2000, then he’s probably eating a too high proportion of fats; which however are still 10% saturated vs. 90% unsaturated. I am NOT saying that a high-fat diet is healthy, of course. I am just saying that until you stick to unrefined, non-tropical fats, the relative amount of saturated fat can hardly be problematic. In such a diet, you have to be careful to the proportions of omega-6 (pro-inflammatory vs omega-3 (anti-inflammatory), which in the Western diet, and especially in the SDA, is far definitely unbalanced toward the former.correct me if i’m wrong, but following your logic (in regards to fat ratios and omega types of fat, salmon is no worse off in its fat ratio and content than many healthful plant based fats. And the same could then me said for some types of meat. Look at the ratio of saturated fat to other types of fat in salmon. Doesn’t seem to bad to me. Same goes for lots of other non-vegan foods.Sure. But the problem of animal products is far from being limited to their fat content. We are not made to eat animal proteins – Dr. Greger has a nice video about the IGF-1 raising effect of animal proteins; also, they are generally more acidifying than plant proteins and also require a more acidic environment in the stomach to be digested. And you do not eat fish or meat raw, just hunted, do you? Cooking produces heterocylic amines. Also, cholesterol is partly oxidized and when you eat stored and cooked meat or fish you get cholesterol oxides, which are highly atherogenic. You cannot reduce the health effect of a food, whether it is plant or animal, to one component, unless you are speaking of separated fats (oils, margarines, solid fats) which are practically 100% fat.yes, but i brought all this up in reference to the video Dr. Greger put out on saturated fats and their detrimental effects. I am sticking to the thread of this, and think, as a vegan, it is important to address if excess saturated fats, (when eaten in excess) from plant-based sources can/do cause the same/similar negative consequences that meat dairy egg based sources cause as Dr. Greger states in the video above, as well as other videos. I think you are bringing something else into this (and what you are saying has merit, believe me), but i think it is mutually exclusive from the video’s premise.And let’s not forget the FDA recommends limiting fish servings to 3 times per week due to its’ polluted meat. As far as I am concerned, 1 serving of mercury and such is too much. Definitely isn’t appetizing.yes, you are right on limiting fish due to……. but keep in mind, let us stick to the premise of the video, as to what i have suggested as a reason for concern, and hope that someone on this website with knowledge and wisdom on this matter will contribute their expertise: do high saturated fats from plant based sources, when ingested in large amounts that exceed the 100% RDA for saturated fat (sometimes doubling and tripling the RDA) cause the same detrimental effects that meat dairy egg based sources do in the the above video? i have deep concern for many vegans i know, in this regard, as many are ingesting well over 200 percent of the RDA for saturated fat, maybe 350 days a year. are they prone to the same ailments suggested by the video, or are plant-based saturated fats, when eaten in excess, exempt from causing this harm, as it pertains specifically to the video’s premise?The saturated fat in coconuts may be bad in theory but not in practice. Pacific islanders who get as much as 63% of there calories from coconuts did indeed have higher serum cholesterol, but very little heart disease. Of course the difference was that they ate their coconuts whole and got very little cholesterol from their diets otherwise- plus they consumed no foods with added sugar. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7270479I believe that you should avoid regular consumption of the tropical oils which are high in saturated fat. Of course the animal sources come with other substances both natural (e.g. cholesterol) and man made (e.g. persistent organic pollutants, mercury, arsenic) that contribute to inflammation and chronic conditions. If you have not already seen it view…. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/.I used to have to have my teeth cleaned 3x per year due to massive plaque buildup, especially around the lower front teeth. I would use a paperclip to easily dislodge chunks of plaque down there! Since going vegan 5 years ago I have had virtually no plaque buildup at all. Due to lack of insurance and money, I went almost 3 years without a cleaning and when I finally went, no plaque! I’ve often wondered if there is a relationship between that plaque buildup and the plaque in our arteries. My dentist said no, but when this came up in conversation with a dental technician recently, she noted having seen an article in one of the dental journals suggesting there is.Been Vegan for over three years now. I went to the dentist and she said “I don’t know how you keep your mouth so clean, but keep it up!” Awesome video.Some other studies in support of this discussion: Inflammation – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20425759. Artierial dysfunction: http://media2.newsnet5.com/uploads/WEWS_EffectsOfSupplementalPhytonutrients.pdf. Periodontitis: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-051X.2011.01793.x/pdfHi Dr. Gregor: Could you please do a video on testosterone in vegans vs. non-vegans. In my case, my testosterone rose slowly over 2 years from 269 ng/dl as an omnivore (285 lbs, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, statins) to where it is now at 1111 ng/dl after being on a 100% whole plant vegan diet for the past two years (now zero meds, 180 lbs, 114 cholesterol, normal glucose). My main point here is that med literature (what I can find on the Internet) seems to suggest that testosterone declines with age. I do not believe that, I believe testosterone declines with declining health, which declines faster on the SAD but not on a vegan diet as we age. I am 53, and my testosterone appears to be at the high end of the range for an 18 year old according to the charts I see. Any info on point about this, or a video, would be very much appreciated. Thank you!I’m very sorry I misspelled your name, which I know is Dr. Greger. :)Your wish = my command: How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1?Dr. Greger, as always you are awesome. Thank you. :)You have to be careful when talking about numbers and aging. Most studies are done on patients who are on the standard American diet. The ingestion of meats often brings with them male hormones used mainly in the beef industry. I think it is clear that going on a plant based diet doesn’t feminize men or interfere with their fertility. It is somewhat complex as low fat plant based diets also increase the binding protein in the blood so you may not have as much free testosterone. Since higher testosterone is associated with prostate cancer I’m not sure I want higher levels. The increase in your testosterone is higher then the literature and my clinical experience. I think it is more important to look at how well you are functioning as opposed to absolute values. I believe the best science at this point supports a whole food plant based diets with avoidance of GMO foods plus adequate Vitamin B12. Congratulations on your success and as always if you experience any clinical symptoms you need to discuss with your physician. Together you and s/he are the best ones to interpret the significance of specific lab values .Thanks for the great videos and info, Dr. Gregor!To what extent are these effects a result of actually chewing the food versus simply ingesting the food? I ask because a somewhat considerable proportion of my typical daily veggie and fruit intake is in blended form via my Vitamix. Am I reaping all the benefits these studies cite, or am I missing out due to not chewing all my food?Steve E.: Excellent question! I don’t have the full answer, but I do remember a series of videos that Dr. Greger did that showed that chewing certain foods and getting the saliva going had an effect. I think it was about broccoli and energy/work outs? I don’t remember enough to look it up. I remember Dr. Essyelstyn saying something like: you shouldn’t drink smoothies to get the best effect of your food for a healthy heart. He talked about the importance of chewing. Again, sorry I don’t have the details.Also, I remember the series Dr. Greger did on nuts. Check out the videos on reasons why nuts (may) not contribute to weight gain despite their high calorie and high fat content. One of those reasons had to do with the body simply not digesting all of the nuts, some chunks pass through. At least that is what I remember. So, here’s my personal thought as it relates to your post: If you make a smoothy with nuts or seeds, then you are getting chunks of nuts that can pass through undigested.All of which makes me think that chewing really is important – whether it applies to this question of oral disease or not.That said, if you are consuming a whole plant-food based diet which happens to include some vegan smoothies, you are miles and miles above what so many other people are eating. I’m sure your diet consists of more than *just* smoothies and that you also get some fruits and veggies threw chewing. So my thought is: If you love smoothies a lot, maybe the question is not worth fretting over.Good luck. I hope someone can give you a better answer.The Vitamix does function much like your teeth in help breaking up the food. However we are designed as hind gut fermenting herbivores which have evolved from great apes to have more amylase genes and increased volume in our small intestine to absorb digested starches. Amylase is the enzyme that digests starches. Our salivary glands are one source of amylase so by chewing food in your mouth you release amylase to help digest starches. By swallowing smoothies I would imagine you add alot less amylase to aid in digestion. Now downstream in the intestine your pancreas adds more amylase to the mix but the upstream amylase gives you a head start in digesting your starches. There are other functions that are important in the mouth such as the nitrate to nitrite cycle… see videos..http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/ . Smoothies are a good way to get your greens but there is value to chewing your food to aid the digestion of starches. I’m sure as science progresses we will find other benefits to chewing such as getting the benefits from crushing broccoli see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/. What works for each individual varies for instance if you lack teeth blending would be helpful. You need to keep tuned to Nutrition.Facts.org as the science keeps coming…Thanks for the info, Dr. Forrester!Interesting that the nitrate to nitrite videos involved drinking beet juice, rather than chewing the beets. Seems they got the benefits of the beets just from the beet juice passing through the mouth in that case.I’ve seen the broccoli video before. I thought about this question when I watched that, too, but then I thought, what crushes and mixes broccoli better than a Vitamix? Seems like you just need to bust it open to get the beneficial reaction, and I’d assume either teeth or high speed steel blades would get the job done.Nevertheless, I had a big salad for lunch, including broccoli, and ate it the “old-school” way. I chewed it ;-)You can bet I’ll stay tuned to the site. Great stuff, Dr. Greger (my apologies for the name misspelling in my original post!). Would love to see any research analysis on this topic specifically…all the pros and cons of blending vs. chewing. I’m pretty sure Dr. Greger uses a Vitamix himself on occasion (I recall that from his interview on Rich Roll’s podcast), so I imagine it’s something he’s put some thought into.-SteveThis is a really fascinating topic. I was wondering about the impact this diet might have on my dentition. We must not be complacent and stop brushing/flossing, however. Eating plant-based helps, but we have to do other things too. Just like exercising, for our cardiovascular health. There is no one panacea.Dear dr. Greger,Thank you for sharing all this incredible information! As much as it is helpful, I can’t seem to find an adequate answer to the following question:What exactly constitutes a plant-based diet?Considering the importance of this diet one comes to understand when viewing many of the videos, I would have expected to find general information on how to start eating such a diet, yet, I can only find information on the effects of a plant-based diet, not on the diet itself.Thank you so much for taking the time to answer me!I am so happy to have discovered your website! I would like to know if I may Tweet or link to you from my web blog? May I recommend that you include Dental Hygienists or say Dental Professionals along with Dentists. Dental Hygienists are usually the ones treating gingivitis/periodontal disease and alerting the dentist of suspected dental lesions. Also, several states now have Expanded Practice Dental Hygienists allowing them to work independent of Dentists, such as Oregon, (my state), California, Colorado, etc., including Canada. Thank so much.eating chicken used to give me inflamed gums every time within 30mins, which took at least 2 weeks to heal. After watching this video , I realise that perhaps I was not imagining things. Sometimes I found that white rice did this too. My gum will recede and turn red, and quite painful. There was a lot of plaque build-up too before I switched to a plant based diet. Since going on a plant based diet for a few months my gums feel nice and firm i.e. my teeth do not feel wiggly, and no adverse reaction to anything that I consume. Needless to say, now I am back on a plant based diet for good – it was a no-brainer.	animal products,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,dental health,erectile dysfunction,fat,fiber,fruit,impotence,inflammation,LDL cholesterol,oral cancer,oral health,periodontal disease,plant-based diets,poultry,saturated fat,sexual dysfunction,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Plant-based diets may help protect against oral cancer and periodontal (gum) disease, a leading cause of tooth loss.	Cholesterol buildup, oxidation, and inflammation are the three harbingers of Arterial Acne, the leading cause of the death in the United States. In celebration of National Heart Health Month, watch my video series starting with Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease.So what is a safe intake for cholesterol and saturated fat? See Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. Why is saturated fat intake associated with inflammation? See my three-parter:For more on the relationship between our diet and sexual function, see:For more on oral health, see:But wait—what did those two recent studies on plant-based diets have to say? Find out in the next video Plant-Based Diets: Dental Health.Also, be sure to check out my associated blog post to get some more contex:  Do Vegans Get More Cavities?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/periodontal-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21513476,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22173441,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18990606,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21733310,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22298516,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6957849,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20525244,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12481178,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21876354,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21282682,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22922855,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12909566,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21217622,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4533006,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21505204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22316111,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14684979,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14972061,
PLAIN-2799	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/	Meat Fumes: Dietary Secondhand Smoke	The last time I talked about this study was in the context of carcinogens in the smell of frying bacon, the ability of the fumes generated by frying meat to mutate DNA, potentially explaining both the “increased risk of respiratory tract cancer among cooks” as well as the “lower proportion of deaths from respiratory diseases and lung cancer among vegetarians.” This was borne out in a new study on the exposure of pregnant women to both the consumption of grilled meat as well as exposure to the airborne fumes of grilling meat, even if they didn't eat it. Yes, the study found that evidence that prenatal exposure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from a diet including grilled meat might be hazardous for fetal development. For example, the effect of ingested barbecued meat consumed in the last pregnancy trimester resulted in birth weight deficit of 165 g, a smaller birth weight. But even if she didn't eat it, airborne exposure alone amounted to a birth weight deficit. Compared to no exposure, oral or airborne, just being around the barbeque was associated with a birth weight deficit, including a smaller head circumference in the newborn. See, after being absorbed into the body, these cooked meat compounds are distributed to almost all internal organs and are transferred through the placenta to the fetus, and it appears that newborns and young children are especially vulnerable to the toxic effects in terms of birth outcomes, Most importantly, it was recently documented that prenatal exposure to airborne PAH may also have an effect on the future cognitive development of children. Even just living next door to a restaurant preparing meat may pose a hazard. They measured the incremental lifetime cancer risk, the excess cancer cases expected in back-door neighbors of restaurants given what's spewing out of the exhaust outlets attached the the fume hoods in the kitchen. They compared what was coming out of Chinese restaurants, American style restaurants, and barbeque joints. Which do you think was worse? Chinese! Why not the barbeque places? They think it might be because of the fish. They're broiling more fish in Chinese restaurants than in the barbeque joints. How bad is it? They estimate that given the excess cancer risk you wouldn't want to live behind a Chinese restaurant more than a day or two a month, though maybe you can squeeze in an extra day behind one of the other restaurants. Their model suggests it may be easier for adults since they breathe more, eat more, and have more skin for the carcinogens to be absorbed through compared to children. Instead of trying to breathe less, though, it might be easier to just move, or convince the restaurant to go vegetarian.	And most certainly don’t grill your children!Many food stores intentionally exhaust cooking fumes from their deli department into their entrances. It has been shown to increase the amount of food purchased in that store. I try not inhale, just like Bill Clinton.Just in time for all those Super Bowl tailgate parties.The absolute best restaurant in my town, bar none, is a vegan Chinese place. Absolutely delicious! I recommend looking around your town to see if you have something similar. I live in a relatively small city and we still have a restaurant like this. It is not advertised that way, so you have to look to find it. Maybe your city will have something similar – all the traditional Chinese foods you are used to, plus other dishes, and still all vegan. Perfect!I wish! 98% of my area’s residents will ask what a vegan is!(groan) Oh boy. That’s tough. That’s a whole different world. My thoughts are with you….What can make a grown man stop grilling? A pissed off, pregnant wife armed with this information!The Jedrychowski study seems like one that faces a huge correlation/causality hurdle. I suspect next to impossible to separate effects on fetal development from inhaling BBQ fumes and other environmental impacts of living in the same household environment.The Chen study is much more compelling here. Continuous restaurant fumes and somewhat randomized back-door neighbors would tend to cancel out household to household environmental variation.I was just sent this email: I’M NOT UP FOR GEWTTING INTO A DEBATE WITH YOU EVERY TIME I WRITE SOMETHING ON MY WALL ABOUT VEGANISM, THE EVIDENCE IS CONCLUSIVE FOR ME, VEGAN DIETS KILLED OR MAIN PEOPLE . SO EITHER STOP POSTING ON MY WALL OR I WILL REMOVE YOU. I DO NOT WISH TO PUT MY ENERGY IN THE DIRECTION OF SOMEONE WHO DISCOUNTS OTHER PEOPLES EXPERIENCES IN THE PURSUIT OF HIS OWN AGENDA !The comment:(January 31, 2013): What she says on the link is misleading. She equates a vegetarian diet as being bad for the planet because it involves cutting down the rainforests and destroying the planet’s topsoil. But all that deforestation is to grow grain for factory farms. Vegans don’t advocate for that. Grasses are good as they hold the topsoil, but why have pasture land for grass-fed, methane-farting cows? That’s still the animal-slaughter business. Plant fruits trees and walnut trees with gardens in between. Fruit sugar, carbs, is what the human brain runs on. There can be some animals, but they are for loving, not eating. Lierre Keith slanders the vegan lifestyle, yet apparently she was never really a vegan, and her logic in equating bad agriculture and a vegan lifestyle is flawed. The science, nutritionfacts.org, China Study, etc., demonstrate that it is the animal protein and fats, not only the pesticides and hormones of modern factory farming, that stimulates cancer and causes heart disease and so many illnesses.I find it amusingly ironic that an Anarcho-primitivitivist (hunter-gatherer reactionary) as Keith is using such advanced technology as Facebook… Or even a computer.The smell of Super Bowl grilling hangs thick in the air while I walk the dog, and all I can think about is the message in this video.What do you think of liquid smoke? Is this just as dangerous?What do you think of liquid smoke? Is this just as dangerous?Dr Michael I think you are one interesting person, I really enjoy listening to these videos very much LOLWhat a great resource your website is, doc ! Perfect for cutting through the hype to provide evidence-based arguments.Meat cooked at high temperatures (roast, grill, bbq, fry) seems to be far more harmful than meat cooked at lower temperatures (poach/steam, microwave, boiled soup/stew, slow-cook crockpot).What are the best studies to show this ? Has anyone looked at large populations over a long period ? I wonder whether the negative effects of eating meat might be largely cancelled out by only using lower temperature cooking methods ?I have a nitrate sensitivity (acts like an allergy: hives, itchy throat, burning tongue). Recently, have had some mild reactions when around ball games, food courts, etc. I was wearing gloves and did not eat anything. Can nitrates be carried through the air?	animal products,animal protein,bacon,beef,cancer,carcinogens,chicken,children,cooking methods,DNA damage,fish,infants,lung cancer,lung disease,lung health,meat,mouth cancer,nasal cavity cancer,oral cancer,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,pork,poultry,pregnancy,protein,restaurants,throat cancer,tongue cancer,tonsil cancer,turkey,vegans,vegetarians,voice box cancer,women's health	The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the vapors released from cooking meat may be hazardous for fetal development and increase the risk of cancer.	The link to the previous video I referenced is Carcinogens in the Smell of Frying Bacon.How else can we protect the next generation? Check out:Have you tried our improved search function? If you put in pregnancy in the search box in the upper right-hand corner you'll see that this is just a sample from the 79 results.How else can we protect our lungs? See Preventing COPD With Diet and Treating COPD With Diet.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Heading Shrinking from Grilling Meat	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nasal-cavity-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/voice-box-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/restaurants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tongue-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouth-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tonsil-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22245161,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22079395,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7590526,
PLAIN-2800	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/	Prolonged Liver Function Enhancement From Broccoli	This study on cooked meat and the risk of breast cancer in Long Island women added to the accumulating evidence that consumption of meats cooked by methods that promote carcinogen formation may increase risk of postmenopausal breast cancer," but also offer a clue as to how we may be able to mediate that risk. Modest increased risk was found in older women eating the most grilled or barbecued and smoked meats over their lifetime—about 47% increased odds of breast cancer, but those same women who also had a low fruit and vegetable intake had a higher odds ratio of 1.74, 74% greater odds. Now low fruit and vegetable consumption may just be a marker for unhealthy habits in general, but maybe there's something in fruits and vegetables that's protective. Check out this fascinating study. To review ''The consumption of cooked meat appears to predispose individuals to cancer and the consumption of cruciferous vegetables is thought to protect against cancer, but if you remember it's in a rather unique way by boosting the activity of the detoxifying enzymes in our livers. For example, if you feed people broccoli and Brussels sprouts, they clear caffeine quicker. Meaning if you eat a lot of these healthy vegetables you have to drink more coffee to get the same buzz because your liver is so revved up. Same thing with the cooked meat carcinogens. If you have a side of broccoli with your meat you can significantly decrease carcinogen levels in your body. In period one they had subjects consuming cooked meat meals containing known amounts of these carcinogens, and this is the amount of the carcinogens they were absorbing into their bloodstream and then peeing out. In period 2 they ate the same amount of meat, but added broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Notice there's a significant drop in the amount of these meat mutagens circulating within their bodies. Now this wasn't a surprise, that's what cruciferous vegetables do—boost our livers ability to clear chemicals from our body. But this is what blew people away. In period three, again same amount of meat but they took away the veggies, yet their liver function appeared to remain enhanced two weeks later. So there appears to be a prolonged beneficial effect of cruciferous vegetable consumption. So you can eat broccoli days or even weeks before the big barbeque and still retain a little protection, though of course if you grilled veggie burgers,  it would be even better, as apparently no matter how you cook plant-based foods—even if you deep fry them, no detectable heterocyclic amines are formed.	I once took cranberry capsules to ward off urinary tract infections. After a week or so I developed red spots all over my body’s lower half–called the doctor. He asked what was new and I described my cranberry food supplement addition. He advised me that each cranberry capsule has the chemistry of a pound of cranberries and that I had apparently set up a sensitivity to them in my body. He told me to stop taking them and be careful to not eat cranberry products since my body may have a reaction to them that could be worse. Once since then I drank 4 ounces of cranberry juice and the spots returned. I now avoid all ingestion of cranberries.I know this comment is off topic but it is an interesting experience with food supplements. Thanks for the broccoli endorsement–even if I have become a vegan it is interesting. It may deter even cancers caused by other sources as well. Dr. Colin Campbell once spoke at a book signing here in Austin. He mentioned that cancer causes are ubiquitous, and we encounter them in many ways. He said that they are like a seed. Whether they implant, root and grow depends on what you feed them. He pointed out that cancer prefers the casein protein as food. I decided to cut out dairy.Great post MIchael. I think the only point I would make about grilling veggies is that while you don’t need to worry about HCAs, you do need to be concerned about advanced glycation endproducts like acrylamides. Depends of course how long, how hot and how dry the grill is.I think this explaines why my caffeine craving has increased since becoming mostly vegan. Any less harmful alternatives to caffeine, or shall I just have a broccoli chaser with my espresso?I believe Dr. G would recommend green tea as a healthier alternative. See his videos on the topic.or Chaihi James! I went cold turkey 2 yrs ago and have never had a drop of coffee since. I was sick detoxing it out of my body for a week…food for thought as to just how addictive coffee really is….I do not miss ot at all and if I need a “pick me up” I drink water! I also drink lots of green juices – my fave is sliced “coins” of ginger & curcuma that I bring to a boil, turn off and mascerste over night or at least for a few hours before drinking….deicious! tastes way better than any coffee I remember…..Perfect timing I was just discussing liver function with a friend yesterday.Don’t forget the stalks are equally nutritious. I like to slice the stalks in such a way that I create broccoli “coins.”Mike: Good point. I’ve made those “coins” you are talking about in the past. I enjoyed them.Here’s another tip for people: I’ve recently started enjoying ‘broccoli slaw’. It is a packaged food – where manufacturers are slicing broccoli stems into super-thin sticks and adding some carrots. For someone who is not a fan of chopping, eating the broccoli slaw is a great way to get some broccoli.I read years ago that the broccoli stalks are higher in alkaloids somewhat toxic to the liver. These alkaloids are produced as deterrents to insects crawling towards the nutritious tips. Perhaps it needs more research.R Ian Flett: I appreciate the info, but what a bummer! I’m going to research this some. If true, it will make it harder for me to get my broccoli on. (sigh) Thanks for taking the time to write this.the alkaloids are the protective part, and this is the whole plant… thankfully our stomachs are nice and acidic to help us break it downCould this not indicate that the elevation in the enzymes is due to the body reacting to a sort of toxic ingestion?Is there a difference between raw and cooked broccoli? Its often served raw on salads, but some authors suggest its dangerous to eat raw, while others claim its necessary to eat it raw to obtain its most important beneficial effects.Raw broccoli can both be beneficial, while cooking deactivates certain compounds such as sulforaphane, it enhances others. There is not toxicity seen with eating raw broccoli unless consuming over 100 cups per day which is not feasible on a normal diet.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/I always tell my carnivorous friends they can be “virtual-vegans” if they merely have a big salad & a big side of broccoli with their steak-&-potatoes dinner; but I thought of it as tricking them into noticing how good the broccoli is. Who knew it was no trick?What	animal products,animal protein,bacon,beef,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,caffeine,cancer,carcinogens,chicken,coffee,cooking methods,cruciferous vegetables,DNA damage,fish,fruit,heterocyclic amines,liver health,meat,menopause,oxidative stress,PhIP,pork,poultry,protein,turkey,vegetables,veggie burgers,women's health	The boost in detoxifying enzymes triggered by cruciferous vegetable consumption may last for weeks!	To review what I had covered previously about the remarkable detoxifying effect of cruciferous vegetables, see my videos The Best Detox and Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True. You can overdo it, but apparently only at extremely high doses (see Liver Toxicity Due to Broccoli Juice, Overdosing on Greens, and How Much Broccoli Is Too Much?).Wasn't the protective effect of fruit and vegetable consumption against cancer called into question, though? See my video EPIC Study.What other foods may mediate the effects of the mutagenic compounds in cooked meat? See the last two videos Cancer, Interrupted: Green Tea and Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids. What are these heterocyclic amines? You must have missed my four-part video series starting with Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens!What are the health effects of that caffeine buzz? See Coffee and Cancer and What About the Caffeine?More about the implications of frying veggie burgers here: Carcinogens in the Smell of Frying Bacon, an update of which I'm going to give in my next video—stay tuned!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Broccoli Boosts Liver Detox Enzymes	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/18/broccoli-boosts-liver-detox-enzymes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phip/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brussels-sprouts/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11532863,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7590526,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17435448,
PLAIN-2801	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/	Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids	What about garlic? Remember this study in which it won out as #1 anticancer vegetable? Well, let's see what it can do. This  is what's called a comet assay, currently the standard technique for the evaluation of DNA damage. What you're seeing is the DNA of a single cell, the normal breast cell, as visualized under a fluorescence microscope. It's in an electric field trying to pull the negatively charged DNA to the right, but the DNA is all supercoiled together. But you add a carcinogen like PhIP that literally breaks up our DNA, you can see the chopped up pieces breaking away and flowing out into kind of a comet tail. But what if you add the same amount of carcinogen but also add some garlic phytonutrients? You get some damage, some DNA breakage, but now as much as before. Which kind of garlic would be expected to work the best? Garlic or elephant garlic, the so-called “garlic for people who don't like garlic”. And the answer appears to be garlic, garlic. What about flavonoid phytonutrients,  found in fruits, vegetable, leaves, and grains? Do they have a protective effect on the meat-mutagen induced DNA damage?  They took white blood cells from healthy individuals and colon cancer patients and exposed them to increasing doses of cooked meat carcinogens, IQ—found mostly in fried bacon and baked fish and PhIP, found mostly in fried fish, bacon, and chicken [animal pics] and then continued to pump in that meat mutagen at the highest level but started adding some plant phytonutrients, quercitin, found in foods like apples, red onions, and berries (raspberries), and Rutin, found in citrus, buckwheat, and asparagus. They used the comet assay again, measuring how much DNA was broken off into the tail. And as you can see, as the concentration of meat mutagens increases so does the DNA damage, but then even when the highest dose continues, adding plant phytonutrients starts to bring the damage down. That happened in both healthy individuals, and cancer patients. But I want you to notice something else. Even at a zero concentration of cooked meat chemicals there was more DNA damage present in the white blood cells circulating in cancer patients. And they didn't have blood cancer, they had colon cancer.  Even though the cancer was just in their colon, their whole body was affected by the disease state, their whole body was under increased oxidative stress, inflicting significantly higher DNA damage. Or maybe the DNA damage came first and it's one of reasons they have cancer. Either way, they experiences less reduction of induced DNA damage, ''"suggesting that higher concentration of flavonoids will be required to achieve a protective effect. So cancer patients need even more fruits and vegetables to reduce the damage done by carcinogens.	Yet another reason I wish I weren’t allergic to garlic.Were can I see this list of the top 100 flavonoid phytonutrients in printed form so that I can examine it more carefully? I see that the despised banana that I so love, made it on the list, but not before beer. Maybe I should come up with a recipe for a beer-banana smoothie! And funny that plums are higher up than their concentrated form: prunes.like to have a list of the top 100 flavonolds too…..That list of the top flavanoid nutrients is quite astounding: Apple juice ahead of apples? Milk chocolate ahead of spinach? Filtered coffee over black tea which is over green tea? This isn’t what you’ve been telling us……….Maybe you are confusing flavanoids with anti-oxidant profiles?I cited this site to support a vegan argument, and the response I got is as follows:“[. . . ] really ? it’s a website sponsored by the medical association !, he scours the nutritional literature to bring you the most up to date food facts, hahhaahhaha, who’s all the research sponsored by? hahahhahaha”May I have an answer for this? Thanks.I’d refer the individual to the NF “About” page (I see nothing about a medical association sponsorship, the site is brought about by the “Jesse & Julie Rasch Foundation in partnership with Michael Greger M.D”). As for how the research studies are funded/sponsored, one can determine how each study was/is funded by looking at each respective study cited (which can be done by linking to the studies via the “Sources Cited” tab available with each video).What she said too! Let them “Chomp” on that! ;-)NF.org is not a website sponsored by a “Medical Association”. It is supported by donations only. In fact that is why Dr. Greger had to decrease the videos from 5 a week to 3 a week because of the lack of donations. https://nutritionfacts.org/donate/ http://nutritionfacts.org/donors/ The research he scours is the research that everyone has access to and if they have questions let them look up the answers. But your response should be your health. It’s a waste of time, breath and effort to have an argument with close minded people. So continue to reward yourself with the fact you are the heathiest you can be, by following a Whole Food Plant Based lifestyle.I still haven’t seen one patient that has come into my practice having reversed their Coronary Disease, Autoimmune Disorders, Diabetes, Chronic Pain, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, or Insomnia (I could go on all day!) eating meat and dairy. And you know what–It I Never Will.But I have seen thousands reverse those problems, get off their medications and elevate their quality of life by following a plant based lifestyle.In HealthI personally did (reverse diabetes) and know friends now off of cholesterol medication by eating paleo….so no dairy, but plenty of meat.I would love to see your posted labs! That would be amazing and something unheard of in the medical world. You should write a paper on that because a search on PubMed reveals no studies on reversing cholesterol levels and diabetes on a Paleo diet. Here is a link to both: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=paleo%20diet%20and%20cholesterolhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=paleo%20diet%20and%20diabetesI hope the links help.Oh and by the way since Feb 2011 Medicare has been paying for physicians and hospitals to teach a Plant Based lifestyle to patients with heart disease.Why would they spend such money in a Meat and Dairy controlled Congress and Senate?? Because it reverses heart disease nearly 100% of the time. http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-decision-memo.aspx?NCAId=240&NcaName=Intensive+Cardiac+Rehabilitation+(ICR)+Program+-+Dr.+Ornish%2527s+Program+for+Reversing+Heart+Disease&NCDId=341&ncdver=1&IsPopup=y&bc=AAAAAAAAEAAA&amp;I hope the links work.And if you can show the changes you are talking about I can hook you up with some incredible researchers who would love to fund your research.Just donated a small amount and will do so every couple of months as I give 99% of the blame to Dr. Greger from turning me into a vegan from a 20+ year meatatarian where the majority of my veggies came from salsa and the occasional Chinese take out night.Thank you so much!!!!! That is very generous of you. As well this website and the efforts of Dr. G have changed my life so profoundly that words cannot describe the depth of gratitude I feel towards all those that have made Nutrition Facts.org a success!!!Thank you, Hemo. Another question has come up. People wonder if it’s the meat and dairy or if it’s the way it’s produced, with chemicals, hormones, etc. They wonder if in the China Study the results were based on animals raised with pesticides, etc. and if eating animal products from animals raised without chemicals, etc., would be healthy.Have you been following the current Videos from Dr. Greger regarding Heterocyclic Amines?Have them read the China Study themselves and review the data themselves and ask them why Medicare pays for teaching a plant based diet and not a Paleo, or Atkins or South Beach or Whatever Dr. Oz is selling this week for reversing heart disease.And bottom line if they want to eat meat let them. “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” BuddhaThe Teacher did appear….then moved to So.Cal. :P Redding is better for your footprintNot trying to be sarcastic, but how is having a medical doctor who scours nutritional literature to clarify and tell us the most up to date food facts something that is laughable? It’s actually very valuable, not quite sure what the person was laughing at?As one professor told me one time when he was getting a cup of Java in the cafeteria, “Juice of the Gods”. Well it’s clear that Garlic is the Herb of the Gods! Anyone for Garlic Coffee? ;-)I, too, would love to have that list of 100 foods highest in flavanoids, please. Link?Ok, I typed them in to save offline, and thought I’d share. Hope that’s ok.Black Elderberry Black Chokeberry (=aronia) Black Currant High bush Blueberry Globe Artichoke heads Coffee, filter [sic] Lowbush blueberry Sweet cherry Strawberry Blackberry Plum Red raspberry Flaxseed meal Dark chocolate Chestnut (!) J Black tea Green tea Pure apple juice Apple Whole grain rye bread Hazelnut Red wine Soy Yogurt Cocoa powder Pure pomegranate juice Soy flour Black grape Black olive Pure grapefruit juice Pure blood orange juice Milk chocolate Spinach Pecan nut Prune Red Currant Soy, tempeh Peach Soy, tofu Green olive Black bean Red Onion Green grape White bean Chocolate beverage Roasted soybean Potato Shallot Soy milk Red Chicory Broccoli Soy meat Whole grain rye flour Pure Pummelo juice Nectarine Green chicory Pear Beer Yellow Onion Apricot Asparagus Quince Almond Whole grain wheat flour White wine Rose wine Dark beer Extra virgin olive oil Soybean sprout Carrot Bilberry Pure lemon juice Red lettuce Soy cheese Green bean Curly endive Cauliflower Peanut, roasted, de-hulled Rapeseed (canola) oil Pumpkin Pasta Banana Endive (escarole) Tomato Green lettuce White onion Refined oat flour Refined wheat flour Pomegranate Sweet green pepperHope that helps!OK, where are the other 12?Dr. Greger! I love your work, you devote so much time and energy in order for people to ״see the light”, I did, through this site, and I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart!I have a question re garlic, is it still so powerful if it is cooked?Dr. G – Any truth to the folk wisdom that eating garlic makes you less attractive to mosquitoes? My kiddo is a virtual mosquito-magnet and the bites swell up into huge welts. I’d love to do something beyond dousing her with repellent in the morning and giving her baking soda baths at night. Thanks!egg including yolk ok, if I have hi cholestrol, and high triclerides? My doctor says yes, eat as many (hard boiled eggs as u want) he says you don’t get high cholestrol from eggs.. that people that alter the eggs, gives you high cholestrol…..I can’t find any evidence to support his remark. Please answer this for me. My surgeon, said no stay away from the yolk, my dr. said that dr. is a surgeon, he doesn’t know about the latest reach on egg yolks….who is right?Oh goodness, if I were you, I’d find a new primary care physician–STAT! I think the answer you need is right here on this site. Just do a search for “eggs” (and “medical education” while you are at it), and you will see what the latest scientific evidence has to say on the topic.what about black garlic? aka fermented garlic how does that compare to regular garlic for anti-cancer effects ?Guys, I would like your feedback on this. I struggle to believe the following video (and many more like them)… but then i struggle to understand how there could be so many opposing views? Are these opinions or facts? Is there some element of twisted truth? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGMbAQNXlCYHi Andrew, thank you for posting the video. It can be a struggle to find the best information to make our best choices. I watched the video and looked through Andreas Moritz’s website.1. He states that “Ayurvedic medicine is the oldest form of medicine doesn’t recommend garlic at all…” However, it seems this may not be the stance for all practitioners. if you do a simple google search you will find many like this: http://www.dharmaayurveda.com/article/2312.html?a2. Although he says “some studies show that” – I didn’t see any references to actual studies/research.Andreas Moritz is not a medical doctor. He is a self appointed internet guru like so many others… He is giving his opinion and personal preference towards garlic not based on sound medical science but on his personal dietary choices. We would be wise to follow Dr. Gregers advice over self appointed gurus like Andreas. Just because he personally doesn’t like garlic doesn’t mean we all should not like and avoid garlic as well… and this is the biggest issue I have with self appointed internet gurus… They sometimes twist personal preference as medical fact… nice guy, but wrong about garlic…What is the effect of raw garlic consumtion in brain activity?My mom was a freak with Garlic and she dies of cancer??Did she smoke? Did she eat much meat? Did she drink? Was she stressed a lot?	animal products,animal protein,apples,asparagus,bacon,beef,berries,buckwheat,cancer,cancer survival,carcinogens,chicken,citrus,colon cancer,colon health,cooking methods,DNA damage,elephant garlic,fish,flavonoids,fruit,garlic,grains,greens,meat,oxidative stress,PhIP,phytonutrients,pork,poultry,protein,quercitin,raspberries,rectal cancer,red onions,Rutin,turkey,vegetables	Garlic and flavonoid phytonutrients found in fruits, vegetables, greens, and grains appear to protect against DNA damage induced by mutagenic chemicals found in cooked meat.	The prior garlic video I mentioned is #1 Anticancer Vegetable (one of the most popular videos on the site!). Make sure to also watch its "prequel" Veggies vs. Cancer. Other foods that may protect DNA include kiwifruit (Kiwifruit and DNA Repair), cruciferous vegetables (DNA Protection from Broccoli), green tea (see my last video Cancer, Interrupted: Green Tea), and plants in general (Repairing DNA Damage).Garlic beat out elephant garlic, but what about Carrots vs. Baby Carrots? Or raisins vs. currants?Should garlic be raw or cooked? See How can I preserve the anti-cancer effects of cooked garlic?Which foods have the most flavonoids? See my cheat sheet to the USDA nutrient database.Which foods have the most antioxidants? See my video series starting with Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods.What other dietary changes should we consider after a cancer diagnosis? See:Please also check out my associated blog posts for more context:  Foods That May Block Cancer Formation and Tarragon Toxicity?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/05/tarragon-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-are-the-anti-cancer-effects-of-garlic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/which-foods-have-the-most-potassium/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rutin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raspberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elephant-garlic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/quercitin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phip/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asparagus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/buckwheat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-raisin-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22307971,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22129588,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21907754,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18006917,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21506613,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17342319,
PLAIN-2802	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/	Cancer, Interrupted: Green Tea 	More than 85% of breast cancers are sporadic and attributable to long-term exposure to environmental carcinogens, such as those in the diet, through a multistep disease process progressing from non-cancerous to premalignant and malignant stages. Now we know that the chemical carcinogen (PhIP) is one of the most abundant heterocyclic amines found in high-temperature cooked meats and is recognized as a breast carcinogen. However, the PhIP’s mechanism of action in breast cell carcinogenesis is not clear. How does it do it? Well in this landmark new study they "demonstrated, for the first time, that cumulative exposures to PhIP at effectively induced progressive carcinogenesis, cancer transformation of human breast cells from a non-cancerous stage to premalignant and malignant stages in a dose- and exposure-dependent manner.” They started out with normal human breast cells. And were able to transmute them completely into cancer cells just using that cooked meat carcinogen found predominantly in fried bacon, fish, and chicken. That's all it took, and Jekyll becomes Hyde. Now PhIP was already established as a carcinogen, the reason they did this was to develop a model of ''human breast cancer carcinogenesis", from beginning to end to test various interventions to see if we can somehow stop this process of cancer formation. For example, three recent meta-analyses reviewing all the epidemiological, or population-based evidence concerning green tea consumption and breast cancer risk concluded that green tea consumption may be protective.  Well let's put it to the test. Here's the response of normal breast cells to repeated exposure to the cooked meat carcinogen PhIP using six different measures of cancerous qualities. They all go up—but, if you add a little green tea phytonutrients, the transformation to breast cancer is blunted, it was indeed "effective in suppressing PhIP-induced cellular carcinogenesis and tumorigenicity.”	Thank you! How much green tea? And in what form?Click on Green Tea in the list to the left of this page. it will take you here http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/about 10 cups per day is probably the safe upper limit. Cold brewing is best. If you are antioxidant-low to start, as I was, you’ll start feeling improvement in general after 3 days. Break the good habit, as I did, and general decrease in “tone” returns.Good luck!Truly amazing and much appreciated! Great graphics, by the way. Can we infer that if you don’t eat meat and drink green tea, the cancer risk goes down? Studies?Well, tis most certainly implied…by the studies so cited. ?As part of my holistic only protocol for dealing with two cancerous tumors in my right breast, which I’ve ungrown to almost nothing and document in my book A Cancer Answer, Holistic BREAST Cancer Management, A Guide to Effective & Non-Toxic Treatments, I drank a large mug of ORGANIC green tea three (3) times a day. I would steep loose tea; I did not brew it in a tea bag. If you buy organic green tea in a tea bag, cut open the bag and place the tea into a stainless steel diffuser and brew it that way. Green tea enhances by eight times the effectiveness of curcumin (turmeric) and curcumin enhances green tea’s effectiveness by three times. There’s a lot to be said for green tea in managing cancer, I say and have experienced.Does the study indicate how much green tea was utilized in the study? Such as how much would one have to drink as a preventative measure?Does it matter whether the tea is decaffeinated?I’d like to say “Thank You” to The Jesse and Julie Rasch Foundation for making these video’s possible.I wonder how many people are in this community? What if we all donated $10.00 would that be enough to return to daily video’s?Maybe the funding for this site needs to be 3 legged: Dr Greger, Rasch Foundation and the Community members that benefit from the video’s.With Gratitude to all involved in this community.<;-)Well said Chokyi!We get so much useful information from this nutrition website. Just click on the donation page. It is so easy!Did it, done! I’d also like to thank the Rausch Foundation, along with those who contribute money and/or time, including those such as Jonathan Hodgson who make the transcripts of the videos available to those of us without a broadband connection. Much appreciated!Yeah!What about the effect of tea on the good bacteria in the gut? Dr. Klaper warns that tea has a deadly effect on the gut flora.I’m so glad you are putting these videos out. Hopefully this one will save the life of at least one woman.Dr. Greger: given that hibiscus tea is so much more potent than green tea (per your ‘Better than Green Tea?’ video), are there reasons to believe that hibiscus tea would have similar or greater anti-cancer effects as those shown in this video? Thank you.that is certainty an interesting question.Have you seen his video’s on hibiscus? I would think it helps fight cancer, as well.Does adding Hemp Milk to my Green Tea impact its health benefits? Thank You.I would doubt it, as nutrient blocking affects has only been observed thus far with soy and dairy milk. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/Well, since there is no ‘general mailbox’ in which to ask ‘related’ questions…Any comments regarding the enhanced anti-oxidant effectiveness of catechins as a result of adding fruit juice (vitC):“Common Tea Formulations Modulate In Vitro Digestive Recovery of Green Tea Catechins” by Mario Ferruzzi, et al.Also, of the results from Nam Dang, M.D., Ph.D., University of Florida researcher regarding the anti-cancer characteristics of papaya leaf/bark tea…ThanksWill it work with white tea too? in an earlier video Dr. Michael mentioned that has more antioxidants than green tea.Thank you for all your work, greets from Mexico cityGreen tea is loaded with fluoride, it absorbs it more than almost anything. And regular black tea. Holy Basil is full of healing benefits WITHOUT the toxins. I will not drink green tea as I value my kidneys, brain and neurological function.Fluoride is not the scourge of the world as many people make it out to be http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-dangers-of-fluoride/Please support such a ridiculous statement. Green tea can come from many different farms and companies.Did you know black tea is just processed green tea? Google it…Hi Dr. GregerThank you for the great videos. I have a question. My friend is starting chemotherapy for colon cancer. I can not figure out if green tea is ok for her to drink during chemotherapy. Some articles say its ok and some say it is not ok. For example this article says not ok http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2009/02/green_tea_setback.html and this article from Dr. Block http://lifeovercancerblog.typepad.com/life-over-cancer-blog/2013/11/antioxidants-as-pro-oxidants-.html it says it is ok. Please help us figure out if it is ok or not ok. Thank youI don’t like green tea, so instead, I add a tsp of the crushed green tea leaves to my morning smoothie!Wow learning a lot here from your posts I thought I new a thing or two about healthy dieting and living a healthy lifestyle until I landed here cheers for your great insights kou tea reviewDear Dr. Gregor, what nutrients do you recommend to counteract the side effects of aromatase inhibitors, and is there any diet which could eliminate the need for them at all?	animal products,animal protein,bacon,beef,beverages,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,carcinogens,chicken,cooking methods,cooking temperature,DNA damage,fish,green tea,heterocyclic amines,meat,metastases,oxidative stress,PhIP,phytonutrients,pork,poultry,protein,tea,turkey,women's health	Using the cooked meat carcinogen PhIP to turn normal breast cells cancerous, researchers explore the use of green tea to interrupt this malignant transformation.	What is this PhIP stuff? See the last four videos for some background:Any other feats green tea can pull off? See Treating Genital Warts With Green Tea and Treating Gorlin Syndrome With Green Tea.Might white tea work even better? See Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea.Any other plants that might be able to smack on the cancer kibosh? (I mean besides broccoli, so for example: DNA Protection from Broccoli and Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells). Stay tuned for my next video Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids.Please also check out my associated blog post for more context:  Foods That May Block Cancer FormationIf you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phip/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22307971,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19437116,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21907754,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17342319,
PLAIN-2803	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/	Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine?	More than 20 heterocyclic amines have been reported in cooked meats, fish, and poultry prepared under common house-hold cooking conditions.  To reduce one's exposure to these cooked meat carcinogens one could of course eat vegetarian, --or even just refrain from eating meat for 24 hours and the levels of the two chief heterocyclic amines drop to zero. So if you practice Meatless Mondays, by Tuesday morning the levels of PhIP and MeIQx, one the most potent mutagens ever tested, become N.D. undetectable. Now for a third cooked meat carcinogen, they actually did find some in a few folks—even though they hadn't eaten meat for a day.  That perplexed the researchers. Now the four subjects that had quantifiable amounts of IQ4,5-b which is an isomer of the powerful animal carcinogen IQ in their urine after refraining from meat consumption had each eaten cheese and/or boiled eggs as part of their diet while abstaining from cooked meats. IQ and several other heterocyclic amines have been reported in fried eggs, so it's plausible that IQ- [4,5-b], which forms at temperatures well below 100 °C and may be present in boiled eggs or possibly other foods containing creatine, such as cheese. That brought up an interesting point, though. What about all the Dietary supplementation of creatine by sports enthusiasts; they speculate that high consumption of creatine could result in the formation of genotoxic heterocyclic amines in the body," a cautionary note for both meateaters and vegetarians alike. A similar finding was reported in a study comparing the levels of the cooked meat carcinogen PhIP growing out in people's hair . "It was detected in hair samples of all six of the meat-eaters they tested but was detected in one of the six vegetarians.” Now it was low, just above the kind of level of detection, so they kind of dismissed it, suggesting that exposure occurs primarily through the consumption of cooked meats or poultry and that nonmeat-derived sources of exposure are probably negligible. But not if you smoke. Even if you ate meatless Mondays all the way through meatless Sundays, you can still be exposed smoking cigarettes . Here's a measure of phip exposure in smoking meat eaters (rise up from bottom line), nonsmoking meateaters, smoking vegetarians, and nonsmoking vegetarians. So it's not enough to just eat healthy.	Nasty picture!Good picture.Wouldn’t this apply to heated ( pasteurized ) milk?“There is little data on the toxicological properties of IQ[4,5-b], and the potential risk of this HAA for human health is unknown. IQ[4,5-b] is mutagenic in the Ames reversion assay in strain TA98 in the presence of liver S9 obtained from polychlorinated biphenyl pretreated rats and a more potent mutagen in tester strain YG1024 (47).”“A number of HAAs have been reported to induce tumors at multiple sites in experimental ANIMALS (5−8). Several HAAs have been identified in human urine following the consumption of cooked meats, indicating that HAAs are readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract (9−11). Human tissues metabolically activate HAAs to genotoxins (12, 13), and some EPIDEMIOLOGICAL investigations have linked the frequent consumption of foods such as grilled meats containing HAAs with an elevated risk of colon and breast cancer (14−16).” In other words not once have HAA’s been proven to cause tumour growth in humans or increase mortality rates through randomized clinical trials.Nor has it been proven that a person, committed to satisfying their unreasonable addictions, was swayed by a reasonable argument.If by “unreasonable addictions” you mean a physiological need then yes. Its just one reason why vegetarians and vegans end up giving up and eating meat.SOME vegetarians and vegans end up giving up and start eating meat again because we live in meat-centered culture–not because of physiological needs. If humans had a physiological need for meat, then there would be few, if any, lifelong vegetarians and vegans.As far as I can determine, not once have smoking cigarettes been directly PROVEN to cause lung cancer in humans. This is not because smoking cigarettes does not cause lung cancer in humans, it’s because of limitations in study designs. I think the critique you just provided falls into a similar category.“cigarette smoking is one of those activities that was so patently dangerous, it returned risk ratios so powerful researchers knew it was highly unlikely the findings were due to chance or confounding from other potentially carcinogenic factors. Not to mention that this powerful risk relationship was backed by a totally non-brainer hypothesis: People who fill their lungs with toxic gases for years on end will be more likely to get sick. Duh.”Using your argument I’ll say that people who fill their bodies with toxic materials (edible food-like substances) for years on end will be more likely to get sick. “Duh.” Don’t forget, years ago what you NOW call a “no-brainer” hypothesis,” was to many a novel “idea” that was rejected out of hand as having no merit. Seems silly now that smoking was ever considered a safe practice. I’m guessing that in 20-40 yrs it will seem silly that a meat-centered diet was ever considered a safe thing to practice.I’m a healthy ethical vegan, but it’s a fair question IMHO. However…– We can often find out compelling, potentially life-saving dietary information from population and in vitro studies, especially if there is a preponderance of such studies and they’re basically well-formed. It’s difficult to conduct 100% controlled clinical trials on every aspect of diet.– A related video on this site, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/, has some human-focused research. Not a “gold standard” study in which some people were secretly subjected to meat fumes (you’d run into ethical problems there), but enough to make you wary of breathing that stuff in, much less cooking it. Often, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.What about smoke from incense? As harmful as cigarette for these toxins?Typo in sentence above video and email.. though = through. ?Thank you James! Corrected.Anytime anyone sees an error please also email me directly so I can correct it ASAP: mhg1@cornell.eduHow much protein can one absorb in one sitting?Protein is broken down into its smaller component amino acids in the stomach and intestine. They are well absorbed. Infants can absorb intact proteins but in adults we are less likely to do that unless the intestinal tract is damaged. So as adults we don’t directly absorb protein but seem to be able to readily absorb amino acids. Alot of confusion about protein how much and quality and for specific populations like body builders or endurance athletes. At this point data supports it would be very hard not to meet your needs if you consume adequate calories. The best three articles that are well referenced science based are three articles in Dr. John McDougall’s monthly newsletters available for free on his website. The dates are 12/03, 4/07 & 1/04. There seems to be good data to support not increasing our protein intake above our needs since we can’t store it and the liver and kidneys have to metabolize and eliminate the excess. There is also good data to support getting our protein from plant over animal sources. Stay tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps coming…Should we be surprised you have an email that sounds like a bio-marker? jkYour mention of (supplemental)creatine referred only to a speculation that was not tested on anyone. I would be interested in sources of subsequent testing on vegans supplementing with creatine and possibly Creapure creatine( a German made product claimed to be devoid of any contaminant.)What is the specific “high” daily dose of creatine that may be problematic?Unless he is talking to a British audience, Dr. Greger is mispronouncing the word, “amines.” Americans aren’t supposed to pronounce that word the way Dr. Greger pronounces it: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=amines&submit=Submit http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=amine&submit=Submit http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=heterocyclic&submit=Submit http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=cyclic&submit=Submit http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=cyclical&submit=Submit“Greger” is a German name. In Germany, “Greger” would be pronounced, “Gray-gah.”Thats’ appaling ;)what are your thoughts on this?…http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Cheese-The-latest-piece-of-the-French-paradox-puzzle/?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=09-Apr-2015&c=Qutwykv94750jUyLa4ZyArKIuDi3YORqThis link ties in with the potential benefits of cheese and “The French Paradox” as well… :-)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21068345?dopt=Abstract	animal products,animal protein,beef,cancer,carcinogens,cheese,chicken,cooking methods,cooking temperature,creatine,DNA damage,eggs,fish,heterocyclic amines,IQ4 5b,meat,Meatless Mondays,MelQx,omnivores,oxidative stress,PhIP,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,protein,smoking,supplements,turkey,vegans,vegetarians	Even vegetarians could potentially be exposed to the carcinogens typically formed by cooking meat through eggs, cheese, creatine sports supplements, and cigarette smoke.	Caution may also be necessary with athletic protein supplementation. See Heavy Metals in Protein Powder Supplements. In general, Some Dietary Supplements May Be More Than a Waste of Money.More information on the Meatless Monday campaign can be found on their website meatlessmonday.com.Measuring toxin levels in hair or nail clippings is a noninvasive way to measure long-term exposure levels. See Hair Testing for Mercury and Hair Testing for Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy for another instance of where it's used.Heterocyclic amines are not the only class of meat carcinogens also found in cigarette smoke. See my video When Nitrites Go Bad. While the body can detox itself of both nitrosamines and these cooked meat chemicals within hours or days, some pollutants found in meat can persist in the body. See Industrial Pollutants in Vegans, Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination, and How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs?This is the final video of a four part series on heterocyclic amines—or is it? In Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens we explored the role of these cooked meat chemicals in tumor growth. In PhIP: The Three Strikes Breast Carcinogen we explored their role in cancer invasion. Then Reducing Cancer Risk In Meateaters offered some mediation strategies. The next two videos also involve these carcinogens, but only as an experimental model of cancer formation to test the power of various plants to stop this transformation.Please also check out my associated blog posts for more context: Avoid Cooked Meat Carcinogens, Foods That May Block Cancer Formation, and Raisins vs. Energy Gels for Athletic Performance	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iq4-5b/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phip/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/melqx/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meatless-mondays/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22129588,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19588936,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17342319,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17174486,
PLAIN-2804	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/	Reducing Cancer Risk In Meateaters	The cooked meat carcinogens implicated in the promoting the cause, growth and spread of breast cancer, may also increase the risk of prostate cancer. The mechanism through which the consumption of well-done meat may increase prostate cancer risk is via the release of mutagenic compounds during cooking, the heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are chemicals formed when the muscles of mammals, fish, or birds, are cooked by high temperature methods such as pan frying or barbequing. And in chicken the temp doesn't have to be that high. Just baking at about 350 for 15 minutes leads to significant production of the heterocyclic amine phip. These cooked meat carcinogens are also associated with an increased risk of kidney cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, and pancreatic cancer, which is not a cancer you want to get. How do you decrease your exposure to these potent mutagens? Well, fried bacon and fish are the worst, though given the popularity of skinless chicken breast that might lead to the greatest exposure. Now medium rare has less than well done, which may be why women who consumed meat very well done, seemed to have nearly 5 times higher risk for breast cancer than that of women who consumed their meats rare or medium done. But this raises the so-called paradox of preparing meat noted by the Harvard Health Letter. Well-cooked and you risk cancer, undercooked and risk e. coli. Eating boiled meat—not broiled, but boiled in water--is probably the safest. If you eat meat that never goes above 212 degrees Fahrenheit, both your urine and feces are significantly less DNA damaging compared to eating meat dry cooked at higher temperatures, meaning you have less mutagenic substances flowing through your blood stream and coming in contact with your colon.	Please don’t give meat eaters an excuse to keep eating dead animals.I actually believe this is one of Dr. Gregor’s strong points. He is presenting science that helps people survive, regardless of their belief system. It is vitally important not to take sides, and to present the information as it is – and to let people make up their own minds. Better a well-informed meat eater who finally decides to go vegan than someone who just continues to eat meat because they think these types of videos are biased.Gregor’s strong point is that he provides good research reports. He doesn’t think things through, however, and the reports in themselves micro inform.Amen Joe.Meat eaters are like smokers they are going to do what they want, who in addiction fears death from their addiction that makes them stop it !?!Please enlighten people, meat eaters and vegan alike.With all the evidence about the harm of animal products, I just can’t understand how anyone can continue to eat it. Thank you, Dr. Greger for getting this information out there. But so many just don’t want to listen.Because they live to eat instead of eating to live. How many times have I heard a sentence like “we all will die, soon or later”, or “I’d prefer to die than to refrain from eating what I like”? They are governed by their stomach, not their brain. And then they pretend they are superior to the animals they eat….Speak for yourself.Meat eaters don’t want to be bothered by being shown that the science has been in for the last 50 years. Paleo dieters put the DIE in diet.Speak for yourself.Great info Dr. G as always. :-)Boy that boiling pot of sausage looks appetizing…not.What about steaming your meat. Is that a better way of cooking?Mmmm Tofurky Sausages for dinner tonight. YumThe argument my meat-eating relative always comes back with is that meat from grass-fed animals is somehow used differently by the body and is therefore not detrimental to your health. Does she have any real scientific basis for this claim?Dee, I always hear that, too. I’m tired of hearing that excuse for eating meat! I think it is a very poor and invalid excuse to keep eating it. Like Dr. McDougall says, “People like to hear good things about their bad habits.”The best way u can answer that one, without getting too ‘sciency’ is to use basic chemistry principles. Most people only take non organic chemistry and apply the principles found there to our organic world. i.e. thinking that melting or heating something is a physical change rather than a chemical change. With substances such as metals and water, for instance, this is true. This is not true, however, in the organic realm. When you cook meat it undergoes a chemical change. Now visualize eating something with DNA, where the DNA is now damaged and the protein structure is degraded. So what the animal eats doesn’t change the fact that it is flesh that contains DNA and our body will recognize the similarities, which means the good and the bad. (degraded DNA)Note: I am not a chemist, I am just a layperson trying to sum up what my husband explained to me who is a physicist, so if there’s errors or someone with a better background can expand on it please do!Same is true for greens.Dee: I hope Toxins jumps in here as s/he has answered this question other times on this site and has some good answers.I don’t have all the details to the answer to this question off of the top of my head, but I can repeat some of what I remember. For example, if you watch one of the bonus features at the end of the movie Forks Over Knives, the doctor talks about the issue of grass-fed animals. He says something like: There may be some minor benefits to eating grass-fed over factor farmed animals, but it does not make that flesh a health product. It is just a little less bad. One of my favorite metaphors is from (I think) Dr. Greger: Just because Coca Cola has water in it (and yes, water is very good for you) does not make Coke a health food.But in what ways is grass-fed animal flesh bad for our health? There are so many. You still have cholesterol. You still have “endotoxins, xenoestrogens, increases in igf-1 and arachidonic acid. All are inherent components of meat whether organic or conventional.” (I found one of Toxin’s replies.) You can look these subjects up on this site/NutritionFacts and see how very harmful these are – and are inherent in that grass-fed stuff that some people think is just so healthy. It’s not.Does that help?Doctors are usually the last to know very much about nutrition. Day, Clark, Mercola, LEF.organic; now Gregor is exploring but not very comprehensive in his fact hammer approach.Just a couple of comments to add to Thea’s excellent post with kudo’s to Toxins as well. Just tell them we are designed as “hind gut fermenting herbivores” alot of data to support the anatomy and physiology of this hypothesis. Beyond that meat from grass fed animals also contains saturated fat which is metabolized to cholesterol and dioxins… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/… which are in the air as a product of burning plastics. It is true that grass fed animal meat is healthier then animals via CAFO’s but that doesn’t make it healthy. They may hit you with a similar argument about fish which is even easier to address see video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/.Dr Forrester: Thanks for chiming in! I had remembered you writing something like this in the past, but I didn’t copy it at that time. Now I have your thoughts too for when this repeat question comes up again. :-)Facts do not intelligent make.There is a simple answer. Some of the problems are related to CAFO raising, but some are related to the intrinsic nature of meat.In grass fed meat, there is still no vitamin C, still no fibre, still no phytochemicals and masses less antioxidants.You still have lots of hormones, even with organic. You still have carnitine creating inflammation in the arteries (remember the study on here where they used carnitine supplements?) and there is still the problem of excess protein causing rising blood urea levels and stress on the kidneys. There is still the IGF-1 problem, and still the exotoxin problem from bacteria.And now you have the problems mentioned in this video.There are benefits to eating meat, but they do not outweigh the risks, and they are benefits that can be achieved from plants sources.That’s why one fact is not enough, which is generally the trouble with Dr. Gerger’s fact bomb approach. A person still needs vitamins and variety to achieve good health.Yes, pasture raised free range raised is very different from toxic artificial confined animal feeding operations.How about grilled veggies?Grilling creates carcinogens.I’m a big fan of Dr. Greger (and a vegan) and appreciate the information he provides in these videos. But it’s a little dispiriting in this post modern age to see so many self proclaimed experts spouting authoritatively on why we should be eating boiled meat, raw meat, organ meat,… you name it. And there’s often a paper in some obscure journal that can be misinterpreted to support most any crazy nutritional claim. Any given person you talk to will attach nutritional significance to whichever of these catches their fancy at the moment. And it doesn’t seem to matter to them that they had a completely different view last week; they have now discovered the real truth. As a retired scientist I appreciate the fairly straightforward reporting of research results that is provided by Dr. Greger, albeit with a bias, though one which seems well justified given previous evidence. But what is frustrating is that it seems that in todays world this evidence is viewed as just another unsupported opinion in a sea of identical opinions from which to choose. Certainly this situation greatly benefits a lot of economic interests, but it would be nice if this ghettoization of nutritional opinion could be overcome and there were some sort of central public square type entity where these ideas could be debated openly (and intelligently !) with some sort of publicly determined moderation so that people could have some common basis for discussing these ideas.Your conundrum comes from listening to only Greger for information. See Mercola and other researchers.Mercola runs a for profit nutrition business, and has no interest in disseminating fad from fact. This is evident with his tubs of coconut oil he sells and his love for raw milk.So does Greger. Test your information.Dr. Greger runs nutritionfacts.org non profit. Nothing is being sold here, and the studies are accurately presented.He most certainly has income from his lectures, website and videos. Non-profits have operating expenses, too, you know.How could Mercola profit from raw milk??Dr. Greger, I emailed you a few weeks ago with my question and you suggested I post it to a relevant video on the site so it could be discussed publicly. Here is my situation again:I went vegan after a friend referred me to this site. However, as I already have celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and a related intolerance called fructose malabsorption, the diet was extremely restrictive. I can’t eat wheat, barley, rye, oats (unless the oats are certified gluten free – not grown in wheat-contaminated farming area), seitan or most meat substitutes. Low fructose diet means most fruits are out. Beans seem to be ok in very small amounts but too high in fructose to be one of my main protein sources. I tried that and I’ve been paying the price for weeks. Onions are deadly. Even some basic vegetables like peppers, string beans, and carrots are too sweet for my stomach to tolerate. Very little is known about fructose malabsorption presently.I can eat nuts and soy products as far as I know, but I’ve had to go back to eating meat and even some dairy because I just can’t eat enough if I don’t. In addition to boiling meat, what are some other techniques I could use to be healthier if I must eat animal products?Is there a way to eat more plant-based with my dietary restrictions?Gluten Intolerance and fructose malabsorption both… that does make it harder to know what to eat. It makes it especially hard when dealing with conditions that are poorly studied. I would base your diet around starches such as potatoes, rice and gluten free whole grains. I would try that route in lieu of meats and dairy. I would also stay away from GMO foods as they might contain BT toxin. If you consume adequate calories there is no way you can not get enough protein. The best articles I have seen on protein were done by Dr. McDougall and can be viewed free in his monthly newsletter see articles in 12/03 and 4/07.If one does not break out with his diet, its great.Dr. Greger seems to be presenting all the nutritional science, including how meateaters can eat safer, which is good, since most of us still have meat and dairy family members we love …All is a lot. No one does it all.Dr. Greger, I emailed you a few weeks ago with my question and you suggested I post it to a relevant video on the site so it could be discussed publicly. Here is my situation again:I went vegan after a friend referred me to this site. However, as I already have celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and a related intolerance called fructose malabsorption, the diet was extremely restrictive. I can’t eat wheat, barley, rye, oats (unless the oats are certified gluten free – not grown in wheat-contaminated farming area), seitan or most meat substitutes. Low fructose diet means most fruits are out. Beans are ok in very small amounts but too high in fructose to be one of my main protein sources. I tried that and I’ve been paying the price for weeks. Onions are deadly. Even some basic vegetables like peppers, string beans, and carrots are too sweet for my stomach to tolerate.I can eat nuts and soy products as far as I know, but I’ve had to go back to eating meat and even some dairy because I just can’t eat enough if I don’t. In addition to boiling meat, what are some other techniques I could use to be healthier if I must eat animal products?Is there a way to eat more plant-based with my dietary restrictions?Joe have you tried all the squashes? They are higher in calories. We have similar diet restrictions except the fruit. Maybe once your gut heals you will be able to add more fruit into your diet.Squash is no good according to the lists I’ve seen. Even if I’m feeling better fruit is a tricky thing. I was completely healed then got completely sick again from eating more planty.No good for your fructose intolerance? Like you said. Nuts and vegetables I guess. Rice? Quinoa?That may be my only option. I just won’t be able to go totally animal-free. I was just trying to figure out if there were any techniques besides boiling that could make meat a little better for the body.If you are getting a good whack of phytochemicals with your meat, that should negate some of the problems. Have you tried juicing? I found juicing vegetables to be really good for my digestive system. I did a juice fast for 10 days, then re-introduced foods and my digestion worked really well after. A little kale and carrot juice with your meat?Another thing you could try is to boost your probiotic levels. When I was having dairy I used to make my own kefir.Maybe there is a specialist that you can see to put you on a diet to resolve these problems so that you can re-introduce certain foods back in? Perhaps try the GAPS diet for a while?At any rate, don’t beat yourself up about going vegan. Do what you have to do to regain your health. If that means meat based for a while then so be it. Don’t lose hope however of getting your intolerances healed – then when you are in good shape you can think about the vegan issue.Organic and non-GMO have more bearing on yourpredicamentthen thanThe GMO movement is more hype then anything relevant to the health epidemic.“The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the British Royal Society and the European Food Safety Authority have all have concluded that GMO foods do not pose a health risk.”http://archives.aaas.org/docs/resolutions.php?doc_id=464 http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/biotech_en.pdf https://ssl3.ama-assn.org/apps/ecomm/PolicyFinderForm.pl?site=www.ama-assn.org&uri=%2Fresources%2Fdoc%2FPolicyFinder%2Fpolicyfiles%2FHnE%2FH-480.958.HTM http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309092094 https://royalsociety.org/~/media/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2002/9960.pdf http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/1057.pdfYou’re not fact checking independent sources, your sources are lobbyists for the inorganic and Genetically Manufactured Origin (GMO) producers and distributors.What about using a slow cooker?What about sous vide?So if I boil the meat and then fry it, will that reduce the risk?What a joke… Evidence this, evidence that.. What about all the other risks that may take ur. Life. Such as walking down the street , driving a car, guns, pets and so forth??? In the end, we all die! Dt think a small change will keep u alive forever- as there is no such thing! Enjoy ur life while u can ;-) CheersYou are correct… we all die and the issue is quality of life. Howver, nutrition can help delay death and also importantly has been linked to the top 10 causes for disability in this country. In my clinical experience I have been very impressed by the improvement in the quality of life in my patients who have changed to eat a whole food plant based diet with Vitamin B12 supplements.It does not make sense to me that suddenly cancer is caused by meat when cancer is relatively new and meat is relatively old. There is more to this, I do believe. People have always eaten meat. People have not always gotten cancer. I think perhaps we should focus more on chemical toxins in water, food, vaccines, fake hormones, drugs, the air….even people who do not eat meat have to deal with those.The quantity of animal products consumed today is far more then what can be expected from our past. Studies indicate animal products to be the main culprit, and you will find this countless times through studies shared in this site. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/Stop relying on nutritionfacts for all your information. Get around a little.You are right it is not just the meat. However as Toxins points out the amount consumed has gone up a great deal. Dr. Campbell’s and others work has linked animal protein especially casein to the initiation and growth of cancer cells. Most of the carcinogenic substances are fat soluble and the highest exposure is via animal products. In addition to more meat americans are consuming less plants which can have a protective effect through fiber and phytochemicals. You might be interested in videos on dioxin the most carcinogenic chemical in the environment: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/.Stop relying on nutritionfacts for all your information.Thank you, Curious. You are thinking.Thank you, Ray, you are thinking. A little more research can show that vitamins, exercise and avoidance of toxins and genetically engineered foods and other processed foods can improve quality of life and longevity.If carcinogens in meat become present after heat-related cooking methods (except boiling) what about, in reference to fish, CEVICHE style? Better? Bad? Worst? Thanks.	animal products,animal protein,bacon,beef,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,carcinogens,chicken,colon cancer,colon health,cooking methods,cooking temperature,DNA damage,E. coli,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,fish,food poisoning,foodborne illness,Harvard,heterocyclic amines,kidney,kidney cancer,kidney disease,kidney health,lung cancer,lung disease,lung health,meat,men's health,omnivores,oxidative stress,pancreas health,pancreatic cancer,PhIP,plant-based diets,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,pork,poultry,prostate cancer,rectal cancer,turkey,vegans,vegetarians,white meat,women's health	Those who eat meat risk food poisoning from undercooked meat, but also exposure to cooked meat carcinogens in well-cooked meat. By boiling meat, non-vegetarians can mediate their risk of both.	I've previously mentioned the E. coli or cancer conundrum in my video Carcinogens in Roasted Chicken? Animal products may also increase prostate cancer risk through other mechanisms (see The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle and Cancer Reversal Through Diet?). More on pancreatic cancer in Largest Study Ever.A similar study where they compared the excretion of carcinogens formed in processed meats can be found in Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat.Those eating out may find my video Fast Food Tested for Carcinogens useful, where chicken items from seven restaurant chains were tested for heterocyclic amines to see which was worse—the answer may surprise you.Oh, and if there are carcinogens in roasted chicken, what about roasted coffee? See Carcinogens in Roasted Coffee? and Coffee and Cancer.In last Wednesday's video Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens I showed that these cooked meat carcinogens may stimulate breast cancer cell growth nearly as much as pure estrogen. In my last video PhIP: The Three Strikes Breast Carcinogen I showed that these chemicals may promote breast cancer invasiveness even more than estrogen. In the next video, Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine?, I'll explore how even those eating vegetarian may be exposed to these compounds.Please also check out my associated blog posts for more context:  Avoid Cooked Meat Carcinogens and Foods That May Block Cancer Formation	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phip/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9827527,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19588936,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10962432,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17174486,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15777097,
PLAIN-2805	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/	PhIP: The Three Strikes Breast Carcinogen	DNA mutation, then promoting growth, and the third strike is that PhIP then promotes invasiveness of breast cancer cells. The way breast tumors kill is by metastasis­­, it's got to invade surrounding tissues and organs. The way you test invasiveness is you put cells into what's called an invasion chamber where you put cancer cells on one side of a membrane with tiny pores, those little gray circles. This is the underside of the filter, showing no invasion. But add some estrogen and you can see a few cells peeking through. Add some PhIP and they really start going on the move. More invasion-promoting that straight estrogen. They conclude that “in addition to its well characterized, genotoxic potential, PhIP is potently estrogenic, is capable of powerful hormonal activity and is able to potently stimulate breast cancer cells to invade through a membrane model. This finding that PhIP is able to exert this pro-invasive appearance in breast cancer cells at such low concentrations is remarkable. The genetic toxicology of the compound coupled to its ability to enhance cell proliferation and invasion indicates that PhIP can act not only to initiate the carcinogenic process, but also to promote it." The problem is, they say, that "Exposure to PhIP is difficult to avoid because of its presence in many commonly consumed cooked meats, particularly chicken, beef and fish." But if you're able to somehow dodge those meats, and don't suck on a cigarette, tailpipe, or incinerator smokestack, maybe it's not so difficult to avoid after all.	Woo-hoo! Since I almost never suck on a tail pipe and haven’t touched meat in decades, I might be OK on this one! Yeah.I’m not going to stop eating meat because my body and brain function much better when I eat animal protein. (And many indigenous people have almost no incidence of cancer eating high meat protein diets) I would like to see the next video however on reducing cancer risk in meat eaters but the link doesn’t work. Where can I see this video?I had to watch it directly on Dr. G’s YouTube channel today.*waves at MacSmiley* Fancy meeting you here! About your comment: can you clarify? Do you mean you were able to view “Reducing Cancer Risk in Meateaters” by going to Dr. G’s YouTube channel? (I’m not seeing it over there at his channel, so I’m puzzled.) Or did you misunderstand Mary’s question? She was asking about the next video in the sequence. Not today’s.*Waves back* My bad. I had problems accessing today’s video PhIP: The Three Strikes Breast Carcinogen on NF.org with my iPhone. The video said it was unavailable, so I thought that was the commenter’s question.Should be up on Monday (Jan 21).That’s interesting, I found the opposite to be true for me. I’ve always been big into fitness and bodybuilding so of course I fell into the mindset of putting protein on a pedestal, consuming massive amounts of chicken breast, eggs, etc. I switched to a plant-based, ‘vegan’ diet, and for the first week, yes, I felt very hungry and just all around bad (bloated, etc.). I assume this was my body detoxifying itself because after the second week I felt my energy levels sky rocket and performed better at work and at the gym. (At the time I worked a job with 24 hour shifts so energy levels were VERY important.) I’ve eaten a strictly plant-based diet for over a year now and I’ve never felt better. My skin looks amazing, energy levels still great, my weight has stayed the same even when I wasn’t able to work out for a lengthy period of time due to work related injury, which is really impressive for me. (usually w/o exercise I quickly can’t fit into my pants).I guess everyone’s bodies are different, but keep an open mind about eating a plant-based diet. I never in my life imagined I would switch over, but am grateful I did.Just my 2 cents, hope you enjoy Dr. Greger’s videos. They’ve changed my life-Thank you Dr. Greger!!!I would suggest that instead of calling it a detox it was the change of the strains of your intestinal microflora, which suddenly got plenty of resistant starch and started to thrive on it, bringing you a healthier colon over time.You like to eat meat, and want to continue to do so. Saying that your “body and brain function much better” when you eat it is nonsensical rationalization. They don’t. You just like your meals better and look forward to them because you’re used to it and don’t want to change it. Your brain uses pure glucose, not animal protein. How can it “function much better when [you] eat animal protein”? It can’t and doesn’t. It just relieves you of the struggle of not eating it but wanting to eat it because of your habituation to eating it.You both are right. The key piece here is glycemic load….high protein and Paleo-ish eaters often have lower glycemic meals…something the brain loves. Yes it uses glucose for energy, but communication within the brain, and the rest (sleep) phase of the brain is better with lower glycemic loads. Its the sugar spike/crash cycle that is often prevented in a protein heavy diet. A high protein diet also provides more amino acids that can support good neurochemistry and each brain is a bit different in its needs. That said, vegetarians, pescatarians, and vegans must be careful to not ‘carb out’ as I call it. We plant eaters can easily consume a very carb heavy diet if not thoughtful about how we put together meals. Every plant source of protein has some carbohydrate in it contributing to the carb load. If not put together right, there might not be enough protein to balance blood sugar in some. So more vegetables, modest grains if you choose to eat them and be thoughtful to include legumes, nuts and seeds daily (ideally throughout the day), eggs/dairy if you choose to, or fish (for my pesce friends) to provide adequate protein. Don’t be fooled by the “avocado has tons of protein” and other claims we vegetarians like to espouse. There is only 3 g protein in 1 cup of avocado but tons of healthy fat fuel that the brain also loves. Yes, the brain likes fat fuel too!A high carbohydrate diet from whole food sources is not unhealthy. In fact, high carbohydrate diets from whole plant foods are the healthiest. This is evident from population studies.Here is some information shared by Jeff Novick. The Tarahumara Indians of Mexico are a population considered to be very healthy for reasons to be explained. Their diet is 75-80% carbohydrates and unlike their American counterparts, only 6% of calories came from added sugars as opposed to 20%. They ate mostly corn, beans and peppers. Their total fat was 12% of calories, and saturated fat was 2% of calories.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/32/4/905.full.pdfTheir life expectancy is statistically drawn down to to high infant mortality but it is noted in another study on them that they have very low levels of cholesterol, no obesity and no age related serum rise in cholesterol. They were also adequate in all nutrients and their diet was very high carbs.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/31/7/1131.full.pdfInterestingly, when they were put on the standard American diet for 5 weeks that is also very high in carbs, but likely wrong kinds, their results were as follows:31% increase in CholesterolIncrease in LDL and HDL 39% and 31% respectivelyTriglycerides increased 18%body Weight increased 7%http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199112123252405Lets look at another native diet, the “Hawaiian Diet”. This study took 20 Hawaiians who were consuming a high carb standard American diet and put on a diet for 21 days that was the traditional pre western Hawaiian diet. This diet had 7% of calories from fat and 78% from complex carbohydrates. they were allowed to eat however much they wanted to. Low and behold, the average weight loss was 22 lb’s and cholesterol decreased 15%.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/53/6/1647S.longThe weight loss was extreme for the 21 days, notably because the participants were quite overweight (average 264 lbs). Another study with more humble results took another group of people and put them on the hawaiian diet for 21 days. The results were as follows11 lb weight reductionSystolic BP 136 to 124Diastolic BP 82 to 78Total cholesterol went from 205 to 156LDL from 125 to 94.9HDL from 38 to 31Triglycerides from 238 to 152blood sugar from 112 to 91http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11320614Now lets look at a very high fat diet, the famous Inuit diet. They consume copious amounts of animal protein and fat and have a very low carb diet. This diet is not one to model after, “The data collected through this new investigation shows that Eskimos do have a similar prevalence of [coronary artery disease] CAD to non-Eskimo populations, and in fact, they have very high rates of mortality due to cerebrovascular events (strokes). Overall, their life expectancy is approximately 10 years less than the typical Danish population and their overall mortality is twice as high as that of non-Eskimo populations.”http://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/investigators-find-something-fishy-with-the-classical-evidence-for-dietary-fish-recommendationsAnd lastly as presented by Jeff Novick, the Okinawans.Back in the 1950’s the Japanese rural Okinawan group of people had the most centenarians per capita. How did they live so long? Here is their dietCaloric Restriction, the TraditionalOkinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life SpanAnn. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785Total weight (grams) 1262Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9)Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85)Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6)Saturated fatty acid 3.7Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)GrainsRice 154 (12)Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7)Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1)Sugars 3 (less than 1)Oils 3 (2)Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1)Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1)Eggs 1 (less than 1)Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69)Other potatoes 2 (less than1)Other vegetables 114 (3)Fruit less than 1 (less than 1)Seaweed 1 (less than 1)Pickled vegetables 0 (0)Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some pointsTheir diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a dayThe only fat you need is essential fat, which is why it is called essential. Your body is perfectly capable of synthesizing the rest. This is the same argument people use to say that we need dietary cholesterol, when our body has full capability in producing it. Human needs for protein are low, and one can get more then enough protein on a plant based diet centered around carbs. Protein deficiency is a result of calorie restriction.Love this guy! Dr Greger is one of the greats!link not working: In the next video Reducing Cancer Risk In Meateaters, I’ll note some ways for non-vegetarians to mediate their risk.That’s just because the video isn’t up yet. My next video won’t be up until Monday–but there’s hundreds of other videos to keep you company this weekend on more that a thousand topics if you get lonely! :)Is there a video that you can put together regarding performance enhancing drugs effect on cancer rates? I might be something good to come out of the Lance drama…How would you account for the high meat diet of Mongolian women and comparatively very low breast cancer rates?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22543542Mongolia’s breast cancer experience is of interest because of its shared genetics but vastly different diet compared with other parts of Asia.…Breast cancer incidence in Mongolia (age standardized 8.0/100,000) is almost a third of rates in China (21.6/100,000), and over five times that of Japan (42.7/100,000) and Russia (43.2/100,000). Rates within Mongolia appear to have increased slightly over the last decade and are higher in urban than rural areas (annual percentage increase of age-standardized rates from 1998 to 2005 was 3.60 and 2.57 %, respectively).…Mongolia’s low breast cancer incidence is of particular interest because of their unusual diet (primarily red meat and dairy) compared with other Asian countries.what about toast, fried tofu, roasted nuts, stirfry and other methods of preparing vegetarian meals.. is it now only lightly steamed or raw vegan that is safe?Dr. Greger,First off, thanks so much for all your videos; I’ve found them incredibly informative.I was wondering if you had any comments or response to those who claim that some groups, e.g. the Masai of Kenya, show low levels of heart disease, cancer, etc. despite eating a very meat- and dairy-heavy diet. Most of what I’m finding online seems under-researched and perhaps a bit biased.Thanks for any information.Scott: You might be interested in checking out “Plant Positive”‘s videos on You Tube. He directly addresses the Masai in both his old series and his new series. He gets pretty technical and detailed, but if you are willing to plug through it, you might get a lot of the information that you are looking for. Good luck.I’ll add, look up: “The Masai Model” parts I and II. These are two of the Plant Positive videos that I am talking about. They are quite good!Thea: thanks! I did look up his videos and watched the 2 Masai ones. I also managed to find this post which mentions some of the same issues:http://www.bitterpoison.com/archive/masai-people-and-heart-disease/I also wonder if maybe part of the explanation may be the Masai’s life expectancy in general. I.e. if the Masai live considerably shorter lives, then heart disease and cancer, which are more likely to be lethal in middle- and old-age, may simply not affect them because they don’t live long enough to suffer from these things–but I don’t know this for sure, because so far I haven’t found any solid data on Masai life expectancy (only a more general table of Kenyan life expectancy).I would rather call this a laboratory fact, if you don’t mind…There’s always a rebuttal to science because people want to justify their (Easy Factory Made For You ) diet………..Until- they get the horrible diagnosis from a doctor then formally sucked into the AMA’s chemo program as a last resort by scaring you then you have no time to change your ways before you die. Meat eaten by indigenous people may never have been exposed to carcinogens….DO YOU LIVE IN THE BUSH OF AUSTRALIA, AFRICA OR ELSEWHERE eating Wild Meat….well We don’t! When your body is nourished properly based on your Metabolic needs it functions right. Science points to health = eating clean food!	animal products,animal protein,beef,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,carcinogens,chicken,cooking methods,DNA damage,estrogen,fish,heterocyclic amines,hormones,meat,metastases,oxidative stress,PhIP,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,processed foods,processed meat,smoking,turkey,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	The cooked meat carcinogen PhIP found in fried bacon, fish, and chicken may not only trigger cancer and promote tumor growth, but also increase its metastatic potential by increasing its invasiveness.	The "difficult to avoid" line reminds me of the cop-out in the Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia video. This is the second of a four-part video series on heterocyclic amines, carcinogens such as PhIP that are formed when meat is cooked. In my last video Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens, I noted that in addition to being able to cause the initial DNA damage that may trigger breast cancer, these chemicals may act as potent estrogens, promoting the growth of such tumors as well.The growth hormone IGF-1 may also promote tumor progression and invasion (see IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop). IGF-1 is released by our liver in response to animal protein consumption (why? See Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk.)On the other hand, broccoli and Indian gooseberries may have both anti-proliferative and anti-invasive properties: Lung Cancer Metastases and Broccoli, and Amla Versus Cancer Cell Invasion.In the next video Reducing Cancer Risk In Meateaters, I'll note some ways for non-vegetarians to mediate their risk.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Estrogenic Chemicals in Meat, Avoid Cooked Meat Carcinogens, and Foods That May Block Cancer Formation	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phip/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-cancer-risk-in-meateaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20951759,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8575853,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7989114,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18980957,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10944558,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17435448,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15777097,
PLAIN-2806	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/	Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens	In the 90's two international studies found an association between breast cancer and intake of fried meat and broiled meat in Finland and Uruguay. In 2000 researchers in Iowa identified the probable culprit, a heterocyclic amine abbreviated PhIP. Heterocyclic amines are a class of ubiquitous mutagens found in cooked meats, poultry, fish, and cigarette smoke. The effect was confirmed on Long Island, and extended to grilled barbequed and smoked meats but why more breast cancer risk? Well, these cooked meat carcinogens are mutagenic, meaning they damage DNA; in fact you can directly correlate the number of DNA mutations in breast tissue with estimates of dietary intake.  They asked women undergoing breast reduction surgery about their meat cooking methods and found that the intake o processed, fried, and stir-fried meat associated with the number of DNA mutations they found in their breast tissue. But what surprised everyone was that not only may these meat chemicals trigger the original cancer causing mutation, they may then promote the growth of the tumor, as PhIP was discovered to be a potent estrogen.  They dripped the kinds of levels of PhIP you'd expect eating cooked meat and found that it activated estrogen receptors almost as powerfully as straight estrogen, and that’s what they saw when they tried it on breast cancer cells. They found it proliferative potency approaching that of to pure estrogen. They conclude that PhIP possesses estrogenic activity at low concentrations … supporting the idea that exposure to PhIP, even at low doses, could result in estrogenic effects. We suggest that the well-established and unequivocal genetic toxicology of PhIP coupled with its estrogenic activity could drive clonal expansion and promote growth of the initiated phenotype. These were breast cells in a petri dish, though. How do we know these carcinogens make it not only into the breast after you eat cooked meat, but into the breast ducts, where most breast cancers arise—so-called ductal carcinoma. We didn't know for sure, until this study, which measured the levels of PhIP in the breast milk formed in those ducts of nonsmoking women, and the average concentration they found, was point one nanomoles per liter, right here, significant proliferative potency. One of the women was vegetarian, though, and of course none was detected in her breast milk.	Thank you Dr. Greger!You make it so much easier to not only walk uphill, but run uphill with you heading the charge. What are we UP against? Big Pharma, Big Ag, and Big Business with Greed ruling the whole bunch!Oh shut the fuck up will youIs there any similar data for phip effect in men, either in breast or prostate tissue, and if so, does it (like it does for women) correlate with the temperature at which meat is cooked or charring?There are few studies done on Phips and prostate cancer in men. The study by Amanda J. Cross et.al. 2005 showed that consumption of very well done meat (>10 grams daily) increased the risk for prostate cancer. Out of all the heterocyclic amines, Phips tends to be one of the most readily absorbed into the body. The mechanism of mutagenicity is similar to that found in breast tissue, where it exhibits estrogenic activity and increases formation of DNA adducts. Cooking meat at high temperature until it’s well done increases Phips formation but not very many people cook their steak that way. The study also mentions that greater Phips intake can occur when consuming less well done meat but more frequently. Microwaving, boiling, and steaming produces very low levels of HCA’s whereas using fats and oils to cook meat greatly increases HCA formation. A study by Cynthia P. Salmon et.al. (2000), suggests cooking meat at lower temperature with frequent turning over can lower the amount of Phips formed.1. Amanda J. Cross, Ulrike Peters, Victoria A. Kirsh, et al., A Prospective Study of Meat and Meat Mutagens and Risk, Cancer Res 2005;65:11779-11784 2. Saida Robbana-Barnat, Maurice Rabache,Emmanuelle Rialland, and Jacques Fradin, Heterocyclic Amines: Occurrence and Prevention in Cooked Food, Volume 104, Number 3, March 1996 * Environmental Health Perspectives 3. Cynthia P. Salmon, Mark G. Knize, Frances N. Panteleakos, Rebekah W. Wu, David O. Nelson and James S. Felton, Minimization of Heterocyclic Amines and Thermal Inactivation of Escherichia coli in Fried Ground Beef, JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (2000) 92 (21): 1773-1778.Denial isn’t a river in Egypt…Very nice succinct summary. Thank you.A diet high in red meat has also been associated with an elevated risk of colorectal, lung, esophageal and liver cancer. http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0040325 At least according to food frequency recall questionnaires, which as you know, are not an optimal method for testing hypotheses (IMO, this sort of epidemiologic research generates them, rather than tests them)I think the goal is to make meat eating safer, healthier, smarter, more flavorful: I think those positive associations will work better than finger-shaking in cancer prevention.However, the estrogenic activity of HCAs is interesting to me, and the conflicting studies on prostate CA make me wonder…are there estrogenic effects of HCAs or PAHs in men?Hi Dr. La Puma,I agree that most men are not currently vegetarians. However, you are in a unique position to help change that. The reason that most men are not currently vegetarian is complex and varied and too much to go into in this post, but the science clearly shows that a whole food plant based diet is optimal for the prevention of chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and more. So, rather than using your formidable skills as a medical doctor and chef to teach your patients, readers and viewers to make meat recipes that are safer, healthier, smarter and more flavorful, why not take this opportunity to be on the forefront of both medical and culinary science by giving them information and recipes based on the whole truth?I understand you want to marinade meat in order to reduce the HCAs and PhiPs. Perhaps, though, instead of simply reducing HCAs, by marinating meat, you could marinade extra-firm tofu, tempeh or portabella mushrooms or use your unique blend of herbs and spices to make signature bean or lentil, whole grain and nut burgersor patties, thus completely eliminating HCAs, PhiPs, saturated fat, cholesterol and endotoxins, while also adding beneficial fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and phytochemicals to your patient’s diets.Besides the HCAs and PhiPs, there is a wide variety of reasons for all people to avoid animal products. Here are just a few that might interest you in your research:Chicken vs. Veggie Chicken: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-vs-veggie-chicken/Here’s a video comparing the airborne mutagens in bacon, beef and tempeh (tempeh has none): http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/ and here’s the study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7590526Estrogen in Meat, Dairy and Eggs: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/Vegan Men: More Testosterone But Less Cancer: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/Prostate Cancer and Organic Milk vs. Almond Milk http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/I have found that despite the social pressure for men to eat meat because it is “manly”, when presented with the scientific evidence, many men (including my own father, husband, ex-husband and 8-year old son), will make the switch to a whole foods plant-based diet.There is now a course in plant-based cooking online at Rouxbe Cooking School, which you might want to check out for inspiration. http://rouxbe.com/cooking-courses/plant-based-cooking-level-1/details. There is also a plant-based course at The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts http://naturalepicurean.com/ and at Matthew Kenney http://www.matthewkenneycuisine.com/education/curriculum/curriculum-overview/?gclid=Cj0KEQiA6ounBRCq0LKBjKGgysEBEiQAZmpvA3osXCNE4bnQXHK3axxyAD-UHcZKS1dWIe0hAMeHKC0aAg0w8P8HAQ (which is also an amazing raw food restaurant in LA – please check it out if you get the opportunity!).If you are interested in research on diet and prostate cancer, Dean Ornish just published a study on how a plant-based diet can actually reverse early stage prostate cancer. Here’s the study: http://ornishspectrum.com/wp-content/uploads/Intensive_Lifestyle_Changes_and_Prostate_Cancer.pdf.Like you, I also teach nutrition and cooking classes. Please feel free to contact me if there is anything I can do to help you to incorporate more whole plant-based recipes into your curriculum. I’m available at http://www.emilyhoneycutt.com.Best wishes on your continued success,Emily :)Emily, thanks for your comments and thoughts: I appreciate them. I like Rouxbe’s cooking videos too: both Dr. Greger and I are on their medical advisory board. Best wishes to you and your family. Warmly, JLRPH1978 thanks for that info… I am particularly interested in this line: “Microwaving, boiling, and steaming produces very low levels of HCA’s whereas using fats and oils to cook meat greatly increases HCA formation.” First, may I please ask, what was the source(s) for the info about levels of HCA from MICROWAVING… and when you wrote that “using fats and oils to cook meat greatly increases HCA formation” were you referring only to frying and deep frying, like on a stove — OR if (for example) fish or chicken were MICROWAVED in a sauce containing some (e.g.) olive oil, would that inclusion of a fat also markedly increase HCA formation, even though the meat was being MICROWAVED? And 2nd, have you seen anything about the levels of HCA that are formed when TURKEY is cooked? For years we were warned that red meats are more harmful/ risky than white meats… so I was startled to see that studies show that the worst levels of HCA formation happen when chicken and fish are cooked… so I am wondering about TURKEY- for example, I was thinking that the sliced “organic roasted turkey breast” I have been buying was (relatively) safe… but that was before I read about the HCA levels in cooked chicken… have you seen anything about HCA levels in TURKEY? (1st question is about MICROWAVING, 2nd question is about TURKEY.) Thanks!One thing I’ve come across is that studies are inconsistent and variable. For example, marinating meat (chicken,beef, pork) prior to cooking can reduce heterocyclic amine (HCA) formation regardless of the cooking method. In addition, tumeric-garlic and teriyaki marinades showed decreases in HCA whereas honey based marinade showed an increase in HCA. This may not be surprising since glucose in honey is a precursor to HCA in small amounts whereas excess amount of glucose added to meat prior to cooking appears to inhibit HCA. Food Chem Toxicol 30:681-688 (1992).On the other hand, there was no reduction in HCA formation in marinated or non-marinated salmon. So it seems to depend on the type of meat and marinade. (Journal of Food Compost Anal. 2010 February 1; 23(1): 61–69) Microwaving beef for 1, 1.5, 2 or 3 min before frying at either 200 degrees C or 250 degrees C for 6 min per side has been shown to reduce heterocyclic aromatic amine precursors (creatine, creatinine, amino acids, glucose). Food Chem Toxicol. 1994 Oct;32(10):897-903. Creatine in muscle meat seems to be an important precursor to the formation of HCA where creatine forms part of the phips molecule. I should clarify that certain fats such as butter and rapeseed oil (after frying of beef) can increase HCA whereas other fats such as sunflower seed oil and margarine has been shown to reduce HCA and this was explained by the fact that these oil contain antioxidants such as vitamin A and E. (Food Chem Toxicol. 1995 Dec;33(12):993-1004 The same was found with olive oil (Food Chem Toxicol. 2003;41(11):1587-1597) when burgers where fried in the oil there was less HCA. Again, this was thought to be due to the polyphenol content of olive oil. Other studies have shown that adding garlic, onions, dried plum and even cherries to the beef patties resulted in less HCA after cooking. (Natural Medicine Journal 7/1/2010) Since turkey is similar to chicken, any meat cooked at high temperature increases the HCA content. One study (Meat Science 85 (2010) 149–154) showed that roasted chicken and duck meat formed significantly lower HCA than pan-fried, grilled or deep fried meat.Hello John – In the excellent Book “On food and Cooking-The Science and Lore of the Kitchen” by Harold McGee he states page 187: “Certain cooking processes transform the proteins and related molecules in meat and fish into highly reactive products that damage DNA and may thereby initate the development of cancers. So the rule for cooking meat also holds for cooking fish: to minimize the creation of potential carcinogens; steam, braise and poach fish rather than grilling,broiling or frying it.” He adds: ” If you do use high heat, then consider applying a marinade whose moisture, acidity and other chemical qualities reduce carcinogen production.” On page 124 he talks about the actual chemicals involved in the cooking of meats. This is a well researched book and as a nutritionist advising cancer patients; I find it invaluable. GraceHi, Grace: yes, McGee’s books are terrific. Shirley Corriher’s are too.Several marinades, however, have been tested and been shown to reduce HCA formation in the meat by up to 87% (I cover them in my blog and ChefMD book).This is still different (though worthwhile) than an increase in actual cancers in men who eat high temperature grilled/cooked meats: that’s what I’m curious about.Why not just stop eating animal meat? I don’t get all the work arounds. Stopping meat consumption is clearly better for us, the animals and the planet – I don’t “get” why we continue to fight this obvious fact so we can continue to eat something that is completely unsustainable to the health and well being of the home we all share. I “get” it seems hard, but it will be harder in 50 years for all the people coming after us that have to live in an increasingly un-inhabitable place.Wow, the power of the information in your video summaries on current nutritional/health science never ceases to amaze me. The information you share with us, gives me hope that we can improve our health without invasive or expensive interventions. Thank you!Hi Dr Greger! Can I start by saying thank you for the great information you share. Can you please help? My sister has Urachal carcinoma in her Lungs! The Doctors are running out of ideas and the treatments have helped but are becoming Ineffective. Can you please offer any advice?Hi @davestimes, I am very sorry to hear of your sister’s prognosis.Have you heard of Bob Wright, the Director of the American Anti-Cancer Institute? He’s got some great insight into beating cancer: http://www.americanaci.org/2-extreme-nutrition.html. Please let me know if this is helpful to you — nancyhelmold@gmail.com.~All the best.Hi @davestimes…I am director of a cancer Institute in Australia and I host a US based show called navigating the cancer maze on Voice America. I strongly suggest you look at Hallwang private oncology clinic in germany and prof Thomas Vogl. Best of luck to you and your sister. Grace GawlerLove your videos Doc–this one may however may require a little more translation for some of us!Dr. Greger – this is interesting, but I am wondering whether you are aware of any studies indicating that women who have eaten a vegetarian/vegan diet most of their lives are, if unfortunate enough to develop breast cancer, more likely to be diagnosed with the more aggressive triple negative breast cancer which is not affected by estrogen?Can you give us some information about the relationship of so-called clean fish and feta cheese and eggs to breast cancer progression or aggressiveness? ( in a post menopausal woman)What about Protocell for breast cancer in a post menopausal woman?Hi Roby,Is this for you or for a patient? If it’s for you, I’m so sorry to hear of your diagnosis. My husband was diagnosed with colorectal cancer this past year and we also looked into Protocel, after reading a detailed account of it in the book, Outsmart Your Cancer by Tanya Harter Pierce. However, after searching PubMed and consulting with cancer researcher Ralph Moss, PhD at http://www.cancerdecisions.com, we found that there are no scientific studies on this alternative treatment. Dr. Moss advised against taking it as there are other alternative treatments that can be an effective adjunct to traditional treatment that have studies to support their success.We have many videos on diet and breast cancer here: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=breast+cancer.I suggest an integrative approach, utilizing the best of western medicine, along with a whole food plant-based diet with the addition of hibiscus, white or green tea, cooked mushrooms and herbs and spices (India has one of the lowest rates of breast cancer in the world), along wtih exercise and plenty of love and support, rest and relaxation and some kind of spriritual practice and/or meditation, I recommend the books, Radical Remission by Kelly Turner, PhD and Love and Survival by Dean Ornish, MD.My mom had stage I breast cancer just three years ago. She had surgery and she and my dad have been following a plant-based diet ever since and loving it. All her scans have been fine.Everyone’s journey is different, but a whole food plant-based diet is one essential tool in your tool belt in fighting cancer. While I have read of a few people online with testimonials who have had success with Protocel, there are no scientific studies for it at this time, so I cannot recommend it.Thanks so much for the question.EmilyMy education continues. With “thanks” and “appreciation”. Don and I CAN! :-))For years I’ve been wishing a site like this existed and only just now have I discovered it. Thank you for all your work! I’m sharing this site with everyone I know. I myself have a lot of catching up to do!DStack: Welcome to the group!I agree, this is an awesome site. It can also be a big overwhelming now that Dr. Greger has supplied us with so many videos. The short, daily videos are wonderful ways to start the day and can get into some good detail. However, just in case you haven’t seen them, I thought I would also point you to Dr. Greger’s two year in review longer video summaries. They are entertaining and *packed* with good info. And also great to share with others. Here they are in case you are interested:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/Just a tip. Welcome aboard.I am speechless as to how poisonous our food supply is, I try hard to eat healthy, and I consume a lot of baked chicken. Now I will have to substitute it with something else. I’ve always been somewhat heatlh conscious, as they say knowledge is power and I pay more attention now that I am 50 and in good health. I try to read a lot about our food supply and how I can stay as healthy as I possibly can, but I’ve stumbled on to some pretty disturbing information and finding out more and more everyday.a person I know(non-smoker) ended up with breast cancer within 2 years of going on a diet which mainly consisted of animal protein, and avoiding carbs including fruit and vegetables. I do wonder if it was to do with the diet, whether or not it helped the cancer to spread.	animal products,animal protein,beef,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,breast milk,breastfeeding,cancer,carcinogens,chicken,cooking methods,DNA damage,estrogen,Finland,fish,heterocyclic amines,hormones,infants,meat,oxidative stress,PhIP,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,processed foods,processed meat,smoking,turkey,Uruguay,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	DNA-damaging chemicals formed when meat is cooked stimulate breast cancer cells almost as much as pure estrogen and can infiltrate the ducts where most breast cancers arise.	This is the first of a four-part video series on heterocyclic amines, these DNA-damaging chemicals formed in cigarette smoke and when mammal, bird, and fish muscles are cooked. I've covered them previously in my videos Muscle Tremors & Diet, Fast Food Tested for Carcinogens, and Carcinogens in Roasted Chicken?Carcinogens tend to either initiate or promote cancer, rarely both. Not only may heterocyclic amines trigger the original mutation and help the tumor grow, they may also aggravate cancer invasiveness, the subject of the next video PhIP: The Three Strikes Breast Carcinogen.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uruguay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phip/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/finland/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phip-the-three-strikes-breast-carcinogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20951759,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8575853,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7989114,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11712910,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18980957,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15319301,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17435448,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15777097,
PLAIN-2807	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/	Fibromyalgia vs. Mostly Raw & Mostly Vegetarian Diets	Raw vegan diets seem to really help reduce fibromyalgia symptoms, but what about just a mostly raw diet? That was tried next. Fibromyalgia engulfs patients in a downward, reinforcing cycle of unrestorative sleep, chronic pain, fatigue, inactivity, and depression, so they tested whether a mostly raw and actually vegan diet would significantly improve fibromyalgia symptoms. And boy did it. This is the standard survey designed specifically to measure the impact of fibromyalgia on a person's life. At the beginning of the study they were doing pretty bad. By two months though they were doing significantly better. And by the end of the study, at seven months the whole curve had entirely shifted. Significant improvement in each one of these measures. In summary, a diet intervention using a mostly raw, pure vegetarian diet produced dramatic improvements in FMS symptoms. When this study was reviewed in Current Rheumatology Reports, the editor noted that it had the most impressive results of any of recent fibromyalgia treatment study, for example 3 times the improvement that the Mayo Clinic was reporting for their fibromyalgia program. Yes it was not a double blind placebo controlled study, but, as they note, it's difficult to design such a study when it comes to diet, since people tend to notice when they've been switched to a vegan diet. Raw vegan diets seemed to help; mostly raw vegan diets seemed to help. Eating vegetarian worked; what about just eating mostly vegetarian—that was the one tried most recently. 14 fibromyalgia sufferers put on a mostly vegetarian Mediterranean diet for 2weeks and did not see significant improvement.  Maybe they didn't give it enough time? We'll never know. Bottom line is that the best science to date suggests a plant-based diet in it's many forms, may help people with fibromyalgia. Just because it's the best science we have doesn't mean it's necessarily very good science. These were all small, poorly controlled, relatively short-term studies—but what's the downside to giving it a try? Turns out that people with chronic widespread pain syndromes tend to eat pretty crappy diets, perhaps explaining their higher rates of other chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Even if a healthy diet doesn't help their fibromyalgia symptoms, at least it may prevent them from falling ill with something else. The last thing someone who feels miserable all day needs is another disease.	Well, let me tell you about my firbomyalgia, Dr. Greger – IT´S GONE! I have been a vegetarian sine 2008 and there was no improvement whatosever, but as from May 2012, I have been following Dr. Essy´s diet a no-oil plant based lifestyle and the exclusion of dairy and eggs, plus the addition of dark lgreen veggies did the trick. I jump out of the bed sparkling every day!! it´s priceless! I am 48, pre-menopausal and have no menstrual cramps anymore either! For me, a no oil plant based diet is the Holy Graal of Pain killing. Period.Celia that is amazing! By no oil do you mean processed-out of a bottle?As a side note, in case you just noticed we are only getting 3 videos a week because nutritionfacts.org is a bit cash strapped. I would hate to lose my morning video and coffee routine. I bet even 20.00 would help. Just click over to the donate page. It’s that easy.No oil – zero oil, processed. I am not even consuming nuts or avocados. I started the diet to control my 25-year-resistant cholesterol actually, the fibromyalgia thing was an unexpected bonus! Lost 28 pounds so far, cholesterol dropped 70 points for the first time ever and I am happy as bird! so happy that I am going for that donation ( I am in Brazil and wish we had these materials available in Portuguese fo people could have access to good info).More good news!Great news, thanks for sharingCelia: How inspiring. Thanks for sharing your story. I have a friend with fibromyalgia, and I’m going to share your story with her to reinforce Dr. Greger’s information. Thanks.Happens all the time with my patients too. It’s just too bad that MOST doctors don’t employ evidence based medicine unless it involves prescribing more meds. Congratulations! I wish everyone with Fibromyalgia could hear your story.Yes, a FB friend just posted this morning about feeling so lousy and achy every…single…morning…and she’s probably only around 5 years older than I am…and I feel sparkly and new every….single…morning, I cannot even imagine feeling that bad every day. So, I posted a gentle question to her: “have you tried changing what you eat?” and then I posted this very video for her. And Dr. John McDougall has a very short youtube about fibromyalgia and he says “Give me 2 weeks of your time and effort and I can almost guarantee you’ll feel better by going plant-based and most folks feel better after 4 to 7 days.” Why wouldn’t ANYONE suffering want to at least TRY this out? Shout out to Celia & thanks for posting your situation…wishing you continued good health!WOW! fyi, the Hallelujah Diet is mostly raw and vegan http://www.hacres.com Thanks MUCH!ps – you might want to use a little less olive oil than the author calls for (or none!) and slightly fewer nuts but it’s your callYay, being Plant-Strong wins again! Thanks for yet another informative video Dr. Greger. :-DAfter two years of detoxing lead from my system, and reversing high blood pressure and closing a long standing ileocecal valve problem, I am now testing for high lactic acid, in the case of mitochondria dysfunction. This being the case I have been told about coq10. What I don’t understand is if meat carries the highest level of coq10, how can that be replaced with a plant based diet? I also understand that russet potatoes have a sufficient level of coq10 but have been dismissed in a previous nutritionfacts video. I have been enjoying one green juice a day including parsley, celery, cucumbers and spinach. If I go off of all meat – what else would replace the coq10 that I am in desperate need of?Coq10 is made by the body, so a diet rich in antioxydants, vitamins and minerals will get you the coq10 you need !I started eating this way in June 2013. Didn’t even know about his recommendation for the vegetarian based eating. It just made perfect sense to me, but I was forced to look at my eating, how bloated my body was from sugar, wheat/grains, bread and not near enough water. So far I’ve lost 27 lbs. However my weight can vary 5-20 lbs if I binge eat any of the above. Fruit is my dessert and my snack. I drink almond milk and enjoy it. Use only unsalted butter (hey I still want some dairy and since gave up eggs except for hard boiled I’m allowing it for now..lol) So glad to find this site. Its encouraging and IT WORKS. I feel so much better energy wise. Still alot of joint and muscle issues from Mixed Connective Tissue Disease and a multitude of side effects. I look forward to following your blog.I encourage you to drop the butter – if you’re already so close to giving your body just what it wants, why not go all the way?I had a horrible case of FM/CFS, and it was green (mostly) smoothies that turned me around–not overnight, took a good year and a half, but I feel fine now, very active (I’m 66), and work out w/ kettlebells, etc. Wish I had cut out wheat and gluten at the same time, recovery might hav been quicker. Thanks for the article, it’s awesome, and my hat is off to everyone who struggles w/ this challenge!! Let plants be our medicine!I want what Celia has. I have been a vegetarian since 1980. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in ’91. The pain just got worse and worse. Depression became the norm and eventually I was put on Cymbalta. I went raw vegan in June/July of 2011 and things started getting better. I got myself off the Cymbalta. Lots of scary side effects. Now I am partly raw and some cooked. I can see that I need to clean it all up even more. I am a thousand times better, but Still searching. I want to jump out of bed sparkling too. Thanks all for posting!I think the study indicates that a vegan diet can lessen symptoms, however, it is not a cure for most people. I have been vegetarian for 25 years and vegan for 10, but I still have fibromyalgia. I’m sure my diet and lifestyle ensure my symptoms are not as severe as many others however in order to manage my FM I also need multiple other factors to help me such as drugs, weekly physio, water therapy, exercise and pacing. The drugs are essential and allow me to work 4 days a week and still have a bit of a social life. The other thing about FM is that it is very individual so that some things work for some people and not for all people. I think it’s important to keep it all in perspective.That’s exactly right. This disease seems to vary quite a bit from person-to-person. I have also been vegetarian for quite some time and vegan for five years. I too still have the fibromyalgia. And yes, exercise, pacing, sleep, and a small dose at night of an SSRI help me the most too. I’m a HUGE proponent of a plant-base diet for health, environment and animal rights. I feel better in general and I think it’s an important component to any fibromyalgia treatment plan, but a component, not a cure-all.A note for celiac patients: both Hing & Beano are NOT GLUTEN FREE>Yes, me too we have eating vegan as a life and I can tell you that when I got fibromyalgia and couldn’t walk and was on 27 pills a day. Muscle relaxers, pills to help for side affects and I gained wait too. But now I lost all the weight and not on any pills and my husband has no more heart problems and we are both not on any medications, why because we are eating a plant based diet and its working. I so glad we are eating this way. But I always wonder when I get stressed will it come back!! But not yet	brain disease,brain health,chronic diseases,chronic fatigue syndrome,depression,fatigue,fibromyalgia,flexitarians,insomnia,Mayo Clinic,Mediterranean diet,mental health,pain,plant-based diets,raw food,reversing chronic disease,sleep,vegans,vegetarians	How plant-based does one's diet need to be to effectively treat fibromyalgia?	If you missed the first half of this topic, see my last video Fibromyalgia vs. Vegetarian & Raw Vegan Diets.Other inflammatory conditions have been successfully treated with semi-vegetarian "flexitarian" diets. See Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease. Cutting down on meat may also help reduce the risk of cataracts (Preventing Cataracts with Diet), obesity (Thousands of Vegans Studied), hypertension (Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death), metabolic syndrome (Metabolic Syndrome and Plant-Based Diets), and diabetes (How to Prevent Diabetes) though there does appear to be a stepwise drop in risk as one's diet gets more and more centered around plant foods.For some more context, check out my associated blog posts: Plant-Based Diets for Psoriasis, Plant-Based Diets for Fibromyalgia, and How Probiotics Affect Mental Health	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mayo-clinic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibromyalgia/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1802495,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11093597,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11156742,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21717823,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16372904,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12166411,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19647151,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20358204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8464845,
PLAIN-2808	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-vegetarian-raw-vegan-diets/	Fibromyalgia vs. Vegetarian & Raw Vegan Diets	Millions suffer from fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by months of widespread pain, as well as fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, cognitive difficulties, headaches, low back pain, and other illness. It has an has an enormous impact on the quality of life of patients who may a reduced capacity to carry on the activities of daily living; every day activity becomes more difficult, more time consuming or simply impossible. It's cause is unknown and there is no effective treatment for this illness. What can we do for sufferers? Well, according to the latest review on fibromyalgia and nutrition,  "Vegetarian diets could have some beneficial effects," based on what kind of evidence? Well, back in 1991 a survey was sent to a few hundred folks suffering from various chronic pain conditions, including fibromyalgia asking if they found any success trying various diets. Some folks tried a vegetarian diet, some folks tried a vegan diet. Some reported the various diets helped with pain, stiffness, and swelling. Folks reported the vegan diet reduced disease symptoms more effectively than the vegetarian diet with rheumatoid arthritis, but what we needed was to put these diets to the test in formal studies. First one was in '93. Ten fibromyalgia patients put on a vegetarian diet for 3 weeks. The measured levels of oxidation, and inflammation, and cholesterol went down, fine, but of interest from a clinical point of view is the positive effect of the treatment upon pain status of most of the patients. 7 out of 10 of them felt better. However, they weren't sure if the improved condition of the fibromyalgia patients in the course of treatment with a vegetarian diet was due to the improvement of their antioxidant status or what. A vegan diet was first put to the test in 2000 in Helsinki. You can tell English is not the researchers first language with sentences like "Plants face heavy load of light." The point they're making is good though. "UV light generates free radicals in their tissues…All this means is that plants must be very well prepared to meet the challenges of the oxygen radical stress and contain a broad variety of antioxidants. That's why plants don't get sunburned and their DNA damaged hanging out all day in the sun without any sunblock on. So what would happen if you had people Live exclusively on plant items?  In other words, what might be the effects of a strict vegan diet on the symptoms of fibromyalgia.  In fact this study used a raw vegan diet. The rheumatoid patients said they felt better when they started to eat the living food diet, and the symptoms got worse when they returned back their previous omnivorous diet, but what about the fibromyalgia patients. Both groups reported having quite a lot of pain at rest in the beginning of the study, but there was a significant decrease in the raw vegan group, which gradually disappeared after shifting back to the omnivorous diet. They also found other significant changes such as improvement in the quality of sleep, reduction of morning stiffness, and improvement in measures of general health.  So for example, here's morning stiffness.  The light bars represent those about to go on the raw vegan diet and the dark bar is the omnivorous control group. They start out about the same, but after a month and a half, those eating vegan felt significantly less stiff, which continued through the end of the 3-month study. And when they went back to eating their regular diet the stiffness returned. What about pains at rest? Same thing. Significant improvements in fibromyalgia pain on a plant-based diet. The study only lasted 3 months, but it can be concluded that vegan diets had beneficial effects on fibromyalgia symptoms at least in the short run.	I would be most interested in seeing a comparison study done with raw vegan vs. vegan diets…I am wondering if eating cooked vegan foods would make a difference. Also, do researchers control vegan diets for limiting or excluding all mass processed vegan foods. My diet is raw and cooked vegan with little processed foods although I do love my soy dog, now and again.Good point — I love my Italian sausages made by Tofurky and I can tell the difference after one serving = Pain!Would not homeopathic remedies be most appropriate for fibromyalgia? Fybromyalgia has no identifiable cause not unlike the effects of homeopathic cures.No scientific studies to support that approach. You are correct that we don’t know the cause of fibromyalgia. Given the complexity of it all we never figure it out. From a practical standpoint based on the success reported in other posts and success enjoyed by some of my patients it makes sense to go low fat whole food plant based eating with Vit B12 supplements. Other factors like sleep and exercise are important as well but I recommend dietary change as the most important first step.Check out what Dr Sherry Rogers, MD has to say in her book…Pain-Free in 6 weeks! I have fibro and it has made a world of difference in my life! As most of you sufferers know there are several factors involved that trigger fibro onsets. However, leaving off the ‘night shade’ foods really works and is not mentioned much at all out there!! Try it for yourself and see how you feel. It includes all white potatoes, (yams are ok), tomatoes, eggplant and all peppers. Watch labels since so many things have potato starch and pepper ingredients. Also spices and flavorings could have them. Best thing to do is stay away from processed foods and eat totally vegan. I follow Dr Joel Fuhrman’s Eat To Live Plan!!!Thanks for the tip I will look into it. I have come across 2 patients with RA who got 90% better on a PBD but didn’t get 100% better until they eliminated members of the nightshade family. Congratulations on “eating” your way to a more pain free existence.We do know that there is a genetic component to fibromyalgia.It seems there is more to this fibromyalgia condition than nutrition alone. This video is very promising, but on a pseudo scientific basis, and based on an inquiry about his subject that I’ve had for some time; I think, like metabolic syndrome, it has many causes all converging, not the least of which is a nutrient poor diet as the video suggests.But I also think it has a great deal to do with vital energy. Overspending vital energy and not enough rest, sleep, recovery, relaxation and rejuvenation. In other words, the person doesn’t regenerate their life force– the electrical energy that powers the whole system and every cell in it.I observe people with this condition all the time, and notice they live lives that are simply overwhelming, or did at one point, compounded by an unhealthy lifestyles that reinforced the downward spiral into disease conditions.I also notice that when I am low on vital energy, my own muscles feel tender and sore and body stiff, and I’m a fit guy with as close to a perfect diet ref: Dr’s Fuhrman and Greger, as there is, with a supportive performance lifestyle, It also reverses or goes away when I recuperate significantly enough.So I am highly suspect of pinning this condition on nutrition alone, it’s multifactoral, and the one factor that I think get’s the least attention may be the most important. Vita energy.It’s no surprise to this inquirer, that the symptoms start with fatigue and depression… which go hand in hand, leading to sore muscles etc.Neither this study nor Dr. Greger’s interpretation of it here pin fibromyalgia on diet alone. I’m also unclear how you deem this study from a medical journal to be “pseudo scientific” and then talk about “vital energy” and “life force” as explanatory factors.Kelly you are misinterpreting or I poorly conveyed the point. I’m not referring to the study as pseudo scientific, I’m referring the very point I’m making as anecdotal and not based on a scientific model, but based on observation and inquiry. I’m saying that it seems there is more to this than nutrition alone and was sharing an observation.Nothing new about eating better, getting enough rest and repair. We all know it’s important. It doesn’t require a lot of fancy words.Fancy words make reading interesting and more fun. Simple words make reading understandable. I enjoy both methods of conveying information. Hooray, for fancy words simply stated!He says “eating vegan can have beneficial effects on fibromyalgia symptoms, at least in the short run.” He is not “pinning this condition on nutrition alone.” I’m sure people suffering from this would welcome a way to ease symptoms.Yes, very welcome here. A big bowl of bananas, blueberries, apples and melon in the morning beats my old habit of getting that refined sausage any day. Fill up on fruit, salads, smoothies and juices. You can eat all you want and still maintain a healthy weight and feel wonderful!OBTW.. When I added back cooked starches a la McDougall, I got sick again, so for now, I am not going to eat grains, potatoes, etc. I feel they are inflammatory. (I can test again later.) My body tells me what I can eat. I need all the great nutrition I can get and I get that with a fresh fruit and vegi diet. It takes a little fore thought because we are not used to planning and preparing food this high quality way, but as soon as I got with it, I reaped the rewards.I have been a vegetarian for 34 years. I found the biggest change in my joint pain and swelling came with significantly decreasing my intake of processed grains. I eat about 1 cup of whole unrefined grains a day. The change has been dramatic. I fell into that purely by accident. My MD. feels I have some sort of allergy (celiac runs in my family, but I do not have it) that causes this joint swelling and pain reaction. Last week i ate 3 pieces of bread and a small amount of pasta at a restaurant. I had forgotten how much I suffered. I was awakened in early morning with extreme joint pain and swelling that kept me up. No amount of ibuprofen touched it. The swelling in my fingers lasted 3 days, no rings could go on and the pain was constant. This little mess up reminded me so much of the importance of healthy eating. One question I often ponder is this: Is it truly the food, or the processing of the food, and what about GMOs in the diet. Even being a strict vegetarian will not prevent one from eating processed foods completely or possibly get GMOs in the diet. Any thoughts?Congratulations on figuring out your difficulty. You will probably never know the exact diagnosis. Whether it is a food allergy or food sensitivity or some other issue you have found what works for you which is great. You might be interested in reading Dr. John McDougalls December 2002 newsletter article, Diet for the Desperate. He lists the common foods that cause food allergies. His articles are free on his website… http://www.drmcdougall.com. Since Celiac runs in your family you may have a variant that we can’t diagnose at this time. I generally recommend avoiding GMO foods since animal studies show adverse reactions. Although few human studies have been done the implications the potential difficulties are too great… best to apply the precautionary principle. The best website and information I have seen on GMO’s is Jeffery Smith’s Institute for Responsible Technology. There is a movie and a book. Sobering stuff. Corn and cotton are the crops most involved with Bt toxin production although the pesticide ready crops are a potential problem as well. Hope this helps.I’m learning more about GMOs. I was at a McDougal weekend in March. Don Forrester was one of the speakers. He really impressed me (and answered a lot of questions I had after the talk). One of the things he mentioned at the end of his talk that stuck with me (when someone asked him about GMOs) was something called BT toxin. It’s sprayed on corn and when the insects ingest it, the toxin punches holes in its intestines. I’ve wondered since I heard this, if the toxin can be passed on to people when they ingest corn— punching holes in our intestines (hmm … ‘leaky gut syndrome’?). Next Saturday, May 25, 1pm local time many cities (through out the world) are having a non-violent march called “March Against Monsanto”.Monsanto does not spray Bt toxins on plants. Organic gardeners and farmers may do that. What Monsanto does is isolate the DNA of Bt and using a gene gun or a vector like E-coli bacteria or another form of bacteria, moves the Bt into the seed of corn, replicates it, so that every cell in the DNA of corn carries the new gene.This action by Monsanto, Dow and other pesticide-biotech scientists, may be what is making livestock and animals or mammals eating livestock sterile and unable to reproduce.Now I understand that some scientists are creating new livestock in test tubes, presumably to resist genetically engineered crops. Although, that’s not what is told to the public.Just curious as to why the videos are now spaced apart by two days. Not enough donations? Or not enough time? Lets all pitch in a few dollars if it is a money issue!Yes, alas, now down to new videos just every monday, wednesday, and friday. See my year-end newsletter and then the follow-up from last week. If you don’t get them, you can subscribe (for free like everything else on the site) at http://bit.ly/nutritionfactsupdates;-(““““““““““ <– Tears of a Clown."I'm sad." <– (You'll get it when you watch the video link below)But this video might cheer you up! It did me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jkBOU9etRAOh, how I wish I hadn’t watched that!Now you know why I am Vegan! ;-()3 days a week is better than no days a week. Actually, I like the 3 days a week better. Makes the videos feel like a real treat and shortens my list of things to check out on the internet by 2 days. :) Thank you, Dr. Greger, for your amazing efforts with this site and the information you share with the public.The videos were getting a little too short. Let’s hope it’s the same information in fewer videos.Not enough donations… Going forward, new videos will only appear on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Dr. G is blessing us with two blog posts per week (Tuesday, Thursday) to see us through any withdrawal symptoms. See the following blog post for more info: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/07/new-nutrition-dvd-to-help-make-your-resolutions-more-resolutee-proceeds-to-charity/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-nutrition-dvd-to-help-make-your-resolutions-more-resolutee-proceeds-to-charityHemoDynamic: I believe that I read a post from Dr. Greger saying that he did not raise enough money to continue the daily video posting. He most generously donates his time, but the production costs money – such as needing to pay for rights to show certain graphs. Dr. Greger said that he would try to post more blog posts, which I think is important as it pulls info together/puts it into context. But, like you, I miss the daily videos.For now, the new schedule is Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I too hope for a revival of the old schedule. But still, 3 a week is pretty good in my opinion.I continue to enjoy and appreciate your participation on this site. Thanks.“I continue to enjoy and appreciate your participation on this site. Thanks.” That is very kind of you to say! I enjoy your participation as well! I will be going into withdrawls ;-( regarding the fewer vids. I will read Dr. G’s post about it. I didn’t even see it because I didn’t subscribe ’cause I visit NF.org nearly every day.I’m always reading both your posts too so don’t go anywhere, lots of stalking left from me. :);-()cooooool. My first stalker! ;-)There are an awful lot of variables in this study. Does the inflammation go down due the absence of processed food, soy or grains? The increase of raw fruits and vegetables? Does all animal protein cause inflammation? Wild/organic/grass fed vs conventionally grown? Dairy vs eggs vs fish vs meat? The information from this video is great, but it’s definitely just the tip of the iceberg.Dr. Greger covers many of these points already.Firstly, Soy and grains are not the perpetrators in causing inflammation. Many of the phytonutrients found in these foods are indeed anti inflammitory. Grains and soy are quite healthful as seen in a number of Dr. Greger’s videos.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/As well as others.All animal foods do indeed cause inflammationhttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/ The main points to avoid inflammation: Avoid animal products, do not consume oils and avoid omega 6 rich foods.Well, I can tell you all one thing: I was diagnosed with Fibromylagia back in 98 and have been suffering with the pains since then (minimizing with good sleep and exercise, stretching etc). However, since going no-oil plant-based (as from May 2012) – I have NO PAIn WHATSOEVER. It´s totally amazing, as I changed my lifestyle to adjust my problem with cholesterol and I was not really thinking about the pain. It´s a huge plus to the no-oil plant based diet for me. Years ans years of dragging myself out of bed in the morning against rising every morning with the sun and a smile in the face. No need of pain killers at all. I am the happiest human being on earth. Cheers.Celia what a great outcome! Absolutely wonderful!Glad to here it. I’m there too. It’s so easy, but there will always be people who will find a way to argue with it. I sure don’t know why. My food is so much more delicious than anything I ever thought I could have. I am having a wonderful cherry shake right now. Creamy, non dairy. Yum!Yes, it’s amazing what the plant=based diet can do for fibro pain. I have had the same success.Good for you! I wish I had the same outcome. My diet is impeccable: vegan, organic, whole foods, eliminated food allergies (however, I do eat oils), I was even macrobiotic vegan for awhile. However, I still have fibromyalgia symptoms that wax and wane. I wonder what the oils have to do with it?Oils and fatty foods contain substances that promote inflammation. There are some presentations from Dr. Esselstyn on youtube that explain thatI’m adding my “mee too”! The elimination of processed and animal foods and cutting out any fat that wasn’t part of a whole food, (originally to conquer diabetes, which I did!) switching to a WFPB diet changed my life in so many ways and drastically improved the fibro. The final piece though was when I started making and eating a daily dose of fermented foods! That took everything to the next level, especially my mental health! I know this sounds weird, but a wonderful inner shift took place that turned worry and anxiety into joy, something that was just a childhood memory before that time. I’ve since learned this is pretty common in people who incorporate cultured food into their diets on a regular basis. It just makes so much sense to me that the spontaneous natural proliferation of microbes that create lacto fermentation happens simply by adding water and some salt to produce, and those same bacteria that preserve and increase the nutrition of the food make our bodies benefit in a multitude of ways too! In my experience, pro-biotic tablets don’t cut it, it’s all about the food! There is always something bubbling on my counter-top, the stuff is awesome and it couldn’t be safer or easier! When my garden or the local farmers market has a bounty, it’s a great way to utilize it! I even make vegan cheese from plant products that tastes incredibly like the real thing! I am trying to find some source for sharing kefir grains since I can’t afford to purchase them, but am anxious to try a plant based version that subs dates for the lactose it feed on! Hee hee, mad scientist in the kitchen, I missed my calling in a biology lab!GIven how difficult it is for many doctors to figure out how to treat and help fibromyalgia, eating a clean raw or vegan diet can help reduce symptoms, if well balanced.At Merrimack Valley Hypnosis Center we see many clients with fibromyalgia and, given that it can sometimes be difficult to exercise with the chronic pain, diet is a very important part of managing their symptoms.Shannon Tobin Director, Merrimack Valley Hypnosis Center http://www.MerrimackValleyHypnosisCenter.comDid I understand correctly that a raw vegan diet was used?I hope that someday someone will compare RAW vegan with regular vegan. I and many my age cannot comfortably eat raw vegetables now. Or if anyone out there has tried both, please let us know if you experienced any difference.I got rid of fibro pain eating 50% raw vegan, 50% cooked vegan food.I had a idea. It’s hard to do a double blind because it’s food. What if you did a switch up diet and didn’t tell them which diet was suppose to improve there health. And which keep it the same. And then see what happens. They would then not know if the diet was good or bad for them… and they would not have a placebo effect. You could call it the 3 switch blind test. So they would obviously know they was changing there diet but they would not know if it was the diet that was suppose to help or not meaning they would be more objective. Rather than believe it is working which is the case with placebo. This would be a good way to find results in tests where people obviously could tell they was not eating the same as before. You would state we are looking for the diet that helps them, and that these diets may make them worse or better but after we should have data to show what will make them better and worse. Point being is to make them skeptical and remove the placebo effect. :-)you kind of sound like david duchovny… kind of.I have been suffering from fribromyalgia for 3 years now. Recently I stopped eating dairy and wheat products and notice a difference as well. I am planning on cutting the meat out of my diet as well. There is a correlation between what I eat and the daily pain that I suffer. There is not a cure but altering my diet seems to make the pain more tolerable.Interesting point about plants protecting themselves from free radicals by producing antioxidants. My husband suggests a study where plants that naturally live in the sun and plants that naturally live in the shade are compared for their antioxidant content. Could you get a researcher to do that and report back?I have had fibromyalgia since 1986. I’ve been vegetarian since then too and vegan for past five years. I’ve seen an overall improvement in health from the vegan diet: energy, stomach distress, cholesterol, etc. But no noticeable difference in my fibromyalgia pain. The fibromyalgia has waxed and waned over the years and I sometimes have flare ups and sometimes relapses. I totally recommend a vegan diet for health, but unfortunately other factors like stress, amount and types of activity, weather, and exercise seem to affect the fibromyalgia more than diet.I have seen a change greatly since being vegan/plant. I take less narcotic pain medication than I did before changing my habits with food. Is quite amazing and really hadn’t put it all together until this short video. My 2 month check up with my alternative physician will be longer than usual…HorayI am so glad we found this site! My family and I, went vegan after seeing a youtube video from VeganTruth. The only reason I gave it any thought was b/c I truly felt horrible! We are poor and cannot afford to pay a doctor to run endless tests, when in this new age of the internet, you can find the most current science, if you know how to research! Anyway, we were pretty sure I had fibromyalgia! Essentially every single symptom you hit on in the video and in your footnotes, I experienced daily! Being poor we already did not eat much meat anyway, so WITHIN 2 weeks every single symptom was gone! I could sleep all night without waking at all! I have energy like I’m 8-yrs old again! We exercise hard now because we don’t get tired! Now at 4-5 months later, I have stopped smoking, using caffeine, and drinking more than 2 beers a night! Also, my wife has lost 15lbs and I have lost 20lbs! But we literally eat all we want, all the time and never worry about portions! Really, all we do is watch the % of fat cals! 95% of our food(organic) comes from the bulk and produce sections of our grocery store, and our bill is half what it was! So after all this we started to investigate and we found all of this research showing that this is the way to live, and then we found this website, forks over knives, the china study! I know this is long winded but NOW I have to tell everyone!Justin, I love to hear stories like yours! How fantastic for you and your wife. Congratulations! I especially liked reading about how you decided to make a lifestyle change not only to improve your health but to save money! Very happy for you! Your story is quite inspirational.Justin: I, too, LOVED reading your story. Thanks for taking the time to share your inspirational journey! Congratulations on taking control of your health.“randomized controlled trial: … significantly improved by weight loss in obese with fibromyalgia”, Clin Rheumatol. 2012 Nov; 31(11): 1591-7Philippine pili nuts from the Bicol region in the Philippines is a great Filipino or Philippines food orsnack. Pili nuts are very healthy and nutritious indeed, being a source of energy, potassium and iron.They also have protein, dietary fiber / fibre, and calcium as well as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. I know they have no cholesterol, no trans fat, and the unsalted ones have no sodium. What is great about the pili nut snack or treat is that they are so crisp, rich, and delicious.I suffered terribly from migraines until I stopped eating meat. I had no attacks for five years. They returned but the frequency and severity has greatly diminished.	antioxidants,anxiety,arthritis,back pain,brain disease,brain health,cholesterol,chronic diseases,chronic fatigue syndrome,depression,fatigue,fibromyalgia,Finland,flexitarians,headaches,inflammation,insomnia,LDL cholesterol,lower back pain,mental health,migraine headaches,omnivores,oxidative stress,pain,plant-based diets,raw food,reversing chronic disease,rheumatoid arthritis,sleep,vegans,vegetarians	Plant-based diets may be effective for the treatment of fibromyalgia, a painful condition suffered by millions.	One thing all sufferers should consider is an aspartame-free trial period (see Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia).Why do plant-based diets help with chronic pain conditions? There may be a number of reasons why vegetarians only have about half the odds of being on painkiller drugs (see Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants). Potentially inflammatory compounds in animal products include Neu5Gc (The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc), endotoxins (The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory), and animal proteins (Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis).On the other hand maybe the potassium in plant foods modulates adrenal function? See my video Potassium and Autoimmune Disease. If it is the Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants, then that could certainly help explain it. See Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods.Vegetarian and raw vegan diets appear effective, but what about just mostly vegetarian diets or mostly raw vegan diets? That's the subject of my next NutritionFacts.org video Fibromyalgia vs. Mostly Raw & Mostly Vegetarian Diets.For some more context, check out my associated blog posts: Plant-Based Diets for Psoriasis, Plant-Based Diets for Fibromyalgia, and How Probiotics Affect Mental Health	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/finland/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibromyalgia/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fibromyalgia-vs-mostly-raw-mostly-vegetarian-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1802495,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11093597,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11156742,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20358204,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8464845,
PLAIN-2809	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/	Apple Skin: Peeling Back Cancer	Apples themselves are awesome, but it’s not because of the juice in them but rather, perhaps, primarily what’s found in the peel. Within the last year half a dozen studies have touted the benefits of apple peels, for example this one in the journal Nutrition and Cancer. The antiproliferative effects of apple peel extract against cancer cells. We know the more apples we eat, the lower our apparent risk of several cancers. The peels are the really good part, yet are often discarded. For example apple peel is a waste product of dried apple manufacturing; in one little country Chile, they throw away 9,000 tons of apple peels a year. That's like 20 million pounds--a tragedy! So these researchers decided to see what we’re missing. Here are two cell lines of human prostate cancer and two of human breast cancer growing merrily away in petri dishes —they’re the little black dots you can see. They are blissfully unaware that researchers at the University of Wisconsin were at whole foods buying some organic gala apples. The peels were thrown in a blender and a tiny bit dripped on the unsuspecting cancer cells. And then a bit more and a little more and as you can see by the end neither the prostate nor breast cancer cells were very happy. This ain’t chemo; it’s just apple peels. How did they do it? “To obtain a clue regarding the mechanism they determined the effect of apple peels on the tumor suppressor protein maspin inside the cancer cells. Maspin is a tumor suppressor gene that has been shown to have tumor suppressor, antiangiogenic and antimetastatic properties in both breast and prostate cancer cells. The tumor cells found a way to turn this gene off; and apple peels turned it back on. An upregulation of this tumor suppression gene as you add more and more of the apple peel extract to each of the cancer types. They conclude apple peels may possess strong antiproliferative effects against cancer cells, and they should not be discarded from the diet.	Dr Greger, If I juice the apples, with the skin on of course, am I reaping the benefits or does juicing change the antiproliferative effect of maspin? Thank you Audrey PellicanoDr Don I hope you don’t mind. I found this comment on another video and thought Audrey might find it helpful. I believe Dr Greger has said the whole food is generally best. Don’t we lose the fiber with juicing?DrDons Schilly76 • 8 months ago − As a general rule when foods are processed(blended) or nutrients are extracted(water, fiber) they are less beneficial. As this video shows there are exceptions to the rule when dealing with complex systems. Garlic needs to be crushed to allow for the mixing of chemicals to liberate an antioxidant that is beneficial. Broccoli is another interesting case see http://nutritionfacts.org/vide…. Cooking is another variable that needs to be considered see video http://nutritionfacts.org/vide…. Since juicing removes fiber it is less beneficial as fiber is a valuable nutrition. Dr. Greger has done 25 videos touching on the value of fiber but you might start with http://nutritionfacts.org/vide….This is the first time that I’ve seen a comment that notes that blending food is less beneficial.I have green smoothies about every other day. They include almond milk, greek yogurt, LOTS of spinach, a banana, strawberries, blueberries, unpasteurized honey, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. Everything is raw.I felt like blending all of these items had no effect on their nutritional content (since they are all whole, raw, and uncooked when they go into a blender). Am I mistaken??? (Lay the truth on me)Only in that the question was about juicing not blending. You dump the fiber when you juice. I guess some people save it and use it in cooking.Hello,Blending too much Spinach raw could pose health risks because of the oxalates. Also, blending is oxidation the greens faster which reduces their nutritional value quickly if not consumed soon. Tata.I have a centrifugal juicer and when I juice an apple, a lot of the peel goes into the bin yes, but for for all that the first part of the juice I get is very red, so some of it is going into the juice as well. If you get the seeds and stem out first, you can always collect the juiced fiber from the bin and use it. Personally, I find apple peel very difficult to eat. At least on the typical red apple. Maybe I should try gala apples.To eat a chicken, eat like one. How about them Apples’–peels!I like to dry fruit, including apples. Drying apples with the skin on results in a tough and unpleasant texture to the skin. So I peel the apples I intend to dry, save the peel, and use it in my fruit and vegetable smoothies. My Vitamix will wiz that peel down to a liquid and results in a good taste, a nice mouthfeel, and of course, all that nutrition. Caveat: be sure to use organic.More generally, if you buy into the concept of whole foods, dump the juicer and invest in a superblender such as Vitamix. Your body will thank you.This video was so fun (those poor unsuspecting cancer cells!) and so clear.I eat an apple a day during winter. (My dog gets some too.) As a kid, I hated the skin. As an adult, I tolerate it, but don’t like it. So of course we learn that that’s the healthiest part. sigh.Just as vitally important for exploding cancer cells is eating the seeds WITH the rest of the apple.celticson: You post surprises me. I thought that apple seeds contain significant amounts of arsenic and that one should definitely not eat them. I’m curious why you would advocate eating the seeds. Do you do that yourself? Do you have a link to a study that uses apple seeds? ThanksNo arsenic but does contain cyanide. Good news- the rest of the apple has counter-properties for the cyanide, so all is balanced nicely.Thanks for the correction!Balancing cyanide? I don’t know about that…Thea et al., please note: Dr. G reports science and cites refs. What does Eve do “so you don’t have to”? Can you choose wisely?Was this study done with organic apples? If so, I wonder if same results will apply with non organic? I try to eat organic apples. But if it is not organic, I wonder if it’s healthier to take the peel off?Wish there was a way to edit or delete. Just saw vid- Organic!Cell lines in a petri dish are better than nothing I suppose but may not extend that much to cancer cells in situ. It would be nice to know if the cancer cells were primary cultures or cell lines instead.What I do is I thinly slice the apples on a Mandoline slicer leaving the peel on. I then sprinkle cinnamon on the slices and then place them in the oven for about two hours. At the end I have apple chips or crisps and I can easily eat three apples worth without feeling full. It one of my favorite snacks I make, that and sweet potato chips.Hey Kip! Great idea. I don’t know if you are raw vegan or not, but wondering about temp. and also do you use lemon or anything to avoid oxydation?Why is store bought apple fiber not made with just apple peels and not the center sugar laden portionI start my day with a smoothie made from fresh (mostly organic) fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, protein powder, cinnamon and almond milk. I always include an apple (seeds, peel and all). I look forward to the smoothie every morning because it is so delicious!Apparently the seeds are a good source of cyanide, which will collects in you system. I too, ate the whole apple until I read that factoid in the paper about 5 years ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CyanideThis puts a different spin an earlier video “Dried Apples vs. Cholesterol,” 1/12/12, the problem is it’s hard to find dried apple rings with the skin on. By the way, I’ve heard the same thing about seeds, how could any amount of cyanide be tolerable?Sorry, 1/10/12.I don’t remember the last time I peeled my apples — perhaps childhood. Nowadays, all but the core goes into the Vitamix with other fruits. Thanks Dr. Greger, team, and apples. :)http://www.deccanherald.com/content/304101/superfoods-may-cause-cancer-nobel.html Dr. Greger – please comment on this article. It’s already posted by the plant based crowd who dismiss the power of “super foods.”Which is the amount recommended for daily consumption of apple skin to prevent cancer? It has the same effect if consumed dehydrated?I follow Dr. Greger’s reviews of the research with great interest so I am very keen to hear his reaction to this research:http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/01/10/u-s-failing-in-war-on-cancer-and-antioxidants-superfoods-focus-is-part-of-the-problem-dna-research-pioneer/by Dr. Francis Crick concerning the possibly negative influence of antioxidant loading through food intake. It was just a quick read but what I took away from it was that these foods MAY interfere with the action of chemo during treatment.I left Stage IIIB Lobular Invasive Carcinoma behind me fifteen years ago after the usual treatment regimen of Slash, Poison, and Burn (for which I am grateful, despite my description of it) but now sustain life and health with a whole plant food, no processed ‘phood’, low fat eating plan. And yes, I DO load up on antioxidants with a home made tea blend of rose hips, hibiscus, fresh ginger, amla, and lemon. I love it and hope that since I no longer take any prescription medication that this concoction is doing me a lot of good and maxing out what I can do to prevent a recurrence.I think it’s pretty easy to comment on the given article… Dr. Francis Crick fails to offer a succession of reproducible peer-reviewed scientific studies in support of his contention. Facts trump rhetoric and opinion, every time – regardless of your credentials.well said totally agree!Good day Dr. Greger,I would like to firstly thank you for providing nutritional facts to the general public for creating a deep understanding of dietary and lifestyle improvement and to debunk the food myths the food industry markets heavily to us.I do not know whether or not you take video requests. but if so I would greatly appreciate if you did a discussion on phytic acid and its beneficial or detrimental impacts on our system. I have recently found a video by these youtubers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQbBCd22qZM which seems very erroneous to me.Thank you for your time. R. ShieldsI use Now Foods Apple Fiber in my morning AOX shake…http://www.amazon.com/Lew-Payne-Uses-This/dp/B0009NBCVYIt is made from discards – apple peels – and also contains 10% pectin. I use 25 cc Apple Fiber along with 30 cc of Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal.PROCYANIDINS IN THE MOST POPULAR IN POLAND DESSERT APPLE VARIETES S u m m a r y The contents of major flavan-3-ols : epicatechin, procyanidins: B1, B2, C, oligomeric procyanidins in ethanol extracts of 7 dessert apple varieties (Jonagold, Cortland, Lobo, Idared, Gloster, Champion, Elstar)was measured. The measurement was performed by RP-HPLC. Spectrophotomeric measurements of total polyphenols by Folin-Ciocalteau method and total procyanidins by vanillin test method were alsoperformed.The contents of total procyanidins in apple flesh was on level 258-631mg/kg (HPLC), including epicatechin 33-172 mg/kg, procyanidin B1 4-47 mg/kg, procyanidin B2 64-166 mg/kg, procyanidin C1 5-73 mg/kg and oligomeric procyanidins 108-172 mg/kg. For apple flesh the total polyphenols ranged 407-643 mg/kg.For apple peel the total procyanidins ranged 701-1445 mg/kg, including epicatechin 156-400 mg/kg, procyanidin B1 14-74 mg/kg, procyanidin B2 185-369 mg/kg, procyanidin C 97-213 mg/kg and oligomeric procyanidins 211-459 mg/kg. For apple peel the total polyphenols ranged from 1573 to 2850 mg/kg. Elstar variety was characterized as the richest in procyanidins, both in apple flesh and in peel.Apple peel was shown to be richer in procyanidins than apple flesh. Good correlation between vanillin test and HPLC method for quantifying procyanidins in flesh and in edible part of apple was established. source: http://www.pttz.org/zyw/wyd/czas/2006,%202(47)%20Supl/14_Kosmala.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ElstarIn cold weather, I tend to make applesauce and eat it warm. I leave the skins on. (If you have diabetes, you can also add lots of cinnamon.) Does anyone know if there is a difference in efficacy between raw and cooked peels?Why cook? warm meal (up to 40 degrees) is also warming the body.Hi there even the organic apples where i live have wax on them, just take a sharp knife and see the white wax flake off, i always peel my apples and sad to do so. :(Although they do wax some fruit, apples make wax naturally! Just spray with some water and lemon juice or vinegar (or a commercial produce cleaner) and wipe with a towel.doesnt really work with wax added by producers. wax is almost impossible to removeStewed apple with coconut oil tastes not only tastes great but can be helpful for digestion.Daniel thenakednutritionist.co.ukMother knew best, “An apple a day etc…. I try to eat 2 a day, but often fall short. My fave is Fuji. Sweetest. Not so pretty, so don’t judge a book by it’s cover. I am interested in some info on not eating fruit with other foods. I’ll snoop around your archives, but if you haven’t addressed it yet, would love your opinion. Thanks, LynnWhat about wax on apples? How safe is it?“the benefits of eating the peels (even from conventional apples) far outweighs any risk that may come from the pesticide exposure” and “one should never let pesticide concerns lead one to skimp on fruit and vegetable consumption”…Really? So children and those with weakened or haywire immune systems should have no concerns about toxic load?It’s blanket statements like this from supposed medical professionals that make me angry. Conventional agriculture is slowly making us sick – sometimes not so slowly – and you would have us just go along with being poisoned? You are ignorant.http://www.ewg.orgThe point is, if you have a choice between organic candy or conventional apples, you should not consume the andy out of fear of pesticides. The health benifits of the apple far outweight the candy.says you? you need to read a bitI understand your concerns. The pesticides are worrying, but the primary issue in the United States is lack of fruit consumption. The first priority should be to consume enough fruits and vegetables, as avoiding them due to fear of pesticides will bring more harm then eating a fruit with pesticides. Once we have reached adequate level of consumption, the next hurdle would be to try to buy organic as much possible.Eata Mea: Let’s keep NutritionFacts a place for respectful debate.——- I thought I would add to Toxins’ excellent reply so you can see that there are hard numbers to back up what he is saying. Consider the following quote from one of Dr. Greger’s blog posts, where he puts pesticide consumption into perspective. :“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.”for more information: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/Hope that helps.Thanks for that information Thea, I was not aware of those numbers. Very useful knowledge to have for sure.I love apple peel. If I didn’t feel bad about throwing the rest, I would eat only apple peels.Fascinating article, it does make me wonder about Apple Cider Vinegar in this scenario.Keep it simple and eat a couple apples a day!most apples are loaded with cancer causing pesticides. so………..I am wondering about the consumption of other edible peels, say of tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers and different varieties of squash. What are the benefits vs. risks of pesticide expose of these foods?I ; love apples, but it’s getting hard to find any that aren’t coated with wax (or whatever it is they dip them in). Even organically grown apples are often coated. I now peel my apples to avoid eating the coating. Is it safe to eat it? I think it not only adds unwanted chemicals to the diet, apples with this treatment have a mushier texture and less flavor.	angiogenesis,antiangiogenesis,apple juice,apples,breast cancer,cancer,dried fruit,epigenetic changes,fruit,fruit juice,gala apples,juice,men's health,organic foods,polyphenols,prostate cancer,tumor suppressor genes,women's health	Apple peels appear to upregulate the tumor suppressor gene maspin and have strong antiproliferative effects on breast and prostate cancer cell growth in vitro.	What's wrong with just drinking apple juice? See my last video Apple Juice May Be Worse Than Sugar Water. Peeling conventionally grown apples does get rid of a significant proportion of the pesticides, but the benefits of eating the peels (even from conventional apples) far outweighs any risk that may come from the pesticide exposure. Of course one can get all the benefits without the risks by choosing organic, but one should never let pesticide concerns lead one to skimp on fruit and vegetable consumption. To see what a whole diet full of plant foods can do to prostate and breast cancer cell growth see Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay and The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle, respectively. More on the wonders of apples in Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol and Apples & Breast Cancer.For some more context, please check out my associated blog posts: Dr. Greger's Natural Nausea Remedy Recipe, Apple Peels Turn On Anticancer Genes, and Breast Cancer & Alcohol: How Much Is Safe?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epigenetic-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gala-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tumor-suppressor-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angiogenesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antiangiogenesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20432173,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20722929,
PLAIN-2810	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/	Apple Juice May Be Worse Than Sugar Water	Just as you can measure the amount of antioxidant level in a cup of… apple juice, you can measure the antioxidant level in someone’s bloodstream. If you drink that juice, within minutes the antioxidant power of your blood starts to rise, you get a nice peak and then it comes back down. If you drink water, nothing happens, stays the same, down around 10. First, note the scale here. This is in the same units, using the same test as in our 3000+ food study. Compared to most foods in the produce aisle, the antioxidant level in our bodies kinda sucks. We don't even make iceberg lettuce. Not much better than meat, actually. But then again, meat is what we’re made of, so I guess it’s not that surprising. Your level does rise a few points when we eat healthy foods, so if you yaknow stuff babe with some, blueberries right before you whack him, you may actually get a healthier pork chop. Apple juice is a long way from blueberries, though. Basically just sugar water, fitting in right about here. Hardly even has any vitamin C, so why was there that nice spike in blood antioxidant level. Must be the phenolic phytonutrients? But we’re not talking purple grape juice, cranberry, pomegranate, we’re talking apple. And indeed, when you measure polyphenol levels in the blood, here’s what water does, compared to three types of apple juice, no difference, so what could it be? Turns out you can get a similar spike in antioxidant activity by feeding people essentially straight sugar water. Recently researchers at the Polish Institute of fruit and flower farming, sounds like a nice place to work, figured it out. It appears to be the uric acid, not the polyphenols that are responsible for the rise in blood antioxidant activity after apple juice consumption. Remember, fructose leads to uric acid production, and uric acid, for all the terrible things it does has some antioxidant activity, so the reason we see this nice spike in antioxidant activity when we drink apple juice, is not because we’re absorbing antioxidants into our bloodstream, it’s not because of a good thing, it’s because of all this excess uric acid waste produced when you take in that much sugar. And table sugar is only 50% fructose, high fructose corn syrup only 55%. The sugar in apple juice is 2/3 fructose, so apple juice in this respect may be even worse than sugar water.	The chart at the end of the video shows agave nectar as highest in fructose. Previous videos have shown agave to not be a healthful sweetener, but didn’t specify why. Is this the reason?I learned the extracting process is quite toxic.Toxic??? Why is that Gertrude?Agave Nectar is mostly fructose. Fructose is converted to uric acid, fat, and other stuff you don’t want.“Agave nectar consists primarily of fructose and glucose. One source gives 92% fructose and 8% glucose; another gives 56% fructose and 20% glucose. These differences probably reflect variation from one vendor of agave nectar to another.[6][7]The impact of agave nectar on blood sugar (as measured by its glycemic index and glycemic load) are comparable to fructose,[8][9] which has a much lower glycemic index and glycemic load than table sugar (sucrose).[10][11] However, consumption of large amounts of fructose can be deleterious and can trigger fructose malabsorption, metabolic syndrome,[12] hypertriglyceridemia, decreased glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, and accelerated uric acid formation.[13][14][15]” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_nectarSo shouled I continue to drink apple juice that I juice my self ?I have the same question. I don’t know if you are talking about apple juice from the grocery store or organic apple juices I juiced myself?My suggestion would be to eat the entire edible part of the apple rather than just its juice.How about an apple smoothie? Then you get the juice and the apple but in the liquid form. Nothing like a blender-made breakfast fruit smoothie!The link to Apple Skin: Peeling Back Cancer is no longer available Doc. I’d like to also know if juicing apples along with other fruits and veggies is still an ok route to get our kids to consume.The Apple Skin: Peeling Back Cancer is not available because it is tomorrows video so stay tuned!Are we talking about home made juice or processed apple juice found in groceries? (does it make any difference?)Got the answer, we’re not talking about home-extracted organic apple juice…Cloudy Apple Juice Preparation. The cloudy apple juice was produced from the 2006 apple harvest. Before being processed, apples were stored for 9 months in a commercial storage room under controlled atmospheric conditions containing 2% O2 and 2% CO2 at a temperature of 1.5uC. Fruits were washed and disintegrated using Frymaperforated disc mill Ascorbic acid solution was dosed (200 mg/kg of apples) into the mill funnel during grinding. The resulting mash was directly pressed on a hydraulic pack press . Raw juice was centrifuged using continuous flow disk stack centrifuge at 1500 rpm and citric acid (3 g/L of product) was added. Hot (96–98uC), cloudy apple juice was placed in 0.25-L screw-cap glass bottles using plate heat exchanger. After 30 minutes, the bottles were cooled in tap water and then stored in the dark at 4uC for 4 weeks until use.The difference is crucial when you are talking about nutrition. The store bought apple juice is processed (fibers including other nutritional items are removed) than cooked (pasteurized). Cooking destroys all the enzymes and degrades the vitamins (destroying some). Blending whole apples or fruits gives you 100% of the vitamins, minerals, and micro-nutrients for good health.There is a key difference between juicing and blending. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/Is apple cider any better?Yes, I think all of us juicers need to know ! Most Green juices I make , I also throw in an apple. Is this bad now?? What is good for you anymore?? Seems like so many studies come out daily about things that you thought where good , now being bad. I am confused.If you don’t have Gout and you are healthy you are OK to have a few juices, but the healthiest way to live is consuming a Whole Food plant based diet. Whole food is the key phrase because when you grind up food you are now processing it. This processing of apples takes the sugar out of the plants cell and causes spikes of glucose that are hard on the body. If you chew it however you will not get as high of a spike in blood glucose (protecting your body) and still get the benefits of the Whole apple.So, what about juicing veggies. Is it good for you ?????Also, when I make veggie juice I make about 32 oz.s and one apple is added to that. So, that isnt much is it. I just like the way it taste with appleIt’s easy to get confused. Now here’s an article saying too many anti-oxidants (super foods like blue berries and broccoli) may allow more cancer: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2259280/Superfoods-make-cancer-MORE-likely-says-pioneer-DNA-study.htmlThe author of the text confuses antioxidants in wholefoods and pills as well as research on those.Juicing should always be a treat, like any sweet water. The whole food is always best. That is not news. Our bodies love all that wonderful fiber. It’s how our insides function to help take that good sweet stuff through our intestines to our cells. Eat your greens….or make a smoothie to utilize the fiber. There are a lot of nay sayers about smoothies, but better to get it all in you. Just keep it simple and vegan. Lots of water and voila….Health.you could switch to green smoothies: all the nutrition and the fiber. i personally cant physically eat very much (digestive issues) so green smoothies are the next best things, its a whole food, just kind of “pre chewed” lolThat was a bitter-sweet study! Maybe you could have ended that vid with, “How about them Apples!” ;-)is this fresh apple juice or heavily processed made from reconstituted apples juice????I’m also interested in whether or not juicing apples is a good or bad thing.I sometimes used to get back pain, slower heart rate, and exhaustion from drinking store bought apple juice. Sometimes got the same with grapes though. Always passed within 30 minutes or so, then I felt great.It’s easy to get confused. Now here’s an article saying too many anti-oxidants (super foods like blue berries and broccoli) may allow more cancer: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2259280/Superfoods-make-cancer-MORE-likely-says-pioneer-DNA-study.htmlDr Greger, would you recommend to drink any store-bought juice at all? For example 100% grape or orange juices seem not that bad, or do they act as sugary drinks in our bodies? Thank you.I would avoid fruit juice in general although under some circumstances such as a diabetic having a low sugar incident they can be very useful.The healthiest beverage is tea see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/. Certainly the way to go if you are traveling on a plane see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-airplane-beverage-2/ although if I’m traveling late in the day I bring my own caffeine free tea bags (I like chocolate peppermint) as airlines don’t have caffeine free tea bags. Although based on the healthiest tea maybe I should go with red or wild berry zinger see…. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/.this is very disappointing info about apple juice … what about real apple, that freshly juiced and consumed in 1-2 minutes???Would not make much difference except mainly in taste as I imagine the fructose levels would be the same. The problem with juicing is it throws out the fiber(good for you) and the peel(where the phytonutrients are located). Whole food is best but blending is better than juicing.Fresh juices and prossesed juices are very different, fresh juices are more nutritional in general, and apples in general are high in fructose, juiced ore not. Should one refrain from eating apples? Whole apples contain fiber, that gives you a feeling of fullness, that’s why you couldn’t probably eat 10 apples, but you can easily drink them. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12403253)Great message. So glad I have always loved the whole fruit and while other mothers were peeling their little darling’s apples, mine was giving us whole apples. A wonderful treat! Thanks Mom!For a popular and helpful lecture on sugar metabolism, see the UC Berkely YouTube channel (UCTV: “Sugar the Bitter Truth,” Dr. Robert H. Lustig). According to Dr. Lustig, sugar reduces to two harmful components: lipids and uric acid. Once I eliminated sugar and animal fats from my diet–favoring a whole foods, plant-based diet–my gout attacks are now infrequent and minor. Also, uric acid stores in our body fat, so weight loss releases uric acid in quantities too rich for the blood and kidneys, which triggers a gout attack. This accounts for my current episodes since I don’t eat animal protein or eat refined fructose. The KEY to sugar metabolism from whole foods is FIBER (along with nutrition). The whole fruit and vegetable incorporate within them the vehicles for eliminating uric acid through the intestines. Thirty percent of uric acid is eliminated through the intestines–if possible–while the other 70% is eliminated through the kidneys–if possible. By the way, gout reveals itself as arthritis in the extremities. Imagine kidney stones in the joints.I think it is important to be specific when using the term sugar. Glucose, Fructose, Table Sugar(one molecule of Glucose and Fructose). Dr. Lustig is very clear that fructose is the sugar metabolized to uric acid, inflammatory aldehydes and fats. In addition to uric acid the consumption of animal protein contributes to the formation of kidney stones. Congratulations about improving your diet and avoiding gouty attacks. Whole foods containing fructose, glucose and sucrose such as fruits are the same as the conventional chemicals but the other ingredients make their absorption and handling different. Good luck in eliminating the remainder of your attacks. Hopefully as the science keeps coming in we will better understand significant clinical situations such as gout.What about certain studies such as this > http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0056339. They claim that vegan diets have higher serum uric acid concentrations, the science seems sound, I’ve been over the study a few times.Not enough calcium!woopWhat do you think about Water Kefir? Most folks make it homemade, like myself. It use unrefined Sucanat or whole sugar in water with the ‘grains’ which are 43 strains beneficial cultures. In two days you have a probiotic packed drink. Some times I make by mason jar mixture with a can of Coconut Milk (canned) added to the 2 day concoction. The bacteria usually eats almost all the sugar. What do you think of this compared to other sugar drinks? The sugars are whole (just crushed drained sugar cane that has been dried) it has all the vitamins and minerals of the cane. Actually, it would be neat if you could do a piece on Water Kefir and its benefits. There is also a culture called Milk Kefir but it has added milk, uckkk, with its added de-benefits. Thank youI’ve also been curious what the science has to say about water kefir. I’m also very interested in hearing about any evidence that compares kefir to rejuvalac. I make rejuvalac for nut cheeses. But someone told me the other day that she thought that water kefir tasted better than rejuvalac and that she was able to drink it straight compared to rejuvalac (which other people also drink straight).I was wondering how the various bacteria would compare. Of course, I presume that would depend a lot on what bacteria happen to be in the air and on ones grains – at least for rejuvalac.Who knows, maybe Dr. Greger will find some studies to report to us in the future.I hope he does. Rejuvalac is fermented like all the others. While Rejuvalac and sour krout type ferments are from open are bacteria, they are, in that way, different from the age old 40-60 strain bacteria cultures that has been passed down from generations to generations that are used to prepare Kim chi, Kefir, and Kombacha. They have tried to locate the first original ‘mother’ Kefir grains (they are all very similar even from around the world) and believe they are back as far as Egypt in the Biblical days. ALL Fermented foods are chucked full of Vit B and Vit K2. Excellent additions to any diet which ever one you choose to eat. I have friends who LOVE Rejuvalac cheese, and I can tell you homemade Coconut milk water kevir is so good that it is addictive :)	antioxidants,apple juice,apples,blood sugar,blueberries,cancer,fructose,fruit,fruit juice,gout,high fructose corn syrup,juice,lettuce,meat,phenolics,phytonutrients,Poland,polyphenols,pork,sugar,sweeteners,uric acid,vitamin C	Why the spike in antioxidant levels in our bloodstream after drinking apple juice might not be a good thing.	This is the third in a video series about sugar. Make sure to see last week's Miocene Meteorites and Uric Acid and  Flesh and Fructose.The antioxidant comparison is taken from my video Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. The comparison among juices is from Best Fruit Juice.There is actually a fruit that's healthier in juice form. See The Fruit Whose Juice is Healthier.Conventional apple juice may also contain contaminants (Fungal Toxins in Apples), so one should probably avoid apple juice, but what about apples? Find out in the next video of the day Apple Skin: Peeling Back Cancer.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Apple Peels Turn On Anticancer Genes	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poland/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phenolics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/high-fructose-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gout/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11999386,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20432173,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18211026,
PLAIN-2811	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/	Flesh and Fructose	In modern times, we want to keep our uric acid levels as low as possible. How are we going to do that? There are two main things that raise your uric acid levels, purines and fructose, which means mostly meat and sugar. Everything from bacon and brains, to fish, poultry, shrimp and veal, and then both sugar and high fructose corn syrup, are both about half fructose, which leads to uric acid production in the body. That explains why a spoonful of sugar helps the blood pressure go up, along with the risk of gout in men, and the risk of gout in women. And the risk of hypertension, obesity, prediabetes, diabetes, kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. We went from eating about 4 pounds of added sugars a year to now around 100 pounds per person. That’s a third pound of sugar a day. This could be playing a role in the dramatic rise in chronic disease over the last century, as argued in an award-winning recent paper, The evolution of obesity: insights from the mid-Miocine.	So does this mean too much fruit is a bad thing?YesJohn Smith: I’m not speaking as an expert here, but I have a thought for you. As you know, too much of anything, even water, is bad. The question is, what is too much? I have a hard time believing that the average person would eat too much whole fruit in a day. My guess is that you would have to really try hard to do so. The vast majority of people in America do not eat enough fruit. So, it seems like that is not a worry we need to have.Also, I agree with Veganrunner making a distinction between sugar, juice, and whole berries.No. Somebody missed the part about added sugars. Fruit is far too nutritious for it to really be detrimental to your health- even in large quantities. It’s most likely a bad idea to eat truckloads of refined sugars, but please don’t stop eating fruit. To tell a person to stop eating fruit is akin to telling someone to stop eating vegetables- fruit is a health-promoting food. A balanced plant-based diet includes fruit and the fructose within it.Right. Fruit’s fructose is mediated by everything else that comes with it if you eat a piece of fruit whole. That’s why HFCS is nasty for you – nothing to slow it down. Whole fruit rocks!What to eat needs to be considered in the context of an individual’s health issues. If you have high uric acid levels and are subject to gout attacks, then I think it wise to limit fruit high in fructose (with a goal of taking in no more than 15-25 mg of fructose per day, according to some accounts).It would also ‘be wise’ to hold back on meat consumptionRight, that’s key. But for vegans with high normal or higher uric acid (like me), fructose intake is an issue.@david johnson–How long have you been on the WFPB diet?On a strict WFPB diet, about 18 months. I have been a vegetarian of one form or another for over 40 years but the quality of my diet has varied substantially over the years. From about 1985 the only animal protein I ate has been from fish and dairy but as mentioned, gave that up fairly recently. For the last ~ 7 years I have been careful not to eat processed food, added sugars, etc.yeah dude keep it up!The relationship between fructose intake and gout isn’t all that clear according to a study by D. David Wang et.al.(J Nutr. 2012 May; 142(5): 916–923). Although there are limitations to the study, isocaloric fructose consumption was not associated with an increase in uric acid whereas a hypercaloric fructose intake was. This is In contrast to the NHANES III study and Health Professional follow-up study which showed a correlation between fructose consumption and increased uric acid levels. According to Wang’s study, it appears that there may be a threshold at which fructose consumption has an effect on uric acid levels in addition to its metabolic effects since the isocaloric trials mean fructose dose was 93.4g/day and the hypercaloric trial was 215 g/d. The mean dietary intake of fructose is estimated to be 49 g/day (in the US) which may or may not affect uric acid levels.(Bernadette P. Marriott, Nancy Cole and Ellen Lee, National Estimates of Dietary Fructose Intake Increased from 1977 to 2004 in the United States, Journal of Nutrition June 2009 vol. 139 no. 6 1228S-1235S) Meat has long been associated with gout but with purine-rich vegetables the results are less clear. (PLoS One. 2012; 7(6): e38123). Vegetarian diets has shown a decrease in plasma urate levels. Interestingly, dairy products has shown to reduce uric acid levels.Right but vegans had the highest levels of uric acid, perhaps (one study speculated) because they avoid dairy, which is effective in lowering uric acid levels.You are giving one study that ‘speculated’ as if it is a source? Pick up a text book and read! Meat is the highest contributor of gout, Uric acid is produced in the body through the breakdown of purines – PURINES are specific chemical compounds that are found in certain foods such as meat, poultry and seafood. Don’t make up shit to support a uneducated attack against fruit intake and your unhealthy relationship to casein, if you have gout you are a meat eater that is out of control !!For reference, I tracked down the article I mentioned, and also found that Jack Norris took the study seriously enough that he interviewed one of the authors and provided his analysis:Serum uric acid concentrations in meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans: a cross-sectional analysis in the EPIC-Oxford cohort. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23418557http://jacknorrisrd.com/higher-uric-acid-levels-in-vegans/Let me go through your points (as best as I could discern them).[1] With regard to the “speculation” in that study that dairy intake might account for the observed lower uric levels in the non-vegan groups, it is widely known, and commonly accepted, by those who actually know something about the topic that dairy products lower uric acid levels. In fact, rph1978 mentioned this fact. Here’s a quote from the study :“The higher uric acid concentrations among vegans might be due to their lack of consumption of dairy products, which are thought to lower uric acid concentrations [11]. Also, the low calcium content of the vegan diet might contribute to higher uric acid concentrations.”[2] “Meat is the highest contributor of gout” – I agree that animal flesh is the primary *exogenous* contributor to high uric acid levels, hence increases gout risk. In fact, I had already agreed with you on this: in response to your comment to me under the “bananababe thread” (“It would also ‘be wise’ to hold back on meat consumption “), I replied: “Right, that’s key”.[3] “Don’t make up shit to support a uneducated attack against fruit intake and your unhealthy relationship to casein, if you have gout you are a meat eater that is out of control !!”My concern was not with fruit per se but with *fructose* intake and by implication, the possibly significant role of only *fructose-rich* fruit intake on uric acid levels (at least in people predisposed to high uric acid levels and gout). That’s why I used the word “fructose” in my comments. I happen to eat quite a lot of fruit but since I have recently become concerned about non-meat dietary sources of uric acid, I limit my intake of fructose-rich fruit (I do not consume sugary drinks or foods with significant added sugars of any kind). Perhaps you wrongly think that fructose, or at least fructose from fruit, cannot raise uric acid levels or contribute to gout risk. But fructose metabolism does produce uric acid, and it appears fructose-rich fruit can play a role in increased risk of gout:Soft drinks, fructose consumption, and the risk of gout in men: prospective cohort study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18244959“Other major contributors to fructose intake such as total fruit juice or **fructose rich fruits (apples and oranges)** were also associated with a higher risk of gout (P values for trend <0.05).”A prescription for lifestyle change in patients with hyperuricemia and gout Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2010 Mar;22(2):165-72. doi: 10.1097/BOR.0b013e328335ef38.where it is stated that: "Dairy products, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fruits (**less sugary ones**), and whole grains are healthy choices for the comorbidities of gout and may also help prevent gout by reducing insulin resistance.”I would be relieved to find out that the only significant threat to those in my group (vegans predisposed to gout or just high or even high normal uric acid levels) is from sugary drinks, high fructose corn syrup, etc. But it still seems reasonable to say for such vegans, that there is an issue (as in “an issue to be resolved”) regarding safe intake of fructose-rich fruit. I am not alone in this view. Whatever the right answer might be, many experts on the topic recommend limiting fructose intake from fruit.[4] “your unhealthy relationship to casein”: No matter what my relationship to casein might be, it is irrelevant. Casein does not raise uric acid level; in fact, it lowers it:Milk- and soy-protein ingestion: acute effect on serum uric acid concentration http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2000819[5] “, if you have gout you are a meat eater that is out of control !!” – This implies that non-meaters do not get gout. That’s ridiculous. I am a vegan counterexample as are some others who have commented on this topic. (Not only am I a vegan but I have not eaten meat in approximately 45 years.)@dj–Are you suggesting we only eat sweet potatoes and rice ( starch) instead? Or just no apples? Did you see the latest video thesis on “how much fruit is too much?” I think the majority of people will do great on more fruit. Are there exceptions? Probably.No, not at all. I do not have a strong opinion on what kind of WFPB diet a particular individual should eat as I think it important to consider individual circumstances. I happen to eat a diet with a large emphasis on vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains and what I think is a reasonable amount of fruit. I do not consume that much starch.I agree completely that the majority of people will do fine on more fruit, including fructose-rich ones. But if one is in the minority (vegan, high uric acid level) and susceptible to gout, then one might consider limiting fruit very high in fructose, especially dried fruit. But I have to admit I have no idea how effective this strategy might be. Since having a gout attack last year and finding my uric acid level to be in the high normal range (yes, one can have a gout attack with supposedly normal levels), I have been seeking effective natural methods for lowering my level e.g. drinking coffee, eating lots of cherries, and reading some of the literature made me think restricting fructose-rich fruit (dried fruit, in particular) might help.I did watch the video. It was quite interesting, and if I did not have higher than optimal uric acid levels, I would eat whatever fruit I wanted freely. (Note though that the studies in the video did not discuss uric acid levels, most likely because that is only a concern for a small minority of people like me.)Apparently the more “alkaline” the diet the better the “body” is at removing excess uric acid, as revealed in the “purple cabbage pH urine test” video. I’m sure you already know that! best of luck DJ!Thanks!Yup, I’m a (non-drinking) vegan and have had a couple of gout flares recently (to the surprise of my doc) – these were the first signs I’ve ever had of gout. My uric acid levels turn out to be in the high “normal” range. I’m still trying to parse all the info. in your message but:“Other major contributors to fructose intake such as total fruit juice or **fructose rich fruits (apples and oranges)** were also associated with a higher risk of gout (P values for trend <0.05).”looked interesting as it seems that it might have been right around the time that I started putting oranges in my morning protein shake that my first flare occurred…I’m also a nondrinking vegan. I’ve had two very short-lived attacks in the last 4 years. The first time my doctor claimed I did not have gout b/c my uric acid level was “normal” but gout was confirmed by joint aspiration the last time. About a week after my 2nd attack last Sept., my uric acid level was 6.4. I was told that was normal and the doctor only recommended I go on a low purine diet, which as a vegan, was not very helpful (since plant purines seem not to be a problem). In the intervening time I have not eaten any dried fruit (I regulary eat berries, cherries, unripe bananas, and no more than one orange per day plus occasionally eat other fruit), started taking 2 TBL of tart cherry concentrate, drinking 4 cups of (decafe) coffee and taking a 500mg vitamin C supplement daily. Each of these has been shown in one study or another to lower uric acid levels, but individually the amount might not be ‘clinically significant’, so I was aiming for a cumulative effect. My last reading about 2 weeks ago was only 5.2, which is, as I understand it, around the ‘mainenance level’ aimed for when one takes medication. Since I exercise a lot, I also pay attention to keeping well hydrated (one theory was that my attack was the result of dehydration since I had been on a long hike in hot weather a day or two before the attack, but I was never convinced since I always drink water on hikes). Since I only have one data point post my dietary changes, I cannot be sure they are the reason for the drop but I am hopeful they are. If I can maintain the current level, I would assume I won’t experience another attack.Thanks for the detailed info. – my uric acid level was 6.7 when tested after my first attack. My primary doc wasn’t too concerned about that level but another doc thought that was high for someone worrying about gout flares (and which you seem to confirm). I drink quite a bit of tea, but I assume it’s not the caffeine in coffee that is contributing to the uric acid level reductions, so I guess tea probably isn’t a substitute for coffee in this respect – maybe I’ll have to think about drinking coffee again (though I’ve really enjoyed restricting myself to tea). At the moment I’m only taking 100mg of C a day so that looks like a potential avenue. And given the studies you cite it sounds like some experimenting with types and amount of fruit could be useful, though it’s a little hard to treat oneself as an experimental subject re. isolating what is the most useful. I.e. as an individual I’m a terrible scientist in that if I can prevent any further gout flares, I’m not interested in experimenting with what in particular led to that result !In any case thanks again for the information.I am sensing a heated discussion here. Coacervate there is a big difference between an 8 oz serving of cola (30,000 mg) and a cup of frozen unsweetened strawberries (12,500 mg). We all are aware that drinking orange juice probably isn’t the best choice.Rph1978 has very interesting info in his post from one study cited. (93 grams/day isocaloric)That’s a heck of a lot of berries!So what’s an endurance athlete to do? I understand strenuous exercise increases uric acid levels. I need some kind of carbohydrates on rides over 2 hours. Currently I use home-made sports drink consisting of water with about 1/2 tablespoon of sugar per 8 oz. plus a dash of salt and a dash of crystal lite powder for flavor (I use it mainly because it galls me to pay $$$$ for any of the “xxx-ade” products). But now it sounds as if my sugar drink plus hard riding is just asking for trouble.I assume honey is not much better; my home-made energy gel is mostly honey and black strap molasses.Is there something I can ingest as a sports drink/gel that will provide enough carbohydrates and electrolytes for 5-6 hours of cycling without also increasing uric acid — without paying through the nose?Many thanks!Combi: Very interesting question.I don’t know the answer to your question, but you may want to check out Dr. Greger’s videos on erythritol (sp?). Perhaps erythritol would not have the same effect as sugar????? I don’t know. Just guessing.Thanks, everyone, for your replies. Sorry I don’t have time to respond individually. You’ve all given me good things to think about. I’ll have to experiment with my home-made recipes to try and eliminate fructose and increase magnesium and potassium.Strenuous exercise increases lactic acid levels in the body which hinders uric acid excretion. You might want to consider adding magnesium and potassium to buffer the excess lactic acid.Hi Combi,I assume you eat on those long rides? My husband is also a cyclist and he takes a sandwich and fruit. Also coconut water but that isn’t cost effective if that is your main concern. The sport drinks are so full of crap. Plain old water and eating should do the trick. Hibiscus tea is nice. Or green tea.I’m training for a triathlon and I make “dateorade” by blending a few fresh dates in water for long ridesjust eat dates and bananas… As you will see in another video Dr.. Gregor has posted dates don;t negatively effect blood sugar even thought they are sweeter than some candy!check out Dr. Greger’s video on Raisins for athletes!Combi – look up Brendan Brazier. I have one of his books – Thrive Fitness, and there are some whole food sports drink recipes. It is well worth a read. He uses things like dates, coconut water, lemon / lime juice, green tea and coconut oil to make sports drinks which give sustained energy. He also has some recipes for some energy gels for mid-race nutrition.Dates are relatively low in fructose. They have a lot of sugar, but if your an athlete this is not a problem.https://www.facebook.com/brendanbrazier/posts/167993430017241The wood alcohols would not be a good choice. (Xylitol etc) They are good for sweetening, but do not get digested much, so are not a very good energy source! They can also cause digestive problems in excess.The night before your ride, but some dates and whatever dried fruit you have, raisins will work, goji berries are fantastic. I like 4-5 dates and a handful of goji berries (blend the goji berries in a coffee grinder first to get them into a powder) in 32 oz of water. Let it soak in the blender overnight in the fridge. Then in the morning just blend it and there is your sports drink. Awesome whole food nutrition.what about those 801010 folks, who eat crazy amounts of ‘sugar’? surely they’d be dropping dead with the rate they consume fruits, no? I too am interested in this as I have lots of fruit!My uric acid is pretty high, about 7, for the last 6 years! went vegan 1.5 year ago, 80/10/10 a year ago, and it’s still high. Could I have some genetic disorder, or does anyone has some explanation?Our levels of uric acid are a factor of our genetics and what we eat. By avoiding meat you will tend to reduce your uric acid. It would be interesting to see how your uric acid changed after changing your diet. The next step would be to lower fructose consumption if your goal is to lower your uric acid level. Clearly avoiding table sugar(half fructose), checking labels to avoid high fructose corn syrup( 55% or more fructose depending on the type of HFCS used) and limiting fruit consumption would be things you could try. By focusing on starch consumption which are long chains of glucose molecules you will also minimize fructose. You might find Dr. John McDougall’s book, The Starch Solution of interest. You can go to his website and view his free lecture, The Starch Solution for an introduction. A level of 7 is outside “normal” limits but may be normal for you and may not cause you long term problems. That is a clinical decision based on you and your physician working together.thats pretty high.I have a friend with gout and I have been unsuccessful at steering him to a vegan diet. He relies on chicken. Is there a vegan diet for gout?I have gout. When I turned from meat to vegetarian to vegan to raw vegan, the incidents of gout attacks decreased. By habit I still avoid certain plant foods but there is no doubt I am consuming more of them these days and not suffering a gout attack. The point is that you should not be thinking in terms of a vegan diet for gout, just make sure you consume a wide variety of whole plants, preferable organic and raw and you should be just fine. Your body will adjust and produce less uric acid and dispose of it more efficiently, so no or fewer gout attacks. I hope this helps and please check my blog. http://lwghpd.blogspot.com.au/Go to http://www.gout-aware.com To find some interesting things about gout. There is no GOUT diet per se. Some things that we need to stay away from are: BEEF, LAMB, SHELLFISH, ORGAN MEATS, SPINACH, BEANS, AND YEAST (in breads and in many other processed foods these days–even soups, and beer). Eating the right caloric diet for your body size (see a R.D.) helps to keep protein intake in line. Most foods have purines, except for fruits and veggies, which are low to none. Intake of at least 2 liters of water/day is essential to flush your system and dehydration makes gout worse. Fat burning exercises increase blood uric acid because I found out, excess uric acid is stored in fat and when you burn fat, it releases the acid back into the blood system. GOUT is complicated and if you have a bout of it, so very painful! :(are lentils bad for gout? I Just read that they are awesome for helping to control sugar in your body. I made a cup of dried lentils this past week and ate them with rice.Thank you Dr. Greger. I have been subscribing for a while now, since shortly after becoming vegan. I am a vegan living in a social soup of enthusiastically, decidedly non-vegans: aka chefs and restaurant owners. I own a restaurant with my husband, and it was our foray into the industry that opened my eyes and changed my life and world view. I was put in an interesting, perhaps unusual position, and my decision was to remain in my marriage and business. The reasons I remain relatively sane are that I understand much of why things are the way they are, and I know- even though many food industry people do not wish to think about it- if the people finally accepted and embraced the plant based diet, they would still need restaurants galore; that part would probably remain the same! So my restaurant has in-house made vegan hot dogs, vegetable sides and animal-free baked beans that are to die for (or not). Yes my business markets vast quantities of meat and is poised to expand. Alot. The way I look at it is that more people be choosing our place over something else, and they will be exposed to the vegan option. Also, the majority of the food enthusiasts I associate with are brave and loving people who are thoughtful and accommodating, and I have had wonderful experiences with the most staunch ‘church of meat’ types. I believe that they are faced with certain facts and new findings every day and can only deny or try and circumvent them for so long. And I believe, even if other restaurant people don’t, that we can make positive changes, and evolve with any food revolution without missing a beat. Yes I live on a high wire tightrope in a way, but I can see alot from here. Thanks!Bless you, for introducing “meatless” alternatives in your restaurant. I wish every restaurant owner would have the courage to do just as you have done. My wife and I are plant eaters and find it very difficult to dine out due to the limited plant-based options offered in our local restaurants.Good Day Dr Greger, Are all antioxidant products high in uric acid? Based on research, can you tell me which ones are not. Thank you.Uric Acid is a metabolic product manufactured by your body. It is from the breakdown of purines which are part of nucleic acids in your body and are high in meat products. It is also produced as one of several metabolic byproducts of fructose by the liver. So Uric Acid is not in the food per se but we produce based on the food we consume. So foods that are high in purines (meat especially organ meats) and fructose (table sugar, fruits, some vegetables) that are high in fructose will tend to elevate uric acid.There are basically two reasons for having high serum uric acid – excessive production and inadequate excretion. Excessive production can be the result of diet, or cell destruction due to chemotherapy for cancer.Some people are genetically under-excretors of uric acid and may be predisposed to gout. They are usually treated with medication, either to increase the excretion of uric acid or designed to interrupt the metabolic pathway which ends in uric acid – not very soluble – at an earlier stage, where the metabolite can be more easily excreted.there r alot of videos but they r good videos to learn aboutI though fruit juices like apple juice was a problem too… is it not? What about orange juice? Both not from concentrate. Pretty much juiced apples or oranges? from a juicing machine?I would look on the labels.. anything hinting of sugar, I’d stay away from.. stick to the natural sourcesMay be chiming in a bit late, but after a recent attack of gout and a visit to my Naturopath a couple of weeks later.. he told me about the dangers of fructose. Consequently, I eliminated most of it from my diet and it showed in the results of a blood test about 1.5 months later.I went from being at a level of somewhere between 7.5 and 8 down to 6.2. It fell quite rapidly. The main concessions I made were: No more energy drinks, barely any soft drinks, my fruit intake consisted of berries and apples now which were all cooked (helps eliminate fructose), and I kept away from fruit juices that had any label of sugar on them.I eliminated alcohol for the most part; red meat no more than once a week, but I still continued to eat steamed chicken.I do think purines in food may play a roll (all be it a small one), but I’m completely convinced fructose is major contributer to uric acid levels.“fruit … cooked (helps eliminate fructose)”.REALLY?Hello Dr. Greger, I have a question about recommended diet for gout: My father is 63 years old and diagnosed with Gout. Doctors advised him to stop consuming meat, and I wanted to know if you think he should avoid dairy also? And what about legumes?ThanksTo play devil’s advocate, higher uric acid levels are protective for multiple sclerosis, which very rarely overlaps with gout. In other words, we might not all want rock bottom uric acid levels.Lima beans were a trigger for me. A very low fat vegan diet would work wonders for him…Dairy lowers uric acid levels.I’ve been on a very low fat vegan diet for about a year. Prior to this diet, I was eating lean meats and low fat dairy along with fruits/veggies. I consistently would have gout like symptoms and found that lima beans were a trigger. So much so that I stopped eating them. After being on the vlf vegan for a few months I tried limas again and found that I had no gout like symptoms. For me, there is a correlation between eating meat/fat and the effect of purine rich foods such as limas. For me, more evidence of the benefits of the vlf vegan choice I’ve made.80% of my diet is Fructose from fruit such as bananas. I am an athlete and a high carb diet is essential for good performance. If I am not getting my carbs from Fructose in fruit where should I be getting them from? Thanks for the videos they are great.12 CHERRYS A DAY WILL CURE THE GOUT,Most medical advice we’ve read as to how to prevent gout type problems has to do with avoiding foods that contain purines. Along with organ meats, shell fish, sugar and alcohol they normally list beans, legumes, lentils, nuts, and mushrooms. Are all purines created equal? Or is this just an assumption and in fact there is a difference between plant and animal purines?Not all purines are equal. According to Choi et al, plant purines do not seem to increase uric acid levels:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15014182This is a very misleading video that should have elaborated upon. This basically makes one think that if they are eating a considerable amount of whole fruits on a daily basis that they are doing their body a disservice.Unless they are an endurance athlete or an avid crossfitter eating considerable amounts of fruits daily is extremely harmful. Sugar is sugar.RE: MEAT AND SUGAR VIDEO. I suffer from Gout. Three months ago I eliminated meat and dairy from my diet. I do eat fish, the odd egg, tea and coffee without sugar. I do eat three, low sugar, tea cookies a day. Otherwise everything else is plant based. (I make my own whole wheat bread and ad wheat germ, flax seed meal and quinoa flour to it.) After about 10 days on this diet I got very tired and it took a couple of weeks for me to get back to feeling normal. I also lost weight though I didn’t start the diet for that purpose. During the first 6 weeks I had no gout symptoms until I veered off the road and baked and ate a white cake covered with sugar icing and drank four glasses of wine over a period of two days. The gout reappeared on the third day and the symptoms took about a week to go away. I remained on the diet for another month with no gout symptoms until two days ago when I baked and ate another white cake smothered with sugar icing over anther two day period. It could be coincidence. It is hard to link sugar directly to maladies in one person’s diet. To test the effectiveness suddenly adding sugar, I have ate pancakes (made from flour and wheat germ which puffs them up so eggs and baking powder are needed) and blueberries. I smothered then with real maple syrup with no ill effects. I presume the sugar in maple syrup turns into fructose and so should have caused a spurt in uric acid and gout. Perhaps I got the symptoms from the cake because I ate it through the day over a period of two days whereas with the maple syrup I ate approx. two tablespoons and no sugar thereafter? I will continue on the diet sans the white iced cake and if I have no gout symptoms at all over 6 months I will consider my self, if not cured, then at least, in remission.How are you doing now?What kind of fat does the icing have? (Fats of any kind give me problems)As long as you eat more alkaline forming foods as opposed to acidic, you should be fine. From what you posted I can see that the whole grains kept it present while the red wine flipped your body back into acidic.You also have to understand that uric acid levels rise and fall throughout the day. The triggers in some people can be different; it could be meat, dairy, wine, fruit, sugar, or simply just stubbing your toe. The sure fire way to fix it is fixing your gut and liver. Sugar is linked mainly to raising uric acid levels whether your liver is functioning well or not. If the liver isn’t healthy, many other foods can cause the uric acid to go up. Best thing to do is eliminate sugar completely and grains and let your gut and liver heal. Add eggs in to help remove the fat from the liver (and prevent it).If another gout attack ensues, what has helped people is squeezing a half lemon into a glass then dumping a half to full tsp of baking soda in it, and let it fizzle up and recede. Then put some water in it and drink it. Do this first thing in the morning and before you go to bed and you should notice the attack subsides much quicker.One of the articles of the video is not reported in the sources. Here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17921363I’m an ultra endurance athlete who eats 90% of my calories from fruit. For me, it doesn’t seem that a diet high in fructose from fruit causes any negative health or performance detriments. I only see amazing results.Congratulations on enjoying your personal success. Gotta stick with studies of a range of people to give general advice though. Some people like you might find an ideal eating what you eat, but it can’t be recommended to the general population.your an endurance athlete, you can handle it. Having an average person or a couch potato follow that diet plan and their liver will be screaming bloody murder at them.I adopted the raw Fruitarian diet supplemented with raw greens and occasional steamed rice or baked potato slices about 6 yrs ago and had gout in my left big toe. Gout symptoms left within a few weeks of beginning the transition. I also run up on average 85 miles per week barefoot on and off road and another 40-45 in Luna running sandals.What exactly are you trying to say? Or just reporting on how much you enjoy your lifestyle?Contrary to the fear of… “You name it” “Eat Clean in moderation” and “Eat a balanced diet” what ever that is. The reality of human design has proven to be fruit centered diet crowned with a few greens and colorful veggies. Everyone wants to dance around fruit as the main stay of a healthy menu due to all the fear of sugar not realizing that all primates seek a primarily fruit centered diet supplemented with a few hopefully tender, young greens and shoots. Humans are the only confused species when it comes to what their native foods are. Put a toddler in a play pen with a baby bunny rabbit and a piece of ripe honeydew and watch it choose its native food. Everything from there is confusion pushed down based on false assumptions.Gout is also largely based on whether your body is acidic or not. If your eating more alkaline forming foods (which you are), its next to impossible for gout to form.. that doesn’t mean your out of the woods though. Your problem is your still eating piles of sugar from fruit which can elevate your uric acid levels at any given time, so if you step off the wagon at all or do something else to trigger it like trauma, your back with that giant red toe again.John, Whole fruit is good, taking out the sugar and eating just that is bad…. remember our bodies get their premium energy during the Krebs cycle from fructose, we need it.According tohttp://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/10/42fructose is not needed for any known physiological function.David is right, fructose is not need in any function what so ever. In fact, our brains are the only thing that require a bit of glucose and they can manufacture that from proteins or fat.Meat doesn’t increase uric acid levels, sugar and your liver’s inability to break down foods does. If your liver is having difficult breaking down foods, it’s because of sugar.If your having liver difficulties, meat, sugar, and anything with a high purine content will raise them. In a normally functioning liver, meat has little effect on uric acid. Sugar/fructose on the other hand, has a big effect on uric acid.	bacon,beef brains,blood pressure,blood sugar,brains,caloric restriction,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,chicken,chronic diseases,diabetes,evolution,fat,fish,fructose,gout,heart disease,heart health,high fructose corn syrup,hypertension,kidney disease,kidney health,meat,obesity,paleolithic diets,pork,pork brains,poultry,prediabetes,prehistoric diets,seafood,shrimp,sugar,sweeteners,turkey,uric acid,veal,veal brains,weight loss	Meat and sugar increase uric acid levels, which are associated with increased risk of gout, hypertension (high blood pressure), obesity, prediabetes, diabetes, kidney disease and cardiovascular disease.	What does the Miocene Era have to do with anything? Make sure you see the "prequel" to this video Miocene Meteorites and Uric Acid. No surprise that the meat and sugar industries both got upset with the latest round of dietary guidance from the federal government. See Dietary Guidelines: Pushback From Sugar, Salt and Meat Industries and Dietary Guidelines: Corporate Guidance. Is the sugar in fruit juice as bad as the sugar in the sugar bowl? The title of the next video of the day kind of gives it away: Apple Juice May Be Worse Than Sugar Water.For some context, please check out my associated blog post:  Uric Acid From Meat and Sugar	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shrimp/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veal-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/high-fructose-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gout/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prehistoric-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-juice-may-be-worse-than-sugar-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/	-
PLAIN-2812	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/miocene-meteorites-and-uric-acid/	Miocene Meteorites and Uric Acid	It all started about 15 million years ago. It was the Miocene epoch. Things seemed to be going pretty good until, it seems, two flaming meteorites smashed into what’s now Germany with an estimated power of a couple million Hiroshimas. The crater looks quaint now, but at the time, there was a mass extinction event, wiping many animals out, but not the common ancestor of the Great Apes, of which we are one, who developed a mutation that may have allowed them to thrive. They lost the ability to detoxify uric acid. Why is that a good thing? Uric acid is naturally produced by the body and may help us hold onto fat, which is good when there’s not a lot of food around with the pesky asteroids and all. Also helps us retain sodium, which is good if you there aren’t a lot of salt shakers out on the savannah, and it acts chemically as an antioxidant, which is good since green tea hadn’t been invented yet. The problem is it’s a tightrope; you don’t want to have too much in your blood, which may be why other mammals retained an enzyme to get rid of the stuff. Fast forward 15 million years. When salt and calories abound, the last thing we need is more sodium and fat retention. But the antioxidant part we like. Unfortunately, not all antioxidant compounds are necessarily good for you. For example, the preservative BHA and work by preventing the oxidation of foods, but is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. Similarly, uric acid is chemically an antioxidant, but when you have too much in your blood it can crystalize in your joints, a disease called gout, and high uric acid levels may also put us at risk for high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and death. So keeping one’s uric acid levels low is an important dietary goal {and we'll explore how, tomorrow}.	That never taught that in med school! That is some cool physiologic history! Great job!I LOVE the picture of the evolving man. Too funny.This is super-fascinating information. I can’t wait until the next video. I’m sorry that you didn’t get enough money to continue doing a video every single day. Maybe that will change in the future.Sour cherries are one of the best ways to reduce uric acid. It is an old remedy against gout.Yes, cherries has been studied in gout patients. One study has shown that 280 g (45 cherries) can reduce plasma uric acid levels over a 5 hour period after consumption. Journal of Nutrition June 1, 2003 vol. 133 no. 6 1826-1829 and other studies have shown that cherry consumption in conjunction with the drug allopurinol reduced the incidence of gout flareups significantly.Arthritis Rheum. 2012 Dec;64(12):4004-11.Did I consent to your use of my picture in the evolution sequence? LOLHi What do you think about fruitarians?Thanks BRHi Dr. Greger, I have two family members with “low thyroid” who take pills every day. Is it possible for them to get off the medication with a vegan diet? I would love to see a video from you on this subject. Thank you! ScottScott,Have them watch Fork’s Over Knives and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. -peteHi Scott,I am on thyroid medication. My dosage decreased but as far as stopping–no such luck.i enjoy most of the videos but this one is the exception. The first part is presented as fact when without empirical scientific evidence it is only theory. At best it is conjecture and circumstantial findings. However, uric acid in abnormal amounts is dangerous and needs to be dealt with. Thanks for that presentation.	antioxidants,BHA,blood pressure,blood sugar,calories,carcinogens,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,detoxification,diabetes,enzymes,evolution,fat,food additives,Germany,gout,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,mortality,paleolithic diets,prediabetes,prehistoric diets,preservatives,salt,sodium,stroke,uric acid	Human beings lost the ability to detoxify uric acid millions of years ago. What implications does this have for our health today?	This is the first of a three part video series on sugar. What does uric acid have to do with sugar? Stay tuned for Friday’s video of the day Flesh and Fructose. Gout is one of the "diseases of kings" that used to only affect the 1%, the tiny minority eating rich diets. Now we can all dine like royalty three times a day and suffer from the same diseases. The "peasant food" choices, the cheapest plant foods, are often the healthiest. See Eating Healthy on the Cheap and Biggest Nutrition Bang For Your Buck. For more on the dangers of excess sodium consumption see Dietary Guidelines With a Grain of Big Salt and Salt OK if Blood Pressure is OK?. For more on eating based on our evolutionary heritage, see Paleolithic Lessons.For some context, please check out my associated blog post:  Uric Acid From Meat and Sugar	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uric-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/germany/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gout/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prehistoric-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20019252,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18585721,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19177541,
PLAIN-2813	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	Tree Nuts or Peanuts for Breast Cancer Prevention? 	That Black Women’s Health Study, which highlighted collards and carrots, was out of Boston University. Across the Charles River, the Harvard Nurse’s Health Study also tried to determine which plants were particularly protective in reducing breast cancer risk, and they identified nuts. The intake of fiber and nuts during adolescence and incidence of proliferative benign breast disease, such as fibrocystic breast disease, fibroadenomas—noncancerous breast lumps—but is considered a marker for increased breast cancer risk. Depending on what biopsies show it could indicate anywhere from 30% to 1300% greater risk of going on to develop cancer. Breast cancer can take decades to develop, so they wanted to start early, asking women what their diets were like in high school. Now in adults it's clear, as you can see in this 2012 review, the more fiber you get in your diet the lower your risk of breast cancer… And same thing, apparently, when you're younger. Women who had the most fiber intake during adolescence have a 25% lower risk of this potentially precancerous breast disease. But there’s fiber in fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds—all whole plant foods. Did any class of plant foods stick out? Nuts was found to be particularly protective. Two servings a week was associated with a 36% lower risk, but that raises the question, which type of nuts? Like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or do you have to eat true nuts, like almonds, pecans, walnuts, that sort of thing. Just tree nuts, or peanuts as well? And the answer is both. Compared to those who rarely ate nuts, those eating just one or two handfuls a week during high school appeared to drop risk around 30%, “In summary, their study observed significant inverse associations between adolescent dietary intake of fiber and nuts and risk of proliferative benign breast disease. Our results provide supportive evidence of the important role of dietary exposures during a unique period in a woman’s life in the earlier stage of breast carcinogenesis, the early stage of breast cancer development. These findings, if corroborated, may suggest a viable means for breast cancer prevention.”	I just shared this with my 15 year old daughter and she just tried her first pistachio….Thank you Dr Greger!I’m nuts about healthy breasts! (Comon’ lighten up) ;-)Dr Greger!Is there a way to secure all your protein from raw sources, that is without eating any cooked legumes? With the raw vegan movement going strong, I feel this would be a relevant topic for you to address in an upcoming video.Keep up the amazing work!yes, check out the 8/10/10 diet.Hi Dr. G,This is a bit off topic, but I just happened to come across a podcast featuring an interview with Susan Schenck, author of “Beyond Broccoli, Creating a Biologically Balanced Diet When a Vegetarian Diet Doesn’t Work.” She claimed that going vegan made her terribly sick because all of the nuts and seeds caused her to gain weight and she ended up with a number of severe deficiencies caused by excluding meat from her diet. I saw your videos about nuts not contributing to weight gain in recent studies. But, could you shed some light on some of her other claims? She said that long term vegans will usually end up with DHA, B12, and Carnitine deficiencies because they can not be absorbed well from plant sources or the body will not make enough of it. She also says that Vitamin K2 and Vitamin A are not converted well from plant sources and we must get those things from animal products. Her claim was that vegan diets will only work long term for very few people with very heavy and expensive supplementation. What are your thoughts on those claims? Is there any evidence to back them up?Any studies out there about this? I’m wondering too but so far I’m happy on my vegan diet but without nuts I wouldn’t be able to do it.All the videos on this website seem to make it clear that nuts are super healthy and the calories do not contribute to weight gain the same way calories from other foods do. I just want to know if all that other stuff she claims has any studies to back it up. I have been an ovo-vegetarian for about 6 years (I only eat about 1 egg a week) and I want to make sure that I am getting all of the nutrition I need because I plan to stay on this diet for life and I am only in my late 20’s.I am almost on the same diet as you, and am also in my late 20s. This website has been so helpful for me! Dr. Gregor does say in a few videos that B-12 is a necessary supplement, but if you are eating properly it should be the only one you need to take. I live in Sweden, where the sun disappears for half of the year, so I need to take vitamin D as well. I’ve been eating like this for awhile, with regular nut consumption and I haven’t gained weight or developed any crazy deficiencies. I think you just need to be mindful of what you eat, and it should be fine. A lot of people write books about nutrition, but I think that nutrition backed up with scientific studies is much more reliable.Hi Dr. Gregor…I really love all your videos and can only imagine how much research goes into bringing them to us. I wish one thing with this one and that is that you would picture raw, unfried, unsalted nuts so as to not encourage the use of frying, oil, and salt as a standard. Meantime, I love the article. It certainly turns around what I have thought so far.Nuts for nuts!Any studies on teens who are allergic to nuts and breast cancer rates?I couldn’t find any studies addressing your specific question. However there is evidence that female children and teens who consume 2 servings of soy a day decrease breast cancer rates as adults. Early puberty is associated with increased breast cancer and is associated with meat and animal protein intake but soy consumption delays onset of puberty see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/. Obesity has been associated with increased breast cancer. Fruits and vegetables and fiber have been associated with less breast cancer. Some of the substances in nuts which might explain the lower incidence of breast cancer such as ellagic acid and phytosterols are also present in other plant foods. So even with an allergy to nuts there are ways to lower the risk of breast cancer not to mention the many other chronic diseases best avoided.If you have cancer,new research shows that peanuts help it spread. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/breaking-anti-cancer-news-ditch-the-peanuts-and-spread-the-word/	adolescence,almonds,beans,breast cancer,cancer,dietary guidelines,fiber,fibrocystic breast disease,fruit,grains,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,nuts,peanut butter,pecans,seeds,vegetables,walnuts,women's health	Eating fiber-containing foods—especially nuts—during adolescence may significantly lower the risk of developing potentially precancerous fibrocystic breast disease (fibroadenomas).	Harvard also found that fiber and nut consumption was associated with a significantly longer lifespan in women. See What Women Should Eat to Live Longer. Soy consumption during adolescence also seems particularly protective. See Thursday's video Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer?. The reference to the Black Women’s Health Study was referring to Friday's video-of-the-day Preventing Breast Cancer By Any Greens Necessary. What effect might even just a few weeks on a diet full of plants have on breast cancer cell growth? See Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle. Don't nuts make you fat, though? You'd be surprised—see Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence.Please also check out my associated blog posts  for more context:  Go Nuts for Breast Cancer Prevention and Breast Cancer & Alcohol: How Much Is Safe?If you're thinking, wait, wasn't this yesterday's video? Alas, in 2013 I'm dropping down to just new videos every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday--see my email newsletter this morning (and feel free to subscribe if you haven't already).	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/18/go-nuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibrocystic-breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pecans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanut-butter/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22234738,
PLAIN-2814	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/	Preventing Breast Cancer By Any Greens Necessary	Recently a study of 50,000 African-American women was published, a sadly neglected demographic when it comes to nutritional science—and, medical research in general actually. Fruit and vegetable intake in relation to risk of breast cancer in the Black Women’s Health Study. Those who listened to mom and ate their veggies had significantly lower risk of the nastiest type of breast cancer—estrogen receptor negative, because it’s so hard to treat. Any plants particularly protective? Out of all the fruits and vegetables they looked at, two stood above the rest. Which two do you think they were? They specifically looked at apples, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, collard greens, grapefruit, oranges, spinach, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes. And for those of you who are thinking, you can’t compare apples to oranges-well they just did! What do you think they found? Although, broccoli consumption appeared especially protective in premenopausal women, for women of all ages, winner #1 was collards. No surprise. It’s cruciferous, it’s a dark green leafy. It’s like kale! What’s not to like! But winner #2 was a shocker. Carrots! Which Tracy featured on the cover of her great book, along, with, collards. As one researcher suggested, “A whole-food vegan diet rich in fruits and vegetables, especially if coupled with regular exercise and smoking avoidance, could be expected to have a remarkably positive impact on African- American cancer risk, reversing the increases in cancer risk incurred during the 20th century.”	Hi, Michael. Thank you so much for letting us know about this important breast cancer study and for featuring my book. What a wonderful surprise!All the best,TracyeThank you for this video and including a reference to the book. I know an African-American woman who is just starting to think about eating vegan. She is starting to explore recipes, but has not thought too much about the bigger picture. I think this book will be perfect for her. Cool!From what Ayurveda and Chinese medicine say (and my own experience, that’s what counts, learning how to observe), I was never convinced carrots were of no use. :)As for collards, do you think there’s any reason to eat them (or kale) over brussels sprouts? I can understand some cruciferous (like purple cabbage) have unique compounds (though they can be found elsewhere) though remember the older studies. I tend to combine vegetables: root, cruciferous and green leafy, often with brussels sprouts and spinach since they differ in species. Think there are unique properties to kale, collards, and other leafy cruciferous that would make you think there’s a reason to eat them?As for other parts of my diet, I tend to vary ingredients and ratio. But generally it’s mainly barley, millet, red and purple rice, and mung beans (sometimes azuki, kidney, chick peas, and urad dal). Very infrequently other grains though Job’s tears is said to be best for losing weight and reducing phlegm; and it is also used for cancer.My mom, aunt, and both sisters had breast cancer. One of them 3 times. We were part of the original breast cancer gene studies. A vegan diet for most of the past 32 years, combined with placing in 3 dozen 5 or 10K races for my age group since ’08 (I’ve been a runner for 3 decades too, but only started placing as my meat-eating arthritic colleagues developed arthritis and dropped out.) is magical. You’d think docs would be lined up at my door to study what I’ve been doing differently for decades. No money in broccoli. Thanks for your as usual, great video, Dr. Greger!Great story! I’m a runner myself. Placed pretty fast for my first half-marathon, running plants. :)I’m confused by the findings of this study regarding carrots, since it seems to be in direct conflict with the carrot findings in the study you shared in your #1 Anticancer Vegetable video (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/), which showed no protection against any of the cancers in that study, including breast, prostate and stomach cancer. Can you explain how these two results can be so different? We’re vegan and enjoy raw carrots and eat them often, and know they’re nutritious and good for eyesight and other things, but are wondering how protective they really are ~ especially against breast and prostate cancer. Thank you!! I enjoy your videos!haha The apples to oranges comment made me laugh.Thanks for including the stupid jokes and puns Dr. Greger, it makes these videos fun.I love your videos! You have completely changed the way I eat! I’ve been reading a lot recently about how wild produce is so much healthier than what we find in the supermarket. I know it’s a long shot, but I’m hoping that you can do a video talking about this. I’m especially interested in knowing about how healthy dandelion leaves are because they grow everywhere near me. Thanks for all you do!Were collards number one for African American Woman because that is a staple of their diet? For instance would that play out against the mushroom green tea combo if African American Woman consumed those in larger quantities?Thank you for sharing this! Being a breast cancer survivor I know we need more prevention not just awareness! Eating healthy & going non toxic with your everyday products for personal care and household use is key:)	African-American,apples,bananas,breast cancer,broccoli,cabbage,cancer,cantaloupe,carrots,citrus,collard greens,estrogen,exercise,fruit,grapefruit,greens,hormones,oranges,plant-based diets,smoking,spinach,sweet potatoes,tomatoes,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,women's health	Which was associated with lowest breast cancer risk in African-American women? Apples, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, collard greens, grapefruit, oranges, spinach, tomatoes, or sweet potatoes?	For more on breast cancer prevention and diet, see yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer?More on collards in Eating Green to Prevent Cancer, Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther, and Egg Industry Blind Spot. More on carrots in Benzene in Carrot Juice, Crop Nutrient Decline, and Best Cooking Method. And more on broccoli and breast cancer, see DNA Protection From Broccoli, Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells, and Sulforaphane From Broccoli to Breast.Certain African populations were among the healthiest on Earth, inspiring one of America's lifestyle medicine pioneers. See Engineering a Cure. Sadly, African-Americans suffer disproportionately from chronic diseases, but the good news is that many of them—such as high blood pressure and diabetes—can be prevented, stopped, and reversed with a healthy plant-based diet. Check out Tracye's website By Any Greens Necessary.Please also check out my associated blog posts for more context: Mushrooms for Breast Cancer Prevention, Prevent Breast Cancer by Any Greens Necessary, and Breast Cancer & Alcohol: How Much Is Safe?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/african-american/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cantaloupe/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/crop-nutrient-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11461167,
PLAIN-2815	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/	Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer?	Mushrooms appear to work in the lab to suppress breast cancer cell growth, but what about in the real world? Though breast cancer is the most common cancer among women around the world, the rate in some areas of the world, such as Asia, is up to six-fold lower than in North America. Maybe it's the green tea and soy? If anything, green tea may only drop risk by about a third. Soy works better, but only, it appears, if you start young. Soy intake anytime is associated with decreased breast cancer risk, but the strongest most consistent effect was for childhood intake, cutting the risk of later breast cancer by as much as half, but if you don’t start consuming soy until teens or adulthood is only associated with a more green tea type 25% drop in breast cancer risk. The best is actually when we do soy throughout our life, though, as “soy intake during childhood and adolescence might provide lifelong protection against breast cancer and sensitize for greater protective effects as an adult. Combined, though, green tea and soy consumption would only account for maybe for a two fold difference in breast cancer risk—not 6-fold, so researchers looked into what else Asian women were eating. They already had that intriguing laboratory mushroom data, and so asked a thousand breast cancer patients how many mushrooms they ate. Then they asked the same question to a thousand healthy women who they tried to match to the cancer patients as closely as possible, age, height, weight, exercise, smoking status, etc. Based on those answers they calculated that women who averaged at least a certain daily serving size of mushrooms appeared to drop their odds of getting breast cancer 64%. What was that average serving size? A half a mushroom a day. Who eats half a mushroom? Well, that was averaged over a month. So compared to women who didn’t regularly eat any mushrooms, those who ate just 15 a month appeared to dramatically lower their risk. Similar protection was found for dried mushrooms. And if you combine mushrooms with green tea, sipping a half teabag worth of green tea every day along with that half a mushroom was associated with nearly a 90% drop in breast cancer odds.	Pass the shrooms! Just a note – the top source does not link to the right article. Links to article on childhood soy consumption. Cheers eFixed–thanks!My friend lives in US is a very healty and muscular 70 years old Japanese woman who swims 11 laps a day, and eats many mushroom. She got the brest cancer a few years after she started taking the hormone replacement treatment from the Gynocologist.Is there a worry about what mushrooms might be grown in? Someone was recommending mushrooms from Monterrey mushrooms because they also contained vitamin D. According to Monterrey’s website, one of the things it uses as substrate to grow them in is “protein meal.” Researching the rendering industry, “protein meal” may not be something you might want to risk consuming. Are there “clean” or vegan sources for commercially grown mushrooms?Mushrooms naturally contain Vitamin D2 and the Monterey mushrooms lists their D content as 400 iu per 84 g serving. They list it as 100% Daily Value which is low and based on an old (1977) recommendation. The Vitamin D content of mushrooms can be increased by UVB and UVC irradiation.(J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Apr 22;57(8):3351-5.) You may want to try growing your own mushrooms. You can buy mushrooms kits: http://www.mushroomadventures.com/t-mushroom_kit_instructions.aspx They use peat moss and compost as the growing medium but you might want to contact them about the composition of the compost.Good idea to try growing mushrooms. But the kits works out to about 10 bucks a pound for shrooms if you include shipping.I sent an email to Monterrey asking the source of “protein meal” (indicated on their website). Here is their response:“The term protein meal is misleading. We grow mushrooms in compost that we prepare according to specific formulas. The compost is primarily wheat straw, which has a lot of protein, in addition to other products that supply nitrogen. The supplements we use are soybeans and feather meal, both very high in protein. We use a lot of protein in order to get a fast and consistent growth. I am not aware of any food company that uses rendered animal products in items for human consumption; the risk of e. coli is too great.”I am sending them back a reply indicating that feather meal IS rendered animal products and that it is contaminated with arsenic (learned from Nutritionfacts). Not to pick on Monterrey, other commercial growers likely use similar substrates.JohnC: re: “Is there a worry about what mushrooms might be grown in?”I thought you would be interested in the company where I bought a couple of mushroom kits from:http://www.backtotheroots.com/They grow their mushrooms from recycled coffee grounds. I don’t usually like the process of growing things, but this was super fun and super-easy. Even I could do it. And the mushrooms came out beautiful. Yes, growing mushrooms from a kit is not the cheapest route to go, but it is sure satisfying to me to be able to eat very fresh mushrooms that I grew myself. Great project for kids too. And I like the above company for how they appear to be responsible concerning the environment.Good luck if you decide to try growing your own mushrooms. Hope you found this helpful.Couldn’t it also be what Asian women are NOT eating, like maybe dairy?Have you read the book, ‘Your life in your Hands’ regarding dairy consumption by Asian women? It makes very interesting reason.This is an awesome video. I love powerful and practical videos like this one. Most of Dr. Greger’s videos are great. I don’t usually bother logging in to rate them. But I did this time. 5 stars!In Table III, why don’t the numbers add to up 1,009 in both the cases and the control groups? They have the dietary intakes divided in quartiles, but they don’t add up.After attending your talk here in San Diego where you mentioned your tea gulping habit, I began mixing white and hibiscus tea with my regular green tea all-day drink. A few weeks later I began adding a pinch of the 14-mushroom powder blend from mushroomharvest.com along with a pinch of amla powder (another of your videos) and a pinch of fenugreek powder (yet again).Tea is a wonderfully easy way to incorporate these into our diet.Thank you for the great videos!There is such a huge difference between the asian diet and the US diet. how can we pinpoint just one or two items and call it the source? Asian diets are heavy in seafood which is rich in omegas, asian diets contain several unique varieties of mushrooms, root vegetables, greens, and do not contain heavy doses of several of our American diet bad guys, like wheat, beef, dairy…while they do eat these things, it’s not a regular part of their diet. In the US, we might eat wheat and dairy at every meal! Portion sizes are smaller and I found the people I talked with to be very aware of what goes into their food. They ate at home more often, were wary of fast food, particularly McDonald’s (which is different there) and reserved it for very special occasions. We need to get serious about our basic health needs in this country. we allow the FDA to run virtually unchecked, and things like GMOs and additives are introduced to our diet with almost no warning. We don’t insist companies prove it safe, we wait for issues to arise before we determine things to be unsafe. sure, eat mushrooms, mushrooms are packed with trace nutrients. drink green tea, herbal tea, whatever awesome, but also, stop eating processed food. stop eating at fast food restaurants. eat whole grains, avoid GMOs and additives. Reduce the amount of meat and dairy you eat. (I did not say eliminate, so don’t yell at me about vegetarianism, I love meat but I also have a family history of colon cancer, and I KNOW it is triggered by over-consumption of meat.) eat more vegetables and WHOLE fruit. do you even know what is in your juice in America? Google that. it’s disgusting. I’ve lost 50lbs over the course of two years and all I changed was what I eat. my cholesterol dropped 35 points (it wasn’t high, but now it’s awesome) my triglycerides went down, every aspect of my health is improving.China and Asia have GMO’s, also. But they have mandatory labeling and the right to know unlike the USA. (We need more activists in the USA, who contribute money when they live out of state of California (like I do). I contributed part of my food allowance for several months to the Yes Proposition 37 Right to Know campaign in California, even though I could not vote. BTW, supporters were outspent by 30 million dollars, but lost by a very narrow margin. The vote will come up again in 2013. Perhaps you can join us in contributing to the Right to Know. Where California goes so goes the rest of the country!My guide in China pointed out that limited dairy is used there. They use yogurt to speed digestion along and keep the fluids moving throughout the body. They do not use sugar or flavored yogurt, even though their yogurt is from animals.Portion sizes of meat are smaller. There is some chicken, duck, pork, and occasionally beef, and of course lots of seafood. But, they use more vegetables and rice than meat, not the other way around as it is in the USA. I found I could not eat all the food served to us. The portions of veggies in soups, and entrees was huge!!!!The Chinese also walk a lot because driving and parking is so difficult. We Americans are spoiled with our government subsidizing Big Oil to keep the cost of driving a vehicle down and our waist line growing. I think the USA economy runs on making people sick!BTW, in China, human manure is used to grow food. Coal is the predominant fuel and coal dust is everywhere, even in the air along the Great Wall. But, the food is cooked at high temperatures, I presume to reduce bacteria in the human manure. The entire country is very toxic –the soils, the air, the waters and there is zero regulation.Chinese medicine is primarily plant based like their food, it is not made from petrochemicals unlike in the USA, although they may be using recombinant DNA in China alike the USA. I’ve seen lots of patents for biotechnology and toxic herbicides in China and Asia. Although both the continent and the country has the right to know, unlike North America. More at:. http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/ge-map/.Theresa, I also have family history of colon cancer (dad in 1986 and brother in 2010) so I am WITH you on your statement! Both were somewhat depressed around the time of diagnosis, to me, another factor…when we are depressed, I am sure it affects our immune system. My dad’s doc told all of us: “CROWD your plates with vegetables and STOP eating all processed and red meats.” I took that advice to heart. (Plus I never smoked…entire immediate family were smokers though all had quit)…but DIET is the most important and we GET TO CHOOSE what we eat every.single.day. I ADORE Dr. Greger’s work and his videos…I’ve tweaked my diet to include green tea and hibiscus tea every day…am growing lots of my own greens…and I feel wonderful at age 56 and had a pretty awesome carotid scan result 3 years ago..”no plaque burden” the Cardio-Risk report said. Am hoping my colon is as clean as my carotid artery…seems from all I researching that whatever is great for our hearts is also great for our colon, kidneys, brain, lungs, skin, etc.!I agree, what they are NOT consuming is as important. They do consume less meat and much less dairy. I think everything taken into consideration is more important than isolating certain foods or nutrients, its’ the WHOLE picture that counts like lifestyle, stress, exercise and so on.“Women with dense breasts have been shown to have a four- to six-fold increased risk of developing breast cancer.” Asian women, in general, have less dense breasts. http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/6/443.fullThat is the case in my family…mom, aunt & BOTH sisters had breast cancer. We were part of the original breast cancer gene studies. I’ve been eating a low-fat vegan diet for most of 32 years which includes lots of shrooms and soy, among many other cruciferous and varieties of plants. Plus running. It seems to be magical on many fronts besides avoiding cancer. 3rd in state Senior Games in the 200, 400 & 1500 meters. Plants rock!As usual, great info. As a cooking instructor for The Cancer Project, and in other talks, I always get the soy and cancer question. Thanks for the concise info on that. I’ll refer to this often.I think lower cancer rates are attributed to what IS NOT eaten to a high degree. No dairy products and very little animal protein is key!I actually just read a report recently by a scientist. Her husband, who is also a scientist, inquired while in China why 1 in 10,000 women get breast cancer and found out it was because they don’t eat any kind of dairy. When his wife took all dairy out of her diet, in a very short period of time, her numbers they chart went straight down off the chart. Her oncologist told her that meant that her cancer was completely gone, not just in remission. We in the Western world are the only mammals on this Earth that drink another mammals milk meant for their offspring. I, myself, haven’t had cow’s milk in 6 years. I love either Almond or Brown Rice milk.Keep in mind that the milk we drink in the US is loaded with hormones. That is more likely to be affecting breast cancer rates than the milk alone – I mean, hormones designed to make cows produce more breastmilk is likely going to affect human breasts, too.90% drop with small amount of green tea and mushrooms! Once again my head is spinning. Is this just what one study found and really not completely true? If it really is true then why does the American Cancer Society get this published everywhere?Is there anything Green tea cannot do?I loathe mushrooms! Would taking capsules of powdered mushrooms be an effective solution?Shitake mushroom is often sliced thinly and put in Miso soup , maybe half a mushroom per serving at breakfast and dinner time with other dishes. The traditional basic broth is from Konbu (seaweed) where the Miso paste is put in to make the soup. This is consumed (or used to be) daily or at least a few times per week in Japan. (Same with Seaweed, in Miso or as a salad with a citrus type dressing). However in the past 20 – 30 years I observed the Japanese dropping the traditional diet and consuming dairy and meat (bacon , beef) instead, because we were taught that it gives you more energy and strength. We were kind of brain washed I guess. The wealth of information here has inspired me to go back to my traditional Japanese diet , thank you Dr Greger !I am the second category, ate Nori, Tofu etc daily as a child in Japan, then dropped it after moving overseas in my 20s, it’s been a few decades. Hopefully it’s not too late.k.l : That’s so interesting to learn about your childhood diet compared to what happened over time. I think it is great that you are trying to get back to a more traditional diet. I hope it works well for you! Thanks for sharing.Thank you Thea, I am putting a Vegan twist to the traditional Japanese diet now, the first thing that convinced me was how better I felt after going Dairy free. After that I stopped the animal based proteins. Visiting this site will keep me motivated.	adolescence,Asia,breast cancer,cancer,children,green tea,mushrooms,soy,tea,women's health	Mushrooms, green tea, and soy consumption may decrease breast cancer risk, but how many mushrooms, how much green tea, and what's the best soy strategy?	For background on the role mushrooms may play in suppressing breast cancer growth, see Vegetables Versus Breast Cancer and yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Breast Cancer vs. Mushrooms. Green tea may also help account for the Asian Paradox. Which type is best? See Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea. And what may be the best way to prepare it? See Cold Steeping Green Tea. I have another video on Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, though it may be possible to overdo it.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Ergothioneine: A New Vitamin?, Mushrooms for Breast Cancer Prevention, Why Less Breast Cancer in Asia?, Go Nuts for Breast Cancer Prevention, and The Best Way to Prevent the Common Cold?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/18/go-nuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16430400,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21538855,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19048616,
PLAIN-2816	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/	Breast Cancer vs. Mushrooms	Plain, cheap, available, white mushrooms appear able to outsmart breast cancer cells that try to make their own estrogen by crippling the enzyme they use to make it. But this was based on placental tissue samples. Let’s stack mushrooms up against the real thing. Human breast cancer cells in a petri dish. If you do nothing, they just keep growing and proliferating at about the same rate. But then if you add, the raw material the cancer cells use to make their own estrogen, they take full advantage and grow like crazy, 10 times as fast. But then as you add more and more white mushroom extract to shut off their estrogen manufacturing, you can get them almost back to baseline. So the last study proved mushrooms could inhibit that enzyme, and even figured out which mushroom worked the best…. Here, they went a step further to see it in action, against actual breast cancer cells. Now that we know it may work, what’s the required dose? How many mushrooms do you have to eat? Maybe it’s just some ridiculous amount? Based on these studies, the consumption of just 5 mushrooms a day may suppress tumor growth…	Hello! Would cooked canned mushrooms work as well?Would that be cans coated with hormone-disrupting plastic inside or cans with a metallic coating leaching into the contents ?Would that be mushrooms cooked in fluoridated or chlorinated water?You have a point there. Most cans do have epoxy of bisphenol A (BpA) in the cans.If you purchase a Multi-Pure 750 plus RO water filter, it can reduce the fluoride and chlorine, as well as some other toxic metals, volatile organic compounds, some pesticides in your tap water. That way, you can drink and cook with far cleaner water than bottled water and at a lower price.I gave my daughter’s family a Multi-Pure 750 Plus RO for Christmas last year because with a family it’s more important than ever that they reduce the fluoride and pesticides in their tap water.The unfortunate thing is the filter only reduces what is ingested. Fluoride can enter the body through the skin as well as by drinking and eating food. And, because Austin, TX is still in a drought, the wasted water would be prohibitively expensive. VOC’s and pesticides can also go through the skin, but a carbon filter does not waste water, so if that is your main problem, a whole house carbon filter is do-able.Have your water tested to learn what and how much is in your water. If your municipality is adding fluoride, by all means get a Multi-Pure 750 plus RO.If you live in California, all the pesticides that can be reduced in your water there. http://www.whatsthebestwaterfilter.com/CaliforniaCertification.pdf For the full performance data sheet of what can be reduced in your water, see: http://www.multipure.com/media/mp-ro-data.pdfKeep in mind, no water filter will reduce everything that could be in your water, nor are there standards for the 80,000 chemicals the industry produces every year. But, by having an idea what’s in the water, and looking for a filter that is certified by NSF in that what the company claims if actual, you will be ahead in the long haul.Jan: I don’t know about the canned part (see DD’s response), but you definitely do want to cook your mushrooms. Dr. Greger has a video (linked to above) about toxins in raw mushrooms. Those toxins are destroyed with cooking.I have a tip for you that has worked really well for me. The beauty of canned food is the convenience, so I assume that you are interested in avoiding the cleaning and slicing of mushrooms as well as the time involved in sauteing.Here’s what I do: I buy pre-cleaned, pre-sliced mushrooms from Trader Joes. (You can probably get them elsewhere too.) The packages come in white button and criminy (sp?) varieties. Cooking could not be easier: …[1] Open package and dump in microwave-safe bowl. …[2] Cook on high for 4 minutes. (time will vary with microwave and amount cooked)It really is that simple, and they come out absolutely delicious. No oil is needed. The intense mushroom liquid at the bottom of the bowl can be used for cooking other things (broth for quinoa?) or simply drink it as a special nutrient-rich, flavor-filled treat.I cook a package or two of mushrooms on the weekends and then throw them into various dishes. Though I still need to try to get more into me if I’m going to hit an average of 5 mushrooms a day. Since I like mushrooms, that’s not a big hardship. (leafy greens on the other hand… {sigh!})Hope you found that helpful.I’ve read that microwaves destroy the nutrient value of food. http://www.naturalnews.com/z021966.htmlbeccadoggie10: The idea that microwaves destroy nutrient value of food any more than any other kind of cooking is an “old-wives tale”. If you search on this site, you will see that Dr. Greger has at least one science-based video showing that some veggies keep their nutritional value best when cooked via microwave compared to other cooking methods.My take: I love the microwave. It makes cooking dramatically easier for many dishes. I’ve never seen any credible evidence that microwave cooking is any worse in general than any other kind of cooking – and sometimes the opposite seems to be true (that microwave cooking is better). So, I encourage people to use the microwave as a great tool in the cook’s toolbox.For anyone interested: I recently got a book on vegan microwave cooking. While only a few of the recipes appealed to me (though those few were great!), I learned some great techniques and gained a lot of confidence on taking many recipes from other books and cooking all or part of them in the microwave. Works GREAT! Saves time and dirty dishes and helps keep me eating healthy.That said, a lot of people are afraid of microwave cooking. Certainly, no one *has* to use the microwave to be healthy. If you prefer not to, I respect that. Good luck.40% of what is printed in newspapers, and aired in turn on the radio and television is from public relations firms who protect vested interests while keeping the public controlled and ignorant. This topic was explored in the book, “Trust Us, We’re Experts: How Industry Manipulates Science and Gambles with Your Future,” authored by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber. The book explores the chilling, documented history of ongoing corporate efforts to use propaganda and “public relations” to distort science, manipulate public opinion, discredit democracy, and consolidate political power in the hands of a wealthy few. http://tinyurl.com/d88esq2If microwaves are so safe, why did the Russians ban this appliance? Dr. Mercola explores the microwave at: http://tinyurl.com/2fuyfds“Research shows that your microwave oven will NOT help you…to maximize the “bang for your buck” when it comes to the foods you eat—and in fact will threaten your health by violently ripping the molecules in your food apart, rendering some nutrients inert, at best, and carcinogenic at its worst….“Microwaves heat food by causing water molecules in it to resonate at very high frequencies and eventually turn to steam which heats your food…causes a change in your foods chemical structure…(Another reason is) with microwave ovens is that carcinogenic toxins can leach out of your plastic and paper containers/covers, and into your food.The January/February 1990 issue of Nutrition Action Newsletter reported the leakage of numerous toxic chemicals from the packaging of common microwavable foods, including pizzas, chips and popcorn. (I realize you won’t be eating these foods, but look at the data.)Chemicals included polyethylene terpthalate (PET), benzene, toluene, and xylene. Microwaving fatty foods in plastic containers leads to the release of dioxins (known carcinogens) and other toxins into your food.[Sources: Watanabe F, Takenaka S, Abe K, Tamura Y, and Nakano Y. J. Agric. Food Chem. Feb 26 1998;46(4):1433-1436 AND Rust S and Kissinger M. (November 15, 2008) “BPA leaches from ‘safe’ products” Journal Sentinel Online ]‘One of the worst contaminants is BPA, or bisphenol A, an estrogen-like compound used widely in plastic products. In fact, dishes made specifically for the microwave often contain BPA, but many other plastic products contain it as well.Microwaving distorts and deforms the molecules of whatever food or other substance you subject to it. An example of this is blood products.Blood is normally warmed before being transfused into a person. Now we know that microwaving blood products damages the blood components. In fact, one woman died after receiving a transfusion of microwaved blood in 1991 , which resulted in a well-publicized lawsuit.’Source: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/microwave-hazards.aspxAs this is not a page for a discussion on microwaves, we will just have to agree to disagree on this topic for the most part.Happily there is one area on this topic that we sort-of agree: heating in plastic of any kind is not a good idea. (This is why I only cook with glass and ceramics in the microwave. And getting back on topic – mushrooms cook **great** in a glass container in the microwave.)The “sort-of” part? Well, cooking in plastic is not a good idea for any medium of cooking, not just the microwave. Bringing plastics into a microwave discussion is somewhat off topic…Anyway, as I said, if you don’t want to use the microwave, I respect that. Sticking to a whole-plant food based diet is a great way to live whether you use the microwave or not. Best of health to you.All cooking changes the chemical composition of the food. That is the point of cooking it! The question is whether the changed composition will do harm. We are the guinea pigs for future generations. We may not know for 60 years, and even then, there are so many new synthetic additives and environmental pollutants, it may be difficult for the research to come to any conclusions even over the long-term. I personally prefer to reheat food, as opposed to long-term cooking in the microwave, but I’m on the fence about it. Going into my second year of veganism, my goal is to simplify my food preparation by focusing on minimal prepwork meals, like sandwiches, cereal for breakfast, and casseroles that only take 10 minutes or less of prep.melanie: Yes, all cooking changes the chemical composition of food. (The raw foodists would suggest that we shouldn’t cook anything by any means.) That is not in dispute. What beccadog and I were discussing was whether or not microwaving is worse/different than other forms of cooking.The science on this topic is well understood. Happily, there is no experiment going on here. If you are interested in learning from a fairly easy explanation of the science and a good debunking of the microwave myths/scare stories, check out this site (or find others):http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmI don’t know much about the person running the site, but I think the content of this particular page is fairly digestible for the lay-person, fairly complete in coverage, and properly has references. I got a huge kick out of her closing remarks. You might want to check those out first if you are on the fence about the microwave as a cooking device. It is an impressive statement in my opinion.That said, I’ll repeat to you what I said to beccadog: Despite the sometimes superior results of microwave cooking for health outcomes, no one *has* to use the microwave to be healthy. If cooking with a microwave scares you, by all means, don’t use it. While I think the microwave can make it so much easier for people to eat healthy and has an important place in the modern cook’s toolbox, by far the most important thing to do is to eat a whole-plant food based diet as described on this site and elsewhere – however you get there. More power to you, Melanie! I applaud your efforts these last couple of years. You are head and shoulders above the majority of people in the US. (where ever you live) You should be proud.Leafy greens like collards, bok choy, kale, broccoli are not bad tasting once you learn how to prepare them. I found two ways. One is to mix certified organic Eden Organic Miso (one teaspoon to one tablespoon depending on how salty you want your food) in about a cup of water, stirring well to dissolve. Then adding the chopped veggie. Collards take the longer to cook. But, just before cooking is finished, drain but do not discard the miso broth, and hold. Sautee the diced and smashed fresh garlic and fresh ginger in organic olive oil (up to a tablespoon). Don’t let either burn.Then add the partially cooked veggies and keep stirring to coat all surfaces adding extra flavor and anti-inflammatory benefits of the fresh roots. Remove veggies and enjoy.You can add the saved broth to the garlic and ginger infused oil and serve as a tasty tea or broth full of beneficial vitamins including Vitamin K1 and K2.beccadog: Thanks for taking the time to share your methods with leafy greens. I’ve worked hard on my leafy greens, trying many times with many cooking methods. I’m always happy to try out another idea. You never know what will work.Of course, I’ll have to modify your method for the microwave. ;-) Hee, hee.I don’t know why people say collards have to be cooked longer. I eat them raw, as a burrito wrap when I don’t have tortillias. Or, I cook up those soup mixes you get at the store (just different beans, or beans and whole wheat pasta from Bob’s Red Mill), and throw in whatever veggies I like in my slow cooker. 3.5 hours later, I’m eating.With mushrooms, I love them steamed. They taste like deep fried mushrooms (think Japanese tempura) but without the grease! I also put extras (sliced or chopped, uncooked) in the freezer and pull them out to add to pasta sauces and soups.I learn something new every place I go. I eat mushrooms sauteed in olive oil, steamed (which is even healthier, and then miso added afterwards for seasoning, added to other veggies. It doesn’t matter. What’s important is that they are cooked.On several occasions when I felt I was coming down with the flu or whatever virus was in the air, I bought an assortment of mushrooms and made it into a soup with sauteed red onions, garlic, and kale or collards, carrots, even ginger and tumeric, then miso added lastly for flavoring. Whether it was the mushrooms, or everything in the soup, I know not, but it built a wall around my body and protected me against the invading virus.This.is going to be a tough flu season with the flu so widespread. Most people I know are sick. I’m doubling up with mushroom, vitamins A and C in produce, red Bermuda onions and lots of garlic, ginger and tumeric to keep me well…and plenty of miso. Hope it works!So what is the second way?Why white? Would Shitake, Mitake, or even brown crimini have the same compound? Cooked or raw? And why breast cancer? Could it be that the same compound reduces other types of cancer? Is it merely because the studies have only been directed towards breast cancer?If you look in the Doctor’s Note section beneath each video I try to put each video in context. So as you can see in this one I point to a previous video on did comparing different types of mushrooms: Breast Cancer Prevention: Which Mushroom is Best? Hope that helps!I would think white mushrooms were chosen to make the point that the most common,readily available mushroom will do the trick,never mind having to go out of your way like hopping over to France/Italy etc with your pig to find truffles. I live with a fool who consumes that horrible poison Aspartame daily ,but I have her on `shrooms until she sees the light. Personally, my vegan,organic mushroom consumption of various types, keeps my Vitamin D3 levels high enough(above 80nmol/L all year round), to help protect me from at least sixteen types of cancer.I suspect that the reason the doc has chosen to concentrate on breast cancer is because those were the cells chosen for testing, as that type of cancer has reached epidemic proportions ,so the real humanitarians are showing the quacks the way to go,by offering a solution.The mushrooms are effective in slowing breast cancer due to a compound present in the Agaricus spp, which inhibits the enzyme aromatase. Many breast cancer drugs, such as tamoxifen, work by either blocking the oestrogen receptors or preventing its production from other hormones. Other mushrooms would only work if they contained this aromatase inhibiting property, and yes, it would be specific to breast cancers or tumours that are oestrogen dependent.According to Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D. Mushrooms should NEVER be eaten raw; they should be cooked.“Dr Weil told Dr Oz that that cooked Asian mushrooms like Shiitake Mushrooms, Maitake Mushrooms, Oyster Mushrooms and Enoki Mushrooms all help to increase your immune function and protect you from Cancer and Viral Infections. Weil said not to eat mushrooms raw though, because your body cannot digest them raw or get any nutrients in that form.” Source: http://www.drozfans.com/dr-ozs-advice/dr-oz-dr-andrew-weil-anti-inflammatory-diet-for-optimum-health/For an oil, Dr. Weil recommends Lucini Limited Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Lucini Italia Organics. He suggested purchasing the smallest bottle. http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02970/Olive-Oil.html http://www.lucini.com/shop/limited-reserver-premium-select-extra-virgin-olive-oil-100-organicThe study cited by Dr. Greger studied various mushrooms but the scientists discovered that white button mushroom phytochemicals inhibit aromatase activity and breast cancer cell proliferation. That was the conclusion of their study which was published in J Nutr. 2001 Dec;131(12):3288-93 and entitled White button mushroom phytochemicals inhibit aromatase activity and breast cancer cell proliferation. (See the last line of the abstract by Grube BJ, Eng ET, Kao YC, Kwon A, Chen S. at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11739882?report=abstractThere is another study, that found the same in true with prostate cancer in men with regards to the white mushroom. Nutr Cancer. 2008;60(6):744-56. doi: 10.1080/01635580802192866. White button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) exhibits antiproliferative and proapoptotic properties and inhibits prostate tumor growth in athymic mice. Adams LS, Phung S, Wu X, Ki L, Chen S. The full study was at: http://tinyurl.com/d2fsczb.Why breast cancer and prostate cancer? Of the two teams of scientists, one studied breast cancer, while the other studied prostate cancer. Why the white mushroom? That was the one that showed up best in their published results.This is what was written in part in one of the abstracts, entitled:White button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) exhibits antiproliferative and proapoptotic properties and inhibits prostate tumor growth in athymic mice.“White button mushrooms are a widely consumed food containing phytochemicals beneficial to cancer prevention. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effects of white button mushroom extract and its major component, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on prostate cancer cell lines in vitro and mushroom extract in vivo. In all cell lines tested, mushroom inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner and induced apoptosis within 72 h of treatment. CLA inhibited proliferation in the prostate cancer cell lines in vitro.”In the other studies, which Dr. Greger cited, the white mushroom blocked the inflammation stage that followed the build up of cholesterol in the body. Hence, the white button mushroom is the most anti-inflammatory mushroom cited by the study at Arizona State University. He explains the results, which include: Plain white mushrooms worked the best! The cheapest, most convenient to find mushroom appeared to suppress inflammation the best. He also says to be certain to COOK the mushrooms. See: http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/I prefer oyster and shiitake mushrooms because they aren’t grown on manure. My local mushroom company purchases horse manure from hundreds of miles away, and that is their major input cost, so I prefer to eat something grown on a non-animal based growing medium. Otherwise, I’d be going for white, cremini and portobellos (which are just mature cremini with exposed gills). In the meantime, I have some research to do on chanterelles. Morels are expensive, and I didn’t enjoy them as a teenager, but I might try them again. They are wild harvested a season after a forest fire, so I guess their medium is basically ash.This information about mushrooms is ***finally*** starting to make it into the bigger population. I remember learning about it from Dr. Greger a LONG time ago. :-)Are the mushrooms to be RAW or COOKED? I assume it does no good if one’s diet is the S.A.D. Is Mushroom to be eaten or taken as a supplement? Please give us more information! Thank you.I love raw mushrooms and cooking spoils it for me so I looked up the following:http://www.mykoweb.com/articles/EatingRawMushrooms.htmlThe kicker with Agaricus species, including the buttons, is that one of their primary hydrazine components, along with gyromitrin, is “agaritine,” a substance somewhat resistant to cooking heat, with a significant percentage (25–75%) of agaratine material typically remaining after being subjected to various methods of cooking. So, the question as far as avoiding hydrazines in Agaricus is concerned, actually becomes whether to eat members of this genus at all.We need to keep in mind that lab tests and subsequent conclusions drawn concerning carcinogenic or mutagenic health hazards of hydrazine involve massive doses of isolated extracts administered to mice in a concentrated time frame. Similarly disturbing test results are likely to be found with many substances present in many, many foods humans commonly eat without suffering or even worrying about any particular health concern. The relatively unblemished human history of consuming edible Agaricus species suggests we may continue to do so.Love mushrooms.would magic mushrooms work? ;)Enjoy the cancer prevention properties of large button mushrooms in my take on stuffing.Not Your Mother’s Stuffing– 1 cup uncooked mung beans – 1 cup uncooked millet – 5 cups water/homemade vegetable broth – 2 cups large button mushrooms, sliced – 2 cups carrots, diced – 1 large onion, chopped – 3 cloves garlic, minced – 1 tbsp sage – 1 tbsp rosemary – 1 tsp thyme – black pepperPlace all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until mung beans are soft, about 45 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt.Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium~Complements of lovestobeveganI am all for eating fresh mushrooms, at least slightly cooked. Do any mushroom extract supplements such as beta – 1,3/1,6-d-glucans or AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound) have credible evidence of efficacy in strengthening the immune system?Dr. Greger, My 95 year old mother currently takes a prescription aromatase inhibitor for her locally advanced breast cancer and it has been working great thus far (~6 months). However, I note that increased fracture risk is the leading side effect of this medication. Could the same negative side effect be expected with regular ingestion of mushrooms? That is, could mushrooms be bad for the bones?	breast cancer,cancer,dietary guidelines,enzymes,estrogen,hormones,mushrooms,women's health	Researchers pit plain white mushrooms against breast cancer cells in vitro to measure aromatase activity and estimate how many mushrooms women may want to strive to include in their daily diet.	Mushrooms appear to work in the lab to suppress breast cancer cell growth, but what about in the real world? That's the subject of tomorrow's video of the day Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer? The placenta study was profiled in my video Vegetables Versus Breast Cancer and a comparison of the effects of different types of mushrooms can be found in Breast Cancer Prevention: Which Mushroom is Best?. More on the magic of mushrooms in Making Our Arteries Less Sticky and Constructing a Cognitive Portfolio. Probably a good idea to cook them, though: Toxins in Raw Mushrooms. I have more than five dozen videos on breast cancer and hundreds of videos on a thousand other health and wellness topics.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Ergothioneine: A New Vitamin?, Why Less Breast Cancer in Asia?, Vitamin D from Mushrooms, Sun, or Supplements? , and Mushrooms and Immunity	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/	-
PLAIN-2817	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/	Whole Grains May Work As Well As Drugs	An analysis of a bunch of randomized drug trials suggests that taking a blood pressure lowering medication for high blood pressure may reduce the risk of getting a heart attack by 15% and the risk of getting a stroke by about 25%. What a coincidence, a recent study found that we may achieve similar benefits eating just 3 portions of whole grains a day. “The observed decrease in systolic blood pressure could decrease the incidence of coronary artery disease and stroke by 15% and 25%, respectively. While whole grains are good, refined grains may not just be neutral. Out of Harvard: White rice, brown rice, and risk of type 2 diabetes: In these 3 prospective cohort studies of US men and women, we found that regular consumption of white rice was associated with higher risk of T2D, whereas brown rice intake was associated with lower risk. An interesting wrinkle is that they found other whole grains may be even better than brown rice. Eating white rice was associated with a 17% greater risk of diabetes; replace with brown and instead apparently get a 16% drop in risk, and replace white rice with other whole grains, such as oats and barley? A 36% lower diabetes risk. Just a single serving a day of oats or barley may lower our cholesterol. Whole grains are more than just refined grains with a fiber coat. With white flour you get this, . But all the rest is stripped away…. which includes most of the compounds responsible for whole grain contributions to the health of our bowels, weight, blood sugar, cancer prevention, bones brain and heart. The powerful effects of whole grains aren’t lost on food industry marketing teams who now offer a whole grain guarantee, on foods like this…	Michael, I believe this video report to be misleading at best. I would ask you to also report on how whole grains vs refined are little different compared to no grains for diabetics. Dr. Barnard’s study does not hold up when compared to a very low carb (30gm/day) as per dr Bernstein. I belive a plant based diet without any grains at all significantly improves health risks in diabetes by returning blood glucose back to normal. Anyone interested in very low carb plant based diets, see the Facebook group, “veglowcarb” called “the vegetarian low carb diabetes health society”.I prefer Dr. Greger’s reports. He provides me with brief reviews of well substantiated, peer reviewed articles published in reputable journals, so that I don’t have to read them myself. I think it would be great if he were to start reviewing various highly publicized diets like the “Paleo” diet, the “Atkins” diet and the various “Gluten Free” diets. The problem is, these three fad diets are only the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of thousands of other untested diets, nutritional supplements and “alternative” therapies, all of which promise the cure for some ailment, and none of which a reputable scientist wants to waste his time studying-beyond figuring out that they don’t work, and that negative results are not worth publishing. Dr. Greger reports mostly on positive results, things that actually work, and only takes potshots at junk science as the opportunity presents itself. Any idiot can publish anything on Facebook, and find plenty of other idiots to believe him. I look for more reliable sources of information.Although I would bet on some epidemiological reports to be coming out in the next decade or so, detailing the effects of paleo diets. I think it’s quite unfortunate, since I believe these people are trying to do what they truly think is healthiest. Supposedly they do emphasize the green vegetables as well, which should help them out some, but I don’t think it’ll balance out all that meat. I think we’ll be seeing the heart attacks, stroke and cancer articles coming out about that group in the future.I wish you would reconsider calling gluten-free diet a fad. There are two very real conditions, celiac disease and gluten intolerance, and one is very much better off not eating gluten-containing food in those circumstances. Perhaps some people are going gluten-free for no good reason – I can’t imagine why – but for some of us, it’s definitely not a “fad”.Gluten Free is NOT a fad, it’s a very important way of life for most Celiacs and has been tested. My daughter has Crohns disease and found that by eliminating all food containing gluten that she is feeling better. She found out after 2 hospital stays, not from her doctor but from a book she read Listen To Your Gut. This book was and still is a tremendous help to her, not only with foods but probiotics and other medicinal things This has been a life saving help to her since Crohns can kill. I choose to be GF but my daughter HAS to be GF. There are other ingredients in foods that can also affect her Crohns, it’ sometimes trial and error.Agreed. For folks with CD all gluten needs to be avoided.So not unlike a far left or far right political zealot you have chosen a single source for your information and will bet your life on it. I would suggest you broaden your horizons a bit because I can assure you there is plenty of peer review clinical science to counter any report by Dr. Gregor. That is not to say that he is purposely misleading people but he has picked his side and is unwilling to report all of the facts and science which directly contradict what he chooses to report on. Or you can just go with what’s easy and use a single source. Either way best of luck.All citations are listed for site users. If you have additional studies please feel free to share.I’m not debating that there are studies supporting what is reported, I’m merely pointing out that those studies are not the final word simply because there are other studies which contradict or draw other conclusions and more importantly, people who are living contradictions to the “science”. Lets be honest there are people on both sides of the table who are pillars of health. So one has to ask, how can person A who consumes only plants be healthy while person b who consumes no plants be equally as healthy? The answer is pretty simple if you remove the fluff. The problems in our diet result from all the “non-food” things we ingest, coupled with how the food is produced and multiplied by each persons individual make up. We are not all the same. Just like one person dies at 20 of a heart attack or gets cancer and then you have the person who smokes, drinks and eats doritos till age 110. That doesn’t mean stop trying to figure it out but be honest and say, we don’t have it figured out.rappinronreagan: re: “…while person b who consumes no plants be equally as healthy?” I haven’t seen any evidence of that. Especially for long term health. People who eat no plants or virtually no plants tend to be very unhealthy. That’s what the science shows along with a ton of anecdotes.Here is a helpful way to think about it: There are “plenty” of people who smoke a pack a day every day and never get cancer. Conversely, maybe 10% of people who get lung cancer never smoked. Also, you can find over 100 studies showing that smoking is either neutral or a healthy thing to do. There was a time in American (World?) history when people focused on all this information and then claimed that “we just didn’t know whether smoking is really harmful or not.”But only people who are willing to ignore the body of evidence (then or now) would believe that smoking is healthy or has nothing to do with cancer. We absolutely have “figured it out” when it comes to smoking.What this site tries to educate people on is that the evidence is just as strong when it comes to diet. We may still have more to learn regarding nutrition and human health. But for the big picture, we have it figured out for diet just as well as we have it figured out for smoking. It’s not about one study or a minority of people. It’s about the body of evidence. It’s about the overwhelming number of studies which point in the same direction compared to the relatively few (many/mostly discredited) studies which point in different directions.Those are great points and really the same points I’m making about non plant based diets. The overwhelming majority of studies do not point to an all plant based diet. They just do not unless you only choose to get your information from a biased source such as this. We are far from figuring it out though but if we use a bit of common sense we can easily see humans were meant to eat more than plants. How do I know this? Well luckily for us we have a T.V program that can illustrate perfectly this very point. It’s called Naked and afraid. Drop a couple folks off in a place with no grocery stores and what happens? They either eat animal matter or they lay their waiting to die. The modern convenience of grocery stores and farms is the only thing allowing people on a plant based diet to survive, nowhere else will you find this. Even many of the “but but what about X tribe” shows that while they eat corn or potatoes or whatever, they also consume meat or at very least, lots of insects and spiders. Many of the studies seem to leave this out though focusing on just the plant foods. How about another popular program, Life below zero? What do they eat? Now please don’t misunderstand me I think a healthy diet should include large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetable no doubt but animal flesh, insects, etc.. is just part of what we eat, its funny there is even a debate about that. Should we look at Ketogenic diets? Not much plants there and thus far the studies have shown remarkable progress with Cancer and general health. So not to beat a dead horse I just think we are far from saying ok eat these 3 things and every person on the planet will enjoy perfect health and live well over 100. We also can not say eat only plant based because, again we have no successful populations of vegans running around who have lived, procreated and thrived. Not to mention we have plenty of unhealthy vegans eating all these faux foods oddly trying to duplicate meat products but with “GASP” GMO SOY BEANS! (don’t even get me started on that) Anyway we can all eat how we like but nobody has a monopoly on what’s best aside from in my opinion eating locally raised organic fruits and vegetables and either killing your own wild game or at very least reasonable quantities of fresh caught or grass fed meats. If it comes in box, a can a package etc.. its probably not the pillar of health.rappinronreagan: re: “The overwhelming majority of studies do not point to an all plant based diet” How do you know? Have you looked at them all? I haven’t. So, I rely on people who really, really have. And it is an impressive list of experts who back up what I have been saying.re: “We are far from figuring it out though but if we use a bit of common sense we can easily see humans were meant to eat more than plants. How do I know this? Well luckily for us we have a T.V program…” This is the first time I have seen someone use a reality TV program as evidence about human nutrition. You are talking about contrived situations. That’s not very compelling evidence to me. Compare reality TV to real human populations. The 4 healthiest populations on the planet are primarily plant based eaters. You are correct that they are not vegan. But they are very close. So, the most anyone could claim when it comes to eating animals is that it is healthy to eat say 3%? animal products. (Some very low, low number.)If the subject of “what are humans supposed to eat” interests you, I recommend looking at human biology. The following webpage does an ***awesome*** job of explaining in lay person’s terms what we know about human biology and our natural foods: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.htmlI don’t claim to have it figured out either but I have been studying and experimenting with diet and exercise for roughly 30 years. I don’t think there is an exact percentage of animal products that you could say is optimal for every person but I feel quite comfortable saying that it’s definitely not 0%. As for the tv program I pointed towards, it’s a good illustration of humans in the wild without modern conveniences. I don’t know the last time I was walking in the forest and stumbled across a loaf of bread and a bunch of beans or a bowl of quinoa or some tofu. I have on the other hand seen lots of animals. Sometimes the answers are right in front of us….” I don’t think there is an exact percentage of animal products that you could say is optimal for every person but I feel quite comfortable saying that it’s definitely not 0%.”OK, you are probably right, but Thea (and I and lots of people here) feel that the evidence shows that the people with greatest longevity get less than 10% of their calories from animal products. We are not inclined to buy the Paleo or other HPLC diets which advocate 50% or more calories from animal products.10% is a far, far cry from 50%. Additionally, we tend to think that a macronutrient ratio of 60% carbs, 15% protein, and 25% fat makes a lot more sense–is much more aligned with diets in the Blue Zones–than the Paleo-recommended 10% carbs, 30% protein, and 60% fat. There is a fundamental divergence in philosophy, which goes well beyond the avoidance of processed foods, refined carbs and oils, and sweets which is common to all of these diets, the vegan as well as Paleo and the others. And the vegans seem to be the most aligned with environmental demands, while the Paleo folks bury their heads in the sand and try to pretend we’re not living in the 21st century on a planet of 7 billion people. Plant based diets are both more affordable and environmentally sustainable; Paleo, Atkins, and the others are, if anything, worse than the SAD in this regard. Indeed, they are really ‘elitist’ because the most expensive calories come from free-range animal meat and wild fish; only specialty foods like caviar would be more expensive. But this is not to say that a very small portion of one’s diet couldn’t derive from these sources–the same if one happens to live on or near a small farm or in an area where cattle grazing makes economic sense. There are no absolutes. But the preponderance of evidence inclines towards a high carb-low fat and protein whole foods diet for health.I too agree that many of the paleo folks have gone off the deep end a bit as I truly feel that our current proliferation of these factory meats, how they are raised and the synthetic drugs used in the process is a contributor to the problems we see. That said, paleo in its truest form is not really the diet that those on the other extreme of all plants think it is. Food quality matters and I think its the most important aspect of diet. So while many may point to a percentage of meat and say “that’s too much” I disagree in that you also need to ask what is the meat source. Do you live in Alaska out in a small cabin and hunt to survive or do you go to the 99 cent store and purchase slim jims? I think most rational people can agree living in the wild on a diet of caribou, elk and salmon is different than eating Hormel bacon and mcdonalds cheeseburgers. On the plant side of things take bread for example. Are you grinding your own organically raised wheat and adding yeast salt and water or are you buying wonder bread with 115 ingredients? Humans are omnivores there should be no disputing that and we can survive for long periods on anything, just talk to the meth or heroin addict who injects themselves daily with dope and eats Doritos and coke for a standard meal. I don’t consider economics or sustainability as a consideration when talking about diet though but if you want to get technical, animals exist in the wild all over the world, fruits and vegetable are artificially raised, meaning we have to plant them, tend to them harvest them and they wouldn’t exist without us. I say this not to say we should eat exclusively meat because I think we can and do well on a diet of mostly plant based, we tend to start seeing problems though at extremely low or no animal matter. I know some vegans will disagree but it takes work to be a healthy vegan and it takes modern convenience. People live in Alaska on a predominantly animal based diet and research has shown them to be quite healthy with almost no plant foods. Bottom line is if the food quality is on point meaning 100% natural humans can do well on either end of the scale. Just my opinion.re: “People live in Alaska on a predominantly animal based diet and research has shown them to be quite healthy with almost no plant foods.” This is not true. It is a myth pushed by the paleo crowd. Even ancient Alaskan mummies, where there is no possible contamination of modern processed foods, show signs of heart disease and I believe cancer. Not healthy at all. Just surviving long enough to reproduce. And rarely living past early 50’s. Plant Positive has links to the actual research if you are interested. Contrast that with the predominantly plant-based societies where people live a very long time and heart disease is almost unheard of.You may want to talk to some people who live there I can assure you, your opinion is incorrect but interesting you pointed out “survived long enough to reproduce” Get back to me when we have located a society with generations of vegans living healthy productive lives without the aid of supplementation or modern convenience. Actually get back to me when we have generations of vegans period. You can’t argue nature it is what it is.You say you don’t take economics or environmental sustainability into account when deciding on what to eat, but I think that’s short-sighted. Very few people have the luxury of not worrying about cost, and I maintain the high meat crowd is both elitist and socially insensitive. High meat consumption increases water use and methane in the atmosphere (a potent greenhouse gas). I agree that from a health standpoint naturally raised and caught meat and fish is preferable–has some health benefits without as many drawbacks–but the bottom line is that a HIGH consumption of these foods–say anything above 25% of calories–is not optimal for health and bad for the planet. In a world of 7 billion, I’d go further and limit meat, fish, and dairy to 10%. But that’s just my take.Humans indeed are omnivores, but this neglects the fact that our teeth (with only 1/8 canines) and our intestines are better designed for plants than meat. Your analogy to meth and heroin addicts is misplaced. Sure, they “survive”, but hardly thrive on such bad food and drugs, and their life expectancy is even worse than the Eskimos (Innuit), who, as Plant Positive reports, live on average more than ten years less than Canadians or Americans.Well again modern convenience allows for farming. It’s natural though. But Niether is large feedlots of medicated cattle. We are at a place now where I think we can’t go back so we deal with what we have. The interesting thing about science, studies, research is its very easy to design it for the outcome you desire and even if designed properly the wrong conclusions are easily drawn. Pick any topic where there is controversy and likely you will find an equal amount of support for both sides. So, like politics you pick a side and go with it. The enviroment is one such topic. I don’t think plowing fields and growing produce is better or worse for the environment than raising meat, just different. I believe very strongly in anecdotal evidence. In my opinion if what your doing is achieving the results you are after, then all the science and research in the world saying you are wrong means absolutely nothing. If someone is happy eating a food abomination like tofurkey for their own ethical delima or because they think it’s healthy I don’t mind. Likewise is someone wants to live off the land and eat what they kill I don’t mind that either. To each their own.What research shows folks eating zero plants do as well as those who eat lots of plants? I am confused. Perhaps you’d like this video better that discusses “flexitarian” diets? Again, you are free to post any additional studies you think we’ve overlooked. Thanks for replying.http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/the-fat-fueled-brain-unnatural-or-advantageous/ This article which includes sources and studies might be a good place to start if you are interested in broadening your horizons. I do not eat a ketogenic diet, I don’t even promote one and I’m not saying this is better than anything else. I’m simply pointing out that there are other studies and other science out there that does not support an all plant based diet as “The way”. We can all eat how we wish and its not my intent to say plants are bad of course they are not but I have difficulty with anybody on any subject proclaiming they have it all figured out and this is definitely the way to do something especially when their is plenty of evidence to the contrary. What I’m saying is eat how you like, offer up studies and science all day to support it just don’t be so arrogant as to discount everything else out there. We can have different opinions with puffing our chest up and claiming we have the answer.Thanks for the links! I don’t think we proclaim to have all the answers at all. I’m with you that not all studies agree, as you stated above. Perhaps it’s important to look at the totality of the evidence? Many trends in the research support the inclusion of more plants. The degree of how many plants one wants to add to their diet is up to them. We do not promote one “diet” over another.Agreehttp://authoritynutrition.com/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets/ just another source for some studies to look at. Again my position is nothing more than, the there are lots of studies and they all don’t agree.Barry: Dr. Greger has some great videos on low carb as well as an e-book setting people straight on the topic of carbs. Dr. Greger seems to have some good science to back up his opinion of grains. That said, if you have something that is working for you, that’s great. Good luck.Low carb plant based diets may be dangerous: “The associations of low carbohydrate, high protein, and low carbohydrate-high protein scores with cardiovascular outcomes were not, in general, statistically significantly different between women whose protein intake was mainly of animal origin and those whose protein intake was mainly of plant origin.” BMJ 2012;344:e4026, June 26. http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e4026I agree that “low carb” diets are not necessarily healthy. But what about claims that you can do a better job of protecting against hypertension (and other problems) by substituting more healthy carb-rich vegetables, like sweet potatoes? In other words, is there some nutrient that whole grains have that you can’t get anywhere else? Or are they just a good, but not ideal, alternative to refined grains?Hi Joe, When it comes to whole grains, research has shown that, nutritionally, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, meaning that the nutrients in whole grains work together in a way that you won’t find when the nutrients are consumed separately. Researchers refer to a “dose response” with eating more whole grains. A little whole grain is better than none, but the greatest health protection seems to come with at least 3 servings of whole grain foods a day.. These benefits include: healthy digestion, prevention of weight gain, longer satiety, reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and several cancers and a 15-20% reduction in risk of early death. Dr. Greger has a great video discussing whole grains and their effect on heart disease here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/is it ok to consume a lot of canned coconut milk (Badia) or (organic) ? both have 10 grams of fat per 1/4 cup. i’m asking because of Dr. Esselstyn’s teachings about fat.Cesare, Dr. Greger has other videos about coconut products which indicate that canned coconut milk is bad for you.Coconut milk should be avoided… see video’s http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/. It contains no cholesterol as a plant product but does contain alot of saturated fat which your body converts to cholesterol. Not only not a good idea from an arterial disease standpoint but because it is calorie dense it would contribute to increase weight.Cholesterol is not and never has been a danger. Indeed, it’s something our bodies have to have. It was disproven way back in 1936 that there is no link between cholesterol levels and heart attacks. There are links to inflammation causing them, and the inflammation coming from carbohydrates, grains in particular. Of course this is kept quiet because it would destroy the market for statins which are dangerous, way more dangerous than coconut milk.The Lyon Heart Trials showed a direct link between cholesterol and heart disease, in the long-running Framingham Study, those with cholesterol levels below 150 were virtually heart-attack proof, and that is only the tip of the iceberg of studies showing a correlation between cholesterol and heart disease. No one is saying we need zero cholesterol; as with many substances, problems occur when we have too much. Whole food plant-based diets have been shown to lower cholesterol as well as statins do, without the side effects.Cyndi, well put. I agree with you a thousand percent. They’ve also shown that those with very low cholesterol die earlier. It’s inflammation that causes trouble.have your read Primal Body, Primal Mind, please don’t recommend any grainsYou can ignore the science in this video, but I appreciate Dr. Greger reporting on any and all scientific findings, whether they agree with my diet or not.um, it’s his website, so he can recommend whatever he wants. We should listen to you instead because you read one book??What a bully! You don’t know how many books she’s read. She gave the name of one book as a reference. Why so mean?Dr Gregor hasn’t actually recommended anything – he’s presented a few studies and a hypothesis – that is all.It’s a far cry from most health gurus, who seem intent on proving everyone else wrong because they know the ‘truth’.http://www.gutsense.org/fibermenace/about_fm.html fiber ain’t so greatThis doesn’t look like a science-based website. I’ll take Dr. Greger’s scientific studies any day over this speculation…This contradicts the majority of clinical research and population studies – and oh look, they’re selling an e-book!Lauren, Joe, and Lc Starr, you have not read enough studies. Your peer below in the comments here is having blood pressure issues and is confused by this. Keep checking for yourself. You’ll be surprised. I was in the same boat as you all were. We all come around in our own time.Lisa, thanks for your concern. I always remain open to new ideas, but for me the evidence isn’t there. The statistic he links to suggest an epidemic of gut and bowel related problems – but if anything the majority of Americans are deficient in fibre. This I can’t get my head around – he talks about the American diet being a high-fibre diet – but the fibre is mostly removed during processing. White bread, pasta and bagels have virtually no fibre! The average American gets 15g of fibre daily – whilst people in developing countries get much more and have much less problems like hemorrhoids. This could of course be down to the sit down toilet – but in this scenario, fibre is a red herring at best. I will remain open, and I might buy the book – but I am skeptical, especially after reading the authors qualifications.Lisa Ann, you have no idea how many studies I have read or how much research I have done. One can find studies to support almost anything, which is why it’s important to evaluate each study’s merits and who’s funding it. The website you posted is not credible, so thanks, but no thanks.I have heard juicing celery works really well on high blood pressure. What about the gluten and wheat germ agglutinin causing gastrointestinal issues?How much is a serving supposed to be? I certainly do not consider sweetened cereals to be of any benefit to me, whole grain or not.Dr. Greger- I cant seem to find the clip on whole grains and weight loss – What is it under? thanksJust wondering… Dr.Mercola recommends against lots of whole grains, saying, “Reduce or eliminate your processed food, sugar/fructose and grain carbohydrate intake. This applies to whole unprocessed organic grains as well, as they tend to rapidly break down and drive your insulin and leptin levels up, which is the last thing you need to have happening if you are seeking to resolve or prevent cancer.” — So, what is it? Eat whole grains, or not eat whole grains?I’d take whatever advice Mercola gives and do the exact opposite.The preponderance of human-based scientific studies show that whole grain consumption has a moderate protective effect against certain cancers.Also:The 2013 Nutrition Journal published the article “The Potential Role of Phytochemicals in Whole-Grain Cereals for the Prevention of Type-2 Diabetes.” Their findings: Diets high in whole grains are associated with a 20-30% reduction in risk of developing type-2 diabetes… biomarkers of systemic inflammation tend to be reduced in people consuming high intakes of whole grains.I’ve seen some of Dr. Mercola’s recommendations that are based on unproven theories and on highly contrived animal experiments that neither mimic human experience nor produce the same results.Peggy, I think maybe you are not familiar with the terminology allowed when speaking of whole grains by manufacturers making cereal, bread and any item sold in the center isles of the store. Whole grains cannot be used in a food without being fortified with chemical nutrients such as the B vitamins, folic acid and whatever else they put back into the mix because those nutrients are gone when they make the flour. The only way to get all the nutrients is to eat the whole wheat berry or seed…or grind it yourself. I started doing it with a coffee grinder until I could afford a mill. That goes for flax, millet, and any other whole grain such as rye, kamut, and others. Making your own flour takes a few minutes and the benefits are complete. As far as spiking sugar and all that…not so with whole seeds and berries…the fiber and oils slow down the entire process and you don’t need to consume near as much either. A half sandwich with real whole grain bread is almost equivalent to 6 slices of white bread…maybe more…and the fiber content is over the top. If you started to eat your own flour even to make gravy you would probably drop 5 lbs the first week because your digestive tract would be cleaned out and you would be “regular” like you’ve never been before…in a good way. Just food for thought to live a healthier life and feel great!Check out the Hallelujah Acres website, hacres.com. You may not agree or like their concept, but it would be worth your while to see what it is in case you learn something you do find advantageous. They’re all about cancer and chronic disease prevention. I found them twenty years ago when my first husband had leukemia. A psychologist friend I worked with told me his 35 year old brother that had a rapidly metastasizing cancer used their program to get well.Does sourdough have nutritional benefits (over and above any whole grains in the recipe?)Whole grains vs refined white flour are not comparable. Whole grains will always win out in terms of health. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/Dr. Gerger,Thanks for all your great info. Other than being on a vegan diet, are there specific foods that naturally lower blood pressure? I already do three servings of grains a day and that does not seem to do the trick. I heard L-Taurine can be helpful. This is so important as you know so hope I can address this in the short term. Thanks again.Have you eliminated refined grains? Have you eliminated oils in your diet? Are you striving to eat only whole, unprocessed plant foods? Do you eat dark leafy greens regularly? Is your sodium intake less than 1200 mg? All of these things will help lower blood pressure.Oils can be bad, such as canola and soy oils but fats are necessary. I use real butter, ghee, beef tallow and coconut oil. I make my own mayo using coconut oil, sunflower oil and olive oil. This keeps me free of soy which is bad for my thyroid. In the long run vegan diets are more unhealthy than diets that include animal fats.You have many faulty statements here.Every credible health organization, including the national academy of science, recognizes that consuming excess saturated fat is not healthful, and the fat sources you just named are some of the top sources of saturated fat, making your recommendation unhealthful. As recognized again by the national academy of science, the only dietary fat your body requires from food sources are polyunsaturated fats, that being, omega 6 and omega 3. That is why they are called essential fats. These fats can be found in perfectly adequate amounts in all whole plant foods and one does not need to add pure empty calories to ones diet to achieve proper essential fat intake.Soy is not harmful, and is a perfectly healthy whole plant food. Many videos can be found on this website describing the benefits of soy consumption and you will also find that soy does not have a negative hormonal impact. What you are describing is a fad diet that is popular as it gives a free pass to people to continue eating unhealthfully and to continue eating all of the animal products and high fat foods available to them. This is not an effective strategy for health.Along with the unjustified and unscientific saturated fat and cholesterol scares of the past several decades has come the notion that vegetarianism is a healthier dietary option for people. It seems as if every health expert and government health agency is urging people to eat fewer animal products and consume more vegetables, grains, fruits and legumes. Along with these exhortations have come assertions and studies supposedly proving that vegetarianism is healthier for people and that meat consumption is associated with sickness and death. Several authorities, however, have questioned these data, but their objections have been largely ignored.Although it is commonly believed that saturated fats and dietary cholesterol “clog arteries” and cause heart disease, such ideas have been shown to be false by such scientists as Linus Pauling, Russell Smith, George Mann, John Yudkin, Abram Hoffer, Mary Enig, Uffe Ravnskov and other prominent researchers. On the contrary, studies have shown that arterial plaque is primarily composed of unsaturated fats, particularly polyunsaturated ones, and not the saturated fat of animals, palm or coconut.Trans-fatty acids, as opposed to saturated fats, have been shown by researchers such as Enig, Mann and Fred Kummerow to be causative factors in accelerated atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, cancer and other ailments. Trans-fatty acids are found in such modern foods as margarine and vegetable shortening and foods made with them. Enig and her colleagues have also shown that excessive omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake from refined vegetable oils is also a major culprit behind cancer and heart disease, not animal fats. A recent study of thousands of Swedish women supported Enig’s conclusions and data, and showed no correlation between saturated fat consumption and increased risk for breast cancer. However, the study did show,as did Enig’s work, a strong link between vegetable oil intake and higher breast cancer rates.The major population studies that supposedly prove the theory that animal fats and cholesterol cause heart disease actually do not upon closer inspection. The Framingham Heart Study is often cited as proof that dietary cholesterol and saturated fat intake cause heart disease and ill health. Involving about 6,000 people, the study compared two groups over several years at five-year intervals. One group consumed little cholesterol and saturated fat, while the other consumed high amounts. Surprisingly, Dr William Castelli, the study’s director, said:In Framingham, Mass., the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the person’s serum cholesterol … we found that the people who ate the most cholesterol, ate the most saturated fat, [and] ate the most calories, weighed the least and were the most physically active.The Framingham data did show that subjects who had higher cholesterol levels and weighed more ran a slightly higher chance for coronary heart disease. But weight gain and serum cholesterol levels had an inverse correlation with dietary fat and cholesterol intake. In other words, there was no correlation at all.Fad diet? Not hardly. It’s how everyone used to eat before the 1950’s hit and hydrogenated oils, margarine and white bread became our diet. And when people ate that way they weren’t dying of heart attacks like they are now. The fad is eating low fat and the sooner people realize that the faster they will quit dying from heart attacks and cancers. Studies have shown repeatedly that such diets are associated with depression, cancer, psychological problems, fatigue, violence and suicide.Soy has long been associated with ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, dementia and other mental health issues. Now it appears that soy can aggravate seizures as well. Cara J. Westmark, PhD, and her team at the Waisman Center for Developmental Disabilities at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, pull no punches when they warn, “These results have important implications for individuals on soy-based diets.The Weston A. Price Foundation is currently suing the state of Illinois on behalf of prisoners who have suffered grave damage to their digestive tracts and thyroid glands due to a high soy diet containing up to a whopping 100 grams of soy product and 100 mg of isoflavones every day. This is real. Damage from animal fats is not real.A clear cut and paste. This discussion should be based on primary sourced studies not second hand accounts of an author’s interpretation of a study. There is no “myth” that animal products and animal fats are harmful. This is sound evidence based on a mass of studies. Health objectives do not change based on 1 or 2 studies but a mass of them. In the case of soy, there is mixed evidence in animal models showing potentially harmful side affects, but we are not mice. Human studies have shown no negative hormonal imbalance as well as decreased risks in most cancers. Soy isoflavones are not xenoestrogens found in dairy which significantly increase estrogen levels in woman, but soy contains phytoestrogens which reduce circulating estrogen. Dr. Greger has several videos on these topics I have discussed. All you have to do is search on this website but I will post a couple as a starting point for you.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/more on soy can be found herehttp://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=soyYou complain that I’ve not provided studies when you failed to as well. Videos are not studies. At least I do bring them up. Let’s also make it clear that xenoestrogens aren’t a problem with organic milk. It’s not the milk, it’s the things farmers add to it and how it’s processed. And let’s also mention that almost all soy is now GMO. Here is a link to about 50 studies on soy, including some on actual people. http://www.westonaprice.org/soy-alert/studies-showing-adverse-effects-of-isoflavones?qh=YToyOntpOjA7czozOiJzb3kiO2k6MTtzOjU6InNveSdzIjt9Why would I do a search on this website which is obviously and heavily biased? I’m looking for truth. So where are those “mass of studies”? Why are you asking me for things you haven’t been able to provide? I’m done here.I’m going to eat like the Eskimos do, high fat. I’m going to eat like many indigenous people do, untouched by McD’s. Whole fresh raw milk, beef tallow, eggs from my chickens and all those things you feel are bad. It’s a fact that most veggie eaters later on change their diets back to that of omnivores and the most common reason for doing so is health or lack of it. Vegetables aren’t bad for you but they should be rounded out with other healthy foods and can’t be a diet to themselves. And I do this after years of studying what is really good for us, not because I read one website. Soy has kicked butt on my thyroid and it has no place in my life.The purpose of nutritionfacts.org is to provide videos that share the studies and the studies are available in the sources cited section for personal viewing, which is what I provided you with. Xenoestrogens are independent of additives to milk, as all lactating cows release xenoestrogens as an inherent compound, as described in the study presented in the video I linked you with.Interesting you idolize the inuits who live 10 years less than the average American and idolize populations who’s lifespans are not worth imitating. I have held back on presenting the studies as it is much easier for you to view them through the videos and it saves me the trouble of posting a very long post, but we can go down that road if you wish.We can look at dairy and meat, two staples of your diet. We will view these 2 food groups independent of factory farming and regardless of raw, organic, or conventional. Diets of populations who are worth imitating will also be discussed.We’ll start with the population study of the Okinawans.Back in the 1950’s the Japanese rural Okinawan group of people had the most centenarians per capita. How did they live so long? Here is their dietCaloric Restriction, the Traditional Okinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life SpanAnn. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785Total weight (grams) 1262Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9)Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85)Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6)Saturated fatty acid 3.7Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)GrainsRice 154 (12)Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7)Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1)Sugars 3 (less than 1)Oils 3 (2)Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1)Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1)Eggs 1 (less than 1)Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69)Other potatoes 2 (less than1)Other vegetables 114 (3)Fruit less than 1 (less than 1)Seaweed 1 (less than 1)Pickled vegetables 0 (0)Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some pointsTheir diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a day.This is a population group worth idolizing, not a short lived population of eskimos or blood and raw milk drinking African tribes who live till the age of 40.Looking at dairy:The consumption of dairy in children has resulted in earlier puberty. “The effect of animal protein intake, which was associated with an earlier puberty onset, might mainly be due to dairy. “An earlier puberty onset has been related to an increased risk for hormone-related cancers in adulthood. For example, a meta-analysis of 26 epidemiological studies reported a9% risk reduction for breast cancer with every additional year at menarche. Additionally, recent study results demonstrated that a 1-y delay in menarche was associated with a 2.4 to 4.5% lower total mortality.http://jn.nutrition.org/content/140/3/565.longThe concern with dairy and hormone dependent cancer is something to think about as well. It has been shown that consuming dairy significantly increases circulating steroid hormones in woman and that vegetarians have far less of this hormone. “In conclusion, greater consumption of red meat and dairy products might influence circulating concentrations of SHBG and estradiol, respectively. Given the well-established role of steroid hormones in breast cancer etiology for postmenopausal women, these findings may have important health implications” Tumor growth from these hormone imbalances is also evident “A dramatic increase in estrogen-dependent malignant diseases, such as ovarian, corpus uteri, breast, testicular and prostate cancers has been recognized. Ganmaa et al. investigated the incidence and mortality of testicular and prostate cancers in relation to dietary practices. Among various food items, cow’s milk and cheese had the highest correlation with incidence and mortality rate of these cancers” Children are at high risk “Among the exposure of humans, especially prepubertal children, to exogenous estrogens, we are particularly concerned with” These xenoestrogens from lactating preganant cattle (the majority of commercial cattle used for milk) significantly raised estrogen levels in male adults and reduced testosterone levels and did even more so in children. This is significant since these estrogens have mutagenic affects “Toxicological and epidemiological studies have indicated that E2 could be categorized as a carcinogen. Milk is considered to be a rich source of estrogens.” Indeed, E2 concentration is higher in mammary drainage than in the peripheral circulation in high yielding cows.”http://missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Vegetarians/hormonal%20differences.pdfhttp://missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Hormones/dairy%20consumption.pdfhttp://birdflubook.com/resources/Maruyama_2010_PI_52_33.pdfAgain, these harms are independent of organic, grassfed, conventional, or raw. Xenoestrogens are inherent of dairy.Regarding animal products which includes fish, eggs, meat, poultry and dariy:Cancer is said to be a disease of old age, that is because we are living longer, we are encountering more carcinogens which further mutate our DNA which can lead to uncontrolled cell growth. This biological hypothesis goes against what is actually observed “Accordingly, it has been reported that the mortality due to cancer constantly decreases after the age of 85–90 years [3]. Therefore, it seems that centenarians are endowed with a peculiar resistance to cancer.”Why do centenarians escape or postpone cancer? The role of IGF-1, inXammation and p53http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CD0QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F23783106_Why_do_centenarians_escape_or_postpone_cancer_The_role_of_IGF-1_inflammation_and_p53%2Ffile%2F9fcfd50602fb925e23.pdf&ei=7wg0UZGhB-TXygGR_oBA&usg=AFQjCNFnC614zJS8Cqay3CHjkv8erNuRBA&sig2=XWuAw4GoFQ-broz9X8o_uA&bvm=bv.43148975,d.aWcCell growth is determined primarily by the growth hormone Insulin like growth factor, also called IGF-1. As a child, this growth hormone is found in much larger amounts and then slowly tapers off during adulthood. Increased levels of circulating IGF-1 as adults can promote unwanted growth, particularly in the form of tumors. An association can be seen in the following meta-analysis between increased IGF-1 levels and prostate cancer. “Our meta-analysis revealed that the body of the world-wide published literature is consistent with an average 21% increased risk of prostate cancer per standard deviation increase in IGF-I”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2743036/A similar association is revealed between increased IGF-1 levels and breast cancer “The results of this collaborative analysis show that plasma concentrations of IGF1 are positively associated with breast-cancer risk.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3113287/?tool=pubmedElevated IGF-1 has also been shown to increase the chance of the cancer to metastasis. This hormone is responsible for cancer proliferation, survival, migration and angiogenesis (feeding cancer with blood supply)http://edrv.endojournals.org/content/30/1/51.full.pdf+htmlIGF-1 deficiency leads to dwarfism and one might expect this group of the population to not get cancer, as is the case. “The individuals with GHR deficiency (GHRD) exhibited only one non-lethal malignancy and no cases of diabetes, in contrast to 17% cancer and 5% diabetes prevalence in the controls.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3357623/A fascinating study involved studying cell line apoptosis, that is, cancer cell death. “Fasting serum was obtained from postmenopausal women participants at the Pritkin Longevity Center Residential Program where they were placed on a low-fat (10-15% Kcal), high-fiber (less than 40 gm/d) diet and attended daily exercise classes for 2 weeks.” They used the blood of this group and dripped it on cancer cell lines. Significant cell death was observed as well as reduced IGF-1 levels in the blood. This can be seen here in the study below.http://www.pritikin.com/eperspective/specialissues/cancer/cancerabstract.pdfIn an attempt to “determine the underlying mechanisms for these anticancer effects”, cell apoptosis was again to be examined when the blood of a group eating a similar diet was dripped on a cancer cell line. What made this study so remarkable, was that not only did cancer cells die off in greater abundance when IGF-1 levels were lowered through diet, but that the cell death benefits were nulled when the researchers put back the IGF-1 into the blood and re dripped it on the cell line. It was also discovered that IGFBP-1, the protein that binds up the IGF-1 hormone, was found in greater quantities on a low fat, high fiber diet.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3135793/pdf/ECAM2011-529053.pdf“The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether a plant-based (vegan) diet is associated with a lower circulating level of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) compared with a meat-eating or lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet among 292 British women, ages 20 –70 years” It was found that vegetarians and omnivores had very similar numbers in terms of IGF-1 levels, and one truly has to eliminate all animal products to have optimal levels of IGF-1 and IGFPB-1.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2374537/pdf/83-6691152a.pdf“These considerations enable the prediction that a low-fat vegan diet will be profoundly protective with respect to risk for postmenopausal breast cancer. The protein content of this diet will preferentially support glucagon activity and possibly decrease IGF-I synthesis.” As I will discuss, it is indeed the protein “quality” of the food that determines IGF-1 overproduction.http://img2.timg.co.il/forums/1_155647027.pdfThe protein content of our food triggers IGF-1 production from the liver. “Amino acid availability to the hepatocytes is essential for IGF-I gene expression”. Therefore, excess protein can result in excess IGf-1 levels.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7476312This raises the question seen with other studies though. “Previous data on the associations between dietary intake and IGF-I levels are sparse. Consistent with our data, other cross-sectional studies have also found no association between total protein intake and serum age-adjusted IGF-I levels in men (17, 18) or women (16). However, these studies have not investigated the effects of different types of protein intake on serum IGF-I and its main binding proteins.” The key phrase here is that different types of protein have different effects on our liver.IGF-1 increased with animal protein intake and decreased with plant protein intake. The inverse is true for IGFBP-1 (the binding protein). “In summary, these results suggest that total IGF-I concentration is lower among women who adopt a vegan diet. In addition, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 concentrations are substantially higher in vegan women compared with meat-eaters and vegetarians, suggesting that the amount of bioavailable IGF-I may be lower in vegan women. The nutritional characteristics of the vegan diet that account for these differences are not clear but may be related to vegans’ lower intake of protein high in essential amino acids. These results suggest that even when total protein intake is not notably low, a low intake of essential amino acids, as typically found in a plant-based diet, may be sufficient to reduce serum IGF-I and increase serum IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 levels.”http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/11/11/1441.full.pdfTo summarize this biological phenomenon, when a food source is consumed that has similar protein structure and amino acid proportions to our own body, our liver reacts by releasing IGF-1 as well as storing IGFBP-1. “Another mechanism through which a vegan diet may influence IGFBP-1 levels is via an enhanced insulin sensitivity. A diet low in saturated fat and high in dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates may reduce insulin secretion, both directly by reducing the postprandial glycaemic response (39, 40), and indirectly by reducing adiposity (41), causing a large increase in the production of IGFBP-1 within the liver (42).”Looking at inflammation:There is another aspect to developing a chronic illness such as cancer, that has yet to be disscussed. Chronic low grade inflammation has been implicated in the development of chronic illnesses and diet is the primary cause of this inflammation. “Inflammation is a pathological condition underlying a number of diseases including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic inflammatory diseases. In addition, healthy, obese subjects also express markers of inflammation in their blood. Diet provides a variety of nutrients as well as non-nutritive bioactive constituents which modulate immunomodulatory and inflammatory processes. Epidemiological data suggest that dietary patterns strongly affect inflammatory processes.” Phytonutrients found in plants can regulate inflammatory markers in humans as explained in great detail here.http://193.146.160.29/gtb/sod/usu/$UBUG/repositorio/10300435_Watzl.pdfThe effect of a single high fat meal has been known to impair endothelial function in ones artieries, possibly causing ones risk of LDL cholesterol to oxidize to increase significantly. “The high-fat meal (900 calories, 50 g of fat, 14 g of saturated fat, and 255 mg of cholesterol) consisted of an Egg McMuffin®, Sausage McMuffin®, 2 hash brown patties, and a noncaffeinated beverage (McDonald’s Corporation). The isocaloric low-fat meal (0 g of fat, 13 mg of cholesterol) consisted of Frosted Flakes® (Kellogg Company, Battle Creek, Michigan), skimmed milk, and orange juice. Lipoprotein and glucose determinations were repeated 2 and 4 hours after eating.” The effect of inflammation can be seen below, and lasts for several hours following ingestion. This amount of fat is not that uncommon for a meal in the current American diet, and constant consumption of eating these high fat foods results in chronic inflammation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002914996007606This inflammation can also be seen to occur in our lungs after a high fat meal. “These results demonstrate that a HFM, which leads to significant increases in total cholesterol, and especially triglycerides, increases exhaled NO. This suggests that a high-fat diet may contribute to chronic inflammatory diseases of the airway and lung.” The data table showing the inflammation can be seen below.Why is it that our body reacts in this way after a meal high in fat? It is an immune response to a percieved threat. It has been hypothesized that it is the animal protein itself that causes the body to become inflamed as theorized with Rheumatoid Arthritis in this case report of a women who ceased animal protein intake and recovered from her RA outbreaks.http://ncp.sagepub.com/content/25/1/90.extractWhipped cream caused a similar effect in inflammation. It was discovered that pre and post meal, endotoxins were found in the blood stream. Endotoxins are bacterial toxins that can trigger our immune system to become inflamed.The question now is where are the endotoxins coming from. It was hypothesized that the bacteria from the gut was causing the endotoxemia. The saturated fat found in these animal products were acting as a pathway for the endotoxins to enter our blood stream. “Because the human gut is host to 100 trillion commensal organisms, which together contribute to an enteric reservoir of 1 g LPS (8), we hypothesized that most of the circulating endotoxin may derive from the gut and that a small amount of commensally derived ] LPS maycotransit with dietary fat from the gut after a high-fat meal, which thereby increases plasma endotoxin concentrations postprandially”This idea that saturated fat acts as a pathway out of our intestines is known as a leaky gut, as in the permeability of our intestines is increased after a high fat meal. “saturated fats also appear to increase the permeability of intestinal epithelium and contribute to the breakdown of the intestinal barrier.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2858203/pdf/zdc991.pdfhttp://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/86/5/1286.full.pdfAs seen in this study, “Subjects from the first group…were asked to ingest a 910-calorie HFHC meal (egg muffin and sausage muffin sandwiches and two hash browns, which contain 88 g carbohydrates, 51 g fat [33% saturated] and 34 g protein [carbohydrates 41%, protein 17%, and fat 42%]), while subjects from the second group (six males, BMI 22.8 0.6 kg/m2, mean age 31.2 1.1 years) were given an isocaloric meal rich in fruit and fiber consisting of oatmeal, milk, orange juice, raisins, peanut butter, and English muffin (carbohydrates 58%, protein 15%, and fat 27%)”After the high fat meal, endotoxin level significantly increasedWe now run into a problem. Looking at this chart, we see that the timescale is only 3 hours. If the hypothesis that our own gut flora is causing the inflammation is correct, then we should see the spike in inflammation several hours later, as the large intestine is where the bacteria lie. A new hypothesis must come from this, as our own gut flora cannot be causing this inflammation. One might hypothesize that the endotoxins are coming from the food itself, and this is what we indeed find. “We therefore aimed to determine whether common foodstuffs may contain appreciable quantities of endotoxin or other similar agents that may be capable of eliciting innate immune activation of human monocytes….Forty extracts were therefore prepared from twenty-seven foodstuffs common to the Western diet, and the capacity of each to induce the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α from human monocytes was measured and compared ” The capacity of these foods to cause white blood cells to secrete inflammatory signals was measured.“These findings therefore suggest that apparently unspoiled foodstuffs may nevertheless contain at some point in their preparation or processing a sufficient microbial load to release TLR2 and TLR4 stimulants into their growth environment. This notion is supported by many previous studies showing that certain commonly consumed foodstuffs can contain a high bacterial load before cooking, such as fresh beef mince which has often been shown to contain approximately 105–107 colony forming units/g” It appears as though that the food itself contains the endotoxins, and any food exposed to bacteria, such as with fermentation, will have endotoxins. These endotoxins are resistant to heat as well as changes in ph typically found in the body as the bacteria no longer have to be alive for endotoxins to be present. ” LPS and BLP were found to be highly resistant to typical cooking times and temperatures, low pH and protease treatment. In conclusion, apparently unspoiled foodstuffs can contain large quantities of stimulants of TLR2 and TLR4, both of which may regulate their capacity to stimulate inflammatory signalling.” the authors finishing statements “Thus, it is tempting to speculate that the occasional ingestion of meals high in LPS and/or BLP could promote transient, mild, systemic inflammatory episodes that predispose subjects to the development of atherosclerosis and insulin resistance”http://journals.cambridge.org/action//displayFulltext?fromPage=online&type=6&fid=S0007114510003193&aid=7948514&next=true&jid=BJN&volumeId=105&issueId=01&next=Y#cjofig_fig4Citing again from the study previously mentioned titled Differential Effects of Cream, Glucose, and Orange Juice on Inflammation, Endotoxin, and the Expression of Toll-Like Receptor-4 and Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling-3 “Thus, saturated fats may have a more profound role in the pathogenesis of postprandial inflammation, as they may also perpetuate inflammation through the increases in LPS and TLR-4.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2858203/pdf/zdc991.pdf“The combined importance of dietary lipids and LPS in determining inflammatory risk may arise, since endotoxin has a strong affinity for chylomicrons (lipoproteins that transport dietary long-chain saturated fatty acids [SFAs] through the gut wall) as endotoxin crosses the gastrointestinal mucosa (23–25). As such, atherogenic and inflammatory risk may arise through a combination of dietary lipoprotein patterns and an increase in circulating endotoxin, exacerbated by feeding patterns (26,27). Therefore, altering the lipid profile through dietary intervention may reduce endotoxin and the arising inflammatory response…. Finally, while the most obvious solution to metabolic endotoxinemia appears to be to reduce saturated fat intake, the Western diet is not conducive to this mode of action, and it is difficult for patients to comply with this request”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3263907/To summarize, inflammation can be attributed to the consumption of endotoxins found in most animal products and the saturated fats found in these foods act as pathways for the endotoxins. Since many chronic illnesses are attributed to this inflammation, what we need is to significantly lower intake of animal based foods.This is merely a shred of the evidence against the use of animal products and it is abundant indeed. More studies from peer reviewed journals can be found on this website. Nutrition is not a philosophy, it is based on sound science.Hi Barry,Certainly dissagree!!!! The longest living nations all have high complex carb diets and not low carb diets. Check out Mcdougall. http://www.drmcdougall.com Great info for diabetes.I agree Vegan plant based is the way to go of course!!!! All the best!!!Dear Dr. Greger, I recently had a discussion about diet and nutrition with someone who has gone from being vegan back to eating meat. When I asked about the reasons for it, I got an answer I hadn’t ever heard before. I was told that she was concerned about toxins in grains, beans, and legumes. I asked if she was gluten intolerant, and she said that there were things in grains like gluten that are toxic for the body and gave her problems. I’m sure that there must be fewer toxins than in meat, but since I had never heard of it before I went home to look it up. I found some different sites mentioning Lectins, Phytic acids, and Immunoreactive proteins. I found several Paleo diet sites warning against eating grains for those reasons as well. Some sites recommend avoiding grains altogether but others say it is okay as long as they are soaked, sprouted, or fermented. My questions for you are as follows:Is there any research suggesting grains need to be prepared a certain way or avoided because of toxins?I saw your video saying kimchi and other fermented vegetables aren’t good, but what about fermented beans and grains?Does sprouting change the levels of these phytochemicals in grains?I saw your video that said a gluten free diet can be bad for gut bacteria, but it is my understanding that the bacteria in the gut are still mostly unknown, has the research progressed since I last heard?Thanks again for all the helpful information, and thanks in advance for information related to this. I look forward to seeing your answers to these nutrition questions in the future.Kind regards, JohnAs long as you cook grains and beans, which everyone does, then lectins, phytates, tannins and other “antinutrients” will be either significantly reduced or completely eliminated. This is well established nutrition knowledge and I am unsure why the myth continues to spread.Dr. Greger’s take on sprouting http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/From the many studies I’ve read, cooking does not reduce phytates. Rather, soaking and sprouting reduces phytates in foods that have lots of phytase, the enzyme that breaks down phytate. Those foods include rye, buckwheat, and quinoa, to name a few. Beans, nuts and seeds generally have little phytase, and with a few exceptions, lots of phytic acid. Yes, phytic acid has good points but it also has bad ones–such as interfering with absorption of amino acids and minerals (zinc probably be the most important one for us vegans).While I think your website is wonderful, I disagree with the approach of solving a problem by eating more food. We don’t need to be eating lots of beans, for example. If we do, we risk getting too much methionine and copper.http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/anti-cancer-diets-and-the-pitfalls-of-plants-part-1-copper-and-zinc/No such thing as “healthy whole grains”. Two slices of whole wheat bread spike blood sugar higher than 6 teaspoons of table sugar. See Harvard’s glycemic index of foods.The “whole wheat bread” isn’t 100% whole wheat, but milled and separated so that the endosperm is all that remains…pure sugar, so to speak…nothing nutritionally, empty calories. A real whole wheat bread is one make at home by grinding the wheat kernels into flour and making your own bread. If you add other grains, such as millet, flax, or even grind beans, the bread will be a power packed slice that is just like swallowing a vitamin pill…all nutrients listed on the back of a vitamin bottle is in the kernels and you can consume those nutrients in a manner your body was designed to digest and use fully. Read the label of any product and if it is “enriched” it isn’t truly whole grain. It was when it went into he processor, but can’t be shelved or the product will go rancid because of the oils in the kernel. Yes…oils.)I read somewhere that almost all the wheat grown in this country is GMO, and that animal feeds are also GMO. Is it still safe to eat whole grain GMO wheat products? I’ve cut down on meat-eating but what about my past intake? Are GMO foods causing some of our illnesses? Is there a video series on the long-term effects of consuming GMO foods?Scared of GMO: I find GMO foods to be frightening myself. However, it is my understanding that *no* wheat is allowed to be GMO in America. According to the recent news stories on the topic, the GMO wheat that Montaso wanted to subject us all to never got approval (more because Montaso pulled it than because our government wouldn’t have sold us out).That said, if there is another product that concerns you which *is* heavily saturated by GMOs (for example, corn), you might consider sticking to organic versions of that product. It is my understanding (which may not be correct – can someone confirm?) that part of the definition/criteria for certified organic foods is that they can not be GMO. Just a thought for you.What about the ‘paleo-diet’, meaning the apparent fact that all grain and grain based foods are bad for humans because we can’t properly digest them and they cause intestinal damage, with the apparent evidence being the negative effects of the agricultural revolution on humans, as well as the positive effects of cutting out grains from the diet for many people?cy12: re: “…apparent fact…” It’s neither apparent nor a fact. I recommend that you look up the videos on paleo and atkins diets that Dr. Greger has done on this site. You may also want to check out his Carbophobia book – which is free online.Dr. Greger –Can Dr. David Perlmutter have any meaningful evidence that indicates grains, even whole, are bad for our brain health?Also, is there any real evidence that a super low fat diet (like the one Esselstyn, McDougall, Ornish represent), is better for our heart.Or, are these extreme positions not fully supported by research?Thank you, TimThe only study to demonstrate reversal of heart disease was on a very low fat diet. Here is some supplementary info on heart disease. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/Also, whole grains are very health promoting http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251This seems like a good place to comment on a recent news item. David Sinclair, the man responsible for introducing resveratrol to the world, injected a NAD+ precursor NMN into aged mice and several biomarkers reverted to youthful values. Scaled up, and at reagent prices, and his intervention would cost $50,000/day. There must be a better way to increase intracellular NAD+ and Sirt1 activation. And there may be:Targeting sirtuin 1 to improve metabolism: all you need is NAD+? (2012)The function of CD38 as an intracellular NADase was subsequently proven right when mice lacking CD38 displayed a 30-fold increase in intracellular NAD levels. This increase in NAD levels is far superior compared with the 2-fold increases generally observed in most genetic (PARP-1 deletion), pharmacological (NAD precursors), or physiological interventions (fasting, calorie restriction) that enhance NAD content. The increase in intracellular NAD elicited by CD38 deletion significantly activated SIRT1 and prompted clinical phenotypes similar to those expected for SIRT1 activation, including protection against diet-induced obesity and a robust deacetylation of SIRT1 targets.Can we do this without reengineering our genes? Flavonoids as inhibitors of human CD38 (2011)The dire paucity of CD38 inhibitors, however, renders the search for new molecular tools highly desirable. We report that human CD38 is inhibited at low micromolar concentrations by flavonoids such as luteolinidin, kuromanin (cyanidin-3-O-β-glucoside) and luteolin (IC50 <10 μM).IC50 < 10 μM is very impressive, especially considering one may need as little as 3-4% inhibition of CD38 to double cellular [NAD+]. Just those? Flavonoid apigenin Is an inhibitor of the NAD+ ase CD38: implications for cellular NAD+ metabolism, protein acetylation, and treatment of metabolic syndrome (2013)We show that CD38 regulates global protein acetylation through changes in NAD+ levels and sirtuin activity. In addition, we characterize two CD38 inhibitors: quercetin and apigenin. We show that pharmacological inhibition of CD38 results in higher intracellular NAD+ levels and that treatment of cell cultures with apigenin decreases global acetylation as well as the acetylation of p53 and RelA-p65. Finally, apigenin administration to obese mice increases NAD+ levels, decreases global protein acetylation, and improves several aspects of glucose and lipid homeostasis.The IC50s for apigenin (14.8 μM) and quercetin (16.4 μM) are a bit less impressive, but comparable to pharmaceutical enzyme inhibitors. What are the best sources for these flavonoids (in descending order)? • luteolinidin – black sorghum, sumac sorghum, purple corn • cyanidin-3-O-β-glucoside – black rice, purple corn, scarlet corn, blue corn • luteolin: oregano, celery seed, juniper berries, thyme, radicchio • apigenin: parsley, celery seed, kumquats, celery hearts, oregano • quercetin: capers, radishes, dill weed, coriander/cilantro, oregano, onionsSeems like colored grains are biochemically plausible, inexpensive sources of CD38-inhibiting anthocyanins for increasing cellular [NAD+], activating Sirt1, and improving healthspan. This newly found molecular mechanism for flavonoids shines a new light on older studies like this:Dietary cyanidin 3-O-β-D-glucoside-rich purple corn color prevents obesity and ameliorates hyperglycemia in mice (2013):Mice were fed control, cyanidin 3-glucoside-rich purple corn color (PCC), high fat (HF) or HF + PCC diet for 12 wk. Dietary PCC significantly suppressed the HF diet–induced increase in body weight gain, and white and brown adipose tissue weights. Feeding the HF diet markedly induced hypertrophy of the adipocytes in the epididymal white adipose tissue compared with the control group. In contrast, the induction did not occur in the HF + PCC group. The HF diet induced hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia and hyperleptinemia. These perturbations were completely normalized in rats fed HF + PCC. An increase in the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α mRNA level occurred in the HF group and was normalized by dietary PCC. These results suggest that dietary PCC may ameliorate HF diet–induced insulin resistance in mice. PCC suppressed the mRNA levels of enzymes involved in fatty acid and triacylglycerol synthesis and lowered the sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 mRNA level in white adipose tissue.Dietary flavonoids, especially some found in the bran of colored grains, have effects that look exactly like experimental NAD+ precursors and CD38 inhibitors which activate Sirt1.I eat whole rolled oats every morning. I’ve just read that oats are highly inflammatory in the body. Are or are not oats good for me?Where did you read this? Here is a study which shows that oats reduces inflammation. http://news.cehd.umn.edu/new-study-shows-that-oats-may-help-combat-inflammation/I list those natural plant TOR inhibitors at the end of this article. My source is Dr.Bodo Melnik, a German dermatologist who has been at the forefront of the acne-dairy-prostate cancer research. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/07/23/anti-cancer-diets-whats-the-deal-with-dairy/Harriet: Nice! I really liked the article. Well written and chocked full of statements backed by sources. I also appreciated the list of foods at the end. Thanks.Hi Dr. Greger. I just saw a video which says that Dr. Esselstyn likes to eat raw oats. It seems to be a very convenient way of eating them for someone too lazy to cook. I’m a little concerned though if there are some food safety issues with eating them raw. What’s your take on this? Thanks!Eating oats raw is perfectly healthy and safe, there are no concerns. EnjoyHow does bulgur wheat rank? Seems it’s less calorically dense, which is good in terms of feeling filled up. Nutritionally though?I agree that a plant based diet is best and that avoiding grains is a good idea. Check out Hallelujah Acres website, hacres.com. They’ve been around for years. Many reports of cancer remission/cure after adopting a raw green veg diet for a year, then following their no meat, no dairy, no caffeine, no sugar and no salt diet. Also, look at the Seventh Day Adventists, who have excelled at health and longevity with a vegetarian diet and no alcohol, junk food, etc. I think keeping the grain in – even whole grain – leads to slippage back to bad carbs.Hi Dr Gregor, my question is a little off topic but still about grains. I was looking up foods that made the top 100 ORAC list and Raw Sorghum Bran was 4th. I looked into it a bit more and it said in some species and in certain stages of growth it can contain dangerous levels of hydrogen cyanide. But it didn’t specify which species were dangerous to ingest. Do you know if Sorghum is safe or not? and if not, which species are safe to eat?Thanks, RobSry just to clarify for everyone, the ORAC list is a list of foods that contain the most antioxidants. Here’s more info on it: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen_radical_absorbance_capacityHey Rob. I always thought of sorghum as safe and healthy. Do you have studies of links that suggests otherwise? It may be similar to the apple seed and cyanide association. That is, you’d have to eat a TON of apple seeds to have any ill effects. I may be going out on a limb there, but that is what came to mind.	abdominal fat,barley,blood pressure,blood sugar,bone health,brain health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,diabetes,fat,fiber,grains,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,medications,oats,obesity,prediabetes,rice,stomach health,stroke,weight loss	The consumption of three portions of whole grains a day appears as powerful as high blood pressure medications in alleviating hypertension.	In my live 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death I address the role diet may play in preventing, treating, and even reversing our top 15 killers, including high blood pressure. More on refined versus whole grains can be found in Great Grain Robbery and Is White Bread Good For You?. Whole grains may in fact extend our lifespan (What Women Should Eat to Live Longer). What about the phytates in whole grains? See New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found. And how can we make our oatmeal even healthier? See Antioxidants in a Pinch.For some context, please check out my associated blog post:  Plant-Based Diets for Metabolic Syndrome	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barley/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21470820,
PLAIN-2818	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/metabolic-syndrome-and-plant-based-diets/	Metabolic Syndrome and Plant-Based Diets	Metabolic syndrome, also known as syndrome X, is a medical disorder, characterized by the so-called “deadly quartet,” abdominal obesity, high fasting sugars, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure, and it sets people up for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and heart disease. It’s been estimated to afflict about a quarter of the American population. How do we stop it; how do we prevent it. Well, if it’s all about obesity, the level of fat in the blood, and high blood pressure, then that seems like a job for plant-based nutrition. But we didn’t know for sure, though, until recently. Even after adjusting for lifestyle factors such as smoking and exercise, risk was highest in those eating nonvegetarian, intermediate for those eating semi-vegetarian, and lowest in those eating vegetarian, cutting the odds of having metabolic syndrome, by more than half.	Hi Michael – hope you are well.I wondered – since I have Prostate Cancer, am I best avoiding the Erythritol?Have a great Xmas!All vegetables are not equal.Livers of rats on a high fructose diet look much like the livers of alcoholics suggesting that fructose (fruit sugar) can overwhelm the normal metabolic machinery of this organ. It has been suggested that it is the lack of control (by insulin) of the movement of fructose into the liver cells that is a major factor in the development of the medical condition called Metabolic Syndrome. For an athlete, using fructose to supply energy during exercise (which will avoid its accumulation in the liver) is a positive, but the use of fructose as an alternative sugar in everyday living (it is fructose corn syrup that sweetens colas, for example) appears to have some health risks.Sure, sugar is bad and best to be either avoided or severely limited (watch Dr. G’s videos on sugar and artificial sweeteners). However, I don’t think it’s the fruit sugar (found in fruit) that is the main cause of Syndrome X in a quarter of the American population.Well stated. I feel that, simply stated, the absence of fiber is a general indicator of a worse food compared to another, because it represents processing. People are willing to point to fruit, but overlook the”similar blood raising effect of animal proteins because it seems cheaper, is more satisfying and fits into the norm of society.One thing good about plant based diets is that they are low glycemic, anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants. On a typical western diet, weight gain and accumulation of fat results in obesity and obese individuals tend to have low grade chronic inflammation. A diet high in saturated fat increases inflammation in the body whereas consumption of monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids improves the inflammatory profile in obese individuals. For obese and diabetic individuals, Barry Sears, PhD proposes an anti-inflammatory diet consisting of 150 grams of low glycemic carbohydrates daily achieved through a Mediterranean Diet, 100 grams protein daily from low fat chicken, fish or vegetarian diet(soybeans), and 50 grams of fats from monounsaturated and omega-3 sources. This diet provides 1450 calories daily which may be difficult for most to achieve without getting hungry therefore the higher protein content in the diet is necessary to stimulate the release of the satiety hormone from the gut. It’s important to choose foods according to the glycemic index even on a vegetarian diet as even fruits and vegetables can increase glycemic load which in turn increases production of inflammatory cytokines.1.Ros ´arioMonteiro and Isabel Azevedo, Chronic Inflammation in Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome, Mediators of Inflammation 2010 2. Barry Sears, PhD, Anti-Inflammatory Diets for Obesity and Diabetes, J Am Coll Nutr August 2009 vol. 28 no. 4 Supplement 1 482S-491S 3. Christian K. Roberts, Ph.D.,1,2,3 and Simin Liu, M.D., Sc.D, Effects of Glycemic Load on Metabolic Health and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology Volume 3, Issue 4, July 2009The elephant in the room is that 100 million people in the US already have diabetes or pre-diabetes and are already insulin resistant which means that a high carb, plant based diet will spike their blood sugar and exacerbate their conditions.Dr. Christopher Gardner (a committed vegetarian) conducted the Stanford A to Z diet comparison study and found that the best diet for insulin resistant people was an Atkins type, low carb, higher protein diet and that people who were insulin resistant could not stick with the Ornish vegetarian diet.I don’t doubt that a vegetarian diet will reduce the chances of developing insulin resistance but how about not advocating a high carb plant based diet that will harm the people who are already insulin resistant?1,500+ videos on this site and while I have not seen them all, it does seem this is and issue that should be addressed.PS: A vegan diet that eliminates all grains and legumes might work for someone who is insulin resistant but it is almost impossible to stick with it given the extremely limited options that are left.Patients with prediabetes and diabetes respond best to a low fat whole food plant based diet. The issue is to make sure the carbs are complex and not simple and to avoid fructose. Fructose although low glycemic is metabolized by the liver to fats among other metabolites which makes diabetes worse.. it is the fat in the diet that causes the insulin resistance and turns off the cellular genes that drive the mitochondria to burn the glucose. So diabetes is a “glucose” processing problem caused by “fats.. both animal and plant” in the diet. An example from my clinical experience… last spring I was caring for 6 pre-diabetic patients at the McDougall Whole Foods Program. At the end of the 7 day program 5 had normalized their fasting blood sugar the sixth was well on her way to normal. Of course if type two diabetics have had their disease for a long period of time they may need to use some long acting insulin. Dr. McDougall has written excellent newsletter articles on these subjects… available for free via his website. The science keeps coming but only reinforcing this paradigm. For example Dr. Kempner the founder of the “Rice Diet” was able to treat severe hypertension and type two diabetes with a diet centered around rice. You can follow a plant based diet and be fat and/or sick. The data at this point shows the “Atkins” type diet to be harmful and I can’t think of one type of patient I would recommend it for. When consuming grains and legumes it must be done properly as many products containing them are processed with lots of added ingredients.I completely disagree, doctor. all evidence points AGAINST a high carb, low fat diet. You need to look at the scientific evidence.I’ve read several scientific publications that state it is “well known” that high carb / low fat diets raise trigylcerides. This was my personal experience too (dramatic rise to above normal levels), lowering the carbs and increasing (good) fats normalized them. I am wondering why this issue is not discussed or even it seems, mentioned by proponents of high carb diets along with an explanation of how to avoid that, if one can. I ‘d appreciate any insight into this issue.Actually this is true, science does not support the Atkins diet, unless you are looking at the science paid for BY Atkins. If you are trying to find ways to support your meat eating it will not be found in legitimate scientific studies. And I know this personally, I was prediabetic, becoming insulin resistant when my now ex-doctor told me the same BS on high protein low carb. After I fired her, I went on a raw vegan diet, I ate 8-10 fruit a day and raw veggies, and low fat, no MEAT. In 4 months my A1C was down to a healthy 5.3, my total chol 131, my triglycerides are now normal, and I lost 40 pounds, I wanted to prove that fruit and veggies as whole foods will cure DM and insulin resistance, a lifestyle disease, and I did.Is there a diet that is valuable for the prostate. Very little pee force.Years ago when I had high cholesterol (on a fish&dairy vegetarian diet), my doctor advised me to cut the cheese (lowered my cholesterol 15%), use only low fat dairy and eat a high carb diet. However my triglycerides shot way up above normal on the high carb diet (and my HDL was still very low). Once I increased the fat (from nuts, olive oil, fish) and the protein (from low fat dairy including whey supplement), my trigylcerides went back to a mid normal range and my cholesterol profile overall improved (total was normal, HDL went up). I have read it is common for high carb diets to raise trigylcerides. I am wondering if this is typically because of some imbalance in the carbs e.g. too many grains (or not whole grains), not enough legumes, etc. This has kept me from adopting a high carb, low fat diet. Anyone have experience with this?You can’t have your feet on both sides of the fence and expect health. When you eat bad carbs or partial foods, such as breads, white rice, etc. you are asking for high triglycerides. It wouldn’t have mattered what you ate afterwards as long as you didn’t eat that. It is much different that when you eat high carb as in WHOLE fruits, then it will have the opposite affect. You can eat a very unhealthy vegetarian / vegan diet, or you can be at the peak of health on them if you choose the right whole foods. If you want to see how you do on a healthy vegan diet, try it for 2 weeks, eat only whole foods, no processed foods, nothing in a box, no breads or anything white, no dairy, no meats, and that also means no oils unless you can show me an ‘oil tree’ it was not meant for you to eat. Expect to bring alot home from the store, but you will spend less. After 2 weeks tell how you feel. Watch your calories, make sure you eat enough, remember 10 oranges only comes to about 900 calories. Eat lots of greens. Keep fruit in your desk at work, pack a big lunch, 2-3 bananas, a mango or two, sliced red sweet potato, a small handful of walnuts only, 4-5 oranges, some kale chips, or raw sliced turnips, then save and eat two apples on the drive home from work. When you get home, fix a one – two pound greens salad, use fresh raw drsg, like raw tahini with chipoli spices and lemon juice, or blend a couple tomatoes with spices and pour over it. Very quick and easy. Make sure every thing you eat is ‘whole’, not fruit juice, not pasta, only whole complete foods, then let us know how you did after 2 weeks, I know what you will say if you followed the instructions :)	abdominal fat,Adventist Health Studies,blood pressure,blood sugar,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,diabetes,exercise,fat,fatty liver disease,flexitarians,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,liver disease,liver health,metabolic syndrome,nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,obesity,plant-based diets,prediabetes,smoking,triglycerides,vegans,vegetarians	Plant-based diets appear to protect against metabolic syndrome, also known as syndrome X, which is characterized by the so-called “deadly quartet,” abdominal obesity, high fasting sugars, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure.	We see this same step-wise progression towards lower disease risk the more plant-based one's diet gets with high blood pressure, cataracts, diabetes, and obesity. So it's not all or nothing-- just adding more healthy plant foods to crowd out some of the animal and junk foods in the diet can offer significant protection. It does appear, though, that to maximize one's benefits one has to move towards maximizing the proportion of plants in the diet.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts:  Plant-Based Diets for Metabolic Syndrome, Plant-Based Diets for Fibromyalgia, and The Science of Acai Berries	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triglycerides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatty-liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2662932,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21091931,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21411506,
PLAIN-2819	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/	Potassium and Autoimmune Disease	Potassium is best known for lowering blood pressure and stroke risk, but “A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of potassium supplementation was tried in patients with rheumatoid arthritis,” published in the Journal of Pain. Rheumatoid arthritis is kind of the classic autoimmune inflammatory arthritis. Sufferers tend to have inappropriately low glucocorticoid levels, which are circulating steroid hormones like cortisol that suppress inflammation, and so low levels may allow for more inflammation. Glucocorticoids also help our kidneys excrete potassium, and so when we eat a lot of potassium, our adrenal glands secrete more glucocorticoids so we don’t build up too much, and so maybe if you gave people with rheumatoid arthritis some extra potassium it would boost steroid levels and help with the inflammation. So they bumped their daily intake up to 6500 a day— still not reflective of our evolutionary heritage, but at least making the cut for adequate intake — and indeed, higher potassium intake was associated with an improvement in rheumatoid arthritis and a lower disease activity and pain intensity reflecting an anti-pain effect for potassium” and so they suggest planning a successful dietary regimen, including much more use of leafy vegetables. Those placed on a plant-based diet experience a significant increase in potassium intake. Though even those eating vegan aren't eating enough greens, maybe this bump in potassium helps explain why plant-based diets are so effective at treating rheumatoid arthritis. If this is the mechanism, though, if potassium rich foods boost natural anti-inflammatory hormones in the body, then should it work for other inflammatory conditions? That’s exactly what was suggested recently. Some studies have shown vegetarian diets to improve psoriasis symptoms maybe this is why, suggesting a “cortisol-potassium” theory as a novel mechanism for the beneficial effects of vegetarian diets.	Would more potassium in your diet have an effect on frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)?Good question! I have suffered twice in both shoulders and would love to be able to prevent another recurrence. Of course, I wasn’t eating vegan at the time.I was eating vegan when it started, that’s why I am wondering if there is anything I can do diet-wise to help. I know physio is a must with daily excercises but work kind of sucks because of the amount of time I spend on the computer. Moving that mouse and typing all day is killing me.Larry L, Vegan diets can vary in their degrees of healthy versus processed and unhealthy content. If you are eating all the “fake” meats and cheeses and eating from packages rather than the produce section then the vegan diet is probably no more healthy than the standard american diet.Grains can also play a dramatic role in the inflammation process for many people. Start by going gluten free but if that still doesn’t help, then I would suggest cutting out all grains. There are theory’s that cross sensitivity with grains can cause problems as well. Focus on plants, legumes, tubers and squash for your diet and see if that makes a difference in how you feel.Good luck in your journey. Laura KI follow McDougall’s diet pretty much, very little processed foods, pasta, beans, rice and lots of fruits and vegetables. I eat the occasional bag of potato chips mind you. I have always eaten grains so maybe cutting out gluten, as you say, might help.I would strongly recommend massage therapy for adhesive capsulitis, if your RMT or LMT is familiar with treating this. If not, call around and find someone who is. On your own, lie on your stomach and allow your arm to swing like a pendulum to help open up the joint capsule.Sorry to hear about your condition. Adhesive capsulitis is a tough disorder but given correct treatment and time usually responds. Diet wise it sounds like you are doing great. You should continue to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables and spices… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/ and want to avoid alot of omega 6’s in processed oils especially corn oil… easy to do if you eat whole foods and avoid foods with labels. Lastly you could consider taking a omega 3 supplement daily see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/. Your condition is well recognized but the underlying mechanism’s are poorly understood and treatments are evolving. A review article… abstract available through PubMed, Frozen Shoulder in J Bone Joint Surg Jan 2012 by Robinson et al provides an overview. I don’t think potassium will help but by eating a variety of plant foods you will get more potassium. Best wishes.Where are you getting that info?You are probably iodine deficient. I suffered with extreme pain for 1 1/2 years with a frozen shoulder that refused to heal, despite three courses of PT and an anti-inflammatory diet. When I added iodine it healed 90% in one week, and 100% by one month. Read about iodine by googling iodine protocol. I don’t believe in the crazy-high amounts that are advocated; but no doctor will disagree with 1 mg (1000 mcg) a day. I actually take 6.25 mg a day for cancer prevention, and have benefited greatly from it, and it gave my thyroid enough iodine (I was hypothyroid) that I need no thyroid meds. It’s amazing stuff, and we’re all deficient. Iodized salt doesn’t cut it.One of the journal screen shots states “more use of leafy green vegetables low in starch and not cooked with boiling water.” Does steaming leafy greens keep more potassium than boiling them? If not, how do we cook leafy greens to prevent loss of potassium. Is all of the postassium lost when boiling?Potassium, as well as other minerals and water-soluble vitamins, leaks into the water you use to boll your vegetables. Thus, unless you consume that water too, you waste a significant part of the mineral and vitamin content of your food if you boil it. Steaming does not present the same problem.What about washing greens in a very weak vinegar/water bath as my local farmer’s market recommended for all fruits and veggies? That is to clean them and also to reduce e coli related food poisoning (lots of that happening with veggies due to water runoff – or can even be just from unclean hands of pickers and handlers, etc. Does this also leech nutrients? The bath allows the addition of anti-bacterial vinegar. Just running water has no anti-bacterial properties, so the quick bath seems the only way to really clean them. Are they then much less nutritious?This would probably leech no more than what rain would also do. Solubility increases with temperature. When you boil your veggies in hot water, you have high temperature and prolonged contact. When you wash them, you use cold water and for a short contact.Some people believe that raw is the way to go with leafy greens. I personally like mine cooked, which makes it tough to follow my doctor’s recent dietary recommendations.I am writing a book about the benefits on a plant-based-diet and needn’t I say more. Michael, there is no need for you to keep putting on any more videos on your site, If people have not realized this by now, then they are either blind or do not want to listen.The real problem is that people are either lacking the knowledge or have been brainwashed about the system mankind has adapted about drugs, bad advertisements about food choices, diet and weight loss and not actually focusing about the benefits of diet has upon our over-all health.The health care system needs to be changed and more emphasis has to be focus on the real truth about diet ad the influence it has towards our health. Prevention is better than the cure. Diet is the solution and not drugs, politics power nor money.There will always be bias toward health in large cooperation’s and food establishments, if they do not open up their eyes and look outside the box towards good natural nutrition towards battling the fight towards disease.Do I need to say more on this subject?John from MaltaTrue, the issue of food and nutrition is multi-layered and complex but the science in these fields is constantly evolving and uncovering new, interesting, and applicable findings. Therefore, I think there is no need to stop making these videos, as I and others are still interested in what current science has to say on the topic of plant-based nutrition and human health. Yes, I am convinced of the benefits, but I still want to know and learn more. So, please do not stop (although, I don’t think that you were even contemplating doing so.)John, I understand your frustration. That being said, let me give you another perspective on the benefits of Dr. Greger’s work (videos and blog posts). I’ve only been eating a vegan diet for four months at this point. The information Dr. Greger shares helps me stay enthusiastic about, and committed to, my nutrition-related goals. I agree with WholeFoodChomper: The scientific community regularly uncovers new, interesting, helpful discoveries about plant-based nutrition. Dr. Greger does more than anyone else I know of to share that information with ordinary people throughout the world.I agree with John’s comments below, but by all means keep the videos coming. I find them inspirational and with 2 minute segments it makes it easy to stay up to date. I’ve forwarded some of your videos to quite a few friends and find they are receptive to the ideas, partly because they are packaged in the short segments.I think part of the problem is education and getting information out. The second part is that it is not easy for people to change when faced with long established habits…. what to buy, how to prepare food, etc. So it takes both knowledge and a path to follow, and you help provide both.I like the saying from Toyota: “It is easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting”. So just providing a few simple ideas on how to get started and constant reminders is extremely useful.Hi Dr Greger.I have some questions not related to potassium. (Sorry, i couldn’t find where to post general questions on your site. Please feel free to move my question or to tell me to post it somewhere else)1. Does green tea stain your teeth as much as coffee? 2. Do you still recommend drinking at least 5 cups of green per day? My doctor told me i should cut down to 2 or 3 caffeinated drinks per day because my blood pressure could be a little lower (It was still in the normal range, but towards the top). However, i do drink mainly coffee. 3. Would i still get all the benefits if i drank decaf green tea? Or if i drink 3 caffeinated teas and 2 decafs per day?Thankyou very muchGreen tea has less caffeine than coffee so drinking as uch tea as coffee means you’ve cut down caffeine. But what doesn’t have caffeine is Tulsi aka HolyBasil tea. A medicinal beveravsed for thousands of years. See Dr. MERCOLA.COMPUTERDr. G has a mini-video on Tulsi tea here. And, many many videos and articles on green tea here that may answer some of your questions.As for Dr. Mercola, I’d be wary of any advice he has to offer, he does not seem like a very credible source of health advice or information, at least not to me. Stick to what you can learn on Nutritionfacts.org instead.Dr. Joseph Mercola’s education background is: University of Illinois at Chicago – (UIC) 1972-1976 Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine 1978-1982 Chicago Osteopathic Hospital 1982-1985 Family Practice Residency. Chief resident 1984-1985 Board Certified American College Osteopathic General Practitioners July 1985 State of Illinois Licensed Physician and SurgeonHe is a Fellow at the American College of Nutrition; Member of the International Academy Biological Dentistry and Medicine; Advisory Board member American Nutrition Association; Advisory Board member Price-Pottinger Nutrition Foundation; Advisory Board member Weston A. Price Foundation; Advisory Board member Bio-Solar Proto;and was Chairman, Department of Family Practice at St. Alexius Medical Center, Hoffman Estates, IL 1988-1993You may not agree with him Whole Food Chomper, but he is a credible source!Dr. Mercola is a smart businessman, to be sure. However, regardless of the degrees he has obtained and the positions he has held, I believe that Dr. Mercola is not a credible source and am (and will continue to be) weary of any health/medical advice he has to offer.Great info. Dr. M has taken to being a supplement salesman and the discredits him to me regardless of previous education or titles. I’ll stick with Dr Gregor who is great at getting the research togather for us. Then we can make our own decisions.According to Dr. Andrew Weil, a Harvard trained physician who practices Alternative Medicine, “Any food or drink capable of staining clothes or carpets can also stain teeth – that includes fruit juices, red wine, blueberries, soy sauce, and curry. ‘Good quality green tea that is really green in color’ is less likely to stain teeth than inferior grades of “green” tea that looks brown when brewed.” Dr. Weil suggests “rinsing your mouth with water after you drink tea (or coffee or colas). Be sure to brush your teeth twice a day with a whitening toothpaste and to floss daily.” More at: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA400151“While green tea and coffee both have caffeine, coffee has a significantly greater amount per cup.”http://www.livestrong.com/article/288832-caffeine-in-green-tea-vs-coffee/“As long as the number of cups you drink remains the same, replacing your morning coffee with a cup of green tea will reduce your caffeine intake by about 70%. One cup of coffee contains 100-150mg of caffeine; a cup of green tea has only about 25mg of caffeine. However, there are many variables affecting these numbers. For example, the caffeine content of different types of green tea can vary; also a longer brewing period can result in more strongly caffeinated tea.”Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034227_green_tea_caffeine.html#ixzz2GhEu0PnwDr Greger., which plants prevent or help with psoriasis? although psoriasis is based on genetic skin problem, living on vegetable lifestyle doesn’t fully the problem.. I have only one preventable option, based on my experience is turmeric..some people talk about coconut butter..Any other suggestions?I don’t think there is one particular plant food which helps psoriasis but a vegetarian or plant based diet in general reduces arachidonic acid (in the body) which serves as a precursor to pro-inflammatory substances. As you already know, psoriasis is a genetic disease but it is also triggered by inflammation mediated by T-cells. Some studies (not all) have shown benefits with omega-3 fats, fasting or low calorie diets and vegetarianism. Some people with psoriasis have gluten sensitivity and improve on gluten-free diets. Wolters M, Diet and psoriasis: experimental data and clinical evidence, Br J Dermatol. 2005 Oct;153(4):706-14.I have had relief with tea tree oil products: shampoo, conditioner, and scalp treatment. This has been much more effective than prescribed topical treatments. One dermatologist recommended black castor oil, but this is not pleasant to use on the scalp.I have a colleague who is a dermatologist who has had success with a plant based diet with attention to specific oils in his treatment of his patients with autoimmune disorders such as lupus and psoriasis. As a Family Medicine physician I haven’t had experience with diet and psoriasis. I have seen the success of proper diet across a host of chronic diseases including other autoimmune disorders. I imagine that like most chronic conditions genetics is a very small part of the picture. That said, there is literature to show that nutrition is a factor in psoriasis. You need to work with your physicians but it seems to me that a general recommendation might involve starting with a plant based diet with Vitamin B12 supplement and avoidance of GMO foods. Of course finding a physician who is willing to work with you and your diet while prescribing more conventional therapies is always a challenge.Hi Don and all – I am the dermatologist that he is referring to. Here is a basic list of things everyone does.1. Dairy Free2. Gluten Free (no gluten free junk food like breads made from potato flour or tapioca)3. Oil free except very small amounts olive, coconut, or ghee4. 1-2 lbs of veggies per day – half cooked half raw5. Only 3-4 servings of animal protein per week – vegans do not do any better than those who eat high quality animal protein in small amounts. Just an observation.6. Boswellia, ginger, and turmeric7. Handful of nuts per day or hemp seed oil 1 tsp twice per day8. Level of 25, OH Vit D at around 50That is the basics and things get modified as time goes by especially with EFA’s but really if anyone wants other information please contact me on facebook. An environmental toxin discussion is done and we discuss stress reduction techniques as well. I also prescribe meds and light therapy. I practice conventional dermatology but have had great success when people want to do something different. I have offered it probably close to 1000 patients and only around 40 have taken me up on it, of those only one has not responded. Cheers,Jonathancan you provide a link to the data on potassium levels of various foods. I want to focus on the ones with the most potassium,The new USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference is now out! Our tax dollars hard at work to analyze the nutrient content of more than 8,000 foods. I’m so glad you asked this question, Charlene, because I’m surprised more don’t know about this incredible resource. If you’re looking for the most concentrated sources of any particular nutrient in the new 2012 database, click here. Then scroll down to potassium and click on Potassium-Sorted By Nutrient Content and poof! A list of about a thousand foods ranked from the most concentrated source (2,675mg in each cup of concentrated tomato paste) down to zero in “foods” like lard and hard candies. You can also download the list alphabetically to make it easier to look up your favorite foods. And that’s just the beginning!WARNING: browsing the Nutrient Database can be addictive for nutrition geeks–like me! (though if you were a true nutrition geek you’d already be sleeping with the entire database under your pillow :).So the next time you see me do a video on fiber, for example, (like Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen) you can look up to see which foods have the most.See Fat Burning Via Flavonoids and wonder where the heck you can find them? They’ve got the answer.Amazed by Egg Industry Blind Spot or intrigued by Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther and want to know where to find those critical eyesight saving nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin? Look no further.What foods have the most sugar? The most trans fats? The most cholesterol or the most vitamin C? It has it all!A consumer friendly version available in PDF form of some of the most common nutrients in some of the most common foods can be downloaded here. And for more depth you can browze through individual reports on each of the 36 food groups.Wow, I can see that the database is addictive! Thanks for sharing, Dr. Greger. We just put up a chart on the fridge of potassium-rich foods with a one- to five-smile rating (each smile ~ 200 mg), with the goal that adults get 24 smiles and kiddo 20 smiles per day. Thanks to the list, I was able to add tomato sauce, bok choy, black beans, pumpkin, artichokes, cucumber, and kale, which weren’t on my original list.One question though: I generally avoid white potatoes because I thought they were devoid of nutrition, but I notice that baked potatoes are surprisingly high on the list. Do you recommend occasional potato consumption for people seeking to boost their potassium intake, or is it better to stick with the other foods?Dr. Greger has an excellent post on this under “Ask the Doctor”: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/which-foods-have-the-most-potassium/To totally agree with Mikes below comment. Yes! Please Dr, Greger, keep up the good work and keep showing the videos you truly work very hard in showing and producing. If was not for people like you then most people who be blind to the truth about the health benefits of a plant-based-diet in the reduction of the leading causes of death and disease.the hardest part of health is actually trying to convince people to change their eating habits and lifestyle.John from MaltaI love how Greger based his video on the estimated daily intake of paleolithic diet (that included a lot of meat: 87mg of iron!) to promote a meat free diet. This website is one big contradiction.Actually, Dr. Greger, cited 6 sources for the basis of this video and not just the 1 you refer to. I’m not sure how this one incident you found equals a “website [that] is one big contradiction.” How so? Could you please explain?Gee, which paleolithic diet? There is no such thing as a “paleolithic diet” that is based on any paleolithic population to be used as a reference point. And there are dozens of paleolithic diets among late-20th and early-21st century theoreticians, with widely varying composition.Iron abundant in dark leafy green vegetables, which don’t run as fast as animals and whose iron is more bio-available to humans. So there is a very high likelihood that much of the iron in early human diets came from dark leafy greens. When diagnosed with serious anemia, I spent 2 months as directed by doctors w/iron supplements & putting red meat back into my daily diet and felt like hell — different from the anemia, but yet another source of unwellness. So I told the docs I’d researched & found this high quality source of bio-available iron in dark leafy greens, would continue the iron supplements but wanted to swap out the dark leafies for the meat. Doc approved. I went hardcore vegan w/emphasis on the dark leafies, and saw immediate improvement in how I felt day to day as well as in the underlying health problem. Dr. Dan, your comment together with your embedded skepticism suggests a very un-scientific mindset.Hello Doctor,I became vegetarian and then vegan when I was first diagnosed with RA. I also did a food challenge to eliminate any food sensitivities. I responded extremely well and although not symptom free, I looked and felt so much better. UNTIL I had my first child. He is now 3 and my daughter 1 and my RA is worse than ever. I still eat a vegan diet and I eat lots of potassium rich foods (ie beans greens, dried fruit, banana) although I do not eat potatoes or tomatoes. What can I do now? I am now taking Sulphasalazine and considering adding Hydroxychloroquine. I have been on 10mg prednisone almost continually throughout my pregnancies and breastfeeding but am now slowly coming off 1 mg per month (currently at 5mg.) Any advice appreciated as I am only 38 and I’ve seen my hands and feet rapidly changing in the past year. Thank you.MelissaHave you went Gluten Free? I have RA and I feel so much better (still struggling with symptoms….) but less miserable, especially with my stomach.Not being much of a scientist, I need to break this down to what should I do. Are you saying that cordisol is not a bad thing after all. What is the difference between glucose-codisol and codisol that we are warned comes from stress and contributes to over weight, and I thought many other bad things. Or Am I all mixed up on this?I am on a all plant diet with a big green salad in the evening. I often put greens in my meals too, but have to say that I don’t pile up my plate with Swiss Chard, or Collards. Is that the suggestion here?Cortisol (a glucocorticoid), is a hormoone produced in the cortex of the adrenal gland and is released during periods of stress and when blood sugar runs low (hypoglycemia). This hormone is essential for life and for survival as it is part of the “fight-or-flight” response. When under stress (physical, mental or emotional), cortisol is released into the bloodstream to provide us with the ability to handle the stress by increasing blood sugar (glucose) for energy so we can fight or to flee the danger.. It is only when too much, or too little, cortisol is released over long periods of time that we run into a problem. Too much cortisol, over long periods of time, may be caused from chronic stress, such as constant worrying, feeling overwhelmed by too many responsibilities, and/or dealing with a long term crisis in your life. When too much cortisol is produced over long periods of time it has been shown to have detrimental health effects. One symptom of too much cortisol may be an increase in weight gain, especially around the middle increasing ones risk of cardiovascular and other disease. On the other hand, too little cortisol, leaves us feeling depleted and incapable of dealing with with lifes little stressors and weakens our immune system. Cortisol is essential for life – it is about having the right amount released at the appropriate time and then returning to normal after the danger has passed.Regarding the greens – try incorporating them into soups and casseroles, sneak them into all your meals so you can get more into your diet.hi there I suffer of chronic psoriasis, I take methrotexate whicch harms my liver, is there any kind of food I must avoid, I have recently did a cleansing though and I fell much better . please help me out, it is much appreciate it. thanks in advanceDr. Greger- I have plaque psoriasis and I eat a gluten free vegan diet. Do you have any other dietary suggestions to help alleviate my psoriasis and boost my immunity?Any research Dr. about psoriatic arthritis? My brother has it and he takes a shot for it every month. I suggested he try a vegan diet and he shrugged it off.Hello Doctor(s), my questions is regarding potassium supplements. Specifically, I can refer to Trophic brand’s Potassium Chelate 90mg.. it is designed to absorb readily. It says to take 1/day — I took one yesterday but felt my heart beating a bit faster and a few other twinges: this was after reading the side-effects of potassium to watch for (heart attacks, paralysis, etc.). There wasn’t any warning label on the bottle, so I drank another glass of water, reassured myself, then felt fine. If it were so dangerous I would think there would be some indication on their labelling or website but there isn’t.What do you think of supplements?On the Dr. Oz tv show, he indicated 4700mg/day — how do we know we’ve reached that? what does that look like? He also said its good for brain fog (which I experience sometimes) so thought I’d try potassium supplements in addition to my varied diet (consists of a variety of things, but nothing processed and very low gluten).Would you recommend potassium for brain fog – or another supplement?Should I stop taking this potassium supplement or only take half a pill? What benefits should I watch for so I know that it is working?Thank you :)If your Dr. has not prescribed potassium supplements for a specific medical reason and your primary basis for taking these supplements is information from the Dr. OZ show, I would immediately cease potassium supplements. A diet rich in plants can provide more then enough potassium. A single serving of any fruit provides 10% of the DV of potassium, beans are rich in potassium, as are greens. Its not something you should actively seek if consuming a healthy diet. I would also not get information from Dr. OZ. He flips flops between many diets, advocates for many junk supplements and often brings guests on his show who speak to the dead.Toxins: re: Dr. Oz. I recently saw an article that said that some researchers took X numbers of Dr. Oz shows and then collected and researched all the medical claims. I don’t remember all of the exact numbers, but it was something like half were shown to be incorrect and a certain percentage more shown to have no backing in the medical literature. I knew it was bad, but wow. That’s really bad.I can’t say i’m surprised!Thanks for your reply. My primary reason was actually to reduce the brain fog. What natural or supplement would you recommend?(there were other questions on my original post as well)Valerie, I don’t know of any supplement to reduce brain fog. That falls out of my expertise. This may not help at all, but are you consuming enough omega 3? Try eating a couple tablespoons of flax a day. Other than that, I am unable to help you. It may be something you should talk with your Dr. about.Thanks for your reply. My primary reason was actually to reduce the brain fog. What natural or supplement would you recommend?I hope it is not too late to make a comment here, but as just about everything to do with health and nutrition I find this so confusing.When I look at a periodic table of the elements, potassium is in the same group, group 1, as sodium. Yet they say that it is so important to get your potassium for the day … almost 7.5 grams of the stuff … and as far as sodium it is like 2.5 grams I think – BUT sodium is bad for blood pressure, and Potassium is good? Does this make sense? How can this be explained, and furthermore … how on Earth can I ever get 7.5 grams of potassium a day unless I spend all day eating bananas and drinking coconut water? I’ll do it if I have to, but someone please explain this, show me the way! ;-)I think the recommendation for potassium is 4700mg per day. Someone commented on this a bunch as we tried to weed thru how much 4700 really looks like! Check this out if interested we have a fairly long comment thread in the beginning. Thanks, Brux.Sounds like another reason to switch to 50% potassium chloride salt for cooking if your salt intake is on the high side.It’s a sad thing to see only one video under cortisol. This truly shows the ignorance of the Doctor and his lack of knowledge on health in general.Cortisol plays the most prominent roll in health as it’s what’s released by the body in response to stressors. It manifests itself as insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes). It chooses what fuel to burn (carbs, proteins, fats) which is the difference in weight gain and loss. It plays a prominent roll in the immune system function, and ultimately it decides whether you are healthy or not.Your body needs salt (iodine) so good salt, because your thyroid needs it for it’s function. Your body also needs potassium but in much greater quantities. Think a ration of potassium to sodium of 3-5:1. You don’t have to worry about potassium:sodium ratio’s as long as your diet is rich in vegetables, animal proteins and saturated fats.You may have lots of great ideas and information Bobby, but just showing up and calling the doctor ignorant and saying we all ought to believe what you say without any proof is a bit unrealistic and in fact just rude. If you have something to say explain what it is, and tell us what you base this on.How does cortisol “choose what fuel to burn”?Where do you get this 3-5:1 potassium to sodium ratio?How do you know your iodine level and how much should we get?Really, put up, or … you know what. Not trying to be a jerk, but millions of people who do not know what they are talking about post comments like this all over the place. You have to support your arguments!Agreed. Anyone is free to comment, but please be respectful and include research if possible to give everyone a chance to try and understand better. Thanks for this nice post Brux.Dr. Gregor, Thanks for the interesting video. I have RA and I am on my elimination diet and cannot handle most of the food. Some foods increase flare in my symptoms and I am working hard to understand those culprits. I am concerned about my daily potassium intake, as your study shows that potassium is important for RA people. So, the only option left with me, for the time being, is to take supplements. But when I read about potassium supplements, there are so many different types of potassium like, orotate, citrate, aspartate monohydreate, phosphate dibasic and gluconate. Which type should be taken as a supplement and how much?	arthritis,autoimmune diseases,blood pressure,cortisol,greens,hypertension,inflammation,pain,plant-based diets,potassium,psoriasis,rheumatoid arthritis,steroids,supplements,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Plant-based diets appear to decrease inflammation via a variety of mechanisms, including boosting our adrenal gland function due to the consumption of potassium rich foods.	This is the third of my three video series on potassium this year. Check out Wednesday's 98% of American Diets Potassium Deficient and yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Preventing Strokes with Diet. I've got a few other arthritis videos, including Preventing Arthritis and Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis. Eating healthy doesn't improve everyone's joint pain, but as with all nontoxic treatment modalities, they should always be tried first.For some more context, check out my associated blog posts: Plant-Based Diets for Psoriasis, Plant-Based Diets for Fibromyalgia, and Mushrooms and Immunity	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potassium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cortisol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psoriasis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18986773,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3886995,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18468955,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18926128,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2981409,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11890437,
PLAIN-2820	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/	Preventing Strokes with Diet	A review of all the best studies ever done on potassium intake and it’s relationship to two of our top killers, stroke and heart disease, was recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. A 1600 mg per day higher potassium intake was associated with a 21% lower risk of stroke. That still wouldn't get the average American up to the minimum adequate intake but may still might be able to wipe out a fifth of their stroke risk. “These results support recommendations for higher consumption of potassium-rich foods to prevent vascular diseases.” What does that mean, potassium-rich foods? “Potassium is particularly abundant in fruits and vegetables.” A greater fruit and vegetable consumption has already been shown to protect against the occurrence of stroke. According to another meta-analysis, 5 or more servings of fruit and vegetables per day are associated with a quarter lower rate of stroke compared with 3 or fewer servings.” And it's not just bananas. Chiquita must have had some great PR firm or something. Why is that like one of the only things people know about nutrition? In reality, bananas don't even make the top 50 sources, coming in at #86, right behind fast food vanilla milk shakes. And only then bananas.  In reality, the top five sources are tomato and orange concentrates, and then in terms of the best whole foods: greens, beans, and dates.	Like your videos. But, what is with the 5 yellow star rating if there is no way to rate the video? If it’s a fake star rating I would recommend removing as it questions credibility.sheof: Regarding your question about the ratings: I believe that you have to be logged into this site to rate a video. Anyone can watch a video and comment on it. But some features on the site are only for those people who (freely) register and log in. That’s my understanding anyway.OK, I just gave it a try. I don’t normally bother logging in, but when I do, I *can* rate the videos. Hope that helps to put your mind at ease.Thanks Thea for checking–and I’m so glad folks are 4 and a half starring it!To make the potassium content easier to relate to other foods, I would suggest using the calorie content of the food, not the weight. When you do that I get 1,145 grams of potassium for banana, which is double the potassium of the date on an equal calorie basis. And molasses gets 1,464 grams of potassium. And Wholesome organic molasses blows regular molasses out of the water, too. For a tablespoon of Grandma’s molasses the label says 110 grams of potassium. Wholesome says 720 grams of potassium. I’m using either product labels or CronOMeter for my data.From what I remember there are two kinds of strokes, ischemic and hemorrhagic. Does potassium help prevent both kinds?Potassium was specifically linked to reduced risk of ischemic strokes, those caused by a blockage in an artery feeding the brain. They account for about 80 percent of strokes.The mineral was not, however, linked to a lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when there is bleeding in the brain. Larsson, et. al., Dietary Potassium Intake and RIsk of Stroke. Stroke. 2011;42:2746-2750.I’ve found that you have no video on psoriasis yet. Is there anything out there on the nutritional treatment of scalp psoriasis? I have found a coal tar shampoo to be at least mildly effective. But I am concerned about its carcinogenic properties!?I would be concerned with the use of coal tar shampoo as well. I would try the many other over the counter and prescription options without coal tar before settling on coal tar to control your condition. See my post at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/ in response to psoriasis question raised by Nurzat. Nutrition can play a role in improving or resolving psoriasis. Good luck.That’s funny, because I was doing the Eat to Live diet, avoiding salt altogether, and eating all fruits and veggies and ended up being hospitalizes for low sodium and high potassium, taking 3 bas of saline solution to cure. Now I eat some salt and follow your diet and I had the best fasting labs ever! Love your incites. Judith McConnellwhat is your current diet judith after Eat to Live?do you still eat mostly fruit,veg,beans?One cup of banana has less potassium than one cup of tomato paste… what a shocker! Who eats a whole cup of tomato paste really?Indeed, a failed attempt at mythbusting I’d say. The table says 150g banana (I guess one big banana) have about half the potassium of one cup of beans, beet greens or 178g dates. Which is a lot. I don’t know about everyone else, but I’d eat 2 bananas over the other stuff any time of the day. It only takes a few minutes and is a great snack, too…The hands down potassium boost is sun dried tomatoes. I do eat these as a sort of vegan jerky when hiking. 3427mg per 100gm. And they don’t get smooshed and black in my backpack. :)Parsley is another green vegetable that is absolutely loaded with potassium. Parsley has 1080 mg in just two little sprigs. I put way more than two little sprigs of parsley in spaghetti sauce, which I use in a tortilla lasagne, or tomato based, Spanish Gazpacho soup, Vegetables are generally lower in fructose than bananas, although, I also love bananas, just have to restrain myself.All plants have potassium.especially wasabi root and amaranth leaves. Unfortunately, these are more difficult to find.Where are you getting this information about parsley? The USDA nutrient database lists fresh parsely as 55mg for 10 sprigs – leaving just 11mg for 2. Well below bananas.Chiquita, which use to be known as the United Fruit Company, did in fact have a PR company. They hired Edward Bernays, the founder of modern public relations. United Fruit Company did a lot a reprehensible things in its glory days of the 50s and 60s. Although this isn’t the site to get into all that…On another note, most likely they did in fact try to sell more bananas by convincing the general public they were high in potassium. I would imagine that all kinds of misinformation about nutrition actually started in the minds of PR guys.On Facebook you linked this study: http://1.usa.gov/U6G5eP And there is a line that says “Low-fat diet was not found to have a protective effect.”I am a huge fan of yours, been following you for a while, and respect you and your work more than anyone else out there. I consider you a type of Bodhisattva of nutrition :) Would you please tell me your stance when it comes to consuming oils?I know Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. McDougall are almost ideologically against oil and their reasoning makes a lot of sense “oils are extremely low in terms of nutritive value. They contain no fiber, no minerals and are 100% fat calories”. But I question it in my specific circumstance. In the case of people accustomed to consuming the average American diet and living the average American lifestyle, the practical wisdom of “NO OIL!” is very valuable. But I am 32 years old, I have virtually no body fat (I’m 5’10” weighing 128 pounds) I am VERY physically active in sport competition martial arts, with the exception of occasional oil consumption, I eat almost entirely whole foods and am entirely a plant based vegan (wide variety of vegetables, whole grains, legumes, mushrooms and so forth). I personally feel I need more calorie dense foods for my body type and lifestyle and using first cold pressed, unfiltered olive oil seems to help. What is your opinion?Dr. McDougall gives example of two athletes who lived on potatoes for six months and due to needing more calories, oil was added to their diet. It was considered of no nutrient value except to add calories and thus didn’t mess up the experiment. Sounds like you’re another who can add oil!My potassium is 5.8, my Dr. says this is high and to cut down to 1 banana instead of 5/day. I am vegan & eat a lot of fruit & veg. Do you consider 5.8 high?It depends on the laboratory normals where the tests are run. Remember that some folks run a bit high or a bit low normally… about 1 in 20 are outside “normal values” even though it is normal for them. The interpretation needs to be viewed in conjunction with other values. It is possible that this in a normal value for you or the lab might have made an error. When blood is drawn into the syringe the red blood cells are sometimes broken up liberating potassium which causes a “false” positive. Previous values help sort this our but if you do cut to one banana and the value goes down you might increase to 3 and repeat the test. The number of banana’s may not be a critical issue. Good luck.You write often about strokes and stroke prevention. But while most strokes are ischemic (blood clots), a significant percentage are hemorrhagic (bleeding). Since the two kind of strokes work in opposite ways (blood too thick v. blood too thin), don’t different nutritional safeguards apply?I wish those researchers wouldn’t shop up the vein diseases. Just like they treat all the cancers as completely different diseases.In a properly managed vegan diet, is potassium chloride (salt substitute) used as seasoning a useful way to increase potassium intake?Yeah when I look at the USDA list that Dr. G is using, I’m not seeing anything that says bananas are low in potassium. The problem is that when you search the USDA database by nutrient, it sorts everything by the cup, or something similar. So like a comment has already observed, who’s going to eat a whole cup of tomato paste every day? Who’s going to eat an entire cup of spirulina? No, according to the database, a medium-sized banana (118g) has more potassium than a cup of cooked quinoa.Is salt substitute a good source of potassium?“Postmenopausal women should eat more potassium-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, milk and unprocessed meats in order to lower their risk of stroke and death,” said Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, professor emerita with the department of epidemiology & population health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.I get that the dairy and meat special-interest groups spend millions to manipulate humans into devouring such Russian Roulette foods to ensure the longevity of their multibillion dollar industry while shortening all lifespans. But I’m more shocked and angry that most supposedly life-saving doctors also commit this same murderous practice of promoting known killers such as meat and dairy for the same psychopathic reasons of profit without the slightest hint of remorse for encouraging millions to die every year. It should be a crime for doctors to recommend meat and dairy.	bananas,beans,beet greens,black beans,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,citrus,dates,dietary guidelines,fruit,greens,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,orange juice,oranges,potassium,stroke,tomatoes,USDA,vegetables	Increasing the intake of potassium-rich foods is associated with a significantly lower stroke risk.	Very few people are eating enough plants—see yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day 98% of American Diets Potassium Deficient. The banana listing reminds me of a similarly humorous finding about the levels of eyesight-saving nutrients. See Egg Industry Blind Spot. Bananas are also kind of pitiful antioxidant-wise (see Best Berries). Is a fruit a fruit or should we really go out of our way to eat plants with the most antioxidants? See Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants. Tomorrow I'll end this three part video series with a surprising twist—the anti-inflammatory effects of potassium! Stay tuned for Potassium and Autoimmune Disease.Also, be sure to check out my associated blog post for additional context: Do Vegans Get More Cavities?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potassium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21371638,
PLAIN-2821	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/	98% of American Diets Potassium Deficient	If you take any plant, burn it to ash, throw the ash in a pot of water, stir it around, skim it off and then let it evaporate, you’ll be left with a white residue at the bottom known as pot ash, used since the dawn of history for everything from making soap, glass, fertilizers, and bleach. It was not until 1807, though, when a new element was discovered in this so-called vegetable alkali, in pot ash, so they called it pot ashium, potassium. True story, which I bring up only to emphasize the most concentrated source in our diet, plants. Every cell in the body requires the element potassium to function. For much of the last 3 million years or so, we ate so many plants that we got 10,000 mg of potassium in our daily diet. Today, we’d be lucky to get 3,000. Less than 2% of Americans even get the recommended minimum adequate intake of 4,700 a day. To get even the adequate intake the average American would have to eat like 5 more bananas worth a day. 98% of Americans eat potassium deficient diets, primarily because they don’t eat enough plants.	Great series! I love that your videos are short and packed with proven information. Thanks.I’ve suspected for a long time that the recommended nutritional requirements set to avoid sickness are often set unnecessarily high. Case in point: 98% of the population isn’t getting enough potassium- but 98% of the population isn’t dropping dead. Could it be that the standards are set so high to encourage us to buy more nutritionally rich foods such as meat, eggs and milk?Nutritionally rich foods?? meat, eggs and milk? You do know that green vegetables are the most nutrient dense foods in planet earth, right?Maybe that was sarcasm…Excuse me; I meant protein-rich foods.Are protein rich foods high in potassium?Roughly 50% of Americans die from cardiovascular disease, and about 30% die of cancer. Diabetes and hypertension are widespread. Nutritional imbalances don’t always kill you outright but they can cause chronic disease and have long term health consequences. We have some good evidence that the current potassium recommendation is probably half of what we require to prevent chronic diseases. BTW meat, eggs, and milk are rather poor sources of potassium. Potatoes, bananas, and legumes are much richer sources, so if anything, the standards encourage consumption of inexpensive plants, not animal foods.The lowly zucchini (459) has almost the same K for 1/3 the calories (33 vs 93 per 100 grams) of a baked potato (535) and the same fiber, 2 grams. Three nutrients with one little medium baby zucchini and very few calories for the bill. Sounds like a bargain to me. And far less gastric problems than beans. Bananas and oranges just hired a PR firm before the vegetables. And 100 grams of bananas trail both zucchini, the champ and potatoes, the 2nd place tie for calories in this limited 3 item race. Bananas bring up the potassium rear per 100 grams for potassium. And, if you eat the baby zucchini, calorie for calorie, it takes 400 grams of baby zucchini (4 X as it were) but you get 4.4 grams fiber, 1836 mg potassium and only 12 mg Na plus a LOT more food to eat. or bang for the buck as it were in those 84 calories. I have a genetic inability to process K (got it from my mother, passed it to my daughter) so it is a good thing like zucchini!Dr. Greger,What is your opinion regarding salt substitutes based on potassium chloride? They are safe for healthy vegans?The only thing I can find is that hyperkalemia can result IF you have renal failure and adding too much KCL to a meal can cause stomach irritation.Used in moderation it should be fine. The best results for the least used is to add sparingly at the table and avoid cooking with it. The same approach works for sodium chloride aka table salt. The only problem is with folks with very poor kidney function.I am not a doctor, but I will comment based on the math. If you get twice as much sodium as you should then 50% sodium chloride, 50% potassium chloride would be a great idea from the perspective of cutting your chloride. But the additional potassium would only be 5%-20% of the RDI. So, it might be a good source to just push you over the edge, but would not replace other potassium sources. I have no idea whether chlorine gets more toxic in larger quantities, so I am assuming that you want to retain normal “salt” quantities…Potassium is an important mineral for cellular biochemical reactions in the body. Cardiac arrhythmia’s can be caused by potassium deficiency and observational studies have shown a strong association between low serum potassium and higher diabetes risk (Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab. 2011 September; 6(5): 665–672). Low potassium results in diminished output of insulin from pancreatic B-cells in response to high blood sugar levels.“Cardiac arrhythmia’s can be caused by potassium deficiency”Interesting. I must look more into this.I use you as a constant source of help to convince my loved ones that I’m leading a healthy lifestyle and that they should too. I’ve been following a low fat, plant based lifestyle for almost a year. But now in the midst of Christmas time, I feel so beaten down. I’m a buzzkill to my husband. I’m constantly questioned regarding the health of my little ones. I guess meat will have to creep back in for the sake of my marriage. An extension of life won’t matter if it is a miserable one.I hope you can find a way to be happy in your marriage and keep to your plant-based diet. Maybe hubby has to cook and shop a bit more for himself???That’s hardly the recipe for a happy marriage if he is already causing tension about her plant-based diet. The greatest success in winning over meat-eaters is to introduce them to delicious plant-based meals they enjoy. I have found that is always the path to success — through the stomach!!So, what are the foods richest in potassium? Dark leafy greens? Swiss chard at the top of the list or what?Great question Patricia–in fact so great, I featured it in my Ask the Doctor section: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/which-foods-have-the-most-potassium/According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, seven dried herbs that have the highest potassium content are chervil, coriander, parsley, basil, dill weed, tarragon and turmeric. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/523914-herbs-that-have-lots-of-potassium/#ixzz2G20zlfY1Fresh tumeric, fresh garlic and fresh ginger root peeled and made into a tea were amazing in reducing inflammation in my body when phamaceuticals only dehydrated me. My feet and legs became inflamed after a total hip and knee replacement with my feet going from a size 8 to a size 10. Nothing seemed to help until I took the advice of several M.D.’s in books and began putting tumeric, ginger, and garlic in foods or teas. Overnight, my feet and legs returned to their normal size. Amazing!Ground tumeric contains 2,525 mg of potassium per 100 g. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/523914-herbs-that-have-lots-of-potassium/#ixzz2G22tXcf5It’s hard to not get enough potassium in your diet because it is in so many foods. See: http://www.algaecal.com/potassium-foods-list.htmlI was told several years ago that I had a heart murmur. Then, in an unrelated episode, last March, as I was pulling the bottom sheet across the bed, I fractured my lumbar spine (5-L). Where the two come together is that in order to reduce pain from the spinal injury and not wanting either surgery or cortisone steroid injections for the rest of my life, I turned to a book by Neal Barnard, M.D. and nutritional researcher, entitled, Foods That Fight Pain.Apparently it does not matter how one’s pain is caused, some foods increase inflammation like meat, corn, wheat, nuts, and dairy. While other foods like collard greens, bok choy, kale, and a variety of vegetables, fruit like berries, lentils, beans, rice and quinoa, and other plant based proteins can actually fight pain.Dr. Barnard suggested a diet for 3 weeks, which I stayed with for 6 months. During the time I was strictly following his suggestions, the pain disappeared, as did the heart murmur, my cholesterol level dropped into the normal range from over 300, and I lost 60 pounds.I was losing weight so fast, it felt like I was crashing. And, I thought I better slow down. Picking up some of the foods I missed like low fat yogurt, I found I was allergic to in that it affected my ability to breathe clogging my mucous membranes. To make certain I was getting enough B-12, I picked up wild, Alaskan sockeye salmon twice a week, and my weight fell a bit further. Rice and apples made my fingers numb, so I avoided rice for quinoa, and picked up oatmeal (high in calcium) and began eating more certified organic berries with dried figs (for calcium) and certified organic tofu. I ate 5-6 cups of high calcium, nutrient rich veggies per day, nearly all my calcium needs, which were cooked in miso and water to gain some of the vitamin k2 needed for my bones. And, supplemented with calcium, a multiple vitramin, krill and antioxidants, and 2,000 IU vitamin D/ day. I maintained my weight until I picked up nuts, of which I ate too many. Now, I’m backing down again, even though the pain has been managable without drugs. Dropping down to no more than 6 nuts per day (cashew or almond or walnuts). Cutting back on yogurt and watching my salmon intake to one serving per week with no other meat or animal products. My goal is to lose another 50 pounds, but I may need to go totally vegan again to do this. I eat 6 servings of nutrient rich vegetables per day and 3 fruits per day. What suggestions do you have for me?Congratulations on your success. Good luck with the next 50#’s. The key to fat loss is eating less calorie dense foods generally found in the four food groups as outlined by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (Neal Barnard is founder and president) since the mid 1990’s. These are vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates and legumes. The best presentation on this subject is by Jeff Novick RD and can be ordered from his website. The title is Calorie Density Eat More Weigh Less and Live longer. You can be a “fat” vegan if you consume higher calorie dense foods such as nuts, oils and high fat processed vegan foods. Another resource you might enjoy is Doug Lisle’s video on You Tube, How to lose weight without losing your mind… see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ. I would take a Vitamin B12 supplement see Dr Greger’s series in February 2012 for details. I would avoid all animal products. The fish contains mercury, arsenic and persistent organic pollutants not to mention being high in fat and hence calorie dense. Thanks for sharing your story and best wishes.Thank you for the link to Dr. lisle’s presentation. It explains the plateau I hit 2 years ago. I understand what i’m doing wrong and know the trades i need to make…Big big help so much appreciated.Is there ever an absorption issue with potassium? For example do you need to consume it at the same time as other nutrients, or make sure you don’t eat it with certain foods?Potassium absorption is very straightforward and you need not worry about timing or other foods. Happy New Year.Dear Doctor Greger,I appreciate your work very much. Great. Thank´s a lot!One question:I´m consuming a lot of smoothies currently, I feel awesome, my teeth not so much. I thought about getting myself some Potassium-Carbonat to alkalize the smoothies. I´m a bit concerned about the possibility of neutralizing e.g. Ascorbic acid as Na-Ascorbat is showing adverse health effects, while Ascorbic Acid usually doesn´t.Do you know anything about the influence of neutralizing fruit juices on their nutritional value?Thanks again and keep up the good work!Any chance you´re seeking some Academic to work for you ???Greets,FrankGreat video, please keep up the great education that we should have been exposed to in high school. Anthony G.How about giving us the best sources of K here?Your wish = my command: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/which-foods-have-the-most-potassium/Thank you! Cannelini hummus on the menu today. Looking for low fructose / high K…If 98% of Americans suffer from low potassium, why don’t you add potassium to your list of optimum supplement recommendations here:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Any reason?I do (in the form of greens and beans! :)Considering all of the fear-mongering that goes on around claims of animal-food-caused acidosis- I find this an interesting topic. Potassium deficiency is likely to cause alkalosis (called Potassium Deficient Alkalosis) in most people. It would seem to me that if most meat eaters are potassium deficient, they are also more likely to have an alkaline metabolism rather than an acid metabolism.Would you please comment on this, Dr. Greger?1 tablespoon of molasses (295 mg) of potassium.Thank you for eliminating the pauses in your speech pattern. I actually enjoyed listening this time!I’m vegan and my dad isn’t. He eats animals/animal products and fried foods with soda, or a concentrated sugary juice at every meal. So he’d went to the doctor and found out he gets too much potassium and his doctor prohibited bananas. Some days I eat a few racks of bananas, and my dad warns that I’ll get hyperkalemia. I’m confused, help please	bananas,dietary guidelines,fruit,potassium,standard American diet,vegetables	Less than 2% of Americans achieve even the recommended minimum adequate intake of potassium due primarily to inadequate plant food intake.	People eating plant-based diets are often asked where they get their protein (and have to explain that plants are the preferred source). Maybe they should then ask where people eating conventional diets get their potassium--or their fiber for that matter, see Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen. For more on what we evolved to eat, see Paleolithic Lessons. This is the first of a three part series on potassium. Tomorrow we'll explore its role in Preventing Strokes with Diet.For some more context, please check out my associated blog post: 98% of American Diets Potassium Deficient	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potassium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22854410,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2981409,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19857053,
PLAIN-2822	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/	Meat May Exceed Daily Allowance of Irony	Beyond the putative role of nonhuman NeuGC as a potential molecular link between diet, autoreactive antibodies, and the progression of human cancer, one final tidbit on the evolving NeuGc story. The potentially deadly toxin produced by E. coli O157:H7 that causes the hemolytic-uremic syndrome that can shut down the kidneys of children actually attaches to NeuGc. When we eat animal products, the “assimilation of dietary Neu5Gc creates high-affinity receptors on the human gut lining and kidney blood vessels, conferring susceptibility to the gastrointestinal and systemic toxicities of the E. coli toxin. Ironically, the same foods rich in NeuGC are the most common source of contamination with these toxin-producing E. coli. So meat provides us with the receptors to the very toxins the meat may contain. It's like a gunman handing us our own bulls eye. So there are both long and short term consequences. “Taken together, these findings suggest a ‘two-hit’ process in the pathogenesis of human E coli induced disease. First, humans eat Neu5Gc-rich food, leading to incorporation of Neu5Gc on the surfaces of theirs cells. Second, when exposed to a toxin producing strain, the toxin produced would be able to bind to the intestinal epithelial cells, perhaps causing acute gastrointestinal symptoms, and eventually damaging endothelial cells in other organs like the kidney, thereby causing HUS. “Neu5Gc-rich foods not only sensitizes human tissues to the toxin, but also simultaneously increases the likelihood of infection with toxin producing E coli. These pathogens are usually found in the intestines of livestock… and as such most commonly enter the human food chain by fecal contamination . Thus, those who consume large amounts of these types of foods may be unwittingly preparing their bodies for damage by a toxin-producing organism that contaminates their next meal of the very same food types. The researchers ask: Is this “Poetic justice for meat eaters?" Not, when it’s a major cause of acute life-threatening kidney failure in children.	Prevent acute life rltgreatening kidney failure in children, and good day to you too laddie!Powerful ending. Well said.If a person becomes a strict vegan, would the offending substance/receptor that “attracts” the Ecoli/toxin be cleared from their system? And, were the folks who got Ecoli sickness in the recent past– from say spinach contaminated or fertilized with manuer– Vegan, non-vegan or both?	animal products,cancer,children,dairy,E. coli,E. coli o157:H7,fecal bacteria,food poisoning,foodborne illness,hemolytic-uremic syndrome,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,meat,Neu5Gc,xeno-autoantibodies	The foreign meat molecule Neu5Gc may not only contribute to the progression of cancer and heart disease by supplying inflammation, but also set children up for life-threatening reactions to E. coli toxins originating in the same animal products.	This is the final installment of my video series that started with Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease, the mystery for which may have been solved with How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies. Neu5Gc may also play a role in heart disease (Nonhuman Molecules Lining Our Arteries) and inflammatory arthritis (The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc), but this understanding requires some background on how our immune systems work. This is explained in Clonal Selection Theory of Immunity and Clonal Deletion Theory of Immunity. For more on E. coli, see Fecal Bacteria Survey and Chicken Out of UTIs.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Plant-Based Diets for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Probiotics and Diarrhea	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hemolytic-uremic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli-o157h7/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-selection-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	-
PLAIN-2823	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nonhuman-molecules-lining-our-arteries/	Nonhuman Molecules Lining Our Arteries	The foreign meat molecule Neu5Gc tends to accumulate particularly in the lining of hollow organs (where carcinomas like breast cancer develop inside your glands) or in the lining blood of vessels (where atherosclerosis occurs).” “Evidence for a novel human-specific xeno-auto-antibody response against vascular endothelium.” The Neu5Gc accumulation may facilitate production of anti-Neu5Gc antibodies and further aggravate chronic inflammation in atherosclerosis progression in addition to just cancer. Here you can see it stained in red lining the aorta of a human autopsy sample, and here you can actually see it inside atherosclerotic plaques. Providing multiple pathways for accelerating inflammation in this disease. Remember we lost the ability to make this substance millions of years ago. Whether it’s feeding inflammation to our cancer or our heart disease, it all came from the animal products in our diet. “Taken together, these findings suggest a mechanism whereby anti-Neu5Gc antibodies can initiate, perpetuate, and/or exacerbate an inflammatory response at the endothelium, (the lining of our arteries) potentially playing a role in disease states such as atherosclerosis, wherein vascular inflammation is involved. Neu5Gc is a novel dietary and human- specific “xeno-auto-antigen” that may exacerbate a variety of vascular pathologies.” They go onto note that it we actually ate what the USDA recommends for protein in the form of meat and dairy, we could in to ingest as much 10 mg of Neu5Gc per day, which is 10mg more than we evolved to have in our bodies since as a species we stopped making it millions of years ago before we started eating meat. Novel therapeutic approaches to reducing or dampening flares of immunologic responses against the endothelium…could include reduction of dietary Neu5Gc intake and accumulation through simple diet-based interventions.” Not so novel, perhaps, but definitely simple: This inflammatory cancer promoter has never been reported in plants.”	Maybe you’ve covered in another video, but what is the biologic usage of Neu5Gc in the species that still synthesize it? Are there any primates that still synthesize Neu5Gc? Guesses as to why humans no longer make this compound?I’m interested in this question too. I will research and post anything good that i can find on this molecule’s evolution or possible purpose in other species, and why we lost it.I did a little “non-scholarly” reading– general Wikipedia and Google searches, but not Google scholar– on this Neu5Gc molecule; here’s a very brief summary of what i found: We very likely had this molecule long ago, as other primates still make it. Neu5Gc is an integral part of the outer cell membrane (lipid layer) of red cells, and is a member of a broad class of similar-functioning molecules called “sialic acids” or “sialoglycoproteins.” (We still produce Neu5Ac, which is very similar to Neu5Gc, differing by an oxygen atom). We probably lost the ability to produce Neu5Gc because of some kind of parasitic epidemic– probably some kind of malaria variant, which was using the Neu5Ac molecule to recognize & enter human red cells. Some scientists believe this to be the case, because the modern malarial variant, Plasmodium falciprum, uses Neu5Ac to bind with red blood cells. Although malaria infection is still an epidemic today, the loss of Neu5Ac probably helped us evade a parasite that was decimating our (at that time) small populations of humans and putting selective pressure on humans to remove Neu5Gc from our red cells. It didn’t stop parasitic/malarial infection of our red cells, as we still get malaria infection– the malaria parasite has evolved with us, however it may have helped us evade a major parasite way back in the early mists of time.cool. Thanks for sharing this info. Much appreciated.Seems that our cells don’t recognize Neu5Gc as being foreign, and happily use and incorporate it into our different tissues. The problem is that our immune systems still view it as being foreign and that’s where inflammation enters the story.Last word should be ‘iron’, not ‘irony’?In Dr. Greger’s case, “irony” may be the correct term.You know me all too well carfree–indeed irony. Stay tuned!Does this mean that humans are not omnivores at all but herbivores? I’ve been vegan 5 years and have experienced only health benefits, but peole are constantly telling me that it is not our natural diet and that humans are omnivores.Heidi: I think of the terms: herbivore – omnivore – carnivore as a points on a continuum rather than discrete categories that species fall into. (Nature is rarely so accommodating as to provide clear-cut categories for anything.) So, where do humans fit on the continuum?My non-scholarly understanding is that while there is some evidence that puts humans partially toward the middle omnivore point on the continuum, human biology indicates that we are much closer to the herbivore end of things than omnivore.One of the Dr.s posting on this site listed some great info about the human gut supporting the assertion that humans are primarily (99.9%?) herbivore. (I don’t have a link at hand to that posting.) Here is a link to a site that I think does a great job of listing the case for humans being primarily herbivore. I found this information to be compelling. He has some other great pages too that you might want to check out. http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.htmlHope you found this helpful.We are indeed omnivores based on our ability to digest and use meat but this doesn’t necessarily make meat healthy for us. Here is the Okinawan diet, the population with the most centenarians per capita.Caloric Restriction, the Traditional Okinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life Span Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785 Total weight (grams) 1262 Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4 Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9) Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85) Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6) Saturated fatty acid 3.7 Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6 Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8 Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)GrainsRice 154 (12) Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7) Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1) Sugars 3 (less than 11) Oils 3 (2) Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1) Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1) Eggs 1 (less than 1) Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69) Other potatoes 2 (less than1) Other vegetables 114 (3) Fruit less than 1 (less than 1) Seaweed 1 (less than 1) Pickled vegetables 0 (0) Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some pointsTheir diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a dayTwo points: 1. Sadly the present day Okinawans diet has moved to the West thanks to the influence of the American military and many Okinawans are now very sick people. They were not protected by their genes. 2. The post WW II diet, as recorded in this one survey, may not have been typical but it is probably a good indicator. They ate much less than 2 oz. of animal products, and most of what they did eat was fish. The survey shows they ate less than 5 grams of meat (including poultry), eggs and milk ( 1/5 of an oz.).To point 1, that is acknowledged, as this is from the 1950’s. As to point 2, where is your evidence?We’re herbivores.Although this would be a nice thought, this is false, as we can utilize nutrients from meat, and the Inuits can survive completely off of it, so we are indeed clearly omnivores. The issue is more how much meat we eat, and that should be minimal. I personally eat none because of health detriments seen with its consumption but even the healthiest native populations still include some animal products in their diet.I think we’re herbivores optimally, but can survive as omnivores if/when necessary as a survival tool (sub-optimally). We’re just about to eliminate our species of the Westernized type. Then the herbivores can take over again, cycle repeats if we (as a species) don’t learn from it.Has the Neu5Gc been found in cheese or milk? I’m slowly transitioning to vegetarianism but do occasionally make a veggie pizza with cheese.Dairy should be avoided for far more then just this single compound.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-sexual-precocity/	animal products,animal protein,breast cancer,breast disease,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,dairy,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,meat,Neu5Gc,plant protein,plant-based diets,protein,USDA,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetarians,women's health,xeno-autoantibodies	The foreign meat molecule Neu5Gc builds up in human tumors and atherosclerotic plaques and may play an inflammatory role in the progression of both diseases.	See The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc for background and Friday's video-of-the-day How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies for the role it might play in cancer growth. Inflammation (also caused by exogenous endotoxins) is one of the three steps en route to fatal heart disease. See Arterial Acne, Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease, and Making Our Arteries Less Sticky. Antioxidants found predominantly in plants may also decrease inflammation within the body. Nuts may be particularly useful in this regard. Tomorrow we'll close out the Neu5Gc story with Meat May Exceed Daily Allowance of Irony.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Plant-Based Diets for Rheumatoid Arthritis	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/	-
PLAIN-2824	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/	How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies	We are now finally able to understand how tumors are able to trick our immune system to feed them with inflammation. When we’re born and grow up we have immune cells that attack everything else but us, because the ones that recognized us were eliminated. Cancer cells may be mutated, but they’re still our cells, so how do they get the immune systems attention? Presumably, any B cell that would recognize them was killed off before birth. That’s where xeno-autoantibodies come in. Xeno means foreign, as in xenophobia. Auto come from the Greek autos, meaning self, as in automobile, a self-moving vehicle—no horse required. But how can something be both xeno and auto, foreign and self. Though many tumors, like breast cancer, thrive on inflammation, thrive on a low-grade immune-response, the problem for the tumor is that since it originated from normal breast tissue, it doesn’t look foreign to the immune system and so the tumor isn’t able to evoke the response it wants. That’s where NeuGc can come in. Evidence for a human-specific mechanism for diet and antibody-mediated inflammation in carcinoma progression. See, “Neu5Gc incorporation by the cancer confers a selective advantage to tumor cells that are best at accumulating Neu5Gc.” By actively accumulating this foreign meat and dairy molecule coming our diet into the tumor, the cancer may use it to trick our immune system into producing autoimmune antibodies—anti-neu5GC autoantibodies, which leads to the release the inflammatory compounds that enable the cancer to grow faster. “[T]he combination of tumor-associated Neu5Gc and our circulating anti-Neu5Gc antibodies promotes tumor growth, by inducing weak inflammation, causing infiltration of inflammatory cells and enhanced angiogenesis, enhanced blood flow to the tumor. Our own tumors use what we feed on to get what they feed on. So, as I talked about before, since cancer in a sense may now be considered an autoimmune disease, what are the dietary implications, given the fact that most animals produce this tumor promoter? Well, we don’t make NeuGc—at least we haven't for a few million years—and neither do plants, so to undermine our tumor’s sneaky strategy I guess it comes down to either cannibalism, or a plant-based diet… or both, I guess. “Importantly, these data are congruent with the decreased cancer risk associated with veganism.”	this week’s serie was very interesting, great job !And I guess if one decides to become a cannibal, they’d be wise to choose vegans for their dinner… ;)I agree with the comment above–very interesting series. Thanks so much, Dr. Greger! I so appreciate all the work you do. I’ve been vegan for 8 years but have learned so much from your videos (and it’s even easier now to share that info thanks to this site)!Whole new meaning to the bumper sticker Eat Vegetarian :)I must be missing something–what does cannibalism have to do with anything? Dr. Greger may talk too fast, and with too much lilt to his delivery for me to catch it all. I do have a BS degree from the University of Texas, so I am not new to scientific terminology.Review the “Transcript” tab of his verbage above. It makes it much easier to comprehend sometimes because I can read and reread the info.I am still stuck on the concept of inflammation feeding cancer. My concept of inflammation is that it is a condition, not so much a substance.When the body is in a state of lowgrade inflammation, it changes the production of a few things because the body is assuming it needs to help get more nutrients to the areas experiencing inflammation (so that they can survive and help fight off whatever is causing the inflammation). That extra help comes in the form of more growth and angiogenesis. All this extra help goes mostly to the cancer cells.So essentially, the cancer cells are like wolves in sheep’s clothing, causing destruction secretly but blaming in on others, crying for more resources for help, and then consuming such vast amounts of resources, stolen from the rest of the body, and eventually growing large enough that the original organism is killed off.I think that’s how I understood it. =oNeu5Gc is not produced in humans or plants. So, Dr. Greger was just stating, tongue-in-cheek, that in order to avoid it, we either eat plants or humans (cannibalism).I got it, thirty seconds after sending the comment. Best, FrancesThat’s it…you’re from Texas and not the Northeast-coast…Shhh…lest our friends in the food science industry provide us with lab grown human flesh for our delectation. ;-(So if I decide to become a cannibal to avoid the neu3G or whatever it was, do I then have to worry about prions? Maybe I’ll just stick with veganism…Mind Blowing Stuff Doctor Greger! With this information, can we change our verbage that “plant-based diets reduce the risk of cancer” to “diets with meat and dairy promote cancer growth” or “meat is toxic” Also… How come this isn’t front page news? Sheesh! Thanks Doctor GregerBecause your congres and senate subsidize the meat and dairy industries with 60 billion dollars a year. How do you compete with that? Think globally act locally one person at a time!Dr. Greger,This is relevant to your email today asking for donations. I tried to reply to that but could not, so I’ll copy what I wrote here as I don’t see a “contact info” section on the website:Dr. Greger,I would gladly donate and immediately looked for an address to send a check to, but apparently this is not possible. I do not have (and do not wish to set up) a paypal account. My donations to my favorite groups (Vegan Outreach, MFA, COK, PCRM) are always made via check and snail mail. Please consider making this option available to us! Thanks,Thank you so much for your kind question Jeff! You can send a check made out to “NutritionFacts.org” to:Michael Greger 5113 Crossfield Ct. #9 Rockville, MD 20852Thank you so much for your support of the site!PS: If you look at the bottom right you’ll see the “contact us” link, but I know it’s tiny! Anyone can always contact me directly by emailing me at mhg1@cornell.edu or calling me on my cell: (240) 252-8078.I’ve been vegan 20 years… 6 of those 100% raw or high raw… I have an 18x15x12cm tumor benign in my retroperitonium… how do you explain that?20 year vegan here… 6 of those 1005 raw or high raw… fruit and greens based… I have a HUGE tumor in my body!! how do u explain that?Ive been vegan 20 years…. 6 of those 100% raw or high raw… Ive done 3 water fasts 21-21-15 days each and numerous juice fasts during that time… I have a HUGE benign tumour in my retroperitonium…. how do you explain that????m:(Ive been vegan 19-20 years…l last 6 100% raw or high raw… fruit and greens based… I have done 3 water fasts during that time 21-21-15 days and numerous juice fasts as well… I have a Greenstar juicer…..I have a HUGE 19x15x12 cm benign tumour in my retroperitonium space… how do you explain that?? :(I’m so glad it’s benign! Is it a paraganglioma? If so that arises from embryonic remnants (meaning you were born with it). Even if you had cancer, though, many carcinomas (like breast cancer) can take literally decades to grow–some breast cancers may even start in the womb and may depend in part on what our mom’s ate! See my video Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing.Its been labelled a low grade tumour… MRI CT scan and ultrasound… my surgeon want to rip me open remove it whole and any organ it is touching… CT shows it touching parts of my small and large intestine, my right ovary. and muscle on my lower back… my uterus is tilted… currently, I am on day 6 of a 30 day water fast with Vitalzyme – 20-30 a day…. I am desperate to lose it… After all my cleansing even if I was born with it… which i doubt…. it should have gone no? I feel totally betrayed by my body.. yet still hold faith that it can heal itself! Can u recommend anything else? I will follow a juice fast/feast – carrot juice/cabbage and some beet and beet greens…. ORGANIC of course!Lymopma… fatty mass,,,, encircling my organs…. my liver and kidneys are being affected…. as is pain in my lower back on the right side of my spine, I can see a large lump/bump in my belly… like a water balloon… I have no symptoms and was working out 2 hours a day… I have stopped all activity while water fastingI would REALLY love a reply… some guidance..The only treatment I’m aware of for a lipoma that large is surgery–sorry!yaaa,,,, thats what the medical community tells me…. Im on day 7 of a 30 day water fast… hoping it shrinks even a little… I will do another fast and another till its gone… IF it shrinks… Im not going to agree to have the above done to me, only as a last option…. If anyone’s body can heal this on its own, its mine… I have been the most healthy person I have known for YEARS!! :)I feel for you rawrnr. Sounds like you’re doing all the right things. Can you imagine what might have happened if you had been following the SAD (Standard American Diet) diet?? You might not have been here to tell your story! I hope you get better very soon! I’m sending you all my get well wishes!phoenix tearsForgot to mention… surgeon will remove EVERYTHING it is touching… parts of my intestines, my right ovary and muscle off my lower back,, and parts of any other organ the CT did not show… she is paranoid that it will come back if she does not do this.. I am now avoiding her till I complete this fast and give my body RAW VEGAN (loads of greens) for the next 4-6 months…. see if It shrinks at all…. if it does, it will be another 30-4- day water fast in the summer….. then take it from there… my LAST option is to be chainsawed!!Have you kept your B12 levels up?Maybe systemic enzymes like vitalzym would do something? Or mushroom extracts like turkey tail?I’ve had my blood tested and everything is normal. I went 24 days on water.. it shrunk big time,,,, no bulge no feeling it… but it grew back once I started eating! :( I am still living with it at this point… I have taken Vitalzyme as well as other serrapeptase pill.. I have done numerous things.. none worked… I am now just living with it, and will leave, surgery will me my LAST option… hope to be free of having to ever decide…. Turkey Tail? have not heard?Turkey tail is a medicinal mushroom. I have absolutely no idea if medicinal mushrooms would help your situation, but things like reishi, turkey tail and chaga boost the immune system and fight tumours. Whether that is benign as well as malignent I don’t know – you’d have to research it.All the best, JoeJust a little footnote here–I understand that chaga is estrogenic and that people with hormone-related cancers should avoid it.Been trying to find stats on vegans and cancer. Mostly just come across vegetarians and cancer. In terms of mortality there seems to be no significant differences, but non vegetarians do seem to get more colon and prostate cancer. The most interesting thing I’ve found so far though is that about half of self defined vegetarians (in this one study anyway), eat almost as much meat as non vegetarians.JamesKB: I believe that there is a lot of data out there. But it is hard to find. I thought you might be interested in the following “Breaking Medical News” from PCRM. They have a bunch of others too.PCRM Breaking Medical News: “Vegetarian diets can extend life expectancy, according to early findings from the Adventist Health Study-2. Vegetarian men live to an average of 83.3 years, compared with nonvegetarian men who live to an average of 73.8 years. And vegetarian women live to an average of 85.7 years, which is 6.1 years longer than nonvegetarian women. This study is ongoing and includes more than 96,000 participants. The results further indicate vegan diets to be healthful and associated with a lower body weight (on average 30 lbs. lower than that of meat eaters), and lower risk of diabetes, compared with diets that include animal products.”Fraser G, Haddad E. Hot Topic: Vegetarianism, Mortality and Metabolic Risk: The New Adventist Health Study. Report presented at: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic (Food and Nutrition Conference) Annual Meeting; October 7, 2012: Philadelphia, PA.JamesKB: In pure coincidence, Meetout Monday’s just sent out this blurb that also relates to your post and Dr. Greger’s series:“A new study funded by the National Cancer Institute reports that vegans have lower rates of cancer than both meat-eaters and vegetarians (those who still consume eggs and dairy).The results were especially powerful for vegan women who were found to have a 34 percent lower rate of female-specific cancers (breast, cervical, and ovarian). While vegan men show a significant reduction in risk of prostate cancer and prostate enlargement.Of particular interest is the short amount of time needed to “turn on” the body’s ability to fight cancer simply by eliminating animal products from one’s diet. For example, the blood of women in the study gained the power to significantly slow down and stop breast cancer cell growth after just two weeks of eating a healthy plant-based diet!“This is empowering news,” writes Kathy Freston at HuffPost Healthy Living, “… most people think they are a victim of their genes, helpless to stave off some of the most dreaded diseases. We aren’t helpless at all; in fact, the power is largely in our hands. It’s on our forks, actually.”Read more in Kathy Freston’s article at HuffingtonPost.com.”New Source: http://www.jbc.org/content/287/34/28852.abstractGreat educational video! Very informative, backed up with sound research and entertaining all the same time. I would also highly recommend watching the comprehensive video: Uprooting the leading causes of death.Thank you Andrea! The Uprooting video is here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/Have you seen this TED Talk video on antiangiogenesis?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NAIKaGgJq4Thank you for sharing this talk on how food inhibits angiogenesis thereby decreasing blood flow to cancer tumors.More Vegetarian propaganda,imagine that!It’s also been shown that cancer feeds on sugar. Many vegetarians and vegans eat a lot of sugar and carbs (which also turn into sugar). These include excess fruit sugar, so-called “healthy sweeteners” such as agave (which is fructose), lots of grains, etc. All of these feed cancer. So if you decide to eliminate meat, don’t crank up the carbs and sugars.Your brain, and red blood cells and every other cell in your body uses glucose as its primary fuel source. Sugar from whole grains and fruits has no linkage with disease, and no studies have demonstrated such a linkage. The studies in fact show the opposite, in that these foods prevent chronic disease. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-grains-may-work-as-well-as-drugs/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/great-grain-robbery/“Whole grains are rich in many components, including dietary fiber, starch, certain fatty acids, antioxidant nutrients, minerals, vitamins, lignans, and phenolic compounds, that have been linked to reduced risk for coronary artery disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases. Most of these components are found in the germ and bran, which are reduced in the grain-refining process.” http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/70/3/459s.full.pdfhttp://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruits/Yin-Yang* Correcting your name for you. Your whole body works on sugar. If you stopped eating sugar while you had cancer… you would die. Not from cancer, but because it’s impossible to avoid sugar, and so you would probable die of starvation. Sugar doesn’t make cancer grow, it just feeds cells in the body. So it basically feeds cancer cells too. If you water fasted that might help slow cancer down… or it might drop your immune system so low that you die any way. The best thing to do would be to eat lots and lots of green vegetables, mostly green leafies, and anything that gave you energy. This would boast your bodies ability to find cancer cells. If you did it any other way you probable would feel like crap and probable possible live longer but die anyways. You have to boast the immune system and hope it works out how to stop the cancer cells. Or use radiation and try kill all cancer cells before it kills you. Personally I would go with immune system boast over radiation.So then if our immune systems battle cancer cells daily and for cancer cells to grow out of control and form a tumor, is it our extremely toxic eating habits or direct environment (physical and psychological) that ‘triggers’ the our immune system to turn itself off against these mutated cells? So in essence nothing can give us cancer or cause cancer. Negative inflammatory agents in our food and surroundings cause our own systems to develop cancer cells at a higher rate than our immune systems can kill them off. I’m seeing more and more that illness, disease and more specifically cancer is triggered and developed either over a short or long period of time depending on our exposure to the toxic element or agent.So then our immune systems battle cancer cells daily and for cancer cells to grow out of control and form a tumor, toxicity ‘triggers’ our immune system to turn itself off against these mutated cells? So in essence nothing can give us cancer or cause cancer. Negative inflammatory agents in our food and surroundings cause our own systems to develop cancer cells at a higher rate than our immune systems can kill them off. I’m seeing more and more that illness, disease and more specifically cancer is triggered and developed either over a short or long period of time depending on our exposure to the toxic element or agent.	animal products,breast cancer,breast disease,cancer,cannibalism,dairy,immune function,inflammation,meat,Neu5Gc,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,women's health,xeno-autoantibodies	Cancer may use a molecule found in animal products to trick our immune system into feeding it with inflammation.	Make sure you see the "prequels" to this video Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease and yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc. Why else might those eating plant-based diets have lower risk of all cancers combined? It could be the lack of IGF-1, heme iron, inflammation, viruses, antibiotics, saturated fat, nitrosamines, and arachidonic acid associated with animal product consumption. Or it could be the DNA repair, cellular stress defenses, anti-inflammatory properties, soy, lignans, phytonutrients, and fiber associated with healthy plant food consumption.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: How Tumors Use Meat to Grow, Avoiding Dairy to Prevent Parkinson's, and Flax and Breast Cancer Survival 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cannibalism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18364013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11689875,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9571699,
PLAIN-2825	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/	The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc	For those of you who have been following my work since the beginning, you’ll remember back in 2003 I covered this landmark paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of sciences. Human intake and incorporation of an immunogenic nonhuman dietary sialic acid. If you take autopsy samples, you can find proof a molecule called NeuGc in human tumors. You can see it stained brown here in human breast cancer, melanoma, brain tumors, ovarian cancer. Now this mystified researchers, because human beings are “”genetically unable to produce this substance. But other animals can. Maybe, the researchers proposed, human beings absorbed it from eating these other animals. Because it’s found in animals and animal products, the researchers had to first eat vegan for a few days to clear their system (no animal-derived ingredients in foods or drugs or shampoo), and then they basically drank a glass of diluted pig mucous. Within days this invading meat molecule could be found oozing from their bodies, in their saliva, urine--even their hair clippings. “Because NeuGc-type compounds are not found in plants, and Neu5Gc is not synthesized by microbes, the dietary source of Neu5Gc must be foods of animal origin. The metabolic incorporation of this molecular Trojan horse from animal products may possibly be contributing to the higher rates of cancer and heart disease in omnivores. This is what they think may be happening. Comes into our mouths from animal products in our diet, incorporates itself into our cells, leading to chronic inflammation directly, and the formation of antibodies, which that can   lead back to inflammation, which then may partially explain the increased risk of cancer and heart attack noted in those consuming animal products. “In contrast, vegetarianism decreases the risk of cancer and heart disease.   Although saturated fat in meat and dairy products is the usual explanation, maybe we should start looking into the association between NeuGC and the incidence of both cancer and ischemic heart disease.” And hey, what about autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis? Maybe that's why vegetarian diets seem to improve rheumatoid arthritis. Maybe that's why you don't see rheumatoid arthritis in most other great apes.   Maybe the incorporation of this reactive alien molecule into inflamed tissue such as arthritic joints could potentially be aggravating arthritis.   But you take animal products away, and within weeks rheumatoid sufferers can feel better.	Thanks for this. Very interesting, need to do some PubMed searches :-)Note the Proceedings paper is open access. And yes, scientists with adolescent boy level humor predictably refer to the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by it’s acronym.Cute dr GregerHa! Love it! One should never lose their funny, esp the adolescent variety of funny.Cows that say “Neu” and scientists that say P.N.A.S Love it!Facinating, deepening connection between the physiological rejection of animal products in the human biological systems. Thanks for connecting more dots.A dietary change has scientifically been show correlating reduced arthritis pain in a couple of weeks, take a look, see, and be the changeLook where? I’m completely vegan but it’s the nicotine that’s keeping the general arthritis pain going.When this study says “meat” and “animal products” does that include fish in this case? The diagram only showed cow pig and goat. And the video said they studied the effect with “pig mucous”. I’m not sure people routinely consume fish mucous.Only tuna, salmon, and cod have been tested so far. Salmon had the most Neu5Gc, but fish in general had less than other animals tested. None has been found anywhere in the plant kingdom.Dr. Greger: How much meat would one have to consume over what period of time in order to have a similar daily dose of Neu5GC that the rodents in the study consumed over the same relative percentage of one’s life?In addition to Dr. Greger’s statement “We found that Neu5Gc is rare in poultry and fish,common in milk products, and enriched in red meats”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC218710/pdf/10012045.pdfDo some more research. The sialic acid NeuG5c is basically present only in mammal meat, wich would imply that fish and birds are avaible for a diet attempting to exclude the stated sugar molecule.In general, foods of mammalian origin are implicated.This is a complex but fascinating story with profound implications – I’d recommend reading some of the sources cited. There is a lecture by Ajit Varki, the lead researcher, available on u-tube. He says in that talk that this research convinced him to eliminate red meat and dairy food from his diet.Those people who advocate a paleo diet, one that makes eating meat mandatory have taken notice of this study. However, rather than accepting the evidence on face value, they blame the inflammation on unknown random variables such as possibly, gluten or inadequate intestinal flora. There seems to be a suspicion among this group also that vegans cherry pick their studies. How would you answer these speculations?I’m not sure what Dr. Greger would say per se, but I’d say, “Well, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black.” It seems to me that it is the paleo folks who are doing the cherry picking to make their points.I’d also point to what Dr. Greger, Dr. McDougall, and Jeff Novick have already said about assessing currently available scientific evidence when considering nutrition information to form one’s opinions and lifestyle actions:How can you believe in any scientific study?Convergence of EvidencePaleolithic LessonsLow Carb vs. Plant-Based Diet (Gotta love that video!)Today’s Breaking Health News!!Sorry, man… McDougall is a quack.These folks are guilty of “confirmatory bias”… looking for data to support their beliefs. I would answer them in two ways… the first is by demonstrating through your actions the value of eating a whole food plant based diet with adequate Vit B12. Second follow some of the links cited by WholeFoodChomper so you can answer their questions based on the best current science. The bottom line is that we are designed as hind gut fermenting herbivores. We are different from the great apes in that we have more amylase genes (i.e. used to digest starches) and a small intestine which has 4X the volume to help digest and absorb glucose molecules from the long chains of glucose molecules aka complex carbohydrates. Most of these “paleotypes” have heard about carbohydrate loading. We actually get about 10% of our calories from our colon aka our hind gut. I wouldn’t spend alot of time trying to convince these folks but refer them to the best sources of information like Dr. McDougall’s website, Jeff Novick’s blogs, NutritionFacts.org and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine website.Well said, @DrDons:disqus . Yes, the PCRM web-site is another great source of information. Speaking of “confirmation bias”, Wikipedia has a great page on it. Makes for some good reading!I 100% agree with this. I have an older sister who is really sick with a lot of things. Suddenly she decided she had cancer. She sent a slide of a prepared urine sample to a place in Manila (She lives in Central Cal.) and got back a number that convinced her that she had cancer. She has not been diagnosed in the States. She went on a diet of cottage cheese and flax oil. Didn’t like the cc so substituted eggs. Eating abt 12 eggs a day and lots of flax oil, she says she is better and that it’s the only thing she can eat, because she has reflux. I tell all this to say that it is amazing what we humans will fall for. I have sent her links to all the sites available that you mention and encourage her to eat a vegan McDougall diet or at least drop the eggs and oil for a more green/natural carb centric approach. She says she gets headaches when she eats carbs, so there is no getting through to her. She has told people that I am “trying to make her into a vegitarian.” It’s amazing to me that that is still a bad word, but there is not changing her mind, so I have stopped for the most part and try to keep my eyes on myself. I appreciate you post. Thank you so much. It is hard to see someone you love suffer and stay in denial. What do they think is so bad about eating some potatoes and kale or a big bowl of salad. I can’t figure out the whole resistance thing.Sorry to hear, and I know the feeling as I watch my family down the meats, oils, and junk food. Good news though: the kids tend to be curious about my diet.Mack: Vegans DO cherry pick their studies. So do omnivores. The best way to deal with confirmation bias is to READ A LOT and give the smart, skeptical part of your brain a little exercise whilst also being realistic and liberally applying common sense. That transgenic mice fed impossibly high doses of Neu5GC daily over the course of their entire lives develop inflammation and inflammatory diseases is neither surprising nor does it offer any valid evidence of anything. It’s sort of a proof of concept, but the reality is that it doesn’t answer any questions or explain much of anything.In light of this and the other known benefits of plant-based diets, what would be your recommended upper limit for the total intake of animal products (as, say, servings per week) in general & for the distribution of different types of animal products within that limit?@b5c09c4897f1d75e67056a9094babe62:disqus ,That is a great practical question! I suspect the good doctor would say there is no upper limit (i.e., no animal-based products allowed), but even Dr. Joel Furhman allows for some animal-based products in his “nutritarian” diet (beef, full fat dairy= “rarely”, poultry/oils= “once weekly or less”, eggs/fish/fat-free dairy= “twice weekly or less”). Is there a safe upper-limit? If so, I’d (and, my boyfriend, especially) would like to know, too.An upper limit can be modeled after the Okinawan diet, the populations with the most centenarians per capita.Caloric Restriction, the Traditional Okinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life Span Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785 Total weight (grams) 1262 Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4 Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9) Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85) Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6) Saturated fatty acid 3.7 Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6 Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8 Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)GrainsRice 154 (12) Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7) Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1) Sugars 3 (less than 11) Oils 3 (2) Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1) Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1) Eggs 1 (less than 1) Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69) Other potatoes 2 (less than1) Other vegetables 114 (3) Fruit less than 1 (less than 1) Seaweed 1 (less than 1) Pickled vegetables 0 (0) Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some pointsTheir diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a dayVery interesting. I wonder are there any Okinawan diet cookbooks out there?Ah, here it is: The Okinawa Diet Plan.Not sure how well I would trust this cookbook, if u look at the featured recipe its a pound and a half of meat, with 1.5 tablespoon of soy sauce (high sodium), olive oil spray and 3/4 a cup of cheddar. Where is that Japanese sweet potato? These numbers don’t match up with what I representedTrue, the featured recipe does not seem very plant-based or even very Okinawan; however, part of the description of the book does state that the book “Provides three different eating plans, including Eastern/Okinawan, East-West fusion and Western to appeal to all tastes, including options for vegetarians–with more than 150 outstanding recipes and tools to keep you lean for life.” I think that if one wanted to, s/he could modify the recipes in this book to make them more vegan/plant-based and whole food friendly.It’s hard to judge the entire book by just the one featured recipe. It might be worth a trip to library to check the book out before investing in a purchase of it.Do you know of any other more accurate (i.e. less meat focused) Okinawan cookbooks out there?Thanks. That looks like a limit easily achievable by eating one slice of gravlax (or other raw prickled fish) a day supplemented with one serving of both dairy and meat’n’eggs a week, though I would probably limit red meat to occasional banquets and treat eggs and poultry as alternatives to each other (as, I believe, used to the trend in the Mediterranean). And all of these would be, obviously, eaten as a part of meals already consisting mainly of whole plant foods.Btw, apart from the intake of animal products, I’m curious about some other aspects of the Okinawan diet.Shouldn’t “Some points” also include the low total calory intake? I mean, less than 1800 kcal a day? One would think they’d need more than that…how much would you say does that contribute to the overall health benefits of the diet?I’m somewhat puzzled by the the fact that the intake of oils, though extremely low, still manages to be greater than that of nuts and seeds in the Okinawan diet. I’m under the impression that, being the more nutritious sources of dietary fat, nuts’n’seeds’ share of the calories could safely be several times higher than that (or is that amount of sweet potatoes, or indeed starchy foods in general, really essential for one’s chances of becoming a centenarian?). Or is it just that such variations of this dietary pattern simply happen not to exist, or have never been tested? Or am I simply wrong?I am not sure i necessarily agree with your allowance for eggs, dairy and other meats into your diet. They ate primarily fish and that was 70 calories worth. Also keep in mind this was in 1950, the oceans were less polluted at this time and fish is the top food source of pollutants currently. In this day and age, the safest and healthiest path is to go completely whole foods plant based and eliminate all animal products. Eating one egg a day is not something that can be considered healthy http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/Nuts and seeds are not at all essential to a diet but can be a healthful condiment when used in “moderation”. Nuts are generally high in omega 6, so unless your eating walnuts, flax seeds, and chia seeds, it is very easy to get too much omega 6 in the diet. Too much omega 6 does not allow the omega 3 to synthesize effectively to DHA and EPA. A healthful ratio of Omega 6 : Omega 3 is 4:1. Almonds are about 1800:1, Peanuts are 4400:1 and Brazil nuts are 500:1, you can see how including an abundance of these foods into your diet could inhibit proper omega 3 synthesis.A diet I advocate is a starch based diet, that being based on complex carbohydrates, as these are the most satiating and they are highly nutritious. Sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole grains and beans are all considered complex carbohydrates.It is interesting indeed that they had a low caloric intake, but energy needs and expenditures are satisfied naturally by hunger, and if one is eating a low fat, whole foods plant based diet with minimally processed products then I see no problem in eating over the 1800 calorie mark since your body would need it if you are truly hungry. An interesting look on Calorie density can be viewed in the attached photo provided by Jeff Novick. CC stands for complex carbohydrates.I’m very curious about the Inuits and “meat causes inflammation”. In the PDF “Atkins exposed” I can read that they suffer greatly from osteoporosis and PCB-poisoning, but shouldn’t they also suffer from heart disease? From what I’ve read elsewhere they don’t, which is something I find a little weird.Is there an explanation somewhere to be found?Studies do show that Inuit do suffer from cardiovascular disease despite high intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Ebbesson SO, et al., Eskimos hae CHD despite high consumption of omega-3 fatty acids: the Alaska Siberia project. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2005 Sep;64(4):387-95. Ebbesson SO, et al. Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids is not associated with a reduction in carotid atherosclerosis: the Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska Natives study. Atherosclerosis. 2008 Aug; 199(2):346-53. Epub 2007 Dec 4.If red meat causes chronic inflammation, it should be possible to confirm that using RCT. I did a literature search, and found only 1 RCT in which red meat did NOT cause inflammation. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/137/2/363.shortI have a friend with Dupuytren’s contracture. Not only do several of her relatives suffer from it, but it is interesting that this disease is associated with mostly with me in Northern Europe or of Northern European descent. Could this obvious geographical link be associated with diet? I could not find any research on this link. Thanks!my entire family has been vegan for 8 yearswouldn’t an excellent way to research Neu5gc be to examine a vegan who developed cancer? has a vegan ever developed cancer?I love booze. if neu5gc is required for cancer-building, can I then drink my face off and not get liver cancer if i’m a vegan?I know i’m being a bit silly, but it’s still a pretty fantastic question…in my opinion ;)Alcohol is recognized as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization. http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Classification/ClassificationsGroupOrder.pdfAnd nearly every cancer can be caused by alcohol as alcohol affects all tissue. http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Classification/Table4.pdfBackground: In observational studies, moderate drinking is associated with a reduced risk of more than twenty different diseases and health problems. However, it would be premature to conclude that there is a causal relationship.Method: This paper critically reviews the evidence for such associations.Findings: It was found that reasons for questioning the causal association of moderate drinking and a reduced health risk are: the lack of dose-response relationships; the characteristics and lifestyles of today’s abstainers and moderate drinkers; the lack of plausible biological mechanisms; the problems in the classification of drinking groups, and; the general limitations of observational studies.Conclusions: The evidence for the harmful effects of alcohol is undoubtedly stronger than the evidence for beneficial effects.“Whether alcohol prevents several diseases and health problems at a level of consumption where health benefits outweigh harm has obvious consequences for public health education. The absence of definite knowledge leaves plenty of room for wishful thinking, which we observe frequently on this topic.”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.12104/pdfIn summary, alcohol is a cancer promoter and should be avoided. Yes vegans get cancer, but the best chances at avoiding cancer is to eat whole, unprocessed plant foods, minimizing alcohol and keeping omega 6:3 ratios in check by limiting nut consumption.Have there been any studies if you get these same effects with natural grass fed meat products?I am aware of no studies but given what we know about the metabolism it would be present in grass fed meat products… not to mention all the other bad things. In my work as Medical Director for Meals for Health, private practice and working with Whole Food team members at the McDougall clinic the information about 5Neugc helps explain why patients who go on a the appropriate plant based diet experience improvement in joint and muscle symptoms within days of making the change.organic grass fed?That’s why I raise emus. We eat and sell the meat. Studies show that emu meat is in the anti-inflammatory foods. Even better yet, people that have developed the so called ‘Red Meat’ allergy must give up all mammal meats, but they can still eat red meat burgers, steaks or any other red meat dish by using emu. Because the emu is a bird, the meat does not contain the alpha-galactose that is at the root of that allergy, hence being called the ‘alpha-gal’ allergy.EMU: The other Red Meat.That’s just swell…as long as you’re not an emu.Yup.What studies show emu meat is anti-inflammmatory? Citation needed please.What studies show emu meat is anti-inflammmatory? Citation needed please.The anti-inflammatory properties of the fatty-acid-rich Emu Fat is the key factor in this. Nutrient data Source: USDA SR-21.A full breakdown of those nutrient values, is fully covered by ‘NutritionData.com’, pulling from the referenced USDA database.Link to NutritionData.com Emu Meat data: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/944/2“The anti-inflammatory properties of the fatty-acid-rich Emu Fat is the key factor in this”Where’s the research paper / study showing this to be true?The link provides a nutrient breakdown. It doesn’t tell me that Emu is a healthy food to consume… especially in the context of this website (NutritionFacts) that uses research and studies to show that a whole food plant based diet is far healthier than animal produce. Also, 100g of Emu has 71mg of cholesterol; hardly healthy in the context of heart disease for example.You’re on the wrong website promoting Emu meat me thinks :-)Please see here regarding the inflammatory properties of wild game. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/Emu is likely not an exception.	animal products,arthritis,autoimmune diseases,brain tumors,breast cancer,breast disease,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,dairy,detoxification,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,meat,melanoma,Neu5Gc,omnivores,ovarian cancer,plant-based diets,rheumatoid arthritis,saturated fat,skin cancer,vegans,vegetarians,xeno-autoantibodies	Plant-based diets may help rheumatoid arthritis by decreasing exposure to an inflammatory compound found in animal products.	Bacterial endotoxins are another reason animal products may trigger an inflammatory immune reaction. See The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation, The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory, and Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia. For more on arthritic joint disorders, see Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis and Preventing Arthritis. For the role saturated animal fat may play in heart disease and cancer see Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease, Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken, and Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. What does this video have to do with the previous few about Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease? You'll see in tomorrow's video of the day How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: How Tumors Use Meat to Grow, Plant-Based Diets for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Plant-Based Diets for Fibromyalgia, Should We Avoid Titanium Dioxide?, Breast Cancer & Alcohol: How Much Is Safe?, and Mushrooms and Immunity	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/melanoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovarian-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow-xeno-autoantibodies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11890437,
PLAIN-2826	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/	Clonal Deletion Theory of Immunity	As I described, the clonal selection theory of immunity suggests that we   start out able to fend off basically every cellular structure in the known universe because we have a billion different types of antibody producing B cells, each capable of recognizing a different molecular signature. Why then do we tend not to attack ourselves? Because before we’re even born we   kill off each and every B cell that recognizes us. It’s called clonal deletion, the killing off of forbidden clones. That’s what our thymus gland is for. When we’re still a fetus, our body lines up all our immune cells, our B cells, our T cells, holds up a picture of our self and asks them one by one: "do you recognize this person." And if any of our immune cells says yes, they’re   shot in the head. Killed on the spot, death by apopotosis and good riddance. Turns out this process of clonal deletion, ridding our bodies of self-recognizing immune cells happens throughout our lives, mostly in our bone marrow. If you remember, though, as I talked about before, IGF-1, the cancer-promoting growth hormone boosted by animal protein consumption prevents apoptosis, prevents our body’s killing of cells it wants to get rid—that’s why IGF-1 levels are linked to cancer. So “It is of great interest to determine whether IGF might contribute to the inappropriate survival of lymphocytes in autoimmune or inflammatory conditions.” Maybe that’s why people who eat plant-based diets appear protected from autoimmune diseases, explaining, for example, the “extraordinary rarity of most autoimmune diseases among sub-Saharan rural blacks following a traditional vegan lifestyle.”   Before they changed their diet, evidently “not a single case of MS had been diagnosed among a population of 15 million.’”	re: “…we start out able to fend off basically every cellular structure in the known universe…” (hey, LOVE the new transcript feature) …. This quote says to me that I did not fully understand yesterday’s video as I raised a question like, “Well what happens when we encounter something that is not covered by those billion cells?” But in listening to this video (and maybe I should re-listen to yesterday’s video), it sounds like it is impossible (almost impossible?) for humans (or aliens?/space bio) to come up with something that our immune system can’t technically fight.Even if I’m still not fully getting it, I love the ending of this video. That’s clear enough for anyone! Theories aside, it is the human data like the Bantu info presented here that I find the most compelling. Thanks!Utterly fascinating! I wonder if a plant-based diet could treat or even reverse an autoimmune condition, e.g. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Lupus, Grave’s Disease, MS, etc.?Yes it can reverse Autoimmune diseases! I have a 10 yo boy with Crohns–in complete remission with Plant and Starch (Vegan) Lifestyle. (PSL) I have multiple Lupus patients in remission on PSL. I have multiple Rheumatoid Arthritis patients in remission PSL. I have multiple Ulcerative Colitis patients in remission PSL. I have a couple of Hashimoto’ patients better on a PSL (Not complete remission) I have no patients with Graves disease. I have multiple patients with Diabetes reversed and controlled on PSL I have multiple patients with Fibromyalgia reversed on PSL. I have multiple patients with Carotid disease and Coronary disease reversing their disease on a PSL. It works!@HemoDynamic:disqus , This is fantastic news to hear! I am specifically interested in Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Could you tell me what remission from Hashi’s would look like? (TSH, T4 and T3 in normal range w/o hormone replacement meds?) Any ideas or suggestions where I can get some more info on how to reverse Hashi’s, or how to determine that it is remission?Chomper,What would remission look like? No more detectable Anti TPO (Thyroid Peroxidase) antibodies and normal TSH, T4 and T3 Uptake.And of course feelings of normalcy.The only way I know to possibly reverse Hashi’s is a Whole Food Plant Based lifestyle with no excessive iodine added.Taking in too much iodine may pose a problem (at least in the Chinese)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21444648So if you are sure you aren’t taking in too much iodine then (As Dr. Greger recommends) 150 mcg per day is more than adequate. No definite answers on this one but I hope it helps.@HemoDynamic:disqus thanks so much for your insight on this topic! Yes, it is very helpful. I don’t believe that I am taking in too much iodine. The study you cited is interesting. I suppose I will continue to eat a PBD, exercise, and monitor my thyroid hormone levels. I suppose I could also ask my doc if I could have my Anti TOP checked again (last time was about 3 years ago) to see where those numbers stand.HemoDynamic: Once again, YOU ROCK!Thanks for taking the time to share this information. I find it so uplifting.@HemoDynamic:disqus What definition are you using for remission in Rheumatoid Arthritis? DAS28? ACR 2011 criteria? And is this remission while on treatment or off biologics/dmards?Unfortunately, all my autoimmune problems began well before I became vegan. Are there any studies showing reversal of autoimmune disorders with a vegan diet or am I stuck with them ?Have you looked into Dr. McDougall?Yes it can reverse Autoimmune diseases! I have a 10 yo boy with Crohns–in complete remission with Plant and Starch (Vegan) Lifestyle. (PSL)I have multiple Lupus patients in remission on PSL.I have multiple Rheumatoid Arthritis patients in remission PSL.I have multiple Ulcerative Colitis patients in remission PSL.I have a couple of Hashimoto’ patients better on a PSL (Not complete remission)I have no patients with Graves disease.I have multiple patients with Diabetes reversed and controlled on PSLI have multiple patients with Fibromyalgia reversed on PSL.I have multiple patients with Carotid disease and Coronary disease reversing their disease on a PSL.It works!Learn more at http://www.DrMcdougall.com John McDougall, MD Physicians committee for Responsible Medicine http://www.PCRM.com Neal Barnard, MD et al This website http://www.NutritionFacts.org (THANK YOU DR. GREGER!!!!!!) Watch the documentary Forks Over Knives Stream it over Netflix or Amazon Prime.The only way you will really know is to start now! What have you got to lose?!Wow, great hear. Thanks for sharing.I agree with HemoDynamic MD who has had more clinical experience with this than myself. I know of a dermatologist in Southern California who is having success with patients with Lupus, Psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders. I would add two thoughts. First prevention is always better than shooting for reversal and cure (e.g. not feeding folks dairy to decrease incidence of type 1 diabetes, not eating sausages or hot dogs to avoid autoimmune thyroid disease) as once the damage is done it may not be reversible. However once you have an autoimmune disorder the first step is to go on a whole food plant based diet with Vit B12 supplementation. Two caveats…. I have come across many folks who have successfully cured their disorders but have certain plant triggers such as wheat, tomatoes, egg plant… very individual. Dr. McDougall’s newletter article Diet for the DesperateSo, well said, Doc.Ah, so it was the sausages and hot dog’s I ate in the past years that lead to the Hashi’s? Is it b/c of the nitrates? Iodine in the salt? Something else? I’m curious about Dr. McDougall’s “Diet for the Desperate” article (which I linked here) for ease of reference. Should be some interesting reading.Again, thanks as always for your helpful opinion.I give credit to Dr. McDougall for the “hypothesis” on hot dogs/sausages causing autoimmune thyroid disease. Since animal thyroids are included in the manufacture of some processed meats like hot dogs it makes sense that possible exposure via consumption might cause our bodies to cross react and attack our own thyroids. I haven’t seen studies yet but as Dr. Greger’s recent videos on 5NeuGc have shown it is a complex and complicated issue. It would be interesting to see some epidemiological studies on the prevalence of thyroid disease in individuals following a plant based diet. Of course there is also the issue of needing to maintain adequate iodine intake which Dr. Greger has covered in videos under the topics thyroid health and disease. Unfortunately many of us have consumed many hot dogs and sausages in the past so we will have to stay the course and keep our fingers crossed.Very interesting hypothesis; I’d be interested in seeing the studies you mentioned, too. I have definitely eaten my share of sausages and hot dogs back in the day.BTW- I just linked to your web-site and can’t wait to look over it and read it more thoroughly when I have more time.Dr Forrester do you know of a good GP in the Los Angeles area? I have been trying to find a like minded doctor and they sure are hard to come by. I have gone on the integrative doctor website but picking someone that way is a bit hit and miss. It would be really nice to have a doctor who doesn’t think you are nuts for being vegan.Thanks, GaleDr G. What do you think about Dr. Oz’s last show that talks about cholesterol not being the root cause of heart disease. They do mention inflammation as the main cause that leads to heart failure. These two Dr’s. on the show are seen eating beef burgers etc. Not sure what to make of this particular show.Do not trust the Dr. Oz show. He flip flops positions based on who is making an appearance. Cholesterol is very much indeed a factor in heart disease as this is the structure of plaque build up.You’re right with the wizard of Dr. Oz’s show. He flip flops quite a bit. There’s a lot of pre-packed products he suggests.Who has more heart attacks, the Chinese eating rice and vegetables or the Americans eating burgers? Ask Bill Clinton what reversed his heart disease– rice and Vegetables or Burgers? Don’t beleive the Dr. Oz show. It has turned into the Wizard of Oz show. “Take this pill and it will cure all your ill’s.” People are starting to see what is really behind the curtain–it’s MONEY!!!Dr. Oz seems like a nice person, but his show (and increasingly he) lacks credibility given all the financial conflicts of interest inherent in its production and the purpose for the show (infotainment). It seems Dr. Oz will direct his viewers toward health information any way the wind (money) blows.Thanks for the comment, Nelson. Follow the link below to see the Dr. Oz show that you described:http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/everything-you-know-about-cholesterol-wrong-pt-1The show is actually saying that eating more cholesterol is good for you. At one point, guest on the show, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, MD (cardiologist) says:” The higher your cholesterol, according to some studies in Europe, the longer you are going to live.”Just to give you an idea of the intellectual level of this speaker, please see Dr. Stephen Sinatra’s wikipedia page:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_SinatraUnder the section titled “Grounding”, you will see that this same man promotes the idea that free radicals in the body can be neutralized by lying barefoot on the earth because: ” the earth’s surface is negatively charged and contact with the earth transfers allows electrons to neutralize free radicals in the human body.”And to think millions of people are watching Dr. Oz.The Dr Oz show Featured hamburgers from grass fed cattle,not from artificially fattened grain fed factory raised cattle,and worse. The fats they spoke of were from grass foraged animals, lean,as are wild game,and rich in nutrients based on their grass fed intake from being pasture raised and exposed to sunlight as well. The other fats were of a leaner source,and some plant based,I believe avocado,coconut sources,and so on. Although clearly they were not promoting a plant based diet,neither were they eating the typical factory farm raised fatty polluted cattle.Terrific work in explaining these important but complex biological fundamentals.Thank you!Hi I wanted to make a question; is there any limit in the consumption of fruits in order not to cause insuline resistance? Thanks Breversor, I’m not sure if this helps you, but the other day I cam across this response to a similar question from Dr. Greger: How much fruit is safe to consume?We need more and better studies on this issue. I read the link that WholeFoodChomper cited which I would also recommend that you read. I have drawn a different conclusion than “the current science supports the more fruit the better”. The two main carbohydrates we are exposed to in a plant based diet are mainly glucose and fructose which are similar molecules. However, our bodies handle them differently. Glucose is used as our basic fuel by every cell in our body. This is why starches are so good for us… see Dr. John McDougall’s recent book, The Starch Solution. Sucrose which is table sugar is one molecule of Glucose plus one molecule of Fructose. Fructose is metabolized almost exclusively by the liver. It is changed to uric acid( associated with gout and increased blood pressure due to effect on Nitrous Oxide system), triglyercides and cholesterol, glycogen in the liver and fats &/or scarring in the liver. Everyone hears about high fructose corn syrup in soft drinks and processed food but we get fructose naturally mainly from fruits. Fruits contain glucose, fructose and sucrose which accounts for their sweetness. Not understanding these basic physiologic facts leads to alot of misconceptions but from a practical standpoint how much fruit should we eat. I asked Jeff Novick whose opinion I highly value… How much fructose should we consume daily… He said up to 50 grams per day… which by my calculations is about 4 banana’s. Calculation needs to include the amount of fructose plus half the sucrose. I have seen no studies directly addressing this question or even a trial where patients are fed fruit in increasing amounts and their blood values checked. Based on my clinical experience and mentor-ship by Dr. McDougall there are clearly some patients who benefit from reducing their fruit intake(e.g. high triglycerides). At this point as a general rule I would say avoid consumption of high fructose corn syrup(which is often the 60% fructose/40% glucose variety… not much different from sucrose) and limit fruits to 4-5 per day. Of course fruits do come with alot of good things… fiber, antioxidants and avoids the cholesterol, saturated fats, animal protein, chemicals and risk of food poisoning associated with animal products. The insulin resistance caused by fructose is due to the production of fats. This means the effect is not immediate. Hope this helps… I would stay tuned to NutritionFacts.org as you never know when science and/or Dr. Greger will help clarify this somewhat confusing area.Great explanation and contribution, @DrDons:disqus . I always enjoy reading your posts.Don, you mention here “The insulin resistance caused by fructose is due to the production of fats. This means the effect is not immediate. ” What is “producing” “the production of fats?” Are you saying that if we eat lots of fruit and then later eat a high fat meal, then we are creating insulin resistance in the body. I really like your post/comments above on fruits and I’d be grateful for some clarity on my referenced comments of yours.The sister asked her brother after she smashed her toe, “Hey Joey what have I got?” Joey replied, “A popped toe sis!” (Apoptosis) ;-)Doctor Greger, what do you think about treating MS disease with a plant-based diet? Are there any medical tests carried out on MS patients?I have had discussions with MS patients who claim to have halted their disease with diet. You should view Dr. McDougall’s 1 hour presentation on “Diet and Multiple Sclerosis” available for free viewing on his website, the link is http://www.drmcdougall.com/video/diet_ms.html. Dr. McDougall’s foundation funded a controlled study on diet and MS through the Neurology Department at the Oregon Health and Science Center in Portland. The study is now complete. They are evaluating the results and they should be available soon. If I were to advise an MS patient at this point I would follow Dr. McDougall’s recommendations. I would subscribe to the McDougall newsletter as I’m sure when the results are know he will report on the results. Current testing for the diagnosis of MS patients is best handled by a neurologist familiar with treating MS patients.thank you very much for your reply, I’m looking forward to see Dr.McDougall’s results!I have possibly been diagnosed with having some inflammation in the spine. More tests need to be done now to qualify what the inflammation is caused by. The specialist through about some possibilities – one of which was MS – and all of which had treatments.. no cures. I read that a vegan diet can arest or regress such issues. The medical community does not agree with this. I have been vegan for 16 months. What are your views? What vegan foods do you think will give me the best chance? Thanks in Advance. A worried patient, AndrewAndrew: I’m sorry to hear about your condition.It sounds like you are taking charge of your own health. Good for you!I’m not an expert. I hope someone else will chime in to respond to you. However, I can recommend that you use the search bar on this site to search for videos with the subject of ” inflammation”. I think that some of the videos with that topic might be helpful to you. You might also do a search on MS.Good luck. I hope you are able to make some progress.Andrew, Dr. George Jelinek is an Australian physician and lecturer whose MS has been in remission for 13 years, by following a vegan diet with very low saturated fat (+ fish oil initially, which he now recommends against on his website due to heavy metal contamination), and stress-reduction lifestyle changes. My own MS symptoms are best managed by also excluding saturated fats, avoiding/managing stress, and avoiding gluten (a trigger for me, not for everyone). I strongly recommend his book “Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis”, as well as his website.Oh, and PUFAs – PolyUnsaturatedFattyAcids – which translates to lots of high-quality flax oil; + vitamin D supplementation. Go check out the book, its the best investment I’ve made in my health in a long time. (That, and coming here, of course!)Andrew check out todays blog. May 21, 2013.	Africa,animal products,animal protein,autoimmune diseases,bone marrow health,cell death,IGF-1,immune function,inflammation,multiple sclerosis,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians	Plant-based diets may be protective against multiple sclerosis because IGF-1 can prevent our immune system from eliminating autoimmune cells.	This is the third video in a series on understanding the autoimmune theory of cancer outlined in Monday's video Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease, followed up with Tuesday's video-of-the-day Clonal Selection Theory of Immunity. For the story of how dietary manipulation of IGF-1 may affect cancer risk, see The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle and How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1? IGF-1 also appears to affect prostate gland growth. See Some Prostates Are Larger than Others, Prostate Versus Plants, and Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet. Tomorrow we'll finally get around to the star of this video series, The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc.For some more context, please check out my associated blog post: Plant-Based Diets for Multiple Sclerosis	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/21/plant-based-diets-for-multiple-sclerosis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-sclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-marrow-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-selection-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10760788,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15023413,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11461185,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20805814,
PLAIN-2827	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-selection-theory-of-immunity/	Clonal Selection Theory of Immunity	To understand the dietary implications of the new autoimmune theory of cancer, we first have to understand how the immune system works. This was one of the greatest mysteries in all of biology—  solved by a brilliant scientist who won the Nobel in 1960 for figuring out the   clonal selection theory of immunity. Each one of our antibody producing immune cells, called B-cells, produces only one type of antibody. Antibodies are one of the main weapons our immune system uses to attack foreign invaders. And they’re specific. It’s not just like we have one B-cell that covers grass pollen and another that covers bacteria, we have a B-cell in our body whose only job is to make antibodies against the pollen of   purple Siberian oniongrass, whether or not we ever come in contact with it. Another whose only job it is to make antibodies against the tail proteins of bacteria that live only in the thermal vents at the bottom of the ocean. Wait a second. There must be a billion different things in the world. If each of our B cells produces only one type of antibody, then we’d have a billion different types of B cells. And we do, which is totally amazing. So, let’s suppose one day you’re walking along and get   attacked by a platypus. They actually have poison spurs on their heels, you know. And so for your whole life up until that point the B-cell in your body that produces antibodies against duck-billed platypus venom was just hanging around, twiddling its thumbs, until that very moment.  As soon as the venom is detected it raises its hand and says me me me, starts dividing like crazy, making copies of itself, and soon you have a whole swarm of clones specialized for platypus poison protection, fending off the toxin, and you live happily ever after. That’s, how the immune system works.	Enjoyed it!-)This is amazing! I no longer have fear of platypus attacks! LolYou should; platypus envenomation is excruciatingly painful and enduring.wow. And I even learned something about platypuses (sp?).Our immune system is amazingly large, but also so specific. I would have guessed that humans had a system that was more general. In thinking about it, this video makes me think that our immune system is pretty fragile/not very strong. While a billion types of cells, give or take, is quite a high number, what happens when we need our immune system to work on something we don’t already have a cell for? It seems like our immune system is pretty weak in that way.Then again, I think, “How did we get all those types of cells to begin with?” Our bodies developed those types of cells at some point probably in reaction to a problem. And then we passed the new cell type down to our offspring? And so maybe our immune system is not so fragile/unchangeable after all? Just thinking…How does our body have the knowledge of every potential attack it could face in this world?How do the b cells avoid reacting with our own antigens?I’m very curious to know what impact, if any, chemotherapy has on one’s immunity. Does your immune system every FULLY recover from chemo?Very interesting; many thanks!Sounds related to the theory of homeopathy. Questions, though: (1) how do B cells and the immune system know when the threat has been neutralized; (2) where do all those clonal B cells go after they’ve rid the town of that specific outlaw?Hi Seth, This is a gross oversimplification of what actually takes place when a B-cell (lymphocyte) is activated by coming into contact with an antigen or allergen. Upon activation, the B-cell multiplies and creates many clones (clonal selection) of itself (as seen in Dr. Greger’s video).B-cells (lymphocytes) create two main types of cells: (1) Effector (plasma) cells which secrete antibody and (2) Memory cells. Effector (plasma) cells are either short-lived cells that die within 3-5 days after being made and are used for immediate immunological defense; or the long-lived plasma cells which migrate primarily to the bone marrow where they remain for extended periods of time secreting high-affinity antibody.B-cells that have differentiated into Memory cells remain after the infection has cleared to provide “memory” of that specific antigen/allergen and provides long-term protection (immunity) allowing for a more rapid response if one becomes exposed again to that same antigen.Source: Minges Wols, Heather. Plasma Cells. Barat College of DePaul University, Lake Forest, Illinois, USA., doi:10.1038/npg.els.0004030.Amazing, thanks.Great topics and great science, explaining it very easy to understand.Thank you!This is fantastic for be antibody in our immune system and how our body avoids any sicknesskind of triggers the immune system to develop an antibody against it. like againts antibody generator or “antigen”if one is really curious about this mechanism got to make a visit to the relative wikipedia page(“clonal selection”)… and then read out the “VDJ recombination”… it’s not easy, but it is really fascinating… i’ve got a course in my university about this stuff…Dear Dr. Greger, I am fascinated with your work. I am strictly vegan now but one thing I don’t understand… if our B cells are designed to attack all foreign invaders that naturally occur on this earth, what will the B cells do if they don’t recognize a Genetically Modified Organism. I would think that you above ALL people would be recommending staying completely away from these. I also would expect that you would be helping our community to better understand what is happening to our food supply as this affects our whole foods. Please do your research on this subject and don’t be afraid of the Big Ag companies. I know they are scary but we got your back. :-)8 months later…The B cells are generated kind of randomly, without any actual things to fight in mind. If they happen to be able to bind to the antigen, the work! So we’re just as prepared for viruses shot down from space by aliens as we are for the next strain to be bred in pig factory farms.Absolutely Amazing, yet the Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made and how true this is just another miraculous example of our Great God and Creator who is taking care of us. Now we just need to make sure we are seeking the wisdom to help take care or ourselves too! Thanks Dr. Greger. Next to God you are my biggest hero and life saver for so many. Hope you are doing well and your family too. I did leave you a voice mail regarding my latest situation.	autoimmune diseases,cancer,immune function	We may have a billion different types of antibody-releasing cells in our immune system, such that each recognizes a different molecular signature.	Isn't our immune system spectacular?! In Wednesday's video of the day Clonal Deletion Theory of Immunity we'll explore the flipside—how our immune system avoids attacking us. See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease for an explanation of the autoimmune theory of cancer. Why all this background? This is all a set up so everyone can understand the dietary implications of Thursday's video The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc.For some more context, please check out my associated blog post: Plant-Based Diets for Multiple Sclerosis	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/21/plant-based-diets-for-multiple-sclerosis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17878907,
PLAIN-2828	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-as-an-autoimmune-disease/	Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease	When people get heart or kidney transplants, they must be given immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection of the new organ. What do you suppose happens to cancer rates in those individuals who are immunosuppressed? Well, for some types of cancer, like skin cancer, the risk goes up, which support to the so-called immune surveillance hypothesis, the idea that our immune system acts as a natural defense system for keeping cancer under control. This could explain why as we age and our immune function declines, our risk of cancer goes up. Here's a video, of our immune system in action. That big oval cell in the middle is a cervical cancer cell, and those little round cells are our T cells delivering the poison pill, setting off the cancer cells self-destruct mechanism… and there it goes, bye bye cancer. That's the apoptosis, or programmed cell death that I'm always talking about. Note this so-called renaissance of the immunosurveillance hypothesis was more than 10 years ago. The problem with the theory is that for some cancers, immunosuppression decreases risk. After a kidney transplant, your skin cancer risk may go up, but your breast cancer risk goes down, your rectal cancer risk goes down. Why would people with depressed immune systems have less cancer? This led to a new theory, kind of the flip side of immune surveillance, the thought that in some sense “”cancer may be considered an autoimmune disease. See, the only reason the immune system is even able to pick out cancer cells from noncancer cells is because tumors express foreign looking antigens, immune stimulating molecules. Why would tumors do that? Why would cancer cells go out of their way to wave a red flag around, saying hey, come get me? We think it’s because cancer tends to thrive in an setting of low level inflammation. There's lots of examples of chronic inflammation leading to cancer, like ulcerative colitis to colon cancer, chronic pancreatitis to pancreatic cancer, chronic hepatitis to liver cancer, stomach inflammation; stomach cancer. Oftentimes inflammation, the body's immune response, can further cancer’s agenda. By inciting an immune response, cancer creates its own inflammation, which may stimulate angiogenesis, help bring blood to the tumor and help it grow. So the curve may look like this, a low level of inflammation stimulates cancer growth, but if the immune system really catches on, then it can actually start hacking away at the tumor and slow it down. This may explain a mystery surrounding Kaposi’s sarcoma, a cancer affecting those with AIDS. When you start treating AIDS and the immune system starts to recover you can actually see a flare in the cancer… (So what are the dietary implications of this new autoimmune theory of cancer? Stay tuned.)	Today’s video is fantastic but the apoptosis video is absolutely phenomenal!!! Coolest ever!Please tell me — what is the title of Dr. Greger’s “apoptosis video” that you say is “absolutely phenomenal” and the “coolest ever”? I want to watch that one — thanks.It’s actually the Clonal Deletion theory vid. I should have actually posted the link to it (Which I just did). It’s a great presentation from Dr. G. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/Is cancer more likely to occur in patients with autoimmune diseases? I suffer from rheumatism arthritis since my teenage years and I also was diagnosed with breast cancer at 32 years old and, 8 years later, had to do chemotherapy again for metastasis in the lymph nodes of my neck and in my lung. Luckily, the Taxol treatment was able to clean it all up. But I still have inflammation and join pain even on a vegetarian diet. What wrong with my immune system?!?! Thanks for your wonderful work Dr. Greger.Are you cooking your veggies? I would look into a RAW VEGAN diet. It’ so important to clean up your lymphatic system and the raw vegan diet will do just that. Our lymphatic system is a toxic waste dump and you must move it all out.Thanks for your suggestion. I started juicing last May, when I found out I needed chemo again. I do believe it helps. But sticking to a totally raw diet, even during the cold winter months, is very difficult for me. I became a vegetarian in 2010 after attending one of Dr Greger’s conference in Montreal. I am now aiming for a Vegan diet. No more eggs and no more cheese. I am almost there. So that’s my goal for 2013 along with more physical activity.Go for it Anie. Your body will thank you for it as will the countless chickens and calves. You don’t have to go completely raw, take it in steps. Also, I would suggest that you avoid sugar, at least the processed kind. Cancer has been known to feed on sugar. Blessings on your journey to better health.Nothing wrong with cooking food; you just have to know what to cook and what not to cook. The studies are all there in “Becoming Raw” by Davis and Melina. http://www.amazon.ca/Becoming-Raw-Comprehensive-Nutritious-Raw-Food/dp/1570672385Legumes for example, are considered “protein powerhouses… Lentils, split peas, and most beans are extremely low in fat, though high in protein, iron, zinc, and fibre.” (“Becoming Vegetarian” by Davis and Melina, p.73).“For prevention of chronic disease and maintaining health, legumes fit right into today’s nutritional recommendations. For diabetics, heart disease patients, and those who want to reduce risk of these diseases, legumes have been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and improve control of our blood sugar.” (“Becoming Vegetarian” by Davis and Melina, p.75)“[W]hole grains are little nutrition powerhouses. They are excellent sources of carbohydrates and a number of valuable vitamins and minerals, including many B-vitamins, vitamin E, selenium, zinc, copper, magnesium, manganese, iron, potassium, and chromium. They are also great sources of fibre, plant sterols, and numerous phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds and, in some cases, phytoestrogens.” (“Becoming Vegetarian” by Davis and Melina, p.153).Here are some videos pertaining to raw vs. cooking:Best Cooking Method Which are the gentlest cooking methods for preserving nutrients and which vegetables have more antioxidants cooked than raw. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/Raw Food Nutrient Absorption We should prepare vegetables in whichever manner entices us to eat the greatest quantity. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/Raw vs. Cooked Broccoli Which results in greater phytonutrient absorption: raw broccoli, steamed, boiled, or microwaved? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/Raw Veggies Versus Cooked for Heart Disease Fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, but which is more protective, raw or cooked? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/Raw Food Nutrient Absorption: There are certain phytonutrients that are absorbed better from cooked foods. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/Toxins in Raw Mushrooms? Agaratine, a natural toxin found in mushrooms, is destroyed by cooking. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/Raw Food Diet Myths Some nutrients are destroyed by cooking but some nutrients become more absorbable. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/Raw is healthy no doubt, but so is cooked. It’s not just what we eat; it’s also what we absorb.Yes, rheumatoid arthritis has an increased risk for lymphoma due to chronic stimulation of the lymphocytes. Not aware of any increased risk for breast or other cancers from the disease itself.I’ll bet the answer has something to do with eating foods with a high inflammation factor. Here’s a comprehensive database for that:http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3163/2Another great video!Love that site! great info and cool ways of presenting it.Would the cervical cancer cell be a HeLa cell? I just read the (amazing) book about Henrietta Lacks.Cancer results from damage to a number of genes that inhibit proliferation, plus environmental/nutritional stimulus to cell proliferation, The set of genes affected, and how they are damaged, can be different in every cell line. HeLa is one of many potential tumor cell lines (clones of an original tumor cell) that combined Ms. Lack’s genetics, the developmental cell differentiation to initially become a cervical cell, and a set of gene mutations / activations that made the line both particularly malignant to Ms. Lacks, and easy to culture in vitro for research. But not every cervical cancer cell will share the same set of genetic switches that occurred in HeLa, and none would share Ms. Lacks own genetic template.Fascinating, I love this approach.01:00, Makes me cry tears of joy, *sniff*.As a patient with Dermatomyositis and Interstitial Lung Disease, I am on the immunosuppressant ,Imuran . I am told the diagnosis brings with it an increase chance of malignancies. I have the disease a limitless over a year. I turned vegan with 3 months of having been diagnosed. My liver enzymes have returned to normal as have my CPK levels. My ferritin was as high as 4779! That has lowered to 1350. I juice daily with a cold press machine but wonder if a 60 day juice fast would eradicate this idiopathic, inflammatory myopathy? Any thoughts? If you’ve never heard of the disease , don’t feel bad as most doctors haven’t either. I believe the average diagnosis takes 2 years!As a patient with Dermatomyositis and Interstitial Lung Disease, I am on the immunosuppressant ,Imuran . I am told the diagnosis brings with it an increase chance of malignancies. I have the disease a limitless over a year. I turned vegan with 3 months of having been diagnosed. My liver enzymes have returned to normal as have my CPK levels. My ferritin was as high as 4779! That has lowered to 1350. I juice daily with a cold press machine but wonder if a 60 day juice fast would eradicate this idiopathic, inflammatory myopathy? Any thoughts? If you’ve never heard of the disease , don’t feel bad as most doctors haven’t either. I believe the average diagnosis takes 2 years!kend414: Thanks for sharing your story. That’s an amazing turn around, even if you haven’t gone as far as you would like. And you are right. I never heard of that disease before.As for the juice fast, I am skeptical of the idea in general except for people who have desperate need to lose weight. If you are eating not just vegan, but a clean diet of whole plant foods, say one that follows the PCRM :”Power Plate”, then what would a juice fast get you? My thought would be to look at what you are eating to see if anything needs to be cleaned up before doing on a juice fast.But please note!!!: This is just a lay person’s opinion/thoughts. I am not a doctor nor an expert. And I am especially ignorant of your particular condition.Best of luck to you and I hope you are able to clear up the worst of the remaining problems you have.Thank you Thea for your thoughts and wishes. I was hoping for a “reboot” with the juicing fast. A bombardment of phytonutrients in a short amount of time with the cells being fed at the cellular level while no energy is wasted on digestion of macronutrients. It is believed, though not yet proven by leading experts of DM that the body has developed cancer, fought it and beat the cancer however thebody’s cancer fighting switch is unable to turn itself off. This leads to the body’s own immune system to attack it’s muscles and joints. I am told by my doctor that I “have/had almost every known manifestation of the disease. This is very, very rare and one for the medical books”. Lucky me,right? :o) Early on, I was unable to make a fist with my right hand, a week later I was only able to bend my other hand halfway. I asked my rheumy what was happening and he replied” I have no idea what’s happening to your hands”. Wrong. Expert says, “oh, that’s arthritis.It’s one of the symptoms of DM. It’s inflammation of the joint.” This goes along with your digital pitting, unable to lift your arms above your head, purple eyelids, shortness of breath, red flat rash, grottons papules, thickening of the skin,weakened urine flow, acid reflux. hoarse voice, thinning of hair etc. Man, to be afflicted with any one of these is trying but all at the same time when you used to be healthy? I consider myself lucky. Why because the juvenile DM version causes your bones to grow out of your skin! Poor kids. I was told I had a fatty liver. Why?, I asked my Rheumy. “because your overweight”. Yeah, very slightly overweight. Wrong again doc. High liver enzymes are caused by DM. (taught my Gastroenterologist that) I learned so much by going to see the renowned expert but alas the expert couldn’t /wouldn’t advise/comment on my diet. His advise was to keep doing exactly what it is that I’ve been doing since he had expected to see a much worse patient. I’m grateful I’m doing so well but I want to be rid of this. I hoped to gain some knowledge as to which vegetables might be more beneficial to me in targeting my disease. I had hoped Dr Greger might give his opinion juice fasting for my disease.I know Dr. Greger will be busy this week. He will be lecturing at John McDougall’s Advanced Study Weekend in Santa Rosa California and also in Sacramento, CA. So I will try to help out here.There are no absolute answers for you but you are on the right track with changing your food; however just doing a juice fast without changing your whole diet may be somewhat ineffective in the long run.I will tell you that I have had a 9 yo with Crohns disease that was very sick and on many medications and not being able to go to school that changed his diet completely and is now back to regular school and on 3 different soccer teams. Rarely does he have any symptoms. I have a 94 yo white male that couldn’t shake hands or walk because of severe joint inflammation that in six months completely stopped his Rheumatoid arthritis and is back to walking and shaking hands–All because of a strict plant based diet. He never took any immunologic’s (eg. Imuran)I have had countless others significantly improve their life and some even stop and even reverse their autoimmune disease (eg, Lupus, Ulcerative Colitis, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease) and don’t forget stopping and reversing Heart Disease, Diabetes, Cancer, High Blood Pressure, etc.And I will tell you the ones I do not see get better are the ones that don’t change their diet! Some respond better than others to dietary changes but all have significant improvement in their quality of life if they switch to a plant based diet!! Bottom line I have never seen any bad side effects from a plant based lifestyle change if done correctly. When I say “correctly” I mean eating a varied whole-food plant based diet, low in added oils with daily B12 (at least 250mcg). Some people think they can survive off just salad and that doesn’t work. You need complex carbohydrates, such as beans, rice, corn, whole wheat pasta, and potato’s in addition to the fruits and vegetables.Another option would be to go for a water fast that is medically supervised by Michael Klaper, MD at True North Medical center in Santa Rosa, CA. https://www.facebook.com/truenorthhealth. I have worked with many of the Physicians and Dietitians there and they are first class!At True North I have seen astounding results with the patients and this is where T. Colin Campbell, PhD (the Famous Author of the China Study) went to detox from Dioxin one of the most deadly toxins known (http://www.vegsource.com/news09/031612.html).Anyway you are on the right track and I hope you can find someone locally who can support you medically with your dietary changes. If you haven’t found a doc that supports what you do keep looking and asking around until you find one. It is definitely worth your time. I hope this helps you. ;-)Thank you so much for the information Hemo Dynamic! So much to learn! Very encouraging ! I appreciate all the thoughts and helpful advice! The more I learn, the more I realize how very little I actually knew. This site as well as Dr Greger is amazing! Thanks for being here.	AIDS,autoimmune diseases,breast cancer,breast disease,cancer,cell death,cervical cancer,colon cancer,hepatitis,immune function,immunosuppressive drugs,inflammation,Kaposi’s sarcoma,liver cancer,liver disease,liver health,pancreas health,pancreatic cancer,pancreatitis,rectal cancer,skin cancer,stomach cancer,stomach health,stomach inflammation,thymus,ulcerative colitis	Because certain tumors such as breast cancers thrive in settings of low-grade inflammation, our immune response can sometimes facilitate tumor growth.	This is the first of a seven video series that takes a deep dive into the human immune system to bring you Neu5Gc, a molecule in meat that human tumors may use to facilitate growth. It's one of the most fascinating topics in modern day nutrition—stay tuned! I've done similar in-depth series on reversing cancer cell growth, why animal products cause inflammation, changing vitamin D recommendations, arugula athleticism, why nuts don't appear to cause expected weight gain, as well as the latest dietary guidelines.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: How Tumors Use Meat to Grow, Plant-Based Diets for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Flax and Breast Cancer Survival , and Mushrooms and Immunity	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kaposis-sarcoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immunosuppressive-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervical-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hepatitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thymus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ulcerative-colitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18364013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9571699,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16232048,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16445778,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11689875,
PLAIN-2829	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/	Unsweetening the Diet	The third way artificial sweeteners may counter-intuitively lead to weight gain involves maintaining the cravings of, and dependency on, all things sweet. By continuing to consume any sweeteners—with or without calories—we are unable to train our flavor preferences away from intensely sweet foods. Its like if you go on a low salt diet, for the first few weeks everything tastes like cardboard until your taste buds have a chance adapt to the new norm. After that, natural low sodium foods tastes perfectly fine and adding table salt tastes gross because it’s way too salty. Same thing with the sweeteners. At home maybe you use erythritol—that's great, but then you go on vacation and what if you forget it at home? You still take your preference for intensely sweet food with you and that may end up translating into the increased consumption of less than healthy foods. So those are the caveats even for something nontoxic like erythritol. It’s safe, but only you don’t use it as an excuse to eat more junk food.	Does this include high fruit intake?Fruits should not be put at the same level as added sugars. Fruits are indeed very healthy and we should eat plenty of them.I’m salivating just looking at those donuts…I agree. The photo is making me want donuts (or doughnuts, as we write in Canada).Now I’m thinking about the donut shop across the street. Why did I read this? :)LOL, I think y’all are proving Dr. Greger’s point :) Your brain is making you want donuts. Someone might be addicted to sugar.Eat teenty bananas a day and tons of other fruits and you won’t crave doughnutZzDr. Greger–Could you comment on the benefits, if any, of eating sacha inchi seeds (also called savi seeds). They are being touted for their omega 3 content. Are the claims justified?Hi itsme, Have you eaten sacha inchi seeds before? I haven’t just yet, but am certainly curious. You asked Dr. Greger whether the hype surrounding their omega-3 content is warranted. If I may, research confirms that sacha inchi seeds wield an impressive 6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per serving, comprising approximately 50% of their fat content. And since omega-3 fatty acids promote health in myriad ways, sacha inchi seeds will compliment the 250 mg of microalgae-based DHA that Dr. Greger recommends daily. Let me know if you try them, as I’ll be interested in whether you enjoy their taste.But how much Omega 6 is present. I’ll stick with the flaxIf it comes from a plant, eat it. If it’s made in a plant, don’t eat it.I highly recommend date-almond rolls, which are now available in most grocery stores. It’s just whole fruits and nuts + fun.If date-almond rolls are available at most grocery stores is it safe to guess they are made with refined (bleached) flour?Hi Dr Greger. I have suffered from chronic fatigue for many years of my life (since my teens). I have also always been a big sugar addict. I’ve been vegan for about 10 months now and am disappointed to find I still suffer from the chronic fatigue. So I have decided to give up refined sugar and processed foods in the hopes that it will help me. I am also hoping to lose a bit of the “chub” I carry around my middle. But I’m confused about fruit – I read a lot of information online stating that fructose is bad on the liver and contributes to weight gain. I know that fruit is the natural form of fructose, but a lot of people seem to say if you’re giving up sugar because of addiction reasons, you should steer clear of fruit as well. I’m quite torn about this because I love having my Dr Fuhrman vege/fruit smoothie in the morning for breakfast and I know fruit is full of nutrients that my body can thrive on. But is fruit consumption sabotaging my attempts to get over my sugar addiction and lose my excess fat? Are there certain fruits (e.g. dates) that I should cut out completely? I often use dates to make raw vegan sweet treats on the weekend. Any help much appreciated! Thank you for such a helpful and informative website!According to another video from Dr. Greger, dates are fantastic! See: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/Have you had your thyroid checked? Craving sweets, fatigue, cold hands and feet are possible warning signs. I learned this from Dr. Kripps of Kripps Pharmacy in Vancouver. He is 90 and still works one day a week at the pharmacy. Take a look at his video about thyroid at the bottom of this page: krippspharmacy dot comHe also wrote a book on this topic. Good luck, Chelsea!Have you had your thyroid checked? Sugar craving and fatigue can point to a problem there. Iodine can help with this. See Dr. Greger’s video about vegan and omnivore vitamin deficiencies.I first learned about the thyroid symptoms from Stephen Kripps of Kripps Pharmacy (krippspharmacy dot com) in Vancouver. He’s 90, full of life and very knowledgable in how to stay healthy. Their line of supplements was recommended to me by a nutritionist in the U.S.xylitol ; could you comment more on the sweetner xylitol ? I’ve used it and from what I read, it’s really good but I can only read what the seller has to say. Is it as good as it sounds ?Dr. Greger recommends to stay away from xylitol because it draws water out of the large intestines which leads to diarrhea and possibly dehydration.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/Erythritol on the other hand is neutral and may even have antioxidant like properties.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/I agree. Not everything has to be sweet. Sweet and salty often mask the myriad of other flavors. My favourite sweeteners are fruits. When I want something sweeter, I use dates.I’ve been taking date sugar with me in a sandwich bag when I go on trips. I’ll do the same with this stuff. I went to meet my wife’s biological family and when I pulled ripened bananas and dates from my bag, I got smiles from all around. Love knows best.	artificial sweeteners,caloric restriction,calories,erythritol,fat,junk food,obesity,overeating,salt,sodium,sugar,sweeteners,weight loss	All sweeteners--natural and artificial, caloric and non-caloric—help maintain cravings for intensely sweet foods.	The other two mechanisms by which low calorie sweeteners could counterintuitively lead to weight gain were explored in Wednesday's and yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day. If one is able to maintain a healthy diet at home and away, though, then there may be no dietary downside to moderate erythritol consumption. See Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant. Just remember that though most erythritol is absorbed before it reaches the large colon, a small precentage remains, so if you eat sufficiently large amounts you can indeed trigger the osmotic diarrhea seen more commonly with the non-absorbed sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and xylitol.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: How to Gain Weight on Diet Soda	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/09/how-to-gain-weight-on-diet-soda/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/overeating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erythritol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/	-
PLAIN-2830	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/	Neurobiology of Artificial Sweeteners	Other than “overcompensation for expected caloric reduction,” there are two other ways that the most nontoxic noncaloric sweetener could still be harmful if we're not careful. When our brain registers the sensation of sweetness on our tongue, it has millions of years of evolution telling it we just put a piece of fruit in our mouth and so your brain yells eat it, and boosts our appetite, because the only naturally sweet things on the planet are super healthy, right? Fruit, sweet potatoes, beets. You drink a can of diet soda and your brain thinks you just stumbled across a wild blueberry bush or something, and sends urgent signals to consume consume, consume, before someone else gets wind of your bounty. Now your body’s not stupid. It knows if you eat too many calories of any food you might get fat and not be able outrun run some saber tooth tiger so there are signals that come up from our gut when we absorb calories into our system telling us eventually to slow down, we’ve had enough. But with noncaloric sweeteners we have a disconnect. We just have the appetite boosting effects on our brain of the sweet nerve sensations from our tongue, but without the appetite suppressing effects of the calories coming into our system and so this revved up appetite may lead us to overeat more than we would have without the diet soda and end up gaining weight.	The sweet facts on your hunger drive.Hi Dr Greger, does this research apply to sweetners such as stevia and xylitol?Indeed it does, Dr. Greger recommends staying away from all artificial sweeteners except erythritol for its duel antioxidant benefit http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/This is an important subject. Addiction to sweetness is a much underrated modern condition that has been severely exploited by the food industry. It does not really matter in this respect what the type of sweetener it is; the exaggerated digestive signal is sufficiently problematic.There are genetic differences involved. My genes show that I’m a super taster of sweet with a childhood aversion to bitterness. It’s interesting that the genetic aversion to bitterness wears off over time and actually becomes a preference in mid life. However, my sweetness preference under the influence of exploitative food technology became a teenage addiction that took decades to get under control and particularly at the expense of my dental health.The fact that sugar is antibacterial and used as a preservative for product shelf life is an additional factor. Excess sugar as empty calories and artificial sweeteners with zero calories, both do enormous damage, not to mention the ubiquitous high fructose corn syrup. They badly distort our evolutionary instincts, yet we continue to reward our children with ‘sweeties’. It’s a cultural disaster.Is this an argument to stop chewing gum? I chew a lot of gum because it prevents me from snacking, but maybe I’m actually doing my body a disservice and consuming more calories overall because of the artificial sweetness of the gum.Just sharing from a friends experience: He did the same thing to help curb his food cravings, it seemed to build on itself. The more sugar free gum he had the hungrier he felt so the more gum he chewed. When he finally stopped with the gum and began focusing on eating healthy instead of simply reducing calories he started loosing weight, which was his goal and has been maintaining his progress for about 9 months now.I am addicted to sugar., and between that, menopause, osteoporosis and dental disease I’m doomed. My son is a type 1 diabetic, where can he find ERYTHITOL?	artificial sweeteners,beets,blueberries,caloric restriction,calories,fat,fruit,obesity,overeating,soda,sugar,sweet potatoes,sweeteners,weight loss	The disconnect between sweetness sensations coming from our tongue and the lack of a caloric feedback loop in the gut may result in overeating.	The overcompensation mechanism was explored in yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day How Diet Soda Could Make Us Gain Weight. Note that both can be overcome if one is eating consciously. The same goes for the final potential mechanism in tomorrow's video-of-the-day Unsweetening the Diet.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: How to Gain Weight on Diet Soda	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/09/how-to-gain-weight-on-diet-soda/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/overeating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsweetening-the-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18096409,
PLAIN-2831	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/	How Diet Soda Could Make Us Gain Weight	Erythritol, the too-good-to-be-true nontoxic, low-calorie, tooth friendly sweetener that may even act as an antioxidant. What’s the catch? Well, there are three ways that all noncaloric sweeteners could theoretically be harmful independent of their specific chemistry. Over the years, “Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain,” meaning the people that drank the most diet soda, for example, gained the most weight. The most common explanation for this counterintuitive finding is what's called reverse causation. People aren’t fat because they drink diet soda, they drink diet soda because they’re fat! But there are at least three other less benign alternative explanations. The first is called “overcompensation for expected caloric reduction.” If you covertly switch someone's soda for diet soda without them knowing it, their caloric intake drops, obviously— they’re not drinking all that sugar anymore. But what if you tell them what you did? People who knowingly are consuming artificial sweeteners may actually end up eating more calories. Why? because they’re like hey, I’m drinking diet soda, so I can have two pieces of cake. In this study they gave people an artificially sweetened cereal for breakfast, but only told half of the group what they did. As you can see when it came to lunchtime, the aspartame-informed group ate significantly more than the aspartame-naive group that didn't know any different. Basically, it’s the diet soda with a fast food meal syndrome.	Your introductory image says it all: Diet coke with a Greasy fried, ground cow carcass and a plate full of (I’m sure) “healthy” peanut oil deep fried fries. That Diet Coke reassures me that I’m doing a good thing by watching my sugar intake so therefore I can up the fat– and fat– and fat intake. Atkins has taught them well!There is another aspect here. I read some years ago that the insulin production system is anticipatory. When sweetness is detected on the tongue the insulin production system cranks up immediately, but when the diet soda hits the digestive system there is no sugar to process, so there is just a surplus of insulin that then affects appetite. False messages simply have bad consequences. I suspect that some other artificial flavourings also give false signals to the digestive system.I have heard this, too. All I know is that when I have a Diet Coke (which I LOOOOVE), it always makes me absolutely starving in a while – like, gonna-pass-out kind of hungry.I Thank God for you, Dr. Greger, for ALL you do. Hawaii Veg Society had mentioned you’d be back in Honolulu next Spring. I am delighted!! God Bless you!Happy to help! See my speaking schedule here.I’m not saying diet pop is healthy but having a few diet pops a week while doing a Mcdougall diet is not going to have any weight impact. Even as vegans we need to be consistent with our ability to understand and quote the science.See for example: Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. @ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25231862I don’t feel well after consuming diet sodas and I think I’ve connected it to the citric acid they contain. I’m sticking with water. Who knows what that acid does over time.There is another mechanism which has been studied and found to be in effect: Three teams of people chopping sugar cane. The first got to drink water, the second sugar water, the third got to flush with sugar water.The third group performed best. The theory: Group 1 didn’t get carbs so the body signalled to take it easy. Group 2: The body got carbs but had to digest them causing it in another way to take it easy. Group 3’s bodies got the signal carbs were coming but didn’t have to digest them, thus more energy was given than was gotten.Sounds like a miracle solution, doesn’t it? Yes, but there’s a catch. Your body expected something but didn’t get it which resulted in energy mismanagement and confusion. And exactly this confusion causes people who eat diet coke to overeat.I still believe the biggest influence around nutrition comes down to the psychology of someone’s mind and the influencing factors which surround and compound us. We have marketing and media, our immediate social and work environment, the growing distrust in science and preference given to anecdotal evidence or pseudoscience; all of which manipulate our ability to make logical decisions	abdominal fat,antioxidants,artificial sweeteners,aspartame,body fat,breakfast cereal,cake,caloric restriction,calories,erythritol,fast food,fat,obesity,overeating,soda,sugar,sweeteners,weight loss	People consuming low calorie sweeteners may overcompensate by eating more than they otherwise would.	In Friday's video Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia and Monday's Diet Soda and Preterm Birth some concerns were raised about the artificial sweetener aspartame, but erythritol was given a pass in Tuesday's video-of-the-day Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant. I'll go through the other two potential harms arising even from harmless low calorie sweeteners in the next two videos.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: How to Gain Weight on Diet Soda	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/09/how-to-gain-weight-on-diet-soda/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspartame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/overeating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erythritol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast-cereal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/910740,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19632091,
PLAIN-2832	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/	Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant	The only nontoxic noncaloric or low calorie sweetener may be erythritol. For a while it was only available in Japan but now it's pretty much available everywhere.   It's found naturally in pears and grapes, but industrially we just have yeast make it for us. Doesn’t cause cavities, and hasn’t been implicated in fibromyalgia, preterm birth, headaches, hypertension,   brain disorders, and   platelet disorders. In videos in years past I’ve talked about erythritol as being harmless, but new data suggests that I have to change my tune.   Now it actually may be helpful. Adding to its role as a “low-calorie, tooth-friendly, bulk sweetener,” erythritol may be a sweet antioxidant. This shows the dose dependent protective effect of   increasing concentrations of erythritol on the oxidative destructive of red blood cells. The reason they even looked for antioxidant activity is   because structurally it looks like   mannitol, a well-known antioxidant. The problem with mannitol and other polyols such as xylitol and sorbitol is that they aren’t absorbed   and so can cause gastrointestinal symptoms lower down in the colon. “Safety studies suggest that erythritol is well tolerated and shows no signs of toxicity. It is therefore an excellent sugar substitute, for example, for individuals with diabetes because it can both replace sugar and maybe even help reduce free radical formation. Both are expected to reduce the onset and progression of painful and life-threatening diabetic complications.	That is Sweet news– and no bitter aftertaste. ;-}I ordered Erythritol online after one of your videos, and I am in love! I think it’s a fantastic sub for sugar, and I love that it’s not harmful and extremely low calorie. This begs the question, though- why hasn’t this sweetener been marketed mainstream? Why is it not a single person I know has ever heard of it? It seems like a miracle sweetener to me, and that it should be widespread news by now. Perhaps there’s a opportunity here to bring it to mass market?Hmmm, that is interesting? I wonder what is behind that. Maybe if it were more widely available, it’d be cheaper.In Australia it is used in a lot of stevia sweeteners, they market it as being stevia but it is more like 90% Erythritol and 10% stevia. I can’t even taste the stevia, it’s very easy to have in tea and coffee!Death. It’s our main industry. If it doesn’t make people sick, it doesn’t help the pharmaceutical people. Conspiracy? We’re all a living conspiracy. That is, if you believe your parents worked together to have you.This is really interesting. It seems like the holly grail, but you never hear about it in the news.I chew xylitol gum and suck on the mints off and on throughout the day. I would be interesting to switching to erythritol (couldn’t they have come up with an easier name?) if such products existed. I haven’t found any yet. If anyone finds something, please let us know.FYI for those who do not know: You *can* buy bags of the crystalized erythritol and use it in place of sugar, but I’m not sure yet what the best types uses are. There is a cookbook for cooking with xylitol. Maybe someday someone will come out with a cookbook for cooking erythritol. That would be very helpful.Hi Thea, I purchase the Wholesome Sweetners Zero erythritol. If you cannot find it a t a local market, it is available online via Vitacost.WholeFoodChomper: It’s taken me some time to get back to these posts. Thanks for your reply.I appreciate the tip. But note: I have already purchased the erythritol crystals like Wholesome sells. I am hoping to get some erythritol gum and mints like is easy to get for xylitol. I didn’t see that Wholesome has those products.Still, I appreciate your brand tip. I may try Wholesome next.I have found that xylitol has a tremendously positive (almost giving an immunity) effect on dental health. Further if combined with soy (tempeh and tofu) 5% by calorie xylitol perhaps can rebuild bone (increasing bone density). Erythritol might enhance xylitol. I think it is worth while investigating it also. It has a very mild taste compared to xylitol. Xylitol is much cheaper. I by mine in bulk from NOW products. I am not selling xylitol. I just am a person who is excited by what it has done for me. Like you I chew (stopped because my jaw is tired) xylitol gum.Look for Swerve…. http://www.amazon.com/Swerve-300115-Sweetener-16oz-1lb/dp/B004X71550What about the sugar trehalose? Is it healthy as some sources say? Recently I read that mice lived 40% longer when given another sweet substance, glycine, the same as if they had been on a reduce methionine diet- in fact, there may be a positive interaction between the two amino acids. Fruits and vegetables have the highest ratio of glycine of all foods which may explain some of their health benefits. I’ve been using glycine powder as a sweetener recently and I find I like it very much. Could it be that glycine is a healthier sweetener than erythritol?another excellent and valuable 2 minutes from Dr. Greger!It’s in stevia soda and coco polo chocolate for example. It has a cooling effect which may taste funny in some things.That was ZeviaHow interesting. Fructose has a cooling effect, too. Like in jelly donuts. Is it something like that?I’ve made really great stuff with erythritol. It does have that strange cooling which can be weird in some things. When I’m unsure if it’ll work totally subbing sugar, I’ve successfully replaced more than half the sugar with erythritol with great results. I just used it along with dates for the sweetener in persimmon cookies last night!Oh, great ideas! I haven’t tried this yet, but I wonder if erythritol would work as a simple syrup. Has anyone tried this?You may want to try date sugar (made of powdered dates) to make a syrup, as the fiber will cause a thickening, thus more closely emulating the consistency you seek.Oh, interesting suggestion! I’ll have to give that a try. I have date sugar, but I do not like it much. I find that it is not as sweet as dates (blended with a bit of water). Thanks for the tip, Lew.Perhaps you might try adding erythritol to the date sugar, for an extra boost (though erythritol is less sweet than sugar). I would probably just add some Agave Syrup (much sweeter than sugar) to the date sugar mix. In fact, I think I’d prefer the Agave in this case, as its thick consistency is what you want.Erythritol: http://www.amazon.com/Lew-Payne-Sweetener/dp/B001E5E3IAThanks, Lew, yes, this is the exact same Erythritol that I use in other ways. I just have this “date sugar” that I need to use up (I hate to waste food). I like your suggestion. Thx!A bit ironic. Dr. Greger has repeatedly poked fun at the meat industries assertions that going vegan would be ‘obviously unacceptable’, and in vids like this his unstated assumption seems to be that giving up sweet junk food is clearly unacceptable, lol. It seems there are a few sacred cows in the good doctors kitchen ;-) These erythritol findings are nice for people who wish to keep up with their cookies and cakes, but the possibility of a fully satisfying diet devoid of junk food shouldnt be ignored.Perhaps you can explain how a sweet “Kool-Aid like” drink made of erythritol, hibiscus and spices is a “junk food.” Or how black bean brownies, sweetened with erythritol, qualify as “junk food.” Your false implication is that Dr. Gregor is implicitly touting the use of erythritol in junk foods, to replace the sugar component. Some of us see a wider use for the data Dr. Gregor is touting, and choose to govern ourselves by fact rather than assumption.I don’t think that anyone here, at least not me, is ignoring the possibility of “a fully satisfying diet devoid of junk food”. I don’t think that is the point of this video at all. Dr. Greger is pretty clear that when it comes to food her prefers and recommends those with the most nutritional value (e.g., green tea over coffee, and in this case erythritol and/or dates over other sweeteners).I for one don’t like to eat cookies and cakes and such, but some dishes do call for a bit of sweetener to complete them. And those on plant-based diets need to have a healthy option to turn to. These videos help with making that choice.BTW- even Dr. MCDougall allows for some sugar in his PBD Carbohydrates and Sugar.And, given Dr. Greger’s video today Unsweetening the Diet he seems to be in agreement with you @75dace941fb67da4ab6d7c40725e1771:disqus regarding junk food.I’ve never seen plain erythritol in my local stores, however, the ingredients listed for the sweetener Truvia are: erythritol, rebiana, and natural flavors. Is the Truvia brand of erythritol safe, or should I look for 100% erythritol? Does Whole Foods carry straight erythritol?I have the exact same question about Truvia. Does it fall under “erythritol” or is it not good for us? Anyone know?Truvia, in addition to erythritol, contains stevia extract. As you already know from prior videos, stevia has been linked to deterious side effects. Erythritol is readily available on amazon, and some speciality stores.Not really. If you read this articlehttp://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CFQQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissclasses.com%2Fmp3s%2FPrize%2520CD%25202010%2FPrevious%2520years%2FSweeteners%2FCritical%2520stevia%2520review.pdf&ei=wMfEUPL2GsW72QWJxoCQCw&usg=AFQjCNEc2oRy_-zPucnq8k-dOIw5O9tprw&sig2=bVUFLkbGpsfFNNnlaqIpCg(see the toxicity section)It seems quite possible even likely that the genetic changes seen in rat studies etc are coming from contaminants and not from the stevia itself. If that is true, the at the least, the whole leaf, green stevia powder is likely quite safe. The concentrated extract used in Truvia may or may not be depending on how pure it actually isTami, I purchase the Wholesome Sweeteners Zero erythritol. It is 100% erythritol. If you cannot find it a t a local market, it is available online via Vitacost. I’m not a Whole Foods shopper, but I have a feeling that they probably carry some sort of 100% erythritol sweetener. It’s worth a call to find out. ;-)Tami: I’ve never tried Truvia, but I have some points for you:1) In researching WholeFoodChomper’s tip on the Wholesome brand, I came across a review of 3 sweeteners – all of which had at least some erythritol in it. I have no idea on the validity of the review, but I thought I would share that the reviewer did not like 2 of the 3. The two that the reviewer did not like were like Truvia in that they had other ingredients than just the erythritol. Only the brand that had only erythritol was judged to be good.2) I never trust a product that says “natural flavors”. That can mean almost anything. What are they hiding? Just a thought.Manitol can cause gas eh. There’s manitol in my B12 supp. Maybe that’s why I get a bit bloated. I’m doing pretty much everything else right.One gram of erythritol is enough to kill a 10 pound dog. Dog lovers beware, erythritol is deadly to dogs. http://yourlife.usatoday.com/parenting-family/vet-views/story/2011/02/Vets-view-Xylitol-can-be-deadly-to-dogs-/43576818/1Hi John, I just read the article you posted. Thanks for sharing it! I just wanted to point out that the article talks about the risks of Xylitol to pets and not Erythritol. Based on these videos, I believe the two sweeteners are different. Cautious dog owners may want to look into the matter some more to see if Erythritol poses the same risk.I immediately thought about toxicity to dogs when I heard about erythritol and could only find one item… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8933641 It seems that it’s not harmful to dogs if this study is correct. Does anyone have more detail or research on pet safety? I’m concerned about inadvertent consumption here as I have very crafty pups. There must be better ways to find these things out. I deplore animal testing.Yes, it is Xylitol and not Erythritol that causes harm to dogs. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8933641Will you be using this in your Hibiscus Tea?Most definitely; it works really nicely with teas. Really anywhere where you would normally use sugar.Here are a couple of the ways that Dr. Greger likes to use Erythritol: What do you drink, Dr. Greger? and Pink Juice with Green Foam.Thanks for sharing those links @WholeFoodChomper:disqus !:)What about xylitol? It’s the closest to sugar in taste, while erythritol alters a bit the taste of beverages. Xylitol is also a polyol with no glicemic effect and non-cariogenic.Dr. Greger mentions the possible laxative effects of Xylitol in this very video. Suggesting that it would not be a good option for some people. See also Dr. Greger’s other videos were he discusses Xylitol; to see what the research indicates. You can do a search for them or use the “Health Topics” index to find them.Also, it should be noted that those with dogs who have a sweet tooth, Xylitol Xylitol toxicity in dogs.Xylitol does have a glycemic effect though much less so than sucrose. The laxative effect for most people, requires intake of a lot more than you would ever want to eat! If you use it as you would regular sugar you won’t have a problem unless you are the rare individual.Erythritol has zero glycemic effect and no effect on insulin secretion. Stevia while having no glycemic effect, apparently does stimulate insulin releaseI have been using xylitol daily in smoothies and hot beverages for the past few months since switching from erythritol. I got a 25-pound bag and and quite satisfied with it. Any colon effects have been minimal to none that I can tell.What is it and how does it grow? Sounds kinda’ like a chemical name, doesn’t it?Oh, (blush) it is.It is actually derived from fruits, such as pears.I’d like to know what you think about the “natural flavors” in Z Sweet.What about Lakanto? No taste and 1/1 sugar replacement Being used in China for eonsMonin Sugarfree Syrups have been using Erythritol for years. When it used to be called Eridex. Its scary what chemicals you will find in those other coffee syrups.I would stay away from any artificial sweetener. Drink water or, if you need sweetness, use REAL sugar.So does erythritol not have the side effects of sugars like inflammation, decreased immune function, increase of vaginal infections??Which would be better (in terms of health) for baking – pureed dates or erythritol? Erythritol seems to have very little sweetness, though, so I find myself using what seems to be a very lot. Thanks!Whole plant foods always win out compared with an added sweetener. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/Erythritol has only 1 defect which might prevent it from selling as well as sucralose and aspartame. Erythritol is only 60% to 70% as sweet as table sugar (sucrose). For comparison, sucralose is 600 times as sweet as table sugar and aspartame is 200 times as sweet as table sugar. This means that erythritol must be consumed in huge quantities: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythritol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame http://www.amazon.com/Now-Foods-Erythritol-2-50-Pounds/dp/B007XA49BG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1367951381&sr=8-2You make a good point. I think initially most people will use more Erythritol to get the same amount of sweetness as they do from sugar. I’ve found that I have actually used less sugar since switching to Erythritol. My taste buds have adjusted to liking things much less sweet. Erythritol might be a good way for folks to make that adjustment, too.Hello, Dr. Greger, and a thousand thanks from a *paying* subscriber!A bit of a stevia addict, I tried using erythritol instead, but have found two unfortunate side effects: definite bowel gas/pain and terrible persistent thirst. Interestingly I can’t find any information on the latter problem, but wondered if you’ve encountered others who’ve reported this issue.I thank you again for all you do. As a normal weight, non-diabetic vegan celiac fairly successfully duking it out with rheumatoid disease, I’m truly grateful for your guidance.Dear Doctor Greger I enjoy your presentations and been influenced by them already as I stopped eating meat altogether. Didn’t go Vegan yet but working on it. Anyway, I wonder if you happened to check the sweetener combination of Erythritol and Monk Fruit extract (Siraitia Grosvenori Momordica? Maybe wrong spelling?)? Thank you! AviI have been using Wholesome Sweeteners Zero (erythritol) for a couple of years. Today for the first time I opened a bag and it had a bad smell and the texture looked damp, less dry and granular than usual. So, I opened a second bag, same thing. Dates on bag are not expired. Will return to Whole Foods but do you have any thoughts on this product “going bad”?The only sweetener I tried – with the exception of sugar, maple syrup and honey – is Stevia. Regretfully, Stevia bloats me a lot. So I kinda gave up on all the sweeteners and I simply eat fruits. My favorite dessert is a dates/coconut flakes dessert.Can we be 100% sure that Erythritol doesn’t have any harmful effects?I don’t think you can ever be 100% sure. Individuals may not tolerate Erythritol either in small amounts or may have dose related issues. Using sweeteners in small amounts whether erythritol or table sugar is associated with a low risk of problems. I would stay away from artificial sweeteners and limit amount.Our family has been using small amounts this sweetener daily, since we saw your video on it in 2012. I would appreciate you looking at this article and commenting on the validity of this recently circulated study on Erythritol: http://www.naturalnews.com/045450_Truvia_erythritol_natural_pesticide.htmlI also recently read an article about erythritol killing flies. It’s interesting to think I’m consuming pesticide.http://www.getholistichealth.com/39964/scientists-shocked-as-fruit-flies-die-in-less-than-a-week-from-eating-gmo-derived-erythritol/Does this study warrant a reevaluation of your opinion on the safety or Erythritol for humans or just identify a secondary use as an insecticide? http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0098949 and http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/research-finds-erythritol-truvia-sweetener-kills-fruit-fliesZnaturalfoods.com has it for 8 bucks a pound. Best price i have found. They have lots of other good stuff too.Can you crystallize erythritol like candy? Could you make crystallized ginger with it?Erythritol was mentioned in a hibiscus video. What’s this? Is it healthy? BOOM! There’s a video on it. The only problem in life that Dr. Greger may not be able to solve is, “What’s the best pair of sunglasses for truck drivers?” Although, the videos on macular degeneration relieve my tension on the matter :)Good Doctors Please relate to Erythritol and Diabetes type 1. Is it allowed, besides the issue of Hypoglycemia (Blood sugar is much too low!)? Erythritol is not recommended then as it will not rise the level of blood sugar!.It may be a better source than table sugar and others, as a non-caloric sugar alcohol. I am not sure the glycemic index of erythritol I wouldn’t think it does anything to blood sugar, so you are right that taking it when hypoglycemic will have little to no effect. In the video Dr. Greger is referring to type 2 diabetes.	antioxidants,blood pressure,brain disease,brain health,calories,colon health,diabetes,erythritol,grapes,headaches,hypertension,Japan,pears,platelets,side effects,sorbitol,sugar,sweeteners,xylitol	The natural sweetener erythritol does not appear to carry the adverse effects associated with other low and non-caloric natural and artificial sweeteners and may actually have antioxidant potential.	This is the third in a video series on sweeteners. See Friday's and yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day about aspartame. Stevia is another natural sweetener that was launched in Japan, but it could have adverse effects at high doses. See Is Stevia Good For You?. I previously addressed erythritol in A Harmless Artificial Sweetener--the too-good-to-be-true nontoxic, low-calorie, tooth friendly sweetener that may even act as an antioxidant. So what’s the catch? I'll close out this series with three videos that address a few possibilities starting with Wednesday's video-of-the-day How Diet Soda Could Make Us Gain Weight.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts:  Is There a Safe, Low-Calorie Sweetener?, How to Gain Weight on Diet Soda, and Hibiscus Tea: The Best Beverage?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/07/is-there-a-safe-low-calorie-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/09/how-to-gain-weight-on-diet-soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xylitol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erythritol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pears/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sorbitol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/platelets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17534100,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21176433,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19632091,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18708962,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16277764,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19593279,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18627677,
PLAIN-2833	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/	Diet Soda and Preterm Birth	When we learned how bad butter was, the food industry responded by giving us margarine, which… turned out even worse. When dietary guidelines told us to lower our fat intake in hopes that we’d pick up an apple, the   food industry gave us fudge drizzled chocolate chip cookies. Similar reasoning led to the billion dollar diet soda industry. Now with vitamins and minerals! “Intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks and risk of preterm delivery: a prospective cohort study in 59,334 pregnant Danes”.    Conclusion: “Daily intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks may increase the risk of preterm delivery.” And it probably wasn’t the caffeine or other additives, since the same sweetened versions of the soda didn’t result in the same problem. So what is it? They think it’s the aspartame: “After ingestion, aspartame is broken down into methanol. Methanol is oxidized into formaldehyde, which isn’t great stuff. This might be one factor explaining reports of headaches linked to the intake of aspartame . Researchers suggest “that the observed shortening of pregnancy could either be related to the effects of methanol on the fetal neuroendocrine system or an indirect action on the mother’s uterus…	Not such a sweet trade-off!If you’re gonna eat sweets eat the real thing. Preferably organically grown cane sugar. Or Organic Blue Agave or Maple syrup or Stevia. (I have a feeling I am setting myself up here.)BTW Love the spell checker!!! That is a great feature!For Dr. Greger’s take on the healthiest sweetener options see: The Healthiest Sweetener.It seems research suggests Stevia is not a good sweetener to (over)use: Is Stevia Good For You? So, it is best to be careful with this one.As far as artificial sweeteners go, erythritol seems to be the best choice A Harmless Artificial Sweetener. Although, I find that it is rather pricey.Personally, I depending on what I need sweetened, I use agave syrup, erythritol, or homemade date syrup as my preferred sweeteners of choice.Homemade Date Syrup RecipeSoak dates in water over night. Pit dates. Add pitted dates to food processor with soaking water. Process as smooth as possible (add more water depending on consistency you like). You can leave some in the fridge for immediate use in smoothies, baking, dressings, etc. Or, you can freeze in an ice cube tray for future use.I forgot about the dates! Thanks for that sweet addition ;-)You are most welcome! Dates just rock! Don’t they?Dates are in my oatmeal every morning. They are delicioso.I blend dates in almost all my smoothies.If methanol (from aspartame) were the culprit here we’d expect to see a similar negative effect in women who regularly ate apples, drank orange juice, etc. Ounce for ounce many fruit juices actually contain more methanol than that metabolized by the same amount of diet soda. The “pro-aspartame” folks have widely publicized this information in attempting to defend their product.Diet soda appears to be a factor here, but it detracts from the author’s credibility when they offers methanol as a likely explanation. Either they’re not aware of the widely publicized information on how common low-levels of methanol already are in our diet or they’re intentionally disregarding this information in reaching their conclusion.What you don’t understand is that methanol in apples, oj, etc is always bonded with a natural antidote, rendering it harmless. This antidote is absent in aspartame, therefore there is potential for harmful effects. The way elements in food are bonded together in compounds are just as important, if not more so, than the elements themselves. (employed by Wisdom Natural Brands the makers of SweetLeaf Stevia)Fruit juices contain much more ethanol than methanol. Ethanol is the antidote for methanol poisoning.This is just the tip of a very large iceberg because diet sodas also cause many of the runaway diseases of civilization through methanol poisoning. Canned goods and smoking are other modern sources of methanol.Test animals like rats and monkeys can tolerate 100x more methanol than man so many mistakes have been made by the FDA and others.http://www.whilesciencesleeps.com/pdf/586.pdfI started drinking Diet Pepsi in 1985 with aspartame. I got pregnant in 1988 and my doc said diet pepsi was fine. :/ I started pre-term labor at 6 weeks, but they were able to stop it. In 1992, after drinking diet pop for 7 years, I went into labor at 8 weeks and they were not able to stop it. I said then, I bet one day they will publish a report that says Aspartame causes pre-term labor. SighHere’s an interesting study that contradicts the earlier Danish study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22854404[In this Norwegian study, people who had a high intake of sugar-sweetened soft drinks had a 25% increased incidence of preterm delivery while people who had a high intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks had only an 11% increased incidence of preterm delivery].The odds ratios in this study were so close to 1.00 that the real cause of more preterm deliveries could be anything from sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, phosphoric acid, or caffeine to miscalculated or neglected confounding variables to higher polyphenol intake among people who drink various teas or fruit juices instead of soft drinks.	artificial sweeteners,aspartame,calories,Denmark,formaldehyde,headaches,pregnancy,side effects,soda,sugar,sweeteners,women's health	Aspartame may be the reason that diet soda consumption during pregnancy has been linked to premature birth.	Folks may also be interested in Friday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia. Regular soda may not be a good idea either. High fructose corn syrup may contain mercury and it’s no good for our kids either (Diet Hyperactivity). See Food Industry Funding Effect for a discussion of how studies funded by soft drink corporations may be biased. I've got 32 other videos on pregnancy and hundreds of videos on a thousand other topics.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts:  Aspartame: Fibromyalgia & Preterm Birth, Is There a Safe, Low-Calorie Sweetener?, and Heading Shrinking from Grilling Meat	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/07/is-there-a-safe-low-calorie-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/30/aspartame-fibromyalgia-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspartame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/denmark/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/formaldehyde/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/	-
PLAIN-2834	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/	Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia	Reported for the first time recently, case reports of  aspartame-induced fibromyalgia, an unusual but curable cause of chronic pain. “50-year-old woman had been suffering from widespread pain and fatigue for more than 10 years leading to the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. Poor woman. During a vacation in a foreign country, she did not suffer from painful symptoms and made a connection with the fact that she had forgotten to take her aspartame. All of the symptoms reappeared in the days following her return when she reintroduced aspartame into her daily diet. Thus, aspartame was definitively excluded from her diet, resulting in a complete regression of the fibromyalgia symptoms. “A 43-year-old man consulted for a 3-year history of bilateral fore-arm, wrist, and hand and neck pain with various unsuccessful treatments. A detailed questioning followed to find out that he had been taking aspartame for three years. The removal of aspartame was followed by a complete regression of pain, without recurrence. “The benefit/ risk ratio of considering the diagnosis of aspartame-induced chronic pain is obvious: the potential benefit is to cure a disabling chronic disease, to spare numerous laboratory and imaging investigations, and to avoid potentially harmful therapies; the potential risk is to temporarily change the patient’s diet. Thus, practitioners should ask patients suffering from fibromyalgia about their intake of aspartame. In some cases, this simple question might lead to the resolution of a disabling chronic disease. And fibromyalgia is no small pain in the neck, affecting an estimated 5 million American, who I believe should all be asked that simple question.	I started having sever knee pain 3 years ago. Doc said I was ‘old and Artritus was to be expected. Take up to six 200mg Advil as needed for pain’. Seemingly unrelated 6 months later I was tired of all the diet soda I was drinking and finally quit. Then I started to notice that I forgot to take the Advil as it was no longer needed. I had to assume that I had gotten younger ! Now I know I’m still old . But at least my knee does’nt hurt.Arthritis is not to be expected; it seems that doc needs some re-education. The more I have been reading about PBD nutrition and wellness in general, the more I learn that many of the conditions that are associated with “old age” really are not related to aging at all, but to lifestyle factors. How wonderful that you were able to treat yourself in a non-invasive way!I’ve suffered from migraines for 20+ yrs….always on Rx of one kind or another. After much research after a medical scare (took too much Rx out of desparation of a migraine that wasn’t going away)….I cut out ALL artificial sweeteners (Aspartame being the one I consumed the most of from Crystal Light). In the blink of an eye, I was MIGRAINE FREE! When I TOLD my neurologist about what I did, she said “Oh, Yeah! It’s a NEUROTOXIN”. I was floored! If this was such common knowledge, how is it remotely possible my own doctor never thought to ask about my diet? All those years on Rx, the cost factor, the sick days, the pain! Very upset, to say the leastIf I were in your shoes, I’d be very upset as well.Recently, on the PCRM web-site I read that several research findings suggest that ginger seems to prevent and treat migraines in some cases. I think that ginger is worth a try for a migraine sufferer.Here’s were I read the info: A Natural Approach to Migraines.Try lavendar oil rubbed under your nose for migraines. Works great for me!“Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World” is a documentary avail on youtube & netflix covering the spectrum of problems aspartame has caused. Not the best production, but a lot of good information.I thank you for that great video Dr. G.And we must all thank Donald Rumsfeld (yes the ex-Secretary of Defense) for getting his companies known, highly toxic substance approved for consumption. What a great country we live in.Check this interesting article by the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robbie-gennet/donald-rumsfeld-and-the-s_b_805581.htmlSomehow I am not surprised, Monsanto is pure evil. Can’t wait to read the article. Thanks for sharing!I have fibro.., never used anything with aspartame. I stay away from the chemicals as much as possible. It helps to keep the monster at bay, but it is still there, especially when I get stressed.Dr. G BTW the website is working much better and it’s loading faster. Thanks for fixing the problem!Aspartic acid is a metabolite of aspartame. Any excess acidic amino acids, including glutamic acid (MSG, natural flavors) may cause Fibromyalgia and general pain.Aspartic acid is a metabolite of aspartame. Any excess acidic amino acids, including glutamic acid (MSG, natural flavors) may cause Fibromyalgia and general pain.So many dietary elements can affect our health! Thank you for this new info (to me, anyhow).I have fbm and have never used artificial sweetners, Ive read so many bad things about them. i just think the closer we get to eating what God made for our bodies the more our bodies will respond well to the,I appreciate this video. The effects of Aspartame on the body is horrific. That said, I too have Fibromyalgia. I have had symptoms now for roughly 15 years, if not longer. I am also vegan and have chosen this lifestyle for the last 3 years. I have never drank anything with Aspartame in it because I never enjoyed the taste. I rarely drink alcohol, coffee, or soda beverages; I have never been a smoker; I do yoga when I can; and still I have pain daily. I would greatly appreciate some advice here. I have researched the topic and come up short. My blood tests say that I’m as healthy as an athlete… I certainly don’t feel like one. My Doctor is stumped as to where we need to go from here. I can’t just accept that this is what I have to live with for the rest of my life. More information and updated studies would be very much appreciated. Sincerely, Shirley RoseDear Shirley, from what I understand, Fibro is caused by a yeast infection called Candida – it’s autoimmune. Google it…and say bye bye to carbs and sugars – greens and beans for a little while and see what happens. Best wishes!I believe it’s caused by the candida, crossing over into a fungal infection in your blood, witch can not be cured by diet. Check out Candidacleanser.comShirley Rose, I’ve been doing some research and found this products advertisement very informative. You can find CandidaCleanser.com online. I don’t have any association with this product an can’t afford the cost to try it myself. I’m not suggesting you buy it, but think you should read it. Would love to know, what you think and if you try it. Thanks, Kelli BrianI would like to know the mechanism behind this effect. Because AFAIK aspartame is just aspartic acid + phenylalanine, two amino acids which – a part the rare cases of phenylketonuria – are harmless. True, the metabolic route of aspartame produces some methanol, but less than what comes from many foods. So, what are the biochemical origins of the hazardous of aspartame?P.S. Why one can no longer log in with Yahoo to post comments?Yes, phenylalanine and aspartic acid are amino acids, but in aspartame they are separated from their protein chain, and therefore become isolates. They are never this way in foods we eat. Furthermore, they are in much higher concentrations in aspartame. Aspartame is 50% phenylalanine and 40% aspartic acid. In food, phenylalanine is only about 4-6% of the amino acid chain. Likewise, methanol while in natural foods as well is always bonded in a compound with a natural anitdote, which wards off any potential harmful effects. Otherwise methanol, wood alcohol, is well-known poison. There is no antidote in aspartame. The methanol then also converts into formaldehyde, well-known carcinogen above 86 degrees F, and remember the body is about 98.6. (employed by Wisdom Natural Brands, the makers of SweetLeaf Stevia)Very bad explanation! Begins with tha comparison of the percentage of an AA in a single molecule with the percentage of an AA in whole food …Massimo is right, I don’t see the link eather.This information makes me wish I used aspartame so I could remove it from my diet and be cured of my fibromyalgia. Alas, it’s not so simple. I haven’t ingested aspartame in years. I need a different magic bullet, I guess.The magic bullet is not just one thing, but eliminating all animal products, refined, and prepackaged products. Add as much color from vegis as possible. Have a bowl of fruit and berries, melons etc first thing in the morning and through the day, and a big bowl of greens in the eve. Eliminate all overt oil. Check out the ratio of nutrients in greens and other vegis on the internet. Most of us have been surprised to see that we can get all we need from a high quality, well thought out vegan diet. My fibromyalgia is all but gone. You can do it!I have been suffering for Fibromyalgia for 15 years now, I never use aspartame or artificial sweeteners in my diet, so it is not the cause. I think it is important to clarify that it isn’t the cause, or the cure. There isn’t a real study here, just speculation, so it would be nice to see something more than subjective pseudoscience. I do agree that aspartame is poison, and will never use it and that no one else should consume the stuff either, but when dealing with diagnosed illnesses such as this, which are under constant speculation as to whether it is a valid condition (which it is, trust me >.<), one must tread lightly. It would be more ethical to say that there is some speculative evidence that aspartame is linked to causing wide spread nerve and muscle pain, instead of listing a specific condition with no proper studies.imitrex and pristix helps with the headaches…doc’s scripts. I have super drink solition that pretty well covers the spectrum of vitamins and trace minerals. Inflammation reduction is key for pain relief. Would rather give this info out by means of person to person email. Don’t want anyone thinking i”ve found a cure… yet…I don’t want to affend anyone. Just hope I can help. I do understand suffering. Hospitalization eventually trned into ARDS, 30 days respirator. Not expected to live. Suprise, suprise.instaflex 4 severe knee joint pain 3 weeks pain reduced 50%.check out CandidaCleanser.comruby, I am in your shoes as well. Thyroid (tsh) 79, Diabetes 2, chronic pain, migraines, bed 20+ hrs daily. Throid peroxidase showed @ 51.2. 500% higher than should be on lab test after evrything else was fixed with synthetic drugs. Switched from levoxyl .275 to armour thyroid with t4/t3 and I am ramping up the dosage as fast as possible. If you are in similiar position Nopal prickly pear cactus fruit can bring down pain levels 25% after 30 days @ 6oz. daily. Can not miss a day or pain will return. kurt. bigdogakita@gmail.comcheu CandidaCleanser.comthyroid, fibro, diabeties, chronic pain, migraines, depreesion, sleep apnea, insomia, level 8.5 pain. Fentyal patch 50mcg will reduce pain levels to 3-4. Neurotoxin domoic acid poisons people and causes permanent short term memory loss. I have short and long term memory loss and inability to remember 90% of what I KNEW and DAILY what I LEARN. Driving was nearly impossible. Hopes some of this helps someone. kurt. bigdogakita@gmail.combigdogakita, I am so sorry for your misery. I had some of those problems after I was poisoned with volatile organic compounds in the 90’s and aspartame in the 80’s. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Have your read Medical doctor, Neal Barnard’s book, Foods That Fight Pain. It has helped me and it may help you as well. He gives some of the ailments that you have. If you eat a good plant based diet, perhaps you can back off some of the drugs.I still have big memory problems but instead of trying to remember the past, I live for the moment. I had days when I meant to drive one direction to Baton Rouge and ended up in Lake Charles, the opposite direction, plus could not remember how I got there. That was solved by my not leaving my neighborhood again. Being in a fog inside my home was solved by eliminating the wall to wall carpeting and putting in porcelain tile floors. That was a major improvement.Stay in the present. Write notes to yourself and keep track of what affects you. That’s what I did and it helped me, because then I could communicate with a caring doctor, when I found one.God be with you. BeccaHas anybody ever herd of Qivana Essentials, it’s an all natural anti inflammatory that helps with Fibro and many other joint aches and pains. You can see them at http://www.qivanaproducts.com or visit http://www.astorr.myqivanabeta.comI had such severe muscle pain that I was unable to lift my arms over my head. I was fortunate enough to find an MD calling himself an Environmental Allergist. He took my history of drinking Diet Pepsi in large quantities for several months & suggested that I stop this for three weeks to see what would happen before doing expensive & invasive testing. The symptoms resolved within several days.Here’s an interesting study of the formaldehyde content of various foods: http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fa_02_09.htmlThis results of this study suggest that vegans would have a substantially higher intake of formaldehyde than people who eat both animals and plants. Vegans would be getting their formaldehyde from fruits, berries, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, teas, and mushrooms. “Soft drinks” contained only 8.7 mg/kg of formaldehyde in this study. I wonder if they had measured the formaldehyde content of a sugar-sweetened soft drink or an artificially sweetened soft drink? Or maybe both types of soft drinks contained approximately the same amount of formaldehyde?According to other studies, when large amounts of aspartame were fed to humans, there was no detectable increase in blood formaldehyde levels: http://andevidencelibrary.com/topic.cfm?cat=4089&auth=1One benefit of aspartame that even the people who sell aspartame have never mentioned is that aspartame will block the cancer-causing effect of the mycotoxin, ochratoxin A, which is almost always present in very small quantities in coffee and cocoa. Ochratoxin A has also been detected in nuts, seeds, whole grains, grapes, pork, and water-damaged homes: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9137807 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochratoxin_AWell said!I stopped smoking last October and started chewing my way through dozens of nicorette lozenges which the main ingredient is aspartame. I have just do e some research and saw this so as from today I will stop using this. I’m desperately hoping this will help. I’ll keep you posted…Julie: Good luck to you. I’ll think good thoughts for your success.Hi Julie, I stopped smoking nearly 40 years ago “cold turkey” using KAL brand Nutritional Yeast and avoiding foods that became associated with my bad habit of lighting up after meals.Nutritional yeast is far healthier than Nicorette.I’ve had fibre for over 20 years. I started to notice that every time I would go to a movie I would be sick in bed the next day in severe pain. While yes i’ve seen some bad movies I really didn’t think this was the cause. I realized after it happened a few times that the only time I drank pop or soda was at the movie theatre with popcorn and I always had diet pop. Stopped doing that and “VOILA!”co-relation and definite cause of some of my fibre flares. I am positive that if you have Fibro you have to stay away from Aspartame or you will live to regret it.doctor you should do a video on ErythromelalgiaI am very critical about this! Meta-Analysis of over 200 studies done bei the efsa have shown, that there is no link to such kind of complications with aspartame. For me that sounds logic since aspartame is 2 amino acids and a methyl link that will become methanol on a dose lower then in fruit consumption. Also the concentrations of aspartame consumed are in such low, that the dont shift amino acid balance at all. For me, there is no logic explanation why it should be harmful than tricking the system on sugar/sweet taste.I am a little dissapointed since I highly respect the work of Dr. Greger on his page! However this are case reports from a few people. Thats a small hint so you can try out to avoid aspartame when beeing diagnosed with fibromyalgia. But this is no evidence at all. A placebo could very likely induce the same effects since fibromyalgia is a very undefined disease that is often diagnosed for “not feeling well in your body” and one of the diseases that is linked the most with psychosomatic symtoms.Therefore, be very ciritcal on this one!What have i done chewing all that gum? Blah.. I’ll be chewing grapes from now on.	artificial sweeteners,aspartame,chronic diseases,fibromyalgia,Nutrasweet,pain,side effects,sugar,sweeteners	Case reports of fibromyalgia chronic pain sufferers cured by removing the artificial sweetener aspartame (Nutrasweet) from their diets.	Nontoxic treatments should always get precedence, and you can't get much more nontoxic than removing processed foods from people's diets! Alternately, many folks suffering with fibromyalgia symptoms may have been misdiagnosed and are actually suffering from an easily treated vitamin D deficiency. What's the best way to treat that? See Vitamin D Pills vs. Tanning Beds, one of my dozen videos on vitamin D. I've got a bunch of previous videos on sweeteners including Is Nutrasweet Bad For You? and Update on Aspartame. Erythritol is probably A Harmless Artificial Sweetener. Tomorrow's video-of-the-day Diet Soda and Preterm Birth addresses concerns about aspartame consumption during pregnancy.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts:  Aspartame: Fibromyalgia & Preterm Birth, Is There a Safe, Low-Calorie Sweetener?, and  Plant-Based Diets for Fibromyalgia	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/07/is-there-a-safe-low-calorie-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/30/aspartame-fibromyalgia-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspartame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrasweet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibromyalgia/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-aspartame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-nutrasweet%c2%ae-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21176433,
PLAIN-2835	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/	Yersinia in Pork	Every year the federal government tests thousands of retail meat samples for the presence of a four types of antibiotic resistant bacteria, but Yersinia enterocolitica,is not among them. This is despite the fact that nearly 100,000 Americans are sickened by foodborne Yersinia every year. This is yet another public health breach filled yesterday by Consumers Union.Pigs are assumed to be the main reservoir for the pathogen and pork and pork products the main source of human infection. Most foodborne pathogens tend to come from a variety of sources, but a hundred percent of the attributable Yersinia outbreaks reported in the United States over the last decade or so were caused by pork.So how contaminated is the U.S. pork supply? Consumers Union tested nearly 200 pork samples from cities across the country and found more than two thirds contaminated with Yersinia, 90% of which were resistant to one or more antibiotics.In most cases Yersinia food poisoning just causes acute gastroenteritis characterized by fever, abdominal pain, and often bloody diarrhea. Sometimes cases can be confused with appendicitis, leading to unnecessary emergency surgery. Long-term consequences of infection include chronic inflammation of the eyes, kidneys, heart, and joints. Within a year of a bout of Yersinia food poisoning, victims are at 47 times the risk of coming down with autoimmune arthritis. And the bacteria may also play a role in triggering an autoimmune thyroid condition known as Graves' disease.How widespread is Yersinia in U.S. pigs? A national USDA survey of fecal samples found half of American herds tested were infected. The emergence of human infection over last century may in part be due to changes in the meat industry, such as slaughter plant consolidation, and an increase in farm size and intensification of production. Higher stocking densities of pigs on factory farms is one of the factors that has been associated with increased prevalence among herds. Inside some swine confinement buildings researchers have been able to culture the bacteria straight out of the air.The pork industry does it because overcrowding pigs may pay, according to the trade publication National Hog Farmer.You can maximize profits by dropping the space per pig to 6 square feet—that’s a 200-pound pig in like 2 feet, by 3 feet. They acknowledge this presents some problems, inadequate ventilation, increased health risks, but sometimes “crowding pigs a little tighter will make you more money.”The equation for pork producers is even simpler when it comes to Yersinia since the bacteria doesn’t cause clinical disease in pigs. Thus, it does not present a production problem. The fact that the industry bottom line isn't directly affected no matter how high infection rates climb may explain why there are no industry-wide Yersinia monitoring and control programs in place in the United States. The costs of crowded confinement can simply be passed on to the tens of thousands of Americans who continue to be sickened every year at an annual estimated cost of a quarter billion dollars.Research from Europe suggests pigs raised using organic methods may have 50 times lower odds of harboring infection compared to pigs raised conventionally. Unfortunately, you can't really extrapolate that to the U.S. since organic production here is really more about what animals are fed rather than how they are treated. The researchers attribute the lower infection rates factors like lower stocking densities and lower levels of stress among the animals.If stress is indeed a contributing factor, things may be looking up in Europe.On January 1st, 2013, gestation crates for pregnant pigs are going to be banned across all 27 nations of the European Union, whereas in the U.S. where crating continues to be a predominant practice, pregnant sows have been shown to have among the highest prevalence of Yersinia enterocolitica. Thoughconsumers don't directly eat as many of the moms, the sows can be a source of infection for piglets who can then carry the infection through to slaughter.Crated sows have been shown to have impaired immunity, thought to be a result of elevated stress hormone levels related to the frustration of normal maternal behaviors like nest building. Yersinia enterocolitica is one of the reasons why the disease resistance of mother pigs matters when it comes to public health. Thankfully, major retailers, restaurant chains, and leaders in the pork industry have started phasing our gestation crates, which may end up improving the welfare of both animals and humansAnother proposal to help break the Yersinia cycle from farm to fork is to pay producers a premium for animals maintained in Yersinia-free herds. Since 1996 some in the agriculture policy arena have even proposed that fresh meat should only be allowed from infection-free herds, diverting pork from infected herds to just making pre-cooked products. "Although such a two-way splitting of pig-meat production would pose a logistical problem," researchers acknowledge, "it should actually be possible…[if] enough emphasis were to be placed on cost/benefit for public health."There are also measures effective at reducing Yersinia contamination of the meat in the slaughter plant. Studies from Europe have shown that "bagging the rectum" by sealing off the excised rectum with a plastic bag during evisceration may result in a 10-fold drop in carcass contamination. According to data from the Norwegian National Institute of Public Health, human Yersinia infection rates dropped about 25% after the introduction of the plastic bag technique across about 90% of the pig slaughterhouses in Norway.To put the new Consumer Reports findings in perspective, Yersinia in pork ranks 16th in terms of greatest foodborne disease burden in the United States. The worst in terms of societal cost and quality-adjusted years of life lost is poultry-borne Campylobacter bacteria, found contaminating 38% of chicken breasts in the latest CDC retail meat survey released this year. Then comes the Toxoplasma brain parasite in pork, Listeria in deli meats, and Salmonella in, again, poultry. So as concerning as this new report may be, we are probably still more likely to get sick eating the original white meat.	Absolutely sickening, figuratively and literally!Thanks for raising our awareness of how a plant-based diet is more sustainable at both a personal and global level.And yet people still want their bacon. Humans are a stubborn species. When the information is there and you don’t utilize it you have only yourself to blame.Kathi, Yes that is true people are stubborn. And even when people/patients learn the truth they still don’t want to take ownership of their actions. Which is truly amazing to me because life is quite clearly a cause and effect system.With all due respect, HemoDynamic, M.D., life may be about cause and effect, but individuals are a bit more complicated than that. Have you heard of change psychology, specifically about motivational interviewing? If you are interesting in exploring it, I recommend reading up on motivational interviewing for healthcare professionals as a useful (and quick) technique and intervention that you can use in your medical practice to help people change their bad habits. This might be a good place to start: Health Behavior Change: A Guide for Practitioners.I agree people often exhibit resistant behaviors and hang on to their beliefs and ways of doing things despite facts indicating that their actions are harmful to them. There are many complicated reasons for this (one of them being human psychology and the other being the power and influence of money). That said, I strongly disagree with your statement that “you only have yourself to blame” [for what exactly?]. I think it is best to be very cautious and careful when blaming individuals’ (i.e., consumers’) inability to change certain aspects of their lives for the better, especially when the manipulative actions of the meat and food industry (or any other multi-billion/trillion dollar industry, for that matter) are at play. Blaming the victim is too simple and too easy. The reality of changing behaviors and actions is much more complicated.Yes, there is information out there,but it is often not readily available, presented in a confusing context, seemingly conflicting, or actively suppressed.That is why this site exists, to counter some of these challenges and to make nutritional information more accessible to those who can access it in this forum (sadly, in this day and age many still do not have access to the internet not to mention other sources of credible information)! In Dr. Greger’s own words: “… a significant part of the problem is that individuals … are faced with a deluge of confusing and conflicting nutritional advice. The goal of this website is to present you with the results of the latest in nutrition and health research, presented in a way that is easy to understand.” (Taken from the site’s “About” page.)We have to remember that change, both personal and cultural, is complicated; it is very difficult, takes time, and (a lot of) patience to develop new ways of doing things, especially when starting new healthier habits. Just knowing that something is bad for us, usually is not enough to go about changing a habit or behavior (I wish it were that easy!). The health problems the world is facing are multi-layered and complicated, and should be approached from that perspective and understanding if we truly want to bring about healthier changes. Blaming the victim will not win converts or bring about healthier ways of living. Education, patience, persistence, compassion, access to reliable information, and healthier food sources will.Yes, change is frustrating slow, but it IS happening. Already many individuals and society have made huge strides when it comes to nutrition and wellness. What is currently happening in this arena is truly revolutionary and exciting.Beautifully said–blaming the victim is not the answer. I need to lose 30 pounds, and I eat healthy. I am a vegetarian; I just eat too much. I am a teacher, and I work10-12 hours most days. I teach in a poor area, and my students need extra tutoring–they can’t pass my class since they are so behind. I eat for energy, for comfort, for the joy of it. Thank you for understanding the complex problem of a person’s diet.It is so hard to get this message “out there”. Over Thanksgiving, I had a family member try to tell me that all you really have to worry about health-wise is how meat is cured. “If you stay away from bacon, etc., you have nothing to worry about.” oh good grief.Oh, my! Sounds like s/he may need to have a link to NutritionFacts.org sent to them.You’d think. Since NutritionFacts came on-line I’ve tried sending her several various blogs and links to videos on Nutrition Facts. She has had breast cancer among several other health problems that are directly addressed here on NutritionFacts. She’s not interested. Her doctors are right, and she can’t hear anything else.She even tried to sell me on some new study which shows that the cholesterol in eggs is different than the cholesterol in other animal products. Supposedly the cholesterol in eggs does not harm humans as much… I didn’t even have to ask who produced that study.You can’t force people to take in what they simple are not interested in taking in.Thanks for your reply.True that, no body likes to be forced to do anything.Encouraging healthy change is trying, often frustrating, and not always possible. You deserve much credit for trying to point her in the right direction.Your egg study story made me think of Dr. McDougall’s saying: “People love to hear good news about their bad habits.”Hey Thea. Thanks for your post. Just thought I would share some thoughts. Maybe your family member was not ready for nutritionfacts.org. Obviously your intention was great and nutritionfacts.org is a fantastic place to learn more about the health benefits of a plant-based diet. But was her education level high enough to appreciate this website? Judging from your statement “Her doctors are right, and she can’t hear anything else.”, I suspect that sending her Bill Clinton or some other famous vegan’s testimonial would have done her more good.Although Dr. Greger is doing a great job of communicating complex and technical ideas in a relatively accessible manner, I think nutrionfacts is still filtering people out based on education level. Many people who have limited science education would probably find the arguments presented on this website to be too abstruse for them to follow. Most people want a quick solution. The radical approach articulated by Dr. Greger requires hard work. We live in an age where the financial forces are doing whatever they can to homogenize our interests. Going against the norm requires tremendous skill and inner strength.Very well said BPCveg. Level of education and economics (really the two are inter-related) play an enormous role in how accessible and understandable wellness and health information are to folks. (As does how willing someone is to hear what is being shared with them.) You offer some great alternative suggestions on how to share some of this plant-based information with folks.Thanks, Whole Food Chomper!;-)BPCveg: Thanks for your thoughts. I think you may be right in some cases, but my experience is that this sort of thing has nothing to do with education level. A case study in point: my family member is very highly educated and has served in high level positions in major hospitals (this is a partial clue to her opinion about doctors) and universities. I have had many intelligent conversations with her on a variety of topics over the years.I think this problem in our society is much more about confusion and lack of will than anything else. I used to be in the same boat. I simply was not able to take in any nutrition information that did not conform to what I heard in the media because a) I did not trust non-standard sources of information and there is so much conflicting information out there, b) I’m not the type of person who generally believes in conspiracies (so I want to believe that the government and people like Dr. Oz are ethical) , and c) I did not want to change my diet.That last one is a biggie for most people. They simply lack the will to change. Then when they consider doing so, they are lost in the sea of conflicting and missing information. That is why I made my original post. It is important to change what gets said/known by the general population. ie: Right now, everyone knows… What we need is for everyone to know the type of information in this video and others on this site.Though I will say that I absolutely agree with you that some people are more swayed by role models/famous people than others. So you are right that sending some people stories about Bill Clinton will go further with them than a blog post from this site. That’s not a bad thing. It is just something that is.I also agree with you about the “tremendous skill and inner strength” that is needed to buck current trends. Oh yes.Hey Thea,The story of this family member that you describe is very surprising and dissapointing to me. What I have gathered so far is that: 1- she is highly educated (in an area relevant to science, may I assume?); 2- she has had serious health problems (including breast cancer); 3- she is willing to argue about the connection about food versus health (even if you don’t necessarily agree with her specific arguments); 4-she is not open to any of the information presented on nutritionfacts.org. Under these circumstances, it is hard to see how she would lack the motivation to change her diet at all. Maybe you are right when you suggested that she is just reluctant to go against the establishment. If that is the case, why not send her the standard position on vegan/vegetarian diets by the largest organization of dieticians on planet earth, which by definition is the establishment. Follow the link below for more:http://www.eatright.org/about/content.aspx?id=8357As indicated by the link above, going vegan is really not that radical anymore. I think that the most radical and challenging position of nutritionfacts.org is that members of the general public should optimize their diet in accordance with the latest scientific evidence (even before it has been fully scrutinized by the scientific community). As you know, this goes way beyond simply being vegan.PBCveg: Thanks for the support. I will definitely check out that link.It’s funny, one thing I really love about these videos is that they are so short and easy to follow without overloading you with information. I share them all the time with people specifically because I know no one’s going to be reading the books or following the blogs I recommend to them, but everyone’s got a spare couple of minutes for their health, right? Alas, I don’t think the people who could most benefit from them give a hoot. I understand being ignorant – I certainly was – but how does someone purposely keep themselves in the dark on this sort of thing? I just don’t get it.True – it is very dissapointing that some people seem to be unable or unwilling to benefit from these short videos.Indeed, it is very frustrating when you want to help someone improve their lives but they are resistant to it. This resistant behavior, however, is a very common trait in people. Information and facts alone are usually not enough to motivate people to change. Changing one’s habits is a process that occurs in stages and that frequently takes a long time. One of the key tenets of working with people to change their behaviors–or to help them in any way– is to meet them where they are (and not where you would like for them to be). I will, again, refer to the ideas behind motivational interviewing (see my comments and links above), a counseling approach developed from working with those with drinking problems and one that is now being broadly applied in various helping fields as a tool to help people make healthy changes in their lives (whether it be to quit drinking, stop smoking, practice safer sex, eat better, exercise more, the list goes on and on).Those of us who want to help our family, friends and patients make positive healthy changes in their lives would be wise to learn more about the techniques and process involved in motivational interviewing. We must understand that helping someone make a change involves more than just sharing knowledge (e.g. these fantastic mini videos) with them about why making a change would improve their health. While knowledge is definitely an important tool in the change tool-kit, it cannot and must not be the only one. Pressuring an individual towards change when they have not expressed a desire to do so will only make them more resistant to hearing what you have to say and/or to encouraging them to make any positive changes. Change facilitators need to be able to utilize all the tools in the behavior change tool-box, and those tools include compassion, a sense of partnership, a non-judgmental approach, a stance of open examination, the ability to offer suggestions, and the flexibility to work with resistance that will inevitably come up. The idea is to meet people where they are to tip the balance towards healthier behaviors and to help them set their own realistic goals –however tiny.In sum, when we share these videos with the ones we care about, we need to be aware of our own motives behind sharing the information included in the videos. Is it simply to educate or is it to encourage someone to change their behavior? The former is easily done by simply sharing the video, whereas the latter is more complicated and will encompass a more involved and collaborative approach. We need to be careful that we do not conflate our own motives in an attempt to assist our loved ones in making positive behavioral changes, especially if they have no desire to change. At the very least, all we can hope for is that we spark an interest in them that will enable and encourage them at some point to make positive changes in their lives—at their own pace. And, once they are ready to do that, we need to be ready to support them.Thanks for your excellent synopsis of motivational interviewing. I will recommend the book you suggested to my non-fiction book club members.Oh, goodie! Would love to hear how that goes.I tend to disagree. I think Dr. Greger sums up the main points in a very simple manner and if one is looking for more of a science base they can view the studies cited.But, you’re smart! The average voter for Sarah Palin is not on the same wavelength as Dr. Greger.I forwarded The Leading Cause of Death to my cousin. She told me she couldn’t watch it because it was too technical. Maybe just an excuse?Haha wow! I find that hard to believe.I know right! She is 100 pounds overweight and has diabetes. I think it’s just overwhelming for her. But she can tell me it’s too technical.Thanks for these 2 “breaking news” videos! Dr Greger, you really went into “overdrive” to put these videos out in a timely manner. I was reading these news reports online and was thinking that you’d be interested in making future videos based on these Consumer Reports findings; i never thought you’d come out with these videos the very next day!My sentiments exactly. We are a lucky bunch! Thank you for your expeditious efforts, Dr. Greger!Awful. I ate a lot of pork products growing up and now I’m wondering if it had anything to do with me developing Rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 14.Being of Slavic heritage I have also eaten my fair share of pork products back in the day (and even not so long ago). If it is any consolation at all, I think that the quality of pork (and other meat/food products) may have been different (read: better) in the past, as it seems that the meat/food industry has gotten more involved (for lack of a better word) in manipulating the food we eat for their profits.BTW- Have you watched Dr. G’s videos on RA? (You can do a search for videos on the topic on this site.)Check out Dr. Greger’s video on Rheumatoid Arthritis herehttp://nutritionfacts.org/videos/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/It is treatable and potentially reversible on a vegan dietMeat eaters with chronic medical decisions would prefer to live their negligent life styles and just take a pill to cure their disease.There is a grain of truth to that sentiment, but I think the reality of the situation is much more complicated.Thank you for all these amazing informations !!! very clear and helpfull ! Is there anything in the literature related to the causes and or natural remedies for grave’s disease ? Selenium may help prevent exophtalmy, plant based diet to reduce inflammation …. Anything else ? Any advices ?	antibiotics,appendicitis,arthritis,autoimmune diseases,Campylobacter,CDC,chicken,Consumers Union,deli meat,Europe,factory farming practices,farm animals,fecal bacteria,food poisoning,foodborne illness,Grave’s disease,industry influence,inflammation,Listeria,meat,organic foods,pork,poultry,processed meat,ractopamine,Salmonella,toxoplasma,turkey,USDA,Yersinia	This week Consumer Reports released a study showing the majority of retail pork tested was contaminated with antibiotic resistant strains of the foodborne bacteria Yersinia enterocolitica.	This is the second of two "breaking news" videos about the findings this week from Consumer Reports of the growth-promoting drug ractopamine and antibiotic-resistant Yersinia bacteria in a significant proportion of U.S. pork tested. See the earlier NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Ractopamine in Pork for the first part addressing the drug residue findings. For more videos on fecal matter contamination of the meat supply, see Food Poisoning Bacteria Cross-Contamination, Chicken Out of UTIs, and Fecal Bacteria Survey. The Campyobacter in chicken that I end the video on is the Poultry and Paralysis bacteria. Tomorrow we'll return to our regularly scheduled program :)	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/25/bugs-drugs-in-pork-yersinia-and-ractopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/29/ractopamine-and-yersinia-drugs-and-bugs-in-pork/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ractopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/appendicitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/toxoplasma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/consumers-union/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yersinia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/deli-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/graves-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/listeria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16837145,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19425826,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19926152,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22980013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22980012,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18284638,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1287643/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22567332,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659984,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17265853,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22217012,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18592741,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21226982,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22307302,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20971680,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18575909,
PLAIN-2836	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/	Ractopamine in Pork	Earlier this year, China rejected 200,000 pounds of pork from the United States after discovering residues in the meat of an adrenaline-like drug called ractopamine, which is fed to U.S. pigs, and turkeys, as a growth promoter to improve muscle yields. What about the domestic U.S. meat supply? Last year's report from the USDA National Residue program says 310 pigs were tested (out of about 10 million slaughtered). The 2012 report listed the number of tested pigs at, zero. That's why it's so important to have public interest groups such as Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, to fill the gaps. Yesterday, they released a report in which they analyzed 240 U.S. pork products and found trace levels of ractopamine in about 20% of retail pork sampled. In response, the National Pork Producers Council tried to allay concerns by noting that the levels found in U.S. pork chops were less than half the ractopamine residue limit set by the UN Codex Commission this summer. What they didn't mention was that out of 143 ballots cast, the Commission came within a single vote of setting any safe levels in pork given "outstanding safety concerns. The National Pork Producers Council also failed to mention the residue limit was based on a single human study that only had six people in it. That six person study was exhibit #1 in the European Food Safety Authority's analysis of drug's safety. (EFSA is Europe's equivalent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration). The experiment in question was a preliminary study designed not to establish a safety level, but to find a suitable test dose for a larger study that never happened. Ractopamine was originally developed as an asthma medication but it didn't appear to work. The study involved giving these six men between 5 to 40mg of ractopamine. At the higher levels, the subjects reported feeling their hearts racing and pounding— in fact one of the six subjects was withdrawn from the study because he apparently couldn't take it. At 5mg, though, no cardiac changes were noted. So that's the dose the UN Codex Commission used to calculate the maximum allowable meat residue and acceptable human daily intake levels. Just because that dose didn't cause a problem in six people, though, doesn't necessarily mean that level is safe. The EFSA panel calculated that a study of 6 people wouldn't even have the statistical power to pick up a 40% change in cardiac output, a key measured endpoint. To detect as statistically significant a 10% change in blood pumping the study would have required at least about 60 people. In addition, the study only looked at the cardiovascular effects of ractopamine. Given the adrenaline-like effects could expect metabolic effects such as an increase in blood sugar levels, muscle tremors, or behavioral effects such as restlessness, apprehension, or anxiety. Also, all six study subjects were healthy young men. What about particularly vulnerable populations such as children, those with heart disease, or those on certain medications? The panel concluded that the UN limits did not sufficiently take these higher risk populations into account. Bottomline, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that the single small human study "can not be taken as a basis to derive an acceptable daily intake…and consequently no proposal for maximum [meat] residue levels could be made." In other words, we simply don't have enough human data to determine what the safe level in meat may be. Last month the Council of the European Union joined China in reaffirming the ban on ractopamine, "[s]tressing that the policy…is based on persisting scientific uncertainty about the safety of products derived from animals treated with this substance...and also takes into account concerns on animal health and animal welfare…." Studies going back a decade have shown that pigs on ractopamine may have chronically elevated heart rates, increased stress reactions, and difficulty walking. In fact the warning label reads: ‘‘Caution: Pigs fed PAYLEAN are at an increased risk for exhibiting the downer pig syndrome." Meatier pigs, heftier profits, but downer pigs, where pigs are too sick, injured, or exhausted to stand and may be dragged to slaughter in chains. It's ironic that pork industry continues to defend the use of gestation crates for pregnant pigs on the pretext of preventing aggression between the sows. Mother pigs are confined for nearly their entire lives in crates so restrictive they can't even turn around. The industry claims this is to keep them from fighting while at the same time feeding growing pigs a drug shown to increases aggressiveness and attacks, thought to be due to changes in brain chemistry caused by the drug. Given the human and animal welfare concerns, why does the U.S. pork industry continue to feed this drug to millions of pigs every year? A few weeks ago, a meta-analysis was published in the Journal of Animal Science. Based on all the studies done to date, pigs fed ractopamine "had an overall carcass cutability advantage of 1 point zero 1 percentage units when compared to control pigs." All this for a 1% greater yield.	So don’t eat pork, go vegan!Yes, true that! Still something needs to be done with the copious amounts of drugs being used in our nation’s livestock. Not only for our welfare, but also for the welfare of these poor maltreated animals.wow dr. greger, you are literally breathless in this video and with good reason. i am grateful for your passion and up to date information. i don’t eat pigs but the consequences of this report are so much more than just what i personally put in my mouth. dr. oz has a time cover story this week on how to eat healthy on the cheap. i haven’t read the whole thing but i did see that he encouraged readers to eat eggs from caged animals. what to make of this article? have you seen it? anyway, look forward to tomorrows continuation and just, i wonder what besides making informed choices i as an american can do…Dr. Oz was chomping on some pork chops the other day made from Valerie Bertinelli (sp). A cardiothoracic surgeon who should (and does) know the research.From what I can see Dr. Oz is out to make money and keep his show going, not to inform people or patients of the best way to improve health.If you took every pill that Dr. Oz recommends you would be taking barrels of supplements everyday and would have no room left for food. Just ludicrous I say. Reminds me on a Holy Grail line, “What sad times are these when passing ruffians can say ‘Ni’ at will to old ladies.” Thus referring to, say what you want to sell your product because it makes you money. What happened to being ethical? What happened to, “Let food be thy Medicine.”? What happened to, “Do no harm.”? What happened to being being a patient advocate?Don’t believe the hype. Follow the research on NutritionFacts.org and PubMed.Yep it’s true, the Dr Oz show has everything including the kitchen sink thrown in. He represents all view points because that’s how the air time gets filled, that’s how more people will tune in, and that’s how you don’t step on any (potential) advertisers’ toes. He doesn’t even pick his guests; staffers handle all of that planning. Stick with sites like NutritionFacts if you want true data, uninfluenced by big money/media advertising $$. The information on this site may evolve/change as new science comes in, but at least it’s based on research.Good morning Dr. hemo, I hope all is well in Northern California.Dr. oz isn’t all bad. His general take home message is eat less meat, stay away from junk and exercise. He talks a lot about cardiovascular disease and prevention. I was under the impression he was vegetarian. But let’s just say he moves his watching population from eating meat from 3 times a day to 3 times a week isn’t he helping the average American on the SAD?Baby steps.I had a hard time watching this video. Those poor pigs.True! Baby steps are important but not for the people with severe CAD, Diabetes, Peripheral Vascular disease. Moderation kills in these folks.Sure he does some good but at what expense?And if all he did was talk about being Vegan everyday he would have to close shop and go back to thoracotomies.And that’s my point.If he talks vegan everyday no one would tune in and then he would be influencing no one. Which is better? I have been able to influence and change my patients diet over time. That way they don’t think I am nuts and before you know it they have gone from a high protein meat based diet to plant based. They lose weight, start to get compliments on how great they look and eat very little meat, their blood work improves and they are sold.Did you see his show with Rosie O’Donnel? She has recently had a heart attack. The overall take home message was good.I see your point but I disagree with saying Dr. Oz is OK with what he is doing. Just look at the last two days of video’s on Pork (which he happened to eat on TV) and look at the medical cost burden to our society by advocating eating these things. I feel when someone is in the Medical Public Eye (just like sports figures) that they should be held to a higher standard because of the amount of people that believe them. Meat and dairy consumption causes an estimated Medical cost burden of 500,000,000,000 to 900,000,000,000 dollars a years because of the chronic diseases that they cause to our society. So to say we should still advocate it, in my opinion, is ludicrous and criminal. But me, like you, understand even baby steps are better than nothing.You are right. He could do a much better job. Valerie grosses me out more! :-)Hemodynamic: Thank you for your post about Dr. Oz. I watched that show for a little while to see what all of the fuss was about. I was shocked at how bad it was. There is just enough baby in his giant swimming pool of bathwater to keep people permanently confused for years to come. The Dr. Oz shows are constantly contradicting themselves with information, sometimes even within the same show. And I’ve never seen him actually tell people to eat fewer animal products. He actively tells people to eat animal products *all* the time.The sad part is how powerful he is. I have several co-workers who follow his every word. I have a low-income co-worker in poor health who is overweight. Instead of deciding to eat healthy, she went out and bought an expensive supplement that was recommended on the Dr. Oz show that is supposed to help her loose weight. The co-worker certainly has to take responsibility for her own health, but I agree with you that a medical professional has an ethical responsibility to tell people the truth, whether they can do a TV show or not. He bears some of the responsibility, especially because he is so high-profile, for the sad state of confusion about food in America.Rant Over. Thanks for giving me a good spot to rant.Dr. Oz is the wizard, and you just pulled back the curtain. Amazing what you see isn’t it!He had psychics on his show one day. So much for science…I’d take anything Dr. Oz has to say with a HUGE dose of critical thinking (think of the medium he chooses to spread his “knowledge”, how it is funded, i.e, through advertising dollars, and what the shows real purpose is –hint: as infotainment and to make $$) and further research.If you really want to learn how to eat healthy on the cheap, you should check out NF’s “cost savings” videos and the Environmental Working Group’s Good Food on a Tight Budget.In addition to Hemodynamic MD’s comments with which I totally agree. There is no health justification for eating eggs unless I missed something in the 50+ videos and related articles on NutritionFacts.org. In fact all the evidence points to the harm ranging for risk of infectious disease such as salmonella to accelerated decline of kidney function due to animal protein to arterial disease. The sad truth is many of my persons eat eggs to get “quality protein” when in fact the essential amino acid profile of eggs is identical to broccoli and asparagus. The best three articles on protein that I have read are by Dr. John McDougall. If you go to his website, http://www.drmcdougall.com, then search monthly newsletters for articles in 12/03(History of Protein), 4/07(Sources of Protein) and 1/04(Protein overload). The take home message is there is no justification to eat eggs from a health perspective and since most eggs are produced in industrial farming operations that are detrimental to the environment (see DelMarVa peninsula effects on the Chesapeake Bay as an example) not to mention the billions of suffering egg laying hens not to mention the short lived male egg laying chickens who are dropped into grinders (industrially accepted disposal method). Keep coming back to NutritionFacts.org as the science is always changing. Be well.Powerful! I think we should lock the pork farmers in a cage so they can’t turn around for 2.5 years and feed them Ractopamine. Would be a quite interesting study. Just Imagine!Wow. This kind of information leaves me so depressed. There just does not seem to be much hope for humanity. :-(I’m grateful that you took the time to do a “breaking news” video. It’s awesome that you have be flexible on this site and react to the news we are getting.What about bacon? You can’t live without bacon. It’s one of the essential food groups.The meat industry :-((; among so many others :-((, is killing us :-(( in the name of profit. :-(( “Thank you” Dr. Greger. :-))Because MegaMeatCorpInc. has too much influence in the U$. It’s really really pathetic and I struggle with this as I make BBQ every 4th of July for family and friends. This year I will NOT cook chicken. Next year I may raise my own pork, depends on how much corn I can grow because I won’t use industrial produced feeds if I do.	anxiety,asthma,blood sugar,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,Consumers Union,Europe,European Food Safety Authority,factory farming practices,growth promoters,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,mental health,National Pork Producers Council,safety limits,stress,tremors,USDA	BREAKING NEWS video: An analysis of yesterday's Consumer Reports finding that 1 in 5 samples of retail pork tested positive for the growth-promoting drug ractopamine. Tomorrow, I will cover their findings on Yersinia contamination.	I had been collecting papers on ractopamine and Yersinia enterocolitica for my 2013 batch of videos, but no time like the present given yesterday's findings by Consumers Union that a significant proportion of the U.S. pork supply is contaminated with both! For more on the drug use by the livestock industry, see yesterday's video Meat Mythcrushers, as well as Drug Residues in Meat, U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph, and MRSA in U.S. Retail Meat. Tomorrow I will cover their finding that the majority of retail pork samples harbored the foodborne bacteria Yersinia enterocolitica.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/29/ractopamine-and-yersinia-drugs-and-bugs-in-pork/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/consumers-union/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/growth-promoters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tremors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/european-food-safety-authority/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-pork-producers-council/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20817858,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22064049,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23148254,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21277043,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20495130,
PLAIN-2837	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/	Meat Mythcrushers	Recently, meat industry groups launched a new PR campaign to “crush” myths about meat, countering, for example, the notion put forth by the World Health organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, the  American Public Health Association, etc. that   antibiotics to livestock by the truckload poses a human health risk. These are the drugs approved for use in farm animals. And they're   fed to farm animals by the millions of pounds a year to promote growth and prevent disease in the stressful, overcrowded, unhygienic environments they may be confined in these days. The   PR people scoffed at the Union of Concerned Scientists estimate that as much as 70% of antibiotics produced in the U.S. go to livestock. The reason that it had to be estimated, of course, is that the industry refuses to release the true numbers, but it was the best we had. But it is a statistic the Mythbusters claim cannot possibly be calculated considering that antibiotic use in humans is not tracked. Turns out, as with much in meat mythmaking, this simply isn’t true. That data is tracked by the FDA Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology, as pointed out by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Center for a Livable Future. So was it really 70% of antimicrobial drugs going to farm animals like the Union of Concerned Scientists claimed or was this just a myth to be crushed. And I have to say, according to the latest available data the meat industry is right that it’s not 70% going to farm animals,   it’s closer to 80%. More than 28 million pounds a year. But then again   why listen to the American Medical Association, when it comes to your health, when you can listen to the American Meat Science Association?	Come on folks, free supplements in the form of antibiotics going into your bodies couldn’t be that bad.Funny Tan!Thank you for telling the truth. Drugs fed to animals, lack of fiber, care for animals, environmental issues, and just simply wanting to live a healthy life are good enough reasons to eat a plant based diet.The benefits of plant based diet keep piling up, and some think that eating flesh is just disgusting.Crushing the competition with facts!I love you, man!Don’t you just love it when “truth” trumps lies and bs?Has there been clinical controlled studies examining meat that has been produced in a healthy and environmentally friendly manner? that is, no antibiotics, natural food (i.e. grass fed cows), and in limited quantities (no big farm, local productions)? Think about the Inuit who had diets that contained mostly meat.And please people, don’t think that current plant production doesn’t harm the environment either! Farming of single crops wreaks havoc on the soil and landscape. As with everything, you need to go the extra mile to find local farmers who grow responsibly.Inuits are known to also have high rates of heart disease and shorter average lifespans.Monocrop agriculture is indeed harming the environment, as are bad agriculture practices in general. But meat production does several times more damage than crops do because the animals also consume crops.Not to mention take up space.That still doesn’t answer my question about clinical controlled studies examining the natural meats (i.e. the type our ancestors would eat). Also, we don’t know if the heat disease of Inuits is caused by meat specifically or from the introduction of modern foods such as wheat.Dr. Greger has discussed the inflammatory response of wild game http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/There are inherent compounds found in animal products that are inseparable whether the meat be organic or not. that being endotoxins http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=endotoxemiaAnd the “completeness” of animal protein spiking IGF-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/Furthermore, I do not understand the ideology of modeling our diet based on our “ancestors”. They had no concept of nutrition and ate whatever was available. They lived till their 30’s as well and this is something I do not personally idolize. We have an abundance of nutritional knowledge and we should use the science as our guide, not a paleolithic philosophy.I would hardly call a few hundred years ago as ‘ancestors’ I think there is just more to this story. Some cultures are better at digesting certain foods, many asians have a hard time with diary, and many white americans have a hard time with soy. In Dr Gregor’s video on wild meat, it does show that it is better for us than farmed meat and a major deterrent to wild meat is due to the lead contained in the bullets. Also, in another video on wheat, Dr Gregor did say that there is something about wheat that makes us fat. Just because there is mounting evidence of meat being bad for us doesn’t mean we know the entire story. There is actually no clinical experiments on eating meat the way that mother nature made it, so we can’t say for sure that we know it is bad/good for us. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.Also, when I mentioned meat that our ancestors ate, I simply meant the type of food that hasn’t been contaminated or altered severely they way modern meat is made, not to suggest an ancestor diet.Dr. Greger’s video on wild game is comparable to the meat our “ancestors” would have eaten, and it indeed did cause inflammation whether it be better or not, this is a negative result. Dr. Greger made no mention in any video of wheat causing weight gain, this assumption is false and is not based on any real science.We can look at the arachidonic acid content found in poultry and see that this elevated level has been linked with cancer and other autoimmune disorders http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/And I have already pointed out the IGF-1 issue which should have no variability since it is based on the protein content itself. These are all things “mother nature” has made intrinsic with meat and we know these things to promote disease.I found this article about the Inuits claiming that cardiovascular disease was rare. http://www.naturalnews.com/022868_disease_diet_fat.htmlI’m not sure what to believe, but I lean towards the green side of things. I’ve stopped eating red meat a long time ago, and choose vegetarian most of the time.Still, I hear a lot of things about the benefit of the “natural” butter over the “heavily processed” margarine from health coaches and LCHF/Atkins people.I would love for Dr Greger to address this at some time in the future. That and the “Inuit paradox” linked above.Dr. Greger addresses a bit of the “Inuit Paradox” as related to bone health in his e-book Atkin’s Exposed . In it he describes how the mostly meat-based Inuit diet negatively affects the bone health and breast milk of the Inuits.Are you referring to soy and corn? Those monocrops are primarily converted to meal for animal feed and oil for processed food. By consuming a plant-based, whole foods diet, one can greatly reduce dependence on those industries. (Most soy used for tofu, soy milk, etc., is organicically grown or at least nonGMO. This can be verified by reading the label.)Two things about the Inuit: a) there diet is nowadays the same as the standard Danish diet. and b) it seems that they weren’t so healthy as claimed. The link below leads to a metastudy ranging from the early 1960s when Inuit still followed a traditional diet and the 1990 when the Inuit population was already following a Western diet (I hope the URL is shown completely, if not search fpr “Low Incident of cardiovascular disease among the inuit”http://www.researchgate.net/publication/10943329_Low_incidence_of_cardiovascular_disease_among_the_Inuit–what_is_the_evidence/file/79e41509268714c56f.pdfOver 50% of grain traded around the world is used for animal feed or biofuels. Also, only 12 percent of crop calories used for animal feed end up as calories consumed by humans.Thank-you, Dr. Greger, for sifting through the data for us.Do you know if any studies have been conducted on so-called “organic” non-factory-farmed meat from animals raised without antibiotics or pesticides and herbicides in grain or grass? What do the studies show about the levels of antibiotics and chemical residues in these products compared with conventionally raised animals?Thanks and all the best!kikibrooklynGrass fed organic beef and chicken only. Boycott all factory foods.The issue with meat goes much farther than organic vs conventional.There are endotoxins found in meat which cause an inflammatory response which leads to most chronic illnesses. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=endotoxemiaElevated IGF-1 levels are seen with eating meat which promote tumor growth. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/With chicken and eggs there is the issue of arachidonic acid http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/These are all inherent compounds, and these are only a handful of the issues.Pretty scary!i love dr gregor!!! i have been a cardiac icu nurse for over 10 years and we all love him in my unit!! i wished more docs and nurses would speak up and tell everyone the truth like dr gregor is doingI haven’t put you out of business yet but I’m trying! :)	AMA,American Academy of Pediatrics,antibiotics,factory farming practices,FDA,feed additives,industry influence,meat,nutrition myths,World Health Organization	Meat industry public relations campaign to "crush" myths makes false claim about the millions of pounds of antibiotics fed to farm animals.	For more on the concerns surrounding the use of critical, life-saving wonder drugs to buttress the bottom-line of the livestock industry, see Drug Residues in Meat, U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph, and MRSA in U.S. Retail Meat. The fact that this risky practice continues, despite desperate calls from the medical and public health communities to stop, speaks to the combined might of drug companies and agribusiness in affecting U.S. policy. I've got 20 other videos on industry influence over our food supply and hundreds of videos on more than a thousand topics.For additional context, check out my associated blog posts:  Bugs & Drugs in Pork: Yersinia and Ractopamine and  Is Coconut Oil Bad For You?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/25/bugs-drugs-in-pork-yersinia-and-ractopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-academy-of-pediatrics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ama/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/	-
PLAIN-2838	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/	Antioxidants Sprouting Up	A group of Russian scientists recently published a database of the antioxidant content of more than a thousand foods including, for the first time, an impressive array before and after shots of what happens to seeds when you sprout them. As you can see the antioxidant content went up across the board. So sprouted lentils have twice the antioxidant content as unsprouted, chicken peas 5 times more, wheat and rye ten times more and amaranth started out as the pidly underdog but went up 20-fold.	awww, I wish this database was public. I love looking at thoses numbersFabien: THANK YOU!!! I was very interested in learning more about various foods.They did not have the one that I went to look for: sprouted quinoa. However, I saw several other very interesting tid bits. For example, the California almond had half the antioxidants as the Russian almond. A matter of transportation/freshness? Or GMO issues with American food? Or simply a difference in variety? Or??? Very interesting!I also was fascinated with the paragraph on cacao.Sprouted broccoli has to be amazing too ^^I agree on cacao, I just realized how good it is. A traditionnal hot chocolate (no milk, just water and LOTS of cocoa powder ) could compete to be the new healthiest beverage.Fabien: You may know this already, but Dr. Greger has a series on broccoli. The series ends up discussing sprouted broccoli and a specific, significant health benefit. I sprouted broccoli twice, once using the bag method and once the jar method. Both worked great, but the sprouts were rather bitter. I’m very sensitive to biter tastes and ended up throw most of it away. I have to find a way that I can integrate that stuff into my daily diet. It would improve my health tremendously.Re: cocoa: I make a chocolate oatmeal for breakfast that has steel-cut oats and cocoa and is sweetened only with bananas and dates. It is a real stick-to-your ribs satisfying and rich/decadent breakfast. I have absolutely no guilt, only pride, in including the (organic, fair trade so it’s not made with child slave labor) cocoa.Thanks for your reply.Sprouted broccoli should probably be eaten for sulforaphanes rather than for antioxidants.Just wanted to share a problem I have been having when I visit the new website. When I first access the website the current days video shows but when I click on it, I am taken to the video 3 days prior. This has happened to me 3 times now. I know I can click in the upper right corner to cycle throught the last 3 days of vids but it takes a long while to load the buttons to cycle. So, personally, I liked it previously when I would go to the website and the current days video was ready to play and I didn’t have this problem. Also, the website is now taking a lot longer to load because of all the cool animations and graphics but it can be frustrating. Also is there any way to stop the “Click to Subscribe” popup that always comes up on the video, because this would help speed up the page loads. Anyway, I hope this helps with tweaking the website to be the fastest most user friendly it can be. Keep up the great work!I second thisThe old format on the website was much more clear to the viewer. I feel ‘cramped’ in the new platform, visually cramped and being that i am familiar with the website i can navigate but i can see how newcomers would be a bit frustrated, like “who designed this?” The old format kept it simple and user friendly, this current format seems a bit chaotic like it is encouraging the viewer to multi-task, rather, do everything at once, thus loosing concentration. I offer these thoughts as constructive criticism with the hope that dr. G will see the logic.While we’re at it. Why is this site so slow? I don’t have this problem on other websites.And I preferred having the next 5/6 videos down the sideOverall, I really love the look and feel of the new site ( I think it is nicely organized and easy to negotiate); however, I agree that the cycling of the 3 most recent videos is a bit of a viewing nuisance. Can the three most recent videos just appear in the “Health & Nutrition Videos” section below the main video of the day? I think that might be a bit more user-friendly. I also second eliminating the “click to subscribe” graphic. Might it be placed elsewhere? Maybe in the “Nutrition Videos” section of the site?Dr Greger post the daily videos on Youtube also. Would it help you load faster if you just watch the video on Youtube? I get an email notification when it’s posted to Youtube. Also, i too am irritated by the “Click to Subscribe” ad that always pops up in the beginning; there is a browser extension called “Adblock Plus” that can block that, but i want to research it more to make sure that it’s harmless. Will let you know if it works fine.You can disable the subscription ad by installing a browser extension called “Adblock Plus,” from adblockplus (dot) org. It’s free and works on Firefox and Google Chrome browsers. It will turn off ads on any website. There are probably many other similar programs that do this; i just happened to find this one in the Google Chrome app store. It is being used by a lot (millions) of people.I appreciate your help for sure. Maybe that is what I will start doing is going to YouTube. But I hope that the powers that be make the changes to increase userability because that makes the knowledge more accessible. Why? Because if pages take too long to load people just won’t come and watch the videos because of the hassel. There are many websites I don’t go to anymore because of the ridiculous load times.Your wish = my command! No more cycling, just the video of the day. Thank you everyone for your feedback!You are very kind! Thank you. I hope it helps everyone.Thanks! :)Other than the “video cycling” feature, that you’ve changed, please leave everything else. I look the way one video references another one– i’ve been made aware of so many more videos as a result! Thanks for the awesomex2 information!You can disable the subscription ad by installing a browser extension called “Adblock Plus,” from adblockplus (dot) org. It’s free and works on Firefox and Google Chrome browsers. It will turn off ads on any website. There are probably many other similar programs that do this; i just happened to find this one in the Google Chrome app store. It is being used by a lot (millions) of people. –(i originally accidentally posted this in a reply to myself).Do you know specific research about the antioxidant value and nutrition in general if sprouts are cooked? I like to eat my sprouts raw, but some like to cook them. I’m curious about the research regarding the raw food vs cooked.keep the temerature under 120f and there MAY be some increase in bioavailability as well as reduction un unwanted chemicals but that is all very plant species specific. For instance spinach and most leafy greens should actually be cooked and avoided in their raw state. Go vegan – leave the raw food fad aspect out of it.any idea about the best method of sprouting flax seeds?check out youtube, there are a bunch of videos about thatI am confused by how “antioxidant content” can change due to sprouting. It seems to me that antioxidants are chemicals that neutralize free radicals. If you start out with a seed that has a certain number of those antioxidant chemicals, then after soaking the seed in water, the same number of antioxidants should be present. Unless soaking violates the laws of physics!I reviewed the source article. What it is saying is that the:“amperometric detection has been used to measure antioxidant capacity of different commercial available foodstuff sourced from different countries”, and“The amperometric method [29] is based on measurement of electric current resulting from oxidation of the substance (or the mixture) being studied”Therefore, I am interpreting the numbers to represent how effective the antioxidants are. Or have I misunderstood something?Soaking should in fact remove some of the anti oxidants. Very weird.You mean “soaking should, by pure speculation, remove some of the antioxidants.” Because, in fact, soaking and inducing mitosis produces more, not less.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814608001210http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/The decreases in room temperature soaking seem to be small, but they’re still decreases.Let me ask you this simple question, which might help you understand… do you expect a seed to have the same antioxidant content as the fully grown plant? If you start out with a seed that has a limited amount of fiber, how is it that after soaking the seed in water (thus producing the plant), the amount of fiber has increased? How is it that the mass of the object (the seed/plant) increases? Once you understand these things, you’ll understand why synthesis and mitosis produce “more.”Thanks for your reply Lew, though I believe that you may have missed my point. When a seed is put in soil, the plant grows and accumulates mass and will make more antioxidants by making new materials as it accumulates nutrients from the soil. There is no dispute about that. What I was puzzling over is how the antioxidant content of a seed can increase when it is put in pure water (without any soil or fertilizer). It seems implausible to me that the low mineral content (parts per million level) in small amounts of tap water that stimulate sprouting would be converted to substantially many new antioxidants. Say you take a mung bean, wash it and let the bean sprout as the water trickles off it….i..e typical sprouting. I believe what will happen is that the antioxidants may become more active. But I have seriously doubt that many new antioxidants are being created.Some of the fat stores in the seed are used to germinate (sprout) the seed; a small amount of the fat stores are synthesized into chemicals that will be used to protect the budding plant from the sun’s damaging rays. The plant needs the sun’s energy to grow, but it must also try to protect itself from the DNA-damaging effects of UV radiation. These chemicals also protect us when we eat the plant. The chemicals are in higher concentrations in younger plants because the young plant is more vulnerable to damage; it is growing rapidly & usually doesn’t have the thicker dermal lining that the mature plant has.I can totally dispute “your point” The initial phase of plant life requires ZERO outside nutrition, instead the plant is literally feeding on it’s self and converting the available nutrition within the seed into other chemicals as needed which is why there is an increase in the nutritional value and chemical complexity mentioned in above reply. They need nothing but water and have no need of outside nutrition until they hit what I call plant puberty which is indicated by the formation of a tap root. The first roots that come out are strictly for water uptake and plant stability. That is why you can grow a sprout to begin with. By your logic it would require a nutrient solution to even germinate and begin the sprouting. I have grown plants all the way through thier life cycle to flowering with NO added nutrients. The flowers were weak runts and did not produce seed but they still went to flower which even surprised me. As for your false presumption that sprouting is somehow “stimulated” by minerals I as stated is false. Minerals have nothing to do with it. It is water alone that wakes up dormant seeds. I do all my sprouts and micro greens with distilled water. Why you are positing what you belive about such things when you clearly have no knowledge on the topic and attempting to sound like a scientist qualified to posit a hypothesis is quite an odd personality defect you should take note of. Nobody likes a know it all but whats worse is an know it all who knows nothingNo need to get so aggressive nuny, please be respectful in your posts. No one has directly attacked you, so your response is unwarranted. I had to delete your other post. Please keep this in mind for future postings. Continue exploring nutritionfacts.org and contributing with your questions or comments. Thanks!Violates the laws of physics? WTF? absolute nonsense. You know nothing of physics or chemistry.You think a dormant seed would be equal to a growing live plant in it’s chemical profile? sprouts are more chemically complex because the plant is a little chemical factory producing an ever changing set of growth factors essential for the formation of all the parts of a plant which will change through out it’s life cycle as it reaches it ‘s ultimate goal of self repoduction. it’s the same with people. the hormones of a child are not that of a pubescent teen nor that of a post menopausal person either.I never have much luck sprouting seeds- they always seem to get mouldy before I eat them all. Are they still more nutritious than unsprouted if I cook them after two or three days?Sprouted seeds, grains and legumes can be consumed raw, but there is some evidence that cooking spouts may actually enhance the nutrient absorption – especially when it comes to sprouted grains (1)1. Rosalind S. Gibson, Leah Perlas and Christine Hotz (2006). Improving the bioavailability of nutrients in plant foods at the household level. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 65, pp 160168 doi:10.1079/PNS2006489Thank you! I was going to ask about cooking sprouts :)I tend to sprout from fall to early spring, when fresh veggies are hard to get due to the harsh winters. I like broader trays, as I’ve never had luck with mason jars. Ever. I use the snakpik, but the drains do plug up more often than not, so the trays have to be tilted on a 45 degree when water is in them to get the drainage going again, and sometimes, I have to jiggle or clear out the drain. Otherwise, it is a great system. If anyone has anything better, let me know. I did try a sprouting bag, but didn’t have a good place to hang it, so that didn’t go far.Okay, I sprout many seeds but not flax. Any advice for these? They get a gelatinous covering after they are wet and I did not know you could sprout them. However, will try this and see what happens. Dr. G you are great. Thanks for your wonderful videos, posts, and important information.Flax seeds and cyanide? http://www.versagrain.com/flax-seed-side-effects.htmlMany plants contain naturally occurring toxins and while it is true that flaxseeds contain tiny amounts of cyanide-containing substances, this has not been shown to be a problem. The concern arises from the writings in a popular book or two and has not been confirmed in any published studies that I know of.If you think it is a concern, heating the flaxseeds has been shown to eliminate any detectable amounts of this chemicalSo, while it may be theoretically possible that eating huge amounts of raw or unprocessed flaxseeds or flaxseed meal could potentially pose a problem, this massive load of flax seed is not probable is normal consumption levels.Read about not soaking flax seeds. Cyanide! http://www.understanding-horse-nutrition.com/flax-seed.htmlAny comments on soaking vs. Sprouting? For example, I soak soybeans for 8 hours before making soy milk. It seems like it would be on the continuum.I also noticed that the antioxidant content increased from day 2 to day 5. Wondering if that is the optimum time for harvest or if further growing would increase or decrease levels?depends on the plant but generally harvest 3-7 days. The ideal time to harvest is when you see the first true leaves begin to emerge. (true leaves on some plants are going to look like the second leaves to a novice, as the first leaves are infact the cotyledon or 2 halves of the nut/seed which has turned green)Are antioxydants affected by cooking? For example, if I sprout lentils then cook them a little, will I loose all the benefits gained in the first place? Thank you!The trouble with looking at the antioxidant content of sprouts versus the antioxidant content of adult vegetables is that the values are per gram or per ounce. In other words, eating the adult vegetables might be healthier for us because of (1)much lower price per pound, (2)much more filling, (3)much more fiber, (4)much more other nutrients besides antioxidants, (5)slightly more antioxidants consumed per meal, (6)less risk of pathogenic bacteria, and (7)less risk of eating unhealthy junk foods together with the same meal.How does the overall content of nutrition (carbohydrate, fat and protein) change in sprouts? Maybe you could do a video on that. Thank you for the great content!as the young plants age the macro nutrients listed go down as they are being used by the plant and converted into the other compounds. No video requiredHi,I have 2 questions:1. Is there a (reliable) data base of vitamins and minerals of all sprouted seeds and legumes?in the USDA data bank- many sprouts are missing! such as:sprouted chickpeas, sprouted sesame, sprouted azuki, etc.I can’t find other reliable database that include them’ or at least a research that has checked it…2. Less important question:how can I compare between dry to sprouted legume without weigh it?For example- I tried to compare lentils- it’s dry weight was 50 grams- so it’s 176 calories, I assumed it means that I should take 176 calories of sprouted lentils and to conclude it’s weight. It leads me to weight of 166 grams, but when I got to weigh the sprouted lentils, it was lower weight.Is there more accurate method in order to compare (that doesn’t include weigh?)thank you very much!!!Sprouts: What You Should Know http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/types/fruits/sprouts.htmlThere’s an easy way to sprout flax seeds: use a small terracotta plate and a spray bottle to water it. It works great. (I found it on youtube) Does anyone know if the omega 3 content remains intact when flax is sprouted?they would likley be slightly reduced as they would be used by the young flax plant to grow into maturity. The longer you let the sprout go the less macro nutrients(fats ,sugars,proteins) will be present but the more other beneficial compounds would be presentI’m new to sprouts. Could someone tell me how many sprouts should we consume a day? Can we eat it in quantities like other foods or we should intake them as a supplement (something like 100 grams a day maybe)?Not sure where to post this question, but it is related to sprouts/sprouting. Is there extra nutritional benefit from eating bread made from sprouted grain? Just wondering, after the sprouted grain is ground and baked into bread whether there is any nutritional value remaining. Thanks.	amaranth,antioxidants,chickpeas,garbanzo beans,grains,legumes,lentils,rye,sprouts,wheat	What happens to the antioxidant content of seeds, grains, and beans when you sprout them?	I've been looking for this kind of study for years and am excited to share it! Homemade sprouts are probably the most nutrition-per-unit-cost we can get for our money. See Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck, where they beat out the previous champ, purple cabbage: Superfood Bargains. Broccoli sprouts are probably the best—see for example The Best Detox and Sulforaphane From Broccoli to Breast. I would recommend against alfalfa sprouts (even when home sprouted) as fecal bacteria from manure can hide in the seed's nooks and crannies and cause illness: Don't Eat Raw Alfalfa Sprouts. Sprouted lentils are a one of my favorite snacks—give them a try and let me know what you think!For some context, please check out my associated blog post:  Are Microgreens Healthier?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/02/are-microgreens-healthier/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wheat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garbanzo-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amaranth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superfood-bargains-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-eat-raw-alfalfa-sprouts/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20966884,
PLAIN-2839	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/side-effect-of-fenugreek-consumption/	Side-Effect of Fenugreek Consumption	Cancer prevention is all well and good, but there is a side-effect of fenugreek seed consumption, it makes your armpits smell like maple syrup. “Analysis of human male armpit sweat after fenugreek ingestion. And yes, it happens to women too. “In this study, the strong ‘‘maple-syrup’’ odour which appears after fenugreek ingestion was investigated.” They had men plaster some guaze pads into their armpits before and after eating a tablespoon of fenugreek seeds, “sweat was collected over a 24 hour period, and given to a panel of 8, odor assessors to get their take. They described what they smelled as cocoa, roast beef, carrots. … spicy. gravy, honey rose and lilac, peach-like, raspberry. I guess it could be worse. There was one assessor who described one of the fenugreek odor compounds as   Musty sweet onion socks. Another agreed, but thought it more like   fruity floral socks. Of course there was the boring assessor who was like, uh, smells like fenugreek. This is a harmless phenomenon; the only reason I bring it up is that there is actually a serious congenital disorder, called maple syrup urine disease,   branched-chain ketoaciduria. It's completely unrelated but breastfeeding infants with mom’s using fenugreek to boost their milk production may be misdiagnosed. So if you're pregnant or breastfeeding and eating fenugreek, make sure to tell your OB just so they don't worry.	How much fenugreek, and in what form, is most efficient for increasing strength, then?Study sited in yesterdays video use 500 mg/day of a standardized extract (to 70% of some frenugreek component or other)I have been using it for years to heal my Colitis. I buy the seeds from an Indian store, I found that the organic kind was not as potent. Put a tbls in 2 cups of water to soak over night, in the morning add warm water and drink it. It is very strong so you may want to add, raisins or honey. The seeds expand and you can eat them with soup, yogurt or on their own.Hey, I like the smell of maple syrup!Does fenugreek increase breast size? Or is that a myth?No it does not. It does help to produce breast milk for breast feeding moms.Yes, it does help with the production of milk, but fenugreek is bad for infants and kids. There are many cases where babies have gone unconscious from it, as well as bad stools and other side effects.In a cup of coffee, with cocoa powder.Sweet stuff!Aha! Fenugreek is the base for the condiment “hilbe”, a Yemenite Jewish garnish that is spread on pita or added to soups. I can buy hilbe at the shuk at my favorite pickle-n-olive shop. The Yemenite Jewish community has known for ages that hilbe can lower blood sugar, its ability to improve muscle strength and having the potential to fight cancer are two more good reasons to add it to your diet.Have there been any studies with fenugreek & its effect on women’s strength-building?There are none sadly, and this is one of the only studies of its kind. Although I wouldn’t doubt that a similar affect would be seen with woman as with men.I’ve been adding powdered or freshly ground fenugreek seeds to sweet potatoes or winter squash, often with other curry spices such as turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, or cayenne. The maple-ish flavor of the fenugreek goes well with the sweetness of those vegetables, and their sweetness counters the fenugreek (or turmeric) bitterness.I want you to cook for me…Mmmm! Do you bake and mash with the spices? Would love to try it.Great culinary tip for us fenugreek newbies! Thx!Fenugreek is something I discovered by becoming a vegan, and I am so glad. I love to toast it, add some oil, garlic, paprika and soy sauce, then add in steamed potatoes. It is de-lish! And now I learn it is anti-cancer. Woo hoo!Ooo! Another great tip that I cannot wait to try!This is so, so, so interesting!Thank you to those people who commented on this video about how you use fenugreek. I needed some ideas. THANKS!That is a great side effect! A natural deodorant of sorts. How about a recipe for the chia mango treats? :)I ate neatly two tablespoon of fenukgreek seeds during first trimester of pregnancy.. Do i need to take any thing to reduce its impacts.. Please response my query ASAPFresh fenugreek greens (not seeds) can be used along with parsley and cilantro with beans (pinto or red beans) onion and garlic to make a good tasty stew. Fresh fenugreek can be found in Persian stores (it is called shambaleleh). You can easily grow your own by planting some of the seeds! We also grind the seeds and add to bread when we bake bread where it adds a nice rich flavor.Sounds yummy! And, judging by the recent video about sprouts, I bet you those sprouted fenugreek greens have even more antioxidants. Now, I need to find me a Persian store in town. I gotta try that stew! Do you have a more exact recipe or a name for the stew so that I can search it on the net?Hi Dr Greger. How do you eat your fenugreek powder? I have tried a few recipes so far and none have been good. It’s strong stuff. ThanksHope you don’t mind me chiming in. ;-) You could probably use powdered fenugreek in the recipes shared by HereHere and J Potter above. I got a bit experimental myself. Since viewing this video I rushed out to get some powdered fenugreek at an awesome co-op in town. I’ve been adding it to my coffee, homemade chai tea, and most recently to a modified sweet carrot salad inspired by a _Forks Over Knives_ recipe (p. 109).For my homemade chai, I usually use whatever spices I have. These days its whole cloves, powdered cinnamon, powdered allspice, crushed cardamom pods, fennel seeds, ginger (raw or powdered), and now powdered fenugreek. I don’t measure these ingredients out so, if you need exact measurements I recommend hitting up your preferred search engine for a more concise recipe. But what I do is add water to a pot, throw in some tea bags (green, oolong, jasmine, peppermint, you can use whatever you like or have), then I add the spices I have, I let that boil and steep for a few minutes. Then, I pour the tea mixture through a fine mesh sieve to separate out all the floaties. I add a bit of soy milk to the mix and a touch of sweetner. Viola, chai tea with a bit o’ fenugreek.For the modified sweet carrot salad inspired by a _Forks Over Knives_ recipe you will need: 5-7 shredded carrots, 2 peeled and diced apples (or leave the peel on if the apple if it is organic), 1 tbs of hibiscus tea (recipe called for apple juice, but the tea is all I had), juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 tsp of powdered cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of powdered fenugreek, 1/4 teaspoon of powdered ginger, and 1/2 cup of Trader Joe’s Golden Berry Blend (golden raisins, cherries, cranberries, and blueberries). Mix and chill for about 1 hour. I thought it was pretty good and was exactly what I needed to satisfy my sweets craving tonight.I imagine you could also add a bit of the powdered fenugreek to your smoothie or oatmeal mixture as well.I gotta tell you, though, this video tells no lie. Just the few days of sprinkling powdered fenugreek in my food and I can already smell the difference. Will have to see if the muscle mass follows suit. :)Thanks! :)How much fenugreek should you consume a day? I am a body builder and would like to improve my muscle mass and strength. I have been taking about a tablespoon or so a day (ground) since watching the video. Today I realized that despite a spin ride, sweating a lot and forgetting to put on deodorant- There was NO body odor that I could detect.I don’t think it smells like maple syrup at all! It smelled like urine to me when my husband started taking it! I asked him to stop because the stench was so pungent and made me sick. Before we figured out it was the fenugreek, I thought he’d stopped washing his hands after using the bathroom!Yikes! Your post made me think, what if what I smell as maple syrup smells like urine to someone else? That is entirely possible.My wife is now forbidding me to eat fenugreek. She doesn’t like that i have a new smell :)I bought some fenugreek capsules to start taking, and I noticed on the side it warns against taking while pregnant. What’s with that?And is it so dangerous that I should stop taking it even while trying to conceive?I believe there was some concern it may induce labor.I’ve been milling fenugreek seeds for about three days now and adding about a tablespoon to my pre-work out shakes. Not only have I started to notice the strength increase but my arm pits totally smell like maple syrup! Win!I think I would rather have armpits that smell like maple syrup, then cancer anytime……..get real. I take Fenugreek for $500 Alex!!!!I was told Fenugreek is pretty much a cure all. I have a dr appt on the 8th for anal fissures that wont heal, would you recommend using this. I have read it helps with inflammation and digestion health. Part of the reason it wont heal is hard stools from my specific diet I have to be on. This pain is horrible and I need something to help get me through!!!If fenugreek seeds expand when placed in water, does it expand when digested? Just curious, I have cardiomyopathy and I’m overprotective about everything internalized.yes they absorb water and expand!How about you just take a 3/4 tea-spoon full of fenugreek in morning then drink on cup of water after that. This might suppress the bad odor. OOzyI’ve been taking a total of 1200 milligrams of fenugreek seed extract a day and my ankles and knees swelled up after 3 days of taken. does anybody know of this as being a side effect??I like soaked fenugreek seeds but stopped eating them when I read that Hormone sensitive breast cancer patients should not eat them. Is this true? Much tastier way to decrease blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Less drug side effects.my wife cants stand the smell…said it emanates from my pores. I was wondering if anybody had tried mixing with baking soda or something to deodorize the fenugreek/methi seed powder? I love cinnamon as well and add it to smoothies and such so was thinking possibly blending this together with the methi. Any suggestions/discoveries?how about fresh fenugreek?can u please suggest me..can i consume fenugreek seeds as im effected with bells palsyRE: Bells Palsy. Some procedure may help. Self: dealing with bouts of Trigeminal Neuralgia. Found in my “high” state of pain (and much research) a chiropractic method: subtle manipulation. Google: NUCCA, put in your postal/zip code to find the closest to you. It is expensive but helped in my case.Good Luck.So eating the seeds wont make my pits stink like maple syrup? And I will make gainz in the gym?I made an very yummy fenugreek tea today. Added Apple Juice for a third of the tea (with the water), cinnamon, cloves, and a couple teaspoons of sugar. Tastes like apple pie!There’s a great Persian stew called gormeh sabzi that uses fenugreek leaves. I’ve loved it ever since I first tried it. The recipe also uses dried lime balls and kidney beans. I’ve never had it without lamb or beef but I bet it would be great without. They serve it with crunchy rice called tadiq…My favorite preparation is http://foodviva.com/curry-recipes/methi-bhaji-methi-sabzi/ Also, my daughter loves http://southindianvegrecipes.com/wheat_recipes/methi_chapathi.html even though she doesn’t have much interest in eating vegetables otherwise. You could probably make these recipes without oil or limited oil.Fenugreek leaves cooked with finely chopped onions +tomato+garlic tastes yummy with bread/roti….you can grate cheese into the sandwich too.	body odor,breast milk,breastfeeding,fenugreek,infant formula,infants,maple syrup,pregnancy,side effects,spices,women's health	Fenugreek seeds may protect against cancer and improve muscle mass, but they can make your armpits smell like maple syrup.	Make sure you see the "prequel" to this video Benefits of Fenugreek Seeds. What happens to armpit odor of those embracing entire diets full of plants? See Body Odor Diet. Then check out Asparagus Pee for another funky odor video. Fenugreek is certainly something I've been trying to incorporate more into my family's diet based on all this amazing new data. It's strong stuff though! I'd be interested to hear any tips on how folks have been able to sneak it into their diets. I make these mean chia seed-encrusted, dried mangoes that I sprinkle with fenugreek powder using the mix-a-yummy-with-yucky technique of adding less-than-delicious things to one's diet (like putting amla in smoothies). I find home dried mangos so yummy I figure I could rub them with almost anything!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Increasing Muscle Strength with Fenugreek	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fenugreek/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infant-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-odor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maple-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/body-odor-diet-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11532065,
PLAIN-2840	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/	Benefits of Fenugreek Seeds	“The effects of a commercially available botanical supplement on strength, body composition, power output, and hormonal profiles in resistance-trained males.” Something “had a significant impact on both upper- and lower-body strength and body composition in comparison to placebo in a double blind controlled trial. These changes were obtained with no clinical side effects.” Allowed these men to leg press an extra hundred pounds, compared to placebo. And the magical substance was fenugreek, “A naturally occurring edible spice that appears to double as an anticancer agent.” Here’s prostate cancer cells in a petri dish,   here’s prostate cancer with a little fenugreek. Here’s another type of cancer before and after. What about normal prostate cells though. Before fenugreek and after. That’s what we like to see.­­ “In summary, fenugreek seeds may possess potent anti-cancer properties. So what's the downside? Find out in tomorrow's video-of-the-day.	Thanks God tomorrow is Friday! I can’t wait to know the downsidesFenugreek is also easy to sprout. It’s too hard and crunchy otherwise. How else would you prepare it?I just use powdered fenugreek.How much do you use, etc.Dear dr what about mycotoxins in ground seeds, can you help us in better understanding the existence of mycotoxins in spices of herbs?I think there might be an error in the video. It says that fenugreek allowed athletes to leg-press an extra 100 pounds vs placebo. The results in the background seem to point to an extra 50 pounds vs placebo and 100 pounds vs before training., you can soak it over night in cold and mineral water, its taste greatI read that Fenugreek is also effective in lowering Trglycerides which is a type of Cholesterol, according to Sloan- Kettering.POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT! Actually it’s usually touted as an upside: fenugreek as a galactagogue, to increase breastmilk production… but if you don’t need it: oversupply. Ouch. This vegan family avoids it in food, never mind the supplements.how if it is used by youngsters in grind power form with water in morning, thn also will it side affect breast? should in discountinue using it? plz replyDo you know of any studies on successful toenail fungus treatments? Also, which vegan foods tend to cause sinus congestion, mucus, etc.? What causes red scaly skin on the cheeks and what can be done about it?ThanksHopefully your toenail fungus has improved since your post but if it hasn’t, apple cider vinegar works great. My wife had a case of fungus since she was a child and it was pretty bad. After soaking her feet for 20 minutes every day in diluted apple cider vinegar, her feet were 100% fungus free in about 1 year. It was the first time in her life that she felt comfortable wearing sandals. Her case was pretty severe so if it is minor you may see results in a shorter time frame.Applying Vick’s Vapor Rub (or generic) to your toenails and covering them with a sock, kills fungus quickly.So how much Fenugreek should we eat to get the benefits mentioned in weight lifting?The study used a standardized extract:500 mg of Fenugreek (Torabolic ™ Trigonella Foenum-Graecum) (standardized for 70% Trigimannose)The term “Trigimannose” appears nowhere else in the literature, but from the name its obviously one of the mannose polysaccarides found in Trigonella. If Trigimannose is the tetramannose this patent claims muscle building benefits from, then the 350 mg Trigimannose in each capsule would be equivalent to consuming 10.93 grams, or 1 Tbsp, of whole fenugreek seed (assuming there’s no other elements in the whole seed that interfere with digestion or the anabolic effect).Darryl, could you provide the source you used determine that 350mg of the compound is equivalent to 10.9 g, or 1 Tbsp of whole fenugreek seed?FYI I also found a mistake in the above.. It’s 2 capsule of Torobolic = 350 not 1 capsule as you say above.According to the label of Torobolic (the supplement used in the study), the recommended dose is 2 capsules/daily. The total dose (both capsules together) contain a total of 350mg of 70% Trigaminose (the active ingredient aka extract). Hence both capsules together contain 350mg trigaminose, so one capsule contains 175mg.http://www.amazon.com/MET-Rx-Torabolic-quik-creat-60-count/dp/B00AUDW9UG/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1392585165&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=torabolicFYI I also found a mistake in the above info. It’s actually 2 capsules of Torabolic = 350 Trigimannose not 1 capsule as said in the above post.Darryl, could you please provide the source you used determine that 350mg of Trigimannose is equivalent to 10.9 g, or 1 Tbsp of whole fenugreek seed? I’m interested in finding a different source of fenugreek than Torabolic but getting the same dose as used in the study. (The reason I don’t want to use Torobolic, is that it contains the artificial coloring titanium dioxide). http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/According to the label of Torobolic (the supplement used in the study Dr. Greger does on Fenugreek), the recommended dose is 2 capsules/daily. The total dose (both capsules together) contain a total of 350mg of 70% Trigimannose (the active ingredient aka extract). Hence if two capsules contain 350mg trigaminose, then one capsule contains 175mg.http://www.amazon.com/MET-Rx-T…It’s been a while, but the trigimannose concentration in whole fenugreek is part of the the linked patent. The conversion to volume measurement used serving sizes from nutritiondata.I love when you find the fitness benefits of foods. I’m always trying to find how to boost fitness for Vegans. Powerful info!“This work was funded by Indus Biotech” – bottom of page 8. Indus Biotech are the makers of the supplement Torabolic used in this study. Should be mentioned for full disclosure.‘Just Do It App’ for ingesting fennel: Take a bite of banana. Chew it a bit. Add 1/8 or more teaspoon fennel seed. Mix – do not chew – and swallow. Repeat until 1 teaspoon is gone :)Hi Dr. G, How much should I be taking every day to build strength and muscle mass? I have been doing about a tablespoon of ground seeds. Enough? Too much? I noticed today that my arm pits didn’t smell bad even after a sweaty workout (I had forgotten to put on deodorant too!) I like that side effect. Also like the cancer fighting part!Thanks, TumeriaAfter viewing this video, I began drinking fenugreek tea daily (1 tablespoon organic fenugreek seeds in water) and eating the seeds at the end of the day. I’ve experienced benefits not even mentioned in the video, but in further research found the following on the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Integrative Medicine website:Contraindications: Fenugreek acts as an estrogenic receptor modulator and was shown to stimulate breast cancer cells in vitro (26). Patients with hormonal-sensitive cancers should avoid this product. How does this contraindication measure up with the data on fenugreek’s effect on prostate cancer cells? I don’t want to discontinue my fenugreek consumption, but I also don’t want to encourage breast cancer. Thanks so much for all your tremendous work in promoting plant-based diets and nutritional research!hey, you mention benefits not mentioned in the video – not mentioned by you either! come on, spill the beans…..Not sure if i’m on the up and up with this video. As one person stated “This work was funded by Indus Biotech” – bottom of page 8. Indus Biotech are the makers of the supplement Torabolic used in this study. Should be mentioned for full disclosure” I did a google search on Indus Biotech Torabolic, below will be the first link in the search. I was excited to watch this video, seeing as i’m all but vegan now and prefer it that way and i also go to the gym 5 days a week, i’ve noticed i’ve lost a little strength and some size, so any way to gain some of what i lost back i would be interested in, but not after what i found in the google search. I can’t take something, let alone believe in it, that MET-Rx is pushing, ie Torabolic. I’d call myself one of your biggest fans Dr. but i’m not agreeing with you on this oneHow about sprouting fenugreek? Does it have the same benefits?Not to try to cause any disinformation here but: Been taking fenugreek for 2 weeks since this video came out… I’m most always 204 lbs when working out… weighed myself 5 weeks ago – 204 lbs… weighed myself 2 days ago 210.5 then i looked up some side effects and apparently it is used as a appetite enhancer… and people use it to gain weight… may help the skin vegans but I’m naturally muscley and get fat easily. so I have to be careful with stuff like this… in those 2 weeks didn;t notice any strength improvement at the gym.Okay, then you didn’t need dietary encouragements.Which form of consumption is more optimal; whole seeds? or grounded to powder?Where do you find this in powder form?I buy a package of the whole seeds and then grind them up in a coffee grinder. The same way I do with flax seeds. You could grind up a whole weeks worth and store in the freezer or refrigerator. Then use as needed during the week.I’ve also heard it can be used as a natural breast enhancement, seems possible as it contributes to the production of milk, but how true is this information? Thank you for your responseIf increasing strength, lowering fasting blood glucose, HDL, and VLDL, and inhibiting cancer weren’t enough, perhaps this will capture your attention:Steels, Elizabeth, Amanda Rao, and Luis Vitetta. “Physiological aspects of male libido enhanced by standardized Trigonella foenum graecum (fenugreek) extract and mineral formulation.” Phytotherapy Research 25.9 (2011): 1294-1300.Where in the study are you getting an extra hundred pounds on the Leg Press? On the table from the video the gains in leg press strength for fenugreek and placebo are:Fenugreek: (419 – 334) = 85 lbs (25% increase) Placebo: (364 – 316) = 48 lbs (15% increase)That looks to me like Fenugreek gave an extra 37 lbs on the Leg Press which is within the margin of error. Am I missing something?I didn’t analyze the data, but wouldn’t be surprised to find dubious claims. The study was about a proprietary extract, and funded by the producing company: Indus Biotech.Up to now, as far as I know, these results have not been replicated.You go, Greg!You are correct. And let’s not forget that the specific supplement used in this study and funding this study, Torobolic, contained a known ergogenic supplement. This trashy study didn’t control for CREATINE, hence Dr. Greger should delete it. It is worse than anything Atkins ever marketed.marketing at it finest?Does fenugreek help you lose weight by drinking it as a hot tea?Will you please address these two contradicting studies? One concludes that Fenugreek promotes breast cancer cells and the other concludes that it kills breast cancer cells. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22471470 and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20571172The next time you make a vegetable stir fry, sprinkle in some fenugreek powder as it cooks. It adds a subtle and delicious flavor. It’s like a secret ingredient for tasty stir fry!We sprout fenugreek seeds, adding them to salads, stir fry, sandwiches, and smoothies. It is an everyday food for us. We also, use it medicinally, along with marshmallow, and thyme, with respiratory illness.AYURVEDIC RECIPES WITH FENUGREEK SEEDS ( MENTHULU ) 1. RECIPE FOR STOMACHACHEIN ENGLISH :fenugreek seeds powder – 1 spoon butter milk – 1 glassmix the above and drink.uses – stomachache will be cured.2 . RECIPE FOR BOILSIN ENGLISH :fenugreek seeds – 1 part wheat flour – 1 partmix the above ,grind well and apply on the boils.uses – boils will be cured.3 . RECIPE FOR LACTATING MOTHERS TO IMPROVE MILKIN ENGLISH :fenugreek seeds – 10 gm indian asparagus powder – 10 gm milk – 1 cupmix all the above and take once a day.uses – improves milk in the breast feeding mothershttp://excellent-ayurvedicsolutions.blogspot.com/2012/01/ayurvedic-recipes-with-fenugreek-seeds.htmlI have soaked the seeds in water and then drink the juice. I also have grown the resulting sprouts in pots. They’re really tasty alone or in salads! I get the seeds from Mountain Rose herb company.Some serious red flags here. First off, as others posted below, this study was funded by makers of a specific supplement. second, and more important by far, is the fact that the supplement has CREATINE in it. CREATINE is a proven strength enhancer. To give placebo vs CREATINE is not a very reliable study model. How’d you let this one slip by, Dr. Greger?! This is more like Dr. oz, not you, and you should delete this post in its entirety.	cancer,exercise,fenugreek,men's health,muscle strength,prostate cancer,spices,supplements	The spice fenugreek appears to significantly improve muscle strength and weight lifting power output while possessing anti-cancer properties in vitro.	This reminds me of the whole beet juice saga on improving athletic performance. My ten video series started with Doping With Beet Juice and ended with So Should We Drink Beet Juice or Not?. Other plants with apparently remarkable benefits include amla (see, for example, Amla Versus Diabetes), saffron (Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimers), the tea plant (Dietary Brain Wave Alteration), and humble broccoli (Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells). More on the power of plants in general in Power Plants and spices like fenugreek in particular in Antioxidants in a Pinch. See what a whole diet of plants can do to prostate cancer growth at Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Increasing Muscle Strength with Fenugreek and Cinnamon for Diabetes	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-strength/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fenugreek/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-2841	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/standing-up-for-your-health/	Standing Up for Your Health	A study published last year in the journal of the American Heart Association linked TV watching, with death. “Television viewing time was associated with increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality.” Video-game playing too. So do you have to kill your TV before it kills you? They don’t think it was the TV itself, but just a proxy for sedentary behavior, but of course not all sedentary behavior is bad. Sleeping isn’t, and you can’t get more sedentary than that. In fact not getting a good night’s sleep “may to be a novel and independent risk factor for obesity.” 43 studies reviewed and the majority of forward looking studies have associated spending much of the day sitting with a shorter lifespan. And what's crazy is that “time spent sitting was independently associated with total mortality, regardless of physical activity level.” Heart disease mortality was significantly elevated even in people who otherwise exercised regularly. So just going to the gym after your desk job may not eliminate the risks sitting around all day, something our bodies never evolved to do. So, if we can, we shouldn’t sit down on the job and instead try thinking on our feet. Whether high tech… or low tech, consider a standing desk for reading the newspaper, watching TV, paying bills—whatever tasks we might otherwise do sitting down. Or even better slide a treadmill under there. Here's my crazy contraption. It's just lots of duct tape and bungie cords. I can usually get in a good 15 miles a day. Bottom-line: We need to stand up, for our health.	testcan you give a little more detail about what your footwear mistake was?yay!!! I’ve been waiting for a video post about this topic!!! Thank you!Dr. Greger, terrific idea – I hadn’t seriously thought of this previously. 15 miles per day is a lot! Do you walk slowly, walk briskly, jog, or run; or a combination of these. Do you primarily read or can you actually type; or do you use speech recognition? Do you monitor your heart rate or time per mile? Do you supplement this with other more vigorous cardio or weight training? Thanks!The fastest I’ve been able to work up to and still type is 2.5mph–and that’s after bungie-cording a weight belt around my waist to the thing for stability. I’m loving the new mac OS which has a voice dictation function, but am slow to get the hang of it. The only time I really get my heart rate up these days is biking to NIH. And the only strength training I allow myself time for is sneaking in sets of push-ups while something’s in the microwave or elastic band stretching while I pee or in the car stopped at stoplights. Anyone have any other creative ideas for exercise that takes no time away from uploading daily videos?You remind me of my surgery rotations when I would practice efficient surgical knot ties (one and two handed) on the steering wheel at stoplights. Some ideas for exercising at other down-times: grocery cart speeding in parking lot (look out for traffic!); flexing muscles at any time – eg calves while standing doing dishes, butt while walking upstairs, arms when reaching for objects; squats while brushing teeth; auto time is really wasteful – great for listening to audiobooks but also can stretch and flex; if on the cell phone use that as a time to move – pacing around your desk or up and down stairs – if you become breathless, you might explain to the caller; and there is always double time while doing any activity – putting on clothes, walking to car. However, also schedule time to zero-task “just don’t do something, sit there”.Well, if you are really as hard-core as you seem, then you could do seated squats while doing your number two in the restroom:http://www.drbishop.ca/index.cfm/fuseaction/content/contentID/35-The-SquatI would really appreciate a more detailed description of how your treadmill-desk is constructed and what factors there are that have to be kept in mind when buying such a desk. You seem to have a lot of experience. :)That’s commitment baby!! Elastic band stretching while you pee?!? Can you still keep your aim? If not, you’re keeping limber by bending down cleaning up the spray! Just precious!Ooh, I’m tagging this one for our health talk at our schools agm. A number of us admins spend a long hours on our rumps. One great suggestion at this years meeting was rather than walking on a treadmill, standing on a balance board. A board with a small section of PVC pipe is all you need to activate your entire body while you work. Another great point brought up is that when you get tired, you take a break which is good. Rather than taking a break from sitting and staring, to do…There might be another explanation other than just sitting too much. Could it be there is something wrong with those who want or need to sit most of the time? A good control might be how much of that sitting time is enforced by job restrictions and how much of it is by choice?I feel so overwhelmed I don’t know where to start. My job forces me to sit all day but am thinking of at least using a rolling ball chair. My legs hurt so much now from standing and I probably wear the worst shoes. What are the best? Is there a good way to work towards standing more? Is it like walking, a little at a time? Can it be reversed at all? My husband just died of massive heart attack which is how I found your sight. I have been reading everything I can and my eyes are open and I want changes in my life.That’s awesome to see you are walking a out 15 miles per day doing your work. Or should I say ‘F’itness/Work or combined = Fork. Gives another meaning to Forks over Knives. ;-)What are your thoughts on the “Perils of Standing” cited by Cornell University Ergonomics Web? They include: (1) increased progression of carotid atherosclerosis (for men with ischemic heart disease); (2) increased risk of varicose veins; and (3) increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders like carpal tunnel syndrome. Here’s the article: http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/CUESitStand.html. Are there any relevant studies yet on the benefits/drawbacks to doing computer work while standing/walking?What about a stationary bike desk? You’d have more stability and you’re legs would work as much or more than on a treadmill, but then again you would be still sitting. Is it really the standing that is important or the exercise?Does this study include diet? Geez, I’ve been vegan (organic whole food, not processed junk food) for 22 years and now I have to worry that my 8 hour a day sitting job is going to kill me in spite of all my exercise and eating right? Are vegans at the same risk? We’ve known for a long time that vegetarians live longer than omnivores and that vegans live longer than vegetarians. So why lump us all together in this study? Doesn’t seem fair to say that a omni couch potato is the same as a life long vegan couch potato.If you do regular exercise and are following a good(variety, nonGMO) whole food plant based diet with adequate B12 intake you should be able to tolerate and do well with a desk job. I like to remind my patients that being fit has 5 dimensions (aerobic, strength, flexibility, stability and balance) of course sleep and relaxation contribute to health. You might enjoy videos… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/ or the blog post… http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/17/diet-vs-exercise-whats-more-important/ . I think that nutrition is more important than exercise if I had to choose which of course you don’t. Of course keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps coming…Is it helpful for those like me who work a full-time desk job (yet I compete in figure competitions so am VERY athletic) to be sure to stand at a certain frequency?I would much rather stand than sit but standing still in one spot and not moving kills my knees. Is standing still better than sitting on the joints? Can standing still be harmful?After watching this video I grabbed my laptop with all the wires to the place where I can stand and enjoy surfing internet while being home. It’s pity that I cannot do the same at work :(THANK YOU FOR THE IDEA!!! I was waiting for it long time!NO WAY !! I’m shocked. I learned about standing desks, but a treadmill ! Is Michael Greger the healthiest man on the planet ?15 miles per day is impressive.This must be devastating for truck drivers, they spend long hours in the driver seat, is there an interval suggested for these kind jobs?? how much sitting compared to counteracting activity, could HIIT be used to win the battle of being planted on your butt? (HIIT High intensity Interval Training).Thank you for the info, but what if a persons has Type II Diabetes plus Lupus that plays havoc with their joints making walking very difficult. What exercise can they do that will help them to loose weight? He wants to loose weight, but is very discouraged because of the meds and insulin put pounds on. Any help would be appreciated.Vades: If the meds are at least part of the problem, I have a thought for you: I don’t know a lot about Lupus, but I know a lot about Type 2 Diabetes and how most people can get off their meds. See if you can get your friend to get the book, “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The scientifically proven system for reversing diabetes without drugs”. The first part of the book is text explaining what works to get diabetics off their meds (as least a great deal of the time) and *why*. The second part of the book has recipes. Even if this diet does nothing to help with the Lupus, it couldn’t hurt. And getting rid of half of his problems would be a big deal I would think.In addition to the above book, which I *highly* recommend, here are some resources to help with losing weight. I highly recommend them. 1) check out a free lecture available on line by Dr. Lisle. It will really help him understand what the issue really is: “How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ2) Jeff Novick’s DVD, “Calorie Density; Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer” is a wonderful supplement to the above video. Those two videos together really helped me to understand what needs to happen to lose weight. Also check out Jeff’s DVDs in the Fast Food series. Great, affordable food that is easy to make. All of these are available on Amazon. Here is the first one: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392424210&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density%3B+eat+more3) Have your friend consider going through the free 21 Day Kickstart program by PCRM. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)Hope that helps.Thea. thank you so much for the information. I will certainly check out the books and the online info. My friend gets so discouraged especially when the doctors tell him he needs to loose weight. He knows this, but they do nothing except tell him he needs to walk everyday. They just don’t seem to listen when he tells them about what the Lupus does to his joints. He did walk for about 2 months and he was in so much pain he just couldn’t continue. The doctor said he would give him cortisone shots, but he didn’t want to put any more meds in his body. He just wants to loose weight and be free of as much pain as possible. He did loose some weight, but he just couldn’t deal with the pain in his knees He doesn’t like taking pain meds, but they wouldn’t even touch the pain.Lupus is an autoimmune disease. It can attack the joints or the organs. His bother died because his Lupus attacked his organs, but my friend feels blessed because his Lupus is attacking his joints and not his organs. Before he was diagnosed with Lupus, I did some checking online and he had some of the symptoms of Lupus. His PCP didn’t believe he could have Lupus until he heard that his brother died of Lupus. Then and only then did his doctor send him to a specialist to be checked and sure enough he did have it too, but just not as severe as his brother.I haven’t checked online to find out if there is anything that we can do for the Lupus other than meds, but once we get the diabetes taken care of, I will research online for anything that can help him with the Lupus.Thank you again for the info and thank you for responding so quickly…..Vades: Oh boy. It makes me so mad to hear stories like, “The doctor keeps telling me to do X, but it hurts and I can’t do it. He is is practically blaming me for my problem…” Ugh.I promise you, none of my suggestions involve walking or anything that should cause pain.I’ll also mention that I have other ideas too for losing weight. So, if he makes some progress with what I already suggested and then wants more suggestions, like cookbook recommendations, etc, let me know. I have some thoughts. ;-) I’m just full of it. I mean them. Ummmm.There really is a lot of hope for your friend, especially because he has you. I hope you will report back in the future and us know how it goes.Thea, thank you for your encouraging words. I haven’t had a chance to get through all the info, but I will keep you posted on his progress in due time.	American Heart Association,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,exercise,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,longevity,mortality,obesity,television	Prolonged daily sitting is associated with a shorter lifespan, even in those who exercise regularly. Standing and treadmill desks are two potential solutions for office workers.	Though right now I'm writing this sitting on my butt in a plane, that treadmill is where most of the NutritionFacts,org magic happens. However, before you try standing or treadmilling all day, make sure you have good footwear—learn from my mistake! More on the benefits of physical activity in Exercise & Breast Cancer and Reversing Cognitive Decline, keeping in mind that what we eat may be more important. See Is it the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? and What Women Should Eat to Live Longer.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Treadmill Desks: Stand Up For Health	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/16/treadmill-desks-stand-up-for-health/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/television/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21232666,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20823775,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20837291,
PLAIN-2842	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/	Preventing Wrinkles with Diet	Eating healthier can produce healthier skin, but people don't care about microscopic changes.   What about overt visible-to-the-naked eye changes? The extent of facial wrinkles in the crow’s-foot area was determined by observation using the Daniell scale in 716 women. This is the scoring system they're talking about. It's a scale of 1 through 6, six being the worst. So, what seemed to help the most? “In the present study, a higher intake of green and yellow vegetables was associated with decreased facial wrinkling. Those eating   less than a serving of green and yellow vegetables averaged a three; those eating two or more servings a day, averaged a two. What really excited the researchers was the potential for these studies to promote a healthy diet. I mean eating fruits and vegetables to prevent cancer and heart disease—who cares, but wrinkles on the other hand…	Dr. Greger has one of the most delightful senses of humor that I know. Bless him.Crack me up. Same thing I see with my patiens. No one wants to prevent cancer or live longer, but lose weight and look better, now you are talking!Same here. There are those who want to prevent disease,but you get a lot more interest when you connect it to cosmetic effects.i’m on board !Wrinkles, yep I get it. Way more compelling a reason to eat healthy, ha ha. Reminds me of when I went to see my chinese herbalist because of hair loss due to perimenopause. After telling him details about my terrible symptom, he asked me, “Do you have mood swings, irregular periods, hot flashes, trouble sleeping, any other symptoms?” I said yes to everything. He laughed and said, “Women don’t care about any of those but they care about their hair!” (Chinese herb “Foti” tablets worked wonders for my hair BTW.)I’ll look for them – thanks!Thanks for your amazing site! Dr. Greger, do you know how to get rid of facial Seborrheic dermatitis? Regards/ Håkan from Sweden.Try using the fresh gel out of a leaf of Aloe Vera plant. Or any type of Aloe, but the Aloe Vera leaf is really big and juicy. You won’t need much juice, you can actually eat the inside and just rub the inside of the leaf to your skin or scratch it and use your hand to massage it into your face, a gentler way to treat your face. You can also replace the soap with egg whites. No need to beat the whites into a foam, just take a bit of egg white and wash your face as if it was soap. No need to wait for it to harden or anything. Just apply it to your face, gently massage for 10 seconds and rinse. Don’t use soap. The soap is too strong. I hope these methods will help you.Veganism: cheaper than cosmetic surgery! Excellent selling point… although a bit sad!Plant based lifestyle is THE anti-aging fix; heals inside and out.Be sure to use more pictures of dogs! ;)This is very interesting research! I will share it with my acquaintances who inject themselves with botchulism toxin (botox). Personally, I think crows feet suggests a happy, jovial person in mid-life, but maybe it just means they don’t eat enough greens/yellows. I guess I need to increase my intake of these, too. Even as a vegan, I find getting in the greens a bit of a struggle, due to laziness and nothing else. Any cure for laziness out there?! (Just joking, I know, it is all in my attitude).I too have the same dietary deficit. I eat pretty healthy- low fat vegan with tons of veggies, but eating those dark green leafies always feels like a chore. BUT I have come across a couple tools that have made it a lot easier to up my intake. One is the “Simple Green Soup” recipe by Anna Thomas on NPR, the other is the kale chips by Happy Herbivore (she doesn’t use oil). You can use any greens you want in the soup- I use kale and spinach, and also add garlic and rosemary as well. Next I’m going to experiment with kale, bok choy, garlic, and ginger. It’s a really great base recipe for getting creative. I would love to get used to eating big raw kale salads everyday, but for now the soup and chips will have to do. I hope these ideas help! :)Try a green smoothie every morning ;)It seems cooking the greens will decrease their vitamins level.feeling lazy about eating green veg? juice them and get all the concentrated goodness!Great info…I’m already eating a plant-based diet for health reasons, but the vanity side of it is alive and well! Can you explain why this is – not my vanity but rather the prevention of wrinkles…grin? What causes the skin to retain it’s youthful properties when eating this way….or maybe a better question would be, what is the mechanism that causes earlier wrinkling? And is this earlier skin aging an outward expression of what is potentially happening internally?Oops…just watched the other video you suggested, Beauty is no more than skin deep and it was helpful. Thanks!Congrats on eating a plant based diet hopefully with Vitamin B12 supplementation. As a physician I note marked improvement in just several days when patients go on a McDougall type diet(starch centered whole plant based diet). This short term improvement is most likely secondary to improved circulation courtesy of the Nitrous Oxide system see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/. The long term prevention of wrinkles seemed to be related to intake of green and yellow vegetables, monounsaturated fats and legumes. Most of the effect was due to dried fruits, apples and tea possibly due to polyphenols. Of course as a plant based person you avoid milk and milk products which tends to increase wrinkling. Your skin does reflect what is going on internally so continue eating a whole food plant based diet. Be well.Hi, I’m vegan and I understand from these videos how eating a plant based diet is important for my skin…my question : Does using retinol have a negative effect on my health?I went vegan 2 years ago after being vegetarian for almost 20 years, at the same time I cut right down on my use of olive oil and other concentrated vege fats after reading Dr Essenden’s book about avoiding heart attacks. I have always been on the thin side, but lost another 2 or 3 kilo’s and now have a terribly wrinkly face and look about 10 years older than I am. I am not a good advertisement for Veganism as everyone assumes I am thin and wrinkly due to lack of animal protein! I feel fine and excercise plenty, but sleep poorly. So what is the answer please!????Steve,loosing muscle in the face can make wrinkles worse, I do facial exercises for the face and it keeps my face firm and younger looking, try this one, tilt your head back onto your shoulders so that you are looking up at the ceiling or sky, then try to get your bottom lip over your top lip and hold it there for a count of ten, also with the same head position try and kiss the ceiling, with both of these you should get a firmness around your jaw line up to your ears, do about 50 at a time twice a day. Next looking straight put your tongue out as far as it can go and hold for a count of ten, this will lift the muscles around your nose and under the eye and make them firm again.Lentils are a good protein. Regarding sleep.. in bed take a deep breath and hold it for a count of ten then slowly exhale, do this about five times and your heart rate should slow down and help you relax for sleep. There are herbs you can take for sleep if you do some research too. To improve skin I use an essential oil in a carrier oil like rice bran and my skin has looked better than when I was young.Also make a strong tea of comfrey leaves and when well steeped dab the tea all over the face and on the back of the hands, (brown spots) make sure it is really rubbed in, borage is the same as comfrey in this effect, also a teaspoon of slippery elm with warm water makes a gel/paste to rub on the face and is amazing for dry skin on the elbows, but I use it on my face all the time and I am happy with the firmness all these ideas above have worked for me. Also drink slippery elm everyday if you can. It’s amazing and just about cured my ulcer. And finally add silica to your daily regime it really makes the skin glow but may take a month or so to see it in action. For those non vegans I also recommend fresh goat milk for skin complaints, to drink it everyday.anne33: I had fun trying your face exercises. You did a good job of describing how to do them. (But I don’t think I would do them with an audience…)No they have to be on your own for sure, but they really do helpWhich yellow and green vegetables would be best for wrinkle prevention?thanks for making us all feel like fools (pass the broccoli, please)Greens With Envy– 10 lettuce leaves, torn into pieces – 3 fronds organic* kale, destemmed and torn into pieces – 1 green pepper, diced – 1 small summer squash, cut into half moons – 1 small cucumber, diced – 3 slices onion, chopped – ½ avocado, diced – 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds – 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped – 1 slice lemon – black pepper – sea saltCombine all ingredients except lemon, pepper and salt. Toss ingredients and squeeze lemon slice over top and mix in lemon pulp. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Makes one meal-sized serving or two side salads.*Kale may contain pesticide residues of special concern so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php~Complements of lovestobeveganCitation: ,,A higher intake of green and yellow vegetables was significantly associated with a decreased Daniell wrinkling score. Intake of saturated fat was significantly inversely associated with the Daniell wrinkling score after additional adjustment for green and yellow vegetable intake.” This basically means that HIGHER saturated fat intake was associated with LESS wrinkles. You should have mentioned this too and not only the vegetable intake (btw, other studies show the same correlation with sat. fat and mufas).Interesting. Apart from animal foods where can we get those saturated fats? Maybe nuts? Avocados?Hello, I was wondering what facial skin care product Dr. Greger would recommend. There are so many out there, many of them VERY pricey! I would love to know the real truth about what to use. I am 51 and my main concerns are sagging skin and brown spots. Any recommendations would be very much appreciated! I’m tired of spending over $100.00 on one bottle of face cream. Thank you!	aging,asparagus,beet greens,bell peppers,broccoli,collard greens,corn,green beans,greens,kale,mustard greens,peas,polyphenols,skin health,spinach,squash,Swiss chard,vegetables,wrinkles	What dietary intervention may significantly protect against wrinkles in the crow's foot area around the eyes?	Make sure you see the "prequel" to this video Beauty Is More Than Skin Deep. For other videos on appealing to vanity to get people to eat healthier, see Golden Glow, Produce, Not Pills to Increase Physical Attractiveness, and Rosy Glow. Want to know what else green vegetables can do? I've got 45 videos on greens. A few of my faves include Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther, Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells, and Kale and the Immune System.For more context, check out my associated blog posts:  The Anti-Wrinkle Diet, Treating Sensitive Skin From the Inside Out, and Diet and Cellulite 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bell-peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/swiss-chard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asparagus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/squash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wrinkles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5134897,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20085665,
PLAIN-2843	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/	Beauty Is More Than Skin Deep	The skin is the largest organ in the body—about 20 square feet—and the most vulnerable organ in the body, exposed to both the oxidizing effects of UV radiation from the sun, and the oxidizing effects of oxygen in the air.   And years of oxidant stress can take a toll. Over the years, skin becomes thinner, more easily damaged, loses volume, elasticity, and can sag and wrinkle. What can we do about it? “Skin wrinkling: can food made a difference?” They measured healthfulness of skin using a microtopographic method, making a mold of the back of the hand with a silicone rubber, peeling it off and  looking at it under the microscope. This is what young, tight healthy skin looks like, but then as we age, our skin can get all coarse and flaccid. How can we stop it? Three things contribute to the aging of skin.  Oxidative stress, induced by sun-damage, inflammation, and ischemia, lack of adequate blood flow.” Oxidative stress means we need antioxidants.   Under these circumstances, many skin antioxidants undergo depletion and must be replaced continuously in order to delay the otherwise inevitable deterioration which would lead to skin aging. So plant foods would presumably help. And then inflammation and lack of blood flow, and so one might predict that saturated fat—inflammation—and cholesterol—ischemia, might be associated with adverse effects on our skin. Let’s see if our predictions hold up. “In particular, a high intake of vegetables, beans/peas/lentils/soy and olive oil appeared to be protective against skin wrinkling, whereas a high intake of meat, dairy and butter appeared to have an adverse effect. Prunes, apples and tea appeared especially protective. A recent study, for example, found that   green tea phytonutrients were able to protect skin against harmful UC radiation and help improve skin quality of women.   After a few months on green tea was a   16% reduction in skin roughness and a 25% reduction in scaling—  Here’s micrographs showing the reduction in scaling, as well as improved skin elasticity and hydration.	So a vegan diet with lots of high anti oxidant/inflammatory food, stay out of the sun and exercise. Sounds like the same recommendation for many of health benefits from a whole plant based diet. Right on!Well I wouldn’t recommend staying out of the sun, but rather getting enough sun to satisfy daily recommended vitamin D. http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-greger%E2%80%99s-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/I get my vitamin d in the shade… with supplements…lolThank you so much dr greger for these amazing video tips! Our family has seen tremendous change in our health, for the better, from simple changes we made in our own diet. Whole plant based diet is the way to go! Thanks again..We look forward to your videos daily!Another great video. No surprise that a vascular system compromised by high cholesterol will not get enough oxygen and nutrients to the skin…or that anti-oxidants help the skin. Exericise must also help oxygenate the skin of course. I’d like to see some studies done on vision. I’m now 50 and since going onto an all plant based diet nearly two years ago, combined with lots of minimalist and barefoot running, my vision has improved at an age where it should be getting worse. My bifocals are around here somewhere collecting dust. :~)Barefoot running. Nice. I’m a Vibrams gal myself.Interesting comment…can you explain what you mean by “minimalist” here: “minimalist and barefoot running”…thanks!Vegan diet keeps us healthy and young looking. what a shocker. lolso peas and corn are good anti-wrinkle foods i am guessing?Maybe any kind of veggie rich vegan diet would help in this context, and the tea is just a sidetrack (red herring).You’re so gay dude, speak like a man, then I’ll take you serious.I thank Dr. Greger for his incredible video’s, they are well said and explained, thankyouHi …any thoughts on how to help with menopausal woman who are starting to lose elasticity and tone on arms/inner elbows and forarms? for alot of woman this is a problem. Ones face can look toned and vibrant into the 50’s& 60s,70s but something about the arms start age and become loose and gelatinous before the rest of the body…any thoughts on this???I have replaced butter with olive oil and its great. Would it be helpful to replace sugar with honey or just do without sweeteners altogether?Dr. Greger does not recommend added fats in the form of non whole plant foods. Olive oil is empty calories and in fact, may cause health maladies “In a clinical study, olive oil was shown to activate coagulation factor VII to the same extent as does butter. Thus, olive oil does not have a clearly beneficial effect on vascular function.” http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/17/11/2904.longSee Dr. G’s video on the healthiest sweetener here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/Which green tea to buy? There are so many in the stores.s noor: Get the one you will drink! I suggest experimenting. I find that I don’t like plain green tea, but the flavored ones are pretty good. One of my current favorites is Moroccan Mint Green Tea by Stash. You also might look at something like Lemon Ginger green tea by Yogi.Good luck. I hope you find something that you like.Any suggestions for melasma or facial skin pigmentation.Can nutrition prevent or reverse the skin thinning out and getting more fragile as commonly happens when people get in their 60’s?It may. I feel proper nutrition always plays a role in health and even if skin cannot be improved by a healthful diet other organs will benefit. Dr. Greger has a page on skin health and many videos. Let me know if any of these help answer your question? Thanks, David.	aging,antioxidants,apples,beans,butter,cholesterol,dairy,green tea,inflammation,legumes,lentils,meat,olive oil,oxidative stress,peas,phytonutrients,polyphenols,prunes,saturated fat,skin health,soy,tea,vegetables,wrinkles	Some foods appear protective against the development of skin wrinkles, while others may make them worse.	Those same three factors, ischemia, oxidation, and inflammation, also contribute to our leading killer. See Arterial Acne, Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease, and The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation. More on the power of prunes in Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol and To Snack or Not to Snack?. For an extraordinary report on green tea and skin health, check out: Treating Gorlin Syndrome With Green Tea.For more context, check out my associated blog posts:  Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk, The Anti-Wrinkle Diet, Best Dried Fruit For Cholesterol , Treating Sensitive Skin From the Inside Out, and Diet and Cellulite 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prunes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wrinkles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	-
PLAIN-2844	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/	Gerson-style Therapy vs. Chemotherapy	The recent review dismissing Gerson therapy as useless or worse for the treatment of cancer was published before this landmark study came out, a head-to-head test of a Gerson-style regime versus the standard chemotherapy agent jemsitabean for pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest of all malignancies. Being diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer is basically, on average, being given a 6 month death sentence. The best modern medicine can offer is chemotherapy designed not to cure, but to just slow down the death process and give people a few extra months. Since death is essentially considered inevitable it offers an opportunity to try out untested therapies, because what’s the worst that can happen?You’d think with all the interest in complementary and alternative medicine there’d be lots of these trials, but they’re actually exceedingly rare, and difficult to do. The National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society should be commended for their efforts here.So 55 patients, 23 chose chemo; 32 chose treatment with enzymes, supplements, detox and an organic diet, composed of mostly raw foods.This may be among the “first controlled, clinical studies to compare allopathic—meaning standard medical—treatment to an alternative medicine program for a survival end point.” What did they find?Well first of all, before they even started they agreed on what's called a "stopping rule." If one therapy started working way better than the other, then they’d just stop it because it would be unethical to continue. That point was reached and they had to stop the study prematurely because there were so many more deaths in the… Gerson therapy alternative group.Here’s the survival curve. Here's the chemo group. As you can see, despite conventional medicine's best efforts, about half were dead in a year, but here's the enzyme and raw food group. As you can see they started dying off almost immediately, whereas those in chemo group tended to be able to hold out longer. Yeah but what about the quality of their lives in their last few months on earth? Quality of life was significantly better in the chemo group as well.“Conclusion: Among patients who have pancreatic cancer, those who chose jemsitabean-based chemotherapy survived more than three times as long (14 months on average versus 4 months) and had better quality of life than those who chose proteolytic enzyme treatment.”	One issue I have with these short videos is the lack of context. Gerson therapy is 70% raw/minimally processed and that sounds great – but the patients drop like flies. What is? could it be? in the diet that is so death promoting? What exactly is the Gerson diet / therapy in this study and how is it different from a whole-food vegetarian / vegan diet?The first few sentences of the abstract of the cited source by Cassileth may provide some relevant insights, namely:“The Gerson regimen, developed by Max Gerson in the 1930s, is promoted as an alternative cancer treatment. It involves consuming fresh, raw fruit and vegetable juices, eliminating salt from the diet, taking supplements such as potassium, vitamin B12, thyroid hormone, pancreatic enzymes, and detoxifying liver with coffee enemas to stimulate metabolism. Gerson therapy is based on the theory that cancer is caused by alteration of cell metabolism by toxic environmental substances and processed food, which changes its sodium and potassium content. It emphasizes increasing potassium intake and minimizing sodium consumption in an effort to correct the electrolyte imbalance, repair tissue, and detoxify the liver. The coffee enemas are believed to cause dilation of bile ducts and excretion of toxic breakdown products by the liver and through the colon wall. None of these theories has been substantiated by scientific research.”It just comes to show you… science is no match for superstition!I have read testimonials of Ubangi women from Africa who claim the witch doctor cured their children of demons, cancers and all sorts of nasty diseases. Since both witch-doctors and Gerson have hundreds of testimonials, what rational basis (from a philosophical perspective) do we have for believing one over the other?Once we ponder this, we might just begin to understand why peer reviewed scientific studies should weigh more heavily than select case studies (e.g., I was cured, my friend was cured, etc), conjecture (e.g., it’s common sense that X), and misapplied science (e.g., if it worked for X, then it must also work for Y).Just wow at this guy. Retarded and not even ashamed of himself. Just wow.Just wow at this guy. “Retarded” is not a word to be used as an insult. Just wow.OTOH, there is still a lot we don’t know about how the body heals itself, and we don’t even know how much we don’t know. Just the fact that placebos cure some percent of any affliction in patients suggests that there’s more than “substance X affects body part Y” going on. It’s good to keep an open mind. Meditation was once derided by the medical establishment as quackery. It’s good to be skeptical, but if not evenly applied – including occasionally re-evaluting the basis for our skepticism – it can become mere confirmation bias.Also, while I do have the utmost respect for well-formed studies, politics, corruption, and money has crept into some scientific and medical institutions. What gets published, who funds it, how the study is conducted, who is financially tied to what, etc. can influence what comes out in scientific journals. Studies are valuable, and I rely on them too, but unfortunately today we cannot have the same faith in them.I guess this is why there are like a dozen or more interferons huh? The reason being because X doesn’t work on Y. We are humans, no two created the same and just because one treatment works for one person doesn’t mean it will work for another. Peer reviewed studies mean nothing if you weren’t part of the study. It’s easy to review data, it’s harder to ensure the data you are reviewing is accurate and honest!Oh I would love to believe the scientific studies, FDA findings and peer reviewed journals. The only problem I have with that is the same problem these people say they have with Alternative Treatments. Not FDA Approved! Not Scientifically proven!Lets start with the Federal Drug Administration LMAO!- This Oganization is laughable at best. To show their incompetence is easy. How many times have they changed the food pyramid since you were born lol? They Don’t actually do any of their own testing, in fact they rely on studies provided to them by the company wishing to have their product approved. Guess what folks? Those studies are done by the manufacturers or labs owned by them, no chance the results could be scued or altered by them right? So why doesn’t the FDA require independent lab results???Also they have a constant flow of politicians and ex-Corporate CEO’s heading their panels. No chance that could have something to do with all the drugs being recalled and lawsuits filed due to the FDA Approved drugs ill effects or deaths. Hmmm if the science and studies are so well performed, reviewed and accurate. Why are so many drugs and thereapies losing there approved status and more importantly why are they killing so many and saving so few???So what you’re really saying is that you’re judging it out of ignorance? Scientific research is connected to research money, research money is connected to investors that want to see a monetary return on their investments. The greatest monetary returns are found in pharmaceuticals (chemical concoctions derived from reverse engineering the chemical make-up of things that grow out of the ground). So, it makes total sense that these types of things haven’t been “substantiated” by so-called legitimate sources. Modern medicine and treatment is not concerned with cures, they want subscribers to as many layered drugs, treatments, and follow-up visits as possible.I used the gerson therapy and all of the supplements were so expensive. The amount of food was to much for a sick person to handle. I came across Dr. Lorraine Day’s plan with no supplements 12 juices, 8 of them organic carrots. Very little vegan food 75% raw and the tumors shrunk 75% in 3 weeks. They were flying of of me with no traditional medicine. I started enjoying what I like to eat again and ended back in bed. Each time I did this I would nurse myself back to health. Cancer is weaker than we think. Build your own immune system and it doesn’t have a chance. I later developed blood sugar issues due to all the sugar and had to replace carrot juice with green juice. It didn’t work until I added fresh wheatgrass juice-4 oz.-2 times daily with 4 barley grass juice powders( green magma) and 50 oz. of green juice. Then in 4 days my tumors were on the run again. I could visibly see them wasting away. OXYGEN!!!!OXYGEN!!!!OXYGEN!!!! RAW FOOD!!!! RAW FOOD!!!! RAW FOOD!!! Also taheebo tea (pau’d arco).Eric, I am interested in your experiences. Would you be willing to share more info about the type of cancer you have, how long it has been and how you are doing now? Thank you! -PazThe lump started in the back of my mouth and in the lymph under my chin. It was after I saw a dentist to extract my wisdom teeth. Where he injected me became swollen and painful. 3 weeks later the spot of the injection was a rock hard painful lump that was also under my chin. I couldn’t digest food anymore and was pretty much bed ridden. Then lumps appeared on my bones and spread rapidly. My mother told me of a women that beat her cancer through carrot juice. Dr. Lorraine Day her name was. It was the gerson therapy without the expensive supplements. Within 3 weeks I was running 4 miles a day and the lumps had gone down by 3 quarters. The lump on my shoulder went from the size of a golf ball to the size of a marble. I couldn’t believe it. So I went back to eating pizza and wings and in 3 days was bed ridden again. Then a while later I developed blood sugar problems and had to replace the carrot juice with more green juice. The green juice wasn’t working until I added 2 fresh shots of wheat grass to the protocol. WOW, wheat grass is amazing. Everybody that has cancer needs to be drinking wheat grass juice. 90% raw vegan diet, easy on protein and fat. I also found essiac tea and taheebo life tea. The taheebo (pau’D arco) tea is nothing short of amazing. People say cancer may be fungal related. This tea along with fresh garlic is amazing. I hope this info helps. It’s all about OXYGEN!!!! No cancer or bacteria or fungus can live in an alkaline oxygen rich environment. As soon as you cook food all of the oxygen and enzymes are cooked out of it. HIPPOCRATES HEALTH INSTITUTE !!!!Uh…so you’re saying you self diagnosed your “cancer”? For it to BE cancer a biopsy would have to have been obtained and tested to make sure it really WAS cancer and not something else. Cancer is not related to a fungus, alkalizing your body is potentially fatal, too much oxygen is harmful/fatal, and, whatever, I’m not going to bother going over the rest of your post. It’s all nonsense…all of it…sorry…Look up brian clement lectures or the real truth about health.com. He is a scientist and runs the hippocrates health institute and has healed thousands of diseased people. When you consume green juice and wheat grass you get oxygen but also hormones, phytonutrients, and enzymes which all heal the body. Plus you get many vitamins which prevent oxygen from becoming a harmful free radical. RAW FOOD!!!!!!He’s currently under investigation for practicing without a license. http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2015/02/25/finally-the-state-of-florida-acts-against-brian-clement-and-the-hippocrates-health-institute/ Plus, in a news interview he did he got really crafty with how he worded things to avoid detection that he’s full of poo poo. I’m not against nutritionists or anything (I had a great one with my week-long hospital stay while going through my initial diagnosis of leukemia) but I do have a problem with them saying they can cure everything in the world. It’s not true and lying to folks isn’t nice, especially when those lies kill them…I suspect a big difference is the juicing. Juicing vegetables has a big impact on the sugar/nutrient ratios and eliminates most of your fiber.Also, cancer requires the most calories and thus would best be able to profit from a high-calorie diet (speculation – I don’t know to what degree research supports that.)Cancer patients can’t handle to much fiber but at the same time need massive amounts of nutrition to rebuild their immune system. That’s where juicing comes into play. It goes directly to your cell and allows them to take in nutrients and spit out toxins. Gerson tried to give blended carrot drinks but the people died. That’s when he started the juicing and they all thrived. Carrots have massive amounts of beta carotene which is tumor toxic. I think that the cancer cells open for the sugar and the get the beta carotene. Beta carotene also builds your immune system. Good in, bad out.Why can’t they handle the fiber? I would assume that increasing the good bacteria/bad bacteria ratio in your gut is one of the most positive things you could do for cancer treatment.Also, don’t forget that cruciferous vegetables fight cancer better than fruits do. It varies by the type of cancer, but in general, alliums and cruciferous fight cancer the best.It seems like the Gerson Therapy in this study was ultimately worse than conventional medicine using Gemcitabine-based-chemotherapy.But, remember pancreatic cancer is the hardest cancer to cure and maybe its not a good example for cancer cure using any type of conventional nor alternative medication. We must remember, once the pancreas is damaged the essential enzymes that actually helps in the treatment of all types of cancer have been diminished (trypsin and chmytrypsin: Dr. John Beard ) An overall multiple cancer study on all types of cancers should be also tested: breast cancer, lung cancer,liver cancer, etc.to establish the effects of an vegetarian, vegan or using the Gerson therapy treatment vs conventional. In this way there can be no bias and the real treatment and survival rates maybe fully and better determined towards a mutiple of cancer types.We must remember that the survival rate of conventional medicine for cancer is only around 5-10%, because the radiation and chemotherapeutic drugs used. Chemo and radiation does kill cancer cells, but they also destroy the immune system and that may be the reason why most persons do not survival for more than a 5 year period.I still think more studies need to be carried out to fully determine the whole impact or picture towards cancer pateinets on a plant-based-diet using the Gerson therapy or another alternative treatment vs an animal based diet using chemo and radiation and non-chemo and radiation treatment.John from MaltaGood call! “An overall multiple cancer study on all types of cancers should be also tested: breast cancer, lung cancer,liver cancer, etc” I have seen many interviews on the Gerson therapy where they admit that Pancreatic Cancer is almost impossible to treat on the Gerson diet because the Pancreas is the organ that fights cancer in the body!My biggest question here is the fact that the study referenced a Gerson “style” regime, not the Gerson Therapy. That tells me it was not the actual Gerson Therapy followed to the letter as Dr. Gerson would have done. The therapy outlines a very specific regimen including proper combinations of fruits and vegetables and even a specific juicer (Norwalk hydraulic press).I understand how difficult it is to do a study like this. It would seem especially more important to follow the Gerson Therapy to every last detail if the purpose of the study was to truly vet the therapy and not come to a predetermined outcome. I am going to look into this further, as “Gerson style regime” does not sound like they followed THE Gerson Therapy.Likely, they couldn’t say that they performed THE Gerson Therapy, because the Gerson Institute probably wasn’t involved with the study. So, they had to do the exact same thing and call it a Gerson style therapy.Had they referred to it as Gerson Therapy, considering the results of the study, the journal that published the study or the researchers themselves likely would have been on the receiving end of a retalitory lawsuit.Argh. The politics of cancer is as aggravating and confusing as government politics.There are so many “alternative” therapies – many around the pancreatic enzymes, including Gerson, Gonzales, and Kelley. The Kelley protocol uses diet, pancreatic enzymes and coffee enemas, very simliar to Gerson. According to the Independent Cancer Research Foundations, Inc.:“…this protocol takes time to become effective.”“Remember that the Kelley diet relies heavily on the immune system being built up BEFORE the treatment becomes fully effective. This diet may not be suitable for advanced terminal patients.”Another interesting blurb re: the Kelley therapy:“When patients start the therapeutic program, their cancer markers rise temporarily because the markers held in tumors are released into the bloodstream as the tumors break down. The number of white blood cells also increases, and tumors may swell as the immune system attacks them. As the debris from the tumor(s) is released into the bloodstream, patients often have flu-like symptoms that include headaches, nausea, irritability, elevated temperature, and ‘achiness’.”This would certainly explain the “quality of life” difference in the enzyme treated patients in this study.I therefore question: if we have the ways and means to perform an extremely difficult and rare study comparing chemo to an alternative treatment to study both survival rate and quality of life – why choose an extremely aggressive cancer to treat with an alternative therapy that explicitly states it takes a long time to see results AND explicitly states that the initial results make the patient feel terrible as the treatment takes effect?Just smells like it was engineered to produce the intended outcome. Like comparing the health benefits of almonds to pork…duh. It happens on both “sides”, making it all the more aggravating and confusing – just like partisan government politics!I would really like to believe that natural therapies work, but what I really want is just the TRUTH without bias, if that is even possible. To be fair, perhaps we DO have truth with this study – if they followed a proven protocol as they should have, perhaps pancreatic enzyme treatment for pancreatic cancer may not be the best choice for an alternative therapy. However this study will now be sited to support the generic statement that “Gerson-style” therapies don’t work to treat cancer, period, which I suspect at this point was the intended long term intent.exactly !They didn’t do the exact same thing, the article even said it. 1st off only 70% raw, that’s not gerson’s……right. it was 70% raw, not 100%. Style can be like “kosher” style and is meaningless (or worse, destructive). plus, who financially backed the study?details tell you everything…they did not say they followed the Gerson Therapy PROTOCOL of coffee enemas and carrot juice. this is not an evaluation of Gerson Therapy, but an attempt to compare a more plant based lifestyle vs chemo to cure a deadly cancer.Bingo!I totally agree Fred. There was bias in the study, as it was not actually focused on the original Gerson regime. Charlotte Gerson (the daughter of Max gerson) would be a marvelous researcher toward Gerson vs conventional. The study would be carried out without any alterations applied to the gerson therapy. I am not sure how exactly they carried out the study(I will try to get a hold of the article) but I am sure they didn’t used 13 juices per day and the other medications they used towards the Gerson therapy?Remember what we have learned from Michael greger. Plants are the powerhouse of health, especially an synergy organic green leafy vegetables, nut, seeds and legumes If these foods cannot cure any disease, then nothing will.Remember most gene relative diseases are only expressed if they triggered by outside factors and that only accounts for around 5% of gene relative diseases.Its a big shame that nearly all the food-chain has been sadly contaminated by either bacteria, toxins or industrial waste pollutants. Yes, maybe people are living longer, but they are not surly living a longer, healthy life and its all because of the industrial evolution and the way the food industry have not cleared up their health and safety measures towards food safety and control. Money is more important than health. Until we start standing up for our rights about better safe and healthier food control then the problem of disease risk will keep on increasing.John from MaltaFred,You have me curious. If you investigate, please message me your findings via FB: http://www.facebook.com/smugslyThe NCI already did an investigation into the Gerson Therapy vs. Chemo. Even though they had access to the Gerson Clinic, they said there wasn’t enough controls in place for either the Gerson or Chemo to form any conclusion. However, the NCI did say that Gerson patients seemed happier with a more positive outlook. Maybe this could be due in part to the coffee enemas, which weren’t discovered by Gerson. They were used in WWI to alleviate extreme pain when the supply of morphine was gone. I’ll bet coffee enemas have fewer side-effects too.U right Fred they didn’t follow up. They hardly offer any proof.I have read about this study, and it did not follow the Gerson Therapy accurately. I have a friend whose husband went on the Gerson Therapy for his prostate cancer, and is now cancer free. I have also listened to the thirteen CD’s from the Gerson convention from the 80’s, with cancer survivors who were given up on by their doctors, and overcame their cancer with the Gerson therapy. I have also read the Wikapedia page on Gerson, and if you go to the bottom of the page, you can see that it was written by the American Cancer Society. I wouldn’t trust one study, and would want to see where the funding came from.I deeply respect Michael Greger on his hard work But, wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could combine all the essential food nutrients together; which those who have been following Michael Greger’s video know that have actually been proven to help actually inhibit, stop or reduce cancer growth: Mushrooms, garlic, leeks, broccoli, kale, berries, red cabbage, flax seeds, green-leafy vegetables, etc and a experimental trail conducted by researchers towards cancer patients for a new treatment. Maybe a synergy of only these essential plant-based-foods choices , could actually become a better alternative treatment for all cancer patients. I would love to see this study carried out. I wish i had the resources and the money to do it myself. Now that surly would be a study that everyone would be interested in: well most people except the Meat and dairy industry and the pharmaceutical industries.John from MaltaI agree, those foods do help if they are indeed organic and not poisoned with agricultural chemicals (sprays, pesticides, herbicides, etc.). Last week I bought some expensive frozen berries from a respected grocery chain. Soon after having my berry smoothies, I got headaches. Finally figured out that the berries were linked to my headaches. Most likely due to a reaction to the toxins the berries were sprayed with. I do hope the study used truly organic food.This is why I survived, along with supplements and stress management, just a diet of good food. Oh, and surgery. My doctor thought I was pregnant with a fullterm baby (I had ovarian cancer). 16 years later, still cancer free. More details below.What about the longer-term survival rates for Gerson Patients. Maybe chemo had an initial advantage but that was a ‘weeding’ out of patients who were too sick. Maybe the more natural therapy kicks in after the 12-14 months?The median survival for pancreas cancer that can’t be resected is 12-14 months. If it can be resected, median survival is around 20 months. That is with conventional chemo and radiationIt couldn’t kick in after 12-14 months, because all the patients would have been dead by then.I find it suspect that poison is better for you than a plant based treatment at all levels, but then again I think cancer is something all together different…After learning of these studies I know Andreas Moritz was on the right track.If by “on the right track” you mean “completely wrong about the history, causes, treatments, and cures of cancer and various other diseases,” then yeah.However, I doubt this is what you mean.It is indeed better for you to inject poison into a cancerous mass than to simply eat raw plants and pour coffee into your ass. Why? Because the poison is rapidly absorbed by the cancerous cells, and kills *them* before it or they kill *you.*if your goal is to KILL, then you win!Likewise, coffee enemas and oral ingestion of raw calf liver has been shown to kill people – and both were parts of the original Gerson Therapy. The difference – chemo kills cancerous cells, Gerson kills human beings. If the goal is to KILL, I’d rather have something that kills cancer cells, not humans. Lesson: It’s all about perspective.Well Gee Mr Payne what a selective arguer you are. Gerson kills person ? Hardly Chemo kills people. I’ve seen that happen over and over. I must be lucky I’m not dead I’ve hundreds of coffee enemas over the past 3 decades and done many juice fasts and vegan diets. Wow I’m still not dead!Its pretty naive to think that Chemo JUST kills cancer cells.There’s a very short list of people that survive their poisonous treatment. I’ve known four people to die from this “treatment”. They don’t die from the cancer, they die from the side-effects of the treatments. I’ll die alone in a ditch before I die from poisonous treatments. In the end, when they can’t squeeze anymore money out of you, they just send you home to die from starvation and dehydration, seriously. No feeding tube, no IV, and the person can’t swallow because of tumors in the throat. The person is just kept heavily sedated (or as they tell it: the person is “made comfortable”). I’ve seen it happen four times in a row. They don’t know what they’re doing. One injection came at a cost of $10,000! It did nothing but transfer money from the family to the hospital.I deeply suspect all is not being told here. I personally know of two examples that demonstrate the effectiveness of Gerson type diet therapy (flooding the body with raw vegetable juices to provide great nutritive substances from which the body may draw to rebuild the immune system, and shrink or eliminate the tumor(s). In both instances, despite warning from allopathic physicians that these therapies would not work, positive results were evident within one or two weeks and in one case the patient, with pancreatic cancer deemed incurable and fatal within 6 months, is still alive after months (to the disbelief of his oncologist) and his tumor has almost disappeared. The second patient, unfortunately, succumbed to his oncologist’s advice to resume chemo “just to be sure” and he died within two days after taking chemo. He had been paralyzed with a tumor on his spinal cord and within two weeks of beginning Gerson therapy, he could feel his legs and move them for the first time in weeks.Although I have great respect for Dr. Gregor, I suspect that he knows all is not being revealed in this video report of comparative therapies. Let’s face it: nutrition and the healing and preventative benefits of proper diet would threaten the claimed “superiority” esoteric disciplines presently enjoying a protected and patented approach to health maintenance in this country, as well as turn many practitioners into paupers instantly.The questionnaire used to evaluate quality of life only asked questions pertaining to anemia and fatigue. What about the indignity of loosing one’s hair? Of one’s immune system being ravished and getting pneumonia or other infectious diseases? Of being unable to retain one’s food, of violent retching and weakness? These are all specifically caused by chemotherapy but not a therapy based on diet. Perhaps because the designers of the study knew this, they didn’t bother asking about these quality of life issues. My friend who died either of pancreatic cancer or the chemo- I’m not sure which, had a normally sunny disposition before and during most of her illness, but in the last few months of her life, she became cranky and irritable, snapping at he loved ones. She died a miserable death, I think thanks to chemo, I’ve already decided that I would never submit to such abuse. I’d rather die naturally. I find it incredible that anyone could say with a straight face that the quality of life of cancer patients was better with chemotherapy.Dr. Greger, thanks for all your work! I watch most daily videos you send!Re Gerson, I watched your video re pancreatic cancer. What about other cancers? I would be very interested in knowing the results comparing success rates re chemo and Gerson for the many other forms of cancer.Thanks much, Greg Kaler, St. Cloud, MNIndeed, it was Dr. Gonzalez’ therapy, and the entire “study” was more a kangaroo court than anything else. It was heavily sabotaged at every step along the way, including the principal investigator, Dr. Chabot of Columbia, who was the developer of the chemo protocol against which it was tested. This alone should have disqualified him, but nobody seemed to care. Dr. Gonzalez wrote a book about the corruption called “What Went Wrong”, and it should be used to indict Columbia and Dr. Chabot for mass murder. It proved nothing other than the complete corruption of the medical system, our government agencies, and Columbia University. It had NOTHING to do with the Gerson Therapy, so this is just an attempt to smear Gerson by association with something similar that was heavily sabotaged. Disgusting, but expectable, and happens all the time.I love you Gerson bred people……love it!Amen Howard!Of course, using your same logic, studies performed by anyone affiliated with Gerson Therapy should also be ruled out… since the are obviously biased in Gerson’s favor. After all, Gerson was the developer of the protocol against which chemotherapy was tested.I am quietly reading the comments and thought I’d add that the Gerson Therapy was the only thing that saved me and my doctor not only didn’t understand how it happened, she didn’t want to know. Food for thought.I’m sure you realize the dangers of drawing conclusions based on single cases, or select cases. I have a full copy of the study cited in the video… and it pretty well shows how, when you take a hundred (more than that, actually) cases and evaluate the results – for the particular type of cancer cited in the study – chemotherapy clearly extended not only the lifespan, but the quality of life, of cancer patients.The best thing to do (which people seem to miss)… eat a healthy plant-based diet *prior to* the onset of cancer. The clinical data seems to indicate that a plant-based diet is the best preventative medicine. Switching to a health diet after the onset of cancer is no guarantee of results. In some of the studies, it took a year or more for the beneficial effects to be fully assimilated by the body.Lew, I’m reading everyone’s comments and I’m really torn. However, I can at least be confident in agreeing with your last paragraph.Extended the quality of life ? What are you smoking Mr Payne FFS . If you think that being exhausted all the time while losing your appetite and feeling nauseous for the rest of your massively shortened life is an improvement then you’re welcome to it !I’m sure you realize that from the individuals perspective the single case is all that matters. Cancer science is only as good as the people that are cured. If this person is an n of 1 and she is alive then I’m guessing that was statistically significant for her and quite frankly with enough n of 1’s, even though they not be published in major chemotherapy journals, it begins to point towards a treatment profile that should be investigated FOR REAL and not in a kangaroo court style fashion.These test will never be done in the USA. We need data on 10,000 cancer patients for each protocol. Then we need an additional 10,000 to see if there is a benefit to mixing the two methods. Studies on 50 people.. basically I’d rather trust the subjective experiences of 50 cancer survivors than a published study with a n of 53.OTOH, case studies are often valuable, and provide a gateway to new therapies. Lots of people’s UTIs were cured by cranberry juice before doctors accepted that it works, and researchers found out the mechanism. Case studies may be more valuable if there is an accumulation of them and the conventional therapies are not working too well, as with many cancers. That doesn’t mean they’re uniformly valuable, but neither should we reflexively throw them out.I agree emphatically that we should look at plant-based diets primarily as preventive therapy. But is it really way out there to consider them as curative therapies? If a diet rich in whole foods strengthens our cancer-fighting immune system when we’re healthy, why wouldn’t it do that when we’re sick? Just throwing that out there. Perhaps if we can resist the alternative vs conventional polarization, we may develop some therapies that blend both and work better than anything we’ve seen yet.Gary, reason is always a compelling argument for me! My husband was recently diagnosed with bladder cancer. We have been considering the best way to deal with it and came to the conclusion of using both methods.How can we trust your video when you have got the therapy wrong that you are referring to?!Perhaps if you read the case studies cited in the video, you can answer that for yourself. Unless, of course, you don’t allow facts to interfere with your opinion.I wonder if you have cancer and went for Gerson therapy and failed to get better or are you just an angry man! If you have no experience on the subject nor a scientist who actually have done studies on the subject then you’re just one blah that likes to hear himself talk. I pity you.One study didn’t use the Gerson Therapy at all and the second study wasn’t done independently. This is not unbiased work.Dr, Greger has not done his homework. I am disappointed in this review. I expect more Dr. Greger! Are you tied to the ACI? This study was using the Gonazalez NOT the Gerson Therapy. Dr. Gonazalez has written a book outlining how the study was totally flawed. Here is a link with a summary rebuttal. http://www.dr-gonzalez.com/jco_rebuttal.htmThat is why I referred to is as a “Gerson-style regime.” Thank you for passing along that link. I’ll check out his book and if I think it has merit do a follow-up video!All in the persuit of truth! The upmost respect for you! I wish more Doc’s had the courage to be the “Nail that sticks up the highest.” They may try to hammer you down first, but the point is you are the first. For that I commend you!Thank you Dr. Greger for checking into this with your open and discerning eye. If I’m not mistaken , the study was initiated and supported by Dr. Gonzalez-so I don’t think he would have agreed to go forward with this if it something he did not truly believe it and had seen good results with in comparison to chemo. This study makes the results look so strongly swayed to one answer – chemo. It is hard to believe. I personally no someone who totally reversed uterine/colon cancer that as diagnosed by the Mayo clinic. She did it with the gerson therapy with no sugery/chemo/or radiation. I can put you in touch with her if you like. She is still well 20 years later on modified gerson diet helping other cancer patients.The question is why call it Gerson-style in the first place, why didn’t you call it 75% raw Vegan regimen. Or why not use the actual doctors and scientist name that headed the study. See what I’m getting at. By using the name Gerson and not even use the right protocol of the Gerson Institute, to me its both irresponsible and a poor choice on your part. You didn’t entitle it VEGAN regimen or VEGAN style because you are promoting veganism and it would just be so wrong to do that isn’t it? Come on Dr. Greger you are better than this, well I was hoping at least.Thank you for bringing this to the good doctor’s attention. While he – Dr. Gregor – has near hero status in this vegan’s life I was disappointed to see so little questioning on his part of this study. He is usually the one debunking the work of the people who do studies with an intended outcome in mind and a vested interest in that outcome. This whole cancer industry has degenerated into a R J Reynolds type misleading of the masses. Please Dr Gregor believe more in your own words and work than to be duped by the Sloan Kettering gang.So please tell me Dr. Greger what is this crusade against Gerson about? First this studies date back as far as 1998, so what is really new? Second the Gerson Institute nor the Gerson method does not seem to have been involved in this at all. Dr. Gonzalez (Oasis of Hope) has; http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/gonzalez/healthprofessional/page5 So what about the 16.000 USD figure (your video on this part 1/2)? I do not see the connection to Gerson here, except that is has been a therapy in the same league as Gerson’s. But NOT the same. Have you really studied the ins and outs of alternative and complementary treatments for cancer, or are you just shooting in the dark? Gerson therapy is a hard regimen that can only be performed with motivated patients, and not with randomized ones almost on their deathbed, with no guarantee to follow this exact treatment a 100%. So no snacks in between so to say. And a guaranteed properly performed detox. I wonder about how ‘controlled’ this control group has been, 14 years ago now. I heartedly suggest you pick up the challenge and travel to the Gerson institute personally and have a look at their records and see their patients yourself. And actually see the difference in their quality of life and that of the ones using standard chemo in what will be the last stages of their lives for sure. The studies: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19687327 The Gerson Institute: http://gerson.org/gerpress/ Besides this I also want to compliment you on your cutting edge work on promoting a healthy lifestyle. But please keep playing a fair game.No crusade–this is just one of the many things I’ve been asked about as I travel around the country and so I promised to look into it. I had never even heard of Gerson, but I did my best to represent what’s currently in the scientific literature about Gerson and Gerson-type regimens. I think if you read through the available peer-reviewed science on the matter you’ll agree I gave an an accurate portrayal. Now just because the scholarly literature concludes Gerson therapy does not appear particularly safe or effective does not mean that it’s not safe or effective. The scientific literature is by no means perfect, but I’m afraid it’s the best we have.You have changed the world. . . for the better! Namaste.Dr. Greger: I very much appreciate that you have rejoined the discussion forum. I think that this effort is extremely valuable to all those who want to gain a deeper understanding of nutrition.Thank you for your reply. I really hope for a follow-up by you, more deeply informed. Not heard about Dr. Gerson.., wow; an adventurous terrain can be entered here ;-) I really recommend you the recent cancer world summit 2012; https://s3.amazonaws.com/cancerworldsummit.com/upgrade-f14985.html Digital access to all the 10 interviews for only usd 50, now that it is still on offer. These are a great and informative portal into this field. I have enjoyed listening to these myself tremendously. Very varied and authentic.Reena K writes: …Dr. Greger. He’s just presenting the information… don’t shoot the messenger!”Well, Dr. Greger, as much as I admire your work, it is my heartfelt opinion that you made a mistake listing this video. It is my guess that you should’ve presented a video with the complete opposite conclusion- that for some types of cancers and other serious diseases, Gerson Therapy does indeed have a good success rate of actually CURING the disease. I have a good friend who has been thru the program, initially diagnosed with kidney cancer 10 years ago. He wrote a book called “3,000 Coffee Breaks”. He gave me several examples of the people he met that have been cured of breast cancer, and other types. The conventional doctors of these cured patients are shocked at the results. I read another poster here who said a cured patient’s conventional doctor did not want to know how that happened. How awful is that attitude? Hippoctates would turn over in his grave.Reena K also writes: “Maybe it might help to do another study with 3 groups… one group with gerson-like therapy, one group with standard chemo, and a 3rd group who is doing BOTH chemo and gerson treatment together.”If I had cancer, I WANT TO BE IN GERSON GROUP!!!!!I think all of us/the great majority posting here are huge advocates for an all plant based diet. True health is in plants. Gerson is plants. (I question the calf liver treatment used in the therapy. I need to study it more.)So Wha’t is the use of sharing this video on Facebook on 09-02-2013, while months ago it was already clear it was somehow “false”, and according to Dr. Greger himself “at least needs an update”? Totally not logic to me!I my self personally have been ill for years and have been endlessly testing on my self different forms of diets etc supplements and so fourth. To cut it short i have managed too Suppress illness (bowel disease) via eating very close to cooked vegan, Raw is a little to much for my self digestive wise i can not handle it. But symptoms are being suppressed this way, I now need too go ahead and take the full plunge into a programme of my choosing and give it a go, But its true that animal proteins are a big no no for those experiencing cancer the digestive problems are too much. What i can say is, From all the testing ive done on my self and all the results that i have seen coming from programmes such as the gerson, I have also read of many self healing testaments from people who have cured them selves of cancer through raw vegan/juicing, And from all this evidence i would base the fact that Programmes such as the gerson, From the results they have achieved, Are definetly worth a try. Is it a cure for cancer? Certainly not, Theres to much variety and different types of cancer to deem it a cure, But is it a better option that using chemotherapy or radiation that destroys the good cells you have in place battling the illness anyways, I would definetly say so. It makes no sense for me to put more toxicity into my body, That is the reason im in this mess in the first place. For those with cancer, Heavy detox/liver/gallbladder detox is absolutely crucial, While looking at other routes then that will allow you to regain function to the cells too attack the cancer. Being ill my self this is what i feel right now, I am suppressing the symptoms through diet but it still feels like i need something extra to take the battle to the next level, Like my cells need something additional to be able too take it out, thats the only way i can describe it. Be it so Be wary all of heavy metal tocxicity, it is the cause of many majour illnesses. Theres one last thing, No way in HELL should there be anyone out there saying, The gerson therapy is not effective, to say this you are in my eyes the devil because it has worked for many people who had probably lost all hope.They used to use calf liver but discontinued using it but I don’t know how long ago.Yes it’s not gerson therapy as people have pointed out, but it is pretty closeIt is not at all close! And close isn’t good enough. If Dr. Greger is comparing the Gerson Therapy with conventional cancer treatment, as was stated in the titles to his videos, he had better stick to the Gerson Therapy and not some “similar” therapy. I am very disappointed with these videos, as I know for many the Gerson Therapy was a last resort after conventional medical treatment nearly killed them and they were sent home to die. They are alive and well today BECAUSE of the Gerson Therapy. Shame on you, Dr. Greger! Because your research on this was so poor, how can I trust that your research on other topics isn’t flawed as well?So please tell me Dr. Greger what is this crusade against Gerson about? First this studies date back as far as 1998, so what is really new? Second the Gerson Institute nor the Gerson method does not seem to have been involved in this at all. Dr. Gonzalez has; http://www.cancer.gov/cancerto… So what about the 16.000 USD figure (your video on this part 1/2)? I do not see the connection to Gerson here, except that is has been a therapy in the same league as Gerson’s. But NOT the same. Have you really studied the ins and outs of alternative and complementary treatments for cancer, or are you just shooting in the dark? Gerson therapy is a hard regimen that can only be performed with motivated patients, and not with randomized ones almost on their deathbed, with no guarantee to follow this exact treatment a 100%. So no snacks in between so to say. And a guaranteed properly performed detox. I wonder about how ‘controlled’ this control group has been, 14 years ago now. I heartedly suggest you pick up the challenge and travel to the Gerson institute personally and have a look at their records and see their patients yourself. And actually see the difference in their quality of life and that of the ones using standard chemo in what will be the last stages of their lives for sure. The studies: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu… The Gerson Institute: http://gerson.org/gerpress/ Besides this I also want to compliment you on your cutting edge work on promoting a healthy lifestyle. But please keep playing a fair game.I appreciate that Dr. Greger gives us the facts based on the latest science. If the science changes, the information he puts out changes. There is not an agenda on nutritionfacts.org.It just shouldn’t have been titled “Gerson-style” therapy. It’s a 70% raw fruit and vegetables therapy.Your Gerson Therapy vs Chemotherapy post should be removed or re-worded. The treatment that was used in that study was not even close to what happens in the Gerson Therapy. With Gerson’s its an all or nothing approach and even Dr. Max Gerson found this out 80 years ago. The study here said a 70% raw diet, Gerson’s is close to 100% raw. There were no mentions of this study using the detoxification of the liver with 5 a day coffee enemas. Gerson also uses a few supplements based on the condition they are treating. Lastly, Gerson calls for the removal of all toxin causing agents in ones life, ie., poisonous cleaners detergent, hand soaps, fluoride toothpaste, lotions, tooth fillings, air impurities, and the list goes on forever. I know Dr. Gerson tried to add fats into the diet of some cancer patients early on and he lost almost all over them, with every fat he tried, until he found Flax Oil. It was the only fat that helped heal versus killing the patient. My point here is only one thing, what was used in this study was not even close to Gerson’s and the post should be edited to appropriately designate what was actually used.I guess we should also add oral consumption of raw calf liver back into the study, since you’re claiming that the original Gerson Therapy was not followed. Of course, that will again result in deaths due to Campylobacter, and then you’ll be complaining that the Campylobacter is interfering with the test results and should be ignored.Your comments are a perfect example of why standardized clinical controls and methodologies are important, and why anything other than peer-reviewed studies should be discarded. Of course, you don’t like the fact that this would prove Gerson Therapy to be ineffectual.You miss a serious point about Gerson Therapy that if you ever read the material you would know. Without detoxification it will cause a quick death and a therapist true to Gerson would never give 13 juices pressed to a patient and the amount of organic raw food that is required without also doing the coffee enemas. It says in every piece of literature from the Gerson Institute and from Dr. Max Gerson himself that do boost the immune system without also boosting the detoxification will cause death.And to make the argument that since one of the items in the diet is no longer available in a clean format, therefore it can’t be studied.. that is just ridiculous. Liver was not required by all patients and is not required today. Doctor’s at the Gerson clinic adjust to the particular patient, just as Dr. Max Gerson did when it comes to the supplements. The food and the juices and the coffee enemas are the same – all else is adjusted based on the patient.I would suggest you study the Therapy before you attempt to discredit it. It is quite obvious you are unfamiliar with the true Gerson Therapy.I find it to be really ridiculous that people are getting personally angry at Dr. Greger. He’s just presenting the information… don’t shoot the messenger! Yes, it’s possible that there may be something flawed with this study… very much possible. Just because many of us (including myself) are passionate about natural health, doesn’t mean that modern medicine has nothing to offer. We don’t have the complete information here. I have little doubt that a high raw organic diet may be MUCH better at PREVENTING cancer…. as clearly the Standard American Diet has not done our society any good with the epidemics of obesity, heart disease and cancer. However, once it’s already present, perhaps chemo is better at killing cancer cells, despite the overall toxic effects to the person? Maybe it might help to do another study with 3 groups… one group with gerson-like therapy, one group with standard chemo, and a 3rd group who is doing BOTH chemo and gerson treatment together. That might give us a lot more info. I simply think folks should keep an open mind instead of being locked into a particular set of beliefs here.Bias is a big problem in science these days. I commend Dr Greger for all his work and presenting what is currently available in the literature about The Gonzales Therapy. However, because of potential bias, just presenting the facts can be misleading (the title of the video definitely is though, you should change that!). This study is not the only evidence, and when evaluating a treatment, a researcher should try to read up on all available data before coming to a conclusion. May I point to this pilot study with extraordinary results:http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/S15327914NC330201Abstract:Historically, large doses of proteolytic enzymes, along with diet, nutritional supplements, and “detoxification” procedures, have been used in alternative therapies to treat all forms of cancer, without formal clinical studies to support their use.A 2-year, unblinded, 1-treatment arm, 10-patient, pilot prospective case study was used to assess survival in patients suffering inoperable stage II–IV pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with large doses of orally ingested pancreatic enzymes, nutritional supplements, “detoxification” procedures, and an organic diet.From January 1993 to April 1996 in the authors’ private practice, 10 patients with inoperable, biopsy-proven pancreatic adenocarcinoma were entered into the trial. After one patient dropped out, an 11th patient was added to the study (however, all 11 are considered in the data tabulation). Patients followed the treatment at home, under the supervision of the authors.As of 12 January 1999, of 11 patients entered into the study, 9 (81%) survived one year, 5 (45%) survived two years, and at this time, 4 have survived three years. Two patients are alive and doing well: one at three years and the other at four years. These results are far above the 25% survival at one year and 10% survival at two years for all stages of pancreatic adenocarcinoma reported in the National Cancer Data Base from 1995. This pilot study suggests that an aggressive nutritional therapy with large doses of pancreatic enzymes led to significantly increased survival over what would normally be expected for patients with inoperable pancreatic adenocarcinoma.Because of many conflicting results between the pilot study, patient records and the Gonzals/Gemcitabine study, this tells me there is indeed some truth in Dr. Gonzales’ allegations of bias and fraud. It is a real problem in academia and medicine:http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_what_doctors_don_t_know_about_the_drugs_they_prescribe.html?awesm=on.ted.com_o9qh&source=twitter#.UGWZkzm1uOA.twitterI would refer those of you who know the Gerson therapy to study the methodology under the “Methods” section in the published study (see above where Dr. Greger has listed ‘Sources cited’). I am surprised by the study conclusion, but given the anti-Gerson history of one of the lead researchers someone mentioned, I am a bit more skeptical. I do think we need to know more, including what about combining a plant-based diet and chemo, chemo vs. a plant based diet without the enemas etc, and these diets tested against other types of cancer. I have watched videos promoting the Gerson therapy, and the results here are entirely opposite than what the shows portray. I am surprised that the published scientific literature contradicts the science (case studies, cited success rate) in the pro-Gerson programs.I would like to share this documentary about the Gerson Therapy by Steve Kroschel.Here is the link: Dying to Have Known http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoUl7F7dWdEI am somewhat confused by this video as everything I have read or watched states that the Gerson therapy is vegan and always has been. While the results of the study seem to contradict a lot of what Dr Greger promotes in his videos. I also find it hard to believe that you would have a better quality of life pumped full of chemo drugs than on a healthy diet after all that is why a lot of people choose alternative therapies to avoid the nasty side effects of the cancer drugs.The gerson therapy advocates more than that, they advocate“Thyroid hormonePancreatic Enzymesand Coffee enemas ” as well as lots of juicing. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/A little problem with the study is the diet. According to their method they used a previous diet described in1.Gonzalez, N. J. & Isaacs, L. L. Evaluation of Pancreatic Proteolytic Enzyme Treatment of Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas, With Nutrition and Detoxification Support. Nutrition and Cancer 33, 117–124 (1999).which allow eggs and milk-yogurt daily as well as fish three times a week. Moreover they talk of a daily vegetable juice without further details.I don’t remember perfectly the details of the Gerson diet, but to the best of my knowledge yogurts are forbidden in the early treatment and I don’t recollect seeing fish or eggs anywhere in the diet. Correct me if I’m wrong. Also the vegetables juices seems to be one the central pillars of the Gerson treatment and they seem to be undermined in both papers. Correct me again if I’m wrong.Only 70% raw fruit and veges is not a very good comparison study with something as aggresive as pancreatic cancer!Wow…people… I think its great that Dr. Greger posted this.I want to know that this site is giving me, as best as is possible, scientific, not political reports. I think it is pretty clear in the video that it was not a Gerson clinic supported trial, and of course if you want more info they can always read the study itself. The results are so stark I somehow doubt that 5 daily coffee enemas will make a difference (as one poster said) but who knows. I want all the news, good or bad. My health choices are informed by both science and politics (I’m vegan) but I want to know which is which, thank you very much.Dr Greger,Thank you for this revelation, after watching movies and how convincing they were on this topic, it is good to know the truth, I now wish to ask a big favor! Please do an analysis on Clint Ober’s “Earthing” theory as to how grounding oneself with the earth or more interestingly “Grounding Pads” in your home can help reduce inflammation and can dramatically thin the blood after just 20 min’s of attaching grounding patches on the bottoms of your feet. Also ties into weather or not EMF’s can have a detrimental effect on us… I buy the theory and just wish to know if it is true, he has spent millions funding study’s that are published on PubMed and we all know how individuals or company’s standing to make a profit can get a study to say what it wants…It would be so awesome if you could find the time to do this! Thank you …The NCI already did a study on Gerson therapy vs. Chemo and they had access to the Gerson Clinic. They concluded that there wasn’t enough controls on either side to form any conclusion. However, they did say that the Gerson patients did seem more upbeat and happy. Perhaps this could be due in part to the coffee enemas. Gerson did not discover coffee enemas. They were used during WWI for extreme pain when the morphine ran out.Please see research about Gerson Therapy and melanoma. Very good results with Gerson Therapy compared to conventional therapy http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9359807I am a fan of Dr Gregor’s videos, but I’m very disappointed with this one. My wife had stage II breast cancer, and we went on Gerson Therapy for the month before surgery. The size of the removed tumor was about 25% less than the size measured on an MRI only 5 weeks before. I am also suspicious of the paper reviewed in this video — did the authors have affiliations with, or funded by, drug companies?I would love a copy of that study. I’m wondering if they did the detoxification part of the Gerson Therapy… If not, of course the subjects fared worse! The coffee enemas are crucial to the therapy. With all the nutrition via raw juices, their systems would be overwhelmed with released toxins. More information please!As someone who has read a lot about the Gerson Therapy before finding your site, I was very impressed with your work until this posting. The video’s title says ‘Gerson Therapy’ but the protocol is clearly not. This is only the beginning of the problem. Dr. M.G, so many of your videos show the benefits of a vegan diet in fighting cancer, why do you even do this video? There are too many problems with the cited study. The medical establishment was determined to undermine Dr. Max Gerson ever since his Senate Pepper-Neely Hearing testimony in 1946. Pepper-Neely proposed a $100 million dollar funding to study cancer treatments and Dr. Gerson’s method was the main reason. Are you familiar with this part of the history? Dr. M.G, the earlier Dr. M.G. was a lot like you. He was a well-trained Germany physician who relied on the latest research and his keen observation of his own patients. We owe him a great deal, just like we owe you a great deal. May I suggest that you remove this video and do some more research on the real Gerson and his great achievements in curing many ‘incurable’ diseases in his time?It may be good to remember that pancreatic cancers are the most deadly — perhaps the Gerson-style vs Chemotherapy results would differ in other cancers, like colorectal or breast. There’s more than likely a variable success rate for either chemo or Gerson that’s very dynamic and depends on the type of cancer being treated.Hi All, you need to check out this study on lunasin and cancer: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110920/Combination-of-lunasin-and-oxaliplatin-prevents-colon-cancer-from-metastasis.aspx. I have a patented product that contains the most pure, concentrated form of lunasin ever produced. Message me at nancyhelmold@gmail.com to get more info.The study was deeply flawed and does not deserve to be reviewed here. Here is another link summarizing the problems with the study: http://truthbreakdown.wordpress.com/tag/john-chabot/This is not accurate and should be either removed from your site or renamed. They did not follow the Gerson Therapy – there are only 2 facilities that have been certified to actually follow it and neither was involved in this study. Call it a study of a Completely Modified Gerson Therapy or a study of a therapy that got it start in Gerson… but it is NOT a study on Gerson and should not be billed as such.It is extremely important to realise that the alternative therapy used on the patients was not the Gerson therapy at all.You can still change the title – why are you leaving it this way? This is unprofessional and very mis-leading. You seem like a real doctor?Done!This video does no justice to the actual Gerson therapy in practice today and is not even close to it. Using the Gerson name should not be allowed since it is not the treatment that was used and is apparently only being used to defame the treatment.I had stage 3 clear cell ovariancancer dx early in 2004. There were 14 women I knew at the time who had different stages of OC. The two that had the same grade and stage as I did died after 16 months and 22 months. All have passed now. I started chemo and stopped because of neuropathy after 5 treatments. Did no radiation. I started Gerson, without animal products because I was a vegetarian (but had eaten a lot of organic dairy), but I became a vegan–both for health and because of my fondness for animals. I continue to use coffee enemas even though I have stopped the full Gerson whenever I a cold, food poisoning, etc and they immediately help. Gerson’s advice is never to do a CE w/out juicing. I did two daily when on the program because chemo treated patients do a “modified Gerson”.Needless to say, I hike 8 to 10 miles regularly in the Sierra Nevada mountains, garden, write an e-pub, just turned 60 and am almost ten years older since I was dx. My quality of life has never been better and I only get down when I think I should visit the doctor!Studies are easily manipulated and every individual body seems to be different and probably what you believe has a big impact on stress level hormones and the repercussions on the body.The one thing I knew is that I didn’t want my life to be constantly visiting doctors or hospitals. Each subsequent chemo found my body reeling with problems and unfortunately I have know many who have died not from the cancer but from the chemo. Even so, it is not an easy choice because there are so few studies and even the ones done I think could not be validated unless the patients were actually in a hospital setting.I hope this helps anyone who is faced with this decision. I could very well be alive because I used partial chemo and a modified Gerson protocol (which chemo treated patients must do) after I stopped the chemo.Having said that, chemo does cause secondary cancers and with me, resulted in a depressed immune system that has not recovered even though it is almost ten years later. Basically, I stay away from any one with a cold or areas containing large, enclosed crowds.As for the Gerson cost, I did it on my own, with occasional telephone consultations and using the book. My regular oncologists (chemo and the surgeon) simple followed my progress but were not interested in what I was doing.Perhaps an in-depth study of cancer patients who survive and have a good-quality of life should be done. What did they do, etc.One interesting point my surgeon told me, and I have no idea if it is true, is that there were no double blind studies done on chemo vs no chemo with respect to how long an OC would survive or remain cancer free (two very different measurements).Also, Gerson is reported to be more successful with certain cancers-ovarian cancer seems to be one of those cancers.This Gerson therapy just sounds to me like a lot of fancy words thrown out there to make something sound effective, when infact it does nothing. Thats not to say a vegan diet is not an excellent thing for PREVENTION, but there remains no plausable scientific route that ‘detoxifcation’, ‘proteolytic enzymes’ or other buzzwords can cure cancer. Yet these clinics will continue to take money off the desperate, as people always look for the easy option. Chemotherapy is one of the worst experiences a person may have to go through, however when you understand carcinogenesis and the mechanisms of malignancy – you understand why it has to be that way..I have to disagree. While each situation is different many cancer deaths are due to the chemo. Moreover, quality of life is a big issue and until you face that decision personally and until all the facts are presented to the patient with respect to the side effects of treatment–which in my experience they are not–the statement “you understand why it has to be that way” lacks foresight. You can see my post below. I survived stage C clear cell ovarian cancer and am almost ten years out. In that time I have seen many women die of this cancer. In fact, all the women I knew at the time I was dx are no longer alive and all used chemo and conventional treatment.Firstly let me congratulate you on overcoming cancer. In the end this is the most important thing, not the means. However, you are clearly one of the lucky ones, and spontaneous regression is not that uncommon. I am not familiar with rates for ovarian cancer, but in breast cancer it can be up to 22%. Neither yourself or the gerson clinic have put forward any plausable mechanism for the remission to be attributed to gerson therapy. I would be interested to see how many people have died whilst on gerson therapy, however at 15 grand a person for what is essentially a personally chef service, i don’t see them releasing any figures soon.I went to review the article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, here is what it said about the regimen of the individuals on the Gerson-style therapy: http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/28/12/2058.full?sid=6ddd4fd5-5322-4a09-89cc-efb946af8d62Proteolytic Enzyme Treatment“The enzyme treatment included orally ingested proteolytic enzymes, nutritional supplements, detoxification, and an organic diet (unaltered from the pilot study).3Patients received three pancreatic enzyme and two magnesium citrate capsules with each meal. The patients also took specified numbers of capsules with magnesium citrate and Papaya Plus every 4 hours on an empty stomach. The dose for patients with stage II disease was 69 enzyme capsules, and the dose for patients with stages III or IV was 81 capsules per day. After day 16, patients had a 5-day rest period and then resumed treatment on day 22. Treatment could be adjusted by the physician and could be increased for cancer progression. A diet that required at least 70% of the food to be raw or minimally cooked was required. All food was organic. Prescribed detoxification procedures included coffee enemas twice each day; skin brushing and cleansing; salt and soda baths; and a liver flush, clean sweep, and purging.”The Gerson Therapy includes 13 juices- that is all important venue by which the body receives an enzymatic boost, as you can see they were give much supplementation in the form of capsules. It doesn’t say anythings as to 13 freshly made juices a day. It emphasizes mostly raw or minimally cooked, it should be noted that the Gerson program includes 3 to 4 pounds of cooked food daily, “cooked foods provide additional variety and enable patients to eat more than they would on an exclusively raw diet. They also supply soft bulk, which promotes the digestion of the raw foods and juices.” Defeating Obesity, Diabetes and High Blood Pressure: The Metabolic Syndrome, by Charlotte Gerson, pg. 92. Coffee enemas are recommended every 4 hours in such severe cases. Gerson also advocates supplementation with Potassium, Niacin, Flaxseed Oil, Pancreatin, and B-12 injections.I conclude the “Gerson-style Therapy” was not in fact the genuine Gerson Protocol, and contributed to the failure of the patients to improve and thrive. Charlotte Gerson states, “pancreatic cancer is curable, but only if not pretreated with chemotherapy.” Healing the Gerson Way, pg. 112.Or the simpler explanation – Gerson therapy is an expensive sham.I find myself baffled by the outcome. Mostly raw veggies/fruits, Vegan diet. How on earth did they NOT live longer. I’m so dumb founded at this juncture.I don’t believe it… it’s impossible. Raw food and fasts are the best therapy for cancer treatment.This is not the Gerson Therapy… next time call the thing in the right wayGerson “style” therapy? This could mean anything. It does not mean they followed the full and proper Gerson treatment. I bet they gave the patients a diet packed with nutrients, yet forgot the all important coffee enemas, this would explain the death of these patients and why it happened so rapidly. I wouldn’t be suprised if National Cancer Institute funded this because they knew the enemas would not be included, making the outcome obvious. Everyone who understands The Gerson Therapy knows that if the liver is not detoxed with the coffee enemas then it simply dies after a short time. More information please, we would need to know the exact regime the patients under the Gerson “style” therapy received before this study holds any substance at all.I read the original report on your site for this study. This was NOT the Gerson therapy. These patients were given the enzymes through capsules, as it states “The dose for patients with stage II disease was 69 enzyme capsules,and the dose for patients with stages III or IV was 81 capsules per day. After day 16, patients had a 5-day rest period and then resumed treatment on day 22.The dose for patients with stage II disease was 69 enzyme capsules,and the dose for patients with stages III or IV was 81 capsules per day. After day 16, patients had a 5-day rest period and then resumed treatment on day 22.” No mention of juicing, just that these patients ate organic food and took a hell of a lot of enzyme capsules. It also states they did 2 coffee enemas a day (not enough, but they weren’t juicing anyway) and as another detox method they were made to take SALT baths. Since when has even a grain of salt been permitted on THE Gerson Therapy?. It is not permitted in any form and salt baths would be highly detrimental to these patients health. You emitted the important sections of this study in an obvious attempt to mislead and misguide people into believing this was a trial of The Gerson Therapy, this is certainly not the case.Do you realise by posting this false video you may prevent someone from starting a therapy that could well save their life? This is not the Gerson Therapy, no juicing and taking salt baths, tut tut. You Dr Greger should be ashamed of yourself. You were obviously paid to do this. Admitting in reply to some comments you had never even heard of the Gerson Therapy and stating you agree you may have got it wrong, yet then uploading this to Facebook months later. You’re obviously out to mislead and get your fat cheques off big pharma while people lose hope in something that actually has saved countless lives, no amount of money is worth that, you bad bad man.This is NOT the Gerson Therapy. The study you describe here is based on a therapy developed by Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez. After this study, Dr. Gonzalez wrote a book explaining how poor trial design and implementation undermined his project. It is another example of allopathic medicine trying to discredit any successful cancer treatment. Chemotherapy = big bucks for Big Pharma and AMA.Please explain why anyone in their right mind would accept that a poison should be used to treat a disease. Yes, Americans are gullible and incredibly lacking in their ability to understand science or math. This is why chemo continues to be practiced in the USA. Allopathy has made “cancer” the most feared word in the English dictionary. Create fear and offer a solution that is incredibly profitable….and then strengthen this by discrediting any therapy that actually HEALS the body.I am very saddened that I saw this video clip. I have lost respect for you.Dr Greger, How about other cancers? any info…i know there is a woman who has maintained her health -with pancreatic cancer- for years by juicing…maybe pancreatic enzymes are what is killing people with pancreatic cancer and not the vegan juicing? just a thought…I just read the JCO article. The name Gerson is not even mentioned. The Gerson protocol is a very specific regimen designed to heal the body, not just cancer but all “chronic degenerative diseases,” that was fine-tuned over decades by Dr. Max Gerson. Claiming that the control group in this study was on a Gerson-style therapy would be tantamount to putting the other group on a random chemical warfare agent, randomly dosed. There are a number of people out there trying to make a buck using the Gerson name. I don’t think the Gerson Institute has the resources to sue anyone. For the therapy to be effective, it has to be followed exactly. Can you imagine some oncologist randomly dosing Gemzar or substituting some other chemotherapeutic agent based on their mood that day? That control group should be compared with the raw food eaters! It is patently absurd to claim that this study has any relationship to the Gerson therapy whatsoever. There are no “degrees of compliance.” It is either total compliance or the therapy will not be effective. This is gone into in great detail in Dr. Gerson’s book (as well as those co-authored by Charlotte Gerson).Just a note on the calf liver injections brought up in the comments. The supply chain has changed since Dr. Gerson’s time. It is no longer possible to obtain reliably untainted calf liver so it had to be dropped from the therapy.The so-called documentaries on the Gerson therapy are very much of a “religious-style.” Even though they are endorsed by the Gerson Institute they do a disservice to the regimen, at least when viewed by someone with decades of experience doing hard science (at Harvard). Which is not to say that do not contain any valuable information, and if they inspire a lay person to opt for the therapy over conventional treatment…There has never been and there will never be a study designed to test the effectiveness of the therapy. Such a study would cost money and nobody would fund it. Furthermore, ethical questions would likely prohibit anyone from considering it. And I don’t want to put forward any conspiracy theories… (in the manner of T. Colin Campbell, and Caldwell Esselstyn, a couple of well-known “quacks”) but altering the wikipedia entries related to the Gerson therapy as an example, even citing the most prominent medical journals, (in my experience) will result in the information being taken down in a matter of minutes.The basic idea behind the slash and burn approach of modern oncology is to use surgery, radiation and chemo to kill as many cancer cells as possible and as few good cells as possible and hope that the body will somehow recover or at least eliminate enough tumor mass that the patient will leave a few extra weeks.The basic idea behind the Gerson therapy is that the only way a serious disease can be cured is by the body itself and that the only way such a disease can usually develop is if the body is not functioning properly. In order to return it to a properly functioning state the Gerson therapy does two things: add as much nutrition as possible and eliminate as much poison as possible. The former primarily through hourly juices prepared in a very specific manner, the latter primarily through coffee enemas. Dr. Gerson was well aware that without the coffee enemas his patients would often die quickly.My point in writing this comment is that there is no such thing as a “Gerson-style” therapy. It is either 100% according to Dr. Gerson’s book (substituting CoQ10 for the now tainted calf liver injections) or it has no relation to the Gerson therapy. Anyone who claims or believes differently is sadly mistaken. Which is not to assert that adopting a healthy diet will not have a positive effect on health, but here we are talking about healing serious diseases. However the Gerson therapy is the Gerson therapy (sans calf liver juice) and there is no substitute. There have been a number of strict vegetarians who were diagnosed with cancer, followed the Gerson therapy and their cancer disappeared. Unfortunately, healing serious disease is not like horseshoes and hand grenades. At least, that was Dr. Gerson’s experience.Hopefully someday in the distant future science (medicine) will be forced to admit that there is a relationship between diet and health. Until that time our society will continue poisoning us so we can become good customers to the medical profession.Just a note: Howard Straus is Dr. Gerson’s grandson, and Lew Payne, god bless you, you should spend less time on software engineering and more time reading quackwatch where you would find a lot of sympathizers. And for heaven’s sake, don’t dare read Dr. Gerson’s book! It would be banned if anyone took it seriously.Sometimes it is worth it to listen both parts of the story, specially when it comes to survival from cancer. I strongly recommend the book “What went wrong” by Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez.My point is: If it is true that more people die from the Gerson Therapy where are the bodies? Some times we, scientific-minded people should listen all source of practical cases, scientific studies too (for sure), but let the science be unbiased.I do not believe in conspiration theories whatsoever. I just understand the different games where different institutions must and are allowed to play. We cannot expect every highly-controled, highly-funded and supported institutions to be 100% free of speech. It will simply not happen.The Gerson therapy was not implemented in this study. If you read the paper there is nearly nothing similar to the “Gerson treatment” in this paper nor is the Gerson therapy mentioned. I normally love these videos but this was a disappointment and misleading. I don’t intend to imply that the true Gerson therapy is effective but if we are going to examine the scientific legitimacy of a treatment then let us do exactly that and not the legitimacy of something similar. Very dissapointing.This is just the kind of junk study that Colin Campbell talks about in “Whole”. The developer of a drug gets to design a study to make his drug look good. Why do you promote this?Clearly both sides of this argument don’t even understand the clinical trial that took place, the history behind it, or the claims of corruption which have been supported to some extent.This was actually a study comparing the Kelly/Gonzalez approach, not Gerson Therapy. The study was initiated after Gonzalez presented to the NIH several documented cases of pancreatic cancer treated with his approach showing results far greater than conventional approaches.According to Gonzales, the trial was corrupt and he details that on his web site. http://www.dr-gonzalez.com/jco_rebuttal.htmA main argument is that the majority of patients recruited for nutritional arm were very advanced and did not meet the eligibility criteria. This appears to be confirmed by the NIH.Here’s a quote from his rebuttal: “Furthermore, the article failed to mention that the Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP), an oversight group at the NIH, at our request conducted a two-year investigation of the study’s supervision by Dr. Chabot. The OHRP findings, as posted on their website (click here for their letter), revealed that Dr. Chabot had admitted 42 out of 62 total patients improperly..”U folks get way to complicated on this subject. It’s pretty obvious to me the Gerson therapy does work. I heard the testimonials, a whole lot of them, and documentaries. I believe everyone of them. U should take a really hard look at the Gerson therapy and stop offering speculation on what u think it is.With an additional 10 months of life and that shown to be of significantly better quality I fail to see how there is any actual argument in the positive for the Gerson Diet. It is pretty clear at least in this study that Gerson had little or no effect.Micheal, I am very disappointed in you. In general I am very impressed with your research and focus on the science. However, in this case you seem to dismiss Dr. Gersons work as vodo. His work is not unlike your own, except you have the benefit of chemical analysis and biochemistry. Gerson did his work on pure observation over 80 years ago. These Pharma backed studies designed to dismiss Gerson are not to be praised or promoted as debunking Gerson. His approach has merit and it points to natural mechanisms which could be exploited if we try to understand them. Of course any discovery would not be patentable therefore big Pharma wants them dismissed and discredited. You are not doing any of us any favors by repeating their propaganda and junk science Micheal.I have seen the FDA play these games before. They would claim to start a trial with an “ethical requirement” For example, they refused to use a new compound proven to cure brain tumors, unless all patients had Chemo first. Of course, chemo would weaken the subjects and result in death. The few patients that survived would then be called Chemo patient survivors. This left the trial in question and accomplished nothing. At this point the FDA and the new drug trial process is a complete sham. Again, I am surprised to see you of all people repeating these lies for big pharma. Makes we question your findings and motivations in general.For anyone in doubt of The Gerson Therapy, just look at their data, read their books and talk with the survivors that the pharma companies and their doctors send to death. I recomend Dr. Michael Greger to speak personally with Dr. Patrick Vickers or Charlotte Gerson, Jay Kordich or Christopher Wark before making nonsense claims either out of genuine ignorance or some other ulterior motives:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdWatSJEcbMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quuvi6Gvvmchttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KfsXTSb6mwAnd if you want to support a small yet genuine dedicated people who does not have the resources of big pharmaceuticals, here is how you can make a donation:http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Team-Gerson–Taking-Strides-in-Support-of-Nutritional-Healing-.html?soid=1101330299260&aid=txwQO_oWsnI#fblikePROBLEM: A PATIENT CURED IS A CUSTOMER LOST!! Modern pharmaceutical companies know this, it isn’t in their economic interest to cure you! SOLUTION: A health care system in which Doctors are paid only when you are healthy!! Additional, the last thing a convalescing patient needs when faced with a debilitating disease is the financial burden of the health care costs!! A HEALTHY PATIENT A CUSTOMER FOR LIFE!!… Every body winsTruth be told.Amazing, but exactly what you’d expect from the American Cancer Society, which turns a blind eye to the thousands of advanced cancer patients who have gone into remission using the Gerson Therapy (and the massive amount of medical data and physical proof in existance) only to comment that there has not been a single case supporting that the therapy may be effective on treating cancer. Think of how many lives could have been saved from cancer and many other degenerative diseases if the importance of natural health was not covered up. Greed has gone too far in this country.Please do not be fooled by this video. The clinical trial mentioned does NOT study the Gerson Therapy, and the publication does not use the word Gerson a single time! The original article is available for free: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2860407/This is simply another of a multitude of attempts by the medical and cancer establishments to defame the Gerson Therapy by calling what they do “Gerson-style.” Dr. Gerson himself was murdered by arsenic poisoning after publishing the results of his work with cancer. This study is not Gerson-style in any way– it provides for only “daily” fresh-pressed juice (vs. thirteen 8oz glasses per day on Gerson) and patients were even prescribed “salt and soda baths,” which would be forbidden.This is not a test of the Gerson Therapy. This is a comparison of chemo poison to doing almost nothing. Sadly, all the patients in both groups were dead after 40 months. If you have 174 minutes and nine seconds to spare, you can learn all about the Gerson Therapy from a wonderful, outspoken, and inspiring woman, Charlotte Gerson, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quuvi6GvvmcPlease do not be fooled by this video. The clinical trial mentioned does NOT study the Gerson Therapy, and the publication does not use the word Gerson a single time! The original article is available for free: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2860407/This is simply another of a multitude of attempts by the medical and cancer establishments to defame the Gerson Therapy by calling what they do “Gerson-style.” Dr. Gerson himself was murdered by arsenic poisoning after publishing the results of his work with cancer. This study is not Gerson-style in any way– it provides for only “daily” fresh-pressed juice (vs. thirteen 8oz glasses per day on Gerson) and patients were even prescribed “salt and soda baths,” which would be forbidden.This is not a test of the Gerson Therapy. This is a comparison of chemo poison to doing almost nothing. Sadly, all the patients in both groups were dead after 40 months. If you have 174 minutes and nine seconds to spare, you can learn all about the Gerson Therapy from a wonderful, outspoken, and inspiring woman, Charlotte Gerson, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quuvi6GvvmcConventional medicine offers NO cure for many cancers (Pancreatic, Mantle Cell Lymphoma, and many others). Since there are long-term survivors who have used the Gerson therapy with both of these particular cancers, I side with the folks who have cured SOME vs the folks who have cured NONE.An excellent documentary that compares conventional oncology to The Gerson Therapy (and is on Netflix): Dying To Have Known.I think this study can be very deceiving. First of all my Uncle got rid of his cancer after 1 year on the Gerson therapy. Second of all Pancreatic cancer is known to be among the deadliest of cancers. And from what I understand the Gerson institute does not have high hopes for Pancreatic cancer patients in the first place. Also I think the Gerson therapy is actually a terrible approach for Pancreatic Cancer Patients as all the fruit and carrots in the juices places to much stress on the Pancreas. I’d be much more interested to see a study on other more common types of cancer – breast, lung, skin, colon etc….Unfortunately the mis imformation about the gerson method is so well placed and funded by industrial interests that it has become virtually impossible to convince anyone that it works better then conventional methods at half the cost on society. If u gave your dog a bone and the bone made him sick and almost died and your vet said just blast fido with chemicals to kill everything good inside of him along with anything bad like tumors and fido will be fine and able to eat bones again you’d do it right? If you love fido like I love my lab youd pay anyprice to keep him alive correct? Now if that same doctor said im sorry but your dog has terminal cancer and has less then 6 months to live but you can try alternative therapys that have been known to work for centuries but dont have the money or legal abbilities to be used in the usa because they are illigal…. but I cant say that or I will lose my job you would say ok thanks for the heads up doc and you would take fido to mexico for some fresh fruit smoothies and a few coffee enimas….. right… what the hell ive never heard of anyone dying from side effects of to much fruit and veggies and a few coffee enimas… My point is this… most if not all of modern western medicine was discovered by mistake. Treating mental ilness with anti siezure drugs for example… if you do not believe it works or ppl are dropping like flies then do the research on the statistics of the actual real life results of individuals who have been cured of terminal and cronic illness at gerson and then open your mind and try it yourself even if you are not sick or dying… with the gerson method you never will be….. I know this because im alive today!!!!Sorry Dr Gregor but your credibility in what to present and how to present is right up there with Dr Mercola. Only difference is that you are plant based. A lot of your information is good but even most of it leaves more ?’s than answers.The difference between Dr. Greger and Dr. Mercola is that Dr. Greger uses evidence based research for non profit, while Dr. Mercola misuses “evidence” to further his business and is well known for quackery claims. Dr. Greger is merely sharing the evidence, he is not inventing the studies.1. This video is entirely misleading because it misrepresents the facts in the study. It claims that the study involved a comparison of chemotherapy and the Gerson Therapy, yet the study itself doesn’t mention Gerson at all.2. If you actually read the study, it doesn’t say anything about the alternative treatment group having a plant-based diet. All we know is that 70% of it had to be raw or minimally cooked, and that it was all organic. That could have easily included animal products which aren’t allowed in the Gerson Therapy. For all we know, these people were being fed organic steaks every evening.3. There is no mention of alternative study participants being given fresh juice from a good juicer 13 times per day. The juicing part of the Gerson Therapy is essential!It would be nice to see an actual study comparing the two therapies as they are normally done. I’m sure that there is a Gerson practitioner out there who would be more than happy to help. Until then, we have to endure smear campaigns like the ones going on here.From your video description…”for decades studies on Gerson therapy for cancer have questioned its safety and efficacy”. Really? What studies. Didn’t you say in this video that this was the first study of this kind and they were very difficult to do and then you kissed up to the cancer organizations conducting the study, but not the Gerson Therapy because it doesn’t appear they were involved at all. Treating people with real live food and concentrated nutrition from juicing and detoxing the liver, which is what the coffee enemas are about, yes those are questionable unsafe treatments lol, but heck poisoning the body with chemo and radiation or cutting out organs, that is a lot safer!!! Don’t make me laugh. I noticed in the other video you brought up the cost of going to the Gerson Clinic, $16,000, which you scoffed at and yet you do not mention the astronomical cost of conventional cancer treatments and drugs. Gerson Clinic pales in comparison and is a bargain in many more ways than cost. You have options to learn the therapy and treat yourself at home or hire a trained Gerson practitioner to come to your home and assist you. I find slanted videos like this one extremely disheartening and so unfair to those who might otherwise have sought alternative treatment that could actually heal their bodies and cure their cancer, as the Gerson Therapy has for many, even inoperable pancreas cancer (I have posted one such case). As a Doctor and a pro-plant based diet advocate, you know very well that the body is capable of curing itself of cancer. You also know that we all have flare-ups of cancer over our lifetime and it is our immune system that seeks out cancer cells, contains them in a tumor and can destroy the tumor. Tumors in cancer patients miraculously disappear ALL THE TIME, to the astonishment of conventional Doctors who are trained to believe that is not possible without their barbaric methods. It is the terrain of the body that must be changed in order to beat cancer. Medical procedures do not cure cancer, they only remove the symptom of cancer temporarily and it will come back if the patient does nothing to change the terrain of the body. Only building a strong immune system via food and changing the terrain of the body from acidic to alkaline (a simplification, but cancer thrives in an oxygen deprived environment which is acidic, meaning electron deficient…again simplification) also by diet can cure the body of cancer and other diseases. Conventional cancer treatments may sometimes delay death but many times they also hasten death or are the cause of death and the cancer eventually comes back if the patient does nothing to change their lifestyle and diet. For instance the 5 year survival rate for prostate cancer is the same with or without conventional treatment, but if one changes their lifestyle and eating habits they can cure their cancer. One person questioned in comments, were the patients actually on the Gerson therapy treated by the clinic’s protocol? Apparently not because in the title you refer to a “Gerson-Style” therapy. Additionally since the study did not go full-term, you really don’t know how many actual survivals and cures there could have been. The weakest may have perished first but the outcome of all is not known. One, even 2 survivals would have been considered a success when it comes to inoperable pancreas cancer…wouldn’t it? If one or two survive on the Gerson Therapy and none conventionally, wouldn’t that prove that it is possible to cure pancreatic cancer with nutrition and detoxification therapy? Below is the link to one such case. The problem is that the medical establishment is so threatened by the success of non-conventional disease treatments, that they are willing to make millions suffer needlessly and die rather than admit what physicians hundreds of years ago proclaimed, that food is our best medicine and the only cure for the body. Why are hospitals being built in Japan based on the Gerson Therapy if it is such quackery? (Let me check source on that.) The real quackery are studies like this to further deceive the public and prevent cancer patients from seeking alternative treatments that can actually cure them of cancer. There will always be those people who do not want to take responsibility for themselves and change their lifestyle and eating habits and the medical system can have those people, but don’t discourage people who want to take responsibility for their health and are willing to make changes that can cure their illnesses. This study and commentary is so full of holes it is shameful to even post it. Why do Doctors and the medical establishment continue to think we are imbeciles, trusting and buying into whatever you wish to deceive us with to line your pockets? You can’t seriously believe this is a fair representation of the Gerson Therapy, because it you spent anytime looking into it at all, you would understand the science behind it and the multitude of people with even stage 1V cancers who have cured themselves with the Gerson Therapy. You can’t discount their testimonies! Here is one such testimony…a pancreatic cancer case. http://www.gersonmedia.com/WAPSLawrenceK.html Please don’t attempt to continue to insult our intelligence!!The body is resilient and has an amazing ability to heal itself.Chemotherapy treatment targets and kills the fastest growing cells in your body. Since Cancer cells grow and multiply more quickly than most cells, Chemotherapy can be an effective treatment. Sadly, this can also impact hair, bone marrow and other healthy cells and weaken the immune system.Whereas Chemotherapy targets the symptoms, Gerson Therapy is focused on treating the cause and looking at the body holistically. Their theory is that disease is an accumulation of toxins in the body and by starving the toxic cells and nourishing the healthy cells (mostly with juices and raw fruits and vegetables), the immune system will be boosted and the body will self correct.Both therapies are extreme. Personally, at stage 3b Breast Cancer, I chose to go through with Chemotherapy. I also chose to move to a plant based diet, which follows some of the principles in the Gerson Therapy. That was a winning combination for me, as I celebrate 2 1/2 years Cancer free. #Gerson, #Chemotherapy #Plantbasedhttp://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/gerson/healthprofessional/page1/AllPagesIf they can’t do studies like this on other cancers for morality reasons, could they at least do “conventional” vs “conventional + other treatment” studies? This would likely give us data in a form we are likely to use it in, so the utility should not be discounted.The Gerson Therapy’s website plainly states that it is not recommended for pancreatic cancer. The success rates short and long-term for the cancer’s they do treat are better than with chemotherapy. This video is a cheap-shot at the Gerson therapy, and the guy who voices the video sounds drunk.Prediksi bola Gimnasia La Plata VS AH Zapla .. http://198.50.133.242/prediksi-bola-gimnasia-la-plata-vs-ah-zapla-07-mei-2015/	alternative medicine,American Cancer Society,cancer,chemotherapy,complementary medicine,detoxification,Gerson Therapy,mortality,National Cancer Institute,organic foods,pancreatic cancer,pancreatic enzymes,raw food,supplements	For decades, studies on Gerson therapy for cancer have questioned its safety and efficacy, but what does the latest head-to-head trial of a Gerson-style regime versus chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer show in terms of survival and quality of life?	For an introduction to Gerson Therapy, please check out the "prequel," yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Gerson Therapy for Cancer. How do you prevent pancreatic cancer in the first place? See Largest Study Ever. Dietary strategies associated with prolonged cancer survival can be found in Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake, Raw Broccoli and Bladder Cancer Survival, and Slowing the Growth of Cancer.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Gerson Therapy for Cancer?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/09/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gerson-therapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-cancer-society/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cancer-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-enzymes/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20361473,
PLAIN-2845	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/	Gerson Therapy for Cancer	A number of recent documentaries have renewed interest, in Gerson therapy, a largely diet based alternative treatment for cancer, invented by the late Dr. Max Gerson about 80 years ago.According to a recent review out of Sloan-Kettering in the Journal Oncology, for about $16,000 you can fly to a clinic in Mexico and spend three weeks “consuming fresh raw fruit and vegetable juices.” OK. Eliminating salt from the diet. So far so good. And taking supplements such as potassium, B12, thyroid hormone, pancreatic enzymes and supposedly detoxifying the liver with coffee enemas to stimulate metabolism. I do not dispute that coffee enemas would not be stimulating, but would not recommend them due to the whole they could kill you thing.To their credit, modern Gerson practitioners have moved away from the original tenets of the plan, which included feeding people raw calf liver smoothies, after too many people died from systemic blood infections. After learning of the outbreak, staff at the Gerson Institute decided the policy of drinking blended liver was to be altered and instead started injecting raw liver instead.But hey, conventional cancer treatments are no walk in the park either. The reason people choose them is in hopes that they work. How does the Gerson therapy compare? The first formal investigation into the treatment was back in 1947, and in the 65 years since there’s been over a dozen studies published in the scientific literature and most came to the same conclusion, that Gerson therapy is useless or worse. (in tomorrow's video I'm show you some of the data)	oh wow. I didn’t really expect that.Me too! Cannot wait for tomorrows vid now…What are the 12 studies cited and who funded them?Yes, I’d like to know as well. I bet these studies also concluded that a plant based diet is detrimental to your health.The 12 studies are listed in the Lancet study Dr. Greger cites in his Sources above. You can access that study at ScienceDirect (unfortunately, you need to pay for it unless you are a registered member) or you can access it at any library that carries the medical journal Lancet.get real, I am not going to pay for that, I lost all faith in doctors, i know of their zeal too drop radioactive seeds on my prostrate, American doctors abandoned the Hippocratic oath long ago, I thought my preacher was a hypocrite till I met my doctor, shame on you ass holesExcellent!I am SO happy that you have made a video on this topic. When I first heard of the Gerson therapy for cancer, I was highly suspicious of it. I did not have any scientific evidence to back up mu suspicion and now I do. Just like I suspected, this therapy is a sham and more importantly extremely dangerous. Thank you for making a video on it.I have room in my heart for allopathic and naturopathic medicine. That said, have you noticed that according to natural medicine advocates, natural medicine works and according to mainstream advocates, they don’t? Before I look at a study from the FDA, The Lancet, or the AMA I ask myself some questions. Who sponsored the study? What was the sample group size? Was the natural treatment given from the proper source, in the proper dose and in the proper method? Was there a conclusion recommended before the study began? It seems like all studies should be “scientific” but we should all remember that when we talk about institutions, we are dealing with human beings. Public and private sectors overlap. FDA workers are allowed to consult with pharmaceutical companies. Pharmaceutical companies sponsor medical schools. What happens when a doctor/medical student proves that a popular drug is ineffective when a grant from that pharmaceutical company is their lifeline? Studies that prove a non patented herbal treatment can work could be economically destructive. The study that concluded echinacea was ineffective for the immune system was later found to have used synthetic echinacea and given in a sub standard dose. I have spoken with mothers whose children lost speech and a significant degree of cognitive function the same or next day they receive a vaccination only to be told that it was a coincidence. These doctors are very nice people but we all need to do our own research on some level. Look at the advertisements for law firms on television, petitioning victims of pharmaceuticals that were removed from the market. Some of these products were advertised one or two years prior. My point is that with the workload of these institutions, we have to be aware that mistakes can happen.My question to you: Assume that vaccination X will save 25.0% of the population, and cause adverse side effects to 0.1% of those injected. Should said vaccinations be mandatory?The lesson: Anecdotal evidence on the harms of a protocol to 0.1% of the population do not make it a bad protocol. The alternative is to have recurring plagues kill off a higher percentage of the population.Practical example: Note how whopping cough is making a comeback (and killing many small children), thanks to parents who refuse to immunize their kids with DTap. Those parents should be held criminally responsible for the deaths of others.lol if vaccination do harm 0,1, how are you sure that it is really safe to the other 25%? Do you know exactly and completely how the body works? A vaccine must be 100% safe because people who is vaccinated is previously and totally healthy, at least from the disease that supposely prevents the vaccine. We are playing at russian roulet with the vaccines then. Far more that 0,1 have issues long term from vaccines (I am one), and it is true that all the time effects the day after vaccination are considered casualities.My son was vaccinated and still got a bad case of whooping cough at 10. Still has sensitive lungs at 25. If the vaccines really provided immunity, those immunized would have nothing to fear from those who aren’t, would they? I never get the flu vaccine and haven’t had the flu in over 15 years, yet everyone I know who gets the vaccine gets sick.I think the issue of vaccination efficacy is a bit more complicated and dependent on the nature of the disease for which the vaccine is created.Here’s an interesting article that I read on the topic of flu vaccines that I think makes some good points worth considering: Flu vaccine claims shot down by study.So if the Gerson therapy involves eating a plant based diet, high in raw fruits and vegetables, and in your videos you state that eating said diet turns your blood into a “cancer fighting machine” then how could it be that this treatment is useless or worse?I think this statement from the JAMA “Deaths Related to Coffee Enemas” abstract sums it up nicely: “Although diet and nutrition are recognized as important adjuncts in cancer therapy, conventional medicine rejects the concept of cancer therapy relying solely on dietary changes, and unlicensed practitioners of such therapy have been discouraged or prevented from practicing in the United States.”Plant-based diets are a great preventive measure and a good compliment or addition to treatment for cancer, but a plant-based diet is by no means a cure.I have a sour taste in my mouth, to say the least, after seeing the 2 videos on the Gerson diet. I would have never expected such reviews from dr. Greger. Or, if so, they should be backed up by reviewing dr. Gerson’s book and articles. I believe it is this that causes more harm to the hope and power in own resources of the cancer patient than the quack-etiquette that dr. Gerson receives from conventional medicine. If someone that gains the public trust by sharing such important information on whole plant-based foods’ impact on our health is also supporting the conventional view on the possible value of the Gerson diet, we will definetly not move fast enough to the truth. It simply emphasize what we are urged to believe: that is that we have no power. Yes, you should eat healhy, but don’t ever dare to imagine that if you get ill you’ll be saved by this. Isn’t this the message? And that is a pitty, because there is so much information out there that there is and there was for a long time the cure for cancer (which is not one)… I am not going to discuss the potential benefits of coffee enemas, I urge you all interested to read at least the book. I am only going to mention to you the DLT (dose limiting toxity). Do you know that in a conventional oncological dose-finding clinical trial, a phase 1 trial, designs as 3+3 are common? That the PI can accept 1 out of 3 dose related deaths (in the first 30 days after treatment, for example) or 2 out of 6 before going to the next dose level? Do you know that this is how the recommended dose level of a chemotherapeutic drug is established? Would you compare this to not knowing how to administer a coffee enema? Do you know how often patients have serious adverse events finalizing in death following a faulty dose of chemotherapeutic agent administered iv by a nurse that didn’t took the time to read or properly understood the complexities of the protocol or following the ingestion of all pills meant for a week-long treatment as one dose? Can you imagine how many of these events are mentioned in the final publication? Would we rather not know how to prepare or administer a coffee enema or not understand at which level of harm our liver is and how much detoxification it can handle, than assume that our oncologist and hospital stuff never make mistakes? If a cancer patient undergoing a detoxifing diet has his liver fail him, in not being capable to handle all the extra load, than I am sure that patient would have just as well died from chemotherapy; it is in my humble opinion just common sense.I would rather base my decision using factual evidence presented by peer-reviewed medical studies (the kind that use consistent and standard methods and protocols) than rely on someone else’s “common sense.” In my humble opinion, facts trump common sense.To be fair – Gerson started using this protocol years before there was all this research into diet and health. Whatever reservations you have about the treatment plan – and I agree there are some – he did pave the way for a diet and lifestyle based approach when treating disease at a time when anyone suggesting these sort of things was outlawed from the medical profession.And quite a few things he was proposing have today been verified by scientific research.FDA is not interested in facts, neither is NCI, i wanted facts from my urologist but i got liesEveryone except you is a liar. Clinical studies are lies, expert opinions are lies… yet you yourself don’t have the answer. Perhaps it’s not so much the clinical studies being deceiving, as it is your ability to interpret them from a clinical perspective, keeping in mind their limitations. Sorry, but you sound too much like a conspiracy theorist – the world is against you, facts are lies, and the only truth that exists is in your mind.The part about the fruit and vegetable juices sounds on track and is consistent with the findings in The China Study; it’s the liver stuff that seems strange and inappropriate. What’s the problem with coffee enemas? How do they cause harm instead of the good that they are touted for?Coffee enemas can be dangerous if not administered properly. In particular they can cause severe dilution of electrolytes. That is why they must be taken as prescribed and with the rest of the therapy which ensures the dilution does not occur.I would like to point out the the articles on the risks of coffee enemas do not apply to judicious use. In one of them, terrible photos are included of a poor woman who burned herself by using water that was too hot. What if I boiled some broccoli and then drank the too-hot broth, showing up at the hospital with a burned esophagus? Would they publish an article recommending we all stay away from eating cooked vegetables, despite the many health benefits, because of the terrible and graphically presented “risks?In the other article, two women died because of electrolyte imbalances after multiple coffee enemas. In one day. Now, suppose I went for a long run or hike in the Arizona sun, without adequate water and electrolyte replenishment, and ended up dead? BTW, this happens quite regularly here in the summer. Would an article be published pointing out that running and hiking are questionable because two people died from doing them?Just saying. Love 99.9% of your videos!Good points!Reading the abstracts it seems very suspicious. There are words like “case reviews found no evidence” and “those with standard chemo therapy survived 3 times longer than … organic diet”. As colin campbell pointed out in his China Study book, the food board has been taken over by industry. As McDougall mentions in his books and lectures, the medical establishment has gone out of their way to disprove his theories and is one reason why he left the heart center. I don’t really trust that the cancer industry is neutral on this. Just on the Gerson thing, how do you explain the people in the movie who were previously treated by chemo and then shown in the movie recovering quickly and there is “no evidence” and chemo allows patients to live longer? It is incongruent. I don’t think the filmmaker was hiring actors for the film and the film is pretty powerful just like the movie “fat sick and nearly dead”. The cancer industry lobbied and got diet taken out as a potential cure years ago and is why Gerson has to go to Mexico to offer the treatments. How nuetral is the industry given this fact. I know the pharmacetical industry controls the medical industry and the meat and diary industry control the FDA.I wish someone like Dr. Greger or Dr. McDougall would visit Charlotte Gerson and personally review the files independently so we could know for a fact that it doesn’t work.… and when Dr. Gregor or Dr. McDougall independently conclude that Gerson Therapy shortens the lives of cancer patients and is an impotent protocol with a dubitable track record at best, you will then begin to espouse conspiracy theories about them as well.Dr Greger doesn’t “conclude”, he reads out other people’s studies and does none of his own.no he has his view, he pokes fun of coffee enema, pokes fun at Gerson, poke fun at corrupt medical doctors who profit off chemoyea because it shortens the lives of cancer patients doesn’t prove anything. You take some one with no hope of a cure, Why are they doing that, why not run a test with some one who has a chance of getting better like prostate cancer. you act as if chemo offers any hope, oh it will extend my life a few months (who cares? this totally stupid) there is a conspiracy theory. Look at Jessica Ainscough chemo gave her 1 extra year Gerson gave her 7. How can you dismiss Gerson? Medical doctors are unwilling to look at facts, my doctor is major asshole, I lost all respect for medical doctors, my urologist told me prostate cancer is hereditary and had nothing to do with what I eat, he lied, isn’t that more important than making fun at Gerson? Why can’t I sue my doctor for lying to me? Prostate cancer is related to my diet, he is a crook he selling prostate removal not medicineIt’s a fact that Gerson himself is unwilling to “look at facts” – and when given the opportunity to vet his studies by having them reproduced via independent clinical labs (and universities), he fails to do so. I realize you’re biased and have your own agenda, and that nobody else except your little group of cronies is “honest” – so be it. There’s no point in continuing a discussion with you, since you choose to be right regardless of the facts.Looking at this page I got to from one of the studies above:http://www.cam-cancer.org/CAM-Summaries/Dietary-approaches/Gerson-therapy/Does-it-work“A five-year survival rate retrospective study of 153 cancer patients found higher survival rates in patients … Gerson regime than for patients undergoing other therapies”.This was a study done by the gerson staff in 1986. It states that “criticised as being seriously methodologically flawed”. The reasons stated is that they didn’t have an exact control match and didn’t assess other therapies the patient might have been recieving. Watching the movie, I’m guessing they would throw out the woman who first recieved chemo for her and was dying and then saved by gerson. Her case would be one of the “other therapies” so this would make her case methodologically flawed. So if 156 people which is statistically significant were better with the gerson therapy than chemo therapy, why is it being ignored as a legitimate therapy?I bet if someone looked at each of those 156 cases and analyzed them with an impartial method they would find that the therapy worked in a significant amount of them. They can label anything “methodologically flawed” based on any subjective critieria they choose. The summary at the beginning of the page above says “no clear evidence that gerson therapy is an effective treatment for people with cancer” even though below it states 153 people had higher survival rates than “other therapies” below.I bet if someone reviewed those 156 cases and applied methodical and standardized controls to them, they would reach the same conclusion… that the Gerson study was methodologically flawed.Lesson learned: Wishful thinking does not change the facts, but sloppy research and misapplied statistics do. The fact that its so difficult for some people to accept the truth, even in the light of a statistically and methodologically controlled study, show how powerful fear can be.So why can’t the therapy be practiced in the USA? That alone makes me suspicious that this treatment therapy has some validity. And what about Hippocrates institute… why can they practice? Seems to be the same type of therapy.Here’s a study confirming Gerson therapy for Melanoma vs convention. http://www.nutritionj.com/content/3/1/19/table/T7 Table http://www.nutritionj.com/content/3/1/19#B78 ArticleOk people are going to try what they will. I personally have a true account of a friend of mine who’s father had colon cancer. He was a smoker and living off a meat filled Mediterranean diet. He came down with colon cancer with two tumors in his liver. He did chemo with little change. His blood test revealed that his red blood cell count was dangerously low because of the chemo treatment. His doctor advised him to stop chemo all together. He became worried. I had seen nutrition studies and like Gregor am passionate about it. You can find study for anything pretty much. I eat avocados and drink kombucha daily and have another friend who drinks even more than i and never got hospitalized because of acidity Anyway back to the story. So my friend who saw my blog on nutrition decided to do his own research and see if his red blood cell count could return with diet. As he found the red fruits increase red blood cells he asked his dad to try eating large amounts of red fruits. Two weeks later he went back to get his blood cell count and the doctor to his amazement could not believe it. They so he was back on chemo. Chemo was still not doing anything. My friend again thought ok maybe this vegan diet think really can help. So he shared some studies on the power of fruits and vegetables. 8 weeks later I had asked my friend how his dad was doing. He was like the doctors xrays show that his tumors are in necorsis and that it shows real promise. My friend was so amazed and told me that he truly believed that food was powerful. He said the best thing was it looked like his dad’s vitality was back and he did not look ill anymore. My friend is name is Edu. I have emails to prove everything I say here. Will it work for everyone? Probably not but nutrition is more complex than a simple study proving or disproving. It is years of thousands of studies put together to show where the science is leaning. When there is just one study published and there is not more evidence then one should remain a skeptic until we see more. I personally feel that food is medicine and that the issue is not a lack of drugs but years of poor lifestyle choice which alter the natural biochemistry of the body. Genetics can play a role but it is not always our fate. We know that plants foods are healthy. Animal foods have low nutrient content and carry a lot of extra negative baggage so it is more that people don’t consume enough fruits and vegetables over that they eat meat. Plus the environmental and ethical issues that come with it where there is no need to consume animals. But when it comes down to it why take a chance with animal foods when there are so many amazing nutrient rich plant foods. So look at the science as a whole and not band aids that keep people alive because where they fix one problem the cause damage somewhere else. We have all seen the commercials of the millions of side effects that are reported. Drugs will never be the answer when it comes to optimal health. As for Gregor’s videos I think there is a lot of good information but like anything else we must do our own research past just watching his videos. He has done a huge service to get people aware and thinking but it does not stop here.– GorillaFitGorillaFit, how wonderful that your friend is doing better, and after changing to a plant-based diet at that! Plant-based diets truly are amazing, healing, and medicinal. The convergence of scientific evidence definitely supports these claims.Interestingly enough, Jeff Novick, the plant-based registered dietitian, just posted an article on the topic of scientific studies on his site. It’s a fast and good read: Todays Breaking Health News!!.A cursory investigation shows the following:Firstly, this study was intended to be a comparison using a Gonzalez-like Regimen and not the Gerson Therapy. Moreover, Neither therapies’ protocols were properly reproducedSecondly, there are gross inconsistencies, omissions and irregularities found in the data and summary of this research both by the FDA & OHRP. The NIH has not addressed these and refutes updating the report, as they say it is the sole responsibility of the original researcher, Dr.Chabot.http://aspe.hhs.gov/infoquality/request&response/42b3.shtmlThirdly, this is in response to calf liver ingestion and Gerson Therapy’s subsequent discontinued use:http://gerson-research.org/docs/HildenbrandGLG-1994-1/index.htmlLastly, scroll down to see the explanation of a total of three reported deaths from misuse of organic coffee enemas from the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment:http://www.ralphmoss.com/coff.html“Their deaths were attributed to fluid and electrolyte abnormalities. One took 10 to 12 coffee enemas in a single night and then continued at a rate of one per hour.”Hardly the recommended or practiced use by the Gerson therapy.My previous post relates to both this video and his follow-up, which highlights the study that I referenced.I feel like I’m getting mixed messages isn’t what gerson therapy is promoted in videos like forks over knives and othersForks over Knives comes from The China Study by Campbell and Campbell and Heart Attack Proof yourself by Dr Esseltyn. Gerson Therapy is from Dr Max Gerson. Both use a plant based diet but Gerson is more restrictive and is full on medical protocol while Forks over knives is a life style change only.All you really need to know is that anyone who tells you that diet is in any way related to health/illness is a quack. Check out Campbell and Esselstyn on quackwatch.com . These guys can’t hide from the truth. Campbell isn’t even a physician (he is as close to being a doctor as Dr. Ruth or Dr. Phil, that is one of the worst idiosyncrasies of the English language that a Ph.D. even a mail-order one is called “doctor”, and what does China have to do with the US? they just export their inferior/dangerous products to us to destroy our economy, how about “The US Study”? that’s what I am interested in) and Esselstyn (the so-called heart doctor) is a breast cancer surgeon, not a board-certified cardiologist, never performed heart surgery in his life. All of this is smoke and mirrors. These people are trying to poison the minds of the public against big pharma and the fast food/junk food industry. Shame on them! Their actions are unconscionable and if lawmakers weren’t sleeping on the job people like them would be put in prison for life. As for the Gerson “therapy”, why do you think it is illegal in the US and has to go hide in Mexico? It’s all snake oil salesmen. Anyone retarded enough to put coffee up their derriere deserves to be removed from the gene pool. Darwin Award, please! I hope the message is not mixed: the AMA has maintained for decades that there is NO relationship between diet and illness. Period. Who are you going to trust: the AMA or some non-certified quack trying to make a buck? For all the JFK assassination conspiracy theorists who think there is a cure for cancer that has been covered up, how on earth do you think doctors could allow their own family members (or themselves) to die just to keep the cure a secret? It is off the hook. Every minute of your life that you spend reading about Campbell/Esselstyn/Gerson and their ilk is a minute of your life that is wasted. Live your life the way you want. You only live once. If a problem develops go to your doctor and he will give you a pill. That is what science is for. Ever heard of penicillin? You swallow the pill and the disease goes away. What could be simpler? Campbell said that milk contains the strongest carcinogen in the world (casein). Rubbish. Ever heard of calcium? Where are you planning to get it, from a carrot? What about Vitamin D? Got milk? And this nonsense about plant-based proteins. Friend, protein comes from meat. Beef, it’s what’s for dinner. Where did these guys go to school, in some hippy commune? Draft dodging, pot smoking long hairs. And all this crap about organic makes me want to pull my hair out. You need to check out Penn & Teller about organic on youtube (all the people shopping at whole foods in the blind taste test thought that the conventional was the organic and vice versa). And what about that Stanford study last year that proved organic has no more nutrition than conventional? We are being sold a bill of goods by these charlatans promoting their elixirs of eternal youth. There always have been and there always will be those who will never give a sucker an even break. As for me, I am sticking with the King, the Clown and the Colonel. If Lipitor is good enough for Robert Jarvik, it is good enough for me. I just pop a couple of Abilify every morning and am good to go. My best friend in high school quit smoking/drinking and drank carrot juice every day becoming a vegan or vegetarian or whatever they call themselves. He got run over by a tobacco truck when he was 28. When it’s your time to go there is nothing you can do about it. All the coffee enemas in the world could not have saved him. Live life. Don’t waste your time on pseudoscience. A doctor’s job is to fix people’s health when it is broken. If they find a cure for cancer they will let you know about it. Trust them like you trust your auto mechanic to fix your brakes. They don’t need any armchair quarterbacks to tell them how to practice medicine. If Gerson/Campbell/Esselstyn had a cure for cancer or heart disease nobody could keep it a secret. None of the doctors in the Gerson clinic were trained or are licensed in the US. Nor do ANY licensed physicians in the US use the Gerson therapy on their patients. There probably is not a single oncologist at MD Anderson who has even heard of Gerson/Campbell/Esselstyn. “I don’t know and I don’t care” was the march they taught us in the army. If Morris Fishbein says it is a fraud that is good enough for me. I truly hope nobody is reading this whole blog because it is a complete waste of time. Cure for cancer? Sure. Would you like to buy a bridge?Quackwatch has no credibility in my opinion. It is just a forum for denigrating alternate medicine. Dr Campbell is a PHd and is therefore called Dr. It is a convention to recognise his academic achievements. He is the type of research scientist who MDs turn to for answers to medical questions. Dr Esselstyn is a general Surgeon who has become a cardiologist through his extensive study and research surrounding the heart. If you read The China Study you would understand that is compares data collected from China with Data collected from the US. As such perhaps it should be called The China vs USA Study. I could go on but your comments appear to be based on emotion and blind faith in the medical establishment. Please don’t misunderstand, I have a great deal of respect for all doctors and believe we need to rely on them for acute conditions which are life threatening. In the area of chronic disease, however, the medical establishment has a poor track record. I am a heart attack survivor and I credit the doctors for saving my life but I still follow a plant based diet because I believe it is the best diet for my long term health. My doctor agrees with this and my blood test results confirm it.I know your videos usually focus on cancer prevention, but if one were to develop cancer in spite of taking all reasonable preventative measures, I’d like to know what you recommend. Perhaps some combination of fresh vegetable juicing combined with modern chemotherapy? If the Gerson Institute doesn’t have it figured out, are there any alternative cancer treatments that are as effective as the current mainstream methods?A far as i know, Gerson’s Theraphy is not a diet, but rather juice fasting with taking enemas. That is WAY better for the body than just a plant based diet. When fasting, body focuses only on cleaning the body. If you also maintain regular exercise (not too excesive), that is “the best cure” every known.Gorilla’s are malnutrition because they need protien. Chemo + Radiation = Trillions$$$ Gerson institute are not allowed on US grounds hmmm?? Dr sounds a little arrogant. Have an open mind and research don’t listen to the mouth because its full of poison.I think the Gerson research Dr Greger cites is bringing into question the validity of the general point of view he sometimes appears to promote. While there is no question that the isolated studies he usually reports are valid, the conclusion he appears to imply: that they may have overriding significance for health in the context of real disease, is brought into serious doubt. Apparently diet is not effective unless accompanied by chemotherapy. I take it that this is conclusion Dr Greger actually believes the literature supports.After 16 years of fighting fibromyalgia. Have had ovarian cyste removed then eventually a hysterectomy. Three sinus surgeries for continuous polyp growths and sinus cysts. My doctors say there is no known prevention of them. Now facing more surgery to remove more. I have had cervical disk removal with now a plate in my neck and cronic nerve pain. With all the numerous drugs and medical procedures over the years i now have stopped all medication. I am going on a plant based diet. I figure i have done all the medical treatmens available,so now I’m going to do this radical idea of healing myself with nature. I will comment in 6 months and let you know how I’m doing. I should note i have no gluten or dairy allergy according to doctor. I still will eliminate them for 6 months also to stick with the plant based diet. Should be an interesting experiment.I will look forward to posts on your journey to good health. You might also be interested in reading three of John McDougall’s newsletter articles available through his website. They are Diet for the Desperate (Dec 2002), Fat Vegan (Dec 2008) and Sick Vegan (Oct 2002). Available also on his website is the free lecture called “The Starch Solution”. Some of the conditions we acquire after years of poor lifestyle habits unfortunately are hard to reverse or take time. An example would be the narrowed disc spaces in the lower back associated with arterial disease of the middle lumbar arteries… see Dr. Greger’s video’s on back pain. There are about 1 in 130 folks who have true celiac disease and need to avoid gluten at all costs. There are certainly some people who improve there health due to avoiding gluten some of whom may have wheat allergies. I believe the jury is still out on why these folks improve… it may be simply a matter that many products containing gluten are processed and have a high calorie density and are associated with overweight and obesity. The best introduction to calorie density is Jeff Novick’s lecture, Calorie Density: Eat More, Lose Weight and Live Longer available on his website. There are many chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia and gynecological problems which get better with the proper diet. However, as you proceed on your journey if you develop symptoms you need to work with your physicians to make sure you don’t have something that does respond to conventional therapy. Good Luck.I don’t dispute that a couple of deaths have happened from not following the protocol correctly, but in comparison to Chemotherapy and radiation (people usually die from malnutrition and being toxic with radioactive “medicine” as opposed to actually dying of cancer) it is safe. They no longer do raw liver but instead taking Coenzyme Q10. Coffee enemas are safe as long as tools and instruments are regularly sterilized with Hydrogen Peroxide solution and the enema tube is sterilized by boiling it for 5 minutes after each use and soaked in Hydrogen Peroxide. Not to mention if you use regular coffee (with pesticides or any other chemical additives), of course you will have a bad reaction. Organic chemical free coffee is to be used only. It is also important to eat some fruit before you do one, to stabilize glucose levels. This article is a scare tactic…yes I agree, I have been doing smoothies, but my liver enzymes are elevated now, so i did the coffee thing, I am not dead, my regulate doctor was of no help at all. He wanted me to do MRI of liver. Why make fun of Gerson? He was good man, Even Dr Kelly found out you damage your liver when cancer dies, Why NCI doesn’t do clinical studies is shameful, make fun of NCI it is the real joke. Why does charlotte gerson look so healthy at 91? she claims to have done coffee thing for 55 years, lets make fun of NCI and FDA instead of Gerson, lets make fun of doctors as they are not very interested in truth.how can you explain this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK7T-5ts7yk actually if you follow their protocol you will spit out so many nutrients it will damage your liver. You have to do the coffee enema or you will damage your liver, Why is C. Gerson so healthy looking @ 91. Dr William Kelly did the same thinghow can you explain all the people in the movies are they fake?, why did it take so long to set clinical trial, how can we trust FDA and other cancer institutes, look how they treated Dr Kelly and Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez? The people they claimed to heal are still alive? Why isn’t the anyone interested in doing real clinical trials. If you look at something like http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/gonzalez/patient/page2 I think this total nonsense, there are all kinds of people alive now who were cured. Seems to me National Cancer Institute is not interested in a cure. I totally question their ethics.Why? Seems like NCI is not doing there job No results of laboratory or animal studies are reported in the scientific literature contained in the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online database. Few clinical studies of the Gerson therapy are found in the medical literature. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/gerson/healthprofessionalWhich research do you base your claim on that coffee enema can kill?	alternative medicine,Campylobacter,cancer,coffee,complementary medicine,detoxification,enemas,food poisoning,foodborne illness,fruit,fruit juice,Gerson Therapy,hormones,juice,liver,liver health,Mexico,organ meats,pancreatic enzymes,potassium,raw food,salt,supplements,vegetables	Gerson Therapy is a largely diet-based alternative treatment for cancer. What have 65 years of medical research concluded about its efficacy and safety?	These negative reviews of Gerson Therapy were written before a head-to-head trial was published on the Gerson-style regime versus chemotherapy in terms of survival and quality of life for pancreatic cancer patients. What did it find? You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow's video-of-the-day Gerson Therapy vs. Chemotherapy. I've got 47 other videos on Alternative Medicine—the good, bad, and the ugly. The Campylobacter in the raw liver smoothies is the fecal bacteria in chicken I covered in Poultry and Paralysis. Is oral coffee okay for cancer patients? See Coffee and Cancer.For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk and  Gerson Therapy for Cancer?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/09/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enemas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mexico/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potassium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organ-meats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gerson-therapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6789105,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1975864,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7420666,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20361473,
PLAIN-2846	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/	Plant-Based Bioidentical Hormones	As Martha Rosenburg noted, the author of an excellent book Born with a Junk Food Deficiency, just as this lithograph tells you everything you need to know about slavery, the fact that the electroconvulsive therapy used to be prescribed for menopause in the United States tells you everything you need to know about Western medicine's view about aging women.Here, in this 1946 medical journal ad, amphetamines—speed—are recommended in conjunction with such fundamental measures, as electric shock and estrogenic therapy. You can also throw in a little thorazine too, while you're at it.Hormone replacement therapy grew to prominence in the 1990s when millions of women were sold hormones from pregnant mare urine on the promise it would prevent age-related diseases, increased risk of heart disease, stroke, pulmonary embolism, and invasive breast cancer. They said it would help preserve women's memory but may in fact cause dementia as it shrinks women's brains.When the truth got out in 2002 and the number of prescriptions dropped, so did the rates of breast cancer, and horses got to walk around again.Thanks to some high-profile celebrity endorsements, interest then switched to so-called compounded bio-identical hormones, from plant rather than equine sources and advertised as not carrying the same risks. But what does the science say?A bunch of new reviews out on the subject from the American College of OB/GYNS, Mayo Clinic to the editors in chief of the Journal of the International Menopause Society. They all concluded that bio-identical hormones, being bio-identical, carried the same risks, benefits, and side effects, which is not a good thing, and even worse when the FDA actually analyzed them to if the contents matched the label, and nearly a third failed the analysis. And even in the same bottle, doses could be all over the place.How do we know everyone isn't just in the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry who don't want the competition? Whenever I’m skeptical I turn to The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics, considered one of the least biased sources in medicine. They’re kind of like the consumer reports of the drug world and in fact was actually co-founded by the co-founder of the publisher of consumer reports more than 50 years ago.As they like to brag on their website the Medical Letter does not accept grants, from any source, donations, from any one, funding—from any entity, they won’t let their work be used for promotional purposes and they don’t accept any advertising.They recently reviewed bio-identical hormones and came to the same conclusion: “There is no acceptable evidence that bio-identical hormones are safe or effective. Patients should be discouraged from taking them.”	Just what the Doctor ordered. . . Knowledge!! Thank you for that piece!Dr. John Lee did some excellent work on progesterone therapy for post-menopausal women. Anecdotally he relates amazing reversal of debilitating osteoperosis (sp) in elder women. Are you familiar with his work?I have been vegan for almost two decades. I have extremely heavy, long, painful periods (since onset of menses) and hypothyroidism and my doctor put me on oral bioidentical progesterone about a year ago. It has been very helpful to me. Are you saying that it is not safe to be taking that?For dysmenorrhea, look into taking vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin B6. Just do a Google search: vitamin B6 dysmenorrhea thiamine B1.Too, have you seen Dr. Greger’s video on PMS: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron.You can buy saffron capsules on AmazonAlso, drinking green tea daily helps. Google: green tea menstrual cramps. Just watch your iron, as green tea can reduce your iron intake.Thanks Jo, I will look into that. I currently take a B complex that contains B1 and B6, but I don’t know what the amounts are. I also take a green tea extract supplement as I don’t like the taste of green tea (I take it 4 hours apart from my iron supplement). My iron has been low since it was first checked 15 years ago. I was borderline anemic before starting the iron supplements. It’s still chronically low, and I do include vegan sources in my diet (lentils, spinach, quinoa, soy, etc). I do sometimes wonder if red meat might improve my iron status, but I am sickened by the thought of actually eating it.Hi Veggiegirl,Late to your post but I am borderline anemic whether I eat meal or not. I guess we are just the unlucky ones who don’t absorb iron well.Study in India asked women not to drink tea around their meals and eat one orange after each meal – their iron levels went right up – vit c increases iron absorption..Yes. Those are important things to be cognicent of.Dose, vehicle (oral or skin), and age of person all make a huge difference as to safety. I take estradiol and synthetic progesterone via skin patch at low dose and it has totally cured my excessive bleeding. You may want to talk to your doctor about the patch. Good luck. I’m a vegan too, btw.I have always been anemic. Even the entire time I ate meat. It’s taken a bit to get my iron up since I became vegetarian and now vegan. But I find steeping raw organic stinging nettle dried loose leaf (you could use fresh leaves as well) over night and consuming once I wake up in the morning has helped immensely. My iron levels are perfect now. Google nettle infusion (Susan Weed has a infusion that I use) and it is very high in iron plus many other nutrients.Dr. Greger, I’m wondering about what I should do in regards to my hypothyroidism. I was diagnosed with Graves disease in 2006 and shortly took the radioactive iodine treatment which left my thyroid non-functioning. I have since been taking levothyroxine off and on for several years now. Levothyroxine makes my T4 numbers look good when I get tested but I don’t feel any better when i take it. I have been a vegetarian for many years now and a plant-based vegan for a short time now and am not sure what I should do in regards to my thyroid, as the only time I feel better is when I monitor my diet and eat plant-based. My endocrinologist swears that I need to take the hormone but I really don’t feel any better when I do. Please help. Thank you.Thank you for this one. My doctor gave me a yam compound that I smeared on for a month. I had horrible results. It did nothing to rid me or night sweats or hot flashes. It did nothing for my mood except worsen it. I told him I was afraid of hormones but he said this was harmless. I doesn’t seem harmless to me.At the age of 35, I had a total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. I take compounded BHT and thank goodness I do!! I would rather know the risks and take the plant derived hormones over horse piss any day. Without the BHT, I would be in the loony bin with the electroshock therapy!! Women have had to suffer through so much!Isn’t bht butylated hydorxytoluline, a synthetic antioxidant used for preserving cooking oils? What hormonal effect does it have. I have read that it may antiviral activity since it can disrupt the fatty coat of some species.BHRT – sorry forgot the RI don’t know about the long-term safety of bio-identical hormones- but my girlfriends can tell you from personal experience that they’re effective. They stopped her hot flashes and depression, helped her sex drive and energy and made her skin more youthful- including the skin inside her legs that used to be all dried up.I also wanted to point out that bio-identical hormones are not identical to the synthetic hormones that big pharma patents and doctors prescribe. They are unpatentable natural substances with well-established effects. It is the synthetic unnatural chemicals derived from horse urine which we have reason to suspect.Dr Greger, Do you have any information on treatment with single agent bioequivalent progesterone given without estrogen treatment? I know there have been some small studies indicating that treatment with progesterone alone can help ameliorate symptoms, but haven’t seen anything about decreased risk of cancer with progesterone alone versus estrogen or estrogen + progesterone. Thanks in advance.From my understanding of the literature, we just don’t have enough studies in the US of women using strictly bio-identical hormones to say much of anything. We are all an experiment! I think there is more and more evidence, both in Europe and here, that synthetic progesterones (progestins) may have harmful effects. But what is more striking to me is the practice of placing women on a static doses of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone hormones, with no variation in dose with the cyclic rhythm of the month. There is nothing biologically “natural” about this practice. I think it is here that we may be way off the mark. Many women take hormones after menopause for very legitimate reasons that make a significant difference in their quality of life. Hopefully someday we’ll have some decent studies that really look at these issues.I agree completely! There are some real quality of life issues that some women would like to avoid.What hormones are we talking about here? Estrogen only? Estrogen plus progesterone? Estrogen plus progestin? Progesterone only? Testosterone? Thyroid hormones?“Patients should be discouraged from taking them”. Hmmmm…. What about those women who would like to continue enjoying sex, but are concerned about vaginal atrophy? If this were a men’s issue, it wouldn’t even be being discussed, because of course men want to continue having sex. But women should be discouraged from taking bio-identical hormones due to the (not huge) increased risks of certain diseases…Coconut oil! I was using a bio-ID progesterone and still had horrid atrophy. I desperation I grabbed my virgin coco oil and smeared it in my labia. I also made “pellets” to push up. The next time I saw my gyne she said she would never know my age by my tissues and asked what I was doing. Now I just put a little on externally. She knows tells all her older patients about it.Dear Dr.Greger, please please answer my question because Ive been wondering forever and my doctor is no help at all. I have had higher than normal androstenedione levels since I was 17 (only got tested then, so dont know earlier), I am now 26. I was vegetarian, then became vegan, even tried raw veganism but failed, so now am vegan half-raw half-cooked. I have had back acne since 14-15, hairgrowth on my body is increasing with every year… I have little bumps all over my face but you only see them in certain lighting.Ive been tested for PCOS but they saw nothing. So my question is: what else can this be :S I was low in vitamin D and B 12 but am supplementing this daily. I am in good shape, exercise, bmi 19.5, oh and female ofcourse. My testosteron is to the high side as well but not too high.Thx in AdvanceHi Amanda, Congratulations on the diet sorry to read about your difficulties. Of course there are normal variants between patients and if you are following a good whole plant based diet with Vitamin B12 supplements you should be avoiding many of the dietary and chemical contaminants that contribute to acne and hair growth. In addition to the level of hormones in the body patients cells actually respond differently to the same hormone levels. I would suggest that you continue to be followed by a knowledgeable endocrinologist as there are other conditions other then PCOS that may cause your difficulties. A good dermatologist might have other suggestions both as to the underlying cause and to help treat the acne. Good luck and sorry I couldn’t be of more help.Thx a lot for your reply :) I appreciate ityou need iodine …….no more acne no more hair try LUGOLWhat would be recommended, then, for young women who have to have their ovaries removed? I have a BRCA-1 mutation and have been vegan since finding out 2.5 years ago. I am 37 and recommended to get bilateral mastectomy and oophorectomy ASAP, or at least before age 40. This is a really hard thing to go through, and I’d like to know anyone’s advice on what would be the best way to remedy the hormone loss.Obviously the study did not consider the danger of trying to function on less than 2 hours sleep every night for months/years! I woke up every 90 minutes for years until I discovered bioidentical hormones. A very low dose gives me 8 hours of rejuvenating sleep at night and I’m not giving them up until something else works. Believe me, I’ve tried every other natural insomnia remedy out there.I have had the opposite happen to me. Been on Bioidenticals for 6 yrs and I still have to take a sleeping pill. But it does help with the hot flashes. Have my blood work done every so they say I am on the right dose but….no sleep without a pill which I don’t want to be on.Your advice, Dr. Greger, is almost always very understandable to me, but I do want to know what you recommend for women who have vaginal atrophy or other issues that bio-identical hormones can help? What is your opinion about a cream? Not a vaginal cream, but a topical cream that is smoothed onto a woman’s inner thighs or inner upper arms, so it bypasses the liver? I would think as a middle-aged man that this issue would affect you as well, so what works for your sexual partner?Combipatch- Bioidentical estradiol and synthetic progestrone – taken via a patch is fairly safe, especially for women who are still going through menopause, has been a miracle for me. Insomnia, anxiety, hot flashes, excessive bleeding, depression…all controlled from patch. I am a vegan who eats a very balanced diet of whole foods, gets her blood levels checked often, takes supplements, etc. But only the patch worked for me. I also have to stay away from soy, flax and most legumes as they mess with the balance of estrogen and progesterone and cause symptoms. (I get my protein now from veggies, whole-grains and some seeds and nuts, particularly almonds.For those talking about dysmenorrhea I find chaste tree berry is great to help normalize the menstrual cycle via the HPO axisWhat about the Wiley Protocol? It is not only bio-identical but bio-mimetic.I had such bad symptoms when I weaned myself off bio-identicle hormones, that I started taking them again….and feel much better. Having a good, compounding pharmacy is important.Dr. Greger, please advise. I just had a bi-lateral hysterectomy with complete oophorectomy (sp) due to enlarged uterus, large fibroids and a septated ovarian cyst. I was not having any menopause symptoms prior, however I had stopped having periods since a D&C in 2011. I am having severe “hot flashes” with exacerbated asthma to the point of being almost non-functional. Prior to the hysterectomy I had no asthma attacks in 40 years. I’ve also had a pre- cancerous breast mass removed in 2007. That along with a family history of blood clots makes me uncomfortable with synthetic/equine estrogen HRT or ERT. I’ve heard that soy may be effective in regards to estrogen replacement. I’m also concerned about preventing Osteoporosis. Are fortified calcium and Vitamin D such as that added to plant milks safe? What do you suggest? Thank you so much in advance.Tia: I’m not a doctor and can’t comment on most of your questions. However, I thought you might appreciate a reference to a book about preventing osteoporosis. “Building Bone Vitality” by Amy Joy Lanou, Ph.D. and Michael Castleman. http://www.amazon.com/Building-Bone-Vitality-Revolutionary-Osteoporosis–Without/dp/0071600191/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392152304&sr=1-1&keywords=building+bone+vitalityDr. Greger would take issue with some of the theories in the book, but I think the overall recommendations and bottom line for the book is valid and helpful.Good luck.Thanks! I’ve read several books, including Suzanne Somers “I’m too young for this”. I’m perusing BHRT as I think this is the healthiest option for both men and women when they experience “the change”. Unfortunately, you really have to dig deep and educate yourself, then insist on a better answer from your doctor! Mine first wanted to give me Premarin, which I refused (see the WHI study if 2002), then I was given the estrogen patch that “works for most people” who apparently are ok with the serious risks. I declined that ad well. I’m getting by with a natural estrogen cream until my BHRT is properly formulated. For that, you have to seek out a compounding pharmacy.Tia: Good for you for standing up for yourself and what you know would be bad decisions. I think you saved yourself some trouble down the line by doing your research. I don’t know anything about BHRT or issues around supplementing with estrogen, but like you, I do know that Premarin is a bad idea.Its important to use the terms “claim” or “hypothesis” in statements such as the above. In science a theory is an explanation for a phenomenon in the physical universe that is supported with an overwhelming and substantial amount of evidence to support a hypothesis and none to refute it. Old science teachers never stop trying to grow scientifically literate minds. So our choice of words is critical.The way to not need prescription HRT or compounded bio-identical hormones adjusted to your personal physiological needs is to eat at least 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds in something good and tasty every day for the rest of your life, and pumpkin seeds, avocados and olives and be as green vegetarian as you can possibly be. Don’t consume any oils except very small amounts of extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil for baking or sautéing, everyday oil competes with omega 3. Drink water as your primary beverage with unsweetened electrolye salts added. Take bathes with lots of Himalayan salt crystals, get alkaline. Don’t ever eat anything #GMO. Check me out on twitter.com/rivkafreeman where I try to teach nutrition therapy.Yeah don’t teach it here.Thank you for these videos, they are so inspirational and eye opening….it is so great to discover all of this wonderful insight. I’ve also found this video helpful because I have recently considered trying bioidentical hormones because i am finding the ones I am on seem to be causing some depression.I feel curious what is the best treatment for premature ovarian failure ?I am 34 and I had menopause at 26 and I have only just been put on an estrogen patch a month ago after a hospital admission however, because I have had heart issues in the past i am really interested to discover the best treatment so that I can protect the health of my heart in the future.This site has been helping me in many ways in terms of changing my diet to a plant based one and taking responsibility to improve my health ,overcome a food addiction and turn many things around for the better…11 months ago…I had some paralysis in my left side and now i am walking around and living life again. It is amazing what good nutrition and self care can do. So I am immensely grateful for the information that is here. This site is so helpful , it gives us the freedom to make well informed decisions based on science and it is also great for motivation and inspiration to stay on track with these great nutritional principles.. This information save lives.,. Thank you. :-)Try armour thyroid or Nature-Thyroid. It gives you t3 and t4 and is by prescription. You of course can get it online without one. Do your own research, ask your doctor. It may change your life!!!!!! It has mine and millions of others.	aging,alternative medicine,bio identical hormones,breast cancer,breast disease,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,complementary medicine,Consumers Union,dementia,electroconvulsive therapy,estrogen,FDA,heart disease,heart health,hormones,industry influence,Mayo Clinic,menopause,Premarin,pulmonary embolism,side effects,stroke,women's health	Do compounded bio-identical hormones for menopause carry the same risks as conventional hormone replacement drugs such as Premarin?	Another way to rid oneself of excess estrogen is in the way nature intended: Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen. We can also stop consuming steroid hormones, see Anabolic Steroids in Meat and Acne & Cancer Connection. For other ways to decrease breast cancer risk see The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, and Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells.For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk, Are Bioidentical Hormones Safe?, Mushrooms for Breast Cancer Prevention, and Treating Breast Pain with DietIf you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/04/are-bioidentical-hormones-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pulmonary-embolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mayo-clinic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/consumers-union/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bio-identical-hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/electroconvulsive-therapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premarin/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20508582,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22831824,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19729392,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20067429,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15213206,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12117397,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19365594,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17619153,
PLAIN-2847	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-protein-recommendations/	Changing Protein Recommendations?	As I talked about before, to help keep cancer promoting growth factors like IGF-1 in check, we need to maintain an adequate, nut nonexcessive protein intake. I talked about what was excessive, but what’s adequate?We used to think that the average person needed about .3 grams of protein per healthy pound of body weight (or, for those metrically minded, .66 g/kilogram). So it was easy, you divide your ideal weight in pounds by 3 and that’s about how many grams of protein most people should average in a day, the EAR, or estimated average requirement, but to be on the safe side they recommended closer to .4 for the RDA.Well recently, a group of researchers published a paper arguing that there may be fundamental flaws in the way protein requirements have been calculated in the past based on some faulty assumptions. Taking that into account, the new recommendations based on this preliminary evidence would be about 25% higher. They think most people now probably need about .4 grams per pound, and so to be safe shoot for .5. At least that makes it easy to calculate: that would be half our ideal body weight in grams of protein per day, or about 1 to 1.2 grams per kilo.	Please make it easy for us. According to these guidelines, what would be the protein requirement, in grams, for a 150 lb woman?Is 150 pounds a healthy weight for your height? If so then you should have 75 grams of protein ideally according to this research. If 150 pounds isn’t your ideal healthy weight then divide your ideal healthy weight by 2.Actually, I think that it’s your body weight (minus body fat) that is at play here. Generally, “ideal weight” is calculated based around that. So, for example, if you’re a 150lb woman with 20% body fat, you’re “ideal weight” would be 120 lbs. (This, of course, is not a healthy target weight, so the term is a bit of a misnomer.) So then, you would divide 120 by 2 and reach a 60g requirement of protein daily.depends on her height and ideal weight. If she is 5’2″ and ideal weight is 120 then she should get 60 gmso, this is only 240 Calories of protein a day… which is 18% of a 1300 Calorie diet. This is not MUCH MORE than typically suggested.Do you agree with this? That sounds like a lot of protein to me. Please and thanks.The amount of protein per ideal weight – That’s not necessarily our current weight, is it? For example, if someone weighs 200 pounds but they should weigh 140, the amount of protein they should consume is based on the ideal weight of 140 pounds. Is this correct?100 grams of protein is a little difficult to get seemingly for a vegan who is trying to avoid overly much soy as per you’re earlier video too much soy can up igf-1 production higher than desirable.You haven’t reached the punch line yet, have you? I’ll be waiting for tomorrow’s segment when you tell us why this new study is wrong- or at least very suspect. I’ll give one reason right now: There are places in the world where the natives eat plants and roots and little else and they get as little as 15 grams of protein a day, and yet they thrive and are in excellent health. We on the other hand with our diets rich in proteins, often considered to be complete, have all kinds of health problems.Jeff,“All kinds of problems” are caused by “all kinds of causes”. Our protein rich diets are also high in fat and refined carbohydrates, and often too low in vegetables, fruits and grains. The people you mentioned are healthy DESPITE having only 15g of proteins a day (also, you need to refer to a ratio, not an absolute amount, what is that 15g in g/kg/d?). Don’t confuse correlation and causation.Actually, it is the absolute amount that is important, not the ratio. The body looses a certain amount of protein daily so we need to consume that same amount to maintain our status (measured as nitrogen balance). The ratio, or better, the percentage of calories that come from protein is a useful and handy tool to assess the adequacy of protein intake, but that can be confused by diets with too many or too few calories. For example, while 10-15% of calories coming from protein is (or used to be?) a good target for people eating an appropriate amount of calories, it would not be adequate for a person consuming only 1,000 calories. What really counts is grams.15 grams a day seems absurdly low, as most civilizations thrive on starches, i would doubt that these populations eat that little protein. Any studies to share?http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/proteins/how-much-protein-do-we-need.htmlThis is an article, not a study. Please share some primary sources as the authors can easily misconstrue studies in their favor.I’ve always told my clients that vegetarians and vegans eating a well balanced and varied diet that includes an appropriate amount of calories and adequate portions from all the vegan food groups can’t help but get all the protein they need, including adequate amounts of all the essential amino acids. Am I wrong?It’s reassuring that you are willing to question your current notions in favour of evolving with the new evidence, I think you’re clients are lucky to have someone looking to keep up to date and change their recommendation if necessary.This seems counter to everything we’ve been told about the average American getting 8 times more protein per day than needed. Please tell us this new study is wrong….?Something that would be helpful to me is – what does that translate to for an average person say 160 pounds – in terms of tofu or cups of beans blah blah. Love you studies – I am just a common moe. Thanks and love your videosGenerally, we dont need to worry about consuming enough protein since protein needs and energy needs are equivalent. If we are eating enough calories of whole plant food then we are getting enough protein.That is mostly right. But there is also the essential amino acid angle. Most plant-based foods do not have proteins with an amino acid profile that matches what humans need. We easily overcome that by eating from all the vegetarian/vegan food groups. So, it is not just eating enough calories from whole plant foods, it’s also eating from all the food groups, particularly grains and legumes.The proportion of the amino acids are negligible, our liver restructures the proteins to match our amino acid profile so it doesn’t matter.Dude! You need to go back to your physiology text book. The proteins we eat are broken down through the digestive process into their constituent amino acids and it is the amino acids we absorb into our bodies. Each cell then grabs the amino acids it needs and knits them together into the proteins it needs. Each type of protein needs to be exactly right, the right amino acids in the right order. If one amino acid is missing or out of order, the protein will not be able to perform it’s function, whether it is part of a muscle fiber, an enzyme for digesting carbs or the collagen in our bones. When a particular amino acid is in short supply, the cell can make one, except for the nine essential amino acids. Those we can get only through the diet, so they had better be in the foods we eat. The idea that the body can manage without enough of an essential amino acid is dangerously wrong. The essential amino acids are unevenly distributed among the various food groups. Grains are high is some and low in others, and the same goes for the other food groups. That is why it is essential to eat all the food groups, particularly grains and legumes. That is how we can be sure to get all the essential amino acids even when most plant-based foods have an amino acid profile that does not match the needs of humans.If “incomplete” means not containing all the essential amino acids then…. (the incomplete protein theory)1) All plant foods are complete as they contain all the essential amino acids.2) the only food that is not a complete protein is an animal food, gelatin.If “incomplete” means lacking in sufficient quantity of one or more amino acids…(the limiting amino acid theory)1) Getting all the amino acids in at once at the same meal, or even in the same day, as some may suggest, is not necessary due to the amino acid pool, which is a circulating level of amino acids in the blood, that the body can draw from if needed. As long as eats whole plant foods, the amino acid pool will maintain a sufficient stock of any potentially needed (or limiting) amino acids.2) However, as long as one consumes enough calories, eats a variety of food, and limits junk foods and refined foods, and is not an all fruit diet), then they will get in enough protein and enough amino acids in sufficient quantity. There will be no limiting amino acids3) there is some evidence that the amino acids that are slightly lower (but adequate) in plant foods, may actually be a benefit to health and longevity and not a concern.Most every major health organization including the NAS, the WHO and the ADA all recognize these statements to be true.My reference to the liver constructing the protein is false as you pointed out, I was confusing the release of IGF-1 hormone and IGF-1 binding protein being released due to detection in protein similarity. The more the protein resembles that of humans (like in animal products and soy proteins) then the more IGF-1 our liver will release.Right on!Very well explained, Toxins!Hi Toxins,Where are you deriving #1 from? As I understand it – nearly every plant source is “incomplete” in that “they are low or lacking in one or more of the amino acids we need to build cells.”2) Can you elaborate or offer suitable research/reading for how we will simply have “enough protein and enough amino acids” as long as we are eating a varied diet?This makes me think of why there are so few plant-based body builders.Would you explain more about limiting proteins and their relation to plant-based diets? Or why body building magazines and media promotes such high protein intake (usually around 1g / 1 lb body weight) ignoring nitrogen/ph balances?SureIf you go to the usda database http://nutritiondata.self.com/ you can look up any plant food. If you view the foods protein profile, you will see all essential amino acids are present. As I said, the cells themselves construct the protein so it is irrelevant whether the proportions or structure is more identical to ours. In fact, the closer the structure resembles our own protein, the more IGF-1 will be produced which has a clear link with cancer growth. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/According to the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?recor … 0&page=589“The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for both men and women is 0.80 g of good quality protein/kg body weight/d and is based on careful analysis of available nitrogen balance studies.”For a 150 lb person, this would equate to about 55 grams.As a percentage of energy From the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National AcademiesProtein 10–35% of calories.On an 1800 calorie diet, 10% would equate to 45 gramshttp://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=589From,The World Health Organization“Furthermore, recent detailed balance and body composition studies have shown that with a suitable program of resistance exercise sarcopenia (muscle loss) can be reversed and muscle strength increased on a protein intake of 0.8 g/kg per day (68 ). This intake is similar to the 1985 safe allowance and lower than usual intakes in this population.” http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/WHO_TRS_935_eng.pdfFor a 150 lb man, the .8gr/kg is around 55 grams. For a 200 lb man it is around 72 gramsFrom the USDA…“The typical American diet is rich in protein, cereal grains and other acid-producing foods. In general, such diets generate tiny amounts of acid each day. With aging, a mild but slowly increasing metabolic “acidosis” develops, according to the researchers.Acidosis appears to trigger a muscle-wasting response. So the researchers looked at links between measures of lean body mass and diets relatively high in potassium-rich, alkaline-residue producing fruits and vegetables. Such diets could help neutralize acidosis. Foods can be considered alkaline or acidic based on the residues they produce in the body, rather than whether they are alkaline or acidic themselves. For example, acidic grapefruits are metabolized to alkaline residues.The researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis on a subset of nearly 400 male and female volunteers aged 65 or older who had completed a three-year osteoporosis intervention trial. The volunteers’ physical activity, height and weight, and percentage of lean body mass were measured at the start of the study and at three years. Their urinary potassium was measured at the start of the study, and their dietary data was collected at 18 months.Based on regression models, volunteers whose diets were rich in potassium could expect to have 3.6 more pounds of lean tissue mass than volunteers with half the higher potassium intake. That almost offsets the 4.4 pounds of lean tissue that is typically lost in a decade in healthy men and women aged 65 and above, according to authors. The study was published in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.”http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2008/080523.htm And here’s the study“Higher intake of foods rich in potassium, such as fruit and vegetables, may favor the preservation of muscle mass in older men and women.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2597402/And this can be confirmed by Dr. Gregers video on protein status in vegetarians, showing that those on a plant based diet has 20% higher albumin protein levels.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/Here is a study where people on a low protein diet (less than what you get on the McDougall program, not only increased strength, but also built muscle. As you will see, the difference wasn’t in the protein but in the exercise.In both groups, the subjects were maintained on a very low protein diet due to kidney disease. One did strength training, one did not. The one who did the strength training, despite the very low protein diet,….” total muscle fiber increased by 32 percent, and muscle strength increased by 30 percent after 12 weeks of strength training”The diet was .5 gr/kghttp://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/may05/sarco0505.htmAlso I would recommend this videohttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/As for magazines and body building propaganda, its all a sham. These magazines do not have any evidence to make such claims and they do not understand the basic protein needs of a human being which is fairly low, even with intensive exercise.As long as you are eating whole plant foods, you are getting enough protein. I am a competitive rock climber so my activity requires slightly more calories then most, usually around 2300 calories a day if not more depending on the elvel of activity that day. I have made for you a list of a typical day in the life of me minus other foods, just for representative purposes. If you take notice to the attached picture below, you will see I have exceeded my protein requirement, as is easy to do on a plant based diet.Toxins, you are great! Thanks for all the info. As a runner this is always in the back of my mind.Toxins, always impressed with your seemingly in depth level of knowledge. How do you know so much about nutrition, have you completed formal studies or just like to read a lot? Would be handy to have your level of knowledge in the area.I am currently pursuing nutrition education at the University of Houston to become an accredited dietician so that I can be taken more seriously when advocating a plant based diet and change the lives of many for better health. I have only recently been on this degree plan and have learned the bulk of my nutrition knowledge from reading nutrition papers on the national academy of sciences web page and seeing what other extremely knowledgeable people, such as Dr. Greger and Jeff Novick, have advocated.It is interesting having this knowledge and going to school and seeing what is being taught in the classroom. A lot of myths and strange data is taught at school, such as plants containing incomplete proteins or missing amino acids, or that vegetarians/vegans are missing many vitamins and minerals from their diet. They also tend to show animal products as superior in vitamin or mineral quantity, it was even said by the instructor that margarine is a “good choice” because it contains 10% of our DV of vitamin A. The package deal of food is poorly understood and is not taught.Have you ever thought that being a competitive bodybuilder may not be healthy? It may require hugely elevated IGF-1 which of course comes about from their massive animal protein intake.The real competition bodybuilders have known this for a long time, they don’t take protein powders, they eat whole foods and lots of it. They still eat too much meat IMHO.The protein powders and other additions they promote is purely promotional bussiness, they do that to make a living.Okay, I’m 170lbs, an ideal weight for my BMI, or height ratio. So I need to look at eating 92 grams of complete proteins a day. I ran the numbers, this is easily attainable with my regular diet– 1 cup of oatmeal in the morning, with berries. 11g – With Soy Milk on top 4g – Trailmix Mid Morning snack 10g – Apple – nil -Lunch Wrap with Lentils, Barley, Crunchy Cabbage, Beet, Carrot Slaw with Crunchy salad topping( Soy nuts, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds) – Lentils and Barley 18g – Slaw 1 – Crunch Salad Topping 6g – WW Tortilla – 4g – Corn Tortillas with salsa – 4gMy Dinner is the wild card. I’m up to about 55g per my usual day. I need to make up 35 grams in my dinner and other snacks. Likely I am around that target most days, but not always. I notice that I will crave protein foods around dinner, and usually load up on the beans or whatever else we are having. With a fall back on trailmix.Another consideration for me is that all my proteins are complete. I ensure that I have a variety of proteins from veg, legumes and nuts.Based, on what my body tells me and reflecting on my proteins per day this is likely an accurate number.Thanks again, Dr. Greger.Hi Billy, you should really re evaluate your diet. You are mixing poly sacharides (oat meal) with fruit? This will cause fermentation and ultimately fungus. Soy?? Drop all Soy unless it’s fermented (miso).Good to hear I can still have my miso!I’m an ectomorph, and I usually spend about 1-1.5 hours either running or working out hard each day. I would like to adopt a vegan diet, however, I’m not sure whether this is attainable given my activity level. Do these guidelines include intense physical activity? And also, is there an adjustment period that my body has to go through and how long would that be?Any advice would be appreciated. Thankstry looking at these web sites:http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/health/2012/09/18/sgmd-gupta-rich-roll-fat-to-ultra-fit-dad.cnnhttp://discovered.msn.com/videos/arian2?WT.mc_id=CopyThisThese stories are very inspiring; the more I learn the more want to do this. Thank you for your help.Hi David,I run 50 miles per week on a vegan diet. Definitely doable. I highly recommend 2 books, Finding Ultra by Rick Roll and Eat and Run by Scott Jurek. Both are ultra athletes on vegan diets.I do think that when you are working out as much as you are there isn’t any room for junk food and the vegan diet.Good luck!I couldn’t agree more when it comes to junk food. I figure that if I’m going to focus on health and bettering myself then mine as well take it all the way. Right now I’m on my third day and feel great; having a bit of trouble consuming adequate calories but that’s something I’m figuring out. Definitely going to pick up both of those books. Again, thanks for your support and advice Veganrunner and Shane.I eat a lot of nuts and seeds. If I don’t, the weight falls off! I ran out of nuts the other day and I lost 3 pounds (I don’t have to lose) before I made it to the market.That’s why some resort to potatoes/starches and some to fruit/bananas etc. Check out “The Fruitarian.” I will never be that kind of runner, and I still need to take off weight/fat. I am still confused about the sugar/fruit usage, ie; how it is turned to triglycerides; and the protein/amino acid usage and amounts and how much is too much for kidney health, etc. I am willing to learn and do the right thing, but there are such disparate ideas in everything I read. For now I am not wanting to eat a lot of nuts. Don’t want that much fat and for me they are a little hard to digest. I try for about 35 gs a day. Still, I read that ultimately everything must become sugar in our bodies in order to be used by the cells. It’s all a big Whew! still.Hey Lynn, I think you’re on the right path. I’m not sure how much you know, and I’m no expert myself but I can try to give you a basic overview for what it’s worth and direct you to some videos that might be helpful.Our bodies Primary source of energy is glucose (sugar), followed by our glycogen stores (sugar stores), then our fat stores, protein stores, and lastly our bodies will turn to our DNA for energy in the worst case scenario. The way our bodies can do this is because all the above molecules are all comprised of at least Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen (glucose is sort of the simplest of these molecules) and it’s simply a difference in how these elements are arranged for the most part which account for how they react within the body.When we consume more energy in the form of carbohydrates then our body is using at that moment it starts to store those glucose molecules together to make longer chains (glycogen), followed by fats. So like you said, in order for that fat molecule to be used for energy it will have to be broken down into a glucose molecule.As for protein, I was born with one kidney so I share the concern. Here are some links to videos that I found helpful on the subject of proteins and the kidneys, nuts and fat, and raw foodism.Hope they help(Y)http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/Thank you so much, David. I’m sure it will help. Living with one kidney, I’m sure, has made you dig into the subject. I’ll check them out. LynnI couldn’t put down, “Eat and Run”!This post is by me trying to post as me. Please delete this. Thanks.I couldn’t put down, “Eat and Run”!Achieving enough calories and protein is easy if you eat starches with you meals such as brown rice, sweet potato, beans, grains, etc.Arian Foster NFL star running back for the Houston Texans is vegan. Several of the top Mixed Martial Artists in the UFC are vegan.I imagine they work out much harder than you so it’s definitely doable. I feel it requires more effort in planning your nutrition and a little more effort to eat as much is required for the higher calories needed for someone who works out hard but it’s definitely doable.Hmmm… I thought this site was about nutrition “facts.” This new “study” seems to be far from it. Do you know who funded this research? I have to wonder what links there might be to animal industries.This claim that the current RDA is too low is based on the IAAO method. This method has a severe limitation. In the author’s first study promoting the same conclusion, (found here: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/86/4/995.long) they report that they tested IAAO after only one day on each level of protein intake. The problem here is that when individuals have a habitually high protein intake, their protein metabolism is inefficient and wasteful. if you put them on lower protein diet for just one day, they will appear to have a higher requirement than they would after 14 days or more on the lower intake.Also, in that paper, they made a rather simple math mistake that apparently no reviewer noticed. They claimed that a 70 kg person eating 1.2 g/kg/d protein and expending 2856 kcal per day would be ingesting 17% of calories as protein (second to last paragraph of paper). In fact, it amounts to only 12% of calories: 84 g protein per day = 336 kcal from protein = 12% of 2856.When people make simple math mistakes like this twice in one paragraph, I lose confidence in their abilities to conduct the types of measurements they claim to have made. I also wonder why they accepted the 17% figure. I suspect an agenda.They jumped from 0.6 to 0.9. I’m not entirely sure how this works, but it seems you’re going to come to the conclusion that over 0.9 is needed when the amount below that is lower than the EAR and the RDA.Vegetable proteins have higher relative concentrations of the rate-limiting amino acid than animal proteins do. Other things being equal, that would mean we need more protein from animal sources to match that found in plants.It sounds like they wanted to promote protein powders or meat.I’d like to hear the reaction of a few vegan dieticians/nutritionists about this recommendation. It seems a lot harder to meet one’s protein needs on this diet. I’ve been vegan for just over 1 year and feel like the diet is going well, but I am pretty sure that I wouldn’t get 0.5g/lb/d of protein. I’m a modest eater. I also think there is some gender variation, given our different body compositions (whether as peak performance athletes or average people).Hi Melanie, If you consume adequate calories there is no way you will not meet your protein actually your essential amino acid needs. I would advise that you go to Dr. John McDougall’s website, http://www.drmcdougall.com, go to his newsletters which are done monthly and read his three articles on protein. The dates for these articles are 12/03(History of Protein), 4/07(Protein Sources) and 1/04(Protein Overload). Dr Greger has done 28 video’s relating to protein. Animal products contain more sulfur based amino acids than plant protein which puts more of an acid load on the body. Of course as Drs Greger and McDougall and registered dietician Jeff Novick always are pointing out food is a package deal… other things come along with the animal and plant protein which on the animal side are generally bad(saturated fats, cholesterol, chemicals) and plant side which are generally good(phytochemicals, fiber, water)… see the video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/. The Nurses Health study showed that animal protein tended to accelerate kidney function decline once the kidney function started to decline. The study wasn’t designed well enough to detect decline in normally functioning kidneys. As Dr. McDougall pointed out one of his articles the essential amino acid profile is identical for eggs, broccoli and asparagus. True it is more concentrated in animal sources but since our body can’t store protein and has to rid itself of the excess eating alot of highly concentrated protein sources is something I wouldn’t recommend. I especially am not a fan of protein supplements. So I would eat a varied whole food plant based diet with Vitamin B12 supplement see series of videos by Dr. Greger in 2/12 and not worry about it. As we exercise we generally increase our calorie intake which also increases our essential amino acid intake so no worries. Hope this helps. Congrats on your 1 year of being on a plant based diet and stay tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps changing.Thank you, Dr. Greger for your great info and inspiration. I have heard your talk and read all the posts. Honestly, I still am not sure about the value of protein and how much is enough without causing problems. I sure don’t want kidney problems, etc. I am raw vegan and do want to maintain that as a life diet/way of eating/living. I am told by other researchers that if I eat enough raw food…eg…fruits and vegis that I can get in me, such as in smoothies and salads, that I will be ok in the protein area. I still want to add beans into my salads and the raw food people say it is too much protein. I am trying to believe that I get enough through the vegis I consume, but occasionally add some Raw Warrior veg protein powder. I am older and need to do the right thing. Not an athlete, but do want to do more exercise. My doc likes the McDougall diet, but I can’t handle the cooked potatoes. Going to try a few things, but prefer raw. Thanks everyone for helping.i usually respect these videos. this one is absurd! since when does anyone you know have a documented protein deficiency? its more like excess. unless they are starving in a third world country or have anorexia, there is no such thing. if you dont have enough muscle you have to go to the gym, sorry, you cannot eat muscle.If I am looking to put on size by lighting weights. I do 1 g. per bodyweight in pounlds. Is that ok or is this harmful and going to have negative effects in the future?Overkill. Unless you’re doing steroids, 0.8g per pound of lean body weight is all that’s necessary.I still think its high. A lot of doctors recommend like Caldwell Esselstyn 80/10/10. The world health organization says you don’t even need 10%.80/10/10 of 2500 calories is still 65 grams of protein for a 150 pound man.811 are just arbitrary numbers, anyway.When I studied Kinesiology in university, they taught us that active people need more protein than average people. They gave the example of average person (0.8 g/Kg) vs Olympic endurance athletes (1.2 g/Kg). I guess this means that endurance athletes would require even more than 1.2 g/kg now. Also, what’s not mentioned in this video is that older people need more protein because their body isn’t as efficient at using it. If I’m wrong, please correct me.There’s studies showing that 0.8g protein per pound of lean body for body builders is enough.Body builder “gurus” claiming that you need 1 – 2g of protein per pound are just being ridiculous.It’s 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram, not per pound. And the 0.8 is for people who have an average lifestyle.The studies I’ve read have shown that anything over 0.8g of protein per /pound/ of lean body mass is unnecessary for athletes and body builders.Sources are:Protein requirements and muscle mass/strength changes during intensive training in novice bodybuilders. Lemon PW, Tarnopolsky MA, MacDougall JD, Atkinson SA. J Appl Physiol. 1992 Aug;73(2):767-75Influence of protein intake and training status on nitrogen balance and lean body mass. Tarnopolsky MA, MacDougall JD, Atkinson SA. J Appl Physiol. 1988 Jan;64(1):187-93.I’m not sure why my responses keep getting deleted, but there are several studies that involve body builders and athletes, and show that 0.83g of protein per pound of lean body mass is the magical number where more doesn’t equal to more gains.I know this is an old video, but it seemed the most relevant place to ask the following question.Dr. Greger–if you have not answered this elsewhere I would be flabbergasted, as it is such a common question about veganism or vegetarianism. But I searched your site and could not find an easily-found answer.Q: Do we need to worry about protein combining? I had an ND tell me that all of my proteins should be complete proteins/should be combined such that the meal is complete. I did not think people still thought this, I thought this had been debunked from the decades ago that it became a notion. I’ve heard that so long as you get all the amino acids in either 24 hours or a week (I forget which time frame), all is well. What is the truth?Thanks so much!Jen: It is a fair question since the myth about protein combining is still so widely circulated. But as you can guess from my wording in the previous sentence, the answer is: No, it is not necessary.Here is my favorite website for explaining all about protein. There is a section on the page that talks about the myth of the need to worry about protein combining. http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlDr. McDougall also addressed this issue in one of his articles. I believe it is the article from December 2003. http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/Hope that helps!hello doctor, for what would Atlet indicated?Hi Paolo, I am not familiar with Atlet, what is it?I would really like to hear the latest viewpoints on all servings (veggies, fruits, fats, carbs, and proteins). There are so many mixed messages out there. If I am eating 1600-1800 calories for example, what is a normal break down of these food groups? when will there ever be a concensus on this? I get so confused! Thanks to anyone who can offer me advice!There is no need to calculate this if you are consuming a diet consisting of primarily starchy plant foods and if you are eating a diet low in fat. The numbers will work out themselves. Counting calories is not a helpful tool on this type of diet.Andrea: I found the following page/diagram from the Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM) to be helpful. That diagram helped me personally to relax about the issue of how much to eat of what. And PCRM is a source you can trust. http://pcrm.org/health/diets/pplate/power-plateIf you really, really need to get the information in “servings”, PCRM has a page somewhere where they break it down by serving too.In addition to the PCRM Power Plate, Dr. Greger would suggest adding an ounce or two of nuts or seeds every day – including two tablespoons of ground flax seed. Here are Dr. Greger’s recommendations, though you will notice he doesn’t get specific on ratios of foods to eat. http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/But I would say, after getting that gist from the Power Plate, that you do more what Toxins suggests: find those recipes/sources that you trust that are truly healthy meals. (Sources like PCRM, the Starch Solution, etc.) You will get an idea then of how to fill your plate with food. After that is easy. Just eat those foods until you are full.Hope that helps.should I be worried about getting too much protein? Even if it’s all from plant sources? I eat a lot of beans & whole grains & generally get a lot more than the above recommendations.As long as you are not supplementing protein, getting too much protein from an ordinary whole foods, plant based diet will not harm you. If you are hungry and are in need of calories, the protein will be put to use.	dietary guidelines,IGF-1,protein	A research group is suggesting that human protein requirements may have been underestimated.	Previously, I've covered protein quality (Protein Intake and IGF-1 Production) and source (Plant Protein Preferable). For other controversies surrounding recommended nutrient intakes, see my vitamin D video series starting with Vitamin D Recommendations Changed.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21167687,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19841581,
PLAIN-2848	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/	Ergothioneine: A New Vitamin?	Ergothioneine, is an unusual amino acid. It was discovered a century ago but ignored until recently when it was discovered that we have a transporter protein in our bodies specifically designed to pull it out of our diets and into our tissues, implying that it plays some important physiological role. What does it do? Well, our first clue was the tissue distribution. it's concentrated in places where there's lots of oxidative stress, the lens of our eye, the liver, as well as really sensitive areas, bone marrow and seminal fluid, and so they thought it may be a cytoprotectant, a cell protector, and that's what they found.Not only does it get into the nucleas of our cells to protect our DNA, it can get into our mitochondiria, the power plants of the cell. Ergothieneine appears to function as a potent intramitochondrial antioxidant—I’ve talked about how important that is previously.“Because of we can only get it through diet and the toxicity associated with its depletion—when you starve cells of ergothioneine they don’t do so well, the researchers suggest that ergothioneine may represent a new vitamin.Well, we could certainly all use some mitochondrial protection, so where can we find it in our diet? Well, it’s not made by plants. Not made by animals either, but by little microbes in the soil. Thankfully, we don’t have to eat dirt; it’s taken up through the root systems of plants and gets transferred to those who eat them, and those that eat those that eat plants, and so it ends up “widely distributed in both the plant and animal kingdoms,” That’s true, but a little misleading.Yes, it’s found in a variety of foods, but some more than others. It’s not found in fruit; and it’s not found in dairy. Fish have up to 0.07. Eggs have up to 0.7 in the yolk. Twice as much in nuts and seeds, vegetables up to 3, grains up to 4. There’s a bunch in organ meats, particularly the kidneys of pigs and the livers of chickens. Beans, however, have up to 13 and a half. So yes, technically in both the plant and animal kingdoms, but not really evenly distributed. Any kingdoms we missed, though? There is a third kingdom of multicellular organisms. How could we forget fungus? Mushrooms are the superstars here, nearly 40 times more than then the closest competitor.	Great news for a mushroom lover! ;-)BTW: why the Yahoo login is no longer available?Hi Dr Greger,I noticed 1 essential thing about your videos: it’s almost always about antioxidants. Is it the only important topic in nutrition?Do you have any readings explaining what are antioxidants, and why are they important?Thanks again for the videos.Antioxidants would likely be featured more for two reasons.1) They are pretty important. See the Mitochondrial theory of ageing above. Also look for heart-related links because many believe it is only oxidized cholesterol and not normal cholesterol that causes the Plaque buildup.2) Antioxidant studies are easy to do because you are looking for the results of a simple chemical reaction.Antioxidant studies tend to be less useful than intervention studies but they are more practical, since you can test hundreds of foods in the time it would take to test 2 or 3 otherwise.Also see Jordan’s response below.Hi Dr Greger,I noticed 1 essential thing about your videos: it’s almost always about antioxidants. Is it the only important topic in nutrition?Do you have any readings explaining what are antioxidants, and why are they important?Thanks again for the videos.Those are great questions JP. More and more research come to the conclusion that antioxidants do not play a major role in longevity.According to the source article (J et al – Table 1), different types of mushrooms differed greatly in their ergothioniene content. In fact, it seems that the most commonly consumed mushrooms have low content (portobello, button, chanterelle, and shiitake) whereas the high content was listed for king bolete and oyster mushrooms.BPCveg and Parkinson’s Doc below: thank you both for summarizing the specific mushrooms for us. You saved me some time and I greatly appreciate it.Has anyone else experienced dizziness after consuming grocery store bought edible wild mushrooms? I am very curious to know what chemical components in mushrooms can cause dizziness.hello Dr Greger, Dr Fuhrman highly recommends mushrooms but says you Should not eat raw mushrooms, What are your feeling on his recommendation not to eat raw mushroomsDr. Greger agrees and even acknowledges Dr. Fuhrman in this video.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/Keep your eyes open for clinical trials on this, Dr. Greger! In particular, I wonder if it might be effective for nerve cells (MS, and other neuro diseases), or conditions like chronic fatigue (you mentioned protecting the mitochondria of the cells), or even fibromyalgia, where heme seems to leak from muscle cells. Maybe this amino acid could provide some cures down the road. And I appreciate the fellow who mentioned that the only common mushroom with high values is the oyster. I was lucky enough to buy a mushroom kit and I have some oyster mushrooms growing now!Hello everyone. This video is still sticking with me since I saw it when it was released. I suppose it is because I do not like mushrooms, yes, I know I am not a fungi. BUT, being a vegan I always wish I did like them, they would add some nice variety to my meals. So, if I am going to try to get myself to mushrooms, I may as well try the ones with the most ergothioneine, does anyone know which kind are the best? I want to head down the best mushroom road from the beginning.Thanks so much for all of the excellent, life altering information. -MatthewNo one knows?According to a above poster it is king bolete and oyster mushrooms that have the highest content.Hello Dr. Greger, My husband and I are so glad we found your website! We’ve spent hours viewing your videos and reading your articles. In another video, you advise cooking mushrooms to kill toxins. Does cooking the mushrooms destroy ergothioneine?Hello Dr. Greger, My husband and I are so glad we found your website! We’ve spent hours viewing your videos and reading your articles. In one of your videos you advise cooking mushrooms to kill the toxins in them. Does cooking have an effect on the ergothioniene content?Nope. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050912080429.htmIs ergothioniene destroyed by cooking?Good news is that cooking does not reduce the levels of ergothioneine found in mushrooms. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050912080429.htm.Excellent link! That answered all the questions I had.With a little research, I discovered that king boletus mushrooms, the ‘magic’ mushrooms when it comes to ergothioneine, with 1000x the ergothioneine content of button mushrooms, are also known as the grandedulis variant of Boletus edulis. Unless you live in California, coming across many of these magnificent mushrooms is probably unlikely. However, the mother species boletus edulis, is also known as the ‘edible boletus’, aka porcini mushrooms! Maybe this is one of the missing pieces in our understanding of the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet since dried porcini mushroom are so common in Italian cuisine. Until proven otherwise, I believe it is reasonalbe to assume a high ergothioneine content in dried porcini mushrooms and I intend to incorporate more of them into my diet and recommend them for my patients. Coming in a very respectable second place with 200x the ergothioneine content of buttons are oyster mushrooms, a variety that should be available in many groceries and i have found at better quality and cheaper prices at many oriental groceries.Awesome!Any comparison between button mushrooms and black beans?Thanks! gonna watch those…It’s because the antioxidants are in the peel! That’s why when you peel them the inside turns brown because its protected by the peel. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/Thanks. I was actually wondering that myself.A paper published in the Journal of Food Chemistry 2011 shows that Spirulina algae is very high in ergotheoneine, as high as the mushrooms. The mushrooms taste great, but Spirulina is less expensive.When the influenza virus was wide spread in our community, and I was housebound with yet another fractured spine, I stocked up on oyster mushrooms, which I cooked gently in olive oil, garlic, ginger, and turmeric and mixed with my dark leafy green veggies. The results were as if my immune system was boosted because instead of fighting the flu, I simply felt well and invigorated, and whatever negative was going on in my body, simply disappeared and I healed quickly. My eyes no longer itched, the coughing ceased, which helped my spine because the jolting movement ceased, and I attribute the aches and pains disappearing with the ginger, garlic and turmeric.My husband is not one who believes in nutrition, which he calls witchcraft, but he prefers getting a drug when if he really feels poorly. And, I on the other hand, go to the fungus section of the Fresh Market and see what immune system boosters I can add to my diet. They work for me. Too bad I cannot get my husband or housekeeper to try them. They might alleviate their symptoms faster.The 2 most economical mushrooms are shiitake mushrooms and button mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms contain more than 3 times as much ergothioneine as button mushrooms, which are high in cancer-causing agaritine and pathogenic horse manure bacteria. [But all mushrooms sold in supermarkets – including button mushrooms – are extremely healthy for us to eat]: http://www.hearthealthyonline.com/healthy-recipes/cooking-nutrition-tips/mushrooms_1.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19048616 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10522061 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Hexose_Correlated_CompoundAn old website no longer available listed the following levels of Ergothioneine in mushrooms:Mushrooms uMoles/KgFairy Ring-Dry 31100 Fairy Ring-Fresh 2570 Oyster-Dry 3470 Oyster-Fresh 604 Shiitake-Dry 440 Reishi-Dry 189 Enoki-Fresh 838 Agaricus-Fresh 142 Portabello-Fresh 463ShawnAnother ranking from a Barry Halliwell lecture:mg/g dry weight Boletus edulis (cepes) 1812.38 King Oyster 541.69 Buna Shimeji 432.63 Shiitake 353.46 Enoki 346.35 Willow 296.80 Abalone 324.67 Dried Shiitake 208.88 White Shimeji 197.46 Portobello 190.86 White button 154.40 Brown button 104.11 Black fungus 94.18 Woodear 6.35 White fungus 5.84I wonder where crimini rank? Maybe around the same as white button. Those are the easiest mushrooms to get with vitamin D.Thanks for digging up that source, Darryl. I searched the literature but didn’t find anything like that.Great to know those values as the forests here are currently full of Porcini mushrooms. I gather them every week and when I have eaten enough of them so that they start growing out of my ears I dry the rest for the winter. I didn’t know that I was megadosing on ergothioneine that way :)1,812mg per gram of dry weight? that doesn’t sound right. did you mean per kg?Of course its not right. I suspect, given my subsequent research on ergothioneine in mushrooms, that these figure’s from the Halliwell presentation were per 100 g dry weight, a common denominator in nutrition research.Although this list gives pointers, it’s goo to not get too attached to exact numbersa nd positions in rankings, why? It’s a sulfur containing-compound, so the concentratation in plants logically depends a lot on the sulfur content of the soil, and its content of the organisms that create that amino-acid.For a fair comparison, you would need the exact same soil in the same conditions, and run a growth on it. Even then, you’d do it twice and unlikely would find the same concentrations and rankings, but at best patterns which clusters of fungi generally do better than others.That’s sort of a given in any analyses of food chemical content. There’s a consistent trend in the literature that oyster mushrooms have more ergothioneine than cremeni/button, which in turn will have more than the odd non mushroom fungus one finds at oriental markets, but the precise ranking probably would vary markedly.When resveratrol was all the rage last decade some went to considerable effort to determine the grape varietals, terroirs, altitude, and face of mountain slopes that maximized values. Of course its all varies markedly even year to year, and those who really wanted that compound all started eating Japanese knotweed roots, anyway.So a black bean and mushroom veggie burger is your plant based super source.. Also high in fiber, plant based protein, and phytonutrients.. Without any cholesterol, saturated fat and animal protein.But what kind of mushrooms and how best to prepare them?!How about Brewer’s yeast? Isn’t that a fungus? How much ergothioneine does it have?Brewer’s and nutritional yeast have beta-glucans, like mushrooms, but I am not sure about ergothioneine levels. I could not find any studies on brewers yeast and ergothioneine and it was not tested in the study Dr. Greger mentions. If I find anything I’ll post here. Thanks!	antioxidants,beans,black beans,bone marrow health,cancer,dairy,DNA damage,eggs,ergothioneine,eye disease,eye health,fertility,fish,fruit,grains,kidney,liver,liver disease,liver health,men's health,mitochondria,mushrooms,nuts,organ meats,oxidative stress,seeds,vegetables	If the antioxidant amino acid ergothioneine does indeed turn out to be an essential nutrient, what are the best dietary sources?	If you were thinking, “What's an intramitochondrial antioxidant?” see Mitochondrial Theory of Aging. Other examples of the magic of mushrooms can be found in Making Our Arteries Less Sticky, Vegetables Versus Breast Cancer, and Breast Cancer Prevention: Which Mushroom Is Best?. Probably best to cook them though, see Toxins in Raw Mushrooms?. Plants are powerful!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Ergothioneine: A New Vitamin?, Vitamin D from Mushrooms, Sun, or Supplements? , and Mushrooms and Immunity	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mitochondria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organ-meats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ergothioneine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-marrow-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17616140,
PLAIN-2849	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/	Protein and Heart Disease	We know that the quality and quantity of fat is tightly correlated with the risk of our number one killer, heart disease, but what about protein? Out of Harvard recently: “Dietary protein and risk of ischemic heart disease in middle-aged men. Independent of source, and independent of fat, do you think total protein intake was associated with more heart disease, less heart disease, or no difference. And the answer they found was, no difference. The quantity didn’t seem to matter, but what about the quality? The source of the protein?“We observed no association between [total] dietary protein and risk of total IHD in this group of men. However, higher intake of animal protein may be associated with an increased risk of ischemic heart disease in “healthy” men, meaning those without hypertension, high cholesterol or diabetes, healthy only in quotes though given their higher risk of heart disease due to their consumption of animal protein.They also “observed a significant inverse association between higher vegetable protein intake and risk of fatal heart disease.” Meaning the more plants and less animals one eats would appear to be better for the heart even independent of the fat issue. So the benefits of a plant-based diet may extend beyond just avoiding saturated animal fat.But isn’t protein just protein, though? How does your body know if it’s coming from a plant or an animal? Well, proteins are made of a string of amino acids, and the there are some amino acids more common in plants than in animals, particularly glutamic acid, which a study published in the journal of the American Heart Association was found, for example, to potentially “have independent blood pressure-lowering effects, which may contribute to the inverse relation of vegetable protein to blood pressure," meaning high plants, low pressure.Their data “generally reinforce current recommendations for a high intake of vegetable products as a part of comprehensive nutritional/lifestyle approaches to preventing and controlling major established cardiovascular risk factors and epidemic cardiovascular disease.”	Thank you!So, do you think that saturated fat, as utilized in studies, is just a marker for animal protein intake? Reason I ask is the issue of cow’s milk ghee in Ayurveda. Has saturated fat, but no animal protein. Anecdotally, practitioners in India (no formal studies I could find) are reporting reversal of coronary artery blockage when patients move to an essentially vegan diet, but uses ghee instead of vegetable oils..Given that Ayurveda was geared towards the promotion of longevity, would be interested to hear your thoughts.Just curious, not trying to be confrontational, but how does ghee NOT have animal protein if it is from cow milk? Thanks!Since it is clarified (separated), the milk solids and moisture are removed, leaving only the fat part of the butter behind. The solids that are removed constitute the protein, whereas the fat contains, well… fat! :)Incidentally, ghee contains 8 mg of cholesterol per TEAspoon, according to Wikipedia. O_oAgreed. Also has a ton of Vitamin K2. I’m interested in looking at this a bit further, given the huge role ghee plays in a traditional Ayurvedic Diet. Ayurveda was geared towards promoting longevity, so I assume they would’t recommend an agent if it was disease causing. However, the mechanism needs to be clarified (no pun intended).I was thinking the same. I can’t believe for example that coconut products would cause health problems.coconut milk and oil are indeed unhealthy as they contain a very high saturated fat content.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/Wrong. Sorry, that’s just plain wrong. Not all saturated fats are the same. Coconut oil does not contain the long-chain fats found in animal products or lard. Medium chain fatty acids, MCFA’s, are good for you. They don’t go into your fat cells, but straight to the liver where they are converted into energy (without sugars or carbs… good for diabetics). The health benefits of coconut oil are numerous, well researched, and documented. I don’t have room here to list them all, but you can find them. Do a little research. http://www.livestrong.com/article/261372-coconut-oil-nutrition-facts/I prefer to rely on the available science rather than look at articles on the internet. What you are suggesting about coconut oil is false.Coconut oil does indeed contain medium chain fatty acids and this may be metabolized differently but there are very few studies to make the conclusion that coconut oil is “ok” or that medium chain saturated fats are negligible. A tablespoon of coconut oil has about 11.7 grams of saturated fat. about 8 grams of this is medium chain saturated fat and about 3.7 grams of this is long chain saturated fat. We have an abundance of evidence concluding that that long chain saturated fats are harmful so we cannot consider this oil a healthy option based on that alone.As far as minerals and vitamins go, there is not one significant vitamin or mineral in coconut oil. The only vitamin present in a tablespoon of coconut oil is .1 micrograms of vitamin k which does not even register as a percentage of daily value. Its also absent of any omega 3 fats. Just looking at coconut oils nutritional profile we see that it is clearly a junk food. Junk food is by definition empty calories. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2The available science on the oil is limited and does not really support coconut oil as a “superfood”.The evidence to prove its health benefits are scant.Only 1 study on weight loss:Forty obese women cut their food intake by 200 calories a day and exercised four days a week. Half of them used two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 240 calories’ worth) every day in their cooking and half used soybean oil. After three months, both groups had lost the same amount of weight, about two pounds. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19437058Only 1 poorly concluded study with very mixed results on alzheimers:Placebo and coconut oil consumers scored no different on a cognitive impairment test when the subjects were randomized. If they weren’t randomized (which could represent stacking up the placebo group with very sick patients) then the coconut fat consumers scored slightly better after 45 days in the study. After 90 days though everyone pretty much evened out in cognitive improvement which does not show any real gain. http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/6/1/31Only 1 old study done to “support” heart disease:“In the only study done in people in the last 17 years, Malaysian researchers last year found that when they fed young men and women 20 percent of their calories from coconut oil for five weeks, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol was 8 percent higher and HDL (“good”) cholesterol was 7 percent higher than when the participants were fed 20 percent of their calories from olive oil”Just because Both bad cholesterol and good cholesterol went up does not mean that coconut oil is protective against heart disease and it does not at all mean its healthy. This doesn’t make good sense. http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2011/10/26/ajcn.111.020107After looking through the livestrong article, the only support of evidence are opinions of a couple doctors from Oprah. The opinions of doctors do not count as science. The only study that the livestrong article posts is the one i discussed about weight loss which is not significant.I do use coconut oil…….I love it!Mollyhorn gave a great answer…ghee is casein and lactose “free”Colin Campbell told us almost 8 years ago that a similar relationship between animal and plant protein exists in relation to cancer. This is more reason to avoid animal protein.I love protein too, just plant protein. Just imagine how strong you can become eating plants and how healthy you’ll be. Look at the fantastic pic below of one of the greats Billy Simmonds.Just like Windows 8. Have to change things up to keep me thinking. (Argh!) Please don’t start charging for your changes, I truly appreciate what you do, and all for FREE!Here, here! This website is a true public service!Do you think soy (namely in the form of edamame beans, tempeh, or tofu) or quinoa would yield similar results since they are high quality proteins? Tofu also has a comparably higher amount of saturated fat for being a legume (food).Dr. Greger, this seems to imply that adding MSG to one’s meal of animal protein would make it more like plant protein, and possibly confer the benefit of lowering blood pressure. However, I suspect the amounts of MSG added to food in a typical Chinese restaurant, for example, would greatly exceed the proportion found in plant protein.I am happy to eat less meat or no meat at all. It’s been nearly half a year now. I question why nutrition studies are done on men only. Don’t women get heart disease too?KNOWTHYFOOD.COM stated that “After researching these products, my understanding is that they both contain high quantities of the amino acid glutamate, which has the same toxic effect as MSG described in Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills written by Dr. Russell Blaylock.”What are your thoughts on Nutritional Yeast and other Yeasts such as autolyzed yeast added to many foods?Im on low/moderate fat vegan diet, trying to build muscle to gain weight. Are plant based protein shakes okay? Such as Hemp or Pea protein? They contain about 20G of protein per 2 scoops. Usually I mix with coaco powder, almond milk and ground flax seeds.Hi Jordan. Sounds fine to me. I always strive for whole-food protein sources but if working out I know folks like to grab a smoothie to-go. Hemp and pea are fine sources. I would stay away from (or highly limit) soy protein isolate and dairy-based proteins.Insufficient potassium and vitamin B-1 (thiamin) can not damage the heart significantly when both are deficient. This has important safety implications when supplementing each during heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, beri-beri, or diabetes influenced by the deficiency of one of them. It is extremely important to know which kind of heart disease is involved. You may see this discussed in detail in http://charles_w.tripod.com/kandthiamin.htmlCopper is crucial for strength of arteries because of its role as part of lysil oxidase, which cross links elastin tissue. A deficiency is probably the main cause of aneurisms and therefore many strokes, hemorrhoids, and many bleeding problems, as well as high blood cholesterol. You may see how to increase copper from food in http://charles_w.tripod.com/copper3.html and a discussion of copper physiology in http://charles_w.tripod.com/copper.html .Sincerely, Charles WeberInsufficient potassium and vitamin B-1 (thiamin) can not damage the heart significantly when both are deficient. This has important safety implications when supplementing each during heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, beri-beri, or diabetes influenced by the deficiency of one of them. It is extremely important to know which kind of heart disease is involved. You may see this discussed in detail in http://charles_w.tripod.com/kandthiamin.htmlCopper is crucial for strength of arteries because of its role as part of lysil oxidase, which cross links elastin tissue. A deficiency is probably the main cause of aneurisms and therefore many strokes, hemorrhoids, and many bleeding problems, as well as high blood cholesterol. You may see how to increase copper from food in http://charles_w.tripod.com/copper3.html and a discussion of copper physiology in http://charles_w.tripod.com/copper.html .Sincerely, Charles WeberInsufficient potassium and vitamin B-1 (thiamin) can not damage the heart significantly when both are deficient. This has important safety implications when supplementing each during heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, beri-beri, or diabetes influenced by the deficiency of one of them. It is extremely important to know which kind of heart disease is involved. You may see this discussed in detail in http://charles_w.tripod.com/kandthiamin.htmlCopper is crucial for strength of arteries because of its role as part of lysil oxidase, which cross links elastin tissue. A deficiency is probably the main cause of aneurisms and therefore many strokes, hemorrhoids, and many bleeding problems, as well as high blood cholesterol. You may see how to increase copper from food in http://charles_w.tripod.com/copper3.html and a discussion of copper physiology in http://charles_w.tripod.com/copper.html .Sincerely, Charles WeberInsufficient potassium and vitamin B-1 (thiamin) can not damage the heart significantly when both are deficient. This has important safety implications when supplementing each during heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, beri-beri, or diabetes influenced by the deficiency of one of them. It is extremely important to know which kind of heart disease is involved. You may see this discussed in detail in http://charles_w.tripod.com/kandthiamin.htmlCopper is crucial for strength of arteries because of its role as part of lysil oxidase, which cross links elastin tissue. A deficiency is probably the main cause of aneurisms and therefore many strokes, hemorrhoids, and many bleeding problems, as well as high blood cholesterol. You may see how to increase copper from food in http://charles_w.tripod.com/copper3.html and a discussion of copper physiology in http://charles_w.tripod.com/copper.html .Sincerely, Charles Webershould be concerned about too much protein? I get around 80g a day, mostly due to my breakfast of oats and the broccoli i eat. I eat around 2200 caloriesi am vegan	American Heart Association,animal protein,blood pressure,body fat,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,diabetes,glutamic acid,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,plant protein,plant-based diets,protein,saturated fat,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetarians	Why is the intake of animal protein associated with heart disease--even independent of saturated fat—and the intake of plant protein protective?	This is another reason plant protein is preferable. Cheaper too! See Eating Healthy on the Cheap. Beans specifically have been linked to lower blood pressure (Fill in the Blank). Other healthier sources of protein, such as nuts, also lower heart disease risk via a variety of mechanisms. See for example How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?). More landmark research for Harvard in Harvard's Meat and Mortality Studies and What Women Should Eat to Live Longer.If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glutamic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	-
PLAIN-2850	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/	More Antibiotics In White Meat or Dark Meat?	Concentrations of antibiotic residues vary between different edible muscle tissues in poultry. In which muscles do antibiotic residues concentrate the most? White meat, dark meat, or both the same? And the answer is, white meat. Significantly more antibiotic residues in breast meat compared to thigh. Those were the only two tested, though. “Even though the present study found greater residue concentrations in breast versus thigh muscle tissues, the possibility also exists that other edible muscle tissues (e.g., legs or wings) could have even higher levels.”	How long does it take to reduce one’s body load of antibiotics from meat? Just days! See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Lowering Dietary Antibiotic Intake. Our exposure to drugs given to chickens and turkeys may be one reason poultry consumption has been associated with significantly higher lymphoma and leukemia risk. See EPIC Findings on Lymphoma and Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics?. A Carcinogenic Retrovirus Found in Eggs and poultry may also be playing a role.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Love it! It’s easier to notice your other available information with the columns on the first page. Would still like to see your commentary placed first, above others. In Firefox, on my Mac, there’s a couple of comments ahead of yours for this video.Thanks so much for the feedback–I deleted it down here and put it up in the new Dr. Greger’s Notes section so it will always be visible up top!I know you are big on plant based diets. However, i do not eat grocery/production meats. All meats in the grocery stores are from factory farms. i raise my own chickens, eggs, ducks, geese, cows, goats, all on pasture and no antibiotics or GMOs. They are all free pasture ranged. I am 58 and very healthy and i eat some meat every day (my home grown stuff). So i think that healthy diet has more to do with how our food is produced/grown/fed, than actually WHAT we are eating. I also eat all my own garden veggies & fruits (no pest/herbicides) and if i purchase, then i try to only purchase organically grown.RJ: I applaud you for trying to eat healthy. I also encourage you to watch more videos on this site so that you can improve your healthy eating. There are some things that are inherent in a food itself that no amount of production process changes. If you are interested, you can find all sorts of scientific information this site that explains the details.Good luck!RJ, I agree with you and your approach to food. The studies that Dr. Gregor discusses regarding factory farmed animals are really interesting but can not be applied to pasture/organic raised animals.Organically fed and raised are not allowed to be fattened up with antibiotics, and I don’t believe have ever had antibiotic resistant super bugs, which are caused in part by Glyphosate and the animal husbandry promoted by Big Brother to profit their bottom line. Although, the Obama Administration seems to be bending the Letter of the Law when it comes to organics, allowing more synthetic ingredients on the National List, which in turn allows Monsanto to manufacture “organic” pest controls using organic chemistry. Organic chemistry has NEVER been part of the National Organic Foods and Production Act of 1990. I only buy from farmers or sellers I know and trust.The Center for Food Safety has repeatedly litigated against the USDA’s bending of the National Organic Foods and Production Law and has generally won. And the Cornucopia Institute is a watch dog for Organically grown food and animals. Check out their web sites to learn of victories, or defeats.As a member of both entities, I urge you to join us with money and activism to save our food supply and fight back Big Bullies.The roof of my mouth either becomes numb or burns depending what is in the pesticides used on organic foods. This prompts me to write the company, if I have the address, or, not to buy from them again.It is either the Cornucopia Institute or the Center for Food Safety that has said that non-organic and non-sustainable farmers choose to ignore the urging of the government to feed their livestock the ground leaves and stalks from cotton, sugar beets, sugar cane and other crops, which are full of pesticides. This supersizes the toxins the animals eat. (No wonder my dogs kept dying at younger and younger ages every year since 1982.)All the major pesticide companies have supersized the amounts of pesticides on produce, as well as 100 ppm for fast growing Teff forage and hay. See: § 180.364 Glyphosate; tolerances in the right hand column of the Federal Register, and read the Conclusions at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-05-01/pdf/2013-10316.pdfFortunately not all farmers or ranchers use chemical agriculture on their pastures. Those that do was about 7%. Remember, the tolerance level is based on the Acute Effect and Glyphosate is a CHRONICALLY TOXIC HERBICIDE, it is not ACUTELY TOXIC. Hence, the tolerance residue levels don’t protect the health of the livestock as much as the health of the corporations bottom line.Organic farmers do NOT use chemical pesticides and only use biological controls sparingly. Organic farmers are the ones who pushed for a federal law! The problem is Greedy Opportunistic Predators who are also bullies driving farmers and ranchers out of business so we will have zero choice of what we eat or feed our animals.This is also the reason for the massive wolf slaughters, even of the nursing pups. It is so that the Greedy Opportunistic Predators in Congress can murder wildlife instead of eating factory farmed livestock. When Obama wined and dined contributors, he had his appointees roundup the wild buffalo (bison), separate the calves from their mothers, and head the adults for slaughter. This way the President could serve non-GMO meat to his benefactors. Disgusting!!!Should we give feedback on the new site here? Or is there a better place for it?I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that the new site does not auto-start the videos every time you do something on the page. That’s a huge relief.On the downer side: One thing I already miss from the old site is the feature that shows the next 4 videos – including wrapping around. So, previously, it was very easy for me to go to the latest video-of-the-day, and see the next 4 videos on the right of the screen. Since it was the latest video of the day, the next 4 videos were actually the first 4 videos from Volume 1.Aside from just liking the feature of being able to scan 4 videos ahead at any point, being able to quickly find the first videos from Volume 1 was really important. Two of those videos are extremely hard to find via the Search feature, and yet I want to show those videos to people often and want to give people a way to get the “first one” and thus follow the whole set of videos in order if they want.Maybe I’ve missed it, but if you don’t already have such a feature, maybe you do this: Have links to videos by volume. For example, links like: Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 …. Volume 11 where the links take people to the first video of the volume. That would be great.Then, the wrap-around feature would not matter so much, but I would still like to be able to scan ahead and see much more than just 1 “next video” for videos in the middle of the series.Just something to think about.ThanksI wondered if this is true with organically raised chicken or turkey? With Thanksgiving in less than 2 weeks I will buy organic and spend the extra $$ if it is healthier.Pesticides and contaminants aside, poultry is not the least bit healthy to eat. This food still contains inherent compounds such as endotoxins (http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/), high levels of arachidonic acid (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/) (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/) as well as other inherent substances (http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/)Interestingly, another study showed that in eating fish, darker meat consumption was associated with higher rates of heart attack. They gave no causative reason for this, however.Bugs! Did you just say bugs! Yikes. I feel itchy all over.	antibiotics,chicken,dark meat,meat,poultry,turkey,white meat	Concentrations of antibiotic residues vary between different edible muscle tissues in poultry.	How long does it take to reduce one's body load of antibiotics from meat? Just days! See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Lowering Dietary Antibiotic Intake. Our exposure to drugs given to chickens and turkeys may be one reason poultry consumption has been associated with significantly higher lymphoma and leukemia risk. See EPIC Findings on Lymphoma and Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics? A Carcinogenic Retrovirus Found in Eggs and poultry may also be playing a role.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: How To Reduce Dietary Antibiotic Intake and  Probiotics and DiarrheaIf you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16245733,
PLAIN-2851	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/	Lowering Dietary Antibiotic Intake	Persistent organic pollutants like dioxins PCBs can persist, for years in our bodies, but other dietary contaminants, like antibiotic residues and some of the plastic compounds may be more of a matter of constantly re-exposing ourselves on a day-to-day basis as suggested by this study last year that measured changes in the levels of antibiotic and phthalate metabolites before and after a 5 day meat-free stay at a Buddhist temple.They tested participants’ urine for the presence of a number of important antibiotics, such as Bactrim, enrofloxacin, cipro and although none of the participants were actually on antibiotics, the drugs were all found flowing through their bodies, but within 5 days eating vegetarian “The present study demonstrated clearly that even short-term dietary changes could reduce the frequency of detection and levels of major antibiotics." Antibiotics detected in the urine assumed to be mostly originated from dietary intake, since participants with recent medication histories were excluded from the study.” But see they didn’t know if maybe the drugs were in the water supply rather the meat supply, but since they kept drinking the same amount of water, this study suggests that the contribution of drinking water may be negligible in the daily amount of antibiotics that are inadvertently consumed.”To make sure, though, they did a follow-up study in which they actually tested for levels of antibiotic residues in meat, and indeed found that “Consumption levels of beef, pork, chicken, and dairy products could explain the daily excretion amount of several antibiotics in urine”—and the phthalate contaminants as well.Measures of oxidative stress dropped as well after the meat-free five days, but then again they were in a Buddhist temple meditating all day, so it's hard to tease out which did what, but the researchers concluded: “The results of this study suggest that dietary change, even in the short term, could significantly reduce dietary exposure to antibiotics and phthalates and, in turn, oxidative stress levels in the general adult population.”	Vegetarians may also have lower exposure to some of the more persistent pollutants. See Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination and Industrial Pollutants in Vegans. For more on antibiotics in meat, see Drug Residues in Meat. Drug residues may also end up in the flesh of fish. See A Fine Kettle of Fluoxetine. For more on phthalates in meat, see Chicken Consumption and the Feminization of Male Genitalia. Are there More Antibiotics In White Meat or Dark Meat? Good question! That’s tomorrow’s video-of-the-day.   If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Please fix the sources cited section…currently the links do not appear to be correct.Thanks in advance. Thanks Brige–fixed!Absolutely love the redesign, the columns, the highlights, the information!Could you please clarify for me, your saying that ‘vegetarians produce more anti-biotics?’ Or, is it the other way around. I listed to the video a few times and could not understand. Much appreciated. Thank you!Hi Mary,What Dr. Greger is saying is not that vegetarians produce more antibiotics, but that there seems to be a correlation between diet and antibiotic levels in the body. Animals raised to be food for humans are given antibiotics while alive often as preventive measures against diseases that could arise in crowded conditions. These antibiotics remain in the meat consumed. From the studies cited, it appears that antibiotics are more likely to be found in meat eaters, probably due to the presence of these antibiotics in the meat (although environmental factors are possible, too, in the form of antibiotic residue in water supplies, for instance). The people who stayed at the retreat for five days lowered their levels of antibiotics after consuming a vegetarian diet presumably because they were not eating antibiotic-riddled meat. You can learn more here: More Antibiotics In White Meat or Dark Meat? and Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics? .I wonder if this might explain my gut sensitivity to a course of antibiotic that I received for an infection. It took 2 months for things to get back to normal. It would seem that you could hypothesize that the gut flora of a meat eater are probably mostly resistant to antibiotics while the gut flora of a vegan are probably sensitive. Thus, a course of antibiotics might wipe out, so to speak, the vegan gut. Mine was.I hope there is a study like this again except use Organic Grass fed meats vs. “traditional” factory meats. I pay the extra cost for organic/free-range/etc meats and would like to see if it’s worth it.The contamination issue may be addressed but the fact is, meat is not healthful regardless whether it be organic or not. Meat induces an inflammatory response as well as spiked IGF-1 production., http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/“Natural” as a marketing term has taken over in most consumers’ consciousness as a hallmark of clean food. This is a shame. “Natural” is almost wholly unregulated and people would be quite surprised to learn what their “natural” meats contain.is it okay to eat aloe vera gel	animal products,antibiotics,beef,cheese,chicken,dairy,dioxins,industrial toxins,meat,meditation,milk,oxidative stress,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,phthalates,plant-based diets,plastic,pork,poultry,vegans,vegetarians	What a few days eating vegetarian can do to the level of antibiotics and phthalates flowing through one's body.	Vegetarians may also have lower exposure to some of the more persistent pollutants. See Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination and Industrial Pollutants in Vegans. For more on antibiotics in meat, see Drug Residues in Meat. Drug residues may also end up in the flesh of fish. See A Fine Kettle of Fluoxetine. For more on phthalates in meat, see Chicken Consumption and the Feminization of Male Genitalia. Are there More Antibiotics In White Meat or Dark Meat? Good question! That's tomorrow's video-of-the-day.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: How To Reduce Dietary Antibiotic Intake, Should We Avoid Titanium Dioxide?, and  Probiotics and Diarrhea	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/26/probiotics-and-diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plastic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phthalates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meditation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-antibiotics-in-white-meat-or-dark-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20624619,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/    20227070,
PLAIN-2852	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/	The Wrong Way to Detox	There is one proven way to accelerate the removal of these toxins: transfer them… to your baby. Changes in blood concentrations of PCBs during pregnancy. Some women, cut their levels in half! They just deposited it, in their child.So much so, that a significant predictor of pollutant levels in young people is their birth order. The first born gets first dibs on mom’s toxic waste, leaving less for their baby brothers and sisters down the line.Same thing with breast milk concentrations. This is how much you have in your breast milk after your first pregnancy, but by the next few you’ve already passed about 20% along to your first born. And even the mothers who were breast fed as infants tend to have higher levels in their breast milk when they grow up suggesting a multigenerational passing down of toxic pollutants.So what women eat now, may affect the levels of toxins in their grandchildren. This of course raises the question whether one should breast feed at all given the levels of PBCs in human breast milk. “Researchers have long debated the adverse effects of exposure to PCBs on children versus the benefits of breastfeeding.” And the conclusion is, breast is still best: “Breastfeeding should continue to be encouraged….” So, the best thing we can do for ourselves and our families, and their families… is to lower our dietary exposure as much as possible.	Other videos on breastfeeding include Cow’s Milk Induced Infant Apnea, American Vegans Placing Babies At Risk, and Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. If you can’t breastfeed, what’s the best infant formula? See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day The Best Baby Formula. Unfortunately even before your baby is born our diets may be exposing them to pollutants. See CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure, DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood and Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals. Eating a more plant-based diet will help reduce exposure and the resulting DNA damage. See Plants vs. Pesticides, DNA Protection From Broccoli, and The Best Detox.   If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Breaking a sweat with vigorous exercise, is a great way to detox.Wow.  That’s almost a sci-fi story, passing on those PCBs to fetuses. I remember hearing a statistic once (who knows how good it was) that women who have at least one kid are less likely to get certain kinds of cancer.  I wonder if this is one of the reasons.  Perhaps we pass on that cancer risk to the kid.  Sick really.Well, I appreciate the info, and especially the part at the end which puts the information into perspective.  Breast milk is not perfect, but it sounds like the pros appear to outweigh the cons – for those people who can do breast milk.Mama!  (Jim Carrey scarred me for life in Liar Liar) LolQuestion for Dr. Gregor: I used to eat a lot fish and sushi and I had my mercury checked about a year or so ago and I had a level of 10. I have drastically reduced all animal products, including fish and I’m now 20 weeks pregnant. I just had my mercury level checked again and it’s <4. Do you think my body cleared it or based on this video do you think it's already all been transferred to my growing baby?Congratulations on improving your diet and reducing your mercury load plus the many other compounds found in meat, dairy, eggs and fish. The half life of mercury in the body is between 1 and 3 months. So your body will continue to lower the amount of mercury in both yours and your baby’s body. You have followed the correct path to maximize your baby’s health by eating properly. Your body cleared the mercury and will continue to lower the amounts in your body assuming you don’t start consuming fish again see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/. I would add another comment… many Ob/Gyn providers are unaware of the importance of a proper whole food plant based diet to the health of the mother and fetus. My daughter during her two pregnancies had to “prove” to her physicians that she was taking in adequate protein in her plant based diet.I heard that hemp seed is one of the most beneficial forms of protein. Do you have any information about it? I’ve been drinking hemp “shakes” with almond milk. Is that healthy or not?Protein is not difficult to come by unless you are not getting enough food. As long as you are eating enough calories from whole plant foods, you will be getting enough protein. The 2 go hand in hand.+1. I wish more people in the general population knew this!You’ve shown the only reason I can imagine for having more then 2 kids! I’m a staunch believer in Zero Population Growth and am glad to see populations stabilize although you wouldn’t know it when ya see the J curve that represents the population exploding exponentially. Be that as it may, ladies toxin levels go down with every kid we breast feed, sweet FOR US. What a drag for future generations though. So for future generations maybe we should all belong to the Green Party and not have more then 2 pregnancies/live births. Bruno’s idea of working up a sweat works for me, I try to go to the gym 2 days, 1day off, then 2 again. About 5 a week.	breast milk,breastfeeding,detoxification,industrial toxins,infant formula,infants,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,pregnancy,women's health	The reason birth order is a predictor of pollutant levels in the bodies of children is that women can pass along as much as half of their PCB burden to their fetus during pregnancy.	Other videos on breastfeeding include Cow's Milk Induced Infant Apnea, American Vegans Placing Babies At Risk, and Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. If you can't breastfeed, what's the best infant formula? See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day The Best Baby Formula. Unfortunately even before your baby is born our diets may be exposing them to pollutants. See CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure, DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood and Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals. Eating a more plant-based diet will help reduce exposure and the resulting DNA damage. See Plants vs. Pesticides, DNA Protection From Broccoli, and The Best Detox.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Protecting Our Babies From Pollutants, Apple Peels Turn On Anticancer Genes, and Heading Shrinking from Grilling Meat	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infant-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21435677,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20960982,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21208638,
PLAIN-2853	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-baby-formula/	The Best Baby Formula	For those of us starting new families, one of the myriad concerns that comes up is how am I ever going to get my child to eat their veggies. And one answer, just discovered, is, ironically, to exclusively breast feed as long as possible, apparently doubling the likelihood that they’ll end up eating twice as many vegetables when they grow older. How could that be?The researchers suggest that “breastfed babies, whose mothers regularly eat a variety of foods, are exposed to a diversity of flavors that are absent from formula milk and this early exposure augments the acceptance of various flavors.” So when they eventually eat some bitter broccoli instead of spitting it out they’re subconsciousl1y like, hey, I remember this.This could help explain these findings summarized last year, suggesting that the longer babies are breast fed, the lower their risk of developing chronic diseases when then grow up. Babies fed formula grow up to have higher rates of obesity, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, asthma, twice the risk of developing celiac disease, more inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, and childhood cancers including leukemia.They suggest a variety of mechanisms—stuff babies are getting too much of on formula, stuff they’re getting too little of, leading to changes in their gut flora, hormonal and immune systems, which can set them up for problems later on.The new Surgeon General's report, agrees with the official World Health Organization recommendation, which agrees with the best available science, that all women in the world exclusively breastfeed for a full 6 months. Whether your own milk, a wet nurse, or a milk bank there is simply no good substitute. It’s the only formula for optimum health.	Other tips on raising healthy children can be found in videos such as Nerves of Mercury, Preventing Childhood Allergies, and Dairy & Sexual Precocity. Unfortunately parents tend to overestimate the quality of their children’s diets. For advice on how to best raise our children, one can’t beat the advice offered by the most esteemed pediatrician of all time, Dr. Benjamin Spock. Check out Dr. Spock’s advice in Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Fantastic for the Family Practitioner trying to get parents to breast feed! Thanks!Also thank you for the Toxic Overload series last week.  They were mouth dropping.  If those video’s don’t change my patients food choices than I guess the onset of chronic disease may be their last stimulus to choose a plant based lifestyle.  Nothing like the Grim Reaper pointing at you and pointing at your head-stone to get you to change your habits.  It’s been the most powerful stimulus in my practice.I confirm! My son was exclusively breastfed for six months, and partly breastfed until he was 4 years old. We never had a problem in feeding him veggies: he started chewing vegetables before he started walking. At 1 year old he was enjoying salads, leaving his grandmother astonished (I was bottle-fed and my mother had to put sugar on tomatoes to convince me to eat them – she could not foresee I would eventually become vegan). Today he’s 8 years old and enjoys broccolis, carrots, beets, potatoes, eggplants. cauliflower, kale, sprouts, roots, tomatoes… (the list can go on almost endlessly). The only problem is that we cannot put him in the school canteen: in France, animal proteins are compulsory (by law!) at each meal and you seldom get anything without cream or other crappy sauces.Great to hear about your boy. What’s with the messed up law about animal protein? That’s absurd.You can read more at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-French-Government-outlaws-Vegetarianism-in-Schools/277023712330902 and help us by signign the petition at http://petition.icdv.info/en/In the U.S. we have the Milk Council and in France it sounds like you have the Meat Council.  Really disturbing how politics and profit can negatively affect what we can choose to eat.My nephew is sometimes vegan and at his school in the US, they would insist he put ham and cheese on his tray (which he would promptly throw away as soon as he got through the line). Did they make the kids getting pizza and fries and nothing else get a veggie? Nope. Just the vegan kid with the huge salad.What is also interesting about this video is: If the mother is not eating all those fruits and veggies, then the baby will not get that mulit-flavored milk.  So, this piece is not just about exclusively breast feeding baby, but also about mommy taking care with what she eats.   Not a revelation, of course, but it is yet one more interesting way to look at the importance of what the mother eats.What to do if there is breastfeeding is impossible?Hi Dr. Greger, Before we get too far from the subject of toxins, can you address hair dies? How bad are they really? Is there a best and a worst?There’s a link between hair dyes and bladder cancer. Hair stylists are particularly at risk.This site is dedicated to food, nutrition, and diet.  You may find useful information regarding hair dyes and other cosmetics on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep website:http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/You may want to consider henna as a hair dye alternativeI’m disappointed that the title of this article is so misleading. We all know “breast is best” and I was really looking forward to learning what formula I should be giving to my foster son. (Yes, it’s stupid that it’s against the rules for me to give breast milk to my foster son, but if I broke the rules I could lose my license and not be able to adopt him!!) So, I’ve been looking forward to this video so I could find out which baby formula to give him, only to view it and discover it’s all about breastfeeding. Don’t get me wrong – breastfeeding is awesome, I did it for a year with my biological daughter. But it just isn’t possible with my foster son and it would have been nice if the title of this video actually fit with the content.A lot of Dr. Greger’s titles are punny but in this case The Best Baby Formula is. . . Breast Milk.  That is his point is that no formula is better than Breast Milk. But regarding formula Soy is best.  Here is a link to Dr. Neal Barnards website NutritionMD.org: http://www.nutritionmd.org/nutrition_tips/nutrition_tips_infant_nutrition/formula.html If it doesn’t work you may have to first sign up with your email address but it is free. I hope this helps.Agreed, this video title is a bit misleading.  All of us watching this series already know that “breast is best”. Problem is that not every woman with a baby can breastfeed. A video on breast milk alternatives would be nice indeed.I am glad I am not the only one who thinks so!I agree. I was am a very healthy plant based mom who planned on breastfeeding but was not able to do so. I would have actually liked to know the best formula for my baby, given our inability to breastfeed.My adopted kids arrived weaned, but I hope someone made an effort to feed them the best available formula. (Kudos to you in looking out for your foster son!) When looking for information on pre- and probiotics, I noticed quite a few studies and reviews on tweaking formula to better approximate breast milk’s good outcomes. Perhaps one day (when he has a free moment ;-), Dr. Greger could sift through these and provide some informed guidance on what to look for in formulas that best approach breast milk, when breastfeeding is not possible, e.g.,Vandenplas Y et al. 2014. Prebiotics in infant formula.Gut Microbes. 2014;5(6):681-7. doi: 10.4161/19490976.2014.972237. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25535999Abstract. The gastrointestinal microbiota of breast-fed babies differ from classic standard formula fed infants. While mother’s milk is rich in prebiotic oligosaccharides and contains small amounts of probiotics, standard infant formula doesn’t. Different prebiotic oligosaccharides are added to infant formula: galacto-oligosaccharides, fructo-oligosaccharide, polydextrose, and mixtures of these. There is evidence that addition of prebiotics in infant formula alters the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota resembling that of breastfed infants. They are added to infant formula because of their presence in breast milk. Infants on these supplemented formula have a lower stool pH, a better stool consistency and frequency and a higher concentration of bifidobacteria in their intestine compared to infants on a non-supplemented standard formula. Since most studies suggest a trend for beneficial clinical effects, and since these ingredients are very safe, prebiotics bring infant formula one step closer to breastmilk, the golden standard. However, despite the fact that adverse events are rare, the evidence on prebiotics of a significant health benefit throughout the alteration of the gut microbiota is limited.Another foster-adopt mom here who looked to this video for info about actual formula. Feeding breast milk from a milk bank or wet nurse it not only not practical but in our cases as foster parents also it’s against the rules and could get us in major trouble with Family Services. Furthermore, recent studies have recently come out that show many milk banks are providing breast milk that has been tainted with dangerous pathogens or just plain cow’s milk.Misleading titleIs it true that if a mother is on medication it transfers to baby from breastfeeding possibly causing problems in child?MJ, It IS true that a mother’s medications can transfer to the baby through her breast milk. Anything a mother ingests – medications, supplements, food – has the potential to impact her baby to varying degrees. Maintaining a healthy diet and having an open dialogue with the family doctors will keep both protected.This is NOT true. The vast majority of medications do not enter breast milk (for a variety of reasons: molecular size, protein-binding, etc.) and most of those that do have no effect on the baby. There are some medications that are potentially a problem. Dr. Thomas Hale has written an excellent book on this that is updated every couple of years: he lists medications and rates them for safety for breastfeeding.I may have misread what TCB Health says: medications CAN transfer. It doesn’t say if all, a majority or a minority. It only states that in at least one case, the medication transfers to the baby through breastmilk. Apparently, it doesn’t contradict what Dr. Hales says, IMHO.Thank you, Teresa and Luis, for your replies and added information. Teresa, I believe we are essentially saying the same thing. I purposely kept my response generic because MJ did not ask about a specific medication. It would have been irresponsible of me to imply that all medications are safe. Multiple factors are involved in whether a certain medication passes into breast milk and the best course of action is to discuss all medications and concerns with one’s personal physician. Reading about Dr. Hale’s work, however, is an excellent way to learn more about it and to be better prepared for discussions with the doctor.It is not ironic at all and actually follows complete logic. And breastmilk is not “the best formula”. It is the normal food you give a human childJust like to extent my gratitude for the work you do. It’s amazing. Thank you!Misleading… All of us already know that breastmilk is best! But how about the women who can’t breastfeed? The ones who doesn’t have enough milk or when breast feeding is just impossible? I thought that this article will give you alternatives of the best formula milk for mothers who doesn’t have enough milk for their babies or just can’t breastfeed.Sorry, I mean the title is misleading.A study this spring suggests that delaying the introduction of grains until 6 months increases the risk of celiac disease. the findings are contrary to the suggestion that exclusive breast-feeding for 6 months is optimal. I think it’d help to revise this video. thanks.Question: I try to breastfeed exclusively but even with the assistance of a lactation consultant and fenugreek I have not been able to completely nourish my baby with breast milk. I even tried the prescription Reglan for a little while then stopped due to side effects. We were supplementing with organic dairy based formula. However, we recently discovered he has a milk allergy (along with reflux) and the use of organic dairy based formula is no longer an option. We tried to feed him nutrimigen but he won’t take it. He will drink soy formula although he doesn’t like it as much as dairy formula or breast milk. I have read very scary things about soy formula and little boys due to the estrogen. Could you elaborate on the safety of soy formula in baby boys?I was not able to brest feed my child due to health problems I have but I gave my child the best milk to him I gave him Soy milk . and at birth I didn’t feed him around the clock milk I gave him water and juice insted of milk he grow very healthy baby and Not a fat baby never Hungry and I gave him all the water he wanted I was told he was going to lost his hair but this was untrue he was was very healthy baby he had a milk 4 times a day this child is now 40 yr old . and has 2 of his own .Firstly, thanks for what you do. You have helped inspire my wife and I to seriously adjust our eating habits. Secondly, I agree with some of the other similar comments below – Of course breast feeding is the most healthy thing for a newborn, but unfortunately some mothers (like my wife) are unable to breast feed as long as they would like for certain reasons, so there is no alternative but to formula feed. Your title “The Best Baby Formula” is misleading and insensitive to some mothers who would very much like to breastfeed but can’t. We came to this video excited for the idea that you had some real input on how to choose the right formula since we value your opinions, but we were very disapointed in this one. Maybe you could do something on actual formula for those of us that are unable to give our children breast milk any longer?Hello. I have breasted exclusively for 6 months. She is now eating solids as well as continuing with breast milk. I would like to use some formula milk to mix with cereals. My doctor insists any milk needs to be cows milk based and that soy based formulas are not proven in the market. Almond milk is apparently not okay either. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks a lot. JudyJudy: I am not an expert, but maybe I have some thoughts that will help you.Based on what I’ve read, it sounds to me like you are doing so much right in terms of breastfeeding and now slowly moving to solid foods. What I don’t understand is why you would want to mix formula milk with cereals instead of just regular non-dairy milk. Why a formula milk? I would think that babies only need formula milk when they can’t get human breast milk.I have found the group/website Vegetarian Resource Group to provide well researched, sound information. They have a page that I think would be helpful for your situation. It covers a wider age range, but the following page has a section about moving babies from breast milk to solid food: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/pregnancy.htmAs for any sort of cows milk product: I personally would never give my child, especially such a young one, any non-human breast milk. Dr. McDougall thinks that cows milk is the likely cause of type 1 diabetes. And you will be interested in the following video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/Which ends with this text: “…Until doctors are taught more about nutrition their advising us about diet may be physician-assisted suicide. There is one doctor though, everyone trusts. Perhaps the most famous physician of all time. Dr Benjamin Spock. Always on the forefront of important social issues. And in the final edition of his book, the best selling book in American history (second only to the Bible), he recommended that all children be raised on meat and dairy free diets to prevent diseases like cancer.”I’m sure your doctor means well. But it is worth taking his nutritional advice with the practical understanding of how ignorant most doctors (not all! We have some great ones who follow this site) are when it comes to nutrition.Hope that helps!After breast feeding is soy milk healthy for young children ?Michael I have been Exclusively BFing my twins for 6.5 months but recently started adding baby porridge in addition to their feeds. This has greatly improved their sleeping but Because they were five weeks premature should I stop and wait til their corrected age of six months is reached? THanksDr Greger hello,First off, thank you for the work you do! I’ve always got one or eight of your videos open.I saw a ray of hope in the title of your video “The Best Baby Formula” but alas it’s not really about formula at all, so broke my heart just that little bit more. But it is a good twist :)I recently won the ailment lottery and developed Transient Osteoporosis of Pregnancy. Long story short, I shall breastfeed for just 6 beautiful months because according to advisors far smarter than I, breastfeeding any longer will speed up bone loss and significantly increase my fracture risk – still tempting though. Just passed the 3-month mark and bone density is only a smidgen worse :) which is fabulous!Through the profound sadness of not being able to give my daughter the best, I’m looking for the next best solution…which seems like soy formula while transitioning to solids.I doubt I need to tell you or anyone reading this just how fraught this decision is.Please, please do give some guidance to those of us facing such a difficult decision.*My husband and I are huge fans and have attended more than 5 of your presentations. Thank you for your excellent work! Our 8½ month old grandson is weaning himself off breast feeding. My daughter and son-in-law are hoping we can recommend a plant based formula. I have not read favorable things about soy formulas – even organic. Apparently almond and oat milks are not appropriate until age one. Can you please help us with recommendations?Hi Lisa. So glad you were able to see Dr. Greger in action! I am happy to try and help provide some resources. Here is some information on soy formulas. I really do not think there are other options if you’re trying to avoid cow’s milk-based formula. I can find out more. In the meantime, perhaps check out the Vegetarian Resource Group or The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has fact sheet on Vegetarian Infants. Thanks for reposting your question. Let me know if these help?JosephThanks, but only six months?! What about 7 to 24 to 36 months?! Why not breast-feed until a child have its own teeth and is able to chew? It was known in Hygienic circles that babies does not have ptyalin in their saliva and therefore cannot digest starches which are unfortunately abundantly applied in their diet even before sixth month. Is it not allowed to say that a mother should breast-feed her child untill a child is able to chew its food?FYI, L. reuteri prevents colic symptoms in newborns. One can hope that other childhood maladies associated with colic can also be reduced. (My niece (breast-fed for six months) and I (formula-fed in 1950s) both suffered colic.):‘Good bacterium’ prevents colic symptoms in newborns Treatment with beneficial microbe nearly halves crying time by Nathan Seppa 6:02pm, January 13, 2014 https://www.sciencenews.org/article/good-bacteria-prevents-colic-symptoms-newborns….Researchers at the University of Bari Aldo Moro in Italy teamed with other scientists across Italy to randomly assign 589 newborns to get either a placebo or a probiotic supplement. The supplement contained live Lactobacillus reuteri, a microbe shown previously to improve intestinal function. Parents delivered the drops and kept detailed diaries of infant health for three months.Newborns getting the microbe were less apt to develop colic symptoms. They cried for an average of 38 minutes per day; infants getting placebo cried for 71 minutes. The microbe-treated babies also spit up less often. … Parents whose babies got the microbes lost only about half a day of work during the study, compared with nearly three days for parents of infants getting a placebo.Citations F. Indrio et al. Prophylactic use of a probiotic in the prevention of colic, regurgitation, and functional constipation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Pediatrics. Published online January 13, 2014. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.4367. http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1812293Further Reading N. Seppa. Colic in infancy linked to migraines later in childhood. Science News. Vol. 183, May 18, 2013, p. 18. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/colic-infancy-linked-migraines-later-childhoodF. Savino et al. Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 in infantile colic: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Pediatrics. Vol. 126, September 1, 2010. p. e526. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-0433. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/126/3/e526Interesting research, thanks for sharing!	asthma,bile acids,breast milk,breastfeeding,cancer,cardiovascular disease,celiac disease,children,chronic diseases,Crohn's disease,diabetes,gut flora,heart disease,hormones,immune function,infant formula,infants,inflammatory bowel disease,leukemia,obesity,stroke,Surgeon General,ulcerative colitis,vegetables,women's health,World Health Organization	Exclusive breast-feeding for a full six months may ironically improve our children's taste for vegetables, whereas children fed formula grow up with increased rates of inflammatory diseases such as asthma, cancer, and diabetes.	Other tips on raising healthy children can be found in videos such as Nerves of Mercury, Preventing Childhood Allergies, and Dairy & Sexual Precocity. Unfortunately parents tend to overestimate the quality of their children's diets. For advice on how to best raise our children, one can't beat the advice offered by the most esteemed pediatrician of all time, Dr. Benjamin Spock. Check out Dr. Spock’s advice in Doctors' Nutritional Ignorance.If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgeon-general/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infant-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ulcerative-colitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celiac-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crohns-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mothers-overestimate-dietary-quality/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21112361,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20624333,
PLAIN-2854	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plants-vs-pesticides/	Plants vs. Pesticides	Not only do plant foods tend to have significantly lower levels of industrial pollutants because they are at the bottom of the food chain, there may be phytonutrients that combat the effects of some of these toxicants. A group of scientists recently published a paper describing what happened when they ordered some dioxin from Dow Chemical, grabbed some DDT while they were at it, and dripped the chemicals on some human white blood cells with and without a variety of phytonutrients to see if they could have a protective effect.They identified two as “the most effective agents in protecting human blood cells from developing these cell toxic effects of dioxin and DDT. Here’s a bit of their data—this is measuring inflammation triggered by the dioxin. All four of these phytonutrients seemed to mitigate the toxic effect, but zerumbone, found in ginger, and auraptene, found in citrus, appeared best at suppressing the inflammation. Now this is obviously very preliminary, it was in a test tube and they tested only a tiny fraction of the tens of thousands of known phytonutrients, but it does open up the possibility that plant-based diets may play a dual role in protecting us against industrial pollutants, reducing exposure—and, potentially, reducing some of the damage from any chemicals we're still exposed to, given how polluted our world has become.	Where is dioxin found in our diet? See Dioxins in the Food Supply. What about DDT? See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals. To how many different chemicals are the most vulnerable amongst us exposed overall? See CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure for pollutants in pregnant women and yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day, How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs?, for exposure of children. More on ginger in Amyloid and Apple Juice and Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees. See how we can incorporate more in our diet in Healthy Pumpkin Pie and The Healthiest Beverage. I’ve also got 11 videos on citrus and hundreds of videos on a thousand other topics.   If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.I don’t understand why the chemicals are more concentrated in animals?Because animals are higher on the food chain. The cow eats a huge amount of vegetation and the veggie contaminants are gradually accumulated in the cow’s proteins and fats. It’s also why regularly eating swordfish or shark rather than sardines will get you mercury poisoning. Eat low on the food chain to avoid toxins.Well spoken R lan FlettPutting cow manure on my vegetable garden yesterday I had a thought that this stuff might be as contaminated as the cow that produced it, and I m risking contaminating my veggies when I use it. Any data on this? thanks for your efforts. Use organic, or look into vermiculture… Worms make GOLD!!!No simple answer here. It depends on the source of the cow manure. If it came from grain fattening feed lots it could concentrate certain toxins and if it came from pastures it could be filtered by the vegetation that the cows ate. The cow acts as a filter to some extent by accumulating certain toxins in its fat and others in its protein. Its liver and its huge amount of stomach bacteria help break down many toxins. The bacteria keep working in the manure long after it’s excreted. My guess is that good quality cow manure in the food cycle is detoxic in most cases. Also you are not spreading it on the plant leaves but on the ground and it has to go through another filtration process in the soil to get to the veggie’s roots. Thanks very much for your reply. I am going to act as if your advice was my experience, and use the cow manure . However Think I’ll use our community garden compost bin more too.I would say that the cow manure possibly could transfer pollutants to your garden. The milk of grazing animals such as cows and sheep can be used to estimate the PCB toxic waste contamination of the soil (http://1.usa.gov/Pxhuut) although as R lan Flett pointed out the pollutants may not necessarily be in the waste although I wouldn’t doubt that the cow itself is trying to remove pollutants as we humans do through the feces.Thanks for your reply . I;m now wondering if the fact that the cow’s meat and fat contain a lot of toxins, means the animal has sequestered some of what it ingested, so that its manure has less as a result? Does anyone know if any studies have been done on this? Why is cow manure an acceptable fertilizer on an organic farm? Should it be?Cow manure, even though it may be toxic, is a natural product from animals, and is not made from synthetic chemicals or mining wastes and nan created chemicals. This was part of the Organic Foods and Production Act of 1990 passed by Congress. The studies of dioxins, PCBs and other persistent organic pollutants began occurring AFTER the law was passed, during the Clinton Administration. The more things added to the law, as amendments means that they probably won’t pass the legislative process again, especially with how things are now in Washington.If the cow manure is from cows grown by the organic method and fed certified organic feed, it may be okay. But, the intense amounts of pesticides, and the GMO are in every part of the cattle, including the hoofs, and feces. These bacteria and other organisms will contaminate the cow and other livestock manure because of the food they have been fed. The herbicides are also building up in rainwater, because the air has become more polluted with pesticides from conventional agriculture and intensive chemical GMO agriculture.While humans and our pets may have access to carbon filtered water (for example, the Multi-Pure 750 series is certified to reduces 2,4-D, and certain other pesticides and industrial chemicals from our tap water), farmers cannot afford to feed their livestock carbon filtered waters. So whatever is in those waters, accumulates in the cattle.I bought a worm factory 360 and have been feeding the red wiggler composting worms mostly vegetable scraps from my collard greens, and other veggies, and some fruits for over a year. Everything except onions and citrus, which can kill the worms! All produce has been washed in carbon filtered water because the worms don’t do well with chlorinated tap water (and most pesticides are also chlorinated causing the worms to die). I, then, take those finely chopped veggies and microwave them in a ceramic dish for 3 minutes to kill any remaining microorganisms on the surface. And when the temperature of the plant foods cool down to the temperature inside the worm bin, they are added and spread throughout the top bin layer. It takes about 4 months to produce enough for a small planter. My 2×8 raised bed will need 12 months worth. There are no worms inside the worm castings/poop that I can see. Just black gold (poop) that the plants love and reward me with healthy leaves, stems, and shoots. The worms digest the food wastes inside their bodies so no pathogens are in the poop according to the Rodale Institute. Hence, the worm poop is ready for the seedlings to eat in the garden.Forgot the url: http://www.amazon.com/Worm-Factory-WF360B-Composter-Black/dp/B002LH47PY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413310301&sr=8-1&keywords=worm+factory+360 The Worm Factory that I purchased from Amazon has a paper back booklet with all you need to know about caring, feeding, and maintaining the health of your red wigglers –worms, called vermin. Vermiculture is fertilizer made by worms. What nutrients are in the worm poop, depends on what you feed them. My worms are getting mostly calcium, magnesium, vitamin K and whatever else is in my collards, along with the multi-minerals that come with the kit –factory.If I could turn a compost pile, which I cannot due to my osteoporosis and multi-fractured spine, I would have leaf and yard wastes along with vegetable plant wastes. But, I’m afraid to try that since I fractured a lumbar spine just using a long rake to cover vegetable wastes. But the same problem remains, the GMOs go into the manure, the bone and blood meal and other nutrients from animals’ bodies, as well as the cotton seed meal (cotton is also from highly GMO and herbicide intensive agriculture).I bought some compost from Gardeners Supply in Burlington, Vermont for my raised bed because I know I won’t have enough worm poop for my plantings. You can also purchase the worm factory from them, as well.Don’t know anything about these herbs, but if you’re interested, found other citrus plants used in chinese medicine : Atalantia buxifolia [Syn. Severinia buxifolia], Poncirus trifoliata, and Zanthoxylum schinifolium. There’s also acetoxyauraptene (no clue about it) which is in szechuan pepper. Stuff to check out if you’re into it.I heard someone tell me they still use pesticides on big corporate farms. Organic ones that are dangerous and they don’t have tests to test for them… So that is why organic is not much greater than foods with pesticides sprayed on them? As they’re getting sprayed with Organic Pesticides? Is this true? Is Organic any better than none organic? And Does organic raise the nutritional value more than say than non organic or wild vegetables and fruit?Organic crops grown by the organic method does not allow the use organic chemicals or pesticides. The organic method is not the same as organic chemistry. After the law was passed the first regulations were written during the Clinton Administration by Kathleen Merrigan. They were very protective of public health and adhered to the law.This is not true of the regulations today. Now USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack under the Obama Administration has undermined the law, ignored the National Organic Standards Board created by Congress to advise the Secretary, and instead, he takes his advice from the agrichemical interests. The organic community is very upset by this as is the NOSB, litigation may be in the works.The organic community through litigation has forced the USDA to follow the law as passed by Congress in most avenues and will continue to oversee what happens to organic food production. Organic and truly sustainable agriculture has more nutrients and less toxic pesticides than any other method of growing food in the USA. For a comparative study, get:Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans authored by T. Bøhn, et al. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814613019201 or read: How “Extreme Levels” of Roundup in Food Became the Industry Norm March 24, 2014 in Independent Science News, also by T. Bøhn and Marek Cuhra, two of the scientists who authored the above study. Organic foods, those grown by the organic method, and regulated by through the Congress passed Organic Foods and Production Act of 1990 do not allow toxic manmade chemicals to be used in organic agriculture. Organic agriculture has all the nutrients received through the soil and is the healthiest food available. There are many studies showing how organic foods are better than conventional or GMO-chemically intensive agriculture, but unfortunately, Monsanto shills have eliminated files from my computer.Some organic chemicals are fat soluble, that means they concentrate and accumulate in the fats in our bodies. They concentrate in animal flesh and fat, and when bigger and animals higher up the food chain eat them, these chemicals are further concentrated, and by the time humans and the unborn ingests those chemicals, huge quantities of very toxic chemicals like dioxins and furans, but other persistent organic pollutants accumulate in us, where the damage to our health occurs. The same is true for our pets, who are at the top of their food chain.	auraptene,citrus,DDT,dioxins,Dow Chemical,ginger,industrial toxins,inflammation,persistent organic pollutants,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,zerumbone	Phytonutrients found in certain foods may protect against the toxic effects of industrial pollutants such as dioxin and DDT, suggesting a dual role for plant-based diets to reduce both exposure and subsequent damage.	Where is dioxin found in our diet? See Dioxins in the Food Supply. What about DDT? See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals. How many different chemicals are the most vulnerable amongst us overall? See CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure for pollutants in pregnant women and yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day, How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs?, for exposure of children. More on ginger in Amyloid and Apple Juice and Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees. See how we can incorporate more in our diet in Healthy Pumpkin Pie and The Healthiest Beverage. I've also got 11 videos on citrus and hundreds of videos on a thousand other topics.For some more context, please check out my associated blog posts: Countering Dietary Pollutants & Pesticides, Dr. Greger's Natural Nausea Remedy Recipe, and  Apple Peels Turn On Anticancer Genes	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zerumbone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ddt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dow-chemical/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/auraptene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthy-pumpkin-pie-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%EF%BB%BFcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/	-
PLAIN-2855	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals	What about perfluorochemicals, another persistent industrial pollutant? Recently linked to thyroid disease…Though the highest levels were found in the United States, China comes in #2. Where is exposure coming from? A little in dust and drinking water, but overwhelmingly meat, and fish, though of course our infants get it from us.What about the dietary intake of PCBs and organochlorine pesticides in children and adults? Fish, fats, meat, cheese, eggs, dairy, eggs, poultry. Same sources for children. What about DDT? Again, overwhelmingly fish—everything eventually flows into the sea, though children get a bit more DDT drinking milk than adults.And for those aching for a little hexachlorobenzene, it’s conveniently packaged in the same foods.How many pesticides do you think our children are potentially exposed to? Well, here's a list, in alphabetical order. This is just up to A. …Why don't we just stop at T.How do these chemicals get into our food supply? We’ve so polluted our planet, now it just comes down in the rain and can concentrate their way up the foods chain.8 different pesticides were recently reported contaminating the snow packed tips of the rocky mountains. If they’re contaminated, then every where’s contaminated, so the best we can do is eat as low on the food chain as possible, plant foods, preferably organic.	In Cannibalistic Feed Biomagnification I explore how many pollutants can creep up the food chain. A similar array of foods is contaminated with other industrial pollutants. See Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants, Dioxins in the Food Supply, and the NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day on Monday, Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals. Which fish is most contaminated? See Farmed Fish vs. Wild-Caught. In addition to eating as low as possible on the food chain, choosing organic can reduce our families’ pesticide exposure. See, for example, Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off?   If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here. It is incorrect that animal products are the only dietary source for various chemicals. For example, in the following study from Spain the main source for PCNs are (1) oils and fats (olive, sunflower,margarine) (2) cereals.http://www.saveva.com/domamAcsa/pub/acsa/html/ca/dir1538/dn1538/pcn03.pdfHe doesn’t state that animal products are the only dietary source for chemicals/pesticides. The video clearly states that even pristine mountain peak snow is contaminated so clearly everything in the world has potential contamination. He then also clearly states that the best one can do is eat as low on the food chain as possible and preferably organic. He claim that animal products are far worse than plants. As I wrote below, this may not be true.It is obviously true. But the best thing to do is to is eat organic. There are more fat cells for pollution to be stored in. Plants don’t have as many. As for oil… that would be due to pesticides been sprayed on plants which get mixed in with the food same with crops, which is cereals. Again eating organic would also stop this. The plants themselves would be less polluted if people where not spraying substances on them. Which means get organic oils and organic cereals.It is clear that animals are not the only source – if they were then he would have not recommended eating organic. However, bioaccumulation is not a problem in plants because they don’t eat each other! Oil is an interestng one – it also represents a concentration of the most polluted cells.Another interesting point is that we need to eat a lot more plants to get the same calories – but based on what I have read I still think plants are by far the safest eating choice.If the pesticides come down in the rain then nothing is organic! The best we can do is reduce the number of pesticides and other chemicals we are spewing into the environment and find a way to more quickly bioremediate the planet and reduce the mess we have already made!No that isn’t the same, see it depends where the plants are grown, and how the water is put on the plants. If plants are grown in green houses with filtered water, than yes they’re organic. It’s not as simple as what you said. Even plants outside are organic since the amount of pesticides in rain will depend on the areas. Some rain might have next to no pesticides in and evidence shows that those eating organic have next to no pesticides in their body, and in most cases none at all. So yes organic is the solution to avoiding commercial pesticides, however big corporate farmers still use organic pesticides which not all are as well tested and so could still be a problem, it’s best to know your farmer and know what they do so you make better choices. But that said failing being able to do that, organic is far healthier food than none organic in most cases. Not all, but most.I realize all of that, my point was just that it isn’t always as straight forward as it seems. Some pesticides are obviously more or less toxic than others. When and how applicators spray or apply makes a difference, and as you pointed out there are plenty of supposedly safe pesticides that aren’t necessarily safe if applied improperly. We also have to consider total load and not just call wolf with everything out there. Perspective is just as important as listing toxins in the environment. Many toxins are naturally found in the environment as byproducts of natural processes, but as you know it is all about the toxin, the dose and total exposure over time.Hey DT, thanks for pointing this out.  Your comment spurred me to research this issue further.  At first I tried to figure out why the oil and fat samples showed such a high quantity of PCNs.  I did not find a satisfactory answer.  I did, however, find a subsequent study (published 5 years later) by the same author of the study that you cited.  In this more recent study, the PCN and PCDE concentration in oils and fats appear to be significantly lower than Fish and Seasfood and lower than his previous study from 2003.  Perhaps the author utilized improved sampling methods?  Check out Table #2 in the 2008 study, Fish and Seafood averages 1094.7 ngs/kg versus 8.3 ngs/kg for oils and fats. wow!2008 Study: http://www.gencat.cat/salut/acsa/html/ca/dir1538/cont_quim2010/marti-est08-pcn-pcde.pdf1. You are looking at the wrong table. PCN concentrations are in table 1: 47.1 for fish 21.5 for oils. 3rd place goes for bakery products: 15.3.2. Comparison by concentrations per kg is not “fair” (such comparison is made on the October 29th video). A more fair comparison is concentrations per calorie. For example, in the study above, meat was 2.8 ng/kg, while vegetables were 2.3. However, the meat has 5-10 times more calories than vegetables per calorie, so if you compute concentrations per calorie, vegetables are far worse than meat.3. The reason for the differences between the studies is that there is large variability in chemical concentrations. Even if you take two fish of same specie bought in the same place, you will get different results. This is claims like “White meat is more contaminated that red” which Dr. Greger gave in the video based on one study are wrong.I looked at both tables and agree with your findings in table 1, I was just pointing out that for other dioxin like  chemicals  (PCDEs in table 2) massive quantities were detected in seafood and relatively little in oils and your first comment pertained to oils and fats.  Your point regarding calories is certainly valid and the charts that Doctor Greger cites (beginning at 44 seconds) concurs with your point.  Personally, I don’t eat meat because there are so few micronutrients, so few beneficial chemicals in meat.  So I don’t even consider eating meat.Regardless I think we would both agree to advise our families and friends to avoid seafood because of the extremely high levels of PCNs and PCDEs detected.  That’s my  major takeaway from this.I think theres a very interesting point that you raised: plants usually contains a far higher density of chemicals (per calorie) that help our bodies get rid of these toxins. That also has to be a consideration given the widespread pollution around today.Per calorie is going to skew in favor of low calorie foods like fruits and veggies. Definitely not the way to go! You are going to get differences at different times of years, in different regions, and over time. The measurement comparison by weight makes total sense to me.Does using a veggie wash help? I had to convince my boyfriend that he needed to wash his fruits and veggies with a proper veggie wash solution (Whole Foods brand).He was deeply against it because plants can soak up and absorb the solution. What should we do when there organic isn’t available?Here is what the EWG had to say about washing fruit and veggies to rid them of toxins: “EWG has not evaluated various produce washes for efficacy or potentially toxicity. However, since some plants absorbed pesticides systemically, a produce wash would have limited effect. The safest choice is to use the Shopper’s Guide™ to avoid conventional versions of those fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide residues.” (http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/fa…Also, Dr. Fuhrman (in _Eat for Health_) states: “The large number of studies performed on the typical pesticide-treated produce have demonstrated that consumption of produce, whether organic or not,is related to lower rates of cancer and increased disease protection. In short, it is better to eat fruits and vegetables grown and harvested using pesticides than not to eat them at all.” (p.182) He goes on to say that one can decrease their pesticide exposure from food by about 90%, if one eats the 12 most contaminated foods in their organic forms.Thank you! The link showed incorrectly, but it was easy to figure out the page you wanted to reference. Will still use my veggie wash — have seen clear water turn brown from washing grapes — in the meantime for all plant foods.Fifty-seven pesticides on celery? Madness! See: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews and http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary y’all.Thanks again!You are most welcome. Sorry, about the broken link. Sometimes Disqus cuts urls off, not sure why.  Still, glad that you could access the EWG info. You are most welcome. Sorry, about the broken link. (I think I fixed it.) Sometimes Disqus cuts urls off, not sure why. Still, glad that you could access the EWG info.Just because dirt comes off your produce doesn’t mean it is necessarily contaminated with anything bad. The main reason fro washing produce is to assure you are eliminating pathogens (from potential fecal contamination etc).In other words, it’s better to eat organic produce given a choice, when dealing with the most contaminated produce. But, if you want farmers to change from spraying or treating produce with lots of various toxic chemicals, create a bigger market for organic agriculture. Remember, it’s not just the food that is contaminated, it is also the soil in which the food is grown (the dust that enters homes, businesses, schools and hospitals), the surface and groundwaters, not to mention the rainwater. USGS found that it’s raining pesticides down wind from where heavy agricultural areas are located. They tested precipitation in Mississippi and Iowa and found vast amounts of agricultural chemicals being cleansed from the sky by the precipitation and falling back to earth. Change does not happen if we continued to purchase toxic agriculture!Most definitely, if possible, organic is best.Agreed!I agree!I am also interested if washing our vegetables will help – after this video it would seem that even the organic vegetables need to be washed.  But, after watching this video – what do we wash them with?I use a few drops of grapefruit seed extract into a large bowl of water. But, I’ve also read that vinegar and water with 4 parts water to one part white vinegar removes the surface bacteria and some of the pesticides.Since many pesticides are systemic and go all the way in to the seed, you cannot remove them all. But, anything that can be reduced if better than nothing. Remember, go to: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/ to find the foods lowest in pesticides. The higher the number, the lower the pesticides; the lower the number, the higher the pesticides.My thoughts on washing:  Washing plants is certainly a good idea for a variety of reasons, but there is no way to get rid of the chemicals completely.  If the chemicals are truly in the (rain) water itself, then the chemicals are going to be in the very cells of plants since water is used as the plant grows.  This would be true of organic plants too. HOWEVER, since the chemicals get more concentrated the more you move up the food chain (and possibly the more processed a food is?) and since at least with organic, the “farmers” are not directly spraying the chemicals on the food or ground itself, you are doing the best you can to avoid the chemicals when you eat low on the food chain and eat organic. It is especially helpful to eat whole plants (as opposed to say “fats”, which were on the pie chart and which I assume mean processed products like canola and margarine).So, yes, wash your veggies.  You will hopefully get surface contaminants (of all kinds, not just chemicals) off your veggies.  (I don’t know about using water vs the veggie washes.)  But even with washing, don’t think that you are home-free.  In my less than humble opinion, we should all try to support efforts to remove these chemicals from any kind of use all over the planet, because they affect everyone even if we eat only 100% organic plants, which can be hard to do.Note that this is just my opinion based on the information given in this video.  I do not have any specific research to back it up.The problem with “organic” is your food may be grown in industrial wastes from non-organic factory farms. It is legal for “organic” farms to utilize fertilizer from non-organic sources, such as poultry manures, bone and blood meal, etc.. They may have even been sprayed with liquid wastes. This loophole in the organic standard is a huge flaw and creates the risk of consumer exposure to the same chemicals, such as arsenic, found in non-organic sources, along with other biohazards (c. diff., prions, etc.). Get to know your farmer, seek veganic, or grow your own.It’s still better to eat organic veggies and fruit than eating genetically modified which resist herbicides and other pest controls. This is because the farmers are encouraged, or demanded by Monsanto to repeatedly spray their fields for weeds with the corporations pesticides. Plus, Monsanto, Dow Agrosciences and other biotech-pesticide companies are now using recombinant DNA to engineer in triplicate soy and corn –this will be expanded to other produce as well, all to withstand three equally toxic herbicides so that they say continually spray over and over again to kill every last weed and possibly everthing in their way. At the same time, they’ve lobbied Congress to weaken the Clean Water standards with regard to non-point source pollution (and agriculture runoff). Don’t know if we lost or won.I only buy organic now. My mouth becomes inflamed and swollen when I eat pesticide food. I’m stockpiling seeds washed and dried from the organic produce with the hope that my spine will get stronger so I can plant a raised bed.Soy, corn, cotton, canola, and sugar beets are all genetically engineered with a bacterium or virus so Monsanto can sell more toxic herbicides including Roundup. But, since many weeds have become immune to Roundup, Monsanto and the other biotechnology companies are genetically engineering seeds like soy in triplicate so it can resist glyphosate (active ingredient in Roundup), Dicamba, and 2,4-D in the case of one biotechnology-pesticide giant. Or, Monsanto will be pairing their crops with glufosinate, glyphosate, and dicamba. Cotton seed oil is part of vegetable oil, and is one of the most heavily “treated” crops with chemical herbicide, insecticides, fungicides, adjuvants, and other “economic poisons” in America and increasingly in the world thanks to recombinant DNA. Livestock are fed recombinant DNA soy and corn –both heavily sprayed with 2,4-D, glyfosate, and dicamba or glufosinate. Two of these pesticides are contaminated with dioxins; 2,4-D is contaminated with 2,3,7,8-TCDD, the most toxic dioxin known to mankind and unintentionally created. Dicamba also contains dioxin, as a contaminate. Glufosinate is known to cause heart disease in dogs. Since dogs get some of the same diseases people receive, I wonder if glufosinate can also cause heart disease in people? This is a good reason for having a whole house carbon water filter if you live in agricultural areas, AND eating both organically grown foods plus eating vegan. avoiding dairy, meat, and fish because dioxins accumulate and concentrate in the fatty tissue of animals and animal proteins and fatty tissues. Also fight back. Support the right to know of Genetically Modified Organisms in food or mandatory labeling of GMO’s in food. When the California ballot initiative returns in 2013, help by sending money to the Yes ballot initiative. I helped fund Proposition 37 even though I don’t live in California and cannot vote. Unfortunately, I did not have enough money nor did the right to know campaign. But, if we all helped, we could make a difference. 61 countries in the world have mandatory labeling and the right to know if the food they eat contains GMO’s. Some countries have activists that will not let GMO crops and livestock from the USA come into their country and very little GMO’s are planted. Whereas in the USA, over 85 percent of food in grocery stores is recombinant DNA with foreign organisms to resist more herbicides or other pesticides. It’s our health and that of our children. With the right to know we can fight back and win. Without it, we’ll die a faster death.I don’t see how recombinant DNA and the use of pesticides have anything to do with another unless you are just saying that having an herbicide-resistant plant is allowing higher usage of this pesticide?What is in the the “fats” category?Dioxins, furans, PCBs, organochlorines can all accumulate and concentrate in fats, especially animal fats. When we eat those animals, being the top of the food chain, we get all that the animal has eaten and more because it is concentrated in its body. And, when we have children, those toxins go into the unborn, or through breast milk. However, breast milk is still the best food for babies. Under no circumstances should new parents buy readily available processed breast milk, which is recombinant DNA –genetically engineered with a foreign organism from another species and may poison your baby. Likewise, Horizon Dairy, while labeled organic is genetically engineered with an organism from another species. The reason. We have a corrupt government. This was allowed during the Bush-Cheney administration and continues under Obama.Very interesting information, Could you please share some sources or links to this info? I’d like to read up on it some more.I don’t know where to start. I have attended Scientific Assemblies and conferences since the early 1990’s, subscribed to newsletters, tracked down information in university libraries over the decades. Articles referred back to studies submitted to the USEPA. Most studies are gone because of posturing by the Bush-Cheney administration, who allowed vested corporations to eliminate any study they did not like and as a result, the studies disappeared and even the studies at the National Library of Congress have disappeared along with regulations on pesticides and other industrial poisons. Bush and Cheney closed the libraries for the US EPA. No one knows what happened to the studies. Perhaps, they were shredded. My source was Public Employees Environmental Responsibility, but the information is no longer online.I would suggest you start by reading a book written for laypersons: Our Stolen Future, first published by Dutton, Peguin Books (NY) in 1996 (ISBN 0-525-93982-2). Also, go to the home of OurStolenFuture.org and start opening links. The book explains much of what I’ve learned from these scientists and from others. Amazon has the paperback version for $10.53.After you have read through the ourstolenfuture web site and followed their links, which may take quite some time, updates are available at: http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/For example,Persistent pollutants slow the time to pregnancy in couples. http://tinyurl.com/cu5n39hPublished studies don’t just disappear!What are you talking about processed breast milk that is genetically engineered? There are GMO humans now?Great video as always, Dr. Greger.I was wondering, have the levels of toxins you’ve been discussing in this the previous videos been shown to cause damage? What I’m essentially asking is, should we be worried these low levels of toxins? Thanks in advance.Low levels of some environmental toxins, like dioxins, are extremely toxic in parts per quadrillion. To make matters worse, dioxin is invisible, odorless and tasteless. It is extremely expensive to test. What’s the danger with dioxins, even at low levels?“More girls than boys are born in some Canadian communities because airborne pollutants called dioxins can alter normal sex ratios, even if the source of the pollution is many kilometres away, researchers say.Dioxin exposure has been shown elsewhere to lead to both higher cancer rates and the birth of more females…”“Researchers at the IntraAmericas Centre for Environment and Health say their findings, released this month, confirm the phenomenon in Canada…The study also reveals the health risks of living within 25 km of sources of pollution — a greater distance than previously thought, they said.”Source: DIOXINS CAN ALTER NORMAL SEX RATIOS FOR BIRTHS By Jonathan Spicer, Reuters, October 25th, 2007, http://tinyurl.com/c4samcb Study available at: http://www.precaution.org/lib/dioxins_and_sex_ratio.2.071015.pdfAwesome question!	cheese,chicken,children,China,dairy,DDT,eggs,fish,hexachlorobenzene,industrial toxins,infants,meat,milk,organic foods,PCBs,perfluorochemicals,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,poultry,seafood,thyroid disease,thyroid health,turkey	Where do DDT, hexachlorobenzene, PCBs, and perfluorochemicals (linked to thyroid disease) concentrate in the food supply?	In Cannibalistic Feed Biomagnification I explore how many pollutants can creep up the food chain. A similar array of foods is contaminated with other industrial pollutants. See Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants, Dioxins in the Food Supply, and the NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day on Monday, Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals. Which fish is most contaminated? See Farmed Fish vs. Wild-Caught. In addition to eating as low as possible on the food chain, choosing organic can reduce our families' pesticide exposure. See, for example, Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off?For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Protecting Our Babies From Pollutants,  Countering Dietary Pollutants & Pesticides,  Apple Peels Turn On Anticancer Genes, and Fukushima Radiation and SeafoodIf you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ddt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hexachlorobenzene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/perfluorochemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15461154,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20377175,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16509308,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20499934/?tool=pubmed,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21421018,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18453431,
PLAIN-2856	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/	How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs?	Though mothers continue to expose their babies to toxic pollutants, breast is still always best. But say earlier in life, we were, God forbid, eating, the Standard American diet and end up breastfeeding a certain amount of toxic waste to our child. If from then on out, after the birth or weaning of our child, we swear we’ve learned our lesson, we want to start a fresh page in our lives, start to eat healthy, and feed our new child only the best. How long might it take our children to shed the industrial toxins they may have gotten from us in the womb or from the breast?A recent study followed a cohort of children exposed at birth to PCBs from their mothers tested at age 8 and then again at age 12 to get a sense of the half life of these toxins within the body. Depending on which chemical pollutant the estimated half lives ranged from about 4 years to 9 years, so if our children eat a healthy diet, doesn’t go play around in any toxic waste dumps, by the time they’re between 20 and 45 years of age they will have eliminated more than 95% of the PCB inheritance we gave them at birth.A problem they found in doing the study, though, is that they had to throw out a lot of data, exclude children who had obvious PCB reuptakes because their levels were even higher at age 12 than 8, so regardless what kind of start our children got, it’s never too late to improve our families’ diets to prevent additional intakes of these pollutants into their bodies.	This is the eighth video in a series on dietary exposure to industrial pollutants. I started out with the CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure and the President’s Cancer Panel Report on Environmental Risk describing the problem. Then I covered pesticides in bamboo shoots, plastics chemicals affecting sexual function, flame retardant chemicals building up in human breast tissue, and how women are exposed. In yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood I explored how much pesticide pollution we may be passing along to the next generation. How long does it take to detoxify from PBDEs? See Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination. As I note in Industrial Pollutants in Vegans, eating low on the food chain reduces but doesn’t eliminate one’s risk.   If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Hope at last! Hope at last!  Thank God Almighty there’s Hope at last!Paraphrased from MLK.The glimmer of Hope lights our path–Eat varied Whole Food, Non-GMO, Plant-Based foods!  Then maybe, just maybe, we will be able to Free ourselves from our toxic bondage.It’s nice to see the positive.  Maybe now I can stop my St. John’s Wort.It’s nice to put a positive spin on this (re: “…never to late…”), but I found the numbers of how long it takes to get rid of these toxins to be shockingly long.  Oh dear.Actually, I used the word frightening to myself just now.(Picture #1) Recipe! Salad with Peruvian Dressing:  One of my patients taught me this and it’s delicious! Salad of your choice.  Add juice of one half Lime and a Pinch of Salt. That’s it!  For those Veganese people out there use a dash of Iodized Salt.(Picture #2)  Disco Doc wishes you a Happy Halloween!(Picture #3)  Halloween morning sunrise.  Appropriately eerie!Enjoy!Interestingly Discus has a size limit to the pics that are uploaded. So here is the Sunrise, resized to half size but still not fully realized. You can eat and disco your way to good health while watching the sunrise.  Happy Halloween!too cute. love the trees.I’ll have to try that dressing (even though I never encountered such a thing when I visited Peru, alas).  I LOVE limes.  Frequently we’ve been requesting lemon juice in restaurants if they don’t have straight balsalmic vinegar available–or the waitstaff can’t understand the difference between vinegar and vinagrette.It’s sure delicious!Interesting to see something about PCB’s, an environmentally persistent chemical. However, banned in first-world countries for about a generation. Transfer through breast feeding was primarily by the mother eating contaminated fish. Suggest reading the Wiki monograph for further discussion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_biphenylI can’t find anything in your search archives about okra. I love it . Is it good or bad for me.	breast milk,breastfeeding,children,detoxification,industrial toxins,infant formula,infants,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,pregnancy,standard American diet,women's health	Based on the half-life of industrial pollutants children may be exposed to in the womb or at the breast, how many years does it take for them to detoxify their bodies (assuming they're brought up on a healthy diet)?	This is the eighth video in a series on dietary exposure to industrial pollutants. I started out with the CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure and the President’s Cancer Panel Report on Environmental Risk describing the problem. Then I covered pesticides in bamboo shoots, plastics chemicals affecting sexual function, flame retardant chemicals building up in human breast tissue, and how women are exposed. In yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood I explored how much pesticide pollution we may be passing along to the next generation. How long does it take to detoxify from PBDEs? See Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination. As I note in Industrial Pollutants in Vegans, eating low on the food chain reduces but doesn't eliminate one's risk.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Protecting Our Babies From Pollutants, How To Reduce Dietary Antibiotic Intake, Avoid Cooked Meat Carcinogens, Heading Shrinking from Grilling Meat, and Schoolchildren Should Drink More Water	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infant-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21111447,
PLAIN-2857	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/	DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood	Just because mothers have a certain level of industrial pollutants in their fat tissue, or blood stream doesn’t necessarily reflect what they’re passing on to their child, so researchers last year decided to measure pesticide levels right out of the umbilical cord blood. At delivery, as soon as you cut the cord they squirt a little in a vial before they tie it off.318 mothers studied and even now decades after it was banned, “almost all umbilical cord blood samples, 95%, showed detectable DDT residues.” Not exactly the first thing we want to be passing along to our newborns. The most common DDT residue found was a derivative called DDE, which was found most closely associated with the mother’s consumption of three types of foods. Because organochlorine pesticides are attracted to fat, they accumulate in foods of animal origin. “meat, fish, and dairy products were associated with the presence of DDE in umbilical cord serum.”	The reference to pollutants in mothers’ fat is from Friday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue. The dozens of chemicals found in the bodies of pregnant Americans is explored in CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure. For more on which foods appear most contaminated, see yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals. I have 30 other videos on eating for healthy pregnancies, including Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees, Preventing Childhood Allergies, and Pregnant Vegans at Risk for Iodine Deficiency. Even if we do pass a load of pollutants onto our babies, how long does it take their bodies to get rid of them? That’s covered tomorrow in How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs?   If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Dr Greger, why didn’t you mention the following finding of this study “Vegetable consumption was also associated with lindane and fruit intake with endosulfan I.”?Consumption of vegetables can lead to ingestion of pesticides and other chemicals if the vegetables are not washed. See the nice post by R Ian Flett to help explain why you don’t find the fat soluble persistent organic pollutants inside plants. They transport material primarily by water whereas our blood stream has fats and is capable of transporting fat soluble substances to our fat cells. Looking at the big picture the consumption of an all plant diet eliminates greater then 95% of pollutants.. buying organic minimizes your exposure further and avoids GMO exposure as well. The latter subject is particularly worrisome due to lack of human studies, complexity of the issue, corporate interests, etc.. For more information on avoiding the latter you can go to http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/. Next Tuesday we in California have the opportunity to require labeling which will allow consumers to more easily avoid GMO foods. Jeffery Smiths organization, Institute for Responsible Technology, has produced a 1 1/2 hour movie, Genetic Roulette, which is available for free watching through November 6 follow link on website, http://www.responsibletechnology.org/. I’m not a fan of studies which use the term “Mediterranean Diet” since the diets consumed by folks who live around the Mediterranean Sea are varied.You down with DDT, yeah you know me. You down with DDT, yeah you mommy. You down with DDT, yeah you homie.Who’s down with DDT, every last baby!Sad but True.Nothing to do with this video, but could you ask your web designer to add a “play random video button”? That would be cool :D.The video says that these chemicals accumulate in fat.  I wonder if the researchers looked at a link between nut consumption and DDTs in the blood since nuts are high in fat. Not that I would stop eating nuts.  I’m just curious how much of the DDTs are in nuts vs the animal foods.  Partly I’m thinking about another Dr. Greger video (which I wish I could find again – anyone?) that I believe talked about these chemicals getting more concentrated the higher you move up the food chain.  Based on that, I would guess ahead of time that nuts would not be as affected as meat, fish and dairy.  Just a guess.You raise a very good point. How do vegetable fats compare with animal fats in regard to toxin accumulation in general? The veggie fats are usually encased in a protective shell (nuts, avocados, legumes) so that toxins enter via the roots, whereas leaves can absorb them more directly. Animal fat is efficient at storing toxins, which is why it’s correlated with many cancers. When we burn off fat it’s like boiling off steam. We are left with higher concentrates of residues. It’s often said that rapid weight loss overloads the bloodstream with toxins stored in the fat and can trigger cancer. It’s better to lose fat slowly and let the body detox at a rate it can cope with.Reminds me of the documentary “Homo toxicus”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3w8bgaQpSECould you post a link to your video regarding cleaning and getting chemicals off vegetables? I know I saw a title regarding this but I’m having no lick finding it. Thanks a lot for all your work.	animal fat,animal products,dairy,DDT,fish,industrial toxins,infants,meat,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,pregnancy,women's health	Are pregnant women who eat fish, other meat, and dairy still passing along the pesticide DDT even decades after it was banned?	The reference to pollutants in mothers' fat is from Friday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue. The dozens of chemicals found in the bodies of pregnant Americans is explored in CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure. For more on which foods appear most contaminated, see yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals. I have 30 other videos on eating for healthy pregnancies, including Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees, Preventing Childhood Allergies, and Pregnant Vegans at Risk for Iodine Deficiency. Even if we do pass a load of pollutants onto our babies, how long does it take their bodies to get rid of them? That’s covered tomorrow in How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs?For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Protecting Our Babies From Pollutants, Apple Peels Turn On Anticancer Genes, and Heading Shrinking from Grilling Meat	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ddt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/%EF%BB%BFcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20188779,
PLAIN-2858	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/	Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals	What are they eating in New York? I bet it's more than just big apples. You may remember me covering this study a few years ago, which showed that the primary sources of flame retardant chemicals in the American diet (with the exception of infants, who get all the pollution straight from their moms) are meat, fish, dairy, and eggs.But, which kind of meat is the worst? We didn't know, until recently. We know fish is the worst, and this is for halibut, which is actually one of the least contaminated. But, in terms of other meats. Second only to fish in terms of contamination, poultry, then pork, then beef.What's this one here, though, between chicken and fish? Turkey.So, bottom-line: white meat is more contaminated with flame retardant chemical pollutants than red. Though the highest concentrations are actually found in dogs' and cats' food.What about polychlorinated naphthalenes? Until this study was published, “Information on the occurrence of toxicologically significant [industrial pollutants] in food, or on human exposure, [was] sparse."  "PCNs are chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a potentially vast group of little-known environmental contaminants of [human] origin", whose chemical structure “can bestow a dioxin-like mode of toxic action." Say no more.Though banned in many countries, which aisle might we still find the most in the grocery store? The bread shelves? Dairy case? Deli? Egg section? Fish counter? Produce department?The worst was fish: with the worst of the worst, farmed salmon, followed closely by organic salmon. Then comes poultry and eggs. Let's zoom in a bit. Red meat has less… the worst being lamb.  Then comes dairy, and at the bottom of the food chain, vegetables, fruit, and bread.  So, about ten times less than meat, dairy, and eggs.  And, about a hundred times safer than fish, which gives us an idea of the route we may want to take through the supermarket.	My mention of New Yorkers is a reference to Friday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue. The PBDE video I then refer to is Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination. The highest levels of pollutants in fish should come as no surprise. Everything eventually flows down into our oceans, which have become humanity’s de facto sewer. This is exemplified in videos such as Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants, Is Distilled Fish Oil Toxin Free?, and Xenoestrogens & Early Puberty. Then there’s the whole mercury issue. For videos on that, see Nerves of Mercury, Hair Testing For Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy, and The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages. Tomorrow we look at how much of the banned pesticide DDT we’re still passing along to the next generation in DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood.   If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.That’s depressing.What are the health effects of the concentration of flame retardants in the US population?If only! ;-)Flame-retardent mixture ʺFiremaster 550ʺ is made up of four principal component chemicals and is used in polyurethane foam in a wide variety of products, ranging from mattresses to infant nursing pillows. The flame-retardant mixture was developed by Chemtura Corp., and was first identified by the research community in 2008. It was developed to replace a class of fire retardants being phased out of use because of concerns regarding their safety.A new study represents the first public data on whether Firemaster 550 has potential health effects. Firemaster 550 is an endocrine disruptor that causes extreme weight gain, early onset of puberty and cardiovascular health effects in lab animals, according to a new study spearheaded by researchers from North Carolina State University and Duke University.“Accumulation and Endocrine Disrupting Effects of the Flame Retardant Mixture Firemaster 550 in Rats: An Exploratory Assessment” Authors: Heather B. Patisaul, Natalie Mabrey and Katherine A. McCaffrey, North Carolina State University; Simon C. Roberts and Heather M. Stapleton, Duke University; Robin B. Gear and Scott M. Belcher, University of Cincinnati; and Joe Braun, Brown University Published: Online Oct 2012 in Journal of Biochemical and Molecular ToxicologyThank you for including the note about pet food.  Concern about chemical contaminates is one of several reasons I give my dog a vegan kibble (v-dog).  (Which if anyone is wondering, he thrives on.)  Having my concerns validated in this video is nice.Also, the info about fish is very, very important.  So many people think that fish is good for you because of the omega 3s.  But as the enlightened people know, food is a package deal…Dogs are not vegetarians. They are carnivores.Interesting assertion.  I’ve consulted 7 vets across the country who have all assured me that dogs are omnivores.  It is worth noting that my dog’s health dramatically improved several years ago when put on the vegan kibble.  With all of that, I think it is hard to argue that dogs are carnivores, especially not in the way that cats are.That said, I’ve been doing some study and thinking on the subject lately.  I don’t think the categories of carnivore vs omnivore for animals (human or otherwise) are as clear-cut as people think.  It’s a not a black or white thing, more of a continuum.  Thus, it may be more a matter of opinion than a hard fact.  If you want to believe that dogs are carnivores, that would be perfectly legit.  You just want to be aware that others believe the evidence puts dogs into the omnivore category.Several years ago I too fed my dog a vegan diet, because I was a vegan at the time. She got sick. I started studying species appropriate food for dogs and cats. I found that raw meat and bones and some veggies is the dogs natural diet. I too network with other Vets and they feel Dogs need meat and bones in their diet. When I think about my dogs being out in the wild, they would kill varmints, eat the bones, meat and intestinal contents of the animal and would eat some greens. But I would not see them choose grains if varmints were available. Meat and bones are nutrient dense. There are amino acids in meat that you don’t get from grains. Even those I was a diehard vegan at the time, I have always been ashamed of my decision to feed that dog of mine a bunch of grains and taking out the meat and fats. We can go back and forth about this all day. But I have been in both camps on this. I saw the evidence in feeding dogs meat and bones verses grains. I saw what happened.  Again, very interesting.  As I said my dog’s health dramatically improved on several fronts after going to the vegan kibble from a well respected meat kibble.  That makes me wonder if the food you chose to use was not complete as opposed to the problem being that it was a vegan kibble. I’m glad your dog is OK now.  Dogs are important.  You have to do what you think is best for your dog.  That is what I do too.  (Feeding my dog a vegan kibble has nothing to do with my diet.  He went vegan before I did.)Good luck.What would happen if I just fed my dog Peanut Butter with occasional celery?  Would he go nuts? It’s his favorite food! All kiddin’ aside we humans (and dogs) even need meat (or poop) in our diet (My dog loves the eating poop part).  If we were truly supposed to be 100% Vegan our bodies would make B-12 for absorption, not in our lower intestine where once it is made we just poop it out.  On the other had maybe we were supposed to eat our own feces for the B-12 nutrition much like Apes do? Interesting discussion for sure!I laughed so hard I spit out my coffee!I hope your computer was unscathed. Sorry about the ‘crappy’ subject but I couldn’t resist! ;-}“Talk amongst yourselves.”I believe dogs are omnivores. Cats are true carnivores…Thank you for this information. I thought our exposure to flame retardant chemicals was primarily from the foam in upholstery. I’m glad to know that my vegan diet has protected me and my family from the largest share of these toxic chemicals.The massive variation between the US and other countries re flame retardant residues in fat cannot even be remotely explained by dietary factors. The 50% difference between Californians and New Yorkers is not because New Yorkers eat double the farmed fish or turkey. By far the biggest risk in the supermarket is the halogenic retardants in the supermarket’s building materials and furniture. It goes in through the nose, not the mouth. California is better than NYK because it has started to recognise the building materials problem and to do something about it.The dietary factors are definitely worth knowing, but they account for only a small fraction of this particular environmental contamination in the US.Now we have a disciple telling us that dogs secretly yearn to be Vegans. Those films of wild dogs chasing down game in Africa are just for the camera and when the camera turns away they jump back into the trees and graze on fruit and leaves. In science we are supposed to work from the data and evidence to the conclusion; not the other way around.That is really interesting. I’d love to know more about inhalation of flame retardant chemicals.That would help explain the difference between NY and CA. Maybe we should start avoiding old buildings? :)So you are saying that the dietary contribution in foods is negligible compared to inhalation from contaminated air?Uhh, FYI, nothing you said was “scientific”. First claim provides no evidence whatsoever, and second claim relies entirely on emotionally loaded language (which is the opposite of the scientific method).The evidence was provided by Dr Greger 2 posts ago in the graph “Levels of flame retardant chemical pollutants (PBDE) in the tissues of women from around the world are compared.” These results are impossible to explain by diet. The diets between CA and NYK do not vary by anything like the multiples (2x) shown in the graph and the rest of the world (up to 20x). Do you really believe the European women eat twenty times less fish meat and dairy than New Yorkers? The emotive content is from people who impose their own ideology and tastes on the natural instincts and needs of their pets.How does one protect themselves from flame retardants in furrniture and other contaminated household products?  buy organic, ok but organic furnitrue is very unaffordable.You need to vacuum with a hepa filter vacuum cleaner to get the dust that comes out of the foam furniture cushions. So clean the furniture and then the floor and tables. Especially important for homes with babies or pets crawling on the floor where they put fingers or paws in mouths.Do the same contamination risks apply for kosher fish and meats?Yes, it is about what is ingested, not how they are slaughtered.	beef,breast milk,breastfeeding,chicken,dairy,dioxins,eggs,fish,flame-retardant chemicals,halibut,industrial toxins,infant formula,lamb,meat,milk,persistent organic pollutants,pets,polychlorinated naphthalenes,polycyclic hydrocarbons,pork,poultry,red meat,salmon,seafood,turkey,white meat	Other than pet food and fish, which may be most contaminated, how do fire retardant chemicals (PBDE) and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCN) concentrate in the American food supply?	My mention of New Yorkers is a reference to Friday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue. The PBDE video I then refer to is Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination. The highest levels of pollutants in fish should come as no surprise. Everything eventually flows down into our oceans, which have become humanity's de facto sewer. This is exemplified in videos such as Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants, Is Distilled Fish Oil Toxin Free?, and Xenoestrogens & Early Puberty. Then there's the whole mercury issue. For videos on that, see Nerves of Mercury, Hair Testing For Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy, and The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages. Tomorrow we look at how much of the banned pesticide DDT we're still passing along to the next generation in DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue, Protecting Our Babies From Pollutants,  Why Are Children Starting Puberty Earlier?, and Fukushima Radiation and Seafood	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/15/why-are-children-starting-puberty-earlier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lamb/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polychlorinated-naphthalenes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycyclic-hydrocarbons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infant-formula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/halibut/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21491934,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21500827,
PLAIN-2859	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue	Measuring urine levels of industrial toxins is more useful than measuring food levels, since it indicates how much of the pollutants are actually absorbed into the body. So in one sense it tells you what kind of levels are circulating in your body; at the same time it’s telling you how much your body is successfully getting rid. Ideally we’d like to measure levels in human tissues. Like how much is actually lodged in one’s breast tissue for example. Well, people get breast surgery all the time, why not test surgical samples of removed tissue. Women get fibroids removed, we can test those, fresh autopsy samples—and hey, what about liposuction?How did the levels of polybromated diphenylethers, fire retardant chemicals in the breast tissue of California women compare to various tissue samples taken from women around the world? Where do these flags fit? Which of these bars represents the levels found in Belgian women, Brazilian women, Californian Czech, French, Hong Kong, Japanese, New Yorkers, Singaporean, or Spanish women.Do we wish they could all be California? NoLook at that spread—two orders of magnitude. The breast tissue of California women had nearly 10 times more than women in any other country, and compared to the lowest levels—autopsy samples of Japanese women—a hundred times higher levels found in New Yorker liposuction.	I covered PBDE’s before in Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination and The Problem With Organic Salmon. How contaminated are Americans in general? See CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure, the first in this video series on our dietary exposure to industrial pollutants. There’s better ways to lower the levels in our bodies than liposuction—in Monday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day I’ll explore the Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals. In the meanwhile please feel free to check out any of the other 1,000+ covered topics.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Interesting and disturbing simultaneously!Before I watched the ending I guessed that New Yorkers would have the highest Flame Retardent levels because of 911.  I don’t know if this is why but it probably added to the breast burden.It’s pretty clear that living in America puts one at increased risk for toxic exposure!   We’re even the country that allows the most GMO’s to be fed to our kids, grand kids, friends, relatives, parents, and ourselves.  Enough already!!! Lets start being informed on at least some of the toxin’s that are in our food such as BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxin and Round Up weed killer–both of which are in nearly all the Corn, Soybean and Canola oil which is about 90% GMO. VOTE  YES, YES, YES on Proposition 37 if you live in California.And buy Organic if possible to minimize exposure to these harmful chemicals.Tell the world we’ve had enough already!!!I love this video series but it makes me sad because of the disturbing reality of it all! ;-(If fish is one of the worst sources and Japanese people tend to eat a lot of fish, why are they the lowest on the scale?Ok….that is sad. Could it be partly due to the increased adipose tissue Americans carry? And, adipose tissue is full of toxins?It is so important to limit exposure as much as possible. Keep a chemical free yard, use glass, stay away from processed foods, buy organic, grow your own.And yes Dr. hemo, hope proposition 37 passes because “as California goes, so goes the rest of the country.”The authors of the cited study provide the following explanation as to why they chose breast adipose tissue:“Adipose tissue is the preferred tissue to measure steady state concentrations of lipophilic contaminants such as PBDEs and PCBs accumulated over time since measurements in breast milk or serum may be affected by surges in blood lipids ( [Archibeque-Engle et al., 1997] and [Petreas et al., 2004]) and may be biased.” (see Discussion section, paragraph 1)Very interesting.  And such a comment on American society and priorities.The quantities vary so greatly by US state that it can’t be just diet.  What about air-dropped fire retardants used against wildfires? Another candidate might be the much higher air pollution resulting from more temperature inversions in the  Cali-fornia (hot desert) climate.Also, fire retardant fabrics from furniture, carpets and building materials, tend to leach more in warmer average temperatures.Does anyone have any established theories on why Ca is so bad?And why us New York worse?Yes, by all measures of air pollution CA easily beats NYK and it has more wildfires and more inversions, so these variables can’t be the biggest factor by a long way. Whatever would seem to differentiate the US from other countries seems to work in reverse between these two states. I hope we are going to get an answer.Someone has suggested that it’s building materials and furniture that contain halogenated fire retardants that is the real problem. They are more widely used in the US than elsewhere and CA has more stringent controls than NYK. It’s frightening stuff. Seehttp://greensciencepolicy.org/sites/default/files/Janssen-FRD-presentation01-09.pdfThe discussion section of the source article provided key insights as to why these flame retardants (i.e. PBDEs) are so high in California, namely:” PBDE levels in house dust from California were 4–10 times higher than previously reported in North America and PBDEs in serum of California residents were nearly twice those of the general US population (Zota et al., 2008), consistent with California’s flammability standard and the presumed high use of flame retardants.” (from the Discussion section, paragraph 2) Ironically, Dr. Greger cites the one paper that shows no association between flame retardants (i.e. PBDEs) and diet. To wit:“Our findings of no association between diet and PBDE levels is inconsistent with an emerging literature demonstrating modest associations between PBDE body burden levels and consumption of meat, poultry (Fraser et al., 2009) and dairy (Wu et al., 2007).” (from the Discussion section, paragraph 4)Any chance you could tell us, your Canadian readers, where we fit in?    I wasn’t able to find studies on Canadians however based on studies so far on other populations it is mainly depends on what you eat… unless you have other exposures such as industrial, community exposures(i.e industrial plants, water) and/or household products. Hopefully the standard “Canadian” diet (CAD) is better then the standard “American” diet(SAD).I wonder why Dr. Greger does not tell everyone that there is already a cure for cancer, and it was found by Dr. Max Gerson (who fled Nazi Germany) in the 1920’s.  The Gerson cure for cancer should be known by everyone!  Please, Dr. Greger, tell the American public about this.  Dr. Gerson collected thousands of patient case files, and he has developed a cure for many types of cancer as well as certain other diseases.  For example, he successfully treated Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s family with his cure, which allows the body to heal itself using the potent chemicals found in fresh fruits and vegetables. Check out Dr. Gerson’s therapy on the internet!I have some videos on Gerson coming up (see http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/11/vol-11-nutrition-dvd-now-available-proceeds-to-charity/ ). Unfortunately the available data doesn’t support its efficacy.Simply, because according to current empirical data and evidence to date, sadly, there is no cure for cancer. Hyperthyroidism in cats is being diagnosed much more frequently compared to just a couple of decades ago. PBDE exposure has  been implicated.Arlene Blum, a famous mountaineer, has a compelling mountaineering/ flame retardent slide show presentation. In the 70’s she got flame retardent pulled from children’s pajamas. Now she’s working hard to get flame retardent removed from furniture. The PBDE industry is almost criminal.	Belgium,California,China,Czechoslovakia,fibroids,flame-retardant chemicals,France,industrial toxins,Japan,liposuction,New York City,PBDEs,persistent organic pollutants,Singapore,Spain	Levels of flame retardant chemical pollutants (PBDE) in the tissues of women from around the world are compared.	I covered PBDE's previously in Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination and The Problem with Organic Salmon. How contaminated are Americans in general? See CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure, the first in this video series on our dietary exposure to industrial pollutants. There are better ways to lower the levels in our bodies than liposuction—in Monday's video-of-the-day I'll explore the Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals. In the meanwhile please feel free to check out any of the other 1,000+ covered topics.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue, Protecting Our Babies From Pollutants, and Why Are Children Starting Puberty Earlier?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/15/why-are-children-starting-puberty-earlier/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-city/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibroids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/singapore/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pbdes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liposuction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/belgium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/czechoslovakia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/france/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20951435,
PLAIN-2860	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/	BPA Plastic and Male Sexual Dysfunction	What about food sources of BPA, a plastics chemical “used for lining metal cans and in polycarbonate” as opposed to PVC plastics. “In humans, BPA is associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and male sexual dysfunction in exposed workers.” “Food is a major exposure source, but there weren’t any studies reporting BPA in U.S. fresh, canned, and packaged foods in the scientific literature, until now.Before we get to what they found, what do they mean by male sexual dysfunction? The relationship between urine BPA level and declining male sexual function. “Increasing urine BPA level was associated with decreased sexual desire, more difficulty having an erection, lower ejaculation strength, and lower level of overall satisfaction with sex life.” "This finding may have important public health implications given the widespread human exposure to BPA.” But from where in our diet in particular?They measured BPA levels in over a hundred fresh and canned foods, foods sold in plastic packaging, and in cat and dog foods in cans and plastic packaging. Nearly all the canned foods were contaminated, from green beans to sardines, tuna and V8 to Chef Boyardee. There was only one fresh, noncanned food that had detectable levels. So if you don’t buy canned foods, or stick to BPA-free canned foods, the only food left to worry about appears to be sliced turkey.	I’ve previously covered BPA in Which Plastics Are Harmful?, in which I go through which “numbers” of plastic are probably safest. My other video on plastics chemicals, similarly found particularly high levels in poultry. Eden Foods is one of the few manufacturers that doesn’t use BPA. See my blog about their canned beans: Do Eden Beans Have Too Much Iodine?. For more on male sexual health see Xenoestrogens & Sperm Counts, Watermelon As Treatment For Erectile Dysfunction, and my two prostate enlargement series Prostate Versus Plants and Prostate vs. a Plant-Based Diet. I have 35 videos on men’s health and hundreds of others encompassing more than 1000 topics.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.I love this stuff!  I remember back in my college days when we were speculating that BPA’s may be estrogen mimmikers and that they could possibly be endocrine disrupters.  A lot of people and scientist poo pood (sp) the idea.  Who’s the one without the sex drive now huh!  Vindication at last! ;-} All kidding aside, this is what we may see as well with GMO’s when some scientist will be allowed to do the research unfettered.  This will most likely have to come from the National Acadamies or other government agency that has no conflicts of interest.  Did I really just say that?Good luck with that right now because guess who is the food safety czar? The infamous Michael Taylor, former vice-president for public policy for Monsanto and now appointed deputy commisioner of the FDA by President Obama. Taylor had been instrumental in getting approval for Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone.Read below for more interesting info.  And don’t believe anything, research it yourself and become educated on this subject!Were playing with the Big Boy’s now!Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/037310_Barack_Obama_Monsanto_lobbyist.html#ixzz2AJYaE7bNAll kidding aside, this is what we may see as well with GMO’s when some scientist will be allowed to do the research unfettered.  This will most likely have to come from the National Acadamies or other government agency that has no conflicts of interest.  Did I really just say that?Good luck with that right now because guess who is the food safety czar? The infamous Michael Taylor, former vice-president for public policy for Monsanto and now appointed deputy commisioner of the FDA by President Obama. Taylor had been instrumental in getting approval for Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone.Read below for more interesting info.  And don’t believe anything, research it yourself and become educated on this subject!Were playing with the Big Boy’s now!Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/037… Nice sleuthing. Thanks.You bet.  If you are really interested in some interesting science based info check out Jeffery Smiths book Genetic Roulette.  Be forewarned, it gets depressing reading the info and really makes you start to feel helpless because you start to see that the FDA has given control of all GE (Genetically Engineered) foods to the companies who make them.Here’s another great website: http://www.gmwatch.org/Check this evaluation of the FDA on GE foods by William Freese with the Center for Food Safety:“Contrary to popular opinion, the FDA does not regulate GE foods.  Instead, the FDA has a ‘voluntary consultation’ process that allows biotechnology companies to make all of the important decisions related to bringing their novel GE crops to market.  The company, not the FDA, decides which, if any, safety tests to conduct and how they will be performed.  The company, not the FDA, determines which data, if any, are shared with regulators.  In fact, the company even determines whether it will consult with the FDA at all. Because the process is voluntary, biotech companies sometimes refuse to supply additional data requsted by the FDA. And at the end of the consultation, the FDA does NOT approve the GE food as safe, or even as similar enough to its conventional counterpart to exempt it from scrutiny.  Instead, the pertinent bioteck company makes these determinations on its own authority.” http://www.biosafety-info.net/file_dir/2183848844f3c1e862.pdfThis is just one of thousands of articles that state that the FDA has disregulated the GE food industry.Sad but true.Thanks. Will check it all out. I agree.  Awesome post Dr. HemoDynamic!Thanks!  Want an even more interesting and eye opening site?  Check this out: http://www.gmwatch.org/ wow.   Thanks for the link.Can phytoestrogens cause growth plates to fuse ? Is there a way to disable its effectsWhat about beer cans? Please say they’re alright. Sorry, here is the research on Beer cans–they all contain BPA’s in the beer that had leached from the cans. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=bpa%20beer%20cansIs beer still available in glass bottles? While glass is breakable, when intact, it is totally inert.I’m not liking the sounds of this. I eat a lot of canned beans (kidney, chickpea). I always cook lentils, but maybe I should start buying only dried beans. Mike: I hear you.  I eat a lot of canned beans too. One thing to keep in mind is: if you are willing to pay a price, there are brands of canned beans that are BPA free.  Dr. Greger did a blog post about the Eden brand which not only (if memory serves) is BPA-free, but is also cooked in some seaweed, so you get some (the right amount) iodine with your beans, assuming you include the liquid.Eden is quite spendy compared to other organic canned beans.  But it might be worth it…  And maybe there are other brands which are also BPA free?Good luck.Thanks Thea. I may look for the Eden brand, but I really should master the art of cooking dried beans.I have a tip for you:  Look into pressure cooking.  That’s something I did after deciding that I needed to start getting comfortable cooking dried beans.  (It’s kind of scary and time consuming…) The pressure cooker has turned out to be awesome!  I find that I still tend to reach first for a can when it comes to beans, but when I want to cook whole grains, including something as simple as brown rice, the pressure cooker is my darling.  That said, I *have* cooked beans some in the pressure cooker, and I can’t imagine wanting to cook beans any other way.  The pressure cooker is both a time and energy saver.I have three cookbooks on pressure cooking.  The one I think is best is: Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna Sass.  This book has a great section on beans, including big, convenient charts on bean cooking inside the front cover for quick reference.  The title says “vegetarian”, but the book is really vegan as near as I can tell.  I’ve enjoyed almost all of the recipes that I have made from this book and some are favorites.My second favorite book is: The New Fast Food.  The Veggie Queen Pressure Cooks Whole Food Meals In Less than 30 minutes.  The book I didn’t like very much was the Everything Vegetarian Pressure Cooker.Good luck!Thanks Thea. I like the title of the one by Lorna Sass. I have to do something once I run out of my stores of canned beans (lol).“pressure cooking.”Exactly. :)I rinse the dry beans, picking out any bad or cracked beans. Soak 8 hours or overnight in fresh carbon filtered water (to avoid 2,4-D and other pesticides that may be in my tap water). Next, pour off the soaking water, and add fresh carbon filtered water. They can be cooked 8 hours in a crock pot (the different beans have different cooking times) OR cooked by boiling, then reducing flame to simmer for a couple hours covered. Soaking reduces the cooking time as well as the flatulence causing properties of the beans.Amazon has Eden Black Eyed Peas for $23.96 for a pack of 12 cans and that includes free shipping (2 day shipping if your a prime member). You can also buy them directly from Eden @$2.06 a can or $3.32 for the 29 ounce cans and shipping is $10-$13 depending on the size of your order. I agree that it costs a bit more for eden’s products and for me the pros outweigh the cons. Amazon only has a few of Eden’s legumes available that include free shipping. I went to several grocery stores by my home and I couldn’t find any retailers that had a wide selection of Eden’s products. I’ll probably be placing a large order on Eden’s website to save on shipping as I really like their products as well.Cory: It is nice of you to share your research with us. I really do appreciate it. But to give everyone some price comparison, I have a very easy time finding organic canned beans right in the store for $1/can. That makes Eden about twice as much with your best prices. At my store, the prices for Eden beans are more like $3-4.I can very much understand why you say that the Eden brand is worth it. But for some people, price is a big factor. And if we can help people to just eat beans, even from a non-Eden brand, those people would be better off than on the SAD diet. That’s why I don’t push people to Eden or other BPA-free brands. Just something to think about.FYI: I’ve lately been cooking lots and lots of dried bean hearty stew dishes in my pressure cooker and having marvelous success. Great winter food and a way to avoid the cans altogether.Good luck to you. If I decide to get some Eden cans, I’m going to use your advice and look on Amazon. Thanks!I buy dried beans whenever and wherever available from Eden Foods. But, they are becoming more and more rare. I google, Eden Organic, and the name of the bean, and canned beans generally come up.Have you tried VITA-COST for canned Eden Organic beans?I have a couple cans of Eden Organic beans the are BPA free. But I’ve long been concerned what BPA FREE may contain. So, I stockpile dry, which last about a year, and I always buy certified organic to avoid Roundup and other mineral chelators that may be used before, during and after when growing beans or wheat, or other gmo foods. Beans are are gmo in Europe, and may be in the USA as well.Google, certified organic, bean name, and “dry” beans, and you may find someone who carries what you want.Also, to learn more about mineral chelators, they are cited in a talk by both Don Huber, Ph.D. soil and plant pathologist, microbiologist, retired professor at Purdue University, speaking on GMOs in an interview with Dr. Joseph Mercola.Get the transcript. Google: Don Huber, GMO.There is also an article in the 18th April 2014 issue of the Ecologist by Dr. Thierry Vrain, Ph,D,, entitled “GMOs and RoundUp – junking down our food supply” which explains the same things that of which Dr. Huber speaks, and why he tells his students to only buy organic.Frederick von Saal was the University of Missouri scientist who uncovered BPA –epoxy of bisphenol A in the formulation of a “new” petri dish that caused the breast cancer cell to multiple profusely. He is cited in a Prevention magazine article. http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/bpa-free-plastic-safeDr G, good stuff! Have you seen this Canadian documentary, The Disappearing Male? http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-disappearing-male/I wish there were a BPA-free source of boiled in-shell Cajun peanuts.Why not reuse of well washed and dried cloth bag?Any problem with plastic produce bags for storing things like greens, dry beans and oats, etc.?  I also wash and reuse them but am always worried about possible leaching.This video makes it sound like there is good reason to believe that sliced turkey is dangerous from the point of view of BPA exposure. But if you read the article (Scheter et al.) the authors found a very low level (much lower than canned) in only sample of the meat tested.From the methods section:“Food samples consisted of three samples for each of 31 kinds of canned and plastic wrapped food for human consumption, four kinds of fresh meat and fish (one sample each), and eight individual samples of canned and plastic wrapped pet food.”From the results and discussion section:“One fresh food sample, sliced turkey, had a BPA level of 0.35 ng/g ww, which is lower than reported BPA levels in fresh food from Italy”Since the authors only tested one piece of turkey, we cannot conclude that this is generally applicable finding.Good post.I’m trying to gauge whether eating canned beans and beets once or twice a week could make a significant impact on my health. Maybe I should get off my lazy butt and figure out how to slow cook dehydrated beans more effectively, and buy fresh beets when available.Anyone have any tips for slow cooking dehydrated beans? Mine always come out poorly.Thanks for the info Dr Greger and friends. You make a difference in improving my health.I pressure cook dried beans all the time and they always turn out lovely. If I don’t have time to soak them I just rinse them well, put them in the pressure cooker, add filtered water till it covers the beans by about 2 inches, and cook for 45 minutes for most beans. Do not add salt until they are finished cooking.What about BPA leaching in cans of Coca Cola?Coca Cola is already toxic, but can be made more toxic because of the aluminum and if BPA is part of the mix.The second citation link is broken. I’ve found it though if you’re interested in using it: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20467048Fixed–thank you Tan!How long does it take for BPA to leave your system? Are effects reversible? Anyone know?What about canned beans and lentils? I’m too busy / lazy to cook them from driedSome brands claim that they are BPA-free. Eden is one example. I understand that there are other examples too. You pay a price for it, but it may be worth it…?Is it possible that bisphenol-A (BPA) leach out from paper cups into food and drinks? I heard about that paper cups coated with polymer to make effect of waterproof, and I wonder if polymer lining will release BPA when it holding hot coffee. If it is a fact, it means when we drink coffee also swallow BPA at same time.It’s not just BPA! Beware “BPS” too!!Industry is using BPS as a BPA substitute. Unfortunately, it comes loaded with similar harmful effects. What coating (if any?) is Eden Foods using in place of BPA? For more on BPS and where it is found: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130122191412.htmEden’s canned beans don’t contain BPA but their canned tomatoes still do (or to be more accurate, their canned tomatoes still did when I inquired a few months ago).Here’s a list of canned salmons with and without BPA. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/salmon-says-an-anti-cancer-investigation-what-kind-is-healthiest-part-6-canned-salmon/I now buy Eden Organic pressed tomatoes in glass jars. They come very carefully wrapped to my front door via Fed-X. Glass, while breakable, is far more inert than canned/tinned with or without BPA.Susan: I appreciated this tip and held onto it for a while. And then I noticed in my local health food store that they were carrying the Eden tomatoes in glass. I might not have really noticed if I hadn’t read your post–since I was focused on looking for something else. Thanks for your tip!You are very welcome, Thea. I went to Eden Foods web site to find spaghetti sauce in glass jars because those delivered to a local healthier food store had been opened by a rude customer –she even put her dirty fingers in and tasted the organic tomato sauce, which is totally against the health laws. After several times bringing home contaminated sauce, I decided to order directly from Eden Foods. And it was there I discovered that they have other foods in glass containers. They taste soooo much better in glass. This took me back to the 60’s, when most everything was in glass. Their crushed tomatoes in class are absolutely delicious and they are not available in the local health food stores in my area. We have more than one, and the closer store has more enlightened and caring customers.Susan: That’s seriously shocking behavior. I’m very glad you were able to find an alternative. I personally think that store doesn’t deserve your business.Eden CANNED beans are BPA-free, but that does not mean they are non-toxic. All products, especially acidic foods canned or jarred in plastic are dangerous. The scientist that first discovered breast cancer cells multiplying at a faster rate in his new petri dishes, discovered that the manufacturer changed the formulation without telling the customers. Intense study has found that all plastics are toxic and BPA substitutes may be more toxic than BPA. But don’t go back to BPA. Go to the web site for Eden Foods, and look at the glass jarred crushed tomatoes with onion and garlic, and they also have some other foods as well. Of course, Eden Foods has more canned foods with BPA substitutes because they’ve been on the market longer and ship better. But, I started buying their small glass containers of tomatoes, so they started marketing the larger jars, and I bought those too, by the case. And, now I don’t have to worry about rude, uncaring customers opening them and inserting their dirty fingers inside to taste the product and see if organic tastes different. Then closing the jar and putting it back onto the shelf. I had complained to the store manager, but nothing is being done because some customers are so rude and fanatical about tasting the organic, that the manager fears for her employees safety. So the store has a policy that if the bottle is contaminated, just bring it back. That’s fine, but it’s an inconvenience to me when I’ve planned a recipe only to find that there’s a lot of fuzzy mold inside the container. Hence, I go directly to Eden Foods and buy organic in glass!Susan, Several companies who use glass instead of cans have told me that there’s still some BPA in the lining of the top but that it doesn’t touch the food. Do you know anything about that? I think I won’t worry about it, just won’t lick the tops.Thanks for enlightening us. I can’t believe that people actually do that.You are correct. There is BPA in the lining of the tops. It was put there because of the potential of the toxic metal, lead, being in the can or top lining.If the can or bottle ALWAYS stays upright, there may be no problem. BUT if it ever lies down on its side, there is a problem. That is the same problem as with juice in glass containers, which my husband always shakes and gets the bacteria, any fungus, as well as the BPA in the juice.Since he refuses to listen to me, I buy whole foods and eat them instead of juice.Read: Is BPA-Free Safe in Prevention magazine online at:http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/bpa-free-plastic-safeAnd can you tell us more about that scientist you mention? Any links to his work? I’d love to read more.Frederick Von Saal is a cancer researcher at the University of Missouri. There are several pages in the book, “Our Stolen Future –a scientific mystery story,” published in 1996 by Dutton that was written about his work. The book is co-authored by zoologists, Theo Colborn, Ph.D., John Peterson Myers, Ph.D., and Diane Duminowski. The book is available at Amazon.com for an amazing price, especially if you have anything else to buy from Amazon at the same time to get free shipping. http://tinyurl.com/okhm94aThe home page for Our Stolen Future (not the book, but the location of newer studies) is at: http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/I had the pleasure of hearing Drs. Colborn and Myers speak at a Scientific Assembly in Bethesda, Maryland in 1992, prior to the writing of this book. At the time, she spoke of another book that was totally scientific, and I as a layperson found reading it was incredibly difficult. She mentioned that she was coming out with the above mentioned book that is written for lay people in a few years. Our Stolen Future still needs some background knowledge, as I didn’t know anything about the endocrine system of what the various glands did or how they communicated. That meant many hours in the public library getting myself up to speed.When I heard them speak, I took my tape recorders and set it on the front row desk to get everything loud and clear. It was more information that my poor brain could remember otherwise (as I had been poisoned with an insecticidal fogger several years previously). But, I listened to the tape over and over again until I could almost recite it word for word. That made understanding this much better.There is another interview by the three at Dr. Mercola’s web site. The March 09, 2013 article is entitled: “Common Household Chemicals Linked to Human Disease in Landmark UN Study.” Unfortunately, chemical industry flacks destroyed the sound and there is no transcript. But, Mercola’s write up is there.http://tinyurl.com/avg4xy9Dr. Colborn has founded the Endocrine Disruption Exchange at: http://endocrinedisruption.org/ which I have not checked out as yet, but should be amazing!You can learn more about Dr. Colborn at: http://endocrinedisruption.org/about-tedx/our-people/theo-colborn-ph.d.-presidentI keep spelling his name incorrectly. It should be Frederick vom Saal. His web site has published papers and other information you may find of interest, and you can write to him.http://endocrinedisruptors.missouri.edu/vomsaal/vomsaal.htmlWhere can I find the list of foods min. 1:25? Thank you.Hello Sir, I am in India, from the state of Tamil Nadu will contact you. My name is Veera, I rise in the last two years in the absence of the penis in my family life have been met with many hardships. In the second minute, it loses rigidity of my erect penis and semen is going to be diluted. So for me both mentally and physically, both in the conjugal life and lead to sexual frustration. Thus I doubt begins to arise. Sperm count is even less possible or suspected of being left off the loss of manhood. I just had the opportunity to visit your website. It’s all in the hope of being able to find the solution you’ll contact you. Please tell me if there is a solution.Thank You…Is this just a correlation association bw BPA and ED?Yes. There appears to be a significant correlation.	BPA,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,diabetes,erectile dysfunction,green beans,heart disease,heart health,impotence,men's health,pets,plastic,polycarbonate plastic,poultry,sardines,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,tuna,turkey	Canned foods and sliced turkey were found to be contaminated with the plastics chemical BPA, which has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and erectile dysfunction.	I've previously covered BPA in Which Plastics Are Harmful?, in which I go through which "numbers" of plastic are probably safest. My other video on plastics chemicals, similarly found particularly high levels in poultry. Eden Foods is one of the few manufacturers that doesn't use BPA. See my blog about their canned beans: Do Eden Beans Have Too Much Iodine?. For more on male sexual health see Xenoestrogens & Sperm Counts, Watermelon As Treatment For Erectile Dysfunction, and my two prostate enlargement series Prostate Versus Plants and Prostate vs. a Plant-Based Diet. I have 35 videos on men's health and hundreds of others encompassing more than 1000 topics.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bpa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plastic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycarbonate-plastic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sardines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/which-plastics-are-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topics/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20467048,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21038926,
PLAIN-2861	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pesticides-in-chinese-bamboo-shoots/	Pesticides in Chinese Bamboo Shoots	There are some plant foods that we may want to stay away from, such as cans of bamboo shoots imported from China. This was a study to evaluate the residues of organochlorine pesticides like DDT in Chinese bamboo shoots. Now, this was research carried out in China, and as I read the article I couldn't help but get a distinct sense they were trying to downplay their findings. For example, they said only nine pesticides were detected.This was their conclusion: "While all sampled bamboo shoots contained these pesticides, most… were safe for consumption.”Uh, no thanks.	That was short and sweet! OK, maybe not so sweet. Because organochlorine pesticides tend to build up in animal fat (see for example, Cannibalistic Feed Biomagnification, Avoiding Other Banned Pesticides, and Industrial Carcinogens in Animal Fat) we tend to think of meat, eggs, and dairy as being the most heavily contaminated. We especially think of farmed fish and fish oil), but studies like this suggest there may also be significant plant sources. Do environmental pollutants result in a weighty number of cancer cases? See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Pesticides in Chinese Bamboo Shoots. How contaminated is the general population? See the first video in this series CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure.   If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Uhh No Thanks!  Speaking of that ‘Inquiring Minds’ want to know about GMO’s and the BT toxin (Bacillus thuringiensis’ Crystal Toxin) that is in many GMO’s soy, maize and Canola oil. This toxin forms pores in the cells of the intestinal wall in certain insects causing cell death and eventually insect death. Preliminary studies had to be obtained under court order (Because Monsanto doesn’t let this info out) show the possibility of nephro and heptotoxicity in rats.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=safety%20of%20gmo%20crops%20animals%20franceWe ingest this toxin and there are reports of this toxin in the guts of pregnant women. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21338670 This has a huge potential to cause ‘leaky gut’ syndrome which is the probable theory of cause of several autoimmune disorders.If you live in California vote YES on 37.  We as a public need to be informed of what is in our food!  Then at least we have a CHOICE to eat or not eat GMO products!This topic is very interesting regarding the Human toxicity of GMO’s and I am not sure if Dr. Greger would want to tackle this subject because of the potential legal risk of offending Monsanto.But the “Inquiring Minds of Food Toxicity” want to know, is it Good or Bad, Fact or Fiction!;-}“Uhhh no thanks.”LOL.Ackkk now I can’t go eat incredibly over salted chinese food without seeing if their bamboo shoot cans are imported from China.I checked my emails just to see if your new video was up. I’m looking forward for tomorrow! This is gonna be a long series of videos if the good Dr. is going to focus on such minute subjects. I think that we should all avoid almost any foods imported from China for a variety of reasons that include probable contamination, false labeling, carbon footprint, and probably several others. This leaves aside the fact that canned vegetables in general are not nutritious. I realize that it may be difficult to come up with significant facts every day and I very much appreciate this site and what Dr. Greger is doing for all of us, so please don’t judge my comments too harshly. ThanksI was looking specifically for information relating to pesticides and or toxins in canned bamboo shoots, so this information (although not quite long enough) was good for me.I find it confusing, what are we to eat, every thing is bad. Shure greens are good but they dont have any calories, then you turn to seeds and grains but they are bad since they are full of anti nutrients. So you try sweet potato, well they are packed with oxalic acid. What is left is only fruit but they also have lots of stuff that is bad. So where do you get the staple calories from?Hi Henke,If I were you I would start with video #1 and progress through all the videos. All your questions will be answered!Sometimes taking all this information in can be a bit confusing and overwhelming, but over time, and once you learn more, I think you will find that it is actually not that confusing at all. That, in fact, it is really pretty simple.   The key is to eat as much plant-based whole foods (fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, etc.) as possible.  There are many ways to do this and many resources out there that can help you figure out which method works best for you. This website is a great place to start. You may also want to look into reading books by the following: Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr.Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., Dr. McDougall, and Dr. Neil Barnard.You do not have to eat just fruits to eat healthier (not all seeds and grains are bad and sweet potatoes are a great menu option). It’s true, for various reasons some people opt to be very strict with plant-based diets and others choose to be a bit more flexible.  It really depends on one’s own circumstances. I started out eating vegetarian before dinner time, then switched over to vegan before dinner time.  Now, I eat plant-based vegan at home and whatever I want when I go out (but try to eat on the healthier side…although I do have my weak moments…hey. I’m human and I enjoy food).The transition to a plant-based diet can be tricky, and it will take some adjusting, but it is completely possible.  Just know that you can ease into it until you find the balance that works for you.Grains and beans do indeed have antinutrients but only if you eat them raw, which is very uncommon. Eating foods high in oxalic acid does not mean they are unhealthy and including many high oxalate foods in your diet will not make you calcium deficient.Went thru my pantry and luckily only one was from China (don’t know where the couple of cans that I went through in the last month or two came from, tho!)…..the other two were from Thailand so hopefully those are o.k.What’s the verdict on water chestnuts?I am also wondering about green tea and pesticides. Since all the green tea I purchase says it is from China, aren’t the green tea leaves going to be full of pesticides as well? China is known to be one of the most polluted countries in the world…..should be be drinking so much of their green tea, as recommended?	bamboo shoots,China,DDT,industrial toxins,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides	Cans of bamboo shoots imported from China may have concerning levels of pesticide contamination.	That was short and sweet! OK, maybe not so sweet. Because organochlorine pesticides tend to build up in animal fat (see for example, Cannibalistic Feed Biomagnification, Avoiding Other Banned Pesticides, and Industrial Carcinogens in Animal Fat) we tend to think of meat, eggs, and dairy as being the most heavily contaminated. We especially think of farmed fish and fish oil, but studies like this suggest there may also be significant plant sources. Do environmental pollutants result in a weighty number of cancer cases? See yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Pesticides in Chinese Bamboo Shoots. How contaminated is the general population? See the first video in the series CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bamboo-shoots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ddt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/farmed-fish-vs-wild-caught-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/%EF%BB%BFcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/pesticides-in-chinese-bamboo-shoots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21218497,
PLAIN-2862	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/	President's Cancer Panel Report on Environmental Risk	The official U.S. presidential cancer panel report from the National Cancer Institute on reducing environmental cancer risk. What can we do now? That’s what we need. We know there’s a problem, what can we do about it.First, to review: one and a half million new cases of cancer a year. Men, women, and children, and half million deaths. “With the growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer, the public is becoming increasingly aware of the unacceptable burden of cancer resulting from environmental and occupational exposures that could have been prevented through appropriate national action. Especially children, who are considerably more vulnerable than adults to increased cancer risk from virtually all harmful exposures.Unfortunately, the report concludes, “the grievous harm from this group of carcinogens has not been addressed adequately by the National Cancer Program. The American people—even before they are born—are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures. The Panel urges you, Mr. President, most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”Strong words, but, what can we do? They don’t give much dietary guidance. Basically they just say choose organic and free-range: “Exposure to pesticides can be decreased by choosing, to the extent possible, food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers and washing conventionally grown produce to remove residues. Similarly, exposure to antibiotics, growth hormones, and toxic run-off from livestock feed lots can be minimized by eating free-range meat raised without these medications if it is available. Avoiding or minimizing consumption of processed, charred, and well-done meats will reduce exposure to carcinogenic heterocyclic amines and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.”Unfortunately, they do not go into specifics in terms of which types of fruits and vegetables, and which types of meat are the most contaminated. I assume they avoided going into the details so as to not upset any particular agriculture sectors, but it does diminish the report’s practical usefulness.Thankfully, though, there is a large body of new evidence now in which thousands of different food samples have been tested, to help guide our day to day grocery store decisions, [which we'll cover next.]	How contaminated is the American public with chemical pollutants? See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure. My previous videos on organic foods include Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off? and Cancer Fighting Berries. I also have videos on livestock growth hormones Anabolic Steroids in Meat and feed additives Drug Residues in Meat. For more on processed meat check out any of my 25 videos on the subject including When Nitrites Go Bad, Bacon and Botulism and Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat. Starting tomorrow I’ll start detailing some foods that may be particularly contaminated. In the meanwhile please feel free to check out any of the other thousand topics covered on the site.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.…and that would be the buy pink program? I couldn’t help myselfOn a more serious note. Canada’s Food guide still pushes Dairy and some meat, with enough loop holes to justify something close to the western diet.The denial is disappointing.  Perhaps we need a green ribbon campaign to raise awareness.This is a very important cause and, if you seriously wish to avoid food contamination, a vegan diet is probably the best starting point. It’s recently been discovered that plastics in the ocean do not bio-degrade in many cases, but merely get smaller and smaller in particle size over time until they can be absorbed by the lowest creatures in the food chain. This is already out of control and there is enough plastic out there already to potentially contaminate all seafood sources. Whilst more research urgently needs to be done, we may have to revert to marine farming to eliminate this catastrophe. Current fish oils (and other fish products) should now require labelling for plastics contamination. We are already aware of fish stock mutations assumed to be oestrogenic from female, contraceptive pill, use leaching into the oceans, but plastics have similar hormonal effects.Check out this Australian Science TV program on the subject http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/3583576.htmDoc, if you *have* to buy conventionally grown veggies, what kind of wash do you recommend, please? thank you for all you do!Valnaples, I’d recommend using the EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/.  It will help you determine which conventional produce it is best to avoid and which is okay to eat.  	antibiotics,cancer,carcinogens,children,heterocyclic amines,hormones,industrial toxins,National Cancer Institute,organic foods,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,polycyclic hydrocarbons	The official National Cancer Institute report on the "unacceptable" burden of cancer stemming from industrial chemical pollutants is strongly worded, but lacks sufficient dietary guidance.	How contaminated is the American public with chemical pollutants? See yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure. My previous videos on organic foods include Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off? and Cancer Fighting Berries. I also have videos on livestock growth hormones and feed additives. For more on processed meat check out any of my 25 videos on the subject including When Nitrites Go Bad, Bacon and Botulism and Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat. Starting tomorrow I'll start detailing some foods that may be particularly contaminated. In the meanwhile please feel free to check out any of the other thousand topics covered on the site.If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycyclic-hydrocarbons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cancer-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%EF%BB%BFcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/	-
PLAIN-2863	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/	﻿CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure	Every few years the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measures the levels of chemical pollutants in the bodies of thousands of Americans from across the country. What did the latest report tell us about our toxic burden? Or more importantly that of pregnant women in the United States. Published last Summer in the journal of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, here is the list of chemicals they measured on the left, and on the right is the percentage of women, both pregnant and nonpregnant, with detectable levels of these pollutants in their bodies. Look at those numbers. Most women in this country are contaminated with heavy metals, a number of toxic solvents, endocrine disrupters, fire retardant chemicals, PCBS, and pesticides like DDT. And that's just the first page.Continuing on the next page: more pesticides, plastics chemicals, industrial toxins circulating through their bloodstreams. Look at these numbers, in many cases 99 or 100% of the hundreds of women tested were found with these chemicals in their bodies—and, potentially, passing them, on to the next generation.On average, pregnant women harbored about 35 difference chemicals. Each of these bars represents one woman, and that's how many chemicals they found in each of their bodies.Bottom line, they "found widespread exposure to pregnant women in the United States to multiple chemical compounds and their metabolites, including both banned and contemporary contaminants.” Americans are walking chemical cocktails.So let us explore what consequences they may have, and how to minimize our exposure them.That will be the topic, of this next series of videos on NutritionFacts.org	This is the first of a long series of videos on the role of diet in both accumulating and eliminating industrial pollutants that build up in the food chain. Today and tomorrow’s video-of-the-day President’s Cancer Panel Report on Environmental Risk set the stage and then we’ll get down to the nitty-gritty in terms of what we may want to avoid to decrease our toxic burden. I’ve done 20 previous videos on persistent organic pollutants including Fish Oil in Troubled Waters, Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants, Dioxins in the Food Supply, and Industrial Pollutants in Vegans. I also cover a thousand other topics.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.The video is currently set to privateSame here!I’m so sorry–all fixed now!same hereThat’s quite frightening especially since my finacee just got pregnant. I’m hoping the follow up videos will tell me how by eating vegan and organically that a good bit of this can be avoided.Congratulations Shane. Kids are the best.Congrats to you and your fiancee. Best wishes!The key is definitely minimizing exposure.Glad that you have returned to this important topic…but, it is also important to know how the concentration of these detected chemicals compares with that needed to cause damage to the body.  Detecting this wide range of chemicals may only mean that we have developed more sensitive detectors.By the way, last I checked, the link for the first source cited (Woodruff et al.) is broken. Thanks in advance for fixing this.I think this is the correct study:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21233055I slapped the full-text link up there–thank you both so much! I’m looking forward to this series.  Thanks.Fantastic information that is disturbing and inspiring at the same time.  With the masses asleep and unable to grasp this “Voice in the wilderness” how can we get this out to the human race in a way that will change our direction? private againDr Greger – it still says that it is a private video. :-(The video is also private to me. It has been reset to public, so sorry for the unexplained switch back to private!What a shame that most of the personal and household products we use contain harmful and toxic chemicals. Most people are completely unaware.Are you going to address chemicals from GMOs in our food & environment?Is there a video that makes a statement on the value of organic?Indeed, this onehttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/	CDC,DDT,endocrine disruptors,flame-retardant chemicals,heavy metals,industrial toxins,PBDEs,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,plastic,pregnancy,women's health	The latest national survey on the levels of chemical pollutants such as heavy metals, toxic solvents, endocrine-disrupters, flame-retardant chemicals, PCBs, and pesticides such as DDT in the bodies of pregnant and non-pregnant Americans.	This is the first of a long series of videos on the role of diet in both accumulating and eliminating industrial pollutants that build up in the food chain. Today and tomorrow's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day President’s Cancer Panel Report on Environmental Risk set the stage and then we'll get down to the nitty-gritty in terms of what we may want to avoid to decrease our toxic burden. I've done 20 previous videos on persistent organic pollutants including Fish Oil in Troubled Waters, Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants, Dioxins in the Food Supply, and Industrial Pollutants in Vegans. I also cover a thousand other topics.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: How Chemically Contaminated Are We?,  Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue, and  Protecting Our Babies From Pollutants	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ddt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pbdes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plastic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/presidents-cancer-panel-report-on-environmental-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/	-
PLAIN-2864	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/	Saffron vs. Prozac	In the double-blind, randomised and placebo-controlled trial of saffron for PMS symptoms, the researchers also noticed a significant drop in symptoms of depression as well. Well, duh, it’s probably because they just felt so much better, but researchers decided to put it to the test.Millions of Americans… suffer from depression, each year, a disabling disease and even end up fatal, due to suicide.Enter, Saffron. A double blind, randomized trial: saffron versus Prozac. For 6 weeks 40 outpatients diagnosed with clinical depression got capsules containing the spice saffron—or, identical-looking capsules containing Prozac.Within just one week a significant drop in depression symptoms that got better and better throughout the 6 weeks. One of those lines is the Prozac group, the other, the saffron group, and as you can see it doesn’t really matter which is which because they both worked equally effective. 20% percentage of Prozac users suffered from sexual dysfunction, an all too common side effect, whereas not one did in the saffron group.“[P]atients and their families may view “alternative medicine,” that is, those treatments that are not traditionally taught in medical schools or generally practiced by clinicians, as being complementary or even superior to conventional medicine, but in majority of cases there is simply no evidence to support that. But in the case of saffron, the evidence, is, growing.	This is the third of three videos on the latest saffron research. Wednesday’s video Saffron for the Treatment of PMS is what’s referred to at the start of this video, followed by yesterday’s, which described what even the scent of saffron may be able to do. If this one plant can have such a significant effect, what about a whole diet filled with plants? See Improving Mood Through Diet. I also have a 4-part video series on other plants that may be helpful starting with Human Neurotransmitters in Plants and ending with The Best Way to Boost Serotonin.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Well presented! My love for your fantastic ability to present research information in a concise and humorous format is “Growing’ as well. :-} I have the incredible honor of working with John McDougall, M.D. again this weekend at the Whole Foods Inc Immersion as one of the patients Physicians.   Thanks to you and all your hard work my confidence to work with such an icon has grown and provided me with such a wealth of information as to feel of value to such an important movement in the field of medicine. Sincerely from the bottom of my heart, Thank You!Dr. Greger, what is your recommendation for intake to avoid depression symptoms?Out of curiosity according to the data of the study which one was slightly better at reducing depression symptoms at the end, saffron or Prozac?The slightly better one was Prozac (see Fig. 1 of Noorbala et al. 2005, which is second on the list of sources cited).How much saffron was used and how does a person get these amounts of saffron?  Just chomp on a handful of saffron? Short answer = 30 mg/dayLong answer reproduced from Noorbala et al. :” 2.2. Saffron capsule preparationThe saffron was used in this study was dedicated by Novin Zaferan Co. Mashhad, Iran) and was identified by the Department of Cultivation and development of Institute of Medicinal Plants, Tehran, Iran. The part of Crocus sativus that are being used as additive and also herbal medicine is stigma. The stigma’s extract was prepared as follow: 120 g of dried and milled stigmas were extracted with 1800 ml ethanol (80%) by percolation procedure in three steps then the ethanolic extract was dried by evaporation in temperature between 35 and 40 °C. Each capsule had dried extract of saffron(15 mg), lactose (filler), magnesium stearate (lubricant), and sodium starch glycolate (disintegrant). The dose of each capsule was calculated according to an animal study (Karimi et al., 2001). The extract was standardized by safranal. Each capsule had 0.30–0.35 mg safranal. ”Doesn’t seem so natural after you read all the steps, does it?How about converting that to teaspoons?How to best include saffron in your diet – pill form or through our diet? Also, saffron was great for PMS but was there any evidence for saffron supporting menopausal symptoms?I would like very much to find that saffron is more effective than Big Pharma agents. But what is the P value for this study? Of course, I can’t see the entire abstract but it appears to be 0.71. Pharmaceutical companies and the FDA have generally set 0.05 as the cut-off for the probability measure that these findings are not a fluke. p=0.71 was the p-value for the comparison between the saffron and the prozac protocols — i.e. not significant. –> meaning that both protocols were equally effective.However, both protocols were highly significant in reducing depression.  Quoting from the paper: “a one-way repeated measures analysis of variance showed a significant effect of both protocols on Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores (P < 0.0001)"By the way, Dr. Greger only discusses one of nine side effects, namely sexual dysfunction.  As described in the paper: "Nine side effects were observed over the trial. The difference between the saffron and fluoxetine in the frequency of side effects was not significant (Table 2)."  In other words, both protocols had side effects, including saffron.  We don't come away from Dr. Greger's video even considering that — it almost seems as if he is saying that saffron is good because it is natural.But, Table 2 of Noorbala et al. lists side effects attributed to the saffron including: 3 cases on anxiety, 2 cases of decreased appetite, 5 cases of increased appetite, 1 case of sedation, 2 cases of nausea and 3 cases of headaches. I think the P value of 0.71 is related to the difference between saffron and prozac’s ability to reduce depression–not the difference between the treatment working and not working.  The high P-value suggests that the saffron is just as good as the “Big Pharma agent.”I’d like to believe your interpretation Michael on this one, but it might also be due to the Hawthorne effect. and… there was no control group? Since studies show that antidepressants may not be any better than placebos… a better study would need to show that the subjects didn’t just feel better over the passage of time with or without either experimental condition. Given that the SSRIs take up to a few weeks before there’s any effect (other than side effects) I don’t think much can be concluded by this study alone. Quite right – There was no control group, so it’s plausible that both the fluoxetine and saffron groups’ effects were really just placebo effects (as you said, it’s far from clear that SSRIs are better than placebo) or simply the natural tendency for reported mild and moderate depression to resolve over time. Also, the low N in this study (20 per group) makes detecting differences between groups on reported instances of side effects fairly unlikely. It would have taken a difference of 5 subjects (1/4 of a group) to be statistically significant. It’s an interesting study, but far from conclusive. That being said, unlike fluoxetine, saffron is quite tasty, so it’s still worth tossing some in your dinner.While I very much enjoy Michael’s videos and I look forward to his presentations in person locally when he comes through, I am beginning to believe that his reports and interpretations can be more misleading than helpful. They are entertaining, but it takes more than a few minutes of a video to understand a well written paper that has significant findings. These sound bites rather should spark attention for further investigation. I wish there was a disclaimer at the beginning of each clip that provides the viewer to “watch with caution and at your own risk”.Be, I understand your concern for objectivity. Just wondering though for this video: do you believe Dr. Greger is misinterpreting the study or that the study itself is flawed?Tan T, Read my reply above to Be.  Read this study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22393205Tan, I know you have written this post to Be, but I liked your question and thought I would add my point of view:I think that this study cannot be considered flawed because it is clearly stated to be a “pilot study” and acknowledges its own limitations. Randomized double blind controlled trials are very expensive and, therefore, usually are motivated by less expensive pilot trials like this one that provide preliminary data. I view this is a natural part of the cycle of getting funding to conduct expensive trials.Based on the language used in the video, I don’t think that Dr. Greger has misunderstood this study at all. I think he has likely deliberately and rightly left out discussion of limitations since the purpose of this website is to use scientific data to promote veganism among the general public.As vegans, I think we are very lucky to have this website as a learning tool!  I look forward to waking up every morning and getting my two minute long placebo effect, courtesy of Dr. Greger.Thanks for raising this point, Be.Interestingly, the scientists who performed the study were very clear about limitations. Quoting Noorbala et al. (final sentence Discussion section):“The limitations of the present study, including lack of a placebo group, using only a fixed dose of saffron, the small number of participants and short period of follow up should be considered so further research in this area is needed.”I have mixed feelings about whether this video has misrepresented this study.  On one hand, Dr. Greger clearly states (video 0:42) that this study is “a double blind randomized trial” and this contrasts with the Agha-Hosseini study which was comparatively described (video 0:10) as “placebo-controlled”.On the other hand, when referring to the effects of saffron versus prozac, Dr. Greger states (video 1:10-1:12) that “they both worked equally well”. Unqualified, this statement does suggest that prozac and saffron were definatively reducing depression. Although this could be true (as Hemodynamic suggests), I think that more context should have been provided for the benefit of the non-specialist.I’m all for well designed science studies that destroy our myths and beliefs about we all thought was tried and true regarding diet and nutrition. I’ll disclose that I’m a big fan of the work of Gary Taubes in this regard. I’m also in favor of wanting to believe that plant based diets are important and under reported in the literature regarding health benefits. However, I’m not in favor of misleading information that only promotes the benefits of a strict vegan diet, when there’s also clear evidence to the contrary. Thanks, Be, for your post.  Please read below to my lengthy response.Please read my reply to Be above and here is a link to an interesting study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22393205Be, You may be right, but not according to the largest and only study to look at short term treatment of fluoxetine and venlaxafine and compared to placebo.  Just published Jun 2012. Here’s the link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22393205Their conclusion: “To our knowledge, this is the first research synthesis in this area to use complete longitudinal person-level data from a large set of published and unpublished studies. The results do not support previous findings that antidepressants show little benefit except for severe depression. The antidepressants fluoxetine and venlafaxine are efficacious for major depressive disorder in all age groups, although more so in youths and adults compared with geriatric patients. Baseline severity was not significantly related to degree of treatment advantage over placebo.” Great and interesting find. I’ve always wondered about these drugs — well about their effects, not about taking them. :)Thanks for citing that new paper HemoDynamic re: prozak and effexor. I, perhaps like so many other Gregor fans, would so very much like to believe and know how herbal and plant based supplements can help address health and medical conditions. We are all learning as we go along. Having these video summaries certainly brings attention to things that would otherwise never be uncovered. Sometimes this research like case study reports need to be seen for what they are, promising but often inconclusive. In the meantime there are certain beliefs we all still hold onto and want to be true, like the pursuit of happiness, we all believe that organic green leafy vegetables are ok to eat. Beyond that… one can’t really say for sure. To add a skeptic’s opinion – I’d be much more impressed if these results could be duplicated by scientists who don’t live in a saffron-producing country.What is American Saffron and is it as effective?  It is certainly cheaper!Hooray for plant power :)There’s this study too. Done on rats I believe. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19787421. Also seems kind of promising.So what is saffron acting on within the body to balance those with PMS symptoms and depression? If it balances hormones, as is suggested by its ability to relieve PMS, could it not be useful in treating other hormone-related/metabolic conditions?While these studies are very encouraging…. they must be put into perspective with who has done the research.  The researchers were from Iran.  Iran is also responsible for 90% of the global production of saffron (according to Wikipedia).  So… it makes sense Iranians would study a substance they can easily get, yet at the same time, they may be motivated to find good results by saffron growers, or their government, etc..  Research needs to be done by competent people outside the influence of commercially produced saffron.Good point John!Thanks for pointing this out. (Dr. Greger, wouldn’t it be great if every video had a quality mark for the research used – like 3,4 or 5 stars – from small sample number funded by those financially interested to large sample cross double blind etc. etc.?)Be: Thanks for your posts! I always enjoy engaging with those who are truth seekers.I agree with you for the most part, but believe this website has great value as a learning tool despite some limitations. Do not expect pure objectivity from the videos. Think of them like little advertisements for veganism and use the comments to discuss your thoughts.  There are plenty of interested readers (like myself) who will gladly engage with you in an effort to learn more about the articles. Dr. Greger has been kind enough to not delete any comments, as long as they do not contain any ad hominem attacks.  He is a really good guy!Please understand that this website is ultimately rooted in animal rights activism. If you don’t believe me, look at the listed sponsors (http://nutritionfacts.org/about/) 1- The humane society of the united states who employs Dr. Greger’s to work on this website, and2- The Jesse & Julie Rasch Foundation, who pays for the website and who is clearly interested in animal welfare as can see by their list of sponsored organizations: (http://www.raschfoundation.org/programs/organizations/)Furthermore, Dr. Greger has a history of writing about animal rights. For example, in his article ‘Why Honey is Vegan’ (http://www.satyamag.com/sept05/greger.html), he wrote about his experience in persuading others to become vegan:“So I talk to them of mercy. Of the cats and dogs with whom they’ve shared their lives. Of birds with a half piece of paper’s worth of space in which to live and die. Of animals sometimes literally suffering to death. I used to eat meat too, I tell them. Lots of meat. And I never knew either. Slowly but surely the horror dawns on them. You start to see them struggling internally. How can they pet their dog with one hand and stab a piece of pig with the other? ”Getting back to your issues with studies, I believe that the science of nutrition is so vast and complex that it is extremely difficult to get a total understanding of any physiological mechanisms. Studies on humans are impossible to perform in a completely controlled manner and will never be entirely satisfactory.  This gives rise to many oversimplified points of view on nutrition. I don’t understand why you are a fan of Taubes as I have carefully studied Gary Taubes’ magnum opus titled “Good calories, Bad calories”.  It is a deeply flawed book for the following reasons:1- Taubes’ starts off as an arm chair critic poking holes into nearly every human trial that attempted to link cholesterol and saturated fat intake to heart disease. While he does an effective job in pointing out limitations of these studies, he totally misses the point. These human studies grew out of highly controlled trails performed on rabbits (followed by various other herbivores) that clearly showed the precise mechanism by which cholesterol intake leads to plaque formation. It was even shown that carnivores with a suppressed thyroid gland develop plaques in the same way as herbivores. The goal of the human studies (which are too expensive to conduct thoroughly) was simply to provide an argument for showing correspondence with the animal studies.  Taubes persuades his readers by glossing over all that foundational animal research!2- after shooting down the cholesterol argument, Taubes then persuasively argues that refined carbohydrate intake can lead to insulin resistance. So far so good. But then, he astonishingly (and with almost no good data to support him) speculates that ALL carbohydrates are the cause of the main diseases of affluence. He uses belief as a launching pad to argue in favour of the Atkins diet.  Taubes’ like Pollan is a writer and a scientist. The basic problem with Taubes is that he doesn’t apply the same standard of criticism to his own point of view as he does to the mainstream perspective on nutrition.  He is guilty of oversimplying a complex subject and of using sophistry to persuade others.BCPveg,Ok this time you have outdone yourself! Truly great post.When all is said and done–if I had depression I would try saffron. I like to stay away from pharmaceuticals whenever possible.Thanks for pointing out the animal rights sponsorship and funders. It’s interesting that I’ve been following Gregor for a few years and hadn’t noticed the animal rights association. Well, makes sense. I’ve been a vegetarian for over 40 years and support the animal rights stance. However, I also find additional health benefits of eating certain and fermented organic grass fed dairy products and organic eggs from pasture happy chickens over the cruelty concerns if there is no cruelty involved. Many vegans ignore the health studies and eat vegan junk food and some how justify it all with animal rights issues. it’s mind boggling, to my mind. I do not wish to get into any further debate about veganism here. Regarding Gary Taubes, I respectfully disagree with your interpretation of his work. His research and writing is solid and continues to become more widely respected. Yes, it emphasizes meat eating, as does Cordain and the Paleo and atkins folks, but I am an avid believer that the principles can be applied to a plant based lifestyle, doing no harm to animals, while still benefiting from the health advantages. High good fats, very low carbohydrates, and moderate organic plant based proteins. Where’s the debate here? Hi Be,What research has he done? Actual peer review articles regarding dairy, meat and eggs and cardiovascular disease?He loses me when he advocates saturated fat and cholesterol consumption but I would be interested in reading research he has conducted. The harms seen with dairy and eggs far outweighs any sort of benefit that is received. I am curious to see what health attributions you see with these foods.The low carb, high meat diet is covered quite thoroughly by Dr, Greger’s free ebook http://www.atkinsexposed.org/I wouldn’t agree that ” this website is ultimately rooted in animal rights activism.” Dr. Greger is upfront about any affiliations he has. Many people become vegans for health rather than ethical reasons (Bill Clinton, Mike Tyson). There are plenty of websites that focus on animal issues from an ethical perspective. This one attempts to examine veganism from a scientific viewpoint.Dr. Greger provides an open, uncensored forum for those wishing to dispute his conclusions. Keep in mind, there are plenty of forums where shills from the meat and dairy industry “anonymously” post a heavily slanted viewpoint while posing as an average Joe (MBA’s, Masters of Beef Advocacy, anyone?). Thanks Veganrunner; that’s a high complement coming from someone who has made so many excellent posts!By the way, given your interest in natural remedies, you might like James Duke’s Green Pharmacy series including the Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods.  In these books, I found many interesting ideas for natural things to try. Its on its way! thank you. Gotta love amazon.Thanks Be for sharing your point of view.So where is the debate you ask?  If you haven’t already seen it, you may wish to follow the link below to view an excellent debate on dietary fat:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdBDQdOKbJQOne problem is that the debaters in that video are not evenly matched. Gary Taubes (journalist) is a real lightweight as he takes on Dr. Barbara Howard  (mainstream nutritionist) and Dr. Dean Ornish (scientist and genius).I just watched the 5 part series. Excellent. What I found most interesting is that it mirrored the arguments that occur in nutritionfacts.org comment sections. Taubes’ argument is that the research on WFPB diets being superior is flawed. That is the argument of those who comment here touting that cholesterol and saturated fats are healthful.Is that really all they have? Show be supporting data.Glad you enjoyed the debate, Veganrunner.Yes, I know it is hard to believe, but you have just seen a demonstration (via Taubes) of the best arguments that the Atkins school has produced. I know it is astonishing how they have essentially persuaded people to eat extreme quantities of meat based on the following four “arguments”:1- refined carbohydrate consumption can lead to insulin resistance. Based on this argument, they claim that all carbs sources including whole grains are bad for health.2- the anthropological record shows that humans in hunter-gather societies that ate lots of meat. Based on this argument, they assume that evolution is on the side of meat eaters without backing up their claims based on physiological principles.3- nutrition studies on humans are incomplete. They use this argument to attack the established view on cholesterol and saturated fat consumption and to dismiss research supporting vegetarianism. Amazingly, they never apply the same criticism to their own data (or rather their lack of it).4- people who switch from the standard american diet to the Atkins diet sometimes experience short term weight loss. Obviously, any change from the standard american diet (chips, pizza and beer) to whole foods is likely to lead to some weight loss (even possibly due to increased time spent shopping and cooking), so what does this prove?So based on these four arguments, you can see how lucrative the diet doctor business can be!You would think the meat and dairy groups would be more than happy to fund good research. It makes me think they know what the outcome would be.It is kinda like the arguments against global warming. I would hate for everyone to ignore the possibities and find out 30 years from now that we are too late. My father had a massive heart attack at 52. I best not ignore current peer review research….Mike: Thanks for your post. Though nothing you have said has challenged the very clear evidence I provided that this website is strongly influenced by animal welfare considerations. Please have a look at the article by Dr. Greger titled ‘Why honey is vegan’ – nobody but an animal rights activist could write that piece. Also see the links to this website’s sponsors and read their mission statements clearly. Please note that I am not implying that Dr. Greger is dishonest or even disagreeing with his overall viewpoint. In fact, I respect his animal rights motives. I doubt, however, that he can separate his animal rights motives from his medical interests to remain entirely objective when reporting on articles.I do appreciate that Dr. Greger maintains an uncensored forum. The biggest problem I have is that he does not respond to the critical questions that viewers like “Be” often ask. Sometimes the tone of his videos can also be very mismatched from that of the scientists whose articles he tries to represent.Dr. Greger certainly doesn’t hide his affiliations. All one need do is click on the “About” link—no detective work required. In his position as  Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States, I imagine one of Dr. Greger’s duties is to study emerging zoonotic diseases, as he did with the Avian Flu. This facet of his work has little to do with “animal rights.” As you know, Dr. Greger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine, which is a unique blend of education, and very appropriate for his position at the HSUS.Frankly, since he always provides sources cited, and allows an uncensored forum (where any and all are welcome to present disparate views), I find the website remarkably democratic. These are not his own personal studies, though I imagine he writes the script for each video. If you feel he is biased towards animal rights, one can always investigate the work of Drs. Esselstyn, Ornish, McDougall, Fuhrman, etc. These MDs have no connection that I know of with the animal rights movement, yet all are proponents of a plant-based diet. They have found this type of diet to be restorative to their patients’ health.I’ve been looking for a study that tests the effect of a diet high in animal foods on cardiac patients. A plant-based diet seems to have positive effects on people with cardiovascular disease (elimination of angina, claudication, etc.). I wonder if someone has attempted this kind of resolution from an animal-foods diet.Mike:  Do you work for Dr. Greger?  I am wondering because you are beginning to sound as if you are Dr. Greger’s PR person.Nah. I just don’t think there is any lack of transparency re: his association with HSUS, etc. Also, it’s a self-correcting site as regards bias, since even Masters of Beef Advocacy are free to post. I do notice that Dr. Greger usually quotes verbatim from the studies featured in the videos, so his own personal bias/interpretation is kept to a minimum. I admire Dr Greger very much, but it certainly doesn’t hurt any of us to be a bit skeptical these days.It’s only tangentially related, but the American Dietetic Association (y’know, the guys responsible for the food pyramid?) is sponsored by: National Dairy Council Pepsico and CocaCola Hershey’s Chocolate and Mars Inc. and … UnileverHi Dr. Greger, I’ve been on anti-depressants for many years for mild-moderate clinical depression.  I have been seeking an alternative to pharmaceuticals, but do not know how to safely switch from the pharmaceutical to a natural alternative, such as saffron or St. John’s Wort.  I believe St. John’s has a similar mechanism to SSRIs, so it can be dangerous to take both the pharmaceutical and the St John’s at the same time.  This makes it difficult to wean off the one drug and on to the other. Do researchers understand how saffron works, i.e. it’s mechanism of action? Do you have any advice for weaning off the pharmaceuticals and onto an herbal?Any advice would be greatly appreciated.Thank you for all the great information you provide.BGMike: The issue is not whether Dr. Greger’s affiliations are transparent (I have never claimed that they are not) or whether this forum is uncensored (I also never claimed otherwise). If we have volley after volley agreeing with each other on such points, it will soon seem like a “who’s on first” skit. The information I provided on animal rights affiliations was useful to at least one person, namely,  “Be”,  who thanked me for pointing it out. As I see it, the main point of dispute between us is the extent to which Dr. Greger’s interpretations of scientific articles carry a bias in favor of veganism.  You clearly feel that there is negligible bias whereas I often find his interpretations to be highly biased (which I assume is related to an animal rights motive).Although I continue to participate in this forum, because I still find this website to be entertaining and useful to my education on nutrition, I find some of these videos to be bordering on offensive…in fact, some of his videos have even seemed like an all-out assault on meat eating. Dr. Greger portrays meat eaters as smelly, sexually-dysfunctional, diseased and constipated. In contrast, vegans (who follow Dr. Greger’s whole foods plant based diet) are made to sound as if they are portraits of perfect health.In reality, the american dieticians (the experts) acknowedge that a well planned vegan diet is achievable for the general population and may have several health benefits. But they never paint such a disgusting portrait of meat eaters as does Dr. Greger. Which is more likely, that the largest organization of dieticians in the world is suffering from a mass delusion (“the tomato effect”) or that one animal rights activist working for the Humane Society is mixing his thoughts with his feelings.  Let’s look at the data more closely: The life expectency increases seen among vegans has so far been fairly dissapointing. You can try to explain that away as being due to B12 deficiency or poor omega-3/omega-6 balance, but I have yet to see a study showing that followers of a purely whole foods plant based diet will live more than a couple of years longer (on average) than the general population (with all other factors controlled). In fact, there are even studies that Dr. Greger won’t discuss that provide evidence that fish eaters had a longer life expectancy than vegetarians and vegans. This is one of the reasons I think the portrait that Dr. Greger provides is very skewed given the current scope of data on nutrition.Dr. Greger has also taken a very narrow interpretation of food (i.e the healthfulness of a food is measured by the total number of antioxidnants present). Probably antioxidants are a contributing factor to good health, but health is not conventially interpreted by the scientific community as mainly dependent on antioxidant consumption. For the less nutritionally inclined person, it can be hard to see where Dr. Greger is simplying making a hypothesis versus where he is really telling us facts. As Dr. Greger has discussed in the context of supplements, food nutrition is greater than the sum of its parts due to synergistic effects of nutrients. Ok – but then why does he reject all animal products simply based on their nutrient components – why not consider the synergistic effects of animal and plant products. No doubt that eating more fruits and vegables is great advice for the general populations, but I don’t think that nutrition boils down only to a division between eating animals versus eating plants!“The issue is not whether Dr. Greger’s affiliations are transparent (I have never claimed that they are not) or whether this forum is uncensored (I also never claimed otherwise).”I think these issues are relevant. Would you not be suspicious if you found a pro-meat website that was secretly funded by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association? Dr. Greger is totally upfront about his connection with HSUS. And the fact that the forum is uncensored allows anyone to dispute Dr. Greger’s interpretation of a particular study (and he conveniently provides his readers with the appropriate citations to do so). At that point, it’s up to all of us to do our own research. I think it is good that people like yourself “police” this site. I think the unvarnished truth is what most of us are seeking to learn.As I have also mentioned, there are many prominent MDs who advocate a whole-foods plant-based diet who have no affiliations with any animal group. In other words, there are MDs who agree more or less with Dr. Greger and who couldn’t give a fiddler’s fig about animal rights. You don’t have to be an animal rights activist to generally concur with Michael’s findings. The study of veganism is still a fairly new science. As veganism becomes more mainstream more will be learned on how to optimize a plant-based diet. Fish won’t probably be a factor in the future, since we’re going to fish out the oceans until they’re all gone. In the meantime, eating fish can mean ingesting  dioxins, PCBs, and mercury. This does not bode well for fish-eaters in future longevity comparisons.Fair enough, Mike Quinoa. Thanks for the exchange of opinions.Hello Dr GregerI was wondering if you can recommend the best way to supplement a diet with saffron. I have looked online and there are many supplements that are expensive. I trust your opinion and know you would make a good recommendation.Thanks in advance.Dr. Greger, I recently read an article online about saffron, which said that in order to find out if it’s been artificially colored, have it steep in hot water and if it instantly colors the water, it’s artificially colored. Does that mean it’s also of an inferior quality? I bought saffron from Trader Joe’s and from Safeway and both waters were colored immediately. Do you know which spice company has better quality saffron? I have not tried it yet with Whole Foods saffron because of the expense.BPCveg, THANK YOU!!! I think Dr. Greger should hire you to work with him on the site, seriously. I am new to this site, but have been reading a lot of it in the past few days, and I’m so happy to have encountered this debate now, and understanding better the overall picture of the information presented in this site. I agree with you on everything you wrote, I appreciate Dr. Greger’s work and the establishment of this site a lot, but also believe that everything should be considered, including who funds the site and the researches, and what is not said on the videos and articles. I have been vegetarian for 8 years in my teens, mostly for ethical ideals, and now, 13 years later, I’m trying to become vegetarian again, for health reasons mainly, but also ethical reasons. but I do believe everything should be taken into perspective and not be counted on blind folded. I’ll be sure to keep following your comment in this site, thanx for caring, cheers.Nurit- thank you so much for your kind words. And I am glad that you found the above discussion useful! It will be exciting to continue to follow the discussion on this website as nutrition knowledge evolves. Best wishes!While the Persian studies cross-referenced saffron s effects against Prozac, French researchers have performed studies against Saffron’s effects on depression with the drug Imipramine. See life extensions article and references. http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/aug2010_Curb-Compulsive-Eating-Naturally_02.htm?source=search&key=Saffron%20effects%20on%20DepressionWhat is a good source for buying saffron, or any herb? — so we know the dose or purity.What is the saffron dosage to receive relief?Dear Doctor Greger,I am new to your website, and I like it very much. Please keep up the good work. How can we access the full articles you mention in your presentations?Qaisar Qayyum MDQaisar Qayyum MD: If you look below the videos, you will see a “Sources Cited” section. Just expand the section to see the references for the articles.When Dr. Greger can, he includes a link to an on-line version of the study. Sadly, some studies are not accessible without a fee. For those, you will have a reference, but will have to find your own way to actually review the study.Hope that helps.This is impressive.Hello. I recently read about the benefit of saffron as an appetite suppressant. Any truth to this statement? http://foodtrainers.bigcartel.com/product/rebody-saffron-hunger-capsI would surely wish for a more long term study on saffron’s effects on depression. How much saffron did they use in the study? Where I live we traditionally eat sweet saffron rolls at Christmas. You pay around $4 to $5 for just half a gram in a small square envelope. You usually use 2 envelopes for a batch of the sweet rolls. At $8 to $10 a gram it seems it would be financially infeasible to use saffron medically.	alternative medicine,antidepressants,complementary medicine,depression,medications,mental health,mood,Prozac,saffron,sexual dysfunction,side effects,spices,SSRI's,suicide	A head-to-head test of the spice saffron versus Prozac for the treatment of clinical depression.	This is the third of three videos on the latest saffron research. Wednesday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Saffron for the Treatment of PMS is what's referred to at the start of this video, followed by yesterday'sNutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Wake Up and Smell the Saffron, which described what even the scent of saffron may be able to do. If this one plant can have such a significant effect, what about a whole diet filled with plants? See Improving Mood Through Diet. I also have a 4-part video series on other plants that may be helpful starting with Human Neurotransmitters in Plants and ending with The Best Way to Boost Serotonin.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Saffron vs. Prozac for Depression and Hibiscus Tea: The Best Beverage?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ssris/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/suicide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antidepressants/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/[http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15707766,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18271889,
PLAIN-2865	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/	Wake Up and Smell the Saffron	The spice saffron is composed of the female reproductive organs of the flower of the saffron crocus. Each flower just produces a few threads, such that you need 50,000 flowers to make a single pound of spice, enough flowers to fill a football field. So no wonder it’s the most expensive spice in the world.Thankfully, in the double-blind, randomised and placebo-controlled trial of the efficacy of saffron on PMS they found benefits using a tiny amount. What if you could get away with using even less, though?This has to be, one of the wildest studies I saw published last year. The psychological and neuroendocrinological effects of the odor of saffron. I don’t even know how they even thought up the idea to do the study. “The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of saffron odor on symptoms unique to women, such as premenstrual syndrome, menstrual pain, and irregular menstruation.”Another double blind placebo controlled study. How do you blind a smell study? They diluted the saffron so much that you couldn’t even smell it any more. That’s how little they used. So half the women sat there smelling nothing, and the other half sat there smelling, nothing—except they were secretly being given an undetectable whiff of this flower.And here you go: Significant drop in stress hormone levels and a significant improvement in psychological in symptoms. Unbelievable. “Smelling saffron… is simple and easy, and it seems there is little side effect.”	How’s that study for the Power of Plants? Works if you eat the stuff too—see yesterday’s video-of-the-day Saffron for the Treatment of PMS. For more flower power see my blog and videos on hibiscus tea (Better Than Green Tea) and chamomile tea (Red Tea, Honeybush, & Chamomile and Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy). And hey, broccoli florets are just clusters of flower buds. See The Best Detox, Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells, and 26 other broccoli videos. Don’t like broccoli? There are a thousand other subjects covered! If saffron has such powerful psychological and neuroendicrinological effects, how might it stack against drugs in the treatment of depression? Find out in tomorrow’s Saffron vs. Prozac.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Maybe men should use this in their aftershave and women in their perfume?  Just a thought.  Please keep up the good work.  I was in the audience at SF Vegfest and thoroughly enjoyed your talk.  I wanted to buy a couple of copies of your $10 DVD for marketing my family, but I lost you in the crowd.Makes sense. All makes sense that in the industrial world today, non-detectable scents of all sorts from everywhere, and even the lack of trees and nature we once had when living in the natural plains, affects us all.Nice to know that I can just smell saffron to get its beneficial effects, saving a few  bucks on the most expensive spice in the world.At my favorite local Asian market in the spice section, I found a product called Azafron Flor (Saffron Flower). It was cheap! About $1 for .37 oz or 10g. I’ve been able to figure out that Azafran Flor is spanish for Saffron Flower, which apparently made from the leaves of the Crocus & not the stigmas. Can anyone confirm this? Moreover, Dr. Greger, do you think this cheaper version of saffron might have the same effect as the more pure saffron thread variety?Dr. Greger,Can you let me know how often the Saffron was sniffed during the study? I just bought some and want to try it.thanksSteve from San Diego.Has there been an investigation of the effects of other crocus varieties? And since much of the price seem to stem from hand picking the stigmas, what about eating the whole darn flower? I admit to eating a few flowers on a dare, only to realize that some taste good and would probably be great in salads. But I don’t know flowers very well and would prefer not to poison myself. What are your thoughts?Any reputable supplements we can trust? Or source in general?I tried a saffron supplement for 2 months at 15 mg per day. Did notice an effect…possibly a bit too much…a tendency to mentally “wake up”. Psyco-spiritually it has a “red effect”.http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-premium-full-spectrum-saffron-whole-ground-stigmas-15-mg-60-capsNow they need a third study, where they test individuals imagining smelling saffron, I am practicing this right now since my mood is all over the place thanks to that time of the month and I don’t have any on hand.	alternative medicine,aromatherapy,complementary medicine,herbal remedies,menstruation,mental health,mood,premenstrual syndrome,saffron,spices,stress,women's health	Even the scent of the spice saffron may reduce stress hormone levels and ease the psychological symptoms of PMS.	How's that study for the Power of Plants? Works if you eat the stuff too—see yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Saffron for the Treatment of PMS. For more flower power see my blog and videos on hibiscus tea (Better Than Green Tea) and chamomile tea (Red Tea, Honeybush, & Chamomile and Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy). And hey, broccoli florets are just clusters of flower buds. See The Best Detox, Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells, and 26 other broccoli videos. Don’t like broccoli? There are a thousand other subjects covered! If saffron has such powerful psychological and neuroendocrinological effects, how might it stack against drugs in the treatment of depression? Find out in tomorrow's Saffron vs. Prozac.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Treating PMS with Saffron, Hibiscus Tea: The Best Beverage?, and Treating Breast Pain with Diet	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premenstrual-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menstruation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aromatherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-remedies/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/[http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21242071,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18271889,
PLAIN-2866	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/	Saffron for the Treatment of PMS	PMS, is among the most common health problem reported by women, affecting approximately 1 in 3, and there’s not much modern medicine has to offer. Ancient traditional medicine, though, in Asia and Persia used a spice called saffron to treat menstrual disorders, but what did they know? That was 3,500 years ago, in fact the earliest recorded use of any medicinal plant. Didn’t they know you can’t really know anything unless it’s put through a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial? Well, it took 3,500 years but we finally have it.Women experiencing PMS for at least 6 months were randomly assigned to a capsule of saffron versus a capsule of, nothing and low and behold “saffron was found to be effective in relieving symptoms of PMS.”Check it out, reported PMS symptoms significantly dropped even within the first cycle and continued to improve. This included changes in “mood (anxiety, irritability, depression, nervous tension, mood swings and feelings of being out of control), behaviour (poor coordination, insomnia, confusion, headache, crying and fatigue), pain (aches, cramps, and tenderness) and other physical symptoms including cravings and swelling), all thanks to a little powder, from the saffron crocus.	Remember saffron from my videos Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s and Saffron Versus Aricept? See my blog Natural Alzheimer’s Treatment for some context and my post on other natural remedies: Amla: Indian Gooseberries vs. Cancer, Diabetes, and Cholesterol. I have another 5 dozen or so videos on women’s health, one of more than a thousand topics I cover. This is the first of a 3-part video series on the latest on this plant powerful spice. Tomorrow’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Wake Up and Smell the Saffron is even more unbelievable than today’s, and I wrap up with a head-to-head comparison: Saffron vs. Prozac.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Great clean, new look!!!  Nice intro. Great job!Now down to business!  Isn’t saffron the most expensive herb on the market?  So what is the cost of keeping my wife happy and preventing me from having to perform the monthly exorcism? ;-)Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world!  So what is the burden of bliss?In the study they gave women 30 mg per day (BID).  So how much does that cost?   1 ounce costs appoximately $115.  1 ounce equals 28,350mg.  divided by 30 = 945 doses.  So I could effectively treat my wife for about 3 years for $115 or $0.12 cents a day!Now that is cost effective!!!!Great job again and as always!!  And thanks to Christi too!   The next video will show how effective simply smelling saffron can be.Spoiler Alert! We’ll make sure not to go to the movies with Toxins. ;) I found two sources in my town – the local grocery has 1g for ~$20, that’s $566 per ounce! An Asian food market sells a bag of 15g for $1.5 that’s barely $3 / oz… However, if that sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I’ve read that adulteration is a problem in the supply chain.Love the new intro and closing! Thank you for shining a light on the subject even women don’t necessarily share with each other. It’s a real problem that never gets properly addressed. Thank you again! Saffron vs Prozac. Look forward to it.Snazzy intro! So glad you like it!Ooh  Shiny new graphic.  Like it!This reminds me of the “Get the Lead Out” video which raised my awareness about the quality of these natural medicines.  While I suspect pure saffron would unlikely have high concentrations of lead.  A blended capsule with other beneficial herbs, spices and minerals may contain high levels of lead.Which is another reason for Organic registration and quality assurance.Thanks Micheal!     (and gang?)Good stuff. Other herbs that have been tested: hemp seed, Nut grass (cyperus rotundus), rose, shilajit, ginger, saraca indica, tribulus terrestris, myrrh, saussurea lappa, and many others. Hippocates, I think doesn’t classify it as PMS, though for many reproductive disorders, often used is a flax paste (with other ingredients, sometimes breast milk) rubbed in the uterus.Another main herb is shatavari (asparagus root). A different variety also used in chinese medicine. It’s more for reproductive health and cooling heat. I’d guess PMS has various origins: heat, anxiety, stress, phthisis …. And so the proper herb depends on the circumstance. But shatavari is probably good for general health, and asparagus.Hippocrates’ use of flax paste rubbed in the uterus is probably also good for maintenance of health.For the best “science’ of ancient remedies, seems that would be a chapter in Scientific basis for Ayurvedic therapies.That woman is kind of scaryIf you have Trader Joe’s in your area, they have saffron for a much more reasonable price than other places. However, I’m lost as to how to use it. Any suggestions on how to cook with saffron? And, how much should be consumed in order to reap the benefits for preventing pms symptoms? Im not sure about the dosage, but you can make a tea with saffron.yes check out lot of Indian recipes use it. I grew up eating it a lot but honestly it never helped my PMS.check out ‘kashmiri’ recipes it grows in that region of india.(sounds familiar? all fine things ‘cashmere’ come from this politically troubled state)what’s a good saffron source/product?Is saffron safe? Given it’s potency at helping so many different ailments, does it have any side effects? Although not for my personal use, and although few people, I predict, will be confiding in me that they have PMS, it would be great to know just in case! Thanks in advance.Thanks Mr. Greger! I do have a question for you. I am interested in buying “pure” saffron powder to mix in with drinks to help with PMS symptoms and help educate others in my health coaching business. So, I want to try it on my own. Are there any specific saffron types you recommend to do this? If so, which ones are the best? I know there are different types like “powder” and “thread” etc. Which do I go with?Hi Michael, Gotta love ancient brillance! My two daughters, both in their twenties, suffer terrible PMS. I will forward this to them but, how much saffron do they need to take? Both are cooks so, would adding saffron to their food produce the same effect? Thanks in advance. Audrey PellicanoPlease post an answer recommending dosage/methods of ingestion per saffron!I tried this and it works! My typical symptoms for PMS: one good cry and very irritable. I bought 1 gram of saffron, took 2 deep sniffs 2x/day am/pm. I can honestly say, I did not experience any PMS symptons! Love it! Thank you!Put saffron in food. Cut up alot of vegetables and greens, put them in water in a big pot. Add 1 tbsp saffron 1tbsp tumeric 1 tbsp rosemary 1tbsp Himalayan salt 1 tbsp black pepper. You don’t need to fry onions they will be totally see through by cooking in water on the lowest crock pot setting or on the stove. In an hour it is ready to eat. Leave it over night for Shabbos lunch and it’s called pareve cholent. Store it in portions in the fridge and take it for a snack or work tomorrow, it doesn’t have to be reheated. Follow me http://twitter.com/@rivkafreeman and http://google.com/+RivkaFreeman	alternative medicine,anxiety,complementary medicine,depression,fatigue,headaches,insomnia,menstruation,mental health,mood,premenstrual syndrome,saffron,spices,women's health	The spice saffron appears to improve both the emotional and physical symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.	Remember saffron from my videos Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s and Saffron Versus Aricept? See my blog Natural Alzheimer’s Treatment for some context and my post on other natural remedies: Amla: Indian Gooseberries vs. Cancer, Diabetes, and Cholesterol. I have another 5 dozen or so videos on women's health, one of more than a thousand topics I cover. This is the first of a 3-part video series on the latest on this plant powerful spice. Tomorrow's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Wake Up and Smell the Saffron is even more unbelievable than today's, and I wrap up with a head-to-head comparison: Saffron vs. Prozac.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Treating PMS with Saffron, Hibiscus Tea: The Best Beverage?, Cinnamon for Diabetes, and Treating Breast Pain with DietIf you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/06/natural-alzheimers-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premenstrual-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menstruation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-vs-prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wake-up-and-smell-the-saffron/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21242071,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18271889,
PLAIN-2867	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/	Eating Green to Prevent Cancer	Why do people who eat more plants get less cancer? We've talked about some phytonutrients that can act as antioxidants to douse free radicals, how some can boost our liver's own detoxification enzymes, and some that even boost our DNA repair enzymes to patch-up any damage done. But twenty two years ago the interceptor molecule hypothesis was postulated. Serving as a first line of defense interceptors bind to mutagens and carcinogens and thereby block them from coming in contact with our DNA.Many carcinogens, shown here in blue, have a flat ring system narrow enough to slip into the spine of our DNA causing mutations, but if the interceptors glom onto the carcinogen first, it may no longer fit. So the search was on, combing for the existence of carcinogen-binding molecules, and in 2007 we discovered one such amazing molecule was … chlorophyll! The most ubiquitous plant pigment in the world, that which makes dark green leafy vegetables dark green.In subsequent years, the ability of chlorophyll to “totally abolish” DNA damage of human cells exposed to carcinogens was documented in a petri dish, but what we really need is to see if it works in people, but you can’t just give people carcinogens—unless, you pay them enough. “Effects of Chlorophyll on Low-Dose Aflatoxin in Human Volunteers.”They had people drink a solution of radioactive aflatoxin, the carcinogen that used to be a problem in peanut butter, with or without spinach chlorophyll . Here’s the big spike in their blood stream of aflatoxin without spinach in their stomach, and this is with. Apparently the chlorophyll bound to the aflatoxin and preventing its absorption into their systems. “In sum, these studies provide substantial evidence that chlorophylls can strongly inhibit uptake of aflatoxins in the whole animal,” which in this case, was us.	For more on the antioxidant mechanism, see Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. For boosting our liver’s ability to detoxify carcinogens, see The Best Detox, and for boosting our DNA repair enzymes, Kiwifruit and DNA Repair. These are but a few of the various beneficial roles played by Phytochemicals: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label, and it’s not just the green pigments. There are the yellow ones, orange ones, red ones, and blue ones. Sounds like a Dr. Seuss book! That’s it for volume 10—thanks for everyone’s continued interest in my work.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Can’t wait! Have been looking forward to “Saffron for PMS.” Already purchased squash seeds, based on one of your videos, for the same reason.I’m Green with Envy! ;-} I don’t know, Dr. G..To the villagers of Whoville he’ll serve up red meat You recall the holiday table offering “roast beast” And surely the green eggs paired with fat ham would not be the green we want to feed to our fam.The heart of the Grinch was enlarged with compassion, or so says Dr. Seuss but perhaps it was that serving of browned butter moose.Dr. Seuss may be colorful be he needs to “green up.” Love the Lorax, but he’s got to do better ;^) Maybe a New Seuss book is in order.This is great!  However, is this saying that we have to consume the chlorophyll and carcinogens, simultaneously?  Or is it not enough to have the chlorophyll in our bodies so that when we do eat carcinogens it is there to protect us?? Good question! Absorption is always a concern. There are so many “what-if’s” that my philosophy is to just load up on the greens and assume the best. But, yea, I would like to know all the details. We are all so different, that no matter what studies or facts show, there are always variables that can change it for certain people. all I know is, Greens have been the #1 healing food for me.GO Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeens!!!!Strix, I have a pot of flat leaf parsley always growing out front and I try to grab a bunch of it *every day* to eat…sometimes even on my way to work…LIVE greens with their beautiful chlorophyll are even nicer! But folks, DO what you can to heed Doc’s advice…great video here! *EAT*GREEN*EVERY*DAY! Awesome! Instead of grabbing a doughnut, right? I bet you have the best morning breath in your town. My favorite living food is broccoli sprouts. Those are a staple for me. I like parsley. It’s a little underrated, don’t you think? I used to juice it all the time, but find I like a big handful in my salads too.Thanks Dr. Greger for this excellent video. I appreciate that we come away learning something new about why plant-based diets work.Interestingly, this study looks at preventing the initiatiation step of cancer by chlorophyll binding to aflatoxin — the same carcinogen that Dr. Campbell (from ‘The China study’) discussed in connection with studies on cancer promotion.In the aflatoxin-chlorophyll study, did they consider intake of animal protein (or was it plant based diet only)? The China Study reported increased animal protein intake increases carcinogenic effects of aflatoxin. Thanks for the great videos you post!Dr. Greger, you make my day. It is so refreshing to listen to someone with common sense contributions re. nutrition. Thank you!, You make a difference for me.Powerful piece: I wonder if the results would hold true if leafy green vegetables (or those densest in chlorophyll) were fed to subjects, instead of the isolated compound. Ditto for the aflatoxin.  Because of the complex interactions, it’s possible that green vegetables with less chlorophyll and more of a different detoxifier would have a more neutralizing affect.  Real foods are harder to study than the compounds we think are active…but ulitimately, it’s what people eat!  Keep up the great work.JL http://drjohnlapuma.comThere are also studies showing that strongly pigmented foodstuffs like chlorophyll,   beetroot, turmeric, red grapes, etc., stain not only your shirt-front, but also selectively stain any cancer cells thus acting as markers and better attracting anti-cancer defences..This is a secondary benefit of strongly coloured plants.along with their higher antioxidant values.Now I can safely eat my aflatoxinthere is no way I am eating chloroform. that stuff is dangerous!Chlorophyll and chloroform are not the same thing.is there any proof that liquid chlorophyl sold at health store is doing the same as the green ? any risks at taking it? some ppl at my work swear by it, and i find it kind of weird.Were they taking capsules or eating a certain amount?What about chlorophyll in an IV drip?What about the fact that vegan diet being rich in nuts in itself is a potential threat? Many studies conclude that the presence of aflatoxins in nuts (pistachios, almonds, cashews, of course peanuts) is a huge hazard for human health :( It’s scary that the incidence of molds, producing aflatoxins in nuts varies between 30% and as much as 91%, according to different studies.Wow, this is some wild stuff here! As a 64 year old Vietnam veteran I had bee falling apart for years until I tried and kept using some of these new fangelled old school things. Who’da thunk they would work so well! I am reversing secondary progressive MS and dang it I like that!Excellent to hear Allan, please see here for more on MS http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-multiple-sclerosis-with-the-swank-ms-diet/ http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/What a great video! Forgot all about it. Thanks for reposting. It would be interesting to see the same study but with beef, chicken, fish etc for other Heterocyclic aromatic amines (like PhIP) and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Maybe you already did a video on this but I don’t recall. See you this evening. It will be interesting to see the discussion panel.I saw today on the internet in an article by Rheanna O’Neil Bellomo that kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and collard greens hyper accumulate thallium and cesium and have traces of nickel, lead, cadmium, aluminum and arsenic that they get from the soil. She quotes a molecular biologist Ernie Hummard who says this is true for both organic and non organically raised product. He told this to Craftmanship magazine. She concludes that you shouldn’t eat much of these products. Is there any truth to this?	antioxidants,cancer,carcinogens,chlorophyll,collard greens,detoxification,DNA damage,greens,kale,mustard greens,peanut butter,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,spinach,Swiss chard,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Chlorophyll, the most ubiquitous plant pigment in the world, may protect our DNA against mutation by intercepting carcinogens.	For more on the antioxidant mechanism, see Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. For boosting our liver's ability to detoxify carcinogens, see The Best Detox, and for boosting our DNA repair enzymes,Kiwifruit and DNA Repair. These are but a few of the various beneficial roles played by Phytochemicals: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label, and it's not just the green pigments. There are the yellow ones, orange ones, red ones, and blue ones. Sounds like a Dr. Seuss book! That's it for volume 10—thanks for everyone's continued interest in my work. Volume 11 starts tomorrow!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/31/new-latest-nutrition-dvd-now-available-proceeds-to-charity/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/swiss-chard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chlorophyll/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanut-butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2185012,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19952359,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21500099,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20706936,
PLAIN-2868	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bug-appetit-barriers-to-entomophagy/	Bug Appétit: Barriers to Entomophagy	The problem with edible insects is consumer acceptance. Entomophobia, for which scientists “”deplore the public's irrational revulsion and fear of insects, noting that these "attitudes are not at all helped by government regulations that refer to insect parts as filth, lumping them together with rodent droppings.Our irrational revulsion has even been called a “social type of pollution. “Westerners should become more aware… of the fact that their bias against insects as food has an adverse impact, resulting in a gradual reduction in the use of insects without replacement of lost nutrition." Basically saying, hey even this, is better than getting them hooked on spam and twinkies.Not to oversell them, though, edible insects are not without their problems—your supper can bite back, and dyspepsia has been reported, which is basically like an upset tummy. Numerous reports record intestinal upsets after people have eaten foods containing insects and mites.In three experiments conducted on human subjects, ingestion of live house fly larvae produced nausea in 83% of volunteers. Maggots? Live maggots? I think they’re burying the lead, here. How about the whopping 17% of people that didn’t get nauseous.	Meat from wild animals may trigger less inflammation (see Modern Meat Not Ahead of the Game) and since bugs aren’t shot (see Filled Full of Lead) they may be The Healthiest Meat. Maggots may even be used to improve food safety (see Maggot Meat Spray, as I mentioned in my full-length 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death). I’m afraid, however, I would fall into the 83%.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Ha ha ha! Yes, what about those 17%!!I’ve always thought if I had the chance to eat insects properly prepared, I would.  I recall an article in National Geographic that grubs have a pleasant, nutty taste.Question: how about worms?  I recall a news story decades ago about a guy who advocated eating worms and who even made worm cookies for people to try.they do. i’ve known that, on a regular basis, for years %()worms make humus – good for growing plants! (earth – soil – is just worm doo-doo, y’know)This is completely Evil! Leave insects alone! it’s enough that the world harms them all the time, and it’s enough that the world harms larger animals all the time! Stop killing other beings to satisfy your mad craving for the flesh! This is unethical, and you should be ashamed of yourselves!You mean like sentient plant flesh? Plants have nervous systems?Plants display pain and pleasure responses akin to animals?Noth, this video is poking funPardon the late reply, but this is worth including. Noth, the point here is that humanity will soon have to rethink it’s food-needs, and insects represent the best choice. This is not about being nice or mean, it’s about survival. What have you been eating for years? Whatever it is, it has to be killed first. Same with bugs.Nope, there’s no reason to be ashamed here. Raising insects as food would make a lot more sense, at least in some ways, than continuing to rely only on beef/pork/chicken/fish/etc.We don’t kill anything to eat grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruits, leaves.   Grains, beans, and seeds all fall from plants that have naturally ended their life cycles. Nuts fall from trees and we harvest them without killing the tree.  Fruits can be picked from the tree or bush without killing the plant.  Leaves can be harvested without killing  the plant. You can cut grass without killing the grass, it won’t scream and it might even make it healthier.  Try cutting an animal or insect in half and see if it continues to live or grows healthier. Bugs have sentience, unlike plants.  You can’t cut a bug in half and watch it regenerate itself as with plants.  There is no ethical similarity between killing insects and eating plants. Do you relish the thought of eating insects?  A natural insect eater would enjoy eating insects live, uncooked and without condiment.  If you feel even the slightest resistance to the idea, you are not by nature an eater of insects.Humans don’t require animal protein of any type.  We already can produce all the plant food we need to feed everyone adequately, provided we don’t waste it in raising livestock.  Feeding plants to animals then eating the animals is inefficient regardless of species used, because it is inevitable that the vast majority of food energy fed to the animal will go to support its life process and activity, not to increase its flesh. Raising insects for food does not make economic, nutritional, gustatory, or ethical sense.  I hope we all can grow out of this false belief that we must enslave and eat animals to live well on this earth. More problems with insectivory.“Some insects secrete toxins, produce toxic metabolites or sequester toxic chemicals from foodplants (Blum, 1978; Duffey, 1980; Wirtz, 1984). Defensive secretions that may be reactive, irritating or toxic include carb- oxylic acids, alcohols, aldehydes, alkaloids, ketones, esters, lactones, phenols, 1,4-quinones, hydrocarbons and steroids, among others. Phytochemicals sequestered by various insects include simple phenolics, flavin, tannins, terpenoids, polyacetylenes, alkaloids, cyanogens, glucosinolates and mimetic amino acids. Insects are also a source of injectant, ingestant, contactant and inhalant allergens (Wirtz, 1984; Gorham, 1991 ), and some insects serve as vectors or passive intermediate hosts of vertebrate pathogens such as bacteria, protozoa, viruses or helminths (Gorham, 1991). More attention should be directed toward assessing these risk factors in the edible insect groups.”DeFoliart G.  Insects as Human Food.  Crop Protection (1992) 11: 395-399. Still yuk! We have been told that meats are full of dead bacteria that leak into the bloodstream and cause inflammation and one regular MD states that dairy is full bacterial “pus”. If insects such as flies and cockroaches are disease carriers, albeit highly nutritious, what is their bacterial load? There is a parallel with crustaceans here, such as shrimp, that feed on decaying material. Do we need to gut them as some bother to do, or is it acceptable to eat them whole? Imagine gutting maggots. If cooking does not solve the bacterial problem with meat and dairy, why is it considered sufficient with shrimp and insects? Dead bacteria are the same in both cases. This seems an important, yet unresolved, issue as insects seem to be an excellent and efficient protein source.so are plantsI am a new fan of these videos.  Thank you so much for producing them.I look forward to returning to subjects not about eating insects & maggots.i like the topic yet then again i like insects.What about the exoskeletons.  Before I switched to a plant-based diet… I would shell prawns, and crab, eating only the meat hidden within.  I would think eating bugs with exoskeletons would be a bit hard on the digestion process.meat with fibre?lolI have a difficult time with the search function on this site. I’m trying to find the video that talks about the potassium contents of various foods, surprisingly, bananas not being even close to the top. Is there a trick to using the search?Here you go: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/, around 25:40.How did I find it? I clicked on “Browse All Topics” to see the topic cloud, clicked on “potassium,” and there are only two videos that show up in the results. I was pretty sure it was the more recent of the two. I hope that helps?For some it’s entomophobia or even “social pollution”, for me it’s keeping kosher. Insects are right up there with pork and shellfish as culinary no-nos for me. I’ll stick to tofu, thank you very much :)As it happens, the book of Leviticus specifies certain insects as kosher [and halal.] Therefore even if this might limit the varieties of insects one might be willing to consume, keeping a kosher diet *does not* necessarily preclude entomophagy. True. But for the most part, to spare you all the halachic discussions about Ashkenazim, Temanim, tradition and locusts, we Ashkenazim don’t eat them because we’re not necessarily sure what the “chagavim” are these days. As for your everyday garden-variety bug, like the bruchid beetles that can infest grains, we certainly don’t eat those.Eating a tarantula seems about as bad as eating a chihuahua. They both might be someone’s pet! And the eyes really creep me out. On both the dog and the arachnid! Im hoping this vid is just a joke-of some kind. as I cant see why MG would be promoting bug meat consumption; well,he is funnier live and I think should stick to that format.but we love himToo cute. Thanks – I’ve always wondered about that cuz’ some people really believe it’s ‘the next frontere’ (after we kill off all the animals?) What some people won’t do for RealityTV!the article said “safe insects” I would assume non toxic ones. Or perhaps treat then like the fugualways wondered about this – never enough to try it tho – I heard crickets were popular – thanks for relieving my curiousityI wonder how people on an insect-diet compare with people on a plant-diet in terms of health.One of the links in the list above gives details historical accounts of etomophagic cultures, where one quickly realizes that they are simply omnivorous with a bit more variety than the distorted Euro-North American model. Or, stated more simply, the REST of the world eats a little bit of insects along with everything else, it is not an _all or none_ proposition. Nobody else makes a big deal about it. Only us.Pretty much the rest of the world eats bugs to no ill effect, but I could see the US model making FrankenCrickets and creating a disaster of cinematic proportions. Of course the TV people want to “keep bugs weird”.I do realize that this is the wrong forum, but could someone re-direct me to a good, informative site on the subject of etomophagy? Since trying Cicadas last time we had an big hatch, I’m a bit excited about the next horde, as I no longer think of everything that wiggles and crawls as potential fish bait.Please pardon my link up there for having so many dead ends. But it has some live ones too.	insects,maggots,nausea,stomach health	Consumer acceptance is the main barrier to the consumption of edible insects.	Meat from wild animals may trigger less inflammation (see Modern Meat Not Ahead of the Game) and since bugs aren't shot (see Filled Full of Lead) they may be The Healthiest Meat. Maggots may even be used to improve food safety (see Maggot Meat Spray, as I mentioned in my full-length 2012 presentationUprooting the Leading Causes of Death). I'm afraid, however, I would fall into the 83%.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Adding FDA-Approved Viruses to Meat and What Is the Healthiest Meat?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maggots/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/367264,
PLAIN-2869	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/	Good Grub: The Healthiest Meat	Thanks to the Chinese space program, scientists in Beijing recently published a formal nutritional analysis of what may be the healthiest animal to eat. ““the nutritional value of insects for human consumption during deep space flights.”More arginine that soybeans. More zinc than pumpkin seeds. More protein than even snail meat. The selling point, though, is their low saturated fat content. Especially when they're baked, not fried. And one pound of powdered worms gets you all the vitamin B12 you need for the day.“Could an african caterpillar be the new beefsteak? “Just 3 and a half ounces of caterpillars can provide all of an adult’s recommended daily protein, along with iron, B vitamins, and other essential nutrients.” And they’re efficient. Whereas we waste about 90% of nutrients when we feed grains to cows, less than half the nutrition of edible plants is wasted when we route them through bugs.Described as a “an endless source of protein,” but how do they taste? They are considered highly nutritious and also have a quote unquote pleasant taste. What exactly so they taste like? “people have said that the taste of the beetles is varied; just to compare it something everyone’s familiar with they reported their similarity to octopus.”	A pound a day of powdered worms? There are safer and cheaper sources of vitamin B12. What about arginine? Worms, whales, pork rinds and what else? See Fat Burning Via Arginine. Sourcing protein from plants may still be preferable, despite what the paleo diet folks assert. That appears to be the direction the American space program is going. What are the downsides to eating insects, though? That’s the subject of Monday’s video-of-the-day Bug Appétit: Barriers to Entomophagy.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Not. Going. To. Happen.If you were raised from birth to eat X foods, I bet you could raise children to eat Y foods, which are shown here to be more healthy. There’s a slow momentum pushing for insect-eating now because it’s more nutritious and sustainable.Agreed. And in that vein, some “foods” are rejected because one was not reared on them.  The sustainablity argument is what will probably take hold the most —  it’s a good angle/justification for people to use.Pretty soon you’ll find insect pills — it’s a much nicer way to consume all the nutrition. I bet the only way you’d get people to eat this stuff right now would be to claim it will make you drop 20 lbs in a week without having to exercise. Highly-processing it would be a bonus.Dr. Greger,Has your definition of healthy changed recently? Does healthy no longer refer to those foods with the highest antioxidant content?I ask because you didn’t state the antioxidant content of insects in this video and that was your previous basis for comparison of all foods. Just looking for consistency! I think Dr. Greger is using a common idea that something high in protein is heathy- of course, we know for the last series of videos on IGF-1 that it isn’t, and so, I take Dr. Greger’s comments in this video to be an expression of his unique sense of humor. Once in a while he intersperses his educational videos with a good dose of humor by reporting on the unusual side of nutritional science. I’m sure he’s not seriously suggesting that we eat powdered bugs.lol. Of course he’s not. Unless you’re in space perhaps. Anyone taking a visit? He’s saying it’s healthiest meat, not healthy necessarily.Plants good. Meat bad. Bugs better than regular meat.…or oven-baked tarantula.Guest: I am not as sure as you that bugs are off the menu.Entomophagy is a serious business:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating_insectsPerhaps not all bugs are off the menu. Read Leviticus 11:20-25 Yum… crunch, crunch!eewwww.You have made your point with me!  (If people think that eating animal foods is so good, why don’t they actually eat the healthiest animal foods.  Let’s put this animal “food” into perspective…)Alas, it sounds like eating those insects is still not going to come close to the health benefits of a plant-based diet.  Another point of the video.  As BCveg pointed out, where are the antioxidants?   (Unless argenine is an antioxidant?)  And of course, by definition, those insects would not be supplying all those vital phytonutrients.  Etc.  Those silly researchers/study that the video was quoting from seem to be focusing on the wrong aspects of health.  And they are thinking of sending people into space with that…I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not interested in eating a POUND of worm powder a day to get my B12 allowance.  Did you notice how he sneaked that in there?I think I’ll stick around on this planet and eat the plants thank you very much.As suggested by “Guest”, Dr. Greger was obvioiusly being facetious with this whole video.  Though this is highly culture-specific humor. Whereas in our culture eating insects is a taboo topic, in many other cultures and at many other times, entomophagy has been considered a valuable source of nutrition.Funny that from an environmental and health perspective is probably better to eat insects than to eat the non-human mammals that humans normally consume, since insects are lower down on the food chain.Tastes like chicken! Ever smell or taste powdered earthworms?  Used in Traditional Chinese herbology so we had it in my school clinic. All I can say is, “NASTY!!!!”  Maybe some others taste good I don’t know. I have had the random bug get chomped in my mouth accidentally while running or biking and they generally are pretty bitter and unpleasant. I think I will stick to kale and beans for now thank you.Taking a look into animal fats and saturated fatty acid intake I see no direct correlation between SFA’s and CHD:http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(11)00314-5/abstract http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1108492 http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?DOI=10.1159/000229002 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824152/Interesting. Are you aware of any studies where people have had the severity of their CHD reduced by adopting a high-saturated-fat animal foods diet? There are studies that seem to indicate a plant-based diet is capable of this regression of CHD.I don’t think a high saturated fat diet is taking a moderate approach to nutrition. I do however know of studies showing reduced CHD through weight resistance training on a high protein diet while in a caloric deficit. :)Not all saturated fats are equal. This could partly explain why saturated fat isn’t always linked with heart disease.Among the SFAs, stearic acid (18:0) appears to have a neutral effect on LDL-C, while lauric (12:0), myristic (14:0), and palmitic (16:0) acids are considered to be hypercholesterolemic. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/135/9/2075.fullI think it’s better to use a holistic approach and look at meat and dairy instead of isolating nutrients. Animal protein, cholesterol, nitrosamines, endotoxins, and saturated fat all play a role in ill health. This can sometimes be difficult to prove in short term controlled studies and long term studies based on questionaires aren’t perfect either.Fibre, antioxidant and phytosterol intake can mask the effects of saturated fat.Even if it’s not that bad, which it likely is, you can do better.The paleo diet is thoroughly covered here by Dr. Greger http://atkinsexposed.org/High protein diets are not healthfulThe evidence of the link between saturated fats, LDL and coronary heart disease is overwhelming, despite what a few hand picked studies might suggest. A good review of this is in the video series at http://www.plantpositive.com  Plant Positive digs very deep exposing the truth.So Mike, are you giving us the “ok” to induulge in BBQ spiders or should we stick to a meatless diet?Strangely, I haven’t seen a lot of proponents of Paleo promoting insect consumption…hmm. Guess it grosses them out to much. I can’t believe that insects didn’t play some role in the human diet at that time. I like to season my insects with a little Raid (just kidding).Dr Greger,Thank you for being and endless source of inspiration.Wanted to ask you something. I like to put peanuts in my morning smoothies. Would raw, soaked and/or roasted peanuts be the best option? I realize roasting would probably get rid of some anti-nutrients, but also (I suspect) destroy some EFA:s?Keep up the amazing work!AndersCooking would not significantly affect the essential fatty acids but keep in mind peanuts have too much omega 6 and hardly any omega 3. People are getting too much omega 6 which does not allow omega 3 to synthesize to DHA and EPA. I would recommend putting walnuts, or ground flax seed in your smoothies instead.Keep the ratio of omega 6:3 at 4:1 or better. Peanuts have a ratio of 4400:1 which is way off the charts.Hilarious synchronicity:  Yesterday after watching this video, I went to my coop to buy food. They had opened and were asking member opinion on a new “energy bar”. It was primarily peanuts and dates and tasted like that BUT it contained, “Cricket flour for protein.”  No noticeable flavor from the crickets though.  Wonder what whole a cricket dipped in melted chocolate would taste like???Ah, thanks for roaching this subject :^) Timely, too! Maybe they’d be a good treat — or perhaps a trick — for the  goblins who will be darkening my door soon.  Good info on the nutritional content; looking forward to more of the downfalls. Good stuff to know when an entomophagist asks, “So how much protein should I be getting, then?”I love how people are grossed out by bugs, yet don’t give a thought about consuming chickens waste  products, pus, mucous, various internal organs, eyes, veins, etc. of other animals; how consuming little kitties is “horrific,” yet a baby calf is yum!I’ve told some meat eaters (who like to argue that we need meat/protein) that if that’s really their concern, they should/would be eating insects. Yet, for some reason, that doesn’t go over too well.I get enough insect protein from those stubborn enough to stay on the veggies out of my garden…Look out bugs. The freegans are out to get yousINCE DO VEGANS CONSUME ANY ANIMAL LIFE?I believe this is tongue in cheek. Yum, Yum Renfield!Hmmm . . . different cultures view the eating of insects differently. I guess that explains why when I eat at a Chinese restaurant and I point out the fact that there are bugs in my food, the waiters react with disdain for me for reporting it.Yuk! When my dedicated Veg’n friends say that all the other Primate animals are vegetarian.  But we know that all the herbivore animals probably get a lot of bugs in their mouth while chomping on the plants.  Thry certainly can’t wash the fruits and veggies.  The Chimpanzees have created tools so that they can get to bugs.  So maybe I should start eating bugs the way my primate ancestors did.Hey, Thats great, but is there also a Kosher (non bugs) source of Iron? maybe the #2 or #3 on the list? Is there a list? Thanks. GuyWhole grains and dark leafy vegetables will be the best sources of iron. Check out this video on mineral enhancement http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/Bugs bred for comsumption will never have crawled the earth anyway since they will have come from breeding containers. So this superstition driven arguementation needn’t be let loose on bugs in packets.In any case you will probably have eaten more (non kosher) crawling insects/bugs by unnoticed ingestion than you’ve eaten meals in your life. Happy dreams.And just if you wondered….http://www.sixfoods.com/Not sure why you would suggest that eating another being is acceptable.	arginine,b12,China,insects,iron,octopus,protein,pumpkin seeds,saturated fat,snail meat,soybeans,vitamin B12,zinc	Of all animals, the bodies of insects may have the lowest saturated fat content.	A pound a day of powdered worms? There are safer and cheapersources of vitamin B12. What about arginine? Worms, whales, pork rinds and what else? See Fat Burning Via Arginine. Sourcing protein from plants may still be preferable, despite what the paleo diet folks assert. That appears to be thedirection the American space program is going. What are the downsides to eating insects, though? That's the subject of Monday's video-of-the-day Bug Appétit: Barriers to Entomophagy.For more context, check out my associated blog post: Adding FDA-Approved Viruses to Meat and  What Is the Healthiest Meat?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/octopus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zinc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bug-appetit-barriers-to-entomophagy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21554801,
PLAIN-2870	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/filled-full-of-lead/	Filled Full of Lead	Given this new data suggesting that the consumption of flesh from wild animals causes less inflammation, those who continue to eat meat might benefit from switching to something like venison— but it depends on the kind of ammo you use.“The potential for human dietary exposure to lead bullet fragments in venison from rifle-killed deer. “Human consumers of wildlife killed with lead ammunition may be exposed to health risks associated with lead ingestion.They took X-rays of “30 eviscerated carcasses of White-tailed Deer shot by hunters with the standard lead-core, copper-jacketed bullets under normal hunting conditions. For those thinking, wait a second, can’t you just dig out the bullet like you see on all the old Westerns—you don’t understand modern ammunition. …“All carcasses showed metal fragments and widespread fragment dispersion. How many fragments, an average of… 136. So they went to the store and scanned the resulting meat packages, revealing tiny metal fragments in the ground meat packages from 80% of the deer. And most of those fragments were lead. “We conclude that people risk exposure to bioavailable lead from bullet fragments when they eat venison from deer killed with standard lead-based rifle bullets and processed under normal procedures. At risk in the U.S. are some ten million hunters, their families, and low-income beneficiaries of venison donations.”	The new data I refer to in the beginning is a reference to yesterday’s video-of-the-day Modern Meat Not Ahead of the Game. Lead has also been found in protein powder supplements, ayervedic medicine supplements, and other animal products. Maybe in shot kangaroo meat too? Like mercury in tuna, no level of lead consumption can be considered safe. So what’s the least unhealthy meat? Find out in tomorrow’s video-of-the-day Good Grub: The Healthiest Meat.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Get the ‘Led’ out, otherwise we will be climbing the Stairway to Heaven earlier than expected. ;-}Here’s my lunch that Got the Lead out:Sweet & Spicy Lentil, Ginger Curry Quinoa, tossed with Arugala Salad–Absolutely delish!Yummmm.My lead-free lunch was: a baked home-made felafel burger topped with spinach and my own made-up mixture of quinoa, kale, broccoli and mushrooms tied together with a home-made “cheesy” cashew sauce.  I had organic grapes and strawberries for dessert.  Also yumm!  Also lead-free!Makes me hungry–again!Can you please share how you make the “cheesy” cashew sauce?I will butt in and tell you how I make “cheese” sauce! 1 cup water 3/4 cup raw cashews 1 tsp salt 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes 1 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/2 cup pimentos (roasted red peppers) 2 Tbsp lemon juice 4 drops Tabasco Sauce or cayenne powderBlend in a blender until very  smooth, bring to a boil, turn head down and simmer for a couple of  minutes. ( If you boil the cashews a few minutes before using them,they seem to blend smoother. Pour the boiling water off and use cold to blend with.)  To make macaroni and cheese, I add 2 Tbsp olive oil and 3/4 cup almond (or other) milk to the sauce.  I use 2 cups of uncooked macaroni for this amount of sauce.  Of course you have to cook the macaroni first!    Mix the sauce in the macaroni, put in a casserole dish, top with “buttered” crumbs and bake till hot.  enjoyWaiting to see if Thea’s recipe is similar or even better!Doug: Thank so much for sharing this delicious-soudning vegan recipe. Will let you know how it goes!You are welcome.  I also use this hot on broccoli etc. or a cold spread for bread.Sounds delicious..except it’s high in fat (even if good fat) and high in salt, which makes my osteoporosis worse. Guess I’ll have to pass. There’s vegan and healthy vegan. I’ll cherish a few cashews, and stay with my beans and greens! BPCveg:  Doug’s recipe looks good.  I’ve made similar recipes in the past and liked them to varying degrees.Unfortunately, the one I referred to above was something that I just made up on the spot without keeping track of ingredients or amounts.  I definitely could not recreate it.  I know I threw some cashews and water to barely cover in a professional-style blender.  Then I put in nutritional yeast and a bit of smoked salt and  lemon juice.  I’m pretty sure I added some other ingredients until I liked the taste, but darn if I remember now what they were.Since you ask about cheese, I have to mention that I *just* discovered the book Vegan Artisan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner.  I ordered it from Amazon.  The reviewers rave about the book and the recipes being incredibly true to the “real” thing.  I have a feeling that after trying those recipes that I will be redefining the what counts as “the real thing”.What I can say about the various vegan “cheese” sauces that I have made so far: They may be yummy, and they can definitely take the place of a traditional cheese or cheese sauce, BUT they are really, clearly NOT cheese in taste or texture.  Miyoko is reported to have solved both problems.  I’m very excited about trying it.Good luck with your cheese sauce adventure.  (And thank you Doug for sharing your recipe.)Thanks Thea! Like you, I aspire to be a gourmet vegan chef…hopefully the Miyoko book will live up to the promise.Care to share how you made teh ginger curry quinoa.Thanks in advance for any tips.I will. Give me some time to get it together. Thanks for asking!Wow.  I never would have thought of this.  Very interesting.Fascinating! I tell my readers to eat wild meat, but now I need to warn them about lead from bullets. I guess hunters should consider switching to bow and arrows.…or simply use copper bullets.  Several other non-lead options as well.Wow…I think people totally miss the point of Dr. Greger’s work.  No bullets are necessary if you get it!I always strangle a bear for dinner…Or they could use their bare hands. Wouldn’t that level the playing field?Or, better still, save the lives of wildlife and let the hunters hunt with cameras!so true. as well, there’s been a decades-old  epidemic of ‘mad cow’ in wild critters :   http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/wild-game/MY01079 With game there are a few health-related precautions to keep in mind: Chronic wasting disease (CWD). Similar to mad cow disease, CWD is found in deer and elk. While human infection is a potential concern, there have been no verified cases. To minimize risk, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that hunters who harvest deer or elk from known CWD-positive areas consider having the animal tested for CWD before consuming the meat…http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/savvy-scientist/the-slow-march-of-chronic-wasting-disease/563 …From an infectious disease standpoint, CWD is far more frightening than BSE. In BSE, the infectious prions are normally confined to tissues of the nervous system. People get exposed to BSE prions in mad cow beef only because slaughterhouse conditions often splatter brain matter indiscriminately, and it only takes a milligram or so of infected tissue to transmit the prions.In CWD, however, the bad prions manifest throughout an infected animal’s tissues and secretions: they show up in its saliva, its blood, its bones, its feces, its urine, and its muscles…Interesting! All the more reason to show why I went plant-based. Why worry about a disease that turns your brain into swiss-cheese. Just turn to the plants and not only save each other, but the animals and the Planet. ;-}Right on, HemoDynamic! Wild game also carry campylobacter, pathogenic E. coli, salmonella, etc.  All the data available on pubmed.  Example:Assessment of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Isolates from Wildlife Meat as Potential Pathogens for Humanshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2765146/Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus among Wild Birds in Mongoliahttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3439473/If you’ve ever had to deal with hunters, you’ve probably noticed that their reasoning abilities have seemed… impaired. Now we know that there might be at least a partial answer- besides the fact that their parents are usually close relatives.I heard deer antler tips is healthy as a supplement, can you summarize the research findings on this? thanks!Deer Antler tips is used in Chinese Medicine to “rejuvenate and strengthen” the body. However, this is based on the belief that if one takes in specific animal tissues that one will take on the characteristics of that animal (i.e., strength). There is absolutely no scientific evidence that deer antlier tips provide any nutritional value or have special “powers” to strengthen or rejuvinate. The best way to rejuvenate and strengthen the body is by consuming a whole food plant-based diet filled with phytonutrients that have been shown by science to rejuvenate the body.I am very familiar with consuming animals killed by bullets, what we do is cut away the parts that are ‘shell shocked’ or discolored and bloodied by high velocity impact. If it looks at all suspicious it is cut away and left for the magpies on the mountain side usually, sometimes at home as it is being cut up if not detected in the field…Interesting. Thanks for sharing!	animal protein,heavy metals,lead,meat,venison,wild game	Standard rifle bullets disperse tiny lead fragments throughout the flesh of wild game, raising public health concerns about lead poisoning in those that consume venison, based on a study of white-tailed deer shot by hunters.	The new data I refer to in the beginning is a reference to yesterday's video-of-the-day Modern Meat Not Ahead of the Game. Lead has also been found in protein powder supplements, ayervedic medicine supplements, andother animal products. Maybe in shot kangaroo meat too? Like mercury in tuna, no level of lead consumption can be considered safe. So what's the least unhealthy meat? Find out in tomorrow's video-of-the-day Good Grub: The Healthiest Meat.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Lead Poisoning Risk From Venison	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wild-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/venison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20377925,
PLAIN-2871	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/	Modern Meat Not Ahead of the Game	“There is evidence of a link… between a form of low-grade systemic inflammation and several chronic diseases. This subclass of inflammation has been labelled ‘metaflammation,’ paraflammation, or ‘smouldering inflammation.“Obesity, is known to be associated with this form of inflammation,” though a recent paper argues that obesity may be more of canary in the coalmine. Well if this inflammation is “”now known to underlie most, if not all forms of chronic disease, what are some inducers of this inflammation”? Well, that mineshaft might actually be one—air pollution and rising CO2 levels, but also second-hand smoke, inactivity, too much activity—like marathon runners actually may be stressing their bodies out too much, excessive alcohol, calories, fast food, western doet, saturated and trans fat, not enough fiber, and too much sugar, meat and salt. Note though they specify domestic meat. Might wild game be healthier?One study comparing the meat of both captive, and wild, pheasants, for example, found significantly more saturated fat in the domesticated birds, which is one of the components blamed for helping to trigger the meat-induced postprandial—or “after-meal” inflammatory response, given the potent inflammatory effects of saturated fats. So wild animals would seem the least unhealthy meat option, but it wasn’t until recently when we got any real evidence one way or the other.This group of Australian researchers compared the amount of inflammation triggered by modern meat, domesticated animal meat, compared to that triggered by kangaroo meet. They looked at three different inflammatory markers, Tumor necrosis factor, interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein. Here’s the regular meat, big spike in inflammation 1 hour, two hours after the meat, no surprise, that’s what saturated animal fat does. But here’s the kangaroo. Sure, still causes that smoldering meta-inflammation, but not as much as store-bought meat.	The meat-induced spike in inflammation within hours of consumption is explored in my 3-part video series The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation, The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory, and Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia. It’s also discussed briefly in my full-length 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. Other videos on inflammation include Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants, Fighting Inflammation With Food Synergy, Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation, Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes, Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell, and Achieving Remission of Crohn’s Disease. Given this new data suggesting that the consumption of flesh from wild animals causes less inflammation, might those who continue to eat meat benefit from switching to something like venison? That’s the subject of tomorrow’s video-of-the-day Filled Full of Lead.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Take a walk on the Wild Side, Baby!Although, some might call Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” as inflammatory as domesticated meat.  Remember the lyrics?“. . . Doo do doo, doo do doo, doo do doo. . . ““Lookin’ for soul food and a place to eat” but probably not worried about grass-fed versus grain-fed.;-}How about grass fed beef versus grain fed beef. Not that the grain itself is the problem, but that grain and additives and the way it’s fed to cows increases their toxicity. No doubt grain isn’t healthy for the cows either. Last I heard, they were supposed to eat grass.Meat contains the same compounds whether it be organic or not. Inherent compounds still exist in these animals including endotoxins, saturated fat and cholesterol.wow i always find you posts fascinating do you have a blog or website i could read?Other then my facebook page which id rather not share I do not post nutritional information anywhere else.The best sources are this website and Jeff Novick, which is where I get most of my information from.http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=7828Interesting post although, I would expect a third line showing the inflammatory response to say, soy,banana,beans or any other plant based food. Minnymoony:  My understanding (which could very well be mistaken) is that there is no inflammatory response to most plant based foods.  Do you know otherwise?Almost Thea–Rotten plant foods cause inflammation (No duh) and so do Potatoes.  Well, except for purple ones.  They are my favorite as well because they are not only beautiful but have a slightly sweet flavor to them.   Also, in my patients with autoimmune disorders Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis and other connective tissue disorders, I have seen concentrated soy protein isolates cause increases in pain, swelling and inflammation.   Back to the whole foods, plant-based diet!   Here’s a link to the research: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/Dr. hemo I think you are on to something but I think it might be soy in general. Last week I had more soy than I normally do. I made a vegan dish with tempeh, had a few soy lattes etc. maybe 6 servings all week.So I tried to figure out why my legs/joints were feeling swollen although they weren’t visibly. Absolutely the strangest feeling. I came to the conclusion that I don’t do well with processed soy.I am glad you have noticed similar things with your patients and brought it to our attention.Carageenan is present in soy milk. HemoDynamic:  Thanks for the clarification.  I knew there were some exceptions, which is why I said “most plant-based foods”.  But I think it is particularly helpful that you gave specific examples of foods to be wary of right here.You are really lucky that you have access to those purple potatoes.  I’ve been on the lookout for them at my local healthfood store and farmers market.  Nothing yet, but I do live in a small-ish city.  Or maybe I’m just not looking hard enough.Thanks again for your nice response.Not sure about soy, but vegans in general have lower inflammation markers. Most vegans eat a lot of soy. Banana might be slightly inflammatory, but unlikely unless you’re diabetic. Can’t speak for all beans, but some are anti inflammatory.does this have anything to do with the higher fat content of wagyu beef compared to kangaroo meat? As some of your other videos suggests, it is mainly the fat in animal products that are bad for us. The animal protein and cholesterol is also a problem. Right, I was just speculating as to a possible reason for why wagyu (a very fatty meat) is worse than kangaroo which is a leaner animal protein (the study only looked at wagyu and kangaroo meat). Not to say that either is good for you. I am not sure if the the actual protein of the animal is the cause of the differences found. Of course there can be many other reasons for this difference such as the level of stress domesticated animals experience and the lower quality of food they consume compared to wild animals.You’re crazy thinking saturated fats are all created equal and that animal fats are ONLY saturated fats﻿ (what no oleic acid?) If you read the actual study, you might better understand why I am asking about the difference in fat levels of the two animals.I’m speaking directly to Dr. GregerHigh content of oleic acid is found in large abundance in olive oil and this is not at all healthy. “Contrary to part of our hypothesis, our study found that omega-9 (oleic acid)-rich olive oil impairs endothelieum function postprandially.” http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/36/5/1455Although in Rabbits, this study showed other wise: Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism; 2002, Vol. 46 Issue 5, p222-228, 7pVisioli F, Galli C: Antiatherogenic components of olive oil. Curr Atheroscler Rep 2001;3:64– 67.The study u present is a metaanalysis of other studies showing benifits with the assumption that olive oil is the health promoter.“In terms of their postprandial effect on endothelieum function, the beneficial components of the Mediterranean and Lyon Diet Heart Study diets appear to be antioxidant-rich foods, including vegetables [and] fruits”http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/36/5/1455“In a clinical study, olive oil was shown to activate coagulation factor VII to the same extent as does butter. Thus, olive oil does not have a clearly beneficial effect on vascular function.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9409274. The soup either had 3 tablespoons of each oil OR they fried the potatoes in the oil. They too examined the extent of damage on the volunteers’ arteries. this is what they found “All the vegetable oils, fresh and deep-fried, produced an increase in the triglyceride plasma levels in healthy subjects.”   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17174226This 2 year study looked at coronary artery lesions of the heart after consuming different types of fat. Polyunsaturated fat (omega 3 type of fat) Monounsaturated fat (75% of which makes up olive oil) and Saturated fat (the kind found in mostly animal products). They looked at angiograms a year apart after intervening with increasing one type of fat in each group. All 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing.  http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/263/12/1646.abstract?sid=47d1d016-3c15-43f4-a013-0d10144ef8e3oddly, humans are not rabbits, as the study I presented was specifically with human testing.Agreed about the rabbits. Here’s a review paper on saturated fats: http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(11)00314-5/abstractWhat I don’t see, is a direct cause of dietary saturated fats and cholesterol on heart disease.Agreed about the Rabbits, however, taking a look into animal fats and saturated fatty acid intake I see no direct correlation between SFA’s and CHD:http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(11)00314-5/abstract http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1108492 http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?DOI=10.1159/000229002 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824152/ The studies you presented are meta analysis’, which means that they looked at several studies. Perhaps these few went under the radar.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ijc.23414/full http://www.ajcn.org/content/86/5/1286.full.pdf+html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9036757 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20165863 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21521229The study you cited: “Tolerable upper intake levels for trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.” is included in that meta-analysis I sent you. The study you cited: “Effect of a Single High-Fat Meal on Endothelial Function in Healthy Subjects” has participants eating “The high-fat meal (900 calories, 50 g of fat, 14 g of saturated fat, and 255 mg of cholesterol) consisted of an Egg McMuffin®, Sausage McMuffin®, 2 hash brown patties, and a noncaffeinated beverage (McDonald’s Corporation)”.That study also quoted this: “Although there is a well-established relation between serum cholesterol and coronary artery disease risk, individual and national variations in this association suggest that OTHER factors are involved in atherogenesis”And a major limitation was this: “The study did not attempt to determine whether lesser fat loads impair endothelial function, or whether high-fat meals lower in saturated fat have similar effects”In the Study you cited: “Effects of a high-fat meal on pulmonary function in healthysubjects” The participants ate “The High Fat Meal consisted of ice cream (Edy’s Grand Vanilla) and whipping cream (Reddi wip original)”. AND Even though post meal triglycerides and cholesterol went up C-reactive protein did not. ALSO they say that “subjects with highest body fat levels would see the largest increases in total cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactiveprotein, and eNO, was not supported.”… perhaps in healthy people who exercise and are not obese this would not be the case. This Study does not prove that cholesterol causes CHD.I’m still looking over the first two…At the end of the day my point is that you’re taking out context between what “kind” of saturated fat and who exactly is consuming it in what amounts? (Ie. athletes, lean individuals, in caloric deficit or balance)…This is a good paper looking at the different forms of saturated fat: Saturated fats: what dietary intake?1,2,3 J Bruce German and Cora J Dillard Am J﻿ Clin Nutr September 2004 vol. 80 no. 3 550-559 The national academy of science recognizes saturated fat as being harmful and any intake increases cardiovascular risk due to increased production of ldl cholesterol. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422Nice albino kangaroo Mate!raw fruit and greens for the win	air pollution,alcohol,animal fat,animal protein,Australia,C-reactive protein,calories,exercise,fast food,fat,fiber,fish,inflammation,kangaroo meat,meat,obesity,pheasants,salt,saturated fat,smoking,sodium,sugar,trans fats,venison,wild game	Since chronic inflammation underlines many disease processes and saturated fat appears to facilitate the endotoxic inflammatory reaction to animal products, researchers have looked to wild animals for less unhealthy meat options.	The meat-induced spike in inflammation within hours of consumption is explored in my 3-part video series The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation, The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory, and Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia. It’s also discussed briefly in my full-length 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. Other videos on inflammation include Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants, Fighting Inflammation With Food Synergy, Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation, Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes, Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell, and Dietary Treatment of Crohn's Disease. Given this new data suggesting that the consumption of flesh from wild animals causes less inflammation, might those who continue to eat meat benefit from switching to something like venison? That's the subject of tomorrow's video-of-the-day Filled Full of Lead.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Lead Poisoning Risk From Venison	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/australia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/venison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/air-pollution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/c-reactive-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wild-game/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kangaroo-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pheasants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20377925,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18982774,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20701689,
PLAIN-2872	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/	Paleolithic Lessons	A review published recently made an evolutionary argument for a plant-based diet, given the fact that we apparently evolved eating huge amounts of whole plant foods. 200,000 years ago it’s estimated that we consumed 600mg of vitamin C a day. That’s the amount of vitamin C found in 10 oranges, the amount of vitamin E found in 2 cups of nuts, the amount of calcium found in 5 cups of collard greens—and they weren't milking mammoths or anything. That came from all their wild greens. 100 plus grams of fiber—now we’re are lucky if we get 20 in dayIn fact, we were exposed to such a quantity of healthy whole plant foods, we as a species lost our ability to make vitamin C. We still actually have the vitamin C gene in our DNA, but our bodies just junked it because why bother? Why waste the energy? We’re getting massive doses all day every day. The problem is now what happens when you take our evolutionary heritage, fine-tuned over the millennia and plop it down into meat and potato chip country?Advocates of the so-called Paleo diet are certainly right in railing against refined and processed junk, but may just use it as an excuse to just eat loads of meat that bears little resemblance to flesh of prehistoric wild animals. Just the contaminant issue alone. Recently in the journal of the American Meat Science Association, a review was published cataloguing the laundry list: arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, preservatives, and veterinary drugs, like the antibiotic residues. Given what’s now in fish, for example, “it would be impossible to follow the Paleolithic diet while avoiding the risks associated with consuming mercury in amounts in excess of the suggested EPA threshold.”The paleo diet patients I saw in my practice weren’t consisting on weeds and eating a 100 grams of fiber a day. They were eating burgers, not bugs. Based in part on our evolutionary history, “Sufficient scientific evidence exists for public health policy to promote a plant-rich diet for health promotion.”	For those interested in digging deeper, there was an interesting Scientific American blog this summer entitled “Human Ancestors Were Nearly All Vegetarians” and there’s an in-depth video series on YouTube. I wrote a whole book on the former low carb fad incarnation, Carbophobia, now available free online (like all of my work). I also have two videos Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up and Plant-Based Atkins Diet.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.But the Harvard School of Public Health says we should fats up to 30 percent of calories.  You know, Harvard.  I mean Cornell is great but …  Whats a Holocene hominid to do?A really great book to read is The China Study.  The author reveals how the food industry (dairy, meat), the big pharmaceuticals, and academia are in bed together and are behind the notion that you cite….that we should take in up to 30% fats.  It’s interesting.  Thanks JK.  I did read it and watched FoK’s and have been WFPB’d for since july 2011.  I am doing much better. But it upsets me when I see such conflicting info from reputable institutions such as Harvard.  Have you read this:http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/Harvard says that I am hurting my heart by not eating enough good fat.  And they read the literature too.It bothers me when scientists in various camps simply ignore the arguments of their peers.  They should ignore the wacko’s but Harvard says nothing, not one word, about The China Study, or any of the WFPB camp.How has Harvard been duped by the food industry?Hi Procyan,What I noticed about the information in the link above is that progress is being made! Compare that to nutritional advice from 10 years ago and one can see the trend is changing.With all the current research on a WFPB diet what will the food pyramid look like in another 10 years? I think it is very encouraging!Yes I do take your point and someday this will all be clear as…but THIS issue is black and white.  Either its under 10% calories from lipid or 30% is best. There is a moral responsibility for any authority such as HSPH to get it right before making condecending statements like “Its time to end the low-fat myth”.  Afterall, this is a matter of life and death.I have learned from Dr G to constantly adjust my diet to incorporate new knowledge.  As near as I can tell, calories from fat is still a toss up. I am not trying to provoke anyone except perhaps to separate the subtler aspects like which mushroom is best from the essential need to get it right.  You know, so I don’t have to read literature that I don’t understand anyway, heh.I think a better idea would be to actually do the research yourself instead of listening to some internet guru. I’m reading his atkins debunker website…and its despicable. MDs are trained practionors, not researchers. This guy just wants your attention and will try to trick you by coming off as science based. For example:“Noting that by the end of the year, half of the Atkins group had dropped out, and those who remained ended up an unimpressive 4% lighter, Fat of The Land author Michael Fumento commented, “do you really think any of them could sell a single book copy, much less as many as 15 million (for Atkins), by admitting to a 50 percent drop-out rate in one year with a mere five percent of weight loss among those left?”[218]”This is a quotation he is using as an argument in the same page, he praises the ornish diet, which had a higher drop out rate than the atkins diet (by 1, the dropout rate was similar in all groups, and adherence was lower in atkins than the ornish, but not by a lot). He is using a quote to critiize a diet for having a “high” drop out rate. Yet, when he talks about his precious vegan diet, the fact of a similar (higher int he study, effectively equal) dropout rate is nowhere to be heard.You see how he is decieving you? I’ve seen a lot of other incidences such as this throughout his arguments. This is why it pays to read references. Don’t trust internet gurus. Having an MD doesn’t make somebody correct or trustworthy.Reminds me of Campbell’s protein study on the rats. He tells you that the high protein rats developed cancer but he fails to mention the low-protein rats ALL DIED.>.<Paleo Huntrees: That’s a weird thing to write. I just finished reading The China Study. It says in black and white, right there on top of page 61 of my copy: 100% of the rats on the high (animal) protein diet were dead at 100 weeks. And 100% of the animals on the low protein diet were alive at 100 weeks. FYI: plant protein did not have the same detrimental effect as the animal protein.Yes, eventually, every animal dies. But those rats who were getting the low protein diet were extremely lucky and lived longer than the group of rats getting the high animal protein diet. In other words, the very opposite of what you wrote above is true.Clearly you didn’t read the book, and I’m sure you are innocently repeating what you have been erroneously told elsewhere (probably on a some paleo site?). Now that you know the truth, I hope you will share it with others.A tip: Don’t take my word for it. Read the book yourself. Not only is this data extremely compelling, but the rest of it is too. Good luck.I’ve read the book… I was vegan for two years. Get off your high horse and ask for clarification if you need it.Campbell even mentions the study in Forks Over Knives… in the study I’m referencing, rodents were given aflatoxin and given 2 different diets. One with 20% protein (casein) and one with 5%. He found that they were more likely to get cancer if they ate high-protein diets and actually claimed that the ones fed low-protein diets were less likely to develop malignant tumors. Technically that was true.However, the low protein rats all died young. Every. Last. One. They got less cancer because they didn’t live long enough to develop tumors. And correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the point of avoiding cancer to actually live LONGER?Then he did similar tests on monkeys and found that the high protein group DIDN’T get cancer at all.“Monkeys on low protein diet surviving for 90 weeks or more show foci of preneoplastic lesions, whereas those on high protein diet reveal no such alterations at the corresponding time interval…”FYI: Although he SAYS otherwise, according to Campbell’s OWN data, plant protein was MORE strongly correlated with cancer than animal protein.Perhaps it’s time for YOU to review the data again.~HuntressHuntress: I’m referring to the exact same study you are referring to. Here is the exact quote from the book, top of page 61/paperback copy:“The effects of protein feeding on tumor development were nothing less than spectacular. Rats generally live for about two years, thus the study was 100 weeks in length. All animals that were administered aflaxtoxin and fed the regular 20% levels of casein either were dead or near death from liver tumors at 100 weeks. All animals administered the same level of aflatoxin but fed the low 5% protein diet were alive, active and thrifty, with sleek hair coats at 100 weeks. This was a virtual 100 to 0 score, something almost never seen in research and almost identical to the original research in India.”He gives references in the book if you need to verify. I can’t imagine how you could have read the book and come to the conclusion that you did. Do you still think I am missing something about the above paragraph?I don’t know anything about that monkey study, but given your understanding of the rat study, I would need to see the original paper to be able to buy what you are saying.re: “high horse” Oh goodness. I spent extra time trying extra hard to make my post was as gentle and helpful as possible. I’m sorry you were offended despite my efforts. Know that I was trying to help you and others out. Let’s keep this discussion as accurate and civil as we can.Thea,If that was an apology, it was a poor one, but I accept.A tip: If you don’t wish to come off sounding high and mighty, it would make more sense to assume that a person commenting on a book has probably read that book. Now of course, this isn’t always the case, but it would make MUCH more sense to ask for clarification than to suggest with “A tip” that I go read something I’m already referencing.Moving on:This is the specific study I refer to and one of several that Campbell did with similar levels of casein. (Arch Pathol. 1968 Feb;85(2):133-7 | The effect of dietary protein on carcinogenesis of aflatoxin)The paper specifically states that six months into the study they stopped feeding the daily aflatoxin because half of the low protein rats had died– and eventually the reminder before the two year mark. ALL of the high protein rats survived past 2 years.In his OWN first study a few years later (J Nutr. 1972 Jan;102(1):53-60 | Effect of protein deprivation of male weanling rats on the kinetics of hepatic microsomal enzyme activity.)He writes-“A deficiency of dietary protein was shown to increase the toxicity of aflatoxin for rats.”“The effect of protein deficiency in male weanling rats on the activity of the hepatic microsomal enzyme system was studied.”He also looked at levels of 5 and 20% protein from casein, though there was a second 20% group where he restricted calories as well. Typically a healthy rat will double it’s body weight (50-100 grams) in 2 years (and the 20% group did), but the 5% protein group only reached 75 grams. The low protein group also developed fatty livers.He wrote:“the normal rate of cell proliferation would have been decreased during protein deprivation, which is similar to the retardation of brain cell growth of young malnourished animals.Campbell did another study in 1980 with aflatoxin (J Toxicol Environ Health. 1980 May;6(3):659-71 | Subcellular distribution and covalent binding of aflatoxins as functions of dietary manipulation.)In the 20% casein diet they added aflatoxin at five parts per million (5 ppm) aflatoxin, but the 5% casein diet with only half that– 2.5 ppm. the stated reason was,“5 ppm was found to be lethal for this dietary group.”In every study he’s done, he’s shown that the higher protein group does better in every area. It is bizarre that he claims otherwise.”~HuntressHmmm. That’s quite the contradiction. Not much else to say without doing a lot more research. Good luck to you.Not sure of the specs here, but the study mentions weanling rats, which means babies. It’s pretty obvious baby mammals need a lot more nutrition for brain and other growth than adults need, so maybe that’s the issue?Thea,Campbell also did a study in 1978 (Fed Proc. 1976 Nov;35(13):2470-4 | The effect of quantity and quality of dietary protein on drug metabolism)He write:“The toxicities of several pesticides have been shown to be markedly increased, such as that of captan which is increased 2,100 times by protein deficiency.”In the summary of his findings he lists 3 toxins whose toxicity decreased on low-protein (5%) diets and 18 (6 times more) whose toxicity increased on low-protein diets.His concluding sentence reads:“This observation suggests that the low protein intake was not sufficient to allow for tissue recovery from the acute toxic effects.”So in 1978, he describes 5% as “protein deficiency” and later it becomes “ideal”?!In his 1983 study (Cancer Res. 1983 May;43(5):2150-4 | Effect of high and low dietary protein on the dosing and postdosing periods of aflatoxin B1-induced hepatic preneoplastic lesion development in the rat)He finds:“Some degree of bile duct proliferation was observed in all animals dosed with AFB1. However, the groups fed the 5% casein diet during the dosing period had relatively severe bile duct proliferation and cholangiofibrosis [fibrosis of the bile duct]. In these groups, the architecture of the liver was often distorted by fibrous septa. Groups fed the 20% casein diet during the dosing period had mild bile duct proliferation and no cholangiofibrosis.I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Campbell significantly misrepresented his own data.It is rather convenient to rely on untrained bloggers to debunk the whole of academia, but it’s not at all reliable. In the blogoshere, all it takes is a few contradictory cherry picked studies and we’ve got a roiling controversy on our hands — no matter how poorly supported the outlier data is in full context of the peer reviewed literature. (global warming?)Campbell is the big flashy name, but his work is hardly comprehensive by any stretch of the imagination. On the contrary, Campbell could have lied about every finding he has since promoted and it would ultimately be of little consequence considering the mountain of data we have before us today.It will take a monumental amount of evidence to overturn the thoroughly robust “lipid hypothesis,” for one. Taubes, Minger, Colpo, et al. have quite the uphill battle before them. Worsening the odds is the fact that not one of them has relevant credentials, and each one has been caught red handed grossly misrepresenting evidence (Eisenhower? Keys?), but they’re the ones we should supposedly trust? Sorry, but that’s not how science works.If you do prefer that bloggers filter the data for you, perhaps you would enjoy the extensive work of “Plant Positive” at plantpositive.com and his associated youtube channel. As you suggested, it’s important to review both sides.Not only does the paleo/low carb argument commit the burden of proof fallacy, but it also relies heavily on the fallacy of composition.Synergy,Paleo and low carb are not different parts of the same ideal. Some paleo advocates eat low carb as well but low carb can be anything from Atkins bars and Diet Coke to paleo pastured beed and Spring water, to vegan tofu and green smoothies. There are plenty of plant-based low carbers too and plenty of high carb paleo proponents. It isn’t helpful to lump them in together.I prefer the data, and Campbell’s data is easy to review if you feel the need to. Unlike many of the pb advocates, Campbell has been doing the research himself for decades and much of his data supports whole food omnivorism even though he seems determined to insist otherwise.As I said, the data itself is good, it is the conclusion that is dubious. I love nutrition blogs, but I don’t take any blogger’s word for anything. They may be the one that provides the heads up, but I will check out the evidence before I decide whether I agree or not.Great comment. =)Campbell goes into a lot more detail in his new book Whole and explains why the death of the non cancerous rats is totally irrelevant. The animal protein activates an enzyme that damages DNA as a side effect.LMAO It’s totally irrelevant because getting people to buy the malarky that a guaranteed early death is less concerning than possible cancer is the only way to prevent looking like a completebuffoon.Meat, dairy and egg consumption are all inversely correlated with longevity, and positively with morbidity. Watch this for some good background info: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/ If you are troubled by the video, note the “transcript” and “sources cited” tabs below the video.Campbell’s research explained why the poor kids of the Philippines, who ate more aflatoxin-contaminated peanut butter made from the moldy peanuts, did not get oodles of cancer like their rich, cocktail peanut eating, milk swilling contemporaries did. The rats were given humongous liver-destroying doses of the liver toxin to show that it was not the aflatoxin that caused the cancer; no, only the rats who got both the aflatoxin and the animal protein got the cancer. (All ‘cancer screenings’ on rats are done with carcinogenic levels of animal protein btw or none of them would ever get cancer.)Of course you have not read the new book — it explains how someone can always contrive a reductionist study to show that a poison such as meat may have a limited benefit under certain circumstances, e.g., if there is nothing else to eat.This last post of yours is such simple-minded drivel on a topic quite incapable of complete comprehension, and on a forum antagonistic to your POV, that by your reference to buffoons you must either expect to be called one or you totally are — you’re not Debra Minger are you? (That would explain why you are hiding behind the pseudonym) Well I’m not going to bite. What is clear is that your postings have no value.Debra? OMG, it’s clear you spend your days up the butts of the vegan gurus and don’t bother getting educated on ALL sides or you’d know that Ms. Minger’s name isn’t Debra. Seriously dude, I have comments all over her blog too. (Google is your friend) I’m heading to bed and will address your comments when I’m rested. In the meantime, get your head free of the vegan colon it’s trapped in, smell the fart-free air and learn the woman’s name so you don’t look like such an idiot when you comment.erpa derp… another paleo-centric name change. we rlly do get under your skin, dont we dan? its a free country and all, but it seems a little childish dude.do you feed fritzy a pb diet?This is so funny, Thea. My comments with the data from Campbells studies have been deleted. Why do you suppose that is? I guess it doesn’t look very good when the DATA you’re using to back your claims does just the opposite. It definitely makes Dr. Gregor look bad- when you can’t prove your argument, the next best thing to do it censor the opponent’s argument. Why would he do that if his argument was sound?I copied it though- so I’ll share it again-This is the specific study I refer to and one of several that Campbell did with similar levels of casein. (Arch Pathol. 1968 Feb;85(2):133-7 | The effect of dietary protein on carcinogenesis of aflatoxin)The paper specifically states that six months into the study they stopped feeding the daily aflatoxin because half of the low protein rats had died– and eventually the reminder before the two year mark. ALL of the high protein rats survived past 2 years.In his OWN first study a few years later (J Nutr. 1972 Jan;102(1):53-60 | Effect of protein deprivation of male weanling rats on the kinetics of hepatic microsomal enzyme activity.)He writes-“The effect of protein deficiency in male weanling rats on the activity of the hepatic microsomal enzyme system was studied.”“A deficiency of dietary protein was shown to increase the toxicity of aflatoxin for rats.”He also looked at levels of 5 and 20% protein from casein, though there was a second 20% group where he restricted calories as well. Typically a healthy rat will double it’s body weight (50-100 grams) in 2 years (and the 20% group did), but the 5% protein group only reached 75 grams. The low protein group also developed fatty livers.He wrote:“[T]he normal rate of cell proliferation would have been decreased during protein deprivation, which is similar to the retardation of brain cell growth of young malnourished animals.Campbell did another study in 1980 with aflatoxin (J Toxicol Environ Health. 1980 May;6(3):659-71 | Subcellular distribution and covalent binding of aflatoxins as functions of dietary manipulation.)In the 20% casein diet they added aflatoxin at five parts per million (5 ppm) aflatoxin, but the 5% casein diet with only half that– 2.5 ppm. the stated reason was,“5 ppm was found to be lethal for this dietary group.”In every study he’s done, he’s shown that the higher protein group does better in every area. It is bizarre that he claims otherwise.Paleo Huntress Thea • 2 months agoIn his 1983 study (Cancer Res. 1983 May;43(5):2150-4 | Effect of high and low dietary protein on the dosing and postdosing periods of aflatoxin B1-induced hepatic preneoplastic lesion development in the rat)He finds:“Some degree of bile duct proliferation was observed in all animals dosed with AFB1. However, the groups fed the 5% casein diet during the dosing period had relatively severe bile duct proliferation and cholangiofibrosis [fibrosis of the bile duct]. In these groups, the architecture of the liver was often distorted by fibrous septa. Groups fed the 20% casein diet during the dosing period had mild bile duct proliferation and no cholangiofibrosis.Paleo Huntress Thea • 2 months agoCampbell also published a study in 1978 (Fed Proc. 1976 Nov;35(13):2470-4 | The effect of quantity and quality of dietary protein on drug metabolism)He writes:“The toxicities of several pesticides have been shown to be markedly increased, such as that of captan which is increased 2,100 times by protein deficiency.”In the summary of his findings he lists 3 toxins whose toxicity decreased on low-protein (5%) diets and 18 (6 times more) whose toxicity increased on low-protein diets.His concluding sentence reads:“This observation suggests that the low protein intake was not sufficient to allow for tissue recovery from the acute toxic effects.”So in 1978, he describes 5% as “protein deficiency” and later it becomes “ideal”?!I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Campbell significantly misrepresented his own data.Just FYI I’ve never deleted any of your comments. The only comments I’ve ever deleted on the site are the rare occasions when people have been abusive (name-calling, racist, etc…)That’s really good to hear Dr. Greger. Can you explain where the comments went? There were THREE separate comments with the data. And if I was to try and delete them myself, there would be a “comment deleted” place marker.I don’t know. Might want to contact Disqus–they run the comment functionality of the site. Maybe they can track them down. Sorry you’re having trouble with the site!I contacted Disqus and they tell me that only the group owner/moderator and the person commenting can delete a comment. Interestingly though, the comments appear here again- so this was all a misunderstanding I’m sure.I am shocked, shocked, shocked to discover you did not give the url and reference where “all the rats died” because, and [you clearly mean to imply] and ONLY because of being on low protein diet….So shocking, it couldn’t possibly be because you’re passing on info that distorted things? I can tell you one study, that’s been going for 20 years, called my vegan diet, low protein, and looks like in 20 years of low protein is hasn’t killed me yet…strange, isn’t it? :-)Meanwhile just the other day a report on a study that was published in the journal Cell Metabolism, not some touchy feely journal, huh? Cell Metabolism.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-05/low-carb-diet-may-shorten-your-life-study-finds/5299284Eating a high protein, low carb diet could actually make you unhealthy and more likely to die younger, a landmark Australian study has found.The three-year study by the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre found that while high protein diets might make you slimmer..the best diet for longevity is one low in protein and high in carbohydrates.Professor of geriatric medicine David Le Couteur from Sydney’s Anzac Research Institute was part of the team which modified the diets of 900 mice with dramatic results.“If you’re interested in a longer life span and late-life health, then a diet that is low in protein, high in carbohydrate and low in fat is preferable,” he said.The team put mice on 25 different diets, altering the proportions of protein, carbohydrates and fat.The mice were allowed to eat as much food as they wanted to more closely replicate the food choices humans make.“The healthiest diets were the ones that had the lowest protein, 5 to 10 to 15 per cent protein, the highest amount of carbohydrate, so 60, 70, 75 per cent carbohydrate, and a reasonably low fat content, so less than 20 per cent,” Professor Le Couteur said.….High protein, low carbohydrate diets like the Atkins diet and Paleo craze are popular among people wanting to lose fat. “What we did find is in late mid-life, when we analysed their health, the animals on the best diet, the low-protein/high carbohydrate diets, had better blood pressure, had better LDL cholesterol, had better glucose tolerance, less diabetes and so on,” he said.Professor Le Couteur says plenty of data in humans already exists that shows people who choose a high protein diet have worse outcomes in terms of death and disease.“Certainly we found and we expected to find that high protein diets led to weight loss and led to increased muscle bulk, but this wasassociated with worse outcomes, whether it was blood pressure or diabetes or life span,” he said.“I am shocked, shocked, shocked to discover you did not give the url and reference”All of the studies referenced were also cited in totality, you’d see that if you read the remainder of the thread. Much of the data cited is decades old and it isn’t anyone else’s job to spoon-feed it you. If you’re truly interested, take the citation and research the resource yourself. Links are convenient, but certainly not expected. The “rest of the thread” has a debunking by others showing how utterly false the claim was by “Huntress” who claimed the study showed that low-protein diets lead to 100% mortality, so other readers and follow that, but there’s a broader point worth commenting on. The broader point goes beyond what one study did or did not show, and that was that Huntress was very clearly attempting to convince everyone that low protein diets lead to “100% [early] mortality” No need to deny it, that was the very essence, and fraudulent essence of her very short post trying to mislead readers to exactly that conclusion: low protein means 100% mortality, she asserted.. Meaning 100% early mortality (not from natural causes) was the claim, and that is so absurdly false a claim, with so many vegan, vegetarian, and even non-vegetarians eating “low protein” and living into their 80s and 90s..It clearly isn’t the job of “Huntress” or “Phaedra” to spoon-feed, but to mis-lead.Then they get snippy, sarcastic, pretend to be offended, and when folks like Thea continue to bend over backwards to be nice, Thea is told “if that was supposed to be an apology, it was a poor one” and on and on. Reminds me of global warming deniers, ultra sensitive on their own websites about a peep showing evidence, but full of deliberately misleading and even rude posts on websites concerned with addressing AGW, whose regulars bend over backwards to respond both factually and super duper sensitively.I’m not (yet) ready to ask for site management to have the IP of Huntress and the rest to be banned, but sure wish the rest of us users could have the option of an “Ignore” button for that IP. I’ve been one to repeatedly offer an olive branch to omnis and others who are deal honestly but here it is clearly just serial repeated dishonesty again and again by Huntress and company and I’m done with dealing with those who are fans of “Zen and the Art of Lying to Others and Myself So I Can Continue My Emotionally Comforting Flesh-eating Poor Dietary Habits”blockquote>“The “rest of the thread” has a debunking by others”You were calling the comment out for not citing the sources, however, she DID cite them… and there wasn’t anything to debunk, his data was both cited and quoted accurately. You can certainly disagree with the argument, but the citations are sound.Paleo Huntress has already been banned from this forum. Most of the world’s population is omnivorous meaning most of the 80 and 90 year olds are as well. The two largest studies done comparing vegetarians to omnis (EPIC and SDA) found no difference in mortality rates. If it is your implication that vegans live longer, there is no evidence of this. “Meanwhile just the other day a report on a study that was published in the journal Cell Metabolism, not some touchy feely journal, huh? Cell Metabolism.”Considering the criticisms over citations you imagined were missing (citations you must have seen since you gave Thea a thumbs up for her reply to the citation list), I’m surprised that you would link to a media story and not the journal publication itself.You know what’s interesting about the mouse study?  This is the ingredient list for the high protein mouse chow-Corn starch (397 g)Casein (200 g)Maltodextrin (132 g)Sucrose (100 g)Soybean oil (70 g)Cellulose (50 g)Where are the plants and animals?  What can you conclusively extrapolate about whole food human diets from processed mouse diets?  Nothing. This is a link to another recent Cell Metabolism study publication that looked at actual people as opposed to mice- Low Protein Intake Is Associated with a Major Reduction in IGF 1, Cancer, and Overall Mortality in the 65 and Younger but Not Older Population | Cell Metabolism, Volume 19, Issue 3, 407-417, 4 March 2014This is what the UK’s National Health Services had to say about the study in a press release-The claim in much of the media, that a high protein diet in middle-aged people is “as dangerous as smoking” is unsupported.The headlines suggesting a high protein diet is “as harmful as smoking” was not a specific finding of the study and should be seen as unnecessary fear-mongering. This is particularly of note given that the effects of a high protein diet were found to differ dramatically by age.However, the opposite effect of high protein intake was seen among those aged over 65. In this age group high protein intake was associated with:–a 28% reduction in the risk of death during follow up (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.94)–a 60% reduction in the risk of death from cancer during follow up (HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.71)Overall, there was no association between protein intake and risk of death from any cause, or death from cardiovascular disease or cancer. However, moderate or high protein consumption was associated with an increased risk of death related to complications associated with diabetes. The authors noted that the number of people dying from diabetes-related causes was low, so larger studies were needed to confirm this finding.So it would appear that when you look at data that analyzes people eating real food, rather than mice eating processed mouse chow, protein intake has no correlation with overall longevity. Another point to consider is that the lead researcher in the mouse study is vegan. The vegetarian community is quick to dismiss saturated fat data due when there is potential dairy industry bias, so their embrace of this study, though not unexpected, is rather hypocritical. Let’s not confuse two points, both true:1) The comment I replied to did not cite anything (in that specific comment)2) In later comments, “Huntress” had more to add, including links, but others debunked the heck (and I will not take the bait by repeating their beunking) debunked the daylights out fo the “low protein? you get 100% mortality!” comment she made3) Mind boggling that you conclude your OWN comment saying that protein “have no effect” on longevity…while defending the poster who made the most extrme implicit claim: that “low protein” leads to “100% mortality”…an outlandish and false claim, she was transparently trying to convince people “low protein” is a dangerous threat out there not just in the study but that “100% mortality” is the risk in general for “low protein”. Utterly false, and even transparently false, and contrary (her false implication is contrary) to your conclusion..but it’s those evil dangerous nasty pro-veg researchers that are oppressing this poor Huntress eh? Stunning4) I pointed out the outlandish “100% mortality” which huntress tried to convince us is a real risk not just in a study but in general from “low protein” is clearly a nonsense claim because, as noted, lots of peole vegan, vegetarian, and some omni, live for decades and live in to their 80s and 90s for that matter (including the fellow who coined the term “vegan”) …and your reply is that “the majority of people on Earth who are in their 80s and 90s are omni”?? Logic 101 – it wouldn’t matter one bit if 99.99% of 80 and 90 year olds were omni, that’s irrelevant, if you can observe that out of say 100,000 who eat a “low protein” diet you do not have “100% [early] mortality” or anywhere NEAR that, then it’s obvious how crazy the claim was….the percent of 90 year olds who are omnis is irrelevant, even if there were no low protein diets among omnis (which isn’t true, as noted, some ominis do have a low protein diet)…It completely and utterly misses the point. Someone (Huntress) tries scare tactics to convince people that there’s a huge huge mortality “danger” from “low protein” diets and in reponse, it is pointed out that LOTS of poeple eat low protein diets and live to a ripe old age,…debunking this scare tactic.Her comment again in full: “Reminds me of Campbell’s protein study on the rats. He tells you that the high protein rats developed cancer but he fails to mention the low-protein rats ALL DIED [prematurely and FROM the low protein diet, she implies, debunked fully by others]>.<" [end of verbatim quote of her entire post]her face icon…and clear direct, deliberate scare tactics trying to fool people into thinking that, even outside of this study, any one eating "low protein" diets is in huge mortral danger of 100% [premature] DEATH…that's right folks, 100% of people on low protein diets have early deaths from the low protein diets, ignore the person beyind the curtain, ignore the many veg and even some omni low-protein diet folks in their 80s and 90s, that's the ticket folks, no misleading scare tactic claims by Huntress here, not at all folks!I’ve met many reasonable omnis and even some well intentioned and reasonable paleos…the lack of honesty by some, only hurts whatever they think their “cause” is, such paleos are underminining it. In this case that may be a good thing..Done following this thread. Never did find the Disquos system very pleasant from a technical standpoint, but it used to be even those who disagreed were not rabid scare-mongers and rude “if that’s your idea of an apology it’s a poor one” like Huntress and her clique…but I guess that’s how the forums here are nowdays…I’m done and unfollowing…guess the disruptors get a “victory” even if logically morally and factually a false and hollow one…Hi >>Another point to consider is that the lead researcher in the mouse study is vegan.Do you realize what you are suggesting here? Are we vegans to suggest that 99% of studies animal related are not reliable on the sole basis that the researchers are not vegan??>> The vegetarian community is quick to dismiss saturated fat data due when there is potential dairy industry bias, so their embrace of this study, though not unexpected, is rather hypocritical.Setting the fact that the bias from big pharma (which we know include/control/owns dairy industry etc.) is real and even documented and not just potential, how can you compare the “potential” bias of somebody who has very high economic interest in having a specific result coming out of the study with that of somebody who is simply following a related social, scientific, religious, pratical etc. pattern? This is like to say that a study on carbon emissions from transport could potentially be equally biased whether conduted from a researcher paid by Exxon or one that simply drives a car.The smaller point you are missing (and it’s already a big point) is that there HAVE been studies which DID track a large number of mostly plant-based diet eaters..If you’re a “salesman” for the Adkins and you cite one study predominantly you should admit the high drop out rate, but that would hurt the commercial interests…For a plan-based or mostly plant based diet, there have been many many studies, no one is running around saying one single study by Ornish is the “proof”…there have been massive studies, including but not limited to the Cornell Oxford collaboration China Study.. The much LARGER point is, weight loss does not equal full health…it is a PART of good health to not be obese, etc, but you can lose weight in many unhealthy ways, water loss, etc…Heck, just eat no food at all and you’ll lose weight, was that healthy? No. Just eat dirt, was that healthy? No…we have to look at many more variable for health, including cardio risk, cancer risk, and more, and the evidence is overwhelming that a plant based diet is best for overall health includingBut nobody (no responsible person I know, and certainly not Dr. Greger) no one is saying that ANY vegan diet is healthy..same thought experement: imagine eating nothing but iceberg lettuce and deep-oil fried white potatoes and white bread and nothing else…no other food…that’s a very unhealthy diet, of course…Anyone over the age of 8 or so can easily understand we need to look at many variables in our diet, as well as many variables in health.The health variables (or different factors each of us should be mindful of in our taking care of our health)) include weight, cancer risk, diabetes risk, heart health and more.And the diet variables (factors we should be mindful of in what we eat to take care of ourselves) include plant based versus high in animal flesh and other animal products (like feeding Adult Humans what nature created for Baby Cows etc) but also other factors how much salt you consume, how much sugars, also refined grains versus whole (brown and wild rice versus white rice), and others.Adkins is a truly despicable one if you want to use that word (which you clearly did…) leading to people eating more hamburgers, hot dogs and other terrible food choices and actually cheering them on..and raking in cash..The truth sometimes hurts, that you’ve been duped by Adkins and the Paleo fads which as Greger notes:http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/Looks like the actual Paleo diets were mostly very very strongly (not entirely but with huge part) plant based.Of course, making your own research is better than listening to some Internet guru.How many people have you helped out to get up from a life threatening or diminishing condition by means of dietary intervention?.Has meat saved someone miraculously for you? Now take out meat and dairy and watch people leave behind their medication for life. (I have observed ridiculous amounts of progress in people with Sjogren, diabetes, high blood pressure and clinically depressed)No amount of scientific research or clinical data will convince you. So, why aren’t you making the practical experiment instead of nitpicking phrases over a website? My take on this article and the ones linked to it, Procyan, is that the authors are afraid that if we avoid fat in foods, we’ll replace it with white flour, sugar, white rice and potatoes- and other packaged and junk food. To their credit, the do recommend whole grains instead. But, I also get the feeling that these people are somewhat stogy and traditional and slow to change. Certainly they don’t consider a plant-based approach to health.The only dietary fat we need is omega 3 and 6. there is no dietary need to consume outside sources of fat.I don’t really understand what this argument is about. Not many scientists have conflicting views on this really. Am I right in thinking you’re thinking Campbell recommends low fat? Because I don’t think he does. Furthermore Campbell doesn’t represent the opinion of Cornell I don’t think. I find it a little extreme that Harvard are pushing healthy fats to this extent, but I think I know the research they’re basing it on. I think several studies have shown cutting saturated fat intake doesn’t help greatly, but when you replace it with unsaturated fat instead, it does help. Perhaps the saturated fat was being replaced with refined carbohydrates. Harvard’s advice is pretty in line with Dr Gregers. Eat more nuts, seeds, avocados and maybe some extra virgin olive oil. You probably don’t need 30% though. The only big dog who really shuns fats is McDougall, but even he allows whole fats to slim active people.I just saw a debate (done this month I believe) between Campbell and a low-carb doc. Campbell specifically states that his data showed that plant fat was associated with disease while animal fat was not. Campbell’s schtick is all about protein.Paleo Huntress: re: “Campbell specifically states that his data showed that plant fat was associated with disease…” Hmmm. Again, I just finished reading Campbell’s book. I don’t remember any part of the book saying that plant fat is associated with disease. Perhaps you misunderstood? Where was this debate?This is the link to the debate–> (Campbell’s debate) He is discussing breast cancer and the link to diet. At the 50 minute mark he states,“It turns out that animal fat does NOT promote breast cancer, plant fat does a better job at that. So here we’ve got a dilemma, a really serious dilemma… So therefore… what is basically the answer? It turns out that the plant fat, you know, causing increased breast cancer risk when fed at higher levels, it increases oxidation for one thing. The animal fat doesn’t.”Then he goes on to say it’s ALL ABOUT THE PROTEIN. lolFrom the man’s own mouth.Thanks! I’m going to check it out.oil is not food and none of the WFPB nutritionists recommend consuming oil-even olive and other plant based oils. THAT is the only place vegans and REAL WFPB eaters can get “BAD” plant fats. So who eats oil on a WFPB diet anyway? Its not a whole food, hell its not even a real food. yuck. Eating moderate amounts of nuts, seeds, avocado, low salt olives, coconut etc is fine. but only about 2 oz a day! Unless your an athlete!Oil isn’t necessary bad. However, most oils have their problems. Unrefined cold pressed olive and avocado oils can be part of a healthy diet and may even provide some health benefits. Whole fats are probably better though.When researchers went back to Crete, the half-starved WWII culture responsible for the creation of the ‘Mediterranean Diet’, and Ancel Keys’ ticket to wealth, they found that olive oil consumption was highly correlated with CVD. The only place one can get whole fats from whole food is animals. There is no “whole fat” in plants.Why aren’t avocados, nuts, seeds, olives and coconuts whole fats?This study isn’t talking about olive oil, but mono unsaturated fat. Other good sources of this include beef fat and lard. So a diet high in mono unsaturated fat could be a high in these foods. Another study found the same thing until they took this into account. After adjusting for cholesterol and saturated fat intake they found that mono unsaturated was negatively associated with CHD mortality, meaning mono unsaturated fat appeared beneficial when saturated fat and cholesterol consumption was low.Your study also found that people with IHD consumed more B12 than controls. B12 of course comes from animal products. It then says these people consumed less cholesterol than controls which kind of contradicts what I just said. You would think higher B12 consumption would mean higher cholesterol consumption also. I can’t really make sense of this study just from the abstract. It even says IHD sufferers consumed less trans fats than controls, but it’s probably not a good idea to start eating more of these.Your problem seems to be that you think correlation and causation are the same. Nuts seeds, olive and avocados aren’t whole fats because they’re not all fat. They are whole foods that contain fat. Animal foods can easily be whole food, whole fat, as in the solid fat pads found in ruminants. There are no solid fat parts to plant foods, they require refining or extracting.Okay. If that’s how you want to define whole fats then that’s your choice. I don’t think we need whole fats by your definition.Correlation sometimes does equal causation. I know it doesn’t always. You’re the one that brought up the study and implied olive oil was a causing factor in CVD. I won’t be changing my views on trans fat on this paper alone, but it’s still interesting.How would you define “whole fats”? Why are nuts whole fats and not “whole proteins” or “whole carbohydrates”? They contain plenty of all three. You are talking about whole food that is high in fat. You may not care about the distinction, but there is one whether you acknowledge it or not. You also don’t need to think that people need true whole fats, but I prefer the reality of the empirical evidence of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution eating animal-based whole fat, to vegan religious mythology.Vegan religious mythology eh. I’m not exactly dogmatic or anything. I’m not criticizing Paleo. It can be done healthily. I don’t really care about what a whole fat is. Neither do I care if nuts are whole proteins or carbohydrates. I just know they appear to be good for you based on research.We spent millions of years before that eating fruits, nuts and vegetables. We evolved, but the evidence that this is because of meat eating is weak, and did we really evolve or just kind of change? Indeed our brains use more energy and are bigger, but this appears to be at the expense of weaker muscles. Also, a bigger brain doesn’t always mean more intelligence. If I see a study on vegans having smaller brains, or less intelligence I might change my views. It wouldn’t be all that surprising to see a study like this though. A lot of vegans fail to supplement B12, get enough iodine and even calories sometimes. All of these things could cause significant mental declines.Vegans are reaping the benefits that meat-eating had on human evolution. I wouldn’t expect them to have smaller brains today. It is because our ancestors ate meat that vegans have the luxury of not eating it. Nuts ate good, we eat nuts too. We eat fruits and veggies and berries and seeds and tubers too. =) If we changed, we evolved. People like to suggest there is something superior in the term, but it means only that we adapted with a biological change due to environmental stressors. It doesn’t matter to me whether you like paleo diets or not, it’s kewl of you to state it though. You came into a conversation that you acknowledge was old and you didn’t bother reading the cornents or clicking the links before doing so. The video of Campbell was linked in this thread just a few comments away. So while I appreciate that you believe that paleo can be done healthfully, the fact remains that Campbell does specifically state that in all of his research (40+ years), animal fat was not correlated with cancer.I’m not really a fan of Campbell.Well he says it’s correlated, but that it’s probably because animal fat consumption is associated with animal protein consumption, I think. I stopped paying attention to him long ago. I don’t think most, if any, animal proteins cause cancer or many animal products for that matter.I find it pointless to try and get people off meat entirely as the known problems that come with some animal products like red meat can be compensated for by a plant based diet like you say you’re following, or they’ll be drugs or supplements in the future that do this without any real side effects. For health reasons, plant based should be encouraged, but there’s no good health reason to encourage plant exclusive. Not that’s there’s anything wrong it. I don’t recommend people consume milk or butter though. I’m not saying everything else is safe when consuming a lot of plants, but that’s probably the case from what I know.>>vegan religious mythologyCan you describe:1) The vegan deity/ies 2) The vegan mythologyI will describe to you the carnism belief:Carnism is the BELIEF system, or ideology, that CONDITIONS people to eat certain animals. It is a belief system because eating animals is a CHOICE (Not part of our evolution for sure. You can test this yourself on yourself and on a controlled group of people).If I am correct and from your posts, you have not been doing YOUR own research (I have and still doing) and you rely on the word of others (whether they are “scientists” or “researchers” is fully irrelevant in this contest). Thus, the above definition apply to you too.Take care.Funny that you think separating fat (whether in pads or not) from a carcass should not be consider a “refining” or “extracting” process.So he does say that. I know what he’s talking about now. He kind of oversimplifies it. It’s not so much about plant fat as it is omega 6. This is pretty clear to us. Most of these studies use corn oil and sunflower oil which people here should know to avoid for other reasons. Olive oil should do worse at promoting cancer, but it still should promote it. As much as beef fat doesn’t promote cancer as well as corn, sunflower oil and lard, it still promotes it. Better yet is coconut oil which does an even worse job at promoting cancer. Basically you want as little omega 6 as possible when you have cancer, but you probably don’t need to worry about it if you don’t have cancer as there’s no proof that omega 6 causes cancer, just that omega 6 promotes cancer when rodents are induced with it. People might argue everyone has cancer to some extent, and yes omega 6 will likely be promoting that, but so slowly that it can’t be called a carcinogen. It’s also worth noting that omega 3 at the least inhibits tumor growth and olive oil appears to be preventative. So if people are following the advice at this site, they need not change their diet on this information unless they have cancer.“As much as beef fat doesn’t promote cancer as well as corn, sunflower oil and lard, it still promotes it.”You seem to be hearing what you want to hear, James, and not what he actually says.He says, “It turns out that animal fat does NOT promote breast cancer”. In other words, no, beef and lard do not promote cancer. There is no interpretation necessary here… animal fat does NOT PROMOTE CANCER. Lard is probably the most healthy of them all being almost half monounsaturated. The saturated half prevents it from oxidizing like it would in its pure state.I wasn’t referring to Campbell.“Dietary fat and colon cancer: animal model studies.”Chemically-induced colon tumor incidence was increased in rats fed the semipurified diets containing 23% corn oil, safflower oil, lard or beef tallow (high-fat) as compared to those fed 5% corn oil, safflower oil, lard or beef tallow diets (low-fat). Diets containing 23% coconut oil, olive oil or fish oil, or high-fat diets containing varying levels of trans fat, had no colon tumor-enhancing effect compared to their respective low fat diets.In another study beef tallow was better at promoting benign pancreatic tumors than corn oil in hamsters. I’m not really interested in debating whether or not animal fats promote cancer. I just wanted to clarify that it’s not about plant fats, but fats high in omega 6 and diets low in omega 3. Although in the above study olive oil seems to be a better choice than beef tallow even though tallow has less omega 6 per gram. So it’s not just about omega 6.Perhaps it would have been more instructive to indicate just what Campbell’s point was in the video ( large metastudy data ) . i.e that fat and high meat consumption is highly correlated to cancer rates . ( please do push the correlate/causation button). He states fat and especially meat protein consumption is the issue – no more no less. Eat less meat – probably get less cancer. He never advocates for no protein but adequate amounts of protein , just none derived from meat.Easy attempt to trick people by basically white-lying. By reporting half of the sentence “The Smiths are not good people…they are wonderful!” I could make your own same attempt in deceiving people to thinking the speaker claims “The Smith are not good people […]” when the opposite is obviously truth.In your own case in fact, Dr Campbell states various times that we must consider food in the whole. In this case the animal fat – animal protein relation.Good luck with your paleo….Take care, Gio P.S. How many hrs have been lucky enough to spend with long term paleo dieters in hospitals and clinics? That would open an whole new world of knowledge for you.Gio, due to paleo huntresses demeaning, caustic comments and responses, she has been banned from further commenting on this website.I know this comment is very old, but anyway. Pages 84 – 86 China Study. Total fat is positively associated with breast cancer, animal fat is positively associated and plant fat isn’t associated.JamesKB,Just click the link to watch and listen to the man himself say it. =)  http://youtu.be/mJYlXmfb08M?t=49m55s  (50 minute mark)“”It turns out that animal fat does NOT promote breast cancer, plant fat does a better job at that. So here we’ve got a dilemma, a really serious dilemma… So therefore… what is basically the answer? It turns out that the plant fat, you know, causing increased breast cancer risk when fed at higher levels, it increases oxidation for one thing. The animal fat doesn’t.”Procyan…in a similar way?: http://medicalconsumerism.blogspot.ro/2009/03/harvard-med-students-protest-pharma.htmlPlenty of good fat in avacados, nuts, beans, dark chocolate and bananas!Bananas contain a whopping ONE gram of fat per 1 cup of mashed fruit. Adzuki beans contain LESS than a gram of fat per cup- black beans contain ONE gram per cup… so maybe your definition of “plenty” is different than mine. If one eats locally and lives in a temperate climate, the only remaining foods from your list that this individual has access to are nuts. Where did early man get his fats a-plenty?Where are the citations? Disturbing when they are hiding behind academia to push a another theory. I know what works for me, but refined oils, seriously?By really great, do you mean “really terrifying”? :D It is a good book, though. Totally! It’s good for putting under the leg of my old table.I find it interesting that everyone points to big bad meat and dairy, but conveniently forgets Big Ag and most of Big Food along with it, as processed foods depends largely on grain agriculture. Wheat futures are valued at TWICE the price of all the gold mined each year. Do you REALLY believe they wield no direct influence?Which foods have gone up significantly in the American diet in the last century?… here’s a hint, it isn’t fresh meat and saturated fat. So knowing this, and knowing that our modern diseases are a product of the last half of this century, the idea that these foods have somehow become toxic is ludicrous.The China Study is NOT a study. It’s a book. And it was so poorly supported that no reputable scientific publisher would touch it, hence it’s publication by a Sci-Fi publisher.Just commenting on Campbell’s comment on animal fat vs. plant fat. I had to go and have a listen for myself, and you’re right, he does say that, but you neglect to point out that he’s talking about these nutrients in isolation. Still surprising to hear, but not at all contradictory to his message. His message is not against animal protein specifically, although I can certainly see how people would get that impression, but against whole animal foods and processed foods (including isolated parts of plants, such as pure plant fats like olive oil, etc.). Still, it’s surprising to hear that plant fats in isolation are worse at promoting breast cancer than animal fats in isolation, so I’m left wondering if he mispoke (he did mix up his words a couple of times in this debate). If he didn’t make a mistake, I’d be interested in seeing this data.i have a few comments about campbells research.-all- of his research was done with isolated components, not once did he feed whole food. most of his studies were done using casein, and he extrapolated all of his claims about whole animal foods from data collected on the impact of feeding an isolated dairy component. how can he accurately apply one to the other?he didn’t misspeak, he has also been quoted in a vegsource.com hosted lecture as saying-We made a mistake 20 or 30 years ago in focusing on fat. It wasn’t animal fat. In fact we have evidence now to suggest that maybe the polyunsaturated fats of plants are more problematic in causing tumor growth than the animal fats. -dr. campbellthe information is only surprising if you dont regularly read the data yourself. you can go into most any library and find campbells published papers for free.his data has also shown that the only reason plant proteins didnt promote cancer in his research is because they are incomplete– and because they are fed in isolation, the body has no access to the missing aminos. in the real world we don’t eat plant protein in isolation. his data showed that as soon as the missing aminos were included, the plant proteins become cancer-promoting too. this means that every pb person who is eating more than one kind of plant is consuming the same cancer-causing protein.plant derived oils are HORRIBLE for us and they are in EVERYTHING processed. Also people use (olive oil especially) like its going out of style. Its not good. Oh gosh and now there is the coconut oil craze! Awful stuff!Paleo – Doubt the China Study all you want. Assume that Campbell grew up on a dairy farm, ate lots of flesh, scoffed at vegetarians, and then started advocating plant based diets to make himself popular or to support some other agenda.The problem is that his work is not without context. Time and time again patients have been cured of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other diseases on a WFPB diet. If you want to overlook the results, that’s your MO.I don’t doubt the China Study, the data is what it is. What is in question is Campbell’s interpretation of the data. You are quite right about context, and people have been cured of disease by a whole host of whole-food diets. Again, Campbell states specifically that animal fat had no correlation with disease in his research, but that plant fat did… and the reason for this was plant fat’s ability to cause inflammation whereas animal fat does not. If Campbell is your God, you can’t dismiss one factoid while clinging to another.The China study has been widely debunked. And the Omnivore diet you refer to includes people who probably eat anything they want without thought.Oh Simon. Don’t be silly, all WFPB advocates know there’s only ONE “carnivorous” diet. >.<Thank you very much for providing all your work FREE!  That is just incredible that you can do that!  I truly appreciate it and hope that others take advantage of your publishings.Here’s to the Paleo pleasures of Plants! ;-}So much conflicting information out there…1.5-Million-Year-Old Skull Fragment Shows Oldest Evidence of Regular Meat Consumption – http://www.sci-news.com/othersciences/anthropology/article00631.htmlI really just want to understand one thing about the Paleo Diet. They are pretty convincing when they say beans and grains are bad for you because of lectines. Then I see on this site that beans and grains are good. In fact, they (beans) are extremely important in your diet. How do you know what is right?The “anti-nutrient”of concern in legumes are lectins. Lectin break down the membranes of harmful invaders: cancer cells (reducing prostate, colon and other cancers), fungi, bacteria and viruses is part of the reason that most plants are healthy. Lentils and beans have the highest levels of lectins and therefore can make us sick if we eat them raw [“Toxicity of raw kidney beans”, Jaffe WG, Experientia 5 (1949) 81]. We also know that cooking beans for 15 min at 100 Cor 2 hrs at 80 C completely denatures lectins, and canning beans is just as effective, meaning cooked and canned legumes are not only completely safe but their residual lectin levels fight cancer and fungal / bacterial /viral infection [Thompson LU et al, J Food Science 48 (1983) 235; Dhurandhar NV &Chang KC, J Food Science 55 (1990) 470; Xia L & Ng TB, J Chromatography 844(2006) 213]. Cooking at temperatures under 80 C does not denature lectins even after many hours. Many cultures in the world (Southeast Asian, the Americas) have been healthy eating lentils and beans for centuries.There are many anti-nutrient concerns with legumes including phytate, enzyme inhibitors, and glucosides– lectins are just one of them. They are so well known for their gut-irritating properties that most every child learns the “musical fruit” song before they start kindergarten. They are the first thing we are told to ditch when we’re trying to heal a leaky gut or auto-immune issue too. The protein is hard to digest, the carbohydrate is hard to digest, the minerals are chelated and un-absorbable and they only look good against the even less nutritious grains in the dietary data, or in some cases, ridiculously, against macaroni and cheese. <—(not kidding)The following are the concluding two sentences from the most relevant article cited (i.e. ‘Evolution of dietary antioxidants’ by Benzie), namely:“The hypothesis that higher intake of plant foods is beneficial to human health because this increases antioxidant defence against oxidative damage is logical in evolutionary terms, especially when we consider the relatively hypoxic environment in which humans may have evolved. However, it will remain a mere hypothesis unless validated scientifically by interdisciplinary research that considers not only what we are, but also how and why we became so.”In other words, the scientist who publishes on evolution of diet must admit that such appeals to evolution are highly speculative and only can be a “mere hypothesis” until validated by “interdisciplinary research”.I have never been persuaded by the idea that we should eat like our ancestors.  But I know that lots of people put faith in this kind of thing.  Thus, I greatly appreciate this video for providing a balance to the claims made by paleo diet proponents.  I would guess that the information in this video is just as valid as any claims made by paleo diet proponents. Do we 100% know exactly how humans ate so long ago?  We keep finding out more information (which leads to more plant-plant based answers).  For example, bread doesn’t stick around in the archeological sites as well as bones.  But I read an article about a site that found that humans were eating a bread-like food many thousands of years before previously thought.  The point is: This area of knowledge continues to evolve.  To form one’s diet around such suppositions one way or the other seems really silly to me.  But if you are pursuaded by such arguments, then you owe it to yourself to check out the “other side of the story” as is partially shown by this video.The whole argument seems moot to me. I don’t care what our ancestors supposedly ate in the prehistoric past. I think it’s presumptuous for us to think that we can determine their diet on such sketchy evidence and even arrogant if we insist on specific evolutionary dogma the way my molecular cell biology professor does. We not only cannot be sure of the unwritten past, but we’ve left observational science behind. It’s also possible that we can no longer eat as they might of since such foods may no longer be available or polluted in which case we eat higher up on the food chain at our own risk. Since everyone else is speculating about our diet from the dim past, I’ll offer my speculation too: men were too slow and too weak to hunt down animals, birds or other game and so they mostly confined themselves to the colorful fruits that they could easily see with their color vision, and were attracted to, along with other plants which were easy to identify and harvest. They may have been able to get clams or mussels if they lived near the ocean- although ancient taboos may have prevented them from eating such foods- which still exist among orthodox Jews. And so, they may have well been vegan for the most part. Instead of speculation, I think it’s better to look at research in the here and now to determine which foods are best for our health. That’s what this site does- and guess what the conclusions are?Well said! “it’s better to look at research in the here and now”yes, the here and now!! You should read some of the work done by Chris Masterjohn if you have the time. I would point out that the Maasai of Kenya eat a diet that is roughly 80-90% animal based, yet they have virtually no cancer. So, at the very least , the ide that animal protein causes cancer is immediately debunked by a whole population of modern day Kenyans loving in the here and now. Fyi I am NOT a paleo person. I just want to know what’s true in regards to diet. Weston Price figured the best way to find out what is a healthy diet is to search the world for healthy people. Then, see what exactly they ate. Look at native Americans, who ate animal products; the Europeans who first came here often wrote of how healthy these peoples were, and how they could run after an animal all day when hunting, without tiring on he least. Recently, maasai warrior was filmed by nationalcgeographic. He had grown up eating all animal diet. He came here to he US and, with zero training entered the NYC marathon, along with over 45,000 other runners. How did he do? He finished on the top 2,000. Such things fly in the face of ant based diet. I think we need to use common sense, and ait that there are many many examples that, in real life, contradict the dogma of plant based diet.that being said, I do think including fresh fruits and vegetables is healthy. I just don’t believe avoiding animal products entirely is.Sorry, I got a chuckle out of the “ant based diet”. LOL!For those who advocated a paleolithic diet, I wonder why. I find it interesting that people idealize these ancient peoples. They had no knowledge of nutrition at all, they just ate whatever was available, it wasn’t about health and nutrition it was, eat whatever you can find to survive. They had very short lifespans lasting to the ripe age of 30 as well so I wouldn’t idealize that, we have a lot more knowledge about what foods are healthy for us and we have the variety available to us to choose, they did not have that luxury.Also, I would highly recommend Dr. Greger’s e book on the irrationality of carbophobia. http://atkinsexposed.org/Let’s not fall prey to an arrogant presentism. Try reading the following:http://www.amazon.com/Health-Civilization-Professor-Nathan-Cohen/dp/0300050232I am not interested in buying a book to read the opinions of a doctor. Carbophobia is a science based free e book with all studies available for viewing.  If you have some evidence to share, meaning actual studies from peer reviewed medical journals, then my ears are open.First, before you argue with someone try reading what I posted, instead of reactively making an assumption (sounds like a real scientific disposition. Mark Nathan Cohen IS NOT A DOCTOR. Excerpt from Wikipedia: “Mark Nathan Cohen is an American anthropologist and a professor in the State University of New York.[1] He has an A.B. degree from Harvard College (1965) and a Ph.D. degree in anthropology (Columbia University, 1971). His areas of research and teaching include human evolution and demographic history, cultural evolution, biology, medical care and forensic anthropology. He has written several books in the field of population growth and life expectancy.”Second, don’t hind behind “research” as if it is not an ideologically and/or ethically compromised academic practice (and actually watch this link before you decide to be a keyboard warrior and critize it without knowing what it is):http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/ben_goldacre_what_doctors_don_t_know_about_the_drugs_they_prescribe.htmlThird, I’m not a paleo-enthusiast (they’re just as close-minded as you apparently are). Rather, I am skeptic who does not get too cozy touting one point of view. Ah, sorry. Usually I come across paleo proponents who show me books and websites. I jumped to the conclusion you were part of the usual crowd.Paleo diets aren’t carb-phobic. That is an uneducated and ignorant postion to take.From what I have seen advocated from “Dr” Loren Cordain this is what I have seen advocated. High intakes of fat and protein is stressed along with minimizing carbohydrates.Why do you put the Dr. in quotes? I’m curious about where you’ve “seen” Cordain’s work. He is known as the only low-fat paleo advocate- and this suggests to me that you are likely repeating something you heard rather than reading it yourself from the source.This is what Mark Sisson writes- “You can go higher carb or lower carb (I initially recommend low carb, just because it makes losing weight and stabilizing your metabolism incredibly easy, especially for folks coming off the SAD), and as long as you’re eating real foods you’ll be getting healthier and losing body fat.”Robb Wolf writes: “Some folks do well on higher carb, some better on lower. We can do theory and internet flame wars all day and never get to a point that helps people. Or, we can take general guidelines, encourage folks to tinker, and actually see some results for our efforts.”Dr. Loren Cordain writes- “[D]iets high in carbohydrate derived from cereal grains were not part of the human evolutionary experience until only quite recent times. Humans can adapt to many types of diets involving multiple macronutrient combinations with varying amounts of fat, protein and carbohydrate.”and this- “[T]he combination of saturated fats and inflammatory foods such as grains is a deadly formula for a heart attack.”Quoting and giving me anecdotes are not what we do here at nutritionfacts.org. You need to have science based evidence to share using studies and reviews. I use quotes for cordain because his phd is in exercise physiology and he is not a medical doctor nor a dietician.Whole plant foods, such as brown rice, quinoa, etc are not inflammatory foods. In fact, whole grains are anti inflammatory as discussed in detail here. The nutritional profile of whole grains are examined.http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251So again, where is your evidence for your claims that whole grains are the cause of chronic disease?Who is “we”? Would that be the royal we?The quotes I shared are refutation of your claim that Loren Cordain supports a high fat, low carb diet and to further support the FACT that paleo diets are NOT low carb. When making libelous claims, quotes ARE actual evidence. It’s good to offer evidence… you didn’t offer any when you made your claims about Cordain.Please try and follow along and do your best to avoid strawmen like,“your claims that whole grains are the cause of chronic disease”. I didn’t make that claim anywhere. =)Dr. Cordain is a doctor because he earned a doctorate (that’s how that works). Most medical doctors get less than 30 hours of nutrition education in Med school so I wouldn’t be too concerned with that. Dr. Cordain has more than 100 papers published- he is light years beyond medical doctors regarding nutrition and is an expert.Again, giving me quotes and videos are not valid sources of evidence. This is the problem with paelo proponents condemning grains. The evidence is non existent so they resort to poor science. When you have some real papers to share then please post them. Otherwise, continuing to quote people’s opinions is not a path I am interested in going along.OMG, I try really hard not to make blanket inferences about how difficult reading comprehension gets without animal food, but vegans don’t make it easy.I didn’t offer the quotes as evidence for OR against grain consumption. I offered the quotes as evidence of each ‘paleo’ proponent’s position on carbohydrate (which is what this piece of the thread is addressing). Clearly, your perception of what paleo promotes is erroneous.Let’s put your article up against Harvard’s Matt Lalonde’s analysis. Besides pure fat and iceberg lettuce, grains are the LEAST nutrient dense of the foods. And this is before we look at calories. They fare even worse when you take calories into account. The fact is, we can only eat so many calories- and the more nutrients we get in for those calories, the better. =)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwbY12qZcF4Q1: Are you claiming someone fell “prey to an arrogant presentism”? Q2: If yes, can you please make a specific reference (quote) to back up your claim. Q3: What specific inference and/or claim are you making that will be supported or refuted by us reading Mark Nathan Cohen book that you provided a link to?Hi there, I actually have your same thoughts and questions on the idealization of the paleolithic diet. I came to this conclusion based on what I have read: supposedly sound science determined that our DNA as humans evolved and became what it is now primarily under the palelithic era, hence we should consider carefully what those people ate, to mantain our DNA as sound as possible.“consider carefully what those people ate” yes… but base and entire diet around mostly: cherry picked research, hypothesis (not-theory) and non-empirical evidence… hmmm maybe not! I am not implying all, like I said said “mostly.”Hi there, I actually have your same thoughts and questions on the idealization of the paleolithic diet. I came to this conclusion based on what I have read: supposedly sound science determined that our DNA as humans evolved and became what it is now primarily under the palelithic era, hence we should consider carefully what those people ate, to mantain our DNA as sound as possible.DNA damage can be from food that are pro-oxidizers or from other carcinogens. Check out this video by Dr. Gregerhttp://nutritionfacts.org/videos/repairing-dna-damage/Well that’s because the “traditional” groups of people that have been studied, have much MUCH lower and sometimes none of the western diseases of civilization. And THAT is very interesting, despite having elderly people as part of their population.Dying young is not something to view as ideal. What we should idolize are diets that have sustained a population to live as long, if not longer then current Americans and be free of degenerative diseases. Back in the 1950’s the Japanese rural Okinawan group of people had the most centenarians per capita. How did they live so long? Here is their dietCaloric Restriction, the Traditional Okinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life SpanAnn. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785Total weight (grams) 1262Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9)Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85)Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6)Saturated fatty acid 3.7Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)GrainsRice 154 (12)Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7)Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1)Sugars 3 (less than 1)Oils 3 (2)Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1)Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1)Eggs 1 (less than 1)Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69)Other potatoes 2 (less than1)Other vegetables 114 (3)Fruit less than 1 (less than 1)Seaweed 1 (less than 1)Pickled vegetables 0 (0)Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some points:Their diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a dayWow, that’s a lot of sweet potatoes! Thanks for passing this info along. I had no idea what specific foods the Okinawans ate.I think it’s interesting that no one seems to notice how few calories the Okinawans ate. Calorie restriction has been proven to increase longevity. Frankly though, so has carbohydrate restriction. On average, the Okinawan diet you share above (though it’s quite different than the traditional diet shared by others) contains 277 grams of carbohydrate. That’s less than the average American eats each day. (There are 50 grams in a serving of Mac n’ Cheese and most people eat 2-3 in a sitting for example) And bottom line, they ate some MEAT. They weren’t vegetarian or vegan, and they rendered lard and cooked in it. They recognized that it was an important part of their diet and this is taking into account how much more NUTRIENT DENSE their plant foods were than ours are now. If we’re going to trot out the Okinawans as evidence that optimum diets should be high carb, we can’t ignore that they should contain some animal foods and saturated fats too.“The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a day” This is insignificant and I agree with you, I am sure that a diet can be totally healthful if the total animal products of their diet is minimal and is used as purely a condiment.Dr. Greger covers caloric restriction and how a plant based diets mimics its effects. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/Lets not confuse refined carbohydrates found in the bread of a macn cheese with the purple sweet potatoes of the okinawans. Complex, unrefined carbohydrates found in beans, brown rice, oats, etc is what is advocated here as these foods are considered healthy. I agree that Americans eat too much refined carbohydrates from processed foods but this cannot be compared with healthful complex carbohydrates from whole plant foods.I also agree that we should try to consume more nutrient dense plant foods outside of iceberg lettuce and carrots but simply switching to an unrefined plant based diet as a start will significantly alleviate the health epidemic.(I can’t watch Dr. Gregor’s videos- his sneering voice is incredibly off-putting and prevents me from taking him seriously. I don’t know if he has conscious control over it- but if so, I think he’d find people more amenable if he didn’t sound so disgusted while he was narrating.)I don’t have anything confused- I was a whole food, high starch vegan for some time and it was REALLY bad for my body, eventually ending in a diabetes diagnosis. But that doesn’t change my point- most plant-based gurus are recommending a vegan diet, using high-starch cultures to back their recommendations- but there is no such thing as a vegan culture in all of recorded history. Animal food was important to EVERY culture– and the fact that some ate it in smaller amounts than others doesn’t make it less significant.Brown rice and oats are high glycemic foods- the fact that they are “whole” doesn’t change that. A cup of cooked brown rice is only 2 points lower (21) than white (23). A cup of cooked brown rice raises the blood sugar as fast and as high as a Fun Size Snickers bar or a 2 inch fudge brownie- so clearly, the fiber isn’t making much of a difference in the absorption of the glucose.According to Okinawan gerentologist Hiroaki Masuzaki, the traditional Okinawan diet contained 200-300 grams of animal food per day and they used sugar in their cooking. Add to that that purple sweet potatoes are native to America and are a more recent addition to the Okinawan’s diet and therefore not all that “traditional” at all. I suppose we’re all going to choose the source that best supports our own belief systems, but I simply don’t buy the claim that the Okinawans’ diet contained 70 calories/day from animal food- especially when lard is the primary cooking fat and 8 grams would account for MORE than those 70 calories. “Animal food” isn’t defined merely as protein, it includes animal fat too.Plus, government food numbers, especially during war times are notoriously skewed- first, they are counting what is distributed rather than what is consumed- and second, people raise their OWN food animals when food becomes more scarce- and these would not be counted by government agencies.Using the glycemic index to determine whether a food is healthful or not is quite inappropriate for the topic at hand.“by using the potato as an example, the glycemic index of white vegetables can be misleading if not interpreted in the context of the overall contribution that the white vegetable makes to the carbohydrate and nutrient composition of the diet and their functionality in satiety and metabolic control within usual meals. It is concluded that application of the glycemic index in isolation to judge the role of white vegetables in the diet and, specifically in the case of potato as consumed in ad libitum meals, has led to premature and possibly counterproductive dietary guidance. ”http://advances.nutrition.org/content/4/3/356S.abstractThe glycemic index has not been found to be a useful concept when devising optimal diets for diabetics.“We conclude that, in T2DM patients treated with diet alone who have optimal glycemic control, long-term HbA1c was not affected by altering the source or the amount of dietary carbohydrate. The deleterious effects of the high-CHO diets on total:HDL cholesterol had disappeared by 6 mo. The low-GI diet elicited sustained reductions in postprandial glucose and CRP, and, for these reasons, it may be preferred for the dietary management of T2DM.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/1/114.longOne of the major problems with the glycemic index is its variability; not only do blood sugar responses to similar foods differ between individuals, they can vary significantly in the same person on different occasions.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17384339A recent review of the scientific literature conducted by the American Diabetes Association concluded that there is little difference in blood sugar control between “low-glycemic index” and “high-glycemic index” diets.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3263899/For this reason, in their most updated guidelines, the American Diabetes Association has deleted a statement suggesting benefit from the glycemic index.Please provide evidence, not quotes from random authors, for your claims.I didn’t reference glycemic index, I referenced glycemic LOAD (hence the serving sizes). Perhaps you’d like to rewrite your response before I respond?This is a statement from the 2013 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes from the ADA.“[E]ither low-carbohydrate, low-fat calorie-restricted, or Mediterranean diets may be effective.”This is from the ADA’s journal Diabetes Care-“[T]he GL provides a summary measure of the relative glycemic impact of a “typical” serving of the food. Foods with a GL ≤10 have been classified as low GL, and those with a value ≥20 as high GL. In healthy individuals, stepwise increases in GL have been shown to predict stepwise elevations in postprandial blood glucose and/or insulin levels.A cup of brown rice is a high glycemic load food that raises post-meal glucose and insulin levels HIGHER and is an inflammatory food.OTOH, the same amount of baked sweet potato has a load of 17, TWICE as much fiber, similar carbohydrate and protein values, fewer calories and is strongly ANTI-inflammatory- plus it CRUSHES the rice nutritionally.There is simply NOTHING in grains (except empty calories) that you can’t get a better source of in something else.You clearly have not even looked at my references and are simply reacting to my posts. As I will post for the second time, grains are far from empty calories, I am not sure how you can rightly justify this based on the available evidence.This paper goes into great detail“Epidemiological studies have clearly shown that whole-grain cereals can protect against obesity, diabetes, CVD and cancers. The specific effects of food structure (increased satiety, reduced transit time and glycaemic response), fibre (improved faecal bulking and satiety, viscosity and SCFA production, and/or reduced glycaemic response) and Mg (better glycaemic homeostasis through increased insulin secretion), together with the antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties of numerous bioactive compounds, especially those in the bran and germ (minerals, trace elements, vitamins, carotenoids, polyphenols and alkylresorcinols), are today well-recognised mechanisms in this protection. Recent findings, the exhaustive listing of bioactive compounds found in whole-grain wheat, their content in whole-grain, bran and germ fractions and their estimated bioavailability, have led to new hypotheses. The involvement of polyphenols in cell signalling and gene regulation, and of sulfur compounds, lignin and phytic acid should be considered in antioxidant protection. Whole-grain wheat is also a rich source of methyl donors and lipotropes (methionine, betaine, choline, inositol and folates) that may be involved in cardiovascular and/or hepatic protection, lipid metabolism and DNA methylation. Potential protective effects of bound phenolic acids within the colon, of the B-complex vitamins on the nervous system and mental health, of oligosaccharides as prebiotics, of compounds associated with skeleton health, and of other compounds such as a-linolenic acid, policosanol, melatonin, phytosterols and para-aminobenzoic acid also deserve to be studied in more depth.Finally, benefits of nutrigenomics to study complex physiological effects of the ‘whole-grain package’, and the most promising ways for improving the nutritional quality of cereal products are discussed.”http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251Stating “There is simply NOTHING in grains (except empty calories) that you can’t get a better source of in something else.” is utter nonsense. Plant foods go beyond the nutrition label.I looked at ALL of your references- but as you’re showing a propensity for straw men, (For example, I didn’t say grains were all empty calories, but you still built another straw man.) I wanted to clarify that I’m not discussing glycemic index and give you the opportunity to adjust your comment before I waste time responding to something that isn’t on topic.FWIW, most data compares whole grain consumption to processed grain consumption (including those you cited). It’s the “light cigarette” argument. Compared to regular cigarettes, light cigarettes don’t do as much damage. With grains, compared to processed grain foods, whole grains don’t do as much damage.I didn’t perform any “tactics”. I quotes you word for word. Also, its not comparing white grains, its looking at the nutritional profile of whole grains. This conversation is running in circles I see. I will remain silent until you share some SCIENTIFIC evidence.“Tactics”? Are you responding to MY posts because I didn’t mention the word ‘tactics’ and you’ve put in it in quotation marks to show you’re refuting it. I think you may be too reactive about the topic to read what is written and instead read what you expect to find.You wrote, “As I will post for the second time, grains are far from empty calories”- but I wrote that all that grains have over other sources (like the sweet potato) is empty calories. In other words, you get the same nutrients in other foods- but grains have more calories, so those additional calories are now empty. Not ALL of them, the extra ones you had to consume for the same nutrition.Wanna try again before I comment on your sources?I gotta say… it is quite comical how this community, and YOU in-particular goes on and on about how most of the carbohydrate on the Okinawan diet comes from SWEET POTATOES and then go on to claim that grains are somehow better. lol Ah well… it isn’t always easy to twist the data to fit your personal ideal.The diet of the Okinawans are not based on my personal opinions, but based on the study posted. Please post some studies to refute, otherwise this conversation has lost meaning.There’s nothing to refute- YOUR OWN DATA shows that the sweet potatoes are better than the rice.Could get out of your guys circle by talking about all the bad stuff in meat again. Lol. Starting with Neu5Gc a sugar in nonhuman mammalian meat that incorporates into cells and brings on an autoimmune response.The only significant study I’ve encountered on Neu5gc was with rats with the Neu5gc gene removed at the genetic level. They were then injected full of the molecule and then with the antibody. It was a contrived immune situation that doesn’t reflect how the immune system normally works when food is EATEN. The rats died, which was meant to demonstrate that the hypothesis that Neu5gc molecules kill animals without the gene. When the study was repeated with a COX-2 inhibitor there was very little immune response and they lived normal healthy lives. (Well, as normal and healthy as any lab rat gets).Red meat has been a part of the human diet for LITERALLY 100s of 1000s of years. You cannot say that about grains.Neu5Gc is the glycolyl capped sialic acid that is found on the cell surfaces of all mammals except humans, who lost the gene for the enzyme to oxidize the acetyl version. The glycolyl version is introduced solely by eating red meat and due to its similarity with acetyl is incorporated into the cells of meat eaters, but the immune system reacts with inflammation leading to arthritis and autoimmune diseases. Cancer tumors are found to concentrate Neu5Gc and use the resulting inflammation to promote vascularization needed for tumor growth. Your cite is consistent with all of this. Thanks !Classic paleotard to cite a reference in this manner.~shrugs~ Inflammation, auto-immune reaction and tumorigenesis is far more significantly correlated with grain consumption, most especially glutenous grains. And what do you know, I don’t even need to stoop to your name-calling level to point that out.Best!HuntressHave you even read your OWN resource?! In section after section after section, reference is made to superiority of whole grains over processed grains. EVERY paper they cite in the bibli was a study looking at replacing processed grains with whole grains.I’ll tell you what- how about YOU offer some science that actually supports what you claim before insisting others offer science that refutes it?I’m heading to a family birthday party, but since I still have this study page open from earlier, I’ll comment on this study you shared-You wrote this about the study-“The glycemic index has not been found to be a useful concept when devising optimal diets for diabetics.”Then you copied and pasted the conclusion in- please read the bolded lines carefully.“We conclude that, in T2DM patients treated with diet alone who have optimal glycemic control, long-term HbA1c was not affected by altering the source or the amount of dietary carbohydrate. The deleterious effects of the high-CHO diets on total:HDL cholesterol had disappeared by 6 mo. The low-GI diet elicited sustained reductions in postprandial glucose and CRP, and, for these reasons, it may be preferred for the dietary management of T2DM.”The low GI diet caused less INFLAMMATION. Are you familiar with the link between inflammation and diabetes? It also specifically states that the only group it made no difference in were those who had “optimal glycemic control”– and frankly, that isn’t something that describes most diabetics and finally it concludes that the low GI diet may be preferred!READ YOUR OWN DATA.I’ll add too-“Centenarians represent a rare phenotype appearing in roughly 10–20 per 100,000 persons in most industrialized countries but as high as 40–50 per 100,000 persons in Okinawa, Japan. Siblings of centenarians in Okinawa have been found to have cumulative survival advantages such that female centenarian siblings have a 2.58-fold likelihood and male siblings a 5.43-fold likelihood (versus their birth cohorts) of reaching the age of 90 years. This is indicative of a strong familial component to longevity. Centenarians may live such extraordinarily long lives in large part due to genetic variations that either affect the rate of aging and/or have genes that result in decreased susceptibility to age-associated diseases. Some of the most promising candidate genes appear to be those involved in regulatory pathways such as insulin signaling, immunoinflammatory response, stress resistance or cardiovascular function.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3259160/In other words, the Okinawans may have the ideal genes to handle a high carb diet and their longevity may not be related to their diet much at all.We are not Okinawan.And we’re not Paleolithic humans either, your point?“And we’re not Paleolithic humans either, your point?”My point is that we can’t point to the Okinawan’s diet as the factor that produces their longevity because even the Japanese of Okinawan ancestry, living in different cultures, eating different diets, still have the increased longevity.People following a paleo template are not under any illusions that the foods we eat actually existed during the Paleolithic. It’s a template that is meant to closely match what was available in quantity and to eliminate what was not.That is my point.Precisely. They ate what was available. They evolved on what was available. If we all ate today based on what was local and seasonally available, we’d likely be healthy too. No sugar, fruit for a few weeks, berries, veggies and leaves all Summer, and meat, fat and tubers/squashes in Winter. Perfect! Our metabolisms developed alongside the seasons, and our environments. The idea that the foods we evolved eating are irrelevant is wishful thinking.Our bodies don’t require specific foods, they require specific nutrients, so yes, the foods that humans or human ancestors ate tens of thousands or millions of years ago is irrelevant. The only relevant information is what types of food will provide the nutrients we need–and for those of us that have the luxury, in the most healthy, least environmentally destructive, non-animal harming way possible.dude, im an ethical vegan and for the record, if youre eating grains and legumes, your diet probably takes more lives than her diet. its also more destructive to the environment.Where is your evidence for this?I’ve always thought exactly what you said…our progenitors were actually more opportunists than anything like carnivores or vegetarians, or gulp, insectivores. Bugs, which are always plentiful, had to make up at least a portion of their diets…has anyone ever studied the nutritional profile of insects? Dr. Greger? LOL, not that I would be particularly swayed by the data, but many cultures still rely heavily on them and there are a number of groups who are trying to encourage consumption as a multi-pronged solution to hunger, pest management, and employment. Hey some people love lobster, shrimp and crabs, and they look an awful lot like bugs! It’s all cultural…what you learn.I don’t idealize the ancient diet, because we can’t really fully know it, but realistically I’d have to guess that besides plants (and bugs), like someone else mentioned, it probably included whatever else was easy to procure, (considering it wouldn’t make sense to expend more calories hunting down food than you would receive from consuming it) like mussels, clams, crabs, snails, some fish, maybe small animals, but I bet the taste for meat came from observing REAL carnivores consuming flesh, and maybe leaving carcasses behind. If the meat oriented paleos wanted to get real, I think this is what they should consider, all that hunting is just counter intuitive. I’d like to see them attempt anything near a 50% meat diet, dumped into the wild like a “paleo” with no weapons besides their “carnivorous” teeth and jaws! LOL!. Seriously though, I am vegan by choice, but I don’t necessarily think that it is strictly biological. I have no clue what this means, but each time I was pregnant with my 2 sons, it was the only time in my life I ever craved meat, and disgustingly enough, raw liver! I didn’t eat it raw, but I did want to! Badly. Now even thinking about it makes me want to ralph! I don’t know if it is societal, or my circle or what, but it seems women have a lot easier time dispensing with the meat than men…feedback? I have a male friend who is tortured because he so badly wants not to eat his animal friends, and is aware of the health issues, but keeps buckling to the “temptation”. I just don’t know what to think, I just know what is right for me! Changing to a WPF no added fat, high complex carb vegan diet killed my diabetes before it killed me, effortlessly got rid of over 150 lbs and a slew of other unhealthy issues, so I don’t need further proof, personally. I’m convinced!That is interesting. Typically women when pregnant have an aversion for meat. It is strange you experience the opposite. Also, Dr. Greger has covered bugs here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-grub-the-healthiest-meat/Thanks Toxins! I should have known the good Doc would have thought of making videos about it if it touched on “food”…sorta! Gotta watch it! As far as pregnant woman having an aversion to meat, it would make sense to me because of all the inherent safety issues. As far as me being “strange”, nothing new there! LOL! (I know that’s not what you said!) But there was, at the time, (going back to the 70’s) an informal “sex prediction” based on a woman’s cravings during her pregnancy, that seemed to be far more than randomly correlated, even though it makes no sense to me whatsoever…crave dairy, it’s a girl, meat, it’s a boy. I didn’t hear about this until after my (gag) raw liver issue, but it was amazing how many women we polled, even after the fact, that fit the bill! It may have something to do with just poor nutrition in general under the duress of pregnancy and what is available, I’ve no clue because it targets two food groups I avoid completely! (Even then, I wasn’t exactly a vegetarian, but meat was never a favored menu item). Maybe it got started by the meat and dairy lobbies to spotlight their “nutritional powerhouses”? One can only speculate, again, no science of course, but the coincidence was pretty high. In retrospect, I would have loved, or actually STILL love to be able to poll vegan women, who obviously avoid both groups, to see if they noticed particular cravings during their pregnancies, if there was any particular pattern, and if it correlated with the sex of their babies. Not very scientific I realize, just one of the traditional folk-type narratives that help coalesce our separateness into a circle of shared connections.I’ll “bug” off now and go check out that video! Thanks again!I hope someone edits the wikipedia page on the subject – it still maintains that “Paleolithic hunter-gatherers consumed a significant amount of meat and possibly obtained most of their food from hunting” – and then it sites a source which no longer exists.Seems that maybe the Texas Sharp Shooters fallacy may be on the loose at that Wikipedia page! ;-)Just curious about people who live in cold regions where plant life was not readily available, like Eskimos.  Would natural selection ultimately produce different body types based on the region our ancestors came from?  Have any studies compared the impacts of different diets taking into consideration ancestry and climate?  Eskimos don’t do so well; they’re the shortest-lived people in North America and often suffer from nose bleeds and hemorrhages due to getting too much fish oil. They’re a good reason for not going paleo- or living under such extreme unnatural contidions.If part of the argument is that the meat people eat today is very different from the meat paleolithic humans ate, can’t the same be said about the plants we eat today? I am a huge advocate of the whole plants based diet but what do I say to my friends who are going “paleo” and say that our ancestors didn’t eats beans or many grains and that our bodies are not suited to digest these??I am bewildered by claims by our carnivorous friends that before the development of agriculture humans did not eat grains or legumes.  This really makes little sense.  People would not bother to domesticate foods that they were not already eating.  You might also want to visit John McDougall’s website.  In some of his recent lectures he makes reference to more recent archeological studies in which researchers reported finding starch grains between the teeth of archaic humans.  He also mentions genetic studies that  claim that humans have more copies of the genes for amylase than other great apes strongly suggesting that humans are designed to digest starch.Derby City Vegan,Grains and legumes are not the only foods rich in starch. When you consider that we know that ruminants thrive eating grass and leguminous greens that surely occasionally contain some of the seeds of both, but that their health fails when they are fed the grains and legumes alone, it doesn’t seem a stretch at all. It makes sense that primitive man occasionally chewed the seeds he found in his foods, including the stomach contents of ruminants he was eating.None of this goes against the paleo template.very truecarnivores eat only meat. ive never met a person who eats only meat. do you know many?It’s true that the plants we eat today are very different from their primordial origins. That, however, has been true as long as agriculture at any scale has existed–man has always used selection to grow foods that meet his criteria for quality. The strawberries of 500 years ago weren’t the strawberries of 250 years ago and those weren’t the strawberries of 100 years ago and those weren’t today’s strawberries.Your paleo friends are wrong. Our ancestors have long eaten beans and grains and our bodies do digest them. They digest them–not rot them, as our bodies do meat.Paleo is a fantasy of humans eating massive amounts of meat nearly all the time. The funny thing is, meat is animals, and animals do not sit still for being caught and killed. Meat, until domestication of certain animals, was a rare food, difficult to obtain. (If your paleo friends think agricultural changes to vegetable foods and grains from selection are a problem, why don’t they see domestication of animals as a similar problem? Do they think that the cows we raise and eat today are anything like cows of 10,000 or 100,000 years ago?) What we do know of human consumption of fiber is incompatible with a meat-dominant diet; there is just too much plant matter to allow very much meat at all in ancient diets. It is likely that “paleolithic man” hardly ever ate meat, and never had a Porterhouse steak or a “lean chicken breast.”One issue that is usually overlooked is whether a diet that is optimal for reproductive success is necessarily optimal for longevity. Males of many species often live fast and furious lives in order to spread their genes. It has been suggested that there is a trade off for this in the form of an earlier demise. Once longevity becomes valued over fertility a different dietary strategy might pay off such as less high energy food. It has been noted, for example, that higher methionine intake aids fertility, but probably reduces one’s lifespan.  Meats are highest in methionine. Draw your own conclusions. That’s an interesting view. I’ve not thought of it exactly that way, but it makes sense: We are a continuously evolving species.It’s odd that we are striving for longevity for existence on a planet/in an environment we are destroying.Let’s hope Mars provides some breathing space; at least we’ll be healthy and prepared to destroy  her too.Being “suggested” does not qualify in science as a theory, hypothesis maybe, but not a theory. Presenting only two options – reproduce and live short or lower reproduction and live longer – may fall under presenting a false dichotomy (aka false dilemma). There are many elements to both fertility and longevity and methionine is one but not the primary.Thanks as always, Dr. Greger, for the great public service you provide (and I enjoyed your talk at the SF Vegfest this week). This video is particularly helpful as watching the mountain of information and reference starved testimonials that the paleo people are able to muster on public sites like Amazon when a new paleo book comes out is pretty frustrating. Restoring some balance is refreshing even it might not match the volume of noise that we’re all exposed to.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egqf7k5LzhkSpeaking of arsenic in animal products, what about the arsenic in rice? Dr. Greger addresses this http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/how-much-arsenic-in-rice-came-from-chickens/I’m a vegan who does CrossFit, and everyone else at the gym is into Paleo like an addiction.  I hope we vegans don’t come across like that, but I bet a lot of us do.So much conflicting information out there…1.5-Million-Year-Old Skull Fragment Shows Oldest Evidence of Regular Meat Consumption – http://www.sci-news.com/othersciences/anthropology/article00631.htmlClearly, we’re meant to eat a diet that’s not trying to kill usDoes the Primal Blueprint fall within the Paleo / Atkins category? I tried to talk a few friends out of it on that assumption. I tell them the whole-food, plant-strong has worked well for me, according to my waistline and biometrics.Hadn’t heard about the Primal Blueprint yet. Perused the website and looked a material/reviews on Amazon. I think it is fair to say it falls in a similar category but Atkins wasn’t pushing processed supplements that I was aware of. I would stick with your approach which the best scientific, archeological and clinical studies support at this time. It is also consistent with our knowledge of human physiology and biochemistry. Your approach is also consistent with our design as “hind gut fermenting” herbivores with the modifications from our great ape relatives of more amylase genes (to digest starch) and more volume in our small intestine to absorb starch. Of course the science is changing so you have to keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org. Congrats on your improved health and your diet which is also good for the planet and reduces suffering of other sentient species.Dr. Greger – A friend has lost 40 pounds on the “Whole 30 Diet” – one in the family of Paleo diets out there. She commented that my plant-based diet was more inflammatory than hers, because of the beans and legumes. Are my beans and lentils inflammatory? Thank you! I watch your videos daily and apply the knowledge gained.Your friend is probably referring to the net acid-base load on the kidneys. Foods with a high net acid load are meats, dairy, fish, grains and most beans and legumes. Foods with a net alkaline (base) load are fruits and vegetables. High-protein diets increase net dietary acid load and acidify the urine. Conversely, diets high in fruits and vegetables have been proposed to be associated with a greater degree of alkalinity.(1)As to bean being inflammatory one has to take the whole diet into consideration. A plant-based diet, high in fruits and vegetables, with the addition of beans/legumes and whole grains tends to be a more alkaline and more anti-inflammatory. A diet with few fruits and vegetables tends to be more acidic and inflammatory. The key is to have a high volume of frutis and vegeables in your diet.1. Minich, D., et al. Acid-Alkaline Balance: Role in Chronic Disease and Detoxification. ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES, jul/aug 2007, VOL. 13, NO. 4.“one has to take the whole diet into consideration. A plant-based diet, high in fruits and vegetables, with the addition of beans/legumes and whole grains tends to be a more alkaline and more anti-inflammatory.”Why not a plant based diet high in fruits and vegetables, with the addition of pastured animal foods and fish? Significantly less carbohydrate and more nutrient density.Is there any reason to think that the acid/base load wouldn’t be about the same?Are you being paid by the meat industry to post these messages? This is a reply to a 5-month old post! Your questions are answered by Dr. Greger in the 1500 or so video posts; there is an index btw. For meat search “sialic acid e.g., for fish search “putrescein” e.g.I think a separation of emotional sentimentality and fact is more important than separation of State and Church!! Our diets are 99% sentimentality & familiarity and 1% fact RanjanThough I agree with much of what Dr Greger says in many of his articles, this whole paleo diet thing seems to speak for itself.I’ve read tens of thousands of personal stories/articles in regards to it all having benefits. Honestly, I’ve never read one thing showing anything negative about it. To be clear, what I mean negative is those who actually understand what it entails. Many people mistake it for an Atkins diet which many know how is horrific for a long-term solution and dangerous.All the paleo diet states is no:– Legumes – Grains / Starches – Dairy – Soy – No processed foods – No fatty meatsThat’s pretty much it..So instead of looking at a typical American dinner of say meat and potatoes followed by pop. Or going out for burgers and fries.. you may opt for the following..Leaner cut of the meat or chicken, pile of veggies, lemon water or a juice (if you can find one with little to no sugar)Most people love meat and lean cuts of chicken and beef, as well as, fish work for the paleo eating style. The challenge is though eliminating the filler foods like rice, spaghetti, potatoes, and things of the like.When I say the paleo diet speaks for itself, I go by the best research out there.. the same thing somebody posted above.. the “here and now” research:In my line of work I meet and befriend a lot of people, and I know a fair bit of both vegetarians and vegans, as well as, those who follow the paleo diet. I’m the type of person that gets fascinated with this type of thing and tends to ask a lot of questions.. this is what I found:– All people who follow either Vegetarian or Vegan (about 105 of them), all say their energy is overall better but still lacks at times, suffer from intestinal problems, and stalled weight loss (for those whom carry that goal). Some irritability. A need for supplements to balance out their nutrients as some cannot simply eat enough food to get their nutrients. Though there were handful to the extreme in either direction, this is the general consensus– All people who follow the paleo diet (about 60 of them) every single one of them had all their energy come back and stay throughout the day (no lag or energy spikes), continued weight loss (for those carrying the goal), general feeling good (no anger or irritability), no need for supplements. This was common for all of them.The people from the paleo family seemed happier, more full of life, more energetic, with less chronic illnesses. Though some people on the other side could match this, most of them were not at the same level. There is something to be said for this.As I said, the here and now research speaks for itself.“Here and now research” seems to mean anecdotes from people you know. Personal reports that “every single one of them had all their energy come back” are worthless–yes, worthless. Such self reporting of “energy” is a subjective impression that can be accounted for by mere placebo effect and by expectation wish fulfillment, and by enjoyment of the diet. Can you cite any scientific research? Literally, what you say “there is something to be said for,” there is nothing to be said for. It is worthless as evidence. This isn’t said to be mean–it’s said because it’s scientifically true. There’s no such thing as either “here and now research” or “research [that] speaks for itself.”In addition, what you say paleo means is not what an endless variety of others say it means. Take any of the whole food items on your list (leaving out, that is, generic “processed foods,” though all meat foods, including lean chicken, are heavily processed), and Google “paleo ________ recipe.” Odds are, you’ll find hundreds if not thousands of hits. No two paleo dieters follow the same diet. Raw milk–paleo? Yes, according to some paleos. Apparently paleolithic man would udder-feed from a cow now and then (though it’s doubtful that he survived for evolutionary selection). Lentils–paleo? Yes, according to some.Even your outline of a paleo diet taken by itself shows that no paleolithic man could have eaten such a diet. Paleo is a modern fantasy diet based on a pretense of science.“all meat foods, including lean chicken, are heavily processed”Would you elaborate on this statement please? My meat foods come from pastured animals. They are killed, bled, aged and butchered. Which part of this process do you consider heavy processing? It’s significantly less processing than it takes to get grain from field to plate so I’m not clear on what you could be trying to say.There is more processing steps involved with most meat that is grown on farms than say rice. If you count bran layer of rice as a processing step, surly you must count removing the animals skin as a step. There is much more processing for getting beef to your plate than white rice.That sould read; “removing the bran layer of rice as a processing step”White rice must be- 1.) Harvested (plants cut down)2.) Threshed (removing the grains from the straw)3.) Winnowed (removing the chaff from the grain)4.) Polished (removing the bran from the grain)5.) Cooked (raw starch is practically indigestible)No, eating meat is not like eating rice. If we’re to make the skin-removal argument, it’d be closer to eating a piece of fruit that needs peeling. Meat can be eaten raw and it is very digestible.The single thing I love most about the paleo diet, is it’s evolved more in the last 3-5 years than the preceding 10,000 years.Even locally raised animals used for consumption, are not immune to being exposed to chemicals. If a farm is surrounded by other farms that use chemicals, there is likely to be cross contamination.Hannah,“If a farm is surrounded by other farms that use chemicals, there is likely to be cross contamination.”Wouldn’t this apply to plant foods as well?Hannah, The animals even without the chemicals are bad for you: parasites, pathogens, Neu5Gc, cholesterol, saturated and trans fats, naturally occuring hormones, PhIP, TMAO etc. But it is true sadly that the chemicals are everywhere, even in organically grown veggies. However, the chemicals are not nearly as concentrated in (even conventional) crops as they are in animals. And if you don’t eat or suckle animals to begin with then the chemicals even in conventional crops are not nearly as bad for you, e.g., 95% of cancers are caused by meat and dairy consumption per T. Colin Cambell in his new book Whole.When you consider that you have to eat many MORE times the veggies to get the same nutrition, you realize that the concentration is moot.More paleotroll nonsense from PH since there are many nutrients entirely lacking in non-plant sources, including fiber and phytonutrients. With a whole plant diet you can eat as much as you want without acquiring mental deficiencies.Neither fiber nor any “phytonutrient” is essential. But lucky for us, we’re omnivores… so we can get the concentrated nutrition in the animal foods and the fiber and phyto-woo in the plant foods. The best of BOTH worlds…It’s like… magic.There is no nutrient in meat that you can’t get from a plant-based source and plenty of baddies in the meat. Unlike our ancestors, we have a choice of what to eat. Why would you choose the unhealthy, unethical, environmentally destructive sources? Animals do not make B12 – there’s no reason to eat them for it and moreover even many meat eaters cannot absorb enough B12 from meat. Dr. G recommends everyone regardless of your diet take B12 and vitamin D supps — both are available in vegan form. BTW 97% of non-vegans fail to get the RDA for potassium — you just can’t get enough if you replace any of the whole plants you should be eating with corpse flesh.Plants don’t make water and yet we’d be hard pressed to claim they aren’t a good source of it. Same goes for animals and B12 and NOTHING is more environmentally destructive than grain agriculture so its ludicrous to even attempt to demonize pastured beef when you eat grains. Potassium isn’t part of this discussion, but feel free to take it to the one it is.What utter nonsense. 90% of crops are grown to feed animal production; animal production is responsible for more than half of all global warming. You can’t possibly pasture raise enough beef to feed all the narcissists. Here’s the potassium link http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/23/98-of-american-diets-potassium-deficient/ come on over.LMAO First, your claim is not only ludicrous, it is unsubstantiated. (cite your sources) And frankly, I don’t have any interest in debating with someone who can’t differentiate between different types of agriculture. Second, it is YOU, that is following MY feed here, so if you’re going to creep my activity, pay attention to which threads I’m actually writing in so that you can keep the discussions on topic when you troll me.SMH I haven’t seen any sources from you other than ALL CAPS. Yawn, you bore me PH.Yeah, I’d say that too if I had no argument. I suspect you find yourself bored quite a lot.Allan Savory: How to fight desertification and reverse climate change“Desertification is a fancy word for land that is turning to desert,” begins Allan Savory in this quietly powerful talk. And terrifyingly, it’s happening to about two-thirds of the world’s grasslands, accelerating climate change and causing traditional grazing societies to descend into social chaos. Savory has devoted his life to stopping it. He now believes — and his work so far shows — that a surprising factor can protect grasslands and even reclaim degraded land that was once desert.” Grazing Ruminants.</blockquote"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpTHi7O66pIAnd FWIW, no matter how much plant food you eat, you won’t get enough B12. And I’m thinking I don’t have to point out how many “mental deficiencies” are caused by a lack of B12.Right?I have read all these comments about paleo diets and I cannot help but suggest that a paleo diet may have in fact been nutritionally deficient in nutrients. It is not like the paleo people had a supermarket available to them where they could choose from a diversity of foods from different regions. They would have been restricted to the food that grew naturally in the area in which they lived and to the seasons in which they grew/migrated. They did not have food preservation and probably did not cook either, so I am not sure how varied their diet was even amongst potentially edible foods that could not be eaten raw (at least not in large quantities). Thus, the paleo diet was probably malnurishing in every way. When we talk of a paleo diet today, we have more choices in food, because we have the supermarket to broaden our food choices. It is hardly fair to compare the past diet (which we honestly know very little about) with a modern version of the diet. Perhaps we need to call it the Neo-paleo diet! ;)It’s not neo-anything-old, though. It’s not a new Paleolithic diet; it’s a new, modern fantasy diet based on false premises and invalid logic.Dr. Greger,I was wondering if you would take a minute to discuss your thoughts on the Whole30 Program. In a sense, its a healthier version of the Paleo with restrictions on consuming carrageenan, MSG, sulfites, and any foods with added sugar. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter and will be checking back regularly for your reply. Thanks, JohnThe assumption here regarding meat eating with the Paleo diet is quite myopic. The basic template for the diet is eating lean, healthy meats (i.e., grass-fed, free-range), wild-caught fish, vegetables, nuts, and fruits. I can’t think of a more balanced diet than this. A little over half of daily caloric intake should come from animal protein. The argument that a plant-based diet being more the Paleolithic norm is still unconvincing and goes against most scientific studies. The video below from a Harvard study is the latest one from scientists that further supports the hypothesis that meat eating was prominent in most, if not all, Paleolithic diets. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_bYlY6AHewI don’t know how I missed it before Manuel, but what a really kewl video segment from Harvard. “Around two million years ago, we see evidence of intensified hunting activity. We see more butchered bones, more stone tools. Throwing was an important part of hunting… it enable our hominid ancestors who didn’t really have any other weapons, no bows, no guns, no snares, no nets, to hunt using simple technology like rocks or sticks.”This is great info, great article, thank you a lot! The free sharing of your books is such a fantastic gesture, I am very grateful.Very trueI really just want to understand one thing about the Paleo Diet. They are pretty convincing when they say beans and grains are bad. Then I see on this site that beans and grains are good. How do you know what is right?We have the potential / previous vitamin C synthesis ability in our DNA, but don’t use it because historically we’ve consumed so much C in a plant-based diet, could we reverse that process, & activate our C synthesis, by _not_ consuming C?Your composing is purely awe-inspiring that I desired to read such high quality material..cookies on AmazonThe loss of function mutation in L-gulonolactone oxidase occurred in the common ancestor to Haplorhini, at least 65 million years ago, so every ancestor since then prevented scurvy with dietary vitamin C from fruits and leafy greens.There’s a similar loss of function mutation in urate oxidase in all Hominoidea. Humans, other great apes, and gibbons, (but not more distantly related primates like baboons) can’t dispose of the the waste product of purine metabolism (uric acid), and hence we’re susceptible to gout when consuming carnivorous diets. Its a strong indicator not just that our ancestors ate plants, but that they experienced harm from high meat diets, for the past 25 milion years.To the best of my knowledge, the modern paleo diet promotes lots of fresh plant food. Advocates don’t e at more meat, they replace grains and legumes with veggies and fruit. It takes only 15 calories worth of greens to provide a days worth of vitamin C, that’s less than half a cup. Early man could easily have met vitamin C needs on a mostly meat diet.	animal protein,antibiotics,arsenic,burgers,cadmium,calcium,collard greens,dietary guidelines,EPA,evolution,fiber,fish,greens,hamburgers,heavy metals,insects,junk food,lead,meat,mercury,nuts,oranges,paleolithic diets,plant protein,plant-based diets,polycyclic hydrocarbons,prehistoric diets,preservatives,protein,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetarians,vitamin C,vitamin E	An evolutionary argument for a plant-based diet is presented, in contrast to "paleo" fad diets.	For those interested in digging deeper, there was an interesting Scientific American blog this summer entitled "Human Ancestors Were Nearly All Vegetarians" and there's an in-depth video series on YouTube. I wrote a whole book on the former low carb fad incarnation, Carbophobia, now available free online (like all of my work). I also have two videos Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up and Plant-Based Atkins Diet.For some more context, please check out my associated blog posts: The Real Paleo Diet, 98% of American Diets Potassium Deficient, and Uric Acid From Meat and Sugar	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadmium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polycyclic-hydrocarbons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prehistoric-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14527634,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19857053,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20510527,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 20222825,
PLAIN-2873	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/	Plant-Based Bodybuilding	We know excess cellular growth isn’t so good when we’re fully grown adults, since budding tumors may end up being the main beneficiaries of higher levels of circulating growth hormones.. but in some circumstances… a little extra growth is sought after, particularly for men in this culture, though not exclusively.The growth hormone IGF-1 is the reason some dogs look like this, and others like this. What about those that strive to be the big dog. Yes, lower circulating levels of IGF in vegans lowers cancer risk, but might that interfere with their accumulation of muscle mass? There certainly are lots of plant-based body builders, but maybe they’re the exception. To look like this, does one have to risk looking like this?True or false: Lower IGF-1 levels in vegans likely interferes with muscle accumulation. Is this fact or Is this fictionWell, there’s a couple says you attack that question. For example, what’s the skeletal muscle mass like in acromegaly? people afflicted with giantism—where they have an IGF overload in the body. If IGF bulks up muscle you’d think they’d be musclebound, but no, they don't have any more muscle on average than anyone else.What if you inject people with IGF-1? They injected women for a year and found no increase in lean body mass or grip, bench or leg press strength. What about men? Same thing basically. They had about a dozen 22 year-olds flex for 15 weeks under different hormonal milieus, and concluded that elevations in ostensibly anabolic hormones like IGF-1 with resistance exercise enhances neither training induced muscle bulk nor strength.“Thus it seems that outside of (genetically engineered mice or a cell culture dish or other animal models) that the search for the true role of the growth potential for IGF-1 in adult muscle hypertrophy is a vain one.” So, although it’s never been directly tested, probably fiction.	Why might we want low levels of IGF-1 in adulthood? See IGF-1 is a One Stop Cancer Shop. As we saw in How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1?, vegan men have higher testosterone levels, which can be a risk factor for prostate cancer and enlargement, but given the average IGF-1 levels of those eating plant-based diets this may not be an issue. See Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay and Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet. Having said that, if they eat excess “high quality” protein, they may not retain their IGF-1 advantage. See Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk, Animalistic Plant Proteins, Too Much Soy May Neutralize Plant-Based Benefits, and How Much Soy Is Too Much?.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.So what you are concluding is you don’t have to eat the Beef-Steak to be a Beef-Cake!  ;-}Or maybe just beefsteak tomatoes:)I always get a chuckle out of those bunnies.What is your take on soy protein isolate as the main ingredient in “fake meat” such as veggie burger? Should we avoid consuming it everyday and aim at eating tempeh and natto instead, or is this unfounded fear?Soy Protein isolate promotes IGF-1 more significantly than cows milk. I would advise staying away from the stuff! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12629084What about soy protein concentrate. I know it’s not as refined as isolate, but is it best to avoid it too? The soy milk I drink contains soy protein concentrate rather than the soy bean.In general, there is no dietary need to suppement protein as excess is stored as fat. Protein needs and energy needs are equivalent, and if you need more protein, naturally you would consume more food which would provide the protein.are you kidding me? excess protein is not stored as fat.. get out of the 50’s and into 2014 please.If protein is not used for energy or functional needs, it is stored as triglycerides. This is true of carbohydrates and lipids. This is basic common nutrition knowledge you would learn in an introductory nutrition course. I am not inventing these facts.So is this “wrong” then?http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=695Link did not work. Trying again…Is this “wrong”?http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=695No, it is not incorrect. Stored fat can actually serve to store essential fats as well. There is a point of storing too much fat though. We should be on the lower end of our “ideal” weight. It is not healthful for men to dip below 5-3% body fat and for women to dip below 10-8% body fat. Low fat whole foods plant based eating will maintain perfectly healthy body fat percentages.Where does the excess calories go, then, Cody? Thin air?It has been sort of defacto tested in the gym. You have only to look at competitive “natural” body builders and compare them to the anabolic steroid and growth hormone injecting “big dogs” to see the results. Of course, there is that pesky issue of cancer risk.  So I guess it just depends on your goals;  A long healthy life as a more normally endowed person, or get really big and die young and screaming… ;)Geoff your post talks about anabolic steroids which we know enhances muscle growth in humans. This article deals only with igf1. I used Igf several times for pedriods of months as a bodybuilder. It had no benefit.Body builders do inject growth hormone.http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ali_amini_gh_interview.htm http://buypeptides.org/ghrp-ipamorelin/dosage-instructions.html etc.oops… does not benefit everyone of course.  I had very low free testosterone, symptoms mostly low energy and depression. I tried HCG injections and also topical T cream, went from very low to dangerously off the charts high in blood and saliva tests and experienced zero effects on any level. Maybe, maybe slightly faster beard growth at high levels…  Physiologies differ.  I may be wrong buy someone who claimed to know him when, told me that Ahnold used growth hormone as his juice of choice.This video is regarding insulin growth factor 1, which is one of many hormones your body produces, but yet is still different then testosterone and HGH that your referring too. The relevance of this video is that IGF-1 is heavily associated with an increase in cancer probability.Just because they do it, doesn’t mean that it is helpful. Body-builders do a lot of dumb things, just like everyone else.Their increase in muscle mass is most likely attributable to their extreme training, high calorie diets, creatine supplementation, and use of anabolic steroids. The rest is mostly hooey and snake-oil.Why Michelle Obama ??Like Marc below, I’m also interested in hearing what your opinion is regarding isolated soy proteins, specifically TVP. I have just finished reading “The Fat Vegan” chapter in Dr. McDougall’s _The Starch Solution_ and he’s pretty clear about staying away from the stuff: “Removing meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, and dairy are well recognized dietary changes that lower IGF1 levels. Isolated soy proteins should be added to the top of that list.” What do you think the scientific evidence indicates? Is it safe to eat TVP?I can see based on Toxins’s response, that isolated soy proteins are best to be avoided, but what is your professional opinion Dr. Greger?I would advise staying away from the stuff and i am sure Dr. Greger would agree! soy Protein isolate raises IGF-1 twice as much as does cow milk. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12629084Thanks, Toxins. Although, I am still curious what Dr. Greger and the current research has to say about it.Personally, I’m not that crazy about TVP, but my BF is fond of it as a meat replacement in certain recipes (chili, tacos, spaghetti sauce). I already took away meat and dairy from him, if I take TVP away too, I’m afraid he will give up on the whole plant-based eating plan. Although he has made some tremendous changes to his eating habits, he is not as gung ho about the plant-based eating thing as I am. Is TVP (eaten occasionally) worse than meat? (We use Bob’s Red Mill TVP, not sure if that makes a difference.)On a related note, what do others use besides TVP in recipes that usually require ground meat. We’ve tried lentils and tempeh. Again, I like them, but the BF is not keen on those either.Just trying to make plant-based eating as yummy and practical as possible. I’m finding that sometimes it just is not that easy.Have you tried big chunks of mushrooms, like Portobella? And combine that w/ beans for “ballast” and umami flavor adds like a little miso or nutritional yeast.Great ideas, Geoff. Actually, you reminded me that I once made an awesome chili with chopped portabellas as a base. The beauty of TVP is that it is super fast and easy and does not require all the prep time as the shrooms do. But, I do like the idea. Still holding out that may TVP is not that bad,TVP highly processed, no nutrients, yada yada. I think not even in same ballpark w/ critter though. Plant protein in concentrated form like that will jack up IGF-1 but also increases IGF-1 binding hormone as well that partially mitigates. Not bad on occasion but if eaten regularly just takes the place of truly beneficial foods. ALL mushrooms apparently have pronounced anti-cancer effects…Recently, I have come across a product called Instant Soy Milk Powder made by Now Real Food. I like it b/c I feel it is more versatile than buying soy milk, it provides more bang for the buck, and it conserves space (e.g. storage, camping, emergency prep kit, etc.).Any sense what the verdict is on powdered soy milk in terms of isolated soy proteins? The ingredients listed simply state that it is “Non-GMO (Non-Dairy) Soy Milk Powder.” Additional product info states: “Soy Milk Powder is a rich and creamy beverage mix that dissolves easily in water. It is derived from whole, non-genetically engineered soybeans and is a good source of vegetable proteins and Omega-6 fatty acids. … It also typically contains 28 mg of Soy Isoflavones per serving. …”What do you think? Use or avoid?It seems perfectly fine to me! Its just dried soymilk judging from the ingredients.Thanks for chiming in, Toxins. That is what I suspected. Thank’d for your input on the matter. :)What is the reason for vegans and vegetarians having higher testosterone levels than meat-eaters? I’ve always thought a diet high in saturated fats promoted an increase in free testosterone levels. Thanks.I haven’t seen an article addressing that specific question however there are related studies. PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) is a condition affecting up to 5% of women which has elevated testosterone and insulin resistance. It responds well to a whole foods plant based diet(PBD). There testosterone levels functionally go down for three reasons… higher fiber tends to decrease both female and male hormones going out of the body via the intestine due to increased fiber and transit time see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/ and see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/, the steroid binding hormone in the body goes up with a low fat PBD so more of the active hormone is bound in the blood and not available to tissue, and lastly b/o the lack of meat consumption the amount of artificial male hormones ingested disappears see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/. As a cyclist I’ve always wondered whether as a vegan my testosterone level is lower and if it effects my strength however when you look at the advantages… better arterial health, less cancer, less body fat, less chance of diabetes/back problems/sexual dysfunction/dementia/macular degeneration/kidney stones… the list is long.. in my opinion there is argument against PBD. Of course if the ratio of male to female hormones determines femininity or masculinity sense both hormones are affected my guess there is overall effect. This would support your opinion that a diet higher in saturated fat with less fiber and more meat results in higher testosterone levels with it’s associated increase in Prostate Cancer. Hope this helps.Thanks for the extremely detailed reply, I found it very informative.No way in hell do vegans have higher testosterone levels. How come there are very few strength athletes who are vegan?I disagree, not that this has any base in science, but a quick google search can find plenty of vegan athletes. I myself am a competitive rock climber and noticed significant strength and endurance gains once I switched.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_veganshttp://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/photos/9-superstar-athletes-who-dont-eat-meat/joe-namathSome of the “vegetarian” athletes in this list are highly questionable, as the term “vegetarian” does not strictly mean you don’t consume animal flesh, some eat fish and call themselves vegetarians. In light of this I do know of a vegetarian boxer, one of the best a Brazilian by the name Eder Jofre, also Timothy Bradley the current WBO welter champ goes vegetarian the last couple weeks of training before a fight, to help him cut weight. Never the less I don’t know of any vegan strength athlete.Not that it matters.. Mac Denzig: http://www.ufc.com/news/Mac-Danzig-Diet-The-Truth-About-VeganRobert Cheeke: http://www.veganbodybuilding.com I dont know the health of their diet but the point is vegan does not equate to weakness.Miguel: Toxins gave you some great links. Here is the information I give out when I get this question. (And now I’m adding Toxin’s links to the list.) Note that the text below includes some links to books that include actual diet advice. I haven’t read the books myself, but they are worth checking out for people who are interested in the subject. Hope this helps.————————- (from meatout mondays) Vegan Bodybuilders Dominate Texas CompetitionThe Plant Built (PlantBuilt.com) team rolled into this year’s drug-free, steroid-free Naturally Fit Super Show competition in Austin, TX, and walked away with more trophies than even they could carry.The Plant Built team of 15 vegan bodybuilders competed in seven divisions, taking first place in all but two. They also took several 2nd and 3rd place wins.For More Info: http://www.plantbuilt.com/——————— When Robert Cheeke started VeganBodybuilding.com in 2002, being the only vegan athlete he knew of, he may not have imagined that the website would quickly grow to have thousands of members. Robert says, “We’re discovering new vegan athletes all the time, from professional and elite levels… to weekend warriors and everyone in between.”For More Info: http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/ —————– There was that other guy who just did a world record in weight lifting. “Congratulations to Strongman Patrik Baboumian who yesterday took a ten metre walk carrying more than half a tonne on his shoulders, more than anyone has ever done before. After smashing the world record the Strongman let out a roar of ‘Vegan Power’…” For more info: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/vegan-strongman-patrik-babaoumain-breaks-world-record/—————– Here’s another site that I like: http://www.greatveganathletes.com/I found this story on the above site: “Pat Reeves has set a new world powerlifting record at the WDFPA World Single Lift Championships. The 66 year old lifter, who has been vegan for 46 years, lifted 94 kg to set a record for the under 50.5kg weight class while competing in France in June 2012. The lift was more than 1.85 times her bodyweight, which is exceptional for her division. Pat is now officially the oldest competing weightlifter in Europe.”Hope everyone finds this helpful.————————-SJS (Guest):Jason, Robert Cheeke, a vegan bodybuilder has a book on Vegan bodybuilding. It has gotten good reviews on Amazon. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/1441cb65c23e621711:51 a.m., Monday Feb. 10 ————————–For those who want a more thorough dietary guide, I suggest Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier. His book is exclusively about vegan sports nutrition and contains a variety of great tasting recipes along with a 12-week daily meal plan. (someone on Amazon)Usually, the captions on these videos are spot-on. But “millews” for “milieus”? Please correct!fixed!Dr. Greger, I was wondering about how lower IGF-1 levels in vegans might affect their height?A trip to India might tell you. I am a 5’3″ man and I was one of the very tallest people on the street in New Delhi. Only people taller were other Westerners and the rare, obese, super well dressed, and obviously rich IndainsWell the only thing that makes me suspicious about drawing conclusions from all of these nations where the people have a vegan or primarily vegan diet, is that I have done some research that claims the height can arise from genetics, as well as if a person is receiving enough food (now whether or not these studies went off of correlation and did not test actual causation, I do not know). Even if a person receives enough nutrition to survive, if they do not have access to adequate amounts of nourishment, their body will not grow beyond the limits at which said person could acquire the necessary amount of food.Yet Americans have been shrinking. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/apr/04/usaFrom what I know, height is far more nutrition based than heredity. Netherlands men are now on average the tallest, and hundreds of years ago (there are some kind of records, besides all the short little suits of armor from the Middle Ages)were far shorter. The baby boom generation is taller than their parents. 6 feet tall Asians were rare and for their kids in the US common. Fifteen years ago I stood at the head of a line of a Japanese retired people group and could see over the top of every head, and I’m 5’10. Even given a little shrinkage, they were definitely all really short. Mexican families in the US are typically very short and fat (just observation) with short fat kids, who they no doubt feed the same way. We’ll see how tall the kids get – they will start eating some vegetables and protein besides beans with the new school lunch criteria. Maybe once they get into school they will catch up in a few years. I don’t know if anyone has figured out entirely what nutritional components have the biggest effects on this, or if it’s IGF or what.you missed the whole point bb’ers eat meat protein.it’s nothing to do with igf, it’s the completeness of the protein. if I want 200g a day of complete protein, it’s easy with animal sources as all the protein is complete. with non animals, you have to mix and match complementary foods to get the full amino acid profiles, it’s very messy and not very precise. if you look at vegan vs normal bber’s, you’ll see a big difference in muscularity.But that is the point. The reason “complete protein” is so effective and desire by body builders is that it stimulates IGF-1 release which in turn stimulates rapid muscle growth. Oh and by the way rapid cancer growth. The real point is that “getting big” and being super healthy and living a long time may well be incompatible goalsI will share what Jeff Novick has shared regarding this issue.Firstly, I would like to quote the American Dietetics Association on their view of vegetarian diets and protein.“Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal ”http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdfMany say that plants foods are incompleteIf “incomplete” means not containing all the essential amino acids then…. (the incomplete protein theory)1) All plant foods are complete as they contain all the essential amino acids.2) the only food that is not a complete protein is an animal food, gelatin.If “incomplete” means lacking in sufficient quantity of one or more amino acids…(the limiting amino acid theory)1) Getting all the amino acids in at once at the same meal, or even in the same day, as some may suggest, is not necessary due to the amino acid pool, which is a circulating level of amino acids in the blood, that the body can draw from if needed. As long as one follows a whole foods plant based diet, the amino acid pool will maintain a sufficient stock of any potentially needed (or limiting) amino acids.2) However, as long as one consumes enough calories, eats a variety of food, and limits junk foods and refined foods, and is not an all fruit diet, then they will get in enough protein and enough amino acids in sufficient quantity. There will be no limiting amino acids3) there is some evidence that the amino acids that are slightly lower (but adequate) in plant foods, may actually be a benefit to health and longevity and not a concern. This evidence stems from the fact that eating foods that resemble the protein structure of humans causes the liver to release excess amounts of the growth hormone, IGF-1, which accelerates aging and promotes tumor growth. (https://www.facebook.com/notes/rami-najjar/igf-1-and-cancer-growth/10151343380800828)Most every major health organization including the NAS, the WHO and the ADA all recognize these statements to be true.Is 40/40/20 bad for body? In other words is that much protein harmful? I’m trying to gain muscle but as healthy as possible. I heard 80/10/10 is effective but hope this doesn’t hurt my gains. Thanks!Definitely don’t do 80-10-10. Fruitarianism is not sustainable. It’s a fantasy, I’ve tried it, and it does not work. Protein and healthy fats are good for gaining. I eat about 33/33/33, as I believe carbs simply turn to glucose and don’t store (or only store as adipose(fat tissue)), while proteins/healthy fats go directly to body composition.Eat nuts, seeds, avocados, salads, mung bean soup, sweet potatoes with grass fed butter, and make sure to get vit. D3 and plenty omega-3’s. I eat eggs and salmon occasionally too. They may have toxins, but considering we’re eating a very healthy diet, a small amount of eggs/salmon will help muscle mass with a small expenditure of toxins. In other words, high protein and high (healthy fats, avocado, grassfed butter, coconut oil (we need some saturated fats) and omega 3s in flax, walnuts, and oily fish are great sources of nutrient dense foods.Glucose does store actually in the form of glycogen in the liver and muscles. Proteins have no storage mechanism and are used on an as needed basis. If we consume excess protein, it is stored as fat tissue.The emphasis of diet on this website is to consume a low fat diet.Grass fed butter? I would be interested to visit a butter ranch, never seen butter in its natural habitat before lolConvenient that you would hand-pick studies that state the hypothesis you support: IGF-1 has no effect on muscle mass. Too bad other studies say otherwise. The pioneering GH study done in 1990 I believe, took about 25 60-year old dudes and gave them GH. The result? It seemed they turned back the clock 10-20 years in terms of muscle and bone mass. The conclusion? You’re biased. Big surprise. Vegan queers!!!! hahahahahahahahah++++++++Do you have the study link on hand or is that a 3rd hand account of the study?I would also appreciate the reference to the study you cite.Vegan queer here and proud of it! I do remember that study though I don’t have links etc. They also (the GH group) showed up with increased arthritis, diabetes, and a host of other problems in a fairly short time frame. I do agree, that GH has effect on muscle mass/growth. The real question in my mind is do you want to be a great big, macho man and die young and screaming, or a scrawn-dog, veiny, plantarian and live a very long and healthy life? Perhaps you get quite a bit of choice in the matter. Pass the broccoli please?Not to say that people eating plant based cannot gain muscle mass and be competitive athletes! I myself am a competitive rock climber and have developed strength faster then pre vegan, although anecdotal.YOu betcha! Quite a few prof. athletes reporting faster recovery, better endurance, able to train longer and harder etc. But for some “size” REALLY matters ;) Being “bulked” I would think not such a good thing for rock climbing. You want functional muscle, go not show. Don’t know how GH effects that variable but personally, old surfer/snowboarder/martial arts for fun kinda guy, fo me it doesn’t really matter. Being the strongerst, fastest, toughest kid on the block sort of wears a bit thin when you show up w/ a cancer diagnosis, eh?True indeed, that is why body builders can never climb well. Its heavy muscle with no real use other then for show!Works for bike racing too, at least climbing and sprinting! Stick to ‘Italian weigthlifting’ [pedaling in a hard gear].Just be sure to keep RPM’s high or you can easily blow a knee.What if I don’t want to be as big as a bodybuilder but to look just fit with some muscle mass? Is it possible while being vegan? I’ve been trying a vegan diet for 2,5 months now. And I have lost about 5 kilograms of wheight. So my colleagues at work have started to ask me if I’m sick or what’s the matter with me.I have a constant feeling of light hunger and my strengh has decreased.And when I look at most vegans (except soy-fed vegan bodybuilders) I see that most of them bear some resemblance with Auschwitz inmates. Is it possible on a vegan diet not to be that weak and skinny?I’m guessing if it is a good idea to eat legumes as a part of every meal?. Or just to switch to lacto-ovo-vegetarianism?Feeling light hunger constantly is not ideal, to gain muscle your body must have the necessary calories to not only sustain itself, but grow muscle and sustain those muscles. A diet comprising of starchy foods can satisfy this. Eating lots of beans which are generally higher in caloric density will also do this and is a good approach. It may be hard while on the go to eat which I am assuming is why you have a light hunger. There are options. You can have snacks, such as hummus sandwiches on whole wheat bread, larabars or even small meals prepared at home.I struggle with this personally when on climbing trips and must ingest mass quantities of food to sustain my strength, endurance and to to recover effectively. Through experience I know how to prepare for this food wise. On one trip I felt light hunger constantly and suffered performance wise for it so I know where your coming from.Thanks!Toxins, can you please cite your reference to “What they found…” I’d like to read the study myself.unf13: I think that Toxin’s reply is great. you should not be hungry. If you are hungry, then you are definitely not getting enough or the right kinds of foods.But I also wanted to comment on this part: ” I have lost about 5 kilograms of weight. So my colleagues at work have started…”There is a free YouTube talk that I think would be very helpful for you. It sounds stupid that I would recommend this talk, because it is called: How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind. However, this talk very clearly (and in a fun way) goes over a concept that is going to be very important for you: calorie density. You can apply the calorie density concept to gaining and/or maintaining weight in a healthy way just as much as you can apply it to losing weight. The speaker in this talk even has a story at the end where he talks about how he first helped a woman to lose weight. And then when her family thought that she had lost too much weight, he helped her to gain some back. All in a healthy way. So, while you don’t want to lose weight, you can apply the principle in this talk for gaining and maintaining weight.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQHope that helps.Thank you I’ll watch the video right away. For the time being I’m sticking to starches at every meal. I found that eating legumes and grains 5 times a day WITH some dairy lets me to regain some wheight. But as soon as i try to remove dairy from my diet then my wheight gain is stopping.And another thing.I always had a bit higher blood pressure like 135 / 80. These days it has been like 113 / 65.So any folks out there suffering from high blood pressure and hesitating whether to try a plant based diet I can confirm it’s true that going vegan (or at least vegetarian) really helps lower your BP.But are there any options to up it a bit so that I don’t feel that somewhat sluggish? I have noticed that having a cup of coffee or even a cigarette helps it. But those are certainly no healthy options.unf13: I would think that you could overcome the sluggishness – and keep the weight on/gain weight – by focusing more on healthy, high calorie dense foods – rather than the risky dairy. For example, in addition to substantial quantities of those important starches, don’t forget the nuts, seeds, avocados, dried fruits and tofu (if you are willing/able). That’s what I would do anyway. Of course, you have to do what you think is right for you. I do think that video will be helpful if you get the chance to watch it.Thanks for sharing your story about the blood pressure. Very cool!Geoffrey: Nice post!For fun, ya gotta check out the following story/picture. This vegan record-breaker body builder has some serious bulk. :-)http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/09/08/vegan_strongman_shoulders_550_kg_a_record_perhaps_at_vegetarian_food_fest.htmlOne word, “WOW!!!”Check out Nick Diaz MMA fighter… Also VEGAN!Dear Dr. Greger,http://www.proventivenutritional.com/harmonized-protein-2/ is a whey protein that reports to “promote the release of growth hormone.” Considering your stance on IGF-1, would it be reasonable to say that we want to avoid the release of growth hormone, such as through consumption of a product like tihs?Precisely, all supplemental proteins should be eliminated. There is no dietary need to consume supplemented protein.I’ve read somewhere that Vegan diet can lower IGF 1 whilst raising HGH, anyone know if this is true? Also, does HGH have similar side effects to IGF 1?I was a vegetarian for 3 years and a vegan for 2, I supplemented my diet with everything possible from nuts, seeds, whole grains, algae, pseudo-grains, chlorella etc. Always have been an athletic person with more emphasis on full contact sports (boxing, muay thai, etc.) and never have I felt so weak and had muscle lost and over all body mass lost as when I was a vegetarian and more so a vegan. This is something I have observed with other vegan-vegetarians, I met some “vegan” body builders they looked good but later I came to find out they where being “assisted”. I am interested in opinions if possible from vegan athletes if possible from full contact sports in their personal experiences, as this is my personal experience and though research and studies are good and always shed some light, most don’t convert to real life with all it’s variants, thank you.If you work your muscles hard enough /often enough, rest enough, sleep enough, & consume enough calories, you’ll get enough protein to build as much muscle as your genetics allow. Diet should focus on supplying fuel to burn at workouts,(carbs).Dear Dr. Greger, I want to be a plant based bodybuilder, but my energy levels are much less and recovery periods 3 times longer after heavy exercise when I remove fish and protein shakes from my diet. I’m 50 yo, and slim, I eat a can of sardines twice a week and 31 gm of whey protein isolate daily and have tons of energy and better recovery than if I only eat my beans, brown rice, nuts, and fruit and vegetable shakes and vitamin supplements. I don’t eat sugary or salty or processed food either. I don’t want to die of cancer but I also can’t afford to sit around doing nothing all day. What am I doing wrong?Dr Gregor. I have a related question. I am a 100% high carb vegan. Presumably i have lower serum IGF-1 levels than the meat & dairy eating population. If i switch from endurance exercise to weight training am i likely to weaken that advantage? Do vegan bodybuilders have higher serum IGF-1 than vegans in general?Can anyone give me a reference where it says what is the maximum weight of skeletal muscle tissue growth per day (I’m talking about weight of skeletal muscle tissue precisely, not protein, because we know that muscle tissue is not only protein) in humans? I heard that is around 20 grams per day of skeletal muscle tissue, but I can’t find a trustful source. And yes, I know that depends on several variables, but I just want to know the average.That is a very low number. @ 17 I went from very untrained 80 kg to 120 kg 9 months later. No drugs just a insane routine together with a friend. 5 days a week 2 hours a day, leg day meant really hard to walk the next that rough, fully spotting each other to give it over a 100% Could this be done @ 40 years old now? NO, period. But 40.000 grams/270 days is 148 grams.With muscle memory I went to the gym a little over a year ago, again crazy bad condition, 84 kg dropped to 81 and then back up to 94 kg in between end begin December to end April, calculating from 84 that would make 66 grams from 81 a month later that would make 108 grams a day. But this time I’ve had huge problems with adrenalin and stress hormones, joints busted, tendons getting inflamed, tendon pulled left shoulder, dopamin highs, this time around it was a nasty ride. First time around never had any issue other than a centimeter wide piece of tendon of my chest muscle got pulled from the bone, probably already weakened from a rather nasty traffic accident two wheels vs a car.If you want to build up fast its a technique thing, you have to learn how to stimulate all 3 fiber types in each set. Its almost never about the weight though, its about using the lowest weight needed to reach complete muscle exhaustion on all 3 types in each of your sets, burning them out successively. And that first round @ 17 would have been wildly impossible if we weren’t assisting each other every single step of the way. A training buddy with the same general goals and you can have fun with is just gold.I’ve settled on just doing some exercises at home now, push ups, pull ups stuff like that. Still around 95kg@1.86 and that’s good enough for me.Ok I got it, more animal protein, more cancer risk. So, what do you recommend for individuals who want to increase muscle mass but without using animal protein ? Thanks!andresbarrantes: Here is some info I often give out in regards to athletes and healthy eating. You can see that the first 3 stories are about vegan bodybuilders. I think if you went to their sites, you might get some ideas. Or keep reading below for examples of other places and book authors that might help you in your quest to increase muscle mass. Hope this helps. ************************** (article from meatout mondays) Vegan Bodybuilders Dominate Texas CompetitionThe Plant Built (PlantBuilt.com) team rolled into this year’s drug-free, steroid-free Naturally Fit Super Show competition in Austin, TX, and walked away with more trophies than even they could carry.The Plant Built team of 15 vegan bodybuilders competed in seven divisions, taking first place in all but two. They also took several 2nd and 3rd place wins.For More Info: http://www.plantbuilt.com/——————— When Robert Cheeke started VeganBodybuilding.com in 2002, being the only vegan athlete he knew of, he may not have imagined that the website would quickly grow to have thousands of members. Robert says, “We’re discovering new vegan athletes all the time, from professional and elite levels… to weekend warriors and everyone in between.”For More Info: http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/ —————– There was that other guy who just did a world record in weight lifting. “Congratulations to Strongman Patrik Baboumian who yesterday took a ten metre walk carrying more than half a tonne on his shoulders, more than anyone has ever done before. After smashing the world record the Strongman let out a roar of ‘Vegan Power’…” For more info: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/vegan-strongman-patrik-babaoumain-breaks-world-record/ another article on the same guy: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/09/08/vegan_strongman_shoulders_550_kg_a_record_perhaps_at_vegetarian_food_fest.html —————– Here’s another site that I like: http://www.greatveganathletes.com/I found this story on the above site: “Pat Reeves has set a new world powerlifting record at the WDFPA World Single Lift Championships. The 66 year old lifter, who has been vegan for 46 years, lifted 94 kg to set a record for the under 50.5kg weight class while competing in France in June 2012. The lift was more than 1.85 times her bodyweight, which is exceptional for her division. Pat is now officially the oldest competing weightlifter in Europe.”Hope everyone finds this helpful.————————- Story of Mac Denzig, winner of season six of The Ultimate Fighter http://www.ufc.com/news/Mac-Danzig-Diet-The-Truth-About-Vegan————————– Book: Vegan Bodybuilding And Fitness by Robert Cheeke http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Bodybuilding-Fitness-Robert-Cheeke/dp/0984391606/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396982744&sr=1-1&keywords=vegan+bodybuilding————————– For those who want a more thorough dietary guide, I suggest Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier. His book is exclusively about vegan sports nutrition and contains a variety of great tasting recipes along with a 12-week daily meal plan. (someone on Amazon)More about Thrive: Thrive Energy Cookbook Created by two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion, Brendan Brazier, Thrive Energy Cookbook dives into Brendan’s philosophy on plant-based nutrition, showcasing 150 easy, health-enhancing recipes.An expert on how diet affects performance and how not to waste energy, Brazier explores how foods in their natural state maximizes energy and health, lowers body fat, improves sleep, and peaks conditioning and physical performance.Thrive Energy Cookbook includes the use of leafy greens, hemp seeds, quinoa, brown rice, and nuts as staples in an alkaline-forming, plant protein-packed diet regime.In addition to being a best selling author, Brendan Brazier is a former professional Ironman triathlete. He is the creator of the ZoN Thrive Fitness Program and the award winning, plant-based VEGA product line.—————————— And another article from Meetout Mondays:Vegan Figure Skater Takes Silver Canadian Olympian Meagan Duhamel and her partner Eric Radford won a silver medal in pairs figure skating at this year’s Olympic games in Sochi, Russia.Duhamel proudly took to Twitter announcing that she is an “Olympian, vegan, yogi and nutritionist.” Wonderful! Congratulations to Meagan for being an outspoken and shining example of what healthy vegan eating looks like. …—————– (from Meetout Mondays) Plant-Powered Athlete: Griff Whalen [NFL Player] His teammates say he has the most enviable body on the team. They say he consumes an average of 6,000 calories and 200 grams of protein a day. They also say, he does it all by eating plants!In a recent interview on IndyStar.com, Indianapolis Colts’ wide receiver Griff Whalen, talks about his vegan ways.“I feel a lot lighter, faster, quicker on the field. There isn’t that heavy feeling, that groggy feeling after I eat,” says Whalen.Hooray for another plant-powered athlete for us to cheer on. w00t! w00t!Read the full article on : org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=X9u7eAG%2FDmVet3kwZgrmHD5TipkEhWa4 **************** Check out fighter Mac Danzig: http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Mac-Danzig-3396 http://www.mikemahler.com/online-library/articles/mma-training/ufc-fighter-mac-danzig-vegan-diet.html—————————— And another article from Meetout Mondays:Record Setting, 92 Yr Old Vegan RunnerMike Fremont has been vegan for over 20 years, and has been setting single age marathon running records just as long.“At age 88 [Mike] ran a 6H5M53S marathon in Cincinnati Ohio and at age 90 ran a 6H35M47S marathon in Huntington West Virginia. [He] also set a single age world record for 90 years old in the half marathon in Morrow Ohio in August 2012,” said Veg World Magazine.According to an interview with Veg World Magazine, Fremont credits his vegan lifestyle for his continued record setting runs, at his age.We love seeing vegans making positive media waves, and what better way to showcase the health benefits of plant-powered living than Mike’s awesome running career. Here’s to you Mike, and vegan athletes of all ages!Learn more about Mike Fremont a VegWorldMag.com. http://www.vegworldmag.com/amazing-92-year-old-vegan-runs-another-half-marathon/Hi!I wonder if there any videos or articles about effects of animal protein in the form of Protein Whey Powder?I think you just got yourself a new subscriberHi,I am a big believer of vigan and firmly believe that many illnesses can be reversed by eating right food. Recently I have been diagnosed acromegaly and I heard vegan can help. Did anyone with high IGF-1 from acromegaly benefitted by vegan diet.	acromegaly,body building,cancer,exercise,giantism,hormones,IGF-1,muscle health,muscle strength,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians	Lower levels of the cancer promoting growth hormone IGF-1 in those eating vegan is not expected to affect their accumulation of muscle mass.	Why might we want low levels of IGF-1 in adulthood? See IGF-1 is a One Stop Cancer Shop. As we saw in How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1?, vegan men have higher testosterone levels, which can be a risk factor for prostate cancer and enlargement, but given the average IGF-1 levels of those eating plant-based diets this may not be an issue. See Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay and Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet. Having said that, if they eat excess "high quality" protein, they may not retain their IGF-1 advantage. See Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk, Animalistic Plant Proteins, Too Much Soy May Neutralize Plant-Based Benefits, and How Much Soy Is Too Much?If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-strength/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/giantism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-building/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acromegaly/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21196186,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20006425,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20527692.1,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19142965,
PLAIN-2874	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/	How Much Soy Is Too Much?	So we know 7 to 18 servings of soy a day may neutralize some of the beneficial effects of avoiding animal protein; at the same time studies have repeatedly found that women who eat lots of soy appear to have a lower risk of getting breast cancer and a better risk of surviving breast cancer than those who don’t. So is there some magic number of soyfood servings we should shoot for?So far we know that somewhere between 7 and 18 is bad, so more than 18 definitely gets the axe. This two year study found no effect on IGF levels of adding 2 servings of soyfoods day, whether they were tofu, soymilk, soy nuts, or the concentrated soy isolate found plant-based meats, protein bars or protein powder (green with ? region shrinking).Still got a big range here. This study suggested 5-10 servings a day was bad— increased IGF—so nutritional science has slowly but surely been narrowing it down. Same year in Japan, 3 servings a day cleared the IGF radar… And then… that’s it. That’s all we got so far.The bottomline is that legumes should be a part of everyone’s daily diet, which means lentils, peas, and/or beans every day, of which soy is an excellent choice, but I recommend that we should probably stick to no more than 3-5 servings a day.	This is the fourth in a string of videos on the role plant and animal proteins play in determining levels of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1. See Protein Intake and IGF-1 Production, Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk, Animalistic Plant Proteins, and Too Much Soy May Neutralize Plant-Based Benefits. For the role soy plays in extending breast cancer survival, see my latest video on the subject Breast Cancer Survival and Soy. I’ve got two dozen other videos on soy (and hundreds of others on more than a thousand topics).If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.I’m having a hell of a time working out how much soya milk, tofu, tempeh, or soya isolate (ie. TVP) is in “a serving” – each site I’ve found on serving sizes has widely varying amounts listed. It’d be really helpful to have pointers to good, solid resources on serving sizes for soya products (in general, I mean; not for each specific product).The serving size cited in one of the above studies “Maskarinec” used the Chinese Food Composition Table which counted one serving size as 100 grams.  this is equal to about 3.5 ounces–about the size of a deck of cards. Here is a link to the International Food table: http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5557e/x5557e07.htm#pulses, nuts, and seeds. If that link doesn’t work then click this one: http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5557e/x5557e00.htm Go down to Table 1 and click on Pulses, Nuts and Seeds.I hope this helps. ;-}I appreciate the link to the table. With respect, I don’t actually think that table answers the question. 100 grams of what? The protein (and calories) in 100 grams of tofu is substantially different from the protein in, for example, soy flour. I think the answer everyone is looking for is how many grams of soy protein per day is safe? In theory, for a male of my size, I need 60 grams of protein per day. Is it okay if 20 grams per day are soy? How about all 60? Could this be losing the forest for the trees?  Perhaps, but this is a science driven site and solid numbers are part of the science. “Servings” is not a number. Look at junk food servings. They’re all over the place. Thanks again.A cup of soybeans and soy milk = 1 serving A half cup of tofu= 1 serving.there is no dietary need to supplement protein as all whole plant foods contain complete proteins and caloric intake and expenditure is equivalent to protein needs.Soy protein powders are different from soy beans, as this is soy protein isolate lacking all original nutrients found in the bean. Soy protein isolate raises IGF-1 levels in humans twice as much as dairy does in 40 protein gram equivalents.Soy Protein Isolate (powdered soy) is generally recombinant DNA which as a whole bean has received vast amounts of Glyphosate (Roundup), Dicamba, or possible 2,4-D, an herbicide contaminated with 2,3,7,8-TCDDioxins. Could that have anything to do with the increased risk of cancer from this form of soya, in addition to it being more concentrated? I only use Miso and tofu from certified organic soybeans. Eden Organic miso and MoriNu certified organic soy.Hi Dr. Greger, there is some confusion over what constitutes three to five servings of tofu, using your citations. A bit more clarification would be very helpful. How many grams are you calling a half-cup of tofu? (Manufacturer labels don’t usually show this).It seems that food manufacturers use different readings:Wildwood tofu Super Firm lists a serving as 3 oz (85 grams, 130 calories, 14grams protein). Tofurky sausages indicate a serving as 3.5 ounces (100 grams, 380 calories, 30 grams protein). Westsoy Soy Milk indicates a serving as 1 cup (8 fluid ounces, 100 calories, 9 grams protein).If you consider a half-cup of tofu to be about two ounces (which is what USDA uses for “a serving”), then one could consume approximately one and a half to three Tofurky sausages, representing about 55 to 100 grams of protein a day. Does that sound consistent with your comments? Just trying to clarify for all of us.Thanks much.Misterimpatient, Take the time to read the sources cited.  I promise you you will find the answer you are looking for.Hi. I have read the sources cited. The ONLY number that I was able to find was 11g/day of soy protein in the context that consuming more showed no improved protection against breast cancer. That seems rather low since 100g of tofu has more protein than this. I also looked at the chart that you posted above indicating the protein content in various soy products for 100g. Soy protein content varies greatly. I do not know how to interprete these values. I understand that you want us to search and think for ourselves, and I really have done my best to find the number. Can someone please help me and plainly answer the question: How many grams of soy protein a day should be consumed at most total (not per serving)?If 3-5 servings a day (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/) then multiply the amount of grams used in this study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16176606) which was 5-22 grams soy per serving, then you end up with 15 to 110 grams per day of soy which is in the safe range.Personally I would look at about 50-60 grams per day for a nice middle ground.How much soy is too much for Billy Simmonds below?I agree. I’m trying to find out how many grams of soy protein per day is ideal. Maybe it’s somewhere in the articles that HemoDynamic posted but surely someone has read it and can post here so we don’t all have to read it.The most complete article I’ve seen on soy is: http://www.johnrobbins.info/blog/what-about-soy/. When I read it before I understood him to say not to go over 20 grams but I can’t find that now so maybe he’s changed it. Elsewhere it is recommended to have at least 25 grams of soy protein so I would stick to that amount just to be sure unless the info above supersedes it.Here is a Video that Dr. Greger make on how much soy. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/Do a search for SOY on the front page search engine and you will be given ample info on how much soy.I will be consuming roughly 18 oz of soy per day, mainly tofu. This still falls just short of the 5 servings per day in the healthy range (based on the 100 grams is 1 serving study). Just asking if I have interpreted this correctly before consuming this much soyThanksThe Joy of Soy! ;-}Would quinoa fall into the same category as soy since it’s also a whole protein?  I’m sure most people don’t eat as much quinoa as soy, but it increasing in popularity.  There are lots of recipes that call for quinoa and tofu.No. Quinoa is a seed.I realize that it’s a seed, but it’s a complete protein just like soy and animal products. The point of the video is that since  soy is a complete  protein, like meat, out bodies make more IGF-1.  Since quinoa is a complete protein, like meat, will it also cause our bodies to produce more IGF-1.One of the best ways to consider “completeness” of a protein (in quotes, because as many wise commenters have pointed out, there are a variety of ways to assess this) is to look at the protein digestibility–corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS). While this method has limitations, it is the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) preferred method for the determination of protein value in human nutrition. This takes into account not just the amino acids in a given food, but how the digestibility of that food affects the bioavailability of the protein in it. According to the PDCAAS, 1 is the “most complete” and 0 is the “least complete,” with milk, eggs, and soy ranking at 1. While quinoa is considered a “complete protein,” its PDCAAS is slightly less than 1, due to the presence of other nutrients and fiber, which may reduce digestibility.What does this mean? Probably, not much, as long as you are eating a varied plant-based diet that contains plenty of vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds. As with all things in nutrition, variety and moderation are probably the best way to “hedge your bets,” in terms of ensuring a healthy diet, without overdoing it on any one food. And according to Dr. Valter Longo, a researcher studying the effects of dietary protein on health, there is convincing evidence that a high-protein diet — particularly if the proteins are derived from animals — is nearly as bad as smoking for your health, BUT, the big caveat: These effects were either abolished or reduced in individuals eating a high-protein diet that was mainly plant based. This suggests that even “complete” plant-based proteins are an excellent choice for optimal health.Based on all of these factors, I believe that having quinoa in the diet is a net positive for health, so long as you’re not eating quinoa morning, noon, and night, every single day.Quinoa is a seed, but nutritionally it is a grain, as peanuts are bean, but nutritionally a nut, as tomatoes are a fruit, but nutritionally a vegetable.Toxins, you are so amusing.I guess my point was more that the series was on soy not quinoa.Today’s video (0october 9th) will upset quite a few. I hope you are armed with the appropriate articles. Someone has to do it!Ah you mean the paleo diet video? I am always ready to debate a radical paleolithic diet advocate. Yes and I think dr. Greger must enjoy it or he wouldn’t use the word Fad in the title.Buckle your seat belts! Liz: I don’t know if quinoa has been studied as extensively as soy or not.  So, how would we know?But I did want to point out that the concept of “complete” protein doesn’t make sense.   All proteins are complete proteins.  The difference is that some proteins have closer chemical make-ups to human flesh compared to other proteins.I have also heard about quinoa being a “complete” protein.  Even though this description is irrelevant, I would guess that people use it to mean that quinoa has a closer profile to mammal proteins, just like soy.  So, I think it is possible that your idea could be correct.  But I think it would depend on the answer to the question: just how close is the quinoa protein to animal protein?  Is the difference significant enough to make quinoa behave more like other plant proteins or more like soy? I don’t think we know the answer to this question.  However, I have an idea for you.  if you are interested, you can go to the following site and get protein profiles (amount of each type of amino acid) in various foods.  You could use this site to compare percentages and see how say soy and quinoa differ in amino acid percentages from say chicken and beef.   It would be interesting even if not conclusive to anything.http://nutritiondata.self.com/ To get to the protein profiles: (1) Type a food at top and press search.  (2) click into the food that you are interested in.  (3) scroll to the part that mentions the protein and click the little down arrow/tab.  When you do that, you will see a list of the amino acids and the amounts of each one.  (4) copy that data into a spreadsheet to calculate percentages if you want.Thea:I like the way you answer questions and I think you are very smart! Wow.  That’s like the best compliment ever. You have made my day!And may I also say that I enjoy reading your posts as well.  I think that the comments under the videos are an important part of this site.  Your good quality comments add to the whole.I might be missing something, but i think the “completeness” some people refer to is the fact that soy, like animal proteins, contain the 9 essential amino acids that we cannot make ourselves by eating other stuff..I mean, we can construct the majority of proteins by eating carbs and fat, but not the 7 essential amino acids :DSoy has them! :P I dont eat alot of soy though.. If you combine lentils/beans with Rice or wheat protein, you will get all the essential AA*s :)HI Ali,All plant foods contain all the amino acids. When people refer to “completeness”, what they really mean is the ratio of amino acids. This also does not matter, as our body can draw from the circulating pool of amino acids over the course of the day. Thus, we do not need to try and eat “complete” within the same meal, or even the same day. Protein deficiency will never occur as long as one consumes enough calories of whole plant foods.I see what you’re saying, but iv’e always read that you had to complete the protein profile within same meals / days.. Im not saying that you are wrong, but do you have anything to back it up? where did you get that info? :) I wanna read about it :PHi Ali, You can go to the USDA food database and search any plant food. You will find that they all contain the essential amino acids. Regardless of what you have heard (I have heard the same), no plant food is missing any amino acid.“Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal ”http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdfHere is Jeff Novick, an excellent plant based dietician, expanding greatly on the topichttp://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Articles/Entries/2013/6/13_Completing_The_Limiting_Essential_Amino_Acid_Picture.htmlAli: Toxins gave a really great, concise response. If you want to learn more, here are my favorite resource for understanding human protein needs and what “completeness” means in terms of human health: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlTo fill in yet some more details is Dr. McDougall article from December 2003. http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ You might also check out the January 2004 newsletter article, Protein Overload.Liz, the concern is with getting too much of the protein, not just the “completeness” of it which only has to do with ratios. A cup of soybeans has 22 grams of protein while a cup of quinoa has only 8. If IGF-1 levels were an issue with quinoa, which i doubt, one would have to eat several cups worth to get to 1 serving of soy. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2925/2Very interesting. But how much is the amount of 3-5 servings in “grams of protein, derived from soy”?Read my reply to Karen above ;-}What is considered 1 serving?? Read my reply to Karen above. :-}1/2 cup cooked for soy, or the size of a deck of cards, if it’s a slice of tofu.I’m with the folks asking “what is a serving”? For me, a serving has been:8 ounces of edamame (in the pod0. 7 ounces of tofu 11 ounces (by weight) of plain unsweetened soy milk (about 1/3 of a quart container)Read my reply to Karen above. :-}A serving is the amount that will fit int he palm of your hand.  Usually about a half cup or 120 ml.Dear USAmerica,We need you to please adopt the metric system of weights and measures (again).Yours truly, The WorldThis is unlikely to happen. To find conversions, go to: http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/weight/Didn’t yesterday’s video say that IGF-1 binding increased along with  IGF-1 levels in those eating lots of soy which explained why east Asians who consume lots of soy do not get the cancers of those with high IGF-1 levels obtained from animal protein?Thanks for offering the science that finally clears up the controversy!Now we know how much soy is “safe” to eat to not raise IGF levels…but what about how much soy is safe to consume to not affect the thyroid and hormone balance due to the possible phytoestrogens and goitergens?And does the sprouted soy offer the same “protective benefits” as fermented soy?Goitergens are found in relative abundance in the plant world, not just in soy. Cooking deactivates this compound so goitergens are not of a concern. Phytoestrogens do not have a negative impact on hormonal levels. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/Does what you say about the safety of phytoestrogens apply to men also?Yes it does, the study regarding the neutral benefits were specifically in regards to men. For women, the studies all show better health outcomes in terms of breast cancer prevention.How do you support your statement with what study???…..Mr. GhandiPlease view the entirety of this conversation for reference. I posted a link to the the relevant video with the said study available in the sources cited section. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/Has anyone looked into the effects of hemp seed on IGF.So how does this impact the dose of soy isoflavones recommended by PCRM this past April for treating hot flashes?Thanks for your talk tonight at Joyce Beers Community Center! I eat extra firm tofu everyday but I don’t know what is one serving. Can someone tell me in grams or ounces?Maybe it’s just a US thing but it is on the label here.A half cup of tofu constitutes a servingWhat constitutes a “Serving” of Soy?100 grams constitutes a serving of soy.Hi Dr Mike,  I emailed you recently and you asked me to publish in the comments.  I cant find an exact topic that suits so Im asking here:1.  Can you explain the difference (in chemistry and the way our bodies utilise it) between “estrogen” from animals and “phytoestrogen” in plants which mimics estrogen in humans?2. Is there any evidence for the effects on vegan diets for Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) ?Thanks again and keep up the good work!MelI thoroughly enjoy your videos and am so excited to have found your website, Dr Greger. Thank you for providing this great resource!I am new to the principle of limiting animal protein intake to prevent cancer. After reading the ‘China Study’ two years ago, I changed my family’s diet. This was the information that I had been searching for, as my oldest son had been subjected to a lot of x-rays when he was a toddler. The realisation that all this radiation could result in problems later in life, made me hunt for a way of reducing any risks to his health. Since then I have also discovered un-denatured whey protein. The clinical studies certainly indicate that whey is useful for preventing and treating cancer. I immediaitely put my family onto whey protein and find that it certainly boosts the immune system as we all have far fewer colds despite having young children who bring home anything that is going around at school.I know that this is off the topic, but after watching all these videos reinforcing the role of animal protein in the promotion of cancer, I cannot help but wonder if whey protein is as good as our experience demonstrates it to be. I wonder if anyone can clarify whether the benefits of un-denatured whey protein (increase in glutathione) outweigh the negatives of consuming animal protein.Also, any advice on what else to do to prevent the potential negative effects of the radiation would be appreciated. I am slowly ploughing through all the videos but I will be grateful for any shortcuts.Thank you! AngelaHow many ounces of soy is considered a serving? Sorry, I didn’t read down.  I see this has already been discussedHas anyone else come across the suggestion (e.g. as from Share-International.org) that it’s fermented soy which is best for us? That means tempeh, miso and tamari soy sauce – the last two high in sodium!! Does the fermentation process alter the sodium for the better??noelene: I have heard several people report that fermented soy is best. However, I have also read (now I can’t remember where) that that is a myth. And Dr. Greger’s videos along with other sources seem to indicate that soy does not have to be fermented to be beneficial. Hope that helps.Naturopath physician, Joseph Mercola, NMD, who is not a vegetarian or vegan, has indicated that the only soy one should eat, assuming it is certified organic, is fermented soy because he says fermented soy has vitamin K2, a little known vitamin which is amongst other data, is beneficial in keeping calcium in the bone and not leaching out into the blood stream. He cites fellow naturopath, (and grass fed meat eater) Kate Rheaume-Bleue, a graduate from Toronto’s Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2002. More about Dr. Kate at http://www.amazon.com/Kate-Rheaume-Bleue/e/B005HEPCWK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1She authored the book: “Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little-Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life,” available at http://www.amazon.com/Vitamin-K2-Calcium-Paradox-Little-Known/dp/1118065727.Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D. also recommends supplementing with vitamin K2 especially if one has been diagnosed with osteoporosis, which I have. But, I would rather get some vitamin k2 from food and flavor my dark leafy greens with Eden Organic Shiro Miso, which is lower in sodium content than most other misos. According to Eden Foods, the Shiro has 330 mg sodium per tablespoon. Additionally Eden (is certified) Organic and non-GMO Project verified. This is one of the few food company’s worthy of trust, in my opinion.I would still be interested in reading Dr. Greger’s input on this book as well as scientific studies.what should your igf-1 level be? I have seen many of your videos and I dont find what the level should be?A study to determine normal values of serum IGF-1 in adults, ages 21-70 years old, found that there was no difference in the values observed between healthy men and women. However, a progressive reduction in IGF-1 levels was seen in advancing age. Below is what the study found (1).Reference values (mean ± 2 SD) Age IGF-121-25 years 115-345 μg/L26-30 years 116-324 μg/L31-35 years 112-300 μg/L36-40 years 105-280 μg/L41-45 years 97-263 μg/L46-50 years 90-249 μg/L51-55 years 84-236 μg/L56-60 years 78-222 μg/L61-65 years 72-210 μg/L66-70 years 66-198 μg/L71-75 years 61-186 μg/L76-80 years 57-174 μg/L81-85 years 52-164 μg/L1. Rosaria P W., Normal values of serum IGF-1 in adults: results from a Brazilian Population. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab 2010;54/6.Hi, I recently read an article suggesting people should avoid foods such as tofu, soymilk and tofurky because they contain soy protein isolate. The article was concerned with the fact that SPI is highly processed. Granted whole foods are better for me, but as a vegan, I eat a lot of tofu. It’s convenient and tasty. Is SPI really something I should avoid?Patricia: I’m not an expert, so I can’t comment authoritatively. However, it is my understanding that normal traditional soy foods like tofu, soymilk, and tempeh contain NO soy protein isolate. Yes, they contain soy protein, which as far as we know is very good for you as part of a traditional soy food. However soy protein and soy protein isolate are two different animals. It’s like talking about beets and beet sugar. One is good for you. The other? No so much.Now, “processed” foods (non-traditional foods sold in packages like tofurky and snack bars) on the other hand, often DO have soy protein isolate added. THOSE foods are probably not so good for you in large amounts anyway. At least I have read that soy protein isolates can increase ifg-1 levels as much or more than dairy. I don’t know if that is true or not, just repeating what I have heard.I have read several essays and chapters on soy and gone to lectures from experts and watched Dr. Greger’s videos. The bottom line is: the science currently tells us that traditional soy products (including tofu) are not only NOT bad for you, but likely have a protective/healthful effect.Hope that helps and best of luck.Were the participants involved in this study fed organic soy or GMO soy? Also known as Roundup ready soy crops. That bit of information would be helpful in determining how effective this study was.Thank you so much for this video, being a vegan it’s very helpful. My question is, how much is a serving? (in grams).Tofu, soymilk, soy yogurt are an extract from soy beans, with okara being the remaining pulp. Would eating okara with tofu etc have an effect? ThanksIs there any truth to the idea of soy having a feminizing effect on men?It is false, no feminizing effect was found with soy and men. This is a common myth.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/Soy is a legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. Quinoa is closely related to species such as beets or spinach, according to Wikipedia. Quinoa can be substituted for rice and eaten with soy or other beans and lentils..I have just read here http://www.expressionoftruth.com/2013/05/nine-foods-you-should-never-eat-again.html?spref=fb that ‘Besides the fact that nearly all non-organic soy ingredients are of GM origin, most soy additives are processed using a toxic chemical known as hexane, which is linked to causing birth defects, reproductive problems, and cancer. Soy that has not been fermented is also highly estrogenic, which can throw your natural hormone balance out of whack. ‘ What do you think of it? If it is true, how can I find THE SOYA?This video here by Dr. Greger shows that soy does not have any noticeable hormonal effect.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/soy and pcos?Have you come across any studies that link soy consumption to functional ovarian cysts? Some sources suggest eliminating soy products from one’s diet if she wants to prevent/treat follicular ovarian cysts (since hormonal imbalances or excess estrogen seem to cause them). I consume soy daily and periodically develop functional cysts, so I’d love to know if there is any scientific merit to these suggestions.What about chickpeas?!I know a child who is nine months old that had a number of problems with cow’s milk formula. So I have recommended that the child use soy formula. The mom says the child vomited the soy formula but does well with the regular soy milk. The problems resolved but the child has not gained weight over the last 3 weeks. The child’s pediatrician says to go back to cow’s milk because of the estrogen effects of soy. We know cow’s milk is not a healthy option, but I can find no studies that provide a good evidence base for using soy milk (not formula) in a child under one year of age. Any thoughts? Also, does not cow’s milk formula contain IGF1 or is the IGF1 processed out of infant milk formulas?Charlie: I don’t have a full answer for you, but I wanted to share a couple of points.re: “The child’s pediatrician says to go back to cow’s milk because of the estrogen effects of soy.” Soy has plant estrogen, but cow’s milk has estrogen-estrogen. If estrogen is really a concern for this doctor, the last thing he/she should be doing is recommending cow’s milk. Some of these videos may prove helpful: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=soy+estrogenThese videos show other problems with babies and dairy milk: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=spockPlus, I want to mention that Dr. McDougall believes that there is a connection between dairy milk and type 1 diabetes. I don’t personally have that research, but my experience is that Dr. McDougall doesn’t make claims without data to back it up.I like the following quote from the following NutritionFacts article because it quotes Dr. Spock. (There is a video which covers this in a smidge more detail somewhere.):“Breast is always best, but the breast milk of women eating plant-based diets may be better still since they not only reduce or eliminate exposure to bovine casomorphins, but also contain lower levels of industrial pollutants like dioxins. See, for example, my 4-min. video Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination. For other effects animal products may have on healthy development see Dairy & Sexual Precocity and Protein and Puberty. No wonder Dr. Spock—the most esteemed pediatrician of all time—ended up recommending children be raised without exposure to meat and dairy.”On the other side, while I don’t know about any specific research on soy and babies, we do know that soy is generally protective/very healthy for older humans. There are plenty of videos on this site to that effect.———Concerning: “Also, does not cow’s milk formula contain IGF1 or is the IGF1 processed out of infant milk formulas?”The issue with diary is that it contains animal protein. And animal protein convinced the body to create more IGF1 than might be healthy. Cancer loves extra IGF1. So, the issue is *not* that dairy contains IGF1 so much as that it triggers the human body to create excess IGF1. This site has a wonderful series on this topic. Check out these titles:• IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop • Cancer-Proofing Mutation • The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle • Protein Intake & IGF-1 Production • Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk • Animalistic Plant Proteins • Too Much Soy May Neutralize Benefits • How Much Soy Is Too Much? • Plant-Based BodybuildingHope that helps!Hello, I would like to know what the doctor recommends for people with low thyroid function. I would also like to know more about thyroid fiction and how diet effects it in general.Should I be worried about getting too much protein from other plant foods? Like should I watch my bean & lentil intake to make sure I’m not getting too much protein?So what is the conclusion regarding the 3-5 servings per day?It is a little frustrating to now know a number (like 3-5 servings) but still to be totally clueless regarding the daily intake in the form of soybeans, soymilk and tofu.Referring to the studies doesn’t help much, because the majority is only available through sites where you have to either pay for the full text or be a member of a scientific research program to get access.So what’s the latest consensus regarding soy beans or soy protein? If possible in grams per day please.How can all these studies be accounted for http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/studies-showing-adverse-effects-of-isoflavones-1950-2010/? Wouldn’t this point at soy being bad for you and even one serving was bad for you?Thank yiou for the inforamtin about Soy. I have soy milk with my ceral in the am but that’ about it.I have a few questions regarding the safe intake levels of soy: Do the current “safe” limits (3-5 servings) for soy products extend to women with endometriosis? And is IGF-1 a different component than estrogen? How about the levels in infant formula, do they exceed the 3-5? Also, how much is a serving in respect to the variety of soy products out there and their concentrations, or what would be a serving of isolated soy as an ingredient versus a serving from a whole soy product such as edamame?? THANK YOU.Thanks! What do you think about Medifast? That has a lot of soy protein isolate, and you get about 50 g of soy protein a day while losing 10 lbs a month…I figure it’s more life saving to lose the weight than life damaging to consume the protein…what do you think?	animal protein,beans,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,dietary guidelines,fake meat,IGF-1,Japan,legumes,lentils,meat analogs,peas,protein,protein powder,safety limits,soy,soy milk,tofu,veggie bacon,veggie burgers,veggie chicken,veggie dogs,women's health	To maintain the low IGF-1 levels associated with a plant-based diet, one should probably eat no more than 3-5 servings of soy foods a day.	This is the fourth in a string of videos on the role plant and animal proteins play in determining levels of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1. See Protein Intake and IGF-1 Production, Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk, Animalistic Plant Proteins, and Too Much Soy May Neutralize Plant-Based Benefits. For the role soy plays in extending breast cancer survival, see my latest video on the subject Breast Cancer Survival and Soy. I've got two dozen other videos on soy (and hundreds of others on more than a thousand topics).For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: How Much Soy Is Too Much? and Why Less Breast Cancer in Asia?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fake-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tofu/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat-analogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17571965,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12881012,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16176606,
PLAIN-2875	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/	Too Much Soy May Neutralize Benefits	We know what happens when men with active prostate cancer start eating a vegan diet, the progression of their cancer appears to reverse, to get better—no drugs, no surgery, no radiation, just a vegan diet and other healthy lifestyle behaviors. Cancer markers in the control standard American diet group tend to get worse, and in the vegan diet group they tend to get better, the blood of those on a plant-based diet suppresses cancer growth about 8 times better. We're talkin' change on a genetic level diet and lifestyle changes switching on and off gene expression, delaying or avoiding the need for surgery and conventional chemo/radiation altogether.I've already gone through that in videos past, but what if you did the same thing, men with prostate cancer, but this time—half in the control group and half in not just a vegan diet group, but in a heavily soy-based vegan diet group. How much soy are we talking about? 7-18 servings a day, for an entire year. That’s like entire blocks of tofu, or 7-18 glasses of soymilk—that’s like 4 quarts a day, all year round. What do you think happened to their IGF levels at the end?The IGF-1 levels of the control group in the study didn’t drop at all, started high, stayed high. In a varied vegan diet—protein from multiple plant sources, all different kinds of benas, whole grains, etc—after years you can see IGF levels drop like this from baseline.What happened to the drowning in soy vegan group. Did their levels drop too? With that much added soy, the vegans in the study got literally pounds of more protein in their diets than the meat-eating controls, but it was all added plant protein. Soy, however, one of those rare plants that mimics the protein profile of meat. So with that much more animal-type protein in their diet were they even worse?Surprisingly, they ended up with values about same as the meateaters. But wait a second, in Asian countries, where they eat the most soy, they’ve traditionally just had a fraction of our breast and prostate cancer rates. Well the researchers found something interesting, the isoflavones, the phytoesterons in soy, may actually bump up production of IGF binding protein. So even though they had similar levels of IGF in their blood, in those eating vegan more of it may be bound up and unavailable to stimulate as much cancer growth.Also, even in China and Japan, they don’t eat 7-18 servings of soy a day.	The allusion to stopping cancer progression through diet is a reference Dr. Ornish’s remarkable work featured in my video Cancer Reversal Through Diet. The eight-fold higher cancer cell growth suppression documented in those eating plant-based diets can be found in Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay. It’s important to remember in this discussion that soy food consumption is associated with an array of health benefits. See, for example, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, The Effect of Soy On Precocious Puberty, and Soy Foods & Menopause. The question really just comes down to the topic of tomorrow’s video, How Much Soy Is Too Much?In the meantime, if you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Quinoa is another complete protein like soy.  Have there been any studies showing whether quinoa consumed in large quantities may also have detrimental effects on IGF-1?Quinoa is a seed. It may be a complete protein, but is not estrogenic. Soy is a xenoestrogen. In the series on IGF-1, Dr Greger claims the following: Animal protein -> higher IGF1 -> less cancer cell growth/more cancer cell apoptosis (in vitro) -> less cancer incidence. However, the Dewel et al paper which is mentioned in this video have some observational data which doesn’t support the above chain:1) There was no statistically significant association between animal protein consumption and IGF-1 levels. 2) There was no statistically significant association between animal protein consumption and LNCaP growth or apoptosis. In fact, there was an “almost significant” positive association with LNCaP apoptosis.On the other hand, vegetable protein had a weak positive association with  LNCaP cell growth (which is bad thing). The difference between the IGFBP-1 in the experimental vs. the control group at the end of the experiment had a group p-value of 0.02 which shows a strong statistically significant difference. However, although there was a trending toward higher IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3, the experiment lacked power to claim significance. Apparently, and increase in soy isoflavones in the diet was not adequate to compensate for the 30% increase in protein intake among these omnivores. We should keep in mind that this was not an experiment with a low protein vegan diet, but a high protein mixed animal and vegetable protein diet and it would not be advisable to apply the results of this study to people who are on a vegan diet. Even so, it showed some benefit of soy isoflavones, although the authors’ advice not to exceed protein requirements should be heeded by all. In the light of other studies which Dr. Greger has presented and additional studies available, we have good reason to believe that a moderately low protein vegan diet will indeed result in less cancer initiation and promotion and greater cancer cell apoptosis.Excellent!1. When you consider a theory, you shouldn’t just look at evidence that support it, but also at evidence that refutes it.2. The Dewel et al study was multiple factor intervention (including exercise and stress management), so it is impossible to tell if the effect was due to the soy isoflavones.3. Which studies did Dr. Greger present about low protein vegan diet? The Barnard papers? These people on these studies were on the Pritikin diet which is not vegan.Interesting. I only take soy sometimes and only fermented (as miso or natto). Think that’s a bad idea?No, fermented soy is some of the healthiest things a person can eat. Good for being able to eat natto, I love the stuff too. The stuff you should avoid is the really concentrated things like soy milk and copious amounts of tofu. If you eat around the same amounts as the typical asian (which while plentiful, isn’t completely overboard) you’re probably good. How do you prepare miso. Do you mix it as a sauce to pour over veggies or rice rather than cook with it?If we eat the whole soy bean (edamame), as opposed to tofu or soy milk, we will probably get more phytonutrients and fiber, and we’ll also be less likely to eat too much soy. The soy bean can be purchased in many health food stores in dried bean form, similar to other dried beans; it’s soaked overnight and then steamed. A little crunchier than other beans, so goes well with oatmeal or barley. Has a mild, nutty flavor. The exception is miso, which i’ve heard from Dr Greger in other videos confers some special benefits, as a result of the fermentation process (sodium content aside).It’s also worth checking out who has used soy the most, chinese medicine. They classify black and yellow as different (and not sure of mention of other colors).Some sample link here: http://leungschineseherbnews.blogspot.com/2007/07/part-2-of-2-soybean.htmlOne other book has a long list of properties but also contraindications:black: Excess weakens spleen and can cause phlegm disorders. yellow: Excessive consumption leads to: Qi stagnation in abdomen, abdominal distension and possibly formation of dampness and phlegm.Interesting one term of cancer for chinese medicine is phelgm ball.Hi,There is a Norwegian study that says soy treated at a very high temperature results in a soy product that is not so beneficial.Study: Lars Henrik Høie, M.D.: Cholesterol lowering effects of soy protein, and how denatured protein may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, Institutt for helse og samfunn, Universitetet i Oslo, januar 2011.article excerpt:Harmful soymilk Soy and dairy products with long shelf life are heat treated. They may increase the risk factors for cardiovascular disease by nearly 20 percent, according to a Norwegian doctorate.http://www.forskning.no/artikler/2011/januar/275961Could the soy used in the study in the video be of the type that is treated at a very high temp? Would home made tofu, soy milk etc perhaps show a different result?ThanksHi,Have a question, which is probably pretty silly but every time you have mentioned about vegan blood and its effect on cancer cells, I wonder. My question is  does the benefical side of vegan blood also carry over if given in a blood transfusion? Could it have a beneficial effect if given to a cancer patient? Silly question, but …Thanks.Hi Fnugg: I got the same question! Thanks.Not silly at all, I have been thinking the same thing since I first heard him mention this…Ok Now we know that eating kilo´s of tofu per day isn´t healthy. It would have been more interesting to compare Vegans consuming 7-18 servings of soy foods, to meateaters consuming 7-18 servings of meat per day, and eating the same amount of proteins per day.(How much is that by the way, 7 to 18 servings? 1 to 2,5 kilo per day? Try think of a day with 18 servings of meat! or more than 12 servings a whole year long!)….Or does this findings actually prove that an unheathy vegan diet (with loads to much proteins)  is as healthy as usual “healthy” meateating (with the correct amount proteins) diet??MartinHow much is a serving – 1/2 cup, one cup.  I would think it depends upon what you are eating – tofu, soymilk etc.   I mean – 12 – 18 servings sounds like a lot. I like soy, but I am glad I don’t like it soy much to need 7-18 servings a day. Phew. Matthew:  I don’t know if it was a typo or deliberate, but I thought that this was funny:  “… I don’t like it soy much…”:-)This study focuses on an exaggerated amount of soy per day…. what are the effects based on a average number of servings of soy per day?  Does any research exists that shows that?I noticed that you were “advertising” for “Silk” soy milk.  You should know that “Silk” has contributed to the “Monsanto” side of the GM Labeling proposition on the ballot in California.  They did not give funds to the “Organic” Labeling Promoters but gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to campaign against labeling Genetically Modified Foods so we as consumers can make a choice.“Silk” is not alone and a lot of “industrial organic” companies have contributed to the “Monsanto” side of the proposition.  I just think your followers should be aware that not all so called “organic” health food is what it appears.  I find it appalling that companies like the producers of “Silk” play off the market to “health finders” but do not share an ounce of the philosphy and the goals of those trying to eat a healthy diet.   thanks for pointing that out. Interesting.  The main reason I buy Silk brink is because it is fortified with B12.  I wish more brands would do the same, but most contain no B12.Same here. It’s the only brand that has high fat and fortified soy that is palatable and also readily available. I fed my twins cow milk formula for the first year and after that switched to soy milk and found this brand was the best. I wish it was organic, but, doesn’t seem like you can get all the good stuff in one box.You can get great organic soy milk at Trader Joes if you have one in your area. Its their own brand and tastes delicious.The worst is Earth Balance!!!!What do you use instead of Earth Balance, then?I don’t personally use Earth Balance. Instead, I eat an ounce of seeds or nuts for my fat in-take. My husband, a non-vegan, does both. He eats nuts and Organic Earth Balance, as he loves nuts but cannot break the habit of spreading something on his English Muffins.In Italy, people spread a good quality olive oil on their bread and everything else for that matter.Earth Balance is also horrendous environmentally because of its use of palm oil. This is true for all margarines/shortenings etc unfortunately. And “sustainable palm” is a load of greenwashing….the RSPO is self policing and has members like Nestle and some of the other worst offenders. Best to avoid palm altogether. this recipe is great. it looks complicated but try it once and you will see its actually simple, tastes great too, and palm oil free :) http://www.veganbaking.net/other-vegan-treats/735-vegan-butter.html#.UTllCBxQFZ8Thanks for sharing! I may just try this. ;-)Oh and it is fortified with Vitamin B-12 (50% per 8 oz serving) and calcium & Vitamin D.I suggest that perhaps Dr. Greger simply used the brand Silk as an example because many people have heard or are aware that Silk is a soy milk, and that he was not promoting the use of Silk or any other brand name. He does not like to give our brand names.From what I understand (and I don’t drink soy milk) one should not drink a glass of Silk to get the correct amount of protein needed. For example, McDougall “recommends that one use traditional soy foods, like soy milk and tofu, only as a SMALL part of your diet, at most 5% of your daily calories.”McDougall says “an example of sensible uses of soy might be: Soy milk to ‘moisten’ cereal, ‘not glassfuls’ as a beverage.“Synthetic soy foods,” like meats, cheeses, and soy bars, should rarely, if ever, be consumed. http://tinyurl.com/2679bjI generally find the information on this site to be interesting and informative but this entry seems to just be sowing confusion and soy bashing. I eat a large amount of soy in the form of sprouted organic tofu and organic miso on a daily basis but I come nowhere near the amount being discussed. I cannot imagine where they found people who eat this much soy. From reading the comments of other viewers I think many people took away the conclusion that soy is dangerous. I don’t think this video was very helpful. Bgrune:  I understand your opinion, because people do have the reaction you mention. However, I completely disagree that it is a problem with the video.  I would offer this: This video is part of a series.  There is more coming where Dr. Greger talks about safe amounts of soy.  It is not fair to judge the video outside of the context of the series. It should also be noted that both in this video and others Dr. Greger clearly discusses the benefits of soy.  Someone who comes away from this video thinking that reasonable amounts of soy is bad for people was not paying attention.  So, really this video is pointing out that there are amounts of soy which can be too much.  That’s not a big surprise or any kind of knock on soy.  You can have too much protein, too much water, too much just about anything.  That doesn’t mean the food is bad for you.  People need to learn this.I personally find it extremely helpful to know what the good range for various foods are.  How much protein is good for us?  How much soy?  How much water?  etc. While it may seem ridiculous to you *and me* that people would actually eat 7, let alone 18, servings of soy a day, Dr. Greger has posted at least one video of a case study where a man did just that – and did experience health problems.  Similarly, I was at a lecture on soy a couple weeks ago and there were three case studies of people who, completely on their own, massively overdosed on soy, with negative effects.  My point is, letting people know what the upper safe amounts of various food are is a public service.More than that, though: What this type of study does is add one more bit of data to help us understand the big picture concerning the relationship of soy consumption to IGF-1 production.  By doing this study (and Dr. Greger sharing it with us), we learn that soy, which has a closer profile to animal protiens than many other plants, actually can have an effect on the body that is similar to animal proteins.  This is super fascinating because it lends support to the earlier videos’ conclusions about how the closer a protein is to the composition of the human body, the more it is likely to ultimately have a bad effect (by increasing the IGF-1 production past levels good for us).   In order to make a claim like that, we need lots of studies hitting the question from various angles.  This is just one more study doing just that, and I’m grateful to be told about it.This reply got way longer than I intended.  My apologies. And you are certainly entitled to your opinion.  I just wanted to give you and anyone else reading your comment a different perspective.Great response Thea,I found this very helpful. Oh shoot.  I meant to add:  good for you on eating all that sprouted organic tofu!  That’s great.  You are a good role model for the rest of us. I eat 1 container (6 oz)  of organic “Whole Soy & Co” soy yoghurt daily for lunch (6 g protein). Besides being delicious, esp w/their added fruit, the label says non-gmo. Hard to believe this much of this product is unhealthy.  Especially as co-workers wolf down hamburgers, dairy yoghurt, pizza, and frozen chicken TV dinners…MikeMeat has a high IGF-1 factor because I suspect, the persistent organic pollutant chemicals that are fat soluble and concentrate into the fat of livestock and the people or other animals that eat the meat. But, studies have found that high levels of soy also have an IGF-1 factor. So, it’s better to have low amounts of soy, even if it’s organic, than high levels.I did not know how high, high was so I googled one of the studies and found myself at Dr. McDougall’s web site for his newsletter. He or his staff assembled examples of common processed foods with significant levels of Soy Protein Isolates that one does not want to eat. Being new at the plant based diet, I tend to err on the side of precaution and avoid processed foods. Which, it turns out, is a good idea whether or not it’s organic.See: http://tinyurl.com/2679bjThank you for this addressing this issue. I don’t eat nearly 7 to 18 servings of soy a day but my IGF – 1 is 198!  I have been vegan for decades.I am trying now to find a doctor who will order up the binding factory test. My regular doctor thinks it is an unnecessary test and had his staff person tell me to go to a specialist.He is the guy who didn’t even know what IGF-1 was!Ann AnnapolisCould it be that in the research they are using the same servings of animal protein as soy protein. People easily eat 7 or more serving of animal protein in a day. Breakfast- eggs and bacon, lunch- ham sandwich, dinner- 24 oz t-bone. So what happens with IGF-1 levels if equivalent servings of soy protein is eaten as with the SAD which includes large servings of animal protein.Are soy based products harmful if eaten 2-3 times per week? How many grams of soy per day are beneficial? How much soy is detrimental?The soy debate is a classic example of what’s wrong with so-called ‘nutritional science’. It’s clearly more complicated than the polarized protagonists think it is and it’s heavily contaminated by vested interests from the soy v dairy lobbies. As DT pointed out we need replication and refutation studies, not publication bias and zealous confirmation.Dr Greger’s contribution is a worthwhile hypothesis and deserves more than ‘Hallelujah’ dynamics. Attempts to refute the hypothesis are not oppositional, but a necessary hypothesis testing against all published evidence.Frequently in science when things get very polarised it’s because of hidden variables that neither side has considered. In this case we perhaps need to look more closely at the form in which soy is consumed. Natto, for example, seems to depend for its health benefits on the specific strain of bacteria used in fermentation (same as Jarlsberg cheese) that produce menaquinones (MKs). Also, the issue of sprouting is very interesting in that it produces new compounds and reduces others such as phytates. Fortunately, the MKs have a long half life so I don’t have to eat my natto daily. I would like to kow much more about the benefits of the fermentation of grains and legumes.Can you please be more specific on the mk-7 issue and the right type of bacteria that should be used to create natto that is mk-7 rich?R Ian Flett: I think that this is a useful comment and I am inspired to share my perspective on this topic.I think that people like you and the person by the alias ‘DT’ are contributing more value to this website than those who simply beat the drums behind Dr. Greger as if he is some kind of vegan rock star. Even though I think that Dr. Greger is doing a good job making relevant articles available and providing entertaining (and often informative) videos, we must remind him from time to time to analyze the facts dispassionately and provide fair evaluation of limitations that are inherent in studies. He should provide the same level of critique to studies that support veganism as to those that oppose veganism.Presumably, many of us are not just tuning into this website to get our morning dose of vegan validation. Hopefully some of us are trying to better understand the science of plant based diets. We musn’t forget that, to be understood, science must be always be challenged.Viewing your critique of scientific studies in the abstract, I think that studies are always going to have limitations – they just can never control all variables. As you point out there is always the possibility of a hidden variable, which explains any correlation. Another limitation is that studies typically only compare one dietary intervention (e.g. vegan diet) against the standard of what the general population eats. Differences seen obviously say little about what is optimal, since the control group (e.g. SAD diet) is so backward that virtually any reasonable intervention would show some improvement. For example, if a comparison is made between the health status of people who ate hot dogs without the bun to those that ate hot dogs with the bun, an improvement may be found by dropping the bun. But, it would be ridiculous to conclude from a study like this that eating hot dogs without a bun is somehow optimal.Therefore, I think the best studies can do is provide clues, which need to be explored by physiological research.Instead of simply focusing on inconclusive studies, I would like to see this website develop and critically evaluate the key mechanistic threads of reasoning in favour of plant-based diets, for example:1- We have seen that plant-based food are packed with more antioxidants than animal-based foods: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/It would be useful to learn more about what physiological conditions affect whether the antioxidants reach the cells of our body. We should try to better understand what limits absorption and whether the antioxidants are actually active within cells. What diseases do antioxidants impact and what conditions affect this?2 – We have also learned that plant-based diets have far lower levels of chemical pollutants:http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/Since we are all living in a chemical soup, clearly our bodies are somewhat resilient to pollutants. I have always wondered what concentration of pollutants actually make a difference. So I think we need data to better appreciate what concentration of pollutant get absorbed by our bodies and the specific role played by these pollutants in shifting the balance from health to disease. I think this question is also important in connection with organic versus conventional farmed foods.3- Another complex topic is nutrient synergies. One of the themes of this website has been that eating produce is better than taking the equivalent nutrition in the form of pills. I think more research is needed to understand why this happens. For the same reason that vitamin C in fruits may be more effective than eating vitamin C pills, some foods like fish may seem to provide health benefits in certain studies, because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. So simply dismissing fish on the basis that it has high concentrations of pollutants may be incorrect from a physiological perspective.  I don’t eat fish, but I still want to know why some studies suggest health benefits. Is it possible that this is because of synergistic effects? Or is is simply do to anti-inflammatory effects relative to SAD, as usually suggested.Anyway, I hope that Dr. Greger reads our questions and considers them when formulating new videos.  I would be highly interested in further comments on any of these topic areas.comment deleted.Here’s another variable that I had previously missed that might make even more sense out of the IGF-1 issue relating to a plant based diet.  It seems that low dietary methionine reduces IGF-1 signalling and so, in turn, methionine-reduction’s effects are correlated with calorie-restriction’s effects.http://www.oasisofhope.com/media/pdf/met_vegan.pdfOnce you consider that calorie restriction’s role in longevity may be dependent, not really on total calories, but rather on the total intake of methionine (less is better), then a new perspective emerges. Quoting http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/107In summary, neither carbohydrate restriction nor lipid restriction appear to be responsible for the life extension caused by CR, while approximately half of the life extension effect of CR seems to be ascribable to protein restriction. A wealth of evidence indicates that methionine restriction might account for most or all of the life-extending benefits of protein restriction. Fortunately, a methionine-restricted diet is both feasible and tolerable, suggesting that it might be an attractive alternative to CR for those seeking the health-enhancing properties of such a plan. However, because the evidence provided above has been generated using animal models, further work involving human test subjects is necessary before firm conclusions can be made.Vegans have the lowest dietary-style intake of methionine because meat, fowl, fish, dairy and egg proteins are relatively high, while plants are low. There is a surprisingly high amount of statistical evidence to support the negative role of methionine in longevity, despite it being an essential amino acid. Plant proteins are generally much lower in methionine than animal proteins. This could also explain why fish never seems to benefit more than thrice a week as the assumed omega 3 benefits may offset by increased methionine. Recent Swedish studies indicateded that daily fish consumption increased ischemic strokes in women.Possibly better would be the fish oil capsules, although evidence varies widely. High omega 3 veggies, such as flax, may be even better still. Fish products now have the increasing problem of contaminants, the latest of which is plastics getting into their food chain even down to the plankton level.Sorry, but all my formatting disappeared on submission and it all crammed up. The last quote stops at “before firm conclusions can be made”, and the rest is my own, starting at “Vegans have..”Just a note. Perhaps lowering IGF1 levels might not seem the only way that soy protein might decrease cancer growth. In the China Study, p60, T. Colin Campbell reported on the effect of different kinds of high protein diets on foci response in rats. He saw a huge foci response with 20% casein, butt virtually no response with gluten protein – but also soy protein.  In this case soy protein, even if very high amounts, did not promote cancer growth any more than wheat protein did, while milk protein acted as a supercharged fertilizer increasing cancer growth many fold. In these experiments plant protein – including soy protein – at least in rats -, did not promote cancer growth even at high levels of intake.I don’t see how folks could get so many servings of soy without using isolated soy protein, which is a different beastie when it comes to IGF-1.  http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/april/050400pusoy.htm A whole food plant diet wouldn’t contain highly manufactured soy protein products, would it?If you eat a simple diet of whole foods and no processed foods, I don’t think you would need to worry about getting into the range of the IGF-1 factor with soy. With processed foods, it is definitely easy to get there. Serving/proportion size be it animal protein (when I ate animals) or soy is critical.Neither my non-vegan husband, nor I had ever eaten 7 servings of animal protein a day. Perhaps, that’s the reason we have not yet had cancer. And, I do not eat anywhere near 7 servings of soy protein per day. It’s more like a 1/2 cup or possibly the equivalent of one and a half cups — a half cup tofu and the rest in a black cuban bean soup which may contain black (soy) turtle beans and brown rice. The rest of my protein comes from a variety of vegetables.Dr. Greger – do you think that consuming a diet heavy in foods that contain soy protein isolate(as opposed to whole soy foods) would have this same effect on IGF levels?Soy protein isolate (SPI) is more concentrated in protein than are whole food soy products such as soy beans (edamame), tempeh or soy milk. In a study of 71 women randomly assigned either 40 grams of soy protein isolate or 40 grams of milk-based protein it was shown that both protein supplements increased serum IGF-1. It is also interesting to note that the soy protein isolate increased IGF-1 almost twice as much as did the milk-based protein (1). Isolated soy protein is a powerful growth promoter and has been associated with the development of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer.1. Arjmandi BH, et al. Soy protein has a greater effect on bone in postmenopausal women not on hormone replacement therapy, as evidenced by reducing bone resorption and urinary calcium excretion. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2003. Mar:88(3):1048-54.Hi Dr. Greger…can you comment on the info floating around about soy not being acceptable for men/boys? I thought that info had been debunked but just ran into it again the other night when i was babysitting for an infant (boy) with very bad colic…I suggested dairy could be the problem but apparently her doctor told her not to try changing the milk, she did anyway but to another dairy formula; she was strongly advised by the baby’s craniosacral therapist as well as by a healer NOT to give soymilk to boys that its only ok for girls…can you comment or direct me to relevant information? All of that aside, you cant even GET non-dairy based formula in the UK or ireland as far as i know, which is very strange as there is no option for babies who have problems with dairy…seems very strange. (of course breastfeeding would avoid these problems, but the reality is that not everyone breastfeeds.) thanksirishvegangirl: It is really hard to find videos on this site, but Dr. Greger DOES have at least one video, if not more, which address the issue you are talking about. I tried doing a quick search for you and could not find the videos I was looking for.If you have more patience than me, I do recommend doing a search and watching several videos. One of them specifically talks about a man who started growing breasts – but that was only after consuming ***obscene*** amounts of soy every day. If memory serves, other videos which talk about soy will mention men/boys and soy, but may not be the sole topic of the video. Bottom line was that soy is just as good for males as it is for females as long as (like for any food) we are talking about reasonable amounts.One thought you might share to help educate someone: Dairy has estrogen/hormones in it, and diary affects boys (and girls) accordingly. Soy, on the other hand, has only plant stuff in it – and the plant / phytoestrogens that you hear about in the media have been shown to have positive effects on people’s health.Good luck.Dairy milk raises estrogen and lowers testosterone in men, not soymilk. this is a common myth. This video describes the effects of both soy and dairy. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/Some studies have found beneficial effects to IGF-1. Low IGF-1 is associated with shorter telomere length and heart failure, and it also appears to protect from atherosclerosis. So, clearly it can’t be all that bad?Cancer is uncontrolled growth and should be avoided, but the way I understand it is that insufficient IGF-1 inhibits the rebuilding of some of the aging structures in the body, so there must be some “minimum” IGF-1 level that is required to ensure that repairs can be made, which of course depends on stature.I’m not so sure whether stopping overall growth is the correct course of action to prevent cancer, although I do agree that it can be an effective treatment if cancer has been found.To use a metaphore: Should we fire the construction worker because his materials are defect? Wouldn’t it be better to just pause construction when that happens, fix the defects and continue the repairs? I’d like to hear your opinion on this.kyouran: I don’t believe anyone is saying that all IGF-1 is bad or “stopping overall growth”. Eating a plant-based diet does not stop overall growth. (If it did, vegan kids wouldn’t be so very healthy like they are.) A whole plant-based does not stop your body from creating the *right amounts* of IGF-1. What a plant-based diet *does* is stop your body from spiking IGF-1 (since the animal products are not eaten) in amounts that are so high, it feeds the cancer.To use your analogy, a plant-based diet makes sure the construction worker gets all the right materials, defect-free. That’s how I understand it anyway.Well, this is my opinion on the matter:While getting the right nutrients is important, the problem with aging hasn’t really been in defects of the materials, but the blueprints used (the DNA deteriorates due to mutations).Also, IGF-1 levels are generally higher in children regardless of diet, but a vegan lifestyle does make them shorter; that’s why shorter animals tend to live longer as well, because their smaller body requires a lower total IGF-1 level for maintenance in later life.The real problem is at old age: the IGF-1 levels of older people are already quite low, and further lowering of IGF-1 may impair their maintenance causing muscles like the heart to start getting weaker faster. Cardiac hypotrophy is associated with low IGF-1 levels in older people.While low IGF-1 levels in children doesn’t impair their regenerative ability, it does impair their growth. In older people, IGF-1 levels may in fact be too low to ensure even an adequate regenerative ability.As an additional fact, it has been shown that lower IGF-1 levels are correlated with shortened telomeres, which is an effect you definitely don’t want in the long run.Because of the current controversy on IGF-1, I don’t think it’s best to “lower IGF-1 at all costs”, or at least not in the later stages of life. You can minimize IGF-1 in early stages of life because your body is essentially producing way too much anyway at that stage, but at really old age impairing a necessary regenerative ability too much may not be the thing you want.My opinion is that the key to living long is reducing IGF-1 in the earlier stages of life (let’s say up to 70-80 years) as it does accelerate the aging process, but after that it just becomes dangerous to do so.To fight cancer at older age, adequate screening can help detection of cancer, and only then should you temporary reduce IGF-1 to fight it, but continue as normal once it’s cured. IGF-1 has just too many benefits at old age.nice video	animal protein,Asia,beans,breast cancer,breast disease,cancer,China,grains,IGF-1,isoflavones,Japan,meat,omnivores,phytoestrogens,plant protein,plant-based diets,prostate cancer,protein,safety limits,soy,soy milk,standard American diet,tofu,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetarians	Vegans consuming 7-18 servings of soy foods a day may end up with circulating IGF-1 levels comparable to those who eat meat.	The allusion to stopping cancer progression through diet is a reference to Dr. Ornish's remarkable work featured in my video Cancer Reversal Through Diet. The eight-fold higher cancer cell growth suppression documented in those eating plant-based diets can be found in Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay. It's important to remember in this discussion that soy food consumption is associated with an array of health benefits. See, for example,Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, The Effect of Soy On Precocious Puberty, andSoy Foods & Menopause. The question really just comes down to the topic of tomorrow's video, How Much Soy Is Too Much?For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: How Much Soy Is Too Much? and Foods That May Block Cancer Formation	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tofu/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/isoflavones/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-foods-menopause/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18602144,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16094059,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17571965,
PLAIN-2876	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/	Animalistic Plant Proteins	If animal proteins are bad because they boost our blood levels of the cancer promoter IGF-1, what about the few plant proteins that just coincidently happen to have amino acid ratios similar to animal proteins, like soy? One of soy’s selling points is that it has quote unquote “high quality” protein. But now we know that from a cancer perspective higher quality may mean a higher quantity of cancer risk, thanks to IGF-1. Let’s go back to this study. Those who ate a lot of animal protein had significantly higher levels of IGF-1. And those that ate lots of nonsoy plant protein had significantly lower levels, presumably because it substituted for some of the animal protein in their diets. The same thing might have happened a little with soy—hey at least you’re not eating animal protein, but this was not a significant decrease, meaning if all we do is just swap out animal protein and swap in soy protein, we may not see that beautiful drop in IGF-1 enjoyed by those replacing animal protein instead with a variety of different plant proteins. Indeed the more soy milk, for example, that vegan women drank, the higher their IGF levels tended to be, but the trend was only of borderline statistical significance, meaning it could have just been due to chance. To test this once and for all would require the combined might of both the Ornish and Pritikin research teams. a study we'll cover tomorrow.	See Monday’s video Protein Intake and IGF-1 Production and yesterday’s video-of-the-day Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk for some immediate background and  <a href="IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop“>IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop for the reason we’d like to see these levels low in adulthood (though not in childhood—see Cancer-Proofing Mutation). Is there a level of soy food consumption at which one might see IGF-1 levels comparable to those induced by animal protein? The title of tomorrow’s video-of-the-day kind of gives it away: Too Much Soy May Neutralize Plant-Based Benefits.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.But this newly released study, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23015654, found a positive correlation of low IGF-1 and Alzheimer’s Disease in men. Bbfarm:  Interesting study.I would like to point out that there are studies showing “that compared to long-time vegetarians, those eating meat (including poultry and fish) appear to have three times the risk of developing dementia.” Check out Dr. Greger’s blog post on Alzheimer’s: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimer%E2%80%99s-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/So, if plant eaters have less IGF-1 (as this current set of videos shows) and have less Alzheimers (as the blog post shows), but low IFG-1 might be associated with Alzheimers in men (as your study seems to think), where does that leave us?  Also of interest it to note that your study actually did include women, but found no connection.  The whole thing seems unclear. It would be my off-the-top-of-my-head *guess*/speculation that the study you found is one of those cases where correlation is not related to cause and effect.  But that’s just a hunch.What’s confusing here is their conclusion: “We report a significant association between low IGF-I and IGFBP-3 serum levels and AD in men, but not in women.”The above statement seems to say that low IGFBP-3 is associated with AD in men. But, if I remember correctly, vegans have high levels of IGFBP-3. Maybe this offsets a lower IGF-1. The other obvious question is the comparitive “lowness” of IGF-1 between vegans and sufferers of AD. Maybe men with AD have extremely low IGF-1(?).Hi Dr G, thank you for this recent thread and for the work you do. I’m eating vegan, but concerned of course about getting enough protein, not just because of the misinformed hype about it, but also because after 3 months of vegan eating I feel kind of tired. I am taking b 12. So I’m eagerly following this series of videos and hoping for some practical tips. Best regards from Toronto, Robin ParkerHey Robin,I don’t know exactly what your diet is like, but if you consume mostly whole foods, avoiding processed foods (even vegan processed food), you should be fine. As for protein, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for yourself would be a calculation:1) Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get kilograms. 2) Multiply your weight in kilograms by 0.8.You’ll probably be surprised at how little protein one needs. If you’re an athlete, then you may want to consider the following:“Protein recommendations for endurance and strengthtrained athletes range from 1.2-1.7 g/kg (0.5-0.8 g/lb) body weight per day. These recommended protein intakes can generally be met through diet alone, without the use of protein or amino acid supplements. Energy intake sufficient to maintain body weight is necessary for optimal protein use and performance.” (p.2)http://www.dietitians.ca/downloadable-content/public/noap-position-paper.aspxHowever, I assume you’re guessing your low energy level is due to your apparent lack of protein. However, it could be something else. I have heard people say that it could be the withdrawal of steroids from animal products, but I don’t know about that. I’d lean on finding out exactly what you may be lacking.At the beginning of the summer, I had lack of energy in my legs and I suspected I was vitamin D deficient from lack of sunshine. I did the blood work and I was correct. So I supplemented D2 (vegan) and got plenty of sunshine. My energy slowly came back, and now it’s much easier for me to do my high intensity workouts; I now run long distances, and easily blast up hills (that includes Riverdale, hehe).As a side note: my B12 levels were fine for some reason, but I supplement it anyway.What I’m saying is that you may want to do some blood work and see if you’re lacking in any macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals.I would like to suggest you get a solid book on nutrition like Becoming Vegan by Davis and Melina. You’ll get ll the nutritional information you need backed by solid sources. http://www.amazon.ca/Becoming-Vegan-Complete-Adopting-Plant-Based/dp/1570671036Best wishes.Thanks! I’ve always eaten a mainly whole foods diet, even before I became vegan, so I will look into the blood work. Good idea.Tan, Sounds like great advice! Thanks for providing the Canadian dieticians position paper on diet and athletic performance. I strongly agree with you that “Becoming Vegan” is a solid book.You’re welcome. Glad the Davis and Melina books are getting around.I just want to clarify that the paper is a joint work: Dietitians Of Canada, American College Of Sports Medicine, and American Dietetic Association. So I’d say that’s even better.Hi, try adding different types of mushrooms.Placing your mushrooms in the sun for 20 – 30 mins before consuming them causes them to produce Vitamin-D like we do. Just a fun tip.Make sure you are getting enough calories. Sounds obvious but sometimes it’s just lack of calories that makes people tired rather than a lack of some particular macro nutrient. Great point that I should have included. Transitioning to a new diet can cause one to miscalculate calories because of the unfamiliarity of the food and access to it.Admittedly I’m not sure what the numbers actually mean, but at a quick glance the IGF #s for the people who drank 1/2 a pint of soymilk or more in the chart at 1:15 seems to be more than a borderline increase.   No soymilk had IGF numbers averaging 23.2 and 1/2 a pint or more was in the upper 29s.  That seems pretty significant to me, what am I missing?  “Significance” in this sense means “statistically significant.” If the P-value shown was 0.05 or less, then the trend would have been considered significant and the results of increased level of IGF-1 due to the additional soymilk.  However, since the P-value is 0.054, the apparent trend is not “significant” meaning the increase in IGF-1 can be attributed to chance and not the additional intake of soymilk.In medical research, “significant” has been arbitrarily taken to mean that the difference in an average value (e.g. IGF number) between the two groups being compared (e.g. soydrinkers versus control group) only has a 5% chance (i.e. p=0.05) to have been detected by chance alone (i.e. be a false positive). Often results are only publishable if they cross this arbitrary threshold. This is based on a number of questionable assumptions (i.e. normal distributions, equal variance, etc) , so the trending values (e.g p=0.054) that was rejected as not-significant could really be a real effect that was undetected by a poorly designed study. What often obscures the ability to detect an effect as significant is the amount of variability in the data and the number of people in each group. So a better quality study would control more sources of variability (e.g both groups should exercise the same amount) and use more people. This would then lead to a study having higher “statistical power”, which means it would be more likely to differentiate true differences from those that are due to random effects. Hope this helps.I’m trying to find the video that states that vegan men had higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of prostate cancer. Could someone direct me to that video? Thanks. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/Another question I would ask is what about if some eats an old school, “Diet for a Small Planet” meal that combines different plant protein sources and so ends up with a “high quality” amino acid balance, like beans and whole grains together?There seems to be a lot of lit focus going back some 50 years on formation of lysinoalanine in soy and dairy protein.  Glycinin and casein (soy and dairy protein, resp) seem somehow primed to the formation of these covalent crosslinks.  I wonder if we are finally seeing a physiological effect of these long-studied modifications.What a about isolated pea protein?  I use it in my smoothies and I’m now wondering…if isolated soy protein can have a negative impact on IGF-1 levels, does pea protein have the same issue?There is no dietary need so supplement protein. Not getting “enogh” priotein is more of a marketing fad than truth. All wholep lant foods contain complete protein and protein needs and caloric needs are equivalent. If your eating whole plant foods when your hungry till your full you are getting enough protein.Hi Mary,There is a convenience aspect. After coming back from a long run it sure is nice to throw a little bit in a blender and be done with it.There is no need to supplement with a B complex, as all b vitamins except b12 is present in plant foods. Eating a starch based diet tends to satiate and provide adequate nutrition as opposed to eating only greens, nuts and fruits.Hi Dr. Gregor, I just watched the series on saturated fat and endotoxins, and wondered if you could comment specifically on plant-based saturated fat, like coconut milk. Is it also associated with increased endotoxins in the blood, or does the fact that it does not include an infusion of dead bacteria lower the endotoxin load? Similar question regarding cheese: is there a lower dead bacterial load, and is there therefore less of an endotoxin load transported with the saturated fat?Thanks!SeanaCoconut milk is not healthy as explained  by Dr. Greger here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/Cheese is also very unhealthy and indeed contains endotoxins, xenoestrogens, alluminum and other harmful components.What about if you have organic or non-GMO soy products, does that make a difference?It shouldn’t make any difference as the amino acid structure does not change with organic vs conventional.What vegetarian substitutes would you recommend with high protein value? and doesn’t soy contains Estrogen alike enzymes (or hormones)Is Dr. Greger against most supplements like BCAA’s? I know he doesn’t suggest protein and caffeine and gree tea.I’m currently on a fruit-based diet, with very minimal amounts of protein. Will adding beans to my diet lower my IGF-1 even further?No idea what adding beans will do to IGF-1 level but if you do add them, and subtract isocaloric amount of fruit, you will reduce your likely high risk of immune dysfunction, systemic fungal infections, and tooth decay from the 80-10-10 super high sugar intake from all that fruit!Totally conused again :( Just after reading this fresh info: http://www.saragottfriedmd.com/does-meat-cause-cancer-revisiting-the-meat-igf-1-and-cancer-connection/When IGF-1 levels are too high, some forms of cancer grow more easily (mainly prostate and breast). However, when IGF-1 levels are low, risks of cardiovascular disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and sarcopenia are all much higher. In fact, death to cancer is also much more common with low IGF-1 too, possibly due to increased risk of cachexia (muscle wasting).	animal products,animal protein,cancer,IGF-1,meat,omnivores,plant protein,plant-based diets,protein,soy,soy milk,soybeans,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetarians	While animal proteins increase levels of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1, and most plant proteins bring levels down, "high quality" plant proteins such as soy may not significantly affect levels in either direction. This, however, may depend on the quantity consumed.	See Monday's video Protein Intake and IGF-1 Production and yesterday's video-of-the-day Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk for some immediate background and  IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop for the reason we'd like to see these levels low in adulthood (though not in childhood—see Cancer-Proofing Mutation). Is there a level of soy food consumption at which one might see IGF-1 levels comparable to those induced by animal protein? The title of tomorrow's video-of-the-day kind of gives it away: Too Much Soy May Neutralize Plant-Based Benefits.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: How Much Soy Is Too Much?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-soy-may-neutralize-plant-based-benefits/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17571965,
PLAIN-2877	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/	Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk	 Why is animal protein associated with increased levels of the cancer promoting growth hormone IGF-1, but not plant protein. Let’s go back to the tinkertoy analogy. Let's say you’re trying to build a really big pyramid, and instead of starting from scratch, a pile of little pyramids dropped in front of you.Ooh, that makes things easier, and start stacking them togehter.But what you still want to build your big pyramid, but instead, a pile of cubes were dropped at your feet. You still have all the essential elements there, you could undo them all and rebuild them into little pyramids to build into your big pyramid, but you can imagine the cube pile might just not be as a stimulus an as the pyramid pile to instantly just want to start piling them together. Maybe you want see what’s on TV first, or something.It’s the same thing with our liver, and insulin-like growth factor 1. With the exception of the animal protein gelatin, all proteins, plant and animal, contain all nine essential amino acids. So pretty much all proteins, in that sense, are complete proteins. Other than jello and marshmallows, there's basically no such thing as an incomplete protein. When you hear about high versus low quality proteins, what they’re talking about are the relative proportions of the different essential amino acids. The more closely the proportion matches our own proteins, the higher quality it’s considered.So when our liver gets hit with a big load of incoming animal proteins, it’s like hey this is easy, let’s just send out IGF-1 to get cells dividing like crazy to use some of this up. It’s like the pile of pramids. It’s meat; we’re meat, let’s just pile it on.Whereas when you get plant protein cubes, all the essential elements are there. Your body can break them down into all the essential amino acids it needs, but it just doesn’t stimulate the same kind of real estate boon that animal protein does, so you don’t get as many new cancer condos poppin’ up in your body.That’s my attempt at lay explanation; for any biochem geeks out there basically unlike the essentials, particularly arginine and the pyruvate precursors may be shunted into gluconeogenesis, oxidized into urea, and so, you know, tend to present less of a proteogenic stimulus, but… back to me speaking English.There’s only one truly quote-unquote perfect protein. Without a doubt, the highest quality protein on the planet--for us-- is human flesh. Failing that though, any flesh will do. We don’t practice species cannibalism; instead we practice like kingdom cannibalism, right? Or if fellow mammals, class cannibalism. And by eating other animals we’re getting protein that more closer mirrors our own than a banana’s, but now we know that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good thing.	I introduced the tinker toy analogy in yesterday’s video-of-the-day Protein Intake and IGF-1 Production. I hope it makes sense! For those who haven’t been following along, see IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop for the reason we’re so concerned about IGF-1 levels and my videos The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle and How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1? to learn about the role diet can play. If the reason animal proteins raise IGF-1 levels is because of their resemblance to our own proteins, what about the few plant proteins that just coincidently happen to have amino acid ratios similar to human and other animal proteins such as soy? Great question! That’s the subject of the next few videos starting with tomorrow’s video-of-the-day Animalistic Plant Proteins.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Your videos are getting better and better! That analogy is great and the little girl was perfect. Thanks so much for all this information.I failed to see the analogy of the girl, and it was confusing why she was placed there. I thought something was wrong with my computer.But don’t you get the equivalent of high quality animal protein by eating a variety of vegan proteins? Grains may lack lysine, but isn’t that shortage made up by eating legumes? And while legumes lack methionine, isn’t that shortage made up for by eating grains? That’s the theory I’ve been taught, called protein combining, that over a period of time such as one day or less, the variety of vegan proteins we eat are equivalent to the quality of animal proteins. Not so? What’s the explanation? ShellyB:  My understanding is that the idea of “protein combining” is a long debunked myth.  The best site I have seen for a detailed explanation of this issue is this: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlHope you find that helpful.Protein combining is not a myth.What this article says is that human non-athletes get enough protein from a vegetable diet without having to bother about combining. Arnaud: I’ve read your comment 4 times, and I just can’t figure out your point.  The article very clearly, and in agonizing detail, explains why whole plant food based eaters do not need to worry about protein combining.  After reading the whole page, the word “myth” seems quite appropriate.  What is your evidence for saying otherwise?I’m thinking it gets back to the ratios of the amino acids.  There are 20 amino acids required by the human body, 8 of them are essential which means you have to get them from food.  The other 12 can also come from food but can also be produced in the liver from one of the 8 essential amino acids.  If you are eating a meat based diet your liver probably doesn’t have to do much in terms of amino acid production, so our energy goes to cell growth.  If we were evolutionarily adapted to eat a more plant based diet then our liver is not being supplied the diet it was adapted for, so more IGF than our bodies need is being produced. One of the interesting things I read in the china study was relating to metabolic rate of people on a plant based diet being higher (more calories needed to maintain body weight than for meat based diets).  This could be a good explanation.  The liver energy requirements increase on a vegetarian diet because the liver needs to work harder, which can turn out apparently to be a good thing. Grains do not lack lysine, that’s marketing propoganda. Here’s the analysis from my article…http://voices.yahoo.com/image/1986855/index.html?cat=2 Nice!  Thanks for sharing.That image doesn’t specify whether the lysine amounts are above or below the requirements.Also, you omitted wheat, which is the most consumed grain for your readers, and that makes your analysis very suspicious.re: “you omitted wheat, which is the most consumed grain for your readers, and that makes your analysis very suspicious.”This strikes me as a very odd comment.  I admit that I don’t know which readers you are talking about, but my daily grains rarely include wheat.  I have oatmeal for breakfast.  Lunches and dinners will usually involve some amount of whole rice, barley, corn, quinoa or farro.  I typically only get wheat if I’m eating a treat like a cookie.Based on recipes I see in cookbooks and on-line, I must be pretty typical for most whole plant food based eaters.  I wonder where you get your assertion?  Perhaps just an assumption? I still don’t get it.If grains are good sources of proteins, then why don’t they promote IGF-1 production just like meat does?If I understood Dr. Greger’s video correctly, he is saying that while plants can be *great* sources of protein (I hope you had a chance to check out that link I posted above), proteins in plants are not identical to the proteins in animals.  Human bodies react to the animal proteins differently than our bodies react to the plant ones.  This difference in reaction is to our benefit…Does that help? Clearly plant sources of foods produce different amounts of IGF-1 than do animal sources, so yes, clearly they are different for that reason. But I can’t see that their amino acid composition would be responsible for this because over a short period of time we consume similar ratios of amino acids from plant foods as we would if  we were omnivores, although the typical vegan doubtlessly consumes a smaller percentage of their calories in proteins. So, the difference in plant and animal-based foods must be either due to a lower percentage of protein, which might reduce IGF-1 production, or due to some accompanying factor in the food such as sterols in animal products vs. phytosterols in plants, which have a different chemical structure such as their extra ethyl group on their side-chain. Since sterols are animal growth factors and phytosterols and plant  growth factors which we, as animals don’t particularly respond to, I would think that the (animal) sterols would set us up for cancer simply by virtue of the fact that as growth factors, they would promote growth of tumors. But I can’t see how the argument that the ratio of amino acids is different can hold much validity- I don’t think the ratio is very different for vegans and omnivores when you take into account our natural protein combining behavior over a period of a few meals. Or as others have commented, the amount of varying amino acids in plants make the whole idea of incomplete proteins dubious. All this argues against complete proteins being responsible for cancer. ShellyB:  Thank you for clarifying your question.  I think I understand where you are coming from now.  It is a very interesting question.I definitely do not have the answer, but I think that the answer to your question lies in those few seconds where Dr. Greger went into medical talk and explained the process in “biochemical” terms.  I listened to that section several times and was not able to understand it.  I only picked up this: “…unlike essentials…precursers shunted into…oxidized into urea? and thus present less of a proto-something stimulus”. I interpret this as meaning that there really is something to the idea that the ratio of various amino acids coming in makes a difference on how our bodies react to the proteins.  Just because you eventually get all of the amino acids that you need on a plant based diet does not necessarily mean that getting them all at once *in the same molecule* (assuming I understand this correctly) is a good thing or has the same effect on the liver.  In other words, as I understand it (which may be TOTALLY wrong), we may be talking about specific, separate amino acids, but they come into the body as linked together in “protein molecules”.  And it is how the body breaks down the entire animal protein molecule vs the plant protein molecules that makes the difference.  I could totally see how that could be true, though I understand why you are skeptical and really I’m just making it up.  I don’t understand it enough to have a valid opinion.I would love for a “bio-chem geek” to answer your question in as lay-terms as possible.  Anybody out there? ShellyB:  I have been doing more research and I think I actually got it right in my other posting. Proteins are chains of amino acids. I had been thinking that a food like say a carrot or an egg would have a bunch of various amino acids in them, and hey, we call them proteins.  But no, those amino acids are actually linked together into molecules we call proteins. The key is that proteins with different amounts of the various amino acids would have different molecule shapes (which is why Dr. Greger was talking about pyramids and cubes). Thus, I believe what Dr. Greger is saying is that it turns out that the different shapes of the over all protein causes our body to behave differently.  The closer the shape of the protein is to our own body, the more our body creates IGF-1, because the protein is so easily absorbed? and doesn’t need to be broken down so much (it is so easy to build a pyramid).  But when the body gets a plant protein, the liver has to break it down into various amino acids in order to use them and this process means that IGF-1 is not created as much. If animal proteins look very different from plant proteins, it would make sense that the process of breaking down the protein for use could have different results.  I still don’t know if I got it exactly right, but I have answered your question to my own satisfaction anyway.  ;-)The protein structures and ratios determine how our liver recognizes and treats the protein. If one eats a protein that closely resembles the protein structure of our own cells, then our liverr will release IGF-1. IF it is plant protein our liver treats the protein differently as the protein must be assembled.As a would be life extentionist I see the never ending conflict between the calorie restriction advocates and others who tend to want to encourage a higher metabolic rate/boosted immune system or similar. Some supplements such as resveratrol are supposed to be calorie restriction mimics. I currently take colustrum (IGF-1?) as a supplement…supposed to boost the immune system. Also eat some animal protein (minimal) and intend to take some targeted amino acids (argine/ornithine). I’m currently walking the tightrope between life and death (as we all are…though younger people don’t know it yet?)…over 65 and trying to avoid sarcopenia. Probably not much point in being alive if you can’t get about…though some people manage things this way. As some say…you makes your choices and you takes your chances?IGF-1 stands for Insulin Growth Factor-1. Proteins in plants like grains are not the same as proteins in animals. And, the human body reacts to plants differently than it does to animals. IGF-1 first came to my attention, when Dr. Samuel Epstein and others studied recombinant bovine growth hormones which were injected into cows to force them to produce more milk. (Milk obviously is from animals). Here the IGF-1 factor induced breast cancer in human women, prostate cancer in human men, and colon cancer in both sexes. The IGF-1 factor, in this case is what pushed many consumers to only seek out certified organic milk, which disallows genetically engineered organisms, hormones, antibiotics and much more under the law. .Grains do not lack lysine and beans do not lack methionine as shown here in the USDA nutritional database. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5744/2 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4284/2Probably one of your best simplification job ever of a complex situation. Bravo!I totally agree.  This is an awesome explanation.That sounds right on, but what about this that I just read? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-alzheimer-disease-men-linked-hormone.htmlThis link contains several citations to studies associating Alzheimer’s to homocysteine intake. http://www.vegsource.com/articles/alzheimers_homocysteine.htmWhat about “complete” plant proteins, like soy or quinoa? Any research on how they stimulate the liver? Also, I’ve heared that tofu was a complete protein but “low in quality” but that’s probably incorrect, right? Tofu is complete (however, misleading that labeling is) and high protien right? All whole plant foods are complete proteins, for whatever reason the media has labeled quinoa as “special” for being complete when all whole plant foods indeed are. The difference is that the ratios and protein structures are different and soy happens to resemble a very similair ratio to animal proteins.Hemp protein is globular (immune proteins), whereas soy is closer to muscle amino acid profile – wonder if the hemp would be similar to soy in IGF-1 generation?Love the cubes and pyramids analogy.  Thank you Dr Greger for “breaking it down” for us.  I think a similar metaphor could be applied to the whole debate around estrogens vs phyto-estrogens in milk vs soy milk.   The son of a friend of mine was recently advised by his coach to switch from soy to cow’s milk to avoid those scary phyto-estrogens.  Wha?!I am new to this way of eating and your videos, most of which I really enjoy and have learned a great deal, but this one confused me.O.K got the IGF-1 issue but i heard that animal protein is also related to making uric acid in the blood, somebody knows anything about that ? thanksYes, purines in protein and fructose in sugar increase uric acid levels. A lower protein level as found in a plant-based diet and cutting back on refined sugar/honey/agave syrup/etc. may lower urate levels.what about too much soy…..information pleaseDid you see my blog today? http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/If gelatine is not a complete protein- then does it follow that jelly / jello is ok?I LoL’d when you said, “Without a doubt the highest quality protein on the planet for us is human flesh.” :)I take a med that comes in a gelatin capsule. Is this a significant source of animal products? I can change to a tablet but then it isn’t slow release and I have to take it several times a day, which means I’d forget more often.My question is similar. But it seems no one has answered you. I consume a 100% plant based diet and my new naturopath wants me to take a supplement that has gelatin in it. Typically I would refuse, but thought it would be good to get some opinions on this. I did a search for gelatin on this site and only found the above video. Am I making a big deal to refuse the supplement because it contains gelatin or is there some good reason to refuse it…such as risk for acquiring Mad Cow or something? Would love to hear from someone.Hello Dr. Greger.Do all plant sources from vegetables to beans have all the amino acids necessary in them? or do we have to combine grain with beans to get all of the amino acids like Frances Moore Lappe I think postulates?Another question, I know you’re not exactly on the same boat with raw veganism but, what is your take on the 80/10/10 diet? (since colin t. campbell has came out lately publicly supporting it)Grateful for your work :)shiftpolitics: I’m not Dr. Greger, but I think this site is very well researched and answers your questions about protein. It answers just about anything anyone would ever need to know about protein:http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlGood luck.welp, i guess wikipedia is sufficient.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_combining:-) Yes, I’ve seen that before. I like the site I shared with you a bit better since I think it is more complete. But yes, Wikipedia is short and to the point. :-)Cancer Condos. That conjures up a whole futuristic world.Raise IGF-1 naturally by taking deer antler velvet. http://www.antlerfarms.comSo plant proteins are incomplete.I’ve been believing the vegan/vegetarian idea that plant proteins are “complete” proteins. So I tried to correct someone who said that plant proteins are “incomplete” proteins. They countered that plant proteins are incomplete and that is the position of the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association).“Well, I’ll show him!” I thought.I searched for “harvard incomplete plant protein” and I get this result:http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein/“Animal sources of protein tend to deliver all the amino acids we need.Other protein sources, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds, lack one or more essential amino acids.Vegetarians need to be aware of this. People who don’t eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs, or dairy products need to eat a variety of protein-containing foods each day in order to get all the amino acids needed to make new protein.”HARVARD School of Public Health is saying that! HARVARD!So if plant proteins are incomplete proteins then Dr. Greger needs to correct his video. But if HARVARD is promoting a myth, then they need to be confronted.This is a common misconception.“Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal ”http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdfAs Jeff Novick puts it..Many say that plants foods are incompleteIf “incomplete” means not containing all the essential amino acids then…. (the incomplete protein theory)1) All plant foods are complete as they contain all the essential amino acids.2) the only food that is not a complete protein is an animal food, gelatin.If “incomplete” means lacking in sufficient quantity of one or more amino acids…(the limiting amino acid theory)1) Getting all the amino acids in at once at the same meal, or even in the same day, as some may suggest, is not necessary due to the amino acid pool, which is a circulating level of amino acids in the blood, that the body can draw from if needed. As long as one follows a whole foods plant based diet, the amino acid pool will maintain a sufficient stock of any potentially needed (or limiting) amino acids.2) However, as long as one consumes enough calories, eats a variety of food, and limits junk foods and refined foods, and is not an all fruit diet, then they will get in enough protein and enough amino acids in sufficient quantity. There will be no limiting amino acids3) there is some evidence that the amino acids that are slightly lower (but adequate) in plant foods, may actually be a benefit to health and longevity and not a concern. This evidence stems from the fact that eating foods that resemble the protein structure of humans causes the liver to release excess amounts of the growth hormone, IGF-1, which accelerates aging and promotes tumor growth.Most every major health organization including the NAS, the WHO and the ADA all recognize these statements to be true.Toxins,So he should not pay attention to one of the world’s highest esteemed institutions of higher learning. He should believe the extremely biased Vegetarian Resource Group?The VRG link is a free pdf of the ADA statement on vegetarian diets, fyi. It is not a VRG post. I stumbled upon the link searching the title of the document and “PDF” at the end and that is what came up. If you would rather have this link where you cannot see the full text, then be my guest. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19562864If you read the rest of my post, you would note that the World Health organization, the National Academy of Science and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics all acknowledge the statements posted above to be true. You have to understand what they mean by incomplete, and the definition presented above in 2 ways satisfies that very well.Toxins,“Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal.”That quote in NO WAY says plant proteins are complete. It is saying that it is statistically unlikely one will get an amino acid deficiency when one consumes a variety of plant foods. But what if someone were a “picky” eater? Picky eaters are very much in danger when consuming “incomplete” proteins. How picky would a vegan have to be to develop a deficiency? Vegans, by default, are picky eaters. If a picky eater started to develop a deficiency then they might go back to eating meat and feel better.Gosh, do vegans ever go back to eating meat?I honestly did NOT want to believe that Harvard was correct. I wanted to believe that plant proteins were complete proteins simply because they had all of the essential amino acids. But there is obviously more to it than that. My conclusion was incorrect and was not supported by ANY credible organization. I now update my conclusion.CONCLUSION: Because plant-based foods contain incomplete proteins one needs to consume a variety with complementary amino acid profiles in order to prevent the development of an amino acid deficiency over time.Charles, I don’t think you are coherently reading my post. Please click “see more” and I address your concerns. You are only reading the first few sentences of my post.Toxins,You did not address my initial comment at all. You gave an example which supports the idea that plant foods are incomplete proteins and require an assortment to prevent deficiency. Then you gave a false statement that the NAS, WHO, and ADA all recognize Jeff Novick’s statements to be true.I think your heart is in the right place, but you are clearly not qualified to be answering comments.Charles, I don’t think you are grasping what was shared with you. Lets go through this..If “incomplete” means not containing all the essential amino acids then…. (the incomplete protein theory)1) All plant foods are complete as they contain all the essential amino acids.2) the only food that is not a complete protein is an animal food, gelatin.Look up any food on the USDA database, any plant food at all. You will find that they all contain all the essential amino acids. There is not a single amino acid missing. This is the chemistry of the food, it is not debatable. The only food that is missing amino acids are Gelatin.If “incomplete” means lacking in sufficient quantity of one or more amino acids…(the limiting amino acid theory)1) Getting all the amino acids in at once at the same meal, or even in the same day, as some may suggest, is not necessary due to the amino acid pool, which is a circulating level of amino acids in the blood, that the body can draw from if needed. As long as one follows a whole foods plant based diet, the amino acid pool will maintain a sufficient stock of any potentially needed (or limiting) amino acids.The above statement is simply the biochemistry of the body, that is just how it works. The ratio of amino acids will always be sufficient if consuming enough calories.2) However, as long as one consumes enough calories, eats a variety of food, and limits junk foods and refined foods, and is not an all fruit diet, then they will get in enough protein and enough amino acids in sufficient quantity. There will be no limiting amino acidsThe above statement speaks for itselfI don’t know what more you are asking for. The first definition of incomplete protein is simply false, and the 2nd definition of incomplete protein is a non issue. <3% of the population is protein deficient, and that is typically those who are ill or starving.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/Charles: Toxins gave a great answer.If you want additional details on the topic, here is my favorite page on understanding proteins, what humans need, and what plants provide. The idea that plants contain incomplete proteins is indeed a myth based on very basic information of human needs: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlDr. McDougall also has a great article on this very topic with yet even more details. Let me know if you want me to look that up for you.Thea,Toxins gave a great answer for someone, just not for my comment. Did I not say that I tried to correct someone about “incomplete” proteins? I am well aware of the amino acid profiles of plant-based foods versus something deficient like gelatin. But that is not the problem. The person I was trying to correct argued based on authority (which is one of many philosophical fallacies, but I won’t get into that). I wanted to trump their authority bias with an even greater, more esteemed authority…Harvard.Thea, do you understand the cavernous credibility gap between Harvard and michaelbluejay.com?Charles: Harvard is an instituation, made up of many people, some of which are bound to be wrong every once in a while. Michael Bluejay is posting information about published, peer reviewed scientific studies and basic anatomy. You don’t have to be a member of Harvard to get that right.I’m guessing you didn’t actually look at what Michael Bluejay wrote? That’s fine. It’s there if you ever want to know about human needs for protein. Or I can get you an article by Dr. McDougall, which also discusses peer reviewed scientific information, basic history and basic anatomy. But if you will reject everything unless it has a “Harvard” stamp on it, I’m guessing you won’t be interested. Just let me know.You guessed incorrectly about my reading your link. It is still not getting through to you how important it is to hold accountable those in positions of authority when they promote incorrect/outdated information. Here is someone who agrees with me.“The Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association, scientists from the Human Nutrition Research Center and Medical School at Tufts University, and registered dietitians, research nutritionists and physicians of Northwestern University, and the Harvard School of Public Health are just a few examples of “experts” you look to for advice who have the protein story wrong.1-4 Consequences of their shortfall are as grave as a lifetime of sickness and obesity, and premature death, for innocent people. These professionals must be held accountable.”–Dr. John Mcdougallhttps://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/apr/protein.htmWhy don’t we want cellgrowth as adults? If you train, the muscle cells needs to grow. And IF-1 also aids in the general cell-maintenance.??Are there any studies about whey protein?There are many! Thanks for reposting, Donna. Some studies suggest whey and leucine-rich foods (meat and milk) stimulate the TOR pathway, which Dr. Greger addresses in this video. Whey protein is a highly concentrated source of animal protein, which can stimulate IGF-1 production. Similarly, concentrated/isolated soy protein supplements can also increase IGF-1. Animal proteins are linked to increased risk of bone degeneration and kidney diseases. It may be that the ratio of animal to plant protein intake is even more important? In a paper I wrote about cancer prevention, applying the precautionary principle to nutrition and cancer I reference a study about the overabbundance of amino acids (Reference 46). Here are more studies on whey and cancer if interested in weeding thru the science. Gook Luck! JosephI have a question about gelatin; what (if any) are the health risks associated with gelatin? A friend recently showed me a page which said gelatin is the latest “cure all” [ http://www.sarahwilson.com/2014/09/my-latest-gut-health-obsession-gelatin/ – good for insomnia, gut problems, “fast and furious” source of protein, good for building bones and joints, aids weight loss and building lean muscle, detoxes the liver, and reduces cellulite and wrinkles, its apparently anti-inflamatory, and balances hormones ]. Now my response was rather skeptical (as a vegan who would never eat gelatin even if all this was true) – but I also believe that we must always look at the facts scientifically… so I would really appreciate your scientific opinion on these health claims for what I think is maybe the latest health fad going around, and are their the same risks associated with gelatin as other animal proteins in general?	animal protein,arginine,cannibalism,gelatin,IGF-1,meat,plant protein,protein	The reason animal proteins trigger the release of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1 more than plant proteins may be because the relative ratios of amino acids in animal proteins more closely resembles our own.	I introduced the tinker toy analogy in yesterday's video-of-the-dayProtein Intake and IGF-1 Production. I hope it makes sense! For those who haven't been following along, see IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop for the reason we're so concerned about IGF-1 levels and my videos The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle and How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1? to learn about the role diet can play. If the reason animal proteins raise IGF-1 levels is because of their resemblance to our own proteins, what about the few plant proteins that just coincidently happen to have amino acid ratios similar to human and other animal proteins such as soy? Great question! That's the subject of the next few videos starting with tomorrow's video-of-the-day Animalistic Plant Proteins.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Animal Protein and the Cancer Promoter IGF-1,  How Much Soy Is Too Much?, and Estrogenic Chemicals in Meat	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gelatin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cannibalism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/	-
PLAIN-2878	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/	Protein Intake & IGF-1 Production	What is the mechanism by which our diet can affect our levels of this cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1? Imagine you’re a kid with some tinkertoys. Then Christmas come early and you get one of those huge sets dumped down in front of you. All excited with this new load of building raw materials you may really start scaling up. And basically it's the same thing with your liver and insulin-like growth factor 1.When you dump a load of protein on your body, your liver’s like whoa, look at all this. What are we going to do with all? We can’t just waste it, we got to do something with it. Let’s just start growing stuff, add on a few new additions, maybe a new wing. So your liver decides to start pumping out IGF-1 to tell all the cells in the body it’s growin’ time! Be fruitful and multiple. Spare no expense, go crazy—look how much excess protein we got to work with!The problem, of course, is that some of the new additions may be tumors. When you’re a fully grown adult, cell growth is something we want to slow down—not accelerate. So one might imagine the goal would be to maintain adequate, but nonexcessive overall protein intake, but wait a second.Studies have found… no association between total protein intake and IGF-1 levels. Doesn't that just go against everything I just said? Ah, but these studies didn't take into account animal versus plant protein.In this study of meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans, they found no significant difference in IGF levels between people eating lots of protein compared to people eating less protein. But before ditching the theory that excessive protein intake boosts the levels of the cancer promoting growth hormone IGF-1, they decided to break it down into animal protein versus plant protein. Higher IGF-1 levels were just associated with animal protein intake, in fact plant protein seemed to decrease IGF-1 levels. So no wonder there was no net effect of total protein intake. Animal protein appears to send a much different signal to our livers than most plant proteins. So even those vegans eating the same amount of protein as meateaters, still had lower levels of the IGF-1, so it's apparently not about excessive protein in general, but animal protein in particular. and I'll try to explain why, tomorrow.	For background on IGF-1 see IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop and Cancer-Proofing Mutation. In The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle we established that the reason the blood of those eating plant-based diets appeared so much better at fighting cancer cell growth (see Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay) is likely due to the drop in IGF-1 levels, especially those following vegan diets (as per the last video-of-the-day How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1?).  Now it appears we know why—their avoidance of animal protein. Let’s go one level deeper and ask why animal protein preferentially triggers IGF-1 release. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s video-of-the-day Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here. While the Allen et al study found association between animal protein intake and IGF1 levels, it did not try to check different types of animal proteins. Therefore, the association may be only due to dairy protein and not other types of animal protein. In other studies that checked different types of animal proteins, meat and egg proteins were not associated with IGF1 levels.References pleaseWhat implications does this have for those looking to gain weight (muscle)? The benefits of huge amounts of protein, especially animal protein are often publicized by the whey protein, lean chicken brigade. But do they have a point? The data I am aware of is that animal protein is indeed of extra benefit in terms of muscle gain, strength. Is it possible that extra protein consumption does indeed stimulate IGF-1 which in turns signals cells all over the body to grow. But because there is exercise induced stimulus, the IGF-1 stimulates muscle growth as opposed to tumor growth etc. * Disclaimer: I do exercise but I also eat a plant based diet and am convinced of the overall vast superiority of plant based vs. carnivorous, regardless of the muscle growth implications!  Conor:  I think you have an interesting question.  I don’t know if we have a scientific answer or not.  But I wanted to share this:  Brenda Davis has a great slide show on designing an optimum plant-based diet (ie, one that is nutritionally adequate as well as ideal for preventing diseases).  One of her slides is a very impressive picture of “Alexander Dargatz – Vegan – World Bodybuilding Champion (2005)”.  That’s just an anecdotal case, but his muscles are pretty big…Also, I think the following part of your inquiry is not supported by anything I have heard: ” But because there is exercise induced stimulus, the IGF-1 stimulates muscle growth as opposed to tumor growth etc.”  It may (or may not) stimulate muscle growth in addition to tumors, but *instead of*?  My understanding of the studies (which may be incorrect) is that the problem with the IGF-1 is that it doesn’t make that distinction once we pass our normal growth phases.Thanks for this interesting question.I wonder the same thing with implications for childrens’ growth.  I’ve got two kids that eat mostly vegan.  We’re all short and I’d like to get as much growth as possible from these kids of mine.  Am I limiting possible growth by not giving them animal products?Stacy:  That’s just so interesting to me.  I wonder why you want to “get as much growth as possible”?  It’s my understanding (perhaps incorrectly) that smaller people live longer as a general rule. For me, I want my kids to grow exactly as much as is healthy for them.  No more, no less.  (FYI: My family is pretty short too, but within “normal” ranges.)Hypothetical: Suppose I could get my kids to grow 1 (2, 3, 4?) inches bigger because I fed them meat and dairy.  I doubt that is even possible, but suppose it is.  With all that meat and dairy intake, they could/likely end up with the diseases associated with meat and dairy intake.  I would not consider that to be a good trade-off.I mean absolutely no disrespect and you certainly do not have to explain yourself to me/on this site.  I’m just really curious why you would see maximizing growth in a child just for the sake of growth as being a good thing.FYI: I consider the “Vegetarian Resource Group” to be a quality source of information.  Here is one paragraph from their page on the topic of height and vegan children:“While some studies show that vegan children are at a lower percentile of weight and height than are other children of a similar age, a recent study shows that vegan children can have growth rates which do not differ from those of omnivorous children of the same age (10). At this time we cannot say that a child growing at the 25th percentile is any more or less healthy than a child growing at the 75th percentile. What seems to be more important is that the child stays at about the same percentile. For example, a child who is at the 50th percentile for height at age 2 and only at the 25th percentile at age 3 has had a faltering in growth rate. The cause of this faltering should be determined. In addition, children at extremes (5th percentile or lower or 85th percentile or higher) should be individually assessed by their health care provider.” I thought I should also add a link to the excellent page on raising vegan children and also include this paragraph:“The best way to assure that your children achieve their ideal rate of growth is to make sure that they have adequate calories. Some vegan children have difficulty getting enough calories because of the sheer bulk of their diets. Children have small stomachs and can become full before they have eaten enough food to sustain growth. The judicious use of fats in forms like avocados, nuts, nut butters, seeds, and seed butters will provide a concentrated source of calories needed by many vegan children. Dried fruits are also a concentrated calorie source and are an attractive food for many children. Teeth should be brushed after eating dried fruits to prevent tooth decay.”http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htmThe reason I want to get as much growth as possible from my kids is because they are incredibly small.  I try to take comfort that my kids are very healthy and they are on their way to long healthy lives.  I simply can’t ignore the pain my son (my daughter loves being small) deals with being as small as he is.  He is 12 and he is the size of a typical 8-9 year old.  This is very hard on a boy and, frankly, short men don’t have it easy.  I’m only 5 ft tall so I know eating meat every day as a child does not equal average or more height.  But if I deprive my son of an extra inch or two I would feel terrible.  Yes, I think those few inches would mean an awful lot to him as there is a world of difference in the experience of a man who is 5′ 8″ than a man who is 5′ 6″.  And a piece of meat every now and then isn’t going to give him cancer.  (This is crazy coming from vegan me!!  I’m very anti-animal products but this type of study makes me wonder if I’m making my son suffer needlessly.)I wish I hadn’t phrased my question as I did because I don’t want to come off as some typical person who just wants to be really tall or have my kids be really tall.  NOT AT ALL.  They really are crazy short and at some point I would take a little health risk to minimize the risk to my son’s MENTAL health.  And I really do want to know – should I expect my children to grow less on a vegan diet?  It seems like the answer is yes. Stacy:  Clearly you are a caring, loving parent.  I can understand where you are coming from.re: “It seems like the answer is yes.” I still do not pick that up from what I have been reading.  Your question so interested me that I kept doing some research on line.  I don’t know how credible this site is, but you might want to read this: http://www.vegsource.com/attwood/vegkid.htmAlso, as anecdotes, I have seen young adults who where raised all their lives as vegan and they were taller than me…I don’t know the real answer, but I wonder if anyone does right now?Whatever you decide, best of luck to you and your kids!!! Stacy, I feel for you son. I was always the shortest in my class when I was growing up, and I was hurt by the rejection by other boys- no one wanting me on their sports team, getting beat up by bullies as an easy target, things like that. Some of the emotional scars last to this day. I’m still shy, hate competitive sports, don’t compete with anyone but myself and don’t really relate to most other men. Yet, I wouldn’t want to be taller because it’s true that shorter people live longer and good health is more important than popularity. In addition, I think I have more compassion and am gentler than most men- things that I value. As a practical matter, let me suggest that your boy wear elevator shoes. They even make tennis shoes that increase height now.You may consider a gluten free diet as gluten can cause short height and frailty. http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/symptomsofceliacdisease/a/ShortStature.htmI ate a typical American diet (which is better than today’s typical) My mother made meals at home but often the vegetables were overcooked, etc. I became a vegetarian in 11th grade. When I was 26, I suffered an injury that caused fibromyalgia and I began juicing and taking whole food supplements. I grew 1.5 inches. I could not believe it but found out that it is possible to gain height until about age 27. So, it was not the lack of protein, it was the lack of bioavailable and adequate micronutrients.Would you mind sharing specifically what supplements you took?Mrs Thea is obviously a loony, unfeeling fanatic. Don’t listen to her. Your kids wouldn’t be too grateful to you, if you told them that you had willingly fed them with inferior nutrition, and that they will healthily live up to 100 years in solitude, because they are small.The consumption of vegetal food is always accompanied by severe undernutrition. In order to support the growth of your children, you must increase the consumption of milk products, pork meat and fish, and decrease the consumption of cereals to a minimum. If you are afraid of health consequences, then concentrate only on whole milk, yoghurt, curd, low-fat cheese and fish. You can also pick up some good vegetal products like spinage and soy, but other vegetables are only slightly better than cereals. Further, buy some calcium supplement and give your son high doses over 1 g/day. Alternatively, you can consult it with a doctor and apply human growth hormone (HGH). Remember that you don’t have much time. The growth in some people can finish at the age of 16-17 years.Pickaname, Please no ad hominem attacks. We’re all for a vigorous debate (even vehement disagreement!), but no name-calling, please.Do you have clinical references to support your statements?I would offer the following for starters:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iq-of-vegetarian-children-2/It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/info_children.pdf http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/info_advchild.pdf“It’s my understanding (perhaps incorrectly) that smaller people live longer as a general rule.” The Japanese are smaller people, but eat all kinds of animal proteins and still outlive most populations on the planet. They also have far, far lower cancer rates while still eating animal proteins. Of course they also eat far more healthy vegetables and seed weed that contains large amounts of iodine.On the other hand, the Masai tribe of East Africa that are among the tallest people in the world eat a diet mainly of animal proteins and even blood, with very little plant based foods, but have an almost non-existent cancer rate.It’s bad science to reduce cancer rates to merely the consumption of animal proteins per- se. Here in America, we need to examine the quality of the animal proteins being consumed. If we take populations that consume commercially produced animal proteins, which have been produced with the use of artificial hormones (BGH), antibiotics, and fed GMO feed, then of course, there will be higher cancer rates. But consider the time just 50 years ago when mostly everyone ate meat regularly in abundance in the US that the cardio-vascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes rates were far lower than today.It’s not just eating animal proteins. It’s WHAT’S BEEN DONE to the meats Americans eat before they get to the table. Has there been any studies comparing those eating only organically produced meats and poultry, and only wild caught fish with vegetarians and vegans?The Masai people are small. Most men are about 5’8″…we have been there and met them. IGF-1 is naturally occurring in much larger amounts in children. There is no need to try to incorporate animal products into their diet to grow them faster. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/Conor, Billy Simmonds (2009 Mr Natural Universe) he is vegan. You can find some videos around the web on him. I signed up on his website but I haven’t seen anything useful on it but you can check it out.http://www.veganbodybuilding.com has some interesting and useful info as well. Here’s to pumping iron and plants, not pigs! Conor,This is a great question and if someone using this site has an answer I’d love to know as well. I will add that having switched to plant based diet with a plant derived protein powder supplement and my weight training has thrived. Hi Conor: It may be true that protein supplementation improves muscle size. This doesn’t mean that it helps muscle function and it ignores the fact that animal foods and protein are harmful to our kidneys and arterial system in both the long and short run. It is nice to keep seeing science that supports our design as hind gut fermenting herbivores(plant eaters) who have evolved with a longer small intestine and more amylase genes(to digest starches) than great apes who are genetically our closest relatives. It is also a reasonable hypothesis that if we follow a plant based diet our only exposure to animal protein would be our mothers milk when we are rapidly growing important systems including our brain. So it makes sense to me animal protein would be designed to promote growth for our earliest years. The other reason that eating meat may help build muscle size is the use of androgenic steroids in meat see video.. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/. This means that folks who are eating alot of meat are basically doping. Dr. Greger has posted over 100 videos on meat on his website. An example of a very successful endurance plant based athlete is Scott Jurek who wrote the book, Eat and Run, and was featured in the book, Born to Run. Congratulations on following a dietary path that should maximize your function-ability and minimize future disease as long as you insure adequate B12 intake (see video series in February of this year). Best wishes.Conor, Here is a fantastic site and probably the best scientifically based info reviewed by Jack Norris, RD on Vegan Weightlifting.  He’s one of the best in the industry. http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/athletes/Enjoy!Go check out Mike Mahler. He is one example of how to build muscle on plant foods.Probably dealing with hormone imbalances such as estrogen dominance is a far bigger factor than protein source when concerned with putting on muscle.There may be some correlation, but the majority of muscle growth is from myostatin deficiencies. Google people with myostatin deficiencies. Some people are just genetically gifted, and could eat bread and drink water and still get incredible gains. so sorry to the comment under mine, but one or two, or even ten bodybuilding vegan isn’t a case against this, and if were to test their DNA you would see little to no expression of the myostatin gene.Every single human will gain weight.. And muscle.. from a high animal fat protein diet.. What’s being said in the main statement above is of the danger behind the scene.. The damage you can’t see being done.. Until it’s too late.. Unless you’ve heard of dr Mcdougal! That starch solution is just a work of genius..!I’m a 70-something 120# neophyte vegan. I finished chemo for TNBC a year ago, and have regular follow-up blood tests (CBC, Basic Metabolic Panel & CA15-3 tumor marker).  I’ve gone from normal range, 6.2 total protein in March to 5.8 in June and 5.9 in Sept.  What is an adequate range of protein intake per day for a vegan? Is there a formula to estimate it?  (I’m a daily subscriber…)Hi Ruth, There is no need for a formula for adequate protein intake as long as you consume adequate calories. Dr. MacDougall did three excellent newsletters on Protein concerning history, sources and overload. You can go to his website look under newsletters and read the three articles. Newsletter dates are  12/03, 4/07 and 1/04. The variation in your protein levels is very small and not generally related to our protein intake. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has a pamphlet, Healthy Eating for Life, available for free download at http://www.cancerproject.org/resources/hefl/hefl_handbook.php. Of course Dr. Greger has done many videos on cancer in general as well as specific cancers such as breast cancer so you want to keep referring to the site as questions arise. His Vitamin B12 series in February of this year is important. He has also done a series of You Tube video entitled, Stopping Cancer before it Starts. Of course, you want to stay tuned as the science keeps changing. Finally, patients need to work with their physicians as each individuals situation is unique. Congratulations on choosing a diet which will minimize your chances for future difficulties.Best wishes. Thank you so much for the peace of mind and the that will arm me with some answers!Dr. Greger, Thank you very much for your research and your website.  As a fellow physician, I have found this a great resource to getting research based information on healthy eating.As you accumulate more and more videos, you may want to create sections of small series of videos to explain things clearly.  For instance, this video on IGF-1 should likely fit into a package of 5-10 videos that together provide clear fact-based information on why animal protein is bad for you.Also, I would like to know why animal proteins and not plant based proteins stimulate IGF-1?  Is this due to oligopeptides acting as cell receptors, disulfide bonds, or do we know at this point?I really appreciate all of your videos; especially that you make them easy for the layman to understand! Never liking any kind of science or math, a nutrition professor of mine about a year ago got me so motivated about fitness and this website. Thank you to you and your team. Does this mean that by taking a Soy Protein Isolate with a morning breakfast smoothie is harmful if animal protein is consumed during the day? Yes Luis, avoid taking soy protein isolates, these will indeed promote IGF-1 production. what about plant based protein powders? for example pea or hemp protein. I currently take pea protein for muscle building. If you eat enough calories to survive, and eat only whole, plant based foods, you will get more than enough protein even if working out hard every day. Protein and caloric needs are equivalent. You will never not get enough protein. It is a pointless practice perpetuated by the supplement industry to count how much protein one is eating and to supplement it. The body has no storage mechanism for protein and it is used as needed.I am confused. My trainer has told me vegans have a harder time building muscle. would this be from eating low calorie foods, and hence having to eat a higher amount of volume to ensure enough calorie intake or is it because we do need to supplement protein. I guess what i’m asking is then whats more important for muscle building, enough/excess protein or enough/excess calories? excess of the body daily maintenance.Your trainer should show you some evidence of this because this is not true, vegans have 20% higher levels of circulating protein compared with omnivores http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/Dr. Greger will soon cover a video comparing vegan body building compared with omnivorous body building and the result is that vegans can build just as much muscle.Perhaps with a raw foodist (one who consumes primarily raw greens and fruits) there may be an issue of not achieving an adequate caloric load but even so, with a raw foodist they quickly get hungry when eating this way as their body is demanding more calories so they end up eating a lot all day to make up for their low calorie diet.On the other hand as a normal whole foods plant based vegan, if you consume a filling meal of brown rice with other vegetables for example. and you stay satiated for a while, you are indeed getting enough calories.Like I mentioned before, it is a pointless practice to count calories when eating whole plant based foods. Energy expenditures and protein needs are equivalent.Furthermore, body builders tend to consume far excess protein, which is also not healthy. as a humans protein needs are fairly low. Thank you Toxins, for your reply and explanation. I look forward to that vegan bodybuilding video as it may be the holy grail for those, trying to build muscle as vegans.why does everyone say you need protein to build muscle? would it not be possible to build the same amount of muscle on say carbs (given sufficient intake of calories)?I say carbs, as there as those that follow doug graham’s 80/10/10 diet and although they look trim and healthy, alot of them are endurance athletes as opposed to strength/muscle building athletes, and have the bodies to reflect that.Really appreciate your insight! You are misunderstanding what I am saying, I am not trying to say that we do not need protein to build muscle but what I am saying is that we do not need to count protein or get an excess of it to get muscle. All whole plant foods contain complete proteins. ah ok i understand now. Eating sufficent calories from a whole food diet would automatically ensure adequate protein for muscle building. i understand now.Thanks again Toxins! In Addition, The anabolic phase is a critical phase occurring within 45 minutes post-exercise. It is during this time that muscle cells are particularly sensitive to insulin, making it necessary to ingest the proper nutrients in order to make gains in muscle endurance and strength. If the proper nutrients are ingested 2 – 4 hours post-exercise they will not have the same effect. It is also during this time in which the anabolic hormones begin working to repair the muscle and decrease its inflammation. Immediate ingestion of carbohydrate is important because insulin sensitivity causes the muscle cell membranes to be more permeable to glucose within 45 minutes post-exercise. This results in faster rates of glycogen storage and provides the body with enough glucose to initiate the recovery process (Burke et al., 2003). Muscle glycogen stores are replenished the fastest within the first hour after exercise. Consuming carbohydrate within an hour after exercise also helps to increase protein synthesis (Gibala, 2000).Hi Basskills,Body builders build muscles because they lift weights. Runners are lean because they run. If runners started lifting weights (primarily) and weight lifters starting running you would see the change. It is called specificity of training.I can’t find the video you spoke of. If Dr.Gegor has not covered this topic in detail, please ask for me. Too many people take these whey and egg proteins.Please see here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/ and here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/You said vegan body builders get just as much muscle. That was not mentionned in Gregor’s videos. Now, since he’s mainly concerned with regular people, he did however talk about how “closer to perfect” proteins stimulate IGF-1 production. Still, IGF-1 and perfect proteins may in fact allow for increased mass in bodybuilding compared to those eating less perfect proteins. This is assuming both bodybuilders are eating carbs in their critical phases.Whey protein and eggs whites are the most bio-available proteins out there. Eating those will cause the liver to secrete IGF-1, a hormone that promote cell division. I don’t see any mention of vegans eating less perfect proteins and getting the same results as omnivorous bodybuilders.I am definitely removing perfect proteins from my diet because of increased IGF-1 production. I’m mainly concerned with the claims you made.I know of no evidence as to why a vegan would not be able to gain muscle mass. That is what you are asking is it not? A body builder is simply one with a lot of muscle.Dr. Greger’s commentshttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/The article cited was very interesting. In addition to high intakes of calories, protein rich in essential amino acids such as meat or soya, zinc was also associated with high levels of IGF-1. In fact, the article listed seven other studies that showed increased zinc was associated with increased IGF-1.  Bodybuilders often take zinc supplements in the form of a product called ZMA to build muscles, which implies that their IGF-1has increased. Dr. Greger did a video some time ago which said that vegans don’t always get sufficient zinc and that zinc from vegan sources is absorbed poorly. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/ Perhaps this is the result of some cosmic benevolence and that there’s good reason for blood zinc levels to be low in health-conscious vegans.The RDA for zinc and other nutrients found in high levels in milk and meat are often set higher than necessary. Could it be that the department of Agriculture is influenced by big meat and big dairy to encourage us to eat those foods? I think that’s a pretty safe bet. Could it be that the association between zinc and increased IGF-1 is due to the fact that animal foods are the best sources of zinc? Are there studies showing zinc consumption from supplements actually increases IGF-1 production ?This totally ignores the fact that whey protein concentrate is a glutathione precursor and glutathione – one of the most powerful antioxidants – is considered a major anti-cancer factor. seeCurr Pharm Des. 2007;13(8):813-28. A role for milk proteins and their peptides in cancer prevention.Anticancer Res. 2000 Nov-Dec;20(6C):4785-92. Whey protein concentrate (WPC) and glutathione modulation in cancer treatment.Anticancer Res. 2003 Mar-Apr;23(2B):1411-5. The antioxidant system.Cancer Lett. 1991 May 1;57(2):91-4. Whey proteins in cancer prevention.Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2000 Jan;9(1):113-7. Diets containing whey proteins or soy protein isolate protect against 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced mammary tumors in female rats.Int J Toxicol. 2001 May-Jun;20(3):165-74.Developmental effects and health aspects of soy protein isolate, casein, and whey in male and female rats. And there are many more.A crude analysis linking the protein source and IGF-1 production (although it’s interesting) fails to consider the other positive effects of these various proteins including IGF-1 binding factors and antioxidant production. That’s far too simple a model and it’s something that’s not yet properly understood.I should also add that glutathione is a major protector of the arterial endothelium, and heart disease still kills more of us than cancer. Just look up the relations between whey protein as a glutathione precursor and the prevention of heart disease via antioxidant protection of the endothelium (see Dr Mark Houston, for example). If you are an ethical Vegan there are good alternatives, but just because it’s animal sourced, it’s not scientifically invalid. I see you enjoy studies on rats, as all of the studies you posted are based on rats. The first study looked at selenium in the whey protein when cows are fed with selenium supplements (selenium is abundant in the plant world). The only study that didn’t look at rats was the one on the single antioxidant glutathione. The researchers make the assumption that because whey protein contains high levels of this antioxidant whey protein will help prevent cancer. Does this mean that because chicken is an excellent source of selenium this food is now healthy to consume? No, food is a package deal. Taking isolated proteins in the form of whey and soy isolates promotes cancer growth by raising IGF-1 levels.They did not look at rats only, but other “animals” including humans and the rat studies were only part of their studies, which included epidemiological evidence and meta surveys. The equation includes IGF-1 inhibition also which you don’t mention and the bald statement that IGF-1 level raising = cancer, fails to take in other associated cancer inhibiting factors like selenium and glutathione as mentioned.  My point is that it’s not yet demonstrated that Veganism = low IGF-1 = low cancer. It may well be, but there is contradictory evidence that needs further study. Animal studies are a legitimate path on this process, but are never conclusive. I have no emotional need to ‘enjoy’ them. I do not have an ideology to prove. I just want to see good science in the service of better nutrition. I certainly lean towards the Vegan end of the spectrum in the Western context, but there is no need to force science into preconceived frameworks.Can someone please share what the letters mean after the numbers?  For instance, soya protein shows -0.04, animal protein is 0.18c, and animal plus soya protein is 0.27d.  ??In the end, I wonder if this means non-soy plant protein produces more IGF-1 than plain ol’ soya protein?  Thanks for the direction.  :)Soy Protein isolate promotes IGF-1 more significantly than cows milk. I would advise staying away from the stuff! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12629084that is because soy protein isolate, contains more protein than cow milk. people don’t take soy protein isolate in place of dairy. soy milk has alot less soy protein in it. people take soy protein isolate in place of animal protein.this study shows animal protein and soy protein taken in the same amount. animal protein increases igf1 more.Where does it show that?“In this study, although both protein sources elevated serum IGF-I levels, soy protein had a more pronounced effect in increasing serum IGF-I by 69%, compared with a 36% increase with MBP [milk based protein].”http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/88/3/1048.longDr. Gregor,  First of all I want to tell you how much I value the information you send each week. I find this series on IGF especially timely as I have a vegetarian friend that had cancer and has now switched to a vegan diet to bring his IGF levels down.  While I agree with the benefits of a vegan diet I am wondering about Omega 3s specifically DHA.  While flax, chia, walnuts etc are excellent sources of ALA it is impossible to eat enough of them to convert to DHA and EPA. Do you have any information about how fish and fish oil supplements impact IGF?Haely, what is your reasoning that Omega 3 levels cannotb e achieved through ALA alone?ALA is not converted effectively to DHA under the condition that one is consuming too many omega 6 fatty acids. Since most whole plant foods contain good ratios of omega 6 : omega 3, this is of no concern unless one is eating a lot of nuts other than walnuts, flax seed and chia seed. The National Academy of Sciences does not recognize EPA and DHA as essential. This means there is enough evidence for them to conclude that we can make enough of it without eating it in its preformed state. In addition… Do vegetarians have to eat fish for optimal cardiovascular protection?1–3Am J Clin Nutr 2009;89(suppl):1S5S. Interest in the cardiovascular protective effects of n–3 (omega 3) fatty acids has continued to evolve during the past 35 y since the original research describing the low cardiovascular event rate in Greenland Inuit was published by Dyerberg et al. Numerous in vitro experiments have shown that n3 fatty acids may confer this benefit by several mechanisms: they are antiinflammatory, antithrombotic, and antiarrhythmic. The n–3 fatty acids that have received the most attention are those that are derived from a fish source; namely the longer-chain n–3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n–3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n–3). More limited data are available on the cardiovascular effects of n–3 fatty acids derived from plants such as a-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n–3). Observational data suggest that diets rich in EPA, DHA, or ALA do reduce cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death; however, randomized controlled trial data are somewhat less clear. Several recent meta analyses have suggested that dietary supplementation with EPA and DHA does not provide additive cardiovascular protection beyond standard care, but the heterogeneity of included studies may reduce the validity of their conclusions. No data exist on the potential therapeutic benefit of EPA, DHA, or ALA supplementation on those individuals who already consume a vegetarian diet. Overall, there is insufficient evidence to recommend n–3 fatty acid supplementation for the purposes of cardiovascular protection; however, ongoing studies such as the Alpha Omega Trial may provide further information.Hi Toxins,Has there been any more recent research about this? I’m curious about StabbyRaccoon’s argument below in regards to Vitamin D.If Vitamin D controls cell-response to the mitogenic effects of IGF-1, (and vitamin D is found in animal products), isn’t it safe to say there’s no concern with IGF-1 level increases as long as one has optimal Vitamin D?There is somewhat of an association between IGF-1 levels and risk of some cancers, but I feel as if this narrative of yours is missing the bigger picture.  IGF-1 levels don’t determine the mitogenic effect of IGF-1 in the body, just like with any hormone, it’s the ability of the receptor to bind a hormone that determines its activity along with it. Vitamin d derivatives control the responsiveness of cells to the mitogenic effects of IGF-1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9379127 and when you control for vitamin d levels (not by any means the efficacy of vitamin d, but certainly an indication of the availability of vitamin d) the association mostly disappears http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22216097 I simply don’t think that there is any reason to worry about increases in IGF-1 levels if vitamin d is doing its job in the body. Of course there needs to be more research. This is what happens when some researchers become enamored with a hypothesis, they ignore evidence that might falsify it and then we reach poor conclusions.Since many people either have low levels of vitamin d or low levels of cofactors needed for its metabolism, and animal protein increases IGF-1 levels which may be problematic if vitamin d isn’t doing its job, we can expect any associations between animal protein and cancer to be attenuated after controlling for vitamin d. Although it’s not like that epidemiology is impressive if you control for cooking intensity (high heat is associated but not lower heat methods) or processed meat consumption.IGF-1 has numerous benefits, it is protective of the cardiovascular system http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22491965 keeps people vital throughout old age http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23009592 and may even oppose cellular aging http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19913048 This might mean that as long as people have good vitamin d bioactivity, they would benefit from this increase in IGF-1 from protein.You are misinformed, the most famous mainstream longevity specialists are now promoting water like fasting modalities; in order to foster decreases in IGF-1High levels of IGF-1﻿ during adulthood cause cancer cells to grow, people with genetic disorders producing minute quantities of IGF-1 do not suffer from cancer, fact! Wherefrom all the interest in recent years emerged.Update your information.Apparently you didn’t read any of the information that I posted, my contention was that while IGF-1 is a factor in metastasis, its signaling depends on its receptor expression which determines its mitogenic effects and it can’t be said that if vitamin D levels and metabolism are sufficient to reduce receptor expression when appropriate an increase in IGF-1 levels would lead to a greater risk for developing a cancer. It could be that IGF-1 still matters while a person already has cancer regardless of vitamin d or any of its other cofactors, but the evidence for a causal relationship between serum IGF-1 and incidence of cancers in the presence of good control for IGF-1 receptors has been called into question and is supported by well-known mechanisms.If the increase in IGF-1 from consuming higher amounts of animal protein is claimed to be a significant factor in carcinogenesis, and vitamin D metabolism makes IGF-1’s role moot, then if animal protein does in fact contribute to cancer risk under normal circumstances it can’t be considered to contribute to cancer risk under conditions of ideal IGF-1 receptor control . I therefore suggest that you update your information on the epidemiology of animal protein and cancer risk. How so? To be determined, but skepticism on the issue is a must.I too would like to see some follow up on this. If Vitamin D (D3, found in animal products) mitigates the expression… then without isolating it, wouldn’t we see no difference in consuming animals and IGF-1 expression?Although, for those taking whey or soy protein powder, perhaps that is a moot point.That’s what these few bits of research suggest. IGF-1 levels might still rise but the receptors would be regulated and would reduce their expression in response to the right amount of IGF-1 signaling.With regards to whether or not there is generally no difference between IGF-1 signaling between differing amounts of animal protein, I think that it’s going to depend on the ability of vitamin d to regulate the receptors. Eating animal products doesn’t ensure adequate vitamin d, some contain some of it but deficiency is fairly common regardless.There is also the issue of magnesium and possibly other nutrients which help vitamin d metabolize to its active forms http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.ca/2010/04/magnesium-and-vitamin-d-metabolism.html so just looking at prevalence of vitamin d deficiency might not be enough, you might also have to judge magnesium status.After that I suspect that the 10% increase in IGF-1 wouldn’t mean much, but yes we do need more research.Another video as always, Dr. Greger. Thank you (and your team!) for creating this wonderful and unimaginably helpful website.Although this doesn’t relate with this specific video per se, I wanted to ask if a specific website/organization has the most up-to-date and accurate recommended daily intake values? I’m asked quite (given I’m the resident doctor wannabe) how much of a given vitamin one should be eating, and I can only point the asker to the FDA values. Are these accurate values? Thank you in advance, Dr. Greger.With regards to ‘vitamin D’ supplements, vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is also used as a rodenticide. I find that troubling when you consider the vast majority of scientific studies examing health effects is undertaken on rodents due to their similarity to humans. So toxic to rodents, toxic to us ? I do not advise taking vitamin D3 supplements. I am curious of one brand from Garden of Life, RAW D3, which is apparently wholefood derived and not synthetic.Here’s Dr. Greger comparing Vitamin D3 v 2http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/is-d3-cholecalciferol-a-better-source-of-vitamin-d/If one’s goal is muscular hypertrophy, wouldn’t animal protein be preferable Dr Greger? Love your work.Great question! Covered in my video Plant-Based Bodybuilding.I’ve looked pretty hard through these videos. Is there anything on how much protein we are able to absorb in one sitting. I heard on Christina Cooks that 20 grams is the max we can absorb. Is that true? Can you shed some light on that, Dr. Greger? Thanks,Is there any research you’ve come across about the defective BRCA gene, its relationship to IGF-1 growth, and how much a plant based diet reduces the risk for those who have this mutation?i have crazy levels in the 200’s and i am a vegan and am told to eat less beans and more nuts, how much protien should i take thanks kindly can u write me direction kris.miller8@verizon.netDr. Greger – can you create a video about protein combining and veganism? I understand that it is a myth that vegans need to be careful in how they combine their foods to make sure they get adequate amounts of the amino acids needed. Is it? And if so, is there anything else recent research points to indicating there is something vegans need to worry about (besides B12 which is common in omnivores too)?Hi Susan :)) Great questions! Dr. Greger talks about plant-based amino acids in this video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/ And you are right..we plant-eaters need to supplement with B12. Check out the good doctor’s video on other supplements you might want to consider: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/There is no need to concern with oneself about getting enough protein.Firstly, I would like to quote the American Dietetics Association on their view of vegetarian diets and protein.“Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal ”http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdfMany say that plants foods are incompleteIf “incomplete” means not containing all the essential amino acids then…. (the incomplete protein theory)1) All plant foods are complete as they contain all the essential amino acids.2) the only food that is not a complete protein is an animal food, gelatin.If “incomplete” means lacking in sufficient quantity of one or more amino acids…(the limiting amino acid theory)1) Getting all the amino acids in at once at the same meal, or even in the same day, as some may suggest, is not necessary due to the amino acid pool, which is a circulating level of amino acids in the blood, that the body can draw from if needed. As long as one follows a whole foods plant based diet, the amino acid pool will maintain a sufficient stock of any potentially needed (or limiting) amino acids.2) However, as long as one consumes enough calories, eats a variety of food, and limits junk foods and refined foods, and is not an all fruit diet, then they will get in enough protein and enough amino acids in sufficient quantity. There will be no limiting amino acids3) there is some evidence that the amino acids that are slightly lower (but adequate) in plant foods, may actually be a benefit to health and longevity and not a concern.Most every major health organization including the NAS, the WHO and the ADA all recognize these statements to be true.As long as you are eating when your hungry, till your full, there is no need to worry about getting enough protein.No other supplement people might need except vitamin D. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/Rami, you also need to supplement with B12 if you’re a vegan, and you need to make sure that you’re getting enough omega-3 fats — that they’re balanced with the omega-6. Dr. Greger talks about this in one of his yearly videos.Correct, I forgot to mention b12. A standard amongst plant based diets. I have posted here on this site many times regarding the importance of the omega 3:6 ratio, so yes I agree with you on that. My post above was in regards to supplementing though.Do we have any numbers on what the level of IGF-1 should actually be?According to this study; both low and high concentrations of IGF-1 promote cancer (along with low IGF-1 levels promoting higher CVD mortality). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23015658So I reckon that this is similar to blood glucose and insulin levels. There’s this one optimal concentration and it shouldn’t get too low or too high. Apparently the plant based diet puts it at the recommended level?While I can agree that Americans eat too much animal protein and even the wrong kind if it is not organic, when I look at some other cultures that do eat animal proteins such as the Japanese, or the Aleutian and Eskimo populations, they still have far better health measurement than even vegans and vegetarians in America. These people have the lowest Cancer rates in the world.The Japanese you are referring to are near vegan.Caloric Restriction, the TraditionalOkinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life SpanAnn. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785Total weight (grams) 1262Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9)Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85)Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6)Saturated fatty acid 3.7Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)GrainsRice 154 (12)Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7)Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1)Sugars 3 (less than 1)Oils 3 (2)Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1)Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1)Eggs 1 (less than 1)Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69)Other potatoes 2 (less than1)Other vegetables 114 (3)Fruit less than 1 (less than 1)Seaweed 1 (less than 1)Pickled vegetables 0 (0)Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some pointsTheir diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a dayMy kids are by wast majority vegan. I am 5.7 tall and my daughter is out of the chart when comes to her hight, over 100%. She is so tall she is taller than any child in her school who is 1 year older. Her estimated hight is definitely over 6ft. She is now 9. My son is 5 and he is pretty tall too. 65% for his hight. My husband is 6.5. My son looks like me and my daughter looks like him.I do see many short children and adults who are gorging on animal products. Some parents are forcing tons of cows milk in to their children to make them grow. In my opinion they are causing more harm to their kids. If their kids are short, they are just short. There are so many short people who ate whole live mega doses of animal protein and they are just short.My kids are tall like a vegans.I have acromegaly and my IGF1 levels are always high. Do you believe that, if I ate vegetarian or vegan that my IGF1 levels could come down to normal?… or is it different for someone with acro?Luigi Fontana’s study indicated that reduced intake of protein (0.8 grams per day per kg of body weight – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sadEs-RNDg) lowers IGF-1. However, I’m now seeing that animal protein appears to be the culprit rather than plant-based proteins (per your video on proteins). My question is, then, if I should track my animal protein intake and not be concerned about the plant-based component, and, if so, what would be the “reduced” RDA (per kg body weight) for animal protein intake?@Questrienne, it looks like animal protein acts differently in our bodies from plant protein. Did you see this video on animal protein and heart disease? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/ Dr. Greger goes over why animal protein is worse for us. And this video on the meat and mortality study might answer some of your questions: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/ . I hope that helps! :)Thanks for your reply, Tommasina – and I have seen the videos, hence my question. I know animal protein is worse, but that’s a relative term. I’ve seen discussions where it’s been implied that plant proteins may actually LOWER IGF-1, although it seems it’s more the quality of a protein and its amino acid content that ultimately drives IGF-1. With many plant proteins being incomplete, they may have no effect on IGF-1…at least not increase it. My primary question is whether or not one should bother tracking ALL proteins one consumes or just animal proteins. Dr. Fontana was kind enough to answer my e-mail on the subject but was still ambiguous – he reiterated that RDA was 0.8g/kg body weight, also explaining that his studies were conducted using a “typical Western diet (i.e. lots of animal products, little beans or whole grains).” I could assume that would mean that the jury is still out on plant-based proteins, or it could mean that plant-based proteins don’t factor in, given he also sent me an article in which it was said that, “…. the high intake of animal (dairy) proteins in Western diets may play a role in PCa development and progression, whereas more traditional diets rich in proteins from cereals and legumes might partially inhibit PCa growth.” (PCa being prostate cancer). In the end, all I really wanted to know was whether I should track ALL proteins I consume (and keep to Fontana’s RDA) or only track the animal-based proteins and remain within the RDA for only those. Conversely, if I only track animal-based proteins, would the RDA be lower – say, 0.7g/kg of body weight? I’m basically looking for one number – a factor to use as an RDA for animal-based protein – as well as a confirmation that I can ignore (not track) plant-based proteins (possibly excluding soy, but I don’t intentionally eat soy anyway!). Hope that narrows down my question (if an excessively long explanation!).Hi Doc,Seems your old news just became “news” news.You are probably rolling your eyes.I’ve read and watched most of you thoughts/research and gone further looking for that magic bullet – exercise, to see if I’m building up my defenses.I’m 52, quite fit 5’ 8” 165 and do mid level cardio daily (heart rate 130-150)Also do moderate weight resistance.We eat “well,” but no doubt chicken and beef and deer and fish and eggs and cheese are part of it.I heard you “say” exercise and plant based is the trick, but most of what I’m reading says exercise can actually Increase IGF-1 and Decrease IGFBP-3.I have cancer in all four trees of family and while not completely a hypochondriacal – I’m getting close.1. What is exercise’s role, does intensity matter?2. Does the type of animal protein make a difference ie lean venison vs a marbled Delmonico?Thoughts would be so appreciated.Thank you.Hi Mark! Not that you’re looking to lose weight, but Dr. Greger has a great video on exercise vs. nutrition for weight loss: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-exercise-to-sustain-weight-loss/ . For optimal health, it looks like cutting out animal products is the recipe. You might want to check out these three pages: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/ , http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/, and http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/ . I hope that helps!Appreciate, but would love to get the specific answers to the two (2) specific questions posed. Thanks!Go vegan and lose weight great but you better get your cholesterol to make hormones, The CLA fat on animals is good for you. When your IGF-1 levels drop you go catabolic not anabolic. What do YOU want to accomplish? You can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. If IGF-1 caused all of this cancer then ALL pro-bodybuilders would have cancer. I used to praise everything this Doc said. Not anymore. When you live it and experience it then you know what really works. REALITYThere is no dietary need to consume cholesterol“Given the capability of all tissues to synthesize sufficient amounts of cholesterol for their metabolic and structural needs, there is no evidence for a biological requirement for dietary cholesterol.”Pro body builders are promoting cancer growth, and indeed promoting aging. Having elevated IGF-1 does not mean you automatically get cancer. Cancer must grow, and it is all about risk. Some may not even get cancer, but it is likely that those who have elevated IGF-1 can get cancer more easily.Sure, we have the fruitarians out there, The vegans, frugavores. We have bodybuilders that eat 36 eggs a day and they don’t drop dead of cancer. http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/cholesterol-friend-or-foe/. You probably won’t agree with this because your mind is already made up. If you want brain function and to build muscle and recover from an injury, especially when you get older you need to pay attention. cancertutor.com and learn about the CAUSES of cancer. Children are more succeptable to getting cancer because their cells are dividing more rapidly(from radiation) And their IGF-1 levels are higher than your. That doesn’t mean that is the CAUSE of cancer enenews.com. IGF-1 is NOT a metabolic pathway to cancer. It is a metabolic pathway to growth. Don’t compare apples to oranges. Show me the body builders that promote cancer and aging. Sure you will get the EXTREMISTS that over do it. Look at the sports and athletesTo think bodybuilders are healthy is astonishing, besides the elevated IGF-1 and endotoxemic effects of their diets and beyond all of the contaminants they consume, the supplementation of protein has shown to be more detrimental to health then recently thought.“In this regard it is of special concern that male adolescents in the fitness and bodybuilding environment consume high amounts (60–80 g/d) of leucine-rich whey- or casein-based protein concentrates to gain muscle mass, a procedure which is often associated with the development of acne…it is frightening to realize that more than 85% of adolescents of Western countries exhibit acne, whereas individuals of non-Western populations like the Kitava are not affected by this disease and other mTORC1-driven diseases of civilization.3,149 This implies that the majority of our Western population is living with over-activated mTORC1 signaling, a major pathogenic factor, which probably may pave the way for the development of other serious diseases of civilization” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408989/Try this out http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/08/10/making-sense-of-your-cholesterol-numbers.aspx Print it out so you can read it over several times. Then hopefully the lightbulb will come onDr. Mercola runs a for profit pseudo health business. I have no interest in reading his wild views, if you have primary sourced studies than share them, but Mercola is hardly the primary source, and is more gypsy than anything. His sale of tubs of coconut oil, advocating for raw milk, and insisting we avoid washing with soap so we can absorb vitamin d is evident of that. Like I said, no articles from your favorite health guru, primary sourced studies please.I find your response very entertaining, Please enlighten us all and share your rules on food, dietary intake, what is good and what is bad. Who will you see when you are sick? would you take colloidal silver or the anti-biotics or h202 to kill those pathogens that have invaded your body. If you are diagnosed with a cancer, What is your protocol? Chemo or apricot seeds?Please Dr. G, Set this high profile socialite straight about protein….”It’s hard being a vegan to eat enough good, quality protein and not have too much starch,” Dr. Hyman said over lunch at the Four Seasons restaurant in New York. “I know a lot of fat vegans.”I got a study for you… Take a look at ALL of the people around you today. Go to a vegan potluck and see if they can remember your name after 5 minutes. Go to a fastfood drive thru and take a look at those people. Go to the gym and look at those people. This doctor is too busy looking at garbage studies when reality is right in your face. Get out of the lab and look at the real world doc. I went Vegan for two years. It was a good cleanse but then all of a sudden you notice you can’t build muscle any more and the cognitive function is impaired. Anobolic gone catabolic. Then phospholipds and cholesterol aren’t there to make hormones etc. Just had 1/3 pound RAW liver with 3 RAW eggs. I’m recovering now. I’ll still have my salad later and a chlorophyll/spiralina/Maca cocktail too..you must have been eating only vegetables try adding legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds..IGF1 levels does not necessarily means that you’re gonna get cancer.IGF1 is a metabolic pathway for growth,yes growth in general from muscle tissue,bones,even organs BUT.There is a huge difference from ingecting into yourself,artificial IGF1 HGH etc and causing you body to secrete it naturall.When i say naturally i’m not talking about animal products (i am a vegan btw except some use of honey and bee pollen) animal product consumption is linked to a numerous deseases due to saturated fats,trans fats,high concentrations of sulfuring aminos even heme iron http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23983135.Blaming soy protein (which btw has some great health benefits,general the soy bean) is at least wrong.Ok consuming every day 1kg of soy probably is not good,as NOTHING is at very high quantities.Nothing wrong with natto,tempeh,tofu,soymilk,soybean,ans SPI.Asian people have been consuming soy for thousands of years without negative effects.Soy and especially SPI for people who are doing serious natural bodybuilding without use of AAS and artificial growth factors,and are also vegans believe me is a pain in the a$$ and soy protein is maybe the ONLY type of protein that has sufficient ratios of amino acids,from bcaas to even sulfur aminos (but in normal levels not the dangerous levels linked to the homocysteine rise in the blood).And for a vegan bodybuilder who must unfortunatelly play tetris with the food sources that he choses in order to give to his body the right ammounts of aminos,restricting SPI and soy foods so much does not make his goal any easier.There are sometimes that you need a meal thats complete with aminos and soy provides that meal with the additional benefits of lacking the saturated fats trans cholesterol and other endothelium inflammatory factors.I’m not saying that someone should go all the way to 200gr of SPI everyday or consuming a kilo of soy everyday but some servings of soy now and then even every day or the use of SPI which helps in positive nitrogen balance does not put you in the cancer risk team,thats just OVERexaggeration.Exercise,exposure to sunlight,vegan diet or for those who cannot something as close to vegan diet,fruits and vegetables which contains lots of antioxidants and phtochemicals,NO STRESS which is the global killer,healthy social relationships,keeping your cortisol and adrenaline levels down (except the necessary times),good sleep and melatonin function,clean air,no radiation,away from procceced foods and additives like msg etc and many more that i cannot even remember is the key to longevity.As long as your immune system is functioning well and your natural killer cells TP53 gene and many other cancer inhibitors are good and well,no cancer will ever show his face to you.With that logic we shouldn’t eat ANY ammount of protein and we should go straight to be breatharians living only with little water and sunlight exposure cause you like it or not the raise of IGF1 is inevitable i know that raise the IGF1 sky high MAYBE is not the best thing but we are not talking about external hormones and things like this.Stabby raccoon also has a point.And even if you still worry about the consumption of soy…http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21711174.I noticed on the slide towards the end that soya protein plus animal protein caused greater IGF levels than animal protein alone. This has implications for those who eat meat and then have a TVP patty 3 or 4 times per week to “be healthy”. I’m assuming that limiting your animal protein to cheese doesn’t get you out of this (darn it)?Good catch. I have not read the study, as I am not sure if that was animal and soy protein eaten together that boosted IFG-1 or if the foods were eaten throughout day. Cheese is full of fat and protein. A better source may comes from foods with fiber and antioxidants.What’s most important is what we truly thrive on.. What nature intended us to have. It’s proven in many countries with humans of freakishly impressive capabilities.. That have eaten this way for centuries.. And also refer to the China study. A country without any disease likely found in the top 10 leading causes of death in the world for centuries.. Until it was westernised.. Rice… Veg… Health… Longevity..	animal products,animal protein,cancer,dairy,eggs,fish,IGF-1,meat,milk,omnivores,plant protein,protein,vegans,vegetarians	Animal protein consumption triggers the release of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1.	For background on IGF-1 see IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop andCancer-Proofing Mutation. In The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle we established that the reason the blood of those eating plant-based diets appeared so much better at fighting cancer cell growth (see Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay) is likely due to the drop in IGF-1 levels, especially those following vegan diets (as per the last video-of-the-day How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1?).  Now it appears we know why—their avoidance of animal protein. Let's go one level deeper and ask why animal protein preferentially triggers IGF-1 release. Stay tuned for tomorrow's video-of-the-day Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Animal Protein and the Cancer Promoter IGF-1.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/	-
PLAIN-2879	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/	How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1?	Just a few days of walking and eating whole healthy plant foods and our IGF-1 levels drop low enough to reverse cancer cell growth.What if we stick with it? Going to some Pritikin spa and getting healthy for two weeks is one thing, but what about long-term? Does your IGF-1 start to creep back up to standard American diet levels again?No. Here’s after 11 days, and it just gets better. People eating plant-based for 14 years have half the IGF-1 in their bodies, and more than twice the IGF binding protein than those on the standard american diet.We know decreasing animal product consumption decreases our IGF-1 levels, but how low do you got to go? How plant-based does our diet need to get? Well, let’s look at IGF1 levels in meateaters, versus vegetarians, versus vegans.The aim of this study was to determine whether a plant-based diet is associated with a lower circulating level of IGF-1 compared with a meat-eating or lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, and this is what they found. Only the vegans had significantly lower levels. And the same relationship found with IGF-binding capacity. Only the vegans were significantly able to bind up excess IGF-1 in their blood streams.This was a study on women…, What about vegan men? They found the same thing. So even though vegan men tend to have significantly higher testosterone levels, than both vegetarians and meateaters—which can be a risk factor for prostate cancer, the reason plant-based diets appear to reverse the progression of prostate cancer may be due to how low their IGF-1 drops.The bottom line… is that male or female, just eating vegetarian did not seem to cut it. It looks like to get a significant drop in cancer-promoting growth hormone levels one apparently has to eliminate animal products altogether. The good news is that given what we now know about IGF-1, we can predict “that a low-fat vegan diet may be profoundly protective with respect to, for example, risk for postmenopausal breast cancer.”	To review, I started out introducing Nathan Pritikin (Engineering a Cure) and the elegant series of experiments that became part of his legacy (Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay). They were able to demonstrate the mechanism by which a plant-based diet and exercise could suppress the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells and protect against prostate enlargement (more on BPH here, and <a href="Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet“>specific foods that may help). I also asked and answered <a href="Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both?“>Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? We learned that the cancer promoting growth hormone IGF-1 seemed to be The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle, but why? What is it about plant-based diets that lower IGF-1 levels and increase our body’s ability to neutralize IGF-1? Find out in Monday’s video-of-the-day Protein Intake and IGF-1 Production.If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.I have a friend who is fighting a bad cancer.  Is there any way we can get her injections of this binding protein?  I should have asked if it is a good idea first of all.  Is it?  Would it work on post metastatic (if i’m saying that right – it has gone to other locations now).  I hope you can answer.Thanks for your videos, great work !I have read that Capsaicin and soy protein could also raise IGF-1 levels in our bodies (maybe only processed soy or isolated soy protein for the soy part). see: http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=19062253 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01635581.2011.579383 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHYFOJBU434Could you check the latest studies on theses and enlighten us about what is healthy and in which quantities ? Thanks Fabien for looking up these studies for us. The second one is particularly . It says that the sea weed, Alaria esculenta, downgraded the IGF-1 producing effect of soy. This could be why Asians can get away with eating soy and have such a low rate of cancers- because they also eat sea vegetables which may counter soy’s negative effect.  Hopefully, other kinds of sea vegetables besides Alaria esculenta, that is: dabberlocks or badderlocks, or winged kelp  from the North Atlantic work as well or better. I found the middle link there very interesting. I’ve just ordered some wakabe and Welsh laver bread to add to my diet. Hopefully that will mitiagte somewhat, any increase in IGF-1 due to my soya milk consumption.use almond milk, go slow on the soyI found your links interesting. They all talked about isolated soy compounds though, isovlavones in the first study and isolated soy protein in the second. This may not be different from isolating beta carotene and giving it in a vitamin pill only to find out it increased risk of lung cancer. We didn’t stop eating carrots after that study!I was concerned about the soy issue, but like everything else, if eaten as a whole food, minimally processed such soy milk, tofu, tempeh and miso, I think itvhasctrenendous benefits. Soy protein burgers, bacon and other highly processed foods are just that. Highly processed junk. Stay with a whole foods plant based diet and the benefits are great, even with the inclusion of the soy bean. It’s a bean.I’ve watched a presentation on youtube by Dr. Mcdougalle about the death of Steve Jobs in which he adviced againt fake meats and isolated soy proteins. So, I guess one should avoid all proccessed things and eat beans and whole plants unproccessed.agree …go with the beans/ veggies….if you must …go slow on the soy……soy isolates are not good overall Soy Protein Isolate does in deed IGF-1 more significantly than cows milk. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12629084 The differences found between the IGF1 level of vegan and non-vegan are small – only 8% difference (in males). This difference translate to very little risk reduction for cancer. For example, according to this study http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/16/6/1121.long , 8% lower IGF1 is only 3% less chance of prostate cancer (*if* the association between IGF1 and prostate cancer is indeed casual).Also, as I noted in other videos, the Pritikin diet which is mentioned in the beginning of the video is not vegan or even vegetarian. DT: 3% less prostate cancer is quite significant in my opinion when you think about the numbers of people who currently get the cancer.According to prospective cohort studies, consumption of dairy is associated with LOWER rates of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, so the benefits of dairy consumption may cancel the risks.Interesting.  A conclusion that dairy has overall benefits of any kind is the complete opposite of the studies I am aware of.  Plus it doesn’t make sense.  If it makes sense to you, go for it.I wonder who funded those studies…?  Just a thought.  Most epidemiological studies are not funded by the industry.Most?!  Are you cherry-picking? I never tried to count the number of industry funded   epidemiological studies. If this interest you, you can count how many of the 18 studies appearing in the meta-analysis below were industry funded.http://www.springerlink.com/content/b6103055j6051k60/There are absolutely no benefits to drinking or eating another mammals mammary gland excretions. Especially when one 16oz glass of it is loaded with 360,000,000 pus cells (dead white blood cells) and over 1,000,000 bacteria. That is what is allowed by law: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22981577Also you allow your body a host of exposures to bugs like Mycobacterium Avium Parataburculosis and this wonderful list from Cornell University; http://foodscience.cornell.edu/cals/foodsci/extension/upload/CU-DFScience-Notes-Milk-Under-the-Microscope-06-10.pdfNothing like a nice tall glass of sterile pus and bacteria.  YUM! A great read is Joe Keon’s book WhiteWash. A sample preview link is provided. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/sample/read/9780865716766Also John Robbins (son of Baskin & Robbins Ice Cream legend) has a great read as well, “No Happy Cows” http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-happy-cows-john-robbins/1106932666?ean=9781573245753Drinking milk is almost like signing the old song, “DDT is Good for You and Me!”The Cartoon reference from above.  See image. The books you cite are not credible sources.I wouldn’t normally reply or waste my time with such an ignorant reply.  But in defense of the people who spend countless hours, days, weeks, years and lives dedicated to credible research I must speak up.“Not credible sources” you say.  Their sources are from journals such as JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, British Medical Journal, Lancet, Annals of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Epidemiology etc.In Whitewash there are nearly 1000 references supporting the evidence that milk is crap, Literally and anecdotally.Quotes in Whitewash:Nathan Pritikin: “The most damaging foods are dairy product.”John McDougall, MD: “There is one thing dairy products have more than any other food I can think of: contamination.T. Colin Campbell, PhD: “Dairy has been considered a health food, and that’s an unfortunate myth.”Benjamin Spock, MD: “Cow’s milk in the past has always been oversold as the perfect food, but we are now seeing that it isn’t the perfect food at all and the government really shouldn’t be behind any efforts to promote it as such.”Walter Willett, MD, MPH, DrPH: “Dairy products shouldn’t occupy a prominent place in our diet, nor should they be the centerpiece of the national strategy to prevent osteoporosis.”Oh and Joseph Keon, PhD has his doctorate in Nutrition.Here is a quote by Neal Barnard, MD as you know one of great leaders in the medical nutrition arena: “Most of us grew up with the idea that mild is healthful, if not essential. And Yet research has shown a surprisingly different side to dairy products, linking it to a broad range of serious health problems.  Whitewash takes a comprehensive look at the problems associated with drinking milk and the industry that promotes it.  This book has the potential to dramatically change your health.”Regarding No Happy Cows I will leave that research up to you to discover but here is a wonderful forward from T. Colin Campbell, PhD: “John Robbins connects the dots that need connecting–environmental, personal health, societal economics, and personal meaning. Scientific researchers also would do well to read what Robbins says.”I’m not sure what you think is credible but these sources surely are, and have the information to change the world for the better.  I hope everyone takes the time to read these books and dispell the myths and hype that commenters such as yourself perpetuate.1. While Whitewash have references to paper in scientific journals, these papers were probably cherry-picked. The book has not gone through peer review, which makes it a non credible source.2. If Nathan Pritikin thought that dairy is damaging, why does his diet includes two servings of dairy per day?Your definition of ‘credible’ is your own so I do not understand why you waste your time commenting on a “non-credible” site such as NutritionFacts.org. Please, for your own sake, keep drinking milk.  It obviously serves you well.“All truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident” Arthur Schoepenhauer, German philosopherI don’t suppose you cherry pick studies at all. Thank you. Much appreciated. Thanks for the points!A review published in the Journal of Pediatrics focused on the benefits of dairy “the findings of epidemiologic and prospective studies have raised questions about the efficacy of the use of dairy products for the promotion of bone health. ” after a review of the existing literature and finding “A positive relationship between dairy product consumption and measures of bone health in children or young adults was reported in 1 of 4 cross-sectional studies; in 0 of 3 retrospective studies; in 0 of 1 prospective study; and in 2 of 3 randomized, controlled trials. Only 1 of these randomized clinical trials adequately controlled for vitamin D intake, and it showed no significant effect of dairy products on BMD [bone mineral density]” , they concluded, “Scant evidence supports nutrition guidelines focused specifically on increasing milk or other dairy product intake for promoting child and adolescent bone mineralization.” http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/115/3/736.longA meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal found, “The small effect of calcium supplementation on bone mineral density in the upper limb is unlikely to reduce the risk of fracture, either in childhood or later life, to a degree of major public health importance.”and “The authors concluded that the literature did not support recommendations for consumption of dairy products for bone health end points in children and young adults…Our quantitative systematic review confirms this conclusion” The authors also state, “Our results also do not support the premise that any type of calcium supplementation is more effective than another.” Even studies that used intakes of 1400 mg per day of calcium showed no benefit. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1602024/?tool=pubmedAn editorial accompanying this meta-analysis pointed out, “Populations that consume the most cow’s milk and other dairy products have among the highest rates of osteoporosis and hip fracture in later life. Given this fact, it is important to ask whether sufficient evidence exists to continue assuming that consumption of these foods is part of the solution.” They concluded “It is time to revise our calcium recommendations for young people and change our assumptions about the role of calcium, milk, and other dairy products in the bone health of children and adolescents. While the policy experts work on revising recommendations, doctors and other health professionals should encourage children to spend time in active play or sports, and to consume a nutritious diet built from whole foods from plant sources to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and provide an environment conducive to building strong bones.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1602030/A review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of the research on the effects of dairy products on bone health found 57 studies, and of these, 21 studies were considered to have stronger-evidence, worthy of inclusion in this review. “Of 21 stronger-evidence studies, 57% were not significant, 29% were favorable, and 14% were unfavorable.” Keep in mind that the majority of these studies were funded by the dairy industry, and even with this natural bias and influence to produce positive outcomes, no better than 29% of the studies were favorable to bone health. One of the studies that showed unfavorable results that was funded by the dairy industry showed some shocking outcomes. The findings showed post menopause subjects who received the extra milk (three 8 ounce glasses of skimmed milk daily) for a year lost more bone than those who didn’t drink the extra milk. The authors wrote, “The protein content of the milk supplement may have a negative effect on calcium balance, possibly through an increase in kidney losses of calcium or through a direct effect on bone resorption…this may have been due to the average 30 percent increase in protein intake during milk supplementation.” Skim milk is very high in protein so this is unavoidable unless one is to consume the very fatty whole milk in which 2-5% of the fat content is trans fat and is very high in saturated fat. http://www.ajcn.org/content/72/3/681.long http://www.ajcn.org/content/41/2/254.longIts evidence such as this that I am unconvinced calcium should be from cows milk. Long term studies on vegan bone density comparing the omnivores diet showed the same bone density “…although vegans have much lower intakes of dietary calcium and protein than omnivores, veganism does not have an adverse effect on bone mineral density and does not alter body composition.” The vegan participants had been on a vegan diet an average of 33 years. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19350341I find it interesting that modern society believes that the human species is dependent on the milk of another animal species. The primary biologic purpose of cow’s milk is to grow a 60 pound calf to a 600 pound cow in less than 8 months. This is no way natural to humans as cow’s milk has high concentrations of protein, potassium, sodium, calcium, and other nutrients to sustain rapid growth. In comparison, these nutrients are at a three to four times lower concentration in human milk than cow’s milk. Milk is used to promote growth, so how is this natural as human adults to be consuming milk, let alone another species of animals milk? Dairy is a heavy promoter of insulin like growth factor in adults. This spike in IGF-1 is the most likely source of positive bone growth in the studies showing favorable outcomes of dairy on bones, not necessarily the calcium. Elevated IGF-1 does more harm than good in adults, it heavily promotes tumor growth in breast, prostate, lung, and colon cells and accelerates the aging process. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12417786 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16168602The consumption of dairy in children has resulted in earlier puberty. “The effect of animal protein intake, which was associated with an earlier puberty onset, might mainly be due to dairy. “An earlier puberty onset has been related to an increased risk for hormone-related cancers in adulthood. For example, a meta-analysis of 26 epidemiological studies reported a 9% risk reduction for breast cancer with every additional year at menarche. Additionally, recent study results demonstrated that a 1-y delay in menarche was associated with a 2.4 to 4.5% lower total mortality. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/140/3/565.longThe concern with dairy and hormone dependent cancer is something to think about as well. It has been shown that consuming dairy significantly increases circulating steroid hormones in woman and that vegetarians have far less of this hormone. “In conclusion, greater consumption of red meat and dairy products might influence circulating concentrations of SHBG and estradiol, respectively. Given the well-established role of steroid hormones in breast cancer etiology for postmenopausal women, these findings may have important health implications” Tumor growth from these hormone imbalances is also evident “A dramatic increase in estrogen-dependent malignant diseases, such as ovarian, corpus uteri, breast, testicular and prostate cancers has been recognized. Ganmaa et al. investigated the incidence and mortality of testicular and prostate cancers in relation to dietary practices. Among various food items, cow’s milk and cheese had the highest correlation with incidence and mortality rate of these cancers” Children are at high risk “Among the exposure of humans, especially prepubertal children, to exogenous estrogens, we are particularly concerned with” These xenoestrogens from lactating preganant cattle (the majority of commercial cattle used for milk) significantly raised estrogen levels in male adults and reduced testosterone levels and did even more so in children. This is significant since these estrogens have mutagenic affects “Toxicological and epidemiological studies have indicated that E2 could be categorized as a carcinogen. Milk is considered to be a rich source of estrogens. Indeed, E2 concentration is higher in mammary drainage than in the peripheral circulation in high yielding cows.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20211044 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19904296 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19496976Thanks for the info. I told a vegetarian that cow’s milk is nasty. She didn’t want to hear it, and said “Oh you’re vegan”. I said something like, “It has nothing to do with being vegan; it’s nasty no matter what diet we’re on.” DT, what your claiming is complete nonsense.Could somebody on your staff please clarify this? If I recall correctly, the WCRF/AICR meta-analysis (www.dietandcancerreport.org) does conclude that dairy is associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer, but also says dairy is associated with higher risk of prostate cancer (perhaps due to high calcium) and in their latest update, says it’s not clear as to association with breast cancer risk. I also recall a discussion somewhere in that report of the galactose in dairy and the possibility of it increasing ovarian cancer risk. Could your staff please have a look and inform us?This video said at .30 that “people eating plant-based diets for 14 years had half the IGFl-1 in their bodies {}.” That’s 50% less, not 8%.Br J Cancer. 2000 Jul;83(1):95-7. Mean serum insulin-like growth factor-I was 9% lower in 233 vegan men than in 226 meat-eaters and 237 vegetarians (P = 0.002). Vegans had higher testosterone levels than vegetarians and meat-eaters, but this was offset by higher sex hormone binding globulin, and there were no differences between diet groups in free testosterone, androstanediol glucuronide or luteinizing hormone.As is common here some careful cherry-pickin’ going on here.9% less IGF-1 is ALL GROUPS taken into account. 50% less is ONLY the 14 years vegan group.You can be vegan for a month and participate in a study; long term vegans have a 50% lower levels of IGF1! These results are astonishing, nothing less. Most meat would have to fast 3-4 for days a week to achieve anything similar.      You and Meledictis are confusing the studies.The study that compared vegan with non-vegan is Allen et al 2000. In this study, the average IGF1 level were 18.5 in vegans vs. 20.1 in meat eaters. This is a small difference.The other study is Ngo et al 2002. In this study, people on the Pritikin diet+exercise reduced their IGF1 levels by 55% (compared to their own levels) in 14 years. However, the Pritikin diet is NOT vegan! (and not even vegetarian).One of the problems with this study between IGF-1 and prostate cancer is that it’s a case-control study. In this kind of study, the researchers go through medical records or use some other kind of survey to find say, prostate cancer cases and then they look at their IGF-1 levels, which are of course high. Then they find a bunch of supposedly healthy subjects who don’t have cancer (that is, not yet) to use as controls and they check their IGF-1 levels too, to see if there are any differences in their IGF-1. And what do they find? Only very slight differences. Why? Because the whole population except for the 2% who are vegan, are on the Standard American Diet and eat excessive animal protein, which increases their IGF-1 and their risk of cancer. Not everyone with high IGF-1 gets cancer or gets it right away, but close to half of the population will at some point in their life have to cope with cancer- unless they shrink their odds nearly to the vanishing point by going vegan. That’s why those who have cancer now have comparable levels of IGF-1 to those who don’t- because they’re all in the same S.A.D. high animal protein boat and eventually, a good number of them are likely to get cancer- and probably diabetes, heart disease and a whole lot of other aliments. Want that? Not me! I’m definitely staying vegan.1. The study I cited was a prospective case-control, meaning that the blood sample were taken before cancer was diagnosed.2. The people in the lowest tertile of IGF-1 levels in this study had low IGF-1 levels: less than 17.8 nmol/L. This is lower than the average levels observed in vegans in (Allen et al 2000).3. As I wrote before, according to the Allen et al 2000 study, the difference between IGF1 levels of vegan and meat eaters is small: (the average level is 18.5 in vegans vs. 20.1 in meat eaters). Prospective case-control? That’s a new one on me. A prospective study by definition looks at a topic over a long period of time, while a case-control study is a snapshot in time. This was actually a case-control study, derived from data from a larger prospective study. At any rate, this is not the kind of study you want to try to make a case with; the statistical significance of the results is too small. In other words, although the study seemed to indicate no particular difference (for reasons as I explained above- a case-control is far from ideal for nutritional studies), the poor statistical power they got from this study indicates that the could very well have been by chance and if they repeat the study, they may well get the opposite results next time. By the way, DT, I feel as if every time someone wants to stand up and express themselves, you take a shot at them. Keep this up and no one will want to play with you anymore. I like to think of this as a forum where members support and encourage each other and whose comments show respect and encouragement. But I feel that you are violating these unspoken rules of courtesy and graciousness. I’d like to request that if you want to continue on this site that you try to be a bit more discrete in your comments.first time here,and no opinion on this nutrition issue.but it seems to ,that ALL the hostility is and pot shots aare being directed AT DT,not from DT.and for what?for presenting the other side of the story? and doing it without a hint of hostility!! how dare he disagree with you all.Well this is the closest subject to my question, so here goes. I am 67 year old make and was diagnosed with prostate cancer (Gleason=8) four years ago and immediately switched to a strict vegan nutritional base. I’ve been an avid fan of Nutrition Facts (post them on my Pinterest site daily). For the first time I had my IGF-1 level checked (my doctor didn’t have a clue as to why) after reading/hearing about the beneficial impact of a low IGF-1. Mine is now 105 (very low?) and my testosterone is over 800; just as the doctor’s video mentioned! But is it low enough to combat my prostate cancer (recent PSA=7 up from 5.8 4 months ago)). Most of my blood work is terrific (HDL=71 LDL-74, Triglycerides=38).It is really hard to develop targets for some of these tests and I want to better understand how I should proceed. Current literature is all over the place and none/few address prostate cancer and nutrition.Tell Dr. Greger thanks for his guidance.Skip SteinI love the graph with the baby with the baby chick in it’s mouth.  Gotta tell ya that I love your transitions in your presentation and your attention to detail within them. Just Fantastic Baby!!!Oh, great info as well (As always) ;-}The studies continue to demonstrate that a plant based diet and exercise is a lifestyle we should all strive for!Eat your veggies and fruit and get moving. Pretty straight forward…….I wonder if you could clarify something for me. I drink a lot of soya milk, I like it and have found I have been able to come off HRT since drinking it (I’m post menopausal). I watched a Dr John McDougall video on YouTube last night where he said that soya milk increased IGF-1 to even higher levels than milk from a cow. I’m sure I’ve seen a video of yours where you said that drinking soya milk was actually beneficial in terms of lower breast cancer rates. In your opinion, is soya milk safe for me to drink or not? I’m in the UK where the soya milk is certified GM free.  Just to be on the safe side, Sue, maybe you should switch to rice, oat, hemp or almond milk. You probably won’t have to go back on HRT, now that you’re “over the hump.”I wasn’t terribly impressed with rice milk when I tried it and although I like nut milks they are quite expensive to make. I might have a go at making some oat milk – I hadn’t thought of that. Soya milk is so much easier to drink because I can buy it in cartons from the supermarket fridge – I will cut down though (have been getting through up to 2 pints a day some days).Dr Mcdougall actually pinpointed isolated soy protein and not whole soy products such as soy milk. Many of his recipes use soy milk and tofu and he said it was safe. It’s the processed meat substitutes he cautioned against that were made with isolated soy protein such fake chicken . Note that does not include seitan which is made of wheat gluten flour.When Dr McDougall mentioned soya milk I hadn’t realised you could get milk made isolated soy protein. The milk I buy is made from hulled soya beans, so thanks for that – makes me feel a bit better.Dr. Greger covers how much soy is a safe amount in his future videos. As a sneak peak, the safe range is between 3-5 servings. More than that and you risk IGF-1 increases.You can see into the future? Is that 3 – 5 servings per day, week or month? Also, how much is a serving? I have access to the future videos of this volume. 3-5 servings per day of soy, Typically, 1/2 cup of soybeans or tofu constitutes a serving and 1 cup of soy milk constitutes a serving.Excellent, thank you. That really helps.Thank you for posting these great videos on IGF-1!  A question I have is do you know if there has been any research done on the effect of eating soy protein isolate on blood levels of IGF-1?   Would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.  :) Soy Protein isolate promotes IGF-1 more significantly than cows milk. I would advise staying away from the stuff! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12629084OK.  Now I am worried.  I am a 67 year old woman who was diagnosed with low IGF-1   2 1/12 years ago.  I was told I had the level of a 95 year old.  An expensive  product called Secretropin was prescribed – sprayed under the tongue.  No one has ever suggested that I be re-tested.  I am not a vegan.  My primary sympton was excersize intolerance and, although I don’t like being dependent on a med and have tried to do without it, I seem to do much better with it.  Cancer incidence in my family is very low but my mother had severe osteoporosis and other relatives had diabetes.  My father had Parkinsons.   Are any of these related to IGF-1?  What causes low IGF-1 and what should one do about it?  Other than increasing my animal intake, what could I do naturally? I have no known problems at present except the low IGF-1 and low thyroid for which I take Naturethroid. I know that you can’t diagnose me from this info but a general discourse on low IGF-1 would be very interesting.  Thank you.Thank you for posting this fascinating series of videos regarding IGF-1 levels. I am a whole-foods, plant-based nutrition/health coach, and decided for the sake of experimentation to see what my levels are as someone following a vegan diet. The healthy range given was 65-250. My level was 175. That seemed rather high (perhaps?) for someone who consumes no meat or dairy. Is that indeed a high number, and if I’m otherwise very healthy, should it be cause for concern? Colon cancer runs in my family, so I’m interested in being proactive to decrease my risk. Again, thank you for this, and all of your videos, Dr. Greger.The study that you cite from the British Journal of Cancer regarding testosterone is very flawed because the average age of the meat eating men in this study is 52 years old, while the vegan population of men (ONLY 260 MEN) is only 42 years old, and the testosterone levels in men decrease substantially every decade after 30, so I think to report this as fact is incorrect. The levels of the meat eating men is less because they are older and the vegan men levels is higher because they are younger.Back-transformed means presented with 95% CI in parentheses. Values are adjusted for age (in categories of 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, 70+),smoking status (never, past, < 10 cigarettes/day, 10+ cigarettes/day), vigorous exercise (< 2, 2–4 5+ hours/week), time of day of venipuncture (< 10, 10–13.29,13.30+ hours), time since last meal at venipuncture (< 1.5, 1.5–3, 3+ hours) and time between blood draw and processing (1, 2, 3, 4+ days). aInsufficient serum led to IGF-I measurement being unavailable in 1 subject, SHBG in 9 subjects, T in 20 subjects, FT in 25 subjects, A-diol-g in 5 subjects, LH in 20 subjects and total cholesterol in 8 subjects. bP value is test of heterogeneity.Also, vegans had higher testosterone levels than the vegetarians and they were similar ages. Other studies have shown similar results.http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v83/n1/pdf/6691152a.pdf Here is the study, see for yourself.Are there any figures for people who eat meat but do not consume any produce containing milk? My interpretation from the 3 sets of figures above is that meat makes very little difference in igf-1 but eliminating the other animal products provides the change. After reading that dwarfs with laron-syndrome have never had a single case of cancer, it’s clear that their unique igf-1 levels make the difference. If only we were foccused on igf-1 reducing methods rather than improving the current main stream cancer treatments (which aren’t working so well), maybe cancer could be prevented in the first place. With the amount of hormones found in milk products naturally destined for baby cows, it is quite astonishing that as a species we have (the majority anyway) accepted milk as being healthy to humans, simply because the people selling it to us told us so!Wake up to dairy. By waking up without it.would be very interesting for me as (ex)paleo too. Concerning just this study, it seems that meat has no effect on IGF-1, but milk (and/or eggs) has.I’d love to see your opinion/findings on isolated soy protein in foods. I saw a video somewhere a long time ago showing that soy protein isolate was 4x more potent than dairy at increasing IGF-1 levels. I’ve been avoiding foods that contain isolated protein (especially soy) ever since but haven’t been able to find the original video. (I think it may have been on the VHS.org lecture series?)I try to eat primarily whole foods, and my diet is completely plant based. When opportunities come up, I try to share what I’ve learned about healthy eating with friends and acquaintances. I’ve had many people ask me about soy, and I tell them to avoid the isolated protein, but eating foods made with whole soy beans is fine. I’d love to be able to point them toward the evidence to back this. I find many articles/videos on your site about soy in general, but I haven’t been able to find one specifically addressing the isolated protein.Thanks for all you do!(I recently learned that Post Foods is jumping on the protein bandwagon and has added isolated soy protein to Grape-nuts (and possibly other cereals).)Despite being vegan for 24 years, my IGF-1 level equals the carnivore level reported here. I eat fewer daily servings of soy than the safe level shown. What other factors might explain my high IGF-1 level?What do you make of this study where vegans didn’t have raised T? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2400756Here is an interesting link to studies in which they are injecting human placental extract to INCREASE IGF-1 as a means of slowing the aging process.http://www.agemed.org/AMMGejournal/May2013/ShaneUniqueAgeAttenuationStrategyMay2013/tabid/912/language/en-US/Default.aspxFind strict whole-food plant-based diet people and see the IGF-1 binding protein in them, similar to this study. I am one and do physical activity too. I gave this article to a chiropractor, who uses a wholistic process to help people, similar to the wholistic of T. Colin Campbell.Dr. Greger, is it any meat that raises IGF-1 levels or just meat that’s been treated with growth hormones?Arwen: It is my understanding that the IGF-1 problem is in the animal protein itself, not the hormones. (Though the hormones can be an added problem.) Hence, any animal protein: flesh, dairy, and eggs is going to raise IGF-1 to cancer promoting levels. I’m not an expert, but that is how I understand the IFG-1 video series that you see on this site.Hope that helps.That is the conclusion drawn on this site, but I haven’t seen evidence to support it. Since vegetarians and meat-eaters had virtually the same IGF-1 levels in the example cited in this video, it appears that eggs and/or dairy (which commonly contains growth hormones) may be the culprit and not all animal protein.Frasier Linde: re: “it appears that eggs and/or dairy (which commonly contains growth hormones) may be the culprit and not all animal protein.” But eggs do not have added growth hormones. What eggs and diary have in common and what makes sense for the IGF-1 issue is the animal protein. I’m not saying that added hormones are not problem. I’m saying that problems with animal products go way beyond the issue of added hormones.I haven’t watched this series in a long time. But if memory serves, the video series does a good job of explaining why the problem is animal protein in general, and not a specific animal product or product(s). I understand you don’t find the evidence compelling. I do.re: “Since vegetarians and meat-eaters had virtually the same IGF-1 levels in the example cited in this video…”If I understand your text, you appear to be making an argument that is in favor of the generalization of animal protein = too much IGF-1 understanding. Both vegetarians and meat-eaters are eating animal protein. And they both have problems with IGF-1 levels. It’s only after eliminating all animal protein that a person gets their IGF-1 levels under control. Here is a quote from the video:“The aim of this study was to determine whether a plant-based diet is associated with a lower circulating level of IGF-1 compared with a meat-eating or lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, and this is what they found. Only the vegans had significantly lower levels. And the same relationship found with IGF-binding capacity. Only the vegans were significantly able to bind up excess IGF-1 in their blood streams.”My parenthetical about growth hormones refers only to dairy. However, eggs and dairy are both much more commonly allergenic and pro-inflammatory than meat or fish. The fact that only the vegans in the study had significantly lower levels of IGF-1 could mean that eliminating all animal protein was necessary, or it could mean that eliminating eggs and/or dairy was necessary. Without a group eliminating eggs and dairy but not meat and fish, it is inappropriate to draw the conclusion that animal protein is universally problematic from this or similarly designed studies.Frasier: FYI: I understood what your parenthetical was referring to. That was my point.Is your argument that allergies and/or substances that cause inflammation affect IGF-1 production? I may simply not understand your point, but that doesn’t make any sense to me. I feel these videos do a good job of explaining exactly how animal protein affects IGF-1 levels. I have never heard of an alergic reaction triggering IGF-1 production in the body. It’s an interesting thought though. Are there studies that link allergies to IGF-1 production? Are you claiming that all those vegetarians and omnivores are having allergic reactions to dairy and eggs, but not (perhaps) meat?The allergenic and pro-inflammatory potentials are other things eggs and dairy have in common besides just animal protein—whether those properties affect IGF-1, I don’t know. A more striking commonality is that they are both naturally designed to feed growing animals, so it would make perfect sense for them to increase IGF-1 levels more than meat or fish. I’ll repeat the rest of my last reply, as you seem to have missed it as my main argument:“The fact that only the vegans in the study had significantly lower levels of IGF-1 could mean that eliminating all animal protein was necessary, or it could mean that eliminating eggs and/or dairy was necessary. Without a group eliminating eggs and dairy but not meat and fish (not to mention other uncontrolled factors such as what the animals are fed), it is inappropriate to draw the conclusion that animal protein is universally problematic from this or similarly designed studies.”P.S. The video explains why it *looks like* animal protein affects IGF-1 levels, but it doesn’t even attempt to address “how.”why does that “movie” spend so much time showing flying charts etc and so little time with the actual numbers on the chart so someone can read and see whats going on?blade78: These videos are meant to be summaries. For anyone who wants to get into the nitty-gritty, you can use a combination of the pause button for the video and/or go directly to the study source. Under every video is a section label titled, “Sources Cited”. You can expand that section and follow up with the original studies if you see a topic that particularly interests you.Personally, I found the numbers presented in this video (above the bar charts) to be sufficient for my needs, and that the flying charts where highly amusing and kept my attention. So, this video worked well for me.Good luck.Thanks, Thea. Your comments were helpful.Low amounts of IGF-1 can cause a lower quality of life and the appearance of being more aged *ie, skin more loose, less elasticity, smaller muscle, weaker bone, slower injury healing, etc”. IGF-1 is one of the major youth hormones in our bodies and many Hollywood celebrities and athletes supplement growth hormone (which is what IGF-1 is).Not everyone is at risk of developing IGF-1 cancer tumors. Let’s get that straight. This article doesn’t actually give you the percentage of people who are at risk of those types of cancer.Next, if you look at weight lifters who take strong dosages of growth hormone, you don’t see really any deaths or side effects. You see men living one hell of a high quality lifestyle. Are there risks with higher IGF-1? For A FEW unlucky people, yes, they would be at risk of cancer growth. For MOST people, this is not a risk and they can have high growth hormone levels well into their old ages and get lifestyle benefits from it. The biggest side effect would be an enlarged heart in a small number of people who are taking pro-body-builder levels of growth hormone.Don’t let articles like this mislead you are ‘scare’ you about growth hormone.I don’t think anyone would agree that weight lifters are a model of health. These people supplement vast quantities of protein, the diet is not sustainable for a long healthy lifestyle. The IGF-1 issue is very real. It does not cause immediate death, it leads to chronic disease.“In this regard it is of special concern that male adolescents in the fitness and bodybuilding environment consume high amounts (60–80 g/d) of leucine-rich whey- or casein-based protein concentrates to gain muscle mass, a procedure which is often associated with the development of acne…it is frightening to realize that more than 85% of adolescents of Western countries exhibit acne, whereas individuals of non-Western populations like the Kitava are not affected by this disease and other mTORC1-driven diseases of civilization.3,149 This implies that the majority of our Western population is living with over-activated mTORC1 signaling, a major pathogenic factor, which probably may pave the way for the development of other serious diseases of civilization” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408989/Im confused. Isnt IGF-1 the human growth hormone thats good to stay young etc? (im a man and my desire is to stay as young and virile a man i can be for as long as possible).Oliver: Since staying virile is important to you, I highly recommend the following videos: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=impotenceThis article may also help: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/Good luck.This medical doc, Sara Gottfried, MD, is down playing IGF-1, what’s Dr. Gregor’s take on this data? Link: http://www.saragottfriedmd.com/does-meat-cause-cancer-revisiting-the-meat-igf-1-and-cancer-connection/ ThanksI don’t see any data? Looks like a neat site with well-written info, but no listed studies or links to research. That would be helpful to try to help answer your question. Thanks, James.I got a blood panel recently to prove to myself, and my family, that a whole plant food diet is health promoting in every way (5 months in). Part of my blood panel included my testosterone levels. My docs response was, “Your levels are a bit high, stop taking hormone supplements if you are.” I do not take hormone supplements. Just the whole plant foods…I read nutritionfacts’ material on the subject. The IGF1 info shed some light on why my levels are high. Below are my levels. Please let me know if this is consistent with that of a vegan’s testosterone levels ( I am 25). I worry about my prostate. Thank you!Average Range Mine Testosterone Total 250 – 1100 ng/dL 1403 Testosterone Free 35.0 – 155.0 pg/mL 162.8I do take a 1mg finasteride supplement daily to keep hair on my head. I read that prostate supplements (higher dosages of finasteride) can cause an increase in testosterone.Hi Idombovic. Thanks for reposting your comment unfortunately I am not family with that medication. I suggest asking your doctor about it’s safety. I’ll double check with one of our volunteer doctor’s who help out here. Give them some time to respond. I have not heard of folks going on a plant-based diet having spikes in testosterone.Hello Joseph. This video on IGF1’s mentions that vegans have higher testosterone. I never had a blood panel before my change to a plant based diet, so i do not have a baseline for that. If you happen to know the average plant-based eater’s testosterone range, that would be great. I will be awaiting your response. Thank you.Wow thanks for clarifying it does say vegan men have been found to have higher testosterone levels, but the authors conclude “Vegans had higher testosterone levels than vegetarians and meat-eaters, but this was offset by higher sex hormone binding globulin, and there were no differences between diet groups in free testosterone, androstanediol glucuronide or luteinizing hormone” So that is reassuring.Testosterone ranges are not different. They are not based on diet. It also depends on age. Your doctor will be much better answering this question than me ;-) Ask her or him if this is right. Adults 20-39 years: 400-1080 ng/dL, 40-59 years: 350-890ng/dL. Lastly, I heard from one of our volunteer docs and they think the medication might be the issue. Again, I suggest discussing with your doctor. Thanks for all the comments and nice posts!Lol, those baby graphs! I was gonna link this video as a reference to a LC-group before I saw them, but they just don’t add to the argument =D Despite that, nice video tho!What about this study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12944100” There is good reason to suspect that low-fat vegan diets tend to down-regulate systemic IGF-I activity; this effect would be expected to increase stroke risk in vegans. Furthermore, epidemiology suggests that low serum cholesterol, and possibly also a low dietary intake of saturated fat–both characteristic of those adopting low-fat vegan diets–may also increase stroke risk. ”IGF-I activity may be a key determinant of stroke risk–a cautionary lesson for vegans.	animal products,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,exercise,flexitarians,IGF-1,in vitro studies,low-fat diets,meat,men's health,menopause,plant-based diets,Pritikin,standard American diet,testosterone,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	Those eating vegan had significantly lower IGF-1 levels and higher IGF binding proteins than those just eating vegetarian, suggesting that the more plant-based one's diet becomes, the lower one's risk of fueling growth hormone dependent cancer growth.	To review, I started out introducing Nathan Pritikin (Engineering a Cure) and the elegant series of experiments that became part of his legacy (Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay). They were able to demonstrate themechanism by which a plant-based diet and exercise could suppress the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells and protect against prostate enlargement(more on BPH here, and specific foods that may help). I also asked and answered Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? We learned that the cancer promoting growth hormone IGF-1 seemed to be The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle, but why? What is it about plant-based diets that lower IGF-1 levels and increase our body's ability to neutralize IGF-1? Find out in Monday's video-of-the-day Protein Intake and IGF-1 Production.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Vegan Men: More Testosterone But Less Cancer and Animal Protein and the Cancer Promoter IGF-1	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12588089,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16094059,
PLAIN-2880	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/	The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle	Remember the Pritikin experiments? You put people on a plant-based diet and exercise and in as little as 12 days you can turn their bloodstream into a cancer cell fighting machine. Here's the before picture, a layer of breast cancer cells is laid downin a petri dish and then blood from women eating the standard American diet is dripped on them, and as you can see, even people eating crappy diets have some ability to break down cancer. But after just 12 days eating healthy, blood was drawn from those same women, dripped on another carpet of breast cancer cells and this is what you're left with. Their bodies cleaned up!You can also look at it another way. This is what's called terminal-deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-dUTP-nick-end-labeling or "tunel" imaging, which measures DNA fragmentation, cell death. Dying cells show up as white spots. So again, this is the before, what the blood of your average woman can do to breast cancer cells. If can kill of a few. But then after 12 days of healthy plant-based living their blood can do this.This is called programmed cancer cell death. After eating healthy, their own bodies were able to reprogram the cancer cells—forcing them into early retirement. It’s like you’re an entirely different person inside. How does a simple dietary change make one’s bloodstream so inhospitable to cancer in just a matter of days? That, was the next question they set out to answer, and they finally did, in 2011... “Here we sought to determine the underlying mechanisms for these anticancer effects.” And what they came up with was IGF-1.If you measure the blood levels of Insulin Like Growth Factor One before and after 11 days on a plant-based diet with exercise, IGF-1 levels significantly drop. And, IGF-1 binding protein levels, significantly rise. That’s one way our body tries to protect itself from cancer—from excessive growth—by releasing a binding protein into our bloodstream to tie up IGF-1. It's like our body’s emergency brake. Yeah sure, in as little as 11 days a healthy diet can reprogram your body to slow down IGF-1 production, but you still have all that IGF-1 circulating in your bloodstream from the bacon and eggs you had the week before. So your liver releases a snatch squad of binding proteins to take it out of circulation pronto. Exercise alone can drop IGF-1 levels, but you need the plant based diet to get those kind of snatch squad levels.And so with that combination, 20% less IGF-1, and 50% more IGF binding protein, no wonder there was such a dramatic cancer cell die-off after just a few days.So did they solve the riddle, did they figure out how a plant-based diet shuts down cancer growth? Well the definitive study wasn’t published until recently.Same as last time; before and after a few weeks of a plant-based diet. Cancer cell growth drops; programmed cancer cell death, shoots up. But then here’s the kicker. Remember how IGF1 levels dropped? Well, what if you add that exact same amount of IGF1 back in with the cancer? … It erases the diet and exercise effect. It’s like you never started eating healthy at all. Now if cancer growth just came back down to here you’d think OK, IGF was part of it, but the fact that it eliminated the effects of the lifestyle changes, suggests that that was the mechanism all along: Walking, and eating a plant based diet for just a few days, lowers circulating IGF1 levels, which then can reverse cancer growth.	Who is Pritikin? See Engineering a Cure. What’s the puzzle? See Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay and Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet. What’s the big deal about IGF-1? See IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop and Cancer-Proofing Mutation. The binding protein findings may explain the conclusion in Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both?. As I covered in my full-length 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, tomorrow’s video-of-the-day How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1? will go a level deeper and explore why eating plants lowers IGF-1.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Life is the pursuit of balance not happiness; for, finding balance brings happiness.So where is the balance of IGF-1?  For finding this would bring reduced rates of cancer and increasing happiness for so many.As for now I think this will remain a rhetorical question. What about vegan children?  If IGF-1 is so important for growth, are vegan children at risk of slow growth?  Are vegan children statistically shorter, lower in weight, or underdeveloped?Amazing! I know–gives me goosebumps!Just like quitting eating meat Cold Turkey!  Gave me Goose-Bumps ;-}I did it cold turkey too! It was my New Year’s resolution for 1994. Had Popeye’s fried chicken on New Year’s Eve, turned lacto-ovo on New Year’s Day, then lacto (no milk, but cheese), then vegan in 2000. I’ve had accidents, but have never cheated.Meat free since midnight ’93!  ;)I think this might have been addressed by the fact that longer term veg eaters blood appeared to have the same effect on cell death, but I’m curious if there isn’t a possibility that after several weeks the lower IGF-1 levels achieve a new steady state and another mechanism might impact cancer cell growth.  Would the same increase be seen in lower term studies if IGF-1 was added back at that point?Another one for the good guys.Dear Dr. Greger, THANK YOU for all your efforts in improving health throughout the world! :) After your video yesterday, I became intrigued (as usual) and searched for information about IGF-1 and became a bit confused. First, I watched a BBC documentary in which the presenter, on the advice of a couple of researchers and physicians, went on a 4-day fast and then occasionally fasted for a couple of days at a time. This seemed to be enough to significantly lower his IGF-1 levels with no apparent change in his Western-based diet otherwise. He lost a bit of weight. So do you think the drop in IGF-1 levels while on a healthy entirely vegetable-based diet has to do with the vegetables themselves or do you think it could have more to do with a lower calorie intake or drop to a normal weight? Second, in a video on YouTube, Dr. McDougall accused soy protein of being even worse than milk and animal protein in boosting IGF-1 levels. However, in the same video, he also says that the amount of IGF-1 in vegan men and women is much lower, even though they eat lots of soy. We’re a vegan family that consumes lots of soy products, so if IGF-1 levels are the key to good health, should we also be aiming for lesser calories and less soy, at least in the adults? matchalover: Great questions.I am not an expert and can not answer all of your questions.  However, I thought you might be interested to know that the Portland VegFest conference this last weekend featured speaker, Mark Messina, PhD.  “Dr. Messina has devoted his time primarily to the study of the health effects of soy foods and soybean isoflavones.”After looking at all the science around soy, his bottom line was that people *should* be eating soy foods.  There were some limitations.  For example, Dr. Messina did point out the same case study that Dr. Greger points out where a man drinking huge amounts (12 cups?) of soy milk every day ran into problems.  But he felt that all the research points to an over all health benefit from a certain number of servings of traditional soy foods (like tofu and tempeh) each day.I only caught the last part of the speech.  So, I don’t know if he addressed IFG-1 specfically, but I did catch his bottom line and I do know that he *did* address cancer.That said, I do know that Dr. Greger has videos coming up with titles such as:   “Too much soy may neutralize benefits” and “How much soy is too much?”  So stay tuned.  Based on all of the videos from Dr. Greger and based on the talk by Dr. Messina, it is my guess that like many things (such as protein, vitamin A, etc.), there is an optimal range for soy food intake.  You don’t want too little or too much. I will also add that I found this quote about Dr. Messina: “He is a former program director with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), where he initiated a research program on the anticancer effects of soy.” Apparently, eating less food includes eating less of the bad food that increases IGF-1 in our bodies. I don’t think it’s a matter of a vegan vs. an omnivore diet, but a matter of the specific nutrients in a food, vegan or animal. Seems to me that we’re better off eating most plant foods since this is what nature suggests. Our ancestors weren’t fast enough to run down animals, didn’t have claws and fangs, so they naturally ate plants. But when their ideal foods were in short supply or they were less in tune to their instincts, they became scavengers and ate whatever was available. It’s possible however that not all plant foods were part of our original diet or are healthy for us- especially processed, concentrated soy, as Dr. McDougall gives evidence for in  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHYFOJBU434 so it’s probably best to avoid it as a staple. Legumes, along with grains and some other plant foods have anti-nutrients and poisons in them, although some of them can be removed by cooking. But not all of them. And I don’t know whether the first humans cooked or not. So it’s possible that not all of grains or legumes are totally healthy even after this processing or part of our native diet. All I can conclude is that just because it comes from a plant, that doesn’t mean that we should eat it. I would guess that most traditional vegetables and fruits are safe though- although I wonder about the nightshade family of vegetables for example, are safe at least some people who seem to be sensitive. And there is evidence that cultures have thrived on white rice for example, the bran containing some toxins.Dr. Luigi Fontana has studied calorie restrictors and found that they had higher IGF-1 levels than raw food vegans.  Looking more closely, it was found that the CR guys were eating 25% protein, while RFV were eating 10-12% protein.  When the CR guys lowered their protein intakes to 10%, their IGF-1 came down.  PMID: 18843793Even elevated levels of vegetable protein (ie soy isolates) can lead to increased IGF-1.  PMID: 7571965 .  I would venture to guess that brown rice protein, Hemp protein and split pea  protein would elevate IGF-1 if consumed in excess.    This is something that bodybuilders (even the vegan ones) have known for some time..  Hi,I also watched that BBC documenatry, and I would love to know the answer to that as well. The documentary is: BBC Horizon 2012: Eat, Fast and Live Longer. I too saw the Horizon show on fasting and IGF-1.  I am really curious to know  how fasting might fit into an overall healthy vegetarian/vegan diet, as “matchalover” asked.Hoping you’ll get into the details of which foods are high in IGF-1. For instance, dairy for sure, but what about soy protein isolate, as Dr. McDougall discussed in one of his videos online. Soy protein isolate qualifies as “plant-based” and yet it seemed to elevate IGF-1 levels even more than dairy, according to McDougall. Here’s the study Dr. Mcdougall cites:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12629084Soy has natural estrogen soy eating soy with breast cancer will increase the cancer…..its a fact cuz when I took care of cancer patients they gave me their soy if they had any…plus my dad died of breast cancer and he couldnt eat any tofu, not that he was a big fan….and my mom has breast cancer but she is big on organics and veggies…and my sister had it twice…actually the obituary said he died of breast cancer…which did spread to his liver….but he died from the hospital…he got pneumonia and twice they put his leg blow up cuffs…..i dont know what you call them…way to tight and he couldnt walk….the second time he never could walk again….they day he was due to leave…he died….the veggie diet gave him two years….after he was on hospice….and off hospice and driving and painting and dancing.The fear over soy, and the reasons for it, are unjustified. Soy does not have natural estrogen. Please do more research. QUOTE….Int J Endocrinology .2010 Sep 22. ..low-intensity aerobic training decreased the circulating levels of IGF-I by 9%, while IGFBP-1 levels increased by 16%. An interesting finding was that higher pre-training level of IGF-I was associated with greater decline in IGF-I with training. Insulin-sensitizing low-intensity aerobic exercise is thus considered to be an effective method for downregulating IGF-I and upregulating IGFBP-1 levels: And the very latest,  from Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2012 Sep 25. Concludes:Older men with higher IGFBP1 level, or both lower IGF-I and testosterone, are more likely to be frail, while those with lower IGF-I and higher IGFBP1 are more likely to become frail. Components of the IGF-I system may be biomarkers or independent predictors of frailty.So if we eat more plants and do more walking, we reduce our cancer risk and die of frailty instead.Longevity is clearly not just a case of endlessly reducing/increasing some serum-level  components such as IGF-1, testosterone, vitamin D, selenium, zinc, or anything else, but finding what the optimum levels are and what baseline we are starting from (e.g., the appalling Western processed diet). What makes it so maddeningly complex is that these optimal levels are interactive, and that’s before genetics and epigenetics are factored in.IGF-1 protects the skeleton, but at what level does it become a negative and in what context? Also IGF-1 repairs muscle tissue in bodybuilding’s high resistance exercise, but it seems to do this locally. Does this have adverse effects elsewhere or are the local effects confined? So much more research needs to be done as paradoxes abound.so is low intensity exercise (walking) better than higher intensity exercise(running) for cancer prevention?is 30 minutes better than 60 minutes daily?A very tough question. Recent studies in the UK show that major CVD benefits for most genetic types could be achieved through only ONE minute of intense cycling (to exhaustion) three days a week, but there is no indication of what this does for cancer. Interval training loses weight faster than steady walking, but it probably increases IGF-1 levels. Intense exercise triggers repair mechanisms, but at what cancer cost? If you look at centenarians, most were active in the sense of lots of walking, or time on their feet, but were not athletes, bodybuilders, or heavy exercise junkies.The assumed trade-off between reproductive energy expenditure and longevity, if true, may have a part to play here. Building larger muscles such as heart muscles via heavy exercise may also increase the (growth) hormone components of cancers. I wish I knew. Distance runners are notoriously skinny while sprinters are well-muscled. The distance runners probably have too little IGF-1 and are frail, while the sprinters probably have a healthier level and maintain their muscle mass. Sarcopenia (loss of muscle) with age is one of the things we need to be concerned about as we get older, so I’ve started doing uphill sprints and taking branched chain amino acids, which the research seems to support as effective measures against it. So, you see, R Ian Flett, you don’t have to die of either frailty or cancer. Check out High Intensity Interval Training and BCAA articles on the internet.Vegans have as much free testosterone as meat-eaters, so that would not be an issue. Exercise and a bit of weight-lifting should take care of any fraility issues. Still a good idea to have higher levels of IGFBP1:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22357965I was eating a plant based diet when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.I wouldn’t rule out exposure to plastics/toxic chemicals as a cause then. Technically, I think you should have lower risk on a strictly plant-based diet but frequently our foods are wrapped/shipped in plastics that have estrogen-like chemicals. Also, do you eat/drink things off a plastic or heat them up in the microwave, etc. ? Just a thought to consider. Hope you get well soon!The three studies involved low fat, high fiber, not just plants.  (Actually, looks like Barnard allowed a little meat.)  Low fat was defined as 15% or less.  If you’re going to talk about a “healthy plant-based diet” as shown in particular studies, you should specify the diet in question.The McCarthy article makes specific points about low fat vegan diets, not only vegan diets in general.Pritikin himself specified 10% fat.I’ve been watching your videos from the first one on.  Lots of great stuff.  But I haven’t heard you specify your notion of a healthy fat level or if you think that one exists.If you don’t, then I don’t think it fair to rely on Pritikin, Ornish, Esselstyn, Barnard, and others whose diets do limit fat.…But didn’t Pritikin DIE of Cancer while eating an impeccable plant-based diet?not sure how accurate this information is but “In the early 1980s, he began to suffer severe pain and complications related to his decades-long fight with leukemia, which had been in remission for 27 years.[4][5] He committed suicide on February 21, 1985.[6]” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_PritikinDr. Grerer, Didn’t Pritikin GET cancer, and was dying from it? Haven’t studies comparing vegetarians vs. non-vegetarians always concluded pretty much same all cause mortality? Only significant protection I’ve noticed is from ischemic heart disease. The vegetarians died of cancer.. just like the meat eaters, and had higher probability of getting certain cancers? Why doesnt this match up with what you are saying or Furhman or Mcdoughall? Am I restricting what I eat unnecessarily? Pointlessly?Liz: While you can find studies to show anything you want, the way to get your answers is to look at the body of scientific evidence. That body of evidence is pretty clear, with studies favoring plant based diets FAR outweighing studies saying anything else.Concerning your specific questions: “Haven’t studies comparing vegetarians vs. non-vegetarians always concluded pretty much same all cause mortality” No. I’ve seen studies where vegetarians and vegans live longer. The latest study I saw put vegetarians at 7 years longer life. Based on what we know about nutritional science, I would expect whole-food vegans with b12 supplement to live even longer – precisely because we get less cancer, heart disease, etc.“The vegetarians died of cancer.. just like the meat eaters, and had higher probability of getting certain cancers?” No. Not just like. One thing to remember is that there can be a huge difference between vegetarian and vegan. Vegetarians can end up getting as much animal protein as meat-eaters. Dr. Greger recommends eliminating animal products, not just meat. So, it probably isn’t hard to find studies that show small effects on vegetarians. However, vegans have been shown to have signficantly less cancer, especially breast, prostate, colorectal and I believe others. I highly recommend that you read The China Study if you want to educate yourself on the link between diet and cancer. You might also watch Dr. Greger’s video Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death – available on this site.re: “The vegetarians died of cancer…” One thing I like to remind people is that lowering probability of something happening is not the same thing as guaranteeing that it won’t happen. If I find out that I lower my risk of getting cancer by say (I’m just throwing out a number to make a point) 50%, I consider that a significant reduction and worth my effort. Put another way: If two people in your family would get cancer by doing nothing, but one person could be saved by doing something, wouldn’t it be worth it to do something?So, what is the actual probability/lessening of risk? That depends on types of cancers, environmental factors, which studies you look at, etc. But one think is almost always clear: The lessening of risk is significant. So, to answer your question: “Am I restricting what I eat unnecessarily?” That’s for you to answer. But if you want the best chance of avoiding the most common diseases afflicting Americans and other Western cultures, then the answer is very clear: NO. You are doing exactly what you need to do to help yourself.Best of luck to you.Researchers studying people over 100 years old around the world reported that all of them ate meat, none ate yoghurt, and none exercised for their health. They had nothing else in common, including their diets.Pritikin DID NOT die of cancer. In 1985, he took his own life. But..his diet gave him 27 years extra life compared to the time he was told he had. Back in the 50’s he had a “decades-long fight with leukemia, which had been in remission for 27 years.[4][5] (thanks to his diet) He committed suicide on February 21, 1985.[6]Vegan propaganda at its best. There are plenty of other possible reasons for early puberty. We have been eating meat and other sources of animal protein for thousands of years. Just now these proteins are causing early puberty? This is a disgrace. I can’t believe people buy into this utter crap because they are sooooo biased by their belief thst we should not kill animals for food. This is very sad. Please, please, come up with better reasons to eliminate all animal products from our diet! The China Study and Forks Over Knives have both been debunked by some very intelligent people who did very solid research. You can’t use these weak arguments anymore.Morgan, just because you think this way doesn’t mean anything, have you got actual scientific data to support your loathing of a nutritional diet? Your statement sounds like you’re the hefty wife of a beef farmer sitting around a table knitting with your friends, no data, just unsupported greasy hate statementsFYI, for the “thousands of years” we haven’t been injecting our meats and diary with hormones. If you don’t believe “vegan propaganda” then it is YOUR loss. I feel for your family that will have to mourn your early departure from this Earth. Your choice entirely. No one is out there taking away the steak you are eating against your will!Try it. You obviously never have.Just for prevision, the published research does not say that the diet was vegetarian; indeed the “diet consisted of natural whole grains, fruits and vegetables with limited amounts (< 3.5 oz) of fish, fowl or lean meat and nonfat milk".This is friggin incredible!Chris, I am familiar with your story from watching Quest for the Cures, a fantastic and illuminating series, and kudos to you for being so brave and for sharing your experience with so many! (Gotta love the internet or we probably wouldn’t know about any of it!) Anyway, I am also very interested in the huge issue of the diverse dietary approaches, and wish someone could reply to your query! I know this is an older post, but the question still begs some feedback. I’m aware no one has all the answers, but it would be great to at least hear some thoughts on the matter! Anyone?No where in this video does it let anyone know that Pritikin committed suicide after suffering severe pain and complication due to his having leukemia.http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20090134,00.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Pritikinhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/09/waste-time-finding-perfect-diet.htmlOf course chemo is never the answer to a cancer diagnosis, anyway, the way I see it.I don’t understand how his ultimate demise is relevant to the work and example he set. The autopsy of his body found a remarkably healthy (for the Western world) vascular system. And as any suicide, no one other than the subject can fully know his/her circumstances that led to that final breaking point. We can only guess and imagine. Our conjectures mean nothing.An associate of mine recently attempted such. I’ll never know exactly, and won’t ask, it changes nothing between us. I only wish him full recovery and more peace of mind and body for the rest of his duration.	breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cell death,exercise,IGF-1,in vitro studies,plant-based diets,Pritikin,standard American diet,women's health	Lower cancer rates among those eating a plant-based diet may be a result of reduced blood levels of IGF-1 and enhanced production of IGF-1 binding protein.	Who is Pritikin? See Engineering a Cure. What's the puzzle? See Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay and Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet. What's the big deal about IGF-1? See IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop and Cancer-Proofing Mutation. The binding protein findings may explain the conclusion in Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both?. As I covered in my full-length 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, tomorrow's video-of-the-day How Plant-Based to Lower IGF-1? will go a level deeper and explore why eating plants lowers IGF-1.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Top 10 Most Popular Videos of the Year, Cancer-Proofing Your Body, How Do Plant-Based Diets Fight Cancer?, Animal Protein and the Cancer Promoter IGF-1,  Vegan Men: More Testosterone But Less Cancer, Vegan Men: More Testosterone But Less Cancer, How Much Soy Is Too Much?, Eating Green to Prevent Cancer, Are Bioidentical Hormones Safe?, How Tumors Use Meat to Grow, Plant-Based Diets for Multiple Sclerosis, Go Nuts for Breast Cancer Prevention, Apple Peels Turn On Anticancer Genes, Estrogenic Chemicals in Meat, Why Are Children Starting Puberty Earlier?, and Flaxseeds for Prostate Cancer	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/15/why-are-children-starting-puberty-earlier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/21/plant-based-diets-for-multiple-sclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/31/cancer-proofing-your-body/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/04/are-bioidentical-hormones-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/18/go-nuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-plant-based-to-lower-igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10687887,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12588089,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16965238,
PLAIN-2881	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-proofing-mutation/	Cancer-Proofing Mutation	You may have seen this recent New York Times story, about a rare genetic defect that leads to a type of dwarfism—that’s IGF-1 deficiency. Their growth factor levels are so low they only grow this tall, but they almost never get cancer. Here's the IGF-1 levels in their nonaffected relatives compared to those with the condition. Now let's look at their respective cancer rates. About 20% of their relatives died of cancer, which is pretty standard. And the percentage of those with IGF-1 deficiency dying of cancer? Zero. Not a single person in the study.Here’s what nonaffected family members die of—the usual, heart disease, cancer, stroke. The folks with IGF-1 deficiency may die of a lot of things—they actually get hit by cars more, were recorded tripping down stairs, so 20% death from accidents, but they never died of cancer.So, scientists began thinking, why not have the best of both worlds. Have all the growth factor you need as a kid, to grow to a normal height, but then, as soon as you attain a normal adult stature, keep your IGF-1 levels low. Keep your cell life and death balance sheets balanced. And we can do that, through dietary manipulation [which I will cover tomorrow]	For background on the cancer promoting effects on IGF-1 make sure to check out yesterday’s video-of-the-day IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop. Tomorrow I unveil The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle, for those who missed the spoiler alert in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. What puzzle? See Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay and Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet.Then, if you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.It’s not working! How will I ever learn how to live forever! Oh, the humanity!!! Sorry Elpoo–we’re working on it. Stay tuned!LOL…yes, what’s the “dietary manipulation” needed???Yes plz! where to find the “dietary manipulation” info.??? and what kind of veggies that promotes IGF-1?But don’t hold your breath. ;-)Interesting sentence (from the Discussion section, paragraph 2) of the source article (Guevara-Aguirre et al.):“The lack of lifespan extension in GHRD subjects may be explained in large part by the major proportion of deaths (70%) caused by convulsive disorders, alcohol toxicity, accidents, liver cirrhosis and other non-age-related causes.”GHRD refers to the Growth Hormone Receptor Deficiency subjects who were the experimental group in the study that Dr. Greger is describing. They are not just deficient in IGF-1, but also growth hormone receptor (GHR). BPCveg always with the sharp eye.Thank you sir! About 24 seconds into the video, Dr. Greger reports that these little folks have an insignificant amount of  the hormone itself, especially compared to their relatives, not just defective receptors- which they also have. But why do you suppose these folks die from convulsive disorders so often? I noticed that they live in Ecuador;  where cocaine is easily available. Could it be that their little bodies can’t handle cocaine as well- if that’s the cause? I think that having smaller livers must be what explains their alcohol toxicity.Doug R: I have the impression that the convulsive disorders are referring to epileptic seizures. There is evidence of a connection between epilepsy and reduced growth hormone and IGF-1 levels. For example, see:http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yejpn/article/S1090-3798(10)00030-9/abstract Thanks BPCveg, it could be, but I’m not sure this article is saying that. Seems to me it’s blaming the treatment drug,  ‘post provocation’  valproate for reducing HGH and IGF-1, instead of saying that epilepsy and low IGF-1 are commodities. ‘Course, I could be reading it wrong and it is interesting that the treatment group had higher BMI’s, something common with the little guys who have Laron’s. If you find anything more specific, please let us all know. I’m sure you’re much more informed about this stuff than I am. I just thought that if they’re inclined in their culture to drink to excess, resulting in death, the same could easily be true of cocaine misuse, which can cause convulsive disorders. I also want everyone to understand that I don’t want to appear to be critical of the little guys; if I am, I’m afraid that they may come and bite my kneecap.Hi Doug:  Sorry for sending the wrong article; I agree it doesn’t quite convey what I tried to suggest.I did a few more searches on the subject (wikipedia, google scholar, etc) and it turns out that those who suffer from Laron Syndrome (the type of dwarfism described in this video) frequently have chronic low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) and that this low blood sugar can lead to shortage of brain blood sugar (Neuroglycopenia), which is associated with loss of conciousness, damage to the brain, seizures etc. I guess that this may explain why those with Laron’s syndrome suffer from more “convulsive disorders” and more accidents. What do you think?Interesting. Can low IGF-1 and/or high hgh (because that’s the case for Larons) be linked to chronic low blood sugar? And if so, what is the mechanism?No diabetes either.nmI would like to know the average life span of these people.I remember learning that people with Drawfism live a shorter time.  If you live a signifaclly shorted time you have less time for the cancer in your body to grow.Blaming IGF-1 for cancer sounds legitimate, but how can you explain people like Steve Jobs, who are lifelong vegans, getting and dying from cancer? His own body produced too much?  I read Dr. McDougall’s article on Steve Jobs, but the issue of why cancer was able to thrive in his body despite his vegan diet was never fully addressed.Jobs was overweight for some time. Who knows what he ate behind closed doors exactly? I’d say processed foods helped to keep him that way and could also have negative effects.That’s a possibility.  Though he abstained from eating animal products, he may have eaten a lot of fried and processed foods;  that’s a big ‘maybe’ though.  Even with that being said, Dr. Greger is saying that people switching to a vegan diet maintain lower levels of IGF-1 and produce blood that is “inhospitable to cancer.”  Even if he was exposed to high levels of carcinogens, cancer shouldn’t have been able to thrive in his body as it did.  That’s the part that I find troubling.I think with Steve Jobs it was more a case of exposure to carcinogenic substances early in his career, and less related to excess IGF-1. I read Dr. McDougall’s excellent article as well. Heavy-duty chemical carcinogens may have, unfortunately in this case, trumped Steve’s veganism. As Mike and Carl point out, there are lots of factors in life besides diet that contribute to risk, though diet is certainly one of the most important ones.  You can also always find exceptions to rules, like the guy who smokes two packs a day and drinks like a fish but lives to be 104.  It is extremely uncommon, but it happens.  Likewise, you can find the person who does everything right and still gets a horrible disease.  But statistically speaking, those examples are so rare as to be relatively insignificant – they don’t prove much of anything.  What is much more common is for people who take good care of themselves to live longer, healthier, more functional lives in general, and for those who don’t take care of themselves to run into debilitating problems prematurely, or death.  It’s not 0% vs. 100% probability, it’s always somewhere in between.  All we can do is just work to improve our chances, even though there are never guarantees. Right on Maureen. Anecdotes are interesting, but statistical significance is what matters.Steve Jobs was not vegan – he ate fish!I think Steve was in fact vegan, up until his pancreatic issues. Then he encountered, and ultimately gave into, pressure from his wife and his docs to include animal protein (e.g. fish) in his diet.http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2011nl/nov/jobs.pdfFrom what I understand, he only began eating fish near the end of his life.  The cancer grew slowly over the course of a couple decades, during which time, he was vegan.  At least that’s what I’ve read.Who knows what his vegan diet consisted of. Perhaps he included many refined products, or perhaps he exposed his body to many carcinogens. There are a number of possible nutritional factors. “Vegan” only means no animal products. Oreos, chips and white bread is all vegan.A vegan diet does not mean zero chance of cancer, only a reduced chance of cancer.A vegan does not equate to health either. White breads, candy, french fries, mock meats and the like are all vegan yet considered unhealthy foods. Ideally we want to consume whole, unrefined plant foods.Precisely, “vegan diet” is a concept, it’s execution in practice is what makes the difference. Even farm fresh organic veggies could have heavy metals like arsenic, a potent carcinogen especially common is the Australian and New Zealand soil. Cooking methods matter, Dr Greger pointed that raw vegan diets are more susceptible to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, cooking method also matter (i.e. frying is vegan), burnt food (i.e. burnt carrots) is carcinogenic…Here’s a link to a Scientific American article (published Feb 2011) covering Laron’s syndrome (the type of dwarfism discussed in this video):http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=defective-growth-gene-in-dwarfismThe article makes essentially the same argument as Dr. Greger – first noting that those with Laron’s have virtually zero cancer rate and then noting that “greater protein intake and higher IGF1 levels contribute to the increasing cancer incidence”.Astonishingly, near the end of the article quotes one of the researchers stating:“people shouldn’t make up their own diets to try to extend their life. If you don’t have a clear disclaimer, you will be amazed at what people do.”A plant-based diet can lower IGF-1 levels, but how do the lower levels post diet/exercise compare to people with Laron’s syndrome or people in the lower risk group in the meta-analyses shown in the video?Sorry I was referring to the meta-analyses shown in the previous video.	accidents,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cell death,dwarfism,heart disease,heart health,IGF-1,Laron syndrome,lifespan,longevity,mortality,stroke	Congenital IGF-1 deficiency can lead to Laron Syndrome (a type of dwarfism), but with such low growth hormone levels those with the condition have dramatically lower cancer rates. This raises the question of whether one can achieve the best of both worlds by ensuring adequate IGF-1 levels during childhood while then suppressing excess growth promotion in adulthood.	For background on the cancer promoting effects on IGF-1 make sure to check out yesterday's video-of-the-day IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop. Tomorrow I unveil The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle, for those who missed the spoiler alert in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. What puzzle? See Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay and Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet.Then, if you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/laron-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/accidents/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dwarfism/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/the-answer-to-the-pritikin-puzzle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21325617,
PLAIN-2882	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/	IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop	Why do centenarians escape cancer?—people who live to be over a hundred years old.As we get older… our risk of getting and dying from cancer grows year by year—but, once you hit about 85 90, your cancer risk starts to drop.Kinda makes sense; I mean if you didn’t get it by then maybe you’re never going to get it. If you live that long maybe it’s a sign that there something special about you. It seems that centernarians are endowed with a particular resistance to cancer. So what’s their secret?Every day, 50 billion of our cells die. And every day, 50 billion new ones are born. There’s a balance. Otherwise your body would atrophy,—shrink—or get too big and crowded.Now sometimes we need grow, like when we’re a baby, or that growth spurt around puberty. Our cells don’t get larger when we grow up, they get more numerous. A child's hand may only be made up of about 50 billion cells, and may have to add half trillion or so growing up.Once we've already grown up we don’t want a lot of extra cells hanging around. We still need our cells to grow and divide—out with the old; in with the new. We just don’t want to be making more cells than we're putting out to pasture. When you’re a kid extra growth can be good; when you’re an adult, extra growth can mean a tumor.How do our cells know when to tip the scale in favor of more dividing and less dying and when to come back into balance? A key signal is IGF-1, a growth hormone called insulin-like growth factor #1. Levels goes up when you’re s kid so you grow and then comes back down. Should your levels stay a bit too high as an adult, though, there’s this constant message to your cells grow, grow, grow, divide, don’t die, keep going, keep growing. And so not surprisingly, the more IGF-1 you have in your bloodstream, the higher your risk for cancer. More IGF, more prostate cancer… more IGF, more breast cancer;Of course it’s not the original tumor that tends to kill you, it's the metastases. IGF-1 is a growth factor, it helps things grow, so it helps cancer cells break off from the main tumor, migrate into surrounding tissues, and invade the bloodstream. What do you think helps breast cancer get into the bone? IGF-1… and the liver, IGF1. lung, brain, lymph nodes. IGF-1, helps transform normal cells into cancer cells in the first place, then helps them survive, proliferate, self-renew, grow, migrate, invade, stabilize into new tumors, and even helps hook up the blood supply to the new tumor. IGF-1 is a growth hormone that, makes things grow—that's what it does. But too much growth when we're all grown up can mean cancer.[Let’s turn next to how we can prevent all this.]	This video seems like a departure from the last 5 videos, which describes an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay, but those who’ve seen my full-length presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death know that this all circles around in the end. I’ve touched on IGF-1 before in Daily Hormonal Interference and Meat Hormones & Female Infertility, but soon you’ll know everything you wanted to about it (but may have been afraid to ask!).If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.How is this different from Human Growth Hormone for muscle building?Its the same hormone actually. The supplement industry for bodybuilders has a very damaging impact on those consuming their products. Little do people know that most of the supplements they take is either useless or harmful.IGF-1 seems to be very closely linked to overall dietary protein intake…would be interested to get your thoughts on this..Can’t wait to hear the prevention part of this. Me too, I hope there will be some videos on what foods will contain or make the body produce more of this hormone.I guess that in the next videos you are going to show that bovine IGF-1 is identical to human IGF-1, that it survives digestion, and eventually enters circulation to boost the endogenous levels of IGF-1. Which means, cow milk is the best way to promote cancer. I hope so. If not identical then similar enough that we cannot discount that cow milk hormone may affect us in similar way. I mean we ARE drinking a milk that is meant to make animals grow. We are animals. The only ones that drink milk into adulthood and the only ones that drink milk from another species, they say. I just can’t believe that if it were a good practice that nature would have just goofed and not made it a natural food for animals. We need to stop thinking we know so much more than what the natural world is screaming at us. I believe our bodies are BEGGING us to stop consuming dairy and the horrible end result of us ignoring them is disease. Animals aren’t as sick as we are in nature and surely much of that is the result of eating their perfect natural diet. We need to just eat our perfect natural diet. There is a bounty out there and dairy isn’t part of it.Agree.. Re.animals:  they are sick and die young ..because of the polluted environment man has created and because we keep moving their habitat. Read Weston Price: “Nutrition and Degenerative Diseases” it can be found by googling the name of the book and Pottinger-Price.Flawed thinking. Milk is simply not available to adult animals. That is why they don’t drink it. Would it make any sense for adult animals to feed each other? No. They need to get energy from external sources. Humans started using diary as soon as they figured out how to get the milk. Sounds pretty natural now. Learning how to make fermented diary products promoted rapid adoption of dairy for even those who are lactose intolerant. Dairy demonization has no legs except in our current days of adding in hormones and antibiotics. Take that away and dairy is an excellent food source.“Would it make any sense for adult animals to feed each other? No.” Well what do you call an adult bovine animal feeding an adult human animal? Makes no sense, Peakview.YEAH! But “Milk Does the Body Good” or better put: “Milk provides huge profits (at our expense) for the Food Industry” WHO has a huge pull in the political circles- so the truth, along w/ all the pink ribbon/fund raising/Big Pharma/Monsanto, etc etc- Aren’t really interested in our well being as they are in their profits- ALL at our expense. Wake up people- eat the way nature intended. It’s all just common sense.Actually, the point Dr. Greger is going to make is that its the type of protein consumed that triggers our own liver to upregulate IGF-1 production.A little scary considering all the ads for various supplements in lifting and fitness magazines for IGF-1 precursors and suchIf IGF-1 promotes growth in children, does a vegen diet slow growth in children?No, a high meat diet has the potential to put children at risk for early puberty, which puts them at risk for chronic illnesses later in life. Children have naturally elevated levels of IGF-1 in their body. Eating vegan does not hamper this level.An astounding chart comparing serum IGF-I levels in children with cancer with levels in age and gender matched controls. From Badr, Mohamed, et al. “Insulin-like growth factor-1 and childhood cancer risk.”Oncology Letters 1.6 (2010): 1055-1060.This truly is shocking! I couldn’t understand the article very well. Did they say whether the cancer promoted the levels, or were the levels already high from lifestyle or supplements? I know zinc increases igf-1, and some parents worry their kids need vitamins and minerals so they give them multi-supplements which have zinc in them. Also, a lot of older men take zinc supplements, ironically to help keep their prostate healthy. Its frustrating how something can be helping and harming at the same time.So using hgh secretagogues (amino acids, etc.) at an older age would possibly + correlate with cancer incidence? Or is there a reduced correlation at older ages? At one time lef.org was selling an IGF-1 supplement….might still do so.Darryl, Does insulin or glucose trigger or contribute to IGF-1 production?There’s a weak association with carbs in observational studies. For the most part IGF is how a surplus of complete protein is signalled.On cell membranes, there are insulin receptors, IGF receptors, and hybrids of the two, and they all effect similar downstream pathways. Oncologists use the abbreviation IIRF (insulin and insulin-like growth factor I receptor family), and some think excess insulin signalling through the IIRF links metabolic syndrome, obesity and cancer risk. Some bodybuilders take advantage of these hybridized pathways by injecting insulin to increase muscle growth.“Some bodybuilders take advantage of these hybridized pathways by injecting insulin to increase muscle growth.”Yes and it can be very dangerous, some have ended in a wheelchair by simply trying.Listen from 7min to 8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l11YoTVA4QPersonally I used to eat dates after workout. And it worked fine.I tried to post this on another topic but got it under the wrong caption to my question, so here goes. I am 67 year old make and was diagnosed with prostate cancer (Gleason=8) four years ago and immediately switched to a strict vegan nutritional base. I’ve been an avid fan of Nutrition Facts (post them on my Pinterest site daily). For the first time I had my IGF-1 level checked (my doctor didn’t have a clue as to why) after reading/hearing about the beneficial impact of a low IGF-1. Mine is now 105 (very low?) and my testosterone is over 800; just as the doctor’s video mentioned! But is it low enough to combat my prostate cancer (recent PSA=7 up from 5.8 4 months ago)). Most of my blood work is terrific (HDL=71 LDL-74, Triglycerides=38).It is really hard to develop targets for some of these tests and I want to better understand how I should proceed. Current literature is all over the place and none/few address prostate cancer and nutrition.Tell Dr. Greger thanks for his guidance.Skip SteinMy husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer and we actually ‘lowered’ his PSA by eliminating sugar from our diet. We observed a no white trash diet and his PSA went down almost 2 points. No flour, no sugar, no potatos, no fruit, no milk. It is rough for the first couple of weeks, but the cravings go away and the result was great. My naturalpath had at least 5 former prostate cancer patients who were ‘cured’ by diet alone. Food does make a difference.Just watched a doco on BBC on this, apparently all you need to do to half your IGF levels, is have 2 days a week where you eat only 1 meal for that day.Some people even go as far as every second day.mY 7 YEAR OLD SON HAS LOW IGF-1. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? IT WORRIES ME? HES BEEN GOING TO AN ENDOCRINOLOGIST FOR HIM BEING SO UNDER WEIGHT AND THIN..Guess what!? Eventually youre gonna get old and freaking die regardless!!!!People – IGF-1 is also used for many other good things and growing is one of them. If you want to sit around on the couch and inject IGF-1 and think you’re going to grow then yes you’re probably going to grow a tumor. If you are working out and breaking your body down to build it up then IGF-1 becomes a way to recover and help with damaged areas. Also if you have a headache do you take an entire bottle of aspirin? Of course you don’t because you don’t want to die. The same should be said for anyone looking to take IGF-1. Like any drug prescribed from a doctor or supplement bought from a store research and education can help you safe guard yourself from ignorant mistakes. Again if you are breaking your body down seriously then IGF-1 helps in all sorts of great ways to shuttle nutrients to damaged areas. When it comes to cancer there are many variables but IGF-1 is obviously one link of a much larger chain and we shouldn’t demonize it just because one study shows it caused cancer. What about all the people smoking cigarettes or have extremely poor diets?This is pure pseudo scientific alarmist.While drinking rBST milk can increase ORAL IGF-1 intake, it has been proven over and over again that this doesn’t increase SERUM BLOOD levels of IGF-1. IGF-1, as well as other proteins, amino acids and peptides, are rapidly denatured in the GI track. rBST milk does not raise SERUM BLOOD levels of IGF-1 because it never passes the gut. At any rate, binding proteins will inhibit unbound IGF-1 is under 20 minutes. Other BPs effectly “tie up” 99% of the body’s IGF-1 at a given time. Hormonal feed back loop much?Taking creatine revs up IGF-1. Will this increase your chances of getting cancer?Do you think a change in diet can help someone with acromegaly? My boyfriend has tried but hasn’t been able to completely cut out dairy. He doesn’t eat meat or drink milk but still eats cheese and eggs. His heart doctor told him to add fish back into his diet recently. Any recommendations?Hi Benni. I do not see much in the literature. Dr. Greger seems to only have one video that briefly mentions acromegaly. I think a healthful diet is important regardless of the condition at hand. I would listen to his doctor, but you may want to ask about plant-sources of omega 3’s, as they could be an alternative if he is trying to avoid fish.	aging,antiangiogenesis,bone cancer,brain tumors,breast cancer,breast disease,cancer,cell death,elderly,hormones,IGF-1,lifespan,liver cancer,longevity,lung cancer,metastases,prostate cancer	Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) is a natural human growth hormone instrumental in normal growth during childhood, but in adulthood can promote abnormal growth—the proliferation, spread (metastasis), and invasion of cancer.	This video seems like a departure from the last 5 videos, which describes an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay, but those who've seen my full-length presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death know that this all circles around in the end. I've touched on IGF-1 before in Daily Hormonal Interference and Meat Hormones & Female Infertility, but soon you'll know everything you wanted to about it (but may have been afraid to ask!).If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antiangiogenesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3113287/?tool=pubmed,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21196186,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19139887,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20006425,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3377369,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19142965,
PLAIN-2883	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/	Prostate vs. Plants	According to a recent review, the most notable development in the epidemic of prostate enlargement and lower urinary tract symptoms is the recognition that modifiable lifestyle factors substantially influence the natural history of these conditions. There are some factors associated with increased risk—obesity, diabetes, meat and fat. And some associated with decreased risk—exercise moderate alcohol consumption, and vegetables.Which vegetables? Garlic and onions appear to help—I like how they call them onion users. Cooked vegetables appear to work better than raw, so maybe it’s the carotenoids. And legumes were also found protective—peas, beans, and lentils. And flax seeds appear so powerful they may both prevent and treat the condition. A randomized double blind placebo controlled clinical trial that found that flax phytonutrients not only alleviate BPH symptoms, but their efficacy appeared comparable to the drugs we spend a billion dollars on, without the side effects. Flaxseeds also work against prostate cancer. These researchers had men who were about to get their prostates removed eat 3 tablespoons of flaxseeds a day for the few weeks before surgery. They were skeptical that they would observe any differences in tumor biology between the flaxseed-fortified diet-treated patients and the controls with such a short-term dietary intervention, but they found significantly lower cancer proliferation rates and significantly higher rates of apoptotic cell death, the cancer cell suicide I've talked about. Thus, these findings suggest that a flaxseed-sup- plemented, low-fat diet may have an effect on prostate cancer biology that may be mediated through a hormonal mechanism. Just a few things have been found associated with significantly increased risk for the disease: refined grains, like white bread, eggs, and poultry, which appeared even worse than red meat or desserts! “Although these data are observational and [more research is necessary], there is little, if any, downside to promotion of healthy lifestyle interventions – weight loss, exercise, decreasing meat and fat intakes, and increasing vegetable intake – among those with prostate problems, particularly since these interventions possess proven benefits to overall and cardiovascular health.”And how about before you're a prostate patient? Lifestyle habits associated with a decreased risk of developing clinical BPH are also highly likely to be beneficial in reducing the risk of erectile dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. For this reason, urologists should encourage all men to undertake a prostate-healthy lifestyle.	For background on BPH (enlarged prostate), a condition that affects millions of men, see yesterday’s video-of-the-day Some Prostates Are Larger than Others. If flax seeds alone can so dramatically affect prostate cancer cell growth, what about an entire diet based on plants? See Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay and Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both?. In the next video-of-the-day Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet, that same question will be explored for BPH. What else can flax seeds do? See Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake, Flax and Fecal Flora, and Just the Flax, Ma’am. What about garlic and onions? See New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found, Pretty in Pee-nk, and #1 Anticancer Vegetable. We’ve seen the poultry’s-the-worst story before: EPIC Findings on Lymphoma, Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics?, Poultry and Penis Cancer, and Poultry Exposure and Neurological Disease.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Just the Flax Ma’am!  said Joe Friday!  TGIF (Thank God For Flax!)Great video.  Aside from limiting the side effects of an enlarged prostate, are there any plant based foods that can actually shrink it?  What is feeding prostate growth? Studies at this time only point to decreasing growth and not actually reversal. Hopefully future studies will answer your question so stay tuned for the latest in science. For now we will have to limit the growth of our prostates and lower our risk of prostate cancer by eating well. We want to avoid if possible the one proven way to reduce prostate size… surgeries such as TURP’s! Best wishes.Thank you, Dr. Forrester!  I appreciate it.  Would female hormones shrink it over a short period of time, lets say a year?  Drastic I know, but I was just wondering.     I find eating a few Indian Gooseberries (Amla) a day has an enormous effect.This is soooo timely! My stepdad was just diagnosed with enlarged prostate at 82 years old. Thank you, thank you, thank you!Ditto! A very timely study indeed. Dr Greger – Do you have an opinion on CHIA seeds ?Like flaxseeds they are also high in omega 3 fatty acids but have advantages of less susceptible to rancidity and unlike flax don’t need to be ground to get the benefits. Shane:  I am not speaking for Dr. Greger.  However, I thought you might be interested to know that Dr. Greger does have a video on Chia seeds.  Take a look and see if that answers your question.Check out this video on Chia vs flax here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/You are a bright burning candle of light, Dr. Gregor! As a practicing nurse, I am so happy to hear an MD trying to PREVENT disease and offer non harming ways of relieving it! Bravo to you! thank you!Dear Dr GregerThanks for your usual dose of useful info. Are transcripts of your videos available?All the best –georgeShould we freshly grind the flax seed, use flax seed whole, or is the flax meal ok.  Thank you-Steve Skimelman:  The one think you do not want to do is eat the flax seed whole, unless you chew very very carefully.  The reason is that whole flax seed passes through you without being digested.  (Dr. Greger has a video about this if you want outside confirmation.)So, the big question is whether to grind it fresh yourself or buy it pre-ground.  What I have heard is that ground flax seed can start to go rancid quicker than non-ground.  So, my advice is: if you decide to buy it pre-ground, try to get as fresh as possible.  Then, as Dr. Greger says, be sure to store it in an airtight container.FYI: Just to be safe, and because it is just so darn easy, I grind my own flax seed.I chew flax seeds myself. It’s pretty easy to feel if you missed one. It’s really not that hard. Just take your time for it.Han: Good for you for having the patience. It is not something I would enjoy doing. But if you have the interest in doing so, why not.And I tried all kinds of other methods and it always got messy. ;-)Should ground flaxseed be eaten cold or can it be included in hot items such as oatmeal?You can apparently even boil it without losing the omega-3’s. And the anti-cancer lignans don’t appear to be affected by cooking either. Bon appétit!Dear Dr. Michael Greger.I thank you for this info. My husband just recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. But his urology DR. Said he definitely not recommend healthy diet, such as plant based whole foods to treat cancer. He said he dose not believe healthy diet. Why most DR.s are against healthy living for the cure? Seems like they only learned at meds school to give prescriptions and surgery? or are they just corroborating with pharmaceutical company?He needs a new Dr.His DR is afraid of losing a patient.Natural supplements and Skincare products from Xtend-Life Natural products, New Zealand THIS IS THE BEST SUPPLEMENTS I HAVE EVER FOUND YOU CAN READ ON THERE WHAT TO TAKE FOR BEST RESULTS JUST AN IDEA HOPE IT HELPEDHello…just a question on the Flax Seeds. How do we eat flax seeds? I mean we need to eat with something or cook or raw. Sorry its just that I have never eaten flax seed so wanted to know.thank you. MikeHi. You have to grind flax seeds in order to digest them. I grind them in my Vitamix. It only takes a few seconds.Hi Mike, its best to buy them pre ground. I find them best in oatmeal. You don’t need to cook flax before eating, its just like sesame seeds with a different taste. It is important to get them pre ground so that you can absorb whats within, otherwise you have to bite down every seed.Mike: Some people really do like to just carefully chew raw flaxseeds. (As your other replies indicate, the seeds must be ground or carefully chewed.) But most people grind up their flaxseeds and eat them one or a combination of these ways: 1) sprinkled on oatmeal (works great! and is my preferred method), 2) put into smoothies (also works great if you like smoothies), 3) sprinkled on various foods eaten throughout the day.For #3: Suppose your goal is to eat 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed a day. So, you could put some on your morning oatmeal. Some on top of your lunch salad. And some in your dinner soup or stew. Etc. Flaxseed seems to work pretty well added last minute to all sorts of dishes.On the question of cooked vs raw: I haven’t seen any evidence that cooking necessarily hurts the ground flaxseed, but most people tend to put their flax in cold dishes or on top of hot dishes after the food has already been cooked. (I’m talking about ensuring daily flax intake – not using “flax eggs”, in which case the flax would definitely be cooked into the food, but probably not in big enough quantity to be medicinally useful.)Does that help?Saw Palmetto has always worked for me so long as i take a pill every other day or so. I do quite notice it when i forget for too long, then I double dose for a couple of days to eliminate symptoms. I’ll be adding flax seed to the diet next, I’d rather eat seeds than pills. I’m late 40’s, occasional omnivore-becoming veganish.	alcohol,animal fat,animal products,beans,beef,bladder health,body fat,BPH,bread,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cell death,chicken,diabetes,eggs,exercise,fat,flax seeds,garlic,grains,heart disease,heart health,legumes,lentils,low-fat diets,meat,men's health,obesity,onions,peas,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,poultry,processed foods,prostate cancer,prostate health,raw food,red meat,scallions,seeds,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,side effects,turkey,urinary tract infections,vegetables,weight loss	All men should consider eating a prostate-healthy diet, which includes legumes (beans, peas, lentils, soy); certain vegetables (like garlic and onions); certain seeds (flax seeds); and the avoidance of refined grains, eggs, and poultry.	For background on BPH (enlarged prostate), a condition that affects millions of men, see yesterday's video-of-the-day Some Prostates Are Larger than Others. If flax seeds alone can so dramatically affect prostate cancer cell growth, what about an entire diet based on plants? See Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay and Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both?. In the next video-of-the-day Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet, that same question will be explored for BPH. What else can flax seeds do? See Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake, Flax and Fecal Flora, and Just the Flax, Ma'am. What about garlic and onions? See New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found, Pretty in Pee-nk, and #1 Anticancer Vegetable. We've seen the poultry's-the-worst story before: EPIC Findings on Lymphoma, Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics?, Poultry and Penis Cancer, and Poultry Exposure and Neurological Disease.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Treating an Enlarged Prostate With Diet, Vegan Men: More Testosterone But Less Cancer,  Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue, Flaxseeds for Prostate Cancer, and Treating Breast Pain with Flax Seeds	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/scallions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urinary-tract-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18358071,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21045705,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17991535,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16413336,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11445478,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19570489,
PLAIN-2884	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/	Some Prostates Are Larger than Others	If a healthy diet can slow down the abnormal growth of prostate cancer cells, how about the abnormal growth of normal prostate cells? Benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH, enlargement of the prostate gland, which surrounds the urethra as it exits the bladder. If the gland gets too big it can cut down on the normal flow of urine. So you can be left with hesitant flow, a weak stream, inadequate emptying of the bladder, so you have to keep getting up at night drain off as much as you can at a time. Can leave you dribbling, irritated Can lead to urine retention, so you got a stagnant pool in there that can get infected. Ejaculation problems. In the Untied states, it affects about 50% of men in their 50s; 80% of men in their 80s—it's an epidemic!. 16 million American menAnd then, it tends to just get worse, growing larger by the day. A billion dollars a year are spend on drugs to treat it, another billion on supplements. Surgery is up next, lots of different rotorooter-type techniques with innocent sounding acrynyms like TUMT, TUNA, and TURP disguising the rather unpleasant reality. The T's stand for transurethral, meaning up the penis, with an instrument that looks like this—a resectoscope. Then you’re left with words like microwave thermotherapy and needle ablation. They just tunnel up there and start burning. Sometimes they use lasers to burn out a shaft. And these, are the.. “minimally invasive” options. The gold standard remains Transurethral resection of the prostate where they just go up there and core it out with a loop of wire. Side effects include: "postoperative discomfort." Ya think? …There’s got to be a better way. It's so common in the Western world that most doctors just assume it's just an inevitable consequence of aging. But let’s look around the world. In China, a medical college in Beijing reported there was not 80% of the population affected, but about 80… cases, period. 84 cases over a 15 year timespan. It used to be considered a rare occurrence in Chine, but the incidence of both BPH and prostate cancer started “rising quickly”, and now, the incidence of prostate enlargement in China is similar to that in developed countries. Why? Well the researchers suggest its for the same reason as their skyrocketing cancer rates, a shift from their more traditional plant-based diet to one with more animal protein and fat. So BPH may be like heart disease, a natural consequence not of aging, but of eating an unhealthy diet. It's may only be standard to get an enlarged prostate and die of a heart attack for those eating the standard American diet.People eating healthy diets, may be familiar with TVP, textured vegetable protein (used for making a mean veggie chili) blissfully ignorant, that for others, the acronym may stand for transurethral electrovaporization of the prostate.	The reference to diet affecting the growth of prostate cancer is covered in Tuesday’s Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay, with a follow-up in yesterday’s video-of-the-day Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both?. Until today I only had one BPH video, Just the Flax, Ma’am, in which flax seeds were found to work as well as the leading drug without any of the adverse side effects. In tomorrow’s video-of-the-day, Prostate Versus Plants, I’ll explore other foods that have been found to help. Then on Monday, Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet, will replicate the prostate cancer experiments with normal prostate cells to see if eating healthier can also slow their growth. I have more than twice as many videos on women’s health compared to men’s health, but these next few days will help close the gap!If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here. Thank you Dr. Greger! I’ve been encouraging my boyfriend to … um, masturbate to decrease his prostate size (as discovered/researched on the TV show “The Doctors” website.He’s battling bladder cancer, and apparently had an enlarged prostate during his last TURBT (trans-urethral resection of a bladder tumor) that left him in more pain than needed — the doctors, residents and interns had to use multiple catheter tubes to get the right fit.Am looking forward to your other videos in this series.As you have probably discovered in your own practice.  I have many patients who have BPH and guess what.  The ones who change to a plant based diet always improve there ability to urinate and many reverse their frequency and urgency problems eliminating their need for drugs such as Proscar and Flowmax. The same goes for ED.  I have many men who have problems with erectile dysfunction and those who change to, and follow, the strictest low-fat, Whole Food Plant Based diets have the most freedom when it comes to having spontaneous sexual encounters without the use of drug foreplay. ;-}Thanks for another great video. Note: the link to this page from the Youtube video is incorrect.It would be interesting to know for this and other conditions brought about by poor diet how reversible they are. My understanding from reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s work is that inflammation of the circulatory system can be reversible rapidly (e.g., starting at six weeks from initiation of a healthy diet), but the prospects for cancer and perhaps BPH as well as are more gloomy (though I’d also hazard a guess that switching to a healthy diet could help prevent worsening of the condition or slow its progression).Huge thanks to Dr. Greger for posting these videos. My family and I are hooked on them!This video had me squirming and I’m not even male.Very interesting and well presented. I look forward to the rest. With the latest ultrasound equipment you can have your prostate volume measured accurately, quickly, and cheaply without even removing your pants. These ultrasounds have also uncovered a wide variation in family physicians’ ability to estimate BPH via a DRI. It really pays to get second opinions.The Asian epidiemiological evidence certainly supports the diet theory, but exactly what it is in the diet is not so clear.  I’ve found amongst friends and myself who have recently had these ultrasounds that there is no justice. The smallest volume by far was a friend who has eggs and bacon every day for breakfast and meat and few veg for most meals. Meanwhile the vegetarian/exercisers had expanded prostates. Not exactly good science, but a surprising result.We know that genetics plays a big part, but research has not yet unravelled the critical components of the Western diet that most promote BPH. Soy and sugar are big variables in the East/West comparison. Recent studies have played down the effectiveness of lycopene and saw palmetto supplements. A German urologist friend swears by stinging nettle (Urtica Dioica), yet non German studies rate it poorly.Inflammation is certainly a candidate and the Western sexual revolution from the 60s onwards may also be an important inflammatory variable through long term undetected STIs. It’s a tough call. Dr Greger is right to call it an epidemic and an expanding prostate with age should not be considered ‘normal’ despite the fact that it’s statistically normal.Can eating a plant based diet improve the symptoms of BPH, or is it too late? Stay tuned Rick!So has there been any new info on TVP?YES! see my comments (3 years later). WFPB fixed me right up (plus flaxseed).I see old men (80´s) in my family are having the prostate removed. They eat healthy although as argentines we eat meat (not as much as some time ago). I won´t go vegetarian but would cosider improving diet/adding supplements in case if later in life I develop BHP. It seems Drs prefer to operate if the patient do not respond to drugs and prevent future problems and to avoid the risks of surgery in old age. Of course there is money involved. This is like tonsilectomy or appendixsectomy in the 60´s.what about bladder cancer?I love your humor…realizing that you have a task of teaching through studies…and can offer no “medical” advice to people attempting to understand their “enigmas” in how to get out of their disease…I would like to add some common sense to all this “stuff” about the prostate.In the human body is what I refer to as the forgotten blood flow. It doesn’t move “blood” through veins, arteries and capilaries it moves the blood plasma through the lymph system. This little known circulatory goes everywhere and is responsible for critical functions to eliminating toxic buildup in key organs…especially the male prostate and the female mammary organs. The lymph collects around these two “reproductive” organs to facilitate keeping “things” as pure as possible. Likewise, the lymph nodes along this circulatory system are key and essential to identifying and eliminating cancer cells. Overwhelmed by the sad diet with its overwhelming use of animal fat rather than rich, wonderfully pure, whole, organic plant oils…this system gets backed up and before you know it cancer is taking hold in all kinds of places. Keeping this circulatory system clear, clean and functioning optimally is as easy as moving to a organic plant based diet, exercise and skin brushing. Skin brushing daily or at least with some frequency is even more important that a person’s daily ritual of bathing or showering. This routine should be common knowledge in our culture and it is not. It becomes even more vital when people continue to refuse to change their diets in the face of enormous evidence that a change in diet is effective at many levels.As a continued footnote to exercise…the reasoning behind the success of exercise and a stronger ability to fight off cancer cells is that strenuous exercise…exercises the lymph vessels and nodes…causing that system to function more efficiently. A primary function of lymph nodes is to identify, isolate and destroy cancer cells. But the nodes and vessels need cleaning and that is where exercise is so important in doing this. Especially when skin brushing is so little understood…but then so is the interplay between exercise and its powerful effects on cleaning the lymph system.Like Frank below, I am also interested in hearing what your opinion is regarding TVP and other isolated soy proteins. I have just finished reading “The Fat Vegan” chapter in Dr. McDougall’s _The Starch Solution_ and he is pretty clear about staying away from the stuff: “Removing meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, and dairy are well recognized dietary changes that lower IGF1 levels. Isolated soy proteins should be added to the top of that list.” What do you think the scientific evidence indicates? Is it safe to eat TVP and isolated soy proteins?Had been dealing with prostate enlargement for some number of years with Saw Palmetto. And sometimes I’d forget to take it for a two or three days, which would invariably lead to becoming symptomatic again. I’d then have to double dose for a couple of days to get back to normal, but would have to suffer those two days of symptoms before things got better.SINCE changing to a 98% WFPB diet with flaxseed daily, I’ve completely ditched the need for Saw Palmetto (and PPI’s) and simply don’t have “gaps in coverage”. I’m also quite sure my testosterone level has increased and cancer risk has dropped.It’s real simple: less animal products equals more health.period.	animal fat,animal protein,bladder health,BPH,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,China,heart disease,heart health,men's health,prostate cancer,prostate health,prostatectomy,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,standard American diet,surgery,TVP,urinary tract infections,vegetable protein	Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH—an enlarged prostate gland—affects 80% of older men, but like many other Western chronic diseases it appears to be a consequence of our diet.	The reference to diet affecting the growth of prostate cancer is covered in Tuesday's Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay, with a follow-up in yesterday's video-of-the-day Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both?. Until today I only had one BPH video, Just the Flax, Ma'am, in which flax seeds were found to work as well as the leading drug without any of the adverse side effects. In tomorrow's video-of-the-day, Prostate Versus Plants, I'll explore other foods that have been found to help. Then on Monday, Prostate Versus a Plant-Based Diet, will replicate the prostate cancer experiments with normal prostate cells to see if eating healthier can also slow their growth. I have more than twice as many videos on women's health compared to men's health, but these next few days will help close the gap!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Treating an Enlarged Prostate With Diet, Vegan Men: More Testosterone But Less Cancer, and Flaxseeds for Prostate Cancer	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostatectomy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urinary-tract-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tvp/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/prostate-versus-a-plant-based-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9606785,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16458735,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11775222,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12772189,
PLAIN-2885	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/	Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both?	This dramatic strengthening of cancer defenses was after 14 days of a plant-based diet and exercise, they were out walking 30 to 60 minutes a day. Although Pritikin started out reversing chronic disease through diet alone, later—to his credit—he added an exercise component as well. That’s great for the patients, but scientifically it makes it hard to tease out which is doing what. Maybe the only reason their blood started becoming so effective at suppressing cancer growth was because of the exercise—maybe the diet component had nothing to do with it. So they put it do the test.They set up an experiment with three groups. The first group did nothing—the control group, the second did the diet and exercise, and the third group was just exercise. The diet and exercise group had been on a plant-based diet for 14 years along with moderate exercise—like just walking every day. The second group was just exercise, but they were hardcore. Not just exercise, but 14 years of daily strenuous hour-long exercise, like calisthenics. But, they ate the standard American diet. In fact they were actually overweight. They had been killing themselves in the gym every day for 14 years and still their BMI averaged 26.5, whereas of course the guys on plant-strong diet were ideal body weight. But let’s see who’s better fighting cancer.They took petri dishes brimming full of human prostate cancer cells and dripped blood from each of the three groups on different dishes to see whose blood kicked more cancer butt. What do you think they found?Whose blood was better at killing cancer cells? This is a graph measuring cancer cell apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Cancer cells programmed to commit suicide. It’s one way the body gets of rid of cancer cells. Basically our immune system taps them on the shoulder, and says look, you know there’s only way this is going to end, don't you? Why don’t you take the honorable way out. It will be quicker, easier. If they start with the chemo and everything—it’s going to get messy. Take the easy way out, and just, kill yourself, which our immune system is sometimes capable of convincing cancer cells to do.Here’s the blood of the control group. Not very persuasive. Cancer’s like take your programmed cell death and shove it.And as we saw before, here’s the effect of the blood of those in the Pritikin group. After 14 years on a plant-based diet you can bet their bloodstream was clearing cancer cells left and right.What about the hardcore exercise group here in the middle? Did they clear cancer just as good as the Pritkin group? If that's the case then it wasn't the diet at all—the exercise was the critical component. Were they somewhere in the middle, showing that exercise helped, but not as good as the plant-based diet group? Or were they down here with the control group. Maybe exercise helps with other things, but just not killing cancer?And what they found was this. Exercise worked! But diet and exercise worked better. Here’s an actual photomicrograph of the cells in the control petri dish stained so that they’d release light when they died. As you can see in the control group, there were a few cancer cells dying. Even if you are a couch potato eating fried potatoes, your body’s not totally defenseless. But here’s the hard-core strenuous exercise group. Cancer cells dying left and right. And then here’s what happens when you drip on the blood of someone who just walks a bit every day—but, eats a plant based diet. You get a cancer cell suicide tsunami.	This is the third of a 15 video series exploring this phenomenon, which I attempted to summarize in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. Make sure to see yesterday’s video-of-the-day Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay, which describes the experimental protocol in more detail. Even though diet appears more powerful than exercise in terms of rallying one’s cancer defenses it doesn’t mean we can’t do both! In fact eating certain plants can improve athletic performance—check out my video series that starts with Doping With Beet Juice and ends with So Should We Drink Beet Juice Or Not?. Exercise itself may be protective against breast cancer, and be instrumental in Reversing Cognitive Decline. If a healthy diet can slow down the abnormal growth of prostate cancer cells, how about the abnormal growth of normal prostate cells? Find out in tomorrow’s video-of-the-day Some Prostates Are Larger Than Others. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.I like the Johnny Paycheck reference: Take your programed cell death and shove it!. I sing this verse to the same tune:  Take this cancer and shove it, I ain’t eatin’ meat no more My women just cooked me a plant based meal It’s what I’ve been lookin for. :-}it is a pity they didn’t have a fourth group with both strenuous exercise and plant-based food, now we don’t know how a plant based body reacts on exercise compared to a body on a s.a.d. (Does a plant-based body responds even better to strenuous training or or is the immune system is already working max speed just by eating the right diet and moderate exercise?) MartinThe Barnard et at 2003 study is invalid for making the conclusion that diet+exercise is superior to just exercise as this is not a randomized trial (the 3 groups are unrelated and not selected randomly at baseline).  What do you mean by “invalid”?  Are you saying it supplies no valuable information?IMO, saying it is invalid is like saying that Thomas Edison’s first 9,999 attempts at making a light bulb were invalid because they didn’t produce a light bulb.  In reality, every one of those ‘mistakes’ provided Edison with valuable information that led him to the invention of the light bulb. Just so, most pieces of research, though flawed, provide some valuable clues.  These clues lead to further research, which provides more information.  In this case, this piece of research suggests that diet+exercise is superior to exercise alone.  Since we have good evidence that diet affects hormone and immune status their conclusion is not “invalid.” You seem to believe that only “conclusive” studies are valid, which is not what scientists believe.  Rather, they look at the trend of research and evaluate each study in relation to other research that may support or not the conclusions.  They look for the preponderance of evidence, not a single “conclusive” study. I agree; invalid is too harsh a word. DT seems to be saying that there might be some self-selection bias. The diet and light exercise group might choose these activities because they’re more health-conscious and  they may already be doing other unrelated things which actually result in greater apoptosis such as taking supplements that fight cancer. The heavy exercise group may be taking only steroids which might partly block the cancer-fighting effects of cancer since they act as growth promoters.I agree. These arguments just crack me up. Dr. Barnard is a disciplined researcher and professor at UCLA. (talk about pier review!) Having not read the original piece and only the abstract I can’t comment specifically on the research. But I am sure he was after something. Invalid? Doubt it. He researches how diet and exercise affects the health of the body and more specifically the cardiovascular system, and he has been doing it forever. He was my professor 30 years ago.  My critique is on the misuse of the study by Dr. Greger, which he presents as a decisive proof that the difference was due to the diet, Moreover, even if the difference is indeed due to the diet, we do not know which aspect of the diet had the effect. Maybe it was the elimination of vegetable oil? Maybe it was the elimination of refined carbohydrates?Good points Few other minor points: Beside the difference in diet there were other differences between the groups. The diet+exercise group was very thin (BMI 21.5), the exercise group was overweight (26.5), and the “control” group was obese (38). The people in the diet+exercise group were also 7 years younger on average. Maybe these differences explain the different rates of apoptosis. Other difference may exists between the groups (smoking, ethnicity) but no information is given in the paper.Dr Greger continues to be misleading about the Pritikin diet which does include animal products. This time he even calls the people vegan, which they are not.Dr Greger gives an inaccurate description of the physical activity of the diet+exercise group, which he describes as “strolling”.  The people in this group did (initially) aerobic exercise 4-5 times per week with target heart rate of 70%-85% which is clearly not “strolling”. Thanks for pointing out the details, DT. We need to keep the facts straight and not be given a slanted opinion. Great job and keep it up. I wouldn’t have known otherwise.Definitely not strolling. Pritikin is not vegan–low fat plant based.You obviously read the entire article. What was the purpose of the research?I take issue with your comment about the folks who killed themselves in the gym with high BMIs being unfit.  A BMI that is considered “overweight” or “obese” could be easily achieved with muscle mass and low body fat.  BMI is useless without more data.So true. Rick look at those muscles in your picture! Here’s to plant strong diet and exercise!Off for my run!I would be curious to see the results of a plant based diet with little to no exercise. Have to agree . Missing the most important comparison. Exercise and plant based , Vs   plant based only.The problem is that when people are plant based vegan (Not oil based) they can’t sit still.  They have so much energy that they will spontaneously be doing more activities.  They want to move.  Maybe you could chain the plant based Vegans to a chair so they can’t exercise.   Compare and contrast this to the Pizza the Hutt diet from Space Balls. ;-}Generalize much? There are some plant-based vegans who aren’t that energetic, and some omnivores who are. It’s a matter of achieving a diet and lifestyle that is effective for the individual—plant-based or otherwise.My own experience (I know, anecdotal) has been that as a regular ol’ vegan, eating whatever junk food I wanted in the context of a pretty high-fat diet, my energy levels varied. I’m a lazy person by nature, and have spent most of my life quite sedentary, with spurts of exercise here and there, some hiking. I’ve been a serious couch potato. I kept losing all the excess weight I needed to get rid of while consuming a junk food vegan diet and being sedentary. Dairy kept me fat for so many years…I gradually shifted my vegan diet more and more to whole foods including lots of nuts and other high-fat foods, with little shift in energy levels (again, they varied). Always found switching to lower-fat left me with less energy on account of not getting enough calories (as a vegan I have my super metabolism of my childhood days back: I’m 5’5″ and 106-108 lbs.), so I’d always migrate back over to more nuts, coconut, etc. again. Or junk food.Lately, though, I’m finding that the more I stick with lower-fat, and specifically higher-carb food (so lots more fruit and grains, alongside my veggies, legumes, and smaller amounts of nuts, coconut, etc.), I’m finding that I’m getting used to the higher volume of fiber-rich food and feeling the best I’ve ever felt in my life, and even though I’m still quite sedentary, I know very well the feeling HemoDynamic is describing. After a little while, I want to get up and move. I’m no athlete, but I find myself doing more housecleaning and random tasks around the yard, or doing yoga and some squats, crunches, push-ups. I don’t consider myself active enough by current health standards, but I’m doing better than I was. :)So I’d say, based on my own experience, that if you’re high-carb, whole foods plant-based, you’ll definitely notice a surge in your energy and you’ll want to move around more, as well as a host of other benefits. Switching from vegetarian to vegan was amazing, but switching from high-fat, whole foods vegan to high-carb, whole foods vegan has been just as profound, for me. :)I think you can get (and I have experienced) that effect from a high-carb (or moderate-carb, depending on where you draw the line), whole foods diet, regardless of whether you exclude animal foods you are not individually sensitive to (e.g. dairy for a lot of people). Some have also reported that effect upon adapting to a high-fat, low-carb (ketogenic) diet. There are many factors that come into play—for example, some suggest that we tend to do better eating more carbs during the summer, and less during the winter. Thriving on a high-carb, low-fat diet requires a well established gut flora, which actually converts many of those carbs and fibers to fats and other nutrients in your gut. On the other hand, if your gut flora is deranged, you may need to limit carbs and fiber, and rely more on dietary fat and protein for caloric needs until you’re able to normalize your gut flora.I’m all for a healthy diet, exercise, and chemo / radiation for cancer patients. Attack damn cancer with everything you can find!mehh vegan propaganda…this study doesn’t seem to me very convincing! To be meaningful, I believe, the groups needed to be omogeneous at the beginnin, then put on three different treatments…isn’t it?Dr. Greger,Thank you for this amazing site and your continued hard work.It has helped change my life and has become a go to reference for my patients.  Hooray for the plant based diet.  Does PBD mean vegan   however?  If so, I wonder what a Nutritarian vegan diet would yield in the petri dish. You know..GOMBBS (Super Immunity) Greens, Onions, Mushrooms, Beans, Berries, Seeds (and nuts).  Thank you!  There’s two thing’s I never get about the videos in this series.1. Why the conclusion is always that it’s the fact that a diet is “plant-based” that is being peddled, when the diets aren’t even equivalent in terms of nutrition and allow for daily consumption of animal products. I don’t see how one can say that it’s the plant content that matters without doing a study using a diet that is similar to the Pritikin diet, but containing more lean animal products.2. Why Bruce Friedrich keeps posting links to these videos on Twitter touting the cancer fighting benefits of a “vegan” diet.I would have liked to see two more groups included in this study…sedentary plant-based vegans and strenuously exercising plant-based vegans.Thanks Doc!  I am a cancer survivor and have been cancer free for over 10 years.  I have been following a WFPB diet and exercise since my diagnosis.  I now teach others to do the same at my gyms.  Check us out  The MBG-3  www.monkeybargym.com Thank you for listing the sources! Such a great resource thank you!Can you make a food list of foods you recommend to eat. With a simple meal list. And any supplements you might consider people to take. Plus how much exercise to do and what types? Like a little article or three part videos on it… or something. :-)Hi Dr.Greger, I have a question: I’m 20 years old and exercise daily, (aerobic and anaerobic sports) I need to eat 2400 calories everyday in order to maintain my weight. I would like your advice for a daily plant-based diet for me. Thank you, Na’ama IsraelYour daily diet will depend alot on your tastes. Most of my patients have a habit where they eat they have a regular rotation of menu items… maybe 1-2 for breakfast, 3-4 for lunch and 6-10 for dinner. It is a question of what works for you and those around you. A good starter is the Vegetarian Starter Kit which can be found free on the Physicians Committee for Responsible website. Other resources available for free is Dr. John McDougall’s website which contains alot of recipes as well. The basic whole food plant based diet with Vitamin B12 supplementation is the foundation but needs to be varied depending on the goals of the patient and any clinical issues such as family history or diagnosis. Congrats on starting to eat healthy at such a young age. Keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org for the latest in science. Good luck.If by weight, you mean maintaining your muscle mass, then as long as you are eating whole plant foods when your hungry till your full, you will not experience muscle wasting. I prefer the complex carbohydrate approach of consuming whole grains like rice, oats and whole pasta, beans as well as potatoes and any other complex starches that I missed mentioning. these foods are highly satiating, nutritious and more calorie dense then plain veggies.Of course you would want to mix veggies with these starches for an optimally healthy meal.Thank you for the information . I would think that the age difference and body fat differences would as well impact the graph, aside from that that not all Pritican “vegans” were 100 percent vegansThis is such great information. It would help if you would accompany your videos with the research citations for those of us who want to learn more about the studies.tinyR: Already done! Under every video is a section called “Sources Cited”. Just click the link to expand that section.By the wording you quote, eating poultry or grass-fed bison once a week and fish or shellfish on other days qualifies as “optimal.” It does not explicitly suggest complete avoidance of animal protein. Furthermore, what the approach “encourages” (by your interpretation or otherwise) is not the same as what people on the diet actually eat—which is what is matters when interpreting these studies.	cancer,cell death,exercise,immune function,in vitro studies,plant-based diets,Pritikin,prostate cancer,standard American diet,vegans,vegetarians	Whose blood is better at killing cancer cells? People who eat a standard diet and exercise strenuously or those who eat a plant-based diet and just exercise moderately?	This is the third of a 15 video series exploring this phenomenon, which I attempted to summarize in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. Make sure to see yesterday's video-of-the-day Developing an Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay, which describes the experimental protocol in more detail. Even though diet appears more powerful than exercise in terms of rallying one's cancer defenses it doesn't mean we can't do both! In fact eating certain plants can improve athletic performance—check out my video series that starts with Doping With Beet Juice and ends with So Should We Drink Beet Juice Or Not?. Exercise itself may be protective against breast cancer, and be instrumental in Reversing Cognitive Decline. If a healthy diet can slow down the abnormal growth of prostate cancer cells, how about the abnormal growth of normal prostate cells? Find out in tomorrow's video-of-the-day Some Prostates Are Larger Than Others.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Top 10 Most Popular Videos of the Year, Cancer-Proofing Your Body, How Do Plant-Based Diets Fight Cancer?, Vegan Men: More Testosterone But Less Cancer, Treadmill Desks: Stand Up For Health, and Flaxseeds for Prostate Cancer	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/31/cancer-proofing-your-body/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/16/treadmill-desks-stand-up-for-health/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/exercise-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/some-prostates-are-larger-than-others/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12772189,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16965238,
PLAIN-2886	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/	Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay	Pritikin’s work has continued though his research foundation, which has really done some elegant work: they put people on different diets, drip their blood on cancer cells growing in a petri dish and just stand back and see whose blood is better at suppressing cancer growth.They were among the ones that published that study showing the blood of those on a vegan diet was dramatically less hospitable to cancer. Even the blood of those on a standard American diet fights cancer; if it didn’t everyone would be dead. It’s just that the blood of those eating vegan fights about 8 times better.The blood of those on the standard american diet slows cancer growth rate down about 9%. Put people on a plant-based diet for a year, though, and their blood just tears it up. The blood circulating within the bodies of vegans has nearly 8 times the stopping power when it comes to cancer cell growth.Now this was for prostate cancer, the most common cancer of American men, followed by lung, then colon. In women, it’s breast cancer, then lung and colon, so the Pritikin researchers tried duplicating the study with women using breast cancer cells instead. They didn’t want to wait a whole year to get the results, though. So they figured they’d see what the diet could do in two weeks.First they took samples of blood to get a baseline, and then they asked a dozen women to eat a plant-based diet for 14 days. Then they took a second sample of blood from those same women at the end of the two weeks, so they'd serve as their own controls.Now it was time to pit breast cancer cells against the defenses of these women before and after eating healthy. They dripped before and after blood upon three different lines of human breast cancer. For example MCF-7 stands for Michigan Cancer Foundation. It's an estrogen-recetpor positive invasive ductal carcinoma taken from a 69 year old Caucasian woman, Sister Catherine Frances, a nun in the convent of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Monroe Michigan.This is the before, cancer cell growth powering away at 100%. And then after, eating a plant0-based diet for 14 days.Now slowing down the growth of cancer cells is nice, but getting rid of them completely is even better,This is the before, measuring cancer cell death. This is the after. Pre and post plants.The same blood that was now coursing through their blood stream gained the power to significantly slow down, and stop breast cancer cell growth thanks to just two weeks of eating a plant-based diet.What kind of blood do we want in our body, what kind of immune system? Do we want blood that just kind of rolls over when cancer cells pop up, or do we want blood circulating to every nook and cranny of our body that has the power to slow down and stop them?	Today starts a three-week video series on the elegant sequence of experiments I highlighted in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, but didn’t have time to fully explore, so I’m so excited to finally be able to go more in depth. If you don’t recognize the name Pritikin, yesterday’s video-of-the-day “prequel” might help. I first touched on these experiments in Slowing the Growth of Cancer and Cancer Reversal Through Diet, but because Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing, these findings are relevant for everyone. I’ve got more than a hundred videos on cancer, including 15 specifically for cancer survivors, and videos on a thousand other things.If you haven’t yet, please feel free to subscribe to my videos (for free, of course, just like everything on this site has been and always will be) by clicking here.Thanks for this information!! Be back tomorrow for more health news. Their plant based diet was not vegan – It’s a good theory but i would be more interested to see long term vegan diet effect vs other meat eaters control.It may give better results and it may be worse but will give a better picture.As long as they are eliminating oils and refined vegetable fats, vegans are medially healthier than there meat eating counterparts. Dr. T. Collin Campbell wrote about it in “The China Study”. The overall idea is that the body is more acidic when eating animal protein, and more alkaline when eating plants. The more acidic the body, the faster rates of degeneration. His study was done over a few decades, with tens of thousands of people who are genetically the same. Also Dr. Otto Heinrich Warburg discovered that cancer grows in blood that is acidic, and receive a Nobel Prize in 1931. B12 is the only thing missing from plants we eat simply because we get them from bacterial fermentation. Since we thoroughly wash plants, and other animals don’t, we literally wash that vitamin away.For those who are serious students of nutriton, please note that the bar above Figure 2 at 0:41 of this video that states “vegan” was not in the original paper and the actual experimental group used a whopping 3 grams of fish oil daily, among many other lifestyle changes. Reproduced from Ornish’s paper:“Experimental group patients were prescribed an intensive lifestyle program that included a vegan diet supplemented with soy (1 daily serving of tofu plus 58 gm of a fortified soy protein powdered beverage), fish oil (3 gm daily), vitamin E (400 IU daily), selenium (200 mcg daily) and vitamin C (2 gm daily), moderate aerobic exercise (walking 30 minutes 6 days weekly), stress management techniques (gentle yoga based stretching, breathing, meditation, imagery and progressive relaxation for total of 60 minutes daily) and participation in a 1-hour support group once weekly to enhance adherence to the intervention.10 The diet was predominantly fruits, vegetables, whole grains (complex carbohydrates), legumes and soy products, low in simple carbohydrates and with approximately 10% of calories from fat.”So to be perfectly honest, the differences could have been due to the fish oil, the yoga, the meditation, the moderate aerobic exercise.  Yet we don’t come away from this video even considering those effects.Hi,Dr. Barnard was my professor. Very cool!But here is my thinking on this–this is a nutrition website, we should all know the importance exercise and stress management plays and the sources are always listed for anyone to read.I really don’t think Dr. Greger is trying to be sneaky. BPCveg:  I’m torn on the issue and see value both ways.  My opinion is that Dr. Greger has to walk a line between making sure that he presents the information as clearly and simply as possible while at the same time, not having the information be essentially misleading.  I’m not sure if I think that leaving out the fish oil, etc. is misleading or not.  As I say, I see it both ways right now.But what I really wanted to point out is that tomorrow’s video is titled, “Is it the diet, the exercise, or both?”  So, while Dr. Greger may not end up addressing all of your points, he may end up eventually addressing at least some of them.  It may just be too hard to get all the points mentioned up-front in a single short video when dealing with a complicated topic like this.Thea: Let’s not grant Dr. Greger more poetic licence than he deserves.“Vegan” has a clearly defined meaning and is not for him to redefine.Furthermore, he implictly defined the term “whole foods plant-based diet” as well as simple variations on this term, when he stated [on his optimum nutrition recommendations page]:“The balance of scientific evidence suggests that the healthiest way to eat is a vitamin B12-fortified diet of whole plant foods. For optimum nutrition, we should be sure to include in our daily diet not only an array of whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruit, and as many vegetables as we can eat, but also specifically dark green leafy vegetables, berries, and white (or green) tea.”To keep from misleading people he must, therefore, use these terms consistently. BPCveg:  I understand your point, and I agree with you to a large degree.  Just for the sake of making my opinion more clear:Consider this situation:  “John” calls himself vegan and considers himself vegan.  However, John has a hard time swallowing pills.  In order to take vitamin D supplements, which he needs, he chews a gummy vitamin D.  This gummy vitamin has gelatin in it, which is certainly not vegan.  But other than that one pill, he does not consume any animal products.Even though I know that John does not fit the technical term of being vegan and even though I know that others might strongly reject John’s self-labeling, I actually would agree with John and call him a vegan.  For all intents and purposes, I believe the term applies. Is fish oil supplements/tablets the only animal products eaten by people on this study?  If so, it’s still not clear to me whether I would consider it to be a vegan diet.  There is a big difference in my opinion between a pill containing gelatin and a pill containing fish oil.  Perhaps fish oil crosses the line.  That said, I could see a case being made for calling it a vegan diet if the only animal products eaten by the study subjects were the pills.All of the above text is addressing your comment about the word ‘vegan’.  As for the part about quoting Dr. Greger’s optimal nutrition recommendations:  I don’t see how that applies to this discussion.   Dr. Greger’s statement says that he believes that the “balance of evidence suggests…”  A study that is both high-fiber and low-fat would be consistent with eating a whole plant food based diet.  If this were the *only* study considered, one would not be able to make that claim.  But since we are looking at the balance of evidence, I’m totally comfortable with the idea that this study supports Dr. Greger’s optimal nutrition recommendations.Thea: Since we are doing thought experiments, let’s try to look at this from the perspective of someone who has grown up as an omnivore and is considering switching to veganism purely based on health considerations. Presumably that person is the target audience of this website.   They come to this page and see a caption that has both plant and vegan in it and listen to a 3 minute video that mentions vegan 3 times and plant 5 times. Then they look up the source articles and find that the first article by Barnard used milk, fish and chicken and the second article by Ornish uses fish. Furthermore, both articles deal with complex lifestyle changes that include more than just nutrition.Based on what that person reads, I have full confidence that they will dismiss this website as pure vegan propaganda. Let’s not forget that user named something like “Sofie” who cancelled her registration to this website in disgust when she felt that eggs were frivolously being compared with smoking 10 cigarettes a day. This person was making a genuine effort to improve her diet. She was looking for a reasonable analysis of nutrition and was deeply dissapointed by this website. Her departure was a shame as there are so many benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables and Dr. Greger has produced far better videos than this one or the one on eggs and smoking.If Dr. Greger gave a more nuanced description of scientific articles (e.g. if a diet is lacto-ovo vegetarian than he should state it!  if they fish supplements are used then say that!), this would go a lot farther toward convincing the general public. Some people believe that a whole foods plant based diet (as defined by T Collin Campbell) allows for small amounts of fish. Vegan promotes no fish at all. Both terms were used. Thank you for commenting!I agree with you, VegAtHeart. There is no healthy line of reasoning that can contradict what you just stated. I, too, believe it is a significant event when a standardized term is used improperly, especially in health and medical subjects. This is not the first time I have seen Dr. Greger reach conclusions not supported by the very same evidence he’s presenting! As a result, I don’t take his conclusions as verbatim anymore. If it’s significant enough, I do the research myself and learn the actual facts.We can take fish oil or go right to the source – the foods that fish eat, which can be found in vegan DHA.These other dietary supplements are quite large, even mega, in regard to selenium, vitamin C, fish oil and soy protein. They cannot be simply ignored as variables and veganism take all the credit.The paper’s discussion also states: “However, 2 recent articles failed to show any effect of a diet low in fat and high in fiber, fruits and vegetables on PSA after 4 years in men who did not have prostate cancer, perhaps because the diet was not as low in fat and did not include exercise or stress management.”The paper is also 7 years old and a lot of research on this issue since then does not support such a strong inverse link between veganism and cancer. It may be more important in what you move away from in the Western processed diet, than what you move towards. Having said that, I’m still sticking to a predominately plant based diet.The soy protein supplement is interesting in the light of recent studies showing that whey protein is a glutathione precursor, hence promoting a master antioxidant. I’d like to hear more about the differences between whey and soy proteins in this regard.Just to add to your comment: 1. The diet in the Barnard paper wasn’t vegan either: “Fifteen to 20% of the calories were from protein, primarily from a plant source, two servings of nonfat milk, and no more than 3.5 oz of fish or fowl.” 2. The intervention in the Barnard paper also included exercised 3. In both experiments, the subject were overweight/obese, and they lost weight during the intervention.It is impossible to conclude from neither experiment that the results are due to avoidance of animal food. If someone wants to show that, he should design a randomized controlled trial in which the control and intervention group have the EXACT SAME diet except for the animal food, and no other lifestyle changes should be performed.Good call. Neither of the sources cited deal with a vegetarian diet and yet the whole video speaks of vegan and plant-based diets.I hope Dr Greger will be more accurate in the future and I will read comments before I repost something because it’s really embarrassing if I try to make people believe something that is not entirely correct…And I hope there will be more research on vegans and plant based diets..Inherent in these studies, when all variables are the SAME except for diet, the results demonstrate that a vegan diet does provide significant protection against cancer and other chronic illnesses.When I think of helpful ways nutrients can affect cancer, I think of nutrients triggering gene expression, turning on cancer supressor genes or turning off cancer promoter genes.  Is that what is happening; our blood is carrying the products of those genes, a natural, continuous chemotherapy?This is very misleading.  “Plant based diet” does not indicate what the actual consumption is.  Could be chips and non-dairy ice cream.  Certain plant foods are rich in cancer fighting nutrients, like antioxidants, it’s true, but if you’re not eating those specifically, and reducing all consumption of sugars, especially processed, and limiting soy to as close to the plant as possible, 90% or so organic, and cutting out all toxic chemicals, not smoking cigarettes, exercising, etc., “vegan” diet alone will not prevent nor fight cancer.I know.  I’m a vegan with cancer.  Sorry you have cancer, and I hope you got over it. That’s a good point. One might assume wrongly that if they were going to control for this they might verify that the diet was sane …. but maybe not. Do you feel you ate a lot of chips, ice cream, junk food stuff? Did you change your diet?In my humble opinion, the biggest difference between a vegan and someone who eats a plant based diet is that a vegan doesnt eat animal products for ethical reasons and plant based or Nutritarian’s for health reasons. Technically, a vegan can eat sugar and processed foods, whereas a Nutritarian would not. Playing who is more vegan is subjective.Dr. Otto Warburg identified a correlation between an acidic environment and cancer cell growth. The standard American diet tends to create an over acidic environment in the body. Both vegan and plant based diets tend to balance an overly acidic body, thus validating the study.I did notice that the study included “exercise” in the title.  Then after replaying and reading the part of the article that was visible.  I am a vegan woman that eats lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grains and beans etc…, but I will admit I rarely exercise.  This is something that he did not mention about the study.I am confused by the conflicting information about is it good or bad to be a vegy, such as:  mfordebate/2012/04/17/is-veganism-good-for-everyone/meat-is-brain-foodCan someone help me?  Ron:  There is a ton of conflicting and confusing information out there.  So, it is no surprise that many people are confused.  I believe all of that confusion would go away if you would read the book: The China Study.  Then watch the movie Forks Over Knives (available in many libraries or cheaply on Amazon).  Then watch more videos from Dr. Greger on this site, and you will be set. One thing that will not clear up your confusion is looking at all of the information out there and treating it all as equally valid.  Anyone can write up anything they want.  And many studies get published which are not as valid as you would expect.  At some point, you have to pick a set of experts who you believe are the real-deal and then look at their body of work. (Unless you are an expert yourself.  In which case, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.)  The list I gave you above (China Study, etc.) would be a great set of experts for you to start with.Good luck.You may need to choose your experts more carefully. The China Study has been seriously called into question for cherry-picking. The film “Forks over Knives” has many flaws despite probably being on the right general track. see http://rawfoodsos.com/the-china-study/ Anyway, a follow-up study to this topic’s Ornish. et al. paper two years later, using the same total lifestyle change regime, showed that it was effective in relation to delaying prostate cancer treatment.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18602144 This lifestyle change regime seems to work well, but what is the relative importance of its components of lifestyle change? Choose your prejudice. This is like the Mediterranean Diet and the French Paradox. We know that they work at the gross, statistical, epidemiological level, but we really don’t know why yet.What about the 100% grassfed meat and wild salmon? I had heard from a well-respected cancer specialist that really exercising on a nearly daily basis was what had been shown to reduce a cancer reoccurrence rate. He was referring to a study but I do not know which one. I think that it is time for Americans to look at the quality of the air and water being provided, and the actual quality of the food in general, meat especially, but also pesticide laden and GMO vegetables (banned in most industrialized countries, but not here or in Canada). While everyone is quibbling over meat vs. vegan, the access to REAL quality food is becoming more and more limited. Almost impossible in fact, even in large cities and at high prices. I believe the issue is how much junk are people consuming vs. quality food. Let’s pay attention to the information going out with all of this in mind. Eliza: re: “the access to REAL quality food is becoming more and more limited.”  Wow.  That’s not my experience at all.  Getting organic beans, rice, tofu, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds is easy-smeezy even in my town.  In fact, I’ve been to several cities and had no problems getting real, quality food at affordable prices.Toxins has answered the question about grassfed meat etc.  I would not be able to do the question justice.  But I bet you could find the answer snooping around on some more videos.  The bottom line is: The evidence seems to indicate that your best chance at health would be to limit or (perhaps best of all) remove those foods from your diet.  They are not significantly better for your health than their factory-farmed counter parts.Concerning the question of quality air, water, and soil, I agree that that those are problems we desperately need to address.  The question is, **how much** do those problems impact our health right now?  The experts I respect believe that diet is the main factor impacting our health.  Not the only factor, but the main one.  IE: That even with today’s levels of bad air, water, etc, you can dramatically improve your long-term health with a whole plant-foods based diet.All of which is to say: It’s not about quibbling over some side issue re meat vs plants.  It is the root of the issue.Good luck. R lan Flett:  I have spent some time studying the criticisms of the China Study.  I found them to be easily dismissible and often times illogical.  Just because someone calls something into question does not mean that there is a legitimate question to be called. You are right that the key to trying to learn about nutrition is to choose one’s experts carefully.  After what I consider to be significant research, I believe I’ve got it nailed.  :-)Can you please make a transcription of your speaking? Since I want to share your videos with translation.Shame that doesn’t work out for everyone … Steve Jobs, Linda McCartney. R.I.P.And please understand that regardless of health impacts, animal agriculture is responsible for over half of all environmental destruction, and all farmed animals are greatly exploited then brutally murdered. Veganism is about much more than diet – it is about living in the most compassionate, responsible ways.	breast cancer,breast disease,cancer,estrogen,immune function,in vitro studies,men's health,plant-based diets,Pritikin,prostate cancer,standard American diet,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	Two weeks on a plant-based diet appears to significantly enhance cancer defenses against breast cancer and colon cancer cells. The blood of those eating a vegan diet for a year suppresses cancer cell growth nearly eight times better.	Today starts a three-week video series on the elegant sequence of experiments I highlighted in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, but didn't have time to fully explore, so I'm so excited to finally be able to go more in depth. If you don't recognize the name Pritikin, yesterday's video-of-the-day "prequel" might help. I first touched on these experiments in Slowing the Growth of Cancer and Cancer Reversal Through Diet, but because Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing, these findings are relevant for everyone. I've got more than a hundred videos on cancer, including 15 specifically for cancer survivors, and videos on a thousand other things.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Top 10 Most Popular Videos of the Year, Cancer-Proofing Your Body, How Do Plant-Based Diets Fight Cancer?,   Vegan Men: More Testosterone But Less Cancer,How Much Soy Is Too Much?, Increasing Muscle Strength with Fenugreek, Plant-Based Diets for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Apple Peels Turn On Anticancer Genes, Flaxseeds for Prostate Cancer, and Strawberries Can Reverse Cancer ProgressionIf you haven't yet, please feel free to subscribe to my videos (for free, of course, just like everything on this site has been and always will be) by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/17/strawberries-can-reverse-precancerous-progression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/31/cancer-proofing-your-body/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/engineering-a-cure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topics/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16965238,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16094059,
PLAIN-2887	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/	Engineering a Cure	Before Esselstyn, before Ornish, there was Nathan Pritikin… an unlikely candidate to launch a lifestyle medicine revolution. He wasn’t a doctor; wasn’t a dietician. He was an engineer. And so when he got diagnosed with heart disease in his 40s he was not satisfied with the medical professions fatalism. This was, after all, at a time when doctors still preferred Camels.So he did his own research, he experimented, he studied the diets of cultures around the world— particularly Uganda, and finally arrived at a plant-based diet, dropping his cholesterol from 280 down to 94, reversing his own heart disease before going on to do the same for thousands of others before he tragically lost his 28-year battle with radiation-induced leukemia.Before he died, though, he directed that his body be autopsied. he wanted to show the world what his diet could do. The autopsy findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Thirty years after his original heart disease diagnosis, considered incurable at the time, his coronary arteries were found to soft and pliable and widely patent throughout. In a man 69 years old, the near absence of atherosclerosis and complete absence of its effects are remarkable.”	Nathan Pritikin’s work saved my grandmother’s life. Watch my story here. Dr. Dean Ornish then published something along these same lines (see, for example, Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped). Pritikin’s life’s work continued through his research foundation, switching its focus from heart disease to cancer, as I feature in my 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. Tomorrow we start that journey, a three-week video series on dietary changes capable of enabling one’s body to reverse cancer cell growth—buckle your seat belts!If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Remarkable indeed for thousands! Didn’t Pritikin commit suicide, not radiation-induced leukemia?He did commit suicide, but only when he knew the end was near due to the radiation-induced leukemia. An excellent book on this remarkable man is “Pritikin: The Man Who Healed America’s Heart.” While the Pritikin diet may not have been quite 100% plant-based, many of the scientific studies referred to in the book indicate that’s the way to go. Any vegan who reads this book will come away reassured that their diet does indeed promote the best health. Then I think it should be stated that he died the way you put it; it’s more accurate.I’ll definitely check out the book. I always like science over bro-science. :) Thanks very much.Hi Tan,I believe the book is out of print. I borrowed it from the library, or you can pick up a copy from eBay. Well worth the small investment.Thanks for the heads up Mike. I’ll eventually get my hands on it after all the books that I’ve got lined up anyway — half of them fiction, LOL.No problem, Tan. Sometimes there’s a lot of truth in “fiction.” LOLAmazon has it. I just ordered it. :-) cheers! http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0878577327/ref=tmm_hrd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&sr=&qid=Thanks for this.  I saw Forks over Knives on 7 July, 2011.  I started WFPB eating the next day.  After a year off the meds I went back to my Dr. to explain about the 50 lbs i’d dropped and that my angina was gone.  He said it was because I’d gotten the fat away from my heart.  He didn’t like me eating vegan and really wanted me to eat some more statin.  !If only I could express my gratitude to Pritikin, Walter Kempner and all who have since helped push back the envelope of ignorance…. more to learn, of course…but these pioneers are moving us out of the darkness.  Thats you Dr. G., ” A candle in the darkness” to quote another visionary, Carl Sagan.  my Dr. won’t watch FoverKs?  I bought him the DVD!  Hellow McFly,  The angina is gone because the plaque is going away from the lining of my arteries.  The epithelial tissue is regenerating.  The poisoning has ceased and healing begun.  it is akin to a religious experience, except this is real.Eat raw you say?  Eat majic berries?  Toxins, thats your problem.  Bull.  Nor does it matter what you think the cavefolks ate. This is science.  This works.  Evidence-based thinking trumps feelings, notions and potions every time!  The results presented here so entertainingly, mark the next steps towards an end to the horror.  CODE BLUE or broccoli stew?   I’ve tried both, and I can honestly say the stew is the better choice. Coacervate:  Great story.  Thanks for sharing.I don’t know if you made up the Code Blue or broccoli stew, but I got a kick out of that.Thanks Thea…I was on the treadmill and it was all happy chatty and suddenly everyone got real serious and sprayed stuff under my tongue and made me sit down.  I’d had a heart attack and a week later I was a new member of the zipper club.  Not quite a code blue but it tramatized the stuffing out of me.  And I’m tough.  I just wish I’d had the chance, I mean the knowledge of the option to go WFPB before they cut me.  Before those 8 years of horrible drugs.  It was pure chance that I saw Forks over Knives … all that science…beautiful.  Everyone who comes here with angina knows what I mean…To walk a steady pace again.  To jog and you know, other stuff … FREEEDOMMMM! I also think it’s a great story. You put it very well about the nonsense about “feelings, notions and potions”.Also, LOL  “He didn’t like me eating vegan and really wanted me to eat some more statin.!”I’m really happy to hear about your new lifestyle.Is there any evidence for plant-based eating or any dietary approach for narcolepsy?  I have a friend (26 years old), diagnosed with narcolepsy, who says she has read blogs which say she should have a high protein, high fat, high dairy, Atkins-type diet.  I have trouble believing that.  Is there any science here for nutrition for narcolepsy?Susan, stay Young eat plants.With regards to your friend, even if a high protein, high fat, high dairy, Atkins type diet worked for Narcolepsy (which I don’t think it would but I do not know the science), tell them that they will be wide awake when they have their Stroke, Heart Attack, Cancer and then will forget they had any problem because they will be ravaged by dementia.A whole foods, plant-based diet has been shown to be restorative.  A person will find many collateral improvements because the healing is systemic.  My little warty growths dropped off.  My mood changed from morose and desperate to positive and productive.   Perhaps you could show selected vids from this site?  I hope more data on neurodegenerative disease becomes available. Dr. Greger has a free ebook all abotu the atkins diet. http://atkinsexposed.org/To loosely paraphrase Charlotte Gerson, “when the body heals, it heals everything.” It doesn’t just say, “oh, I think I’ll cure heart disease, diabetes and alzheimer’s and ignore narcolepsy.” It is ludicrous to think that a plant based diet could not benefit any disease or condition. To say that it would be cured is an overstatement, but I believe any condition can be improved with a plant based diet.my Dad was on the Pritikin Diet for a while, which makes me think he might have been vegan for a while?!I’m a bit confused. The Pritikin diet wasn’t vegan when it came out many years ago. It was very low in fat. I have his books and cooked some of his recipies then, and they definitely contained at least chicken breast.	Africa,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,medical profession,plant-based diets,Pritikin,Uganda,vegans,vegetarians	Lifestyle medicine pioneer Nathan Pritikin, who reversed his own heart disease through diet and went on to help millions of others, wasn't a doctor or dietician but an engineer.	Nathan Pritikin's work saved my grandmother's life. Watch my story here. Dr. Dean Ornish then published something along these same lines (see for example Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped). Pritikin's life's work continued through his research foundation, switching its focus from heart disease to cancer, as I feature in my 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. Tomorrow we start that journey: a three-week video series on dietary changes capable of enabling one's body to reverse cancer cell growth—buckle your seat belts!If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/31/cancer-proofing-your-body/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/07/treating-breast-pain-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uganda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/resuscitating-medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3889648,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9863851,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11832674,
PLAIN-2888	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slimming-the-gecko-2/	Slimming the Gecko	As I progressed through medical training I could see the ground was definitely shifting. The conversation moved from treating and reversing individual cases of heart disease to an overdue requiem for palliative cardiology the year I graduated from medical school, in other words, resolving the whole coronary artery disease epidemic altogether through plant-based nutrition. So what’s the latest?Ornish’s first major study more than 20 years ago, only included 28 patients on his plant-based diet. 28 patients that would go on to change medicine as we know it forever, but 28 patients nonetheless. Since then he’s published studies involving the reversal of heart disease in thousands of patients, proving that it can not only work in hippy California, but in Nebraska as well.Now Ornish is not just diet, it’s a combo of a low-fat, whole foods, plant-based diet rich in fruits vegetables, whole grains, beans, peas, lentils and soy along with moderate exercise--walking a few hours a week--in addition to stress management.Other studies have focused exclusively on diet. For example, Neal Barnard’s team recently published the first workplace intervention study, GEico corporate headquartes. Couple months of just educating employees about the wonders of a plant-based diet, along with a few healthier options in the cafeteria without changes in exercise, compared to a control worksite where employees were kept in the dark. And within a few months, with their newly acquired knowledge-is-power, the pounds… and inches… came off.	I’ve previously mentioned Dr. Barnard’s work with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Physician-Assisted Suicide? When Doctors Give Nutrition Advice, Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to My Plate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board Accused of Making Illegally Deceptive Claims, Paula Deen: Diabetes Drug Spokesperson, Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up, and How To Treat Diabetes. That paper about resolving the heart disease epidemic for good was written by another of my heroes, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, who I’ve mentioned in China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death and The Tomato Effect. In addition, I have a half dozen articles profiling Dr. Dean Ornish’s work, which was instrumental in changing my own diet 22 years ago. On Monday I’ll start the Pritikin IGF-1 saga featured in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death—I can’t wait!If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.When you’ve got suction cups on your fingers and toes you don’t have to exercise.  Its a workout just hanging out on the window. The hard part was keeping them off the arthropods.  MmmmHow exciting! Maybe this will get some publicity. I’ve seen Dr. Barnard get some press occasionally; this study would be great to get out there since most people have heard of Geico. True that.Spread the word, stat! :^)I am not sure why you always cite Ornish as he does not test a vegan diet at all. Taken from your cited paper (pg.2, paragraph 9), ‘Can Lifestyle changes reverse coronary heart disease?’ :” Experimental-group patients were asked to eat a low-fat vegetarian diet for at least a year. The diet included fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and soybean products without caloric restriction. Some take-home meals were provided for those who wanted them. No animal products were allowed except egg white and one cup per day of non-fat milk or yoghurt. The diet contained approximately 10% of calories as fat (polyunsaturated/saturatedratio greater than 1), 15-20% protein, and 70-75%predominantly complex carbohydrates. Cholesterol intake was limited to 5 mg/day or less. Salt was restricted only for hypertensive patients. Caffeine was eliminated, and alcohol was limited to no more than 2 units per day (alcohol was excluded for anyone with a history of alcoholism, and no one was encouraged to drink). The diet was nutritionally adequate and met the recommended daily allowances for all nutrients except vitamin B12’ which was supplemented.”ch was supplemented.Hi BCCveg,Should we just ignore the data/research if it is not vegan? There are many a good health practitioners who advocate plant based diets and still will say “if needed” eat occasional free-range, grass fed.If the data demonstrates health benefits it is hard to argue unless one is vegan for animal cruelty reason.What do you think?Hi Veganrunner,My concern is that Dr. Greger’s video is misrepresenting Dr. Ornish’s study.  In ‘Can lifestyle changes reverse coronary artery disease’, Dr. Ornish was using an experimental diet that included animal products (eggs and milk), yet Dr. Greger’s video doesn’t even mention that. Instead he only focusses on the plant based aspects of the study.In another video (i.e. ‘Research into Reversing Aging February 22, 2011′) dealing with one of Dr. Ornish’s studies, Dr. Greger specifically states prior to presenting Ornish’s work that “it appears we have to eat vegan” whereas the study used an experimental group that took fish oil supplements daily. I commented under the video on this issue 12 months ago and received no response from Dr. Greger.Dr. Greger often says that he reads every nutrition article in the literature “so that we don’t have to” and if someone challenges him on his scientific acuracy, he has been known to retorts, “don’t shoot the messenger!”.Look, I am not writing this to shoot any messenger. I am simply asking the messenger to accurately report the message. Strix, Sounds exciting but nothing new.  Great video though. I just keep plugging along teaching my patients the same plant based nutrition everyday and always see great successes in those that do it. Everyone gets better all the time!You see Dr. John McDougall showed the same thing with employees of (I think) Blue Cross Blue shield in Chicago.  The employees got better and the health care costs went down.  No one cared and no one seemed to take note for longer than a week.  Otherwise everyone would have jumped on the band wagon.Whole foods market owner John Mackey has been doing the same thing with his employees and showing improved health and decreased health care costs of their employees for over two years now, and it still falls upon deaf ears.I’m sure Dr. G can pull up even more studies showing the same thing and no one will take note for longer than a fleeting thought.Comon’  Medicare has put out estimates on the potential savings on Medicare cost expenditures at about 75% if we all went plant based.  That’s a potential estimated cost savings of between $500,000,000,000 to $900,000,000,000 per year.  Yes Billion! and nearly a Trillion dollars a year saved if this lifestyle was adopted.  How come no one is listening?  that would not only fix out healthcare ‘crisis’ but would eliminate the National Debt within two years!People love their meat and truly believe that our sickness care system will save them from their continued poor dietary choices once they have a heart attack, stroke cancer, diabetes, dementia etc.  Unfortunately they are sadly mistaken ;-{There is only one thing that has been shown to prevent, reverse and even cure disease and that is a whole food plant based eating lifestyle.  And this has been shown to do this with good solid scientific evidence for over twenty years!And best of all it doesn’t cost the consumer nor the government anything!  You don’t have to buy insurance, you don’t have to buy a new pill and you don’t have to go to your doctor every three months for the rest of your life!Why don’t we just follow an old Nike Slogan: “Just Do It!” Keep plugging along is all we can do!I also get very discouraged. You can only use the excuse that people “just don’t know” for so long. People do know; they just don’t want to know. There are so many reasons “why?”; but I think one biggie is that people don’t want to change.I think one of the saddest things is knowing that the people eating whatever they want under the guise of wanting “happiness,” and not wanting a life of “deprivation,” is that when the sickness comes upon them, they realize they were wrong, and is too late. :*(I hate Nike but love that slogan. Have used it often and people get mad. They like excuses and reasons…blah, blah, blah. There are always reasons not to do something.Don’t be discouraged, Doc; you’re doing the good work :^)But this is exactly why I can’t be exclusively a vegan.  For those like myself who have great difficulty keeping weight on, such a diet is disastrous.  The very things that should help, like eating nuts, turn out to actually help one to reduce.  Without some form of animal fats I become almost skeletal. Adding grains will help. More beans, if you can, too. I find those are more weight-gaining than fat! Some of the higher-calorie fruits, too.Totally agree Strix.  There are some great Vegan Protein powders and Protein Bars made from Brown Rice Protein.  I have the same problem.  Went plant based lost a lot of weight and everyone thought I was unhealthy because they thought I was too skinny.  I’m going to try to get more protein from powders and shakes to build up some muscle to keep a fit look.Thanks, Andy.  It’s nice to know someone else has the same problem.  All one ever hears about is weight loss but for us, losing weight is the easy part.  I wish Dr.Gregor would address this issue.  I’ve known others who have abandoned the vegan diet because the ended up looking sick.Gilesset,There is a very ancient process going on here that comes down to this…Corruption cannot put on Incorruption. We have all gone along creating a human flesh and condition based on a nutritional paradigm that is completely false and misleading. In the end it has created a corrupt model for human flesh based in sickness and disease when the truest model would show you will never be sick again. What it comes down to is having enough Vision to see it through to the “end”…when a plant based diet will indeed keep you in the weight range you are most comfortable in. Also, there are a number of fresh, living protein drinks that can be made using sprouted brown rice, sprouted yellow corn, almonds or sesame seeds, raisins, dates or figs to sweeten, etc. I’ll have two sixteen ounce drinks for lunch and it sustains me through a grueling afternoon of concrete formwork which is very labor intensive. Good luck…don’t give up…let Spirit have Its Way with what you know to be true.But the average waste circumference was still 41 inches? 41???????????Kind of hilarious they asked the participants not to alter their exercise habits during the intervention period. So if they “awakened” someone at the Geico headquarters to the need for better health they then asked the person not to try to get healthier until we get some usable data for the study.I have been totally Vegan for a bit over 1 year now. I  lost about 30 pounds. I still need to loose about the same amount. Lately I have been having trouble gaining weight. I am getting confused as to who to believe. All the Plant based doctors have different advise about loosing weight. Shall I eat less Whole Grains? Or should I exclude nuts? Or should I eat less all together and start counting Points/ Calories. It would be nice if I could figure out what to do. I did like this Video a lot. Why do you want to gain weight? As long as you are eating whole, unprocessed plant foods free of oils, caloric needs and energy expenditures are satisfied. That is, as long as you eat when your hungry till your full you should maintain a stable weight once losing the initial few pounds. You will not continue to lose weight to underweight levels. I personally prefer  complex carbohydrate based diet as Dr. McDougall recommends as this is the most satiating to me. I made a mistake, I meant I have trouble losing the last 30 pounds that I feel are access weight. I do eat whole foods, no oil, sugar or salt. I also include nuts. I just see that other people following these diets lose a lot of weight very quickly, the only thing I can think of is that I perhaps overeat. I was just wondering that perhaps counting calories is then the answer.GEICO ought to share their outstanding results with the owner of their company, Warren Buffet.  It would sure change his outlook about his prostate cancer.  But then, he’s kind of an old-fashioned guy.  He might prefer to spend his money on doctors who don’t cure anybody and just treat them – FOREVER! It’s worth a shot.this is so adorable! I love the geico and to see his little waist expand and contract in relation to the vegan diet is just too cute! Your videos are my daily cheerup and inspiration! Thank you!	abdominal fat,beans,California,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,Dr. Dean Ornish,Dr. Neal Barnard,exercise,fat,fruit,grains,heart disease,heart health,legumes,lentils,low-fat diets,obesity,peas,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,plant-based diets,soy,stress,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,weight loss,Workplace intervention	A workplace dietary intervention study at GEICO corporate headquarters demonstrates the power of plant-based eating.	I've previously mentioned Dr. Barnard's work with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Physician-Assisted Suicide? When Doctors Give Nutrition Advice, Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to My Plate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board Accused of Making Illegally Deceptive Claims, Paula Deen: Diabetes Drug Spokesperson, Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up, and How To Treat Diabetes. That paper about resolving the heart disease epidemic for good was written by another of my heroes, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, who I've mentioned in China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death and The Tomato Effect. In addition, I have a half dozen articles profiling Dr. Dean Ornish's work, which was instrumental in changing my own diet 22 years ago. On Monday I'll start the Pritikin IGF-1 saga featured in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death—I can't wait!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts:  Plant-Based Workplace Intervention and Diet and Cellulite 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/29/vegan-workplace-intervention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/physicians-committee-for-responsible-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-neal-barnard/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/2011/10/24/wisconsin-milk-marketing-board-accused-of-making-illegally-deceptive-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/2011/09/03/physician-assisted-suicide-when-doctors-give-nutrition-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20232608,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20594095,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1973470,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11832674,
PLAIN-2889	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil-vs-nuts/	Extra Virgin Olive Oil vs. Nuts	Recently researchers in Spain wondered what would happen if they replaced much of the refined olive oil in people’s diets with extra virgin olive oil or walnuts, or almonds. What were the effects on people’s cardio vascular risk factors after a month on each of the different diets. Same people, but three different months diets different only by the main source of fat. And this is what they foundThe people in the nut groups did significantly better, dropping their total cholesterol about 7%, knocking about 20 points off their bad cholesterol, however the extra-virgin olive oil did do somewhat better than the refined olive oil, presumably because it retains a few more phytosterols, but nuts—and seeds—remain the best source of fat.Whole food sources of fats, like everything else, tend to be preferable. One can think of extra virgin olive oil like fruit juice—it’s got nutrients, but the calories you get are relatively empty compared to the whole fruit. Olives are, after all, fruits. You fresh squeeze them and you get olive juice, less nutrition than the whole fruit, but then it gets even worse, they throw away what’s called the olive wastewater, which contains all of the water soluble nutrients in olives so you’re really just getting a small fraction of the nutrition of the whole fruit. So why not just eat the olives? Well the problem is that they’re soaked in brine such that a dozen olives could take up half your sodium intake for the day, so I suggest eating them only in moderation.	Adding nuts and seeds to one’s salad boosts the bioavailability of the fat-soluble carotenoid phytonutrients in the greens. See my video Forego Fat-Free Dressings?. Oil would work, but whole food sources of fat (and other nutrients!) are superior. For more on nuts and cholesterol see Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering and for more on the adverse effects of too much sodium, see Dietary Guidelines: With a Grain of Big Salt and Salt OK if Blood Pressure is OK? I like that juice:oil comparison! I’ve got to remember that one.I went salt free several years ago; but I still enjoy olives. I eat the raw, whole, no-salt olives. They are (supposedly) an acquired taste — either love them or hate them, I guess. I happen to love them. Any problem with these? I’ve not heard of any.Do Sprouted Nuts have a greater nutritional value (as do sprouted seeds and beans) vs raw nuts?  Would this help kick the salad up a notch?  For the people who need the oily texture on their salad, is virgin coconut oil a better alternative to Olive oil?  This is starting to sound more like a recipe channel.  Any input would be greatly appreciated Dr. Greger (specifically on the sprouted nut). Jason:  I know you addressed Dr. Greger, but I have some thoughts that you might find helpful.re: sprouted nuts:  I got into the idea of sprouting when Dr. Greger did his series on broccoli and sprouting.  I bought a couple of books on the topic to learn more.  It’s been a while since I read those books, but if memory serves, I believe that they did say that sprouted nuts do indeed have more nutrition – including more absorb-able nutrition.  (“You are what you absorb.”)Re: coconut oil vs olive oil:  Dr. Greger covered coconut oil in this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/Hope that was helpful.Fantastic – Thank you for the affirmation (my research on sprouting nuts has been minimal) and I am love’n the sprouted broccoli (thanks for the heads up at your Toronto visit Dr. Greger) and other delisous seeds and beans I have sprouted.   Sprout on my friend, Sprout on!Dear Doctor Gregor,Your videos are PHENOMENAL!!! I share wherever and whenever I can on Facebook, Pinetrest, Google+ and Twitter. I live with Autoimmune Poly endocrine Syndrome. I cannot even list whether it’s I, II, III or IV because I bear the signs and symptoms in all four areas. I should not be alive based on all of the emergency room visits, hospital stays and allergies and through much prayer, intense research and videos like yours ………. I am alive and doing well. One of the most recent things I learned from you that has really, really helped me sort out so much of the madness in my life is your emphasis on consuming WHOLE foods. Processed foods on a whole is POISON to me but even organic and packaged foods were a recent growing issue and I really became disillusioned UNTIL I learned that I can still enjoy food BUT I must procure it in its organic, WHOLE state FIRST then transform it. So as far as cooking with oil goes, I purchase organic coconuts and process them at home to secure the oil and I can cook with this. This goes for everything else. I had to make a lot of changes and I’m learning as I go. It becomes clearer and clearer to me that man thrives when he eats as close to the soil as possible. Thank you for your time and videos!!!! They are GREATLY appreciated!!Had suspected this. I’m still curious about ghee (if one could find it without environmental toxins). And clarified butter made from milks more compatible with humans are better. Various ancient medicines (including Greek and Roman) mention many milks with different properties and tend to suggest best is of course human.A new study on ghee seems to be making the rounds on some newspapers. “A spoon of ghee full of health: ‘Poses no danger to cardiac health'”. I think it’s this one.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23041740If anyone could share it, that’d be great.Huh — they didn’t think to compare to a diet enriched with nonfatty plants.  They had four groups, but apparently couldn’t add a fifth.  Partial funding from the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council…I’m allergic to nuts. All nuts. Has there been a comparison between the health benefits in seeds as compared to nuts? I’m looking for a way to enhance my salads without using nuts of course. I do use pumpkin seeds and sunflower and am wondering if there is enough fat in the seed to help with getting all the good from the nutrients in my salads.Given the recent research showing that LDL-c (cholesterol) is not nearly as significant as LDL-p (particle size &/or concentration), couldn’t one read these results differently? That is, don’t these results show extra virgin olive oil causing a bigger drop in oxidized LDL than almonds while walnuts caused an increase in same? Almonds did cause the biggest decrease in homocysteine, but virgin olive oil was nearly as good and better than walnuts in that regard. Couldn’t one make a case that since the fat-soluble antioxidant vitamins reside in the oil of a fruit, that refined oils can be more beneficial than whole fruits in some instances? Olives are the perfect example since as Dr. Greger stated, eating a bunch of olives perhaps gives the eater too much salt.Just realized that since virgin olive oil caused an increase in apolipoprotein B while walnuts & almonds caused a decrease, the whole food does have a more beneficial effect on LDL-p than the refined oil in this case, correct?Hey Dr Gregor, I am a fan of yours – lots of great info you’ve posted in many videos and I thank you for that.Is it my imagination or are you starting to recently omit too much important info?Like your post the other day about canned beans and the fact that you never mentioned the real health risk of BPA leaching out of the liners in canned food.Now in this post about olive oil vs walnuts or almonds to reduce the “bad” LDL cholesterol. First of all who eats dry salad with just nuts on it? I’d choke. I use 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil AND nuts (and much more) in my salads, Calorie wise the difference is trivial between olive oil versus nuts so I don’t understand why you would even mention that. 1 Tbsp of olive oil is about 120 calories while the equivalent weight (14g) of almonds is 80 calories and for Walnuts about 95 calories.Most importantly the idea that LDL cholesterol is “bad” is based on very old, outdated, science. As vegan minstrel pointed out 5 months ago in her post there is a big difference between the essential harmless “big fluffy” particles of LDL versus the high density small particle LDL which is the real “bad” type of LDL – yet you made no mention of this in this video.It’s a very important point.Bottom line is yes you are correct that whole foods are nearly always healthier than refined/separated portions of whole foods but a better focus for this video might have been “how to optimize the nutritional value AND flavor of your salads” because that reflects the reality of how we eat.Thanks.Have you tried ever making your own salad dressings with nuts/seeds + flavored vinegar in a blender à la Dr. Fuhrman? He’s got recipes in his books and on his site. That way you’d get the full benefit of whole plant fats PLUS more palatable salads.The whole food, plant-based message in this video is a very important one. Still it is important to note that reducing fat to 10% of calories has had amazing effects on reversing heart disease, as illustrated in the Esselstyn and Ornish studies. To do this, one also has to be cognizant, and even limit whole food fats such as olives, avocados and nuts. They can be eaten, but only in moderation if one has cardiovascular concerns.You share similarities with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn but the one area which is a major diversion from his work is the use of oils, in particular olive oil. Are you an advocate of olive oil or do you believe that Dr. Esselstyn is correct that all oils damage the endothelium and thus lead to greater numbers of cases of heart disease?Hi Steve,I really appreciate you reposting your comment. Did you happen to see this video? I think the general theme in the research point to “whole foods” as the best source of nutrition. That said, olives, avocado, and flaxseed appear to be much more healthful than their oils. Perhaps it’s the added benefit of fiber and antioxidants obtained in the whole foods? Olive oil is not a “health food”. I have heard the concept of olive oil (or other types) negatively affecting endothelial function, however, I am unfamiliar with the extent of research concluding this point. I feel like reversing heart disease will have different dietary requirements than simply living a healthful lifestyle.Thank you Joseph. You bring up an interesting point about whole foods. As you know, whole foods have shown rather consistently that they are better than the extracted vitamins and other nutrients. However I think there is an exception to this and that is in the case of juice. Studies have shown some amazing evidence that certain juices have extremely positive and statistically significant benefits. For example, beetroot juice with high blood pressure, tart cherry juice with sleep and inflammation and recently blueberry juice with cognition in older adults. Although the whole food is preferred in most cases, most of the time people won’t consume enough of the whole food to derive a clinically meaningful benefit. How do you feel about juice?Great question. We have so much research on juice! See what you find. I think in general the whole fruit is best because the polyphenols need fiber to be absorbed correctly. Nature knows best :) However it needs to be put into perspective. A fresh glass of squeezed orange juice every now and again when you already eat a high-fiber diet is probably no big deal.Does anyone have any good information on grapeseed oil and whether is is better than other oils for the occasional cooking or salad dressing application? Thank you very much in advance! I read that it is high in vitamin B6 and that is not a good thing.	almonds,calories,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,fat,fruit,fruit juice,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,nuts,oils,olive oil,olives,phytosterols,seeds,walnuts	The short-term effect of replacing refined olive oil with extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, or almonds on cardiovascular risk factors.	Adding nuts and seeds to one's salad boosts the bioavailability of the fat-soluble carotenoid phytonutrients in the greens. See my video Forgo Fat-Free Dressings?. Oil would work, but whole food sources of fat (and other nutrients!) are superior. For more on nuts and cholesterol see Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering and for more on the adverse effects of too much sodium, see Dietary Guidelines: With a Grain of Big Salt and Salt OK if Blood Pressure is OK?If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytosterols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21421296,
PLAIN-2890	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-snack-or-not-to-snack/	To Snack or Not to Snack?	To snack or not to snack, a review was recently published on the accumulated research about eating frequency and both weight and health. Maybe we should eat throughout the day to reduce hunger, increase our metabolic rate, mobilize our body fat, or… maybe, snacking will just lead us to overeat. What, does the science say?—what do you think? A few big meals a day or smaller more frequent meals throughout the day for weight management and optimal health?According to the best available science? It… doesn’t matter. “Overall current evidence does not suggest that manipulating eating frequency greatly benefits weight and health.” What we eat is more important than how often we eat it.If you do like snacking, though, a new study thanks to the California Prune Board suggests that—what else—prunes may be a particularly good choice given the “satiating power of prunes, which they found—like with nuts, to compensate for the majority of their calories.	That was a quickie! This is not the first time we’ve run across the Prune Board. Remember their appearance in Dietary Guidelines: With a Grain of Big Salt? For a comparison of dried fruits, see Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol (the graphic of which sneaks into the intro of Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death) and Better Than Goji Berries. Nuts are also super healthy snacks. See Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell, What Women Should Eat to Live Longer, and Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.And if you DO choose to have a snack, say of prunes, is it better to include some small amount of protein too? Palmful of seeds or nuts? Any thoughts? Thanks!I see no purpose in this but if you wish to go for it!If he’s running, he can handle some fructose.Ha! Why am I assuming veganrunner is a he!Valnaples, From Dr. Greger’s video on eating dried fruit, nuts, or fruit and nuts together (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/), it seems you could eat dried fruit and/or nuts–as long as you’re not adding sugar–and it would have no effect on your weight. Hope that helps!This is news to me. In the bodybuilding world, or mostly athletic world, we’re told to eat smaller meals several times a day — usually the number is six. I assume the study in the video pertains to regular, non-active people?I have found professionally inaccurate information is pass on from gym rat to gym rat. I worked in many of gyms before finishing my studies. I am not really sure where they get their info.I am an “active” person and 6 meals a day? Nope, unless you count a handful of nuts a meal.It appears it doesn’t make a difference.Veganrunner, mind if i ask what your daily meals specifically consist of?  Im newly vegan and need help designing a vegan diet that supports athleticism and muscle gain.  Seeing what u do successfully would really help!Hi Stacy, Sure. Well I just got back from running 8.3 miles. Before my run I drank a smoothy of spinach, blueberries, mango, strawberries, hemp seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, alma, green tea, hibiscus, cashews ginger and enough water to make the blades spin and so I can pour it. About 20 oz. I find the smoothy sits best before a run. I alternate that with steal cut oatmeal and many of the above things plus cinnamon. I just need more time before my run if I eat oatmeal. For lunch I usually have a very large green salad with lemon and a smidge of olive oil. Or maybe some leftovers from the night before. Or maybe rice cake with tomato and avocado. For dinner I generally have various vegetables, quinoa etc. Large salad etc. I made the best miso soup with mushrooms, seaweed and tofu the other night. We are huge beans and rice fans with fresh salsa and corn tortillas. For snacks I might grab a handfull of walnuts or almonds. I also like to keep sautéed tempeh in the fridge so if I feel like I need a bit more protein I cut a slice off and eat that. I hope that was helpful. I have teenage kids so I am always looking for recipes that they won’t complain too much about! :-) And I find most recipes can be adjusted to be vegan. Muscle gain? Are you a body builder? Keep in mind “specificity of training.” I do really well running with my diet. You may need to tweak it a bit if you aren’t getting the results you want. I would probably add more nuts. (I believe that has been Dr. Furhman’s recommendation to his athletes.) Thanks so much!  Look really healthy!How many cals are u able to get?  What about macronutrients (grams and %)?Are u gluten-free?Do u think that soy is healthy?  If so, how much is good to have per day?And what about protein powders?  Which are the best?Opinion on nutritional yeast?Lastly, do u believe in food combining principles?Thanks!!!!I don’t really pay attention to calories or % but I would say I eat a lot. But a lot of vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and grains. I try to get as much of a variation as possible. Yes I am gluten-free. I eat very little tofu (soy) and I don’t drink soy-milk. Tofu one time per month? I don’t really like it that much and it doesn’t sit well with me. It is a processed food so verdict is out on whether it is healthy or not?  But sometimes there are good recipes with tofu so I try them. Like a vegan tofu mayonnaise for example. I don’t use protein powders because I eat such a variety of foods that I am sure I am getting the required amount. However there is a pea protein powder that looks interesting. Just peas and I think 23 grams of protein per serving. I do some things with nutritional yeast. Unique flavor so more savory dishes I think. I like it. Reminds me of cheese. I have read a lot about combining food principles and I actually really enjoy Dr. Gillian McKeith but I haven’t read any great research about it so no. How about you? Okay. Wow. And you take b12, of course.And you get enough protein? I guess if you aren’t lifting, you can do less.Hi dm, yes I take B12. We get more than enough protein in our diets. If your goal is to lift weights to increase muscle mass you just need to lift weights. My morning smoothy has about 25 grams of protein and that is without any kind of protein powder. I weigh 120 so eating 60 grams would be on the high side. I occasionally add pure pea protein powder but I really don’t need to.It would be interesting for the good doctor to do a similar segment on the benefits (or lack thereof) of perodic fasting.He has acknowledged fasting in a few of his videos actually. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/Good to know. Some people can be so adament in regards to their beliefs on numerous meals throughout the day. They can be so rigid in their regimented eating structure that their days are often set up so that they are in a constant state of drinking water and eating meals throughout the day. I am simply NOT the kind of person that wants to do that all day. I am trying to get my mind off not eating, not worrying about eating on a regimented schedule. The types of foods, not the frequency is my main concern. I really appreciate knowing that their recommendations are not mandatory for my health.I eat 3 bigger meals AND snacks, and my Bmi stays at 19.5. I sometimes eat more, or less, it makes indeed no difference. I do eat healthy food all the time and no junk.Hi Dr. Greger,Thank you for all that you do. We couldn’t do it without you.Is it true that when nuts are roasted at temperatures above 170 degrees Fahrenheit, the monounsaturated fats can breakdown, and free radicals & acrylamide can form?Just wanted to let you know that you are appreciated.Thankfully,AndyActually, how you eat is important. If you take the same amount of calories and spread it in smaller portions throughout the day, you will lose more weight. This is not a peer-reviewed journal, but in my case and in the case of people I know who follow this, it does work: http://www.menshealth.com/weight-loss/diet-strategies-increase-metabolismare there any good studies published in peer reviewed journals about the ‘Fast Five’ system of eating? Does the system make any metabolic sense acco to you?	body fat,California Dried Plum Board,calories,fat,metabolism,nuts,obesity,prunes,weight loss	A review of the best available science examining the impact of eating frequency on both weight and health.	That was a quickie! This is not the first time we've run across the Prune Board. Remember their appearance in Dietary Guidelines: With a Grain of Big Salt? For a comparison of dried fruits, see Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol (the graphic of which sneaks into the intro of Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death) and Better Than Goji Berries. Nuts are also super healthy snacks. See Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell, What Women Should Eat to Live Longer, and Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering.Please check out my associated blog posts for more context:  The Anti-Wrinkle Diet and Best Dried Fruit For Cholesterol 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prunes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california-dried-plum-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20434071,
PLAIN-2891	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-pills-do-a-fat-lot-of-good/	Diet Pills Do Fat a Lot of Good	A billion people in the world are now overweight… and that’s great news for the $13 billion weight loss supplement industry. Reported at the International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm recently, a review of common slimming supplements… versus placebo, and not one worked better than the sugar pills.No evidence that any of these food supplements provide adequate treatment for weight loss, so looks like we'll just have to stick with food.That was the conclusion reached in a similar review out of the Weight Management Center at Johns Hopkins recently, which ended with this: "it is fitting to highlight that perhaps the most general and safest quote-unquote alternative approach to weight control is to substitute low-energy density foods for high-energy density and processed foods, thereby reducing total energy intake. [In other words, more whole plant foods and fewer animals and junk] By taking advantage of the low-energy density and health-promoting effects of plant-based foods, one may be able to achieve weight loss, or at least assist weight maintenance without cutting down on the volume of food consumed or compromising its nutrient value.	So many supplements are useless (see my video Dietary Supplement Snake Oil and Some Dietary Supplements May Be More Than a Waste Of Money), regardless of what one might be told in a natural food store (see my video series Health Food Store Supplement Advice, Bad Advice From Health Food Store Employees, Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees, and Pharmacists Versus Health Food Store Employees: Who Gives Better Advice?). I think I only have one other video on diet supplements. But have hundreds on videos on a thousand other topics.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.I have the best dietary supplement in the world and guaranteed to make you lose weight and feel great!Open wide–Plants!!!How can we get the dietary supplement?How can we get the plant?I always thought that people who take slimming supplements do it so they can take a short cut to weight loss, yet continue their unhealthy diets and maybe even intensify it. Looks like another “more plants, less inferior food” moment.Since beginning my plant-based journey 6 months ago, I have lost 30 lbs., and I have lowered all of those life-threatening numbers to more healthful levels. That is wonderful, yes; but the best part is: I am enjoying food like never before. I eat more and more variety. Win-Win!Wow! Impressive.Sure, some of these supps are a bit over the top, but personally I’d think twice before dismissing the potential of things like tea polyphenols, b-vitamins, chromium, etc. for weight management. It’s not going to counteract baconators, but it can be a positive addition to a decent diet.Unfortunately, there are two things going on here that hinder weight loss. The first is many people want results NOW, results that they think they’ll get with pills and other nostrums. The second is that a plant-strong low-density high-nutrient diet isn’t “sexy”, it doesn’t have the razzle-dazzle attraction of exotic- or scientific-sounding weight loss products. Until this segment of the population realizes that food, what type and how much, is the answer these weight loss supplement companies will continue to rake in the big bucks.I agree that a whole food vegan diet is the key to weight control. The review cited from the Nutrition Bulletin makes many mistakes, the most egregious is… “protein-rich foods (meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein) are the fundamental principles of a healthy balanced diet and should be part of a sensible weight-loss programme…” The author’s contraindications for caffeine, green tea, and other supplements are overly dramatic and inaccurate.WOW, who would have guessed the supplement industry is misleading in its advertising?Some of these diets even advertise that you can take this pill and you don’t even have to change you way of eating, just take the pill. Never took diet anything, my way of keeping slim is portion control and veggie fruit menu as I’m vegetarianHi Dr. Greger, I so enjoy your nutrition facts. I very, very much want to know is how does the body absorb fat/ release fat. I can’t believe it is entirely calories in/out. Or is it? I am wondering about glycogenesis. I understand that when glycogenesis takes place, 25% or so of the calories is used in the conversion (vs 3% of fat absorption) of glucose to lipid. What are the conditions for this to take place? Also, under what conditions does lipolysis take place? What is the role of insulin? Iin other words how do we get fat and how do we get skinny? Wondering if anyone knows. Why, if you are running and you run out of glucose, why doesn’t the body just automatically click over to burning fat? It doesn’t seem to do that. I just get tired. Please let me know if there is another resource other than google which doesn’t really answer all my questions.Thanks so much.It is about calories in/out since you can’t violate the laws of thermodynamics. That said there are other factors such as the hormone leptin which goes up with exercise and low fat diets… the effect is suppression of appetite and increase in peripheral metabolism. It is also true that the body converts certain fuels to energy or storage more efficiently than others depending on which metabolic pathway you are talking about. Once your body runs out of glucose which it gets from stored glycogen in liver and muscle it does automatically cut over to burning fat and protein actually about 50/50 unless you are eating food as you exercise. This is common in endurance athletes such as cyclists. Scott Jurek discusses this in his book Eat & Run. Unfortunately getting in condition for aerobic events takes awhile time as the body learns to store glycogen, more efficiently burn fat, improve cardiac output and increase the mitochondria in the muscles. By eating plant based diet your colon’s bacteria will be able to modify the fiber in your diet to two carbon fragments which can be absorbed and utilized by muscles… aka carbohydrate loading. Your colon can contribute up to 10% of your calories this way. It’s too bad that it takes so long to get in shape and so little time to get out of shape :-( ! Good luck.Please could you tell me whether there is any real evidence that Garcinia Cambogia helps with weight loss? Dr. OZ is promoting heavily but when I looked up the evidence on line I found none. So is it useful or just the latest money maker targeting folk who want to be slimmer?Thanks again for all your great information about diet.Would about caffeine (No more than 5-6 mg/kg per day) , green tea extract (500-900 mg), and yohimbine (2.5 mg/kg) for fat loss? Are they safe and effective?Plexus, “Le-Vel Thrive”and other accelerators/supplements/diet drinks.. you don’t have a topic for these yet. I have several friends that are really into Plexus and some others that are really into Le-Vel. I don’t know much about the products and am not interested in taking them. They’re having tons of success and that’s great but I’d just like to see what you guys think about it / if you have followed any of them yet. Additionally, wouldn’t you have to always buy these in order to keep the weight off? Isn’t it easier and much healthier to just change to a mostly plant based diet and deal with the palate change adjustment? http://pinkdrinkamerica.blogspot.com/2013/10/plexus-slim-cost-vs-its-competitors.html This thread has a bunch of diet systems from a few years ago and cost analysis, plexus being one of them.	animal products,calories,dairy,eggs,fat,fish,junk food,meat,obesity,placebo effect,plant-based diets,supplements,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss	Common slimming supplements are found to be ineffective, whereas a diet centered on whole plant foods is described as perhaps the safest approach to weight control.	So many supplements are useless (see my video Dietary Supplement Snake Oil and Some Dietary Supplements May Be More Than a Waste Of Money), regardless of what one might be told in a natural food store (see my video series Health Food Store Supplement Advice, Bad Advice From Health Food Store Employees, Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees, and Pharmacists Versus Health Food Store Employees: Who Gives Better Advice?). I think I only have one other video on diet supplements, but I have hundreds of videos on a thousand other topics.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Plant-Based Workplace Intervention.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/29/vegan-workplace-intervention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/placebo-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21947637,
PLAIN-2892	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biblical-daniel-fast-put-to-the-test/	Biblical Daniel Fast Put to the Test	Evidently not completely satisfied with the scientific rigor of the dietary trial presented in Daniel 1, 8 through 16, researchers in Tennesee published two papers recently detailing a series of parallel experiments on a 21 day all you can eat diet of “devoid of animal products and preservatives, and inclusive of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.” In other words… “food intake in accordance with a stringent vegan diet.”The purpose of the studies were to determine the effect of a 21 day Daniel Fast on both biomarkers of antioxidant status and oxidative stress, as well as the efficacy of the Daniel fast to improve markers of the lion's den of metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk.No surprise that a diet composed of whole plant foods improves several risk factors for metabolic and cardiovascular disease, as well as an improvement in selected biomarkers of antioxidant status and oxidative stress, including metabolites of nitric oxide, which I talked about before. Participants experienced meaningful improvements, in blood pressure, cholesterol, insulin levels. insulin resistance, and C-reactive protein were all lowered to a clinically meaningful extent.And this was in a young healthy population—imagine the miracles it could do for people who are really hurting. “this study extends the findings of other plant-based diets by documenting the impact of a strict vegan diet on multiple measures of oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity.”Of course if, instead of a biblical Danial Fast, they had called it a "strict vegan diet" they would probably not have gotten a compliance rate of 98.7%, especially, in Tennessee.	See the “prequel” in Friday’s video-of-the-day Tightening the Bible Belt. Can the drop in biomarkers of inflammation actually translate into an improvement in inflammatory disease progression though? See Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease and Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis. The decrease in inflammation is likely a combination of the anti-inflammatory effects of many plant foods (Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell) and the pro-inflammatory effects of animal foods (see the 3-video series ending with Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia). The improvement in antioxidant capacity is also not unexpected, given the different Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods.If all these neat studies intrigue you as much as they do me, make sure to subscribe to my videos (for free) by clicking here.Isn’t great to know that everytime you say something, even in jest, you will offend someone!? Rhetorical Question. ;-}That is for sure! ;(I agree, it’s a b*tch when someone else is right … and pride just won’t let you admit it. But if you say prejudicial things, it’s likely that eventually someone’s gonna call you on it. Take care.Thanks so much for your great presentations at Toronto’s Vegetarian Festival. So interesting and entertaining!  I agree! Dr. Greger makes the presentation so much more lively. Great to have you Doc and thanks for cheerfully posing for photos with us. You’re welcome back to Toronto any time!I love your screen name!  Any reference to a diet high in fiber? ;-}Ha! No, it’s a nickname from when I was a teenager. But going vegan has certainly made me a much…um… happier person.So what you are saying is, that you have learned to ‘Go with the flow’! ;-}Fibre is my friend.I’m not from Tennessee and evidently you’re not from Tennessee — but the last cynical swipe strikes me as really petty, and uncalled for. If we’re following a WFPB vegan diet, we’re all human and we’ve all taken some social knocks for it, but it allows us to be on the high road in terms of both moral philosophy/ humane issues AND health science. What call is there for this? It doesn’t help to be negative.  All the best.Point of view is from ones perspective.We all have different perspectives and that is what makes the world so fascinating.Personally, I love Dr. Gregers ‘Bible Banging’.  Tenessee is in the bible belt isn’t it?  Nothing like a little flaggelation to get the blood flowing. ;-} I do live in TN and am a vegan and know several people who have done the Daniel Fast. It was my first experience with people in TN wanting to know how to cook vegan dishes. (I shared as many recipes as I could think of with them.)I am not sure that my friends here in Tennessee would take his comment all that badly. The fact that their devotion to their religion supercedes health concerns is not so different from statements by ethical vegans that becoming vegan for reasons of health isn’t good enough. (There are lots of reasons to be vegan. We should open our tents wide.)To the doctor’s question: Many people do this fast as part of a committed religious practice. From what I can tell the norm here is for a church group to do it once a year. At least one person I know became a complete vegan after doing the Daniel Fast and improving his cholesterol and other blood markers. (He had coronary heart disease and diabetes and was therefore motivated.) Others might do the fast longer. Or do it intermittently. I always know that a Daniel Fast is on when my cookbooks are suddenly in demand again.I’ve been a veg*n for 37 years and I’ve seen a lot of people move in and out of vegetarianism. From what I can tell, the people who do the best at sticking to it have many reasons to do it (ethical, environmental, compassionate, religious, health, etc.)I like this. Of course I looked up the helpful paper that was cited in this review, and the University researchers themselves have (at least educational) ties to the south and we want to encourage them. If we are vegetarian, then vegan, then low-fat WFPB we are a minority of a minority of a minority, so we should be objective and open and look for friends everywhere. The lesson of Daniel’s experiment was available to critical eyes thousands of years before any modern reseach and it was preserved for a long time — just because of the “bible-thumpers.”It’s not being negative at all.  He’s being a scienific realist.  You have heard of the “placebo effect”, correct?   It means our emotional expectations and biases make a significant difference on what we experience.  In this case, many ppl are biased against vegan diets, and yet, the reverse is true, many ppl, esp in the “bible belt” are biased in favor of bible ways. OK, Jesus.So interesting!  I’m not a big fan of “the bible told me so”, but if helps some people “see the light”, I guess it is a good tool to use.What is really helpful about this study, from my perspective, is that it is yet one more rigorous study showing benefits of the whole plants foods-based diet.  Go science!I live in Israel and we eat a lot of vegetables in our diet but also eat a lot of chicken products not so much beef but mostly chicken eggs and diary products. its been a week now and i try eating a whole food (whole pasta, red rice, etc) and fruits vegetables and nuts. my BMI is high I weight 92kg and my length is 1.80m and in the past 4 mounts i lost 7 kg cause i started eating less and running. so my question is for a vegan starter like me after running nutritionist say you need to eat proteins in the first 15min after you finish running and my question is what to eat as a vegan if i want to avoid eggs and meat products? thanks in advance   Dear Eliran Vegh, The protein from spinach, broccoli, Kale is plenty-sufficient and of such high quality that it may be the protein-of-choice, If you are brain-washed that you need more quantity protein, (I am not convinced you do), you may add the soy-greenbeans [Edamame]…only an ounce will easily meet your protein requirements. You do not need anything that egg or meat based nutrients provide. This plant based lifestyle really works once we have at least 1-2 years eating solely plant based nutrients. thanks alot In addition to what Drbill recommends, you can eat whatever beans and peas are available in Israel. Potatoes have a bit of protein as well.i am a vegan in tennessee (and a nurse!) ! glad they are trying something different to get my neighbors on the right track!As part of Dr. Greger’s Tennessee fan base and daily podcast viewer, I must say he’s probably right about acceptance of the “v” word in these parts, unless that word is Vol. More Daniel Fasts, faith-based health outreach are needed along our widening Bible Belt.  Thanks to University of Memphis and Dr. Greger for spreading the good word in the deep south!I am from Texas and a vegan and a church goer and would be pleased and a little amazed to see the folks here giving this a try, church people eat very badly in the health department and need some education as how much this diet can help them with their many health problems.Actually, before Daniel’s trial with a vegan diet, God revealed to Adam the original vegan  diet  for mankind- fruits, nuts, grains and seeds.( See 1:29)After man’s fall, he was then given permission to also eat the herbs of the field (Gen 3:18)It was not until after the flood was man given permission to eat animal flesh, and then only from animals categorized as clean; but never blood.(Gen  9:3-4Not to  ever eat blood or animal fat (Lev 3:17).IKR I remember when I first read Genesis 1:26-31, after I had read other scriptures that were related to food, caring for one’s health, respecting others food choices and so on…and I realized that God was calling me to take command of my health! A plant-based diet is a perfect diet, and that’s exactly the kind of one that God provided us at the start. One’s health shouldn’t be the center of one’s life, but it should be a part of one’s life. So many people think that a change in lifestyle is like, dangerous or something. But, I think we are each and all called to care for the world, for ourselves, for each other. And in that same passage, God commands us to “have dominion over” or to care for all the creatures of the earth. Eating in a healthy way seems to be part of that. I look forward to the day when there will be no animals being killed unnecessarily; no people dying from various causes; no sin and destruction. Just think, how beautiful the world will be after Jesus returns to clean all the sin out!Should read Gen 1:29 for man’s orginal diet.Thank you Dr. Greger for  all of your research. My husband and I are vegans and are enjoying the plant-based foods plus are able to do various exercises at our ages, 78 and 77. Our friends and relatives don’t think they need to change their diets even though we give them these facts. Anyway, we are looking forward to seeing you in San Francisco next month. yeah… Jesus is more important than science here in the south for sure.Daniel 10:3 says Daniel routinely ate meat and drank wine when not fasting. You might want to read till the end of the book before using the Bible to defend your claims. It doesn’t.You raise a good point that sometimes when we read on we get the “rest of the story.” However I looked at Daniel 10:3. The NIV shows: “I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips.” The KJV shows: “I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth.” The ESV shows: “I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth.” I don’t see how this translates into “Daniel routinely ate meat and drank wine.”I have done the Daniel fast many times..It is the best I have ever felt in my life..It’s interesting to check the Biblical account for more dietary detail.The Hebrew youths were questioned because it was thought that they would become malnourished if they continued not partaking of the King’s rich, fatty etc table foods. Which seems to indicate that they had been all along eating a plant-based diet. All they had to prove was that continuing to eat their own way would keep them robust and healthy. Which indeed was demonstrated during their test period.As Christian and a Vegan, I know that I receive disdain from my fellow Christians for my dietary choices. This is without ANY provocation from me, just from their observations of my choices of food at events. These same Christians will go on a Daniel fast and feel pretty righteous about it. Dr Daniel’s little dig at the end may sting, but I am in strong agreement (except for the Tennessee part, I encounter this in my life no matter the state I am in when it comes from my fellow Christians.)don’t let what others say bother you. everyone has a right to their own food choices. the next time your friends make fun at you for abstaining from animal-based products and provoke an argument, abstain from the argument but keep in mind this: Romans 14. =)Love the human psychology reference at the end. It is so true. One could invite someone over for vegan salad, peanut butter sandwiches, etc for lunch and they would never realize they were eating vegan until unless the label was given to the meal. Once the “V” word is used, then the panic sets in and the questions start like where do you get your protein, etc.Could I get some reference in Dr.M. Greger homepage about fast and/or starvation impact on human health?There almost seems a little snarkyness in the way he talks about the Bible and cooperative residents of Tennessee.Well i didn’t realize a “fast” could include food. Hmph. When I fast, it’s from all calories (and quite short-12 to 18 hours).	animal products,antioxidants,biblical teachings,blood pressure,C-reactive protein,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,dairy,Daniel Fast,diabetes,eggs,fish,fruit,grains,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,inflammation,insulin,legumes,meat,nitric oxide,nuts,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,preservatives,seeds,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Within a matter of weeks, participants placed on the vegan diet outlined by the prophet Daniel experienced improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin levels, insulin resistance, and C-reactive protein levels, a marker of inflammation within the body.	See the "prequel" in Friday's video-of-the-day Tightening the Bible Belt. Can the drop in biomarkers of inflammation actually translate into an improvement in inflammatory disease progression though? See Dietary Treatment of Crohn's Disease and Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis. The decrease in inflammation is likely a combination of the anti-inflammatory effects of many plant foods (Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell) and the pro-inflammatory effects of animal foods (see the 3-video series ending with Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia). The improvement in antioxidant capacity is also not unexpected, given the different Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods.If all these neat studies intrigue you as much as they do me, make sure to subscribe to my videos (for free) by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/24/biblical-daniel-fast-tested/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biblical-teachings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/c-reactive-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/daniel-fast/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tightening-the-bible-belt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	-
PLAIN-2893	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tightening-the-bible-belt/	Tightening the Bible Belt	Epidemiological studies, particularly those like EPIC following such large populations, can offer tremendous insight into critical public health questions, such as what should and shouldn't eat to minimize our risk of falling prey to the epidemics of chronic disease currently plaguing the world. But the gold standard is an interventional study, where you put people on a certain diet and track what happens.It’s easy to get people to make little changes—especially if you pay them. Getting people to add grape juice to their daily diet, or some nuts, as we've seen, is a piece of cake— especially if that's what you're trying to get people to eat!But increasingly we’re seeing evidence that to see big changes in our health, we need to see achieve big changes in our diet. Like with the cholesterol. You want to lower your risk, sure you can tweak, but if you want to eliminate your risk, or reverse the disease you have you really have to take healthy eating seriously. But how are you going to get people to commit to a healthy diet? Tell them the bible told them to.Chapter 1, verses 8-16, of the prophet Daniel best known for his lion’s den rather than his budding role as nutritional scientist. He resolved not to defile himself with the king's meat. The official said no way, and so he told the guard: look, put it to the test. Round up some test subjects put them on a plant-based diet and see how they do. (In the King James version they use the word "vegetables," but the original Hebrew-- ha-zay-row-eem— can translate into a broader definition). And what do you know they looked healthier and better nourished than whatever the king used to be feeding them, and so Daniel got his veggies.2700 years later, researchers at the University of Memphis decided it was time to try to replicate the study. stay tuned, for tomorrow's conclusion.	The EPIC study mentioned in the beginning is a reference to Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study, the grape juice study is from Fat Burning Via Flavonoids and the nut study from Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence. For more on the “moderation kills” concept, check out videos like Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Dying Under Normal Circumstances and Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. Stay tuned for Monday’s Biblical Daniel Fast Put to the Test.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.I learned the translation as “grain.” It was wheat — spelt or kamut, I think. I, personally, like the Biblical angle; though, it’s definitely an approach that should be considered for certain people or situations, only. Religion is too fiery a topic sometimes! Strix: On page http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin you wrote:  ‘This is just on of the reasons why I wonder — struggle with — why the No-fat doctors continue to insist that fat is bad. It really boggles my mind. In my opinion, at best, they are derelict in recommending no fat. I also find it morally incomprehensible, especially since I suffered from following that recommendation for years. I just hope I don’t pay any more than I already have in the future!’   You were then asked by April Lillie : ‘What side effects did you have from the low fat diet?’ You did not answer. I myself then asked you. You did not answer. I then asked a second time. Again you did not answer.   The civil thing to do is: either answer the question or retract the accusation.Elvin, i have seen you post this several times. What is your obnsession with this question? Leave Strix beI’ll reply for Strix. I have MS.  The MS diet is notoriously low in fat. I was panicked and willing to do whatever it took heal. Mind you, this is seriously low fat, not no fat. And the same for meat. After 6 weeks I had lost 28 pounds. The problem was this: I weighed 168 at the start. I’d been a fit gymnast and weighed 160 for 40 years. I wasn’t losing fat–I was losing muscle. I was evaporating and my body was eating itself. The theory was that one needed to do this for two years to “come out of it”. I’m certain I would have died before then. Fearful and paranoid, I started to add the dreaded fat back into my diet. It took over a year to rebuild the loss of muscle but I did and as my strength returned I ate more dreaded fat and protein and my symptoms abated.  10 years later I am quite healthy and have more energy than most. I know this: Some people do well on one diet.  Some people do well on another. Mind your own diet. Don’t preach what you don’t understand. Don’t recite another’s philosophy because you have adopted it as your own. Live your own life following the rules that speak to you and let others do the same. Eskimos may live on blubber but I don’t recommend it for others. Studies are studies. Even if a vast majority of people do well on one diet, be assured, there are those that didn’t. YOU don’t know who that might be. Nor does anyone else. This is an unverifiable claim.Those interested can see various renditions of the verse into English here: http://bible.cc/daniel/1-12.htm . And beginning from about the middle of the page there is discussion of that ‘vegetable/pulse ….’ wordThis study confuses me, if youll read Daniel 1:15…And after ten days their faces appeared fairer and fatter than all the children that ate of the king’s meat.So where does it say that eating the vegetables and drinking water made their waistlines smaller than the people who ate the kings meat?Although Daniel 1:20 does say……In every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters who were in all his realm.“Thou shall not for the sake of food destroy the work of God. ….It is right not to eat meat… Thou shall not eat with offense… If just one finds it offensive, it is not right.” -Romans 14:20. One of my fav verses. Do not kill, period. A natural death is not offensive, so would be okay.Shavua Tov – A good week to one and all! The modern translation of zeraim זרעים  is seeds or kernels, but my Artscroll Bible (Tanach) does use “pulse” in the translation of Daniel. So Daniel and his companions abstained from the king’s rich food and were healthier eating pulses. This recent nutrition trial gives us a modern version with similar healthy results. Hmmm, I wonder if they were living on hummus and techina?I like to see how they worked exactly the foods available  then and of course there are  no details. Replicate as a study a  line  in the bible where they gave them food.  awesome, thank YOU for providing this insight into Bible based evidence because many church families are more obese than general public and could benefit from this great. I know I will use it in my many public appearances on preventing and controlling Diabetes and heart disease etc. THANK you!! Nancy Rodriguez RN,BSN, CDE, CEO, LIDERr Wellness Foundation,NFP org ( community, evidence, AND faith based )..& Plant Strong !A wise take on “having dominion” over the earth. It also implied responsibility.Vegetarianism is also very Jewish, especially at Rosh Hashanahhttp://jewishveg.com/schwartz/ShouldJewsBecomeVegRoshHashanah.htmlhttp://www.jewishveg.com/jv.htmlWhen Daniel refused the king’s meat it means he refused rich foods, probably including meat, sweets, wine, etc. that would tempt him away from his Jewishness toward Babylonianism.learning the bible in Hebrew in a jewish school in Israel. Zeroim means seed or legumes…Apparently there were a lot of vegetarian Jews 2000 years ago who rejected temple sacrifice when Jesus came along to head the group. After Jesus freed the animals from the temple slaughterhouse, the issues of vegetarianism and eating at the table of demons split early Christianity apart. For a great read on this https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=KJGlVJO2KISKyASVyYGYAw&url=http://www.amazon.com/Disciples-Jewish-Christianity-Shaped-Shattered/dp/1937002500&ved=0CB0QFjAA&usg=AFQjCNGkFfy4D1gBZIm4eAOWPuqPglSboQ&sig2=BGe6rDejRX9mN5YBJ5YBlQ	biblical teachings,cake,Daniel Fast,EPIC Study,meat,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians	Researchers set out to replicate the "Daniel Fast," the biblical nutrition trial outlined in Daniel 1:8-16.	The EPIC study mentioned in the beginning is a reference to Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study, the grape juice study is from Fat Burning Via Flavonoids and the nut study from Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence. For more on the "moderation kills" concept, check out videos like Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Dying Under Normal Circumstances and Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. Stay tuned for Monday's Biblical Daniel Fast Put to the Test.For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Biblical Daniel Fast Tested.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/24/biblical-daniel-fast-tested/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biblical-teachings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/daniel-fast/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16534521,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19412831,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18517106,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11832674,
PLAIN-2894	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/keep-your-waist-circumference-to-less-than-half-your-height/	Waist Circumference Less Than Half Your Height	Body mass index is a better predictor of disease than body weight since it takes height into account, but it doesn’t say what or where that mass is. Body-builders can have huge BMIs, especially since muscle is heavier than fat. It doesn't mean they're obese.It is now accepted… that health risks can be determined as much by the relative distribution of the excess fat as by its total amount. It’s not so much body fat, but visceral fat, abdominal fat the fat around our internal organs that most increases our risk of dying prematurely. All these women… have the exact same BMI, but it's the people with this so-called apple shape that tend to live the shortest. Waist circumference.. takes care of both the what and where of the weight, but can also be affected by, height... Enter: the waist to height ratio. Move over BMI; now we have WHR.“A systematic review of waist-to-height ratio as a screening tool for the prediction of cardiovascular disease and diabetes” was recently published--the first of its kind, concluding WHR was superior and the cut-off should be one to two “supporting the simple public health message ‘keep your waist circumference to less than half your height.”It is cheaper… more convenient--no scale required--and most importantly, more sensitive as an early warning sign of health risks to come.Take a cloth measuring tape and measure halfway between the top of your hip bones and the bottom of your ribcage. Stand up straight but breathe deep, exhale, let it all hang out and that measurement should be half our height, and if it’s not, we should cut down on your consumption of meat, as we just went over, but also your consumption of refined plant foods, whereas at least 3 servings a day of whole grains was recently associated with a slimmer waist in the Framingham Heart Study.	The relationship between meat circumference and weight gain was covered in Tuesday’s video-of-the-day Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study (along with a response from the meat industry: Cattlemen’s Association Has Beef With EPIC Study). I have about a dozen other videos on body fat, and hundreds of videos on a thousand other topics.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.How ’bout them Apples!;-}Out with the weight and in with the Shape!New frool (Fruit/Tool) in my arsenal! Thanks as always! ;-}Dr hemo where did Dr SJ go? I so enjoyed his input…..Got a bit fed up with some of the comments.  He’s doing well though. I agree I enjoyed his input as well.Dr. SJ just ignore the negative comments. Are you still coming to Southern California? So, how do add 26″ to my height? :-) You’ll have to do a lot of stretching, Terry. Maybe you can find a used torturer’s  rack on Ebay. The other option is of course to discipline yourself with a healthy plant-strong diet- which will no doubt be less torture that a heart attack. I took the precise 13″ off the waist you seek by doing what the good doc prescribes; drop the processed, added sugars, meat, dairy, et al, and it melts away like…butter. :)The waist-to-height ratio will tell us if we’re overweight- But how can we use it to tell if we’re underweight?  Good question.  Maybe if your pants fall down, or if you don’t have enough muscle to do 10 pullups, or bench press your weight. Oh, oh, ten? I don’t know if I can do that many any longer! I need to re-install my pullups bar. Thanks for the reminder :^) I’ve wondered how dangerous being underweight is. But first to determine what is *truly* underweight! It’s surely different from the conventional standards. If we go by averages of the population, we’re in BiG trouble :^)My BMI is 16.4 and my waist circumference to height ratio is 0.42. I am often told that I am too skinny. I am not putting on any weight on a vegan diet that includes little to no refined sugars. Should I still be on a vegan diet and/or how can I put on weight on this diet?Everyone loses some weight on a vegan diet but this weight stabilizes. You do not continue to lose it unless you in a caloric deficit which I doubt is the case unless your starving. You will look skinnier then the average person but this is completely normal and healthy. I have been told I look skinnier as well when I went vegan because my facial bones were slightly more pronounced but my weight hasn’t changed in nearly 2 yearsDo you like Peanut Butter Sandwiches? You can buy Bread that is nothing but Whole Grain and Yeast and Peanut butter that is Nothing but Peanuts If you are Obsessed with ‘Purity’ Eat an Extra FOUR every Day and you will be OKHight 67 inches (5ft 6In) divided by 2 = 33.5. My waist measures at 28 inches. So I am 5.5 inches under the maximum waist circumference :) I currently weigh 134 lbs, though this is not “over weight” its all about how you feel. I am currently lifting and doing cardio 20-60minutes everyday, i rarely eat meat (maybe 2x a week I’ll have chicken). Sugar however is my shameful weakness. Where i work we have free snacks available, from ice cream to cheetos. Its extremely difficult to say no to them, especially when I’m constantly asked why aren’t i eating. I don’t have sweets at home…but i do have honey and cereal and fruit. I feel like my sweet obsession is whats in my way to achieving a flat tummy.The person in the Photo is a Pumped-Up Steroid Injecting FREAK and really should NOT be considered anything but a ‘CAUTIONARY TALE’ and CERTAINLY not a role model for healthy Living.I’m currently working to lose some weight and would like to use waistline instead of BMI as the measure of my success. My waist-to-height number would be 32. However, I didn’t have that waistline even at twelve years old! So, is my body even capable of experiencing this trim waistline? Or should I shoot for my high school/college waistline of 37 instead?So, I have lost 40 pounds in the last 5 months, which is great, but my waistline only decreased by 4 inches – 45 to 41. I am planning on losing 30 more pounds to get to an acceptable BMI level, but at the rate I am going I still won’t get anywhere close to the 32 inch waistline. Any chance that a mom of four kids can get a little more leniency in these numbers? I can even imagine 32 inches being physically possible unless I starved myself!	abdominal fat,body fat,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,diabetes,fat,Framingham Heart Study,grains,heart disease,heart health,meat,obesity,processed foods,waist-to-height ratio,weight loss	Waist-to-height ratio may be a better predictor of disease than body mass index.	The relationship between meat and weight gain was covered in Tuesday's video-of-the-day Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study (along with a response from the meat industry: Cattlemen’s Association Has Beef With Study). I have about a dozen other videos on body fat, and hundreds of videos on a thousand other topics.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Diet vs. Exercise: What’s More Important? and Diet and Cellulite 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/17/diet-vs-exercise-whats-more-important/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/waist-to-height-ratio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/framingham-heart-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20819243,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22595204,
PLAIN-2895	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cattlemens-association-has-beef-with-epic-study/	Cattlemen’s Association Has Beef With Study	The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association was not happy about the findings of the EPIC study, one of the largest studies on human nutrition ever performed, which as we've seen recently found that those who ate any kind of meat went on to gained significantly more weight than those who ate less—even eating the same number of calories.One of the beef association’s speakers wrote to American Journal fo Clinical Nutrition, complaining that “meat intake’s influence on body fatness cannot be assessed without measurement of body fat.” Maybe, the cattlemen argued, the pounds that the meateaters packed on was muscle mass, not fat. maybe they were becoming beefier not fatter.Fine, the researcher answered, we’ll not just measure obesity, but abdominal obesity, the worst kind. So they took a small sample out of the study, a sample of 91,214 people, and found the exact same thing—even eating the same number of calories, the more meat we eat the more our belly grows. And could even calculate how much our waistline could be predicted to expand based on our daily meat consumption so one can plan ahead for the new pants they'll need to buy.Though nothing comes close to the EPIC study in scale, other recent studies have found the same thing. In Spain, nut and vegetable consumption was recently associated with having a slimmer waist; and meat and meat product consumption with a fatter one. Another new study, this one out of Belgium, concluded that animal protein intake associated with a bigger body mas index and waistline; whereas plant protein intake was associated with a smaller BMI and slimmer waist, indicating that the intakes of plant protein could offer a potential protective effect against overweight and obesity.	The findings of the EPIC study linking meat consumption to weight gain can be found in yesterday’s video-of-the-day Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study. The Cattlemen were also vocal in questioning the federal dietary guidelines (see Dietary Guidelines: Corporate Guidance). For more on abdominal fat, see Does Eating Obesity Cause Obesity?, Fill in the Blank, Waistline Slimming Food, Waistline Expanding Food, and Milk Protein vs. Soy Protein. Tomorrow we’ll cover the various ways excess body fat can be measured.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Drum roll please….Two months ago I went vegan from what would best be described as a flexitarian without dairy and I just got my bloodwork back..Total cholesterol 119 LDL 50. HDL 59 Triglycerides 52Man I love this stuff! Congratulations, those are fantastic numbers! What were they like before?Total 150 LDL 70Absolutely fine before but I am really enjoying this. My father died at 52 from heart disease and his brother at 38. I only wish my siblings and cousins would eat plant strong. Most of them are themselves at various stages of heart disease.I will keep sending them your videos!I wish my patients had cholesterol that low.  Those are fantastic numbers!  Keep up the great work!So true! I was consuming minimal meat but quite some milk/dariy.  After watching FORKS OVER KNIVES, I removed these animal products from my diet totally and only thing I was eating meatwise was weekly serving of wild-cat salmon which I will cut out soon also. The change was 3 months ago. During these 3 months, I increased my consumption of nuts/vegs while at the time decreasing my amount daily exercise because my body is just feeling great with greater energy level without all too much work-out! My allergy is completely gone. I just noticed my waiste shrunk even more  since I am using one more hole back on my belt. 4 Years ago my waist is about 35 (190 LB) and now it is under 29.5. I am 6 feet and weigh about 155 LB. I lost about 6-7 LB 3 months after switching to nearly total whole-food plant based diet. But I feel stronger than ever maybe more muscle after the switch! Yes, I consume lots of nuts (walnut, sunflower seeds, almond -all raw and peanut butter) EVERY DAY so my calarie intake total daily is not really low! This video today and yesterday’s is just right on point. With plant-based whole food diet, maybe you should worried about not losing too much weight! LOL! Congratulations Biao Xu. I had much the same experience. About 10 years ago, I also dropped my last animal indulgence, a mere 3 1/2 ounce tin of sardines each week. I lost 20 pounds within the next 2 or 3 months, my knees stopped aching, my irritable bowel syndrome and depression cleared up over the next year, I sleep better now (don’t have to make nocturnal visits to the little person’s room any longer), my energy is up and the crown of my head which was was developing a bald spot now has a thick covering of hair. Before, I looked and felt my age. Now, I love telling people how old I am and watching the look of incredulity that creeps on their face.Paulc what a great story! Just from a tin of sardines? Wow. Cattlemen’s association is full of crap – antibiotic abuse is normal and about half of ALL our meat supply is infected with resistant infections such as MRSA, VRE, superbug strep, etc., including c. diff. Going vegan was the best thing I ever did – my cholesterol issues vanished and I’m no longer on any pills (because when you eat MEAT, even “lean” it will drive your cholesterol up badly), and I feel a lot better. I also found out it’s far easier to keep your weight down. You STILL have to watch your weight when vegan – BUT it’s a lot easier to do. Because whatever they put into raising animals as a growth stimulant goes into YOU when you eat it.The pharmaceutical companies – even DOCTORS – depend on the meat industry because the WANT people to have high cholesterol – which means writing more prescriptions, which means more doctor visits, which means more heart attacks and strokes which means more medications which means more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ in their pocket.  ARSENIC is included as standard feed for all poultry – and ARSENIC has been linked to diabetes and cancer.  Diabetes is a big, big, big money makers for both doctors and the pharmaceutical companies – even the diabetic test kits are all laughing their way to the bank with $1 per test strip. Now tell me again that meat is good for you when we have a nation with 700,000+ STROKES and over a MILLION heart attacks a year in the USA.  And YOUR DOCTOR will TELL you “you gotta eat meat.” NOW YOU KNOW WHY!  And there is also big money with bowel cancer – which is also linked to eating meat.  Kaaaaching!!!  One thing I really love about being vegan is my irritable bowel syndrome also vanished. I had no idea MEAT was irritating to the colon.  I used to have watery diarrhea followed by constipation, then back to watery diarrhea not to mention the crippling abdominal pains.  Well, that’s over with with my vegan diet. I have a normal bowel pattern and my abdominal pains are gone and I enjoy regularity.    ****MEAT IS POISON!!!***  MEAT IS EVIL!! MEAT is also the product of the devil because it is murder. I would love to see a picture of a Cattleman’s meeting to see the general weight of those attending.That could be really interesting – I bet they’re a pretty “beefy” crew! It’s quite disconcerting when you start to see the pattern, big beef supports big pharma, who woos doctors to prescribe cholesterol drugs . . .Also, when you put together the impact on the environment – beef production demands an incredible amount of water, for example – with the impact on our health, going plant-strong is the only way to go.How can you put healthy weight﻿ on if you get too slim?Eat more calories from healthy foods. It really is that simple. The only “Healthy” weight I know that one can put on is muscle (and some more bone density).  The only way I know to put on muscle is resistance training (eg. weights, pushups, sit ups pull ups, swimming etc).Look at vegan bodybuilder Billy Simmonds in his video.  He was the 2009 Natural Mr. Universe. http://www.unleashed.org.au/who_cares/billy-simmonds-mr-universe.php   Eating more complex carbohydrates such as brown rice may assist since these tend to be more calorie dense but you should not dip below normal weight levels if your consuming whole foods, when your hungry, till your full. Possibly I seemed a bit pointed in my comments about exercise vs diet.  I got down to about 160 at 6 foot by dietary moderation and exercise.  Since getting to this weight, I have been improving the quality of my diet. Now, I don’t eat meat at all, and very little dairy and eggs. I also started eating a dark green salad everyday- of course inspired partly by Michael Greger.  I also eat a variety of nuts and seeds, such as flax and pumpkin everyday.  Since doing these things, my weight has crept down to about 158 without any further decrease in calorie intake.  I used to take a high dose of cholesterol medicine, but now my numbers are 170 total, 64 HDL, 60 triglycerides and 94 LDL, without taking any medicine at all.  My HDL used to be less than 20 when I was weighing about 255.  I was still eating eggs at these latest numbers.  I will get it tested again soon, and this will be after I gave up eggs.  I guess what I saying is that one should do everything to improve one’s health.  Heart disease and obesity run in my family.  Instead of making diet 80% and exercise 20%, why not make both of them 100%?  Instead of pitting diet against exercise, why not pit them both against eating meat, as well as taking prescription drugs to treat one’s ills?  It seems that calorie control (not eating as few calories as possible, but eating the right number), lots of exercise, and a high fiber whole foods Vegan diet as well as hydration are all very effective in improving health and in controlling weight.Thank you Dr. Greger.  I have recently lost 200 pounds by switching my diet towards a plant based diet.  I didn’t know what I was doing I was just desperate and I kind of fumbled my way through.  As the weight came back as it inevitably does, I found myself sinking into dispare.  Would I really end up back in hell again?  Upon seeing your videos I felt a peace settle in on me.  It was really odd because this morning my nephew died after a long battle with the Standard American Diet.  But I finally feel that I’m not stumbling.  Now I’m spending my time trying to download all of your videos before the beef council wacks you and takes your site down.  You’ve stuck your neck out for humanity.  Thank you.  I’m sold,… and I vow to spend the rest of my days spreading this message. –JordanMy three housemates are convinced that all the bad things attributed to beef are only true of feed-lot, grain-fed beef, and that pasture-fed beef has such a different nutritional profile that eating it is healthier than a fully plant-based diet. Can that be true?The major health issues seen with animal products is independent of whether the meat is organic or conventional. Red meat that is grass fed still contains trans fat http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/ , it still causes increased levels of IGF-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ and it still causes endotoxemia http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/ . Dr. Greger has covered the paleo diet here on his free ebook.http://atkinsexposed.org/“Cattlemen’s Association is full of crap.” lolJust to clear the air before assumptions on my question are made; I agree meat consumption shows to be harmful to a person’s overall wellbeing. My question is did any of these studies take into account grass fed, free range, and no antibiotics? Is there a difference between the consumption of the two types of animal meats? Also have cortisol levels in animals shown to have in correlation with this weight gain? It’s pretty much understood what type of affects cortisol has on us. If there was shown to be a correlation with all of this it could go to show that our slaughtering techniques and animal treatment has to be improved, and the affects we are seeing with weight gain aren’t as a result of the protein of the meat but rather the cortisol.Hello, as you will soon come to find based on the research, it is irrelevant whether animal products are organic, grassfed or conventional and raised in a factory farm. The primary issues such as endotoxemia http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=endotoxemia and elevated igf-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1 will still be present as well as the presence of trans fat and saturated fat in this food group. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/	abdominal fat,animal fat,animal products,animal protein,body fat,calories,EPIC Study,fat,industry influence,meat,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,nuts,obesity,plant protein,protein,vegetables,weight loss	Meat consumption is not only associated with weight gain, but specifically abdominal obesity, which is the most metabolically concerning.	The findings of the EPIC study linking meat consumption to weight gain can be found in yesterday's video-of-the-day Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study. The Cattlemen were also vocal in questioning the federal dietary guidelines (see Dietary Guidelines: Corporate Guidance). For more on abdominal fat, see Does Eating Obesity Cause Obesity?, Fill in the Blank,Waistline Slimming Food, Waistline Expanding Food, and Milk Protein vs. Soy Protein. Tomorrow we'll cover the various ways excess body fat can be measured.For some more context, please check out my associated blog posts: Poultry Paunch: Meat & Weight Gain, Is Coconut Oil Bad For You?, and Diet and Cellulite 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/22/poultry-paunch-meat-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cattlemens-beef-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-slimming-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/milk-protein-vs-soy-protein/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21144092,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20219336,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20592131,
PLAIN-2896	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/	Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study	“Mainly because of its high energy density and fat content, meat consumption has been considered a determinant of weight gain.” Yeah, but we just looked at nuts, which are dense in calories and fat and they didn’t appear to contribute to weight gain at all. So let’s not presume. “Meat consumption and prospective weight change in participants of the EPIC-PANACEA study.” What is that? “”hundreds of thousands of men and women across 10 countries, with “”weight gain measured over a 5 year period.What did they find? “”Total meat consumption was positively associated with weight gain in men and women, in normal-weight and overweight subjects, and in smokers and nonsmokers. “”Conclusion: Our results suggest that a decrease in meat consumption may improve weight management. And this was after adjusting for initial weight, physical activity, educational level, smoking status, total energy intake… Wait-a-second—what?! That's the kicker. The link between meat and weight gain remained even after controlling for calories.One would assume that—sure, meat is associated with weight gain because it’s so packed with calories, and so you’d just get more calories in your daily diet compared to those eating vegetarian, and so more weight gain. But no—it's even more than that. This was after controlling for caloric intake, meaning if we have two people eating the same amount of calories—the person eating meat will gain more weight. In fact they even calculated how much more.An intake of 250 g meat/day--like a steak, would lead to an annual weight gain 422 g higher than the weight gain experienced with an same calorie diet with lower meat content. After 5 y, the weight gain would be about 5 pounds more. Same calories, yet 5 pounds more eating meat. And steak was nothing. “The strongest relation with annual weight change—weight gain--was observed for poultry.”Let’s say you start out normal weight and eat a hamburger every day. This is how much extra weight beyond what’s already in the calories you’d put on every year. What if instead you had the same amount of calories of processed meat, say a ham sandwich, with three deli slices of ham on it. You’d gain this much extra, whereas, just about a half a chicken breast puts you up here, though the poultry effect was attenuated, evidently, if you remove people who were previously sick and who lied about their diet.“”In conclusion, our results indicate that meat intake is positively associated with weight gain and this association persisted after adjustment for total energy intake and underlying dietary patterns. Our results are therefore in favor of the public health recommendation to decrease meat consumption for health improvement.”	What response was there from the meat industry? Find out in tomorrow’s video-of-the-day Cattlemen’s Association Has Beef With EPIC Study. For more from the EPIC study see Meat & Multiple Myeloma, Thousands of Vegans Studied, Low Meat or No Meat?, EPIC Findings on Lymphoma, EPIC Study, Omnivores vs. Vegan Nutrient Deficiencies, and Bowel Movement Frequency.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my forthcoming videos for free by clicking here.Maybe your above statement should read, “Cattlemen’s Association has COW with EPIC study. Mooo!Don’t make me “Bust-a-gut” you might add. ;-}hilarious!Another great post.  Thanks NutritionFacts.org!  Wow!  For years before I became a vegan I heard that red meat was bad for you.  So the only meat I ate was chicken, the “ok” meat.  Apparently, I got only half the truth.   Maybe even less than half, as the preponderance of evidence, per these videos, seems to be against chicken (poultry)!I wonder what the explanation for that effect would be? What can cause weight gain without an increase in total calories. I thought the calories in vs. calories out theorie where true! Could it be the estrogens in farm raised chickens? I’m currently testing this out on my own body. I’m eating 1000kcal over my maintenance level on a whole foods plant based low fat diet. So far I can only report muscle growth but no visible fat accumulation. Interesting! Let’s see the results in a few month…The fat you eat is the fat you wear. Isn’t it the case physiologically that the fat from food is converted very efficiently to fat on our body? Carbohydrates are pretty much the opposite, that is its very costly turning it into fat, and that any excess is burned off through movement and heat, i.e. dietary thermogenesis. The science and studies about this are in Dr Mcdougall’s Starch Solution, but he may have them online somewhere… Most people are unaware how insulinogenic beef and chicken are. This has a substantial impact on weight gain.What about all those claims for high protein diets like Atkins etc.?  I understand the fact that these diets are unhealthy.  But I always thought that the concensus was that people really did lose weight on them. Could it be the low carb thing?Dr. Greger thoroughly covers the Atkins diet. Check it out herehttp://www.atkinsexposed.org/I don’t really doubt that meat can contribute to weight gain.  Perhaps because it has no fiber, it lingers in the digestive tract and thus more calories are absorbed.  However, I don’t really think a study that is based on retrospective recall of food intake can really accurately control for calorie consumption.  One would need to have a rigorously controlled experimental prospective study where calories are measured and where the subjects could only eat what had been measured out.  You never can guarantee that the diets are isocaloric when the study is based on recall.  Certainly people will not remember how much food they consumed unless they weigh and measure everything and carefully record the portion sizes.  The study I quoted about dieting and exercise in the previous posting was rigorously controlled and the calorie deficits were carefully matched- this produced identical weight loss.  It also sounds like some of the nut studies your mentioned more rigorously matched calories.  This study probably has truth, since there are other studies which corroborate it, but calories have to be carefully measured before one can say they don’t matter.  Probably calories always matter, but calories from some foods are more absorbed than from others, perhaps.Most people are unaware how insulinogenic beef and chicken are. This has a substantial impact on weight gain over and above just the caloric density vs other foods.hmm,we know that fattening up critters with antibiotics is common & eating them puts weight on us…does poultry get more ccs per ounce than cows&pigs? or is it the  arsenic added to chicken feed ?In general, I love these videos.  I was getting ready to share this one on Facebook until I got to the last comment about the poultry influence not applying to sick people or those who lied about their diet.  Why would you even put that one on the graph, if it’s not proven?  I really don’t want to share skewed results.I’d like to see more on the adverse affects of chicken, since that’s what most of my family/friends eat instead of beef.Greenme there are many videos under Browse Topics regarding chicken. Had I not watched them I would have still believed it wasn’t so bad for us. The video on chicken an arthritis is particularly enlightening.Is this perhaps because the estimate for the amount of calories in steak was incorrect due to an incorrect assumption of the fat to protein ratio? Because fat has 9 calories per gram while protein has 4 calories per gram even a small ratio change could skew results significantly. This could potentially explain while poultry had a higher gain than even steak, because poultry today is even higher fat than it use to be and could be significantly skewing results based upon how the fat to protein ratio was calculated/measured.Help. I am a vegan and wonder if I should occasionally eat an egg or meat. I don’t really want to but not sure what is the ideal diet for humans as we discuss it in our family. I see that eggs are like cigarettes and that meat is bad for you. But then, I read articles such as this one: http://www.livescience.com/24875-meat-human-brain.html.Please help!I would argue that nutrient dense starches such as wheat, barley, sweet potatoes and beans are better fuels for our brain considering that our brain runs off of glucose and uses most of the bodies glucose.Continue eating you whole, plant based vegan diet without fear. They raise a non issue.I can’t find anything on the “Series of 8″, could you please provide a link?Great video. After becoming a vegetarian I lost 50 pounds over a span of 2 years and lost 10 pounds when I became a vegan. When I was a meat eater I ate a lot of processed meats like turkey and ham slices, hot pockets with meat and cheese, chicken nuggets, etc and maybe a hamburger every once in awhile.I doubt that anything once in a while is bad for you.Yep! If you keep expecting different results when you keep doing the same thing, you get the same results over and over. No matter what diet a person has – meat eater, vegan, vegetarian, etc – if you don’t have the correct hydrochloride acid levels and the correct pH levels, your proteins are rotting, your carbs are fermenting, and your fats are going rancid. Has nothing to do with the meats. It has to do with achlorhydria (complete absence of HCL) or hypochlorhydria (diminished HCL). Until there is a ‘largest study’ with the correct digestive environment as comparison, you will get these same old results over and over again. Reactions to foods – exclusive of allergies – is often a significant indication of dysfunction of certain systems of the body or of unbalance of the body chemistry. Disturbance caused by fats? Gallbladder and liver dysfunction. Disturbance caused by carbs? Liver and pancreas dysfunction. Disturbance caused by proteins diminished gastric secretion. Disturbance caused by milk and dairy products? Spleen-thymus dysfunction. Eating grass fed meat is not the issue.Great video! Although, I’m confused where athletes and body builders fit in? Some physique athletes and body builders eat huge amounts of animal products (in excess of 5 servings a day) and their fat percentage goes down; they lose weight. I’m 100% in favour of a plant based diet but it would be interesting to know why it’s different for athletes.I was about to show this to my meat eating body building son, however only at the end was it clear that “weight gain” meant fat gain. Weight gain in muscle mass could be a looked at as a good thing.	beef,body fat,calories,chicken,EPIC Study,fat,ham,hamburgers,meat,nuts,obesity,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,processed meat,smoking,turkey,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss	In one of the largest nutrition studies ever, total meat consumption was significantly associated with weight gain in men and women, and the link remained even after controlling for calories.	What response was there from the meat industry? Find out in tomorrow's video-of-the-day Cattlemen’s Association Has Beef With EPIC Study. For more from the EPIC study see Meat & Multiple Myeloma, Thousands of Vegans Studied, Low Meat or No Meat?, EPIC Findings on Lymphoma, EPIC Study,Omnivores vs. Vegan Nutrient Deficiencies, and Bowel Movement Frequency.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Diet vs. Exercise: What’s More Important?, Poultry Paunch: Meat & Weight Gain, and Diet and Cellulite 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/22/poultry-paunch-meat-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/17/diet-vs-exercise-whats-more-important/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-movement-frequency/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20592131,
PLAIN-2897	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-or-exercise-whats-more-important-for-weight-loss/	Diet vs. Exercise for Weight Loss	When trying to lose weight, which is most important: diet or exercise? This is what a survey found recently… The vast majority of those trying to lose or maintain weight believe that both monitoring food and beverage consumption and physical activity are equally important in weight maintenance and weight loss. Most people go with equally important, and then exercise and then diet. And most people are wrong… Identified as one of misconceptions about obesity in this recent review… the “confusion about the leverage of exercise on body weight. “Unfortunately, the energy balance equation—you know, calories in have to equal calories out—suggests that energy intake and energy expenditure occupy equivalent roles in determining energy balance, when in fact the factors governing energy intakes influence the energy balance far more powerfully than the factors determining resting energy expenditure.” For example, to walk off the calories found in single pat of butter you’d have to add an extra 700 yards to your stroll that evening. A quarter mile jog… for each sardine you put in your mouth—and just the edible part. Any who choose to eat two chickens legs better get out on their own two legs and go run an extra 3 miles that day to outrun weight gain.And that's for steamed chicken… skin removed.	This will look familiar to those who’ve seen my 2012 presentation (either live or vicariously at Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death). Tomorrow I cover the wild finding about meat and weight gain. Note the caloric expenditure equivalencies I present here are assuming no dietary compensation, something seen quite dramatically, for example, in nut consumption. Given how hard it is to work off food, let’s make our calories count by choosing the most nutrient dense foods. Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score may be a good place to start.In the meantime, please feel free to subscribe to my upcoming videos (for free) by clicking here.Thanks so much for laboring away on Labor day (and every day). We never miss any of your daily videos. Do you have any videos with tips for old farts taking up exercise after many years…all the plant-strong videos seem geared for triatheletes. I will still take my slow jog, but definitely pass on the BBQ where we’re playing music today.Besides being a family physician I was also a certified personal trainer with ACE (American Council on Exercise) many years ago, so I will give you my recommendations on exercise for the “Old Farts” ;-}Walking is a safe, easy and powerful form of exercise that has been shown to increase bone density (strengthen you bones) and reduce cognitive decline (Lower risk of dementia).Also, after the bone building cardiovascular exercise (walking or jogging–biking doesn’t seem to have much benefit for keeping the bones in the back strong) a weight training circuit that can be found at many gyms, will help keep your upper body muscles and bones strong as well. You do not need to lift heavy.  In fact lifting weights that you can do 20 to 30 reps to failure 2 to 3 times (sets) will reduce your risk for injury, strengthen you muscles and bones and have cardiovascular benefits as well.I hope this helps. Great points!;-}I love that phrase, “Nutrient Dense.”Reminds me of something Steven Wright would say:“If I ate something that was Nutrient Dense, would that make me stupid?”;-}Thanks for working Labor Day, Dr. Greger.  I’m pleased to report that the Republican National Convention in Tampa provided a catered vegetarian option for lunch and dinner to their staff of communication volunteers in Tampa.  No need to dip into my stash of 20 power bars I had brought with me. Times are changing. Louise F LOL, I also tend to bring my own food. Great to hear that vegetarian options are becoming more common. Now let’s hope for the same for vegan options.I have experienced trying to lose weight mostly by diet and mostly by exercise.  I think this post is misleading.  When I tried to lose weight by mostly dieting, I found that I had to *severely* limit how much I was eating.  Just dieting only would make me lose perhaps 30 pounds and then I would easily gain the weight back. Once I started to bicycle everyday, I found that I could lose weight without starving myself and that I would lose weight consuming up to 3000 calories a day.  I am sure that when I was mostly dieting, I was consuming less than 2000 calories.  I lost 95 pounds mostly by exercise, with some dietary moderation, and have kept off every pound. I know a man who is completely sedentary and he had to consume 1000 calories a day to lose weight.  I was exercising perhaps 90 minutes a day and was able to consume about 6 candy bars worth of calories than he could and still lose weight.  Look at this study, which showed that persons who exercised and burned 500 more calories but did not compensate or increase their caloric intake by 500 calories lost just as much weight than the dieters who cut 500 calories from their diet.   The persons who exercised without compensation also had better health outcomes, such as much greater loss of visceral fat and better results on systemic insulin resistance.  The dieters also lost muscle mass, whereas the exercisers did not.  Most of the people got it right, the the so called experts are absolutely and completely wrong- most weight loss and exercise studies do not have equal calorie deficits, for instance most studies comparing dieters and exercisers have the dieters cutting about 700 calories whereas the exercisers are burning 200 calories.  This study has equal calorie deficits.  http://www.sportsnutritionworkshop.com/Files/46.SPNT.pdf  Also, it might be that it is easier for someone to diet if they are not in shape.  However, as someone who is in shape, I would rather exercise than cut calories- of course eat healthy.  Another thing to consider is that is difficult to meet one’s nutritional needs when there is severe calorie restriction necessitated by taking a just diet approach.  It is easier to meet a person’s nutritional needs on 3000 calories than 1000- esp if one is Vegan.  A low calorie Vegan diet cannot meet a person’s protein needs- esp when you consider that 440 calories of beans and rice only yields 20 grams of protein.  A Vegan could easily meet their protein requirement on 3000 calories.  I now consume 3500 calories and don’t gain weight- I would if I stopped exercising.  Also, persons doing Neal Barnard’s diet without exercise usually have lower HDL than if they were exercising.  It is best to exercise a lot and eat a less calorie restricted Vegan diet for weight loss.Congrats Dan! I absolutely love hearing success stories. Losing weight is so difficult. Good points, Dan.  Doug Graham says “you have to be fit enough to be well nourished”, which gets to your point about needing a certain quantity of food.  But I have also dropped 10 pounds in a week, legitimately, with a few hours of  spinning classes, lifting classes, and rowing a day, and about 1500 calories a day of smoothies and salad…there are lots of ways to succeed, but vegan and nutrient dense are the keys. Since losing the weight, I have worked on making my diet more and more nutrient dense as well as Vegan.  My diet wasn’t terrible while I was losing weight, but it is better now.  This has made the weight maintenance much easier to do and I have lost a little more weight even though I haven’t cut my calorie intake or increased my exercise.  I got down to 160 at 6 foot and my weight has crept down to 158. Also, at almost 52, I have to take a greater number of steps than when I was a teenager.  At that time either just dieting or just exercising would work.  Neither one works by itself anymore, that is why I think the “people” were right to say we need to do both.  We really need to be serious about both.  Exercise does reduce the need for “dieting,” which means calorie restriction, but does not reduce the need for good Vegan nutrition.  “Dieting” is often confused with “good nutrition.”  Also, consuming almost 3000 calories a day made my weight loss a bit slower than yours at 1500- perhaps about a pound a week.  Doing a lot of exercise, a nutrient dense Vegan diet as well as consuming the right number of calories together should stack the deck against excess weight, as well as weight regain.Great info as usual, but am a little confused.  In a quick read, it would seem to me that the research was talking about resting energy expenditure (basal metabolic rate), not exercise as such. “Unfortunately, the energy balance equation suggests that energy intake and energy expenditure occupy equivalent roles in determining energy balance, when in fact the factors governing energy intakes influence the energy balance far more powerfully than the factors determining resting energy expenditure.”Also “Energy Balance = Energy Intake – Energy Expenditure.”  It would seem to me that Energy Expenditure would seem to mean calories lost in exercise, basal metabolism (or resting energy), and the thermic effect of food. Again, I’m not sure I see any assertion in the research about exercise. Please set me straight.  Thanks!     Even while training for the Ironman Triathlon, I could still eat more than I could burn, although I do recommend the nutrient-dense, low-fat vegan diet whether you exercise or not. Exercise is important, however, to maintain lean body mass, muscle strength, and bone density. More on http://www.ruthheidrich.com and my 3 books. The Ruth Heidrich herself? If so, I’m a big fan and you’re one amazing and inspirational person!I’m supposed to do my first half-marathon in October. I never knew one could get so many injuries in such a non-violent sport, LOL.And let’s not forget the positive contribution cardio makes to the cardiovascular system.Ruth, You have been such a great inspiration to so many but especially my breast cancer patients.  You are a pillar of strength that my patients rely on when they don’t think they can change to a plant based diet. A sincere and heartfelt thank you from me and all my patients!Thanks for posting your website!  You have a lot of fantastic information that everyone should take the time to read!Would the real Ronald McDonald please stand up.  Oh, he can’t!He never believed that diet was most important!Experience has shown me I have to also exercise if I want to lose weight while dieting.   For starters, it decreases my appetite and cravings.  For another, it speeds up my resting metabolism.   It’s not as simple as saying someone has to run an extra 700 yards to work off an extra butter scoop, which may be true, but it’s missing the main point.Don’t forget the high you get after a good workout (not simply walking; that’s almost useless IMO). Scott Jurek speculates that the reason there’s a high ratio of former drug addicts in ultramarathon running is that you get such a high.I sure enjoyed his book. Good vegan recipes too.Yes, THANK you for working to help us be healthier by posting this on Labor Day, Doc!  So, would it be safe to say that you can run till the cows come home, which would burn the fried chicken CALORIES, but won’t do a thing to help your arteries? Am replying to myself here, but it seems BOTH what you eat and what you DO are important for arterial health?Great point you bring up Valnaples. Yes, it does take both a low fat plant-based diet and exercise to support arterial health though, the diet alone like with the weight loss, would prevent heart disease on it’s own despite exercise . Here is some commentary on this as well as some videos: http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/15/stopping-heart-disease-in-childhood/, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/Hi, I couldn’t find any guidelines for what to eat after a run (short runs of 5-6Miles). I used to run in the mornings and eat fruit (this is my normal breakfast) and my dietitian told me to add yogurt, since I need protein after exercise. Do you have any recombination for vegan breakfast after a run?My recommendation is to find a different dietitian. Your fruit breakfast is a great one!Having protein quickly after (hard) workouts is supposed to help with recovery. You could have rice with beans for example but there are lots of other vegan things high in protein too.However this would only matter if you train hard. If it’s more recreational running I would not care about the protein intake for recovery because you probably don’t have problems to recover from easy jogging anyways.“EXERCISE”, along with a proper diet is an absolute must for healthy life. Without exercise, death is right around the corner.Good point! Of course, exercise is important. I don’t think the message here is contradicting that- but you can eat more in 5 minutes than you can burn in 3 hours of exercise. So don’t take your daily 30 minutes of cardio as license to pig out! Thanks for the reminder. I have just discovered your site and LOVE it!700 yards is .4 miles.I am not sure if I got the message right: “The energy balance equation holds true, but one needs to exercise more to compensate a certain amount of calories than most people think.” Is that the point?your body will tell you what it needs stop killing it and listen to it…;I follow a strict vegan diet and exercise regularly! My weight is always stable and feel so much fitter since abstaining from any animal products! A healthier approach to food is better than a diet for a few weeks! Also exercise is essential to regulating weight!Exercise is important to maintain your health but it is not necessary to maintain a healthy weight. Jeff Novick RD does the best job of discussing the relationship of exercise to calorie density in his DVD Calorie Density: How to Eat More Weigh Less and Live Longer. I have patients with disabilities which limit their exercise. I also see alot of “healthy” lean folks who exercise alot and can maintain their desired weight while eating more calorie dense foods including animal products. The only diet that works long term is the “ad libitum diet” of eating the correct foods when you are hungry. The whole food plant based diet is also consistent with our design as “Hind gut fermenting herbivores”. Congratulations of following a vegan diet and exercise. As I’m sure you have found it has been an interesting journey especially as new science keeps coming out. So keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org. You might also be interested in John McDougall’s article, Sick Vegans, in his Oct 2002, newsletter available for free on his website.The link to Flatt JP. Issues and misconceptions about obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011 Apr;19(4):676-86 no longer goes to the abstract.Thank you we’ll update it!Hi Joseph! You are very qualified coming from PCRM. I now often eat beans in morning because of you! Thanks for what you do.EXCELLENT…way to go Doc!!!http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/02/age-exercise-weight-gain_n_6986632.html	body fat,butter,calories,chicken,exercise,obesity,poultry,sardines,weight loss	When asked whether food and beverage consumption or physical activity was more important, the majority of people get the answer wrong.	This will look familiar to those who've seen my 2012 presentation (either live or vicariously at Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death). Tomorrow I cover the wild finding about meat and weight gain. Note the caloric expenditure equivalencies I present here are assuming no dietary compensation, something seen quite dramatically, for example, in nut consumption. Given how hard it is to work off food, let's make our calories count by choosing the most nutrient dense foods. Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score may be a good place to start.In the meantime, please feel free to subscribe to my upcoming videos (for free) by clicking here. Happy Labor Day!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Diet vs. Exercise: What’s More Important?, Treadmill Desks: Stand Up For Health, and Best Nutrition Bang for Your Buck	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/17/diet-vs-exercise-whats-more-important/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/16/treadmill-desks-stand-up-for-health/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sardines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/	-
PLAIN-2898	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-ice-diet/	The Ice Diet	If phytonutrients can alter gut flora in a way that helps people lose weight, then you’d think people eating diets based on plants would have significantly different colon populations and yes indeed, that’s something that been known for four decades, and may help explain why those eating such diets tend to be slimmer.Another reason vegetarian eating patterns has been tied to better weight management may be the water content of plant foods. Fruits and vegetables average about 80 to 90 percent water. Just as fiber can bulk up the volume of foods without adding calories, so can water. Cognitive experiments have shown that people tend to eat a certain volume of food, and so when that volume is mostly water they don’t end up gaining as much weight. But even if you take out the visual component and instead stick a tube down people’s throats and feed them whatever volumes of food you want, if you add more water to their stomach they tend to eat less, perhaps because of the stretch receptors in their stomach sending signals too the brain saying we’ve had enough… Scientists have identified a multitude of ways your body controls your appetite, and a good thing, because if you’re off every day just by a few percent that could have huge impacts on your weight over the years.If water is so helpful… why can't you just eat that steak and drink a glass of water. It doesn’t work. You feel more full during the meal, but you end up eating the same number of calories throughout the day, unless, they’ve found, you preload. Drinking water with the meal doesn’t seem to help control calories, but drinking a big glass of water a half hour before a meal might. "Thus it appears that water on its own may be effective at increasing satiety and decreasing intakes for some population groups when drunk before, but not with, a meal.”Ice water may be even better. Or even, just ice. Water has zero calories, but ice has less than zero since our bodies have to warm it up. From the annals of internal medicine: The ice diet. Using simple thermodynamic calculations of how much heat our body would have to generate to take an ice cube up to body temperature, they conclude eating a quart of ice, like a really really big snow cone--with no syrup--could rob your body of more than 150 calories, the “same amount of energy as the calorie expenditure in running 1 mile.Sound too good to be true? It is actually, as Ray Cronice talks about in his body hacking work with thermogenics, you may just be diverting some of the body's waste heat If one really wants to use chronic mild cold stress to lose weight, turning down one's thermostat or wearing fewer layers outside may be more effective in the long-run than drinking slushies of slush.	The reference to phytonutrients altering gut flora was an allusion to yesterday’s video-of-the-day Tipping the Balance of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. Not only is fiber also calorie-free, but one might think of it in the same snowcone “negative calorie” light, given the fermentation of fiber in our bowel into anti-obesity compounds (as well as anti-inflammatory anti-cancer compounds). On Monday we’ll continue with the obesity prevention theme with Diet or Exercise: What’s More Important for Weight Loss?, one of the videos I featured in my full 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Awwwe.  And I was about to eat steak with ice (see pic below) but this vid saved me from demice (demise) ;-}You’re as Cold as Ice to me.Thanks Michael!  more info can be found at http://hypothermics.comA strange hypothesis re: burning calories:  Wear a chilled shoulder ice wrap. Hypothetically speaking, by lowering the temperature of brown/”beige” fatty tissue located between our scapulae, one may be able to increase activity of this fatty tissue, which is brownish in color due to a high # of mitochondria. The mitochondria in these fat cells switch into high gear and burn calories to generate heat to help maintain core temperature stability.Uhhhh, i’ll just go out for a run instead… The first two times i go ice fishing i get chilled, hypothermic and unhappy.  By the third week, I feel excited, my heartbeat throbs in my fingers and toes and I become strangely invincible for many hours on the ice.  its the same every year.  Somehow, exposure turns on the brown fat and then you can litterally jump naked into ice water and like it!Fascinating!I have read that, in longevity studies on mice, a cooler body temperature induced by cooler air temperatures is an independent factor in extended lifespan. This is separate from lower body temperature that results from calorie restriction. Maybe cold drinks would have the same effect? Would make for an interesting study on mice or some other lab animal.I’m 55 and stopped eating meat and adopted a plant-based diet when i was 17…..thanks to this site, i’ve even stopped eating small fish, as i really did notice the difference in inflammation, which i suffer from due to back problems….i’m almost vegan but cannot declare myself as one because i still once in a while consume ghee, honey, goat and sheep cheese, and wear wool… i am at optimum weight. i do drink water before a meal. being (almost) vegan and at optimum weight, i don’t see  the need to drink or eat “ice” to burn calories, as i need all the calories i consume! Chinese medicine and nutrition warn us against eating too hot or too cold… Perhaps this “ice diet” would only be beneficial for those who are over-weight!Humans should eat what they are genetically adapted to eat.  Eskimos should eat meat and fat while Indians in the jungle should eat more plant based foods.  But guess what?  The Indians also hunt.  When you compare the SAD American diet to Vegan diets of course people are going to be slimmer.  This isn’t science.  This is picking and choosing information that support a hypothesis rather then looking for evidence that contradicts it.  Sooooo common with so called ‘nutritional science’.  Read Biochemical Individuality by Roger Williams, PhD who by the way discovered pantothenic acid.  Until you start to apply natural selection, geological and biome differences and nutritional anthropology your all going to be like a chicken with your head cut off.  TIME FOR SOME BASIC LOGIC IN MEDICINE AND NUTRITION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!You realy think Eskimos are geneticaly adapted to eat meat? How long will it take to adapt to S.A.D.?The Concentration camp diet: people eating air tend to be thinner then people on the Ice Diet!  Man I’m on to something lol.Isn’t the reason that drinking water 20-30 minutes before a meal makes you less hungry and less likely to eat as much is because most of the time when you are “hungry” you are actually just dehydrated? Thus when you are dehydrated you think you are hungry because our bodies extract the water out of whatever food we eat. Is this not the reason drinking more water shrinks your waist line?Ray Cronise at TEDMED 2010 – YouTube	bile acids,body fat,calories,exercise,fiber,fruit,gastric emptying,gut flora,ice diet,obesity,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,Ray Cronice,thermogenics,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,water,weight loss	The water content of plant foods may help explain why those eating plant-based diets are, on average, so slim. Can ice be thought of as having even "fewer" calories than water since the body has to warm it up?	The reference to phytonutrients altering gut flora was an allusion to yesterday's video-of-the-day Tipping Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. Not only is fiber also calorie-free, but one might think of it in the same snowcone "negative calorie" light, given the fermentation of fiber in our bowel into anti-obesity compounds (as well as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer compounds). On Monday we'll continue with the obesity prevention theme with Diet vs. Exercise for Weight Loss, one of the videos I featured in my full 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: The Ice Diet and Schoolchildren Should Drink More Water	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/15/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thermogenics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gastric-emptying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ray-cronice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5566425,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21275081,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20955691,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21261804,
PLAIN-2899	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/	Tipping Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes	Other than fiber, what else do plants make that animals don’t that could help account for how dramatically slimmer those who eat a plant based diets tend to be? Phytonutrients! Mammals including humans harbor two main types of friendly gut bacteria: Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. In terms of obesity though one appears friendlier than other, there is mounting evidence that the gut flora is different in healthy patients than it is in obese patients, which primarily involves higher numbers of Firmicutes than Bacteroidetes in the case of obesity and overweight. Just to keep them straight so you can remember, fatter is Firmicutes and boney is Bacteroidetes.Obese individuals seem to have more Firmicutes than Bacteriodetes in their guts. If you put people on a diet for a year, you can actually change the proportion. Give people certain antibiotics, may actually trigger obesity because we are mucking around down there. How can we improve our ratio? There is a class of phytonutrients called polyphenols that do two things: they preferentially feed Bacteriodetes while simultaneously suppressing the growth of Firmicutes.So researches said, hey maybe that’s why the use of vinegar has been recommended for thousands of years for weight loss! And it’s often made out of wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar, both of which have grapes and apples packed with polyphenols. The weight lowering properties of fruits, green tea and wine vinegar in obese people may be partly related to the polyphenol content of them which consequently changes the gut flora, which may consequently alter the balance between the two groups of Bacteroidetes and the Firmicutes bacteria in the favor of Bacteroidetes.It’s funny… opponents to the power of phytonutrients often point to studies showing that up to 85% of those wonderful blue anthocyanins in blueberries end up in your colon unabsorbed. But that may be exactly where the magic happens.	This is the third of a three-part video series on keeping our gut bacteria happy. The first two discussed propionate and butyrate, two health-promoting short chain fatty acids produced by the fermentation of fiber that may be helpful in preventing obesity, cancer, and inflammation in general. This is a follow-up to similar studies comparing gut flora between populations eating different diets I talked about ages ago in Gut Flora Obesity. More on phenolic phytonutrients in Best Fruit Juice. Vinegar may also help with weight loss via another mechanism detailed in my video Is Vinegar Good For You?. And blueberries may be helpful in Improving Memory Through Diet, but are they the Best Berries?If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.It sounds like a Greek Tragedy,Or Homer’s Odyssey.I am visualizing a future Fantastic Voyage movie but through the colon.Some people may think this vid is crappy, but what keeps you slim will keep you happy. ;-}Nothing like a good poo pun.  Love it!I believe this is working in me.  I had very bad “colon blow” every 7 to 10 days for years.  Fever, nausea, the whole 9 yards so to speak.  But over the past 14 months+ on whole foods, plant-based, the flareups have decreased in frequency and lessened in severity. One tip for others:  I now grind my date/walnuts/chia seeds with a small scoop of wheat germ and a little oat bran.  To a fine powder in a good coffee grinder has made it possible to eat without the usual reaction to nuts and seeds.  I mean really fine powder is needed.  The germ and bran “soak” up the gooey bit and permits extending the grind time.  GOOD LUCK. Suspiciously, this sounds like another cliff hanger.Thanks for giving the tip for remembering the difference between the two types of phyla.  I helped me to easily absorb the rest of the video. I made a dish last night with vinegar in it.  Yeah.  :-)Yes, I can’t WAIT to hear about my beloved organic wild blueberries that I eat 4-5 times each week…yay!Must have been fun saying firmicutes and bacteroidetes over and over. ;-)My thoughts exactly.  :)  I thought/heard the bacteriodes enterotype was associated with animal protein and a satfat diet whereas vegetarians and vegans tend to the prevotella enterotype? This is an emerging area of course but there do appear to be some microbiota markers for metabolic disorder, brain and heart function that I would really love to see some more NF videos on.How would I incorporate more vinegar into my diet?How can I get a hold of Bacteroidetes?I looked up Bacteroidetes and found ORGANIC spirulina contains them. It must be from a pure safe source and organic Spirulina is a cyanobacterium, a bacteroidete.What about the study by Chen et al that says this?Enterotypes were strongly associated with long-term diets, particularly protein and animal fat (Bacteroides) versus carbohydrates (Prevotella).It’s Gary D. Wu, Jun Chen, […], and James D. LewisSo confusing!very interesting summary! Can you please comment of effectiveness of Bacteroidetes probioticsActinobacteria and Firmicutes are gram positive, good? Firmicutes mostly in gut lining? Bacteroides and Proeobacteria are gram negative, bad? Bacteroides mostly in gut lumina? Which ones produce the most butyrate?Hi dr greger what do you think of yakult? It’s not vegan but it claims to be a very good probiotic. ThanksI strongly wish you would provide transcripts, as I cannot stand to watch videos. I don’t watch TV, either. It is just not in my makeup. So, while it looks like your site may be very informative, it is useless to me. :(	antibiotics,apples,Bacteroidetes,bile acids,blueberries,body fat,colon health,fiber,Firmicutes,fruit,grapes,green tea,gut flora,obesity,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,polyphenols,probiotics,vegans,vegetarians,vinegar,weight loss	Certain phytonutrients may tip the balance of healthy gut bacteria in favor of flora associated with improved weight control.	This is the third of a three-part video series on keeping our gut bacteria happy. The first two discussed propionate and butyrate, two health-promoting short chain fatty acids produced by the fermentation of fiber that may be helpful in preventing obesity, cancer, and inflammation in general. This is a follow-up to similar studies comparing gut flora between populations eating different diets I talked about ages ago in Gut Flora & Obesity. More on phenolic phytonutrients in Best Fruit Juice. Vinegar may also help with weight loss via another mechanism detailed in my video Is Vinegar Good For You?. Blueberries may be helpful in Improving Memory Through Diet, but are they the Best Berries?For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: The Ice Diet and  Eating Green to Prevent Cancer	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/15/the-ice-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/firmicutes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacteroidetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vinegar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17183309,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20955691,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16548015,
PLAIN-2900	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-good-bacteria-in-the-colon-without-probiotics/	Boosting Good Bacteria in the Colon Without Probiotics	Our friendly flora’s digestion of fiber also yields another short chain fatty acid called butyrate which may fight against cancer by slowing the growth of colon cancer cells and activating programs cancer cell death, as well as preventing cancer in the first place. Butyrate may explain why fiber filled plant based diets are so anti-inflammatory.A recent review concluded that butyrate seems to exert broad anti-inflammatory activities and might be a good candidate to evaluate in the fight against obesity-associated and systemic inflammation in general. They are alluding to using it as some kind of supplement but we can produce more on our own naturally by two ways. Number one is eating more plant foods since it’s a byproduct of fiber digestion. And number two; we can boost the number of butyrate producing bacteria in our colon by - eating more plant foods!Different butyrate production capacity varies in individuals according to diet. Not only do those eating vegetarian harbor more good bacteria period, vegetarian fecal samples showed the highest number of copies of the butyrate producing genes.	This is the second of a three-part video series on interacting with our intestinal tenants. Yesterday’s video-of-the-day Fawning Over Flora discussed another short chain fatty acid our good gut bacteria can make from fiber called propionate. For a sampling of other videos on keeping our colon happy, see Kiwifruit For Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Flax and Fecal Flora, Is Dragon Fruit Good For You?, and Bristol Stool Care.If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Short vid, but-I-rate it (get it–butyrate ;D ) . . . sweet? Well I never thought of my fecal bacteria as sweet.  But the sweetness is derived from knowing I am doing the right thing by teaching a plant based diet to all my patients who will listen.This is also added information to my arsenal about why I prescribe Probiotics to my patients who are on antibiotics.Keep the good info comin’ Dr. G. while I defend my arsenal of nuts. ;-} Please do a video on candidaIs it beneficial to still take a probiotic supplement even if you are eating vegan?If you are on antibiotics then Yes!  And for about 3 days after you stop the antibiotics you should take the probiotic.Otherwise, if you are eating plants and not taking antibiotics then no supplementation needed.It has been my practice experience that this practice of probiotic supplementation tends to reduce the antibiotic associated diarrhea and abdominal discomfort. ;-}..how can you say to take AB’s during patient’s treatment, when this renders them less effective! They should be taken for couple of weeks ‘after’ onlyI don’t believe PBs render ABs less effective. But ABs kill PBs, which are essential. The suggestion then is to take a PB during a course of ABs but AS FAR AWAY IN TIME AS POSSIBLE from the AB. So if you’re taking an AB at noon and midnight, take a PB at 6pm and 6am.Good morning,So I have been experimenting with buckwheat grouts. I thought, ” what do I do with these?” so first I cooked them as the package suggested. 20 min. They turned out mushy. So then I thought? 20 min is nothing I bet I can just soak overnight. Sure enough, after rincIng the okra like slim they were great. I ate them mixed into my oatmeal with pastacio nuts, pumpkin seeds, and rice milk.And buckwheat is nutrient dense! Veganrunner:  Thanks for the cool idea.  I’m always looking for ways to expand my food repertoire (in a good way).I agree buckwheat is wonderful, but there is a compound in buckwheat grass called fagopyrin which can cause photosensitivity. How you’re prepping them now is totally fine, but if you end up sprouting them, I’d recommend doing it in the dark (so they don’t green), rinsing frequently (fagopyrin is a fluorescent red pigment you can see being washed away in the pinkish rinsewater), keeping the sprouting to under 8 days, and not making them a substantial part of your diet. But your deslimed breakfast sounds yummy!Thanks for the heads up. Got it-don’t sprout.In the US buckwheat groats are sold in 2 ways: with and without hull.  Stores like Whole Foods sell with without hull, and they are light green in color.  The other kind, with hull, can be bought at Eastern European, Persian, etc. stores.  There are good instructions on how to cook it on the package (but I can’t recall if they’re in Russian…).  In Russia where I’m from buckwheat is eaten only with hull.  Bring to boil – with little salt – 1 cup of buckwheat and 2 cups of water.  Turn heat to low and cook uncovered for another 20 min or so until water disappears plus a little longer.  The grain at the bottom of the pan should be sort of dry (not mushy). It might even stick to the pan, and that’s OK, as long as it doesn’t burn.  Turn the heat off, cover and let it sit until it’s cooled down.  Grains should be separate from each other when it’s ready to eat.  It’s fine to be heated in the microwave for 30 sec or so.  I also heat it up in the skillet with small amount of olive oil for a minute or so.  It gets crispy this way.Correction to above –Stores like Whole Foods sell them without hull… Vera:  That’s such cool information.  Thanks for taking the time to share it with everyone.  I have had buckwheat some, but I had not known of cultural variations or that I could get it two different ways.  Neat.Some other things “good” bacteria like :xylitol (sugar alcohol also used in nasal sprays; super toxic to dogs though) okraOk, I’ve just finished your whole store of videos. What an amazing amount of information. It’s already changed my life ;-) Thank you so much! I’m sick right now from reacting to goat milk and gluten so I’m cleaning up my diet completely and dropping meat and fish at the same time. I’ve been vegan and fruitarian before but, although I loved the fruitarian best and felt good on it for a year, I realized it wasn’t working for the diabetes type 1 I have. So I went on the GAPS diet to heal my gut.  What I don’t understand is that the GAPS and the Dr Wahl diet and even Paleo, all have so many adherents that swear by it. I would think after watching all these videos that all 3 diets would make everyone sick. How can so many people turn around very sick, autistic children with a meat-based diet? It’s very confusing. Diets like Paleo also have you eat a lot of Veggies and Fruits and Zero processed foods.  So you remove a lot chemicals and still get the phyto-nutrients.  So at the end of the day their diet is much cleaner than the average American diet which would score a 12.  Paleo also does not eat conventionally raised meats… only grass fed no hormone or wild meat.  So while they eat meat (too much in my opinion) they have eliminated all the processed stuff and chemicals that are really getting us sicker.Isn’t meat just really hyper processed animal feed? Murder and suicide at the same time.bee.. I haven’t been diagnosed with what you have, but suffer from a myriad of intestinal disorders. Maybe it doesn’t apply, but just wanted to say that I find digestive problems with the high fruit…might just be the bananas for me. Still testing, but I also changed a little to add some of the cooked starches a la McDougall/Bernard etc. I get a lot of gas and diarrhea with those. I do best all raw. I prefer the all produce diet with less fruit than 80-10-10, but can’t really do all one or the other. The best I have been was the 1st year I followed Dan McDonald’s ideas about raw green smoothies, some juicing, and lots of green salads. I use a lot of supergreens as salad greens, not just lettuce, although love me some romaine. Dara Dubinet has some great ideas for all raw and talks a lot about 80-10-10 too. I did lose a lot of weight, which was good for me. I am going to get off the cooked starches again and try again with the mostly raw green smoothies etc. I like them too because I can include some of my favorite herbal ingredients for stress, etc. Also, I feel I need the fiber and juices don’t give me that. Also chewing is a really important part of digestion. Just my 2cents. LynnThe beneficial chemicals manufactured by lactobacilli and bifidobacteria which cause weight loss and prevent cancer include propionate, acetate, butyrate, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and conjugated linolenic acid (CLNA). These beneficial bacteria convert linoleic acid (LA), which tends to cause weight gain and, at least in animals, cancer, into the beneficial conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which does just the opposite: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19228257 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17897219 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16807088 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12492934 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20556602 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18306430Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids also cause weight loss and prevent cancer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17490962 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17502874 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19356912 http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0105/Bluefin-tuna-auctioned-in-Tokyo-for-record-736-000 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15672113Unlike the “bad” omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic acid, conjugated linoleic acid works well at helping us to live longer by preventing cancer, heart disease, and a dozen other killer diseases. CLA softgels, which are made from Non-GMO (high linoleic) safflower oil, work well at building bone strength, muscle strength, and causing weight loss. Make sure that the CLA softgel you buy is at least 80% CLA and not more than 20% unwanted fatty acids that cause weight gain and cancer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20656466 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22435614 http://jn.nutrition.org/content/130/12/2943/F2.expansionI am confused…lactobacilli and bifidobacteria are fermicutes. I thought we needed more bacteriodetes? It seems most of the probiotics I thought were ‘good’ are fermicutes.I have a question about candida and the relationship between candida, sugar, specifically fructose, and fat. Is it better to reduce the about of fat consumption to eleminate candida overgrowth or is it better to eliminate all sugar including fructose to eleminate candida overgrowth? I have hear a lot about fat being the culprit and not the good healthy fruit sugars when it comes to candida overgrowth. I look forward to hearing from you and your thought on the matter.Xylitol supplies butyrate and propionate to the digestive tract, yet it is (if memory serves) listed as “harmful” in one of your artificial sweetener videos. Am I missing something? I thought you considered both of these substances extremely beneficial.AC: Dr. Greger listed xylitol as harmful because the product is not absorbed properly and causes diarrhea. In other words, while I do not speak for Dr. Greger, I believe he has decided that the bad outweighs the good.When determining the healthfulness of any food, the goal when possible would be to look at the whole food and weight the pros and cons. So, while a food may have some benefits when looked at one way (say, has butyrate), if the pros don’t outweigh the cons (say, diarrhea) , then the food would be listed as harmful. Of course, we don’t always know all the pros and cons and also, pros vs cons can be a matter of personal opinion. The devil is in the details. Dr. Greger gives his opinion. We can decide what we do with it.Another thought: sometimes it is helpful to keep in mind that Dr. Greger’s videos are often focusing on a single issue – say antioxidants or whatever – and the statements in that video need to be understood within that focus. In other words, not all videos are (or can) take every health factor into account.That said, since the amount of xylitol that I personally eat doesn’t seem to cause digestive upset, I’m not concerned about it since I understand what Dr. Greger’s issue with xylitol is.Hope that helps.I do not remember Dr. Greger discussing the benefits of these 2 compounds, but perhaps the risks outweigh the benefits. Xylitol has a dehydrating effect in that is leaches water out of the intestines which can lead to diarrhea.How does xylitol-induced dehydration lead to diarrhea when dehydration in general leads to constipation?The water is being drawn out of the large intestine into the stool.Plenty of butyrates from the right diet regardless of species http://www.nature.com/ismej/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ismej2014179a.htmlThe lethal dose of xylitol is around 22g/kg, which means I have to eat around 500 teaspoons. That’s ten cups of straight xylitol. Xylitol kills some bacteria because they absorb it as they would glucose for energy, but they cannot metabolize xylitol for energy, so they use energy trying to expel it, only to absorb more xylitol and have to use energy to expel it again. At some point they run out of energy and die. Xylitol also metabolizes into propionate and butyrate in the digestive tract, and as far as I know these are extremely beneficial for human health.I have a question on the best probiotics on the market, I live in Quebec City we have many type of probiotics and I heard from one of my friend, that the best is from plants, not from human or milk extract. He tell me about the probiotics: BB from USA… Can you help me?The other question concern some acne that have begin few months ago in my back, mostly the upper back. Do you have any idea of what it could be? Is it food allergies (i’m vegan) or my liver??Thanks a lot and have a beautiful day :)Check out this website for information about probiotics: The Best Type of Probiotics. And in terms of acne, this is a good article that might be helpful, Acne and Diet.Probiotics are expensive but I have really bad farts. I may have dysbiosis and high levels of bad bacteria. What can I do to increase the good bacteria as I’m vegan and eat very little processed food. Would fermenting veggies help? Thanks!Any ways to naturally treat candida? I have a yeast smell and danruff. I am looking for a natural way to treat it.On a related topic: I cannot find anything addressing Candida or Yeast Overgrowth in you subject index. A recent stool culture puts my yeast levels at +4, and my doctor has me on Amphoteracin B, an anti-fungal, as well as probiotics and The Candida Diet. The diet is difficult for a vegan to follow as it becomes extremely limited. How can I know I really have a problem, and how can I tell if this protocol is working? Thanks!Just wanted to share a good article profiling Jeff Leach, “affectionately known as ‘Dr. Sh*t'”.How Good Gut Bacteria Could Transform Your Health By Gretel Schueller, Eating WellHi dr greger what do you think of yakult? It’s not vegan but it claims to be a very good probiotic. Thanks!!!Yakult unfortunately contains skim milk powder and sugar.Hi, I am trying to find information or resources for whole food, plant based eaters that have been diagnosed with SIBO/intestinal permeability (likely is a form of damage done from prior animal products consumed and SAD diet habits before going plant-based?). None of the functional or traditional practitioners I have seen thus far support plant-based diet and keep telling me the only way I can heal is to eat animal products and saturated fats. I have experienced the benefits of a plant-based diet firsthand and will never go back to my former poor dietary habits as I believe firmly that it was my poor diet that caused the inflammation throughout my body in the first place. Any resources or references would be greatly appreciated, as I just don’t know where to look and am at my wits end. Thank you for your time.HI Natasha. I am not sure what is best? Here is some information I researched about SIBO.Small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO) may be linked to a lactase deficiency. Celiac disease can make SIBO worse. Some research suggestsmalabsorbed fat may increase SIBO in subjects with tropical sprue (TS), which “is a common cause of malabsorption syndrome among adults in tropical countries including India. TS is diagnosed by specific criteria, which include biochemical tests showing malabsorption of two unrelated substances, abnormal duodenal histology, absence of other causes of malabsorption and persistent response to antibiotics and folate. Pathogenesis of this disease is unknown. Bacterial infection has been proposed to cause this syndrome in view of small bowel bacterial colonization in most patients and overgrowth in a proportion, which responds to antibiotics4. In fact, frequent occurrence of small bowel bacterial colonization, overgrowth and predictable response to treatment with antibiotics might suggest that the name TS or tropical malabsorption is a misnomer. It should rather be considered as a condition associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and colonization in the tropics in absence of an anatomical cause.” I included that explanation because of the possible link between TS and SIBO.This study shows how gut bacteria can be manipulated to help gut-related diseases. The study is free. It may be the best one I’ve seen on the topic. Hopefully others can weigh-in. More videos on the related topics: Boosting Good Bacteria in the Colon Without Probiotics and The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation. So to me eating animal protein doesn’t make much sense. What is the theory or research behind that? I am not saying there is none but I am curious. Maybe try it out, see how you feel? No harm in that. I always encourage folks to work with their healthcare team even if they disagree on a few points. If you find the practitioners are not helpful after your trial, consider seeing a dietitian who specialized in plant-based diets. Good luck!	bile acids,body fat,butyrate,cancer,colon health,fiber,gut flora,inflammation,obesity,plant-based diets,probiotics,vegans,vegetarians	Certain good bacteria in our gut can turn the fiber we eat into an anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer compound called butyrate that we absorb back into our system. We may be able to boost the number of butyrate-producing bacteria by eating a plant-based diet.	This is the second of a three-part video series on interacting with our intestinal tenants. Yesterday's video-of-the-day Fawning Over Flora discussed another short chain fatty acid our good gut bacteria can make from fiber called propionate. For a sampling of other videos on keeping our colon happy, see Kiwifruit For Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Flax and Fecal Flora, Is Dragon Fruit Good For You?, and Bristol Stool Scale.For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Boosting Gut Flora Without Probiotics, Treating Parkinson's Disease with Diet, and Avoid Carnitine and Lethicin Supplements	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/14/avoid-carnitine-and-lethicin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-dragon-fruit-good-for-you/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21255628,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20823773,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21204931,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19383551,
PLAIN-2901	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fawning-over-flora/	Fawning Over Flora	Obesity is so rare among those eating plant based diets, nutrition researchers have been desperate to uncover their secret. Yes, they tend to eat fewer calories - but not that many fewer.In the past I’ve gone through a couple of theories that have emerged: Maybe it’s because of people eating plant strong diets express more of the fat shoveling enzyme inside the power plants inside the mitochondria within their cells.  Maybe it is because they grow different populations of good bacteria in their gut. Maybe it is because they are avoiding the obesigenic endocrine-disrupting industrial pollutants in the meat supply. An obesity causing virus in poultry may even be contributing. We’re still not sure, but the theories keep coming.Here’s the latest, maybe it’s the propionate? After all, what’s one of the things that are always in plant food and never in animal food? It’s fiber. Animals have bones to hold them up and plants have fiber to hold them up. I thought fiber was defined by our inability to digest it. Sure, we can’t break it down but the gazillions of good bacteria in our guts can. What do they make with it? They make Propionate, which gets absorbed into our bloodstream. So - technically we can digest fiber, just not without a little help from our little friends.What does propionate do? Well, it inhibits cholesterol synthesis and it has a hypophagic effect meaning it helps us eat less. Apparently it does this by slowing down the rate at which our food empties from our stomachs thereby making us feel fuller, longer. Propionate may be able to regulate food intake or the generation of new fat cells, resulting in an overall anti-obesity effect. One of the many ways fiber containing foods - meaning whole plant foods can help us control our weight. 	I thought this was so fascinating I included it in my 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. The fat-shoveling enzyme theory I mention is covered in How to Upregulate Metabolism. I mention the differential good bacteria in Gut Flora Obesity (and in tomorrow’s video-of-the-day Boosting Good Bacteria in the Colon Without Probiotics). And the other theories I mention are covered in Obesity Causing Pollutants in Food and Obesity Causing Chicken Virus. How slim are those eating plant-based diets? See Thousands of Vegans Studied. And for more on fabulous fiber, see What Women Should Eat to Live Longer and Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen (and also covered just the other day in How Fiber Lowers Cholesterol). Please feel free to subscribe to my future videos (for free) by clicking here.Wow, propionate may inhibit the growth of fat cells?! Interesting. I’ve not heard that one,.Is it possible to eat too much fiber?Keep ‘em coming, Dr. G! :^)It is unfeasible to consume too much fiber. As you will see in Dr. Greger’s future video, humans during the stone age era consumed over 105 grams of fiber per day and as much vitamin c as 10 oranges. I currently do not have the study to share but when i find it I will link it to you.Two years ago, Rami_RD2B promised to share a link to the study about stone age nutrition he referenced. For the sake of completeness and closure, could someone please find and provide a link to this research, as well as the name of the Dr. Greger video that Rami was referring to?Sorry Melli, here is the video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleolithic-lessons/References in the Sources citedThere seems to be no end to the health benefits of eating lots of veggies and a high fiber diet. Before i thought fiber was just important for preventing constipation, but it’s so much more!Does it matter if plant fiber is blended in a smoothie?  Does drinking blended plant fiber in a smoothie affect, negatively or positively, the body’s ability to produce propionate?The more you grind up the food, the more surface area you expose and the quicker it is absorbed and the larger potential impact on blood sugar and the quicker it leaves your stomach and the less filling it is. In addition, the ground up fiber does not work as well in helping control blood sugar and contributing to a sense of fullness.Thanks for the reply Toxins!  I appreciate the additional info.  Do you or anyone else know if blending reduces the body’s ability to process that fiber and effectively produce propionate?The shorter the fiber the easier it is digested, so I PRESUME it has less effect. On the other hand, blending gives me the ability to eat a lot more greens then I would be able otherwise. And if you eat only greens, this is a good way to get enough calories (and save your teeth) Interesting that the propionate can cause us to take in fewer calories. In the video, the calorie difference between veg and non-vegetarian eaters is treated as minor, but if you add those calories up for a year, it amounts to 19 pounds worth! That’s a lot of calories.Vegans who eat raw vegetables automatically have desirable gut microbial flora which create beneficial chemicals that cause weight loss (such as propionate, acetate, butyrate, CLA, and CLNA) and other beneficial chemicals that kill or inhibit the bad bacteria which cause endotoxic inflammation and weight gain (such as lactic acid and subtilisin). Why do vegans automatically have excellent gut microbes, even if they don’t eat yogurt or swallow probiotic capsules? Because (1)lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, and Bacillus subtilis thrive on the antioxidant-rich green leaves of living plants, (2)after plants are eaten, their antioxidants protect the beneficial gut microbes from being killed off by oxidative stress; meanwhile, the bad bacteria have Gram-negative cell walls that strongly protect them from free radicals, and (3)the soluble fiber in plant-based diets feeds the beneficial bacteria and causes them to greatly multiply to kill off the bad bacteria and increase stool volume and transit time: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9566667 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21811294 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23563705 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11068675 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3187134/ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Obesity_country_comparison_-_text.svgHow can a Vegan obtain vitamin D if they live a cold climate? Is Vitamin D2 from mushrooms (activated) effective for obtaining all the positive results from Vitamin D?Hi dr greger what do you think of yakult? It’s not vegan but it claims to be a very good probiotic. Thanks!!I am a 67 year male, living on plant based diet have problems balancing gut flora.. Early 1994 surgery vagotomy ,partial gastrectomy with pyloric valve removal . Current blood work chol 185 triglyc 78 hdl 80 ldl 89 psa 1.65 . requesting info to enhance food intake that would help my gut flora to augment my surgery limitations. request (3367)Thanks for reposting! I am reluctant to give any strong dietary advice because bowel/organ obstructions are serious and it’s best to consult with a registered dietitian/doctor who knows more about your situation. You could try foods you know are easy to consume. Cooking vegetables may be easier to digest than raw. B12 and other micronutrients may be important to supplement. I would double check blood work and ask your doctor if anything looks abnormal.	animal products,bile acids,cholesterol,fat,fiber,gastric emptying,gut flora,meat,obesity,plant-based diets,propionate,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss	The good bacteria in our gut can digest the fiber we eat and turn it into an anti-obesity compound called propionate that we absorb back into our system.	I thought this was so fascinating I included it in my 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. The fat-shoveling enzyme theory I mention is covered in How to Upregulate Metabolism. I mention the differential good bacteria in Gut Flora Obesity (and in tomorrow's video-of-the-day Boosting Good Bacteria in the Colon Without Probiotics). And the other theories I mention are covered in Obesity Causing Pollutants in Food and Obesity Causing Chicken Virus. How slim are those eating plant-based diets? See Thousands of Vegans Studied. For more on fabulous fiber, see What Women Should Eat to Live Longer and Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen (also covered just the other day in How Fiber Lowers Cholesterol). Please feel free to subscribe to my future videos (for free) by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/14/avoid-carnitine-and-lethicin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/propionate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gastric-emptying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18772587,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19641302,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17425944,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21616194,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21255628,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21457182,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12740075,
PLAIN-2902	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/	Fat Burning Via Flavonoids	What accounts for the thermogenic effect of nuts, their purported ability to boost metabolism such that one could potentially burn more fat just sitting around or sleeping. An explanation for this rise of resting energy expenditure is not obvious.” The Texas A&M folks thought it was the arginine; but others recently suggested it may be a function of the flavonoid phytonutrients in nuts. Based on what kind of evidence? Studies like thisThe effects of concord grape juice on appetite, diet, and body weight.” Just like nuts are calorically dense yet don’t seem to cause weight gain, Welch’s was keeping their fingers crossed that the same would be found for purple grape juice.The had people guzzle down 2 cups a day for three months. Now you got to understand, Welch’s grape juice has more sugar than coca cola. Two cups of purple grape juice contains the equivalent of 20 spoonfuls of sugar. The control group was basically given grape coolaid—a “substitute grape-flavored drink,” exact same number of calories, exact same amount of sugar, but just no detectable phytonutrients.So at two cups a day they were giving hundreds of extra calories a day to these people, surely after 3 months they’d gain a couple pounds. What do you think they found?The grape flavored sugar water group did indeed gain a significant amount of weight—how could they not with all that extra sugar in their diet. But the grape juice people didn’t. In fact, are you ready for this? Their waist circumference significantly shrunk. They appeared to burn away significantly more tummy fat—by drinking grape juice! So maybe there is something to the theory put forth by the nut and green tea people that flavonoid phytonutrients are capable of “increasing thermogenesis—heat generation--and fat oxidation.” If true, then it’s just one more reason to eat nuts and drink… green tea, not grape juice. Instead, eat concord grapes.	This completes the seven-part video series on the fascinating phenomenon of Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories. I started our reviewing the balance of evidence of why nuts don’t tend to contribute to weight gain in Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence, introduced two theories on Monday, both of which were put to the test in a study on peanut butter Testing the Pistachio Principle. Then came an elegant study using walnut smoothies, followed by the big reveal in Testing the Fat Burning Theory. But why might nuts help you burn more fat? Arginine is one possibility (see Friday’s video-of-the-day Fat Burning Via Arginine) and today’s flavonoids are another. For more on flavonoid phytonutrients, see my video Phytochemicals: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label. For a comparison between fruit juices, see Best Fruit Juice along with a video on putting that knowledge into practice, Pink Juice With Green Foam. Which beverage has the most antioxidants, though? See Better Than Green Tea. And what about juiced vegetables such as carrots and beets? See Benzene in Carrot Juice and an entire series starting with Doping With Beet Juice. And for more on the wonders of concord grapes (yum!), see Repairing DNA Damage and  Plant-Based Diets and Cellular Stress Defenses. If you haven’t yet, please feel free to subscribe for free to my videos by clicking here.Peel me a grape, crush me some ice, Skin me a peach, save the fuzz for my pillow. Talk to me nice, talk to me nice, You’ve got to wine me and dine me!Don’t try to fool me, bejewel me! Either amuse me or lose me, I’m gettin’ hungry, peel me a grape!Lyrics by Dave Frishberg  rec by Anita O’Day  ’62They knew the power of plants in 1962! Although they should have eaten the skin. ;-} This is great news. I love it when regular foods, like green tea, grapes and nuts are the heroes of nutrition, not expensive, manufactured pills. This must drive the health food manufacturers crazy, or, should I say nuts?Nice one! This series sort of reminds me of the coconut folks who claim the fat-burning of coconut  oil. I understand coconuts aren’t the most nutrient-dense of fats, and, certainly, the oil isn’t healthful to consume; however, I do think there may be some truth to at least parts of the claims.Love the picture of the concords. Those are the best tasting grapes! Gotta go look for some now. Loving all the fruits this month — FIGS too!Great series, Dr. G.! Thanks a million ;^)Strix: I wonder if you would be so good as to give a direct answer to the question asked of you once by April Lillie and then by myself on page ‘The Best Way to Boost Serotonin’.Basically, eating foods that are dark purple, deep red, and deep green (tea) is the key.“deep green”…=DINO KALE(such a dark green, it’s almost black)?? “deep red”….=cranberries?  just throwing other possibilities in there.  thank ya!This is spamThank you Spam Guard–removed!The latest fat burning food appears to be green coffee. Is there any truth to this? If so could it also be due to flavonoids?your concord grape juice link appears to be broken dr greger. every study ive reviewed that shows statistically significant benefit to plant pigments was from highly concentrated supplements & not whole food. [i dont find any whole food studies with this video either]. & tho it cant be dismissed altogether without review, the study was funded by welches and appears to be the only study of its kind showing benefit which makes it even more questionable.i luv nuts but the argument is a little specious considering theyre so high in fat. fat is great at producing satiety since the stomach has to wait for the bile action before it can fully empty.Hi Dr. Greger, I’m in a biochemistry class and I just read that high insulin levels, like after a meal containing carbs, enhances lipoprotein lipase activity, which increases the rate of storage of TG in adipose and uptake of free fatty acids into the muscle. If this is true, would it be wise for someone trying to reduce body fat to not mix carbs with fats? I usually eat a high carb meal with a little avocado or something in it, but by having so many carbs is my body telling my fat cells to store as much of that fat as possible? Before I was under the impression that glucose is the first fuel desired and therefore the fat would kind of just fall to the wayside. Thanks for your help!	abdominal fat,calories,Coca-Cola,Concord grapes,fat,flavonoids,grape juice,grapes,green tea,metabolism,nuts,obesity,phytonutrients,soda,sugar,weight loss	Flavonoid phytonutrients (found concentrated in citrus, berries, red onions, beans, green tea, grapes, and cocoa) may boost metabolism enough to significantly slim one's waistline.	This completes the seven-part video series on the fascinating phenomenon of Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories. I started out reviewing the balance of evidence of why nuts don't tend to contribute to weight gain in Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence, introduced two theories on Monday, both of which were put to the test in a study on peanut butter Testing the Pistachio Principle. Then came an elegant study using walnut smoothies, followed by the big reveal in Testing the Fat Burning Theory. But why might nuts help you burn more fat? Arginine is one possibility (see Friday's video-of-the-dayFat Burning Via Arginine) and today's flavonoids are another. For more on flavonoid phytonutrients, see my video Phytochemicals: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label. For a comparison between fruit juices, see Best Fruit Juice along with a video on putting that knowledge into practice, Pink Juice With Green Foam. Which beverage has the most antioxidants, though? See Better Than Green Tea. And what about juiced vegetables such as carrots and beets? See Benzene in Carrot Juice and an entire series starting with Doping With Beet Juice. And for more on the wonders of concord grapes (yum!), see Repairing DNA Damage and Plant-Based Diets and Cellular Stress Defenses. If you haven't yet, please feel free to subscribe for free to my videos by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/03/burning-fat-with-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/concord-grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20199999,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20437186,
PLAIN-2903	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	Fat Burning Via Arginine	How do nuts boost fat burning within the body? A paper out of Texas A&M last year suggests that it may be the arginine content of nuts. How does arginine get the job done? They’re not sure: “The underlying mechanisms are likely complex at molecular, cellular, and whole-body levels—in other words they have no clue— but they do review the evidence that they may include the stimulation of mitochondrial biogenesis—more power plants per cell—and brown adipose tissue development, which is what your body uses to generate body heat, so you’d be converting more of your fat into heat. Either way they suspect arginine to play an important role in fighting the current global obesity epidemic.Well, then where in the diet do you find arginine? I’ll give you a hint. According to the CDC, 78 million Americans aren’t getting enough. So you know the top few sources have got to be healthy foods, and indeed, here’s the list for the top 15 food sources of arginine you’d likely find in a typical store: #1 soy protein isolate (6.7), what they make veggie burgers and meat-free hot dogs and the like out of, #2 Pumpkin and squash seeds (5.4g/100g) #4 watermelon seeds (4.9)—isn’t that crazy? Not as crazy as #5, fried pork rinds (4.8)—I’m not kidding. Maybe Americans should have more than I think! #6 bbq flavored bork rinds (4.5) It must concentrate in the skin, #7 sesame seeds (3.3), #8 peanuts 3.25 #9 soiybeans 3.15 #10 peanut butter 2.7 #11 tahini (2.68) #12 almonds, 2.5 g; #13 pine nuts 2.4 #14 fava beans 2.4. #15 sunflower seeds 2.4So basically soy, seeds, nuts, and beans for arginine. Although dried beluga whale meat has a lot, the first nonpork rind animal food you could actually find in a typical store clocks in the USDA database at 95th down the list, bacon.	This is video #6 in a seven-part series on the fascinating phenomenon of Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories. I review the balance of evidence of why nuts don’t tend to contribute to weight gain in Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence, introduced two theories on Monday, both of which were put to the test in a study on peanut butter Testing the Pistachio Principle. Then came an elegant study using walnut smoothies, followed by the big reveal in yesterday’s video-of-the-day Testing the Fat Burning Theory. Arginine may indeed explain the thermogenic effect of nuts, but it also might be the flavonoid phytonutrients, which we’ll explore tomorrow. Should one avoid soy protein isolate even though it’s such a concentrated source of arginine? Stay tuned—I’m going to cover that when I cover IGF-1 and the cancer growth reversal studies I offer a sneak peak at in my full-length 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.I noticed in your above comments that you stated, “which we’ll explore tomorrow.”You’ve said this before but that would violate the first rule of Nutrtionodynamics:  Anticipation = The Greger Principle;-}Well, I don’t think I’ll be indulging in any pork rinds or beluga whale meat (little problem of Jewish dietary laws there :) ) but the nuts and seeds are great! I’ve got sunflower seeds in my homemade oatmeal muffins, tahini in the tofu mushroom stew for Friday night dinner and homemade chickpea humus for lunch tomorrow.  I just hope this information from Texas A&M doesn’t get distilled down to a soundbite in some news source and people stampede to their local healthfood store hoping to buy l-arginine pills to pop with their fat burgers. Arg indeed!Would you like to share the tofu mushroom stew recipe? Hi Hunniliz, I’d love to share it but I think the recipe is a bit too long to post here. The recipe can be found in the cookbook _Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites_ on p.277.  Thanks for the info.  I have that cookbook.  Do you go exactly by the recipe or have you made changes.  My chili recipe comes from  Moosewood Cooks at Home, but it now no longer resembles the original recipe. Hmmm, good question, lemme look at the recipe. I used pure organic tahini and I left out the celery, I’m not fond of celery. In the future I’ll substitute the celery with water chestnuts, that will give a nice crunch to the stew. I also love to tinker with recipes, especially when I want to eliminate the fat/oil from the recipe.I just hope this information from Texas A&M doesn’t get distilled down to a soundbite in some news source and people stampede to their local healthfood store hoping to buy l-arginine pills to pop with their fat burgers. Arg indeed!Why?Why do you think she said that. No idea? re: “I just hope this information from Texas A&M doesn’t get distilled down to a soundbite in some news source and people stampede to their local healthfood store hoping to buy l-arginine pills to pop with their fat burgers.”Funny.  I was thinking: “I assume the media is going to distill this down to: eat fried pork rinds!”  Arg ditto.Man vs Food takes on Fried Pork Rind Hamburgers to battle his increasing belly bulge. ;-}Now that’s a frightening thought! Another excuse to eat really bad food! They might have to change the name of the show to “Culinary Conflicts.”If you will accept possible topics, I sure would like to know about pH levels. My chiropractor (76 and extraordinarily healthy) tests himself with pH strips on the tongue several times/day, adjusting with cider vinegar if necessary. Swears by it. I know that ayurvedic medicine focuses on the pH level as well, so would like to know more…Dr. Greger,What’s the effect of Arginine on Cancer?Thanks,Doug I realy appreciate the videos that you send me regularly… they are full of great informations helping me to eat better… and that means linving longer in a healty way!  Thanks to you  Dr. Michael Greger…  I missed your last lectures in Montréal but now  it is great to have you on de web!!! Argentine supplements are available over the counter.It looks like the nuts & seeds in your comparison are all weighing 100 grams. If that is so–it is an extraordinary large quantity for anyone to eat. For example: To consume the 100 grams of pumpkin seeds in order to get 4033 mg of arginine–a person would also be consuming 540 calories, 46 grams of fat, & 9 grams of saturated. No one eats that much–nor would it be healthy to do so.A more typical serving of pumpkin seeds or nuts (a handful) would likely only be 28 grams–and 151 calories, 13 grams of fat, 2 grams sat fat, & now–only 1129 mg of arginine–not much different from the amount in a normal 3 ounce serving of wild salmon or a cup of black beans.The point is–you need to compare arginine content as it exists is NORMAL servings of food–not by a 100 gram measure.Note, also that arginine is not hard to come by at all! It’s plentiful in meat, poultry, dairy, & fish—along with beans. And we certainly now that a diet high in dairy & meat isn’t exactly heart-health.Look at the arginine content of 3 ounces of lean beef round. It has 1816 mg of arginine (beats out the pumpkin seeds!), along with 175 calories (similar to the pumpkin seeds), & only 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of sat fat.Yes, you can get enough arginine on a plant-based diet without even eating nuts or seeds, let alone 100 gram servings—and all that extra fat & calories. The nitric oxide production must clearly be working in such a diet, because blood pressure goes down, C-Reactive protein levels decrease, body weight is reduced & stable, & heart disease can often be prevented or reversed.The Lucky Irishman– 1 orange – 1 frozen banana – 1 handful organic* spinach – 1 zucchini – 1 organic* Granny Smith apple – ½ tbsp sunflower seeds – ½ tbsp pumpkin seeds – 4-7 ice cubesPlace all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.*Apples rank 1st (most contaminated) for yet another year and spinach ranks #6 (up two from last year’s 8th) in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.phpBookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium~Complements of lovestobeveganDr. Greger,What are your thoghts about the L.Arginine supplements?So if a person consumed 1000 calories of fiber rich whole food, would some of the calories be prevented from absorption due to the fiber? In other words? what a calorie is made of and where it comes from determines where it is going and how it is metabolized?	almonds,arginine,bacon,beans,calories,CDC,fat,fava beans,metabolism,nuts,obesity,peanut butter,peanuts,pine nuts,pork rinds,pumpkin seeds,seeds,sesame seeds,soy,soybeans,squash seeds,sunflower seeds,tahini,veggie burgers,watermelon seeds,weight loss,whale meat	The arginine content of nuts may explain their metabolism boosting effects, though in a list of the top food sources of arginine, nuts don't even make the top ten.	This is video #6 in a seven-part series on the fascinating phenomenon of Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories. I review the balance of evidence as to why nuts don't tend to contribute to weight gain in Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence, introduced two theories on Monday, both of which were put to the test in a study on peanut butter, see Testing the Pistachio Principle. Then came an elegant study using walnut smoothies, followed by the big reveal in yesterday's video-of-the-day Testing the Fat Burning Theory. Arginine may indeed explain the thermogenic effect of nuts, but it also might be the flavonoid phytonutrients, which we'll explore tomorrow. Should one avoid soy protein isolate even though it's such a concentrated source of arginine? Stay tuned—I'm going to cover that when I cover IGF-1 and the cancer growth reversal studies. I offer a sneak peak in my full-length 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/03/burning-fat-with-flavonoids/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunflower-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/whale-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork-rinds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pine-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tahini/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/squash-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sesame-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/watermelon-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fava-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanut-butter/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20437186,
PLAIN-2904	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/	Testing the Fat Burning Theory	Yes, when we eat nuts we might lose some fat in our feces and have our appetite suppressed, but studies suggest that this just accounts for about 70% of the disappeared calories in nuts. Unless all the calories are accounted for then there should still be weight gain after nut consumption, especially in the long term, but that’s not what the studies showed. So what happens to the last 30%?Nuts appear to boost our metabolism, meaning when we eat nuts we burn more of our own fat to compensate. And indeed, in this study those on the control diet were burning about 20 grams of fat overnight within their bodies on average. Not bad, that’s like burning off 5 pats of butter. But the walnut group, eating the same number of calories the same amount of fat, same everything, burned more like 31 grams of fat a day—7 or 8 pats of butter worth. Not too shabby, or should I say, flabby.So the hard to crack nut of a mystery appears to have been solved, of all the calories you eat in nuts, about 70% of them apparently disappear through dietary compensation mechanisms, 10% are flushed away, and 20% may be lost due to increased fat burn, leaving us with no calories to pack on any pounds; just a whopping load of nutrition and our risk of dying from heart disease cut in half.	This is the fifth of a seven-part video series on the fascinating phenomenon of Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories. In other words, why don’t nuts make us fat? I review the balance of evidence in Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence and introduced two theories on Monday, both of which were not well supported by a study on peanut butter I detailed in Tuesday’s Testing the Pistachio Principle. Yesterday’s video-of-the-day Testing the Dietary Compensation Theory described an elegant study using walnut smoothies that explained the appetite suppression piece. So if the mystery is now solved, what are the last two videos about? Well today we learned that nuts may boost fat burning in the body, but how? Maybe it’s the arginine; maybe it’s the flavonoids. Stay tuned! If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.You cracked the Thermogenic Nut Case! ;-}Your information seems to be well-researched and plausible. There was a message on VegSource earlier this week discussing recent findings funded by the nut industry that they considered to be bogus. Could these articles be one and the same? As a vegan, I think raw nuts are pretty important in the diet. As a matter of fact, the two studies cited here were both sponsored by the tree nut industry, and one had additional support from Big Peanut.Very impressive. Increased fat burn even on a meat eating diet by eating nuts. Risk of dying from heart disease cut in half. I suppose the amount of nuts was rationed to what is considered moderate consumption—an ounce or two? Wonder what happens if you increase nut consumption to four ounces or more? Can someone explain the numbers in parentheses after the nut, and why walnuts are not included in the “Fecal Loss” and “Increased Energy Expenditure” category?The graph shows results from other studies. Its numbers in parenthesis indicate which paper in the “Literature cited” section. The biggest bar at 100% or more is peanuts from paper number 17, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11033986. I could only find its abstract which doesn’t treat peanuts as having special compensation compared to almonds, chestnuts chocolate.The walnut study is stated in the title to be “calorie controlled” so no weight change is to be expected.  We are interested in whether adding nuts to a diet without any external control on caloric intake will cause weight gain.According to the walnut study (p. 614):“Despite the fact that the walnut group showed a significantly lower fat balance, both groups were in positive fat balance; this was likely due to a positive overall energy balance.”Positive fat balance means both groups were gaining body fat. This study thus did not show that eating walnuts caused a loss of body fat; the walnut group was just gaining body fat at a somewhat slower rate than the olive oil group.“During the 8-hour measurement period, no difference in energy expenditure was noted between the diets…”Thus, the walnut-enriched diet did not increase energy expenditure, at most they shifted metabolism from burning more carbohydrates to burning a little more fat, and that was established only for this one 8-hour period.To establish that the walnuts were the item responsible for the observed effect, the two diets would have to be identical except for one containing olive oil and the other walnuts.  In fact, according to table 1,  there were numerous differences between the two diets.The olive oil group is stated to have consumed margarine, milk, and cheese, whereas according to this table 1, the walnut diet did not include any margarine, milk, or cheese.  Therefore, it is possible that the reduced fat burning rate of the olive oil group was due to the presence of margarine, milk, or cheese, not to the absence of walnuts.  In other words, this study could be showing that margarine, milk, or cheese, or the combination thereof, suppresses fat burning, not that walnuts increase fat burning. The text however says “Each diet contained vegetables, fruit, dairy foods, meat, and bread in forms that are readily available to consumers.”  If the text is correct, then both diets contained dairy foods, so we still have the difference of margarine, i.e. it is still possible that the margarine had some adverse effect on fat oxidation.The walnut diet included potato and beef which were not in the olive oil diet.  Therefore, another possibility is that either the potato or beef increased the fat metabolism, not the walnuts; or that it was some combination of potato, beef, and walnuts that increased fat metabolism (maybe potato and walnuts, or walnuts and beef, or potato and beef, or potato, walnut, and beef).Finally, even if the study had established that walnuts increased fat oxidation (which it did not due to multiple variables), we still could not generalize the findings to all nuts.  Since only walnuts were tested, it could be a characteristic only of walnuts, not also other tree nuts, let alone peanuts (actually legumes). It is also possible to interpret this study as providing possible evidence that olive oil, or some component thereof, or OO in combo with one or more of the other items found in the OO diet but not the walnut diet,  suppresses fat oxidation.  But really, there are just too many variables to clearly discern what was responsible for the observed difference in fat oxidation rate between the two diets. By the way, I don’t believe that beef (or any other animal flesh, secretion, or ovum) has any positive health efffects or increases fat metabolism, only that this study failed to eliminate this variable and thus leaves open the question as to which item actually accounts for the difference in fat oxidation rate between the two groups. CLA, Carnitine, & Carnosine in beef, to name a few.The walnut study states “For example, growing evidence suggests that despite the fact that nuts are a high fat food, their incorporation into the diet does not appear to be associated with weight gain and they may even help with weight control.”  P. 614.The authors cite this study to support that statement: http://www.ajcn.org/content/89/6/1913.abstractQuoting that abstract:“Women who reported eating nuts ≥2 times/wk had slightly less mean (± SE) weight gain (5.04 ± 0.12 kg) than did women who rarely ate nuts (5.55 ± 0.04 kg) (P for trend < 0.001). For the same comparison, when total nut consumption was subdivided into peanuts and tree nuts, the results were similar (ie, less weight gain in women eating either peanuts or tree nuts ≥2 times/wk). The results were similar in normal-weight, overweight, and obese participants. In multivariate analyses in which lifestyle and other dietary factors were controlled for, we found that greater nut consumption (≥2 times/wk compared with never/almost never) was associated with a slightly lower risk of obesity (hazard ratio: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.57, 1.02; P for trend = 0.003)."So, the women who at nuts at least twice weekly had lessweight gain, not absence of weight gain.  In fact, quantified, the nut eaters gained 5 kg, compared to 5.55 kg for the women who rarely ate nuts.  Thus, the nut-enriched diet was associated with weight gain (specifically, a 5 kg / 11 pound weight gain) over the study period.This study does not support the idea that a nut-enriched diet “does not appear to beassociated with weight gain,” only that nut eaters gain might gain about 10% less weight than those who abstain from nuts over time,  and were 23% less likely to be obese.  Notice that they didn’t say 23% less likely to be overweight, only 23% less likely to be obese, a very important distinction since one can be overweight but not obese.I really can’t accept this as evidence that nuts don’t promote weight gain.Well analysed donmatesz! Unfortunately, you have entered the Church of VeganISM, and all that ultimately matters is that the desired conclusion is often supported by any rationale ‘picked’ from 10,000 papers. Forget scientific method – it always runs secondary to the credo when seriously pushed. I might add that this is not uncommon in many other sciences. It’s really sad, because a diet heading in the general direction of vegan would dramatically improve the health of the general population – especially the regular consumption of nuts and much less red meat. In that sense Dr Greger is doing us all a big favour and in an entertaining way. However credibility is frequently lost along with the message (especially amongst those trained in scientific methodology) by having to force that extra Vegan step against absolutely anything animal sourced despite any real evidence of harm in some cases. MDs are very well trained in a partition of science, but are often poorly trained in basic scientific method as is often evidenced by some of the MD, disciples commenting here. I’m happy to listen to any real evidence that Veganism is the best diet available, and it may be, but it’s unhelpful and self negating if it’s too often crudely shoehorned into a preconceived ethical stance. I would strongly advise that each daily episode be vetted independently by someone such as ‘donmatesz’ above when the issue crosses Vegan ideological boundaries otherwise you will alienate many potentially influential supporters from your overall and laudible cause. YES.AlexB – above is also for you!R Ian Flett (and AlexB), don`t get me wrong – this is truly not meant as an insult – but why are you watching videos here, and why are you reading the comment section? This site is for vegans or plantstrong people. We have an alleged vegan, who keeps arguing that eggs is a health food, and a clearly paleo fanatic. I´m sure that there are a lot of paleo sites and egg-sites, who would really appreciate your comments – please go there. You are both clearly without a sense of humour, and you both demand absolut proof for whatever is said here. I don`t know your backgrounds, but I don`t think it is scientific. Anybody who is dealing with health-science knows that to find ” the truth” is as good as impossible. I am sorry to say that there are a lot of evidence, that a well-planned vegan or near vegan diet is the best diet for humans. If you don`t agree – who cares – find another site to join. You can both for sure find some science stating the opposite – but we don`t care. And who cares about an occasional egg – that is not the point! And R Ian Flett, please eat as many eggs as you want. Most people watching this site is just looking for some vegan-support. All of us know that science is complicated, and that there are often contradictions. You don`t have to say it every time – everybody knows! It`s trivial. We have just made a choice. If you can`t choose, then don`t, but spare us from your boring negative attitudes. And come on R Ian Flett – calling supporters of the vegan/plantstrong lifestyle “disciples” is imbarrassing – for you. You seem too intelligent to make such low stupid comments. If you don`t like what you read – stay away. If you want absolute proof – study math. This site is for people with a positive mind.Well said doctor. The best part about the about long statistical explanation is that they didn’t need to go further than just pointing out that the study had only 16 subjects. Obviously they aren’t expect on how research is conducted. They need to chill just a bit! Do we have chilling foods we might recommend?Smart phones are only as smart as their operator! Pardon my typos.A few miles from my home, you can get the best vegan ice cream – sorry probably a little sugar – roll the dice, I take my chance – but I can`t prove it with a study with 500 participants! – it will probably not hurt me, because everybody is having a good time there, and I do not gorge on it.And you feel great the next day!Let’s conduct a study, find 1000 participates and randomly assign half to your vegan incream and the other half reading the guys comments and lets see who is happyist one week later on a ten point scale!Sorry, SJ M.D., but here you sound like a biased, humorless, and closed-minded person yourself. Who are you to say who this site is for? I’m a vegan for both ethical and health reasons, and I want the facts and the truth as far as it is possible to ascertain. I welcome relevant critical analysis regarding data and interpretation of data. My experience with scientists is that they live and breathe to analyze data in microscopic detail and then to vigorously argue interpretations in a disinterested (unbiased) manner. Medical doctors in general do not have the same sensibility or training. As evidence, your claim that their analyses are merely “boring negative attitudes.” I can tell you that what I’ve found most boring and useless in this comment forum is your (and one other M.D. who shall remain nameless), your daily cheerleader one liners that are of no use to anyone. Your personal comments about R Ian Flett don’t make any sense. I hope he and donmatesz will not stay away. Elderberry, Sorry for the oneliners – I will try to hold back. My point is that science is about reviewing a lot of articles, and then look at the bulk of evidence. Every study you can criticize, but I find it pointless here (maby it is just me?) to do it every time. The articles has been peer-reviewed and that shoud be good enough. Of course you can criticize articles and find articles saying something different. I just think that it is really great that Michael Greger takes the time to find these interesting articles, and present them to us in this way, “so we don`t have to”. I just see another purpurse of this forum, than to critize the articles – but maby it is just me.I would like to add that I bet both these doctors read and analyze a ton of articles on a daily business. Good doctors do that. I think Dr SJ is a neurologist. That requires a lot of reading to stay current. As a therapist I have analylized and published. And what we do is read what’s available and surmise how we might better treat patients with best current research. If I changed my treatment based on one article I would be derelict. Look at what has been presented over the last week and draw a conclusion about nuts. And what is most frustrating is that a different article will come out tomorrow with a different conclusion. Dr Greger has a great sense of humor and so do the doctors.Veganrunner, You are great! I have removed my comments because it seems pointless and we will just end up with a new egg/cigarette discussion – and we don`t want that – or do we? ;-)Probably not but I agree I find the arguments a bit snarky. Statistics really. That is a teachable moment! BTW: I like cheerleaders…… :-)Hi Elderberry,Don’t worry they won’t stay away. Medical research doesn’t work the way you think it does. If you reviewed the article the guys are objecting to, the first thing you note is that is has 16 subjects. Right there we have a problem. Next go to the bottom of the article and see who funded it. Nut company. Another problem. Read it. Sit back. Does it make sense on the grand scheme of things? You have probably watched most of Dr. Greger’s videos. Or at least on the topics you are interested in. How does it fit into the big picture. Nit picking articles Dr. Greger puts up seems kind of pointless to me as well. Because medicine and health doesn’t work that way. Look at all the cholesterol conflict going on lately. Is it cholesterol or is it the inflammation or is it both? And how do we best decrease that inflammation and cholesterol? So what are these doctors most concerned with? The overall picture of how food might (and I would underline that if I could) affect heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. You have to look at the big picture. R Ian Flett,Are you serious? You really don’t understand all of this do you? Or the intention of this website. I have an idea. Lets do a case study and you will be the subject. Eat until you are 200 pounds overweight, sit on the couch, get absolutely no exercise while living on the Atkins diet. Lets see how you fair after 20 years. Thank you very much, indeed, donmatesz and R Ian Flett and Tom for your time and analysis. And I appreciate the information on “publication bias.” I also expect it will be awhile before we have more certainty about the benefits of nut consumption and that benefits will vary among individuals.  I confess that as a nonspecialist I have to laugh sometimes at the intense debate and microscopic analysis over nutrition or health issues that in my time were resolved by modest portions and restraint at the table, the freshest possible produce and real food (no industrial products masquerading as food), no eating between meals or while doing something else, and walking or cycling almost everywhere. Rosebud, Good point about avoiding industrial products masquerading as food. It will take time and coordinated effort to reduce the level of industrial toxins in the land, water, and air, but we can all immediately decrease the amount that we ingest of our own volition. I consider any meat (including fish, eggs, and dairy) found in the supermarket to be a toxic industrial product, and that is one more reason I became a vegan. OYE!! And then today on Dr Esselstyn’s FB page we see this post: WHAT TO BELIEVE?????????? Nuts – What about nuts? I hear so many different opinions.For those with established heart disease to add more saturated fat is inappropriate.For people with no heart disease who want to eat nuts and avocado and are able to achieve a cholesterol of 150 and LDL of 80 or under without cholesterol lowering drugs, some nuts and avocado are acceptable. No nuts for heart disease patients, includes peanuts and peanut butter, even though peanuts are officially a legume. Chestnuts are the one nut, very low in fat, it is ok to eat. (For a clarification of misinformation about nuts and this diet, seehttp://www.heartattackproof.com/clarification.htm)Corrected link:  http://www.heartattackproof.com/clarification.htmThere are lots of unresolved dilemmas about nuts. Is the phytic acid in them a serious mineral absorption problem or not? Most now doubt it. Are they fattenning? Not necessarily, as Dr Greger suggests. Should they be heated to reduce their phytic acid or does the heating turn their precious EFAs rancid? Most studies do not distinguish between roasted and raw consumption, nor salted or not. Other ‘nutters’ state that they should only be eaten directly from the shell. Is a pistachio good for you if it provides extra appetite control for you by being hard to extract the kernel, whilst also being laden with salt?  The nut producers heavily fund and thereby influence nut studies or, at least, the selection of those published. By funding multiple studies they can pick only the most flattering results because we do not have registers showing exactly how many studies were done overall. For example, if 20 were funded amongst struggling researchers and only one gets published, the statistical .05% confidence constraint of the chosen paper is totally compromised when taken in context. This ‘publication bias’ that was perfected by the tobacco industry 50 years ago is sometimes acknowledged and other times not. I suspect it will be a while yet before we know nuts’ relative benefits for sure and it may be different amongst individuals. Meanwhile as a best guess, I’m buying a variety of raw, unsalted nuts, as fresh as possible, and storing them in the freezer – as I have for decades.A friend who takes thyroid hormone feels anxious, hyper and can’t sleep when she does, and cold, sleepy, lacks energy and gains weight when she doesn’t. A few months ago, she started taking a tablespoon of coconut oil in an attempt to loose weight and gain energy, since she read about this on a health blog. I’ve watched with interest as she’s normalized her energy level and lost a few pounds. Just the other day, I read an article that actually gives scientific validation to the energy burning enhancement of the fat in coconuts:  http://www.life-enhancement.com/article.aspx?id=2713 Perhaps there’s something to this videoI appreciate all the useful analysis and commentary by R Ian Flett, donmatesz, and Tom. I’m new to this site and only wish we had more of this quality of analysis. I wonder if someone knowledgeable could at this point recap for us what is the ideal ratio of omega 3 to 6, and also which nuts and seeds come closest to the ideal ratio or else have the highest levels of omega 3. Also, which plant foods in general have the highest levels of omega 3? (Purslane, for example?)I ask because I gather from perusing past commentary (by Toxins especially) that it is the ratio of omega 6 to 3 that is important for optimal nutrition and health.Sorry, I’ve tried to answer some aspects of your post on the omega EFAs, but I placed it in the wrong section, so see 3 posts above.Also ,I’m very interested in the coconut oil debate. I’m over sensitive to both cold and heat (as were my parents), but my thyroid checks out OK. I’ve been trying the extra virgin coconut oil in hot drinks – delicious – but have not noticed any significant changes after six months.  I do notice that my blood pressure has reduced further which may, of course, be of unrelated cause. Has anyone any reliable positive or negative experiences with it?Coconut oil is overhyped with little scientific backing.Only 1 study on weight loss:Forty obese women cut their food intake by 200 calories a day and exercised four days a week. Half of them used two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 240 calories’ worth) every day in their cooking and half used soybean oil. After three months, both groups had lost the same amount of weight, about two pounds. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19437058Only 1 poorly concluded study with very mixed results on alzheimers:Placebo and coconut fat takers scored no different on a cognitive impairment test when the subjects were randomized. If they weren’t randomized (which could represent stacking up the placebo group with very sick patients) then the coconut fat consumers scored slightly better after 45 days. After 90 days though everyone pretty much evened out. http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/6/1/31Only 1 old study done to “support” heart disease:“In the only study done in people in the last 17 years, Malaysian researchers last year found that when they fed young men and women 20 percent of their calories from coconut oil for five weeks, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol was 8 percent higher and HDL (“good”) cholesterol was 7 percent higher than when the participants were fed 20 percent of their calories from olive oil”Just because Both bad cholesterol and good cholesterol went up does not mean that coconut oil is protective against heart disease and it does not at all mean its healthy. This doesn’t make good sense. http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2011/10/26/ajcn.111.020107While I really respect and admire the work of people like John McDougall, Jeff Nelson, Jeff Novick etc., I wish they would reexamine their somewhat doctrinaire positions, about “the fat we eat is the fat we wear” in light of information from this series of videos produced by Dr. Greger.R Ian Flett, belated thanks for your response (I’ve been away). I understand that the ideal ratio of 3:6 will vary by individual age, health, diet, and even environment; nonetheless, your response gives me information I can work with. As a strict vegan in good health who avoids processed oils, possibly the only thing I need to be concerned about is consuming an excess of omega 3.Hi Michael – how many grams of nuts would you advise per day? Are Brazil and Walnuts the best? Many thanks for all your great work. Iain  yeah im thin and I eat a lot of nuts dailyHi Dr. Greger,In light of these nut videos (I’ve watched them all, with interest), could you expound a bit on what the ramifications would be for somebody who is dieting? Several friends and family members (including myself) are on the weight-loss wagon together. We’re all vegetarian, and several of us are vegan. We all like nuts and are happy to include them in the daily diet, but the question of quantity has come up.If nuts do not cause weight gain (so to speak) and in fact may result in weight loss, how do we factor them in when we are working within a set calorie goal? For instance, a “handful” of macadamia nuts is easily a few hundred calories. Does that mean that I have to take that off my list (for instance, 1200 calories – 200, 100 calories for the rest of the day)? One would assume so, but then the obvious implication (as per the people in the studies) is that it wasn’t the nuts per se causing the weight loss – it was the calorie-reduced diet. (As in, if they were eating nuts but not going over their calorie allowance, then they simply had to do without other foods – your basic substitution).Under that scheme, eating nuts is not all that attractive because a very few nuts = a lot of calories, whereas a hungry dieter could have a large salad or plate of veggies for the same amount.Naturally, we are all concerned with the nutritional content – and there’s no denying the nutritional value of nuts – but to the dieter, it’s of real, very real importance to be able to eat enough (within reason) not to be hungry; and to be able to eat enough (fibrous, wholesome foods) to feel satiated and help one avoid binging. Consequently, regardless of how healthy nuts are, if having the recommended allowance of them means doing without a few pieces of fruit or salads, that’s going to be a hard sell.I hope this all makes sense – basically, we’re looking for the answer to “Alright, if nuts help with weight loss, then how many of them do we need to eat daily *and*, do we *have* to subtract from our daily calorie allowance accordingly.”Thanks! .	calories,fat,metabolism,nuts,obesity,pistachio principle,walnuts,weight loss	Finally there’s a solution to the mystery of why nuts don't seem to make people gain weight. It appears to be a combination of factors including a boost to our metabolism, which results in us burning more of our own fat stores.	This is the fifth of a seven-part video series on the fascinating phenomenon of Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories. In other words, why don't nuts make us fat? I review the balance of evidence in Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence and introduced two theories on Monday, both of which were not well supported by a study on peanut butter I detailed in Tuesday'sTesting the Pistachio Principle. Yesterday's video-of-the-day Testing the Dietary Compensation Theory described an elegant study using walnut smoothies that explained the appetite suppression piece. So if the mystery is now solved, what are the last two videos about? Well today we learned that nuts may boost fat burning in the body, but how? Maybe it's the arginine; maybe it's the flavonoids. Stay tuned! If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/03/burning-fat-with-flavonoids/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	-
PLAIN-2905	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/	Testing the Dietary Compensation Theory	Maybe the reason why 90% of the relevant studies show no weight gain from nut consumption is that nuts are so satisfying, so satiating, so appetite suppressing that throughout the rest of the day--totally unconsciously, you just eat less. So if researchers add a handful of nuts to your daily diet totaling 200 calories and they were just so filling that it displaced 200 calories of something else you would have normally eaten then that could explain how one can remain in energy balance even though they just added a calorically dense food like nuts to their daily diet. And hey if you felt so satisfied you unintentionally ended up eating 250 calories less each day then that could explain why in a few of the nut studies people actually lost weight.Recently they tested walnuts. “It has been proposed… mainly on the basis of observational studies, that nuts may provide superior satiation, may lead to reduced calorie consumption, but evidence from randomized, interventional studies is lacking.” Until now.They double blinded the study by disguising the walnuts in a smoothie, “The walnut-containing liquid meal contained walnuts, frozen mango, frozen strawberries, banana, frozen berries, and pineapple juice.” Sounds good. Whereas the “placebo liquid meal contained oil, mango, strawberries, banana, berries, and juice, and 40 drops of walnut flavoring.” In fact they made it so you literally couldn’t tell the difference in blind taste tests. And they were made with the exact same number of calories, so if there was nothing special about nuts then you should feel just as satiated either way, but no, after a few days on the placebo, the walnut flavored smoothie people just felt something was missing. Everyone drank their smoothies at breakfast, and right before lunch the folks that didn't get the real nuts felt significantly less full, less satiated even after the no chewing and full fat absorption.So you can see how if you had nuts for breakfast you may very well unintentionally eat a smaller lunch than you otherwise would, and so in this way nuts could actually decrease daily caloric consumption.	This is the fourth of a seven-video series on the fascinating phenomenon of Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories—why don’t nuts make us fat? I review the balance of evidence in Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence and introduced two theories on Monday, both of which were not well supported by a study on peanut butter I detailed in yesterday’s video-of-the-day Testing the Pistachio Principle. But we finally seem to be getting somewhere! We still haven’t accounted for all the missing calories, though. Tomorrow we’ll check out the Testing the Fat Burning Theory. For my crazy breakfast smoothie concoction see A Better Breakfast. And if you haven’t yet, please feel free to subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.And I thought it was just the Oatmeal effect.  Glad I have my three walnuts in my oatmeal every morning.But could it be both?  The WalMeal effect!I am picturing you counting out 3 nuts. Man are we a funny group! Love you sense of humor.1…2…3… ;-} We can all be a little nuts in the morning, but that nuttiness can get us through the day! Dr HemoDynamic illustrates a good point here, when we pay attention to how much, or many, of something we’re eating we can guard against the senseless eating that can derail a healthy diet.I know what you mean….I just counted out 10 chia seeds! :-)Veganrunner,Never heard of chia seeds, but just googled and was impressed by all the claims about its health promoting properties, which if only partially true would still be amazing. Liked this: “Chia . . . looks cute (like tiny dinosaur eggs) . . . besides which it has an off-the-scale nutritional profile. . . .” What do dinosaur eggs look like?Do you find it boosts your endurance? How do you eat your chia seeds? Hi Elderberry,I add them to everything. My smoothies, oatmeal, salads. You can make a pudding which I haven’t tried yet. You can add them to drinks and after awhile they start to germinate and get this soft covering and the kids think that is cool. One night I had a group of teanagers adding them to iced tea, hibiscus tea and coconut water.  There isn’t much taste just a crunch. You know how hemp seeds add an earthy taste? These are pretty tasteless in comparison. Sorry missed boosts endurance question. I don’t know about that. I eat so many different seeds, nuts, etc I wouldn’t be able to tell. I will tell you though after a smoothy with various kind of seeds I have gotten a bit manic! Serotonin effect? Tks, veganrunner. Read that chia seeds were eaten by Aztec runners, who could then go for the day without stopping. Surely a story invented by marketers; still, can the slight manic effect be from chia? Going to try it myself.veganrunner, do you mind sharing the names of some of the seeds, nuts, etc that you eat and how you prepare them?Hi James, I am getting squeezed. Look below.Most of us raw foodists, including Moi..Soak them ahead of time and add the chia gel to a green smoothie.  Many other uses. Best way to eat them is to soak 5-6 table spoons in a 1/2 a container of almond milk (or make your own). Stir frequently for the first hour (say ever 10 mins and an initial good mix) to stop clumping and ensure you’ve added enough seeds. Once it starts approaching a custard like thickness, consume or chill overnight to thicken up even more.They turn into a sago like texture, which makes an excellent healthy base to add fruit / nut etc for an excellent dessert!I’d be curious as to how well chia seeds are digested when they are merely sprinkled. Anyone know?Sounds good to me. My daily lunch salad of mixed greens and vegetables (some garbanzo beans thrown in) would normally leave me wanting to eat again in three hours. But with a teaspoon of ground flax seed and some seeds or a few walnut pieces, I can go for several hours before feeling hungry again. We all need to practice moderation and discipline at the table, and in a healthy vegan diet, seeds and nuts are useful for flavor, satiation, and nutrition. If committed meat eaters want help in cutting back to very small portions, why not add beans and legumes and some seeds and nuts to meals and see what happens? Makes perfect sense to me. No question about it. If I eat only vegetables and fruit I am grabbing for that handful of nuts. They take the hunger away. The oil in the nuts is satisfying so I don’t keep grazing. Plus, they are healthy. Can’t beat that combination!I do agree.  So many raw foodists I follow, say that eating the nuts will lower my energy, but without a little fat, I am cold and tired.  I think it’s a tradeoff.  If I have some avo in my eve salad, I don’t have a lot of nuts. I do like the chia in the morning and either some kind of raw, organic, non pasturized nuts in my salad.  Yum!Have you had a chance to look at Jeff Nelson’s post on nuts and weight gain? http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/08/nuts-weight-gain-its-worse-than-we-thought.html Would you, please, be so kind as to either debunk what he is saying or validate it? He cites some of the same studies that you do, but derives quite a different conclusion.  Thanks much! — Confused about nuts.Kathleen, What is your experience with nuts? Maybe that will help with your confusion. Obviously Dr. Greger is a fan of nuts. If you look under browse all topics you will see what a fan he is. When studies are performed not everyone maintains their weight, gains or loses. Statistically people are not gaining. Just about every study out there can be torn apart. Look at the China Study. People love to tear that one apart. If your appetite doesn’t end up adjusting to the 250 calories you consume with nuts then don’t eat them. And who is Jeff Nelson anyhow and why does he have a beef with nuts? Sorry for your confusion! Please see my new note at Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.”Yes, if there is anyone who drinks oil for breakfast they would do better switching to nuts. The usefulness in the study is compromised by its failure to match the nuts, particularly in protein and fiber.Your suggestion makes no sense. Same amount of energy in the 2 smoothies, and the point is exactly that the composition of the nut (fat, protein, carbs, fiber, nutrients ) makes you feel full.Hi James,I have hemp seeds shelled, sesame seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. I have almonds, walnuts, cashews, and brazil nuts. I use the cashew and hemp to make milk in the blender. Either one works for me. There is so much waste when I make almond milk that I have given that up. I can make a pretty good latte’ with cashew milk. I make a daily smoothy and include some combination of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, amla, broccoli, spinach, hibiscus tea, cocoa nibs, and a combo of seeds or nuts. Then throughout the day I may grab a small handful of pumpkin seeds, or walnuts. If I am having oatmeal I will add seeds and nuts and hemp milk or cashew milk. Hemp seeds are great as a snack. I just find nuts and seeds very satisfying. I generally don’t cook with them but I have had a vegan walnut meatloaf that is to die for! You are AWESOME! Can we please have your vegan walnut meatloaf recipe?BPCveg you are too kind. I wish I had the recipe. It was from a local restaurant. With this diet – you will live to be 100 years old !! :-)With this diet – she/he will live to be 100 years old and also be less dependent on the medical system and wake up every day feeling fantastic.It is so worth the effort to go on a well-planned plant based diet!I was thinking 110!And you too my fellow vegetable and fruit lovers. I am a she.Yes – you are right, it is not only about longevity, but qualityThanks for the great video, Dr. Greger. May I ask, did the study only continue for the 4 days that it seemed to in the chart? Also, it looked like satiation levels by the end of the last day were getting back down to where they started. Could that mean that nuts are great, but if you have them every day they end up having no impact on satiation levels? I would love to know more. I certainly eat a handful of mixed nuts when I need a fillup.So true! I know for a fact that when I put walnuts or pecans in my oats, I stay full longer.  Also when I have my pumpkin seed/low sodium V-8 snack,(usually on days when I do NOT have my oats/nuts for breakfast) I really am not hungry for lunch until much later in the afternoon. Yesterday, I didn’t really want any lunch until 2:30 and it was a very small lunch (all fresh vegetables with some hummus). NICE video, thank you Dr. Greger!!!!!I guess we’d be nuts not to eat nuts!  But seriously, great information dispelling myth that plant-based diets are going to be so carb and calorie laden, because of things like nuts and grains, that weight gain will occur.  The fog is clearing with all the information you provide here.  Thank you for all you do! Does any of this mean we do not have to soak nuts to get their nutrition as so many healthy eating pros advise?Do we really need to soak nuts (and seeds) to get their nutritive value as many diet pros advise?Hi my name is brandon i was told to put my question here I am trying to compile a list of all the nutrients the human body needs daily to be healthy and so i was hoping you can help me get that list if its based on weight size and age i am 206lbs 6ft 1 and 20yrs old if you can also add in all the amino acids the body needs as well that would be awesomeTough ask! I suggest checking out the Institute of Medicine nutrient guidelines. That is where I go to reference macro and micronutrient quantities. I also have a chart of all micronutrients needed give me your email or write us privately and I can share.	calories,fat,nutrient absorption,nuts,obesity,oils,smoothies,walnuts,weight loss	An elegant study is presented testing the appetite-suppressing effects of walnuts.	This is the fourth of a seven-video series on the fascinating phenomenon of Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories—why don't nuts make us fat? I review the balance of evidence in Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence and introduced two theories on Monday, both of which were not well supported by a study on peanut butter I detailed in yesterday's video-of-the-dayTesting the Pistachio Principle. We finally seem to be getting somewhere, though we still haven't accounted for all the missing calories. Tomorrow we'll check out the Testing the Fat Burning Theory. For my crazy breakfast smoothie concoction see A Better Breakfast, and if you haven't yet, please feel free to subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/17/diet-vs-exercise-whats-more-important/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoothies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20199999,
PLAIN-2906	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/	Testing the Pistachio Principle	Both the pistachio principle and the fecal excretion theory were put to the test recently by studying the effects of peanut processing on body weight. Let’s feed a bunch of people a half cup of peanuts a day for a month, and another group we’ll feed the same amount of nuts but we’ll grind them into peanut butter first.So a half cup of peanuts worth, of peanuts versus peanut butter. And that was added on top of whatever they were eating in their regular diet, so calorie-wise at the end of that month should have put on a few pounds.Well, as we saw before, in the whole nut peanut group that just didn’t happen, but that's why we have the peanut butter group. Not a lot of shelling or crunching necessary with peanut butter, and the cell walls of the peanuts were all ground up, all the oil released, and made available for absorption. And they didn’t go extra chunky, this was smooth peanut butter. So if the reason people don’t gain weight on nuts is because of all that chewing or fecal fat loss, then the prediction would be that although the whole nut group may not pile on the pounds, the peanut butter group definitely would, but they didn’t. Neither group gained the expected weight.The plot, thickens. next we'll explore the dietary compensation theory	This is the third of an seven-video series on the fascinating phenomenon of Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories—why don’t nuts make us fat? I review the balance of evidence in Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence and introduced two theories in yesterday’s video-of-the-day. Tomorrow we’ll hit Testing the Dietary Compensation Theory and then Testing the Fat Burning Theory. Even if peanut butter doesn’t result in the expected weight gain, Is Peanut Butter Good For You?. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.I love this series! I am one of those people who didn’t gain when I added nuts, seeds avos and olives and other healthful fats to my diet. Even more astounding, I lost pounds. It completely turned my world upside down! It’s exciting to learn this stuff :^)Me too. I eat healthful fats from whole foods and I don’t gain weight with them at all, but oil does me in! They don’t seem to affect heart risk either by my understand of these videos. I eat raw nuts mostly in cooking. I think if you eat nuts roasted and covered with oil, or I you sit an finish a whole can of nuts in one sitting then I’m sure there will be weight gain….unless you’re so full you can’t eat much of anything else…hmmmm I wonder if the roasted nuts contribute to weight gain? Interesting. I know they form acrylamides, so are not desirable. I also wonder if they lose nutrients. I concur — hmmmm…. :^)  April, Strix, Greenleaf, et al, I’m jealous of you. I added just 1/4 cup of raw almonds plus 1/4 of an avocado to my diet and the poundage started adding on. In addition, I just got the results of my latest blood test. My Cholesterol was 191. Last year it was 159. I hope that’s just a fluke- an odd daily fluctuation. So, I’ve decided to cut out nuts except for one Brazil nut a day for the selenium plus 1 tablespoon of flax seeds. Hope it makes a difference on the scale and at my physical next year. What was the rest of your diet,though? You can’t add all that on top of a poor or even moderate diet. You also have to exercise. Best wishes, and since you mentioned Dr. Fuhrman, you should follow his plan; not just random recipes or recommendations out of context. IT’s worth it, Jeff! :^) I’m sure my diet is much like yours: lots of fresh and frozen fruits, steamed and raw vegetables, lentils, a few whole grains such as rolled oats and barley, mushrooms, onions, garlic, dark leafy greens, berries- and not oils, fats, or animal products.Strix, same here. Small amounts of seeds, nuts, or an avocado slice or a couple of olives with vegan lunch or dinner = increased flavor and satisfaction, and no weight gain. Favorite treats: warm brown rice and avocado slice; toasted sprouted whole grain bread and a kalamata or sicilian green olive. Nirvana bliss dessert: walnut piece and soft caramelly tasting date.  BTW, here in CA we overindulge in the summer in fresh fruit, organic and plentiful and intensely flavorful. Overeat like crazy: berries of every kind, several varieties of plums, peaches, nectarines, melons, figs, grapes, but don’t gain any weight. A calorie is not a calorie. You are so right! Calories from gummy bears are nasty! Greenleaf the way you describe CA makes me think we live in paradise! I need to hit the farmers market! Cali IS paradise…my son used to live in San Francisco…awww…totally off the chain there for good foods and good health! If I *ever* win the lotto, I will buy a small place in California.Veganrunner — Valnaples is so right, CA is paradise. If you’ve been neglecting the farmers markets you must be spoiled native who takes them for granted. Or else you’re out on the trails enjoying the perfect weather. The apricots are gone for the season, but so much late summer produce still to look forward to. So be there or be square, dude.The weather has been amazing! As a SoCali, myself, I know exactly what you mean. The melons are  awesome, too! I’m really spoiled — unlike my fruit :^)And the calorie is not a calorie thing is so true. It used to baffle me when I’d read that, that was a “truism” of nutrition because it was not my experience. Then when studies like this started trickling out, I felt at least a little less kooky ;^) If on a low-nutrient diet, as I was, I gained from eating fat.Doctors, if I use chia seeds and flaxmeal in baking at 350 F for 30-40 min., do I create something unwanted, like trans-fats, free radicals, etc… and destroy any nutrients in the process. Thank you. Advanced Glycation End products are generally formed at temperatures above 248 degrees Fahrenheit. See . http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/  and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/  I normally only cook by boiling, steaming and keeping the oven lower than that temperature. I  noticed that Dr. Fuhrman has some recipes baked at these low temperatures.Thank you for this very useful info.Thank you very much.  I look at these videos as soon as they show up in my in box.  You are doing such great work and is a great asset to our society.JanetMy concern about this research is that in the author disclosures the author states: Richard D Mattes received research support pertinent to this work from the United States Agency for International Development Peanut Cooperative Research Support Program (LAG-G- 00-96-00013-00) and the Almond Board of California. I believe it is a conflict of interest to accept support from the Almond Board of California and the IDPC.   I’d love to know what Dr. Greger think of this article on Vegsource: http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/08/nuts-weight-gain-its-worse-than-we-thought.html I think in this article the author makes some good points on the nuts and weight gain story and some existing conflicts of interest. But I also think nuts and seeds should be part of an heatlhy diet.Go to vegsource.com, w/their research on nuts at this time, too, & their finding that the studies having a connection to nut co’s find NO wt. gain, but those w/no connections do. Hmmmmmm!  Personally, I’m wondering if BMI may have anything to do w/it?  I’m a little “scrawny” 5’4 & 115, & hearing that walnuts were so good, I started eating a handful a day, no other changes.  My cholesterol shot up 36 pts, & 10 pounds (!!!!) came on in no time before I realized–NUTS!!!  Or could it be 58 YO & female??  All interresting research variables.I’ve felt a little guilty about my whole grain cracker, with pb & a little jam at work mid-morning, but it really tides me over till lunch. I also put about a tablespoon of walnuts on my morning cereal. So it appears as long as I stay with raw nuts, whether ground or whole I’m OK. My cholesterol was 107 the last I had it tested, so it certainly doesn’t adversely effect that.Dr. Greger, vegsource.com is running a “crusade” against nuts accusing the studies that show no obesity effect of being biased and funded by nuts industry. Woud you like to comment on that? I wouldn’t characterize it as a crusade, but just their honest evaluation of the facts. It’s true that they’re critical of some of the research, but then again, much of the research is poorly done and paid for by corporations that want to promote their products and as a result, bias is sure to be present. Massimo,Didn`t Dr Greger in the first “nut-video” tell that the research was funded by the nut-industri? If I rember correctly. So there are no secrets….I guess many studies are paid by various interest-groups – pharmaceutical industri and the drugs (and many of these drugs work despite this fact! :-) ) etc. Of course you have to think of bias, and read all kind of science with scepticism. But I still find these results interesting.And the comment section here clearly demonstrates, that the “audience” here are very capable of independent thinking, so I have absolutely no problems with the presentation af these studies.Thanks for posting! Please see my new note at Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.”It’s been fresh fruit season here in Israel too, we go to the open market each week and stock up on watermelon, peaches and nectarines, and lots of mangos. Mango madness indeed! As for the nut conundrum, we also eat a Brazil nut a day for the selenium and about an ounce (28gr) of raw walnuts a day.  We also have peanut butter or tahina in small amounts occasionally. We haven’t noticed any drastic weight gain. Strix makes a valid point, if the rest of your diet is plant-strong then a daily small amount of nuts should be alright.That’s just nuts!Wow… interesting… with my VitaMix I usually have macadamia butter, peanut butter and mixed-nut butter in the fridge (all home made, no additives… just nuts!) – Nothing is better than fresh (and warm! – yum) macadamia butter :oP`I see a problems here – peanuts are not nuts, they’re legumesSo did the group in the nut butter gain the weight ? Curious !Except peanuts are NOT nuts. Not by any stretch of the imagination. They are legumes. Just one look at a peanut farm and a nut orchard and the difference is instantly obvious. Also, nothing was said about whether the peanuts were heated before being eaten. Most nuts (pistachios are an exception) are very tasty to most people, right off the tree and out of the shell. You don’t have to cook them. Peanuts are kind of much tastier when roasted. The marketing of these foods reflects these facts. Raw peanuts are rarely if ever for sale in retail markets; raw nuts are frequently for sale.This is a bad practice of habitual over eaters. I would (and do) avoid nuts. Over consumption of nuts leads to constipation in certain people. The calories (fat) end up in the butt so you are constipated!Check out this research which suggests that you may actually consume less at your next meal if you include nuts in your morning smoothie: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-dietary-compensation-theory/ It may not be a good idea to avoid nuts as they are a source of plant-based fiber. People with diverticulosis were previously instructed to avoid nuts however, it is a good source of fiber which actually prevents constipation. See http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/ Constipation is a major public healthy concern and the real causes can be found here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/I am learning to enjoy nuts which I keep in my freezer. I love pecans and walnuts (without oil or salt). We all change. I believe it rounds my diet out so to get proper calories. Thank you for your encouragement.What about if you soak your nuts, maybe then the increased obsorbtion would lead to weight gain. Tried that yet? Great work!I am curious if soak increases absorption. Beyond weight gain. I notice that the fat in nuts can constipate, I do wonder if soaking would help.	calories,fat,nutrient absorption,nuts,obesity,peanut butter,peanuts,pistachio principle,pistachios,weight loss	If the fecal fat losses associated with undigested pieces of nuts (due to inadequate chewing) and the tedium of shelling them in the first place helps account for why nuts don't tend to lead to weight gain, then studies on nut butters would presumably turn out differently.	This is the third of an seven-video series on the fascinating phenomenon of Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories—why don't nuts make us fat? I review the balance of evidence in Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence and introduced two theories in yesterday's video-of-the-day. Tomorrow we'll hit Testing the Dietary Compensation Theory and then Testing the Fat Burning Theory. Even if peanut butter doesn't result in the expected weight gain,Is Peanut Butter Good For You?. If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pistachios/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanut-butter/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20199999,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20456815,
PLAIN-2907	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/	Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories	The vast majority of studies on daily nut consumption and weight have show, no significant weight gain in the short or long term, but doesn’t that violate some pesky law of physical universe?Conservation of energy isn't just a good idea; it's the law— the first law of thermodynamics: energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It is a law that cannot be broken—even by the most hardened nut-cases. Calories can’t just disappear.One solution offered to the mystery of the missing calories has been dubbed the pistachio principle: Maybe nuts are just such a pain to eat. “For example, in-shell pistachios slow the rate of consumption because of increased preparation time, and this may permit greater metabolic feedback during the ingestive event that augments satiety with the potential to reduce the energy content of the eating event”--meaning nuts, in-shell nuts slow you down so it gives your brain time to think hey, I’m eating—I better not eat too much!Yeah, but what about shelled nuts? Well, you still have to chew them. A study out of Japan suggested that “increasing dietary hardness (meaning difficulty of chewing) was associated with lower waist circumference. Your jaws do burn some calories, but it's not much exercise—I mean I guess if all you had to ate was raw cabbage all day you might lose some weight, there aint many calories to begin with, so it may just be the tedium of chewing leads one to you even less.Then there’s the fecal excretion theory. Many of the cell walls of chewed almonds, for example, remain intact in the GI tract”, so even though a nut may technically have a certain number of calories in it, maybe they just go out the other end and you don’t absorb most of them?To test both these theories all scientsts would need to do is compare weight gain from nuts to weight gain from nut butters. Stay tuned.	The nut consumption and weight studies to which I refer were covered in Friday’s video-of-the-day Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence. Tomorrow we’ll explore the studies that put the Pistachio Principle to the test, followed by the Dietary Compensation Theory and the Fat Burning Theory. For a more humorous take on the exercise of chewing see my video Dietary Guidelines: Corporate Guidance. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by <a href="clicking here.Anticipation = The Greger Principle ;-}Veganrunner, SJ M.D., and Thea, May I continue Friday’s comments here? Veganrunner, you are an inspiration—and can we get that recipe for cloudless chocolate cake?Thea and SJ M.D., I would not knowingly eat anything with sugar added if I can avoid it. Sugar is not a food, it’s an industrial product, and it is cancer’s best friend and favorite junk food (because of the anaerobic respiratory mechanism exhibited by all cancer cells). All processed sugars result in compromised immune function (among other things, decreases the ability of white blood cells to destroy bacteria).  And yet sugar makes you feel good because it produces dopamine (a feel-good chemical) in the brain. Many people do get addicted; they need it to feel normal and undergo withdrawal if they cut sugar from their diets. The tendency is to eat more and more, particularly when tired or stressed, and perhaps people who are dopamine deficient are particularly susceptible. If I remember correctly, John S. Yudkin, Pure, White, and Deadly (1972; rev. ed. 1988), sees excess sugar consumption as the leading cause of obesity and disease (not fat and cholesterol), particularly cancer, and in the book he focuses on sugar’s effect on young children. Which may be why Pure, White, and Deadly is mentioned in a 90-minute talk by Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology (“Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” taped by UCTV for the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, online:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM). In the 1700s the average person consumed not more than 4 pounds of sugar a year.Today, 50 percent of Americans consume a half pound of sugar a day.It is said that doctors would be delighted if we cut back to only 40 pounds of sugar a year! How little needs to be consumed before health is compromised? Who knows? I wonder if Yudkin would still think sugar was the leading cause of disease if he had the research on current saturated fat consumption. Must see Dr. Greger video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/.I think the killer combo is the vast amounts of sugar and fat consumed. And would folks want to eat so much fat if their appetites were not artificially stimulated by sugar? My experience: a plant-based, whole foods diet (vegetables, beans/legumes, grains, fruit, seeds/nuts) stabilizes blood sugar levels within days and makes it easier to get off sugar for good. Well thank you Elderberry. We tend to be so careful with the quality of gas we put in our cars but not so much when it comes to the quality of food we put in our body. I believe the role the gut plays in our health is so overlooked and yet it is so important. As a health care provider I have always believed I can be more effective if I “practice what I preach.” Veganrunner, I concur on practicing what we preach. I am a home health nurse, and I have often approached patients by saying ” I can come here and teach you how to take your meds correctly, and how to keep pesky symptoms at bay, OR I can come here and teach you how to actually heal your body.” I can tell you that no one has EVER opted for the lifestyle change if I was not walking the talk myself. NOT ONE PERSON! Of course, many still do not want to make radical changes to the status quo, but some do, and when I see people with diabetes get off insulin, or CHF patients walk a mile without getting SOB, and people with no energy start living life again, I feel it is the best thing I do as a nurse. People can get WELL.But, if we are not doing it ourselves, they somehow know it, even if we don’t tell them.Elderberry, I agree – I don`t know how “toxic” refined sugar is in a low dose, but for sure it has no nutritional value. My point is, that if you truly have improved your diet from SAD (and the european ditto), to a vegan diet of mostly whole foods, plant based food, you probably have reduced your risk considerable to get a heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes, inflammatory diseases etc, despite a little surgar once in a while (if this is what keeps you on track) or a little olive oil. I am not saying that refined sugar or oils are good for you, but if using a little keeps you on track, it is probably a lot better than to return to SAD, because the other regime felt too restrictive. Even an occasional egg (aaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh I said it !!!!!!) if it keeps you on track.I totally disagree with guidelines saying that you should get 20-35% of the calories from fat, and accept up to 25% of total calories from sugar! Others say 10% from suger – could these guidelines have been made to keep you on SAD? Nah – nutrition food guidelines are made to protect the people! Isn`t it?I think that most of us here agree, that the optimal diet probably is whole foods, plant based, no added sugar, no added oils, and then you probably will end up with: Energy from fat 10-20% (depending on nut-consumption ;-) ) and energy from refined sugar = 0%Right on. I started loving broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, & sweet potato — for breakfast. I don’t think the 30 grams of maple syrup that put on top of my sweet potatoes, actually on top of the partly chopped, partly ground walnut topping on top of the sweet potatoes will have any negative effect on my health profile. 100+ grams of fiber per day here.Dr. Greger – is it true the study showing eating nuts doesn’t cause weight gain was paid for by the nut industry?Dr. Greger, I adore your and your videos, but you got snookered on this study!  Nuts DO cause weight gain.  There’s no magic involved, unless you count the magic of the study writers analyzing studies that all show that nuts DO cause weight gain and then through clever sleight of hand, making it look as though they dont.  To an honorable man like yourself, it’s hard to believe there are scientists who would sell their soul in this way, but sadly there are. http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/08/n … ought.htmlSorry, posted partial link in previous comment.  Here’s the correct link!Dr. Greger, I adore your and your videos, but you got snookered on this study!  Nuts DO cause weight gain.  There’s no magic involved, unless you count the magic of the study writers analyzing studies that all show that nuts DO cause weight gain and then through clever sleight of hand, making it look as though they dont.  To an honorable man like yourself, it’s hard to believe there are scientists who would sell their soul in this way, but sadly there are. http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/08/nuts-weight-gain-its-worse-than-we-thought.htmlTM,I too adore Dr. Greger. I just saw the same VegSource article and am very eager to read Dr. Greger’s reply.  Thanks for posting! Please see my new note at Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.”Thoughts about this?http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/08/nuts-weight-gain-its-worse-than-we-thought.htmlPlease see my new note at Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.”Looks like the discussion on nuts is heating up. http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/08/nuts-weight-gain-its-worse-than-we-thought.htmlWithout getting into all the benefits and nutritional reasons why nuts are an essential component of a nutrient-rich eating style, Dr Greger has that covered in the vids, the bottom line is you will gain weight if you overeat eat nuts at anywhere from 3200 to over 4000 calories or more, a pound.I don’t think the question is “Do nuts cause weight gain?”. They can and will if you overeat them, but so will starchy vegetables, grains, beans and fruit if you overeat them too, beyond your need for calories. Albeit maybe not as quickly as refined foods, because of resistant starch, fiber etc and that they don’t contain refined and added salt, oil and sugar, which will cause weight gain far beyond actual calorie content..I think the weight question is misleading. Does the above mean starchy vegetables, grains, beans and fruit cause weight gain? No, but they could, just like nuts, when eaten beyond need.In a nutrient-rich healthy eating style we are talking about 1-4 oz a day, (that does not mean you have to eat them everyday) with most people eating only 1-2oz a day because they are already carrying around too much excess weight, or don’t have the activity levels to support more. Nuts are 200+ calories an oz!So, again, I think to say don’t eat eat nuts because they cause weight gain is short sighted. To say they don’t cause weight gain also misses the point. They can.The question is: What’s their nutritional value, why should I eat them and how much? Ok a 3- part question. ;-)Thoughts?JAM, I think you have raised some great discussion points.I think that the question of whether high nut consumption causes weight-gain is hard to answer definatively unless we clearly define the population group being studied. Are we, for example, talking about the average person who already overconsumes saturated fat and who uses liberal quantities of concentrated oils in virtually every dish they eat?  Or are we talking about someone eating a minimally-processed whole foods plant based diet (with no added oil, salt or sugar)? I strongly suspect that Dr. Greger is directing his recommendation of high nut consumption to someone who already eats a healthful plant-based diet. In this case, nuts are one of the few sources of fat in the diet.JAM, Thoughts – you have some good points. Based on what we have learned here – and from other sources  – yes, nuts should be a part of a healthy diet. Part of. As well as kale, broccoli, blueberries etc. Again moderation and variety is the key-word.But what if tomorrow’s video demonstrates that the same calories eaten when consumning nut butter puts on weight!Then what! :-) until tomorrow…….You are lucky – when you wake up in the morning, you will get the answer – I have to wait additional 6 hours…….;-)It’s 11:30 there. Go to bed!OK – I will :-)You know – plant strong people need less sleep ( at least my experience)Right. Moderation may be the most vague term of all time. ;-), but no matter what, we are talking a matter of ounces at best.Please see my new note at Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.”How is it that I eat more calories on my plant based diet than I did on my crappy diet and weigh less? I tend to ignore that theory of thermodynamics because it doesn’t matter how much I eat I have not put on any weight. I was eating 3500 calories a day in winter…everyday a pound of dates on top of a normal diet. I think JAM is onto something here. Overeating starchy foods will also cause weight gain, that’s for sure. What’s important is getting the nutrients you need, and nuts, in moderation, can help with that goal. I’ve read the VegSource article and the gotcha tone of the article is a bit annoying. And the author’s conclusion is basically what we’ve learned here from Dr. Greger about a lowfat, vegan diet for health. (I see that Jeff Nelson is the creator of vegsource.com, BTW)I agree, the gotcha point is not really a “gotcha”, of course, nut consumption as with any food we consume, and it’s effect on weight/health, is always related to energy (calories) management.There is nothing “gotcha” about that. It’s whether the food should be part of the eating style to begin with, and for what reason that matters most. “How much” is secondary but then the main point; and that is individual, even though there are general guidelines.The VegSource article which offers a great deal of insight, I think has a mistaken premise which is, the point that nuts promote weight loss, or weight gain. They can in both instances, it depends on all the other factors that BPCVeg was talking about and that is very difficult to ascertain and communicate in media. We have to understand the population (one or many) being studied before any statement can be taken as fact. It is context (circumstance) dependent. John Allen MollenhauerPlease see my new note at Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.”Interesting.  I must eat too many cashews or have no trouble chewing them because I can gain weight just fine when I munch on them.  :-)  But, the pistachios do slow me down…You might want to go to vegsource.com. They are discussing the same topic.Please see my new note at Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.”ARGH! I want to know now!The suspense is way too much to bear. This is my first post here, so much thanks for the endless supply of fascinating and useful info.heh, I once bought a small bag of shelled pistachios (meaning it was just the nut meat)…I want to say, it was the BIGGEST let-down of all time…I just did NOT enjoy eating them without the perfunctory cracking of the shells.. and to me, they tasted  terrible…it just was no fun without the shells! LOVE those little green nuts and a palmful always satisfies me!! and delights me as long as they are IN the shell! go figure!  NICE video, Doc! Foods that you have to work for always taste better. The homebaked cookie (fat-free and whole grain of course) always tastes better than the store-bought version. The pleasure of sitting and shelling pistachios one at a time is much more rewarding than just throwing a handful into your mouth. Besides, that pile of shells is a real good indication of how many you’ve eaten!Michael, are these studies based on raw nuts only?  Or do they include cooked/roasted nuts?Apologies… Dr. Greger (respect well deserved).	almonds,calories,chewing,fat,nutrient absorption,nuts,obesity,pistachio principle,pistachios,weight loss	A few theories have been proposed as to why nuts don't appear to contribute to weight gain, including the "pistachio principle" and the fecal excretion theory.	The nut consumption and weight studies to which I refer were covered in Friday's video-of-the-day Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence. Tomorrow we'll explore the studies that put the Pistachio Principle to the test, followed by the Dietary Compensation Theory and the Fat Burning Theory. For a more humorous take on the exercise of chewing see my video Dietary Guidelines: Corporate Guidance. If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pistachio-principle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pistachios/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chewing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-fat-burning-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18042516,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20199999,
PLAIN-2908	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/	Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence	Nuts are packed with nutrition, but they are also packed with calories. Why, then, as I’ve explored in previous years, don’t nuts make people fat? There have been 18 clinical trials reviewed to date on nuts and weight. After adding, in some cases, entire handfuls of nuts to people’s daily diet in 2 of the 18 studies people did actually gained a few pounds, but in 14 of other studies there was no significant weight change reported, and in 3, people actually lost weight! What? How is that even possible?Well these were clinical trials where people are put on added nuts for just a few weeks or months, what about long-term? Maybe in the short run nuts don’t lead to weight gain, but what about after years of eating nuts? Well that’s been looked at 6 different ways, in studies lasting from one year to 8 years—the Harvard nurses health study. One found no significant change, the other 5 out of six measures found significantly less weight gain and risk of abdominal obesity.How is it possible that 90% of studies ever done on nuts and weight gain showed at the very least no weight gain, where did the nut calories go? That's what we'll explore in the next series of videos starting tomorrow. Images thanks to Petr Kratochvil and soap.com.	How is it possible that adding all those calories to one’s diet doesn’t lead to weight gain? Doesn’t this violate some pesky law of physical universe (the first law of thermodynamics)? That’s the subject of Monday’s video-of-the-day Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories. There definitely are foods linked to weight gain, see Does Eating Obesity Cause Obesity? and Waistline Expanding Food, for example. I give a summary of obesity in the diabetes section of my full-length Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death as well. For more insight from the Harvard Nurses Health Study see What Women Should Eat to Live Longer, Skim Milk and Acne, Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies, and Meat Hormones & Female Infertility. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Michael, If you keep making these very great, informative, scientific and eloquent videos, I imagine you will be met with a public demand to post a video every day! 7 days a week. 365 days a year. :-)Dr. Greger, thank you for referencing one of your previous videos, “Does Eating Obesity Cause Obesity.” This has to be one of the most fascinating studies I’ve ever seen. Researchers at the Institute of Brain Chemistry link the consumption of (organically raised) chickens to the rise of brain disorders and human mental illness. I’m passing it on to my chicken eating friends who are convinced they are eating healthy. Many thanks for everything you do. You deserve a raise! I am speechless.Thank you for up-dating the video!  I’m so happy that I/we have NF to turn to for reliable and accurate nutrition information. Knowing that you will make the additional effort to up-date the information in the videos when (serious) discrepancies in the data exist, really makes me feel confident in NF as a top-notch nutrition source. I’m grateful everyday for my daily (minus weekends) dose of NF.I gotta wait for Monday to find out!! Not fair!I agree. It’s nut fair! ;-)HeheSure, people will lose weight by consuming nuts, but i’m guessing only when they trade something else out of their diet.  Those who already consume an excellent diet, would not reap the same weight loss, or cholesterol lowering effects. I’m looking forward to tomorrows vid. I couldn’t agree with you more. In fact, nuts might even cause a weight gain, as they did in my case.In my case,, weight gain as well. When I became mostly vegan 6 weeks ago, I increased my nut consumption and gained 2 pounds so far. I started cutting them back yesterday.Love these weekend cliffhangers! My experience also is that eating small amounts of seeds and nuts regularly helps to maintain ideal body weight and balance. I eat seeds and nuts with nearly every meal (very healthy vegan, no processed oils or sugar), both because it helps me to absorb nutrients from all the vegetables I eat and because it makes salads and vegetables taste even better. It helps me to absorb nutrients, to stay slim while eating my full of delicious food, and it certainly got the sugar monkey or off my back once and for all. Wish I had an explanation for how seeds and nuts apparently help to stop sugar cravings and maintain hormonal balance.  Elderberry:  Thanks for sharing your experience. I have a question for you concerning “no processed … sugar”.  I wonder how far you take it.  For example, last night I made myself a wonderful Orange Glaze Tofu dish.  The dish called for .25 cups of orange marmalade.  Of course, orange marmalade has lots and lots of sugar in it.  In fact, sugar was the first and third ingredients in the product I bought.  That amount of marmalade and thus sugar in the dish doesn’t bother me too much as I was getting lots of great food: tofu, mushrooms, broccoli and beans.  I also skipped the oil saute in favor of water saute.  There was no processed oil in the dish.The point is: I’m curious if when you say that you eat no processed sugar if it means that you would not make the Orange Glaze Tofu dish.  I’m wondering what people really mean when they say “healthy vegan”.  I consider myself to be a marginally healthy vegan, but a million times healthier compared most Americans.  I wonder how much farther I should take it.  Just looking for one more opinion.Thanks in advance if you have time to clarify.Hi Thea,Hope you dont mind more input. I don’t use any sugar so no I would not have used the marmalade. But maybe I am a bit obsessive? Veganrunner:  I appreciate your input too.  I find the various diets people choose to be very interesting.  Thanks.Thea,Very good question. My opinion is, that if you really want to be healthy, and reduce your risk as much as possible to get sick from stroke, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, inflammatory disease etc, the solution is a low fat (meaning no processed oils), vegan diet (whole foods, plant based), no processed s..t and no refined sugar.Problem: You gotta be “hardcore” to do this – I think Veganrunner is! (respect!) –  but your diet (I have followed you for several months on this site) sounds 10000 times better than the SAD (and european), so if it is impossible to get rid of the little bit of refined suger or fats, I think you are ralative “safe”.In my opinion – if heart disease is an issue – fat is the culprit – stay well below 20% (energy). SJ M.D.: Your answer is really helpful! I was thinking about it some more too.  I followed the recipe for making the tofu, but then I combined it with all those other foods.  By the time I was done, I had 6 generous portions.  So, that .25 cup of marmalade is spread out quite a bit, and the dish was delish!  So, while the marmalade may not be ideal, it doesn’t seem so bad to me either.  Sounds like you pretty much agree.I also want to brag and tell people that I followed Dr. Greger’s recommendation on letting the chopped broccoli sit for 40 minutes before cooking it.  If someone hasn’t seen NutritionFacts’ series on broccoli, I recommend checking it out.  So, so interesting!FYI: I have been following your comments too.  You are such a great addition to this site.Agree.Hi Thea! Maybe replacing marmalade with the following mixture: orange+date (blended, not cooked) would be a good WF option… For proportions, I can’t tell now, but just follow your nose!Brigitte: Great idea! I’ll have to give that a try. :-)Well thank you Dr SJ, I registered finally on the website so I thought I would get serious with my user name! :-) anyhow I am the one with two new eardrums (autoimmune disease) so i am motivated. On my birthday I have cloudless chocolate cake. Yum!Flourless I like the sound of cloudless better ;^)Aw, darn! I was looking forward to your recipe for cloudless chocolate cake!Veganrunner,You are not obsessive – you are just a health conscious person (can you say that in english?).Do you rember when someone tried to invent the term “orthorexia”, to invent a disease, describing a person who eat very healthy (probably aiming at low fat, whole foods, plant based diet), combined with exercise, probably hoping to invent a pill (or therapy) to cure this terrible disease of not eating the way real americans (and europeans) do.Bottom line: It was nearly a disease NOT to get a stroke or a heart attack – the world is crazy….I went to my ear surgeon last month. He said they are “the best they have ever looked.”.Food heals!Yes – low fat, whole foods, plant based diet heals and prevents many diseases – and you are a living proof – thanks for sharing. Great point SJ. Eating a whole foods plant based nutrient rich diet, is a whole new level for anyone eating the SAD, for weight loss only, or a half baked healthier diet.A healthy eating style is so far out side the realm of most people because they eat so nutrient poor. But you are likely right on, she is not obsessive, and is just conscious.Nutritional research like this is helping us healthy eaters tweak the way we eat and validate the way we eat, but it’s hardly obsessive. ;-) like your posts. Jam, and the first question you get, when you say that you don`t eat meat, is – from where do you get your protein?To judge from your picture – you don`t have a protein deficiency ;-)Sooo!  The term, “No Processed?”  What exactly does it mean?  If you squeeze an olive into EVOO, is that processed?  I am thinking that the best way to eat a healthy (most healthiest? if that’s a word) is the food as directly of the vine, tree, etc as possible.  Where do nuts fall in that catagory?  I guess just picking a fruit is the beginning of being refined/processed. Nuts are pretty unprocessed, but does that make them necessarily good for me.  I am going to err on the side of not eating them for now.  Plain, raw fruits and vegis for now.  Someone can educate me further on this, but the best examples of healthy people I find are eating as close to fresh picked as possible.  When I do or have bought nuts, I have found suppliers who guarantee that they are freshly picked and not pasturized or sprayed.  Then I feel that I can have an ok relationship with my nuts.  Almonds for example from guitaristbwall@yahoo:disqus .com. One of my goals was to make yogurt, but it never came out good so for now I have given up.  I see a lot of examples on Youtube, but I couldn’t duplicate it.  For now I have stopped buying the almonds, because I just want to eat them as long as they are there.  I certainly don’t lose weight that way.  Hope to get more info on the next NutritionFacts post.  For now, as Vicki says, I’ll just abstain.Hi Thea,I hope you don’t mind more opinions on this. I like your question and thought I would try to make a contribution.It is hard for me to define “healthy vegan” and perhaps easier to define “healthiest vegan” as the person who eats in such a manner as to minimize the risk of health-related problems.With that definition in mind, I don’t see any reason why the “healthiest vegan”, whoever that is, would include refined sugar products in their diet. Thus, I think the answer to your question of whether to eat the orange marmalade depends on your own goals and your risk coefficient.That being said, you strike me as a creative person…I am still enjoying your recipe for chocolate oatmeal. And I hope that this message will inspire you to provide us all with a sugar-free Orange Glazed Tofu dish.  Could you either share or direct us to Thea’s chocolate oatmeal recipe?  As for the orange marmalade, I’m wondering if one could whip up their own sugar free marmalade using either date sugar (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/), date syrup (dates & water blended together), or erithritol ( http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/ ) in lieu of sugar. WholeFoodChomper:  Oh no, the pressure is on for a sugar-free marmalade!  Here is the latest version of my greatest (and only) culinary achievement:·        2.75 cups water·        2-3 bananas (depending on size and your tastes)·        1 T vanilla (as desired)·        ~6 T (to taste) unsweetened fair trade* cocoa powder·        1.5 cups steel cut oatmeal Optional Add-Ins·        amla powder·        dates (which I find is especially needed if I add the amla, which I usually do)·        spices (cinnamon, pumpkin pie, cloves, cardamom etc.) Directions> Add all ingredients except the oatmeal to a blender.   Include optional add-ins if using.  Mix it all up good. > Poor blender mixture into a GIANT microwave safe bowl.  (With a good 2 or so inches space on top.  > Stir in oatmeal. > Microwave 6 minutes.  Stir well.> Microwave 5 minutes. > Let it sit in the microwave over-night to finish cooking. Makes 5 day’s worth of breakfast for one person.  Serve topped with lot of flax seed, optional dried fruit, and plenty of almond milk. Ugh!!!  My apologies on the formatting.  It didn’t look like that when I put the text into the window.  Yuck.  Let’s try this:Ingredients •    2.75 cups water •    2-3 bananas (depending on size and your tastes) •    1 T vanilla (as desired) •    ~6-10 T (to taste) unsweetened fair trade* cocoa powder •    1.5 cups steel cut oatmealOptional Add-Ins •    amla powder •    dates •    spices (cinnamon, pumpkin pie, cloves, etc.)Directions > Add all ingredients except the oatmeal to a blender.   Include optional add-ins if using.  Mix it all up good.> Poor blender mixture into a GIANT microwave safe bowl.  (With a good 2 or so inches space on top. > Stir in oatmeal.> Microwave 6 minutes.  Stir well. > Microwave 5 minutes.  > Let it sit in the microwave over-night to finish cooking.Makes 5 day’s worth of breakfast for one person.  Serve topped with lot of flax seed, optional dried fruit, and plenty of almond milk.This looks like a winner. I will add it to my recipe repertoire. You say this makes enough for 5 day’s worth of eating.  So, this keeps well in the fridge that long? If so, that is another bonus.  Thanks for sharing! Yes!  It keeps very well in the fridge.  I eat this stuff most mornings as it tastes so decadent, but also gives me the oatmeal, flax seed, and calcium from the almond milk, all foods I would struggle to get in my diet otherwise.  However, there have been some mornings where I eat other foods.  I find that the chocolate oatmeal keeps great in the fridge for at least a week.Also note that this has been a big hit at parties.  Instead of dishing it up out of the microwave bowl, I poor the recently cooked stuff into a 9×13 pan to cool – usually with a parchment paper cradle to easily lift it out.  The next morning, I lift it out and cut it into bars.  People eat it with their fingers.  It is that thick!  When I serve it to newbies like this, I definitely leave out the amla and usually add plenty of dates (or sometimes a touch of maple syrup) so that they will like it.  Shhh.  Don’t tell anyone that it is healthy and easy. BPCveg:  I particularly welcome your reply as I enjoy your perspective.  I was mostly interested in what other people consider to be “adding sugar” and what they think is worth worrying about or not. I like the idea of coming up with a mythical healthiest person and working your way out from there.  But I guess my favorite reply so far is from S.J M.D. — probably because it matches my current approach.But my diet is always evolving – generally toward healthier and healthier.  Where will it stop?  Who knows, maybe with coming up with a future sugar-free Orange Glazed Tofu dish.Thanks, Thea. My diet is also always evolving. It is great that we have this forum for exchanging ideas with like-minded people.This is pleasantly surprising! So glad to learn about these clinical trials! http://veganamericanprincess.comHi, Dr Michael, I’ve been consuming nuts everyday for about a year. I think they are fantastic food but I have read so many things about the risks of consuming nuts contaminated by aflatoxin, a well known carcinogen, that I am getting very worried. By the way, you have no post about aflatoxin and it is a relevant topic for us vegetarians who consume lots of grains, seeds and nuts a hug from Brazil Dora  Jeff Nelson from VegSource has tried to do a hatchet job on nuts & weight loss in favor of a Mc Dougall bias.   http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/07/cant-lose-the-weight-it-could-be-the-nuts.html   Have you read his piece?   Do you have an opinion?Anyone who has ever eaten a big old pile of nuts knows EXACTLY where those calories go.  Hi Dr Greger Can you discuss the problem with phytic acid in nuts, is it a big problem?Cooking deactivates these anti-nutrients which include lectins, phytic acid, trypsin and α-amylase inhibitors. Not all nuts are high sources of phytic acid. Even so, phytic acid is a powerful antioxidant.Cooking? I won’t be cooking them, but what about soaking and rinsing which is recommended no matter how you use them?Soaking, germination, boiling, cooking, and fermentation all inactivate phytic acid and free up minerals for absorption. http://www.ajcn.org/content/70/3/459S.full I’d bet blood sugar regulation. You show a peanut in the video, but don’t these studies focus on tree nuts? Aren’t peanuts in a different class – a legume?Will these nuts ever stop amazing us!http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(12)00088-1/fulltextWrong paste above. Darn iPad. Here is the abstract.http://www.biolreprod.org/content/early/2012/08/07/biolreprod.112.101634See also http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23866098Frequency of nut consumption and mortality risk in the PREDIMED nutrition intervention trial.(Research Article)(PREvencion con DIeta MEDiterranea)(Report)All nuts are highly enriched in omega-6 fatty acids which promote systematic inflammation.  They also competitively bind with receptor sites that facilitate the conversion of short chain omega-3 fatty acids into the more biological protective long chain omega-3 fatty acids (DHA, EPA).  This conversion is critical for vegans and vegetarians since DHA and EPA come from animal based products.  While there do seem to be many benefits to consuming nuts, I wish these benefits would be compared to these less desirable effects. Guess I’ll stick with having the Chia seeds in my morning green smoothie.  There is more to consider than the weight issue.  Not sure I followed your post entirely but, I get it that I need to encourage omega 3s on my vegan diet.  Thanks for the post. In a recent video, The Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering, you pointed out that the majority of studies cited were corporately sponsored and suffered from conflict of interest. One study even proclaimed that almonds lowered oxidative stress- when compared to pork.Of the clinical trials you mention in this video, I have to wonder, how many of them are in the same category? Did the studies here show more weight loss using nuts, compared to pig fat? Although many people may think eating nuts is the greatest diet aid since the great potato famine in Ireland in 1846, I’ve found your advice in a video a few years back to eat a diet “chalked full of nuts” to result, in my case anyway, to result in a modest weight gain. Perhaps it works for some, but for others, I think such blanket advice is ill-advised.My problem is that I love nuts so much that if they are in the house I will go for them throughout the day.  Pretty compulsive, I know.  I am like that about a lot of foods.  Hard to get past it.  I try to eat fruit first, so I am not hungry.  Besides, I have heard that eating fatty foods with fruit/etc. prevents the insulin from escorting the sugar from the foods we eat to the cell receptors resulting in insulin resistance, high blood sugar, and eventually diabetes. Perhaps you have already spoken to this, but it keeps me confused because I see so many other reports that say to use a bit of nuts/seeds/avocado/ or olive oil each day.  Dr Esselstyn says NO OIL!  Is Olive Oil one of the “processed oils” some of you are talking about?  Anyone? I would love to understand this issue once and for all. Thanks. Lynn It sounds to me that you have the same relationship to nuts that I have to chocolate. Unless I keep it out of the house I can’t stop and I eat it all. That’s the solution to overeating a food that I use- don’t buy it in the first place.Shucks,  No magical answer, I guess.   Oil is indeed unhealthyDr. Vogel conducted a study that compared different fats and oils (olive oil, canola oil, and salmon) and how they impaired our endothelial cells. Our endothelial cells are within our blood vessels lining their walls. They keep clots from forming and keep our blood running smoothly. It also helps our blood vessels dilate and contract when needed. The participants of the study ate a meal containing 3.5 tablespoons of olive oil and the examiners measured their arterial damage after 3 hours. “Contrary to part of our hypothesis, our study found that omega-9 (oleic acid)-rich olive oil impairs endothelial function postprandially.” They also make note that “In terms of their postprandial effect on endothelial function, the beneficial components of the Mediterranean and Lyon Diet Heart Study diets appear to be antioxidant-rich foods, including vegetables [and] fruits” http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/36/5/1455It was even noted that “In a clinical study, olive oil was shown to activate coagulation factor VII to the same extent as does butter. Thus, olive oil does not have a clearly beneficial effect on vascular function.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9409274Another study looked at different oils (olive, soybean and palm oils). They had their patients eat a potato soup. The soup either had 3 tablespoons of each oil OR they fried the potatoes in the oil. They too examined the extent of damage on the volunteers’ arteries. this is what they found “All the vegetable oils, fresh and deep-fried, produced an increase in the triglyceride plasma levels in healthy subjects.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17174226This 2 year study looked at coronary artery lesions of the heart after consuming different types of fat. Polyunsaturated fat (omega 3 type of fat) Monounsaturated fat (75% of which makes up olive oil) and Saturated fat (the kind found in mostly animal products). They looked at angiograms a year apart after intervening with increasing one type of fat in each group. All 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing. http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/263/12/1646.abstract?sid=47d1d016-3c15-43f4-a013-0d10144ef8e3Toward the end of the video, there is a picture of a peanut with measuring tape around it.  Do peanuts have the same nutritional value as tree nuts? Yes, peanuts have a very similar nutritional profile compared with other tree nuts. Similarly, quinoa is a seed but has a similar nutrition profile to grains and is considered as such.What are your thoughts on this article? http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/08/nuts-weight-gain-its-worse-than-we-thought.html Thanks for posting! Please see my new note above:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.”It doesn’t seem as if you are responding the points that the vegsource article makes though, you still site some of the studies that they debunk by showing how the researchers changed the diets of the nut-eating group to control their weight. This information is confusing.Is this what you’re going to speak about? http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/08/nuts-weight-gain-its-worse-than-we-thought.htmlThanks for posting! Please see my new note above:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.”Go to vegsource.com & see the research behind these studies.  I’m surprised you were “schnookered” in by these “studies.  You are usually VERY thorough on the studies’ sources.Thanks for posting! Please see my new note above:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.” Nice job, Michael Greger, in responding to Jeff Nelson’s article. His article and the bashing of your work (and Joel Furhman’s) on Vegsource and on the McDougall discussion boards have been very disappointing to me. People seem so fixed in their views they are no longer interested in the science. You have admirably refrained from personal or defensive responses in the face of considerable provocation!Thanks for posting! Please see my new note above:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.” Thanks for posting! Please see my new note above:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.” Thanks for posting! Thanks for posting! Please see my new note above:“Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I’ve not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.”Please show this video to nut-phobe Jeff Novick. He dedicates much of his time to demonizing and vilifying nuts. Hell, he even released a DVD telling people that eating nuts is a bad idea.I hope this video wakes him up to his fallaciesHi Chris,I have the feeling the guys like Jeff are talking that way to one particular population–obese people who have heart disease.I have been trying to figure that whole thing out and that is the only thing that makes sense. . I really like the schooling of Dr. Furhmann. (although he tends to sell a bit too much stuff!) but what he talks about just makes sense. Eating the highest nutrient dense foods. I reread his take on nuts and he is a supporter like Dr. Greger. For obese people he recommends sticking to 1 ounce per day.For healthy, trim and acive people, Jeff Novick allows for 4 ounces of nuts per day which comes down to over a cup of pecans. Hi Toxins, you made this comment two years ago, but I wanted to ask if your understanding of the studies would still recommend a significant amount of nuts eaten daily. Is it just that they’re not doing too much damage (from the Omega 6) or that they’re actually helpful and we should eat them?I still stand by the idea that we should consume walnuts and flax, and less of the others for the omega 3 benefits. I do not think a diet should be centered around nuts, but a small amount per day is ok. Consuming nuts will not hurt you, they are actually anti-inflammatory. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/I just watched the DVD on nuts by Jeff Novick and did not see anywhere where he said eating nuts is a bad idea. In fact, at the end of the DVD he recommends anywhere from 1-4 oz of nuts per day. I would not call that nut-phobic.Thank you, Dr. Greger, for your admirable commitment to educating the world! When do we get to hear about your biography? I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting to know about the “mad” scientist behind all these videos!In his video “Ah, Nuts! Dr. John McDougall Discusses Nuts” the good doctor gives nuts a bad wrap saying their just empty calories and they’ll make you fat. Hasn’t he read the research?http://www.drmcdougall.com/video/mcdougalls_moments_nuts.htmlOk..i have a problem… I saw this video and jumped at the chance to have nuts included to my diet. My husband and I are new to healthy eating. in 6 months i have lost 35 lbs..and he  30. We added nuts to our diet about 2 weeks ago. The result has not been what you are saying. I gained 5 lbs..and hubby has gained 6. I dont get it..we havent changed anything..just added nuts. So whats up with that ??? It didn’t work for me either. Each person has his own metabolism. Some seem to gain weight on just air. In addition, all nuts with the exception of walnuts contain too high a ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 oils. I eat only 2 walnuts a day- much more than that and I gain weight (I also have one tablespoon of flax seeds, ground, most days). People like me have to stick to high fiber foods like vegetables, fruit, grains and legumes and not much else.I am removing them from our diets. I ALWAYS gain just looking at foods. it was very disheartening to gain when ive been doing everything right !!..so now we will see if it comes off again. back to veggies (which is very difficult for me as i HATE..no LOATH veggies..lol ) friuts i love so that isnt a problem. its is very very difficult to eat healthy..nothing processed..no white breads..etc etc etc. i am so limited to what i enjoy to eat that when i added nuts i was thrilled !! back to the drawing board ! My theory is if one is already consuming a low fat diet, then including calorically dense nuts into that diet may disturb the metabolism that has already been going on.I include 2 large handfuls of cashews daily and I eat a 400g jar of organic Peanut Butter(no refined oils,sugars or salt just 100% peanuts) every week. I exercise moderately, eat a starch based vegan diet around potatoes and rice and still enjoy generous amounts of plant fat in nuts and seed butters. I have excellent lipid numbers and I weigh 165lbs with 7% body fat. I do not suscribe to the idea promoted by Jeff Novick of nuts being detrimental to health.I consider it an insult to Dr.Greger that Novick goes on and on about this also seeing as how Dr.Greger has backed Novick up on many occasions.I just watched the DVD on nuts by Jeff Novick and did not see anywhere where he said eating nuts was detrimental to health. As Dr Forrester said above, at the end of the DVD he recommends anywhere from 1-4 oz of nuts per day.I just watched the DVD’s you recommended and would have to agree with you as I thought it was the most thorough overview and balanced approach to nuts that I have seen. I don’t see how anyone can watch those DVD’s (or those talks) and say Jeff Novick is anti-nuts or nut-phobic. In the end, he recommended 1-4 oz per day depending on the person and their goals.VERY VERY FRUSTRATING NOT TO HAVE CLOSURE.Jeff Nelson does NOT agree that your correctional 25 August 2012 “update” completely counters issues laboriously presented in Novick’s recent DVDs.Are we to be left FOREVER with this presumed dispute unresolved? OUCH.There may be some “he sad he said” exchanges that I’m unaware of but there must be SOME way of summarizing merits of nuts that we all can AGREE on.Several months later, what progress (if any) has been made in “dispute.”NUTS !To anyone who sees this, I wanted to share my healthy “brownie” recipe. After seeing the videos about cocoa, dates, and nuts, I knew I had to give it a try, and they turned out AMAZING. You will not miss the old brownies after this! And, the best part is, you can eat as many as you want because every single ingredient is healthy!1 c dates 1 c walnuts (I’m sure any nuts will work though) 1/4 c cocoa (or to taste – everyone likes different amounts) 2 tsp vanilla extractPut all of this in a high-powered blender (like Vitamix) and blend to desired consistency. We like ours with chunks of walnut still intact, but you could also blend them perfectly smooth.This recipe sounds yummy and quick.Do you bake these? What is the serving size for this recipe?I don’t have one of those fancy shmancy Vitamix blenders (but, boy would I like one), I wonder if this would work in the food processor. Worth a try, right?WholeFoodChomper: I have made similar (almost identical) recipes in the past and been most successful using a food processor. In fact, I believe that for this particular type of recipe, the food processor works best as it does not as easily over-process the ingredients. I.e., I think you get a better texture with the food processor. Good luck.I forgot to answer your question: “Do you bake these?”Typically these types of recipes are for “raw” food. So, they are not based – just processed and pressed, maybe chilled or frozen.Thx, @b5b962c3ba1cd80724d48249a53ce1f1:disqus!Thx, @b5b962c3ba1cd80724d48249a53ce1f1:disqus!Lauren: It was very kind of you to share your recipe. I have made a very similar recipe for “chocolate cake” and it came out delicious. (See cookbook recomendation below.) It is nice to have the proportions already worked out for brownies. So, thanks for doing that.For anyone who is interested, I have made some delicious desserts from the cookbook: “Raw For Dessert” by Jennifer Cornbleet. Note that most of the recipes use lots of *nuts*. (and for those interested: I’m not sold on the benefits of a raw-only diet. It’s just that some of those recipes, especially desserts, work particularly well.)GREAT Video! Thank you! Did any of the studies mention variations in the cooking of the nuts? (roasted, salted, raw)Love this, thank you!!Peanuts are nuts in name only (they belong to the legume family) and should not be part of any “nut” study. Epic Fail.Hi Dr. Greger, thanks for the site. Dr. John McDougall posted a commentary (http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2013other/news/oil.htm) on a NEJM paper regarding oils and nuts and I was wondering if you could comment both on the paper and Dr. McDougall’s comments?I don’t agree with Jeff’s article that nuts cause weight gain and I responded to Jeff: I don’t agree with this article. I am 45 and I have been vegan for little over a year. During that time my weight dropped from 180lbs to 157-159lbs. Once my weight stabilized to 157-159lbs (I fluctuate between this weight) it has stayed there. During the initial stages of my conversion to a vegan diet I ate a lot of nuts. I ate from 3/4 to a 1 16oz bag of almonds a day. For months after my weight stabilized, I continued to eat the same amount of almonds. I now eat around a 1/2 16oz bag of almonds a day. I eat a lot more fruits (bananas and dates) which take the place of some of the almonds. My weight is stable which in an indication that I am eating enough calories so I don’t lose weight. In fact my diet is high in fat, and carbs, and meets my protein requirements. I eat plenty of sugar from dates, bananas, and apples, fats from the large amounts of nuts I eat, but I don’t gain weight. I also eat plenty of vegetables (mainly kale and cilantro), an not a lot of complex carbs. I mainly eat qunioa and sometimes garbanzo beans. I also eat all day. I snack throughout the day on homemade veggie juice, banana smoothies, dates, bananas, apples, and almonds, and I don’t gain weight. I feel I am at my optimal weight for my current activity level, and when I start cycling again I will probably lose 2 pounds.Hi. Are nut butters (without added oils or sugars) as beneficial as pure nuts?My only worry with adding more nuts into my diet is the added fat to my diet. I use to suffer from severe acne and have almost eliminated it with a plant base diet very low in fat. Do you know how adding more nuts will effect my complexion? I ask because in some studies you said they added three handfuls of nuts. That’s about 3 oz, with 1 oz at about 15 grams of fat. That would give me about 45 grams of fat from nuts a day. I try to keep my fat consumption below 40. I usually consume my fats from grains, vegetables, lite tofu, almond milk, and some fruit. I stay away from added oils. What’s your take on increasing nuts for weight loss but also keeping a healthy complexion?There is a new report from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that supports Dr. Greger’s findings that nut consumption does not cause weight gain and may even have a modest slimming effect. I don’t know how to link to it but it was reported by Reuters and ended up on the Huffington Post.Nuts are high in phytate, which is a powerful antioxidant that promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria by protecting them from reactive oxygen species (oxidative stress). Phytate also directly causes weight loss and directly prevents flatulence by blocking the absorption of half the calories from starch and blocking the absorption of half the calories from protein. Phytate also blocks the absorption of toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, and barium. Phytate also blocks the absorption of iron, which like copper, manganese, and aluminum, is a cancer-causing pro-oxidant. On the downside, phytate slightly reduces the absorption of both calcium and magnesium and reduces the absorption of zinc, a very beneficial antioxidant, by about 50%. Arginine is very plentiful in meats, which cause more weight gain than the calories would predict. The fat content of nuts causes weight gain. Therefore, obese people would be better off eating lower-fat, lower-starch sources of phytate such as wheat bran, fenugreek seeds, ground flaxseeds, green beans, defatted soybeans, soft tofu, and green vegetables, soluble fiber foods such as shirataki noodles, konnyaku cubes, and sukiyaki, or probiotic foods such as fat-free plain yogurt, soy yogurt, and natto. To block the absorption of half the calories from fats, eat soluble fiber foods or swallow psyllium capsules. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6650445 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3630965 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15303108 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19918248 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16424120 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6096282 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22863407 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15672113 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16711599 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18237583 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21824755 http://www.marksdailyapple.com/nuts-and-phytic-acid/#axzz2JhVUeoq6SUPERB!! Dr. Greger.. you are the best!Absolutely brilliant! Now I don’t feel guilty about the packet of almonds I bought the other day!i’ve just got my annual blood test, my triglyceride levels are out of range as well as my bad cholesterol has gone up. will nuts help to fix this? I am also on the brink of obesity. i need someone to help me fix my diet up before its too late i want to be at a lower body fat percentage I hate being fat.Samuel: I’m not a doctor, but it is my understanding that adopting a whole plant food based diet can fix all of the problems you mentioned. It certainly can’t hurt to try.If you are not familiar with whole plant food based eating, the idea can be intimidating. Here are some ideas to get you started.1) Consider going through the free 21 Day Kickstart program by PCRM. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/(Click the green “Register Now” button.)2) Dr. Forrester recommends Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density; Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer. Also check out Jeff’s DVDs in the Fast Food series. Great, affordable food that is easy to make. All of these are available on Amazon. Here is the first one: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392424210&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density%3B+eat+more3) It might also help to check out a free lecture available on line by Dr. Lisle. It will really help you get your head straight: “How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ4) Consider getting some good, beginner whole plant food based cookbooks. Just leave out the oil if a recipe calls for it. Here are a couple ideas to get you started: Let Them Eat Vegan Vegan On The CheapAnd/or get some books that start with good education information and then have recipes in the back part of the book. I would recommend: The Starch Solution (Dr. McDougall) Breaking The Food Seduction (Dr. Barnard) Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease (Dr. Esselstyn) Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes5) Here is part of an answer that Dr. Forrester gave to someone else in a similar situation that I thought might help you:“Dr. McDougall’s website is a valuable resource especially his newsletter article, The Fat Vegan, which was published in his December 2008 newsletter. You might also watch Dr. McDougall’s free online lecture, The Starch Solution, which goes along way to freeing folks from their misunderstanding about carbohydrates. His website also comes with many recipes from the unsung heroine of the McDougall team… his wife Mary. You can reasonably expect to lose 1/2 to 2# per week depending on your diet’s calorie density and exercise. … Truth in advertising… I have the pleasure of working with Dr. McDougall, Jeff Novick and Doug Lisle but honestly after 35 years as a Family Medicine doctor the science is in and just keeps reinforcing the best path. Good luck.”If you give it a try, let us know how it goes and which resources were the most help to you. I hope this helps.thanks for this series dr. g!!!! I LOVE NUTS!So what about Jeff Novick and Chef AJ? Also Dr. McDougall. They all disagree with these studies.Can you lease clarify the good and the bad about the phytic acid in nuts and seeds? Specifically, I’d like to know if soaking them before consumption is a necessity. Thank you for any information you may provide.*please*Josh: Check out the following videos on phytates: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=phytatesYou will have to make up your own mind about whether or not soaking is necessary. But after seeing those videos, I stopped worrying about it myself.Thank you very much!I wasn’t sure where to put this comment so I just searched obesity and this is as good a place as any. I started to watch a Dr. Greger video on Youtube from March of 2013, the topic of which was influenza and climate change. I had to do a double take when I saw how chubby he was. I’d say a good 15-20 lbs. overweight. I love Dr. Greger and no one likes to be called fat, but hey.The cited video was published on youtube in 2013, but it’s copyrighted 2008.Equally interesting, he delivered a lecture three months later entitled “Conscious Eating” and appeared slim and trim. Good to see he got over his slump.this is the best news everI would like to be able to read this but sadly you chose to write a lot of it in pale green which I can barely see. Do re-consider this urge to make half your writing un-readable.I would just like to confirm I found this post after I had been eating a lot of peanut butter in order to not lose anymore weight and hopefully put a lb or two on. I thought an extra jar of peanut butter per week would mean I would put on weight. I’ve also eaten packet after packet of whole nuts (not salted), cashews, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, seeds you name it I’ve had them, handful after handful. I must be eating over and above 5000 calories of nuts per week, on top of my normal diet. I’ve been doing this for over six weeks and not put on a single lb. it is flabbergasting phenomenon, which I believe is true. Nuts do not cause weight gain.	abdominal fat,calories,fat,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,nuts,obesity,weight loss	Nut consumption does not appear to lead to the expected weight gain.	Note: I updated the video on August 25, 2012. I am indebted to Jeff Nelson for pointing out my mischaracterization of the 2007 Natoli & McCoy review. I've not only corrected the video, but expanded it (by 8 minutes!) to cover all of the studies published in the 5 years since. The evidence is stronger than ever that the consumption of nuts does not lead to the weight gain one would expect.How is it possible that adding all those calories to one's diet doesn't lead to weight gain? Doesn't this violate some pesky law of physical universe (the first law of thermodynamics)? That's the subject of Monday's video-of-the-day Solving the Mystery of the Missing Calories. There definitely are foods linked to weight gain, see Does Eating Obesity Cause Obesity? and Waistline Expanding Food, for example. I give a summary of obesity in the diabetes section of my full-lengthUprooting the Leading Causes of Death as well. For more insight from the Harvard Nurses Health Study see What Women Should Eat to Live Longer, Skim Milk and Acne, Harvard's Meat and Mortality Studies, and Meat Hormones & Female Infertility.For some more context, please check out my associated blog posts: Nuts Don’t Cause Expected Weight Gain, Plant-Based Diets for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Go Nuts for Breast Cancer Prevention, and The Best Nutrition BarIf you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/18/go-nuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/19/choosing-the-best-nutrition-bar/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/waistline-expanding-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19396658,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22464805,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22331685,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20219336,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21216574,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18042516,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21916648,
PLAIN-2909	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-source/	Optimal Phytosterol Source	Though nuts and seeds are packed with phytosterols, they are typically prescribed in butter form. I kid you not. Or in margarine—even worse. For those wanting to lower their heart disease risk, eating trans fats is the last thing you need. Eating margarine to get phytosterols is like eating fish to get omega 3s. Remember, food is a package deal. By choosing plant-based sources we can get the nutrients we want, without trans fats or mercury. Eating nuts and seeds offers the good without the bad.And studies show that smaller more frequent doses may be more effective than one big dose in a spread or pill. Which makes total sense, right? Given the trash-picker analogy? We want to have phytosterols constantly flowing through out gut throughout the day so they‘ll continue to keep stuffing the bins of our intestinal lining cells, allow excess cholesterol to pass.Another reason that pills may not work as well is that we need fat to optimally absorb phytosterols, so that’s why they package it in margarine spreads, but nature put phytosterols right where you need it--in nuts and seeds, which have more than enough fat. But now there’s like phytosterol-fortified orange juice, and lemonaid, and like with the pills, we would not expect phytosterols to be as effectively absorbed.	This closes out a five-part video series on the cholesterol-lowering effects of nuts and seeds. See  How Fiber Lowers Cholesterol for an explanation of the “trash-picker analogy,” then  How Phytosterols Lower Cholesterol and yesterday’s video-of-the-day Optimal Phytosterol Dose. I elaborate on the “package deal” concept in Risk Associated With Iron Supplements, Safest Source of B12, Plant Protein Preferable, and Food Is a Package Deal. A few videos (there are more than 50) on why fish are not the best choices for omega 3’s include Nerves of Mercury, The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages, and Dioxins in the Food Supply. Don’t nuts make you fat, though? That’s the topic of tomorrow’s video-of-the-day Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.What happened to Chia seeds?  Such a great source of Omega 3, low in Omega 6 (3:1) and a decent amount of Phytosterols 170/100g. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3061/2 http://www.deepdyve.com/lp/taylor-francis/chemical-characterization-of-the-lipid-fraction-of-mexican-chia-seed-pwJ5Qxj6ECDid the author(s) have something against them?  Were they tormented by their Chia Pets as a child?Did their parents make them watch Bob Ross videos while they painted the seed mixture upon his molded bust and made to sit and watch his dew grow into an amazing (like his paintings) chia afro?I don’t know, but something is rotten in the state of Denmark!Cha, Cha, Cha, Chia Pet! Why is it always Denmark !?;-)I don’t know.  You have to ask Shakespeare. ;-}In Tahiti the natives cook the coconut crabs and break open the liver.  After gorging on coconuts the crabs livers are like pate, and they eat it on bread, still hot, on dip into luscious fruit compotes and oils of bane de que’il.  They drink the best french wine and savour the roasted meats and fresh shrimp with rich mayonaisse..They eat this and more and have wild natural sex and then they die…magnificently.heh.  NZ tv…its soooo good for you.3000 calories is probably more than most of us need in one day, but if you ate it all in chia seeds, you’d only be getting about 1 gram of phytosterols. You’d have to gorge yourself each day on nothing but sesame seeds, just about the highest source of phytosterols to get the 2 grams needed to lower cholesterol. Tahini, anyone? How about a side of halva for dessert? Oh wait! You don’t need to eat foods with cholesterol in them in the first place!Paulc, you are correct, As with all the comparisons for nuts and seeds in Dr G’s vid, they are all based on 100 grams and all would contribute a whopping amount of fat to the diet.Also one thing that has been mentioned before but not in this vid because of time constraints is inflammation.  All of the nuts and seeds are inflammatory with exception to Flax seed and the ‘Not Mentioned Chia Seeds’ ;-(So if I was going to try and lower my cholesterol and inflammatory load I would only recommend Flax and Chia seeds.  But I would never recommend the 100 grams per day which is like 2/3 of a cup and 500 calories and 0ver 300 of those caloris from fat.I say, just don’t eat animals, eat plants and supplement with nuts and seeds one to two ounces a day.HemoDynamic, M.D., the claim you make about all other nuts being inflammatory seems to be counter to the empirical information about nuts (especially walnuts) that Dr. Greger has discussed and posted:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/I get that nuts are high and in fat and need to be eaten in moderation, but Is there something that I missed?Wholefoodchomper I am glad you linked those videos because I received this in e-mail and began to search for evidence. Of course I should have gone to browse topics like you did! The last thing I need is inflammation!WFC, It is well know in Biochemistry that higher ratios of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids lend the body to making more Arachidonic acid (AA).  This is because the same enzymes that convert Omega 3 FA to Linolenic acid are used to convert Omega 6 FA to Linoleic acid (LA) and Arachidonic acid (AA).  Here is a nice summary from nice website: http://www.azchia.com/ala_conversion_epa_dpa_dha.htm “The issue is that the same enzymes that convert ALA, also convert LA into its long chain metabolite known as arachidonic acid (AA 20:4ω-6). Given this scenario it is understandable that diets high in omega6 fatty acids can influence, and in reality reduce, the conversion of short chain omega3 fatty acid into its long chain metabolites. The second factor is genetic variations in gene encoding for delta-5 desaturase and delta-6 desaturase enzymes. These variations have been reflected in changes in desaturase expression or activity, and have been found to influence long chain fatty acid levels in the blood. (Glaser, et al., 2010). A third influence which affects conversion can be classified as dietary/lifestyle factors. This is in addition to the omega3/omega6 dietary ratio discussed above. It has been shown that high intakes of saturated fats, trans-fat, alcohol and caffeine can have a detrimental affect on the role of delta-6 desaturase. (Horrobin, 1993) The result is impaired synthesis of long chain fatty acids.”I’m not saying that nuts are bad for you I AM saying that the higher the Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio the more AA you will make, and the more AA you have in your body the more Inflammation you will tend to have. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/  However, remember that food is a package and there are many things in foods (nuts and seeds) that may influence inflammation besides just the Omega FA’s.Take a look at the website Nutrition Data Self below.  They show the inflammation factor related to foods and in the very first post of this video, from myself, I included the link for Flax.  But here are the pages for flax and walnuts: Flax  http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3163/2 Walnuts: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3138/2If you look in the middle of the page you will see the Inflammation Factor listed.I hope this helped. ;-)Thanks for sharing your explanation, but honestly I think it left me more confused. You make some interesting points, but I’m not sure that they convince me that “all … nuts and seeds [except for flax and chia seeds] are inflammatory”. I’m not a biochemist by any means, but as a lay person trying her darn best to be critical reader of scientific information, the Azchia article you sited does not seem like a very credible source given its chia seed bias and the fact that most of the references in the bibliography are quite dated.  Additionally, based on the Nutrition Data Self link you shared (cool web-site by the way) some nuts, like walnuts, do seem “moderately inflammatory”. However, I looked up some additional nuts and it does not seem that your claim is supported: almonds are listed as moderately anti-inflammatory, hazelnuts and macadamias are listed as strongly anti-inflammatory, and pecans as moderately anti-inflammatory.  Based on the current empirical evidence about nuts’ anti-inflammatory abilities and the fact that food is indeed a packaged deal, I guess I’m still confused about your assertion that “all … nuts and seeds [except for flax and chia seeds] are inflammatory”.I will repeat what I stated previously with bolded words for emphasis, “I’m not saying that nuts are bad for you I AM saying that the higher the Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio the more AA you will make, and the more AA you have in your body the more Inflammation you will TEND to have. (I did not say you WILL have) http://nutritionfacts.org/vide…However, remember that food is a package and THERE ARE MANY THINGS IN FOODS (nuts and seeds) that MAY INFLUENCE INFLAMMATION BESIDES just the Omega FA’s. Hence your finding that some nuts and seed may be anti-inflammatory overall.But I stand by my previous statement that foods with a higher Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio will tend to make more Arachidonic Acid. Some sources put Almonds at a 1800:1 ratio.  Add some alcohol and caffeine and you will set yourself up for some added Arachidonic Acid formation.  Which means added inflammation.Omega 3 FA are not converted to pro-inflammatory molecules. So the nuts with the lowest Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio (< 1) will have the highest anti-inflammatory properties.  I don’t think it is as straightforward as that Hemodynamic, although I agree that that is the theory (that omega 6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory and omega-3’s are anti-inflammatory). For one thing, the clinical studies using nuts find them to be anti-inflammatory – not just walnuts, which have plenty of omega-3’s but also almonds and others which as you note have a very high omega-6:3 ratio. That might be due to other things in those nuts that offset the effect of the n-6 fatty acids,but it also might be because the idea that n-6 and n-6 are strictly pro and anti inflammatory, respectively, is not quite right  – or so the recent science would seem to suggest.Have a look at  Fritsche, K.L. Too much linoleic acid promotes inflammation – doesn’t it? Protaglandins,Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 2008; 79: 173-175.In Reply: http://my.americanheart.org/idc/groups/ahaecc-internal/@wcm/@sop/documents/downloadable/ucm_424413.pdf Please read the whole publication.Thank you HemoDynamic, M.D. for taking the time to clarify and explain this topic some more. I really appreciate it.I don’t know that I helped but I tried.  I am learning all the time as well.  That is one absolute with me is always trying to learn more.  Problem is I sometimes forget what I learned in the first place.  Only so much room left in that one brain cell of mine. ;-}I can totally relate to that. :)My own research on this topic suggests that to minimize inflammation we should try to get as close as possible to equalizing our overall omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (i.e. 1:1 ratio). Most people are consuming concentrated high omega-6 oils that throw them into a 10:1 ratio or higher. So the goal is to bring it down to at least the range of 2:1 to 4:1.Most nuts are predominately monounsaturated and therefore contribute little to raising our omega-6 levels. For example, although it is true that almonds have an extremely high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, consider that an ounce (28g) of almonds only contributes 3.4 grams of omega-6 fatty acids (i.e only 12% of the total mass of almonds is omega-6). You can easily balance off such low omega-6 contributions by consuming moderate quantities of flax or chia seeds, which have an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of around 1:3, which is very useful. The only common nuts that I know of that contribute a substantial mass of omega-6 fatty acids are walnuts, pinenuts and butternuts, although walnuts have a substantial quantity of omega-3 fatty acids so the overall ratio is not too bad (i.e.3:1).For those following a minimally processed whole foods plant based diet (i.e do not use concentrated oils), the main source of omega-6 fatty acids are from seeds. For those striving to keep omega fatty acids in good balance, I think it is a good idea to moderate consumption of seeds, as well as butternuts and pine nuts. People who eat huge quantities of soya products could also tip the balance away from and optimal omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Notwithsanding these few rules, I think that one need not worry about normal nut consumption contributing to overall inflammation.Feel free to challenge anything I have said. This is obviously a complex topic and I don’t know all the answers, but this is my understanding so far.Below is a pathway of Omega 6 FA and it shows you how it gets turned into AA. I’m trying to find an easy to understand webpage that will make it all a bit more clear, I hope. ;-}The above image is useless, here is a larger version. I wish I could edit or remove pics if I need to with this program.Here is a recent published study July 2012 that is a systematic review that shows something interesting.  Increased Omega 6 (Linoleic Acid) does cause increase in proinflammatory Prostaglandin E2 and Thromboxane B2 (a metabolite of Thromboxane A2 which is proinflammatory and the molecule that Aspirin blocks formation of to reduce inflammation) but it appears that in healthy people that it does not cause inflammation in the inflammatory markers that were evaluated.  I would love to see if the people felt an increase in inflammation and aches and pains. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22889633 I can’t figure out how to reply without the box getting too narrow, which is why I didn’t reply to your post above. Anyway, thanks for your replies. But I was puzzled because the first link you posted where you said “read the whole thing” seemed to support my suggestion that maybe omega-6 fatty acids (I mean the parent LA, not AA) aren’t as bad as we have thought. I have always though it important to keep the LA/ALA ratio low, but the more recent science, coupled with the apparent anti-inflammatory effects of nuts, is making me keep my mind open on this issue at present. I just read the systematic review you posted the link for – interesting. So maybe LA is neutral as far as inflammation goes, and then nuts have other components in them that on balance mean they have an anti-inflammatory effect.Hilarious!BTW, great series of vids on Nuts and Seeds! ;-}I love Chia seeds. I order them bulk on amazon and the kids love them too. They add them to coconut water or hibiscus tea and they expand over night and become little suspended surprises that are fun to chew! I just tried these magical seeds in a chia seed “pudding” inspired by a suggestion on the package. Yum!  They are fun.  Who is the source of your chia seeds on Amazon.  These seeds are yummy, but kinda pricey (compared to flax seeds) where I get them.Company is Seeking Health and they are called Optimal Chia Seeds. 6 pound bag.Super, thanks!Agree!Margarine with plantsterols? Whats next? Beef with aspirin or clopidigrel? :-)Another reason to eat seeds and nuts in proper amounts. I noticed a number of comments to the previous video about weight gain from eating nuts. But I’m moderately active, eat well and probably larger portions of good food than I need (healthy vegan), including seeds and nuts (wheat germ, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts, pistachio nuts) at virtually every meal, and I stay slender. The great and unexpected side benefit of eating seeds and nuts regularly is that it totally eliminated my craving for chocolate and sweets. I was a true addict there, and would also put on a few extra pounds seasonally from eating too many sweets, but now— it’s not that I can take sweets or leave them, it’s that I don’t want them at all and feel great without them and do not gain weight. I have no explanation for this, but will continue to eat seeds and nuts. I am your new best friend! I wholeheartedly agree with you. I too eat no sweets or anything processed (except rice tortillas, I am gluten intolerant). I eat nuts and seeds throughout the day and do not put any weight on. I think some of these commenters are still eating junk but are ok with it as long as it is not an animal product. Same experience here – if I crave something sweet, I eat some nuts (or nutbutter) and it disappears. You’re one of the lucky ones. I can’t control my weight when I eat very many nuts at all. I even have to watch the amount of peanut butter I eat. When I started eating nuts on a regular basis I saw a slow but steady increase of uncontrollable weigh gain, before I realized what was causing it- 10 lbs in just a little over a year. I didn’t think that nuts could be the cause because of what Dr. Greger had said about nuts in his videos, but apparently, that doesn’t apply to everyone. Once another nutritional expert advised me to stop eating nuts, the weight came off. Nuts just don’t work for everyoneI love reading the comments here as much as I love watching the videos.  Thanks for all the valuable information everybody.  It’s really helpful – even the criticism.Was the fish comment really necessary?…really?I see no problem with it at all.  Fish (like phytosterol supplemented margarine) is not a health food, which is a point that Dr. Greger has made many many times ( http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=fish).  Having him underscore that here as a juxtaposition to a point that he has made many times before is simply a non-issue. In fact, I rather like it. Because it may even encourage folks to research fish a bit more.Oh, right, because DHA & EPA are akin to a tub of artificial trans fat.Just like anything of animal origin is as good of a source of nutrients as a scoop of sewer sludge with some added vitamins/minerals, eh?It’s just a little over the top, is all I’m saying.I understand that you may have some stylistic issues with Dr. Greger’s approach of delivering the message. That’s fine. However, it seems that you’re misunderstanding the point(s) that Dr. Greger is making about food being a packaged deal. He didn’t say that “DHA & EPA are akin to a tub of artificial trans fat.” (In that particular analogy, you got the comparison wrong; it’s the fish, not DHA/EPA, that is akin to trans fats. More on this below.) He also didn’t say “anything of animal origin is as good of a source of nutrients as a scoop of sewer sludge with some added vitamins/minerals”.  These statements are examples of your own misinterpretation of what Dr. Greger has said and the point that he is making about food being a packaged deal.     Regarding the fish comment in this video, Dr. Greger isn’t discounting the positive effects of DHA/EPA. He is making a comparative statement in the form of an analogy to underscore his point about how ingesting one food for its good nutrients (e.g. fish or supplemented margarine) can be detrimental if that particular food also contains known toxins and damaging substances (e.g., mercury, dioxins, xenoestrogens, and PCBs in the case of fish and trans fats in the case of supplemented margarine). In fact, Dr. Greger has good things to say about DHA/EPA and how to go about getting them w/o all the pollutants (http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/). And, I know you know that he recommends a low dose yeast- or algae-derived DHA/EPA supplement (http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-greger%E2%80%99s-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/ ) b/c I’ve shared that with you in the past. Dr. Greger isn’t the first and only doctor to denounce seafood as a non-health food. Fish is dangerous to consume and that is why pregnant women and children are told to avoid it.  The rest of us should as well. Regarding the “sewer sludge” comment, in another thread I’ve already pointed out to you that you misinterpreted what Dr. Greger said (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/#comment-603192806), but I’ll restate it here once again. What he said, while talking about the legal definition of “excellent/good source” is:  “… you can throw a multivitamin into a scoop of sewer sludge and call it a good source of half a dozen things.”  He said nothing about animal source foods being equivalent to sewer sludge. Instead, he showed how the legal definition of “excellent/good source” can be manipulated.  In fact, what he actually said about animal sourced foods (in this case, milk and beef) in that particular video was that they’re not a “good source” of nutrients b/c it isn’t possible to get certain nutrients w/o the harmful doses of hormones and saturated fats (not to mention a bunch of other industrial toxins found in animal fat). Your body converts omega 3 from plants (ALA) to DHA and EPA. Fish has already preformed DHA so your body does not need to convert it. ALA is not converted effectively to DHA under the condition that one is consuming too many omega 6 fatty acids. Since most whole plant foods contain good ratios of omega 6 : omega 3, this is of no concern unless one is eating a lot of nuts other than walnuts, flax seed and chia seed.The National Academy of Sciences does not recognize EPA and DHA as essential. This means there is enough evidence for them to conclude that we can make enough of it without eating it in its preformed state.In addition… Do vegetarians have to eat fish for optimal cardiovascular protection?1–3 Am J Clin Nutr 2009;89(suppl):1S–5S.Interest in the cardiovascular protective effects of n–3 (omega-3) fatty acids has continued to evolve during the past 35 y since the original research describing the low cardiovascular event rate in Greenland Inuit was published by Dyerberg et al. Numerous in vitro experiments have shown that n–3 fatty acids may confer this benefit by several mechanisms: they are antiinflammatory, antithrombotic, and antiarrhythmic. The n–3 fatty acids that have received the most attention are those that are derived from a fish source; namely the longer-chain n–3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n–3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n–3). More limited data are available on the cardiovascular effects of n–3 fatty acids derived from plants such as a-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n–3). Observational data suggest that diets rich in EPA, DHA, or ALA do reduce cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death; however, randomized controlled trial data are somewhat less clear. Several recent meta-analyses have suggested that dietary supplementation with EPA and DHA does not provide additive cardiovascular protection beyond standard care, but the heterogeneity of included studies may reduce the validity of their conclusions. No data exist on the potential therapeutic benefit of EPA, DHA, or ALA supplementation on those individuals who already consume a vegetarian diet. Overall, there is insufficient evidence to recommend n–3 fatty acid supplementation for the purposes of cardiovascular protection; however, ongoing studies such as the Alpha Omega Trial may provide further information.     My goodness gracious…The benefits of this stuff is much farther reaching than just cardiovascular. Research the connections between it and mental health as well.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid#Conversion_efficiency_of_ALA_to_EPA_and_DHAThe short-chain n−3 fatty acids are converted to long-chain forms (EPA, DHA) with an efficiency below 5% in men, and at a greater percentage in women, which may be due to the importance for meeting the demands of the fetus and neonate for DHA.Conversion of alpha-linolenic acid to longer-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human adults.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16188209Efficiency of conversion of alpha-linolenic acid to long chain n-3 fatty acids in man.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11844977So, take walnuts, for example. Let’s say for every 9g n-3 (ALA) you get 4g n-6. Factor in that the ALA here converts at <5% to longer n-3's, and it's lessened by the presence of n-6, you're looking at a pretty shoddy deal in terms of getting your tissue levels in order.Now take wild Alaskan salmon. For 2.5g EPA/DHA you get <0.25g n-6. That is a far, far better ratio.If you want to eat walnuts, fine. If salmon, fine. Just realize what the reality of the situation is.Is mercury, dioxins and other contaminants healthy for the fetus? What about brain fog caused from fish consumption. You cannot justify fish in this way. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/these are just several of many points against fish. Food is a package deal, if you get preformed DHA with a plethora of pollutants I dont see the justification.Alexander are you an upset pescatarian? What was wrong with the mercury comment from Dr. Greger? Not to mention saturated fat, dioxin, PCB and Prozac…..Nuts and other plant fats are so tasty and satisfying, that it’s easy to eat too many.  I blend 4-5 walnuts/almonds, 1-2 TBSP flax seeds, and a tsp chia seeds into our morning green drinks, but that is the limit.  I couldn’t lose the last 10-15 pounds until I quit making cashew gravy and guacamole, and I quit snacking on nuts.  I like keeping my BMI at 19-20.  If I did not limit nuts and other high fat plant foods, my BMI would be on the higher end of normal. Any food we love can become addicting. For some of us it’s easier to eliminate tempting foods completely than to only eat tiny amounts. Speaking of short-chain n-3 to long-chain n-3 conversion efficiency, what do you think of the following study:http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/92/5/1040.full.pdf+htmlNotice in Table 5 how fish eaters and vegans have vastly different intakes of EPA and DHA yet the plasma blood levels are relatively close.There are natural sources of phytosterols, other than nuts and seeds.  That chart in the last video was from a study that on its face said it was looking only at the stats for nuts and seeds.I haven’t discovered a definitive, exhaustive list.  Apparently, there are different types, some foods haven’t been tested, folks disagree (imagine that!), etc.  But here’s one.  http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/sterols/  One ounce of almonds just edges out one-half cup of brussels sprouts.  I can’t afford to eat five ounces of almonds.  But five servings of b. sprouts…I probably do that once a week.  (Love those little suckers.)It is misleading to look at weight as opposed to per x calories or per serving.  And lots of plants have phytosterols.  It would be interesting to add up what any whole food vegan is getting, even without nuts and seeds.  But you’d run into the problem that not everything has been tested, like I said.  Looks like folks who write studies on this subject sometimes end up running their own tests to get the relevant figures.We shouldn’t get bogged down and forget real life experience.  Which diet has been shown to reverse heart disease?  Only one: low fat vegan (I’m talking around 10% fat here).  Any evidence that adding nuts to that diet helps in any respect?  I’d love to see that (nuts are yummy), but I haven’t.My husband and I were whole food vegans for nine years, not going too high in fat but allowing ourselves a bit of olive oil and some nuts on occasion.  Oops, he silently develops a 95% blockage of his left main artery and almost dies (no symptoms til the end, cholesterol a shade over 150, no smoking, plenty of exercise).  Now it’s low fat for us.  Three years later, he’s doing great, and we’re not inclined to mess with that. Question about Omega-3 fatty acids – I’m hearing a lot about how vegans often have a dangerously high Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio and that for that reason, it’s good to bulk up on Omega-3 fatty acids through sources like flaxseed, walnuts, etc. I’m happy to do that and in fact have incorporated both into my diet. But since I don’t really consume any foods high in Omega-6 like cottonseed oil and other oils, or really much in the way of processed foods at all, is that Omega-6:Omega-3 ratio really even an issue? And in fact, I was even wondering whether it’s possible that I’m not getting enough of the “bad” Omega-6 fatty acids and have too LOW an Omega-6:Omega-3 ratio. And if so, what healthy, plant-based foods (not vegetable oils, etc.) should I consume to increase my Omega-6 intake? Most of the doctors that discuss Omega-3s seem to assume that we’re all getting too much Omega-6, but it seems like sticking to a whole-food, plant-based diet would ensure that that doesn’t happen. I honestly don’t get why vegans tend to have such high Omega-6:Omega-3 ration. Unless of course most vegans are junk-food vegans, which seems unlikely since I would think that most vegans are more health-conscious than the average American eater…Thank you. How do the black and gray areas differ at the 6 second marks in the video, please? Fat vs. phytosterols? Pumkins seeds are very high in whatever is gray. Thank you.Are pumpkin seeds high or low? The black vs grey lines are confusing.	butter,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,fat,fish,heart disease,heart health,margarine,mercury,nutrient absorption,nuts,omega-3 fatty acids,orange juice,phytonutrients,phytosterols,plant-based diets,seeds,supplements,trans fats	Whole food sources of phytosterols, such as seeds and nuts, are likely superior to supplements or phytosterol-fortified spreads and beverages.	This closes out a five-part video series on the cholesterol-lowering effects of nuts and seeds. See  How Fiber Lowers Cholesterol for an explanation of the "trash-picker analogy," then  How Phytosterols Lower Cholesterol and yesterday's video-of-the-day Optimal Phytosterol Dose. I elaborate on the "package deal" concept in Risk Associated With Iron Supplements, Safest Source of B12, Plant Protein Preferable, and Food Is a Package Deal. A few videos (there are more than 50) on why fish are not the best choices for omega 3's include Nerves of Mercury, The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages, andDioxins in the Food Supply. Don't nuts make you fat, though? That's the topic of tomorrow's video-of-the-day Nuts and Obesity: The Weight of Evidence. If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytosterols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/margarine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16302759,
PLAIN-2910	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-phytosterol-dose/	Optimal Phytosterol Dose	If our enterocyte trash recovery bins are half filled with phytosterols might vitamins get crowded out too? We didn’t know until last year, but the answer is no, even with a whopping 9 gram dose. Vitamin absorption was unaffected. “Plant stanols dose-dependently decrease bad cholesterol concentrations, but not antioxidant concentrations in our bloodNow 9 grams is like 10 times what we would expect from even a healthy diet There's a plateau effect. At that 9 grams a day you’re way out here at then end, but as you can see, the cholesterol-lowering curve starts to flatten out… at about 2.So we can pretty much maximize cholesterol-blocking at around 2 grams, 2000 mg. The standard American diet has been measured as low as 78mg a day here’s like a model American Heart Association diet, and this is how high folks eating plant based diets can get—higher than any other diet pattern reported. That could get you a good 5% reduction, but there’s definitely room to bump that up further--if necessary. Those who have improved their diet so much they're no longer eating any cholesterol should be acing their cholesterol tests, but in rare cases your body might not be able to get rid of enough endogenous production. And so doubling phytosterol intake could easily double LDL reduction down to 10%, which could double heart disease risk reduction.In terms of whole foods sources to maximize cholesterol reduction, seeds provide the most—especially sesame, then nuts—especially pistacio, then legumes like peanuts.	 Are there diminishing returns associated with other phytonutrients? See Maxing Out on Antioxidants and Kiwifruit and DNA Repair. The “enterocyte trash recovery bins” of which I speak are an analogy I introduced in How Fiber Lowers Cholesterol, the second of a loose five-part series on the cholesterol-lowering effects of nuts and seeds. Yesterday’s video-of-the-day How Phytosterols Lower Cholesterol offered a bit of phytosterol background and tomorrow’s video-of-the-day Optimal Phytosterol Source explains why whole food sources (nuts and seeds) are superior to phytosterol-fortified foods and supplements. Which other foods lower cholesterol levels? See New Cholesterol Fighters. And why should one worry about cholesterol in the first place? See Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease, Cholesterol and Lower Back Pain, Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction, and Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet, a few of the five dozen videos I have on the topic. Then, of course, there’s a thousand other topics—enjoy!It looks like Chocolate has the best Beta-Sitosterol (Black part of bar graph) to total sterol content ratio. ;-}   This is what we want because it is the Beta-sitosterols that have been well know to reduce cholesterol levels.  Here is a link to one of them but there literally are over a hundred of these articles. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Woodgate%20D%2C%20Chan%20CH%2C%20Conquer%20JA.%20Cholesterol-lowering%20ability%20of%20a%20phytostanol%20softgel%20supplement%20in%20adults%20with%20mild%20to%20moderate%20hypercholesterolemia.%20Lipids.%202006%3B41%3A127-132 In fact I have used Beta-Sitosterols to not only reduce cholesterol but Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) between 2-5 grams per day. I have had mixed results with the BPH and Beta Sitosterol usage though.But why take a pill when you can eat Vegan?!Especially, Chocolate!!;-}One caveat, however, is the fat you eat is the fat you wear–so if you go overboard of the nuts and seeds you might start to look like one–that unsvelte pear shape.Literally – If you are fat because of eating pork, lard, butter, cheesefat, trans fatty acids, bacon etc – that is what you will find on your belly in the fat cells – yikes….When I eat walnuts and seeds like pumpkin and sunflower, i get serious pain, diarhea and fever.  What is the next best way to go for phytosterols and omega 3?While searching for my favorite plant phytosterol package, Soybeans, which were not included in this nut and seed survey ;-( I found out, sadly, that 100g of Soybeans only contain 50 grams of Phytosterols, lower than the lowest of the low in this study Brazil Nuts.  http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2621/2, but I also came across this fantastic study:“A single daily dose of soybean phytosterols in GROUND BEEF decreases serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in young, mildly hypercholesterolemic men” http://www.ajcn.org/content/76/1/57.shortYou’ve heard of Tofurkey but how about Tofeef. ;-}I came across this article and thought you all would enjoy. I wish we had it available when Sophie became so upset under the video “What Woman Should Eat” regarding the egg (cholesterol) and cigarette comparison. http://soc.li/QQOFcEV Here is the actual abstract.http://www.atherosclerosis-journal.com/article/S0021-9150(12)00504-7/abstract  Egg-yolk years – I like that!As a doctor I always ask my patients about alcohol consumption and tobacco – maybe I will start asking about egg-yolk abuse…..I think you should. Let me know how it goes and I will follow suit. :-) Hopefully Sophie did not “unregister” from the site and can benefit from this info. Thanks for sharing!There is lots of evidence showing that egg yolk cholesterol need not be harmful. However given the average appalling Western diet where atherosclerosis has commenced at a young age and lots of animal fats are consumed, then egg yolks add insult to injury. The comparison with cigarettes is invalid except in a trivial total correlation. The causative factors and contexts are quite different. In some cases egg yolks may improve health by adding to low cholesterol or adding much needed choline. Cigarettes never improve health. Sofie was quite right in decrying the incorrect use of total correlations being used to equate cigarettes with cholesterol. There is a total correlation of gasoline consumption with road deaths by country, but gasoline does not cause road accidents. The equation of cholesterol with cigarettes is pure vegan propaganda although I would still avoid them in most cases.R lan Flett did you read the article or abstract? I doubt the journal Artheclerosis has a vegan agenda.   I understand your point, R Ian Flett.  Maybe the message about the harmful effects of eggs was not made very eloquently in the original video or article. Still, for the most part it seems that staying away from egg yolks makes a lot of empirical and nutritional sense.R Lan Flett, there is not “lots” of evidence showing egg yolk being unharmful. In fact, there is only one study showing this, funded by the egg industry. The egg industry has claimed that cholesterol from eggs is not important and is not harmful. The fundamental flaw in the study the egg industry has used to make this claim is that they measured fasting   lipid levels at night and not levels through out the day after egg consumption. “Diet is not all about fasting lipids; it is mainly about the three-quarters of the day that we are in the nonfasting state. Fasting lipids can be thought of as a baseline; they show what the endothelium was exposed to for the last few hours of the night.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/?tool=pubmedThe issue of dietary cholesterol versus endogenous cholesterol (from the liver) has been debated for decades in hundreds of papers. Shellfish were on the nose for years until their cholesterol was found to be relatively harmless – if not beneficial. The jury is still out on dietary cholesterol because it’s all very complicated. Some people cope with lots of dietary cholesterol and others don’t, depending on many other variables. Cholesterol is critically important to the body and some people don’t produce enough – including some on statins. The various cardiology institutions issue regular bulletins on this and their recommendations wax and wane, but currently at least two eggs per week are considered safe by most institutions. I eat none, despite having my arteries checked and being totally clean. Basically, I agree with Dr Greger that most animal products are nutritionally damaged during processing – purely for profit. There is a big difference between being a committed Vegan for ethical reasons and practising VeganISM, versus adopting an animal product free diet for purely scientific, health reasons as I tend to. The committed Vegan often believes it’s their ethical duty to proselytise and so ‘cherry picks’ their science. This happens a lot in this forum. I respect your ethical choice, but can we please keep the science separate. It’s sounding uncomfortably like the tactics used by fundamentalist, anti-evolutionists. Eggs are not ‘evil’, however they may well be unhealthy in their current supermarket form. It’s not your duty to find fault with them at every opportunity. The gross abuse of statistics in this valuable forum, by some, reveals an excessive emotional commitment that distorts the complex science involved.I have already posted this elsewhere, but here it is again. Current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day. Omega 3 processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA, which is highly anti inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. The fact that eggs are the top source of arachadonic acid nulls and voids benefits received from the omega 3 in the egg itself. High intake of arachadonic acid is linked to autoimmune diseases such as  rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with  cancer development.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616uidhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18774339http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128 The Harvard physicians study followed 20,000 doctors for 20 years and those that ate just one egg a day had significant increase in all cause mortality.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400720 In fact, David Spence, director of stroke prevention/atherosclerosis research center and one of the worlds leading stroke experts, said that based on the latest research, you can eat all the eggs you want IF your dying of a terminal illness. Eggs are not considered health promoting nutritionally speaking.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400699 Eggs have been linked with heart failurehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18954578 As well as type 2 diabetes.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/?tool=pubmed  Furthermore, in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, David Spence, David Jenkins (the inventor of the glycemic index) and Jean Davignon (director of atherosclerosis research group) posted a review on eggs claiming that the egg industry has been downplaying the health risks of eggs through misleading advertisements. As soon as you eat one egg, you expose your body to several hours worth of oxidative stress, inflammation of ones arteries, endothelieum impairment (what keeps you blood running smoothly) and increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidize (beginning stages of heart disease).http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9001684If you can provide counter evidence claiming that eggs are beneficial to ones health please do so, but otherwise I see no logic in claiming that eggs are safe to eat twice a week, and to make the statement that we have a dietary need for cholesterol, this is simply untrue.Allowing the consumption of eggs even twice a week does not make sense to me one it is understand what health detriments come with egg consumption.current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day. Omega 3 processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA, which is highly anti inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. The fact that eggs are the top source of arachadonic acid nulls and voids benefits received from the omega 3 in the egg itself. High intake of arachadonic acid is linked to autoimmune diseases such as  rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with  cancer development.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616uid http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18774339 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128The Harvard physicians study followed 20,000 doctors for 20 years and those that ate just one egg a day had significant increase in all cause mortality. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400720In fact, David Spence, director of stroke prevention/atherosclerosis research center and one of the worlds leading stroke experts, said that based on the latest research, you can eat all the eggs you want IF your dying of a terminal illness. Eggs are not considered health promoting nutritionally speaking. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400699Eggs have been linked with heart failure http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18954578As well as type 2 diabetes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/?tool=pubmedFurthermore, in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, David Spence, David Jenkins (the inventor of the glycemic index) and Jean Davignon (director of atherosclerosis research group) posted a review on eggs claiming that the egg industry has been downplaying the health risks of eggs through misleading advertisements. As soon as you eat one egg, you expose your body to several hours worth of oxidative stress, inflammation of ones arteries, endothelieum impairment (what keeps you blood running smoothly) and increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidize (beginning stages of heart disease). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9001684The egg industry has claimed that cholesterol from eggs is not important and does not raise cholesterol levels. The fundamental flaw in the study the egg industry has used to make this claim is that they measured FASTING lipid levels at night and not levels through out the day after egg consumption. “Diet is not all about fasting lipids; it is mainly about the three-quarters of the day that we are in the nonfasting state. Fasting lipids can be thought of as a baseline; they show what the endothelium was exposed to for the last few hours of the night.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/?tool=pubmedIn addition, there is no dietary need to consume cholesterol, this is simply nonsense to make such an assertion. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=542  I don’t think ONE egg per week is going to affect my arteries. What do you think?I am astounded that someone who would be intelligent enough to be reading Dr. Greger would be myopic enough to through the baby out with the bath water, and throw scientific research out with it. In Psychology, we call that cognitive dissonance.Very interesting. After the previous video, “How Plant Sterols Lower Cholesterol, I had been wondering whether, as a conscientious vegan (plants, beans/legumes, grains, seeds/nuts, fruits, no processed oils or sugar) I was running a risk of flushing out too much cholesterol. Thanks, SJ M.D., for your response. And now from today’s video, I gather that there is no such thing as having too much cholesterol flushed out of your body? No – flush it out!Probably this is why Tears for Fears made “The seeds of life” :-)Ahead of their time………:-)The table of best food sources is confusing to me.Could you explain the grey/black portions of the individual lines – what do they signify individually. I see where pumpkin seed looks so unlike the other sources. I’ve been eating walnuts like there is no tomorrow but now feel I should switch to sesame seed.@Ellen, perhaps consider rotating these good nuts and seeds instead of only eating walnuts? I usually alternate organic raw pumpkin seeds with walnuts from day to day for a snack or in a salad and perhaps I need to also rotate in sesame seeds (which I adore, I just don’t eat them that regularly but heck, they are easy to throw into a green salad!) The black part of the bars represents the amount of beta-sitosterol plus campesterol plus stigmasterol, the three most common type of plant sterols, and so, often the only ones that are measured and reported. The grey bars represent other rarer forms of sterols which are not commonly reported.This chart is limited to the amount of sterols in mostly nuts and seeds and by the weight of the food, about 3 1/2 ounces- more nuts and seeds than is healthy to eat in one day.I’d be more interested in the amount of phytosterols we can get on a per calorie basis. In that case, lettuce, capers and sour pickles would be the top choices, followed by sesame seeds with asperagus, beet greens and unpeeled cucumbers not far behind, nosing out sunflower seeds.Okra, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, lemons, beets, Brussels sprouts, grapefruit, sprouted mung beans, tomatoes, oranges, pumpkin, cabbage, sweet peppers and radishes are also decent sources for the calorie-conscious.I’m also concerned that most nuts and seeds may throw of your omega 6/3 ratio and that they’re highly concentrated in calories. Seems to me that veggies are a better option. Paulc: Nice reply.  I’m wondering where you got your data for the amount of phytosterols in various plants.  For example, how did you figure out that “…lettuce, capers and sour pickles would be the top choices…”  I’m interested in trying to understand how all of this translates into practical eating and seeing a table with the data you are talking about coold be really helpful.  Thanks.I find your calorie interest so fascinating. Since tweaking my diet I find I can’t get enough calories. If I don’t include nuts and seeds in my diet I end up losing weight.  I imagine you’re very physically active so that you can get away with eating a few nuts and seeds. I tend to gain weight with them and have to be careful and have to diet a couple or three days a week to avoid gaining weight.now Paulc aren’t we all supposed to be getting an hour of cardio a day? Nutrition is only part of the equation.  What I’ve read indicates that high intensity interval training is preferable. I also do bodyweight exercises and stretching.Well actually no. 60 minutes of cardio is the best. (on most days)  The heart loves to beat at a moderate training rate for a prolonged time. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/But what I tell my patients is that if it gets you moving its good. What is your high intensity work out? You get your HR up high (180 ) and hold it there for how long? And strengthening exercises of course. (bodyweight exercises?). I think stretching is kinda overrated unless you have a joint with a decreased range of motion. There is actually quite a bit of research that demonstrates stretching might encourage injury. Plus who has that kind of time! The longest bar in the chart is wheat germ, but it’s also very high in gluten.According to Dr. Greger’s gluten videos, unless one has a gluten allergy or intolerance gluten should not be an issue. If gluten is an issue, luckily there are other items that one can pick from the chart.Gluten IS good for 99% of people (but not for the 1% who have celiac disease): http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/In fact, if there is no good medical reason to go gluten free; it may even be bad for an individual’s good gut bacteria to go gluten free: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/Sorry, but there is lots of evidence that the extra gluten bred into the endosperm of modern grains is a low level problem for many people irrespective of whether they are technically ‘gluten intolerant’. The amount of gluten now consumed is much higher than any traditional grain diet over the past thousands of years. Obviously I made the post to warn those who had a known gluten problem, but were unaware that wheat germ is one of the highest sources. Gluten intolerance is much higher than 1% and you don’t have to have celiac desease to have a problem with it. I also never used the words “gluten free”.Maybe I missed it in some other part of this discussion/thread, but given the brevity of your initial comment in this thread (the one after Paulc’s comment), I don’t think your intention was obvious at all. In any case, I was simply pointing out Dr. Greger’s videos on gluten since you raised the topic of gluten. (To be clear, I never attributed the term “gluten free” to you. “Gluten free” is term that I used to summarize the second video that I referenced.) I look forward to learning more about the wheat/gluten issue as more empirical information about it rolls out.  At the moment, it seems to me to be a bit over-hyped.  I think that in due time, science will reveal more, but for now I think the science on the matter is still too young to be broadly applicable (or, at least, applicable to me).Hi WholefoodchomperSo I have spent the last 1/2 hour looking for this research article but I can’t find it. So you have to take my word for it. One of my patients is a gastroenterologist. He knows gluten gives me a stomach ache and fatigue. So he gives me this article from JAMA published 2011 (I think) regarding gluten intolerance. The message was that there are people who are not actually testing positive for celiacs but have symptoms. The bottom line was to do an elimination diet and challenge gluten after 6 weeks. And then to be careful because it is in a lot of processed foods as thickeners. It even went so far as to suggest a diet. I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to read the research article. Was the medical profession finally coming on board? Was my patient finally going to address it and stop recommending the “little purple pill?” Thanks for sharing the info, veganrunner. If you happen to find that JAMA citation, could you please share it with me. (Do you remember any key words in the title? Maybe I could do some research on my end as well.)I have had the Celiac blood test done, and I’m in the clear. Thankfully, I don’t experience any symptoms after eating wheat either. (Although, I know that there are people who do, and I do not mean to discount their experiences.) Still, I would like to read about it to learn some more. Heck, I may even try the elimination diet to see if I feel better in some way.Ok. Here is a good review. I think it might be one of the articles mentioned.http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(12)00088-1/fulltextThanks for sharing.  I’ll add it to my reading list.Thanks for sharing.  I’ll add it to my reading list. Ellen: It is also confusing to me.  Thanks for asking this question!So are pistachios, almonds, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, and cashews all better to eat instead of walnuts to lower cholesterol?  I’m a bit confused.  I thought walnuts were the magic nuts to pop.We have to see the bigger picture – as well as there are no magic pill to cure the diseases from the SAD (and european) there are no single nut, seed, vegetable, fruit, legume, nutrient etc who will do the trick. The message is to eat a variety of plant foods, not just one kind of nut, one kind of vegetable etc.So eat a variety of plant foods and avoid meat, eggs and dairy – my advice would be to enjoy the great taste of plant food, and stop thinking that this nut lowers cholesterol, this vegetable lowers the risk of cancer, this berry fights infection – this way of thinking spoils the pleasure of eating great tasting plant foods.Exactly! Variety is the spice of life!  Walnuts are promoted for their omega-3 content, so the phytosterols are just a bonus. Flax seeds also a good source as Dr. Greger has noted in several videos.Maybe you help me check some studies on guggul. It’s the main Ayurvedic herb for “cholersterol” (and arthritis). There are other herbs that have cataloged phytosterols but who knows if they matter ; they are more used for other conditions. Ashwanganda is also sometimes used for cholesterol. As far as grains, I’d guess barley is best for this, and it’s also recommended by Hippocrates for the summer.Reading some of these posts, I have formed the impression that many vegans are unclear on how many nuts we can consume before exceeding guidelines. To remedy this problem, I am performing a calculation below on how many walnuts a day someone on a 2000 calorie diet can consume before they would exceed the Institute of Medicine recommendations.The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults get 20 to 35% of calories from fat. Source: http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2002/Dietary-Reference-Intakes-for-Energy-Carbohydrate-Fiber-Fat-Fatty-Acids-Cholesterol-Protein-and-Amino-Acids.aspx   For this calculation I am assuming that the fat contribution of grains, fruits, legumes  and most vegetables are generally so low that they make a negligible contribution to our daily fat intake; correction for these sources of fat should not alter my calculation substantially. Let’s adopt the upper limit of 35% set by the Institute of medicine and see how many walnuts that equals.    For a 2000 calorie diet this amounts to 2000 x 0.35 = 700 calories from fat. Since fat has 9 calories per gram, therefore, 700 calories of fat equals 78 grams of fat.Since each ounce of walnut has 18 grams of fat, the number of ounces of walnuts we can eat is 78g / 18 g = 4.3 ounces.Please note that 4.3 oz of walnuts equals 120 grams of walnuts, which is just over one cup.Please also note that saturated fat for this serving would be around 7 grams, which is 36% of daily value, well within guidelines.Of course, some of us have higher calorie needs due to our energy output. Therefore, the number of nuts that we can eat would go way up!I am not suggesting that we get all our fat from eating walnuts. I simple want to give people an idea of how many nuts one can eat before exceeding standard recommendations.The problem is that the “recommendation” of 35% of calories from fat is hopelessly wrong; the same guidelines accept 10% of the calories from refined sugar! If you want to stay healthy – wich nature intended – it is 10% calories from fat and 0% calories from refined sugar.Actually nature doesn’t have any intentions, nor does evolution. Neither nature nor evolution take sides on dietary issues.  If we humans want to optimize our diets, then we have to understand the underlying physiological mechanisms that are relevant to nutrition and adjust our diet accordingly. By all means, go ahead and challenge the standard recommendations on fat, but I think you would be more convincing to readers of this website if you backed up your claims with peer reviewed scientific studies.BPCveg, I like your physiological perspective. I’m also quiet wary of evolutionary explanations or justifications based on nature (whether they are for plant-based eating or not).  Historically (and possibly nutritionally) speaking, much harm  has been justified using this sort of logic and reasoning. As far as I am concerned, appeals to evolutionary and natural explanations are a slippery slope.  Sticking to the empirical evidence and physiological reasoning, is the way to go.Good point….lots of misinformation is spread using evolutionary explanations.Wow that’s a lot! Nuts and seeds are probably pretty close in calories so 1 cup of seeds and nuts per day. That would be really hard to do and I eat them both everyday. I have sesame, hemp, flax, sunflower, chia in the fridge and I use probably 2 Tbs in either my oatmeal or smoothy depending on which I feel like. Then throughout the day I may have walnuts, almonds, or pistachio nuts. Maybe 2 oz.John when I watched Forks Over Knives I know the overwhelming message was no fat, no nuts. But didn’t you (if you watched the video) think that message was directed at the population of obese people and/or suffering for heart disease? And that makes since. People who need to lose weight or have heart disease need to really limit their fat intake from nuts, seeds, avocados etc. but Dr. Greger has demonstrated through various research articles that nuts and seeds are rediculously nutritious for us. But 1 cup per day? That doesn’t even sound appetizing!Veganrunner: I completely agree with you that diversifying sources of all nutrients is important. I think my back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that those who center their diets around fruits and vegetables shouldn’t need to worry about having an extra handful of nuts, if they feel like it.BPCveg, you rock!Thank you. I too diversify my fat intake using multiple whole food plant sources. Looking at the chart at the end of the video , it appears one would have to seriously increase one’s intake of nuts and seeds to make a difference in the amount of phytosterols consumed.   Flaxseed, for example, has just 200 mg of phytosterols per 100 grams of flaxseed.  100 grams is 10 tablespoons of flaxseed!!  I usually eat about 1 tablespoon a day.Seeds like sesame, sunflower, pistachio, pumpkin are very high in the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3.  It would appear that increasing one’s consumption of those nuts greatly would very negatively affect the omega 3 ratio, especially if one was eating a low fat diet.By the way, Dr Esselstyn “prescribes” NO nuts for his advanced heart disease patients.Good-morning John,OK everyone correct me if I am wrong–I can take it! :-)The SAD is filled with processed foods. Crackers, cookies, chips etc. And they are very high in omega 6 because they are generally cooked with soy oil or the like. Again high in omega 6 (and trans fat) But for most of the people on this website I will would guess do not eat those products. Therefore our omega 6 to omega 3 ratio is not upside down. We know that whole foods are key. Whole nuts and whole seeds. And maybe the ratio of some are scued towards Omega 6 but don’t you think the health benefits outweigh the paranoia I keep reading about in these comment sections? For the general population who eat all that crap yeah they better stay clear. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe people watching these videos are still eating all the processed stuff, as long as it animal free. So please help me understand this. Dr. SJ what do you think? Are you in bed yet? Denmark right? Yes – Denmark (late afternoon right now).I must emphasize that this is just my opinion: Don`t focus on one single nutrient, one single fruit, nut, legume and don`t focus too much on one single ratio (omega 6/3). If you go for whole foods, plant based and eat a variety of different foods, I don`t see a problem. Personally I also take 200-400 mg  vegan omega 3 pr day though.I agree with you, vegan runner.  And, it seems that Dr. G. does as well.  Here is what he says about omega-6:“I try to think in terms of whole food sources rather than nutrients (have you read The China Study? It has a whole chapter trying to make that point). I’d be happy to talk with you about ratios and percentages, but in terms of practical advice I’d encourage people to minimize their intake of the omega-6 rich oils (such as safflower, sunflower, and cottonseed, and all of the processed garbage manufacturers make with them), and try to eat healthy omega-3 rich whole foods such as walnuts and flax seeds every day. And especially for men as well as women who are expecting, breastfeeding, or even thinking about getting pregnant I would encourage consideration of taking an algae- or yeast-derived long-chain omega-3 supplement.”http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/18/ask-the-doctor-qa-with-michael-greger-m-d-week-2/:)Well said! Thanks.It’s difficult to understand how much 2000mg is, of nuts/seeds; I wish he would have given us a measurement in which we could relate. Nevertheless, I’ve learned more from Dr. Greger, MD, than anyone, than, perhaps, Dr. McDougal. Thanks, Dr. G.	American Heart Association,antioxidants,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,legumes,nutrient absorption,nuts,peanuts,phytonutrients,phytosterols,pistachios,plant-based diets,seeds,sesame seeds,standard American diet	Those eating plant-based diets get the most phytosterols, but there is still room for improvement to maximize cholesterol reduction.	Are there diminishing returns associated with other phytonutrients? SeeMaxing Out on Antioxidants and Kiwifruit and DNA Repair. The "enterocyte trash recovery bins" of which I speak are an analogy I introduced in How Fiber Lowers Cholesterol, the second of a loose five-part series on the cholesterol-lowering effects of nuts and seeds. Yesterday's video-of-the-day How Phytosterols Lower Cholesterol offered a bit of phytosterol background and tomorrow's video-of-the-day Optimal Phytosterol Source explains why whole food sources (nuts and seeds) are superior to phytosterol-fortified foods and supplements. Which other foods lower cholesterol levels? See New Cholesterol Fighters. And why should one worry about cholesterol in the first place? See Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease, Cholesterol and Lower Back Pain, Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction, and Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet for a few of the five dozen videos I have on the topic. Then, of course, there's athousand other topics—enjoy!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pistachios/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytosterols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sesame-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11242480,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16302759,
PLAIN-2911	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/	How Phytosterols Lower Cholesterol	The ability of phytosterols in plant foods to reduce cholesterol levels was first reported more than 80 years ago. The same trash-picker analogy used to explain the effects of fiber on cholesterol can help us understand how phytosterols and phytostanols work. Just like phytoestrogens in plants can have an anti-estrogenic effect by fooling your body into trying to use them instead of your own estrogen--which is a thousand times stronger, phytosterols are plant-based cholesterol look-alikes found predominnetly in nuts and seeds. Here’s what cholesterol looks like, here’s what a phytosterol looks like. Can you see the difference?When we eat nuts and seeds and phytosterols find their way in our ever flowing waste stream, our trash-picking enterocytes in our gut lining throw them in their bins along with actual cholesterol. Their bins can only hold so much, though, before they have to go empty it into the body before coming back to the banks of our fecal flow.And so if there’s just cholesterol in the waste stream, that’s what loads up the bin, but if there’s phytosterols too, half the bin may be filled with cholesterol and half with phytosterols, leaving the other half’s worth of cholesterol to flush out to sea.Meanwhile our body gets these phytosterols absorbed and says what am I supposed to do with these plant molecules and chucks them back down the trash chute, where trash pickers furher down the line may accidentlay pick them back up again and repeat the process, so in the end, or out the end, because we swallowed all these phytosterols into our gut less excess cholesterol gets reabsorbed and it ends up getting dumped. This shows the increased fecal excretion of both dietary and endogenous cholesterol when one eats a phytosterol-rich diet.	This is the third video of five-part series on the cholesterol-lowering effects of nuts and seeds. In Friday’s video-of-the-day Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering, I reviewed the data showing nuts decrease cholesterol levels and heart disease mortality. Yesterday’s video-of-the-day How Fiber Lowers Cholesterol attempted to explain the fiber mechanism and the final two will wrap up on a more practical note, discussing optimal phytosterol doses and sources. The role played by phytoestrogens can be found in Soy & Breast Cancer Survival and Soy Hormones & Male Fertility. Not all molecular mimics are good, though. Check out Poultry and Paralysis. If you haven’t yet, feel free to subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Are phytosterol suplements of any value?I listened to this three times and will keep listening to it hoping I will understand it better.  It’s just the terminology that throws me.  Can you put this in lay language what the impact of eating the nuts and seeds are as to unhealthy cholesterol intake?  Are you saying that nuts and seeds are harmful in this way?  I need more on the nuts, etc. to know how to use them in my diet.  I am trying to eat vegan but still am having difficulty understanding how I can incorporate nuts, etc. in the diet.  I do have a predisposition to high cholesterol and the vegan lifestyle has helped me keep this somewhat at bay but not low enough yet.  Thank you for explaining this to me in as simple terms as possible.Message: when you eat a phytosterols rich diet more cholesterol is excreted.Thank you.Always remember it’s not just being vegan or eating vegan that lowers your risk of disease or high cholesterol but NOT being a junk food vegan. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables/leafy greens and fruits. If it has more than 2-3 ingredients in it, it’s probably not worth your time. I always seem to hear or read that if your weight is an issue to limit nuts, seeds and avocados until you are at your desired weight then go back to them sparingly??? Anyway I hope you have a fantastic day!I think the general recommendation is to eat handful of nuts or seeds a day. The problem is when the vending machine only offers a jumbo, five-serving, highly salted bag. It’s easy to go overboard as with any high-fat food.I actually prefer a *palmful* of nuts / seeds each day…that way, I know I’m not eating too many of them. (Handful just sound like more to me…and certainly a fist-full is NOT what we want)  But, a thimbleful is certainly not enough! :-)I am a strict vegan who eats seeds and nuts at least twice daily. If I understand correctly, it is the excess cholesterol from food that gets dumped when one consumes enough seeds and nuts (or phytosterols), is that right? Cholesterol is produced by the body itself and there is no need to consume food containing cholesterol, is that right?  No need to eat food containing cholesterol, unless you want to increase your risk of getting a heart attack or stroke.Cholesterol is synthesized by the liver, some of it is excreted in the bile. Some of the biliary cholesterol is reabsorbed from the gut. Plantsterols interfere with this absorption, so I guess that it lowers your bloodcholesterol even further by excreting the cholesterol you produce in your liver.Get some nuts in your guts………..HI, I met you in Austin, TX during the Veggie Fest last year.  I am a strict vegan (have been for 20 years), not overweight, active…and yet my cholesterol is 266. triglycerides 258, HDL 45, HDL 169 (ration 3/76)  I am also celiac (and I only found out this at age 50, 10 years ago…so I am trying to figure out the cholesterol conundrum.  I know that gluten can cause changes in the liver…so maybe something happened before I went off gluten 10 years ago?  I am strictly off gluten as well).  I am not even sure that these numbers are bad–but I do wonder why so much cholesterol on a vegan diet.  I eat nuts and seeds, do the green smoothie with kale thing, etc.  Any thoughts? thanks so much for all that you do!  BTW, my syblings have high cholesterol as well (although they are not vegan), so I am told there may be a genetic component…..thanks.  JuneJune, I’ve had a bit of the same issue, hitting a brick wall at 200, after bringing my numbers down from 312 with plants. Are you cutting out vegetable oils? I think Drs. Gregor and McDougall mention that unfilter coffee can raise cholesterol. I’ve heard limiting alcohol and simple sugars will help lower triglycerides. June: I don’t have the answer for you, but I have a thought.  It sounds like you are eating very healthy, period.  However, I wonder if you could tweak your diet to still be healthy, but to specifically work on the lowering cholesterol.For example, this video talks about using nuts to lower cholesterol.  I don’t have the links off the top of my head, but I remember several other videos on this site that also mention specific foods known for lowering cholesterol.  Maybe you could find those videos and start taking in more foods like the ones listed???  Just a thought.FYI: I know of two people in my inner circle with dangerously high cholesterol.  One was able to go from 260 something down to 131 total cholesterol simply by changing his diet.  My other friend, who has a family history of high cholesterol, was able to loose a lot of weight on a vegan diet, but did not lower (much) her cholesterol.   You are clearly not alone.I hope some more knowledgeable people answer your question, because I too would like some ideas to share with my friend.Your cholesterol levels can be affected by things other than dietary cholesterol. Saturated fat and carbohydrates can raise your cholesterol levels. Someone made a good point in a previous post about being a junk food vegan…if someone is only doing carbohydrates all day…especially simple carbs and sugar it can absolutely affect your cholesterol levels. Whatever carbohydrates your body doesn’t need for energy or storage in the muscle will turn to fat, and then that fat can turn into cholesterol. You mentioned a genetic factor…there is Apolipoprotein E genotype. That can actually indicate if someone is not as efficient from clearing cholesterol from the body. It can also indicate if someone needs to follow a more low fat diet. There is also testing done to see if someone is a hyperabsorber and/or hypersynthesizer of cholesterol. Advanced testing can always be helpful! Lots of great points.  Totally agree.  I think it should also be mentioned that there are some medications that raise cholesterol levels through various mechanisms (one being constipation) and as you alluded to some people are predisposed to the problem.  Indeed, there is no dietary need of saturated fat, cholesterol, monounsaturated fat or trans fat. The only essential fat is omega 3 and omega 6. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/ The question that appears to me to be in need of being posed is this: calorie per calorie (not gram per gram), what is better at lowering cholesterol? Is it nuts and seeds? Or is it beans, oatmeal and yams etc? I believe the key is variety and a diverse plant-based diet.My total cholesterol last December was 193.  After being on a vegan diet for a month, it is now 128.  My LDL went from 105 to 64.  I am so grateful to this website for transforming my life.  I just wish I had found it sooner.Dr. Greger,I saw this morning this post at Natural News.com:$tatin Nation is the first film to publicly question the Big Pharma narrative on statin drugs. It explores these three shocking facts that are now emerging in the medical literature:1) People with high cholesterol tend to live longer2) People with heart disease tend to have low levels of cholesterol3) Cholesterol-lowering on a population level does not reduce the rate of heart diseaseHuh? But your doctor told you exactly the opposite, right? That’s because your doctor has been brainwashed or bribed by the drug companies that now generate $29 billion dollars a year from selling statin drugs.Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/040233_Statin_Nation_cholesterol_drugs_movie_trailer.html#ixzz2SjJy7AxtI don’t understand how the endogenous cholesterol could be so much greater than the dietary cholesterol in either group. Does this mean the cholesterol isn’t really the biggest problem on the source side, but rather cholesterol precursors or catalysts? Or does “cholesterol eaten, but not today” get counted as endogenous (eg. lacking today’s radioactive markers)?Not sure I follow. The study was to test the hypothesis that intrinsic phytosterols present in unmodified foods alter whole-body cholesterol metabolism.The graph is showing how much cholesterol is excreted in the feces and more endogenous cholesterol was excreted in comparison to dietary cholesterol. The body makes tons of cholesterol daily, way more than typical folks eat so it would make sense that more is endogenously excreted than dietary sources. Dietary cholesterol is still very much a concern in excess.Thanks for the response. I wasn’t aware that the body made so much. It makes me wonder if cholesterol precursor consumption could be a big factor.The graph at the end is pretty suggestive. I guess this sort of complexity is exactly why we like test tube studies and longitudinal studies to confirm each other.	cholesterol,fiber,nutrient absorption,nuts,phytoestrogens,phytosterols,seeds	Phytosterols are plant-based cholesterol look-alikes in nuts and seeds that help maximize our body’s excretion of excess cholesterol.	This is the third video of a five-part series on the cholesterol-lowering effects of nuts and seeds. In Friday's video-of-the-day, Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering, I reviewed the data showing nuts decrease cholesterol levels and heart disease mortality. Yesterday's video-of-the-day How Fiber Lowers Cholesterol attempted to explain the fiber mechanism and the final two will wrap up on a more practical note, discussing optimal phytosterol doses andsources. The role played by phytoestrogens can be found in Soy & Breast Cancer Survival and Soy Hormones & Male Fertility. Not all molecular mimics are good, though. Check out Poultry and Paralysis. If you haven't yet, feel free to subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytosterols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17752469,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20808333,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21457263,
PLAIN-2912	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/	How Fiber Lowers Cholesterol	We’ve covered a bunch of ways nuts may cut heart disease risk, boosting nitric oxide production in our arteries because the arginine content in nuts, cutting down our risk of sudden cardiac death because of the magnesium content, and lowering our bad cholesterol because of… why exactly? How do nuts lower our cholesterol, what are the, “”potential mechanisms?This is where it gets a little complicated: These may be the various “Nutrients responsible for bad cholesterol reduction.” Let me just touch on two, first fiber, then phytosterols.What’s flowing through our intestines right now is going to end up as waste—that's the default unless any parts can be absorbed. We can imagine our enterocytes, the cells lining our intestinal wall, as vast array of trash pickers, resource recovery workers. They’re sifting through the river of potential garbage flowing past and picking up anything of use, a vitamin here, a mineral there, such that by the end there really isn’t much left that’s desireable and truly gets dumped.So our gut is our bodies’ disposal system, anything it wants to get rid of it throws down the trash chute, like excess cholesterol.Cholesterol plays a vital role in the body, and that’s why your liver makes as much as it needs. If you liver feels there’s just too much cholesterol circulating around it dumps the excess into the gut to get rid of it, knowing full well there’s an everflowing torrent to flush it out to sea. We did, afterall, evolved for millions of year on a plant-based diet like our great ape ancestors and so we weren’t designed for burgers and milkshakes, we were designed for fiber, and lots of it. 100 grams a day or more. A massive, quick-flowing stream. And so when your body throws some cholesterol down the trash chute it knows its going to zip right out, but what if the river dried up, just a slow trickle of sludge because we're not eating enough whole plant foods? We still have the same number of trash pickers, but the volume and speed of the flow is way down on a fiber-deficient diet, and so they’re finding all sorts of stuff that otherwise would have been lost. So they’re picking back up estrogen that our body dumps, cholesterol, and putting it right back into the system. It’s like if you litter and someone comes by and picks it up and says, excuse me did you drop that? Fiber bulks up the flow… speeds it up… and dilutes everything so lots of stuff may ever even make it to the banks of the intestinal river to be picked at and inappropriately saved.	This mechanism is similar to how “normal” levels of fiber consumption (huge by modern standards) relieve the body of excess estrogen, which may explain reduced breast cancer risk in those eating plant-based diets. Fiber also helps improve intestinal transit time (stool size matters!) and protects against diverticulosis. An explanation of the nitric acid effect can be found in The Power of NO and the magnesium data is in How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?  and Mineral of the Year: Magnesium, and Friday’s video-of-the-day Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering covered the cholesterol angle. The next two follow-up videos will use the same trash-picker analogy to explain the actions of phytosterols. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Well – now we also have an explanation for “Big poop small hospital, small poop big hospital”…..Dr. gregers blog, Bowel Movement and The Scoop on Poop is a timely review on fiber.To use the river analogy, if fibre speeds up the flow, is it possible that too much fibre in the diet could lead to reduced absorption of vital nutrients?If so, what is the optimal amount of fibre to consume?BPCveg, such an interesting question. After I started on my morning “blended salad” i must have really increased my fiber. I had to increase my thyroid medication. When I went on the sythroid website it said an increase in fiber could cause decreased absorption. Crazy right?Veganrunner, crazy right? Not exactly. Your increased fibre consumption seemed to cause decreased absorption of your medication. This backs up the point of the video.Exactly!No, Veganrunner, I don’t think it’s crazy as the preferred origin of your thyroid hormone would be internal and not through the mouth with eventual passage through the stomach and intestines.As for optimal amount of fiber, BPCveg, I don’t think most people are even close to having enough fiber, never mind worrying about too much. My thought is that the body “knows” what it needs and will become more or less efficient at absorbing nutrients if one supplies the right foods. Probably true about most people not getting enough fiber, but many of those following Dr. Greger are eating lots of fruits and vegetables in an effort to optimize our diets.If you listen to Dr. Greger’s argument in the video between 2:05 and 2:11, he is arguing that the waste excretion is rate limited and therefore increasing bulk flow through higher fiber intake will help this process along.  I am asking the reciprocal question. Since we know the rate of nutrient absorption is also rate limited, wouldn’t too much bulk flow (caused by overconsumption of fiber) reduce the net amount of absorption?BPCveg, I agree there is a ballpark figure for optimum fiber and I understand your argument. However, rate limiting via transit time is a variable, but probably not the only variable. If transit time is shortened, I might speculate that the body will recognize this and change the efficiency of absorption of the nutrients. For example, doesn’t the body modify the amount of non-heme iron absorbed in a vegan diet based on need? 4ever learning: I think you make a good point about absorption rate being modifiable to a large extent, which is probably a protective mechanism of the body to prevent overload of certain nutrients.I suspect, however, that there is an upper limit to absorption of most nutrients. In the case, of iron, I speculate that a vegan who is trying to raise iron levels by consuming non-heme sources and who is consuming an extreme quantity of fiber may struggle to absorb enough non-heme iron since the iron absorption rate may saturate, while the clearance rate, due to extreme fiber, may be too high.You made your point! :)Seeing that all I eat is vegetables, fruit, legumes, grains( no gluten) nuts and seeds there is absolutely no way I could further increase my fiber. And Nothing processed.Veganrunner, did it say that it was overall fiber intake that might affect thyroid hormone absorption, or was it dependent on when you last ate your high fiber meal? For example, to not alter the absorption of my thyroid hormone, I take it on an empty stomach and do not eat anything afterwards for at least 1 hour. I also take my vitamin B12, omega 3s, and vitamin D 5 or more hours later to not affect the thyroid hormone absorption rate as well.Overall fiber. I do the same. Pill in the morning and I eat and drink nothing for at least 2 hours. I hadn’t changed anything else in my diet.Interesting,indeed. Sounds like I’ll need to keep a closer look at my thyroid hormone levels as well.BPCveg, the fact that the comparison of the Paleolithic diet Vs Modern diet is what Dr. Greger shows on the video, I therefore assume that the 104g of fibre in the Paleolithic diet is what we strive to achieve.Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t the common rationalization for paleolithic diets that humans have been following these diets for vast periods of time and therefore should have evolved (i.e. physically adapted) to eating that way?My understanding of the established darwinian evolution by natural selection is that  for an adaptation to occur, the fitness of individuals (i.e. the ability to pass on their genes to offspring) must be changed. It doesn’t seem to necessarily be true that following a specific dietary pattern for any length of time will result in changes in our genetics. For example, suppose we humans continue to use computers for another million years. Will that mean that humans will have evolved to use computers? These kinds of vague evolutionary arguments never convince me.I am interested in learning about diet by understanding physiological mechanisms that can be rigorously tested on humans that are alive today!I agree we have evolved to eat the paleolithic diet. I did see once in a documentary about “survival of the fattest”. Where during the last ice age the fattest of the population tended to survive because they lived longer off of their fat supplies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkh9fz9WkwAI can only imagine that if we use computers even for a short amount of time, our brains change/adapt to this. It is well known that London black cab drivers brains grow as they learn,  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/677048.stmThe fact we are all different, (body types, metabolisms, gut flora, good/bad hormone production, etc) says to me to follow proper research and advice, like nutritionfacts.org.Your belief system about evolution and the past and how you react to certain food should guide you the rest of the way.i highly doubt that humans can actually evolve to use computers since we live in an environment where our survival doesn’t even remotely depend on our ability to use computers.I am now thinking that high fiber intake could even reduce the number of calories that we absorb from food. This could partly explain why those following diet tend to gain less weight than omnivores, even after controlling for calorie intake and energy output. BPCveg, I suspect that the amount of fibre in a given diet is self-limiting.  Anybody eating “too much fibre” would be calorie deficient, and would self-adjust for this.  It’s my understanding that an appropriate balance of calories and phytonutrients in the diet arising from a variety of plant-based whole foods will naturally contain “just the right amount” of fibre, and will result in appropriate nutrient absorption.  But this is mainly just my “gut” feeling…i almost died from eating too much fiber. my stool was so big that i couldn’t even flush my stool in the toilet. thanks to gut sense by after reading the fiber menace book. i recovered by my haemorrhoids and constipation. My goodness, how much fiber were you eating?  Was it all plant-based, or where you also taking supplements? Where you drinking enough water?all the advice I’ve read about fiber is to add it slowly to allow the body to adjust.I look forward to your lessons in my e-mail daily. Thanks for being so talented at explaining things I probably would not understand. I started a vegan lifestyle over a year ago and love feeling validated for my choices to eat lots more fiber.Noted vegan physician, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr, claims on his website (Q&A section) that we should avoid smoothies because “The fiber is so finely pureed that its helpful properties are destroyed”.  Is there any scientific evidence to support this claim?That goes against Dr. Gregers videos, as well as Dr. Fuhrman who says absorption of important nutrients is increased by 50%. Dr Esselstyn comment doesn’t even make physiological sense. Regardless, fiber still goes through the same intestinal track and is not absorbed. One reason people drink smoothies is because you can get a lot of nutrients in a very concentrated form. As far as my running goes–oatmeal doesn’t sit well and I can drink a smoothy and run right away. I appreciate that you all love to cite research but personally I don’t have the time, so you will need to check it out for yourself. (but then again you didn’t check Dr. Esselstyn’s comment out so maybe I am in the clear! ;-) Hi again BPVeg,A book I have found helpful on so many of these topics is Integrative Gastroenterology written by Gerard E. Mullen, MD (he is a gastroenterologist.) He has also written The Inside Track which is a easy read for the less medically inclined. He deals mainly with healing the gut but the physiology of how the gut works is explained well. Veganrunner: Thanks for this book recommendation. Seems quite holistic, based on the table of contents.By the way, the reason I didn’t cite Dr Esselstyn’s website is that it is a commericial site and Dr. Greger prefers to limit posts that contain such links; a challenging goal, but I respect him for it.  Oh but I bit. I couldn’t find anything on Medline. That is what I love about this website–Dr. Greger and crew does all the work so “we don’t have to!”Another interesting aspect is the role fiber plays with intestinal bacteria. We traditionally think of its role in moving things along but it also “feeds” the good bacteria in our gut.Yes Integrative Medicine is holistic but I find that refreshing. Dr. Greger is an integrative physician in that he recommends nutrition for what ails you. In addition herbs are discussed here frequently. The majority of physicians would never discuss the role nutrition plays in our health. I am a physical therapist with a practice that specializes in orthopedics. My practice is based on the best current research. We know that stress plays a huge role in our health. Again integrative medicine. So ideally MD’s would discuss all aspects of ones health but we barely get any more than a perscription for a medication. (except for Dr. Hemo and Dr. SJ. They are the best!)   I’m not sure what the exact study is he’s citing here, but starting at 6:48 on this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6ogG1wEcXo, Jeff Novick makes an interesting point about how the satiety of an apple is changed by blending it.j oraknabo: please see my response to you below.Excellent points.(comment removed)You may want to write an email to the Disqus (http://disqus.com/) to see why your links are not posting and what you can do about it. Sometimes my links do not post or get cut off as well.  I think it has to do with the comment platform (which is being provided by Disqus) and not the NutritionFacts web-site.  Specifically, you can go here (http://help.disqus.com/ ) for technical help with posting comments using Disqus.Thanks again!Thank you very much for providing this video. I agree that Jeff Novick tries very hard to convince us that simply blending apples can lead to different satiety than eating the whole apple. However, for reasons I describe believe he falls short. I found the study he cites “The effect of fruit in different forms on energy intake and satiety at a meal”, 2009, Appetite 52: 416–422. Full text available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2664987/pdf/nihms97426.pdfIn the youtube video from 11:03 to 11:12, Novick describes the manner of applesauce creation as follows:“so they bought one of those fancy blenders, you know which ones, and they put the apple in it and they turned it on and it wizzed” However, the paper that he cites gives a very different description of the applesauce preparation on page 3, paragraph 3:“In order to make the applesauce, apples were peeled and baked in a covered dish for 45 min at 177 °C. The apples were weighed before and after baking to measure the amount of water that was lost during baking, and water was then added to the apples to account for any water loss that occurred. The apples were then pureed to produce applesauce.”Sorry, but this isn’t the same as just blending apples!Thanks for pointing that out. Considering that just moments before that, he mentions the advantage of the water in soup, I’m surprised he wasn’t aware that water had been removed from the apples.While I’ve clearly understood the problem with removing the fiber in the juicing process, I’ve always been a little skeptical about claims about blending. If blending destroys the helpful properties of food, then are people who thoroughly chew their food going to be severely malnourished.Thank you very much for providing this video. I agree that Jeff Novick tries very hard to convince us that simply blending apples can lead to different satiety than eating the whole apple. However, for reasons I describe believe he falls short.I found the study he cites “The effect of fruit in different forms on energy intake and satiety at a meal”, 2009, Appetite 52: 416–422. Full text available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2664987/pdf/nihms97426.pdfIn the youtube video from 11:03 to 11:12, Novick describes the manner of applesauce creation as follows:“so they bought one of those fancy blenders, you know which ones, and they put the apple in it and they turned it on and it wizzed”However, the paper that he cites gives a very different description of the applesauce preparation on page 3, paragraph 3:“In order to make the applesauce, apples were peeled and baked in a covered dish for 45 min at 177 °C. The apples were weighed before and after baking to measure the amount of water that was lost during baking, and water was then added to the apples to account for any water loss that occurred. The apples were then pureed to produce applesauce.”Sorry, but this isn’t the same as just blending apples!BPCveg, that is an issue for Disqus and not Nutrition Facts.  I’ve had the same annoying problem.  I emailed Disqus about it and they said that they are looking into it. You may want to let them know that you are having the same issue to get the ball rolling quicker.What has worked for me in the past is to delete the text and replace it with sort of symbol (since Disqus will not allow you to leave a blank comment).  Then go to your Disqus profile and delete the comment.  All it will do is alter the comment to Guest (which will unlink it from your profile and prevent you from making any changes to it in the future… so be careful if you choose this method.)WholeFoodChomper: Thanks a lot for the great tip!Great video and information, as always. It’d be great if this video had the tag “Paleolithic” attached to it. It’d be great to be able to search videos for this term in the search function and under the “Video Topics.” ;-)Probably a pointless question, as people who eat a high fruit and veg diet likely have a lot more minerals and vitamins floating around their blood, but does this mean nutrient absorption is impaired on a high fibre diet, because of the speed up?I’m a huge fan of your work and have since changed my diet to a vegan based diet. My question if for my mother. She has been eating a vegan based diet for three years now with very low amounts of oil, yet her cholesterol is still in the mid 200’s. She takes medication for a “low thyroid”. Do you have any recommendations on how to lower her cholesterol through diet???Thank you for all your work!!!What about the cholesterol-lowering effects of soluble fiber? If insoluble fiber speeds up motility and soluble fiber slows motility to increase satiety, how does soluble fiber mediate its cholesterol-lowering effects?Where did paleolithic diets get all that calcium? Was it really likely from massive amounts of greens?	cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,fiber,heart disease,heart health,nuts,plant-based diets	Fiber bulks, speeds, and dilutes the intestinal waste stream to facilitate the removal of excess cholesterol from the body.	This mechanism is similar to how "normal" levels of fiber consumption (huge by modern standards) relieve the body of excess estrogen, which may explain reduced breast cancer risk in those eating plant-based diets. Fiber also helps improve intestinal transit time (stool size matters!) and protects against diverticulosis. An explanation of the nitric acid effect can be found in The Power of NO and the magnesium data is in How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?  and Mineral of the Year: Magnesium, and Friday's video-of-the-day Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering covered the cholesterol angle. The next two follow-up videos will use the same trash-picker analogy to explain the actions of phytosterols. If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free byclicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21457263,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19857053,
PLAIN-2913	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-bolts-of-cholesterol-lowering/	Nuts and Bolts of Cholesterol Lowering	A pooled analysis was recently published of 25 interventional trials investigating nut consumption and the levels of fatty substances like cholesterol in the blood. Here are the results of four of the best studies of nut consumption and the risk of death from heart disease. Compared to eating no nuts at all, this is the associated drop in risk of death eating nuts once or twice a month, about once a week, a couple times a week, and then every every day. We’re talking about cutting risk of our number one killer in half with one simple, delicious dietary change—adding nuts to our daily diet.Part of this is from nuts uncanny ability to lower bad cholesterol, and the worse off you are, the better it works. It’s not like nuts just cut your cholesterol a set percentage from wherever you start from. If your LDL starts out under 130 (and we’d really like to see it about half that) then eating nuts lowers LDL about 3%. But start out in the mid hundreds and nuts work twice as heard, and if you’re off the charts ready to keel over any moment, nuts drop your bad cholesterol an average of like 10%.You’ll note, though, many of these 25 studies were funded by industry groups such as the ITNC-NREF, the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research and Education Foundation, or the “International Nut and Dried Fruit Foundation,” presumably throwing the dried fruit part so they wouldn’t have to be known as the international nut foundation.Either way, such trade groups have not shown themselves to be above conniving studies designed to exaggerate benefit. Case in point, from Almond Board of California showing almond consumption reduces DNA damage compared to the control group who were instead made to eat pork. This is a classic drug company trick, comparing your product to something you just know is gonna bomb. And low and behold, “In summary, consuming a diet containing 84 g/d almonds for 4 weeks decreased oxidative stress in young male smokers.” Uh yeah, compared to pork….	One sees the manipulation of study design and skewing of results in studies on beverages too, from pomegranate juice to milk and soda. For more on nuts see videos like What Women Should Eat to Live Longer, Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell, Plant Protein Preferable, and Diverticulosis & Nuts, though there are 50 others. And hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand topics. On Monday’s video-of-the-day I’ll cover part of the mechanism of how nuts do what they do. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.So, can we conclude that eating a variety of nuts is more effective than just pure almonds at lowering cholesterol (ignoring Brazil nuts, which you have already addressed)?This is a great website and I enjoy getting the 2 minute daily updates.   I think today’s video is a repeat of yesterday (a new title but attached the wrong video?).Keep up the good work as you are doing a great service.  I’ve forwarded a link to the website to many of my friends…… those that would pay attention, anyway.Mikeroyo–you’re the best! Thank you so much for pointing that out. It will be fixed ASAP–stay tuned! All better now. Thanks for your patience–and enjoy!So what’s the best way to decipher which study is legit? I know most of us want to hear our bias confirmed, but is simply knowing who does the funding enough?This is a good question! :-)From this data I get the impression the benefits of nuts might be minimal for those eating a low fat, plant based diet as per Ornish and Esselstyn. Both of these approaches (very similar) eschew fatty foods including nuts and the proof is in the pudding ie reversal of heart disease. If you’re starting from a 80-85 LDL (sub 150 TChol) adding nuts may make no difference as you’re already “heart attack proof” to quote Dr. Esselstyn.Comments Dr. Greger?Great question Highland and for those of us on the Ornish diet/Esselstyn diet with stents/bypasses, carotid stenosis. Should we add some nuts or not? Dr. Fuhrman concludes yes and get the flour product consumption down. I tried that and it sure worked on my cholesterol numbers but did it work on the arteries. Cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic told me it is more important to worry about calming the endothelial lining than to worry about reversal of plaque. I would sure want to take advantage of a small amount of nuts daily if it lower my risk of another heart attack and early death. But how many and will it bring back angina to consume that much plant fat? I’d like expert comments too Dr. Geger. Thank you for this wonderful site.  As far as I know Dr Esselstyn has continued to oppose nut consumption for persons with heart disease. His diet would seem to reduce the risk of another heart attack to about zero– good enough, perhaps, whether walnuts might add a level of refinement, of redundant protection, or not. Those of us reading both Esselstyn and Greger, however, may tend to remain interested in nuts, perhaps especially walnuts.Esselsyn has expressed great respect for tests of endothelial function; he repeatedly cites brachial artery recovery testing results showing damage from, for example, olive oil. He would like to see more endothelial funciton testing of common foods. So would I!I’ve just run across a study showing improved endothelial function following walnut consumption: http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1137981The study was supported in part by a California walnut institution, but seems otherwise impressive. I take it as another data point in choosing whether to include nuts, or at least walnuts, in a diet intended to prevent or reverse heart disease. Also, I believe Esselstyn objects to all nuts (except walnuts) because of the poor omega3 to omega6 ratios. Nuts are very omega6 heavy, and this leads to inflammation…. and that impacts endolethial function. I don’t remember seeing Esselstyn’s concern over the omega 3/ omega 6 ratios of nuts before (do you remember where he mentions it?), but it has been a concern of mine. I understand that walnuts are the exceptional nut with a relatively favorable omega 3 / omega 6 ratio– which might, or might not, help to account for walnuts experimentally improving endothelial function. Of course, what we’d like to see is more experimental evidence for the effects of almonds (which I’m looking at for their high magnesium), hazelnuts, and so on. Experimental evidence could trump the hypothetical pro-inflammatory possibility. I think we’d all be happy if that should turn out to be the case!I believe another reason Dr Esselstyn says no nuts is because people don’t seem to be able to just eat a therapeutic amount. He stated this in a 6 hour seminar he provides for his patients that I attended. Thanks, Cheryl, for passing along Dr. Esselstyn’s thinking. My partner and I each usually just include a few walnut halves at lunch– we eat whatever portion we’re guessing at the time might be therapeutic (that could be two halves or a half handful, depending on where we fall on the Greger/Esselstyn spectrum at the time). Whatever the portion, there’s no inclination to eat more; by the end of lunch we’re full of beans and whatnot. On the other hand, we’re underweight, with practically no subcutaneous fat (owing to AIDS or HIV meds) and each subject to occasional stretches of near collapse. If, at such a time, we feel like we’re starving… almond butter on toast seems to help. Is it the fat (the concentrated calories), the magnesium, or… ?Or maybe just some more calories that you needed. :) Your lunch sounds like mine. I’ve been adding a few walnuts to my lunch salad (and even tossing on some pumpkin seeds too) yum!Dr. Greger, I thoroughly enjoy reading your daily posts.  Apart from your exceptional knowledge, you style of delivery is brilliant.  Thank you.Dr Greger you’re sense of humor in your videos always keeps me laughing. Thanks for all your great work and dedication!Dr. Greger,What are your thoughts on the 80/10/10 Diet? More specifically, do you feel that the 10% fat/10% protein is a sufficient amount from nuts and seeds?Less digestible protein fractions, insoluble fiber, and a myriad of antinutritional factors such as trypsin inhibitors, hemagglutinins, tannins, phytates, etc. prevent foods like nuts and seeds from being realistically good sources of protein, even if they do contain the essential amino acids (ex: cashews / pumpkin seeds). These foods can have all sorts of great properties outside of protein, but please don’t count on them for that. So, rely more so on leafy greens and sprouts then for protein?  Thanks, Alexander!That would be a better bet, yes. Careful with raw sprouts, though, as sprouting can reduce inhibitors, but probably not eliminate them entirely. Eating a varietized whole foods plant based diet provides all the protein one needs, especially when you eat starches. Protein needs and energy needs are equivalent so eat when your hungry till your full. The inhibitors Alexander speaks of below are deactivated with cooking.Hi Dr. Greger, I love watch your videos every day along with my morning oatmeal and fruit. Very grateful for the chance to learn, and sometimes be entertained. Today’s almond vs pork study was hilarious–except that I can’t believe anyone really wastes the time and resources. A shame.My question is this: I greatly prefer toasted nuts–walnuts, pecans, almonds. Are there any studies which look at the difference in raw vs toasted? Am I doing myself any harm–or just not doing myself as much good as I could? I’m guessing in these big studies like the Nurse’s Health Study, that people were eating a mixture of raw and toasted. My guess is most people are not eating raw nuts, but are still benefitting. Do you know?Which nuts are best ? I consume walnuts, almonds and hazels. Are these good ?Of the nuts you mentioned the walnuts are the best. As far as macronutirents go, walnuts are best. Check out this video on the antioxidant content of each nut.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/I definitely understand your point  on studies funded from specific industries which benefit from the research’s “good” results. Key to note and always focus upon is the research study itself: quality, control, peer reviewed, etc. In short, is it a reputable good piece of work or a slanted bias study, done for a pop in advertising promotion.There are both types prevalent, always glad you focus on the study’s underlying scientific foundation parameters and not just the sensationalistic results.This subject is timely for me, so I’m glad this subject is back up. After  a few months of plant-based eating, my cholesterol dropped 100 points. But now after a year on plants it seems frozen at about 200 total. Is it oil, nuts, coffee, sugar, stress? Or what some have told me”familial.” There is so much conflicting information. Thanks Dr. G for your daily digging for answers.Are you still loosing weight or are you at your ideal weight? I eat plant perfect but my cholesterol is still high. I’ve lost 40 the 70 pounds I needed to loose. Dr Esselstyn told me that I might not see my numbers drop to where they should be until I get the last 30 pounds off. (my BMI is 25.5 at this point)I think I’ve figured out the culprit for me…my favorite vegan restaurant uses a lot of oil (and I eat there a lot). I’m close to my ideal weight, but may have 8 pounds or so to go. Thanks for responding. My coffee maker is one of those Keurig contraptions, and I’m not sure it filters out the cholesterol raisers. I’m going to cut back a bit on the simple sugars as well. It was a little disheartening after the initial 100 point drop of going plant based. But I think watching the oils is important.  Indeed, oil is one thing you should eliminate from your diet.I think we also forget about the importance of exercise when it comes to lowering LDL. Are these studies done on vegetarians and vegans?  In other words,  is adding walnuts to my low-fat, whole plant-based, vegan diet an improvement or is it just an improvement if one is an omnivore?But what about the studies showing that people with the highest cholesterol live the longest, and that vegetarians have higher mortality? (Was just reading this article, which says: “Female vegetarians have higher coronary heart disease mortality than female non-vegetarians. Male vegetarians have lower coronary heart disease mortality than male non-vegetarians, but they have higher all-cause mortality.” (here’s the link to the article: http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/columns/vitamin-connection/cholesterol-paradigm-greatest-health-scam-century)I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks!The populations with the highest level of dietary cholesterol in their diet compare with Americans are the Inuits and they live 10 years less then Americans. The Okinawans who are primarily plant based had the most centenarians per capita; that is, the most people over 100 years old in their population. I am not sure what other figures are being looked at. Vegetarians can fall under the umbrella of dairy, eggs and free oils. These foods promote heart disease progression. One has to be a healthy vegan to truly reverse heart disease.I would recommend viewing some of these mortality videos http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=mortalitySo, bottom line: do nuts help lower cholesterol or not?I have so many questions about cholesterol. Here is a little background on me. I am 56 and pretty healthy (I think, I feel like I am) and not on any medications. My weight is pretty high (although I have lost 17 pounds since starting this six months ago, but that’s just a drop in the bucket), I love eating. I’ve always leaned towards not eating meat, and went ten years strictly vegetarian when I was younger (16-26). Those damn McDonalds fish fillets got me coming and going. They were literally the last think I ate before going vegetarian and the first thing I ate when I started eating a little meat again. My reasons have always been moral issues.Anyway, about 6 months ago I saw the ‘Uprooting” video and it really affected me. I showed it to Neal, who said to me in the past, “Don’t every expect me to stop eating meat”, and he said we need to be vegan!! I was ecstatic!! So we have been totally vegan now for six months, and I have to assume from here on in.I wish we would have had our cholesterol checked before hand, but we didn’t. Last Saturday we went and had our blood checked, and this is what mine came up with:total cholesterol: 222 HDL: 40 Glucose: 108 TC/HDL ratio: 5.5 blood pressure: 120/74Sam’s did that all for free : ))Anyway, I thought it would be better after six months, so will it continue to get better in time, do I need to be doing something else?I am starting to use more and more green leafies and stuff, I found a great way to eat LOTS of it at a time, stick all kinds of veggies in the Ninja and grind it all down and add some flavouring or dressing, you can eat tons of veggies this way!!I’m always trying to find ways to keep it new and exciting : ))Thank you so much, Dr. Greger!!Lizzielizziebarrett@gmail.com http://www.CHKittyClub.com(Oh, and I do not smoke, drink or take drugs, aside from the occasional ibuprofen) Everyone in my family has died from cancer.Dr Greger,This was a fascinating topic but there is a bigger question:WHAT EFFECT DOES NUT CONSUMPTION HAVE ON LDL IN FAT FREE VEGANS?I’ve been fat free vegan since numerous mini strokes and diagnosis of right anterior cerebral artery blockage.It appears this condition has improved after a full year of removing animal products and added fat from my diet.I would like to add nuts but don’t want to jeopardize the improvement which has been made.Thank You For Your Incredible Work.Donald.I’m not sure if this is the right place, but I would like to ask about sprouted nuts. I recently read that sprouted nuts are supposedly healthier than roasted or even raw nuts. They claimed that the raw nuts had to be blanched, a process in which some of the nutrition is lost, but that sprouted nuts are treated with lower heat after a short germination. Sounds too good to be true. Is it?My cholesterol dropped 46 points to normal in one year eating a plant diet including nuts and seeds.Even for strict whole food vegans, eating too many nuts and seeds can definitely keep an LDL and total cholesterol level higher than generally accepted ideal levels. Limiting those foods quite a bit could be wise for all unless it is demonstrated that they provide protection even when cholesterol levels aren’t perfect. Fat-soluble antioxidant vitamins that come with nuts and seeds might provide that protection? An un-oxidized higher LDL might not be so bad?OK! You end these videos this way, way to often; with a negative about what you were just talking so positive about! So, should we, who have a heart condition, be eatting nuts daily? And you only mentioned almonds; are they the best? Or what other nuts are good for lowering chloresterol? I’d like to get off this Simvastatin!Nuts actually RAISED my cholesterol from very healthy numbers to the highest they’ve been in years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhRQ4dcfN54I have been a vegetarian for over 35 years. I am now vegan. My cholesterol is around 240 to 280. I have tried everything to lower it naturally and nothing has worked. What do you suggest?	almonds,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,mortality,nuts,oxidative stress,pork	A pooled analysis of studies on nut consumption, cholesterol levels, and risk of death from heart disease show extraordinary benefits, suggesting we should eat nuts every day.	One sees the manipulation of study design and skewing of results in studies on beverages too, from pomegranate juice to milk and soda. For more on nuts see videos like What Women Should Eat to Live Longer, Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell, Plant Protein Preferable, and Diverticulosis & Nuts, though there are 50 others. And hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand topics. On Monday's video-of-the-day I'll cover part of the mechanism of how nuts do what they do. If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/13/cholesterol-lowering-in-a-nut-shell/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21193297,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20458092,
PLAIN-2914	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-versus-drugs-for-high-cholesterol/	Diet Versus Drugs for High Cholesterol	To combat dyslipidemia, which includes high cholesterol, patients have several treatment options that include drugs, diet, and/or lifestyle changes. Drugs are effective but produce adverse side-effects in a significant proportion of patients. Statins such as Lipitor are the most widely prescribed, but they produce adverse effects in up to a third of patients. Adverse effects are also associated with the other drugs in common usage. (funny voice)Adverse effects may include liver, muscle, and kidney dysfunctions; skin disorders; abdominal pain; nausea; constipation; dizziness; flushing; neurological disorders; and cognitive impairment.“On the other hand, therapies based on dietary and lifestyle changes produce little or no adverse events (in fact tend to have positive side effects) and are the cornerstone of recommendations by the official U.S. body, the American Heart Association, as well as the international guidelines.Recommendations include reduced intake of saturated fat and cholesterol while increasing physical activity and intake of dietary fiber. So, we need to eat fewer animal foods, the only source of cholesterol, and more plants, the only source of fiber.	I debated whether or not to include this video, since it’s not anything I haven’t covered before (see, for example, What Women Should Eat to Live Longer, Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero, Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet, Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death, and Statin Muscle Toxicity). I just liked how the researchers summed it up. And since heart disease is the leading killer of both men and women in most countries (see Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death on how to prevent 14 other top killers) I figured a little repetition couldn’t hurt. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.The problem is that most M.D.`s know little or nothing about the tremendous impact of diet on health.Another problem is that the official recommendations are way too conservative. You can`t expect big results if you just follow the advice to lower your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol; you have to avoid saturated fat and cholesterol altogether.Moderation kills! (I think that was Caldwell B.Esselstyn) Don’t debate! The more evidence, the better. I find that the more reinforcement, the more confidence it instills. It also helps to cement into memory.Once people went to the doctor when they were sick. Now people go to the doctor to get assured that they are healthy enough. Slightly elevated cholesterol and you get a prescription for statins – and then you are healthy! – NOT!!! Health has nothing to do with medication. Prescription drugs are for sick people. I am not “all up to date on the science here”, but has it ever been documented that otherwise healthy people, with slightly elevated cholesterol, benefits from statins?Of course it is a different case, if a person has had a cardiovascular event – then we have a sick person – a patient.Healthcare is evolving into a risk-factor system, where healty people take prescription drugs to prevent something that might never happen.Stefan and all others, I thought you might like this new release from The National Acadamies Press: Committee on Ethical and Scientific Issues in Studying the Safety of Approved Drugs: “An estimated 48 percent of the population takes at least one prescription drug in a given month.” Open wide ;-()Stefan, I’m really depressed right now.  Not only am I fighting an uphill battle I may have no choice in the matter in the future.This is an exerpt from the publication Family Practice News:“In Massachusetts, Physicians Bearing Brunt of Reform Effort. The Health Reform Law “An Act Providing Access to Affordable, Quality, Accountable Health Care, essentially requires all state residents to acquire health insurance. The concept behind the reform law “was brilliant,” because it increased insurance coverage and gave patients incentives to get preventive care (I’m not the biggest fan of Preventative Care when it comes to certain screening tests). But at the same time, the law “discincentivizes doctors from seeing patients because the reimbursement is so poor.””And the kicker for me, which I have been hearing for a long time is, “The shift to global payment will likely hasten the demise of solo and small private practices.”      http://www.familypracticenews.com/newsletter/family-practice-news-e-newsletter/singleview-enewsletter/in-massachusetts-physicians-bearing-brunt-of-reform-effort/a4bac8aece25b31d091cef54280502df.htmlHow will I survive teaching plant based lifestyles.  Because I can tell you now there is no way in Hell that Big Medicine (eg Hospitals) will let me spend quality time with my patients teaching them how to get off their medicines rather than prescribing them.Let’s get real here.  I can get a patient in and out of my office in five to ten minutes if I tell them that all they have to do is take “this Pill” and all will be better.  (Just don’t tell them they will be taking that me for the rest of their life and have to follow up about every 3 months for the rest of their life, nor the side effects, nor the cost, nor that they will slowly degrade and cost the health care system even more Billions of dollars because pills for chronic disease don’t stop the progression of disease.)But to teach a patient about the disease process and the physiology takes time but well spent time.  But Big Medicine is all about TIME!!!!  Because TIME=MONEY!!  Decreased reimbursements will mean I will have to see 30-40 patients a day just to keep my head above water if I work for Big Medicine.  And then I will have to be happy as I stand by and watch my patients continue on the slow, agonizing path of physical, mental and spiritual decline.This is a horrible conundrum to be in.  Are all countries like this?If our health care is so good then why are we the worlds leaders in health care spending and nearly the last in quality health care?That is bad news – hope you will find a solution.Old news! Where is the new, exciting stuff? Old news !? Has there been an impact on society? No! Hence you have to repeat the message over and over again……If it was old news my patients would be going plant based and stopping the statins. And trust me that isn’t happening. They say their cardiologists want them on them so……I once suggested to my cousin, an experienced cardiologist and a very people-smart person, that science supports consuming produce over pills to lower heart attack risk. I went over several articles with her and she agreed with my conclusion, but protested that she cannot advise her patients to become pure vegetarians since most of them will think she is crazy and seek another doctor. She claimed that it is important to work with the paradigm of the patient and take a gradual approach to bringing about change. So she does suggest shifting to leaner meats and eating more fruits and vegetables, but also pursues statin therapy, as required to get the cholesterol numbers in the desired range. Given the bias that many people have, what is the best way for a doctor to convince their patient to switch to a whole foods plant-based diet?I think because people revere docs, they might actually not think poorly of her recommendations for a veg diet. I would present info to support though… Links for veg recipe websites and sites such as these. Book recommendations, too. Give the patients the info and then let them decide but don’t assume patients can’t handle it.And tell that there are vegan docs! (who are not crazy) :-)Indeed!Doctors are not scientists.  they are mechanics.  grease monkeys… asking your doktor to explain first principles of heart lube is akin to expecting your BMW technician to understand Bernouli’s equations.  TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR HEALTH.  Read what you can but also…DR GREGER is also a scientist.  He reads the lit so you don’t have to.  Trust his work.We recently moved to Florida so we needed a new PCP. My former doctor always pushed Lipitor and made me feel that I was going to drop dead in the next month if I didn’t take it, and I still refused. My new doctor whom I just met today says that Lipitor should not be taken, especially by women. What a great feeling to have a doctor who will work with you to use food to be healthy.I’m in FL too and my internist specializes in lipids; (I mean, he will truly spend 45 minutes going over your blood work line by line, talking about particles, etc., very intense!) and he just about hugged me when he saw on my chart that I love to cook and grow my own foods. I am quite sure he resists prescribing statins too. Then, there are patients who really are not motivated to eat right–they just want the pill, the *easy* button if you will, very sad. Glad you found a great physician!Dr. Greger, shouldn’t people with high cholesterol go on statins in the short-term to lower the cholesterol quickly while simultaneously adjusting their diet and increasing physical activity so they can hopefully go off the statins in the long-term?By the way, great presentation at the HSUS conference a couple weeks ago.I think this video will answer your question! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/Matt, I don’t know why, but I don’t think you will get a direct response from a Doctor to this question.  I’ve asked it many times and it is always evaded.  It seems that the link between cholesterol and disease is weak.  but atherosclerosis is rife with oxidized cholesterol…I think the story is yet to unfold.  FWIW, after 7 years on lipitor I bailed for a year. i would rather have the past year off that crap and die sooner  than keep” living” ON it.  It was like a freakin sci fi movie…yoou know, “take your soma komrade”…Good luck. Live happy, gutsy  and long.  Oh right, and prosper.Is it possible to have too low cholesterol. I’ve been vegan for about 12 years now, so I haven’t eaten any cholesterol for that time.Vegan Paul, do you know what your levels are? HDL, LDL, triglycerides, etc.?No. Our liver makes all the cholesterol our body needs for tissue stability, digestion and hormone production.YesCoacervate I really loved your life story below. Forks Over Knives should be required watching for all.Having too low cholesterol is rare. Could you imagine such an epidemic with the SAD!I have a dilemma. I am vegan with a family history of high cholesterol. I don’t consume any animal products and yet have high cholesterol. I was put on Simvastatin and am having side effects. Muscle pain.I was wondering if the cholesterol that my body is making is harmful ? My HDL is very good , so do I need a statin ?Jeanmaclay,  None of the Doctors replied so i will.  i have the same problem. But i wonder if it is really a problem.  I had a heart triple count em widow maker bypass 8 years ago.  I took all the drugs, got sick as a ****ing dog for 7 years on statin and finally my wife said “if you don’t get off that shit you are as good as dead.”  Bless her profane heart, she strapped me into the lazyboy and force fed me “forks over knives” over and over again…I can name all those folks who got so healthy eating right. “Real men (and women) eat plants!”…well that was a year ago and ,  how can i say this…inside of three weeks of eating whole foods-plant based that creepy angina feeling was GONE.  Whole gross piles of fat and those man-breasts simply vanished… but my cholesterol is 5.9 mMolar…much higher than when i was on lipitor … so why did i have angina on lipitor and not a trace on vegan diet?   I advise you go carefully, take control an see if do better off the drugs than on.  And let your Doctors know they are not very good if they cant see past the drug co’s motives.  Best of luck.  Stay happy!Coacervate- My cholesterol is lower on the statin, but my hands hurt. Maybe the cholesterol our bodies make is not harmful like the cholesterol that is ingested. It would be nice if there was a study done with vegans with high LDL & HDL to see if there is any long term harm. Congrats on your transformation !Jean, we’re talking about heart disease the no. 1 killer.  Only YOU can decide if you are going w/ or w/o the statin.  FWIW, all of my 58 year old joints improved, my head cleared and the sleepless nights vanished within 3 days of stopping Simvastatin.  I was taking 80 mg per day.  How much do they have you on? Also, HDL is important but the latest story is about the particle size.  Big LDL good, small LDL bad.  Vegans have Biggest LDL going…but I think this story is evolving and no bout adoubt it, Dr. G will have the latest dope as it accrues.Finally, if you google cholesterol vs heart disease or similar search terms then you will find graphs that show a shotgun blast with a straight line through it.  I don’t know why they do that.  It seems that there is no relationship at all. Great photo by the way. Coacervate- Ha ha thanks ! 1977 photo. Shorter hair,no cap,hospital scrubs now. Same face due to vegan diet & sunscreen : ).  I  started out on 10 mg Simvastatin and was ok. Got bumped up to 20 and started having pain in my 55 yr old hands. Worse during the night and when I wake up. Body feeling a little achy as well. I know about the LDL particle size and asked my PCP about checking that but she wouldn’t do it even though the phlebotomist in the lab said they can. Must be too expensive. Wonder if I can have it done on my own if I pay for it ? Will have to investigate.I wonder if T. Colin Campbell has any thoughts on this ? I might just have to find out how to contact him as this is an issue that deserves to be investigated. My chiropractor thinks that if my body is producing it, that I must need it. Hope he is right !Fantastic summary of the truth that high cholesterol need not be treated with drugs as the first and only option.Dr. Greger,  5 weeks ago we switched our eating to an almost vegan whole foods diet. At first my husband (who had high LDL) felt great, but the last few days he has been feeling poorly… heart burn and chest pressure. Could the sudden extreme change cause this? and how would we find a local doctor who endorses this lifestyle and who could provide closer monitoring?  Thanks so much!Dr. Greger is laid back in this video in large part because He has addressed this issue in other videos. Don’t be deceived. Due to drug companies influence, statins are overprescribed in almost all patients and cholesterol can almost always be reduced with a whole foods plant based diet. Statins have more serious side affects and less benefit than you have been led to believe.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F-WBV2yxr0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFIJ6lia3UEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hbNSHPco0gCholesterol Drugs’ Benefits Far Outweigh Side Effects, Review FindsBut long-term use of statins may raise odds of diabetes among people with risk factors, experts say –http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_147696.htmlThe above was posted to Medline on August 5, 2014 Anyone have any thoughts on this being true or not? thanks	American Heart Association,brain health,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,cognition,dietary guidelines,fiber,heart disease,heart health,Lipitor,liver health,medications,saturated fat,side effects,statins	Though official recommendations are to first treat high cholesterol with dietary change, many physicians jump right to cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins that can have an array of adverse side effects.	I debated whether or not to include this video, since it's not anything I haven't covered before (see, for example, What Women Should Eat to Live Longer, Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero, Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet, Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death, and Statin Muscle Toxicity). I just liked how the researchers summed it up. And since heart disease is the leading killer of both men and women in most countries (see Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death on how to prevent 14 other top killers) I figured a little repetition couldn't hurt. If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk and Cholesterol Lowering in a Nut Shell. 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	-
PLAIN-2915	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-versus-english-walnuts/	Black Versus English Walnuts	The best way to keep and consume walnut oil, is within the walnut itself, but which is better for cardiovascular disease prevention? Black walnuts or English, also known as common, walnuts?Regular “English walnuts have been shown to decrease cardiovascular disease risk; however, black walnuts do not appear to have not been studied for their cardioprotective effects” until now. Maybe black are even better?Who do you think won the contest? Three choices: black best, English best, or the same.I would have guessed black just based on their rich flavor and color, but I would have been wrong. , English best and I’ll show you why. They both tended to lower cholesterol but when “participants were given a meal containing a sandwich with salami and cheese on white bread smeared with 2 spoonfuls of butter along with yogurt… and then big handful of black or English walnuts, something very different happened. When we whack our arteries with that kind of load of saturated animal fat, our blood vessels immediately—within hours, become inflamed and stiff. You eat English walnuts with the salami sandwich, though, and they are so packed with antiinflmmatory goodness that you significantly lessen the impact. “Black walnuts, however, did not improve endothelial function, the cells of the arterial lining, which can be explained by nutritional differences between the nuts.”“English walnuts, for example, have nearly 10 times as much antioxidant capacity as black.”	The anti-inflammatory power of nuts is really quite astonishing. Check out my video Fighting Inflammation in a Nutshell. Why is meat and dairy inflammatory? Check out my three videos exploring the mystery The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation, The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory, and Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia. I also give an abbreviated summary of it in my full-length “live” presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here. So the SAD — Standard American in Denial — will take this info and say, “Ooh, okay, so I’ll just add a handful of walnuts after my cheese-stuffed meat-lovers pizza, parmesan-cheese bread, and diet coke!”Funny! I bet you’ve heard it before too! :^)I thought of that too Strix! You did! How funny :D. It reminds me of those miracle pill commercials where people claim,”I lost 30 pounds and didnt’ have to change the way I eat!” “I didn’t have to exercise!”They don’t even TRY to sound like it’s healthy. Shameless!That is my husband for certain, except his junk food is Bordon’s ice cream, which I won’t buy because it is made up through and through of GMO’s. So he walks to the store to buy his own. He won’t read more than a line and doesn’t want to hear anything that may be negative. Sounds like much of the American public?That is a stupid thing to say. If your not interested in keeping your health up, by all means eat what you like. Don’t look for help on you deathbed. I have heard of black walnuts before but only in conjunction with bowel cleansing. Just bought some English walnuts at the market. I think I’ll go enjoy a couple before my class.I think it is black walnuts husk extractives that are used for bowel cleansing, rather than the nut meats. By the way, I think the husk extractives are potentially injurious. They are irritating on sensitive areas of the body.So glad the English or common walnuts won out…I KNOW I can’t find black walnuts easily here! And the sound of that sandwich sounded so gross…poor participants! Doubt I could even swallow it…..Hurray for English walnuts!  I eat an ounce (28 grams) a day for the Omega 3s and other healthful benefits.  It’s great when a regular, tasty food turns out to be a nutritional superfood too.What do you call John Cleese (From Monty Python) on a Castle Wall?An English Walnut! ;-}I had to ‘crack’ up all the ‘nutty’ness around here.Laughter is the best medicine, even if you didn’t laugh.Woohoo!  This is great news since English walnuts are SO MUCH easier to find.I totally would have bet on black walnuts.  This is a real surprise.  Great study and report.  Thanks.Never heard of Black Walnuts! So I`m happy that the good old English Wallnut still works……Black walnuts are sold through Sam’s Club, Walmart, Hammons Products Company, Amazon. Plus, Diamond Nuts are black walnuts. http://www.diamondnuts.comBlack walnuts “are toxic to plants [that grow beneath them], humans, and horses.” See: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1148.htmlGee, I hope they are not sold at my local “health food” store. I’ll ask now that you have informed me, Dr. Greger.http://www.diamondnuts.com/products/culinary/You’ll note that Diamond has both black walnuts and ‘walnuts’, separately listed and illustrated.So, your statement that Diamond nuts are black walnuts is not correct.On the black walnuts page, under the heading ‘Benefits’, appears this statement: “Black walnuts have more protein than English walnuts and contain arachidonic fatty acid.” I sort of thought arachidonic acid was a bad thing. I’ll look it up, but it might be nice if, in the meantime, someone who knows would put an indication here in reply.Just recently read that arachidonic acid is regarded as healthy – included in many formulas in supplements.Acahidonic acid is healthy, its omega 6, or at least what non preformed omega 6 becomes. Arachidonic acid in high amounts, which is not hard to do, is not healthy though. Please see here. http://www.mountainproject.com/v/apocalypse-91/105753550So glad to know this.  I was just enjoying my salad topped with English walnuts as your email popped onto my screen.  I enjoyed it even more after listening to the conclusion.I’m relieved to hear this. I used to live on a property with many black walnut trees but we didn’t bother eating the nuts because the shells are much harder than English walnuts and you have to use a sledgehammer to crack them, which of course then smashes your nut. Also the nuts are much smaller than the English variety and have almost no flavour. So that is why black walnuts are hard to find.Black walnuts definitely have a flavour. I prefer it to that of English walnuts. The shells can easily be cracked with a vice. To make retrieving the nutmeats easiest, It helps to know at what angle to place the nut in the vice.Seems to make sense as black walnuts are literally “tough nuts to crack”. I have a black walnut tree and tried them with little luck. Now I can feel good about letting the squirrels have them. I wonder how the squirrel’s get inside.  Must be some mighty powerful jaws??Thanks Kate Scott and Memc66 for the additional info on black walnuts.  I had never heard of them before.A year ago I heard a historian of medicine talk about folk practice in Great Britain. The women used to pick the spring leaves of the black walnut tree and crush and rub the leaves into the palms of the hands or other soft skin areas. The belief is that there are compounds transmitted into the bloodstream that provide protection against breast cancer for up to one year. Apparently the compounds are contained only in the leaves of the black walnut tree. I love red walnuts, and would love to find how they stack up against the others.Never heard of them! I had to look them up! Nuts.com has them and the reviews look good. I wonder how they rate in this black vs english contest?!Where do you but English Walnuts?Both English and Black Walnuts are found at Nuts.com. But, now that we know the difference, be certain to ask for English walnuts. I will, everywhere I make purchases.I get mine at Whole Foods, sometimes Natural Grocer if they have it organic raw, otherwise I get them online. I try to always have a supply of different raw nuts and seeds so that I can make last minute meals (I hate to plan :), I enjoy being spontaneous with myself :PQuestion about nuts: Have the nutrition facts of RAW (wal)nuts vis a vis BAKED (as in a cake) or ROASTED (wal)nuts been studied? Are they healthier? Are baked or roasted nuts unhealthy (as some claim)?Black walnuts and English walnuts are both grown in the USA. “The English walnut originated in Persia (now Iran). Commercially produced varieties are nearly all hybrids of the English walnut. The Northern California black walnut is primarily used as the rootstock for English walnut cultivars. California produces 99 percent of the nation’s commercial English walnuts with almost all production taking place in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys..”More about English walnuts at:http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/nuts/english-walnuts/My mother LOVES black walnuts, so mischievously waiting for her to get off the phone to show her this clip, heheheheFrankly, I like the taste of black walnuts; I don’t really like the taste of english walnuts.Black walnuts are much easier to find. You just take a walk in the woods in late Sep to early Oct, and look for the distinctive leaves and distinctive bark of the black walnut tree. The walnuts are lying on the ground under 1/2 of these trees (each tree drops walnuts every 2 years). The trees grow wild over a large part of the USA. You don’t have to spend all day in the coal mine earning wages and then trade these for walnuts in a store. True, getting to the walnut meats is a lot of work. But cultivating english walnuts is work too. Most English walnuts trees grown in the US are grafted to black walnut root stock. I haven’t done a time and motion study, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the work-hours required to produce each kilogram of ready-to-eat, cultivated english walnuts meats is more than the work-hours needed to produce each kilogram of black walnut meats.Walnuts are generally sold as walnuts; no distinction between black or english. Now what?Smooth shell is English/Common. They are much easier to crack and extract, and tend to have a milder flavor. Rough texture shell is Black and they cannot be opened without some mechanical device. I use a 5″ machinists vise. Black walnut shells are so tough that they are used for abrasive and polishing media in industry.Her türlü girer çıkarım ümraniye web tasarım da girerim cıkmam ama kurumsal web tasarım da önüme gelmeyin sakın siz nasıl dersiniz bilmiyorum ama ümraniye web tasarım firmaları rasında girişler hep serbest siz hiç firma rehberi gördünüzmü lan konuşmayın o ümraniye web tasarım firmaları zman sokar cıkartırım söyleyim bak site ekle dedikya en iyi reklam yerleri olarak hepinizin amın akoyum şerefsizler :)Well dang, as black walnuts grow all around me. I’ve even sold them to market by the truckload. But they are a terrible chore to get out of the shell.	animal fat,antioxidants,butter,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cheese,cholesterol,endotoxemia,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,meat,nuts,processed meat,saturated fat,walnuts,yogurt	A dramatic difference exists between the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of black walnuts versus English walnuts.	The anti-inflammatory power of nuts is really quite astonishing. Check out my video Fighting Inflammation in a Nutshell. Why is meat and dairy inflammatory? Check out my three videos exploring the mystery The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation, The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory, and Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia. I also give an abbreviated summary of it in my full-length "live" presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death. If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21488754,
PLAIN-2916	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	The True Shelf-Life of Cooking Oils	When you look at a bottle of oil in the grocery store there are “best-before” date, advising consumers how long they have to consume it before it starts going rancid and builds up oxidation products that can be particularly harmful to human health.Here are the best-before dates for eight culinary oils: almond oil, avocado oil, hazelnut, macadamia, grape seed, rice bran, toasted sesame, and walnut oil. These are the best-before dates in number of months, counting from the day the oil is made. So if you make batch of walnut oil on January 1st 2012, the best-before date printed on the bottle from that batch would be 12 months later, January 1, 2013. Now this is making some pretty strict assumptions. This is based you are keeping the oil in the refridgerator in a airtight, dark containiner, so it’s not exposed to air, room temperature, or light, particularly after it’s opened.This group of scientists were skeptical that the companies were printing accurate dates, and so they put all the oils to the test to find out that the true these expirations dates were. Would it match what the companies say? Would the companies put a longer duration trying to make the oil appear more stable than it really is? Or would they put a shorter duration on, to encourage people to buy their product more frequently?For rice bran oil the company said 7 months. Actual estimated shelf-life found in their tests? 6.5 months. Not bad, pretty close. In some cases, though, the truth was stretched one way; in others it was stretched the other way. Look at almond oil. They said it would last over a year, and it really only stays good for 3 months, and remember that’s 3 months in the fridge, in the dark, and after production, not after when you buy it.Macadamia oil and walnuts were the real outliers though. Mac oil lasted the longest —over a year, the company totally undersold it’s stability, but for walnut oil, they said a year and it only lasts about 2 and a half weeks, according to testing with the “Rancimat.”	What’s the best way to consume walnut oil? In the walnut itself! (see for example, my video on toxins created by deep frying). But which type of walnuts are the best? Find out in tomorrow’s video-of-the-day Black Versus English Walnuts. My latest video on the wonders of nuts was What Women Should Eat to Live Longer, though I have a few dozen other videos on the topic (not to mention a thousand other topics). If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Another argument to eat a whole foods plant based diet with as little added oils as possible. Oils are highly processed. You can easily get your fats from nuts, seeds, avocados etc.What about coconut oil? How does it compare? The health conscious use coconut oil. Diabetics can use it without fear because it balances blood sugar.  It aids uptake of magnesium and calcium, improving dental and bone health.  It helps you loose weight.  It is a good kind of saturated fat that does not contribute to heart disease.  And in my experience, is stable for a year while sitting out on the counter.  Although I do not cook with oils, I understand that coconut oil degrade the least of all vegetable oils when heated. All other oils I only consume as part of the food it comes in.  Flax seed, hemp seed, walnuts, etc.AlanRoy, In response to “Diabetics can use it without fear because it balances blood sugar.”  Doesn’t follow what I see in my daily practice nor what is well published in the literature.  I have had many diabetics turn to Vegan diets and their Diabetes becomes worse.  Then I find out they added coconut oil and Avocados as well) because it’s “good” and their blood glucose goes through the roof!  Remove it and BG goes down. Almost all fats (except Omega 3) appear to cause insulin resistance which has been well documented in the research, so I like to say that there is no such thing as a Good or Bad fat, ONLY essential.  And the only essential fats we need are Omega 3 and 6.  We can synthesize all the other fats.  And how much do we need? About only one half a walnut a day supplies us with all the Omega 3+6 fat we need.Regarding Coconut oil here is a recent article showing its detrimental effects on insulin resistance, weight gain and atherosclerosis from Pub Med: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20832799.If I had more time I would get more of the research regarding Diabetes but here is a nice resource from PCRM: http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/diabetes/DiabetesLitSearchRecentandClassicArticlesontheEffect.pdfPlease also remember, The Fat You Eat is the Fat You Wear!  So if you want to look like a coconut (nice and round –and hairy?) go ahead and eat one. :-}I think it was Michael Klaper M.D. who said: When the pathologist examines the arteriosclerotic plaque (that killed the patient) the answer always come back: Saturated fat and cholesterol, NEVER residues from broccoli and tofu…..HemoDynamic,Have you found any smoking gun proof (in human studies, of course) to support elimination of all non-essential fats (including those of nuts and seeds)?Based on my read through Brenda Davis’ book ‘Becoming Raw’, I was of the impression that there are two vegan schools of thought on the fat issue – one school supports very low fat veganism and the other school supports consumption of a diet rich in monunsaturated and polyunsaturated sources (up to 30%) of calories, which is analogous to the Mediterranean pattern of eating. Based on the videos presented on this website, doesn’t it seem like Dr. Greger is supporting the latter school of thought? My impression was that the fat issue was unsettled, which is why I was surprised by your suggestion that we should eat half a walnut per day. BPCveg: I don’t know about Dr. Greger supporting up to 30% of fat calories.  From my interpretation of the videos and blogs, Dr. Greger seems to strongly support seed and nut consumption, but in relatively small amounts. For example, in the Uprooting Leading Causes of Death vidoe, Dr. Greger talks about longevity benefits from 2 handfuls of nuts a week.  A week.  A day, that would be like, what, less than quarter cup a day?  And I seem to remember another video or blog talking about the benefits of even a half walnut a day. Dr. Greger’s latest nutrition recommendations are to include a variety of seeds and nuts in one’s diet, but he doesn’t say how much.It seems to me that the “no fats” and the “30% fats” proponents are two ends of the spectrum.  What about a healthy middle?Just some thoughts.  I’m not necessarily arguing against anything you said.  I’m just participating in the discussion. I know that there are more videos about nuts in Volume 10.  Perhaps we will learn more about nuts then.Hi Thea,I think Dr. Greger hasn’t clearly stated what percentage of calories from fat to consume.In his video titled ‘Halving Heart Attack Risk’ on September 4th, 2010, Dr. Greger specifically states that a single handful of nuts per day can cut heart attack risk in half. But, he doesn’t go on to say, don’t eat more than that! In fact, he says ‘don’t ever not eat nuts’.In his video titled ‘Plant-Based Atkins Diet’ on February 2nd, 2012, Dr. Greger argued that a low-carbohydrate diet (which according to the study was 43% fat) reduced mortality substantially. In fact, the study also showed reduced LDL in this low carbohydrate diet.These are some of the main reasons I think that he is supporting the higher fat end of the spectrum.By the way, there are no links in this comment because when I added links it kept getting flagged for moderation and then didn’t publish. BPCveg: Thanks for taking the time to clarify your thoughts for me.It’s so interesting to me how different minds thing.  I look at that same info, at least for your first example, that you look at and come to a different conclusion.  :-OIt is telling to me that Dr. Greger hasn’t chimed in on this question, and that his latest “Optimum Nutrition Recommendations” from Volume 10 do not specifically address this question.For me, the answer is: do at least the minimum amount of recommended nut/seed intake and then take more only if your calorie requirements allow.  But that’s just my take on it all.Thea: I agree with you that there is definately some ambiguity on this topic, given what has been said on this website thus far. In the meantime, your suggested answer sounds very reasonable.Thanks for the exchange of opinions. Hopefully we will get our answer soon.I believe posts with links only get flagged if you’re not registed. Thisis to prevent spammers that aren’t registered from junking up the blog. So please register and link like crazy!By the way, Brenda Davis, an experienced dietician who specializes in whole-foods vegan diets recommends 15-30% of calories from fat.The main arguments that she gives against the low-fat vegan diet are:” Very low-fat diets may provide excessive bulk and insufficient calories, particularly for infants, children, and people with very high energy requirements, like athletes or labourers. Very low fat diets often contain inadequate amounts of essential fatty acids, especially the omega-3 fatty acids (discussed below). Insufficient fat can compromise absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), minerals (including iron, zinc, manganese, and calcium), and healthful phytochemicals (like the lycopene in tomato products).  People on very low fat diets often become “fat phobic.” They assume all high fat foods are bad and that all low fat foods are good. This often leads them to choose foods that are actually “nutritional washouts” (packaged fat-free cookies, cakes, and chips, for example) while obsessively avoiding higher-fat plant foods that are very nutritious, like avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, and tofu. Very low fat diets can cause a drop in HDL-cholesterol (“good cholesterol”) and a rise in triglycerides (another potentially damaging blood fat, like LDL-cholesterol), actually increasing your risk for cardiovascular disease. However, this is not normally a problem unless you replace the fat with refined carbohydrates, like sugar and white flour products.”   You can find the source document by searching on google “brenda davis winnipeg making sense of fat” –> leads to a ivu page. BPCveg:  I’m a big fan of Brenda Davis!  I heard her talk at at a conference a couple of years ago and she had a huge positive influence on my thinking that I could “do vegan” healthily and it wouldn’t be hard.  I read one of her books and thought it was most helpful.Thanks for sharing that info! One thing that strikes me from that text is that, in my humble opinion, 15-30 is a wide range.  For me, 30% seems high and 15% seems “low-good”.  But that’s my intuition, not based on anything I can point to.I’ve never seen the point in a super-low fat diet when the fat comes from whole foods.  My concern is when people see 30% and assume that means that the fat can come from oils and they are eating healthy.  It seems to me that the discussion on fat always needs to be put into context for people – that healthy fats are those that come from whole plant foods (with some exceptions like coconut).  If everyone were on the same page on that one point, then the discussion of what percentage of our diet ideally comes from fat might become much less important or resolve itself differently.Then we agree that:Oils are bad; Whole fats are good; Brenda is awesome!:)BPCveg I think dr. hemo was referring to the study regarding the 1/2 walnut per day. “Who could eat just 1/2!”If I didn’t eat nuts and seeds I would have the hardest time maintaining my weight.Good point GSH.By the way, as a vegan, I have found that adding more liquid calories to my diet (from soups and smoothies) also helps me from losing weight.Here we are struggling to maintain our weight and 1/3 the population is getting fatter by the day!Eat plants!This is a complex question to answer but the short of it is, it depends on what you are trying to achieve.Remember, the fat you eat is the fat you wear so if you are trying to lose weight then minimizing fat intake with have the greatest impact on weight loss, since the body loves to store a ready-made package of fat.  It doesn’t have to convert it to anything it just stores it (this is somewhat simplistic but is basically what happens).So this is where the one half a walnut a day comes in.  One half a walnut weighs in at about 1.5 to 3 grams depending on size. There is 90 mg Omega 3 per 1 gram of walnut, so we are looking at 135 to 270 mg Omega 3 per half a walnut.  http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3138/2The general consensus for Omega 3 daily intake is about 250-500mg (Because of its alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) content) http://www.goedomega3.com/health-care.html So a half a walnut a day, plus general daily food servings for a Plant Based eater, will more than give us our recommended daily allowance of Omega 3 and Omega 6, for the essential ALA and LA (Linoleic acid) content respectively.Interestingly, if you want more bang for your buck than have a Tsp of Flax:  One Tsp is 3 grams which is about 680mg of Omega 3 and 170 mg Omega 6, which is a much better ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 (4:1).  Walnuts are a 1:4 Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio, so not a favored nut/seed in my opinion–but I like to say One half a walnut because it gets my point across as to how little we actually need in our diet.  Also remember the more Omega 6 (LA) in your diet the more the conversion to ALA is inhibited, and the more LA the more inflammation (Arachidonic acid). Is more better? Maybe to a point but Moderation is a problem with someone suffering from Unstable angina, super-morbid obesity, or diabetes .  So again it depends on what one is trying to achieve. Thank you so much for the info on coconut oil. I generally only use it on my skin. I love coconut so I do tend to probably eat more than the average person (maybe I should cut back some). My dogs do get about a teaspoon of coconut oil in their food daily. Their coats all look great and they are very healthy. But dogs, like humans, can get heart problems. Hmm Kathi:  I have a dog who I used to feed some almond oil.  A few years ago, I switched to giving him ground flax seed mixed with water.  He LOVES it.  He slurps it down.  This way he is getting a whole food, but one that is high in healthier fats. I don’t have a study to back up the concept of giving dogs flax seed.  But I did get the idea from a vet who works with vegan dogs.  And you are absolutely right that dogs can (and do) get heart disease.I just wanted to share.  Good luck with your dogs. Thanks Thea. I used to give my dogs ground flax and have sort of fallen off of that. Need to get back on it. Funny though, my holistic vet said that the dogs didn’t absorb flax oil the way we do. Maybe it comes from not giving them the whole seed. Off to grind up some flax and pumpkin seeds for them, and me.Is it ethical to feed a meat eater plants?Really the healthiest thing is ground nuts and seeds added to food. It makes modern recipes perhaps difficult but ah well. Not sure about ghee but I’d guess if it was made from animals that had a plant-based diet as they do in nature, it could be ok as many say.Dr. Greger – Great as usual. But how about the very common oils like Olive, Canola & sesame seed? Thank you – TomThat’s my concern – most of us tend to rely on them.And coconut oil is really being talked up too; so many “health” pages and websites say people should eat it every day…YIKES!! I use the extra virgin coconut oil on my skin as a wonderful moisturizer but I don’t eat it (yet).I use oils only for skin massage. If one is to eat, isn’t it always healther to use a whole food? whole olives or sesame?When I use oil at all, I usually use almond oil.  So, this study is very sad for me.  I do keep it in the fridge.  I don’t use much oil at all.  Because I don’t use much oil, it lasts a *very* long time in my fridge – certainly longer than 3 months.  I figure it might even be 3 months in the light on the store shelf before the bottle makes it into my fridge… argh!Like the others, I am also interested in olive oil and some others just for comparison.  But this is really interesting data right here.  It says a lot.  Time to get some (probably outrageously expensive?) macadamia nut oil?  I wonder if I could even find it.The most oil I use is spray oil – just enough to keep something from sticking.  I wonder 1) should those cans be kept in the fridge?  2) is there any testing on the rancidity of those oils? – which do not see light. 3) how bad for one’s health would it really be to keep say the baking tofu from sticking to a pan using the spray oils even if they are (hopefully little) rancid?Just some questions that would be nice to answer at some point.Along the same lines as Thea, I am wondering what oil should be used to season a cast iron pan or a steel pan? Some people recommend flax oil, claiming that the seasoning oil needs to oxidize to complete the seasoning process. Is that correct? If flax oil is used, and if it is oxidized on the pan, is there a risk that some of that oxidized oil would come off the pan and be encorporated into the food cooked in the pan? Please advise on the healthiest oil for seasoning cast iron pans and steel pans, especially where such pans will be used for high heat cooking. Thanks!Great find. Was it lost? ;^)I don’t do oils.I like the fruit, the whole fruit, and nuttin’ but the fruit!So help you nut…… :^)This latest information about oils helps adds to my thinking that refined products, whether oils or sugars, are harmful for us to consume.  The fragility of some of these oils is even greater than what I thought. It seems that once you remove the oil from its “package” all the other attributes of the food that would help preserve the oil part are lost.  Also, when we remove the oil for use we lose all the other attributes that make the food fitting for us to consume.  So the takeaway here is keep the oil in its “package” for the healthiest eating and to get the full benefit of the food. This posting brings up a potentially very important issue regarding health-promoting benefits of a plant based diet: How important is rancidity in considering the health promoting benefits of foodstuffs? This is the only video that comes up when searching the term ‘rancidity’. There is strong evidence that rancid foods and the free radicals present within are much more harmful to consume than nothing at all. Given that foodstuffs that have fatty acids can become rancid, some have argued that many of the foodstuffs we buy including whole grain containing foods, oils, nuts, seeds, seed butters, etc are rancid by the time they make it to our homes from the supermarket. I would love to see a more thorough analysis of the scientific literature regarding the harmful effects of buying and consuming these types of foodstuffs from the primary sources available to most of us, supermarkets and health food stores.Good question about nut butters!I understand that keeping the oil in the whole food itself is one of the best ways to prevent rancidity, but do you notice a trend here — the higher the ω−6, the quicker the oxidation, & the reverse being true for mono and sat fats? Hence the results for mac oil vs walnut…Coacervate: I consulted 6 vets from across the country.  All said that dogs are omnivores and that a vegan kibble would be fine.  Since switching my dog from a meat kibble to a vegan kibble, his health has improved by several measures.  So, yes, it is not just ethical, but a very good idea.We should all remember that oil is not a healthy food and that we should ALWAYS consume the whole food itselfDr. Vogel conducted a study that compared different fats and oils (olive oil, canola oil, and salmon) and how they impaired our endothelial cells. Our endothelial cells are within our blood vessels lining their walls. They keep clots from forming and keep our blood running smoothly. It also helps our blood vessels dilate and contract when needed. The participants of the study ate a meal containing 3.5 tablespoons of olive oil and the examiners measured their arterial damage after 3 hours. “Contrary to part of our hypothesis, our study found that omega-9 (oleic acid)-rich olive oil impairs endothelial function postprandially.” They also make note that “In terms of their postprandial effect on endothelial function, the beneficial components of the Mediterranean and Lyon Diet Heart Study diets appear to be antioxidant-rich foods, including vegetables [and] fruits” http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/36/5/1455It was even noted that “In a clinical study, olive oil was shown to activate coagulation factor VII to the same extent as does butter. Thus, olive oil does not have a clearly beneficial effect on vascular function.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9409274Another study looked at different oils (olive, soybean and palm oils). They had their patients eat a potato soup. The soup either had 3 tablespoons of each oil OR they fried the potatoes in the oil. They too examined the extent of damage on the volunteers’ arteries. this is what they found “All the vegetable oils, fresh and deep-fried, produced an increase in the triglyceride plasma levels in healthy subjects.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17174226This 2 year study looked at coronary artery lesions of the heart after consuming different types of fat. Polyunsaturated fat (omega 3 type of fat) Monounsaturated fat (75% of which makes up olive oil) and Saturated fat (the kind found in mostly animal products). They looked at angiograms a year apart after intervening with increasing one type of fat in each group. All 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing. http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/263/12/1646.abstract?sid=47d1d016-3c15-43f4-a013-0d10144ef8e3 Toxins:  Thank you, thank you, thank you!I’ve been trying to tell some friends that all “free oils” are bad for them.  They are big proponents of olive oil.  They didn’t like the Jeff Novik video I sent.  (personality conflict)  Dr. Greger’s one video that I could find on olive oil found it to be neutral.  (Though that was way back in volume 1.) I think when I pass on your information, it will carry a lot of weight – because you are listing multiple scientific studies and because there is no personality to contend with.Thanks!!It’d be nice to know about oils like olive oil and coconut, more popular oils. I am wondering what oil should be used to season a cast iron pan or a steel pan? Some people recommend flax oil, claiming that the seasoning oil needs to oxidize to complete the seasoning process. Is that correct? If flax oil is used, and if it is oxidized on the pan, is there a risk that some of that oxidized oil would come off the pan and be encorporated into the food cooked in the pan? Please advise on the healthiest oil for seasoning cast iron pans and steel pans, especially where such pans will be used for high heat cooking. Thanksyour voice is annoyingSorry, it’s the only one I have!You just saved me a fortune. I like buying things in bulk, but considering these new findings I clearly need to rethink my purchasing habits. Sad, you would think the FDA should be doing this type of research.Dr. Robert F.: re: FDA research I agree so strongly! But I not only want the FDA doing the research, but following through with protections based on the results of the research. In other words: OK, so the FDA didn’t do this research, but now they (should) know the results. So, what are they doing about it? Argh!Story: Glad you got such a good benefit from this site. Alas for myself, I watched the video too late. Before this video came out, an oil company did a deal where you would get free cooking classes if you purchased 10 products or some dollar significant dollar amount. (I don’t remember the details now.) At the time, I was not as picky about oil use as I am now. So I bought something like 10 bottles of almond just so I could get the free cooking classes–thinking that it was a stable product that would last for years and I would end up using it all. (After all that, the company later reneged on the cooking class deal and sent me an unwelcome apron instead.)I appreciate this is an older vid, however I having been enjoying lots of content here I thought I would comment. The table clearly states stored at 20deg C but your voice over reinforces a couple of times stored in the fridge. Which is it ?You happily declare before your speaches you read the data so we don’t have too… great but surely you have to be accurate in your reading. A bit of a dig, sorry. If I am wrong because I haven’t read further links well thats the super fast world of short attention span caused by meat eaters (but wanting to change) for you :)So helpful! Thanks for sharing with us Dr. Michael! We must be very careful nowadays with everything we choose to put in our stomach! Our health is our wealth! :)girer çıkarım ümraniye web tasarım da girerim cıkmam ama kurumsal web tasarım da önüme gelmeyin sakın siz nasıl dersiniz bilmiyorum ama ümraniye web tasarım firmaları rasında girişler hep serbest siz hiç firma rehberi gördünüzmü lan konuşmayın o ümraniye web tasarım firmaları zman sokar cıkartırım söyleyim bak site ekle dedikya en iyi reklam yerleri olarak hepinizin amın akoyum şerefsizler :)How is it possible to cook then without adding a little oil? I try to keep my oil intake to a minimum but I could not figure out so far how I can cook without oil…Mia: One of my favorite tricks for oil-free cooking is to use the microwave! Whether I need to saute some mushrooms, onions, carrots, bell peppers, etc, it can all be done in a microwave with no oil and no fuss. (Ie, you don’t have to stand around doing anything. You can press some buttons and walk away.)Other people like to do a water saute. I believe it requires a bit of technique to get down right – so that you have enough water to prevent food from sticking, but not so much that you are steaming or boiling the food. Lots of people do it though. So, I know it is possible.For me, the harder part is to leave the oil out of baking. Say you don’t want the brownies to stick to the pan. I can’t seem to get rid of “greasing the pan” in every instance. But I’ve had good success many times in using parchment paper in place of oil.I hope some of those tips are helpful. My 2 cents are: Even if you never fully cut out oil, if you can adopt an alternative technique here and there to keep cutting down on how much you consume so that the amounts you consume are super-trivial, that’s a great way to go.sauté with mushrooms and onions, use that liquid that comes off. Or try Thea’s helpful tips with water. You could try vegetable broth? Good luck!If the shelf life of walnut oil, even when protected from light, heat and air, is just two weeks after its press date, what about flaxseed oil, which is even more polyunsaturated? Now I’m wondering if Barlean’s flaxseed oil, which comes refrigerated in a dark bottle with a press date of just one to two months before purchase is rancid even by the time I buy it. Then, even though I keep it refrigerated, it takes me a few weeks just to use it up.These tests were interesting makes you wonder about certain oils. Looks like they didn’t test flax, but I think you’re right because like walnut oil, flax oil is similar in polyunsaturated fats.	almond oil,avocado oil,DNA damage,grape seed oil,hazelnut oil,macadamia oil,oils,oxidative stress,rice bran oil,sesame oil,shelf life,walnut oil	Cooking oil manufacturer "best-by" dates are put to the test by comparing the development of rancidity between almond oil, avocado oil, hazelnut oil, macadamia oil, grape seed oil, rice bran oil, toasted sesame oil, and walnut oil.	What's the best way to consume walnut oil? In the walnut itself! (See for example, my video on toxins created by deep frying). But which type of walnuts are the best? Find out in tomorrow's video-of-the-day Black Versus English Walnuts. My latest video on the wonders of nuts was What Women Should Eat to Live Longer, though I have a few dozen other videos on the topic (not to mention a thousand other topics). If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-seed-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avocado-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shelf-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sesame-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almond-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice-bran-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnut-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/macadamia-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hazelnut-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19634067,
PLAIN-2917	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/	The Best Way to Boost Serotonin	We can choose carbohydrate rich plant foods over animal foods to boost tryptophan levels, but ideally, it would be more than just carbs. Since “”the main determinant of brain serotonin concentrations appears to be the ratio of tryptophan with others that compete with it for uptake into the brain, to maximize the mood elevating benefits of diet, one would ideally choose a snack with a high tryptophan to total protein ratio, which would mean primarily seeds, such as sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin.Protein-source tryptophan as an efficacious treatment for social anxiety disorder: a pilot study. So what protein source did they use? Butternut squash seeds, because of their high tryptophan to protein ratio, as part of a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of people suffering from social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder. And they found significant improvement in multiple objective measures of anxiety in those eating the squash seed bars.“Before studies like this one, a change in the composition of intact dietary protein was not seen as a possible option for the treatment of common psychological disorders associated with low serotonin levels.” but that’s because they were using animal proteins—which can makes things worse, not plants.If this is true, then those eating vegetarian should be golden, and indeed this was the reasoning used to explain why “Global mood, was significantly better in a "vegetarian" than in the "mixed" diet group.” It’s all about carbohydrates, and a huge tryptophan to protein ration. “The "vegetarian" group was instructed to avoid meat, fish and poultry and to restrict intake of milk, milk products and eggs to a minimum” and within three weeks the vegetarian diet groups had a significantly improved global mood.	This is the final video of a four-part series (mentioned in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death) on natural ways to boost serotonin in the brain. Wednesday’s video-of-the-day Human Neurotransmitters in Plants noted that plants themselves can contain serotonin. Thursday’s The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin was a cautionary tale about tryptophan supplements and Friday’s A Better Way to Boost Serotonin covered the role carbs can play in boosting tryptophan transport into the brain. The findings of better mood scores in those eating vegetarian is consistent with both cross-sectional and interventional findings I’ve reported previously. The reason I report more data on nuts than seeds is a function of the greater access of researchers to funding on nuts (thanks to producer groups). From what little data we have, though, I have a feeling it’s like the soy versus other beans story. If I had to guess, I’d bet in general seeds may be even healthier than nuts, and since I encourage daily nut consumption, I’d add seeds to that recommendation as well. If only researchers had more seed money! :) This is just on of the reasons why I wonder — struggle with — why the No-fat doctors continue to insist that fat is bad. It really boggles my mind. In my opinion, at best, they are derelict in recommending no fat. I also find it morally incomprehensible, especially since I suffered from following that recommendation for years. I just hope I don’t pay any more than I already have in the future! Thanks for posting about the benefits of good fats in our diets.I’m just curious. What side effects did you have from the low fat diet? I personally like Dr. Mcdougall but I haven’t eliminated the fat as he recommends. I still use small amounts of oil in some of my cooking, enjoy dark chocolate and use nuts and seeds in cooking. I think the fact that you haven’t eliminated all fats and eat nuts and seeds says it all! :^)Yeah but you still haven’t answered mt question. I’m assuming you tried going without added oils and nuts. My reason is taste, really, not side effects. So I’m curious what people experience without the fat.You’re likely to loose weight faster. Fat has 225% more calories than either carbs or protein.I was on the McDougall diet strictly for about 8 years.  What I experienced after that time of NO nuts or seeds and NO oils was a problem with my joints, especially my knees and shoulders.  However, I was also NOT eating many raw foods other than fruit.  I believe if I had been eating daily green salads, I may not have experienced the problems I did.  My shoulder pain was diagnosed as bursitis and my knee pain arthritis.  After doing some research, I decided since both conditions could be helped by adding enzymes to my diet, I decided to eat primarily raw foods, including raw fruit and vegetable juices.  In a period of about 2 months my shoulder pain was completely gone.  The knees took about 6 months.  I have continued this way of eating now 14 years and at the age of 62 have no aches or pains at all.Ok, I’ll bite.  Everyone is different and many seem to do very well on the “very low fat” diets.  I however had dramatically increased dandruff, super dry skin, chronic itching all over, strange skin rashes that would not heal, much increased joint pain, and steadily worsening sinus allergies.  After adding about 1 oz raw seeds/nuts plus 200 mg of DHA daily (total fat intake around 20%) all those symptoms reversed and gradually resolved.  Now, after 2 1/2 years on the higher but still low fat diet, I am healthier all around than ever.Taste adapts and is very “trainable”.  I love the food eating McDougall style and I love it eating Fuhrman style.Forgot to mention I was 100% McDougall’s “strictest” version but I did eat a ton of greens and other veg. Nearly as much as I do w/ Fuhrman’s approach, just no seeds/nuts and grains and potatoes and sweet potatoes instead of beansSupposing you just directly answer A.L’s question: ‘ What side effects did you have from the low fat diet ?’The problem isn’t fats… it is Omega-6 fats. These are inflammatory and contribute to many diseases. Omega-6 is in most foods, veggies included. So stop using ADDED omega-6 fats and increase Omega-3 fats which reduce inflammation. There are both animal and vegetarian sources for Omega-3. They are not used for cooking or flavoring. They don’t recommend no fat- but low fat. I think their reasons are fairly well explained in this blog which comments on Dr. Fuhrman’s interview with Dr. Greger:http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=28191So a great mood-enhancing breakfast could be a combination af seeds, nuts and fruit – and the best part – it tastes delicious!And Oatmeal! ;-}If only you could sow the seeds of money! ;-} I have concluded a 7-day experiment of adding a daily 50 grams of (ground) pumpkin seeds to my food so as to obtain  250 mg of tryptophan. (Mentioned in my comments much lower in this page.) Contrary to my expectations, it was a total failure. There was no improvement to my normally good mood; in fact, it seems to have had a somewhat depressing effect. (For the benefit of anyone who might leap to an easy conclusion, no, it is not the case that my body is so flooded from competing amino acids from animal foods that the 250 mg of tryptophan never had a chance. I have eaten a starch-based whole foods diet without animal source foods for years.) Now, I cannot be the only person who reads this site who has done a similar tryptophan experiment with seeds of some sort or another. The rest of you : what were your results?U were already in a good mood u said. So, what more do u want or expect. They are not amphetamines. :) I think the idea was that they would elevate the mood of people not feeling so good and you didn’t need that. Good for you. :)Typical tryptophan dosage via supplements for mood change is more like 2000 mg twice per day and maybe  3rd dose at bedtime…I’m giving this a go for 30 days.Should I space it out at different times during the day, or might as well intake it at one occasion?I haven’t tried the pumpkin seeds but I have been taking B vitamins, 5-HTP and L-Theanine for 5 days and I have seen major improvements in my mood and my irritable bowel syndrome which I have suffered from since I was really young. Not cured yet but every morning I wake up feeling better than the day before so something must be working. I think it is mostly the 5-HTP.I doubt that seeds are healthier than nuts considering the unfavorable omega 6/3 ratio of most seeds- except for flax seeds, and the favorable ratio for walnuts.Seeds tend to have the best omega 3 to 6 rations as well as higher nutrient density1) About the omega-6 : omega-3 ratio in anything, there is no need to engage in idle speculation, repeat hearsay etc etc. Either directly consult USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference – Release 24 (USDA sr24)  online, or use tools which incorporate its database, such as Cron-o-meter (there is both a downloadable and a web version) , or http://nutritiondata.self.com or various other online sites. Enter 100 grams of something and then see what the inter-ratio of the fats are. This operation does not take any intelligence, but does require a little will-power.2) The fact is that with these already mentioned exceptions that come to mind right away — flax, chia, walnuts — well-known seeds and nuts both generally all have very bad ratios: much too much omega-6. Walnuts have a ratio that is just barely good, but consider: are walnuts all that you are going to be eating in a day? What about the ratio in the other foods? Total context, not foods considered in isolation.3) As noted elsewhere on this page, persons following Gregerian recommendations will be taking algae or yeast derived longchain omega-3 (DHA), and such persons, presumably — is this so Dr G? — need not concern themselves with the shortchain omega-3 (ALA) directly available in plants. (There is another school of thought about how much short –> longchain conversion takes place and the need/wisdom or not for longchain supplementation but that is another matter.)4) Paulc: Elsewhere on this page you ‘translate’ ‘hoi-polloi’ as ‘the people’. Well, literally yes, but it would have been odd to use it in that sense. And in fact , in English it is usually used in a connotative sense; so, my saying ‘us hoi-polloi’ would be like saying ‘us plebs’, ‘us proles’, ‘us laymen’ or something of that sort.  What are you trying to prove here? Most non nut plant foods have adequate omega 3/6 ratios. My conclusion to the fact that seeds are more nutrient dense then nuts comes from the evidence provided by Jeff Novick showing vitamin and mineral content per 100 grams of each nut/seed.It is possible there is mutual misunderstanding going on. First, although I was replying to your post, Toxins, what I wrote was to both you and Paulc. Second, all that I meant, in short, was that if one is going the ALA route (as I do), then use of flaxseed or chia — not walnuts — is probably the way to make for a good omega-6/3 balance .           At length, I restate and rephrase what I meant, like so:         In general both seeds and nuts have bad omega 6/3 balances, the notable exceptions being chia and flax among the seeds, and walnuts among the nuts. But in the big picture of the entire diet, the just barely acceptable omega 6/3 balance found in walnuts is not going to be of any use in the context of , say, what I ate yesterday (food names and values from USDA sr24 via Cron-o-meter — and ‘raw’ means the item was weighed in that state, not that I necessarily ate it that way):  item                                                                                   weight     kcal Kiwifruit, green, raw                                                                75g       45.8Peppers, sweet, red, raw                                                       50g      15.5Cabbage, red, raw                                                                  50g      15.5Broccoli, raw                                                                            100g     34.0Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added          75g       61.5Carrots, raw                                                                              400g    164.0Salt, table                                                                                  0.12g    0.0Cabbage, raw                                                                          400g     100.0Cereals, oats, regular and quick, not fortified, dry              100g       379.0Wheat flour, whole-grain                                                       200g       680.0Rice, brown, medium-grain, cooked                                   500g       560.0Sweet potato, cooked, boiled, without skin                        500g       380.0  This gives me 7.0 g of omega-6 against only 0.4 g of omega-3. The problem is the grains .Now what is the sensible thing to do in order to correct the imbalance, add walnuts, or add ground flaxseed? If I add this,   Seeds, flaxseed                                                             2tbsp, ground      74.8     Then I have, in the day’s food, 7.8 g of omega-6 vs 3.6 g of omega-3. Maybe too much of both (I hope my saying this will not cause Strix undue alarm) but anyway a good balance.         But now what happens if instead of that 74.8 calories of ground flaxseed I use 74.8 calories of walnuts?      Nuts, walnuts, english                                                     11.44 g                 74.8       Let’s look, in isolation at the omega 6/3 composition of the walnuts. It’s 4.4 g of the first and 1.0 g of the second. Barely ok, falling actually outside the minimally desired ratio of 4:1 for omega-6 to omega-3. And so what corrective affect, if any, would this have in the context of all that other food? Let’s see. Substituting the walnuts for the flaxseed we now have, in the total day’s food, 11.3 g of omega-6 vs. 1.5 g of omega-3. Useless.            No wonder that Jeff Novick recommends an optional 1~2 TB of ground flaxseed (which is precisely why I do it), and not walnuts.                PS: Toxins, if you also post on the McDougall site, what is the name you use there? I’d like to see what you have written. And you as well, philologist Paulc.   Sorry about the unreadable formatting. I don’t know what to do about it. Actually Elvin, a literal translation of hoi polloi would be “the many.” Hi Toxins; thanks for writing; I normally learn a great deal from your erudite comments. I decided to compile a short list of seeds and their omega 6/3 ratios when the data was available for both. I didn’t include legumes which are technically seeds, but generally have low ratios, and so, are no problem. Here’s the list and I invite you to confirm my results:Caraway seeds               20.8 Celery seeds                  17.6 Chia seeds                      0.33 Cumin seeds                  17.6 Dill seeds                        6.4 Flax seeds                      0.26 Lotus seeds                  10.6 Mustard seeds                0.97 Poppy seed                  104 Pumpkin/squash seeds 114 Safflower seeds            253 Sesame seeds              95.8 Sisymbrium seeds          0.39 Sunflower seeds          311Since an acceptable ratio is only 4, I would think it best to avoid noshing on all seeds with the exception of chia, flax, mustard and sisymbrium. I’ve no doubt that we can get plenty of tryptophan from these 4 safe seeds. I would definitely avoid poppy seeds, especially if you’re scheduled to take an illegal drugs test. If you did a similar list for nuts, I think you’d find that only walnuts have an acceptable ratio. Keep those comments coming, Toxins; they’re great.Thanks for the list, I agree that the omega 6/3 ratio should be 4:1 or better. My comment was specifically aimed towards nuts vs seeds.Peanuts have a ratio of 4400: 1 Almonds have a ratio of 1800: 1 Brazil nuts have a ratio of 500: 1 These nuts are widely consumed and have the worst ratios. Comparring nuts and seeds specifically, as a common trend, the nuts tend to have poorer ratios.I eat lots of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, so what’s my excuse?  I guess I’m just a cranky…brat ;^)Squash seeds are awesome and I get a lot of mine “free” when Autumn gourds are abundant and inexpensive. I dry them myself and even season some for variety. Once dried they can last all year long. Don’t throw out those seeds when cleaning your squashes or Jack ‘O’ Lanterns!I’m new to your AMAZING video clips!  Thank you for taking the time to do this! I will be highlighting your videos regularly in my postings and musings.  It’s a confusing mess out there on our information superhighways. The research is there.  We just need the bottom line.  Thank you for being our nutritional champion!The seeds may be helpful but I’ve found that combining a quality vegan diet with a sufficient amount of exercise, rest, sun, water and fresh air really helps improve my mood. Actually, I think rest is a biggie, and few of us get enough of it, guilt free or worry free. Indeed. You said it all. A lot of people don’t exercise and that tends to catch up to them. My issue was not getting enough sun and I’m fixing that now.it seems that vegetarian food is best for human body and mind.Not always http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com/2012/06/youre-vegetarian-have-you-lost-your.htmlAnd these fine results were obtained how many mg of tryptophan (from squash seeds) per day? Do I misunderstand in thinking it was 10 mg?? I see from USDA sr24 (via CRON-o-meter) that to get 10mg  tryptophan from ‘seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried’ would take 180 g of them, which is …….. 1006 Kcal.  My error. In fact 9 g (= 50.3 kcal) of pumpkin seeds, according to the USDA, is already 100 mg.But, as Emhstein asks: what is the amount that needs to be consumed for effect?Hi Elvin. According to http://www.ajcn.org/content/68/2/303.full.pdf you need a minimum of 4.01mg of tryptophan per day for every kilogram of body mass and 5.02 mg to be on the safe side.. So, using the higher figure, if you weigh 120 pounds, you’d need about 275 mg per day, if you weigh 155 pounds, you’d need about 355 mg per day and if you weigh 180 pounds, you’d need about 410 mg per day. But my opinion is that you should also choose foods with a low omega 6 to omega 3 ratio- a problem with most seeds- or take flax seeds to make the overall ratio favorable, around no more than 4 to 1. Also, try not to get too much methionine in the protein foods you choose. Best of luck to all of us.  Paulc:   (1) What you have written is puzzling, because you have taken great care to answer a non-question.The question is not ‘what is the daily RDA/DRI etc for tryptophan?’. The question is: ‘what amount of daily tryptophan was used in the info-video happiness-report; and how does that translate, for us hoi-polloi, into a daily hit of pumpkin seeds or sesame?’  Of course this is going to be (much) greater than the RDA. (2) For people who follow Gregerian rather than (say) Novickian suggestions, the question of omega 6/3 ratio is not, I would think, going to a matter of concern since the Gregerians are taking ‘ 250 to 500 mg daily of yeast or algae-­‐derived DHA and/or EPA’ — which presumably trumps by a big margin the amount of DHA derived from the AA of flaxseed. Gregerians will also be less interested in the question of increase in fat-derived total calories resulting from addition of the seeds. And substitution of the seeds for nuts, is after all, an option of course … but wait — this is a meaninglessly abstract discussion without knowing what amount of seeds we are taking about. If the kindly Dr Greger would choose to end the suspense it would be a great mercy.    3) So far as I can see, it has no direct relation to seeds as such, but what you say about methionine is however correct, and interested readers will want to look here: http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877%2808%2900383-6/abstract . Its restriction may have healthspan/lifespan optimising affects similar to those delivered by CRON (or CRAN, if you want to to substitute the concept ‘adequate’ for ‘optimal’.) Hi again Elvin, Okay,  now that I understand your question, I directly quote the original article on social anxiety:Materials and methods For this study, 2 separate food bars were prepared.(i) Food 1 (tryptophan bar) contained 25 g of deoiled butternut squash seed meal and 25 g of dextrose. The tryptophan content of food 1 was 250 mg/food bar. (ii) Food 2 (placebo bar) contained 50 g of carbohydrate composed of dried fruit and dextrose. The tryptophan content was 0 mg for food 2.So, all that is needed is  250 mg of tryptophan plus a handful of carbs.Hope that helps hoi polloi (Greek for “the people”) PS your link to medical hypotheses seems to be broken. Best Wishes Paulc:I see, thanks very much. As for that url, it works fine when I click it. If it still does not work for you, do a search for the title of the article: ‘The low-methionine content of vegan diets may make methionine restriction feasible as a life extension strategy ‘. CRON-o-meter is insufficiently fine tuned, but from www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR24/reports/sr24fg12.pdf it can be seen that 100 g of ‘Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried ‘ contains 0.576 g of tryptophan. That’s 576 mg. Now, 43.4028% of 576 is 250.000128. And 43.4028% of 100 g is of course 43.4028 g. So, to get this 250 mg of tryptophan will take that amount of the seeds (= about 1.5 oz), which in turn is about 260 kcal (because 100g is 599 kcal). I hope I am wrong either in reasoning or calculation and will be corrected; otherwise it looks not like an experiment in happiness but an experiment in getting fat. At any rate, we who practice CRAN and keep our BMI in the lower part of the ‘normal’ range do not blithely throw 260 kcal into our mouths. That being said, the pursuit of science does sometimes require personal sacrifice , yes. I will leave it to someone else to do the calculations for sesame seed. Low-fat sesame flour might be the lowest calorie food source :http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3074/2  That is to say, per 100 g, 1097 mg of tryptophan, but only 333 kcal. So for the daily dose of 250 mg, that would only be about 80 kcal.(Versus around 260 kcal from pumpkin seeds.) I here announce that yesterday I began a 7-day experiment of inclusion of daily 50 g of ground pumpkin seeds into my diet. This will, if nothing else, greatly impact my normally only having about  10% of fat-derived total calories daily. But science sometimes calls for self-sacrifice, does it not? Consider the case of A. A. Bogdanov who fatally experimented with rejuvenation through blood transfusion:         ‘In 1924, Bogdanov started his blood transfusion experiments […] after undergoing 11 blood transfusions, he remarked with satisfaction on the improvement of his eyesight, suspension of balding, and other positive symptoms […] Leonid Krasin wrote to his wife that “Bogdanov seems to have become 7, no, 10 years younger after the [transfusion]”. In 1925-1926, Bogdanov founded the Institute for Haemotology and Blood Transfusions, which was later named after him. But a later transfusion cost him life, when he took the blood of a student suffering from malaria and tuberculosis. (Bogdanov died, but the student injected with his blood made a complete recovery.)’      If Bogdanov could give his life for such a cause, certainly we followers of those notorious ‘no fat’ [sic] doctors can up our fat intake for a few days, yes?So Elvin, what do you think of the latest study on CRAN and monkeys?  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444772804577619394017185860.html?mod=rss_Health&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wsj%2Fxml%2Frss%2F3_7089+%28WSJ.com%3A+Health%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo#articleTabs%3Darticle I’d go with Luigi Fontana’s dissenting comments (esp re protein) about it, here: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/08/calorie-restriction-monkeys/.  And you are right about ‘polloi’ of course.And how do you deoil the seeds? This looks like innaplicable.How many servings of Pumpkin Seeds would need to be consumed to raise low Serotonin levels? Another mood-elevating nutrient would be theanine. See Dr. Greger’s video at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/paulc, toxins: very good points.One other metric that may be of interest is the total omega-6 content per 100g. Some examples follow:pumpkin seeds:  20.7 g omega-6 per 100g sunflower seeds: 37.4 g omega-6 per 100g sesame seeds: 21.3 g omega-6 per 100gversuspeanuts: 15.6 g omega-6 per 100g almonds: 12.1 g omega-6 per 100g brazil nuts: 20.6 g omega-6 per 100gSo, even though, as Toxins points out, these three nuts have on average a much higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratio than the above-mentioned seeds, the nuts contribute less omega-6 to the diet than the seeds. In all above-listed cases the omega-3 contribution is essentially negligible, so total omega-6 contribution may matter more than the omega-6:omega-3 ratio.How does one deoil pumpkin seeds? And what would be a recommended carbohydrate to consume with the seed?Judging by the chart alone, it seems that those on the regular “diet” simply got more depressed (higher readings), while those on the largely vegetarian diet stayed the same. This could be interpreted as a plug for the control conditions (no dietary restrictions at all – just eat what you want?), rather than the vegetarian diet.Animal protein is definitely a downer in my experience. However, to say that it’s due to relatively low levels of tryptophan is assuming a lot. It could be due to the fact that animal proteins are relatively high in the acidic amino acids which may also result in a mood downer as well as alternator.Don’t seeds contain too much omega 6 oils?Its amazing how different the dietary advice given is from Vegetarian doctors, to Low-carb Doctors, to Paleo or similar to Paleo doctor. One wonders! I will try full on vegetarian lower fat for 2 weeks right now, see im my ongoing depression gets better, if so I will extend the trial for a month, see how I feel. I really hope I dont get a bunch of cavities from the added carbohydrate and sugar from fruit though! I wont brush right after eating, and follow a tooth care protocol to help me anyway.A few hot tips from a somewhat seasoned veteran and long time acupuncturist (me): Do not base your diet on fruit. Don’t eat more than 4-5 pieces/day max and emphasize the lower glycemic ones like berries and kiwi. And no added sweeteners! Beans will likely help stabilize your blood sugar better than intact whole grains; regardless which you choose avoid flour products, even 100% whole grain ones as they turn to blood sugar too fast. Blood sugar spikes and crashes can really aggravate depression! Main food by volume should be nonstarchy vegetables. Clean your mouth after every meal and don’t snack. Only eat if you are hungry, and don’t eat if you are not truly hungry. That means, don’t eat out of boredom, depression, anxiety, etc. not even just because it tastes good. Better if you tried this for 5 or 6 weeks as depending on what you have been eating you may have some detox/adjustments to go through. Best to you on this experiment!Hi Liz, so you made this comment two years ago. I’m curious to hear what you’ve done, and how you’re feeling :) Care to share your personal findings?http://websitesepeti.com http://gizlibilgiler.name oh yeeeSunny Days Dressing– ¼ cup sunflower seeds – ¼ cup pumpkin seeds – 1 organic* golden delicious apple, chopped – 1/3 cup water – 1 tbsp water – 2 tbsp apple cider vinegarCombine all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. The ending consistency is quite thick and easily spooned onto salad.*Apples rank 1st (most contaminated) for yet another year in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.phpBookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline~Complements of lovestobeveganI knew there was a reason I loved pumpkin seeds :)Her türlü girer çıkarım ümraniye web tasarım da girerim cıkmam ama kurumsal web tasarım da önüme gelmeyin sakın siz nasıl dersiniz bilmiyorum ama ümraniye web tasarım firmaları rasında girişler hep serbest siz hiç firma rehberi gördünüzmü lan konuşmayın o ümraniye web tasarım firmaları zman sokar cıkartırım söyleyim bak site ekle dedikya en iyi reklam yerleri olarak hepinizin amın akoyum şerefsizler :)Can you tell me where your list of high tryptophan:LNAA foods? I am having a hard time finding that information in your cited references. Thank you for wonderful video series on tryptophan.	animal products,animal protein,anxiety,brain health,butternut squash,cheese,dairy,eggs,fish,meat,mental health,milk,mood,plant protein,plant-based diets,poultry,protein,pumpkin seeds,seeds,serotonin,sesame seeds,social anxiety disorder,squash seeds,sunflower seeds,tryptophan,vegans,vegetarians	The secret to naturally boosting serotonin levels in the brain may include eating foods such as pumpkin seeds with a high tryptophan to total protein ratio. This may help explain why studies show that those eating plant-based diets have superior mood states.	This is the final video of a four-part series (mentioned in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death) on natural ways to boost serotonin in the brain. Wednesday's video-of-the-day Human Neurotransmitters in Plants noted that plants themselves can contain serotonin. Thursday's The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin was a cautionary tale about tryptophan supplements and Friday's A Better Way to Boost Serotonin covered the role carbs can play in boosting tryptophan transport into the brain. The findings of better mood scores in those eating vegetarian is consistent with both cross-sectional and interventionalfindings I've reported previously. The reason I report more data on nuts than seeds is a function of the greater access of researchers to funding on nuts (thanks to producer groups). From what little data we have, though, I have a feeling it's like the soy versus other beans story. If I had to guess, I'd bet in general seeds may be even healthier than nuts, and since I encourage daily nut consumption, I'd add seeds to that recommendation as well. If only researchers had more seed money! :)	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tryptophan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunflower-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/social-anxiety-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butternut-squash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/squash-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sesame-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18066139,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3783150,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5077329,
PLAIN-2918	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-way-to-boost-serotonin/	A Better Way to Boost Serotonin	Tryptophan is one amino among many found in proteins, and they “”compete with one another for transport across the blood-brain barrier into the brain. And since tryptophan is present in most animal proteins in relatively small quantities it gets muscled out of the way. If you eat plant foods, though, the carbohydrates cause a release of insulin, which causes your muscles to take up the nontryptophan amino acids as fuel, and so your tryptophan can be first in line for brain access.Animal foods can even make things worse: “When tryptophan is ingested as part of a protein meal, serum tryptophan levels rise but brain tryptophan levels decline (Fernstrom and Faller 1978). due to the mechanism of transport used by tryptophan to cross the blood–brain barrier.”The tryptophan levels in those given a high protein turkey egg cheese breakfast dropped… whereas, in the waffle-OJ group, their trytrophan levels went up.This may actually explain the carbohydrate cravings one sees in PMS—your brain may be trying to get you to boost tryptophan levels to feel better. “Consumption of a carbohydrate-rich. protein-poor evening test meal during the premenstrual period improved depression, tension, anger, confusion, sadness, fatigue, alertness, and calmness scores—significantly--among patients with premenstrual syndrome.”“Because synthesis of brain serotonin, which is known to be involved in mood and appetite, increases after carbohydrate intake, premenstrual syndrome subjects may overconsume carbohydrates in an attempt to improve their dysphoric mood state.”Ideally, though, it would be more than just carbs—we'll cover the ideal mixture in tomorrow;s video-of-the-day	This is the third of a four-part series (mentioned in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death) on natural ways to boost serotonin in the brain. Wednesday’s video-of-the-day Human Neurotransmitters in Plants noted that plants themselves can contain serotonin. Yesterday’s The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin was a cautionary tale about tryptophan supplements, and Monday we’ll close with the Best Way to Boost Serotonin. The arachidonic acid in animal foods may also contribute to negative mood states through an inflammatory mechanism. See, for example, my videos Plant-Based Diet & Mood, Inflammatory Remarks About Arachidonic Acid, and Chicken, Eggs and Inflammation. Arachidonic acid is one of more than a thousand different topics I cover. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.I’m ‘Trypin’ out right now because now I understand why certain people in my life have gone from this  =>  :-{ to this => ;-} after going Vegan.   Trypin’ Vegans are Happy Vegans! ;-}}}}}}}}  (No those aren’t trails those are smiles)and certainly not double chins!I knew it! Always get in a bad mood, when someone tries to serve me turkey……. ;-)LolToo much teasing. I’ll warn you more about this tomorrow.Kinda like the Grateful Dead, they Tryptophan.Get it, they ” ‘Tripped’ to fame”argh!  Another cliffhanger.  I eagerly await.Didn`t Michael say tomorrow? Hence saturday – great:  In the future 6 informative videos pr week !!! :-) hee, hee.  Good catch!  I hadn’t caught that. I’ve been impressed with 5 days/week, but you would never hear me complain if the schedule got ramped up.OK Dr. Greger . . . we are counting on your to not let us down!  Will be watching for the next video tomorrow :-}So how do you increase serotonin in the brain? If you do not eat protein I don´t know from where you will take tryptophan.I cannot get butternut squash seeds in Ireland, will pumpkin seeds do. Dermot dffd@eircom.netIsn’t this a positive spin on the different balance of amino acids in plant foods? Great if that’s the balance needed, but what if this causes an imbalance? I’ve tried a phenylalanine supplement with some success, but the ratios of other amino acids in plant foods are still imbalanced for me. I’ve been strictly vegan for over a decade and it has become apparent that this is a problem for me which I recently resorted to dairy to solve. I’d love to be vegan again, but can no longer live on foods with this amino acid imbalance. Please help!It is extremely difficult to become protein deficient eating any diet unless you are malnourished or are a fruitarian.“Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal ”http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdfAs Jeff Novick puts it.. Many say that plants foods are incompleteIf “incomplete” means not containing all the essential amino acids then…. (the incomplete protein theory)1) All plant foods are complete as they contain all the essential amino acids.2) the only food that is not a complete protein is an animal food, gelatin.If “incomplete” means lacking in sufficient quantity of one or more amino acids…(the limiting amino acid theory)1) Getting all the amino acids in at once at the same meal, or even in the same day, as some may suggest, is not necessary due to the amino acid pool, which is a circulating level of amino acids in the blood, that the body can draw from if needed. As long as one follows a whole foods plant based diet, the amino acid pool will maintain a sufficient stock of any potentially needed (or limiting) amino acids.2) However, as long as one consumes enough calories, eats a variety of food, and limits junk foods and refined foods, and is not an all fruit diet, then they will get in enough protein and enough amino acids in sufficient quantity. There will be no limiting amino acids3) there is some evidence that the amino acids that are slightly lower (but adequate) in plant foods, may actually be a benefit to health and longevity and not a concern. This evidence stems from the fact that eating foods that resemble the protein structure of humans causes the liver to release excess amounts of the growth hormone, IGF-1, which accelerates aging and promotes tumor growth.The problem is not lack of sufficient quantity of amino acids in plant foods, but of the relative quantities. According to the video on this page for example, tryptophan is relatively higher in plant foods in proportion to other amino acids which compete to cross the blood brain barrier, which results in higher serotonin levels in vegans. This may be good for avoiding depression, but what if it’s not serotonin but other neurotransmitters or hormones that a person needs more of?As I mentioned, I was strictly vegan for over a decade, until a few days ago. I had an imbalance of some sort. Eliminating soy helped. I tried a supplement containing milk protein and it seemed to help. I then reluctantly resorted to dairy and molluscs, which also seem to have helped. I hate to depend on these, but can’t function as I was.Perhaps your past vegan diet was not healthful, because there is nothing your body needs (except b12) that you can’t find in plants. A diet based on whole plant foods will be the most nutritious.Again, this does not address my question. I did not claim that there’s anything absent or insufficient in quantity in a vegan diet. Please try to understand my previous posts.Otherwise, if possible, please refer my question to somebody who is able to answer. Thanks for trying anyway.To put it another way: This video explains how extra serotonin is produced rather than other neurotransmitters because of the ratio of tryptophan to other amino acids in plant foods. What if it’s not more serotonin that’s needed, but rather, more of the other neurotransmitters that tryptophan crowds out in crossing the blood-brain barrier?…Btw, Am I wasting my time checking this page for an answer? Toxins, it’s not about deficiency, it’s about imbalance specifically for neurotransmitters & hormones. Repeating that all nutrients are in vegan diet in plentiful quantities (I already knew that, but it’s not the point) shows lack of understanding of the question and of the video on this page. I sincerely hope there’a a vegan solution.I don’t think you will find an answer to your question. There are certainly plant foods that can cause problems (e.g. allergies, food intolerance, autoimmune triggers). Sounds like you are working things out for yourself. You found that soy is a problem for you. One approach I sometimes recommend to patients is to try Dr. McDougall’s Diet for the Desperate which he outlines in his newsletter article in December 2002. The mental health issues are complex and many are not diet related or amenable to dietary intervention… the book by Robert Whitaker, Anatomy of an Epidemic, has some interesting information on the natural time course and treatment of conditions such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. Working with a supportive and knowledgeable health care professional is always advisable if you are having symptoms.Thanks for the reply. Even though there’s no easy answer I appreciate the resolution here, and your recommended references appear useful. My own symptoms have cleared up with the dietary changes I’ve mentioned. I’ll try using Dr McDougall’s method for identifying specific foods, and I’ll look for the R. Whitaker reading.jakov: I have another idea for you to consider. Dr. Greger has a video about a boy who got sick after he became vegetarian. It turns out that the boy had a genetic defect where his body was not able to create one of the NONessential amino acids. He could either start eating meat/dairy/eggs or he could take a pill to supply his body with the one amino acid his own body could not make – but which most other people’s bodies can make.Of course, the pill was the safest approach and that’s what the boy did. And the problem was solve.The condition is rare, but obviously it does exist. I am a lay person and have no idea if this applies to you or not. But if you had the inclination, maybe there would be a way for you to find out if you have a similar problem.Just a thought. Good luck.Thanks. I do seem to be in a similar situation. Maybe I could be tested for something similar. I’d rather not post specific details online, but I apparently have a natural imbalance. I have tried a single amino acid supplement, i.e. phenylalanine, as I mentioned, which did help, but I don’t think it’s safe long-term (tryptophan supplements for example are dangerous http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/), and it doesn’t completely solve the problem. I think there are probably various amino acids involved, and it’s complicated – I can only guess the theory and see what works in practice. I think I need a natural wholefood protein source with the right balance of various amino acids. I feel restored with the animal proteins, although ethically conflicted.THIS IS A GREAT SITE MY HUSBAND HAS PARKINSONS THIS WILL BE A GREAT HELP THKS	animal products,animal protein,brain health,cheese,dairy,depression,eggs,meat,mental health,milk,mood,orange juice,plant protein,plant-based diets,poultry,premenstrual syndrome,protein,serotonin,tryptophan,turkey	Contrary to popular belief, the consumption of animal foods may actually decrease tryptophan levels in the brain. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, can boost transport across the blood-brain barrier, which has been used to explain premenstrual cravings.	This is the third of a four-part series (mentioned in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death) on natural ways to boost serotonin in the brain. Wednesday's video-of-the-day Human Neurotransmitters in Plants noted that plants themselves can contain serotonin. Yesterday's The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin was a cautionary tale about tryptophan supplements, and Monday we'll close with the Best Way to Boost Serotonin. The arachidonic acid in animal foods may also contribute to negative mood states through an inflammatory mechanism. See, for example, my videos Plant-Based Diet & Mood, Inflammatory Remarks About Arachidonic Acid, and Chicken, Eggs and Inflammation. Arachidonic acid is one of more than a thousand different topics I cover. If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tryptophan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premenstrual-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18066139,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2589444,
PLAIN-2919	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/	The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin	The neurotransmitter serotonin, often referred to as the “happiness hormone,” is found in plant foods, but serotonin doesn’t cross the blood brain barrier, so it shouldn’t affect your mood no matter how much you eat.The precursor to serotonin, however, what your brain makes serotonin out of, is an amino acid called tryptophan, and there’s a transport protein in the brain that plucks tryptophan out of the bloodstream and so what you eat can end up affecting your mood. Back in the 70’s they did tryptophan depletion experiments where you give people specially concocted tryptophan deficient diets, and indeed their mood suffers, they get irritable, annoyed, angry, depressed.Likewise you can give people tryptophan pills to improve their mood, and indeed it came a popular dietary supplement, until… people started dying from something called eosinophilia–myalgia syndrome, an incurable, debilitating and sometimes fatal flu-like neurological condition caused by the ingestion of tryptophan supplements. May have been due to some unknown impurity, but better safe than sorry. Instead of supplements, there are dietary strategies one can use to improve mood. [, which we'll talk about next]	This is the second of a four-part series (mentioned in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death) on natural ways to boost serotonin in the brain. Yesterday’s video-of-the-day Human Neurotransmitters in Plants noted that plants themselves can contain serotonin. Tomorrow’s video-of-the-day A Better Way to Boost Serotonin will talk about getting dietary tryptophan into the brain, which we’ll then optimize in Best Way to Boost Serotonin. Avoidance of soda and artificial colors may also improve behavior in children and adolescents. I’ve got dozens of videos on supplements–the good, the bad, the ugly and the just plain snake oil. Unfortunately, too many people rely on the questionable advice from health food store employees (see my four-part video series starting here). If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.Elpool, Dr G. must admire Sly Stallone, because this is an, “Avalance of ‘psycho’ Thrills” with his cliffhangers. ;-}I could totally hang like that off of a cliff ledge with one arm carrying 75 pounds of guns and ammo. I could. I just don’t want to is all.You and your cliff hangers! :-)I read that tyrosine and phenylalanine compete with tryptophan for absorption. Apparently because of this, some healthcare practitioners believe that food sources of tryptophan do not cause a significant enough increase in blood levels of tryptophan to produce therapeutic results—so therefore it ought to be taken as a supplement to increase its blood levels.http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=103Since 2002 when the ban on tryptophan was lifted there have been no cases of EMS liked to it. It is unlikely that you could achieve therapeutic levels of trytophan through diet.Love what you do and this particular video I find a bit disingenuous or something. It is quite well known that the toxicity/deaths from tryptophan were caused by manufacturer contamination. One of the few, large manufacturing companies, Showa Denko K.K., Tokyo, had contaminated their fermentation tanks. This was jumped on by the FDA to crush the tryptophan supplement market just as the market for Prozac (approved just 2 years prior) was really taking off. Likely no connection but still, makes me wonder. It is not as if it was a big mystery why tryptophan use was associated w/ EMS. It was not the tryptophan, it was sloppy manufacturing and contamination.  Should we avoid lettuce because it has been sold contaminated.I totally agree that supplementing is 2nd choice at best with diet as 1st line treatment. But I certainly would not call tryptophan pills “the wrong way” nor would I imply that they are particularly dangerous.You may be right but it looks like there isn’t a consensus. See  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan#Tryptophan_supplements_and_EMSThis is not correct. There have been cases since the disaster just check the Mayo Clinic site or the CDC. Let me tell you, it’s NOT WORTH IT! I would give anything to have my life back.Yes, Showa Denko KK produced contaminated product but it was because they eliminated one of the charcoal filtering processes in order to produce more bulk product…make more money. There’s nothing in place to stop this kind of disaster from happening again, with any supplement.I totally agree — “Better safe than sorry.” I would rather err on the side of caution *especially* with supplements, when in doubt.  When in doubt–throw it out! ;-}History tells us that isolating one single factor from food can be dangerous (E-vitamin, betacarotene) – I wote for the package!I am really intersted in your information but hate the video format.Would it be possible to include a written article with the information together with the video for those who prefer tro get information via print? Thanks.I agree.  I have a hearing loss, and either need closed captioning or text.  Wish this was possible.Jhellen and Nancywb947: volunteers have begun transcribing Dr. Greger’s videos (in English and languages other than English). If you know anyone who could pitch in with the effort, please point them to these instructions: https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1VLQvCUNrC47Yrti861QcH09YesAmY5e-pJgzBQAyBR4Dr. Greger already does this. Read the transcript! It’s right above the Doctor’s Note.I love these videos. Keep them coming! Thank you!this is a really old story regarding Tryptophan… Jonathan Wright, MD covered it in great detail about 20 years ago. If memory serves it was a genetically modified strain of Japanese origin that caused the problem having nothing to do with the amino acid. That did not however stop the FDA from pulling it off the market in typical Gestapo technique. Were they only so responsive for the myriad drugs they approve!I have been into nutritional research for 51 years…and personally experiment with food and substances, before recommending or panning them.  I have been using tryptophan for the last two years without a problem…it is a great sleep promoter, when taken at bedtime.  I go to sleep happy and wake up happy on a daily basis…and I am in my late seventies.I have great admiration for Dr. Greger and have followed his work for sometime and appreciate the time and energy he has put into it. But yes, I agree with many of the responses. I personally have never had to take tryptophan, perhaps due to my very healthy, nearly vegan diet, but for those that have a chemical imbalance and benefit from it’s use, more power to them for being smart enough to try it. I’m a certified nutrition consultant and equally important, I worked at a vitamin store for over 10 years and never heard of a negative incident, only positive, while using tryptophan. So while I’m ranting, I’m a bit offended by Dr. Greger’s comments about people that work at health food stores. I learned and experienced so much through the feedback of clients and the training the facility I worked for offered. There maybe exceptions, as there are in many occupations, but I have met and worked with many VERY knowledgable staff at various health food stores that have the utmost level of integrity helping clients improve their health through supplementations.I worked for many years in health food stores (including the “big dog” Whole Foods as well as small independent store).  My experience goes both ways. I have encountered quite a few employees who are very knowledgeable and I have also heard truly appalling ignorance being expressed as fact.  I think caveat emptor is always an excellent rule no matter what you are buying and no matter where.  I think it is most important of all when dealing with your own health and how your body is treated and what is going into it.  Sadly, our educational system and media train people to be ignorant sheep rather than to take responsibility and learn what is needed.The health food store I’ve frequented for the past 25 years, has had problems with both past owners, and some employees not knowing the side affects of the “supplements” and herbal remedies they are peddling to customers.For example, when I was looking for the essential oil of Calendula, another essential oil was thrust upon me from another part of the marigold, which while fragrant, was toxic if ingested.The owner downplayed my comments on the essential oil saying that it was pharmaceutical industry propaganda. This may be partially true. But, where there is smoke, there should be more investigation.I did not purchase what she was pushing, and that may have saved my dog’s life. I did bring in information that was on the web site, and was told we cannot believe everything on the web. True. But, we cannot believe everything a salesperson peddles to us either.This store owner-sales person died of liver damage, not from drinking, but from ingesting far too many supplements of comfrey, a natural plant which she declared “safe” –she and the industry who trained her.Investigate before you buy whether it is food, drugs, or supplements!!! And, it’s okay to walk away.Curious. I’ve read it is turned into 5-htp in small intestine by high ratio of good bacteria, probiotics. That 5-htp is brain converted to melatonin to sleep and serotonin for alert wakefulness and feel good. Sleepy daytime use. ??I agree about having a written article with the video. We’re far out in the country and the video will not play with our extremely slow internet connection.In Europe 5-HTP is used, could this one be also dangerous?I took tryptophan supplements which I might say were huge, some twenty seven years ago for a sleep problem.  During that period I experienced a severe gallbladder attack (unusual considering I was only 31yrs old and ate healthy). As a subsequence I lost my gallbladder.  The surgeon said it was so full of large gallstones that it had to be removed.  Shortly after I noticed that the tryptophan tablets were taken off the market!  I believe I lost my gallbladder because of tryptophan! For some people to die because of them, (it is believed), is terrible.It is well proven that the problems caused by tryptophan supplements were due to bacterial contamination in manufacture and had nothing at all to do with the tryptophan.  So far as I know, there is also zero connection between tryptophan intake in any form and gallbladder health (aside from it being one the essential ones to consume since we can’t synthesize it).  It is unfortunate that you lost your gallbladder but the stones and surgery had no connection to your taking tryptophan supplements.  Belief is quite different from causality or proof.Eagles438, also curious as to what you meant by “healthy diet”?  I would guess that about 95% of people, is asked would say they eat a healthy diet. If you get the actual detail of what they eat, more likely 5% or less actually do so.I was one of the victim’s of L-tryptophan and it scares me to see this product back on the shelves. This is a horrible illness that ruins your life!! I love this site, and I have enjoyed many of these videos, but I must take exception with your assertion about “L-tryptophan supplements” causing those deaths, when the very article in your video stated–as have many of your informed readers below–that those deaths were all linked to ONE source (Showa Denko), which produced the contaminated supplements that caused ALL of the L-tryptophan deaths. Of course, Geoffrey Levens (below) pointed out the Prozac link–and I don’t think that was an accident. Big pharma spends tons of money on lobbying efforts–and the spreading of misleading information in this case caused widespread panic over the supplement, which led to a ban on L-tryptophan–meaning the consumer had fewer choices (especially between supplements or drugs–if you can’t get the supplement, you have to buy the drug–not counting the few educated folks who manage to get decent info on nutrition for countering deficiencies). This gave Prozac a big (unfair, artificially-created) market advantage. Glad the ban has since been lifted. 26 people died from that contaminated supply, but more than 2500 deaths have been linked to Prozac–almost 100x more than the contaminated L-tryptophan supplements! Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!Eosinophilia–myalgia syndrome came about with the introduction into the marketplace of genetically engineered L-tryptophan, from a Japanese company.Because President Herbert Walker Bush was about to allow GMO foods and drugs into the marketplace, his administration banned all sources of L-tryptophan to save lives, or so they said.I’ve had a bottle of L-tryptophan, for decades which I have used sparingly whenever I absolutely cannot get to sleep, and I have never had any adverse health problem related to its ingestion.Now, we have myriad of foods and pharmaceuticals whose dna has been altered with antibiotic resistant bacteria, genes from other species, and possibly from other kingdoms, all because scientists can do this. http://www.nature.com/cr/journal/v22/n1/fig_tab/cr2011158ft.html And the FDA has a rubber stamped policy that these foods/drugs are not significantly different from any other foods, a policy likely written by Michael Taylor, then a lobbyist now a VP, for Monsanto.I don’t trust anything that the U.S. FDA puts out.Anyone guess what the health outcomes will be besides death and endocrine disruption?Buy what you want over the internet if you’re sure it’s safe. If it’s allowed in most countries, but not your own, it may be safe.Here in the UK we can buy some things that are banned in the USA but we can’t buy melatonin over the counter.I have articles that say triptophan from food like white meat is turned into 5-htp by the small intestine and that this is what the brain uses to make serotonin for awake or melatonin for sleep. It said to take 5-htp pill with white meat. It did not mention L-triptophan pills. I may have felt some improvement doing this last mth. But hard to be sureI have article that says healthy gut bacteria needed to turn triptophan into 5-htp which the brain makes serotonin and melatonin from. It says take strong hq delayed release probiotic, 5-htp pill, triptophan rich white meat. Didn’t mention triptophan pills. Maybe due to past quality risk concerns. ?? 1 mth tried so far withmaybe some drep depression help. Would adding triptophan pills be worth trying. ??Is it too late to comment on this video? Coincidentally, I was reading aboutthis very thing a few weeks ago and took the time to track it down and readabout … OK, Wikipedia about it.Here is what Wikipedia says about Tryptophan as a dietary supplement:> Tryptophan supplements and EMS[edit]> There was a large outbreak of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS) in the > U.S. in 1989, which caused 1,500 cases of permanent disability and at least > thirty-seven deaths. After preliminary investigation revealed that the outbreak > was linked to intake of tryptophan, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration > (FDA) banned most tryptophan from sale in the US in 1991, and other > countries followed suit.[38]> Subsequent epidemiological studies[39][40][41] however, were able to pinpoint > the syndrome to those exposed to specific batches of L-tryptophan supplied > by a single large Japanese manufacturer, Showa Denko KK.[42]> It eventually became clear that the cause had not been the tryptophan itself, > but rather that flaws in Showa Denko’s 1980s manufacturing process > (long since corrected) had allowed trace impurities to contaminate these > batches, and those impurities were in turn responsible for the 1989 EMS > outbreak.[38][42][43][44]So, I am wondering if this changes anything in your video about the safety or danger or taking L-Tryptophan supplements.This video is in a whole different century that those deaths supposedly due to Tryptophan were, and it was not mentioned about the defects in the manufacturing process.So, did Wikipedia not get something right, or is taking Tryptophan supplements not deadly? That seems like a strong claim to make if there is not hard evidence to support it?Brux, FWIW I worked in supplement dept of Whole Foods while simultaneously being an acupuncturist at that time. The wiki article is correct, the problems were all from contamination due to mfg process and not the tryptophan. So far as I know it is quite safe as is 5-HTP which is what tryptophan becomes in your body on its way to becoming seratonin and is also available as a supplement. 5-HTP has a bit more chance to cause g.i. upset though as it (but not tryp.) can be converted to seratonin in the gut where it is biologically activeThanks Geoffrey, a lot of the videos here seem to rely on hyperbole and scare tactics just as much as any other food industry niche? My understanding was that the Japanese lab was using genetic engineering to make their tryptophan, but I would like to understand more about the problem, and if there is enough of a difference in the way other labs produce tryptophan to warrant any possible risk of any problem.	adolescence,alternative medicine,brain health,complementary medicine,depression,eosinophilia–myalgia syndrome,fruit,greens,medications,mental health,mood,mushrooms,plant protein,plant-based diets,side effects,soy,supplements,tryptophan,vegetables	Tryptophan is the precursor to the "happiness hormone" serotonin, so why not take tryptophan supplements to improve mood and relieve symptoms of depression?	This is the second of a four-part series (mentioned in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death) on natural ways to boost serotonin in the brain. Yesterday's video-of-the-day Human Neurotransmitters in Plants noted that plants themselves can contain serotonin. Tomorrow's video-of-the-day A Better Way to Boost Serotonin will talk about getting dietary tryptophan into the brain, which we'll then optimize in Best Way to Boost Serotonin. Avoidance of soda andartificial colors may also improve behavior in children and adolescents. I've gotdozens of videos on supplements--the good, the bad, the ugly and the just plainsnake oil. Unfortunately, too many people rely on the questionable advice from health food store employees (see my four-part video series starting here). If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tryptophan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eosinophilia-myalgia-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife%C2%AE/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18598185,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19467256,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20485303,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21702023,
PLAIN-2920	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/	Human Neurotransmitters in Plants	Last year a strange letter was published in the Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neuroscience suggesting fruit as a treatment for depression. Starts out talking about how bad the disease is, how abnormally low levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin in the brain may be responsible, how we now have several classes of drugs such as SSRIs—Prozac--that may work by boosting serotonin levels, but then of course notes how these medications bring with them some serious problems side effects, etc. And so a new therapeutic approach is needed.How about using high-content sources of serotonin to provide our body with these substances, you know, like, plantains, pineapples, bananas, kiwis, plums, and tomatoes. What?! Since when do plants have animal neurotransmitters? Since forever, I was surprised to learn.Animal neurotransmitter substances in plants. They’ve got all the stuff we have. There’s adrenaline in plants, there’s dopamine, serotonin, melatonin—in fact there was recent study trying to figure out which varieties of tomatoes and strawberries had the most. And there’s actually enough in a serving to enhance levels in our blood stream.Humans use serotonin as a neurotransmitters, plants use serotonin is in a protective role, adaptation, flowering, establishing it’s shape, In fact the same drugs that we use to affect our psychology can affect a plants biology. This is your plant (St. Johns Wort). This is your plant on, Prozc, , Ritalin, , amphetamines.OK, so bioactive human neurotransmitters in plants, but what’s in it for us? Can fruit really be used to treat depression?(we will find out in tomorrow’s video-of-the-day)	This is the first of a four-part video series on boosting the levels in the brain, the so-called “happiness hormone.” That’s what drugs like Prozac do, but are there more natural ways without so many side effects? Tomorrow’s video-of-the-day The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin will talk about tryptophan supplements. Then A Better Way to Boost Serotonin dispels the common myth about tryptophan and turkey and finally The Best Way to Boost Serotonin discusses a strategy to maximize the transport of the serotonin precursor across the blood-brain barrier. This whole saga reminds me of the Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods story, and of Power Plants in general. Please check out my other videos on Improving Mood Through Diet, as well as my full-length Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death presentation (in which this video content is mentioned in the suicide section). If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here. And welcome to volume 10!Fantastic!Pineapple vs ProzacOf course the concern is if these molecules are broken down in the GI-tract and if they can penetrate the blood-brain barrier.Wouldn`t be surprised if nature has a solution for that.Michael – this site is very educational!Welcome back to the Team! :-)))I believe the paper also mentioned fenugreek along with those fruits. Do you suppose it would be good to link this video to the fenugreek heading?Yay! The first of the new DVD! Thank you for making these videos free for us for now. I purchased your very first DVD and can’t wait until I’m able to purchase your entire set.I wonder if you realize how many people you’ve helped by presenting science in easy to understand videos. You’ve literally changed my and my boyfriend’s — who was diagnosed with bladder cancer — lives!Thank you again!Everyday, comon’ EVERYDAY I am blown away at what you come up with.  I don’t have the time to be the Hunter Gatherer for this information and research, and again I have to say I truly appreciate the time and effort you put forth into this labor of love.  Just fantastic.Just look at the powerful impact you are having on the world. Quote from Jo, “You’ve literally changed my and my boyfriend’s — who was diagnosed with bladder cancer — lives!”Powerful!  Just like the plants you represent! ;-}I agree! :)Awwww…so you’re a tease, Dr.Greger?  :^)I remember reading that cherries — I think sour — are good for seratonin, amongst other benefits. Mmmm…chocolate cherry vegan icecream!Teases wheezus…true to form, I’m sure your teases pleasesTill tomorrow! :DInteresting. Though if the maximum lifespan is somewhere between 120-140, or even 200+ as some believe, why not spend more time figuring out how, instead of addressing the sick.Calorie Restriction will probably extend your life with several years Awesome.Oh no! Another cliffhanger!  Seriously, this is fascinating information. And will irritate the manufacturers of Prozac to no end.  Imagine, feeling down? Have a pineapple-banana smoothie made with soymilk and slurp your depression away.  And no nasty side effects either like what comes with Prozac and the other SSRIs.I’m really excited about this thread!  I’m hoping to get off the SSRI I’ve been on for 15 years and thereby lose the 30 lbs that came with it!  Looking forward to the next couple of videos on this!  Thanks Doc.You’ll probably have to wean yourself off the drugs, but I agree it’ll be better than a lifetime of pill popping.I hope your journey to better health and less drugs has been successful. You might be interested in reading Dr. Breggin’s book, Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal. It is a detailed handbook on the challenges of getting off psychiatric drugs including SSRI’s. He also recommends an approach that has seemed to work for many of his patients. I believe it should be read by anyone who prescribes these drugs or treats patients who are on these drugs.Dr.Gregor, Plain and simple! YOU ROCK !You are a hero of mine.Thank You for dedicating your life to the truth. Your followers love you.<3 Cindy from Portland.This is confusing, I searched on “Depression” and I get up a list of video’s. I’m watching them in order, and in every video there’s just another cliffhanger, and the next video doesn’t follow the last one.Watch the FDA try to sanction bananas, lol!I realize testosterone is not a neurotransmitter, that I know of, but many people have or think they have a lack of testosterone. Are there similar chemicals in plants that can boost human testosterone levels in males?What are your thoughts on the Gut-and-Psychology-Syndrome (GAPS) diet? It claims to be a probiotic and prebiotic diet, but largely animal foods based, and claims to solve or ameliorate many conditions, including autism. Seems entirely anecdotal, and the only study I have found that even mentions GAPS discusses the lead (Pb) concentrations in bone broth.amyinohio This Is Really Attention-grabbing, You Are A Very Skilled Blogger. I Have Joined Your Rss Feed And Sit Up For Looking For Extra Of Your Fantastic Post. Additionally, I’ve Shared Your Website In My Social Networks!	alternative medicine,antidepressants,bananas,brain health,complementary medicine,depression,dopamine,fruit,kiwi fruit,medications,melatonin,mental health,mood,pineapples,plant-based diets,plantains,plums,Prozac,serotonin,side effects,SSRI's,St. John's wort,strawberries,tomatoes	The consumption of certain fruits is suggested as a potential treatment for depression given the presence of psychoactive neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and melatonin in many plant foods.	This is the first of a four-part video series on boosting the levels in the brain, the so-called "happiness hormone." That's what drugs like Prozac do, but are there more natural ways without so many side effects? Tomorrow's video-of-the-day The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin will talk about tryptophan supplements. Then A Better Way to Boost Serotonin dispels the common myth about tryptophan and turkey and finally The Best Way to Boost Serotonindiscusses a strategy to maximize the transport of the serotonin precursor across the blood-brain barrier. This whole saga reminds me of the Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods story, and of Power Plants in general. Please check out my other videos on Improving Mood Through Diet, as well as my full-length Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death presentation (in which this video content is mentioned in the suicide section). If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free byclicking here. And welcome to volume 10!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/31/new-latest-nutrition-dvd-now-available-proceeds-to-charity/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/st-johns-wort/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pineapples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antidepressants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plums/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ssris/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plantains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21037145,
PLAIN-2921	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mineral-of-the-year-magnesium/	Mineral of the Year—Magnesium	Despite the promising autopsy and ecologic—meaning, population—data I just covered supporting a specific association between low magnesium levels and sudden cardiac death, there’s only been two studing prospectively examining the association: this one, from the Harvard Nurse's Study, published in 2011, and this one from 2010 the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communitues study, covering a multiethnic population of thounsands of men and women. High blood levels of magnesium were associated “with an almost 40% reduced risk of sudden cardiac death” and “Women in the highest compared with the lowest quarter of dietary and blood magnesium had a 34% and 77% lower risk of sudden cardiac death, respectively.  Another 2011 study, noting “Magnesium is an essential mineral in whole grains, leafy green vegetables, legumes—meaning beans, peas, lentils and soy, and nuts, as well as seeds, that acts as a cofactor in hundreds of enzymatic reactions in the human body. A considerable body of evidence indicates that a higher intake of dietary magnesium may favorably affect a cluster of metabolic and inflammatory disorders including many of our top killers like diabetes and heart disease. So, did they put a whole bunch of people on whole grains, greens, beans, and nuts? No, they gave them a pill. A randomized, double-blind, controlled, crossover trial and indeed magnesium pills did improve somne biomarkers in the bodies of these overweight individuals studied, but come on. Even the Harvard Nurses study threw up their hands in defeat. Since“most Americans do not meet the RDA even taking pills, therefore, we need… more pills, and put it in the water supply or start fortifying foods. I mean there’s no way, apparently, that Americans are going to start eating spinach or something. It’s true, though, that most Americans eat so poorly that they don’t even get the measly recommended daily intake. This is the daily value, 400. This is how much the average American gets. How much do you think the average American vegetarian gets? Recently publised in the Journal of the American Dietetics Association: “A Vegetarian Dietary Pattern as a Nutrient-Dense Approach to Weight Management. They measured vegetarian magnesium intake and… they’re not eating spinach either. Nonvegetarians ate an average of zero point one one cups of dark green vegetables a day; the vegetarians ate zero point one five cups. They did better, but still not enough greens, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds.	Make sure you watch the “prequel” to this video, yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?. Though those eating plant-based diets may average less than half the nutrient deficiencies than meateaters, as seen in Omnivore vs. Vegan Nutrient Deficiencies, that’s not saying much given how pitiful the Standard American Diet is to start with. See, for example Nation’s Diet in Crisis and Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score. There are many more videos on greens, beans, grains, nuts (http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/), and seeds, as well as a thousand other topics—enjoy!Magnificent Magnesium–This is the turning point (Torsade de Pointes).Low hypomag and hypokalemia can lead to prolonged QT and possibly TdP and ultimately death.Maybe the hospitals should give all patients dark green leafies, beans, nuts and seeds, and oatmeal when the are admitted, ultimately lowering their risk for dying?  At least in the hospital, wouldn’t you think?They don’t call it the ‘Crap’ateria for nothing!How many americans (and people of europe) would choose that hospital for their quadruple bypass? They would probably thoose another hospital serving burgers, fries, milkshake, coke (with suger of course), icecream and cheesecake (double cheese!) and recieve their magnesium-pill, statins, ace-inhibitor, clopidogrel, aspirin and then suing the surgeon because they need a stent within 12 months, contributing to the bankruptcy of the healthcaresystem – and just because they didn`t eat their beans and nuts – crazy world !my parents fall into this category… they complain about how irresponsible people are & how the government (in the U.S) while people like them are footing the bill via the upper middle class tax burden, but they do little to take care of their personal health & are in a state of denial while they spend a fortune on pharmaceutical products while they snack on potato chips & chocolates & eat very little vegetables, but to their doctors credit, they’ve been told, they just ignore the advice & it’s easier for the doctors to just keep prescribing to people like them, what are they going to do if the patient does not want to take responsibility for their own health?Love the pic of the kid gnawing on the chicken bone.  Just precious! ;-}Emphasis on dietary magnesium – in mind the case with beta-carotene (an indicator of high intake of vegetables) and the pill (without the other 100 carotenoids) and increased risk of lung-cancer (if smoking) and the current debate over calcium tablets and cardiovascular events. Food is a package.I wonder if the cardio-protective value of cocoa is largely due to its high MG…Congratulations to Dr. Greger for cracking another hard nut!My formula with data from the USDA database: ½ cup of oats for breakfast (138mg Mg) + 1 tbsp dry Cocoa Powder (unsweetened) at first break (141 mg Mg) + 40 Almonds (roasted not blanched) during the day (128 mg Mg) = 407 mg Mg and success. All those leafy greens at lunch and beans at dinner boost it up to around 600 or 700 mg with only 1600 kcal consumed during the day. In my humble (unschooled) opinion, achieving this goal every day should be easy and tasty and cheap to do.  Super thanks to the Doc for making us aware of it! For many vegetarians, being a vegetarian is not about a plant-based diet.  It’s about not harming animals.  French fries and a Coke fits the bill.  Still, I was shocked at the micro-portions of leafy greens reported in the study.You’re right about vegetarians, and they are neglecting the most important animal; the human animal!Wow that is surprising. What are the vegetarians eating?My dr. recommended a magnesium supplement for me. I take Magnesium Glycinate 600 mg capsules – 2 a day. Is this enough? Like most Americans, I probably do not get enough in my diet.Tabitha, The best strategy is: eat food, whole food that is.  Include all the plant-based food groups (grains, fruit, vegetable, legumes, nuts and seeds).  Include portions from all those groups every day.  And over the course of a week, eat a variety of foods within each food group.  That will give you all the magnesium you need, plus most of everything else.  Isolated nutrients in supplements may be useful in certain therapeutic situations, but that’s not the way to live.  Eat food!You mentioned eating whole grains in the video. Was just wondering what you thought of the book Wheat Belly. Apparently, the wheat of today has been modified so much that it is causing many of our health problems and the USDA is telling us to eat more and more of it, thus creating a vicious cycle of health problems. It was an interesting book, but it’s so difficult to know what/who to believe anymore when it comes to the type of food we should be eating. Marion Nestle doesn’t even mention it, to my knowledge, in her books or blog. “whole grains” should be limited and should be “whole” grain.  Eat wheat berries, bulgur wheat, brown rice (not instant), amarynth…. These are whole grains.  You shouldn’t get your whole grains from pasta and bread!  Those are highly processed! Don’t forget rolled or steel cut oats, millet, and barley. They’re all cheap and nutritious and easy to fix. For example, you can put steel cut (Irish) oats in a pan at night, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover with a tightly fitting lid and then let it sit until morning.They should be done by then and ready for a quick reheating or final quick cooking in the microwave. It’s great with raisins and cinnamon. Barley is great in vegetable soup along with a handful of lentils.Barley and millet are a welcome break from rice. The orioles, finches and  jays that visit my home also love millet, although unlike them, I seldom eat it raw..Paulc-Oats are high in sulfuric acid, higher than wheat and that is very bad for bone health, not to mention the overall health of an alkaline body. Plus, they cause blood sugar to skyrocket-no matter what kind or how they’re cooked.Robin-some of the grains you mentioned all share a genetic heritage with wheat and have some of the potential effects that wheat does on the body. And the rest still take a toll on your metabolic health because they are rich in carbs.There’s just so much to learn about the food we eat and how it will effect our bodies. It’s overwhelming at times. Just when I think I’ve cut out all the bad (ok, most of the bad stuff-I still have some vices) foods, I read something new. UGH!Most of this is false. The sulphuric acid is irrelevant if your other bone health items are adequate. There is a huge difference in GI response to rolled oats versus ‘instant’ oats and cooking method does matter. Recent studies from Scandinavia showed that rye was more beneficial than oats. Modern wheat has been bred to increase the size of the endosperm where the gluten resides, so even if you are not ‘gluten intolerant’ you still get too much from wheat products. To say that carbs take a toll on your metabolic health is nonsense as all vegies are carbs. If so, vegetarians would be the sickest group around. What matters is whether your carbs are complex (low GI) versus simple (hi GI) as in much processed food.. Hi April, thanks for the advice. I was aware of the acid-forming content of grains- probably due to sulfur-bearing amino acids and so, I’ve cut back to 3-4 servings a day- below the gov’t’s recommended levels. Didn’t know about the H2SO4 content of grains, though. I reason that if it were high we’d have a burning sensation in our mouths when we eat them. Could it be that you’re actually referring to the sulfur-bearing amino acids? It would be hard to imagine life without grains. For thousands of years people have been getting the majority of their calories from grains. I recently read about the riots in Rome during Augustus’ reign when wheat from North Africa was cut off by Lepidus. Of course this is the gist of the debate between Plant-strong physicians Macdougall and Furhman: shall we go with what has worked for thousands of years or with what may potentially be the best diet? As I understand it, even Dr. Furhman doesn’t completely rule out grains. Also, I freely admit that I’ve fallen victim to the addictive exophins in grains. Seems that my “appetite” just isn’t easily satisfied unless I have some. Perhaps the real debate is between Dr. Macdougall’s addiction and Dr. Fuhrman having broken his. Perhaps I should also do the same and cut off grains completely in favor of vegetables, fruits, legumes, mushrooms, nuts, tea and spices. But then, legumes tend to also be acid-forming. Oy! Perhaps enough veggies will compensate.This topic is of great interest to me not due to heart problems but I was border-line osteopenic last year…so magnesium is very important for BONE health too! And I have been eating raw organic pumpkin seeds for a snack just about every other day (alternating with our dear and wonderful walnuts)…and I’ve switched to unsweetened almond milk instead of 1% dairy milk…also increasing my Vit D3 intake to 5,000 IU’s each day…AND increasing my weight bearing exercise though I’ve always been a walker..if it is alright to do so, I will attach a link to the highest magnesium foods:http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=75  Great video, Doc!Important notes to make: In foods where most of the magnesium is found in water-soluble form, blanching, steaming, or boiling of these foods can result in a substantial loss of magnesium. For example, about one third of the magnesium in spinach is lost after blanching. Similarly, when beans are cooked, they can lose up to 65% of their magnesium. Because magnesium can be attached to certain building blocks of protein (called amino acids), increased intake of protein can sometimes help improve the body’s magnesium status.I’ve taken magnesium-calcium-zinc supplement for several years for no “serious” reason.  At the time I think I read “somewhere” that I need it because I wasn’t eating meat.  A few months ago I stopped taking it because again I read that all nutrients should come from food and started having major digestive issues including some serious bloating.  I have no health or weight issues and don’t eat junk.  Since magnesium is a laxative, could it be that I just got too accustomed to it?  I was taking the supplement at low dose.  I also noticed that I now lose a few more stands of hair, whereas before none came off.  Do I go back to the supplement? Just a thought, but maybe someone could use sites like  http://www.petridish.org, or  http://www.medstartr.com/, to conduct a study on magnesium effect through eating actual greens. Would be great! :)Since no company think the will profite, maybe the crowd will.This is very interesting to me because my ophthalmologist told me today that at least 50% of people with classic migraines (which he said are a vascular spasm) and ocular migraines (which he said is actually a type of seizure) have low magnesium levels, and that correcting it usually resolves them. He also said the big problem was all those supplements available cheaply are very poorly absorbed, making them almost useless for correcting the problem. What he didn’t tell me was how I can get magnesium that IS absorbable, so I came here.But he said that a regular blood serum test will not accurately reflect magnesium levels. Instead a different, more targeted blood test was required. We did that test, because he’d rather know for sure before he starts trying to find me a source of magnesium that is better than useless.So what I am seeing from comments here is that dark leafy vegetables are a good source, as well as nuts? I love raw spinach, eat it all the time, and I eat chick peas nearly every day. What else should I add?You will noticine on the USDA nutritional database that almost all plant foods are high sources of magnesiumhttp://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000120000000000000000.htmlYou are so smart! I love your info and have spread the news! Now the guy at the gym, my brother and his wife are favoring your advice. Thanks so much! Judith McConnellJust had salad for lunch. Included, dark leaved lettuce and freshly picked leaves from my Oregano bush outside. Hope that gets rid of my blood clot.There is more nutrition in dark leafy greens like kale which are high in vitamin K, and which tastes even better cooked with red onions, garlic, and turmeric, than lettuce. However, kale like other health dark leafy greens, they normalize clotting levels.I think kale tastes far better cooked with lots of freshly mashed garlic, red Bermuda onions, and even turmeric root (fresh is better than dry). The latter root, that of turmeric I buy at health food stores or Oriental Groceries.‘Some research suggests that garlic may increase the risk of bleeding due to its anti-clotting properties. It should NOT be used by people who will be having surgery soon, especially if they are given blood thinners or if bleeding after surgery is a concern. People on blood thinning medications, such as warfarin (Coumadin) or aspirin, should consult with their doctor before taking garlic supplements.”I cook with lots of garlic and never have been bothered with blood clots, even when I ingest 8 cups of cooked dark, leafy greens per day for calcium and magnesium needs on a lower fat diet.. Lately I’ve discovered kale and collards tastes hugely better cooked with a tad bit (less than a tablespoon) of a good organic olive oil and lots of sauteed garlic and onions, which reduce the blood clotting effects of high vitamin K veggies.Have your salad for lunch without fatty salad dressings if you desire. But, also have lots of dark leafy greens cooked with lots of garlic!I have recently discovered that I am a food Addict. Which means similarly to the way a drug addict can not ingest the tiniest bit of their drug of choice without the insanity of craving taking over their thinking- I can not eat any sugar/ flour or artificial sweeteners without becoming my own scary version of the cookie monster. (The only sweetener that doesn’t seem to effect me xylitol.)I also suffer cramps and muscle spasm from stress if I don’t take magnesium regularly I’ve been taking: http://www.bioceuticals.com.au/product/preview/Ultra-Muscleze-Nightand: http://ethicalnutrients.com.au/content/products/mega-magnesium-powderboth of which seem to be soothing the cramps but are in danger of triggering my cravings.Is it necessary to take magnesium in a power form? if so can you recommend one free of any kind of sweetener.And if tablets are ok which ones would you recommend?PS I’m in Australia so preferably a brand I can get over here or that isn’t going to cost me an arm and a leg to ship.thanks for your help. :)Alice: I’m sorry to hear of your troubles. Good for you for taking your health into your own hands and working to improve it.While I don’t personally have answers for your specific questions, I wanted to point you to a book that is really great:“Breaking the Food Seduction: The Hidden Reasons Behind Food Cravings—And 7 Steps to End Them Naturally” by Dr. BernardBest of luck to you.I have a sweet tooth as well. :-) Are you able to eat dates? They have a decent amount of magnesium. They don’t make me crave sweets like simple sugar does. They very healthy as well. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/Also I forgot to add I’m trying to turn vegan so a dairy free version would be preferable :)Looking at the difference between how I eat and my asian friends, they are so much more likely to eat dark leafy veges at every meal whereas I don’t think I was brought up like this way and therefore have to consciously do this. When i was teaching four classes of Tai chi a day I would supplement with magnesium because i would get leg cramps whenever I was low in magnesium……however, its always hard to suppliment because its like admitting that what you are doing isn’t perfect……something like there is a disconnect between what you eat and nourishment. I was also taking barley grass or spirulina quite regularly.Me too Rosemary. seems like the more greens and algaes I eat, the more magnesium I need, despite a diet chock full of MORE than enough, so I get the sentiment. I’ve asked Dr G but have not gotten a response back but I hear that certain nerve issues deplete magnesium stores, and since I have nerve issues and started taking a lot of extra as Epsome salts, seems like I am better but the more I need also, as if somehting is rallying in defence and stealing it all. Anywho I bulk up and cross my fingers for a response about needing ridiculous doses of magnesium in the interum. It feels good to not be alone in this from folks who also dose high in greens and algaes and need more and more mg too. What’s up I wonder?? I’d bet there is a connection somehow.I eat a plant based diet high in green leafy vegetables as well as legumes, nuts and seeds. However, I still have a hunch that I am deficient in magnesium. I have frequent muscle tension and abdominal cramping and currently use a magnesium supplement to relieve these symptoms. This seems to help. Are there any magnesium supplements that you consider safe? Which form do you recommend? And how many milligrams? Thanks!Try nightly or morning baths with Epsome salts as well. It seems to be absorbed into the skin more readily than ingesting – and scrub while in there with a brush or still lufa. Works great for me – like a lithium bath – and I also am one who needs HIGH doses of it for the same reasons, which seemeed to surface when I stopped meats/dairy and grains too, even though my diet is very high in magnesium foods, like it sounds like your’s is too. I think I now take several 1,000mg of magnesium daily, and almost can’t get enough. Green juices also help. Hope you don’t mind my nosing into your question. Cheers.Every body is different and absorbs or utilizes nutrients differently depending on the whole body issues. I jumped on the idea that single nutrients shouldn’t be taken just eat a healthy whole foods plant based diet. Am now anemic. So I went back to vit C supplementation along with high iron foods. We each have to find what works best for us. And remember that most recommendations are for apparently healthy people.MagnesiumDr G, great to hear you comment on how silly to suggest taking a pill instead of just upping the magnesium rich foods in a diet, even the veg heads are not eating enough mg. But Dr G? How come when it comes to B12, I always hear you mention pills and not greens and brewers yeast and such high B12 foods??? What up?? One of my big beefs is that vegans can live on TERRIBLE food choices and so it’s not enough to cut out animals. Folks have to start eating their greens and beans – those are my core foods.. . . and I find grains make me tired and cranky and want sugar so I don’t even touch them any more, since beans are so awsome (loved the bean Disqus today btw. Horray for beans and heart! Since I’ve been eating lots of them my iris no longer shows heart issues so I’m down. Thanks!Hi Ruby! I’ve loved seeing all your cheerful, high-spirited comments around the site, by the way. I wanted to chime in on this though–did you see Dr. Greger’s video on Daily Source of Vitamin B12? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/ In order to get enough B12 from nutritional yeast, you’d have to take 2 teaspoons three times a day (4 to 6 hours apart). That seems more than most of us could handle. Greens, as far as I can tell, aren’t a source of B12.I’m sure you’ve noticed that Dr. G usually recommends whole food nutrition as opposed to supplements, except when it comes to B12, omega 3s, and possibly D (http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/).Glad to hear your health issues have improved! :)Hiya Tomasina! (love that name! :). . . The second vid was a 404, no longer found vid. . . wasss up? The first one. . . . says needs to take b12 several times a day and that we can’t absorb but a smidge per eating. . . Huugh, you know my problem with these “studies” sometimes is, step back a jif and, they don’t make any sense. If b12 comes from meat and we need b12 and there’s not enough in greens (and I see plenty that greens are the non meat source, so). . . .if we’re deficient it has to be because we are not getting what we have been genetically are designed to. . .but if so we’d have to not be eating foods we would generally get without civilization. Green things woudld be THE most available source, daily. No one ever ate meat several times a day, so the supposed bioavailbility limits make me shy with incredulity. I don’t eat that much bewers yeast. It comes and goes from my diet, but I eat a lb of cholorlla a month(2tbs a day) and at least a bunch of come dark leafy (kale, chard, spinach, collards). . . 2 bunches of fresh spinach and one collard is there now, along with a couple parsely and cilantro. My freezer has many jars of parsely/cilantro pesto with fresh nuts, which I spoon into my soups. . . . I nhear the arguments and the studies. I had a blood teast last year and got raised eyebrows of praise, though I don’t know the details. I am going to get another done and get the numbers on my B12. Then I can either make a really big point, or conceed. . . .. though surely the atter would be highly miffing to me. Later gater! And thanks for the sunny reply to my post. ;)Just wanted to dash back to you Tommasina. Your response has me skooting around sleuthing this absorption issue and I found I think a big key. B12 needs a thing secreted by the stomach to get attached to in order to be absorbed in the small intestine. It’s about ph levels in the belly. Reminds me of an old guy story I heard once. He was 150 or some rediculous thing. He claimed his long life was dude souley to squeezing fresh lemon on every single meal. This changes the ph to more acidic in the belly which is what is needed for absorption of B12 (and probably all else I’d suspect). And this brings to mind how sometimes when I take my chlorella I get lazy with squirting a half lemon in the jar with the water and powder and a splash of honey. A big ahh haaaa comes. When I miss that step my belly feels blah, and UGH – like it’s hard to digest. Actually hurts my belly . . . Big ah haaa. Stomach acid. Back in 05 I was tooling around seeking if vegans get cancer and I found 6 women, all vegans at least 7 yrs, 2 were lifetime, one was 12yr – so all veterans. All had stomach cancer. . . .. I think we need the acids. Especially those of us taking pills, and things like algaes, as opposed to salads which often have that acid in the vinegar. We need stomach acids to go with the foods in order to digest and absorb. That’s my idea. I’m glad as heck lemon is a daily thing for me and almost always has been. . .. but with water/tea and not as much with meals. As of today I’ll be squirting lemon on all my greens, and up my lemon dosing from one to two lemonds daily. Cheers to you for inspiring the sleuthing on absorption Tommasina. That’s a peice to the puzzle for me, and maye for we vegans on the whole. Goodonya and tanks bunches!“For many vegetarians, being a vegetarian is not about a plant-based diet. It’s about not harming animals.”Nothing wrong with harming animals…we harm plants. Every living thing on the planet consumes another living thing.I’m not sure why you’re witing me LG, what that quotation has to so with anything at all, or what in the world anything you wrote has to do with my my post. So. Shrug.Dr. Greger – I’ve always heard magnesium should be taken alongside calcium to maximize absorption. Can you speak to this? Thanks for all you do!!	beans,cardiovascular disease,diabetes,dietary guidelines,grains,greens,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,legumes,lentils,magnesium,nuts,peas,plant-based diets,seeds,soy,spinach,standard American diet,sudden cardiac death,supplements,vegans,vegetarians	Despite promising autopsy and population data suggesting that inadequate magnesium intake is a risk factor for sudden cardiac death, it wasn't until recently that this was demonstrated in prospective studies.	Make sure you watch the "prequel" to this video, yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?. Though those eating plant-based diets may average less than half the nutrient deficiencies than meateaters, as seen in Omnivore vs. Vegan Nutrient Deficiencies, that's not saying much given how pitiful the Standard American Diet is to start with. See, for example Nation’s Diet in Crisis and Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score. There are many more videos on greens, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds, as well as a thousand other topics—enjoy!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/08/magnesium-to-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21616194,
PLAIN-2922	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-do-nuts-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/	How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?	In a language of certainly rarely seen in the medical literature, "All studies conclude… that nuts can play an important role as part of a healthy diet in order to minimize cardiovascular risk and obtain multiple health benefits." What could possibly be in nuts that appears to so powerfully cut heart disease risk? By about a third on average. The clue is that the “reduction in total coronary heart disease death associated with nut consumption was due primarily to a decrease in sudden cardiac death.”  To review: More than have of all heart disease deaths are sudden, and “Most patients who suffer sudden cardiac death are not considered at high risk on the basis of established criteria, and up to 55% of men and 68% of women have no clinically recognized heart disease before sudden death. Of course they obviously had rampant heart disease, it just wasn’t recognized until they were lying in the morgue. So if there was ever case to be made for primary prevention—starting to eat healthier right now, tonight—before symptoms arise, sudden cardiac death is it, since our first symptom is often our last. OK, so how do we do it?  Our story begins… 43 years ago with a fascinating paper in the New England Journal: Sudden death and ischemic heart disease: correlation with hardness of the local water supply. There appeared to be "an increased susceptibility to lethal arrhythmias—fatal heart rhythms—among residents of soft-water areas.” So maybe one of the minerals found in hard water is protective, but which one? Well, let’s cut some hearts open and find out.  Differences in metal content of the heart muscle in death from ischemic heart disease. On autopsy the hearts of sudden cardiac death victims had significantly lower magnesium concentrations compared to people that just got hit by a bus or something, So hmm, maybe there’s a connection, but it wasn't put it to the test until recently. Why the decades long delay in testing a potentially cheap simple way to help prevent our number one killer? But that’s exactly the problem: cheap. Where’s magnesium found? Whole grains, greens, beans, nuts and seeds. Who’s going to fund the study? The pumpkin seed lobby? Big spinach? If magnesium was found to be protective, who’s going to profit? Who’s going to benefit? Other, of course, than the hundreds of thousands of Americans that keel over dead every year without even being able to say goodbye to their families. { I'll cover the new magnesium studies tomorrow}	Tomorrow’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day, Mineral of the Year – Magnesium, reviews the new studies that test this exciting hypothesis. For more on preventing sudden cardiac death, see Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped, China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death, and Boosting Heart Nerve Control. I have 38 other videos that cover nuts , including Eating Healthy on the Cheap, Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up, Plant Protein Preferable, Diverticulosis & Nuts, The Best Nut, and Halving Heart Attack Risk. There are also hundreds of videos on more than a thousand other topics.Very interesting nut-casesSay NUT! to statinsIt almost makes it sound like supplementation would be prudent for Mag. Heck it was a supplement in the water before it was softened. Maybe that’s how people got a lot of their calcium too before milk was pushed so hard.So, Dr. Greger, just how much money is needed for a needed for an average study?  Whenever I hear this issue, I wonder how much would we need to collect and what is the most pressing need?  Perhaps we could call ourselves “The Pumpkin Seed Lobby”.  That would wake up some folks. Haha! I like it. How ’bout Pumpkin Heads and no  ? need apply ;^) How ’bout Pumpkin Heads and no Meat Heads need apply.Remember Meathead (Rob Reiner Actor Director) from All In The Family?  Interestingly I think he was vegetarian in the TV show.Interesting quip I just found from the show: Archie was always insulting his own family his wife Edith, his daughter Gloria and his son-in-law Michael (Meathead) Stivic. Mike wanted to be a vegetarian, Archie’s response to him was “Man was put on this earth to eat meat…The Bible says so dumbbell…I mean look it up will ya? All them old bible peoples, they was always eating meet; soon as they found out eating apples was wrong…It’s true, on special occasions: goats and lambs. Who the hell ever hear of sacrificing a head of lettuce? You?” There is actually an episode where it’s Archie who stands up for animals…I think it may be regarding, fur, I’m not sure which episode.   Mike also defends meat eating in the episode about horsemeat. I think you are talking about the show where he’s talking about his vegetarian friends? Mike was such a foodie I don’t think he wanted to go veg. That show was so “liberal” in its time you would think Gloria and Mike would have been at least vegetarian. Would the show be done today, I bet they’d be “tree-hugging vegans.”Good grief, I know way too much about All in the Family :OArchie didn’t read his Bible very closely.  And, apparently, most Christians don’t.  (I’m a lapsed Christian.)  He should have started in the beginning, with Genesis 1:29.  Pretty clear to me what God wanted us to do.I would love to see a section on kickstarter for funding nutrition studies. Maybe someone like Dr. Greger could some day assemble a roster of impartial scientists and poll for specific studies people want, then  put up a kickstarter and see if the most requested ones can make the estimated funding goals.Check out the Nutrition Research Foundation (https://www.nutritionalresearch.org). They have studies in the works and could definitely use donations. According to their site: “Studies are expensive and a fully funded diabetes or heart disease study will cost upwards of 1 million dollars.”Great piece, as always Dr. Greger.  Cigarette smoking increases the risk for sudden cardiac death as well.  Perhaps we should try to convince people to stop consuming one green leafy vegetable (i.e., tobacco leaves that have been cured and put into cigarettes, along with lots of additives) with some healthier varieties, like kale and romaine lettuce! Are you suggesting smoking kale??!!!:^)This video makes me really really angry at the way this world is. I think we should be.  It also makes me wonder what other diseases and conditions can be prevented with a nutritious vegan diet.Nothing new there. :) Breakfast is usually around 10 almonds (or equivalent weight in other nut) and fruit (though there are traditional breakfasts like lentil crepes from India). And each meal is barley (as a base grain, considered important by all ancient cultures, sometimes mixed w/others), beans, and vegetables (root, green leafy and colored).I think Kellog’s could’ve cashed in with some studies, since their all bran was in the top 20 of the usda’s magnesium database. Companies like that pounce on studies showing their product could have some health bennies–especially in chd. The commercial almost writes itself.BTW, I wanted to thank you for all your work. I’ve kept my junk food habits since going vegan in 2005, but I’ve been integrating your healthy eating info into my diet. The Oreos are still there, but now the tea (which used to just be 2L of water) and amla powder are too.Well said Dr. Greger, I can’t wait to see tomorrows video. I do have a question about magnesium overdose. Although the symptoms are not really severe it is said that a high diet in magnesium for individuals with special needs that have behaviors, attention deficeit issues have benefited greatly. I have a special needs son that has these issues and thought about trying to increase his magnesium levels by food and by OTC supplements, but am concerned with overdosing him. Levels are very slim, 1.4 to 1.7 in children. Are the chances of overdose easily possible or if close monitering will be fine. Just wanted your or others opinion. Thank you.Nursing Student Robertit’s the best way to die, from sudden death, i want to die like that. Much worse to lose mind and still be alive, or lay in bed for 10 years with arthritis or cancer. Please more articles on how to keep mind, vision and hearing. We going die anyway, sooner or later, i just want to be healthy, doesn’t matter how long my life will be.Couldn’t it be the sodium in the soft water? It does the same thing in our diets.	beans,cardiovascular disease,grains,greens,heart disease,heart health,magnesium,mortality,nuts,pumpkin seeds,seeds,spinach,sudden cardiac death,water	Most men and women who die of heart disease, our #1 killer, die suddenly without any known history of heart problems. Nut consumption, however, has been associated specifically with decreased risk of sudden cardiac death, which may be due to magnesium, a mineral found predominantly in whole grains, greens, beans, nuts and seeds.	Tomorrow's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day, Mineral of the Year – Magnesium, reviews the new studies that test this exciting hypothesis. For more on preventing sudden cardiac death, see Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped, China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death, and Boosting Heart Nerve Control. I have 38 other videos that cover nuts, including Eating Healthy on the Cheap, Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up, Plant Protein Preferable, Diverticulosis & Nuts, The Best Nut, and Halving Heart Attack Risk. There are also hundreds of videos on more than a thousand other topics.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/magnesium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/halving-heart-attack-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21402243,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/655086,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5773639,
PLAIN-2923	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	Risk Associated With Iron Supplements	Iron is a double edged sword. If we don't absorb enough, we risk anemia, but if absorb too much… we may be increasing our risk of colorectal cancer, heart disease, infection, neurodegenerative disorders and inflammatory conditions. Other conditions that have been associated with high iron intake include Alzheimer's Parkinson's, arthritis, and diabetes. Because the human body has no mechanism to rid itself of excess iron, we evolved to tightly regulate the absorption of iron. If our iron stores are low, our intestines boost the absorption of iron, and if our iron stores are topped off, our intestines block the absorption of iron to maintain us in the sweet spot. But this only works with the primary source of iron in the human diet, the iron found in plant foods. Our digestive system can't regulate the iron in ingested blood—heme iron. The iron in animal foods can just zip right our intestinal barrier even if we already have too much; we have no control over it.  In fact some guess that iron overload may be a reason meat consumption has been tied to breast cancer risk. Iron is a pro-oxidant, and can induce oxidative stress and DNA damage. “A high intake of iron in developed societies may, over time, lead to a physiologic state of iron overload in postmenopausal women, who are no longer losing blood every month. Iron overload favors the production of free radicals, fat oxidation, DNA damage, and may contribute to breast carcinogenesis independently or by potentiating the effects of other carcinogens.” Only people with a confirmed diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia should consider supplementing their iron intake, and even then it can be risky. A recent study this found a significant increase in oxidative stress within the bodies of women on iron supplements, and so before going on iron supplements I would suggest talking to your physician about first trying to treat it through diet alone, by eating lots of healthy iron-rich foods like chickpeas and pumpkin seeds while consuming vitamin C-rich foods at the same meal, such as citrus, tropical fruits, broccoli, or bell peppers, which improve plant iron absorption, while avoiding drinking tea and coffee with your meals, which can impair iron absorption. Since organic acids like vitamin C can boost iron absorption, the coca cola company commissioned a study to see if drinking coke would do the same thing, and the answer is no.	This is another reason why Plant Protein is Preferable. For more on iron, see Iron During Pregnancy and Are Iron Pills Good For You?. For more on nutrient bioavailability, see Wednesday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found along with Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation, Take Vitamin D Supplements With Meals, Calcium Absorption: Soy Milk Versus Cow Milk, Raw Food Nutrient Absorption, and Forgo Fat-Free Dressings?. For more on breast cancer see Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen, Flax and Fecal Flora, Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells and 49 other videos that touch on breast cancer. There are also videos on more than a thousand other topics.You are becoming the physicians physician.This is extremely helpful for anybody in the healthcare industry that deals with iron abnormalities.  A must watch.It is fascinating to me that our bodies cannot regulate animal sources of iron but it can plant sources.  I was never taught that in medical school (Am I surprised? No!). Now I may be incorrect but that means to me that we have evolved eating plants and not animals; for if we had been eating animals throughout time, our bodies would have surely created a regulatory mechanism for absorption of animal based sources of iron. I have never tried to treat IDA (Iron Deficiency Anemia) with a plant based diet.  But come to think about it all my patients that are on a plant based diet don’t have IDA.  Interesting!Agree – surprise! ;-) – strong indicator that humans are not built to get iron from meat.OK Doctors. I think this topic isn’t so black and white. I wish it was. There really are some people who tend to be anemic–me for one. Northerns European Grandfather/Grandmother the cause? Either way, as a serious runner I can’t stand that feeling of heavy legs while out on a 10 mile run. We don’t know  whether runners tend to be anemic due to sweating or the red blood cells getting beat up in our feet (a couple of theories). I do all the right things–I eat a ton of greens, a ton of beans, pistachio nuts and I include vitamin C foods. And still I am on the low side. (Ferritin levels hover around 20 if no supplement taken.) Even when I take a supplement I am just barely normal. So in cases like my own, one pill a day (taken with Vit. C)  can’t be too much of a concern. Obviously I must have some kind of absorption problem. “Toxins” suggested garlic may help. So one more addition to my morning smoothy! Gale – sorry – I am just an enthusiastic plantstrong guy….Did you have the same problem when you ate meat (if ever)?I am from Northern Europe – no problem with hgbYes always. College was a bear. Try sitting down to a neurophysiology test and not be able to concentrate. I’m another runner on plant-based diet, also tending toward anemia– even though I’ve been taking iron supplements twice a day for a couple years. I’ve had AIDS for decades, too– so I’m not typical of the general population. I also don’t get to indulge in the sort of plant-strong pride that would let me think I can run this body w/o medicine. I’ve been thinking I need to boost my iron supplementation (Iron sulphate) again– but am a little unhappy about this video’s report of increased oxidative stress apparently resulting from iron supplementation. Maybe it’s back to pumpkin seeds, which I’d cut out owing to their poor omega3/omega 6 fatty acid ratio and the general Esselstyn dietary recommendation to limit nuts and seeds…. (chickpeas are also have a high omega 6 level, compared to other beans). I do include vitamin C rich foods at all meals, including those at which I take the iron pills.Gale seems so right to me that this topic’s not simple. Lebepotter:  I can’t address the main point of your post, but I did want to respond to: “Maybe it’s back to pumpkin seeds, which I’d cut out owing to…”I believe that there are several videos on this site concerning nuts which list studies which point to positive benefits of eating nuts and seeds.  I’m familiar with Dr. Esselstyn’s book and really liked it, but I wonder if this particular recommendation of his is still valid. I saw from the table of contents that Dr. Greger will be addressing nuts once again in volume 10/upcoming videos.  I do not yet know the content of those videos, but perhaps all of these videos will put your mind at rest concerning the consumption of nuts.  Maybe?Good luck in whatever you decide to do. Thea, thanks so much for your thoughtful and exquisitely tactful reply! I have noted Dr. Greger’s consistent nut endorsements. Those help keep me eating a few walnuts– which even Dr. Esselstyn calls okay for patients w/o heart disease. Quite low levels of nut consumption seem to be sufficient to provide the benefits. Maybe that’s the sweet spot. Pumpkin seeds are, of course, not nuts, so who knows where they fit in? They haven’t, on their own, been enough to replete my iron stores in the past. But I’ve just been reading around on iron supplementation and oxidative stress and not at all liking what I see: “Iron supplements: the quick fix with long-term consequences” is a representative title, though that paper’s particular target is combined supplementation with (non-food) iron and (non-food) vitamin C. I’ll be watching for Dr. Greger’s upcoming items on nuts, and listening with mind open. Thanks, thanks again.Lebepotter:  You sure do your homework.  I’m impressed.  I admire people who take responsibility for their health *and* go about it in a thoughtful and open-minded manner.  (I also admire people who run.  I’m hopeless…)  Thanks for taking my comments in the spirit in which they were intended.  :-)I had to mention: the walnut dressing from Dr. Esselstyn’s book has become one of my parent’s favorites.  They put it over all sorts of things.Thea, Yes! that Esselstyn  walnut dressing is delicious . Glad your parents like it and use it. Good w chopped scallions in place of all or part of the garlic, too., too. ons ins using is  is I don’t run but have had lots of trouble with low iron for decades whether eating meat or not. Floridix is a non-heme iron suppliment from 100% plant sources. I take it off and on as need arises.If I didn’t eat nuts and seeds and avocado I would be too skinny. I think the idea is that processed foods have high levels of omega 6. Therefore the average SAD is high in omega 6. If you don’t eat that crap I think you are ok adding nuts and seeds. There are plenty of videos by Dr. Greger under topics regarding nuts and seeds. (or google)FYI I just read the best books written by athletes (runners) who are also vegans. Eat and Run by Scott Jurek and Finding Ultra by Rich Roll.Say what? Nuts, seeds, and soy are fantastic sources of omega 6—probably why the SAD is so laden with them.The SAD is high in refined vegetable oils primarily from soybean oil used in packaged crackers, cookies, sweets, snacks. Therefore Americans get too much omega 6 and not enough omega 3. Does that clarify it for ya?Try to find the greatest imbalance of ω-3/ω-6. Hint: it’s not salmon or grass-fed beef.http://paleozonenutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/omega-3-and-6-in-fats-oils-nuts-seeds-meat-and-seafood-2.pdf“Hereditary hemochromatosis is the most common inherited single-gene disorder in people of northern European descent.” “Secondary iron overload should be suspected in patients with chronic anemia”Hi jhnycmitly, (mouth full)Man I just came back from the beach working on my vitamin D. What a beautiful day. OK explain that second comment. I am very interested. GaleGale,I found the articles below to be helpful for starting the process of improving my iron levels. I used to jog, but had to switch to powerlifting and resistance training (love it!) because the drain on my iron from jogging led to serious Restless Leg Syndrome, profuse hair loss, and the feeling of running into a wall of water after jogging for one block after a month of consistent jogging. I have never had anemia, am a long-time pescatarian, eat my veggies, and have chronic iron deficiency without anemia (normal hemoglobin, borderline ferritin) that I treat with ferrous bisglycinate and Vitamin C. I have no Northern European ancestry. I still have occasional issues, and had them even before becoming physically active, but seem to be gradually improving after starting Vitamin A supplementation several months ago at the maximum safe dosage of 10,000 IU/day.Articles: http://nutrition.highwire.org/content/128/3/646.short http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/36/1/87.full.pdf+html http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/71/6/1563.shortApplicable for some women of childbearing age:http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1161803http://archive.samj.org.za/1977%20VOL%20LI%20Jan-Jun/Articles/02%20February/2.4%20VITAMIN%20A%20IN%20THE%20TREATMENT%20OF%20MENORRHAGIA.%20D.M.%20Lithgow%20and%20W.M.%20Politzer.pdfThank you Rachael. I’ll check out the articles above when I get a chance. I am still working on this issue.“The paradox of anemia with high meat intake: a review of the multifactorial etiology of anemia in the Inuit of North America” was on one of Dr. Greger’s prize CDs: http://missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Previous%20years/Fish/anemia%20inuit.pdfI actually have successfully treated my own IDA with a plant based diet. I’m a nutrition student and a vegan, and so after some particularly strapped-for-cash months spent living off of bread, rice and potatoes, my iron levels plummeted. I wrote myself up a nutrition plan and shortly after my iron has returned to normal. I also wrote up a nutrition plan for a friend whose iron levels had dropped not quite to the extent of anemia, and her levels returned to normal pretty much straight away.Sarah, I’m curious, what type of foods did you include in these meal plans?Hi Michelle. It included plenty of kale, parsely, rocket (arugula), broccoli, red split lentils, chickpeas, black beans, nuts, pepitas and sunflower seeds as well as quinoa and brown rice. Recipes like kale and chickpea salad with tahini lime dressing, tabouleh, masoor dahl, chickpea curry, green smoothies, stir fried vegetables, black beans and tempeh/tofu, lentil & black bean patties with steamed veggies and salad.I also avoided tea, coffee, wine, spinach and silverbeet (chard) due to their iron inhibiting natures/poor iron bioavailability.niceIn the sources cited, I could not find support for the claim “our digestive system cannot regulate the iron in ingested blood…” I read the article “Mechanisms of Heme Iron Absorption” by West and Oates and could not find support for this claim.Perhaps someone can point out where this claim is specifically made… If anything, it seems to me that all of the cited articles are recommending heme sources (i.e. meat sources) of iron to prevent anemia. BPCveg:  Really great question.  Thanks for doing this research.  I hope someone answers your question, because I am interested too.  I often repeat information I learn from this site.  I want to be able to back it up anything I say.  Otherwise if people can say, “prove it” and I can’t to any one thing, then they think that everything I say is of questionable value.  (It is my experience that “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” is human nature.)Thea please see my response to BPCveg above. ;-} Thanks so much for taking the time to answer this question!!  I feel much better when I know these kinds of questions can be answered.  Your help is much appreciated.Was your response removed? I would really like to know what was said. This is a very interesting topic!No it wasn’t removed it is below because of this thread.  Just look for responses to BPC from me.  My response wasn’t anything special ;-(Thanks, Thea. I agree with you.BPCveg, Just a quick response.  I just scanned the “Mechanisms of Heme Iron Absorption”.   The following statement is from the Cartoon caption in the article:“Any iron released from heme inside the enterocyte, regardless of the mode of uptake, ultimately joins the labile iron pool and is transferred to the  bloodstream by FPN1 in the same fashion as non-heme iron.”This is what Dr. Greger mentioned in his video.  Mouth, to gut, to iron pool.  Our bodies cannot regulate the iron absorbed from animals. ;-}Not so fast, HemoDynamic. The sentence that you have cited relates to transport of iron after it is absorbed and does not distinguish between heme (meat-based) and non-heme (plant based) iron! I don’t think it is relevant.I think that the article is arguing the exact opposite of what Dr. Greger is claiming.Please note that not all heme (i.e. meat-based) iron is absorbed, as explained on page 2, paragraph 3: “up to 19% of an equivalent dose of heme was absorbed[36]. This strongly suggests that heme uptake is a facilitated process, as opposed to simple diffusion. ”–> read that again, heme uptake is a FACILITATED process — i.e. it is regulated!Furthermore on page. 2, paragraph 2 the author’s state:“…the absorption of heme iron cannot upregulate to the same extent as non-heme iron during iron deficiency[14,15,21-25]. This is possibly due to rate limitations at the step of heme catabolism”Moreover on page 5, paragraph 2 the author’s state:“…the ability to upregulate heme iron absorption is limited compared to non-heme iron[14,15,21-25], and heme splitting is speculated to be rate limiting[67]. ”–> clearly even the rate at which meat iron is digested is regulated!Overall the authors of this paper very clearly argue in favour of consuming heme iron (i.e. meat-based iron), as they state on page 1, paragraph 2-3: ” Currently, the importance of heme iron in the diet cannot be underestimated. Studies estimate that in Western societies, iron derived from heme sources such as myoglobin and hemoglobin make up two thirds of the average person’s total iron stores despite only constituting one-third of the iron that is actually ingested[4-6]. This likely explains why vegetarians are more prone to iron deficiency than those who regularly consume red meat[7]. The relative importance of dietary heme is attributable to its high bioavailability compared with non-heme iron in the predominantly alkaline conditions found in the lumen of the small intestine. ”I fail to see the connection that Dr. Greger is trying to make and do not understand why he selected this article.I hope that others will be encouraged by my comment to read this article and try to interpret it for themselves.BPC, I’m not disagreeing with you. And you make a good point that there is some regulation. But I’m trying to figure out exactly what Dr. Greger is talking about.  And after watching the video again, he specifically points out the mechanism on the left side of the cartoon in the article showing that “Intact heme may be transported across the basolateral membrane (going straight into the blood) by FLVCR where it binds circulating hemopexin.” And maybe there is more to this that he understands.  It is clear that our bodies uptake more Heme iron than Non-Heme Iron that’s why “myoglobin and hemoglobin make up two thirds of the average person’s total iron stores despite only constituting one-third of the iron that is actually ingested[4-6].” And if this is the case does this happen because there is less regulation of Heme iron compared to non-heme iron or is Heme-iron a preferred source by the body?Hi HemoDynamic,Thanks for your reply. I think the article in question was arguing that heme iron is better absorbed than the non-heme iron. Apparently both types of iron undergo sufficient regulation in healthy subjects to prevent iron overload.For more details, please see articles provided by Jans Louis, below, most importantly:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9250114“Absorption of Nonheme, But Not Heme Iron, Is Substantially Reduced with High Iron Stores” http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?seq_no_115=193539please see response below. BPCveg: I think the confusion arises because Dr Greger is summarising a complicated process in a 2minute video. The sentence you quote from the article that “the ability to upregulate heme iron absorbtion is limited compared to non-heme iron” is consistent with what Dr Greger is saying, because the flip side of that statement is that the ability to downregulate heme iron absorbtion is also limited. Experiements have shown that absorption of non-heme iron is highly sensitive to how deficient the individual is and also to how much iron is in the meal (absorption of non-heme iron goes down with a higher amount of iron in the meal) but heme iron absorption tends to be much less sensitive to these factors. So if you eat a lot of red meat and have quite high iron stores, that is a problem because you will just keep absorbing the heme iron regardless. However, even though non-heme iron absorption is more sensitive to the iron status of individuals, it is still much more poorly absorbed overall relative to heme iron, which is why the authors of the article (and most dieticians) recommend heme iron because it is better able to prevent anemia. For the person who is worried about chickpeas and omega-6 fatty acids, lentils are an even better source of non-heme iron. But really that concern over omega-6 is misplaced. As long as you avoid high omega-6 oils, the consumption of nuts and seeds will not be a problem and they have been shown so consistently to have positive health effects. Just throw in some flax seeds to balance things out.If possible, please provide some reputable sources to support your claims.Hi Kate,Ok. As I understand it we have a system that is great at regulating non-heme iron or heme iron. (when ferritin levels are around 60 the uptake stops) However with some people their regulatory system doesn’t work properly. They either absorb too much iron which is stored in different organs (damaging) or not enough is absorbed and then tend towards anemia.I think the main point Dr. Greger is trying to make is that taking iron supplements can cause oxidative stress and should be done only as a last resort.I couldn’t find any research articles that stated that the absorption of heme iron was not regulated as well. It appears we have an amazing system if it is working properly.It is possible that the oxidative effects associated with a higher intake of meat are increased when the meat source itself has been fattened on a corn/grain-based diet high in Omega 6 rather than a natural grass based diet higher in Omega 3s, and has less to do with excess non-heme iron than excess commercially-raised meat.Just for everybody’s information concerning the absorption of heme iron. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9756117 analyses also demonstrated an effective control of iron absorption preventing development of iron overload in otherwise healthy subjects even if the diet is fortified with iron and even if meat intake is high. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8557018 The powerful control of iron absorption implies that dietary iron overload cannot develop in normal subjects, even with diets having high iron content or high bioavailabilityhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9250114Iron absorption from the whole diet, which contained a highly bioavailable form of iron, was measured for 5 d in 31 health men, including 12 blood donors. Nonheme iron in all meals was labeled with an extrinsic, inorganic radioiron tracer added in amounts to ensure uniform specific activity in all meals. Heme iron was labeled similarly by using hemoglobin biosynthetically labeled with another radioiron tracer. There was a good inverse relation between total absorption and concentration of serum ferritin up to approximately 60 micrograms/L. In subjects with serum ferritin > 60 micrograms/L there was no relation to iron absorption. At this serum ferritin concentration, absorption decreased to a level just sufficient to cover basal iron losses, implying that at a serum ferritin concentration > or = 60 micrograms/L no further accumulation of iron stores will occur by dietary iron absorption. The findings thus suggest that in normal subjects there is no risk of developing iron overload by iron absorption from the diet even if the diet is fortified. Similar findings were made previously in two studies in women, both of which indicated an effective control of absorption. At the same serum ferritin concentration the absorption per kilogram body weight was the same in men and women served identical diets with a high iron bioavailability. These new observations strongly suggest that translation of serum ferritin concentration into amounts of stored iron should be made with caution and that in subjects with high serum ferritin concentrations, other causes than increased iron stores should be considered. There was effective control of both heme- and nonheme-iron absorption but their relations to iron status were different.Bad copy and paste on the last link it seems, sorry: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9250114 Dr. Greger, I would very much like to get a definitive (?) word about the absorption of non-heme iron ins omnivorous vs. vegetarians. The only clear statement I have found so far is in an article by C. Kies and L. Mc Endree, titled “Vegetarianism and the Bioavailability of Iron” published in 1982 by ACS (American Chemical Society) in the proceedings of the symposium “Bioavailabilty of Iron”, ed. by C. Kies, ISBN-10: 0841207461, ISBN-13: 978-0841207462. There, I found the statement that vegetarians absorb non-heme iron more efficiently then flesh eaters. It looks like our body boosts the absorption of non-heme iron when it cannot rely on heme iron, while if the latter is present, then it becomes “lazy” at non-heme iron. Are you aware of any later studies on this subject?jhnycmltly,Thanks for the abstract, though preferably it would be a peer-reviewed journal article, which is typically a more rigorously performed study.I think that the conclusion of this abstract, namely, “unlike nonheme iron, heme iron absorption is not substantially reduced as iron stores increase”, seems at first glance to be consistent with Dr. Greger’s message. However, they do not associate this reduced absorption with iron overload, as implied by Dr. Greger.In fact, the peer reviewed articles sent by Jans argue the opposite that:“… in normal subjects there is no risk of developing iron overload by iron absorption from the diet even if the diet is fortified.”I am still unconvinced that meat-eaters are prone to iron-overload.We agree with you. May this topic RIP.Quote: they do not provide evidence that meat consumption leads to iron overload,Answer: The body has no way to excrete the iron once it is absorbed. “Iron differs from other minerals because iron balance in the human body is regulated by absorption only because there is no physiologic mechanism for excretion” Heme iron , as evidenced , is absorbed all the time and you do not believe , “unconvinced” , that heme-iron leads to iron excess. “unlike nonheme iron, heme iron absorption is not substantially reduced as iron stores increase” You should maybe stay out of medicine.“The observed differences in estimated body iron stores in Greenlanders from the three residential areas can be explained by differences in the dietary intake of haem iron” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11168519A curious thing about that study. Other researchers went back years later and found those people who DID have the highest iron stores ? they NOW had diabetes. “Prevalence of iron load highest in Uummannaq (men, 32.1%; women, 21.1%).” “The prevalence of diabetes in Unmmannaq was higher than that in the towns of Nuuk and Qasigiannguit” http://tinyurl.com/3xkawmhttp://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/25/10/1766.full.pdfWhich means , “the dietary intake of haem iron” , predicted the development of diabetes because the FIRST researchers explained the high iron due to meat eating / haem iron.This seems to be interesting coming from the meat science journal: Denis E. Corpet, Red meat and colon cancer: Should we become vegetarians, or can we make meat safer?, Meat Science, Volume 89, Issue 3, November 2011, Pages 310-316, ISSN 0309-1740, 10.1016/j.meatsci.2011.04.009. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0309174011001458)Good find, Carlos.Just read the full article, available freely: http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/59/29/66/PDF/Corpet-meat-cancer-veg-safer-Meat-Sci-2011-Author-version-2011.pdfThe conclusion made me chuckle:” Our experimental studies in rats provide direct evidence that red meat and processed meat can increase colon carcinogenesis. They also strongly support the hypothesis that heme iron is the major cause of cancer promotion by red meat. Based on works by other researchers, our results add some evidence to two pathways linking dietary heme iron and cancer promotion. Lastly, we are suggesting several ways to prevent the toxic effect of meat, either by increasing the calcium load of the meal, by changing the meat processing, or by choosing new additives. Full demonstration of mechanisms and of chemopreventive substances has not yet been given, but we expect that these studies will lead to a reduction of the risk of colorectal cancer without losing the nutritional benefit and the pleasure of eating meat.”I guess we shouldn’t be surprised by the spin they add in the final sentence given the journal’s title. ;)I understand this is not the forum for a medical diagnosis so I’m just sharing what I was told after various blood tests and “events.”  I’ve had intestinal bleeding four times in the past four years.  Of course, after the bleeding, I became anemic (after two “events”, I needed a blood transfusion).  The follow-up blood tests revealed that my body does not absorb nor store iron well and I was told to take “chronic iron” as my gastroenterologist put.  (all the tests showed no abnormal growths, tumor or anything threatening, though two tests revealed a large blood vessel on the wall of the lower intestine but then after an enteroscopy, there were no large blood vessel found.)  I’ve been plant strong for three weeks, with occasional cheese when eating out with friends (that will now stop because my weight loss, 15 pounds so far, may have reached a plateau).  My plan is to have my blood tested again in another month or so to see where my iron levels are, as well as cholesterol.  I’ve also never felt better!!My question is about the iron absorption, storing issue…wondering if I should continue taking “chronic iron”.  I appreciate the video on iron being a double-edge sword but I’d like to have more information; what other links should I check out?Many thanks for sharing such important information!!What information is out there about taking Iron Infusion for anemia.  Does Iron Infusion cause the same risks such as Parkinsons, oxidative stress?What to do when serum iron is far too high and ferritin level far too low?Glad I had some smart docs when I went through my time of iron deficienanemia, after not getting help from several others. I didn’t understand about the ‘stores.’ I apparently had had a bleeding ulcer which went undiagnosed (a not so smart doc) when I had a lot of gastric symptoms. (to those who are given a diagnosis of GERD…follow your instinct and get a second opinion.) Anyway, the iron thing….I also was diagnosed with a VERY low thyroid. I was eventually put on a triple dose, 180 mgs of Armour Thyroid along with some other supplements and a liquid iron. It was quite a crash. As time went on I was told to stop the iron, that I checked ok and the ‘stores’ issue was explained. I also started to complain of heart palpitations and the thyroid was lowered, and lowered, and lowered. At some point, I couldn’t get the Armour thyroid any more and I just put off getting another product. A couple years later, it happened again. Sleep disorders, cold to the bone, hair falling out, etc. Just felt horrible! This time I checked out ok for both the iron and the TSH. Changed docs again to an ‘alternative’ doc and was getting a more reasonable discussion of the tests. He found it beneficial to prescribe a single dose of the Armour again. ( it had become available again.) There was some suspicion of Hashimoto’s. I wasn’t tested for it because the single dose of Armour and a single cup of coffee (I use the Folger’s singles to limit what I make) in the morning seems to have turned around the ADD, depression/anxiety and sleep problems. Go figure! Don’t know it this makes any sense to anyone but, I am told that the coffee acts as an upper to excite the brain’s centers that in turn put out the necessary chemicals which affect these chronic disabling issues. I have been on Cymbalta for several years after trying several antidepressants/antianxiety meds that made things worse. I was ready to give up and die. Oh, BTW. I was taking it for terrible Fibromialgia too.I took up a raw vegan diet and now not as perfectly raw but definitely vegan. High quality/very low fat. (Your videos and articles help) I feel better than I have for a long, long time. Maybe ever. I don’t want to rock the boat but am getting heart palpitations again. I’ve had all available heart checkups and no serious problems found. I can try taking a little less coffee. I have also been using some ‘herbal’ supplements like Ashwaganda, Astragalus, Holy Basil, Reishi Mushroom, and Ho Sho Wu. I also include some Ceylon Cinnamon which helps with blood sugar balance. My BSugar tests are ok, but helps the cold feeling. I also notice, or think I do, that the palpitations are better when I add some vegan protein powder to my green drink.I guess that’s a lot of info. I’M confused, so anyone reading this will be too, I’m sure.I’m not trying to get any kind of diagnoses here, but you asked about questions, so my question is….Do you see anything glaring here that would tell you I’m doing something right or wrong?Thanks for all you do. I read most of your posts and certainly go to your site first when I need to look up some info. LynnDr. Gregor, What are your thoughts and conclusions about the use of Iron infusion? if one’s iron level at 5. It looks almost impossible to get irons levels high enough, quick enough, without Iron infusion. Sincerely, sleepy in Seattle.If you have a low iron level the most important thing is to find out why. Dietary, menstrual blood loss and losing blood in gastrointestinal tract from a variety of conditions (e.g. ulcers, tumors). Once the underlying cause is determined and treated there are several ways to replenish depleted iron stores and iron levels. In over 30 years of practice I never saw a case where a patient that needed iron infusions even injectable iron can cause problems. I favor gradual resolution through oral supplementation. You need to work with your physicians as each case is individual. If your physician recommends either infusion or intramuscular injection I would have them back up there recommendations with scientific studies as well as full disclosure of the alternatives such as oral therapy. You need to work with your physicians over time as each patients situation is unique.Dear Dr Greger. Thank you for providing us with this fantastic source of nutritional information. I just have one question about iron supplements. Are iron supplements coming from a non-animal source also harmful? I’m taking supplements specialized for vegetarians/vegans (containing B12, Iron, Calcium, Zink, among other) so they don’t contain any blood heme. Should I still be cautious about the iron supplement?Background: I’m vegan now and I’ve had a tendency to become anemic since high school (when I had an omnivorous diet), so I think that it would be good for me to eat iron supplements.There is no need to take iron supplements unless you have diagnosed iron deficiency. The same can be said for Calcium and Zinc. Neal Barnard’s new book, Power Foods for the Brain, reviews the risks of exposure to excess metals such as copper, zinc and iron and Alzheimer’s disease…. just another reason to avoid all supplements except vitamin b12 unless diagnosed with deficiency. You need to remember that about 5% of folks are outside the normal range on blood tests normally.There is one way to reduce excess iron in healthy adults: blood donation.Possible association of a reduction in cardiovascular events with blood donation. DG Meyers et al. Heart. 1997http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC484902/pdf/heart00009-0106.pdfDonation of blood is associated with reduced risk of myocardial infarction the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor study JT Salonen et al. American journal of Epidemiology. 1998http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/148/5/445.full.pdfBlood Donations and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Men. A Ascherio et al. Circulation. 2001http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/103/1/52.fullDecreased cancer risk after iron reduction in patients with peripheral arterial disease LR Zacharskie et al. J. National Cancer Institute. 2008http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/100/14/996.longDr. Greger,Any plant friendly ways for increasing ferritin? There seems to be a lot of information about boosting iron levels, but what about ferritin?Maybe soon write helpful tips for women with too much iron. Especially spinach and kale lovers like myself.What about someone newly starting a vegan diet?(been vegan for about a week now) There is absolutely no way to reduce any excess iron? I am a male, and I am considering donating blood, just in case there is a problem, as there might be. Not even over time? that is amazing and disturbing, as sooo many people think that getting iron from meat is so important. I was taught that…but I am like now wait a second….What can a new vegan do to rid oneself of excess iron. I don’t know if I have any, but it seems like that I might. I am thinking of donating blood if I can, otherwise what else might I do? if my body has excess, will my new vegan diet help my body to NOT absorb any new iron, until the levels drop? how long does this take to happen, if ever?Hello Dr. Greger. I recently came across articles and interviews by Dr. Neal Bernard stating that one should eliminate cast iron cookware among other things to help prevent Alzheimer’s.As a premenopausal, 20-year vegan/once-time vegetarian, I’ve constantly battled anemia and low iron levels, so I supplement with iron tablets and have considered trying my hand at cast iron again to increase my levels. I eat dark green leafys almost every day.Should vegan and vegetarian women and men really cut out cooking with cast iron for Alzheimer’s prevention? Do Bernard’s findings even relate to vegans/vegetarians, or does it primarily relate to omnivores? And do you suggest getting iron levels tested if we still believe in using the cookware?Thank you in advance!Dr. Greger, do you know of any research concerning blood concentration of iron in people who cook with cast iron? Do you cook with cast iron?I am wondering if studies have shown whether cooking with cast iron pans leads to higher blood levels of iron. I see plenty of comments saying that cast iron adds iron to food (eg, http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/IronCastIron.htm provides food by food analysis) but nothing showing that there is an actual effect in blood levels.Hello Dr Greger, I´m taking the Vega One supplement from Sequel Naturals and in the label it says it contains the iron pyrophosphate ( 9 mg per scoop ). Is this heme or non-heme iron? Is it healthy for consuming? Thanks for your time.Vega One is a vegan company, so the iron they are using should be plant-based and therefore non-heme. According to Dr. Greger’s above video, plant-based iron seems to be preferable to animal-based iron sources, but he recommends getting tested for anemia before taking an iron supplement. Hope that’s helpful :)Thanks for answering ;)Dr. Greger, I’ve been following a 100% whole foods plant-based diet for years now and also exclusively eat certified organic foods. About 8-10 months ago I got some blood tests that showed I was Iron deficient (I strongly believe that this is because I had just returned from a long trip during which I had little to no access to iron-rich plant foods). My doctor insisted that I take iron supplements and I refused, saying that I could replenish my iron levels through a concerted effort to maintain a high dietary intake of plant-based iron. More recent blood tests show that my levels are up but I am still iron depleted. Do you think I will be able to restore my levels over time through diet alone? My doctor says I wont (but of course I don’t just blindly follow her instructions).I have Crohn’s disease and don’t absorb most vitamins from food or supplements. I was in the hospital and the doctors were ready to give me a transfusion because my levels were dangerously low. I opted to take an iron supplement but not the normal ferrous sulfate that is prescribed. I chose Garden of Life RAW Iron. (plant based) I am happy to report that it has raised my levels and I am almost normal. I like it because it does not cause the upset that ferrous sulfate does.That sounds great Becky! I’ll look them up. How much did you take daily and for how long before blood levels looked good?I have been vegan for almost 19 years, prior to that I was vegetarian from birth (a third generation vegetarian). For at least 10 years my ferritin (storage form of iron I am told by GPs) has been at the very lowest end of the range and more recently dipping below it. I have always been reluctant to use supplements, preferring to get what I need from the food I eat since this is the most bioavailable and safe. However my food is mostly not organic and also my digestion has been poor, so dietary sources don’t seem to be adequate.What I am wanting to know, is it actually “normal”/ healthy for vegans to have low ferritin? After all aren’t the accepted “normal ranges” based on omnivores? I have never been diagnosed with anaemia, but do suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for the last 9 years and most GPs and alternative health practitioners say I need to get my ferritin levels right up and I may feel improvement in many of my symptoms?I have not known what to do and have never had the courage to take high amounts of or consistent supplements. I have gone through bottles of Floradix, a liquid iron supplement, taking usually a maximum of 20mg per day and then once the bottle is used up leave it for a while. But the health professionals are suggesting much higher amounts, in the range of 100mg per day.What is your view on this? Thanks.In my experience and supported in the literature ferritin levels do run lower in patients on a plant based diet. Another blood check which can be done is Fe, TIBC, %saturated to help sort things out. I have two other comments the first is the issue you touched on… normal levels for tests are dependent on the reference population and the second is that their is a normal distribution within reference populations and by definition normal is defined as where 95% of the population falls. This means that you can expect 1 out of 20 values to be outside normal range but normal. I find it helpful in some patients to look at their values over time. This can be particularly helpful in diagnosing or not over diagnosing some disorders such as low thyroid or low iron. It can also be helpful in that it can avoid labeling a patient with a disorder they don’t have. If you have taken iron supplements and your values and more important your symptoms haven’t improved then that would make it more likely that your low ferritin level is normal for you. It is also why you need to work with your physicians to help sort these things out. Finally excess iron in the body is not helpful. Reading Neal Barnard’s most recent book, Power Foods for the Brain, discusses the factors associated with dementia… iron is one of the metals along with zinc, copper and aluminum which have been implicated. Good luck.Thanks for your response. Other markers such as Serum Iron, Transferrin, Transferrin Saturation as well as Serum Ferritin are usually all tested at the same time and they were OK until this last test where even the Saturation has dropped to 15% (normal range 13-45). So I guess it’s not looking too good. Those of the more holistic practitioners like to see levels of ferritin at around 100 ug/ L (normal range 15 – 165). Mine is 18. To bring levels up to this recommendation would require high doses, probably over an extended period and I was afraid of doing this? Unless I got it up to the levels they want to see, I guess we can’t tell for sure if the low levels are affecting me or not?Hi Tania, There are some really good plant based iron sources out there. I also have a very low ferritin level (13) and I have been working to improve it. I can get it up to 30 if I am diligent with supplementation. You should take your doctors advise. You have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and you might just feel better. I know I do when my levels are up. BTY I was low even when eating meat daily.I don’t believe we are the population they are talking about regarding too much iron–we don’t absorb enough.Thank you for sharing your experience. I am glad to know you do feel a difference when your levels are higher…. I do realise it is largely the meat-eating population that needs to take heed, but I think it also needs consideration when advised to supplement significantly and regularly…Not meaning to sound arrogant in any way, but I always consider my doctor’s advice before taking action on it. Their knowledge of true nutrition is limited…What my main query was, was whether lower ferritin stores as evident in vegans is actually what is truly normal and healthy?Well you could always make the determination of whether your iron stores are normal for you based on your signs and symptoms:Anemia symptoms vary depending on the cause of your anemia but may include:Fatigue Pale skin A fast or irregular heartbeat Shortness of breath Chest pain Dizziness Cognitive problems Cold hands and feet HeadacheGood point. An awful lot of them apply.And I would add hair loss. My hair and eyebrows thin.For me personally as well as patients, friends I have spoken too the feeling of being anemic is stifling. Going up stairs become an issue.If you feel fine then your low iron stores are normal for you.My hair loss IS a problem…Wonder how much I should supplement daily? Have had up to 20mg per day, but levels have still gone down. I wasn’t confident to take higher doses.What did your doctor say? 20 mg 3 times per day? It can upset your stomach but I don’t have that problem with the plant based supplement.He suggested an injection ages ago, but I declined. Another doctor I saw, who has more of an interest in functional medicine gave me some tablets to trial and I think the dose was about 100mg, but I forget. I didn’t take them because they were synthetic and had folic acid in them as well (which is a synthetic form of folate that is not recommended) and I prefer to take food source supplements. Besides they were tablets and I don’t seem to break down tablets very well, and prefer liquid iron supplements….So I have found some more suitable forms but am probably not taking a high enough dose. At one time I tried to take 20mg twice a day but it messes with my digestion which is already sluggish anyway, so I went back down to 20mg per day.Yes i also take the liquid plant based. I end up with indigestion if I take too much. All I can tell you is as a runner I would never consider walking around low. (even with supplementation I have never had a level above 30) 20 mg isn’t enough for me. It doesn’t budge my ferritin levels. And if I don’t take a supplement it is low whether I am vegan or not. I eat high iron foods. Maybe one day things will change but right now I need to supplement.I’m not a fan of treating numbers in isolation. There are some videos which show you can enhance iron absorption by eating garlic and onion see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/. If you feel better with higher iron with supplementation as Veganrunner mentioned than I would favor its use. You need to work with your physicians and make a decision that is best for you. In dealing with complex systems like human metabolism there probably isn’t a “right” answer. Good luck.I’ll take a look at those videos and eat more garlic and onion. True, there isn’t a “one size fits all” prescription. Thanks everyone for your assistance.I believe that donating blood has health benefits. Is there any evidence to this effect?Hi Doctor, what kind of Iron is the one you mentioned when you talked about the supplements? If we take non-heme iron supplements there’s no risk right? Because our body can regulate it. Thanks for your time!Hello, I have been on a Vegan diet for the last 2 years. Recently I have taken a blood test to monitor if everything is alright.The result were that I have elevated iron levels in my blood. I am not taking any supplements or eating any rich iron foods (that I know of). Is there anything that I can do with my diet to reduce the iron in my body?Is there any recent research to support the advice that post-menopausal vegan women should avoid cooking with cast iron?Hi melliforte,That is a really good question. I don’t see any mention of using cast iron in this research. I quick search and I found one paper talking about cast iron cooking and it’s ability to help reduce iron-deficiency anaemia. It did not help. This is not to say no iron is leached from pans, it can. Many older studies claim cooking with cast iron can increase iron levels, especially depending on what you cook (acidic foods in iron pots will enhance iron absorption). So yes, if you are post-menopausal it may be wise to first consider your total dietary sources of iron, and then look to see how much cooking you do in a cast iron pot. I would not say throw it away, but be careful of overdoing iron from cast pots and pans. Plant-sourced of non-heme iron are preferred. Hope that helps.Thanks, JosephI just read a BBC article (see link) about using a lump of iron in a soup pot and then adding lemon juice. This was for populations with severe iron deficiency. They also mentioned, “What’s missing from their diet are iron-rich foods, particularly red meat. Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, are not as rich in iron and mustn’t be overcooked if they are to offer any benefit at all.”http://www.bbc.com/news/health-32749629I’m wondering how Dr. Greger would respond to this article?	Alzheimer’s disease,anemia,animal products,arthritis,bell peppers,brain disease,brain health,breast cancer,breast disease,broccoli,cancer,cardiovascular disease,chickpeas,citrus,Coca-Cola,coffee,colon cancer,colon health,diabetes,DNA damage,garbanzo beans,heart disease,heart health,heme iron,immune function,inflammation,iron,meat,menopause,menstruation,nutrient absorption,oxidative stress,Parkinson's disease,pumpkin seeds,rectal cancer,soda,supplements,tea,vitamin C,women's health	Iron is a double-edged sword. If we don't absorb enough, we risk anemia, but if absorb too much we may increase our risk of cancer, heart disease, and a number of inflammatory conditions. Because the human body has no mechanism to rid itself of excess iron, one should choose plant-based (non-heme) sources over which our body has some control.	This is another reason why Plant Protein is Preferable. For more on iron, see Iron During Pregnancy and Are Iron Pills Good For You?. For more on nutrient bioavailability, see Wednesday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found along with Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation, Take Vitamin D Supplements With Meals, Calcium Absorption: Soy Milk Versus Cow Milk, Raw Food Nutrient Absorption, and Forgo Fat-Free Dressings?. For more on breast cancer see Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen, Flax and Fecal Flora, Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells and 49 other videos that touch on breast cancer. There are also videos on more than a thousand other topics.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bell-peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menstruation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garbanzo-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pumpkin-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heme-iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iron-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16081371,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21462105,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21389184,
PLAIN-2924	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/	New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found	According to the swine information center, pork is an excellent source of a number of nutrients, including iron and zinc. When you see on a label that somethingorother is a quoteunquote “good source” of some nutrient, that’s actually a legal definition. meaning it has to have at least 10% of the daily value of that particular nutrient. It says nothing about the goodness of the food choice itself. So for example you could throw a multivitamin into a scoop of sewer sludge and call it a "good" source of half a dozen things, but… it would probably kill you; it’s not good at all. It always comes back to food as a package deal. It is impossible to get the calcium in dairy, for example, without also getting the hormones. Or the iron in beef without the saturated fat. So these aren’t necessarily good sources of nutrients after all, because we can’t get one without the other—unless, we get your nutrients from nonanimal sources, then we don’t have to worry about the saturated animal fat, the cholesterol and the rest. And there’s a bonus that comes when we get, for example, our iron and zinc from whole grains, greens, beans, nuts and seeds, the fiber, folate, phytonutrients, etc.  One of those phytonutrients though, phytates, or phytic acid (from the greek word phyton for “plant”) can partially inhibit mineral absorption. Now phytates are actually good for us they have a wide range of health-promoting properties, such as anticancer activity, but because it binds up some of the minerals, that just means one just have to eat more whole healthy plant foods—or eat mineral absorption enhancers , such as garlic and onions—in fact the whole allium family of vegetables, was recently found to have a “promoting influence on the bioaccessibility of iron and zinc”. Here's the bioaccessibility of iron and zinc in a serving of brown rice, cooked with one clove of garlic; cooked with two cloves of garlic. We see the same thing with onions. Here's normalized data for brown rice plain, then eaten at the same meal with one thin slice of onion; or two thin slices of onion. So up to 50% more absorption, but if you don't like garlic or onions, then you get the same mineral absorption from just eating a whole grain serving and a half.	Another example of nutrient synergy is the reaction between black pepper and the spice turmeric as described in Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation. For more on the food-as-a-package-deal concept see Plant Protein Is Preferable, Plant vs. Cow Calcium and Safest Source of B12. Friday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Risk Associated With Iron Supplements will discuss why plant-based sources of iron are preferable as well. For more on the hormones in dairy, check out videos like Dairy Hormonal Interference, Acne-Promoting Effects of Milk, and Dairy & Sexual Precocity. To explore the additional wonders of garlic, see #1 Anticancer Vegetable and Pretty in Pee-nk. For more on the wonders of the science of nutrition, check out my other videos on more than a thousand subjects.This video is great like all the vids.  And as I tell my patients everyday, probably the most important thing to do, everyday (besides eating plants), is to visit NutritionFacts.org and watch the 2-3 minute video.You see it’s just like anything that someone wants to become good at:  If one wants to be good at math then you need to study nearly everyday.  If one wants to perfect playing the piano one needs to do it everyday.  The same holds true for anything–If you want to be good at something then everyday spend a few minutes doing it. So if you want to get good at understanding nutrition and the value of plants in your life and the benefits it has on the world as a whole, then spend the time studying the information.  Soon you will have incorporated all the great information that is found on this website and your health will be an after thought.  You will one day look at yourself in the mirror and say I not only look and feel healthier, I am healthier.That’s what NF.org offers not only my patients but the world.I am replying to myself because I just read the opening statement to a publication from The National Acadamies Press in Health and Medicine that drives home my previous point of studying a little everyday but especially in plant based nutrition.  Here is the excerpt:How Can Health Care Organizations Become More Health Literate?:“Approximately 80 million adults in the United States have low health literacy – an individual’s ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information. Low health literacy creates difficulties in communicating with clinicians, poses barriers in managing chronic illness, lessens the likelihood of receiving preventive care, heightens the possibility of experiencing serious medication errors, increased risk of hospitalization, and results in poorer quality of life.”  http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13402&utm_medium=etmail&utm_source=The%20National%20Academies%20Press&utm_campaign=NAP+mail+new+7.24.12&utm_content=&utm_term=#descriptionTeach yourself and then teach the world!Interesting. Thx for sharing that.Yes yes! I’ve been having fun watching the number of “likes” on Dr. G’s facebook page going up and up. I share as much of his information and links to his videos as I possibly can every single day.Great Job!!  Don’t ever stop! ;-}Honestly this stuff has to be taught at all schools all over the world… What can be more important to know really?..I guess that those eating cooked food (as opposed to raw foods) are more likely to include onion and garlic along with their vegables, due to reduced astringency after cooking.That seems to be the case BPCveg.  It seems that in general (but not always) eating cooked veggies is healthier (in terms of mineral and nutrient absorption) than eating raw veggies. But, this seems to depend on the veggie.   As Dr. G says, “We should prepare vegetables in whichever manner entices us to eat the greatest quantity.”Dr. Greger has some videos on this topic:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/Dr. Greger: thank you so much for your everyday work. All this information is so eye-opening, specially if we take into account that veggies, fruits, seeds, nuts, etc. are so widely available. People around the world is benefitting from your science-based videos.@Wendy, not only are they widely available but mostly far less expensive than meat/poultry/dairy etc. Espcially with the drought situation in the U.S. which is largely affecting corn which is fed to the livestock, etc… If you eat more foods not linked to corn, yeah, baby, you are not impacted as much financially by the drought, it seems.Another good reason to eat garlic and onions.  Yum!Great video! It seems to answer the paleo peoples’ objections to plant foods because of their phytate content. Now, if we can only find reasons for the other things in the plant-based diet that they object to: oxalates, tannins, trypsin inhibitors, enzyme inhibitors, lectins (hemagglutinins), protease inhibitors, gluten, alpha-amylase inhibitors and alkylresorcinols .Regarding gluten, check out Dr. Greger’s gluten videos:Gluten IS good for 99% of people (but not for the 1% who have celiac disease): http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/In fact, if there is no good medical reason to go gluten free; it may even be bad for an individual’s good bacteria to go gluten free: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/ So, that is 2 points against the Paelo objections.  :)Careful, now…things are not always so rosy with the phytochemicals, and not always so negative with the animal products.For (one quick) instance: Inhibitory effects of spices and herbs on iron availability http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18651292 Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2009;60 Suppl 1:43-55. Epub 2008 Jul 4.I’d really like to know more about how this study was conducted (e.g., I’m curious about what “simulated digestion” means); but, it is kind of hard to analyze this study and its findings since to view the complete study you need to pay for it (I hate when that is the case). So, all we can use is the abstract.   Judging from the abstract, this study seems to be exploratory, i.e. the beginning of a bigger and better understanding of how iron availability is affected by spices and herbs. It seems to be trying to make a “proof of concept” to lay the groundwork for further more rigorous investigation. It really says very little about WHETHER culinary spices and herbs ACTUALLY play a role in iron nutrition IN HUMANS.  And, that is the case it will eventually need to make to show “that culinary spices and herbs CAN [emphasis mine] play an important role in iron nutrition” in people.We will have to see what comes out of further investigation in this area. At this point, however, this study is just a beginning. (Aside from the study, I’m not sure what point you are trying to make or how you think this study supports your point.)I didn’t read anything about animal products. It said rice. Interesting finding though. I wonder how they simulated absorption?Given Dr. Greger’s video post today (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/) on “Risks Associated with Iron Supplements”, it seems that the high occurrence of iron deficiency in individuals living in tropical regions may also be related to how different iron (i.e., plant-based vs animal based) is absorbed. That might be an interesting study to devise to look at the issue. At this moment, though, the “Inhibitory effects of spices and herbs on iron availability” study raises more questions than it answers, which is what thoughtful scientific investigation should do.At least we know, that adding a bit of vitamin C while consuming a meal with iron will lead to greater bioavialability (which is probably why the tamarind is the only spice/herb that enhanced iron availability rather than inhibit it–tamarind has vitamin C). It would be interesting to see what the results would yield if the researchers added a bit of vitamin C to the mix of the iron inhibiting spices. I hypothesize that they’d find that the iron bioavailability would not be inhibited by the spices.  Heme iron absorption ≈ 15–40%. Nonheme iron ≈ 1–15%. For most vegetarian diets, the enhancing effect of ascorbic acid on nonheme iron absorption is unlikely to counteract the absence of unidentified enhancers provided by meat and the likely increased consumption of inhibitors. Nonheme iron absorption is inhibited by phytic acid found in everything from grains to legumes to leafy greens to nuts; polyphenols, such as tannic and chlorogenic acids, found in tea, coffee, red wines, and a variety of cereals, vegetables, and spices; soy protein (apparently independent of the phytic acid in soy); and eggs. In some instances, as little as one cup of tea can lower the availability of non-heme iron by as much as 60%.Please keep in mind that I love fruits, vegetables, spices, teas, superfoods, etc. I try to eat vegetarian with sparing amounts of certain meat. That said, I think it’s outright silly to make claims like animal source foods are just the equivalent of “a scoop of sewer sludge with some vitamins and minerals.”Interesting. Could you please share with us, the sources from which you are citing this information and refer us to the scientific evidence that supports the claims you make? I’d like to learn more about it from the direct sources.As for animal-based foods, being the equivalent of  “a scoop of sewer sludge with some vitamins and minerals”, did Dr. G say that? If so, what was the context? Given the current practice of commercial factory farming in the American meat/dairy industry, I don’t think that statement is far from the truth. The sewer sludge comment was made in this video.Bioavailability of iron, zinc, and other trace minerals from vegetarian diets http://www.ajcn.org/content/78/3/633S.long (A very fair review for both sides, in my opinion)Is the iron in spinach bioavailable? The whole arena of iron and its availability is confusing to me—can you help to clarify it for me? http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=217Some unfortunate truths (coming from the opposite end of the argumentative spectrum, mind you) about plants: http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/plants-bite-backAlexander,Thank you for sharing the citations. I look forward to reading them when I have a bit more time. As for the “sewer sludge” comment, I listened to the video again; and, I believe that you are mishearing (if not misrepresenting) what Dr. Greger is saying.  Dr. Greger does not say that “animal source foods are just the equivalent of  ‘a scoop of sewer sludge with some vitamins and minerals.’ ”   What he says, while talking about the legal definition of “excellent/good source” is:  “So, for example, you can throw a multivitamin into a scoop of sewer sludge and call it a good source of half a dozen things.”  He says nothing about animal source foods being equivalent to sewer sludge. Instead, he is showing how the legal definition of “excellent/good source” can be manipulated.  In fact, what he actually says about animal sourced foods (in this case, milk and beef) is that they are not a “good source” of nutrients because it is not possible to get certain nutrients without the harmful doses of, in the case of milk and beef, hormones or saturated fats.  Alexander, I feel that you have a mission to spread misinformation, as we have discussed this many times before. Cooking deactivates these anti-nutrients which include lectins, phytic acid, trypsin and α-amylase inhibitors.This is fairly well established nutritional knowledge.Sorry, but that isn’t entirely true. Please do some more research.Assessment of lectin inactivation by heat and digestion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21374488Cooking at low temperatures can amplify the lectins, in fact, under cooking kidney beans increases the toxicity of lectins. When one cooks these foods at boiling point temperatures then the lectins are indeed deactivated.We are all here trying to understand the “truth” behind what we eat.  We can play the “look-at-this-study-to-prove-my-point” game forever. I’m not sure that will serve any of us well, since 1) most of us do not have time or the ability to accurately read and interpret all of the relevant scientific studies, 2) there will always be a study pointing to an opposite point-of-view (just b/c that view exists and is published in a study does not in and of itself make it true), and, 3) what we need to be assessing is the balance of evidence, which requires multiple and repeatable studies –not just 2, 3, even 10 studies (which again leads me to my point #1).  As for the abstract of the study you shared, it states: “before they can be used safely, legume-based food/feeds usually require thorough … heat processing to inactivate antinutritive components.” Since one has to cook legumes to consume them anyway, you bring up a non-issue. Unless you eat your legumes raw. If that is the case, I can see your concern with the matter. If you are interested in learning how to read a scientific study critically, I recommend these sources as a beginning anyway: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/118/16/1675.full http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/research-101-understanding-research-studies/all/1/http://www.oandp.org/jpo/library/1996_01_024.asphttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696241/ For whatever reason, WholeFoodChomper’s comment is not appearing, here is what he wrote, and i completely agree.We are all here trying to understand the “truth” behind what we eat.  We can play the “look-at-this-study to-prove-my-point” game forever. I’m not sure that will serve any of us well, since 1) most of us do not have time or the ability to accurately read and interpret all of the relevant scientific studies, 2) there will always be a study pointing to an opposite point-of-view (just b/c that view exists and is published in a study does not in and of itself make it true), and, 3) what we need to be assessing is the balance of evidence, which requires multiple and repeatable studies –not just 2, 3, even 10 studies (which again leads me to my point #1).  As for the abstract of the study you shared, it states: “before they can be used safely, legume-based food/feeds usually require thorough … heat processing to inactivate antinutritive components.” Since one has to cook legumes to consume them anyway, you bring up a non-issue. Unless you eat your legumes raw. If that is the case, I can see your concern with the matter. If you are interested in learning how to read a scientific study critically, I recommend these sources as a beginning anyway: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/118/16/1675.full http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/research-101-understanding-research-studies/all/1/http://www.oandp.org/jpo/library/1996_01_024.asphttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696241/Thanks for reposting, Toxins. I posted this late at night and made an error which deleted my original post.In the raw food world many recommend soaking nuts to release the phytic acid which inhibits mineral absorption. Now I’m wondering….should I soak or not… since phytic Thank you!Soaking, germination, boiling, cooking, and fermentation all inactivate phytic acid and free up minerals for absorption.http://www.ajcn.org/content/70/3/459S.fullPhytic acid may actually have a protective effect, so it’s probably not necessary or even wise to soak your grains or nuts. As Sue Becker who blogs @the Bread Beckers reminds us, “whole grains themselves are an abundant source of iron, calcium, and zinc.” Just add some onions or garlic, as Dr. Greger suggests, to enhance mineral absorption. Sara Shannon in Diet for the Atomic Age notes that phytates bind with radioactive and toxic substances and carry them out of the body. And they are protective against certain cancers. So, no worries…bon appetit!http://info.breadbeckers.com/phytic-acid/Onions are notably beneficial for quercetin and other things, but to get the antioxidant effects, do we need to eat them raw or cooked? Has anyone ever juiced an onion in their green drink? Does anyone know?If you chop the onion thoroughly before hand you allow the enzymes contained within the cell walls to mix, after this point you can cook it all you want and retain antioxidant quality.  http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/wow good to know my question is should be include raw or cooked too like the rice?Dr. Greger. Is it ok to soak grains, nuts and seeds to reduce the phytic acid in order to increase the mineral and vitamin absorption?Hi Dr. Greger, I would like to understand more about fulvic acid/fulvic mineral supplementation. Is it safe to drink water with fulvic added, and how much? What about long term consumption? Thanks!(1) The study used garlic and onions because they are “sulfur compound-rich”. Thus, other sulfur-rich vegetables such as Brassicaceae vegetables (cabbages, broccoli etc.) may have a similar (but probably lower) effect. (See the video “#1 Anticancer Vegetable” that shows how these 2 vegetable groups excel – maybe because of their sulfur)(2) It may be worth pointing out that the study (according to the abstract) found similar effects for PULSES. In Indian cuisine, lentil soups (dal) are typically prepared with garlic and onion.(3) Does anyone know whether in the study it is stated whether the garlic/onion has to be cooked with the grains/pulses or whether it is sufficient to eat it at the same time (for example stir-frying vegetables with garlic and onions and eating them with brown rice that was cooked plain)?!(4) I would expect, however, that the quantities of onions and garlic many people typically use are lower than those of the study. Therefore, the absorption “boost” should not be so high.Apple of My Heartbeet Chili– 4 cups cooked* kidney beans – 2 cups beets, cubed – 2 cups carrots, cut into rounds – 2 cups rutabaga, cubed – 2 organic^ apples, chopped – 2 tomatoes, chopped – 4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced – 2 red onions, chopped – 4 cups water/homemade vegetable broth – 2 tbsp chili powder – 1 tbsp Ceylon cinnamon http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/ – 2 tbsp marjoram – 1 tbsp basil – ⅛ tsp white pepperAdd all ingredients, except beans, to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Add beans and cook a couple minutes longer until beans are hot. Season to taste with sea salt.*If using canned beans select those packaged in BPA-free cans such as Eden Organic brand. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/^Apples rank 1st (most contaminated) for yet another year in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.phpBookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline~Complements of lovestobeveganOne way I like to look at food is how it appears in nature. I dont believe grains are meant to be eaten by humans. If you were to eat them as found in nature, like wheat for instance, you cannot eat it as it is, nor will it sustain you. The aglutinins in wheat and other grains appear to be more problematic than gluten itself.Most of the world depends on grains for their sustenance. That’s where they get most of their calories. If we don’t eat grains, what do you suggest we get our calories from instead? Only a tiny minority of people have a problem with grain allergies.You can in fact, eat wheat right off the stalk. Just rub the heads in your hands the blow the loosened chaff off and pop the berries in your mouth. You can’t bite down on them, but they eventually dissolve in your mouth. There’s even a place in the bible where it says that people did this: Mathew 12:1Hi Allen, True grains are a big part of our diet. I would think it is a big part as it is big business and generates big $$$$$. From info I have come across stating health benefits of grains and other foods because of their specific nutrients etc. I just watched the video attached to this article and do agree with the part just because it contains this and that and not been evaluated as a whole. True a minority regarding allergies but from what i believe or seen is that you don’t have to have allergic symptoms to note it is not well received by the body. Just like dairy proteins can be problematic, it was observed in a group of children with dairy allergy and symptomatic when consuming dairy and other children without noticeable symptoms had sub-clinical responses measured. Yes we all are metabolically different and react or respond differently to te foods or food like substances we consume. I dont know much about the bible but from what I remember i think the wheat mentioned was sprouted bread? I do know that the negative aspects of wheat are still in sprouted wheat up to 21 days or so after germination. I believe there is a good book out but I have yet to read it called “The dark side of wheat”. There are other aspects of grains verses other food choices I could mention like you would chose fruits and berries over wheat or other like plant in nature if you were living off the land. I do believe the human body may like variety as sometime you see developed food sensitivities etc if one food is consumed to often as a single food choice, but other things probably come into play like leaky gut etc. You hear so much on this is good then down track now not good. I will stop rambling now :P and ponder some more :P I love Dr Greger stuff! keep pumping it out doc ;)I understand the logic, but it is not necessarily true that because we cannot consume something in nature that is raw, it should be avoided. Cooking eliminates the antinutrients in wheat, beans, potatoes and other grains. These foods only have healthy attributes, and I know of no studies showing that beans are linked with chronic disease. The opposite is true.Again, I understand the logic, but it is a flawed way of viewing nutrition.I would say is cooking unnatural? I think it is, I know it depends on the temperature of the thing being cooked before it’s molecular structure is altered and therefore behave differently or unusable by the body, just like acrylamide but I am sure there is many other reactions that are unfavorable. Humans are the only organisms that cook their food and we have probably more health issues than any other living organism. I am sure lifestyle, food choices and man made unnatural products all play a part.This is the type of thinking I am talking about. Calling something “unnatural” because we did not consume it in the past (which by the way, we probably may have) is completely irrelevant in the field of nutrition as cooking does not make food harmful. There is not a single study linking cooking food with ill health. Cooking may cause some harmful compounds in meat, and fried carbohydrates, but overall, cooked rice and cooked veggies pose no health risk whatsoever.I would agree that cooking rice veggies and many other foods pose no harmful effects. I find that when more raw foods are incorporated or in many cases only raw foods are consumed the body tends to rejuvenate better and the skin can reflect this whites of the eyes etc. I think there is more to nutrition than just protein fats and carbs, i understand you would agree with that. I would like to see more studies of living foods and the energetics of the raw live food including bio-photons etc. I have seen some small amount of info on it and how it increases cell to cell communication etc.. This effect is markedly reduced in cooked foods. I is at its highest in raw foods and herbs. If you know of any reliable sources of food energetics I would love to see it. CheerzI body does not get along with a lot of raw food. If you feel better on raw food go for it but don’t push it on everyone. Every body is different.Probably more health issues than any other living organism?? Honey, we’re the most long lived land dwelling animal out there excluding tortoises and our population has overtaken the planet!I have heard that the phytates in oats prevent calcium absorption which can lead to osteoporosis. Is this true?Phytates in oats are eliminated with cooking, I would not worry about it. Phytates also double as antioxidants so even eating raw oats is not something that will cause you harm.Oats like all grains tend to place a relatively small acid load on the body. The body is well equipped to maintain calcium balance and bone strength if we eat properly. The best resource I have read on this issue is Building Bone Vitality by Amy Lanou. I know of no studies that would show a clinically significant effect on osteoporosis from eating oats.Fascinating video. I especially like that rainbow assortment of veg behind the box.Thanks for your always informative work Dr. Greger!Recently I’ve been researching about FODMAPs (BTW, I can’t seem to found anything here about it) for Gastrointestinal health (esp., the gut) and so as for acne. I seem to found out that garlic and onions, while maybe a good absorption-enhancers, are taboos for a low-FODMAP diet.What do you think about it sirs? Thanks!dr. greger, have i told you lately that i think you’re awesome? thank you for the fantastic videos. i have recently been recommended to take iron suppliments because my levels are rock bottom! coming in at 57 when the normal rate is 59-158 (i live in greece and believe we have a different rating system…) my feretin is 11, normal being 13-151. not only am i not thrilled at having to take a supplement but am also rather confused by foods which inhibit iron absorption, like whole grains, some fruits and nuts and certain veg. however these foods make up the bulk of my diet. what the heck is one supposed to eat? confused in creteWhole grains, when cooked or when soaked lose the inhibitors. Combine vitamin C with your meals in addition to garlic and onions and you will significantly enhance absorption.So interesting. I only wish he had a third graph showing if there was any greater benefit when you combine the rice not with either or but both the garlic and onion.Legally a “good” source of a nutrient is defined as having more than 10% of the daily requirement? It seems like we might all benefit if they upped that a little. A good source of some nutrient should be like 1/3, 33% of the RDA … since we eat 3 meals a day normally. At least that makes a little sense, 10% seems to be all about advertising and making money.	animal products,antinutrients,beans,beef,cancer,cholesterol,dairy,fiber,folate,garlic,grains,greens,hormones,industry influence,iron,meat,milk,nutrient absorption,nutrient synergy,nuts,onions,phytates,phytonutrients,pork,rice,saturated fat,seeds,vegetables,zinc	The whole grain phytonutrient, phytic acid (phytate), partially inhibits mineral absorption, but has a wide-range of health-promoting properties such as anti-cancer activity. By concurrently eating mineral absorption enhancers such as garlic and onions one can get the best of both worlds by improving the bioavailability of iron and zinc in plant foods.	Another example of nutrient synergy is the reaction between black pepper and the spice turmeric as described in Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation. For more on the food-as-a-package-deal concept see Plant Protein Is Preferable, Plant vs. Cow Calcium and Safest Source of B12. Friday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Risk Associated With Iron Supplements will discuss why plant-based sources of iron are preferable as well. For more on the hormones in dairy, check out videos like Dairy Hormonal Interference, Acne-Promoting Effects of Milk, and Dairy & Sexual Precocity. To explore the additional wonders of garlic, see #1 Anticancer Vegetable and Pretty in Pee-nk. For more on the wonders of the science of nutrition, check out my other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antinutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zinc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774556,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20597543,
PLAIN-2925	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-caloric-restriction-without-the-actual-restricting/	The Benefits of Caloric Restriction Without the Actual Restricting	Why can’t we live forever? Some animals do. And I’m not talking about a 200 year old whale or even a thousand year old tree, I’m talking about immortal. There are actually species that apparently don’t age and could technically go on forever--and why not? In a sense humans are immortal in that a few of our cells live on, sperm or egg cells lucky enough to find each other. Each of our kids grow out of one of our cells, and that alone—the fact that a single cell can grow into person should make, in comparison, the notion of keeping our bodies going indefinitely seem trivial.Well it’s certainly a hot research topic. Much has focused on the role of DHEA, dehydroepiandrosterone, the most abundant steroid hormone in the human body, whose levels drop significantly as we age. It is a cortisol antagonist, meaning that it helps counteract the effects of stress. It appears to rejuvenate female fertility, and most importantly, appears to be a strong predictor of longevity. In fact one of the ways caloric restriction appears to extend the lifespan of many animals may be the upregulation of DHEA.So, no surprise, it is sold as a “fountain of youth” over-the-counter supplement raising all sorts of concerns about safety, side effects, “and the lack of quality control in this increasingly financially rewarding business.” For example, some supplements just totally lie and have no DHEA in them, and other's have significantly more than the claimed dose. And so for this and other reasons taking DHEA supplements is recommended against.Are there natural ways to boost levels? Well we’ve known a number of individual dietary components, like fiber intake, are associated with better levels so why not just put them all together: “Short-Term Impact of a Lactovegetarian Diet.” After just 5 days on an egg-free vegetarian diet, blood levels of DHEA rose about 20% compared to the normal diet, and it’s interesting why, it wasn’t necessarily because they were making producing more of it, but instead losing less. The bodies of those eating vegetarian appear to try to hold onto it, which is normally something you only see in fasting. But these were all isocaloric diets—same calories in each, so the thought is that by eating vegetarian one may be able to mimic the effects of caloric restriction, but without walking around starving all the time.	Foods can also cause undesirable hormone imbalances. See for example Dairy Hormonal Interference, Meat Hormones & Female Infertility, Acne-Promoting Effects of Milk, Anabolic Steroids in Meat, Dairy & Sexual Precocity, and Xenoestrogens & Early Puberty. Other videos on stress reduction include Antioxidant Level Dynamics and Improving Mood Through Diet. Plant-based diets are one of my most popular topics, spanning more than 100 videos, but I also cover another thousand nutrition subjects.Interesting!  Maybe DHEA stands for Don’t Help Egg Advocates.Did you think about sending a copy to Sophie who couldn’t believe what you posted about eggs a few days ago:  “Eating an egg a day the same risk as smocking 5 cigarettes??? Hello!!! The debate on cholesterol has been really challenged and debated a lot the last few years so you should know better.” On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t ‘Egg’ her on.  ;-}I think Toxins closed the egg-debate several days ago !BTW: Very odd debate the other day. (Alleged) vegans getting very angry, because of a total legitimate comparison between two riskfactors, arguing that eggs/meat is not harmful (or something like that).Yeah it was interesting!  Nothing like “Stirrin’ the Beans!” Or should I say “Scrambling the Eggs.” ;-)Talking about nutrition is like talking about religion or politics–No matter what you say, it will make someone mad.Don`t mention the eggs! :-)You are probably right, one of my best friends is a paediatrician, and he got quite excited when I told him my view (the truth! ;-) ) of milk. Haha HemoDynamic can I quote you on this???? I LOVE it!!!! We make people mad all of the time because we try to just eat well. :)Very interesting video again, dr G.To buy DHEA (with or without active ingredients) is not a good idea – lets face it – there are no shortcuts.It is established that CR extend lifespan in different species, no doubt about that, but a full biochemical explanation remains elusive. For sure it can not be reduced to one single factor. DHEA could be a indicator of slowing the rate of aging, or just one part of the puzzle. Very interesting that a vegan diet has this effect.Multiple mechanism of action has been proposed: Reduction in oxidative stress, alteration in hormone expression from the pituitary gland, reduction in body temperature, stimulation of repair systems, reduction of IGF-1, changes in mitochondrial function, reduced inflammation etc.Studies on lower animals have repeatly shown that CR can prolong life up to 50% Probably a lot less in humans. Another mechanism of action is likely to be autophagy, the scavenging of proteins to make up for their deficit, starting with the defective proteins which may otherwise accumulate and result in neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s or various other conditions. I feel that those who practice CR look too emaciated and so, I started practicing  Alternate Day Dieting (500 calories or less 3-4 days a week and eating as much as desired the rest of the time- healthy plant based food in my case.). It is said to have nearly the same results as CR, and I did loses some weight; after dropping to my high school weight, it stabilized there. Dieting or fasting for such a short time seems to prevent the body from lowering the metabolism very much and the benefits, including the activation of the Sirtuin genes which promotes these mechanisms of action,seem to begin in as little as 16 hours.After the first week on this program and quite a bit of discomfort, I now find it rather easy to do with only minimal hunger pains.  Very interesting – do you have a link to further information on ADD?If I rember correct late dr Roy L. Walford also combined his regime with a one day fast pr. week Hi  SJ: I  combine advice mainly from two sources:1) Ron Mignery PhD.’s Protein Cycling Diet found at http://proteincyclingdiet.wordpress.com/article/protein-cycling-diet-2s3nmvrwklbxs-1/ along with his occasional updates at his blog linked to that site and2) James Johnson MD ‘s advice in both his book, The Alternate Day Diet- your local library probably has it- and his website at http://www.johnsonupdaydowndaydiet.com/Also, Naturalpathic doctor, Michael T. Murray, indicated in one of his books (which I can’t find at the moment)  that excluding virtually all protein each day until the evening meal is an effective way of managing Parkinson’s disease- in keeping with Dr. Mignery’s ideas.Some people also fast a few times a week for almost 24 hours, by not eating except for the evening meal.This may also have merit.By the way, in response to your advice against taking DHEA, let me share my own experience with it. About five years ago I realized that upon waking, I hadn’t been experiencing spontaneous morning erections for some time (I’m now 61). So in a successful self-study I started taking DHEA along with pregnenolone, stinging nettle root, which  is claimed to release free testosterone by binding to sex hormone-binding globulin more tightly than does testosterone, and DIM, an anti-amoratase. Not only did my morning erections return, along with improved libido, but my general mood and optimism also improved. I later dropped the pregenolone without any negative results. The result of the placebo effect? I doubt it, and in any case, the results are what I wanted.Thanks for info.I have been on a vegan diet for 2 years. Why am I 50 pounds overweight?What does your diet consist of? Do you consume whole plant foods or do you add oils? Do you consume refined products and added sweeterners? Vegan is not enough as one can be eating chips, oreos, olive oil and french fries but still be considered vegan.I was overweight too. I recommend using the guidance in Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book “Eat To Live”. It will help with losing body fat on a vegan diet.Simple – you eat too much.I don’t think that”s at all a helpful comment. In fact, it may be a bit insulting. We need to look into lisacox’s habits instead of making a disparaging offhanded remark. Perhaps she eats too many avocados, nuts seeds, or olives. Perhaps there’s too much oil or processed food in her diet or she doesn’t get sufficient exercise. Basically it’s still a matter of calories in v.s. calories out. A vegan diet isn’t always healthy. It’s the whole foods plant based diet that when done right results in greater satiety and less overeating.It’s not disparaging at all. I am a vegetarian with a healthy diet, and I was also overweight, particularly as I couldn’t exercise due to illness. The only solution was to eat less. As you say, it’s calories in vs calories out. The diet is irrelevent, whether it’s meat based or vegetable and grain based – if you eat too much, you will gain weight. Of course if you fry everything in loads of oil, eat cakes by the dozen, and drink a lot of sodas and alcohol, you will consume far too many calories without eating huge amounts, but generally speaking people who are overweight eat too much (as I used to, for my sedentary lifestyle) and it’s naive to think you can carry on overeating just because you don’t eat animal products.Is this the stuff Suzanne Somers hawks? She seems to be successful with her supplements for now anyway. She makes me nervous about all the claims she makes;  I keep thinking something is going to happen to her. I wish  her the best, though. Did dairy affect the results in any way, I wonder.Michael, I LOVE your videos. I have posted many of them on my facebook page! As for this topic, what about a vegan diet? Is that better or worse for boosting DHEA levels? If it’s better, will you make a video about that? Stay tuned! This is a short video series discussing DHEA levels between vegans, omnivores and those with caloric restriction!Love your sense of humor, Dr. Greger. Is that graphic showing the various longevities online anywhere?I’m in Thailand on a brand new MacBook Pro.  Why won’t your videos play?  Hi Aht117,I’m using a MacMini with OS 10.6.8, and everything is good. Maybe check with your Apple store.Thanks.  Are you in Thailand?  So called ‘high speed internet’ is decent here but below world average speeds.  I’m wondering if there’s a bottle neck in data coming across the Pacific. I’m so sorry! Which browser and version of it are you using?  Is your browser version up to date? You can upgrade any browser version here: http://browsehappy.com/Have you tried clearing your browser cache and cookies?Have you tried using the browser with all extensions or add-ons disabled?Do you have third party cookies enabled?Do you have JavaScript enabled?Have you upgraded Flash recently or are you using the latest version?Do you have another browser you can try?Erase Adobe flash player from pour Mac, close your internet navigator and reinstall Adobe flash. It often happens to me and that’s what I do and it works.Thanks again for the great info. I generally agree that it is better to obtain (or preserve) nutrients or hormones through diet. I do however feel that it is overly conservative to rule out supplementation on the basis of quality control as there are manufacturers that have great quality control and even have their supplements tested by an independent lab after production. Life Extension is one such brand that I trust and I believe there are others. That being said, a vegan diet is definitely the best medicine as viewer of this site are undoubtedly aware. I understand the emphasis of Dr. Colin Campbell and Dr. Greger on dietary solutions. It is important that people understand that supplementation is almost never (vitamin d, b12) a good substitute for a healthy diet but I believe it can be beneficial  IN ADDITION to a healthy diet provided that the supplements are properly manufactured and tested. Safety and side effects of DHEA supplementation is essentially unknown. Interactions with other body chemistry must be accounted for.Does refraining from eggs increase DHEA further for vegetarians?  What about vegans who eat not eggs and no dairy?Why lactovegetarian and not just vegetarian? This study is 14 years old. Why was it dragged out of the old closet? There has been plenty of time to test whether egg exclusion is a necessary  part of this interesting and important DHEA link with longevity. At every chance eggs seem to get implicated in bad health without decent evidence. Certainly, sometimes they are bad. The egg debate is not closed as implicated by some vocal disciples here.  There are lots of papers extolling their virtues and most large medical institutions don’t warn people off them unless they have cholesterol problems. At the same time, the egg lobby cherry picks positive findings on them. Why can’t we just have some balanced science without ideological or profit motivated selectivity?r Lan Flett, I have consistenly seen you post about the ‘benifits” and “health” of eggs while lacking any scientific evidence to make such claims. Wherei s your evidence? I have posted my response to you regarding eggs several times now but you eem to compeltely ignore the evidence.Please repost your information about eggs! That’d be greatly appreciatedEggs are considered good sources of lutein and omega 3 and an excellent source of protein. For these reasons, they are considered health foods. Firstly, chickens only have lutein due to the fact that they have a varietized feed, these nutrients are not inherent of eggs. A spoonful of spinach has as much lutein as 9 eggs. We cannot really consider eggs an appropriate source of this nutrient. As for protein, all whole foods are complete sources of protein so this statement to its benefits is insignificant. Energy needs satisfy energy expenditures which is equivalent to protein needs. As long as you eat whole plant foods when your hungry till your full, then your getting enough protein.Regarding Omega 3, current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day. Omega 3 processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA, which is highly anti inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. The fact that eggs are the top source of arachadonic acid nulls and voids benefits received from the omega 3 in the egg itself. High intake of arachadonic acid is linked to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with cancer development. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616uid http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18774339 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128The Harvard physicians study followed 20,000 doctors for 20 years and those that ate just one egg a day had significant increase in all cause mortality. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400720In fact, David Spence, director of stroke prevention/atherosclerosis research center and one of the worlds leading stroke experts, said that based on the latest research, you can eat all the eggs you want IF your dying of a terminal illness. Eggs are not considered health promoting nutritionally speaking. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400699Eggs have been linked with heart failure http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18954578As well as type 2 diabetes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/?tool=pubmedFurthermore,in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, David Spence, David Jenkins (the inventor of the glycemic index) and Jean Davignon (director of atherosclerosis research group) posted a review on eggs claiming that the egg industry has been downplaying the health risks of eggs through misleading advertisements. As soon as you eat one egg, you expose your body to several hours worth of oxidative stress, inflammation of ones arteries, endothelieum impairment (what keeps you blood running smoothly) and increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidize (beginning stages of heart disease). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9001684Theegg industry has claimed that cholesterol from eggs is negligible and does not raise cholesterol levels. The major flaw in the study the egg industry has used to make this claim is that they measured FASTING lipid levels at night and not levels through out the day after egg consumption. “Diet is not all about fasting lipids; it is mainly about the three-quarters of the day that we are in the nonfasting state. Fasting lipids can be thought of as a baseline; they show what the endothelium was exposed to for the last few hours of the night.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/?tool=pubmedA single egg yolk contains approximately 215 to 275 mg of cholesterol. A safe upper limit can be capped at 200 mg if one is looking to prevent heart disease. One egg far exceeds this daily upper limit.In regards to egg whites, although true they are a good source of protein, this is possibly the only positive statement that can be made of it. Here is some evidence of a major component of egg whites, Methionine, possibly causing human harm.1. Egg whites are high in the amino Acid Methionine. Rice has 14 times less of this amino acid and beans 7 time less. When one consumes Methionine in a large quantity (like that found in egg whites), it is broken down into sulfuric compounds. these sulfuric compounds are buffered by the calcium of the bones. the result, over time, is osteoporosis and kidney stones. http://www.vivalis.si/literatura/6a00.pdf2.Cancer cell metabolism is dependent upon methionine being present in the diet; whereas normal cells can grow on a methionine-free diet feeding off other sulfur-containing amino acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14585259 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/124162543. Insulin like growth factor is raised significantly by high levels of Methionine. raised levels of IGF-1 = accelerated aging/tumor promotion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12176673 http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/18/1472.abstract4.Sulfur from Methionine is known to be toxic to the tissues of the intestine, and to have harmful effects on the human colon, even at low levels, possibly causing ulcerative colitis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9448181 http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/82/11/950.abstractThe balance of evidence is clearly against even moderate consumption of eggs, and I fail to understand how one can consider this food “healthy” once it is understood what we expose our body to when we eat eggs.Thank you very much, that is great info!Although old, the above post I made needed some editing. Please view the revised version.Nice post! Are the recent TMAO reports already addressed in these sources, or would they be an addition?Fantastic! Still, I would like to see all these results broken down a bit further, parsed by: organically vs non-organically (but non-GMO) feed-raised chickens, organically vs GMO exclusive feed-raised chickens and CAFO vs free-ranged chickens. Also by method of preparation. For example, soft-boiled cooking in the shell oxidizes the egg less than other methods of broken-shell preparation.The issues raised are unrelated with conventional vs organic or preparation method. The main issue is saturated fat, cholesterol, and arachidonic acid, which inherently exist in eggs. Not to mention raised IGF-1 from animal based foods. More info here. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/Also, the above post I made needs some editing, Please view the revised version.Where is the revised version? Thanks for doing this! I need to show to many people.Ooh exciting since I plan on being a centenarian :) plants rock! I hope it’s even more impressive for vegans.Oh wow—now that’s interesting.An easy way to raise your DHEA is to skip breakfast or eat it late. DHEA levels follow your biological clock, being highest in the morning, and are suppressed by the first meal of the day.What do you think about DHEA as a supplement for aiding fertility in aging women (premature ovarian aging)?Dr. Greger, I believe there’s a video, maybe a series of them, on the topic of methionine restriction, which also seems to parallel, and even account for many of the benefits of caloric restriction.It’s not a new avenue of research, the key early animal study (PMID: 8429371) is nearing its 20th anniversary. Its been used as an adjunct to chemotherapy for a decade now. And another article (PMID: 18789600) ties methionine restriction explicitly to vegan diets.Methionine reduction doesn’t appear to be on your radar (given your 2010 “prize CD” of research articles) yet, though you kind of touched on some of the mechanisms in your series on excess complete proteins, IGF-1, and cancer.See also “Dietary glycine supplementation mimics lifespan extension by dietary methionine restriction in Fisher 344 rats”http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/25/1_MeetingAbstracts/528.2Glycine also has many other health benefits including that it promotes good sleep. Glycine powder is not only inexpensive, but it tastes a lot like sugar. I find it very easy to add a tablespoon of it to my diet rather than trying to restrict methionine which is nearly impossible.When I go on a vegan diet, my triglycerides go through the roof (>400) and my HDL drops like a rock (<30). I'd like to be a vegan, but for some reason it doesn't work for me.Some people react this way to excessive sugar. Fruit juice might be the problem and I suspect that pure fruit smoothies might contribute. Fat added to the same meal slows down sugar absorption- which is why I add flax seeds to my smoothie.What comprises your diet? Eating white bread with candy fits the definition of vegan so the emphasis really needs to be on whole unprocessed plant foods.This is a reply so long after Tom Davis’ post (and the two insulting responses) that I imagine no one will see it. Still, I must say that what Tom describes is identical to my experience on a WFPDB. Allen and Rami, I do not eat excessive or any other sugar (other than what comes in 2 fruit servings per day), nor do I drink fruit juice or smoothies. Any grains I eat are whole. I eat no candy. Gee, maybe well-meaning (but closed-minded) respondents here might–just might!–consider that not everyone’s metabolism reacts *exactly the same* as the ideals disseminated on the wonderful & informative site. I find it rude that if honest & sincere different experiences are shared, the oh-what-are-you-doing-wrong guns start blazing.Hi Thorn324. Forgive my delay. I looked at the comments and I don’t think they were insulting. I think they were just trying to offer some help and learn more about the construct of Tom’s diet, as he did not provide too much information on dietary specifics. Sure, it could be he is eating very well and the triglycerides (TAGs) still rise. I have seen TAGs increase from too much carbohydrate, even whole forms. However, this is rarely the case. Many folks seem to reduce their TAGs from a strict plant-based diet. For severe diabetics, our research teams have had to limit consumption of grains and add more beans and greens because it seems no matter the reason, sugars would rise. Again, very rare. We saw this in Marshallese populations. Other studies on diabetic Americans didn’t seem to matter as much. Interestingly, TAGs went up by 9 points, but it was not significant and could have been due to chance.I totally agree with you as everyone is different. I want to make sure members can freely post their thoughts and experiences. if you have any concerns or changes you feel need to be made in our Comment Etiquette section (top left button at the beginning of each thread) don’t hesitate to let us know!Thanks again for your note, JosephDr. Greger’s statement that you are “mimicking” caloric restriction without walking around starving is a rather ingenious obfuscation of what is happening when you eat a diet higher in plants. You’re not mimicking anything, you actually ARE restricting calories. Plants are harder to digest, the fiber that Dr. Greger mentions being associated with higher DHEA levels is practically (not totally) calorie free. Soluble fiber traps a portion of calories in a gelatinous mass. Most health professionals and researchers acknowledge that calorie counts in plant foods are significantly over-estimated. It’s easy enough to look at the constituents of a food and estimate its caloric CONTENT Atwater-style, it’s much harder to estimate how many of those calories are available for absorption. What form did the food take? Was it whole? Cracked? Ground? Pureed? Juiced? Was it cooked? How much was it cooked? Did you discard the cooking liquid or consume it? WHEN was it cooked? Did you cool it after you cooked it?  Did you reheat it? Starchy foods like potatoes and rice may lose more than half of their digestible calories to resistant starch after cooling and reheating.   Some people achieve calorie restriction by counting calories and consciously restricting intake. Some achieve it with diets high in fat and protein which are highly satiating, so that spontaneous restriction occurs. Some eat WFPB diets which fills your stomach with a large ratio of water and fiber to energy, affording a larger volume of food, while potentially limiting a significant portion of its energy as calories you can’t extract and absorb, thus achieving another version of calorie restriction.Bottom line, whether you mean to restrict calories or not, these diets all restrict calories anyway, and your body doesn’t treat calories any differently simply because you didn’t intend to restrict them. Whether you believe that plant-based diets are better for other reasons or not, the typical person trading animal foods for plant foods that “contain” the same energy density are almost guaranteed a significantly lower caloric load. To reiterate my original point, this means that you are not mimicking caloric restriction with a plant-based diet, you are achieving caloric restriction with a plant-based diet. Dear Doc I am 60 and use DHEA for vaginal thinning (for me it helps prevent vaginal rips and tears). So in addition to its potential to extend lifespan I use it for the estrogen boost. What are the risks associated with taking it on a regular basis (25mg 2-3 times a week)? One of your stoplight ratings would be helpful. thanks for all you do!What do you think of: http://gettingstronger.org/2011/05/intermittent-fasting-for-health-and-longevity/Promoted for its apparent autophagic effects.Peace.I was sick for twenty years eating lacto-vegetarian. If that was my path to longevity, then I am happy to trade a few years of total lifespan for the extra years of glowingly good health I have enjoyed since rediscovering organic eggs and meats.Obviously eating any kind of restrictive diet will have the effect of reducing overall caloric intake, because you are reducing the foods available to eat and so you will naturally eat less. This is true of any restrictive diet, whether it restricts dairy/meat or restricts carbs, or the all cabbage diet or whatever. Look up the junk food diet – turns out calorie restricting and only eating junk food also has positive health effects.Dr. Greger, I was wondering what you thought of intermittent fasting. I follow a plant based diet, but recently became interested in intermittent fasting and am hesitant to try it. Thanks so much!!I’m plant-based and I’ve tried both types of intermittent fasting. First I restricted myself to 600 calories a day, three times a week. I did this for a bit more than a year but I quit it when I lost too much weight and started becoming weak. next I tried just eating during an 8-hour window each day. I regained my normal weight and find it to be sustainable. I don’t know if it has helped me, but it certainly hasn’t hurt, and if what I read is true, I’m aging more slowly and protecting my brain. I recently read that fasting is also good for the immune system, that a lack of protein occasionally causes old ineffective white blood cells to be recycled for their protein and then they’re replaced with new cells, so occasionally I’ll fast for a week-end as well. So, go ahead and experiment; if you’re experience is anything like mine, it can’t do you any harm.	aging,caloric restriction,calories,DHEA,eggs,fertility,fiber,hormones,lifespan,longevity,plant-based diets,stress,supplements,vegans,vegetarians	One mechanism by which caloric restriction may extend one's lifespan is by upregulating dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), the most abundant steroid hormone in the human body. DHEA supplements are discouraged, but there may be a natural way to conserve levels as we age.	Foods can also cause undesirable hormone imbalances. See for example Dairy Hormonal Interference, Meat Hormones & Female Infertility, Acne-Promoting Effects of Milk, Anabolic Steroids in Meat, Dairy & Sexual Precocity, and Xenoestrogens & Early Puberty. Other videos on stress reduction include Antioxidant Level Dynamics and Improving Mood Through Diet. Plant-based diets are one of my most popular topics, spanning more than 100 videos, but I also cover another thousand nutrition subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caloric-restriction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21478748,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9820251,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20540592,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12161648,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15261843,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20812478,
PLAIN-2926	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/americans-are-living-longer-but-sicker-lives/	Americans Are Living Longer but Sicker Lives	A disturbing analysis of mortality and morbidity was recently published in the Journal of Gerontology. Are we living longer? Yes. But are those extra healthy years? No, and it’s worse than that—we’re actually living fewer healthy years than we used to. A 20 year old woman in 1998 could expect to live about 60 more years; whereas a 20 year old in 2006 could look forward to 61 more years, so we gained a year. Great—and same with men. That 20 year old in the 90s, though, would only live about 10 or 11 of those years with a serious disease, whereas closer to now it’s more like 12 or 13. So we live a year longer, but we come down with a serious disease like a stroke, cancer, or diabetes 2 years earlier. So it's like one step forward, 2 steps back. They also measured one’s ability to function. In the study you were considered disabled if you “couldn’t walk a quarter mile, couldn’t walk up 10 steps, couldn’t stand or sit for two hours without having to lie down, or couldn’t stand, bend, or kneel without using special equipment.” Using those criteria, we live one year longer, but in less than just one decade we now have more years with serious disease, and more years unable to function. So we’re living longer in sickness, not in health; a longer lifespan, but shorter healthspan.	For more on diet and life expectancy see Research Into Reversing Aging and Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies plus 30 other videos. Disabling diseases such as heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes can be prevented, treated, and even reversed with a healthy plant-based diet. Check out my videos on chronic disease and a thousand other topics. Tomorrow I’ll illustrate how one might be able to mimic the life-extending Benefits of Caloric Restriction Without the Actual Restricting.Health-span – I like that word……Can I just say, THANK YOU!!!!!? In my corner of the world, being a low fat vegan can be a lonely place…especially as I began just 2 years ago (now am 65 yo).  Today’s info speaks to the exact reason I started this way of eating; with the hope of avoiding my mother’s horrendous last 8 years of life experience. Your daily information undergirds my resolve and enthusiasm! So…THANK YOU!!!! Cyndy, my husband and I feel the same way about this daily dose of information! I am 68 and husband is 71. We have been “attempting” to be vegan all the way for many years and have occasional lapses but this daily booster always brings us back on track. Wish we had Dr. Greger years ago. Been Macdougall devotees for many years too plus all his cohorts!I’m new to being low fat raw vegan.  I’m sure you already know about durianriders videos on youtube. That’s very cool you started at 63.  I’m 44 and have just started.  I’m trying to reverse 30 years of drugs, alcohol and bad food.  Let’s hope I can undo the damage! HI CINDY,WHEN YOU SAY YOURE A LOW FAT VEGAN  WHAT DOES THAT MEAN… I THOUGHT FATS THAT VEGANS EAT ARE GOOD FATS…This is music to the big drug companies ears.  Now they will be able to prescribe their toxic drugs longer.  Trying to convince more people that nutrition is the way to go!I might be disabled?  According to this study I might be.  I have a hard time sitting for 2 hours!  So even though I rode over 50 miles this weekend Mountain Biking and went to the Gym twice, and swam with the kids multiple times, I guess it’s off to the Social Security Department today to file for disability ;-}Can I get one of those cool Handicap License plates too.  It sure is nice to park close.It’s fine if you want to toot your horn about all of the fitness enhancing activities you enjoyed over the weekend. But please don’t do it at the expense of people with disabilities. I am post-polio, need the DP plates, and am grateful when I can park close. My placard isn’t ‘cool,’ it’s just a necessity. BTW, not all people who get SSDI have disabilities as a result of poor diets and lack of exercise. And all people with disabilities do not get SSDI. I have worked 2 professional jobs for the past 20 years. Sorry if I offended you.  That was not my intention.  I just thought it was interesting that they consider a person disabled for this study if they cannot sit for 2 hours!  I really cannot sit for two hours because I have two hips that sublux and it causes muscle spasms in my back, so I have to get up and walk around every hour or so.  It so happens that my hip subluxed after lifting a 350 pound patient up in bed with proper lifting technique with another nurse.Even though this happend I don’t consider myself disabled.Dr D, Didn`t you tell the fat patient to go vegan !? It`s America – didn`t you sue the patient for 5.000.000.000.000.000.000 dollars !?Dr. SJ, That was back when I did Echocardiography.  I should have sued the hospital for exploiting me like that. Instead of suing though, I decided to try and become the doctor I never found.  One who listens and teaches patients how to get better.OK – Wise decision. Patients contain a lot of wisdom, therefore always listen to the patient, and freqent – in their story – they present the solution.Osteopathy will fix what ails Thee, Dr HD Rolfing works great,as well, in re-aligning trauma/sports/vocation abused bodies cheersLucy…good for you!!  I KNOW you will benefit in a big way from eating this way.  I don’t do all raw, but really do like it, so that’s what much of it is for me.  Although I will admit to being seriously hooked on short grain brown rice! :)   I wish you monumental success!Your second source (Freeman KS) is a dead link. Looks like they moved the location.Thank you–all fixed!Question: After having consumed the “Western Diet” for 62 years – without any serious problems – what improvement can I expect by switching to a vegan diet? After searching for healthier life-style options by the end of last year, I hit this web site and decided to switch to “hard core vegan” nutrition by Jan 1 this year. Total cholesterol has dropped by 20 units, blood pressure as well, weight went just 8 kilos down, but now got stuck – the new stuff just tastes far too good …! – But what would that mean in terms of numbers? Has there been any research on such converts?Greetings from BavariaKRHPS: Keep up that great work.Klaus-Rudiger: Congratulations on making that change! You are a member of a small group of people who have changed their diet for the better based on good hard science and the will to do it. That’s impressive. Good for you.I am not personally aware of any research that has been specifically done on people over 60 who converted to healthy eating after not eating so well the previous decades. What I can say is that there are a bazillion favorable anecdotes of people reversing various health problems regardless of the age in which they start to eat a whole plant food based diet. And at the same time, it is important to remember that diet is not a magic pill. So, there are no guarantees that you can completely escape all the consequences of eating poorly for 60 years. On the plus side, there is plenty of reason to believe that you have lowered your risk for many problems. I hope you live a long healthy life!If your goal is to drop a few more kilos, I have some ideas for you: 1) check out a free lecture available on line by Dr. Lisle. It will really help you get a handle on what types of plant foods will help you meet your goal: “How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ2) I don’t know if you would be able to get ahold of this talk, because it is only available for purchase on a DVD. But if you can get it, it is a wonderful compliment to the above talk: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392424210&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density%3B+eat+more3) Consider going through the free 21 Day Kickstart program by PCRM. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)4) Consider checking out the book: The Starch Solution by Dr. McDougall. http://www.amazon.com/Starch-Solution-Regain-Health-Weight/dp/1623360277/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414524493&sr=1-1&keywords=starch+solution+mcdougallI hope that helps. It is so fun to hear form Bavaria! Best of luck to you.	aging,cancer,diabetes,lifespan,longevity,mortality,stroke	Though our life expectancy is improving, our health expectancy is not. In fact we are living fewer years without serious disease and disability.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-
PLAIN-2927	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-women-should-eat-to-live-longer/	What Women Should Eat to Live Longer	The Harvard Nurses’s Health Study, involving more than 100,000 women, was started in 1976 and so as you can imagine is now the most definitive long-term study ever on older women’s health. Since the study started, thousands of participants died. And now, thanks to all that hard work, 35 years later they published the “risk factors for mortality, “ and because it was a co-called competing risks analysis it allows one to compare different risks to one another.  The number one single cause of death? Heart disease, and so no surprise that dietary cholesterol consumption was significant risk factor for death. The second leading cause was smoking-related cancer deaths. Comparing the two, consuming the amount of cholesterol found in just a single egg a day appears to cut a woman’s life short as much as smoking , 5 cigarettes a day, for 15 years. The most protective behavior they found was fiber consumption. Eating just a cup of oatmeal’s worth of fiber a day appears to extend a woman's life as much as 4 hours of jogging a week, but of course there’s no reason you can’t do both.  The one specific food most tied to longevity was nuts. You appear to get 4 hours of weekly jogging benefit eating just two handfuls of nuts a week as well. Taking a step back, though, it's worth noting that the intake of cholesterol, only found in animal foods, was associated with living a shorter life and the intake of fiber, only found in plant foods, was associated with living a longer life.	Similar comparisons have been made between the risk of smoking and eating processed meat (Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat) and cell phone use and processed meat–see Do Cell Phones Cause Cancer? and Hot Dogs & Leukemia. Though healthy eating may help mediate the devastating effects of smoking (see Smoking Versus Kale Juice, Preventing COPD With Diet, and Treating COPD With Diet.), if you do smoke, please stop. As a physician, I’ve just seen too many good people die horrible deaths from cigarettes. Here at NutritionFacts.org there are 38 other videos on nuts, 32 videos on exercise, 25 videos on fiber, 5 videos on oatmeal, and hundreds of videos on a thousand other topics.This is one of my favorite vids of all time!  Keep up the great work!Yes – better keep this a secret from my mother-in-law…………People get so upset when approached about their smoking; they get defensive and start to find reasons such as politics, individual rights/freedom to justify it instead of seeing it as a health issue. And, while I understand that part of it, I cannot honor it: Their rights step on mine when they smoke, so I’m involved. I’m forced to breathe in their pollution and now my health is at risk.  So where did my rights go? From what I understand, second-hand smoke is deadly.Absolutely. They’ve taken over the sidewalks in the city as they’re on their breaks. If I was a smoker, I wouldn’t be so inconsiderate to others. It’s nasty in every way and intrusive. As a teen I worked in restaurants for years, and I always thought the “smoking section” was such a joke. As if the smoke magically stays confined around the person smoking. I also find if offensive and inconsiderate. I don’t know why so many don’t.Second-hand smoke and third-hand smoke (the particulates on the persons body that uxude from them like the Peanut’s character Pigpen) are both toxic and cancer causing.I had two patients that came in to see me that smelled so atrociously of smoke (They smoke 3-4 packs per day) that I firmly told them to never come back to my office smelling like that again.  I would be happy to treat them but not if they put my life at risk.  My throat was sore the rest of the day and the smell of smoke, according to my MA, could be smelled on me the rest of the day as well.  We actually had to spray the room and leave it open for the rest of the afternoon just to get the smell out.Yes I’m with you on them infringing on your right to breath clean air and don’t be afraid to speak up (In a nice way of course).Interestingly those patients both came back and they didn’t smell half as bad.  But I made the office visit as short as I could.I am a home health nurse, and I always try to see patients who smoke at the end of my day, so I can go home and shower and change clothes (not necessarily in that order). Even if they are kind enough to not smoke while I am there, I still absorb the stink.And, I am a CWOCN (wound, ostomy, continence nurse), so I get to rant at people who have diabetic foot ulcers yet will not quit smoking. If you have any of them as patients, document, document, document! It should come as no surprise to anyone when their feet are amputated! Sheesh! Sue, have  you noticed any health problems in yourself from this second-hand smoke?No. Just temporary discomfort in the chest. I don’t have asthma or any other respiratory problems, though. If I did, the smoke residue could cause problems.I had a patient like that recently that came in with two leg wounds that weren’t healing and she was deathly afraid that they might be cancer so she wanted me to look at them.   Right next to me was her 4 wheeled/seat walker and sitting on it was her purse.  Guess what I saw in the side pouch?  A pack of cigarettes.So after listening to her story, I asked do you really want to decrease your risk of cancer?  And she of course said Yes.  So I reached over pulled out the cigarettes and told her (kindly) that she needs to stop smoking.  You should have seen her face–she blushed slightly (but that was hard to see because her skin was a nice hue of ashen grey).   I added that the worst and last patients a surgeon or CWOCN wants to work on are smokers!  They have the poorest healing rates for any surgeries or wounds.  In fact, when I was a resident on my ortho rotation about 85% of the patients we saw were smokers.  The Orthopedist I worked with said tobacco is job security for him.Anyway she stated that she was not going to quit.  (in the words of Gomer Pyle, “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!”)So she got a few antibiotics and a referral to wound care. (In the words of Metallica, “Sad but True”)People also don’t realize that about 2/3 of people who get bladder CA smoke. I think they should make billboards with a photo of a good looking guy (I think the word is “hot”) with his shirt off, smoking a cigarette, and a nice urostomy pouch in place. “This Could be YOU!” So, you sent her to wound care. Of course. lol!Folks, I understand how your disgust with smokers.  I am not (and never was) a smoker, but I have family members who are.  Please have some compassion for smokers who want very much to quit but are simply too addicted to do it. I saw my mother go through hell many, many times trying to quit before she finally succeeded.  If you’ve never smoked, it all looks so simple — just quit!  But you’re talking about a very powerful addiction with physical and psychological “hooks”.  Ask anyone who treats smokers and drug addicts; they’ll tell you more people succeed in kicking heroin than nicotine.  Agreed. The key to assisting smokers with quitting is UNDERSTANDING and COMPASSION, not finger shaking (and definitely not violating their personal space by taking something out of their bag or berating them for smelling bad).  I, too, come from a long line of smokers, and am an ex-smoker myself (4+ years).  It took me MANY MANY attempts before I finally quit, and still I crave a cigarette every once in a while.  My family (both parents and sister), sadly are still very much addicted and unable to quit at the moment. My father did quit for a couple of years a while back, but started smoking again. Smoking is one of the hardest addictions to overcome.  Smokers already know that smoking is bad, ostracizing them does not encourage them to stop.  In fact, it does the opposite of making them even more defensive and resistant to change.  Back in my college days, I went to see a university health doctor for a regular check up, and to encourage the importance of quitting smoking he did not reach in my backpack and pull out my cigarettes, or tell me that he would no longer see or treat me if I came in smelling of smoke.  Instead, he reached over to his prescription pad and wrote “Quit Smoking”.  What ensued was a nice mini-intervention where we talked about possible options of quitting and how I could access them.  I was not ready to quit at that time, but I believe that the seed to quit was planted then.  His method, and more importantly, his professional compassion, did more than a guilt trip ever could.On a related note to this video and discussion, a good friend of mine (who happened to be an RN and a participant in the Nurses’ Health Study), passed away recently in her sleep at the age of 69 (just a week short of her 70th birthday).  She was an absolutely amazing educator and an engaging, vibrant, interesting, compassionate, open-minded, and no-nonsense woman.  She was also a heavy smoker, not a plant-based eater, and even though she was an RN shunned all medical care and doctors. To be sure, smoking and diet hastened her untimely passing, still her death was a shock to us, because she was in seemingly good health (the day before her passing, she was preparing for work the next day) and was not suffering from any overt signs of disease. I will miss her greatly.  And, I thank her for the many gifts she has given to the world, including to her contributions as a participant in the Nurses’ Health Study.I understand you are addicted to those cigarettes and it’s not your fault. And I know you don’t understand you are putting my health at risk with your bad behavior. I know you have no understanding that I feel sick from the horrific smell that is exuding off your body and are clueless that your stench is making everyone in the office you pass cough and feel sick. No really it’s OK. How can I help you today!I told a colleague he should avoid standing in his own smoke. He didn’t believe me so he tested me a few times, discovered my precision rate was 100% and from then on avoided standing in the smoke.I think feeling the pain of smoking is what made it easier for me to quit. And, with my husband, it was commitment for the health of our expanding family rather than denial.I smoked for several years in the early 70’s and then, when I could not climb a hill without my lungs hurting, I quit COLD TURKEY. I never smoked again.My husband made a pact with me that he would quit smoking the day our daughter was born. I went into labor at 6 a.m. on January 23, 1974, and before that he was down to one cigarette per day. However, HE NEVER SMOKED AGAIN.Don’t tell me compassion is needed! Determination/ tenacity is required.I smoked for 32 years Mary, starting in the early 60s. Smoking was in vogue back then, my parents both smoked, everyone did.We were all addicted to nicotine. I quit 19 years ago, cold turkey because I finally educated myself to the pitfalls of nicotine. No, it wasn’t easy, I was a monster to live with that first month, but every day as that nicotine leaves the body, seeps out of the skin, everyday I felt better and every day I was more resolved to make sure I never ever smoked again. At 68 years old, my body has never been healthier. Anyone can quit and quit without the toxic pharmaceuticals we see on the TV. Willpower is the greatest tool we have, if people would only use it. It’s 100% free.I read some time ago that TCDD dioxins had been discovered in tobacco smoke. This could be because of the chlorinated pesticides used to grow the tobacco, which when burned produced dioxins, and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.Dioxins are among the chemicals known to damage the immune system, as well as cause certain cancers, and more. and then WE have to foot the bill (bad pun, i know) for all the free stuff they get through medicare for diabetics. NOT fair.What sprays did you use to clear the room of the odor of smoking? Were they synthetic or natural?I really don’t know and don’t work there anymore.I really find these quick analysis really outrageous Dr Greger and you should know better how to look at figures and so called studies! Figures can be twisted and manipulated whatever way people want, and this really is a perfect exemple of plant based diet maniacs telling the world all animal products have a negative impact on our health. I am actually a vegetarian so I shouldn’t have any personal problems with this approach.. except that I would like proper facts to get out there, not pure nonsense! Eating an egg a day the same risk as smocking 5 cigarettes??? Hello!!! The debate on cholesterol has been really challenged and debated a lot the last few years so you should know better. Besides, this nurses’ studies is notorious for being very biased and floppy, Nurses do shifts, eat badly (bad hospital food I know about it) and  nothing is taken in consideration like how they cook their egg, if the stuff they eat is organic, all other parameters etc.. Eating vegan is not a solution for most people, we all have different metabolisms, plant based food is great and should be the bulk of what we eat, but we also need to be nourished with protein and fat. What we need is good organic and sustainable food and none of this rubbish that is american food. I am really shocked by this post and shall unsubscribe today. Cheap quick analysis and conclusion. Truth hurts Sophie.Sophie has a legitimate point. The egg debate is not that simple statistically. The cholesterol source in the study is is important but is not indicated. Cholesterol from meat is also correlated with heme iron, nitrosamines, saturated animal fat, and other negative components relating to mortality. We know in the case of eggs that they vary enormously in their protective omega 3 content (Greek eggs have up to 9 times more than  US eggs), and scrambled is much more dangerous than boiled, poached or raw as it destroys the essential amino acids in the egg whites. If you eat eggs with a salad and fibre you get different post postprandial results, than if you eat them with bacon and saturated fat as in a burger.If people properly eat good quality eggs the crude equation with cigarettes can reduce to zero. Of course if you restrict yourself to egg whites they probably decrease mortality. Many people I know have two eggs every morning and others consume only two a week. These are entirely different risk profiles and cannot be statistically lumped together with the consumption of cholesterol from meat. R Lan, current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day.Furthermore, Omega 3 processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA, which is highly anti inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. The fact that eggs are the top source of arachadonic acid nulls and voids benefits received from the omega 3 in the egg itself. High intake of arachadonic acid is linked to autoimmune diseases such as  rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with  cancer development. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616uid http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18774339 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128In regards to egg whites, although true they are a good source of protein, this is possibly the only positive statement that can be made of it. Here is some evidence of a major component of egg whites, Methionine, possibly causing human harm.1. Egg whites are high in the amino Acid Methionine. Rice has 14 times less of this amino acid and beans 7 time less. When one consumes Methionine in a large quantity (like that found in egg whites), it is broken down into sulfuric compounds. these sulfuric compounds are buffered by the calcium of the bones. the result, over time, is osteoporosis and kidney stones. http://www.vivalis.si/literatura/6a00.pdf   2. Cancer cell metabolism is dependent upon methionine being present in the diet; whereas normal cells can grow on a methionine-free diet feeding off other sulfur-containing amino acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14585259 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/124162543. Insulin like growth factor is raised significantly by Methionine. raised levels of IGF-1 = accelerated aging/tumor promotion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12176673 http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/18/1472.abstract   4. Sulfur from Methionine is known to be toxic to the tissues of the intestine, and to have harmful effects on the human colon, even at low levels, possibly causing ulcerative colitis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9448181 http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/82/11/950.abstractThe balance of evidence is clearly against even moderate consumption of eggs, and I fail to understand how one can consider this food “ok” once it is understood what exactly happens when we eat eggs.Great response! Dr. Greger doesn’t say anything about eating an egg a day. He says “consuming the amount of cholesterol found in an egg”. In other words, that amount of cholesterol, consumed every day, will shorten the average lifespan of a large group of women by as much as smoking 5 cigarettes a day for 15 years will. Equating cholesterol with cigarettes as a risk factor is purely statistical and OK as mere numerical correlation, but to even mention eggs and cigarettes in the same sentence is to equate them through a non causal link. Correlation is not causation, but merely a possible sign of it. All cholesterol consumption is not equal; it has to be taken in context. Why mention eggs  unless you wish to blame eggs as much as meat based cholesterol, which we know is harmful? Eggs are not a prime measure of cholesterol. For information, I do not eat eggs, but for the reason that it’s nearly impossible to buy healthy ones unless you have your own chickens. If I did eat them I would do so in the absence of any saturated fat and in a salad. lol cause i get absolutely no protein and fat from my vegan diet… smhDo you mean animal protein and animal fat? You really believe that is necessary? Wow, there is good fat and bad fat, good protein and bad protein.  I get my good fat and good protein from my whole foods, plant based diet.  And I feel 100 times better than I did when I ate animal products.Carrie, I’m a new vegan-4 months-my adrenals are no longer blown out to the point I feel weak and about to pass out several times a day; my blood pressure is normal for the first time in 5 years; and my cholesterol is coming down really; really fast. I am sure it will be within normal range soon, if it isn’t already. I also feel calmer, and my belly fat went down within a few days when I first started-even more, now. I save money not buying meat, and I can’t say I miss it at all. I was guilted into going vegan by a friend who is on her 2nd go-round of cancers in 18 months, still smokes, couldn’t even go a full week without animal products, and she wonders why her cancer came back. Some people are just in denial. Her doctor told her she would lose weight and stave off life threatening disease by going vegan, and she still won’t do it. Some people would rather take pills, have chemo, never understanding they have all the power when it comes to their health.testThe Harvard Nurses’ Health Study may not be perfect (very few scientific studies are and that is why replication of scientific data is so important).  Despite some of the weaknesses of the study design (and it has been refined over the years), the study has provided us with hundreds of peer-reviewed studies that have provided and still provide investigators (and the public) with reliable health information (not to mention additional areas to continue to investigate). As far as opposing studies go (e.g. “the debate on cholesterol”), Dr. Greger says it best (http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/09/ask-the-doctor-qa-with-michael-greger-m-d-week-4/): “The answer [when analyzing contradictory scientific evidence] is to look at the balance of evidence and ask yourself before making any decision “What does the best available evidence show right now?”.”  At the moment,  even though “cholesterol has been really challenged and debated a lot the last few years” the balance of scientific evidence still overwhelmingly indicates that low fat, high fiber, plant-based diets are the healthiest ways for most humans to eat. Regarding your last point about being nourished with proteins and fats, plant- based diets provide plenty of proteins and fats necessary for a healthy metabolism (http://pcrm.org/search/?cid=251, http://pcrm.org/health/diets/vegdiets/vegetarian-foods-powerful-for-health ).I actually agree a lot with you Sophie about how figures can be twisted… Since I started researching nutrition for myself it seems like nothing but contradictions. I will come across one study, say for example this one, which sounds great, exactly what I want to hear (I am plant based myself) but then because Idon’t like to assume that one study says it all, I will continue my research, and 9 times out of 10 can find another study that “proves” the exact opposite… After all my research, I’ve come up with the fact that everyone seems to agree to refined carbs/sugars and processed foods as a common enemy, that eating unaltered & organic grass/grain fed meat MIGHT not be as harmful as we think and that dairy seems completely unnecessary… So, even though I think there’s possibility that meat isn’t exactly the enemy, I personally feel that it’s unecessary and it seems that there’s no reason to rely on meat for any specific nutrients, especially when plant based sources have the ability to give you everything meat can, plus more (antioxidants, fiber, etc)…Nicole, you said …” 9 times out of 10 can find another study that “proves” the exact opposite… ”Really?  You mean like Dr. Atkins?  He sure had some strong beliefs.  The whole thing about plant-based/whole foods is its evidence basis.  He liked meat.  You think maybe not so much. It doesn’t matter that a person might FEEL that meat is not required in their diet…the science shows that it is very very bad food.  Some think organic is the key to good health or growing by the lunar cycle.  Feelings, like the Morris Albert song from the 70’s says, nothing more than feelings.  Dr. G is about using your head.I’d like to see a reality show about a group of folks, sick on SAD, who nut it out using their good judgement and decide to go vegan.  We would watch them transform in Prime Time.  And they would talk about their beliefs and feelings (maybe they could get a witch and some druids, heh) and all the while the risk factors go away.  Whoa whoa whoa feeling again in my arms…and legs and all over the place.That show already was on the air in June! Dr. Furhman was on the Dr. Oz show with three women who were SAD eaters and become plant food diet devottee’s with ETL. Amazing transition! SandyNicole – it is not correct. Do you read original peer-reviewed papers?The best performed studies points only in one direction – the optimal diet is plantbased – whole grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes and probably a little soyproducts. In fact, not many contradictions in “good science”.The problem is that the best performed science is buried in a lot of junk-science (stating what people want to hear – eggs is not bad, you need meat, dairy is essential for bones – hence you read that in the newspapers and magazines) and probably even propaganda from various interest groups.Evidence suggests that a plant based diet prevents and improves CVD (cardiovascular disease), cancer, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes etc. No doubt.A recent prospective study of 500,000 people showed clearly that eating red meat increases cancer mortality, CVD mortality and total mortality (R. Sinha et al., Meat intake and mortality, Arch Intern Med 2009)I am not interested in studies showing that meat or eggs is not harmfull (which it of course is), I am interestet in studies showing that meat or egg consumption prevents or reverses cancer, CVD, high cholesterol, diabetes, high cholesterol, inflammatory diseases. Just one study! And I am NOT interested in junk-science – it has to be a well designed, thorough, performed study – and of course peer-reviewed.Wow you sound prettttty convinced there.Have you watched ‘the food revolution’ on YouTube. It’s a presentation by a Swedish doctor, completely scientifically backed, on paleo diet. You should (all) watch it. I agree with Nicole that if you are investagive, honest, and critically thinking you will find counter arguments for and against everything discussed in plant-based health. It is frustrating, but at least we are searching for the truth not an agenda.I have not heard of that video and will have to check it out.  As to your other points, I agree, there will always be counterarguments to any issue, as there should be, especially in scientific investigations. However, just finding one (or a few) counterpoints/arguments is not enough in making a case for scientific concepts.  In scientific inquiry what makes a case or concept stronger is 1) reproducible results that are thoroughly (and usually anonymously) peer-reviewed for publication and 2) a balance of evidence showing a concept to be more true than not.As in life, biases, conflicts of interest, agendas, and opinions make their way into scientific inquiry and studies (science is not a perfect science).  So, yes, critical thinking needs to come into play when debating or analyzing scientific findings, specifically when discussing and trying to understand the complexity of human nutrition. There is a lot of information out there–much of it seemingly conflicting.  All we can do is look at what the current balance of scientific evidence states. Unfortunately, most people do not have the time or the ability to read all the research that gets published in scientific nutrition journals about diets to enable them to make informed lifestyle choices and decisions.  That is why this web-site is so helpful for the public in general (and for those trained in the field of medicine and nutrition as well).  This site synthesizes the latest findings in nutrition and health research in order to understand the role of health and nutrition in the prevention and treatment of disease. The “agenda”/goal here is preventing and treating disease by way of diet.  And to that end, it is clear from the available scientific evidence that some diets are better at preventing and treating disease than others.  It just so happens that “the [current] balance of scientific evidence suggests that the healthiest way to eat [to prevent and treat disease] is a vitamin B12-fortified diet of whole plant foods”. At the moment, it seems that there is not enough evidence to indicate that other diets are capable of preventing and treating disease to the same degree that a plant-based diet can for most people. And, that is an “agenda” that I will gladly swallow.I wasn’t able to edit my last post, just wanted to add in, yes, the last part was all my OPINION… That’s all you really find anywhere on the Internet is research with someone’s “opinion” attached, not always facts even though they’ll claim it to be… Although I prefer to base my beliefs on facts, in the case of nutrition, it seems I have to put some faith into my beliefs because otherwise it’s all confusing, frustrating and discouraging… My advice to everyone, don’t believe the first thing u hear just because it’s what u want to be true…. Take some time to do a little extra research for yourself, THEN make your decisions “but we also need to be nourished with protein and fat”Thanks for the chuckle, that made my day.But Sophie, this is different from the sort of “twisted and manipulated” reports we see in the media because the its in the DATA of a peer-reviewed paper.  The investigators analyzed data from the Nurses’ study.  Dr. G distilled the paper into a short, accurate synopsis of their results and conclusions.  He does it so we don’t have to. Emotion aside, you make a series of claims.  If you wish to participate (and I HOPE you do not unsubscribe)  then support what you say.  I for one would love to feast on eggs again, but I won’t until you or someone shows, using geometric logic, that they are not harmful, harmless, rather that they are a healthy addition to the diet.Sophie, have you researched any harmful affects as resulting from eggs? This is not the first post on eggs and the harms that result from egg consumption are quite significant. Here is a summary I have put together on eggs based on some of the studies Dr. Greger has pulled out.Eggs are actually highly inflammatory due to marked levels of arachadonic acid contained in this food which is clearly linked with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with cancer development. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616uid http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18774339 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128   The Harvard physicians study followed 20,000 doctors for 20 years and those that ate just one egg a day had significant increase in all cause mortality. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400720     In fact, David Spence, director of stroke prevention/atherosclerosis research center and one of the worlds leading stroke experts, said that based on the latest research, you can eat all the eggs you want IF your dying of a terminal illness. Eggs are not considered health promoting nutritionally speaking. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400699   Eggs have been linked with heart failure http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18954578   As well as type 2 diabetes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/?tool=pubmed     Furthermore, in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, David Spence, David Jenkins (the inventor of the glycemic index) and Jean Davignon (director of atherosclerosis research group) posted a review on eggs claiming that the egg industry has been downplaying the health risks of eggs through misleading advertisements. As soon as you eat one egg, you expose your body to several hours worth of oxidative stress, inflammation of ones arteries, endothelieum impairment (what keeps you blood running smoothly) and increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidize (beginning stages of heart disease). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9001684   The egg industry has claimed that cholesterol from eggs is not important and does not raise cholesterol levels. The fundamental flaw in the study the egg industry has used to make this claim is that they measured FASTING lipid levels at night and not levels through out the day after egg consumption. “Diet is not all about fasting lipids; it is mainly about the three-quarters of the day that we are in the nonfasting state. Fasting lipids can be thought of as a baseline; they show what the endothelium was exposed to for the last few hours of the night.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/?tool=pubmed   A single egg yolk contains approximately 215 to 275 mg of cholesterol. A safe upper limit can be capped at 200 mg if one is looking to prevent heart disease. One egg far exceeds this daily upper limit.Furthermore, there is no evidence that we need saturated animal fat and animal protein. In fact, all whole plant foods contain complete proteins and saturated fat is clearly linked with heart disease. A plant based diet provides all the polyunsaturated fat the body requires. Omega 3 and omega 6 are the only fats the body needs, otherwise, the liver produces all other necessary fat.Toxins….I love you! Thanks for the kind words!No problem. I have been so enjoying this comment section. Everyday I come back to it and more has been posted. We have vegans, vegetarians, and paleo enthusiasts all arguing whose science is best. Very passionately I might add. After watching Dr. Greger’s hour long video he posted I started thinking, “who doesn’t want some of that!” He was so much energy and is so full of health and vitality that he encourages a better way. Toxins, I guess, no need to debate eggs anymore. Case closed.egg-cellent! baha!I am confused. You mentioned one study:“The Harvard physicians study followed 20,000 doctors for 20 years and those that ate just one egg a day had significant increase in all cause mortality. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu…”I looked at one study that you mentioned and it seemed to conclude that there’s no problem with eggs. But I must admit, I don’t really fully understand it so perhaps you can describe what is being said. Thanks.The Harvard nurses study made a statistic of this point. “In this prospective cohort, we demonstrated that infrequent egg consumption up to 6 eggs per week was not associated with MI, stroke, or total mortality in healthy US male physicians. In addition, consumption of 7 or more eggs per week was associated with a modest but significant increased risk of total mortality in this population.”Of course, we cannot conclude that eggs are now healthy as long as we eat only 6 eggs a week instead of 7. The point I was trying to make is that eggs are implicated in increasing mortality rates for those with high consumption, and based on the evidence outside of this study, I would expect that eating 6 eggs a week would still be quite harmful indeed.Yet the studies are showing associations but not causality. Isn’t it likely that there are other similarities in the diet or other non-diet related confounding factors could account for the difference in risk that were not measured? Just as I find it hard to believe any one food is the ultimate super food I also find it hard to believe egg consumption alone could be responsible as indicated. This is too complex an issue.I also do not eat meat products – but more for philosophical than health reasons. I strongly agree, Sophie, that this quick video analysis completely lacks critical thinking and reflection. In addition to the title of this post “What Women SHOULD Eat”, take “Rob’s” comment below: “Truth hurts.” Watering reality down to black and white categories e.g. should vs. shouldn’t, true vs. false etc. reveals a profound conceptual laziness.  It is VERY easy to live in a world of watered-down complexity.Despite MY choice to not eat meat I do not hold others hostage to my perspective. In fact, I recognize that there may be myriad advantages to eating meat. Opposite points of view always have some validity – and failing to acknowledge that merely discloses ones blind fanaticism.  Attempting to universalize personal preference is not science; it’s myopic and dangerous thinking.  A greater sensitivity and openness to discourse on human nutrition might enrich this site.  When it comes to the pure diversity of human health, attempting to only espouse “the facts” teeters on the precipice of ignorance.The Harvard Nurses’ Study may not be perfect (very few scientific studies actually are–that is why replication of scientific findings that are peer-reviewed is so important to contributing to scientific knowledge). Despite some of the weaknesses of the Nurses’ Study design (and the study has been refined over the years), the study has provided the scientific community and the public with hundreds of peer-reviewed studies and findings that have greatly contributed to our understanding of health.As far as opposing studies go (e.g. “the debate on cholesterol”), Dr. Greger says it best: “The answer [when analyzing contradictory scientific evidence] is to look at the balance of evidence and ask yourself before making a decision “What does the best available evidence show right now?”  At the moment, even though “cholesterol has been really challenged and debated a lot the last few years”, the balance of evidence still overwhelmingly indicates that a low fat, high fiber, plant-based diets are the healthiest ways for most humans to eat.  (I have yet to hear of an individual who was able to reduce their heart-disease –or improve his/her health outcomes– on a high cholesterol diet.)Regarding your last point about being the importance of being nourished with proteins and fats for a healthy metabolism, plant-based diets provide plenty of protein and fats necessary for a healthy metabolism. “Eating vegan is not a solution for most people”It’s not chosen by most people. Is it safe to assume you really like your eggs and dairy?Wow, Sophie, I am entertained that you bash a respected study, calling it ‘floppy’ and then suggest that ‘protein and fat’ is not plant based food. Whether nurses are ‘biased’ has nothing to do with the HARVARD nurses study. It uses nurses as subjects, dear.Good bye, Sophie. Dr. Greger was reporting on the study. This is his blog and his site.I came here to learn more about eating in an increasingly toxic world with herbicide intensive GMO lab created crops. Eating animals even organically raised and produced, is better than conventionally or factory farmed. But animals accumulate and concentrate toxins in their bodies, and when they produce eggs or embryos, the lifetime of poisons are dumped into the new being.BTW, organic and sustainable agriculture is at risk of being contaminated by herbicides, and other pesticides, as well as other manmade poisons and genetically modified DNA that has escaped into the environment. That is a fact of life.Humans are the top of the food chain. And, if humans want to live longer, eating animals and animals’ embryos (eggs) are not the way to go.Wake up and become enlightened, Sophie.When the study compares the risk of eating cholesterol found in 1 egg with smoking 5 cigarettes for 15 years, what is the time frame for consuming that amount of cholesterol?  In other words, are we talking about eating 1 egg a day for 15 years as well or for a year or ??  Thanks!“…we confirmed that casein does have (ncourage the growth of experimental tumors) this property (thus supporting the preliminary research of others) and, second, we learned how it does it (involving multiple ‘mechanisms’). In the traditional sense, the evidence was overwhelming. Using traditional science practice, we should be concluding that casein is a chemical carcinogen, perhaps the most relevant carcinogen that we consume.” – Colin T. CampbellSo yeah, dairy is pretty cancer causing, I even remember him stating in a speech that it is the most carcinogen known to man and if it were in cigarettes it would be banned. Meat and dairy should be treated like cigarettes.Josh,  A long time ago, in a grad lab far far away I used my new fangled spreadsheet program to compare the amino acid compositions of the 100 or so proteins that had (at that time) been published.  I was quite surprised to find that there is virtually no difference between animal and plant protein in terms of their amino acid proportions.  I’ve followed up on this from time to time and it is still true.  So what is going on.  I don’t dispute Dr. Campbells evidence.  But casein of all things…its intended to be digested.  Human infants are nurished by the casein in human breast milk.  I find this incredibile.  Could anyone please provide the references for the work that elucidates “how it does it (involving multiple ‘mechanisms’). ” much obligedThat egg cigarette comparison is way too extreme. Ludacris. There is also a mass of literature out there that says dietary cholesterol plays little role in health outcome prediction – see all the scientists who preach paleo. We have to investigate to see where truth lies, but comparing 1 eggs worth of cholesterol per day to 5 cigarettes is madness!It is about time that someone conducted a longitudinal study of overall health on followers of a paleo diet versus those on a whole foods plant-based diet.  I just don’t know whether ethics committees would even allow this kind of study!Thank you so much Dr. G for you amazing video’s. I follow Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarians way of eating and I am 90% vegan. I am pushing for total vegan, which I hope to maintain for the rest of my life. My husband who used to eat am egg a day, sometimes, two stopped cold turkey and now he eats beans after seeing some of your research. Thanks for all you do to separate fact from fiction. I will keep eating my nuts! I am not sure if you have seen this, but Dr. Greger covers the paleo diet on his free ebook here. http://www.atkinsexposed.org/Sadly, the “scientists” who preach paleo also ignore all of the evidence pointing away from their diet.And “scientists” who preach veganism ignore all of the evidence pointing away from fromt their diet. So what’s your point? Obviously scientists are people before they are scientists and too often only validate what supports their point of view. Unfortunately, this site is guilty of this type of bias in its recommendations. Why isn’t it obvious yet that no way of eating has a monopoly on truth? Trying to universalize ones preferences is manipulative–especially when its done under the guise of “science.”Please present data that shows the ill effects of a vegan diet? I know of no well done studies that show a vegan diet to increase the risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes or another chronic illness. Furthermore, a vegan diet resembles the diets of some of the liveliest populations, such as the Okinawans back in the late 60’s. They had the most centenarians per capita in their population. Lets look at their diet.Caloric restriction, the traditional Okinawan diet, and healthy aging: the diet of the world’s longest-lived people and its potential impact on morbidity and life span.TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785 Total weight (grams) 1262 Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4 Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9) Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85) Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6) Saturated fatty acid 3.7 Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6 Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8 Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)Grains Rice 154 (12) Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7) Nuts, seeds <1 (<1) Sugars 3 (<1) Oils 3 (2) Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6) Fish 15 (1) Meat (including poultry) 3 (<1) Eggs 1 (<1) Dairy <1 (<1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69) Other potatoes 2 (<1) Other vegetables 114 (3) Fruit <1 (<1) Seaweed 1 (<1) Pickled vegetables 0 (0) Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (<1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some points:Their diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat.  Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories.  Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day)   Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day.  That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a day. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17986602Furthermore, we understand more and more what specific nutrients in animal foods are harmful and the mechanics behind this. As this mountain of knowledge continues to build, it becomes more clear that a plant based diet is indeed truly superior to any other diet out there.All the data pointing away from veganism? Please explain supported by peer-reviewed articles. Not the old story with B12 and Zink, it is well known and easy to overcome. Truly I am interested in a serious article showing that a plant strong diet is bad for you, and/or meat and eggs prevent heart disease, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, inflammatory disease etc.Why is my post not showing? I’ve had this issue, too.  Did you write your response in another program and then cut and paste it? When I did this, my posts did not show.  It helped to directly write your response in the box provided (w/o cutting and pasting). Hope that helps.Dr. Matthew I fully agree. I am searching for truth, not for ‘convenient agreement with my current diet and lifestyle beliefs’. Diet Fanatics who preach religiously are just not familiar with scientific literature. There are arguments for and against everything. I repeat, Everything!Yes, Wickedchicken. This comment section is quite frustrating. I’ve tried to post research links a number of times and I don’t know if it’s not working or if the post is being pulled off. In any case, why does this video start with the comment that the study in question is “the most definitive study ever” for older women’s health. This is an epidemiological study. By nature, epidemiology is NEVER definitive unless you’re making inferences from incomplete data while ignoring confounding factors. Citing studies like this as “evidence” is not only ridiculous–it’s simply bad science.  Dr. Matthew,You may want to write an email to the Disqus (http://disqus.com/) to see why your links are not posting and what you can do about it. Sometimes my links do not post or get cut off as well.  I think it has to do with the comment platform (which is being provided bu Disqus) and not the NutritionFacts web-site.  Specifically, you can go here ( http://help.disqus.com/ ) for technical help with posting comments using Disqus.Thanks!That’s funny, somehow my posts just magically appeared.Isn’t ones diet mainly an individual thing. We all have histories that influence the way we eat. My father died when he was 51 from a massive heart attack and his brother at 42. That definitly influenced what was going on in our home. My mother threw out the salt shakers and started skinning the chickens. I became very aware that what we put into our bodies directly influences the health of all systems in our body.For health reasons I have decided to be vegan. I have always enjoyed seeing how my body responds to food and exercise. However, I do not try and talk my patients into my choices. I let them know that eating the most nutrient dense foods and avoiding junk is most important.Everything? Really, So if I find arguments in favor to have sex with 10 years old and make my cat film it, it’s OK?“Ludacris” is a rapper.  The word you are looking for is “ludicrous.”That said, I agree with you.  Implying that eating one egg a day is as bad for your health as smoking 5 cigarettes is just beyond the pale and casts doubt on everything else Dr. Greger claims.OMG you guys are not getting it. Dr. greger is introducing us to various research articles that have been preformed by other researchers. He did not do the nurses study. These research articles are out here for everyone to read. In the article the data is the same for 5 cigarettes and one egg.Do you all think he is making it up? He is simply presenting us with published articles. Published articles are different than going on a Paleo website, reading what the bloggers has to say and believing it as fact.Obviously too many people here are not familiar with the discipline involved in being published.Born in 1945 started smoking in 1962 at the age of seventeen. I smoked (the whole world smoked in this era),  for thirty-two years. Quit cold-turkey 16 years ago. Difficult for a few months, but the rewards are mind boggling. I urge people rather than resort to dangerous pharma, their  after effects, toxicity to the body, to go with good old-fashioned will-power. The power of the mind, perseverance and change never fails us. http://www.sexyinyour60s.comI know this is going to be an extremely unpopular opinion here, but if it helps just one person, it is worth being ostracized. LOL! After smoking 2 PAD for over 40 years and trying unsuccessfully to quit numerous times, I was discouraged and disgusted with myself for being so “spineless” and “weak” and so lacking in willpower. I won’t go into the long boring background, the point is, each passing year became scarier and the self recrimination was unproductive. Coincidentally, both sons each bought me a version of the then new electronic cigarette, a supposed reduced risk nicotine delivery device that mimicked smoking. It produced vapor instead of smoke and still allowed the approximation of the addicting habit that owned me so completely. I was able to toss the smokes for the vapes, and gradually reduce my nicotine consumption to zero, at which point I just had to deal with ending the habitual motions. Vapers don’t want e-cigs advertised as smoking cessation devices because then the FDA steps in, so I hope they will continue to be billed as reduced risk devices, but they were a real godsend for me and millions of others! People that only know about them from the “popular press” don’t really know anything factual about them, trust me! My success at finally quitting smoking not only improved my health, but my self image and my ability to meet other important health challenges that were long neglected too. I doubt if there are any smokers here, but if you know anyone who smokes who you would love to see quit, I STRONGLY recommend they try e-cigs or go to http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ for more info. By the way, I don’t have any connection with any companies or anything! (I wish I did though!:)you are what you consume that includes what you perceive with your senses or enjoy or nurture; the thoughts you nurture the most become the dominant ones which can be changed; same for food and healthy or unhealthy things.Dr. Mathews I am not understanding the argument regarding the book you sited above. We know feed lots are environmentally unsound. So short of the world becoming hunters and gatherers what is the solution? The other data suggested that young adults who are vegetarians may have eating disorders? Ok.I am not convinced to start eating meat and cheese again.Also I find that posting from iPhone/ iPad can be a bit problematic.Hello, Gale. The most promising method(s) of farming I have scene are integrated farming and polyface farms.  Yes, feedlots are horrendous but surely meat eating cannot/should not be reduced to mass industrial feedlots.  Also, mass agriculture does not have a better track record than feedlots as agriculture has decimated topsoil, prairies, forests, ecosystems, and to a large extent, biodiversity.  Whether we are eating grains or meat we’re punching the environment in the face. This  suggests that maybe the problem is that the earth, as we know it, isn’t equipped to cater to almost 7 BILLION people. If you’re interested in this topic, the interface between nature and culture, Wendell Berry has written some wonderful essays that were collected in a book called The Art of the Commonplace. Also, William Jordan III, wrote a book called The Sunflower Forest: Ecological Restoration and a New Communion with Nature. Very interesting book.You are adding way to much to my reading list. :)Dr. Matthew,You raise some interesting points/counterpoints.  I look forward to reading up on some of the links and recommendations that you offer. (It looks like I will need set aside quite a bit of time since you have shared so much.)Although, as a quick response, I have to say, your point #4 made made me wonder a few things: 1) “Anecdotally” speaking, what do most of the overweight/obese people that you consult with eat, 2) one needs to be careful about proving a point using anecdotes (or case studies alone), 3) what came first the veganism /vegetarianism or the eating disorder, 4) do all people interested in making better dietary lifestyle choices (e.g., vegan, vegetarian, DASH, TLC, Mayo, Weight Watchers, Volumetrics, Ornish, Eco-Atkins, Paleo, etc.) exhibit higher levels of neurosis and/or mental illness, or is it just the vegans/vegetarians?,4a) what kinds of mental illness are we talking about here? (if it is in one of the links you included, I will read it), 5) I’d venture a guess that non-plant based commentary boards elsewhere have just as much activity as the commentary board here does. I hardly think that posting comments in a forum created specifically for discussing and sharing viewpoints is a good measure of  one’s neurosis, well, at least it is not the only measure to be sure), Finally,6) Dr. Greger has posted a few videos about some serious risks associates with a vegan diet– addressing some mental health considerations as well (http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/).Again, thanks for sharing the links and recommendations to some other viewpoints. Should be some interesting reading to be sure.The links I’ve listed about should be as follows: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7852684  http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/ Absolutely phantastic video and information. I’m a women of 54 years “young”, feeling like I’m 35. I’m so glad I found Herbalife 18 years ago, so since then I have my regular daily intake of plant nutrients, fibres and especially also the intake of Nitric Oxide (NO), supporting my energy, circulatory and vascular health and avoid heart disease.Very happy to hear that you are healthy and vibrant on a plant-based diet.  However, it seems that Herbal Life may not be a very safe supplement to take, unless they recently changed their formulation. I encourage you to watch Dr. Greger’s videos of Herbal Life and liver toxicity. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbalife%C2%AE-supplement-liver-toxicity/  http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife%C2%AE/Jesus,I cant take in the information this guy is giving, his voice is sooo annoying. Well thats not very nice is it?Thank you Dr. Gregor for making this information so very palatable. Never before have I listened/watched nutrition videos because the information is so often too deadpan to endure.Maybe I’m the unpopular one for saying things that are shameful in the Christian world. But perhaps how to be healthier longer is the better question (as you’ve suggested). Indian and Chinese medicine use the term longevity instead of health. Makes you think of medicine in a much different way. So far I’ve found only one reference in ancient medicine (Chinese in this case) that says children at one hundred is possible. Chimps don’t do menopause til 90% lifespan (bonobos probably, other mammals not sure, but likely homo sapiens (recent ones) do the worse), and if ours is 120-140+, then maybe this is possible. Imagine the world long ago before “stress”, organization, when democracy really existed, living among trees, picking food directly from the ground (with variety suitable to the local climate and all parts of the plant available [leaf, fruit, root], everything without pollution, non-monotheistic religious experience that sort of let people be (happy) as whatever they were), and the pre-Christianity world where work wasn’t valued over everything else, and yes this was possible before.Is there some reason that cereal fiber would be more healthful in preventing heart attacks than other fiber sources?No, all whole plant food fiber is going to be equally as healthy as grain fiber.I wondered about the cereal fiber because the study specifically referred to cereal fiber.  From the conclusion of a HUGE study (“Egg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies”) from January 7th, 2013 in the BMJ:“Conclusions: Higher consumption of eggs (up to one egg per day) is not with increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke.”Here’s the link: http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8539Why was this never mentioned on this site? Or how about the results of all these studies examining the impact of eggs on ones health:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21427738 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10217054 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20633314 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17092383 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400720 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17179903 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20598142 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16340654 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16340654Oh, and while I’m we’re at it how about some studies on low cholesterol actually INCREASING health risk:The Honolulu Heart Study e/ 8,000 participants (2001):http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673601055532/abstractLong-term persistence of low cholesterol concentration actually increases the risk of death. Thus, the earlier the patients start to have lower cholesterol concentrations, the greater the risk of death.Japanese Lipid Intervention Trial with over 47,000 participants (1993):http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/22/6/1038.abstract“The highest death rate observed was among those with lowest cholesterol (under 160mg/dl); lowest death rate observed was with those whose cholesterol was between 200-259mg/dl”Report of the Conference on Low Blood Cholesterol: Mortality Associations (1992):http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1355411Youtube video, “cholesterol and heart disease”.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8SSCNaaDcE&feature=player_embeddedAustralian Aborigines have the lowest blood cholesterol levels and the highest incidence of cardiovascular disease (30 times more than France)—whereas the Swiss have the highest levels of blood cholesterol and an incidence of CVD that is 1/3 of the UK.Toxins (AKA Dr. Gregor), if you’re really spending all day looking through journals, then how do you miss all the studies that contradict some of your most basic premises? I have two guesses: 1. you only look for that which validates your perspective causing you to see only a small piece of what’s out there or 2. even worse, you see what else is out there and intentionally ignore it because you simply can’t turn back now that you’ve so fully committed yourself to an ideology. The problem is that ideology are not grounded in scientific skepticism.Last, my point is not the eggs are good or bad – or any other food for that matter. My point is that when it comes to diet there is and will always be some ambiguity about what is best for people because of the myriad variables that determine each individual’s health. We are all different. Therefore, universal diet recommendations i.e. “truths” are really nothing more than socially, culturally, and personally constructed views. I would have no problem if you simply said, “I’ve studied the human diet for years and have felt great from being a vegan. Here’s why I think you should consider it too…..” This would be so much more honest than trying to substantiate your views with a piece-meal representation of scientific literature on diet and then assert that it’s a “fact” eg the name of this site: “Nutrition Facts.”But instead, I’m going to get the all too familiar defensive “toxins” response with the same handful of studies attached which ultimately just illustrates my point. And that is a shame. This site does so many great things for vegans and vegetarians (like myself). I just don’t get why it can’t be more transparent about it’s largely personal intellectual commitments.please address the issue of the so called cholestrol myth and that we do not absorb cholestrol into our blood from the foods we eat (nb i am vegan have friends and family who arent!!!)Hi Tree,When we ingest animal protein we do absorb the animals’ cholesterol. Dr Greger has many posted videos under “browse topics” that covers cholesterol. We also make all the cholesterol we need for our tissue and hormones. (There is a rare condition where this isn’t true but again that is rare.)pretty venomous vegans ’round here. Wonder how healthy that is for your chakras or whatever? be wellI agree with you Sophie! Regardless of the claims of this study, it is absolutely irresponsible for Dr. G to summarize the outcome of a complex and possibly flawed study in a 2 minute clip. Not to mention how reckless to make the outrageous claim of eggs causing as much bodily harm as cigarettes without exploring all other possible variables that might explain this correlation! I’m really curious what variables the Harvard Nurse’s study measured for (high blood pressure, inflammatory diseases, liver health, adipose tissue, the amount of processed foods consumed???). These are the factors responsible for high cholesterol! Humans have been eating eggs for thousands of years and heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s are ailments that have only been seen in our modern world. Interesting to note too, the advent of low-cholesterol diets (including limiting eggs) and the unbelievable over-prescription of statins such as Lipitor have zero correlation with a decrease in these conditions. Quite the opposite in fact. These conditions continue to rise at epidemic proportions. Might there be something else going on? Obesity, no exercise, stress, environmental toxicity, insomnia, liver dysfunction, and the most obvious here….diets high in processed, fast and packaged foods not to mention GMO foods which are linked to the influx of allergies we are seeing today and therefore inflammation (one of the strongest risk factors associated with high cholesterol!!!) Toxins….the studies you posted are fairly irrelevant given the fact that the intake of arachidonic acid is only associated with increased inflammation in people who already have high levels of inflammation in the body (it then exacerbates the inflammatory response by acting as an inflammatory mediator). Interesting that these studies don’t talk about the actual role of arachidonic acid in the body (brain health, muscle growth and liver health). Also interesting that no one seems to pay attention to the role of cholesterol in the body or the fact that our bodies make approximately 70% of the cholesterol present (for hormone synthesis, cell membrane structure, bile production, etc.) I have all the respect in the world for the scientific process and base my work as a nutritionist on fact based evidence. That being said, we need to question results, critically analyze them and not take them for truth automatically or just because some doctor buys into them or they get on the news. Come on people! Use your heads. Show me a person who eats high quality eggs daily and has a relatively healthy lifestyle otherwise (eats whole foods, exercises, low stress, is not obese, etc) and compare that to a smoker who eats the SAD…..guess who will have more health concerns! There is no diet right for everyone. Someone who has heart disease and high blood pressure, or other modern ailments perhaps needs to limit the amount of saturated fats and cholesterol containing foods, but not someone who is in good health.Julia don’t be curious, read the Harvard Nurses study for yourself. “I’m really curious what variables the Harvard Nurse’s study measured for high blood pressure, inflammatory diseases, liver health, adipose tissue, the amount of processed foods consumed???”Oatmeal with nuts, cocoa powder and peppermintIngredients: 3 1/2 cups of strong peppermint tea 2 cups of whole oats (soaked in the peppermint tea overnight) 2 cups of almond milk (unsweetened) 1 medium banana (as sweetener) or 1-2 dates 1/2 cup of cocoa powder (no alkali processed) 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 1/4 cup of nuts 1 tablespoon of flax mealPreparation:(1) Place oats in a bowl (2) Blend almond milk, cocoa powder, banana and cinnamon. (3)) Combine oats and almond milk mixture. (4) Garnish with nuts and sprinkle a tablespoon of flax meal.First link in “sources” is brokenWorking fine for me–anyone else having any problem with it?The link works for me just fine...this “study” is idiotic farce…presenting this in all seriousness makes comic Michael Gregor to moron with MD title and thus his blog/s will be same garbage as well..I am leaving this “health” page for good.. (comparing cholesterol which even human body produces to cigarettes …this is too much for any reasonable human) ..go eat your cigarettes you cretin..Not nice. What are you so angry about. It is fine to disagree, but not to be mean. Attack the ideas not the person.I have a question – how do Predators in nature, live “long” and healthy lifes? isnt meat a bad thing?I suspect that wild animals, who are predators, do not have sedentary lifestyles. They are very lean because they are always stalking prey; either walking or running when not resting/sleeping.daz scan for parkinsonI really don’t know and don’t work there anymore.	cancer,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,eggs,exercise,fiber,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,longevity,lung cancer,mortality,nuts,oatmeal,smoking,tobacco,women's health	A competing risks analysis of the Harvard Nurse's Health Study compares the danger of smoking cigarettes to the danger of animal product consumption (cholesterol) and the benefits of plant foods (fiber) to the benefits of exercise.	Similar comparisons have been made between the risk of smoking and eating processed meat (Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat) and cell phone use and processed meat--see Do Cell Phones Cause Cancer? and Hot Dogs & Leukemia. Though healthy eating may help mediate the devastating effects of smoking (see Smoking Versus Kale Juice, Preventing COPD With Diet, and Treating COPD With Diet.), if you do smoke, please stop. As a physician, I've just seen too many good people die horrible deaths from cigarettes. Here at NutritionFacts.org there are 38 other videos on nuts, 32 videos on exercise, 25 videos on fiber, 5 videos on oatmeal, and hundreds of videos on a thousand other topics.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/13/cholesterol-lowering-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/16/treadmill-desks-stand-up-for-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/18/go-nuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/06/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22882905,
PLAIN-2928	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/	Plant-Based Diets and Cellular Stress Defenses	The traditional model of how fruits and vegetables protect against cancer is that their antioxidants prevent the buildup of free radicals (also known as reactive oxygen species) which would otherwise go on to damage our cellular DNA, membranes, etc, which can lead to the transformation of healthy cells into damaged, diseased, or dying cells. But in that landmark 2003 kiwifruit study, we learned that there’s a second pathway as well. Phytonutrients actually modulate gene expression and can increase our cellular defenses such that even if there is some damage to our DNA our cells may recover instead of being irreparably lost. The kiwi study look at one of those defenses, one DNA repair enzyme, but there are many. Many ways our cells repair our DNA—we don’t mess around when it comes to protecting our genes. So question number 1, what affect does kiwifruit consumption have on all these other defences, and question number 2, what if we branch out and test multiple fruits and vegetables at the same time?  You’ll remember that there did not seem to be a dose response with the kiwis. As far as this DNA repair enzyme was concerned, you were either eating kiwis or not, it didn’t really matter how many. But man cannot live on kiwis alone. What if you did a mix of fruits and veggies? Could you break through that ceiling? Now studies are expensive, particularly if the kiwi people withhold funding because you have the audacity to test other fruit. So they wanted to make this study count. So when they designed their plant portfolio they went all out. Check it out. Green tea. Rosehip juice, Berries, berries, berries, berries, berries, berries, berries, berries, pomegranate, dark blue grapes, brussel sproinds, broccoli, red cabbage, kale, blue potatoes, dark chocolate walnuts rosemary oregano. This study, is making me hungry. I don’t know if anyone noticed but this is that same amazing research group that blessed the world with that study of thousands of different foods. So they knew what they were doing. OK long story short: “Plant-based diets can prevent development of several chronic age-related diseases,” blah blah blah we know that. This is what they did: three groups, the antioxidants-to-the-teeth group, compared to a 3 kiwi a day group, compared to control. Tool blood from everyone, and for then for the first time ever reported did this microarray analysis where you can measure the effects of a plant-based diet on expression of hundreds of different genes at a time. The first to investigate the influences of healthy diets on gene expression in whole blood. The kiwi group was able to significant regulate not just one gene as I showed in the 2003 study but a total of 5. Meanwhile the very berry group significantly regulated 5 times more, 25 genes. Conclusion: The observed changes in the blood cell gene expression profiles suggest that the beneficial effects of a plant-based diet on human health may be mediated through optimization of defence processes.	This is the final video of a three-part series about the latest discoveries on kiwi fruit. See also yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Kiwifruit and DNA Repair and Kiwifruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The results of this follow-up study support the previous work on the importance of dietary diversity that I profiled in Apples and Oranges and Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation. The study of thousands of foods I mention is referring to Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods, and Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. Note this study is measuring so-called “epigenetic” changes, meaning differential gene expression. Just because we have a certain set of genes doesn’t mean you can’t turn them on and off with changes in your diet. See Mitochondrial Theory of Aging and Convergence of Evidence and the other thousand plus nutrition and health topics I address.No wonder I feel so good ;-}I’m Berry happy about this!   (See Breakfast Pic Below)Since you like to exploit plants so much–If you can’t beat ‘em ‘Berry’ ‘em. ;-}haha your the second person i see that puts oats in their smoothies :PLove oats. Wonder why I get heart palpitations when I eat them? I’ve had to eliminate them from my diet. :(Mike, I am loving your videos!  Small request…could you please provide the pubmed ID of the article you talk about in the notes section? – Shalin Shah MDnevermind..I see the sources cited links…you are one step ahead of me..Great work.  I’m just never disappointed.  This series on the value of variety is terrific.  It gives added strength to what we’ve been preaching. I want to know what happened with the chocolate! ;-) Never mind.  I just looked at the study (thanks Dr. Greger).  From the video above, I had thought (mistakenly) that all those foods were tested individually.  After briefly looking at the study (and please remember I am an extreme lay person), I think that they really just had three groups: 1) control, 2) kiwi only 3) people who ate a bunch of high-antioxidant foods, including all the ones shown in the video/including chocolate. Assuming I understood what I was looking at in the papter, I think my bit of funny isn’t that relevant…“berries, berries, berries, berries…” haha! glad I had my dark berry concoction this morning consisting of org blueberries, org cranberries and org strawberries (and 2 TBSP ground org. flaxseed)…thanks for yet another amAZing video, Doc!I would like to see the same study-design as above – and the the same study-design as with the kiwifruits – done with meat, fish and dairy – to see if there is any protective effect – my guess is absolutely none…….Comon’ SJ:  Meat–it’s what’s for Dinner, and ‘Milk, does a body good!”, and “I want to jump rope with the cheese on that pizza.”That’s what the TV tells me so it must be true.Of course – how silly of me………..;-)But if people start eating more fruits and veg in place of meat/diary/eggs, then it follows that more farmland will be devoted to growing fruits and veg instead of meat/dairy/eggs.  Gee, then the FruitVeg Board would become so powerful they would take over the TV and tell us we should eat more fruits and veg…We’re playing with forces we understand completely. “…Oh carrots are devine, they come a dozen for a dime, its magic.” – B. Bunny“Messiahs pointed to the door, but no one had the guts to leave the temple” – The WhoI agree.  But my guess is that there will still be a large effect; turning on cancer promoter genes, downregulating DNA repair activity and all together making a mess of things.Good point.WOW – everything i love to eat! (my only problem for years though, due most certainly to eating so well, my energy level is so high that it prevents me from getting the rest i need for my broken back!) also, would be interesting to know about which foods to avoid that may aggravate for example,  osteophytosis? – i’ve read that the nightshade family is not recommended if you have arthritis – is this so?  There is no solid evidence or research showing that you should stay away from nightshade vegetables with osteophytosis.What is known…* Omega–6 fatty acids have been linked to increased joint inflammation and obesity. These fats are found in corn, sunflower, safflower, soybean and cottonseed oils and are prevalent in many snack foods, fried foods, margarine’s and other spreads.* Saturated fats can also increase the inflammatory response, thereby contributing to joint and tissue inflammation. The majority of saturated fats come from animal sources including meat and dairy products, though certain plant foods such as palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil also primarily contain saturated fats. Many baked goods and fried foods can contain high levels of saturated fats as well. Eliminating animal foods, especially dairy is important.* A small number of people with arthritis might be sensitive to certain foods that can trigger symptoms or cause them to worsen. Such foods include wheat, dairy, corn, eggs, nuts, chocolate and coffee.* Conversely, many plant–based foods — especially fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants and phytochemicals which may be effective in reducing joint inflammation. These foods are also rich in fiber; diets that are rich in fiber have been shown to reduce inflammation.Interesting. There is some evidence that these issues can be reversed on a raw vegan diet with a lot of juicing. I do best maintaining the fiber. No oil. So far, so good!More support for the importance of variety!Should we be concerned about oxalates in raw kale? Is a kale shake every day too much raw kale?As you can see here, kale is a very low oxalate food.http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=9444Including oxalates in your diet is of no concern unless you have a kidney issue.There are hundreds of Nrf2-ARE inducing compounds, from food plants, medicinal plants, as well as synthetic compounds. The most potent inducers of the endogenous antioxidant response found in foods appear to be purpurogallin derivatives, carnosic acid, 3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione, quercetin, curcumin, sulforaphane, fisetin, kahweol, and genistein.Some foods offering high amounts of endogenous antioxidant response inducing phytochemicals include:broccoli (sulforaphane, indole-3-carbinol, α-lipoic acid) kale (allyl isothiocyanate, indole-3-carbinol, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, zeaxanthin) red cabbage (cyanidin, sulforaphane, 3h-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (D3T), allyl isothiocyanate, indole-3-carbinol) red onions (quercetin, dipropenyl sulfide, myricetin) garlic (diallyl trisulfide, diallyl disulfide, s-allylcysteine) tomatoes (lycopene, trans-2-hexenal) soybeans (genistein) coffee (kahweol, cafestol, caffeic acid, catechol, ferrulic acid) green tea (epigallocatechin-3-gallate, epicatechin-3-gallate, epicatechin red wine (malvidin, gallic acid, gentisic acid, resveratrol, pterostilbene) strawberries (fisetin, morin, catechin) blueberries (malvidin, peonidin, pterostilbene) dark chocolate (catechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin) rosemary & sage (carnosic acid & carnosol) tumeric (curcumin) oregano (naringenin, eriodictyol, galangin, luteolin, p-coumaric acid, apigenin) capers (quercetin, kaempferol, rutin) black pepper (piperine) chili peppers (capsaicin)It should be a familiar list to regulars.This is why I LOVE my Exfuze!!!! Been telling folks for years how powerful phytonutrients are! http://www.exfuzelife.comThis is why I like my fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains.	antioxidants,berries,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,cabbage,cancer,chocolate,Concord grapes,cruciferous vegetables,dark chocolate,DNA damage,epigenetic changes,fruit,grapes,green tea,herbs,kale,kiwi fruit,nuts,oregano,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,pomegranates,potatoes,purple potatoes,rose hips,rosemary,spices,tea,vegetables,walnuts	Measuring the effects of a plant-based diet on the expression of hundreds of different genes at a time, a research group found that an antioxidant rich portfolio of plant foods such as berries, pomegranates, purple grapes, red cabbage, oregano, and walnuts was able to significantly modify the regulation of genes in the blood of volunteers.	This is the final video of a three-part series about the latest discoveries on kiwi fruit. See also yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Kiwifruit and DNA Repair and Kiwifruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The results of this follow-up study support the previous work on the importance of dietary diversity that I profiled in Apples and Oranges and Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation. The study of thousands of foods I mention is referring to Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods, and Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. Note this study is measuring so-called "epigenetic" changes, meaning differential gene expression. Just because we have a certain set of genes doesn't mean you can't turn them on and off with changes in your diet. See Mitochondrial Theory of Aging and Convergence of Evidence and the other thousand plus nutrition and health topics I address.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dark-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epigenetic-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/concord-grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rosemary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rose-hips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oregano/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brussels-sprouts/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	-
PLAIN-2929	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-and-dna-repair/	Kiwifruit and DNA Repair	In 2003 a landmark study was published in the journal Carcinogenesis. Now we've known "plant –based diets rich in fruit and vegetables can preveent development of several chronic age-related diseases, including cancer, but why? "”consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased risk of cancer, but why? The “mechanism behind this protective effect is not clear. We know “These foods are rich in antioxidants, which are capable of decreasing oxidative damage to DNA and thus might prevent mutation and cancer,” but what about the second line of defense against oxidative DNA damage, DNA repair. We’re going to get some DNA damage in our world no matter how healthy our diets, so its critical to find ways to upregulate our DNA repair enzymes to better assist with stitching our DNA back together.     So, how about we give people some kiwifruits on and off for a few weeks and see what happens. Why kiwifruits? Because it was funded by the “”International Kiwifruit Organization. You got to get funding from somewhere. First, what happened to the level of DNA damage. Each symbol represents the DNA damage measured in one person. So day zero, no kiwifruit, the "WO" means without kiwifruitm and you can see they start out all over the map. Maybe some were smokers, or sat in traffic, who knows. But then here they go on 1 kiwi a day, then they go back to zero, then 2 a day, then zero, then 3 a day. It wasn’t completely consistent on every day for every person, but you can kind of get a sense that the weeks without the kiwifruits DNA damage tended to go up. And indeed that’s what the statistical analysis showed. Significantly less DNA damage on the days they were eating kiwifruits. Note that it didn’t seem to matter how many kiwis they were eating, though. They seemed to get the same benefit whether they were eating 1 or 3. Kiwifruits have antioxidants, so no wonder there was less DNA damage, but once you already have DNA damage can kiwifruit help with the restoration? So this was our first line of defense, the antioxidants in plant foods. Now on to our second defense line of defense, DNA repair. This is measuring DNA repair rates. Level of DNA repair off kiwis, on kiwis, off kiwis, on kiwis, off kiwis, on kiwis,. Now although it appears the 3 kiwis did better, than 1 or 2 statistically all 3 kiwi doses appeared pretty much the same, suggesting there’s some sort of plateau effect. Maybe there’s just some phytonutrient in kiwis that boosts this DNA repair enzyme system and it’s really just a matter of whether we have it in your bloodstream or not, rather than how much of it is there. What would be interesting is if you added a different fruit or vegetable on top of the kiwi, with a whole different portfolio of phytonutrients; would they complement one another or would it just be a plateau across the board. We didn’t find out until recently….  (we’ll look at this study in tomorrow’s video)	This is the second video of a three-part series about the latest discoveries on kiwi fruit. See also yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Kiwifruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Other ways to protect one’s DNA include eating broccoli, avoiding bacon, not overdoing stevia, and eating a plant-based diet in general. See Repairing DNA Damage and Research Into Reversing Aging.  In tomorrow’s video Plant-Based Diets and Cellular Stress Defenses we’ll see if we can break through that kiwi ceiling! In the meanwhile, there are lots (and I mean lots) of other videos to peruse.Dr G is spending just another day at the office exploiting plants and their ability to heal. ;-}Is this effect unique to kiwi fruit? Could the same thing happen with red delicious apples, or kale or any number of other plant-based food? (btw, I’m logged in to your site but the comment system asks for yet another login, not even offering the same credentials as the site)TimX You need to set up a Disqus account or each time you comment you will be asked for your email and username.Do you recommend eating the skin of the kiwi? I do eat the skin of the kiwi. Following a tip in another on-line forum, I use a vegetable scrubber to scrub the hairs off the skin, slice off the two ends and then simply slice the rest of the kiwi to eat. Earlier research has shown that often, the layer just below the skin is rich in nutrients. I don’t bother removing the hairs, but I get organic for fruits I eat the skin of.  The skin is tasty :)heh, kiwi were 3 for $1 the other day…bought 6…who says eating healthy is too expensive??? (^_^)Damnit! Whats with the cliffhanger?Were the kiwis organic or conventional? And do you think it matters which? Any research on the effects of organic vs conventional?  Also, what were their diets like aside from including 1 – 3 kiwis a day?  I remember one video on this site which shows measurements of chemical’s in kid’s urine before, during and after eating organic.  That study doesn’t directly address whether the chemicals interfere with DNA repair, but I thought you might be interested in learning about the video if you didn’t know of it already. There may even be more studies concerning organic vs not on this site.  I just can’t keep it all in my head.Note that I constantly have the same kinds of questions that you do.  You have company in wanting to know the effects of conventional produce on our health.Bet amla works better.That is so interesting that 1 is as good as 3. I rarely eat kiwi, but I will think about adding them (well, 1!). Of course with studies like for example the antioxidant value of all vegetables against cancer, that you so nicely presented, we are spoiled! We get to know all the veg in comparison! So really while a kiwi might be good, is an orange more effective? Are berries more protective? Is 1 apple twice as repair-inducing. I am now used to being spoiled with answers so I need to know it all! LOL! You are spoiling us!! Thank you for all your hard work http://www.nsedreams.com/pwp/splash.jsp?pwpID=ASW9345983&textCacheLocale=en-AU http://www.nsedreams.com/pwp/splash.jsp?pwpID=ASW9345983&textCacheLocale=en-AUDr. Greger. Generally speaking, is DNA repair a good thing for someone who already has cancer? The reason for my question is that i’ve been told that cancer is damaged DNA that the body doesn’t recognize as such.My DNA has been damaged by Fluoroquinolone Toxicity, from what I understands , adducts to my DNA can never be removed, are you familiar with this topic, Doctor?my dna was severely damaged by 400 pills of flora quinolones cipro and levaquin, I am near death..they abduct to our dna. are you familiar with this and any advice.. I eat organic now for 2 years.. am declining..My thoughts sydneyboo1 is nutritional only. Decrease your acidity with baking soda, increase your peptides with probiotic, increase your vitamin K, B12, E and C to a pharmaceutically significant daily does, and eat protein rich food: eggs, beans, etc. Use 1 to 10 dilution of bleach to water to bath your body. And then Kiwi or concentrate,	antioxidants,cancer,DNA damage,fruit,kiwi fruit,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,vegetables	Plant-based diets help prevent cancer not only by blocking DNA damage but by increasing our DNA repair enzymes’ ability to repair any damage that gets by our first line of antioxidant defense.	This is the second video of a three-part series about the latest discoveries on kiwi fruit. See also yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Kiwifruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Other ways to protect one's DNA include eating broccoli, avoiding bacon, not overdoing stevia, and eating a plant-based diet in general. See Repairing DNA Damage and Research Into Reversing Aging.  In tomorrow's video Plant-Based Diets and Cellular Stress Defenses we'll see if we can break through that kiwi ceiling! In the meanwhile, there are lots (and I mean lots) of other videos to peruse.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/	-
PLAIN-2930	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/	Kiwifruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome	An estimated 10-20% of the general population suffers from irritable bowel syndrome, accounting for about 4 million doctors’ visits a year. What can we do for people? How about a kiwifruit intervention. Kiwifruit improves bowel function in patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, thankfully in English too: “the impact of a four week kiwifruit intervention on bowel function in patients diagnosed with irritable bowel with constipation. Two kiwis a day for a month in this study funded by, of course, the world’s largest marketer of kiwis—I’m surprised they didn’t have them eating 5 a day. But they did find such a kiwi intervention “shortens colon transit time, increases defecation frequency, and improves bowel function” Furthermore, “No deleterious effects of kiwifruit consumption on psychological functioning or adverse events were found in these studies.” Uh, I would hope not. What they’re hinting at, though, is tegaserod, the most frequently prescribed drug for irritable bowel, until it was… pulled from the market out of concern it was killing people, increasing risk of heart attack and stroke. So, I’d stick with the kiwis.	I have a few other videos that mention kiwi fruit, including New Cholesterol Fighters and the Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods, but this is the first of a three-video series on the latest discoveries focusing on them. Tomorrow we’ll examine the role this fruit can play in protecting and repairing DNA. The role of fruit, fiber, and antioxidants in general may help explain why people eating plant-based diets have improved laxation. See Bristol Stool Scale, Bulking Up on Antioxidants, Bowels of the Earth, Food Mass Transit, and Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants.  Remember, bowel movements is only one of the 1,000+ topics covered here on NutritionFacts.org!Most people would probably prefer kiwi in stead of a stroke!IBS is benign, but annoying, but treating it with drugs with serious side effects is not a good idea.Of course a lot of diseases needs pills and/or surgery, but the good doctor knows when to prescribe drugs/performe surgery and when not to.Without being a expert in the field, one big contributor is probably SAD (and european!) and shifting to a plant strong diet, would probably improve or even cure the condition.So one prescription (plants!) cures/improves/prevents IBS, cancer, stroke, diabetes, kidneydisease………and the list goes on!Interestingly Italy is the #1 producer and exporter of Kiwi fruit with the Kiwi Nation (New Zealand) #2.  Wikipedia fun read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KiwifruitBut Italy has the highest European rate of IBS according to this study at 11.5%. http://ibscare.org/pdfs/ref_113.pdfMaybe they find it more lucrative to export the fruit rather than eat it.Dr D, When I think of italian food I think (white) pasta, white bread, cheese, deli-meat and lots of oil.Agreed!!  Maybe they should try my lunch.  (Pic Below) Spicy Lentil curry, Purple Mashed Potatoes, Mixed Quinoa Salad!Now I`m hungry !Dr. Gregor, I have a one year old who is really suffering from IBS. This study is really helpful – thank you!Do you know if the study included the patients eating the fuzzy skin on the outside of the kiwi fruit? I’m assuming that it does, just might be harder to get a toddler to eat that…:)  Without any knowledge of this specific case and I am not a pediatrician – one year old with IBS? Are you sure the diagnosis is correct?have you tried blending it? (especially with a high powered blender like vitamix)  i know little ones shouldn’t have too much fibre anyway, i doubt they will miss out by not eating the skin (perhaps check with a nutritionist or pediatrician).  or just conduct your own case study :)I may trial this 2kiwi intervention with my patients. Sometimes it can be 50% placebo effect but hope is what people really need.How is the trial going?  What are your findings?Interesting – but I can’t find where it is detailed – why just kiwi?  – what is in it that other fibrous fruits and veggies don’t have, to single it out? I don’t think you can grow it in your garden in the Northern U.S. But, we can grow a lot of other things that if lots of them eaten every day, we wouldn’t have this epidemic of “IBS”. Instead the Agri-business industry (not in cahoots with the health care industry, that would just be too evil) promotes high-carb, low-fiber, high processed, high sugar or the even more insidious HFCS fried foods, that Americans are conditioned to prefer over real food. Why not do an expose on that next?I didn’t see any mention of wheat intolerance in this article. I had suffered with IBS for most of my life, and was prescribed a purple pill 20 years ago, which masked some of the symptoms but not all. After another 10 years of suffering, I went to an integrated care physician who put me on an elimination diet. Upon re-introduction, I tolerated dairy, soy and most protein, but the minute I ate a piece of bread, my symptoms immediately flared. As long as I stay away from American wheat, I am fine. When I visit relatives in Germany, I can eat the bread, which is good since that is a lot of the German diet! I’m told that the governments are very strict in Europe about food purity and processing. American wheat is evidently altered chemically somehow in processing, even if it is organic and whole grain, and that increases its inflammatory properties. In me, it is like ninja throwing stars sticking into my intestinal walls.I think the take home message is:Just increase your fruit consumption to combat constipation!It was funded by a kiwi producer, so of course they will tout kiwis. Same goes for is this study was funded by Chiquita bananasMy constipation was fixed immensely by adopting a high raw low fat vegan diet. I have colitis, so the flares havent completely gone away, but let me tell ya, it is light years better!Any fruit (and veg) will help with constipation, as long as it is ripe, raw, and isnt one u are allergic to (those with latex allergies would not benefit from eating kiwis! Well, i guess it would solve their poop problems, since ya cant poop when u r 6 feet under…)=)Did anyone notice the newspaper quote refers to Psychological not physiological symptoms. What am I missing?While kiwis appear to be helpful, also keep in mind that lactose intolerance presents many of the same symptoms as IBS.  It wasn’t until we transitioned to a whole foods, plant-based (vegan) diet that we realized my spouse’s years of IBS were, in fact, years of dairy (lactose) intolerance. I believe that many IBS symptoms can be caused by fructose and other sugars and sugar alcohols aka FODMAPs.  Check out Sue  Shepherd’s work in Australia on fructose malabsorption.  Kiwi has more fructose than glucose.  The fructose causes gas, bloating, diarrhea/constipation, and depression.Hi Dr. Greger, my wife and I have adopted a whole food plant based diet for about 6 months now. I am 42 yo and my cholesterol is 125 total, BP 107/73, HR 54 and I weigh 158lbs! Your videos have helped us very much and we really appreciate you and want to say thanks. One issue that I’m still struggling with is constipation. I drink 3 liters of water/day and drink green juice every morning without fruit. I’ve tried the kiwi thing and other “remedies” to no avail. I definitely have some good BM days though:) Can you help me become a “regular guy”? Thanks!What about those with diarrhea and urgent bowel movement prone IBS? I am trying to eat vegan, but find that most healthy vegetables only result in cramps, gas, urgent BM”s and diarrhea for me. Kale, cabbage, uncooked veggies, etc. “do me in” as does too much raw fruit. I have undergone numerous tests for all kinds of digestive conditions and was finally told I have a “short, rapid transit time” and resulting irritable bowel condition. What natural foods might help me??? I am a senior suffering with this for 5 yrs. now. Otherwise healthy. No cause established for this. Spicy foods are also a very big problem.Sorry to hear about your situation. You still don’t have a good diagnosis. I consider IBS a “condition” with many causes. The medical industry will probably not be able to give you one but the tests can help narrow it down and make sure you aren’t missing something that we can treat. An approach which might help you has been described by Dr. John McDougall. I recommend that you go to his website and look up free lectures and view his lecture, The Starch Solution. You could purchase John and Mary McDougall’s book by the same name which also contains alot of recipes that Mary has had success with over the years. I would read two newsletter articles available on Dr. McDougall’s website. Chained to the Bathroom(11/02) and Diet for the Desperate(12/02). Those references should give you some ideas for next steps. There are many likely diagnoses for your condition but what you need to do is find out something that works for you. Good luck.Thank you for this quick response. I will look up Dr. McDougall’s website with lectures. I have been seen by a number of gastroenterologists to include being seen at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Same diagnosis after many, many testing procedures….IBS-D –a functional disorder, etc. Again, thank you for your recommendation.Hi I too have this situation “tied to the Bathroom” it’s been suggested that IBS could be related to my FM and I should treat the bowl inflammation by raising the Lyrica level that i’m taken . I now take 25MG and that I should step up top to 50MG which would address the IBS . Any thoughts On this issue?If I were you, I would try to eat prunes. I heard that you can add them to water and they will become juicer if you hate the taste of them. I would also try to eat foods that are high in antioxidants. Here is a link to Dr. Greger’s webpage on the cure to constipation, bulking up on antioxidants video, and prune vs. metamucil vs. vegan diet video:http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/Sorry, this response was for Vegan613 above. If I were you, I would try to eat things to bulk up the stool like bananas and rice. I would also try to add probiotics. Here is the link to Dr. Greger’s video preventing and treating diarrhea with probiotics:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-and-treating-diarrhea-with-probiotics/I am a cancer researcher, so it is fair to say, I care about my nutrition. I wanted to add my voice to yours by saying NUTRITION, and LIFE STYLES determines not only how long one lives, but more importantly how well ! I eat 2-3 pounds of raw fruits and veges every day. Every other day, baked salmon, and once a month or so a serving of lean beef. I am 73 years old, exercise one hour per day, have 2-4 BMs every day ! I do not get sick, and yes I take vitamin supplements, especially vitamin-C, 25,000 MGs per day. My dad, whose example I follow, lived until 97. When I pass my 100 birthday, I plan to do a film, on how living to 100 can be fun, safe and healthy. Oh, of course I do not smoke, nor drink hard liquor, nor have ever used narcotics. Thanks for your videos, which I enjoy almost every day, before going to my lab. Allen Cohen Ala-Septic Pharmaceutical Research, LLC	bowel movements,colon disease,colon health,constipation,fruit,irritable bowel syndrome,kiwi fruit,medications,side effects	A kiwi fruit intervention was found to improve bowel function in those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. This was accomplished without side-effects such as heart attacks and stroke associated with the primary drug prescribed to treat the condition, tegaserod.	I have a few other videos that mention kiwi fruit, including New Cholesterol Fighters and the Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods, but this is the first of a three-video series on the latest discoveries focusing on them. Tomorrow we'll examine the role this fruit can play in protecting and repairing DNA. The role of fruit, fiber, and antioxidants in general may help explain why people eating plant-based diets have improved laxation. See Bristol Stool Scale, Bulking Up on Antioxidants, Bowels of the Earth, Food Mass Transit, and Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants.  Remember, bowel movements is only one of the 1,000+ topics covered here on NutritionFacts.org!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21147704,
PLAIN-2931	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/	Treating Kidney Failure Through Diet	One of the important functions of our kidneys is to filter out excess phosphorus from our bloodstream, and so when our kidney function declines, phosphorus can build up in our bodies and cause something called metastatic calcification, where your heart valves and muscles and other parts of your body can buildup calcium deposits and eventually result in skin necrosis, gangrene amputations, all sorts of bad stuff. So, if a person has diminished kidney function their doctor will likely put them on a low phosphate diet, which is tough, because basically everything with protein has phosphorus. So both plant foods and animal foods have phosphorus. But when omnivores have been compared to those eating vegan, “Vegans had significantly less protein leaking out into their urine," a sign of intact kidney function. So while they concluded that “These results can confirm the usefulness of vegetarianism here and support the use of a vegan diet for the patients with kidney failure.” maybe it was just because the omnivores were getting “a higher protein load,” and we know that lower protein diets appear to delay the progression of kidney failure. So did the plant based diet help because they were eating less protein or because the body somehow is able to handle plant protein better than animal protein? To do that you’d have to split people into two groups, half on a vegetarian diet, half not, with the critical caveat to make sure both groups eat the exact same amount of protein and the exact same amount of phosophorus. And that’s what researchers did. Published recently in the journal of the American Society of Nephrology, they took vegetarians and put them on a meat diet, and then took meat-eaters and put them on a vegetarian diet. Even though keeping phosphorus and protein intake were kept the same in both diet groups, here’s the level of phosophorus stuck in the bloodstream of those on the meat diet, compared to those on the veg diet. So something about plant foods enables our bodies to better handle their phosphorus content. Same amount of phosphorus, but plant phosphorus appears easier to cleanse away.  Positive results have been seen with even semi-vegetarian diets, but the reason the new study “observed more dramatic differences after only 1 week, was perhaps because of the pure vegetarian diets used in our study. Taken together, vegetarian-based diets may be beneficial for the control of phosphorus balance in patients with chronic kidney disease.	This is the second video of a two-part series about the latest discoveries on kidney function and food. See also Preventing Kidney Failure Through Diet. This is another reason why Plant Protein is Preferable and food is, after all, a package deal. In addition, plant based diets can help prevent and treat diabetes, prevent and treat COPD, prevent and treat arthritis, prevent and treat cancer, prevent and treat heart disease, and prevent and treat obesity. Why don’t more providers in the medical community embrace plant-based diets? See my video The Tomato Effect and the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.This is really interesting – same amount of phosphor and protein, but two different sources – animal vs plants, and the patients do better on the plant based protein and phosphor. The winner is…….plants!How many times have we seen this in our office. Pt comes in with BUN 25, Cr 1.1, 2 weeks on a strict plant based diet and viola! BUN 7, Cr 0.7.Works everytime!   It almost looks like magic, until, of course, we understand the physiology. Wow. I am Just wondering are you using plant based diets in a medical practice or hospital setting? It is so hard to go against guidelines or do anything outside the box.Wicked, I’m Private Practice and you’re correct traditional medicine doesn’t like it because you have to take a bit more time with the patients (which means less money) and they have never been taught nutrition and it’s benefits and don’t want to take the time to educate themselves, but the patients love it! And isn’t that what all docs wanted to do when they went into medicine (Altruistic statement and I’m sure not important to some physicians) help people get better? And do no harm!Hospitals should use it too and patients would get much better faster, but Hospitals are afraid of teaching people to get better because, think about it, they only make money when you are sick! Not when you are well or dead.It’s a tough call at first, but once one starts learning about the overwhelming evidence in medicine supporting a plant based diet first, and then medicines second for treatment of chronic disease it becomes a no-brainer!I am a physician and have the benefit of seeing my patients get better daily in my practice using a plant based diet.  Few have this luxury but when they start seeing benefits they eventually start making better choices (usually).  I even have one practice partner that has seen so many of my patients get better on a plant based diet that he has now become Vegan!  He wasn’t always that way and at first made fun of me and my teachings.  Proof was in the plants!Break the chain, learn as much as you can about plant based lifestyles and start to teach it in your practice.  Then sit back and watch the transformations in your patients.Give them (your patients) the http://www.PCRM.org Vegetarian Starter Pack. Have them visit http://www.NutritionFacts.org everyday and learn about the research–anybody can spend 2-3 minutes a day watching something about Nutrition from Dr. Greger.Have them watch Forks over Knives Documentary (The history of the book The China Study). Give them John McDougalls, MD’s website http://www.DrMcdougall.com.  Educate, educate, educate.Plants work 100% of the time.  Some faster than others but it is truly amazing.Plant-based diets ARE powerful for improving renal function! But what kind of recommendations do you give to pts who come in with labs indicating impaired renal function AND  hyperkalemia (or a hx of hyperkalemia)? KLV, That would have to be evaluated on a patient by patient basis because many things can cause hyperkalemia. But here is a link to the most famous of Kidney Disease reversal Doctors and that is Walter Kempner, MD who coined the term Rice Diet–this is what put Duke University on the map for great Universities. http://www.ricediet.com/page/view/rice_diet_founder_dr._walter_kempnerIf it is a more severe case they could go to True North.  This is where Dr. T. Colin Campbell went when he was toxified with Dioxin and was able to rid himself of this carcinogen and restore his health. http://www.healthpromoting.com/But for most changing to a vegan diet suffices for Kidney disease stage 2 or 3.I recently started going to a local acupuncturist. She is a wonderful youngish woman, well versed in chinese medicine and is always trying to get me to tell her how much protein I get. I have told her that I am raw vegan and rely on veg sources and try to shoot for abt 35 g a day. She is noticeably upset when I tell her that. I am so surprised that she is snacking on meat and cheese at her desk when she prescribes herbs for so many body issues. I saw her as an alternative medical provider until she had this conversation with me a couple times. I do feel good after a treatment, but am not so sure that it is for me in the long run. I need to be among like minded people, especially care givers.Another exciting research article/concept to reinforce why presently and anthropologically our bodies are physiologically better able to function from plant vs animal sustenance. Public opinion and medical knowledge/support of this topic and many similar research results would be much more accepted…………….. if it were not for the immensely large and powerful meat and dairy industry.The problem is that the knowledge has been around for many years, but still people die prematurely simply from eating the wrong food. Mikkel Hindhede M.D. (danish doctor) conducted experiments with food in 1896-1904 (SIC!) showing that you only need 25-50% of the protein recommended. 100 years ago !He conducted experiments with people living 9-18 months on only potatoes and a little fat. They thrived, maintained healthy, worked without problems and no problems with physical activity (running).He wrote: Even if you eat a simple diet of bread, potatoes, kale etc you will get enough protein. 100 years ago !He wrote: The quality of protein from bread equals protein from meat. 100 years ago ! SJ M.D.:  wow!  That is just so fascinating.  I really appreciate you taking the time to post this information.  I’ve seen some of your other posts and also liked those. Just wanted to let you know that your posts are definitely appreciated. Thanks!Thea – thanks. I think “the plant strong/vegan message” is important to save us from many diseases and ultimately to save the planet.Dr. J, You may already know this but the grand master of reversing Kidney disease is Walter Kempner, M.D. and his rice diet.  It is what brought Duke university critical acclaim. Below are two links to read his story and to read his work. http://ricedietstore.com/wakeandridic.html http://www.ricediet.com/page/view/rice_diet_founder_dr._walter_kempnerPlants, plants, plants, plants!  I wish I could patent plants!  Then I would truly be rollin’ in the Green ;-}Dr D, Thanks for the links.BTW: This time you didnt answer my reply! ;-)Video: Treating G. W. with green tea, reply 23I know you are speaking in jest,but not everything that is good for us needs to be  tainted with monetary covetousness. While I love the idea of plants and plant based eating and all the good that it does the human body and the planet, I think patenting plants is a bad idea (think Mansanto/GMOs and the like).  Just my “unjesty” thoughts.  Interesting. I don’t know how it fits in but to dissolve kidney stones I was given a protocol that includes not only apple juice and other herbs but liquid phosphorus as well.Thanks so much for sharing this! My mom began dialysis in April. My husband and I are vegan, so it has been a challenge cooking for her. I’ve been pushing the meat because that’s what the dialysis nutritionist told me had to be done. I will be giving this info to her!I have a friend in kidney failure. She says that she can’t do my diet (I’m a McDougaller) because she has exceptionally high potassium levels.  Is she right? Many fruits, veggies, legumes and dairy products are high in potassium, which makes a potassium restricted diet difficult for anyone, herbivores and omnivores alike!  I would ask your friend to check with her nephrologist (kidney doctor) on how much potassium he or she can have per day (in milligrams), and if it were me, I would get a second opinion.  Also, if your friend is on kidney dialysis, often times adjustments can be made in the dialysis regimen to allow for a bit higher daily allowance of potassium.   If your friend still has some remaining kidney function, he or she has to weigh the taxing effects of animal proteins on the remaining kidney function versus far more benign plant proteins.  Though there is no question that severely potassium-restricted diets are challenging for anyone, a vegan lifestyle can still be followed, and the health benefits of this lifestyle are no less important for those with kidney disease.  Lastly, have your friend work with a registered dietitian to get help with planning the diet.Your friend might find this book helpful: http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Diet-Kidney-Disease-Plant-based/dp/1591202663/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424103942&sr=1-1&keywords=vegetarian+kidney+diet The National Kidney Foundation has a list (https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/potassium) of high and low potassium foods to help your friend determine which foods are suitable for her condition. It may be possible for her to follow a modified version of the diet just using the lower potassium fruits, vegetables and grains. There is also a method for lowering the potassium content of foods by soaking them in water and draining them and boiling them again. The instructions are provided here: http://blogs.davita.com/kidney-diet-tips/?p=1210 She might also be interested in what Dr. McDougall has to say on kidney failure: https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/jul/kidney.htmAfter teaching a class on nutriton at my church my Pastor went vegan for 6 months in an attempt to reverse his polycystic kidney disease.  After the six months he had lost weight and his cholesterol went down by 50 points but his blood test showed that his kidney’s had actually gotten worse.  Is there any research on polycystic kidney disease and diet?Dr. Mcdougall disscusses this form of kidney disease here. http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/jul/kidney.htmIf you do not know who Dr. McDougall is, he is a very well known plant based doctor who like Dr. Greger is leading the way in plant based nutrition.Thank you so much for your help.  I will print it out and give it to him.   Of course I know of Dr. McDougall.  He is my hero.   I don’t know why I didn’t look there.  I guess I was just seeing if there was any new research on the subject.  Thank you again for your help! Another wonderful offering! How much suffering and how many amputations have I seen in my many years of hospital nursing…and now we have real eye opening help! Thanks again, more power to you and all the heroes that are practicing this medicine! The daily videos are my daily inspiration and I share them with everyone I can!Hi Dr. Greger. My husband is a nephrologist. We eat a mostly plant strong diet. For years, he has encouraged his patients to lose weight, thinking that lower BMI is a very big determiner in health and progression of diseases. The mainstream medical community recommends white bread, eggs and beef as good choices for people with kidney disease. They are supposed to avoid whole grains, beans and most veggies……I am interested in putting together a resource guide for his patients and am wondering if there is more info about being plant strong while on dialysis. The general info and recommended recipes on the internet are appalling.Thoughts? Suggestions?Thanks! :)Hi, I have a question for all of you out there – where do you find CKD vegan/vegetarian recipes? My husband was recently diagnosed with CKD, and I am struggling to find CKD recipes that are good for our whole family. The ‘traditional’ CKD diet looks like a bunch of crap to me, and we don’t eat meat. There is a lot of talk about the value of vegetarian diets to someone with CKD, and yet there really aren’t many recipes. Please help.I have recently been Dx with CKD stage 3. My doctor told me this is normal. (!) And so I have been left on my own to figure out what kind of diet is good for kidneys. I pulled a grocery list suggestion off a kidney disease website and i am apalled at what is “OK” to eat. They actually have Corn Puffs, Sugar Smacks, and other unhealthy options; sodas, white bread. So, it’s difficult for me as a vegetarian to weed through nutritional information that is geared towards a meat eating population. I use soy meat and soy milk and don’t know if I’ll be able to give those 2 things up. Thank you for a common sense website.Very interesting discussion. As a former kidney disease sufferer, I know how frustrating it can be to find answers. Just wanted to share a link that helped me out a lot when I was struggling to get better:http://journalofnaturalhealth.com/kidney/kidneyhealth.htmlBest of luck to everyone!thanks for the video, do you have a video showing excalty what you should eat, how much? little and often? Should you avoid all protein still? I am confuse!!:(debbie: I understand how easy it is to get confused. Let me try to help.re: “do you have a video showing excalty what you should eat, how much? little and often? ” Here are Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/ Note how Dr. Greger just isn’t that concerned with pinning down an exact amount of this or that. But if you would like some more guidance, I think the PCRM Power Plate is *very* helpful. Just try, on average throughout the day, to eat foods that come in volume to be about these percentages: http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/pplate/power-plate And then throw in an ounce of nuts and seeds a day for good measure. Including a couple tablespoons of ground flaxseed a days, as recommended by Dr. Greger, is a great idea too.re: “Should you avoid all protein still?” No. You do not want to avoid all protein. That’s not even possible without an extreme diet. The idea is to avoid animal protein (no meat, dairy or eggs). Plants have all the protein that you need. Here’s some resources that will really help educate you on the topic protein: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlAnd Dr. McDougall’s article from December 2003. http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ You might also check out the January 2004 newsletter article, Protein Overload.I hope that helps! I have some other ideas for you on how to eat healthy if you want some more resources. Just let me know.Hi Thea, thank you so much for taking the time to typ such a lovely response, it really means alot :DSadly I do still have questions… I have lead a vegan lifestyle for over 20 years and in the past 5 I have been more on the juicing/raw side of vegan, as, I believe I had kidney trouble over 5 years ago and my Doctor didn’t diagnose it properly. Long, long story, so I willkeep it brief. To heal myself I went over to the fruit/80/10/10/30bad lifestyle, this made me incredible ill and 3 to 4 stone over weight. Since the beginning of this year I have slowly cut down on the fruit, replaced it with a green juice and start to lose the weight and feel better. I have massive reactions when I eat rice, grains, beans, pasta, and bread. I can look heavily pregnant so to help I am not eating these foods. I am now down to eating a ‘Cliff’ bar or naked? bars for breakfast, fresh juices throughout the day and greens and veg at night, with very low oil/fat. I do exercise 4/5 a week always have done. I am trying to keep this short but it is an ongoing thing and my doctor wont see me any earlier than Jan 2015 after I had an endoscopy back in march 2014 and I have to wait till 2015 just to speak with him about it. I am also waiting on a scan (cat?). I feel upset a lot of the time for the past 3 years I have stayed away from junk vegan foods and on occasions ate some tofu or fake meat,, however this leaves me feeling sick to so now I am not eating them, oh and I am not able to eat potatoes to. I do still try and eat them, but become very bloated after and full asleep. I am finding I am a sleep for about 9/10, if I don’t get my sleep I am not able to cope. My family do not understand, I am not able to see my Dr till 2015, I am living of juices, naked bars and some veggies in the evening. I do drink water as soon as I wake and quit tea and coffee 5 years ago, so no caffeine, plus I stopped eating vegan chocolate 3 years ago. How can I help myself further Thea? I am alive, but not living and feel like time is passing (Im 41) and I will not have lived midlife as fully as I wish.debbie: Well dang, that really does suck. My first advice for a situation like that would be to work with a doctor, but you are obviously trying to do that. And not getting much help so far. So, other than finding another doctor, which I know can be very hard, it’s not much of a suggestion. (*Can* you look around for a nutrition knowledgeable MD?)That aside, It seems to me that your biggest problem is being “reactive” (I don’t know what that means) to beans and intact grains (Non-intact/processed grains like bread and white rice aren’t all that healthful anyway – so no biggie if they bother you. But unprocessed whole rice, quinoa, hulled barley, oats etc – those are important). So, basically you are having problems with 2 out of the 4 main food groups. And it can very hard to get all the nutrition and calories and satisfaction you need from focusing on just non-starchy vegetables and fruit. I fully understand and sympathize when you say that this problem is affecting your quality of life. I agree that it would be something worth fixing if at all possible.Please note that I’m not a doctor. So, whatever ideas I have may be completely the wrong thing for you. But it doesn’t hurt to discuss ideas that you could try, right? Not if you have tried everything else and your doctors do not help. So, here are some lay person’s ideas.Suppose your gut has become sensitized (negatively) to certain foods like pastas and breads and rice, etc. Suppose after all that raw eating, you have lost important gut bacteria that you need to process real food and the problem just cascaded? And/or suppose that some of that sensitivity started out because what you are really “alergic”? to is pesticides or some mold or other additive in the processing. So, try this?: Get some *organic* hulled/hulless (not pearl) barley and wash/rinse it very well before cooking it. Then *with* a regular meal where you are eating some solid food, also eat a *very* small amount of the barley. I mean like literally a half teaspoon or even a quarter teaspoon. And amount that you know your own mind will consider trivial so that you don’t have to worry so much about mental effects along with the physical. My point is: for a very clean grain, see if there is a tiny amount that you can tolerate. And then slowly work to building up your tolerance.If your gut bacteria is the problem, you might do some research on what you can to do build up good gut bacteria. This site has some good videos and articles on the topic. But also I was recently pointed to an article where the scientist felt that leeks (I *think* it was leeks) was super-healthful in promoting good gut bacteria. Since leeks are a veggie and you are OK with veggies, you might focus on special veggies like those (see if you can find that article) to build up your gut along with the desensitizing process I listed above.Another thought is that quinoa is technically a seed, though it cooks/works so well as a grain. Even if your gut is not so good with real grains, your body may be OK with seeds. So, you might try a small amount of quinoa if you haven’t tried that yet. It would be very satisfying to include quinoa in your diet. And it is nutritious. And yummy! So, see if you can build a tolerance to the quinoa.Also, consider trying millet.Another thought: I looked at the ingredient list of Clif bars. It includes rolled oats. So, you are probably OK with oats (yeah!) and that is a grain. You can start to play with other types of oats, including steel cut, which is one of my favorites! Oats could be used in a lot of various foods and meals, not just breakfast.Another interesting thing I noticed about Clif bars is that they contain rice flour and isolated soy protein. So, you may not be as reactive to rice and soy as you think. It may be a matter of finding proportions and types as I was hinting at above. Maybe a hunk of tofu right off the bat won’t work for you, but what about eating a tablespoon of (thawed) frozen edamame? That’s yummy and a bean that you can work into your diet for great results emotionally (satisfying) as well as nutritionally.Also, while nuts and seeds can be a problem for some people trying to loose weight, those foods in limited amounts seem to *help* other people loose weight. So you might want to play around with deliberately having those foods in your diet – including the 2 T ground flaxseed (maybe thrown into your green smoothies). And if that works for you, nuts are very nutritious and have a huge number of applications – to make your life more fun.Those are my ideas. I sure do hope something helps. Please report back and let us know how it goes for you.I have stage 3 ckd. This sounds Like what I have been going through after eating a lot of fruit. Strach (.ostly rice)would always make better. Not this time though. I now get swollen gland in neck if I dont eat my greens and if I dont eat e ough fat. I now try to eat small Amounts of protein throughout day with my starch (.ostly potato)and greens. Plus snacked on nuts a d little fruit. I actually went though a period of felling like I had no life left in me serverly depressed no energy. I am trying add small amounts of rice a d peas back now az a side dish and little corn. I do eat a little animal protein. Try to keep it mi imal.Also doctors have been no help also.Forgot to add kefir seems to help too. They make coconut ones.	animal protein,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,meat,metastatic calcification,phosphorus,plant protein,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians	Not only do plant-based diets appear to prevent kidney function decline, they may also be used to treat kidney failure. Even at the same protein loads, the body is able to better handle phosphorus excretion from plant-based diets, reducing the risk of metastatic calcification.	This is the second video of a two-part series about the latest discoveries on kidney function and food. See also Preventing Kidney Failure Through Diet. This is another reason why Plant Protein is Preferable and food is, after all, a package deal. In addition, plant based diets can help prevent and treat diabetes, prevent and treat COPD, prevent and treat arthritis, prevent and treat cancer, prevent and treat heart disease, and prevent and treat obesity. Why don't more providers in the medical community embrace plant-based diets? See my video The Tomato Effect and the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastatic-calcification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phosphorus/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/thousands-of-vegans-studied/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-arthritis-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17365939,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17369719,
PLAIN-2932	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-kidney-failure-through-diet/	Preventing Kidney Failure Through Diet	Our kidneys are highly vascular organs. That’s why they look so red inside. Afterall, our two little kidneys have to filter through our entire blood supply and as such receives about 20% of our cardiac output every time our heart contracts. And so if the standard American diet is so toxic to the blood vessels in our heart, brain, and pelvis, leading to heart attacks, strokes, and sexual duysfunctionwhat might it be doing to our kidneys?  Researchers at Harvard recently put that question to the test. Thousands of women and their diets and their kidney function were followed for a decade. What they’re looking for is the presence of protein in the urine, known as microalbuminuria. There’s not supposed to be any protein in our urine. The whole point of our kidneys is to keep the good stuff in your blood and get rid of the bad. It’s supposed to hold onto protein and if it doesn’t, that’s a sign our kidneys are starting to fail.  There were three significant risk factors for declining kidney function in these women, none of which come as a surprise given that we’re talking about clogged and inflamed blood vessels: “Specifically, diets higher in animal protein, animal fat, and cholesterol may be associated with microalbuminura—failing kidneys.” No such association was found for plant protein or plant fat. And microalbunuria is kind of a canary in a coal mine telling you something is definitely wrong with your blood vessels. “Microalbuminuria and modest decrements in kidney function are powerfully associated with subsequent overt kidney disease, cardiovascular risk, and all-cause mortality, meaning a shortened life-span. “In summary, diets lower in animal protein, animal fat, and cholesterol may be protective" against this kidney damage.	The references to the other organs affected by atherosclerosis can be explored in Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction, Cholesterol and Lower Back Pain, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Ticking Time Balloons, and Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet. I have another 20 videos on Harvard studies, 19 that cover kidney health, and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. On Monday I’ll address Treating Kidney Failure Through Diet.Are you Kidneying me?When I was in high school, I remeber being in the gym bathroom and seeing that many of the guys left behind foamy urine.  I always wanted to be like them–muscular, strong, foaming pee.  No matter what I did or ate I couldn’t get foamy urine.  I was actually embarrased that I couldn’t leave bubbling urine in the urinal.  I thought I was unmanly! I now realize that proteinuria was probably the cause and usually not a healthy sign.Crazy what we imagine as being healthy when we are young.Wow interesting info. I was wondering why my urine no longer foams up since the vegan switch. Thanks.So on further “research” and some of my own testing. :) Frothy or foaming urine is not a good indicator of proteinuria.  It’s really more about how the urine stream hits the water and bubbles it up.Sorry I haven’t replied sooner but I just got back from Farms to Forks Immerision at Pie Ranch in Pescadero, CA.  It was fantastic!Anyway, you are correct that “foaming pee” is not a good indicator of proteinuria, but I am not talking a few bubbles here (yes I can make foamy urine by urinating at a specific angle in a toilet).   ;-O    But I’m talking about foam like you would see on the ocean sand (See Below).  ;-} Well OK maybe not that much but see the next pic showing a foamy urinalysis (Below).The individuals I were describing had foamy pee (albuminuria/proteinuria) that would stay for a long while.Here is some scientific evidence showing increased proteinuria with high Protein diets: http://www.ajcn.org/content/90/6/1509.long#T3 “Adherence to the diet was also assessed by measuring urea nitrogen (BUN on your labs) excretion in the 24-h urine sample, which was significantly higher in the HP (High Protein) diet phase than in the NP (Normoprotein) diet phase. . . ” (Table 3). http://www.ajcn.org/content/90/6/1509/T3.expansion.html Here is a statement and link to Proteinuria from the National Institutes of Health: “What are the signs and symptoms of proteinuria? . . . Large amounts of protein in the urine may cause it to look foamy in the toilet. . .”  http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/proteinuria/Maybe those kids pee’d at a certain angle or maybe they had significant proteinuria, all I know is . . .Plants Protect and Animals Annihilate the human body.Go Plant Strong!!!!!!!Very interesting (again). Another reason to go plant-strong. You dont want kidney-failure, no steak is worth that.Is there a problem with this video or is it just me?  When it gets to about 3/4 of the way through, the video goes black and looses the control buttons.  I’ve tried to watch it twice and get the same result.No problem here Thanks for letting me know.  I tried a third time and still have a problem. I’ve been able to watch all the other videos, so hopefully this will be a one-video problem for me. Thanks again for the reply.I’m so sorry you’re having trouble Thea!Which browser and version of it are you using?  Is your browser version up to date? You can upgrade any browser version here.Have you tried clearing your browser cache and cookies?Have you tried using the browser with all extensions or add-ons disabled?Do you have third party cookies enabled?Do you have JavaScript enabled?Have you upgraded Flash recently or are you using the latest version?Do you have another browser you can try? Dr. Greger:  Thanks so much for taking an interest.  I did some more testing last week and had problems with all sorts of videos on this site.  So, it was definitely a problem with my computer.Happily, when I checked, this morning, all of a sudden, everything was working fine.  So, I will put this down to a temporary problem with my system. Sorry to bother everyone with it.Excellent!  How we can in all good sense keep mistreating our bodies with toxic animla protein is beyond me.  Education is the key.  Thank you Dr. Gregor for providing short, compelling videos that will in 2 minutes  or so change the paradigms of the honest- hearted seeker of nutritional wisdom.Dr.G,I do read (a bit) about the “goodness” of the occasional egg,and did indeed make an vegetable fritatta this very morning! Any words of wisdom/chastisement for this nomeat eater?  Dr.JDr. J I do not speak for Dr. G but read below Groovy Vegans post and mine above  to Editor D.A little bit of research will show you the “badness” of the occasional egg.   Maybe you should get Dr. Gregers new DVD.  The very first thing he talks about is the detriments of Eggs.  They are equivilant to smoking!!!I can think of no good reason to eat an egg. From a health stand point Dr. Greger has done 43 videos that mention eggs. See the video on eating a single egg… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/. Beyond cholesterol there are chemicals both natural such as arachidonic acid see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/ and  unnatural such as PCB’s see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/. Additionally there are infective agents of which the most well known is salmonella see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/ or the less well known retroviruses see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/. Going beyond health you might find of interest the impassioned speech on the other reasons not to eat animal products see Phillip Wollen’s 10 minute video, Animals Should be Off the Menu, as part of an ethics debate recently in Australia… see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQCe4qEexjc. Finally of course there are plenty of options to eggs. It’s not like the eggs have “quality” protein after all the essential amino acid profile of eggs is almost identical to broccoli or asparagus… Dr. John McDougall’s excellent three articles on protein in his newsletters dated 12/2003, 4/2007 and 1/2004. After viewing these sources I like to imagine your “practical wisdom” level will be somewhat higher. For a great video on Practical Wisdom see a video by the the author of a book by that name, Professor Barry Schwartz on our loss of wisdom on TED.com.According to the website of ‘The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’, which is self-described as the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals:“eggs provide our bodies with protein, iron and lutein”Furthemore, the Academy recommend using egg whites abundantly in place of egg yolks to keep total daily cholesterol under 300mg. Eggs have been consistently shown as harmful on this website. The amount of lutein found in a spoonful of spinach is equivalent to 12 eggs, and all the nutrients found in eggs can easily be found in plants. Don Forrester does a good job if linking up the videos.Toxins, I appreciate your comment. Let me explain where I am coming from: I am both dedicated vegan and a PhD scientist (in the field of biophysics)…I am already convinced of the benefits of a plant-based-diet and do not eat eggs.The problem I have is that the science of nutrition is a vast subject, so vast that anyone can select articles from the literature and make virtually any argument that they want. Some of the articles selected may not even be reproducible.  What seems more valuable to me the scientific concensus process- which ideally should be based on the views of a majority of scientists in a field and based on the totality of evidence — this minimizes the likelihood of bias. Now, “The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics” is, according to Wikipedia, the largest organization of food and nutrition professionals in the USA with close to 72,000 members, most of whom are registered dietitians. How much closer to a scientific concensus can you get? So, if eggs are equivalent to smoking, as Hemodynamic suggests, then why is the scientific concensus telling us otherwise? From a rational laypersons perspective, who is more likely to be correct: one MD who selects articles from the literature to create videos for a website promoting veganism (and is capable of changing his opinion from one year to the next) or the largest organization of professional dietitians in the world?I am aware of your strong support of a plant based diet which is why I was a bit confused in your comment. It seems the position of the The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is only looking at the nutritional profile of eggs, ignoring what other harmful side effects eggs may entail. Also, the fact they mention eggs as a good source of lutein tells me that there are probable corporate influences within that community, as lutein is abundant in the plant world in far greater quantities and this piece of information is conveniently left out when eggs are being supported. They are also ignoring other outside evidence showing harmful outcomes with the consumption of eggs which I am I am sure your well aware of. The fact that we have cardiovascular and stroke experts and researchers such as David Spence and Jean Davignon explaining the damage that entails with the consumption of a single egg makes me wander if The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics are even aware of these harms.In regards to egg whites, although true they are a good source of protein, this is possibly the only positive statement that can be made of it. Here is some evidence of a major component of egg whites, Methionine, possibly causing human harm.1. Egg whites are high in the amino Acid Methionine. Rice has 14 times less of this amino acid and beans 7 time less. When one consumes Methionine in a large quantity (like that found in egg whites), it is broken down into sulfuric compounds. these sulfuric compounds are buffered by the calcium of the bones. the result, over time, is osteoporosis and kidney stones. http://www.vivalis.si/literatura/6a00.pdf 2. Cancer cell metabolism is dependent upon methionine being present in the diet; whereas normal cells can grow on a methionine-free diet feeding off other sulfur-containing amino acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14585259 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/124162543. Insulin like growth factor is raised significantly by Methionine. raised levels of IGF-1 = accelerated aging/tumor promotion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12176673 http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/18/1472.abstract4. Sulfur from Methionine is known to be toxic to the tissues of the intestine, and to have harmful effects on the human colon, even at low levels, possibly causing ulcerative colitis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9448181 http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/82/11/950.abstractIt seems the weight of evidence for even moderate use of eggs and egg whites is harmful despite what nutrients may be present. Again, I understand your a plant based advocate as well, I am just trying to get my point across that perhaps The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is solely looking at the nutritional profile of eggs in making their judgement of its use.Toxins: thanks again for providing valuable information. I think you are correct about “corporate influences within that community”.  It seems that the A.N.D. may not be unrepresentative of the scientific concensus on nutrition.By the way, according to the wikipedia page on methionine, sesame seeds, brazil nuts and soy protein are also highly concentrated sources of methionine, albeit lower than egg whites. Indeed, food sources are listed here on the USDA database. http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.htmlSoy protein isolates and egg whites seem to be the biggest source, this soy protein is a soy protein concentrate and reaching harmful amounts in normal soy foods would be more difficult to achieve. Soy protein isolates have been shown to increase IGF-1 significantly as well. BPCveg:  I appreciate your comments since I think it is important that we always employ critical thinking when trying to make sense of the world.However, in this case, your thoughts do not make sense to me.  Here’s where I’m coming from:Remember the video on the Tomato Effect?  It shows how scientific consensus is not always about the science.  I fully believe that the Tomato Effect happens all the time today, because it is human nature.  It is not just a silly occurrence that happened in the past.Furthermore, it seems to me that a Tomato Effect is exactly what would likely be going on concerning the topic of eggs and the people in the Academy you mentioned.  It seems far more logical to me that those people would stick by what they learned in school whether current science continues to support that view or not.More than just sticking by their early education, there is a *strong* cultural bias for those esteemed individuals to not see the science for what it is when it comes to eating animal products.  Dietitians are going to be as strongly influenced by their own desires to continue to eat animal products as anyone else in our society.  It takes time to not just educate so many people, but to change their biases.  (In the mean time, you and I can look at the latest science and act now.)Even more, I doubt that all 72,000 members directly validated their Academy’s statement on eggs.  I would bet that a very small committee of people who fancy themselves experts came up with the statement and then everyone else quotes from it rather than doing the research themselves.  That seems to be the way large organizations like that work.  They outed themselves when they talked about lieutine.  As Toxins pointed out, that one bit right there makes it suspect that they were looking at the science at all.I would suggest that the purpose of this site is to show the science whether or not the body of the scientific community has caught up.Finally, it is not just one study that Dr. Greger picks out of the blue to support a particular view-point.  Skip any one study you want.  The point is that there is study after study after study that supports Dr. Greger’s big picture.  I can’t imagine how anyone could watch all 500 videos and honestly believe that Dr. Greger hasn’t done a very good job of properly representing the “body of evidence”.  As an example, I remember Dr. Greger saying in one of his videos something like, “People often accuse me of picking and choosing studies.  I don’t.  I challenge them to come up with a single study that ___”  I don’t remember the exact challenge, but the answer was, “They can’t because there isn’t a single study out there.”I’m sure there are studies that show that eggs can have some benefits.  The point, though, is to look at the “body of evidence”.  Given politics and people’s desires not to change, I think we get a better overview of the body of evidence from this site than the Academy provides when it comes to animal products.I didn’t explain myself very concisely.  My appologies.  And I want to say that I’m not trying to be argumentative.  It’s just that your comments challenged me.  I felt your comments were particularly good and it was my responsibility to be able to answer such thoughts for myself.  Then I decided to write them out.  Thanks for your comments.Thanks, Thea, for your excellent response to my question. Your perspective does seem very reasonable to me and, of course, I agree with you that the general message of Dr.Greger’s website is on the right track.Despite my strong support for a whole foods plant based diet, I have had conflicted feelings about rejecting the opinion of the Academy (who recommend eggs, fish and dairy) mainly because of my respect, in general, for scientific concensus. I think the critical scientific community is very good at weeding out extreme and bizarre viewpoints and that this process is very valuable and should be respected by the public. That was my reason for lending some support to the claims of the Academy.However, subsequent research has supported Toxins suggestion that the Academy has been bought out by corporations. For more, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_of_Nutrition_and_Dietetics#ControversyI am now feeling more skeptical as to whether this Academy represents the scientific concensus at all. It is extremely sad that laypeople can not even trust a major nutrition body!I will also keep in mind your point about the tomato effect. Thanks again. BPCveg:  Thanks for reading my post and giving such a nice reply.  Your link is quite interesting.I came up with another idea over the weekend.  I was feeling that my post had a hint of anti-science in it, and I am not like that at all.  Like you, I think the process of scientific consensus building is extremely valuable.Then I remembered a young friend from a couple years ago who was studying to be a registered dietician.  We had several conversations about her education.  While she talked about learning the results of a fair amount of science, her education was all about taking in information – not about how to do experiments, understand them, and participate in the scientific community.  Contrast that experience with my roommate in college who was getting a BS in biology.  She was running scientific experiments and learning about the process from day one.My point is: Based on my very limited understanding of what a registered dietician is, they are professionals, but not necessarily scientists.  There is a difference between a professional and a scientist.  I have no reason to believe that non-scientists would have processes that are similar to something that you would recognize as building “scientific consensus”.That’s it.  It just made me feel better to think that the Academy may not be up on the science since they are not (at least to my knowledge) actually scientists.  Which is not to say that they don’t try to keep up.  I just think that their assimilation of the latest experiments would be different compared to someone who is in fact a scientist. I don’t know how legit this idea is.  I just thought I would throw it out there. If any dieticians are reading this, please don’t take this the wrong way.  I’m a professional too.  I just recognize a difference between my profession and being a scientist. BPCveg:  I forgot to add:  I really do appreciate your comments. Your conflicted feelings make perfect sense to me.  The conflicting information pushed by “expert” organizations and the media is something that the general public is dealing with every day.  The available information is both conflicting and confusing.  People are often left feeling that the science does not actually point anywhere since it seems like anyone can make the science appear to say whatever they want.  I come across (and work to fight) this belief constantly. I’m not saying you have this belief.  I’m just saying, if you, as an educated person and a plant-advocate, are struggling with trying to find out what the science tells us about nutrition, it is perfectly understandable and no wonder that other people are thoroughly lost.  It is important that we, (plant advocates/professionals/vegans?), be able to answer these types of questions.  And thus, we owe thanks to those people who keep us on our toes by doing the asking.Hi Thea,I think you made a really interesting argument about how people in the medical professions may interpret new scientific data differently from those who are actually conducting scientific experiments. Of course, I am sure you would also agree that both of these groups can bring something valuable to the table. Like you, I try to be as open to as many points of view as possible.Although I agree with the general message of nutritionfacts.org and think that this website makes a valuable contribution to educating the public, I have some doubts as to whether this site offers a completely balanced perspective. It seems to me that Dr. Greger does look at things through a vegan lense.I would like to be able to compare Dr. Greger’s views with those of other experts in nutrition. That way I can learn Dr. Greger’s views in comparison with the mainstream scientific view.Anytime you are evaluating nutrition information, it is important to keep in mind the source of that information.  What are the credentials of the author or speaker?  Do they have a hidden agenda for promoting a certain food?  For example, the egg board would like the American public to believe that eggs are a healthy part of anyone’s diet.  I disagree.  When I am looking for the consistency of scrambled eggs, I use extra firm tofu with a pinch of turmeric, onion powder and salt.  Saute in a little olive oil and add onions, peppers and mushrooms if you desire.  Throw in some veggie sausage and you have a very satisfying, high protein and cholesterol free breakfast!  Thanks for your question!I also find that tofu, ***when cooked just right***, has the consistency of scrambled eggs.  That’s consistency, but what about taste?  As you describe your recipe, the taste can be very good.  But here is a tip making tofu taste a little more like eggs: black salt.I read this idea recently in a vegan cookbook.  The author said that the black salt does something to really help the tofu have an eggy taste. I had to order the black salf off the internet recently, so I can’t yet attest to this assertion myself.  After reading your nice post, though, I wanted to share the tip before I forgot.My father had a kidney transplant last year, and it’s high time people put thought and effort into preventing kidney disease, rather than waiting until their doctor tells them their kidneys are failing.  I sent a link to this video to some doctors I know to share with their patients.I have a friend who’s father had sudden onset of kidney failure with no obvious symptoms leading up to it. Went on dialysis and died withing a few months. Another silent killer. For me, better to be safe than sorry.I would have liked the data to be longer.  I was diagnosed with end stage renal failure in October 2011. I was asked to sign a consent form for immediate dialysis. That evening I spoke to a Nephrologist who asked if I would like to try reversing it by diet before undergoing dialysis.  I agreed.  Problem: Neither Nutritionist nor M.D. has been able to furnish me with a diet I can easily follow at home. There’s a doctor in North Vancouver, Canada by the name of Dr. John Matsen, who treats liver and kidney dysfunction. He’s got an interesting book called: Eating Alive II: Curing the Incurable (with recipes), and a website – http://www.eatingalive.com/– Randy How “easy” does it have to be, when the alternative is DIALYSIS??? Read Forks Over Knives and search the internet for discussion groups and recipes to find out how to stock a kitchen, buy a food processor and high-powered blender, substitute ingredients in standard recipes, etc. Great post. I’m doing it. I am 74 and don’t have a kitchen. I do have a fridge. Hopefully it will change soon, but haven’t had a kitchen for almost a year now. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.Mary, Below are the diets that work well for reversing kidney dysfunctionHere is a link to PCRM’s Vegetarian (Vegan) Starter kit: http://www.pcrm.org/search/?cid=12Also John McDougall, MD has a wonderful new Book The Starch Solution with info and recipes: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=the+starch+solution&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=7685792888&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=19807851741904704708&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_8jpw8e0qzj_eAnd here is a link to his website: http://www.DrMcDougall.comAnd a Recipe packet as well: http://www.drmcdougall.com/pdf/McDougall_Diet_English.pdfI hope this helps.Enjoy reading all the commentsThanks! ;-}Regarding eggs – are the comments about the toxicity of eggs applicable to organic / free range eggs? The issue with eggs have to do with cholesterol and arachadonic acid which are inherent components of eggs whether they be conventional or not. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=eggsSO will eliminating all animal protein from diet reverse such MA?I’ve been diagnosed as follows:Papilary renal cell carcinoma.The carcinoma is metastatic (Stage IV).Wondering if you have any subscribers know of anyone who have beaten this type / stage of metastatic cancer using diet?Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated. I need to make a decision very soon regarding traditional (western) treatment or a better way.Thank you very much,Jeff J.The nice thing about dietary interventions is that they can be undertaken in addition to whatever you and your physician agree upon is the right course of action in your case.Unfortunately I’m not aware of any studies on the role of diet in surviving renal cell carcinoma. I do have videos on diet for bladder cancer survival, early stage prostate cancer (in relation to flax seeds, saturated fat, plant-based diets), breast cancer survival (in relation to soy, flax seeds here, here and here, saturated fat, trans fat) and reversing the progression to esophageal and oral cancer, but none that cover dealing with kidney cancer because it just hasn’t been looked at.However, because Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing in many cases, I would recommend you consider eating the kind of diet that has been associated with kidney cancer prevention. For example, in the current issue of one of my favorite journals, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this question was put to the test in what may be the largest prospective study ever, the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, which followed nearly half a million people for about a decade. Noting that “Plant-based and fiber-rich diets high in vegetables, fruit, and whole grains are recommended to prevent cancer and chronic conditions associated with renal cell carcinoma, the study found fiber intake was associated with a significant 15-20% lower risk of renal cell carcinoma and that the most powerfully protective foods included legumes (beans, chickpeas and lentils), whole grains, and cruciferous vegetables. Refined grain intake, however, was associated with increased risk. Last year the same group of researchers found that cooked meat carcinogens may double the risk of papillary renal cell carcinoma. The only other new study I know of found that nitrite from processed meats and other animal sources (but not plant sources) was associated with an increased risk as well.Finally, given that most of the new treatments developed for renal cell carcinoma (Axitiniband, Bevacizumab, Everolimus, Pazopanib, Sorafenib, Sunitinib, Temsirolimus) attempt to block the formation of new blood vessels to the tumor, that would be all the more reason to pack your diet with foods containing anti-angiogenic phytonutrients such asapigen, luteolin, and fisitin such as strawberries, citrus, celery, peppers, and other fruits and vegetables. I have a video coming out soon on this whole concept called Cutting Off Tumor Supply Lines. Stay tuned!Hello Dr. Greger. What can you tell me about treating Nephrotic Syndrome? My son is 4 and was diagnosed with this a few months before his 3rd birthday. He’s had two relapses since, and has taken prednisone for it each time. Any information you have on it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!I went on a plant based diet 8 months ago and guess what… ? I’m currently in hospital with worryingly impaired kidney function! I’m 34. The moral to the story is to not precede 8 months of plant based eating with chronic over indulgence in animal protein and a propensity to consume protein and creatine supplements! I’m going to do my best to heal myself with diet because I was feeling great before this latest episode.My wife has just lost a kidney to cancer and has been a long time on prevacid now going to take tagamet and eliminate prevacid for indigestion will the tagamet have adverse effects on her kidney??? So, the presence of protein in the urine is a sign of kidney problems … so that is being spun as causing it, and that is being spun into don’t eat a lot of protein, and that is being spun into … be vegan? That is a long and tenuous chain, and I’d just like to understand the full claims. Diabetes is sugar in the urine, right? Does that mean that sugar causes diabetes, or that one should never eat sugar? I think everyone who has ever lived to any age has eaten sugar and protein, so why the hyperbolic reasoning, why not a more nuanced approach to finding exactly where, when and why medical problems start?	animal fat,animal products,animal protein,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney function,kidney health,lifespan,longevity,meat,microalbuminuria,mortality,plant protein,plant-based diets,sexual dysfunction,standard American diet,stroke	Given how vascular our kidneys are, it should comes as no surprise that animal protein, animal fat, and cholesterol are associated with declining kidney function (microalbuminurea—loss of protein in the urine), which can be an early warning sign for not only kidney failure, but also heart disease and a shortened lifespan.	The references to the other organs affected by atherosclerosis can be explored in Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction, Cholesterol and Lower Back Pain, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Ticking Time Balloons, and Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet. I have another 20 videos on Harvard studies, 19 that cover kidney health, and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. On Monday I'll address Treating Kidney Failure Through Diet.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microalbuminuria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/	-
PLAIN-2933	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-genital-warts-with-green-tea/	Treating Genital Warts With Green Tea	There’s a new treatment for genital warts. It has a fancy brand name for marketing purposes, but it’s basically just green tea in ointment form. It was tried on a thousand men and women and complete clearance of all external genital warts was obtained in more than half the patients with a 10 or 15% green tea phytonutrient ointment. Such astounding results it's been officially incorporated into the latest STD treatment guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control. I bring this up primarily to show you the potential power of plants—like the tea plant—even when just smeared on our skin! As a physician, though, I care less about the strains of HPV that cause warts and more about the HPV that causes, death. We know green tea consumption is associated with lower risk of other gynecological cancers—ovarian, endometrial, but what about the HPV-related cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers?  Well, a recent in vitro study looking at two different lines of cervical cancer cells found that green tea phytonutrients appear to open cans of cancer, whoopass, but in terms of diet, what's important is that the phytonutrients in green tea appear protective both applied topically to cervical lesions, and orally, suggesting that high consumption of green tea could either reduce the incidence of cervical cancer or delay the progression of pre-cancerous lesions to cervical cancer.	This is the final video of a four-part series about the latest discoveries on tea. See Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea, Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating?, and Treating Gorlin Syndrome With Green Tea for parts 1-3. This reminds me of the experiment that involved rubbing what is perhaps the Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck, broccoli sprouts, on the skin. For more on cervical cancer, see Poultry and Penis Cancer, Amla Versus Cancer Cell Growth, and Cancer Fighting Berries. For more on wart viruses, see Wart Cancer Viruses in Food and Pets & Human Lymphoma. That will probably close out my tea review until next year’s batch of articles—I can’t wait to see what’s next! Until then, there hundreds of other videos to keep you busy on more than a thousand subjects.I can only imagine the look on my patients faces when they ask, “Doc what can I do about my Genital warts?” and I reach into my pocket and pull out a teabag. . . of Green tea of course.Dr.please Look at and Read the info on my web-site and see how it CAN benefit your practice, thanks, Scott http://www.KangenWater4BetterHealth.com   Scott, I can’t speak for Dr. Greger but I will let him speak for me.  Please see the informative video link below: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/Every medical professional should be required to watch Michael Greger, M.D.’s new DVD “Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death.”Informative, Intelligent and Highly entertaining it should be required viewing before entering any establishment that sells food.The information contained on this DVD (If used) Can and will Save Your Life!Support the man who supports Mankind!        (All procedes to charity)Yes – the DVD is absolutely great and presented with great humor. Lots of important information in one hour.A new addition to my morning smoothy! Green tea leaves.Thanks so much for this! I have to drink decaf green tea because I have lone afib which by the way is much less frequent when my diet is more filled with fresh veges! I am vegan and have been for years now, enjoying your videos and inspirations! Is decaf as effective as regular green tea? I hope!Your decaffeinated green tea may have less antioxidant polyphenol catechins than regular green tea.Researchers at UCLA measured the antioxidant capacity and polyphenol content of 18 teas.They found that decaffeinated tea had around half the antioxidant capacity of regular green tea.However, this loss of antioxidant capacity apparently is related to the decaffeination process. The company Triple Leaf Tea advertises that their decaffeination process retains more of the antioxidant power:Advertisement:Now you can enjoy the benefits of green tea without the caffeine! Drink Triple Leaf Decaf Green Tea as often as you like anytime of day. Experts recommend drinking three of more cups of green tea a day. Our Decaf Green Tea is naturally decaffeinated using a carbon dioxide process that maintains green tea’s beneficial antioxidants.* Dr. Greger, Please teke a few minutes to LOOK at and READ the information on my web-site, and SEE how it can benefit YOUR practice. Please contact me , if you have any questions . contact info  is on web-site…..Thank you, Scott Plants rules !Dr. Greger, forgive me, I failed to include my web-site…. http://www.KangenWater4BetterHealth.com Scott HarerDr. Greger actually covers alkalized water here http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/alkaline-water-a-scam/What about HPV positive throat cancers? Any chance green tea might be a good thing to start drinking to prevent/help cure one of those? I have just had a friend with that diagnosis.Why wait!  Start drinking the Green stuff now and worry about the research as an afterthought because it can’t hurt.  And there is too much evidence showing that is stops cancer in its cradle.Go GREEEN!!!!!No doubt that green tea has health benefits, but there are single rapports of hepatotoxic (liver) side effects, if consuming large amounts for a long period of time.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21241631Maybe it was just because they’re Danish!!  You know how those Danish people are.  ;-)Just kidding SJ.  Very interesting for sure but any confounding variables?  I will have to check that out.  I would love to see the original study! Thanks!!!!You are a true poet!Just a case rapport, so the science is “not strong”. There are ref. to other articles though – not read them yet.Hey SJ how did you know (or guess) I grew up in San Diego?  You never answered my reply before and I am curious if we may know some of the same people in Denmark.Dr D, Lucky punch! You know my name, I dont know yours. Once in a while I search the internet to look for “Plant Strong” or vegan doctors. Even tried to find you! Googling “HemoDynamic” does not help :-) In Denmark they are hard to find! As I recall it, I saw the name of some “vegan doctors” in California, and I wondered if one of them were you. I am going to a congress in San Diego later this year, so I just figured if you work in S.D. I would have visited you!My name is Jim Bennie, I grew up in San Diego and it was beautiful back then but it is too crowded, too expensive and has too much gang activity to raise a family.  I live in Northern Cal now about 900 miles away from SD.  It would be great to meet up with you someday for sure.  There are so few Vegan Docs that we need to stick together like pressed garlic!One day we will meet and share a carrot!Connect via Linkedin? I have send an invitation.Stephen,  I am connected via linked in but it wouldn’t let me connect with you.  I will leave this post up until I get a reply and then I will remove it.  My email is jamesbennie65@hotmail.com I think that is the one that linkin is registered to but I am not sure.I have send an e-mail to hotmail and tried via linkedin again.Is there any concern about taking green tea extract soft gels orally?  I have 100 mg Blue Bonnet soft gels.    Potential liver toxicity can be seen with green tea extracts. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/98743228/Adverse-Effects-of-Concentrated-Green-Tea-ExtractsI use a vinegar/tea solution for my dermatitis. It doesn’t cure it, but it keeps it at bay.Have you tried different concentrations?I’ve had this condition for approximately 28 years, and only started drinking 5 glasses of green tea a day for the past two months. Suffice it to say, they’ve completely disappeared. Thank you so much, Dr. Gregor!!Wow amazing! I take two green tea pills every day. And I also drink green tea, organic coffee and drink echinacea tea. I found out when I was like 17 I got the kind of hpv that causes cervical cancer. I started taking drinking green tea every day and excercising, as well as watching what I eat. In 6 months I clearned the virus. Never underestimate the power of food!Cleared**$900 per tube of the green tea ointment (Veregen) I understand (unconfirmed). Don’t know what size tube. Would the price go down if in a larger metro area OR if more dr’s prescribe it? Unknown if carried on popular insurance companies’ formularies. Anyone know the economics of this?	alternative medicine,cancer,cancer viruses,CDC,cervical cancer,cervix health,complementary medicine,endometrial cancer,endometrial health,genital health,genital warts,green tea,herbal remedies,human papilloma virus,men's health,ovarian cancer,ovary health,phytonutrients,sexual health,sexual transmission,skin health,tea,vaginal cancer,vaginal health,vulva cancer,wart viruses,warts,women's health	Now officially incorporated into the Centers for Disease Control STD Treatment Guidelines, the topical application of phytonutrients from green tea on external genital warts results in an astounding 100% clearance in more than half the patients tested--a testament to the power of plants.	This is the final video of a four-part series about the latest discoveries on tea. See Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea, Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating?, and Treating Gorlin Syndrome With Green Tea for parts 1-3. This reminds me of the experiment that involved rubbing what is perhaps the Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck, broccoli sprouts, on the skin. For more on cervical cancer, see Poultry and Penis Cancer, Amla Versus Cancer Cell Growth, and Cancer Fighting Berries. For more on wart viruses, see Wart Cancer Viruses in Food and Pets & Human Lymphoma. That will probably close out my tea review until next year's batch of articles—I can't wait to see what's next! Until then, there are hundreds of other videos to keep you busy on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vulva-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/genital-warts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/warts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-transmission/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervical-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-remedies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/human-papilloma-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wart-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovarian-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervix-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/genital-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pets-human-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22080267,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14512803,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21595018,
PLAIN-2934	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gorlin-syndrome-with-green-tea/	Treating Gorlin Syndrome With Green Tea	Gorlin Syndrome, also known as basal cell nevus syndrome, is a genetic condition affecting about 1 in every 100,000 births, in which you become covered in skin cancers. Tragic disease but acase report was recently published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, describing the “temporary arrest of basal cell carcinoma formation in a patient with the syndrome. The poor woman was getting “”up to about 20 new basal cell carcinomas every six months. Then she started going to a spa and getting green tea body wraps once a month and for the following year, not a single new carcinoma appeared. nstead fo 40n there were zero. But she ended up stopping after a year, and at her next dermatology visit 15 new lesions had already started appearing.  They assume it was the green tea, but the wrap also contained algae, mustard oil, ginger and calendula, so who knows. Now the researchers emphasize this is but a single case report and that it’s not like there’s “enough evidence to start clinical treatment of human patients with non-melanoma skin cancer, because we lack the studies, but why not? Obviously if there were risks you wouldn’t want just start something based on one report, but what’s the downside of giving it a try?	Though the condition is rare, skin cancer is not. In fact, it’s the most common cancer in the United States. This case report builds on research into reversing other cancers (see Cancer Reversal Through Diet?). The woman’s case described here is a testament to the Power of Plants. It’s in line with research on things such as cinnamon (The Safer Cinnamon), saffron (Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s), watermelon (Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction), flaxseeds (Just the Flax, Ma’am) and Indian gooseberries Amla Versus Diabetes. Since there are little or no downsides to plant food remedies–if anything lots of positive side-effects, I rarely hesitate to prescribe such natural products in my own medical practice. This is the third video of a four-part series about the latest discoveries on tea. See Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea and Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating? for the first two. Tomorrow I’ll close out with Treating Genital Warts with Green Tea.“… I rarely hesitate to prescribe such natural products in my own medical practice”  One of your best qualities, Dr. Greger! I’d rather try a natural remedy (having done my research, of course) before conventional meds. I think prevention is ultimately the way to go; but if that has not worked, then a natural remedy is worth a shot since there are — generally — less toxic effects.The downside is that the Pharmaceutical Companies can’t patent Green Tea ;-(I bet they are working hard at finding ways to do so though.I wonder why the green tea was singled out as the possible healing agent. Those other ingredients have healing properties as well. I hope more studying is forthcoming on this! Isn’t skin cancer the most prevalent cancer? I agree. Don’t be so quick to rule out mustard and ginger!Downside? There is little money to be made by the large pharmaceutical giants if green tea has these anti carcinogenic skin properties.True I believe for many diseases, most notably coronary artery disease. We certainly do NOT see the major drug companies nor large scale university hospitals Big Time Promoting a low fat vegan diet, such as proposed by Caldwell Esselstyn or a similar diet by Dean Ornish.True, Ornish’s programs have been accepted and are gaining some momentum in hospitals/heart clinics but compared to angioplasties/coronary bypass surgical procedures with multiple heavy drug cocktails as a comparison…………..small potatoes.Follow the money trail to find the major research, treatments recommended, drugs prescribed and surgeries accomplished. Only a case report of course, but interesting – nature healsI’m saddened that this trial was terminated.  Are you aware of other trials?clinical trials (dot) gov/ct2/show/NCT00005097is this green tea also contains algae ingredients ?	algae,alternative medicine,basal cell carcinoma,basal cell nevus syndrome,calendula,cancer,cancer survival,complementary medicine,ginger,Gorlin syndrome,green tea,herbal remedies,mustard oil,skin cancer,skin health,tea	Gorlin Syndrome, also known as basal cell nevus syndrome, is a rare genetic condition in which one's body becomes covered in skin cancers. An astounding case is reported of a woman suffering from the syndrome whose cancer progression was apparently reversed with topical green tea body wraps.	Though the condition is rare, skin cancer is not. In fact, it's the most common cancer in the United States. This case report builds on research into reversing other cancers (see Cancer Reversal Through Diet?). The woman’s case described here is a testament to the Power of Plants. It’s in line with research on things such as cinnamon (The Safer Cinnamon), saffron (Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s), watermelon (Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction), flaxseeds (Just the Flax, Ma’am), and Indian gooseberries (Amla Versus Diabetes). Since there are little or no downsides to plant food remedies--if anything lots of positive side-effects, I rarely hesitate to prescribe such natural products in my own medical practice. This is the third video of a four-part series about the latest discoveries on tea. See Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea and Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating? for the first two. Tomorrow I'll close out with Treating Genital Warts with Green Tea.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/basal-cell-carcinoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calendula/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-remedies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/basal-cell-nevus-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gorlin-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20500542,
PLAIN-2935	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/	Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating?	For years I've recommended that the healthiest bevereage to drink is tea—even healthier than water, since tea has all the water of water yet as a bonus carries a huge load of nutrition without adding calories. but “There is a belief that caffeinated drinks, such as tea, may adversely affect hydration.” This was based on experiments done with high dose caffeine pills, though, which may not entirely reflect the likely impact of tea, which is a more complex substance.” So researchers compared 4 cups of black tea to 4 cups of water and 6 cups of black tea to six cups of water. Kept volunteers locked up for 24 hours so could measure every drop going in and every drop coming out.  The tests revealed… no significant differences between tea and water for any of the average blood or urine measurements. It was concluded that black tea, in the amounts studied, offered similar hydrating properties to water.” “Thus… tea could be considered a healthy choice of beverage, and health professionals that don't know any better and“incorrectly identify tea as a diuretic could be misleading people and serve to drive consumption towards less healthy beverages.	This is the second video of a four-part series about the latest discoveries on tea. See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea also. The nutrition without calories concept refers, not surprisingly, to my video Nutrition Without Calories. For more on caffeine myths see What About the Caffeine? For the antioxidant comparison of black tea to other teas, see Better Than Green Tea?. The “less healthy beverages” line is likely an allusion to soda, about which I have a dozen videos, including Food Industry “Funding Effect”, Mercury in Corn Syrup?, Diet & Hyperactivity, and Is Sodium Benzoate Harmful?. Then there are 1,363 other topics to explore!I’ll drink to that!  White tea of course!  So long, Oolong!When do you serve?I’ll dot my I’s, but don’t cross my T’s, ’cause. . .Hot or cold, White, Black or Gold Anytime is the right time For ‘T’ea time.Adrenal exhaustion? I thought caffeine consumption causes the adrenal glands to produce epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol which eventually wears them out as well as causing other high-blood pressure related problems.Long-term negative effects on the brain? Dr. Daniel Amen M.D., brain expert and founder of Amen Clinics recommends quitting coffee/tea because of negative long-term effects on the brain.Appreciate your hard work and advice.There are probably more properties to tea, as with any food. Since you like alma & triphala, perhaps you’ve started to believe that people can observe effects merely thru observation. Before the Christian shame of the body, medicine was much different, since people were more observant, and they attributed many things to food, like the effect on the humors. Best would be to read the original ancient texts from Greece, Rome, China, India, Egypt, Persia, Babylon… and then try to confirm their observations thru ‘modern’ studies.Not sure if correct, but here’s something from Chinese Nutrition Therapy.Thermal nature – Green & white: cold, Black: cool to slightly warmingFlavor – Bitter and sweetOrgan network – Stomach, lunch, heart, kidneysPhase – Wood, earth, fire (not clear)Effect – Clears heat, especially in head region; quenches thirst, diuretic, downbears qi, disperses digestive obstruction, refreshes the mind, transforms phlegm and dampness, detoxifies, harmonizes stomach (black tea)IndicationsWind-cold disorders – Aching, itchy eyes: blurred vision, headaches, heat sensation and dizziness in head Summer heat with strong thirst Heat symptoms – Thirst, nervousess, agitation after excessive alcohol consumption Damp-heat disorders – Diarrhea or dysenteryDamp-heat – Fatigue, exhaustion, heavy extremities Heat symptoms – Agitation, nervousness, after excessive alcohol consumptionInternal wind-heat – Sensation of heat in head, dizziness, blurred vision, headaches and aching eyesContraindicationsCold and vacuity of stomach and spleenSleep disturbancesExcess dries out body fluids, especially blood (xue). Exercise caution with blood vacuity.“Best would be to read the original ancient texts from Greece, Rome, China, India, Egypt, Persia, Babylon… and then try to confirm their observations thru ‘modern’ studies.”  Okay, I just did my first study based on your methodology.  I asked both menstruating and non-menstruating women to touch various flowers.  None of them could kill/wilt the flower just by touching it, contrary to what’s described in the annals of your medical “sources.”I had heard this about green and white teas but not black — interesting! I believe, as well, that, just personal observation infidates this, too. I know lots of iced tea drinkers (black teas) that guzzle it during the hot summer months and don’t notice dehydration. I’m not a big black-tea drinker, but was in the past. Good to know that if I do drink it I won’t shrivel up :^)Yay! This is great news. I’m a big fan of black tea, hot or cold, but I always worried that I was sabotaging my need for fluids, especially on hot days.  Tea time, anyone? I’m in! what kind ya got? :^). It’s sizzlin’ today. My recipe for quick-n-simple iced tea:     heat-proof tall glass    1 teabag of your choice (I prefer black tea)     boiling water Put the teabag in the glass, pour in just enough boiling water to cover the teabag. Let it steep 3-5 minutes, remove the teabag and add cold water and LOTS of ice. For a classy touch add a sprig of fresh mint or a wedge of lemon. Enjoy!Actually, because you only add enough hot water to cover the tea bag, you’re not extracting as much from the tea as you would by adding a full cup of hot water.  It has to do with the saturation point of the solute in the solvent.  The solute reaches its saturation point much faster in a solution which includes less solvent (water, in your case).  Try it yourself; see how much salt you can fully dissolve (dissociate) in one tablespoon of water.  Then add a cup of water to it, and try again.  That’s in essence what you’re doing with the tea  antioxidants… never letting them dissolve to their greatest potential. Hi Lew, Thnx for the info! From now on I’ll add a full amount of hot water and let the teabag steep long enough for the antioxidants to dissolve properly.Very interesting! Will drink tea all day instead of just for breakfast. Exciting science. Thanks Dr. Greger.Ok, Black tea is not a diuretic but what about the affects of the caffeine?  Doesn’t a caffeine buzz affect health?  Wouldn’t one be jittery with 6 cups of black tea?  Is this discussed elsewhere?Check out this video detailing caffeine http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/what-about-the-caffeine/I’m very pleased to see my research discussed – thanks for that. The health effects of caffeine were reviewed in another of my papers which found that intakes up to 400mg per day were not associated with negative health effects. That equates to 8 cups of tea or 4 cups of coffee, on average. The reference is Ruxton, CHS (2008).  The impact of caffeine on mood, cognitive function, performance and hydration: a review of benefits and risks. Nutrition Bulletin, 33, 15-25. Its an honor to have one of the authors of this study visiting this website! Very interesting studies indeed!Dr.G,I would guess that coffee would yield about the same results as tea.Any “thots”? P.S. when it says to “read more”,it always takes me to your video(which is always edifying);is there an easy way to get the origianal articles?  Dr.J  Dr. J, under each video is a “Sources Cited” section. Did you try that yet?Dr G,This would also apply to moderate coffee intake also, right?  (Assuming black coffee)  Can’t quite get the missus from coffee to white tea :)I’m delighted to finally see an actual study on whether tea is dehydrating and an going to share this video with my readers. It’s too bad that all caffeinated drinks get lumped together as bad when there is no comparison between drinking green tea and Mountain Dew! Green tea also contains theanine which has relaxing properties that may counter the effects of caffeine. I drink a lot of iced green tea and it never makes me jittery like coffee does. I’d love to know your thoughts on whether this is true? Dr. Greger discusses the opiate like receptors that are triggered with certain foods, such as green tea.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/Never knew this. Thanks.Hi Dr. G. I recently came across a tea called guayusa that is touting some great health benefits (twice the antioxidants of green tea?) but was curious as to your thoughts on the product since it still contains a great deal of caffeine. I searched your site to no avail, no info on guayusa but I would love to hear your thoughts!I was looking to see if you have anything on coffee or caffeine in itself? I’ve seen mixed things in studies…Hi @jessyrichards:disqus, Dr. Greger talks about some of those nuances in his article Coffee Caveats http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/10/coffee-caveats/ And, you might be interested in this video on coffee’s potential to reduce cancer risks: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/ Hope that’s helpful! :)	beverages,black tea,caffeine,dehydration,green tea,medical profession,tea,water	Comparing up to 6 cups of caffeinated black tea a day to water, researchers study the assertion that tea acts as a diuretic and is not as hydrating as plain water.	This is the second video of a four-part series about the latest discoveries on tea. See yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea also. The nutrition without calories concept refers, not surprisingly, to my video Nutrition Without Calories. For more on caffeine myths see What About the Caffeine? For the antioxidant comparison of black tea to other teas, see Better Than Green Tea?. The “less healthy beverages” line is likely an allusion to soda, about which I have a dozen videos, including Food Industry “Funding Effect”, Mercury in Corn Syrup?, Diet & Hyperactivity, and Is Sodium Benzoate Harmful?. Then there are 1,363 other topics to explore!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dehydration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-tea/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-without-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21450118,
PLAIN-2936	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/	Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea	The same leaves of the same plant are used to make white, green, oolong, and black tea— the primary difference is how they are processed, which white being the least processed and black being the most. In one of the videos I made a few years ago I talked about how the tea with the most antioxidant power was green tea… — unless you added lemon, in which case white tea pulls ahead, but what about going a step further and testing their respective abilities to prevent DNA damage.  Previous studies have shown that “The degree of protection against DNA damage by tea appeared to be related to the extent of processing, since green tea was generally more effective than black tea. This suggested the possibility that higher antimutagenic or anticarcinogenic activity might be expected from teas that have undergone the least amount of processing.” So they compared the “antimutagenic activity of white tea in comparison with green tea. Bacteria, just like every other living creature, uses the same DNA that we do. So one common test to see if something is carcinogenic, is to drip it on Salmonella growing in a petri dish and see if it causes DNA mutations, and to test if something protects DNA, you add that along with the carcinogen and see if there are fewer mutations. The carcinogen they picked for this test was a doozy, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenyl-imidazo-4,5-b-pyridine, a heterocyclic amine found mostly in grilled, fried, and broiled chicken, added with green tea or white tea to see what would happen.  Here’s with the green tea. By dripping on green tea you could drop the number of DNA mutations caused by the carcinogen by more than half. But here's the white. Could completely 100% block the DNA damage.  And the longer you brew it the better. This is against another cooked meat carcinogen. You'll often see a recommendation to only brew white tea one or two minutes, but if you go out to five, you can get significantly more DNA protection…	The antioxidant data with that interesting lemon juice result can be found in Green Tea vs. White. Other interesting videos on tea include Dietary Brain Wave Alteration and Cannabis Receptors & Food. The longer-the-better brewing time for white tea didn’t surprise me, but this did: Cold Steeping Green Tea. Another way to maximize the phytonutrient absorption in tea is to eat it; see Is Matcha Good for You? and A Better Breakfast. One can overdo it, though: Overdosing on Tea. Other ways to protect one’s DNA include eating broccoli, avoiding bacon, not overdoing stevia, and eating a plant-based diet (see Repairing DNA Damage and Research Into Reversing Aging).  Isn’t caffeinated tea dehydrating though? That’s the topic of tomorrow’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day. While you’re waiting, there are an additional 1,000+ topics to explore.Dr. G if you keep teaching us how to protect our bodies form all the mutagens we are going to be the youngest looking old people in the world.You are our David Copperfield–but instead of keeping the secret to yourself you have taught us how to be our own Fountain of Youth ;-)How do you think brewing for 5 minutes hot compares to cold brewing overnight in terms of the resulting antimutagenic activity? Check out this video here discussing cold steeping http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/cold-steeping-green-tea/An anti-mutagenicity assay in a petri dish says nothing at all about how white tea may function to protect DNA in a body consuming the tea. This sort of exp’t is at best a means of “observation”, the first step in the scientific method. So, an interesting hypothesis has been generated: white tea contains a substance(s) which can act as an anti-mutagen. But is this ingredient absorbed from the human gut? If so, does the active ingredient get past the intestinal enzyme defenses? Past the liver without being altered? Is it rapidly excreted by the kidneys before it has a chance to do any DNA defending? Is its dilution in the whole body past the point that it has any action? Lots to find out before assuming that it does anything at all. Who knows–perhaps it is metabolized by the liver into a compound that damages DNA. Nature is complex.However interesting. Drip a little milk to see if there is any protection. Nope.I think you have valid points. But to say that it says nothing is a bit of an overstatement itself, isn’t it. I mean there is lots of epi pointing the protective effects of green tea relative to non-tea drinkers. It’s like putting pieces of a jig saw puzzle together with a blue sky and clouds together and then saying whoops my piece doesn’t have any blue in it, it’s just white. The overall evidence is consistent in the same direction. Less processed tea is more protective, longer steeping better than less. It’s a geiger counter not a silver bullet. We know green tea is protective. how best to prepare it, how long to steep it. We have some answers or better phrased “associations” to what you ask. Doesn’t require a leap of faith, just a small step.For another part of the data puzzle that points in the same direction see: International J Food ScienceComparative activity of antioxidants from wheat sprouts, Morinda citrifolia, fermented papaya and white tea2006, Vol. 57, No. 3-4 , Pages 168-177 … a test tube study with extracts……the purported antioxidants are probably from families of reducing glycosides and polyphenols’…. . What level of bioavailability would be developed by these plants is indeed open to question, but it is a likely supposition that they are indeed beneficial – except for papaya which is just really tasty- because they act through the same agents that have been found to be active in clinical studies e.g see: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/71/6/1698s.abstract>Isn’t caffeinated tea dehydrating though?No; if it were, the water-pill folks would go out of business. And believe it or not, I have heard people say, “Water is a diuretic! It makes me pee!” If you haven’t seen it yet regarding caffeine and its supposed diuretic properties.. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/Guess I’m back to liking the white variants of tea, not that I have been overindulging in heterocyclic amines but I’ll bet it’s protective to almost anything that’s mutagenic, Including the Incredible Hulk.  That’s why I believe in the Incredible Bulk–you know what I mean. ;-O Dr Dynamic, I had a professor in gastroenterology, who said that if you take a patient, and let the patient defecate on a white piece of paper from 1 meter above, you can make rather exact diagnosis of their intestine ailment, you dont necessarily need fancy things like colonoscopy, biopsy and so forth.For obvious reasons it was not performed though !Dr. McDougall taught me about a famed surgeon that lived in Africa for about 30 years from Britain (I cannot remember his name), and he learned something very profound: Big poop, Small Hospital; Small Poop, Big Hospital. The inimitable Dr. Burkitt!That’s it!! Thanks!Okay – :-) :-)Stephen Smith M.D.  (Bellevue Hospital, New York) said 100 years ago: The art of growing old is to get a bad stomach, and take care of that bad stomach.Thx ! and back to white tea for me!Drs. Beliveau and Gingras’ work shows a wide variety of polyphenols in green tea from different sources.  Japanese green tea shows a much higher content,  A list can be found at  http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?t=8070 or in their “Foods that Fight Cancer” book.  Since the winner of their tests has 5 times the amount of ECGC than the lowest Chinese teas, it poses the questions of validity of the green vs. white tea relationship unless it was done with a widely grown, controlled group of teas.  FYI the green tea champ can be purchased from a Montreal company.That assumes that ECGC is responsible for most of the mutagenic reduction. Let’s not assume facts not in evidence.Well done!Dr. Greger,Would you please comment about gynostemma tea and its recommended consumption and comparison to the other best teas etc? thanks, cesare civettaYears ago I either read or heard in an online talk, that sencha and jasmine green teas had roughly the same level of anti-cancer benefits. But, when the two were both consumed daily–not necessarily at the same time– the protection level almost doubled. I can’t relocate this citation. Is anyone familiar with it.Also, in various studies that cite the number of cups of green tea consumed, in Japan or in the US, they always refer to cups. What’s a cup? Is it a tiny 2 or 3oz cup or a western 4 or 5 ounce teacup or an 8 to 10 or more ounce cup that is commonly assumed for drinks like coffee? I’m surprised that researchers don’t cite their findings in ounces or some other standard measure?Looks like they took four different white teas and ran them up against one green. The chart used here takes the best performing white against the single green tea. The freshness issue is major for green teas (perhaps whites as well) according to some studies. So is it really a worthwhile comparison? It’s hard-impossible in fact-to get great and fresh longjing in the U.S. Chinese storage of teas is also very often quite bad. Chinese teas can have immense levels of pesticides as well. Perhaps comparing a very fresh Japanese green tea which sometimes can be obtained quite fresh with great storage might be a good idea here.So there are a billion types (or at least it seems like it) of white tea and green tea. Which type do you recommend? Or does it matter as long as it’s white / green?Now we know we should stick with the white tea, but the question is which one is the healthiest? Silver Needle, White Peony, Long Life Eyebrow or Tribute Eyebrow?If I grind White tea and drink it with water, would it be the same as drinking matcha?Thank you Dr. Michael. All teas gives the same Nutrients. Except very insignificant deviation. White tea is a fad started only in USA. And the study is not enough o prove anything according to FDA. Please go to the dedicated Tea site for more info. http://www.socialteav.com Thanks. And go to either “ScientificResearchandOtherTeaPapers” or “Tea4Health.”The ABSOLUTE highest intake of anti-oxidants and carcinogenic protection is to consume Matcha tea (form of green that has specific growing, processing, and ingesting techniques). It has been shown to have over TEN TIMES the positive nutrient and anti-oxidant levels. Find out more: http://www.sproutnourishment.com/product-category/matchagreentea/The activity of white tea against anaerobic bacteria means it can be applied externally to protect our skin. I have used it for wound healing. I found this article in my search for healing agents. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19653897Dear Dr. Michael Greger, first off thanks for your terrific site with all those useful informations. I’d like to know whether there are studies comparing the health effects of brewed conventional green teas to matcha. I enjoy both each and every day and love their taste.	antioxidants,beverages,black tea,carcinogens,chicken,cooking methods,DNA damage,frying,green tea,grilling,heterocyclic amines,lemons,oolong tea,oxidative stress,poultry,Salmonella,tea,white tea	The ability of green versus white tea to protect against in vitro DNA damage caused by a cooked chicken carcinogen (heterocyclic amine).	The antioxidant data with that interesting lemon juice result can be found in Green Tea vs. White. Other interesting videos on tea include Dietary Brain Wave Alteration and Cannabis Receptors & Food. The longer-the-better brewing time for white tea didn't surprise me, but this did: Cold Steeping Green Tea. Another way to maximize the phytonutrient absorption in tea is to eat it; see Is Matcha Good for You? and A Better Breakfast. One can overdo it, though: Overdosing on Tea. Other ways to protect one's DNA include eating broccoli, avoiding bacon, not overdoing stevia, and eating a plant-based diet (see Repairing DNA Damage and Research Into Reversing Aging).  Isn't caffeinated tea dehydrating though? That's the topic of tomorrow's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day. While you're waiting, there are an additional 1,000+ topics to explore.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grilling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oolong-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-tea/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/repairing-dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11448643,
PLAIN-2937	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia	These findings of inflammatory compounds in animal foods and fermented foods "therefore suggest that apparently unspoiled foodstuffs may nevertheless contain at some point in their preparation or processing a sufficient microbial load to release endotoxin receptor stimulants into their growth environment.  This notion is supported by many previous studies showing that certain commonly consumed foodstuffs can contain a high bacterial load before cooking, such as fresh hamburger which has often been shown to contain approximately a hundred million bacteria per quarter pounder.” “Notably, however, the purpose of the present study was not to examine the microbial quality of each foodstuff, since "pathogen associated molecular pattern" biological activity is retained independently of bacterial viability or cooking.”--Meaning the bacteria can be dead, the bacteria can be cooked, but their endotoxins are still there. You can boil meat for two hours straight, dip it in an acid bath… ( like our stomach) and expose it to digestive enzymes. Bacterial endotoxins were found to survive both cooking, and our bodies’ best attempts at acid and enzyme digestion.  This let them to speculate that “the occasional ingestion of meals high in bacterial endotoxins could promote transient, mild, systemic inflammatory episodes that predispose subjects to the development of atherosclerosis and insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes." The animal fat may play a profound role in the pathogenesis of this after-meal inflammation by increasing the absorption of the endotoxins, since endotoxin has a strong affinity for the saturated fat transport system through the gut wall and into the blood strea. So animal fat may play a role in boosting endotoxin absorption, but the primary reason all those studies show increased inflammation from animal foods, but not most plant foods, may be the load of dead bacteria, which rlease endotoxins that are absorbed into our system leading to the endotoxemic inflammation we see after meat, egg, and dairy consumption. So now that we know what's going on, what do we do. (from a 2012 follow-up) Well, the most obvious solution to this metabolic endotoxemia appears to be to reduce saturated fat intake—which in the U.S. is mostly from cheese and chicken—but, the researchers fear, the Western diet is not conducive to this mode of action; it's difficult for patients to comply with this request.	This is the final video of a three-part series exploring the mechanism behind the spike of inflammation that follows within hours of a meal containing animal products. See The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation and The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory for parts one and two. Though this surge of inflammation can result from bacteria dead or alive, live bacteria can cause other problems—see, for example, MRSA in U.S. Retail Meat, Total Recall, Chicken Out of UTIs, and Toxic Megacolon Superbug. Saturated fat also appears to have other deleterious effects such as increasing the risk of heart disease (Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease) and shortening the lives of breast cancer survivors (Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken). For more on the patronizing attitude that people can’t handle dietary truths, check out my 13-part series on the dietary guidelines from last October that began with Dietary Guidelines: Corporate Guidance. That’s just one of many video series. There are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand topics for you to browse.Great video. What is the reference citing TLR2 and TLR4?Kahn642:Looks like you can read the reference article here:http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7948379 TLR’s are Toll-Like Receptors that activate our immune system when foreign microbes enter our body.  Basically they are like a lookout station warning when an enemy invader is entering an area. Reminds me of George Orwells Animal Farm.  Not that it is on the same premise but ‘Animalism’ has it’s way of getting back at humanism. It’s as if they figured out that if they make themselves toxic and when we eat them, their flesh will cause our bodies to slowly attack and destroy ourselves, leading to a slow, painful, expensive demise.  Ingenious!Animalism has led to Carnism which leads to Deathism.Our physiologic knowledge is outstanding compared as to where it once was; eventhough it has a long way to go it is truly fascinating to understand these mechanisms of injury and disease.  Thank you Dr. G!I vote for Plantism leading to Healthism!Lets face it – animal products is not for human consumption. RAW, boiled, fried, nuked – it will kill you!Wonder what the solution is – plants?Aaaaaaarrrrgggghhh – still problems with creating my avatar – cant be because animalproducts is rotting my brain……..Now we cant even cook the crap out of meat – is it time for warning signs on the hamburger and packages of meat as with cigarettes? Warning: May contain feces. May contain lethal bacteria. May contain Mad Cow disease (only a little risk though). Risk of endotoxemia – and some nasty pictures!Does inflammation take place in animal products rather than plant foods because the majority of the pollutants causing real harm are fat soluble and plant foods are closer to the base of the food chain?With my fractured spine, pain screams at me if I eat wheat, but even more if I consume anything with dairy or any meat including fish. Before I was injured I was not noticeably allergic to most foods. But now, it’s a whole new ball game. It is easy to stay clean with vegan when pain and inflammation blows up with the alternative life cycle.There is no reason to avoid gluten unless one has an allergy or has a true sensitivity. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/ Gluten in itself, and whole wheat foods are perfectly healthy and nutritious. In regards to inflammation, it is the result of endotoxins from the bacteria that has colonized the meat, as opposed to the contaminants themselves. Endotoxins cause an inflammatory response in humans.I think what beccadoggie was saying was that there is a reason for avoiding wheat, and thats the terrible pain after eating it.Its interesting that wheat, meat and dairy cause this response.beccadoggie – I hope you get well soon.Interesting that you have an easy way of determine if a food inflames you. What form of wheat inflames you? Even 100% whole wheat pasta?Unable to watch — “This video is private.”I’m having the same issue… “This video is private.”Video has been fixed! Thank you!That was awesome Makes me wonder ,Highest risk factor for atherosclerosis is high cholesterol. ie.saturated fat  which also promotes endotoxin absorption=inflammation promoting heart disease.(and many other aflictions) North American  diet- such a  perfect breeding ground for cancer and heart disease.Dr Stephen HarrisThis makes me wonder if eating 1-2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder a day in my coffee is nutritionally wise? Obviously the flavenols are beneficial and outweigh the endotoxin costs, but if one is getting lots of phytonutrients otherwise might those extras from cocoa be ‘surplus’? Would you recommend reducing cocoa consumption?How do the amounts of endotoxins in organic meats compare to the results you shared?From a health perspective I think organic is as bad as conventional Interesting.I wonder how does this relate to cultured foods with bacteria (e.g. yogurt, kefir, etc.– dairy or otherwise) and probiotics, which have been shown to be so beneficial for a healthy digestive system. Does this microbial load by its very nature cause some sort of inflammation? or is it exempt from the rule?The bacteria in the foods you mention, the gram positive bacteria, do not contain endotoxins.  they do well in aerated media and are “food-grade”.   the baddies are gram negatives that putrify meat, like to grow in anaerobic conditions found inside mince and present endotoxins.  We shouldn’t be too skeptical…think Botulism.This is a facinating line of research…I would say to critics (not you Alexander) that 1.  Nutrition facts is a resource that you might like to support with more facts and … 2.  All studies are flawed, some studies are useful.  These are usefulthese continuing investigations are forming a body of work that portends real hope for a lot of people (and the critters they process for food).  Thanks for this fantastic resource…this is like journal club only Dr. G does the hard part!  I can’t wait for the next installment.What about fish? Do fish contain bacterial endotoxins?What about saturated plant fats, such as those in tropical fats (palm, palm kernel, coconut)? Often the advocates of a plant-based diet (to which I do belong, being a long-term vegan) overlook the widespread presence of these fats – they are present in virtually every processed food. This overlook is, to me, a serious problem in addressing diet-related issues.Hi Massimo. If you really want to eat healthy it is not enough to be vegan (a diet of cola, chips, white bread and beer is vegan). I think you have to avoid processed food entirely – the best advice is therefore whole food, plantbased (and no processed food) diet.Hi Stefan, that is exactly my point. I consume only whole foods, practically nothing processed, and mostly organic. My question was about whether saturated fats from plant (tropical oils) do have a similar effect as those from animals, which I suspect being the case.Massimo,   Check out Dr. G’s Vid on Coconut oil and read all the commentaries that follow.   http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/Hemo, I`m desperate – do we agree that wine is vegan, minimal processed, at least not harmfull in moderate amounts?Well off to the neighbours! (its 5 o`clock in Denmark);-)p.m. !!!Yes, Red wine has lots of phytonutrients.  I have been in Cardiology for twenty years now and have seen multiple studies showing that up to two ounces of hard alcohol, 2 beers, 2 glasses of wine (any kind) is beneficial for our hearts and even reduces all cause mortality (ACM).  The ACM my have confounding variables because people that are that disciplined usually are healthier in general. The old saying in Cardiology is “Alcoholics don’t die of Heart Attacks”. . .they die of cardiomyopathies and liver failure.Enjoy!I was in Denmark in the Summer of 1984.  An absolutely beautiful place in the Summer.The added sulfites in wine can be problematic for some.Ahhh, ask and you shall receive.  See the pic below.This thread will not let me post images when it is too small in width. The Image Icon gets squeezed out. I will post the image at the top GSHDenmark is great, some problems though; I think most danes think that a vegan is something from Star TrekWhen I was there I remember the food:  Breakfast was a soft boiled egg that we used the egg stands and cracked the shell with a spoon and scooped out the cooked white and warm creamy yolk, and Hearty Pumpernickel bread with fresh butter.  Lunch was bread with cheese and tomatoes, beer and wine.  Dinner: lots of potatoes with butter, some veggies and eel for the meat.  To drink, of course beer and wine and usually some Johnny Walker Scotch.  Port for dessert. Clearly I wasn’t vegan back then.  I didn’t even know there were such weirdo’s ;-{}Bottoms up !Now wait…..wasn’t you who told me not to worry about what other people think?Hi GSH, My point was to illustrate peoples lack of knowledge. Still dont care what the think (or say).The saturated fats a family that varies a bit depending on the number of carbon atoms typically either 5,12, 14, 16 or 18. The body handles these similarly although studies suggest some differences. What is clear that they are all calorically dense foods which contribute to obesity. We don’t “need” them… we need to consume omega3 and omega6 unsaturated fatty acids. Also saturated fats often travel with other natural (such as cholesterol and animal protein) see…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/ and unnatural compounds( pcbs, endocrine disrupters, pesticides) see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/ which cause other problems and are associated with food borne illnesses. I would recommend applying the precautionary principle and avoiding. Eating whole foods and avoiding foods with labels avoids many problems. G-R-O-S-S!  So there’s something toxic about it just because it’s dead?  Duh…avatar problemsAvatar is working!!Hemo – do you by any change live in San Diego, CA?I grew up there. Lived there for 25 years, now I’m in northern cal. I love Cali but few places left to enjoy the state pollution free ( well nearly).Not true Hemo. I live in Southern California, blocks from the beach and it is beautiful. Water is actually cleaner now then when I was a kid. Maybe I should get a job on the tourist board! :-) GSH Here’s the pic Sulfite free!  And remember there is purple beer too!ok Hemo you got me. What is that? I love a good glass of wine but sometimes I feel crapy even with a small amount. Pretty sure the sulfites. If I get organic with no added sulfites no problem but as of yet those wines don’t compare in taste. So martinis are nice!!!! OK i got it. No, doesn’t even compare to a nice bottle with dreaded sulfites. Ok, so another set of studies pointing away from  animal consumption. But for those of us who are vegan, and who like myself know to minimize “tropical oils” (Massimo’s comment) what other plant foods are the no-no’s (or maybe-no-no’s or, “in small amounts only”)? Can we have a list? Top 5 to avoid/minimize? Fermented tofu? Others?.I only see “Orange Juice” in the video too quick (without pause) to see what that study was saying.. A top 5 or top 10 to avoid would be great..(Strange, it let me log in as “harelb” using my  existing email/password…now it want me to “post as” (while already logged in…it says “Harelb” in the top right of the web page) with another login within a login? Also I get from firefox on ubuntu, a script hanging and hanging on  this page in general..until a dialog box asks if I want to stop the script..this happens to me for about 2% of web pages on the net, not the vast majority) Let’s try again as “guest”You refer to fermented food also; this should apply to the japanese food “natto” as well although it’s considered as very healthy…can you clarify this point? Much appreciated. Thank you.Once again, I pose the question on this site of vegan doctors and vegan eaters, like myself:Since we are designed to eat a vegan diet, how to explain the FACT that many people, after two, five, ten, fifteen years of detoxing, do not do well on a vegan diet. Is it purely psychological and all in their heads?There are many vegans where I live and also many people who have wanted to be vegan and have tried very hard, they say, and did everything right, they say. So why cannot some–many–people thrive on the vegan diet?Sorry to bore you, but as I wish to create and live in a vegan, compassionate world, I need an answer to this question and I will not stop until I have it. You ask a very reasonable (not to mention, one with as you sate them, very admirable intentions) Vegayan…and I would love to know the answer too..but feel a note of caution is in order – you speak of people not doing well on “a vegan diet” – as you’re aware, there are many bad diets that are vegan, like (to deliberately exaggerate) as “iceberg lettuce, white bread, sugar, and greasy fried veggies”Now you say ” they say, and did everything right”..fair enough, but your phrase “they say” does say it all doesn’t it? I think what you’re really calling for (or what you’re asking for really calls for) is a study or several studies. That costs money. But say, take 10,000 vegans today and follow their diet, genetics, lifestyle choices (including people they hang out with, how much brainwashing, I mean, TV, they watch), stress levels etc) along with details about what they actually eat…and following them going forward for many years…see not only how all the vegans or originally-were-vegans do healthwise, but also track how many ‘drop out’ and maybe find out that with nutritional counseling along the way far fewer do and those who do, follow up and look at their (reported) health problems, and look at their choices for which vegan foods they ate/eat.Hi Veguyan, So I’ll ask. What makes you think they do not do well on a vegan diet? You have that many subjects to believe that?So I was vegan for about 3 years prior as a teenager early 20’s. I stopped not because I didn’t feel well but because I was over my obsessiveness about eating meat. Now I am doing it for health reasons, run 35 miles per week and haven’t noticed anything negative. I also think it is really important to eat real foods. I don’t eat anything processed. Because I run my main concern is getting enough calories so I don’t get too lean. Nuts help with that.Also Toxic really doesn’t like coconut but I think it’s the best sports drink out there. I don’t know what else to drink on a run that lasts 1.5 hours. Gatorade is so full of junk.So let’s see what the doctors think! I actually do not have too much issue with coconut water, it is only when one adds sodium to it, enjoy!I suffer from being anemic….any good information on low iron count?   Try to consume lots of dark green leefies as well as whole grains. When you consume whole grains, eat something high in vitamin c with it or after, like broccoli, an orange or red bell pepper. You can also eat garlic and onions to increase absorption of this nutrient. Check out the details here. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20597543 http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/Consider taking a couple capsules of coryceps mushrooms daily.  I’m not a doctor, so do your own research.  But this mushroom generated a spike in my iron count.I have to say that I can barely understand all the medical terms! Thank you so much Dr Greger for translating it for us lay people. Fascinating stuff. Off to share with the masses.I’m still wondering about the cocoa – maybe the tests were done with chocolate which has a lot of saturated fat making it much worse than plain powdered cocoa? Anyone care to comment on the question of whether cocoa remains a good addition to one’s diet? Dr. Greger already mentioned in this video that Cacao was cleared from the list due to its antioxidant content. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/I just learned that people who are sulfite sensitive may be lacking in molybdenum.  I just bought a mineral supplement with it and hope it relieves the hives and other more hidden problems that come from sulfite sensitivity.Before I ask, please know that I do not desire to eat chicken. My question is, if one were to chop the head off a chicken and immediately prepare and eat the chicken, would that change the bacteria toxin load in the meat? I imagine it would because it wouldn’t have been raised in a horrible environment, butchered in a factory, packaged, trucked, left on the shelf at the store, put in a cart, waited in line, carried home (possibly in the heat of summer), stuck in the fridge, and finally cooked.You would certainly lower the risk of ingesting contamination compared to the typical food processing of meat. However it is still an animal and has an intestine with bacteria. Even avoiding the problems associated with the preparation which are significant see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/ you are still faced with other dilemna’s associated with where it was raised, ?in a concentrated animal feed operations, what was in the food it consumed, etc.. Even if you could avoid the contamination of bacteria and chemicals you would still be faced with saturated fat and cholesterol intake. Since there is no advantage to eating chicken… unless faced with starvation I can’t recommend consuming it from a human’s perspective… of course the chicken’s side of the argument and the environmental and social justice side of the argument are pretty well settled as well. See Philip Wollen’s short video… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQCe4qEexjc&feature=youtu.be and Melanie Joy’s video on Carnism… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vWbV9FPo_Q.From January 2013, I think this is the first study to definitively finger saturated fat in facilitating endotoxin transport through the gut wall:http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/10/1/6/Are these exogenous endotoxins as present in grass-fed meats?As all meat is colonized by bacteria, then yes it would be. Endotoxins are inherent of meat as are elevated levels of IGF-1.“It’s difficult for patients to comply with this request!” Of course it is, when everyone’s being taught that they need animal protein. One of my coworkers used a website that told him that he needed 100 grams of protein a day to go along with his muscle building. So he had extra sardine cans in his cubical to try to make the 100 grams. My response, “Nod and Smile.” I looked up nutritional information of walnuts after seeing one of the videos here, and they are teaching people that it’s a moderate inflammatory, with high fat, and high calories. The general public isn’t getting this fantastic information. I’ve been adding beets and English walnuts to my diet because of how awesome this site is! I’ve also given up soda due to this site, and if the studies are true about the cream dilating the blood vessels then I’m going to give up milk chocolate and candy all together. I had no idea, the drastic effects it has within such a short amount of time after eating them. Thank you so much for all of your team’s hard work in putting this site together.A very interesting set of videos. thank you! My only queries are: -what about our grandparents who ate animal fat everyday and lived well into their 90’s without any auto immune conditions -does this mean all fermented food duch as tempeh and soy sauce cause the same effect?So the endotoxins are in the flesh, the blood and the fat?I am wondering if the endotoxins would survive in an alkaline environment. The study demonstrates that they are resistant to low pH, but how do you think they would react to a high pH?Has anyone read the PubMed summary article, “Beef fat prevents alcoholic liver disease in the rat”? http//www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/pubmed/2646971 The postulation is that there is correlation(causation) between the amount of linoleic acid and the promotion of liver inflammation and disease. Beef tallow was found to be protective while corn oil apparent promoted a disease condition. Lard also promoted inflammation, but less than corn oil.I’m trying to put this together with the leaky gut theory. I’m sure alcohol doesn’t help a leaky gut, but if one chooses to meat if it’s the unsaturated fats which are contributing to the endotoxin transport to the liver and not the saturated fat that comes “packaged” with the meat. The animal products contain endotoxins but perhaps they would not reach the blood stream with being transported by unsaturated fat.Clearly, the safest way to eat, would be avoid endotoxins in meat etc. ,but maybe it if the toxins didn’t hitch a ride to the liver all would be better, if not well.Well I just reread my own post and I hope others can fill in the obvious blanks i.e. the skipped words and misspellings. I thought I was quite careful….but….but whick fermented foods are also triggering endotoxemia?Dangers Of Whey Protein And Animal Based Eating Habits Based Off Traditional Conveniences Or EXCUSES…READ HERE FULL: WHEY DANGEROUS ARTICLE: plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/wheydangerous BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS…Better. LESS IS BETTER AND SILENCE IS GOLD…LESS (NO) ANIMAL PROTEINS AND MORE PLANT (CELLULOSE) PROTEIN. Boys Makes Excuses And Men Make Change…Girls Make Excuses And Women Make Change. ~ERIC GEOFFREY VON LEONARD PLOTT~However When Doing Weight Training And Real Strength Workouts- Testing On OVERALL Endurance, Stamina, Speed, Agility, And Physical Tone As Well As Flexibility; It Is Very Apparently We Have been Taught To FEAR The BIG Fat Or Even Long Legged Homosapien. However When You Go Back As Far As Gladiators Or Even Jack Lalane Or Even BRUCE LEE himself ( Which Is Considered Among The Greatest Fighter Of Our Time) We See This Uncanny Consistent Factor To The True Badasses In Overall POWER, is that Of The Short Smaller Toned Men Or The Stocky Heavier-Set Short Men. Pack more To Inner Strength Centered Towards The Bottom?What Is Being BIG If You Cannot Think On Your Toes Or Last Very Long? Is Power Truly Packed In The BRAIN? I See A LOT Of Men Focusing On What The Western World Considers “BIG AND BETTER”; Which Is Very Closely Tied In With A Flacey… Consuming HIGH PROTEIN, WHEY, CASEIN, MEAT PROTEIN, EGG PROTEIN, MILK/DAIRY PROTEINS ETC…This is A VERY GOOD INGREDIENT For ILLNESS. As A Wholefood Plant Based Vegan, I Also DO NOT ADVOCATE SOY In my Diet; things such as TEMPEH OR SEITAN Perhaps moreso, or Organic soy as a topping; I have a video that explains that right here…WELL WORTH THE WATCH:You First Are Clogging Your Arteries With BAD FAT That Is Actually Putting Great Amounts Of Wear And Tear On Your Body. There Is Absolutely Nothing Beneficial About FAT, it is much Better To Be TONE And Agile With Endurance And endless Stamina. For Instance Vegans Are About 7 Times Stronger Than Meat Eaters While Not Even Working As Hard. If You Don’t Believe That Look Up The Strongest Man In The World Patrik BABOUMIAN Or Jack Lalane. Look Up VEGANBODYBUILDERS.COM!Muscle Is Something You Build Not Mass That You Gain ~E.G.Plott~OKAY Check This Out….We All Are Under the Impression That We NEED Fat In Order To Survive- Or That HIGH LEVELS OF Protein Will Only Make Us Big…NOT SO…We Have Cells That Need To Be Fed- Many Type Of Nutrients- You Are Aware Of This…But I Tell You That MUSCLE CAN BE GAINED BY JUST WORKING OUT AND BUILDING THEM UP…ON SAY, A Plant Based Diet..You Would Only Understand This Statement If You Were A Vegan (I Don’t Say That Out Of DIsrespect Either), I Say This, Because You Will Often See Vegans Or hear About Them BEING SCRAWNY, Right?…Well, This Puts My Theory Into Play…Check It Out….IF THESE VEGANS ARE SKINNY WHAT DO THEY LACK..>That They Ripped Body Builder Vegans Have? Do The Bigger Vegans Eat More? Possibly…But The Truth Is, YOU CAN BUILD UP YOUR MUSCLE INSTEAD OF BUILD UP A BUNCH OF DEAD WEIGHT FAT…There Is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BENEFICIAL ABOUT FAT IN THE LEAST BIT…Soooo The Difference Is That With A Plant Based Diet, You Are Actually Building Up Your CELL STRUCTURE OF YOUR BODIES DNA- That Gets Carried With You Through Genealogy…NOW, When You are Fat On The Other Hand, Not Necessarily So Much…YOUR PARENT JUST HAS MASS- Which Is NOTHING…See, This Disprove The THEORY About “BIG BONED PEOPLE”… It Is Actually Not Truth, Ones Bones ARE NOT AND CANNOT BE MUCH BIGGER THAN THE CERTAIN FRAME>>>Literally They Look Big Boned And They Are Not…It Is Excuse…So Mass You Gain I Referring To FAT YOU GAIN…MUSCLE IS BUILT AND FULLY USABLE WHEN YOUR ARTERIES ARE NOT CLOGGED UP FROM MEAT AND DAIRY CONSUMPTION.CONCLUSION- You Can BE VERY BIG And Never Eat A Piece Of Flesh Or Bones Or Milk For That Matter…Just Ask PatrikHE BUILT THAT- HE DIDN’T JUST GET THAT HANDED TO HIM….Fools Make Jokes, While The Wise And Meek Create And Build Kingdoms. ~E.G.Plott~I Believe We Were Taught Or Indoctrinate To Believe It Is Good To Be BIGGER For Some Reason, Mainly In America This Is The Cause; It Is No Mystery Then Why We Are Also The SICKEST NATION IN THE WORLD. We Must Look At The Fact That Our BODY ALSO MUCH BREAK DOWN ALL THAT WE CONSUME IN OUR GUT, WE ALSO MUST ASSIMILATE THE NUTRIENTS AND THEN WE HAVE TO FEED EVERYONE OF OUR CELLS IN OUR BODY, And I Can Guarantee You, If You Are Not Eating A Efficient Wholefood Plant Diet, YOU WILL NOT BE FEEDING ALL THE CELLS IN YOUR HUGE BODY (assuming that you have been gorging Yourself With Animal Products Hoping and working endlessly to build your clogged arteries and fat in your muscles) YES, I AM SAYING THERE IS NOTHING GOOD ABOUT FAT, contrary To What People Think LOOKS HEALTHY, It Is Safe To SAY IF YOU ARE A WESTERNER YOU HAVE FORGOT (Or You NEVER KNEW) What Healthy Body Looks Like)This Is Also Why Asians And Indians Look Smaller In Comparison, However Did You Know Among The Most HEALTHY PEOPLE Are Asian And Indians As Well As the Smarter Bunches Of People. Jews Are Among The HIGHEST Intelligence, They Don’t Eat Pork Or Many Animal Products. Right Now Israel Might Become The FIRST ALL VEGAN NATION…Does This Make Veganism The “HOLY CHOSEN DIET”…Laughing…Unlikely, However In The Sense That It Really Truly Is A Cruelty Free Life Style Change, It Becomes A Revolutionary Act In The World And A TRUE BENEFICIAL Decision to Make the switch to DETOX ON ALL THE TOXIC ANIMAL FAT THAT HAS BEEN STORED UP OVER THE YEARS And RE-BUILD WITH PLANT-CELLULOSE PROTEIN; Doesn’t That Sound Better? Well, I Can Assure You, That Being One, Myself, That Is Into Weight Training And Body Building That The more Pure And Effective Way To Build Muscle is With Plants, Nuts, And Veggies. It Is Very Possible, You Might Need To Eat MORE, And I MEAN A LOT MORE WHOLE PLANTS, But it is even Worth it When You See HOW GOOD YOU FEEL While You Work Out, You Become Limitless. I Challenge You To really Research The VEGAN BODY BUILDING Community,It will blow your mind and all that you were taught about “BEING BIGGER AS BETTER”…Not So, You Can Be BIG, But This Does NOT DETERMINE Ones Health. As A Nutritionist, I Hear Mother’s Say How Big Their Little Child Is Getting, This Frightens Me, Because What I Am Hearing Is That This Child Has HORMONAL IMBALANCE, Early On-set Diabetes, Pre-Heart Disease Or Arteriosclerosis; Hard Breathing And Complications.Like I said before.. Don’t underestimate us smaller guys broskies…So in Conclusion What I Am Saying Here, Is That BEING BIGGER OR STRONGER LOOKING DOES NOT MAKE YOU HEALTHIER AS A HUMAN BEING. It Actually Could Make You Sickly Over Long Duration Or short today. What I Mean By Short, Is It COULD ACTUALLY BE DANGEROUS Being this big in this day and age; Where in the past it was alright to be bigger and live off a 90% Plant diet. Today the food is so heavily processed, excess protein is what people think keeps us alive, and we go to Calcium form milk. These are all VERY DANGEROUS FALLACIES AS WELL! Today even the plants are mineral deficient and nutrient lacking as well; then sprayed heavily with pesticides, growth hormones, and chemical fertilizers (Not to mention we have among the poorest of soil conditions in USA). So, please don’t think getting on Animal diets are going to somehow correct these deficiencies, this is far from the truth and closer to profitable lies that are window-dressed with tradition, taste additives (that are as addictive as crack cocaine and Heroin combined) Habit, and Convenience.Does this make us Lazy? Well, it could, unfortunately we live in a world where the very first thing offered to us is not always the truth, in fact as a researcher, I can say it is almost never fully TRUTH; which makes it entirely a LIE.The ones who love the 100% Truth enough to go unbiasedly research and search for it; ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO WILL FIND IT. That maybe a bold statement, however it is the Only truth you will find, and that is when you tie OPEN, HONEST, AND WILLING intellect with common sense. I Personally refer to this as using “HUMAN SENSICAL OBSERVATION SKILLS”. It becomes almost a discerning trait to read through all the lies and disillusions that the media, education system, Hollywood, and books that are teaching the children how to be everything that is wrong and this is why most are lost to knowing what is right anymore.“Do the right thing and the rest will follow” ~E.G.PLOTT~Asking God or The higher Holy Spirit being to guide you on this path of truth seeking will help unable you to find a better, less followed path. Not all are ready and it takes baby steps. few are chosen and all are called.Can you imagine a world in your life, where you didn’t have to support killing in order to sustain your life? GOOD NEWS! I Am here to confirm that after several years of not consuming animal products that not only am I STILL ALIVE, but I am thriving more than ever. When i go to the Gym as a Weight Trainer, My ENERGY Is ENDLESS and my strength carries to new levels and endurance sways to Staggering heights; my stamina, speed, and agility is that of a well-trained and disciplined child. Today, I am so happy that I chose this route, remember we only need about 8-11% Protein according to the CHINA STUDY And many thousands of other PUBMED Documents you can publicly research online by typing “PUBMED ADVANTAGES OF VEGAN DIET”.Keep in mind you can make excuses all day to not giving up ANIMAL KILLING DIETS, but the Meat, Dairy, And Egg Industry is there to help sell you right back to your excuses or old ways of thinking. The withdrawal of the ADDITIVES ALONE, is a struggle comparably to DRUG ADDICTION OR ALCOHOLISM.Adding new things in your life like superfoods such as MORINGA, SPIRULINA, CHLORELLA, HEMP, And eating Wholefood Veggies, Nuts, and Fruits; you will find that all UNCOOKED Plant produce actually carries all the PERFECT AMINO ACIDS our body is looking for. These are also high in PLANT PROTEIN, which you can consume as much as you want- live enzymes actually feed the body’s cell structure and build it as well. Meaning your body’s immune system actually gets stronger, so when outside threats or viruses come to attack, they will fail to defeat your fight back system in the body, you will deflect all threats and parasites found primarily in PROLONGED ANIMAL EATING HABITS..Go to the source, if animals that you eat, eat plants and dirt; perhaps you can do the same. YES! dirt which has b12 and minerals in it are very important!IF YOU ARE STILL CONSUMING ANIMAL PRODUCTS, Rest Assured YOU ARE NOT HEALTHY.You Cannot Make the claim that you are healthy while eating steaks, pork, milkshakes, fresh organic free ranged eggs or raw milk even, I don’t care if the beef was grass-fed; these are all EXCUSES fed by corporate greed; truth is your HEALTH IS YOUR GREATEST WEALTH and AS SOON AS THESE PRODUCTS HIT YOUR BLOOD STREAM YOU ARE IN Metabolic Endotoxemia Or Mid-Grade Fever StateDead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/.CHECK OUT MY MORINGA FOR SPORTS PEOPLE ARTICLE: http://plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/sportsman?keyword=sportb12 AND VEGANISM http://plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/b12-controversy-unveiled-for-vegans-and-quotmeat-eaters-alikequot-1HOW MORINGA HAS b12 http://plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/b12-controversy-unveiled-for-vegans-and-quotmeat-eaters-alikequotMY WORKOUT SECTION: Plottz Tropical Breeze & Perfectional Workout With Miracle Herbs PLOTTPALMTREES.COM EARTH MAN ERIC http://plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/perfectionalbreeze?keyword=workThe Strongest Men In History Were VEGANS?! What?! – Gladiators & Jack Lalanne All Vegan? http://plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/veganstrongThe STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD IS A VEGAN, WHOLEFOOD VEGAN. VEGAN STRONGMAN PATRIK BABOUMIAN http://plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/strongveganmanSTOP BLAMING VEGANISM FOR YOU NOT BEING VEGAN ~E.G.PLOTT~ http://plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/stop-blaming-veganism-for-you-not-being-vegan-egplottVegan Strongman; Eric Plott Moving 10 TONS of SAND ~E.G.PLOTTPALMTREES.COM http://vimeo.com/eplott/review/105459125/0f6d42c605Amino Acid In Moringa (Malunggay) Plant http://plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/amino-acid-in-moringa-malunggay-plant8 Reasons Everyone Hates Vegans ~PLOTTPALMTREES.COM http://plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/8-reasons-everyone-hates-vegans-plottpalmtreescomWEAK people eat herbs! Vegan VS Omnivore KO! VICTORY FOR…. http://plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/vegan-1CONCLUSION: WHAT I HAVE FOUND IS THAT WHEN We Stray Further Away From The Garden, Our Sins Become More And More Corrupt, And Acceptable In The Sense That In Genesis It Does Not EVEN MENTION Eating Meat, But Only Eating Fruits, Veggies, And Nuts (Why Would They Eat Meat?)…As We Move Into The Old Testament Leviticus We See That To Eat Anything With Blood Is A Sin, Then We Go Into The New Testament And It Becomes More And More Accepted To Eat Meat, BUT CLEAR THAT IT IS NOT GOOD- For It Says Do Not Drink Or Eat Meat If It Causes Your Brother To Stumble/Fall (Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer ETC -Alcoholism); Meat Consumption is Not Beneficial. Now We Have The China Study Today That Proves Animal Consumption Leads To Affluent Diseases..Even Go Back A Step With Daniel, The Prophet From The Book Of Daniel, He Conducts The First CASE STUDY On Veganism And It Proved Successful To Eat Fruits And Vegetables In Optimum Health In Comparison To The Standard Diet Of The King. As You Go Further Through Time Into The NEW TESTAMENT It Is Culturally More Accepted, YET UNHEALTHY STILL AND WE ARE NOT TO JUDGE OUR BROTHERS ON HOW THEY EAT (WHETHER VEGAN OR MEAT EATER)….Then In The End- Revelations, It Says To EAT OF THE TREE OF LIFE- THE MIRACLE TREE…What Is That Tree, That Will Heal All Nations In The Last Days? All Bible References Are Here.#Moringa Man ~E.G.Plott~Complements of Dr. Robert MorseForks Over Knives MOVIE HERE: ERIC PLOTT MEETS CORNELL UNIVERSITY: PLANT BASED NUTRITION plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/eric-plott-meets-cornell-university-plant-based-nutritionI Just Know The Leading Causes Of Death Is MEAT AND Dairy- Doesn’t Matter If It IS FREE RANGE- Or DeerConsciousness WARNING SIDE EFFECTS OF MEAT AND DAIRY TO THE HUMAN BODY.Animal protein has no nutritional value and is excess protein for the human body to consume and digest. Animal protein is actually animal bacterias that is foreign to our natural human bacteria of our own and once meats are cooked all the live enzymes from the raw flesh from another being are all gone from the meat where the meat also becomes highly carcinogenic for us to even consume, just to mention in the fumes alone. Let alone when the rotting flesh of a dead corpse is passing through our digestive track promoting cancer growth by feeding cancer cells and many other foreign bacterias from puss mucus and blood from another being, even after its cooked. Besides it drives our white blood cells to react to often then it should causing wear and tare on our over all health and immunity defense reactions and drives it all way out of whack and out of control unnecessarily, every time its consumed just like all animal proteins that are very acidic foods, it makes our red blood cells stick together because they are trying to defend themselves and clear the path so our white blood cells can get to the foreign bacterias that are feeding cancer cells and other potential diseases and or sicknesses due to the acidity levels that make our immune system vulnerable for attack or growth for potential disease, this way our white blood cells can consume them down to size or down to almost nothing. Animal protein is totally unnecessary, First of all its way to acidic , theres no ph levels of alkaline that our body is always looking for over the acidity levels. Plus no fiber and no live minerals, then on top of all that it leaves mucus residues that not only feeds tumor tissue on contact within due time and build up all over inside the human anatomy, but especially leaving much plaque build up all in our arteries, and is the very reason why any meat and dairy is also the root stem to almost 90% of the worlds common and chronic diseases. All the way from the common cold to the flu to heart disease and most cancers. Its the very core and the root to what weakens the human immunity faster then anything else the human body has ever come in contact with.NEVER GOT ANY OF THESE ISSUES FROM CONSUMING ORGANIC FRUITS AND VEGETABLES THAT IS FULL OF LIVE ENZYMES, BIO PHOTON LIGHT ENERGY FROM THE SUN AND LOADED WITH NATURAL VITAMINS AND MINERALS ALONG WITH MUCH PLANT PROTEIN ABUNDANTLY!!! – Earth Man ConsciousnessEric Plott ~E.G.Plott~Now You MUST WATCH AND SHARE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS THIS VIDEO ON YOUTUBE UNTITLED:CONCLUSION: WHAT I HAVE FOUND IS THAT WHEN We Stray Further Away From The Garden, Our Sins Become More And More Corrupt, And Acceptable In The Sense That In Genesis It Does Not EVEN MENTION Eating Meat, But Only Eating Fruits, Veggies, And Nuts (Why Would They Eat Meat?)…As We Move Into The Old Testament Leviticus We See That To Eat Anything With Blood Is A Sin, Then We Go Into The New Testament And It Becomes More And More Accepted To Eat Meat, BUT CLEAR THAT IT IS NOT GOOD- For It Says Do Not Drink Or Eat Meat If It Causes Your Brother To Stumble/Fall (Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer ETC -Alcoholism); Meat Consumption is Not Beneficial. Now We Have The China Study Today That Proves Animal Consumption Leads To Affluent Diseases..Even Go Back A Step With Daniel, The Prophet From The Book Of Daniel, He Conducts The First CASE STUDY On Veganism And It Proved Successful To Eat Fruits And Vegetables In Optimum Health In Comparison To The Standard Diet Of The King. As You Go Further Through Time Into The NEW TESTAMENT It Is Culturally More Accepted, YET UNHEALTHY STILL AND WE ARE NOT TO JUDGE OUR BROTHERS ON HOW THEY EAT (WHETHER VEGAN OR MEAT EATER)….Then In The End- Revelations, It Says To EAT OF THE TREE OF LIFE- THE MIRACLE TREE…What Is That Tree, That Will Heal All Nations In The Last Days? All Bible References Are Here.#Moringa Man ~E.G.Plott~KNIVES UNDER FORKS MOVIE ABOUT THE GREAT CHINA STUDY Most Important Finding Ever In Nutritional Science ~E.G.PlottPalmTrees.Co from Eric Plott on Vimeo.Forks Over Knives MOVIE HERE: ERIC PLOTT MEETS CORNELL UNIVERSITY: PLANT BASED NUTRITION plottpalmtree.miiduu.com/eric-plott-meets-cornell-university-plant-based-nutritionI Just Know The Leading Causes Of Death Is MEAT AND Dairy- Doesn’t Matter If It IS FREE RANGE- Or DeerConsciousness WARNING SIDE EFFECTS OF MEAT AND DAIRY TO THE HUMAN BODY.Animal protein has no nutritional value and is excess protein for the human body to consume and digest. Animal protein is actually animal bacterias that is foreign to our natural human bacteria of our own and once meats are cooked all the live enzymes from the raw flesh from another being are all gone from the meat where the meat also becomes highly carcinogenic for us to even consume, just to mention in the fumes alone. Let alone when the rotting flesh of a dead corpse is passing through our digestive track promoting cancer growth by feeding cancer cells and many other foreign bacterias from puss mucus and blood from another being, even after its cooked. Besides it drives our white blood cells to react to often then it should causing wear and tare on our over all health and immunity defense reactions and drives it all way out of whack and out of control unnecessarily, every time its consumed just like all animal proteins that are very acidic foods, it makes our red blood cells stick together because they are trying to defend themselves and clear the path so our white blood cells can get to the foreign bacterias that are feeding cancer cells and other potential diseases and or sicknesses due to the acidity levels that make our immune system vulnerable for attack or growth for potential disease, this way our white blood cells can consume them down to size or down to almost nothing. Animal protein is totally unnecessary, First of all its way to acidic , theres no ph levels of alkaline that our body is always looking for over the acidity levels. Plus no fiber and no live minerals, then on top of all that it leaves mucus residues that not only feeds tumor tissue on contact within due time and build up all over inside the human anatomy, but especially leaving much plaque build up all in our arteries, and is the very reason why any meat and dairy is also the root stem to almost 90% of the worlds common and chronic diseases. All the way from the common cold to the flu to heart disease and most cancers. Its the very core and the root to what weakens the human immunity faster then anything else the human body has ever come in contact with.NEVER GOT ANY OF THESE ISSUES FROM CONSUMING ORGANIC FRUITS AND VEGETABLES THAT IS FULL OF LIVE ENZYMES, BIO PHOTON LIGHT ENERGY FROM THE SUN AND LOADED WITH NATURAL VITAMINS AND MINERALS ALONG WITH MUCH PLANT PROTEIN ABUNDANTLY!!! – Earth Man ConsciousnessEric Plott ~E.G.Plott~Now You MUST WATCH AND SHARE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS THIS VIDEO ON YOUTUBE UNTITLED: ~ERIC GEOFFREY VON LEONARD PLOTT~Dr. Greger –I would appreciate it so much if you could answer a few questions for me.So in the first video, “The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation,” you explained that our own microflora may be the bacteria releasing the endotoxins into our body…but then from what I understand…this video is saying that is not the cause of the inflammation of the arteries after a meal high in animal fat.However, is this leaky gut still occuring from animal products and is the bacteria from the gut still the cause for other inflammation and autoimmune responses? For instance from, “Carntitine, Choline, Cancer, and Cholesterol, do you have to first have a leaky gut for the TMAO bacteria to get into your bloodstream? and from, Diet & Rhematoid Arthritis… is the leaky gut what is allowing the protein of the animal cartilidge into the bloodstream?Also what is the difference between having a leaky gut and Crohn’s disease? Do almost all meat eaters have some form of a leaky gut?Thank you very much for your time!Rendering of animal products contaminated with gram negative bacteria will kill the bacteria. Where do the endotoxins go? Would you expect to find the in the Meat and Bone meal or in the fat? If that fat is added to pet food, would the same exogenous effect be expected in pets? Could this lead to endotoxemia?Earlier videos by Dr. Greger suggest that fermented foods (kimchi and kombucha) are harmful to health. Chocolate’s fermentation process also although mitigated, apparently, by its strong phytonutrient protection. Are ALL plant-based fermented foods dangerous? Pickles? Sauerkraut? Ethiopian injera bread? South Asian dosas and idlis? Any research on this?	animal fat,animal products,burgers,cardiovascular disease,cheese,chicken,cooking temperature,dairy,diabetes,eggs,endotoxemia,fermented foods,food poisoning,foodborne illness,hamburgers,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,meat,plant-based diets,prediabetes,saturated fat,standard American diet,whipped cream	The high bacteria load in raw or cooked animal foods and fermented foods may trigger an endotoxemic surge of inflammation that may be exacerbated by the presence of saturated animal fat.	This is the final video of a three-part series exploring the mechanism behind the spike of inflammation that follows within hours of a meal containing animal products. See The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation and The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory for parts one and two. Though this surge of inflammation can result from bacteria dead or alive, live bacteria can cause other problems—see, for example, MRSA in U.S. Retail Meat, Total Recall, Chicken Out of UTIs, and Toxic Megacolon Superbug. Saturated fat also appears to have other deleterious effects such as increasing the risk of heart disease (Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease) and shortening the lives of breast cancer survivors (Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken). For more on the patronizing attitude that people can't handle dietary truths, check out my 13-part series on the dietary guidelines from last October that began with Dietary Guidelines: Corporate Guidance. That's just one of many video series. There are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand topics for you to browse.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/06/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/24/biblical-daniel-fast-tested/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fermented-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/whipped-cream/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22210577,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20849668,
PLAIN-2938	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-exogenous-endotoxin-theory/	The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory	To recap: until recently, the thinking was that the reason that a single meal of animal foods causes inflammation, is because animal foods have saturated fat, the saturated fat causes the breakdown of our intestinal barrier, which could cause a “fat-induced translocation of small quantities of bacterial endotoxin from the gut into our bloodstreams,” which triggers the acute inflammatory reaction… associated with egg and sausage mcmuffin consumption. So "To date, it has been widely considered that the source of this circulating endotoxin is the resident intestinal microflora.” Wait a second, though. What’s wrong with this picture? Look at this time scale. The rise of inflammation starts within just a few hours of ingestion. But where are our bacteria? Not in our small intestine, but 20 feet farther down in our large intestine. That could take like 8 hours for a mcmuffin to get down there. So what’s going on? Where else could bacterial endotoxins be coming from if not the bacteria in our gut? Maybe the endotoxins are coming from the food itself.  This is the new study that changed everything. For the first time ever, “they aimed to determine whether common foodstuffs may contain appreciable quantities of endotoxin.” “Forty extracts were therefore prepared from twenty-seven foodstuffs common to the Western diet, and the capacity of each to induce the secretion of inflammatory signals from human white blood cells was measured.” They found whopping doses of endotoxin equivalents in some pork, poultry, dairy, and chocolate products. What’s with the chocolate? Well, the first step in chocolate making is bacterial fermentation of the beans, but thankfully the phytonutrients outweigh the effect of the bacteria and decrease inflammation overall.	This is the second video of a three-part series exploring the mechanism behind the spike of inflammation that follows within hours of a meal containing animal products. See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day for part one: The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation. Food Mass Transit details intestinal transit time and for more on chocolate see Update on Chocolate, Healthiest Chocolate Fix, and A Treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The chocolate thing reminds me of the nitrate story. When accompanied by phytonutrients, what could have an adverse effect ends up being beneficial—see Are Nitrates Pollutants or Nutrients?. Tomorrow I’ll close up this fascinating topic by exploring the role fat may play in this endotoxic reaction to meat and other animal products in Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia. In the meantime, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects for you to check out. I remember reading an article back in about 1992 before I went to Med School that stated, ALL chronic diseases were the result of chronic low-grade inflammation.  Proof is in the print.   Fascinating to know the physiology!Knowledge — it’s what’s for Breakfast!Thank you from myself and all my patients for empowering us to become healthier and happier.Hemo – do you rember when the (other) doctors learned that inflammation had something to do with CVD – they immediately invented bacterial infection in the endothelium as the main cause of CVD, and suggested that the solution could be antibiotics – a pill……!3 times a day with your McMuffin and coffee, your Pizza Hut and cola and your KFC with milk – pus – shake. So no problemo – NOT!I don’t remember Stephan but I’m sure the Pharma people loved the idea of selling ABX’s to anybody and everybody!All back to the pill.Recently I had someone tell me that they work for a company called “Whole Food Supplements.” I thought that to be the ultimate oxymoron in the nutrition industry–convince people that all they have to do is take a Whole Food Supplement rather than chew it and then who cares what you eat; you’re protected from the supplements.How can it be a Whole Food when it’s been pulverized into dust and crammed into a gelatin capsule?You are right – dust is dust – whole food is (surprise!) food, that you have to chew – brocholi, spinach, kale…yummi!oxymoron – nice!    So nice to hear the docs jumping in here.  I guess it just took this amazing younger generation to come along!  Finally, all of us stand together, standing up to the “corporates!”  Then again things were never this bad, this very bad before.Solution: Say no to McToxicDoes white bread with sugar, a goblet of yellow fat, with some white stuff around and a thin slice of a carcinogenic pig sound like food…….?No. Eat food, not food-like things.LOLSo what is the explanation for inflammation caused by certain plant foods? I follow a plant based diet and have lupus. I have noticed that certain foods – wheat, soy, tomatoes, red peppers give me joint pain and it is common for people with lupus to be sensitive to night shade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, bell peppers). Is bacteria found in these foods as well?BVG can’t you just have food sensitivities to those foods?I guess I didn’t explain my question well. I clearly have food sensitivities, so I’m wondering what the mechanism is behind them to see if I can do anything about it. For example, if it’s a leaky gut, then I can work on healing my gut.The only way to prevent the reaction to foods you are sensitive to, is not to eat them. Continuing to consume foods that you are already sensitive to causes a continual low inflammatory response in your body, and there we are again…inflammation. Eating foods you are sensitive to is one of the leading causes of autoimmune diseases.Does the leaky gut theory still apply to the development of plant food sensitivities?  What is the mechanism behind the development of inflammatory responses to wheat, soy, and certain plant foods? If these are cut out of the diet long enough, and the leaky gut healed, would it be possible to one day reintroduce these foods back in one’s diet? Thanks! It might explain some but it is still possible to have reactions to plant foods or substances. This can occur on your skin such as the common photo-sensitivity reaction many folks get if they rub lime juice on their skin and expose the skin to sun light or true allergies which can be mediated in the gut without the substances getting into the body itself. There are differences between sensitivities and true allergies. If you have true allergic reactions to plant substances it is best to avoid these altogether and only reintroduce the food under the care of and with the recommendation of a physician who is an allergy specialist. It is difficult to be more specific without knowing the symptoms and foods involved. Best to work with your physician on this one. Good luck.Alot of americans have sensitivities to wheat and dairy, the reason is that on the SAD diet they consume these same food several times a day, day after day, year after year. The immune system cannot handle the constant exposure to a food item well, and will develop antigens against it. This does not always show in lab work, but will show in skin tests. Another way to find out if you have a sensitivity towards a food is to not eat the food for a couple of weeks, how do you feel? Less fatigued, foggy, swollen? Did the reddishness on your face disappear? If you had a positive response to removing the food from your diet then you have a sensitivity to it. Which means, every time you consume it there is an inflammatory response in your body, this will cause foggy thinking, fatigue, degradation of your arteries, edema. Chronic digestion will cause high bloodpressure, stroke, diabetes, certain cancers, etc. Once you become sensitive towards something, it is now a part of your immune response. Some therapies are out that that can help, LDA ‎or Subcutaneous immunotherapy. The best thing to do is to avoid the foods.Avoidance of the foods is one stop in the process to heal the gut. Most food sensitivities are due to food antigens (allergens) leaking across the gut barrier (increased permeability) into the blood stream causing a hypersensitivity reaction. The first step in treating food sensitivities/allergies is to heal the gut; and avoidance of the suspected allergens is part of that initial protocol to allow the gut to heal.There’s no end to the evil of Mc Foods. Phew! Dark chocolate remains safe! You scared me there for a little whole :)HELL yes April! LOVE my 90% dark Lindt and am now incorporating cocoa powder into many snacks…like dipping some walnut halves into cocoa powder, etc…!Not all endotoxins are dietary. Our digestive tracts also harbor gram-negative bacteria, the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) cell walls of which are almost synonymous with endotoxin in the literature. I’ve read somewhere (and sadly, can’t find my source) that the human digestive tract contains on the order of a full gram of LPS.Saturated fats, like those in palm, coconut, and cocoa oil, seem to increase endotoxin transit through the intestinal wall: http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/10/1/6/That said, vegans may harbor less endogenous endotoxins, as their colonic microbiota have significantly less gram-negative E. coli or Enterobacteriaceae: http://www.hablemosclaro.org/pdf/noticias/A_vegan_diet_alters_the_human_colonic_faecal_microbiota.pdfAlso, low-fat and high fiber diets are both associated with reducing gram-negative Fermicutes and increasing gram-positive Bacteroidetes. Here’s a good recent review: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3493718/It sounds to me like we’re redefining “leaky gut” syndrome then to not include any gut leakage? It’s simply toxins in the animal proteins consumed that are wreaking havoc?I think both.Sure doesn’t sound like that’s what he’s saying. I don’t get it then. Need clarification…This is worth sharing with anyone you know who is affected, directly or indirectly, with heart disease. Or anyone who you would like to see not suffer from cardiovascular diseases.What the heck is Twitter anyway?  Is it what happens to the body when we eat animal products?  Because all those uppercase number symbols leaves me confused, just like I feel when I have eaten meat?Doc, how would eggs contain endotoxins? Are eggs themselves not sterile?Dr. G,Not that you aren’t busy but I was just perusing the citations, and I linked into another related article at PubMed:   Stimulants of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 and TLR-4 are abundant in certain minimally-processed vegetables. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21376773   Excerpts from above link:   Interestingly it states, “Of 5 classes of MPV’s (Minimally Processed Vegetables)  3 classes of related vegetable products considered to be likely to contain a high microbial load, diced onion and bean sprouts (endobacterial spoilage or fecal contamination?) contained the highest levels of stimulants of TLR2 and TLR4.   “The accumulation of TLR-stimulants in MPVs correlated well with growth of enterobacterial spoilage organisms.   “In conclusion, the modern trend towards eating   >>>> minimally processed vegetables (MPV’s) rather than whole foods <<<<   is likely to be associated with increased oral exposure to stimulants of TLR2 and TLR4."   OK, my questions are (if you are too busy to respond I understand completely and this may be a good topic for your Ask the Doc Blog):1) what is the difference between MPVs compared to  Whole Foods?    A whole food is a minimally processed vegetable, or isn't it.  Maybe it means something different in Britain where the study was performed.2) Clearly I will not knowingly eat Spoiled foods but are the TLR stimulants (LPS's and such) able to be washed or cleaned off in some way?2a) If not are there some MPV's we should avoid? If I eat organic non-fat yogurt, do I avoid the endotoxins since the yogurt has no fat? You have alot more to worry about with dairy then just endotoxins. Your exposing your body to xenoestrogens and insulin like growth factor which are great at promoting tumor growth, throwing hormone balance off and accelerating the aging process. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-sexual-precocity/What about just  half a cup of yogurt a day and no other dairy? I cannot comfortably recommend half a cup of yogurt a day knowing the harmful side affects it entails. If you really like yogurt, then you can find soy yogurt or almond yogurt that tastes close to exactly the same but is much healthier for you.You can find a source of whole, raw, organic milk and pasteurize it yourself or not and make your own yogurt. It is not hard to do. Then you can control the environment and cleanliness of it.So, you either get endotoxins from meat products or mycotoxins from plant-based foods.Yep, makes sense why the “starvation” diet prolongs life by reducing all organ damage. We eat too damn much!! We take in too many toxins for our bodies to handle past 50 years old.Very interesting! In looking at the original article by Erridge in 2011 you referenced, if I read the charts correctly it appears the TLR2 and/or TLR4 are high is some animal products but not all. For example, none or low amounts found in 2 beef samples, 2 lamb samples, 2 sausage samples (where I’d expect high levels) 1 turkey sample, 2 milk samples. But yogurt, ice cream, a second turkey sample, pork and cheese were relatively high. Next question is the source of the endotoxins. Are they a result of CAFO (confined animal feeding operations)? Why one turkey and not the other? Why ice cream and not milk? Why NOT sausage? Is it possibly like the fecal contamination where a high percentage of meat samples are contaminated but it is not a property of meat from healthy animals?You sacred me a bit which the news about dark chocolate. I was like “Noooooooooo!” Thanks for the good news.I wonder how you would account for the numerous health benefits of live, fermented food products such as kimchi, saeurkraut, fermented dairy products, etc. These foods must contain FAR more lipopolysaccharide than cooked meats and such, and thus should theoretically increase the endotoxin load substantially over even meats.The research however even shows probiotics may DECREASE endotoxemia and intestinal permeability. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20094783Why is it that beef products did not appear to cause endotoxemia in the study cited?http://journals.cambridge.org/action//displayFulltext?fromPage=online&type=6&fid=S0007114510003193&aid=7948514&next=true&jid=BJN&volumeId=105&issueId=01&next=YQuestion for the doc: Does organic meat (or other animal products) also transmit endotoxins? I’ve followed your videos for some time and you ever say. Grass feed, grass finished organic beef?It should make no difference as they are all exposed to bacteria. Would you ever consider eating raw, untreated beef? Whether it be grass fed or not the difference should be none.I did a video in which the inflammation caused by store-bought compared to wild (kangaroo) meat is compared: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/Would cocoa powder also have such endotoxins?So, saturated fat is safe in moderation, as long as it’s not consumed with animal flesh.I am on the Ornish program, except that I also do not eat any dairy or egg whites (complete Vegan). However, I do eat natto for breakfast everyday and I do add copious amounts of Sriracha to my food. Should I be concerned because both of these product are fermented? Thank you.	animal fat,animal products,bile acids,chicken,chocolate,dairy,Egg McMuffin,eggs,endotoxemia,fermented foods,food poisoning,foodborne illness,gut flora,inflammation,meat,phytonutrients,pork,poultry,saturated fat,sausage	The endotoxemia (bacterial toxins in the bloodstream) that follows a meal of animal products and results in inflammation and stiffened arteries may come from the food itself rather than from one's own gut bacteria.	This is the second video of a three-part series exploring the mechanism behind the spike of inflammation that follows within hours of a meal containing animal products. See yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day for part one: The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation. Food Mass Transit details intestinal transit time and for more on chocolate see Update on Chocolate, Healthiest Chocolate Fix, and A Treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The chocolate thing reminds me of the nitrate story. When accompanied by phytonutrients, what could have an adverse effect ends up being beneficial—see Are Nitrates Pollutants or Nutrients?. Tomorrow I'll close up this fascinating topic by exploring the role fat may play in this endotoxic reaction to meat and other animal products in Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia. In the meantime, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects for you to check out. 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/06/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fermented-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/egg-mcmuffin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18991246,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18806104,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20849668,
PLAIN-2939	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/	The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation	The anti-inflammatory effect of plant-based diets is more than just about the power of plants, but the avoidance of animal foods. We’ve known for 15 years that a single meal high in animal fat— sausage and egg mcmuffins were used in the original landmark study— can cause a elevation in inflammation within our bodies that peaks at about 4 hours.  Remember the whole endothelial dysfunction story? Where you can hook people up to a device that can measure the natural dilation of their arteries and blood flow through ultrasound.  So as you can see here, within hours of eating animal fat, our arteries get paralyzed, we nearly cut their ability to open normally in half. And that's not just happening in our arm, the lining of our whole vascular tree gets inflamed, stiffened, crippled. And just as it starts to calm down 5 or 6 hours later, we may whack with another load of meat, eggs, or dairy for lunch such that most of our lives we’re stuck in this chronic low-grade inflammation danger zone, which may set us up for inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers one meal at a time.  Does the same thing to our lungs, again, within hours. Inflammation in our airways. A single meal with animal fat causing internal damage not just decades down the road but right then and there, that day. What exactly is causing the inflammation, though. Well, what is inflammation? It’s an immune response to a perceived threat. What’s the body attacking though? , At first—like in arthritis—scientists thought it might be the animal proteins triggering inflammation, which the body might see as like an invader, whereas the reason plant foods don’t trigger inflammation was thought because the body doesn’t consider plants a threat.  But you can get that same jolt of inflammation just eating whipped cream, there isn’t a lot of protein in whipped cream, so attention turned to the fat, the saturated animal fat: butterfat, or lard, tallow, chicken fat, but that still doesn’t answer the original question. What is the body attacking? Our immune system doesn’t attack just fat. So they dug deeper, analyzing people’s blood before and after the meal and found something extraordinary. After a meal of animal products, people suffer from endotoxemia, their bloodstream becomes awash with bacterial toxins, known as endotoxins. OK, well that certainly explains the inflammation. We evolved to be acutely sensitive to bacterial invasion and with this much endotoxin flooding into our system after a meal, our immune system must feel its under assault. OK, but where is it coming from? Well, the researchers knew endotoxin comes from bacteria, and they figured, hey, where is there bacteria? In our gut. So maybe saturated fat causes our gut lining to become leaky and allow our own bacteria to slip into our blood stream and cause the inflammation. And indeed that’s what they found--in mice; you feed them lard and their guts get leaky. And so for years, the prevailing theory has been that “saturated fats increase the permeability of intestinal lining and contribute to the breakdown of the intestinal barrier.” But is that true in people? stay tuned	In the last three videos I relayed the latest on the anti-inflammatory effect of plant-based diets. See AchievingRemission of Crohn’s Disease, FightingInflammation in a Nut Shell, and Anti-InflammatoryEffects of Purple Potatoes. The endothelial dysfunction story I mentionin this video is described in The Powerof NO and the reference to animal proteins and arthritis is explainedin Diet& Rheumatoid Arthritis. Stay tuned for tomorrow’sNutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day, TheExogenous Endotoxin Theory, and in the meanwhile please feel free tocheck out the 1,000+ othertopics I cover.Just absolutely FANTASTIC!  From the bottom of my heart, Thank You for being such a great teacher!Happy Independence Day! Even the Plants are feeling their Independence as they rise above it all  ;-} Just see below.Great video (again). 100 years ago Professor Pawlov made “Ecks Fistel”. He operated on dogs and he connected vena portae (blod from the gut) directly with vena cava inf. (blod to the heart) thereby bypassing the liver “in the first round”. When the dogs were feed plants nothing happened. When the dogs were feed meat they all died.Cooked meat.Dogs need raw meat.whats blod?bloodI can’t tell you how amazing this inflammation series is to me. For the 20 years I have had the autoimmune disease of both ears. After having both eardrums replaced my eardrums again reverted back to the pre-surgery thickened state which makes sound conduction impossible. Went I went back to my doctor 4 years ago and said, “ok replace both eardrums again” he replied that he couldn’t because it will just happen again.Frustrated I went home and researched Acquired Atricia, which lead me to autoimmune,and inflammation surfing on Google. After the reading research articles and going to various websites I decided a change in diet was the key. My diet had always been healthy with no processed foods but I dropped dairy, sugar, gluten. So my diet was plant based with meat about 4 times per week. Strictly organic and grass feed. Within 1 ear my doctor replaced my right eardrum and my left 10 months ago. I would estimate I eat meat 1 time per week, if that. When my doctor look at my ears 2 weeks ago he said they look the best they have ever looked. I am thinking 100% plant based is even better for my autoimmune disease! Dr. Greger you are the best! (sorry for the typos my iPad is stupid.)Let me clarify that. Fish one time per week. I stopped the free range farmers market chicken after your chicken arthritis videos. But now I am thinking, scaling the animal protein down over the last 4years has been what allowed my doctor to replaced my eardrums one last time! I am thinking vegan for me!Dr Greger (and others) document over and over again that eating plant based works anti inflammatory. You have demonstrated it yourself. Do you have a choice?No. Absolutely not. I love to hear. But what is surprising to me is how dramatic it’s been. And also I have done this on my own. I absolutely love my doctor/surgeon he has said Gale we don’t know but if you cure it we will name the disease after you. It has been a long journey with natural paths, allergists etc. but diet is definitly the key.You know how some doctors will say, “well of course that person got better they changed from eating junk to improving their diet.” I havent eaten junk way before my ear issue. My only change was no gluten, (stomach ache) no sugar, no dairy and much less animal protein.I am a Dr. Greger groupie!You dont want a disease named  after you – instead I will propose “Gales cure” !!!Admirable that you did it on your own.By the way: Caldwell B. Esselstyn MD says: Moderation kills!No sugar, no dairy, no (less) animal protein is probably a big step from your previous diet (even if it was considered “healthy”) In my view you cant have a healthy diet if you eat any animal products (well once in a while probably doesn`t hurt)I am totally in agreement. I have been completely vegan at times and the thought of eating it would make me giggle with at how absurd the thought was. (years ago)But now I just know it’s what’s best for me. My friends and family already think I am a bit weird with my food restrictions! One more won’t even make them flinch. :-)The minority is always right, so dont mind what your family and friends think or say. You are a living proof.Who cares about them–this is about You!!!! Freedom!!!  Independence!!!!  Living better forever!!!!Keep it up and teach others when they are willing to be taught!.“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.”  Buddhist proverb.Gale, I am wondering how things have been and where you stand with your food-triggers re: ears. Certain gluten grains and small amounts of chicken cause piercing ear pain for me. So strange, bizarre. I really wish I understood better the scientific logic as to why this occurs.Elsie, I know that I suffer in different ways when I eat certain things. I was taught to rotate my diet every 4 days when I was extremely ill. I was told to keep a food diary for each meal and then write down the symptoms that occurred after each meal. It is called The Rotation Diet. I made it like a calender and kept it on the refrigerator. I made simple meals so that I could target the foods that caused me problems.All my food had to be fresh….nothing from a can or a box or package. If I ate eggs for breakfast on Monday then I could not have eggs for 4 days. I eliminated all dairy as I was told it was a mucous forming product…no cheese…no yogurt…..no creamer for coffee. I started feeling better right away!I found out the foods that caused certain symptoms and if I had to have them I ate them maybe one time a month. My body healed and I continue to follow the rotation diet today. Now very few foods bother me.Lastly I do juice a couple of times a week now and feel so much energy afterwards.The way we eat is a habit. We were taught our eating patterns. Choosing better foods will push out the bad habits and replace them with healthier choices that will help support a healthier immune system.Elsie I hope this gets to you. Sorry but I never got this reply-I suppose because I actually registered to the website. So to make a long story short–I am doing great and have never been healthier. After this exchange with my favorite doctors I went vegan that day. (July 4, 2012) I haven’t missed meat one bit.So both of my eardrums were replaced as I stated above at the beginning of this thread and that autoimmune disease is behind me! I actually went swimming in the ocean for the first time a few weeks back which has been off limits in the past.The very curious thing that has happened since going WFPB which I didn’t expect is that my thyroid medication has been cut in half. So originally I was on 200mcg of Synthroid. I am now down to 100mcg. I just had my blood work done last week so we will see if the dose goes down further. My endocrinologist is by no means an integrated medicine type but her theory is that my gut has healed and I am absorbing more. She doesn’t seem to think the thyroid gland has actually healed due to the nature of the disease and the scaring that takes place but who knows? I have done MedLine searches and I can’t find anything that says “oh yeah expect your thyroid meds to go down when you become WFPB” so I will be a case study of 1.By the way: Caldwell B. Esselstyn MD says: Moderation kills!he is not PURE VEgan. He has done AMAZING Work, But He has admitted to eating some animal Products. I LOVE Dr. Esselstyn, But He does not say, DOWN with MEAT, Eat ONLY Plant Based….He does preach some moderation. It is We, The Extreme Zealots For Our Own Health That Take it All the Way. :) Kat HarrisAppreciate this health update. Keeps me focused on making good food choices. Thank you Dr Greger.I hope these studies lead to a “unified theory” of autoimmune disease – with the goal to “cure” these cruel diseases by finding a way to STOP the attack on our own bodies.  I have not been able to do that with my own autoimmune neuropathy even though I’ve been faithful to a Fuhrman style high nutrient, gluten free diet for four years.  I’m still looking for the key even though I’m surely better off than I would have been with SAD.Many people who are intolerant to gluten also can’t handle other grains or legumes.Great video! I love research-based nutritional info!The claim I hear is that animal products won’t cause inflammation if people suppliment with probiotics. Any truth to this claim? were these studies taking into account people with good digestive flora when considering inflammation?I wonder if this is true of all saturated fats? I eat a lot of coconut and cacao butter – have they tested plant-based saturated fats for the same effect? The saturated fats a family that varies a bit depending on the number of carbon atoms typically either 5,12, 14, 16 or 18. The body handles these similarly although studies suggest some differences. What is clear that they are all calorically dense foods which contribute to obesity. We don’t “need” them… we need to consume omega3 and omega6 unsaturated fatty acids. Also saturated fats often travel with other natural (such as cholesterol and animal protein) see…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/ and unnatural compounds( pcbs, endocrine disrupters, pesticides) see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/…  which cause other problems and are associated with food borne illnesses. I would recommend applying the precautionary principle and avoiding. Eating whole foods and avoiding foods with labels avoids many problems. Unfortunately it is impossible to test the saturated fats independently since all oils have a mixture of unsaturated oils.Right from the get-go the study is flawed. They used sausage egg McMuffin  and the tested people afterward. Inflammation occurred. But since the flour/wheat based muffin was not separated from the sausage we have no way of definitively knowing weather it was the muffin or the meat that caused the inflammation. Wheat is a known inflammatory. You may as well have told all the participants to wear blue shirts, eat the egg mcmuffin and the tested them. You could just as easily conclude that wearing blue shirts causes arterial inflammation as the sausage did based on the method of this study.I eat a plantbased diet. But I was wondering the exact same thing. Also the bacon and eggs would have been cooked in polyunsaturated oils, which causes more inflammation in the body than organic saturated fats from grass fed animals. “nutrition and physical degeneration” by weston a price 1930’s show.31 completely isolated peoples around the world had one thing in common.NO Tooth decay (less than 1% of combined population) No crooked Teeth (aka crowding of the teeth, narrowed jaw line) No other Hindrances in Bodily Bones Structures. No Difficulties in birthing (Women commonly have wider pelvic bone region, Giving birth was super quick, was common for women to gave birth in solitude.) Virtually Disease free (Tuberculosis was not present)common similarites within these people are…. high intake Vitamins, Minerals, water soluable and most importantly fat soluble vitamins (fat soluables were 5X to 8x higher than typical intakes of big cities)why? their Stewardship with the land was much different than commonly found in the many depleting characteristics of agriculture)Be United! Be Be United! a preview of the book is available in bittorrent form, MP3 Audio book is great for my busy lifestyle.I agree this study is flawed and driven by a zealot like need to present information unfairly. Animal fats are good because they have HDL which are good. Carbs, sugar, unsaturated fats like vegetable oil, canola oils are the killers.The notion that dietary fat causes endothelial dysfunction is only a conditional truth, not a necessary one.Most people have poor lipid metabolism. Maybe if you don’t have poor lipid metabolism you don’t get lipotoxicity of the endothelium when you eat fat, and the fact that low carbohydrate diets don’t cause endothelial damage supports that because they improve lipid metabolism. http://gazette.jhu.edu/2011/08/01/low-carb-high-fat-diets-add-no-arterial-health-risks-to-obese/But say you do have poor lipid metabolism and don’t want to eat low carb or low fat? Are you screwed until you improve your lipid metabolism? Not really, it looks like having enough nitric oxide around to help properly dilate the blood vessels and having high levels of endogenous and exogenous antioxidants totally prevents this phenomenon, rendering it a total moot point.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11165454http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16896723Also omega-3 will automatically improve fatty acid oxidation http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20555373 probably by enhancing PPAR activity.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11679024http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12018880http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9388088So basically everything prevents lipids from damaging the arteries. If your arteries don`t function properly and can’t respond to changes in the contents of circulation than you may have a problem. I can’t stress enough the notion of context. Some nutrients prevent damage to the body, and some of them do it by helping the body transport other nutrients safely. You always want to go look for things that falsify your hypothesis and show that a nutrient is not harmful under certain circumstances, especially circumstances that we should be obtaining anyway like exercising, eating foods with antioxidants, getting enough nitric oxide precursors, etc.As for endotoxemia, it is true that dietary fat can potentially cause leaky gut, and so can glucose (I’m not seeing any suggestions to stop eating whole wheat bread though…) but orange juice doesn’t. Why? The researchers have figures this out, during their digestion macronutrients produce oxidative stress which damages the gut lining, and so orange juice with its high concentration of flavanoids will prevent this and then some. Does that mean switch your fat and bread to orange juice only? Well no, you could have all 3 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20200256 Orange juice, a piece of toast, and eggs for breakfast, without endotoxemia? Gasp!You could easily find this paper in the side bar on pubmed where the paper in the video was taken from. Imagine that! It looks like it is desirable to have something rich in antioxidants during a meal, and everyone should be doing this, so it becomes a moot point whether or not glucose of fat will cause leaky gut by themselves. It’s easily preventable, and everyone who has a good diet will be unscathed by glucose and fat. Spices, vegetables, fruits, all of that can be expected to protect the gut lining from normal damage during a meal.One tip that I picked up for going to parties where they serve food without antioxidants is to carry some grape seed extract or resveratrol in my pocket http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21289251I am glad to have been able to save you all from a fat-less, glucose-without-antioxidant-less existence. >>Spices, vegetables, fruits, all of that can be expected to protect the gut lining from normal damage during a meal.<<"Expectation" is generally not considered to constitute strong evidence, so I don't put any faith in the above. Spices–I doubt that peppercorns and various other "hot" condiments are gut-friendly, as many people complain of irritation with these spices. Stabby, the natural world is a dangerous neighborhood and many plants contain toxicants, having evolved them as a means of defense against predation. Case-by-case is the way to go, IMO, with particular attention to dose. [black peppercorns contain safrole, a carcinogen at sufficiently high doses]. How friendly are plants? Here's Bruce Ames: http://toxicology.usu.edu/endnote/05012008011.pdfWell of course I meant that the ones that could be demonstrated to have high antioxidant activity in the same way that orange juice does, not all of them. I should have been more clear there.Also agreed on the fact that plants have toxins. More natural ones than synthetic ones from agriculture. All in all I think that there is little risk to most vegetables, fruits, and spices and much benefit. The notion of toxicity as a major source of disease needs to be pit against the ability of the body to protect itself, detoxify, and such. And some foods with toxins, even some toxins like polyphenols, can be our best friends in that regard. Turmeric has toxins but the net effect on our antioxidant and toxin metabolizing enzymes is very positive.But I’m not going to say that all plants that we regard as food are benign, no way.Glad to hear it. And it is similarly irrational and unproductive to vilify animal foods, IMO. But that seems to be an important theme here. Too bad.Agreed, I’m actually just here because someone posted this on facebook and I was aware of the issue and the whole story, that both glucose and fat produce ROS and leaky gut as they get digested and flavanoids like those in orange juice can prevent it.I find that a lot of the supposed problems with “animal foods” are eliminated by eating a whole diet that is healthy in general. There is a synergy in a diet between many foods, and if it looks like we’re not adapted to a particular food it’s not always that simple, we can’t be said to be adapted to a particular food or maladapted to it, but to entire diets.And I recognize the nutritional usefulness of “animal foods” and so I always look for a way in which a potential problem with certain ones could be avoided in order to benefit from a more diverse diet.Haha. Awesome. Thanks. :-)What I get from this is that you can eat foods that are apparently harmful, harmful being defined as causing inflammation, as long as you consume antioxidants with that meal. Would you then presume that these high antioxidant meals merely act as a buffer to the inflammation, and that this reduction in inflammation merely reaches a baseline, or close to it. To summarize what I am trying to say, consuming an inflammatory food with a high antioxidant food may buffer the inflammation, but eliminating this highly inflammatory food altogether and consuming only ant-inflammitory foods would be more beneficial in that there is no need to buffer, freeing the antioxidants to ease oxidative stress in other cells. Buffering has already been established when it comes to consuming kale juice and smoking, but I don’t see this as an excuse to smoke as long as you consume Kale juice as well as other high antioxidant foods.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/None of these studies “prove” that the saturated fat is causing this inflammatory response. The products consumed in these studies include meat, dairy, eggs, grains. One of the biggest confounding variables of all the mentioned studies is the fact that they don’t test saturated fat alone. Saponins, protease inhibitors, and lectins are in products such as dairy, grains, and legumes – these are all components proven to permeablize the gut, causing bacterial translocation, leading to those low levels of chronic inflammation. Saturated fat hasn’t been scientifically shown to produce this affect. Further studies testing the fat alone must be conducted before the interpretation that saturated fat causes a leaky can be made. Yep, and where are the tests of the many plant sources of sat.fat? And how much sat.fat IS there in chicken breast-meat? Almost none.And, for that matter, despite the appeal of the hypothesis, many 100s  of millions of major endotoxin eaters live long, healthy, happy lives, free of apparent inflammatory disease. And weren’t some of the alleged longest-lived human cultures those who guzzled fermented milk products?Re a heart attack or stroke, we are far from quantifying or even assigning causality here. Good point about saponins—It’d be interesting to see the effects on acute inflammation of eating an oz or two of alfalfa sprouts—they’re loaded with alfalfa saponins.I truly do love this site, and frequently recommend it in my work, and appreciate the work Dr. Greger is doing. However, at times I get frustrated with some of the postings. I find the premise of the site – that a vegan diet is superior in every way, for every one – to be a completely unfounded, and potentially dangerous, inference to make as a universal recommendation. There are many sound indigenous diets that incorporate animal products daily.  Yes, for some people vegan diets maximize their biochemical capacities. However, for others (I would argue the majority) they do not. I have seen many folks blood work, mood, and overall vitality improve with the inclusion of HIGH-QUALITY animal products.  I have also seen myriad folks wilt on a vegan diet, and fight it until they again include some animals products and are reanimated–in spirit and blood markers. I don’t believe there is a single panacea diet as each individual must be regarded in terms of their composition, level of activity, goals, and age.  No two people are alike. We cannot trap patients within physicians’ philosophical orientations. This particular posting features articles based on people eating McDonald’s Egg McMuffins and then posits that ALL animal fat triggers inflammation? This is absurd. How is fastfood animal fat, or industrial farmed animal products, necessarily indicative of all animal fat? How can folks simply conflate degree and kind?   For example, grass-fed beef is not the same as McDonald’s beef.  There are shades of ambiguity that a physician must navigate.  If human diet recommendations were so black and white, then we would have never survived as a species as evolution hinges on adaptation. I’m sincerely not trying to be disrespectful, I’m just merely highlighting that medicine and health care require a hermeneutical keenness that frees individual patients from becoming abstracted generalities. Yes it is easier to provide care if you have the “right” answer but that doesn’t necessarily make one a good physician or health advocate. We need to be open to the possibility that because patients are different, they thrive in different ways. This is the foundation of patient-centered care. I digress…The reason Dr. Greger promotes a vegan diet so strongly is because there is an abundance of evidence that animal foods do indeed increase our risk for chronic illnesses and when one is trying to reverse a chronic illness animal foods only hurt, not help the treatment/reversal of this disease. For example, the inclusion of a single serving of meat in a week when trying to treat type 2 diabetes significantly regresses the treatment. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677007In this day and age, healthy populations are increasingly hard to find. The inuits even who have a meat centric diet live on average 10 years less then the average American. The okinawans on the other hand who had almost a totally plant based diet with the inclusion of a small amount of meat have the most centenarians per capita in their population. I am not sure if they have been westernized but this data was taken back from the 1950’s.Caloric restriction, the traditional Okinawan diet, and healthy aging: the diet of the world’s longest-lived people and its potential impact on morbidity and life span.TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785 Total weight (grams) 1262 Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4 Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9) Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85) Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6) Saturated fatty acid 3.7 Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6 Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8 Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)Grains Rice 154 (12) Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7) Nuts, seeds <1 (<1) Sugars 3 (<1) Oils 3 (2) Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6) Fish 15 (1) Meat (including poultry) 3 (<1) Eggs 1 (<1) Dairy <1 (<1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69) Other potatoes 2 (<1) Other vegetables 114 (3) Fruit <1 (<1) Seaweed 1 (<1) Pickled vegetables 0 (0) Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (<1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some points:Their diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a day. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17986602Furthermore, we understand more and more what specific nutrients in animal foods are harmful and the mechanics behind this. As this mountain of knowledge continues to build , it becomes more clear that a plant based diet is indeed truly superior to any other diet out there.Yeah, sweet potatoes made up the bulk of their calories.. NOT GRAINS.Grains have been implicated in only positive health attributes, and most major cultures of the world have a starch, including grains, that they thrive on. You cannot try and argue this philosophically with me, provide some science based evidence for your claims.Great video.  Thank you for all the hard work and effort you make to deliver us the best of science about nutrition. I’m huge fan of your work for quite a long time.But back to video. Reminds me your previous video titled “Soymilk Suppression?”. I’ve heard that black tea is product of fermentation, so I wonder if it could contains some amount of endotoxin. Due to that if dairy or soy milk is added to tea and is known to block some properties of that tea I wander if that mechanism could be somehow connected with endotoxin. Moreover I’m interesting where this endotoxin is actualy absorbed? Would it be in the stomach? And if so, is it especially saturated fat that enhance this absorption, or would it be any kind fo fat? I’m curious if there is any studies that measured andotoxin level after saturated and unsaturated fat cansumption. And finally, what about another fermented foods? I know that endotoxin is mainly produced by gram-negative bacteria, so what about vinegar for example? Thank you once again and looking forward to your answer.I have been reading a lot about this Paleo diet (not that I would ever eat meat again), but I do have a couple of questions– Mark Sisson and co have been saying that it isn’t animal products, but grains that are inflammatory.  This (they say) results from wheat trying to protect itself from being eaten and releasing toxins that the body can’t break down.  Is there any truth to this?  Also they are talking about people becoming “fat-adapted”  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-fat-adapted-part-2-qa/#ixzz20G2qImsZDoes this happen? Is it a good thing?  And does the difference of grass-fed cows make a huge difference and actually lower the chance for heart disease? These are all claims that I have been wondering about.The paleo diet relies heavily on pseudo science. Dr. Greger actually covers this diet in his free e book here with over a thousand references http://www.atkinsexposed.org/Wheat does indeed have these antinutrients, or so called “toxins” in them. But that’s only half the story, because cooking deactivates these anti-nutrients which include lectins, phytic acid, trypsin and α-amylase inhibitors. This is fairly well established common nutritional knowledge.As far as inflammation goes, we have here, strong scientific evidence that endotoxins cause inflammation with laboratory tests to confirm this. We now understand the majority of the mechanics behind it. Again, the paleo diet advocates make assertions without good evidence or half truths. They commonly look at the inuits as their role models or other tribes, such as the maaize, living on a meat centric diet. What they fail to mention is that the Inuits live 10 years less then the average American and that the maaize live on average till about the age of 45. The concept of trying to live like our ancestors is appealing, but these short life expectancies are something i do not idolize. This same logic can be seen with many raw foodists who also use this argument of trying to live like our ancestors.I’m not paleo, but i am a health researcher and the concepts of paleo are not pseudo science. Why is it that gut healing diets are all centered around cutting out grains and legumes and eating bone broth, Meats and veggies… And why do the majority of people heal eating this way…? I unfortunately know too many former vegan who are eating a paleo diet bc of poor health that they developed as a vegan. I think it comes down to ur personal biochemistry. And, what’s unhealthy about a natural diet of veg, fruits, nuts, fish, eggs, meats? Everything in moderation, peeps?!The concept of Moderation is killing Americans. On average, Americans are taking in less than 40% of the minimum recommended amounts of Whole Grains, Vegetables, Fruits and Fiber. Yet, at the same time, they are taking in over 230% of the amount of Sat Fat,Added Sugars, Fats, Refined Grains and Sodium.So, who can moderate?Moderation would do absolutely nothing to improve these numbers.What we do need is a dramatic increase in the amount of fruits, vegetables and whole grains while at the same time a dramatic decrease in the amount of Sat Fat, added sugars, fats, refined grains and sodium.Moderation is only an excuse and rationalization which is being fueled by the clever marketing and advertising of the food industry to keep us doing the things we know we shouldn’t be doing and to keep us consuming their products, which in the end, is actually a major contributor to our ill health and early death.We are all humans, and I do believe while humans can eat a number of foods, there is indeed an optimal diet, and the evidence strongly points towards a plant based diet, not a diet with lots of fish, eggs and other meat.If you can provide evidence for you claims that would be greatly appreciated, as a health researcher I would think you would expect others to go off of true science rather than personal anecdotes about vegans converting to eat a paleolithic diet. Moderation really has little value if it is not defined how much moderation is. 1 egg a day, a week, a month?Eggs are considered good sources of lutein and omega 3 and an excellent source of protein. For these reasons, they are considered health foods. Firstly, chickens only have lutein due to the fact that they have a varietized feed, these nutrients are not inherent of eggs. A spoonful of spinach has as much lutein as 9 eggs. We cannot really consider eggs an appropriate source of this nutrient. As for protein, all whole foods are complete sources of protein so this statement to its benefits is insignificant. Energy needs satisfy energy expenditures which is equivalent to protein needs. As long as you eat whole plant foods when your hungry till your full, then your getting enough protein.Regarding Omega 3, current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day. Omega 3 processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA, which is highly anti inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. The fact that eggs are the top source of arachadonic acid nulls and voids benefits received from the omega 3 in the egg itself. High intake of arachadonic acid is linked to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with cancer development.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616uidhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18774339http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128In fact, David Spence, director of stroke prevention/atherosclerosis research center and one of the worlds leading stroke experts, said that based on the latest research, you can eat all the eggs you want IF your dying of a terminal illness. Eggs are not considered health promoting nutritionally speaking. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400699Eggs have been linked with heart failure http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18954578As well as type 2 diabetes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/?tool=pubmedFurthermore, in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, David Spence, David Jenkins (the inventor of the glycemic index) and Jean Davignon (director of atherosclerosis research group) posted a review on eggs claiming that the egg industry has been downplaying the health risks of eggs through misleading advertisements. As soon as you eat one egg, you expose your body to several hours worth of oxidative stress, inflammation of ones arteries, endothelieum impairment (what keeps you blood running smoothly) and increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidize (beginning stages of heart disease).http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9001684The egg industry has claimed that cholesterol from eggs is not important and does not raise cholesterol levels. The fundamental flaw in the study the egg industry has used to make this claim is that they measured FASTING lipid levels at night and not levels through out the day after egg consumption. “Diet is not all about fasting lipids; it is mainly about the three-quarters of the day that we are in the nonfasting state. Fasting lipids can be thought of as a baseline; they show what the endothelium was exposed to for the last few hours of the night.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/?tool=pubmedA single egg yolk contains approximately 215 to 275 mg of cholesterol. A safe upper limit can be capped at 200 mg if one is looking to prevent heart disease. One egg far exceeds this daily upper limit.Fish is also, by far, the most contaminated animal product one can eat. These contaminants take years to leave the body, so why ingest a steady stream of these pollutants?Dr. Greger has gathered much of the research on harms seen with animal product consumption. If you are truly interested in delving further, explore this website.I dont have time to argue or post studies.. Ost of these studies that dr G posts are not based on grass fed meats, natural whole foods, or healthy diets…. They are done with processed foods. Thus, u cannot compareAnd why do more people heal their guts and autoimmune issues going paleo vs vegan?The opposite is true, in fact. Those on a meat centric diet tend to have much more severe cases of autoimmune diseases as well as more severe IBS. Where is your evidence?there are an abundance of studies showing that a vegan diet can significantly alleviate, if not reverse rheumatoid arthritis. Meat has been implicated in making this disease more aggressive.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11177171http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10479237http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9566667http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1681264http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/content/36/1/64.longhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7986787http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/content/40/10/1175.shorthttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11890437http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11252685http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11156742need I go further?Regardless of organic vs conventional, there are inherent compounds found in meat, from xenoestrogens in milk, to too much preformed arachidonic acid in eggs and chicken, as well as endotoxins found in all animal foods and a spike in IGF-1 which leads to cancer promotion in all animal foods as well.Modern meat compared with wild game still produced an inflammatory response, so we cannot view meat as a healthy food on all fronts.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20377925Whether they be organic or not, these compounds still exist, so again, where is your evidence. Stating that “why do more people heal their guts and autoimmune issues going paleo vs vegan?” is not evidence, as this is simply a statement backed without science.If you truly are a nutritional researcher I would think you would hold yourself to a higher standard for evidence.It’s not the absence of meat, but the presence of more vegetables that causes healing on a “vegan” diet. Add more vegetables to your meat diet and you’ll have the same effect. Comparing a vegan diet with an egg mc muffin (and calling it “meat”) is like comparing a meat diet with soy milk (and calling it a “vegan” diet)Despite the government shoving the whole grain food pyramid diet down everyones throat, people still can’t adhere to it. Go tell an indigenous tribe that they’re unhealthy for eating meat. Except.. they all look like olympic athletes or lightweight boxers.Hi, do you know if sprouted or even just soaked beans are ok to help heal the gut? thxWhat you failed to mention.. is that the short life expectancy is due to BEING EATEN BY A LION OR TIGER OR POLAR BEAR.. or getting a cut, getting an infection and not having emergency medical care. Falling and breaking their leg.. etc. NOT from diet. Diabetes, heart disease, stroke are nearly unheard of in indigenous tribes. The ones that do survive to old age are still active and have the body composition of an olympic athlete. Have you watched any shows like Beyond Survival with Les Stroud? Do you see any of the old tribesman that are obese? NO because they don’t exist. Do you see them injecting themselves with insulin or talking about their diabetes and strokes? NO because they don’t have those problems. Do you see how they’re ripped and shredded with straight up 8 packs and rippling muscles? You’re telling me that’s unhealthy? It’s interesting that an anthropologist can tell the difference between a western modern skeleton and an old skeleton just by looking at bone density and teeth. Their bones are thicker, their teeth are stronger and have way fewer cavities. Hmm…What tribesman in modern society do you know of, other then the Inuits who live 10 years less then Americans, follow a meat centered diet and that have a lifespan comparable with those of the US.I’m not sure. I’m not against meat but am positive that the only healthy meat, and even then in limited quantities, and according to medicinal need, are those with good immunity. That would mean animals caught in the wild, according to season, environment, and their diet, are the only ones edible. For the average person, chinese medicine says animal products should be about 5% of your diet. Seems about right to me but only if one could get ‘em as natural as one could thousands of years ago.I think an important addition to this discussion is the importance of the lymphatic system and it’s primary functions, particularly regarding inflammation in the gut. The video cut short of explaining how the body would prefer to deal with toxins and harmful bacteria from anything we consume.  Sadly, it is still poorly understood, but we do know that it is the primary method of fat absorption from the small intestine.  Furthermore, it is the “platform” for the immune system (most people will have experienced swollen lymph nodes during illness) where innate and adaptive immune responses are generated.  Detoxification is yet another important function, where the absorption of nutrients must (should) first pass through the liver before entering the bloodstream.  Compromising this design with a leaky gut obviously allows toxins and bacteria to enter the bloodstream directly, without a filter, so to speak. Naysayer here. You’ve been warned. First off the study cited in the beginning of the video cuts off the rest of the so called “high-fat meal” just plainly stating that an Egg McMuffin and Sausage McMuffin are part of the meal. I would personally like to see the entirety of the meal composition. Without that knowledge however we’ll just move ahead with what the video showed us. The main culprit according to the theory advocated here is saturated fat causes inflammation and gut permeability. Let’s break this meal down and see if this study points us towards this conclusion. So the meal had 14 grams of saturated fat total. That leaves 36 grams of fat that is either polyunsaturated or monounsaturated. So right off the bat most of the fat is coming from polyunsaturates and monounsaturated fats. Not a good start but lets keep on cruising. This coming from snack-girl.com an Egg McMuffin contains: 300 calories, 12 g fat, 30 g carbohydrates, 18 g protein, 2 g fiber, 820 mg sodium. Fair enough. Immediately I notice that there is more than double the amount of carbohydrates in an Egg McMuffin then there are fats. Hmm… What about the Sausage McMuffin? Well this coming from foodfacts.com: 22 g Total Fat, 8 g Saturated. Cool…so 14 g are both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Most of the fat again in this meal so far have been poly’s or mono’s. Good to know. Run on Sentence Warning: Forgetting about the fact that the wheat and soy are some of the most allergenic substances known to man and have been GMO’d beyond all recognition and that both wheat and soy constitute a large amount of both the Egg and Sausage McMuffin, and that the egg was prepared with liquid margarine containing the following ingredients, again taken from snack-girl.com:  liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono-and diglycerides, sodium  benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene (color), and forgetting that hydrogenated oils aka TRANS FATS are more pro-inflammatory that the fires of Hell, and that processed vegetable oil consumption has increased along with greater incidences of heart disease over the past 50 years, let’s just assume that the voice behind the video is telling the truth when he mind numb-ingly states that SATURATED FAT is the cause of inflammation and leaky gut when most of the meal didn’t even constitute saturated fat but instead polyunsaturated vegetable oil and hydrogenated soybean oil (polyunsaturated oil heated to incredible temperatures so that hydrogen may bond to it increasing shelf life and the temperature at which the oil burns or smokes) and that 450 calories of the entire meal were either carbs or protein. Mostly carbohydrates. Easily digestible, incredibly denatured processed and refined carbohydrates. The kind that breaks down like sugar in the body and spikes insulin production leading to fat storage and an inflammatory response incited thereof. So most of what comprises this meal which the scientists cited in the study and which the narrator used as proof for his theory and disinformation is refined carbs, processed polyunsaturated highly unstable unfit for human consumption vegetable oils, and hydrogenated oils which often get lumped into the saturated fat category when in reality are in a league of their own under Trans Fats. Let me just be frank and speak common sense. The food came from McDonald’s that was used in the study cited in the first part of this video. They, McDonald’s, makes the cost on their end as low as possible and charge the consumer as much as possible to make a profit. Refined carbs and processed vegetable oils are cheap. They add bulk and preserve the product. It really isn’t food in a sense that it nourishes you. It’s crap. Most of it isn’t even saturated animal fat. Most of the food served in that place is refined carbs, sugar, and pro-inflammatory oils. Use your brain. Why would a food that has been nourishing humans for thousands of years (saturated animal fat) all of a sudden be bad for us? Look at human mothers milk. Most of the fats are saturated. Absurdity aptly abbreviates appropriately all abundantly. Moving on, the study cited at around the  2:15 mark stated that whipped cream jolts inflammation. There is a graph with TLR4 in MNC (mononuclear cells) in the vertical section and cream, notice it doesn’t say whipped cream like the narrator said, glucose, OJ, and Water along the horizontal. WTF is TLR4? Well it’s a troll-like receptor. It is part of the immune system. It attaches to microbes or endotoxins. According to the narrator fats cause the bloodstream to be flooded with endotoxins originating from the gut, or so the theory goes. What about the cream? Undoubtedly is was pasteurized and came from cows sitting in their own dung hence the need for pasteurization. Also the diet of the milk cow is corn and soy which makes the cow produce lots of milk. It’s sold by the gallon not by the quantity of nutrients. Cows typically eat grass in a normal setting. Normal cow milk is high in CLAs (conjugated linoleic acids) and Omega-3s. Machine cows produce high Omega-6 milk with traces of pesticides and antibiotics. The cream then being pasteurized, littered with dead microbe bodies, and omega six fatty acids will obviously stimulate an immune response as all cooked food does. Kind of hard to recognize natural things in our bodies when we keep messing with their structure and composition. As for the leaky gut I’m appalled at the stretch that was made. Fat causes the gut to leak? Our gut is made out of fat! Stress, sugar, alcohol, and processed vegetable oil causes our gut to leak not to mention a severe lack of the building blocks of the gut which would help our body patch up the holes! Flora imbalance, antibiotics, NSAIDS (ibuprofen), are factors in leaky gut. Here is the deal. Whoever wrote the script for this video knew it was bogus. So I’m going to talk to the poor innocent souls who believe such lies. Don’t buy into this so quickly. Do your own research. Believe me, there are people who will lie right to your face. They have an agenda and your health and education aren’t part of it. Use common sense. Don’t be a mind controlled robot. Your body needs saturated fats. Your brain requires cholesterol in abundance. The McDonald’s meal doesn’t prove that saturated fats are evil. It just proves that McDonald’s doesn’t have the healthiest food. Anyone with half a brain knows that. This video is pure misinformation persuading you away from the truth so that you may be perpetually under the weather so to speak. Ask yourself this: What did people eat before all of these new diseases started popping up? Why didn’t they get the same diseases? What did they eat and what changed in our diet that made us sick? If you want a wake up call and an end to the BS like the video above check this out: http://vimeo.com/10533993  Sorry about the sloppiness of the writing and the hastiness of the point making and the grittiness of the presentation. It’s late, I’m tired but I can’t let stuff like this go unchallenged. All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing. Seriously though folks. Use your brain. Anybody with a microphone and some video editing software can make a video and present all of what they say as the gospel of truth. Doesn’t make it so. It took me one video to see through this whole website. Now I just laugh at their insidious lies and pathetic attempts at brainwashing. You can fool some people some of the time but you can’t fool all the people all the time. Good luck out there. It’s a mad world. go eat 500 calories of sat fat then take a hard run, lemme know how it works out for you.  doosh.http://eatingacademy.com/why-i-decided-to-lose-weightOk. I just had a fat ribeye and did 2 hours of martial arts. Whats your point?Dr. Greger, Did this study include fish? Is the endotoxemia effect seen from the injection of fish as well as meat and eggs?If this study did not take into account fish injestion, is there any research that does?No, this study did not include fish. I have not seen any research on fish and endotoxemia.I haven’t considered an egg mcmuffin food for many years. Come on.Any dairy will cause me incredible pain after an hour or two. I have cut out ALL dairy, including casein and whey. It takes 100% participation to notice a difference, since any small amount causes me great pain. I have to read food packages carefully, since it seems like so many things contain dairy, like bread products. I have been dairy free for over a year now and would NEVER go back to dairy! My mother has osteoarthritis and has had both hips replaced in the last 2 years. I am 54 and was on the same path according to my doctor before I changed my diet and went dairy free. It has literally changed my life.I have granuloma annulare. Has any research demonstrated a definite correlation between leaky gut syndrome and this autoimmune affliction?Thanks, as always, Dr. Greger, for all this great info. I need all the info I can get to stop going back to buying and eating one of my obsessional foods, Jarsberg cheese. Thankfully, it is my last holdout. You have helped me feel icky about it. That’s what I need. The way the animals are raised, all the way to what it does to my arteries to the fat doing it’s damage, everywhere. One of the most important things about your site is that I can go back, watch and read in more detail whatever I need to know to keep me on my chosen healthy way of eating vegan. It helps me so much when I am swayed by outside influences or my own weaknesses to go off into old habits. I want to prefer the healthy way of eating. Thank you so much.This doctor needs to turn in his license or have it revoked. A sausage McMuffin is NOT meat. Lets see you repeat your findings with grass fed liver or grass fed ribeye and see what happens…. Not a real doctor at all. Must be in bed with special interests to put out BS like this.I always find it so amusing when people blame Dr Greger for studies done by other scientists. He just reports.Some people cannot eat meat. Grass fed or otherwise. What do animals eat? Grass. We’re animals what should we eat? Plants.True. I almost had a heart attack I was headed for it. I had a cardiologist and everything. Decided to live life. Quit my job, ate plant based, did yoga. 10 months later I’m 40 pounds lighter, I can breathe, my chest isn’t tight. Vegetables and fruit that’s it! You will feel like another person. I’m happy, my wife is very happy, my kids are happy. The mood swings are gone and my mind is back in a good place.Shawn: Great story! Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.Dr. Greger, I just found a new study which seems to say that there’s no difference in the way arteries react a diet that is high in saturated fat, mono-saturated fat or carbohydrates. Can you explain this apparent contradiction?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23964054It would be nice to get an update from the doctor regarding the flaw in this study.The Egg McMuffin was eaten with an English muffin; wheat is a known inflammatory.White flour yes, but whole wheat is antiinflammatory. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/70/3/459s.full.pdfEgg McMuffins use white flour… so is this study compromised?No, because the mechanism of saturated fat is still understood as a gut transport. White flour does not contain appreciable amounts of saturated fat.It sounds like you’re saying that the study is proof until someone points out the problem with mixing in confounding variables, and then the study methology doesn’t matter because you just KNOW it’s the fat. If the study can’t prove anything then why even use it as evidence? Campbell found wheat caused more inflammation and disease than meat did and he found no association with animal fat at all. If we know that white flour is VERY inflammatory, then pointing to meat studies that include white flower wouldn’t make any sense if you’re trying to prove that meat causes inflammation.According to the USDA nutrient database, whole wheat is inflammatory too and most meat is not.The database does not take into account the phytonutrient profile of a food which significantly dictates its inflammatory property. Regardless of what the database says, we have abundant proof that meat is inflammatory, and you can search this site to find more studies to show this. The USDA databse provides useful information of a nutrient profile but does a poor job of dictating if a food is healthy or not. For example, all fruits are listed as being “too high in sugar”, yet we know the fiber provides a slower release and studies do not show fruit consumption linked with disease, but the opposite.Dr. Greger summarizes some of this here.http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/In this study, overweight subjects were fed a diet that included either refined wheat or whole wheat. (3 bread slices, 2 crisp bread slices, 1 portion muesli, and 1 portion pasta) After 6 weeks there was no difference at all in their insulin sensitivity or inflammatory markers. The whole wheat was just as inflammatory as the refined wheat.J. Nutr. June 2007 vol. 137 no. 6 1401-1407I’m trying to see what you mean about all fruits being too high in sugar according to the database, but I don’t find that. They give a cup of Apple a glycemic load of 3 which is pretty darn low. I checked papaya too since I’m eating some right now and that was only a 3 as well. Can you reference an example of that too high in sugar warning to help me understand?From the nutrition facts of an apple: “The bad: A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1809/2#ixzz2xHURKyUfWhole wheat bread may be a poor example due to its easy digestibility when compared with less easily digested grains (ex. brown rice, wheat berries, oats, quinoa, etc.) http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251The insulin spikes are similar with whole wheat flour, as cracked wheat or wheat berries are digested much slower.Toxins,The USDA provides the nutrient data. I do see the quote you shared when I click the link, but that comment is coming from Self Magazine, the host of that particular calculator. And even though the heading reads, “The bad:”, the statement about the bulk of the calories coming from sugar is an accurate one. Above that it also says “The good: This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin C”. That seems like a pretty balanced description. They have to treat each food as though it is going to be eaten in isolation unless or until you add something else. I didn’t find anything there that suggested to me that the reader was being advised to avoid eating them. Please let me know if you interpret that differently. You said it is the phytonutrients that make whole wheat anti-inflammatory, and I don’t understand how the phytonutrient content changes when the wheat is ground. It still contains the same fiber and phytonutrients. It wasn’t only flour-based versions that the participants ate, they also ate muesli which is usually a whole grain (as in unground) food. Most cultures that eat a diet high in whole wheat eat it in the form of bread too and I’ve seen other comments of yours suggesting that the high amount of wheat is partly responsible for the health of those cultures in other threads. If you’re claiming that whole wheat is anti-inflammatory, where refined wheat is inflammatory, I see no evidence of that.I agree that the insulin spikes are the same whether the wheat is whole or refined, but if diabetes is about inflammation and dietary fat, then the glycemic impact shouldn’t matter because this effect should be reduced if the whole wheat has anti-inflammatory properties. This study didn’t show that at all.Phaedra: You wrote, “I don’t understand how the phytonutrient content changes when the wheat is ground. It still contains the same fiber and phytonutrients.”I once saw a talk from Brenda Davis, RD where she showed nutrition levels for grains going down as the grains were processed more. Flour was the lowest. (Sprouted intact grain was the highest.)Rightly or wrongly, I interpreted that to mean that when you process a grain, such as grinding it up into flour, the substance starts to loose its nutrition. Just like say, when you pick a fruit or veggie from the plant, it starts a decline in nutrition that continues over time.Just a thought for you.Good point, Thea. I’ve never heard of Brenda Davis, but I don’t doubt that there are differences in the raw ingredients, especially in the unstable fatty acids. But since you have to cook grain to make it edible, and the cooking reduces many phytonutrients far more than milling, (ie: phytate), I’d be more interested in the nutrient content of the finished foods. I know of lots of people who freshly grind wheat berries when they bake, in the interest of preserving nutrients, but then eat the bread over the course of several days, meaning the grain is still several days past grinding and losing nutrients by the minute. I also know of many who soak and cook up a pot of whole grain on the weekend and then portion it out over the week. I believe I even watched one if Doc Greger’s videos that encouraged this, but I’m not sure. I think that if you consider that leaving grain whole also makes the nutrients less available because the intact cellulose reduces digestibility, it seems like six of one or a half dozen of the other.Considering the way most people eat whole grains, I can’t see how whether they are whole or ground makes much if any difference in the phytonutrient content of the cooked and edible form– and if the argument is going to be made that whole wheat is anti-inflammatory, does that refer only to the boiled form? And if so, what is the evidence that it really is anti-inflammatory? I can’t seem to find any data that shows that any form of wheat has an anti-inflammatory effect at all. Most data makes reference to “whole grains(plural)” and doesn’t look at wheat alone.If you go to the official “Inflammation Factor” site [http://inflammationfactor.com/look-up-if-ratings/] and put “wheat” into the search feature, the58 entries and the only anti-inflammatory forms are germ and bran, everything else is inflammatory including whole buckwheat (which isn’t technically wheat). There is also an article there that explains that they recently asked NutritionData.com to stop posting IF values because they weren’t using current IF data, suggesting that the ratings found at the official site are based on the most current data available. I think that most evidence shows that wheat is inflammatory, even whole forms. And if that’s the case, feeding someone wheat while trying to prove an inflammatory response from saturated fat makes no sense at all (unless the goal is to implicate saturated fat, and a set-up is being orchestrated).The study posted below this (or maybe above depending on how you order the list) by Allen [http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/#comment-1042406846] found no difference at all in vascular function when saturated fat is replaced with monounsaturated fat or carbohydrate. I realize this video was posted before the study was published, but it would be great to see Doc Greger address it. He’s been called out for claiming to share all of the evidence while seeming to ignoring and/or refusing to acknowledge data that doesn’t support the total elimination of animal food. It would go a long way toward proving his critics wrong if he addressed new, contrary evidence when it appearsPhaedra: All of the people I know who are eating a whole plant food based diet are focusing their diets on intact grains: wheat berries, quinoa, etc. Not lots of breads. Toxins explained why this matters, and I was just answering your question about, “I don’t understand how the phytonutrient content changes when the wheat is ground. It still contains the same fiber and phytonutrients.”Toxins explained his *theory* but there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that he is correct since the whole kernel form is rated as inflammatory too. I appreciate your point and have considered it. Though my original point remains, if wheat FLOUR isn’t very nutritious and therefore is inflammatory (because its phytonutrients are missing according to Toxins), can you definitively prove that saturated fat is the cause of the inflammation seen in response to feeding a food that gets almost as many calories from the wheat-flour muffin as it does the sausage patty? Why didn’t the researchers simply feed the sausage alone? A skeptical person might ponder whether researchers knew that it wouldn’t cause the inflammatory response they needed to vilify the fat.To the best of your knowledge, is there any data on the phyto-nutrient value of grain-based foods after *cooking*, or was all of the data you mentioned collected on the raw ingredients alone?I can’t speak to your experience, but considering most veg experts recommend whole grain breads (McDougall, Campbell, Ornish, Esselstyn, Fuhrman- {though he’s not a fan of many starches} and it appears to be generally accepted as a PBWF), it’s hard to imagine that ‘most vegans’ are choosing cooked whole kernel grains over the more convenient and portable whole-grain sandwich, wrap, bagel, flatbread or cracker. Either way, without evidence that the whole grains retain more of their phyto-nutrients than milled grains do after cooking, it’s all just speculation.Phaedra: There is one more bit I wanted to correct. You wrote, “He’s been called out for claiming to share all of the evidence…” To the best of my knowledge, Dr. Greger has never claimed to share all of the evidence. Instead, Dr. Greger says that he researches all of the evidence so that “we don’t have to.” Dr. Greger makes it clear that he is sharing what he considers to be the best science, not all of the science. In other words, Dr. Greger looks at it all, and then shares just the relevant bits with us on this site – or at least as much of the relevant bits as he has time and money for.You can find a study to prove/say whatever you want. It isn’t in the scope of this site to comment on every study, especially studies that Dr. Greger does not think are relevant or fit the body of evidence. Nor would I consider such a scope desirable. If you are looking for a site where the expert who runs it takes the time and “air space” to review all competing ideas and studies on a nutrition topic, giving an analysis of why certain studies fit the body of evidence and others do not, I’m sure you can find another site which does so. This site has a very clearly defined scope and focus that seems to work for a very large number of people.Of course, if you want to continue to get the great information that you can from this site and also post your own studies in order to get some dialog going, that is perfectly fine. Maybe someone will take you up on it.Good luck.Do We have an explanation for the Inuit diet? Apparently almost all fat, meat and fish.Here is an older but good review of the Inuit/Eskimo way of life:http://discovermagazine.com/2004/oct/inuit-paradox#.Uyhbj_ldWaorick: Check out the detailed videos by Plant Positive on YouTube or his own site. He covers the Inuit along with other animal food based human populations. You will see that the claims that humans do well on such diets are suspect at best.Good luck.Some posts from Healthy Longestivity might also be helpful to you:http://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/search/label/InuitHi, the idea of excellent cardiovascular health among inuits is probably based on inaccurate data. See this review from 2003: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12535749This guy is such a hack.We encourage active discussions on the website, but we don’t tolerate insults or name-calling. Please consider this next time you post. Thanks!ArcanVmXII,It seems that the rules here look like this- insulting Dr. Greger, a vegan member or a member who expresses wanting to be vegan, is against the rules and WILL get you a warning and may get you kicked out. However, if you yourself are a vegan, Dr. Greger, or someone who expressed wanting to be vegan, insulting those who disagree with you will be allowed to stand.Quoting Jeff Bridges in StarmanStarman [after speeding in front of a large truck]: Okay?Jenny Hayden: Okay? Are you crazy? You almost got us killed! You said you watched me, you said you knew the rules! Starman: I do know the rules. Jenny Hayden: Oh, for your information pal, that was a yellow light back there! Starman: I watched you very carefully. Red light, stop; green light, go; yellow light, go very fast.Actions outweigh words.Hello ArcanVmXII and Phaedra, we actually welcome vigorous debate of the science no matter who you are or how you eat. We aim to make NutritionFacts.org a place where people feel comfortable posting without feeling attacked by comments that are inappropriate, like name calling. So please, for everyone’s benefit, help us foster a community of mutual respect, if not then we will need to delete your comments, not because you disagree with the research presented. Thank you in advance, JacquieBeing kicked out of a dutch vegan forum I understand how a person can become hypersensitive toward vegan loathing and smugness.Selfproclaimed vegans are mostly their own biggest enemy, by combining these traits with general ignorance they tend to happily destroy their own health and thrive on annoying others along the way to the point people have to walk away.This site however is very very different!!!!! This site is nutrition and its effects on the body based. This allows it to be a gateway site for the average joe to find the info he needs on certain things and get interested in better eating along the way, maybe :)Without a doubt one of the most civilized unobtrusive sites I’ve seen. Ever!As I pointed out in another post, there is no room for animal rights in societies that do not even tend to their weakest citizens. I think Dr. Greger understands this.Hi AndreeaWhen I dropped grains and processed foods(sugars) from my diet to combat ADHD and its comorbidities, my athletes foot, with me for my whole life, cleared for 99% with full closing of the skin. No more redness or broken leaking skin.Never had it gone for more then 2 or 3 weeks after a treatment for 25 years, so I still feel its a pretty significant signal.No idea where you are showing signs but as this kind of healing goes from inward outward it could have similar effects no matter where it bothers you.Hope it helps and good luck!Please do let me know. I can’t give you a timeframe but asap.This comment was both read and allowed to stand by Dr. Greger himself.What are you? A moron? Oh, you are showing us your observation and research skills… “Worse than an ignorant person is an ignorant who thinks they know it all.”Please tell me where I can find and I will address. Thank you in advance.The quote is a hyperlink, Jacquie. Just click it.Thank you Phaedra. Done, just link your quote to see the response.The rest of these are from the same thread. If this is how this forum deals with those who insult and disrespect those of different opinions, it looks like you have your deleting-work cut out for you.  Several appear to have been made by another moderator.“the party with the established facts doesn’t need to re-prove them every time someone crawls out from under another rock.”“I would not get too frustrated with this individual. She is only here to be disruptive.”“It seems we have philosophical differences on how to be human.”“Are you familiar with the seagull phenomenon? This is when a person sh*ts on you and they fly away… They do it from a distance, from a place they believe to be elevated and then when you complain, they pretend to be utterly unaware of the trespass. In this thread, you are the seagull.”“I smell a troll! And I thought rotten eggs were bad. I’ve got a court order and that makes me sound like a religious zealot to a cholesterol confusionist with broscience?”“There’s a reason…paleotrolls on this site are banned from posting their nonsense”“trying to convince foolish people”“The paleo trolls generally don’t watch the videos or review the sources cited and only want to scream and shout total nonsense”—“Best to ignore the paleotrolls if you want meaningful discussions.”“Eggs are good for you…don’t believe this hack.”“Re the cholesterol confusionist posts—That which is gratuitously asserted may be gratuitously denied—I just don’t get why folks with veins in their teeth post total nonsense about eating animals and animal products—Does the meat/egg/dairy lobby have that much paid depth and desperation, or does grinding and suckling other animal species—have psychological effects? Why should we have any respect for the carnivore posters after toiling selflessly to respond to their crazy posts—How does being trolled give any meaning to these comment threads?”“it means you’ve really made it when the trolls show up”“Get over yourself.”Please read my post here that addresses all the above: http://bit.ly/1jQEPZJThis is wonderful information, But what should those of us who have developed sensitivities to avocado, nuts, seeds, and legumes because we have a leaky gut, do to reverse the condition since we can not eat any of these traditionally vegan protein and fat sources?I forgot to say that I also do not eat gluten or dairy.I was also searched your site and could not find any advice for someone with SIBO – which for me means no starchy carb or much fruit.Its not just animal fat. In this study the saturated fats in coconut oil increased the intestinal permeability in pigs to endotoxins:Mani, Venkatesh, James H. Hollis, and Nicholas K. Gabler. “Dietary oil composition differentially modulates intestinal endotoxin transport and postprandial endotoxemia.” Nutrition & metabolism 10.1 (2013): 6.I have a question about lectin in certain foods. Some Doctors say that foods containing lectin (especially grains, dairy, legumes-especially soybeans) is a big problem for people with Leaky gut/ IBS. Was wondering if you have some information on the effects of foods with high levels of Lectin?Sorry i dont really understand english so i sometimes find it difficult to understand some stuff but on this Video time 2:10. i want to know if Orange Juice also contribute to inflammation because i can see it among the list. someone help me if i misunderstand it.I know it’s an older video but as you’re talking about inflammation and the gut, I’d like to ask something. I’m a nutritional therapy student in UK and it seems that at the moment all the fuss is about bone broths (as gut healing, nourishing, nutrient dense foods). As a vegan, I can’t imagine myself ever recommending such a thing to clients… Dr. Greger, what’s your opinion on them or have you seen any research? I only found one study about higher lead levels in them but not much more. I’d appreciate the answer!Dear Dr Greger: I am slowly going into vegan diet but how do I go about getting the amount of protein that is supposedly found in MEAT. I can totally switch to NO meat diet today but how /what do I base my foods to get the protein/IRON in me? I recently lost my dog…best friend of 12 yrs to hemangiosarcoma cancer, not that this would do much for the talks on the human side of things….but I did so much research to help him after he had his spleen removed due to it ruptured. I had him on a 80% raw veggie 20%cooked white chicken breast and he was doing okay. But then my vet said that I was doing my dog wrong cause his RBC was very low and that he needed IRON..so I switched it and I think it was the main cause why my dog’s tumors kept growing. So I have to use this as a good example that a RAW VEGGIE diet is a good thing….Meat is BAD. But the reason for the change is that I was trusting my vet …that my dog needed for his RBC to go up and that meant I needed to give my dog MEAT. So for me….how do I maintain my IRON if I was to leave the meat out my diet? I don’t eat much of it but maybe a few times a week it would be the grass feed beef or organic chicken. Is there such thing…..ORGANIC meat? Really? So I was trying to use my dog’s experience as that the vet told me to do RED meat…but when one’s spleen is gone….doesn’t the RBC remain very LOW anyway? Can a DOG live without MEAT? Cause I keep seeing that a RAW meat diet is good for dog’s with cancer…..ugggghhhhSo would it be safer for me to go the RAW meat diet instead of cooked beef to get my IRON? uggghhhh I just want to be able to prove that going all VEGAN is possible to get all the nutrients/vitamins needed to be in good health?I feel that my best friend of 12 yrs, my dog is teaching me a lesson that feeding him the cooked beef did nothing but worsen his cancer metastasis…..Cause when he had his spleen removed back in Aug 2014, I took him off his dry foods of 12 yrs to my 80% raw greens blended up in baby food texture cause I knew his system was not going to be able to break it down….and 20% cooked chicken breast only….fm Aug- 2014 to Dec 2014 he was really healthy….very low inflammatory…but for some reason in later part of Dec his numbers jumped fm like 20 to 300 inflammatory…..so I really dont know what happened there.That is when my vet said I needed to change his diet to cooked beef/livers for IRON intake!!!!So I want to learn by this and do what is right for me…..can I get the right proteins/Iron without MEAT intake? What can I eat in place of meat that will give me all that is needed?How about this whole idea of PRO oxidant to fight against cancer????? There was a DR Dressler (cancer vet) and some other readings where it said that doing Pro Oxidant to fight the EXISTING cancer…..it causes the free radicals to get even more out of control in the cell where it will kill itself? But don’t do Pro Oxidant to keep cancer away…but if you have CANCER to do PRO oxidant???? Can you give me your insights on this as well?These are subjects that I know many folks are wondering about and I know it will help me in my own decision as well. I have a uterine tumor that I found out about 9 yrs ago….and still have it. Is there any diet that will shrink it? AS you talk about tumors….wonder if any diet would strict the blood flow to my 12cm tumor will help it shrink?Thank you much and I suppose I could have broken out these questions but figure get it all out on table and hope to hear from you Dr. Greger as I trust your site and love your information you have on your site.with much appreciationMailinmailin: Your post spoke to me on several levels, one of which is your comments about your dog. I can relate. My dog is my best friend too. Note: I started feeding a vegan kibble to my old dog about 5 years ago. That switch cleared up a serious medical problem and now my dog is outliving the averages for his breed.I thought I would address some of your concerns and then if you liked my responses and wanted more info, I would try to address other concerns. One of your questions is, “how do I go about getting the amount of protein that is supposedly found in MEAT.” The question is about getting *enough* protein. I strongly recommend that you carefully review the information in the following link. It will help you feel a lot more comfortable about the amount of protein you need and how to get it: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlDr. Greger has a bunch of videos on iron that I feel do a very good job of starting to address your iron questions: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=ironBut sometimes it is nice to be able to get a “bottom line”/straight scoop simple answer on how to get adequate levels of various nutrients. For that, I wanted to recommend Brenda Davis and Veganto Melina’s reference book, “Becoming Vegan, Express Edition”. You can look up just about any particular nutrient and get good quality and concise info about that nutrient. The book also has meal plans to give you an idea of how to eat the way recommended in the book. http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Vegan-Express-Plant-based-Nutrition/dp/1570672954/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1435015540&sr=1-1&keywords=becoming+vegan+expressAlso, you can try eating a healthy (whole food plant based diet) — with a B12 supplement! – for a while and then have blood work done to see if you are having any problems. If you decide you want to eat this way, but want some pointers on how to do so, I have a good list. Just let me know.As for cancer and shrinking tumors, there is a TON of videos on this site regarding cancer. I highly recommend taking a look.Hope that helps.I felt this inflammation once. As best I can tell it was in my carotid and in the left chest area-maybe lower. By eating one animal fat heavy meal (a work thing) after being WFPB for a few months, inflammation made itself known. It was spooky at first, but eventually faded.	animal fat,animal products,animal protein,animal studies,arthritis,butter,cancer,cardiovascular disease,dairy,diabetes,Egg McMuffin,eggs,endotoxemia,fat,fish,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,joint disease,joint health,lard,leaky gut theory,meat,milk,osteoarthritis,plant-based diets,rheumatoid arthritis,saturated fat,sausage,seafood,whipped cream	A single meal of meats, eggs, and dairy can cause a spike of inflammation within hours that can stiffen one's arteries. Originally this was thought to be the result of saturated animal fat causing our gut lining to leak bacterial toxins into our blood stream leading to endotoxemia.	In the last three videos I relayed the latest on the anti-inflammatory effect of plant-based diets. See Achieving Remission of Crohn's Disease, Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell, and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes. The endothelial dysfunction story I mention in this video is described in The Power of NO and the reference to animal proteins and arthritis is explained in Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis. Stay tuned for tomorrow's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day, The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory, and in the meanwhile please feel free to check out the 1,000+ other topics I cover.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/06/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/whipped-cream/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leaky-gut-theory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/egg-mcmuffin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20130162,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9036757,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19685439,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20864485,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20165863,
PLAIN-2940	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/	Dietary Treatment of Crohn's Disease	We know plant-based diets decrease markers of inflammation, but to see if plant-based diets decrease inflammation in a clinically relevant way, you've got to put it to the test. The gold standard for evidence in nutritional science is an interventional trial. You split people into two groups; put half on one diet, half on the other and see what happens.  Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, is an autoimmune condition where your immune system attacks your own intestines. There is no cure; all you can do is try to keep it in remission as long as possible between attacks. Sufferers are often put in anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs and may find themselves in and out of the hospital getting segments of their intestines surgically removed. Since it’s the intestine itself that’s inflamed that would seem a good condition to test out the anti-inflammatory power of plant based diets. We've known that meat, cheese… fish, and animal protein in general has been found to increase risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease but what about plants to to not just prevent but treat it? Japanese researchers took a group of Crohn’s patients in remission, either because they just came out of surgery or because they were able to beat it back with steroids. And for two year asked half of them eat a semi-vegetarian diet, meaning in this case vegetarian except for half a serving of fish a week, and half a serving of other meat once every two weeks, but otherwise they were supposed to eat vegetarian. Less than one serving of meat per week. Now this wasn’t a prison study or anything, these were free-living adults, so the results are not what necessarily happens when Crohn’s sufferers actually go on a plant-based diet, but what happens when people they are just told to eat a more plant based diet and how much they comply is up to them, which makes the results even more astounding.  Check this out…. The dashed line is the standard diet group; the solid line is the semi-veg. 200 days into the study all of the patients told to eat more of a plant-based diet are still in remission, but about 20% of the group not told to eat anything different relapsed. After a year 100% of the semi-veg group still symptom free, but the disease re-emerged in half of the standard diet group. And at the end of two years. 92% of the patients told to eat a more plant-based diet remained without disease, whereas the majority of those not given that advise relapsed back in the cycles of drugs, hospitalizations and surgery. A highly significant finding. And that horrible relapse rate is typical on typical diets. Most Crohn’s sufferers relapse within a a year or two, yet “The semivegetarian diet was highly effective in preventing relapse in Crohns disease. Remission rate, meaning disease-free status, with the semivegetarian diet was 100% at 1 year and 92% at 2 years. This is the best result in relapse prevention.” To the best of the researcher's knowledge this is the best result in relapse prevention ever reported.	This is the final video of a three-part series on the latest discoveries about fighting inflammation with plant foods. See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell and Friday’s video Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes. Inflammatory bowel disease risk is also tied to arachidonic acid, which may partially explain the animal protein connection given the levels in chicken and eggs. For more research into reversing chronic disease through diet, see Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death, Cancer Reversal Through Diet?, How to Treat Diabetes, and Research Into Reversing Aging. There are 25 other videos on inflammation and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects if you’d like more information.This is Fantastic to have supportive research to confirm what I see in my practice everyday!  Thanks for finding that study because it validates all the remissions I have had in Crohns and Ulcerative Colitis cases who go on plant based lifestyles.Best cases: I have a 10 yo boy (now 11) and his sister 8 yo (now 9) who were sufferers of Crohns and UC respectively.  Both had been to Pediatric GI docs and had visual and biopsy confirmation of their diseases.  Both were placed on Remicad and had multiple bursts of Prednisone.I convinced their Mom to go Vegan and guess what. . . both are in remission, are off their meds and have had no flare-ups since December last year.  Both are now back playing sports and excelling at being kids something that both hadn’t experienced since 7 and 6 years old.I must give credit to John McDougall, MD who helped guide me in the process of understanding the power of plant based diets.  And also for having Michael Greger, M.D. speak at his Advanced Study Weekends where I was mesmerized by Dr. Greger’s interactive lectures and learned of NF.org.Can’t beat the Power of Plants!How fortunate for your patients who are in remission because they changed their eating habits/diet!  That is considered a miracle in my book!  Your response gives me hope and believe me, that’s a big deal.  Thank you! My son, Noah, was dx in 12/09 w/Crohn’s.  He was 12 yrs. old at that time.  He started out with Sulfazaline, then went to 6mp and now Remicad.  He’s being tx’d at Loma Linda & has seen 3 GI’s so far.  NO ONE is acknowledging diet being a paramount factor in healing.  I feel like I’m on an island all by myself, since I know better.    My brain is on overload trying to learn, absorb, and dissipher (sp) all this information about Crohn’s. At this point, my biggest dilemna is convincing my now, 14 yr old Noah, to go Vegan.  He’s headed for boarding school in August and my heart is up in my throat trying to get this under control and figuring out how I can make this happen before then.  He is extremely resistant/sensitive to certain textures of food and has cravings for unhealthy foods (processed).  It’s been a real struggle to get him to eat fruits and veggies because all he really wants to eat is meat at every meal.  I have made a valiant effort to provide a balanced diet, homemade yogurt, fruit smoothies, veggies, homemade bone broths and the like.  He’s turned his nose up to all that I’ve mentioned.   Are there any guidelines to follow in regards to the appropriate nutrients a boy needs while eating Vegan?  Do you recommend supplements and probiotics?  How about a mutlivitamin? Can a Vegan diet be elemental (liquid) too?  How often do you scope your patients w/Crohns? Forgive me, please.  Do I sound like I’m about to go over the edge? This has been overwhelming to say the least.  I just want what’s best for my son.  These new biologic drugs, or drugs of any sort, given to a 14 yr old boy for an unlimited amount of time seems careless when there’s no other discussion about other healthier alternatives that have less side effects.  I’ll continue to search until I’m satisfied with the answer.  That’s the least I can do for the love of my life……  : )Blessings to all!Traportka, I don’t have a lot of time right now but I will try to give you as much information I can because of your sense of urgency.I know it is difficult to get children to change.  I have two, a 14 and 12 year old boys.  Both were hard to change but persistence and education were big factors in their making the switch.  I had them watch the Cheese/Mite video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/ To show them what is put into our foods.I had them watch part of Carnism by Melanie Joy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vWbV9FPo_Q Fast forward to the part where she shows animals have feelings and then how they slaughter animals. Warning it is not for the faint of heart.  And I MADE my children watch this. There was no barganing.  It’s imperative they  understand where the meat comes from and they needed to understand the cause and effect of their choices. You could also have them watch Earthlings which is sickening but important. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce4DJh-L7Ys Here are some success stories from patients at Dr. John McDougall’s website which are inspirational and hopefully identifiable with your son http://drmcdougall.com/stars/andrew_neuman.htmI can’t find one of the Star McDougallers, she had Crohns or UC and cured it at age 65 I think.Have a talk with your son about cause and effect and that the choices he makes today will have profound consequences tomorrow for his body (but be gentle aboout it).Most importantly, tell him the reason you are trying to get him to change is because you love him more than anything in the world and you don’t want to see someone you love, with all your heart, suffer.I have to go but I hope this helps. Sincere regards.Thank you for being so generous with your time and the information you shared.  It is greatly appreciated. My concern is the time constraint of implementing and introducing a vegetarian diet when I am a beginner at best.  My son will eat the food that I prepare or buy.   Another obstacle, which I am sure can be overcome in time, is that I have to provide and prepare the food ahead of time and then transport it to my son while he is away at school for the week.  These are just some the logistics involved! After some serious thought, I will step back for just a bit to catch my breath and come up with a plan.  I may have to ease into this gradually before I can fully implement. I know I am on the right track.  It’s just a daunting task, to say the least, to be told by the medical professionals in charge of your child’s health that diet doesn’t play a role in regaining good health.  If that doesn’t blow one’s mind, I don’t know what will! In my humble opinion, just as “carnism” is barbaric and disturbing, so is ignoring the dietary nutritional needs of a growing teenage boy under doctors care.Can’t wait to see how this all turns out once Obamacare takes full effect.   Traportka, I just had those two children follow up today in my office.  They are still in remission and still Plant based.  He and his sister came in today because they needed immunizations to start back at public shool.  Originally they were home schooled because they wer so sick and lethargic they couldn’t handle a full day at public school. Since going plant based they have been doing perfectly and have had no flare-ups.  You son can do this too.This is just fantastic and should give you hope and the energy to forge forward into going plant based with your son.All the best.Hello. I see you posted this a year ago, so I am really hoping that you still follow this discussion. I am mom to a five year old girl dx with chrons disease at age 3. We originally had her on pentasa which only worked for a few months before we found the SCD diet. That helped for a few months until she had another flare which we then had to higher her dosage. That helped, we took her off the meds and continued with the diet but once again she is in a flare. I just recently started finding information on following a plant based diet and juicing. I never would of thought that it could work bc of all of the roughage and fiber, but the success stories can’t be denied. It’s just that this information conflicts with all of my previous knowledge, so I don’t really know where to start. How do you start implementing a diet that is quite opposite from what I know. Do you take it slow? Or do you just go straight in eating all sorts of fruit and veggies. I’m assuming that this diet is also eliminating all processed foods as well. I should also add that she has obvious sensitivities to fruit/sugar and I suspect that she has problems with candida. Do you know if this diet would help with that as well? I’m sorry to ask so many questions, I’m just desperate. I know it’s a long shot me posting on here from a post from a year ago, but it’s worth a shot.Yes a Vegan diet will help. The child that I referred to in the previous post one year ago is still doing well but does every once in awhile have a flare up when he gets stressed (according to his mother) and has to take some shorts bursts of prednisone. But the whole family is now Vegan because of the benefits they have seen in their son and daughter.I have had about 10 patients with significant Inflammatory Bowel disease all of whom have benefited from a plant based diet. And yes it is contrary to what current medicine teaches. Why? I would rather not speculate b/c then I would sound very negative.There is substantial evidence too about Crohns being infective from a bacteria in dairy called Mycobacterium Avium Paratuberculosis (MAP) that seems to colonize the bowel and is difficult to eradicate.A physician in Australia, Dr. Brody (http://www.cdd.com.au/pages/disease_info/crohns_disease.html) has performed extensive research this inflammatory bowel disease is primarily infectious from MAP (FOUND IN NEARLY ALL DIARY PRODUCTS AND CANNOT BE PASTEURIZED-research shows it’s even in milk based infant formula) and needs to be treated with long term antibiotics and has had fairly good success rates. Unfortunately from what I can tell he doesn’t incorporate much dietary change.Anecdotally, Dr. McDougall, MD and myself can vouch for the success of inflammatory bowel disease with a Plant-Based (Vegan) lifestyle. http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/hot-topics/medical-topics/bowel-problems/ Scroll down to: Ulcerative Colitis Relapses with Meat and Beef and read A patient success story: http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/stars/stars-video/sondra-berk/A great place to start is the info at PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) and the Vegetarian Starter Kit: http://www.pcrm.org/factsheets/Click Health and Nutrition Literature, sign up with your email address for free then download the Kit and many other good easy to read literature titles to help with understanding disease and recipe’s.I’m 100% sure the diet will help but there is evidence that pharmacologic treatment may be necessary. So try the lifestyle changes first (no risk in that at all) and if it doesn’t completely get rid of the disease then consider antibiotic treatment.What a great study ! This is as good as it gets. Plant Strong is anti inflammatory. No doubt. If I recall medschool right the GI docs warned against to much fiber in Crohns, because of strictures in the intestine, so will they implement this powerfull, healing, cheap, safe “disease modifying drug”?Sterols vs SteroidsRadicchio vs RemicadeSalad vs SalazopyrineIn med school that is exactly what I was taught–a low-residue diet (low in fiber) for UC, IBS, Crohns Dz.  (They also taught no nuts or seeds with Diverticulosis because it will cause Diverticulitis which has also been proven to be bogus!)That never made sense to me because I already knew that high fiber intake decreased bowel transit time (moved it through faster) and food being in contact with the bowel less time meant less irritation to the bowel wall.  I also knew that meat and dairy were one of the most irriating things to those delicate intestinal walls.  So why low fiber?Well without my doing a Lit search I’ll bet there are some real ‘good’ studies out there proving crappy diets (meat and dairy) help people feel crappy but are made to sound like they heal everything.  Bet they’re funded by big AG as well.  I’ve already seen a bunch of those studies and it is rediculous, no, Ludicrous that the junk gets published. Lesson learned, Crap perpetuates crap, and quality perpetuates quality.  I vote for quality! One up for plants!No, One Million UP FOR PLANTS!!!!The lion has a short intestinal tract because “it knows” that you have to get the toxic wasteproduct from meat out as fast as possible.Kale vs colectomy !Keep up your energy my friendPerhaps, or it’s because herbivores need longer GITs because fiber greatly inhibits digestion, so longer transit times (and a well-developed cecum full of helpful bacteria) increase utilization of nutrients. The anti-animal-foods agenda here is tiresome.Fiber inhibits digestion [in humans]? Where is your evidence for making such a comment and resulting hypothesis? It may take longer to digest fiber, but that does not mean “fiber greatly inhibits digestion”. The overwhelming amount of scientific evidence indicates the benefit of fiber ingestion in humans to greatly aid in digestion (not to mention help treat diabetes, heart disease, constipation, just to name a few). The digestion process in humans begins the moment food enters the human mouth and ends at the anus. (How does fiber inhibit digestion from mouth to anus?) Most absorption of nutrients takes place in the later sections of the small intestine, and not the large intestine (where the cecum is located). Substances that cannot be broken down in the small intestine by the body pass through the large intestine where the last bits of water, ions, and salts are reabsorbed, and the remaining solid material, exits through the anus.  According to my reading and understanding of the cecum, “[m]ost mammalian herbivores have a relatively large cecum, hosting a large number of bacteria, which aid in the enzymatic breakdown of plant materials such as cellulose…. In contrast, obligatory carnivores, whose diets contain little or no plant material, have a reduced cecum….”  If anything the design of the human GI tract and the larger cecum seem to indicate that we have it precisely to aid in the breakdown of plant food and not animal food. If humans were designed to eat a primarily meat-based diet, it seems to me that we’d be designed with a smaller cecum and not one that is as “well-developed” as our own.  Moreover, in regards to transit time and the human GI tract, when analyzing the transit time of omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans, the transit time in humans was longer for meat eaters and “as dietary fibre increased mean transit time decreased” (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1433202/). In other words, the transit time is longer for humans eating a meat-based diet. Again, this fact seems to indicate to me that humans are meant to eat a more plant-based diet by (GI tract) design. As for the, “anti-animal agenda” expressed in this forum, it’s just the scientific facts (true, it is often mixed in with a bit of passion).  If you have good scientific evidence indicating another point-of-view, please do share it. We are more than willing to analyze and discuss it here.  It need not be “tiresome” at all.Very informative and thoughtful. Thank you.Maybe it is time for you to do some comparative physiology of the human gut!Here, I’ll even help you out.  Read the works of one of the most prominent and well published works of Katherine Milton, PhD who is a distinguished professor of physical anthropology at UC Berkeley.  Her research focuses on the dietary ecology and digestive physiology of Primates, both humans and non-humans.Hello there, my name is Aris and I am from Cyprus, a small European Union country. A person very close to me was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. She’s only 5 years old. Perhaps you can direct me to some milk-replacement products for the child, since milk was more or less, what she considered her favourite beverage (and from what I’ve read so far, probably that’s the cause of the disease too). Anyway, I would be very grateful if you could help me, either by posting over here, or, if its not too much trouble, sending me an email at a.i.1979@hotmail.com Thank you very much  Hello Aris, My heart goes out to your friend. Hopefully, the information that you are learning on this site will help treat your friend’s Crohn’s disease.I’m not sure what is available in Cyprus, but there are many plant-based milk alternatives available here in the States.  Maybe you can find some in your area (or at least on the internet). The alternatives are: Soy Milk, Almond Milk (and other nut milks), Rice Milk, Hemp Milk, and Oat Milk.  There may be more, but these are the ones that come to mind.  You can do an internet search for “milk alternatives” to see what else might come up.  If some of these milk alternatives are not available in your area, you can make you own non-animal based milks (you can research recipes on the web).  The key is to stay away from animal milks/proteins.  Luckily, there are a variety of alternatives available.  Wishing you the best of luck and your friend a speedy and healthy recovery!Thank you very much Jola. You’ve been more than helpful. :) I’m not a doctor, but until someone who knows more than me responds to you, consider milk alternatives like almond, rice, and hemp milks. All healthy and no nasty dairy.Dr. Greg,  There is a lot of new study information available on the effects of wheat protein triggering inflammation in non-celiac patients.  My personal experience suggests that wheat may act synchronously with animal protein to increase inflammation.  I’d like to see more about wheat’s negative effects in your video series including its incredibly high glycemic index figure, it’s direct effects in raising advanced glycation end-products, and its neuro effects through wheat exorphines.Doctor I am a 58 year old crohns patient and had surgery a year ago. Constantly have to avoid fat in diet or pay the price. I was trying to find the study mentioned below to study up on the diet and see if I could pull it off. Please advise: steve.coughlin@coughlincomm.com.thank youMy name is Dr. Lester Castro Friedlander,BA,DVM. there is a condition in dairy cows called Johnnes Disease. USDA allows these diseased cows to go to slaughter for human consumption. In various research thru out the years, it has been suggested that there might be a link between Johnnes Disease in dairy cows to Crohn:s Disease in Humans. According to research done in Great Britan, The milk of dairy cows with Johnnes Disease,was pasteurized for Human Consumption. After pasteurization,the bacteria that causes Johnnes Disease, was still present. Pasteurization did not kill the bacteria.Yes, and the bacteria is Mycobacterium avium paratuburculosis (MAP).  Here is a good research article on Crohns and MAP in children which shows the sources of MAP:   “Humans may easily acquire MAP by multiple routes of transmission. MAP is present in pasteurized milk, infant formula milk, breast milk, municipal tap water, surface water, and cow manure (14).” 14. Collins MT. Paratuberculosis: review of present knowledge. ActaVet Scand 2003;44:217–21.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15074635Got pus?What about Bovine Leukemia Virus?Milk is such a great food – apparently you are at risk of acquiring Crohns disease, maybe leukemia, diabetes type 1, osteoporosis, breastcancer, prostate cancer, CVD, stroke and in the waiting time of your fate you get fat with pimples.What about BLV causing NHL, and Prions causing MadCow (Swiss-cheese brain) disease. I’ll tell you what, the milk industry couldn’t give a rats @$$ about me or my family so I play the same way. I don’t care about them either so everytime I recommend a dairy free diet, which is everyday, I feel like I am freeing my patients from the brain washing and bondage that has kept them sick and enslaved to the medical system. It’s about independence today and everyday. Being able to be free from sickness, free from medications, free to live in good health is abasic human right and to have an industry that is the antithesis of that is . Some would say communistic.Happy Independence Day my friend! Most doctors tell there Crohn’s patients that diet has nothing to do with IBD. What can you do about educating the doctors? Most IBD patients are so sick that they just blindly do what they are told by their doctor, they are too sick to advocate for themselves.Nar, That is a big question to tackle.I think that most doc’s just repeat what they learn in Med School and don’t ever research the literature for the truth.  Also they are so busy (like I am) that they have to make the time (just as I do) to research the facts, and then share them with their patients.  And in the industry increased time with patients equals decreases in income.Also many Doctors are so egocentric in their thinking that they don’t want to be told someone else is right or told how to do things.  That’s why Doctor’s as a group are so splintered.  If we weren’t we would be the most powerful lobbying group in the world.  Look at the Teamsters and how powerful they are.  Look at Meat and Dairy (We spend (Fed Govt) 16 Billion a year on subsidies for meat and dairy):  We have way to many leaders with few willing to follow.I educated doc’s by having them see my patients get better which happens all the time but I have had only two docs really take note as to how many of my patients improve.  One is a Rhuematologist who has told his patients, “I don’t what he does but all my patients that see him tend to get better.”  Also one doc in my practice has started eating Vegan and I caught him taking some recipes home from PCRM’s Vegetarian Starter pack and Jeff Novicks Fast Food DVD printout.  Today he baked some brilliant Vegan scones for after out Mountain Bike ride.  A small triumph!This is what I tell all my patient’s, “Educate yourself”.  Don’t believe what I say look up the facts.  So I give them the reputable websites, Physicians and Dieticians so they can go read and learn more.  There is nothing more important than your own body and self, so if you want the best from it learn about it.Tell everyone you know about: http://www.Nutritionfacts.org http://www.VeganMd.org  Michael Greger, M.D. http://www.PCRM.org Neal Barnard, M.D. http://www.DrMcDougall.com http://www.NutritionCME.org http://www.NutritionMD.org http://www.PRMI.org  Dean Ornishes, M.D. http://www.TColinCampbell.org http://www.HeartAttackProof.com  Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D.Have everyone watch Forks Over Knives Read The China Study, The Starch Solution. Buy DVDs of Lectures from many great speakers at Dr. mcDougalls website.  He tapes all his advanced Study Weekends for purchase.  Buy them as a group of people and then trade them as you watch them.Dr. McDougall tried to get a nutrition bill passed in California for Dos to be educated but it got torn apart.  Dr. G has four vids about it on NF.  Just type in Nutrition Bill to watch them.Bottom line: Eat Plants FIRST because we have learned beyond even any unreasonable doubt that they heal and Second: Educate yourself (maybe at the same time would be best).I hope this helps.Share these websites with as many people you can and help educate the world. The more people know the more they will change.Very well said.The China Study is fantastic.Jeff Novic is great, he has a great sense of humor (“What! Its water…”) You are right the only thing I can do is spread the word. I have been doing that, but people think that I am trying to sell something. Nobody wants to hear that their beloved hamburger that they are addicted to is making them sick.Love how you answer this question, and I love the links! However, for some wacky reason the PMRI link you have listed leads to the “Presbyterian-Reformed Ministries International” website instead of Dr. Ornish’s “Preventative Medicine Research Institute.  Ah, I figured it out.  A minor typo (PMRI and not PRMI) is to blame; the correct website is:  http://www.pmri.org/ ).Before I sign off, I also want to add that it is so refreshing and encouraging to see practicing docs on this site.  I also wish there were more docs who were on board with plant-based interventions, eating, and lifestyle.  Any advice, on how a regular person with regular insurance can go about finding a “plant strong” primary doctor?  Last I checked, that was not one of the boxes one could check off in the insurance selection filters when researching doctors.Thanks!  Corrected!Plant Strong– Engine2?Regarding Info on Plant Based/Strong Docs http://www.drmcdougall.com/doctors/ Just type in your Zip Code and see if any are close.Thanks, Doc.  I actually found that reference soon after I posted my question (using the web-site links that you shared above). I think that self-registry database is a good place to start.  However, it still seems pretty limited to me given how many doctors there are. (A search for California listed just 62 results and not all of them doctors.) Better than nothing, I suppose. It’d be great if insurance companies could incorporate something similar into their doctor databases. I’d love to have a primary care doc who was open to plant-based interventions/lifestyles.  As for “Plant Strong– Engine2?”. I have not read that particular book yet (have read many others by “the usual suspects”, but have heard the term “plant strong” and I like it.  Plant strong, plant based= same thing. No?The Plant-Strong term was created to have a broader appeal, especially to the masculine side of life.Any specific diet suggestions?  I’ve been doing a fruit-based diet to help with my UC and its helping, but im not symptom-free. However, when i try to eat things other than fruit (starchy veg, legumes, nuts/seeds, gluten-free grains..grains are the worst), my symptoms flare. Any advice?Also, do u recommend any supplements like digestive enzymes and probiotics?  I’ve read that these actually dont help much and that enzymes can make the body “lazy” and dependent on outside sources of enzymes.  Is this true?Also, are fermented foods helpful (homemade yogurt, raw sauerkraut, etc)? thanksIn med school you learn basically nothing about health and nutrition. It is fancy to prescribe drugs, performe surgery, but not sexy to recommend carrots and brocholi. In addition most patients wants a pill to cure the problemIt’s the American way Stefan–Instant Gratification; it’s what pills offer. I Disagree about the “Plants aren’t sexy.” though. Check out the pic Below ;-“I love carrots!Sadly you are right. Money rules, not the truth. How we ever came to believe, that milk is good for us, is a puzzle. Milk for all animals is for their babies, and milk from another species? That is strange.Happy Independence Day to you and your family, dr dynamic.BTW, Nice pic!  Healthy looking young man! Keep up the great work! Vegans look better ! ;-) :-)For some strange reason I have problems creating my avatar and the picture ended up the wrong place!I have had to absorb a lot of info. in a relatively short period of time.  However and ironically, I know of a little girl who just resetnly tested positive for MAP or Johnnes Disease.  I was shocked to discover a veternian did the blood test!  The child has Crohn’s disease, just like my son.   GI docs don’t even attempt to address the issue, at least not here in the U.S.  Am I correct in my understanding that when the bacteria transfers from a cow to a human the growth rate of the bacteria is very slow, in that it could take years to manifest itself into something that causes intestinal problems? What are the symptoms of MAP in children?  Why aren’t doc’s automatically testing for it once a Crohn’s dx is established?  So amazing!  It’s good to be a vegan.  :-)Hello, i have a question about Liposomal Vitamin C. Dose it have any additional benifits Vs Normal vitamin C like improved absorbsion or is it all hype?Thanks alot. I wouldnt put too much weight on it. As Dr. Greger has pointed out, supplements are cheap and marketers will find all sorts of ways to try and sell them at higher than necessary prices. Vitamin C is very abundant in the plant world and deficiencies of vitamin C while on a healthy whole foods vegan diet are unheard of and I don’t see how they could be possible.Awesome! Plant-based diets heal, I have no doubt about it. I do wonder about the accuracy of the headline on your video though. Clicking thru to the main study you discuss, I noted a paragraph near the end that states that the semi-vegetarian diet is “effective for relapse prevention,” but that the authors’ concern with “rapid, safe and reliable” induction of remission, which they say they achieve via infliximab. So it seems to me that the study demonstrates not that plant-based diets achieve remission but that they help sustain it. Is that right?p.s. – Either way, more GI docs need to hear the message that diet does matter to Crohn’s and other IBD. The standard line is that it doesn’t.Dr Greger,Many people with IBD have a lot of trouble tolerating fruits and vegetables and often those in a flare up are put on a “low residue” or “low fiber” diet. What do you suggest for them so that they can follow those guidelines but also try veganism? For the IBD community, minimizing the foods that directly aggravate a flare up is the main priority. I would like to know as well?I wonder if it really is the fruits, vegetables, and fiber that are causing the IBD flares ups. Might it be dairy and/or meat/fish included in the diet that could be contributing to the flare ups?  Any evidence of that in the scientific research?I have Crohn’s and have definitely experienced this, particularly in relation to raw veggies. There have been times when the easiest foods for me were white bread and white rice. BUT, I’ve always tried to transition from those times to a diet rich in veggies and fruits. Sometimes, boosting easy-to-digest antioxidants like spices (turmeric) helps. Other times, I sneak in veggies like a mom with a picky kid, blending them in sauces and drinking smoothies, until my body is ready for the heartier stuff.Why do some people get Crohn’s and others don’t?  I would like to know if the incidents of Crohn’s is increasing? And if so why? Also what is the risk for family members of a Crohn’s patient of getting Crohn’s?Could you please post the reference for this study?  Thank you.References are all listed in the sources cited section underneath the video.Additional information on the diet used, excerpted from the article:  “Eggs and milk were used. In other words, our diet was a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet[51]. Miso (fermented bean paste) soup, vegetables, fruits, legumes, potatoes, pickled vegetables, and plain yoghurt were served daily. Fish was served once a week and meat once every 2 wk, both at about a half the average amount.”   Also, “Foods that have been shown to be a risk factor for IBD in or outside Japan, including sweets[20-23,28-30], bread[27], cheese[27-29], margarine[27], fast foods, carbonated beverages, and juices[24,25,29], were discouraged. Healthy habits were encouraged: no smoking, regular physical activity, moderate or no use of alcohol, regularity of meals, and not eating between meals[53].” Semi-vegetarian? Meat once a fortnight? That’s basically full vegetarianism in my book. Anyway, study is interesting but not compelling evidence. Not in view of the meat-heavy SCD (Specific Diet Carbohydrate) diet, which is a diet tailored specially for IBD sufferers and has the glowing testimonials of 1000s of people behind it. And this little study too:http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=cts_retreatIt’s worth nothing that the SVD diet began with test subjects who were in full remission, whereas in the link I posted the test subjects had active disease. It’s easier to maintain remission than it is to get into remission in the first place.Anyway, I’m not pro-SCD, but I don’t think there is nearly enough evidence yet to declare the definitive diet for Crohn’s. Far more studies need to be done.I have been trying tell people this for years and now my RAW STAR Recipe book WON The #1 Best Vegetarian Cookbook in the USA Award 2012 by The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards because my recipes are fast, fun, easy and super delicious. It is also only 2, 5 or 10 minute recipes, is all natural new and amazing and 100% Plant Based designed with doctors and health experts for the most healthy, nutritious and balanced delicious plant based diets so now is satisfying, new, and gourmet too in just minutes: http://www.RawStarRecipes.comThank you, Dr. Greger, for helping get the word out about dietary treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.  I suffered with ulcerative colitis (initially diagnosed as Crohn’s) for more than 10 years and was taking quite a lot of medication with little relief when I finally happened upon the concept of arresting IBD with a medically supervised water-only fast followed by a vegan diet.  I sought treatment at TrueNorth Health Center and was fortunate to be introduced to Dr. Michael Klaper, who managed my case.  The treatment was a resounding success.  No more meds, no more of the better known UC symptoms (the gut pain, diarrhea, etc.), no more of the lesser known UC symptoms (joint pain, low-grade fever, etc.).  In short, I feel great and I love the food.  If only the gastroenterologist who treated me for years were even remotely interested in how Dr. Klaper helped me achieve remission!  Oh, and thank you also for your amazing work of monitoring, interpreting and reporting that’s represented on this website.  Many people have asked me for information about my UC “cure” (and the accompanying weight loss, boost in energy, etc.), and this website is one of the resources I can refer my friends and family to for reliable information.  Good work!I tried to get into truenorth for my UC, but they rejected me and wouldnt tell me why, other than I was “too complicated.”  What does THAT mean?!  So, now I have no way of healing my gut bc I’ve tried everything else adn TrueNorth was my last option.  How long were u there and when did u go?  How long did u fast?  Were u on any supplements/meds and are u still on any?What is your current daily diet?  If u could provide a log of a typical day, that would rock!I would love to find out more info about ur experience!  ThanksExcellent resources!  Thank you!! ;-}Thanks.  Yikes, sorry about the multiple posts. Disqus was acting temperamentally. Many thanks to you for taking the time to respond and share.  I definately feel empowered now since I have a place to start.  All the best to you. Hey Doc. My friend has Colitis. He’s been vegan for about a year. He eats a lot of bananas, white rice, potatoes, some carrots and peas mostly. I’ve encouraged him to eat foods with higher levels of antioxidants. I’d also like to see him try nuts. He intends to eat more fruit and vegetables in the future (especially greens in the form of juice). Do you think fresh green juice would be as good as the whole thing? I’m guessing not. Besides eating more antioxidant rich foods, nuts, greens and anti inflammatory foods in general, is there much more I can recommend? I’ve heard a lot about people healing from Crohns on a vegan diet rather quickly, but I don’t hear much about Colitis. Is there a reason for this?Thanks To address ur concern of juicing, Dr. Greger answers that here in his video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/fruit-juice-fail/Oh and he has made a lot of progress by the way, since going vegan, but still feels he has significant issues.Thank You.  I was diagnosed with crohn’s 16 years ago, and have my usual flare ups.  I started looking into a plant based diet a few months ago for my weight and heart, then I started to wander if it would have any effect on my crohn’s.  So I wanted to thank you for this information. My wife and I have been on a plant based diet for over 7 weeks now, and are doing great.In the last several years,alot of research shows that Johnes Disease in Dairy Cows is a direct link to Crohns Disease in Humans. It is also reported that between 60-65 % of the Dairy Herd in the United States has Johnes Disease. According to research done in Great Britain, Pasteurization of Milk from Johnes Cows did not kill the Bacteria,”Mycobacterium Avium Paratuberculosis.” ( MAP ) In other words, People got Crohns Disease thru the milk and milk byproducts. My name is Dr. Lester Castro Friedlander,BA,DVM. I am a former USDA Veterinarian who was in charge of the largest culled cow Federal Slaughter Plant in the United States.The Plant is located in  Wyalusing, Pennsylvania. The Plant could slaughter up to 1800 cows a day. The Plant was owned by Taylor Packing Co Inc. and is now owned by Cargill. This Plant, and other Plants across the Country,Slaughter these  Diseased Cows everyday for Human Consumption. USDA and CDC do nothing to stop the slaughter of these cows. If you are interested to know more about this connection and what I am doing about it,please contact me thru   iamlfbadvm@pa.net    Thank You. Dr. Lester Castro Friedlander,BA,DVM  I wish I had this knowledge nearly 30 years ago when I came down with UC. I almost died and had surgery after suffering for two years. While I was never as sick as I was before I had surgery, I still didn’t feel healthy and had other types of inflammation, including arthritis and iritis. Only when I went vegan about 5 years after my initial surgery did I start to feel young again. Nearly 20 years later, I am still very healthy. It was the best decision I ever made. Too bad most doctors don’t have a clue about this subject.I have a question. Recently I had ileostomy, where my big bowel was removed. Is there any dietary recommendations you would offer to me? Perhaps because of the surgery I cannot absorb certain nutrients and I need to eat more of the particular foods? Many thanks.I was diagnosed with Crohn’s in 1973. I became a vegetarian in 1980 (vegan in 2008) and never had a relapse of the disease since, over 33 years!!!!Oh, that’s so fantastic! Thank you for sharing.Toxic, undigestible foods that we are not biologically suited to cause bowel inflammation, colitis and Crohn’s. Via the Vegan Healing Diet Plan I teach in my Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s book, I have helped thousands heal up. I counsel people with IBD onward to new health every week and am glad to answer questions and help.David Klein, PhD, Hygienic Doctor Director of the Colitis & Crohn’s Health Recovery Center http://www.colitis-crohns.comDr. Greger,When I was fourteen years old, I was diagnosed with U.C. I have tried many different things to help with symptoms, I am currently trying my best to eat a plant based diet. I have read several article about supplementing with the amino acid glut amine for digestive health. Can you tell me anything about this or do you have any videos for this? I haven’t found anything yet on your site. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you.There is scientific literature that supports both glutamine and quercetin in healing the gut. True North Health in Santa Rosa CA supplements their water fasting program with these to help the gut heal. Article on Glutamine in Gut 2009 lead author is Zhou and Quercetin in J Nutr 2009 lead author Suzuki. Certainly a plant based diet is the place to start. I would recommend you read several of Dr. John McDougall’s newsletters… Chained to the Bathroom(Nov 2002), Review of article in Gut on Ulcerative Colitis in his November 2004 newsletter, Diet for the Desperate in his Dec 2002 newsletter and to help clarify the wheat issues further the newsletter in September 2005, Could it be Celiac Disease. Clearly many of our intestinal related illnesses can be reversed by proper nutrition. The devil is in the details and everyone is bit different. Our guts are very complicated ecosystems and the science keeps changing so keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org. View the other videos on this website on Ulcerative Colitis start with…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/. Good luck.Ive was dıagnosed wıth Chronhs dısease and let me tell you ıt ıs paınfull! I swıtched to a vegetarıan dıet wıth very little daıry for other reasons. I dıdnt know ıt would help wıth the dısease, but ıt dıd. It has elımınated my dıgestıve problems and paın completely. I used to end up ın hospıtal very often. And lıterally wıthın days of beıng on my new dıet my symptoms lessened and wıthın a few weeks they were completely gone. Thıs ıs somethıng I have suffered wıth for years and no Dr ever suggested anythıng except steroıds and paın kıllers whıch dıdnt help much at all. More people should know about thıs.Sounds great, but I was diagnosed with Crohn’s after I had already been on a vegan diet for nearly a year. I admit I could have eaten more healthy vegan foods and less processed foods (which I am working on now), but my disease developed after I became vegan. I had no symptoms before. It occurred suddenly maybe 10 months after I went vegan. I have already cut carrageenan from my diet, working on less processed foods, what else can I do specifically? I’ve also been trying to work out, but nearly every time I try I feel more pain either during, after, or the next day. This is also trying relatively low intensity exercises like swimming or yoga. I also try to choose lower fiber options like white rice instead of brown.It is strongly advised to eliminate animal products from the diet as this is what tends to promote this disease. The issues raised with animal products are irrelevant whether they are organic or not. I do not know of evidence currently showing that a low carb diet will aid with chron’s disease, and it may actually be doing more harm then good.The best dietary approach would be, to again, eliminate ALL animal products, organic or not, and consume plenty of starchy foods, veggies and fruits. There is nothing wrong with potatoes, brown rice, oats, etc.Thank you for your response! Everything you just said goes against everything that I have been reading and studying for the past year and a half. We follow the SCD diet which is specifically geared towards chrons and uc. The basic concept is that complex carbohydrates take longer to digest therefore giving fuel to bad bacteria. We have completely eliminated processed foods from our house and that has made a huge difference. I’m not trying to debate, I am just trying to educate myself. Right now I am willing to try anything that will help get her health back on track. Like I said, scd improved her symptoms but I have yet to see her looking healthy again. I also suspect she has problems w candida. So if you were in my shoes where would you start? Is there a book recommendation that could help educate me on how to start this. I’m so scared to make the wrong decision.I understand your concerns. I personally put full faith into an extremely successful and well known plant based doctor named Dr. Mcdougall. He has had great success in reversing intestinal disease, such as chron’s disease, with a plant based diet built upon complex carbohydrates. You can read his medical opinion regarding the disease here. http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/common-health-problems/colitis-severe/Dr. McDougall also has a book on digestion. http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/shopping/books/dr-mcdougalls-digestive-tune-up/You can also send him a personal email or call him with a question regarding your concerns. http://www.drmcdougall.com/about/contact-us/I wish you the best of luck.Amyc1085: I’m not a doctor or an expert, but I thought I could help supply some ideas for your question of “where to start?” I know it can be so overwhelming to change ones diet so much.Dr. HemoDynamic suggested that you take a look at PCRM’s site. I would further direct your attention to their 21 Day Kickstart program (which is free and starts at the beginning of each month). I am thinking that might be a good fit for you because the 21 Day Kickstart program holds your hand through three weeks – everything from grocery lists to meal plans to cooking videos and a community forum monitored by nutrition experts. So, that’s something you might want to look into:http://support.pcrm.org/site/PageServer?pagename=21day_vegan_kickstart&JServSessionIda003=upegog3qg1.app234cAnother idea is to get the cookbook “Let Them Eat Vegan”. The author of this book has young children so she tends to create “kid-friendly” food. But don’t let that label fool you. I’ve been cooking quite a bit out of the book lately and loving the food!My final bit of advice also comes from Dr. Bernard and the PCRM site. While it is best to commit to 3 weeks of whole-food plant-based eating in order to a) break old habits, b) change your taste buds, c) start to see health benefits — it is also important to wait to start your three weeks until you are ready. It is OK to take a week or so and come up with a plan. Experiment with dishes you think your family will like. I think that the PCRM website says something like, “The average family eats a rotation of 8-9 dinners.” Lunch the next day can be leftover dinner from the previous day. And most people eat the same breakfast every morning. (How about smoothies or oatmeal?) So, making this change is not as hard as you would think. Especially since 3 dinners could be foods that you eat now that are almost naturally vegan. 3 dinners could be foods that you eat now that you “veganize.” And 3 dinners could be new dishes that you add to your menus. Looked at that way, you only have to come up with 3 new dishes!My point: You want to go into the 3 weeks with a calm, happy expected attitude rather than fear and concern that you don’t know what to do. There’s plenty of awesome-tasting, filling, fast, and completely healthy food out there. You just have to find what will work for your family.One last tip: I just started watching a DVD from Jeff Novick on “Fast Food”. It’s a great “cooking show” that puts together fast but super-healthy food with simple ingredients that you can get from any grocery store. I think this video could be a huge help to you in trying a whole food plant based diet with your family.http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Novicks-Fast-Food-1/dp/B00466DP42/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382384991&sr=8-1&keywords=fast+food+jeff+novickThe best of luck to you. I’m excited for you to take this journey. If you decide to give it a try, please post back and let us know how it went.Amyc1085: I thought of something else I meant to share. The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) is a great source of information. They have a page on “Feeding Vegan Kids” that I think is really good. The first part is all about infants. But don’t give up. They get into older kids further down the page.Here is the link and some excerpts that I think are important:http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.php“The best way to assure that your children achieve their ideal rate of growth is to make sure that they have adequate calories. Some vegan children have difficulty getting enough calories because of the sheer bulk of their diets. Children have small stomachs and can become full before they have eaten enough food to sustain growth. The judicious use of fats in forms like avocados, nuts, nut butters, seeds, and seed butters will provide a concentrated source of calories needed by many vegan children. Dried fruits are also a concentrated calorie source and are an attractive food for many children. Teeth should be brushed after eating dried fruits to prevent tooth decay. … Children should get enough calories so that protein can be used for growth in addition to meeting energy needs. Table 17 (page 193) shows one diet plan that has been used successfully by vegan children.”You’ll want to stay away from processed foods like “soy hot dogs” if you can, but I think the general information in the above page is pretty good.Hope that helps!Dr Greger, in addition to abstaining from animal products, what do you think about the claims that link gluten to autoimmune diseases?When I asked my doctor (gastroenterologist) if diet may play a factor in my pancolitis he laughed at me, in a way that was like “There’s no way diet could possibly have anything to do with it; leave the thinking to us doctors and don’t suggest any more silly ideas.” He then told me I would have to take 3 pills 3 times a day (9 pills a day) that he prescribed. I have been symptom free and off the meds for years.Its distressing to think doctors do not have these knowledge tools to share with their patients. A plant based diet should be a first line of defense. These other videos may interest you. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/john: This is a fun story. I like how you managed to fix yourself.Did you use a whole plant food based diet in order to be able to be symptom and med free? Did you have to make a big change in your diet?My mother-in-law has been suffering with crohns for almost twenty years. Her doctor has told her that her diet has nothing to do with her disease and therefore she had been hesitant to change her eating habits. Her doctor has told her that many raw vegetables can irritate her disease. I would like to take her to a doctor in the Dallas area that shares Dr. Gregers ideas on nutrition and crohns disease. Any recommendations?Ok, I am confused. So much info that I’ve read says that fish oil is ANTI-inflammatory, so how can fish be included on an inflammatory food list?I don’t know if anyone will answer this. I have been in severe pain for 19 years. I was born with choledochal cyst/biliary atresia. I have had 7 surgeries from birth including roux en y surgery and repair of 2 narrowed hepatic ducts. Food hurts to eat. I do get cholangitis but since I cut out most food other than Ensure stirred in yoghurt and some fruit I haven’t had a temperature for two years. However, I regularly get hot flashes the whole 19 years, bouts of really severe pain that will go down with IV antibiotics and anti inflammatories help too but after Iv antibiotics the pain comes back quite quickly and slowly builds up again. I’ve now made things worse with this strict diet and had to blockages due to severe constipation so I will have to eat more proper food but eating protein has seen an increase in back pain these last two weeks. I have secondary scelorising cholangitis but although I have significant right lobe damage I am along way from a transplant, I have increased shoulder tip pain this year and body aches that can be severe plus joint pain, I am told my liver is not bad enough to justify the body aches. I was in hospital two wks ago with a second bout of severe constipation and I was treated like dirt by the specialist and accused of lying via little digs. I only learnt last year that he has never believed I am ill and did not interview me on what happened in the uk when I lived there for 4 years–they treated me very well there although I ended up on the wrong team as I did not know chronic pancreatitis had been dismissed. In my late teens I was diagnosed with U/c but I know think they may have been mistaken although I have had mucous back lately but no diarrhea either than or now. My life is very limited and I have to take a lot of pain killers which no longer work well. I am thinking I should try this diet of yours maybe it will help with all the pain. I have a supportive doctor at the liver transplant unit who suggested bacterial overgrowth but the doctor down here doesn’t believe it. It has not helped that because of family reasons at home I have not been able to go in to hospital every time I am in severe pain–I was able to in the Uk although I did not go in if I only had the pain without a temperature, as for many years I was told by my family doctor in NZ, I would be sent home if I only had severe pain. It is really hard to change my behaviour now I know I can go and of course it hasn’t helped that I had problems at home which made me feel I could not go in–this have been resolved. Nz has had massive cutbacks to it’s health care system with the community health care act of 2001–similar ideas have been introduced around the world due to worries over the aging population. Anyway, do you think I may have a chance of this helping my severe pain problem?Chloe: I was waiting to reply to your post because I was hoping that someone more knowledgeable or with related experience would reply.I’m not a doctor, but I have a thought for you that seems reasonable to me: I would guess that you have tried everything else. And while we may not have a lot of studies specifically about your condition, we have seen plenty of studies and a bazillion (I’m sure ;-) ) case studies showing that whole plant food based diet has helped people chronic pain, including joint pain. Since, for *most* (perhaps not all) people, eating a whole plant food based diet can’t hurt and seems to help in so many ways, I would think it would be worth your effort to give it a real try.The trick for someone who is not familiar with this type of eating is to get the details right. You will want to make sure you take a good B12 supplement. And you will want to make sure you are eating whole plant foods, not processed. It can be hard to do if you are in pain and don’t feel like cooking. But there are some things you can do that are extremely easy and extremely healthy. For example, if you can open a can of beans and rinse them. Then put them on a sweet potato that you baked quickly in the microwave. And then poor on some store-bought salsa and maybe some defrosted (pre-chopped) broccoli, you will have a great whole food meal that came together with nothing more than opening containers and a little zapping in the microwave.Two other ideas for you are: Jeff Novick’s DVD on Fast Food. In that DVD you will learn other ways to make easy, whole food plant based meals that are nutritionally excellent. If you are up for a little cooking, you might try the free PCRM 21 Day Kickstart program.http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Novicks-Fast-Food-1/dp/B00466DP42/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1413302994&sr=1-1&keywords=fast+food+jeff+novickKickstart will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)Hope that helps! Also, I’m sorry you are going through so much suffering. I hope it gets better.Hello, I just joined this discussion and I’m hoping I will still get a respond despite my late post. My fiance’ was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease of the large intestine at 21 years old (he is now 37). He’s had three major surgeries (a removal of 85% of his colon, a temporary ileostomy, and a reversal). Three years from his surgery and he is still struggling with his symptoms including chronic abdominal pain and severe fatigue after getting off of Prednisone. I’ve read a little bit about SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) and it’s benefits to Crohn’s disease. Any thoughts of this specific diet? What’s your defense on doctors saying that patients with Crohn’s should not eat vegetables as it is high in fiber? Any input would be greatly appreciated. I’m determined to help him deal with his symptoms along the way and I refuse to believe that diet change would not make a difference on patients with Crohn’s disease! Also, I met a physician that conducts DNA testing that determines the appropriate diet and medications that is better metabolized by an individual. Has any of your heard of this and what’s the reliability of the result of a DNA test for a person’s diet and medication?	animal products,animal protein,autoimmune diseases,cheese,colon health,Crohn's disease,dairy,fish,flexitarians,immunosuppressive drugs,inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,meat,plant-based diets,seafood,steroids,vegans,vegetarians	Meat (including fish), cheese, and animal protein intake in general have been associated with an increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In the meantime, plant-based diets may not only help prevent such conditions, but treat them as well, resulting in the longest recorded remission rates for Crohn's disease.	This is the final video of a three-part series on the latest discoveries about fighting inflammation with plant foods. See yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell and Friday's video Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes. Inflammatory bowel disease risk is also tied to arachidonic acid, which may partially explain the animal protein connection given the levels in chicken and eggs. For more research into reversing chronic disease through diet, see Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death, Cancer Reversal Through Diet?, How to Treat Diabetes, and Research Into Reversing Aging. There are 25 other videos on inflammation and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects if you’d like more information.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/06/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/24/biblical-daniel-fast-tested/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immunosuppressive-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20461067,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19685439,
PLAIN-2941	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-inflammation-in-a-nut-shell/	Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell	Do all these anti-inflammatory plant foods actually have an impact on inflammatory disease mortality, though? A recent study out of Australia reported the results of following about 2500 older adults and their diets for 15 years. During that time about 200 died in that time of inflammatory diseases and so the researchers tried to calculate what it was about the diets of the survivors that seemed to help the most, and it was nuts. Half a walnut a day appeared to cut the risk of dying from inflammatory disease in about half. “In the study increasing the consumption of nuts by as little as 1.4 g day—that's about half the weight of a penny—was associated with a reduced 49% risk of dying from chronic inflammation- related diseases.” That’s like one almond a day. Fish consumption didn’t seem to do a thing. “our data indicate a protective role of nuts, but not fish, against inflammatory disease mortality.”  This may help explain why most studies done to date on those eating vegetarian or vegan show significantly less inflammation in their bodies than omnivores. There've been a dozen studies so far; 4 showed no significance difference and 8 showed significantly less inflammatory markers in those eating vegetarian. Here's the latest… A vegetarian diet was associated with lower inflammation levels, lower levels of C-reactive protein, which is in accordance with research showing vegetarians have a lower risk of heart disease and an improved antioxidant and inflammatory status compared to non-vegetarians.	This is the second of a three-part series on the latest discoveries about fighting inflammation with plant foods. See Friday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes for part one. Other recent videos on nuts include Eating Healthy on the Cheap, Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies, and Plant-Based Atkins Diet, whereas industrial pollutants present in fish oil supplements may even increase inflammation in the body—see Is Distilled Fish Oil Toxin-Free?. The anti-inflammatory nature of plant foods may explain why those eating plant-based diets have less diabetes (Preventing Macular Degeneration With Diet), fewer allergies (Preventing Allergies in Adulthood), less heart disease (China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death), better moods (Improving Mood Through Diet), and fewer chronic diseases in general (Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants). There are over a hundred videos on plant-based diets alone, along with videos on a thousand other topics.We know plant-based diets can help prevent inflammatory disease, but to see if plant-based diets can be used to treat it, you’ve got to put it to the test. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Achieving Remission of Crohn’s Disease.Have an anti-inflammatory day, during this  in-flame-atory week. Happy Independence Day to all.Oh, OK go ahead and make it a anti-inflammatory week as well.  Splurge and eat a half a walnut a day.   ~;-}Lunch:  It’s Anti-Inflammatory and Fun!!What kind of nuts dud they study? Do cashews have the same effects too?April, here’s a video about the best nut though it focuses on antioxidants if this helps: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/Gosh, I’ve become a nutritionfacts junkie!!! Thanks for another great video!Are you saying you’re going ‘Nuts’ over Nf.org ;) I’ve gone bananas over this site.  ;-) Are you saying you’re fruit loopy? :^) Gasp!  Fruit loops?  I wouldn’t touch them!  That title is fraud I say.  Fraud!  If there a single bit of fruit in those loopies, I’ll eat my entire organic bannana bunch.CooCoo over Coconuts?  ;-} What about the carcinogen, propylene oxide that they sometimes use to pasteurize almonds with? Better stick to organic almondsI’m not from Tennessee and evidently you’re not from Tennessee — but the last cynical swipe strikes me as really petty, and uncalled for. If we’re following a WFPB vegan diet, we’re all human and we’ve all taken some social knocks for it, but it allows us to be on the high road in terms of both moral philosophy/ humane issues AND health science. What call is there for this? It doesn’t help to be negative.  All the best.would flaxseed -1 Tablespoon daily provide the same effect as the 1/2 a walnut?No, because flaxseed has much more omega 3 then walnuts as well as potent anticancer lignans that walnuts lack.The serum marker used to detect inflammation is commonly c-reactive protein (CRP). The plant based diet appears to effectively reduce inflammation according to CRP. How would one approach reducing IGG sub class 4 (IGG4) blood markers level if CRP is within normal limits?Dr in the video you say one almond a day (or so I heard) and in text half a walnut. Are they equivalent? Also, how many nuts/day can we eat without increasing fat too much? ThanksEnglish walnuts are indeed healthier due to the fact that they contain much higher levels of omega 3. Almonds contain much more omega 6 which is inflammatory if ones diet lacks omega 3.Eating a 1/4 cup of walnuts and two tablespoons of ground flaxseed would be ideal.Toxins, Would you mind clarifying whether or not nuts and seeds need to be soaked and/or sprouted (assuming they can be sprouted)? The internet is full of folks claiming you need to do that to deactivate enzyme inhibitors and/or phytates, but WH Foods says there’s no scientific evidence. Please weigh in.Nuts do have some phytates, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Phytate doubles as a potent antioxidant and including nuts in your diet will not cause you to become calcium or zinc deficient.Sprouting does increase the antioxidant content of nuts and seeds significantly. For example, sprouted flax seeds contains 10 times the antioxidants when sprouted then before. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/In perspective though for day to day life, including phytate in your diet is a non issue. I wouldn’t worry about it.I wonder if this would work with phlebitis too!?This doesn’t seem to agree with this and other studies.Low Carb Diet Reduces Pain and Inflammation*A team of Trinity College researchers has found that three weeks on a low carbohydrate “ketogenic” diet can lower pain and inflammation in juvenile and adult animals, offering hope that metabolic, diet-based therapies could have broad implications for helping people. The study is published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.A ketogenic diet is not unlike a strict version of the popular Atkins diet, where low carbohydrate content results in low glucose and forces the body to burn ketones for cell metabolism. People who adhere to such diets are restricted from eating foods such as bread, pasta, fruit and candy, but are allowed to eat green leafy vegetables, meat, fish and some dairy products.Clinically, ketogenic diets have proven effective in treating pediatric epilepsy and type II diabetes, and recent studies provide evidence that ketogenic strategies could reduce brain injury. Ketones are used by the body during fasting, and the diet was developed initially based on the observation that people with epilepsy experienced a reduction in their seizures when they did not eat.The Trinity research, which took almost a year to complete, focused on the pain sensitivity and anti-inflammatory effects of a ketogenic diet on juvenile and adult rats. The work was performed in the laboratory of Susan A. Masino, Charles A. Dana Research Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Director of the Neuroscience Program, along with David N. Ruskin, Research Assistant Professor, and Masahito Kawamura, a visiting researcher from Jikei University in Japan.Ruskin, the lead author, noted that the effect of the diet did not depend on any special feeding schedule or limits, and pain and inflammation were reduced significantly in both young and adult rats.“All the animals ate as much as they wanted,” said Ruskin. “The younger animals gained less weight on the ketogenic diet, but the adults were not different.”The rats’ response to pain was measured by placing them on a warm surface and removing them immediately when they lifted up their hind paw, similar to a person walking barefoot on warm pavement. A control group of rats was fed standard rodent chow. Each rat was tested for six consecutive days at one temperature between 46 and 51 degrees Centigrade. How long each rat tolerated the warm surface on each day was the measure of his response to pain.“The ketogenic diet seemed to have reduced their sensitivity to pain,” said Masino.In a separate series of experiments, an irritating substance was injected into the rats’ paws. The research team found that the swelling and thus the inflammation were reduced significantly in rats fed the ketogenic diet regardless of age.One reason why the findings are hugely important is that pain and inflammation are hallmarks of diverse acute and chronic diseases. Indeed, chronic pain is one of the most common health-related factors leading to poor quality of life. Across all cultures, patients with chronic pain experience among the lowest reported quality-of-life scores of any medical condition.Moreover, dietary therapy has long been coveted as a strategy to treat a variety of clinical conditions, including pain and inflammation.The researchers cautioned that the diet formulation used in this initial study was more restrictive than the ketogenic diet used by people under medical supervision.A next step would be to identify the key mechanisms underlying the reduced pain and inflammation. Understanding these specific mechanisms could also help people with epilepsy by leading to the development of medications that address all of these conditions. Without question, said the researchers, a great unmet public health need exists for safe, effective and non-addictive strategies to reduce pain and inflammation.“Our goal is to understand this at the cellular level, which could yield new pharmacological treatments and/or less restrictive diet-based strategies,” said Masino. “This is a first exciting step, as effective and non-addictive new therapies for pain and inflammation are urgently needed and could help so many people.”In conclusion, the research team said, the data suggest that ketogenic diets offer promising therapeutic potential for diverse inflammatory or painful conditions across age groups without the added difficulty of maintaining caloric restriction. Based on these results and clinical experience with diet-based therapies for pediatric epilepsy, a novel anti-inflammatory and analgesic application of ketogenic diet therapy would be effective, non-addictive and relatively free of major side effects.Please present studies rather than random quotes. Ketogenic diets (very low carb, high fat) have been shown to be helpful with children with epilepsy for the short term. All other aspects of the diet for the short term show ill health effects. Its not something you want to put your body through. I will share the SHORT TERM evidence below. The long term evidence is also damning, but here is short term data.“Cognitive Effects of Ketogenic Weight-Reducing Diets,” researchers randomized people to either a ketogenic or a nonketogenic weight loss diet. Although both groups lost the same amount of weight, those on the ketogenic diet suffered a significant drop in cognitive performance.After one week in ketosis, higher order mental processing and mental flexibility significantly worsened into what the researcher called a “modest neuropsychological impairment.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8589783A review over low carb diets revealed that “Complications such as heart arrhythmias, cardiac contractile function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, impairment of physical activity and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbohydrates in the diet.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14672862Low-Fat Versus Low-Carbohydrate Weight Reduction DietsEffects on Weight Loss, Insulin Resistance, and Cardiovascular Risk: A Randomized Control TrialThis study looked at 24 people who were overweight/obese and divided them into 2 groups. One group was low carb, high fat and the other high carb, low fat.High carb group: 20% calories from fat/60% calories from carbsLow carb group: 60% calories from fat/20% calories from carbsIn addition, the study was designed so that participants would lose 1 pound per week, so calories were reduced by 500 per day.Volunteers were given pre weighed foods given as daily portions and were assessed by a dietician to make sure that they were adhering to the diet. After 8 weeks, this is what was found to be significant between the two groups. The low carb, high fat group experienced arterial stiffness which basically means impaired arterial function. What this means is that the people on this diet experienced low grade inflammation which can lead to the growth of atherosclerotic lesions and can become heart disease. “It is possible that the high fat content of a low-carbohydrate diet exerts detrimental effects on endothelial function, which raises concerns regarding the long-term safety and efficacy of low-carbohydrate diets…Currently, supported by evidence from long-term trials, we believe that a low-fat diet should remain the preferred diet for diabetes prevention.”http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/58/12/2741.longBenefit of Low-Fat Over Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Endothelial Health in Obesity20 subjects participated in this study. “The [low carb] diet provided 20 g of carbohydrates daily, supplemented with protein and fat content according to the Atkins’ diet recommendation.19 The [low fat] diet provided 30% of the calories as fat, modeled after an American Heart Association diet.” I wouldn’t exactly call the low fat diet “low fat”, but regardless, its far less fat then the low carb diet. Both groups were given 750 calories less with pre made meals so they would stick with the protocol.After 6 weeks, there were significant differences between the low carb and the low fat group. The researchers performed a brachial artery test which basically tests to see if arterial function is impaired or not. Typically, the arm is cut off from circulation for about 5 min., then they release the arm, and measure how dilated the blood vessels are. If the blood vessels are constricted, it represents arterial impairment whereas dilation indicates good arterial health.On week 2 of the diet, both low carb and low fat groups had poor arterial health and were not significantly different, but by week 6, those on the low carb diet had far worse arterial health then before, and those eating low fat had far better.(See figure 1: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702133/figure/F1/ )This again shows that this type of diet is promoting heart disease risk.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702133/Low carbohydrate, high fat diet increases C-reactive protein during weight loss.Unfortunately, I was unable to find the full text of this study so it is difficult for me to view the details and all I can do is base my conclusions of the study based on the abstract which is not something I like to do. Regardless, the study revealed a very interesting finding. It showed that when subjects of the study went on a low carb, high protein diet for 4 weeks, they had a 25% increase in C-reactive protein. C-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation which basically means that this group of people were promoting the development of a chronic disease. In contrast, the high carbohydrate subjects decreased their levels of C-reactive protein by 48%.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17536128Comparative Effects of Three Popular Diets on Lipids, Endothelial Function, and C-Reactive Protein during Weight MaintenanceThis study is quite interesting. It examined 18 adults aged 20 or over for 6 months. The aim of the study was to examine their health when on 3 diets, the Atkins diet (high fat, low carb), the South beach diet (Mediterranean) and the Ornish diet (low fat, high carb). They found no significant differences between the 3 diets in terms of calories consumed. The results are interesting as seen in table 1 of the study.They found higher LDL in the Atkins diet and lower LDL in the low fat Ornish diet. They also found significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein in the atkins diet as opposed to the Ornish diet. What was also found was that the atkins diet had poor results for the Brachial Artery test which again shows impaired arterial function. “High saturated fat intake may adversely impact lipids and endothelial function during weight maintenance. As such, popular diets such as Atkins may be less advantageous for CHD risk reduction when compared to the Ornish and South Beach diets”http://engine2diet.com/usrfiles/files/publishedstudies/obesity/comparative-effects-of-3-diets.pdfDear Dr. Greger, Is there a nutritional quality difference between raw and roasted nuts? What about sprouted ones (soaked overnight)?What about the claim that nuts are too high in saturated fats and should be avoided?If saturated fat in nuts were a problem, we wouldn’t see these positive effects from them. That said, nuts aren’t high in saturated fat. They’re high in mono-unsaturated fat.	almonds,antioxidants,C-reactive protein,cardiovascular disease,fish,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,mortality,nuts,plant-based diets,seafood,vegans,vegetarians,walnuts	The equivalent of eating a single walnut half per day appeared to cut the risk of dying from inflammatory disease in about half, whereas fish did not appear to play a protective role. That may be why those eating vegetarian foods have lower levels of inflammation and chronic disease risk.	This is the second of a three-part series on the latest discoveries about fighting inflammation with plant foods. See Friday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes for part one. Other recent videos on nuts include Eating Healthy on the Cheap, Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies, and Plant-Based Atkins Diet, whereas industrial pollutants present in fish oil supplements may even increase inflammation in the body—see Is Distilled Fish Oil Toxin-Free?. The anti-inflammatory nature of plant foods may explain why those eating plant-based diets have less diabetes (Preventing Macular Degeneration With Diet), fewer allergies (Preventing Allergies in Adulthood), less heart disease (China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death), better moods (Improving Mood Through Diet), and fewer chronic diseases in general (Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants). There are over a hundred videos on plant-based diets alone, along with videos on a thousand other topics.We know plant-based diets can help prevent inflammatory disease, but to see if plant-based diets can be used to treat it, you've got to put it to the test. Stay tuned for tomorrow's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Achieving Remission of Crohn’s Disease.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/13/cholesterol-lowering-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/06/the-true-shelf-life-of-cooking-oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/24/biblical-daniel-fast-tested/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/c-reactive-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19685439,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21411616,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21749016,
PLAIN-2942	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-effects-of-purple-potatoes/	Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes	From a recent review on diet and inflammation by Dr. Leo Galland—who, actually used to be my doctor “Inflammation has recently emerged as an important aspect of the development of age-related infirmity and the major chronic diseases of industrialized societies, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimers, cancer. And we have markers of inflammation now, which are easy to measure and give a sense of how much inflammation there is in our bodies, which is predictive for the development of some of these diseases.      We know plant-based food in general have anti-inflammatory effects, particularly fruits and vegetables, but not all plant foods. From a 2010 review, extra virgin olive oil decreases inflammatory markers compared to corn oil, or nonvirgin oli, tomato juice helps, but raw tomatoes don't appear to. Walnuts red wine, and flax meal work, garlic powder doesn’t. Mixed data on tea, but sweet cherries do indeed seem to decrease inflammation. There were a few new studies published in 2011 to add to this list, o ne showing that those eating just 4 servings of legumes a week—lentils, chickpeas, peas, or beans— dropped C-reactive protein levels a whopping 40% in two months.  And then, apparently the first study ever to address the effects of potato consumption on oxidation and inflammation in humans. And not just any potatoes, there's all sorts of new varieties out there. First they looked at regular potatoes, white russet potatoes. One steamed potato a day for 6 weeks. Inflammation, as measured by C-reactive protein levels in the blood, tended to go up. Next, potatoes with yellow flesh, did a bit better, but neither were significantly different than baseline. Only purple potatoes, potatoes with purple flesh, significantly decreased inflammation. The same thing was found for oxidation. In this 2012 study, within hours of consumption, purple potatoes increased the antioxidant capacity of one's bloodstream, whereas white potato starch appeared to have a pro-oxidant effect. And purple potatoes also appeared to help lower blood pressure in folks with hypertension. They put people on 6-8 small microwaved purple potatoes a day and concluded “purple potatoes are an effective hypotensive agent and lower the risk of heart disease and stroke in hypertensive subjects without weight gain.”  Combined withg the reduction in inflammation and DNA damage purple potatoes offer consumers an improved nutritional choice in potato consumption.	For more on anti-inflammatory foods, see Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation and Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants. For more on choosing the foods with the most antioxidant power, check out Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. Then for other foods that may help tame high blood pressure, Hearts Shouldn’t Skip a Beet and Fill in the Blank. What about the Toxins in Cooked Potatoes? Sweet potatoes are indeed better, and purple sweet potatoes are the best of the best. These are the only ones I’ve tried, but they are fantastic. I have some videos on purple sweets coming up, but in the meanwhile feel free to browse the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. We know plant-based diets decrease markers of inflammation, but do all these anti-inflammatory plant foods actually have an impact on inflammatory disease mortality? Stay tuned for Monday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell.On the ‘darker’ side of things:Purple potatoes, purple cabbage, Purple onions, purple corn, purple carrots, Beets, Dark green leafies, and lest us not forget Yellow Watermelon.Whom ever said ‘white is right’ disn’t see the science.Color me Purple baby! :-}Purple potatoes (Purple Vodka?), Purple Wine, both antiinflammatory.  When are they going to make Purple Beer. Oh, already done, Prickly Pear Pale Ale.  Check out this link: http://appellationbeer.com/blog/would-you-drink-a-purple-beer/This begs the question, Is it antiinflammatory?Inquiring minds want to know.  Hmmmm.  :}On the topic of decreased inflammatory markers,also see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20425759Interesting.  But what happened to the fiber? :-} Well, fresh ripe veggies and fruits beat concentrates every time, of course.But what about the two varieties of Sweet Potatoes? (white flesh and orange flesh – often referred to as yams)  Did they not study that?  I tend to like the white flesh sweet potatoes and had been under the impression that they were a lot healthier than the regular white potatoes.  I’m pretty sure Dr. Greger has a video about this somewhere, but I wonder how the sweet potatoes would fit into this study/question on inflammation?There is also a purple-fleshed sweet potato called Okinawa sweet potato. It is so delicious and very common here in Hawaii. carfree:  Thanks for that interesting bit of info.  Sounds delicious.  I don’t think I can get that in this area, but I’m going to keep an eye out at my local farmer’s market.You’re welcome! They are gray/white on the outside, and look a bit more gnarly than other sweet potatoes. I like to think they’re partly responsible for the long life expectency of the Okinawan people!I’m a little confused about inflammation and its effects on our hearts. Is this just referring to generalized inflammation, or does localized inflammation also affect our health so negatively?  I’ve heard that poor teeth hurt us because of the inflammation; what about something like a sprained ankle? Are these two different animals, or separate arms of the same animal? Or no difference at all?Inflammation is a response to an injury. When you have a sprained ankle the inflammation is part of the healing process and is not bad for the body. It is a necessary part of healing.When we talk about the vascular system it is the same animal. The arteries become inflamed as they become diseased. Poor teeth health is bad because of the bacteria that are associated.Both autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases share an inflammatory response. In both the body attacks itself. Neither are a good thing.Thank you, Gale.What to do if you react with asthmatic or allergy symptoms when eating purple, blue or yellow potatoes? Any other good foods to eat?  I even react to walnuts, kiwi and eggplant…the swollen airways are not fun!There is so much great information in these studies. I am going to looking at the links to see if there is something I can offer my patients. I am not allowed to prescribe (advise) on anything people can ingest, as it isn’t in my scope of practice, but I have lots of allied health information in my waiting area.Great information Dr. Greger! I just want to clarify if other types of rhizomes with pigmentation (i.e. purple yams, etc) would bring the same effect on inflammation? Thank you!!!Michael,Thank you for your work here.I really wish you would address targets and balance relative to your advice.By targets I mean, what should we be shooting for with anti-inflammatory food choices? Should we eat no bananas? When we eat potatoes, should they only be purple? Is the normal plant-based whole-foods diet anti-inflammatory? How anti-inflammatory should it be? Is there a target, that if we meet it we are fine? Is there a point of diminishing returns relative to continuing to pay more attention to this issue?I would like you to say “If you do X, you will be doing fine according to Michael Greger M.D.” Or, “If your diet looks like Y, that seems like it will be good.”Also, to be safe, should we take a baby aspirin a day?In conclusion, I find this information to be relatively useless without the fuller context needed to understand that it in a useful way.  It would be useful to me if I could answer the questions in the large paragraph in this comment.  Reid:  I can’t speak for Dr. Greger, but I have some thoughts for you.1) We/humans may not know the answers as precisely as you would like.  We may know from studies that it is best to say “reduce inflammation”, but we may not always be to the point that we know all of the details such as exactly how much for each type of person…  Thus, it would be up to each of us to take the information in these videos/from the studies and apply the science to our own bodies the best way we can.  If we don’t know the answer, I think it would be irresponsible for Dr. Greger to make a recommendation–unless it comes with enough qualifications that a wise person would know just how to take it…2) Dr. Greger *does* make both general dietary recommendations and (sometimes) very specific recommendations in the videos.  For an example of a specific recommendation, check out Dr. Greger’s video series on Vitamin D.  He explains why it is hard to come up with a one-size-fits all recommendation for every person.  And then he does just that, explaining how he came up with the number.Dr. Greger does have a blog post on this site which has his over-all dietary guidelines that I would say fit the bill of “If your diet looks like Y, that seems like it will be good.”  However, I think that blog post is a bit out of date.  I know you can get the very latest recommendations by purchasing Dr. Greger’s Volume DVD 9.  Dr. Greger includes a printed paper with his overall dietary guidelines inside the video.  I keep hoping Dr. Greger will put that information in a link at the top of this website, right after “blog”.  But at least it is available somehow.Hope you find this helpful.I was wondering whether the study used conventional or organic potatoes. Seems reasonable that purple potatoes have higher antioxidants in either case. But it seems that since conventional potatoes are on the dirty dozen list, it may be that the chemical residue on them is contributing to the oxidant activity and not the white or yellow potatoes themselves. Any way to find out which type of potatoes were tested? This information while appreciated also confuses me. Dr McDougall’s entire plan is starch based and he is a HUGE proponent of all types of potatoes.  I do love russet potatoes with black beans, corn, green onion and salsa on them.  Is this just ONE study about pro inflammatory effects of white potatoes and maybe theres HOPE to still eat russets a few times a week?  :)  I do eat orange sweets and have tried purple sweets as well. Very tasty. Tom:  I think you will be very interested in the following video.  Based on the title, it seems like the video is just about white bread, but watch it through.  I don’t want to give away the suspense, but it directly addresses your question about the health of white potatoes.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-white-bread-good-for-you/ I forgot to say:  I also find these studies very sad.  I love white potatoes…  But I have changed my diet to severely limit them.  One thing I am no certain of, however, is the health effects of white sweet potatoes.  Are those different?  I hope so, because they are not as strong as the orange potatoes and often go better in certain dishes.I also had a thought for perspective: even if white potatoes are not the healthiest food to be eating, it seems to me that the science points to white potatoes being far, far better than animal products.  So, if you found yourself with a choice between mashed white potatoes and say yogurt – go with the potatoes!Hi Thea, do you (or anyone else reading this) happen to know if red potatoes, the ones with the red skin and white flesh, fall into the dreaded “white potatoes” category? I’ve started eating them daily because of their huge loads of potassium but if they’re causing inflammation and all of that I need to find a better potassium source… When I first got into them, I was hopeful that the word “red” in their name exempted them from all of the white potato trouble, but I’m starting to wonder if they’re just as bad as russet potatoes.Jane: I’m sorry, I just don’t know. I like to think positive. But I really don’t know. :-(Thanks all the same, very kind of you to take the time to respond. As a bit of an update of my own, I can report that I switched from red potatoes to blue/purple potatoes yesterday. This is hardly scientific and could be placebo, but I felt an immediate improvement on the blue potatoes. After eating them, it was like my body was expecting a blood sugar spike (since I’ve been gorging on red potatoes for a couple of weeks now), and when it didn’t come it was like, “Hey, this feels pretty good!” The feeling, real or imaginary, was so strong that it has me feeling pretty averse to the idea of ever eating another white potato, even if they are called “red,” again.Jane: Wow. That’s really interesting. And I like how you understand that it may be placebo, but who cares, because your experience is your reality. Good analysis. Enjoy your purples!What about the peel? Toxic?  I grow small knobby very purple potatoes & have been just scrubbing & steaming & mashing them or making grated potato pancakes. Yummy & a beautiful color.  It wouldn’t be worth trying to peel them.Doctor Greger, I have been an omnivore (with heavy leaning toward carnivore) most of my life. Due to friendships with more health conscious individuals (vegetarians with leanings toward vegan) I am gradually changing my eating habits.In laying out my future dietary patterns I have found your research very helpful overall. For this I thank you.At the same time I find myself questioning things. Although the overall health benefits of a vegetarian vs. a omnivore lifestyle are statistically indisputable, the cost/benefits of individual elements and mechanisms are less clear.“Animal protein is bad”… “well, it is actually the saturated animal fat”, “well, really the worst part is the systemic inflammation caused by the bacterial toxins unavoidable in animal products that the saturated fats help permeate the intestinal wall that does the killing”. But “cooking temperatures and methods greatly impact the negative consequences of eating animal products”. “And nuts and purple fleshed potatoes seem to do an amazing job of mitigating the overall negative effect of inflammatory toxins on our bodies”.What I am actually looking for is a “Unified Theory on Health”, where elements can be weighted (both individually and combined with enhancing/mitigating factors) and evaluated for individual choice and application.“Must you eat meat? Fine, looking at the unified theory you might decide to slow cook skinned free range antibiotic free chicken thighs. Skim off the fat and mix in a moderate amount of olive oil during last 20 minutes of cooking. Eat early in the day with purple fleshed potatoes. Have a dessert high in both whole grain oats an tree nuts, and engage in at least thirty minutes of moderately high intensity physical activity 3 to 5 hours after your meal…”.“It has to be beef? Fine, you look at the theory and start with lean, organically raised beef. Cook at low temperature…”And “help cleanse your system the next day by going totally high fiber vegan. Start with a whole fruit breakfast, accompanied if you must with a small amount of home made low sugar low wheat breakfast cereal in almond milk. Vegetarian chili and beans makes a wonderfully filling lunch. Add a lentil soup and salad for dinner and you are ready for a good nights sleep”.You get the idea.At this stage of the science can this be done with any degree of confidence?SteveLose Your Mustache Mash– 4 cups organic* purple potatoes, peeled and cubed – 7 whole cloves garlic, peeled – 1 tbsp sage – ½ tbsp rosemary – 1 tsp thymeBoil potatoes and garlic until mashable. Place herbs in the bottom of a large bowl and top with freshly boiled potatoes and garlic. Mash everything together and add some of the boiling water to achieve a creamier mash. Season to taste with sea salt.*Potatoes rank 10th (up from 12th last year) in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.phpBookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium~Complements of lovestobeveganDr. Greger, thank you for being you. Please write a cookbook or at least compile your favorite recipes. It would be a best seller!Second person asking…. While it’s clear that purple potatoes are healthier than white potatoes based on the studies above. The question is, do they cause the same insulin spike that eating white potatoes does? We haven’t eaten a white potato in years but used to grow and enjoy purple potatoes. We’d grow them again if they don’t cause an insulin spike, if not we’ll continue to stick to sweet potatoes.Did you see the movie Interstellar? The earth is a dust-bowl (cows?) the last remaining crop that can grow is corn, so humans have to leave the planet to find a new place to live. How come potatoes weren’t the last crop to survive. Water efficient, they grow under ground, almost a complete food for humans (just a little greens needed). We could have held out a lot longer. And where did those beers Mathew McConaughey had come from?My friend lectured me about not eating potatoes on a diet. I found that a med potato, @ 100 calories satisfied my appetite between meals. I stopped eating potatoes and started gaining weight, even when keeping to my weight loss diet! I know that I have an enlarged thyroid, but tests said I was ok, but I still suspected that something was off. Finally I looked up iodine in vegetables. Seaweed is the best, but I can not choke it down for love nor money. Fish and shell food is also great, but I have acute allergic reactions. Potatoes is the vegetable highest in iodine. I still can not find information which potato has the highest levels of iodine.	Alzheimer’s disease,anthocyanins,beans,blood pressure,C-reactive protein,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cherries,chickpeas,chronic diseases,corn oil,diabetes,DNA damage,flax seeds,fruit,garbanzo beans,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,inflammation,legumes,lentils,microwaving,oils,olive oil,oxidative stress,peas,plant-based diets,potatoes,purple potatoes,red wine,seeds,sweet potatoes,tea,tomato juice,tomatoes,vegetables,walnuts	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties of white compared to yellow and purple potatoes. Purple potatoes may also help lower high blood pressure.	For more on anti-inflammatory foods, see Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation and Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants. For more on choosing the foods with the most antioxidant power, check out Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. Then for other foods that may help tame high blood pressure, Hearts Shouldn’t Skip a Beet and Fill in the Blank. What about the Toxins in Cooked Potatoes? Sweet potatoes are indeed better, and purple sweet potatoes are the best of the best. These are the only ones I've tried, but they are fantastic. I have some videos on purple sweets coming up, but in the meanwhile feel free to browse the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.We know plant-based diets decrease markers of inflammation, but do all these anti-inflammatory plant foods actually have an impact on inflammatory disease mortality? Stay tuned for Monday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chickpeas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garbanzo-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/c-reactive-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microwaving/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/purple-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fill-in-the-blank/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-cooked-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20499072,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19685439,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22224463,
PLAIN-2943	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/	Boosting Immunity Through Diet	As we age our immune system starts to decline. That’s why when you hear infectious disease advisories they often list those at greatest risk include infants, the immunocompromised, and the elderly, because the elderly are, to some extent, immunocompromised.  Last year reserachers at Belfast reported an investigation into the “possibility that inadequate diet may be a contributing factor” to “immunological aging.” Both immunity and fruit and vegetable intake can be low in the elderly; they wondered if there might be a connection. So they rounded up 83 volunteers between 65 and 95 years of age and randomized them into the control group, following their pitiful 2 or fewer servings of fruits and veggies a day diet versus the experimental group that we told to consume at least 5. They did this a month before they were due for their pneumonia vaccine, The experimental group didn’t quite hit five daily servings, but they did better than the control group.  Here’s what happened when they were given pneumovax. Here’s the control group. They were injected with pneumonia bacteria vaccine. Their immune systems should have gone crazy making antibodies to fight off the pervceived invader, and they tried their best. But this is the group that was on almost 5 servings of fruits and veggies every day for the prior four weeks.  Influenza and pneumonia constitute the 7th leading cause of death for our elderly. It’s never too late to start eating healthier.	Which fruits and vegetables may be best? See Best Berries and Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck. Other videos on immune function include Kale and the Immune System and Preventing Childhood Allergies. Also check out Preventing COPD With Diet and Treating COPD With Diet on preserving respiratory function, as well as the gazillion (ok, more like a thousand) other topics I cover.I just wanted to add a caveat.  I would caution persons who have autoimmune disorders such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, IBS, Crohns Disease, Psoriasis, etc. to not try and boost their immune system unless they are completely plant based. Why? Autoimmune diseases are when the bodies own immune system becomes confused and starts to attack itself (Molecular Mimicry) because it has been HYPER-stimulated by ingesting TOO MANY foreign substances (Usually foreign proteins) that look convincingly like our own tissues.    So boosting ones own immune system when it is already “boosted” tends to exacerbate the autoimmune disorder in patients not completely plant based. This has been my experience in my autoimmune diseased patients; however, when they adopt a plant based lifestyle, they stop the assault on their bodies and immune systems and their immune systems eventually calm down ceasing their attack on themsleves.I have multiple patients with Lupus, RA, Crohns, Ulcerative Colitis, Psoriasis that have had complete resolution of their symptoms and some who don’t even test positive anymore for their autoantibodies, after they adopt a plant based diet.  It may take awhile but it works!!  Plants heal!So go ahead and Boost your Immune system once you have adopted a plant based lifestyle.I would encourage any feedback about anyone elses experiences in this department.Love thy plants! Dr HemoDynamic:  Wow, that is incredibly interesting.  It makes perfect sense, but you never know how valid an idea is until it is tested in the real world.  It is so interesting that you have seen this phenomenon in real people.  Thanks for sharing.Thea, You might find this Vid from Dr. Greger interesting if you haven’t already seen it: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/ Thanks.  I’ve seen them all, but I don’t have all that information at the front of my head.  That video you linked to is one of the great ones.What was extra interesting about your post was the point about boosting immune system may actually be bad for someone who isn’t all plant-based.  So fascinating.I wish I had the time and money to commission a large study but for one I live in a very small community and it would be hard for me to recruit a lot of people.  But I will keep compiling a patient database like Dr. McDougall, Dr. Ornish, Dr. Barnard, (Dr. Greger?) does and hopefully one day be able to share those results.It is interesting for sure!Yup. Worked for me. I have a very rare autoimmune disease called acquired atricia. I completely changed my diet 4 years ago eliminating gluten, and dairy and eating a plant based, all organic diet. The inflammation in my ears is gone and my hearing is perfect.Food heals.Excellent!!  Thanks for sharing.  I feel it’s important for people to share their plant based triumphs to motivate the many people who peruse this site but do not comment.Keep those positive comments coming! Great to hear!after reading China Study i switched to plant based. i ve been vegan now for almost 5 years. Still got psoriasis though… was wondering if you got any tips to what might help it?I wish I had the answer for you.  Sometimes there are just stubborn cases and genetic predispositions that defy even Plants. I would hope you have a local Doc that understands autoimmune abnormalities and understands and supports Plant based nutrition as a therapy but that could look deeper into the history of your disease. Did your Psoriasis get better at all?Making sure you get plenty of direct sunlight can help but I’m sure you are already doing that.Not sure I was much help but thanks for posting.thx for you reply HemoDynamic, M.D.! initially it got better so i think plants did indeed help but since last year it is slowing expanding and appearing at places where it hasnt been before nothing critical just gets me worried. i am waiting for a book form Dr. John O.A. Pagano and hoping to get some more insights from there.Pagano is a leader in the field and it is clear that what he has learned is that a plant based diet is highly effective at diminishing the disease, but some cases are clearly resistant. We clearly need to learn more about this disease, but in the mean time keep Plant-Strong!! I myself will try to learn more about this disease and relay any insight I learn.  Thanks for your post! If you consume any dairy, that may be the culprit! Try eliminating it and see, if you do.I used to have psoriasis but it went away once I went vegan, and also switched to vegan natural based soaps and shampoos. When for the first year or two I was eating plant based but still using Pantene shampoo I still had psorasis on my scalp.Thanks for posting!  I’m glad you found solace in plants.  ;-}Dr. Hemo: Is Hep. C considered an auto-immune situation? If so, would taking supplemental Vitamin D be a good idea?Hep C is a viral infection and unfortunately one that tends to stay with people forever, and it is not classified as an autoimmune disorder.  The only known effective treatment is Interferon and Ribavirin but compliance is low with only about 25% completing the therapy secondary to severe adverse side effects.   And then only about 50% (variable) tent to have successful treatment. This is out of my area of expertise and a Gastroenterologist is well equiped to discuss the different treatment options.  However, adopting a Vegan lifestyle that is full of variety cannot hurt.  I have 5 chronic Hep C patients that have all improved their quality of life on a Vegan diet but I haven’t seen the viral loads decrease when they were measured.  Also, unfortunately, no supplements (eg Milk Thistle, N Acetyl Cysteine, Co Q10) have been shown to have much positive effect.Low vitamin D has been shown to increase the fibrosis associated with chronic Hep C.  So make sure you have adequate blood levels.  Below is a good article about Hep C treatment. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2940000/?tool=pmcentrez I hope this helps.That is informative about the low Vit. D levels and increased fibrosis. I was only curious because it seemed to me that if the liver damage in those with Hep C was caused not so much by the virus as the immune system attacking the virus and hitting the liver, then increasing the immune function would be antithetical.Hemo D, is there something to be said for abstaining from vitamin D by those with autoimmune diseases, as the vitamin D may “boost” the immune system, possibly triggering other autoimmune diseases? Also, as far as plants go, I have often heard that it is advisable for those with autoimmune diseases to avoid any herbs that stimulate and/or heighten the immune system, as it can adversely effect an already overactive immune system, I’ve heard the same logic is why one should abstain from chlorella and spirulina as well, if they have an autoimmune disease.You are correct to stay away from Immune boosting foods if you continue to eat meat, dairy, eggs or any animal products. These foods cause inflammation stimulating your body to try and “heal the problem” but the problem is what you are placing in your mouth. So you end up with a confused immune system trying to figure out what is causing the inflammation, so it starts to attack parts of your body that it thinks are the inflammatory culprits which causes more pain and inflammation, and potentially a full blown autoimmune disorder.The animal products are the causes of 99% of the autoimmune disorders I have seen. So get them out ASAP. I have many patients who have had complete remission of their autoimmune diseases (Crohns, Ulcerative Colitis, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Thyroiditis, and others) by adopting a plant-strong lifestyle. Nearly all of the patients/people don’t have a problem with a boosted immunity unless they are eating meat and dairy. Then it is OVER-boosted so to speak. Your body will not attack itself unless it is given a stimulus to do so.Regarding Vitamin (Hormone) D, get 20 minutes of sun daily (best source by far). Not only is it vital in many body processes it has recently been discovered to dilate your arteries in your body reducing stroke and heart attacks. However, I haven’t personally seen anyone have problems with supplemented (orally taken) Vit D.Regarding plant foods and inflammation patients with autoimmune disorders sometimes do have flair ups with concentrated soy products like Faux Meats (Meatless ground) and soy sauce (Yes even Braggs brand). So eat the whole soybean or tofu, not concentrated soy protein isolates or derivatives there of.Also thanks to Dr. Greger I was educated on some plant foods having inflammatory properties like white potatoes where as Purple Potatoes are anti-inflammatory (use NF.orgs search engine to find that study).Thanks so much for the reply.Hemo D, do you have any experience with chlorella, and have you observed any positive and or negative results? Do you have any concerns with chlorella in regards to it affecting the immune system in adverse ways, or is it just positive? I hear and read conflicting opinions.Not directly related to your topic, but I was indoors a lot and my legs felt tired when I exercised. I really thought it was because I wasn’t getting enough sun (as I suspected from watching Dr. Greger videos and the like). So I took a blood test, found out I had low D levels as I suspected. I then took high doses of D2 (vegan) that the doctor prescribed. My levels went almost back to normal, but my energy also went up.Now I supplement D2 on my own and I now my legs are much more energetic and I don’t even feel lactic acid until I push my body too hard, when I power up the hills on a run, usually way ahead of the training pack, or swing a kettlebell.Just my own anecdote I know, but conclusion: Along with a plant-based diet, vitamin D supplement really boosted my athletic performance.In replying to myself, and importantly so, I just got emailed John McDougall, M.D.’s newsletter. This is such an important editorial that compares and contrasts Plant vs Animal based diets like the Paleo, Atkins etc. It is fully referenced with links and is a MUST READ for anyone who is consuming food ;-} http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl/jun/paleo2.htmThanks to Dr. McDougall and Dr. Greger, and the many others fantastic researchers and physicians, for their tireless effort in getting the word out to the world:  EAT PLANTS!I’ve been vegan for 40 years and I appreciate the support from Dr. Greger and Dr. McDougall and yourself, but I still don’t know what to say to people who speak from their experience and say that they’ve been vegan for nine or sixteen years or whatever and “it almost killed me” until they went back to eating animals. Do you have a response to this phenomena?Do you have to respond to them?  It’s probably they didn’t have enough variety or that it is just an excuse for them to eat meat.  Either way, unless you have to respond, then don’t respond.You can say well it works for me and leave it at that.  People can only change themselves, I (you) can’t change anybody.And as I have repeated before the Old Buddhist proverb, “When the student is ready the teacher will appear.”Hi HD, M.D.! To answer or not to answer, that is the question! The book from Carol J Adams, “Living among Meat Eaters” is very useful for understanding defensiveness, and helping relationships.Funny, I haven’t seen any articles in the local paper or any scientific research showing that Veganism killed people, but I have seen multiple articles showing how eating animals and their product did.There are deficiencies such as B12 and Vitamin D that are real but have to be tested for.Anyway, I hope these answers help.They’re the minority. Think of all the people who eat meat and it was killing them until they turned plant-based.I don’t know what those former vegans were eating, but if we could get them in a controlled setting and fed them plant-based whole foods for a good period of time, we can really see if the diet is failing them or they’re failing the diet.Anecdotes: I know two former vegans and they’re both overweight. No one really explains to me what’s in the meat that “saved” their lives. They just blame the plant eating for making them unhealthy.Maybe it’s because of a non-balanced diet? Were they eating junk vegan food? or not well supplemented in vitamin B12, and vitamin D? Are they healthy now?Do you have any specific recommendation for lupus?What is it about fruits and vegetables that enhances the immune system. I suppose that the first thing that comes to mind as a suspected cause is  phytochemicals or antioxidants. However, I’ve also read that fiber boosts the immunity. http://www.i-dietetique.com/?action=archives&type=revue-de-presse-en&id=1725 It would be interesting to know what the actual active agents in plant foods are.I wish more elderly thought like this:”It’s never too late to eat healthier”; instead of, “It’s too late now,” or “I’m old, I’ve ‘earned’ the right to do (eat) what I want!” It seems so many are hard-pressed to change. Telling them anything is tantamount to relegating them to children, and they just resent it.Cheers to those who do change, though :^)My 97 y.o. grandma is adamant to do away with herself – falling out of bed, tripping down stairs – I will tell her to ditch the apples and oranges instead :) Ditch the apples and oranges????! Nooooo! How ’bout MORE apples and oranges? Oh, and LOTS of leafy greens! ;^)I’m SO PROUD of my parents, 65 and 70, who have made an effort to start eating more healthy.  They are mostly (not all, sigh) eating whole-plant foods vegan for the first time ever. It has made a huge difference in the life of my 70 year old father.  He was told that he could cut back on heart medication after only 3 months worth of more-healthy eating.  And then he was told that instead of needing to check in with the doctor every 3 months like he had been doing, he could now come back in 6 months.  I can’t wait to see what good things continue to happen if he keeps with it.One of the reasons they have decided to make this change is the information from Dr. Greger’s videos.  Go Dr. Greger!!!!That is tremendous to hear, good for you, and them!I have the worst sleep out of everyone I know, so I better be a good boy and eat my greens.Hi Dr Greger, could you post what you know regarding vaccines in general? TThe amount of toxins like formaldehyde and aluminum? The risks/benefits and why it’s worth it to still get vaccinated? And are they all really necessary? Thanks!Here is a video comparing aluminum in vaccine with other food.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/Yeah, I watched that one. But I want to know about vaccines themselves. Science says yes, but they are still scary.I would really love some advice. I have decided not to vaccinate my daughter. she is a very healthy 11 month old. We live in Israel. I am planning to travel to India and Guatemala. Am i supposed to reconsider my decision and vaccinate her? I am so confused.The above comment is on the inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables. In my experience: I ate huge amount of vegetables and fruit, while also consumed plenty of animal protein. Still my immune system was weak and got infected by TBC. I am 55. When I switched to a vegan diet, I experience less flu and otherinfections.One question: If you are eating a plant based diet, do you still have to be worried about taking vaccination?Are you referring to the pneumonia and influenza vaccines Dr. Greger referred here?Well sure, more explanation on that would be helpful. But I meant in general overall.HI Roy, Pneumonia and influenza can be deadly for many people so please take the appropriate vaccinations. The study cited here shows that diet affected the body’s response to make more antibodies and thus provide a better level of protection. Some vaccines as you know are recommended at different ages and for different populations.For instance, the Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPSV) mentioned in the study is for pneumococcal disease which is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. It is a leading cause of vaccine- preventable illness and death in the United States. Anyone can get pneumococcal disease, but some people are at greater risk than others:– People 65 years and older – The very young– People with certain health problems – People with a weakened immune system – Smokers Pneumococcal disease can lead to serious infections of the: – Lungs (pneumonia), – Blood (bacteremia), and – Covering of the brain (meningitis).Pneumococcal pneumonia kills about 1 out of 20 people who get it. Bacteremia kills about 1 person in 5, and meningitis about 3 people in 10.If anyone wants to review vaccine information it can be found here: http://www.immunize.org/vis/I have adopted a plant based life style. It is working slowly for my lupus. What more can I do to get more results?Definition of elderly please? thanks! What exact age are we talking about here?Any literature on the effectiveness of the flu vaccine? I am not an advocate and have read that its effectiveness has not been proven in ALL populations. I would like to be able to give a reference to my patients. Thank you.Dr. Greger you mention in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAFGPDm-YA8 that certain infectious diseases such as the common cold, flu, and small pox did not exist or were rare before the domesticating of animals. Question, if our society moved to a vegan diet and ethic- eliminating animal agriculture and the breeding of animals- would it then be possible that such infectious and common diseases like the common cold and flu be eradicated or rare? I understand that food borne illnesses would be eradicated if animal agriculture no longer existed, but curious about certain infectious diseases like the ones you mentioned in the you tube video link that I provided where you spoke about this. Thank you for any insight as I am always learning- even being a vegan for 26 years now.Hey Carrie good to see you post here! Ok this is definitely Dr. Greger’s area. Have you read Bird Flu? It is available for free, here. He says that the flu would probably start going away as what happened with influenzavirus B. Hope that helps a bit. Thanks again for posting.	aging,elderly,fruit,immune function,infants,lifespan,longevity,lung disease,lung health,pneumonia,pneumovax,vaccines,vegetables	Inadequate fruit and vegetable intake may help explain the loss of immune function associated with aging that is linked to an increased risk of dying from pneumonia and influenza.	Which fruits and vegetables may be best? See Best Berries and Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck. Other videos on immune function include Kale and the Immune System and Preventing Childhood Allergies. Also check out Preventing COPD With Diet and Treating COPD With Diet on preserving respiratory function, as well as the gazillion (ok, more like a thousand) other topics I cover.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaccines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pneumonia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pneumovax/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19541535,
PLAIN-2944	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-hydroponic-basil-as-healthy/	Is Hydroponic Basil as Healthy?	At one of the Farmer’s markets I go to there’s a farmer with a hydroponic greenhouse such that I can get fresh basil all year ‘round, but I was always curious how hydroponic basic—grown in water—compared nutritionally to basil grown in soil. Same seeds, one in water, and one in soil. What do you think they found, in terms of vitamin content, antioxidant content and phytonutrient content? The hydroponic basil won hands down, more antioxidant power and more vitamins and key phytonutrients. Why? Because the basil doesn’t like it. It's the same reason organic greens are healthier, they get bitten by bugs and in defense they manufacture more of those wonderful glucosinolate compounds that are so good for us. Likewise, under environmental stress drowning in the water basil may release these phenolic antioxidant phytonutrients like rosmarinic acid and we reap the benefits.	Herbs and spices are among the healthiest plants to consume. See one of my favorites for example, Antioxidants in a Pinch and Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods. The glucosinolates I mention are the broccoli compounds featured in videos such as Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells, Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast, and The Best Detox. For how our food crops have been doing in general over the years see Crop Nutrient Decline and for more on the organic question: Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off? and Fungal Toxins in Apples.  There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.I wonder if I’m better for all my life’s struggles ;^) I like this report; I like the idea — or at least the impression — that when I get hydros they are “cleaner.” Good to know they’re more nutrient dense.Herbs and spices are among the healthiest plants to consume. See one of my favorites for example, “Antioxidants in a Pinch” and “Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods.” The glucosinolates I mention are the broccoli compounds featured in videos such as “Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells,” “Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast,” and “The Best Detox.” For how our food crops have been doing in general over the years see “Crop Nutrient Decline” and for more on the organic question: “Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off?” and “Fungal Toxins in Apples.” There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects for you to check out!Interesting I came to the opposite conclusion before watching video. Well that certainly bodes well for future hydro farming.Same as regular exercise, within limitations, for our own bodies and brain. Healthy stress: physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual all good for the body, mind and soul. It’s even healthy for the plants we eat. Hi Michael, I continue to have trouble hearing your message. I don’t have this trouble with other sounds/voices coming over my computer. I am wondering if others have this problem and if perhaps you can find a different microphone.I don’t write comments but that doesn’t mean that for years I haven’t been a “regular” attendee of your work and continually think how lucky I am to live at a time where you put this news out and at a time when biochem/nutrition research is burgeoning.Darrell Williams in Austin, Tx.sounds okay to me!The sound level has always been excellent when I view these terrific videos. Thanks Dr. Greger!Sounds fine to me as well.  Dr G’s older vid’s were very low in acoustic volume and it sounded like he was whispering and I still have to turn up my volume all the way up to hear him in those videos.  I thought it was because he started recording those videos early in the morning or late at night when his family was sleeping and he didn’t want to wake them up so would whisper into the mic.  Don’t know but now they sound fine.sounds good to me… maybe your speakers have a frequency hole right where Dr Greger’s voice sits :)Most hydroponic growers add liquid nutrients to the water. Were liquid nutrients added to the hydroponically grown basil? And if so, could that be one of the reasons the hydro-basil scored so much better? Just curious on the details..I know nothing about hydroponics, but wouldn’t all hydroponic growing require nutrients in the water as fundamental building blocks for the plants?Without the mineral/nutrient mix being added to the water, plants will not grow. Plain water will NOT grow plants.I would expect mineral content to be lower, but I also expected antioxidant content to be lower. Any info on minerals?That was my question as well – how was the mineral content?I think half my city is high on hydroponics and it’s not the basil.Half of the residents have Medical Marijuana cards (MMC’s) where I live (at least that’s what the paper reported).  90,000 persons with 45,000 MMC’s–they take their plants seriously here.Some of my patients when I teach them to go plant based say, “Already there Doc.”An interesting note:  There were 3 groups tested 2 hydroponic batches, one grown for 20 days (20H), one for 35 days (35H), and 1 group in soil for 35 days (35S) When you click on the cited study above and study the graphs the group that had the highest nutrient density was the 20H.  Wow!  Really?!?I interpret that as eat your plants when they are young not old.  The younger the better?  We’re not talking wine here. So does this apply to sprouts? Are Basil sprouts more nutrient dense then 20 day old Basil? IDK.  But this vid about Broccoli sprouts makes me want to believe it may be so. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/You suggested I add broccoli sprouts to my other sprouts that I grow. I love the peppery taste. Thank you for starting me on my “plant based” diet. I have lost 8 lbs in the 2 months since I last saw you.Great to see you are perusing Dr. Greger’s fantastic site!  Also great to hear you are losing weight!  That’s fantastic!  I’m sure you are “sprouting” up with more energy as well ;) Keep up the great work!!I wonder if this may also apply to other hydroponically grown vegetables. I know tomatoes are often (or perhaps mostly) grown hydroponically. In Canada, we complain how bad they taste for 9 months of the year, but from time to time you can get nicer-tastings ones (in my experience, on the vine), as well as during our natural harvest times. As for sprouts, I do remember one book I read stated that the maximum state of nutrition of a sprout was when it was twice as long as the seed. I suppose this could be true of the vitamins and minerals, but definitely was regarding enzymes. That said, I have heard enzymes are destroyed by our stomach acid, but every once in a while, I wonder if it is possible for a few enzymes to sneak into the lower digestive tract. May I chime in that a hydroponically grown plant ‘scores’ better is little surprise to me.  For a plant grown in vibrant alive soil to score better it would have to be measured for the full breadth of the impact of what vibrant alive soil provides.  I doubt that such full measurements are even possible or that mankind even fully understands what is happening in the soil (we tend to think we understand many things, but it is only a matter of time before we see this is clearly not the case).  I say this assuming that the hydroponic solution is a fabricated mix of ingredients assembled based on our best understanding of what those ingredients would optimally be.  that “vibrant alive soil” is so very vibrantly alive with bacteria, fungi, and g-d knows what viruses, parasites, etc. – as well as a variety of foreign substances aiming to kill it all on behalf of the farmer (and either failing miserably, or present in such overkill doses that they might very soon accumulate in your body to levels that can do you in, too)and all these buggers EVOLVE, at rates far faster than the plants, and are more virulent for every next crop since the land & soil are reused.hydro can be cleaner, if properly reloaded between harvests to give the new plants a clean environment, not one that’s rapidly evolving to infest the crops. – …and aeroponics will always be cleaner, every time. It doesnt leave much for anything to infest, especially if properly maintained. and, since it usually runs on plant clones, anything that does somehow get into the system and propagate will be evolved to infest just copies of one genetic individual – not a super bug, but a super puny bug, easily flushed with a thorough cleaning of the module, and if worst comes to worst, overspecialized and unlikely to menace cuttings from a genetically distinct mother plant, much less a change of crop type for a while (requires virtually no retooling). Add a short grow cycle that makes it easier to write off a compromised batch, and with it stop threats in their tracks early, and you get an inherently more secure approach to farming. Great video presenting vital information.  Thanks, Dr. Greger!  May I offer two comments on language from an English and foreign language teacher… First, radicchio is from Italian and is pronounced “rah-deek-ee-o”… in other words “ch” is always pronounced like “k” in English in Italian.  “Ci” is always pronounced “chee” as in “arriverderci.” I know I am fighting a losing battle on this second point but I simply must try…“Healthy” and “healthful” are both adjectives.  The former refers to the physical (and mental and so on) status of anything alive, man, beast, or plant.  If, for example, a basil plant is healthy, it is thriving.  However, if one is pondering whether basal as a food substance is nutritious, the proper adjective is clearly “healthful” or ‘full of health” for the eater thereof.  As a linguist, I know that the tendency is for all languages to become simpler as they evolve, but must we permit this at the cost of clarity? Also I would like to ask if the difference in healthfulness of hydroponically grown basil is worth the effort to invest in the equipment necessary to grow it that way.  I have some growing in a mixture of peat moss and potting soil that makes wonderful pesto! Grazie!Here is where we may not be looking at the whole picture. Don’t disagree with your finding at all BUT. What else may be in that Basil. Try comparing Organic Basil with your hydroponic vegetables. Where do you think this wonderful basil gets it’s nutrients. Not from JUST the water. Must be sometime in that water. Wonder what it might be? Not ground up green veggies. Could it be commercial fertilizer?. Maybe some anti fungicidal products. Would you actually mix up a cup of fertilizer tea? Or drink this mix in that water all day long?But you are basically doing that, all be it is watered down in this case. And what about heavy metals, etc that are in there as a by product of just making this plant food. Don’t get me wrong, ANY green plant based diet is superior to meat, egg, fish and dairy. Almost every single study that you tell us about confirms this (and we thank you very much). But as cool as hydroponics are and it’s pretty neat stuff, why would you want to ingest commercially manufactured fertilizer? Every day, you warn us that small amounts of unhealthy chemicals can build up in our body and slowly have the possibility of becoming toxic, cause cancer or some type of possible harm.Please don’t take this as a vote against you, your interesting study (which is most enlightening) or hydroponics, which has given many people the opportunity to get fresh green vegetables.Your analysis shows a complete non understanding of both hydroponics and basic agricultural science…I wonder though, aren’t missing several minerals compared to the basil organically grown in soil? Thank you.Wow Hydroponic is “healthier!” But for Basil grown in water, we say a different blessing before eating. On Basil grown in dirt we say: “Bless you G-d of kindness, our G-d of discipline, King of the Universe, for continually creating Fruit from the Earth!” On Basil grown in water we say: “Bless you G-d of kindness, our G-d of discipline, King of the Universe, for all the things that come to be through your words!”	antioxidants,basil,greens,herbs,hydroponic,insects,organic foods,phenolics,phytonutrients,rosmarinic acid,spices,sulforaphane,vegetables	The antioxidant, phytonutrient, and vitamin content of basil grown in water (hydroponic) is compared to basil grown in soil.	Herbs and spices are among the healthiest plants to consume. See one of my favorites for example, Antioxidants in a Pinch and Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods. The glucosinolates I mention are the broccoli compounds featured in videos such as Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells, Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast, and The Best Detox. For how our food crops have been doing in general over the years see Crop Nutrient Decline and for more on the organic question: Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off? and Fungal Toxins in Apples. There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rosmarinic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hydroponic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phenolics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/basil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/crop-nutrient-decline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fungal-toxins-in-apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-2945	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/	Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy	Chamomile is one of the oldest widely used medicinal plants in the world. A recent review suggests there scientific evidence supporting its use against inflammation, cancer, the common cold, heart disease, diarrhea, eczema, ulcers, hemorrhoids, mouth ulcers, osteoporosis, insomnia, anxiety, diabetes, sore throat, vaginitis, wounds, and the kitchen sink. “Safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with liver or kidney disease has not been established, although there have not been any credible reports of toxicity caused by this common beverage tea.” Well now there is. See, chamomile is a powerful anti-inflamamtory agent, and that’s the problem. There's a reason pregnant women are not supposed to take anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin. “Premature constriction of the fetal ductus arteriosus following the maternal consumption of camomile herbal tea.” The researchers ”observed two cases of premature ductis arteriosus constriction associated with maternal consumption of chamomile tea, which can be associated with serious fetal complications. The good news, if it’s caught early and the herbal tea is stopped the condition can be reversed. In the second case, though, they had to do an emergency Cesarean.  “We would advocate caution,” the researchers conclude, “in regular consumption of camomile tea during pregnancy”	For more on chamomile tea, see Red Tea, Honeybush, & Chamomile and The Healthiest Herbal Tea. For other cautionary pregnancy tales, see What About the Caffeine?, Is Licorice Good For You?, Iron During Pregnancy, Maternal Mercury Levels, Pregnant Vegans at Risk for Iodine Deficiency, American Vegans Placing Babies at Risk, and Chicken Consumption and the Feminization of Male Genitalia. Another common herbal tea that may have a potential downside is yerba maté. The best beverage during pregnancy is water. If you haven’t yet, please check out the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand topics and let me know if you have any questions!WOW!!!!!! That is crazy!!  I would never have known.  I am Board Certified in Echocardiography and have been doing it for over 20 years and I never heard of this before. Extremely interesting! I wonder if the same would be true for all antioxidant tea–Hibiscus Tea?This issue is close to the heart ;-)     Thank you!!! Chamomile Tea has no caffeine. It’s the caffeine that is the problem.Camelia sinensis has caffeine and is black tea or green tea. Chamomile is a vital, calming, soothing tea, safe at all times. The article is incorrect.Where is your evidence to back up these claims re the safety of chamomile tea during pregnancy?I remember as a kid we used to drink sassafras tea occasionally. I believe it was also the flavoring for candy cigarettes. Now you can’t get sassafras root anywhere. Anyone know why?  I assume they found something bad enough to ban it, but what? carfree:  Your question intrigued me.  I found an entry for sassafras root in Wikipedia.  Assuming the information is correct, your question is answered.  Check it out.Thanks, Thea,Looks like the candy cigarettes may have been just as bad as the real ones! I was intrigued as well by your question. Went to wikipedia plus pub med. Indeed there are alkaloids in sassafras that led to its banning due to carcinogenic and liver damage. Some products have become available if they receive the proper treatment. I would avoid as there are better alternatives and I don’t recommend consuming products that have had toxins removed as no process is 100%.ERROR REPORT: Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomilla) is NOT the herb referred to in the letter to the editor by Sridharan (in sources above and referred to in the video). The plant that caused pregnancy problems is well-known to be contraindicated in pregnancy. In the article it is identified as “camomile tea (Camellia sinensis) root extract.” Camellia sinensis is not only the plant that furnishes leaves for green and black tea, but they used the ROOT extract of camellia sinensis. The authors of the letter are incorrect in calling this plant “camomile.”Please see my response to Master Herbalist below. The adverse effects do indeed appear to have been caused by chamomile.I have been studying phytomedicine for over 35 years. This video quotes a letter to the editor which has erroneous information about chamomile tea. Your video is confusing camellia sinensis with chamomile. Although they sound similar, they are definitely different plants. Chamomile is a gentle, white flower with gentle leaves. Chamomile tea is safe. It is even used for babies who have colic. Camellia, on the other hand, is a caffeinated tea leaf. Black tea, green tea are made from camellia sinensis.  I have never heard of using a root extract of camellia. Only the leaves are used for tea. Anyone who created or used the root extract is getting too strong of a dose of caffeinated black tea with other root alkaloids. No wonder it was so harsh and damaging. Be assured that chamomile is a wonderful and safe tea.  Dr. Gregor, thank you for your videos. We watch them daily. They are educational and entertaining. However, perhaps you would do well to remain within the food and medicine field until you have a mastery of phtyomedicine. You are doing a disservice to great knowledge and to the public when you present erroneous information such as this. For accurate information on chamomile, refer to King’s Dispensatory, by Felter-Lloyd or Herbal Medicine by Rudolph Weiss, MD. Many people watch your movies and rely on your research. I, for one, am beginning to have my doubts. Please research more carefully before blasting away a great, safe product of nature like chamomile tea. Thank you. I’m so glad you’ve found my work useful! The authors of the letter did indeed get the latin name wrong. Chamomile is Matricaria chamomilla (though I think in Europe it’s Chamomilla chamomilla), which is what the women reported drinking. I agree with you chamomile is wonderful, but apparently a bit too anti-inflammatory to be used during pregnancy.where did you recieve education as a phtyomedicine  master?Please post a retraction to this video. Chamomile is safe. I heard back from the author of the letter that you referred to in the video. He clearly states that the herb that caused problems in pregnancy was camellia sinensis, not chamomile. There are many confusing common names, or nicknames, to herbs. It is best to use the botanical name to verify the herb used, rather than a misspelled common name. I quote, “Regarding the article about camomile tea during pregnancy (Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2009; 34: 358–360)- We were referring to Camellia Sinesis. The studies were performed with the infusion of the leaves. This is the commonest preparation commercially available in the UK (Twinings). Kind regards Shankar Sridharan Dr Shankar Sridharan Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist”Thank you for sharing your correspondence eicosatetraenoic,  but you failed to disclose what you actually asked. You didn’t ask him about the herb that caused problems in pregnancy, you asked about the pharmacological studies on Camellia sinensis (the ones Dr. Sridharan mentioned were performed on rats). The studies on humans he cites was done on actual chamomile (Wang Y, Tang H, Nicholson JK, Hylands PJ, Sampson J, Holmes E. A metabonomic strategy for the detection of the metabolic effects of Chamomile tea (Matricaria recutita L.) ingestion. J Agric Food Chem 2005; 53: 191–196). The question is what were the affected women in the case series were drinking, and Dr. Sridharan wrote that they reported to be drinking chamomile.Thank you for sharing your correspondence eicosatetraenoic, but you failed to disclose what you actually asked. You didn’t ask him about the herb that caused problems in pregnancy, you asked about the pharmacological studies on Camellia sinensis (the ones Dr. Sridharan mentioned were performed on rats). The studies on humans he cites was done on actual chamomile (Wang Y, Tang H, Nicholson JK, Hylands PJ, Sampson J, Holmes E. A metabonomic strategy for the detection of the metabolic effects of Chamomile tea (Matricaria recutita L.) ingestion. J Agric Food Chem 2005; 53: 191–196). The question is what were the affected women in the case series were drinking, and Dr. Sridharan wrote that they reported to be drinking chamomile. How would an anti-inflammatory cause premature constriction of the fetal ductus arteriosus? My daughter has a serious heart defect that almost caused her to need a shunt after birth to replace the fetal ductus arteriosus and I drank chamomile tea, while not every day, on a regular basis during my pregnancy and she ended up not needing the shunt even though they told us she would. I realize this is anecdotal and not scientific but still it seems both counter intuitive and makes no sense with my own experience.they refer to “Camellia sinensis” as “camomile tea” 2 times“We have observed two cases of premature ductal constriction associated with the maternal consumption of camomile tea (made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant). There was no history of NSAID use in either patient.”and“Pharmacological studies of camomile tea (Camellia sinensis) root extract have shown it to possess anti- inflammatory activity at 1/10th of its median lethal dose in rodents.”i followed up on the study and they were indeed referring to the same plant both times (Camellia sinensis and not actual chamomile tea.) i have no proof that chamomile tea (Matricaria Chamomilla) is not harmful, only that this study has no bearing on the health effects of this plantalso “(though I think in Europe it’s Chamomilla chamomile)” wrong doctorthank you eicosatetraenoicChamomile tea always gives me serious depressive episodes. Maybe i’m allergic to it, but i prefer Linden Flower tea for sleepies – much nicer tasting, more sleepy, and not as slimey as chamomile.Just a personal testimony here after I saw this video. I had a sprain lately that was quite inflamed, gave me intense pain at night, to the point of having to bite into something and then being forced to take a painkiller. Wasn’t too happy with that so I thought I’d try chamomile since it is a natural anti-inflamatory. While an ibuprofen pill (200mg) took about 30 minutes to clear the pain away, chamomile in a tea form took less than 15 minuts, not all the pain was gone but 95% of it which was way enough to fall asleep. The chamomile species is unknown (we foraged a variety of different mixed species) and the dose was 50 flowers for 1~2L (probably too much, I’ll dilute in the future but hope I’ll never need it again :) ). Some readers will legitimately say “It could have been the placebo effect”. Yes, it could have. But to assess that, I also tried other techniques like breathing and meditation which worked but chamomille cleared within 15 minuts a very intense pain (faster), hence I am biased but drawn from experience to suspect there was a placebo effect, as well as more to it at than just placebo. I also had more faith in ibuprofene working than in my chamomile experiment doing anything.	alternative medicine,anal health,anxiety,aphthous ulcers,aspirin,bone health,breastfeeding,cancer,cardiovascular disease,chamomile tea,children,common cold,complementary medicine,diabetes,diarrhea,ductus arteriosus,eczema,heart disease,heart health,hemorrhoids,herbal tea,herbs,infants,inflammation,insomnia,kidney disease,liver disease,mental health,osteoporosis,pregnancy,safety limits,sore throat,stomach ulcers,vaginal health,women's health,wound healing	For the same reason aspirin should be avoided in pregnancy, chamomile has such powerful anti-inflammatory properties that regular consumption may result in a serious fetal heart problem, premature constriction of the fetal ductus arteriosus, which allows the fetus to "breathe" in the womb.	For more on chamomile tea, see Red Tea, Honeybush, & Chamomile and The Healthiest Herbal Tea. For other cautionary pregnancy tales, see What About the Caffeine?, Is Licorice Good For You?, Iron During Pregnancy, Maternal Mercury Levels, Pregnant Vegans at Risk for Iodine Deficiency, American Vegans Placing Babies at Risk, and Chicken Consumption and the Feminization of Male Genitalia. Another common herbal tea that may have a potential downside is yerba maté (Update on Yerba Maté). The best beverage during pregnancy is water. If you haven't yet, please check out the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand topics and let me know if you have any questions!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eczema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-ulcers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insomnia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hemorrhoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chamomile-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aphthous-ulcers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ductus-arteriosus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sore-throat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wound-healing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iron-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-yerba-mate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-tea-honeybush-chamomile-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/	-
PLAIN-2946	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/making-our-arteries-less-sticky/	Making Our Arteries Less Sticky	We've covered how to prevent the first step of atherosclerosis… Decrease the level of bad cholestol in the blood. What about blocking some of these other steps downstream? “Both common and specialty mushrooms inhibit adhesion molecule expression and in vitro binding of monocytes to human aortic endothelial cells in a pro-inflammatory environment.” So both this step… and this step. Basically, what these researchers at Arizona State did just took the lining of a human artery, soaked it overnight with either nothing—the control group, or shitake mushrooms, crimini mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, maitake mushrooms or plain white button mushrooms. Then they took away the mushrooms, washed it off and added some monocytes before and after inflammation. So what we’d like to see is these bars come down, less monocyte adhesion, so instead of being sucked in the walls of our arteries they can go off and do their business elsewhere. Which mushroom do you think worked the best? They all worked, but in another victory for this little funguy, plain-old cheap white button mushrooms worked the best. And under inflammatory conditions they found the same thing, but shitake didn’t seem to work much at all.  “The health implications are that diverse mushrooms, including common and specialty mushrooms can protect against cardiovascular disease by interfering with events that contribute to atherogenesis.”	For more magic from plain white mushrooms, see Vegetables Versus Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Prevention: Which Mushroom is Best?. Just make sure to cook them (Toxins in Raw Mushrooms?). In terms of anti-inflammatory foods in general, check out Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants, Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation, Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods, and Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol. In terms of pro-inflammatory foods, see the 4-part series Improving Mood Through Diet, Inflammatory Remarks About Arachidonic Acid, Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation, and Chicken’s Fate is Sealed. If you missed it, please check out the previous video and any of the other 500 or so videos covering more than a thousand topics.I always like your Punniness with your comments!!Interesting (as always Dr Greger), but I find it a little difficult to extrapolate from this study design to conclude anything about the mushrooms in my veg-lasagne. The concentration “of mushroom” on the intima in the study, is probably several thousand times higher than I can obtain through diet.Ah, you may be right Dr. Juhl, but again the key is a Varied. You probably read this but here is a quote from the Study conclusion: “These findings further support the notion that consumption of not only fruits and vegetables, but also dietary fungi, viz., mushrooms, is an important approach to minimizing CVD risk. Moreover, common, readily available and affordable mushrooms such as white button, or Agaricus bisporus, as well as specialty mushrooms including shiitake appear particularly beneficial to health.”I wouldn’t want to try the 10% Mushroom diet they spoke about in the study.  I will just use them as I like them. . . A BIG Portabella Mushroom Burger!How about this study: A 2009 case control study of more than 2000 women correlated a large decrease of breast cancer incidence in women who consumed mushrooms. Women in the study who consumed fresh mushrooms daily were 64% less likely to develop breast cancer, while those that combined a mushroom diet with regular green tea consumption reduced their risk of breast cancer by nearly 90%. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19048616 That is if the statistics are interpreted correctly.Enjoy, my friend, a Fungi filled day.Thanks. The study is of course interesting, and points in a direction. Does that sentence make sense in english?Information from epidemiological studies (e.g. The China Study) is very usefull in recommendations. The study you refer to also sounds very interesting.No fungi today – Dark Horse Lentil Soup with brown rice for dinner.Found a living beetle in my VEGETARIAN sandwich today. Got the money back…..There they go trying to sneek a little animal protein in on ya without you knowing it ;-} Oh the Insanity of it all!But could they not have killed it first? On the other hand: If they had tried with pork, it would probably also contain a little feces, so I think I would prefer the bug……No the sentence didn’t make sense.  When I cut and paste sometimes my sentence gets cut off and I didn’t proof it before posting.  I stand corrected!Dr. G., were the mushrooms used in the studies cooked or raw? Good question. Problems with raw mushrooms?From the study: “Harvested mushroom crops were randomly sampled, cleaned, sliced, and stored at 0°C for 24 h. Samples were later freeze-dried (Model 15 SRC-X; Virtis Genesis Co, Inc., Gardiner, NY), ground to a fine powder, and sieved through a 16 mesh screen. Mushroom powders were collected in sterile sample bags (Fisher Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA) and stored in the dark at room temperature in desiccators prior to analysis. After analyses, lyophilized mushroom powders were stored desiccated at -80°C in the dark until use.”http://www.nutritionj.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-9-29.pdfHope this helpsWe should try to consume mushrooms cooked simply because of some potential toxins found when raw. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/What about supplements such as this?http://bit.ly/1TxBmm5Did anyone notice that this study was funded by “a grant from the Mushroom Council (San Jose, CA, USA) and the Australian Mushroom Growers Association”? Also, DMSO is a curious choice for a vehicle, and it could have interfered with the results.The type is so small we can’t read it.Good news.  I love mushrooms!WOW! Who would have “thunk” that the white buttons beat out the shitake?! It’ll save me future expenses…….Dr.JimThe english journel of medicine – says that there is NO good Colestrol that is a mistake and that we need to watch both numbers…. what about that? So American medicine is behind on this?I am so glad I,ve found this site, I have been ill now since 1995, had a lot of illness one after another Unlucky me, now I am waiting on gallstone operation. Hope I can benefit from Dr. Greger’s Notes, and though diet and knowledge I’ll fined someway to help make my health better, he,s giving me a lot of reading to do, but it, great to fine at last a website that gives you in sites to all illness, as I can do more research into helping me build a better healthily way to a new life.Thank you so much for all your posts and efforts, simply amazing.!!!	cardiovascular disease,crimini mushrooms,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,maitake mushrooms,mushrooms,oyster mushrooms,shiitake mushrooms	Mushrooms appear to have an anti-inflammatory effect on human arterial lining cells in vitro, which may help stop the inflammatory cascade thought integral to the progression of atherosclerotic (artery-clogging) heart disease. The effects of shitake, crimini, oyster, maitake and plain white button mushrooms are compared.	For more magic from plain white mushrooms, see Vegetables Versus Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Prevention: Which Mushroom is Best?. Just make sure to cook them (Toxins in Raw Mushrooms?). In terms of anti-inflammatory foods in general, check out Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants, Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation, Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods, and Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol. In terms of pro-inflammatory foods, see the 4-part series Improving Mood Through Diet, Inflammatory Remarks About Arachidonic Acid, Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation, and Chicken’s Fate is Sealed. If you missed it, please check out the previous video and any of the other 500 or so videos covering more than a thousand topics.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shiitake-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oyster-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crimini-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maitake-mushrooms/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15843671,
PLAIN-2947	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/	Blocking the First Step of Heart Disease	The best way to prevent a massive heart attack, to prevent atherosclerosis is to start at step number one, blocking the buildup of cholesterol, which is a direct result of having too much LDL cholesterol in our bloodstream, which is a direct result of eating three things: #1, saturated fat: found mostly in meat, dairy, eggs, #2 trans fat, found mostly in processed junk and animal products, and #3, the consumption of cholesterol itself from—meat, dairy, and, especially eggs. Eleveated LDL cholesterol levels is also caused, as we have seen, by the lack of consumption of fiber, found in all whole plant foods. Since we evolved to eat enormous quantities of fiber, when we don’t, our LDL ends up much higher than it’s supposed to be. Since all plants have fiber and all animals saturated fat and cholesterol, in general, all whole plant foods tend lower our risk of dying from our number one killer, and whole animal foods tend to raise our risk. There are, however, processed plant foods that do raise cholesterol— hydrogenated vegetable oil, for example—and processed animal foods that don’t—skim milk and egg whites.  In animal models, animal proteins alone, increase cholesterol, but in people it’s more the animal fat and cholesterol. Or, at least in adults. There was a study of 1 to 3 years olds that found that swapping in wheat protein for milk protein dramatically lowered cholesterol, and then when they went back to milk protein it rose back up again, but, as the researchers admit they couldn’t completely control for the cholesterol— the use of the milk protein casein precludes the preparation of a cholesterol free diet, cholesterol and animal products go hand in hand, just as it's hard to create a plant-based diet without some fiber slipping in— even when they tried putting kids on white flour instead of whole wheat.	Video is marked as “This video is private,” and it won’t play. Thank you so much for letting me know–all fixed!More details on lowering cholesterol through diet can be found in Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol, Amla Versus Diabetes, New Cholesterol Fighters, and Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death. For more on the benefits of fiber, see Food Mass Transit and for more on what foods to avoid, see Egg Cholesterol in the Diet and Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. For more on the dangers of animal fat, see Largest Study Ever. On the contrary, high-fat plant foods may not have the same effect (see, for example, Plant-Based Atkins Diet). In the next video I will cover how to block the second step of heart disease in Making Our Arteries Less Sticky. Aside from heart health, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.If I rember correctly Ole Færgeman M.D. has demonstrated that animal protein itself raise LDL opposite plant protein. We are not taking about fats, but protein – interesting !Thanks for the great week of vids!The book “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn makes this point convincingly and dramatically.  Convinced me to eschew all meat, dairy, refined carbs, oil – and eat plants. do i need to be concerned about cosuming coconuts since they contain saturated fat or is there a difference between saturated fat from plants vs animals?Ghul, am pretty sure Doc Greger has a video about coconut milk, coconut oil and coconut, just to help you out.Don’t go Coocoo over Coconut’s especially the milk: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/ I hope this helps From what I understand, coconut milk and coconut oil definitely contain saturated fat; however, it is neither a saturated animal fat nor a trans fat, unless they are processed until they are partially hydrogenated.  Therefore, even though the lauric acid may raise HDL cholesterol (the good cholestereoL), which can be beneficial, I do not see reason to believe this type of saturated fat has deleterious effects in a human body.  To my mind, naturally occurring saturated plant fats are very different from the animal kingdom’s counterparts.The recent crazy about cocout oil is poorly supported with good evidence. Here is what is gathered.“Superpowers” are what coconut oil has, Dr. Mehmet Oz told his TV audience last year. The benefits of coconut oil are “near miraculous,” says Internet osteopath and entrepreneur Dr. Mercola. Its kind of ridiculous how little evidence there is for coconut oil.   Only 1 study on weight loss:   Forty obese women cut their food intake by 200 calories a day and exercised four days a week. Half of them used two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 240 calories’ worth) every day in their cooking and half used soybean oil. After three months, both groups had lost the same amount of weight, about two pounds. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19437058   Only 1 poorly concluded study with very mixed results on alzheimers:   Placebo and coconut fat takers scored no different on a cognitive impairment test when the subjects were randomized. If they weren’t randomized (which could represent stacking up the placebo group with very sick patients) then the coconut fat consumers scored slightly better after 45 days. After 90 days though everyone pretty much evened out. http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/6/1/31   Only 1 old study done to “support” heart disease:   “In the only study done in people in the last 17 years, Malaysian researchers last year found that when they fed young men and women 20 percent of their calories from coconut oil for five weeks, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol was 8 percent higher and HDL (“good”) cholesterol was 7 percent higher than when the participants were fed 20 percent of their calories from olive oil”Just because Both bad cholesterol and good cholesterol went up does not mean that coconut oil is protective against heart disease and it does not at all mean its healthy. This doesn’t make good sense. http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2011/10/26/ajcn.111.020107   So there you have it, this is the “evidence” that the media and public is going for that shows coconut oil as “healthy” when it indeed is definitely not.   (this information was summarized from this well prepared article recommended by world renowned nutritionist, Jeff Novick) http://www.cspinet.org/nah/articles/coconut-oil.htmlthanks for your reply , my family went crazy for  it some years ago and they still use it and say its the “best oil for cooking” and cures every illness blabla :D , i always had doubts about coconut oil :DSurely cholesterol build up is NOT the first step in atherosclerosis. Cholesterol is a vital component of cells, is involved in hormone synthesis and is important in memory function among many other key processes. The idea of lowering it therefore strikes me as poor science. Cholesterol is part of a repair mechanism that forms a scab (pimple to use your term) over an area of inflammation in the artery, much in the way we form a scab over a cut finger. So the first part of the process is the inflammation to the intima of the artery – could be homocysteine for example caused by high protein intake (meat and dairy esp methionine) and lack of B-vitamins. Further, given the initial inflammation the anti-oxidant levels in the body would determine level of oxidation of plaque and further narrowing of the lumen. Therefore the key to the process would be determining what causes the insult to the intima in the first place. Calling LDL bad and HDL good is a nonsense – both are cholesterol – LDL arrives on the scene and begins the repair, HDL takes away the debris – the process is ongoing through life and complications arise through poor diet, so on that much we agree. Foods known to lower cholesterol may actually be lowering inflammation, improving antioxidant status and thus improving function of LDL/HDL.  Love to hear your commentsI think the use of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol are meant for the lay population. I agree with you about cholesterol but the words ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are easier to understand for my patients in my time limited situation in the office.  And for the general public that peruses this sight I think it gets the point across more efficiently.  That is, however, my opinion, I do not speak for Dr. Greger.If we exclude biochemical terms, bottom line is that eating plant strong lowers your risk of cardiovascular death and cancer, and eating SAD (and european) raise your risk substantial. High cholesterol is an indicator of what you eat (animals) and low cholesterol is an indicator of a potent plant strong way of living. I dont care what the precise mechanism of action is (high this, low that), the question is what works on your plate. Plants works. Meat kills.Eat plants everyday, anyway, it’s OK!!Plant Strong, it’s my song!You are a true poet ! ;-)Have a nice “vegan-end” my friend. Try to be funny – weekend of course!eating plants is very important but lots of vegans have high cholesterol and lots of meat eaters have low cholesterol. your statement just isnt true.Whole foods plant based and “vegan” are 2 different diets.It is not cholesterol that causes heart disease. Cholesterol is actually saving the person’s life. When a person has high cholesterol it protects the organs from microscopic tears. http://www.watercure.com/sci_myth.html Cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease, it’s the store animal protein in the heart. http://www.biomedx.com/zeta/page6.htmlThis is completely false.From the editor in chief of the American Journal of Cardiology.“As shown in Figure 1, most of the risk factors do not in themselves cause atherosclerosis [heart disease]…The atherosclerotic risk factors showing that the only factor required to cause atherosclerosis is cholesterol.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603726/Please stick with the peer reviewed research and not articles or blogs.Belfastherbalist, I am a nonspecialist and I understand and appreciate your response very much. Thank you for taking the time to post it. Lay persons do very much want to understand the science so that they can make informed decisions about their health—this in addition to the sheer pleasure of learning. I am puzzled and disappointed by HemoDynamic M.D.’s response, but grateful for yours.The first step in atherosclerosis IS increased levels of LDL cholesterol: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22661506I hope this helps in your understanding–to eliminate the confusion and not to disappoint, it was my pleasure ;-}http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22661506 It is truly a complex situation that we now understand better then we did 30 years ago. No doubt we will better understand in the future. Dr. Greger has posted 85 video’s on vascular disease alone. We do however need to apply the best current science in advising our patients. This is particularly true for chronic conditions which make up about 80% of our health care costs and a larger degree of suffering. There are probably many different mechanisms responsible for injuring the intima which leads to the bodies inflammatory response with increased risk of blockage and rupture. Homo-cysteine as you point out can be one. It is nice to rely on causality arguments but in complex systems this can get you in trouble. Better to weigh the causality studies with correlative studies which show elevated LDL to be associated with adverse outcomes and elevated HDL to be associated with better outcomes to help guide us in making recommendations. I believe all studies considered we are currently best off to recommend a low fat whole plant based diet with Vitamin B12 supplements. We will need to stay tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the studies keep on coming and it wouldn’t surprise me when if I need to change my recommendations in the future.Dr forrester, The future will surely bring new light to mechanisms for intima injury, but do you think that it will change the recommendation of a low fat whole plant based diet? Perhaps small adjustments, but I find it unlikely to be major changes, given the current extensive epidemiological data I agree with you. I believe that as we do more studies it will just tend to help us understand why the low fat plant based diet works so well. That said we have to be open to new models as the new studies come out. The other factor that has nothing to do with health is the environment. As we are currently facing the end of Peak Oil we will need to move away from industries that use large amounts of nonrenewable energy. Given our population we will need to become more energy efficient in raising food with less environmental impact. Many folks are familiar with the 2006 UN report, Livestock’s Long Shadow. Sustainability and complexity cover a much broader set of topics then covered in the UN report. For a more in-depth treatment I would recommend reading,The Post Carbon Reader (managing the 21st century’s sustainability crisis) by Heinberg & Lerch which has 34 essays written by Post Carbon Institute fellows.You bring the issue to the next level – from food/health to food/health/environment(/culture) where it belongs !ive been vegan for many years and have what i consider a vested interest in finding significant data that supports whole food veganism above other whole food diets. i havent though. what is the extensive epidemiological data you refer to here?Thank-you for your comments! I did a course in nutrition about two years ago and was marked wrong when I said that LDL cholesterol wasn’t “bad”, rather an EXCESS of it is, LDL is made and needed by the body.  Just a question …I have friends who have been stricter vegans than I for longer and yet still have levels of cholesterol considered too high. What is going on here? Could it be that the body is making what is needed by the individual and that our ‘good’ and ‘bad’ range is not applicable to all people?Saturated fat has been unfairly demonised: NO http://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/assets/documents/Publications/JPHC/December-2011/JPHCB2BNODecember2011.pdfSaturated fat has been unfairly demonised: YES http://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/assets/documents/Publications/JPHC/December-2011/JPHCB2BYESDecember2011.pdf Thanks for the links. This type of format should be followed by other journals. Now will go to the literature to check it out. After reading the articles I’m leaning toward Skeaff’s conclusion as he makes a better argument.From Naturalnews.com this morning, following the Mercola model:http://www.naturalnews.com/036258_cholesterol_brain_repair_Alzheimers.html   Cholesterol, which is commonly dismissed as harmful and something that people should avoid, actually contributes to producing and maintaining myelin sheaths. Without it, as evidenced by the recent studies, individuals with PMD — and potentially all individuals — are at a higher risk of developing cognitive illness and brain degradation. And particularly those with PMD, low-cholesterol diets are almost sure to leave them exceptionally prone to nerve damage. What this all means for statin drugs, which mainstream medicine has ridiculously dubbed ‘miracle drugs,’ is that their cholesterol inhibiting properties can cause serious health problems down the road. By interfering with the liver’s natural function of producing cholesterol, statin drugs can actually strip the body of much-needed cholesterol, and cause serious nervous system and cognitive damage. The key to promoting healthy cholesterol levels in the body is not to take synthetic drugs, but rather to achieve vibrant health through proper diet and exercise, which includes a diet rich in healthy saturated fats and, yes, even cholesterol. “Saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet are not the cause of coronary heart disease,” says Dr. George V. Mann, M.D., professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. “That myth is the greatest scientific deception of this century, perhaps of any century.”  People Magazine Interview.January 22, 1979, Vol. 11, No. 3 Dr. George Mann Says Low Cholesterol Diets Are Useless, but the ‘Heart Mafia’ DisagreesDr. Levy of NIH denies that Mann’s research funds were affected because of any personal disagreement: “Funding is determined by peer review.” Adds Levy: “George is a maverick who enjoys being controversial. He has spent too much time talking with himself. He has been a scientist of some stature, but he seems hell-bent to destroy everything that doesn’t agree with him.” Levy concedes that “it hasn’t been conclusively proven that lowering the cholesterol level by diet will prevent heart disease,” (Remember this is 1979) but argues “it also hasn’t been proven it won’t help.” (It has now!) Quote from Dr. Mann, “If science isn’t quarrelsome, argumentative and contentious,” he declares, “then it isn’t any good.”Interesting insight into Dr. Mann!Me: Having low cholesterol in and of itself does not, and cannot, predict whether you will have a heart attack or stroke, but it does lower your risk.The best way, however, to lower your cholesterol and lower your risk of a heart attack, stroke, erectile dysfunction, chronic back pain, dementia, etc. is to change what you’re putting on your fork!!!!!  Eat Plants!Thank you, Hemo. I never really know how to appropriately respond to the few Mercola friends I have or the ones who say they’ve been vegan for blah blah years and almost died.Thank you for your support.Vegans also die – 110 years old……..;-)Check this out! Oldest living women: Jeanne Calment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_CalmentCalment ascribed her longevity and relatively youthful appearance for her age to olive oil, which she said she poured on all her food[4] and rubbed onto her skin, as well as a diet of port wine, and ate nearly one kilogram of chocolate every week.[11]Are they kidding?  2.2 pounds of chocolate every week?!?  Talk about some phytonutrients!  Now that is Plant Strong my friend!  She even smoked ‘em too.  Up to two cigarettes a day.  Hmmmm ;-} If you can’t eat ‘em, smoke ‘em! (I don’t personally recommend this)Enjoy your plant-filled weekend!Maybe her lifes style was the factor not as much as the diet. She smoked for 97 years.I love the graphic of the heart of vegetables!I find the title of this video puzzling and even inaccurate. Dr. Greger in a previous lecture he gave in 2003 I believe outlined the pathway of atherosclerosis and the fist step was injury caused by inflammation, making inflammation the first step in atherosclerosis. He even sited a study where people on a Mediterranean diet lowered their risk of CVD by 70% despite their cholesterol levels remaining the same. Vegans die of heart attacks too. Having higher cholesterol levels seem to correlate with higher incidence of heart disease, but not all the time. And of course correlation does not mean causation.  Reducing heart disease to one marker is too simplistic and mother nature just does not work that way. Reducing animal products does not necessarily reduce cholesterol. I am a perfect example of that. My husband and I are whole foodists, plant based. We eat no animal products of any kind, and i hardly even cook with oil. We don’t eat processed foods (chips, soda, cookies, crakers) in general and my house is stocked with one ingredient items. My fridge is full of green leafies that I eat every day, I drink either green juice or smoothies almost daily. Most of our meals are Mcdougall style. we are both within normal weight limits of BMI of 22. My husband’s cholesterol is 127. Mine ….226 on the same exact diet. But hey, my husband’s cholesterol has always been low, below 150 even as a meat eater.   My LDL is the culprit at 139, but HDL is high and triglycerides are well within normal range. so according to that video, my chance of heart disease is high despite me avoiding everything that Dr. Greger says I should avoid and including a high fiber diet with many vegetables and fruits.  There is so much more to heart disease than Cholesterol numbers and it would be prudent not to obsess over numbers. Heart disease is multi-factorial disease and we cannot reduce it to cholesterol numbers. By the way, I feel as best as I ever felt since adopting this diet. And I am a very big fan of Dr. Greger. I think you are right, of course your risk cannot be reduced to one single number. Cholesterol is just one parameter. The cause of arteriosclerosis, cancer and so forth is very complex. Again if we ignore numbers, your diet looks “perfect”, and your risk of disease must be regarded as low. Vegans also die from CVD and cancer, but the risk is less than on SAD. Your body and spirit thrive better on a plant strong diet, so it is not only just about disease and lifespan.Not to go off topic but lets not forget the importance of exercise in this equation! Off for my run.Yes – moderate exercise is also very important.Just rode through the Plants (Mountain Biking) for 18 miles (Time 1:08:31). Then ate A LOT of Plants! Then read a bunch of Echocardiograms (Sitting next to plants) Now off to the gym to look at the wall flowers (Plants). It’s another Plant-filled day! I hope yours is too.Oh, I forgot, then I have to water the plants (Garden pic below)Dr Six Pack – you will probably live 120 yearsNo matter how long I live my I’m stacking my odds that I will live what I call “The Square Wave of Life” and avoid the “Doldrums of Existence.” That means even if I only live to be 70 I want to be fully functioning.  I do not want to live the last twenty years of my life slowing decaying, becoming more and more disfunctional, end up in a wheelchair, have someone feeding me that I don’t even know (That’s my kids and I now have dementia), and spend the last days of my life on this planet having Medicare (if their still around) or my family paying for someone to feed me pureed food that I gum about in my mouth and dribble down my chin, then give me laxatives because I take too much morphine because I am in so much pain because I just lie around in my bed all day, and then wipe my ass when I crap my bed, and then tell me everything is going to be OK.  That is when I will smile at the unknown soul (my kid) who is taking care of me and say Thank you, and then immediately forget what I was thanking them for and then forget that anything ever happened.I do not want that Sam I am, I do not like Green Eggs and Ham.  That’s why I eat plants!Well said. BTW: Nice garden.You two are very amusing!there are many healthy diets [and many include animal food] and they all provide better health than the SAD.You should view Sugar: The Bitter TruthSugar should be included in the list of harmful agents that promote heart disease.My trigliceride and HDL levels did not become healthy until I eliminated processed sugar like HFCS.It is likely that the consumption of fructose, metabolized by the liver to produce hard sharp (the harmful LDL) is the the primary cause of heart disease.Interesting discussion here:http://www.heart-disease-bypass-surgery.com/data/articles/26.htmHowever I’d add that just because the lipid hypothesis is poor science does not therefore mean that high saturated fats are therefore good (logical fallacy).The great Linus Pauling posited that vitamin c deficiency was the initial stage in the development of atherosclerosis.There are a number of processes that can lead to inflammation of the arterial wall. Homocysteine is a much more important marker not just in CVD but also in dementia/Alzheimer’s. Homocysteine production increases when there is an abundance of methionine in the diet (high cheese, meat intake) alongside lack of b-vitamins notably B6, B12, and folate. Homocysteine is caustic to the arterial wall leading to an inflammatory cascade of which cholesterol is the repair mechanism.Oxidized cholesterol due to lack of free-radical scavengers is a breeding ground for microbes, and hence the viral theory also has a precursor.I think stress is also (unsurprisingly) a key element here – high cortisol production due to prolonged stress can also inflame the arterial wall.A stress-free plant-based life seems to be the healthy option across the board.elevated homocysteine is more likely to be found in us vegans due to b12 deficiency. arterial sclerosis is higher in vegans in several cultures.The problem in the rural south is finding organic fruits and vegetables. We are indeed a big agriculture area but the farmers grow only fruits and vegetables soaked in pesticides. They also use gmo seeds. There are no whole foods stores close. What can you do????You can ferment your vegetables and you can give thanks before eating.The most important step to preventing hart disease is to eliminate the intake of highly processed simple sugars!!!I have many friends doing the Paleo diet.   From them I understand that diet advocates animal protein, very little or no grains or beans, and coconut everything (milk, water, flour, sugar). They say the research is there to back up their decision to eat that way.  Thoughts?There are a ton of videos from Dr. Gregor regarding animal protein and its link to disease. Look under topics. I don’t think you will get any agreement here. The paleo diet is such a hit because its a free pass for people to eat unhealthfully. Dr. Greger covers the harms that come along with a paleo diet here. http://www.atkinsexposed.org/There is no scientific evidence that grains or beans are bad for us, have them present you scientific data from a peer reviewed journal. Many people read books and assume that the book is telling the truth, when most of the time the book has no evidence to back it up.As for the high consumption of coconut products, there is no need, as coconut food are extremely high in saturated fat making it a harmful food. Coconut water is fine, but dont over do it. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=coconutim glad we got that cleared up in the other thread. paleo advocates no more eat unhealthfully than wfpb people are junk food vegans.there was that giant list of data showing that grains and beans are bad for us. i could copy and paste it here too if that would be helpful dude. let me know.Grains can be bad for you due to the mycotoxins in some grains. Wheat, soy, and corn are common mycotoxins we consume. By going no grain diet one can treat disease. http://www.knowthecause.com/. I do agree the paleo diet isn’t healthy. Many of those people drink a lot of coffee for some reason. I am guessing due to low energy.Mycotoxins are from moldy grains, so unless one deals with very old grains, I do not think that this is an issue. Whole grains are very health promoting. http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251Mycotoxin, shmycotoxin. I like my grains moldy! Koji mold makes amazake, shio, miso, shoyu, etc. and although Dr. G. Would not approve, sake. Great reference btw Toxins!Any scientific health related data on beef (or other animal meat) that has been raised organically and fed grass?  Many of the issues found with animal products are inherent components that would not change whether the meat is oganic or conventional. such compnents include endotoxins, saturated fats, exenoestrogens and choleserol as well as increased IGF-1 levels.A Brazilian Portuguese version:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugxaYGWRIYUThank you, Greger!Can you please comment on Mono- and diglycerides. We have radically changed our diets based on your work and are now aware of all ingredients in our food choices. But we find little on this topic and have heard it is the new Hydrogenated Fat… Is that accurate?Thanks for all you do – it will save lives and reduce suffering for all who listen!The food processing industry will continue introducing new products as their old products are shown to be harmful. An example is the introduction of interesterified fats in response to the ban on transfats. The problem is that these products get sold before adequate safety studies are done. So I would apply the precautionary principle and avoid any processed ingredients lacking good safety studies. GMO’s is an example of something that should be avoided at all costs. See… http://www.responsibletechnology.org/ for more information on GMO’s. As a trained patient safety officer I can tell you it is better to design or build quality in then inspect quality in… in this case eat a whole food plant based diet avoiding anything with labels with avoiding GMO’s seems to be the path best supported by science at this point.Embroiled in an argument with my chiropractor: His thoughts are (of which i don’t adhere): Here is some truth about cholesterol. Without animal fats, especially essential fatty acids, you arent going to remove plaque. You need lecithin and conjugated linolenic acid to do that. Everything you have heard about cholesterol from the medical and pharma professions is a lie. Its a lie to sell drugs and thats all it is.Here’s a nice site about nutrition by Stephan Guyenet. Lots of useful information!http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com.au/After my mother having a second heart attack a couple of years ago, I decided to read up on how to avoid this for myself. I read a book about preventing and reversing heart disease with a vegan diet as well as eliminating all sources of oil (the book also said not to consume nuts, avocados, or coconuts), as well at eating only whole grains and avoiding sugar. This I did and saw a dramatic reduction in weight, great increase in energy etc. At that time (just 16 or so days after I had begun this lifestyle change) I took an at-home cholesterol test and it showed that my cholesterol was so low, it didn’t even register on the test (so, below their lowest number which was 119). Great! But flash forward to today (2 and 3/4 years later)—I still follow the same diet, but I just got my cholesterol checked and was stunned to find it was 190! What?! I suspect that I need to get more leafy greens in my diet and have begun having a kale green smoothie every day (which I have felt the health benefits already in joint inflammation and pain going away as soon as day after I began this regimen). But I am still concerned. How can it be that my cholesterol is so high considering my diet? I’m worried greatly about this (and more than a little frustrated). Do you have any suggestions for me as to how i can lower my cholesterol, or what I may be missing?When dealing with tests you are assuming they are both accurate. To compare numbers they should be measured after a 12 hour fast. To interpret the total cholesterol it is helpful to see the LDL, HDL and triglycerides as well. Once you have those numbers you are in a better position to discuss what is going on. Congratulations on your success in improving your health.	angina,animal fat,animal products,animal protein,blood clots,cardiovascular disease,children,cholesterol,dairy,eggs,fiber,grains,heart disease,heart health,hydrogenated fats,junk food,LDL cholesterol,meat,milk,mortality,processed meat,saturated fat,skim milk,sudden cardiac death,trans fats,wheat	By preventing the buildup of cholesterol in our blood stream, we can prevent atherosclerosis in our coronary arteries, the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women. This involves increasing our intake of fiber-containing plant foods and decreasing our intake of trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol found in junk food and animal products.	More details on lowering cholesterol through diet can be found in Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol, Amla Versus Diabetes, New Cholesterol Fighters, and Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death. For more on the benefits of fiber, see Food Mass Transit and for more on what foods to avoid, see Egg Cholesterol in the Diet and Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. For more on the dangers of animal fat, see Largest Study Ever. On the contrary, high-fat plant foods may not have the same effect (see, for example, Plant-Based Atkins Diet. In the next video I will cover how to block the second step of heart disease in Making Our Arteries Less Sticky. Aside from heart health, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/14/avoid-carnitine-and-lethicin-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hydrogenated-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-clots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wheat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skim-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15843671,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2130157,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2130150,
PLAIN-2948	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arterial-acne/	Arterial Acne	The plaques in our coronary arteries which can eventually burst, shut off our hearts’ blood supply, and kill us are more aptly described as pimples… not plaques. They are inflamed pockets of pus, and it all starts with cholesterol.  This is a diagram of the wall of the coronary arteries crowning our heart. And here comes the villain of the story, LDL—the bad cholesterol—infiltrating the lining of our artery. It gets oxidized and triggers an inflammatory response. Your artery hangs a white towel out the window into the bloodstream asking for help. The lining of your artery actually produces adhesion molecules to stick white blood cells called monocytes zooming past and suck them into wall to try to repair some of the havok cholesterol is wreaking. We never evolved to have so cholesterol in our blood stream and causes damage and inflammation inside the walls of our arteries.  Other inflammatory cells are called into action and it gets pussier, and more inflamed, and turns into a big whitehead sticking out like a zit into the blood flow inside our arteries. The blood's pulsating past, can rip off the cap and you get a big squirt of pus straight into the artery. Blood rushes into the hole and says, hey we know how to plug holes, forms a blood clot (also known as a thrombus) that can close off the whole rest of artery. And then we have the opportunity to visualize a cross-section like this of an artery on autopsy ‘cause you’re dead.	Cholesterol-induced zits in the lining of our coronary arteries can also occur in other blood vessels. In our head they can cause a stroke, in our back they can cause degenerative disk disease (see Cholesterol and Lower Back Pain), in our abdomen they can cause an aneurysm (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Ticking Time Balloons), and in our pelvis they can cause sexual dysfunction in both men (Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up) and women (Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction). Thankfully, Avoiding Cholesterol Is A No Brainer. It’s Purely a Question Of Diet. Trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol should be kept to a minimum. There are more than 80 videos on heart disease and also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Another article proving that meat and dairy cause acne!!!  Love it!Imagine: Getting killed by a big, giant zit – what a way to go !Avoid this humiliation: Go plant strong…….Hey Doc this really interests me and worries me at the same time. I’ve eat 2 eggs a day for years now, so I’m worried about cholesterol. however, i have read many times that dietary cholesterol really inst very harmful, as once thought.Can i have your verdict please?Your body makes all the cholesterol you will ever need so why would you want to add more?Well if you are the Poultry and Egg business I can think of a lot of rea$on$ to get you to BUY and eat more egg$  >> Here are a few–$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.Eggs are the highest food source of Cholesterol AND are also the second highest in Arachidonic acid (which causes inflammation and PAIN in your body) and your body, as well, makes all the arachidonic acid you would ever need.  So if you are looking to increase the pain in your body and like the Arterial Acne promoting promise of added cholesterol then by all means chomp your chicken and eat your egg$.But it is clear you do not want to do this, so. . .Plants don’t make cholesterol they make Fiber for their cell walls, but you, me and every other animal makes cholesterol for their cell walls.  So if we stop eating each other and start eating more plants, our cholesterol will go down to normal, we will experience less pain, and our bowels will be ‘bubbling’ over with joy!! Eat Plants!!!!!I think it was Rip Esselstyn who said: There are only 2 problems with eggs – the yolk and the egg white. Too much cholesterol and too much protein (that you dont need).Milk is for baby cows and the yolk and the egg white is for baby chicken.The idea that dietary cholesterol isn’t harmful is a dangerous little piece of misinformation that is frequently parroted by people seeking to justify eating certain foods.  Nothing could be further from the truth, and dietary cholesterol being completely unnecessary and dangerous is as established in science as the earth is being round.I can’t think of any reason to eat two eggs per day. You get adequate protein by the consumption of a whole plant based diet(see Dr. McDougall’s three newsletters on protein(12/03.4/07,1/04); you run a higher risk of food borne illness see… tp://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/, and you ingest more chemicals such as dioxin see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/. Additionally The Harvard Physicians study show a correlation that eating just one day a day was shown to be harmful see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/.Great video! I don’t know how you get so much info into so little time in such easy-to-understand language. Awesome ;^) !!It’s scary what we do to our poor body. I’m surprised we last as long as we do. It’s such a beautiful, efficient machine.The human body is very resistant – the human body can even tolerate to eat a little meat once in a while – easter and christmas – even meat containing feces! That is impressing…….Yes – we last a long time, but many people suffer a lot the last 20-30 years of their lives, because of the SAD (and european!).Solution: Go vegan (also in holidays!)Curveball challengers! (and general food for thought):Health implications of high dietary ω−6 Fatty acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22570770The importance of the ω−6/ω−3 fatty acid ratio in cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18408140Association of plasma omega-3 to omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio with complexity of coronary artery lesion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22576378Current intakes of EPA and DHA in European populations and the potential of animal-derived foods to increase them. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18498671New insights into the health effects of dietary sat/ω−6/ω−3 fatty acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22613931Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet Study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22170364Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19604407Impact of ω−3 fatty acids on coronary plaque instability http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21684546Relationship between coronary plaque vulnerability and serum ω-3/ω-6 fatty acid ratio. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21778590Fish oil, but not flaxseed oil, decreases inflammation and prevents pressure overload-induced cardiac dysfunction. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19015135 So, what’s your point?Part of the problem might be caused or exacerbated by our staunch avoidance of ω-3-rich (EPA/DHA) foods like oily fish (because it’s animal protein! with animal fat! and cholesterol!) and replacing them with increasingly ω-6-rich vegetable fats, which can trigger chronic inflammation, which can end up having…arterial consequences.The point is the perpetrator is inflammation, and that’s a predicament not inherently solved by clinging to the vegetable blanket. Thanks for replying, AlexanderBerenyi. Vegans do get quite a bit of short-chained omega-3’s and whether this is sufficient is an area of active research which we should have the answers to soon but the initial indications are very hopeful: See http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com /e_article001932826.cfm?x=b11,0,w Meanwhile there is vegan algae oil sources of long-chained omega 3’s and other sources of inflammation-lowering plant foods. Some I’m aware of are turmeric, garlic, onions, and ginger. Whatever I’m doing seems to work for me; my CRP test came back with barely detectable levels. I tend to eat mostly vegetables and fruit and avoid a lot of grains and most seeds for the reason you mentioned, because of their unfavorable omega 6/3 ratio. Meanwhile I make sure to get enough flax seed in my diet to tilt the ratio in favor of omega 3’s..Just read a new article on Omega-3’s and Inflammation. Seems that omega-3’s are most helpful for the obese. It may even be that those with normal height-to-weight proportions may not particularly benefit from omega-3’s inflammation reducing power since the causes of inflammation may be excess corpulence along with a lack of exercise and other healthy plant-strong habits: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/246893.php“Seems that omega-3’s are most helpful for the obese.” Yes, agreed.“…Those with normal height-to-weight proportions may not particularly benefit from omega-3’s inflammation reducing power since the causes of inflammation may be excess corpulence along with a lack of exercise and other healthy plant-strong habits” No, I don’t think the article implied that. Obesity is often brought on by inflammation—yes—and exercise is anti-inflammatory—yes—but, again, just because a food is plant matter doesn’t mean it can’t contribute to inflammation. In fact, one of the major factors in our great ω-3/ω-6 ratio imbalance is the widespread predominance of ω-6-rich vegetable fats.Omega-3 fats in the diets of non-obese individuals who exercise don’t all of a sudden switch from anti-inflammatory to inflammatory. They still play all of the same roles.“The point is the perpetrator is inflammation, and that’s a predicament not inherently solved by clinging to the vegetable blanket”.Incase you watched the video Dr Greger posted you ought to know that both inflamation and high blood lipids are the partners in crime, not inflamation alone.High LDL and HDL are pro-inflamatory by their own.1) ‘Good’ HDL Cholesterol Can Also Be ‘Bad’ (2012)   “the HDL amplified inflammatory reactions several times over and could explain the latent chronic inflammation that is associated with high cardiovascular risk,”   “Lowering the LDL level is therefore still even more important than raising the HDL level.” http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120113210207.htm 2) Rethinking the Links Between Inflamation and Chronic Disease.   http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2012/05/inflammation-chronic-disease.html3) Inflammation and Infection Do Not Promote Arterial Aging and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among Lean Horticulturalists http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722089/besides, even if you were into the “inflamation as the root for all evil” -theory then why would you push these fad diets based o the appeal-to-nature fallacy (paleo-diet)4) Red meat intake is associated with metabolic syndrome and the plasma C-reactive protein concentration in women. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1907425) Comparative effects of three popular diets on lipids endothelial function and c-reactive protein during weight maintenance“These data suggest that during weight maintenance, less favorable biological effects are observed during a simulated, high-fat Atkins diet when compared to the South Beach and Ornish diet. The findings support additional study in subjects with visceral obesity and the metabolic syndrome, in whom an increased risk of coronary disease at baseline may be accentuated with chronic consumption of a diet that exhibits unfavorable effects on lipids and endothelial function”.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/193282686) Gluten-free vegan diet induces decreased LDL and oxidized LDL levels and raised atheroprotective natural antibodies against phosphorylcholine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized study http://arthritis-research.com/content/10/2/R347) Consumption of saturated fat impairs the anti-inflammatory properties of high-density lipoproteins and endothelial function“Consumption of a saturated fat reduces the anti-inflammatory potential of HDL and impairs arterial endothelial function. In contrast, the anti-inflammatory activity of HDL improves after consumption of polyunsaturated fat. These findings highlight novel mechanisms by which different dietary fatty acids may influence key atherogenic processes”. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/169045398) The effects of diet on inflammation emphasis on the metabolic syndrome   “Jenkins et al. (86) found a reduction of CRP levels (28% vs. baseline) in hyperlipidemic patients following a whole diet approach, which was comparable to statin therapy (33% reduction of CRP levels) and independent of changes in body weight. The diet, which was low in saturated fat and included viscous fibers, almonds, soy protein, and plant sterols, also induced reduction in lipids that was comparable to lovastatin therapy”. http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/reprint/48/4/677.pdfWith the exclusion of some “but / maybe / in this circumstance only” scenarios, this is all quite thorough and well put together. I’ll definitely save some of these finds.It seems to me that the vast amount or current research and “the balance of scientific evidence suggests that the healthiest way to eat is a vitamin B12-fortified diet of whole plant foods.”  (Not to mention that plant-based eating is also the most ethical and moral way to eat.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es6U00LMmC4 ) Dr. Greger also states that “[a]ttention should also be paid to specific nutrients listed here:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-greger%E2%80%99s-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/. Among, them he recommends omega 3 fatty acids. Specifically, “250 to 500 mg daily of yeast- or algae-derived DHA and/or EPA”.  Whole foods plant based diets actually have ratios of omega 6 : Omega 3 in the 4:1 range or better. Omega 3 is not absent from a plant based diet. If you wish to expose your body to an abundance of Toxins then go ahead and eat fish. There are much cleaner ways to obtain omega 3.Sorry, but unfortunately plant ω−3 (ALA) ≠ animal ω−3 (EPA/DHA). Please read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid#Conversion_efficiency_of_ALA_to_EPA_and_DHAALA is not converted effectively to DHA under the condition that one is consuming too many omega 6 fatty acids. Since most whole plant foods contain good rations of omega 6 : omega 3, this is of no concern.I read (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19604407) the pubmed article which suggests a paleo diet (some kind of paleo diet) may be better for some individuals suffering from type two diabetes than eating a diet prescribed for type 2 diabetics. The article lists some of the foods included in the paleo diet (lean meats, fish, fruits, veggies, eggs and nuts). Unfortunately the article, being an abstract, doesn’t get much into the detail of the diabetic designed diet. However, the article does indicate by comparison how the two stack up against each other. The paleo diet, as compared to the (healthful?) diabetic diet, is lower in total energy, it’s lower in energy density, lower in dietary glycemic load and carbs and lower in saturated fatty acids; it’s higher in unsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol. (A food high in cholesterol does not correlate with high cholesterol for a person eating these foods=Saturated fat ‘does’). That this particular paleo diet is better for the diabetics is a “no brainer.” The diabetics would do much better to eat a whole food, plant based diet by this study’s proposition any day of the week.A question: So as I understand it, we can skip the fish as a source for DHA and EPA, and go straight to their source, the algae. But this is always referred to in terms of taking supplements. Are these algal sources ones that we can just eat, similar to the way we can eat kelp for the iodine?I realize now this may be a misplaced comment- it’s more in reference to the course the comment thread has taken than the video itself.I thought this was interesting – “we never evolved to have so much cholesterol in our arteries.” I’ve seen some charts on all-cause mortality rates and they’ve all shown that people with total cholesterol from 200 – 240 have the lowest rates of death from a variety of diseases, including heart disease.What I wonder, and I’m not a nutritionist (yet), is if we actually did evolve to have cholesterol around 200-240, but that we had a lot more anti-oxidants (and far fewer environmental toxins) so that we could keep the LDLs from oxidizing — since really, it’s “oxidized” LDL that is the problem.It’s equally as plausible that we did evolve to have this much cholesterol, but that today we have far fewer anti-oxidants from our processed diets and far more toxins and stressors that deplete our anti-oxidants even more.LOL the ending of the video reminded me of how my high school anatomy teacher would end his explanations with “and if you get too much / not enough of X in your body YOU WILL DIE.” Ahh good times. I was the only one in class who laughed at his YOU WILL DIE jokes. I loved that class :Dany other tips on avoiding blood clots?	angina,blood clots,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,LDL cholesterol,mortality,pus,sudden cardiac death	Atherosclerotic plaques in coronary arteries may be more aptly described as pimples, initiated by the infiltration of cholesterol into the lining of our arteries. The ending, should blood flow to our heart muscle be cut off by a clot formed by the rupture of one of these inflamed pockets of pus in our arterial lining, is a heart attack.	Cholesterol-induced zits in the lining of our coronary arteries can also occur in other blood vessels. In our head they can cause a stroke (videos about stroke), in our back they can cause degenerative disk disease (Cholesterol and Lower Back Pain), in our abdomen they can cause an aneurysm (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Ticking Time Balloons), and in our pelvis they can cause sexual dysfunction in both men (Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up) and women (Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction). Thankfully, Avoiding Cholesterol Is A No Brainer. It's Purely a Question Of Diet. Trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol should be kept to a minimum. There are more than 80 videos on heart disease and also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-clots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15843671,
PLAIN-2949	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zero-tolerance-to-acceptable-risk/	Zero Tolerance to Acceptable Risk	According to the latest published national retail meat report, more than 80% of retail chicken breasts sold in the United States are contaminated with fecal matter. Up from about 70% seven years before. 80% fecal contamination and that’s completely legal, but there are some bugs for which there is zero tolerance. That does not make the meat industry happy; As the president of the Seafood Importers and Processors Association wrote in their article “Beyond zero tolerance: a new approach to food safety,” they propose a “risk-based approach instead of a precautionary approach”  From a recent article about raw poultry, instead of zero tolerance, alternative terminology should be used such as acceptable or tolerable risk. Instead of zero tolerance policy on potentially deadly bacteria on chicken, they propose ALOP, an “appropriate level of protection," an acceptable risk, a certain number of cases per 100,000 population per year associated with a specific hazard in a particular food commodity. “Given the nature of the poultry industry, controls that are currently applied will not guarantee the absence of Salmonella from raw poultry.” Therefore, “Using terms such as ‘‘zero tolerance’’ or ‘‘absence of a microbe’’ in relation to raw poultry should therefore be avoided.”	Unfortunately there’s no zero tolerance policy on meat for our nation’s leading foodborne killer, Salmonella—see Fecal Bacteria Survey. For more surveys on how much of the American meat supply is contaminated with fecal matter and foodborne pathogens, see Fecal Contamination of Sushi, Fecal Residues on Chicken, Chicken Out of UTIs, U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph, and MRSA in U.S. Retail Meat. Salmonella-infected eggs also sicken more than 100,000 Americans every year, see Total Recall. The industry, however, continues to blame the victim. See Unsafe at Any Feed. There are still more than a thousand other topics pertaining to diet and disease.Regarding meat and poultry: We have a product, that has to be handled with caution, there is risk of acute intolerence (poisoning), there are severe cronic sideeffects (cancer, stroke, cardiocascular disease, diabetes) – hence I recommend that this product becomes a prescription drug (product). You have to be fully informed of the dangers and the benefits (none) before you consume it. :-)And you will now have to go to your Family Physician to get a prescription for the meat of your choice!  Now their talkin’!And would you – my friend – recommend such a dangerous drug for any patient?Like Osteoclastic Inhibitors if I deemed it a medical necessity I would prescribe it.  But I almost never prescribe that class of drugs and I could quarantee I would probably never Rx meat out.  But like the “Medical Marijuana” there will be those groups of doctors making a mint off meat!  Kinda like the Cardiologists did about 15-20 years ago ;-}Stefan and HemoDynamic:  You guys crack me up.Stefan:  You comment yesterday has to be the quote of the year.  I’m sharing it with my agency’s “Foodie Club” (where I show people Dr. Greger’s videos during lunch…)  Thanks!I agree his statement was hilarious and made me crack up as well. Keep it up Dr. Juhl !Thea, Dr Dynamic – Thanks !Another great reason to stop eating animal products.  I did it more than two years ago.  There is alot of effort to regain our food sovereignty by forcing policy, but the ultimate magic wand for all of these problems lies squarely in the hands of the individual.  Realize that most of the so called arguments we have against personal power where food justice and a healthy world are concerned are really just excuses that we were programmed to respond with.  Explore your local food markets and help  your local economy.  It is your choice. Eat healthy food and you propagate healthy food.  Or continue to chose to support the out of control factory farms…the growing problems are inevitable, predictable, and the responsibility of the consumer.   Another approach the industry takes to avoid responsibility is the concept of credible deniability. In one large dairy industry for which I worked they purposely did not assay for listeria because they knew if they did that they would find it.E. Wein Ph.D.This is bull shit! Their saying let smokers smoke and don’t put risks on the pack. I say we put big labels on meat saying possible risk in future of cancer or heart attack just like with cigarettes, and put a tax on these tor. 	chicken,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,fish,food poisoning,foodborne illness,industry influence,meat,poultry,safety limits,Salmonella,seafood	The fish and poultry industries propose moving from a zero tolerance policy on certain dangerous foodborne pathogens to an "acceptable risk" policy given how widely contaminated their products are with potentially deadly fecal bacteria.	Unfortunately there's no zero tolerance policy on meat for our nation's leading foodborne killer, Salmonella—see Fecal Bacteria Survey. For more surveys on how much of the American meat supply is contaminated with fecal matter and foodborne pathogens, see Fecal Contamination of Sushi, Fecal Residues on Chicken, Chicken Out of UTIs, U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph, and MRSA in U.S. Retail Meat. Salmonella-infected eggs also sicken more than 100,000 Americans every year, see Total Recall. The industry, however, continues to blame the victim. See Unsafe at Any Feed. There are still more than a thousand other topics pertaining to diet and disease if you'd like to check them out!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20819373,
PLAIN-2950	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/unsafe-at-any-feed/	Unsafe at Any Feed	Most of the U.S. population suffers an acute diarrheal illness every year, and according to a recent survey most people correctly identified food as the most common source—but , fewer than half, 45%, believed it's legal for grocery stores to sell meat with food poisonging bacteria on it. You can’t sell unsafe cars, you can’t sell unsafe toys, how could they possibly sell unsafe meat. They do it by blaming the consumer. As USDA poultry microbiologist Nelson Cox said: “Raw meats are not idiot-proof. They can be mishandled and when they are, it’s like handling a hand grenade. If you pull the pin, somebody’s going to get hurt.” See if we get sick, it’s our fault. While some may question the wisdom of selling hand grenades in the supermarket, Cox disagrees: “I think the consumer has the most responsibility but refuses to accept it.” That’s like a car company saying yeah, we installed faulty brakes, but it’s your fault for not putting your kid in a seatbelt.  Patricia Griffin, director of Epidemiological Research at the Centers for Disease Control responded famously to this kind of blame-the-victim attitude. “Is it reasonable,” she asked, ‘“that if a consumer undercooks a hamburger…their three-year-old dies?”	Industry experts, in fact, admit it’s too expensive for the industry not to sell contaminated chicken—see Fecal Bacteria Survey. For questionable steps the meat industry is taking to mediate the threat see Viral Meat Spray and Maggot Meat Spray. The risks of handling fresh meat are discussed in Food Poisoning Bacteria Cross-Contamination. There are 25 other videos on foodborne illness and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.The question that keeps popping up in my head is, How would these ‘educated’ meat folk respond if their own child died secondary to undercooked meat?   Would they still blame themselves (the parent) as the cause of their child demise?  Would they get up and head back to their meat industry job and continue the same practices turning a blind eye to the situation?I like how this video puts things into perspective.  What this video does not say, but what another video does explain, is that other countries do NOT have this problem.  In other countries, it IS illegal to sell this kind of meat.  If you haven’t seen it, check out Dr. Greger’s video on “Fecal Bacteria Survey” which Dr. Greger links to in his post.What a great food meat is! If you handle it poorly, you are at risk of dying within hours or days by shitting yourself to death, if you fry it too much, because you want to avoid dying in the bathroom, you get coloncancer, if you you cook it perfectly, you are at risk of dying prematurely of stoke, heartdisease or cancer. The answer: Go vegan.Well said!Awesome! I wish the people who “love meat too much to stop eating it” would read this!	burgers,CDC,diarrhea,food poisoning,food recalls,foodborne illness,hamburgers,meat,USDA	In a national survey, fewer than half of the participants realized meat contaminated with fecal food-poisoning bacteria such as Salmonella can still legally be sold. Rather than producing safe products, the meat industry shifts the responsibility for safety onto the consumer.	Industry experts, in fact, admit it's too expensive for the industry not to sell contaminated chicken—see Fecal Bacteria Survey. For questionable steps the meat industry is taking to mediate the threat see Viral Meat Spray and Maggot Meat Spray. The risks of handling fresh meat are discussed in Food Poisoning Bacteria Cross-Contamination. There are 25 other videos on food poisoning and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects if you'd like to check them out.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/01/why-is-selling-salmonella-tainted-chicken-still-legal/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-recalls/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20932083,
PLAIN-2951	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/	Not So Delusional Parasitosis	Some parasites are real, and some are not. Delusional parasitosis. It’s a form of psychosis characterized by the false belief that you’re infested with some sort of parasite. It can be triggered by a variety of brain diseases such as stroke, schizophrenia, dementia due to vitamin B12 deficiency, stroke. Tragic case report of a woman who suddenly started repeatedly washing her clothes with bleach until she ruined them, scratching her whole body up, she was hospitalized persistently expressing her delusions of parasitosis. They did an MRI and what did they find causing these delusions? An actual pork tape worm in her brain. A tragic case, that was tragically ironic. “the first report of brain parasitosis as an underlying neurological condition in delusional parasitosis.” .	Avoiding meat and other animal products can certainly reduce one’s risk of becoming infested with parasites, but may place one at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency, which can have it’s own dire cognitive consequences. See Safest Source of B12 for the best way to get this critical vitamin. For more on pork tapeworm brain invasion, check out Pork Tapeworms on the Brain and Avoiding Epilepsy Through Diet. A sampling of 50+ videos on brain health include Reversing Cognitive Decline, Improving Mood Through Diet, and Constructing a Cognitive Portfolio. That’s just one of more than a thousand topics I cover! I really appreciate that you list these links here for more reading on similar subjects you’ve covered. ThanksWhat can you say about a case like the one cited above? She was right. How many others who believe they have a parasite are right? If having a parasite can trigger the belief that one has a parasite, then maybe it’s not a disease. Psychological theory can turn any behavior, or even belief, into neurosis or psychosis simply by giving it a name–witness “orthorexia nervosa.” Believing one has a parasite may just be an error–not a psychosis. We have a saying: Being paranoid is not the same as nobody is pursuing you…..Stop following me already!  ;-}Here`s Johnny !I guess I will start to consider Pork worm as a cause for Morgellons Disease. ‘Crazy’ stuff ;-}Speaking of brain diseases, I want everyone to read a fantastic blog from Dr. Greger regarding the recent discovery of Mad Cow (Prion) Disease from milk in California.   It’s important to keep this information in the forefront of our minds and keep the diseases out. http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/04/25/mad-cow-california-is-the-milk-supply-safe/Milk–It does not do a brain good! I think it was Dr Michael Klaper who said: You need cow`s milk as much as you need giraffe or rat milk. Milk is disgusting. Period!I’d be interested in you guys doing a rebuttal on this:  http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.php/no-bologna-facts/I have seen that link before and some of the statements are clearly false and even ubsurd.  You can go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ and type in Saturated Fat and Heart Disease or any other of the statements from FatHead and read the many articles that debunk the stated claims.I think we still have one doctor in Denmark who claims that smoking is not unhealthy. You can say anything and back it up with junk-science or single cases. Many people want to hear that meat, fat, eggs, dairy and oils are good for you, so they “believe” in these fad diets. So keep up your good job and educate your patients Dr Dynamic! And you are right: Real science speaks loud and clear – if you want to live a long, vibrant and healthy life: Go vegan !The problem is that a person who argues based on ignorance is invincible I spent over two hours watching this movie. Theme: eat bad (including McDonald’s), it’s actually good for you. I do the opposite of what this movie promotes, and my blood work is great. But hey, tell people what they want to hear and they don’t bother double-checking the sources, in which happen to come from the same circle of mostly non-MDs and non-scientists.Please. This makes no sense. If someone’s belief that they have parasites is caused by having parasites in their brain, then the belief that they have parasites is neither a delusion, nor a symptom of a psychosis. What IS a delusion, is the belief that such a person has a delusion. And the act of ascribing psychoses to them is stigmatization, not diagnosis.Ascribing psychosis to them is also projecting your own psychosis, onto someone else.Very true! You can’t be delusional about having parasites if you actually have parasites…that part really makes no sense.The delusional part if the belief is that there are parasites crawling on her skin.	b12,brain disease,brain health,brain parasites,dementia,food poisoning,foodborne illness,neurocysticercosis,parasites,pork,psychosis,schizophrenia,stroke,tapeworms,vitamin B12,zoonotic disease	Delusional parasitosis is a form of psychosis characterized by the false belief that one is infested with some sort of parasite. It can be triggered by a variety of brain diseases, including parasites themselves.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurocysticercosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/schizophrenia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psychosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20430233,
PLAIN-2952	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maggot-meat-spray/	Maggot Meat Spray	The meat industry is concerned that consumers might be wary of the meat sprayed with bacteria-eating viruses. “consumer acceptance of bacteriophage usage may present something of a challenge to the food industry.” If they think they’re going to have consumer acceptance issues with spreading viruses on meat, that’s nothing compared to an even more novel technique to preserve meat the “Effect of Extracted Housefly Pupae Peptide Mixture on Chilled Pork Preservation.” Yes that’s what you think it means, you smear a maggot mixture on the meat.  A low cost and simple method. Think about it. Maggots thrive on rotting meat, yet, there have been no reports that housefly larvae have any serious diseases, indicating that they have a strong immune system. They must be packed with some sort of antibacterial properties—otherwise they’d get infected and die themselves.  So they took maggots who were 3 days old, washed them, dried them--toweled them off—put through them in a blender, filtered out the solids, and whallah.  “The housefly can easily be produced on a large-scale with simple techniques at a low cost.” And the best part? “After the extraction of the housefly pupae peptide mixture, the maggot remains can be used as protein foodstuffs, thereby increasing our protein supply.--It’s a win win!    	See also Viral Meat Spray. Maggots or no maggots, proper handling of fresh meat is critical; see Food Poisoning Bacteria Cross-Contamination. There also exist healthier sources of protein than maggots, and although insects are comparatively low in saturated fat, Plant Protein is Preferable. Other videos that may bug you include Cheese Mites and Maggots, Are Artificial Colors Harmful?, and Nontoxic Head Lice Treatment. Plus, there are a thousand non-insects topics on health and nutrition. See the extensive list here.The win-win is. . .  just forget about the meat–Save the Animals, eat maggots!  In fact I’m surprised I haven’t seen any packages of maggots in the store recently, being it is so “cost-effective” and high in protein.  Why didn’t I think of that?  I guess I’ll just have to stick to my Spinach, Kale and Beans until maggots are readily available ;-}Nice thought.  NOT!! Protect, the earth, your community, your family, yourself and the Maggot’s –Go Plant-Based!Ah!!! Back to the old Disqus!  Working well!  I can log in and out on any computer so easy again.  Thanks for the revert!What kind of brain gets these ideas?The logic fails.Whats next?: Kill your pet and blend it, smear the pet-mixture on your lettuce, because your pet has never been sick from eating lettuce, so your pet has a strong immunesystem. Same logic…….I guess they reason maggots are like vultures. I know there are many cultures which entomophagy exists and is said to be the healthier and more nutritious of flesh-eating diets (and the “less cruel”); I, personally, get the willies at the thought. I’ve also been known to spend several minutes rescuing a worm being devoured by an army of red ants…I’m a kook, I guess.You are not a kook! Unless you go by the Urban dictionary definition: 1. someone posing very hard as a surfer or skateboarder. 2. someone that goes to every surfing or skateboarding event to hangout, compile pictures, start conversations, and generally be seen with real surfers or skateboarders. Are you hangin’ out at the surfing events? No, you are just a caring individual who wants to alleviate the suffering of all things. Just like all the people and doctors who spend many hours TEACHING (that’s the root word of Doctor) trying to get patients and people to go plant based–it’s to alleviate their current and inevitable future suffering if they continue on an animal based diet. Keep up your great work!! Eat Plants!!Ha! Hey, surfers are people too…I think ? ;^)Dr Greger, I have been really relishing squirming at this latest ‘Fangoria’ series of videos!  Yargh!!I am a patient who had his life saved from a drug resistant staph infection. I flew to tibillsi georgia and was treated at the institute there. Bacterial phages are an absolute miracle to the alternative health industry. The FDA has blocked them from ever being used here on humans because they work 100 fold better then antibiotics and they are all natural. Also they do not cause drug resistance. they have been using them in russia for over 100 years. they dont use antibiotics!Whallah = voilàIf it works, why not… We can be such babies.O WoW That is just sick and hilarious at the same timeMaggots were used for wound care; they eat necrotic tissue, and so prevent infection. Does using maggot spray mean that if meat inspectors find maggots in meat, they disregard because it’s all good?Hi doctor, Thanks for the brief yet somewhat informative video. I would like to ask you if you could fill us in on some of the studies and findings upon which you made your video, as I’d like to read more into the matter. Thanx, Adam	bacteriophages,food additives,food poisoning,foodborne illness,insects,maggots,meat,pork,preservatives,safety limits	Given their inherent resistance to food-poisoning bacteria, maggots can be used to create an antibacterial food additive to increase the safety of the meat supply.	See also Viral Meat Spray. Maggots or no maggots, proper handling of fresh meat is critical; see Food Poisoning Bacteria Cross-Contamination. There also exist healthier sources of protein than maggots, and although insects are comparatively low in saturated fat, plant protein is preferable. Other videos that may bug you include Cheese Mites and Maggots, Are Artificial Colors Harmful?, and Nontoxic Head Lice Treatment. Plus, there are a thousand non-insects topics on health and nutrition. See the extensive list here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacteriophages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maggots/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nontoxic-head-lice-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-artificial-colors-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20722941,
PLAIN-2953	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/	Viral Meat Spray	The third leading cause of foodborne disease related death in the United States— after Salmonella, and the meatborne brain parasite toxoplasma, is listeria, a type of foodborne bacteria that has the rare ability to survive and thrive in cold, acidic, salty environments, otherwise known as deli meats, hot dogs, and refrigerated ready-to-eat chicken and turkey products. The fatality rate of infection is 20-30%, making it the most dangerous foodborne bacteria in the U.S. meat supply. Unable to rid itself of the pathogen the U.S. meat industry petitioned the FDA to allow them to use a novel pathogen control strategy. “Virulent Bacteriophage for Efficient Biocontrol of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-To-Eat Foods,” or as the FDA touted in one of their publications: “Bacteria-eating virus approved as food additive. Not all viruses harm people. The FDA has approved a mixture of viruses as a food additive to protect people. The additive can be used in processing plants for spreading onto ready-to-eat meat and poultry products to protect consumers from the potentially life-threatening bacterium listeria.”  Not all bacteria harm people either, and so concern has been expressed that they could also infect and kill the good bacteria in our gut, but they appear to be extremely species specific and so the main concern has been the possibility of the viruses spreading toxin genes between bacteria, especially given the difficulty of large numbers of viruses from being released into the environment. It could also allow the industry to become even more complacent about food safety if they know they can just spray some viruses on at the end, similar to the quick fix argument about irradiation. From the industry point of view, who cares if there’s fecal contamination of the meat as long as it’s sterilized at the end with enough radiation.  Last year researchers discovered that you can put the viruses in the feed of the chickens and obtain the same effect. They conclude that “The phage cocktail administered in feed can be easily and successfully used under commercial condition in a poultry unit. Another important aspect of the present study is that as the phages that composed the cocktail were isolated from poultry carcasses, their use to reduce Campylobacter colonisation in the live birds would not introduce any new biological entity into the food chain,” meaning consumers shouldn’t complain about the use of viruses as a biological control agent since the viruses are on their meat to begin with.	For more about leading food poisoning causes of death #1 and #2 see Total Recall and Brain Parasites in Meat. For videos on other risks associated with processed meat consumption, see Preventing COPD with Diet, Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat, and Hot Dogs & Leukemia. In my book Bird Flu I have a chapter about more of these creative meat industry “technofixes” (rectal poultry superglue anyone?). For videos on other chicken feed additives of questionable safety, see Arsenic in Chicken and Drug Residues in Meat, and for what Campylobacter can do, Poultry and Paralysis. Please also feel free to check out any of the other 1,000+ thousand topics, and if you didn’t like the thought of the meat industry spreading viruses on your food, tomorrow’s video is entitled Maggot Meat Spray.Unfortunately Fact is more abhorrent than Fiction, especially when it comes to the meat industry.What is the answer for someone who posted the following:Taken from an article about Adrenal Fatigue.   My most sick patients, the ones that never really fully recovered, were vegetarians. This was even more the case if they did the raw food diet for more than a couple years. Vegan diets and raw food diets are dangerous in my my experience. I’ve just seen too many people who were so weakened and so broken down from basically starving themselves for years. I think it’s a kind of closet anorexia, a way of eating without eating, a way of undernourishing yourself in a really chronic way and I think that there are a lot of mental issues going on in people who are so attracted to this, especially when they look like death warmed over and they don’t even see it.   So yes, not that some of those foods and recipes aren’t great. But trying to just live on those things makes it hard for people with a long history of that behavior to fully recover, especially when they’ve been at it for like 10-20 years. They’ve been weakening themselves so deeply. Still, I think they’re going to get the greatest recovery they can get through NB and they can see huge improvements in quality of life beyond what they were likely to accomplish. My experience, 9 years of veganism and raw foods nearly killed me. Plants are living creatures too. So if you really want to take it that far. Also this isn’t really about whats wrong or right. It’s about genetic adaptation and basically vegan and strict vegetarian diets are damaging to human beings. Very few get away long term without mental/emotional or physical issues. I was one of those who tried being vegan and it really damaged my health, Also I have spoken to many long term vegetarians who told me they had to go back to animal protein because their health declined. I also know many raw foodists who are attached to their dietary ideas who say that raw veganism makes them feel better. Sarah FlyingFlower StoneFeather Cruse said it above, eating a vegan diet causes the body to absorb too much copper, too much copper makes one feel slightly out there and blissful but it doesn’t mean that’s more spiritual than someone who eats meat. So really where do you draw the line? Copper toxicity can cause a person to feel an aversion to meat. this was my biggest reason for wanting to be vegetarian. one reason why I think I may have been copper toxic all my life.They should read The China Study, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, The Starch Solution, visit NutritionFacts.org, http://www.PCRM.org, and review numerous other publications to date showing the healthiest lifestyle is a Vegan lifestyle.It’s not to say there can’t or won’t be health issues but an educated provider should be able to test for common (and uncommon if needed) abnormalities and teach the best ways to avoid them.You might want to look at the statistics on morbidity and mortality related to consumption of animal products vs a plant based diet. Personally I thought a vegan diet was ridiculous until, because of poor health, I gave it a go. Not only did I trim down excessive animal fat which had accumulated all over my body over the years, but I felt great! Shortness of breath, arthritis, chest pain, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, generalised weakness….. all gone! From my experience, veganism is NOT anorexia. Far from it; now I can eat twice as much AND be healthy!When car manufacturers added ABS brakes to make cars safer to drive, the public responded by driving more dangerously, relying on better brakes, rather than their skill, to keep them out of trouble. It is ever this for humans. All that will happen is that food processors will save money by reducing their hygiene and insurance costs, relying on the viruses to do the work instead of their procedures. Better to be Vegan, avoid most of this hassle. Thanks for your efforts in keeping us informed. Donato Cianci Peterborough CanadaIck! I really wonder how these people sleep at all.When you said, “…who cares if there’s fecal contamination of the meat…” “…as long as it’s sterilized at the end..” It reminded me of the “Yes Men”! Anyone remember those guys? They were newsmakers in the early Aughts. The prank this brings to mind was   — Brilliant!One word: Grotesque ! One solution: Go vegan ! One consequence: Get healthy ! (if you go vegan……..)So my nephew just came in my room and saw me watch several of these videos. Then he said, “I’m tired of watching these gross videos.”I said, “Then why eat the gross things?”He said, “I don’t know; I was born like that.”I said, “You’re right.”So even kids are starting to know they’ve been conditioned to consume nasty foods.I am a patient who had his life saved from a drug resistant staph infection using Phage’s. I flew to tibillsi georgia and was treated at the institute there. Bacterial phages are an absolute miracle to the alternative health industry. The FDA has blocked them from ever being used here on humans because they work 100 fold better then antibiotics and they are all natural. Also they do not cause drug resistance. they have been using them in russia for over 100 years. they dont use antibiotics!YOUR ARTICLE IS WRONG THIS WOULD BE A MIRACLE IF EVER APPROVED IN THE U.S.THIS TECHNOLOGY COULD SAVE 1 MILLION DEATHS A YEAR! AND IT IS 100% ALL NATURALI am a patient who had his life saved from a drug resistant staph infection using Phage’s. I flew to tibillsi georgia and was treated at the institute there. Bacterial phages are an absolute miracle to the alternative health industry. The FDA has blocked them from ever being used here on humans because they work 100 fold better then antibiotics and they are all natural. Also they do not cause drug resistance. they have been using them in russia for over 100 years. they dont use antibiotics!YOUR ARTICLE IS WRONG THIS WOULD BE A MIRACLE IF EVER APPROVED IN THE U.S.Veguyan, I would say that the answer is that you can be just as unhealthy on a vegan diet as on a meat eating diet if you don’t eat properly. And veganism and raw food diets can also be another way of expressing an eating disorder. That doesn’t mean that the diet is unhealthy overall, or that these diets cause an eating disorder. The way our society is structured makes it difficult to be vegan, true. It is hard to run down to the food court and get something to eat if you didn’t have time to pack your lunch, for example. But I think the science is pretty clear that if you take the time to cook your grains and soak your beans and make your green smoothies, your health will improve overall. Your life expectancy will increase. etc etc.As for raw food diets, I don’t actually think that they are healthy. I know this is digressing a little, but you mentioned high doses of radiation to treat meat. I’ve been wondering about the treatment of all sorts of foods – not that I consider meat a food ;-) – with irradiation. I gather that nuts are treated with low doses to keep them from sprouting and herbs and spices with doses a little bit higher (from Wikipedia based research, I’m no scientist.) I’m wondering if there’s any recent research regarding the safety of this process. Also, laws in different parts of the world seem to accept different levels,etc. And, there was a problem with cats fed irradiated dry cat food in Australia some years ago. If you ever run out of topics to investigate – I know, wishful thinking – might you consider this one? Love your work!	bacteriophages,bile acids,brain parasites,brains,Campylobacter,chicken,FDA,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,feed additives,food additives,food poisoning,foodborne illness,gut flora,hot dogs,industry influence,Listeria,meat,parasites,poultry,processed meat,radiation,Salmonella,toxoplasma,turkey	Bacteria-eating viruses (bacteriophages) have been approved as meat additives to reduce the risk of Listeria and Campylobacter found in processed meat and poultry products, but there is a concern they could spread toxin genes between bacteria.	For more about leading food poisoning causes of death #1 and #2 see Total Recall and Brain Parasites in Meat. For videos on other risks associated with processed meat consumption, see Preventing COPD with Diet, Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat, and Hot Dogs & Leukemia. In my book Bird Flu I have a chapter about more of these creative meat industry "technofixes" (rectal poultry superglue anyone?). For videos on other chicken feed additives of questionable safety, see Arsenic in Chicken and Drug Residues in Meat, and for what Campylobacter can do, Poultry and Paralysis. Please also feel free to check out any of the other 1,000+ thousand topics, and if you didn't like the thought of the meat industry spreading viruses on your food, tomorrow's video is entitled Maggot Meat Spray.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacteriophages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/toxoplasma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/listeria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21255295,
PLAIN-2954	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/	Tongue Worm in Human Eye	Let me start by saying this one is not for the squeamish. For years I’ve shared many a foodborne malady. When people think foodborne illness they think tummy flu, Not, toxin megacolon… or sexually transmitted fish toxins, or any of the other bizarre case reports I run across of things one can contract at the dinner table. Well this year, published recently in the official CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, I think I found something that takes the cake.  It wasn’t the sushi worm found living in someone's stomach, or the swallowed fish bone that came poking out. No, it was Linguatula serrate, tongue worm in human eye. Evidently if we prefer our viscera poorly cooked we can swallow eggs that hatch within our intestines into worm-like bloodsucking parasites that burrow out through the intestinal wall and then migrate throughout the body. Rarely, they can tunnel into the eye. And when they say tongue worm in human eye, they mean like literally swimming around inside the eyeball, and yes, they've got video:	Other not-for-the-squeamish videos include Cheese Mites and Maggots, Toxic Megacolon Superbug, Brain Parasites in Meat, Allergenic Fish Worms, and Pork Tapeworms on the Brain. The one I mentioned about the fish toxins spread through intercourse is Sexually Transmitted Fish Toxin. If, however, that’s not your cup of tea, then there’s more than a thousand other topics including 21 videos on cups of tea!Fascinating to say the least!!Always worry when your doc says “This is fascinating”……. :-) Or, “sometimes we see that…”Dr. J, Yes, for many years I have told my patients you always want to be ‘boring/Normal’ when you go to the doctor.   You never want to hear, “Wow, you are a fascinating case!” or, “I have never seen anything this bad before.” Or the proverbial, “Oops” during a procedure, but to see a parasite swimming around in the anterior chamber of the eye is truly astonishing.  It will sure make me think twice when I get another patient c/o “bugs” in their eyes, which are usually a normal part of aging (floaters).Dr Dynamic, Yes – for the patient boring is better. A patient reminded me yesterday, that I last time called her seizures “interesting”….Yes – never thought that a differential diagnosis for mouches volantes is worm in the eye….Go vegan!Dr. G,  Love the Artistic Radioactive artwork of Ketchup and Mustard atop the Charbroiled Pink-Slime sandwich. I give it “Glowing” reviews ;-}Is it just me? I see a scary face !I see it too!  I think it is just a broken Caduceus with a SAD (Standard American Diet) face.LOL, I noticed that hazard symbol too. Genius.Something fascinating as well is the Paul Harvey of the story:Surgical removal of the parasite was complicated because of high mobility of the parasite inside the anterior chamber. The worm escaped into the posterior segment of the eye where it was found, after lens removal and complete vitrectomy, in a recess of the ciliary body. A viable parasite was extracted and transferred to physiologic saline. One month later, the eye was completely free of irritation, and 3 months later an artificial intraocular lens (ARTISAN; OPHTEC BV, Groningen, the Netherlands) was implanted. Final visual acuity was 1.0 Snellen. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/5/10-0790_article.htmAnd that is The Rest of the Story.  Quite impressive actually!Hi Drs.. Ok… All of this is “fascinating”? Sure, for you. All I have to say is ewwww…. And ya, it could have been avoided. I am certain that this is not the bright lights and 15 minutes of fame that this person wanted. Just my $0.02.	CDC,eye disease,eye health,eye parasites,fish,food poisoning,foodborne illness,Linguatula serrate,organ meats,parasites,seafood,stomach health,sushi,tongue worm,toxic megacolon,worms	A case report (and video) of the worm-like, bloodsucking parasite Linguatula serrata found in organ meats that can migrate through the intestinal wall, into the bloodstream, and then inside one's eyeball.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tongue-worm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/linguatula-serrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/toxic-megacolon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organ-meats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3056375/?tool=pubmed,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2810444,
PLAIN-2955	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/	Don’t Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is	The reason food service workers are supposed to wear gloves is that they could potentially pick up an infection touching a public surface like a doorknob or faucet and then transfer it to our food. Well if touching common surfaces could contaminate your hands, what about money? “Dirty Money: An Investigation into the Hygiene Status of Some of the World’s Currencies as Obtained from Food Outlets.”      “A total of 1280 banknotes were obtained from food outlets in 10 different countries and their bacterial content was enumerated. Who had the most contaminated money? They looked at Australia, Burkina Faso in Africa, China, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States.      Here’s the graph. note this is a log scale so this is like hundred-fold difference in bacterial contamination. Let's do the cleanest one first. Which country has the most hygienic dollar? That’s a hint, as only three of the countries use quote unquote dollars. The United States and our winner Australia, along with runner up New Zealand. The most contaminated belongs to China, though not all bacteria are the same. If you’re just looking at E. coli, for example, as an indicator of fecal contamination, then we’re number 1, leading the world at 55% of our bills contaminated with E coli., with Berkina Faso, the third least developed country in the world, a close second.      They recommend that “the handling of food and money should be physically separated by employing separate individuals to carry out one task each or handling food only with a gloved hand and money with the other hand. Or, if neither of these precautions can be effectively implemented, it is highly recommended that food service personnel practice proper hand washing procedures after handling money and before handling food.”	Since so few restaurant and deli workers wash their hands (see Restaurant Worker Hand Washing and Handwashing Compliance of Retail Deli Workers), it should come as no surprise that anything they handle can become contaminated. Most meat is contaminated fecal bacteria as well (see Fecal Bacteria Survey), in fact so much so that children can pick up infections by just touching the outside of meat packaging. See Meat-Borne Infection Risk from Shopping Carts. More on foodborne illness here and a thousand other topics here.    When I was a young lad my Uncle would tell me he laundered his money.  Now I know why. No he wasn’t obtaining money illegally, he was a germaphobe.I’m also a bit of a germaphobe, so that’s why I wouldn’t put money into my laundry.I’ve also read that larger denominations of “filthy lucre” in the U.S. are almost universally contaminated with traces of cocaine.This reminds me of why I never put my precious veggies onto the supermarket checkout counters. After seeing dripped blood from someone’s meat package all over it and the cashier wiping it off, I decided it might not be a good idea! I always bag my foods — even if I’m not going to be eating the skins or will be washing them — to keep them protected. As it is, my food has been handled more than I’d like already. The money thing is a good reminder too. Paper and coin always seemed dirty to me anyway.Strix:  You raise a great point.  I’ve been trying to save resources by not using the plastic bags to hold fruits and veggies which I pick up at the grocery store.  But then those foods end up directly on the conveyor belt–AND get touched by the people who are touching money.I have purchased plenty of those reusable produce bags, but keep forgetting to bring them into the store with me.  I think it is high time that I start making the effort.  I’m already bringing my own reusable large grocery bags.  Time to start bringing in the produce bags too. Thanks for the push. I know! I hate those plastic baggies, but use them when I failed to bring enough cloth bags from home. You might try making your own, Thea :^). Do you sew, knit, or crochet? They are super-easy to make!Alas.  The most I have ever done with a needle is try to sew a button and that didn’t work out so well… Exactly my new mentality. People always laugh at me when I’m at home and don’t want to touch money, and tell the kids over and over to wash their hands after handling it.Australia’s money is cleaner because their bank notes are made from a non porous polymer rather than paper. I think all countries should do this.I used to go to a Mr. Submarine and watch this guy try to save gloves by handling the subs with one hand and money with the other. On closer observation, I’ve noticed he ended up cross contaminating the money and food anyway. So after I mentioned this to him, I had him put on new gloves for me every time.	Africa,Australia,China,E. coli,fecal bacteria,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,hand washing,Ireland,Mexico,Netherlands,New Zealand,Nigeria,restaurants,United Kingdom	A profile of the study “Dirty Money: An Investigation into the Hygiene Status of Some of the World’s Currencies as Obtained from Food Outlets.” The level of fecal bacteria contamination on banknotes is compared between Australia, Burkina Faso (Africa), China, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States.	Since so few restaurant and deli workers wash their hands (see Restaurant Worker Hand Washing and Handwashing Compliance of Retail Deli Workers), it should come as no surprise that anything they handle can become contaminated. Most meat is contaminated fecal bacteria (see Fecal Bacteria Survey), in fact, so much so that children can pick up infections by just touching the outside of meat packaging. See Meat-Borne Infection Risk from Shopping Carts. More on food poisoning here and a thousand other topics here.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/australia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ireland/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/netherlands/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mexico/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hand-washing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/restaurants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-zealand/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nigeria/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/restaurant-worker-hand-washing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20704502,
PLAIN-2956	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/handwashing-compliance-of-retail-deli-workers/	Handwashing Compliance of Retail Deli Workers	In one of my videos a few years ago I talked about a study that examined the food safety practices of restaurant workers in several fast food chains in the Midwest, finding an astounding zero percent compliance with federal food code guidelines for handwashing. Well a follow-up study was recently published on the food safety practices in retail deli departments. They looked at both independent and chain stores. How do you think they did overall? Did they wash their hands 10% of the times they were supposed to? 50% of the time? For example did they wash their hands “After touching bare body parts” before they touched the meat?     And the answer is they washed their hands 11% of the time—better than the cynic in me expected, but still only about 1 in 10. Though it was 1 in 50 at the independent stores—only 2% compliance—the chain stores actually did better.     Why is this important? Consider this case report of “Occupational transmission of hepatitis C virus resulting from use of the same supermarket meat slicer.” Two women worked in the same deli department, one hep C positive, something usually only transmitted by sharing dirty needles —unless you are using a common ham cutting machine, with frequent bleeding hand injuries. And then one hep C positive woman can become two.      In previous years I’ve talk about the potential to contract hepatitis from a virus in pork, but this time at least, it wasn’t the pigs fault.	The video to which I refer about handwashing in fast food chains is Restaurant Worker Hand Washing. For more on the hepatitis virus people can get from pork, see Hepatitis E Virus in Pork.  One can also contract pork tapeworms that burrow into the brain from those who handle our food—see Avoiding Epilepsy Through Diet (if you dare! :). And if that gets you squeamish you’re going to want to skip the video I have queued up in two days: “Tongue Worm in Human Eye”. There’s hundreds of wormless videos, though, on more than a thousand topics.The most famous tale of Handwashing:from Shakespears MacBeth:  The Doctor and Gentlewoman overwatching Lady MacBeth after she killed her husband:Doctor:  What is it she does now? Look how she rubs her hands.Gentlewoman:  It is an accustom’d action with her, to seem thuswashing her hands. I have known her continue in this a quarter ofan hour.Lady Macbeth:  Yet here’s a spot.Doctor:  Hark, she speaks. I will set down what comes from her, tosatisfy my remembrance the more strongly.Lady Macbeth:  Out, damn’d spot! out, I say!—One; two: why, then’tis time to do’t.—Hell is murky.—Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, andafeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call ourpow’r to accompt?—Yet who would have thought the old man tohave had so much blood in him?Maybe a scholarly lesson on MacBeth should be expounded upon those whom work in the food and person handling industries.It was a meat slicer – hence blame the pigs !  :-)I am reposting this here to link to the excellent blog Dr. Greger wrote yesterday.  It may seem irrelevant but it’s not!  Whether it’s Hep C or E. Coli contamination of our food supply is irreprehensible and abhorrent. http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/06/09/e-coli-o145-ban-opposed-by-meat-industry/#disqus_threadFinally! Maybe we are getting somewhere in Congress.But the Head still doesn’t know what the body is doing in our Federal Government. Why do WE/they have the prestigious Institutes of Medicine (IOM) showing us repeatedly what animal products (processed and unprocessed) do to our bodies (hence, their recent “Weight of the Nation” series and their NHANES studies as well as numerous other published materials) yet THEY/we spend $16 Billion dollars annually for meat and dairy subsidies?Stop the insanity already!!Think Globally, act Locally, GO Vegan!!!! Vote at your local market. If we all stop buying these products the markets will soon, no longer carry them; because, for the markets too, it is all about money!The politicians talk a lot about global warming, but seems to ignore the fact that animal production is a bigger contributor (to my knowledge) than burning fossil fuel. The best thing for humans (eating plantbased), is best for the fight aganist global warming, deforestation, pollution af water, fighting hunger etc. So how can it be difficult to stop subsiding meat and dairy? GO Vegan !!It’s difficult because of the Meat and Dairy lobbiest “padding the pockets” (with Elephant dollars, gargantuan gift’s and virtuous votes) of the congress people and senators.  It is my hope that those elected officials will see the plight of fellow Americans and stand up for what is for the betterment of our society not just the infintesimally small percentage that are Big Meat, Dairy and Pharma!Oh, and BTW without plants all those companies would be defunct because plants are the backbone of their industries too!  However, they are trying to change that as well by feeding the dead animals to their animals.  Just ask the Mad Cow and the Cysticercotic Pig. Go Plants!  Go Vegan!	food poisoning,foodborne illness,hand washing,hepatitis,hepatitis E,liver disease,liver health,occupational health,pork,restaurants,viral infections,zoonotic disease	How often do retail deli workers wash their hands at both independent and chain stores? This is important given the potential for life-threatening blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis C.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hepatitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hepatitis-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/occupational-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/restaurants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hand-washing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/restaurant-worker-hand-washing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18724759,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21316404,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20412189,
PLAIN-2957	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/	Some Dietary Supplements May Be More Than a Waste of Money	A triad of new studies showing once again that those taking dietary supplements may, in some cases, paying to make themselves sick. They’re all pretty self-explanatory. High intake of folate from food sources (like beans and greens) associated with reduced risk esophageal cancer, In contrast, high intake of folic acid from supplements associated with a significantly elevated risk of Barret's Esophagus with precancerous changes.  “Dietary, but not supplemental, intakes of carotenoids and vitamin c (like eating carrots, sweet potatoes, greens, broccoli, citrus) are associated with decreased odds of lower urinary tract symptoms in men. And again, those taking them in pill form in fact got worse. Unless you pills look like this.  Green tea good; green tea supplements bad. there no longer can be a reasonable doubt that ingestion of concentrated extracts of Chinese green tea poses a real and growing risk to liver health.”	This is the final video of a three-part series on the latest information about the safety of dietary supplements. See Dietary Supplement Snake Oil and Heavy Metals in Protein Powder Supplements for the first two. For background on the folic acid versus folate story (which may explain any multivitamin breast cancer connection), see Can Folic Acid Be Harmful? For more on avoiding esophageal cancer see Poultry and Penis Cancer, Coffee and Cancer, and Bacon and Botulism. For how to boost your absorption of carotenoid phytonutrients like beta carotene see Raw Food Nutrient Absorption and Forgo Fat-Free Dressings? Pretty scary about green tea supplements, but green tea has a variety of health-promoting properties. Check out my 21 videos on tea, and hundreds of videos on more than a thousand other topics.Good week of Vid’s!  In the future it would be interesting to see something on some of the supplements that are “good” for us like NAC (N-Acetyl-cysteine) and Milk thistle for liver protection.  Acetylated L-Carnitine for brain protection.  That is, if in fact, they are good for us.  When on the liver transplant team we routinely used NAC and Milk Thistle and some studies show some benefit to Acetyl-L Carnitine for brain protection.  Just curious if in the future you are bored and have nothing else better to do to get you take on these supplements ;-} Have a great weekend!Interesting . . . I also am interested in Dr. Greger’s thoughts on these supplements.  Should be a GREAT weekend, I’ll be attending the Health, Healing, and Happiness conference in Las Vegas!  Thank you for all the brilliant info Dr. Greger!Good to see you again!  I hope all is well.  Have fun in Vegas but I hope what you learn in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas. I hope you bring all the good stuff you learn back to share with everyone you treat!In replying to myself it seems that NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine, no it’s not an acronym for Not Another Chemical or Not Another Comment) may be one of the few useful supplements:Antioxidants (NAC) as antidepressants: fact or fiction? Fact !http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22668245H. pylori treatment with NAC: making Resistance unresistant. Fact http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22650647NAC attenuated inflammatory response and acute lung and kidney injury after hemorrhagic shock:  Fact! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22664745NAC can prevent Retinal Ganglion Cell Death and may help prevent Glaucoma: Fact! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22618532Thats interstering especially the part with oxdative stress and depression – dr Greger now it is you! Any comments?Hi Doc,I’m curious if L-Theanine is one of the green tea products you’re referring to here?  As it been widely praised as an alternative to benzo’s. :(Correct me if I am wrong. Folate (in food) and folic acid (in pills) is not exatly the same molecule. Thats one reason why pills does not work. Beta-carotene is just one out of several carotenoides and you need them all. Thats another reason why popping a pill (with only beta-carotene) does not work. Several intelligent people (including dr Greger I think) says that food is a package. You have to eat the package, not just one single vitamine, nutrient og minerale. So bottom line: You can not cure disease caused by meat, dairy, eggs, fre oils and 6000 kcal/day with prescription drugs or with selene, A-vitamine, beta-carotene or any other “wonder” vitamine. Reservatrol probably has some effect if you get it from berries ond red wine (yeah ! :-) ) not from a pill. Eat food, not pills. I’m pretty sure that the experiments on animals which showed health benefits for resveratrol were all done with concentrates, equivalent to the pill form since it is found in such low quantities in foods. Red wine, which contains the highest concentration of resveratrol in a food, has no more than 12.5 mg per liter- if you’re lucky. Yet usually they recommend 250 mg per day. However, I agree that it’s easy to get adequate levels of folate, selenium, beta carotene and vitamin C from plant-based foods.Thanks for your input PaulC. I have heard that resveratrol is not “stable” in a pill, so when you buy the pill there is no active resveratrol left. Do you know anything about this? Drinking 20 liters of red wine pr day is probably too much! Even if it is from California :-)Dr. Juhl, I’m eating, I’m eating already–my rice, quinoa, lentil and arugula salad already!!  And it’s D-lish!Yes it is. Have you also noticed that a vegan diet makes you more energetic and alert? I have. I hope that your patients are following your advice, because then they will become more healthy and probably get rid of a lot of their prescription drugs for DM, hypertension, chol. and so forth. Vegan ruels !!!! Dr Dynamic – have a nice vegan weekend !All my patients that follow a Vegan diet get at the very least a little better 100% of the time!  No exceptions.  They may not cure every problem but they lower their cholesterol, lower their blood pressure, stop their acid reflux, stop their insomnia, reduce their anxiety, reverse their Type 2 Diabetes, inhibit, stop and even reverse their autoimmune disorders and their cardiovascular disease, and they ALL improve their quality of life.  And that’s what it’s all about–Living Better!You have a nice Vegan weekend as well my friend!A few months back I purchased this wonderful blender and started having a “dr. greger shake” daily in the morning. I eat a primarily plant based diet and have for many years.I just had all my blood work done and my TSH was off. (hypothyroid for many years) When I went on the synthroid website it said an increase in fiber can cause a change in levels. Weird right? Who would have thought I would need to increase my thyroid meds just because I increased my fiber?Folic acid isn’t the only form of folate supplement. Other forms include folinic acid and L-methylfolate. I would imagine the adverse effects of supplementation would probably be eliminated if either of these other forms were used. This article talks a little bit more about that:http://chriskresser.com/folate-vs-folic-acidI try really hard to get all of my nutrients directly from the whole plant foods. I make a point of rotating our fruits and veggies each week so that we eat a wide and varied mix of plants. We always eat lots of cruciferous plants daily, but we also try to add in other veggies and fruits on a rotating basis. We eat a lot of vegan foods on a daily basis that are supplemented with B12 (i.e., almond milk, coconut milk yogurt). But we also add a sublingual B12 pill, because I’m afraid to fall short on B12. I also take a general multivitamin most days. Other than that, we have stopped taking any other supplements, because I read that the food is always the best source for nutrients. I can understand why nutrients in isolation are not nearly as good as nutrients in their natural, synergistic state.  If you live 100% vegan B12 is essential. As a neurologist a have seen B12 myelopati – and you dont want that! Some authors recommend methylcobalamin instead of cyanocobalamin – does anybody have a comment? – dr Greger?I believe that will turn out to be a 100% myth over time… long time vegan.. 10+ years, I don’t supplement it. I know 60 somethings vegan most of their life who have never supplemented either. Seems to be the intestines synthesize B12 and it only becomes a problem when something causes it from being absorbed. Hence why many meat eaters end up with b12 deficiencies despite a “high intake of B12″What I never get is whether the problem is with the high amount of the product being consumed in concentration, or whether there is something about the pill/extract/powder ITSELF or the processing that is the danger. If it’s just the overdose, then the supplementation itself isn’t really the problem, just the amount. Anyone?Almost all dietary supplements except for a select few that are necessary to health (vitamin D, vitamin b12) can be considered wastes of money. Super concentrating a nutrient does not provide beneficial outcomes in most scenarios. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/Can you speak about moringa oleifera as a supplement?Aside from my Vit B12 supplementation as a vegan, I simply take a Centrum silver(along with extra calcium and vit D) Is taking a daily multivitamin harmful?Are CoQ10 supplements good or bad for you?Dear MD M. GregorI am unsure of calcium supplements.I was told to take Calcium Citrate and vitamin D by a MD who specializes in this area after I suffered a broken hip and had two hip surgeries, one of which was from a staff infection contracted while in recovery. After that I was referred to a physician who told me to take supplements (First he recommended Fosomax which I refused. Okay, so I have been taking Calcium Citrate 400 milligrams and Vitamin D3 500 mg in a Puritans Pride product.Then, I was reading on line that most Calcium supplements are made from rock and are not digestible and they recommended their brand called AlgaeCal which is a plant based Calcium. From what I read in their add and the testimonies it sounds like a great product. Do you have any feedback on this?Also I would be interested in knowing more about another item that is advertised by Vitacost; they advertise a Chelated Calcium and Magnesium.I would love to hear your take on these products and if indeed I need to be taking them because my bones are thinning and I Do Not want another fall and break.Hoping to hear, FlorenceThe best resource I have come across is the book, Building Bone Vitality by Amy Lanou. She read through over 1000 studies for the book. The best approach seems to be a plant based diet with weight bearing exercise such as walking. Preventing falls is important as we get more “experienced”. Fitness is aerobic, strength, flexibility, balance and stability. The weight of evidence at this point seems to not put much value in supplements and treatments with drugs should most likely start with thiazide diuretics. It is important to get proper information and then work with your physician(s) to determine which path is best for you. Good luck.What brands of supplements were used for those studies? I mean there is a lot of non reputable companies out there that sell supplements that are not even derived from natural sources. They spend most of their money on advertising instead of sourcing from good clean natural sources. This is the problem I have with these studies. I always buy my supplements from reputable companies that have a good if not excellent track record. Unfortunately that is not the case for most people and from what I’ve seen it’s the same for most of these studies that hit the main stream media alleging that supplements are of no use.Hi Doctor! Great video! Is vitamine b9 supplementation dangerous even with high blood level of homocysteine? Shouldn’t I take even 3 mg of vit B6, 5 mcg of B12 and 400 mcg of vit b9 apart from the diet?According to this video and a few others and some articles, I stopped taking multivitamin pills (which I have been doing for some 10 years..). I’ve had acid reflux for many years and I’ve been taking medicine for that for about 7-8 years (proton-pump inhibitors). These medicines always made me very tired, dizzy, dull..I even went to the Gastroenterology 2 times for checking my stomach and esophagus and duodenum with that pipe and video camera. It is terrible experience! :-). The second examination was just 3 weeks ago because I’d been in so much pain for many weeks. And then I saw this video at about the same time… So after the examination I stopped taking the multivitamin pills (folic acid in it..). And guess what? My stomach and esophagus pain is 99% gone!! Reflux is gone!! No joke. I got another strong medicine for my inflamed esophagus at the hospital, 3 weeks ago, but I did not take even 1 pill in the last 3 weeks! I have become vegan almost one year ago, and I was very said and angry, that even with vegan food I was feeling crapy all the time because of this acid and stomach pain. (I had other issues as well, like high blood pressure and chronic fatigue, which all have improved significantly, except this one problem.) So now, it seems, after many years, I’ve solved this issue too. Just by stopping taking multivitamin with folic acid in it. Now I only take B12 and vitamin D, nothing else (and of course, I eat lots of leafy greens with FOLATE in them!). How stupid I was taking these artificial multi craps for so many years not knowing I’m just hurting myself. Now I know the answer to my long lasting problem! Thank you! (Please excuse my poor English, I’m Hungarian.)Boldi: Thank you for sharing your story. I find it so encouraging when people are able to fix their own problems. Good for you for giving it a try. I hope this good health continues for years!Thea: Thank you! It’s almost 2 months without taking multivitamin pills, and it’s also 2 months without acid reflux! No more proton-pump inhibitor drugs. I feel very well. :-)My husband has had Tropical Sprue several times. The first time he was undiagnosed for three years. The treatment is 6 months of Doxycycline and 5 mg of “Folic Acid”. We became vegan in 1998, during his second treatment. When he does not take the Folic, his small intestine deteriorates and he gets sick again. I have tried to switch him to Folate, but it is really difficult to find Folate without Folic A included. His prostate is “huge” but so far no cancer. I strive to serve beans and greens every day, but we travel out into rural Philippines to teach and we can’t always do it. Also, our area does not often have greens readily available (or other fresh veggies for that matter). I read that with “Quatrofolic” he could take less. Have you seen any studies that back that up? Does research show that Folic Acid causes BPH to worsen? Any suggestions how to lower it?	alternative medicine,Barrett's esophagus,beta carotene,cancer,complementary medicine,esophageal cancer,esophagus health,folate,folic acid,green tea,liver health,men's health,side effects,supplements,vitamin C	People taking dietary supplements may, in some cases, be paying to make themselves sick. This video covers folic acid, beta carotene, and green tea supplements.	This is the final video of a three-part series on the latest information about the safety of dietary supplements. See Dietary Supplement Snake Oil and Heavy Metals in Protein Powder Supplements for the first two. For background on the folic acid versus folate story (which may explain any multivitamin breast cancer connection), see Can Folic Acid Be Harmful? For more on avoiding esophageal cancer see Poultry and Penis Cancer, Coffee and Cancer, and Bacon and Botulism. For how to boost your absorption of carotenoid phytonutrients like beta carotene see Raw Food Nutrient Absorption and Forgo Fat-Free Dressings? Pretty scary about green tea supplements, but green tea has a variety of health-promoting properties. Check out my 21 videos on tea, and hundreds of videos on more than a thousand other topics.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/29/vegan-workplace-intervention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophagus-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barretts-esophagus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21538851,
PLAIN-2958	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/	Heavy Metals in Protein Powder Supplements	The consumer’s union, publishers of consumer reports, recently celebrated it’s 75 year anniversary. They were among the first to point out the risks of smoking, the toxic effects of ephedra weight loss supplements. Well, one of their latest investigations questions the safety of protein powders and drinks. They concluded that we "don’t need the extra protein or the heavy metals their tests found. They sent 15 protein supplements off to an outside lab to test for toxic compounds such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, and found that “The amount of lead in a single daily serving of eight out of the 15 protein supplements they tested would require that the products carry a warning in California under their prop 65 law for toxin-containing substances.” But athletes can get the lead out by choosing whole food sources of nutrition.	This is the second of a three-part series on some of the latest regarding the safety of dietary supplements. See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Dietary Supplement Snake Oil for part one. Plant Protein Preferable explains why beans and other legumes are the best source of protein. What about gas? See Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air. See my other videos on lead, mercury, and arsenic for other ways to avoid exposure. There are also more than a thousand other nutrition topics to choose from in our topics list.Leave the Heavy Metal to the musicians and whirl up a protein rich (quick silver free) green smoothie! Cheers to CR for turning up the volume on Heavy Metals! I have heard some concern that smoothies might break down the fiber and one could get more fiber by eating the plants whole.  In addition chewing whole plants may be beneficial.  I can see the advantage of smoothies  but was unsure what is better in the long run.Digestion begins with chewing, releasing digestive enzymes in the saliva to help better digest and assimilate the nutrients in food. I’d say if you want it soft and mushy, make it so; then pour it in a bowl and eat it like oatmeal.John, Sorry it took me a bit to get back to you.  Here is a link to hopefully answer your question from Dr. Gregor.  I hope it helps.http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/12/02/ask-the-doctor-qa-with-michael-greger-m-d-week-11/I think it was Jay Gordon MD who said: Eat food, not food like things…..This is just another example of “artificial” food, wich is not good for you – this time because of lead (!). I dont recall that lead should be a part of a co-enzyme :-)What to learn: Eat food that looks like food. If you think you need more protein, then eat your beans, lentils, oatmeal etc.How the heck did lead get into powdered drinks? Are they just being careless or are they trying to limit population growth? For sure we don’t need as much protein as the meat and dairy industry or their surrogates at the USDA tell us. There are some people in remote areas of this world who seem to do just fine on much less than that; with as little as 15 gm of protein a day. You’d probably get that much eating mostly jelly beans. Seems when it comes to protein, less is more since the body has to get rid of the ammonia excess protein produces before it can be used for energy and it can also stimulate cancer growth in the quantity meat-eaters consume it. However I’ve read that the amino acid leucine, which is part of protein, can help us maintain muscle mass as we age- something I’d like to do. I also read that it’s good at regulating blood sugar and as a workout recovery supplement too. Seems to be perfectly safe in doses of under 5 gm. Of course, I only know what I’ve read, and if what I’ve read is wrong, then I actually know less than nothing. Anyone have any experience with leucine? I agree with your comments about the amount of protein we need. As Dr. McDougall has pointed out in his newsletter articles on protein it is impossible not to get adequate protein if we consume adequate calories with whole food plant based diet. The best evidence based series of articles I have seen on protein were done by Dr. McDougall and published in his newsletters which are available free on his website. These “title”(month/year) are “Protein History”(12/03),”Protein Overload”(11/04) and “Protein Sources”(4/07). You might find the 4/07 article of particular importance as it shows the amount of leucine in certain foods… asparagus and broccoli for instance have high amounts of leucine. I would continue a plant based diet and add appropriate exercises to help maintain “muscle” and good functioning as we age and not add protein supplements.Oh NO! I just started using Brendan’s product. We can’t eat enough in the day let alone proteins so I was supplementing with smoothies and then I saw VEGA so I thought it would be the answer I mean, I realize whole plant foods are best but I was getting worried because although we have not had our blood work done recently, many people whom I’ve trained to eat a whole-foods vegan diet are reporting low protein levels in their test results. Its tough to eat and chew all of that food each day if you are busy and burn lots of calories.:-(Hi mimi. Test showing low protein levels? Thats sound a little strange. Is it tests performed by a licensed doctor?Yes, these were regular labs done ordered by medical doctors. The MDs in these cases where suspect that the vegan diets were the cause of low “normal” or below the normal range for blood protein levels. I wondered if our so-called “normal” range is actually on the high side given the idea we need less protein than we think or thought. These women had levels at 6 g/dl or lower.I don’t think any of the supplements listed are vegan supplements. Most of the supplements are more”mainstream” brands. I’d like to see an analysis of certified organic vegan protein powders. I do think that I need a little more protein than average as I am very sensitive to blood sugar swings.I’d also like to know which protein powders are being referred; and if they are animal-sourced, and organic or not, As Toxins has pointed out when you consume adequate calories you will get more than enough of the protein and essential amino acids that your body needs. Your body can’t store protein or amino acids and excess has to be excreted. Animal proteins generally contain more sulfur based amino acids and put a greater acid load on the body. Plant proteins are preferable see…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/. The best evidence based series of articles I have seen on protein were done by Dr. John McDougall and published in his newsletters which are available free on his website. These “title”(month/year) are “Protein History”(12/03),”Protein Overload”(11/04) and “Protein Sources”(4/07). After reading these newsletters you will realize why it is not necessary to supplement with protein powders. Even ultramarathoners like Scott Jurek use whole foods for training and recovery and don’t use supplemental protein powders.Yes, I am wondering if this applies to vegan protein supplements also.  I include a pea powder protein in my morning green and fruit smoothie.  I was going to discontinue anyway as the taste is god-awful miserable.   There is no dietary need to supplement additional protein into a whole food plant based diet as protein and energy needs satisfy energy and protein expenditures. Might as well go with your plan and discontinue its use!Lol. I use pea protein powder too and it is indeed god awful tasting! However I bake with it, vegan low carb things from time to time. I have been wondering is it really a good idea. I’ll stick with coconut flour perhaps (low carb!).I’m interested in knowing about pea protein too. I actually love it in my morning smoothie. I had some issues with muscle fatigue and thought it would help. My protein levels tested in the 6 range.What about using Mori-Nu certified organic silken tofu in your morning smoothie along with a frozen banana and some fresh or frozen berries. I purchase mine at Amazon.com.What about the myriad of antinutrients / limited digestibility of traditional plant protein sources (beans/grains/nuts/seeds), leading to reduced absorption of nutrients, etc.? Could supplementation of complete (amino acid), easily-digestible plant-based protein—minus nutrient-detracting factors—not be beneficial for those seeking to limit their intake of meat? Anti-nutrients don’t seem to be a problem if history has anything to say about it. After all, people have been successfully eating all the plant protein sources without any problem for thousands of years. In my case, since I switched to them from meat, I lost weight, sleep better, have less depression,  and don’t get that terrible pain in my gut any more. Plus, I almost never get a cold or sore throat any more. I say, the closer a food is to the way it came out of the ground, the better.The Barley men (vegan gladiators) didnt seem to lack protein despite their source of protein: Plants. Our need for protein is probably much less than most of us think. There is not a digestibility issue with plant proteins. All plant foods, from bananas, to leefy greens and starches have complete proteins and are easily used by the body, and complimentary proteins are not needed. Yes, it is true that not all the calories are used when eating nuts or seeds but with every other food, the plant proteins are fully utilized. As far as antinutrients go with beans and oats, when you cook these foods, the antinutrients are eliminated. I’m sorry; there was a time when I believed everything natural and plant-based was our friend all of the time, but this is not necessarily true. Many plants have defenses against herbivory—this may on one hand be a powerful antioxidant, and on another a powerful anti-nutrient.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16001874Interesting. But: Humans do not need much protein. People who get their protein from plant sources live better and longer – thats a fact. If you get your protein from animal products it comes with cholesterol, saturated fats, hormones and acidic amino acids. I think the question is how much protein you think you need. By the way animal protein raises LDL, not only the fats.  Again, that’s a pretty biased viewpoint. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not advocating an animal-centric diet, but you have to lend some credence to the other side of the coin.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet#Bioactive_substances_and_antinutrientshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet#Observational_studieshttp://www.springerlink.com/content/h7628r66r0552222/fulltext.pdfMy original point being: Say you acknowledge the detriments of over-eating animal protein, but don’t have enough time or understanding to properly pair together enough low-glycemic, complete, bioavailable, hypoallergenic proteins on a daily basis. Could one not benefit from, and is it necessary to castigate said individual for, a quality-minded supplemental pea/rice/hemp protein?The paleo diet is a crock, Dr. Greger digs deep  into this fancy atkins diet on his free ebook here. The paleo diet consists psuedo science and faulty logic. http://www.atkinsexposed.org/Hmm…when did I encourage gorging on bacon, cream and butter while shunning apples?To further reiterate:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12949395http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20715598http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12498628All of said things considered, it can be challenging to work in ~50g (RDA for adult men set by National Academy of Sciences) of undamaged, well-tolerated (in terms of food allergies), non-meat, low anti-nutrient, low-glycemic protein each day, especially when out of the house, at work, etc.Alexander, you are running in circles here. I have repeated myself several times now. All three of these studies are citing phytic acid. Soaking, germination, boiling, cooking, and fermentation all inactivate phytic acid and free up minerals for absorption. So unless your eating raw grains or raw beans, protein and mineral absorption is not an issue.As for the paleo diet, your last link in the previous post was a reference to it. In response to ” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20001762http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20715598It’s more complicated than “well, just cook it.”As far as phytates go, yes it is that simple. As for oxalates, there are many many low oxalate greens, (kale, arugula, broccoli) and the inclusion of oxalates in the diet does not diminish the quality of ones diet. Vegans and vegetarians do not suffer from chronic anemia, calcium deficiency or protein deficeincy.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/plants-bite-backhttp://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/home/eng/brochures/OAT%20Oxalates.pdfThe study mentions phytates and legumes as the sources of antinutrients. I had already said that cooking deactivates these antinutrients. Phytates are found in oats as well as some other cereal grains. My previous position remains valid. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20001762http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20715598It’s more complicated than “well, just cook it.”@Toxins:disqus , I am grateful that you are such a vital member of this online forum. It seems like in your effort to explain and prove to folks that plant-based is the way to go, you get your share of resistors. I’ve been on this forum for quiet a while, and it seems to me that arguing with this particular resistor will get you nowhere. Still, I greatly appreciate your efforts since it makes us all that much wiser. As Ocean Robbins has recently said, “In a world where genetically engineered, pesticide-contaminated, highly processed pseudo-food is considered normal, choosing real, healthy, sustainable food can be a revolutionary act.” Thank you for being a “food revolutionary” to us all.Thanks Mr. Chomper, I post more so that others will read it and use the information rather than posting just because I have a bone to pick with someone. These debates are enlightening as well for me, as I learn more how people think about food and what information is out there. I do admit I get frustrated with certain people, at which point I feel i have sufficiently posted enough evidence for others to see my side of the argument, in that case i cease posts.Keep on keeping on! Indeed, we do get enlightened in the process as well.Leafy greens and bananas and such have complete proteins? I thought complete proteins were only in soy. That you need beans, legumes, lentils and rice, quinoa, millet and other grains to make complimentary proteins.Firstly, I would like to quote the American Dietetics Association on their view of vegetarian diets and protein.“Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needsare met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal ”http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdfMany say that plants foods are incompleteIf “incomplete” means not containing all the essential amino acids then…. (the incomplete protein theory)1) All plant foods are complete as they contain all the essential amino acids.2) the only food that is not a complete protein is an animal food, gelatin.If “incomplete” means lacking in sufficient quantity of one or more amino acids…(the limiting amino acid theory)1)Getting all the amino acids in at once at the same meal, or even in the same day, as some may suggest, is not necessary due to the amino acid pool, which is a circulating level of amino acids in the blood, that the body can draw from if needed. As long as one follows a whole foods plant based diet, the amino acid pool will maintain a sufficient stock of any potentially needed (or limiting) amino acids.2)However, as long as one consumes enough calories, eats a variety of food, and limits junk foods and refined foods, and is not an all fruit diet, then they will get in enough protein and enough amino acids in sufficient quantity. There will be no limiting amino acids3)there is some evidence that the amino acids that are slightly lower (but adequate) in plant foods, may actually be a benefit to health and longevity and not a concern. This evidence stems from the fact that eating foods that resemble the protein structure of humans causes the liver to release the growth hormone, IGF-1, which accelerates aging and promotes tumor growth.Most every major health organization including the NAS, the WHO and the ADA all recognize these statements to be true.The government has analyzed the amino acid content of many foods. This info is available via many websites. For example take a look at http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1846/2 Although bananas do not provide a great amount of amino acids or in optimally balanced ratios, it does provide all them.Was there any information on protein powder supplements from plant sources (e.g. hemp)? Just curious since I’m vegan and we add this to the morning ‘green smoothie’. Thanks!While protein powder supplements derived from plant sources are a better option than those derived from animal or dairy, it is actually best to use the whole plant source. For example, think of hemp protein, an excellent plant derived source of protein. When you use the protein powder, you actually lose much of what makes the plant so healthy and beneficial in the first place: excellent source of essential fatty acids, high amounts of minerals and antioxidants just to name a few. Why not throw in a few tablespoons of hemp seed in your smoothie, instead of a processed powder; your body will thank you.http://www.richroll.com/products/jai-repair-plantpower-protein/DR. GREGER, DO YOU HAVE A LIST OF NAMES OF PROTEIN POWDERS CONCERNING ARENSIC OR OTHER HEAVY METALS IN THEM?Hemp protein all the way!Are there any organic veggie protein powders that would NOT somehow have a negative effect on us?  Hemp protein? There is no dietary need to consume protein in the form of a supplement as all whole plant foods contain a complete amino acid profile.Here is a vegan Protein powder that looks good, though I haven’t tried it:http://www.richroll.com/products/jai-repair-plantpower-protein/I eat a scoop of whey with oatmeal every morning and I love it. I use the Optimal Nutrition (ON) brand that was tested in this study and passed with flying colours. I enjoy your website very much Dr Greger, could you please do a clip on the health benefits (or otherwise) of Whey Protein? I have read about elite athletes that consume a plant based diet with the only exception being whey. Another interesting topic might be whey versus pea protein supplements.Taking protein supplements can lead to increased levels of IGF-1 which can cause cancer.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1According to the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine“The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for both men and women is 0.80 g of good quality protein/kg body weight/d and is based on careful analysis of available nitrogen balance studies.”For a 150 lb person, this would equate to about 55 grams.http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=589As a percentage of energy From the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine,National Academies Protein 10–35% of calories.On an 1800 calorie diet, 10% would equate to 45 grams http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=589From, The World Health Organization“Furthermore, recent detailed balance and body composition studies have shown that with a suitable program of resistance exercise sarcopenia (muscle loss) can be reversed and muscle strength increased on a protein intake of 0.8 g/kg per day (68 ). This intake is similar to the 1985 safe allowance and lower than usual intakes in this population.”For a 150 lb man, the .8gr/kg is around 55 grams. For a 200 lb man it is around 72 gramshttp://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/WHO_TRS_935_eng.pdfFrom the USDA…“The typical American diet is rich in protein, cereal grains and other acid-producing foods. In general, such diets generate tiny amounts of acid each day. With aging, a mild but slowly increasing metabolic “acidosis” develops, according to the researchers.Acidosis appears to trigger a muscle-wasting response. So the researchers looked at links between measures of lean body mass and diets relatively high in potassium-rich, alkaline-residue producing fruits and vegetables. Such diets could help neutralize acidosis. Foods can be considered alkaline or acidic based on the residues they produce in the body, rather than whether they are alkaline or acidic themselves. For example, acidic grapefruits are metabolized to alkaline residues.The researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis on a subset of nearly 400 male and female volunteers aged 65 or older who had completed a three-year osteoporosis intervention trial. The volunteers’ physical activity, height and weight, and percentage of lean body mass were measured at the start of the study and at three years. Their urinary potassium was measured at the start of the study, and their dietary data was collected at 18 months.Based on regression models, volunteers whose diets were rich in potassium could expect to have 3.6 more pounds of lean tissue mass than volunteers with half the higher potassium intake. That almost offsets the 4.4 pounds of lean tissue that is typically lost in a decade in healthy men and women aged 65 and above, according to authors. The study was published in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.”http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2008/080523.htmAnd here’s the study“Higher intake of foods rich in potassium, such as fruit and vegetables, may favor the preservation of muscle mass in older men and women.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2597402/And this can be confirmed by Dr. Gregers video on protein status in vegans , showing that those on a plant based diet has 20% higher albumin protein levels.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/Here is a study where people on a low protein diet not only increased strength, but also built muscle. As you will see, the difference wasn’t in the protein but in the exercise.In both groups, the subjects were maintained on a very low protein diet due to kidney disease. One did strength training, one did not. The one who did the strength training, despite the very low protein diet,….” total muscle fiber increased by 32 percent, and muscle strength increased by 30 percent after 12 weeks of strength training”The diet was .5 gr/kghttp://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/may05/sarco0505.htmAlso I would recommend this videohttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/Toxins, that figure is now consider too low, I would refer you to a video made by the good doctor:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/changing-protein-recommendations/The amount recommended by the study discussed there, and by Dr Greger, is 1.0-1.2g/kg of body weight. And that’s just for an average person, presumably athletes and those doing resistance exercise will have increased protein intake needs. Presumably this is why Dr Greger subsequently researched if nuts – which are high protein but also have high caloric density – proteins sources such as nuts promote weight gain (fortunately they don’t seem too, thanks Doc).As a 183 cm, 85kg (187 pounds for the backwards parts of the world) man, that means 85-102g of protein per day, which is a significant amount, and if I use a conservative figure like 1.3g/kg bodyweight to address the exercise factor, its 111g per day. More serious bodybuilders than I would probably use a ratio greater than 1.3g/kg bodyweight.A single scoop of whey protein, an extremely concentrated source of protein, is adding 30 grams of protein to my diet every day, with the protein in the oatmeal, this is giving me roughly a 1/3 of my daily needs.I would love to see Dr Greger comment specifically on Whey protein. I have never seen any good negative studies of whey protein. Has Dr Greger?Excuse me! Why was my response deleted!?Increased whey consumption leads to increased levels of IGF-1. This is this is what happens at the physiological level with any amino acid profile that resembles our own is consumed in greater then necessary amounts. Dr. Greger presented a study, which is interesting, but does not mandate the totality of evidence. The evidence I shared is from very credible institutions, and is not outdated, so lets not be so quick to dismiss.From the article in question:“Traditionally, total protein requirements for humans have been determined using nitrogen balance. The recent Dietary Reference intake recommendations for mean and population-safe intakes of 0.66 and 0.8/g/kg/day, respectively, of high-quality protein in adult humans are based on a meta-analysis of nitrogen balance studies using single linear regression analysis. We reanalyzed existing nitrogen balance studies using two-phase linear regression analysis and obtained mean and safe protein requirements of 0.91 and 0.99g/kg/day, respectively. The two -phase linear regression analysis is considered more appropriate for biological analysis of dose-response curves.”That’s quite damning – the previous recommendation was based on an incorrect choice of statistical procedure, which is the consensus view among the statisticians. It’s a miscalculation.Doubly damning is that in the same paper that use a completely different way of calculating of recommended daily protein intake, and come up with a very similar mean daily intake and and even higher population-safe requirement.“Considering the inherent problems associated with the nitrogen balance method, we developed an alternative method, the indicator amino acid oxidation technique, to determine protein requirements. The mean and population-safe requirements in adult men were determined to be 0.93 and 1.2g/kg/day”.Dr Greger is an excellent researcher and he finds high quality articles. The is a reason that, since he posted this, he has done a lot on nuts – a high quality vegan source of protein. For dinner I had almonds and a punket of blueberries (which contained about 30g of protein).I am not an “enemy” of Dr. Greger’s, in fact, I have been assigned by him to answer to comments on nutritionfacts.org and I agree with 98% of his videos.Regardless of these protein recommendations, they are not practical and they are irrelevant. We have no dietary need to supplement protein, nor must we seek protein rich foods. If we consume enough calories of whole plant foods and we are not on a strict fruitarian diet, then there is no need to concern oneself with getting enough protein. It is a non issue unless you are in an improverished third world country.Taking a whey protein supplement is excess, because it is not a whole plant food, which Dr. Greger would not advocate. Like I said, eating whole plant foods is completely satisfactory to reach energy and protein goals. Supplementing whey protein on top of this diet would only be harmful.I would not say that eating almonds for dinner, a very rich source of omega 6, is healthful.Not practical? It is easily achieved, even with purely Vegan sources. But I’m going to stop right here. I’m getting a real zealot vibe here, I don’t argue with zealots. If I post in future I’d appreciate comments DIRECTLY related to my question. My original question concerned health benefits or otherwise of whey (and expressed curiosity about pea based protein supplements). All the above discussion, was simply beside the point. Because you didn’t have anything to say specifically about whey, you vomited stuff about protein in general. You don’t HAVE to comment on every single post you know. If you don’t know, or can’t find out, leave it for someone else.You seem to be missing the point entirely…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/Toxins: “This is this is what happens at the physiological level with any amino acid profile that resembles our own is consumed in greater then necessary amounts.”Since you yourself consider the problem excessive consumption of “high quality” protein, I’m not sure what point I’m missing. I have watched all videos tagged IGF-1. The problem seems to be related to excessive consumption – even of plant based sources such as Soy.I’m afraid this whole area of research is still very unclear, and thus I don’t use it in my decision making (yet). Since 1999 it has been well established that this link between IGF-1 and certain cancers (breast, colorectal) exists in a Vitamin D deprived state. Also, the risk is only increased about 2.5 times and that’s only with the very highest measured levels of IGF-1 in the blood. And this risk almost completely disappears with adequate intake of Vitamin D.Since this thread as been detrailed, I will post a new comment stating precisely what I want to know about whey.I found an article giving recommended protein intake guidelines for athletes: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22150425Abstract: Opinion on the role of protein in promoting athletic performance is divided along the lines of how much aerobic-based versus resistance-based activity the athlete undertakes. Athletes seeking to gain muscle mass and strength are likely to consume higher amounts of dietary protein than their endurance-trained counterparts. The main belief behind the large quantities of dietary protein consumption in resistance-trained athletes is that it is needed to generate more muscle protein. Athletes may require protein for more than just alleviation of the risk for deficiency, inherent in the dietary guidelines, but also to aid in an elevated level of functioning and possibly adaptation to the exercise stimulus. It does appear, however, that there is a good rationale for recommending to athletes protein intakes that are higher than the RDA. Our consensus opinion is that leucine, and possibly the other branched-chain amino acids, occupy a position of prominence in stimulating muscle protein synthesis; that protein intakes in the range of 1.3-1.8 g · kg(-1) · day(-1) consumed as 3-4 isonitrogenous meals will maximize muscle protein synthesis. These recommendations may also be dependent on training status: experienced athletes would require less, while more protein should be consumed during periods of high frequency/intensity training. Elevated protein consumption, as high as 1.8-2.0 g · kg(-1) · day(-1) depending on the caloric deficit, may be advantageous in preventing lean mass losses during periods of energy restriction to promote fat loss.I consume a product from Optimum Nutrition that completely passed this test for heavy metal content with flying colors. I have a question for the researchers out there, professional and amateur alike:Does anyone know of any good articles investigating the health effects – positive or negative – of (uncontaminated) whey protein?I am only interested in studies that have investigated whey protein specifically. I am not interested in studies that are about protein in general or animal proteins in general. I have found several concerning positive health effects but I have not found any about detrimental effects. I put out a friendly challenge to anyone reading this to try.Hi Kman,Toxins is amazing and one of Dr Greger’s volunteers. He has a deep understanding of nutrition. If you are new to the site you may have missed the overall message that has been discussed. I would recommend reviewing Browse Topics. This is a vegan site and whey is a byproduct of cheese.But I think the point you are missing is that if you eat enough calories throughout the day, you will be getting more than enough protein. It isn’t necessary to supplement. If you are eating it because you like it, that is a different story.IgF1 has been a well covered topic on this site so you will find videos and very long conversations in the comment sections. Many of the readers here are interested in overall health and nutrition so if there is evidence that excessive protein increases IgF1 and that leads to cancer most here will choose not to partake.Go easy on Toxins–he is our buddy.I don’t mean to be rude but that has nothing to do with my question:Does anyone know of any good articles investigating the health effects – positive or negative – of (uncontaminated) whey protein?Surely one of the people with a deep understanding of nutrition can provide at least one?Did you look on Medline?I have done my own searching. I am requesting what others have found on the subject. I have found many studies showing posiive effects of whey consumption. I have uet to find a single negative study. This should be the place to find it. As I said a friendly challenge. Feel free to try yourself.First site. References listed at bottom.http://www.livestrong.com/article/540362-negatives-of-whey-protein-drinks/Wow. I hope you can do better than that!!Wow you are quite argumentative. It is dairy. Look under dairy in Browse topics. And take a chill pill.With few exceptions (Vit D and b12). Dr Greger will recommend whole foods over supplements.I’m not looking to argue. I’m looking for someone to challenge my consumption of whey. This is what rational people do – they open themselves and their practices up to criticism. If you can’t, that’s fine, leave it for someone else to – if they can ;-)Actually, most of us eat known safe and healthful foods and don’t use our lives as Guinea Pigs to test unknown substances. In general, dairy products are known to be unhealthful, in general stuff not containing anti-oxidants is unhealthful, in general excess protein is known to be unhealthful. Good luck putting junk that has lots of red flags in your body and seeing if your “assumptions” work out! Get a clue!I want to ask the same question that “PaulC” asked:How the heck did lead get into powdered drinks?____thanksok, 8/15 are bad. What are the 7 that are not so bad?And what are the numbers? Are there some companies whose products are ok, and what is the % of bad stuff in them, and what is the level that considered bad? Out of the 15 maybe there are some that are ok. 4/15?Was now sports tested? That’s scary? I had lots of protein powder. What would you recommend instead to put on size? What foods and what amino acids help build muscle the best?Its not about how much you eat, but the level of intensity. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/All whole plant foods contain all the essential amino acids so if you eat when your hungry, till your full, you will always be getting more then enough protein.With all due respect, and with all the study-informed science on NF, I think this comment is neither well-researched nor properly reasoned.First, studies tracking protein consumption in individuals of varying activity levels (linked to in Bayesian Bodybuilding) found that protein intakes do make a difference in building muscle.Requirements are higher for inexperienced bodybuilders and people engaging in higher levels of activity. While activity level obviously matters in gains, there are (up to a point) higher bodybuilding gains with higher levels of protein consumption, even when there is a caloric deficit. Nitrogen balance matters.Second, your comment assumes that a person will have sufficient and proper appetite or can actually eat to satiation on a plant-based diet. I have not found this to be the case for some plant foods; I always abandoned my salads early or grew tired of my plates of vegetables, eating them because I felt that I had to and not because they were doing anything to satisfy my hunger.Suppose the appetite is sufficient for whole plant-based foods, however, there is no guarantee that the food the individual chooses will contain sufficient levels of protein for bodily maintenance, much less what is necessary to build muscle.Nuts and legumes will contain fair amounts of protein, but even eating to satiation may not provide the amounts at which significant or maximal benefits to gains will be seen (topping out I believe at .75-.83 g/kg for heaviest activity levels). And then at levels where they do provide this amount of protein, they may also provide excessive calories.I’d like to believe this, but this 50 yo is never so exhausted then when he tries to lead an active lifestyle on a vegan or vegetarian diet. I feel tired and weak all the time! For example, I’ll eat a large bowl of beans and rice with onions, I’ll feel ok, but if I really need a true energy boost I need to follow it up with a can of sardines. Only then do I have sufficient energy to accomplish moderate physical projects of more than 2 hours.Oh, and sex more than twice a month at 50? Forget it on a vegan diet!I find that surprising. I am a competitive rock climber and can climb 5 hours with high energy and no problems. I refuel with raisins during the activity.interesting read: http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=874As to lead, you’ll most likely find some in all veggies, rice, grains, etc., either naturally occurring, or from contaminated soil.Is there a list of powders that are safe to take?The CR report goes on to advise getting daily protein from “milk, eggs, and grilled chicken.” A person would likely be less worse off with the protein powder!What brands of protein powders were tested and which ones had lead? Thanks.Would about vegan sources? Any studies on them?	arsenic,athletes,cadmium,California,Consumers Union,heavy metals,industrial toxins,lead,mercury,protein,protein powder,supplements	A Consumer Reports investigation into the safety of protein supplements found that more than half exceed the California prop 65 "Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act" action levels.	This is the second of a three-part series on some of the latest regarding the safety of dietary supplements. See yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Dietary Supplement Snake Oil for part one. Plant Protein Preferable explains why beans and other legumes are the best source of protein. What about gas? See Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air. See my other videos on lead, mercury, and arsenic for other ways to avoid exposure. There are also more than a thousand other nutrition topics to choose from in our topics list.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadmium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/consumers-union/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20578336,
PLAIN-2959	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/	Dietary Supplement Snake Oil	An editorial was recently published decrying much of the $18 billion marketing of dietary supplements in north America as misleading, deceptive—even predatory. After examining hundreds of sales claims made when supplements are being marketed over the years the author concluded “ Dishonesty or wild exaggerations are frequent occurrences in the marketing of supplements.” My favorite quote was “The marketers of supplements like to use scientific evidence the way a drunk uses a lamp-post: more for support than illumination.” This is nothing new. Similar editorials have been published in the journal of the AMA and the New England Journal of Medicine. What made this special was that is was, to their credit, published in the journal of alternative and complementary medicine.  In response the “Head of Global Supplement Initiatives at Novis, which actually started out as the livestock feed additives division of Monsanto before branching off into human feed additives—dietary supplements, starts his rebuttal with this counterpoint: “In his review entitled ‘‘The Marketing of Dietary Supplements in North America: The Emperor is (Almost) Naked,’’ the author may be mortified to know the emperor is still dancing in the street, dressed or not, to the tune of $68 billion. This figure is much higher and is a more relevant number than cited, indicating a very strong and respectable commerce.” That’s his first argument? That it’s highly lucrative? He goes onto say that hey, they’re safer than some pharmaceuticals, but how much is that saying, given that prescription drugs kill an estimated 106,000 Americans every year. And that’s not errors, not abuse, not overdose that’s just deaths from side-effects, ADRs, adverse drug reactions, which would make doctors—me and my fellow colleagues—the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. So for the supplement industry to say, "hey, at least we're not the fourth leading cause of death," isn't saying much.	The best way to avoid adverse drug reactions is to stay healthy enough to avoid drugs altogether. See Ornish’s editorial Convergence of Evidence and Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants. There are also a number of natural remedies that may work as well but have fewer side-effects such as Saffron for Alzheimer’s, Flax Seeds for Prostate Enlargement, and Amla for Diabetes. Plants are powerful–check out Power Plants and videos on all the other 1,000+ topics!Wow!  It’s always amazing to me how financial interests corrupt and supersede good, solid scientific evidence. Everyday I get someone in the office asking if they should take some supplement they saw advertized online or in a magazine.  It’s abhorent what the industry has become. And recently I have been getting more and more people coming in taking all kinds of porcine and bovine glandular supplements.  I worry that like other animal proteins these will get into the blood and cause an immune response eventually leading to an autoimmune disease.  I even have a problem with Armour thyroid for the same reason.  Not to mention from where they get the pig parts.  I would love to see a review on that issue.Bottom line: Ask your vegan/plant strong doctor.Next bottom line: Prevent disease (eat plants, avoid animals – except if your want a pet).Next, next bottom line: A better term for “health care system” is “disease care system”.Correct on all 3 counts Dr. Juhl !!!Bottom’s Up!Thanks Dr Dynamic !And keep up your good work with plantstrong advice to your patients.I will now go eat my carrot ! :-)If only it were easier to find reputable plant-strong doctors (covered by health insurance). Wow, three doctors on the same page, promoting a plant-based diet. Today, the sun shines at night.Are E cigarettes safe?Is Raw Protein (sprouted brown rice protein) safe?I would say that supplements have the same dubiety as many pharmaceuticals and personally, I would rather take something my herbalist has recommended than something that is made, funded and marketed by billion dollar corporations that have a very poor track record. I worked at a health food store and witnessed many people have wonderful recoveries or an improvement in their health from utilizing alternative plant-based medicines. Of course, there was a lot of poor marketing and false claims, but I still wouldn’t discount all supplements as they can have a place in our well being.Could you be more specific about the hypertensive supplements? Which ones are good? I take hawthorn and fish peptides.Is Dr Greger pulling his recommendation to take algae-based omega-3? I’m confused.Nutritionfacts.org, and Dr. Greger:There is popular a dietary supplement being promoted heavily over Facebook called Le-Vel Thrive. I have high concern and skepticism about Le-Vel Thrive. Being a dietary supplement – it is not regulated by any agency such as the FDA – to my knowledge. To my knowledge – there are no scientific reports or studies about its safety and efficacy. Just hundreds (maybe thousands) of personal testimonies. Most (if not all) of the testimonies are provided by people whom are also promoting it – thus making money from it. Users claim that they get a pleasant instant buzz from it – probably due to the synephrine, guarana, green coffee beans, phenethelymine, etc. in its ingredients.There are a number of Nutritional Supplements that fly across our personal radar and promise magical effects daily. They pretend to be “magic bullets” that if taken will immediately improve our health. Unfortunately little if anything is known about short term and long term health effects.I was wondering if you might be able to conduct some research about this dietary supplement. I have been contacting medical experts and professionals to gather information and impressions.Any feedback you might share with me would be appreciated.Best Wishes,Fred L. PetersonWell I’ve been offered a free package of “supplements” from the supplement people. I bought some B12 from them. Now they want me to get another supp, on the house. What? I just looked and they don’t have amla, so I don’t think they have anything else to offer me. They have everything else-it’s crazy what all they do have (powdered green coffee beans?!).If the B12 wasn’t a 300-year supply, I’d get another package of that. Am I overlooking something? Or am I right in thinking that WFPB eaters in good apparent health only need to supplement with B12.oh. wow. what is that for? I take the [url=http://www.best-dietary-supplements.com/]supplement[/url] every week. and it is amazing to see those oils in the container. I guess the oil is more powerful than some medicine.	alternative medicine,AMA,complementary medicine,industry influence,mortality,side effects,snake oil,supplements	Supplement industry representative attempts to rebut a mea culpa editorial in an alternative medicine journal decrying the predatory nature of dietary supplement marketing.	The best way to avoid adverse drug reactions is to stay healthy enough to avoid drugs altogether. See Ornish's editorial Convergence of Evidence and Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants. There are also a number of natural remedies that may work as well but have fewer side-effects such as Saffron for Alzheimer's, Flax Seeds for Prostate Enlargement, and Amla for Diabetes. Plants are powerful--check out Power Plants and videos on all the other 1,000+ topics!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/29/vegan-workplace-intervention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ama/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12490692,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20645880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12672775,
PLAIN-2960	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pharmacists-versus-health-food-store-employees-who-gives-better-advice/	Pharmacists Versus Health Food Store Employees: Who Gives Better Advice?	Yes, as we've seen, studies have shown over and over that health food store employees, on average, didn’t know what the heck they’re talking about, but maybe nobody does when it comes to supplements. Two North American studies were recently published—one in Canada and one here in the States—comparing the advice gotten from health food stores compared to community pharmacies. In Canada researchers went in and asked questions like will ginsing give me more energy, beta-carotene help me prevent cancer, shark cartilage help cure my cancer? What percentage of visits to 192 different health food stores were reserarchers given advice considered accurate, or fairly accurate, based on the balance of available scientific evidence. So 100% of the time? Half of the time? No, 7% of the time.  Pharmacists, did about 10 times better. In the U.S. study they got actors to walk into pharmacies and health food stores feigning classic symptoms of type 1 diabetes: excessive thirst and fatigue, unexplained weight loss despite overeating, peeing like crazy all the time. They asked the health food and pharmacy staff what they thought they had, what they should take, and whether they think they should go see a doctor? Given that type 1 diabetes can be fatal if untreated the answer to that last question is yes, they should indeed go see a doctor, and all 8 out of the 8 pharmacists got that right; good for them. But only half, 6 of the 12 health food store employees thought it necessary, and 2 of the six naysayers explicitly advised against going to a doctor, the rationale being that the physician would quote “just give them Ritalin” or miss the true diagnosis, which they felt was something like mold infestation or adrenal exhaustion--which luckily they had just the right supplements for, at a bargain for only up to $200 a month.	This is the final video of a four-part series on the quality of advice given by employees of natural food stores. See Health Food Store Supplement Advice, <a href="Bad Advice From Health Food Store Employees“>Bad Advice From Health Food Store Employees, and Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees for the first three. Health Food Store Supplement Advice covered the shark cartilage question, Is Vitamin D the New Vitamin E? mentions beta carotene, and I have yet to do a video on ginseng but will! In the meanwhile, feel free to check out my dozen other videos on Supplement Snake Oil (more on this in tomorrow’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day) and the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand topics.Good study for me because everyday I get patients coming in saying they went to their pharmacist to see what they could take for their symptoms.  (They go to the pharmacist because they did not want to “bother” me (pay) for an office visit–Pharmacists are FREE!!).  So I feel safe that the Pharm’s are giving good outpatient advice and telling them to see the doc when they need to but I feel jipped in a way when it comes to people not wanting to pay for good information from a well informed and educated provider. Why? Let’s see. . .My grandmother passed recently and we just got the lawyer bill for the estate: $300 per hour and 31.5 hours came to $9000 and change.  Really?!?My wife went to a dentist recently with my two kids who just inspected their teeth and did absolutely nothing except sell my wife some oral bacterial modifier and charged $750. (Total time spent with kids 1 hour)  Are you kidding me?!?Patients won’t go to the educated physician who tries to get them off their medications and teach them how to make themselves better (if they’re willing to listen) for a $20-$40 copay??????  Comon!  It’s obscene! That’s my two cents worth. Yes today’s vid struck discord (dis-chord) with me.The premium for my individual health plan coverage is $565 a month with a $5,000 annual deductible. My basic essential living costs (housing, utilities, medical insurance premiums, dentist, etc.) are so high that all costs considered, I truly can’t afford to go the so-called educated physician for troubling symptoms. As you well know, although the co-pay may appear to be reasonable, the patient needs to pay up to the deductible for lab tests and other services. And as you also know, for any visit other than a so-called wellness visit, the patient needs to pay just to get in the door (typically $85 just for the appointment). Or perhaps as an educated American physician you are simply ignorant of the real costs to patients when they come to see you. In my opinion it is obscene for educated physicians to criticize anyone but themselves for not vigorously and relentlessly working for universal health care coverage for all citizens. The doctor is actually making a good point. We pay cash for lawyers and dentists but expect insurance to cover all other costs. As a health care professionally I run into this all the time.But yes, universal healthcare is what we all should be working towards. Insurance companies have no business in health care. Take out the middleman.Nice reply.  There is a problem with our health care system and it’s me!! I am now $350,000 in debt and pay $3,500 per month for the next 16 years of my life with a repayment of about $672,000 just because I wanted to help people.  I am the one to blame, no one else for my altruisting thinking–The only way to make a difference is BE the difference.  I take full responsibility for being ignorant and now stupid for becoming part of “The System.”The system is broken, you are to be commended on doing an honorable job. Can’t we take the best of the Canadian system and improve it? I was born and raised in Canada, my parents and extended family still live there, and we all had good care. In rural areas Drs are lacking, but not in metropolitan areas, and yes you may have to wait for a non emergency procedure, but you still have the option to go to a private clinic. And if you do get sick, you don’t lose your home! Let’s start thinking about the people we live with as WE, not ME! Quote greenleaf: “In my opinion it is obscene for educated physicians to criticize anyone but themselves for not vigorously and relentlessly working for universal health care coverage for all citizens.”Who would then take care of the sick people? It’s the indeterminate wait in the waiting room I cannot afford.  All my dentists have seen me on time.HemoDynamic: I have long been wanting to reply to your posts and now seems like a good time.  I am someone who has grown frustrated and distrustful in general of physicians.  However, when I come to this site and see doctors like you, who actually take the time to educate yourself about real health solutions, I take heart.  I want a doctor just like you.  I hope you know that not all patients are dunderheads.  Hopefully you can get to a point in your career where you can find some good ones.Thank you for your enthusiastic participation on this website.  I know that I’m not the only one who appreciates it!Thank you for your kind comments.  I have a thriving practice full of people who want to get better and surprizingly (not really) they do! I know that you can look for Doctors that follow a plant based approach/philosophy on Dr. John McDougalls website at http://www.drmcdougall.com and maybe you can find one in your area. Thanks again.HemoDynamo, you yourself complained that patients do not want to pay you. Your own words: everyday I get patients coming in saying they went to their pharmacist to see what they could take for their symptoms.  (They go to the pharmacist because they did not want to “bother” ME (pay) for an office visit–Pharmacists are FREE!!). This is idiotic and shows ignorance. The reality is that going to see a doctor is impossible for many people. They cannot afford it. Even people who scrimp and save to buy health insurance wind up paying such costly premiums that they cannot afford to see a doctor when they are feeling ill or have symptoms. You do not seem to be aware of this. Someone commented that we pay lawyers and other professionals high prices and should therefore not complain about the cost of medical care (or words to that effect). But again, many people can’t afford those services at all and so do not get them when they are crucially needed. I say let’s question the high cost of professional care across the board. Why should anyone, the employed, the unemployed, the underemployed, pay such high costs? If medical school is so expensive, let’s make it less expensive. Isn’t that a better option to work toward?Funny Dr. Hana (Montana)!  Let me quote U: “This is idiotic and shows ignorance.”  Idiotic means stupid which is not ignorance.  Ignorant means basically Not Knowing. The definition: 1.Lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated.2. Lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about something in particular: “ignorant of astronomy”.Stupidity definition means slow of mind. So which is it?  Or are U just ignorant?Montana, I wrote “idiotic and shows ignorance.” It is both idiotic AND ignorant. In fact ignorant people may well also be stupid people. The two categories are not mutually exclusive. Consider critiquing your own posting. In my opinion it is both ignorant and nasty. You have nothing better to post? This is the best you can do?As a hospital pharmacist, I don’t always talk to patients, but do get the occasional caller from the community.  Yes, they do want FREE advice, as we are America’s most accessible health professional.   l  have ALWAYS referred patients to a physician when necessary, and it usually is. I hear a lot of raw foodists/fruitarians talk about adrenal exhaustion – it seems to be the ‘go to’ explanation for everything, but I can’t find any proper medical literature covering this. Is this just a fictitious disease?I work with people in the raw food scene too and yes they talk about adrenal fatigue a lot. I really don’t know how they can accurately diagnose anything, but usually it’s people that claim they used to drink a lot of coffee/red bull/eat chocolate/cacao/maca frequently every day that say they have/had adrenal fatigue from too many stimulants. I have never had it, but I’ve also never drank coffee nor do I eat stimulating supplements regularly. I’d be interested to know how people can actually get tested if they have adrenal fatigue. Raw foodists also say everyone has candida overgrowth (may be true only if you took tons of antibiotics in your life) and thyroid problems which is tricky to prove true based on listening to symptoms alone. quote Veronica: “I really don’t know how they can accurately diagnose anything”My feelings exactly!   There are tests to evaluate for adrenal insufficiency and thyroid dysfunction and they are not that expensive. A Basic metabolic panel (BMP) can test for electrolyte abnormalities that are frequently seen in adrenal abnormalities and also a Cosyntropin test, and a Thyrotropin Stimulating Hormone (TSH) for a basic check on thyroid function.  However, since people without Medical Degrees cannot order these tests and to stop the guessing/theoretical game it is best to see a qualified physician (or PA or NP <–that comment will get some people goin') to be evaluated and have the proper tests ordered.Poor HemoDynamic, all that debt and so few patients, all that time on this forum spent on your own self-promotion. You seem to have an inordinate amount of free time for a physician. You might want to spend just a little of it thinking about why patients avoid coming to you. After reading your postings, I doubt that it is the cost. You appear to be using this forum to get patients. Please do go elsewhere.   Sorry you don’t enjoy HemoDynamic’s insightful and erudite comments, Hana. I’m sure you’re in a minority.I’m sorry you feel that way! I have never once promoted myself nor given any information as to where I practice; hence, using a pseudonym.  My time on this forum has been spent in between my patients (I see avg. 20-25 per day) in trying to help and inform patients. I apologise that this is offensive to you. HemoDynamic, let’s face it, your comments are self-promotional. You have a glossy promotional head shot of yourself that shows with every one of your nonstop comments, you use a dynamic-sounding pseudonym along with the glam photo, you are always the hero of your own story while others are uneducated idiots or unappreciative of your selfless dedication, and perhaps worst of all, you free ride on the reputation of Dr. Greger, who has a genuine and impeccable record of public service. I think the people who might find you most offensive are your own patients, who get the shortest possible time with you so that you can rush to promote yourself in this forum. I think good physicians spend time in between seeing patients thinking about and researching the unique issues that present with each patient. I’m sorry you are such an angry person. Hana, I don’t know what your problem is, but I’m getting sick of it. I wish you’ d crawl back into the hole you came from – and I think I speak for the majority of readers of this blog. If you had any sense you would realize not only how helpful HemoDynamic’s comments are, how they have the ring of authenticity and sincerity, and that he can’t possibly be self-promoting since he is offering his services as a physician only in his local area and not to the world-wide community which reads this blog. You make about as much sense ans a screen door on a submarine. Speaking of pseudonyms, I’d be willing to bet that the “Dr.” in yours is bogus.Do you believe your comment is useful to this forum? I am a PhD and a researcher.  If Dr. HemoDynamo sees 20-25 patients a day, that is already too little time spent with the patient. If while examining them his mind is on his postings to this forum, then they are even more neglected. It’s all about the patient. Aaaaaah a PhD and a researcher! That explains the arrogance!!! Thanks for clearing that up, it makes perfect sense!! (no disrespect to the non-arrogant PhD researchers who actually have personalities and people skills)I completely agree with Paul 3917. Chill Hana.I have really appreciated Hemodynamics comments. Keep them coming!I am sure HemoDynamo will keep his comments coming without your urging! I have no problem with his postings that provide useful information to the public. My critique was in response to HemoDynamo’s complaint that so many patients go elsewhere rather than to him and that their stupidity in that regard was incomprehensible since the cost to the patient is only a $20 copay. He needs to understand the real cost to patients and why they pay such a high price. I’m certain that he does, so I don’t understand why he would make such a disingenuous comment in the first place. I also critiqued him for using this forum to gripe about the costs of medical school. As he well knows, most of the high cost of medical education trickles down to the patient, or as they are now called, the consumer or customer, who are wisely fleeing a dysfunctional system. It is they, not the physician, who ultimately pays the price. The vast majority of physicians in this country are economically in the middle upper classes and are among the elite who can afford to live in the better neighborhoods and send their children to good schools and the best universities. So it is inexcusable for HemoDynamo to use this forum to complain about his financial situation.  The fact that a growing number of people are dissatisfied with the ever deteriorating medical services they pay such a high price for and wisely seek help elsewhere  is to their credit. As HemoDynamo must also know, while many physicians pay lip service to wanting universal health coverage, the vast majority have no intention of ever doing anything to make sure Americans get it.  They would rather preserve a dysfunctional health care system that does not serve the public well rather than make a more modest income. HemoDynamo, don’t dish it if you can’t take it. Common sense shows this study merely proves people should do their own homework on what type of supplements they need. The bottom line is neither pharmacist nor health food store employees know much about what supplements to recommend. (For the most part anyway)Most pharmacists look to high quality resources such as the available medical literature to obtain information about supplements.  Unfortunately, I find that many laypeople who try to “do their own homework” are duped by snake oil salesmen into ingesting potential dangerous or worthless products.  If they did their “homework” on this website, though, I completely agree with you!Pharmacists have expertise in evidence-based medicine. I’m surprised this study was even done. Who would bother to compare the nutritional advice provided by a fast food employee to that of a PhD in nutrition?It is unfortunate to read some comments devaluing pharmacy services. Pharmacists have advanced training, usually doctorate degrees and often additional residency and followship experience.  Many pharmacists collaborate with busy physicians in outpatient clinics assisting with cleaning up messy medication profiles, doing quality and medication safety improvement, reducing polypharmacy, avoiding drug interactions, managing high risk medications (e.g., warfarin, insulin), and providing disease state education.  Some states including North Carolina recognize pharmacists as Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners, licensed to prescribe medications and manage certain diseases in collaboration with physicians. Countless studies demonstrate improved health outcomes, reduced adverse drug reactions, and decreased overall health care expenditure by having a pharmacist on the inpatient or outpatient health care team.Any advice on healing adrenal exhaustion on a vegan diet? Everyone says that I need to ditch veganism and can’t heal my adrenals with this diet.	alternative medicine,beta carotene,Canada,complementary medicine,diabetes,drug stores,fatigue,health food stores,pharmacists,shark cartilage,snake oil,supplements	The accuracy of medical advice given by staff at natural food stores is compared to that by staff at community pharmacies based on the balance of available scientific evidence.	This is the final video of a four-part series on the quality of advice given by employees of natural food stores. See Health Food Store Supplement Advice, Bad Advice From Health Food Store Employees, and Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees for the first three. Health Food Store Supplement Advice covered the shark cartilage question, Is Vitamin D the New Vitamin E? mentions beta carotene, and I have yet to do a video on ginseng but will! In the meanwhile, feel free to check out my dozen other videos on Supplement Snake Oil (more on this in tomorrow's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day) and the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand topics.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/29/vegan-workplace-intervention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/drug-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canada/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pharmacists/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/health-food-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shark-cartilage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15644475,
PLAIN-2961	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dangerous-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/	Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees	Sometimes the advice on dietary supplements people are given are worse than worthless. “HIV Patients Seeking Advice from Health Food Stores” 26 stores recommended 36 different products, including some, like garlic, that can critically interfere with certain HIV meds.  When the FDA and Health Canada issued advisory warnings to stop taking the herb kava kava due to one too many cases of fatal liver toxicity, it didn’t seem to affect things much in health food stores.  What about “Health Food Stores’ Recommendations for Nausea and Migraines During Pregnancy.” Would health food store employees recommend supplements contraindicated in pregnancy that could cause “significant harm to the mother and.or fetus”? You betcha. And what kills me is that there are pregnancy-safe supplements for nausea like powdered ginger, that may be effective yet were instead advised to take a long list of untested things including herbs like feverfew and black cohosh which can cause uterine contractions and possible miscarriage.	This is the third of a four-part series on the quality of advice given by employees of natural food stores. See Health Food Store Supplement Advice and Bad Advice From Health Food Store Employees for parts 1 & 2. I have more than five dozen videos on dietary supplements in general for those interested in taking a deeper look, with a number suggesting toxicity, including Ayervedic medicines, fish oil, Juice Plus, Herbalife, blue-green algae, cod liver oil, spirulina, green tea extracts, and noni juice. There are supplements likely to be health-promoting though, including vitamin B12 and vitamin D, but we should really try to get our nutrients from Produce, Not Pills. Then there are another 25 videos on pregnancy and 1,000+ other topics. Thanks Dr. Greger,I was one of the lucky ones. I went into a health food store and asked about the efficacy of a certain diet. The employee didn’t know, but she suggested I read The China Study. It has been five years since that fateful day. I am happily eating a plant-based diet with no supplements except vitamin B-12. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.The key is to say, “I don’t know” when you really don’t know.  However, for many people (altruistically speaking) they want to help others so bad that will recommend something that they have heard might work without knowing the true consequences of their recommendations. Reminds me of a great line in Monty Python, The Holy Grail from Roger the Shrubber, “Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can say Ni at will to old ladies. There is a pestilence upon this land, nothing is sacred.”Sorry but it makes absolutely no sense for someone in such “serious/grave” situation such as HIV or pregnant to seek advice from a health food store employee.  But I will admit HIV or pregnant crowds may not be educated enough to go with advice of a minimum wage worker.Water extracts of Kava Kava, which is how it is traditional used, is not hepatotoxic and is still legal in Australia because of this. However ethanol extracts of Kava Kava are potentially hepatotoxic and are illegal here. Thought of would clarify that there is a clear difference between the two in terms of safety. Are enzyme supplements safe? Is there any research indicating that the enzyme supplements might be harmful? Please let me know, thanks a lot.Unless prescribed by a doctor, I see no reason to consume an enzyme supplement based on whatever advertised benefits may be said. These things almost always are harmful.Take a look at scientific studies:“Hepatotoxicity and subchronic toxicity tests of Morinda citrifolia (noni) fruit.Abstract Morinda citrifolia (noni) fruit juice has been approved as a safe food in many nations. A few cases of hepatitis in people who had been drinking noni juice have been reported, even though no causal link could be established between the liver injury and ingestion of the juice. To more fully evaluate the hepatotoxic potential of noni fruit juice, in vitro hepatotoxicity tests were conducted in human liver cells, HepG2 cell line. A subchronic oral toxicity test of noni fruit was also performed in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats to provide benchmark data for understanding the safety of noni juice, without the potential confounding variables associated with many commercial noni juice products. Freeze-dried filtered noni fruit puree did not decrease HepG2 cell viability or induce neutral lipid accumulation and phospholipidosis. There were no histopathological changes or evidence of dose-responses in hematological and clinical chemistry measurements, including liver function tests. The no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for freeze-dried noni fruit puree is greater than 6.86 g/kg body weight, equivalent to approximately 90 ml of noni fruit juice/kg. These findings corroborate previous conclusions that consumption of noni fruit juice is unlikely to induce adverse liver effects..”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19797868It might be an idea worth of consideration to compile a list of all of the toxic substances, dosages and counterindications – sort of a black list to check out now and then. For now one has to be really into watching all of the videos available which is not always the case for every site visitor. Somebody might see one video on benefits of cinnamon and decide to go for a couple tsp a day which is exactly what happened to me a while ago :) any drugs need clear warning even if it’s a healthy food :) and sorry if I’m such a loser and missed this list somewhere :))I did a search on the site for HIV and didn’t find anything. My problem is my doctors seem to think that I need, as an HIV patient, to eat meat and dairy to maintain my health. I became vegan and lost 30 pounds. I am now 6′ and 160 pounds. My doctors freaked out because, as they say, I was getting too thin. I disagree with that. Is there anything, in studies, to suggest they are right? Thanks!Hi Mark :)) Agree that meat and dairy appear to add fuel to any type of immune disease and applaud you for avoiding it.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/HIV is one of the rare conditions where we do want to keep a slightly higher body weight. Studies have consistently shown that HIV-infected patients with a body mass index (BMI) of >25 have higher CD4+ cell counts (yay!), decreased risk of viral progression, and decreased risk of death compared with their thinner (BMI <25) counterparts. This relationship may be explained by the elevated leptin production in heavier persons, which supports CD4+ cell proliferation. For more info, check out author of "The China Study", T. Colin Campbell, PhD's non-profit site http://www.tcolincampbell.org/courses-resources/article/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv/?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=76&cHash=5dd1e9245349d613e171c486545c779f Hope this helps!…and the best way for a vegan to try to put on more weight is to eat more nuts.As a supplement consultant in a health food store, there’s a lot I can say in response to this. #1 is don’t put all health food store employees in the same category. Some are more knowledgeable than others. Some of us have received formal training in nutrition as well as having spent countless hours studying and researching health issues on our own. Working in a health food store and getting feedback from customers on what works and what doesn’t for various health conditions has also given me insights you will never hear at a doctor’s office. #2 is that by law health food store employees cannot dispense “medical advice” of any kind. This extends into such absurdities as not being able to recommend drinking water for someone who says they are dehydrated– if a health food store employees says “You can cure your dehydration by drinking some water” it is a violation of the law even though it is simply common sense. But if I say, “I’m not a doctor, but personally I would maybe think about drinking some water” then I am in compliance with the law. It’s all in the way things are said, and health food store employees may not be properly trained in how to use the proper wording in making product suggestions. #3 is that I always give my customers references to support the information I’ve given them, including books, online articles, websites (such as Nutritionfacts.org), referrals to Naturopathic doctors that I know, etc. One of the best resources I recommend to my customers is the free web site http://online.epocrates.com, which provides full monographs on every currently available prescription drug, including known interactions with supplements and a complete list of adverse reactions a particular prescription drug is reported to have. You would be amazed at how often a health condition or symptom that a customer is asking me about is listed as a common side effect of a drug they have been prescribed.	AIDS,alternative medicine,complementary medicine,FDA,garlic,ginger,health food stores,herbs,liver health,migraine headaches,miscarriage,nausea,pregnancy,snake oil,supplements	Employees in natural food stores have been caught giving advice that is not only scientifically baseless, but also risky and downright dangerous.	This is the third of a four-part series on the quality of advice given by employees of natural food stores. See Health Food Store Supplement Advice and Bad Advice From Health Food Store Employees for parts 1 & 2. I have more than five dozen videos on dietary supplements in general for those interested in taking a deeper look, with a number suggesting toxicity, including ayervedic medicines, fish oil, Juice Plus, Herbalife, blue-green algae, cod liver oil, spirulina, green tea extracts, and noni juice. There are supplements likely to be health-promoting though, including vitamin B12 and vitamin D, but we should really try to get our nutrients from Produce, Not Pills. Then there are another 25 videos on pregnancy and 1,000+ other topics.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/29/vegan-workplace-intervention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/migraine-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/health-food-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/miscarriage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife%c2%ae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-noni-juice-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus%c2%ae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14577746,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20824863,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15644475,
PLAIN-2962	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bad-advice-from-health-food-store-employees/	Bad Advice From Health Food Store Employees	You’ll notice on foods and supplements that it’s actually illegal to claim they can prevent or cure disease—that’s why you’ll just see so-called structure and function claims like “supports immunity.” And federal law basically prohibits people from diagnosing and prescribing without a medical license, yet you can probably walk into any health food store and get all the claims, diagnosing and prescribing you could ever want, and the question is how good is that advice.  “Health information provided by retail health food outlets.” What if you go in and pretend your 6 year old just got diagnosed with Crohn’s disease? 23 stores, 30 different recommendations, including a myriad of untried and perhaps deleterious treatments.  What kind of training did these health food store employees get? Most got absolutely none, or in-store training only. It is no secret that I’ve been very critical of drug companies biasing medical training— that was much of what my first book on medical education was about. But what do we think stores are teaching their employees to say?  “Clinic at the health food store?” This one says more about the supplement industry itself than health food stores. Researchers went in feigning depression, and most were given St. John’s wort supplements, though at widly varying doses, without mentioning the significant drug reactions and side-effects like photosensitivity. Still, at least they were vaguely consistent with their recommendations. What was not consistent was the level of the active ingredient hypericin promised on the labels. 90% were wildly off, including 2 of the 13 they tested that had none at all. In the United States dietary supplements are a $22 billion industry. That’s 10 times less than what we spend on prescription drugs, but still 22 billion is no small potatoes. Many of us rightly rail against the political influence and commercial bias of the pharmaceutical industry but are we to assume multimillion dollar supplement corporations are any less self-interested?	This is the second of a four-part series on the quality of advice given by employees of natural food stores. See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Health Food Store Supplement Advice for part one. Of course doctors also know precious little about what people should be putting in their mouths. See, for example, my videos Do Doctors Make the Grade?, Medical School Nutrition Education, and Doctors Know Less Than They Think About Nutrition. Worse than just getting inadequate training, the medical profession has actively lobbied against doctors getting more education on the topic of nutrition. See Nutrition Education Mandate Introduced for Doctors, Medical Associations Oppose Bill to Mandate Nutrition Training, California Medical Association Tries to Kill Nutrition Bill, and Nutrition Bill Doctored in the California Senate. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Please feel free to check out any of the other 1,000+ subjects I have videos about.Why is this, that Medical Associations Oppose Nutrition Training.  Are they backed by Big Pharma?  They are supposed to be Public watchdogs keeping people from harm. I know for a fact (some are my patients) that they themselves would rather eat healthy than start taking medications.  So what gives?  Why is everyone on these medical boards so afraid of teaching physicians about plant-based lifestyles and reversing chronic disease?  Are they afraid everyone in the world will heal themselves, so there will be no more sick people in the world and they will be out of a job?  I just don’t get it!  Why do we have to fight to help people get better?  Why do I have to risk ridicule (which happens on a daily basis and I don’t really care) to do no harm? These aren’t rhetorical questions, I want answers!  Damn it, I’m Mad as Hell and I’m not going to take it anymore! (Great line from the old movie Network).  Well I look at it this way–if they don’t change and mandate educating Physicians about nutrition, people like ourselves will become more highly sought after by persons in society who are sick of being sick and the obsolete policy makers will crate (yes Crate is the correct word) their own demise. Anyway, for the time being it is like Crabs in a Bucket ;-{  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_mentalityPeople complain about the price of healthy food but don’t seem to mind forking over big bucks for diet pills and other “quick-fix” remedies for their health.Regarding pricing, have you seen the price of commercial cereal’s–they aren’t inexpensive.  Oh but they probably have a coupon to help pay for the box of “Sap, Crapple and Slop.” Do you consider Agar Agar to be healthy?	alternative medicine,complementary medicine,Crohn's disease,depression,health food stores,herbs,industry influence,inflammatory bowel disease,medical education,reversing chronic disease,side effects,St. John's wort,supplements	Most health food store supplement aisle employees have little or no training and make wildly dissimilar recommendations. Even when they're consistent, the levels of active ingredients in supplements may not be. We should not assume the multi-billion dollar supplement industry has our best interests any closer to heart than the pharmaceutical industry.	This is the second of a four-part series on the quality of advice given by employees of natural food stores. See yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Health Food Store Supplement Advice for part one. Of course doctors also know precious little about what people should be putting in their mouths. See, for example, my videos Do Doctors Make the Grade?, Medical School Nutrition Education, and Doctors Know Less Than They Think About Nutrition. Even worse than just getting inadequate training, the medical profession has actively lobbied against doctors getting more education on the topic of nutrition. See Nutrition Education Mandate Introduced for Doctors, Medical Associations Oppose Bill to Mandate Nutrition Training, California Medical Association Tries to Kill Nutrition Bill, and Nutrition Bill Doctored in the California Senate. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Please feel free to check out any of the other 1,000+ subjects I have videos about.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/29/vegan-workplace-intervention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/st-johns-wort/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/health-food-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crohns-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14577746,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11064312,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9625107,
PLAIN-2963	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/health-food-store-supplement-advice/	Health Food Store Supplement Advice	What advice do health food store employees to those with breast cancer?How many times has this happened to you? You’re in a natural food store, walking near the supplement section and an employee graciously offers advice, asks if you need any help. Very kind of them, but I’m always left wondering how these people were trained. Were they trained? Do they have any idea what they’re talking about? So I was delighted to learn that that very question was the subject of multiple studies spanning a decade.  “Health Food Store Recommendations for Breast Cancer Patients.” A researcher posing as a daughter of a breast cancer patient went into 40 health food stores asking for their recommendations on cancer care.  36 out of 40 stores tried to sell them something, Understandable, that’s their job. But 95% didn’t even ask a single question about their mom or her diagnosis before recommending 38 different types of products at an annual cost of between 300 and $3000. The most common recommendation was shark cartilage, apparently found effective.. at causing nausea, fever, dizziness, life-threatening hypercalcemia, and liver failure, but little else The same study was repeated up in Canada: “Health food store recommendations: implications for breast cancer patients.” 34 stores, 33 different products, one of which cost $18,000 a year. One of the fake patients was even told to stop the tamoxifen she said she had been prescribed, a drug credited with playing a large part in decreasing breast cancer mortality over the last 30 years.	What should breast cancer patients do? See some of my videos on extending survival in survivors including Raw Broccoli and Bladder Cancer Survival, Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken, Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat, Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake and Flax and Fecal Flora. Please feel free to check out any of the other thousand topics I cover and thanks for watching!You didn’t get to the part about where or how they were trained.  It’s clear by the video, however, they have no idea about any scientific research or training on what they are prescribing to their clients.   It’s funny, someone always seem very eager to help you in the departments of stores that carry the most expensive things.  Hmmmm?!?  Food (or not food) for thought. Stay tuned–video on their training coming up!BTW: I got your new DVD (Thank you!) but I almost don’t want to watch it and foil the spoils I reap from my daily dose of NutritionFacts.org. The issue parallels what is going on in our profession. Physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants giving out misinformation and thinking they are providing correct guidance…. see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/.  Unfortunately the “leaders” in many medical organizations seem to be more interested in maintaining the status quo than in leading effective change in the primary and secondary prevention of chronic diseases. Worse the bill introduced by John McDougall to the California legislature to require 12 (subsequently modified to 7) hours of nutritional education for all physicians in California over a 4 year period was opposed by the California Medical Association and the California branches of the American Academy of Family Medicine and Orthopedics… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/. I encourage physicians to start including and applying current science into their recommendations for their patients. I also encourage physicians knowledgeable in this area to develop and give educational talks to other physicians in their communities. The educational talks that I give to health care professionals are well received. Physicians have an interest in this area for both professional and personal reasons. Dr. Dons, I’m glad you are finding it well received by the physicians in your community south of mine.  I am still ridiculed in my own office (under their breath) by my colleagues, even though they have all seen their patients that have come to me (and gotten an ear full of Califlower and plant based lifestyle instruction) come off their BP meds, lower their cholesterol, had remission of several autoimmune disorders, and improvement in their overall feelings of well-being.  And the list goes on.  I will just keep swinging away and when I get hurt and blood starts spewing from one of my arteries I will say, “Oh, merely a flesh wound.” Keep up the great work you are doing!My wife had a malignant lump removed. Based on our research weighing overall mortality vs. mortality from breast cancer, which is what most doctors base their recommendations on, we opted for a strict vegan diet. Tamoxifen has been misrepresented as a drug which will significantly increase survival in hormone receptor positive patients. One breast  cancer activist claims it will reduce recurrence by 50%. This figure does not reflect the actual survival statistics. Tamoxifen’s manufacturer states  the difference between node-negative Tamoxifen takers and non-takers is  small. If you do the math, you will see the survival advantage for node negative patients taking Tamoxifen is 3.5%.   That means there is a 96.5% chance that taking Tamoxifen will not increase  lifespan but will still expose the patient to risk of endometrial cancer,  depression, blood clots, vaginal atrophy, hot flashes and other side  effects. Plants are our best friends and soy is your wifes best ally. You may have already seen this but a review is always good for me as well:  http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/I﻿ almost always agree with Dr Greger’s post, but this time I’d have to say to be cautious of﻿ his apparent approval of the drug Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen is no wonder drug by any means.﻿ Check out its very dark side by going on Google, and typing in ‘ gary null tamoxifen ‘. once there read the second post from the top by Sherrill Sellman .I think that this report is a little bit unfair-  Dr. John McDougall only “sometimes recommends” tamoxifen- ie. in certain cases rather than across the board. The fact that many health food store employees pointed out that it is harmful is grounded in fact- are their recommendations really as dangerous as you imply with this video?  I agree that only a doctor or someone trained to do so should be making such recommendations. BUT their doctor may not be making the best recommendations- I would guess many more women are prescribed tamoxifen than Dr. McDougall or other well informed doctors would recommend.   Is it wrong of these workers to point out that there are other treatment alternatives to the common, conventional, and often harmful ones, as is particularly the case with breast health?  (The shark oil recommendation on the other hand IS alarming.)Is there a way to find out which health food store’s were examined?This is absolutely true.What type of calcium supplement is best?	alternative medicine,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,Canada,cancer,complementary medicine,dizziness,fever,health food stores,liver disease,liver failure,nausea,shark cartilage,side effects,snake oil,supplements,tamoxifen,women's health	Studies in the U.S. and Canada focus on what advice and supplements natural food store employees would offer a woman suffering from breast cancer.	What should breast cancer patients do? See some of my videos on extending survival in survivors including Raw Broccoli and Bladder Cancer Survival, Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken, Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat, Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake and Flax and Fecal Flora. Please feel free to check out any of the other thousand topics I cover and thanks for watching!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/29/vegan-workplace-intervention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dizziness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tamoxifen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canada/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/health-food-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shark-cartilage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-failure/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12673461,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10927705,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8929024,
PLAIN-2964	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/	Which Brand of Tuna Has the Most Mercury?	Are there some brands of tuna worse than others? An evaluation of mercury concentrations in three national brands of canned tuna was undertaken recently. In total they found that “55% of all tuna examined was above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s safety level for human consumption.” Mercury is not just a problem for children. As I’ve noted in videos over the years, the “Health effects resulting from consumption of methylmercury for adults are considerable and may include central nervous system damage, ataxia, paresthesia, hearing loss, diminishing vision, loss of sensation to extremities, and loss of consciousness leading to death.” “Due to the increased susceptibility of the developing nervous system,” though, “damages are more pronounced in fetuses, infants, and children and may include microcephaly, which is a shrunken brain, delayed development, impaired cogni- tion, and gross neurological disorders”  Given the average level of mercury pollution found in canned tuna they suggest that your average 9 year old would exceed the EPA limit eating any more than a can of tuna every 43 days. This is not the first study of canned tuna. Previous studies going back nearly 20 years found levels of mercury that were bad, but not as bad as the ones found now. The problem of mercury in tuna appears to be getting worse and worse. But which brand was the worst? National brand #3 contained significantly more mercury than the other two but, they failed to disclose which brand was which. All they said was that “These results indicate that stricter regulation of the canned tuna industry is necessary to ensure the safety of sensitive populations such as pregnant women, infants, and children.”	This is the last video of a three-part series on the latest on the risks of mercury in fish. See yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Nerves of Mercury and Hair Testing for Mercury Before Consider Pregnancy for parts 1 & 2. For more on the effects of mercury in fish on adults, check out Fish Fog. For more videos on canned tuna, see Carcinogenic Putrescine, The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages, Amalgam Fillings vs. Canned Tuna, and Mercury in Vaccinations vs. Tuna. And then there are a thousand other topics other I cover!Such a great series!  So much so that I just wrote the ACOG (American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology) about their current recommendations to eat fish to pregnant mother’s and linked five of your well cited videos to help them review the incontrovertable research.  Will they change their guidelines?  I wrote to their liability department–maybe, we’ll see ;-} Keep up the great work!!So, which brand DID have the most mercury? Are you allowed to post that publicly? Is there a brand that had less? They did not disclose brands. I’m sure there is variation between brands but the issue is mute since there is no way to know how much mercury there is in what you are eating. Since mercury is such a toxic substance to nerves, heart and immune system  it is wise to avoid intake of all fish products. For a little perspective see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/. By going on a plant based diet with no fish consumption you will have much less mercury in your body see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/. More information can be obtained by watching the other 17 videos on mercury and diet.So full of metal that tuna soon wont need a can………Exactly!  The Tuna will already be canned in the ocean (Canned at the source) and the Canner’s will be canned from their jobs!  It’s uncanny how candid I can be ;-}I take vegan sourced DHA supplements, which can be hard to find (at least in Australia, where fish oil is *heavily* marketed).  It would be interesting if someone conducted a study into the level of heavy metals in fish oil or fish-sourced DHA supplements.Why eat fish when you can eat a toxin free, renewable resource of Omega 3– Flax Seed!! Avoid the pillaging (Pill-Aging–see Dr. Gregers video, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/ ) of our oceans, streams, and waterways and go Plant-Strong!   This would save yourself a lot of money that you could spend on a vacation to “shoot” the fish with your camera.  Go-Pro not Pro-zac!!http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/They have conducted studies: http://www.consumerslab.org does just that and reports to the FDA, which is probably not saying much. However, they do list the products that they test as being free or not free of Heavy Metals, Dioxins, Freshness, Quality and Amount of EPA an DHA.  And they provide articles with researched information.  They do charge $40 per year to access their information.  Maybe their information is somehow biased but I don’t see that on the surface. Dr. Gregor, any info you can provide on the background of ConsumersLab.org would be great.Need a little clarification about what’s “good” and what’s “bad.” I sometimes buy “Wild Planet” “wild albacore tuna (sashimi-grade)” (on Amazon) since they claim to be “less than half the mercury compared to conventional brands” and more n-3 fatty acid (2320mg DHA and 720mg EPA.)Now, I understand the mercury argument for not eating fish — but to simply ignore DHA and EPA n-3’s in exchange for a lower conversion (5%???) to long-chain n-3’s via ALA in flaxseed — just because fish is “animal cholesterol” and shouldn’t be eaten in the first place? The same argument (albeit in a lesser degree) can be made in reference to “grass-fed” animals since their n-3 count are higher than processed animals (and yes, due to their accumulation of plankton, grass, etc.)Disclaimer: I’m an evolutionary eater — not a vegetation, omnivore, pescatarian, etc. I like to avoid the artificial (corn flakes, nitrosamines, coloring, gmo’s) and eat what nature affords me — LIMITED animal fats and mostly plant-based foods — just like how nature intended.not helpful unless the brands are identified.Agreed. The public has a right to know!Also be sure to check out my associated blog post, Mercury Testing Recommended Before PregnancyIn most longevity studies that I’ve seen, fish eaters live longer than vegans: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10479225Tuna fish are especially high in selenium, which binds with mercury to form a harmless selenium-mercury compound which is easily excreted by the body: http://www.undeerc.org/fish/pdfs/Selenium-Mercury.pdfPhytate in nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, and vegetables also binds with mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, beryllium, and barium to render them harmless: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16478274 http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=1542754The Inuit (Eskimos) of Greenland have only 3 to 4 times as much mercury in their bodies, even though they consume about 100 times as much mercury, PCBs, and other marine pollutants as the average American. Although the Greenland Inuit are the world’s heaviest cigarette smokers and although their consumption of fruits and vegetables has been virtually zero until recently and although they add lots of salt when they eat their fish, seal meat/blubber, and whale meat/blubber, the Greenland Inuit have only half the age-adjusted total cancer death rate of Americans and cardiovascular disease is virtually nonexistent among the Greenland Inuit: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9447397The nations of the world with the longest life expectancies tend to be fish eating nations (Monaco, Macao, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Spain, Andorra, France, and Italy): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Comparison_gender_life_expectancy_CIA_factbook.svg http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oYpOUY49IQk/TfqGo7Wo7kI/AAAAAAAAAXM/gJeoguIgmT8/s1600/Image%2B-%2BUS%2Bhealth%2Bcare.png http://www.nzinstitute.org/Images/uploads/nzahead-graphs/Life_expectancy._Aug11._Fig3._FINAL-popup.jpg http://img.patheticcockroach.com/01/life_expectancy_vs_healthcare_spending_per_capita.pngMany years ago, researchers thoroughly investigated the Greenland Inuit for health defects which could be blamed on their diet of fish, seals, and whales. They discovered that the number of Greenland Inuit daughters substantially exceeded the number of Greenland Inuit sons. Researchers then decided that this was the only health defect that could be blamed on the Greenland Inuit’s incredibly high consumption of mercury, PCBs, and other marine pollutants. However, new research now indicates that vegans have this exact same problem too: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/869696.stm The theory now is that vegetarian women and fish-eating women both have a preponderance of beneficial gut microbes (lactic acid bacteria) which cause weight loss and create acidic bodily pathways which somehow cause daughters to be born instead of sons.Finally some rational thinking on fish merits. I read these studies as well. You can still eat fish safely, just choose wisely. I select wild cold water salmon -short life span and much lower than mercury content. Since I am not expecting to conceive anytime soon, I’m not too worried about my brain shrinking.Good read..thou living years ago with the Eskimos and native indians, most over weight, generations of Coke and chips..the price of wholesome food is given up for booze…the monthly welfare checks go into the slot machines set up in local hotels! Mouth wash is banded in Yellowknife NWT as many locals get their highs from this product. We have distroyed the life nature of the northern people..sad gone..suicide rates highest in N. America..with global warming not much will remain for the natives in Northern Canada…Now residing in Thailand and enjoy a good diet here in Thailand…exercise daily and seldom go out to party..Still want and/or need fish in your diet, Ditch the “tuna” period. Try “caned” SALMON which is “wild caught” and is lower on the food chain than tuna. Don and I CAN! :-))What a useless video title, the question wasn’t even answered.	brain disease,brain health,children,cognition,EPA,fish,hearing,infants,mercury,nerve health,pregnancy,safety limits,seafood,tuna,vision,visual disturbance	In a survey of three national brands of tuna in the United States, most cans exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s safety level for human consumption.	This is the last video of a three-part series on the latest on the risks of mercury in fish. See yesterday's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Nerves of Mercury and Hair Testing for Mercury Before Consider Pregnancy for parts 1 & 2. For more on the effects of mercury in fish on adults, check out Fish Fog. For more videos on canned tuna, see Carcinogenic Putrescine, The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages, Amalgam Fillings vs. Canned Tuna, and Mercury in Vaccinations vs. Tuna. Then there are a thousand other topics I cover!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hearing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/visual-disturbance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20821440,
PLAIN-2965	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/	Hair Testing for Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy	Because, as editorialized in the Journal of Pediatrics last year, “Almost all fish contain some mercury,“ women who plan on getting pregnant may want to first get tested for mercury. Due to the considerable uncertainty, they showed that specific guidelines for number of servings of fish, which are quote-unquote "safe for women of reproductive age,’’ may not be sufficiently specific to practically prevent fetal risk.” so, They conclude, "Analysis of hair mercury may be warranted before pregnancy in women who eat a lot of fish. It’s simple test. All they need is a hair sample, because mercury contaminates your whole body when you eat it. The reason they are so concerned is because they found that “even at the number of fish servings recommended by the FDA as safe, there were women with hair mercury levels above the lowest observable adverse effect level of 0.3” And some question federal safety limits. A recent review from researchers at Harvard and elsewhere on the adverse effects of methylmercury notes that the U.S. EPA limut suggests an adult should be exposed to more than 50 micrograms. But if that's the case then seafood bette contain less than 0.1 per gram and “current regulations in the United States and the European Union allow up to 10 times as much mercury in fish as the EPA limit allows. And they go on to ciricize the EPA safety limit as being way too high. They argue “Thus, (based on new data), the exposure limits estimated by the U.S. EPA and international bodies would need to be halved. So our fish is allowed to have 20 times more mercury than may be considered safe.	There is so much more mercury in fish compared to other foods that it can be used as a biomarker for fish consumption–see Hair Testing for Mercury. How much mercury exposure is there from fish as compared to amalgam fillings and vaccinations? See Amalgam Fillings vs. Canned Tuna and Mercury in Vaccinations vs. Tuna. Fish aren’t the only source of toxic heavy metals, though. Mercury has been found in both high fructose corn syrup-containing products (see Mercury in Corn Syrup?) and Ayervedic dietary supplements (Get the Lead Out). There are also videos on aluminum in cheese, arsenic in chicken, and a thousand other nutrition subjects.I think it is likely that many, many people have mercury poisoning and don’t realize it. When I started losing my hair about six years ago, I went to an integrative medical doctor who, among other things, tested me for heavy metal poisoning. I thought the test was unnecessary, but I went along with it. When the test came back, a score of nine in the mercury category was considered toxic. My score was 39! Mercury poisoning can cause hair loss, dry skin and mental confusion among other things.This pregnant woman is so adorable! No makeup, bare belly, plain hair and completely stunning from the inside out. Absolutely inspirational. Hug her for me.Just go vegan, mkay.Can you use hair analysis to determine nutriitional defecencies and recommendations for supplementation?	EPA,fish,Harvard,mercury,pregnancy,reproductive health,safety limits,seafood,women's health	The EPA safety limit on mercury in fish may not sufficiently protect pregnant women in the United States. This has led to a recommendation that fish-eating women get tested for mercury before considering getting pregnant.	There is so much more mercury in fish compared to other foods that it can be used as a biomarker for fish consumption--see Hair Testing for Mercury. How much mercury exposure is there from fish as compared to amalgam fillings and vaccinations? See Amalgam Fillings vs. Canned Tuna and Mercury in Vaccinations vs. Tuna. Fish aren't the only source of toxic heavy metals, though. Mercury has been found in both high fructose corn syrup-containing products (see Mercury in Corn Syrup?) and Ayervedic dietary supplements (Get the Lead Out). There are also videos on aluminum in cheese, arsenic in chicken, and a thousand other nutrition subjects.For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Mercury Testing Recommended Before Pregnancy, Heading Shrinking from Grilling Meat and Fukushima Radiation and Seafood	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20338578,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20400111,
PLAIN-2966	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/	Red Fish, White Fish; Dark Fish, Atrial Fibrillation	Another surprising fish story out of Massachusetts last year. Atrial fibrillation… is the most common clinical cardiac arrhythmia, an irregularity of our heart beat rhythm, which can set you up for a stroke, increase your risk of dementia and heart failure, and significantly shorten our lifespan. Previous findings on the effect of diet have been conflicting. Some studies have found alcohol, caffeine and fish consumption to be good in terms of preventing or resolving atrial fibrillation, and other studies have shown them all to be bad. It’s when this kind of situation arises in nutritional science, you pull out the big guns and put it to the test in one of the bigger better studies, like the famous Framingham Heart Study population like they did here.  They found no effect either way in general from the consumption of alcohol, caffeine, or fish, but when they looked closer they observed an association between the consumption of dark fish and atrial fibrillation. A 6-fold higher hazard ratio. What they’re talking about is basically salmon, swordfish, bluefish, mackerel, and sardines. The conclude their findings may suggest a “true adverse effect of dark fis and fish oil on certain subtypes of atrial fibrillation, proposing that “potential toxins such as dioxins and methyl mercury accumulated in certain fish may have a negative effect on cardiac arrhythmia.”	See also Boosting Heart Nerve Control for how one can improve heart rhythm function through diet, and there are other videos on alcohol, caffeine and the persistent organic pollutants that build up in the aquatic food chain. The mercury that accumulates in fish can also affect brain function in children and adults, just one of more than a thousand topics I cover.Great Vid!! Let me tell you why! For some reason everytime I tell a patient about a plant based diet (which is probably between 5-10 times per day) why is it that nearly everyone, after I get done telling them about not eating animals/meat, they ask, “Can I still eat fish?”  Then by the sheer inquisitively, perplexed look on my face they respond with, “No?  But it has lots of Omega-3’s”  I respond, “Sure it does, but if you also like dioxin, DDT and Mercury in your diet and want to act like the Mad Hatter on Alice in Wonderland, then by all means find the fillets and grill the gills.”  This is when they always start to look despondent. (I’m not ‘Fibbin’ either ;-} ) Why is it people think fish are not animals?  Any insight?This video, again, is just one more reason to help keep our patients informed and safe.  If we are going by studies back in the Framingham days as increasing risk of disease what do you think we would find on a study done on todays fish?  Yikes!The title could have been, “Red Fish, White Fish; Dark Fish, Afibish.”Of course, my humor side got the best of me again. It’s just incredible how toxic everything around has become, and the future is looking even more so, doesn’t it?  Is wild fish from Northern waters (Alaska) any better?  Or is it filled with mercury and Prozac there too?  Are you saying in this video that f.e. halibut is relatively safer to eat than salmon?Damage to environment is irreversible as I see it.  And I can’t say I see a lot of healthy looking people around, especially teens and small children, so can’t truly be hopeful.  How do you feel about this, Dr Greger? All fish will contain certain levels of contaminants, even the “cleanest” fish, like Alaskan salmon still contain modest levels of pcb’s and it is recommended children should not consume this fish no more than 3 times a month. Fish are probably the most polluted of the animal products and since we are striving to achieve an optimally healthy diet, fish should be excluded from the diet.Thanks very much.  If you were to eat any animal protein twice a week, what would you go for?  Cleanliness is the key of course. I am personally vegan simply because I cannot view any animal product as healthy to eat. They all have their issues and one can achieve excellent health on a whole foods plant based diet without meat. If one is trying to cure themselves of type 2 diabetes for example, the inclusion of meat, even once a week, regresses the healing of this disease. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/how-to-treat-diabetes/if you must have that meaty taste I would say go for mock meats, although even these foods are highly processed, but they are better than the actual meat itself.Home-raised, free-range egg whitesStudies are still conflicting: Wu JH, Lemaitre RN, King IB, Song X, Sacks FM, Rimm EB, Heckbert SR, Siscovick DS, Mozaffarian D. Association of plasma phospholipid long-chain ω-3 fatty acids with incident atrial fibrillation in older adults: the cardiovascular health study. Circulation 2012 Mar 6; 125(9):1084-93.  http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/125/9/1084.abstract Source Circulation. 2012 Mar 6;125(9):1084-93. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22282329 Fish is not the only source of omega 3. An abundance of omega 3 exists in the plant world.What about fish oil? I use Norwegian Gold CO2 extracted pills which are IFOS certified. Other than these, I am vegan. …Concerned that the pills might not be the best way to obtain EPA and DHA though, even though it appears they are the cleanest and least oxidized on the market.This is the truth! I weighed 297lbs at the age of 38 was on BP and cholesterol meds. So I decided to lose weight by eating healthier and jogging 3 years ago. I stopped eating red meat and salmon became my meat of choice. I had my first afib event after jogging 4 miles on a hot June 2010 day. It was very scary, I drove myself to the hospital, I converted spontaneously before reaching the hospital. I had a second event in the following October which did send me to the hospital. A battery of tests revealed no clear reason for my Afib. On top of eating salmon 2 – 3 times daily generally in the form of sushi I was taking fish oil as well. They put me on meds to control the afib, despite that, I had my worse event that Nov. I sought to educate myself as the doctors were just treating me. I had lost 50 pounds I was eating what I thought was very healthy and exercising daily. It really stressed me that I was eating better that I had in 15 years So, I scoured the internet. I found one report by an electrophysiologist in New York that showed a relationship between fish consumption and afib development. When I printed the report and brought it to my personal electrophysiologist he had never heard of it and said “Go eat some salmon and see if you go in to afib.” I’m not joking. My Nov event I had consumed a lot of salmon the day before, too much for it to be a coincidence in my mind. I have since completely stopped eating any animal products. I am down to a much healthier 186lbs and I have not had an afib event since and I am off all medications.Gary B: That’s an awesome story. I’m sorry you had to go through all that, but I love happy endings. Thanks for sharing your story. I expect it will help other people too. Good luck!you were very extreme. anything taken to that level causes harm. i eat salmon 2 xs a week, & other fish. the oil pills are too much.Gary how are you doing, anymore AFib? I have had several incidents and they all seem unrelated to anything except first one due to too much thyroid meds. Just had AFib today after 2 years :( Trying to find natural ways to avoid it. britare there any studies that differentiate between herbivore and omnivore/carnivore fish? of all the fish mentioned above only sardines eat plankton. lower on the food chain so the level of contaminants should be much less.This great vid caused me to reflect on my own condition. In 2000, prior to my reading anything by Ornish, McDougall, Greger or Esselstyn, I had a LAD to LIMA bypass. I became a veggie the next day. After a few years, my wife said that I should eat fish because it was healthy (had “good” fat) and I read that it also had lots of Omega 3s. She also said, “what are our friends going to feed you when we go to their place for dinner? I agreed to start eating fish (it wasn’t a tough sell for her because I am an avid fisherman. Still am but give the fish away to my friends whom I’ve been unable to convince to become vegans) and I love eating fish! Overe the next five or more years I had AF about six or so times. I read the China Study in about 2010 and McDougall and the others and became a vegan. I didn’t keep records about the incidence of my AF but I’m sure I haven’t had it in at least four years. This isn’t a study of any kind but what an interesting coincidence!!Granville AirtonA recent study showed a positive association between fish eating and reduced risk of dementia. It’s possible fish eating is associated with a generally healthy lifestyle, which could explain the result. Or perhaps eating fish reduced eating even less healthy meat. I am wondering what is known about veganism and dementia risk. The study did not, it seems. address this.David: I don’t know about the study you are referring to. However, I do know about Dr. Barnard’s book, “Power Foods For the Brain – an effective 3-step plan to protect your mind and strenthen your memory”. The book is the result of Dr. Barnard’s research into what we know about Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. When all was said and done, Dr. Barnard believes that the best science suggests that we eat no meat, dairy or eggs for optimum brain health. I don’t think any one study would trump that work. That’s just my opinion. But I thought I would point you to the book in case you weren’t aware of it: http://www.amazon.com/Power-Foods-Brain-Effective-Strengthen/dp/1455512206/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414102360&sr=8-1&keywords=power+foods+for+the+brainThanks. Actually I just realized I mistated what I read – the study showed somewhat larger brain volume in certain areas including the hippocampus. I forget the details e.g. significance of the difference, and only read a popular summary in an AARP newsletter. Needless to say, I am quite skeptical of the claims.	alcohol,atrial fibrillation,bluefish,caffeine,dementia,dioxins,fish,fish oil,food poisoning,foodborne illness,Framingham Heart Study,heart disease,heart failure,heart health,heartbeat,lifespan,longevity,mackerel,mercury,salmon,sardines,seafood,stroke,swordfish	The consumption of dark fish, such as salmon, swordfish, bluefish, mackerel, and sardines, may increase one's risk of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart beat rhythm associated with stroke, dementia, heart failure, and a shortened lifespan.	See also Boosting Heart Nerve Control for how one can improve heart rhythm function through diet, and there are other videos on alcohol, caffeine and the persistent organic pollutants that build up in the aquatic food chain. The mercury that accumulates in fish can also affect brain function in children and adults, just one of more than a thousand topics I cover.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/swordfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/framingham-heart-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heartbeat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sardines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mackerel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bluefish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-heart-nerve-control/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21106919,
PLAIN-2967	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetine/	A Fine Kettle of Fluoxetine	The source for the New York City water supply was recently tested for the occurrence of pharmaceutical and personal care products. As I talked about in one of my previous videos, many of the drugs we take are excreted in our urine and can end up polluting our waterways. What about New York City? They found trace amounts of drugs like Tylenol, ibuprofen, stimulants like nicotine, caffeine; hormones like estrone and testosterone, some antibiotics, a barbiturate, valium. The levels they found were extremely low, though, well under the NY safety standards.Now some may question the standards. Like the caffeine standard was set at 50 mg a liter—you could get 50mg drinking a half cup of coffee and lots of people drink a lot more than a half a cup, so they understandably consider that level safe. And again, none of the drugs even got close to the limits.The concern, is bioaccumulation. Does it buildup in the flesh of fish swimming in it. Well, in a national study of the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in fish, they did find, for example, Prozac metabolites in fish fillets levels higher than found in the surrounding water, but before you consider eating fish to improve your mood, know that these drugs are mostly concentrated in the brains of fish and a recent Harvard study looked at fish consumption and depression--the Harvard Nurses Study-- and their findings “do not support a protective effect of long chain omega 3;s from fish on depression risk, though they do support the hypothesis that higher ALA, the plant-based omega 3 found in flaxseeds and walnuts may reduce depression risk.	The earlier video I refer to in this one is Prozac Residues in Fish. Researchers have also found evidence of Prozac levels in poultry products. Despite the contaminants, tap water is still likely better than bottled. A better way to avoid unwanted drugs may be to cut back on meat and dairy and transition to a more plant-based diet, which, for reasons other than the ALA mentioned in the video, may also improve mood. And I didn’t mean to suggest caffeine is necessarily deleterious to health—check out What About the Caffeine? Feel free to also browse through the other 1,000+ topics covered here at NutritionFacts.org The first link is broken: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-fine-kettle-of-fluoxetineIt should be http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/quality/nyc_dep_2009_ppcp_report.pdfPlease feel free to delete my post after the link is corrected. Thank you so much Tan–corrected!Even though we cut off their (Salmon) way back home by building damn’s at least they won’t be depressed about it.  Comon’, you knew that was coming! Again more fodder to feed my patients about the benefits of plants and the benefits of letting the fish live their “natural” undepressed lives;-}Now fluoride is dumped into our drinking water and fluoride slightly(?) reduces thyroid function – dito for fluoride toothpaste.  People I know claim that having gone from fluoride free toothpaste to fluoride ones resulted in less energy and napping until their thyroid (T4) meds were increased.  What science is there behind this? Here is Dr. Greger’s position on fluoride“The proposed EPA changes to water fluoridation have sparked a resurgence of many of the old anti-fluoridation arguments, which as far as I can tell were successfully debunked over 50 years ago. According to the CDC, fluoridation of drinking water joins vaccination (another unjustly vilified practice) as one of the greatest public health achievements in the last last century.”What a great food fish is – you get your mercury, lead, dioxin, nuclear waste and now prescription drugs! Everything your body needs……. THIS IS GROTESK! Luckily the postman delivered my DEVA DHA today.Great information. Once again a wise nutritionalist would seem to place his  emphasis on plant based  sources of Omega 3’s or their precursors instead of animal/fish derivatives.Just curious if many of these pollutant drugs are eliminated in the purification production of fish oil capsules, from certain manufacturers.Thank you.Randy:I believe that these videos from Dr. Greger answer your questions about the effectiveness of purifying fish oil.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/  Just wanted to correct you on the NYS Standard for caffeine (0:50) – 50,000 ng/L is equal to 50 micrograms per litre. So, 0.05 mg/L – well below physiological response. I still wouldn’t want micrograms/L of some of the other compounds though. Thank you so so much! I’ve rerecorded and re-uploaded the video to correct the egregious error (what’s 3 orders of magnitude between friends :). As is customary, anyone finding any errors on the site are awarded a free DVD of their choice (http://www.drgreger.org/DVDs). Please just email me your mailing address to mhg1@cornell.edu and I’ll get it right off. I really appreciate your letting me know and encourage you to keep help me keep the site as scientifically rigorous as possible!i like pie	antibiotics,antidepressants,caffeine,depression,drug residues,fish,flax seeds,food poisoning,foodborne illness,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,hormones,medications,mood,New York City,omega-3 fatty acids,Prozac,seafood,seeds,SSRI's,testosterone,walnuts,water	Excreted pharmaceutical drugs such as Prozac can end up polluting our waterways and may bioaccumulate in fish flesh.	The earlier video I refer to in this one is Prozac Residues in Fish. Researchers have also found evidence of Prozac levels in Poultry Products. Despite the contaminants, tap water is still likely better than bottled. A better way to avoid unwanted drugs may be to cut back on meat and dairy and transition to a more plant-based diet, which, for reasons other than the ALA mentioned in the video, may also improve mood. And I didn't mean to suggest caffeine is necessarily deleterious to health—check out What About the Caffeine? Feel free to also browse through the other 1,000+ topics covered here at NutritionFacts.org	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-city/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antidepressants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/drug-residues/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ssris/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21471279,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19320536,
PLAIN-2968	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amnesic-seafood-poisoning/	Amnesic Seafood Poisoning	A review was published recently on domoic acid, a potent neurotoxin found extremely rarely in seafood that can cause seizures coma death like the paralytic fish toxins, but mostly interestingly causes amnesia, permanent short term memory loss. If anyone’s seen the movie Memento, that’s what they’re talking about, anterograde amnesia.  So here’s kind of a prototypical case. Prior to mussel ingestion, the patient was entirely self-sufficient small business owner. After supper he started to get nauseous, up all night vomiting, but then he started to really deteriorate. Ten days later he’s in a coma on a ventilator, but then he recovers. Three months later he’s back, normal language, judgement, social skils. Didn’t know where he was, or what day it was. In fact doesn’t remember anything since getting sick and from then on was “unable to retain any new information,” though he could remember everything in his life before that fateful meal. The toxin targets the hippocampus, the part of the brain where memories are laid down. Years later when he died, at the autopsy, there was complete neuronal loss in that part of the brain.  This amnesic seafood toxin, has been found in tuna, anchovies, mackeral. sole sardines, halibut. And the diatoms that produce the original toxin that bioaccumulates up the food chain “appear to be increasing in frequency and toxicity, thereby presenting a continued threat to human health and seafood safety. The toxin is heat stable, so “it is clear that cooking will not increase the safety of the products contaminated with domoic acid.” It does ‘’cross the placenta can enter the brain tissue, and accumulate in amniotic fluid, so “”particular concern lies in infants and children that may be exposed.”To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio	This video is about natural toxins that bioaccumulate up the food chain, but the same happens with industrial pollutants. See, for example, Xenoestrogens & Sperm Counts and Fish Intake Biomarker. Some of the other unusual conditions to strike fish consumers are profiled in Sexually Transmitted Fish Toxin, New Corpse Smell, Allergenic Fish Worms, Fish Fog and Greasy Orange Rectal Leakage. There about 50 videos on fish and hundreds on more than a thousand other topics.All smells a bit fishy to me.  Let’s ask the keeper of Domoic Acid, Mr. Domo himself:  http://www.DomoNation.com. Was it his love for Brain Freeze that he ate the Slurpee again or the Amnestic disorder from being king of Domoic acid.  I don’t think there is Domoic Acid in Slurpee’s is there.  (Being serious all the time has led me astray–Enjoy the fun)However, domoic acid only concentrates in the guts of fish and shellfish, so the muscle tissues of predator fish like tuna should be relatively (and I’ll only say relatively) safe.  We don’t know a lot about the effects of low exposures of domoic acid, only acute exposure.  Diagnosed acute exposures only come from blooms, like that in the 80s in maritime Canada, where the case you highlighted occured and over a hundred people were hit from eating contaminated mussels — which are consumed with the guts and all.It’s likely because most clinicians don’t know enough about ASP to recognize it, that many cases go undiagnosed every year.  I’m speaking, not as a clinician, but as a person who probably got ASP from eating mussels in 2007, and now live with memory issues (not as bad as you describe, thank God) and epilepsy, but my intellect intact.  Another point of interest — it was a bloom resulting in gulls being stricken with domoic acid poisoning when Alfred Hitchcock was a child — disoriented and sick, they fell to the ground and attacked any human that came near — that inspired the movie “The Birds.”  Just last year, a researcher went into tissue archives, and proved that samples taken from the birds sickened in that bloom were suffering from domoic acid poisoning!Thank you very much for your dedication to educate us about nutrition. You are truly a gift to all of us, I have been following Pritikin since 1980 and now I include you and Dr. McDougall as my mentors. I appreciate all that you and your colleagues do. Sincerely, Earl Saltzman	amnesia,anchovies,brain disease,brain health,children,coma,cooking temperature,domoic acid,fish,food poisoning,foodborne illness,halibut,infants,mackerel,memory,nausea,neurotoxins,pregnancy,sardines,seafood,tuna	There's a rare toxin called domoic acid that can turn up in tuna and other seafood and cause anterograde amnesia, the loss of short-term memory popularized in the movie Memento.	This video is about natural toxins that bioaccumulate up the food chain, but the same happens with industrial pollutants. See, for example, Xenoestrogens & Sperm Counts and Fish Intake Biomarker. Some of the other unusual conditions to strike fish consumers are profiled in Sexually Transmitted Fish Toxin, New Corpse Smell, Allergenic Fish Worms, Fish Fog and Greasy Orange Rectal Leakage. There are about 50 videos on fish and hundreds more on more than a thousand other topics.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anchovies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/domoic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sardines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mackerel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amnesia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/halibut/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greasy-orange-rectal-leakage/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19505488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15019178,
PLAIN-2969	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sad-states-standard-american-diet-state-by-state-comparison/	SAD States: Standard American Diet State-By-State Comparison	The Standard American Diet is in a sad state, but sadder in some states than others. The CDC recently released a survey to chart our progress on fruit and vegetable consumption, and, if you can even imagine, we’re eating even fewer fruits and vegetables than we were a decade ago. Not a single state met the goals they were hoping for, but one, and only one, state did make an improvement. Can you guess which one?             Here’s all 50. Note the deepest darkest color represents 35%-44.9%. So not a single state even hit 50% for eating 2 fruit a day, with Oklahoma bombing the worse. And for vegetables? Not one state even had a third of their population for three daily servings of vegetables. And less than 1 in 5 people in South Dakota. The CDC goal was to get all states up to 75% eating servings of fruit and 50% veggies by 2010. Not even close. And those eating both? Forget about it., though I am impressed… with New Engalnders and their fruit             Causasians ate the least fruit…. Hispanics the least vegetables. And the one state the only state to improve over the decade? Idaho, which just made it to blue. 	How S.A.D. is the Standard American Diet? Check out Nation’s Diet in Crisis and Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score. Even small tweaks can dramatically boost the antioxidant power of one’s meals. See Antioxidants in a Pinch and A Better Breakfast. There are dozens more videos on fruits and vegetables and hundreds of videos on more than a thousand other topics. Note in the Sources Cited section that all of the papers are available “open access,” which means freely available to the public at no cost.I can’t tell you just how SAD I feel everyday at the office.  But my patients are changing for the better.  With good information and great resources like NutritionFacts.org and NutritionMD.org, patients are finally having the daily support and education they need in continuing their lifestyle change and watching their chronic diseases stop, reverse and even disappear!! So maybe I don’t need counseling for my SAD feelings yet ;-}.  I’ll keep using Plants as my therapy and, of course, NutritionFacts.org.  Just what the doctor ordered! :)What to do? Maybe start nutrition classes in elementary school…? But then if parent or parents don’t know about it, poor little child still has no recourse and is at the mercy of what parent provides for food. Very SAD, indeed!Interestingly, looking at the study, women are doing 8-9% better than men in getting both fruits and vegetables, and it seems the farther people have pursued formal education, the more likely they are to eat more vegetables.I have also heard that women live longer. Related? I wonder if the whole women thing could be generalized to “People who cook eat more vegetables than people who don’t cook.”I am MD living in Denmark and I am very interested in the relationship between disease and diet. I think science speaks loud and clear and MD `s like Michael Greger is doing a wonderfull job trying to bring out the message. But a lot of people just don`t get it. I have close relatives who are intelligent people; despite hypertension, diabetes, bypass surgery, high cholesterol, atrial flutter, obesity etc they keep eating butter, cheese, meat, oils, eggs and expect a pill to cure a disease. I have spent hours telling them about diet and disease, but they dont get it. They think I am a fanatic. After last visit they grabbed a burger on the way home. We have a long way….   Have them watch “Forks Over Knives” (Is it in Danish?)  That will give them a basic level of knowledge, make them think, and will eliminate you from being “The Fanatic” with crazy ideas.  The trick is to give the Documentary to their friends, then have them give it to your relatives.  Good Luck!I have the DVD FOK (it is great). Maby it will work – thanks for the adviceThey say if you want to live the American dream move to denmark. Simple solution – instead of subsidizing animal foods & corn syrups we should tax these unhealthy foods so a bag of chips cost $15 and turn the taxes towards subsidizing healthy foods so a bell pepper costs $0.10… if a hamburger cost $25 or $30 people would eat a lot less of them and they’d eat a lot more fruit & veggies if they were super cheap. This would be a very effective health care plan (but the people would protest and anti-government hatred would grow out of control, unfortunately…)Price regulates behavior, so the idea is not all bad. A little less extreme and it would have an effect without “riots”. When my 6 years old son watches a commercial with a burger he says “yummy!” – Banning commercials with unhealthy food? Too extreme? Having your chest opened and your heart exposed and stopped (by-pass surgery!) leaving you with risk of minor brain-damage is extreme!Can’t win against capitalism. They want most people to eat shit so that is the way it is gonna be.. unless you have an education in it – hopefully more people look at this web site. Or have the energy to even think about thier diet at all. capitalism works you to the brink sometiems they gotta eat what is easy… I don;t blame them. I blame the system.You would have been happier in the former USSR. No capitalism but lots of food lines unless you were a higher up party boss, which i am sure you could have been. The people didnt have the luxury to worry about how many fruits or veggies-they just hoped for a full belly.	CDC,ethnicity,fruit,Idaho,Oklahoma,South Dakota,standard American diet,vegetables	The Standard American Diet is worsening and falls far from the CDC goals for minimal fruit and vegetable intake, with some states doing worse than others.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/idaho/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ethnicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oklahoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/south-dakota/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-
PLAIN-2970	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-cataracts-with-diet/	Preventing Cataracts with Diet	The leading cause of blindness and vision loss is cataracts, and cataract removal is one of the most common surgeries today. We know smoking can increase risk, and long-term radiation exposure can increase risk, but what about diet? Earlier this year researchers published a study of 27,670 people with a wide range of diets in order to compare the risk of cataracts for "high," "moderate," and "low" meat eaters, fish-only eaters, vegetarians, and vegans.The researchers went out of their way to choose health-conscious subjects, so they could factor out smoking, exercise, and other non-diet variables. How much meat did the "high" meat eating group consume? 100 grams a day. That’s like 1 serving in one meal a day. In the U.S. we average about 330 grams a day, so this is like reverse Starbucks labeling. You know how their small is a "tall"? Well, here the study's "high" is really quite low by American standards, yet they still found a highly significant trend. Who do you think had the lowest risk of cataracts?Compared to the modestly "high" meat group, the "moderate" meat eating cuts risk down 4%, and the "low" meat eating 15%.  Eating only fish cuts your risk of cataracts down 21%. Eating only vegetarian food cuts it down 30% and eating completely vegan causes a full 40% drop in risk. Overall, compared with meat eaters who consumed 100 g meat and meat products, fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans had approximately 20%, 30%, and 40% lower risk of cataracts, respectively.It’s like with the diabetes; there appears to be a stepwise reduction as we eat fewer and fewer animal products.	The concentration of advanced glycation end-products in animal-based foods may help explain this finding; see my video Glycotoxins. In Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther I covered the second leading cause of blindness, glaucoma, and the day before that I covered two other leading causes of vision loss in Preventing Macular Degeneration with Diet, where I also touch on diabetic retinopathy. I have 105 other videos on plant-based diets and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects—I hope you’ll check them out.I would love to see the study that shows a plant based diet reversing cataracts.  Pubmed doesn’t show any.  Just hope for the future I guess.Also, Dr. Greger, just curious as to how many site hits this website gets per day?  Because like I said before I send at least 5 patients per day to your site so you have got to be at least at 500/day, right?  That is assuming that half I send don’t visit the site (or don’t care, and/or Love their Grilled Carcasses to much =):-}We get a few thousand unique visitors a day–thanks to folks like you that are spreading the word!See my experience with Castor Oil reversing cataracts on my blog @ http://www.grandpawallysnaturalremedies.com. My vision was restored to 20/20 and all traces of cataracts dissolved in just three and a half weeks.Any chance you could make this all simpler and come out with a vegan multivitamin based on your research?There is no magic pill, and it’s very likely there won’t be one in our lifetime. The problem with vitamins is that companies are trying to find one, or a few nutrients that provide our bodies with health and longevity. What keeps people healthy in real life however, is eating Vegetables, fruits, beans and grains because they have so many important nutrients that work together and help cells protect each other from free radical damage. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/ In addition, there are many things in meat and dairy that increase the risk for many diseases. No vitamin can extract unwanted hormones, saturated fat, viruses/bacteria, etc.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-is-a-package-deal-3/Dr Greger does have this video – http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/In a nutshell, Vitamin D and B-12 are key.  It’s also generally accepted taking a DHA supplement is wise (I use Udo’s Oil DHA blend in smoothies, or Opti3 Omega for other days.)  Depending on the quality of your diet, you may want to look out for your iron, zinc, calcium and iodine.Based on Dr Greger’s recommendation, I am also reading the excellent ‘Vegan For Life’ (http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Life-Everything-Healthy-Plant-Based/dp/0738214930) which I’ve found a great resource, furthering my understanding. I know the supplement and pharmaceutical industry have already and will be coming up with “tailored” supplements targeting specific conditions. For eye diseases see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/ for a discussion of specific eye conditions. However, unless I see clear cut long term proper studies I won’t be able to recommend isolated supplements to patients however see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/ plus the over 70 videos that Dr. Greger has done on supplements. The bulk of data suggest that “isolated” nutrients are not beneficial and are in fact harmful for Vitamins A, E and antioxidant beta carotene as the studies point out. The best approach to avoiding chronic disease in general is a variety of whole plant based foods with Vitamin B12 supplement. So patients who either have a condition or want to avoid a condition can emphasize the types of food supported by the studies. It is always better to avoid a condition (primary prevention) then attempt to reverse and cure (secondary prevention). Of course the science keeps changing and reminding us of how little we understand.  A good example is AGE’s see the two videos showing how we can miss opportunities with assumptions based on animal studies see the two videos http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/advanced-glycation-end-products/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/. Good luck.After following the Budwig Protocol (3 tblspns flaxseed oil blended with 6 tblspns organic low fat cottage cheese, with 1 tblspn freshly ground flaxseeds and fruit every morning) for about two years, my ophthamalogist took me off my glaucoma eye drop prescription saying “things look well stabilized, so let’s try without the medicine.” I had been taking prescriptive eye drops for glaucoma for more than 20 years, but now I don’t need medicine any longer. I take flaxseed oil, cottage cheese, and ground flaxseeds every day.Just finished a biography about Nathan Pritikin (with mention in the book of course of one Frances Greger) called “Nathan Pritikin: The Man Who Healed America’s Heart.” I found it to be a fascinating and inspiring read with mention of all kinds of interesting studies. Unfortunately, there were no references for these studies in the back of the book. One study mentioned was the auditory acuity maintained by the Mabaan tribe in Sudan. Even the older tribespeople enjoy hearing superior to most younger Americans. Not being subjected to the noises of modern technology is probably beneficial for the Mabaan, but apparently atherosclerosis of the organs of hearing is a strong determinant of presbycusis in western societies.  Since the book didn’t mention the diet of the Mabaan, I did a little research. I believe this is the study: Ann. Otol. Rhin & Laryng. 71:727, 1962. To quote from the study: “The results clearly indicate that presbycusis is not inevitable. However, the Mabaan population differs from ours in may ways besides the noise environment: they eat little animal protein, there is no obesity and little dental caries, and average blood pressure does not increase with age.” Oh I’d love to read it! I see this one: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14169751 but not the one you mention. Could you email me the PDF or full citation? mhg1@cornell.edu–thank you!If you are already developing cataracts not yet in need pf surgery – can you slow or reverse by adopting healthy vegan diet?Three years ago I was diagnosed with cataracts (beginning stage…yellow tinted fluid in eyes). A second eye doctor confirmed the diagnoses. Both said I would be sightless in two years. Today my vision is still 20/15 corrected with contact lenses since age sixteen. How can the two doctors be so wrong?A year prior to the diagnosis I started taking a 5% Lugol’s Iodine Solution supplement. Could the iodine possibly have tinted my eye fluid like it does microscope slides?Cataracts are opacities in the lens not the fluid in the eye. I’m glad to hear that your physicians were wrong. It is clear that cataracts are less prevalent in groups eating a more plant based diet as pointed out in the article cited in this video. Once they have formed reversing the condition has not been shown. Fortunately surgical treatment of cataracts is one of the most successful and rewarding(for patients) who need the procedure. If you want to protect your vision plant based diet is the way to go although some foods seem to be better than others.. see video on macular degeneration… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/ and glaucoma… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/… and diabetic retinopathy… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/. The science keeps building up to support a plant based diet with Vit B12 supplementation but you need to keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps coming… Good luck.One other unrelated comment, two internet posters both insist their eye color changed after switching to a vegan diet. Both claim they are healthy and have no eye problems. Is there any truth to the claim eyes can change color after switching to a plant based diet?I shouldn’t be getting cataracts but my opthamologist says I’ll get them.Excellent!What was the length of time the vegans were vegan?It would be helpful to know this for all videos and reports even if it is an average or approximate.It would also be interesting to know if switching from a meat/fish diet to a vegetarian or vegan diet reverses the damage.This is obviously anecdotal, but I had cataracts for over ten years though they were not prominent enough to be bothersome. I started on a WFPB diet over two years ago, and a couple o f months ago the cataracts in my right eye had become problematic enough to warrant surgery last week. So at least in my case, there was no reversal of my cataracts—and even continued progression of them.Thank you for making so much material available to read. It really is a great help for a man living in Germanys north west were a lot of pig eating goes on. Makes things tough when invited to a party. I can actually see the illness in most age groups here due to there high intake of fats and meat. Funny how the truth is staring is in the face but nobody wants to hear about it.Keep up the great work.Michael DolanMichael: I like getting a peak into the situations in other countries. So, thanks for this post.re: “Makes things tough when invited to a party.” I fully understand this. Some human cultures have gotten to the point where social life becomes difficult just because you want to eat healthy. It’s possible to go to parties and still live the way you know is best, but you have to work a lot harder at it. You are not alone.I have recently come across an article that suggests a high carbohydrate diet is linked to cataract formation. (Chung-Jung Chiu, et al, “Dietary carbohydrate intake and glycemic index in relation to cortical and nuclear lens opacities in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2006; 83: 1777-1784) Have you reviewed this and is it a valid study? Is it really necessary to start counting the glycemic rating of all my plant-based foods? Thanks.Is there ever an urgency to perform cataract surgery? If not, giving a plant based diet a shot is something one could experiment with themselves on a singular trial basis, it seems that going vegan would not hurt and potentially could benefit someone who end up with the surgery if they did nothing. Surgical outcomes have got to be better for those who are plant based eaters vs SAD dieters who often get diabetes. My father-in-law had this surgery performed and his outcome has been worse than if he had not ever had it done.All plants contain distilled water, I think people need to start drinking distilled water as well, as all other sources are damaging to the body. There are organic and inorganic minerals the inorganic minerals are no good for the body. Organic minerals are in plants!I believe it’s these inorganic minerals building up in the body that’s leading cause in glaucoma , arthritis, gout and many other diseases!but dr. greger, i have been a vegetarian since 1984 and vegan since 2002. what do i do now that i’m starting to get cataracts? why did this happen?I had understood that it was the amount of fats and oils in the diet that contributed to the opacification of the lens of the eye. That reducing these in the diet will halt the progression of cataracts but not undo the damage all ready there.I had understood that it was the amount of fats and oils in the diet that contributed to the opacification of the lens of the eye. That reducing these in the diet will halt the progression of cataracts but not undo the damage all ready there.	animal products,blindness,cataracts,dairy,diabetes,eggs,eye health,fish,flexitarians,meat,omnivores,plant-based diets,radiation,smoking,surgery,vegans,vegetarians,vision	Risk of developing cataracts was compared in meateaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans.	The concentration of advanced glycation end-products in animal-based foods may help explain this finding; see my video Glycotoxins. In Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther I covered the second leading cause of blindness, glaucoma, and the day before that I covered two other leading causes of vision loss in Preventing Macular Degeneration with Diet, where I also touch on diabetic retinopathy. I have 105 other videos on plant-based diets and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects—I hope you'll check them out	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cataracts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/advanced-glycation-end-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21430115,
PLAIN-2971	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/	Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther	Glaucoma is a deterioration of your optic nerve, the nerve that connects your eyes to your brain, and is second only to cataracts as the world’s leading cause of blindness. The weird thing is that we still don’t know what causes it, and so there’s a desperate search for environmental or dietary influences. The most protective dietary component, decreasing the odds of glaucoma by 69%: consuming at least one serving a month of collard greens or kale. Just once a month or more. And the silver and bronze metal goes to weekly carrot and then peach consumption. We think may be the lutein and zeaxanthin, two yellow plant pigments that seem to know right where to go, the hone right into our retinas and appear to protect against degenerative eye disease. They allow you to us see farther too. They’re peak light absorbance just so happens to be just the wavelength of color of our planet’s sky, and so by filtering out that blue haze, on a clear day standing on top of a mountain individuals with high macular pigment—lutein and zeaxanthin— would be able to distinguish distant mountain ridges up to 27 miles further than individuals with little or no pigment.	I covered two other leading causes of blindness, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, in yesterday’s video. Tomorrow I’ll close this three-part series on preventing vision loss by addressing the world’s leading cause of blindness, cataracts. For more on lutein and zeaxanthin and where to get them in the diet, see my video Egg Industry Blind Spot. And there are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects—please feel free to explore them.I hear a song coming on: “I can see clearly now the pigments on.  I can see all Mountain’s far and away. . .” Great Segment!I can see for Miles and Miles; I can see for Miles and Miles, . . .Great video!  This is the first time I have seen Lutein and Zeaxanthin associated with Glaucoma risk reduction.  Traditionally they have been recommended for the reduction of Macular Degeneration (ARMD) risk.  New data does suggest that the earliest measurable changes in glaucoma may be the loss of retinal ganglion cells in the macula, so supplementation with Lutein/Zeaxanthin may help reduce that risk.  How much lutein and zeaxanthin though?  The best available data for ARMD risk is that 10-20 mg of lutein per day and 2-4mg of zeaxanthin is a good amount.  There is no current data on glaucoma, but that same range would be reasonable.Foods that are richest in lutein include kale, spinach, collards and turnip greens.  Eggs by contrast have a mere 0.15 mg of lutein each.With respect to glaucoma, the tricky part is that the early changes occur so slowly and insidiously that there are NO symptoms for most people.  Also, there is no evidence that glaucoma related vision loss can be restored with medical or nutritional intervention. Therefore, it is important to have a thorough eye exam periodically.  The frequency would depend upon your age and risk (family history, ethnicity, etc).  A good rule of thumb is an exam every couple of years until you are 50, then every year.New technology called OCT allows us to measure the optic nerve and macula with incredible precision (down to about 6/1000 of a millimeter).  This can catch glaucoma more than a decade before vision problems would be noticed by the patient.  Then appropriate interventions can be prescribed. If you have concerns or at high risk, seek out a doctor who has this technology and get a baseline measurement that can be tracked over time as needed.  You can read more about OCT here:http://speceye.com/oct-eye-exam-revolutionizes-eye-care/Dr. John Henahan:  I am a lay person and appreciate your taking the time to write your post.  I know someone with terrible eye problems and the more we know, the better.I am curious about one aspect of your post, especially since get my eyes checked about once a decade.  You wrote: “there is no evidence that glaucoma related vision loss can be restored with medical or nutritional intervention.”  and then you wrote: “Then appropriate interventions can be prescribed.”I’m not trying to be snotty.  I honestly want to know: If we have no known medical or nutritional intervention, what “appropriate interventions” are there? I have found in dealing with my dog’s health issues that while we can often find a diagnosis (at least we think we know what it is), there is more often when there is nothing that can really be done about it.  So, I now look ahead for every test and first ask: if this comes back positive, is there really anything we can do about it?I think that a similar approach for humans makes sense.  So, is there really anything that can be done if early glaucoma is detected?Thanks for any insights you have.Great question!  There are VERY EFFECTIVE interventions that can prevent further loss of vision, but there is no real way that we know of to reverse the damage that has already been done. Most commonly the treatment is one eye drop in the effected eye(s) at bedtime. Also, it should be noted that most patients aren’t even aware of the loss of peripheral vision that accompanies glaucoma, and by the time they are aware vision loss likely exceeds 90% of vision. Since the optic nerve becomes more fragile as it becomes more damaged, it is much harder to preserve remaining vision in someone with advanced glaucoma vs early glaucoma.  Hence early detection is critical.Hope this helps!Dr. John Henahan:  Thank you for the clarification.  That helps a lot.  I hadn’t caught the distinction in your original post, but now I see it is there.  Thanks for the reply. You make an excellent argument for getting those checkups you talked about.FYI: My relative currently has high pressure in one eye, enough to raise concerns of blindness in that eye.  I don’t know the technical term for this problem, but I know that the eye drops she has been given (and she’s tried quite a few varieties) have caused severe life-altering bad side reactions.  I hope the glaucoma drops are more user-friendly.Thanks again for your response. Clearly, the best thing to do is follow the information in this video, eat healthy, and hopefully avoid glaucoma in the first place! thanks for asking Thea, I was wondering the same thing. :-)Dr. Henahan…any prevention advice at all for retina issues, i.e., retinal tears…detachments, etc? I have a high school friend who has had a number of laser treatments for retinals tears…I am wondering if nutrition helps with this at all? thank you!This is such welcome news! Both my brother and I are at risk of glaucoma – borderline cases. I eat kale and collards weekly, as well as carrots daily, so this is very good news indeed! Dr. Greger, just earlier ths week I was searching your video archives, hoping to find a link behind nutrition and preventing glaucoma, and today you posted some vital information! Thank you so much. This website is such a wonderful public resource. I check it daily for your updates.Do we need to cook our tomatoes for the benefit of Lycopene, or will juicing the tomatoes give us the same benefit?Hi Veguyan. Great question. While I personally advocate the consumption of primarily raw fruits and veggies, there are some instances where cooking a fruit or vegetable has beneficial side effects. Cooking tomatoes and the increase in lycopene bioavailability is one such instance. Dr. Gregor discusses this very topic in this video linked here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/ . As you will see, cooking tomatoes does in fact increase the bioavailability of lycopene. I would deduce that while there are benefits to drinking raw tomato juice, if lycopene consumption is what you are looking for, cooking the tomato will have a greater impact. This other video also discusses the benefits associated with cooking tomatoes vs. consuming them raw: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/I eat kale every day, and peaches when seasonal and also lots of spinach and tomatoes (cooked and raw).  The eye-doctor still wants me in there every 6 months because I have early warning signs of glaucoma :(Canned or dried peaches? Why not fresh peaches? If you can find them then go fresh!Does the collard greens, kale and spinach have to be fresh. Can it be frozen or canned?This is terrific information. Now, to get my meat and potatoes eating husband who is worried about age-related macular degeneration to eat healthier vegetables than just baby greens, carrots and tomatoes. When I served him kale, as well as spinach, he ate a tiny bit of spinach and left the kale for me.His father had glaucoma as well as age-related macular degeneration, and he keeps speaking with his ophthalmologist about it and has drops to put into his eyes, but he does not like vegetables.What suggestions do you have to empower him to eat more nutritious veggies?What if you already have glaucoma? Is there any certain nutrient we can/should take to slow down vision loss in addition to, of course, prescribed eye drops?I drink loads of Coffee and have glaucoma, with no family history. Maybe the cause.Hi Dr Greger. Eye illnesses are of great interest to me. In the summer of ’99, my mom suddenly lost her sight, and when taken to the dr, then hospital, to acquire massive doses of intravenous prednesone and a temporal biopsy later, it was found she had temporal arteritis (inflammation of the blood vessels in or behind the eyes which leads to blindness). Dr’s had not figured out why for months previous to her overnight blindness what was causing (what I found to be precursor) pain in her chest/torso/and arms.When we were given the TA diagnosis, I researched it and found those previous pains (that also seemed to come on pretty quickly the year before) were polymyalsia rheumatica. (sp) Also after the blindness, we learned of a blood test called the “sed rate test” where they took her blood and looked at how fast or slow the sedementation rate was in it. (this is very rudimentary version on my part). I believe it was the prednesone that brought down her ‘sed rate’ to normal. I would so much like for you to add this to your series of eye illnesses (causes for blindness) as it seems temporal arteritis is not so common and so not well known. If it had been, perhaps the doctors could have diagnosed my mom’s torso pains (and not just think it was heart issues like they did) prior to the TA and her sight probably would have been saved, in my opinion. It also seems to boil down to just plain inflammation–caused by a poor diet. But then, my dad did live to be 87 and my mom is currently 95. Go figure.One other note, just a week or so before my mom went blind, my parents saw their doctor because my mom’s appetite was diminished and she just seemed down. He gave them a sample pack of an anti-depressant whose name escapes me at this moment. My dad started to give my mom the anti-depressant and a week later she went blind. In reading the fine print of this medication, my sister discovered that it could cause arteritis. Don’t know if that was the leading cause, or if it hastened the end result that was already well on its way. It’s all pretty interesting to say the least. Would love to see this illness featured by you. :-)Thank you for your consideration for all that you do.I have a terrible eye allergy, swollen, redness, itching, i overreact to everything, I used cortisone drops , very often, which diet would be good for me thanksThis dish replaces the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage.Corn, Beets, and Collards– 1 package frozen corn / 1 ½ cups fresh corn – 3 medium beets, cubed – 1 bunch organic* collards, cut into ribbons – 2 red onions, thinly sliced – 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced – ½ tsp white pepper – ½ tsp black pepper – 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar – 1 lemonCook onion on high heat in a large skillet with a splash of water for 1-2 minutes covered. Lower heat and cook, covered, until onions begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Add beets, pepper, and apple cider vinegar. Cook on medium heat, covered, until beets tender, about 20 minutes. Add corn, collards, and juice of lemon. Cook a couple minutes longer until collards turn bright green.*Collards may contain pesticides of special concern so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.phpBookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium~Complements of lovestobeveganConsider using organic beets. The vast majority of sugar beets I have read are GMOGreat video. Can the leafy greens be cooked or raw, or will cooking diminish the bioavailability of the lutein and zeaxanthin?Both raw and cooked greens will supply the carotenoids and a bit of added fat will boost availability. For more information on this check out Brenda Davis’s book Becoming Raw. She did a guest post about paleo diets, too.	anthocyanins,beta carotene,blindness,cancer,carrots,cataracts,collard greens,eye disease,eye health,fruit,glaucoma,greens,kale,lutein,lycopene,men's health,ovarian cancer,ovary health,peaches,phytonutrients,prostate cancer,prostate health,tomatoes,vegetables,vision,women's health,zeaxanthin	The risk of glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness, appears to be dramatically reduced by kale or collard greens consumption, thanks to the phytonutrient pigments lutein and zeaxanthin.	I covered two other leading causes of blindness, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, in yesterday's video. Tomorrow I'll close this three-part series on preventing vision loss by addressing the world's leading cause of blindness, cataracts. For more on lutein and zeaxanthin and where to get them in the diet, see my video Egg Industry Blind Spot. And there are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects—please feel free to explore them.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zeaxanthin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cataracts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lutein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovarian-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lycopene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glaucoma/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19266359,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18355790,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20492192,
PLAIN-2972	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-macular-degeneration-with-diet/	Preventing Macular Degeneration with Diet	More than a million Americans are blind. The four most common causes are cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetes. This, is normal vision. This is with cataracts, this is with macular degeneration, and this is with diabetic retinopathy. And if left untreated they all can end up looking like, this. We know diabetes, the leading cause of new cases of blindness, and amputations, and kidney failure, can be prevented, managed, treated, and even cured with a plant-based diet. But what about the other three common causes of blindness. Last year researchers looked at the connection between overall diet quality and age-related macular degeneration, but diet quality based on whose criteria? They based it on the Alternative Healthy Eating Index developed by Harvard. You basically get scored 1 thorough 10 based on each food group. If you consume 5 servings of vegetables a day, for example, your vegetable score is a 10, 4 servings of fruits a day get’s you a perfect fruit score. If you eat vegetarian you get a perfect 10 in the meat department, then more whole foods, less trans fats etc. And based on these crititeria, they concluded last year that advanced AMD was significantly related to overall diet quality.	Plant-based diets may help prevent all four major causes of blindness. I’ll cover the other two, glaucoma and cataracts, in my next two videos in this three-part series. See also How to Prevent Diabetes and How to Treat Diabetes. And for an alternative Alternative Healthy Eating Index, see Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score. In addition, please help yourself to the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.The Bomb you are!!  Without that daily dose of Dr. Gregor’s reviews I would be flailing to keep up with the science and would probably just give up, and go back to eating meat!  Well, not really but I would have resorted to some Tofurkey ;-} Me too, me too!I was surprised to read in the last source you cited that “alcohol consumption of 1.5–2.5 drinks/d as ideal for men and 0.5–1.5 drinks/d as ideal for women.” Aside from you previous comments that alcohol doesn’t help people who practice even a minimally healthy lifestyle, I’d always heard that bad booze makes you go blind. Guess there must be some wine connoisseurs on Harvard’s nutrition board.I thought that what I heard was methanol makes you go blind.This video correctly covers the fact that patients who eat a healthy diet are much less likely to suffer severe vision loss from Macular Degeneration (ARMD).  However, it is also important to NOT smoke and to wear sunglasses to minimize your risk.Also, as an eye doctor who has worked with the visually impaired for 20+ years, I have NEVER seen a patient go totally blind from ARMD.  It is a devastating disease that causes loss of central detail vision in the central area of the retina.  But it has no effect on the rest of the retina, and as such most patients are still able to move through the environment without seeing eye dogs, canes for the blind etc.  ARMD takes away all your detail vision however, so reading, driving, watching TV etc are profoundly worsened.  For an informative article on ARMD look at this link:  http://speceye.com/macular-degeneration-hits-home/Sorry, now I see in your article the importance of fish oil…thanks! I live in Florida and my eye doctor is also always reminding me about sunglasses too when I go for my routine eye checks…he reminds me about leafy greens too. Thanks for the information Dr. Henahan.I see that fish oil is really beneficial against macular degeneration and of course other things. I’d be getting my omega 3 from a plant source though. It’s about time I get it as I’ve been neglecting it for a long time.Great idea.  I have recently changed to vegetable source EPA/DHA too.  It is more expensive, but I prefer to minimize my animal product intake and I have no worries about residual contamination of fish sourced EPA/DHA.Is Flax seed expensive?  Omega 3/Omega 6 ratio of 2:1.  That’s twice as much Omega 3 as Omega 6!  And it’s cheap.  The only other food that comes close is Chia Seed–It tastes discusting (in my opinion) and looks better on my Chia Pet–Just ask Bob Ross. How do you eat your chia seed? I put a teaspoon in my smoothies or pancake mix and was thinking about adding it to salads and soups. I haven’t noticed any flavor (good or bad) from the chia. It’s milder than poppyseeds, in my experience. I’d love to sprout it too. Maybe I’ll have to buy a chia pet!Maybe it left a bad taste in my mouth after my parents spread chia seeds all over me and made me stand in a corner for a week to grow my own ghillie suit. No not true but it sounded good ;-} James R. Bennie, M.D. Redding Family Medical Group 2510 Airpark Dr. Ste., 201 Redding, CA  96001 Ph. 530.244.4034________________________________ From: Disqus To: james.bennie@yahoo.com Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 6:51 AM Subject: [nutritionfacts] Re: Preventing Macular Degeneration with DietDisqus generic email templateMJ (unregistered) wrote, in response to HemoDynamic, M.D.: How do you eat your chia seed? I put a teaspoon in my smoothies or pancake mix and was thinking about adding it to salads and soups. I haven’t noticed any flavor (good or bad) from the chia. It’s milder than poppyseeds, in my experience. I’d love to sprout it too. Maybe I’ll have to buy a chia pet! Link to commentI make Chia Pudding.  Put 2-3 Tablespoons in a bowl, add some chopped nuts, raisens, some natural sweetener,(I add maple syrup), and some Almond Milk.  Put in fridge till it thickens. Add more Almond milk, if needed for pudding-like consistancy. Sounds Delish!  I will give it a try. Thanks! ;-}Yes, Dr. Henahan: I have a high school friend who had cataracts before the age of 50! Her eye doctor said it was probably due to the fact that she smokes. Also, I’ve read of fish oil being very important for eye health; do you think it’s important to also include to stave off eye disease especially as we age? Thanks.I’d love to rely exclusively on diet and flax seed for my Omega3s instead of fish oil DHA capsules. Is there a standard amount of flax seed that’s recommended for daily consumption? Also, does using ground flax seed in baked goods lessen the efficacy of the Omega3s? Fish oil is quite harmful indeed so it is best to stick with the flax seeds.Dr. Greger recommends two tablespoons of flax seeds per day. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/just-the-flax-maam/Woman need approximately 1.1 grams of omega 3 per day and men need 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day. Two tablespoons of ground flax seeds have approximately 3.1 grams of omega 3.Cooking does not degenerate the fats, they remain intact so it is perfectly ok to cook with ground flax seeds as the omega 3 will not be diminished. Hi Toxins, Thanks so much! It’s easy to add ground flax seed to baked goods, for example, plus ground flax seeds work well as a substitute for eggs in recipes for muffins and the like.My understanding is that heat does harm flax seed oil. That is why I use organic, cold pressed flax seed oil.cold pressed less harmful to oil than baking?! when you pull the oil it is exposed to oxygen; baking saves the oil from oxygen by adding antioxidant herbs and more oxygen-stable fats like monounsaturates or mct oil, so that instead of longterm exposure to air, we are going straight from the protective seed to the fatty antioxidant emulsions .I no longer use the oil but the meal as the oil within the meal is more stable in this form.What about risk of ingesting too much cadmium from flax? I have seen no discussion of this point. Perhaps 1 or even 2 Tbls per day would be ok. But I don’t know if that’s true. Also there’s the issue that not much of the plant Omega 3, ALA, is converted to DHA. At least one study has shown vegans have very low DHA levels. To me that’s a good argument for geting DHA/EPA from algae-based supplements.Here are Jeff Novicks comments on Cadmium and flaxhttp://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts5.html#bookmark10The EPA has determined that exposure to cadmium in drinking water at concentrations of 0.04 ppm for up to 10 days is not expected to cause any adverse effects in a child.The EPA has determined that lifetime exposure to 0.005 ppm cadmium is not expected to cause any adverse effects.The FDA has determined that the cadmium concentration in bottled drinking water should not exceed 0.005 ppm.The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has limited workers’ exposure to an average of 5 μg/m3 for an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek.However, food is not really the main issue here especially for those following the recommendations here. While low levels are found in all foods the highest levels are found in shellfish, liver, and kidney meats. As with most of these chemicals, eating low on the food chain is important to decreasing exposure.In addition, while toxicity has occurred from contaminated water getting into the food supply, human exposure to environmental cadmium is primarily the result of the burning of fossil fuels and municipal wastes. Tobacco smoking is the single most important source of cadmium exposure in the general population. On average, smokers have 4-5 times higher blood cadmium concentrations and 2-3 times higher kidney cadmium concentrations than non-smokers.Cadmium content is influenced by the soil and studies have shown no significant change (or difference) in blood cadmium levels after supplementing with flaxseed or flaxseed oil.European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2002) 56, 157-165. DOI: 10.1038/sj/ejcn/1601298 The effect of flaxseed supplementation in processed foods on serum fatty acids and enterolactoneIn regards to ALA conversions,This recent study showed that the conversion rate in Vegans is 2x that of a fish-eater.“Comparison of the PLLC n23 PUFAs:DALA ratio between dietary-habit groups showed that it was 209% higher in vegan men and 184% higher in vegan women than in fish-eaters, was 14% higher in vegetarian men and 6% higher in vegetarian women than in fish-eaters, and was 17% and 18% higher in male and female meat-eaters, respectively, than in fish-eaters This suggests that the statistically estimated conversion may be higher in non-fish-eaters than in fish-eaters.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20861171In addition, another study showed that despite this “theoretical” low conversion rate, there is not evidence of any harm so, the problem may not be in the conversion rate, but in the assumption that it is low.“There is no evidence of adverse effects on health or cognitive function with lower DHA intake in vegetarians”“In the absence of convincing evidence for the deleterious effects resulting from the lack of DHA from the diet of vegetarians, it must be concluded that needs for omega-3 fatty acids can be met by dietary ALA. ”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500961Thanks very much for the references!Unfortunately the article athttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500961is not free so I could not read it. I did read the other one. Some neurological disorders could take decades to manifest. It seems to me that the effetcs of extremely low DHA over decades has not been satisfactorily addressed. The brain/nervous system has lots of DHA, so I’m still concerned.Please note that Fuhrman recommends DHA supplementation based on his experience with older male vegans. Here’s a quote from Fuhrman’s website:“Omega-3 fatty acids and Parkinson’s disease (PD): A number of animal studies have shown that DHA has preventive and/or therapeutic effects against PD.20-22 I have seen PD in a surprising number of elderly men that eat healthy vegan diets, and I have also observed that all these men were DHA-deficient. Since men convert ALA to DHA less efficiently than women, prevention of Parkinson’s disease with DHA supplementation may be important for non-fish eating men.”On the other hand, Fuhrman’s experience is not a scientific study, let alone a consensus based on many studies.Norris, based on Furhman’s experience, also recommends supplementation. Here’s a link to Norris’ opinion:http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/omega3If you find more articles relevant to this topic, I’d appreciate a heads up. For now, since I see no drawback to taking an algae-based Omega 3, I prefer to err on the side of caution and supplement directly.Thanks again for your informative response to my original query.Remember that DHA is created in the body. The elderly generally have poor conversion rates of many things including vitamin D and b12 probably due to aging rather then dietary deficiencies. In these cases it may be necessary to supplement if a deficiency is present. Taking an algae supplement will cause no harm either way You can also get long-chain omega-3’s from algae oil capsules which of course, are vegan, but they’re a bit expensive.Whether vegans need too   supplement with long-chain omega-3 or whether flax seed is good enough is uncertain. Dr. Fuhrman is at present running clinical trials to answer that question. Until we know the results, I think I’ll continue to take my algae oil just to be on the safe side. These videos are great! You get to the point and support it. I have shared these with friends who are checking out all your videos. I have been trying to tell them that plant-based is the way to go. You make it concise and easy to comprehend. Thank you.Ann K Annapolishello doctor greger.i really enjoy your videos , i think you are a great speaker and you connect with the crowd very well . in relation to this video i have a question , do you know of any studys which looked at retinitis pigmentosa and diet ? Thank you for the kind words. It appears as though little research has been done on this subject so no definitive conclusions can be made. However, it has been suggested by some research that vitamin A may have a beneficial effect for people with RP. One study was recently published in June 2012 in the Archives of Ophthalmology: ω-3 Intake and Visual Acuity in Patients With Retinitis Pigmentosa Receiving Vitamin A (Arch Ophthalmol. 2012;130(6):707-711). The study calculated dietary intake from questionnaires completed annually by 357 adult patients from 3 randomized trials who were all receiving vitamin A, 15 000 IU/d, for 4 to 6 years. The researchers concluded that ʺmean annual rates of decline in distance and retinal visual acuities in adults with retinitis pigmentosa receiving vitamin A, 15 000 IU/d,are slower over 4 to 6 years among those consuming a diet rich in ω-3 fatty acids. To our knowledge, this is the first report that nutritional intake can modify the rate of decline of visual acuity in retinitis pigmentosa.ʺIt just blows me away that most people still don’t seem to know that diet and lifestyle choices largely predict health and disease status :(I really appreciate this! I’ve just recently heard about this, and have been looking for someone who knows how to work with macular degeneration in Danville IL, and this gave us some insight for what to look for when choosing one. Thanks for sharing!	Adventist Health Studies,amputations,blindness,cataracts,diabetes,eye disease,eye health,fruit,glaucoma,Harvard,kidney disease,kidney failure,kidney health,macular degeneration,meat,plant-based diets,processed foods,trans fats,vegans,vegetables,vegetarians,vision	A healthy diet may not only prevent the complications of diabetes, but also reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration, another common cause of blindness.	Plant-based diets may help prevent all four major causes of blindness. I'll cover the other two, glaucoma and cataracts, in my next two videos in this three-part series. See also How to Prevent Diabetes and How to Treat Diabetes. And for an alternative Alternative Healthy Eating Index, see Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score. In addition, please help yourself to the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cataracts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amputations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glaucoma/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-diabetes/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19386029,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21983060,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20100101,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20425575,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14999894,
PLAIN-2973	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/	Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation	One of the reasons some studies haven’t shown more impressive results tying disease reduction to the quantity of fruit and vegetable consumption, may be because of the quality of fruit and vegetable consumption. People are more likely to eat bananas than blueberries; cucumbers instead of kale. Variety is also important though. If you eat a whole cantaloupe you would be recorded getting 8 servings of fruits or vegetables. One head of iceberg lettuce makes like 10 cups.We know that whole foods are better than eating individual nutrients, for example a carrot is better than a beta carotene pill, because of what’s been called nutrient synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, as many of the nutrients interact, work together, and complement one another. But what about synergy between foods?Check this out. I've talked about the wonders of the spice turmeric, but the key component has very poor bioavailability. Just a tiny bit gets into your bloodstream after eating a nice curry—unless, you add some black pepper. The phytonutrient in black pepper boosts the levels of the turmeric phyonutrient 2000%! That's why dietary diversity is so important.Not only may the variety of fruit and vegetable consumption decrease disease risk independent from quantity of consumption, sometimes variety may be even more important. Check this out, no difference in inflammation—C-reactive protein levels—between those eating 6 servings of vegetables a day and those eating 2 servings, but those eating the more variety—even if they didn’t necessarily eat greater overall quantities—had significantly less inflammation.This supports the American Heart Association’s latest dietary guidelines, which, for the first time, added a recommendation for also eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.	Make sure to watch the “prequel” to this video, yesterday’s video. See EPIC Study for an example of one of the studies that didn’t show results as impressive as expected. For more on the anti-inflammatory nature of plant foods, see Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants and Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods. For more on black pepper, see Is Black Pepper Bad For You?, and for more on turmeric, see Oxalates in Cinnamon. There are 13 other videos on spices and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects, so please check them out.I can use black pepper to increase the bioavailability of turmeric by 2000%? Yes! Can black pepper increase bioavailability in anything else besides tumeric?Dr. Greger, do you have a book which contains some of what you post or information like what is mentioned?I have written a few books, but with such a dynamic field I felt that this sort of online platform would be the best to highlight the latest of the latest science.Might be a stupid question – but is the variety measured over the day or over a week?So taking Tumeric supplement not effective?Okay just saw the turmeric video. Too much turmeric is high in oxalate. I had kidney stones the past….. tossing out the turmeric supplement.Don’t toss the turmeric!!! Dr. Greger just said turmeric’s bioavailability is increased when black pepper is added to it, which means I will be adding black pepper to the turmeric I fill my capsules with. Great info comes to those who wait!!!Dr. Greger,Do you think the effects here could be explaind by the increased variety leading to higher likelihood of high anti-oxidant fruits and veg in ones diet?  (Instead of synergistic properties)   My hunch would be that people eating a lower variety of fruits and vegetables are probably more likely to eat low-antioxidant fruits and veg. Is it possible this study is just showing (again) that some veg are better than others?  If I get in a vegetable rut of kale, red bell peppers, beets, carrots and arugula, would I really benefit from including lower antioxidant veg for variety?Please also check out my associated blog post Fighting Inflammation with Food Synergybeen doing blackpepper- curcuma for years, which really helps prevent or at least greatly reduce the inflammation i can suffer from due to my back injuryI love the example of pepper raising the effectiveness of turmeric by 2000%. Where could I find more examples like this of food synergy? I googled it and didn’t find much. Thanks so much and I love love your site Dr Greger!We just started taking Turmeric capsules, 500 mg. Instead of pepper, it has a patented ingredient called Meriva. It says it “…uses a specialized extract combined with phosphatidylcholine to help generate greater curcumin bioavailability than common turmeric extracts”. Have you heard of this? Is it true that it is better than pepper?Dr. Greger advises against Turmeric capsules, check out his video for detailshttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/Thank you for your reply!Meriva is curcumin extracted from turmeric and then processed to increase bioavailability.Adding black pepper to turmeric in food increases the bioavailability of turmeric by 2,000%Recently, I had some produce lying around that needed to be used up. I concocted (developed, in the foodie world) an impromptu recipe incorporating turmeric, which I thought (and my BF agreed) was quite yummy. See what you think:Small bunch of sliced carrots 1/2 diced red onion 1 small red potato 1 small fennel bulb, diced and sliced 1/2 Pink Lady apple (might sound odd, but it really works in this recipe) ~1 tbls EVOO 1 teaspoonish dried tarragon ~1 tbls turmeric pepper to taste 4 cups veggie broth 1/4 cup or so of frozen corn Lemon (optional)Saute first 5 ingredients in EVOO (or water saute if you prefer) until soft and take on color. Add spices and mix together to incorporate flavors. Add broth, and allow all flavors to simmer for a while (I think I let mine simmer about 30 minutes). Blend half the soup. Add corn and stir until thawed out. Serve and enjoy. I squeezed some lemon into my soup, b/c I thought it enhanced the soup’s flavor, but this is optional.I listened to a number of your little videos here and came away with the information that collards and kale are preventative of glaucoma. Most of the others seemed to just make generalizations about diet being related to other eye diseases. There was nothing in the macular degeneration segment that I could take and use to improve this condition in myself. This is a serious disease, yet I have heard that it has been cured by dietary inputs. Surely you can find something more substantive than that “Macular degeneration is related to diet,” or something bland to that effect that you said!Although you can survive on an all potato diet http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1252113/pdf/biochemj01140-0284.pdf it is important to eat a varied diet. If spinach is your go-to leafy green, substitute the recipe’s spinach with kale, collards, or swiss chard to increase the diversity of your diet. In fact, eating just one serving of collards or kale a month has been shown to lessen your risk of glaucoma by 69% http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-glaucoma-and-see-27-miles-farther/. Rather than using your standard apple variety, select a type of apple new to you.Mind Your Peas and Curry– 1 large red onion, thinly sliced – 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced – 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced – ½ tsp ground ginger – 2 tsp brown mustard seeds – 1 tbsp cilantro – 2 tbsp curry powder – ¼ tsp black pepper – 3 cups water/homemade vegetable broth – 1 cup red lentils – 2 cups snap peas, de-string and chopped – 1 lb fresh organic* spinach, chopped – 1-2 organic* apples, dicedCrush and mince garlic http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-are-the-anti-cancer-effects-of-garlic/ and set aside. Cook onions in a dry, uncovered pot over medium heat until soft and fragrant, 10-15 minutes. Stir in ginger, mustard seeds, cilantro, curry powder, and black pepper. Add water and lentils. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat until lentils tender, about 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in snap peas, spinach, and apple. Serve spooned over wild rice blend or brown basmati rice.*Apples rank 1st (most contaminated) for yet another year and spinach ranks #6 (up two from last year’s 8th) in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.phpBookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes.~Complements of lovestobeveganOn The Doctors Show on CBS, they touted drinking milk and to give kids 3 glasses a day. What’s up?This video addresses the issue of milk with kids.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/I am from Argentina. Reading you want to know if you can tell me about Lupus and food. The pain of inflammatory of the articulation are the worst in this case. Sorry my english please. Waiting for an answer.Alicia: I’m sorry to hear you have such a painful disease.I did a quick search for “Lupus” on this site and nothing came up. However, I know that there are several videos on this site about inflammation. You may want to do several searches on NutritionFacts of various related topics and similar diseases. You may be able learn something about diet and inflammation that may be helpful to you even if the study wasn’t specifically about Lupus.I hope you find that helpful – at least for now until a video on your particular topic comes along. Also, I don’t know if you find hearing English easier or harder than reading it. I thought I would point out that there is a “Transcript” section below each video. (Just in case you hadn’t already seen it.)Good luck.Lupus, I believe, is an autoimmune disease. Typing autoimmune in the search box brought up about 3 pages of videos on this site. A number of their descriptions mentioned inflammation, which is reduced by a vegan diet in general. Perhaps if you run through those videos, you will find something helpful. (Some choices may be blog articles; I didn’t notice.) You might also find more by searching on inflammation or anti-inflammatory.Lupus, I believe, is an autoimmune disease. Typing autoimmune in the search box brought up about 3 pages of videos on this site. A number of their descriptions mentioned inflammation, which is reduced by a vegan diet in general. Perhaps if you run through those videos, you will find something helpful. (Some choices may be blog articles; I didn’t notice.) You might also find more by searching on inflammation or anti-inflammatory.turmeric is mild, so you can add a lot of it to food. it also makes the food look a lot more appetizing with it’s rich yellow color.If I get some acid reflux and gassiness from a 505mg organic turmeric/black pepper capsule, does this mean that my particular system cannot handle it?I read that black pepper to turmeric should be around 1 to 15 for best absorptionD’oh! Made a cauliflower, purple potato, chickpea and kale curry tonight. Forgot to add the black pepper.One link not working in the sources : USDA Food Availability. 2011Thanks Youcef fixing asap!	American Heart Association,bananas,beta carotene,blueberries,cantaloupe,carrots,cucumbers,curry powder,dietary guidelines,fruit,inflammation,kale,lettuce,nutrient synergy,pepper,phytonutrients,spices,supplements,turmeric,vegetables	The variety of fruit and vegetable consumption may decrease disease risk, independent of quantity.	Make sure to watch the "prequel" to this video, yesterday's video. SeeEPIC Study for an example of one of the studies that didn't show results as impressive as expected. For more on the anti-inflammatory nature of plant foods, see Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants and Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods. For more on black pepper, see Is Black Pepper Bad For You?, and for more on turmeric, see Oxalates in Cinnamon. There are 13 other videos on spices and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects, so please check them out.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/12/anti-cancer-nutrient-synergy-in-cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepper/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cucumbers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curry-powder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cantaloupe/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspirin-levels-in-plant-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-black-pepper-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20516408,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9619120,
PLAIN-2974	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apples-and-oranges-dietary-diversity/	Apples and Oranges: Dietary Diversity	When it comes to fruits and vegetables, it’s not only quality, and quantity, but also variety. We know, for example, spinach is healthier than lettuce, and a big salad is better than small, but is it better to get the spring greens mesclun mix than even the straight spinach? Is it healthier to eat one apple and one orange than it is to eat 3 apples? Or 3 oranges? An interesting pair of studies were released recently that looked at disease risk and the variety of fruit and vegetable consumption. I think we’re used to some of the more generic plant compounds like vitamin C, which is sprinkled throughout the plant kingdom, whereas there are specific phytonutrients, produced by specific plants to perform specific functions—both in their organs and ours—and we miss out on them if we’re stuck in a fruit and vegetable rut, even if every day we’re eating a lot. There are tens of thousands of phytonutrients but they’re not evenly distributed throughout the plant kingdom. Those wonderful glucosinolates I’ve talked about are found almost exclusively in the cabbage family. You don’t get lemonoids like lemonin and limonol or tangeretin in apples, for example. Comparing apples and oranges is like, comparing apples and oranges In a sense, though. all fruits are just fruits, whereas vegetables can be any other part of the plant. Roots harbor different nutrients than shoots. Carrots are roots, celery and rhubarb are stems, dark green leafies are, leaves, peas are pods, and cauliflower is true to it's name, a collection of flower buds, but all fruits are just fruits, so it may be even more important to get in a variety of vegetables so you can benefit from all parts of the plant, and that’s indeed what they found.	The pair of studies I refer to in the video are going to be covered in tomorrow’s video-of-the-day. This was more of a backgrounder to set them up. If you can’t wait, you’ll note that one of them is available open access, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.  In terms of fruit and vegetable quality, berries are the healthiest fruits (see Best Berries) and greens are The Healthiest Vegetables. There are 139 more videos on fruits and vegetables and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.As always, thank you Dr Greger. Nice video editing and colorful pictures.   Wow, I just ate lunch (which included a tri-color cabbage slaw white green red!) and now I am hungry again after watching this colorful presentation. Thanks Doc! Great job as always…keep on getting the word out!Great video I am making the Portuguese subtitles, but I am not sure if I got the correct limonoids’ names. Is it lemonol? I couldnt find anything about it. I believe it’s spelled LimonolGood to remember that we don’t know everything and we don’t have a formula for perfect health! The wider variety of healthy foods we eat, the better chance we have at living long healthy lives. Thanks for the info.  I love your site!There is a version with Portuguese subtitles of this video on youtube Há uma versão deste vídeo com legendas em português no youtubehttp://youtu.be/FvDDaKpjVwU fantástico! muito obrigado! Por favor, deixe-me saber se há algo que eu possa fazer para voltar a bondade!I try to ‘eat the rainbow’ when shopping, what colors haven’t I gotten lately?seems to keep my variety steady. tonights dinner…  artichokes steamed with daikon, a white and red sweet potato, red onion, burdock root, carrrot, and a turnip.nice! -jPlease also check out my associated blog post Fighting Inflammation with Food SynergyI believe that plant based diet is the best, though there is a lot of different information about it that confuses me. I have questions, should we eat fruits and vegetables in the same meal? What about food combination, acidic fruits and sweet fruits, sweet fruits and nuts, etc.etc. For years I had believed that we shouldn’t eat fruits and vegetables together because it doesn’t help with digestion. Few months ago I asked a Dietitian about it, and she said that it is a myth, so it doesn’t affect digestion. I don’t know what to think. Is there accurate information, proved facts, or scientific research about food combination, where I can learn more?I would not worry about combining foods. I know of no credible scientific studies to support the practice of separating vegetables and fruits. There may be conditions such as allergies or difficulties with the absorption of fructose but the best guide is what works for you. Your body is very capable of handling vegetables, starches, fruits and legumes. It is helpful to chew your food well.I started sprouting about two months ago. Sprouting is a fantastic way to get the diversity mentioned in the video. I get my seeds from sproutpeople.org. They offer mixtures with dozens of different seeds, enabling me to consume a much wider variety of vegetables than I would were I just selecting mature vegetables at the supermarket.	apples,cabbage,carrots,cauliflower,celery,fruit,greens,lettuce,limonin,mesclun mix,oranges,peas,phytonutrients,rhubarb,salads,spinach,tangeretin,vegetables,vitamin C	In addition to quantity and quality, the variety of fruits and vegetables consumed matters, as many phytonutrients are not evenly distributed among the various families and parts of plants.	The pair of studies I refer to in the video are going to be covered in tomorrow's video-of-the-day. This was more of a backgrounder to set them up. If you can't wait, you'll note that one of them is available open access, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.  In terms of fruit and vegetable quality, berries are the healthiest fruits (see Best Berries) and greens are The Healthiest Vegetables. There are 139 more videos on fruits and vegetables and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tangeretin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salads/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/limonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rhubarb/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mesclun-mix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oranges/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-vegetables/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21313914,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17892257,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22078816,
PLAIN-2975	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/	The Acne-Promoting Effects of Milk	Here’s the latest update published 2011. Evidence for the acne promoting effects of milk, Though acne is an epidemic skin disease in western countries, afflicting more than 85% of adolescents, acne is absent in non-western populations which do not consume milk and dairy products. They go on to review all the studies which I’ve already talked about. By million years of evolution, they conclude, the growth signaling system of mammalian milk is exclusively and physiologically provided to the newborn only during the nursing period. The chronic ‘abuse’ of this mammalian postnatal signaling system by widespread cow milk and dairy consumption in humans of industrialized societies has been proposed to be the major cause of the acne epidemic and the more serious chronic western diseases. There’s lots of diseases associated with unrestricted growth. So what should we do? There are two solutions to this problem: the restriction of milk protein consumption or we somehow engineer milk that doesn’t have these effects. Either way, Both, restriction of milk consumption or the generation of less insulin affecting milk will have an enormous impact on the prevention of epidemic western diseases like obesity, diabetes mellitus, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and acne.	This video concludes my three-part series on the latest on this topic. Make sure to check out my last video and National Dairy Council on Acne and Milk from the day before. Acne & Cancer Connection is another video along these lines. And if you’re interested in other topics, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Dr. I would like some help, I went vegan 15 months ago, and after 3 months I developed acne, and i have it since, also increase facial hair, I tried many supplements and nothings seems to work, why improving my diet would give me acne for the first time in my life? 27yoIt may be a coincidence that when you changed your diet that you developed acne and an increase in facial hair. You may want to consider seeing the advice of your medical doctor or of an OB/GYN and have them run some tests on you. Increased acne and/or facial hair may suggest increased testosterone levels associated with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. You should have it checked out.I suffered a lot when I was a teenager because of acne. My father is now with severe chronic diseases. It’s revolting to know we were fooled by propaganda.Why do I still get pimples? I am 37 year old woman and have been vegan for 5 years. I don’t get many pimples, but when I do, it’s only on places where I apply lotion or where I don’t sufficiently rinse off the hair conditioner that I use.    Your skin is working as your third kidney (kidneys are not functioning as well as they should)  trying to clean toxins from your lymphatic system (immune system).  Clean up your diet ( eat plant based even better raw plant based diet) in order to return the body to an alkaline state.  Clean up your organs and colon and your skin will clear.   That’s an interesting question. I suppose it could be diet, hygiene, or a combination of both. I suppose it would be more common in hot, humid and dirty cities than in other places. Maybe there is something in your vegan diet that your system cannot handle, but it could be anybody’s guess. If you look at the recent Kale and Immunity video, it would suggest cooked foods may be better for the immune system compared to raw. Again, I just don’t think there is enough info yet to make any drastic changes. You most likely have a condition called “perioral dermatitis”. This is a condition of unknown cause and is not the same as acne. If that is the correct diagnosis (always key before you start to treat anything) the first step is to avoid corticosteroid creams, cosmetics or other creams all of which can make the condition worse. Following a plant based diet makes good sense. If the condition doesn’t respond to these simple measures you will need to work with a physician to make sure the diagnosis is correct and get the proper treatment. I would keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as you never know when a new study will come up to shed light on the subject.Thanks for your reply. I generally get one or two large pimples on my chin at a time, not lots of small ones. I was prescribed retin A and benzoyl peroxide, they don’t really work. My diet is whole foods low fat vegan. I wash my face with a tea tree cleansing gel, and use mineral makeup. I don’t take any medications. But still the zits!This may sound simplistic, but do you ever sit with your chin resting on your hand (perhaps even without being aware of it)? That can cause pimples on the chin. I have not seen any scientific data on this nor have I ever heard of this occurring. I would say this is more fiction than truth.To many people don’t look at the results. There have been many results showing that where you put your hand, there is a large chance that an acne spot will appear.Do you eat lots of sugars?  High Glycemic load diets and Dairy products are linked with acne.  Here’s the link:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22419445 I hope this helps. I don’t eat sugar, except I do eat lots of fruit.lol so you do eat sugar…and a lot of it! fruit is full of sugar, however sugar does not cause acnePbeach – I’m 54 and have had acne since I was 10. After many years of illness, I figured out I have mercury poisoning. 14 months ago, I had a dental revision and have been working on rebuilding my body – the endocrine system is especially sensitive to mercury. Regaining my thyroid health is proving to be the most difficult, but I’m getting there. Skin has improved greatly. It could be your thyroid. I’d be interested to know if it were related to the hormones given to non organic cows and whether milk from hormone free cows had the same effect. Also if they are talking about kids and milk – is it flavoured milks full of other stuff, milk on cereals like cocopops, nutrigrain (aka non-nutri-sugar) ?Whether the milk be organic or not it shouldn’t  make a difference. The chemical of makeup of milk is intended with the purpose to grow a baby calf and xenoestrogens are an inherent compound found in all milk. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/Does anyone know if IGF-1 would still be present in ghee?Dr Greger, Can you address the iodine claim on slide 2 of this HuffPo article? I’ve never heard about it before. http://huff.to/Wwchu7Dr, Gregor,I have recently adopted a vegan diet for the second time in my life (first attempt did not go so well in college). Since beginning the diet, I have noticed an increase in my acne levels. I have never had an acne probelm before, but now I have developed more pimples on my face, and the occasional one on my shoulder blades. I am wondering if this is just a transitional period? I consume a substantial amount of nuts, seeds, etc. and am wondering if perhaps the high fat content contributes to this issue. I have noticed and increase in the quality of my skin quality other than the acne.Dr. Greger, I’ve been a vegetarian for 5 years now and vegan going to 6 months. However, my skin has been worse then ever since going on a fully plant based diet. Could there be a reason for that? I have a lot of pimples on my forehead, chin and neck. Is there something I could do to improve my skin?google up on the connection between acne and a high-glycemic diet, newer studies are finally narrowing this stuff down. if you’re like me, you might be more susceptible to food-caused breakouts than other people, for whatever reason, so even a moderate increase in your daily carb intake/glycemic load might be making the difference.after two months, avoiding foods that have a dramatic effect on blood sugar level (added sugars [including agave and stuff like that], processed grain and starch products, and alcohol) and including lots of vegetables on a daily basis has improved my acne more than anything else ever has (plus my menstrual cramps are gone). oh and i was already eating vegan too, just to be clear. :}What can give to my. 13 month old instead of milkI can testify that dairy (and strangely milk more than cheese, butter, etc.) worsens acne. I have suffered for years from cystic back acne and when I stopped eating dairy, my back acne improved by about 50%. It did not disappear, but it got much better. Also curiously, it would take only hours after ingesting milk or dairy (by mistake or by other cause) to see the effect of dairy on acne. Now I’m mostly acne-free (due to Accutane), though for some reason I do not understand, almonds also give me some pimples. Thankfully, they usually disappear within days, they’re not permanent.I’ve had rather bad acne in my puberty and it became better in my adulthood. When I was 44 I became a vegan. After two weeks I got a lot of blackheads at places I never had them before, for example the back of my head and after an extra month they were gone. Now I only get them after a hefty sweating session, for example jogging in the heat.Can you post the doi for the article you used in this video?Sure thing! Nestle Nutr Workshop Ser Pediatr Program. 2011;67:131-45. doi: 10.1159/000325580. Epub 2011 Feb 16.One of the wonderful aspects of NutritionFacts.org is that all the cited references are available if you click on the Sources Cited button. If you then click on a specific reference you will get the abstract or for the articles that are free the full article. Keep tuned as the science keeps coming…You mention in one of your videos that cowmilk is raising TOR levels. But my acne gets worse when I eat sweet fruits like dates, bananas etc. So fruit raises TOR as well?	acne,adolescence,animal protein,cancer,dairy,diabetes,evolution,hormones,insulin,milk,obesity,skim milk,skin health	Dairy is considered a major cause of the acne epidemic and other more serious chronic diseases in the Western world due to the "abuse" of the mammalian postnatal signaling system by widespread cow milk consumption.	This video concludes my three-part series on the latest on this topic. Make sure to check out my last video and National Dairy Council on Acne and Milk from the day before. Acne & Cancer Connection is another video along these lines. And if you're interested in other topics, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/12/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skim-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21335995,
PLAIN-2976	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/	Skim Milk and Acne	The Harvard Nurses study, published in the prestigious Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, funded in part by none other than the National Dairy Council itself, found that the association between milk intake during adolescence and severe physician-diagnosed teenage acne was even more marked for skim milk than for other forms of milk… This may be because there is so much more estrogen in skim milk. Researchers found 15 steroid sex hormones in commercial milk right off the shelves, and the highest levels were found in skim milk, compared to 2% and whole. This study involved asking women what they ate years ago in high school, though—who can even remember? So the next year Harvard researchers studied milk consumption and acne in adolescent girls directly, following 6000 girls, aged 9-15 for a few years and found the same darn thing: a positive link between intake of milk and acne. Maybe it’s just girls, though? So next they studied milk consumption and acne in teenaged boys, and here we go again: a positive association between intake of skim milk and acne. And it doesn't appear to be an issue with bovine growth hormone injections or added steroids. This is just what milk contains naturally. It should surprise no one that milk contains such a heavy complement of growth-enhancing hormones. Milk is, after all, specifically designed to make things grow.	Make sure to see yesterday’s video and tomorrow’s final installment in this 3-part video series on the latest science on milk as a risk factor for acne development. I’ve previously covered this topic in my video Dairy Hormonal Interference. And there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects here at NutritionFacts.org.Great website! your doing excellent work. :)Is there less hormone content in raw milk sold by local farmers? I have a friend who claims that kefir cleared up her acne. Thanks for these videos!Dr. Greger I asked you a question on another video but you probably didn’t see it, so I’ll ask it to you here. Based on all the literature you have reviewed, do you think an entirely vegan diet is the healthiest? Thank you Yes  a whole plant vegan diet with Vitamin B12 supplementation is the healthiest diet based on current science. Of course you can be on a non healthy vegan diet if you use alot of processed plant foods. You need to get adequate sunshine exposure or consider Vit D supplementation. See the recommendations… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/. Dr. Greger’s full recommendations can be seen at http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/09/12/dr-greger%E2%80%99s-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/.I thought the estrogens were carried in the fat portion of milk?Cbiski,When the fat is taken out of milk it leaves a higher concentration of the proteins and various hormones.  Estrogen is often sequestered in fat tissue within the body, but it seems that, within milk, the estrogen remains after the fat is removed.   For other information on the correlation between dairy and acne, check out these videos: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/Dr. Greger,Are there specific foods, vitamins, or herbs you suggest in combating acne?I do not use dairy products, and I still have acne.why would skim milk have more estrogen? i thought that the less fat would result in less fatty hormones…	acne,adolescence,dairy,estrogen,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,hormones,milk,National Dairy Council,skim milk,skin health	Three Harvard studies linking acne with dairy consumption in adolescent girls and boys blamed the sex steroid hormone content naturally found in cow's milk (even without added hormones), particularly skim.	Make sure to see yesterday's video and Monday's final installment in this 3-part video series on the latest science on milk as a risk factor for acne development. I've previously covered this topic in my video Dairy Hormonal Interference. And there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects here at NutritionFacts.org.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/12/skim-milk-and-acne/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-council/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skim-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15692488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15692464,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17083856,
PLAIN-2977	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	National Dairy Council on Acne and Milk	The National Dairy Council denies that milk intake causes acne, citing the American Academy of Dermatology. Let’s take a peek, shall we, at the official journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. The Harvard Nurse’s study, no less. A study in fact supported by the National Dairy Council itself! High school dietary dairy intake and teenage acne. They studied 47000 women. What did they find? We found a positive association with acne for intake of total milk and skim milk. We hypothesize that the association with milk may be because of the presence of hormones and bioactive molecules in milk. Yeah, but there’s a difference between association and causation. From the accompanying editorial in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology: The papers… from the Harvard School of Public Health establish an association between milk consumption and acne. But how could milk cause acne? Because, drinking milk and consuming dairy products from pregnant cows exposes us to the hormones produced by the cows’ pregnancy, hormones that we were not designed to consume during our teenage and adult years. It is no secret that teenagers’ acne closely parallels hormonal activity,…So what happens if exogenous hormones are added to the normal endogenous load? And what exactly is the source of these hormones? Consider that, in nature, milk is consumed from a mother, whether human or bovine, until weaning occurs. Normally, the mother then ceases lactation before the next pregnancy occurs— so that consuming milk from a mother pregnant with her next offspring is not a common occurrence. We’ve all seen nature films of animals chasing their offspring away to encourage weaning at the appropriate time. Further, in nature the offspring consumes only the milk of its own species—but both of these natural rules are broken by humans. Viewed objectively, human consumption of large volumes of another species’ milk, especially when that milk comes mainly from pregnant cows during the human’s normally post-weaned years, is essentially unnatural.	Today starts a three-video series on the latest evidence on the link between acne and milk (particularly skim, which has higher hormone levels—see Hormones In Skin vs. Whole Milk). I’ve previously covered this topic in my video Dairy & Acne. I’ve also created hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects—please feel free to check them out.I wish I knew this 10 years ago when I was still in highschool and taking Accutane for chronic acne.  Back then it wasn’t unusual for me to drink, at lease, a half gallon of milk a day.  I consumed quite a bit in my teen years too thinking it would help me grow. Well, the other kids were towering over me still; I guess they drank more cow milk than I. ;)Then I became lactose intolerant in my adulthood. There’re no health reasons left for cow milk in my diet now, never mind the ethical issues.I can’t say I had much acne growing up, but there would always be one or two unsightly beacons growing on my face. I thought it would go away after my teens, but that was not the case. Only in the last few years of my 30s, when I also went mostly vegan, did all my acne finally go away.Same here. Lived most of my preteen, teenage years, through 30 years old on acne med until I became vegan. Had to get off of the med due to side affects. Yeast infections, skin sensitivity, dry skin… ect.I love reading the comments that accompany your blog, but recently they have been blocked by the large banner at the bottom of the page. Only the top comment shows, the rest get cut off midway or sooner. Any way to fix that? I don’t have this issue. Is it possible you have some kind of adware on your computer?Dr. Greger The JAAD articles linking acne and dairy have finally found independent support. Please send me a live email address to which I may post PDFs of two very recent papers. You video treatment of these papers is superb! (But I may be a bit biased).Natural Acne Cures are 100% more effective and they are permanent. Medication only wastes your money and it does not even make the acne go away, it only keeps it under control. You have to buy the medication every single time you are finished.http://www.overnightacnecure.infoAny data on HS and dairy consumption? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidradenitis_suppurativaThere are no formal trials of dairy elimination in HS. True blinded trials are impossible because there is no ‘non-hormone-containing dairy’ available. None of the non-dairy substitutes will fool a teen, so no blinding is possible. I have an increasing number of HS patients who are much better (it is a long process) and a few who are clear, but the problem is that, once the fire is lit and burning well, blowing out the match will not put out the flames. You need all the strong fire extinguishers – diet alone is not normally enough – but you also need to stop lighting any more matches. The time to stop dairy is now (actually it was years ago but we are past that checkpoint). Follow the advice at acnemilk.com – which needs some updating but is the essential start of preventive action.My son who will be 14 next month has been vegan for nearly a year now. He has had bad acne for over 1.5 years. His dietary change – first vegetarian then vegan – did not affect his acne like I had hoped. Our Dr. recommended going to a dermatologist to have accutane prescribed but we do not feel comfortable putting him on it. His acne worsens with exercise. He is a wrestler but he showers immediately after practice. I just recently purchased pine tar soap, baking soda soap and some tea tree oil to see if any of these items would help. I’m a little confused about what to do and somewhat baffled regarding this info linking acne & dairy. He is currently using clindamycin and Retin A. These meds do seem to provide some help for if he skips using them then the acne does worsen. Any help, tips advice?Sugar?He consumes less sugar than he used to as well. We don’t drink soda and many snacks & treats are made at home by me and I usually at least half the sugar recipes call for. Additionally, we use the unsweetened versions of items like almond milk, etc. I do allow him a sweet snack after school and after dinner but I don’t think that is an exorbitant amount and portion size is limited. A sweet snack may be a homemade smoothie pop or homemade almond milk ice cream or sometimes he does eat cookies. But he eats a lot of healthy whole foods in addition. After school snacks also consist of brown rice with onion, raw veggies, fruit, toast, etc. Both of my boys are usually left out of the “sweet festivals/parties” at school and sports because the foods usually contain animal products. He does eat A LOT of food and burns so many calories wrestling, running, working out and just being a teenage boy. His acne is definitely worse during wrestling season. He wears loose cotton t-shirts for wrestling which I have read is better than other materials. I also recently cut out unfermented soy because I have read some mixed information on that as well. I had a spectracell completed on him and he was 1 below normal range in selenium and lipoic acid. Everything else was within normal range. Trying to do the right thing but there is SO much conflicting info out there it’s hard to decipher what and who to believe. I worry about deficiencies, etc. It’s a lot different when children are involved and very scary- because they are my babies – even if they have out grown me:) It would destroy me to know I have harmed their development because of their diet.Is he totally off all dairy? And off all protein supplements? For at least six months? Have you been to acnemilk.com? Any ‘boils’ in groin or armpits?Cheese was the last thing to go and he hasn’t had any since August. He doesn’t take any protein supplements. He takes VegLife children’s multi, Vegan D3 with/ vitashine, & a vegan calcium supplement. I haven’t been to acne milk.com but will check it out. He does not have any boils on his groin or armpits – what is the significance of the boils? Thank you for your help.We live near seattle – hence the D supplement.The boils would suggest hidradenitis suppurativa – a deep variant of acne. Good thing to not have. It worsens with friction like in wrestling, so I checked. I’m not allowed to give specific advice here but it sounds like a derm would be a good idea and if this is not Malassezia folliculitis from antibiotics (ask the derm) then derm **may** (his or her decision) wish to consider an endocrinology workup. As for “Accutane”, it is now isotretinoin and the fears are, in my opinion with about 5000 cases behind me, vastly overblown. A good derm can give you amazing help with this and turn unhappy into happy and relieved (both Mom and son). Go talk it over. See if he has friends who have cleared on isotretinoin and ask them who they saw.Thank you VERY much!!!It was been several years ago that I put my son on Accutane when he severely broke out with acne. It was short lived course of treatment and consisted if chemical peels. It was the best thing I ever did fof him.I have read lots over the last two years about the issues with humans eating meat and dairy whether these are low fat or not. What I am confused about is that I see popular doctors, in the media, recommending both. I can’t help but feel that they are trying to not irritate a large part of their viewer base.I hope you see this and can help me solve my acne issue. I have been eating healthy for a long long time and being a nutritionist really helps. (I am also an aspiring naturopath, so I like going as natural as possible.) I eat whole foods only (mostly plants), very little meat (lean only), avoid dairy like a plague and gluten whenever possible. I discovered that milk caused my acne when I haven’t drank it for years because I didn’t eat cereal for breakfast in college and then suddenly drank it for a week when I moved back home. I had horrible cystic acne and stopped drinking it. I solved my brother’s acne because of this discovery, but mine is still here for some reason. I notice that sleep really plays a role in my acne (earlier I sleep, the better), but I don’t know about nutrition wise. I don’t use any creams on my face, only water and some organic soap that I just recently got (doesn’t do much but at least it doesn’t aggravate my acne). I recently had a blood test and physical and the results are great. My LDL/HDL levels are 1:1 ratio, so I am pretty healthy I think. I really don’t know what I am doing wrong and I’m getting really desperate. Please help!I don’t get here very often, Michelle, but it may simply be the female factor. This isn’t the place to discuss your most personal things. Try to find a dermatologist who can talk to you about hormones beyond those in milk. Or go to acne milk.com and contact me through that private email.I don’t doubt the association but, for the record, the great majority of milk is NOT produced from pregnant cows. Two of my brother’s are diary farmers! Cows only start producing milk at time of birthing and then are milked for 2-3 years – uh, a lot like humans, eh? Of note, a pregnant cow produces less milk while pregnant, and so is not a desirable state for quality milk production. Of course some cows are indeed pregnant – no other way to reextend their lactation after a few years, but its a small volume of the total milk output. Still, I’m not a milk drinker and have no problem with the study conclusion of an association. The commentary suggesting the acne is due to the hormones of “pregnant cows” sounds like speculation, not supported science (yet?).Hi Jennae It sounds like your brothers are managing their herd in the old-fashioned way. Are they organic farmers? The factory farms pile one pregnancy right on top of the previous one and after 4- 5 pregnancies the cows’ volumes drop and they go to McDonalds. The other possibility is that they are going the other direction and are prolonging the time between pregnancies with rBST / BGH / Posilac. Ask your brothers for further details. You’ve got me curious now.As obvious as the evidence seems that last one was just an appeal to nature fallacy it seems and something to avoid citing. I was expecting the actual mechanisms of the hormones and the acne. But it appears all we have is the association.I wished though that I hadn’t drank so much milk during my teen years. Now – 7-8 years in – I have to take regular vitamin B5 supplements to keep them away.this video is not about milk and acne (as per title), but it’s about gas price increase and physical activity instead.THANKS! fixing asap	acne,adolescence,dairy,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,hormones,milk,National Dairy Council,skim milk,skin health	The Harvard Nurses' Study found an association between high school dairy intake and severe physician-diagnosed acne.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-council/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skim-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-acne-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18194824,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15692488,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15692464,
PLAIN-2978	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/	Cow’s Milk Casomorphin and Autism	Attacks of apnea, where babies temporarily stop breathing, and muscular atony, where babies go limp, after exposure to cow’s milk may also be explained by extracentral activity of casomorphin, meaning outside the brain. Casomorphin, this opioite-like peptide produced by cow’s milk, is also responsible for triggering pseudo allergic reactions and other abnormalities seen in crib death …and Moreover, similarly to morphine, they delay the gastric emptying time, and so may increase the risk of infants refluxing stomach back up into the lungs. Thus, it can be said that the so-called milk-apnoea effect may consist of several components: an opioid-induced respiration depression, an opioid-induced pseudoallergic histamine-related respiratory response, an influence on the peripheral nervous system, a cow’s milk-induced reflux, followed by aspiration-induced apnoea. Sudden infant death syndrome is not the only condition linked to these morphine-like compounds. From another medical journal recently, casomorphins liberated from the cow’s milk protein beta-casein are accused of participating in the cause of such conditions as: autism, crib death, type I diabetes, postpartum psychosis, circulatory disorders, and food allergies. In terms of autism risk… whereas the human casomorphins, found exclusively in the breast milk of women who don’t drink cow’s milk, are associated with normal psychomotor development and muscle tone. In contrast, elevated levels of bovine casomorphin found in cow’s milk based formula-fed infants was associated with a delay in psychomotor development and muscle spasticity. This evidence suggests that the inability of some infants to adequately eliminate bovine casomorphin may be a risk factor for delay in psychomotor development and other diseases such as autism.	Please also see the last two videos in this series, Cow’s Milk-Induced Infant Apnea and yesterday’s video. Breast is always best, but the breast milk of women eating plant-based diets may not only exclude bovine casomorphins, but contain lower levels of industrial pollutants like dioxins. See Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination. For other effects animal products may have on healthy development, see Dairy & Sexual Precocity and Protein and Puberty. No wonder Dr. Spock, the most esteemed pediatrician of all time, recommended children be raised without exposure to meat and dairy (see Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance). And if that isn’t enough, there are and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Please email me to schedule an interview at Paul@AutismRadio.org – thank you for your time. Paul if you give this rubbish any air time you are acting against the interests of people with ASD and Autism. IT srubbish about foods causing Autism and they are just praying on vunerable peolple to promote an agendasince I’ve gone vegan I feel much more normal. I bet that reproduceable.I appreciate that the link of bovine cow milk to autism has more than one reference. I had to drink skim cow milk at a baby because I could not digest my mother’s milk, regular cow milk or other milk available in ’71. I think because I was premature, I perhaps couldn’t digest the fat in the milks. I bet I would have flourished on soya or almond milk, but I don’t think it was commonly available at the time. Fortunately, I did not develop autism or other problems from the skim milk. I really loved the depth of the analysis in this brief segment.There should be a distinction made here.  What kind of milk is being tested?  My guess:  industrialized, homogenized & pasteurized milk.  People have drunk raw milk for thousands of years, and no doubt fed their babies raw milk during said time.  While i’ve no doubt that these associations are true within the industrialized food context, left to it’s own devices the simple, unadulterated foods nature provides it’s own defenses against most potential pathogens.  Drink Raw Milk, Know Your Farmer. Because the purported link is thought due to casomorphin, which is a natural component from milk that presumably developed through millions of years of evolution to strengthen the mammalian infant-mother bond (rather than some industrial additive like bovine growth hormone), one would not expect raw milk to have any advantage in this regard.True, milk has to be inherently milk.  My own (completely amateur!) research has led me to think that the benefits of raw milk and it’s products outweigh the potential cons.  Thank you for your (completely professional!)  research and hard work on this site.  It is helping thousands know about the vast healing properties of food !!Little evidence actually supports raw milk over pasteurized. You will find many websites though without scientific backing advocating this milk as superior when in fact they both contain the same harmful compounds.Raw milk should not be considered a healthy food. there are inherent ingredients in milk that are not removed with pasteurization, such as xenoesterogens, which make this food quite harmful to consume. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/Hey, thank you, i appreciate the link.  Early puberty in children is shockingly sad (and if you combine it with our culture’s focused effort at pushing our children to ‘grow up’ via media it’s doubly so.)  I do want to point out however that in the tagline above the linked video it says ‘until the twentieth century’ puberty held off until 16-17 years old.  Which, interestingly enough is the exact century in which we whole-heartedly started tampering with our food, perhaps out of necessity, true, but it sure ain’t what our grandparents ate and we have the diseases and skeletal deformities (i.e., teeth) to prove it.  I am a Weston Price devotee, but i am also a believer in the power of clean veg & fruit & vitamins and have seen the power of juicing for example in my life! Whether we are veg*n or real foodists, my main priority is that we are informed and FREE to choose what we put into our bodies. Thanks again, i love when people are passionate enough about their food to make a statement!also uniting the animal/veg line are refined products.  vive la difference, it keeps us honest =)  Cheers!Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Cow’s Milk Casomorphin, Crib Death, and Autism!Something for the kids which hasn’t been linked to autism.Leave the Cow Out to Pasture Chocolate Milk– 1 cup cooked brown rice – 4 cups water – 2 tbsp date sugar – 2 heaping tbsp cacoa powderPlace all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth, 1-2 minutes.Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium~Complements of lovestobeveganIt digusts me when people who have an agenda use Autism to promote it. It is absolute rubbish that Autism is caused by Dairy or any other foods for that amtter and to promote this rubbish is just a con job. TO pray on vunerable people with a disability is disgusting.“Accused of” is a far cry from “studies show.”Thus, bovine or human β-CMs may be of pathological importance in some infants with SIDS who may absorb excessive amounts of such bioactive peptides. In order to establish such a hypothesis, however, endogenous as well as exogenous opioid peptides must be measured in plasma and CSF of neonates with respiratory disturbances and compared to concentrations in healthy individuals.Thank you fro the link. Just curious….is this also true for goat and sheep milk or just cow milk?I was wondering if there was any link between autism and the consumption of cow’s milk during pregnancy. e.g. Cases where the infants are breastfed from the beginning but still diagnosed with autism later on.People with autism have opiod like affects from casomorphine and glutomorphine, but it doesn’t cause autism…Hello Dr. Greger, In the past year I have developed histamine intolerance and I break out in hives. I understand this is exacerbated in menopause. I have noticed that dried fruit is a trigger, but not the only one. I eat a whole-foods, plant-based diet, 99% vegan. Can you give me any suggestions of dietary changes or other avenues to pursue?Hi, thanks for reposting your question. Someone commented on this before, I’ll link you to her comment as she found a study about histamine in foods. The dried fruit may contain sulfites, which can be problematic. The study posted says “Histidine is generated from autolytic or bacterial processes (74). Therefore, high concentrations of histamine are found mainly in products of microbial fermentation, such as aged cheese (75), sauerkraut, wine (76), and processed meat (77, 78) (Table 3⇓) or in microbially spoiled food. Thus, histamine, tyramine, putrescine, and cadaverine serve as indicators of hygienic food quality (73). Tyramine and putrescine also may lead to intolerance reactions in combination with histamine.” Dr. Greger does have info about putrescine, which may also be helpful.Thank you for the reply. I have read both articles. Since this histamine response is new (I have never reacted to these foods in the past 50 years), and I am a vegan, the cause is most probably related to lower estrogen and progesterone levels. My questions are: Is there something that could be lacking in my diet that would aggravate the problem? Could there be a microbiological imbalance in my GI tract? Where would you recommend testing for dietary sufficiency in all vitamins and minerals, etc. Are there probiotics that would help? I know most women do not experience this, but google searches show that a fair number do. I am looking for the root cause. I don’t just want to give up spinach and strawberries. Thank you!Not sure about anything “lacking” in diet that could aggravate symptoms. Standard lab tests ordered by your doctor would cover important vitamins and minerals. I would say no harm in trying a probiotic. Make sure to find a good brand or run a test on it like Dr. Klaper mentions. ​Here is a great Q&A written by Dr. Greger on​ probiotics , if interested. Good luck I hope you find some relief.	allergies,animal protein,apnea,autism,casomorphin,crib death,dairy,diabetes,infants,milk,psychosis,SIDS	Opiate-like casomorphins liberated from the cow’s milk protein casein are accused of participating in the cause of such conditions as: autism, crib death, type I diabetes, postpartum psychosis, circulatory disorders, and food allergies.	Please also see the last two videos in this series, Cow's Milk-Induced Infant Apnea and yesterday's video. Breast is always best, but the breast milk of women eating plant-based diets may not only exclude bovine casomorphins, but contain lower levels of industrial pollutants like dioxins. See Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination. For other effects animal products may have on healthy development, see Dairy & Sexual Precocity and Protein and Puberty. No wonder Dr. Spock, the most esteemed pediatrician of all time, recommended children be raised without exposure to meat and dairy (see Doctors' Nutritional Ignorance). And if that isn't enough, there are and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/casomorphin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psychosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19576256,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21167240,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12948848,
PLAIN-2979	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/	Cow’s Milk Casomorphin and Crib Death 	This report on cows' milk induced infant apnea, thought due to the opiate-like effects of bovine casomorphin in milk, was just a single case report. It was so provocative, though, researchers immediately started testing other kids. SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome, also known as crib death, is the leading cause of death for healthy infants after one month of age. 1 in every 2000 American babies die this way. Every day 6 babies stop crying and 6 parents start Most susceptible, are infants exposed to several postnatal factors, sleeping on their stomach, second-hand smoke, and high sleep room temperatures, but It is supposed that in some cases of SIDS, it is cows’ milk that may play a certain role. It is also suspected that b-casomorphins hold a direct responsibility for that situation. Beta casomorphins are biologically active with, as its name suggests, effects similar to that of morphine. Penetration of b-casomorphins into the infant’s immature central nervous system may inhibit the respiratory centre in the brainstem leading to abnormal ventilatory responses, hypercapnia, which means too much carbon dioxide, hypoxia—not enough oxygen, apnoea, and death. So what they did was study infants who had recurrent life-threatening episodes—meaning apnea, where they stop breathing, or turn blue, or become limp, etc. These are the kinds of events that place babies at high risk for SIDS. The blood levels of bovine casomorphin in the babies with acute life threatening events averaged three times higher than healthy babies. Why? Well, there’s an enzyme that gets rid of caso-morphin, and the activity of that enzyme in the affected group was only half that of the healthy kids. And so some babies may just not be able to clear it out of their systems fast enough and are placed at risk for death.	For an introduction to bovine casomorphin, see yesterday’s video. Tomorrow I’ll conclude this 3-part video series on the so-called “milk-apnea effect,” with a discussion of the role this morphine-like compound may play in other conditions, including autism. Casomorphins are also mentioned in my Is Milk and Mucus A Myth? video. And as always there are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.I want to know when this is going to hit national news!!  I would love to see what the Dairy council would say.  Or will they just ignore it like all the other overwhelming negative research about their contaminated and infected, pus-filled products.It sounds like this is not just direct exposure from dairy formula but the mother drinking/eating dairy and transferring the casomorphin to their child and putting them at risk. 2nd hand dairy. Scary stuff.I can’t wrap my head around this. There’s casomorphine in human milk as well, so I don’t see the connection to bovine milk. Is it so simple that the mother consume so much casomorphine that the amount is too much for kids to handle?See the next video.  It distinguishes Human casomorphins from Bovine casomorphins.  The Bovine casomorphins are linked to autism whereas the Human casomorphins are not.Does this apply to infants fed a diary-based formula?  Is there any effect suspected on breast-fed infants whose mother is consuming dairy It would apply to dairy based formula’s as well. Breast milk is best for newborns as far as antioxidants see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/ and less exposure to industrial pollutants although since they are fat soluble even infants fed on breast milk get some if their mothers are exposed see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/. I think given all studies on dairy… Dr. Greger has 58 video’s relating to dairy and I’m sure there will be more… I would advise all women to avoid dairy during pregnancy, while breast feeding and thereafter.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Cow’s Milk Casomorphin, Crib Death, and Autism!What about the MMR vaccine?? The Bovine Serum is in the vaccine? Is this the reason so many parents with children that have Autism have decided to go Cassein free?? My son has PDD. I do not give him dairy products.	apnea,casomorphin,crib death,dairy,infants,milk,mortality,SIDS	Bovine casomorphin from cow's milk is suspected to increase the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome, or crib death) based on the elevated blood levels in babies suffering acute life-threatening events and their relative inability to clear it from their systems.	For an introduction to bovine casomorphin, see yesterday's video. Tomorrow I'll conclude this 3-part video series on the so-called "milk-apnea effect," with a discussion of the role this morphine-like compound may play in other conditions, including autism. Casomorphins are also mentioned in my Is Milk and Mucus A Myth? video. And as always there are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/21/cows-milk-casomorphin-crib-death-and-autism/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/casomorphin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21478761,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12948848,
PLAIN-2980	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/	Cow’s Milk-Induced Infant Apnea	Evolution devised an ingenius way to bond infant to mother. Select for milk proteins that break down into peptides that have opiate-like drug effects. But what if the breastfeeding mother is herself effectively suckling by still drinking milk as an adult. Evolution never counted on that, which may explain this recent report in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Cow’s milk-induced infant apnea with increased serum content of bovine beta casomorphin 5-- that's one of the opioid compounds formed in our stomachs when we drink milk. Infant apnea means when a baby stops breathing. They report a case of a breast-fed infant with recurrent apnea episodes, which have always been preceded by his mother’s consumption of fresh cow’s milk. A biochemical examination has revealed a high level of casomorphin in the child’s blood. They speculate that it is an opioid activity that may have a depressive effect on the respiratory centre in the central nervous system and induce a phenomenon they coin milk apnoea. The reason we ‘re so concerned is that ‘’about 7-10% of infants with recurrent apneic episodes cannot be saved and they die of sudden infant death syndrome. The researchers hooked the kid up to a monitor and wanted to give him some cows milk to provoke a reaction on tape, but The boy’s mother did not grant consent for his oral provocation with cow’s milk because of her fears for the child’s life. She finally relented, though, and when the boy was 4 months old, attempted to provoke him with milk, after which the apparent life-threatening event reoccurred. Presently the 21 month old boy is kept on a milk-free diet and has no more symptoms. The aim of the present report, they conclude, is to draw researchers’ attention to the possibility of occurrence of a systemic reaction with an apnoea seizure on the infant’s exposure to the proteins in cow’s milk. We are convinced that such a clinical situation occurs rarely; however, it is accompanied by a real threat to the infant’s life that can be avoided when applying a simple and not costly dietetic intervention, a dairy free diet.	Today is the first of a three-video series on the latest evidence implicating bovine casomorphin in apnea, crib death, and autism–stay tuned! In the meantime, help yourself to the 49 other videos on dairy, 44 videos on child health, and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.There is a reason I get up every morning and watch your videos first. . . They save lives!!!!  My patients lives! As always, keep up the great work!Hi Michael So you are suggesting to avoid cow milk baby formula? what should we pay attention in a vegetarian formula? Thank you in advanceThe best food for infants is breast milk followed by a transition to whole foods appropriately prepared given the infants age. Most young mother’s I encounter tell me their doctors recommend avoiding cow’s milk until age 2. I would extend that indefinitely as I see no data to support it’s use when adequate calories are available from healthier alternatives. It is important to work with your physicians in deciding what alternatives are most appropriate as far as non-dairy formula’s. PCRM’s Nutrition for Kids is an excellent resource for older children. Unfortunately I haven’t seen a good resource for infants who are not able to be breast fed.What if breast feeding is not an option?Donor milkI agree that using donor milk is an option for women who for whatever reason are unable to breast feed. Although we like to think we can “engineer” a replacement product as good as the original product we are certainly not there yet. However if donor milk is unavailable you should work with a knowledgeable health care professional.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Cow’s Milk Casomorphin, Crib Death, and Autism!I feel like this is so situational… maybe I’m a biased advocate for raw, organic milk, but I’d like to have more details before I jump to the conclusion that milk is bad for babies (which seems to be the message this video gives.) Where does the milk come from? Is this the ONLY kid they’ve experimented with? Was he just allergic to milk or lactose intolerant? 7-10% is ALOT of kids, but what type of milk are they drinking? Milk from cows who stand in their own shit all day and eat nothing but genetically modified feed that is completely different from their natural diet?Okay, I’ll get off my soap box now… lol.	animal protein,apnea,breast milk,breastfeeding,casomorphin,crib death,dairy,evolution,infants,milk,SIDS	The opiate-like effects of the casomorphin in cow's milk may have a depressive effect on the respiratory center of infants and lead to "milk apnea," in which babies temporarily stop breathing and are placed at risk for sudden infant death syndrome (crib death).	Today is the first of a three-video series on the latest evidence implicating bovine casomorphin in apnea, crib death, and autism--stay tuned! In the meantime, help yourself to the 49 other videos on dairy, 44 videos on child health, and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/casomorphin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crib-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sids/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21478761,
PLAIN-2981	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheese-mites-and-maggots/	Cheese Mites and Maggots	Cases of cheese mite dermatitis date back over 60 years in the United States, also known as cheese itch. . Though typically considered vermin by the food industry, affecting harder cheeses like aged cheddar in particular, they are sometimes intentionally added to cheese for added flavor, known colloquially as spider cheese. In in the Journal of Dairy Science the various species were recently identified. When cheese is ripened with mites, a nutty, fruity flavor and aroma develops. The placement of the anal suckers can evidently be used to help differentiate between the different types, to make sure you have the right one. Here's a video of the little suckers in action, ripening the cheese, developing the nutty fruity flavor and aroma… Positively appetizing, though, compared to some other cheese-making practices. The cheese skipper is sometimes present in well-aged cheese and a proof of its quality. The cheese skipper doesn’t sound so bad, until you realize they’re talking about cheese infested with maggots of the cheese fly. The larvae are the well-known cheese skippers. They can cause intestinal infections—even urinary tract infections. Normally the insects are just contaminants, but there is a spider cheese equivalent of the maggot world, casu marzu, a soft cheese intentionally riddled with thousands maggots, of the cheese fly to aid in fermentation. Evidently because they larvae can launch themselves for distances up to 15 centimeters, diners are said to hold their hands above the sandwich to prevent the maggots from leaping.	Cheese manufacturers may also add aluminum to cheese to improve sliceability (see Aluminum in Vaccines vs. Food), just as the poultry adds arsenic to the diets of chickens to improve carcass coloration (Arsenic in Chicken). The farmed salmon industry also artificially colors the flesh of their fish (see Artificial Coloring in Fish) and the egg industry tries in vain to compete with greens by adding plant pigments to chicken feed (Egg Industry Blind Spot). Please feel free to browse through the other videos on questionable industry practices and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the cheddar cheese mite study is available open access, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.I love this!!!!  My patients will love it even more! Nothing like the gross-factor to convince people to change. Keep up yoour great work!!!!!Just a note:  I was at the store the other day and my 12 year old son said, “Dad want some mites?” while pointing at the cheese.  I had to chuckle. Because of this video my son has since convinced two of his friends to go Vegan.  In fact, he went to a Birthday Party yesterday at one of those friends house and everything was Vegan!!  Life’s little triumphs! Keep it up Michael!!!!!!Wow, there’re no limits to what people do to food.So the real question is *how many* cheese manufacturers add these insects to their cheese? Saying “some” do is leaving a pretty wide latitude. It could be 1/10 of 1 percent or 99%. I have been an ovo-lacto vegetarian since I was 16 (I’m 61 now) and would like to move towards being vegan. This will definitely help if these practices are widespread.PETA’s “Got Pus” campaign got me off cow’s milk lickety-split. Should I assume the percentages of cheese manufacturers doing this is high?Go vegan already, Ann. Who cares if cheese has insects in it or not? Cheese contains the stomach pieces of baby calves so technically, you’re not really a vegetarian.I think these links will help you give up eggs and cheese:Why vegans do not eat eggs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ–faib7to The video above is NOT a cleverly edited video; it is standard procedure they really don’t want us to know that now, some states are trying to make recording undercover videos like this illegal (“AG-GAG bill”); it’s already illegal in 5 states (Iowa, Utah, Kansas, North Dakota, Montana): http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/03/five-states-now-have-ag-gag-laws-on-the-books/ Why vegans do not eat cheese: http://www.thisveganlife.org/i-couldnt-give-up-cheese-so-i-gave-up-animal-cruelty-instead Why vegans do not consume even “cage-free” eggs and “humane/organic” milk/dairy products: http://www.humanemyth.org Almost no mainstream cheeses still use natural rennet. Out of everything Tilamook makes, for example, there are two that use calf stomach rennet. Also, don’t be a dick about people’s dietary choices.plenty of other reasons to quit, yes?W O W …positively disgusting!! …and perhaps just what I needed to kick my (minimal, thankfully) cheese consumption. Thanks!I guess Pizza Hut will not be using this information in their commercials.Leaping maggots!Sure, this is gross, but the really disgusting thing about it is it is made with the milk of another species, from a mother who has been impregnated and had her baby taken and killed so we can use the mothers’s milk. Now that is disgusting!Not to mention, it contains the stomach pieces of baby calves. Vile in every which way:http://www.thisveganlife.org/i-couldnt-give-up-cheese-so-i-gave-up-animal-cruelty-instead  Love all the information on the site, but I have to say this is the first one lost on me – and credibility is everything.  So what does bugs used in cheese have to do with nutrition??  Is there a point that there is some negtive health outcome (and as others have asked, is it even commonly used? – doesn’t sound like it), or is this just to make cheese seem icky because, oh no, it might have a bug in it??Did you not listen to the whole clip?The video did say the medical problem cheese eaters may suffer is dermatitis.  I’ve got that condition and it is not a minor problem for many people. I would also like to know how widespread this practice of adding mites is, the video leaves that question open and I feel like it would be more powerful if that were made clear. Leaping Maggots Berryman!  That the Dairy industry has done this practice even once should convince you that the only thing they care about is marketability, which leads to profitability.  If crap made cheese taste better they would for sure add it.  They could care less about your health! Watch this video about the USDA and how much they DON’T care about you and your health:  http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/They COULDN’T care less. Seriously, the bottom line for everything is money. They couldn’t care less about your health, nor your children, nor the environment, nor the fact that you’re eating bugs you don’t know about…and apparently, most people would prefer to be in the dark because it’s inconvenient to know the truth. Imagine how inconvenient it is for the animals who live the dairy/meat industry horrors every moment of every day. I couldn’t agree more!It’s super uncommon. If you’re buying cheese from large producers you will never be exposed to it. The practice of adding mites is only used in the production of two very specific cheese, Mimolette and Milbenkase. The presence of cheese mites can happen in some small batch, artisan, aged cheeses but is considered a production flaw and is quickly and easily identified by a distinctive dusty rind. Any reputable cheesemonger will be able to identify the problem and will refuse delivery of the cheese.Agree, if you know anything about cheese, as you obviously do, you will know it is not widespread nor done in very commercial brand cheeses. Bugs are everywhere, mites are on your skin, bugs and mites crawl all over the plants vegans eat too. If you took a microscopic look at everything in this world you would freak out and and cease to function, but everything has to be put in proper perspective. I don’t like fear and gross out tactics to push a food choice stance.The only concern with the mites is that of dermatitis, a common skin reaction to those with mite allergies. The practice of adding mites is only used in the production of two VERY specific cheeses, Mimolette and Milbenkase and the mites are long dead by the time the cheese is distributed.Um, to me the issue is… it happens, and we eat…some of us are BUGGED by certain issues and appreciate the info! Yet one more reason to leave animal products out of our diets. If you don’t want to deal with it, fine, but how is this not “credible”?I agree, it’s not complete enough information and seems to favor the side of using fear and gross out tactics to get people to go vegan.Feels good to be vegan! How’s those maggots and pus and blood and estrogen and mites and damn – GO VEGAN!plenty of plants have estrogen like compounds, soy is full of them. Too much soy will also slow down your thyroid to a slow crawl.Who cut the cheese,,,,gross plusOy.  This adds a whole new level to what I call “glatt treif”, incredibly non-kosher. Between this and Starbucks owing up to using cochineal to color some of their products you wonder what else is “buggy” out there.After “The Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes” we’re probably looking at the “Attack Of The Leaping Cheese Maggots”!I am a bugatarian. I don’t eat animals or fish. I eat a lot of vegetables like grass and when I can get them….BUGS!You forgot something Doc. You said nothing about the nutrition benefits of maggots. Well, are they good or or they bad for me? I am a goose. Maybe they are OK for humans too?Oh good lord. I’ve still been dabbling a bit with cheese but this has put the last nail in.The process of using cheese mites is used only for very specific cheeses, Mimolette and Milbernkase, and is considered a flaw in the production of any other cheese. The mites are long dead and gone when the cheese is consumed and the health risk is less than the risk you take sleeping on your own mattress where you’re exposed to far greater quantities of mites and is only relevant at all to those suffering from mite allergies. Casu Marzu, the maggot cheese, is more of a strange novelty than a staple foodstuff and the health risks are so obvious that it’s really only enjoyed by the most extreme gastronomes. Gross, yes, but it’s a strange, regional, traditional practice, not a standard industry practice and the avoidance of all cheese due to these two ridiculously specific processes, neither of which occur in the US, is just absurd.As for the rennet discussion in the posts above, remember that many cheeses are made with vegetable enzymes in place of traditional animal rennet.Many? How many? As you criticized the doc, can you please specify the number? Doesn’t seem like many as calf rennet is so redily available thanks to all the dairy farms which lead to veal factories. And what about the blood, pus and leukemia virus in the milk?Casomorphin? Or cancer promoting proteins? Thanks but no thanks, more points against eating the curdled fat from mammalian milk that for it in my humble opinion. No matter how much you love cheese…	cheese,cheese fly,cheese itch,cheese mites,colon health,dairy,fermented foods,insects,maggots,parasites,urinary tract infections,worms	Cheese manufacturers use spider-like insects and fly larvae to impart particular flavors and aromas to certain cheeses.	Cheese manufacturers may also add aluminum to cheese to improve sliceability (see Aluminum in Vaccines vs. Food), just as the poultry industry adds arsenic to the diets of chickens to improve carcass coloration (Arsenic in Chicken). The farmed salmon industry also artificially colors the flesh of their fish (see Artificial Coloring in Fish) and the egg industry tries in vain to compete with greens by adding plant pigments to chicken feed (Egg Industry Blind Spot). Please feel free to browse through the other videos on questionable industry practices and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the cheddar cheese mite study is available open access, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese-mites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fermented-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese-fly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urinary-tract-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese-itch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maggots/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18912482,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14927333,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20655414,
PLAIN-2982	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/creatine-brain-fuel-supplementation/	Creatine Brain Fuel Supplementation	The brain takes up only 2% of body weight but may use up 25% of the body’s energy. We each have supercomputers in our heads and they drain a lot of power. That’s where this molecule comes in, creatine. It acts as a quick reserve energy boost when your fuel supply—oxygen and glucose—is running low. Creatine is naturally produced in our liver, kidneys and pancreas, and transported to the brain and your muscles, the two places you need the most rapid energy deployment. Now if you were to take a hannibal lector bite out of someone, would that extra creatine you eat on top of what you’re already making give your brain a boost? That study might not get past the ethics board, but this one did. The influence of creatine supplementation on the cognitive functioning of vegetarians and omnivores. In this simplified, normalized version of the data, before the creatine supplement was consumed, the memory capacity of the vegetarians and meateaters was similar, so they started out at the same place. However, after 4 days of consuming a creatine supplement, memory was better in vegetarians compared to those who consumed meat, whereas in those who were meateaters, the consumption of the creatine supplement was associated with poorer memory compared to baseline. So, the vegetarians got a brain boost, but the meat-eaters didn’t. This may be because meat-eaters have downregulated creatine synthesis. Their body doesn’t make a whole lot because they get it in their diet by eating muscle meat. So their body is like why bother, whereas the vegetarians are cranking the stuff out all the time, and so when they take a creatine supplement it may be like they’re getting a double dose, they’re getting what they take, in addition to what they already make. Still too early to tell what’s really going on, but in the meanwhile, if you eat vegetarian, should you consider taking creatine supplements? Creatine, are the benefits worth the risk? This is in the context of sports supplemention. That was actually asked more generally of the editor in chief of the Harvard Health letter recetnly, to which he replied: For now, to be on the safe side, I’d advise against taking creatine, concerned that creatine supplements might contain toxic impurities. Was he just being paranoid? Nope. Levels of organic contaminants and heavy metals in creatine supplements, They tested 33 different brands on the market and found a whopping 50% of them exceeded the maximum level recommended by the European Food Safety Authority for at least one contaminant.	For some background on creatine, see yesterday’s video. I have 51 other videos on brain health, including Constructing a Cognitive Portfolio, Improving Mood Through Diet, and Reversing Cognitive Decline, as well as hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the contaminant study is open access, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.Dr. Greger, please let us know when it’s safe to supplement creatine. I could use some cognitive boost. Did you watch through to the end? It’s probably best not to take supplementary creatine.You mentioned 50% of the Creatine supplements are contaminated.. Which of the 50% were not contaminated?  Do they spell out any brand names or anything?  I have exams coming up!The referenced article found 44% of the Italian market creatine monohydrate samples had creatinine (the body’s own creatine metabolic product, so harmless), and 15% with 4.5-8 mg/kg dihydro-1,3,5-triazine (4.5 mg/kg being EFSA’s limit) and > 50 mg/kg dicyandiamide (resulting from inadequate water during manufacturing recrystallization).  So it looks like 15% of the samples were contaminated with fairly low amounts of toxic manufacturing byproducts.I’m a bit more concerned about elevated intramuscular IGF-1 from creatine consumption (Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2008 Aug;18(4):389-98).  Probably desirable from a bodybuilder’s standpoint, but problematic given all the smoking guns linking elevated IGF-1 and cancer proliferation.According to that article, found here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407788/IGF-1 only increased when creatine was combined with heavy resistance training. This increase of IGF-1 may have been an indirect result of the creatine since it allowed the subjects to exercise harder, producing better results and greater hypertrophy. In such a case, the body uses its IGF-1 appropriately and there is no increase in risk of cancer. The body is wise enough not to produce an excess. Excess IGF-1 is a result of excess protein, “complete protein,” and zinc, all found typically in animal foods. Incidentally, the vegetarians experienced the greatest muscle gains. A clean diet definitely helps.This is some of the worst science I have come across.This is some of the worst blog commenting I have come across.How much meat is eaten. What sources of meat are eaten. How much creatine is in those source. Why is the study only 4 days long? That is not enough time for the body to regain its equilibrium. Because of this short period of time, of course you will see positive results. The body will have a positive balance of creatine. Meat eaters already have a creatine balance. Where and why does intake of a water soluble supplement such as creatine decrease cognitive function? I say water soluble because if additional creatine is ingested and the body does not use it, it is pissed out in the urine. I can continue on and on about how terrible this study is. I’m not against a vegetarian lifestyle. I actually promote many aspects of it. This particular study though is absolutely ridiculous. Extend the study out to 4 or more weeks minimal so that each test group has the ability to regain their equilibrium and you will likely see no significant difference.I take a brand of creatine monohydrate marked 100% pure powder. If 100% means what I think it does, there are no contaminants in it at all. Creatine supplementation is said to lower homocysteine as well as giving an energy boost for anerobic activities and now, helping memory. On balance, I can find more reasons to continue taking creatine than to shrink away from it.From the bigger picture, it is key to note the initial graph in comparison between the vegetarians and omnivores concerning cognitive memory. They are almost exactly similar in value…….even with the tremendous amount of average meat(muscle) consumed by the average omnivore.As a low fat vegan, I am very comfortable with the knowledge that my own body can manufacture creatine……….in multiple locations and capacities, as needed—–without supplementation from actual meat or toxic pills. Too much of a “good thing”, especially from unnatural sources usually or can lead to trouble. Let’s all not forget, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Selenium and several other pill supplements as opposed to the real mccoy, from natural food sources.Really believe the bigger picture of cognitive function is more strongly related to atherosclerotic plaque formation in the large(carotid) and numerous small blood vessels leading into and within the brain. Hard to provide the 20 percent needed nutrients to this super computer when the inflow roads are blocked.However, we presently do have great medical documentation concerning cleaning out these plaque deposits and continuing to maintain our blood vessels is the research from Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn. The answer is a low fat vegan diet with moderate exercise, plain and simple. What is good for the heart, will be good for the brain (memory). My opinion anyway.Be careful with a “low fat” diet – fat is an extremely important part of the diet, and it also helps facilitate absorption of nutrients from your fruits and veggies. I think low (or no) animal consumption is the best way to go, but we should get nearly all our fat from whole food plant sources (like nuts, seeds, avocados, etc). I think we got to get rid of the old school terminology here – low carb, low fat, high protein, it’s all so misleading. It focuses on macro-nutrients and doesn’t take into affect the micronutrients, fiber, etc etc. Whole food (mostly) plant based high-nutrient diet? It’s a mouthful :) Dr Fuhrman calls it “nutritarian” which is simple, but not completely descriptive either. Actually, all the essential fat we need is found in greens, fruits and grains. We have no dietary need for seeds or nuts, nor is a healthy diet dependent upon these foods. Monounsaturated fats are produced in the liver while we must acquire omega 6 and 3 through food. Men need only 1.1 grams of omega 3, women need 1.6 grams of omega 3. If we eat low fat whole plant foods our dietary fat needs are met.Here is Jeff Novick’s chart on omega 3 supply in the diet, you will find that the best nut choices are flax and walnuts, as well as chia which is not listed. http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/379704_10150908714835462_619810461_21435944_1609211412_n.jpgIn addition, if one were to eat a lot of peanuts or almonds throughout the day, we would throw our omega 6: omega3 ratio off. We should strive to keep the ratio at 4:1 or under. Peanuts have a ratio of 4400: 1 Almonds have a ratio of 1800: 1Eating these foods on a constant basis will not allow the omega 3 to synthesize efficiently, omega 6 is already significantly more abundant then omega 3.If you took creatine supplements regularly, wouldn’t your body stop producing it just like if you were regularly eating meat? And if so, I wonder how long it would take to adjust – maybe you could save the creative supplements for those special days when you need the athletic performance boost.  ???The instructions for use on almost all powdered drink creatine supplements call for a loading period where the subject is supposed to take double the daily dose for 5 days before backing off to the normal maintenance dose. So it appears at least according to the supplement dealers that not having a consistent amount present in the body doesn’t allow for the full benefit. Whether this is actually the scientifically correct method of supplementing with this or just a way for the supplement companies to make their purchased product disappear faster I couldn’t tell you. I will say that when I used to take it my brain/mind seemed to go into a little overdrive where I seemed to be extra alert and able to focus a little more than normal.The contaminant study doesn’t appear to be open access; at least for me, I have to register and pay $36 to view it.I noticed my creatine claims to test each batch using state of the art HPLC. It lists the levels of organic contaminants and heavy metals.  It claims it is the purest on the market.  It’s called Creapure and it’s by Integrated Supplements: http://www.integratedsupplements.com/intsup/intsup0008.creatineind?p_pid_c= I’m assuming it’s valid.  It acknowledges that contaminants are often present in creatine products.Is L-Arginine safe to take for High Blood Pressure?…thanks…MikeSo how do we boost our vegetarian brain performance without creatine supplements?(I know this is three years too late, but for anyone else reading…) In my opinion, you’re already running at max capacity, at least naturally. Although contamination is in 50% of products, if you need a brain boost for a couple of days (and you’re a vegetarian or vegan) take the supplements 4 days before. Then after the test, stop the supplements due to health concerns. Also, if you continued taking the supplements your body would most likely adjust and lower your own supply of creatine.Hello, I am a plant-based athlete/body builder, personal trainer and dancer and my brother (who is also a plant based athlete) sent me a supplement over from Austria called “Tribulus Terrestris”. He adds it to his shakes/smoothies and he swears by it. I just wanted to ask for your input on whether this is a good option for females as well?Yes, it stimulates the body to produce lutenizing hormone which causes a cascade of other hormones as appropriate for either sex. However, it’s possible that frequent continual usage will result in the body adapting to Tribulus- or any exogenous supplement, resulting in its effect decreasing, perhaps to the null point. For this reason I rotate between one of seven adaptations and one of seven sex stuIs supplementing with creatine safe? What about like brown rice protein, pea protein or any plant based supplement like Sunwarrior?Recently, I read an article that indicates that it’s safe for the kidneys, which was their main point of concern: http://www.jissn.com/content/10/1/26 I would recommend using a brand such as NOW which is tested in their lab with very sophisticated mass spectrometers to assure that it’s 100% pure. You can call them up and talk to customer service to get info on their quality control- that’s what I did. If pea or rice protein is also pure, there shouldn’t be any problem- but why not eat the whole food pea or brown rice instead? It’s cheaper and has more fiber and micronutrients.I use pea and brown rice for protein and BCAA.Getting enough protein is not really an issue unless you are not eating enough calories to begin with, which is essentially starving oneself, or you are consuming a strict fruitarian diet. Other then that, not getting enough protein is a non issue.Are vegans creatine /deficient/??I took creatine for awhile and felt great while I was on it. My strength also increased noticeably at the gym. Wow! I was riding high on that stuff! What could be better? However, since I have a blood-pressure monitor and take my blood pressure frequently just out of habit and curiosity, I took it while on creatine, and what did I find?Holy Sepulcher! It had jumped from 110/70 to 150/95. At first I thought there must be something wrong with the monitor, but I kept getting the same high numbers no matter how often I took it. I called Kaiser and talked to the advice nurse, who told me that I should stop taking the creatine, because it causes your body to retain water and could drive up your blood pressure. I did stop, and after a couple of days, my blood pressure returned to normal. By the way, I was only taking 2 grams per day. Body builders take 20 grams per day in the loading phase, and for maintenance, they take 5 grams per day.Results of this study overstated (misrepresented). Graphs used in Dr. G’s chart misleading.I read actual study:1. Placebo arm for veggie & meat eater before & after. 2. Creatine arm for veggie & meat eater before & after.The baseline “before” levels were different between placebo & treatment arms. (the comparison being made was within group before/after)The “before’ in Dr. G’s graph actually the “after” in placebo group. The “after” in Dr. G’s graph is the “after” in creatine supplemented group.Dr. G jiggered study graphs to give appearance vegetarian performance actually improved following creatine supplementation (it did not).The only statistically significant difference [ based on study authors analysis] was word recall better in veggie group after creatine supplementation than meat eater group after supplementation.No group [ veggie, meat eater placebo or creatine arm] did better in word recall at the end of study than at baseline! Trend downward in all cases.Veggie group supplemented with creatine just did LESS WORSE. This finding in itself note worthy. Maybe due to effects (brain drain) of continual bombardment with memory/recall tests in which one is not actively learning and cannot really learn.(Standardized K-12 curricula anyone?).Perhaps the barrage of tests should be repeated with black coffee, black tea, green tea, M&Ms and placebo control arms.And what about your video “Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine”? I am taking creatine supplements at the moment…Do you recommend creatine supplementation? I have a bad memory?Ummm… thanks for nothing? Now I want something that I didn’t previously know existed and that I just found out is likely bad for me! What a mind *uck!Creatine Supplementation for Vegetarians (and all older athletes)Can a vegetarian diet lead to underperformance in endurance sports? That is, even if protein requirements are met (on a vegetarian diet) is the athlete still at risk for under performance compared with those who eat meat (omnivores)?This article suggests that may be the case, at least in older athletes, and got me started on this search of the medical literature. “Consumption of a meat-containing diet contributed to greater gains in fat-free mass and skeletal muscle mass with RT (resistance training) in older men than did an LOV (lacto-ovo vegetarian) diet.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10584048There are several possibilities for this observation – 1) a subtle deficit of basic dietary elements such as carbohydrates and protein or 2) a nutritional component found in a meat based diet but lacking in a vegetarian diet. This paper raises the possibility that it is a lack of creatine that is the performance risk factor for vegetarians. We know that vegetarians often need to supplement micronutrients such as iron, zinc, vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), vitamin D and calcium (either by using supplements or altering their dietary intake). But now we add the potential of a creatine deficiency (which cannot be met on a meat free diet). “Creatine supplementation provides ergogenic responses in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian athletes, with limited data supporting greater ergogenic effects on lean body mass accretion and work performance for vegetarians” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16573356Creatine is found mostly in meat, fish and other animal products and this does impact vegetarians. “… the levels of muscle creatine are known to be lower in vegetarians.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21118604and“A vegetarian diet is correlated with a lower muscle creatine.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15673098Not only can creatine levels be low in the muscles of vegetarians, it has found to be lower than in omnivores in the brain as well. And it has been suggested that a lower level may impair mental as well putting vegetarians at small risk. ”…in vegetarians rather than in those who consume meat, creatine supplementation resulted in better memory.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21118604The creatine deficit occurs fairly quickly, in less than a month, when switching to a vegetarian diet. “..The results demonstrated that consuming a LOV diet for 21 days was an effective procedure to decrease muscle creatine concentration (p <.01) in individuals who normally consume meat and fish in their diet.“ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12432177So the question is whether creatine supplementation makes sense for vegetarian athletes? Is it possible to take supplements (assuming that the creatinine supplement, probably derived from animal sources, is acceptable to vegetarians). Interestingly, vegetarians as a group, respond more dramatically and in a relatively short period of time to such supplementation. Just 5 days of creatine supplementation increase tissue levels. “The results indicate that VEG have a lower muscle TCr content and an increased capacity to load Cr into muscle following CrS. ”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15673098The increased responsivness to creatine supplements is confirmed in this study. “Vegetarians who took Cr had a greater increase in TCr, PCr, lean tissue, and total work performance than nonvegetarians who took Cr (P<0.05). The change in muscle TCr was significantly correlated with initial muscle TCr, and the change in lean tissue mass and exercise performance. These findings confirm an ergogenic effect of Cr during resistance training and suggest that subjects with initially low levels of intramuscular Cr (vegetarians) are more responsive to supplementation.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14600563So we know that tissue creatine levels are lower in vegetarians, that this may be a reason for a decrease in performance, and supplements can fairly quickly reverse this deficit. Are supplements safe?“Creatine is a relatively safe supplement with few adverse effects reported. The most common adverse effect is transient water retention in the early stages of supplementation. When combined with other supplements or taken at higher than recommended doses for several months, there have been cases of liver and renal complications with creatine.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23851411What dosages have be used in these studies?First, the formulation – “Creatine monohydrate is the most studied; other forms such as creatine ethyl ester have not shown added benefits. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23851411“0.3g·kg·d for 5 to 7 days, followed by maintenance dosing at 0.03 g·kg·d….However loading doses are not necessary to increase the intramuscular stores of creatine” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23851411“0.1 g/kg of body weight” per day http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22817979There are many articles on the benefits of creatine supplementation in power lifters and for other anaerobic activities such as sprints. This is the only study I could find that addressed aerobic endurance performance… and as in many of these studies, the subjects were a younger population. Remember that the initial article specifically qualified the statement to “older men”, who may be more susceptible to the creatine deficit of a vegetarian diet. “Cr supplementation did not result in any improvement in upper-body maximal strength and in endurance running performance.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11828245So let's switch the focus for a minute to the older, non vegetarian athlete. Interestingly the younger meat eating athlete does not appear to be as sensitive to creatine supplementation as the older athlete. Perhaps it is the fact that a minor change in performance is hard to demonstrate statistically and only becomes evident when accentuated by the age factor.Article after article supports the idea that creatine supplementation is beneficial for the older athlete looking to improve performance:1) “Supplementing with creatine, a high-energy compound found in red meat and seafood, during resistance training has a beneficial effect on aging muscle.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/213738902) “creatine supplementation to be a safe, inexpensive and effective nutritional intervention, particularly when consumed in conjunction with a resistance training regime, for slowing the rate of muscle wasting that is associated with aging.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/200343963) “These data indicate that creatine supplementation without associated training in the elderly could potentially delay atrophy of muscle mass, improve endurance and strength, and increase bone strength, and thus may be a safe therapeutic strategy to help decrease loss in functional performance of everyday tasks. Generally, however, creatine supplementation, without associated resistance training, seems to enhance muscular strength, power and endurance, increase lean body mass (LBM) and improve the functional capacity of the elderly.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/243041994) “Creatine is an inexpensive and safe dietary supplement that has both peripheral and central effects. The benefits afforded to older adults through creatine ingestion are substantial, can improve quality of life, and ultimately may reduce the disease burden associated with sarcopenia and cognitive dysfunction.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21394604And as a bonus, it may help the aging brain as well. ”…subjects consumed either a placebo or 20 g of creatine supplement for 5 days. Creatine supplementation did not influence measures of verbal fluency and vigilance. However, in vegetarians rather than in those who consume meat, creatine supplementation resulted in better memory. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21118604Again this beneficial effect may be age accentuated as “…creatine supplementation does not improve cognitive function in young adults. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18579168I think we have plenty of evidence that creatine is part of the problem. Are there any other factors (in addition to a relative creatine deficiency) that might the contribute to a performance deficit in the older meat eating athlete? Daily protein requirements (RDA), whether from plant or meats, do increase as we age and may compound the problem of athletic performance for this group. “These results suggest that the RDA for protein may not be adequate to completely meet the metabolic and physiological needs of virtually all older people. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11382798And“…the recommended dietary allowance of 0.8 g protein x kg(-1) x d(-1) might not be sufficient.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18187436So what are my conclusions after this investigation?1) If you are in that older age group (65 – 70) creatine supplementation makes sense – for cognitive as well as muscle strength. I plan to give it a try for a month although I'm not sure how I will eliminate a placebo effect as I try to decide if it is helpful. Based on the data, even if I am doubtful I will probably continue it if I don't experience any negatives.2) If you are a vegetarian, or an “almost vegetarian”, the age limit where a benefit can be demonstrated decreases. What age? There is no data. But as it is a safe supplement I'd give it to any performance athlete who is a vegetarian.3) Will this help endurance performance (as opposed to resistance or anaerobic activities) in vegetarians or the older athlete? It may not increase your time to exhaustion in aerobic activities, but if it leads to an increase in muscle mass, strength and the watts of power you can generate should increase as well, which can't help but improve your performance up to that point of exhaustion.RJRCycling Performance Tips: http://www.cptips.com CPTIPS "blog" on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cycling-Performance-Tips/108078485907369Most creatine supplements are made in China. What is about the German Creatine (Creapure®)? It is brand quality (99.99%). I would appreciate it very much, if you could say something about it. ;-)	brain health,cognition,creatine,energy,heavy metals,industrial toxins,meat,memory,metabolism,muscle health,omnivores,persistent organic pollutants,safety limits,sports medicine,supplements,vegetarians	Vegetarians appear to get more of a cognitive boost than meat-eaters from creatine supplementation.	For some background on creatine, see yesterday's video. I have 51 other videos on brain health, including Constructing a Cognitive Portfolio,Improving Mood Through Diet, and Reversing Cognitive Decline, as well as hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the contaminant study is open access, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sports-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21118604,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15068829,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18920766,
PLAIN-2983	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/	When Meat Can Be a Lifesaver	Remember the arachidonic acid story? Cholesterol? There are other similar necessary components found exclusively or almost exclusively in the animal kingdom—not the plant kingdom— such as carnosine, carinitine, creatine, and taurine. But if something is made only by animals, what about those eating vegetarian? Thankfully, vegetarians are, animals too, so they make it themselves. Now carnivores are the exception. Cats don’t make taurine, for example, but that’s because they’re built to eat animals that do. But humans produce all these compounds on their own--unless they have some rare genetic inborn error of metabolism birth defect. There is actually a hereditary disease that may affects as many as 1 in 40,000 births. It’s a mutation on chromosome 5 of a carnitine transport protein. They actually make enough carnitine; but end up peeing too much out and so develop a carnitine deficiency. And actually was a case report about 30 years ago of a 10 year boy in Israel in and out of the hospital every four or five months. No one knew what was going on. The clue only came when he decided to go meat-free, and that made things worse. Then he started having attacks every three weeks. Turns out he had that rare disorder, but it was being kept somewhat at bay by the exogenous, external dietary source of carnitine in the meat that the other 39,999 kids out of 40,000 don’t need. He stayed vegetarian, but they gave him high dose creatine supplements, and at the time of the report he was 12, and completely cured.	The “arachidonic acid story” I refer to in the video can be viewed here: Chickens, Eggs, and Inflamation. Vitamin B12 is a nutrient not made by plants or animals and is critical for those eating plant-based diets. See Safest Source of B12 for an introduction, and my blog post Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Putting It Into Perspective. And there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that all of the sources listed above in “Sources Cited” are open access, so you can download them by clicking on the links.Dear dr. Greger. I am a vegan with MVP and regurgitation.Is it essential for me to take taurine?Could this be the reason why a number of people, regardless of truth or not, fanatically claim to need meat in their diet?Thanks for sharing this fascinating story! This is a great example of what I love about Dr. Gregor: he reports the facts rather than only giving examples that bolster veganism. Granted, 99%+ of the data do show good results for veganism, but some other groups promote the idea that it is impossible for any vegan diet (no matter how badly planned) can have any deficiencies for any people. It’s great having someone I can trust for nutrition advice!What is also interesting to me is that the boy chose not to eat meat, but simply to take the supplements. I suffer from Gilberts Syndrome and find that my body is unable to synthesize Taurine well, I substitute with supplement tablets when required but find my bodies health breaks down without red meat consumption. I don’t feel that the understanding medically around the affect of Gilberts allows for a true meat-free diet yet as most doctors still believe GS is asymptomatic. Instead I seek to obtain grass fed/free range animal products which have healthier fat and nutrition profiles.I am very interested in some of the statistics you show when comparing diets as having seen the vast difference in nutrient profiles put forth from farms like Polyface when comparing their eggs to others. I can’t help but see the need for another classification. One which would represent the consumption of locally, freshly and sustainably harvested animal product grown in a way that respects the historical living conditions and diets of the animals without pesticides, hormones, chemicals and production based breeding specialisation. The comparison between these animal products and the mass-produced animal products is a question that I’ve not found answered clearly yet. Thanks for your videos, very informative.Very interesting.Carnitine supplements from what source? How can you say he stayed vegetarian if the source was from meat?Here is an interesting study: http://www.jbiomedsci.com/content/17/S1/S6Thoughts?…“Oops! The embed code for this page is not valid”Thanks for pointing this out so we can figure out what the problem is.Well I just watched the whole video with no problems, so I guess you must have fixed it :)So should vegans supplement with Carnitine, Taurine or Carnosine? How would you know if you have this genetic deficiency?	arachidonic acid,birth defects,carnitine,carnosine,creatine,meat,metabolism,plant-based diets,supplements,taurine,vegetarians	There are rare birth defects in which the inability to produce certain compounds requires an exogenous source. Presented here is a case report of a boy with a mutation in his carnitine transport system.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carnitine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taurine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carnosine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/	-
PLAIN-2984	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/	Eating Healthy on the Cheap	The public health community sees the economic downturn different than many people. For example: gasoline prices going up? Great! In the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study they found that Rising prices of gasoline may be associated with an unintended increase in physical activity, every 25 cent increase in gasoline price was associated with about an extra 10 exercise units, roughly equivalent to 17 min of additional walking per week for every extra quarter per gallon. What effect might the economic downturn have on healthy eating, though? Recently researchers at Harvard compared the cost and healthfulness of various foods across the country hunting for the best nutritional bargain. They conclude that people should purchase more nuts, soy, and beans and whole grians, and less meat and dairy. Although spending more money was associated with a healthier diet, large improvements in diet may be achieved without increased spending. The purchase of plant-based foods may offer the best investment for dietary health.	For more on eating healthy on a budget, see my video Superfood Bargains and the follow-up Biggest Nutrition Bang For Your Buck. The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages offers a perspective from the other side of the health/wealth equation. Just three of the hundreds of my videos on more than a thousand subjects—enjoy! Note that the Harvard paper is open access, so you can download its entirety by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.I’ve begun to spend most of my time in the produce section anyway. Anything I need outside of that section, pretty much more than doubles my spending sometimes.This video is very helpful for the newbies.  I can not tell you how often I have had conversations with people who tell me that they can’t afford to eat healthy.  They have been brainwashed by the media.  You’ll notice that this study has received exactly zero media attention.Having videos like this can be helpful in educating the masses.  At least I have an easy reference to back me up. I’d like some clarification on just what we should be buying to save our money and health. I find that buying nuts is a pretty expensive proposition and that if I eat very many of them, 1/4 of a cup a day or more, I tend to put on some weight. I’m still dieting a few days a week to compensate, even on a vegan diet. I tend to loose weight during the week, and pack it on during the weekends. It’s very difficult to keep my goal of a BMI of 22. I was there 2 or 3 weeks ago, and then gained 9 pounds.  I’m wondering if there may also be a problem with getting too much in the way of saturated fats or too high an omega-6/omega-3 ratio with nuts.I don’t know anything except what I’ve read, and I’ve read that this ratio also be a problem in eating whole grains and seeds too. I’ve cut back on whole grains etc. for this reason and usually only have 2-3 servings a day. Yet if I totally eliminate grains, nuts and seeds, will I get enough calories on just vegetables, fruit and a few legumes? Of course, I don’t want to eat too many legumes for social reasons. So, is there no ideal diet, but only a compromise between healthy vegetables, the fruits which may have too much sugar, and the other foods mentioned above that also have their problems? And I haven’t even mentioned lectins, phytates, trypsin inhibitors and other nasties. At least, you’ve shown that not everything causes cancer! Reading the above, I’m wondering if I’m not orthorexic.It seems the obvious answer is to aim for a plant-strong diet/lifestyle – and even more so to LEARN TO LOVE BEANS!  They are the answer.  And the social issue?  Join with others on the same eat-to-live path and it isn’t an issue:) This answer is not meant to be flippant.  It is genuine. With love xxxPotatoes and sweet potatoes are also very inexpensive AND filling in addition to the beans…as long as you INCLUDE the peel.I think if you eat beans on a regular basis, then gas becomes not much of a issue. At least that’s been my experience.Regarding the topic of the video, I find a vegan diet quite inexpensive. For example, for breakfast this morning I had steel-cut oats with sliced banana, blackberries, walnut pieces, and some organic unsweetened soy milk to moisten it all. I also like to eat some romaine lettuce leaves for breakfast as I find they are quite rehydrating. (Note to Dr. Greger: I do have purple cabbage in my fridge—lol.)For lunch I had green lentils and pot barley over some chopped-up broccoli, green pepper and tomato.Bulk grains, cello-packed beans, peas and lentils are all dirt-cheap. Nuts are not so cheap, but buying in bulk helps keep the price down. We’ve all been told to eat more fruit and veggies because of their wonderful health-promoting qualities, so the price shouldn’t be the first consideration. They are cheap enough when on sale or in-season anyway.  All in all, when you consider the positive impact on your health, a whole-foods, plant-based diet is a real bargain.Mike is right! Check out my post Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/12/05/beans-and-gas-clearing-the-air/how to cook beans to minimize intestinal gas, this really works: http://www.chezbettay.com/pages/basics1/basics_beans1.htmlIM VEGETERIAN……..SO I CAN TELL YOU.TRUE;MUCH HEALTHER…………….;PScored a head of green cabbage for $1 today…a 1-pound of brown rice was 78 cents (all of this at Wal-Mart; I don’t often shop there but hey, they DO offer organics also!)…and a 1 pound bag of lentils was 88 cents. Now all 3 of those items are pretty healthy and will last me a while…oh, and one pound of organic whole carrots was 88 cents, JUST saying….there ARE ways to buy healthy foods inexpensively.Would you like to eat healthy FOR FREE? Check out this possibility. Some soul food stores strip greens of their stems onsite for customers (kale, turnip, collards, etc). They do this as a convenience for customers who will only eat the leaves. So what happens to the stems? In most cases they are thrown out. Even worse, some stores PAY to have them hauled away. So if you offer to take some stems they will often give them to you for free.So here is a culinary secret: Greens stems, properly cooked, are just as delicious as the leaves and can be used in a wide range of dishes like stews, casseroles or just by themselves. Just think about all those nutrients and the fiber they contain. And they could be available FOR FREE.I felt this video didn’t go into how to eat health while sticking to your budget very well. Though I agree with the view, I can’t see this changing someone’s mind.You mention a link to the open access harvard paper, but it isn’t in the “Sources Cited” section.Please add it?Thanks either way -lenWhen I follow the link to this video (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-healthy-on-the-cheap/) I get “The embed code for this video is not valid.”Thanks for getting in touch! The link seems to be working for me, but does it still not work for you? If anyone sees any other embed code issues, please feel free to email me immediately at tommasina@nutritionfacts.org and I will fix it. We’re switching over to Vimeo and still working through some of the details. Thanks!Seems to work now again.	animal products,bargains,beans,cost savings,dairy,exercise,grains,Harvard,legumes,meat,nuts,plant-based diets,soy	Plant-based diets may offer the best investment for dietary health.	For more on eating healthy on a budget, see my video Superfood Bargains and the follow-up Biggest Nutrition Bang For Your Buck. The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages offers a perspective from the other side of the health/wealth equation. Just three of the hundreds of my videos on more than a thousand subjects—enjoy! Note that the Harvard paper is open access, so you can download its entirety by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bargains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21338621,
PLAIN-2985	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/	Treating COPD With Diet 	120 COPD patients were randomized them into two groups. Half were told to boost their fruit and vegetable consumption, and the other half stayed on their regular diet. The intervention group was told to eat at least one more serving a day of fruits or vegetables, and they did, and they did for three years. More fruit, and more vegetables, than control. Here’s the control group. Slowly but surely they got worse. That’s what happens in COPD, emphysema, you get worse and worse, then you die. The group told to eat at least one more serving of fruits or vegetables every day, started out the same, but didn’t get worse. One year, two year, three year. In fact if anything it looks like their lung function got a little better. That’s not supposed to happen; you’re supposed to get worse. Could be the antioxidant effect of fruits and vegetables, could be the anti-inflammatory effect, or, frankly it may not directly be the fruits and vegetables at all. When you eat more of one thing, you tend to eat less of another. For example, the addition of fruit and vegetables resulted in a decreased consumption of meat, which is known to be a pro-oxidant. Either way, though, there is now hope. These findings suggest that a dietary shift to higher-antioxidant food intake may be associated with improvement in lung function, and, in this respect, dietary interventions might be considered in COPD management. The tobacco industry viewed these landmark findings a little differently. Instead of adding fruits and vegetables to ones diet to prevent emphysema, wouldn’t it be simpler to just add them to the cigarettes? And whallah, the addition of acai berries to cigarettes evidently had a protective effect against emphysema in smoking mice. Next they’re going to try to add berries into meat. I spoke too soon. Adding fruit extracts to burgers was not without its glitches, though. The blackberries literally dyed burger patties with a distinct purplish color… though infusing lamb carcasses with kiwifruit juice before rigor mortis sets in does evidently improve tenderness… and it is possible to improve the nutritional profile of frankurters with powdered grape seeds… though there were complaints that the grape seed particles were visible in the final product, and if there’s one thing we know about hot dog eaters, it’s that they’re picky about what goes in their food.	See also the “prequel” to this video, <a href=", and the 10 other videos on . and may also be of interest. And if you were going to infuse lamb carcasses with kiwi fruit juice, would the juice of green or yellow kiwis be healthier? See . Though there are only , there are hundreds of other videos on .The last line of your commentary was, itself, worth the viewing of this excellent video! I loved it! Thanks again Dr. Greger for your videos. Thanks for the kind words–I try to add as much humor as I can to these videos. Sometimes it’s easier than other times–like this was one just handed to me :)For some context, please check out my blog post Treating COPD with Diet!I laughed out loud at the end of this – but I am passing the info on to my mother, who has COPD after a lifetime of asthma and a diet sadly low in fruits and veggies.Is there any way you would do written versions of videos. thank youI have a lot of trouble viewing your videos.  Most will not load.  Could you publish the script as an alternative to viewing the video?  Thanks I’m so sorry you’re having trouble!Which browser and version of it are you using?  Is your browser version up to date? You can upgrade any browser version here.Have you tried clearing your browser cache and cookies?Have you tried using the browser with all extensions or add-ons disabled?Do you have third party cookies enabled?Do you have JavaScript enabled?Have you upgraded Flash recently or are you using the latest version?Do you have another browser you can try?I just wanted to update everyone that we can now read the transcripts of the videos by clicking on the “Transcript” button beneath each video. Hope that helps! :)Do any studies show diet having an impact on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)? Thanks so much for the daily videos! We have your date/sweet cherry ice cream about every week!I second the request for light on IPF. I’ve a friend with this diagnosis, now advanced to the degree he is scheduled for a lung transplant! This is just one experience and may not mean a thing.  My husband has pulmonary fibrosis and about a year ago, I started making vegetable plates with no meat for dinner.  He still sometimes eats meat sandwiches for lunch but no meat for breakfast.  The last time he went to his doctor, he was told that his pulmonary fibrosis had not changed a bit from the previous checkup. It’s worth a try.Made me laugh. Unfortunately I came over here to find a topic on COPD to link to a friend who’s husband is suffering. Hope it triggers her and him to improve their diets and forestall the inevitible. Love your posts, so much. I always know I can get some info here. I appreciate how much work goes into all this research. You make a difference in so many lives.Do you have information on reducing COPD symptoms with diet. I have a client on a plant based diet, but is there more he can do?Kathryn you might try Serrapeptase and NAC or N-acetyl cysteine. both are inexpensive and made a world of diffrence with my mother-en-law and her COPDKathryn, have you also checked out Dr. Greger’s associated blog post? http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/07/treating-copd-with-diet/ It’s been a while since you asked your question, so I’m curious if your client improved since being on a plant-based diet. Any updates? :)Is there any literature about asthma being helped by a gluten free diet?Is there any scientific data or opinion on vegetarian diet and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis?Dear Dr. Greger,I’ve recently recovered from an anxiety disorder by changing my diet and exercising, the last 8 years I’ve been fighting alone since I’ve refused medicine(the more I’ve read the more I’ve seen how that was the right decision). I’m now healthier and fitter than ever, however, my father is sick and I’m putting half my daily time into trying to research what I can do to help him…He’s got COPD, I’ve got him on a vegan varied diet and have him eating some acai berries. Managed to get him to start running too and he’s loving it.There’s a little background I don’t know if it matters, but here’s my question:I’ve been trying to access articles on PubMed that relates to his issues which seem helpful. However, the full articles seem hidden and I have no idea how this works. Isn’t all research available to the public? I thought there was some kind of honor-code when it comes to that? Is the only way to pay? Or is there some kind of library or something for this?(One of the many articles in question: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22963552 )If you’ve read this far, thank you so very very much, otherwise I’m in great great gratitude towards what you do for us by sharing all this wonderful information on the site.Your a hero and a life-saver!Thank youHi Vencenti, of course I am not Dr. G! I can say that PubMed articles are not all free, the article you sent link to – is not. One possible workaround is to check your local library for access to the specific journal – it may be available and may not. I do have access to my library database via computer but it does have limited journals and doesn’t have the article you are trying to see.Hi Jacquie, thank you so very much for your answer. However unfortiunate. Do you happen to know why not all research is free? Wouldn’t that dramatically speed up it’s implementation into practice?I’m trying to get it through my library but during the summers… their open hours are… odd.Thanks again tho!My pleasure. Yes, research sharing would be great. However, journals charge for articles so they can make some money. They sell subscriptions so as to exist. However, we are beginning to see more open-access journals that are free for anybody to read, and have no expensive subscriptions to promote. Examples: http://elifesciences.org/ and http://www.biomedcentral.com/ Also, check here: http://doaj.org/Pulmonary fibrosis. Is there any evidence that a WFPB diet could help reduce the spread of this disease?So if I add strawberries and relish to my hotdogs? Thank you Dr. Greger, for the info and the laughter. :o)	acaí berries,animal studies,antioxidants,berries,blackberries,burgers,COPD,emphysema,fruit,hamburgers,hot dogs,kiwi fruit,lamb,lung disease,lung health,meat,smoking,tobacco,vegetables	Dietary interventions, including increasing fruit and vegetable intake and decreasing meat intake, may not only help slow the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but may actually improve lung function.	See also the "prequel" to this video, Preventing COPD with Diet, and the 10 other videos on reversing chronic disease. What's in a Burger? and What is Really in Hot Dogs? may also be of interest. And if you were going to infuse lamb carcasses with kiwi fruit juice, would the juice of green or yellow kiwis be healthier? See Antioxidant content of 3,139 foods. Though there are only 4 videos on kiwi fruits, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/23/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blackberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lamb/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/emphysema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/copd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-really-in-hot-dogs-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21147193,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20416800,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20150206,
PLAIN-2986	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-copd-with-diet/	Preventing COPD With Diet	The three top killers are no longer heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Stroke moved down to #4. Number 3 is now COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory disease like emphysema. We know we can prevent and even help treat the other top killers with diet, what about COPD? There’s still some coal mining going on but 80-90% is from smoking. So what does diet have to do with it? Well, data dating back 50 years found that high intake of fruits and vegetables intake was positively associated with pulmonary function, lung function in general, but does that mean it could prevent COPD? There’s been a burst of new research over the last ten years to answer just that question. In 2002 we learned that every extra serving of fruit we add to our daily diet may reduce our risk of getting and then eventually dying from COPD. In 2006 we could add tea drinking to fruits and vegetables for COPD prevention. In 2007 a twin pair of studies emerged, one from Columbia, one from Harvard implicating cured meat—bacon, balogna, ham, hot dogs, sausage, salami—as a risk factor for developing COPD. They thought the nitrite preservatives in the meat may be mimicking the damage done by the nitrites from cigarette smoke. In 2008 Harvard decided to study women as well, and found the same thing. So now we know what to eat, what to stay away from. In 2009 soy was added to the good list, both tofu and soymilk found protective against COPD, protective against breathlessness. 2009 more evidence for the benefits of vegetables, and 2010, the benefits of fiber, especially from whole grains, but this is the study we’ve all been waiting for. Sure the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects of plant foods can help prevent COPD, but what if you already have it? Stay tuned for tomorrow's video.	For killers one and two see my 79 videos on heart disease and my 95 videos on cancer. I also have a few other videos on lung health including Deep Frying Toxins and Is Artificial Butter Flavor Harmful?. For more on the dangers of processed meat, see Bacon and Botulism. There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Finally, please note that most of the sources for this video are open access, so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section.Just one more fact in plant based prevention to add to my arsenal!  Fantastic! Thanks as always!BTW whats up with the new posting requiring I add my name and email address to each post when I am already logged in?Sorry about the confusion! We upgraded the site on Wednesday night. Instead of signing in as a guest, if you click on the Disqus button or “Login” at the top of the comments section above, you’ll see you can log in through facebook or twitter create a new Disqus account that should remember you.  It will also allow you to claim any past comments you have made using that same e-mail address. So there are essentially two logins, a login for NutritionFacts.org and a login for the commenting, but once they’re both set up you shouldn’t have any problem (I hope!). Please let me know if you have any other questions with the new system.Got it, Thanks!  Keep up the great work!is there a part two?Just went up!http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-copd-with-diet/For some context, please check out my blog post Treating COPD with Diet!My new favorite saying is “PreHab’s the best Rehab” and clearly, a healthy diet will steer us all in the direction we need to be going if we truly want to reduce the “burden of health care” in this country.I’m glad to have found these two videos on diet and COPD. I look forward to learning more as I review your other videos on lung function.Thanks again :)I am unable to hear any audio on these videos. I used to hear the audio, but something changed several weeks ago and the video is mute.	antioxidants,bacon,bologna,COPD,fiber,food additives,fruit,grains,ham,Harvard,hot dogs,lung disease,lung health,meat,mortality,nitrite,preservatives,processed meat,salami,sausage,smoking,soy,soy milk,tea,tofu,vegetables	Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is now the third leading cause of death. The good news is that in addition to smoking cessation there are dietary interventions that can help prevent COPD.	For killers one and two see my 79 videos on heart disease and my 95videos on cancer. I also have a few other videos on lung health including Deep Frying Toxins and Is Artificial Butter Flavor Harmful?. For more on the dangers of processed meat, see Bacon and Botulism. There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Finally, please note that most of the sources for this video are open access, so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salami/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tofu/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bologna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/copd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19555711,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20150206,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16782241,
PLAIN-2987	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/	The Fruit Whose Juice Is Healthier	Can you name a fruit, whose processed juice is healthier than just eating the fruit itself? Here’s the VCEAC of fruits and their juice. The black bars are the frui, the white bars are the juice. VCEAC stands for vitamin C equivalent antioxidant capacity. So for example, even though apples don’t actually contain 150mg of vitamin C itself, they have other antioxidants that add up to the equivalent of that much antioxidant power. As you can see, across the board as you go from fruit to juice, the antioxidant capacity is slashed. In fact the only reason the grape juice was even that high is because it happened to have extra vitamin C added, so it cheated. But wait a second, what is this? A fruit’s juice that has significantly more antioxidants, and even greater phytonutrient availability? And the answer is… Tomato juice. About twice the antioxidant power and 5 times the phytonutrient lycopene. And no, it was not a trick question you may use it as a vegetable, but it’s a fruit, because it’s got seeds. Don’t tell that to the Supreme Court, though, who, having nothing better to do, ruled in 1893 that tomatoes were vegetables, though there were among the same Justices that ruled Mr. Scott was not a citizen, so I wouldn’t listen to them. Arkansas decided to have it both ways, declaring tomatoes both, the official state fruit and the official state vegetable.	In general, though, whole foods are best. See my 33 videos on processed foods. For more on the bioavailability of phytonutrients, see my videos Raw Food Nutrient Absorption and Raw Food Diet Myths. And I have hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects you are welcome to check out. Everything on this website is free!Are the fruit juices in question store bought juices that have been pasteurized or are they “raw” fruit juices from a home juicer? I expect the answer is the former considering the added vitamin C mentioned in the grape juice but I want to be sure. As always, these videos are dearly appreciated.Just something to notice on the graph, cranberry juice fared well in comparison to the others in relation to whole vs juice. True, the juice had less but certainly not by a great deal.Also the VCE, assuming no added vitamin C was at quite a respectable level, 100mg, higher than all the rest than grape juice which had a vitamin C additive.Just curious but I was wondering how Pomegranate juice/whole rated in this mix. Juice is readily available usually without additives and is certainly advertised heavily for all it’s health benefits (excluding the POM companies false documentation on arterial plaque removal).This discounts the benefits of juice fasting which can help the body detox because it spends only a fraction of the time digesting its foods and more bodily processes can be used for detoxification.And more isn’t always better. Sometimes it is simply just more.So, if I take a tomato and juice it instead of eating it (that same tomato), it’s higher on the VCE scale? What happens during the juicing process that boosts this up?Perhaps the good doctor should stick to nutrition.  The Dred Scott decision was in 1857, and no justice then sitting was on the court when it decided the status of tomatoes under the then extant tariff law.You’re totally right JP! Though the terms of Stephen Johnson Field and Samuel Freeman Miller evidently came close, they did not overlap with both cases–yikes! I’m so sorry about the mistake.  Maybe I should leave history buffing to the buffs! I’m going to re-record the video to correct the error. Thank you so much for pointing it out. As always, anyone who points out any error on the site wins a free DVD of their choosing. Please email your mailing address to me at mhg1@cornell.edu with your selection and I’ll get it out to you first thing on Monday!All right–rerecorded! Changed from “among the Justices” to “a batch of Justices away from.” Thank you again so much, and urge you to please continue to help me make the site as robust as possible.Thank you for the good work that you do in bringing vital information about nutrition to so many.good comment, but little rude for my tasteDoc handled it so graciously, though, didn’t he? AND sent a *gift* to Judas Priest! ..wow, totally awesome my dear Michael Greger! love ya!Knowledge is knowing tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to use it in a fruit salad.actually tomato tastes great in a ‘fruit’ salad – try it with watermelons, mangos and nuts ~ and all kinds of fruits taste great in vegetable salads tooAvocado is ALSO a fruit…just saying…love my low-sodium V-8 every day as a snack with some nuts or seeds…also I’ve read that cooked tomatoes are more nutritious than raw tomatoes…BOTH are very good to eat.Campbell’s confirmed their “flavoring” may include “meat/seafood/poultry/dairy” on Twitter the week of August 3rd. They also confirmed they don’t offer any vegan products. So much for the “100% Vegetable Juice” claim on the label of V8.Don’t worry, someone out there will file a lawsuit, just like what happened with my husband’s favorite juice: MinuteMaid Pomegranate Blueberry Juice (or Blueberry Pomogranate, whatever). Turns out, there are more other ingredients than the two mentioned fruits. Maybe that’s why they’re listed in order from greatest to least? But that’s for another video…I think this interesting review deserves a precision: what kind of juice is it? Fresh pressed, bottled/canned? Pasteurized? For tomato it is cooked I thinkIn general, though, whole foods are best. See my 33 videos on processed foods. For more on the bioavailability of phytonutrients, see my videos Raw Food Nutrient Absorption and Raw Food Diet Myths. And I have hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects you are welcome to check out. Everything on this website is free!You are awesome!!!I’m curious about the dark bars in the graph which show antioxidant levels for the fruits themselves.  Dr. Greger says that vitamin C was manually added to the grape juice, but surely nothing was injected into the fruit itself?So, when looking at the levels for the fruits, it is odd to me that grapes show so high.  I thought I remembered (and please forgive me if I get it incorrectly) that Dr. Greger once called grapes something like, “the wonderbread of the fruit world” or something like that.  (Or maybe that was iceberg lettuce and vegetables?)Whether I got the exact quote right or not, it seems like grapes have not fared well in previous videos when talking about antioxidant levels?  And yet, in this video, grapes look great!  Is there an explanation that pulls all of this together?  I know that grapes are not bad for me.  But how do they really stack up compared to other fruits in terms of adding lots of health? Perhaps this is a case of using different methods to measure antioxidants?  (I remember one Dr. video which explains reported differences in antioxidant levels in foods by looking at the different methods used to measure antioxidant levels.) Just mildly curious/confused. Thank you for your question Thea! The seedless pale green table grapes are indeed comparatively pitiful, and so “white” grape juice is probably not a far cry from sugar water, but purple grape juice (as was used in this study) is made from gorgeous deep blue “concord” grapes which are unfortunately hard to find commercially, since consumers tend to prefer seedless grapes–a shame!Thanks so much for your reply Dr. Greger.  Such great info.Now, though, I admit to being uneasy about one of my favorite fruits: watermelon!   You pretty much can’t get the seeded kind in stores any more and anyway, I admit to being one of those people who prefers seedless.  But now I have to wonder if I’m missing out on a bunch of nutrition that way.  Oh sigh.  :-)Thanks again.PS: Note: even if I log in, this new version of your website still only allows the “post as” button.  It does not recognize me as being logged in.haha, Thea…the watermelon I buy at Publix ALL says “seedless” but last time I bought some (and it’s getting quite hot here in Naples, FL…cold watermelon is about the ONLY thing that will quench a post-walk & workout for me!) EVERY piece had seeds in it !!!val: I know! Those seeds still creep in. Sounds like you got a particularly bad one. Still, a highly seeded watermellon is better than no watermellon. Watermellon rocks. ;-)Maybe that’s why white(?) grape juice AND apple juice are used as cheap fillers for more “exotic” juices. Just read the labels.great web site im planning on losing weight and this has all the nutrional information i could ever want !I’m so glad you’re finding my work useful!Could you do a video on juicing vs blending fruits and veggies? Which one is more beneficial and why? As a general rule when foods are processed(blended) or nutrients are extracted(water, fiber) they are less beneficial. As this video shows there are exceptions to the rule when dealing with complex systems. Garlic needs to be crushed to allow for the mixing of chemicals to liberate an antioxidant that is beneficial. Broccoli is another interesting case see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/. Cooking is another variable that needs to be considered see video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/. Since juicing removes fiber it is less beneficial as fiber is a valuable nutrition. Dr. Greger has done 25 videos touching on the value of fiber but you might start with http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/.Is this a chart using Juicers like the Breville and Norwalk or the processing of juice by plants that pasteurize?Juicing is not recommended by Dr. Greger http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/I’d like to see the same statistics for the vegetables people often juice, like carrot, celery, and kale!Keep in mind that the tomato – like cucumber, squash and peppers – is botanically a fruit, but is considered a vegetable in culinary terms.Is there any tomato juice that you can buy that is 100% juice without sodium? I know they make lower sodium tomato juice but that still has sodium in it. Can I make tomato juice in my vitamin?Susan, I *still* have not found one…I’ll stick to my low-sodium V-8 for now…I would LOVE to find a low or no sodium tomato juice product but it is not even in Whole Foods. All of the tomato juices I can find on store shelves have MORE sodium than the low-sodium V-8, just saying. eesh!Matbucha is now more popular in Israel than hummus – it is a dip/spread/salad made by cooking diced tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and usually olive oil (not in my version) for several hours until really thick like lumpy tomato paste and served chilled. Assume it would be on the upped lycopene/antioxidant spectrum?DanielFaster: Thanks for your post about Matbucha. I had never heard of it before, but looked it up after reading your post. I’m really intrigued. And it does sound incredibly healthy.Do you happen to have a recipe for the oil-free version that you make? Either way, thanks again for your post.Really we learned from my nephew’s Israeli mother in law you just throw a box or two of BPA-free POMI diced tomatoes and/or one of stewed tomatoes into the pan with lots of garlic and peppers and everything else and then cook it on low for several hours stirring occasionally until thick and lumpy. Hard to go wrong. Here’s one I googled http://theshiksa.com/2012/04/17/matbucha/ you can just leave out the oil and the sugar – and here’s a tip from Ramses Bravo at True North I picked up at the NYNY festival in Marshall Tx: if you don’t put oil in a dish it will need less salt if anyDanielFaster: Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I’m going to give it a shot!Thanks for this recipe, Daniel. Those processed diced tomatoes would be higher in lycopene than most fresh ones, right? For lycopene to develop, tomatoes need to ripen in the sun– and most of ones we get here in North America are picked when green, then sprayed with a gas to ripen them. https://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/anti-cancer-shopping-tips-whats-going-in-your-tomato-sauce/Thank you for the recipe, much appreciated.There is a school of thought(don’t know how true) that many nutrients and phyto-thingies are lost by not eating the peels and the seeds. It might be easier to consume these in a juice. My late great-grandma always ate her citrus peel. I always eat the seeds with my muscadine grapes. I also eat apples, seeds, and core. Granny lived into her 90s and I’m 75 & OK.Anybody have any concerns about eating fruit seeds that are hard–grapeseeds, apple seeds? Can we actually get nutrition from them? Or do they need to be ground up like flaxseed does?If you eat them as they are, you risk an intestinal occlusion. Maybe you can chew them well..but ….Apple seeds are smth else, they are soft.Regarding nutrients, I doubt that our enzymes are strong enough to allow any nutrients to get out from the fiber matrix, but..Thanks so much. And what do you think about chia seeds? Do you think we should grind them?Was there language to follow the final “but”?Would you mind taking a stab at answering my questions re: lectins that I asked here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cooked-beans-or-sprouted-beans/Here are the questions:Could you address the lectins issue? This s particularly important in light of the recent research, published by Oxford University Press, showing that lectins in peanuts survive cooking and digestion and stick to cancer cells that are already in the blood, thus contributing to metastases.https://eatandbeatcancer.wordp…To what degree are lectins destroyed by sprouting alone? By cooking? By cooking and sprouting? What temperatures must be used to destroy lectins?Are the lectins in some legumes (the red kidney bean family, for example) harder to destroy than in others? Are the lectins in smaller legumes (e.g., mung beans, lentils) easier to get rid of than those in bigger legumes?What about grains? Same questions.What about nuts and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, chia, etc.)? I’m particularly concerned about these because we usually don’t cook or sprout them. Does soaking help? To what degree are their lectins problematic?The “but” ..: .practice has shown that even if we cannot digest fiber, and even though fiber hiders to some extent nutrient absorption, if we really need a certain nutrient, our organism can rise the absorption and extract what it needs even though this requires a certain amount of effort. Chia are ok because they have a rather low amount of insoluble fiber and a high amount of soluble ones. So you don`t need to grind them (though I try to chew them well and, obviously, I let them stay in whatever liquid I drink, before consuming them). Look, if you put un-grinded flax seeds in water they don`t swell…you have to grind them. When you put chia, even ungrinded, they swell. I`ll be back soon with lectins.Now, some time ago I participated to a summer school where I had to present some nutritional advantages (and hinderances) of plant protein sources. The hard candy were indeed lectins, about which I couldn`t find reliable scientific studies. I mean, not an isolated study, but meta-analyzes or reviews (because they are not newly discovered substances…people know them for many many years). And not studies targeted just on lab research carried out on isolated cells or rats or whatever, because you cannot just transpose them to real humans. I found, instead, a lot of nonsense on popular science blogs! And I asked myself why were not poisoned by lectins our grand parents, if they are so nocive?! The tradition, here, where I live, is just to soak beans , no one sprouts them, and then to rinse them and boil thoroughly until well cooked. The idea is that I don`t think it`s ok to eat beans just sprouted, you really need to cook them well. With an accent for red beans, which have, seemingly, a higher level of lectins (but easily destroyed by wet heat- aka boiling). Some sprouted mung can`t harm, but on a daily basis just boil well beans. Nuts have far lower levels of lectins, however I think that just a little heat treatment is enough (I roast them …but for a very short time). As far as I understand, soaking them and than dehydrating them in the oven is even better, but it`s far to time consuming for me. You know, all the studies I red about peanuts and cancer are carried out on models. The recent one you quote is done on “mouse metastasis models”.With purified agglutinines. There is not one epidemiological study showing that peanut ingestion rises the risk of cancer or metastasis. Not one. There is a huge distance between labs and real nutrition. However, in the end eating a very diverse plant based diet is the key to success. Rotate beans in daily diet, one day red beans and almonds, the other, mung and peanuts :) and so on… You ask also about grains:even less question marks than beans.One thing that I noticed is that people are quickly afraid by the findings from an isolated study, though they neglect to consider nutrition as a complex science. We really eat (to stick with the above example) peanuts, not agglutinins from peanuts :) We eat complex matrixes, where different components of different foods interact and it is almost impossible to draw solid conclusions just from lab studies. Hope I covered all that you asked ;)What about oilseeds– pumpkin, for example? In terms of lectins, would you put them in the same category as nuts or as legumes? And have you any idea why wet heat is needed for legumes yet dry may be sufficient for nuts?More like nuts, because they are rich in fats. For the wet heat (but here I am only speculating), maybe because it allows a longer and more thorough treatment of the legume, since legumes have generally higher quantities of lectines . Even more, with wet heat you can start with a quick and very intense treatment, and than lower the temperature. I don`t think this can be done with dry heat, and not to burn the legume…So glad you changed up the website. It is a lot more user friendly than before.I didn’t understand the reason though. Why is tomato juice the exception to the rule that whole foods are healthier?This is based on canned or processed juice from stores and not freshly made juice from a juicer, correct?It is important to note that this seemed to be “processed” juice and pasteurized (heated). Although…the photo seems to represent fresh pressed juice…completely different.Sadly, though, most juices are pasteurized… which kills the C and all the living enzymes.	antioxidants,apple juice,apples,Arkansas,fruit juice,grape juice,grapes,juice,lycopene,nutrient absorption,phytonutrients,ranking foods,Supreme Court,tomato juice,tomatoes,vitamin C	Can you name a fruit whose processed juice is healthier than just eating the fruit itself?	In general, though, whole foods are best. See my 33 videos on processed foods. For more on the bioavailability of phytonutrients, see my videosRaw Food Nutrient Absorption and Raw Food Diet Myths. And I have hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects you are welcome to check out. Everything on this website is free!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arkansas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lycopene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supreme-court/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20377495,
PLAIN-2988	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/	Raw Veggies Versus Cooked for Heart Disease	In this study of 50,000 men and women published recently, those who ate the most apples appeared to have significantly less risk of having a heart attack in the 8 years they were followed, but those drinking apple juice appeared to increase their risk. That makes sense; apples, like all whole plant foods, are packed with fiber, which may lower cholesterol, whereas juice consumption—no fiber, just sugar—has been tied to the risk of diseases like diabetes. So, nothing new here, but what about this one? 20,000 men and women followed for 10 years—an estimated 34% lower risk of coronary heart disease for those with a high intake of fruits and vegetables, but they went a step further and compared raw versus cooked. no such study focusing specifically on raw versus processed fruit and vegetable consumption in relation to coronary heart disease incidence had ever been done, until now. What do you think they found? Well, in the past we’ve learned that daily salad consumption, for example, may significantly decrease one’s risk of dying from heart disease. In this study of 11000 vegetarians and other health conscious people, daily consumption of raw salad was associated with a 26% reduction in mortality from ischemic heart disease. At the same time we’ve known for 15 years that phytonutrients like lycopene in tomatoes appear protective against heart disease, and cooking dramatically boosts lycopene bioavailability. This was actually an interesting study. It’s hard to trust what people tell you about what they eat, so instead, people admitted to the hospital for heart attacks had a plug of fat tissue taken from their butt and just had it analyzed to basically confirm how much tomato sauce they had been really eating. So anyway, raw or cooked for heart disease prevention? And you probably guessed it, the answer, is both.	For more on the benefits of whole fruit compared to juice see Best Fruit Juice. A healthy alternative is my Pink Juice With Green Foam. For more on the healthfulness of cooked versus raw veggies, see my video Best Cooking Method. Note that most of the sources for this video are open access, so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section. And feel free to check out my hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.But for stoke prevention, eat lots of raw veggieshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21427746 “Conclusion: High intake of raw fruit and vegetables may protect against stroke. No association was found between processed fruit and vegetable consumption and incident stroke.”For more on the benefits of whole fruit compared to juice see Best Fruit Juice. A healthy alternative is my Pink Juice With Green Foam. For more on the healthfulness of cooked versus raw veggies, see my video Best Cooking Method. Note that most of the sources for this video are open access, so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section. And feel free to check out my hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Great stuff. Just a heads up, the first ‘Sources Cited’ goes to “Dietary habits and mortality in 11000 vegetarians and health conscious people: results of a 17year followup” rather than “Raw and processed” etc. The actual study is easy to find though. Thanks for the great videos. Been a great help.That source link seems to be working for me…(i.e., it produces the correct paper).Ah, sorry about that, must be browser issues at my end.I wonder if the study made note if the apple juice used was fresh squeezed or apple juice from frozen concentrate?Hi Doc, I have a question about Tomato Paste. I eat half a small tin (BPA free) of tomato paste each day. I have read that cooking increases the bioavailability of lycopene in tomatoes, because it breaks open the cell walls, I believe. My question is: would heat increase bioavailability of lycopene in tomato paste, or would it not because the cell walls have already been broken in making the tomato paste? Thank you for your great work. I wish my Dad had known about your work.I can’t get this to play in its entirety.	apple juice,apples,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,diabetes,fat,fiber,fruit,fruit juice,heart disease,heart health,juice,lycopene,mortality,nutrient absorption,nutrition myths,phytonutrients,raw food,salads,sugar,tomato sauce,tomatoes,vegetables,vegetarians	Fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, but which is more protective, raw or cooked?	For more on the benefits of whole fruit compared to juice see Best Fruit Juice. A healthy alternative is my Pink Juice With Green Foam. For more on the healthfulness of cooked versus raw veggies, see my video Best Cooking Method. Note that most of the sources for this video are open access, so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section. And feel free to check out my hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-sauce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salads/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lycopene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20178672,
PLAIN-2989	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/	The Safer Cinnamon	Second in spice popularity only to black pepper, cinnamon is the powdered inner bark of four different species of cinnamomum trees. There’s Vietnamese cinnamom, Chinese cinnamon, Indonesian, and Ceylon. A recent review raised concerns about one of them because of a compound called coumarin, which new human data suggests may be toxic to the liver. It’s been banned as a food additive, but still can be found naturally in, Chinese cinnamon, also known as cassia cinnamon. It is not found in significant amounts in so-called true cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon, and we don’t have enough data on the other two. Now these traffic lights are not for recreational users; these are only for people going out of their way to add like a teaspoon or more to their daily diet, which ideally should be everyone, since it appears so amazingly health promoting— anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antitumor, cardiovascular, cholesterol-lowering, and immunomodulatory effects. Especially useful for those with diabetes… or prediabeties. So if you are eating cinnamon every day, great— just make sure it’s the right kind. In the UK, if it says cinnamon then it’s Ceylon cinnamon—Chinese cinnamon is labeled cassia. In the U.S., though, they’re both just labeled cinnamon, and since Chinese is cheaper that’s what most cinnamon is on our shelves so make sure it specifically says Ceylon.	Why would one want to go out of their way to add cinnamon to their diet? It’s on my 5 Superfood Bargains and a component of The Healthiest Beverage. As with the Indian gooseberry video Amla Versus Diabetes, though, one should concentrate on reversing prediabetes and diabetes with a plant-based diet in the first place (see How To Treat Diabetes). See my 13 other videos on spices, including another cautionary one on overdoing turmeric (Oxalates in Cinnamon) and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Thank you again.Thanks so much for all the information you post! Would it be possible for you to post the respective botanical names of each type of cinnamon? For instance Cassia is Cinnamomum burmannii (I think). Are ‘sweet cinnamon’ and Cinnamomum verum the same as Ceylon?I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have readily accessible sources for defending my lifestyle to those around me. Thank you again!Anyone know where we can get a bargain on Ceylon cinnamon? I’ve been buying mine at Costco, and I just checked. It’s Vietnamese. I found organic Celon cinnamon at $20 per pound at iherb.com with free shipping until the end of April 2012. Is that a good price? Thanks for the tip about iherb, Paul – that is the best price I’ve seen.  Beats amazon by $7/lb for the same product.  When I placed my order, it said I could pass along this code to others for $5 off their first order POD782 .  And, I noticed you can pick one freebie per order (click on the tab at the top of the page for choices) – bummed that they were out-of-stock on the free goji berries!check out Penzeys.com best spic store out there.Wow this is really good to know since I put about a teaspoon or more in my oats or cream of wheat every morning. Thanks again Dr!I have McCormick. Checking their web site it does not say anything for the regular product. For the ‘Gourmet’ version, is says its “Saigon Cinnamon”. I put a bunch on my cereal every morning, so I’ll switch brands to something that definitively says Ceylon.How important when buying spices is organic vs non-organic? I have been purchasing spices and herbs from PENZEYS but they are NOT organic.   It is always preferable to buy organic. By checking product websites you can usually get information about the products and the companies policies. Occasionally you will have to email the company for some information. It is best to keep things in perspective however. Most chemical exposure to chemicals (e.g. carcinogens, pesticides, heavy metals, endocrine disruptors) occur through the consumption of animal products.  I’m buying a 1 lb bag of Ceylon cinnamon from iherb; do you think powdered cinnamon is just as good as ground cinnamon or whole cinnamon?  Since the bag is going to last a while I wanted to make sure it’ll stay in optimal condition.  Should I refrigerate it?Penzeys.com sells cinnamon that is labeled by type.  I am a customer of theirs and am only sharing info, I do not benefit personally from this info.UK are starting to use cassia more. Bought some today, it was just called cinnamon. Tastes horrible.My local herb store is a mail order company as well as a retail outlet. I checked and the cinnamon we buy from them is from Indonesia. The manager said if I could get him an article on cinnamon and blood sugar that showed the cinnamon from Ceylon is better than cinnamon from Indonesia, he would see if he could switch. Can you reply with a link to your reference article on this?Suggestion: to the right of the video window is a lot of text on a black background – click on transcript and you can print a transcript of the video; click on sources and you can print the list of sources (reference articles) for the video content. You can give these to your local herb store manager along with the url for the video.Well, this is amazing information. I consume lots of cinnamon. Put it in my Chai Tea and even take it as a supplement. Now I’m kind of worried. Last time I was at the doctor’s for a physical, my liver emzymes were up. Now I’m wondering if that might have had something to do with it. :-/ Thanks for the info.Sticks to Your Ribs Rather than Your Buns Cinnabun– 1 cup millet – 3 cups water – 1 heaping tbsp Ceylon cinnamon http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/ – 1 heaping tsp ground ginger – ¼ tsp ground cloves – ¼ tsp nutmeg – 2 handfuls raisins – 1 tbsp date sugar – 1 tsp pure vanilla extract – Pinch sea saltPlace all ingredients in a pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and leave pot on the hot burner, covered, until millet cooked and fluffy, about 40 minutes. Serve topped with flaxseed meal, nuts, and fresh fruit.Mix a cup of leftovers with 2 tbsp flaxseed meal, one sliced banana, handful almonds and top with a little boiling water or rice/almond milk.Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline~Complements of lovestobeveganTo buy organic Ceylon cinnamon or C. verum at a reasonable price see http://www.mountainroseherbs.com . They have many great products.I apologize for replying too late but Paul the Vietnamese “Saigon Cinnamon” from Costco is absolutely not ceylon cinnamon. It is a type of Cassia cinnamon.This was a suggested video for me this morning on YouTube as I was having a break and sipping my morning smoothie. There’s about a teaspoon of cinnamon in my smoothie recipe so I shot into the kitchen to read the label – Cassia! I’m in the UK and the brand I used is Schwartz. Schwartz are the main supplier of herbs and spices to UK supermarkets.Thank you for the information. Off to the local organic deli I go!!I absolutely love the sweetness of Vietnamese Cinnamon. When will the data be in that one???? Anyone know. I use teaspoon or more a day on my oatmeal and other cereal. I have a plant-strong diet.Hmm, interesting to know. Guess I’ll cut back on the Saigon for now considering I use about a quarter cup or so a day on my coffee, lol should probably cut back on that too! Thanks for the infoHyla Cass, M.D. (assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA and chair of the Dept. of Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the American University of Complementary Medicine) write in her article “Controlling Blood Sugar with Cinnamon” (http://www.life-enhancement.com/magazine/article/1153-controlling-blood-sugar-with-cinnamon) about the coumarin problem:“Fortunately, Mother Nature has solved this problem nicely, by making coumarin fat-soluble, not water-soluble.”Extracting all the good stuff in cinnamon by boiling crushed Ceylon cinnamon (i.e making tea…), should the solve the coumarin problem..? (for those who mainly get their cinnamon via tea/lemonades)But, it leaves me with two questions:1) Is the amount of procyanidins (type A) in cinnamon connected to the amount of coumarin..?Is it a lot of procyanidins (type A) in the cassia, and almost nothing in the Ceylon cinnamon..?2) If yes, I assume I then can safely switch from Ceylon to cassia ..? (since 99% of my cinnamon intake are as tea)Hi.. I am from Sri lanka and one of owner of Cinnamon lands. we have very good organic Cinnamon. i would like to discus with your company for business !In this video, Dr. Greger makes a quick reference to cinnamon lowering cholesterol. Yet, I can’t find this claim substantiated anywhere. Seems like I read about it or saw a video about it on this site, but now can’t find any real evidence. I would be grateful for more information.And there is the answer! I am UK so I can just carry on with cinnamon labelled cinnamon :)I have heard this before, and am curious, as my intuition tells me something different about the greater ‘safety’ of Ceylon. I have purchased “Simply Organic” Frontier organic (cassia) cinnamon for years- get it at Whole Foods.. I read these articles insinuating higher medicinal impact of Ceylon, and read that cassia often comes from China (eek), so a few months ago, bought the Ceylon, instead. Result: BLEAH. The taste is different; I did not like the feeling I got after I ingested it….and, as one who trusts my gut over anything else, I am guessing that maybe “Ceylon” cinnamon, coming from India, etc, is as vulnerable to toxic metal contamination as anything coming from China, these days. In brief: research is fickle and mutable. I will go back to Cassia, until my body tells me something different…What about East Indian cinnamon called ” Dalchini” is it safe?.Great …. just found out I have been taking the poison cinnamon from Costco ARGH ! warnings about cinnamon intake: – often in supermarkets you don’t buy true cinnamon, but cassia (chinese cinnamon bark), which is a cheap cinnamon from china, vietnam and indonesia. it contains a potentially dangerous substance called coumarin. (unfortunately, saigon cinnamon is actually cassia. look for CEYLON cinnamon!) – cassia should be avoided by pregnant women, those with liver disease, and diabetes – coumarin is toxic to the liver, is an anticoagulant (it thins the blood), and has been shown to cause cancer in rodents – the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for coumarin of 0.07 mg per kg of bodyweight per day – if you consume cassia over a period of time (such as with oatmeal a few times a week), you can greatly exceed your TDII drink Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice, a cinnamon tea daily so I wrote and asked them where they get their cinnamon. Here is their answer: “The cinnamon ingredient used in Celestial Seasonings® Bengal Spice is the spice Cinnamomum cassia which has been in use for over 2000 years in many different food and beverage products around the world. Coumarin is naturally occurring compound found in cassia cinnamon, but does not dissolve in water and so the amount in brewed tea should be negligible. If you have further concerns regarding the use of our product, you may wish to consult with your physician.” Is this true? Thanks so much! I love the tea and would hate to have to stop drinking it.Hi Sunny. I am confused about what you are asking? Sounds like they just responded about what type of cinnamon they use. Seems fine to me :) Let me know more. Thanks!Joseph	antioxidants,blood sugar,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,cinnamon,coumarin,diabetes,food additives,heart disease,heart health,hepatotoxins,immune function,inflammation,liver disease,liver health,natural toxins,prediabetes,safety limits,spices	There are four common types of cinnamon: Vietnamese, Chinese (cassia), Indonesian, and Ceylon (true) cinnamon. Which is safest in terms of the level of coumarin, which may damage the liver at toxic doses?	Why would one want to go out of their way to add cinnamon to their diet? It's on my 5 Superfood Bargains and a component of The Healthiest Beverage. As with the Indian gooseberry video Amla Versus Diabetes, though, one should concentrate on reversing prediabetes and diabetes with a plant-based diet in the first place (see How To Treat Diabetes). See my 13 other videos on spices, including another cautionary one on overdoing turmeric (Oxalates in Cinnamon) and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Make sure to check out Update on Cinnamon for Blood Sugar Control for the latest.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coumarin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hepatotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-cinnamon-for-blood-sugar-control/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20924865,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21480806,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20854384,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20024932,
PLAIN-2990	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/	Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction	As noted in a recent article in the Harvard Health Letter, up to three­quarters of men with cholesterol­narrowed coronary arteries have some degree of erectile dysfunction. There's drugs like Viagra, but they're temporary—and expensive—solution that can cause hazardous side effects. Obviously if your arterial system is that damaged A more intensive effort that involves much more than popping a pill can yield longer­term improvements in both sexual function and cardiovascular health. Plant-based diets can not only reverse both conditions, but one plant in particular may be able to play a stop-gap role in the meantime. The way drugs like Viagra work is by inhibiting an enzyme that inactivates something called cGMP, which would otherwise dilates penile blood vessels. So, enzyme inhibition, means more cGMP, which means more blood flow. But there’s another way to boost CGMP levels, by going to the other side of the equation and stimulating the enzyme that makes it. That’s what nitric oxide does, nitric oxide is made from arginine, arginine can be produced by citrulline, so I wonder what would happen if you ate more citrulline. Oral citrulline supplementation improves erection hardness in men with mild erectile dysfunction. And where is citrulline found? Watermelon. How much watermelon would you have to eat every day to match the dose they used in the study? Three and a half servings a day—unless you eat yellow water melon, which has about 4 times as much citrulline, so just a serving a day, one wedge, one sixteeth of a modest melon should work as good as the supplement they used, allowing for a 68% increase in monthly intercourse frequency which your heart should be able to handle given how much lower your bood pressure will be with watermelon supplementation. Watermelon's… got it all.	Just as Indian gooseberries may help treat diabetes (see Amla Versus Diabetes), but it’s better to reverse the disease (How To Treat Diabetes), watermelon may help treat the symptoms of pelvic atherosclerosis, but it’s better to get to the root of the problem and clear out the arterial plaque. See Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped and the 10 other videos on reversing chronic disease. For more on diet and sexual dysfunction, see Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction, Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up and Rosy Glow. There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.From my practice in Redding CA today there is going to be a mad dash to the store for watermelon! And in a week there will be a shortage in the local area!!Another reason to love watermelon…Are there any studies you have found on hair loss and diet, especially male pattern baldness?With watermelon?Yes, there is a study which shows that probably the cause of hereditary hair loss is prostaglandine D2: http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/4/126/126ra34 …and prostaglandine D2 is synthesised from arachidonic acid: chicken, eggs & inflammationhttp://nutritionfacts.org/videos/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/ autoimmune disorders, cancer & moodhttp://nutritionfacts.org/videos/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/ arachidonic-acid in fishhttp://nutritionfacts.org/videos/improving-mood-through-diet/ aspirin, arachidonic-acid & moodhttp://nutritionfacts.org/videos/plant-based-diet-mood/…with greetings from germany!!! This is a wonderful homepage :-)!Looking at Michael Greger M.D. . . . I would have to say that he has not found it.A couple of suggestions.Erection problems can be mainly physical, mainly psychological, or a mambo combo. You say that you are unable to maintain an erection during intercourse. Can you keep an erection when she touches your penis with her hands or mouth, or when you masturbate? Some men have problems keeping erections at the beginning of a relationship. Then, after they become more comfortable with their new partners, their erections become more reliable. Pay attention to your erection patterns to help you decide if you need to see a urologist or a sex therapist. If you have erections when you wake up or through masturbation, but not with a partner, that’s important information that says your body is working correctly, physically. For the time being, why not receive pleasure and not worry about erections? These kinds of difficulties are common and transient. You can view them as part of life rather than as problems. Or, if it is a problem for you, sex therapy may make a difference You could be experiencing “desensitization” from your masturbation, or “performance anxiety” due to your lack of actual experience with a partner.To overcome either of these the most effective “technique” is for you and your partner to:1. Go into your bedroom and get as comfortable as possible. You both need to be very relaxed (not via alcohol, or drugs). Try soft lights, soft music. Remove your clothing and continue to relax together.2. Slowly begin to lovingly touch each other with NO goal to engage in sex. As your level of excitement rises relax and enjoy the feelings. Again you are NOT going to have sex (tonight), only pleasure.3. If you feel yourself nearing “the point of no return” back off, and/or have your wife apply the Semans procedure, aka “squeeze”, “pinch” procedure. A firm (not painful) “pinch” to the head of your penis. Then when you are able continue “pleasuring” each other. This will allow you to experience having erections for longer and longer periods.For LOTS MORE information you can go here    For some context, please also check out my associated blog post Watermelon for Erectile Dysfunction!Dr.Greger,  I have read that Citryline is found in the rind of Watermelon and not watermelon. Is this true?dear Doc if Citruline is in watermelon that boost the NO. to improve ED what about buying Citruline at your local Health food store. (when out of season) and (is it better ?) would it work the same or are their many other components to consider.Let the Sparks Fly– 1 watermelonCut fresh watermelon into mouthwatering wedges and reminisce about your childhood.Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline~Complements of lovestobeveganAs manish mentioned, it seems that it’s better to eat both the rind and skin, as, evidently, 90 of the nutrient value lies there. True? Anyway. I’ve found that this juices up quite well in the Vitamix, though I don’t use all of the rind. Removing some seems to make for a tastier drink. This is quite a pleasant drink though adding something might do wonders for it.Isn’t it better to eat beets to get nitric oxide? rather than citruline in watermelon? and is arginine supplementation as good as citruline supplementation?Definitely!!!!! L-arginine supplements can better help for curing erectile dysfunction. There are many other foods that can help cure ED naturally. Avocado is one of them. Natural treatments are the best options to go for. http://www.performanceinsiders.com/erectile-dysfunction-natural-treatment.htmlDoes that study involve eating the seeds too ?Isn’t Arugula the richest sources of NO?Interesting article pertaining to the watermelon cultivar/variety and citrulline concentration. 56 different varieties of different flesh color, pollination type, and across 2 locations with multiple samples of each were examined for citrulline levels. (sorry for the incorrect citation)… HORTSCIENCE46(12):1572–1575. 2011 http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cucurbit/wehner/articles/art142.pdf Conclusion: “There was no correlation between L-citrulline concentration and watermelon type (open-pollinatedor F1 hybrid) or color (red, orange,salmon yellow, or white).”Am the happiest man on earth,I have suffered from the problem of weak erection since my young age,cause i was use to masturbation during my youth age, still i got the contact of a Doctor, from the testimony of others in the net,i contacted him and told him my problems,and that was how he gave me the permanent cure to my problem of weak erection and now me and my wife are living in peace,i really want any one with such problem to also contact him and get cured completely from it and now my pennis is erecting well and not has small has it was before.you can contact him on +2348107375775 or gibbath@gmail.comThat’s all i have to share.I have lived for five years with the problem of weak erection,when i looked for a solution on the net i saw a testimony of a man thanking a Dr who helped him out,i got the contact and i mailed him,he replied me and i did all he asked of me and that was all.now am happy again with my wife she no more gives me trouble.you may contact him on 08104536179 or alegbe3@gmail.comRegardsI love watermelon but every time I eat it I can hear my heartbeat “whooshing” in my ears! I also get a painful pressure feeling in my head if I bend down. Any ideas? (I should add that I am vegan and have low blood pressure and cholesterol.)If watermelon could really increase penis size, every man would be walking around with a tool down to his knees. It’s not about the size, guys, it’s about keeping it healthy and functional! A penis health creme with acetyl L carnitine can boost sensation, and L arginine can help increase blood flow. Definitely a real solution.I have suffered from the problem of weak erection for a very long time,taking different medication but no cure to it,my doctor could not even helped me out from the problem,so i got the contact of a doctor from the net,and i contacted him,and that was how i got the cure,Dr Olumba,may God keep using you to cure any body with weak erection and premature ejaculation in Jesus name Amen.if u have this same problem please contact him,Email drolumbaayi@gmail.com or call him @ +2347068002488.i suffered from weak erection and premature ejaculation for the past three years,then i just keep managing my self, hope was lost that there is know cure a friend of my introduce a doctor called Olumba he said,that is a doctor from the net, i have know choice than to contact him so i did and i contacted him,and that was how i got the cure,Dr Olumba,may God keep using you to cure any body with weak erection and premature ejaculation in Jesus name Amen.if u have this same problem please contact him,Email, drolumbaayi@gmail.com or call him @ +2347068002488i want to share a few words of thanks to Dr martins who with his product got me cured from weak erection and a very strong ED.when i contacted him, he told me that i should just relax that with his product, i we get cure permanently, i only took his product for days and that was the end of it all. Here is his contacts drmartins2015@gmail.com or call +17146761063weak erection and premature ejaculation is very bad and Evil sickness to man,i have experience this for the pass 2 years and i know the pains,but known i am a full man again by the help of DR Olumba,he was introduce to me by my friend,he have the cure and his cure is a permanent cure, so if you have this same problem contact him, and your problem of this sickness will be over,Email drolumbaayi@gmail.com OR call him +23407068002488My name is John and i am happy today,because it has been a long time since i have this problem of weak erection and premature ejaculation,hope was lost because i cant even penetrate or erect,and a man that those not erect is not a man,but now i erect and i can now have sex any time any day,i was cured by a Doctor OLUMBA,so if you want to be strong and erect again you can contact him @ Email.drolumbaayi@gmail.com or call him @ +2347068002488.	arginine,blood pressure,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,citrulline,erectile dysfunction,hypertension,impotence,men's health,nitric oxide,penis health,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,side effects,supplements,Viagra,watermelon	Watermelon is a rich source of citrulline, which has been found to improve erection hardness in men with mild erectile dysfunction (impotence).	Just as Indian gooseberries may help treat diabetes (see Amla Versus Diabetes), but it's better to reverse the disease (How To Treat Diabetes), watermelon may help treat the symptoms of pelvic atherosclerosis, but it's better to get to the root of the problem and clear out the arterial plaque. See Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped and the 10 other videos on reversing chronic disease. For more on diet and sexual dysfunction, see Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction, Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up and Rosy Glow. There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/watermelon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viagra-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrulline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arginine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16007998,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17352962,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20616787,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21649979,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21195829,
PLAIN-2991	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-lower-back-pain/	Cholesterol and Lower Back Pain	Every part of the body needs sufficient blood to function properly Cholesterol can clog arteries in our inner and outer organs, causing heart attacks, strokes, and sexual dysfunction. what about blood flow to our spine? Our spines are very vascular, and cholesterol clogs in the vertebral arteries can lead to the degeneration of our disks and low back pain, the second leading cause of disability. Autopsy studies confirm this is what happens when your cholesterol gets too high. This is what the openings to the arteries to your back should look like on the left, and on the right you can see how clogged off they are. With the standard western diet atheromatous plaques begin to appear early in adult life, and by the age of 20 years roughly 10% of the population already has advanced lesions. Smoking and high serum cholesterol levels were found to have the most consistent associations with disc degeneration and low back pain. Much of back pain related disability appears to be an open or shut case, depending on our diet.	The three most common causes of disability in the United States are arthritis, lower back pain, and heart disease, all of which can be affected by diet. For arthritis, see Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis and Preventing Arthritis. There are 89 videos on heart disease. Good places to start include the story about my own grandmother’s disability, Resuscitating Medicare, as well as Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet, Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped, China Study On Sudden Cardiac Arrest, Convergence of Evidence and Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death. And for more on the impact of cholesterol on quality of life issues, see yesterday’s video. FYI, there are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Absolutely fascinating Dr Gregor!Perhaps this information can truly be extrapolated to a great deal of the chronic pain and dysfunction many Americans suffer daily — which also leads to many surgeries for joint replacement and arthroplasty. Let’s not forget replacement or surgically altered contours are not better than Nature’s original…….let alone the cost and associated surgical complications.The health perhaps of our intervertebral discs and the cartilage lining the knees, hip and shoulder joints would all seem to benefit from improved widened and clear arteries. How could they not?In short, just another good reason to follow a low-fat vegan diet. Thank you!Thank you for your informative videos. I really enjoy the human body vascular system visual you used in the last few videos in order to show the connection between all these diseases of poor circulation (heart disease, erectile dysfunction, degenerative disk disease). I know your grandmother had intermittent claudication and got better very quickly on the Pritikin diet. Would it be possible for you to do a short 1-2 minute video on intermittent claudication and how quickly it can be reversed on a plant-based diet? I have a few family members who could benefit from such a video. Similarly, the visual concept could be extended to discuss other serious diseases associated with poor circulation like macular degeneration, hearing loss, periodontitis, aortic aneurysm, bowel infarction, kidney failure, and gangrene.Thank you for making all of this information available in such a concise format. I was recently informed about this website and it truly is a gold mine for knowledge. Consider this a blanket appreciation post otherwise you would find similar posts on each video and blog :). Love and respect your way for all the effort you put into this website. You are so sweet, Rudy, to take the time to write such kind words. As you can imagine the site has totally taken over my life yet it’s all worth it when I hear such heartfelt appreciation and see people describing how it’s helped themselves and their families eat healthier–I hope you’re having a great weekend!I warned people about this a year ago! :-) http://www.theamericanchiropractor.com/articles-low-back-pain/5784-atherosclerosis-and-low-back-pain.html  You were way ahead of the curve Laurie!Please also check out my blog post, Watermelon for Erectile Dysfunction!So if a plant based diet will help or “cure” intermittent claudication what will it actually do to help lower back pain? Reading your information here in Phuket Dr Greger. Thanks so much for the hours and hours of reading, deciphering and summarizing!! If your married, your wife must be the patient lady on earth!! I love the way all the information is not only informative but easy to understand. As a non medical person, the sheer volume of complicated terminology and the complicated layout of volumes of medical journals out there would drive anyone crazy. Your passion and the sense of purpose to enable anyone lucky enough to find your website, to become healthier, happier and far more aware of theirown bodies and how easy it is to healthy. I just keep sending my husband and all my friends your brilliant videos!!! ThanksDebraYou are so sweet to write Debra. Thank you so much for your kind words. So glad I can help. Eat some yummy Thai food in my honor!I have been exercising my dietary choices by eliminating all animal products and switching to a mostly raw food menu. Dr. Gregor may have lengthened my life by his videos. My personal physician told me recently that my pre-hypertension was progressing and graduating to hypertension. I’m hoping that by losing 26 lbs I might be able to reverse this degeneration of my body. Tonight I made a Tabbouleh and it was delicious. Thanks Dr. Gregor. You deserve an award.Frank: Awesome story. Keep up the good work. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us. I LOVE these stories.Is the plaque build up reversible?Indeed it is, restoring arterial health can clean up the plaque completely.Looking into nutrition for resolving back pain is like looking into the cavemen diet for resolving the coronary artery disease. If you study the work of Prof. Dr. McGill (e.g. Low Back Disorders, Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation) you will see that nearly ALL cases of back pain are due to mechanical factors. But, of course, at first this might be hard to believe because the industry says otherwise – but once you look at the RESEARCH (where load bearing and injury mechanisms are actually MEASURED and not just totally and 100% ignored) you will understand.having that statement out of the way, I find a link between diet and atherosclerosis and back pain refreshing and interesting, but as a high-carb vegan and follower of Dr. Greger’s advice not surprising.Dr Gregor!I went vegan 6 months ago after being in so much back pain (2 slipped disks), where no physiotherapist that i saw could fix it. It was horrible and debilitating. 2 days after eating so many fruits and vegetables and getting rid of animal products i had no pain.. even to the point where i could swim, cycle and run again at a very fast pace. Since then i got back into exercise and it has been great. Until last week i noticed i was eating less and sleeping less due to exams at university and the pain came back. Then once again i upped my caloric intake of fruits, vegetables and grains and the pain just goes away! I find it so astonishing! The strange thing was that the pain that came back was just as chronic as it was before. Im 27 year old female. Anyway just thought i would share because everyone thinks I’m crazy that i healed my body with a plant based diet and they think it was just the placebo effect!Keep doing what your doing Dr Gregor because you are helping make a huge impact on people!! <3Good Morning Mister Gregor and Team, I have a generally understanding question. Like we known is the Cholesterol responsible for the Plaque in the Arteries (simple spoken). Here in Germany is the blood test ok, if the Cholesterol is between 150 – 200 mg/dl. Most of physicians and normal people believe than, that they are save for plaque in there Arteries. At China Study of Mister Champbell I read, that the generally measured part of Bloodcholesterol by Chinese has been enormously under them of the western world. And you mention in a video, according to a study, that a lots of young people under 20 already developed arteriosclerosis (at leased has been plaque seen). Now my question – is it wrong when I made the conclusion that also a man oder a women can develop low back pain as a early stadium of bad supply of there discs because the start to develop a arteriosclerosis, despite they have a measured cholesterol between 150 to 200 mg/dl bloodcholesterol? Or is this thinking totally out of way?Steffen, I know that many medical establishments say that a total cholesterol between 150 and 200 is OK. But Dr. Esselstyn (in his book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease – as well as some free videos on the web) says that the ideal is to get under 150 total (and under 70 LDL). Dr. Greger also has a videos and articles about the “magic” 150/70 numbers. Here is one such video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/ Bottom line is: a total cholesterol over 150 is still too high.So, I’m thinking that yes, someone could have a total cholesterol between 150 and 200 and have lower back pain due to problems with blood circulation/heart disease. But I don’t know if this is true for any particular person/situation. And I’m not an expert. Just giving you my understanding as a lay person.	back pain,cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,lower back pain,pain	High cholesterol can lead to atherosclerosis in the vertebral arteries that nourish our spine and result in disc degeneration and lower back pain, a leading cause of disability.	The three most common causes of disability in the United States are arthritis, lower back pain, and heart disease, all of which can be affected by diet. For arthritis, see Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis and Preventing Arthritis. There are 89 videos on heart disease. Good places to start include the story about my own grandmother's disability, Resuscitating Medicare, as well as Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet, Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped,China Study On Sudden Cardiac Arrest, Convergence of Evidence andEliminating the #1 Cause of Death. And for more on the impact of cholesterol on quality of life issues, see yesterday’s video. FYI, there are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lower-back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/back-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21419903,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19328027,
PLAIN-2992	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-and-female-sexual-dysfunction/	Cholesterol and Female Sexual Dysfunction	Cholesterol doesn’t just build up inside our coronary arteries; it builds up inside of all of our arteries. In the heart it can cause a heart attack. In the brain it can cause a stroke. In our legs it can cause peripheral vascular disease, and clogs in our pelvic arteries can lead to sexual dysfunction—and not just in men. Hyperlipidemia and sexual function in premenopausal women. Those with high cholesterol reported significantly lower arousal, orgasm, lubrication, and satisfaction. Atherosclerosis of the arterial bed supplying female pelvic anatomy can lead to decreased vaginal engorgement and clitoral erectile insufficiency syndrome, similar to erectile problems in men, resulting in vasculogenic female sexual dysfunction, an important factor of which may be failure to achieve clitoral tumescence, or engorgement. Eating healthier can extend one’s life, and also one’s love life.	For videos on the role that unhealthy diets play in the sexual function of men, see Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up and Rosy Glow. For a strategy for reducing cholesterol see Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. Cholesterol is one of the more popular topics (56 videos). See all 1000+ in our cloud of subjects.	cardiovascular disease,cardiovascular health,cholesterol,erectile dysfunction,impotence,orgasm,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,women's health	The buildup of cholesterol in pelvic arteries can lead to sexual problems among both men and women via a similar pathway (erectile dysfunction).	For videos on the role that unhealthy diets play in the sexual function of men, see Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up and Rosy Glow. For a strategy for reducing cholesterol see Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. Cholesterol is one of the more popular topics (56 videos). See all 1000+ in our cloud of subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orgasm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19453904,
PLAIN-2993	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	A Treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome	Chronic fatigue syndrome is a debilitating condition characterized by a minimum of 6 months crushing mental and physical exhaustion and we have no idea what causes it. We don’t even have a good idea of how many people it. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that as many as 7 and a half million Americans currently suffer from it. And we as physician have very little to offer patients in terms of relieving their symptoms. So this is one of the conditions that I’m always keeping an eye out for in terms of new treatments. And one of the latest they just discovered? Chocolate… Evidently Montezuma the second, who reigned the Aztec empire 500 years ago noted: The divine drink, builds up resistance, fights fatigue. A cup of cocoa permits people to walk for a whole day without food.’’ Not willing to take the emperor’s word for it, put it to the test. I’m always skeptical of industry-supported research, but it was actually a pretty good study. At first glance it looked like they were basically saying eat 3 chocolate bars a day for 8 weeks and call me in the morning, but it was actually a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled crossover trial, which is about as good as you can get. The mad scientists at Nestle took white chocolate, dyed it brown ,and then added some sort of fake chocolate flavor such that people couldn’t tell if they were eating the real chocolate or the fake. Comparable amounts of sugar, and fat, but one had cocoa solids—phytonutrients, and the other basically didn’t. So they were able to put people on one and then switch them over without anyone knowing to see if their chronic fatigue symptoms got better or worse and there was a significant improvement in the real chocolate group, meaning it apparently wasn’t just the yummy taste of chocolate but the action of the cacaow phytonutrients. Of course no one should be eating 3 chocolate bars a day but you can get the equivalent dose of cocoa solids, the equivalent dose of those wonderful cocoa phytonutrients by consuming 2 and a half tablespoons of cocoa powder a day. You can put it in coffee, you can make a chocolately smoothie, or my personal favorite, you can blend it in a high speed blender with frozen cherries or strawberries, a little nondairy milk, vanilla extract and some erythritol or some dates and you have instant, decadent chocolate ice cream (low fat low calorie no cholesterol no added sugar) chocolate ice cream. The more of you eat, the healthier you are, whether or not you're suffering from chronic fatigue.	For some of my previous videos on chocolate, see Healthiest Chocolate Fix, Update On Chocolate, and my last recipe video on the topic, Healthy Chocolate Milkshakes. For why I’m so skeptical of industry-sponsored studies, see Food Industry “Funding Effect” and my other 26 videos on industry influence. And if that’s not enough, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.This I think has been well established that epicatechins (flavanoids from cocao) produce mild analgesia. I remember Neal Barnard presenting a study that showed they could stop people craving for chocolate (and cheese) if they used Naltrexone for blocking the opiod receptors. Here is a link for a study showing activation of the delta opiod receptor from epicatechins in chocolate: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2993198/?tool=pubmed My question is in these people with Fibromyalgia if you keep feeding them chocolate does an adaptation mechanism take place and the patients have to keep increasing their cocao intake to provide the same pain relieving effect? Nestle would sure like that!Love that Chocolate ice cream!!!I have an intense craving for this ice cream right now. Oh boy that looks good.Great, when you say no added sugar, are dates high in Fructose? Is this why they don’t affect blood sugar levels? I know the Erythritol has no issue but I personally don’t like man made sugars due to the feeling that they may fool my body initially but later I tend to crave the real stuff. Nutritionist Jeff Novick points out that if you look at the ingredients of Date powder, they seemingly don’t give you much nutrition as opposed to when you look at Unsulphered molasses label. I know you cite a study that a group of individuals had little effect on their blood sugar levels but was it because Dates are higher in Fructose? Here’s my humble recipe for a cocoa desert. 2 Tbl’s of Hershey’s dark cocoa baking powder 3/4 cup of frozen cranberries 1 whole Indian Gooseberry fruit 1 cup of soft Sprouted Tofu 1 teaspoon of a pre-mixed cloves, cinnamon and Acerola powder 3/4 cup of pre-soaked and dehydrated Pecans and 1/2 cup of raw Cashews for creaminess. 1 cooked medium size purple sweet potato (Asian Market) 1 teaspoon of Stevia Leaf I find that Stevia leaf has no Licorice aftertaste if you mix it with something that does have glucose like the Purple sweet potato…. Makes about 4 servingsTo answer your question, dates have more sugar than jelly beans, but a lot of fiber that keeps it from hitting your bloodstream so fast. Your recipe looks very good, kind of like a lot of mine. I have a question about the tofu in yours, however, since Toxins pointed out elsewhere that soy milk may block absorption of the phytonutrients.Dr. Greger, you really need to publish a cookbook of all you excellent concoctions.Thank you.I tried your “recipe” this morning. Except for the cocoa, I didn’t know how much of the other ingredients to use, so I had to guess. It came out tasting very bitter and was watery. I must have guessed wrong! How much of the other ingredients do you use? Thanks.Mine turned out amazing, try this. 5 dates 3 tbsp. Cacao powder ¾ cup mix frozen berries. ½ tsp. vanilla extract 2 tbsp. Unsweetened Almond MilkMix all in blender and put in freezer. Wait an hour or until consistency of ice cream.Your recipe was yummy, thanksDo you use raw cacao powder or the processed and heated?Thank you.Any cocoa powder will do, preferably non alkalized for maximum nutrient retention.uh-oh, I see online that chocolate has been implicated in parkinson’s.http://www.worldhealth.net/forum/thread/99096/bad-news-for-chocolate-lovers-compound-i/?page=1Maybe this is nuerotoxic?I just made the ice cream! Oh my god. I cannot believe how Tasty it is!!! I guesstimated too, used 2 big handfuls of frozen mixed berries, about 80 mls of coconut milk (from a carton, not the tinned kind), 1 tbsp cocoa, cap of vanilla essence and a decent sprinkle of stevia. Yeah i know. Theres no erythritol in Ireland. Anyway the ice cream was such a treat! And….. Super healthy????Ben and jerry, it’s over between us. It’s THIS kind if thing that will help me help others too! Keep em coming!I have a question. Any idea how much is too much cocoa? In my porridge (with cinnamon), shakes, protein pancakes… Fake Ice cream??? Too much?Your ice cream sounds very healthy except for the coconut milk. Coconut milk is a very high saturated fat product and should be avoided. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/Don’t listen to the coconut nay-sayers. Coconut is wonderful and very healthy.Dr. Michael Gregor himself is a “coconut milk naysayer.” The studies say that the coconut milk is a pretty awful food:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/I use frozen bananas as the stock for my ice cream. I add cherries, strawberries, bananas, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, or whatever else I desire. When I was little I said that I was going to eat ice cream everyday. Of course I was obese as an adult and I didn’t eat ice cream everyday, but now on a plant-based diet I do and I am healthier for it!Is it possible that the reason it fights chronic fatigue is because cocoa has caffeine? The caffeine is extremely mild and is closely equivalent with decaffeinated coffee which is near negligible.I love this ice cream as well.  However, I have a question.  If this is made with soy milk, will it block the antioxidants from the cherries and cocoa?  In one of the videos, soy milk blocked antioxidants from tea.Based on the study, one can safely assume that soy will indeed block the phytonutrients from the cacao and berries. I would suggest using almond milk.Hi Toxins, would a silken tofu have the same effect? Lots of chocolate dessert recipes are based on this. Is there an applicable stoichiometry, couldn’t I just use more cacao powder?I wish I had the answer to this question, but I do not. The only study presented was in vitro and I have no way of getting the full access to the article.Could be a dairy industry plant to soil soy (again).Could it be that the caffene assisted the energy levels on the short term. Caffene and theobromines in chocolate are know to be very harmfull in the long term. I tsp of  cocoa powder contains 8 mg of caffeine and 106mg of theobromine.  http://www.hersheys.com/nutrition-professionals/chocolate/composition/caffeine-theobromine.aspxTheobromine and caffeine both are known to have problems, even suspected to cause birth defects http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9629863I think the vested interest is showing in the  study. You can still use double blind cross over to show beneficial components and leave out the bad effects. Check out this video on caffeine by Dr. Greger showing its many benefits. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/what-about-the-caffeine/Brilliant! So, 2.5tbsp a day of cocoa powder = how much in other forms? Cacao nibs? Kinds of chocolate bar? I will not rush out and start eating any old chocolate treat – I need to find ways of working out proper portions of the actually healthy stuff, rather than making my poor ME/CFS system crash with fat and sugar. Where can I find out how to convert between forms of chocolate? Typically, the dark chocolate bars you find at stores have most of the phytonutrients processed out. It would be best to consume non dutch processed cacao. Cacao nibs would work out just fine as this is a concentrated source of cacao powder. 2.5 tablespoons of cacao powder = approximately 1/3 of an ounce of cacao nibs.Thanks for pointing out this important aspect. Do you know if there is any way to tell if it is (non) Dutch cacao by taste or anything like that (even home made chemical reaction) – there are no labels which is which in the place I live. (Cacao powder I buy now is pretty bitter, if that helps. I will try to search, yet still not sure it will be easy). Thanks anyway.I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  Was diagnosed many years ago after having several major health problems at one time.  However, a year ago I embarked on my journey to be vegan and since then I have had very little issue with it.  I will admit I probably still eat more processed foods than I should and then maybe I would have no CFS at all.  We will definitely try this ice cream though.  Thanks Dr Greger for always posting fun and insightful information.This is good! I was surprised because I’ve tried using raw cacoa powder and stevia for brownies before and they were nasty. I think it’s the strawberries that make the difference. I couldn’t imagine eating that much every day though.The control in this study had significant amounts of milk/whey, whereas the experimental did not. A confounding variable? Animal protein, immune trigger….Not to mention more sugar.have you any research on the link between candida and chronic fatigue syndrome?Coffee can also reduce pain 30-40%I actually discovered this on my own. Have had CFS for 13 years now and I found out that when I ate some chocolate, I had a much better day than if I didn’t. I’ve never been into fruit with chocolate, but I do like the powder in some sweetened almond milk. It’s especially good at hot chocolate in the winter, or with chia seeds for a nice pudding type dessert.I use a lactose-free, fat-free milk. Would that work for this ice creamFat-free is skim milk, and it has has been discussed on this site as being the form of milk with the highest hormones except for butter milk among skim 2% or full fat milk. This promotes cancer. Every nut, seed, and grain when blended with water will produce a plant based milk. Have you tried some of these? It is much better to avoid ingesting anything that isn’t plant based.It would work… but the milk isn’t very good for you.Try almond milk. It’s about the same price of milk, but much, much safer.Aloha Dr. Greger,We have been enjoying your recipe for “chronic fatigue syndrom” i.e. blueberries, bananas, and organic raw cacao nibs. We were wondering if the cacao powder would be better than the nibs (lower fat) and that got us to researching cacao with Dr. McDougall’s site and Jeff Novick. Anyway, below is what Jeff Novick had to say about Cacao and we were wondering if you could respond. The link Jeff Novick gives in his response takes you to a longer response he gave about chocolate.I found this product at my local health food store. The title on the package is in the subject line of this post. The ingredients on the package says, organic raw cacao beans (nibs).A 1 ounce serving contains 13 grams of total fat, 8 grams saturated fat. The 1 ounce serving provides a daily requirement of 314% iron, 21% vitamin C and 24% magnesium. It also contains 20 times more antioxidants than red wine and 30 times more than green tea.I’ve also read studies that say chocolate has been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure.Does the high fat and saturated fat content negate any of the potential nutritious benefits of this food?Yes.There is little if any benefit to either of these substance, neither of which I would call a “food” for humans.You can read some thorough discussions on chocolate and blood pressure here.http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6010In Health JeffJeff’s article talked mostly about chocolate not cocoa powder in the healthy way it is presented here. Even with the powder he looks at the fat content. 50% of 10 or 20 calories doesn’t amount to a hill of anything in my estimation. At the end he does present this….I once tried an experiment with some clients as they wanted to include some cocoa but did not want to use any sweeteners, natural or artificial. So, I mashed up a large banana (or 2), added in a TB (or 2) of pure cocoa powder, and mixed them together. Then I added in some fresh blueberries, and it was fairly good. Then, the next day, we did the same thing but this time topped it with some toasted oats (regular rolled oats we toasted) and then some cinnamon. This was also fairly good.Mary McDougall does have recipes using cocoa powder but she uses a non-fat cocoa powder. John isn’t against any sugar at all.Dear Dr Greger,Just Regarding CFS/ME. I have seen the videos on this website but I unfortunately am not getting results despite a raw vegan diet . I was mainly having thoughts on how diets would help the gut dysbiosis, channelopathy, orthostatic intolerance , oxidative stress, immune dysregulation and other neuroendocrionological symptoms of this syndrome. This being such a complex subject, most molecular details are unanswered but I’d appreciate whatever information you can provide with a big big bow down Thank you. Btw, the kale seeds you sent have come out so very well. Thank you for those.Kind regards,Rashmi Cabena>Hey Rashmi,I have been dealing with CFS for 22 years now. I have found the most benefit from both a vegan diet and doing a periodic anti candida diet. This involves using no sugars, yeast, mold/fungus, or anything else fermented. There are many online resources about it and books (look for The Yeast Connection). I find if I do that for 3 weeks once or twice a year I feel much better.Best of luck,HollyPlease check out this Doc, I read his notes from a conference in which he spoke. It explained why the Swank diet (very low fat) works for MS, which had always puzzled me. http://drstephenfry.com/But it’s interesting to see if in long term their condition don’t get even worse….What about Theo-Bromine ….. neuro-toxin from the Cocoa?Only neuro-toxic for dogsI can’t consume any caffeine due to having pvcs. So no caffeine , chocolate or alcohol for me. Stops pvcs almost completely. How can I consume chocolate? I have cfs and can’t seem to get better no matter how clean my diet is.cocoa powder and frozen bananas in blender also results in similar chocolate ice cream…though the berries would be healthier..also..2.5 tbsp of cocoa powder a day is quite a lot! gonna try it for a few days and see if it helps chase these winter blues away!Thanks Dr. Gregor – love the videos!Does this apply to ADRENAL fatigue? I’ve been reading that stimulants (coffee, coke, all caffeine actually) exhaust the adrenals and make you even more tired). Although cocoa doesn’t have THAT much caffeine, it is still a stimulant. Can someone please answer this? Thanks so much!What about the phytates in chocolate??nathalie: If you are concerned about phytates, you may decide your concerns are misplaced when you watch the videos on this site about phytates:http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=phytatesHope that helps.Hey Dr. Greger, could you post more on the subject of chronic fatigue syndrome? I’ve been suffering from it for over 5 years and I would be really grateful for anything I could learn about how to help myself get better. There’s so little in the way of reliable information out there about this crippling illness.ITS often LYME Tests are grossly inaccurate	candy,chocolate,chronic fatigue syndrome,cocoa,phytonutrients,recipes,smoothies	An industry-funded randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial study suggests chocolate may improve symptoms for those suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, a debilitating condition currently affecting as many as 7 million Americans. But how do you get the cacao phytonutrients without the saturated fat and added sugar?	For some of my previous videos on chocolate, see Healthiest Chocolate Fix, Update On Chocolate, and my last recipe video on the topic, Healthy Chocolate Milkshakes. For why I'm so skeptical of industry-sponsored studies, see Food Industry “Funding Effect” and my other 26 videos on industry influence. And if that's not enough, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/17/strawberries-can-reverse-precancerous-progression/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/recipes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocoa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoothies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 8751435,
PLAIN-2994	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/	Meat-Borne Infection Risk from Shopping Carts	In terms of cross-contamination of fecal bacteria, what about just picking up of package of meat at the store? From CDC researchers published recently in the Journal of Food Protection: Riding in Shopping Carts and Exposure to Raw Meat and Poultry Products: Prevalence of, and Factors Associated with, This Risk Factor for Salmonella and Campylobacter Infection in Children Younger Than 3 Years. Riding in a shopping cart next to raw meat or poultry is a risk factor for Salmonella and Campylobacter infections in infants. Kids riding in the basket had 18 times the odds of exposure compared to those placed backwards in the seats. Several simple steps are likely to help reduce infants’ and children’s exposure to raw meat or poultry products in a grocery store, thereby reducing their risk of exposure to pathogens that may be present on these packages. When riding shopping carts, infants and children should be placed in the child seats rather than the baskets of the carts. An option for older children is the use of alternative shopping carts designed with stroller-like seats or miniature motor vehicles in front of the cart basket. Placing raw meat and poultry products on the rack underneath the cart would also limit direct child–product contact.	This is especially critical given the level of MRSA found in retail meat these days. See MRSA in U.S. Retail Meat and Toxic Megacolon Superbug. Also see yesterday’s video for cross-contamination risks once meat makes it to the kitchen, 21 videos on foodborne illness in general, and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Do those sanitizing wipes at the grocery store help kill that? I’m on a plant based diet and I’m always concerned with who had the cart before me plus I have OCD. I don’t have kids, but just taking precautions!What about the checkout counter? I m always afraid of getting the produce bags and other items I buy contaminated and then bringing them into my house. I prefer buying at farmers markets or a store that doesn t sell “fresh” meat.Boy, I guess I have to start wiping down the handlebar with those towelettes you see next to the carts. Since I regularly buy a full shopping bag of fresh greens, I take the precaution of filling a 5 gal plastic tub half way with warm water and adding a 1/2 cup of Vinegar and quickly submerge them one at a time and shake them off to remove most of the water before I put them in my refrigerator. I use Hydrogen Peroxide and dish soap to keep my counters clean (It makes the glass on the stove top really shine) PeaceI’m confused… the last comment made me think this was just an issue if you are actually buying these products and placing them in the cart with your children.  Is it still a concern if you are not?This is actually something I’ve really been thinking a lot about lately, I’d really like to see butcher shops separate completely from other groceries… is there anyway to start a movement to get this happening?  With the concerns over reusable bags and other cross contamination concerns such as this it only makes sense to keep all the animal products separate.  Also, please check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/!Please also check out my associated blog post, Poultry and Penis Cancer!	Campylobacter,children,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,infants,meat,poultry,Salmonella,shopping carts,supermarkets	Exposure to meat packaging in the supermarket may lead to food poisoning in children placed in shopping carts.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supermarkets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shopping-carts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20537266,
PLAIN-2995	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/	Food Poisoning Bacteria Cross-Contamination	More than half of the retail poultry in the world is contaminated with the food poisoning bacteria Campylobacter. About 50% of European poultry, 60% of Norther American retail, more like 70% in the U.S.— most of which were recently reported to be antibiotic resistant, but not all strains of Camylobacter can trigger human paralysis. Not all strains have that molecular mimick. Researchers at Hopkins and UCLA recently looked into the prevalence of the potentially neuropathic strains of campylobacter in commercial poultry products, right off of supermarket shelves. Of 65 isolates of campylobacter they found, only about 60% were in the three classes most associated with the development of paralysis. So the odds may only be 50;50 or so that you might be bringing home something that could trigger Guillain-barre syndrome.. Even if you make the wrong choice, though, who undercooks chicken? I mean eggs, I can see. People like their sunny-side up yolk a little runny, or a burger that’s pink inside, but who wants rare chicken? That’s not the main problem. It’s not the undercooking, it’s the cross-contamination. Once that meat thermometer hits the right temperature, any and all fecal contamination is cooked. You could let your kids play it, you could rub your toothbrush on it, all viruses and bacteria are dead. You could still, I don’t know, choke on a chicken bone, puncture an artery and bleed to death, but the infectious disease problem with chicken is between when you first touch the package at the store and when it finally makes it into the pot. You can have all the safe cooking labels you want, but that won’t raise awareness that bacteria from the surface of the chicken meat can stick to the hands of the cook or could be spread in the kitchen environment and subsequently may contaminate ready-to-eat foods like salads or already cooked foods accompanying the meal. Why don’t we have that kind of label? Consumer surveys show that the majority of people want to see that kind of information on food packaging. Why not just name poultry meat and eggs as likely contamination sources with food-borne pathogens like Salmonella and Campylobacter. The problem with that is it has been shown that this sort of ‘naming and blaming’ infection risks to poultry meat and eggs may result in a drop of poultry meat and egg consumption.	I explain about Guillain-Barré syndrome (Campylobacter-triggered paralysis) in Poultry and Paralysis, in case you missed it. Fecal contamination from poultry is thought to be why more fecal bacteria can be recovered from kitchen sinks than toilet seats. See Fecal Contamination of Sushi. For cross-contamination and undercooking risks associated with eggs, see my video Total Recall. Migrating Fish Bones documents a parallel to the fatal arterial puncture case presented here. And hundreds of other videos are available on more than a thousand subjects.I think Neal Barnard at PCRM should “sue the bastards” and make them place the labels on the packages. I can only teach so much at an office visit and the legal avenue is probably the most appropriate and rewarding!Does freezing the meat or poultry before using it destroy any or (preferably) all of the viruses or bacteria?NOAlso, please check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/!Please also check out my associated blog post, Poultry and Penis Cancer!You’re amazing.	antibiotics,Campylobacter,chicken,eggs,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,Guillain-Barré syndrome,meat,paralysis,poultry,Salmonella,superbugs	The food-poisoning fecal bacteria found in 70% of U.S. retail poultry is destroyed by proper cooking, but contamination of the kitchen environment may place consumers at risk.	I explain about Guillain-Barré syndrome (Campylobacter-triggered paralysis) in Poultry and Paralysis, in case you missed it. Fecal contamination from poultry is thought to be why more fecal bacteria can be recovered from kitchen sinks than toilet seats. See Fecal Contamination of Sushi. For cross-contamination and undercooking risks associated with eggs, see my video Total Recall. Migrating Fish Bones documents a parallel to the fatal arterial puncture case presented here. And hundreds of other videos are available on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/25/bugs-drugs-in-pork-yersinia-and-ractopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/06/which-pets-improve-childrens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/01/why-is-selling-salmonella-tainted-chicken-still-legal/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/guillain-barre-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/superbugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21114215,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21295368,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19272666,
PLAIN-2996	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-paralysis/	Poultry and Paralysis	There is one neurological condition definitively caused by an infectious agent in poultry, Guillaine Barre syndrome. Also known as acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, it’s a brutally rapid, life-threatening auto-immune attack on your nervous system. It’s like MS in fast-forward, where instead of taking years, you can end up paralyzed on a ventilator in a matter of days. Why would our immune system do such a thing? It didn’t mean to; it had the best of intensions. There is a neuropathic strain of a fecal bacteria called Campylobacter contaminating the U.S. chicken supply. If you get exposed and infected, 999 times out of a thousand you just get sick, food poisoning. No problem, your immune system wipes out the invaders, and in a couple days you’re as good as new. But 1 in a thousand cases our immune system makes an honest mistake. This is what your nerve cells look like on the outside, molecularly; this is what campylobacter looks like on the outside. Your immune system detects the bacteria, rides in guns ablazin’, take no prisoners, and your nerves end up a victim of friendly fire. Your first symptom is what’s called acending paralysis. weakness starts in the ahnds and feet and works itsway up. In many cases within hours, days you can’t walk, then you can’t swallow, then you can’t breathe. In which case you’re dead--unless you can get to an ICU with a mechanical ventilator in which case, after about 2 weeks something amazing happens. Your immune system steps back from the fight, surveys the damage, and says uh oh. And it stops and you come back to life. Now sometimes it’s too late and you end up with severe lifelong disability, or you don’t make it that far— kills people even in the best ICUs in the world. The bottom line is that now that polio is largely a thing of the past, the most common cause of acute paralysis in the United States is , ultimately, chicken consumption.	How common is fecal contamination of retail chicken? See Fecal Residues in Chicken, and for meat in general, my video Fecal Bacteria Survey. And for a discussion of other neurological conditions that may be linked to poultry consumption, see yesterday’s video. There’s also a strain of E. coli in chicken that causes urinary tract infections: Chicken Out of UTIs. For hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects check out the word cloud.According to “The Food Revolution” by John Robbins, anywhere from 70 to 90 percent of store bought chicken has traces of campylobacter.Things don’t seem to be getting any better. According the a recent The Guardian article, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/23/-sp-revealed-dirty-secret-uk-poultry-industry-chicken-campylobacterTwo-thirds of fresh retail chicken in UK are contaminated with campylobacter. There is a video documentary that accompanies the above article. The chicken handling processes that are being used in the UK seem like the same ones employed in the US. There was an interview with a woman who had developed Guillain-Barré syndrome. She was suffering long term disability from the neurological damage that she sustained from her auto-immune episode. It is frightening to think that one can be crippled by such a ubiquitous food item regardless of whether you eat it or not because it is the cross contamination from handling the chicken before cooking which is the typical source of the infection.Chicken is a biohazard. It would be safer to refrain from bringing raw poultry into one’s home.	autoimmune diseases,Campylobacter,chicken,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,Guillain-Barré syndrome,meat,paralysis,poultry	A neuropathic strain of the fecal bacteria Campylobacter found in poultry can trigger Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rapid and life-threatening paralysis.	How common is fecal contamination of retail chicken? See Fecal Residues in Chicken, and for meat in general, my video Fecal Bacteria Survey. And for a discussion of other neurological conditions that may be linked to poultry consumption, see yesterday’s video. There's also a strain of E. coli in chicken that causes urinary tract infections: Chicken Out of UTIs. For hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects check out the word cloud.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/09/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/guillain-barre-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21451970,
PLAIN-2997	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	Poultry Exposure and Neurological Disease	More cancer mortality associated with poultry exposure; what about Non-cancer mortality? The root cause of many chronic diseases in humans is, after all, still unknown. Chickens and turkeys destined for human consumption and their products are infected with a plethora of transmissible agents that cause a variety of diseases in the animals, including cancer, diseases of the nervous system, cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, etc. That’s in the animals, but they can be a source of infection. humans can be infected by direct contact with live or killed birds, their blood and secretions, consumption of raw or inadequately cooked poultry meat or other products such as eggs, and vaccination. We already have serologic evidence—testing for antibodies—that humans are commonly infected with avian leukosis/sarcoma viruses, reticuloendotheliosis viruses and Marek's disease virus, that cause a wide variety of cancer, neurologic and other diseases in chickens and turkeys. The question therefore arises as to whether these agents also cause similar diseases in humans, especially those human diseases whose cause is currently undetermined. They figured, look if it’s going to affect anyone it would be the poultry workers first, and indeed they found that compared to the control group, an excess of deaths was observed for disorders of the thyroid gland, senile and pre-senile psychotic conditions like schizophrenia, anterior horn cell disease, which is a spinal cord disease, myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune nerve disease, hypertension, heart disease, diseases of the esophagus, peritonitis, and other diseases of the kidney. They conclude that this apparent excess occurrence of disease affecting several organs and systems, probably originating from widespread infection with a variety of microorganisms.. So this notion that the present findings may perhaps be providing the first clues that cases of some of the neurologic diseases that occur in the general population may owe their origin to the presence of transmissible agents present in animals and animal products used for food, such as poultry, is plausible….	For the cancer mortality studies I refer to at the beginning, see Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics, Poultry and Penis Cancer and Wart Cancer Viruses in Food. And for more on the viruses specifically mentioned, see yesterday’s video. And if anyone’s thinking, what about Guillain-Barré syndrome? Stay tuned—that’s tomorrow video! In the meantime, feel free to check out hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.I wonder if there any studies about the morbidity of poultry industry workers. I tried to search and found just researches about their mortality.Is there a way I can communicate with you more privately off of this site?How can I know if my thyroid is healthy?I have switched to being vegetarian since 2 months. After watching your videos, and reading Campbell, Esselstyn, McDougall the switch was easy. However I have always loved starch – i.e. bread, pasta (all mostly whole wheat, rarely processed) and I literally feel my brain needs it. My issue is that I am schizophrenic due to various life events. I wanted to know is there latest research about the schizophrenia – gluten/starch connection and is there any special diet for schizophrenics? There are some studies on a ketogenic diet which show successes, but how can this be achieved with a plant based diet? ( http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/6/1/10 ) What diet would you recommend for mental illnesses in general? For example EPAs in Omega3?Wow did you do a good job of barely mentioning the part about vaccines that are produced using eggs. Like the influenza vaccine perhaps? More commentary is definitely needed on this subject.The video is not playing for me, it says the embed code is not valid. Is it just my computer?Thanks for pointing this out. We had a similar problem with another yesterday that’s now fixed. I’ll report this one also.Were working on it! Please see here for now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pac9DUkXOsQ	animal products,autoimmune diseases,avian leukosis/sarcoma virus,blood pressure,cardiovascular disease,chicken,eggs,esophagus health,farm animals,food poisoning,foodborne illness,heart disease,hypertension,kidney disease,kidney health,Marek's disease virus,meat,mental health,mortality,poultry,poultry viruses,poultry workers,psychosis,reticuloendotheliosis virus,schizophrenia,spinal cord health,thyroid disease,thyroid health,turkey	Poultry workers exhibit an excess of a wide range of diseases, from thyroid conditions to schizophrenia and autoimmune neurological disorders such as myasthenia gravis. This may be due to exposure to viruses present in chickens and turkeys.	For the cancer mortality studies I refer to at the beginning, see Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics, Poultry and Penis Cancer and Wart Cancer Viruses in Food. And for more on the viruses specifically mentioned, seeyesterday’s video. And if anyone's thinking, what about Guillain-Barré syndrome? Stay tuned—that's tomorrow video! In the meantime, feel free to check out hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinal-cord-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophagus-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/schizophrenia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psychosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avian-leukosissarcoma-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mareks-disease-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reticuloendotheliosis-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19902237,
PLAIN-2998	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/	Carcinogenic Retrovirus Found in Eggs	To recap: Certain viruses commonly infect and cause a wide variety of cancers in chickens and turkeys destined for human consumption. They include the avian leukosis/sarcoma viruses, reticuloendotheliosis viruses, and Marek’s disease virus. The avian leukosis/sarcoma viruses and reticuloendotheliosis viruses are among the most potent cancer-causing agents known, and can induce cancer in poultry in a matter of days. This is what Marek’s looks like; you can see all the little tumors in the skin. It also can affect the chickens’ eyes. What about people, though? Well, These viruses are found present in raw poultry products, including raw or inadequately cooked poultry meat and eggs meant for human consumption, as well as vaccines grown in eggs. They cite a study in which researchers went looking for avian leucosis/sarcoma virus, a carcinogenic retrovirus in commercial eggs right off supermarket shelves and found 14% of egg samples from 20 randomly chosen New Orleans retail stores tested positive for the virus. Thus, the general population is commonly exposed… It is therefore of great interest whether these agents also cause cancer in humans. We don’t know for sure, but This large study provides evidence that a human group with high exposure to poultry oncogenic viruses has increased risk of dying from several cancers. Beyond just poultry workers, with regards to the general population, The public health implication that the excess occurrence of some of these cancers in these workers may be associated with exposure to oncogenic viruses is not trivial.	But who eats raw eggs? It’s probably more a problem of cross-contamination before they’re cooked. See Total Recall. For info on viruses in poultry, see the last three days of videos: EPIC Findings on Lymphoma, Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics, and Poultry and Penis Cancer. And as always, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. The retail egg survey is open access, so feel free to download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.The only solution. . . Plants!I have been eating healthy for about 6 months due to a health scare. Then I recently found your site. It is totally amazing! I have learned so much. Thank you for the time and effort you put into this!!!Raw eggs are used in mayo, french silk, and tom and jerries just to mention a few things.Given this, should we be concerned about getting vaccinations? Do you know which vaccines use eggs?MMR………..Measels, Mumps and Rubella Vaccine.Also, please check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/!Please also check out my associated blog post, Poultry and Penis Cancer!If you’re concerned about vaccines, when you go for a flu shot or whatever type of vaccine you’re getting they are required to ask you if you are allergic to eggs. Those are the vaccines associated with fertilized chick embryos, I believe. Better to get your vaccines than to put the rest of the public at risk by not getting them, though.I throw raw eggs in my protein shakes :'(is the virus found in the yolk. the whites or, both?	avian leukosis/sarcoma virus,cancer,cancer viruses,chicken,eggs,farm animals,Marek's disease virus,meat,mortality,New Orleans,poultry,poultry viruses,poultry workers,reticuloendotheliosis virus,turkey,vaccines	Avian leukosis/sarcoma virus has been found in 14% of retail egg samples.	But who eats raw eggs? It's probably more a problem of cross-contamination before they're cooked. See Total Recall. For info on viruses in poultry, see the last three days of videos: EPIC Findings on Lymphoma, Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics, and Poultry and Penis Cancer. And as always, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. The retail egg survey is open access, so feel free to download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avian-leukosissarcoma-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mareks-disease-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaccines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reticuloendotheliosis-virus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-orleans/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20541185,
PLAIN-2999	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-and-penis-cancer/	Poultry and Penis Cancer	Last year, I presented the study on poultry slaughterplant workers, where they were found to have excess cancers of the mouth, nasal cavities, throat, tonsils, inner ear cancer, sinus cancer, esophageal, rectal, liver, leukemia etc. thought to be because they are exposed to cancer causing viruses present in poultry and poultry products, and worse that they may be transmitted to anyone in the general population handling or eating inadequately cooked chicken. It’s not clear how you’re supposed to not handle raw chicken yet somehow still levitate it into the oven. The study was replicated recently in the largest such investigation to date, more than 20,000 workers in poultry slaughtering and packing plants. They found the same thing confirming the findings of three other studies to date that workers in poultry slaughtering and processing plants have increased risk of dying from certain cancers. New findings in this study were increased risk of death from cancers of the cervix and penis. Excess cancer of the penis in all males, with a standardized mortality ratio more than 8-fold higher.	The previous slaughterhouse worker study I refer to is here: Wart Cancer Viruses In Food. There was also a study suggesting a relationship between cervical cancer and the viruses in meat (Pets & Human Lymphoma), but this is the first time I’ve seen penile cancer studied in this context. If there are so many viruses in chickens, don’t they get into the eggs? That’s tomorrow’s video-of-the-day! See the previous two days’ videos, Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics and EPIC Findings on Lymphoma for a discussion of meat lymphoma risk. (Not to mention the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects).On Youtube, the link to this page is incorrect because the word ‘and’ is connected to the end of the link.Thanks for another good video.Thank you so much Tan–all fixed!Also, please check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/!Please also check out my associated blog post, Poultry and Penis Cancer!Someone must have hacked this and the previous videos as the audio sounds likw Halloween scary voices. Please check for correct audio setting. Could it be the poultry industry commiting felony? Lol	cancer,cancer viruses,cervical cancer,cervix health,chicken,cooking temperature,ear health,esophageal cancer,esophagus health,inner ear cancer,leukemia,liver cancer,liver health,meat,mortality,mouth cancer,nasal cavity cancer,penis cancer,penis health,poultry,poultry viruses,poultry workers,rectal cancer,sinus health,throat cancer,throat health,tonsil cancer,turkey	The largest study to date on poultry workers found a significantly increased risk of dying from penile cancer, thought to be due to exposure to oncogenic (cancer-causing) chicken viruses, which raise consumer concerns as well.	The previous slaughterhouse worker study I refer to is here: Wart Cancer Viruses In Food. There was also a study suggesting a relationship between cervical cancer and the viruses in meat (Pets & Human Lymphoma), but this is the first time I've seen penile cancer studied in this context. If there are so many viruses in chickens, don't they get into the eggs? That's tomorrow's video-of-the-day! See the previous two days' videos, Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics and EPIC Findings on Lymphoma for a discussion of meat lymphoma risk. (Not to mention the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects).	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nasal-cavity-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophagus-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sinus-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ear-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervical-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inner-ear-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervix-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouth-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tonsil-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20541185,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19847658,
PLAIN-3000	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/	Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics?	Why was there so much more lymphoma and leukemia risk among those eating just a small serving of chicken a day? The reasons are unclear. Certainly there are industrial carcinogens like dioxins that may increase risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and have been found in meat and dairy, but the study did not observe an increased risk in association with high milk consumption, and so that’s probably not it. Secondly, poultry may contain oncogenic, or cancer-causing, viruses, especially if the meat is not cooked well. And it’s interest there are actually studies in the U.S. reporting a lower risk of lymphoma in women consuming well-done meat. You’d think it’s be the other way around because of the heterocyclic amines, the cooked meat carcinogens created when you grill chicken, but not if it’s the viruses in chicken that are responsible. Oncogenic animal viruses have been suspected as causes of lymphoma among farmers and slaughterhouse workers, but this is just preliminary: meat consumption has not been connected with transmission of oncogenic viruses, yet. And their third theory why poultry was so significantly associated with blood and lymph node cancers, is perhaps because chickens and turkeys are often treated with antiparasitic drugs and antibiotics to enhance growth of the animals and to treat and prevent disease, especially given the conditions many of them are now raised in. And indeed antibiotic use has sometimes been associated with the risk of lymphoma , however it it is unclear whether the association between antibiotic use and cancer risk is cause and effect and, more importantly, whether antibiotic use in food animals can affect cancer risk in human beings.	See the “prequel,” EPIC Findings on Lymphoma, and the one before it on general cancer rates. For more on industrial pollutants in meat, see Vegetarians Versus Healthy Omnivores, Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies and Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat. For more on cancer-causing viruses, see Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat and Chicken, Meat Additives to Diminish Toxicity and Carcinogens in the Smell of Frying Bacon. And for more on drug residues in meat, see Drug Residues in Meat. The mass use of antibiotics in chicken feed may also be contributing to the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria (for example, see U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph). There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Love these summaries, Dr. Greger! Thank you!Also, please check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/!Please also check out my associated blog post, Poultry and Penis Cancer!	antibiotics,cancer,cancer viruses,carcinogens,chicken,cooking methods,cooking temperature,dioxins,factory farming practices,farm animals,farmers,grilling,heterocyclic amines,industrial toxins,leukemia,lymphoma,meat,persistent organic pollutants,poultry,poultry viruses,poultry workers,turkey,women's health	The association between poultry and cancer may be explained by the presence in chickens' and turkeys' flesh of industrial carcinogens such as dioxins, oncogenic (cancer-causing) viruses, and/or the drugs that were fed to the birds.	See the "prequel," EPIC Findings on Lymphoma, and the one before it on general cancer rates. For more on industrial pollutants in meat, seeVegetarians Versus Healthy Omnivores, Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studiesand Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat. For more on cancer-causing viruses, see Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat and Chicken, Meat Additives to Diminish Toxicity and Carcinogens in the Smell of Frying Bacon. And for more on drug residues in meat, see Drug Residues in Meat. The mass use of antibiotics in chicken feed may also be contributing to the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria (for example, see U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph). There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grilling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farmers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20473877,
PLAIN-3001	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	EPIC Findings on Lymphoma	Yes, the incidence of all malignant cancers combined was lower among fish-only eaters and vegetarians compared to the healthy meateaters, but the most striking difference between the dietary groups was in the risk for the group of cancers that include lymphomas and myeloma. Since they factored out other lifestyle differences between the meateaters and vegetarians—similar smoking exercise weight fruit and veggie consumption—they concluded that meat itself may be the culprit, potentially due to the mutagenic compounds or viruses in meat, but that raises the question, what type of meat? To get at that level of detail you would need to look at a lot of people, so they enrolled the help of not just any study but the EPIC study, E.P.I.C., the largest forward-looking study on diet and cancer in human history, following a half a million people for over ten years now. What type of meat was the worst? They looked at red meat—beef and pork—processed meat, like bacon, ham and sausage, poultry—chicken and turkey, also offal, which, true to its name, means entrails and organs- in practical terms liver heart kidneys, pancreas blood, thymus, brains, stomach feet, tongue tail as well as the head and eyeballs. They also looked at eggs and dairy. Which was most significantly associated with the risk of developing lymphoma? Red meat, processed meat, poultry, offal, eggs, or milk? It was poultry consumption, associated with a significantly increased risk of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, all grades of follicular lymphoma, B-cell lymphomas in general, including B-cell chronic lymphatic leukemia (including small lymphocytic leukemia and prolymphocytic lymphocytic leukemia. Up to triple the rates for every 50 grams of daily poultry consumption. A cooked chicken breast averages 220 grams, so that’s for just a quarter of a chicken breast worth of poultry.	Why was there so much more lymphoma and leukemia risk among those eating just a small serving of chicken a day? That’s the subject of my next NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day (coming on Monday). And see yesterday’s video for a discussion of overall cancer rates. The EPIC study also compared obesity rates in omnivores, flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans. See Thousands of Vegans Studied. There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.You are my Morning Report! To bad you don’t post on the weekends!Not sure of the technical difficulty but this particular video will not load to play. Thanks.It’s playing for me. Could the trouble be at your end? Anyone else having a problem, I wonder?Working great presently. Thanks!Hm. It’s playing fine for me. Could the trouble be at your end?Didn’t this study also find a significantly higher rate of bowel cancer among the vegetarians? What is your take on that?Dr. Greger did say the study had some interesting findings that he would address later before he quoted the conclusion in the previous video “Vegetarians Versus Healthy Omnivores”. I take that as meaning he will address that issue over the course of the next week.It does appear to contradict all of the common risk factors, though. “Low fiber, high fat diets. Sedentary lifestyle. Obesity. Diabetes. Smoking, and alcohol consumption” are a number of risk factors provided by the Mayo Clinic that usually aren’t attributes of vegetarians. Old age is a risk factor, perhaps mean age was higher for the vegetarian participants? Perhaps the excessive low calorie handicap (just as much fruits/veggies as omnivores) played a role. Inflammatory bowel diseases are a risk factor, which could be related to grain consumption in the vegetarian group assuming they had a gluten intolerance or celiac, diagnosed or not. There are a number of possible confounding variables, but I haven’t bothered to spoil the fun of this video series by checking myself.Would that still be the case if it was organic, cage free, grain fed chickens?Why do you think follicular lymphoma was increase with yogurt and cheese consumption? Statistical variance?	bacon,beef,beef brains,brains,cancer,cancer viruses,chicken,dairy,eggs,EPIC Study,flexitarians,ham,leukemia,lymphoma,meat,multiple myeloma,non-Hodgkin lymphoma,offal,omnivores,organ meats,pork,pork brains,poultry,processed meat,red meat,sausage,turkey,veal brains,vegetarians,white meat	In a study of a half million people, which was most associated with the risk of developing lymphoma? Red meat, processed meat, poultry, offal, eggs, or milk?	Why was there so much more lymphoma and leukemia risk among those eating just a small serving of chicken a day? That's the subject of my nextNutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day (coming on Monday). And see yesterday’s video for a discussion of overall cancer rates. The EPIC study also compared obesity rates in omnivores, flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans. See Thousands of Vegans Studied. There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/22/poultry-paunch-meat-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veal-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organ-meats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/offal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20473877,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20598735,
PLAIN-3002	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/	Vegetarians Versus Healthy Omnivores	The same reason it was so difficult to study cancer among coffee-drinkers, is the same reason it’s so difficult to study cancer among meateaters. Even if they found lower cancer rates among those eating vegetarian, maybe it’s just because they exercise more, or smoke less, or inhale less diesel fumes because all own a prius. So the way you get around that is you study a group of healthy meateaters who, for example, smoke just as infrequently as the group of vegetarians you’re trying to study—to equal things out, control for nondietary factors. So you don’t just classify people into meateaters, fish-only eaters, and vegetarians, you adjust for smoking—past smoking, current smoking, the amount of smoking, cigarette smoking, cigar smoking, pipe smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, physical activity level, and for women, how many children they’ve had—which can be protective against breast cancer, whether they were on the pill or not. Anything they could think of to factor everything else aside and just focus in on what they were interested in, whether or not one eats meat. Now controlling for obesity, is not really fair to the vegetarians. We know that vegetarians are significantly more likely to be thin, which we know is protective against cancer, so by comparing vegetarians only to thin meateaters, it undercuts one of the benefits of eating vegetarian. It effectively erases one of the reasons why eating vegetarian may reduce cancer rates. But they weren’t interested in indirect ways in which meat might cause cancer, like meat leading to obesity leading to cancer. They wanted to study meat and cancer more directly. And to do that you have to handicap the vegetarians even further. Maybe the reason vegetarians are so healthy is not because they eat less meat, but because they eat more plants. So vegetarians were compared to meateaters who on average ate about the same amount of fruits and vegetables every day. It may not have been easy, but they were able to dig up thousands meateaters who ate 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies a day—about as much as the vegetarians were eating. Again, this put the vegetarians at a comparative disadvantage by removing one of the key benefits of more plant-based diets which is… more plants. By comparing vegetarians to omnivores who don't eat a lot of meat and have a high fruit and vegetable intake, this could reduce the chance of observing lower cancer rates in the vegetarians, but they wanted to isolate out the meat component. So they did, they compared vegetarians only to healthy meateaters with healthier diets, and still found the incidence of all cancers combined was lower among vegetarians.	I’ve covered findings from the EPIC studies before in Meat & Multiple Myeloma, Bowel Movement Frequency, Thousands of Vegans Studied, EPIC Study and Low Meat of No Meat?. Tomorrow I’ll cover the findings from this paper in more depth and I have a few more videos in the pipeline on it, so stay tuned! And the same diet that may prevent cancer may help treat it too, see Cancer Reversal Through Diet?. For more on plant-based nutrition, see the 101 videos I have on plant-based diets, and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. PS: the reference in this video to teasing out the cancer and coffee connection is dealt with in Coffee and Cancer.Yes, interestingly the bowel cancer higher in Vegetarians has me intrigued. Can’t wait for Monday.There are obviously some confounding issues that may have caused this but I am holding on to my colonoscope until I hear your beef on this sizzling find. Isn’t that just Offal !-?In this study, what are they considering “vegetarians”? If vegans were used, then why didn’t they use that term? If dairy/egg eating vegetarians were included, how much animal protein were they eating?In the research they say that the criteria for being assigned a vegetarian is to not eat “meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs”.Uhhhh… Then why didn’t they use ” vegan ” rather then vegetarian ? I hate it when people interchange those termsBecause a person that only eats veggies and not dairy products….is a vegetarian. If you eat dairy/eggs those are not vegetables so how could you use vegetarians. You guys messed up the terms.An omnivore.As a dietary term, a vegan is defined as someone who does not consume any animal products or byproducts. A vegetarian can still consume dairy or eggs.It’s always been my understanding that Vegetarian means just that. And being a “Lacto/Ovo-Vegetarian” means that you ALSO eat eggs and dairy. I believe that is more technically correct. “Vegan” extends beyond diet. The vegetarian/vegan thing is just taking on new meanings which is why “plant-based” diet is becoming more trendy. It says what it means more clearly without the social evolution ambiguity.Technically speaking, there shouldn’t be a difference between the two groups, but since Vegetarians have no standards, I agree that the distinction should be made. However, since we’re only referring to diet here, and since Vegan isn’t a diet, they should be specifying that they studied those following a plant-based diet. Thank you Oprah and Skinny Bitch (if no one else) for butchering the term Vegan too.Dr Greger cited 2 studies in the video. The second study used compared non-vegetarians with lacto-vegetarians (they eat milk and cheese). If you look at the studies yourself you will see. The first study compared meat-eaters, fish eaters and vegans.The vegetarian group included lacto/ovo vegetarians and pure vegetarians(vegans).“4 diet groups were established: meat eaters (those that eat meat), fish eaters (those that do not eat meat but do eat fish), vegetarians (those that do not eat meat or fish but do eat dairy products or eggs or both), and vegans (those that eat no animal products); because of the small number of cancers among vegans, in this article the vegans are included in the vegetarian category.”The study states that milk consumption was higher in the nonvegetarian group, but cheese, vegetables, and fruit consumption was higher in the vegetarian group.I would very much like to see the pure vegetarian cancer rates from this study. Since I consider cheese to be the worst food someone can consume from a health perspective, I am not all that surprised by this anomaly.Eggs are bad, bad news too. Vegetarianism is merely a step in the right direction, but seems to leave much to be desired.Where is the article talking about the higher incidence of cancer in Vegetarians?See the “citations” under the video.Hi!Was hoping you could do a video or post on human anatomy and physiology.  Sadly we human animals continue our “belief” that we are omnivorous.  I especially like Dr. Milton Mills “The Comparative Anatomy of Eating”: http://www.vegsource.com/news/2009/11/the-comparative-anatomy-of-eating.html  but would love to have another link to share from nutritionfacts.org. I re-posted the following: http://veganzeitgeist.org/2012/02/10/our-beliefs-meat-and-dairy-mad-consumers-the-facts-plant-based-diet/ because many were not making it to the “What About Me” section :)  Us silly humans; our beliefs, and short attention spans… oh yea, forgot (memory problems too :), you know that better than most!Additionally was also hoping you could comment on the accuracy of human lifespan of 120+ years, that we have approximately one, one thousandths of the hydrochloric acid found in carnivores, and a correlation between mad cow (feeding liquefied animal proteins to herbivores) and our epidemic levels of disease (MS, CJD, etc., because of our erroneous consumption. Thank you, and all the humans working with you, for all you are doing for our bewildered herbivorous herd; all life on Mother Earth!The conclusion from this study states, “Within the study, the incidence of all cancers combined was lower among vegetarians than among meat eaters, but the incidence of colorectal cancer was higher in vegetarians than in meat eaters.”Can you address this issue of colorectal cancer? Is this colorectal cancer issue addressed? I can’t seem to find it anywhere on this site.The study doesn’t speculate about the increase. Cancers in general were only about 12% lower in the vegetarians vice meat eaters. In some ways, the whole study approach is deeply flawed because it doesn’t separate plant based diets (vegans) from vegetarians.Dairy products and eggs often are substituted for meat by vegetarians. I often think of them as liquid meat eaters, since dairy and eggs, from a nutritional perspective, are practically interchangeable with meat: no fiber, lots of cholesterol and saturated fat, up regulation of IGF, vitamin and mineral and phytonutrient deficient, etc. By the time you handicap the vegetarians by “correcting” for confounding factors, they’re pretty much the same as meat eaters, hence the very similar cancer outcomes.We really need more studies, where whole food vegans are broken out from all the rest to really see what’s happening.I’m not sure I understand the definition of Vegans/Vegetarains vs. Healthy meat eaters (how much meat do they eat?). I eat organic meat once a week, and lots of veg & fruit on a daily basis. I add milk to my coffee and have a few deserts a week containing dairy (I do not consider dairy healthy), so I consider myself as a healthy non Vegan. I also exercise frequently.On the other hand I know very non healthy Vegans who eat a lot of processed vegan foods – chips, non dairy chocolate, sugar, serials, soy burgers, etc.Therefore I find these terms a bit confusing when used in reseraches. Is it possible to post the desired food that a person needs to eat and not just say Vegan? Also, If I prefer not to take any supplements (many vitamins have issues), would meat (organic) once a week be sufficient for B12? What about D? I was not aware that eggs are bad, so thank you for teaching me that.Indeed, a vegan doesn’t equate to healthy, as a vegan can eat french fries, white bread and mock meats all day long and be considered vegan, but they are not necessarily protected from chronic illness. You will never find Dr. Greger advocating any meat, even once a week, nor will he recommend eating any animal product at all.Dairy and eggs have many health issues seen with them and judging by your responses, it seems that you eat these things the most. I recommend viewing these videos for research.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-acne-promoting-effects-of-milk/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/ http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/31/bad-egg/The health detriments seen with animal product consumption go much deeper then these videos as seen with increased IGF-1 and endotoxemia.Thanks Toxins, but I’m not sure that my question was answered. Please refer to the China Study (see link below). You can see there “low animal based foods” rather than no animal. The article that is stated above doesn’t define what was the diet of the “Healthy Omnivores” and how much meat/dairy was included, so I cannot really use it as a reference.If a diet is strictly vegan, one needs to add B12, D, etc and I’m not sure if this is healthier than eating meat once a week without taking any additions.BTW, I never said that dairy is healthy, I eat occasional dairy deserts (or milk in my coffee) since if I already eat desert (which is not healthy anyway…) at least it should be tasty…http://web.archive.org/web/20090223222003/http://www.nutrition.cornell.edu/ChinaProject/“These diets are much different from the average American diets, containing only about 0-20% animal based foods, while the average American diet is comprised of about 60-80% animal based foods.”Vitamin b12 is a water soluble vitamin and has no harmful side affect. Vitamin D is not unique to vegans as most people need to supplement vitamin D regardless. For these reasons I would still say that including meat, even once a weak, is not at all beneficial. If you would like a model diet take a look at the Okinawans.Caloric Restriction, the Traditional Okinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life Span Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785 Total weight (grams) 1262 Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4 Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9) Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85) Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6) Saturated fatty acid 3.7 Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6 Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8 Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)Rice 154 (12) Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7) Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1) Sugars 3 (less than 11) Oils 3 (2) Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1) Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1) Eggs 1 (less than 1) Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)Sweet potatoes 849 (69) Other potatoes 2 (less than1) Other vegetables 114 (3) Fruit less than 1 (less than 1) Seaweed 1 (less than 1) Pickled vegetables 0 (0) Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some pointsTheir diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a day.This is not the same fish we see today, the fish of today is highly contaminated and is really just an excellent source of pollutants. These pollutants take a very long period of time to eliminate, and accumulation of these pollutants is not the best course. Here is Dr. Greger’s video on the supposed half lifehttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/Wow, thanks Toxins. I read a bit about the Okinawan and they are indeed very impressive. The diet looks very healthy, though a bit too hard to follow with almost no sugar/sweet… Thanks for sharing this info.Regarding the B12 pills, I used to take them a few years ago and my B12 was still too low and I had to take shots. I prefer to get all the vitamins/minerals from whole food rather than additions that might not be absorbed properly.In general it seems as if all the good diets are summarized to: lots of fruit & veg, legumes and whole grains and nuts. All the rest is not healthy!But my theory is that if you want to be able to keep your diet for life, it’s better to allow a bit of the non healthy food. My way is to have a bit of sweet once a day and a day a week (Sabbath) of everything (in addition to the veg & fruit). Hope it helps othersHumans evolved in tropical/sub tropical environments. Most of us now live in temperate zones, with far less daylight, so we need to take D supplements during the winter months in many areas. Likewise, primates in nature get B12 from soil residue on plants they eat and from water in streams, We clean our food and drink sanitized water, so we MUST take B12 supplements. The conditions of modern life are not the same as our evolutionary origins, so we must make a few needed adjustments for optimal health. It is a BIG mistake to not take the several supplements that are deficient under modern conditions.Humans also evolved eating animals and insects. It is also our modern life that allows us to live without those things. If one were to question that you have only to watch an episode of naked and afraid to see without eating living creatures, a human would die if dropped off in nature with no grocery store to buy our luscious bananas.Oh, so I can’t just pick bananas from the trees in my yard, like I do regularly. You’re a clown!Don’t be a dipshit if you have access to fruit great eat it but if you do not then stick to your foolish ideals and die a slow death. It’s just nature you can’t argue it.If you have access to the actual cited studies, they generally describe their usage of the various terms. It varies from study to study, but the details are available. Probably about 20% of the cited studies are available to the public for free on-line. Click the citation link below the video to see what is available.IF I AM READING THE STUDY IT SEEMS TO SAY THAT EATING MEAT OR PROCESSED MEAT PROVIDES A LOWER INCIDENCE OF LYMPHOMA. aM I READIGN THIS WRONG?I read them both and didn’t see that. I did see where one or two types of cancer increased for vegetarians in the study, but overall rates were slightly lower for vegetarians, even after handicapping the vegetarians with confounding factor “corrections.”I’m reading through the cited study. Here’s a real gem: “…because of the small number of cancers among vegans, in this article the vegans are included in the vegetarian category.”Uh oh folks, the plant based diet practitioners are so cancer resistant, we have to be grouped with people who do get cancer so we show up on the stats!That made me smile! :-)I realize this video is dated now but my thought is that I am glad we have continued forward and today more and more people are understanding the value of a plant based diet. We still have a long way to go though.How much lower?And what was the “surprising finding”?In the study (2nd cited above) by Timothy J Key, the colorectal cancer was higher in vegetarians than in meat eaters. It’s never either black or white.	cancer,fruit,meat,obesity,omnivores,plant-based diets,smoking,vegetables,vegetarians	Even after controlling for a variety of dietary and nondietary factors, those eating plant-based diets appear to have lower overall cancer rates.	I've covered findings from the EPIC studies before in Meat & Multiple Myeloma, Bowel Movement Frequency, Thousands of Vegans Studied, EPIC Study and Low Meat of No Meat?. Tomorrow I'll cover the findings from this paper in more depth and I have a few more videos in the pipeline on it, so stay tuned! And the same diet that may prevent cancer may help treat it too, see Cancer Reversal Through Diet?. For more on plant-based nutrition, see the 101 videos I have on plant-based diets, and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. PS: the reference in this video to teasing out the cancer and coffee connection is dealt with in Coffee and Cancer.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3003	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/	What About the Caffeine?	Yes, coffee may reduce cancer risk, but what about the caffeine? Oh, you mean the substance that increases energy availability and expenditure, decreases fatigue and the sense of effort associated with physical activity, enhances physical, motor, and cognitive performance, increases alertness, wakefulness and feelings of energy, decreases mental fatigue, quickens reactions, and increases their accuracy, increases the ability to concentrate and focus attention, enhances short-term memory, the ability to solve problems, the ability to make correct decisions, enhanceing cognitive functioning capabilities and neuromuscular coordination, and in otherwise healthy non-pregnant adults is safe. That caffeine? What do they mean by moderate amounts, though? Up to a thousand milligrams, about 10 cups of coffee a day. What about this though. A case of fatal caffeine poisoning. 21 year woman—10,000 mg of caffeine, by swallowing a bottle of caffeine pills. The equivalent to about hundred cups of coffee at one time is, indeed, too much. The non-pregnant is an important caveat, though. New advice has been issued to restrict caffeine intake in pregnancy to under just 200 mg a day.	The “coffee may reduce cancer risk” is a reference to yesterday’s video. There are additional cognitive benefits afforded by the phytonutrient theanine in green tea. See Dietary Brain Wave Alteration, and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the caffeine and pregnancy study is publicly accessible, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.What about the risk of caffeine to cardiovascular health? Only recently, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn started recommending that people avoid coffee with caffeine. “Several studies indicate it may contribute injury to the lining of the artery.” Thanks!Great question! I addressed it in one of my Q&A blogs http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/02/16/ask-the-doctor-qa-with-michael-greger-m-d-19/ earlier this year:AAs I detailed in my video The Power of NO, endothelial dysfunction is the first step towards atherosclerosis–our #1 killer–and so we need to keep the inner lining of our arteries healthy by any means necessary. Last year, a study entitled “Impact of Acute Caffeine Ingestion on Endothelial Function in Subjects With and Without Coronary Artery Disease” was published in the American Journal of Cardiology. They performed the most rigorous investigation to date, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study that found that caffeine significantly improved endothelial function. They concluded “In conclusion, acute caffeine ingestion significantly improved endothelial function assessed by brachial artery FMD in subjects with and without CAD and was associated with lower plasma markers of inflammation.” That was for the amount of caffeine found in about 2 cups of coffee, 4 cups of black tea, or 8 cups of green. Similar benefits were found previously at a higher dose (3, 6, and 12 cups respectively). So why do studies on brewed coffee, espresso, and energy drinks show negative effects? Well, there are a lot of other substances in these beverages besides caffeine, some of which may also be removed in the decaffeination process. Since there appear to be compounds in coffee that both impair and improve endothelial function (whereas in tea, both green and black, it appears to be all improvement), one might turn to epidemiological studies to look at overall risk and benefit of coffee consumption (see, for example, Coffee and Cancer and Update on Coffee). Though filtered coffee may be good, the evidence supporting the benefits of green tea are much stronger and more consistent. So I continue to recommend people drink tea instead of coffee, not because coffee is bad for you, but because green tea appears to be much better.What about the studies that say it raises homocystine and blood pressure? And what about caffeine addiction and withdrawals: the rummy feeling until you get your morning fix, the headaches, irritability and compulsive coffee-seeking behavior. I’ve seen it in others and it isn’t a pretty picture. I never started the caffeine habit after observing it as a child in my father, how he tried and failed to quit, and I have no reason to start in now, considering that its supposed mild benefits are readily available by living a clean life and a diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables. I may not wake up fully alert, but I’m ready to take on the day within half an hour, even if I don’t go for my run first.Dr. Greger addressed this to me too actually because I had a similair question. His response is in his blog post of Ask the doctor Q&A week 19“As I detailed in my video The Power of NO, endothelial dysfunction is the first step towards atherosclerosis–our #1 killer–and so we need to keep the inner lining of our arteries healthy by any means necessary. Last year, a study entitled “Impact of Acute Caffeine Ingestion on Endothelial Function in Subjects With and Without Coronary Artery Disease” was published in the American Journal of Cardiology. They performed the most rigorous investigation to date, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study that found that caffeine significantly improved endothelial function. They concluded “In conclusion, acute caffeine ingestion significantly improved endothelial function assessed by brachial artery FMD in subjects with and without CAD and was associated with lower plasma markers of inflammation.” That was for the amount of caffeine found in about 2 cups of coffee, 4 cups of black tea, or 8 cups of green. Similar benefits were found previously at a higher dose (3, 6, and 12 cups respectively). So why do studies on brewed coffee, espresso, and energy drinks show negative effects? Well, there are a lot of other substances in these beverages besides caffeine, some of which may also be removed in the decaffeination process. Since there appear to be compounds in coffee that both impair and improve endothelial function (whereas in tea, both green and black, it appears to be all improvement), one might turn to epidemiological studies to look at overall risk and benefit of coffee consumption (see, for example, my Update on Coffee). Though filtered coffee may be good, the evidence supporting the benefits of green tea are much stronger and more consistent. So I continue to recommend people drink tea instead of coffee, not because coffee is bad for you, but because green tea appears to be much better.” http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/02/16/ask-the-doctor-qa-with-michael-greger-m-d-19/True. Caffeine has short term benefits, but continuous consumption will create dependency. However, the symptoms you describe are not typical from caffeine deprivation. I saw long time ago a small documentary about a study on caffeine deprivation (perhaps BBC, don’t remember). Two individuals, both had something like a liter of coffee a day. One of them was given decaf during a week. On the 3rd and 4th day, his aptitude for reflex and problem solving tests were at a all time low, he was fatigued, almost vegetative. 5th day he started recovering, on the 7th and 8th day he was normal, and the tests regular. The other individual suffered a bit of a placebo, also felt fatigued, despite the tests being regular during the entire week. I have in average two espressos a day. I have once deprived myself of coffee for two weeks, and I experimented the exact same symptoms. 3rd and 4th day very tired, hard to concentrate, fatigued. Then recovered and got perfectly ok.The point being, like all drugs, you get a boost if you have a decent dose caffeine while not being used to it. If you are used to it, then you need it to keep on doing your daily stuff, while not having the benefits of the boost a non-caffeine consuming person does.i have read that consuming caffeine within an hour of eating can negatively affect the absorption of many nutrients, particularly iron and various vitamins. as a vegan, i could be at risk for an iron deficiency, and though i do not believe that this is the case given my diet, i want to give my body the best chance of getting the most out of everything that i eat. so where do you stand on caffeine close to meals?I read on Jack Norris’ site that caffeine contributes to osteoporosis. I love my tea, but I think I will be sticking to just one cup a day. Kale seems to be the most friendly vegan calcium source and it doesn’t “cut the mustard” against the recommended DVs for calicum and Norris thinks vegans need just as much calcium as omnis.Well, all research points to how healthy the green tea is. I love it, the greener the better( sencha is my favorite). Unfortutanely I have discovered that I got addicted to it. I have troubles concentrating without it, very irritable too. I am from Russia and I grew up drinking lots of black tea. For 5 years in my 20ies I stopped all tea and anything with caffeine. After childbirth, I restarted drinking green tea and haven’t stopped since. I have developed chest pains and bone pain that goes away after I stop  drinking anything with caffeine( My doctor and I couldn’t figure out any other reasons-all tests were negative). I drink on average 4-6 cups of Organic Rishi Sencha( loose leaf, very grassy). I am 115 pounds and 5.4 so maybe I have developed a sensitivity to caffeine due to low weight and lower  rate of detoxification?  Regarding addictive quality of caffeine, do you think it is just with alcohol and alcoholics , who  can not stop after tasting a drop of it ?They often talk about benefits of alcohol or dark chocolate when ‘moderately  consumed’? But what is “moderation” to an addicted brain?Dr. Greger, can you tell me where the caffeine added to drinks and non-drink products comes from? Or direct me to source that may answer this? My intuition is that it’s synthetic and about as safe as cyclamates. Or thalidomide.I have A Fib, and was advised to avoid all caffeine. How about decaf green tea? Is it as healthy, and how much caffeine remains in the tea?Even a single cup of coffee can raise anxiety to very uncomfortable levels for sensitive individuals. Caffeine is a drug which some people can tolerate much better than others.Keeping it simple, Fidell. Yes! Very uncomfortable. Buuuut, I am convinced it is something more than just the caffeine because I can have a little caffeine in other things, but noooo coffee. I am 5 days off coffee now, again, and can’t believe the relief. I am having some Yerbe Mate tea, but not the reaction I had with the coffee. Even if I had a half cup of coffee, I would be in such a state and light headed, bladder problems, and on and on, that I couldn’t stand to be in my own skin. I love it, but it’s a no go.In the case of serious research on the acute effects of coffee and caffeine, it is necessary, I think, to distinguish between the effects habitual caffeine drinkers experience and effects experienced by those who rarely or never ingest caffeine.When we habitually start drinking coffee, caffeine receptors are created on the cell walls. These receptors require regular caffeine. Similar mechanisms for other alkaloids.I think it’s quite comical to ascribe coffee an energizing effect, when coffee is the cause of the fatigue.My personal experience is this. I avoid coffee and caffeine drinks if I can. When I drink a cup of coffee, I can feel a very slight stimulating effect after 5-6 hours. That is all. I am fully refreshed and clear in my head when I wake up in the morning. The same absence of fatigue between meals.Maybe I’m an exception. I’ve been a vegetarian / vegan for 60 years.http://www.adventistworld.org/article/386/resources/english/issue-2008-1009/caffeine ?I’ve heard that it “drains your adrenals over time.” Is that laughable or…?I wouldn’t say its “laughable”. Caffeine raises cortisol. If you’re already stressed, caffeine just adds fuel to fire.What about the caffeine in tea and macha?Caffeine is less in tea than coffee and is absent in some teas. Some of my patients are very sensitive to caffeine and others not. Given the half life of about 6 hours if you consume 120 mg of caffeine( about 1 cup of coffee) at 9 AM you will still have 30 mg of caffeine in your blood at 9 PM. If you have trouble sleeping this could be a contributing factor. We have seen many detrimental things being attributed to caffeine over the years but most are due to the other things that coffee drinkers tend to do. From my perspective it depends on the individual but like many things as pointed out in this video… the dose is important. Even too much water can be fatal as one Sacramento area radio station found out in their contest…. hold your Wee for a Wii contest that Dr. Greger mentioned in one of his earlier video’s…My sleep doesn’t seem to be affected by caffeine too much. My only concern is health.Let’s be honest about our addiction and stop trying to justify it by claiming that it’s healthy. It’s not. The real reason we started drinking coffee was because of the kick it gave us. Now that we’re addicted to it, we no longer get that same kick, if any at all, we just drink it because we’re hooked on it and can’t function otherwise.I read on the website osteopenia3 that caffeine causes the body to excrete calcium. I love two cups a day, occasionally three. I switched to tea, except sometime when I am away from home and can’t get a good cup of tea. I drink it with almond milk if I can get it, dairy if not. I feel that since I cut my meat intake way back (I had been given a low-carb diet by a nutritionist a few years back and was overdoing it) I am in better shape bone wise. But since I have moderate osteopenia I worry a little. I would love to go back to coffee without (much) worry.Down from a pot of “joe” to one cup per day and I’m lovin’ that single cup. Then tea gets me through the day, split between green and herbal or black. Practically no caffeine compared to the liter of coffee and 12oz (355ml) of soda I used to consume.	beverages,caffeine,cancer,coffee,cognition,endurance,energy,fatigue,memory,pregnancy,safety limits	Caffeine has positive cognitive and physiological effects at moderate doses.	The "coffee may reduce cancer risk" is a reference to yesterday’s video. There are additional cognitive benefits afforded by the phytonutrient theanine in green tea. See Dietary Brain Wave Alteration, and hundreds of other videos onmore than a thousand subjects. Note that the caffeine and pregnancy study is publicly accessible, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endurance/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20888549,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20096021,
PLAIN-3004	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	Coffee and Cancer	One of the reasons it’s so difficult to study the relationship between diet and cancer is because many dietary behaviors are associated with nondietary behaviors. For example, the reasons we used to think coffee drinking caused cancer was because people who drink coffee are more likely to have a cigarette in the other hand. When you factor that out, though, for example, by just looking at nonsmokers who do or don’t drink coffee we find that if anything coffee consumption may reduce the total cancer incidence. Not by much, but overall, according to the latest review, an increase in consumption of 1 cup of coffee per day was associated with about a 3% reduced risk of cancers, especially bladder cancer, breast cancer, mouth, colorectal, endometrial, esophageal, liver, leukemic, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. Coffee beans aren’t really beans, but you are, after all, just soaking a powdered seed in some water, so a reduction in cancer risk not that surprising.	What about the caffeine though? Find out in tomorrow’s video-of-the-day! I still don’t recommend people drink coffee—not because it’s not healthy, but because there are even healthier choices. Coffee is like a banana, a common convenient plant-based food. If you have a choice, I’d encourage people to make healthier fruit choices (apples are better, berries are best) and choose a healthier beverage, like green tea. See my 20 videos on tea, as well as the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the meta-analysis this video is based upon is open access, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.NICE! I only enjoy one cup of organic freshly ground coffee each a.m. (NO cigs! I’m from a family of smokers but I have never smoked)…and the rest of the day at work is filtered water and green and white tea with lemon. I have noticed that my SECOND cup of coffee just does NOT taste as good as my first so I have no problem with one cup to start my day.I guess it’s the acrylamides in the roasted coffee berries that make it unfavorable. A new trend is to drink raw coffee. Not sure how that would taste; sounds interesting. A “raw” flavor doesn’t sound too good, but, if it’s similar to a green tea, then maybe it would be. I’m astounded by the sudden switch in opinion in the scientific community about the health effects of coffee. For as far back as I can remember all the news about coffee was bad and then suddenly, a few years ago, the news suddenly turned to all good. At the same time however, I’ve been following stories that tell another tale of the scientific community, one of deceit and betrayal of the public trust. It seems that most scientific studies are not and cannot be duplicated, that special interests (Big Coffee?) influence their outcome, that academics sometimes try to make a name for themselves by falsifying data, of payola and corruption and fraud, that if lies are told often enough and in a great enough variety of ways, they become the new facts. It seems to me that a little skepticism would serve us well. This is particularly true for coffee since few of us want to hear bad news about our addiction.I am astounded that someone who would be intelligent enough to be reading Dr. Greger would be myopic enough to through the baby out with the bath water, and throw scientific research out with it. In Psychology, we call that cognitive dissonance.Does anyone know how putting milk in your coffee affects the health value? This is how I drink my coffee, but the tea with milk studies worry me.I read somewhere that it negates the benefits of milk..basically the absorption of the clacium. But I do so anyway as I dun believe in the creamers.R u kidding??? “Benefits of milk”?????? WHAT BENEFITS????? Notmilk.com Milksucks.comShe may be referring to non-dairy milks, which are often fortified with calcium.Calm down. haha…Does the benefits also include caffeine supplements? I don’t like coffee, but still need the ‘get up and go’ so I take a 200mg tablet in the morning. Works like a charm without any other added worry of brown teeth, stomach ache, or added pesticides. I used to also add sugar and coffeemate to my coffee, dreadfully unhealthy!Soooo what’s the deal with acrylamides in coffee?Try telling that to my boss who just found out the bladder cancer just came back after having it removed 3 mths ago and he LOVES his coffee and he does not smoke.Maybe he loves charred meat and is obese, the top causes of bladder cancer.During these last two centuries, few substances have been the subject of such a large number of clinical studies that the coffee and up to this day, no one has demonstrated that it was dangerous for the health. On the contrary, numerous research studies have highlighted the beneficial effects of coffee and of its main active component: the caffeine. http://www.dietfoods7.com/For those talking about acrylamides the average cup of coffe has just 10 micrograms compare that to almost a thousand from a serving of french fries	beverages,bladder cancer,bladder health,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,coffee,colon cancer,colon health,endometrial cancer,endometrial health,esophageal cancer,esophagus health,leukemia,liver cancer,liver health,men's health,mouth cancer,pancreas health,pancreatic cancer,prostate cancer,prostate health,rectal cancer,smoking,women's health	Coffee consumption is associated with a modest reduction of total cancer incidence.	What about the caffeine though? Find out in tomorrow's video-of-the-day! I still don't recommend people drink coffee—not because it's not healthy, but because there are even healthier choices. Coffee is like a banana, a common convenient plant-based food. If you have a choice, I'd encourage people to make healthier fruit choices (apples are better, berries are best) and choose a healthier beverage, like green tea. See my 20 videos on tea, as well as the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the meta-analysis this video is based upon is open access, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/29/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/09/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophagus-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouth-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3005	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/	Breast Cancer Survival and Soy	What about soy food intake and breast cancer survival? We didn’t have a clue until 2009 with the LACE study, Life After Cancer Epidemiology. About 2000 California breast cancer survivors followed for 9 years. Postmenopausal women, on the estrogen–blocking drug tamoxifen, who got the most of this soy isoflavone in their diet had the lowest rate of breast cancer recurrence—appeared to cut breast cancer recurrence in half. Soy was, if anything, protective. But you can’t just sprinkle some soy sauce. It took soy levels comparable to those consumed in Asian populations—one or two servings a day—to reduce the risk of occurrence. Then came the famous Journal of the American Medical Association study, the biggest yet, 5000 breast cancer survivors. Conclusion: Among women with breast cancer, soy food consumption was significantly associated with decreased risk of death and recurrence. Now this isn’t taking soy isoflavone supplements, this was actually eating soy foods. the potential benefits are confined to soy foods, and inferences should not be made about the risks or benefits of soy-containing dietary supplements. Patients with breast cancer can be assured that enjoying a soy latte or indulging in pad thai with tofu causes no harm and, when consumed in plentiful amounts, may reduce risk of disease recurrence. And then finally, which is the reason I bring it up now, 2011: Soy Food Consumption and Breast Cancer Prognosis. A third study, the only three such studies in existence, and soy is three for three. As isoflavone intake increased, risk of death decreased. What more do we need to know?	This is the fifth in my five-part series on the latest research on what impact diet has on breast cancer survival. For two videos on what not to eat, see Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken and Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat. And soy joins flax seeds, as something breast cancer survivors should probably go out of their way to eat. See Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake and Flax and Fecal Flora. There are 21 more videos on soy and also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the JAMA study is open access, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.Thanks for all the great videosWhat about the different types of cancer? Is soy equally healthy for all breast cancer patients,Dear Dr. Greger: with due respect…. please give up ALL soy for human consumption. It’s the wrong bean and it is not for health. Please? Please?Please the fact that Asians have better ”family”’ values and respect for life/people? that’s why they suffer less from cancers?Try studying German New Medicine by Ryke Hamer. to understand a few facts.Read: Cancer is not a disease, by Andreas Moritz and get off SOY/ TVP/ SOY MILK, SOY CHEESE, SOY MARGARINE, SOY ICE CREAM, SOY BURGERS, SOY HOT DOGS !!!! It’s POISON unFood !Soy does not equal soy, it is very important to understand where it is grown and how it is processed and which parts of the soy bean are being used. Some companies take this very seriously and would not subject the public with a product that is harmful in any shape way or form!!! Sadly the vast vast majority of Soy grown in the US are GMO, which is harmful for human consumption, that is where the problem starts. The Soybean is an excellent source for amazing nutrients. The Soy products I use have changed my health 180 degrees and saved my mother’s life with cancer! Stop spreading unfounded fear and make educated choices, check the sources of your information – people lets use a little common sense!!!!! GMO is bad! Not soy! My company grows their own Soy now in order to ensure a safe and pure product. I’ve left my 21 year career to help people take control of their health and build a worldwide business from home, because these products are safe and change lives for the better!OK. As a DES daughter, when I have soy or flax, I get painful lumps in my breast. I am not the only DES daughter who does not tolerate it. How can that be if it is beneficial? It is supposed to block estrogen with the weaker phytoestrogen. I am 61, long post-meno. Any ideas?I’m not aware of any studies on soy and DES (sons and/or daughters). However the advice I typically give my patients is to avoid foods that cause symptoms unless there is compelling scientific data supporting the benefits outweighing the risks.SOY is not not a health food ! Just do History of SOY . #1 Asians use Glycine Soja and we use/eat Gycine Max…. this is a l961 invention in Sweden in a lab for industrial purposes. and it’s all GMO … so it’s unfit for human consumption.Great info (again). I have not read the studies, so my question is because of ignorance :-)What about the confounders? Is survival better because they substitute meat and dairy for tofu and soy-milk, and the result is due to avoidance of animal-protein, or is it really because of add on with soy products?Soy foods are rich in isoflavones, a major group of phytoestrogens that have been known to reduce the risk of breast cancer. These were the main nutrients in the studies that were attributed to the breast cancer survival.PhytoEstrogens….. please read this: http://www.livingnetwork.co.za/drclarknetwork/common-ailments/female-reproductive-system/scroll down: Menopausal Symptoms, Hot Flushes once our body stops producing high doses of estrogen … why do humanoids try to push/shove it back in? HOT FLASHES are a Toxic body/lifestyle….. hot/fever is to help us sweat those toxic build ups out. It does not mean we need more estrogen or phytoestrogens.Sounds like quackery, from a website hosted in Zaire, no less. Its so-called information fails to cite supporting peer-reviewed studies backing its dubious claims. I’ll stick to reproducible scientific evidence for my facts, thanks.The kind of “information” that you are espousing is exactly the kind of nutrition/medical confusion that Dr. Greger is trying to tackle. Just because you find “evidence” to support your beliefs on the internet does not make them true. For a truly evidenced based perspective on soy, I recommend that you watch all of the videos that Dr. G has on soy on this site. Not to be hurtful, but I think it might also be helpful to you to read a little bit about how to critically assess scientific information (especially information found on the internet).No NOt they do not substitute meat and dairy for TOFU. they eat very little tofu and most of it is fermented! Their diet is more Plant Source… not SOY or Soy milk.incorrect. I had a Japanese room mate. I can assure you the Japanese eat tofu and soy beans UNFERMENTED and use it for menopause too Don’t believe everything you read. Get the info from the horse’s mouth instead :-) The issue is GM soy. It can NOT be compared to organic soy.Please also check out my associated blog post, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy! This link aims at this page, but I think you meant another page. Also it’s broken. Thank you so much for pointing that out–I’ll correct that. You’ve been such a great help. I really appreciate it!Okay so should I eat soy or not? I had an early diagnosis of breast cancer and had a lumpectomy. Fortunate the little devil did not travel to my nodes and I am doing well for it being the 3rd month after surgery, having just completed radiation and thank goodness no chemo needed. Soy supposedly helps to create estrogen which is what can contribute to the invasive ductile diagnosis. Before my diagnosis I used soy instead of milk and also loved edemame beans and tofu all in moderation.Since soy is also said to ease the natural course of menopause hot flashed etc…which I am currently in and will be forced to undergo full steam like it our not due to Tamoxifen. In your respected opinion would drinking a glass of soy milk a day benefit the effects and also help prevent the return of the cells gone mad to my still intact scar bearing breast?  So phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens are not the same thing as many health professionals seem to confuse the two. Consuming soy can significantly help reduce the risk of breast cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/DO NOT NOT EAT ANY SOY… If you can get Glycine Soja from Asia and use it sparingly as the Asians do… enjoy some and ”fermented only’ Asians do not use soy like Americans do! Then we use the wrong bean ! 98% GMO Glycine Max which is poison to us.I was diagnosed with stage 1 estrogen receptor positive invasive ductal breast cancer 4 years ago.  I subsequently underwent a skin-sparing mastectomy.  There was no spread to my lymph nodes, and I had no radiation or chemotherapy.  However, I have been on Tamoxifen for almost 4 years, with instructions to avoid any phytoestrogens, so have been avoiding soy in all forms, flax seeds, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, etc.  Now I’ve been told that I have a slightly elevated cancer marker in a recent blood test (CA 15-3 with a score of 39.1 unit/mL H), and they want to do a bone scan and brain MRI just to be careful.  Everytime I have asked my oncologist about soy I’m told it should be avoided because of it being a phytoestrogen and studies showing that it could increase my chance of recurrence.  Having been a vegan for the past 1-1/2 yrs. it would be a whole lot easier if I wasn’t having to avoid so many healthy foods. As of Nov. 2012, what is your feeling on this matter?  Do you believe it would be more protective for me to just go ahead and eat soy, flax, etc.?  Thank you so much for any opinion you can give me.I had bilateral mastectomies 6 years ago. My oncologist told me to stop taking stuff with phytoestrogen. .I have stopped my evening primrose oil since and she has also said not to take flaxseeds. Is it proven that it is harmless now?I would encourage you to share this video and the one about the flax (Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake) with your physician and encourage them to contact me if they have any questions (or even better if they know of some science that I’ve missed!).Yes! avoid all soy products. NOT HEALTH FOOD AT ALL !The quality of the soy product should also be considered. Organic and non-GMO soy products should be the one ones acceptable.You better research this more. Soy is not healthy for women in general http://healthtalkwomen.com/sarahs-column/oh-soy-bad-the-ugly-truth-about-soy/Dear Dr. Gregor:Thank you for your valuable research relating to optimal health, however Re: your question, “What more do we need to know?” It is important you know several things::1. I lived in Southeast Asia for nearly ten years and Asians consume soy, tofu, soy products, etc. as a CONDIMENT rather as the main dish in a full meal as is advocated by soy product manufacturers here in the U.S. re: everything from soy bacon and sausage to other soy products mimicking flesh-based foods we are advised to avoid.2. There is a substance in soy that must be removed to make it palatable for human consumption. Asian soy removes this substance via natural means whereas Western grown soy uses chemcials to do so.3. Asian soy–except that area where Monsanto has taken over–is naturally grown whereas approximately 98% of American-grown-soy is Genetically Engineered.4. And finally, as per Doctor T. Colin Campbell’s findings in the China Study, anytime one consumes over 7-10% concentrated protein in the diet– whether animal OR plant based– disease starts to set in. Animal products are worse due to other contanminants however CONCENTRATED PROTEIN is the overall disease culprit.I hope you will consder the above information and so advise your many followers as to that which might better suit them regarding the consumption of soy to avoid cancer and other diseases.Respectfully,Gerry Coffey“Do Good, Feel Good! Do Bad, Feel Bad! LIFE: It’s That Simple!” –Anonymous ;-)Gerry Coffey, CAJA: Court Appointed Juvenile AdvocateHealth Educator/Councilor/Global Media Liaison, IVUCoffey Break: A Healthy Alternative: http://www.all-creatures.org/cb/Recipient: Int’l. Vegetarian-of-the-Year-Award, Bangkok, Thailand, 2006http://www.all-creatures.org/cb/images/Resume-GerryCoffey08-15-2012.pdfYou mention “The China Study” above but your information is incorrect. The study did NOT show plant based protein causing any issues. See page 6 where it says “What type of protein did not promote cancer, even at high levels of intake? The safe proteins were from plants, including wheat and soy.” and then the book goes into the studies that repeatedly showed plant based proteins are not at issue. There is no mention anywhere in the book of “concentrated protein” as you mention above. To me “concentrated protein” means it is not from a natural, whole, plant based food and I would definitely avoid those (e.g. soy protein isolate) but again, that is not mentioned in the book.Thank you for this. I was diagnosed several years ago with early stage breast cancer and had the area removed. There was also a lump in my other breast that was being closely watched. I was a large dairy consumer at the time and have since gone vegan — drinking soy milk and eat tofu now and then. My cancer has not returned and the lump in my other breast disappeared, no more have developed and I feel so much healthier. I wish people were warned about how dangerous (and very cruel!) drinking the breast milk of another species is. Luckily I did the research because few doctors are going to tell you this. Thank you Dr. Greger for all your videos and information!I have lcis have been take tamoxifen, is it safe to take soy food. Pls advise.tks in advance.Hi thanks for this amazing site! Great info and presented in an easy to digest form, which is so refreshing. My lingering concern with soy is that I’ve read that the effects of soy may be quite different for women who grew up (through puberty) consuming soy, versus US women who have not. Also, according to articles I’ve read on PubMed, some studies have shown that certain components of soy may be cancer promoting, whereas others are anti-cancer. So I’d love to jump on the soy bandwagon, if only I could feel confident and sort through this conflicting information. I am a breast cancer (triple positive) survivor, dx 3 years ago, and want to do everything I can to be healthy. Would love your take on this!I do stay away from soy.My own research makes me cautious for women with estrogen-dependent breast cancer. (I’m a survivor of triple positive bc, ending tx in early 2012 with no signs detected since.) There are two factors that many studies do not tease out: one, that estrogen-dependent bc reacts differently than estrogen-independent, especially to soy. Two, women who consumed soy from childhood seem to be far better off than those who only add it later in life, in terms of soy’s protection. I’ve recently been investigating lunasin and the amazing claims and study evidence it is showing, but I remain worried about my specific type of bc (and I didn’t grow up eating soy). Do you have any insights about this? I would tremendously appreciate it!!! Here are links to some of the studies:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12263-012-0307-5http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091202153946.htmhttp://www.lunasin.com/ScientificResearch.aspx	Asia,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,California,cancer,cancer survival,estrogen,isoflavones,menopause,mortality,soy,soy milk,soy sauce,soybeans,supplements,tamoxifen,tempeh,tofu,women's health	All three human studies on soy and breast cancer survival suggest that soy in sufficient amounts may improve survival in women diagnosed with breast cancer.	This is the fifth in my five-part series on the latest research on what impact diet has on breast cancer survival. For two videos on what not to eat, seeBreast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken and Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat. And soy joins flax seeds, as something breast cancer survivors should probably go out of their way to eat. See Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake and Flax and Fecal Flora. There are 21 more videos on soy and also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the JAMA study is open access, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/09/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/04/are-bioidentical-hormones-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tempeh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tamoxifen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tofu/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy-sauce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/isoflavones/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21357380,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19996407,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19221874,
PLAIN-3006	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/	Flax and Fecal Flora	Flax has the highest content of lignans of all plant foods used for human consumption. The reason lignans is in quotes is because flax doesn’t actually contain lignans—just like broccoli doesn’t actually contain sulforaphane. Flax does contain lignan precursors, though, which the good bacteria in our got turn into lignans which we then absorb so lignans are more of a team effort. We used to think our colon was just some transit tube that absorbed excess water. Now we know it houses what could be considered an entirely separate organ inside the body, our gut flora, our trillions of good bacteria The densest concentration of microbes found anywhere on Earth. Exceeding the metabolic capacity of our liver by a factor of a hundred, our good bacteria detoxify some compounds, and activates others, boosting their bioavailability. In fact that may be why urinary tract infections have been associated with breast cancer risk. The rounds of antibiotics may be wiping out some of the good bacteria that are helping you take advantage of all the wonders of a plant-based diet. I think most people only tend to think of their gut bacteria when there’s a problem, but having good gut flora is more than just avoiding diarrhea, it’s about maximizing our absorption of phytonutrients in our diet.	Please also see yesterday’s video if you missed it. For another video on what our friendly flora can do, check out Gut Flora & Obesity. The sulforaphane story I refer to in this video can be found in The Best Detox. And for those craving more, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the bladder infection study I reference is open access and can be downloaded by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.I’m hoping that one of the videos coming up tells us how to create/support those gut bacteria. If I remember correctly, in other posts on other videos, you didn’t seem all that impressed with “probiotics”.thank you Dr Greger for another insightful video, i truly enjoy all of you videos on nutrition and they are so accessible too. Is there anything comparable like your site in regards to other lifestyle factors for prevent disease and healthy living eg anything on stress reduction or exercise etc?Hi! I think a great resource might be Dr. Dean Ornish’s program “The Ornish Spectrum”. There is a lot of very useful information. Once on the home page, if you scroll over the “proven program” section you’ll see a link for stress management. I hope you find this useful! Here is the link: http://www.ornishspectrum.com/Great video, as usual! For some great probiotic tips and insight, Dr. Greger previously referred us to the advice of one of his medical mentors, Dr. Michael Klaper. Here’s the link: http://doctorklaper.com/answers06.htmlSillySallySue: Great link!! Thanks for posting it.so is flaxseed a good thing to add to my vegan low fat diet(mcdougall plan) to prevent colon polyps and other bowel diseases?there is a history of colon cancer in my family-my cousin,uncle,grndmother died of it but they were all carnivores eating meat ,dairy. i have been vegan for 20 years(i am 44) and very conscientious of my vegan diet-no sugar,flour at all. just vegetables,beans,fruit ,brown rice,air popped popcorn and plain unsalted brown rice cakes.2Tablespoons of ground flaxseedPlease also check out my associated blog post, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy!I just read this about Flax- http://azchia.com/flax_seed_health_benefits_concerns.htm what do you think?I was diagnosed with dysbiosis (specifically Klebsiella and low beneficial bacteria) and colitis, so would a probiotic be beneficial or not? If so, what are good ones to use and for how long?Also what is the consensus on Digestive enzymes?  I was diagnosed with pancreatic/gallbladder insufficiency (basically, I dont make adequate enzymes), so would a digestive enzyme help or hurt?  If it is recommended, which type is best (animal-based, plant-based, fungal-based…and what brand? Fungal kind of gives me the heebie-jeebies, lol)How do i fix these issues naturally?  It seems like all doctors (even holistic ones) want to do is dole out loads of supplements!If I have had the right side of my bowel removed will this effect my ability to break down, transpose and absorb these nutrients? Sorry to hear about the loss of part of your colon. Although it will effect your ability to handle some fiber most of the nutrition absorption comes before the large intestine in the small intestine which we have evolved to be much larger then our closest relatives the great apes. It is estimated that we get only 10% of our caloric needs from bacteriologic breakdown of fiber in our large intestine. You fortunately didn’t lose all your colon. It would be nice to have good studies on populations that have had GI surgery but few exist and none relative to your situation. I would follow the best diets to avoid further loss of body parts not only in the gastrointestinal tract but other organ systems as well. Best wishes.is 2Tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily a good amount?Yes Two tablespoons of ground flax seeds daily provides 4000mg Omega3.Can you lead me to the video…How to get and maintain good gut flora?Here are videos regarding probiotics http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/I am 6 weeks pregnant and take a spoonful of flaxseeds everyday to help with bowel movements. Now I just read somewhere that they can be harmful for pregnant women. Is that true?Flaxseeds are not harmful. Flax seeds will improve labor, make it easier, less painful and faster. I don’t have any clinical studies, (but now Michael will.) One tablespoon provides about 2000mg Omega3 and everyone needs at least two tablespoons daily to survive this world. More than two tablespoons ground flax seeds twice daily may help someone birth sooner rather than later.Why flax seed makes me feel sleepy?Out of interest, do we actually break down many of the flax seeds we eat or do they simply pass through into our stool? Or are the lignan precursors able to move out of the seeds themselves?You need to consume ground flax as the whole seeds will pass straight through. Best is to buy whole (golden) flax seeds and grind them yourself (this ensuring the delicate fats don’t go rancid).I make mine in a high powered blender but I’ve read that coffee grinders work to. A pestle and mortar also works well but you’ll arm will get tired ;-)Best to make in a large batch and store in a opaque container in the fridge or freezer and consume 1-2 tablespoons a day.	antibiotics,bile acids,breast cancer,breast disease,colon health,detoxification,diarrhea,flax seeds,gut flora,lignans,nutrient absorption,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,seeds,urinary tract infections	The trillions of good bacteria in our gut can be thought of as an additional organ, metabolizing, detoxifying, and activating many crucial components of our diet. The formation of lignans from phytonutrient precursors found predominantly in flax seeds is one such example.	Please also see yesterday’s video if you missed it. For another video on what our friendly flora can do, check out Gut Flora & Obesity. The sulforaphane story I refer to in this video can be found in The Best Detox. And for those craving more, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the bladder infection study I reference is open access and can be downloaded by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/15/flaxseeds-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lignans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urinary-tract-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 20655994,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21390942,
PLAIN-3007	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/	Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake	Breast cancer is initially so slow growing that women may have tumors years or even decades before they’re diagnosed. So it makes sense that the same dietary factors that helped grow the tumor in the first place would keep goading it on both before and after diagnosis. This is not always the case. Alcohol, for example, is strongly associated with breast cancer risk, but once you already have a full-blown tumor it may not make a difference if you continue to drink or not. But in general, the same diet that helps prevent breast cancer appears to be the same type of diet that’s going to help prolong survival. That seemed to be the case in this recent new york study. Started out with about a thousand women, with breast cancer. Ended up with, less than a thousand. It must be so sad to do these survival studies; you never know who’s going to make it to the end. Several investigations have suggested that plant-based diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and grains, as well as their related nutrients may have a beneficial effect on survival after breast cancer. Evidence pointed to ligans, phytonutrients found throughout the plant kingom. We know they may prevent breast cancer. Now we know dietary lignin intake is associated with improved survival among postmenopausal women with breast cancer. In fact, it appeared to cut mortality risk in half! Where do you find it?... There’s some in red wine, whole grains, vegetables like kale, big jump to sesame seeds, and then meteoric rise to flaxseeds. Let me squoosh down the scale. Look at that. Nothing comes close to flax. The Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project estimated the quantity of lignans long Island women average on a daily basis. From their entire diet, about 6 mg a day. That’s how many lignans are found in a single teaspoon of flax seeds. So you add just a teaspoon to your diet and you may have just doubled your entire intake for the day. Just maybe not during the last two trimesters of pregnancy, as preliminary data suggests flax use may increase the risk of preterm delivery.	This is the third of a five-part video series on improving survival for those diagnosed with cancer. See also Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat and Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken. For more on exploiting the slow growing nature of breast cancer, see Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing and Slowing Growth of Cancer. I have 10 more videos on flax and some more precautionary pregnancy videos such as Caffeine During Pregnancy and Iron During Pregnancy. In this video I mentioned alcohol consumption and mortality—more on balancing the risks in Alcohol Risks vs. Benefits. And if that’s not enough I have hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that two of the sources for this video are open access–so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section–and lignans are not the same as lignins, in case anyone is confused.Thanks Dr. Greger!  One quick question – Is it true that flax seeds must be ground in order to reap their health benefits? Or can they be eaten either whole or ground? Thanks:)I have been reading lots about flax seeds and it always states that you have to ground it first and always eat it in quark or yoghurt so your body absorbs it better….but I am not medically trained (unfortunately)They have to be ground first to reap their benefits. Don’t know the reason though.my blogIts because the cell wall of the seed is too tough to digest. Another, more tedious option would be to bite every single side before swallowing.Guess it is better to ground them :)I have to agree …http://pregnancypillowreviews.org/Thanks for sharing your views.. You can also visit my blog: Delhi Liver transplantAs always, a resounding THANKS!!!!! Your efforts help me tremendously in practice. Nearly everyday I have a patient that has or had BRCA and this whole series has been fantastic, but todays vid on the usefulness of a teaspoon of Flax is a pound of wise prevention.Very interesting data and report, thank you for all the great work.I am curious if the present data support a beneficial effect of lignans for other cancers, particularly prostate. Certainly would seem the case but It seems several years prior flax or perhaps flax oil had a detrimental relationship to this cancer.Certainly more research to other cancers (lung, colorectal, pancreas, prostate, brain) would be warranted, as flax’s (lignans) positive results to breast cancer is tremendous and well documented.Thank you!My question was partially answered in the video, “Just the Flax Mam” concerning prostate cancer. Very nice Texas study archived from the notes.Other cancers might also be positively influenced by these Flax powerhouses. Sure would make the substance for some large scale research studies, as in the prostate cancer study.Awesome info. Thanks. I know you have covered flax seeds in the past, but I think that repeat info when new studies also support the same conclusions are very helpful. One study may not be all that convincing. But study after study is certainly convincing to me.yeah,Thanks – interesting.. is there a relationship between migraine and cancer? for reference my blog. Http :/ / migraine-cluster.blogspot.com / Thank you so muchThanks – interesting info again. Some authors warn against to much flaxseed because of high content of cadmium. Do you have a comment?I’m 54 yr old female…I take 2 TBSP of ground organic flax each day…hope it’s not TOO much regarding the cadmium…so easy to include in Greek yogurt, oatmeal, or on a green salad, etc. Nice video, Doc! Thank you!Facebook headliner says one tablespoon and this subtitle says 1teaspoon. I watched it this morning on DVD 8 and it said 1 teaspoon. Pls clarify. ThxHi Robertaj: the Facebook intro was posed as a T or F question, hence why ‘tablespoon’ was mentioned. 1 teaspooon is the correct answer. Hope that helps!I am wondering about flax seed interactions with aromatase inhibitors. Has any research been done on the topic? Thanks.Please also check out my associated blog post, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy!is 2Tablespoons of pre-ground flaxseed a perfect amount to eat daily or would 1 Tablespoon be safer?2 tablespoons is not only safe, but very healthy! Enjoy your flax. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/just-the-flax-maam/Thank you very, very much. This is information I will be getting out to the masses.AngelaFORTUNER SUV TERBAIKI like what you guys are up too. Such clever work and reporting! Keep up the excellent works guys I¡¦ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it’ll improve the value of my website :)One needs to grind the flax seeds to absorb the lignans, correct?Dr. Greger, could you please add the citation for the last study you mention in the video (the one indicating that “preliminary data suggests flax use may increase the risk of preterm delivery”) to the “Sources Cited” section? Currently, it is not listed.Guys just sharing, I’ve found this interesting! Check it out!CITI CAB Arizonahttp://www.citi-cab.com/The media is riveted by Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy to address her doctor’s prediction that she had an 87% risk of breast cancer due to defects in her BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 genes, yet I’ve seen no mention of epigenetics and its effects on cancer development in relation to this story, thus no mention of the power of diet or lifestyle in cutting one’s breast cancer risk. Dr. Greger, given the current heightened level of attention to this topic, would you please write a blog post or make a nutrition video summarizing known reliable research on this topic?Dr. Dean Ornish published remarkable research showing how men with incipient prostate cancer effectively turned off dozens of their cancer-promoting genes by using a vegetarian or vegan diet, regular exercise, and regular meditation practice. Has there been any similar study done on women (and men) with defects in their BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 genes? Must women lop off functioning, important organs to reduce their risk of cancer significantly (Jolie’s doctor estimated she reduced her risk from 87% to 5% by having the surgery) without having to take drugs on a regular basis?http://www.thesizeialwayswanted.com im cool and i got a big onethat sucks http://www.thesizeialwayswanted.comGuys just sharing, I’ve found this interesting! Check it out! http://www.yeastinfection-treatment.net/Dr. Greger, I am a breast cancer survivor of 8 years. Was diagnosed with ER positive breast cancer at the age of 39. I follow your video’s religiously and incorporate 2 tablespoons or more of ground flax in my diet daily as well as eat a mainly vegan diet. I have had other breast cancer survivors tell me their oncologists tell them NOT to eat the flax seeds because of their estrogenic effects on ER positive breast cancer. Is there any validity to this? I always feel that the ground flax seeds is helping to keep my breast cancer from coming back, but do these oncologists concerns hold any validity?Sandy, as a Registered Dietitian often working with breast cancer survivors, this has always been a point of confusion for me too. I hope that Dr. Gregor can explain why some oncologists/doctors have this theory and then give us the information we need to explain otherwise.Dr. Gregor, Is it okay to take flax seeds if you are a ER positive breast cancer survivor. For some reasons breast oncologists are saying because it is a phytoestrogen to be cautious about using flax seed in your diet if you have been diagnosed with ER positive breast cancer?Nutrition is the key to all matters concerning Prevention and Cures. Studies how proven that food is your most powerful medicine. Current information points out that vegetarian diets play an important part in cancer prevention. Information found at Healthy Organic Vegetarian which also gives a page devoted to breast cancer, gives a clear picture into the importance of food.Your reports are important in helping people understand the importance of nutrition.Thank you for all of you efforts. Healthy Organic VegetarianGuys check it out! http://vertigotreatment.orgI think cottage cheese is good to eat ground flax seeds with, thanks to the work of Budwig. Helps absorption. Exercise is important to promote health too, check out my fitness fips blog at http://www.passionateaboutfitness.com I dont beleive in chopping off body parts to prevent cancer, surely that is a bit concerning? We can do lots to reduce our risk, maybe people are looking for a quick fix and not prepared to put the work in…..I think there is a lot of misinformation out there. Angelina Jolie is not just someone at heightened risk. She carries the BRCA gene. I have spoke with many women with this gene. These women have lost their mothers, sisters and aunts (yes, lost 3, 4 or 5 close relatives) in their lifetimes to this disease. When you have lived with that devastation, losing a breast is far less daunting than losing your life. For goodness sake, they are not losing their sight, or hearing or a hand. They are losing their breasts and gaining security that they will live to a ripe old age. Until I have walked in these women’s shoes, I will never comprehend what they have to live with, and I will not judge their decision to do anything they can do so that they will be there to be able to take care of their families for a long, long time. I feel confident in saying these BRCA carriers are not looking for a quick fix.Chopping off parts? Whoa yeah thats a tad extreme. He was correct though in mentioning mixing alcohol with any kind of therapy be it chemical or natural. Reduces the effects considerably to plain destroying any chance of cure. Im a syrong believer in “Al Natural” http://topnaturalacnetreatment.comThanks for the information. Really appreciate it.LisaI’ve heard many times about flax seed and its good to know that it is also best for those with breast cancer. I am just curious if it can also work for different types of wart.It is interesting to know there are people like you who never stopped sharing relevant information such as this. We are not against synthetic medicines but there are also numerous breast cancer survivor who survived using alternative medicines or homeopathic remedies.man I wish doctors all over were talking about this, maybe we would be curing more cancer.http://dogcakerecipes.infoSome good info about how you can loose weight and remain healthy ! Check it out at http://www.slabesc-sanatos.ro/great information Dr.Thank youHi doctor its really a great information…http://www.fortisbariatricsurgery.comNutrition is the key to all matters concerning Prevention and Cures. I think cottage cheese is good to eat ground flax seeds with, thanks to the work of Budwig. Studies how proven that food is your most powerful medicine. Current information points out that vegetarian diets play an important part in cancer prevention.Information found at Healthy Organic Vegetarian which also gives a page devoted to breast cancer, gives a clear picture into the importance of food.Exercise is important to promote health too,We can do lots to reduce our risk, maybe people are looking for a quick fix and not prepared to put the work in..Eye Care HospitalNice information, people have a very hard time dealing with it.SizeGeneticsThank for this info. I’m a young breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed at age 31.31! That’s shockingly young! I’m happy to hear you are a survivor.Note: Dr. Greger has a large number of wonderful videos and blog posts on cancer in general and breast cancer in particular. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend searching through this website for yet more info.Best of luck to you.Hmm, i concord! Dr Greger knows what he’s saying.http://www.omoscowonder.comVery good, you can find more hereAloe Vera good for everything. I am writing a website: http://aloeveraforweightlose.blogspot.com about it :) Please reveiw it, I tried to find all informations about aloe vera, for health and beauty:)Aloe Vera good for everything. I am writing a website: http://aloeveraforweightlose.blogspot.com/, about it :) Please reveiw it, I tried to find all informations about aloe vera, for health and beauty:)Dental Health http://health-50.blogspot.com/I’m wondering if anyone has heard of the benefits of CHIA seeds? I keep hearing more and more about them, and that they are magical energy boosting seeds! I just switched my diet to totally raw foods and eliminating meats and I”ve started this blog about it. Feeling MUCH better!Flaxseeds appear to be better for you. No food is a “super food”. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/Great note Dr. Thank you for sharing with us about your studies. Let us know more about these Flax seeds and its usage. Keep sharing :)Visit :http://www.neinsteinplasticsurgery.com/breast-surgery/Here is amazing way how to have your life free of acne forever:http://bestacnetreatmentgroup.com/Thanks Dr great work and Welcome to Banaba benefits – Healthy herbhttp://bestnaturalife.blogspot.com/2013/08/banaba-benefits-healthy-herb.htmloh doctor thanks for this great inormations i like it i want to ask you about Tuna Salad Recipe if it good for healthHicham:This is what NutritionFacts has to say about fish: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/This is what NutritionFacts has to say about cheese: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/Bottom line: That recipe is not really so healthy. I recommend looking for some good vegan “tuna” recipes. I have tried a couple different types in recipe books that I own, but I think there are some free recipes on line too. Try looking up “tuno”? Anyway, if you don’t like the first one you try, keep looking. There are lots of options, almost all of which I would expect to be healthier than the recipe you list above.Good luck!I have to agree.http://bestpregnancypillow.org/Yeah, i totally agree with you on this!http://www.bestpregnancymaternitypillows.com/great information Dr.Thank youThats a great post thanks a lot for sharing Turkey BreastCancer is not a laughing joke. Please take care of yourself and know steps on how to avoid it. Read this article about Cancer: what not to do http://www.PinkWomensCenter.com/cancer-prevention-what-not-to-doConsumer diets contributes to cancers in western countriesPhilippine Organic AgricultureBy M. Torma: The Frye – Audra Button Heel (Cognac) – Footwear arrived on time, packed well and in perfect condition. It works beautifully and saves me time. I bought it at a price which is the cheapest of 6pm.com. I am very satisfied with this product. http://7xgardens.com/I like the Budwig Diet use of flax seeds – cottage cheese, flax seed oil and fresh ground flaxseed mixed in my Nutribullet. I add sugar free Walden Farms flavor syrup for taste. This doctor turned me on to healthier choices http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUbz3u3qFNsBlac Cey: The flax seeds are great, but the cottage cheese is concentrated dairy and we have plenty of evidence concerning the health problems with dairy: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/Maybe you can turn that doctor onto healthier choices by pointing to this site. ;-)Also, you may want to re-think that flax seed oil. Those are just empty calories.Good luck!Lot of good stuff in the world. The key is absorption. Only can be absorbed then we can get benefits. check one solution for isotonix: http://betterresultnutrition.comSundance Holidays certainly is the innovator in local store outlet shop stash shop store retailer journey and cost-effective has gone.http://www.crunchbase.com/company/sundance-vacationsGreat article…thank´sThank you for sharing your work and impressions. I love your choices. technologysolutionscode.comThank you for sharing your work and impressions. I love your choices. technologysolutionscodeThanks Dr. Greger! This is good information. Does flax help with heart disease too?Thanks for the information. Really appreciate it.activThanks – interesting info againannonces gratuites belgiqueThanks – interesting info again. Some authors warn against to much flaxseed because of high content of cadmium.agentie recrutareNice post. petites annonces gratuitesi think ‘be to try what learn into test. surely be back to drop feed backi think ‘be to try what learn into test. surely be back to drop feed back. Best Desktop Computers on the MarketAfter a diagnosis of breast cancer, women tend to re-evaluate their nutrition and health practices. i wonder what diet food should be followed?I totally agree with you! This is as simple as ABC to understand. Thanks Dr Greger.Pomegranate fruit is very delicious and healthful because it’s loaded with lots of antioxidants that make it most fruit has antioxidants ever. I’ve recently read a good article about health benefits of pomegranates in Arabic and you can translate itفائدة الرمانThanks for the article. The only way that I can seem to keep my kids healthy is to feed them myself even in school. However, the cost of GOOD food is so pricey these days. I wish we could just go back to how things were 100-150 years ago and all the food would be just plain healthier.http://bigdreamsnomoney.comEdcool stuff manBest remedy to get rid of breast cancer !! http://epregnancypillow.com/pregnancy-pillows-for-a-better-sleep/This is the official website for knowing the complete details about Pregnancy pillows. I bought many Pillows using this website.Hi I really Found this Page Really Interesting for Herbal Suggestions and Remedies Check it out http://facebook.com/NaturesjarThanks Dr Greger makes sense! http://www.breadmachinepizzadough.comIt indeeds intiialize many facts about cancer and precautions to be taken. Thank you for such a greta article.loans IndiaThanks for your whole working hard on that website. how to increase breast size http://www.breastenlargementi.com/breast-health/how-to-increase-breast-size-using-natural-methods/istanbul masaj salonlarısize en güzel istanbul masaj salonu bulabileceğiniz yer istanbul da sadece ofgd de masaj salonları istanbul bulunmaktadır.http://www.masajsalonlarimistanbul.comI do agree on it.. For all pregnant women going through stress and sleepless nights. Do go to our website: http://epregnancypillow.com/ . Here you will find reviews on pregnancy pillows which will help you to choose one according to your needs and budget.Nice information described by the doctor in this video. ThanksNutrition Training ProgramCongratulations on achieving the donations.Best Wishes Team Omnicore http://www.omnicoreagency.comAmerika’da doğum kolay gerçekleştirilen bir organizasyon değildir.Ailelerimizin talep ve istekleri doğrultusunda,onları memnun edebilmek adına en iyi şekilde, hizmet veren kurum olarak bu konuda son derece iddialıyız http://www.saglikvegelecek.com/I’ve viewed your videos on Gerson Therapy for Cancer and was wondering if you had any feedback on Hipprocrates Institute and their anti-cancer treatments?HI Terry. Sorry I do not I have heard of them and someone from their team spoke at a conference I attended, but I was not impressed rather put back a bit. They do not seem to stay current on the research. It may have changed of recent I am not sure.Depolama firmaların yüksek ciro hedeflerinde tertibine ve düzenine maksimum dikkat etmeleri gereken alan olmakta, sağlam temeller profesyonel bir şekilde yapılan depolamalarla kurulabilmektedir. http://www.deporaf.com.trDepolama firmaların yüksek ciro hedeflerinde tertibine ve düzenine maksimum dikkat etmeleri gereken alan olmakta, sağlam temeller profesyonel bir şekilde yapılan depolamalarla kurulabilmektedir. Depo RafThanks – interesting info againannonces gratuitesThanks Dr Greger! Is there any update on the topic “flaxseed and pregnancy”?Hi Dr Greger! Please, can you tell us if there are some new data on the risks when eating flaxseeds during pregnancy? Thank you very much.Hi Brigitte. I combed through the data and it seems no new studies have been conducted. I think it is very low risk, but still, Dr Greger points out in the last two trimesters of pregnancy, as preliminary data suggests flax use may increase the risk of preterm delivery.Avcılar masaj salonu sizlerle daha iyiye..temizlik firmaları temizlik firmaları For some reasons breast oncologists are saying because it is a phytoestrogen to be cautious about using flax seed in your diet if you have been diagnosed with ER positive breast cancer?Cihan: This sounds like the same confusion that exists(existed) regarding traditional soy foods and ER positive breast cancer patients. The concern was that such foods for such patients would be bad. But we know the opposite is true. We’ve known it for a long time. I believe Dr. Greger has more than one video on this topic. But here is one that I was able to find quickly: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/So, if the phytoestrogens in soy are healthy for such patients, there’s not reason to believe that the phytoestrogens in flax would be any different. That’s my opinion anyway. After watching the above video, what do you think?This is a great post. I like topic.This site has lots of advantage.I found many interesting things from this site. It helps me in many ways.Thanks for posting this again. http://www.friv2game.orgDepolama ve taşıma maliyetlerini en aza indirerek, zeminden en yoğun şekilde faydalanmayı sağlayan depo raf fiyatları, otomatik taşıyıcılar sayesinde insan gücüne duyulan ihtiyaçları tek başına karşılamış zaman ve enerjiden de tasarruf etmeyi sağlamıştır.Kullanım ağının oldukça yaygın olduğu,genellikle ilaç, gıda, lojistik, kargo gibi endüstriyel dalların sıklıkla tercih ettiği bu modülleri, artı bir personel desteği olmadan tamamen otomasyon sistemiyle yönetmek mümkündür.Ağır ve hafif yük rafları olarak alternatiflere ayrılan, bunun yanı sıra kutulu, kayar, paletli ve içine girilebilir depo fiyortları olarak da çeşitlenen bu sistemlerle koridor alanları azaltılmış, zemininden tavana kadar deponun her bölümünden istifade edilebilme olanağı yakalanmış ve tek alanla pek çok farklı ürünün saklanabilme imkânlarına zemin hazırlanmış olmaktadır. Kullanıcı firmaların sadece alan sıkıntısını gidermiş olmakla kalmayıp;Bloklar halinde zeminden tavana kadar sıralanan raflara, istenilen malzemeyi stoklama ve yine dilenilen bir zamanda da kolayca transfer edilmesini sağlama.Yükleme ve taşıma işlerinde harcanan vakti en azamiye indirerek, iş veriminin artırılmasına katkıda bulunma.Ürünleri son ana kadar güvenle ve sorunsuz bir şekilde saklama.Transfer edilecek olan malzemeye hatasız ulaşıp, kısa sürede yükleme alanına getirebilme ve dilenilen zamanda da malzeme ile ilgili her türlü detaylı bilgi ile stok kontrolünü de takip edebilme imkânları sunma.Tek bir düzenekle çalışarak, fazladan personel ihtiyaçlarının önüne geçme.Enerji ve depo maliyetini azaltarak, yüksek performanslı verim artışı yakalama, gibi de daha pek çok avantajları da kullanıcısına sunmaktadır.Modüler yapısıyla her ihtiyaçtaki uzunluğa ve genişliğe uygun tasarlanabiliyor olması da ayriyeten tercih sebebi olan bu işletimde, kullanılan yazılımlarHI – do you mind reposting in English? Thanks for considering.2001 yılında, %100 Türk sermayesi ile kurulan ve bu yapısını devam ettiren Zeplin Car Rental, bugün 61 noktada bulunan 8.000’den fazla aracı ile Türkiye’de günlük oto kiralama sektörünün takip edilen öncü kuruluşu konumuna gelmiştir. (detay rent a car )Can you please translate to English? Thank you!One study may not be all that convincing. But study after study is certainly convincing to me.MLB Snapback Hatshttp://www.tiseteknoloji.com güvenlik sistemleri…	alcohol,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,flax seeds,fruit,grains,kale,lignans,Long Island,menopause,mortality,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,pregnancy,red wine,seeds,sesame seeds,vegetables,women's health	One teaspoon of flax seeds may double one's daily production of lignans, phytonutrients that appear to play a role in both breast cancer prevention and survival.	This is the third of a five-part video series on improving survival for those diagnosed with cancer. See also Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fatand Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken. For more on exploiting the slow growing nature of breast cancer, see Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing and Slowing Growth of Cancer. I have 10 more videos on flaxand some more precautionary pregnancy videos such as Caffeine During Pregnancy and Iron During Pregnancy. In this video I mentioned alcohol consumption and mortality—more on balancing the risks in Alcohol Risks vs. Benefits. And if that's not enough I have hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that two of the sources for this video are open access--so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section--and lignans are not the same as lignins, in case anyone is confused.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/09/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/long-island/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lignans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sesame-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20956817,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22215064,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17261017,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22045772,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15877880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17176218,
PLAIN-3008	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-trans-fat/	Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat	With a growing number of breast cancer survivors, there is tremendous interest in establishing whether changes in lifestyle influence breast cancer outcome. So started the introduction of this 2011 study suggesting two things about our diet can significantly alter the survival of women with breast cancer. We talked about one already, saturated fat, increasing one’s risk of dying 41%, and what foods to avoid. The second factor was even more significant, trans fat, increasing one’s risk of dying 78% after diagnosis within a 7 year period. How do we avoid that stuff? Once again cakes cookies and animal products top the list, and then it’s basically margarine, French fries, potato chips, and Crisco. So junk food and animal products may be contributing to a 78% increase in mortality in women already burdened with breast cancer. As the federal 2010 dietary guidelines concluded for everyone, not just those with cancer, Americans should keep their intake of trans fatty acids as low as possible.	For the role of saturated fat in breast cancer survival, see yesterday’s video. When the dietary guidelines recommend keeping intake of trans fat as low as possible, what does that mean on a practical level? See Good, Great, Bad & Killer Fats and Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. Nice to see public health trump corporate interests. See Dietary Guidelines: USDA Conflicts of Interest for one of 25 videos I have on the guidelines. And if that isn’t enough, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.I’m really confused about soy. Especially when I see videos like these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0uIn2L90wA8Can you do a huge video on soy or maybe point me in a direction that confronts these sort of claims.luvmy2pugs:  I’m late to this discussion, but I wanted to directly reply to your question. “wilscot”‘s answer was so helpful to me, I”m sure you found it helpful also.  However, Dr. Greger does have quite a few videos that specifically deal with soy and were also extremely helpful.  There may even be a blog or two on the subject. There are more videos than I want to list here, but I highly recommend that you use the search box at the top right of the screen to see what Dr. Greger has already done on the subject. Good luck.Dr Greger would be able to provide a more expert reply regarding soy, but in the meantime I’ll make a few comments: Mercola is not well respected by the scientific or medical community and has got into trouble in the past for making inflated claims. He is against soy for the following reasons: – Most of it is GM – Response: if this bothers you choose organic – it has goitrogens which interfere with thyroid function – Response: my understanding is that this is only a problem in people who are low in iodine – so just make sure you are getting enough of this nutrient – it is estrogenic – Reponse: the science on this issue is so much more complex than Mercola indicates. On balance, soy isoflavones appear to be selective estrogen receptor modulators that may reduce estrogen levels where this is helpful (cancer) and boost them where helpful (bones and cognitive function). Three recent studies on breast cancer survivors have all found that soy intake was associated with better survival – that is the just about the best evidence you are going to get of its safety. – phytic acid – lots of high fibre whole foods have phytic acid. It can reduce nutrient absorption, but it is also thought to be a powerful antioxidant. Just make sure you eat a high nutrient density diet, and the phytic acid won’t be a significant problem and may be of benefit. – soy products contain MSG – well – check the labels – I can’t say I have ever seen this. There is a lot of web based paranoia demonising soy – it’s just a food, and like all foods has some pros and cons, but unlike some foods, the pros outweigh the cons.Very well said!This is very helpful. I have only recently taken interest in nutrition and started following a whole, plant based diet two months ago. Despite being normal weight, my blood pressure was terrible prior to trying the new diet. I used to believe that veganism was less healthy and that soy was terrible for you. Only recently have my eyes opened. Thanks to the diet changes my blood pressure is normal now despite my awful genes(something I thought I couldn’t control, both parents had high BP). That tells me I’m on the right path, but soy has been rough to figure out! Again, thanks for the info.I tend to find that Dr. Mercola is quite radical in his views and misconstrues evidence.Please also check out my associated blog post, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy!	animal products,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cake,cancer,cancer survival,cookies,Crisco,dietary guidelines,fat,french fries,junk food,margarine,mortality,potato chips,saturated fat,standard American diet,trans fats,women's health	Breast cancer survivors may reduce their chances of survival if they eat too much trans fat, found primarily in the American diet in junk food and animal products.	For the role of saturated fat in breast cancer survival, see yesterday’s video. When the dietary guidelines recommend keeping intake of trans fat as low as possible, what does that mean on a practical level? See Good, Great, Bad & Killer Fats and Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. Nice to see public health trump corporate interests. See Dietary Guidelines: USDA Conflicts of Interest for one of 25 videos I have on the guidelines. And if that isn't enough, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/17/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crisco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cookies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potato-chips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/margarine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21197569,
PLAIN-3009	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/	Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken	Though small consolation, one benefit of the fact that breast cancer is now the #1 cancer among women is that breast cancer survival is a very active area of research. For example, this major 2011 study, which followed about 4000 woman, with breast cancer, for 7 years. Not all of them made it. The researchers tried to figure out if there were any dietary factors that may have been associated with their early demise. They found two things, and the first was saturated fat intake. Those women who ate the most saturated fat after diagnosis increased their disk of dying in those 7 years by 41%. So where is saturated fat found in our diet so we can avoid it? First thing people tend to think of when they think of saturated fat is beef, like a big fat juicy steak. But no, beef doesn’t even make the top 5. This is from the National Cancer Institute. #1 cheese, #2 pizza, which is basically another way of saying cheese. #3 is grain-based desserts, which means primarily cakes, cookies, and doughnuts, which is why pink doughnuts may not be the best way to celebrate breast cancer awareness month, then #4 ice cream, and #5 chicken. You thought pink doughnuts were bad? I’m not making this up. And of course grilling and frying meats makes them particularly carcinogenic due to heterocyclic amine formation, so KFC better donate to breast cancer research. You’ve heard me talk about this before. Chicken is not a low fat food—even skinless and steamed, and in fact one of the top five contributors of saturated fat in the American diet. Thencomes pork, burgers, Mexi—which uses lots of lard—beef, and reduced fat milk, which is only 2% fat—by weight, but by calories, which is what matters in the body, reduced fat milk is 30% fat. It’s like if you took a stick of butter, and dunked it into a cup of water and said see now it’s only 50% fat. No, it’s a 100% fat, the water doesn’t count. But anyways these are the top ten foods to stay away from to decrease our saturated fat intake, which may not only help prevent breast cancer in the first place, but to improve survival for those that have it.	Note that the video said two things in their diets. I’ll deal with the second tomorrow. This is not my first video on cancer survival (as opposed to prevention). See Saturated Fat & Cancer Prevention, Soy & Breast Cancer Survival, and Slowing the Growth of Cancer. I also have a bunch of videos on saturated fat; the two most popular are probably Dietary Guidelines: From Dairies to Berries and Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. For a comparison with a plant-based chicken product, see Chicken vs. Veggie Chicken, but there are also a few saturated plant fats. See Is Coconut Milk Good For You?. And, if you’d like, hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.I sure wish I could get all the women I know with breast cancer to listen to this stuff!!!! Not to mention all the healthy girls and women. This info should be front-page news. Our society is seriously messed up.I agree. The role of nutrition in health is not taken seriously. People assume chronic illnesses are a result of chance, and are incurable. People also rely on the idea of “moderation”, which is a useless word since nobody knows how much is too much. The message needs to be thrown out there more, Dr. Greger should talk on NPR.Please also check out my associated blog post, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy!Please also check out my associated blog post, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy!I was diagnosed with breast cancer Oct of 2011. I was given the book The China Study to read. I read it three times then went cold turkey on plant based diet and never looked back. I ate chicken alot because every tells you its better, wrong!!! I opt out of chemo & radiation even though I am stage IV cancer. Some my tumors are gone & some shrunk. More women need to know this, before its too late. Thanks for sharing Viola. I’m glad to hear of your progress and wish you the best.Does chicken include turkey as well? And does it matter if it is organic or not? Thanks in advance!Yes, poultry in general is the perpetrator. Organic vs conventional makes little difference in the content of the meat. Saturated fat and carcinogens from cooking meat are unavoidable whether organic or conventional.LOL @ 2:13. The doc’s humour is awesome.I would love to see a video detailing the study about heterocyclic amines, and addressing the question of is there a safe way then to cook meat and fish?Chicken and other poultry is far more similar to plants in fatty acid content than red meats- most of it is poly and highly inflammatory. But saturated fat is NOT associated with disease. T. Colin Campbell states this clearly as recently as this last April. He says that in his research, plant fats (polys) were inflammatory and animal fats (saturated) are not, and as such, are not associated with disease.I didn’t know chicken was one of the top contributors of saturated fat. Is this chicken in general or fried chicken. I would think I would be fried chicken because of all the oil used to cook it.The top contributors to saturated fats in a person’s diet is based on what people actually eat not the percentage by calories in a particular food, else coconut oil and butter would be very near top of list. Apparently people eat a lot more of regular chicken vs fried chicken.And get this–The Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation had the nerve to sponsor the Montreal Cake Show! http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/anti-cancer-outrage-let-us-eat-cake/I just love this Dr G so much. A blast of laughs and fun with erudite and such comprehensively studied info. Can’t say anough about you Dr G. (I found this vid as an extension from todays vid on breast cancer and wine – and that he/you make these kinds of links available for thos of us who say well what about this and that thought, is just thoroughgoing invesigative, noze-to-the-ground journalizm. . . . you just don’t see any more. What a dude. Let me go before the poor man is greased to dripping. Lol. ;))	animal products,beef,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,burgers,cake,cancer,cancer survival,carcinogens,cheese,chicken,cookies,cooking methods,dairy,doughnuts,fat,frying,grilling,hamburgers,heterocyclic amines,ice cream,KFC,lard,meat,milk,mortality,pizza,pork,poultry,saturated fat,standard American diet,women's health	Breast cancer survivors may reduce their chances of survival if they eat too much saturated fat, found primarily in the American diet in cheese, chicken, and junk food.	Note that the video said two things in their diets. I'll deal with the second tomorrow. This is not my first video on cancer survival (as opposed to prevention). See Saturated Fat & Cancer Prevention, Soy & Breast Cancer Survival, and Slowing the Growth of Cancer. I also have a bunch of videos on saturated fat the two most popular are probably Dietary Guidelines: From Dairies to Berries and Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. For a comparison with a plant-based chicken product, see Chicken vs. Veggie Chicken, but there are also a few saturated plant fats. See Is Coconut Milk Good For You?. And, if you'd like, hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pizza/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cookies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kfc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grilling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ice-cream/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/doughnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21197569,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15072585,
PLAIN-3010	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/	Raw Broccoli and Bladder Cancer Survival	For years I’ve been presenting data on how we can best tune our diet to prevent cancer, but what if you already have it? There’s been a burst of new research lately on cancer survival, which I’d like to share. For example, we used to tell cancer patients to rest, conserve their energy, but now there’s evidence that cancer survivors, may survive, longer if they exercise, but what about diet? Where are the data? Well, We know that eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli may help prevent bladder cancer, so I guess we shouldn’t be surprised broccoli may help with survival. This was a study done at Roswell Park, following a few hundred bladder cancer patients for about eight years; of course many didn’t live that long, but in teasing out which factors seemed to improved survival, they found that raw broccoli consumption appeared the most powerful. Cooked broccoli wasn’t useless, but this definitely makes sense given the whole sulphuraphane story I talked about before. Eating just a single serving or more a month of raw broccoli was associated with half the cancer mortality. If you know anyone with bladder cancer go buy them some broccoli, or even better a broccoli seed sprouting kit. Fruit and vegetable intake also improves survival from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, especially green leafy vegetables and citrus, though It is sobering to note that only 22% of the patients in this study followed public-health recommendations for the minimum intake of fruits and vegetables, suggesting that the lymphoma diagnosis may be an important ‘teachable’ moment to improve diet and other health behaviors. If a cancer diagnosis can’t get someone to eat their greens, I’m afraid nothing will.	This completes my 13-video series on the latest research on cruciferous vegetables. The “sulforophane story” I refer to in the video is explained in Smoking Versus Kale Juice and DNA Protection From Broccoli. And in terms of growing your own broccoli sprouts, that was in my video-of-the-day a few days ago, Biggest Nutrition Bang For Your Buck. This video talked about survival; I cover a bit of prevention side of the story in The Healthiest Vegetables. Wasn’t there some story downplaying the role of fruits and vegetables in cancer prevention? Watch my take on it in EPIC Study. And, of course, there are always the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that three of the sources for this video are open access, so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section.Recently a friend showed me a video about the Gerson Institute which claims spectacular success in curing cancer with fruit and vegetable juices and coffee enemas. I’d appreciate your comments on their techniques and on how well founded in the science they are.Off topic, just a little fun: With all this great broccoli info, I thought you may all enjoy this video, about “Dr Brock” – https://vimeo.com/30984371hcdr: That’s just hilarious! Thanks for sharing.really cool! I loved it…For some context, please also check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli!The link to this blog post appears as a “dead link” in my browser. (?) Thank you so much for pointing that out Gary! Here’s the correct link: http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/I can spend hours just watching and reading your work and videos. I share them with all my friends, family and patients. Thank you so much, Dr. GCruciferous vegetables are a potent source of Salvestrols – naturally occurring compounds that cause apoptosis of cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. See the following video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds5HuuYhJ_oHi Dr Greger; As an animal-lover extraordinaire I often wonder how much of the whole-foods-plant-based diet could apply to my companion canines. It would seem that if animal foods increase the proliferation of cancer in humans, then in could also do that in dogs. There are a lot of pets these days which have their lives cut short by cancer. Do you ever come across research for canines which might help us vegans make healthier choices for our animals. Already I only feed my dogs half the kibble recommended and the rest of their calories is in whole plants.amazing, just once a month yields such fantastic payback from gagging down (kinda kidding!) raw broccoli. Wont be a hard sell, it’s so beneficial. Thank you, Dr. Greger -another amazingly informative video in under 2 minutesDr. Greger I watched your excellent talk on BIRDFLU at the U in Minneapolis in 2006. I was the one in the audience that suggested filming your talks and posting them on your site for the world to share. Nice work here! My Chloe cat has bladder cancer. I don’t smoke, but my 1922 house is loaded with asbestos. She had not been correctly diagnosed for a year and four months. 3 vets and 8 office exams and not until 3 weeks ago did anyone check her BLADDER. I have been mashing up broccoli sprouts for the juice (about 3ml) and mixing it with unsalted chicken broth and giving to with a feeding syringe. Because of the tumor I have to express her bladder. It seems to me to be less inflammation. Any idea how much juice I can give her to be effective?Robert: I’m so sorry to hear about your cat. I can’t answer your question, but I do understand how important our non-human animal family members are. I hope you are able to get some results.I also wanted to say thanks for your idea about doing videos on the web. Who knows, maybe your comment sparked the entire idea for this website. If so, we all owe you a big thanks.Good luck with your cat.Raw Broccoli with Black Bean no oil hummus (loaded with garlic) every day thanks to Dr. Greger!Raw Broccoli with Black Bean (no oil) hummus (loaded with garlic) every day thanks to Dr. Greger! Keeps Cancer and my Boss away all day!LOL! Four months later I’m reading your comment. Thanks for the laugh. We could all keep our bosses away a little more ;)My husband of 40 years just died of bladder cancer in early May. We have been vegetarians for 40 years and vegan for 20! We ate all the right veggies, fruits, exercised daily with tennis, had great book discussions with friends and all of a sudden this cancer erupts in late Dec. so after cat scans, pet scans, we went with radiation/chemo. Unfortunately where the tumor was located in the lower bladder wall, a hole developed causing a fistula meaning all the urine was passing through the rectum. He was in terrible pain and completely exhausted from all the treatments and finally said enough since the doctors said that he would have to undergo major bowel surgery. So he decided on hospice which helped he a great deal. My husband, friend, guru died at the age of 82. He is the inventor of Betsy’s Tempeh and the world has lost a great person and mind.Tempster: Thank you for sharing your story. Your husband sounds like he was a great man who contributed much to this world. Please take care of yourself.Thanks so much Thea. It would be wonderful to know that a good plant based diet + exercise would keep away the cancers, but alas, that is not the case. I still believe in a healthy plant based diet and exercise; however, I will remind people that cancer has its own mind set and a “will” of its own. I remember Gunter saying, it would be great if one could take a piece of the cancer cell and figure out what could be injected into it to decrease its potential for growth. Some cells divide so rapidly. I think that if we spent much more money on research vs money for weapons, we would be so much further ahead with this deadly disease.betsy shipleybetsyandgunter@gmail.comHi Doc, my dad just went for a ct scan because his tumor is back (bladder) and I was wondering if you could share some other thoughts and studies, if it is reversible with a vegan diet and what foods to avoid. I’ve seen so much bias stuff I thought if you could point me in the right direction, my family and I would really appreciate it. (I am vegan and I’m trying to gather more and more information to share with him). I’d really appreciate it, thanks! (huge fan)	bladder cancer,bladder health,broccoli,broccoli sprouts,cancer,cancer survival,citrus,cruciferous vegetables,exercise,fruit,greens,mortality,non-Hodgkin lymphoma,phytonutrients,raw food,sprouting,sprouts,sulforaphane,vegetables	The effect of raw and cooked broccoli consumption on survival rates of bladder cancer patients.	This completes my 13-video series on the latest research on cruciferous vegetables. The "sulforophane story" I refer to in the video is explained in Smoking Versus Kale Juice and DNA Protection From Broccoli. And in terms of growing your own broccoli sprouts, that was in my video-of-the-day a few days ago, Biggest Nutrition Bang For Your Buck. This video talked about survival; I cover a bit of prevention side of the story in The Healthiest Vegetables. Wasn't there some story downplaying the role of fruits and vegetables in cancer prevention? Watch my take on it in EPIC Study. And, of course, there are always the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that three of the sources for this video are open access, so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/09/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20536344,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21338728,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22048034,
PLAIN-3011	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-dangers-of-broccoli/	The Dangers of Broccoli?	Though there are thousands of new studies on nutrition published every year, the overall thrust of the findings are remarkably consistent. As Michael Pollan summed up, Eat food—meaning not junk, mostly plants. But I diligently continue to scour the medical literature every year—open-minded; you never know what you’re going to find. Rarely does something truly throw me for a loop, but I did put my fork down for a few moments after I opened a journal only to find a case report entitled, The Dangers of Broccoli. First a little background: a roux-en-y gastic bypass surgery is when you cut out 90% of the stomach. You chop the small intestine in half and staple it to the bottom of your esophagus. So instead of swallowing food into your stomach and then out through your intestines—this whole region is cut out of the loop; the stomach is bypassed—the food just kinda goes straight down into the little pouch, which is a little chunk that used to be top of the stomach. So you can only eat like a thumbfull of food at a time. Your entire meal, is a quarter cup, or otherwise you’re in trouble. Which brings us back here. 316 pound woman 3 months postoperative at an all you can buffet. I don’t like where this is going. She was so good though, choosing really healthy foods. She just forgot to chew. Her staples blew, ended up in the ER, then the OR. They opened her up and found full chunks of broccoli, whole lima beans and other green leafy vegetables inside her abdominal cavity. The vegetables were almost completely fully formed without evidence of having been chewed. A cautionary tale to be sure, but less about chewing food better after surgery, than about chewing better foods before, so you can keep all your internal organs intact.	Reminds me of the story of that weight loss drug with the embarrassing side effects (in my video Milk Protein vs. Soy Protein). Whether the risks of surgery outweigh the risks of obesity may not be relevant, since there is a third option, life-long adherence to a healthy diet. See my 25 videos on obesity and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Hi Dr. Greger!Tonight, I found your site and watched many of your previous videos. In past videos, you talk about coconut oil and coconut milk, but I have a question about coconut water.I have seen several health experts talk about the benefits of coconut water that comes straight from a young Thai coconut. However, I have read conflicting information about the coconut water one can get in packages (such as Vita CoCo).Obviously packaged coconut water is pasteurized and not as good as fresh, so from that perspective it isn’t as beneficial. The thing I am wondering about is the sugar content. It’s my understanding that sugar is not added to coconut water, yet there is a high amount of sugar per serving. Is the sugar in coconut water bad for you? Is packaged coconut water something we should stay away from?These days, coconut water is a hugely popular. Is it just another form of unhealthy empty calories marketed as something healthy?Thank you!Vita Coco just settled a $10 million class action lawsuit for claiming its coconut water was “super-hydrating” “nutrient-packed” “mega-electrolyte” “super-water,” yet independent testing showed that the actual electrolyte levels were a small fraction of what the label advertised. Earlier this year a study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition compared coconut water to a manufactured sports drink and found no difference between the two in terms of hydration or exercise performance, and in fact those drinking the coconut water reported feeling more bloated and experienced greater stomach upset–and the study was funded by the Vita Coco!Thank you for your reply. You’ve answered my questions, dissolved my confusion, and solidified my decision to stick with drinking plain water. :)frightening!I have a “weak stomach” at the best of times… Pass the plants; pass on the surgery…Title should have read, “The dangers of gastric bypass!”LOL. As a weight loss surgeon I once saw a similar event with mango. That being said, the danger is with not chewing the food. Mango and broccoli are fantastic post operative food and highly recommended.	broccoli,gastric bypass,lima beans,Michael Pollan,obesity,surgery,vegetables,weight loss	A case report of a woman after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery trying to eat right.	Reminds me of the story of that weight loss drug with the embarrassing side effects (in my video Milk Protein vs. Soy Protein). Whether the risks of surgery outweigh the risks of obesity may not be relevant, since there is a third option, life-long adherence to a healthy diet. See my 25 videos on obesity and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lima-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gastric-bypass/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/michael-pollan/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19889584,
PLAIN-3012	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/	Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your Buck	A few years ago in an analysis of antioxidants per unit cost, I concluded that red cabbage—purple cabbage was the most nutrition you could get for your money. Yes, there are healthier foods out there, but not healthier foods for the same amount of money. I encouraged everyone to always make sure they have a purple cabbage in their crisper and slice off shreds for whatever need, lasts for weeks, cheap convenient and one of the healthiest thigns on the planet. All still absolutely true. My new calculations, though, suggest they just got one-upped by… DIY broccoli sprouts, do it yourself. Broccoli sprout seeds start out like this, you can buy them online or at your local healthfood store in bulk for about 20 bucks a pound, but that makes about 75 cups of spouts so it comes out to be about 25 cents a cup. And as we saw before, in terms of sulphuraphane content, that’s equivalent to eating about 27 cups of broccoli, so that’s like going to the store and buying broccoli for a penny a cup. Even purple cabbage has got to give it up for broccoli sprouts. Start with a mason jar with some kind of screen top. Tablespon of seeds, soak over night, drain in the morning, and then rinse twice a day. So day two, day 3, day 4 and only then can you enjoy the bounty—1 tablespoon of seeds makes about two cups of sprouts. Sometimes I’ll have 5 jars in constant rotation. Can be the middle of winter and I’m growing my own salad. Every day, you get cups of fresh produce without ever having to go to the store.	Superfood Bargains is the video I refer to that previously held up purple cabbage as the most one could get for one’s money. Another good cost-saving tip can be found in Are Goji Berries Good For You?. For why broccoli sprouts are so good for you, check out my videos Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells, Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast, and The Best Detox. My other recipes can be found in these videos and check out the topic word cloud for hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.I sure want to try this, but I’m concerned about possible contamination of the seeds like what can happen to alfalfa sprouts. Why are broccoli seeds safe to sprout but not alfalfa seeds?I avoid sprouts generally because of risk of salmonella and e. coli contamination, and I had the same question. Based on your previous videos, I don’t think that cooking the broccoli sprouts is probably an ideal solution. Do you have other suggestions?Please see my response to stacy7272 belowWhat about home sprouted Clover seeds?My broccoli sprouts became very moldy with white cobwebby-like filaments all over the bottle after about 4-5 days of sprouting. I made sure I rinsed and drained properly and 2 times a day, but no luck! What could possibly be wrong? And is this mold harmful? I’m worried now about other batches I have!! No mention was given about refrigerating or how quickly to consume, so I’m at a loss…I’m not sure why it had happened, but everything is working out fine now. I’ve been adding 1Tbsp of seed to the jar now, instead of 2Tbsp. I’m not sure if that helps.Fantastic Useful video!! Cheap, easy, tasty!Is it best to chop them up and let sit awhile to allow enzymes time to activate the Sulforaphane?BethJohnson: I may not understand correctly, but if I do, then the answer to your question is: if you are going to eat the sprouts raw, then you don’t have to chop them up and wait before eating. However, if you plan on cooking them, then you do–IF you care about the anti-cancer fighting.Great motivational reminder to get my sprouting stuff out and use it! Love the stats.I’m going to do it too!I, too, have the question about contamination. I never buy sprouts because they might be contaminated. I actuallly have purchased many seeds to sprout already and then I read that sometimes the contamination happens to the seed. Is there the same risk of conatmination when you grow your own sprouts? Are all sprouts equally suseptible to contamination or is alfalfa more suseptible?Sprouting alfalfa is not safe; sprouting broccoli is. See http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/broccoli-sprouts/I’ve read that seeds should be rinsed with bleach before sprouting to kill the bacteria. I don’t want to do that, therefore I have lots of unused seeds. Do you know of a safer alternative?Broccoli sprouts are more cost effective than amla?I seek confirmation for my hope that cooking does not elmiminate the antioxidants in purple cabbage. That’s how I eat it, cooked, about 100 grams of it mixed with other things that are steamed.(I’m glad it’s so cheap in the US; that is not necessarily the case elsewhere.)The antixodiants will not be eliminated, but many will be reduced. The myrosonaise enzyme though will be completely deactivated. Perhaps you can try shredding it in your salads?Dr Greger, be so good as to comment on Toxin’s reply regarding purple cabbage.where can you find broccoli sprouts for sprouting?You can find broccoli seed sprouts on the internet. http://www.amazon.com/The-Sprout-House-Broccoli-Sprouting/dp/B005LR910C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1333404433&sr=8-2The Amazon link in this thread leads to a product that costs over $30/pound. Anyone find something closer to (and also high-quality) the $20/pound that the video says is the market rate (including shipping)?Online is the best place and the best bang for your buck….otherwise locally already sprouted and read to consume..we bought some at Rainbow in San Francisco for $15.99/lb a few days ago – excellent store if you are in the area – that price was also on line various locations. We use Sproutamos to solve the mold/drainage problemDr Greger be so kind as to comment on this.Dr Greger, be so good as to comment on Toxin’s reply regarding purple cabbage.My broccoli sprouts became very moldy with white cobwebby-like filaments all over the bottle after about 4-5 days of sprouting. I made sure I rinsed and drained properly and 2 times a day, but no luck! What could possibly be wrong? And is this mold harmful? I’m worried now about other batches I have!! No mention was given about refrigerating or how quickly to consume, so I’m at a loss…maybush1: After seeing this series of videos, I decided to try to grow my own broccoli sprouts for the first time. To get me on the right path, I purchased a couple of books on growing sprouts. One of the books did not recommend using the jar for growing greens sprouts like broccoli. (It *may* be OK for sprouting beans.) In fact, there was a whole section called something like “Why Not The Jar”.The book recommends a couple alternative methods to the jar, one of which I tried. I harvested my first batch of broccoli sprouts this last weekend, and they were great! I used the hemp bag method, which guarantees a lot of air circulation. There was no mold. Just to be clear though, the book actually says that the bag is not super ideal for greens either. But it does work and the air circulation point really sold me.I’m sure these bags are sold several places. The following link is just to show you what I mean by the bag. The other link is to the book that I liked the best.http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/tools/kitchen.php#to_kt_s_baghttp://www.amazon.com/Sprouts-The-Miracle-Food-Sprouting/dp/1878736043/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334173635&sr=8-2I know that lots of people successfully use jars. I’m not saying that you can’t use a jar. In fact, I’m going to try that method too just to see what I like better. I just thought you would want to know that there are affordable alternatives to the jar method and which may work better for you.I’ll be curious to know if you get an answer to why you had such bad luck with your effort. The book I have says that most failed sprouting projects are due to bad seed. That doesn’t mean you have bad seed. I’m just wondering…Good luck!Thanks Thea!  I’m not sure why it had happened, but everything is working out fine now. I’ve been adding 1Tbsp of seed to the jar now, instead of 2Tbsp. I’m not sure if that helps.maybush1: The directions for broccoli sprouts that came with my seeds from sproutpeople.org say to expect them “to look moldy when you go to rinse them starting on day 2 or 3 – that in NOT mold – it is millions of microscopic roots. They will disappear when you Rinse.” I’m only on my third batch of broccoli sprouts, but I have found this to be true; it’s amazing how much the tiny root hairs look like white mold, but they’re not mold, and they do rinse right off.Ok, thanks. I’ve been reading that elsewhere as well. However, I’ve now noticed…and this is what’s really worrying me now…that the sprouts in the jars are stinking “to high heaven” like a dead animal! It’s absolutely NOT a mild sulphurous smell (that I’ve also read is normal), but is instead a noxious throw-you-across-the-room smell that is nowhere near mild. This is after about 5 days. Is THAT normal? I wonder what it could possibly be and, more importantly, if there’s something I should be doing to prevent it (like drying, bagging, refrigerating, etc. at some point?? Thanks again.Food smelling like a carcass doesn’t sound normal to me! We find these smells repulsive for a reason.maybush1– Parts of your sprouts have rotted. You’d get a strong sulfur compound smell, same as forgotten broccoli rotting at the back of a refrigerator. What I’ve read suggests broccoli sprouts are not as easy as, say, mung beans: the broccoli sprouts may be touchier about staying too wet for too long, or drying out too much, or not being well aerated. I’d suggest you read the directions for broccoli and other salad type sprouts at sproutpeople.org. I’m using their EasySprout sprouters for broccoli sprouts because they seem to offer better drainage and aeration than the jar method. Jars have never given me any trouble for mung bean sprouts or kasha sprouts; and I gather that Dr. Greger uses jars for his broccoli sprouts– you might manage with jars if you’re careful enough; but it seems just easier to go with the EasySprouts. Our local health food store carries the EasySprout sprouters. I got mine along with the broccoli seeds, from the sproutpeople.Dr. Gregor, has anyone done any studies on when in the sprouting process the nutrition is the highest? Does Sulforiphane fall off as the sprouts get older?I’ve been sprouting for thirty years and mason jars are my go to method of sprouting. All brassicas produce a lot of root hairs so beginners be advised not to freak out because it’s not mold.Awsome, awsome, awsome, Awwwwwwwwsum!!!Wondering how the sprouts affect the thyroid as raw broccoli is said to do?For some context, please check out my associated blog post The Best Detox!Can you replace all leafy green consumption with sprouts instead and not compromise on nutrients?NoWhat’s cool about this is that it’s like putting a huge garden of vegetable garden production in the space of a pickle jar.What other vegetable foods are nearly as powerful and can be grown in such tiny spaces? Any other suggestions?Dear Dr. Mike Greger<Thank you so much for the wisdom you share with us and for free!Dr. Mike, I looked up the list of antioxidants on Nutrition Journal 2010 that you referenced in on of your videos and found that it a bit daunting a task to sift thru 138 pages of data on what would have the highest rating in terms of anti oxidant ratings. Can you kindly give us a clue?Namaste,Thanks again, and a very Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!Russ Vancouver, CanadaI’ve got a whole series of videos on it! Start with Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foodswhat do you think about sprouting lentils – they are so nutritionally packed even in a form of grains – should be supercharged after sprouting, I guess. shouldn’t it be a great solution for smoothies??Sprouting indeed significantly increases the antioxidant content of foods, sometime by 10 fold. If you choose to sprout your lentils be sure to cook before eating.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/Red radishes and radish sprouts, which are sometimes sold as “sango sprouts,” might be even healthier for us to eat than broccoli and broccoli sprouts. The reason is that red radishes, radish sprouts, giant white turnips, and turnip sprouts don’t contain a chemical called, epithiospecifier protein (ESP), which partly blocks the benefit from glucosinolates. Broccoli and all other cabbage family vegetables contain this glucosinolate-blocking chemical: http://www.sproutnet.com/Radish-Sprouts-Versus-BroccoliHere’s an interesting study from Poland in which radishes and onions were the 2 most protective foods against stomach cancer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1873452Seems to me there is big confusion here about the contamination issue. What has been tested and found to be contaminated or not, is commercially pre-grown, packaged, market purchased sprouts, NOT home grown. The E. coli has often been traced to cattle “run off” or possibly poor hygien by workers in factory. If you grow your own, using fresh tap water and wash yer hands after using the toilet fer crying out loud, all will be well with any sort of sprouts. The white stuff, mold, fungi, etc is a different matter. Hydrogen peroxide cleaning of equipment and uick pre-soak for couple minutes in very dilute food grade hydrogen peroxide should eliminate that. (Drug store H2O2 contains preservatives you do not want to be eating!)I’d be interested to hear a more detailed story about brassica sprouts in general. Glucisolinates are the primary agent behind the high antioxidant rating, yes, but how much do these increase on sprouting in broccoli, and are other sprouted brassica vegetables of comparable power? One reason to be interested in this more general topic is that while broccoli seed for sprouting is quoted at $20/lb. in the video, mustard seed is a standard commodity spice and can be had for around $3.50/lb, with the price for organic or otherwise certified seed probably not too far above.Can I sprout chia seeds or spinach?You can sprout chia seeds but I am unsure that you would be able to sprout spinach. Check out this video regarding sprouting. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/Thank you Toxins, maybe I’ll run my own experiment :0)I had seen that video, that’s why now I want to sprout everything, this is site a great resource thank you for adding to it. Cheers!how much do you suggest eating daily? 1 cup?http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/types/fruits/sprouts.htmlDo broccoli sprouts need to be cut prior to consumption (as whole broccoli does?) And secondly, when cutting broccoli- does every floret need to be cut- or just the stalk? Thanks, LizAre the sprouts also considered goitrous foods that Hashimoto sufferers should avoid? Thank you!How much vit. K is in broccoli sprouts vs. broccoli. I grow and eat sprouts but he has been instructed to limit intake of K rich foods due to atrial fibrillation (for which he is on aspirin therapy). The concern is that since the sulphoraphane content is so high, the K content may be high also.It depends what you define as a serving. If a serving is 1/2 cup chopped or diced, the Vitamin K level of broccoli is 44.7 mcg or 56% of your daily values “for adults or children aged 4 or older, and are based on a 2,000 calorie reference diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower based on your individual needs.” Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2356/2 For broccoli sprouts, read the transcript at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts/Can be found in these videos seems to be a non working link?Superfood Bargains is the video I refer to that previously held up purple cabbage as the most one could get for one’s money. Another good cost-saving tip can be found in Are Goji Berries Good For You?. For why broccoli sprouts are so good for you, check out my videos Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells,Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast, and The Best Detox. My other recipes can be found in these videos and check out the topic word cloud for hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand sIs it safe to eat the seed hulls, and the seeds that were duds and never sprouted? I find it somewhat too time consuming to try to strain them out.Would be interested in Dr. Greger’s view of this, which reports on sulphuraphane use to improve autism:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141013152608.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmind_brain+%28Mind+%26+Brain+News+–+ScienceDaily%29I hear Broccoli seeds and other seeds from the cabbage family should only be soaked for 2 hours! This is not an overnight soak. That’s according to Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds (I’m not affiliated). “Soaking broccoli for longer than 3 hours can cause it to loose germination”I like to grow my broccoli sprouts by spreading out on a wet paper towel (no need to pre-soak) and keeping them moist with a misting spray bottle. The small, mucilaginous seeds don’t work as well in a jar. I trim the sprouts off paper towel (discard to worm bin or compost) with a scissor when done. Definitely recommend sproutpeople.orgthe jar showed is filled with alfalfa sprouts!	bargains,broccoli,broccoli sprouts,cabbage,cost savings,cruciferous vegetables,health food stores,phytonutrients,raw food,recipes,salads,seeds,sprouting,sprouts,sulforaphane,vegetables	Growing your own broccoli sprouts is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve one's diet.	Superfood Bargains is the video I refer to that previously held up purple cabbage as the most one could get for one's money. Another good cost-saving tip can be found in Are Goji Berries Good For You?. For why broccoli sprouts are so good for you, check out my videos Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells,Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast, and The Best Detox. My other recipes can be found in these videos and check out the topic word cloud for hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/02/are-microgreens-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/recipes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salads/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/health-food-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bargains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18950181,
PLAIN-3013	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/	Lung Cancer Metastases and Broccoli	What else can broccoli do? Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the united states but lung is actually the #1 cancer killer of women. About 85% of women with breast cancer are still alive 5 years later, but ling cancer is picked up so late that the number’s reversed, 85% of lung cancer victims are dead. And 90% of those deaths are from metastases, the lung cancer spreading to other parts in the body. Well broccoli seems to be able to do everything else, what about suppressing the metastatic potential of human lung cancer cells ? Check! What they did to assess cancer cell migration is laid down a layer of cancer in a petri dish and then cut a swath down the middle. Within 24 hours, the cancer was creeping back, and by 30 hours closed the gap completely. Until, they start dripping some cruciferous compounds on them. As you can see the cancer cells seem almost paralyzed, stuck in place. They don’t seem to want to go anywhere, any time soon. In their conclusion, they talk about the antiproliferative, antitumor activities of these broccoli family dietary compounds, ending with a word rarely seen in scholarly literature, since it’s just so nondescript, but in this case they evidently felt it necessary. These compounds have inhibitory effects on several types of cancer cell growth, such as leukemia, prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, et., cetera.	This video is the tenth in a series on the latest research on cruciferous vegetables. There were two on kale, Kale and the Immune System and Smoking Versus Kale Juice. One on DNA protection (DNA Protection from Broccoli), two on breast cancer (Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells and Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast), two on upper safety limits (Liver Toxicity Due to Broccoli Juice and How Much Broccoli Is Too Much?), one on detoxing (The Best Detox), and yesterday’s video-of-the-day, Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True, on maximizing the production and absorption of sulforaphane, one of the key phytonutrients. There are past videos on greens and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the paper I talk about in this video is open access, meaning you can download it for free by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.Great video, etc. Yay broccoli! I’m showing this video to a friend of mine who smokes. If the picture of Barb Tarbox doesn’t scare him enough to quit, at least he’ll know he should adopt a plant-based diet.Must say, I’ve been enjoying organic dino kale every day…raw, in lentil soup, toasted in oven…broccoli too is one of my favorites. But I think I need to pay more attention to the broccoli after watching Dr. Greger’s awesome videos!We love your site. Thanks for all the info and your efforts. My question is; Are Sulforaphane supplements of any value?I would stay away from isolated phytochemical nutrient or antioxidant supplements. The experience with Beta carotene and carotenoids should tell us that we should be getting our nutrients from whole foods. See… http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/ as Dr.Greger concludes… produce not pills.i hope be friend of you i study in since collage depart biochemistry and nutritionFor some context, please also check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli!Don’t mean to be the cynic about anti-cancer foods, but afaik none helped Steve Jobs or Lance Armstrong.When you liquify broccoli and other green leafy in a high speed blender do you lose some of the fiber ? The fiber is indeed altered. Liquifying tends to destroy the fibers.Is all cooked animal protein carcinogenic? If so, this is news to me. I thought only grilled meats had that potential.Thank you for building this website – it provides a wealth of information. My mother in lawhas a lung cancer that has not yet metastasized. She also has diabetes. What are 5 things you would recommend her to eat daily that you believe would help? Also, what are your thoughts on blending for better nutrient absorbtion?Hello Doctor. You mention alot of studies where the research takes place in a petri dish. How do we make the leap to transfer these research results to humans?Is it only broccoli…or other crucifer are also good..I have a lung cancerHi Diane. Forgive my delay. I think all cruciferous veggies will help lung cancer. I recommend watching the videos listed in the “Doctor’s Note” and even considering broccoli sprouts. Let me know how else I can help.Warm thoughts,Joseph	breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,broccoli,cancer,cervical cancer,cervix health,colon cancer,colon health,cruciferous vegetables,in vitro studies,leukemia,lung cancer,lung health,men's health,metastases,mortality,phytonutrients,prostate cancer,prostate health,rectal cancer,vegetables,women's health	The anti-proliferative effects of cruciferous vegetable phytonutrients may decrease the metastatic potential of lung cancer, the number one cancer killer of women.	This video is the tenth in a series on the latest research on cruciferous vegetables. There were two on kale, Kale and the Immune System and Smoking Versus Kale Juice. One on DNA protection (DNA Protection from Broccoli), two on breast cancer (Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells and Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast), two on upper safety limits (Liver Toxicity Due to Broccoli Juice and How Much Broccoli Is Too Much?), one on detoxing (The Best Detox), and yesterday's video-of-the-day, Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True, on maximizing the production and absorption of sulforaphane, one of the key phytonutrients. There are past videos on greens and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that the paper I talk about in this video is open access, meaning you can download it for free by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervical-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervix-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3014	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/	Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True	You’ll hear folks in raw food community waxing poetic about enzymes, the importance of preserving the activities of plant enzymes, which are destroyed by cooking. Skeptics, on the other hand, indignantly assert that we have no use for plant enzymes, since we are animals and make all the enzymes we need. Well, both sides are wrong. There are two known examples of plant enzymes serving physiologically useful functions, and the production of sulphuraphane is one of them. One of our most powerful phytonutrients, it is formed by an enzyme in broccoli. You cut or chew or chop raw broccoli, or broccoli sprouts, and the enzyme is released and gets to work making us a big batch of phytonutrient goodness. Cooking inactivates the enzyme, though, so steamed broccoli doesn’t have any. So why have experiments show detectable sulphuraphane levels in the blood and urine of people who eating only cooked broccoli? Now I’m really confused. Were they sneaking raw broccoli on the side? No! (how cool is this?) Good bacteria that reside in our gut have the raw broccoli enzyme too! So as soon as the cooked broccoli gets down there, the bacteria makes sulphuraphane for you. And the way they figured this out is that you incubate cooked vegetable juice with fresh human feces and whallah, sulfuraphane was born. Not as much though. To get the same amount of benefit in a cup of raw broccoli you’d have to eat 10 cups of cooked broccoli, so I encourage people to try to eat their broccoli raw or, alternately, chop the broccoli up first raw, wait 40 minutes for the enzyme to do its business and then you can cook the heck out of it because the enzyme’s job is already done.. So the next time you want to make like broccoli soup put it in the blender raw, blend, then wait, then cook. Safer too, since you’re not trying to blend hot liquids at the end. Or if you don’t want to wait, you know those prepackaged bags of prechopped broccoli in the produce aisle? More expensive, but more convenient, and maybe even healthier, because it’s been building up anticarcinogens the whole time in the store. For more on raw food controversies, I encourage everyone to go to their local library and check out Davis and Melina’s Becoming Raw which does the best job to date of summing up the available science on the matter.	If you’re new to sulforaphane, check out my recent videos Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells and Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast. For more videos on raw food diets check out Raw Food Diet Myths, Best Cooking Method, and Raw Food Nutrient Absorption. And for more on keeping our good bacteria happy, see these 9 videos on gut flora, including one on how the phytonutrients in flax seeds go through a similar transformation in our gut, Just the Flax, Ma’am. Then of course there are hundreds of other videos on 1200 or so topics. Note that one of the sources for this video is open access, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.I LOVE this video. It does so much to clarify the raw food movement and also finds a way to allow me to eat cooked broccoli and still fight cancer.I was starting to get a sick feeling in my stomach at the beginning. Was I going to have to find a way to eat broccoli raw? Please, say it isn’t so! I have enough food challenges as it is. Thankfully, not only do I have a maximum-healthy way to eat cooked broccoli, but I can justify all those packages of pre-chopped (organic) broccoli that I buy from Trader Joes. Yeah!Love that book “Becoming Raw”. Tim VanOrden is the only other super down to earth raw foodist (that I know of) that talked about the “enzyme myth”. He talked a lot about AGE’s and PAH’s (when cooked) and how a lot of the benefit was what we avoided when eating raw food. And it was one of his videos that got me to try frozen broccoli in smoothies! With bananas & mangos & now a teaspoon of Amla, it’s truly superfood. I also love that in the “Becoming Raw” book, it talks about iodine, seaweed and contaminants. My takeaway was buy good brands that test for metals & don’t ever eat hijki!Good to know. My husband Frederic Patenaude actually wrote a book called Raw Food Controversies, lol. Although we promote a high raw diet we never used the enzyme theory as a reason to only eat 100% raw foods as you miss out on so many healthy vegetables and greens most people don’t want to eat raw.So I teach people how to eat more raw food and healthy oil free vegan foods at http://www.LowFatVeganChef.comLove your work Michael, we saw you speak at the Advanced 3 Day Weekend and got all of your Nutrition Facts DVDs. :) Science rules!Regarding cooked vs raw, although it is not the same nutrient under discussion, is it not the case that this clip and the one at http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/ contradict one another? That being so, it would appear that the best way to eat broccoli is by using the chopped-then-cooked method.Because: either etaing raw, or eeating directly cooked is going to result in the non-availability of one thing or another.Or just get your fix of sulforaphane from broccoli sprouts and steam away without worrying about how you chop or when you cook!And what is the optimal degree of choppédness of the broccoli? In the country where I live there is no such thing as store-bought frozen pre-chopped broccoli, so I’ve never seen it, but I would imagine that where it does exist, it is simply individual florets — not terribly small ones at that– cut off of the stalk. Is that all the choppédness required? That would not be much, and it is difficult to imagine it having much effect.I have a great method that I didn’t realize was doing me such a great favor, I buy fresh dandelion greens, watercress and fresh bulk broccoli/purple or yellow cauliflower, I then put the broccoli/cauliflower in a freezer bag and the other two in a freezer bag and freeze them overnight. The next day I pound each bag with a 3 pound hammer until they are powdered. Then I just add them to my morning Vitamix green smoothies or use them to make stews at night. It works great! However, On a different topic where I don’t feel that I’ve done well, I recently saw a video by Jeff Novick on YouTube (http://bit.ly/GE7Wef) (Go to the 10:29 mark to save time) where he points out a study that dispels the notion that fiber will fill you up a greatly suppressing any cravings that you would otherwise have. Fiber in its natural form is different than a blended form, as you will see in the video. My question on that though is this, aren’t we suppose to chew are food until it is liquid? Isn’t that the same as blending? JayHi Dr. Greger.Interesting information. I wish you would have presented it in a different way. I’m concerned it will encourage some people with wacky raw foodism beliefs. No disrespect to you or anyone else.Dr. Greger, how do you steam foods in a glass pot? Our steamers are all Revereware stainless steel that fit into Revereware stainless steel pots. We do have some Corningware pots but none have steamers with them.After you mentioned Brenda Davis’ BECOMING RAW in this video, I bought a copy and have reached page 56, where Vitamin E is discussed. Davis says, “An unexpected finding was that metal containers may interact with Vitamin E to increase its losses. For example, peas steamed in a metal pot had vitamin-E losses of up to 70 percent compared to no losses when a glass pot was used.” (Chapter 4 footnote 105)Puzzled and hoping to retain Vitamin E in our steamed (or simmered or boiled, which weren’t mentioned) foods, I’m considering what we might need to change in our cooking procedures. Two containers are involved for steaming, the lower one holding liquid (which we keep and use afterward for cooking rice or quinoa or soup or oatmeal), and the perforated container which holds food above the simmering liquid. There’s also a metal lid that gathers condensation which is returned through the food and perforated container to the lower container.I’m wondering if using steel cooking pots and pans negatively affects the quality of other nutrients, as well. If so, is that significant? The Vitamin E losses sounded significant. What kind of containers should we be using for cooking?I am perplexed.Thank you!I know nothing of the chemistry you’re concerned about, but you might want to try a bamboo steamer with your Corningware pots. A bamboo steamer rests on top of a pot and doesn’t need an exact fit to work well.Great information. I happen to have the Davis and Melina book, “Becoming Raw”. It’s indeed a great and sound book.Dr. Greger, I thought I heard 40 minutes in the video – is there any good data on how long to wait after chopping for maximum sulforaphane content?Michael, perhaps you could do a blog on juicing and its purported benefits regarding more enzymes released into the blood stream.  Talk about whether we don’t need the fiber from foods juiced etc. Also, what enzymes are in our gut and if they are really diluted through drinking water with a meal.Dr. Greger covers juicing here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/For some context, please check out my associated blog post The Best Detox!What about this article?http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031942204001657Sulphorophane, what makes broccoli so great, is increased with cooking as your article points out.Would you consider 60 C cooking? That’s like 140 degrees Fahrenheit.No I wouldn’t! I didnt realize the temps were so low, i quickly skimmed the abstract in this situation. Thanks for pointing that our Dr. G!Thank you so much, Dr.Greger, for all the time and effort you put into making your videos! They are highly infomative and interestingly done too! Regarding sulphoraphane, I understand that broccoli sprouts have about 40 times more than broccoli florets, and they are very edible raw. Thought this might be helpful too, for those interested in this topic.So what is the 2nd example of a plant enzyme that serves a physiological function? (You mention there are 2 at the onset of the video)My guess is that it’s the allinase in allium vegetables, which turns the inactive alliin compounds into active forms of sulphur. Am I right?You.re righyWhat about mixing some raw broccoli with the salad, assuming that you would in any case be having some salad? Would that not assist the cooked broccoli in energising the gut actions?Are you certain that the glucosinolates in cut broccoli last a long time?Do you get the sulforaphane when making a raw juice with broccoli or it has to be chewed to get the benefitJuicing is essentially the same function as chopping/cutting the broccoli, so as long as you’re juicing it raw, you should be unleashing even more sulforaphane by juicing it.Would you mind giving us the source of your statement that cutting broccoli and letting it sit 40 minutes allows the enzymes to produce healthy glucosinolates that are not later destroyed by cooking?Harriet, Did you ever receive the info on the sources/ scientific studies/ you requested here? best, BRJNo, I never got a response other than “Dr. Greger suggests” doing this. I know there’s research on alliums suggesting you need to cut them and let them sit but I haven’t seen any research on crucifers. It would make sense though. I’m going to ask a crucifer researcher what she thinks.Harriet Sugar Miller, Noticed your query in the feed this morning. I believe the references you’re looking for are linked in the sources cited section of this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/Hope that helps.I communicated today with the food scientist who discovered the value of combining raw and cooked crucifers, and she says that no, you do not need to cut crucifers and let them sit. You just need to chew them well in order to activate the myrosinase. http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/how-to-prepare-broccoli-to-fight-cancer/And somewhere in this mass of interesting work, you state that indoles in crucifers increase with cooking? What’s the source of that statement?It’s really too bad broccoli give me a lot of gas, especially raw broccoli.What, I wonder, sulforafane-wise, is the effect of pickling vej, by salt, or koji?I have been on a whole food plant based diet for the last 2 years. Over the last 2 years, I have experienced some bouts of afib. Over the last month, I have changed to predominantly raw food. Since my change, I have not had any fluttering at all. Why? Can you explain that if its not the raw diet, then what? Nothing else has changed.I have read that nuts and seeds contain enzyme inhibitors and therefore require soaking and slow drying before consumption. Is this correct. Is it unsafe to eat nuts and seeds straight from the store?	bile acids,Brenda Davis,broccoli,broccoli sprouts,convenience,cooking methods,cruciferous vegetables,enzymes,gut flora,nutrition myths,phytonutrients,raw food,soup,sprouting,sprouts,sulforaphane,vegetables,Vesanto Melina	There are a few examples of plant enzymes having physiologically relevant impacts on the human diet, and the formation of sulforaphane in broccoli is one of them.	If you're new to sulforaphane, check out my recent videos Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells and Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast. For more videos on raw food diets check out Raw Food Diet Myths, Best Cooking Method, and Raw Food Nutrient Absorption. And for more on keeping our good bacteria happy, see these 9 videos on gut flora, including one on how the phytonutrients in flax seeds go through a similar transformation in our gut, Just the Flax, Ma’am. Then of course there are hundreds of other videos on 1200 or so topics. Note that one of the sources for this video is open access, so you can download it by clicking on the link above in the Sources Cited section.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/18/broccoli-boosts-liver-detox-enzymes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/convenience/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brenda-davis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vesanto-melina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18950181,
PLAIN-3015	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-detox/	The Best Detox	There’s lots of talk these days about detoxing, but talk is cheap—our liver is actually doing it, all day every day, and if we want to detoxify, the best thing we can do is boost our liver’s own detoxifying enzymes … and sulforaphane is the most potent natural phase 2 enzyme-inducer known. That’s one of our livers’ detoxication systems. So where do we find this stuff? Broccoli, which produces more than any other known plant in the world In micromoles per gram seed fresh weight broccoli’s #1, then kohlrabi, and cauliflower gets the bronze. It’s interesting, broccoli raab… which is all gourmet, expensive. Is it worth the extra price? No, broccoli raab produces about 500 times less than broccoli… Broccoli is an exceptional source of sulforaphane, but at the same, there’s none actually in the vegetable… until, you bite it. You know those chemical flares, or glow sticks, where you snap them and chemicals in two different compartments mix and sets off a reaction? Broccoli does the same thing. In one part of the cell it keeps an enzyme myrosinase, and in another part it keeps something called glucoraphanin. There is no ≈, which is what we want, anywhere in in broccoli—until some herbivore starts chewing on the poor thing. Cells get crushed, the enzyme mixes with the glucoraphanin, which is a type of glucosinolate, and sulforaphane is born and the herbivore is like, ew, this tastes like broccoli and runs away. The plant uses it as a defense against nibblers and noshers. Little did broccoli count on a little lemon juice and some garlic, maybe a little tahini dressing. It’s our counterattack. Just make sure to chew, otherwise you won’t get as much of that magical mixture. In this study they had people just swallow broccoli sprouts whole, day 1 and got some action—obviously their stomach stepped in and did a little churning, but on day three when they actually got to chew their sprouts, you can see significantly more got absorbed into their bodies. Chew it or lose it.	This “glow stick” reaction is similar to what happens in garlic. I talked about it in #14 of my Ask the Doctor Q&A blog. There is a level at which sulforaphane may become toxic, but that appears to be only at extremely high doses (see Liver Toxicity Due to Broccoli Juice and How Much Broccoli Is Too Much?). Watch my 18 other videos on liver health, as well as hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that most of the sources for this video are open access, so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section.‘Chew it or lose it’? But it sounds as though putting it in a blender would be just fine, no?does the blender work as good as chewing?If not, masticating juicers should do the trick.I don’t think so. As I understood it, it’s the reaction with the saliva. But I may be wrong.Just spit in the blenderSaliva breaks down starches and helps with nitrites. I am not aware of interactions with sulforaphanes.Will this process release the sulforaphane? Freezing fresh broccoli to use the ice crystals to tear the broccoli cells apart then thaw the broccoli to room temperature for several hours before cooking?In all these studies using broccoli sprouts, can we just assume the same results using broccoli instead?hello! i’ve been a huge fan of your videos ever since i saw you speak at the nyc veg fest. thank you for bringing so much information into my life!i have a question regarding detox. this pas year i’ve been trying to do a raw food diet to try to cure my asthma, allergies, and just feel generally happier. i want to experience a full detox and get the detox phase over with, i have read about “monofruit island” and that eating only one type of fruit for a short period of time is the best and purest way to do a detox. i was considering doing bananas for two weeks. i was wondering if you had any input or suggestions on this. MUCH appreciated!!! thank you.Do not follow the “detox plan” myths. The best detox is drinking LOTS of water and eating totally whole foods plant based. Including a lot of broccoli in your diet will be highly beneficial for cleaning up your body.l agreed with whole foods→unrefined! Thank youHello yuli.90, it looks like we have similar problems. I´m answering a two years old comment but I hope in the meantime you have found the perfect detox for you. I am 32 years old and all my life I had severe problems with allergies and asthma. I took all the pills that the doctors told me to take. That cured indeed my allergies but didn´t prevent them from happening again. 2 years ago I definitely got upset for can´t control it and I have started to change my diet to a vegan one ( no animals, no dairy ). In the beginning I have made a lot of errors but I have learned from it. After two years, more precisely these Spring I had the final test for my diet. Every Spring my body reacts VER BADLY to pollen, so before Spring came I watched a lot of Dr Greger´s Antioxidant videos. That said I started to eat EVERYDAY red fruits ( mainly cherries, blueberries and açaí ), watercress and red cabbage. All foods full packaged with the best antioxidants. Also, and very important, I ´ve started to put a pinch of oreganos and cloves in every food I took. No doubt my antioxidant levels raised!This Spring, for the first time in my life, I didn´t have any problems so far! I can´t explain how happy I am for that and It is really exciting to know that I could took a major change in my body and that definitely happened with the help of the great DrGreger.If you want detox, you want antioxidants.Love when you talk science! Ooooh! :-)Hi Dr. Greger, Do you have any research on broccolini or broccolette (cross between broccoli and chinese broccoli – gai lan)? Thanks! Emily :)good news is I love these veggies, bad news is your Dad hates them.  Just got out of the hospital with my heart, his mind is going and my overall health is going,  we make a heck of a combination, hope you are well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post The Best Detox!Please also check out my associated blog post Fighting Inflammation with Food SynergyIs broccoli’s detoxifying benefit lost when consumed pureed into soup rather than chewed? Thank you.Is broccoli’s detoxifying benefit lost when consumed pureed into soup rather than chewed? Thank you.If u puree it beforehand and let it sit for 10 min, then apply heat and put it in the soup, you will probably get more of the sulphorophane, which “cleanses” you.Does it matter if the broccoli is cooked?Dear Michael Greger M.D. , Is broccoli’s detoxifying benefit lost when consumed blended into a juice rather than chewed? Thank you.Hi Dr,What happens to the body on the inside if we do a 10 day Master Cleanse (lemon diet), or a 20 day or 30 day? Is it safe? Are there risks?Thanks.hahaha….”the herbivore says ‘EWWWW, it tastes like broccoli’ and runs away.” LOLZ, Doc you crack me up…awesome information too! ♥!One study says to cook the broccoli for ten minutes at 140 degrees to melt away a spoiler chemical that stops the formation of sulforaphane. Cooked that way brings big results. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050326114810.htmMillion dollar question.. can it be cooked, steamed or must it be eaten raw to receive the optimal benefits?Sulphorophane production is heat sensitive so yes, raw would be best.How confusing to see another video on this site stating that boiling greatly magnifies the protective effects of broccoli and other greens such as chard and kale. I detest ALL raw greens and vegetables (except lettuce), but LOVE them ALL cooked. Broccoli sprouts are particularly nasty tasting. And now here’s this issue with the Sulphurophane. I am obviously not chewing the broccoli before I boil it, only afterward. But I need clarification, if in order to get the benefits I must grind it into a smoothie, I will, please advise!Chopping the broccoli before hand should provide similar benefits. Leave it for 30 min. before cooking.Thanks. It may be immaterial since I like (lightly boiled) broccoli and usually eat about 1 cup a day, in addition to other things like brussel sprouts, swiss chard, romaine lettuce, chick peas, bell peppers etcetera, making it likely that even less than optimal sulfurophane in my broccoli is not a problem. But the confusion comes from the research on the ‘muddling’ or chewing/cutting/crushing of garlic and broccoli in order to activate it chemically. Garlic cloves are easy to crush and leave for 10 minutes before cooking, or better yet, buy in pre-chopped form. Whereas broccoli comes in a bunch on a stalk, and is not easy to ‘crush’ unless you’re chopping or blending it. Since I prefer whole florets lightly boiled or well steamed, theres a limit to how much ‘chopping’ I’d like to do to it. I wonder if the research looked at how much of the sulfurophane in the entire broccoli head is activated by 1)cutting it in the fields 2)chopping off the florets 3)semi crushing it on a hard surface, etc. For all we know, cutting a 4 inch floret from the stalk fully activates the phytonutrients in the entire length of that floret. With broccoli the distance that the cutting effect travels from the point of trauma is important to know if you prefer it in traditional floret form. Unless in my case, as I said, eating plenty of it daily in concert with other vegetables already provides adequate sulfurophane. Thats the thing about these research nuggets, you always want a little more clarity.There is indeed sulphorophane activity from consuming a whole un-chewed piece of broccoli. I forget which video Dr. Greger demonstrates this in. In the big picture it doesn’t really matter. We should consume broccoli in which ever way entices us to eat them as long as they are not doused in butter or bacon wrapped.Agreed. But he ends the above video with the suggestion to “chew it or lose it” referring to the study showing increased sulphorane release when the broccoli was chewed. For practical reasons I’m not sure why or when you’d want to eat a whole un-chewed piece of broccoli but it seems worth it to do some gnawing on the healthy green veg before swallowing. Having said that I’ve gone through medical issues and known others who have had medical issues which made pre-blending or breaking down all food (a pre-digestion) before ingesting during the healing/ treatment time. As others have commented I wonder if this would serve same purpose, i.e. is it the mechanical action of chewing that releases the increased sulphoraphane and or chemical action of saliva? As you said, big picture doesn’t matter really (its all good) but it would be nice to have this clarified.Sorry, should have finished sentence about pre-blending food. Im sure you understood I was trying to explain that in some cases breaking down food before eating (as in blending etc.) is advised as part of certain treatment plans for serious GI issues (alone or secondary). I know for me and others it was…and we werent really worried about the detox process at the time but that’s life. All is well now.All that has to happen is the cells need to be broken up sufficiently for the enzyme and the precursors to find one another and bind to form the product sulforaphane. Chewing, blending, chopping, and possibly head-banging, running over, and dueling with raw broccoli does that, to varying degrees based on how well the cells are crushed and broken. There does need to be some time for the enzyme to do its work on enough precursor molecules though, so there must be some waiting before cooking if you’re going to cook it. Once there has been sufficient time (I’d say 30-40 minutes is plenty), the sulforaphane has been created in good quantities, and it is not destroyed by cooking once it is created. So you can then cook it all you like if desired.If you’re just eating raw broccoli, there is apparently enough time for the enzyme to do its work in the mush you have swallowed into your stomach, at least somewhat, before your stomach acids destroy the enzyme. Bottom line is eat broccoli however you like besides swallowing it whole (sounds rather difficult anyway), and if you’re going to cook it, great, but crush the cells up in some mechanical fashion first and give it 40 minutes before applying the heat.The entire Brassica family (which includes cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, mustard greens, red radishes, giant white turnips, watercress, etc.) needs to be eaten raw and chewed well for maximum health benefit. About half of the glucosinolates are destroyed by boiling, about half are destroyed by freezing, and about three-quarters are destroyed by freezing-then-boiling.However, other families of vegetables are not as severely damaged by cooking. For example, eating cooked/canned tomatoes has some health advantages and some health disadvantages when compared to eating raw tomatoes. Legumes (including foods made from soybeans) tend to retain the vast majority of their health benefits even after cooking or factory processing. The beneficial chemicals in allium vegetables (garlic, onions, scallions, leeks, and chives) are moderately damaged by drying or cooking but not as severely damaged as in cabbage family vegetables.Here’s an interesting study from Lithuania which indicates that cabbage eaters have a lower death rate from stomach cancer than broccoli eaters: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16227704 http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/isothio/Pesticides are less of a problem for cabbage eaters than broccoli eaters because the outer layers of the cabbage are almost always thrown away both by the farmer and the consumer.The fungus (black mold) which infects most cabbage family vegetables can more easily be removed by cabbage eaters than by broccoli eaters.As a result, head cabbage has a longer shelf life than broccoli.However, broccoli contains substantially more lutein, which is a carotenoid that is beneficial for preventing age-related eye diseases.If you juice broccoli, do you still get the enzyme?Definitely, but why give up the fiber?Do Broccoli sprouts as a supplement help?For people who are hypothyroid, how much cooking will render broccoli harmless to the thyroid gland?Not sure about how much cooking is needed. I would assume that after it is at boiling tempuratures, 6+ minutes would surely do the trick. Otherwise though, getting the right amount of iodine should do its job just fine. Don’t take my word for it though. I’m no thyroid expert. I just know what I’ve heard in the videos on this site :)Wouldn’t juicing Broccoli work even better for getting the most out of it in terms of nutrition and sulforaphane?He lists a video above on juicing it and if you watch it I think you’ll see it doesn’t note any negative impact but neither does it point out any benefit, i.e. increased sulphorophane. I believe it needs to be clarified whether the increased enzyme was from the mechanical breakdown action of chewing and or the salivary or bio-chemical action. Maybe somebody knows and will comment.It’s definitely produced at least from the mechanical breakdown alone. Because in other videos it is demonstrated that blending up or chopping raw broccoli, letting it sit for awhile (to make the sulforaphane), then cooking it (destroying all enzymes), and after all that finally eating it…still has the effect. The blended up, un-chewed broccoli has also had its sulforaphane content analyzed and it has the full amount expected.Whole juice, where you retain the fiber would work, but you’ll always reduced the quality of your food when removing fiber as conventional juicing does.Love your graphic example of the lite stic!	broccoli,broccoli raab,broccoli sprouts,cauliflower,cruciferous vegetables,detoxification,enzymes,kohlrabi,liver health,phytonutrients,ranking foods,raw food,sprouting,sprouts,sulforaphane,vegetables	The most powerful natural inducer of our liver's detoxifying enzyme system is sulforaphane, a phytonutrient produced by broccoli.	This "glow stick" reaction is similar to what happens in garlic. I talked about it in #14 of my Ask the Doctor Q&A blog. There is a level at which sulforaphane may become toxic, but that appears to be only at extremely high doses (see Liver Toxicity Due to Broccoli Juice and How Much Broccoli Is Too Much?). Watch my 18 other videos on liver health, as well as hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that most of the sources for this video are open access, so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-raab/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kohlrabi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14969551,
PLAIN-3016	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-broccoli-is-too-much/	How Much Broccoli Is Too Much?	It’s nice to know there were no apparent adverse effects even at 27 cups of broccoli a day’s worth of these cruciferous phytonutrients, but has to be some point at which it becomes toxic, and indeed there is. Some researchers in Italy tried to push the envelope,. They’re trying to come up with an infusion dose to use as actual chemotherapy and so wanted to know how high they could go. And yes, there is a level at which you can cause DNA damage at the equivalent of about 100 cups of broccoli a day or actually just 4 cups of broccoli sprouts. They conclude no sign of DNA lesions could be observed at nutritionally attainable concentrations. But that’s not really true. I mean you could eat four cups of sprouts a day. See they don’t know health nuts like I know some health nuts. Someone came up to me after a lecture a few years ago and said how he heard that wheatgrass juice was good for you, cleans you out, and so he wanted to try stuffing himself with it. So he told me he calculated the volume of the human digestive tract—all ten yards or so—and proceeded to drink that amount continuousy—quart after quart—until, it started coming out the other end. So I asked him, well, what happened ? And he looked up at me, with an expression that I can only describe as rapture, and said—no joke, It was volcanic.	This video is a follow-up on yesterday’s video Liver Toxicity Due to Broccoli Juice? and is video #7 of my 13-part series on the latest science on cruciferous vegetables. See Kale & Immune System, Smoking vs. Kale, DNA & Broccoli, Broccoli vs. Breast Cancer, Sulforaphane and hundreds of my other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Lol! Volcanic. NOT a good visual to start my morning, Doc ;^)But, seriously, wasn’t he putting his life in danger? I recently recall a person died consuming water like that — continuously. Some self-experimentation is just insane.Some people like to climb mountains and others like to push the envelope overdoing wheat grass! I guess that it takes all kinds! :)“Dr.” Ann Wigmore advocated wheatgrass “implants”. Since broccoli sprouts are nutritionally superior to wheatgrass and it deters prostate cancer (according to John Hopkins doctors; look for the smiley face in the produce dept.) and since it would be very close to the prostate, what about “broccoli sprout implants” for prostate cancer self-treatment???My daughter told me that Turnips are a super food. Very low in calories and contain almost all vitamins. Is the turnip all that?I don’t know about a “super food”, but turnips are no doubt healthy. Check out the nutritional content here! http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2700/2Dr. Greger, I laughed so hard at your line “they don’t know health nuts the way I know some health nuts”.I’ve met so MANY of those people over my life and your delivery was great.Is one cup of broccoli sprouts about 70-80grams?No, I think 70-80 grams would be more like 2 and a half cups.So, is 4 cups of Broccoli sprouts not good??“It was volcanic”, that was SO funny :) I’m still laughing.Dr. Gregor, I find use of cups as a form of measurement too confusing to translate into scientific terms. Could you please translate 4 cups or 1.25 cups into ounces or grams? ThanksDr. Greger, I find the use of cups as a unit of measurement confusing and unsciencific. Could you rephase your references using grams or ounces please? Thank you! (So how many ounces or grams is 4 cups or 1.25 for that matter?)	broccoli,broccoli sprouts,chemotherapy,cruciferous vegetables,DNA damage,phytonutrients,safety limits,sprouting,sprouts,sulforaphane,vegetables	Four cups of broccoli sprouts a day may exceed the safe dose of the cruciferous phytonutrient sulforaphane.	This video is a follow-up on yesterday’s video Liver Toxicity Due to Broccoli Juice? and is video #7 of my 13-part series on the latest science on cruciferous vegetables. See Kale & Immune System, Smoking vs. Kale, DNA & Broccoli, Broccoli vs. Breast Cancer, Sulforaphane and hundreds of my other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/18/broccoli-boosts-liver-detox-enzymes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16965241,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20510253,
PLAIN-3017	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/liver-toxicity-due-to-broccoli-juice/	Liver Toxicity Due to Broccoli Juice?	Targeting cancer stem cells, protecting DNA doesn’t even scratch the surface of what broccoli sprouts appear capable of. Here’s a sampling published just in one random month: anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, another anti-inflammatory, may protect against colorectal cancer, help fight cervical cancer. may protect against sunburn for goodness sake, and protect cartilage. And that’s just one month in the medical journals. What’s the catch? There has to be a downside. Well, in Turkey, recently, a report of liver toxicity thought due to juiced broccoli. 56 year old woman drinking about 3 and half cups of broccoli juice a day for a month. A commentator balked at the assumption that that the broccoli juice per se was responsible for liver toxicity, suggesting that a more likely possibility is that the pesticide residue levels in such a large daily quantity of the vegetable were such that they adversely affected her liver cells. Three and a half cups of juice is like the equivalent of eating 18 cups of broccoli a day. 18 cups times 4 weeks. That’s 500 cups of broccoli. Even if it were organic broccoli, 500 cups a month is a lot of broccoli. This was just a case report. Thankfully formal human toxicity studies have been done. Here for example they gave some volunteers a week of broccoli sprout extract equaling the sulforaphane content of about two dozen cups of broccoli a day and, no problems were found.	There is also the issue of the goitrogenic compounds in raw cruciferous. See my video Overdosing on Greens. We can also drink too much tea (see Overdosing on Tea), eat too much of the spice turmeric (see Oxalates in Cinnamon), too much of the seaweed kelp (see Too Much Iodine Can Be As Bad As Too Little), and overdo coffee when pregnant (see Caffeine During Pregnancy). And that’s just a smattering of the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Could this be vitamin A toxicity?More is not always better. Some phytochemicals work (at normal consumption levels) by stressing our cells slightly, causing a protective response.There’s a whopper of a series of videos one could do on hormetic effects (low-dose good, high dose toxic) of phytonutrients. Many of the protective plants noted by Dr. Greger so far seem to activate the cellular Nrf2 signalling pathway, causing production of hundreds of protective and repair enzymes. Just from this somewhat dated but excellent review:https://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0028-1088302sulforaphane (cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kale), curcumin (tumeric), EGCG (green but not black tea), diallyl sulfide, diallyl trisulfide, s-allylcysteine (garlic), resveratrol (grapes & wine), lycopene (tomatoes), capsaicin (hot pepper), piperine (black pepper), carnosol (rosemary), cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon), cafestol, kahweol (coffee), chalcone (citrus, apples, tomatoes, shallots, bean sprouts), xanthohumol (hops), eupatilin (terragon), isoorientin (acai), quercetin (red onions, watercress, kale, berries, sweet potatoes).all induce activation of the Nrf2 antioxidant response/repair axis, and are hence “sensed” by the cells as stressors. It may well be these phytochemicals’ stressor effect rather than their in vitro antioxidant capacity that accounts for their health benefits. A number of them (tumeric, tea catechins) are known to be hormetic: toxins at very large (concentrated supplement) doses.In line with a common refrain of Dr. Greger’s, its likely better to get them in food rather than pills – its one way to keep dosing in the hormetic range.There are presently 29,000 articles on scholar.google referencing Nrf2, 16,000 in just the past five years. But while the subject is a very deep one, it also, brings a bit of simplicity and order to the question of why so many plant foods have protective and theraputic effects, at normal food doses.Hi .. I had to listen to this twice. It sounds like you’re saying there’s NOT a problem with drinking that much broccoli juice (2, 3 cups or so per day), correct? The video started out sounding like it could cause problems, then you refer to formal study, which said there weren’t any problems. Can you please clarify … Asking because I’m thinking about doing a regular broccoli juice routine. Thank you ..The last part was talking about sprout extract. Eat it whole and you’ll be fine.This video is mesleading and unclear.they make it sound dangerous at the first part then suddenly they will say its ok to drink brocoli juice even though u overdose..duhShould you cook broccoli sprouts to reduce toxicity? And add daikon, mustard or horseradish to water to boost its power? Also heard rinsing sprouts with a bit of sugar in the water boosts it too? Any truth to these statements?I was wondering if there is any info on the benefits of Milk Thistle in terms of its ability to stimulate and protect the process of glutathione production. I started taking it for my condition (U. Colitis) and it seems to be helping quite a bit.	broccoli,broccoli sprouts,cancer,cartilage health,cervical cancer,cervix health,colon cancer,colon health,cruciferous vegetables,inflammation,juice,liver health,phytonutrients,raw food,rectal cancer,safety limits,sprouting,sprouts,sulforaphane,sunburn,vegetables	6,000 cups of broccoli a year is probably too much.	There is also the issue of the goitrogenic compounds in raw cruciferous. See my video Overdosing on Greens. We can also drink too much tea (seeOverdosing on Tea), eat too much of the spice turmeric (see Oxalates in Cinnamon), too much of the seaweed kelp (see Too Much Iodine Can Be As Bad As Too Little), and overdo coffee when pregnant (see Caffeine During Pregnancy). And that's just a smattering of the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervical-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunburn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervix-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cartilage-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21602309,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20535075,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21557329,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20956097,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20689952,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21506109,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21595016,
PLAIN-3018	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/	Harvard's Meat and Mortality Studies	On Monday, March 12. 2012, the results of two major Harvard studies were published.  37,000 men; 83,000 women; the Harvard Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and the Harvard Nurses Study.  Back in the 80s, researchers at Harvard started following these 120,000 people who were initially, free of known heart  disease and cancer at the beginning.  A few decades later though when about 24,000 had died including about 6000 from heart disease and 9,000 from cancer.Meanwhile, all along, every four years, the researchers were checking in and keeping track of everyone's diet.  What did they find?  Conclusions: Red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality and cancer mortality meaning a significantly shorter lifespan.  No surprise given the associated greater risk of dying from heart disease and cancer.  And this was after controlling for age, weight, alcohol, exercise, smoking, family history, caloric intake and even the intake of whole healthy plant foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.So it's not like the people eating more meat were dying prematurely because they were eating less vegetables.  They seemed to be dying prematurely because they were eating more meat.  The substitution of other healthy protein sources is associated with lower mortality risk.  The most powerful protector they found was nuts associated with dropping mortality risk 19 percent.Why?  Because food is a package deal.  The chair of Harvard's nutrition department [Walter Willett], who in his "Essentials of Healthy Eating Guide", explains about picking the best protein packages by emphasizing plant sources of protein rather than animal sources.See, to the metabolic systems engaged in protein production and repair, it's immaterial whether amino acids come from animal or plant protein.  However, protein is not consumed in isolation.  Instead it's packaged with a host of other nutrients.  Right?  That's the baggage I am always referring to.  Right?The quality and amount of fats, carbohydrates, sodium, other nutrient in this protein package may influence long term health.  For example, results from the Harvard Nurses Study suggests that eating more protein from beans, nuts, seeds and the like while cutting back on refined carbs reduces the risk of heart disease as we saw in the new studies.So, what's Harvard's bottom line? Go with plants.  Eating a plant based diet is healthiest.	Those familiar with the science will not be surprised by the findings of the two new Harvard studies. Remember the NIH-AARP study I profiled in Meat & Mortality? Half a million people studied—the largest forward-looking study on diet and health in history—and they found the exact the same thing. If the science is so strong why isn’t it reflected in our dietary guidelines? See Dietary Guidelines: Science vs. Corporate Interests. Nor should it surprise that nuts are so healthy. See Halving Heart Attack Risk and Is Peanut Butter Good for You? And speaking of nuts, have you seen the NutritionFacts.org tag cloud? I have videos on more than a thousand nutrition subjects.For my thoughts on the American Meat Institute’s reaction to the study, see my Care2 post here.“Those familiar with science”? I’m sorry, but this study is as far from actual science as one can get.http://www.marksdailyapple.com/will-eating-red-meat-kill-you/#axzz1qtUVE7U9I see your a paleolithic advocate. The half science and faulty, misconstrued evidence your group purports is simply NOT science. Dr. Greger covers the paleo diet here on his free e book http://www.atkinsexposed.org/Im sure that if you see more videos on the website, you will come to find that a plant based diet can reverse heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disease. A high meat diet cannot do these things.How about a deeper look: http://youtu.be/0GD_9UXHg_kYou make a provocative comment but include no facts to support it…I have read your blog and they are full of the BS that you claim when studies are contrary to you making money…Interesting study. Nuts did stand out once again as offering much benefit despite the high fat content (or perhaps because of the types of fats?). But I was surprised to see that poultry fared much better than legumes as alternatives to red meat. If as Harvard’s Willet says it is the “whole package” that comes with the protein, surely legumes have much better packaging than does factory farmed chicken and turkey? Your comments on that would be appreciated.Poultry is indeed quite a harmful meat to consume. It is the top source of cholesterol, arachadonic acid and a host of contaminants. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/arsenic-in-chicken/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/Then, contaminants should be blamed, first.I try to raise awareness on the hazards of eat animal-based products. Just last week I put together the following write-up on eating chicken. You may find it informational. Feel free to copy it and share it with friends and family :).——– Many people consider chicken as a health food: you know, ‘gotta get your lean protein.’ Considering that slaughterhouses are killing more birds in one day (25-30 million) then they did in an entire year during the 1930’s, everyone has been dupped. Here are two links comparing 100g of skinless, roasted (I gave the poultry industry the benefit of the doubt) chicken and 100g of red meat hamburger.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/694/2 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/6196/2‘Lean’ protein is nothing more than a gimmic.It doesn’t stop at the macronutrients, not by a long shot. Aside from getting fed their own fecies and rendered animal, chickens now grow over twice as fast thanks to genetics and growth stimulants (3lbs bird in six weeks compared to four months). So fast in fact that these animals can not handle the weight of their own internal organs and are rendered breathless after a few steps. So fast that large slaughterhouses must despose of an average of 500 lbs worth of dead chickens due to what is called “flip over” disease- the chickens die from a heart attack as early as one month old. Chickens life expectancy is around 10 years.Beside the numerous amount of documentation on cockroach, fly and maggot infestation found in these plants, contamination is also a problem in the poultry industry. According to a USDA micobiologist, there are as many as 50 different opportunities for cross-contamination to occur. The largest offending point of cross-contamination is the chilling pool. Dubbed as ‘fecal soup,’ this large vat is where the recently “cleaned” birds are left to soak in a pool of chilled water that is brimming with all sorts of excrements. An interesting side note is that these corpses absorb an average of 8% of their weight of this filth. Thats right, poultry eaters around America spend more than $1 billion dollars on this bacteria soup that is sold as poultry weight every year.What about inspection? The larger slaughterhouses can see as many as 500,000 corpses leave every day. Each inspector has roughly two seconds to inspect each body for over 12 different diseases as well as other abnormalities (by the way, as a result of popular demand in the poultry industry, feces, sores, scabs lesions and broken bones are considered “trimmable conditions” and are no longer condemnable). Federal regulations allow for the sampling of 10 corpses out of ever 15,000. That is less than .1%.So what sort of contamination are we talking about? For starters, a reporter who interviewed 84 USDA inspectors wrote that “millions of chickens leaking yellow pus, stained by green feces, contaminated by harmful bacteria, or marred by lung and heart infections, cancerous tumors, or skin conditions are shipped for sale to consumers.” As for bacteria, an Agricultural Department study showed that over 99% of broiler chickens have tracable amounts of E. Coli bacteria, 30% of chicken consumed is infested with salmonella and 70-90% are contaminated with a pathogen called campylobacter. Look it up, campylobacter is no joke. Contaminated chicken kills as little as 1,000 and sickens as many as an estimated 80 million Americans each year.This does not include the horrific living conditions, killing practices and environmental damage that is a result of eating chicken.Sources: “Food Inc.” “Slaughterhouse” by Gale Einsnitz “Mad Cowboy” by Howard F. LymanArchaedus: thanks for the above links.For anyone who clicks on the links, you may find yourself confused. The problem is that the two links (at least when I clicked them) defaulted to different units for the chicken vs the beef. Once you have the two go to the same unit, you will see what Archaedus is talking about. Thanks Archaedus!The authors of the study on NPR said people can eat red meat 3 times a week, but only a few ounces, the size of a deck of cards. I don’t think anybody is going to follow that advice. They emphasized “moderation”, I hate that word. Moderation kills!So timely and so well explained. I wish we could get these videos into our schools.Did they quantify the increase in mortality? Sure it’s more healthy to eat less red meat, but by how much?Just when I think I’ve got all the facts down straight, I read something surprising like this:Red Meat Halves Risk of Depression [in Australia]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9158235/Red-meat-halves-risk-of-depression.htmlEvidently there’s a bell curve involved, and the livestock in Australia is mainly grass-fed.Is it possible that we vegans and vegetarians could be missing some unknown nutrients found only in meat, especially us long-time plant only eaters?This information is interesting indeed, but it doesn’t tell us too much. We have an abundance of data showing how red meat is causative with chronic illnesses. There is no nutrient in beef we are missing in plants (except b12) and meat in this case is the one missing nutrients! Check out this video about mood and diet. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/improving-mood-through-diet/PROCESSED red meat is linked to disease.We already know about B12, which is why I said I wonder about UNKNOWN nutrients.I was simply pointing out that plants have all that meat has except b12. I directed you to a link showing how mood was related to diet. If one is eating a high meat, low carb diet, they may experience “brain fog” which can give coincidentally give some people the appearance of having a happier mood. http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/31/Cognitive_Impairment.htmJust found this today:Five Questions: Walter Willett on red meathttp://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-five-questions-walter-willett-20120324,0,4545134.storyI like Dr. Willett’s honesty when answering the question about grass-fed meat: “We don’t know for sure.”Previous studies mentioned about mood improvement or “brain fog” are based on the intake of industrial factory-farmed meat, which most of us will agree is a killer, one way or another, especially when consumed in typical American and Atkins portions.I wonder if Dr. Willett has seen the Australian study.I’d be really interested in any comments Dr. Greger can give on that study. Any flaws in design? Methodology issues? Conflicts of interest in funding?Then again, perhaps the secret is a combination of grass-fed beef and Vegemite? ;-)I cannot find the actualy study, it may not be published yet. I know the study was of 1000 women in the gelong region. that is an small study in one region only. The interesting thing is that the author says that they found that if you eat more than the recommended amount you will also be more likely to suffer depression. So there is a magical number of grams per week/day that reduce the risk. Sounds very inconclusive and I don’t think we need concider it in the light of the large body of data liking ill effects to meat.Natian, this is simply one study of the many that supports the notion that meat is the link to chronic illnesses. If you search more of this website, you will find that meat promotes cancer growth, the development of heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimers and a variety of other conditions. What makes this so fascinating is that if one switches to a plant based diet, these diseases can be prevented and reversed. This is why meat is viewed as a food one should completely avoid. Here are a few links to look into. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/Yes I’m all for the plant based diet. I have been total vegetarian, (vegan, but I wear leather shoes and woollen jumpers) for about 30 yrs.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies!I’m a vegan myself but I was recently presented this website: http://authoritynutrition.com/how-to-win-an-argument-with-a-vegan/ In this site the author contradicts everything I learned from Dr. Greger and he sites all of his sources. How can I argue against it?FLAGGED! This is an anti-vegan SPAM post. DELETE.Please don’t delete it. I would really love to know what is wrong with the studies cited on that website. The website LOOKS very credible, even though I’m sure it’s wrong. I’m truly at a loss for arguments against my meat-eating friends and I feel like an expert in nutrition could help.guest: There is nothing wrong with Benoit Boucher’s post for this site. We welcome honest questions and disagreements. I hope someone finds the time to give Benoit a good answer. (There is one. I just personally don’t have the 30 second sound bite off the top of my head…)I’ll respond to some of the points made here.1. Vegan Says: “Red Meat Gives You Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes”Claim: “Two massive studies have looked into this recently, one from Harvard with 1,218,380 individuals, and another European study with 448,568 individuals.They found no link between unprocessed red meat and heart disease, diabetes or the risk of death. The effect was only seen for processed meat.”Rebuttal: It is not accurate to say the Harvard study (actually a meta-analsis if studies) found “no link” between red meat and diabetes and stroke. The AVERAGE relative risks (RR) for unprocessed red meat in these studies were:CHD (coronary heart disease): 1.0 (same as not eating meat)Diabetes: 1.16 (16% higher risk per serving per day. One serving = 100 grams)Stroke 1.17 (17% higher risk)True, the latter two were not statistically “significant”, but still…For processed meat, there is no question of harm. Here are the RR’s from the Harvard meta-analysis:CHD: 1.42 (42% higher risk)Diabetes: 1.19 (the US study found a RR of 1.53)Stroke: 1.14Eating some processed meats, like bacon had double the diabetes risk over abstainers. Yet many Paleo and Atkins folks try to make bacon into some virtuous food of the Gods…That’s seriously misguided, given these stats.How about the Harvard Meat & Mortality Study Dr. Greger referred to above? I recall it found that eating one serving of meat per day increased one’s risk of ALL CAUSE mortality by 13%, and for processed meat, this was 20%. I recall it DID find that CHD was significantly elevated in unprocessed meat eaters–which should not be surprising, given the saturated fat load, carnitine, and other bad things in meat. The relationship was more or less linear, and people chowing down on 11 oz. of meat a day–which was the high end of the scale–had a RR of all cause mortality of about 1.8, which is close to that of those who smoke a pack a day of cigarettes.2. Claim: High-protein diets (high in meat) have actually been shown to help you lose weight, not gain it. They make you feel so full that you eat fewer calories, while boosting your metabolism.”Rebuttal: This is simplistic reasoning. One may lose more weight in the short term on a high protein/low carb diet because the food is so boring, or one is expelling more water, but what about the long term consequences? Looking at epidemiological studies, those who eat more plant-based foods generally are thinner. Of course there may be other reasons for that (poverty, disease), but just looking at rich developed nations, the Japanese are thinner than Americans and also eat much less meat–though they do eat more fish. Italians and those on Mediterranean diets also are thinner and eat less meat than Americans…or Germans, and the Italians and Japanese also live the longest among the major nations. The French are actually the least obese in Europe, and do eat more meat than Italians (though still less than Americans), but they don’t live as long as Italians, Spaniards, or even the British.3. Claim: Studies show that dietary cholesterol has no effect on blood cholesterol in the majority of people. It may cause a minor increase in some individuals, but a lot of that is coming from HDL and large LDL lipoproteins, which are good things.Rebuttal: Again, it is simplistic to say that large LDL is a “good thing”, when it still raises the risk of CHD–just not as much as small LDL particles. HDL is generally a good thing, but may not be needed if total cholesterol is sufficiently low. And who wants to risk that he or she is one of the “some individuals” for whom dietary cholesterol DOES raise blood serum cholesterol? Why take the chance?4. Vegan Says: “Saturated Fat Raises Cholesterol and Causes Heart Disease”. Claim: “Saturated fat actually raises HDL (the “good”) cholesterol and changes the LDL cholesterol from small to large, which is considered beneficial.”Rebuttal: Notice the sleight of hand here: instead of addressing the issue of raised total and LDL cholesterol , the discussion moves to HDL and the TYPE of LDL (large particle). Plant Positive has many videos in which he debunks the cholesterol ‘confusionists’ who engage in this type of misdirection. Most risk assessments are still done using Total Cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol, and HDL Cholesterol. Probably the best single measure is the TC/HDL ratio (smaller is better), but again, HDL is less important when TC drops below a certain point–probably around 150. The Framingham Risk Score deducts three points when TC is < 160. It's still the best known and most widely used measure of CHD risk.Among the studies cited here, I'm familiar with the Chowdhury led one–again, a meta-analysis, which looked at the relation between type of fat consumed and CHD (saturated fat had a RR of 1.03). Plant Positive has a good take-down of this and another similar study:http://plantpositive.com/blog/2014/3/23/recent-articles-by-drs-chowdhury-and-dinicolantonio.htmlWalter Willett, the PI for the Harvard Meat & Mortality Study referenced above, called the Chowdhury study "seriously misleading" and said it should not have been published. But I did find interesting that the study found that Omega-3 fats conferred the lowest relative risk (0.87), and that risk ascended with Omega-6 (0.98), Mono-unsaturated fats (1.0), Saturated fats (1.03), and Trans-fats (1.16). This accords with what many of us felt about the usefulness and harm of these various fats; only the lack of significant risk for saturated fat is really in dispute. Might it depend on the TYPE of saturated fat?These RR's pertain to the risk of the top third relative to the bottom third of dietary fat consumption.Might risk be much more elevated when saturated fat consumption is higher than merely the top tertile? How about the top quintile or decile? That could be dangerous. Plant Positive discusses some of the weaknesses of the Chowdhury meta-analysis.Again, as with the Harvard meta-analysis above, saturated fat did worse than all fats besides trans fats–just as unprocessed meat consumption was associated with higher risk for Diabetes and Stroke (and processed meats with CHD as well as Diabetes and Stroke). Since meat contains a lot of saturated fat, we are generally talking about the same food, and it didn't do well in the very studies cited here to show why there is nothing wrong with eating meat. Well, apparently there is…5. Vegan Says: “It is Possible to Get All Necessary Nutrients From Plants”. Claim: There are many nutrients that can not be gotten from commonly consumed plants. This includes vitamin B12, Omega-3s like DHA, as well as vitamin D3.Rebuttal: As Dr. Greger pointed out in one of his videos, omnivores suffer from deficiencies in more nutrients than do vegans–at least twice as many. True, one could get adequate folate, Vit. C, E, and potassium on a Paleo type diet which included lots of produce. But it is also possible to get adequate DHA and Vit. D from eating enough ALA and getting enough sunlight, if one lives in the tropics or sub-tropics (below 30 degrees N or above 30 S), or just supplement Vit. D during those months the sun doesn't rise to at least 50 degrees above the horizon. So only Vit. B12 is an issue, and we are talking a few micrograms…jason: Wow. This is a really great and thoughtful post. Thanks for taking the time to do this.I only wish I had enough knowledge to fully comprehend Plant Positive’s critique of the Chowdhury meta-analysis…how it adjusted for cholesterol, for example. I don’t think you’d want to statistically adjust for cholesterol if you were analyzing the effects of saturated fat on health. I was surprised that Chowdhury only found a RR of 1.03 for saturated fat comparing the high tertile with the low–I would have thought it’d be higher.Bottom line is that even the studies cited by the low-carbers often fail to support their arguments for the healthfulness of meat, and of course there are many other convincing arguments against meat: aesthetic, economic, environmental…Meat deservedly has a bad rap and more people are realizing this…that the safest level of meat consumption may be zero. For fish, I’m still not sure.Meat & dairy consumption have been shown to increase inflammation, weight gain and chronic diseases. Even lower amounts of meat vs no meat have a difference.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-big-poultry-and-obesity/Last week I read an artice by Dr. Aaron Carroll in the New York Times that “Red Meat is Not the Enemy.” Citing several studies, Dr. Carroll argues that red meat consumption may not be so bad after all, as long as it is done in moderation. Also noted along the way is that strong warnings against cholesterol and salt are overblown. Can you comment on the article and the arguments therein? Thanks. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/31/upshot/red-meat-is-not-the-enemy.html?WT.mc_id=2015-APRIL-FACEBOOK-PROPENSITY_HEALTH-AUD_DEV-0401-0430&WT.mc_ev=click&ad-keywords=AUDDEVAPRIL&_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0Hi John,Thanks for reposting this. I don’t have much to add, but I am hoping others will give their take, as well. I have read it and I think the author makes interesting points, however, one small write-up in the times cannot overlook the massive research on red meat and disease. There is still convincing evidence red meat and processed meats are linked to colorectal cancer and heart disease and diabetes risk. The American Institute for Cancer Research has info on red and processed meat, which may be useful.Processed, yes. Unprocessed, grass-fed beef without additives/vaccines/antibiotics, no.	animal protein,beans,cancer,cardiovascular disease,Dr. Walter Willett,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,heart disease,legumes,lifespan,longevity,meat,mortality,nuts,plant protein,plant-based diets,red meat,seeds	Monday, March 12, 2012, the Harvard Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Harvard Nurses' Health Study concluded that red meat consumption was associated with living a significantly shorter life—increased cancer mortality, increased heart disease mortality, and increased overall mortality.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-walter-willett/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3019	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sulforaphane-from-broccoli-to-breast/	Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast	Broccoli and broccoli sprouts produce a compound that appears to target breast cancer cells, but this is in a test tube. How do we even know we absorb sulforaphane into our bloodstream? And even if we do, how much do we have to eat to arrive at these test tube concentrations where it counts—in breast tissue itself. An innovative group at Hopkins figured it out: let’s find women scheduled for breast reduction surgery, and an hour before they go into the operating room, have them drink some broccoli sprout juice. And that’s what they did. They collected breast tissue from 8 women an hour after broccoli, and here’s what they found. An averaging of 2 picomoles per milligram in their left breasts and 1.45 in their right. So now, for the first time ever, not only do we know that the broccoli we eat ends up in the right place, but we know the final tissue concentration. So what does that correspond to here? This is what broccoli sprouts do to both estrogen receotpr positive and negative breast cancer cells. To continually bathe the tissues of your breast at this concentration you’d have to eat… a quarter cup of broccoli sprouts a day, a half cup, and about a cup and a quarter. In other words it’s doable—I just put them in my salad. Real world effects at real world doses.	This is a follow-up to yesterday’s video-of-the-day Broccoli Versus Cancer Stem Cells. Note that the sources for this video are all open access, so you can click on them above in the Sources Cited section and read them full-text for free. Worried about the safety of sprouts? You’re probably thinking about alfalfa. See my videos Don’t Eat Raw Alfalfa Sprouts and Update on Alfalfa Sprouts. Broccoli sprouts appear much safer. See Broccoli Sprouts. And if that isn’t enough, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Yes! I love broccoli sprouts every day. So doable. So easy to grow your own — no mess or outside gardening required. :^) One of the most powerful foods is the most easily accessible to anyone in their own home!Poxacuatl: I had heard of broccoli before, of course. But I had never heard of broccoli sprouts before – let alone known that they were easy to grow. I am going to look into this. I really appreciate you taking the time to write your post.Do you have a recommendation on where to get seeds or potted sprouts and how to grow them???Thanks!Thea, stay tuned for Dr. Greger’s video tomorrow showing how to easily make broccoli sproutsOh cool. Thanks!You can get seeds at Johnnies Select seeds on line they have a great selection of organic spouting seedsGreat real world information at the everyday practical application.I wonder if this information could also be extrapolated for prostate and other cancer locations. Also curious as to the possibility of fat present when the broccoli sprouts are consumed…..if the phytonutrient absorption would be further increased, as with antioxidants and greens (kale, spinach, etc.).Thank you Dr Greger, terrific work as always.Great! Im so glad I found this site! Thank you for everything Dr. Greger :)Can you translate broccoli sprouts to broccoli. What is the effective quantity of broccoli that offers the benefits derived from broccoli sprouts.For some context, please also check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli!does it work only with sprouts or with common broccoli flowers? Both broccoli sprouts and florets contain sulforaphane.How much broccoli or broccoli sprouts should you eat daily?I work in a clinic focused mostly on cancer. Some of my clients are vegan and still pass away, even after being vegan for a while. And, these are not high fat gourmet raw vegans, they have actually trained in places like Hippocrates. What are other factors? These people do not eat processed foods at all, they are raw. Their omega 3:6 ratio is good and B12 is good. Some had and corrected extremely low vitamin D but still pass away. Any references or additional places to look for ansers? For the broccoli, all breast cancer patients are recommended brocolli sprouts too but some sitll do not make it.How long between application of sulforaphane and effect of cancer cell reduction. Would like the time span for the first and last slides please.I had breast cancer and had to have both breast removed in 1999. Do you believe that broccoli can prevent me from having another bout of breast cancer. I had both breast removed and reconstruction. I was told that if it did come back that it would appear in the wall of my breast.Judy: I’m sorry to hear about all of the health problems you have had. Certainly you have had enough!re: “Do you believe that broccoli can prevent me from having another bout of breast cancer.” What we tend to see is that a healthy diet is not a guarantee of a healthy outcome – but it greatly lowers your risk of repeat problems. For example, just because a person doesn’t smoke, they could still get lung cancer. But not smoking sure does lower the risk of getting lung cancer.What do you have to loose from eating your broccoli this way? (Or check out the newer video on broccoli and a different method: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/) If it were me, I would not put all of my eggs in one basket. Instead, I would get all of the cancer tips on this site and put them all into practice. I would want to maximize my body’s ability to fight cancer. This site not only covers broccoli, but so many other foods and topics in regards to cancer. You can learn what to stay away from (meat, dairy and eggs, etc) as well as what to focus on (broccoli, traditional soy, etc). http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=cancerI’m not a doctor or an expert. I’m just sharing my opinion. But it seems to me that you could take a lot of steps in your diet to help maximize your chances of a cancer-free future. I’m going to keep my fingers crossed for you.I wonder, since these ar the equivalent of so much mroe broccoli, would they also be an equivalent of the gastrointesetinal distress that I experience when I consume broccoli? Or would broccoli as sprouts be digested more easily?Hi,I believe – based on my own experience – that the sprouts affect the GI tract in a milder manner. Sulforaphane, albeit a potent phytochemical, is by far not the only active one in broccoli, so the cause of your GI distress following broccoli ingestion may not even be the compound itself – consequently, the sprouts’ high sulforaphane concentration may not be of concern to you at all. This is just my deductive opinion, though – you have to try some yourself to know for sure, I guess.	breast cancer,breast disease,broccoli,broccoli sprouts,cancer,cancer stem cells,cruciferous vegetables,juice,nutrient absorption,phytonutrients,salads,sprouting,sprouts,stem cells,sulforaphane,vegetables,women's health	In a test tube, the broccoli phytonutrient sulforaphane appears to target breast cancer stem cells, but how do we know it's even absorbed into the body? Have women undergoing breast reduction surgery eat some an hour before their operation and directly measure the level in their tissues.	This is a follow-up to yesterday's video-of-the-day Broccoli Versus Cancer Stem Cells. Note that the sources for this video are all open access, so you can click on them above in the Sources Cited section and read them full-text for free. Worried about the safety of sprouts? You're probably thinking about alfalfa. See my videos Don’t Eat Raw Alfalfa Sprouts and Update on Alfalfa Sprouts. Broccoli sprouts appear much safer. See Broccoli Sprouts. And if that isn't enough, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/02/are-microgreens-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salads/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	-	-
PLAIN-3020	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/	Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells	Over the last decade a new theory of cancer biology has emerged, the cancer stem cell. Normal stem cells are involved in organ repair, they travel around the body, sit and wait until they’re some damage, and step in and replace whatever structures are necessary. Lost a little skin here, bone or muscle there, need to regrow a new tooth, these cells are ready and willing. And, the best part, they’re built to last a lifetime. But those same qualities, migration, colonization, proliferation, self-renewal, immortality can be used against us, when stem cells go bad, and decide to build tumors instead. Cancer stem cells may explain cancer spread and cancer recurrence. That may be why cancer tends to come back. There may be no cure, only remission. You can have a breast cancer relapse 20-25 years after you thought it went away. Thanks, potentially, to cancer stem cells. Our current armamentarium of chemo drugs and radiation is based on animal models. If the tumor shrinks, it’s a success. But lab rats only live 2 or 3 years. All these new fancy therapies like antiangiogeneisis, cutting off the blood supplies to tumors? That’s great, but the cancer stems cells may be like fine, I’ll go somewhere else and grow another one. What we need is to strike at the root of cancer, treatments aimed not at just reducing tumor bulk, but rather at targeting the ‘beating heart’ of the tumor, the cancer stem cell. Enter, broccoli. Sulforaphane, a dietary component of broccoli, and broccoli sprouts, appeats to inhibit breast cancer stem cells. Breast tissue, naturally has to have lots of stem cells. Your body never knows when you’re going to get pregnant and need to start making a lot of new milk glands. Researchers recently discovered this compound in broccoli that may destroy cancerous stem cells and keep them from going rogue in the first place. Estrogen receptor positive human breast tumor; estrogen receotpr negative breast tumor. Let’s add some broccoli juice. Going … going, … nearly gone. Stem cell hotspots before, and after.	Broccoli also protects our DNA. See the preceding video-of-the-day, DNA Protection From Broccoli, and my other 35 videos on greens and 98 videos on cancer. And those are two of the 1,290 topics I cover here at NutritionFacts.org. Note that most of the sources for this video are all open access, so you can click on them above in the Sources Cited section and read them full-text for free.Broccoli, I love you. broccoli loves you back!The amazing brocolli! How much broccoli does one need to consume to protect from Breast cancer, and what is the best way to ingest? Does it need to be raw, and how do you recommend it should be made? I would eat as much as you can stand! (without going overboard: see How Much Broccoli Is Too Much?). In terms of raw or cooked see Raw Broccoli and Bladder Cancer Survival and Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True.For some context, please also check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli!how about broccoli sproutsi see its goodbroccoli sprouts are indeed interchangeable with broccoli. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=broccoli+sproutsDoes it also affect other stem cells? Or is it specific to breast cells alone?	angiogenesis,animal studies,antiangiogenesis,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,broccoli,broccoli sprouts,cancer,cancer stem cells,cruciferous vegetables,in vitro studies,phytonutrients,sprouting,sprouts,stem cells,sulforaphane,vegetables,women's health	A new theory of cancer biology—cancer stem cells—and the role played by sulforaphane, a phytonutrient produced by cruciferous vegetables.	Broccoli also protects our DNA. See the preceding video-of-the-day,DNA Protection From Broccoli, and my other 35 videos on greens and 98 videos on cancer. And those are two of the 1,290 topics I cover here at NutritionFacts.org. Note that most of the sources for this video are all open access, so you can click on them above in the Sources Cited section and read them full-text for free.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/04/are-bioidentical-hormones-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antiangiogenesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stem-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sulforaphane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angiogenesis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21386835,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21243011,
PLAIN-3021	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dna-protection-from-broccoli/	DNA Protection from Broccoli	The best way to study DNA repair is to study smokers, because they need a lot of it. A group of smokers, for a total of ten days were asked to eat 6 times more broccoli than the average American consumes. In other words… a single stalk. Compared to smokers not eating broccoli, those who did suffered about 30% less DNA damage over those 10 days. Maybe it was because the broccoli boosted the detoxifying enzymes in their livers and so the carcinogens never made it to their DNA? Well they tested for that. They actually took some DNA out of their bodies, put it into a test tube and exposed it to a known DNA-damaging chemical. The DNA of broccoli eaters suffered significantly less damage; the DNA of those eating broccoli appears intrinsically was more resistant at a subcellular level. In conclusion, in the present study, the intake of broccoli seems protective, as far as DNA damage is concerned, in smokers who are exposed to oxidative stress.	This discovery may help explain the findings I presented in Repairing DNA Damage. What about giving smokers kale? See yesterday’s video Smoking Versus Kale Juice. There are 19 other videos about DNA damage and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. And note that the sources for this video are all open access, so you can click on them above in the Sources Cited section and read them full-text for free.Thank you for the convenience and easy access to the articles, in the “sources cited”.Terrific job, thank you.Hello there! Just wanted to say thanks for all the great videos. I’ve been a follower of your nutritionfacts for many months as well as reading your articles on oneegreenplanet. It’s such a great resource for me on research in my diet and you’ve managed to put everything together in a very easily understandable way. Now if I could just find some of that amla for my morning smoothies..Hi, Dr. Greger: LOVE your videos…are the florets the best bet or should we be eating stalks/stems AND florets? Have been reading up on the sulforaphane but haven’t seen anything specific about which part of the plant this is found in. Thank you!For some context, please also check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli!One should cook broccoli lightly before eating it… to get the full nutritional benefits!your intelligence and wit are formidable, Dr. G!	broccoli,carcinogens,cruciferous vegetables,detoxification,DNA damage,enzymes,in vitro studies,liver health,phytonutrients,smoking,standard American diet,vegetables	Eating broccoli appears to make DNA more resistant to damage.	This discovery may help explain the findings I presented in Repairing DNA Damage. What about giving smokers kale? See yesterday's video Smoking Versus Kale Juice. There are 19 other videos about DNA damage and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. And note that the sources for this video are all open access, so you can click on them above in the Sources Cited section and read them full-text for free.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3022	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/	Smoking Versus Kale Juice	This landmark study on the immune system boosting effects of kale concluded that: the intake of kale might provide a beneficial effect on humans to enhance the defense against such pathogens as viruses, bacteria, and toxins. The immunostimulating effect will provide an additional advantage of kale, as well as its antioxidative capacity and other effects. Other effects, like improving coronary artery disease risk factors. Did you know kale juice has gained increasing attention as one of the popular health-promoting foods in japan? I am packin’ my bags. Thirty two men with high cholesterol consumed 3 or 4 shots of kale juice a day for 3 months. That’s like eating a total of about 30 pounds of kale, the amount the average American consumes in a century. What happened? Did they turn green, start to photosynthesize? What it did was dramatically lower their bad cholesterol, and boost their good cholesterol as much as would an hour of daily exercise 7 days a week. Obviously, by the end of three months, the antioxidant level of their blood shot up significantly, though not as much in the smokers. I can just imagine some guy with a cigarette in one hand and his shot of kale juice in another. The researchers suggest that this is because the smokers were actively using all those antioxidants up. When smoking can use up the antioxidants contained in the equivalent of 225 cups of kale, you know it’s time to quit.	Is there anything kale can’t do? More about the immune system-boosting study of kale in yesterday’s video-of-the-day Kale and the Immune System. And more on boosting good cholesterol in Amla Versus Diabetes and Cocoa Good; Chocolate Bad. Please don’t get the idea that kale can counteract the detrimental effects of smoking. You have to quit. Today. And then take your mind off your cigarette cravings by watching hundreds of my other videos on more than a thousand topics. Hi Dr Greger. Thanks for putting up these videos, especially about kale. I used to religiously drink kale in smoothies mixed with bananas and other berries And I must say the smoothies were delicious. People see the green and automatically think it will be bitter or just not taste good. I have changed many a mind insisting they take a sip. Anyway, I felt at my healthiest when I was having at least one kale smoothie (mostly 2) a day. i have lost my way since I had depression, lost 3 very closed loved ones to death (one of those deaths was a suicide). I haven’t been able to get out that funk for awhile. I believe that if I could just get on with it, and start drinking kale smoothies again, it would go along way in making me feel better. I wondered what you thought of purchasing something like a NutriBullet? It’s a mixer/blender that is supposed to be very good at liquifying and making it easier to make these drinks. Because of several accidents, the severe pain that came with them, the concussions and associated depression, I have not been able to work, and so I live on a disability pension. I wondered if you thought a machine like that is worth the investment, if it will motivate me to get back into eating/drinking kale based drinks/smoothies?Hi Ghutsl, I am so sorry – your story is very sad and I think it only natural to grieve the way you are doing. The nutribullet looks good but also expensive. I use the Tribest – its much cheaper. but only a third of the power. However, I have made kale smoothies in it quite successfully (still a little fiberous) – but the issue was size. I then went for a Philips HR2094 which works well. If you put the greens in first, then the fruit, you end up with quite a smooth drink. It also helps if you freeze the kale, and add frozen berries. This really makes it amazing. I’d also like to recommend a wonderful little book called ‘Turning the mind into an ally’ by Sakyong Mipham.Good luck and happy smoothies! JoeI wonder if they incorporated the necessary fat in the diet (3-4mg), to facilitate maximum phytonutrient absorption, when the Kale shots were administered.If not, we can only imagine/extrapolate what great effects the Kale would have achieved. The next Beet Juice?I greatly appreciate these videos and look forward to them each day (please don’t ever stop!). In the context of this series on the wonders of kale, I would really appreciate your expert comment on this review I came across recently: Health benefits and possible risks of broccoli – An overview. Latté,KP; Appel KE; Lampen A. 2011 Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology, 49 (12)3287-3309. I found this article a bit disturbing – although it cites many studies suggesting the benefits of broccoli, it also cites a good number showing genotoxic effects. Its bottom line conclusion is that broccoli (and by extension all brassicas?) may be harmful if taken in large amounts and especially raw. So knocking back glasses of kale juice seem likely to place one in the potential risk category (especially if ‘large’ means more than average). The article suggests that the potential harm may only occur when cancer has already developed, but that is not very reassuring given that most of us are supposed to have some cancer cell development even in the absence of a diagnosed tumour. The article is also a bit confusing in its suggestion that cooking is preferable because it kills the myrosinase – but I thought the latter was necessary to catalyse the health promoting substances (glucosinolates etc) further down the chain. Your comments would be really helpful. Katewilscot, I have seen this study before. You must remember that all plant foods have natural toxins in them and that our liver does a good job of cleaning up. There is a limit though, check out this video regarding overdosing on greens. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/overdosing-on-greens/“…did they turn green, start to photosynthesize?” loving your humour!Kale can do everything! and yet, doctors will still prescribe statins instead of kale. I was talking to a doctor today and he said he prescribes statins because his patients “simply won’t change their diets.” How about giving patients the information and letting them decide? Watch videos on nutritionfacts.org, read the China Study, watch Forks Over Knives!!!! Louise FDear Michael / Toxins Would love to know if you have any ideas as to the effect that juicing kale (or other brassicas and greens) has on the amount of oxalates and/or goitrogens that are consumed versus eating the kale raw? Do you think that they will partition into the juice or remain with the pulp? I mention because when juicing it is possible to use a similar scale as mentioned in the ‘overdosing on greens’ video. Thanls, Nathan. Hello Nathanb,I cannot answer your entire question, but I can tell you that kale is actually a very low low oxalate green. I am not sure whether juicing it would leave oxalates in the pulp, but I would say that juicing is not recomended as the fbrous portion of the plant typically holds 90% of the nutrients. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/fruit-juice-fail/I am trying to add more calcium to my diet (borderline osteopenic) so I buy one bunch of organic dino kale every single week and have even started eating the tough ribs in the middle of the leaf too…they are VERY juicy and not really that difficult to chew at all. I’ve researched the oxalate issue with greens and kale seems to be my hero…will find out in upcoming well check up in August. As Dr. Klaper points out in one of his videos recommended by Dr. Greger, “we have 32 juicers” in our mouth…our teeth! We need the fiber from these plants as well as their juices!Would blending kale be just as good as eating kale? I usually blend kale and other veggies mixed with juice.  Yes, putting kale in a blender, such as with a smoothie will give you the full nutritional load.For some context, please also check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli!can you blend kale or does it need to be kale juice?I would say eating kale by itself is healthier than the juice as you are tossing out the fiber and other nutrients with the solid portion.Check out this video on juicing http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/Not only is kale packed with beneficial antioxidants, it has been found to boost your body’s ability to produce antibodies which might help to enhance your fight against viruses and toxins (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/). A great way to increase your uptake of nutrients without added calories is with spices. The addition of nutmeg allows you to get nutritional benefits with virtually zero calories (6.5 calories in ½ tsp).Knock Your Socks Off Kale Soup-3 cups potatoes, cubed -1 large turnip, cubed -8 cups water/homemade vegetable broth -2 medium red onions, diced -4 cloves garlic, minced -1 bunch kale, cut into ribbons -½ tsp nutmeg -½ tsp black pepper -¼ tsp white pepperCombine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Continue cooking until potatoes and turnip are soft enough to mash, about 20-30 minutes. Thicken soup by using a potato masher or the back of a spoon to mash the potatoes and turnip to desired consistency. Season individual servings with sea salt and black pepper to taste.~Complements of lovestobeveganwhat can you offer for old age memmory problems ? thanks from advance JamesDr. Neal Barnard recently published a book about this issue. Check out his discussions on YouTube or I am sure you can find his book at the library or Amazon.http://www.foodrevolution.org/blog/videos/neal_barnard_alzheimers/http://www.amazon.com/Power-Foods-Brain-Effective-Strengthen/dp/1455512192I personally quite enjoy my morning kale juice and cigarette combo!You’ll be happy to see that others–in the west, even–are picking up on the kale juice craze! http://www.vegginoutandabout.com/2014/04/applause-for-kale-the-off-the-charts-veggie/?subscribe=success#blog_subscription-2What about the fat soluble vitamins found in kale or other vegetable juices like carrot juice? Can we assume that your body cannot absorb those if you do not consume some kind of fat with your juice?	antioxidants,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,cruciferous vegetables,exercise,greens,HDL cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,immune function,Japan,juice,kale,LDL cholesterol,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,smoking,vegetables	The effect of kale juice on LDL and HDL cholesterol and the antioxidant capacity of the blood.	Is there anything kale can’t do? More about the immune system-boosting study of kale in yesterday's video-of-the-day Kale and the Immune System. And more on boosting good cholesterol in Amla Versus Diabetes and Cocoa Good; Chocolate Bad. Please don't get the idea that kale can counteract the detrimental effects of smoking. You have to quit. Today. And then take your mind off your cigarette cravings by watching hundreds of my other videos on more than a thousand topics.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hdl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18548846,
PLAIN-3023	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/	Kale and the Immune System	There were some extraordinary reports last year on cruciferous vegetables, For example, the immunostimulatory effects, of kale. So simple an experiment I don’t know why it hasn’t been done before. Roll up your sleeve, take some white bloodcells, drip a little kale on and see if it boosts their ability to produce antibodies. Here’s the control—no kale, which is basically the American diet, though if you check with the USDA we do consume as a country, annually per capita, 0.28793567 and change pounds. That’s a cup of kale per person… per year. So the average American is responsible for eating about a half teaspoon of kale a week, and kale consumption is in decline… So anyways, here’s the control, then you start adding a billionth of a gram of kale protein per liter—just slightly less than U.S. consumption, and look at that spike, quadrupling antibody production with… kale. These data provide valuable information to confirm yet another beneficial function of kale. Now that’s for raw kale, what if you cooked it? And not just cooked it, but cooked it to death—boiled it, for a half an hour. What do you think happened? Did boiling abolish it’s immunostimulatory effect? Here’s the control again. The filled circles are the cooked, the unfilled the raw, and the cooked, worked even better.	The bioavailability of some phytonutrients is increased by cooking. See my Best Cooking Method video to find out which vegetables are better cooked and which are the best to eat raw. Check out my 33 other videos on greens and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. And note that the study I’m talking about here is published in an open access journal, so you can click on it above in the Sources Cited section and read it full-text for free.I’m curious about the In Vivo activity of these immune stimulating proteins. How do they make it through the digestive system and into the blood stream intact? You would expect them to be broken down by the HCl and proteolytic enzymes.CapeBreton,Did you read the study? There was also some animal testing done in vivo. Unfortunately not enough time for me to attempt to disseminate it.I’m wondering if this effect, that cooked kale is more effective in stimulating the immune response isn’t related to Kouchakoff’s work in 1930 that foods heated above a “critical temperature,” 87 – 97 Celsius for most foods, resulted in increased production of white blood cells. Raw foodists take this as an indication that cooked food is unhealthy, however, interpreted in the light of this experiment, we might conclude that it is actually immune-stimulatory and salutary. If I read correctly, spinach and other green leaf vegetables containing rubisco, a protein used in photosynthesis, are also immune-enhancing. This might in part, explain the benefit of green leafy vegetables.I’m happy for these results since I like cooked kale way better than raw.I juice the kale from my garden, then freeze it. Any idea what freezing does to it’s properties?Anyone have some good kale recipes? Its rather gross tasting!mandy0678: re: kale recipesI personally would not go so far as to call kale “gross” (let’s talk amla powder for that), but I definitely agree that kale is not wonderful tasting. I especially did not like it when when I first started eating it. Luckily, at least for me, kale is an acquired taste and I’m working on acquiring it.Instead of eating kale by itself, I searched the web and my new vegan cookbooks for recipes which had kale in them, just not the only ingredient or main taste. I found a bunch of dishes – most of the recipes are free on-line. Look for “creamed” kale, pan-seared mushrooms with kale, and kale in bean soups. When you get more used to the taste, you can try kale chips or even the “cheasy” kale chips that I found on-line. The cashew cheese in this recipe is simply delish!I’ve also found that just about any recipe which calls for spinach (which is also very good for you, but which does not have the absorb-able calcium that kale has) can use kale instead. Sometimes you have to cook the kale longer than spinach.I hope this helps. I decided for myself that kale was worth the effort of trying to integrate into my diet. It has been quite the challenge, but I’m getting there. I hope you do too.Tip of the day: I have heard that Costco is now selling bags of *organic* baby kale that is already off the stem and for a decent price. I also heard that it is not as bitter as grown-up kale. I have no idea of the health differences between this baby kale and the grown up version, but based on other videos on this website, I would guess that baby kale is either just as healthy or maybe even healthier than the grown up kind.I hope you found this helpful. Good luck.i eat my veggie burgers wrapped in kale leaves instead of bread since i like to steer clear of gluten, it works very well for thatHeat up a sauté pan, add olive oil and crushed garlic, then chopped kale after you’ve rinsed it– strip the leafy part from any thick stems first– and add to the sautéing garlic. Add salt, to taste (or a small amount of umeboshi plum vinegar if you can find it in an Asian grocery) and enough water to cover the bottom of the pan to a quarter inch. Cover and cook until tender, but still bright green. The last part is essential. Healthy or not, over cooked kale is awful! This is delicious and healthy. Use much the same method to cook mustard greens and collard greens, all delicious and members of the cruciferous family of vegetables. So are broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. Spinach is not in the same family and despite being a leafy dark green vegetable, holds none of the extraordinary health giving properties of the others mentioned here. In fact, spinach can contribute to kidney stone formation.Anything high in calcium can contribute to kidney stones, including dark sodas. Kale is the second highest (after Collard Greens) veggie in calcium content while Spinach ranked 9th… http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/high-calcium-vegetables.php:)steamed shredded Kale with Mashed sweet potatoes with sauteed red onion, garlic, oil(your choice) and balsamic vinegar. Mix it all up, done,tasty!I put a whole bag of roughly shredded kale into vegetable curries… can’t taste it then lol I put it in last, on the top of the curry when its more or less cooked, then put the lid on to steam the kale, then mix it into the curry gently..Thanx Mandy & Thea, for making me think I’m weird – I like kale, taste ‘n all, raw or cooked. Luckily I’m living by myself, in a house at the edge of town, because the odor of cooking this life saver of a vegetable has been known to be upsetting some haters… :o)I love kale as well, raw and cooked, so I guess we’re both weird.I love dinosaur kale to me it has a better taste. I love it in stir fry’s.Surprising results! I enjoy the flatter-leafed versions of kale rather than curly kale. I enjoy it steamed with mushrooms and eggplant, served over rice with some soya sauce. There was an excellent recipe for kale and tomato soup with garlic and almonds in the book Vegan of $4 a Day. Dr. G., I hope you get to do some lectures for pharmacology students. They’d love your presentations.For some context, please also check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli!No Kale in France. What is the closest to kale here? Try consuming any dark green leefy vegetable such as collards, spinach, bok choy, arugula and Swiss chard.swiss chard is super-nutritious as well. Be sure to consume both cooked and raw (juice or whole leaf) forms of kale and swiss chard.I live in Paris and we can find Kale now thanks to Kristten who started the Kale Project. And guess what, the season just started !I just had my first Kale chips, and it’s awesome !http://thekaleproject.com/eat-buy/http://www.rue89.com/sites/news/files/assets/image/2013/08/kale.jpgI live in Paris and we can find Kale now thanks to Kristten who started the Kale Project. And guess what, the season just started !I just had my first Kale chips, and it’s awesome !http://thekaleproject.com/eat-buy/Do you know if it’s okay to drink kale juice if you’ve got fructose malabsorption. I have it, and got told to stay away from most fruits. (Except grape, lemons, those kinda things).But i really want to be as healthy as I possible can, but I feel really limited. I take what I can, in vegetables, and nuts. But hardly any fruit, since that makes me fully constipated.You seem awfully smart, got any suggestions, ideas xD?Kale has no sugars in it so you should be fine. The sources that I have found useful are http://nutritiondata.self.com and Cronometer. Best wishes.I consume raw kale daily and often twice a day as the basis for my salad.  Here is a healthy and absolutely delicious recipe for using kale as one uses any kind of lettuce.Ingredients kale, onion, red bell pepper, Persian cucumbers ( or baby cukes), plum tomatoes, jalpenos (optional, I prefer the tamed style as they are not as “hot” but add a bit of zing to the salad), garlic & onion powders, and “good” Italian dressing.Wash, dry, and de-stem kale. Roll and cut both length and width wise into small pieces. Slice or dice onions, peppers, cukes, & jalapenos. (**do not add tomatoes yet) Add garlic & onion powders and place kale in a plastic bag and shake until powders and all ingredients are blended well. Store and refrigerate in a zip lock bag for the same amount of time you would store lettuce. Retrieve the kale and use as you would any kind of lettuce. Add tomatoes and Italian salad dressing only when ready to serve or it will become soggy.  Delicous and soooo nutritious.  Provides more and a better quality of calcium than Boneva :)*N.B. It seems to be much work initially but once the kale is prepared, it is a pleasure to reach into the bag and retrieve only what you need without going through the preparation each time you want a salad.  Enjoy!Dr. Greger, what foods have you know to be helpful for someone that is HIV positive?Raw organic extra virgin coconut oil. Ref: Dr. Mercola.Kale is really awesome stuff…I prefer the dino kale too but am now growing my own curly kale! Love to dip it raw in hummus for a snack…also love to add it torn up into lentil soup. Let’s not forget kale chips…wow, great stuff if you don’t add a lot of gunky stuff to it! I do also love it sauteed with garlic & onions and put over black rice.KALE CHIPS!! I am not a fan of just chewing on kale but I love kale chips, I even saw a recipe for chocolate covered kale chips YUMMWow! Pretty amazing.study’s new (working!) link update https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bbb/75/1/75_100490/_pdfThank you–fixed!Kale is the crack of the Hamptons…Have you done this experiment with BLENDED kale? I consume green smoothies on a regular basis, and like to include a couple of large kale leaves in each one. I’d love to know if blending it (or even juicing, but I like to keep the fiber by blending) makes as much difference as cooking it does?For the immuno-stimulatory effects of kale eating kale cooked appears to be better; however, eating it raw is good too. Putting a couple of kale leaves into your smoothie each morning is most definately a good idea, however, make sure to add cooked kale to your daily menu as well for even better results. The combination of cooked and raw in the diet covers all the bases.Working Out the Knots Kale– 1 bunch de-stemmed green/red curly kale – pinch black pepper – pinch sea salt – juice of half a lemon – 3 cloves garlic, mincedRemove the bulk of the stems from the kale by holding the thick end of the stem and sliding your hand toward the skinny end. Shred the kale into pieces with your hands and place kale in a large bowl. Top kale with remaining ingredients and massage everything together until kale turns bright green, about 1-2 minutes. Serve cold.Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline~Complements of lovestobeveganI have been juicing and smoothing kale for about 6 months now, but here’s my question: The Doctor has put me on methotrexate to fight RA. Do I want to be boosting my immune system if I am taking that? They say I can’t take echinacea because it boosts the immune system. Should I stop eating Kale? Please advise!why isn’t a photograph of kale used? seems silly to me. lacinato (dinosaur) kale is beautiful!that really threw me off too.Eating kale for my very first time (knowingly) right now. That and beet greens (also first), a beet, black beans, corn tortillas (toasted) and salsa. Whoops, there’s some broccoli and garlic on the plate too…how’d that happen? Came here to check up on kale’s specific greatness. Looks like another WIN WIN!	boiling,cooking methods,cruciferous vegetables,greens,immune function,in vitro studies,kale,phytonutrients,plant protein,raw food,standard American diet,USDA,vegetables	Comparing the immune system-boosting effect of cooked versus raw kale.	The bioavailability of some phytonutrients is increased by cooking. See my Best Cooking Method video to find out which vegetables are better cooked and which are the best to eat raw. Check out my 33 other videos on greens and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. And note that the study I'm talking about here is published in an open access journal, so you can click on it above in the Sources Cited section and read it full-text for free.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/24/mushrooms-and-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/boiling/	-	-
PLAIN-3024	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-additives-to-diminish-toxicity/	Meat Additives to Diminish Toxicity	Realizing that the link between meat and cancer is so strong—particularly processed meat—a new article in the journal Meat Science asked Should we become vegetarians, or… can we make meat safetr. There’s a bunch of additves, for example, that can suppress the toxic effects of heme iron, the blood iron that’s found in meat. These additives are still under study, but could provide an acceptable way to prevent colon cancer, because evidently avoiding meat is just out of the question.I mean if the National Cancer Institute recommendations to reduce meat consumption were adhered to, sure, cancer incidence may be reduced, but famers and the meat industry would suffer important economical problems…..	Cancer risk is just one reason why Plant Protein is Preferable. If we were truly to follow the science, the fast food, junk food, and meat industries would really be in trouble. See Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero. How do they get away with this? See Dietary Guidelines: Science Versus Corporate Interests and Dietary Guidelines: USDA Conflicts of Interest. What might healthier dietary guidelines look like? See Dietary Guidelines: It’s All Greek to the USDA. And what effect might that have on our public health? See Dietary Guidelines: From Dairies to Berries, in which a solution is reached in which both farmers and consumers can benefit. For more, see my 27 other videos on industry influence and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Sure seems improbable that an additive chemical can be introduced to the present existing batch, for nullification of the these meats cancer causing predilection. If it was achieved, I shudder to think of the longer term or completely new potentially harmful effects might be instigated.The current farmers, in their present business model, certainly would have economic problems necessitating a change, which would eventually lead to many switching to producing an entire plant based agenda, before current profitability resumed.Of course, along this path of change, think nationally of the hundreds of billions of dollars that would be saved in cardiac treatment (stents, angiograms, bypass surgeries) and the multiple reductions in cancer care (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy)…..if a plant based diet were followed by the majority of Americans.Vegan sausage, might be their eventual answer. All our veggies, chopped and minced in a plant casing, served on a whole grain bun. LOLI’m going to take a wild guess that this article published in “Meat Science” is not going to recommend avoiding meat but instead an attempt to make it safer. Why even pose this as a question in the title of the paper? It’s already rigged.One “quality meat company says the nitrites they add to their meat are different than the artificial sodium nitrite which is the industry standard. Quote:”What’s the difference between the nitrites in our products and those in conventional products? The nitrites in our products occur when the nitrates in the celery powder and sea salt react with lactic acid starter culture and convert into nitrites. Without these natural nitrites our uncured products would be gray. Conventional companies use synthetic sodium nitrite to cure their products. According to the Food Chemical Codex (3rd addition, National Academy of Sciences), industrial sodium nitrite is allowed to contain residual heavy metals, arsenic and lead. While some may say, “nitrites are nitrites,” those derived from celery juice and sea salt are clearly different!”Is it possible that some nitrites are less likely to turn to nitrosomines than others under similar conditions?. Or are all nitrites equally susceptible to transformation into carcinogens?I’m afraid nitrites are indeed nitrites.Dr. Greger, Do you have plans to do a video examining / debunking the “Paleo Diet”? I’ve searched the site & only see one reference you’ve made about the Paleo Diet (it was in response to someone’s video comment but was not very detailed). It seems to me that if, as a package deal, plant protein is preferable to animal protein, that the Paleo Diet could not possibly be the most optimal choice.Putting in my request for a video dedicated to examining the Paleo Diet.Check out this youtube channel that is science based and has over 70 videos debunking the paleo diet using scientific literature, similar to Dr. Greger. http://www.youtube.com/user/primitivenutritionFor some context, please check out my associated blog post Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies!	cancer,carcinogens,colon cancer,farmers,food additives,meat,National Cancer Institute,processed meat,rectal cancer,standard American diet,vegetarians	How meat scientists justify their promotion of foods associated with cancer risk.	Cancer risk is just one reason why Plant Protein is Preferable. If we were truly to follow the science, the fast food, junk food, and meat industries would really be in trouble. See Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero.  How do they get away with this? See Dietary Guidelines: Science Versus Corporate Interests and Dietary Guidelines: USDA Conflicts of Interest. What might healthier dietary guidelines look like? See Dietary Guidelines: It’s All Greek to the USDA. And what effect might that have on our public health? See Dietary Guidelines: From Dairies to Berries, in which a solution is reached in which both farmers and consumers can benefit.  For more, see my 27 other videos on industry influence and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farmers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cancer-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21558046,
PLAIN-3025	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/	So Should We Drink Beet Juice or Not?	Why don’t those carcinogenic nitrosamines form in our stomachs from all the nitrites coming off our tongue? Because, our body’s not stupid and actively secretes vitamin C into our stomach juices to prevent that kind of thing from happening.That makes sense, right? Why would our body go out its way to evolve this elaborate double pass mechanism to produce lots of nitrite if it was harmful. As one group of researchers noted, If nitrite were, indeed, [itself] a carcinogen, we would be advised to avoid swallowing because saliva contains so much….So the way we are able to safely produce nitric acid from nitrites is by smuggling it into our bodies in safe nitrate plant form. Plants come prepackaged with just what the body needs to keep their nitrates from becoming carcinogenicThe bottom line is that whopping doses of nitrates, from vegetables, is likely to improve athletic performance and blood pressure without increasing cancer risk as long as it’s done in the context of a healthy plant-based diet. As long as there’s fat-free phytonutrients physically in your stomach for three or four hours after we nitrate load, the nitrites produced will zip through our system and feed our muscles and vessels with nitric oxide. And it doesn’t take much—like 20 mg of vitamin C is all you need in your stomach to block nitrosamine production. That’s like 2 stawberries, a little stalk of broccoli, or slice of bell pepper. Our bodies may have evolved getting about 600 a day! If you’re out cycling green tea would probably be the most convenient.There isn’t any vitamin C in beet juice, though, so just sipping beet juice all day is probably not the best route, though there might be other phytonutrients in it that will serve the purpose. That’s something we still don’t know. But a big arugula salad has as much nitrate as a cup of beet juice, and in addition, the requisite dose of vitamin C. Whole foods are always preferable, but if you do decide to juice your own you beets you should add some greens or something so throughout the day you can maximize nitric acid production while minimizing any risk.	And finally, the finale. It all started with Doping With Beet Juice. Then an exploration of the mechanism in Priming the Proton Pump and Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash. The real-world confirmation in Out of the Lab and Onto the Track. Then off on an interesting tangent in Asparagus Pee and Pretty In Pee-nk. The heart-healthy benefits of vegetable nitrates in Hearts Shouldn’t Skip a Beet and then where to find the most in Vegetables Rate by Nitrate. Then a seven-video journal to explain Is Bacon Good Or Is Spinach Bad? before landing us here. I hope you enjoyed the ride. Please let me know if you have any questions and make sure to check out my hundreds of other videos.I was surprised to see you reference a paper by Eaton on so called “Paleolithic nutrition.” These folks are part of a group who argues that we (humans) need to eat lots of meat to be healthy because that is built into our genes…..despite the overwhelming evidence that eating less (or no) meat promotes better health and that there are no nutrients except B12 not effectively obtained from a plant based diet.David Jenkins is more convincing in arguing our genetic heritage is more likely rooted in the Miocene, with a diversity of plant foods at the root of our diet.The Garden of Eden: Plant-Based Diets, The Genetic Drive to Store Fat and Conserve Cholesterol, and Implications for Epidemiology in the 21st Century Jenkins, David J. A.*†‡; Kendall, Cyril W. C.*‡Epidemiology: March 2006 – Volume 17 – Issue 2 – pp 128-130I have tremendous respect for Dr. Jenkins and his “ape diet” (also known as the Portfolio Diet) that I refer to in Low Fat or Whole Food. He was the guy who came up with the glycemic index concept. He was a co-author of the seminal review I covered in Egg Cholesterol in the Diet and my zombie-themed Avoiding Cholesterol is a No-Brainer. He’s also the one behind the plant-based “Eco-Atkins” diet (Plant-Based Atkins Diet). The full text of the commentary you mention is available at The Garden of Eden: Plant-Based Diets.SO previous videos led me to believe that drinking beet juice was good for me, especially helping my blood pressure. THis video leads me to think otherwise. Am I missing the point here? Any clarification is welcomed. Thanks.David: I’m sure someone else will have a better answer for you, but I thought I would give you some feedback.I do not believe that this video says that drinking beet juice is bad for you. This video seems to only say that beet juice *by itself* may not be as beneficial as it could be because it may not have the requisite vitamin C or similar nutrient. And since whole foods are almost always better than not, you might as well have your arugula salad and get more from your food than you would with just the beet juice.That’s how I interpreted the video. If you go back and watch the video again, I would be interested to hear if you still think this video is saying that eating beet juice is necessarily bad.Or possibly beet juice with lemon or orange juice added?Thea is correct, beet juice is just fine. But if we add vitamin c it will be more effective.I’ve read that beet juice taken every day could cause the body to have a allergic effect so it would be best to limit this to a few times a week.Hey Doc:Love your website – thank you for all your efforts to promote good health. As an endurance athlete I thought that beets/beet juice was my little secret but now you’ve let the cat out of the bag so to speak. I am curious if you had any comments on Dr. Ferenczi’s early Hungarian studies on the use of beets/beet juice to combat cancer?? Best regards,DaveI see Dr. Ferenczi has published papers in both Hungarian and German. Anyone out there willing and able to translate them for me if I send you the PDFs? For an overview of my beet videos, see my blog yesterday at One Green Planet: Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance.Did you get this translated? I am sure I can get the German translated by a friend.what are the best foods to fight colon cancer with advanced mets?Dear Dr. Greger, Thank you for all the wonderful information. Could you please summarize how much broccoli is optimal for breast cancer prevention and how it should be prepared and onsumed? More advice about this topic is greatly apreciated! Many thanks.Check out this video! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/broccoli-versus-breast-cancer-stem-cells/Just about every friend of mine is taking an L-Arginine supplement by the bucketful. They’ve been told by the direct marketer who sells it to them that l-arginine is a precursor to nitric oxide so it’s a vasodilator. “Studies show”, they’ve been told, that l-arginine dissolves arteriosclerotic plaque, and that it lowers cholesterol. Thus, my friends think they are protected from heart disease and strokes.I am skeptical. Is there any truth to these health claims?It is true, arginine is used to create nitric oxide, but I don’t know the effects of supplementing this, since it is already a nutrient our body creates. I am curious to see the studies that are purported by your friends to see if supplementing arginine really does increase nitric oxide. I have heard Dr. Caldwell Essylsten say we shouldn’t supplement arginine but he didnt delve into detail as to why.As I wrote, ” ‘Studies show’, theyve been told…” is the most I’ve gotten from them. They’ve been told these claims by the salesman, who evidently is a friend or a trusted chiropractor. They’ve all made some dietary changes, but any improvements in lipid markers, blood pressure, and other improvements they attribute to the arginine. They wouldn’t know a real study if they tripped over it.Same goes for the virgin coconut oil they use as well.PS. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dr. Oz was their source for what they “know” about l-arginine. They pretty much consider anything he says to be gospel truth.Could you please comment on whether these beet juice effects are best seen in aerobic type sports vs anaerobic type sports such as weight lifting, short distance swim and track eventsAt a point in the video it state “fat free nitrate” does that mean if you use a fat based dressing ie olive oil on the roquette salad that the effects are attenuated or even negative (as with bacon) ?  Cheers,Mel We should avoid olive oil for health reasons but that is another discussion entirely.Nitrates are found in the plant, and your body must convert it to nitrites. When it is in the form of nitrites, only then will fat turn it carcinogenic. Otherwise, nitrates alone will not become carcinogenic.toxins, when you say that ” …..the body must convert it to nitrites, only then will fat turn it carcinogenic”  does this imply that if i combine arugula or spinach (full of ni.) with fat, such as macadamia nuts or pecans, the fat in the nuts will turn it carcinogenic?  thank you. The answer is no, because spinach and arugula contains nitrates not nitrites. If you eat it with nuts, the fat will not turn nitrates alone carcinogenic. It must circulate back and be secreted to your salivary glands via the liver. Once your mouth flora convert the nitrates to nitrites, if you eat nuts after that point the nitrites will become carcinogenic nitrosamines. Do not be afraid to eat nuts with your greens.Hi,I had the exact same question as Mel and Moonchasis and I found your response very helpful.I have one more question, however. In the video, Dr. Greger says that, “as long as we have fat-free phytonutrients physically in our stomachs for three or four hours after we nitrate load,” we should be okay in regards to avoiding the formation of nitrosamines from nitrites. Does this statement imply that nitrates are very quickly absorbed, circulated, secreted in our saliva and converted to nitrites to be re-swallowed within a few minutes of eating a lot of nitrate-rich foods?If this is true, I imagine that eating fat (such as nuts) with nitrate-rich foods (arugula salad) would induce nitrosamine formation. In this case, the food, fat and phytonutrients (vitamin C) all stay in the stomach for a few hours (during digestion) and if the nitrates are quickly circulated, then they will arrive in the stomach again as nitrites to react with the fat and vitamin C that have not yet left the stomach (and subsequently form nitrosamines).However, this seems counter-intuitive because as Dr. Greger indicated in another video, eating fat with greens enhances nutrient absorption.You stated: “Once your mouth flora convert the nitrates to nitrites, if you eat nuts after that point the nitrites will become carcinogenic nitrosamines.” This seems to suggest that it takes a few hours for the nitrates to circulate into the saliva and that when re-swallowing as nitrites, the fat (the nuts you ate with the original salad) will have already left the stomach. What you said and my interpretation of it seem to make more sense to me (that it takes a few hours for the nitrates to circulate), considering that it is recommended to eat fat with greens.Otherwise, if the nitrates were circulated immediately, it would seem counter-intuitive to recommend eating fat with nitrate-rich foods in order to enhance absorption of fat-soluble nutrients because at the same time, the fat and vitamin C still in the stomach would facilitate the formation of carcinogens with the immediate addition of re-swallowed nitrite.Do you think that Dr. Greger actually meant what you stated? Also, do you know anything about how long it would take for the nitrate to be circulated?Thanks!KevinIf we eat nuts with salad, the bolus of food in the stomach will be mixed. Although it is true that stomach emptying occurs more slowly when fat is present, that does not mean that the salad will be selectively squirted into the duodenum without the nuts. It will come out at the same time.I am not sure how long each process within the nitrate cycle takes but I know the overall affect takes about 3.5 hours. We should note that it is not essential to mix nuts with salad, and we have no evidence that the more that is absorbed the better. In any case, I do not see the nitrate with nuts as a major issue as long as one is following a whole foods plant based diet.I have had a lot of success with lowering my blood pressure by drinking a cup of fresh beet juice per day. Recently a friend told me that her doctor cautioned her not to drink more than 1 beet’s worth of juice per day because it would damage kidneys and liver. Is there any basis to the “no more than one beet per day” theory? Thank you, JeannieThe Dr. may be suggesting this due to the relatively high oxalate content of beets, although I dont know of any research suggesting that oxalates are unhealthy or should be monitored when eaten in the form of whole plant foods. It may be possible to get alot of oxalates through juicing but I do not have a clear answer for you.Thank you so much and thank you for your fabulous website. I am going to keep drinking lots of beet juice! JeannieHow long should I allow for beets to go out of my system to take a fecal sample for my doctor. I am told that beets can cause a false positive for blood in fecal sample. ThanksIt takes 18 hours for food to exit a healthy digestive system digestive system.How long should I allow for beets to go out of my system to take a fecal sample for my doctor. I am told that beets can cause a false positive for blood in fecal sample. ThanksThank you very much for the great videos! As an elite endurance cyclist I am very interested the concept of beet juice and vit C. I was wondering if there is any research out there or you have any suggestions as to timing. Should I ingest the beet juice +vit C directly before a race, 1 hr before, etc…. does it matter what time of day? Thank you in advance.Hello Dr, Greger,Thanks for the very helpful material.I wonder, if beet juice is prepared and contained in a close bottle in a refrigerator, does its qualities fully preserved for 1-2 days? or is it that in order to gain the maximal benefit, juice needs to be prepared just before one wants to drink it ?similar question please with regard to keeping pilled and cut to slices beet roots in a friege (if one doesn’t want to deal with it on early mornings) ?Thanks again,JAside from the loss of fiber, are there any other detriments to using a masticating juicer, as opposed to eating the whole food?Again, as there is no general category for related questions (sorry):Dr. Ignarro advises L-Argine supplements (along with citruline) in order to enhance NO production.I know that in general the trending is away from supplementation with the exception of perhaps Vit D, B12 and ..& milk thistle.I am wondering if you have any updated information regarding the (in)effectiveness/desirability of this supplementation.I might also ask about any risk/benefits of supplementing: alpha-lipoic acid, Co-Q10, and milk thistleThank you very much.Arginine is a nonessential amino acid that our body can produce enough of to function optimally and properly, this is why it is known as a nonessential amino acid. Citruline can be consumed just by eating citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges so I see no need in supplementing these 2 compounds. I know of no evidence claiming that these 2 substances should be consumed in pill form.ALA is simply plant based omega 3 which converts to DHA and EPA in our body. Consuming flax seeds, walnuts and other whole plant foods can provide more then enough ALA. I am unfamiliar with Co-Q10 and milk thistle but I can predict that these things are also close to useless. Eating whole unprocessed plant foods will provide all the nutrients you need, except vitamin b12 and vitamin D, to achieve optimal health.if plants are grown in deficient soil, then iodine and/or selenium may be needed. Though kelp and Brazil nuts may be the answer.Be cautious with kelp, as with Dr. Gregers video here. Kelp is an extremely concentrated source of iodine.Beets contain vitamin chttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2348/2Not very much though, 11% in a 136 gram cup is skimpy.Hi Doc,You mentioned to add greens to beet jiuce…does that inlcude the beet greens? If so, it makes it easy to get beets along with its greens and juice all of it to make it a simpler solution than adding another green.Thanks, RKDr. Greger,Germany here, GREAT WEBSITE! After watching your “athlete-series” i would like to know if the time of ingestion of nitrate-rich foods such as arugola is influencing the training-benefits? For example, is it better to take it directly before training or better 2-3 hours before? Thanks.I’ve been drinking beet juice for years so was a little worried when i found out nitrosamines and their carcinogenic properties. Have to say i feel less confused after watching this. Thanks for the info! It also seems that of the many nitrosamine compounds that have been identified, not all of them are thought to be carcinogens.any comments on beet greens – what is the best way to eat them – as they have oxylic acid – which is apparantly binds with calcium in the body?Hello doc. .. does beet +carrot + apple +lemon +ginger juice help guys with hep c to protect their I read beet juice help in rebuilding liver in 3 months ….please excuse me I am new to the diet concept…	athletes,beet juice,beets,bell peppers,beverages,blood pressure,broccoli,cancer,carcinogens,cycling,endurance,evolution,exercise,green tea,greens,hypertension,juice,nitrate,nitric oxide,nitrite,nitrosamines,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,saliva,strawberries,vegetables,vitamin C	In the context of a healthy plant-based diet, the nitrates in vegetables can safely be converted into nitric oxide, which can boost athletic performance and may help prevent heart disease.	And finally, the finale. It all started with Doping With Beet Juice. Then an exploration of the mechanism in Priming the Proton Pump and Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash. The real-world confirmation in Out of the Lab and Onto the Track. Then off on an interesting tangent in Asparagus Pee and Pretty In Pee-nk. The heart-healthy benefits of vegetable nitrates in Hearts Shouldn’t Skip a Beet and then where to find the most in Vegetables Rate by Nitrate. Then a seven-video journal to explain Is Bacon Good Or Is Spinach Bad? before landing us here. I hope you enjoyed the ride. Please let me know if you have any questions and make sure to check out my hundreds of other videos.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/31/cancer-proofing-your-body/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cycling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bell-peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endurance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrosamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saliva/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10518007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10918987,
PLAIN-3026	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-c-enriched-bacon/	Vitamin C-Enriched Bacon	If plant-based antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E can block the formation of nitrosamines, why don’t the bacon manufacturers of the world just add some vitamin C to their meat? They do. In fact by law, in the United States, bacon has to have antioxidants like vitamin C added to it to cut down on nitrosamine production. So what’s the problem?The vitamin C doesn’t work in the presence of fat; in fact, it looks like it actually makes meat more carcinogenic, if you can believe it. In the presence of an antioxidant like vitamin C, nitrosamine production drops as much as a thousand-fold, or is completely blocked. In contrast, in the presence of fat, vitamin C has the opposite effect, increasing nitrosamine formation 8–fold, 60-fold—140-fold even. Instead of neutralizing the risk of nitrites, adding vitamin C to meat may make it worse. The presence of fat converts vitamin C from inhibiting to promoting acid nitrosamine production,… for this kind-of-complicated reason, which you can read about.So when meat industry commentators exclaim: Pork is good for you. Animal fat is food for you. Cured meats assist the human body with cardiovascular health, they, don’t know what they’re talking about. The natural source of nitrites are from the nitrates in vegetables. The bottomline? Our body wasn’t designed to get its vegetables in the form of bacon.	If you haven’t seen it, or need to brush up, the carcinogen-blocking effect of phytonutrients to which I refer was covered three days ago in Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat. And for more on crazy things food industries say, check out Heart Attacks and Cholesterol Agribusiness Sees It Differently, Egg Industry Blind Spot, Dietary Guidelines: Corporate Guidance, Dietary Guidelines: Pushback From the Sugar, Salt and Meat Industries and Is Pomegranate Juice That Wonderful?. This video is the second to last video in my 3-week series that started with Doping With Beet Juice and will end tomorrow with a video entitled “So should we drink beet juice or not?” Thanks for sticking it out with me! Now you just have another 1500 or so other topics to enjoy.Is it just animal fat that inhibits the protective Vitamin C, or does cooking high-nitrate veggies with oils or eating them with nuts, avocado, etc. cause the same problem?It’s easy to get confused between nitrites and nitrates (and all the more confusing, probably, seeing only 2 minutes or so of the story every day)! If, however, you go back and watch this series through, you’ll note that it’s the nitrites (with an “i”) that turn into carcinogens (a process that is blocked by phytonutrients in the absence of fat). Nitrites enter your body two ways, through processed meats directly when you eat them (and so the fat in the meat undermines any phytonutrients added to the meat) or hours after you eat a meal of high nitrate (with an “a”) vegetables through bacterial action on your tongue (again it might be good to go back and review). So we need fat to maximize our absorption of the carotenoids in greens (so add some nuts or seeds to your salad) but then hours later once the nitrates make it back into the mouth and produce nitrites, that’s when we should have no fat in our stomach.Dr. Greger: I have a follow up question to your response to MacSmiley, namely:How can one ever time these digestive steps so accurately to ensure that there is “no fat in our stomach” when “the nitrates make it back into the mouth and produce nitrites”?Are you implying that after a meal containing nitrate rich plant products that we estimate the time it takes to reach our mouth and then never consume any fat at that time?This all sounds very difficult and prone to error!Ahhh. I just reviewed the video “Priming the Proton Pump”.The key is the fact that the bacteria on our tongues do not convert the nitrates into nitrites while we are initially chewing our nitrate-srich green leafies. Our bodies put the nitrates back into our mouths via our saliva later on hours post-mealtime! THAT’s when the nitrates get converted into nitrites, reabsorbed when we swallow our spit, and THEN converted into nitric oxide!!BRILLIANT!Now I can see that medications that cause “dry mouth” are affecting more than our oral health!Now it makes even more sense when Dr Fuhrman says not to snack on nuts between meals, but to eat them with meals, beyond initial nutrient absorption enhancement. That way there won’t be any fats in your stomach when the nitrates make there 2nd appearance.re: “Now it makes even more sense when Dr Fuhrman says not to snack on nuts between meals, but to eat them with meals…” MacSmiley: Thanks for this comment. Just the other day, someone was telling me that Dr Fuhrman says what you wrote right here. I didn’t say anything in response to this person, but I didn’t think much of the idea. It sounded kind of silly to me. But you pulled the ideas together. I’m not familiar with Dr. Fuhrman’s particular teachings. I have just heard the name often and had no idea why he would say such a thing. Thanks. :-)Dr Fuhrman is a colleague of Dr Greger. He is a board-certified family physician and author of several books, including Eat to Live, Eat for Health, and most recently, Super Immunity.His rationale for eating 3 large meals a day with no between meal snacks has more to do with breaking our great American constant-face-stuffing food addiction, the anabolic/catabolic digestion cycle, as well as recommending nuts/seeds/avocado be eaten WITH meals for greater nutrient absorption.What I meant to say is that this new information from Dr. Greger is just one more reason for me to stick to Dr Fuhrman’s commonsense Eat to Live recommendations.In fact Dr. Fuhrman recently interviewed me: http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/interviews-features-dr-fuhrman-interviews-michael-greger-md.htmlIs it just me or is everyone else also getting a “Not Found” message when thr back up to watch older videos?I was able to view Priming the Proton Pump on the YouTube backup.http://youtu.be/4ivRY9YsdnYThanks Dr. Greger for this explanation. It helps a lot to get rid of the confusion!Now that So Should We Drink Beet Juice or Not? is posted I’m hoping that will help too! You can see why I had to make so many videos about it!re: “…that will help too! You can see why I had to make so many videos about it!” Yes, you really need the whole series to get an understanding. It is a complicated topic. (On the other hand, I cried fowl on the video that did nothing but ask whether or not bacon and veggies do the same thing. That video is only a question and no info! But I digress.)I’m fascinated by this stuff. And it is just one more important piece of information in that big picture of what it means to eat healthy.For what it is worth, here is some of my thoughts right now: I was thinking about the issue of “three hours later, best not to have fat in your tummy”. I tend to eat about every three hours or so throughout the day. So, perhaps I need to have my arugula salad as my last meal of the day?But if my nitrate/nitrite loading is at the end of the day, would I get any exercise-assistance benefits the next day? I’m not all that found of beets or arugula. So, I kind of want all the benefit I can get if I’m going to try to eat them. I’m not sure I remember the videos enough to say, but I’m guessing that I would miss out on the energy boost.So, then it would be matter of being thoughtful about when to have the arugula salad. Maybe I should have it in the morning (which would be very difficult for me since I’m now stuck on my yummy chocolate-banana oatmeal for breakfast) and just make sure that my mid-morning snacks and lunch are fat-free.Just thinking about things. It’s a lot to think about. I really appreciate the info.Although indeed all foods contain fat, perhaps if you ate a low fat meal 3 hours after consumption of nitrates you would be better off. I tend to eat large meals and stay full for long periods of time. I do snack on fruits though through out the day.re: “I tend to eat large meals and stay full for long periods of time.” I’m more of an all-day grazer myself. Though I found that the oatmeal happily keeps me pretty full for quite a while most days.“…then hours later once the nitrates make it back into the mouth and produce nitrites, that’s when we should have no fat in our stomach.”How about the protective phytonutrients then? Aren’t they also gone hours later?Do you recall that our stomach actively releases vitamin C to deal with this issue?I’m not very good at timing when I eat fats vs. veggies.  And I wondered if there was much fat timing in all the prior studies out there where the higher intake of fruits and vegetables (traditional Mediterranean diet, DASH diet) were associated with healthy benefits. Having chronic health issues I am familiar with PubMed, the online source of studies, and so went there to see if I could find some additional information. It turns out that the lead author for the study cited in this video has since published two more studies.   One study indicates that the type of fat the nitrates encounter affects the outcome. Unsaturated fats actually act as scavengers of some nitrosating species. His other study found that different types of acids present in plants have different effects on nitrosation. As noted in the video, vitamin C promotes nitrosation. But ferulic acids (found in many plants) and caffeic acids (found in all plants) “markedly inhibited nitrosation”. The 2007 study by the lead author E. Combet analyzing the vitamin C and fat interaction was done “in vitro”—in the artificial environment of the test tube. E. Combet has followed up with two published studies in 2010. This is from the abstract of one of the studies: “Nitrosation has been studied in vitro in aqueous systems and less frequently in organic systems; however, there is a need to investigate acid-catalysed nitrosation in a system combining aqueous and lipid environments, hence providing a physiologically relevant model.” In some instances “unsaturated fatty acids acting as scavengers of nitrosating species, findings relevant to the nitrosative chemistry occurring in the stomach, where the gastric acid meets a range of dietary fats”. (“Development of an in vitro system combining aqueous and lipid phases as a tool to understand gastric nitrosation” PubMed ID: 20112267, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20112267 .) The other E. Combet study is at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20026204 PubMed ID 20026204. Does this make sense???  Thank you Dr. Greger for your fascinating web site. I have just recently discovered it and find myself very busy taking lots of notes!what if i have some beetroot juice, rocket leafs and a bit of cheese is this badI’m confused now. The video talks about the problems of “fat”, not just animal fat. Yet, we have previous videos that talks about the importance of adding fat to salads in order for our bodies to absorb the nutrients from leafy greens. :http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/forego-fat-free-dressings/So, we want this cool process from our arugula and yet by adding the fat it could create the carcinogens? What am I not understanding?Please see my response to MacSmiley above, Thea.Hi Dr Gregor,Can you cover glutathione? -If we should “take it” -In what form/foods to take it -what quantity to take it.Thanks, Evan“…vegetables in the form of bacon”… i think that is the most hilarious nutritional quote since Homer Simpson stated “purple’s a fruit!”Is it just me or is everyone else also getting a “Not Found” message when they try to back up to watch older videos?I was able to view Priming the Proton Pump on the YouTube backup.http://youtu.be/4ivRY9YsdnYI’m not very good at timing when I eat fats vs. veggies. And I wondered if there was much fat timing in all the prior studies out there where the higher intake of fruits and vegetables (traditional Mediterranean diet, DASH diet) were associated with healthy benefits. Having chronic health issues I am familiar with PubMed, the online source of studies, and so went there to see if I could find some additional information. It turns out that the lead author for the study cited in this video has since published two more studies.One study indicates that the type of fat the nitrates encounter affects the outcome. Unsaturated fats actually act as scavengers of some nitrosating species.His other study found that different types of acids present in plants have different effects on nitrosation. As noted in the video, vitamin C promotes nitrosation. But ferulic acids (found in many plants) and caffeic acids (found in all plants) “markedly inhibited nitrosation”.The 2007 study by the lead author E. Combet analyzing the vitamin C and fat interaction was done “in vitro”—in the artificial environment of the test tube. E. Combet has followed up with two published studies in 2010. This is from the abstract of one of the studies: “Nitrosation has been studied in vitro in aqueous systems and less frequently in organic systems; however, there is a need to investigate acid-catalysed nitrosation in a system combining aqueous and lipid environments, hence providing a physiologically relevant model.” In some instances “unsaturated fatty acids acting as scavengers of nitrosating species, findings relevant to the nitrosative chemistry occurring in the stomach, where the gastric acid meets a range of dietary fats”. (“Development of an in vitro system combining aqueous and lipid phases as a tool to understand gastric nitrosation” PubMed ID: 20112267, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20112267 .)The other E. Combet study is at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20026204 PubMed ID 20026204.Thank you Dr. Greger for your fascinating web site. I have just recently discovered it and find myself very busy taking lots of notes!what does the botton line means?【our body wasn;t designed to get its vegetables in the form of bacon】I’m confused. If you are having an arugula salad or having grated beets on your salad, is it safe to have something containing fat such as avocados or walnuts at the same time?Ok so I read the rest of the discussion, and I have to say, this whole concept seems totally counterintuitive to me. So eat some beefs or greens and they can either be great for your heart or carcinogenic, depending on whether you remember not to eat some nuts or avocados 3 hours later? There is something wrong here. I don’t believe “nature” would make nutrition this confusing – something you have to figure out via scientific analysis. Primitive people could never have known this.Primitive people didn’t eat meat with chemical additives. Also they didn’t eat meat all the time. Skip the bacon, nothing to confuse.	animal fat,antioxidants,bacon,cancer,carcinogens,cardiovascular health,fat,food additives,meat,nitrate,nitrite,nitrosamines,phytonutrients,pork,preservatives,processed meat,vegetables,vitamin C,vitamin E	The addition of vitamin C to processed (cured) meats such as bacon may actually make them more carcinogenic.	If you haven't seen it, or need to brush up, the carcinogen-blocking effect of phytonutrients to which I refer was covered three days ago in Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat. And for more on crazy things food industries say, check out Heart Attacks and Cholesterol Agribusiness Sees It Differently, Egg Industry Blind Spot, Dietary Guidelines: Corporate Guidance, Dietary Guidelines: Pushback From the Sugar, Salt and Meat Industries and Is Pomegranate Juice That Wonderful?. This video is the second to last video in my 3-week series that started with Doping With Beet Juice and will end tomorrow with a video entitled "So should we drink beet juice or not?" Thanks for sticking it out with me! Now you just have another 1500 or so other topics to enjoy.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrosamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3756808,
PLAIN-3027	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/	Carcinogens in the Smell of Frying Bacon	The level of nitrosamines in bacon is so high that these carcinogens have been discovered even in the vapours from fried bacon—you know than smell of frying bacon that everyone loves so much? Well, one of the more potent carcinogenic nitrosamines is in those fumes. You're breathing it in.In fact if you are going to cook something like bacon and eggs the barbeque people have the right idea—do it outdoors in the fresh air. The amount of deposited particles deep into the lung of an individual indoors exceeded by up to 10 times the amount received by an individual at the same time period outdoors. which ends up depositing significantly fewer particles in your lungs, compared to cooking indoors.Just don’t run around or play Frisbee or anything near the grill, as the number of deposited particles significantly increases with exercise, just because you’re inhaling greater lung volumes.It's like the second-hand smoke of the meat world.What about tempeh bacon? Tempeh is probably the closest plant-based thing to cured meat; it’s a fermented soybean product. Airborne mutagens produced by frying beef, pork and a soy-based food. What did they find?Airborne cooking by-products from frying burgers, bacon and tempeh, were collected, extracted, and tested for mutagenicity, the ability to damage and mutate DNA. The fumes generated by frying pork and beef were mutagenic, especially the bacon—found 15 times worse than the beef, but no mutagenicity was detected in fumes from frying tempeh burgers.The researchers suggest that this may explain both the increased risk of respiratory tract cancer among cooks as well as the lower proportion of deaths from respiratory diseases and lung cancer among vegetarians.	For more on the dangers of processed meats, see yesterday’s video, When Nitrites Go Bad and Bacon and Botulism. For more comparisons between meat and veggie meats, see Chicken vs. Veggie Chicken, What Is Really in Hot Dogs? and Carcinogens in Roasted Coffee. And for more on… more, enjoy the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.Curious about a study like this on frying fish.Frying anything is quite harmful to ones health. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/deep-frying-toxins/For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!Would you know what are the chemical substates responsible for the sometimes strong, foul odor of frying bacon or recently the sauteing of bratwurst?I thought you might find this interesting:SF Bacon Restaurant Must Close Due to Aroma IssueIf only they knew. (This is an article where the admonishment not to read the comments is a good one, though I admit were I on FB I would be tempted to leave a comment with just a link to this article!)I gave up bacon a long time ago – but I’d like to play devils advocate and ask about organic untreated bacon – because often people say to me that their bacon is fine because it’s organic, pastured and not preserved with nitrites.I am thinking that problems may arise from exotoxins from the bacteria, and contaminants in the fat – but:What are the main reasons you would avoid organic, untreated bacon?I’ve actually hated the smell of frying bacon for years, well before I made the recent switch to plants. I…I can smell carcinogens?What about the effect of heat used in canned sardines, a recommended substitute for meat?	air pollution,bacon,barbecuing,beef,burgers,cancer,carcinogens,DNA damage,eggs,exercise,fake meat,fermented foods,frying,hamburgers,lung disease,lung health,meat analogs,nitrosamines,pork,soy,soybeans,tempeh,veggie bacon,veggie burgers	Frying bacon outdoors decreases the concentration of airborne nitrosamine carcinogens.	For more on the dangers of processed meats, see yesterday’s video, When Nitrites Go Bad and Bacon and Botulism. For more comparisons between meat and veggie meats, see Chicken vs. Veggie Chicken, What Is Really in Hot Dogs? and Carcinogens in Roasted Coffee. And for more on… more, enjoy the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fermented-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/air-pollution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tempeh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrosamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fake-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat-analogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barbecuing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17391237,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10415436,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7590526,
PLAIN-3028	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevention-is-better-than-cured-meat/	Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat	Nitrosamines are considered the most carcinogenic, the most cancer-causing agents in cigarette smoke.In 2011, scientists measure the amount of nitrosamines in meat products. This is a table showing quantities of seven different preformed carcinogenic nitrosamines. So from chicken meatballs, to pork, turkey slices, hot dogs, foie gras and sausage, processed meats come prepackaged with carcinogens thanks to the transformation that occurs from nitrite to nitrosamine in the absence of phytonutrients.How much is there in meat, compared to tobacco? The Cancer Project uses this graphic to warn consumers about the cancer risks associated with processed meat, suggesting a few hot dogs may contain the carcinogenic load of a pack of cigarettes. Turns out they hit it right on the head. Filtered cigarettes have 11 times more nitrosamines and nitrosamides, but that's per kilo. Cigarettes have less than a gram of tobacco each. Hot dogs are about 60 times heavier and so four hot dogs has more than a pack of 20 cigarettes.Here’s how much nitrosamine you can measure over the course of a day in someone eating ham, or sausage….And here these are two representative graphs of how much is flowing through the bodies of those eating vegetarian.In fact you can take people who eat smoked or canned meat, put them on a vegetarian diet and very quickly see a drop as your body starts to detoxify itself within a day or two. Here’s a chart... of the effect of changing from a meat diet to a vegetarian diet on urinary nitrosamine levels, a reflection of what's flowing nthrough their blood streams. Looking at 4 different carcinogens you can see Day 1 and 2 eating meat, then vegetarian diays 3 through 5 and you can see the dramatic drop, though doesn’t drop as low as those on the control vegetarian diet. Presumably, though, a few more days and body would be able to flush out the remainder.	Eating a plant-based diet can also help detoxify your body from some of the industrial pollutants found higher in the food chain, but it takes substantially longer than a few days. See Industrial Pollutants in Vegans and Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination. For a comparison of the levels of different carcinogens in meat, see Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants, Carcinogenic Putrescine, Hair Testing For Mercury, Dioxins in the Food Supply, and Carcinogens in Roasted Chicken. See all 1,500 or so topics I cover here.Dr Greger,I really enjoy your site and your videos!Question: How do “natural” meat products stack up? We sometimes buy hotdogs and bacon with “no added” nitrates as well as some meat products that only have nitrates from celery power. Are these just as bad as standard meat? Thanks for all the info!RobertDirty, stay tuned for Dr. Greger’s next video describing how when animal fat AND antioxidants are present, the nitrosamines are much more potent. No added nitrites is a clever way of disguising plant based nitrites and putting them in meat, such as the example you gave with celery.Terrific insight and education in all these videos, Dr Greger. Very appreciated. They are presented with great research, supported from a scientific background yet are explained and simplified for all to understand. You do a fantastic job and are performing a very helpful service.Really glad I have found this site, I have recently, for the past three weeks been following a low fat completely Vegan diet and have already noticed definite improvement in my overall health…..enough to sure keep me motivated for it’s continuation. All your information just makes it that much clearer.Is it possible/ok to ask some related nutritional questions as they arise? Thank you much.Absolutely! I’m so glad you’ve found my work to be useful.Dr. Greger is a star and needs to be booked on the Dr. Oz show! He would reach so many people with one appearance and could save a lot of lives. I hope someone is working on that!! Louise FDr. Gregor,Thank you so much for all of your great work! My husband and I have been vegan for the past 1.5 years and really enjoy watching your videos. We have told as many people as possible about this site!Our question is, do fake meats like “Smart Dogs,” “Smart Bacon,” “Boca Burgers,” etc contain nitrosamines?-Tara http://www.taramartine.blogspot.comSince the pinkening effect of nitrites in meat is due to the binding with heme iron, because there’s no blood in plant-based meat substitutes, I can’t imagine them adding nitrites–but always good to check the label!I was wondering doctor, whether you’ve rated conventionally raised animal products (or in the case of fish, wild-caught) for toxic ingedients or affects across the board.. For instance, dioxins in fish, omega 3/6 balance of farm raised animal products, the affects of grain feed on animals, hormones (both growth and lactating), etc. I’m an athelete and I try to get a fair amount of complete animal proteins and going completely organic in that regard is a little expensive for my taste at this time. So can you tell us what the most toxic animal products (across the board) might be?Seaking wonder,I myself am a competitive rock climber and you should note that all whole plant foods contain complete proteins. Lack of protein is not an issue when one is vegan. I noticed significant strength gains when going whole foods plant based and Vegans in fact have more circulating protein than do omnivores. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vegan-protein-status/As far as contaminants go for each animal product…Fish is by far the most contaminated. Even wild caught fish is quite high in all known contaminants found in fish, from dioxins, DDT, drug residues, mercury, and more. There is no “best” option with fish, because we should strive to keep pollutants out of our body and this simply isn’t feasible with fish. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=fishAs for poultry, conventional meat is highly contaminated but organic poultry was found to have arsenic in it as well. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/arsenic-in-chicken/Chicken and eggs are the top sources of arachidonic acid in the diet. Arachidonic acid may play a role in cancer, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune disorders. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/Chicken and eggs are the top sources of cholesterol which we should strive to have our intake remain at 0. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/As for beef, a significant increase in all cause mortality is associated with beef. Grass fed beef and conventional beef has very little nutritional difference, the flesh is still the same. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/Thanks Toxins, but I’ve already watched all the doctors videos. I’m looking for a scale of most to least toxic foods or food elements so that I may pick my poisons, so to speak. And I don’t buy the cholesterol=bad thing because I ate upwards of 3 dozen eggs for over 5 years and when I got my cholesterol profile checked last fall, every variable, including HDL, LDL Triglycerides and a couple others all checked out “optimal”. One, I think, was “sub-optimal”, which is just shy of the ideal score on a scale that had 5 grades. I have no problem with eating raw, organic, cage-free eggs. There’s plenty of evidence that Atkins, Taubes and company had it right in regards to the cholestrol debate. That isn’t to say that factory farming isn’t rife with reasons to eat organic meats AND vegetables. Note* I eat a moderate amount of monosaturates and omega-3 polys from nuts and seeds to counteract the LDL so I suppose that has something to do with my good cholestrol. I only cook with coconut oil (saturated fat) as well.The cholesterol in eggs is one concern, as the doctor points out, but just because your fasting cholesterol is “optimal” for the American standard doesn’t necessarily make you healthy. As soon as you eat one egg, you expose your body to several hours worth of oxidative stress, inflammation of ones arteries, endothelial impairment (what keeps you blood running smoothly) and increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidize (beginning stages of heart disease). The keyword here is oxidize.Nuts are a very poor source of omega 3 fats. In fact, walnuts, flax seeds and chia seeds are the only good sources of omega 3. The other nuts all have outrageous ratios of omega 6:omega 3. The ratio we should strive for is 4:1 or under.Peanuts have a ratio of 4400: 1 Almonds have a ratio of 1800: 1 Brazil nuts have a ratio of 500: 1If you have a high ratio of omega 6 to 3 then your omega 3 doesn’t get used effectively and you end up with a large excess of arachadonic acid. If you have watched Dr. Greger’s videos, im sure you are aware of the dangers this entails. Eggs are a very high source of arachadonic acid as well. Eggs are by no credible standard “healthy”.Coconut oil is also another junk food that is unhealthy. It is 91% saturated fat, and 23% of that saturated fat is of the worst type.This 2 year study looked at coronary artery lesions of the heart after consuming different types of fat. Polyunsaturated fat (omega 3 type of fat) Monounsaturated fat (75% of which makes up olive oil) and Saturated fat (the kind found in mostly animal products and coconut oil). They looked at angiograms a year apart after intervening with increasing one type of fat in each group. All 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing. http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/263/12/1646.abstract?sid=47d1d016-3c15-43f4-a013-0d10144ef8e3The best advice I can give you based on the nutrition research is to completely get off the eggs and do not consume coconut oil. These are non beneficial, harmful foods.when I said 3 dozen eggs, I meant 3 dozen eggs a week (upwards, actually). And why are you going into a tirade about how ‘nuts are a poor source of omega 3′. Omega-3 isn’t the only mechanism for fighting HDL. For starters, polyunsaturates in olive oil and almonds boost HDL. I eat Walnuts, Almonds and Pecans primarily, peanuts and/or cashews as an occasional guilty pleasure and I eat flax by the truckloads. Not all saturated fats are created equal either. Coconut oil is palmitic acid and is treated quite differently by the body other fats. Saying you’re going to get high cholesterol from eating cholestrol is like saying you’re going to get pulmonary adema from drinking water. The body is a complex machine and it’s becoming more evident that sugar is the actual monster, not fat or even saturated fat or cholestrol. of course we can all agree that trans-fats are good for nobody.Im sorry if it appeared i went into a tirade. The food choices you are choosing to eat are not healthy and unsupported by the scientific literature. I was pointing out that eggs are unhealthy, as is coconut oil, or any oil for that matter. If you can provide some scientific evidence for your claims then please share it with us.since you prefer to play rock/paper/scissors with web links, here’s a doctor who believes differently than you do. good day and good luck. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/08/10/making-sense-of-your-cholesterol-numbers.aspxI asked you to show the health benefits of eggs and coconut oil through the use of a scientific paper, not an article talking about cholesterol. A scientific paper comes from a peer reviewed journal, like the national library of medicine.cholesterol has been on trial for decades. now it’s time for soy, glutens and lectins to get their turn.http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/some-dangers-of-soy.htmlhttp://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/18/eating-wrong-plants-can-mess-dna-expression.aspxThese are not scientific papers, they also contain many misconstrued data, and the first one lacks any references. Its easy to find stuff on the internet that supports anyone’s view, id start by looking here. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/If someone wants to discount the overwhelming studies and evidence of the harmful effects of cholesterol then there isn’t much you can do. With all the evidence that animal protein promotes cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, stroke, dementia, etc., it is shocking that most Americans continue to eat animals morning, noon and night.I wish more people would also consider the taking of an animal’s life and the extreme cruelty and suffering that these animals go through to deliver someone a few moments of pleasure on their lips. People just don’t care, their desire is more important than their compassion. Very sad.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!Hello, I wonder what the regulations regarding the nitrates in meat in the EU are, as they tend to be stricter in general. Thank you.	beef,carcinogens,chicken,food additives,ham,hot dogs,meat,nitrite,nitrosamines,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,preservatives,processed meat,sausage,smoking,standard American diet,tobacco,turkey,vegans,vegetarians	The levels of nitrosamines—considered the most carcinogenic agents in cigarette smoke—were recently measured in an array of processed meats including chicken, turkey, and pork.	Eating a plant-based diet can also help detoxify your body from some of the industrial pollutants found higher in the food chain, but it takes substantially longer than a few days. See Industrial Pollutants in Vegans and Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination. For a comparison of the levels of different carcinogens in meat, see Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants, Carcinogenic Putrescine, Hair Testing For Mercury, Dioxins in the Food Supply, and Carcinogens in Roasted Chicken. See all 1,500 or so topics I cover here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrosamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6724737,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16964372,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11743810,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21376329,
PLAIN-3029	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/	Are Nitrates Pollutants or Nutrients?	We know cured meat increase cancer risk— childhood leukemia, for example—yet higher intake of vegetables are associated with a reduced risk . How can nitrites be bad in meat, but good when they originate in our own stomach from all the nitrates we get from green leafy vegetables?Well, one possibility could be that nitrates are not good, — and such a case has been made, blaming the rise in Alzheimers, diabetes, Parkinson’s, and the kitchen sink on not only the rise in fast food and processed meat, but also the use of nitrate-containing fertilizers on our crops. Now this was dismissed as an unsupportable conclusion, but by a vice president of the Fertilizer Institute, so how do we know that’s not just a load of bull? And speaking of manure, organic producers in fact brag that their vegetables are significantly lower in nitrates.So nitrates in plants, it just a matter of too much of a good thing? Are nitrates in foods harmful or healthy?Before our heads explode, let’s go back to the basics: the facts of the case. The nitrosamines are the carcinogens. The nirtosamines are what cause the cancers. The only reason we’re concerned about nitrites, is that under certain circumstances then can form nitrosamines. And the only reason we’re worried about nitrates is that they form nitrites, which, again, under certain cirumstances can form nitrosamines. The nitrites themselves are fine— in fact amazing—that what all the new beet juice and blood pressure evidence I showed points to. — The nitrates turn into nitrites which turns into nitric oxide, which helps are arteries and athletic performance. So as long as nitrites turn into N.O.; we're good. It's only when they turn into nitrosamines that they cause trouble.So the answer to the riddle—finally—lies in the circumstances in which nitrites form nitrosamines. And that circumstance is the absence of phytonutrients. —Phytonutrients like caffeic acid found in all plants, ferulic acid, ascorbic acid—vitamin C, and others. So, nitrates plus plant foods, no problem, but is there any vitamin C in meat? No. So nitrosamines preform in the meat before it even make it into our mouths. It’s not so much that we’re eating the nitrites added to the meat, but the nitrosamines formed in the meat when they added the nitrites in the first place. Nitrites in the absence of plants turn into carcinogenic nitrosamines.	If you just arrived right in the middle of this story, for the benefits of vegetable nitrates I allude to, see Doping With Beet Juice, Out of the Lab and Onto the Track, and Vegetables Rate by Nitrate. For the problems associated with nitrites added to meat, see yesterday’s video and When Nitrites Go Bad. Which meats have the most nitrite? Find out in tomorrow’s video-of-the-day. Which veggies have the most nitrate? See Vegetables Rate by Nitrate. There are 48 other videos on what phytonutrients can do. Good places to start include The Power of No, Phytonutrients: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label, and Convergence of Evidence. And there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects here at NutritionFacts.org—enjoy!So what if lots of greens are consumed with the processed meats? Does that block or minimize the conversion to nitrosamines?We will see that when vitamin c is added to processed meat, the nitrosamines are amplified significantly. From this I can assume that when consumed with plant foods the nitrosamines are more harmful. this is my assumption, I don’t know if Dr. Greger has other information.I would love to hear this explained to! :)Wow–bravo on this whole beet juice-mitochondrial efficiency-nitrosamine series. It’s easy to see that you love teaching this stuff, and you’re good at it. You do an excellent job at conveying an engaging story, complete with history, biochemistry, puzzle-solving. Thank you, Dr. Greger.Very interesting! So nitrites in wine are ok because they’re consumed with grapes? Or are there other reasons to be concerned?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!Chris Kresser Lac has been confusing commom men with his data. I gave your present link to him. But I would also aprreciate you comments on this statement he made in his article he posted on face book  ” When it comes to food, vegetables are the primary source of nitrites. On average, about 93% of nitrites we get from food come from vegetables. It may shock you to learn that one serving of arugula, two servings of butter lettuce, and four servings of celery or beets all have more nitrite than 467 hot dogs. (2) And your own saliva has more nitrites than all of them! So before you eliminate cured meats from your diet, you might want to address your celery intake. And try not to swallow so frequently.” he is very cheeky.I think the above video spells it out.What do you think of this?http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070903204800.htmThis all supports Dr. Greger’s statements. Pant foods contain nitrates not nitrites. Vitamin c affects nitrites.Ah, Nitrites. I think I read it as Nitrates.It does say Nitrites are in saliva however. This was done outside the body though. Probably nothing to worry about I guess.Indeed, Nitrates are swallowed, circulated back through to the saliva where bacteria convert the nitrates into nitrites and then again swallowed to convert into nitric oxide.Splendid :)Dr. Gregar, what about prepared meats that do not use nitrites? A friend of mine buys cold cuts from Menonites and says that they do not use any preservatives. What is your opinion about these “organic” prepared meats?This study suggest the presence of 10% lipid in the stomach with nitrates and vitaminc C causes nitrosamine formation! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2095705/	ascorbic acid,beet juice,blood pressure,cancer,carcinogens,cardiovascular health,children,diabetes,endurance,exercise,farmers,fast food,food additives,greens,hypertension,leukemia,meat,nitrate,nitric oxide,nitrite,nitrosamines,organic foods,Parkinson's disease,phytonutrients,preservatives,processed meat,vegetables,vitamin C	Phytonutrients such as vitamin C prevent the formation of nitrosamines from nitrites, which explains why adding nitrite preservatives to processed meat can be harmful, but adding more vegetables and their nitrite-forming nitrates to our diet can be helpful.	If you just arrived right in the middle of this story, for the benefits of vegetable nitrates I allude to, see Doping With Beet Juice, Out of the Lab and Onto the Track, and Vegetables Rate by Nitrate. For the problems associated with nitrites added to meat, see yesterday’s video and When Nitrites Go Bad. Which meats have the most nitrite? Find out in tomorrow's video-of-the-day. Which veggies have the most nitrate? See Vegetables Rate by Nitrate. There are 48 other videos on what phytonutrients can do. Good places to start include The Power of No, Phytonutrients: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label, and Convergence of Evidence. And there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects here at NutritionFacts.org—enjoy!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ascorbic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endurance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrosamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farmers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19363256,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20413869,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19458015,
PLAIN-3030	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-and-botulism/	Bacon and Botulism	There are literally hundreds of studies on the link between cancer and cured meats like bologna, bacon ham and hot dogs but just for a taste, just over last year or so, processed meat consumption was significantly associated with bladder cancer, endometrial cancer, prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, and then all the way down the digestive tract: throat cancer, esophageal cancer, more esophageal cancer, more esophageal cancer and stomach cancer, colon cancer, and rectal cancer. Oh, and in a 10 for 1 deal, Processed meat was significantly related to the risk of stomach, colon, rectal, pancreas, lung, prostate, testis, kidney, and bladder cancer—and leukemia. That’s why the official American Institute for Cancer Research recommendation is to try to avoid processed meats entirely.With concern over the potential danger of nitrosamines growing, consumer groups, such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest, petitioned the USDA as far back as 1972 to ban or at least greatly reduce the nitrite in cured meats. The USDA denied the petition citing nitrite’s role in the prevention of botulism bacteria that can grow inside vacuum-packed meats. They had to weight the risk of cancer with of consumers getting deadly food poisoning bacteria from lunch meat.You know in 2011, the National Pork Board officially changed their quarter-century old slogan from Pork: the other white meat, to Pork: Be Inspired. Maybe for bacon they should have considered the tagline: Cancer or botulism, take your pickTo see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by MaryAnn Allison.	This reminds me of the cooked meat carcinogen issue. If we undercook meat, then we can get food poisoning (see for example Fecal Bacteria Survey, Chicken Out of UTIs, U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph) but if we make sure meat is well-done, we risk exposure to carcinogens produced when muscle flesh is exposed to high temperatures (see Fast Food Tested For Carcinogens, Muscle Tremors Diet, Carcinogens in Roasted Chicken). Tomorrow I’ll cover why nitrites from meat can be harmful while nitrites from nitrates in vegetables can be helpful. Can’t wait for more on the latest in nutritional science? There are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.It seems so …negligent…that we know these things yet nobody cares! Can’t believe more of a fuss is not made about processed meats. Even the WCRF say avoid it! They are legit, and have a wide audience. And people eat these foods everyday with no intention of changing! Why are they allowed to sell it? Ban it I say! It’s a major contributor to future healthcare costs from future diseaed people. Taxpayers money. Ban it and Save ourselves the bill…..Maybe this is “their” way to stop the overpopulation on this Planet …Ugh! Scarmongering and bad science. Get with the times people. This is a dumb as the fools freaking out about ‘radioactive fish’ from Fukushima when an organic banana has 20 times the level of radiation these fish have.If you want to get angry about anything, get angry about grains, fructose and sugar.http://chriskresser.com/the-nitrate-and-nitrite-myth-another-reason-not-to-fear-baconThe link is nonsense, please see here. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/Also, there is not a single study demonstrating that whole grains contribute to chronic disease. that is more philosophical thinking then sound science. http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251Ugh! Scarmongering and bad science. Get with the times people. This is a dumb as freaking out about ‘radioactive fish’ from Fukushima when an organic banana has 20 times the level of radiation these fish have.If you want to get angry about anything, get angry about grains, fructose and sugar. The real health demons of the modern age.http://chriskresser.com/the-nitrate-and-nitrite-myth-another-reason-not-to-fear-baconThe guy who wrote this article doesn’t even have a college degree. You believe him over a M.D. who’s written books and is considered a subject matter expert?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!Does this information also pertain to ham and bacon that do not contain nitrates or other food preservatives?Perhaps not, but nitrites are only 1 issue seen with these foods. Something that cannot be escaped whether it be the purest, organic, pasture raised farm animal or a factory farmed animal are endotoxins and increased levels of igf-1http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=endotoxemiahttp://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1Are you saying that meats cured with celery seed and ascorbic acid, which I’ve seen in some places, don’t contain nitrosamines?MUSLUM BROTHERHOOD STUDY	bacon,bladder cancer,bladder disease,bladder health,bologna,botulism,cancer,carcinogens,colon cancer,colon health,CSPI,endometrial cancer,endometrial health,esophageal cancer,esophagus health,food additives,food poisoning,foodborne illness,ham,hot dogs,kidney cancer,kidney disease,kidney health,leukemia,lung cancer,lung disease,lung health,meat,National Pork Board,nitrite,nitrosamines,pancreas health,pancreatic cancer,pork,preservatives,processed meat,prostate cancer,prostate health,rectal cancer,stomach cancer,stomach health,testicular cancer,testicular health,throat cancer,throat health,thyroid disease,thyroid health,USDA	The nitrite preservatives in processed meats such as bologna, bacon, ham, and hot dogs form carcinogenic nitrosamines but also reduce the growth of botulism bacteria, forcing regulators to strike a balance between consumers risking cancer or a deadly form of food poisoning.	This reminds me of the cooked meat carcinogen issue. If we undercook meat, then we can get food poisoning (see for example Fecal Bacteria Survey,  Chicken Out of UTIs,  U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph) but if we make sure meat is well-done, we risk exposure to carcinogens produced when muscle flesh is exposed to high temperatures (see Fast Food Tested For Carcinogens,  Muscle Tremors Diet, Carcinogens in Roasted Chicken). Tomorrow I'll cover why nitrites from meat can be harmful while nitrites from nitrates in vegetables can be helpful. Can't wait for more on the latest in nutritional science? There are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophagus-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrosamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-pork-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cspi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bologna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20545968,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21435900,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21455992,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21526454,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21430112,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21160428,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20681011,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21422932,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21674008,
PLAIN-3031	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/	When Nitrites Go Bad	Our story begins on a Norwegian fur farm in 1957. Mink were dropping dead left and right from a malignant new liver disease. The clue came when livestock starting dying from liver cancer as well. What tied all the cases together was the use of fish meal in their diets, fish meal that the country had just started preserving with sodium nitrite.Subsequent research discovered nitrite, under certain circumstances, can form nitrosamines, which directly attack DNA and are universally considered one of the key carcinogens in cigarette smoke. The occurrence in food was raised as a matter of gravest concern nearly a half century ago. Now we know the nitrites added to processed meats can form these carcinogenic nitrosamines, now recognized as among the most potent of chemical carcinogens.For example pregnant women who eat hot dogs risk having children with brain tumors, the #2 pediatric cancers. Then children, who eat lots of hot dogs, have nearly 10 times the odds of developing childhood leukemia, the #1 pediatric cancer.Last year in Meat Science an article about the role of ham in a healthy diet breathed a sigh of relief. Aspects relating to health and wellbeing are increasingly important factors in consumer decisions…Although the great palatability of ham largely outweighs such considerations.	So might not the nitrites produced in our mouths when we eat vegetables form carcinogens too? (See Priming the Proton Pump for an overview of the nitrate-to-nitrite process.) Don’t worry, we’re getting to that. In the meantime, what is really in hot dogs anyway? Glad you asked—see my video What Is Really In Hot Dogs?. For more on preventing brain tumors in children, see #1 Anticancer Vegetable (and the prequel Veggies vs. Cancer) and for more on preventing blood cancers, see Meat & Multiple Myeloma. And see our topic cloud for more on a thousand other topics.I was wondering if cold cuts labelled “natural” and containing cultured celery extract is a healthy alternative to processed meats, or if the added nitrites through the extract has the same effect as regular processed cold cuts.Yes, I am curious about this too. There a major availability of “naturally” cured meats now.I would expect the results to be nearly the same. The in situ curing using vegetable powder, sea salt, and bacteria culture generates sodium nitrite which has the same chemical properties and effects on the food as added sodium nitrite. The sodium nitrite from the in situ method is just as capable of forming nitrosamines. It’s just that in the U.S. the label can say ‘organic’ when using the in situ method and it can’t when the sodium nitrite is added directly from an external source. The meat is pink and has the same flavor when using the in situ method compared with the externally added method.The added vegetable powder can be represented on the label as ‘natural flavoring’, so the consumer can’t even be sure from the label that it contains sodium nitrite using the vegetable powder in situ method. In that case, one has look at the pink color of the meat and the familiar salty cured taste to know that it has sodium nitrite.It’s worth noting that the label in the U.S. can still say ‘organic’ even when the meat is smoked. The meat contains soot from the combustion/smoldering of wood, which is known to contain mutagenic and carcinogenic substances. Some manufacturers like to use apple wood for the smoking because ‘apple’ sounds healthy. One manufacturer of organic smoked, cured bacon has a package that is covered with apples, giving the consumer the impression that it is healthy.I’m curious as to whether nitrite Carcinogens from these meats can also be absorbed from skin contact. I work as a cook at pizza hut and am concerned about my health from coming in contact with the ham and pepperoni. I would also like to thank you for posting all of your videos, it has helped me improve my eating habits and health knowledge!What software do you use to produce your videos Dr. Greger? Keynote (the mac version of powerpoint)For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!	brain tumors,cancer,carcinogens,children,DNA damage,farm animals,fish,food additives,ham,hot dogs,infants,leukemia,meat,nitrite,nitrosamines,Norway,pork,pregnancy,preservatives,processed meat,smoking,tobacco	Nitrites in processed meat form nitrosamines, a class of potent carcinogens found in cigarette smoke, which may explain why hot dog consumption has been associated with the two leading pediatric cancers, brain tumors and childhood leukemia.	So might not the nitrites produced in our mouths when we eat vegetables form carcinogens too? (See Priming the Proton Pump for an overview of the nitrate-to-nitrite process.) Don't worry, we're getting to that. In the meantime, what is really in hot dogs anyway? Glad you asked—see my video What Is Really In Hot Dogs?. For more on preventing brain tumors in children, see #1 Anticancer Vegetable (and the prequel Veggies vs. Cancer) and for more on preventing blood cancers, see Meat & Multiple Myeloma. And see our topic cloud for more on a thousand other topics.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/norway/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrosamines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5893847,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19363256,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3906453,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7228298,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20374828,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14739572,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4171749,
PLAIN-3032	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-bacon-good-or-is-spinach-bad/	Is Bacon Good or Is Spinach Bad?	Nitrites: Harmful, harmless, or helpful?Nitrites are preservatives added to cured meats—like bacon, ham and hot dogs—to prevent botulism and make them pink by combining with iron in the blood in the meat.Everybody knows nitrites are bad for you, right?But wait a second, didn’t I just show all this research suggesting that in fact the reason dark green leafy vegetables may be so healthy is that the nitrates in them turn into nitrites in our mouths? And the nitrites go on to produce nitric oxide which is what's so great for our arteries. So which is it? Are nitrites good for you or bad for you?If nitrites are good for you, then hey—pass the bacon. If nitrites, however, are bad for you, then shouldn't we stay the heck away from spinach?On one hand, we have the food group widely considered to be worst possible thing you can eat, processed meat, and on the other hand you have dark green leafy vegetables, considered the best. Yet they are respectively being trashed and touted for the exact same reason—nitrites. It’s got to be one or the other, right?Now things are starting to get interesting… —stay tuned.	In response to a CDC study linking Spam consumption with diabetes, the president of the American Meat Institute recently defended processed meat, stating that “93 percent of human nitrite intake comes from vegetables and human saliva – not from cured meats. If nitrite were the issue, then one would think the vegetables would be the cause of the diabetes, yet no one is suggesting that association.” This is the first of the 8 videos on figuring out this apparent conundrum that will close out my 3-week series on the cardioprotective (see Hearts Shouldn’t Skip A Beat) and athletic performance-enhancing benefits (see Doping With Beet Juice) of nitrate-rich vegetables. For a review of the relationship between nitrates and nitrites, see Priming the Proton Pump. So far there have only been a few precautionary notes (see Asparagus Pee). What about this nitrite issue? As I say at the end of the video, stay tuned! In the meantime, I have a few videos on processed meat and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects that you can check out.Wow! A good old fashioned cliff hanger, reminiscent of who shot J.R! Although, this is much more interesting! LouiseFSorry for all the suspense Louise!No problem, the wait will be character building.On another note, I saw your “Latest in Nutrition DVD Vol. 3″ in the Cocoa Beach Library today. Yea! There is hope for humanity. All libraries should have your dvds.Louise FI agree! If anyone wants to approach their local public library with the offer I’d be happy to send them a free set.Thank you so much for your website! I spent all last weekend and now this weekend watching your videos and reading your blog. I have been so perplexed and pulled this way and that over nutrition issues. I trust you and feel I have found some sound reasoning in all the chaos. I will be coming here for my research first from now on.Dr Greger, does this mean that I should not eat salad dressing on my salad when I add a meat toppling or bacon bits…No tuna salad topping with mayo?…You should not be adding these foods to your salads anyway. Bacon, fish and mayonnaise are quite harmful foods. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/bacon-and-botulism/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/research-into-reversing-aging/For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!	bacon,botulism,food additives,food poisoning,foodborne illness,greens,ham,hot dogs,meat,nitrate,nitric oxide,nitrite,pork,preservatives,processed meat,spinach,vegetables	If the nitrates in vegetables such as greens are health-promoting because they can be turned into nitrites and then nitric oxide inside our bodies, what about the nitrites added to cured meats such as bacon, ham, and hot dogs?	In response to a CDC study linking Spam consumption with diabetes, the president of the American Meat Institute recently defended processed meat, stating that "93 percent of human nitrite intake comes from vegetables and human saliva – not from cured meats. If nitrite were the issue, then one would think the vegetables would be the cause of the diabetes, yet no one is suggesting that association." This is the first of the 8 videos on figuring out this apparent conundrum that will close out my 3-week series on the cardioprotective (see Hearts Shouldn’t Skip A Beat) and athletic performance-enhancing benefits (see Doping With Beet Juice) of nitrate-rich vegetables. For a review of the relationship between nitrates and nitrites, see Priming the Proton Pump. So far there have only been a few precautionary notes (see Asparagus Pee). What about this nitrite issue? As I say at the end of the video, stay tuned! In the meantime, I have a few videos on processed meat and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects that you can check out.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/botulism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ham/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18444144,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22277554,
PLAIN-3033	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/	Vegetables Rate by Nitrate	Therefore, the researchers conclude, we advocate consumption of a diet high in nitrate (i.e., a natural strategy) to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), (pre-) hypertension and to protect individuals at risk of adverse vascular events like heart attacks. So, if you want to try this at home, either to boost your athletic performance, or protect yourself from cardiovascular disease, which foods are the best sources?What do you think? Is it beans, bulb vegetables, like garlic and onions? Fruiting vegetables like eggplant, squash, tomatoes, green leafies, mushrooms, root vegetables, like the carrots, beets, potatoes, or stem vegetables, like asparagus and celery.In milligrams per 100 gram serving, Greens win the day!Here are the top ten widely available sources, and with all this talk about beet juice you’d think beets might be number 1, but they just barely made the top ten list. Swiss chard has more; next comes oak leaf lettuce; then beet greens; basil; spring greens, like mesclun mix; butter leaf lettuce; cilantro; rhubarb; and arugula. Now beet juice would actually be here, but we always want to choose whole foods to maximize the nutrition.There was actually one stem vegetable, and it came in number 2—rhubarb! But 8 out of the top ten are green leafies, with the winner by a large margin being arugula! 18 times more nitrate than kale! I may have a new favorite vegetable.Ten years ago, a pair of twin Harvard studies found the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the lower your risk of heart disease. The most powerful protector was - green leafy vegetables. And now, perhaps, we know why.	The reference to protection from heart disease is explained in yesterday’s video and beet-boosting athletics in Doping With Beet Juice and continuing with Priming the Proton Pump and subsequent videos in this 3-week video series. Another way that greens, The Healthiest Veggies, may protect heart health is explained in Boosting Heart Nerve Control. There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects if you can’t wait until tomorrow for your NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day fix.What vegetables are low in oxalates and high in nitrates… Or is it not possible to have low oxalate levels with high nitrate levels… and if so won’t this stop people from absorbing calcium and cause kidney stones??I heard Coriander (Cilantro) & Arugula (Rocket Lettuce), are low in oxalate and obviously high in nitrates. Is this true?How about turnips? Would it be slightly better than beets?I’d be impressed if anyone has the courage to try turnip juice :)I don’t understand this article, because i have read a lot of articles that warn about the toxicity in the high nitrates levels in vegetables, recommending not to give spinach and others green vegetables to children.Who is right then?Pasticana, there are confused issues with nitrites. Nitrites found in animal products for example, are harmful. When animal fat is present, nitrites convert to nitrosamines. In infants (who should be drinking breast milk anyway), they should not have high nitrate vegetables because they lack full capabilities of the enzyme to convert methemoglobin to hemoglobin. How do nitrites keep from transforming into the cancerous nitrosamines? When antioxidants, like vitamin c, are present, they do not convert. Also, there must be no animal fat. Under these 2 conditions, nitrosamines do not form. If there is animal fat present + antioxidants, the nitrosamines are amplified. We can conclude that a vegan diet with high nitrite vegetables is not only safe, but highly beneficial. Dr. Greger’s later videos will delve into this topic more deeply.(deleted)Thank you about the explanation, it makes sense to me. I really like the information in this place.I hope find answers about topics like Solanaceae, because i’ve found a lot of vegetarian forums where they recommend not to eat tomatos, potatos, eggplants because it removes calcium from blood stream and put it on wrong places.I’m not sure it’s acually true, but if it’s not they are misleading people, in the mediterranean where i live tomatos are ate in a daily basis.Here is a quote from Jeff Novick (a well known plant based nutritionist) about solanine.“All food, including fresh vegetables, fruits, starchy vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, have natural toxins in them. Many of these occur naturally in the food and are part of the plants natural defense system. Bruce Ames has published some articles on this, showing just how many toxic chemicals occur naturally in common fruits and veggies.Ames, B. N., Profet, M. and Gold, L. S. (1990) Dietary Pesticides (99.99% All Natural). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 7777-7781Ames, B. N. (1990) Natural Carcinogens: They’re Found in Many Foods. In: Health & Environment Digest, B. Murdock, ed., pp. 4So, the real issue is not whether or not a food has any toxic chemical in it, but how much of the toxic chemical is in the food and does it exist at a level that can be toxic to humans. Nicotine occurs in many common vegetables.N Engl J Med. 1993 Aug 5;329(6):437. The nicotine content of common vegetables.In regard to nightshades [solanine vegetables], there is no credible and reputable evidence that the nightshade family is harmful.”Dr. McDougall also says that“The most pharmacologically active compounds found in the potato are the solanine glycoalkaloids (α-solanine and α-chaconine). Their primary purpose is to defend the potato plant against bacteria, fungi, viruses, insects, animals, and humans. However, at appropriate levels these glycoalkaloids have medicinal effects for people.Known Medical Benefits from Extracts of SolanineLowers cholesterol Anti-diabetic Anti-allergic Anti-itching Anti-inflammatory Antibiotic (bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses) Anticancer ”He notes though that at high levels they do become toxic, but to avoid this he says “To eliminate the risks, do not eat spoiled potatoes; which usually means those potatoes with green discoloration under their skin and/or sprouted potatoes, having “growing eyes.””I forgot to thank you. :) I don’t know if it’s better only check thumb up, so there is not to many comments and email alerts. And it’s easy to people follow the comments.“Here is a quote from Jeff Novick (a well known plant based nutritionist) about solanine.”Dietician would probably be a more appropriate title. :)When you focus on one issue, it all seems so clear. But when you try to take into account all the information you have, it becomes confusing.For example, I have heard that it is important to get significant levels of absorb-able calcium in ones diet and that getting such levels is very achievable through eating certain greens. BUT you need to stay away from greens such as swiss chard and beet greens, because they have high oxolates (sp?) and the oxolates interfere with calcium absorption. Then there are studies like this that tout the benefits of eating such greens.This seeming conflict makes nutrition seem complicated. Am I missing something? How does one put all this information into a useful whole package of “how to eat healthy”? I know the answer many would give on this site. What I am asking is how to do it in light of conflicting information.Tricky indeed, my 2 cents, trust vegetables above anything else and variety, don’t overdo on one thing and you’ll be fine…My 16 year old daughter who is a vegan was tested as borderline low for iron. She makes sure that she consumes citrus everyday to help her absorbtion. My understanding is that it’s best to limit consumption of spinach because that could limit her iron absorbtion. Would beets fall into the same category? Do all foods that are high in nitrates have an impact on iron absorbtion?Somewhat off topic but related… She consumes a great amount of chocolate soy milk, possibly 3 12-oz. glasses per day. Is that good or bad for iron absorbtion?Recently, the recovery drink of choice has been chocolate milk but since she is vegan she drinks chocolate soy milk. Is she getting the same benefits from soy that she would get from cow’s milk as a recovery drink? No matter what I think chocolate soy has to better than any of the vegan alternatives such as Gatoraid or Propel. With her knowledge of factory farming she would never consume cow’s milk.I am going to answer the third part of your question dealing with “recovery”. I assume you are referring to an after workout recovery drink. The anabolic phase is a critical phase occurring within 45 minutes post-exercise. It is during this time that muscle cells are particularly sensitive to insulin, making it necessary to ingest the proper nutrients in order to make gains in muscle endurance and strength. If the proper nutrients are ingested 2 – 4 hours post-exercise they will not have the same effect. It is also during this time in which the anabolic hormones begin working to repair the muscle and decrease its inflammation. Immediate ingestion of carbohydrate is important because insulin sensitivity causes the muscle cell membranes to be more permeable to glucose within 45 minutes post-exercise. This results in faster rates of glycogen storage and provides the body with enough glucose to initiate the recovery process (Burke et al., 2003). Muscle glycogen stores are replenished the fastest within the first hour after exercise. Consuming carbohydrate within an hour after exercise also helps to increase protein synthesis (Gibala, 2000).In other words, the best post recovery food would be simple carbohydrates such as fruits, like a couple of bananas or some dates. The post recovery drink is a creation of the industry and doesn’t serve a significant purpose.Some words of caution: you said she is drinking chocolate soy milk as a post recovery drink, you don’t mean a chocolate soy recovery drink do you? If so, these are purposefully filled with soy protein isolates which is the refined soy protein that can spike our insulin like growth factor. This leads to accelerated aging and tumor growth promotion. Dairy has the same effect but soy protein isolates are twice as potent, making it more dangerous in that regard.She drinks Silk brand chocolate soy milk. Is this what you are referring to that is going to accelerate aging? I thought soy milk was healthier than dairy?We have tried almond milk but the protein content is not as high. With her being tested low for iron I thought soy was a better alternative. Would it be better to be sure to increase bean consumption and the citrus to be sure that she’s getting enough iron?Soy milk is an excellent alternative to cow’s milk, no saturated butterfat or cholesterol and even has a little fiber and iron (unlike cow’s milk). And indeed much more protein than almond or rice milk.As Dr. Greger said above, soymilk is indeed healthy. I was confused by your wording, I thought you meant a soy recovery drink. But now you know to avoid them.Is pea protein isolate equally bad for you?A sports dietician told me that one loses more sodium in sweat than potassium after strenuous exercise. She is the sports nutritionist for a major football team. She recommended a sodium enhanced coconut water for post exercise recovery. Apparently regular coconut water does not have enough sodium to make up for the electrolyte losses after vigourous exercise. You can calculate your sweat rate (how many pounds you lose in physicial activity). For every 1 lb of body weight you lose after exercise that corresponds to the loss of 16 ounces of sweat. To rehydrate you need 16-24 ounces of extra fluid per pound loss. The extra fluid requirements compensates for the water loss in urine.If you are exercising in the heat you will most likely need electrolyte/fluid replacement. Everyone knows that sweat tastes like salt that is why she states you are better off with water and a salt shaker rather than a banana. Some of her athletes lose so much water through sweat that they require IV fluids because the gut can only hold 1-2 litres of water.We should strive to keep sodium levels 1500 mg or under. A cup of coconut water already has 250 mg of sodium. 16 ounces of coconut water rehydration is 500 mg of sodium, and to enhance the sodium content even more doesn’t seem very healthful. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/In the words of Jeff Novick (a well known plant based dietician) :“Endurance athletes who work out in high temperatures who are adapted to a high sodium diet can lose sodium though their sweat.However, when one adapts to a low sodium diet, which can take about a week or so, they will lose much less sodium through their sweat and this will not be an issue.”Simple carbohydrates should be more of the focus when one is considering post exercise food, i.e. fruitsRehydration is important…just don’t drink the Kool-aid! ;o)Dr. Greger, I’m hoping you can help me help my friend. This friend (who lives in Russia) is very afraid of nitrate poisoning due to some highly publicized cases in Europe. She tests all fruits and vegetables using a nitrate-testing device, and finds almost nothing “safe” to eat. She does not eat any meat, so processed meats are not a concern. The EFSA http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/689.htm recommends a “safe” intake of nitrate of 3.7 mg/kg b.w. per day (which would be exceeded by consumption of 100g of almost any leafy green vegetable). I have found some articles but I’m still confused. http://www.ambientemola.it/html/wp-content/doc/nitrate_review.pdf Have you written or made a video addressing this question somewhere? What’s the clear message I can deliver to my friend to calm her fears so she can start buying and eating vegetables and fruits? I want to mention that I personally eat pounds of kale, collards, chard, and other vegetables every day and I experience no ill effects – but I live in Canada where the food supply may be very different from what’s available “across the pond”Ah, and I see my question has been at least partially answered by some other posters to this thread, but I hope it’s still relevant!Did you see my NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day yesterday Vicki? If not check out Are Nitrates Pollutants or Nutrients?Thank you, Dr Greger. That makes things much clearer now.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!It is possible to treat asthma and COPD with foods high in nitrates?  I am experimenting on myself as best I can by adding arugala to my smothiesI have been a vegetarian for about 20 years and just recently became vegan. I limit salt, don’t even have a salt shaker, eat lots of greens, bananas, etc. My pressure is still high. What else can I do. I really want to get off the drugs.Thanks so muchHeleneI just wanted to share some of my experience. After being fortunate to discover this fantastic guy’s channel and watching a video on NO I remembered that I always liked eating salad of beets with garlic (and I’ve had some problems with cerebral blood flow also resulting in my heart discomfort). Hm, I said to myself. After some experimenting here are my results. I am able to lower by blood pressure by 10 mm easily eating just one small (smaller than my fist) shredded beet a day. Sometimes I hit harder on my beets (adding garlic is probably relevant too) and have my BP go down too much (making me wake in the middle of a night and drink some coffee!). My exercise stamina went high up. I feel better overall.Just a half of shredded beet a day. Not forgetting to get some vitamin C in the mix (in plants or sometimes just a pill). Also I don’t know why there is such thing as a juicer when we all know whole plants are best. Just grind your veggies as fine as possible if in any doubt.Probably getting l-arginine (NO precursor) rich food is a good idea too – lentils, beens, peanuts.Moderate aerobic exercise such as brisk walking (at about 60-70% Max heart rate) works fine to get those vessels dilate. I always feel better after working out – especially in those days of changes in weather (being very sensitive to atmospheric pressure fluctuations)There is another video on youtube with C Essestyn (or was it McDougal?) saying one has to substantially reduce fat consumption to unclog one’s arteries so their lining (endothelium) is able to interact with NO and dilate as a result.Also McDougal or Essetstyn said salt reduction doesn’t do much (resulting maybe in just a couple mm).I hope by the time I’m writing this you’ve already figured out all of this and more.Oh, yes, stress reduction works miracles!! :) This also could be the key. I prefer to listen to music for meditation and work on my breathing while listening and throughout my day. Taking a bath with a lit candle feels good too.But these as just my 5 anecdotal/amateurish cents..Hello,When you say “coriander”, do you mean the seeds, the leaves or both? Thanks!Sorry, to be understood I should have written “cilantro”, but “coriander” is a synonym.Anyway, still no ideas about the dried seeds?Dr. Greger, I’m assuming you are comparing the nitrate levels on a per calorie basis rather than a per serving or per weight or volume basis? I love arugula, one of my favorite greens actually, just wondering how much arugula I’ll need to eat to obtain the equivalent benefit. Rather than juicing my beets, I’m just going to go with eating the whole raw beet today with some kale. Earthy! Thanks!Ah, just watched the video again and heard you say the measurement was in mg per 100 gram serving. So that pretty much answers my question about just how much arugula I’d have to eat to obtain the equivalent effect. Beets are so much heavier than arugula that it would not be feasible to eat the weight of arugula that would make 16 oz beet juice. I did juice up 3 medium beets yesterday (~10 oz beat juice) and added in a few carrots and some celery for taste and drank it up 2.5 hours prior to a “race” type group bike ride that I regularly ride in. I noticed a significant improvement in my performance and was able to keep up with the big dogs for a longer time than I normally am able to compete. Needless to say, next week I’ll be juicing up 6 beets! Thanks for your videos!Well, looking again, I suppose I’d only have to eat less than 1/4 of the weight. Since the 16 oz volume of beet juice probably weighs 16 oz also, perhaps the best bet would be to eat 8 oz arugula as it is close to twice the potency.What vegetables are low in oxalates and high in nitrates… Or is it not possible to have low oxalate levels with high nitrate levels… and if so won’t this stop people from absorbing calcium and cause kidney stones?Hello Dr M Greger, thanks for your videos… they are amazingly helpful. My vegan arguments pack a better punch these days thanks to your work. :DI was going to ask though? As we are close approaching Halloween, would you be able to post some interesting bits about actual squash varieties? For instance, which is best and most nutrient dense if any? best value per “buck” and so forth…Thanks again!SebastianI’d be interested to know what an Athlete should be eating during long training sessions. As a cyclist I need to consume a lot of carbohydrate during training (5 hour rides!), what ingredients would you suggest for an energy bar? Should I be avoiding certain things like refined sugar? Flapjacks are popular but should they be shunned because of the saturated fat in them?Bear in mind I’m restricted to one large pockets worth of food and bananas don’t last long before they turn to moosh.Thanks.Dates and raisins are quite effective. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raisins-vs-jelly-beans-for-athletic-performance/You might get some ideas from reading Scott Jurek’s book, Eat Run. He is one of the worlds best ultra marathoners and fuels himself with plants. His book which is his autobiography has recipes in it and I found it a fun read.DatesDr. Greger, here is a spelling error in this transcript…please forgive that someone pointed out to me when I quoted that it should be Mesclun greens [to mix-Latin] not the drug “Mescaline…” Transcript says: “Here are the top ten widely available sources, and with all this talk about beet juice you’d think beets might be number 1, but they just barely made the top ten list. Swiss chard has more; next comes oak leaf lettuce; then beet greens; basil; spring greens, like mescaline mix; butter leaf lettuce; cilantro; rhubarb; and arugula.”Bill Misner PhDBill, thank you for pointing that out! Too funny. I think it should be corrected now. :)So would it be correct in assuming that arugula juice will contain almost twice the nitrates as just eating arugula?Is it better to get your nitrates for athletic performance through concentrated un organic beet juice shots 0.4g of nitrate per shot or 500 mills of beet juice un concentrated thanksevery 2 – 3 beats my heart escape one beat i take 7.5mg BisproIs this for raw? Would these particular benefits be lost if I cooked my greens or beets?Edit: Well at least I have a full answer from to the first question, all were raw in this case. The study also suggests that any processing, including cooking, should reduce the nitrate levels. But would it reduce nitrate levels to zero? Half? Just slightly?This is why I vary my vegetable intake — morning I devour green veggie and fruit smoothies, lunch I’ll smash down some green leafy bean salad, and for dinner I’ll steam more veggies.Now I get more veggies in one day that I did in 2 weeks just a year ago. :-)Dr Greger, your info/video on Nitrates is most interesting to me. I have neurocardiogenic/disautonomia syndrome and anything that causes Vasodilation (drop in blood pressure) is a daily, life threatening problem for me. Nitrates are one of the many triggers that seriously affect me. What I am looking for is a comprehensive list of Vegetables and Fruits with their Nitrate content (per 100grams or similar) both in natural/raw state and also, importantly when Juiced. I am having trouble finding good info. Could you please direct me to any resources that you may be aware of, it would be appreciated.Hi, could you share with us any food databases that would give us quantification of nitrates, sulfur, and possibly oxalates in many different foods? What was the source data for the graph on this page?Hi. I read that mouthwash can eliminate the benefits of nitrate absorption. So a couple of questions: – Do all mouthwashes have this detrimental affect – What are the timescales involved e.g. can I use mouthwash in the morning, load with nitrates at lunch then get the benefits in the evening?Please, at the least, try looking for the answer instead of just asking the question… In this case, finding the answer was as simple as searching this website with “mouthwash” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/Thanks for supplying the link! Many folks may be unfamiliar with the website so it’s great to provide links and ask folks to search in the topics section :-)Hello Doc!I understand you prefer whole food to juicing….however, I want to know how much of Arugula would be good before a strenuous workout? and would it still have the same effect is taken in (1) juice form or (2) blended form? I was taking beet (+ beet green) juice before workout and now after seeing you informative video is now deciding to switch to Arugula but eating whole lot before is not practical (too time consuming) and hence the question….Many thanks, RKDoes Doc or his staff answer here anymore??!!	asparagus,athletes,basil,beans,beet greens,beets,blood pressure,cardiovascular disease,carrots,celery,cilantro,coriander,eggplant,exercise,fruit,garlic,greens,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,kale,lettuce,mesclun mix,mushrooms,nitrate,onions,plant-based diets,potatoes,ranking foods,rhubarb,squash,Swiss chard,tomatoes,vegetables	If nitrates can boost athletic performance and protect against heart disease, which vegetables have the most: beans, bulb vegetables (like garlic and onions), fruiting vegetables (like eggplant and squash), greens (such as arugula), mushrooms, root vegetables (such as carrots and beets), or stem vegetables (such as celery and rhubarb)?	The reference to protection from heart disease is explained in yesterday’s video and beet-boosting athletics in Doping With Beet Juice and continuing with Priming the Proton Pump and subsequent videos in this 3-week video series. Another way that greens, The Healthiest Veggies, may protect heart health is explained in Boosting Heart Nerve Control. There are also hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects if you can't wait until tomorrow for your NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day fix.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/basil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coriander/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggplant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/swiss-chard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rhubarb/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asparagus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mesclun-mix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/squash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cilantro/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	-	-
PLAIN-3034	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/	Hearts Shouldn't Skip a Beet	Those of you paying close attention to this discussion of how beets can boost athletic performance may have noticed a term that sounded familiar, nitric oxide, which I talked about before in the Power of N.O. It’s a vasodilator, helps open up blood flow. That’s how those nitroglycerine pills work when someone’s having angina. So if that’s how beets work, no wonder it lowers blood pressure as well. Increasing athletic performance is nice and all, but if high nitrate vegetables can do that, then these novel findings of may have several clinical implications. A dietary therapy that lowers blood pressure and increases exercise tolerance may obviate the use of expensive drugs with potentially deleterious side effects. Look at this: drink some beet juice and look what happens to your blood pressure within hours—and still working a day later!We've known that fruits and vegetables reduce heart disease risk, particularly dark green leafy vegetables, we just haven't exactly been sure why. These findings suggest that dietary nitrate underlies the beneficial effects of a vegetable-rich diet and highlights the potential of a natural low cost approach for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. That's why this prescription was published in an American Heart Association Journal.Two cups of beet juice is a lot of nitrate, though. Although the magnitude of the improvement in performance after consumption of the natural vegetable juice beverage might seem surprising, it is important to note that the acute dose of nitrate used in the present study (a half liter) is 4–12 times greater than the typical daily dietary nitrate intake in the United States. Yeah, but if it’s found in vegetables, how much is that really saying?	The Power of NO video I reference can be found here. And the athletic performance-enhancing effect of beets story starts with my video Doping with beet juice, explained further in Priming the proton pump, and confirmed in Out of the lab onto the track. There are ten other videos on blood pressure, 28 other videos on greens, 75 other videos on heart disease and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.I think I have read that nitrates/nitrates were something found in processed meats and were to be avoided – please clear up my mistake.kabocha, you’re correct. The nitrites in processed MEATS are harmful. Dr. Greger delves into detail as to why this is so, i wont spoil it for you.Hint: animal fat plays a role in the transformation of nitrites to nitrosomines.How many dark green vegetables would one need to eat to consume those nitrate concentrations? What are the equivalent proportions?Thanks!Makers of hotdogs, worried that the public is afraid of products with “added nitrates”, are now using celery juice to provide the nitrate necessary to “cure’ their hot dogs. They have found that celery juice is loaded with nitrates and by adding it to the hot dog they can honestly add “no added nitrates” to the ingredient label. For detailed discussion See http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/seasoningflavoring/a/nitrates.htmSo they recognize their food is junk……… i don’t think they can fix it, once they do they’ll find another setback for tampering with years of evolution….. and so on.That is quite a trick, but as we’ll see in the next few videos, nitrites become cancerous when animal fat is present.My husband has been taking Beet Root powder caps for a few months. I am wondering if the powder has the same performance enhancing effects as the juice does.Let me repeat here a question I put on another video but which may have escaped. I read in the book “The Nitric Oxide (No) Solution” that kale is the top source of nitrates, far better than beets. I wonder if with kale one gets the same effects as with beets, perhaps improved proportionally?Hello there,Kale is actually a very poor source of nitrates. Dr. Greger’s video here shows that arugula is the top source. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vegetables-rate-by-nitrate/Thanks for your answer, after which I dug out the book and looked again at the table (page 64), which indeed gives not the nitrate content but the NO index. This is an index created by the two authors (Nathan S. Bryan and Janet Zand), which is calculated using two factors: the total amount of NO-creating nitrate and nitrite in the food, and the ORAC of that food. The figures reported in the book are as follows (for the top of the list):Kale 6825 Swiss chard 2055 Arugula 1452 Spinach 1123 Chicory 938 Wild radish 914 Bok choy 775 Beet 632 Chinese cabbage 499 Beet (root) juice 482The book does not give references, it just quotes journals without giving the details. I do not know if this NO index is something trustable or just a proposal by two authors which did not get any following. Any opinion?No biochemist I, but I observe that NO-generation and ORAC are two completely different things. NO is a free radical, while ORAC measures absorbance (destruction) of free radicals — antioxidant potency.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!I got here via a search engine after Dr. Esselstyn’s advice to *chew* leafy greens six(!) times daily. The diagram in this video of the tortuous route from dietary nitrate to arterial NO is the only explanation I’ve encountered for the “chew” advice. I’m just curious as to its provenance.Hi Dr Greger! I love your videos. Thanks for doing great work. I was so inspired by your videos on beets that I have been eating beets and juicing the leaves. The problem is that I have developed a rash or hives. What does this mean?As a runner, who races nearly every weekend, I am excited to find out this information! Thank you!Actually, I do have a concern. I have normal blood pressure, but on the lower end, sometimes ALMOST too low, but always in the normal range. Would drinking beet juice before exercise drop my blood pressure too low, or would it simply help cardiovascular performance?How do you make beets edible? They taste nasty.Matter of opinion – I love beets. Maybe try “pickled”. I find beet juice astringent and it feels like it hurts my throat. No way could I drink 2 cups of it. I was just wondering how much of the benefits apply to cooked beets.Does this apply to golden beets as well?These very same foods which are high nitrates are also high in oxalates. Such as swiss chard. I understand that cooking these vegetables reduces oxalate concentration by 80%. Just the same is not arugula the best choice because of its low oxalate concentration?	American Heart Association,angina,athletes,beet juice,beets,beverages,blood pressure,cardiovascular disease,exercise,fruit,greens,hypertension,nitrate,nitric oxide,nitroglycerin,plant-based diets,standard American diet,vegetables	The nitrate in vegetables, which the body can turn into the vasodilator nitric oxide, may help explain the role dark green leafy vegetables play in the prevention and treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) and heart disease.	The Power of NO video I reference can be found here. And the athletic performance-enhancing effect of beets story starts with my video Doping with beet juice, explained further in Priming the proton pump, and confirmed in Out of the lab onto the track. There are ten other videos on blood pressure, 28 other videos on greens, 75 other videos on heart disease and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitroglycerin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21183624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21471821,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11412050,
PLAIN-3035	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/	Pretty in Pee-nk	Beeturia, pink pee after beet consumption, is totally harmless, you’re just peeing out some of the pigment, but it can be used to remind us of an important fact. When we eat plant foods, many of these wonderful antioxidant pigments—lycopene, beta carotene—the phytonutrients are actually absorbed into our bloodstream and bathe the organs, tissues, and cells of our bodies.There’s no direct connection between our gut and our bladder. The only way those beet pigments are finding their way into our urine is by being absorbed through our gut, into our bloodstream, and circulating throughout our entire body before being eventually filtered out by the kidneys. Our blood for a time is a little pinker too!When we have garlic breath; it’s not because of garlic residue in our mouth, it’s the fact that those wonderful health-promoting garlic compounds got absorbed into our bloodstream, and are actually being excreted straight out of from our lungs. If you just had a garlic enema; you'd still get garlic breath.So when you see studies investigating the antibacterial effects of garlic and you’re thinking who cares what garlic does outside the body in a petri dish, that’s why we care, because it does circulate throughout our body. That’s why garlic has been found useful as an adjunct treatment for pneumonia in critical cases; it's excreted by our lungs to get that garlic breath and can wipe out bacteria on the way out.Other than pink pee and red stools, which gives a whole new meaning to the term toilet bowl flushing, any other side-effects to beet consumption? One more.Should you get run over while you’re out biking on beets, on autopsy, you might amuse your pathologist: the case of the purple colon…Purple discoloration of the large bowel related to beetroot ingestion.	This is a follow-up to Friday’s video-of-the-day Asparagus pee, a tangent in my series about the athletic performance-enhancing effects of vegetables that started with Doping with beet juice. For more on the wonders of garlic, check out videos #1 Anticancer Vegetable and the “prequel,” Veggies vs. Cancer. And that’s just one of more than a thousand subjects I have videos on here at NutritionFacts.org—an all-free, no-ads, and evidence-based (see links to all the papers in the Sources Cited section above) resource for all.Hi Doc! Can you give me your opinion about hemp seeds? I’m interested in them from the point of view of amino acids. ThanksHello vjimener,If your wandering if hemp seeds are unique due to the “completeness” of the amino acid makeup, this is not a special trait. All whole plant foods, from berries, bananas and to greens, contain a full profile of the essential amino acids.I eat hemp seeds every day ground up in smoothies and on muesli. They do have a good protein content -10g in 4 tablespoons – but they also have lots of healthy fats – a good balance between omega 3 and 6.Hi Dr. Greger.I’m living in Thailand right now, and one of my favorite fruits is dragon fruit.It has the impressive ability to turn my urine and stools pinkish red.I’m wondering if there is a connection here. What causes the pink pee in dragon fruit?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!I watched your beeturia video after my friend told me you only get pink urine after consuming beets if your stomach has a high pH level. Should I be concerned about that?I have the same questionI have beeturia? Is this a problem? Anything I can do about it? I say it can signify a weak gut and possibly lead to leaky gut syndrome. Any advice? Thanks!According to the video above, beeturia is harmless and to be expected after eating beets! If you can’t watch the video for some reason, you can always click the transcript button under the video to read exactly what Dr. Greger says in the videos. :)My body odor smells like vinegar, does this mean I’m acidic?	antioxidants,beet juice,beets,beeturia,beta carotene,garlic,halitosis,lung disease,lung health,lycopene,phytonutrients,pneumonia,side effects	Beeturia, the passage of pink urine after beetroot consumption, is a reminder that phytonutrients circulate throughout our bloodstream, explaining the connection between "garlic breath" and the use of garlic as an adjunct treatment for pneumonia.	This is a follow-up to Friday's video-of-the-day Asparagus pee, a tangent in my series about the athletic performance-enhancing effects of vegetables that started with Doping with beet juice. For more on the wonders of garlic, check out videos #1 Anticancer Vegetable and the "prequel," Veggies vs. Cancer. And that's just one of more than a thousand subjects I have videos on here at NutritionFacts.org—an all-free, no-ads, and evidence-based (see links to all the papers in the Sources Cited section above) resource for all.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/halitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pneumonia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lycopene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beeturia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18425536,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21480783,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21642409,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8148871,
PLAIN-3036	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/	Asparagus Pee	I just presented evidence from this a groundbreaking new series of experiments suggesting beets can significantly improve athletic performance. Can’t be that easy, there has to be a downside.Well, those who want their kids to get a jump on physical fitness should know that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends we shouldn't feed vegetables to infants less than three months of age, but we shouldn't be feeding babies anything but breast milk at that age anyway.What else? Beets do have a lot of oxalates in them, and though the primary means of preventing oxalate kidney stone formation involves meat restriction, and eating more fruits and vegetables, some people are genetically predisposed to oxalate absorption, in which case they might want to instead choose a different high nitrate plant food to boost their performance.Other than that theoretical concern, only two side effects were consistently noted in these studies: no deleterious side effects, but subjects did, however, report beeturia (red urine) and red stools.That’s actually the real name, Beeturia, the passage of pink or red urine after the ingestion of beetroot, and it doesn’t happen in everybody, which is kinda interesting.Same thing with asparagus— only about half of the population gets stinky pee from asparagus, whereas the frequency appears greater among Americans. Those who produce the odor assume, politely, that everyone does and those who do not produce it have no idea of the olfactory consequences of asparagus. There is no reason as to why these two opposing factions should converse on this subject. A brief discourse with one’s colleagues will confirm such differences and verify this state of affairs.It actually gets curioser and curioser. There are not just two types of people in the world when it comes to asparagus pee, but four. Some people get stinky pee but apparently genetically don’t have the ability to smell the smelly compounds themselves: some people are excretors of stinky asparagus pee while others are nonexcretors; however others are perceivers (able to smell the odor) while others can’t. So some people think they don’t have stinky pee but in actuality it’s just not stinky to them.You’ve got to love nutritional science.	If you missed the beginning of this series, start with the experiments described in Doping with beet juice and replicated in yesterday’s video. In Monday’s video-of-the-day, I’ll use beeturia to illustrate an important point about phytonutrients and return to the nitric oxide story on Tuesday. Have a great weekend, and feel free to spend it watching hundreds of my other videos on more than a thousand subjects :) For the asparagus lovers out there, check out my videos #1 Anticancer Vegetable and Best Cooking Method.Dr. Greger,I’m 63 now, and I’ve been a vegan for about 40 years. I recently learned that I have kidney stones; one of them is one centimeter, sitting in my right kidney (saw it inadvertently in an x-ray). (I wish I knew what to do about it. I’m scared of the doctors. Should I get them blasted and have Cat Scans, etc.) Admittedly, I eat a lot of kale along with many fruits and vegetables. Not as often, I’ll eat some steamed beets, and when I do, I have beetstoolia. And sharing further, in keeping with the humorous aspect of this episode of the series, if I eat a can of vegetarian chili ( I won’t name the popular vegetarian brand), I have chilistoolia, so much so, that the odor is the same as when I freshly open the can the night before.Seriously though, What to do about the stones? Is doing nothing an option?Hi this is the first time i have replied.. dont know how this works… you said “admittedly i eat a lot of kale” but that makes me wonder… because the info i find on kale is that it is low oxalate… nothing like spinach or beets. please adviseAlright, then, I think the most information I’m going to get on this thread is for kidney stones, cut down on the beets.Thank you.Veguyan & Dr Greger…thanks for this site – I am a nutritionfacts fan, and vegan. Yes and I have similar questions not just about beets but about other high oxalate foods and kidney function. I would be interested in a response from the Doc in relation to any results from research done in the field of oxalates & the kidneys, intestinal flora and oxalate absorption and low oxalate plant foods that can replace the higher oxalate ones in a vegan diet. It would be so great if the Doc could do a series on vegan food substitutions for things like low oxalate vegan diet and also a gluten free diet as I know a number of people who’s food sensitivities and ailments have made their food choices already limited but who would love to choose a vegan diet. In these cases would it also be wise to seek the advice of a plant based dietician?i just read your Durian story in one of your Q&A and was wondering if there is anything similiar with the smell of Durian me and my partner were driving back home after i bought some durian. Funny enough i am only able to detect a slight smell while my partner wanted to leave the car and take the bus! :DI recently read or heard that beeturia, etc., is caused by a shortage of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.This video is completely useless…It is entertaining, and I learned a new word, so not useless.	American Academy of Pediatrics,asparagus,athletes,beet juice,beets,beeturia,breast milk,breastfeeding,children,exercise,fruit,infants,kidney disease,kidney health,kidney stones,meat,nitrate,nutrient absorption,oxalates,sense of smell,side effects,vegetables	Young infants and perhaps those with recurrent oxalate kidney stones should avoid beets, but most commonly the chief side effect is beeturia, the harmless passage of pink urine, though not all are affected, akin to the malodorous urine ("stinky pee") that sometimes results from asparagus consumption.	If you missed the beginning of this series, start with the experiments described in Doping with beet juice and replicated in yesterday’s video. In Monday's video-of-the-day,  I'll use beeturia to illustrate an important point about phytonutrients and return to the nitric oxide story on Tuesday. Have a great weekend, and feel free to spend it watching hundreds of my other videos on more than a thousand subjects :) For the asparagus lovers out there, check out my videos #1 Anticancer Vegetable and Best Cooking Method.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-academy-of-pediatrics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beeturia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxalates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asparagus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-stones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sense-of-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21183624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3860737,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8148871,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21798393,
PLAIN-3037	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/out-of-the-lab-onto-the-track/	Out of the Lab Onto the Track	The scientific world could simply not believe that beets could significantly, noticeably improve athletic performance by enhancing energy production at the subcellular level. So last year the same type of study was repeated over and over and over in different labs. Forget the labs, what about out on the race track. Chugged two cups of beet juice and off they went. Randomized, double blind, crossover, placebo controlled study; nobody knew who was drinking what going into it, beet juice versus de-nitrated beet juice. And the most striking finding was a significant improvement in 4 and 16 K competitive cycling time trial performance after the ingestion of a single half liter beetroot beverage, with all nine individuals completing both distances faster after beetroot supplementation.And once the researchers were actually able to take muscle biopsies from people before and after, and provide proof, earlier this year, that mitochondrial efficiency, human energy production could be improved; they finally won over the scientific establishment. A toast to health and performance.The media echoed the praise… complete with even more atrocious puns.	For an explanation of this boost in the mitochondrial efficiency of human energy extraction, see Priming the proton pump, the second video in my series on the performance-enhancing effects of vegetables. What might be the potential downsides of doping with beets or other nitrite-containing vegetables? Stay tuned for tomorrow’s video of the day. And if you can’t wait until tomorrow for your next NutritionFacts.org video, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.So, let’s say that I’d like to apply this research to myself. How much should I drink? How often? When? 2 cups, before running, perhaps?The participants in the study drank a glass of beat juice 2.5 hours before the activity. hahaha I just dried to chug beet juice, ive had beet juice before (but never alone) and had few side effects except red poop. I drank about half a liter and first I wanted to see my tongue, I was sure it was going to be super red and it was! and about 3 seconds later uhh ohh…i guess it wasnt such a good idea. It came out of me twice as fast as it went in and had me running to the bathroom! any studies on beet juice and a clean colon? ahahah luckily nothing too badI’m just wondering if pickled beets have the same effect. Does the act of pickling in some way reduce the efficacy of the good stuff?Hi Dr. Greger, In additoin to beet juice, Vegan triathletes like Rich Roll are also using cordyceps and maca for endurance, and the recent book “Eating on the Wild Side” by Jo Robinson mentions watercress for aiding recovery from strenous exercise. Do you have any views on these?I’m an elite cyclist and use Beetroot juice before races most of the time, thanks for sharing this info with us Michael. I’be been Vegan for almost a year now and have never felt better. I’d be interested to know if I should be upping intake of certain things to account of the amount of exercise I do.Should I be having more protein than the average person doing recreational exercise? If one could look at a perfect healthy diet what would it look like. Is there anywhere online we can see a plan for a ‘perfect’ diet?Many thanks.In terms of protein, protein needs match caloric needs, so when you exercise, you tend to consume more food, which will inevitably lead to greater consumption of protein. There is no need to seek protein rich foods or to supplement additional protein. I would suggest consuming something containing carbohydrates immediately after physical activity.“The Anabolic Phase: The 45-Minute Optimal Window The anabolic phase is a critical phase occurring within 45 minutes post-exercise. It is during this time that muscle cells are particularly sensitive to insulin, making it necessary to ingest the proper nutrients in order to make gains in muscle endurance and strength. If the proper nutrients are ingested 2 – 4 hours post-exercise they will not have the same effect. It is also during this time in which the anabolic hormones begin working to repair the muscle and decrease its inflammation. Immediate ingestion of carbohydrate is important because insulin sensitivity causes the muscle cell membranes to be more permeable to glucose within 45 minutes post-exercise. This results in faster rates of glycogen storage and provides the body with enough glucose to initiate the recovery process (Burke et al., 2003). Muscle glycogen stores are replenished the fastest within the first hour after exercise. Consuming carbohydrate within an hour after exercise also helps to increase protein synthesis (Gibala, 2000).” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11098159Isn’t this a myth or was debunked? If normal “broscientists” are saying its fake then you’d think its not true or atleast some reason for people not believing it…How can a broscientist debunk anything?Many thanks for the information Dr. Greger , I’m passionate about vegetables but the WHO acceptable daily Intake for nitrate is 3,7mg/Kg/day ( follows link) which results in 300-400mg per day, the same dose recommended by these papers, that worries me a little, what do you think? http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=28&po=8	athletes,beet juice,beets,beverages,cycling,energy,exercise,juice,metabolism,mitochondria,muscle health,muscle strength,sports medicine,vegetables	Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover studies convinced the scientific establishment that nitrate-rich vegetables such as beets could noticeably improve athletic performance.	For an explanation of this boost in the mitochondrial efficiency of human energy extraction, see Priming the proton pump, the second video in my series on the performance-enhancing effects of vegetables. What might be the potential downsides of doping with beets or other nitrite-containing vegetables? Stay tuned for tomorrow's video of the day. And if you can't wait until tomorrow for your next NutritionFacts.org video, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-strength/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/energy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cycling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sports-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mitochondria/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21284982,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21071588,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19913611,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21183624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21471821,
PLAIN-3038	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash/	Don't Use Antiseptic Mouthwash	How do they know it’s the nitrate that’s responsible for the beet-related boost in athletic performance? Beets have all sorts of wonderful phytonutrients. Well first, they compared beet juice to a berry juice, packed with phytonutrients, but no nitrate. Beets worked, berries didn’t. Yeah, but still I’m sure there lots of stuff unique to beets other than the nitrate.So then they got creative. If it truly is this unbelievable nitrate to nitrite double pass through the mouth what would happen if you had them swish with an antiseptic mouthwash. Wipe out that integral population of tongue bacteria. They tried it, nitrite levels dropped, presumably eliminating the performance enhancing effect.They even had the guys drink the beet juice and then drool for three hours. Not swallow any of their saliva. And that eliminated the beetroot effect too!The effect of beetroot juice on the plasma concentration of nitrite and the effects of spitting versus swallowing. I told you this was a crazy story. They drank the same amount of beet juice, but by drinking and drooling, they removed that critical second pass through the mouth.So, don’t waste your money buying beets to boost your athletic performance, unless you keep your tongue bacteria happy and swallow your spit.	If you’re asking yourself “what beet-related boost in athletic performance?” you may have missed the first video in this series Doping with beet juice. And if the whole “nitrate to nitrite double pass” is a mystery to you, then check out yesterday’s video. If you’re thinking “wait a second, aren’t nitrites the preservatives in cured meats that cause cancer?” then you’re way ahead of me—stay tuned to the 14 following videos in this series and feel free in the meantime to check out the hundreds of other videos on 1000+ topics.Amazing how important bacteria are proving to be!Should I stop rinsing my mouth with salt water (which I find soothing to my gums) or stop chewing xylitol-flavored gum, which is supposed to kill bacteria?Are there any safe mouthwashes. I use ACT restorative. Is it harmful and kill helpful bacteria?Would this avoidance of antibacterial products include the triclosan often used in toothpaste? Should we all go back to brushing our teeth with baking soda?That is not necessary. If you brush your teeth at night, you will wake up in the morning with bad breath because the bacteria have recolonized. It is relatively easy to reacquire mouth flora. I just don’t brush my teeth in the morning if i plan on hard physical activity that day.seriously? Not even brushing with baking soda? Wonder if that destroys the flora…I don’t use soap on most of the body, now, as I shower, with the idea that the natural skin flora is maintained and can do it’s job. Have you anything on soaps and this matter?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!would have liked to see the atheletic performance measured after antispetic mouthwash to “close the loop” and associate the perfomance benefits with nitritesAre non-antiseptic mouthwashes OK? Also, in this or a related video, you say that the nitrates in beet juice spur action by proton pumps. Does that mean that the use of proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium will diminish the production of nitrites and therefore NO in the body, regardless of whether you are juicing? Emerging research seems to suggest that NO is helpful for many physical processes and possibly to ward off disease, so it would seem that the effects of PPIs could be far-reaching. Thanks!There is a big push in the alternative dental world to use hydrogen peroxide in your tooth brushing routine. Does this ruin the nitrate proton pump effect? Maybe our teeth are more important than the proton pump or maximizing beet juice action.Hi. I read that mouthwash can eliminate the benefits of nitrate absorption? So a couple of questions:– Do all mouthwashes have this detrimental affect – What are the timescales involved e.g. can I use mouthwash in the morning, load with nitrates at lunch then get the benefits in the evening?I use a tongue scraper each morning after rising. Should I skip it on the mornings when I run? Thank you!	antibiotics,athletes,ATP,beet juice,beets,beverages,exercise,juice,mitochondria,mouthwash,nitrate,nitric oxide,nitrite,phytonutrients,saliva,sports medicine,vegetables	The natural flora on our tongue (lingual bacteria) is essential for the athletic performance-enhancing effect of the nitrates in vegetables such as beetroot.	If you're asking yourself "what beet-related boost in athletic performance?" you may have missed the first video in this series Doping with beet juice. And if the whole "nitrate to nitrite double pass" is a mystery to you, then check out yesterday’s video. If you're thinking "wait a second, aren't nitrites the preservatives in cured meats that cause cancer?" then you're way ahead of me—stay tuned to the 14 following videos in this series and feel free in the meantime to check out the hundreds of other videos on 1000+ topics.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atp/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sports-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mitochondria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saliva/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18793740,
PLAIN-3039	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/	Priming the Proton Pump	What could possibly be in beet juice to so revolutionize the field of sports physiology? First, a quick biochemistry breather. Our body uses oxygen to create ATP, the energy currency of our bodies. Every time we think; every time we blink; every time we flex a muscle; we use up ATP, which has to be replenished by breathing more oxygen, or we die.The enzyme that makes ATP (ATP synthase) deep inside our cells, is literally a microscopic rotary mechanical motor. Oxygen causes the flow of protons, and like a water wheel in that flow, the enzyme turns and makes ATP. Like any motor it's not perfectly efficient. There's some slippage of the gears. There's proton leakage out the edges. But it's an extraordinary mechanism.OK, so where do beets come in? Well, beets offer one of the most concentrated sources of dietary nitrate, which is absorbed in our stomach, and then actively concentrated and pumped back into our mouth through our salivary glands because our body knows that there are special commensal bacteria that live on our tongue. Our tongue bacteria take these nitrates and convert them into nitrites which are then reswallowed, absorbed again, and then make their way to our cells and then converted into a third compound, nitric oxide, which then acts on the proton pump to either reduce the slippage or plug up the leaks or even take the place of oxygen in the whole contraption.We're still not sure, but this is why they think beets are able to reduce the oxygen cost of exercise while improving athletic performance.	What sports physiology revolution am I talking about? See yesterday’s video, Doping with beet juice. Daily viewers of NutritionFacts.org may recognize nitric oxide, featured a few weeks ago in The power of NO. If bacteria on our tongue play a critical role in this process, what would happen to vegetable-enhanced athletic performance if we made the mistake of swishing with an antiseptic mouthwash? Find out in tomorrow’s video, and in the meanwhile please feel free to check hundreds of my other videos on more than a thousand subjects. And happy Valentine’s day everyone! Check out my blog post Atkins Diet and Erectile Dysfunction for tips on extending one’s love life as well as the life of your love.I’m assuming the proton pump in this video is not the acid producing proton pumps we have in our stomachs, right?Hi MacSmiley,Good question. He is talking about the proton pumps that are present in the electron transport chain in the inner membrane of all of our mitochondria (the powerhouse organelle of the cell). These pumps are what keeps the ATP factory working and producing, day in, day out. The proton pumps in your stomach are similar in that they are utilizing hydrogen as well, but for a completely different purpose. Hope that clears it up!I love the film clips you’ve inserted in your videos the last couple of days: the chest with the beating heart yesterday and the ATP-synthase animation today. Kudos and Great job!Would taking the powered beet pills have the same effect? Love your videos.How much beet juice should we drink per day?What about the oxalic acid in beets? Is it good for you to take in large amounts?As noted in my video about the oxalates in turmeric versus cinnamon (Oxalates in Cinnamon), it’s not just the amount that matters but also how well particular oxalates are absorbed, and the bioavailability of oxalates in beets is relatively poor (6 times less so than spinach, for example). Cooking the beets could cut levels about 25% but for the rare person with a condition like idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis (a type of kidney stones) that needs a low-oxalate diet, a better high-nitrate vegetable choice would be arugula.Thank you Dr.Greger :)I read in the book “The Nitric Oxide (No) Solution” that kale is the top source of nitrates, far better than beets. I wonder if with kale one gets the same effects as with beets, perhaps improved proportionally?Dear Dr. Gregar, excellent video..as always. However I wonder could you the source of the diagram shown at 1:05? It shows the systemic metabolism of nitrates & nitrites?Many thanks…Your website is really slow. I have watched videos here before. It’s a great site, but today I can’t watch anything. Are you having issues?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!Dr. Gregor, A bike-racing friend of mine now swears by beet juice and has a juicer ready at all his race venues. But I just found bottled beet & purple carrot juice in the grocery store. Will pasteurization ruin the beneficial effect, and if so, is it know by how much? Sure would save time and compost if a partial substitute for home-juiced.Most of the studies on beets and athletic performance have used pasteurized “Beet It, James White Drinks.” I am only aware of one study using whole cooked beets: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22709704 This study was positive for “individuals seeking performance benefits to obtain nitrates from whole vegetables”.I would recommend eating the whole cooked beets for health and to enhanced athletic performance. For health benefits of the whole food versus the juice see Dr. Greger’s video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/My half marathon personal best had been 1:14:30s. After eating an oatmeal breakfast with one cooked, chopped beet in it, I had one of my best performances of my life: 1:11:17 for the ½ marathon which is a 5:25 pace/mile. I have been a fan of carb loading with beets before a race ever since.	athletes,ATP,beet juice,beets,beverages,endurance,exercise,juice,metabolism,mitochondria,nitrate,nitric oxide,nitrite,saliva,sports medicine,vegetables	To understand how beets could reduce the oxygen cost of exercise while improving athletic performance, one must review the biochemistry of energy production (ATP synthase) and the body's conversion of nitrates to nitrites into nitric oxide.	What sports physiology revolution am I talking about? See yesterday’s video, Doping with beet juice. Daily viewers of NutritionFacts.org may recognize nitric oxide, featured a few weeks ago in The power of NO. If bacteria on our tongue play a critical role in this process, what would happen to vegetable-enhanced athletic performance if we made the mistake of swishing with an antiseptic mouthwash? Find out in tomorrow's video, and in the meanwhile please feel free to check hundreds of my other videos on more than a thousand subjects. And happy Valentine's day everyone! Check out my blog post Atkins Diet and Erectile Dysfunction for tips on extending one's love life as well as the life of your love.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atp/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sports-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mitochondria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endurance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saliva/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitrite/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21284982,
PLAIN-3040	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doping-with-beet-juice/	Doping With Beet Juice	Are you ready for a wild ride? One of the fundamental gospels of sports physiology just got turned on its head. Every exercise physiology textbook in the world just got thrown out the window, and all because of -- beet juice!When athletes train, the reason they get better is the improved oxygen delivery to their muscles. Changes in their lungs allow them to take bigger breaths, for example. Strengthening of the heart boosts cardiac output and blood flow. Your body may even start making more red blood cells to boost the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. But the energy ultimately derived from that oxygen remains the same. X amount of oxygen gets you X amount of work, period, no matter who you are.As an analogy, on the same gasoline, a Lamborghini goes faster than some lemon, but not because the chemistry of gasoline combustion is different in the sports car. It's just a more powerful engine.Similarly, we may have bigger muscles. We may be able to get more oxygen to those muscles quicker. But the fundamental energy that can be extracted from oxygen remains the same. Or so we thought.Researchers put eight guys on bikes and measured their oxygen consumption before and after a few days sipping two cups of beet juice. Before this series of experiments, there was no known drug, substance, steroid, intervention, nothing that could actually increase energy extraction from oxygen. Yet this is what they found.The open ovals are the placebo, and the filled are the beet root group. After a couple of cups of beet juice, they could do the exact same amount of work with less oxygen. Same work with 19% less oxygen. Then when they ramped up the bike, for an intense bout of what they called "severe cycling", time to exhaustion was extended from 9:43 to 11:15. Greater endurance with less oxygen in the beet group. 16% improvement in their time, with only about 4/5 the oxygen requirement! In short, the beet juice made their bodies' energy production significantly more efficient.	The “wild ride” of which I speak is a 3-week series—my longest video sequence yet—exploring this phenomenon. In tomorrow’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day I’ll discuss the proposed mechanism and then delve into the pros, cons, and controversies surrounding the performance-enhancing effects of vegetables. Strap yourself in! If you don’t have the patience to wait, you can check out the DVD (all proceeds to charity) or take this opportunity to dive into any of the other thousand subjects.First, thanks for all your excellent work in making top health science available to the public. Your videos have changed the way I eat and think about food as I develop optimal vegan eating. This video is very interesting but seems a little incomplete. I seem to recall that switching athletes to a vegetarian or vegan way of eating to improve endurance and recovery has been known for a long time, at least the 20’s. Also, I recall a lecture by Dr Ruth Heidrich along these lines and even that the NY Jets were using this science at one time in their training programs. What I question is what the subjects in the video were eating in addition to the beet juice? Or, is this more super-pill thinking from the establishment? That is, it’s okay to eat steak for muscle development, as long as you take your beat juice. Anyway, I’m just now rereading The China Study by Colin Campbell so maybe I’m a little extra-sensitive to this damaging approach. Have I missed the point of this video?This goes beyond just beets and beyond just performance-enhancement, as you’ll see in upcoming videos (this is the first of a 17 part series!). I’m so glad you’ve found my work useful.Roman gladiators ate a vegetarian diet. I think all this has been known for a very long time. Not the specifics of why, but many of the benefits.This is so far from the truth. The roman gladiators and soldiers ate whatever was in season and around them. It MAINLY consisted of meat from small game, a moderate amount of vegetables and segments of fruit (depending on where you were on the “importance” list).Your comment was 3 years ago, but it has been known for quite sometime that not only the romans of ancient times but all ancestors as well ate some form of meat.I’m confused. I found the paper online here:http://jap.physiology.org/content/107/4/1144.long.I don’t speak research-ese, so I have no idea what they’re talking about. But the title is: “Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of low-intensity exercise and enhances tolerance to high-intensity exercise in humans.”I think I’m understanding correctly that apparently the researchers chose beets for their high nitrate content. I didn’t know this until I just looked it up and learned that nitrates form in the soil from the decomposition of nitrogen-rich waste in the soil. So vegetables, which grow in the soil, end up containing varying amounts of nitrates.So are these then the same nitrates we’re supposed to avoid in processed meats? Why are they helpful in one situation but harmful in another? And if it’s true that it’s the nitrates that are the critical ingredient, what different would it make if you drink beet juice or consume any other vegetable grown in nitrate rich soil?BarbaraYou can always find links of the papers (full-text whenever available) I cite in the Sources Cited section right beneath the video. And the research-ese problem is one reason for this NutritionFacts.org’s existence! Indeed it’s the nitrate content of beets and there are videos coming up exploring other vegetables and the difference between the nitrates in vegetables and the nitrites in processed meats–stay tuned Barbara!I am confused. I have been reading about the bad things plant nitrates can cause:Chemical fertilizer also causes an increase in nitrates that seem to be related to an increase in different diseases in both people and animals:New Research: Nitrates and Nitrites May Cause Alzheimer’s, Diabetes and Parkinson Disease – http://hrparkinsons.com/new-research-nitrates-and-nitrites-may-cause-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-diabetes-and-parkinson-disease/Nitrosamine exposure causes insulin resista… [J Alzheimers Dis. 2009] – PubMed – NCBI – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20387270Evaluation of Factors Contributing to Excessive Nitrate Accumulation in Fodder Crops Leading to Ill-Health in Dairy Animals – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3052579/Equine Pasture Grazing Problems — Equine — Penn State Extension – http://extension.psu.edu/animals/equine/news/2011/equine-pasture-grazing-problemsGotcha Equine Article – Aspects of Pasture and Feeding that can Adversely Affect your Horse – http://www.gotcha.com.au/articles/aspects_of_pasture.phpDr Greger, I fully support all you do, but beets need to be grown in rich, organic, well tended soil in order to be “pure” and then, they are super dense and concentrated, more than most other “root vegetables”. So caution needs to be exercised in daily consumption, which is of course, different that a controlled science experiment, as you know.Hide in plain sight! There’s so much information on every page that I have, until now, never noticed that “Sources Sited” section. Duh. Makes me wonder how much else I’m missing.BarbaraWhat is the latest research on the connection between consuming beet juice and lower blood pressure…and is consuming dried beet juice powder (dissolved in a liquid) as effective as consuming juiced beets ?The connection is strong! Stay tuned for this series on beet juice and other vegetables that perform even better then beets! Everything is thoroughly explained in detail.having recently viewed your video on the benefits of beet juice I was hoping to clarify what the most effective way to consume beet juice would be. Such as store bought, juicing fresh beets, or by some other method. If you could let me know I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you. Hello! Homemade will always be better!  Here are the two videos following up on the topic of the video.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/priming-the-proton-pump/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/so-should-we-drink-beet-juice-or-not/ Here is a video on how powerful beets are on our heart health.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hearts-shouldnt-skip-a-beet/.  But other juices believed to be heart healthy maybe aren’t so much. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/ Although juices can be beneficial, eating the whole fruit or vegetable is usually the healthiest.  Here are the results from one study on consuming fruit in different forms. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/.  We can also detox through the foods we eat. http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/ This video shows the natural toxins levels in different forms of carrots and carrot juices.  http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/ Lastly, I thought you’d enjoy a few videos looking at juice and its effect on Alzheimer’s. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/Cool study! Too bad that they didn’t test vegan borscht! Any idea as to whether we are justified in assuming that cooked beets are as effective in boosting oxygen extraction as raw beets?Dr. Greger, can you tell us if this study was done with regular garden beets or sugar beets? I am hoping it was with garden variety beets as I am avoiding all GMOs.This is very interesting. I am planning a trip to Peru – elevation about 13,000ft – and I am concerned about altitude sickness. Although no one seems to know why some people get it some of the time and not other times, this nitrate/nitrite process might be the answer. I am wondering if taking a little powdered beet along that could be hydrated into juice might offer some protection. What type of juice did they use in the experiments? In general I prefer to avoid high glycemic foods, but this might be worth an exception. Do you have any suggestions on altitude sickness prevention? Thank you.it’s not just beets. If you google around, you’ll see that many vegetables contain nitrates to varying degrees. It depends on the vegetable and the soil conditions. Here’s a sample list going back to 1975 from the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf60199a016. I’m not trying to dispute any of what Dr. Greger is saying, but it seems from the comments that many people are misinterpreting the message.You are correct Barbara! Stay tuned for Dr. Greger’s video that shows vegetables that do better than beets!Do canned beets still have the same nitrates? Could I throw a can of beets into a blender with some hibiscus or juice to get the same result?Tom- did you ever get an answer on this? I personally will drink blendtec’ed beet juice but for my parents I would like to make it easier and so wondering if adding canned beets to the their salads is a good idea.Taken from a popular health-promoting site, this info: Michigan State University cautions against eating too many vegetables. Vegetarians can eat up to 250mg of nitrates per day. This far exceeds the average of 75 to 100mg per day. Dr. G, can you comment on this statement so that we don’t go over-board with nitrate consumption.Nitrates found in processed meats are different from that found in the plant world. Nitrates in processed meat converts to nitrosamines which are highly cancerous. Is this what you were referring to? Otherwise our body turns nitrates into the very helpful, nitric oxide, and excess nitrates are peed out.Toxins…I was referring to the statement, Michigan State University cautions against eating too many vegetables. I don’t eat meat, processed or otherwise, but I do eat lots of vegetables.Could you please share the article with us? I am curious to see.Yummy, I don’t know what you found specifically, but when I google MSU and nitrates I find the exact opposite information. http://news.msu.edu/news/story.php?story_id=6714&vars=What was your link? How old was it? I think for a while there was some concern by some scientists about nitrates in vegetables (judging from a quick search) but I figure those are the same scientists who once advised women not to nurse their babies.http://www.livestrong.com/article/367209-a-list-of-vegetables-high-in-nitrates/Text was taken from “low nitrate vegetables” sectionI examined the link and its references to MSU. MSU only claimed that there were nitrates in vegetables and didn’t discuss the health detriments. Colorado state university had more to say.The only concern they pose is that people who are deficient in the enzyme to convert methemoglobin to hemoglobin are at risk. They also say that infants lack this enzyme and pregnant mothers have this enzyme in reduced amounts.Quoting directly from them…“Healthy adults can consume fairly large amounts of nitrate with few known health effects. In fact, most of the nitrate we consume is from our diets, particularly from raw or cooked vegetables. This nitrate is readily absorbed and excreted in the urine.”Which is what is true and what we know, they go on to make a claim to this fallacy though“However, prolonged intake of high levels of nitrate are linked to gastric problems due to the formations of nitrosamines.”http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/00517.htmlNitrosamines do not form in the presence of antioxidants and phytonutrients such as vitamin C (unless animal fat is present). Dr. Greger’s future videos will go into great detail on this fact. The whole issue was with gastric problems from the original “livestrong” link so effectively, this is not a real threat to our health and we need not worry.I have always loved beets. even as a kid I would eat all the veggies that everyone around me didn’t like. Now I juice beets and other vegetables and feel the difference immediately coursing through my body. Thanks for the research on one of my favorite roots.Could anyone comment on how the beet juice in the studies was prepared? A recipe or directions?Dr. Greger,I wasn’t sure of the best place to ask this question, but I’m placing it here because it relates to athletic performance.Is it fact or fiction that muscle-building athletes require substantially more protein than the average person (in body building handbooks recommendations are given such as 1 gram protein per pound of body weight per day, which are much higher than the RDA of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day)? If you can also reference any recent literature, that would be fantastic.Thank you.When we need more protein, that typically means we need more calories. I am a competitive rock climber and I notice that after an intense climbing session, I am quite hungry. If im sore the next day I tend to get hungry faster than an average day, meaning im ingesting more protein. Calorie intake and protein needs go hand in hand on a whole food plant based diet. This is not a very scientific response but just from experience I know I get more then enough protein because I need to eat more food to maintain my condition.Thanks, Toxins, for your response. You make a good point about higher calorie intakes translating into greater intakes of protein, though it also seems possible that athletes like yourself are simply eating more to compensate for your energy loses. It is conceivable that the greater amounts of protein you consume are flushed out of your body without being incorporated into your muscle. Then it wouldn’t matter whether you ate more foods like beans or just took in calories from high carb foods like bananas.My aim is to figure out whether there is any point to the body building principle that one should consume a higher proportion of protein-dense foods to get faster muscle growth and a higher rate of performance. I am familiar with past studies that traced nitrogen, the so-called nitrogen balance studies, to measure protein utilization…I believe the RDAs for protein are based on this type of experiment, despite its crudeness and sources of error…therefore, I am curious to know the latest science on this subject.Here is fitness expert Lani from Dr. McDougall’s forum answering a similar question u pose. Here is her response:When we’re working out, we need more calories than when sedentary. This means our food intake may well increase because we need more calories that will come in the form of carbohydrate, protein, and fat.This is different from isolating and upping protein out of balance with the other macronutrients, which is what I think you are referring to. Protein supplements have been pushed by the fitness industry based largely on, one, the profitability of the food supplement industry, and two, on the muscle-mongering, if that term makes sense, of the fitness industry. It is often a matter of one trainer repeating what another trainer said and so on.My friend Brad Pilon, who worked in the supplement industry for years pushing protein powders, eventually left the position when he discovered that the protein he’d been pushing wasn’t doing what it promised. He then wrote a book called How Much Protein where he examines the topic.Here are some of his words:Quote:Does More Protein Equal More Muscle?If you eat more, you‘ll gain weight, so if you eat more protein, you‘ll gain muscle. This theory seems correct on the surface. If we eat more calories, our fat mass expands – so if we eat more protein, our muscles should get bigger, right?What’s described above – the relationship between calorie surplus and body weight – is a basic dose-response relationship. If our bodies ingest extra calories, we continuously gain weight until our bodies can no longer support the weight.Body fat, or adipose tissue, is a storage house. Its function is to store excess energy. Fat can expand with an almost unlimited ability. Some morbidly obese individuals’ fat mass makes up more than 60 percent of their total body weight!So should we also assume that the same dose-response relationship exists when it comes to protein and our muscle mass? Unfortunately, no. Healthy humans can’t gain ever-increasing amounts of muscle mass by eating increased amounts of protein.Muscles don’t store protein in the same way that fat stores energy. They don’t expand to hold more proteins when we eat more proteins. In fact, only 20 percent of your muscle weight comes from protein – and only 50 percent of that amount is comprised of actual structural contractile proteins. (The rest is comprised of cellular proteins, such as enzymes, and fluid.) Most of the weight of your skeletal muscles is not from protein!If a dose-response relationship actually did exist between dietary protein and organs that contain protein in our bodies, then a high protein diet would not only cause our muscles to grow, but it would also cause our heart and most of our other organs to grow with unlimited potential.Don’t be fooled into thinking that your muscles will expand and contract as a result of your calorie or protein intake. Fat tissue will react in that way when it receives extra calories, but muscles will not.I am interested in health and fitness, and I have good reason to believe that overdosing on protein, regardless of what may be said about upping intake and working out to build muscle (which can raise IGF factors) is not a healthy practice.Getting too much protein is the concern ;-) .Lani http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=27978 If your still dissatisfied with this answer I would click the link above and chime in on the conversation. Lani is very helpful.Please also check out my associated blog post http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/!Any reason why I shouldn’t start drinking 2 cups of beet juice a day immediately in order to win mountain bike races? I’m certainly looking forward to brilliantly colored bowel movements…..Hey Huckin,Reducing your oxygen needs, which as this video shows is a byproduct of drinking beet juice, will most definitely have a positive effect on your mountain biking performance. Also, often a source of amusement when consuming beets, you touch upon an interesting point re: the colorful BMs that will most like result. As this other video demonstrates, this bright colored BM is a good thing…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pretty-in-pee-nk/For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!I have read research that shows that “whole food juices” made with a Vita-Mix, by blending whole produce and water or ice, is not only much cheaper, but also far more nutritious than juice from a juicer. (I would of course include greens for the vitamin C to minimize any risk from nitric oxide production.)  Do you think the Vita-Mix version would give me the same increase in my ability to extract energy from oxygen, or should I buy a juicer for this purpose?  I would stick with the VitaMix over the juicer. I don’t think you will adversely effect your bodies ability to absorb nitrates plus you will get the benefits of fiber which are many ranging from decreasing cholesterol see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/ to increasing the speed that material goes through your gut see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/ to avoiding cancer see the post at http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/. Good luck.Yes, it should be better with Vitamix or even shewing the whole food. But in this case, you would have to juice the beets because drinking about 10 beets (about what it takes for 500ml) with their fiber is pretty hard! I have a hard time drinking two beets from the Vitamix. It’s about 1% improvement, not huge, but can be really worth it.I would say it’s exactly 1.7462 % improvement,with the VAT…….Hi ! how many intakes per day (cups/ml) ? for how many days before ? should I had to drink to improve my MTB performance ? its save drink every day and week or just for a planned competition ? thanks Dr.You need to take 500ml per day (30% more if bio beet juice) for 6 days before race. It will give you about 1% more performance. I think it should be safe everyday, but you know what they say about too much of a good thing. I only do it before competition.It’s the sugar! needs a “control” with carrot or other sweet juice.No it’s not sugar and many studies on beetroot juice are double blind placebo controlled. So they do have control.Here you go doc:Before taking a long bike ride on a hot summer day, have some watermelon: The juicy fruit may ward off muscle pains. Researchers report that people whodrank watermelon juice before exercising felt less sore the next day than those who drank a pink placebo beverage (J. Agric. Food Chem. 2013, DOI:10.1021/jf400964r). They also found that cells absorb the presumed active ingredient, L-citrulline, more readily from unpasteurized watermelon juice than from plain water spiked with the compound, suggesting the natural source is the optimal delivery medium. http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/web/2013/07/Watermelon-Juice-Prevents-Aching-Muscles.htmlGreat video!You (and your readers) may also be interested to know that vitamin E carries similar performance-enhancing benefit. As with the beet juice, vitamin E will increase the efficiency of cellular respiration. Essentially it allows muscles to do more with less oxygen.There are many foods naturally rich in vitamin E – additionally there are quality supplement forms available to. I make a home-made “pre workout” formula from the liquid vitamins and herbs in my cabinet. Vitamin E is one of the key ingredients!Split the Difference Beet Stew-2 cups yellow split peas -6 cups water/homemade vegetable broth -3 medium beets, small cubes -2-3 stalks celery, thinly sliced -1 red onion, chopped -6 cloves garlic, minced -black pepperMince garlic and set aside. Add all remaining ingredients to a large soup pot. Bring water to boil, then simmer, covered, over medium heat until peas are desired consistency and beets tender. Season to taste with black pepper.~complements of plant-based emporiumbeet juice should not be taken in amounts larger that 1/4 cup per dayWhen Dr. Greger said “2 cups per day for 5 days,” did he mean 2 tablespoons? 2 cups seems like an awful lot of beet juice, considering how potent it tastes.THe problem with the study of 8 males is the sample size. It’s too small to give a credible margin of error or confidence level. In addition there was no control group mentioned. Smells like snake oil here.	athletes,beet juice,beets,beverages,endurance,exercise,juice,lung health,metabolism,muscle health,muscle strength,sports medicine,vegetables	Beets found to significantly improve athletic performance while reducing oxygen needs, upsetting a fundamental tenet of sports physiology.	The "wild ride" of which I speak is a 3-week series—my longest video sequence yet—exploring this phenomenon. In tomorrow's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day I'll discuss the proposed mechanism and then delve into the pros, cons, and controversies surrounding the performance-enhancing effects of vegetables. Strap yourself in! If you don't have the patience to wait, you can check out the DVD (all proceeds to charity) or take this opportunity to dive into any of the other thousand subjects.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/31/cancer-proofing-your-body/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/22/using-greens-to-improve-athletic-performance/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-strength/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beet-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/athletes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sports-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endurance/	-	-
PLAIN-3041	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/	Soy Worth a Hill of Beans?	For over a decade, soy foods have enjoyed the rare privilege of an FDA-approved food label health claim about soy's ability to protect against heart disease. Now a billion-dollar industry, they have a lot of money to fund research touting the benefits of their bean. And although there is also a US dry bean council, representing all the other beans, I think you can get a sense, just by comparing their websites, who may have more money to spread around.So though you may not soon see ads on TV with anyone exclaiming they are "gonzo for garbanzos", there was a study out of Tulane recently that looked at the cholesterol-lowering power of non-soy legumes. There are all sorts of beans out there. Which did better to lower the number-one risk factor (LDL cholesterol) of our number-one killer (heart disease): soybeans or non-soy beans?Soy consumption drops bad cholesterol, on average, about 4 points. Other beans -- lentil, lima, navy, pinto, etc. -- dropped bad cholesterol 8. Though it's illegal for, say, a baked-bean manufacturer to make health claims on their label, soy isn't special in that regard. All  beans are beautiful, and in this case, beat out soy, two to one!	For more on the wonders of beans, see my videos Plant Protein Preferable, Fill in the Blank, and Beans, Beans, Good for Your Heart. And for choosing among the best varieties, The Healthiest Lentil and The Best Bean (though truly the best bean is the one you’ll eat the most of!). For other foods that help lower cholesterol see Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol and New Cholesterol Fighters. And for why one would want to lower cholesterol, see Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet, Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death, Cholesterol Gallstones, and How to Prevent Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms. Can cholesterol be too low? Find out in Can Cholesterol Be Too Low?. And feel free to browse the other thousand or so topics I cover, and leave any bean questions below (which reminds me—make sure to check out my blog post Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air!).What? No bar chart? ;-)I’m ganzo for garbanzo!My feeling is that one should never stick to one thing but mix it up. Enjoy them all!I’m looking at the specifications of Soy Isolate, which is a powder that goes into lots of processed products. (like sausages, or hamburgers). The table shows (for a 100g soy isolate): Arsenic < 2mg/ kg Lead < 3mg/kg (!) Mercury < 1mg/kgDoes this give cause for concern? or can we still safely consume products that are made from this isolate in question.http://www.foodchemchina.com/6-soy-protein-3.htmlActually, these soy isolates are quite harmful even without these contaminants. 40 grams of soy protein isolate will spike your insulin like growth factor (a known tumor grower and age accelerator) twice as much as 40 grams of dairy.http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/18/1472.abstract http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/88/3/1048One of the current dietary trends recommended by some dietary gurus is to move towards a paleo diet.  It is suggested that paleo followers avoid legumes because they contain lectins which are anti-nutrients.   What’s the rational behind this?  Are lectins from your diet dangerous in any way? What’s the kernel of truth and what’s the exaggeration?  Is there a benefits vs risks balance to be considered?  Thanks for  your answer.  Cheers.People often cite “antinutrients” in a plant based diet such as phytates found in oats that inhibit calcium absorption and tannins found in legumes that can inhibit amino acid synthesis and mineral absorption. What they never tell you is that if you cook legumes the tannins are eliminated and that if you cook oats the phytates are deactivated. So cook your beans and grains like most everyone does and there is no risk.Dr. Greger covers the paleo diet quite extensively here on his free ebook http://www.atkinsexposed.org/i am learning a heck of a lot on this site….the FDA and Monsanto appear to be one and same corporation, and Monsanto seems to own 95% of the Soy in the country with their GMO seeds…Very true. Most of the GMO soy is processed into meal to feed factory-farmed animals and into soybean oil for processed foods. To minimize consumption of GMO soy, avoid factory-farmed animal products and processed foods containing soybean oil, and look for tofu and other soy products that are labeled organic or nonGMO.I’ve seen claims about uncooked soybeans containing some anti-nutrients Is this true, and if it is, does the way you heat the beans matter? Will baking them without water eliminate the anti-nutrients too?Also, what about sprouted soybeans? is it safe to consume them raw? Soybeans are not special in this case, raw grains, raw potatoes and all raw beans contain antinutrients. Cooking deactivates these anti-nutrients which include lectins, phytic acid, trypsin and α-amylase inhibitors. I would advise eating all these foods i mentioned cooked.Was in Iowa/Minnesota last summer. Very impressed by miles and miles of nothing by corn and soybeans. But I noted there are no weeds for miles and miles as well. Are our soybeans and food from soybeans contaminated with excessive use of herbicides? Pesticides? How would we know?You are witnessing the one of the effects of GMO’s in our food supply. They generally fall into two categories. The first involves inserting a gene which allows the crops whether soy or corn to be immune to the effect of herbicides. This allows the industrial farmers to spray herbicide on the fields without killing the crops. The second involves the insertion of gene which actually produces a toxin that kills insects that consume the plant. This is used in corn and cotton. The best way to avoid the effects of GM foods is to buy organic or products that are labelled nonGMO. You can also look at the PLU (Price Look Up) Code… if it is a five digit code and starts with a 9 it is organic, an 8 means it is GMO and a four digit code means conventional or GMO since GMO’s are not required to be labelled such… California’s ballot initiative to require the labeling was narrowly defeated :(!!. It is very worrisome that very little human studies have been done on this technology. The animal studies suggest effects across many organ systems. It is very complicated area but if you want to learn more about the issue I recommend Jeffery Smith’s book, Genetic Roulette; a DVD by the same title or going to the website for the Institute for Responsible Technology see… http://www.responsibletechnology.org/. The website also has a NonGMO shopping guide for free download. As for me I recommend all my patients, friends and family to avoid GMO foods for many reasons.What do you think of this article Doctor? It seems like a lot of untruth to me.http://www.naturalcuresnotmedicine.com/2013/07/10-reasons-to-avoid-soy-at-all-costs.htmlItalian subs http://www.amara.org/it/videos/RKHTHcc3TNce/info/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/Dr. Gregor, please talk about the wonderful peptide, Lunasin.Dr. Forrester, please talk about the wonderful peptide, Lunasin.It is always nice see reductionistic science provide an explanation for the cholesterol lowering effect of whole soy. However I’m willing to bet there is alot of other factors in beans that contribute to health. Lunasin being a peptide with many amino acids must exert its effect in the gastrointestinal tract as it would be digested down to1-3 amino acids before they are absorbed into the body. I often read or hear folks think that taking isolated substances are better than the whole product. I’m reminded of an example in Dr. Campbell’s book, Whole. An apple has about 10 mg of vitamin C but over 150 mg of vitamin C activity. The other caution I have is that many of the studies were done in vitro or use animal models. Have a healthy and successful 2015.Thank you for a timely reply! While I know that whole soy has proved so beneficial as a cancer preventative and as a reducer of inflammation, I would point out that the patented version of lunasin, LunaRichX by Reliv International, passes through the stomach acids protected by a molecule that allows the Lunacin to absorb into the small intestine at a rate clinically determined to be 96-98%. I personally have had amazing results with this wonderful peptide with my arthritis (no more knee pain!), as have members of my family. I introduced these products to a friend with Parkinson’s disease 2 1/2 months ago. His condition has improved so drastically that he bought 1,000 shares of Reliv stock on Friday. There are over 60 clinical studies of Lunasin on pubmed.gov, all of them positive. I wish more people knew about this wonderful peptide!Would you happen to know, 4-8 points over what time period?Good question. Let’s look at the “sources cited” section and pull those studies. They are both meta-analyses so the time periods will all vary. From what I see, the 8 point drop in non-soy legumes used studies with a minimum duration of 3 weeks. For soy, I cannot tell from the abstract. Let me know if you are dying to know and I’ll look further.Thanks, Joseph	baked beans,beans,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,edamame,FDA,garbanzo beans,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,legumes,lentils,lima beans,mortality,navy beans,pinto beans,soy,soybeans,U.S. Dry Bean Council	Are soybeans better than other types of beans for heart disease prevention, or does the soy industry just have more money and clout to tout?	For more on the wonders of beans, see my videos Plant Protein Preferable, Fill in the Blank, and Beans, Beans, Good for Your Heart. And for choosing among the best varieties, The Healthiest Lentil and The Best Bean (though truly the best bean is the one you'll eat the most of!). For other foods that help lower cholesterol see Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol and New Cholesterol Fighters. And for why one would want to lower cholesterol, see Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet, Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death, Cholesterol Gallstones, and How to Prevent Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms. Can cholesterol be too low? Find out in Can Cholesterol Be Too Low?. And feel free to browse the other thousand or so topics I cover, and leave any bean questions below (which reminds me—make sure to check out my blog post Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air!).	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/edamame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lima-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pinto-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/baked-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/navy-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garbanzo-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/u-s-dry-bean-council/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16923451,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19939654,
PLAIN-3042	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/	New Vitamin B12 Test	Should people who eat plant-based diets be tested for vitamin B12 deficiency? In my opinion, medical tests should only be ordered if the results, one way or the other, are going to change what you do. If your test came backing showing your B12 levels were low, what would you do? You'd insure a regular, reliable source of vitamin B12. If your tests came back showing your levels were OK, what would you do? You'd ensure a regular, reliable source of B12 because you wouldn't want them to become not-OK.So, if it's not going to matter either way, I wouldn't worry about it: with two exceptions. I recommend anyone with unexplained neurological, psychiatric, or developmental symptoms be tested, especially in infants, toddlers, vegans, and anyone over 50; and, out of an abundance of caution, I've always tested all my pregnant and breast-feeding vegan patients, just because the consequences of deficiency are so potentially devastating.Better than getting a serum B12 level drawn, though, which most doctors do, a methylmalonic acid level is a superior test for B12 deficiency, which can be blood or urine. You can just pee in a cup for it.Here's why measuring MMA levels is better. About 50 people started eating vegan. Within a few years half became B12-deficient. But look at their B12 levels. All these vegans had functional B12 deficiency despite normal levels of B12 in their blood, showing that MMA is a more effective test.Now their has been a case report published of someone with apparent B12 deficiency who had normal B12 and MMA levels. So since we're always looking for a better test, it looks like HoloTC is it, measuring Holotranscobalamin levels, shown to be more sensitive and specific, meaning fewer false negatives and false positives. If your level is under 20 you start treatment. If it's over 30, you can be pretty sure you're OK. And if it's in the middle, you follow up with a second-line test.If you are deficient, you can be treated with a ruby-red mad-scientist-looking injection of B12. The color is from the cobalt in the molecule. But one of medicine's best-kept secrets is the efficacious use of high-dose oral B12 -- safer, cheaper. 2000 microgram supplements every day for two weeks should do it, before having patients starting or resuming their regular, reliable regimen of B12.	This concludes our five-part video series on B12 this week. Please leave any questions you may have below. If you’re new to the issue, Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It into Perspective and Safest Source of B12 are good places to start. The consequences of B12 deficiency can be grave (see Inverted Rabbit Sign), but getting enough is easy: B12 can be taken weekly (see Cheapest Source of Vitamin B12) or daily (see Daily Source of Vitamin B12). See my full recommendations and check out the other 1000+ topics I cover here at NutritionFacts.org.In my research B12 seems to be the most confusing and unadressed  nutrient in the vegan community and is fraught with ignorance and misinformation.This is how I see the B12 problem: 1) Ignore the topic as because they don’t perceive it to be an issue or at least no issue since they have no symptoms. Many vegans are people who spent years destroying their health – especially damaging their digestive track, decreasing intrinsic factor… and those and many other factors lower B12 creation and absorption and tend not to just magically get fixed immediately on a vegan diet. 2) Many vegans do not eat very health vegan foods. 3) RE: 1) do don’t get tested or tested using methods that are well known to be fairly inaccurate (e.g. blood tests) 4) RE: 1.2.1) Try increasing with things that have either not been scientifically vetted yet to increase B12 and/or no proven scientific track record of increasing B12 levels. 5) RE: 1.2.2) Believe they just need to eat better and don’t need to test or can skip the retesting.Comments, additions, corrections…?There are indeed junk food vegans and healthy vegans. The issue of vitamin b12 though is fairly well addressed and this is an absolutely necessary nutrient to supplement when on a vegan diet unless one is consuming fortified foods. check out this video on supplements worth taking. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/Thanks for the reply!Q: On a separate topic – What’s with the “Toxins” name?Broken link for “full recommendations.”I just read on my bottle of B12 that it “Contains various fish species”. What’s a good all vegan source of getting B12?Question for you: My husband, who has been vegan for 4 years, has numbness in the balls of his feet. He went to his doctor, who did a blood test which indicated his B12 levels were ok. From there he went to a neurologist, where no reason for the numbness could be found. He is suggesting that he take a high dose of B12 without bothering to get a test. Thoughts?What was the type of test(s) given? I assume the test was as serum B12 which is insufficiency sensitive. If he doesn’t want to get a better test (like a urine MMA), I would recommend he take a B12 replenishment regimen of 2000 mcg every day for two weeks before going back to supplementing normally.Thank you for addressing this important and neglected issue. Going back to supplementing normally is risky. If the person is malabsorbing severely, and that is possible, they should stay on at least 1000 mcg dose. Your video is great, until the end. Hi Dr. Greger, I’ve viewed the videos on vitamin B-12 and have a question regarding supplementing just this one B vitamin. I read somewhere a long time ago that taking single B vitamins alone can cause imbalances in the other B vitamins. Is there anything to this? Thanks for Nutrition.org which is a great resource.No worries–there is no problem taking vitamin B12 in isolation.Raw Food World has B-12 patches available. But it’s confusing because the B-12 researcher who spoke about B-12 states that the cobalamin is not the human active form and that we need to consume the methylcobalamin form. He says the MMA score should be between .58 and 3.56. The Homocystine test should score between 2.2 and 13.2. It’s confusing because you are recommending oral cobalamin.So, after watching a couple videos about the importance of B12, I decided to break down and buy a bottle of B12 supplements at the health foods store. But I noticed while I was there that there are also “B-Complex” supplements which contain other B-vitamins such as B1, B2, and B6. Should vegans supplement their diet with these vitamins as well or just with B12? Are all the other B’s not as important or are they like the multivitamin – leading to higher mortality rates in excess? It seems that they are not talked about as much as B12. Why is that?A b complex vitamin is unnecessary. We can acquire more than enough of all the b vitamins through food except vitamin b12. Vitamin b12 is the only byproduct of bacteria. If you search http://nutritiondata.self.com/ for any plant food you can see a full vitamin and mineral profile. You will find that all plant foods not only contain all b vitamins, but they also are all complete proteins and all contain sufficient levels of omega 3.  I’d like to know too! I have been taking the Methylcobalamin because I read years ago that IT was the correct one to take. :?Dr. Greger, am I in the danger zone?! I’ve been taking the Methylcobalamin for years now. Should I switch to the  cobalamin??If you are taking methylcobalamin, you are taking the more natural and useful form of cobalamin. Hi,That’s what I have thought because I read it years ago; however, I infer from what Dr. Greger has stated that the cyanocobalamin is the one we should be taking.Here (in the comments), http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/ he seems to saying the Methyl- isn’t the best choice. The high amount suggested looks like a typo…I  have asked for clarification; I hope Dr. Greger can clear it up for us (me!)Hi everybody. I see quite a few of you have asked about which B-12 supplement is best. When I took the Plant Based Nutrition Certificate program by T. Colin Campbell via eCornell University, we had a lecture on this exact topic. The lecturer was Dr. Matt Lederman, below is what he advised based on my notes from the class:There are B-12 analogs – substances which are very similar to B-12. However, analogs are not biologically active in the human body, meaning they do not perform the functions that B-12 does. Examples of a supposed B-12 analogs would be Spirulina & some algae. Dr. Lederman advises the use of methylcobalamin, which is a natural derivitive used by the body and he advises against the use of cyancobalamin, which is a synthetic version of B-12. And that when broken down by the body to methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin, the process leaves a minimal amount of cyanide behind.That’s not what Dr Greger advises, he says the cyanocobalamin is the one we should be taking. See http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-best-way-to-get-b12/ blog quote:“In my opinion, the easiest and cheapest way to get our B12 is to take at least 2,500 mcg (µg) cyanocobalamin once each week, ideally as a chewable, sublingual, or liquid supplement (you can’t take too much–all you get is expensive pee).”I also read in the comments section of this video, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/ , Dr Greger’s advice:“re: cyanocobalamin (the inexpensive form) vs. methylcobalamin. Vitamin B12 supplements are so cheap to produce that supplement manufacturers try to come with all sorts of fancy ways to “add value” to products so they can make more money. The coral calcium scam is the classic example–how else can you charge $20 for a bottle of chalk? Likewise, unless you’re a smoker, have kidney failure, or base your diet around cassava root, cyanocobalamin should be fine. If it’s unavailable, then I would shoot for about 2,000 mcg a day of methylcobalamin.”So, I guess, if you are taking the methylcobalamin form, make sure you’re taking plenty.MaryAnn – Re: “B-12 analogs would be Spirulina & some algae.” It seems that either your notes from Dr. Matt Lederman are inaccurate or his claim is inaccurate. Ether way, “Spirulina & some algae” are known to HAVE (not “be”) B12 analogs, and still they can also have active B12. Therefore, an accurate claim would be: Spirulina & some algae are examples of some foods that contain B12 analogs.Dr. Greger, there is a video in which you talk about vegan longevity vs. meat-eaters longevity. You mentioned that a study discovered that meat-eaters live as long or longer than vegans and vegans are more propense to heart attacks and neural damage due to the low levels of B12. Can you point me in the direction of the conclusion of that video? Is there a happy conclusion for vegans? How old are those findings? Thank youDr Greger, three of my local collection sites have not been able to locate a lab that performs the holotranscobalamin levels test. Please supply contact information for labs that can perform this test. TNXThanks you for your “sleuthing” Stephen! Have you been able to “find a USA source for the test.”?Thank you for the explanative video.I was diagnosed 17 years ago after the birth of my first child with a vitamin B deficiency after experiencing depression, brain fog and a series of other symptoms commonly experienced by breast feading mothers. After further testing the naturopath who was treating me at the time established that I was not able to assimilate the B’s orally due to IBS and made me undergo a regimen of B injections which seem to clear the matter, along with supplement of stevia for a lazy thyroid if I remember well.Over the years my digestive issues have gone from bad to worth and looking back at it I have most certainly experienced episodes of mild depression and the likes, though never fully paid attention to it.In the last 5 years I started to experience serious insomnia issues often associated with extreme bloating which led to difficult breathing only bearable in standing position. Then a little less than 2 years ago I fell pregnant with my third child, now just over a year old and whom I am still breast feading, and to the bloating was added an extreme case of restless leg syndrome, constant day and night throughout my pregnancy which in turn transformed the episodes of insomnia to a constant state as well. Aside of that the pregnancy was great and easy but I reached delivery utterly exhausted and i am presently barely recovering from the lack of sleep.Shortly after delivery I experienced a sharp pain in the right side of my body, my right leg having been the one most affected by the restless syndrom as well. This vanished somewhat within a few hours, though an ongoing twitchy feeling settled down after that with a constant sensation of electric current running through my nerves from my little toe, with strong sensation in the sole of my foot and incessant debilitating itching up the outer side of my legs seemingly ending in the area of my reproductive organs. I thought at first that it must be related to the slight urethrocele that seemed to occur after the delivery, but that issue seem to resolve after a couple of months and the itch remained.Then all at once it seems the IRS came back in force, I started to experience irritating burning sensation in my bladder and a couple of excruciating pain in my chest and back below my rib cage. Concerns for gall stones, yeast infection were raised but quickly turned down after appropriate screening test were done and came back clear.Other symptoms experienced which seemed unrelated to the ones above and rather common to the aftermath of pregnancy were fatigue, brain fog though rather extreme with incapicity to focus on anything, sensitivity to light and a strange sensation of seeing fleeting shadows pass by….That is when my gyn mentioned that i probably was experiencing a lack of vit B, which seemed to have become quite severe. She then sent me to an internist who put me on a regimen of vit B 12 complex, first orally with dosage of 15 000 mg a day for a week with no results and then shots of 5000 mg twice a week. The latter seemed to have quite positive effect and within 2 months the brain fog, sensitivity to light, fleeting shadows and inability to focus seemed to have disappeared. The nervous itch sensation though lesser at first is now slowly creeping back in :-(, along with the burning sensation and last but not least my buttocks are covered with bruises from the injection spots.The midwife who administrates them suggested that I get tested for the B levels to see if what they are presently at….though as I had not previously done a serum or any of the other test you mention in the video, I feel that the answer will require more than a mere testing for vit B.With much hope the above is clear and you’ll be able to provide with some light and advises. Many thanks,niinestP.S.:In addition, as this will probably come to be relevant at some point, I have had to change my diet quite early on since breast feeding my little one, as I noticed that like his older brothers he seemed to develop a crying habit and some rashes around a month old. After on going an elimination diet and reintroducing the avoided food one by one, I was able to assess that wheat product would make him cry for long periods, dairy resulted in specks of blood in his stools, eggs gave him peeling off rashes and meat/fish resulted in diarrheas. So all the above were eliminated from my diet for good and he has been an easy hardly ever crying baby ever since.Try searching home blood tests for the accurate, active B12 test. Make sure injections are methylcobalamin rather than cyanocobalamin and preferably preservative free or with minimal preservatives. Dr.Greger, please could I find out whether supplements would affect the U/MMA test or homocysteine test? My body is not retaining the supplements so I’m going to buy the injections from Trim Nutrition. I would also like a test for my records. Many, many thanks.Dr Greger, I wanted to know – is there any evidence that if a person takes a B12 supplement daily (when B12 is normal) that a person’s body could eventually not produce it’s own and become dependent on the supplement? I have heard this but have not seen any evidence of it. I would like to know if you have. Thank you so much for your work.DrBarbaraHoldeman: Dr. Greger has a great set of videos on B12. I highly recommend watching them. This is just one of the videos.What other NutritionFacts videos tell us is that B12 is made by bacteria in our lower gut. The B12 is so far down in our lower gut, our bodies do not absorb it properly. What is one way that we know this? People who are deficient in B12 and then eat their own poop pills (I kid you not), see their B12 levels rise.In other words, it’s never about how much B12 our bodies make. The issue is how we get B12 to go into our bodies. We could get it naturally say by drinking dirty water and eating non-washed fruits and veggies the way our ancestors did (or eating feces encrusted chicken the way our friends do today), OR we could take a cheap, safe supplement one a week.That’s a summary of the videos. Dr. Greger does a better job of explaining it. Hope that helps answer your question though.Okay, since you started it…we are the only species I can think of who doesn’t lick their behinds. (..and don’t plan on it either)! BUTT seriously… lol!You bring up a question that I believe needs to be properly addressed based on so much misinformation on this B12 topic and especially the persistent claim that – internal B12 production will be reduced from B12 supplementation!I understand that your question was directed to Dr Greger. I am not speaking for him, yet I thought I might provide an informative response to your question.My experience so far is that every person who has made such a claim has been unable (and even unwilling – mostly what seems to be delusional arrogance) to back up (they are the ones tasled with the burden-of-proof) their claim with any form of empirical medical science data. I have yet to have someone make such a claim that has had any long term formal education in nutrition/biology. Mostly the people who make such a claim (reduction of B12 from supplementation) seem to be enthusiastic diet advisers (guru’s) or from their unquestioning followers who are simply repeating their guru’s B12 statements.Maintaining my critical thinking and skepticism (belief and/or acceptance AFTER sufficient facts) their claim remains as a wishful hypothesis (if that) and does not yet (if ever) qualify as a medical science theory.My understanding of B12 in regards to the claim that, internal B12 production will be reduced from B12 supplementation (Note: the first three are my premises and #4 is my conclusion): 1.) B12 can be made by several types of bacteria. 2.) In order for B12 to be controlled (reduced or increased) by the human body it would require that our body control the amount and type of bacteria that produces B12. 3.) The B12 produced in the human body is to far down the intestinal track to be absorbed sufficiently enough to raise B12 levels. 4.) Therefore, even if our body was able to control B12 bacteria quantity and production it would not be enough to overcome the limitations of #3I am open to my premises and conclusion (already verifiable by medical science studies) being proven incorrect and await (without holding my breath) for their different and/or opposing evidence that is verifiable through medical science that will have the possibility of validating their claim.“The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.” John F. KennedyHi dr Greger, fantastic sitei am on raw food, vegan, and was hoping to find some info —friends and i wonder if we can get B12 f.i. from germinated and then fermented chickpeasthey get a ´´french cheesy´´ smell, mixed in salads quite good, if you like frech cheese that is…i seem to have heard (foodnsports.com) that slightly ´´off´´ vegetables have b12 in themor is that myth??thank youDoctor, I am confused. Didn’t you say in a previous video that we can only take 250mg of b12 a day? Is taking above that only in case of cobalt deficiency?Ted: Dr. Greger’s Optimum Nutrition Recommendation page includes the following for B12:>> At least 2,500 mcg (µg) cyanocobalamin once each week, ideally as a chewable, sublingual, or liquid supplement *OR* >> at least 250 mcg daily of supplemental cyanocobalamin (you needn’t worry about taking too much) *OR* >> servings of B12-fortified foods three times a day, each containing at least 25% U.S. “Daily Value” on its label>>Those over 65 years of age should take at least 1,000 mcg (µg) cyanocobalamin every day.from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/My understanding is: The reason for the non-linear amounts is because of how the body absorbs and holds B12. Now you can put this into perspective with the video information. Here is the last paragraph of the transcript:“If you are deficient, … one of medicine’s best-kept secrets is the efficacious use of high-dose oral B12 — safer, cheaper. 2000 microgram supplements every day for two weeks should do it, before having patients starting or resuming their regular, reliable regimen of B12.”I believe he is talking about deficiency in B12, not cobalt.Dr. Greger, HELP. I can’t find an answer about this anywhere on the internet. Question: Was there, or is there enough B12 for us in streams, lakes, & rivers? I’m curious about what the source of our B12 had to be for the last few hundred thousand years.And, what percent of livestock are given a B12 supplement? I’ve heard the bacteria is depleted. Shed light on the B12 rumor mill.Aqua, it is possible. It is also possible that it was on plant foods in the wild on their surface. Humans were never strict vegans throughout human history, though. Even if we did eat some meat back in the day, we know what is healthier for us. We are not simply trying to survive (for those of us that are lucky), we have choices. It is preferable to follow the weight of evidence rather than evolutionary ideals.Evidence is what I’m asking for. Who’s talking about evolutionary ideals?“I’m curious about what the source of our B12 had to be for the last few hundred thousand years.” What I am saying is that this does not matter for the purposes of our health. You started with HELP, so clearly you think this is a significant issue. Hence, why I said “evolutionary ideals”.I see you have a lot to say. How do I get this question around you and to the Dr?You can email him directly, I am a moderator and am assigned to answer people’s questions and concerns.“we may once have gotten all we needed by drinking out of mountain streams or well water.” Michael Greger, M.D http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/08/25/vegan-b12-deficiency-putting-it-into-perspectiveThanks JDExactly, and I’m still trying to sort out why it wouldn’t YET be in well water or spring water-from which about half my county (and myself) gets their water supply. I’d really like to find some testing information for water and B12. Also wonder how much B12 I might be getting from Sassafras roots pulled from their natural soils? Sure it’s safer to take a supplement, but I like to know things.I know this is an older video, but hoping you guys check out new comments from time to time and this seems the most appropriate place to ask this question. My serum B12 level, when last checked, was 416 pmol/L, which if I’m understanding correctly translates to 561.6 pg/mL. I notice in your graph that higher serum B12 seems to correlate to less MMA, and my B12 level would chart off this particular graph. I wasn’t consuming many known B12-analogue containing foods, to my knowledge, at the time. I get lots of folate from my 100% plant-based diet, but not much folic acid (small amounts from occasional nutritional yeast consumption). I asked about getting my MMA tested, but my doctor had never even heard of this test.I’ve been researching this matter heavily lately, as I do have some concerns, but here’s the thing. I had no odd neurological symptoms at the time I got the test done, with a marginal intake of B12-containing foods (soy and almond milk, nutritional yeast, etc.) but upped by B12 intake anyway (as well as overall eating a more healthful diet, paying more attention to nutrition), and since then (2 months later or so), I did start having some odd “shock” or pinching sensations, usually in my hands/wrists and legs, but also in my torso and on my face, and sometimes even in one eye (which I injured awhile back). I’ve had numbness in my left fingers and thumb (location varies) when they get cold, but I think that might be from the way I’ve been sleeping (wake up with a sore neck often, on the left side); this seems to be getting better, though (but it’s also getting warmer). I also get canker sores somewhat frequently. I also get occasional random “headaches” that last a couple to a few seconds (which always makes me wonder about mini strokes).I’ve been plant-based for going on 15 years, with some milk and egg consumption up until 5 years ago. B12 intake has varied over the years from almost none to regular consumption of fortified foods and some supplements. My health has improved dramatically since dropping all animal foods, with the exception of these new issues.And here’s the thing. I’m not 100% sure, but I believe that the shocking/pinching sensations get worse, not better, after taking B12 supplements (only 50 mcg, cyanocobolamin). Within 24 hours they’re happening more frequently, and the next day they’re at their worst. After this, they go back to being milder and less frequent. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what’s happening. The sensation gets sharper after B12 supplementation. Sometimes it’s quite painful, though luckily short-lived. What am I to make of this? It doesn’t feel like I’m doing something good to my body, and the word iatrogenic floats into my mind… Any advice? To sum up, I’m wonderingCome to think of it, maybe the overdose on B12 thread would have been a better place for this. I think I was planning on leaving a shorter comment just asking about the tests when I started writing this.Almost forgot. B12 supplements also seem to be causing mild acne, which I almost never get now normally.Confused about B12: I’m not a doctor or expert, but after reading your story, I had a thought: I have read other people posting that they have various troubles with the B12 supplements. So, what if your body just can’t handle the high-dosage that you get from those pills? You still need to be concerned about getting enough B12, but maybe for you, you have to forgo the convenience of a weekly pill and just make sure you get enough in a single day? It could still be from fortified foods (ex: nutritional yeast, etc) because the amounts would be a whole lot less. Or maybe you could try a pill that comes only in the daily dose amount???Due to absorption issues, the daily recommended amount is exponentially less than the weekly amount. Here’s Dr. Greger’ recommendations: >> At least 2,500 mcg (µg) cyanocobalamin once each week, ideally as a chewable, sublingual, or liquid supplement >> or at least 250 mcg daily of supplemental cyanocobalamin (you needn’t worry about taking too much) >> or servings of B12-fortified foods three times a day, each containing at least 25% U.S. “Daily Value” on its label **Those over 65 years of age should take at least 1,000 mcg (µg) cyanocobalamin every day. from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/My bottom line is that you shouldn’t be experiencing those symptoms. So, it is worth trying to figure out the cause so that you can do what you need to to fix it.Good luck.Thanks for taking the time to reply. I’m still trying to figure this all out, but one thing that’s worrying me is that the dose that’s causing me problems, if this is in fact what’s happening, is only 50 mcg! So taking a 250 mcg supplement once a day wouldn’t help matters! I have been experimenting with smaller quantities over the course of the day (from almond milk, nutritional yeast), but issues are not gone yet. It’s possible my symptoms have nothing to do with B12 at all (confounding factors?), but Idk. Anyway, thanks again. Will post an update if I figure this out.Confused: Thanks for the clarification.Dang. That’s a tough situation. I was mostly responding to this part: “I had no odd neurological symptoms at the time I got the test done, with a marginal intake of B12-containing foods (soy and almond milk, nutritional yeast, etc.” – thinking that you might be able to capitalize on what you were doing before you had problems, but just a little more. But it sounds like you are already trying to do this, to no avail.I agree that it is very possible that your symptoms have nothing to do with the changes in B12 intake. I can say that I have several people in my life who have developed neurological symptoms over the last couple of years, with varying degrees of successfully addressing it. I would definitely do research an try to figure out other possible sources. For one person I know, the problem was a B1 deficiency, not B12.re: “Will post an update if I figure this out.” That would be great! I’m sure it would help other people too.Dr. Greger, I heard a nutritionist recommend methylcobalamin. I bought and use cyanocobalamin. Is there a difference ? AL Wood :)It’s really a useful post because for making awareness among the people about Vitamin B12. By this test we can know about our vitamin B12 level and after knowing this we can make our later steps. If we are having a low level of vitamin B12 then we can take foods which are contained with vitamin B12 and also can take supplements or even can take injection.	b12,breast milk,breastfeeding,children,elderly,holotranscobalamin,infants,mental health,methylmalonic acid,nerve health,plant-based diets,pregnancy,prenatal vitamins,supplements,vegans,vegetarians,vitamin B12,women's health	Who should get tested for vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency and which is the best test to use: serum B12, methylmalonic acid (MMA), or holotranscobalamin levels?	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/methylmalonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/holotranscobalamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prenatal-vitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11146329,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16672168,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21482749,
PLAIN-3043	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/	Daily Source of Vitamin B12	Though it may be cheaper and easier to just take something once a week, some people would rather get into the habit of doing something daily, so they don't forget. So how much vitamin B12 would you have to take if you wanted to do it once a day rather than once a week?Well, using the formula we just learned, 1.5 plus 0.01 times the quantity (x minus 1.5) equals 4 to 7; solve for x. I'll wait... Once a day, 250 micrograms or more is all we need. You can put it next to your toothbrush to remind yourself.The reason we can't absorb more than about 1.5 at a time directly through our receptors is that they get filled up. But it only takes about 4 to 6 hours to unload their cargo into the body and then they're back in business.So if we got B12 three times a day -- breakfast, lunch, and dinner -- we could absorb 1.5 each time and end up with 4.5 at the end of the day, which is all we need, and those kind of doses we can get from four to five foods.The so-called "daily value" on Nutrition Facts labels for B12 is 6 micrograms. So as long as each serving contains 25% of our daily value, then we can eat a serving of B12-fortied foods at every meal, and we wouldn't have to take supplements at all!So, for example, there's a vitamin B12-fortified nutritional yeast. Two teaspoons counts as a serving, so you could sprinkle that on your meals. But that would cost a few dollars a weeks, as opposed to just a few pennies a week for B12 supplements.Whichever path you choose, these are not just recommendations for people eating plant-based diets. They're for anyone who wants to get a cholesterol-free source of vitamin B12.	Note that nutritional yeast doesn’t naturally contain B12—it has to be fortified with the vitamin. So many formulations lack B12 completely. So for example, while Red Star brand’s “vegetarian support formula” nutritional yeast is an excellent source of B12, their “elder support formula” doesn’t have any (which makes no sense, as the Institute of Medicine recommends everyone over age 50 supplement with B12). So if you buy it in bulk and are relying on it for your B12, you may want to ask to see the package it came from just to check to make sure it has B12 in it. If you’d rather just take a supplement once a week, see yesterday’s video of the day, Cheapest Source of Vitamin B12. And for an explanation on why fortified foods and supplements are the preferred source, see the video before that, Safest Source of B12. And to put the whole B12 issue in perspective, see Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It into Perspective. And if you’re sick of learning about B12, there’s only one more video in this five-part series, and there’s always a thousand other topics to fall back on.Hi MichaelI left this question some time back on your vegan epidemic video, but so far no response, so here it is again.My wife and I are vegans and we take B12 supplement. I have a couple of questions:– we use methyl B12 1000 mcg 2/week. You often discuss the necessity of taking B12 for vegans. We swapped to methyl B12 as a workmate said the cyano B12 was unhealthy? I see from your site you recommend the cyanocobalamin and that methyl is expensive and unecessary. Is the methyl just as effective?– why is taking B12 as a supplement healthy and taking other vitamins as supplements unhealthy. I understand the argument for other supplements goes like this: taking supplements overloads the receptors on the cell for that group of vitamins and therefore other vitamins within that group can’t be taken up and imbalances occur. If that is correct, why doesn’t this happen for B12 in relation to uptake of other B vitamins. There seems also to be an issue about taking your nutrients in the context that they came from eg having an orange rather than drinking orange juice for vitamin C. How does this relate to B12? By the way congrats on nutrition facts. I have sent it to my kids but they haven’t become addicts yet! Thanks GaryHello gary,Here is Dr. Greger’s response to the different b12 forms “cyanocobalamin (the inexpensive form) vs. methylcobalamin. Vitamin B12 supplements are so cheap to produce that supplement manufacturers try to come with all sorts of fancy ways to “add value” to products so they can make more money. The coral calcium scam is the classic example–how else can you charge $20 for a bottle of chalk? Likewise, unless you’re a smoker, have kidney failure, or base your diet around cassava root, cyanocobalamin should be fine. ”Gary, the reason b12 is healthy is because as vegans, b12 is non existent in our diet. Vitamin B12 is a byproduct of bacteria, it was once found in our water supply, and on the plant foods we eat. Because we now chlorinate our water (to avoid getting sick from other bugs) and because we dont ground pick our vegetables from the wild without washing them, the only available source is now from animal products. This is of course an unnatural setting. Similarly, iodine is no longer found in plant foods. This is why the government iodized salt, to help Americans get adequate iodine intake. Similarly still, we do not expose ourselves to adequate sunlight, and the UV rays of today are much more potent then they once were in our evolutionary past so vitamin D must be supplemented for optimal health.Humans have changed their environment, so sometimes supplements are necessary to achieve optimal health. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/b12 is also water soluble, (like vitamin c and other b vitamins) so you don’t risk imbalances or overdose.Hi ToxinsWhat I am wanting to know is, is methyl just as effective, not whether it is more expensive. I have already got a substantial quantity of the stuff so I might as well use it if it just as good.I am still waiting for Michael to answer this and my other questions about how come taking B12 as a supplement doesn’t cause imbalances in the uptake of other B vitamins, when I thought this was one of the arguments against taking supplements: that it causes illness by causing imbalances in vitamin uptake. why also is it ok to take B12 isolated from other food (in other words as a supplement rather than in a food item) whereas taking folate in your bread so an unatural place for folate is bad for you? I think I know the answer to this in that food is a package deal and when we eat the folate in spinach for example we are getting fibre and other nutrients which may be important in some way to enable our body to utilise the folate. This is what I would like Dr Greger to talk about.Vegan Gary, My above reply was meant to show you that both forms of vitamin b12 are equally effective and that manufacturers will try to make up claims for their product to make them more expensive.As for the other b vitamins, they are actually all water soluble so you cannot overdose on these vitamins either. That is why b12 so safe. Imbalances are not feasible. If folate is “added” to white bread it is the synthetic form, “folic acid”. Otherwise, folate is found naturally in wheat.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/toxins, i really like your thoughts on the B12 issue in regards to humans once having a measurable and viable/sustainable source of b12 via water, unwashed food. I am wondering if you are basing your theory on reputable studies, or is this a theory you have based on logic? i ask you this not to challenge you but to better understand the dynamics of the b12 issue. Logic tells me your statements are correct, but lots of people have claimed the same thing you have and no one ever shows reputable studies backing it up. i’d love to read a study claiming that humans sustained/sustain their b12 requirements in this manner. thanks so much for any clarity on this.Thanks for remembering your YouTube homepage, Michael!! :-)Dear Dr. Greger, At the beginning of this video the background is your 2011 recommendations for optimum nutrition. Where can we find this in a printable format? I would love to have a copy. Thanks so much for all your wonderful work! LisaHere are Dr. Greger’s recommendations for 2011 http://www.drgreger.org/latestrecommendations.pdfShown in this video recommendations’ outline for plant-based dieters is certainly very helpful to ensure that necessary nutritional requirements are met.  Would you please recommend sources to read on what’s vegan diet?  It seems definitions vary out there, and info overload doesn’t help either.  Do you have favorite recipe web sites?  Thanks.Hello Vera,The best vegan diet is one that is entirely whole foods, plant based and unrefined. You want to try and eliminate white flour, white rice and remove free oils from your diet. You also want to keep it low fat and vary with the fruits and vegetables. I personally make my meals all complex carbohydrate based (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes etc.) with other vegetables and spices.Here is a website with great whole foods plant based recipes. http://happyherbivore.com/recipes/Thanks Toxins.  Through which foods do you get your daily protein?  I’m dairy free and eat almost no animal protein.  Just legumes seems not doable stomach wise.  Don’t enjoy soy at all having grown up by the Arctic Circle (where pig’s lard makes the day :) )  Not enough protein – and too much fiber – is very possibly the reason why I’ve been having digestive issues.  I saw your answer under one of protein videos, so no worries.  Good news that protein needs are lowers than I thought they were.  Or possibly what some unreliable sources say they are :)Everything contains protein, so you don’t have to worry about not getting enough protein. Even fruits contain protein. Nuts, seeds, algae, legumes and grains contain much more protein than animal products, but too much protein is unhealthy, anyway.Check out my FB post about protein, for more info! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=415380288491753&set=a.308248069204976.86189.100000593562775&type=3Also, check out this article! http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4491/My-Top-7-Sources-of-PlantBased-Protein.htmlHi Dr. Greger, can you give some specific recommendations for pregnancy supplementation specifically B12. Thank you very much!  Love this site! The recommended RDA is 2.6 mcg/d vs 2.4 mcg/d or an increase of about 8%. You can meet these by adjusting the amount of Vit B12 upward. It is important to work with you physicians as there are conditions which would warrant modification of these general recommendations. Best wishes.I am reading now that nutritional yeast is a neurotoxin, excitotoxin, almost identical to MSG, manufactured the same way, etc. Is this true? Should I banish the nutritional yeast from my pantry?MSG is not a harmful substancehttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-msg-bad-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-msg/If I supplement with shots of b12, they go straight to blood stream, what would be my daily recommendation?As a general rule for persons without disease I wouldn’t recommend shots. Most patients who need Vit B12 due to medical conditions can be managed with oral B12 as well. The dose varies depending on the condition. Shots can be used initially or if oral therapy is not adequate. You can get a sense for how complicated this is by viewing the Mayo Clinic website… http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-B12/NS_patient-vitaminb12/DSECTION=dosing. If you have a medical condition it is important to work with your physicians to determine if you need B12 and the dose that works for you.Hi Dr. Greger! I love your site and think that you provide so much wonderful information. I have been taking vitamin code’s raw b-complex and am wondering if you or someone else can recommend another brand? I want to make sure that I am getting enough vitamin b12; the information on the back of the box says that 2 capsules contain 133 mcg of vitamin b12, which is supposedly 2217% of our daily value. I also bought Deva’s vegan sublingual b12, but then I noticed that it came with a California proposition 65 warning, so that’s no good. Can anyone recommend a good vitamin b12 supplement that is safe and effective? Thank you!Hi Dr. Greger! I’ve been taking MegaFood’s vegan b12 tablets and I am wondering if they are sufficient? I know that you recommend cobalamin and say that it can be found for as little as $2/year, but I have yet to find this (does anyone know where I can find this?). I stopped taking other vitamin b12 supplements because they had mannitol and other ingredients that I don’t want to consume. MegaFood’s b12 supplement comes from S. cerevisiae and I’m wondering if this yeast is another trusted source of vitamin b12? Thanks in advance for your help!Is there the same limit from food B12, can we absorb 20µg of B12 if we eat oysters?Hi Dr. Greger,I have read regarding the storage of VitamineB12 injections should be kept at a certain range of temperature and away from sunlight. I was wondering if this applies to supplements and/or fortified nutritional yeast?On the study that you showcased on athletes vs. nutritional yeast; your article stated that it is due to a specific fiber that helps our immune system. On this study was the nutritional yeast fortified or non-fortified? If so would the vitamin B12 play a role in the results? If so Couldn’t we just take a certain dose of vitamin b12 after excessive exercise and see the same results or equivalent?On a side note, I understand very well that the supplement business is no way regulated and it ends up being on trust without much evidence that the numbers/label are truly what is in the bottle. As in the case of your latest update regarding Red Star product; are there any brands or resources that you would recommend in this ocean filled of brands/manufactures of Fortified Nutritional yeast, B12 supplements and Vitamin D2.Is too much nutritional yeast detrimental to our health? And how much is too much? What happens if we have way more than the daily recommendation of 2tbsps?? Is it dangerous to overconsume it on a daily basis?Hi, C.B. I am not sure how much is too much. In the studies from this video, anywhere from 3/4 of a teaspoon – 1 Tablespoon was consumed. Most of the fortified vitamins found in nutritional yeast are water soluble (B vitamins), so easier to excrete but I can’t imagine using more than 1-2 TBS per day. That seems like a good amount. Hope that helps.Thank you very much! I will try to limit to 1-2tbsps per day until more studies have been made then! Thank you for answering!I was wondering what the best way to get B3 is? I heard it can help prevent skin cancer and sun damage; is this true? I’d love to hear your take on this B vitamin (and others beside B12).Hello, i am taking 1000 mcg Cyanocobalamine in the morning, quite some time before eating for the first time. I read, that cyanide is transformed to thiocyanide in the body, which is a known goitrogen. So i wonder, if this won´t interfere with the iodine uptake during the day. More so, as the (round about) 20 mcg of cyanide (in mol) aren´t that much less than the maximum 200 mcg of iodine (in mol) i try to take during the day. So if there was a 1:1 blocking mechanism, nearly none of the iodine could fulfill its purpose. Thanks in advance.	b12,bargains,breakfast,cholesterol,cost savings,dietary guidelines,elderly,flexitarians,nutrient absorption,nutritional yeast,omnivores,plant-based diets,supplements,vegans,vegetarians,vitamin B12	Fortified foods such as some breakfast cereals and types of nutritional yeast can provide another cholesterol-free source of vitamin B12.	Update: data heroically procured by Vesanto Melina suggests that the nutrition facts label of Red Star brand's "vegetarian support formula" nutritional yeast is misleading and that one may only get 0.9 mcg of vitamin B12 per teaspoon. So to serve as a sole source one would have to consume 2 teaspoons three times a day (4 to 6 hours apart). The video was updated and re-recorded on July 14, 2012 to reflect this fact. Thank you Vesanto!Note that nutritional yeast doesn't naturally contain B12—it has to be fortified with the vitamin. So many formulations lack B12 completely. So for example, while Red Star brand's "vegetarian support formula" nutritional yeast is an excellent source of B12, their "elder support formula" doesn't have any (which makes no sense, as the Institute of Medicine recommends everyone over age 50 supplement with B12). So if you buy it in bulk and are relying on it for your B12, you may want to ask to see the package it came from just to check to make sure it has B12 in it. If you'd rather just take a supplement once a week, see yesterday's video of the day, Cheapest Source of Vitamin B12. And for an explanation on why fortified foods and supplements are the preferred source, see the video before that, Safest Source of B12. And to put the whole B12 issue in perspective, see Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It into Perspective. And if you're sick of learning about B12, there's only one more video in this five-part series, and there's always a thousand other topics to fall back on.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bargains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutritional-yeast/	-	-
PLAIN-3044	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/	Cheapest Source of Vitamin B12	The cheapest way to get our B12 is probably one 2500 microgram sublingual, chewable, or liquid supplement of cyanocobalamin once a week. The stuff is dirt cheap. You can find a twenty-year supply online for $40. All the B12 our body needs for $2 a year! Of course, the stuff doesn't last twenty years. It has a four-year expiration date, so share it with some friends.For those mathematically-minded who are thinking, wait a sec. If you only need 4 to 7 micrograms a day, why do you have to take 2500 a week? Well, it's a little complicated, but let's do it. Our B12 receptors become saturated at as little as 1.5 . So we can only absorb 1.5 at a time through our receptor system. But about 1% of the rest passively diffuses right through our gut into our bloodstream.So, for those of you into this kind of thing, let's do the math. When we take a 2500 microgram dose, we absorb 1.5 through our receptor system, and then 1% of the 2498.5 that's left. So inside our body we now have 1.5 plus that 1%. That comes out to be about 26.5. You do that once a week and that averages to about 4 micrograms a day. So, we should take at least 2500 micrograms once a week. We could take 3000 a week; 5000... If you take too much, all you get is expensive pee. And at a couple of bucks a year, it's not even that expensive.Even though it is a water-soluble vitamin, we don't have to take it every day, because throughout our evolution our bodies were so used to getting such tiny amounts (maybe some wooly mammoth pooped upstream or something) that our body evolved an ingenious way to hold onto it. So that's why we can do this kind of averaging over time.	This is the third of a five-part video series this week on B12. For why one might choose supplements and fortified foods see yesterday’s video of the day, Safest Source of B12. Tomorrow I’ll cover various daily regimens. B12 is one of the few Vitamin Supplements Worth Taking. And if you’re new to the issue, please see my blog post Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It into Perspective for some background. If you’re that much of a nutrinerd to enjoy these derivations, see my nine-part video series on vitamin D starting with Vitamin D Recommendations Changed. If you’d rather just cut to the chase, see my recommendations here. As always these are just a few of the 1,500 or so topics I have videos about.What does the equation look like for fortified soy or rice mik? How many cups a day provide sufficient b12?Dr. Greger is recommending 250 mcg minimum of b12 per day. Silk original soy milk has approximately 1.2 mcg per cup serving.Unfermented soy products like soy milk, tofu, etc are not a safe food for anyone. It causes hormone imbalances, speeds aging, and lowers intelligence. http://tinyurl.com/cw8jecpMost Silk products are no longer certified organic and some are processed with hexane, a neurotoxin. And yet they can still be labeled “natural”. Some of their products may contain some organic ingredients, so the label “made with organic ingredients” is still used.A troll paid by the milk & meat industry who cites Mercola, one of the most famous charlatans on the web, targeted even by FDA: http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/mercola.htmlWow, even a link to quack watch, brainwashing alive and well. Educate yourself a little.The 250 a day is only if you take it in a single dose. Three servings a day of B12 fortified foods like soy milk should be finet. See the next video in the series for details: Daily Source of Vitamin B12Please make this…. and EVERY VIDEO… EVERY DAY… visible on your YouTube homepage.Asking you to do this every day is getting very tedious.For many weeks this wasn’t a problem. So why now?Mac, I think Dr. Greger wants people to visit the website, not youtube. Posting annoyingly everyday to a video is not a good approach to get your way.Furthermore, if people want to ask “Ask the doctor” type questions they can’t do so effectively on youtube, the comments are better controlled on nutritionfacts.org.Hello Toxins,Thanks for your observations. Please allow me to clarify. I am not whining to “get my way”. I am asking for a reasonable accommodation.For the forseeable future, my only web access is an old Palm Centro which accesses YouTube videos by auto-launching the Kinoma player, but only at YouTube.com. The player will not launch at NutritionFacts.org.I do not want to comment at YT.com (nor can I due to login issues).Funnelling comments to NutritionFacts.org makes sense, and I believe the good doc has the option of closing off commenting at YT if he wants to.Thank you for your understanding.I understand your predicament, I check the comments several times a day so if you happen to post a comment requesting a direct youtube link I can assist you with this. http://youtu.be/K13KUpiYSyQyou are pushing the boundaries of web accessibility :)@ hcdr I know, I know. The march of web technology continues on unabated with or without me.@toxins Thanks for the link. There’s no substitute for my being able to access at the doc’s YouTube homepage,though, especially for a watching a series of related videos. Since Kinoma player won’t launch here, setting up a playlist is futile.Also, youtube can take a while to update its feeds, I’ve noticed this with subscriptions I have. It’s nothing to do with Dr Greger… you just need to be patient, that’s all :) (or subscribe to email alerts)In the video “Vitamin B12 Recommendation Change,” dietary intakes of 4 to 7 ug dietary B12 were found to reduce the methylmalonic acid and homcysteine to desired levels. It seems to me then that “dietary intake” already accounts for the low absorption rate of B12, and hence I do not see why there is a need to up-adjust the recommended levels. Perhaps in the study the B12 was injected and that’s the reason for up-adjusting the recommended levels?How much time it takes to receptor de-saturate? I take a 2000 pill twice a week. Is iherbs a reliable brand?It takes 6 hours for the receptors to desaturate. Stay tuned for the next 2 videos on b12.Ted beat me to my question, I suspect the good doctor made a mistake on this one. A plasma concentration of 200 pmol/L is typically considered sufficient and <150 pmol/L is typically considered deficient. There is a school of thought that to protect the most people the sufficient level should be raised to 400 pmol/L with under 200 pmol/L being considered morbidly deficient. In the Framingham Offspring Study (a source of data for some of the cited papers) it was found that people who consumed an average of 16.3±0.8 µg B12 per day, largely from suppliments, attained an average plasma B12 level of 398.1±7.8 pmol/L. In that study, even people who got just 4-5 µg B12 per day from food sources typically had a plasma B12 concentration nearing 300 pmol/L, a level most modern researchers would call sufficient.Plasma vitamin B-12 concentrations relate to intake source in the Framingham Offspring Study: http://www.ajcn.org/content/71/2/514.full.pdfIts true, there are several mechanisms by which some people either do not absorb, can not use, or can not retain B12 well enough and thus manifest symptoms of deficiency and anyone with deficiency symptoms should be tested despite daily intake level, but for the majority it seems somewhere on the order of 16 µg B12 per day should be enough.As a strict vegetarian and the grandson of a pharmacist I have the habit of recompounding cyanocobalamin pills into a food ingredient so I can easily add 50 µg B12 into my food each day. There seems to be no harm to using too much B12 but I see no scientifically supported reason to alter my current practices.Kal,Stay tuned for 2 more videos on vitamin b12 following this one. “Daily source of b12″ “New vitamin b12 test”hopefully they answer your questions.Does anyone have any leads for where you get a 20 year supply of vitamin B12 for $40? Just another query on where to get cheap bulk b12?Vitamin B12 is an important topic, and I’m very grateful to Dr. Greger for making this series of videos to shed light on supplementation. My question is: How much do kids need? My kiddo eats fortified foods, but probably only once a day, so I suspect we need to be supplementing weekly. What would an appropriate weekly dose look like for a child? And are there any concerns about overdoses at any age?Thanks so much!I’ve done a little more reading on this topic, and found these recommendations: http://veganhealth.org/articles/dailyrecs Do you agree that a child ages 4-8 should be taking 500 ug twice a week?As always, thanks!VVeeeerrryyy informative!Dear Dr. Greger, I read on the net some statements about the negative effects of high doses of vitamin C taken together with B12. Sources are not given, or taken from general encyclopaedias. I found only one reference to a scientific study, from the ’60s in Russian in an obscure Russian journal. Do you know whether this statement is correct? If yes, do you suggest to avoid taking normal doses (below 1g) of vitamin C together with B12 supplements? Do you have any reference on this subject? Thank you in advance.Unlike Dr. Oz, whose shows seem more like infomercials for supplements that we can’t afford if we bought everything he recommends, Dr. Greger always considers cost when discussing supplements, and I appreciate it.There are several forms of b12 (like 8 to date). Thus its important to understand that cyanocobalamin and cobalamin are two different forms of b12. Cyanocobalmin is toxic 1. Nutritional yeasts commonly have this form of b12(such as red star re fortification http://lesaffre-yeast.com/five-steps.html). Conversely, cobalamin found in plants can be either assimilable or not. Chorella, nori, 2 unwashed unsprayed produce 3 has the usable form while spirulina does not. Our understanding of b12 was enhanced by this study from MIT 3 a few years back which helped to solve the mystery of b12.1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1293728/?tool=pubmed 2 http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/chlorella-contains-form-b12-bioavailable-mammals, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10794633/3 http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/b12.htmlThus the cheapest source may not be the best source as its always the best choice to get our nutrition from the plants.Cyanocobalamin is not only cheapest but best studied to prevent and reverse B12 deficiency safely and effectively. I’m afraid none of the plant sources you list are reliable sources. See here for a review of the available science. Thanks for leaving a comment!so you are saying MIT, pubmed , etc are not reliable sources of information?pubmed is just a database of articles, some useful, some less so. And the MIT source you cite does not appear to support your assertions. The paper cited in the news release you mentioned is available full-text here.so what do you do with the studies like the one cited that show cyancobalamin is toxic and other studies about cobalamin in chorella, nori are bioavailable?Did you read the review link I sent? One cannot rely on chemiluminescence to determine human bioactivity. I’ve addressed cyanocobalamin elsewhere. The balance of available evidence clearly shows it is the most safe, stable, and effective form of B12. Thank you for your interest in my work.Dr. Greger, what do you think of this study, where the authors have found methylcobalamine (active form of B12) in spirulina? http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf102159jOnce again, your question is answered by the link I sent before.You yourself admit that cyano-b12 is not the safest & most effective form of b12 for everyone. Common sense suggests hydroxocobalamin is superior to cyano-b12, since it has the added ability to bind cyanide which all of us can breathe in from second-hand smoke, exhaust fumes, etc. It’s so effective at binding cyanide that it’s used as an antedote in cyanide poisoning. Methylcobalamin & adenosylcobalamin also appear superior to cyanocobalamin, since they are already active and do not need to be detoxed to work for us. There are many who haven’t been able to sustain vegan eating, and maybe lack of active b12 is the reason, since most are getting their b12 as cyano-b12, either as supplements or in fortified food products. Please seriously consider altering your general recommendation on b12. Either way, thanks for all of your work!I read both links but it still leaves most of my questions unanswered; namely is cyanocobalamin toxic as reported, how is it made, is mma testing sufficient for determining b12 levels, and if plant sources are deficient in b12 does it not prove that one is supposed to eat meat, and finally, if a herbivore (ie a cow) maintains adequate b12 levels where do they get it from if not from the bacteria on the plants ? Thankyou, in advance for you answers.I read associated links provided (re elsewhere) and they fall short of any explanation to my questions. The link has not disproved aforementioned studies (re pub med) that cyanocobalamin is not toxic. In addition, no repudiation of the MIT study about b12 as a bacteria found on plants is the source of b12 that animals uptake but apparently humans do not for some unknown reason (though humans seem to uptake animal sources of b12 which they obtain from plants sources ..). The only explanation is that I cannot rely upon “chemiluminescence” to determine bioactivity . Hence the recommendation for b12 cyanocobalamin supplementation from non plant food sources (b12 is typically made from sewage). This only proves to me that vegans are deficient in b12 and cannot obtain it from plant sources unlike animals. Although I find this explanation lacking since animals obtain b12 from plant sources while apparently humans do not. Therefore are you able to address the non plant food cyanocobalamin toxicity issue and the failure of humans to uptake b12 on plants like animals can? You see I find it strange that animals can uptake b12 from plants though apparently humans cannot. Though there is overwhelming evidence that animal foods cause destruction of the human body’s systems that they clearly shorten human lifespan. Thus I believe that plants are the food that humans are designed to eat. Though this b12 issue makes no sense in that humans are unable to uptake b12 from plants. Therefore in light of the multitude of evidence that animal food causes pathological conditions to arise though humans do not uptake b12 from plant foods, this begs the question as to why humans are not getting b12 from plants.Personally, I theorise the the answer is three fold. One in that pesticides/herbicides are covering those plants preventing the bacteria from adhering to the plant or even kill them (including in the environment) . Two, that the artificial fertilisers etc used in modern agribusiness have destroyed/altered the microorganism environment that create the proper conditions for the bacteria to grow and thrive.(this includes water treated with chlorine, fluoride, etc) Three that current scientific knowledge is not sufficient to determine which form of b12 is the best form for humans to utilise including knowledge of how the human body functions as regards to b12 utilisation.Thus at this time there is not sufficient knowledge to understand the b12 situation properly.I seem to recall that the type recommended for supplementation was methylcobalamin. I am confused now. Is CyanoCobalamin better than MethylCobalamin? What is the difference between the two?Thanks.Dr. Greger. Most of the cyanocobalamin on the market is recovered from activated sewage sludge or chemically produced. How can we tell if it’s from sludge or not. In this light, methylcobalamin seems a safer choice.Also I would hope that you would warn people off of vegetable sourced B-12. It’s an analog which blocks the uptake of true B-12, the result being that the body’s need for B-12 actually increases!As I understand it, the claim that most cyanocobalamin is extracted from activated sewage sludge is just an internet myth. If you have any credible evidence to the contrary, I’d be interested to see it. By credible I don’t mean some quack, charlatan or crackpot with a website but a professional journal etc.If you are a full vegetarian, you don’t eat dairy because it comes with too much baggage – transfats, saturated fats, cholesterol, hormones and antibiotics. It’s far safer to just take a B12 supplement.Actually your poo would be much more expensive than your pee.Does this applies while taking a chlorella our spirulina supplement?Dr. Greger does not recommend Spirulina http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spirulina/Chlorella is safe on the other hand. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/latest-on-blue-green-algae/Thank you for your response and the information on spirulina. I was unaware of it. I often take a chlorella supplement so I’m concerned of it affecting my B12 absorption.There are many conflicting reports as to the safety of high doses of B12. Some (like you) say it is perfectly safe. Others (like the Mayo Clinic) say it must be used with care in people who have dermatologic, urinary, gastrointestinal, hematological, and other issues. How can one tell who is right?Looking forward to seeing you next month in Marshal TexasWhat are your thoughts for those of us vegans near & over 50? More than 2,500 mcg of B12 per week? Use the Hydroxo or Methyl forms? Are you a fan of either the Hydroxo or Methyl forms over the standard Cyano form? I would appreciate your thoughts. ThanksI am over 50 and have a B12 absorption issue. I felt as if I had lightning bolts up and down my legs. My doctor recommended 5000mcg B12 every day. Is this over kill? It stopped the pains. Now I have a bunion that can become quite painful. Taking 10,000mcg every other day settles it down.Is this crazy or am I actually helping the nerve pains go away? Thanks!Dr. Greger, you must know that I love the way you teach us. If you had been one of my professors in the university, be sure, that I would never have miss one of your classes, no matter if I were in labor. Margarita Sandoval.Where can I get b12 for $40 for 20 years. Any links?Dear Dr. Greger, I’ve been vegan for the last 1.5 years and reciently got tested for B12 levels in blood. Turns out they came up pretty low, 250 pg/ml. I was wondering how much cianocobalamin should I take to boost B12 levels, and for how long. The cianocobalamin I could get comes in tablets (5 mg of cianocobalamin + vit. B6 and B1). Always following your amazing work. Thank you. Victoria.Doc ,interesting video, however cyanocobalamin has two cyanide molecules that once bound to IF are routed to the liver for methylation-conversion to methylcobalamin the bioavailable form. Synthetic B-12 is actually harmful as it is synthetic B-9 folic acid. Those who suffer with MTHFR can’t process these synthetic vitamins and those who can are robbing from the methyl groups when they have a heavy load already due to our ever increasing toxic environment. Cyanocobalamin is actually banned in some foreign countries such as the UK. I love your videos on estrogen from animals so keep up the good work.As a Formulator of Transdermal nano patches I use only metylcoblamin B-12 with all my patients to bypass the hepatic pathway.How to view transcripts?Hi, I have read pratically all the post, but I have not find good URL for cheap B12, I mean large supply for 1 years and up. Presently I use Jamieson B12 2,500 mcg sublingual and cost me about 20$ for only 60 capsules.Anyone can help me to find where to buy in bulk online ?Thank you !which web site or company should i trust for toxic free vitaminWhere can you find the $40 for 20 years? Any cheap sources you recommend?i noticed in that diagram above, the gallbladder also has a part to play in the absorption process. does one have to up the b12 dosage or frequency of taking b12 tablets, if the gallbladder has been removed?in fact what are the best ways to up absorption of b12?This should not be a problem. The only time the dosage needs to be adjusted up is when you have problems making intrinsic factor. Pernicious Anemia is an autoimmune condition which causes the loss of gastric cells which make intrinsic factor which gives us the 1.5 part of the equation in the video. Given individual variation it is always easy enough to get your B-12 level checked with other blood work.Would you be able to get vitamin B12 from lacto-fermented vegetables?Hi Sarah. No :( I just posted a bunch of links to Jeff’s comments above if you are looking for more information.I’m about to re-stock my Vitamin B-12 stash, and wanted to find out more about the cyanocobalamin vs methylcobalamin issue first. Since every one of Dr. Greger’s informative B-12 videos and articles seem to contain at least one question about the difference, efficacy, safety, etc, between the two types, I thought I’d share this except from an article on B-12 by Dustin Rudolph (the “Plant-Based Pharmacist”) that I found very helpful (the original article cites sources & includes links to additional info, which are not included here):“Cyanocobalamin is a synthetic version of vitamin B12. After ingestion, cyanocobalamin is broken down into the two active forms of B12 known as methylcobalamin and 5-deoxyadenosylcobalamin. The active form methylcobalamin is an essential co-factor in the production of healthy red blood cells. The other active form, adenosylcobalamin, is an essential co-factor in the maintenance of healthy nerve cells and healthy red blood cells. Because cyanocobalamin is broken down into both active forms of B12, it is the preferred supplement for use in healthy individuals.There have been concerns brought up by some individuals that during the metabolic breakdown of cyanocobalamin, cyanide is released as a byproduct. Cyanide can be toxic to the human body in large amounts. However, the amount of cyanide contained in a B12 supplement is not physiologically toxic to the human body. The only possible theoretical exception might be in patients who have kidney disease. Keyword emphasis on the word might. These patients have an impaired ability to clear cyanide, which could lead to elevated cyanide levels over time. A better option for those with kidney disease may be methylcobalamin due to this.”I think you got it right. If kidney failure is an issue shoot for methylcobalamin. Thanks for the article!What about Dr Virginia Vetrano study(book), here is in short: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOQaOiCFMa4Aloha Dr. Greger and Nutrition Facts Folks, We just heard Wednesday’s video (July 15) on B-12 and read all the comments beneath and we came away wondering about a few things. The B-12 that we take we buy from Dr. Goldhamer at TrueNorth. It is 1,000 mcg capsules of methylcobalamin – we wonder where does the methylcobalamin come from? Our understanding is that it is a bacteria – is this correct? What is the bacteria source? Also interesting to us was the discussion regarding blood levels of B-12 and whether that B-12 is actually being assimilated. Is there some reliable method for finding out whether your B-12 is adequate and whether it is being assimilated? And finally, are there food sources of B-12? Since the absence of B-12 seems at least in part to be caused by the fact that our plant food supply is overly sanitary wouldn’t organically grown mushrooms that aren’t “cleaned” be a source of B-12? We have other questions but this is a good start. Thanks, Jeff and Karen HaySanta Cruz, CAAloha Jeff and Karen! Thanks for reposting. B12 is super important. Adults needs roughly 2.4 micrograms per day. In supplement form it comes in higher doses. Any brand is fine and you can find cheap sources. Dr. Greger talks about exactly what B12 is in this video. You are right it’s a soil bacteria. Many people believe we obtain some from dirt but there is no strong proof of this, if any. From dietitian Jack Norris’s post: “Vitamin B12 is a complicated vitamin with a unique absorption mechanism and a number of inactive analogues (molecules that appear to be active B12, but actually are not) that possibly interfere with its function. Vitamin B12 is generally found in all animal foods (except honey). Contrary to the many rumors, there are no reliable, unfortified plant sources of vitamin B12, including tempeh, seaweeds, and organic produce.”We have tons of videos on B12, including the safest source where it mentions how we actually do produce B12 it’s just too far downstream to be absorbed.Check out more on Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations. And let me know when you have more questions so many folks here have solid answers and suggestions.Thanks, Joseph	b12,bargains,cost savings,dietary guidelines,elderly,evolution,nutrient absorption,plant-based diets,supplements,vegans,vegetarians,vitamin B12	Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) supplementation can cost as little as $2 a year.	This is the third of a five-part video series this week on B12. For why one might choose supplements and fortified foods see yesterday's video of the day, Safest Source of B12. Tomorrow I'll cover various daily regimens. B12 is one of the few Vitamin Supplements Worth Taking. And if you're new to the issue, please see my blog post Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It into Perspective for some background. If you're that much of a nutrinerd to enjoy these derivations, see my nine-part video series on vitamin D starting with Vitamin D Recommendations Changed. If you'd rather just cut to the chase, see my recommendations here. As always these are just a few of the 1,500 or so topics I have videos about.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bargains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spirulina/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9023481,
PLAIN-3045	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/	Safest Source of B12	What's the best way to get vitamin B12? Well B12 is not made by plants; not made by animals either. It's made by certain bacteria, some of which line the guts of animals, of which people eat and drink. But that's not the best source, because of the baggage that comes along with it.Just like we can't get the iron in beef without the saturated fat, the protein in pork without lard, the calcium in dairy without hormones; we can't get the B12 in animals without also consuming stuff we don't want, like cholesterol. For example, to get 47 micrograms of B12 from eggs, because the absorption is so low, we'd have to literally eat hundreds of scrambled eggs a day. 200 to 400 eggs a day! Do you know how much cholesterol that would be? If you got all your B12 from scrambled eggs, you'd consume 69,000 milligrams of cholesterol -- practically your entire year's worth every day.So, yes, chickens harbor bacteria; the bacteria make B12; some of that B12 makes it into the chicken, and then into the egg, but so does the cholesterol. There has to be a better way!Why don't the bacteria in our colon make B12? They do actually. It's just too far downstream to be absorbed. In one of the less appetizing but more brilliant experiments in the field, a Dr. Callender delineated that human colon bacteria make large amounts of B12. Although the B12 is not absorbed through the colon, it is active. How do we know? She found some vegan volunteers with B12 deficiency, collected their stools for 24 hours, and then, you guessed it, bon appetit! And it worked! They were cured. Those are some hard-core vegans. There has to be a better way!And thankfully, there is: fortified foods and supplements. Not only the safest, but also the most effective. In the US Framingham Offspring Study, 1 in 6 meat eaters, between ages 26 to 83, were B12 deficient. The folks with the highest B12 levels weren't the ones eating the most animal products, but the ones taking supplements and eating the most fortified breakfast cereal.	I make a similar “baggage” argument about meat in my video Food Is a Package Deal and about dairy in Plant vs. Cow Calcium. Tomorrow I’m going to get into the nitty-gritty on how much one needs on a weekly basis, and Wednesday’s video-of-the-day will cover daily dosing. Or you can skip to Vitamin B12: How Much, How Often? and for background, see my blog post Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It into Perspective. For more on how many eggs would be required for other nutrients, see Egg Industry Blind Spot. And those with a thing for vegan bowel movement studies, see Bristol Stool Scale, Bowels of the Earth, Food Mass Transit, and Bowel Movement Frequency. And there are videos on a thousand or so other topics so please feel free to dig in!Please make this and ALL videos available on your YouTube homepage!!It may be a character flaw, but I have to say that I will never be that hard core.Is there any risk of toxicity associated with high intakes of vitamin B12?No, it is water soluble so it easily exits our system. Similarly, vitamin c is water soluble. You can take way over the recommendations and be perfectly fine.What is the long-term data on this, and how are we to know that the immune system is not somehow being “freaked out” by this immediate intake of such large amounts of B12, even prior to ingestion? I’ve had horrible reactions to B12 supplements at times (have experiment with all the different forms, amounts, and methods of intake) and I know others who have had horrific experiences with B12 supplements as well. Some to the point of near heart-attack symptoms. I and others would like to make the B12 thing work great, but the reality is is that for some it makes things far worse. (A theory of mine is that some people with SIBO or borderline SIBO issues end up “feeding” their SIBO bacteria to be even “stronger”. But I do believe there are many other factors at play in causing some people to dread ever having to take B12 in supplement form, after experience the scary reactions.Are you sure you friends and yourself aren’t just finding yourselves caught in a web of hypochondria? If not, did you consider a smaller dosage? You do not have to eat a 2500 mcg supplement. You can take a daily supplement. Also, how often did you take it and what mcg level was it? These are all very important factors to your anecdote. I have actually heard of someone who broke out after beginning to supplement with B12. The breakouts stopped as soon as she quit taking them as frequently. One last thing, have you been checked for a potential allergy to anything in the supplements aside from the B12 itself?Seth, thank you for inquiring and your words. I’ve checked all bases, it seems. And bloodwork has been done as well. Frustrating. I treat this like science, to the best of my ability. I’m in no way the only one out there who can not tolerate B12 supplements in any way shape or form. It is what it is for now. But if you come across a legitimate source of completely natural vegan B12 (not man made/lab factory produced) , please let me know.What if we were to fast for 24 hours every other day, I wonder of the body would be forced to absorb it’s homegrown B12.We do in fact produce b12, but it is too low in our intestines to be absorbed. Our stools do contain b12 though.Dr. Greger what is your official recommendation for B12? how much, how often and what kind?Thank you!tduke, the answer is 250 mcg per day or 2500 per week minimum. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/new-vitamin-b12-test/no,it was 1000mg per 10 days..? and the link you give doesnt work…Check out my blog: Vitamin B12: how much, how often?I’m sure this question has been asked before, but it sounds like you can’t be healthy vegan without taking supplements. Is this really a healthy diet then? Shouldn’t we as humans be able to thrive on whole foods alone? I really enjoy your educational videos, Dr. Greger, but I struggle with the idea that we are designed to use supplements. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Thanks!Vitamin B12 is a byproduct of bacteria, it was once found in our water supply, and on the plant foods we eat. Because we now chlorinate our water (to avoid getting sick from other bugs) and because we dont ground pick our vegetables from the wild without washing them, the only available source is now from animal products. This is of course an unnatural setting. Similarly, iodine is no longer found in plant foods. This is why the government iodized salt, to help Americans get adequate iodine intake. Similarly still, we do not expose ourselves to adequate sunlight, and the UV rays of today are much more potent then they once were in our evolutionary past so vitamin D must be supplemented for optimal health.Humans have changed their environment, so sometimes supplements are necessary to achieve optimal health. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/Toxins: For some reason, I didn’t see your reply on screen and it didn’t come to my e-mail account until hours after I had written my reply. Your reply is so good, I would not have bothered if I had seen yours first.Thanks for the compliment and no problem, your reply below is pretty good too!nsd: This is a good question and one that gets asked often. Dr. Greger may have an answer for you, but I wanted to share my thoughts too.I’m aware of two main supplements which Dr. Greger recommends, and they both make sense. Vitamin D is recommended for everyone, whether vegan or not, because we are no longer running around naked at the equator. It doesn’t really have that much to do with your diet.Vitamin B12 is needed because our modern society has artificially cleaned up bacteria in water and soil. The cleaning up of the bacteria is generally a good thing since we then avoid the bad bacteria. The problem is that with steralized water and soil, we then loose the good by-product of some bacteria, i.e.: B12. So, where do you get your B12? Well, you could get it from animal products, but that is frought with danger since whole foods are package deals. (See the multitue of videos on this site about the likely cancer and other disease promoting properties of animal products.) Or you can get your B12 from a safe and inexpensive supplement.Modern humans no longer live in our native habitat – the environment that we evolved in. Thus it makes perfect sense that finding the healthiest way to live would require adjustments.I strongly encourage you to check out the following links from this site. The video shows typical vitamin deficiences (that we know about) in average vegans vs omnivores. I think this is the perfect answer to your question. What is the easiest way to eat healthy? Whole plant foods – supplemented when needed to accommodate our unnatural modern life. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/ also check out this blog post where I think that Dr. Greger has at least partially answered your question more directly: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/08/25/vegan-b12-deficiency-putting-it-into-perspective/I’ve never had B12 issues, even though I’ve always had a low dietary B12 intake, even when I was a lacto-ovo. I do eat fortified cereals every once in a while, though. About 95% of my food is organic and wild.Here’s my post about B12! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=419853161377799&set=a.308248069204976.86189.100000593562775&type=3Many of us will never get B12 deficiency. Most of those that get B12 deficiency have absorption problems, which can be caused by many factors, including wrong diets, conditions like pernicious anemia, damaged gut, antibiotics and meds, etc.A human that lives a healthy lifestyle and eats a normal diet, does not get B12 deficincy. But most people live in an unnatural environment and eat wrong diets that are high in protein and fat, so it shouldn’t be surprising that they are at high risk of getting deficiencies.I’ve read from research gathered by Jeffrey Smith that Vitamin B-12 is now genetically engineered (recombinant DNA). And, I’ve noticed with most vitamins, that B-12, along with Vitamins C and E no longer work as supplements. So, I look for food sources, like sunflower seeds for vitamin E, a variety of raw fruits and veggies for vitamin C, and miso (not heated to high temperatures in cooking) for vitamin B-12.I do not want to eat GMO’s in fortified breakfast cereals, especially those where the owners of the companies have funded the Right to NOT know about GMO’s in Foods (and pharmaceuticals).Yeah let’s ignore all the diseases that people suffer from as a direct result of consuming animal products (people who consume animal products take supplements, too by the way) and declare that eating according to the way our bodies were designed must not be healthy simply because we gotta take one tiny pill a day because WE ruined our environment that used to provide us with B-12 by natural means. Good one!A Brazilian Portuguese version:http://youtu.be/T_E7CjPUXTkobrigado!Love the “those are some hardcore vegans” comment :DCV Dr. Sheila Callender, MD, D.Sc, FRCP medsci.ox.ac.uk/oma/profiles/obits/obit2004/callobit2A friend recently told me that the B12 I was taking as a supplement for vegan was a poor choice. I take tablet of cyanocobalamin with a meal and daily fortified soy milk and cereals. According to my friend, the superior way of getting B12 is with sublingual tablets. A quick research on the Net gave me 4 ways to get B12: injections, nasal spray, sublingual and swallowable tablets. All the sites claim to have the best product without citing any verifiable studies. AND they all happen to sell it… Is there a comparative study on the topic.Forget studies. The cyanocobalamin is the WORST B12 to take.. it is not “natural” and is actually antagonistic to good B12, hydro or methyl. I would bin it and do my research before I bought next time. The consensus of those not selling out (to cheap cyanocobalamin and high profits) is methyl is best. Sublingual seems nicer than hypo injections but if I was seriously deficient I would not mess about. Straight to the net to buy methlyl jabs in high doses.being a vegetarian, (still eat sardines, mackerel, anchovies) i have been concerned with getting enough B12 – eat Marmite every morning, which is supplemented with it 0.6 % RDA for 4 grams…which brands for B12 supp. are best ?Here are Dr. Greger’s recommendations for b12 http://www.drgreger.org/latestrecommendations.pdfas well as the video series on b12  http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/I would also strongly advise you to cut out all fish consumption because fish is the most polluted animal product one can consume. Although true that the fish you are eating are lower in contaminants then most others, you are sitll exposing your body to envoronmental toxins that will build up over time and can cause neurological and hormonal problems.The image of the cow with the bacteria graphic that comes flying out of the cow’s nether regions has me laughing every time.  Love it!Are there 2 types of B12? I have heard that the one type is not readily absorbed but the methylcobalamin is in a form that is readily absorbed. Is this true? Most of the the OTC suppliments contain the other form of the cobalamin. Is it worth taking these?Is the below comment true?“This argument is still hanging around, however, according to Dr Vetrano it was disproved by research over 20 years ago and is nothing more than an obsolete scientific theory.  Indeed, in a 1999 version of ‘Human Anatomy and Physiology’ by Marieb, it states quite clearly that we do indeed absorb vitamin B12 through our intestines.” (http://www.living-foods.com/articles/b12issue.html)Vetrano also claims that smallpox isn’t contagious. Stay away from the psudo- science quacks. B12 deficiency isn’t something to take a gamble on.Yes, i too would like to know what type of B12 supp. to take….i just bought a “cyanocobalamine” one…is this good? (i did just end up in the hospital for a huge acute allergic reaction to something i ate or did recently….!) Check out Dr. Greger’s b2 recommendationshttp://www.drgreger.org/latestrecommendations.pdfHi, Im surprised no one mentioned nutritional yeast here?  I LOVE that stuff I use it most days in soups, on pasta etc.  As far as I am aware it is the only naturally occurring b12 food source that is also bio-available ( I believe that Dulce also contains b12 but it isnt bio-available due to chelation?)  Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. :)  Thanks again for a great channel!actually, nutritional yeast does not naturally have B12, only the fortified kind.Worth noting that pretty much any fortified food is processed and not really a whole food. Better as a supplement.what about b12 shots?Here is Dr. Greger’s recommendations http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/I read this: http://libaware.economads.com/b12issue.phpCan you be sure the body will not make enough B12 it’s self? Can you show me science that proves we can’t absorb the B12 in our intestines? ThanksI hope you realize that most, if not all, the people sited in that article are not credible sources in either the medical or scientific community. While they may be popular in raw food circles, they practice psufo-science and their ideas border on dangerous. If you want to develop b12 deficiency because you listened to Doug Graham, go ahead.Doug Graham has a Ph.D, and is well respected. It’s not pseudo-science. Helps if you know how to spell pseudo. I have read what many people have said about B12, from Dr. McDougall to pretty much every vegan nutritionist and doctor that is well known. And a lot have said that it depends on the person. And most people only get B12 problems in there 50s. When the body starts to break down. So I asked for evidence to show why B12 is not absorbed by the intestines. As for some people it is. Some it isn’t. It depends on the person as far as I am aware. If people take B12 all the time we wont evolve to make our own B12. So do what you think.What about nutritional yeast?Nutritional yeast used to have low levels of Vitamin B-12, but has it been genetically modified (with recombinant DNA) like other sources?Nutritional yeast can be an acceptable source of Vitamin B12 see the video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/. As the video implies the amount varies with some nutritional yeast being supplemented with Vit B12 as are other products such as the plant based milks. The easiest and cheapest is to take a tablet once a week see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/.What about sauerkraut? What is the B12 content of sauerkraut?I never see any mention of sauerkraut in B12 discussions. But sauerkraut is full if bacteria that are known to produce B12. So surely it is an excellent source. And could potentially remove the need for supplements.Even Dr. Greger admits cyanocobalmin is not THE safest form of b12 for EVERYONE, and that’s the kind included in fortified foods and the cheaper supplements. The safest would be methylcobalamin, adenosylcobalamin & hydroxycobalamin, the first 2 of which are already in the bio-active form. It seems wise to ingest a sublingual version of one of those 3, in case there are any intestinal absorption issues. Can nutritionfacts verify this?Cyanocobalamin is the best source for nearly everyone. It may not be wise to rely on the others since there are less data on appropriate dosing.“Those are some hard-core vegans” :DThe human brain continues to shrink as it gets older. Vegans tend to have the fastest rates of brain shrinkage because they tend to be deficient in vitamin B12. Even people who eat plenty of meat every day have moderately fast rates of brain shrinkage, although not nearly as fast as vegans. People who swallow 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12 daily from pills have the slowest rates of brain shrinkage: http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20110926/low-vitamin-b12-may-speed-brain-shrinkage http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2010/100909.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18779510 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19116332 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17991650 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21947532 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20648045 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17972439 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20187536 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19817650 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16177198 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12936959 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9637947 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSFQy_cLvLU http://brainposts.blogspot.com/2010/09/vitamin-b-and-brain-atrophy-in.html CONCLUSION: Even people who eat lots of meat every day should swallow 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12 daily from pills. At present, there is no evidence that swallowing more than 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12 daily will slow the rate of brain shrinkage any better than swallowing exactly 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12 daily, which is a very safe dosage.I’ve seen the paper of Sheila Callender used in the reference and it does not say that vegetarians where feeding on their stool..I could not find the full text of th article referenced, but the study referencing it does say this “In one of the less appetizing but more brilliant experiments in the field of vitamin b12 metabolism in the 50’s, Sheila Callender (7) in England delineated that human colon bacteria makes large amounts of vitamin B-12. Although the bacterial vitamin B-12 is not absorbed through the colon, it is active for humans. Callendar studied vegan volunteers who had B-12 deficiency disease characterized by classes megaloblastic anemia. She collected 24-h stools, made water extracts of them, and fed the extracts to the patients, thereby curing their vitamin B-12 deficiency.”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/48/3/852.full.pdfHi there, in you video you are speaking about getting 47micrograms a day of B12 through eggs, yet, the recommended minimum intake is about 3 micrograms, and an optimal intake would be around 5-15 micrograms.Then you speak about the cholesterol of eggs, but you deny the same argument you make for B12 to the cholesterol, namely that the absorbtion rate of the egg’s cholesterol’s very low, at the very least, highly individual.Please continue watching the b12 series, Dr. Greger explains all of the b12 issues throughout them. Also, I know of no evidence showing that we do not absorb the cholesterol in eggs. Can you share some evidence?Do we know why absorption of B12 from eggs is very bad compared to others animal products?This is the height of the health living – to start eating one’s own excrement!Would it go down to a place of absorption if hanging up side down making enema at the same time?Sorry, but what do you think about yeast estract? http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/8563 This is false? I tell people that use it as a source of b12, i`m wrong? Thanks!What are your thoughts on B12 shots?	animal fat,animal products,animal protein,b12,beef,bile acids,bowel movements,breakfast cereal,calcium,chicken,cholesterol,dairy,dietary guidelines,eggs,elderly,fish,gut flora,hormones,iron,meat,nutrient absorption,omnivores,plant-based diets,pork,saturated fat,supplements,vegans,vegetarians,vitamin B12	Since foods are effectively a package deal, what is the best way to get vitamin B12 (cobalamin)?	I make a similar "baggage" argument about meat in my video Food Is a Package Deal and about dairy in Plant vs. Cow Calcium. Tomorrow I'm going to get into the nitty-gritty on how much one needs on a weekly basis, and Wednesday's video-of-the-day will cover daily dosing. Or you can skip to Vitamin B12: How Much, How Often? and for background, see my blog post Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It into Perspective. For more on how many eggs would be required for other nutrients, see Egg Industry Blind Spot. And those with a thing for vegan bowel movement studies, see Bristol Stool Scale, Bowels of the Earth, Food Mass Transit, and Bowel Movement Frequency. And there are videos on a thousand or so other topics so please feel free to dig in!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-best-way-to-get-b12/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast-cereal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3046	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/	Vitamin B12 Recommendation Change	How much B12 do we need? Well, the recommended dietary allowance is 2.4 micrograms. 2.4 millionths of a gram every day. That number, I was surprised to learn, was based on a study of just seven people, performed so long ago that four were described as, capital "N" "Negroes". Both society and science have moved on a bit since then, and the new numbers were recently published and it appears "4 to 7" is the new 2.4.How did they come up with that? Well, two reactions B12 facilitates are the metabolism of methylmalonic acid and homocysteine. And so for B12 deficient these two compounds can build up in our bloodstream because there isn't enough B12 to run these reactions. So low levels of MMA and homocysteine can be a sign of good B12 status.And as you can see, 2.4 micrograms is good in terms of lowering levels of methylmalonic acid levels and homocysteine but 4 appears to be better. These biomarkers of functional B12 status hadn't even been discovered when quote/unquote "Negroes" walked the earth. And once you hit 7 a day, you basically max out, so there's no need to get more, though there appears to be no danger in doing so; you just pee the excess out.So that's where they got the new 4 to 7 a day recommendation, though as we'll see, we may need to take much more than that to absorb that amount.	This is the first of a five-part video series on B12, similar to the series I did on vitamin D where I delve into the derivation of my recommendations, found here for B12 and here in general. To put vitamin B12 in context, please check out Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It into Perspective. Tomorrow I’ll identify the safest sources of B12. If you can’t wait until tomorrow for your NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day fix, please feel free to check out videos on 1000+ other topics.Hi! Are hemp seeds useful for vegan people? Do they have all the essential amino acids? ThanksAll whole plant foods contain the 9 essential amino acids, therefore complimentary foods are not required. Protein needs satisfy energy expenditures so if you eat whole plant foods, till your full, your satisfying your protein requirements. this is made clear in the paper Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets. http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdfAlso, check out Dr. Greger’s video on vegan protein status showing that vegans had higher circulating protein levels than omnivores due to reduced inflammation in the liver. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vegan-protein-status/Is it really true that there are 9 essential amino acids in plants? I heard some sources say there are even 12 twelve. I am confused!??Whole plant foods contain ALL the essential amino acids. You can find any plant food here on the USDA database and you will see all amino acids present. Check out this link to broccoli and its amino acid profile http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2356/2Please make all your videos accessible on your YouTube home page by default, Doc. It’s the only way I can see them with my old Palm. And my old Palm is my only access to the web.Thanks.Dr Greger: I hope you will say something about cyanocobalamin vs. methylcobalamin. In some places (the country where I live is one) the only oral B12 available is methylcobalamin, coming in capsules of 500mcg a hit. And then on the packages it recommends taking (over the course of a day) 1500mcg. Now, is methylcobalamin especially hard to absorb, or what? I only take 500 or 1000mcg a day. Enough?re: cyanocobalamin (the inexpensive form) vs. methylcobalamin. Vitamin B12 supplements are so cheap to produce that supplement manufacturers try to come with all sorts of fancy ways to “add value” to products so they can make more money. The coral calcium scam is the classic example–how else can you charge $20 for a bottle of chalk? Likewise, unless you’re a smoker, have kidney failure, or base your diet around cassava root, cyanocobalamin should be fine. If it’s unavailable, then I would shoot for about 2,000 mcg a day of methylcobalamin.Sorry, maybe I missed something … what if you are a smoker, have kidney failure or base your diet around cassava root — why do these factors affect which form of vitamin B12 you should take?I have the same question.2000 mcg daily? Are you saying that methylcobalamin is inferior? that it’s less bioavailable, not just more costly than cyanocobalamin?Dr Fuhrman’s Gentle Care Formula MVM has only 30 mcg. Do you mean it’s time for him to reformulate?250 mcg daily actually, or 2,500 weekly. Perhaps Dr. Fuhrman does need to brush up on the literature. Fuhrman also includes spirulina in his prenatal supplement and as we know spirulina can dissolve muscle tissue, cause liver cancer and neurotoxicity. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/blue-green-algae-spirulina/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/update-on-spirulina/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/update-on-spirulina-2/ I’m totally confused now :? So, since I’ve been taking the Methylcobalamin for years now, I should either start taking the cyanocobalmin or take 2,000 — thousand!! — per DAY of the Methylcobalamin??I take a 1000 mcg of Methylcobalamin about twice a week.Wow. Please advise!My research indicates that the reason cyanocobalamin costs less is because it requires less processing than methylcobalamin. As well cyanocobalamin is more stable when exposed to heat and/or light which may also may also lower production and distribution cost.“Vitamin B12 is produced industrially by microbial fermentation, using almost exclusively Pseudomonas denitrificans and Propionibacterium species as described in Japanese Patent 03244376, then converting the natural vitamin B12 into the cyanocobalamin form by chemical processes including cyanidization followed by extraction and purification steps using organic solvents (as reviewed by Spalla et al., 1989 “Microbial production of vitamin B12″, E.J. Vandamme ed., Elsevier, London, New York, pp. 257-284; Schliwa et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 1981, 78, pp. 4329-4333). The chemical conversion step and any subsequent purification steps cause this production process to be expensive, unsafe to the operators and environmentally unfriendly.” Hendrik Louis Bijl http://www.google.com/patents/EP0824152B1Why so much, if our bodies only utilize up to 7mcg daily?Its to spread the amount used over a weeks time.2,000 mcg a day of methylcobalamin? Could you please do yet another video on B12, particularly on this methylcobalamin type? I’m confused, I also have been taking 1000 mcg twice a week like the other commenter Strix has, based on your recommendations. This is insufficient for this type of B12? Almost all the supplements for sale contain this type, so lmaybe it’s worth clarifying. Thanks doc.Now I am wondering too. Dr. Fuhrman’s current multivitamin for men contains only 100mcg per day. It would seem this is greatly deficient, and that is alarming.Why is so much methylcobalamin required? Does Dr. Gregor explain this anywhere? it would be a great help if he would (or know where he has).B12 is super important. Adults needs roughly 2.4 micrograms per day, so 100 mcg is plenty. In other supplements it comes in higher doses. Here is the cheapest source of B12. If interested, check out more on Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations.Thanks, JosephThere are 2 items I am seeing called for in cookbooks, and I’d like to know if they are harmless. One is baking seitan in aluminum foil. Is there any transfer of aluminum into the food? And the other is liquid smoke. I had heard that this was mutogenic. Is that true? If so, could you please give me some idea of the risk? I think it is an ingredient not just in recipes, but also in vegan bacon and ham.I’m a vegan of 4 years (I supplement B12), and I just had my B12 serum levels checked, and they were at 1900 (don’t know the units) where the max end of the normal range is 900. Do you think it is necessary to get my homocysteine and MMA levels checked as well? Or since my serum level is so high, am I probably OK?With those values you are fine. No need for testing of homocysteine and MMA levels.Unless you have a genetic disease but you would know that by nowDr. Greger: Like you, I was also surprised to learn that the RDA for vitamin B12 is based on an obsolete study. I think that a great future addition to nutritionfacts.org would be a section which provides the latest on RDA recommendations together with sources on which they are based. It would be useful to users of your website to be able to look up any nutrient/supplement (e.g. calcium, vitamin D, etc.) and find the corresponding source information that describes how the RDA was determined. When new studies are published that challenge the RDA, you could then indicate the updates directly on that section. I think that this addition would be a great enhancement to your website.I second this idea!Yes, a great idea!I’ll add my twist: I want a link at the top of the page, right next to “videos, blog, about, …” that takes us directly to Dr. Greger’s latest recommendations (which may or may not relate to RDA) – with links on where those recommendations come from. Right now, if we want a summary of Dr. Greger’s recommendations, we have to hunt for the blog post on it, and I don’t think that post gets updated at these new findings come out.Dr. Greger: I have been following your advice about vitamin B-12 by taking a weekly sublinguil (sp?) pill. While the vitamin B12 daily recommendations have changed, have the weekly recommendations also changed?For anyone who has the same question, it is answered in the video-of-the-day on Feb 7. Check out: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/Dr Greger: Since then, for one reason or another (non-availibility of cyanocobalamin being one them), there are those that have no choice but to take methylcobalamin, would you be so good from now on as to include methylcobalamin dosage in your Optimum Nutrition Recommendations?Thanks for the video!If I’m not mistaken Vitamin B12 was first discovered 60-90 years ago. One can say it is relatively recent. What if there are more vitamins that we are not yet aware of?Is it possible that there is another vitamin, call it Vitamin X, that we still haven’t discovered and vegans might need to supplement their diet with? How can we be certain that this is not the case and that we don’t actually harm ourselves somehow following a vegan diet?I’m a vegan and actually not worried about it at all. There were many vegans who reached old age. I am asking the question out of curiosity alone…Yes it could be so, but even if vegans consume less of this vitamin X, it could be so that the vegan body uses it less (like in the case of Zinc).Dr. Greger can you please do some videos on homocysteine lowering. Seems like an important stuff yet couldn’t find much info here. I’d really like to know what your advice would be (yeah, “eat greens, avoid animal foods” ;)), but wouldn’t mind some details esp which food in particular was proven helpfulJa se slažem da svoj ​​blog …. Mislim da je vrlo cool .. awesome Ne zaboravite da posjetite moj website http://www.7liveasia.comI am confused Michael. In this video you said the excess B12 we pee out, but everywhere else I heard B12 stays in our bodies for a long time, like some 20 or 30 years. What is the verdict? Thanks! btw I love your work…We absorb 1.5 mcg plus 1% of the original dose and everything else is urinated out. If we took a 500 mcg dose, this is the math that follows. 1.5 + .01(498.5) = 6.48 mcg total absorbed.Is there a resource for this I can show to people to prove? Thank you.“As the intrinsic factor-mediated intestinal absorption system is estimated to be saturated at about 1.5–2.0 lg per meal under physiologic conditions, vitamin B12 bioavailability significantly decreases with increasing intake of vitamin B12 per meal.” http://www.ama-marketing.at/home/groups/24/Vitamin_B12_Verfuegbarkeit.pdfhttp://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/18/3/176.full.pdf+htmlDoesn’t cyanocobalamin contain cyanide? Then why does Greger recommend cyanocobalamin and not methylcobalamin?Twinlab brewers yeast has a single ingredient, debittered brewers yeast. Each single tablespoon has 33% of the daily value of B12 (2mcg) according to the package. The package claims that it is also naturally occurring. Would taking 3 to 4 tablespoons of this throughout the day satisfy the B12 needs of a vegan? Or is this B12 not useful, like the type that comes from algae?Dr. Fuhrman pointed out to me (via his forum) that the recommendation of 4 to 7 mcg / d of B-12 in the 2010 study is INTAKE, not ABSORBTION (my emphases).So, on what basis is Dr. Greger building a case for 4 to 7 mcg / d absorbtion?I am new ( 5yrs ) to being a vegetarian and Is there any truth that the B12 shots are better as it goes straight to the blood stream rather than the tables because those are water soluble and we pee most of it out? This is what a cardiologist told my friend after coming in for heart palpitations and was very deficient in B12Hi Mr. Greger, thanks for your advices. I wonder if B12 excess is bad: the graphs shown in the video show that above 7 mcg the levels of MMA and homocysteine start to rise. Does the body know to “stop absorving” when it’s fed up of B12?Thank you for sharing this information!Hi Dr Greger. Can you please advise us or make a video on when to start supplementing b12 in babies and children and how often to supplement per age and dose. Can you also please make a video on plant based diets for babies and children.Hi Sara. Thanks for reposting. Here are all the videos we have on children. Here is a factsheet on feeding infants with B12 requirements, which may help. For more information you may consider checking out the Vegetarian Resource Group and their links to children and infant nutrition. I’ll let Dr. Greger know about your request. Thanks!Thanks for the info. Once the babies don’t want breastmilk anymore, how do you supplement B12? I am still feeding my twins at 11 months old 3-4x daily and 1-2x during the night. I really hope Dr Greger makes a video on this topic as I want to know if what I am doing is correct.We’ll see if he can do a video on this thank for the suggestion! In the meantime, check with your doctor about B12 supplements for babies. Note this is super duper important and I cannot say enough for B12 for those who follow a vegan diet. Children 1-3 yrs old need 0.9 micrograms of B12 per day, and kids 4-8 yrs old 1.2 micrograms per day. That is easy to obtain just assure they start supplementing post breastfeeding, and that you are good B12 stores and are supplementing as well :)Thanks Joseph! I supplement every few days with b12 and my levels are adequate :)	b12,dietary guidelines,homocysteine,methylmalonic acid,plant-based diets,supplements,vegans,vegetarians,vitamin B12	Based on two biomarkers of functional vitamin B12 (cobalamin) status, B12 recommendations formulated more than a half century ago may need to be updated.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/methylmalonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/homocysteine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13582982,
PLAIN-3047	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	Plant-Based Atkins Diet	This was a pretty dramatic case report, but it was just one person. Recently, researchers at Harvard decided to look at 100,000 people: "Low-carb diets and all-cause and cause-specific mortality". They found that low-carb diets were associated with higher all-cause mortality, higher cardiovascular disease mortality, and higher cancer mortality. The final nail in Atkins' coffin. Men and women on low-carb diets lead significantly shorter lives: more cancer deaths, more heart attacks.Sure, you may lose some weight, but the only way we may be able to enjoy it is with a skinnier casket. But wait! In 2009, some enterprising researchers came up with a plant-based low-carb diet; the so-called "Eco-Atkins diet". They figured that, maybe the problem with the Atkins diet wasn't that it was high-fat high-protein, but that it was high animal fat, animal protein. So they constructed a vegan version of the Atkins diet. How is that possible? Well, lots of mock meats, seitan, soy burgers, veggie bacon, veggie cold cuts, veggie sausage, tofu, lot of nuts, avocado, etc.How did they do? Pretty good, actually. Instead of their bad cholesterol going up, like it does on a meat-based Atkins, after just two weeks on the plant-based, low-carb diet, their LDL was down more than 20%. Now the whole study only lasted a month, though, so you couldn't really make any generalizations, but it was intriguing enough that when the data was run at Harvard, they picked out the people eating plant-based low-carb diets to see if they suffered the same low-carb fate.  That's the nice thing about doing dietary studies on 100,000 people at a time: you can find people eating just about anything.What do you think they found? This line represents the mortality rate of the typical diet. And this is what they found for people following more of an Atkins-style low-carb diet: significantly higher risk of death.But what do you think they found for those following a plant-based low-carb diet? Do they suffer the same crazy mortality as the Atkins people? Or maybe they didn't do that bad, but still had more mortality than those eating regular diets. Or did they have the same, or lower mortality? They had lower mortality.They concluded: "A low-carbohydrate diet based on animal sources was associated with higher all-cause mortality in both men and women, whereas a vegetable-based low-carbohydrate diet was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality rates." So it appears, what matters really isn't the ratio of fat to carbs to protein, but rather, the source: whether they're coming from plants or animals.	So, a diet based on what we’d identify as overly processed, vegan junk food is healthier than a meat-based diet. At least the vegans got some phyto-nutrients from nuts and avocados- but the diet may have been high in sodium also. But is there a more optimal diet than that, or are we to conclude that carbs are bad for us? Do they negatively impact our blood sugar? What would happen if this vegan junk food diet went head-to-head with an all-natural low fat, high carb whole vegan food diet consisting of no processed food and only vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, and a few nuts and seeds, say just one serving a day? What is the real difference between animal and plant protein and fat? Plant protein is probably the same in amino acid composition when a variety of sources are eaten, but it adds phyto-nutrients. Fats on the other hand may have a lower degree of saturation than in animal products, and I think, more vitamin E to preserve them from rancidity. Could this account for the differences observed in this clinical trial?Low carb vegan is not equivalent to junk food. Eating a salad is a low carbohydrate meal. don’t expect to stay full for long though if you eat this way!Satiety depends on the size and ingredients of the salad.Well, no. If you choose to eat a large salad as your main meal. It may fill you up, but you will get hungry rather quickly afterwards. Salads are very low carb low calorie meals and your body will burn through it quickly, Complex carbohydrates like brown rice, beans, potato, etc on the other hand, are more calorie dense and take a longer time to digest, keeping you satiated longer.Actually, the salad I had in mind is serving bowl size and includes 1 cup of beans, not just lettuce and veggies.Ah! Well the beans no longer make it low carb my good man. nonetheless, I am not advocating a low carb diet. Beans are healthy!Better late than never… If the beans are first sprouted then it might be low carb, depending on how far they are grown. Of course that would take us back to low calorie as well so would have to toss in a nice, ripe avocado, and/or maybe some nuts/seeds, perhaps blended w/ garilc, smoked chipolte powder, and sweet red peppers. MMmmmmmmm….I didn’t think of beans as carbs. Thanks for mentioning it. So I looked it up: they have ~ 3 times more carbs than protein. Low carb vegan isn’t necessarily equivalent to junk food, because not all “junk” foods are the same.  Potato chips and a veggie “meat” aren’t the same in quite a few respects.  However, low carb vegan, such as the Eco-Atkins diet referenced in the video, almost surely will have a fair amount of sodium in it.  Given that you don’t want too much sodium in your diet, it follows that low carb vegan probably ends up as a less healthy diet in general than a whole foods vegan diet.   This isn’t to say that a low carb vegan diet is as bad as a potato chip diet, or that one needs to avoid high sodium processed foods like veggie “meats” entirely to eat healthy.remember it was compared to a regular diet, so a regular diet isn’t that healthy. thus even a diet that contained “junk” vegan food was better than a regular diet. but you are right to ask how it would stack up against a whole-foods, plant based diet. probably not as well. Interesting that we talk about faux meats as being “junk processed foods, but no one ever says that meat is a processed food. But why not? it certainly meets the definition, no fiber, low water, low nutrient and full of chemicals.Did the good doc change his YouTube settings again?For weeks I’ve has no problem accessing your videos on YouTube with my old Palm. Today we’re back to missing videos on your YT home page. Can’t find the video by searching the title either.Can someone please post the direct link please???Here is the link http://youtu.be/bmDUnFd6UX4Thanks for the link. It’s showing on the doc’s YT homepage now, too.*hadwhen you say regular diet that means like the kind where you might have corn flakes and milk for breakfast and meat loaf and mashed potatoes for dinner or a regular vegan/vegetarian diet? also how would a low carb vegan diet compare to a regular vegan diet? aaaand what do you think about maybe making a blog (or special area)dedicated to your recipes? i really like your recipes i have found so far on here and would like to see more :) thanks!So why are salads considered low carbohydrate? Romaine lettuce, for example, gets 67 percent of its calories from carbs — two-thirds of the calories are from carbs.Although romaine lettuce is primarily carbohydrates in composition, an entire head has only 21 grams of carbohydrates (RDA 7%). the whole idea behind low carb meals is to restrict overall carbohydrate intake, so greens and vegetables are typically low carb.I too would love to know what line we would see on the graph if we looked at people who ate what this site has defined as a particularly healthy vegan diet, i.e., one primarily based on a wide variety of high antioxidant whole plant foods (not the faux meats and processed foods so much) with B12 and D supplementation. I don’t know if such data is available or not.The information in this video as-is is certainly important because it is one more brush stroke in the big picture. But unfortunately, people take information like this and start to say things like, “carbs are bad”. I don’t think we can make that claim just from the information in this video without having the comparison to people who eat whole plant foods, carbs and all.Just a thought.This “observational study ” only indicates that a high protein low carb vegetarian diet appears to lead to lower all- cause mortality rates versus either a high protein low carb Atkins type diet or a regular diet. I assume that a regular diet is a standard American diet (SAD)It gives no indication of whether such a diet would be more healthful than a high carb low protein whole food vegetarian diet.That would be of more interest to me and shed a little more light on the proper balance between protein, fat and carbs in the diet.I don’t think it said anything about “high protein”, more likely very moderate protein and high fat!There are many other studies that provide some lower-level explanations to the correlation. For instance, high animal protein is known to increase cholesterol. High cholesterol is known to increase risk of heart disease. Anti-oxidants and phyto-nutrients are known to have protective effects on human cells, retard or reverse growth of cancer cells, and prolong healthy life. Atkins is condemned by nutritionists everywhere, veg*n or meat eating, for many reasons, not the least being that it’s nutritionally deficient and high-cholesterol. That makes a vegan version of ‘high protein, low carb’ diet a very interesting edge case to consider how it differs, and what the implications are.I just cleared the former thread here. I’m all in favor of vigorous debate, but even if folks can’t keep things respectful, could we at least please keep things civil? i.e. no ad hominem attacks, profanity, etc. Thanks!I’d be willing to bet that the meat-based diet was not a healthy meat-based diet that recommended no bad vegetable oils, no trans fats, no nitites or nitrates, no meat with hormones or antibiotics, etc.Any healthy food in moderation is good whether animal-based or plant-based. This has been shown by various diets of primitive people throughout the world of years gone by.When my wife and I switched from a vegan diet to a low-carb high fat healthy diet which includes animal foods and saturated fat our lipids improved. Especially our triglycerides and HDL. I’ll be happy to post the numbers if you wish. If you continue to eat the polyunsaturated vegetable oils as part of your animal-based Atkins diet then you won’t be eating a healthy animal-based diet.Personally, I have my doubts that there is such a thing as a healthy Animal-based diet, Nevada. However, short-term gains can be made in a person’s lipid profile simply by eating fewer calories while on an Atkins diet, and eating too many simple carbohydrates on a plant-based diet can play havoc with your lipid profile. The real question isn’t what the short-term gain is in terms of lipids or weight loss,instead, I think we’d agree that it should center on the mortality and morbidity of its adherents. And, from the information given in this segment, it looks like these are negatively impacted by an animal-based diet. Some indigenous peoples do in fact, do well on diets that include meat, however often it includes small portions or omega-3 rich fish as the main meat source, giving them a measure of protection. Even so, their life expectancy isn’t particularly impressive and their rate of infectious diseases is quite high. Other groups of indigenous peoples, for example, ones the paleo advocates like to use as examples such as the Inuit or the Masai, have spectacularly short lives. Their lower lipid numbers seem to be due to omege-3’s in the case of the Inuit (also resulting in a high rate of hemorrhaging), and due to a diet high in vegetable saponins for the Masai who on their native diet, have the shortest life expectancy in the world.“Any healthy food in moderation is good whether animal-based or plant-based. This has been shown by various diets of primitive people throughout the world of years gone by.”No.  Since, so many of those “primitive people” have lived in isolated environments from “civilized” humans for so long, they likely have evolved differently (genetic drift).  Thus what works for them won’t necessarily work for us.The meat-based diet may not have been ideal, but the same could be said for the plant-based diets.The healthiest, longest-lived native peoples, such as the Hunzas and Okinawan elders, seem to eat a diet in which most of their calories come from plants.Agreed. All whole and natural foods are OK. High carb fruit and veggies are OK. High carb foods that are a concentration of sugars or starches separated from whole food raise blood sugar far too high. The body reacts by producing cholesterol. The kind that clogs the arteries. Remove the high carb, reduce the cholesterol. Fat is irrelevant. Low fat makes your body feel starved and store fat, and you are never satisfied. Processed foods that are touted as low-fat are almost always high sugar. It will not reduce your cholesterol. Has a low fat diet worked in the 30 years doctors have told us to remove it from our diets? We are fatter than ever, more heart disease and Diabetes than ever. Low carb works. I’ve done it. It works just as Atkins says. I didn’t buy a single Atkins branded product. Just eliminated (until weight and cholesterol was normal) simple sugars and high carb starches like white bread and pasta. I added back, as the diet dictates, whole grains in moderation and even potato chips, which is a whole food, when normal weight/cholesterol is attained. Not trans fat chips of course. How can a diet of natural food as nature provides be unsafe? You only need to cut the foods that make large food companies money. There’s where you get resistance and studies funded by the companies that “disprove” the Atkins or other low-carb diet results.I’m not an expert, but I have lived it. And then did some research to find out why it worked. Doctors are taught what is the accepted treatment for conditions at the time that they learn. Sometimes the science is wrong. History has proved that. Why can’t it be changed in this case? Is it political pressure on government or medical organizations by these VERY large companies who stand to lose profits by eliminating their products from our diets? I think it is so. If it didn’t work exactly as Atkins said it would, I wouldn’t be so sceptical of our medical leaders. They are just people who were told what’s what. And as they should, they adhere to what they were taught. What if it was wrong? If this post disappears, I’ll assume that a food company is behind its disappearance. Follow the money. It leads to truth.More of these same old unscientific arguments that get repeated ad-nausium by people justifying there preference for meat based diets (pasture feed free range no hormone meat of course it’s sooo much healthier for you and the planet, not)“Has a low fat diet worked in the 30 years doctors have told us to remove it from our diets? We are fatter than ever, more heart disease and Diabetes than ever”You are assuming that the low-fat diet advocated is actually followed by the majority of western populations: newsflash Gremmin, it never has been. Most people are eating increasing levels of processed and denatured carbs, fats and animal based proteins than ever before in history in English speaking (as first language) nations. But you seem to know better than the largest epidemiological studies ever conducted. Losing weight via ketosis is not the same thing as living longer from a healthy diet, just ask Atkins — oh no you can’t he died of HD, too bad.I would like to add my voice to those asking for any results of studies comparing standard vegetarian diets to lower-carb vegetarian diet.I have been vegetarian (not vegan – although there were periods of that) since 1990, but have cut out most sources of simple carbohydrates (grains, sugars, potatoes and many fruits) since January & have lost the 30 lbs that have been creeping on as I’ve aged. Mostly, I have done it by increasing my vegetable, legume & nut intake (to replace the pasta or rice or potato), not by increasing fake meats. It seems sustainable to me at this point, and the increased vegetable intake can only be good, right? But with so much contradictory information out there (especially on those sites that espouse a lower-carb diet, but also insist that one must eat a lot of animal protein vs. those veg sites that assume that lower-carb=meat-eating), I would like to know if this is something I should continue with or should I re-introduce grains?Could a lower-sugar, lower-starch, whole-food vegetarian diet (sort of paleo-veg) be optimal for health? It seems to make sense to me.Also, please check out my associated blog post for some context: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/02/02/atkins-diet-and-erectile-dysfunction/!In order for us to have an intelligent discussion about this, we would first have to establish that this unnamed study you reference in your description actually showed that people following actual low-carb diets lived significantly shorter lives.  You don’t even share what the study *is* in your description; we are expected to watch the video, I guess, to learn that information.  But the preview picture on your video is not promising.  “Self-reported adherence”?  So no one actually monitored everything this man was eating?  One man?  Really?  Nice science you got there.Two points for ya.  (1) How in the world did we survive either winter or the Ice Age with no agriculture–or plant foods available during cold months, actually?  (2) How is eating a plants-ONLY diet–which is what you’re REALLY after–“eco”-ANYTHING when we must clear land in order to grow most of our food crops?  Did they teach you nothing in earth science in school?  Did you not understand that clearcut land leads to greater erosion and severely reduces the number of trees that maximize the available moisture in a geographical area and improve the climate in a cooling rather than warming direction?Oh, you *didn’t* understand that?  My bad.  Maybe you’d better LEARN it.  Your kind of garbage pseudoscience is exactly why people keep up with the pro-agriculture apologetics in the face of all the damage agriculture has done over the course of civilized human history in the past 10,000 years.  (Iraq, for example, used to be cedar forest.  It is also the site of the West’s Fertile Crescent and corresponding agricultural revolution.  Whoops.)  But people will live in perpetual denial if they are addicted enough, I guess.  Your problem.  Too bad you’re making it my problem too–I have to share a planet with you.This is the oddest post. Why so hostel? Are you suggesting cows in feed lots are better for the planet?People have to eat and research suggests a plant based diet is best.You need to go get Weston Price’s book ‘Nutrition and Degenerative Diseases’,available ONLY from ; if you bother to read that you will stop asking stupid questions and making libelous statements.ppnf…that’s what was formerly called or closely related to Weston A. Price Memorial Foundation right..just looked there, sure enough ppnf is not only ideologically strongly anti-veg but even promotes the work of anti-veg fanatics like Lierre Keith (who’s also apparently a mentally unstable bigot, search for ” Lierre Keith: A Case Study in Anti-Trans Hatred” on veganideal blog) promotes coffee enemas etc etc. J.D. Ming’s post is seems meant to reply to Ghazeitline but accidentally replies to seilhan’s rant (or else is a deliberate deception) but those who value science and logic over anti-veg anti-science can skip ppnf’s sad excuse of a websiteIf you actually read Price’s book you will see that almost all of the peoples referenced, although they ate some meat, ate mostly plants.Putting aside your hostility let’s address your two points, even if (for lack of space) only partially. Your point (1) confuses two completely unrelated issues. The video is about health. Your point (1) is about what humans used to do. Is it not clear as daylight that the two are not the same? What people did to survive the Ice Age tells us nothing about what’s healthiest/healhtier. If you want to confuse the two you don’t even need Ice Ages, you can just say, “how do you think Americans survived in Alabama in the year 1925? On an all-vegan diet?? no!!” and you’d be factually correct, they did not eat an all vegan diet in 1925 in Alabama..what does this tell us about the subject of the video, namely what’s healthy to eat? Nothing. (2) Last I checked the Amazon was not being cut down to grow plant food for people. It’s cut down for “raising” cows and for growing plants to feed the cows.Let’s add(3) We can add that even if tomorrow all of that changed and they started cutting down the Amazon for growing direct to consumer vegan food, guess what? Most vegans, would be opposed to such corporate practices, and they are not necessary. Just as many if not most vegans are against the massive use of pesticides, but yes, many veggies in supermarket have pesticides..Do we rail against vegan (and even omnivore) eaters of these? Of course not. Given education, and if also given a choice, and if affordable, these vegans (and omnis) would 95%+ of them, would choose organic. It’s silly to blame them for pesticides existing in veggies, except for that small minotiry (probably more like 1% than 5%) who might insist “no I insist my veggies be grown iwth the most pesticides” Similarly you can grow veg food in other ways that are bad – that’s not veganism’s fault any more than “it’s your fault they pay low wages to the workers in the factory that makes veg food!” which is nonsense – great majority is against such abuse of workers too, and no, clear cutting is not even remotely a necessary part of growing plant based food for human consumption. (4)Calories per acre anyone? Grams of protein per acre? Gallons of water per pound? The list goes on and on, why a carnitarian advocacy is horrible for the environment while the lightest fotoprint as a goal points in the direction of plant-based diet very strongly.…Lightest *footprint*Well said. Footprint of animal products is in order of 10-10^3 per calorie as plant foods on many metrics like GHG, water, embedded energy etc etc. Just for one stark example, the bumping and fart of livestock (enteric fermentation) and consequential land use changes (deforestation and savannah burning for pasture) in Australia accounts for over half the nations entire Green House Gas emissions.Twenty-six percent of the Planet’s ice-free land is used for livestock grazing and 33 percent of croplands are used for livestock feed production. According to the National Corn Growers Association, about eighty percent of all corn grown in the U.S. is consumed by domestic and overseas livestock, poultry, and fish production. As I understand it if we took the land we have today and used it to grow “human food” we would have enough to feed the world without cutting down any rain forests at all.We could return some areas to reforestation to offset our agricultural GHG emissions too and still feed the entire globe. But as long as people have a blood lust for meat this will remain but a hope for saving the climate this decade before it’s pretty much game over.“Eat To Live” is essentially a low(er) carb, plant based diet style. Dr Bill Harris (from VSH) suggests (I agree with him). that no matter where you get your calories (Fat, protein or CHO) it only matters if it’s from healthy whole plant foods and not processed foods or animal products..A Scheme for the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus with High Carbohydrate-Low Fat Diets — N Engl J Med 1936; 215:955-59. nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM193611192152102The paleotrolls and others new to Dr. Greger’s extensive writings frequently ask him to shoot down or rebut the latest broscience or truthy cholesterol confusionist rehash of the low carb/paleolithic diet/atkins diet or the new fad perfect health diet charlatans. He’s already done it a thousand times before this installment so it’s really a ridiculous request — please read Dr. Greger’s free e-book ‘Atkin’s Exposed’ with over 1,100 references.http://www.atkinsexposed.org/What about a high (good) carb plant based diet.Keep your heart healthy and live a longer, healthier life by eating complex carbohydrates (whole grains, root vegetables, legumes, and potatoes). Incorporating quality carbohydrates into your diet is made easy with this simple recipe which includes a delicious carbohydrate-rich food; sweet potatoes. Serve this dish over your favorite whole grain.You Make My Heart Skip a Beet– 1 red onion, chopped – 1 clove garlic, minced – 4 cups beets, cubed – 4 cups sweet potatoes, cubed – ½ tsp nutmeg – ½ tsp thyme – 2 tbsp basil – 1 lb organic* spinach – Black pepperIn a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic with a splash of water until onion translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil beets in a small amount of water until mostly tender. Strain and add to skillet. Boil sweet potatoes in the same water until tender. Strain and add to skillet. Add seasonings to skillet and enough of the beet water to create a rich sauce. Fold in the spinach and continue to cook until spinach wilts. Serve spooned over whole grains (red rice, millet, barley etc.)*Spinach ranks 8th in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/~Complements of lovestobeveganWhat about research on ozone and hydrogen peroxide?This nonsense–literally–creates more questions than answers.I’d like to see a comparison of high and low carb plant based diets. I still encounter even vegans who are afraid of carbohydrates not realising that whole, unrefined carbohydrates are actually important for health.Do you know of any studies comparing the health benefits of a High-Fat, Low-carb, Moderate-protein vegan diet (eco-adkins, vegan keto) and a Low-Fat, High-carb vegan diet (McDougal, Rawtil4, 801010, ricetarian, etc)? Most studies looking at either type of vegan diet compared them to a meat based diet. Which I feel makes it hard to really say if either are good for weight loss, health, diabetes, whatever. It’s no surprise that a high-fat vegan diet would be better than a low-fat meat based diet for certain health conditions. The presence of meat is the biggest issue. I’m still not convinced that high-carb is the way to go. Would a diet closer to the ketogenic diet, relying heavily on chia, flax, hemp, tofu, green veggies, coconut, nuts, olives and olive oil with moderate amounts of fruit and legumes possibly be best? Would eating 60-70% of your calories from fat be harmful in anyway? Provided you keep your omega 3:6 ration between 1:1 and 1:4?Follow up questions: Could the benefits of a strict eco-adkins diet simply come from the unavoidable elimination of processed foods like chips, chocolate and baked goods? Perhaps macro-nutrient rations don’t matter at all?lol. you should try to eat only and solely lean cut meat with lots of coconut oil and olive oil. as side dish use only chia seeds, heaps of it. will make you strong like a Kenyan runner on EPO. do not read books like “the starch solution”, “forks over knives” or any of the DOZENS of books that all talk about the same diet – despite being from different authors. ain’t that funny … they all talk about the same diet. they don’t come up with each their own diet, no, they all talk about the same diet. can’t be right … ;-)High carb veganism #rawtill4 or 801010 style makes the vegan diet so easy and makes me feel so good with my glycogen always filled up. Long term vegans like freelee or durianrider have seen so many of the most committed folks fall off from not eating enough carb.I am having trouble picking out a recommendation from this. So, does this mean that if you eat a lot of whole grains, legumes, and vegetables it is healthy to add some canola vegetable stir-fry to the mix?From what I gather, a low-carb eco-Atkins diet can be healthful for patients with hyperlipidemia. I’m not sure exactly how much canola they consumed, but surely the protein and fat were higher. The diet was only for a month. Other studies that focus on diets higher in carbohydrates interesting also have great results. A strict plant-based diet can help with diabetes, as Dr. Greger mentions in this video. Lastly, I like his conclusion, that perhaps what matters more is the ratio of plants vs animals in any diet.Can anyone suggest a good source for low-carb, plant-based recipes? This fairly unimaginative cook would like to widen her repertoire.Thanks for your great videos! But I wish they’d also compared the low-carb plant-based diet people with the high-carb, no processed-food plant-based diet. I’m conducting a six-week experiment on myself, since my LDL is still 173 though I’m on a no processed food, fruits and veggies only diet with lots of nuts and seeds.My first experiment is to go low fat -only 5 grams or so of fat per day but lots of fruit, beans, groats, and other intact whole grains. If my LDL cholesterol is still high, my next experiment will be a low-carb plant based diet. Love your work!	animal fat,animal products,animal protein,Atkins diet,avocados,cardiovascular disease,Eco-Atkins diet,fat,Harvard,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,longevity,low-carb diets,meat analogs,mortality,nuts,plant protein,plant-based diets,protein,seitan,soy,tofu,vegans,vegetable protein,vegetables,veggie bacon,veggie burgers,veggie chicken,weight loss	Harvard study found that men and women eating low carb diets live significantly shorter lives, but what about the "eco-Atkins diet," a plant-based low carbohydrate diet?	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/02/02/atkins-diet-and-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avocados/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seitan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eco-atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-carb-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tofu/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat-analogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20820038,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19506174,
PLAIN-3048	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/	Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up	Remember the Atkins Diet? I wrote a book about it a few years ago.  The Atkins Corporation threatened to sue me, but I kind of won by default, because they declared bankruptcy six months later. You can read the whole book and my rather amusing back-and-forth with Atkins' lawyers at http://atkinsexposed.org/.Here's an illustrative case report of what can happen when you go on such a diet, reported recently in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association: "Development of symptomatic cardiovascular disease after self-reported adherence to the Atkins diet".Started out healthy, 51-year-old man; pretty good cholesterol, no chest pain, and a working penis. He was gaining a few pounds, though, so he decided to go on a low-carb diet. One month in, his cholesterol shot through the roof, but hey, he lost five pounds, so, he kept it up. And after two years more on the diet, he lost three pounds, but he also lost the ability to have an erection.  And he started having chest pains. But hey, that's what drugs are for, so he started taking Viagra, one of the wonders of modern medicine, which also came in handy when he landed in the emergency room with crushing chest pain.He got a cardiac catheterization which found a 99% blockage of one of his coronary arteries supplying blood to his heart. Luckily, they found it in time. He got a drug-eluding stent placed.He was eventually discharged from the hospital and finally decided, maybe this Atkins thing isn't such a great idea, so he switched to a low-fat diet with greens, whole grains, beans, vegetables, nuts, and even (gasp!) the inclusion of vegetarian entrees. Two months on the new diet, his weight was down, his cholesterol was down, and he stopped taking the Viagra.Now, a skeptic might suggest that he had clogged arteries before he even started the low-carb diet. But no, he actually got a coronary artery scan right before starting on Atkins and there was no measurable plaque in his coronary arteries. And then just 29 months later, after the initiation of the low-card diet, 99% blockage. Now they were able to open that surgically with a stent, but it took his changing to a more healthy diet to open up blood flow to other parts of his body.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the other videos on the Atkins diet and don’t miss the other videos on erectile dysfunction. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!I know some people will comment that support the paleolithic diet/atkins diet and try to tout the benefits and “science” behind it. So before someone does, please read Dr. Greger’s free e-book ‘Atkin’s Exposed’ with over 1,100 references. http://www.atkinsexposed.org/utter nonsenseatkins was correct. we have two digestive behavioursthis site is obviously vegan propaganda and that’s sad because your skewed view could cost lives.we are OMNIVORES, we have CANINE teeth.. GET OVER IT!meat man: Since so many people report how Dr. Greger’s diet has made them healthier and in some cases saved their lives, there is not need to be sad.re: canine teeth This is a common misunderstanding. The thing is, humans have canine teeth *in name only*. To see what real canine teeth look like, check out the following page and scroll down to the section, “Humans have canine teeth. End of story.” Look at the picture on the right. http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.htmlWhile you are on that page, I highly recommend taking a look at the rest of the information. You will find it quite the eye opener if you decide you are interested in the scientific facts (no propaganda!) about your body.I do not know how much is “so many”, but I can tell you Dr. Atkins treated successfully 25,000 overweight patients. Not 100, or 1,000; or 10,000.References please? The atkins has been well established to promote athlerosclerotic lesions, promote cancer and other degenerative disease.The nonsense is your comment, meat man! Read a few valid studies about meat, eggs and dairy instead of drinking the cool-aid.Dr. Greger writes about two interesting points. The 51 year old guy went on the diet on his own, and he went on the diet for 2 years! That is not the Atkins diet. After my first child I went from 95 pounds to 140 pounds, and my triglicerydes went to the roof and my cholesterol went up. It was confirmed by my doctor at St. Johns Hospital here in NY. So he referred me to the nutritionist. Of course she said no meats, or fat food. Next day, I started the Atkins diet. I read 3 times Dr. Atkins book. I studied it before I dared to start the diet. I did not just went to try the diet, that is what ignorant people does. The majority of people only look for the quick/fast diet with no effort. In his book, he recommends to do blood tast to see what is our initial condition, and even more, he advises us that the first two weeks, cholesterol might go up, but he said as we continue, it will normalize. If you READ the book, the first phase of the diet where you restrict the carbs, refines and not refines, should not be longer than 1 week in people with average metabolism, or two weeks when they have hard metabolism. and one moth for those rare cases(like my husband) where your metabolism is almost 0 activity. My first phase was only three days, and for the second phase I integrated more natural carbs: low glycemic index fruits and vegetables. From day one I took all vitamins, especially antioxidants, as he recommends we must do. In three months I went from 140 to 119, 7 pounds a month eating like a normal human being. I ate my steaks, fish or chicken with lots of all kind of raw salads (green veggies, tomatoes, cucumbers,etc), all kinds of 2 minute cooked cream soups, eggs, bacon, Ezequiel bread, smoothies with soy milk, eat lots of walnuts, pistachios, natural dips with raw veggies. My high fat/high protein phase forced my body to go into ketosis (not keto acidosis) to burn the extra pound I had, and it was only 3 days, in my husband was a week. TWO years!, what an ignorant! When you post after you read and studied, and reviewed all the scientific studies Dr. Atkins mentions in his book, I will respect your opinion, but if you just read some Dr. that gives as a testimonial the sory of some ignorant who went for two years in the Atkins diet phase one, right there is telling me how bias is his “study”. I was saving his e mails because I wanted to pass to others but I won’t. I am very familiar with the plant base diet, Atkins phase three and four, which, as he guarantee, will keep the pounds off, and you wont ever again gain the weight back and never be hungry again. I saw the Forks over Knives documentary. I will never stop eating meat, all kinds. I come from Peru, and my aunt and grand mom raised cows, sheep, guini pigs, rabitts, chickens; they also raised barley, quinua, veggies. So, we grew up eating the way Dr. Atkins wants us to eat. We never saw box cereals, or frozen foods, or white breads, white sugar. And we were thin, healthy, sharp. My dad is 89, my mom is 90, with perfect health, a combination of plant base diet with all kind of meats, we restrict a lot the red one, but we eat the other kinds. They never had any kind of problem until they came to the U.S.A. and my dad, after few years here, he started to develop high blood pressure and high cholesterol because of the food he was getting at the senior center (where they supposed to have specialized dietician for the elderly). His doctor prescribed lipitor, aspirin and something for his blood pressure. He got worst, that was 1994-1996. After two years, an at his request, I took away all that garbage they gave him, put him on Atkins diet (he was not fat at all). I gave him the only plant base vitamins in the world I got from Nutrilite, and since 1996 to today, he never again had to take any medicine. His doctors, even though they still have in his record that he has “conditions”, they were very surprise with the results when they did blood test studies for his emergency hernia surgery. His results were perfect. I told them that he never took his medicines. His surgeon told me to continue doing what I was doing because was keeping him in a very optimal health many seniors would love to have. Yes, plant base works, my whole family take the plant base vitamins. Even when is hard to keep a natural/organic diet, the fact that we supplement our diet with our plant base vitamin, keep us from the doctors. I send my people to the doctors just to know the diagnose (I am not a doctor), but I am a pastry chef, I went to school took nutrition classes, and got certify as a nutrition consultant. But, I keep myself educating, on top of every latest discover that comes from real doctors, like Dr. Campbel. Elseistyn, D. Amen, Ranzyc. Doctors that really dedicate themselves to research, study the outcomes and have no influence of the pharmacological industry. Post after you research deeply. 2 years on his own, that was stupidity and ignorance, no wonder almost dye. By the way, my husband had his blood pressure to the roof when he started the Atkins diet. in 6 months lost 13 pounds (he was classified with hard metabolism), and blood pressure went down dramatically. My whole family is a testimony of what Dr. Atkins wants for us. Healthy natural diet, full of veggies and good fats, natural grains. HE DID NOT WANT REFINE CARBS AT ALL IN YOUR DIET. You have to be discipline, patient, and have a deep strong desire to be healthy. Otherwise you will fall again in the refine food trap, fast food cage, and frozen food scam. Diets are not the problem, YOU are the problem.If you don’t care about your health, think of the blood flow to other parts of your body. :)I am having trouble teasing apart some of the differences between the Atkins diet and the whole foods plant-based approach that you advocate.Specifically, it seems possible to be both vegan and follow a low carbohydrate (Atkins-like approach)…isn’t that what the eco-Atkins diet is all about?For example, one could eat a whole foods plant-based (vegan) diet emphasizing low carbohydrate and high fat foods like nuts, seeds and avocado. Thus, one would gain the advantages of high antioxidants present in these foods while ingesting relatively low quantities of toxins, cholesterol and saturated fats. By emphasizing these high fat foods (which are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated “good fats”), one could ensure that very few calories come from carbohydrate sources, thus leading to the ketotic state … so what? … is that necessarily bad?check out Dr. Greger’s video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/plant-based-atkins-diet/It address just that and a plant based low carb diet is indeed health.Thanks for the link; though even after watching that video on plant-based-atkins-diet, I would be concerned about potential side effects of the eco-Atkins diet, including ketoacidosis, where pH drops to extremely low levels…not sure what the latest data is on this.I agree, ketosis is definitely an issue when carbs are restricted. I would be interested on Dr. Greger’s take on that.Let me educate. As a pastry cheff, I know what sugar does to your body. Keto acidosis is not the same as ketosis, have you read the WHOLE book and understand it? ketosis is a natural liposuction(the one that some people pay lots of money to take away their fat from their muscles). When you go to the first phase of the diet is with the objective to do that liposuction naturally without the side effects and the dangerous consequences of a performed liposuction by ‘doctors’ Ketosis is the natural liposuction your body does to burn the extra fat you have. It is not dangerous. Of course if you go 2 years on that like the example this Dr. Greger gives, yeah, you can die.VegAt Heart. Yes you can. Read my comments above. My whole family, included my mom and dad over 80s, have that approach. I hate to cook, but I love to eat. A good steal once in a while, fish like salmon, and chcken with lots of raw salads and amazing dressing are life and comfort, and makes you happy.For some context, please also check out my associated blog post Watermelon for Erectile Dysfunction!Follow the money, all studies funded by food companies cannot be submitted as science. Sometimes there’s money to made by encouraging certain results.Your comment is false, Gremmin. Just because a food company sponsors a study does not mean it was not a proper study. One must look at a study carefully and also see if it fits a mega-analysis of studies in that area. Be super cautious about results if it turns the world upside down. Many studies done by for-profit companies are tainted and the USDA or some other government agencies can also produce tainted study results.What do you think will be the result of a study where the company is trying to introduce a new product to make millions for their shareholders, and they are the ones who will determine if the product is good or not to go into the market? I dont know if you are familiar with the self-regulation environment, widely and loosely practice by all those companies. FDA DOES NOT DO or SUPERVISE any trial, study or investigation, don’t have the money. So, they just accept the results of these companies, who bring to the FDA saying, “we found that our product, our food is good, no problems for humans to use it or eat it”. Marlene Schwartz, deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University shows in the HBO documentary “The Weight of the Nation” how the marketing industry along with the FOOD industry are DECEIVING the public.Dr Greger– have you read Gary Taubes’ Good Calories Bad Calories? I find his arguement compelling but I am open minded…Could you post a critique?It is not based on the best current science. While it is true that processed carbohydrates contribute to today’s high incidence of chronic diseases the consumption of animal products and high fat foods are a much larger problem not only in due to health issues with cholesterol and saturated fats but due to all the chemicals (e.g. dioxins, mercury, other persistent organic pollutants) not to mention environmental degradation, animal suffering and worker safety issues.I am not sure saturated fat is the villain it was made out to be for many years. Can you refute the latest studies about saturated fats not being unhealthy?Jeff Novick puts the recent hype into perspective.“Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the associationof saturated fat with cardiovascular disease”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/535.full.pdf+htmlThis Meta-analysis looked at 21 different studies, and came to the conclusion that “there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD [heart disease].”Shared by Jeff Novick:One major problem with this study is they did not look at any studies where the saturated fat intake was less than 7%, which is the level recommended by the American Heart Association. Most of the diets had saturated fat intakes in the range of 10-15% (or more).So, just like the studies that criticize “low fat” diets, but never analyze any diet that is truly low fat and based on the principles of low fat, high fiber, whole plant foods, this study criticizes the impact of lowering saturated fat, but never looked at any diet that truly lowered saturated fat to the level recommended.Another problem with the study is what the subjects replaced the saturated fat with when comparing the 2. For many, if not most, it was with either (or products containing) hydrogenated/trans fat, while flour, white sugar and/or mono fats.People who replaced saturated fat in their diet with polyunsaturated fat (omega 3/6) reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by 19 percent, compared with control groups of people who do not.http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000252Lastly, studies on all-cause mortality trumps findings for subsets such as CHD and CVD. Most all-cause studies demonstrate a direct relation between saturated fat intake and all-cause mortality and the lower the better. Here is a list of studies showing just this.“the results of this study support earlier observations that dietary intakes low in SF or high in FV [fruits and vegetables] each offer protection against CHD mortality. In addition, however, our data suggest that the combination of both high FV with relatively low SF intake offers greater protection against both total and CHD mortality than either practice alone.”http://jn.nutrition.org/content/135/3/556.long“The major finding of the present study is that the average population intake of saturated fat and vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers are major determinants of all-cause mortality rates. Saturated fat and smoking are detrimental, but vitamin C seems to be protective in relation to the health of populations…The potential effect of changes in saturated fat, vitamin C and the prevalence of smokers can be illustrated as follows. A change in saturated fat of 5% of energy is associated with a 4.7% change in age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate (Table 3).”http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/2/260.long“A high RRR pattern score, which was associated with high intake of fat and protein and low intake of carbohydrates, increased the risk of death. Subjects with a pattern score belonging to the highest quintile obtained on average 37·2 % of their energy from fat and 37·6 % from carbohydrates and thus did not meet current dietary recommendations (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2002). Food groups that contributed to this unfavourable pattern of energy sources were red meat, poultry, processed meat, butter, sauces and eggs, whereas a high intake of bread and fruits decreased the pattern score.”http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FBJN%2FBJN93_05%2FS000711450500111Xa.pdf&code=6fbdbd311fb43ee23a840b894cced959From the National Academy of Science:“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions; they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither an AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids. There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acid intake increases CHD risk”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422“The saturated fatty acids, in contrast to cis mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids, have a unique property in that they suppress the expression of LDL receptors (Spady et al., 1993). Through this action, dietary saturated fatty acids raise serum LDL cholesterol concentrations (Mustad et al., 1997).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=432Toxins: What a great post! Thanks again for finding and passing this kind of information on to us.Note that the following link in your post does not seem to work. Are you able to fix it? “http://www.plosmedicine.org/ar…”FixedThanks!Many scientific research are funded by the same people who are killing us with their lies. Like the one in 1977 where $230,000 was reserved for this ‘scientific research’ funded by the sugar industry with “our desire to maintain research as a main prop of the industry’s defence. Coke, Hershey, General Foods, General Mills and Nabisco, the heavy sugar users, contribute the fund with $10,000 each for that research, to defend themselves. Reference: www. cbc.ca/news/health/sugar-industry They paid 17 different scientist from most prestigious universities: M.I.T, Harvard, and Yale, which all received the sugar industry money. So, you tell me what do you think the results of that defensive approach would be?You know dr. Forrester, I am surprise that holding a title of a Dr. your answer seems to come from an ignorant person with an opinion. YES! meats, today, they way they raise the poor animals, are really bad. It is the additives, and what they inject in this animals to grow and produce more. Why instead attacking the carriers, dont go and attack the food industry Too big, hu? You guys don’t have the resources to go against this big Goliat. I went to school to become a chef. I learned in my nutrition classes that if you cook too much your meats, or toast too much your bread, the sulfites in there that is put by the food industry to prolonged shel life will turn into carcinogens. But nobody knows that, I did not know that if I wouldn’t go to the cooking school. Contribute? are you for real, what kind of doctor you are, where did you learn that? In 1980 the comsumption of sugar per capita was 120 lbs(US), 2010 went up to 132 lbs. In 1980, % of American w/diabetes 2.5%; in 2010 went up to 6.8%. In our chldren the scenario was worst: US children with obesity: 1980: 5.5%; 2010: 16.9% Adults with obesity: 1980: 15%; 2010: 35.7 Reference: USDA, CDC, US Census Bureau. These evidence was ignored by the government agencies due the tremendous pressure from the food industry. This was the time were obesity sky rocketed, and the food industry, specifically the sugar industry said, fat and meat were making people fat. So, all their sugary products, bottle juice, cereals, breads with sprinkle of vitamins were booming. And I think I do not have to tell you the rest, if you are at least a little bit well educated, you know the rest.People new to Dr. Greger’s extensive writings frequently ask him to shoot down or rebut the latest broscience or truthy rehash of the low carb/paleolithic diet/atkins diet. He’s already done it a thousand times so it’s really a ridiculous request — please read Dr. Greger’s free e-book ‘Atkin’s Exposed’ with over 1,100 references. http://www.atkinsexposed.org/ (Tip o’ the hat to Toxins)You sound like my son. Only have 1/2 story. Read, study the Atkins diet, the you can say you, yourself, got facts from both sides, without no intermediaries.Has never affected me this way. Keep up the grudge-work.If you look at his triglycerides, which are reflective of eating sugar and carbohydrates, they TRIPLE in that third period where he lost his mojo and the heart blockage. I think the most likely scenario is that he got tired of Atkins and started cheating a bit. Eating sugar/refined carbs will inflame your arteries. Eating all the fat of the Atkins diet with inflamed arteries gets the cholesterol and fat deposited inside the arteries to wall off whatever is inflaming them, thus causing the blockages and the erectile dysfunction. Eskimos and Masi had healthy lives getting 80% of their calories from animal fat with no appreciable carbs. Add western high carb food together with the fat, and their life span sheds a few decades.Wrong on so many levels. Please read Dr. Greger’s free e-book ‘Atkin’s Exposed’ with over 1,100 references.http://www.atkinsexposed.org/The massive increase of triglycerides was the first significant negative change I noticed too, coincident with the reported symptoms. Dr. Greger made no mention of it.As for the total cholesterol level, it didn’t look “pretty good” in the beginning. He started and then returned to a low total cholesterol which is associated with various risks such as increased severity of stroke, increased mortality (e.g. suicide, injury, cancer), depression and criminal violence etc.Correction: bad fats. GOOD FATS WILL CLEAN his arteries and help to lower cholesterol. In case you are not educated, here is a couple of example on good fat: avocado, flaxseed, kale, spinach, olive oils, sunflower oils, salmon, walnut, soy bean oil. Dr. Joseph Mercola explains why fats are essential. We need plant base fats because of ALA (alpha-linolenic-acid), our body cannot make it, so we need to include it in our diet. Animal based: he said “the longe-chain forms of omega 3 are found mostly in animals and they are eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic (EPA and DHA), you saw the commercials on TV for children lacking this essential DHA that might cause their ADD. He says our body can make “some EPA and DHA from short-chain ALA, but does so inefficiently.” (Mercola, n.d.). DHA is the primary structural component of your brain and retina!, and EPA is its precursor. (Mercola).How about this study “The Battle of the Diets: Is Anyone Winning (At Losing?)” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eREuZEdMAVoFour months of whole-food plant-based food only reversed my erectile dysfunction in about 4 months.Sir, What are the dietary recommendations for treating erectile dysfunction???erectile disfunction is caused by the same problem as strokes, hardened arteries and arteriosclerosis: clogging of the arteries.The answer is, go vegan!Re: Dr. Greger’s free e-book ‘Atkin’s Exposed’ with over 1,100 references.I took a trouble some time ago to go through 1 page of Dr. Greger’s thousand references and found that every single one I looked was irrelevant to the place it was quoted! Then I gave up reading, what is the point? Please feel free to add another thousand.It takes one evidence to the contrary to invalidate a theory. That applies to Atkins but that also applies equally to your speculations!Re: EDThis is a completely unwarranted generalisation! I am stating it based on my personal experience! In fact, I think, the opposite is true!I am on a high animal fat (60% calories) low carb low protein diet continuously since 1999.I think people have much more chance of developing ED due to metabolic syndrome or diabetes t2 induced by high starch high fructose plant based exclusive diet (with some polyunsaturated vegetable oils and deficient in essential fats), and due to thyroid disruptors from crucierous vegetables and beans, than from eating all inclusive animal based variety diets.Stan (Heretic)I am always warning my friends of the dangers of doing an Atkins style diet. I am sick of people saying that it is working for them when a heart attack could be the first and only symptom that they get.That is surely something you don’t want to take a risk on. I believe people don’t really know what healthy is until they try a WFVD with short boughts of exercise.Dont be angry, read the book, educate yourseelf, form an opinion base in both facts instead following the crowd like a dumb sheep.Jumping to conclusions from the experience of one patient is silly.This is cherry picking data to fit your belief system.It is not science. Implicating low carb diet from results from one person is completely irresponsible.We clearly know that Gregor is anti-low carb and he just cherry picks facts to justify his belief system. This is a perfect example.In another video, Gregor talks about people who had impaired blood flow from a low carb diet. But the paper itself said it was a HIGH PROTEIN diet, not a low carb diet (which are typically very low in protein).What constitutes proof is properly conducted experiments, not anecdotes such as these.Promoting anecdotes to prove your point is simply irresponsible and even more so when the particular case chosen is so inconsistent with what normally happens.How many other cases of ED associated with low carb diets do you see? is there a study? Of course not. If there was, Gregor would have cited it.This is just completely irresponsible.Ok, well then what do we eat to lose weight and not want to eat everything in sight? Help!!!!!jarheadwife: The experts I follow generally seem to agree that you would want to focus on eating whole plant foods, with a B12 supplement. You might generally eat about 1/2 starchy foods (like beans, whole grains, corn, potatoes) and 1/2 veggies and fruits. Maybe or maybe not (depending on your metabolism and psychology) include 1-2 ounces of nuts and seeds. This combo generally provides people with enough calories so that they aren’t starving all the time, but few enough calories that they can still loose weight. When done right, you can eat until you are full without having to count calories – and you will still lose weight!Here are some specific resources that will help you with more strategies and more details on what is involved. (It’s not hard. And it can be very tasty.) > Free video on you tube: How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ> Consider going through the free 21 Day Kickstart program by PCRM. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)> Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density; Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer. Also check out Jeff’s DVDs in the Fast Food series. Great, affordable food that is easy to make. All of these are available on Amazon. Here is the first one: http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392424210&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density%3B+eat+moreOn Jeff’s facebook page, you can get a lot of recipes directly: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.204432390124.260255.177550385124> Consider getting some good, beginner whole plant food based cookbooks. Just leave out the oil if a recipe calls for it. Here are a couple ideas to get you started:Let Them Eat VeganVegan On The CheapAnd/or get some books that start with good education information and then have recipes in the back part of the book. I would recommend:The Starch Solution (Dr. McDougall)Breaking The Food Seduction (Dr. Barnard)Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease (Dr. Esselstyn)Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing DiabetesI hope that helps. Good luck to you.What about your DHA and EPA for your brain and eyes, where they come from?vicky: I get plenty of DHA and EPA from whole plant foods, especially greens. Also, the body of a person who eats a healthy diet does a good job of converting fats from flax into the omega 3s that we need. You can learn a great deal about fats and what humans need from a lecture given by a fabulous dietician and nutritionist, Jeff Novik: From Oil To Nuts: The Truth About Fats. http://www.vegsource.com/news/2010/06/oil-to-nuts-the-truth-about-fats-jeff-novick-dvd.htmlBottom Line: All you have to do is crunch the actual numbers to see what you need vs what you can get from healthy plant foods. One of the reasons that plant foods are so healthy is that they are not deeply contaminated the way that fish and other animal products are. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/And no, eating grass fed, organic, free range etc etc is not going to make a significant difference when it comes to human health. You can learn more about why on this site if you are interested.I can see from your posts that you are very vested in the Atkins diet. But from what I can see, you strongly believe in quite a few ideas which are simply not supported by the evidence. Actually, which are not supported by very simple math.If you were at all interested in learning what the science says, I would dialog more with you, but you do not appear to be…All plant based diet? fruit? nuts? What?? I have lost 13 lbs avoiding carbs and sugar in the last 3 weeksHummm…. Not updated. great…	angina,Atkins diet,beans,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,Dr. Neal Barnard,erectile dysfunction,grains,heart disease,heart health,impotence,LDL cholesterol,legumes,low-carb diets,low-fat diets,nuts,obesity,penis health,Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,plant-based diets,vegetables,Viagra,weight loss	A case report in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly Journal of the American Dietetic Association) of a man who went on the Atkins diet, lost his ability to have an erection, and nearly lost his life.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the other videos on the Atkins diet and don't miss the other videos on erectile dysfunction. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/21/the-real-paleo-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/29/vegan-workplace-intervention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/physicians-committee-for-responsible-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-carb-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viagra-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-neal-barnard/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19559147,
PLAIN-3049	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/	Bulking Up on Antioxidants	The relationship between stool size and decreased cancer risk at first seems pretty straightforward. Fiber is what causes bulky stools. The only place fiber is found is in whole foods, so isn't that just saying, "more plant foods, less disease"? That's no revelation. But consider this: even plant-derived foods without fiber seem to increase fecal weight. How could that be?That same ground of intrepid Italian researchers that did the inflammation and arterial function studies turned their sights to the "ability of a high total antioxidant capacity diet to increase stool weight and bowel antioxidant status in human subjects". Just like in the previous studies they did, same diets in terms of amount of fiber and amount of fruits and vegetables, but the high antioxidant group just substituted some of the higher-antioxidant foods like swapping in berries for bananas. After two weeks on the low antioxidant diet, their average stool weight dropped down to three ounces a day. That's almost as bad as New Yorkers!But after switching to the high antioxidant diet (remember: same amount of fiber), there was more than a doubling of stool size. They suspect it has something to do with healthier diets altering the gut flora, but now we know. In addition to all the other benefits, a diet selected to raise the intake of dietary antioxidants is able to increase stool bulk. And incidentally, the antioxidant content of feces, though I'm not sure why we care.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the other videos on antioxidants and don’t miss the other videos on bowel movements. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!If stool bulk is dependent on fiber and fiber is constant in both control diets, is it logical to assume the increased stool bulk is the result of more rapid transit times? If so, then the lower anti-oxidant diet can really back you up.Am I missing something here?This is very interesting and helpful. I am wondering if you are familiar with Super Red Drink Powder available at Trader Joes. It has 52 anti-oxidant berries, fruits etc. One scoop has 8,000 ORAC units and all from whole natural foods. Harry GilbowIf you can find me a list of ingredients I’d be happy to look them over!Here is the profile for the Green Drink, the Red Drink is based on berries, nuts, seeds etc. but I could not locate a list. I would appreciate your professional view. H.G.Prop. Antioxidant blend – 2010mg organic barley grass juice, chlorella, spirulina, alfalfa concentrate, ioinic trace mineralsProp Antiox blend 2000mgOrganic carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, parsley powdered juicesProp AntiOx Blend – 1740mgOrganic concord Grape powder, chery powder, milk thistle extract (80% sylmarin), redbeet root, aloe vera, pomegranate, tumeric (85% curcuminoids), kelp powder, green tea decaf (60% ployphenols), quercitin (98% dihydride), trans-resveratrol 50%, red wine extract, grape seed extract, blueberry leaf extract licorice, vegetable extract, fruit extract, cinnamon and strawberry powderfiber blend – 3850organic SDG flax lignans concentrate, Oat betaglucan, apple fiber pectin, sprouted barley malt, lecithinenzyme blend – 200mgbromelaine (600gdu/gm), papain, protease, amylase, lipase, cellulase, lactasePlease also check out my associated blog post, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk!love the blue toilet great pic but wondering what chemical nasties might have been involvedAre baby varieties as nutritious as full grown?What I’m missing in this study is the dry weight of the stool.	antioxidants,berries,bile acids,bowel movements,cancer,colon health,fiber,fruit,gut flora,New York City,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,stool size,vegetables	Even when fiber and fruit and vegetable intake are kept constant, choosing foods richer in antioxidants may increase stool size, which is associated with lower cancer risk.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the other videos on antioxidants and don't miss the other videos on bowel movements. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-city/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20579404,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1333426,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11177184,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20674303,
PLAIN-3050	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-power-of-no/	The Power of NO	Our understanding of nitric oxide has come a long way since it was named "molecule of the year" in 1992 and won some folks a Nobel Prize in '98. But it's a key biological messenger within the body and its message is: "open sesame". It's released by the lining of our arteries to tell the muscle fibers within the walls  of our arteries to relax, so our arteries open up and let the blood flow.That's why when people are having a heart attack, they're giving nitroglycerine, which your body converts to nitric oxide to open up our arteries. In fact that's how Viagra works: it boosts nitric oxide signaling, which leads to dilation of the penile arteries.The ED we really need to be concerned about, though, is endothelial dysfunction: dysfunction of the lining of all our arteries, considered a first step toward atherosclerosis, our leading cause of death.Here's what happens: NO, nitric oxide, is produced by an enzyme called NO synthase. If you have a lot of free radicals in your body, though, they come in and not only gobble up the NO -- they hijack this enzyme -- they hijack NO synthase, take it over, and have it instead start making more free radicals.So our arteries become dysfunctional. They don't relax when they should. And that can contribute to the hardening of our arteries.If, however, we flood our body with antioxidants by eating healthy foods, it should quench those free radicals and let NO get back to its job.So recently, for the first time ever, researchers studied the effects of eating high antioxidant foods on NO activity. We saw what choosing higher antioxidant plant foods did to inflammation. What effect does it have on our arterial function?You can hook people up to a device that measures the dilation of their arteries and blood flow through ultrasound. In the study, people started eating their normal miserable diet, then switched to an even more miserable diet, and their arterial dilation capacity dropped, though not significantly.They started out eating a pretty crappy diet to begin with, but which they then let people get back to, so then their NO activity came back to baseline. Then they had these people eat the higher antioxidant foods, like berries, and within  a period of just two weeks, a significant jump in their arteries' ability to relax and dilate normally.This is where they should have been in the first place, or even higher. This study suggests that choosing antioxidant-rich plant foods can improve blood flow to all parts of our bodies.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the other videos on antioxidants and don’t miss the videos on heart disease. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!How do antioxidant levels affect venous insufficiency?  What are the dietary ways to help heal conditions like DVT? These studies relate to what is happening in our arteries and not veins. I don’t know of studies directly addressing venous insufficiency and diet. However people following a plant based diet tend to be thinner which is associated with less lower extremity venous difficulties. I would imagine that foods that tend to cause inflammation & clotting would be associated with more DVT’s. These include Arachidonic Acid see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/  and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/. It would also make sense that foods that promote anti-inflammation and anti clotting (omega 3, EPA, DHA) would be associated with less DVT’s.  See the videos…  http://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/. Of course you never know when a study on DVT’s and diet will appear so stay tuned to NutritionFacts.org.Fascinating study on flow mediated dilation…perhaps the effects of higher antioxidant consumption by vegetarians (compared to omnivores) may also explain some of the heart health benefits of vegetarianism reported by Dean Ornish’s lab. Given the vastly higher antioxidant content of plant foods compared to animal foods, I wonder if higher antioxidant intake may better explain heart health benefits of vegetarianism than reduced cholesterol/saturated fat intake. I look forward to future videos on this topic!I stumbled across the so called 80 10 10 diet on http://www.30bananasaday.comCan you tell me if this diet is great and healthy? Or do people following it risk malnutrition?yeah choclate has antioxidants!!!Could you please do some videos on Whey Protein? I am interested in if they : contain any bad chemical residues have any cognitive benefits have any anti-cancer benefits have any satiety or weight loss benefits and anything else related to health and illness. Thanks for the great work you do.I tried clicking on your Ask the Doctor link but it seems to be broken.Whey protein is harmful, and you will find out why in these videos http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1Hi Doc, hi Toxins,Am crazily addicted w/ health knowledge from doctor Greger and his crew.please kindly help me, are there any correlation between arterial elasticity w/ heart beat rate and VO2max ? please kindly provide the literature study, thx much.Given that ED drugs work by raising NO levels, and there is now apparently a regimen of daily low-dose Cialis for ED patients, might this regimen be beneficial for an adult male who is physically active, not suffering from ED, but at risk of cardiovascular disease due to age, sex, familial risk, and past diet?Heart disease can be reversed entirely with diet, so other factors would not have too much influence with this. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/Dr Esselstyn said on Forks over Knives the Extended Interviews that recent studies now show the same effect on endothelial cells from olive oil, palm oil and soybean oil as from animal fat. Can you address that please?What about BPA tomato paste in cans? I bought some and don’t know if I should eat it or not. I’ll have to buy organic in the future.Also would about conventional strawberries, grapes, celery and blueberries? I can’t always afford organic. Should I avoid them then? I’m in college and am broke.Derrek: Dr. Greger has a great blog post where he puts pesticide consumption into perspective. :“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.”from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/I translate this bit of info into: Eat organic when you can, but don’t stress about it when you can’t.Happily, there is a way to take this advice a step further to minimize your risks without completely depleting the pocketbook. Every year, the Environmental Working Group actually measures pesticide levels in fruits and veggies–after those fruits and veggies have been prepared in the way people would normally eat them. (For example, peeling a banana or washing first.) If you scroll down on the following page, you will see a list for the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean Fifteen”.http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.phpI bring your attention to these lists because I think they are very helpful for people who can’t afford to eat organic for everything. You could use these lists to help you decide when it is worth putting down money for organic and when it might be safer to buy non-organic.Are there any new ideas about how to HELP HAND AND FINGER PAIN? I am in a very painful situation with my hands. How can I reverse this and is Aleve safe to take? I do not want drugs, but am Vegetarian with severe hand pain. Thanks for any light we can shed on this~ What foods could help pain?Won’t high levels of “NO” contribute to chronic inflammation, more rapid aging and decrease one’s potential for longevity?…http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-11/mgh-sms111214.php	antioxidants,berries,cardiovascular disease,erectile dysfunction,heart disease,heart health,impotence,mortality,nitric oxide,nitroglycerin,penis health,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,standard American diet,Viagra	Antioxidants protect NO synthase, the enzyme that produces the artery-relaxing signal, nitric oxide. This may explain why those who eat especially antioxidant-rich plant foods have improved flow-mediated dilation of the brachial arteries.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the other videos on antioxidants and don't miss the videos on heart disease. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viagra-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitric-oxide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nitroglycerin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1470903,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20864485,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20674303,
PLAIN-3051	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/	Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants	Should we really try to go out of our way to make higher antioxidant choices? Isn't it enough just to eat lots of fruits and vegetables? Does it really matter which ones we eat?Yes it does. Check out this new study. They took two dozen folks; had them eat a high antioxidant diet and a low antioxidant diet but here's the catch. Throughout, they ate the same number of fruits and vegetables -- the same amount of fiber etc.So, while on the high antioxidant diet they were eating, like, berries and citrus, and on the low antioxidant diet they had to stick to wimpier choices like lettuce and bananas. But same amount.This is what happened to the level of inflammation within their bodies. Those switching from their regular diet to an even lower antioxidant diet saw the levels of C-reactive protein in their bodies rise 40%, whereas those switching to the high antioxidant diet saw their levels drop, even though both groups were eating the same number of servings of fruits and vegetables every day.So, quality counts, not just quantity.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the other videos on antioxidants and don’t miss the videos on inflammation. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!Interesting study… It seems that one key difference between your morning smoothie recommended in 2010 (see “just-the-flax-maam”) and your smoothie recommended in 2012 (see “a-better-breakfast”) is that you have stopped adding banana. I am guessing that the current video sheds some light on this… Would you recommend completely eliminating banana from the diet due to its lower antioxidant content than other fruits?Bananas are certainly better than nothing (and so yummy), but is would be healthier if you have the option of replacing it with even better fruits (like more berries! :)I’ve been doing a dark berry combo about 4 or 5 times each week…blueberries and cranberries with a hit of fresh citrus, usually fresh orange sections. And I *do* love a small banana with a few walnuts as a snack in the afternoon at work.Bananas are high in potassium, so I eat one per day. I will vary my other fruit. Are frozen berries nutritionally okay or must they be raw? I freeze strawberries because I don’t eat them fast enough and they go bad. If I have too many bananas and they are getting really old, I’ll freeze them too and use them in the future in oatmeal or smoothies, or just thawed. Thank you.Bananas are not high in potassium, it’s a commum myth about nutrition. Dr Greger talk about it in his 2012-2013 nutritional years reviews Uprooting the leading causes of death: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/as well in Preventing Strokes with diet: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-strokes-with-diet/Freezing seems ok: “no statistically significant differences between the…[antioxidant levels] for fresh and frozen strawberries” http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/fresh-fruit-versus-frozen-fruit-which-is-better/Can you clarify the regular vs low antioxidant diet scenario? Is the low antioxidant scenario lower in antioxidants than the regular diet? I was expecting both high and low to be better than the regular diet, i.e., I assumed the regular diet would be similar to the SAD before seeing the results. Thx for the great info!Is it possible to eat to much antioxidants? (I have heard that antioxidants in large amounts can become pro-oxidants)I read an article about this too, but I disregarded it when I saw that the researchers gave antioxidants (not whole foods) to animals (not humans).You question also peaked my interest. Here’s a link that cites studies indicating that over supplementing with antioxidants may have anti-nutrient effects: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AntioxidantDr. Greger,Sorry if I’ve missed this from earlier. How does whole, frozen amla stack up against the dried powder? Figuring the whole fruit was bound to be more nutritious than any processed form, I promptly went out to my local Indian grocer and bought 6 pounds of the frozen variety for only $4/pound!Thanks!thanks for this question – I was also interested in this aspect. Thanks. FilI did the same thing…my Indian store only had frozen amla, no powder. I hope it was a good choice.Frozen amla is probably the healthiest way most can buy it, but it’s only healthy if you actually eat it. I tried a bag and it was tough for me to get over the taste. I find I get much more of the powdered Indian gooseberries in my diet by hiding them in my hibiscus punch. But if you can find a way to stomach them whole more power to you!Thanks for the response! I toss a couple into my morning banana/berry shake and don’t notice the sourness.I was inspired by your cold-brewed hibiscus punch too, but I made date syrup to sweeten it and gets pretty grainy before it gets sweet. Maybe I’ll try the erythritol next time.Thanks!I sprinkle Amla powder into my almond butter and jam sandwich. You dont notice it so much!This video is another great answer to the (valid) question that people post again and again: do antioxidants matter? Do we have any evidence that antioxidants have a healthful impact? Well, yes, yes we do. Thanks!A version with Brazilian Portuguese subtitles:http://youtu.be/fpsQls8fbp0My wife helped me, this one it’s much better than the previous ones!So I was curious about the best food choices to make regarding antioxidants. Googled it. Guess what? The top 20 foods include russet potatoes but no citrus, no kale. Several kinds of apples made it. Bluesberries, of course, made it, as did several kinds of beans. But no citrus in the top 20? And russet potatoes? What gives?Randomly searching on google never tends to be a reliable method for producing valid data. Check out this video showing the top 3,139 antioxidant containing foods. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/Thanks so much. That helped a little. But is there a specific list that we can turn to for the most common plant foods we consume? I can only eat so much food per day, and I’d like to choose the foods highest in antioxidants whenever possible.sure, check out these few videos. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/superfood-bargains-2/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/If you search “Antioxidants” on the website you will find tons of data.Dr. Greger or anyone that may have insight:Since this is about “Anti-inflammatory antioxidants”, I thought my hives issue is relevant. Correct me if it’s not.I’ve had this bad case of hives for years. I get hives regardless of environment or situation — more intensely when in contact with dust. I have to take an antihistamine pill almost everyday or my hives will itch me to insanity. However, I fear what it’s doing to my health in the long term.Is there a food cure for this? If not, will an increase in antioxidants such as berries reduce my need for antihistamine pills?Hives are typically an allergic response by your body to something in the environment such as chemicals (skin contact, inhalation, and food)or physical conditions (pressure, heat, cold). Given the number of substances we are exposed to this gets to be very difficult to figure out what the trigger(s) are. See video… http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/. So I don’t think you will find a food “cure”. I also don’t think antioxidants will reduce your need for antihistamines. Going on a plant based diet will tend to help improve the protective effects of your gastrointestinal system so “foreign” substances will have less chance to get in your body. Going plant based will also decrease your exposure to the thousands of chemicals in the environment…. see video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/. So going plant based is the first step. Since people can be allergic to plants the next step is to eliminate the most likely triggers or to go further to an elimination diet. Dr. McDougall’s December 2002 newsletter, Diet for the Desperate, very well outlines these approaches see his website for the article. First by eliminating the most common triggers (i.e. dairy, eggs, chocolate, nuts, shellfish and fish) and then if no success further eliminating the most likely triggers in the vegetable world including wheat, corn, citrus, tomatoes and strawberries. My patients find that a better route then the full elimination diet but that option is outlined as well. The “risk” of medication must be weighed against the advantages. Hives can be debilitating and antihistamines are generally well tolerated. Hopefully you will be able to find the trigger(s) and avoid the medication. Hope this information is helpful. For medical advice I would advise you to work with an experienced well qualified allergist as the knowledge and treatment of hives has improved over the years and keep up with Nutritionfacts.org as the science keeps changing. Good luck.Hello, I was on antihistamines and decongestants for over 15 years – not for hives, but for nasal allergic symptoms. I recently started high doses of vitamin C – plain ascorbic acid – typically 10,000-15,000 mg spread through the day. I started with 2000 and increased gradually over the course of a week. By the end of the week, I was able to stop my allergy meds for the first time in 15 years. A month later, I only take an occasional decongestant if I’m in a high exposure situation. I have no idea if it would help you but it’s safe stuff up to the point that it loosens the bowels. It’s cheap and might be worth a try. I did find that additives like rosehips or flavonoids gave me gastric trouble.I do a dark berry concoction 3 or 4 times each week that involves organic wild blueberries, cranberries and sometimes I add organic strawberries if in season (I’m in Florida so am lucky on that) and I always add fresh orange pieces to the concoction so that my blender doesn’t jam up. The BEST! Thanks Doc! You’re making me hungry Valnaples!Please also check out my associated blog post Fighting Inflammation with Food SynergyJust looked up the actual study.  I believe it is highly likely to be true but I don’t think   one study with 24 subjects just isn’t enough for a Q.E.D.  I worked for quite a few years in a cell bio lab and so much can happen to skew the results away from reality and it can take a long time to find that you are running down a blind alley that you want so much to be true.does air popped organic popcorn have a high content of antioxidants too?i have heard/read that it does.My CRP level was 0.2 (measured twice) – very, very low according to the Naturopathic Doctor who made me test it.I’ve been eating a variety of plants (no animals) for the last 3 and a half years, but the one food that I think was the kicker –according to some- was my daily hot pepper (mostly jalapenos) eaten with seeds and all.Do you think that could be true?Thanks, StevenI do not care for berries, I like bananas, but do not eat them much at all. Can I take a potassium pill? I have taken some before, I have no problems taking them. Can lower potassium make you overly tired?All plants contain potassium in fair amounts. Your kidneys are designed to do a great job at helping the body regulate potassium/sodium in the blood. So when eating a plant based diet you shouldn’t have to worry about potassium unless you are taking some medications like diuretics or have certain diseases such as kidney disease or rare tumors that secrete hormones that effect sodium/potassium balance in the body. Low potassium can be a source of fatigue as can many other conditions including low thyroid, poor conditioning, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, anemia… to name just a few. If you are eating healthy and still feeling fatigued it might be a good idea to check things out with your physician before self medicating with pills.So which fruit in this study did the people on the higher antioxidant diets eat? Apples?“[O]n the high antioxidant diet they were eating, like, berries and citrus.” While “on the low antioxidant diet they had to stick to wimpier choices like ‘lettuce and bananas’.”I used to eat bananas and lettuce a lot before I had developed osteoporosis. But after reading Foods That Fight Pain and Power Foods for the Brain by Dr. Neal Barnard, I changed my diet and have really noticed the difference in my overall health.http://www.nealbarnard.org/books/brain/ and http://tinyurl.com/n8a34bt , I really noticed a difference in my body and brain.My Father, age 91 was just in the hospital with low sodium. My question is: Would it be ok to give him iodine drops? If so how much per day. When he left hospital this morning is sodium was 124. ThankI have old frend . She had a 4 surgery in her khee and also she had a strok onoder site. She is in weel cher . Her leg is swolin and red( dark purpul) I realy like to help her but I like you advise what is the best way to help her?Really,lower antioxidant in food gives higher antioxidant activity? Or do I not understand?I have a cup of black or blueberries every day with my steel cut oats for breakfast, as well as eat mushrooms with my beans and collards, red Bermuda onions, garlic, ginger and turmeric and other anti-inflammatory nutrients in a quest to lower the pain and inflammation in body since my total knee replacement in 2007 and now my spinal fractures in 2012 and 2013.My shins are still inflamed, but the anti-inflammatory and high antioxidants seem to help my spine, as well as the ability for my skin and nerves to heal. And, the blueberries really benefit my cognitive ability –memory and ability to figure things out.Since my repeated spinal fracture, I’m eating as healthy as I know how, and although some pain still remains, it minimal compared with earlier when I was not as cognizant of my chosen foods.Dr. Greger, I am a 55 year old, otherwise healthy female. My bouts with contact dermatitis started with geraniums, but my increasing sensitivity which is activating my histamines – has expanded to contact with any plants at all. I don’t want to be dependent upon Zyrtec, let alone steroids to reduce the inflammation and blistering. At one time I tried several series of acupuncture to short circuit my system (for a rash which dermatologists could never diagnose), which worked in that instance. What would you recommend?Has anyone spoken to you about an antihistamine diet? There is not enough research to keep it mainstream, since not many people have a serious allergy to histamines. If you are being exposed to environmental allergens that you are unable to control, changing your diet to low histamine foods, and perhaps using a homeopathic called histaminium (sp?) may make all the difference.I do PBWF and don’t do shakes. To get the benefits of fiber and reduce Leptin resistance, I eat whole vegetables and whole fruit. Joseph in MissoulaHi Dr Greger ! Since I’ve gone high carb raw Till 4 , I suffer from heart burn the hole day. Even after potatoes. And thats the thing: I discovered tyramine which lead to depression and migranes (which I have) and I am diagnosed with a histamine intolerance. I looked up histamine but found out that literally every whole food contains it. I really don’t know what to eat anymore, because I cant afford the quantites of ripe fruit here in germany. Therefore my staples are dates, potatoes and veggies. But my Vitamin E Level would sink if I do not consume pumpkin anymore. But pumpkin contains histamine and so does potatoes. I don’t like spinach and the oxal acid in it is another problem. I don’t like rice and grains so thats my problem. I am reallyThe message continues: Afraid of the dates I am eating, because I don’t want to take medication against my depression, but also don’t want it to get even worse! Thanks so much for your answer !	antioxidants,bananas,berries,C-reactive protein,citrus,fiber,fruit,inflammation,lettuce,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,vegetables	Even when choosing the same quantity of fruits and vegetables, those making higher antioxidant choices experienced a reduction in C-reactive protein (inflammation) levels.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the other videos on antioxidants and don't miss the videos on inflammation. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/c-reactive-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20674303,
PLAIN-3052	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-up-on-the-veggies/	Anti Up on the Veggies	In choosing the healthiest foods, you may notice that everywhere you look, everyone seems to have a different "top ten" list of the most antioxidant-rich foods, with probably dozens of competing commercial products swearing theirs is the "best of the best". Some are probably just making stuff up, but genuine competing estimates arise from people citing old data,[J. Agric. Food Chem. 2004, 52, 4026-4037, "Lipophilic and Hydrophilic Antioxidant Capacities of Common Foods in the United States"]where they only test a few dozen foods, or a few hundred, but other disparities arise from different labs using different tests.There are four in common usage: ORAC, TEAC, TRAP, and FRAP. USDA likes ORAC. These researchers[Nutrition Journal 2010, 9:3 "The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide"]used FRAP, in part because it's one of the quickest methods, which is important if you're doing 3,000 foods. Each has their pros and cons, but the problem with all of them is that they're just measuring how good a particular food is at altering a chemical oxidation reaction in a test tube. It's not done in a biological system.But for the first time ever, scientists at Cornell took 27 vegetables[J. Agric. Food Chem. 2010, 58, 6621-6629, "Cellular Antioxidant Activity of Common Vegetables"]and measured their cellular antioxidant activity: their ability to quench free radicals within cells, by testing various vegetables on cultures of human liver cells. Sure, some phytonutrient may be a great antioxidant outside the cell, but what if it can't get inside the cell? That's where we need it!If you do the standard ORAC test, this is what you find: spinach at the top, cucumber at the bottom. No surprise; dark green leafy leads the pack. But again, this is a chemical assay, measuring how these foods slow down some oxidation reaction in a test tube, a reaction that actually doesn't even occur in nature. But hey, look, it's the best we had: until now. Any guesses as to who was able to unseat spinach? Here's the cellular antioxidant activity. Cucumber is still at the bottom. But now, beating everyone else: beets! Number one, spinach, isn't even in the top ten any more. All the cruciferous moved ahead: Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower. And hey, look, between the beets and the red bell pepper, it looks like the greens got beat out by the reds.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the other videos on antioxidants and don’t miss all the videos where we rank foods. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!Do you know of any research or connections between nutrition & mental illnesses such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Anorexia, or other conditions involving the basal ganglia of the brain??I’m not aware of studies for those disorders… there are studies suggesting that a plant based diet can help improve mood, depression and anxiety. See http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/improving-mood-through-diet/ plus consumption of food additives on children see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/are-artificial-colors-bad-for-you/. Hopefully more studies will come along showing the benefit of healthy eating on peoples mental well being.Avoid gluten. Dr. Mcdougall has claimed that it can cause mental illness.What are you talking about? McDougall has never said anything bad about gluten. In fact, he recommends whole wheat as part of your “starch-based” diet, (unless you have Celiac disease like 1% of people). In fact, he’s already done a video about how “gluten-free” is a distraction from our real dietary problems.So, now what? Should I be putting beets in my smoothie instead of kale? What about all those other great green leafies, dump them for the new list?I usually put beets in my green smoothies (which makes them red). I wouldn’t throw out the greens, but add in the reds, but I’m no doctor.jbwormer, antioxidants are only one aspect of the full nutritional profile of green leafies. There are many nutrients that do not act as antioxidants that are highly benifical to ones health. Keep the greens!This new assay shows that Lettuce has more cellular antioxidant value than Romaine? Something seems very wrong here!Sorry to see that Kale doesn’t look to have been included in this study.It could be green leaf lettuce…it doesn’t specify iceberg.I suspect the study on cellular antioxidant activity of 25 common fruits will be posted soon. Should be another very informative video.Wondering how the antioxidant values of spices would place using this new “real world” assay method.Does this new information have any bearing on cooked vs raw? I recall that according to the video ‘ Best Cooking Method‘ (which by the way is an example of a video with excellent sound, not distorted/too loud /muffled), bell peppers should deffo not be cooked.Dr. Greger: Where does swiss chard belong on the scale? I grow a lot of it and freeze it so that I can eat it all year. I use it the same way spinach is used. I much prefer it to spinach, and it is easier to grow in my climate. Does it have similar health benefits as spinach?This is a very interesting topic. Looking fwd to see the Codex Alimentarius to incorporate this way of measuring A.Ox. into their standard practice. Well spotted Dr Greger. Cheers. filHi, Is it possible to have the complete study (on cellular antioxydant activity) with the graphic. It will be very usefull for my work. Anne-Marie, dietician in MontrealJe viens de vous l’a envoyé Anne-Marie profitez-en!Hi Dr. Greger, I would love to get this study on cellular antioxidants, but they’re charging for the full text! The source isn’t even cited here, I’ve seen it in the #7 DVD:     J Agric Food Chem. 2010 Jun 9;58(11):6621-9. Cellular antioxidant activity of common vegetables. Song W, Derito CM, Liu MK, He X, Dong M, Liu RH. SourceDepartment of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-7201, USA.Thank you so much for all your work!Adalberto M. Caccia (from Italy)Can we assume that since beets were so good at penetrating and anti-oxidizing liver cells, that they will do that for all (or even most) cells in the body?Or, just like in (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/) will vegetables be more or less effective against different cancer cells?Jordan (Boston)Watch your spelling! “Anti-” means against, suggesting one should beware of consuming more veggies. You probable mean “antE-up”.I meant “you probably mean….”I think he was punning off of “anti-oxidants.”Is there an update to this study…its 3 years old now?	antioxidants,beets,bell peppers,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,cabbage,cauliflower,Cornell,cruciferous vegetables,cucumbers,greens,in vitro studies,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,ranking foods,spinach,USDA,vegetables	Greens rank highest in chemical antioxidant assays (such as ORAC, TEAC, TRAP, and FRAP), but which vegetables lead the pack when cellular antioxidant activity is measured?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the other videos on antioxidants and don't miss all the videos where we rank foods. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cornell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bell-peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cucumbers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brussels-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21706439,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15186133,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15769103,
PLAIN-3053	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dragons-blood/	Dragon's Blood	Closing out our exploration of the ground-breaking antioxidant analysis of thousands of foods, herbs, and spices, crowned by cloves, a hundred times more antioxidants than blueberries, here for comparison's sake, then amla, then triphala, which we should probably avoid due to toxic metal contamination, and then by far the single most antioxidant-packed substance on the planet earth, "sangre de grado": blood of the dragon -- a bright red sap that oozes when you slash into the bark of this Amazonian tree. Leading to amusing article names such as, "Studies on the Antidiarrhoeal Effect of Dragon's Blood". [Phytotherapy Research 15, 319-322 (2001)].A couple of the studies have been interesting. I'll mention them briefly just because this is really more of a medicinal than nutritive product.There was a study published in the Journal of Inflammation, hoping to get a handle on osteoarthritis, a very frustrating condition to which modern medicine has little to offer. When people get knee replacements, what do you think they do with the old knees? Well, at Case Western they gathered them all up -- all that human cartilage -- to see if they could decrease the rate of cartilage loss in a test tube with a drop or two of dragon's blood. And indeed, in the context of inflammation this cartilage starts breaking down, but you add some sap extract and you can drop that way down. Now the study was performed by the owner of the company that -- you guessed it -- sells dragon blood extract, though, so you've got to take the findings with a grain of salt.Also apparently effective at getting cancer cells to kill themselves, here are three lines of human gastrointestinal cancer cells. Add a little bit of that red maple syrup and you can see the cancer cells wither away as their DNA breaks up. It may also prevent DNA damage in the first place. Here are corn seedlings, the control is on the left, and then a little then a lot of a mutagenic toxin which shrivels the poor things. But you add a little sap to the roots and the effects of the toxin are blunted.After all, a single drop of this stuff is equivalent to three apples' worth of antioxidants. But unfortunately there were other tests not funded by a company that sells it that showed in certain circumstances dragon's blood could also cause DNA mutations.So, the winner: for the most antioxidant-packed, non-contaminated, non-mutagenic whole food on the planet: the dried Indian gooseberry powder [amla].	In honor of the Chinese New Year (of the dragon)! Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on amla and don’t miss all the videos where we rank foods. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!Yahoo! I’m still working on getting some of that powder.I appreciate you making note of the source of the studies on the dragon blood. I won’t run out and buy some. But I will note that the picture of the bleeding tree is right out of a horror movie. Oh my.Why did Dr. Greger leave out any mention of a safe substance also tested for antioxidant activity in this study that has over three TIMES the antioxidant potential of amla? Amla has 301 mmmol/100 g and vitamin C has 1152 mmol/100g of antioxidant activity according to this same study.Dr. Steve: I guess that Dr. Greger left out the vitamin C supplement because he is restricting comparison to whole food products. In fact, he has several videos discussing the inferiority of supplements relative to whole plant foods.My understanding is that there is a body of literature supporting the notion that pure antioxidant compounds like like vitamin C have less overall activity in the body than the antioxidants from whole plant foods. The improved activity of antioxidants from whole plant foods may be due to synergistic effects that arise when a diversity of antioxidant compounds act together to modulate various cellular processes. To the best of my knowledge, the underlying reason why this happens is not well understood.Your question suggests to me that the total antioxidant potential of foods is just one dimension to a multi-dimensional description of the health value of foods. I guess that, as we learn more about the biochemistry of food interactions in the body, we will probably end up refining our food rankings.Great information, Dr. Greger!I am wondering if a more complete analysis of foods would also consider the level of pro-oxidants. Specifically, should foods be ranked by the mathematical difference between antioxidants and pro-oxidants, since they have competing effects?Is any research available on astaxanthin which seems to be touted as a wonderful antioxidant?Astaxanthin is the reason flamingos are pink (or at least flamingos in the wild; in the zoo they may be fed artificial dyes like farmed salmon–see my video Artificial Coloring in Fish). Astaxanthin is also the reason some crustacean shells turn red when boiled. One need not eat flamingo feathers or lobster exoskeletons, though. You can go right to the source and get it from green algae such as chlorella (I recommend against blue-grean algae and spirulina–see for example my videos Is blue-green algae good for you? and Another Update on Spirulina). A review last month suggests a wide range of beneficial effects, though one should note the author is listed as a dietary supplement industry consultant. With a few exceptions, I recommend against taking supplements as they have been found in some cases to be less effective (see, for example, my Produce Not Pills) or even deleterious (see Is vitamin D the new vitamin E? and my other 60 videos on supplements).Dr. Greger,Sorry if I’ve missed this from earlier. How does whole, frozen amla stack up against the dried powder? Figuring the whole fruit was bound to be more nutritious than any processed form, I promptly went out to my local Indian grocer and bought 6 pounds of the frozen variety for only $4/pound!Thanks!What about the maqui berry? the package boasts that these berries contain 2-3 times the anti-oxident as acai.Thanksis the amla powder marketed as a hair product at indian groceries the same as the powder for consumption? Where are people getting amla powder?compostbrain: You may find a better source, but the best price I found for food-grade, organic amla powder is an on-line company called Mountain Rose. If you are interested, here is a link to their various amla powder products:http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search/search.php?refine=y&keywords=amla+powder&x=0&y=0Fair warning, the stuff tastes disgusting. But if you put a little into other strong foods, you can eat it. I found putting some (but not too much) in my morning oatmeal works. I think the health benefits make the effort worth while. Just don’t expect it to be easy. (Though I would be very interested if you like it or find an easy way to disguise it.)Good luck!One scary thought. It sounds like dragons blood is a bit dangerous, though it showed some amazing possibilities.QUESTION: Could it be that Amla just hasn’t been YET shown to have the mutogenic detriments of dragons’s blood?I would doubt this, as amla was already tested on cell lines and shown to be highly non mutagenic. Here is a video detailing this. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/The study on osteo-despite being funded by the company-didn’t it seem like some very very credible participants involved that may make the study credible?So what happened to the Triphala Powder which shows more than double that of the Amla? Why didn’t Triphala get the highest ranking of the non-mutagenic, etc?Due to heavy metal contamination.The powdered amla you show in the video is orange. Why is the amla powder that I bought black?Is Dragon’s Blood safe topically?Hello can organic amla extract in capsule form be helpful?thanks	amla,antioxidants,apples,berries,blueberries,cancer,cartilage health,cloves,diarrhea,DNA damage,dragon's blood,dried fruit,fruit,gooseberries,heavy metals,in vitro studies,India,industrial toxins,inflammation,joint health,osteoarthritis,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,ranking foods,triphala	The four most antioxidant-packed natural substances so far tested are cloves, amla (Indian gooseberries), triphala (a combination of amla, bibhitaki, and haritaki fruits), and dragon's blood.	In honor of the Chinese New Year (of the dragon)! Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on amla and don't miss all the videos where we rank foods. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gooseberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cloves/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dragons-blood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triphala/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cartilage-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11406855,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15507372,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12007701,
PLAIN-3054	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/	Amla and Triphala Tested for Metals	If ayurvedic herbal preparations are often contaminated with toxic metals, should we stay away from amla and triphala, two of the three most antioxidant-packed foods in the world? Are we going to be forced to go back to cloves, number four down the list?In the Boston study both amla and triphala were repeatedly tested -- different samples, different brands -- and not a single one had any detectable lead, mercury, arsenic, or cadmium . Good news, and neither had any detectable pesticides, either. But maybe that's just Boston. If you want to do a broad survey of the global market, you need to start shopping on the Internet.Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, "Lead, Mercury, and Arsenic in ... Ayurvedic Medicines Sold via the Internet." [JAMA vol. 300 no. 8] Once again, one fifth of the medicines: contaminated.When the Boston study came out, there were calls for mandatory testing of all imported dietary supplements for toxic heavy metals. But this study found that the prevalence of metals in US-manufactured ayurvedic medicine was the same, if not higher, than those imported from India. They found lead levels violating safety limits in products with names like "Worry Free", a pediatric preparation. Mercury in products like "Breath of Life". And arsenic exceeding EPA limits in triphala. Mercury in triphala and lead in triphala.OK, I guess we can scratch that off the list. That's why my smoothies have amla, not triphala. Just to put things in perspective, though, Consumer Reports recently re-measured mercury levels in canned tuna and while a serving of triphala may have 46 micrograms of mercury, the average can of white tuna has 1,345. But as far as I'm concerned, practically any mercury is too much mercury.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on Ayurvedic medicine. Don’t miss Friday’s video Some Ayurveduc medicine worse than lead paint exposure or Monday’s video Get the lead out. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them! holy moley!!   if there is sooo much nasty mercury in canned tuna products why in the world are we not made aware of this fact?  as children are consuming more fish – parents thinking it is healthier than the ‘nasty’ animal proteins??   what are these children & parents to do? dr.p. adria smith phd in natural health mother & grandmother researcher & ceoYes, it is very unfortunate that our food supply has become so toxic. This is particularly true for foods derived from animal sources (e.g., fish, meat, chicken, and dairy). While this may seem extreme, the best thing you can do for you, your family, and your loved ones is to adapt an organic, whole foods, plant based diet; a diet that severely restricts or even eliminates completely animal products. As the link to these videos below will show you, eating a diet this way, will significantly lower the toxic load in your body: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/ , and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/ ; significantly improve your mood: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/ ; improve your IQ: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iq-of-vegetarian-children-2/ ; lower your risk of disease: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-prevention/. Try a 30 day challenge and see how much better you feel!!!I would suggest more than unfortunate…criminal would be a word that comes to mind!! People have accepted what the industries have been doing to people’s health for way too many years. If there is not a standing up to tell them STOP ..there will soon not be those folks that have enough health left to bother! As the Baby Boomers generations are progressing in aging & not taking responsibility for their life style choices this will drain the economy along with the younger folks that do not choose the healthier life styles. A major paradigm shift is needed quickly toward health.. As my formal education & degrees are across many fields of health of mind, body & spirit I know the necessity of eating organic, local, & plant based diet …it is the new generation along with the aging that must reclaim their powers of choice toward healthy life styles. Another one to check out is the Health Ranger or implementing homeopathic & naturopathic healing modalities….Stopping the insanity of the Pharma-Mafia, telling corporations like Monsanto, etc. we will not eat those foods that they have genetically modified, etc. Much work is needed to help people regain common sense used by their Grandmothers when choosing food for health of mind, body, and spirit..One more reason of thousands to go vegan, but the best reason to be vegan is because all forms of animal use is morally unjustifiable and great violence. :-) I know I’m not the only one confused by this video. So Boston Amla&Triphala is fine, but Triphala bought over the internet is risky (no mention of Amla, so am I to infer Amla is fine) and someone below asked then where do you buy your metal-free Amla? I’d love to incorporate it into my family’s diet but right now I don’t have confidence I’d be buying a good product.thanks for the confirmation dr greger that amla does not contain toxins. i found amla at my local indian market for $1.99 for 200g and i have been consuming a scant teaspoon full in hot water every morning. it is certainly sour but not unpleasantly so.It is strange that triphala would be contaminated while other herbs are not. Perhaps the studies didn’t include pure amla (while they did contain other pure herbs like jatamamsi). It could also be that amla was made by a company that does make formulations with metals while triphala was from companies that do use metals in other formulations. Most of the formulas (classical anyway) in the study do not include metals and so are there thru contamination (like soy wheat and other substances in general food products here).So then how does one get for sure clean Amla ? what are the good brands ? where do you find them ? I want to add Amla to my smoothies but not mercury ! you are advertizing for a super dupper antioxydant and then you are telling us that it’s most likely contaminated ! DO TELL HOW TO GET GOOD ONES ! Thanks.I was confused after the latest video.  So I  directly asked Dr Greger about the heavy metals in Amla.   At a June 5, 2012  seminar in Portland Or. He stated that” no study has found any contamination of Amla”.    Not ever? Couldn’t be any clearer than that!. Thought I’d pass this along to others.   Dontlietomeman,Carl “we” have every right to be confused and we should be!When 20%, of a 3 part product is contaminated, and Amla, is one of those  3 parts ,WHY should we not see the Warning signs EVERYWHERE and just NOT naturally want to avoid “it”  and all of “them”?What about “GUILT BY ASSOCIATION” IF NOTHING in this situation?When  20% of a product is contaminated with these metals, how can amla, ever be considered “safe” and “skate free” so easily after such a warning?Testing for heavy metals apparently is not rocket science!After such a group warning shot has indeed been fired why not put on  the brakes and do some heavy duty testing of amla before giving it an overall clean bill of health when our health and lives are on the line?I saw recently where Consumer Labs, right here in the U.S. “failed” several “metal detox products” made  here in the U.S., BECAUSE  they CONTAINED THE VERY METALS THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE REMOVING!As much as I’d like to use amla for it’s much touted benefits, I am going to have to stop using it, until some things are cleared up via test for poisonous heavy metals first; ones,that will give amla an over all “clean bill of health” first, other wise I think taking amla is like playing Russian Roulette with a “5 shooter “instead of a “6 shooter.” !Is there any information available on the safety of organic amla and/or triphala powders. Are these formulations also contaminated with heavy metals as well?Thanks.I see lots of organic amla and/or triphala powders offered for sale on line, but no mention of being free of heavy metals. So I am wondering the same thing.I’ll chime in, I’m another person who ordered amla powder a few days ago. I’m disappointed to hear this news and reconsidering consuming it. However, I would rather be disappointed and have this information, so thanks Dr. G.An earlier video stated that many folk medicines intentionally put heavy metals into their medicine.Many vaccines from allopathic medicine use thimerisol and many educated researchers defend the practice.If mercury is studied and safe for vaccines why isn’t it safe for folk medicine?Thiomersal was patented in 1927 and has been used as a preservative. It is clearly a toxic substance to biological systems. Most recent controversy centers around its use in vaccines. Unfortunately I believe much of the discussion fails to ask a key question and to apply an important principle. The question is, Do we need to add a toxic substance(even if some studies show it to be “safe”) to our vaccines. The answer is No! Single dose vaccines don’t need a preservative. The use of single dose vials makes it a non-issue. However, it is cheaper to manufacture multidose vials with preservative where it is useful and necessary to avoid infections. Multidose vials are not necessary in that we can usually manufacture single dose vials. Applying the “precautionary principle” you should always avoid mercury any form. So it is not a “safe” product in my opinion. I would request vaccines from the medical profession that are thiomersal free aka single dose vials. If I were running a medical office giving vaccines I would stock single dose vials whenever possible. This can be challenging given the manufacturing practices of the companies that make vaccines. In each circumstance the risk of taking a vaccine with thiomersal must be balanced with the benefits of the vaccine.Right on Dr. Dons!Have you seen the direct link between Gulf War Syndrome and thiomersal containing  vaccines used on US & British troops?Apparently it was only the French troops  that DIDN’T  come down with this “disease” in the Gulf War even though they fought right next to our “guys and gals”  and that was because they used their OWN”vaccines that did NOT CONTAIN THIOMERSAL! And It’s the US and British troops and their families that are now paying the price and NOT THE FRENCH.Dr. Dons you hit the nail right on the head.Keep HAMMERING Dr., untlil this health carnage  is stopped! There is no such thing as a safe level of MERCURY inside the human body anywhere!.It’s frustrating the authors don’t list the ones without toxic metals. The only way to react to this information is to avoid Ayurvedic medicines altogether. Well stated!So, Dr. Greger, where do you buy your heavy metal free Amla powder for your breakfast smoothies?I take both triphala and frozen amla fruit. Sadly haven’t been able to find the fresh fruit here anyway. Any idea about how frozen would compare to a powder or dried?If so contaminated why in the world are you even suggesting that people purchase and use these products? Am I missing something here?  He is not recommending them, he is saying keep away from triphala and consume Amla.How can this be helpful if it is so confusing so alma is ok how do we know is organic ok do we purchase in boston only why is alma ok its a indian herb confusing to say the least  So totally agree Deanna, This was rather a dis-service in this article…more confusing than helpful. Also there are many other ways to obtain the benefits from foods and herbs that should/could have been shared.Just received this from BanyanBotanicals (a U.S. company selling Ayurvedic remedies)”February 9, 2012 at 5:23 pmBanyan tests every batch of herbs for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury using independent U.S. laboratories. All of our products, when taken according to the suggested use on the bottle, are within the safety guidelines stipulated by the American National Standards Institute/National Sanitation Foundation International Dietary Supplement Standard 173 (ANSI 173).It is important to understand the heavy metals exist in our natural resources, including the soil, air, and water. This is not limited to any particular region, but is from natural occurrence in the Earth as well as the widespread result of industrialization. Therefore, it is very difficult to find a naturally grown product, including sometimes the food we consume, that does not have some levels of heavy metals. We ensure that our products adhere to the standards of ANSI 173 by testing the raw herb when it first comes in, and then testing the final product once it hasbeen tableted in our unique formulations.Many of the reports in the media about heavy metals in Ayurvedic products stem from products that were manufactured in India that contain heavy metals as ingredients. There is esoteric practice within Ayurveda called Rasa Shastra that uses metals as medicine. Banyan does not sell products based on Rasa Shastra nor do we intentionally introduce any metals to our products.For more information on acceptable levels of daily intake see our Quality Control statment”. Here is the link http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/quality-control.htmlTriphala guggula is not the same as Triphala. The tests showing arsenic are for Triphala guggula. Which is why Boston Triphala came negative for heavy metals. Triphala is a mix of 3 dried fruits. Triphala guggula contains additional herb that is processed.	alternative medicine,amla,antioxidants,arsenic,Ayurvedic medicine,berries,Boston,cadmium,cans,children,cloves,complementary medicine,Consumers Union,dried fruit,EPA,fish,fruit,gooseberries,heavy metals,India,industrial toxins,infants,lead,medications,mercury,nutrition myths,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,safety limits,smoothies,snake oil,supplements,triphala,tuna	Both U.S.-made and imported Ayurvedic dietary supplements have high contamination rates of toxic metals such as mercury, though only a small fraction of the levels found in canned tuna.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ayurvedic-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gooseberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cloves/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadmium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/consumers-union/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/boston/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triphala/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoothies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21275208,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15598918,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18728265,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21210215,
PLAIN-3055	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/	Get the Lead Out	How do toxic heavy metals get into ayurvedic medicines in the first place? In most cases, high levels of metals in Ayurvedic traditional preparations result from intentional incorporation of certain metallic preparations like lead oxide, mercury sulfide, arsenic trioxide. Not to worry, though. The heavy metals are claimed to be  detoxified by, for example, heating and cooling the herbal mixtures in cow's urine.This is not just an India issue. Traditional medicines from around the world incorporate these poisons. In the Middle East, "saoott" is used as a teething powder  for infants. It's 51% lead. One of a number of black lead-containig substances used as teething powder.Bokhoor is a Middle Eastern practice of burning lead sulphides to produce pleasant fumes to calm infants. They'll be calm all right.Traditional Latin American medicines include "azarcon" and "greta" -- almost pure lead, used to treat constipation.In traditional Chinese herbal medicine, mercury in considered to have a tranquilizing and (if you can believe it) detoxifying effect.But wait a second. Haven't these remedies been used for centuries? Sure, but that doesn't mean they're safe. In the West, let's not forget that blood letting was among the most common medical practices performed by doctors for almost 2,000 years.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on Ayurvedic medicine and don’t miss Friday’s video Some Ayurveduc medicine worse than lead paint exposure. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!Good info.In the West, mercury was used along with blood letting for a long time. Right into the 1900s mercury was used for syphillis treatment, among other things.Do you continue to use amla in your smoothies?Every day! Please see my response to yummy below.Dr. G….please let us know if amla is safe to use..or not…as it’s become very popular at the Indian spices sites…many of them have sold out the last time I checked. You have many followers who depend on your advice for substances providing extra nutritional benefits. We don’t want to be misguided.Sorry to keep everyone in suspense! For those that don’t have volume 7 and just get the videos day-by-day I’m sorry for the frustration (I try to keep the videos down to a user-friendly few minutes). The *spoiler alert* happy ending is that there has not been any heavy metal contamination found in straight indian gooseberry powder (amla).Thanks, Dr. G, for the quick response…you’ve out-done yourself with Vol 7…I just follow the day-by-day videos and always look forward to the next. Thanks for posting the “spoiler alert” happy ending and for keeping us all informed on the latest and greatest.Fruits VH Gooseberries, raw, green 27.00 3.10 1/2 cup 75.00 20.25 2.33 11 VP Newsletter, Addendum Fall 2012I was researching possible Clickbank products to act as an affiliate for on a website I will be launching in the next few months, related to health (the site will be about growing your own organic food and recovering from illness). I looked at the H Miracle product as that seemed to be successful and was advertised as being a safe natural cure, not wanting to waste money buying the product until I knew what was involved, I scoured the internet for clues as to what the treatment entailed. I found snapshots of the product that referred to Chinese medicine as being one of the components. More investigation, turned up the key part of the treatment as being the Chinese herb Fargelin (disclaimer here – I haven’t downloaded the H Miracle myself – this is based on what others have said, who have read the product). Researching Fargelin, I found that it has been known to contain extremely high levels of Arsenic. I am shocked that such dangerous substances can be sold freely and passed off as being safe and natural, without regulation just because they are derived from plants. Heroin and Cocaine are derived from plants – it doesn’t make them safe.The Chinese herb He Shou Wu (aka: Ho Shou Wu or Foti) is supposed to stop hair loss and graying of hair. Is this herb known to contain toxins. I am looking at two supplement products: Nature’s Element’s He Shou Wu; and Hairomega DHT which are supposed to stop hair loss. Do you think either one or both are dangerous to take? Any evidence they work?You are a treasure troph sir!!! My hat’s off toya dn that’s saying a BUNCH!! Just found your 2001 speak in front of what sounded and looked like a class room. I can’t believ this site and your vids. UNbelievable. Yur a shooting start of savvy info and personality. I’m thrilled to have found ya. You only corroborate and enrish all I’ve learned in 48yrs scrambling/. Hats off and a bow. Aloha. RubyThank you for sharing this video. What are your thoughts on lead n a brand new 2014 school? Julia Lead The Way will be posting more information later , but for now suffice it to say that the fact that a 3M lead test kit (EPA Recognized) tested positive for “dangerous levels of lead paint” in the NEW Marshfield High School is very troublesome and disconcerting to say the least. ONE HUNDRED AND ONE MILLION DOLLARS of our tax money should never had allowed for this. I will try to find the TV coverage of last nights town meeting and post soon . I got up to the mic to state I supported the Article 92 (780 CMR 120.AA , Stretch Energy Code) and upon stating that “the life cycle cost of all town facilities should include appropriately posted data reflecting RRP Compliance with the Lead Laws”, the mic was shut off. As I suspected , Mr Moderator said (yet again, like last town meeting) that my query was “out of scope”. What is out of scope is LEAD PAINT IN A BRAND NEW HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING . Thank you to Chief Phillip Tavares, and 2 other officers from MPD for accepting a 3M lead test kit and observing my testing of the NEW HS bathroom. CDC says :’ No safe blood lead level in children has been identified’. I am an “ordinary citizen” and find this ongoing lead paint in schools to be very UN civil and unhealthy indeed. The CDC is right on the money and I agree with their assessment. ZERO is the only safe level of lead. My thanks to Lead Safe America Foundation for the kits provided after a donation from Julia Lead the Way . Please support lead poisoning awareness. PEACE~	alternative medicine,arsenic,Ayurvedic medicine,azarcon,blood-letting,bokhoor,children,colon disease,colon health,complementary medicine,constipation,greta,heavy metals,herbs,India,industrial toxins,infants,lead,mercury,nutrition myths,saoot,snake oil	Toxic heavy metal contamination of Ayurvedic dietary supplements is in most cases intentional.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on Ayurvedic medicine and don't miss Friday's video Some Ayurveduc medicine worse than lead paint exposure. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ayurvedic-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-letting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/azarcon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bokhoor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saoot/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19890755,
PLAIN-3056	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/	Some Ayurvedic Medicine Worse Than Lead Paint Exposure	In terms of antioxidant power, I couldn't imagine anything ever beating out cloves, but then, silly as a gooseberry comes along. But then in a whole 'nother league, triphala. Triphala is the most commonly used herbal formulation in all of Ayurvedic medicine. "Tri" means "three"; "phala" (in Sanskrit) means "fruits". It's just a combination of three fruits: Indian gooseberries, amla, bibhitaki fruit, and  haritake fruit. It's not some drug, some extract, but just three types of fruits, dried and crushed into powder. What can it do? Well, antioxidant-wise, one little pinch between your fingertips, which would cost a fraction of a penny, has as much antioxidant power as about a cup of blueberries. We're in the big leagues, here!It seems to be able to do all the same amla tricks: preferentially wiping out breast cancer cells in vitro, but leaving normal breast cells relatively alone. Pancreatic cancer, too. By the time this concentration of triphala was reached, 95% of the pancreatic cancer cells were dead. As you can see, only 10% of the cancer cells survived. If triphala were less toxic to normal pancreas cells, we'd expect to see something like this. And if it were completely nontoxic to normal cells, we'd expect maybe this. But what they actually found was this. It actually kind of went out of its way to protect the good cells while killing off the bad.Quoting from a review, recently "All these reports suggest the effectiveness of triphala as a nontoxic selective antineoplastic [anticancer] agent." Meaning, nontoxic to normal cells at doses toxic to tumor cells. That's what we want.So what's not to like? 2011 analysis, "Detection of toxic heavy metals and pesticide residue in herbal plants which are commonly used in the herbal formulations". Uh oh. We started recognizing it as a problem about a decade ago, when the CDC started noticing cases of "Lead Poisoning Associated with Ayurvedic Medications". Fatal infant brain disease, paralysis, deafness...So, researchers in Boston went to every Indian market within 20 miles and picked up every ayurvedic herbal medicine product they could find. One in five contained lead, mercury, and/or arsenic. And that's just a little bit. They found out that those suffering ayurvedic lead poisoning had higher lead levels than those suffering lead paint removal poisoning!And it's not just Boston. A national survey a few years ago found that women using ayurvedic herbs had lead levels 24% higher than non-users.As spelled out in an editorial in the "Indian Journal of Medical Sciences", "Ayurvedic lead poisoning [is] an under-recognized, international problem".	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on Ayurvedic medicine and don’t miss all the videos on mercury. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!Hi There,Your videos on Amla have been fascinating and I’d like to give some a try. However, I’ve long been aware that food and natural medicine products from China and India are generally not to be trusted due to contamination from heavy metals and who knows what else.How confident can you be to go to an Indian food store and purchase Amla powder? Would it not be just as potentially contaminated with heavy metals as the Ayurvedic medicines were in the study featured in this video?Also, what would be a safe dosage and at the same time useful dosage of Amla powder?ThanksVery reputed Ayurvedic manufacturers like Zandu, Dabur, Baidyanath, Hamdard etc. have gained trust of Indian masses for centuries. Their products are subjected to Indian Government strict quality verifications. Had your suspicion been correct, then these companies could NOTm withstood the test of time.Hamdard – it is Unani medicine company (not Ayurvedic). Zandu, Dabur – not best choice. Not “very reputed”. Dabur may add supplements preservatives like Sodium Benzoate to jam (chyavanprash), methylparaben, methylparaben e.t.c. It’s not real (traditional) AyurvedaVery reputed Ayurvedic manufacturers are : AVS, AVN, AVP, SNA, Vaidyaratnam Oushadhasala, Nagarjuna e.t.c (manufacturers mainly from Kerala)Does anyone have any information on contamination in ashwagandha root powder? I read an article that it increases glutathione, SOD, and catalase levels as well as being excellent for anxiety and is taken in India as a general tonic. But if it has lead, mercury or arsenic, it might be doing me more harm than good.From experience, it seems that ashwagandha is not good for those with psoriasis. Perhaps it perks up energy and it is not the kind that someone with an auto immune disease needs. I thought it was worth a try and then broke out in psoriasis. I researched that auto immune diseases should avoid ashwagandha as well as cinnamon.Which herbs, in your experience, are beneficial for people with psoriasis?Thanks!Dr. Greger,Per the previous comment, how can we be assured that Amla purchased here in the U.S. is heavy metal free?Please advise…this video is confusing. So do we use it or not?This is not an endorsement, but one source, Banyan Botanicals, says that their products are USDA Organic and says they test for Microbiologicals, Heavy Metals, Pesticides, and Identification. They say they are “fully compliant with the USDA’s National Organic Program, ANSI Standard 173, AHPA standards and the new cGMP for Dietary Supplements.” They list their Quality Control info here: http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/quality-control.htmlWhat do you think, Dr. Gregor? Thanks!For those worried about contamination issues with these herbs, I highly recommend purchasing organic versions of them online from Mountain Rose Herbs (http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/index2.html), a bulk herb and spice supplier with a long history and good reputation for quality. (No, I don’t have any affiliation with them other than to be a happy customer :-) They sell organic amla and triphala powder as well for those who, like me, have been excitedly following Dr. Greger’s videos and want to rush out and buy some.Thanks for this :)At Mountain Rose Herbs they still tout Amla as having tons of Vitamin C. I thought I saw on this site Dr. Greger dispelling the belief that Amla has Vit. C.Nope–packed with C!Wow. I was so excited, I went out to buy amla last night. Now I am concerned regarding the safety of the product.Stay tuned–we’re not at the end of the story yet (and it has a happy ending! :)Thanks Doctor.I would like to use a safe form if amla. I bought a few different versions of it. Frozen. Sweet/dried. I also tried. Chyawanprash. Is that also good for you. It says it is mostly amla. Just wondering if you had a point of view on this. I am looking forward to your next post.So do we get a link to the happy ending? I read to the end of the comments but no more info on the happy ending.Buy organic amala ..this is US branding that synthetic vitamin supplements are better than natural onethis is the one i bought http://www.amazon.com/Amla-Indian-Gooseberry-Frozen-12oz/dp/B005H3Z8JI/ref=zg_bs_3764511_14 is it safe?Dr. Greger, where do you obtain the amla you use in your smoothies?I have an Indian spice store in my neighborhood I go to, but I’ve found it in a few other such stores around town (near DC where I live).How do you know from which store you can buy Amla? Do you have any guidelines? Can we trust the online stores that say it is organic? Typically, if you visit a local Indian store, they will sell various forms of Amla. From powdered, frozen and dried. I personally prefer powdered.Yes, we have a Indian store here that sells it, but how do I know it doesn’t contain any heavy metals? Amla samples were found not to contain heavy metals in current tests http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/I get all my Ayurvedic products from http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/ do you have any idea if their products are safe?Amla is a fruit grouped together with other foods, herbs and spices. “The agents which cure body and mental diseases, delay old age, increase mental power, generating power, vital energy, eyesight, impart intelligence, memory, aid proper digestion and clear complexion are Rasayana.”Chyawanprash is a tonic that’s made from dozens of substances. I think the story goes one elderly fellow married a young woman and so asked for an elixor to restore his vitality. It’s commonly used in India by the general popuation during winter to maintain immunity — perhaps only a side effect of marketing. But it’s main purpose is immunity.There are several main Indian ayurvedic companies you can find here such as Dabur, Himalaya, and Sandhu. I tend to use those companies (since I can find them). I’m not sure if the studies of metal findings list which formulations in which they were found. If mercury was in something particular, it should be because the formula asks for it. I have heard of it’s use but don’t know much about it since I don’t “practice” ayurveda and none of the books in English (I’ve found) talk much about it. If metals were found in pure herbs or triphala, perhaps it is because of like what you see with soy warnings (this product made in a facility that …). Not sure if this is really common.I also use Banyan Botanicals (like for triphala) for the herbs I use more regularly (and that they offer). They say organic so I’d guess it probably is. There isn’t much else out there (from US companies) anyway. As far as safety of Indian companies, I have talked (only a bit but not in detail) to doctors that say bigger companies should be safe since they’re tested. But who knows. For Chyawanprash, I have heard of one tests of different brands in an Indian magazine. Am trying to ask someone for a copy of that. And will try to find out more.thanks GaryWow. Thank you. Unfortunately, I just ordered some amla online (organic- but who knows?) Do you have a brand or source to recommend for these herbs. Amla and triphala in particular? I have a friend just diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and want to suggest the triphala. Thank you, Liz.I buy triphala from Gaia Herbs in NC.I buy it at Sprouts. From the box: “At Gaia Herbs’ 250-acre certified organic farm and our on-site analytical lab – we plant, grow, harvest and research to optimize best practices in certified organic cultivation of over 40 crops annually.” Each bottle is numbered, and online you can “Track the life story of each herb in you bottle by entering its ID# at GaiaHerbs.com. PURITY: Trace the origin of each herb back to its source. INTEGRITY: See analytical results for this product. POTENCY: Validate each herb’s full phytochemical complex.” “Laboratory tested for purity, Free of heavy-metal toxicity.”Any products coming from the 3rd world should be tested. We test all our products twice for heavy metals and live organisms. We are completely transparent with all test results and meet all APHA standards. http://www.mapi.com Alan Marks, CEO, Maharishi Ayurveda Products Int.LOVE your organic Amla tablets. I use it often and I am going to continue (I also take organic ground fenugreek seeds, curcumin and a couple others). Is the MAPI Amla berry US grown? Thanks again!Dr. Greger, as always, OUTSTANDING reporting. You are amazing.SouthBay. The amla is sourced and manufactured in India. It is tested in labs in India and then again when it arrives in the US. We are happy to share test results. Additionally, our amla is made according to the ancient texts. Is it not just dried and ground, rather is is produced using a 21 step process.I wasn’t aware of ayurveda as a brand of medicinal foodstuff, but as ‘life science’, an analytical device to bring health and balance not only to people but to the environment. Seems to me the use of the term “Ayurveda” has been misused in this video. Don’t you think?Ghee seems to be popular in Ayurvedic medicine…lots of claims of health benefits. Isn’t it just a slightly different version of butter? Would love to see a video about it’s downsides (since all I seem to find are articles by proponents of it).If report says that one in five Triphala preparations contains dreaded chemicals like Arsenic / Lead / Mercury, then how one Indian wiull consume this nectar of God, safely ? What is the brand name of manufacturers in India whose preparatiosn are really safe ?How do I know if the Amla powder I have contains toxic metals? Is there a home test kit I can use?This video will benefit you. Amla tested and found to not contain toxic metals. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/Well you guys are very much confused by the Doctors in the US who are driven by the Pharma Companies (Insurance huh in US and compare it with Indian system). My Father is also suffereing with severe Grade 3 Cirrhosis with Acute Ascitis and Bleeding PHG. But he is still on Ayurvedic supplements and able to survive for yet another days since last 2 years.Well, I agree that some of the Ayurvedic products have heavy-metals and they intentionally add them. These Products have to be given only in rarest and critical condition when no primary secondary or tertiary level medicines work.Do we remember Zinc (Yashad Bhasma)! When ‘West’ used to say it is lethal but not Copper and Zinc Supplements are proven to be effective.Similarly Mica (which is slightly Poisonous) is used in Ayurveda. For one disease there are various paths in Ayurveda. It is upto you to demand the Heavy-metal free pathway for the treatment. Borax which is also called Tankan is excellent Anbiotic and Anti-Aging for applying ointments etc. I have been using the ointments and oral pills multiple times since my childhood and found to be perfect.Do you guys know that some of the Allopathic system have the Hormonal Medicines which are manufactured using Human/Hares Urine. In Indian distilled (Please read it again as Distilled) urine has been used in ayurvedic system to heal the metobolism.And RadioActive Barium, why it is used by the Doctors?? Why do you consume Pottasium Chloride in Soups, Noodles and Chineese Continental items? Why MSGs and MSG-likes are added for tastes?So, the final solution is to have get the disease diagnosed with the best Ayurvedic Practitioner, ask him/her to offer the standard and best medicines of brands like Dabur, Baidhyanath, Sandu or Zhandu and follow the strict dietery restrictions and guidelinesas per your Doctor or Ayurvedic Practitioner.But please do not fell into any trap just by any MD/MS Doctors. They could be good in their profession but not always. Allopathic is best in its scope and so as Ayurveda and practitioners in both of them should not be sought for their mixed-advices.At the end, I hope everyone in this world should get the peaceful social life without any physiological problems. Use your senses and get the problem solved and diseases cured, be it get done by Allopathic or Ayurvedic. And, spread the magical experience all across your stretch.Dhanyawad and Om Shanti OMWhere can I find yasada bhasm.oIt doesn’t .this bloger omiting nonsense.only heavy metal in ayurveda is used in bhasma medicine..amala powder is made by drying amala fruit on exposure than its grinded into powder that’s all!looks like american don’t buy shitY cancer giving sythentic vitamins..It would be nice to know which brands to avoid and which ones to buy! Has anyone studied this – or dared to publish the brand names of the toxic triphala products? It seems this should be the law! Are these product brand names mentioned in the actual study but not mentioned in the video? If so could you please do a new video mentioning the brand names to be avoided. Is the problem completely avoided by buying organic Triphala products? Or are there some organic brands that are still contaminated with heavy metals?How about ashwagandha? I read it helps anxiety, and lots of other conditions. Is it safe?Ashwaganda is stimulant its doesn’t cures ..buy it from organic indiahave you looked into mike adams’ research on the heavy metal retention factor? essentially what they’ve found is whole foods actually retain toxins in the fiber structure so that they are not absorbed into the body. different plants retain different amounts of different things, but just because the lead is found in the plant doesn’t mean its being absorbed into the bodyI am looking for an herbal treatment for addressing non stop, high pitch bilateral, peripheral tinnitus, most likely related to stress/ cortisol/ kidney/liver. Thank you.The title is a bit misleading “some ayurvedic medicine worse than lead paint exposure” It is not the medicines that are worse (as the title suggests). It is that some companies’ preparations have poisonous additives like lead.Of course the CDC is going to refute natural treatments! Natural treatments make them NO money; always always follow the money trail. They say pesticides are dangerous when it comes to natural supplements, and yet GMO foods laden with pesticides are “safe” according to the CDC and FDA. Come on, this type of information where the people have a financial interest, is completely false.Banyan Botanicals has an extensive range of Ayurvedic herbs, all tested for contaminants. It’s based in New Mexico so it has to comply with US manufacturing guidelines, as well as doing voluntary testing. Highly recommended–they’re nice people, too.How about bitter melon?LolPlease share with me whatever you may know about the health-care-products of ‘Parampara Ayurved’ (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Parampara-Ayurved/110215005692228). I’m trying to get as much information as possible from different sources about the health-care-products of ‘Parampara Ayurved’ & other similar organisations in the Indian market to fulfil the needs of 1 of my market-research-activities. Thanks a lot for sharing with me any & all relevant information.Wondering if these plants, one or three, can be grown locally where one could avoid the contaminations associated with commercial plant products manufacturing and contaminated/depleted soils. I garden regularly, as well as harvest wild-growing plants such as Ginseng, Dandelion, Nettles, Morels, Lambsquarter, Persimmon, Mulberry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Walnuts, Mint, Pokeweed, etc. Maybe Indian super-herbs would grow here as well. Anybody?In consideration of all of our future with increasing pollution worldwide, yada yada….is there a watchdog entity or governing body or truthful certifying body that we can keep in mind for our purchases? Seems like a wild west sector of the business world (I think global discussion, thanks interwebnet, will help but we’re still in early days). I’m concerned I’ll have to seek out 50 different sources for reliable product and spend years reading material and blogs that may or may not have credible authors. If I could have the luxury of only having to look for less than 5 “approved” type of labels that could spread across 95% of the products we all want that would make like so much simpler. Am I searching for Bigfoot and his Alien cousins or is there a safe/simple way to shop and know I’m getting quality product? Thanks Dr. Greger for being a peer reviewed source. I just donated to your site, plan to again in the future as well, I really appreciate the effort.	alternative medicine,amla,antioxidants,arsenic,Asian markets,Ayurvedic medicine,berries,bibhitaki fruit,blueberries,Boston,brain disease,breast cancer,breast disease,cancer,CDC,cloves,complementary medicine,deafness,dried fruit,ear health,fruit,gooseberries,haritaki fruit,heavy metals,herbs,in vitro studies,India,industrial toxins,infants,lead,medications,mercury,mortality,oxidative stress,pancreatic cancer,paralysis,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,phytonutrients,side effects,supplements,triphala	Triphala, a combination of three fruits--amla, bibhitaki, and haritaki fruits—is the most commonly used herbal formulation in Ayurvedic medicine and may have powerful anti-cancer properties. Unfortunately, one in five Ayurvedic herbal dietary supplements were found contaminated with lead, mercury, and/or arsenic.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on Ayurvedic medicine and don't miss all the videos on mercury. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ayurvedic-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gooseberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cloves/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ear-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asian-markets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bibhitaki-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/deafness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/boston/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triphala/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/haritaki-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16135398,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15598918,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21138390,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21210215,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15899544,
PLAIN-3057	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-better-breakfast/	A Better Breakfast	According to this study, by far the most comprehensive of its kind in history, there are only three whole foods on the planet that have more antioxidant power than cloves. One of them is amla: dried Indian gooseberries. Now, not only is it more powerful, but also more palatable. You could add a whole teaspoon of amla to a smoothie and you probably wouldn't even taste it. Try doing that with a teaspoon of powdered cloves. One sip and you'd be on the floor!Let's look at the antioxidant content of some typical American breakfast foods: bacon [7] and eggs [+8], for example. A bowl of corn flakes [25] with milk [+9]. Egg McMuffin [16]. Pancakes [16]with maple syrup [+9]. Bagel [24] with cream cheese [+2].Compare those to the smoothie I had this morning. A cup of unsweetened soy milk [16], a half a cup of frozen blueberries [+535]. Whoa! Already, I've got to shrink the scale way down. The pulp of a nice ripe Mexican mango [+124]. Note the mango alone has more antioxidants than the other breakfasts. A tablespoon of ground flax seeds, and my previous secret ingredient, a palmful of bulk white tea leaves [+101]-- just thrown them in there and blend them in.Now that used to be my smoothie, but now: a teaspoon of that gooseberry powder [+782], and we're off the charts again. That's about four cents' worth of amla -- four pennies -- and look what it does to my smoothie. Fifteen hundred units of antioxidant power, and I haven't even fully woken up yet! Way more than the five other meals combined. In fact, more than the average person gets in an entire week.I could drink my smoothie and eat nothing but donuts for the rest of the week and most people still wouldn't catch up. Notice, though, that even though I packed the blender with amazing stuff: blueberries, tea leaves, ... fully half the antioxidant power came from that single teaspoon -- that four cents' worth of powdered gooseberries.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on antioxidants and don’t miss all the videos on ranking foods. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!That sounds like an excellent antioxidant-rich breakfast smoothie! I really like your videos that introduce new recipes and I can’t wait to try this one!And I have two questions about this recipe:1- Are you concerned about the effects of soymilk on the nutritional value of your smoothie, as it has already been shown to block the benefits of tea http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression2- Was the DHA-rich algae oil deliberately omitted for some reason (it seems only natural to throw some in to this recipe)?Excellent video. I do a daily smoothie of packed organic spinach blended with water, a super-ripe organic banana, some organic apple or organic carrot, chia seeds, stevia, ice, and (organic) raspberries, blueberries, peaches, or mango. I LOVE the idea of grinding white (or green) tea into the smoothie! So brilliant! Now I want to add amla powder… but where to get it? And since I am committed to organics, how can I be sure of its safe provenance? Thanks!!I too want to know where you get amla powder. This is the first time I heard of it.you get it from any indian store it’s very easy to find and very inexpensive too :DOrganic Amala: http://www.amazon.com/Terrasoul-Superfoods-Powder-Organic-Ounce/dp/B00FEPUNUS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1411852532&sr=8-4&keywords=amlaWe have no Indian grocery store here so I’ve been buying the Terrasoul amla from Amazon SMILE too (Amazon Smile allows you to make a donation to Nutritionfacts dot org when you purchase there!yay!) …this most recent purchase was $13.99 for a 12 ounce bag of it.I looked in 3 Indian grocery stores before finding dried amla, along with frozen amla and candied amla (which is very tasty). Amazing how cheap it was, but the store owner cautioned me not to eat too much. How much amla do you recommend daily?This is something I’d like to know. Is there a level at which efficacy plateaus? Is there a level at which it becomes harmful? I’m thinking a teaspoon or two a day won’t kill me, but it’s always good to know if there’s an upper limit that might be reached by a reasonable person with a reasonable diet (as opposed to someone eating several kgs of the stuff every day for 8 months, for example).Did the store owner say why you shouldn’t eat too much? Is it because of a laxative effect, or is it actually harmful? I have a teaspoon a day, and I feel great.Do all anti-oxidants give the same benefit or do some benefit one organ or prevent one disease, while another does something else good for you? What are the main benefits of anti-oxidants?Here’s an article that I found informative regarding anti-oxidants and their benefits: http://www.lodgirl.com/acjn/78-3-517S.full.pdfNice find struzjunk!paul3917: You may also want to check out this video for general info on the benefits of antioxidants: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/I love this video! I appreciate that you are willing to share your personal life with us. It shows you really believe what you share in the videos and it gives us practical food ideas from which to start.Thanks to other posters here who have shared their ideas/smoothie recipes. I’m thinking of putting some amla powder in my oatmeal if I can find the powder.I’m not a huge fan of smoothies. My current morning breakfast consists of: steelcut oatmeal with cocoa power, bananas, raisins, vanilla extract, dried mango, ground flax and sometimes a small pinch of cinnamon and/or cloves.My directions: Add 3 cups water, 2 bananas, 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (more or less to your taste, I probably do more like 10 tblspns) and about a tablespoon of vanilla extract to a blender. Also add spices if desired. Mix it all up good. Mix the blended mixture in a GIANT microwave safe bowl with 1.5 cups steelcut oatmeal. Cook in the microwave for 11 minutes (stiring once at 6 minutes and again at the end). Then let it sit over night in the microwave to finish cooking. This is usually enough to last for 5 days.When ready to eat, dish out the cooked chocolate oatmeal mixture into a bowl, top with ground flax seed, dried fruit and a lot of almond milk.When I warm up the individual serving with the topping in the microwave (1-2 minutes), the flax meal and dried mango get soft. It’s really yummy.Now, if I could add some amla powder, I would be doing pretty well! Maybe not as good as Dr. Greger’s smoothy, but still pretty healthy I would think.Thanks, Thea, for sharing your chocolate oatmeal recipe with us. I for one think the ingredients are as close to ideal as possible! I certainly will give your recipe a try and let you know what I think.What a recipe! My family loves your chocolate oatmeal breakfast … Is this your own creation?BPCveg: You made my day! Thanks for the feedback. I’m *so* glad your family enjoyed the chocolate oatmeal.Yes, I made it up. I’m trying to make my vegan diet feel decadent, while still being healthy. I love chocolate… I haven’t historically liked oatmeal at all, but I think it is an important healthy breakfast. I surprised myself when I found that I actually like oatmeal with the chocolate and bananas cooked in — and with the dried fruit on top. Also, I don’t like cooking on the stove. I love the microwave. So, I kept experimenting until I found the right amount of microwave cooking (and a big enough container so it doesn’t ooze over).Here’s a couple more ideas for you to keep it interesting. These are ideas for flavor changes. I have either tried these already or am thinking about doing it:*a little bit of instant coffee to make a mocha version, *some almond extract for “chocolate-almond” flavor, *some dates in addition to bananas for added sweetness. *And of course, once I get my hands on it, I’m going to try adding the amla powder. *Also, while flax seed may have the most lignans, if I remember correctly, I believe that Dr. Greger said that chia seeds have more fiber. So, to mix it up, sometimes I use ground chia instead of flax. (Dr. Greger has a couple of videos on the importance of fiber.)I’m always looking for new ideas. Feel free to share if you come up with a yummy twist on the oatmeal.Wow! I hope that someday you create a blog with all of your recipes! Thanks also for providing some more variations on your oatmeal breakfast.Great recipe Thea. You may want to consider the fact that heating anything over 110 degrees (pasteurization) kills the life force. For example, a carrot top will grow in a dish if cut off and watered, but not if it is pasteurized. All processed products sold in stores are pasteurized, including fruit and veggie juices.  All seeds are seeds, that is they have a life force that is the life that grows into the plant. When pasteurized, the life force is killed. When I make oatmeal, I put the seeds on or in after the oarmeal is cooked. When I make smoothies I use seeds at room temp (no cooking). I also grind the flax seeds before putting them into my Vitamix to break them open (otherwise they go right through you without releasing their nutrients). Just some ideas to consider.I ordered Alma powder from Superorganicfoods.com, the first time I have ordered from them. The price seemed reasonable. When I make my smoothies, I throw in a hand full of spinach, a slice of red cabbage and some kale leaves and other superfoods. You can see my green smoothie recipe at thehealthandnutritioncenterdotcom. TerryThere is no scientific evidence that heating foods kills the so-called “life force” (something which has no scientific meaning). If that were the case, then killing animals – and cooking them – would clearly kill the “life force” that provides us with nutrients… yet that is clearly not the case. Another case in point – heating tomatoes would clearly kill their life-force, yet scientific studies show that heating them releases anti-oxidants. As far as the scientific basis for debunking “life-force” claims, see the multitude of studies showing that seeds survive high temperature (and thus disprove your claim), available here…http://www.beyondveg.com/billings-t/sprouts/life-force-enzyme-theory.shtmlLet’s not mix superstition with science!Can you heat a seed and plant in the ground and expect it to grow? No.A more scientific word to use than “life force” would be enzymes and antioxidants. Cooking kills almost all enzymes and antioxidants. Try to consider someone else’s point of view before throwing away the possibility that they might have something. John S PDX ORI put flaxseed in my Vitamix made smoothies. I thought it liquified them. I don’t see any in what I drink so I assume the Vitamix pulverized them without me having to grind them.Please tell me where to get the kind of Amla Powder that you get. If I am going to do this I want to get the best that I can and there are always wannabees out there. Thanks.Jeane: This video is a series of videos on the subject of alma. If you check out the previous videos, I think you will see that Dr. Greger mentions that he got his powder from a local Indian store near his home. He shows a picture of the bottle, which may or may not be the brand that he got (I don’t know).I don’t have an Indian store in my city and as another poster mentioned, my preference would be for organic. I have been doing a search on-line for the powder. I did find a site that sells what looks to be high-quality (I’m familiar with the brand, but I can’t swear to the quality) organic amla powder. But it is rather expensive. I’m not sure if it is acceptable to post to other sites that sell things or not. So, I’ll just say that the site’s name is “Super Organic Foods” and the product is “Organic Amla Powder” .That’s as far as I have gotten on the subject. If you or anyone else comes up with a good source, organic or not, please share it with the rest of us.I ordered mine from mountainroseherbs.com since I have no Indian store in my small town. The amla they sell is organic…they have the dried fruit as well as the powder…I ordered both. I have used this source before several times and have had very good results from my orders. Hope this helps someone.yummy: I can’t thank you enough for this information. It looks like this store has a physical pickup location in my city!!I received both the dried and powdered amla from the mail order source mentioned in the above post…the dried amla is rock hard…not “squishy” like a raisin, and of course, the powder is…well….powder. These are not as nasty tasting (to me) as I was expecting, although I will have to grind the “dried” amla so it will be usable to mix with other foods or drinks. On the other hand, my husband had other words for “nasty-tasting”.ditto, on the mountainroseherbs. i have bought from them heavily for the past decade, and, indeed, have even bought their amla and all of their green and white teas (fabulous, they are)!mountainroseherbs.com charges $12 for a pound of powdered alma but then gouges you another $12.15 to ship it. superorganicfoods.com charges $16.95 for the pound and charges $6 to ship.Haha! So one pays $24.15 from one store and $22.95 from the other. With that small difference (if they haven’t gotten greedier and more expensive by time I check them out), I would go by other factors: customer service, state tax, and such.Does ingesting tea leaves have the same beneficial effects, and lack of negative effects, as ingesting steeped tea?According to this video, yes: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/ I quote: “whopping loads of nutrition” and “never leave home without it”.A version with Brazilian Portuguese subtitles to help spread the word, thank you Dr Greger for your authorization:http://youtu.be/Y9eV854s-JgThank you for expanding the reach of this information!I have looked at my local Indian Spice store and they had lots of kinds of Amla, but no powdered Amla. Is there a place online to buy it?It sounds like the more antioxidants the better. Is it possible to ingest too many antioxidants?good Q,can one consume too many antioxidants?Increasing the amount of antioxidant rich food in your diet can be very beneficial and may help prevent cancer. Whether excessive antioxidants can be harmful depends on the individual and the source of antioxidants. For some people with specific mineral absorption issues some antioxidants can further reduce the bioavailability of minerals, which is often resolved by avoiding certain food combinations. If you are getting antioxidants from whole food plant based sources (rather than supplements) than I would suggest you keep trying to boost your antioxidant intake, just like Dr. Greger does! Just be cautious of supplements. For example, vitamins A and E are antioxidants, but studies have shown that excessive supplementation of these vitamins can cause toxic effects, and even decrease lifespan. Check out Dr Greger’s video on Antioxidant Vitamin Supplements: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/ I hope this helps!If I understand correctly, amla has been used as an Ayurvedic medicine. Has it been studied as a daily nutritional supplement? Might it be too powerful in this role?jms asks the question that concerns me. There have been studies regarding ingesting too much vitamin C – which is abundant in Amla. If I remember correctly the conclusion was related to kidney stones or damage and the studies were done as a result of Linus Pauling’s claims. Perhaps that only related to supplements?? Please give us some more info about alma. I haven’t been able to find any info regarding other antioxidants in alma. Like others, I also have been unable to find it in stores.Amla is indeed one of the richest known sources of vitamin C, but it makes up only 0.3-1% of the fruit. Due to the astringency of Indian gooseberries, it would be difficult to reach the levels that have been found to be potentially harmful when given in supplement form. That’s the wonderful thing about ones nutrients from whole foods!I can’t find powdered amla anywhere! At Indian stores I can only find amla marketed as a hair tonic, in very small jars, and the powder is brown, not white as in the video–I have no idea if it is edible.Does anyone know a reliable source of amla powder? I live in Hong Kong. Although there are health food stores and Indian stores here I have struck out so far. I would be willing to have it shipped though.Thanks!hongkonger18: After Dr. Greger’s video came out, there was a run on amla powder and the two sites that I wanted to purchase from both posted “out of stock” explaining that they had an unexpected run on the stuff. ;-)Since that time, both sites seem to have the powder back in stock. I don’t know if either site will ship to your location or not, but it might be worth checking out:http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search/search.php?refine=y&keywords=amla&x=0&y=0https://www.superorganicfoods.com/product_info.php?products_id=147If you don’t care whether or not the amla is organic, I would think that you could find it cheaper elsewhere.Good luck!so is it ok to add 2 Tablespoons of ground flaxseed rather than the 1T you added dr greger,to your smoothie?Hello, Very interesting video! Thank you! I was wondering though, in a recent video about Amla versus diabetes ( http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/amla-versus-diabetes/ ), you show clearly that Amla reduces the fasting blood sugar. So, I was wondering if the consumption of Amla for someone with hypoglycemia would be dangerous or “having no effects” (as some whole food / plants sometimes helps with one condition but doesn’t affect the opposite condition) ?Thank you again DémieThe human body is wired to maintain blood sugar (glucose) levels in the blood by a number of mechanisms. Patients with type 2 diabetes who go on a low fat whole plant diet need to monitor their sugars closely as their medications can lead to low blood sugar. Given home glucose monitoring this is easily done under the direction of a knowledgeable health care provider. Patients with insulin dependent diabetes usually notice a decrease in their need for insulin and can easily make the appropriate adjustments working with their health care professionals. In nondiabetic patients there are some uncommon conditions that will cause “hypoglycemia” but in their absence the diagnosis of “hypoglycemia” can in fact be due to a variety of other conditions such as ketosis. Individual response to whole foods or processed foods can be varied so caution is always in order. This is especially true if you have a condition which may be worsened by a particular processed food. You want to avoid overcoming the bodies ability to maintain acceptable levels of blood sugar (glucose).Dr Greger, Thanks very much for your huge effort in educating folks like myself.  Your videos are the biggest “inspiration” that I’ve seen anywhere to go vegan.  I’m not far from it, thus, had questions for you.With almond milk – I like it the most of all non-dairy options.  Do you think some (those with no allergies to nuts) can still experience digestive problems with it and other non-dairy milks in general?  It seems to work very well for every purpose other than coffee, but I think I get flatulence/gassiness sometimes.  I’ve been purchasing it and plan on starting to make my own to avoid all additives, in case they might be irritating.With flax – after I start including it in diet (smoothies work the best),do you think there is adjustment period stomach wise?  Anyone can have or develop allergies to any plant foods. There are some that are more likely to cause problems than others. The “fancy” medical tests we do involving blood and skin tests can be helpful but not always. The proof is in the experience. The studies show that adults on a plant based diet have less allergies in general… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/  and in children see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/. There is an adjustment period to going on a plant based diet due to increased fiber and other factors. Going on a vegan diet will have an effect on stools see.. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/The intestinal tract is a complex ecosystem that needs time to adjust. Each patient is different. Congratulations on your progress. Good luck on your journey.Thanks.Is your 3d video a correct link? DrDons, I echo Vera’s thanks. And Vera, good catch–try this link for that last one: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/  Vera, Thanks for picking up the mistake… Dr.Greger correctly added the link I intended to use… thanks Michael!!Hi. Just wondering about the brand of amla you buy, and where you get it. Thanks.Hello, thanks for this great video!   the only amla i can get my hands on include 15% of Maltodextrin.  From what I can find online about Maltodextrin, it makes me wonder if to purchase it at all can you elaborate on Maltodextrin? and should I purchase the powder despite the Maltodextrin?I am SO glad to have discovered this web site!  I love the short to-the-point videos, the great graphics, and the humor.  It turned me into a vegan.  On banyanbotanicals.com their quality control statement lists their limits for lead and mercury as 20 mcg per day, cadmium 6, and arsenic 10, and that they are within the safety guidelines of ANSI 173.  Is that good enough, or is it like having a cholesterol within the normal range but having a heart attack? You should use products that don’t have any lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. In Dr. Greger’s video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/ it appears that 1 in 5 had lead. You should be able to find products that have very little or preferably none. Your body doesn’t need any of those metals and even though your body can rid itself of them it is best to avoid. Congratulations on your transition to an improved diet. I think you will find it is a “healthy” journey although it is possible to be a “sick” or “fat” vegan. Check out Dr. Greger’s video’s on Vitamin B12 this past February to make sure your B12 intake is adequate. Other resources that are helpful and commercial free are Dr. John McDougall’s website and the website for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine(PCRM). Good luck.my buddy and i bought a few pounds of Amla from different sources a few months ago. Where do you get yours? Are you still drinking Hibiscus? (I love that stuff, ha.)Dr. Greger ~ Are you still drinking that yummy Hibiscus Tea? (I did not see it in your “morning mix”!)A half gallon a day Kenton! I no longer do the teabags, though, but the bulk dried hibiscus flowers themselves. My current recipe is a handful of dried hibiscus flowers in 8 cups of water with a penny sized chunk of fresh ginger root, handful of fresh mint leaves, teaspoon of amla and erythritol to taste (3 tablespoons for me)–all blended up in a high speed blender and then sipped throughout the day. I sure miss my concoction when I’m on the road. Anyone have any suggestions for improving it even further (taste or nutrition-wise)?Have you tried the dried hibiscus flowers in your morning smoothie as well? If I were to cut open a zinger teabag and add to my smoothie, would that be recommended over cold brewed tea?I’m curious if there is such thing as too much of a good thing? I try to include in my current smoothie most of the items which Dr. Greger recommends in his videos in such a way that is most convenient to me, but what intake is too much if there is such a thing? I make a large smoothie and consume it throughout the day, the fruit content consists of 3 cups of OJ, 2 Bananas, 2 cups Soy Milk, 2 cups Blueberries, a mixture of Pineapple, Strawberries and Mango as well as a 2 cup mixture of Raspberries and Blackberries. Next I use 2 Tbsp ground Flax, 2 Tbsp Chia seed, 1 Tbsp Amla powder, 1 tsp 4:1 ratio Hibiscus powder, 1/2 tsp Holy Basil and finally a palm full of White Tea leaves. I wonder sometimes if this is overkill for daily consumption and ending up as expensive urine or is put to good use when spread out over the day?With this question, I appreciate the anonymity of the web. OK, that is a lot of antioxidants but what does that result in?The smoothy had massive amounts of antioxidants. I had some questions:1. Is there some amount that is too much? 2. Are there certain antioxidants that are better or worse than others for certain types of individuals, given differences in health, disposition, imbalances etc.? For example, ECGC from green tea has certain benefits that have been studied and is thought to have some superior benefits-I’ve heard.Dr. greger actually covers maxing out on Antioxidants here.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/Dr. Greger,thanks so much for this site. it is a grat resource. you include amla in your smoothie. you also recently recommended fenugreek. I am concerned that both of these spices lower blood sugar by promoting insulin production. is that a good thing? I believe dr. joel fuhrman has said that drugs that promote insulin production may be bad for you in the long run.If your concern is diabetes, Amla can be considered a near equivalent as the leading diabetes drug in controlling blood sugar. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/All of these plants foods are healthful, and there is no health concern to worry about.After receiving multiple drugs, vitamins, and so on a person feels a change to its health. Why is a result of taking antioxidants have no oschuschuny health changes? Tnx http://twinbookmarks.comAfter seeing one of DR. Greger’s videos on gooseberries and triphala (a high oxidant powdered form that contains gooseberries and a couple of other berries) I was curious, though wanted to be cautious re. his warning about the often high levels of lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic found in gooseberry and triphala powders. I found an online retailer (Z Natural Foods) that sells organic versions and when I asked them if that meant that they were tested for lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic they said yes. So based on believing them I’ve been getting triphala from them and using it in my smoothies.Just a clarification, I have not seen heavy metals reported in amla (but yes, in triphala). See my whole series: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/Organic Certification in the US requires growing on land that has no KNOWN prior history of persistent toxic exposure. Its unlikely that certified organic food would contain excessive amounts of toxins. US Organic Certification though generally does not require testing food for contaminants. Production methods are prescribed, but there is a very small possibility prior toxic land use could be unknown or not disclosed as required by law.I can tell you from first hand experience, being poisoned by imported foods from places like China and India, with their notoriously lax environmental laws, is a very real possibility.This is interesting, but why are antioxidants important for health? Aren’t the ratings for foods’ antioxidant values determing by a peice of laboratory equipment? Is there any proof that these numbers from the lab will translate into better health in some way? I’ve read that our bodies make their own antioxidants and that we need free radicals for healing and fighting bacteria, so would too many antioxidants hinder healing and weaken our immunity?Sticks to Your Ribs Rather than Your Buns Cinnabun– 1 cup millet – 3 cups water – 1 heaping tbsp Ceylon cinnamon http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/ – 1 heaping tsp ground ginger – ¼ tsp ground cloves – ¼ tsp nutmeg – 2 handfuls raisins – 1 tbsp date sugar – 1 tsp pure vanilla extract – Pinch sea saltPlace all ingredients in a pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and leave pot on the hot burner, covered, until millet cooked and fluffy, about 40 minutes. Serve topped with flaxseed meal, nuts, and fresh fruit.Mix a cup of leftovers with 2 tbsp flaxseed meal, one sliced banana, handful almonds and top with a little boiling water or rice/almond milk.Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline~Complements of lovestobeveganOoh, I can’t wait to try it! Thanks so much for posting. Keep ‘em coming!I will start eating Indian gooseberry, wasn’t aware of its benefits before. Thanks Dr. GregerHi Doc, thanks for your website, I have newly discovered it and am excited to learn so much about nutrition. My question is whether Amla powder is safe to put in my children’s smoothies and home-made popsicles? I would probably put about a teaspoon per litre of mixture. Thank you!Apparently, it is safe and free of heavy metals. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/The benefits of amla are great! http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=amlaI work very hard to avoid “nuts, berries, seeds” for the obvious reason of diverticulitis. How do I use the blueberries (or another “seed” fruits) in order to have what sounds like wonderful benefits.Holly: You may want to check out the Nutrition Facts video on diverticulitis and nuts:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/There are a few other videos that come up when you do a search for diverticulitis. Maybe those would be helpful too.Good luck.Avoiding nuts and seeds in unnecessary and unfounded as described here by Dr. Greger on Diverticulitis. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/My vitamix shake: 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup pomegranate juice, 1 bannana, apple skin, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, almonds, cinnamon, turmeric, himalayan salt, carrot, kale, frozen blueberries, 2 frozen strawberries, frozen raspberries. Maybe cherries or canteloupe if I have it too. Basically anything healthy goes in!I’d like to hear Dr. Greger’s opinion on the claim that blending fruits and vegetables into a smoothie “destroys 90% of the nutrients” by whipping in air and thus causing oxidation.I’ve seen no credible studies to support that claim. There are of course a variety of nutrients involved. Processing has some effects. One study on preloading (i.e. eating a food before the regular meal) showed that a whole apple vs blending vs juiced had a different effect. The effect was total calories consumed. It was less with the whole apple and more with the apple juice… blending was in the middle.I have never seen a study on this and I don’t believe it to be true. It is a possibility some oxidation occurs but not at the rate described and most assuredly not a 90% reduction in antioxidant content.That is my feeling as well. The claim comes from Dr. Brian Clement of the Hippocrates Health Institute. He says that blending causes oxidation which leads to fermentation and putrification. He also talks about the “ill combination of fruits and vegetables” leading to more fermentation and putrification. He refers to this as “real science” yet does not quote a single study. To me it sounds like dogmatic nonsense. That is why I was hoping Dr. Greger might have more insight as he always relies on REAL science.PschMD: Agreed. While Dr. Greger can not possibly cover every study ever done, I am certain he would have covered a legitimate study on “ill combination of fruits and vegetables” if one existed. :-) Not that I speak for Dr. Greger. I’m just throwing in my 2 cents.One of the confusions faced by us mere mortals is differences in opinions of the experts. Definitely you are talking about an anti-oxidant rich smoothie there. Jeff Novick repeated warns people not to drink their calories, how juice/smoothies have a similar blood sugar response to sugary drinks, but not to eating whole fruit, that blending fruit into a smoothie (I’m not talking about juicing here) destroys much of the fiber. So I quit drinking smoothies. You make me want to start again. I wish there were one clear answer.sounds yummyMy wife has stage 4 breast cancer and I daily prepare a my own anticancer green smoothie concoction for her which seems to help based on her appearance and test results. Sometimes I save a portion in the fridge to give to her later. Do vital phytonutrients, anti-oxydents, etc. evaporate within a certain amount of time? Would it be better to avoid saving such smoothies and just go with all freshly prepared? Or is any loss minimal within a certain amount of time?Would adding fresh amla berries be as good as adding the powder? I imagine the powder is more concentrated?This meal does not have enough starch. The body needs starch for energy. If you’re eating this with oatmeal, then OK. This meal does not stand alone.does anyone know where to get amla powder specially the brand that Dr. Greger is showing here. Is it local or imported from India.guest: Mountain Rose Herbs has organic amla. If quality control is your concern, this company has a good reputation.https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search?page=1&q=amla&utf8=%E2%9C%93Thanks for the link Thea, the only Amla powder I have had was a generous gift from Dr. Greger and I had no idea where I could find more. I found dried amla online but powdered is definitely the way to go. Thanks!I’ve recently bought Terrasoul brand certified organic amla powder from amazon.com; 12 ounce bag for $12, just saying if this is also of help to you. I use 1-2 teaspoons each day either in my oats or my dark berry concoction, which I alternate for breakfast. :-)Dr. Greger, Where can we get the Amla powder you use?. I’ve found many, but don’t necessarily trust the contents. Thanks!How does Camu Camu powder compare to Amla? The package I have claims an ORAC value of 2049 per 1/4 tsp serving (1 gram).OK. So there are lots of antioxidants in Amla. Is there any research that Amla actually results in any improved health outcomes? As we know there could be other chemicals in Amla that could be equally harmful, so without data on health outcomes, how can you recommend? I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer so I want to change my diet to foods and supplements that have evidence to support their effectiveness.Where can I buy Amia or (Indian) Gooseberry? Can anyone recommend a trusted online seller? :)Where are the beans? I heard Dr. Gregor say to include beans with every meal!Three questions: 1) Where to get bulk white tea leaves? 2) Can I use whole amla — and if so do I need to soak before blending? 3) Is there a nutritional difference between “traditionally dried” whole amla and dehydrated whole amla? Mountain Rose Herbs includes information that says the dehydrated version has more vitamin C. I already ordered the traditionally dried version so will use that for now!OH MY GOD!!!! The fact that this isn’t on the front page of ever American newspaper makes me a conspiracy theorist BIG TIME.I have MGUS. I’ve gone on a plant based low fat high starch diet and feel great but its always like the sword of Damocles with the possibility of Multiple Myeloma hanging over me. I read some studies out of Australia that showed some promise of preventing or delaying Multiple Myeloma using Tumeric and black pepper combination and started taking that. Any other suggestions?Hi Fred. Thanks for sharing your story I cannot even imagine going through MGUS. Of course, check with your doctors and hopefully a dietitian about my claims because I am not an expert with this one. Maybe we can work backwards? From what I pulled it seemed that inferior bone health may be associated with the disease, especially for patients with osteoporosis. There is no protocol that differs from osteoporosis vs. MGUS. From what I see bone health may be at stake, so my logic is focus on foods and physical activity that strengthens bones. It is not amazing but perhaps a start? See here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25319751Race seems to play a role,as well. I’ll let you explore the study if you’d like.Lastly, you asked about turmeric, I found a study that may be valuable: Is curcumin for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance without risk?–letter. From what the review states it could be dangerous to use freely and needs to be administered under medical supervision.I did not expect to find the last study. I hope you take the proper precautions and talk to your doctor about turmeric, while boosting up on foods that support bone health.My warm wishes go out to you, Let me know how else I can help. JosephWow, love the nutritional guidance! May I ask where you get your Amla powder?Does the inclusion of fruit in smoothies separate the fructose from the fiber and create potential problems for people prone to hypoglycemia?Hi, dp. Thanks so much for reposting. For people prone to hypoglycemia smoothies and more fruit may be a good choice. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with smoothies. Dr. Greger addresses this in his Q&A are green smoothies good for you? And I follow-up to a similar question, here. If trying to limit foods high in the glycemic index here is a great list of foods with their glycemic index scores. Here are three videos on hypoglycemia.	amla,antioxidants,bacon,bagels,berries,blueberries,breakfast,breakfast cereal,cloves,cream cheese,dairy,doughnuts,dried fruit,Egg McMuffin,eggs,flax seeds,frozen fruit,fruit,gooseberries,India,mango,maple syrup,meat,milk,oxidative stress,pancakes,phytonutrients,pork,ranking foods,recipes,seeds,smoothies,soy milk,standard American diet,white tea	The antioxidant power of American breakfast fare is compared to a smoothie that contains berries, white tea leaves, and Indian gooseberry (amla) powder.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on antioxidants and don't miss all the videos on ranking foods. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gooseberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/recipes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frozen-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cloves/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bagels/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mango/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancakes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoothies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/egg-mcmuffin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast-cereal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/doughnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maple-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cream-cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	-	-
PLAIN-3058	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/	Antioxidants in a Pinch	Dried Indian gooseberries may be the healthiest snack on the planet. Two hundred times the antioxidant content of blueberries. So, most antioxidant content per serving, but ounce for ounce, dried herbs and spices pack, on average, the greatest antioxidant punch. For example, herbs and spices may max out at ten times the antioxidant power of nuts and seeds. But, look, it's easy to eat an ounce of nuts. Not so easy, an ounce of nutmeg. So, but look, some herbs and spices are so off-the-chart amazing, that even just a small pinch can go a long way.Here's the antioxidant power of a bowl of spaghetti [7] and marinara sauce [60]. Let's make that whole wheat spaghetti [68]. And maybe a few florets of steamed broccoli on top, and you have a nice 142 antioxidant unit meal. But sprinkle one little spoonful of dried oregano on top [260], and you nearly double the antioxidant power of that meal.Here's a bowl of oatmeal [16]. Here's a bowl of oatmeal with just a half teaspoon of cinnamon on top [116], dramatically boosting the nutrition.Now whenever I eat anything, I always try to think of ways I can add something to boost the nutrition in the end. Can I throw in some greens or beans? Can I sprinkle herbs or spice on top? But which are the most powerful? Here's a teaspoon of oregano -- one of the best. And cinnamon. But both beaten out by marjoram, which is in the oregano family, but more than 50% more powerful than oregano. So if instead of oregano, you sprinkled marjoram, you'd be up to here [326].Next: allspice. Then, dried lemon balm, which makes a really nice tea. I used to grow it in my garden. And speaking of tea: dried peppermint. Try sprinkling dried mint on salads, foccacia, tabouli, it goes good in Indian dishes... It's always a good idea to have some around.And then finally, the leader of the pack: cloves! Here's that unassuming oatmeal with a half teaspoon of cinnamon [116] and just a pinch of cloves [161].In a few minutes, you can microwave a sweet potato [56], mash it up with some cinnamon [156] and cloves [246] for a nice kind of pumpkin pie taste, and you have a cheap, simple, easy snack -- snack! -- with more antioxidants than some people get all day long! For example, Egg McMuffin for breakfast [13], Big Mac for lunch [31], then an 8-oz. filet mignon for supper [38], even with a few sprigs of parsley on top [44] . Our "pumpkin pie" sweet potato may have the antioxidant power of nearly a week's worth of the Standard American Diet in one healthy snack.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on herbs and don’t miss all the videos on spices. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!I LOVE this video!!!!This video definitely fills your “practical” criteria. It is so helpful in really explaining the situation, putting things into perspective. This will be one of my go-to videos to share with people. (Though it is so hard to choose!)This is a great addition to a growing collection of videos that seem to presuppose that the more antioxidants one consumes the better. Is there evidence to support this notion? Should I always strive to consume as many antioxidants as possible, as these videos suggest, or is there some reasonable upper limit that would counteract all likely nutritional sins and beyond which there is no point in consuming more?bbfarm: I think the follow videos answer your question. What do you think?http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/Excellent point. More is not always better. I have seen articles here and there that spices and herbs, in too great a quantity could have some undesirable effects.However, Dr. G’s recommendations aren’t all that radical.A teaspoon of cinnamon in your morning oatmeal? A glass of hisbicus punch? Putting oregano on pasta sauce?A teaspoon of cinnamon per day could be dangerous – it lowered my blood sugar and blood pressure to the point where I was fatigued all day every day. But if you have high blood pressure and blood sugar levels, it could be great. But be careful with cinnamon. :)Thanks, Thea. Those two videos come close to answering my question: the first, on the Mitochondrial Theory of Aging, seems wholly persuasive to me, but doesn’t address the question of how much is enough of antioxidants; the paper referenced in the second video offers evidence that the more antioxidants one consumes the more they are absorbed, but this doesn’t really answer the question: Is there some upper limit of antioxidants one should consume to derive the maximum possible benefit? Not that it’s a hardship consuming all those delicious antioxidants….bbfarm: good point. I don’t have a definitive answer for you, but I have some thoughts.On one hand, I seem to remember hearing on one of the videos (either one of the videos about problems with multivitamins or one of the videos on vitamin D recommendation) that *yes*, there could be some problems with over-dosing on certain antioxidants. (I don’t have time to try to track down that video.)On the other hand, I think the situation is pretty complicated and that we probably don’t have a definitive answer to the question just yet. Aren’t there a bazillion (or so :-) different antioxidants? And we only seem to focus on a small number. When we eat food like berries, they are “package foods”. We aren’t eating just one single antioxidant or even only antioxidants, but a whole range of materials. My gut tells me that most of the time, eating whole foods that are stuffed with antioxidants would only be a good thing. That by going that route, we probably couldn’t (easily) over-dose.That’s just my gut feeling. I hope someone else has a better answer for you.If you are interested in antioxidents for this reason, you should see one of the videos on hibiscus where he shows blood levels over time. The net result is, it is probably much better to get a moderate amount of antioxidents every three hours then to get a super-charged amount in the morning and eat nothing but bread and cheese for the rest of the day.Dr, Gregor,does the anti-oxi value decrease with age of spice (or berry)? If so, how much?Second, how much is “toxic”? I heard taking more than 1-2 tbsns of cinnamon a day could be toxic. is one hurting one self if one takes 2 tbsns of all the above mentioned spices a day?-EvanPlease see my video Oxalates in Cinnamon in terms of dosing. I have a video coming up comparing the safety of the four common types of cinnamon: -Cinnamomum verum (“True cinnamon”, Sri Lanka cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon) -Cinnamomum burmannii (Korintje or Indonesian cinnamon) -Cinnamomum loureiroi (Saigon cinnamon or Vietnamese cinnamon) -Cinnamomum aromaticum (cassia or Chinese cinnamon) I’ll go through how you can tell which is which to choose the safest, but just wanted to give you the heads up to make sure you’re using Ceylon (not cassia cinnamon).In the upcoming video kindly also take into account this kind of cinnamon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saigon_CinnamonElvin, I edited my reply above to lay it out–don’t worry I’ll include it!A lot of folks use cinnamon for its supposed blood sugar controlling aspect. Isn’t it the much more toxic, cassia type that really has that effect?Dr Greger, please, are you here talking about dry or fresh oregano, marjorane, etc.? Thanks. filThese numbers are for dried–fresh is better if you can find it. The best way is to grow it yourself (on the windowsill if need be). Oregano grows like a weed!Dr. Greger;Dried oregano or majoram have almost no taste. Is it safe to assume that means the antioxidants have also been lost?The study I pulled these numbers from used dried oregano, but even dried should smell and taste aromatic. Sounds like you need to buy some fresher dried herbs! Note my reply to Fillippo above, though.Hi George, The flavor of dried spices are often brought out when they are cooked, or added to hot meals. So if you’re just adding it to salads or room temperature foods you may not get as much flavor out of them. Also, I have found that different brands of spices are better than others, try experimenting! Better yet, bulk spices tend to have the strongest aromas and flavors (from my experience) and you can buy very small amounts at a time. Rest assured antioxidants are still present in dried spices! Check out more information on the different health benefits of spices: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/08/23/can-antioxidant-rich-spices-counteract-the-effects-of-a-high-fat-meal/ And here are a couple videos about other antioxidant rich food sources: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/ I hope this helps!According to this — http://www.jacn.org/content/20/suppl_5/464S.full — antioxidants are not necessarily a good idea. Well?Note though, Elvin, that the study you reference questions the usefulness of antioxidant supplements by offering evidence that this kind of antioxidant can be beneficial or harmful depending on the kind of cancer one has (harmful for lung cancer, for example, while beneficial for prostrate cancer) and one’s natural background level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The authors don’t question the benefits of antioxidants derived from whole plant foods; their reference numbers 42 through 45 refer to papers that buttress the notion that antioxidants derived from whole foods are unequivocally good.Dr G…have you tried purple sweet potatoes ?….I buy them at my local co-op, so combining them with the cinnamon and cloves would provide even more antioxidents. They have a purple velvet color inside and the skins are a muddy brownish-purple color. They are my very favorite snack or sometimes, breakfast.I’ve always wanted to try them! You wouldn’t care to send me one would you? (hint, hint :) NutritionFacts.org is a completely non-commercial, nonprofit entity but I’m not above accepting exotic veggies! My address, should anyone feel inspired to share in their bounty, is 2100 L st., Washington, DC 20037Wondering if a supermarket find would grow. How long would it keep till the proper growing season? I want one too. Have to look around. Thanks to yummy for the idea. LynnDr. Greger… If you are serious about sending purple potatoes I am willing to send you some purple Japanese sweet potatoes. I live in Santa Cruz California where the organic produce is abundant.glut.org is a 100% vegetarian co-op in Mt. Raineer Maryland. While they don’t consistently carry it, they often have purple potatoes.Dr. Greger, I loved your video “Antioxidants in a Pinch”, so I shared it on facebook. A friend of mine who is an acupuncturist and practices chinese medicine wrote the following in quotes. I’m interested in your opinion as I’ve never heard of someone needing fewer antioxidants: “some people actually need oxidants as opposed to anti-oxidants, depends on your relative level of oxidation, and how would anyone know their personal oxidaztion level?”The quote is nonsense. Oxidation is our bodies way of “rusting” or our cells dying. NOBODY needs oxidation. Our body is under thousands and thousands superoxide attacks every single day so antioxidants are critical for optimal health. Check out these 2 videos going into detail.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/repairing-dna-damage/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/Some free-radicals can act as signals for vital functions in our bodies. NADPH oxidase converts o2 into superoxide and is used by our bodies to kill pathogens and any invading microirganisms. So saying oxidation being a necessity is nonsense IS nonsense. Oxidation isn’t always a bad thing. Need another example? We need oxidation to keep reduced Glutathione regenerating and keeping us alive.See my response to “Toxins” below you.Would therapeutic grade essential oils work the same What is journal source for Antioxidants in a Pinch?The journal, Molecules Vol 15, Issue 10 which you citefor the Russian study on antioxidants in sprouted seedsis worth reading. I would like to read the full publishedJournal cited for Antioxidants in a Pinch.Chef John Rasmussen rawfoodchef.john@gmail.comEven though the soup contains only a few basic ingredients, it is still loaded with antioxidants.Get Well Soon Tomato Soup-Jar strained tomatoes -2 small red onions, diced -5 cloves garlic, minced -1 tbsp oregano -1 tbsp basil -1 tsp cilantro -1 tsp marjoram -1 tsp parsley -¼ tsp white pepper -¼ tsp cayenne pepperSimmer onions and spices in a small amount of water until onions translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add strained tomatoes. Fill jar with a little water and shake to get out the rest of the tomatoes and add to soup. Bring to a boil then simmer for a couple minutes. Add garlic and simmer a couple minutes more. Serve steaming hot and season to taste with sea salt.~Complements of lovestobeveganWow, great information. I’ve heard that cinnamon is good for balancing the blood sugars too. I’ve been using an herbal mix called Italian seasoning sprinkled on my salad most days, for years. Good in a soup too. I am sure there’s a lot of benefit from the oregano and marjoram in it. Who knew? I wonder about the benefit from the rosemary, thyme, sage, and basil in it too since I use so much? Hmmm. I wish they would stop calling things like mushroom powders, herbs. You’re talking real herbs here.Antioxidants in green drink of broccoli, kale, etc.? Like marjoram, maybe?sorry but trow away that microwave – it is hazardous to your food and than to your health. Also you should use ceylon cinnamon.Is this (the microwave bit) based on a good study? Thanksbarbarabrussels: From what I have seen, the microwave is perfectly safe. On top of that, the microwave has the benefit of cooking foods fast and sometimes taking away the need to cook with oils, making the microwave an especially healthy option. (For example, you can cook onions and mushrooms quickly in the microwave without any oil. The food comes out great too!)I know the internet has a bazillion pages dedicated to scaring people away from using a microwave. But those pages all seem to be repeats of the same content that has been debunked (at least to my satisfaction). Here is the best page I have found on understanding the microwave and the myths that surround it: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htm You can see sources sited at the bottom of the page if you want to follow through.Hope you found that helpful.Dr. Greger has a video on how different methods of cooking affect nutrition. Boiling is not good, steaming is great as well as microwaving. Check it out.today I had a crazy idea when preparing my oatmeal – I figured, why not to add a full teaspoon of red dried paprika to a bowl (in addition to cinnamon, nuts and flax)? this way it looks much more attractive, not much taste is changed – and one would think an antioxidant score might improve to some significant extent. Now if you had some research proof for this totally groundbreaking/ life-changing innovation… (so the real question is whether dried paprika has any significant anti-ox value as it is a pretty inoffensive spice with great color)The following is being shared around facebook. I wondered what you think or know of all this. Legit? — _________________________________________________________________________________________I have gotten many requests to re-post this! It has gotten more than 28,000 shares! So here it is again!Great information!! Cinnamon and Honey…!Drug companies won’t like this one getting around. Facts on Honey and Cinnamon:It is found that a mix of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also note honey as very effective medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without side effects which is also a plus.Today’s science says that even though honey is sweet, when it is taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm even diabetic patients. Researched by western scientists:HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, put it on toast instead of jelly and jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol and could potentially save one from heart attack. Also, even if you have already had an attack studies show you could be kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of cinnamon honey strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as one ages the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and the veins.ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients can benefit by taking one cup of hot water with two tablespoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. When taken daily even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week (out of the 200 people so treated) practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain — and within a month, most all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis now started walking without pain.BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder….who knew?CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water given to a cholesterol patient was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, when taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol-could be cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and, clear the sinuses, and it’s delicious too!UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also is said to clear stomach ulcers from its root.GAS: According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that when Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacterial and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles (where DNA is contained) to fight bacterial and viral diseases.INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food is eaten relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of mealsINFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ‘Ingredient’ which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Use four teaspoons of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of boiling water to make a tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans increase and even a 100 year old will start performing the chores of a 20-year-old.RASPY OR SORE THROAT: When throat has a tickle or is raspy, take one tablespoon of honey and sip until gone. Repeat every three hours until throat is without symptoms.PIMPLES: Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it off the next morning with warm water. When done daily for two weeks, it removes all pimples from the root.SKIN INFECTIONS:Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin Infections.WEIGHT LOSS:Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast and on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. When taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder three times a day for one month.FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, even when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, when taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M., the vitality of the body increases within a week.BAD BREATH: People of South America, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water first thing in the morning so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing.be sure to click SHARE so it will store on your personal page.For more healthy recipes, tips, motivation and fun, join us here: Charles Sims Weight LossAntioxidants may not be all they’re cracked up to be. They may indicate that the food is healthy- or maybe not. See for example:http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/ORAC-s-tarnished-reputation-doesn-t-diminish-polyphenols-health-benefits-expert-says/?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BDaily&c=%2FQRH54f1%2FswGLd1acVlaRcfZrzEBImHvandhttp://gettingstronger.org/2011/03/the-case-against-antioxidants/Hey Doc, is there such a thing as anti-oxidant overdosing?Apparently you can never have too much antioxidants. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/Although the possibility of overdosing on supplemental antioxidants is a real issue. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/Great video Dr. Greger! Is eating an oatmeal with a small teaspoon of amalaki powder once a day safe and how does amalaki compare to cinnamon as an antioxidant?Dr. Greger, Have there been any studies comparing anti oxidant rankings of dried herbs vs fresh? I look forward to your daily emails. Thank you so much!!!Speaking of all things dried, I wonder what you think of freeze-dried greens, which one stirs into water for a green drink? Do you see a benefit to such a “super-food” supplement?Simply Organic has a great array of spices. A little pricey, but watch for sales and snatch them up! Their all-purpose seasoning is my main go-to. They have all of these mentioned.Recommending microwaving food is hardly healthy – microwaving food further depletes antioxidants and flavonoids, destroys enzymes in foods, deactivates anti-cancer nutrients and has been proven to destroy vitamin B12, amongst other vitamins.I’d love to see Toxins or one of the Dr’s respond to this… I’ve heard and seen many people explain microwaves have not been proven to be bad per se and that its just as bad as boiling your veggies…Dr. Greger has covered this topic here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/You said “I’ve heard….” – from whom?Check the references given above.It is different to boiling or steaming your vegies:“Clear disadvantages were detected when broccoli was microwaved, namely high losses of flavonoids (97%), sinapic acid derivatives (74%) and caffeoyl-quinic acid derivatives (87%).Conventional boiling led to a significant loss of flavonoids (66%) from fresh raw broccoli, while high-pressure boiling caused considerable leaching (47%) of caffeoyl-quinic acid derivatives into the cooking water.On the other hand, steaming had minimal effects, in terms of loss, on both flavonoid and hydroxycinnamoyl derivative contents. ”Source:Article – Phenolic compound contents in edible parts of broccoli inflorescences after domestic cooking Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsfa.1585/abstractMicro-waving is FINE. See the videos Rami links below.See the studies raising concern which I posted above.Also:When food is microwaved, amino acids (the building blocks of protein) are converted from the natural trans- and l- forms to biologically inactive and even nerve and kidney toxic cis- and d- forms (University of Vienna, 1989.)In 1992, researchers at Stanford University Medical Center found that warming breast milk in a microwave oven destroyed 98% of the antibodies that provide passive immunity to infants, and destroyed 96% of liposome activity that inhibits bacterial growth.I did look at your sources. Without a lot more research I cannot trust SCI “Where Science Meets Industry”. I would need a lot of convincing that Dupont and Monsanto haven’t sunken their tentacles into that group. For that very reason I’ll not even consider .gov resources. There is no doubt of such a connection there.The researcher/research analyst that I trust most is Dr. Michael Greger. If anything so rotten terrible and awful was happening to our foods in the radio-wave heating oven, then he would have shared it. He did not. I also trust Dr. Dana Myatt’s version of the reality of what is actually going on with microwaving food.see: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmIn every populated modern area we are bathed daily in microwaves ourselves, at rather low intensities. Most of these “wireless” devices operate in the microwave band of frequencies. There are many other government and private services utilizing such microwaves all around us. That tends to be a non-issue as well.Here is something I posted before on the subject. Under http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/“Now, I know that once some people have their mind made up about something, it’s hard to confuse them with facts. I’m sorry to disappoint, dear readers, but anyone who believes there are “numerous studies” proving the microwave oven is unsafe, damages nutrients in food or somehow does other bad things hasn’t really taken a close look at the scientific research on the issue. Many laymen — and even a number of “scientists” — are also seriously confused about the difference between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and even what the term “radiation” means…”Source: http://www.drmyattswellnessclu… Thea linked it below (thanks Thea). I use excerpt to “show” folks some of the text without them having to lift their clicky finger.If you persist in your beliefs that microwave cooking is the terrible menace that you have been led to believe, then we shall evermore have to agree to disagree. Thanks for playing.Coenzyme Q10How much CoQ10 do we need daily? What is our highest source to get it?dnervina: Here are Dr. Greger’s Nutrition Recommendations:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/He doesn’t mention CoQ10 specifically. I interpret that to mean that CoQ10 is not a nutrient we need to be particularly concerned with when eating a whole plant food based diet.Thank you Thea.The Cloves. You can’t add much due to its strong taste. Is this one worth taking encapsulated? Is there an upper limit?I have read a lot about taking food grade hydrogen peroxide 35% and adding 3 drops to16oz drinking water three times a day to fight cancer.there is also a book about this. The One-Minute Cure: The Secret to Healing Virtually All Diseases. they claim that many have been healed by the extra oxygen it gives to the blood that cancer cells cannot survive in. And that it is a cover up by the cancer industry that it works.WFPB is the answer, you are speaking of gimmicks. Food is a package deal, get the whole plant package and be healthy. Forget magic bullets.How about advice for us less than perfect type how can’t give up meat completely. (I’ve cut back lots. Probably ¼ of what I used to. And eating more veggies of all types. Going 100% is unthinkable.I’ll give you the best advice for people who “can’t give up meat completely”:give up meat, there is no such thing as not being able to not eat certain foods.Also, I don’t see why a video regarding spices and antioxidant content is not relevant for meat-eaters.One day at a time is how I started. I never thought the “unthinkable”. I understand that less is better and that’s how I began. Then after 2 or 3 completely animal-free WFPB days, the power of plants was obvious as I started feeling better and began losing weight. I started losing the desire for animal products. Now I only eat tiny portions if any at all, on holidays/fiestas or other limited occasions. The desire fades quickly when you let it. Don’t know if I’ll ever be 100% animal product free, and that’s not a problem for me. My consumption is now is about 99% WFPB and it shows and feels great!Fantastic, I have a field full of wild mint ready to be harvested. Never have picked more than a few stems at a time before. Now I have good reason to get a bushel.	allspice,amla,antioxidants,beans,berries,Big Mac,blueberries,broccoli,cinnamon,cloves,dried fruit,Egg McMuffin,eggs,fruit,gooseberries,greens,herbal tea,herbs,India,legumes,lemonbalm,marjoram,McDonald’s,meat,microwaving,nutmeg,nuts,oatmeal,oats,oregano,oxidative stress,parsley,pasta,peppermint,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,ranking foods,recipes,red meat,salads,seeds,spices,standard American diet,sweet potatoes,tabouli,tea,tomato sauce	Some herbs and spices--including cinnamon, cloves, lemonbalm, marjoram, oregano, and peppermint--are so rich in antioxidants that just a small pinch can go a long way.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on herbs and don't miss all the videos on spices. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/04/plant-based-diets-for-metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gooseberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tabouli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/big-mac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cloves/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pasta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allspice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutmeg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-sauce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/recipes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcdonalds-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salads/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parsley/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marjoram/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/egg-mcmuffin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microwaving/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemonbalm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oregano/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	-	-
PLAIN-3059	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-diabetes/	Amla Versus Diabetes	Dripping plant extracts on cancer cells in a test tube is a far cry from testing whole foods in whole people. Another amla study published recently, though, tried Indian gooseberries on patients with diabetes.A normal fasting blood sugar is considered under a hundred. Between 100 and 125 is called pre-diabetes, and over 125 you are by definition, diabetic. So they took people with diabetes and put them on a diabetes medication like glyburide, sold as Diabeta or Micronase, it brings down their blood sugars. Then researchers then compared that leading diabetes drug to a just 3/4s of teaspoon a day of dried powdered amla—that's less than 2 berries a day worth. They just gave them a tiny bit of this fruit, and worked even better than the leading drug. So they tried half teaspoon a day of gooseberry powder, a quarter teaspoon a day. That’s not even one berry and it still brought their sugars down into the normal range.Here are the potential side-effects of the drug, Glyburide: most commonly weight gain, feeling like you’re going to throw up, or rarely - your skin starts to fall off, or your liver fails or it poisons your bone marrow. The side effects of gooseberries, well I don’t know, they taste kinda sour.Amla has been used safely apparently for centuries, but these researchers did actually find three dramatic side-effects. In addition to bringing their blood sugars down, Amla lowered their bad cholesterol straight from the danger zone, into the happy zone. One gooseberry a day cut their bad cholesterol in half in three weeks. Boosted their good cholesterol, and cut their triglycerides in half!Yeah, but how expensive are Indian gooseberries? Most of the diabetes drugs are generic now. You can get a 3 months’ supply for only like $50. So I biked over to an Indian spice store I actually have in my neighborhood to see if they had amla, Indian gooseberries. I was afraid they’d be like, uh, what? Instead, they were like do you want frozen, dried, sweetened, salted, pickled, packed in syrup, packed in nitrogen! I bought these entire selection in a tiny little store in a strip mall a couple blocks away from where I live. (You can tell I liked the sweet the best).And yes, they had powdered too. A three months’ supply was only three dollars!Am I recommending people treat their diabetes with gooseberry powder? No, I recommend curing your diabetes with a plant-based diet. Why treat anything when you get at the root cause and reverse it in the first place.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on amla and don’t miss all the videos on diabetes. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!Dear Dr Greger The super bebfits of Amla you can get is to make a juice of fresh amla and consume a cup every day in the morning before brushing the teeth and not to eat/drink anything for the nest half an hour. Have amla juice every morning there is no need of any medicine for lifetime. Tried and Trusted fruit from India for centuries.Wow! This information is truly amazing.I really appreciate how you ended the video too. Just because amla could be used to treat diabetes does not mean that that is the best thing to do.I don’t have an Indian store in my city. But I would think that if I want to sprinkle some amla powder on my morning oatmeal, I could find the powder on line. It’s good to know that the powder is effective too.Thanks!Is liquid smoke harmful? It is called for in many vegan seitan recipes. I thought I had read that it was mutagenic.Hi Dr. Greger,Does the report that you cite on Indian gooseberries provide any data on A1C numbers for the research subjects?As an aside, a type 2 diabetic doesn’t need to be a research scientist to confirm these findings. A diabetic can simply eat gooseberries for a week and check with their meter to see what is happening with their blood glucose levels. I recommend testing one hour after a meal which is near the peak for blood glucose for most foods for most people. Perhaps a good test would be to have oatmeal at breakfast for one week without gooseberries and a second week with gooseberries.One quibble with the video. I don’t think that diabetes can be “reversed”. Once someone has type 2 diabetes, regardless of how good their diet is, they will still fail a glucose tolerance test. On the other hand, a proper diet will lower blood glucose levels for many people to near normal ranges.rmsboston, you wrote, “I don’t think that diabetes can be “reversed”.”You might be interested in Dr. Bernard’s book on reversing diabetes:http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326837278&sr=1-1I read this book and thought it was excellent. He makes a very good case, and I believe he has scientific studies to back up his claims.Just thought you might be interested.Hi Thea,Yes, I have a copy of Dr. Bernard’s book.I actually manage my T2 diabetes for the past 2 years with diet and exercise and no pills. My fasting and A1C numbers are now in the normal range. However, these good numbers don’t mean that I can now have 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with jam, a large glass of OJ, and a coffee with sugar for breakfast without seeing a substantial blood sugar spike one hour later.That’s great that you are able to manage without pills. Good for you. I think it’s great when people take responsibility for their health.Question if you have time: You wrote: “However, these good numbers don’t mean that I can now have 2 pieces of whole wheat toast … without seeing a substantial blood sugar spike one hour later.”Wouldn’t everyone see a “substantial blood sugar spike one hour later”? Or are you thinking that your numbers would be abnormal compared to someone who has never had diabeties?I may not have understood, but it seems to me that Dr. Bernard is arguing that type 2 diabetes is the result of too much fat getting into the cells. Once you fix that, then your body can start processing insulin? correctly again. I was thinking that once you really clean out your cells and get your body working correctly for a good while, that your body would essentially be no different than any other body in terms of how it reacts to what you eat. Maybe that is not a reflection of reality. I don’t know.FYI: I don’t have diabetes, but my biological father died of diabetes complications. I’m very interested in the subject.Not so, 3 weeks after I started on an all vegan, high complex carb, low fat, whole foods diet, my A1C went from 7.9 to 5.8, and five years later it is the same. As long as I keep my meals on the small side and eat 3-5 times a day my blood sugar stays within normal. If I screw up on diet, it will begin to go above, so maybe cured isn’t the right word, but I would certainly rather control it with diet than taking the horrible drugs…which I did for 3 years before I finally got educated. Also, I am sure if I lost more weight I would have more leeway.Hi Thea,For someone without diabetes, a post-meal blood sugar reading typically doesn’t go above about 120 because insulin is doing its job. However, for a diabetic, a post-meal blood sugar spike will be much higher when they consume carbs in the form of sugar or starches. A one-hour post-meal reading of about 150 can be an indication of prediabetes, while readings over 200 probably means diabetes. Anyone with a glucose meter can do this kind of post-meal testing.Over the past few years, I have done post-meal testing for friends and relatives. I have found 3 people with prediabetes that was later confirmed by their doctors using an A1C test. An A1C test measures average blood sugar levels over a 2 and 3 month period. The test gives a better idea of overall control of blood sugar. An A1C number wants to be below at least 5.5%. Diabetes kicks in at 6.5%.Here is a bit more about this post-meal testing method:http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046889.phprmsboston: Thanks for the reply.Great news. I hope the price on these berries doesn’t shoot up now. lolDoes anyone know something about the effects of eating Amla raw?Yesterday I stumbled over them in an Indian shop and they only had them raw. They are quite sour and bitter and you seem to have get used to it. One amazing effect after having eaten one whole raw amlaberry is that it turns the taste in your mouth into something sweet and you really wonder where it is coming from. a kilo costs 3,80 Euros by the way, that is about 44 berries. we can just hope that they are not spraying them so much with pesticides and insecticides.The people in the shop told me they would traditionally eat the raw berries with some salt and chili.LXB: I don’t have the answer to your question. I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I found it so interesting. I’m very curious to try try these berries!Also, your post helped me get the right frame of mind. It seems like it will help if I have the frame of mind of eating something with salt and chili than thinking of sweet berries. Sometimes whether one likes a food or not is all about expectations. YOu helped to frame my expectations. Thanks!usually it is pesticide free if it comes from India , it grows in a tree even in dry climate and they don’t invest on sophisticated sprayer to these trees …mostly 90 % it should be pesticide free ….The best way to consume Raw Amla is to grind it in a grinder, extract the juice by mixing some hot water into it and squeeze out the juice. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to make it more edible. Once in a way you can add a small piece of ginger to the Amala and grind. My sister has successfully brought down her FBS from about 180 to below 90. She has never used a medicine for the past 10 years. Diabetes cannot be reversed but controlled through Gooseberry. Hope this information will benefit the DiabeticsI just discovered that a tea I enjoy drinking has amla in it: Yogi Green Tea Super Antioxidant. Perhaps other blended teas do too?Dr. G…what is your opinion of the amla capsules available on health-food sites…and what would be a good mg capsule to take on a daily or twice daily basis….most of the capsules I’ve researched are 500 mg. Since the taste of the powder is not yummy, the capsules may be a better option for some people.The powder product tastes like,…dirt! Or possibly… dried dog dirt! To get around the taste, try putting the…err(?) …powder into,00 or 000 size capsules, and then  buy a Cap-M-Quick (50 pills at a time) or The Capsule Machine (24 at a time) to put the ..”matter” in capsules to “get um down” without gagging. To quote my 91 year old da,d, “Wow! that stuff would gag a Maggot!” I can get it down with just water but I sure don’t like the taste! Both “machines”can be found on the net & or @whole food store if your lucky. Both machines are very slow ,and the smaller one especially so which all the more reason to go with the larger 000 size also which will hold a 30% larger dose for “more bang for your buck”and time. If I had it to do over again I’d spend a few more bucks to get a machine made in China that makes 100 capsules @ a time to make a better accounting of my time and efforts. If you get a chance borrow one and try it out before you  buy one.Thank you so much for this reply! I’d never heard of the Cap-M-Quik until your response. I’ve tried filling my own Amla capsules which isn’t easy! So I’m buying one of these babies for sure. I agree – amla powder would gag a maggot! Thanks again!!Personally, I wouldn’t trust any medical or health product sold over the internet.I found AMLA frozen, powder, and in many other forms, bought powder, frozen, and dried. Had hoped this would work for my mother who has T2 Diabetes, had her take the powder and eat two berries every night, and had her stop taking her pills, unfortunately, her blood sugar went sky high, without the pills after 4 days, and she had to go back to the pills. I am still eating the dried pieces, and will start taking the powder soon…someone has to use it!Thanks for all the info!!!Dear Mercman40 take a look at this documentary on Reversing Diabetes, I watched it and I also read the book, it will help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG3V22cLUF0Dear Dr. Michael Greger,Thank you so much for this precious information.  I was trying to find the full article, yet every source seems to rquire subscription.  My question is,  how were the patients in this study taking Amla powder?   Was it after meals, or was it in the morning on an empty stomach? Was it spread through the day, or all at once?  THANK YOUJovanFor some context, please also check out my associated blog post Watermelon for Erectile Dysfunction!Dr. Here you are touting the positive effects of amla and IT SOUNDS EXCITING, BUT yet in still another location on your sight. your warning us that 20% of these…”foods” out of India are INDEED contaminated with heavy metals, like lead, and arsenic, which are poisons.Dr. I appreciate what your trying to do, but you can’t have it both ways and remain “creditable.”Isn’t this like playing Russian Roulette  where the gun ONLY goes off “just 20% of the time?Please address this very real issue about “amla.”Thanks for your enthusiasm and what you are trying to do.What’s with all the “quotes?”Are you supposed to take this Indian gooseberry plus your medication?Wow that’s interesting :)Be careful if you find gooseberry candies…the gooseberry has a STONE in it…someone might break a tooth, just saying!!! All I could find at our local Asian Market (they do stock Indian foods) was “Dried Hot Goosberry” which are actually from Vietnam but ingredients are: gooseberry, sugar, chilli, water, salt. I’ve just been rubbing the sugar off. Hope to find powder sometime soon, though. The brand I have is Willis Eagle.Go to an INDIAN food market. Plain Amla powder there. I put it in my sugar-free iced tea.God Bless You for this site!This is a fantastic explanation :-)  You are doing a great job informing people about the benefits of AmlaMorning Dr Greger, I live in AUS , and I am 50years young, and for most of my life I have been an active Equestrian Dressage rider on State and National Squads, I am very fit, riding 3 or 5 horses per day, and feel great. then I had a blood test and my blood sugar was 16 and my Dr put me on metformin, but I had a skin itchy reaction , so she changed my too gliclazide, I have only had for one week. I watch your videos almost every day, I have not seen all 1,449, but a fair few I have seen now. I have been having my Amla powder in my black and blue berry smoothie every day now for about 3 weeks. my sugar has not dropped much like only down only to 13 or 14. I eat cinnamon, oatmeal, am really trying very hard to eat only vegies all day and am progressing to only soy milk. I have cut my meat down like about 70%. I am going to buy some of the soy food products this week. My Dr has said my diabeties is in my genes, that is how she believes I got it. I will keep going with the amla, should it just take longer to work for me?? I dont like taking drugs.. I have also put 2 of my friends onto amla, as they both have cancer and have sent them your link . in a dilema and confusedregards sallyPlease read “There is a Cure for Diabetes” by Dr. Gabriel Cousens. Diabetes is a metabolic disease (problem in processing some macro-nutrients), and amla is but one powerful actor that helps. But the solution lies in a holistic approach, and you seem to be leaning in that direction anyway, the book will only effectively refine your strategy.I said the same to one gentlemen above. But I have to repeat it, it’s important, as I will probably repeat it a few more times on this post so all people do see it.Dr. Cousens is 99% up the same street with Dr. Greger, I found the book extremely useful, please do give it a read and you will not regret it.God Bless! Get well soon!I’ve began encouraging customers to look into this product and have requested the health food store I work at to order it in. Sounds very promising!Hair – I bought a bottle of Solaray Amla 500mg and have been taking one pill each morning. I have a bald spot on the back of my head 3 inches in diameter and it was completely bald. This bald spot has been increasing in size over a period of 20 years. After 45 days of taking the Amla I notice that hair is growing back there. I was shocked to see the hair coming back. I also noticed that my beard is getting tougher. At first I thought it was a dull blade. But I don’t think so. I have also changed my diet to Vegan for the past 4 months. I originally bought the Amla for lowering my blood sugar. With the Vegan Diet, Amla, and exercising, I have been able to stop using Glipizide for my diabetes. A1C was 9.8 and is now 5.3 in just 3 months. My doctor was impressed. And that was without the Amla. I still take 1,000 mg of Metformin twice a day. I listen to my doctor and hope to reduce other medications for Cholesterol and high Blood Pressure.Hi Dr. Greger,This is a pretty amazing result in this study. Cutting bad cholesterol in half in just 3 weeks with only a teaspoon of anything and no other changes sounds too good to be true. I am wondering if you know or if anyone has explained the mechanism for how this happens? What about the amla helps the body clear out the LDL?Thanks!DevinHow can we compare the antioxidant property of amla against green tea.Is this different from gooseberries we see at the farmer’s market here in New England? They’re also called ground cherries. Tart and wonderful with blackberries in pie (also loaded with pectin, so great for pies.)Could this possibly help type 1 diabetes?Dear P.Park,Please read “There is a Cure for Diabetes” by Dr. Gabriel CousensDiabetes is a metabolic disease, and amla is but one powerful actor that helps. If you want to seriously improve the health you must approach it with an equally serious approach. I found this book so useful, although I am still trying to find the best way to lead my grandparents to follow the advice etc. All in all, reading this for me goes as a MUST for anyone serious about truly having an impact on their health and in this case diabetes. I could not emphasise this more strongly.God Bless :) and fruitful reading!I’ve had type 1 for 42 years. (started having the symptoms about my 21st birthday). Your question evokes several others. First the type 1 diabetics have beta cells that are dead n gone. So we produce no insulin. The question about amla is, does it enhance insulin production or does it reduce insulin resistance? For all I know it might do both but in the type 1 there will be no boost in insulin production. Well a few days ago I did start taking Amla and my daily total intake of insulin has gone from about 36 to 31 units. And that is with good control. I use a pump and it will give me a daily count. So it seems to make the insulin work better or make me need it less.All in all I feel like yelling when I hear someone talking about “carb counting”. I have reduced my insulin needs from about 50+ units a day to about 40 per day just by reducing fat intake. When I eliminated animal products from my diet the requirement dropped to about 36 units per day and amla seems to help more. So yes I think this is good for type 1 diabetics. And no I do not count or limit my carbohydrates. Those who have seen no results should be patient and keep trying.Hi, Dr. Greger, it seemed that the Amla powder is the most convenient way to add to the preparation of food. Is it just as effective as other forms of Amla in order to control type 2 diabetes?Hello Dr. Greger, my age is 65 yrs.. i belong to India. i have read your article and i hope you ll give me some solution. my whole family background in non diabetics.. but from last 2 years i got this problem ( my routine is very busy in physical activities). i was told after random checking that my level of Blood sugar is 238. i was prescribed ZYDE MF tablet twice a day before meals.in your article you mention that AMLA powder is effective way to reduce LDL & BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS.. please update what should be intake directions for me to consume This magical powder.You are the third person that I speak to with the same information on this post, but I will repeat myself because it is important. Please read “There is a Cure for Diabetes” by Dr. Gabriel Cousens. Diabetes is a metabolic disease and amla is but one powerful actor that helps but this needs to approached from all angles (diet as a whole, mindset, activity etc.)The book is amazing, I read it because I have grandparents that are 62 and 63 years of age, and they are starting to develop some sugar problems, so I want to help them, so I think it could do you good as well.Read it, apply it, and you will be amazed.God Bless! Be well! :)People won’t believe this. It is difficult to believe that disorders like diabetes and cholesterolemia can have such simple treatment. And the conclusion Dr, M Greger makes is more helping towards believing.I know this post is a year old but i am hoping someone will have a suggestion…i have type 2, take metformin 2X daily 850 mg. My sugar tends to run high, 7 to 12 mMolar. I have learned that good judgement w/resp to GIndex, a midday coffee, and or certain other foods will drop my to a perfectly normal 5 to 6…PROBLEM? Yes, I get so shakey and bad feeling, the bottom drops out and I’m no good for anything the rest of the day. I recheck my blood and it is right in the zone! QUESTION, what can I do when a normal blood sugar makes me feel so bad?Where can you purchase Amla power in the United States?http://divyaproducts.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=138I’ve watched your videos on eggs and am wondering what you think of egg whites. I buy my eggs from a local egg farmer, so I have seen how they are raised and they are happy chickens. I am a vegetarian and lactose intolerant so I like the idea of eating eggs whites for protein, but is it conducive to a good healthy diet?Thank you for this information Dr Greger. I had never heard of Amla before. I am particularly interested in its hdl raising qualities :)How is amla to be taken in order to get the results you show?If you really want to impact diabetes, take a look at this documentary and hopefully read the book from the doctor that is shown in the film, it will help.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG3V22cLUF0Hello Dr. Greger: I am 64 years old and have type 2 Diabetes. I take 1000 units of Metformin twice a day. I was also taking Januvia, but it made me nervous (causes cancer?) so the doctor said I could quit. I have been following a plant-based diet for a full month now and I do notice some differences, but my sugar is still too high. The lowest it’s been is 120 and the highest was 166. I watched your video about Amla and purchased some powder which arrived today. I have looked all over and the only reference to what amount you suggest taking on a daily basis came from the video: 1 tsp., twice a day. Is that correct? I know you said a plant-based / vegan diet was the very best thing to do for T2 Diabetes, but I want to try adding some Amla also. I would sincerely appreciate it if you would let me know if the above amount is what you suggest so I can start trying it ASAP. Thank you!I have enjoyed reading/listening to your clips and blogs and appreciate your sharing your experience with all of us.Congratulations on taking positive steps to improving your health. You, however, can be on a plant based diet that contains food that may not be helping you out. Type 2 diabetes is caused by fats in the diet… both animal products(which makes up the majority of it) and plants(leading source of calorie intake for women is salad dressings). There can also be alot of fats hidden in processed foods. I advise my patients to measure their fasting glucose’s each morning. Record on a “run chart” each morning. As your fasting glucoses get below 125 or lower you will need to back off your medication. This can occur relatively quickly or take longer depending on how long you have been diabetic and how much insulin you are producing. I sent a “run chart” to your email address which I use for my patients to record both their morning fasting glucose’s and morning blood pressures. You will need to work with your physician and this method of displaying data gives more useful information then the standard chart or booklet because you can see trends clearly. You use one page for each month. The nice thing about run charts is you can mark the dates you have made changes such as decreasing medication or starting to take Amla. I prefer to not use nutraceuticals like medications but you and your physician will have to work out what works best for you. The goal is to cure the diabetes so you have normal blood sugars and are on no medications. Your blood pressure meds if you are on any will need to be watched as they can usually be reduced. You might benefit from reading Dr. John McDougall’s newsletter article entitled, Simple Care Diabetes, in his December 2009 newsletter. You might also enjoy viewing a YouTube presentation by one of my patients that I treated at the McDougall Whole Foods program… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAeTtGWA2BA. Good luck.Good morning Dr. Forrester, Thank you so much for your thorough response to my questions! I haven’t checked my email, but I do appreciate your sending me the run chart, I will use it faithfully and share it with my doctor. I’ve never been one to use much (if any) salad dressing on my salads because I truly enjoy the actual taste of the veggies. If I decide to use some, I put a small amount in a bowl and dip my fork in it before selecting the next bite. This has always worked well for me. I do need to work on eating earlier though. Due to my jobs, I’ve always been a late eater and so is my husband. It is hard to get him to eat before 8 PM but I told him I need to and will be eating earlier even if I must do so alone. We eat fresh, whole foods each day and I make sure I get my share of G-BOMS (Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, and Seeds – came from Dr. Joel Fuhrman) daily. I am always looking for new and interesting recipes so I will visit Dr. McDougall’s website and see what I can find, thank you for that.I plan to start taking the Amla today. The only recommendation I’ve found on this website for suggested amount, is 3/4 teaspoon daily. I will go with that and see if there is any change. I can hardly wait to get of my Diabetes and high BP medications! I want to be free from all of that and be healthy again. I’ve also added exercise to my program so I think I’m heading down the right path!Thank you, Dr. Forrester, for you time and suggestions.MarciaI have been taking about a tablespoon and a half of amla powder with water every morning for the past month and have not seen a decrease of my fasting blood sugar level! Am I not taking the powder correctly? Please let me know if you have any suggestions! Thank youMe neither after 4 months.Dear Dr. Greger,I have metabolic syndrome and pre-diabetes. I read somewhere that amla increases insulin secretion and brings down the glucose. At this point I don’t want to overwork my pancreas and am hesitating to start using Amla. Could you please help with this ?thank you !MaxDr. Greger, have you found any plant based aides that positively affect Type 1 diabetes? I can only find info on type 2 diabetes.Raina: Have you had a chance to see Dr. Barnard’s book on diabetes?: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386289814&sr=8-1&keywords=dr.+barnard+reverse+diabetesThe book has a chapter on Type 1 diabetes. (See chapter 3: “A Revolution in Type 1 Diabetes”) It’s not like diet can cure Type 1, but Dr. Barnard gives some helpful information on how diet can be of great benefit for Type 1. If you can’t afford the book, maybe your library would have it?The back of the book has recipes. So, if you decide you like what Dr. Barnard has to say, you can jump right in!I hope this helps.hi micheal am having a skin condition allergy kind of thing where itching is high and beehives kind of formation happen if we dont take citirzen ……kindly helpForget about GMO and organic. How can you be sure that products such as Alma contain what they are supposed to and don’t have bad stuff such as pesticides?Marry Christmas Dr. So 1 tsp of Amla powder a day for the rest of my life and my diabetes will be history . . . WHOOPEE I’m on that band wagon. But . . . do you have a wonder drug, (AMLA Powder), for shrinking my swollen Prostate Gland? Aw, one that I can afford?How does Jeunesse Global’s Reserve work? http://www.soniapilla.jeunesseglobal.com It turns on an anti aging enzyme produced by your body. It works on a gene that controls the aging process. In the lab mice who received doses of resveratrol did not get cancer, heart disease, diabetes or osteoporosis and they lived 30% longer. Those tested had more energy and their metabolism was faster than the group that didn’t receive resveratrol. They also had pristine organs found during post mortem. Resveratrol in one of the first human trails was also shown to treat Diabetes Type 2 successfullyI am pre-diabetic and have cardiomyopathy. What foods would be beneficial for these diseases? Thank you.Bary Allan King: I’m not a doctor and can’t comment on the cardiomyopathy part of your question.However, I can talk about the pre-diabetic part of your question. I highly recommend that you read the book: Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes. http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392155007&sr=1-1&keywords=dr.+barnard%27s+program+for+reversing+diabetesDr. Barnard not only tells you what kinds of foods to eat and why, but he also gives meal plans and recipes too. From what I can tell, the recommendations in the book are right in-line with the type of diet that Dr. Greger recommends. Dr. Greger’s recommendations for foods like amla would work on top of the general diet recommendations to give you a strong, targeted diet for reversing your pre-diabetes.Good luck.Thank you Thea, I bought that book for my Dad, now I’m going to re-visit it and get started.Please start labeling your content as either Type 1 or Type 2 specific. You are a doctor for Pete’s sake you know the difference. I’m sick of getting excited clicking a link or looking beyond the headline of a news article only to find it is only helpful for Type 2s. This is like cinnamon all over again. I know everyone and their brother in the US has Type 2 these days, but I’m Type 1 and would love to find some kind of new nutritional support to help with the blood sugar balancing act. Geesh I wish the medical community would give these diseases to completely different names so I wouldn’t get lumped in with a bunch of people with a condition they could have prevented and could even cure themselves of if they put in the effort. One can’t get rid of Type 1 no matter how healthful one’s lifestyle. I’ still looking for amla anyway for the anti-cancer benefits. I wish it would decrease the amount of insulin I needed to take though. I hope you Type 2s enjoy your amla.Thank you Type 1. I have been a diabetes educator and agree clearer communication about which type of diabetes being referenced would be helpful upfront. There are more than type 1 and type 2 as well. Listing below for others as I am sure you are aware!Type 1 diabetes was formerly called “juvenile diabetes” or “insulin-dependent diabetes,”Type 2 was formerly called “adult onset diabetes.” But type 2 diabetes has been reported among U.S. children & adolescents with increasing frequency over the past 20 years.Then there are: gestational diabetes, surgically induced diabetes chemically induced (medications) diabetes, Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) or type 1.5 diabetes.AMALA IS GOOD FOR DIABETESI love you, Dr. Gregor! If only all the doctors were like you. I am taking tripahala (tested for heavy metals) and am so happy to hear this. Above all this good stuff, it has helped me lose those last sticky 7 pounds. :)What is the effect of amla juice on diabetic?Dear All, my mother is suffering with Diabetes… her sugar level is 130 to 240 please any one can help me that what should i have to do ..and can anyone tell me the uses of amla…? thanksAli, I’m sorry to hear about your mother. The good news is that there is a lot of hope for people with Type 2 diabetes. I highly recommend you check out the book, “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes” by Dr. Neal Barnard, MD. The information in this book is right in line with the information presented here on NutritionFacts.org. http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407268792&sr=8-1&keywords=barnard+reverse+diabetesGood luck!I’ll add: And then of course, you can use the videos here on NutritionFacts, such as this one on amla, to tweak the plan in Barnard’s book to have even that much more of an effect.Dear Dr. I am diabetic, have Celiacs disease and am lactose intolerant; I just started taking Alma just 2 days ago. As far I am taking 1/3 of a teaspoon at night and it puts me to sleep within 15 minutes. Which happens to be great for since I have a poor sleep cycle. But is this a usual side effect of this herb? Thanks CherylTHE WEMAR INSTITUTE IN CALIFORNIA CLAIMS A VERY HIGH CURE RATE FOR ONE TYPE OF DIABETES.Sounds really good. Unfortunately it’s done nothing for me – I’m still pre-diabetic after 4 months on a Dr. G recommended varied vegan diet and 2 tsp. per day of Amla powder. Maybe I bought a fraudulent product from Amazon. I’ll try another brand.Hi ,my name is Debby and my hubby about 4 weeks ago was told he has leukemia lymphoma and they just put a portal in yesterday. I was reading about the gooseberry and i was wondering how do i get it for him . I dont like the idea of kemo. Can you help me. Thanks DebbyHi Dr. Greger, what an enlightening find! I’m a lifelong vegetarian yet my fasting blood sugar tested 106. My “after a big meal” sugar was fine. The doctor said it drops down like in a very young, healthy individual. I’m 43. For most of the 25 years of being a vegetarian I have eaten a very nice, varied green and fruit diet. Some 10 years of it I had an occasional fresh fish. I don’t ever fry my foods, all is mostly fresh, I don’t eat junk foor with the exception of an occasional thing here and there. But I never obstained from sweets, not eating much but a little. The only thing I can think of as bad was about three years of stress and eating once a day, in the evening. I can’t understand why my fasting blood sugar is 106. No family history of diabetes or even per-diabetes. I am skinny, always have been, no weight fluctuations, I keep active, go to the gym. Do you have an opinion on this? I think there are planty of people like me out there yet you only mention people who don’t take care of themselves.My name anand, age 47, i have diabetics, for 8 year, now stop medication after i consume Amla juice every morning. also consume cinnamon wt tea or coffee every day. Now have have headache, eye sight blur, no energy, leg and hand week, mouth tasteless. Its due to low blood sugar?There are several Indian markets in Tucson. The first one I called confirmed they had powdered amla. I eventually stopped by and picked up a 3.5 ounce box (powdered amla is in a sealed bag inside the box). Be forewarned that most of the amla sold in Indian markets is labelled for use as a hair conditioner (as was the box I purchased). I was assured the product was safe to eat and the box is labelled 100% pure (perfume free and chemical free). Impressive to see stamped on the box the manufacturer’s license number, manufacture date, and use before date. Also labelled for export only. The price was only $2.49 plus local sales and is easily enough to last 3 months taking a 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp per day.I like the taste when added to boiled hot water to make a tea. The taste is tart but I liked it. I imagine some people would not like it. I’ve tried a full teaspoon in 6 ounces of water without any sweetener. And I’ve tried 1/2 tsp with and without 1/2 tsp sugar. I like it better unsweetened because it has the interesting characteristic to develop a sweetness ounce your mouth adapts to the tartness. A full tsp teaspoon tasted better than 1/2 tsp but I’ll adjust my dosage to not exceed 1 tsp per day. Doesn’t taste as good when mixed with an equal amount of Macuma Prurient (15% Extract Powder).Seeing that I want to add Alma as a daily tea (as an addition to my recent plant-based diet to combat pre-diabetes) I have already ordered here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FEPUNUS/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1428373135&sr=1&keywords=amla+powderI am just a bit distrustful given the box I bought at the Indian store labelled to mix as a topical application for hair and scalp. Hope I’ve provided some useful info. Good Luck Everyone!I thought that India had a high population of diabetics. Do they not know of the powers of amla on diabetes?my diabetes is causing me to have bad breath. What can I do to cure this? I purchased the Alma and have been taking it for about a week. so far no luck.	amla,Asian markets,berries,blood sugar,bone marrow health,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,Diabeta,diabetes,dried fruit,frozen fruit,fruit,glyburide,gooseberries,HDL cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,India,LDL cholesterol,liver health,medications,Micronase,nausea,obesity,plant-based diets,prediabetes,reversing chronic disease,side effects,skin health,triglycerides	For a dollar a month, Indian gooseberry (amla) powder may work as well as a leading diabetes drug without the side effects.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on amla and don't miss all the videos on diabetes. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/08/flaxseeds-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/29/cinnamon-for-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gooseberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frozen-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asian-markets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triglycerides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glyburide/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/micronase/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabeta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hdl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-marrow-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20812284,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21495900,
PLAIN-3060	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/	Power Plants	Doctors are skeptical of the ability of plant foods to treat disease. We have no problem believing a drug like lovastatin can lower cholesterol, but red yeast rice? Come on! It has been used in Chinese herbal medicine for over a thousand years; but what did they know back in the Tang Dynasty in the year 800?But guess what’s in red yeast rice – lovastatin - literally, the exact drug. Instead of us synthesizing it in a lab; some purplish mold synthesizes it on rice and has since forever. Now the drug levels in the moldy rice are too variable to be reliable, so I don't recommend anyone take red yeast rice supplements. I don't recommend people take lovastatin either; I recommend eat healthy enough that you don’t need either one, but it's an illustration of the power of plants in this case - fungus.Doctors prescribe diabetes drugs like candy ( even though some may increase risk of heart failure, heart attacks, and death), but at the same time are skeptical that cinnamon could possibly help with blood sugar because it’s just some dried bark scraped from some tree. Well guess what Taxol is the revolutionary chemotherapy drug that’s routinely used against half a dozen human cancers, it's some dried bark scraped from the Pacific yew tree. Now we just grow tree cells in a tank and make it that way, but originally they were just scraping thousands of trees.Still don’t think plants can be powerful? This is where cocaine comes from, morphine. This makes a glaucoma drug, anesthesia, this shrub cures malaria. This is where Aspirin came from; Digoxin, colchicine, quinine, and ipecac. This is also where we get a drug to treat Emphysema, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.Periwinkle is what we use to treat childhood leukemia, even though on the bottle we call it vincristine.In the middle ages, they rubbed moldy bread into infected wounds—it was a staple European folk remedy. What quacks! Until, a couple hundred years later when penicillin went on to become the greatest discoveries in all of medicine.Thanks to a moldy cantaloupe found in a market in Peoria Illinois—no joke—the United States went from having just enough penicillin in 1942 to treat ten people to 2 million doses in time for the invasion of Normandy.Over the last 25 years about half of new drug discoveries have come from natural products. Plants can powerfully affect our health.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on medications and don’t miss all the videos on nutrition myths. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!Thanks Dr. Greger for another outstanding video. With this fabulous website, you have distinguished yourself as one of the greatest public educators on nutrition!Some of those who are intrigued by the topic of this video may also wish to read some of the work of Dr. James Duke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Duke), who has done painstaking work for years to try to tabulate all of the phytochemicals in food plants and herbs. He has written several excellent popular books and has even made his extensive phythochemical database freely available to all (see: http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/).Don’t you think that the problem of phythochemical variability is solved by using standardized herbal formulas?Standardization would help. However as Dr. Greger mentions the goal is to eat a variety of whole plants, spices and herbs. Supplements are fine but shouldn’t be the focus. Remember the amount of information on antioxidants and good things in foods is changing all the time. Compare what we know now vs what we knew in 1980 and imagine what we will learn in the next decades. While it is interesting and useful to look at the science and let it guide us we have to remember that we are dealing with complicated metabolic processes performing in complex/adaptive systems so the science should be taken with a grain of salt. In the meantime keep up with the latest in nutrition by staying tuned to Nutritionfacts.org.Great video. There are many claims of exotic animal products too (bear bile, fermented snakes, etc) that we’d like to believe have no merit to them, due to the dismal treatment of animals, and effects of species elimination, in this trade. Are there any studies you know of to support or refute these kinds of treatments?Wouldn’t it be interesting and possibly important to understand the reasons these plant secondary metabolites are useful as medications in humans?  What is the function they have in the plants that make them? Perhaps if we knew that analogue we could better search for new medications or, better, know what whole plant foods to include in our dietary mix to avoid developing certain diseases.Are there any foods you would suggest to help with wound healing after surgeryWhat is your opinion of Saw Palmetto on prostate health??what cures tinnitus, anythingAscorbate, antihistamine or anything that dries up mucus in your ears?Is there any evidence on the effectiveness of Pacific Yew tea (made sustainably from the leaves of that Yew tree, not the bark) in treating or reversing cancers?Dear Dr. Greger, Is there a natural plant based remedy for the fungus that lives under people’s toe nail? Is there any plant based way to strengthen the body to fight off such an attack? I have read that the fungus is athlete’s foot fungus that is present everywhere and that sometimes it gets under a toenail if the bodies ability to fight infection is compromised? Is there a way to prevent this by eating certain plants? Thank you for all you do to help so many!!! DawnDear Dawn,Great question i have athlete’s foot fungus under my right little toe.Hope someone can reply to us about this.Thank you and much appreciated.Tim	alternative medicine,anesthesia,antibiotics,aspirin,blood sugar,bread,cantaloupe,chemotherapy,children,China,cholesterol,cinnamon,cocaine,colchicine,complementary medicine,diabetes,digoxin,eye health,glaucoma,heart failure,ipecac,LDL cholesterol,leukemia,lovastatin,malaria,medications,mold,morphine,mortality,nutrition myths,Parkinson's disease,penicillin,Peoria,plant-based diets,quinine,red yeast rice,rice,side effects,snake oil,spices,statins,supplements,Taxol,vincristine,wound healing	Many of the most powerful drugs in modern medicine's arsenal came from natural products, from penicillin to the chemotherapy agents Taxol® and vincristine.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on medications and don't miss all the videos on nutrition myths. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/digoxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cinnamon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anesthesia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/morphine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colchicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/malaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vincristine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ipecac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peoria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocaine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wound-healing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lovastatin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taxol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penicillin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-yeast-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/quinine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cantaloupe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glaucoma/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17309302,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21415102,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20975018,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21415101,
PLAIN-3061	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-invasion/	Amla Versus Cancer Cell Invasion	Indian gooseberries can block cancer cell growth, but tumor growth is just half the picture. You could have a tumor the size of a watermelon, as long as it doesn’t spread. So these researchers took human breast cancer cells and basically put them on a block of Jello to see if the Indian gooseberries—amla—could prevent the invasion of the cancer into the Jello.So here’s the control. 100% invasion—the breast cancer cells just burrow right in and effectively metastasize. Here’s if you infuse the Jello with the standard chemotherapy drug Taxol - cuts invasion in half. Then they used tiny doses of amla down in this range here where it's not even affecting the growth much. And as you can see the anti-invasive effect of the Indian gooseberries was almost as good as the chemo	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on amla and don’t miss all the videos on breast cancer. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!Given that Amla is so effective, have oncologists started to use it in the treatment of cancer?You will never see natural products used to treat cancer in any American hospitial. Only Patent medicine is allowed.These two links are very compelling but I am left with a few questions to ponder: 1. These tests were done in vitro , not in vivo. Are the active ingredients actually absorbable from the GI tract and able to get to the cells where they are needed? And behave similarly within the micoroenvironement of the human body?2. How much is needed in order to gain a protective effect without adverse side effects? I wonder what risks/side effects come with the berries?3. I have been told to be cautious about antioxidants which may block the effectiveness of radiation which acts on cells possibly by an oxidation mechanism. To that end I have been not told not to take vitamin E in high doses while on radiation. Does the antioxidant property of the goose berry fall into the range of concern? -Dr. Greger;Many of your videos seem to be antioxidant content of various foods. Could you make/maintain a post for recommendations on how to best use that information?Some of the foods you talk about are cheaper than other foods with a slightly higher antioxidant content. Other foods might be lower, but are incredibly more available or it is easer to eat/injest much more of them than other foods with a higher content.A post rating all of these foods by availability, antioxidant dose per price and “eatability” ( I can eat a bag of dried apples easily, lemons not so much ) would go a long way toward maximising your good information in a practical setting.Dr. Greger, I am excited to learn about Amla and as I have gone and searched for sources online I am now wondering about the quality of what is available. I can find dried amla, poweder, and capsules. Do you happen to know what the best way to get the benefits of amla would be?Dr. Greger,After watching your DVD (volume 7) the segment about amla and it’s antioxident power we were wondering if there was a specific goal for antioxidants that we should reach each day. Thank you for all that you do!There is currently no set standard for a cap on how much antioxidants we should be taking. The general rule is is that we should get in as much as we can. We cannot max out on antioxidants so the more the merrier. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/Hi Dr. Greger,I had the pleasure of seeing your presentations at the Toronto Vegetarian Society. I really enjoyed them. Anyways, quick question on Amla.Is there reliable evidence that Amla lowers cholesterol? One of the studies you mentioned seemed to indicate that, but I’m wondering if there are others? My father is slowly (much to slowly) transitioning to a plant-based diet, but I know his cholesterol remains too high. I’m wondering if I should recommend he take a teaspoon of this stuff a day. Maybe even testing his cholesterol before and after (3 weeks) or so, to see what happens.Dan Hooleyplant based diet will raise cholesterol. Lower it by removing grains, refined carbs, and PUFA veggie/seed oils.It seems to me that many people may start to eat these healthy foods when they are diagnosed with a cancer. But by then, these nutritional factors cannot overwhelm or de-metasticize the tumors. I am guessing they would have a more preventative effect decades earlier to prevent the tumor growing at the start.This suggests that the key to reduced cancer risk for our society is to build a diet of these healthy foods (ie whole plant foods) and eliminate the cancer-phillic foods (meat and dairy) in childhood and adolescence. What do you think? Is there evidence to support this idea?The only thing I have seen on this subject is in your piece on breast cancer in Japanese women where you show that there is evidence that mushrooms given to children seem to protect them from lung cancer for life (unless they adopt the SAD).Hi and thanks for this wonderful site! How does amla compare to acai?This a question for Dr. Greger, are there any studies about giving Taxol and amla together. What could the advantages or dangers be?this is a disappointing video Dr. Greger as it provides false hope.While it’s impressive that Amla has anti-invasive properties in vitro, comparing 25-50mg/L Amla vs. 2mg/L Taxol seems like a standard trick to make the focus of a study look good. (cant type microgram symbol).25mg/L is a high concentration, can Amla reach tissue in these concentrations and for sustained periods of time?It’s a cool study that will pave the way for future research but don’t you think you’re morally obligated to point out flaws in the study so people can make a more informed decision rather than running out to buy Amla that may effect their chemotherapy? Some people may not question the importance of the concentrations. Best wishes for this site, I’m just nervous about desperate people watching this.	amla,berries,breast cancer,breast disease,cancer,chemotherapy,fruit,gooseberries,in vitro studies,India,medications,metastases,Taxol	Indian gooseberries (amla) block breast cancer cell growth and metastasis potential in vitro.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on amla and don't miss all the videos on breast cancer. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taxol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gooseberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla//,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20812284,
PLAIN-3062	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/	Amla Versus Cancer Cell Growth	Indian gooseberries, not to be confused with Barbados gooseberries, Cape gooseberries, Chinese gooseberries, otherwise known as kiwi fruit, Jamaican gooseberries, Tahitian or star gooseberries. The true Indian gooseberry, also known as amla, is considered a wonder berry in the treatment and prevention of cancer, according to review published this year in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention.Arguably the most important medicinal plant in Ayervedic medicine, and also used in traditional Chinese and Thai medicine, preclinical studies have evidently shown that amla possesses anti-fever properties, anti-pain, anti-cough, anti-artery clogging, anti-stress, heart protective, stomach protective, anti-anemia, anti-cholesterol, wound healing, anti-diarrheal, anti-artery-clogging—didn’t they already say that? As well as protecting the liver, kidneys and nerves. It can also evidently be used for snake venom neutralizer as well, as a hair tonic. It’s like the kitchen sink of berry medicine.Starting ten years ago, studies started coming out showing that amla extracts kill cancer cells in a petri dish. But lots of things kill cancer cells. You could pee in the test tube and kill cancer cells. What you want is something that kills cancer cells but leaves normal cells alone, and it wasn’t until recently that this was demonstrated with alma.They tested amla against six human cancer cell lines: lung cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer , ovarian cancer, and colon cancer. This is a graph of cell growth at different amla concentrations. Here’s human breast, liver, and lung cancer cells starting out powering away at 100% growth. As you drip more amla on, the cancer cell growth rates cut in half and then stopped completely, and then amla starts killing the cancer off—the growth goes negative. By the end more than half the cancer cells dead.Here’s cervical, ovarian and colorectal. All just decimated by Indian gooseberries. And here’s the normal cell line— the non- cancerous, At the highest amla levels, that which killed off more than three quarters of the cancer cells, normal cells just seem to get their growth rates slowed down a bit.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on amla and don’t miss all the videos on cancer. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!Dr.Greger, I respect your work very much, but I got to this link by clicking on a FB post that claimed these berries cure cancer and doctors don’t want people to know about it. I see that you clarified that the results of the study were most likely not attainable in the body (I think that’s the upshot of what you said) and that even in the study, their ability to reduce cancer cells was only 25%. Obviously these berries do not cure cancer, though at some point, a cancer treatment may be found that utilizes them in some way. Please be careful not to feed the anti-evidence based medicine inclinations of some of the people who frequent your site. Those people don’t look at clarifications. They take the slightest suggestion and run with it. People with cancer need to follow the advice of a competent physician, not the internet.that’s not what I understood from this video. I understood that they did try it on human cancer cells and that their anti tumour abilities went even into the negative range which is tantamount to saying it cures cancer.Only in a very distant regard, It kills cancer cells in petrie dishes, That is a far cry from curing cancer in people, smh at scientific illiteracy,Study the high success of the Hippocrates heath institute with Dr. Brian Clement. He’s the first place to go for any cancer situation. He has decades on record for High Success.What does that have to do with my comment? What does “decades on record for High Success” even mean? Have you heard of the scientific method? Has the guy published anything is a reputable journal?I think that as you research this website more, you will find that there is a wealth of information indicating that a plant based diet can significantly affect cancer prevention and has potential for cancer reversal.Regardless of what I may find on this site, as of now, there is no plant based cure for cancer, the Indian Gooseberries mentioned simply killed cancer cells in a petri dish, not a human body, which is significant but not terribly significant. Implying, in any way, that such cures are out there now, if they cause one person to delay effective treatment for cancer, thus lowering their survival odds, is ethically wrong. Period.That site is so full of Really Bad Medicine that it is pathetic, but it is probably pointless to argue with the true believers.You can pee on a petri dish and it will result in cell death, that is not the point. Again, I encourage you to research more. A plant based diet is by far the best means in trying to prevent cancer. Nobody said 100% effective, but no doubt the best.My comment had to do with claims that this Indian Gooseberry could cure cancer and the fact that this article was used online to support one of those “Cancer cures THEY don’t want you to know about” memes. Nothing more. There actually is no evidence that plant based diets prevent cancer, as the kind of study necessary to show that has not been done. There may be studies showing that people who eat a plant based diet are less likely to develop cancer than another group but unless they have a way to control for all of the other variables involved, such a study is not meaningful. I have nothing against plant based diets. But of you think that nobody who eats a plant based diet ever gets cancer, you are fooling yourself. My comment was specific to one post that contained a claim about a cure for cancer. You are trying to make it about everything else that is discussed on this site. It’s not. Sorry.You can pretty much bet that anytime you see the phrase “xxx don’t want you to know”, that it is a scam.The amla study involved cell lines and nothing more, I don’t understand why this is such a wild audacious video. It was never claimed that in vivo amla can prevent cancer, but it is likely it can help ward it off, it is all about risk management.In addition, when blood from people on a plant based diet is dripped on cancer cell Ines, it kills it far more effectively then those who do not consume a plant based diet. There is an abundance of evidence to show that a plant based diet is the best means in preventing cancer. Please continue to research before you jump to conclusions. To say “there is no evidence” is false, and demonstrates you have not actually researched. No study can 100% ward off cancer, again, its about risk management. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=cancerWhat earthly sense does it make to drip blood on cancer cells? What can that possibly mean, or prove? You say I need do more research and that there is tons of research out there that proves that plant based diets prevent cancer. Why don’t you start me out with a couple of links to peer reviewed studies published in creible journals?Oh crap! Now you want freaking CREDIBLE!! How rude.Are you questioning what we can learn from this? I think the answer speaks for itself in your absurd question. The collective components of a plant based diet lead to cancer prevention, and there are countless studies showing this. All you have to do is look, as everything here on nutritionfacts.org comes from the literature. I am not going to skim through each video and click the sources cited section and copy and paste, I think you are capable of doing that. Here is a starting point. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=cancerAnd again, don’t misconstrue my statements. I have said countless times its about risk management, and a plant based diet by far is the most effective tool in reducing risk of cancer through many mechanisms which are all explained through the videos here.In other words no peer reviewed studies published in credible journals.No, all it takes is a bit of effort on your part if you are truly interested in nutrition. Don’t get hung up on this amla one. Every video has lots of peer reviewed research cited and available.” Why don’t you start me out with a couple of links to peer reviewed studies published in creible journals?”Every video on this website is based on peer reviewed studies, white papers, journal pieces, etc.If you actually would watch some of them, without inserting what you think the meaning is beyond what Dr. Greger reports about the studies conclusions, you might understand that you are a bit off base.Dr. Greger has read thousands of the exact types of sources that you want and all the videos are based on said sources with pages from studies right in the videos. Are you blind or something.That aside, I have never gotten the impression that I could cure anything from his videos. I think you are projecting fluff medicine that you clearly disagree with, as would many of us here, onto these videos.Peer reviewed as in published in reputable journals? Are you sure about that?Seriously?Clearly you refuse to watch any of the videos and you watched this one with your eyes shut.This video shows, ON SCREEN (as do all his videos) the studies that he is talking about during each part of the videos.European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 2011 Vol 20 No. 3 Journal of Ethnopharmacology 75 (2001) 65-69 Phytotheropy Research, Phytother. Res 24:1405-1413 (2000)Use Google for crying out loud and read the papers in their entirety and then ask Dr Greger your questions if you have problems with what is in the reports that he talks about. Or, perhaps you can go straight to the authors of each of the papers, journal pieces, studies, etc.It’s like you want to argue, ignore people here trying to answer to, ignore the thing called the internet, ignore that his videos have multiple sources displayed on the screen with the exact information that you would need to research more yourself. The title of the study, report, journal piece along with the authors, publisher, date, page numbers, volume, etc.oiSome people like to argue needlessly when the answer is readily available, because they like arguing.. Thanks for postingcongrats on slaying rebecca, the trolllllll!!! one of those give me science!, we give her science, and she shrieks, not good enough for me!!! give me a better science!!! btw, rebecca, dr. gregor never purported any sort of one stop cancer cure all in amla… that was your ill-informed facebook friend anyways.I have to agree with you. I’ve tried so many supplements, tinctures, whatever that kill cancer in a petri dish. I’ve consulted with accomplished Nauropathic Doctors across the country and they have helped me, however, many things I have tried have not worked for me. And I’m a believer that they should. I’m on my 4th round of chemo and I’ve had 2 extensive surgeries. I went to a clinic in Germany but I’m still going to try more. Chemo is only buying time and thanks to the super foods and organic foods, etc I’m able to keep on.Agree that in vitro studies are merely a start, and in general often lead down a dead end path rather than a meaningful cure. We can say the same for studies that use animal models. Dr. William Li did an intriguing TED talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/william_li) about anti-angiogenesis factors in some plant foods which offer promise for plant-based dietary cancer prevention. By prevention, I mean reversal before the cancer clinically presents in a manner sufficient for diagnosis.You really need to check other sources than what is on his website, selling his services. These are some of his “cures” “Yes, indeed, there it is: enemas, “infrared saunas,” and all manner of other quack treatments. But what are “implants”? Oh, you naive and silly person! Wheatgrass “implants” are, in actuality, wheatgrass juice enemas”.Warren, I am sorry you have an issue with scientific studies, because that is the primary function of this site. The latest evidence is gathered and it is interpreted through the videos. If you want details, you can see the sources sited section. I am not interested in viewing your shared blogs.I have no issue with actual scientific studies. What I have issues with is claims that are NOT backed with any science, and the “gooseberry cures cancer” is one of those.Dr. Greger never said amla cured cancer, he showed studies with cell lines and its effect on cancer cells, that was all. Every claim on this website is backed with scientific evidence.I have cancer and originally started the gerson style diet or Dr. Lorraine day diet and I went from bed ridden to jogging 4 miles a day and weight training within 3 weeks. Then my tumors reduced by 3 quarters. From a golf ball size tumor on my shoulder to a marble. I went back to eating dairy and meat and the you guest it. back in bed. I eventually developed major blood sugar problems and then went to more of a hippocrates diet and the wheat grass is amazing at fighting cancer. Go to the real truth about health.com. Or watch raw for 30. You can watch raw for 30 for free on youtube. Fighting cancer is all about oxygen and raw foods and their juices are loaded with hormones, phytonutrients, oxygen which all fight cancer and build your immune system. It’s all about the inner terrain. Clean it up and cancer cannot live in a high oxygen environment.LOL – what success? You might want to read this “.. I went to the source, the Hippocrates Health Institute website. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that its programs were a veritable cornucopia of nearly every quackery on the planet..”. That is from a real doctor board certified in cancer treatment. http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2013/12/20/when-false-hope-leads-well-meaning-people-astray/You can be 99% sure that any ad or claim starts out with “they don’t want to you to know” is 100% bullshit.Sound quality has been bad past few days.I wanna git me sum! :-)It seems like these berries would be great to put on my morning oatmeal rather than those raisins (“wonderbread of the fruits”-ha! I’ll never forget that) But where to get them? I tried a quick search on Amazon where I found plenty of Alma pills, powders and beauty products, but no actual berries.I did find something that proposed to be an Alma juice blend, but they didn’t list the ingredients and it wasn’t organic.I’d be curious to hear from people who have tried these berries. What do they taste like? Are they bitter?The amla berry is widely consumed throughout India. I think you should be able to get them from most Indian grocery stores and find recipes online.re: location of amla berry. Thanks. I live in a small enough city that we don’t have an Indian grocery store. I’ll look for one the next time I travel to a bigger city.Nuts.com. Dried berries.I use a dried amla powder. There’s no other way to describe the taste other than horrid.  Even putting it in a large smoothie couldn’t hide the bitter, vile taste. Regardless, I mix a teaspoon into a half cup of hot water and gulp it down every morning.  I close my eyes and think fond thoughts of my beloved mom forcing me to take my cod liver oil as a small child. I’ve been taking it for about 3 months now and the most noticeable effect is the regrowth of hair in a previously bald spot in my scalp. Cause and effect? I dunno. But I plan to keep taking it.Hair – I bought a bottle of Solaray Amla 500mg and have been taking one pill each morning. I have a bald spot on the back of my head 3 inches in diameter and it was completely bald. This bald spot has been increasing in size over a period of 20 years. After 45 days of taking the Amla I notice that hair is growing back there. I was shocked to see the hair coming back. I have also changed my diet to Vegan for the past 4 months. I originally bought the Amla for lowering my blood sugar. With the Vegan Diet, Amla, and exercising I have been able to stop using Glipizide for my diabetes. A1C was 9.8 and is now 5.3 in just 3 months. My doctor was impressed. And that was without the Amla. I still take 1,000 mg of Metformin twice a day. I listen to my doctor and hope to reduce other medications for Cholesterol and high Blood Pressure.I tried dried amla for the first time yesterday. Yes, it’s quite sour… but so is biting into a lemon. Today I added it to a tea of sorts, hot water with lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. amla and stevia. Tasted much better! The best way my husband and I have been using them is by buying them from the freezer section of the Indian grocery store. The powder is generally not good to add to smoothies because it usually contains a significant amount of salt. We buy 12 oz bags of the whole frozen berries for $1.50 each.They are fairly large berries (about the size of a plum) and contain a very stubborn pit. I don’t typically thaw and then refreeze things, but I found thawing out the berries and then slicing around the pit and peeling off the slices from the pit is the easiest way to conveniently manage them. I do a whole bag at once, then freeze the rest of the slices to add to my smoothies later. A few slices go a long way. They have a sour taste and we discovered if you eat one by itself, and then drink water afterwards, the water tastes slightly sweet. (:Back to smoothies…they do mix well, and can be masked by other fruits. They add a thicker pulpy consistency, but I don’t find it unpleasant, and I’m not typically a huge pulp fan.All and all, they are very cheap, and a great addition to your smoothies. Check out the freezer section of your Indian grocery next time you are there! (:its got a astrigent, bitter & sour taste.but the best of all is, its even sweet .you can feel the sweetness in your mouth after eating this fruit. i had severe acidity (i could actually feel the acid leaking in my stomach : this was a side effect of an antibiotic prescribed when i was suffering from flu) even after a meal had digested.i tried allopathy, but it did not help.i googled for some ayurvedic medicine & i found amla which is very reasonable and available everywhere in india. i started taking amla before every meal, it not only cured me of my acidity in two days but the continued usage has helped me regulate my bowels & i am feeling more youthful than before.i had ligament pains in my knees & its dissapeared. amla is helpful in treating diabetes, bloodpressure, arthritis, cholesterol, & many more benefits.How do you eat your amla? I have found it frozen at Indian stores but I am not sure what to do with it and how to prepare it so that it tastes enjoyable.Hi Toxin, I put 2 in my daily smoothie. Even then because it is a tough berry, I need to chew on it sometimes. So, if you have a better blender than mine you may not have to chew at all but go through the actions in order to trigger saliva generation.Amla, is arguably the most important medicinal plant in the Indian traditional system of medicine, the Ayurveda.for more than 5000 years. Like Gold is to metals Amla is to Indian Herbs the most encouraging data on the fruit has to do with the discovery that two of its constituents—corilagin and Dgg-16—prevent the adherence of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol and monocytes to the insides of blood vessels in an animal model. This means that amla actually decreases the likelihood of plaque building up in the arteries, a process that can cause high blood pressure, circulation problems and many forms of heart diseaseCapacity to repair wounds was studied on Swiss Albino mice the wound healing of Amla extract was greater than Betaine group in the wound created by excisions method *R.C. Agrwal Now regarding Aloevera, no Indian system of healing have ever recommended using whole leaf It always recommended using the purified Gell for health benifits Aloe is a super herb. It was so done by the western greedy people after which the greedy Indians also followedI buy them in the frozen section of the Indian grocery. Let them thaw a little, then you can cut around the very hard seed, and put it in a smoothie sweetened with something like dates and it tastes fine that way. It tastes like you have added something like a pear to your smoothie. But you cannot eat them alone, or at least I cannot, they are bitter, somewhat spicy and not sweet at all. And never just throw the whole berry in a blender, the very hard seed must be removed.Thanks Ben!Amla tastes a bit sour & tart. Most indian grocery stores now sell Amla in the frozen section. I buy the frozen fruit along with organic amla powder from: http://www.organicindia.com/Banyan Botanicals or Himalayan InstituteJP: Thanks for your post. Since I posted originally 3 years ago, I have had a fair amount of exposure to amla. That’s interesting that you are eating the frozen fruit. The only way I can stomach it is if I hide the powder well (very small amounts in stronger tasting food) well.Thanks for the link. I think lots of people look for good sources. Some people have have good success with Mountain Rose Herbs, but it is always nice for alternatives. :-)Based on the graph shown, the normal cell growth rate slowed down by more than just “a bit” … the change was by 50%!Is that an expected finding for a berry?What side effects may exist? Could this reduce capacity to repair wounds or effect skin / blood cell turnover rate?Please comment.BPCveg: great question. I hope someone more knowledgeable than I also responds. I just wanted to put in 2 cents.You raised some points I hadn’t thought of re: wound repair. However, my initial reaction was that slowing normal cell growth would be great. Since it is my understanding that every time a cell divides, the end caps get smaller, and at some point, they can’t divide any more because of that. Thus, the less that your cells divide, the longer you would live.I don’t know if that is true or not. I just think it is interesting that I had the opposite reaction that you did in seeing a lowering of 50% normal cell growth. It looked good to me.I will be very interested to hear from someone who understands the big picture better.Thea, thanks for your comment.You make a good point about slowing aging by affecting telomere length.Though I’m not sure if lowering normal cell growth is always beneficial. During chemotherapy, for example, rapidly growing cells are killed off, leading to severe side effects including depression of the immune system, fatigue, tendency to bleed easily, gastrointestinal problems and hair loss.I’m not claiming that the slowed growth of cells due to amla is analogous to chemotherapy. I just am looking for a fair evaluation of any potential side effects.BPCveg: Thanks for supplying the ‘telomere’ word.Also, thanks for expanding your thoughts. Your thoughts also make perfect sense to me. I hope you get your “fair evaluation”. I want to hear it too.Note that the x-axis on that graph is logarithmic–we may not be able to attain levels at the far right hand of the graph physiologically. At the point at which the amla appears to start killing off the cells there appears to just be about a 25% drop in normal cell growth rate. You ask a great question, though. What effect might that have? Stay tuned for more videos coming up over the ensuing weeks for more on amla!A corollary question: Does amla-attenuated cell growth (normal cells) return to normal rates after discontinuing the amla?I tried the frozen gooseberries and I must say they don’t “jive” with my palate. They took my logarithmic function and made it very untranscendetal — it tastes like poop (math joke). Anyway to make these things tastier?!??Thanks!johnnyamish: Thanks for your taste report.On the topic of making them tastier. I’m not sure if you noticed, but this video on amla is just one video in a series. In a later video, Dr. Greger talks about putting some amla powder in a smoothie. It’s my guess that most people will need to do something like that to mask the taste.I haven’t been able to try amla myself yet, but my parents (who live in a bigger city and have an Indian store) got some frozen amla. They thawed out one of the fruits. According to my parents, it wasn’t just tart, but also really bitter. Unpalatable to them.We’ve talked about getting some amla powder and putting in on oatmeal. Would amla powder in oatmeal ruin breakfast or just add nutrition with no taste change or an exautic pleasant taste? I’m hoping for the latter. Let us know if you find something that works.Also, I’ll mention that someone else posted that Indians often prepare the berries cooked with chili(?-something spicy if I remember correctly) and salt. So, it may help to think of the food as less of a fruit and more like a strong veggie??? Just a thought.I just bought Amla powder and it tastes horrible. I’m currently looking for ways to ingest it.Sebastian: Since I had posted the post you responded you, I too have purchased the amla powder and found it literally made me gag. Some people are definitely more sensitive to the taste than other people as I have had friends put the amla in their smoothies and didn’t really notice the taste. (Of course the devil is in the details – how much did they put in???)I have found that as long as I don’t put too much powder into my oatmeal, the oatmeal tastes just fine. Especially when I make my chocolate oatmeal that has a lot of flavors in it. So, I recommend experimenting with amounts. Then you will have to see if the amount you can tolerate is a therapeutic amount.In the end, I mostly gave up on the amla. Instead I started playing with a berry powder that I got on line that has some amla in it along with a LOT of other high-powered berries. While the berry powder tastes a lot better, it is extremely expensive. The product would not be for everyone. Plus, since this product has not specifically been tested, I don’t know how much of an effect it would have on health.Just some thoughts for you. Good luck with your amla consuming! I hope it doesn’t go to waste.Amla powder is literally the most disgusting thing I have ever tried. To give you an example, after drinking it, I always drink some water to wash the taste. Well, after the Amla, my taste buds find this pure water sweet! Anyhow, I found a way to take it. I mix half a teaspoon of Amla twice a day (so in total a teaspoon) in water and quickly drink it. From the videos the Doc poster, a teaspoon should give enough health benefits. I also tried adding erythritol to the water, but it somehow made it yuckier. As a side note, my dermatitis/rosacea has improved dramatically. I’m not sure if it’s the Amla, the fact that this week I’m avoiding all spices or if it’s the hempseed in my beans or the hempseed flour in my oatmeal.Amla gooseberries taste like sour grapes!Rivka: After the post above, I did eventually buy some powdered amla and “got” to taste it. I think “sour grapes” is being generous. :-)But it really seems like taste buds differ quite a bit regarding amla. I’ve spoken to some people who really don’t mind it. Where as I gagged the first time I tried it. Lately I have been putting some into my savory morning oatmeal. I don’t taste it at all in there. That’s the key to getting me to consume the stuff – hide it.The after taste of the bitterness of amla, is what Chinese people refer to as the 5th taste – a subtle sweetness that follows the bitter taste. Such sweet-ish after taste is similar to sucking a licorice bark. So, perhaps you can try focus on appreciating the after taste instead? It is indeed an acquired taste.Anyhow. If you can find Chinese herbal shop in your neighborhood i stead of Indian grocery shop, they should have the dried Indian gooseberries, smaller (size of a cherry when fresh) than their genuine Indian cousin but exactly the same thing. They are called 油甘子。 i hope they possess the same phytonutritional values as the Indian version.dragon: re: ” perhaps you can try focus on appreciating the after taste instead?” That’s a thought. I’m pretty sensitive to bitter tastes. But I’m also a believer in changing one’s taste buds when it is in our best interests to do so.re: “I hope they possess the same phytonutritional values as the Indian version.” Unless it is biologically the same plant, perhaps just harvested earlier to make it smaller, then I wouldn’t expect it to be the same phytonutritional values. But maybe just as good???Thanks for sharing.I tried putting amla powder in soup and it made the soup sour. I purchased size-00 empty gel capsule and filled them with the amla powder. I take 5 of these a day and it equals 1 tsp.Whoah! What an incredible idea! I didn’t even know one could this. Thanks for the input!organic india …. i got a one lb bag for like 15.00 in local indian spice store.My friend has had 1 kidney removed in July (cancer) and now faces the spread of cancer in her lungs, liver. (not sure of anything else).  She was given 2 choices….2 take a pill at home (with very little % of success, or going in the hospital for 4 wks of chemo, home 2 and back for 4 more.  She is devastated and does not know what to do. Is this something (gooseberries) that you think would be beneficial to try…or other recommendations (she is being treated in Morgantown, WV.  are there other facilities she can contact to help, (opinions, educate on treatments, etc)  ANY info would be GREATLY appreciated. thanks….CCarol if I were facing the challenges your friend is facing I would immediately contact the Burzynski Clinic in Houston Texas http://www.burzynskiclinic.com/. If you want some background view the documentary BURZYNSKI which is the story of Stanislaw Rajmund Burzynski a physician and biochemist and his “controversial” treatment for cancer. Also, order this book http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591202434/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00 titled I Have Cancer: What Should I Do?: Your Orthomolecular Guide for Cancer Management and read up on the mega dosage interveinous Vitamin C therapy among other cancer treatments. I wish your friend a healthy outcome.Alternatively:http://www.oasisofhope.com/patient-survival-statistics.phpDear Carol, when my mother was 70 years she had breast Cancer, after removing her breast we were not in a postilion to do chemo because of her health condition. Since I am a Oral Cancer survivor with DNA Meditation and Amla pure juice 150 ml 3times daily.I asked her to follow the same. She came out of cancer and Kidney Problem and lived a healthy life for another 12 years. She died of an accidentNow coming back to your friend, ask her to learn DNA Meditation and go for Pure Amla juice there is enough research on the Cytoxin ability of Amla ti cure Cancer without side effects If she cannot find a place to learn DNA Meditation ask to learn any type of Meditation from a good teacher- NO BOOKS Cancer is nothing but mutation of DNA. To day science says your DNA can hear and reprogram when your brain wave is at Alpa (14 to 8 cycles per second ) After !5 days of class, in a meditative level say loud enough for your hears to hear ” I am a Spirtiual.Magnetic and a Biological Being. I can therefore reprogram my Own DNA’s and use the facilities around Me like the Science, the New Biology, the New Chemistry, the New spiritual Knowledge and the New text Books just now being written on energy to change and Heal my self with my own POWERFUL INTENTI dont know the health status of your friend Now Best Wishes ShashiHello Shashi, I am from India. Just last month my sister aged 55 years diagnosed for stage-4 esophageal cancer & Doctors refused to give any treatment may be due to her health condition is very bad. Now she is at home only without any treatment. As she could not swallow food due to damage in esophagus we could get installed a tube in her throat & now she can eat solid foods also. But, she is getting pain due to that tube also & the condition becoming worse day by day. Just yesterday we have started that soursop juice a natural juice. Can you please tell me whether we can go for this Amla juice? if so how much juice we should give & how many times etc etc. Please help me if you can by advicing to save my sister.Rgds, Rajanna K V Bangalore-India email-rajannakv2000@yahoo.comcan you eat gooseberries only or in a smoothies will there be any side effects because I have frozen gooseberries in my refrigerator.Hi…at my last blood sugar check (Feb. 2013), my a1C level was 6.6, down from 6.8 (Nov. 2012) after I lost 13 pounds. However, I gained back nearly 7 pounds and cannot seem to lose the weight. (I am still in the midst of a rather stressful situation from an accident my husband had last summer which left him brain injured. He has made great strides, but is still not completely himself yet. The doctor said stress can increase blood sugar.) I do not want to go on drugs because the side effects sound really scary, and was wondering if amla (I bought some frozen fruit today, the 12th, and ate 2 berries) might help me. I see my doctor for my annual check-up on the 26th of this month. Thanks for any help and keep up the great work and service you are providing the public! You are a God-send, Dr. Greger! ♥A few years back I had a double hernia surgery from an incisional hernia and an umbilical hernia from childhood. I suppose the hernia is “taken care of” but I now have a small would in my belly button. It is a small hole that oozes and I use rubbing alcohol on it to keep clean. The doctor was simply cauterizing it for quite sometime and appeared to be closing up but not completely. Surgery was other option to fix it but I haven’t gone back since in hopes of finding a way to heal myself through nutrition. You briefly mention wound healing in reference to this video on Indian gooseberries. Would incorporating this into my diet actually be beneficial in helping to heal??Hi, I’ve been using the amla powder for the past 3 months. My understanding is that to make the powder they just dry the berries in the sun and then grind them up. I’m not aware of any negative side effects and was not sure of a dosage but I have been putting a heaping tablespoon of it in my morning oatmeal. With the heaping part it is probably closer to two tablespoons. Relative to the amounts you have been discussing this is much higher levels. I notice the flavor, but even at that high level I don’t find it objectionable. My morning oatmeal mix is my own concoction that I do ahead in large batches in the slow cooker over night. My current recipe is 2 cups steel cut oats, 1 cup pot barley, 1 cup toasted wheat germ, about 3/4 cups of dried cranberries, about 3/4 cup of golden raisins, I then add a healthy blop (very precise measurement you can see :) ) of blackstrap molasses. When after I heat up my oatmeal I add 2 1/2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed, then the heaping tablespoon of amla powder (I get it at an Indian grocery store and the large bag is only $1.00 and usually lasts me a couple of weeks.). I then add about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of hemp seeds and top it off with vanilla flavored soy milk. There is enough sweetness to counteract most of the bitterness of the amla and I love it and look forward to it every morning. I have not noticed any negative effects or any real positive ones other than my wife and mother-in-law keep saying my skin looks amazing. I add it for the antioxidants, the diabetes effects (I’m type 2 diabetic and my last a1c was down to 5.0 and my physician was ecstatic. I also have been on blood pressure meds for years and I am totally off those with current blood pressure at 118/72 (I have been vegan for past 6 months and have lost 100 lbs in past year so I can’t attribute everything to amla by any stretch, but it does not seem to hurt.). I am also taking it as a way to try and help prevent cancers or slow them down, but purely as a preventive measure. I also liked the described cholesterol effects but since going vegan I don’t have much concern about that, but any positive is good) If anyone has any information on medicinal dosage levels I would like to know. If anyone knows of any problems with amla consumption I would also be interested in knowing. There were a number of complaints about taste posted and questions on how to mask the flavor. The above works great for me at even a high dose. You have to make sure you mix it well or you get a lump of amla powder on the spoon sometimes.:)Steve: Thanks for sharing your recipe and story. It sounds like you are doing so well. Congrats on taking your health into your own hands and fixing things!I had a chance to speak to Dr. Gregor at Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown, PA about the amount of amla I was taking every day. He said it seemed like a lot. (What he actually said was “My god man, have you no taste buds!? You must be taking more amla than anyone on the Planet!”) :) He said it might be good for me and I may be ahead of the research but that there is no evidence or studies at that level currently. He said the amla powder was so pharmacologically active and there was no data for higher levels so he recommended cutting back to one teaspoon of the amla powder a day as was used in one of the studies he quoted. Basically go with the best data to date and not try to extrapolate further until more data becomes available. Seemed like a good well reasoned response so I have cut back to the single teaspoon a day even though I had not noticed any problems at the higher level Thanks Dr. Gregor.Congrats Steve on your hard won successes! I can relate, your story sounds similar to my own, I just wish I hadn’t waited for a crisis to implement the smart changes. Better late than never I guess? Anyway, gotta get me some of that amla, it sounds like one of those things you dare each other to taste as kids! LOL!That’s funny Charzie…I remember daring each other to taste stuff like hot sauce or baking chocolate…yuk. I add a bit of date sugar to my Amla laced smoothies and it adds a mild sweetness or at least counteracts the extreme tartness of Amla. It is a pure unrefined natural sweeter. Actually all it is is dried and ground dates. Its low calorie (1 tsp = 10 calories), however it can be a bit expensive. Also, you can make your own with a dehydrator.LOL, ah what child could resist the lure of baking chocolate! Yuk! I’m with ya on the dates too, I use them a lot in my smoothies but I usually just use the pitted dates because they are cheaper. I’m on a fixed income so I’m the queen of cheap! I grow my own sprouts, have a little garden, bake my own bread, make my own plant milks and vegan yogurts and cheese, fermented veggies and whatever else I can to cut costs. I live in FL so my next venture is to cobble together a solar dehydrator I saw on Mother Earth News made out of cardboard! LOL! Even I can afford that! Where there’s a will there’s a way!Charzie: You are an inspiration! Thanks for your post.forgot to mention in my oatmeal recipe that I add 9 cups of water in the slow cookerSorry again, the flax seed, amla, hemp seed and soy milk are all added to the individual bowl of oatmeal when I go to eat itMy gastroenterologist flatly stated that there was no cure for the “persistent carpet like polyp” he had been controlling with burning for two years. However when I drank amla tea upon rising and before retiring at night for three weeks prior to my next colonoscopy, the polyp was just a few small, eroded looking patches instead of the previously observed continuous carpet like polyp.I am hopeful the next exam finds a complete absence of the polyp. The doctor had previously concluded a section of my colon would have to be removed due to worsening conditions. Now he says it is not needed.skingk: Wow. That’s amazing. I think that’s so cool. It sounds like you may have saved yourself a great deal of pain, money and hassle. Good for you and I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you. Thanks for sharing!Awesome… Great news! Very inspiring. Your post was 9 months ago. Is there an update?Instead of twice a year, I now have annual colonoscopies scheduled. The doc says he’ll be convinced if there is no carpet like polyp at the next exam. It’s a fairly rare thing as only two other of the doc’s hundreds of patients have it.Great. Thanks for letting me know.I found a good source to buy Amla online – including dehydrated Amla (from which you can make a ‘decoction': simmer 3 tablespoons of dehydrated Amla in 1 qt. of water for 30 – 40 minutes – then mix with an equal amount o d green or white tea).http://www.MountainRoseHerbs.com … (541) 741-7307 .. ask for “Halsey” .. tell her “Richard sent you” :)I just bought a pound of dehydrated certified organic/Kosher Alma for $11.00.They also have bulk white tea.Hope this helps! :)Richard that is an exceptional value at $11 USD per pound. I managed to get my costs down to $13 per pound by buying 5 lb bags but your source is superior to that arrangement. Thank you for posting…you’ve saved me significant $$.BT –You’re welcome! :)BTW, what are you using Amla for, and how – if you don’t mind me asking?I’m going to start using it for a mouthwash, since I have problems with my gums. But I thought about using it preventatively “for the rest of me” in capsule form, too.RichardI use it as a preventative measure for general health and its properties for anti-cancer cell growth. I use in smoothies but also load capsules for those times when smoothies aren’t available like when traveling. Go to Amazon and look at The Capsule Machine for size 00 or 000 capsules since I’m trying to get a tsp. full with each daily dose.. you want a big enough capsule so you don’t spend a week loading them or need to carry 200 for three days dosage. For mouthwash I find that a 1:1 ratio of Hydrogen Peroxide and water has remarkable curative effect – just swish for 30 seconds or so and spit.it costs less than 20 cents per kg. fresh amla in India wholesale. Big cities like Mumbai retail costs $1 per kilogram.looks like your picture illustrating amla is of the standard gooseberry (Ribes) rather than the Indian Phyllanthus /EmblicaIs amla in capsule form as effective as powdered amla?I was told Dr. Greger suggests looking into Terrafoods for amla gooserries. Is it terrasoul? I can’t find Terrafoods. Anyone else have an other suggestions?Would about for goji berries?Dr Greger scheduled to tell everything he knows about eating #PlantBased to treat and manage #Cancer at: http://iaacn.org/symposiumRivka: Cool. Thanks for that link. Sounds like a great talk. Nice to see Dr. Greger is doing something like that.Try Chinese herbal shop and ask for 油多子。 it is the same thing, only smaller in size.Sorry, fotgot to mention that you will need to ask the Chinese herbal shop to powder the dried 油甘子 for you. Some shops do offer powdering dried herbs, that is if you buy the herbs from them in the first place.Dr. Gregor, Just a quick question about this video clip. At the end you mentioned that normal cells also reduce in size sightly. Are these cells that should shrink in size or are there potential issues associated with these cells slightly reducing in size? ThanksGood question. I’m not sure it was significant, but yes normal cells were affected by amla, however, the dramatic drop in cancerous cell growth perhaps outweighs that risk, but of course human trials are needed.I have to say, as a cancer patient, I want to believe more than anyone that a plant based diet and herbs could replace chemo. However, I do feel that, while it is great to eat healthy, if this diet was a cure it would be highly recommended by doctors. I do think that there might be some truth to money making being an issue with natural remedies, but I also think that people truly want to find a cure. If all outside variables could be illiminated and scientific proof was availible that plant based diets could get rid of Lymphoma these studies would replace drugs.	alternative medicine,amla,anemia,Ayurvedic medicine,berries,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cervical cancer,cervix health,cholesterol,colon cancer,colon health,complementary medicine,cough,diarrhea,fever,fruit,gooseberries,hair health,heart disease,heart health,in vitro studies,India,kidney health,kiwi fruit,LDL cholesterol,liver cancer,liver disease,liver health,lung cancer,lung disease,lung health,nerve health,ovarian cancer,ovary health,pain,rectal cancer,skin health,snake venom,stomach health,stress,wound healing	Indian gooseberries (amla), an important plant in Ayurvedic medicine, may have anti-cancer properties, as well as cough-, fever-, pain-, stress-, and diarrhea-suppressing effects.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check back for the other videos on amla and don't miss all the videos on cancer. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ayurvedic-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gooseberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervical-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-venom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cervix-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wound-healing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hair-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cough/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla//,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovarian-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20812284,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21317655,
PLAIN-3063	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-goji-berries/	Better Than Goji Berries	Until this study was published, the most antioxidant-packed dried fruit known was goji berries, topping off the chart at 120—five times the antioxidant power of raisins. But… then along came… what?I might have guessed that spot would belong to something like dried blueberries, but dried blueberries, ended up way down here at 37. There must be something about the phytonutrients in blueberries that just does not take well to drying.Just when goji berries were getting complacent, a newly available dried fruit has pulled ahead; dried pomegranate seeds. They are expensive, but they are yummy and the healthiest snack you are likely to ever find.Now just for trivia's sake, there are healthier, but good luck finding them. Barberries, at758 an ounce. Your best bet at finding them are at Middle Eastern spice stores, where they're used to make Persian rice dishes.And then, though I know it sounds like something straight from Dr. Suess, but I’m not making them up: dried red whortleberries: 897. Rarely cultivated, but you can pick your own in the arctic tundra.Rowanberries screw up my graph again. Look how pitiful our poor goji berries are looking now. And finally, way off the charts, in a class of its own, top dog for healthiest snack on the planet Earth: dried Indian gooseberries.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos on fruits and don’t miss all the videos on ranking foods. Don’t miss yesterday’s video Dried apples versus cholesterol. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!The Raw Food World (www.therawfoodworld.com) carries organic dried barberries. I’m going to place an order after seeing this video. :) Thanks for all the great information, Dr. Greger!How do dried cranberries rank? Prob close to blueberries I’m guessing. They’re available as ‘craisins’ in low cost large quantity and make a great snack food.DSikes,Dried cranberries ranked higher (by about 30%) for antioxidant content than dried blueberries.Hope this helps.Dr. Greger,The data presented in the bar graph of this video does not agree with the data presented in the antioxidant table of the source article. Most importantly, the “top dogs” for antioxidant content of dried berries should be in the following order:1 = dried indian gooseberries (i.e. dried amla berries) 2 = dried dog rose 3 = dried wild bilberries 4 = dried blackberries 5 = dried whortle berries 6 = dried barberries 7 = dried rowanberries 8 = dried pomegranate seeds, etc.Note that rowanberries place much lower on the list than you stated (I think that you may have misspoken and meant dog rose instead). Also, you neglected to mention wild bilberries and dried blackberries on your graph.While the overall message of your video remains sound, you may wish to revise the data presentation for greater accuracy.Ther actually go through more than 200 berry and berry products! As I mention a bunch of times in this series of videos I try to stick to things you are actually available. Like in Best Berries I talk about dog rose berries but then dismiss them by saying “getting back to things you can actually buy in a store.” I do have a bit of fun in this video talking about a few whacky ones (“now just for trivia’s sake”) but indeed you’d have to go to the original source for the full list–that’s why I always make sure to list the sources! Have you ever seen dried blackberries? Bilberries? I would have included them if I had. I love Rain Vainik’s comment below about actually finding whortleberries–I’m glad I mentioned them!Thanks! Of course, you are right about the challenge of finding certain products in stores of major cities. Though, don’t underestimate the ability of your website to affect buyer interests. Dried blackberries could easily become available in stores once it becomes known that it is one of the best sources of antioxidants.Are dog rose berries “rose hips?” Are any kinds of Rose hips better than others? I can find some multiflora rose hips almost any day in the fall. Rose hips are an ingredient in many teas and are a common source of vitamin C. Some rosehips can be found here. If Americans know rosehips are available, and that they were eating them everyday, in many herbal teas, maybe we’d all be a lot healthier. http://factorydirectcraft.com/catalog/products/1258_1835_1802-5800-natural_dried_rosehips.html?ccset=US&zmam=62863317&zmas=1&zmac=1&zmap=5800&gclid=CjwKEAiA4_WjBRCNgf7A_KeE9jwSJADtegYdpc3RjrHK7BBcE4t4Eo3P2w5kpPhS33olJKn1mtXvlRoC9EDw_wcBI’m happy whortle berries are ranked high :) it seems to be the same thing as lingonberries actually http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_vitis-idaea and they are very common in my country Estonia too :) I usually deepfry themReally… In the US, we only tend to find lingonberry at Ikea…Would this product count? It doesn’t say “indian” in the description.http://nuts.com/driedfruit/gooseberries/natural.html?gclid=CLvRy7axyq0CFQPf4AodXG2V9gThose look like Physalis peruviana (cape gooseberries) to me. Wrong berry (and ridiculously expensive!)I live in Sweden and in the end of the summer there’s whortleberries (aka. lingonberries) EVERYWHERE in the forests. You’ll come home with KILOS, for free! :-D However they are a bit sour but we often make jam out of them and also put them in stews.We have LOTS of trees with rowanberries as well, especially since the trees is used as exterior city design. But the rowanberries are the absolutely most bitter edible I’ve eaten. It’s disgusting. You can’t it directly from the tree, your face will start to cramp because of the sourness. I wonder if you can dry them at home and ground it to a powder or something.You’re the best Dr. Greger!You are SO lucky! My new volume 8 nutrition DVD comes out next month. Care to trade it for some whortleberry jam? :)Do you live near an Ikea? I have seen it there.Good! I’ve been consuming the gooseberries in my green smoothies! I don’t see maqui berries on this list. They are readily available now, too.what about mulberries!I found Amla powder in an Indian market, but wasn’t able to get back there when I ran out, so ordered Amalaki powder online, with the description of being from “the whole Amla fruit”. Is it equivalent to Indian Gooseberry powder, or diluted by using the whole plant and not just the berry?What do you say about sea buckthorn? They seem really good to me and costs about the same as blueberries, at least where I live. http://www.itmonline.org/arts/seabuckthorn.htmThanks for the interesting facts! I actually use barberries when they are available at BulkBarn (usually buying up a half bag as they aren’t always available.) I use them in my oatmeal (delicious with cut out orange, maple and cinnamon) and homemade quinoa crunch bars! :)Hello, Dr. I’ve heard talk of the Maqui Berry, a.k.a. Chilean Wineberry. I have seen claims–usually on websites trying to sell some derivative of it–that it is the most antioxidant-rich berry to date. (The stories mention acai berries). Is it true that this berry is the new king of berry hill? Has it displaced the almighty amla? Thanks! NeilAmla comes in a lot of different forms but one that I found was Chyawanprash which is largely made up of Amla. I looked up recipes for this and they boiled the Amla fruit as well as cooked the paste from the crushed fruit. So question is how does this compare to dried Amla powder, is there a drastic difference?I wish you were using scientific names. I would like to know if the whortleberry is also known as the red huckleberry, Vaccinium parvifolium, or the deciduous Mountain Huckleberry, Vaccinium membranaceum or the evergreen Coastal Huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum. I would think any of these berries would be readily available in fresh form but harder to find dried.Vaccinium ovatum Vaccinium ovatumEnough with these boring and tiresome videos. If you truly want to share info then post the transcript. I will STOP following this site if these ridiculous and time consuming videos continue all for the plan to get one to buy something at the end.There’s a transcript link right under this video (and all videos on the site). So glad I can help!In health, MichaelYour videos are great.What about huckleberries, both deciduous Mountain and evergreen Coastal?Dear Dr. Greger: When rating antioxidants (ORAC scale) where can I find them rated by serving size rather by simple weight. The article you referred to seems to have them listed based on actual weight not per serving.Dr. ChelliahI liked the video – seeing the graph helps. Where in the graph would dried tart cherries or tart cherry juice – organic of course – come. I would like to compare them to goji berries but am having a hard time getting good informationI recently found a product which is new to me called “Antioxidant Fusion” by made in Canada by Made in Nature–It seems like it should be good–have you seen it, or have an opinion–sold at COSTCOWow, had no idea that Indian Gooseberries was such a high achieving snack.Have been making a tea out of Gooseberry powder, mainly to help combat high fasting blood sugar.By the way, Amazon.com has a wide assortment of dried barberries: http://amzn.to/19OL0aKWhat about dried black chokeberries? Can you inquire about them?Great vid and really interesting. Only thing for me is that I’m having trouble understanding how the scores in the source material line up with the values given in the bar graph presented in this video. The source material lists Amla as 261.53 but the video puts it as 7265… I’m guessing that you converted it to appear as antioxidant content per ounce rather than per 100g… but for what benefit?Dr. Greger, or other interested party, is there some antioxidant or “phytamin” besides vitamin C which might be responsible for the various positive effects attributed to Amla. The only thing I see mentioned anywhere is the large amounts of the vitamin C. Could vitamin C be responsible for the apparent effects?Hello, I have recently purchased some Amla and I struggle to find more information on the nutrition of these amazing berries, would you direct me to a database where I can find the mineral content? Thank youWhere do you get your Amla? The Indian and health stores do not carry them. If I could go online I would order them.Do you know if they included in the comparison “star fruit” aka “coromadel gooseberries”? ThanksFor some reason the sources weren’t pulling up for me when I clicked on them. Thanks.What about ARONIA? TxsAlthough Lupus is an increasingly common autoimmune illness, it is not mentioned in your list of topics nor in the body of articles or videos. Please advise the best “lifestyle medicine” for systemic lupus.you can purchase Amla goose berry powder at any Indian grocery store I bought one bag of goose berry powder 400 grams for 4 dollars ..you need to buy empty capsules or mix it with any health drink it tastes very bitter ! and will make you go to the washrooms after an hour ! better you put the alma-gooseberry in vegetable empty capsules !! its very cheap if you buy it at an Indian grocery store !What about redcurrants? From Wikipedia: “The redcurrant (or red currant), Ribes rubrum, is a member of the genus Ribes in the gooseberry family Grossulariaceae”. I live in israel and couldn’t find gooseberries anywhere, but frozen redcurrants are available here in health stores. Could it be that Redcurrants contain similar values of anti oxidants since they are from the same family? Thanks!Dried barberries are called zereshk and are very good in cooking. I make a vegan version of Persian stuffed peppers with a filling of ground tempeh and onions and zereshk, turmeric, saffron etc. that is really good. I’ll add my recipe to the web one day soon.http://www.facebook.com/livelovezrii you can get products made with the amlaki berry or Indian gooseberry! :-)What are all the dried fruits pictured in the antioxidant food table from smallest to largest? Also I found Dried Barberries (Golchin brand) at Arash International Market.http://www.ofdusa.com/products/golchin-barberry-zereshk_070-53703Very tasty! Especially as a topping on vegan banana ice cream!	amla,antioxidants,Asian markets,barberries,berries,blueberries,chronic diseases,Dr. Seuss,dried fruit,fruit,goji berries,gooseberries,India,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,pomegranates,raisins,ranking foods,rowanberries,seeds,whortleberries	There are some dried fruits even more antioxidant-packed than goji berries.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos on fruits and don't miss all the videos on ranking foods. Don't miss yesterday's video Dried apples versus cholesterol. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raisins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gooseberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asian-markets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-seuss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rowanberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/whortleberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	-	-
PLAIN-3064	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-versus-cholesterol/	Dried Apples Versus Cholesterol	Dried fruit are convenient and packed with nutrition, but which ones are the best. Here’s raisins. Now this is per serving, per ounce, not per cup like with the berries. Here’s prunes, dried mangoes, which I love, so I was happy about. Dried apricots. Dried cherries, through the roof, with… goji berries at the top.They also analyzed dried apple, where do you think they fit? I would have guessed towards the bottom, maybe even lower than raisins, but I would have been wrong. Dried apple rings landed way up here, making them one of the healthiest dried fruits on the planet.In fact a preliminary report was released at a nutrition conference this year suggesting that daily dried apple consumption promotes cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women. Split the women into two groups and those forced to eat about 3 ounces of dried apple rings a day for a year saw their bad cholesterol drop 23%—that’s huge! LDL dropped 23%! The level of inflammation in their bodies plummeted, and you’d think if you made people add 240 calories worth of snacks to their daily diet they’d gain weight, but no they actually lost a couple pounds as a bonus.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos on fruits and don’t miss all the videos on ranking foods. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!I’d really like to know if eating an apple, raw, each day would have similar effects. Does it have to be dried to give those kinds of results?Add this on apricots to the arsenal ! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19330262 Antioxidant, antimicrobial, cheapMust they be dried? How about merely one raw apple, with the skin, a day? Is there something about the drying process that makes them particularly antioxidant-rich?This is a bit unrelated, but I eat a plant-based diet. I’m also a 20-something year old woman of child bearing age who runs, so making sure I’m getting enough iron from plant sources is important to me. I’ve heard that tannins in coffee, tea, and chocolate can hinder the adsorption of iron when consumed together. Is there evidence to support this? Thank you!Quoting from “Green tea does not inhibit iron absorption” published 2009 in the International Journal of Cardiology, “The only reference that I could find in the literature about a negative effect of tea drinking on iron absorption came from Tunisia. But the experiment was carried out on rats. Therefore, unless you are a rat and a rat in Tunisia, you should not worry about development of iron deficiency anemia from tea drinking.” In 2008, though, a study in India found that drinking tea with meals could cut iron absorption in half. This is a function of publication delays. The cardiology journal piece was published in 2009 but was written in 2007, before the India study surfaced. The good news, though, is that the study found that vitamin C triples iron absorption, so as long as you’re drinking tea with lemon, or eating vitamin C rich foods at your meals (like citrus, broccoli, tropical fruits, bell peppers, etc.) then this shouldn’t be an issue. If, however, you don’t like lemon (and lemon in coffee? Yuck!) and aren’t eating these kinds of foods, then menstruating women may want to lay off tea and coffee (and cocoa and peppermint tea)during meals and up to an hour before to maximize iron absorption. In men (and nonmenstruating women), the reduction of iron absorption may not necessarily be a bad thing. In fact, the effect of coffee on iron absorption has been used to explain why coffee consumption has been found to be protective against diseases tied with iron overload like diabetes and gout.I’ve been playing with using dates & raisins to sweeten dishes. How would dates rank next to raisins for antioxidants & nutritional value?I’m so glad you’re experimenting with whole food sweeteners! I have a video on dates here: Are Dates Good For You? I’ll keep an eye out for comparative data. I also have more videos on raisins, like this one: The Healthiest Raisin.I eat dried fruits (prunes, raisins, apricots and now apples)daily. Please tell me your thoughts about what may be the cumulative effects on an aging body of sulphur dioxide preservatives used in processing fruits for drying.35 years ago studies started implicating sulphur dioxide preservatives in the exacerbation of asthma. This so-called “sulfite-sensitivity” seems to affect only about 1 in 2000 people, but if you have asthma I would recommend avoiding it whenever possible. For more on preservatives, please check out my videos Is Sodium Benzoate Harmful?, Is Potassium Sorbate Bad For You?, Is Citric Acid Harmful?, and Diet & Hyperactivity. And for more on asthma, Preventing Childhood Allergies, Preventing Allergies in Adulthood, and Inflammatory Remarks About Arachidonic Acid.Dried mangos can be hard to find without sugar. I found some on Amazon, but before I ordered them, I noticed that my local Trader Joes store has un-sweetened dried mangoes! They taste absolutely delicious. When torn into little pieces, they can take the place of raisins on the morning oatmeal. Yumm.So, those of you who want the mangoes, you don’t have to settle for sugar-crusted. Note: sadly, the Trader Joes version is *not* organic. The one I found on Amazon is.Thanks for your response about sulphur dioxide with relevant videos to view.I have recently read up on an essential oil ‘helichrysum’ and what is said is mindblowing. Is it really a cell-regenerator.Somehow I have gotten the idea that harmful substances in our environment,(either in water or air or ingested) is what causes tears in the inner lining of our coronary arteries. Then comes the cholesterol and other substances to repair the tear and this is what causes the athlersclerosis. If by chance this is close to correct, why isnt the emphesis on preventing the tears. I have never been convinced that cholesterol is the basic culprit seeing as h ow our body manufactures the amount of cholesterol it needs……or have I missed the mark ?How do I keep my home-dried fruit from developing bugs?This dried apples likely are high in fiber, or at least eating this many per day would tend to make you feel filled up a bit, no? So, do these studies control for the possibility that when eating dried apples the subjects eat less of their normal food, which could be the factor causing the health issues? So, it would be less that the apples are positive but that reducing their consumption of the other bad foods results in a positive outcome?I’m sure it is a factor. If you eat a plant(with fiber and no cholesterol and saturated fat) in lieu of any animal product(with cholesterol, saturated fat and no fiber) you would expect an improvement in cholesterol levels and an associated improvement in arterial disease. Figuring out the relative contribution of the antioxidants vs fiber vs decreased consumption of animal products could be done with the proper experimental design. I will be interested to read the full article to see the effects on triglycerides and uric acid(not mentioned in the abstract) as fruit does contain fructose which can increase triglycerides and uric acid in the blood. The weight loss mentioned in the article would imply that the dried fruit which is relatively calorie dense compared to a whole apple replaced a food that was more calorie dense in the diet. The abstract implies that there was no change in habitual dietary intake but given the limitation of instruments to track dietary intake I would take that statement with a grain of salt. The bottom line is that consumption of a moderate amount of fruit is good for us. Of course eating the whole apple will give you the nutrients plus water increasing bulk and based on studies lead to more weight loss… for the best introduction and overview of the concept of Calorie Density view Jeff Novick’s DVD… Calorie Density: How to Eat more, Weigh Less, and Live Longer.What about fresh apricots nutrition? I have plenty now.Hello Dr. Greger, I was wondering if “Freeze Dried” fruits are ok to eat and a healthy snack? Obviously not if there are added sugars etc, but how about just plain Freeze Dried Fruits? I ask because asside from dried fruit and the fresh fruit I eat I do like the freeze dried for a on the road snack for the weekend. To be specific I am quite fond of Trader Joes Organinc Non GMO Freeze Dried Mangos, which say the only ingredient is Mango.Christopher: I share your love for the TJ’s freeze dried mangos!I don’t know the answer to your question, but I’ve never heard of any health issues with freeze dried fruit. I thought that many of the nutrients were preserved that way. I will be interested to hear an answer to your question if the answer is even known.That said, I could be wrong, but I believe that the strawberry? (I can’t remember which berry) powder discussed in Dr. Greger’s video on reversing throat cancer was from freeze dried strawberries. Otherwise I don’t know how they would get it to be a powder. And that stuff helped reverse cancer! So, even if there are no specific studies on freeze dried vs other forms of fruit, I think it’s got to be pretty good for you.Just my 2 cents.Thea, thank you for your comment your “two cents” was appreciated ;), I didn’t think they’d be bad since there really just fruit with the water removed but wasn’t 00% sure, I saw your earlier comment in regards to Trader Joes dried mango slices and there another Addiction of mine! But they sell out quick so when I see them I have to stock up :)Christopher: I thought it was a perfectly good question. You have to wonder if freeze-drying might harm the remaining nutrients in some way – the same way you would wonder if drying or cooking destroys something. Maybe they will do a study on this at some point.I know what you mean about TJ’s running out of stuff. I’ve learned to stock upon several things in their store when it is in.Best of luck to you.The answer depends on the process used in freeze-drying. http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/tips-picking-unseasonal-berries/Harriet: Awesome find! Thanks so much for sharing that link. I found it really helpful.I apologize if this was covered already, but is there any specific research on Amal and cholesterol? Despite being a no added oil vegan, my wife can’t get her cholesterol below 220, yet mine is 111. What dosage of Amal was used and how much reduction in Cholesterol did they see? I would rather she try this before drugs. Thank you.Well it looks like making an account here erased my long message so I will just say 4 ounces of pomegranate juice a day will lower it 20 points!! It did mine!!Is your wife exercising regularly? Does she consume any processed foods? How many nuts, if any, is she eating?	antioxidants,apples,apricots,cardiovascular disease,cherries,cholesterol,chronic diseases,dried fruit,fruit,goji berries,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,LDL cholesterol,mango,menopause,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,prunes,raisins,ranking foods,weight loss,women's health	Which common dried fruit is the most antioxidant-packed: apple rings, dried apricots, dried cherries, dried mango, prunes, or raisins?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos on fruits and don't miss all the videos on ranking foods. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/24/raisins-vs-energy-gels-for-athletic-performance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raisins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mango/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prunes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apricots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	-	-
PLAIN-3065	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/	Best Berries	A plant based diet protects against chronic oxidative-stress related diseases but which plant foods are the best? Berries are the healthiest fruits, and this study analyzed more than a hundred different berries and berry products.Just to give a sense of scale, this is how many antioxidants are in America’s two most popular fruits bananas, and apples. Now the most popular fruit in the world is mango, which does better. But none of these are a match for the berries: here’s a cup of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, and blackberries.That’s pretty much where most of us have to leave it unless you have access to crowberries. Or—whoa!—dog rose berries. But getting back to what you can actually buy in a store, you see I keep changing the scale over here on the right.What about goji berries—I’ll cover them in an upcoming dried fruit video. What about a shot of Tahitian noni juice? It doesn’t even make it up to banana; and sadder than even that, is a cup of green grapes, which technically are berries, but nutritionally are the Wonder Bread of the fruit kingdom.What about acai berries? There was actually an acai study that caught my eye last year in the journal of experimental gerontology. Acai fruit pulp improves survival on a high fat diet. I thought how interesting until I reread the title more closely. Acai improves the survival of flies on a high fat diet. Why would you even want to do that? I imagine the researchers out collecting flies from some fast food dumpster.Unfortunartely acai wasn’t tested in this study. Hopefully they’ll come back next year and make it the 3,140th.In the meanwhile I encourage everyone to eat berries every day, to always have bags of frozen berries in their freezer. Whichever ones you like but, as we learned in this study, we can get more than twice the bang for our buck choosing blackberries, for example, over strawberries.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos on fruits and don’t miss all the videos on ranking foods. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!Let me preface my question with just saying that since I stumbled onto nutritionfacts on youtube I found it absolutely fascinating. Please keep up the good work. My question is about the antioxidant content of aronia also known as black chokeberry (sounds like something only Chuck Norris would dare to eat :)). I’ve heard that they are very potent and some articles go as far as to say that aronia berries have the highest antioxidant capacity among berries but I have never seen any research quoted in any of these articles. I would like to know if maybe you encountered any research that included aronia berries. The berries themselves have a rather specific, a little tart taste but one you freeze them they lose tartness and become sweeter. Here in Europe (I’m from Poland) they are more popular than in America and commonly used for juices and jams. I got so caught up is searching the web for information about the best superfruit to boost my immune system that I forgot that half of my freezer is stuffed with aronia fruit from my garden.So does this mean that you favor only purchasing foods with the highest antioxidant power (e.g. never buying strawberries when blackberries can be bought instead)?I wonder if any controlled studies have been performed on humans that show that an increased intake of foods with higher antioxidant power necessarily improves human lifespan or health? Please refer to these studies..thanks.Also I am wondering if there is any nutritional benefit that comes from eating a mixture of berries (e.g. eating a mix of strawberries,raspberries and blackberries rather than the equivalent amount of pure blackberries), despite lower average antioxidant power than pure blackberries?There are indeed just the kinds of studies you mentioned recently published and I have some videos coming out on them–stay tuned!You seem to be stressing the of anti-oxidant rich foods because it is believed that they “prevent against chronic oxidative stress-related diseases” which I take to me diseases related to aging. But according to a study you can find at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16677102 , “Available studies do not support the hypothesis that antioxidants control the rate of aging” Apparently, antioxidants are too slow acting to prevent free radical damage in vivo, although this may not be true of the body’s own antioxidants such as glutathione,catalase and SOD. So, a better strategy might be a diet or supplements which improve the body’s status of these. Another paper by the same authors at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22006472 suggests that a methionine restriction diet may be more effective in preventing free radical damage. Just the same, I’m planning on continuing to eat berries every day.I have a video on that very topic! check out: Mitochondrial Theory of AgingI have started snacking on frozen cranberries. Is there a nutritional difference from fresh cranberries?I talk about the effect of cranberry processing in my video Pink Juice With Green Foam but I haven’t seen a direct fresh to frozen comparison.Thanks, I will check that out. It may answer a question I have about juicing, namely why juice at all, and instead simply eat the whole fruit.Have you seen any studies about mulberries? My kids are interested since mulberries are seen as “trash trees” in our urban setting, but my kids love them. I looked up the nutrition data and they look great, especially high in iron.I wonder where Cherry rank in this study.   I daily use a combo of frozen cherry, wild blueberry & mango in my smoothies. But I love cherry over all fruit.Is pomegranate a berry? How does it rank against cranberry, debating switching from pom juice to making your pink juice instead.I love tea and drink lots of tea. Almost every day drinking tea after the meal. From what I learned, many tea contains anti-oxidants. I want to ask, is there any side effects from my habit who like to drink tea? _John, Please see my personal site about moslem fashion called gamis batikAJeng, Only positive benefits can come from your habit so keep it up. The particular teas that are best for you include : green, black and oolong tea. Green,black, and oolong teas are high in antioxidants called flavonoids. These teas have been shown to inhibit ovarian and breast cancers. One study found that green tea was capable of suppressing cellular breast cancer and tumor progression. Tea has also been shown to decrease blood levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), thus decreasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Stick with brewed tea bags,which have more antioxidants then instant teas. Green tea has the highest amount of antioxidants giving us just another reason to enjoy warm cups of tea during your day.Cameron SeguraPlease help me dr. I have two small hot tubs at home. I am very pleased with the tubing and almost every day I do at home with his family. One of the diseases caused by the hot tub is hot tub rush. Please tell me how to prevent it?Celebrate summer by enjoying all the delicious peak of the season berries.Blackberries may have more antioxidants than strawberries but a groundbreaking new study pitted strawberries against esophageal cancer. The result? “The progression of disease was reversed in 80% of the high dose strawberry treatment [1-2 ounces a day of freeze-dried strawberries]. By the end of the study half of those on the high dose of strawberries walked away disease free.” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/ In fact, of all fruits strawberries have the highest Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) score. http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/andi-food-scores.aspxIt is important to buy organic. A test of organic strawberries versus conventional found organic berries did a superior job of blocking human cancer cell growth. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-fighting-berries-2/ Additionally, conventional strawberries were found to have the residues of 54 different pesticides http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/food.jspfood=ST and jumped to the 2nd most contaminated food from last year’s spot of fifth. Check out the 2013 list of foods to buy organic: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.phpStrawberries not your favorite? Black raspberries may result in “complete clinical regression of precancerous oral lesions.” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/What about cranberries? They were found to be the best at suppressing cancer cell growth in vitro. Lemons came in second. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/Blueberries? They were shown to improve memory. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/Conclusion: The power of berries is amazing!Wish You to Get Well Bowl– ½ cup regular rolled oats – 1 cup water – 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/ – ⅛ tsp each, ground cloves, ground ginger, nutmeg – ½ cup organic* strawberries, quartered – 1 banana, sliced – 1 small orange, peeled and chopped – 14 walnut halves – 2 tbsp flaxseed mealBring water to a boil and cook oats with spices and fruit (only if using frozen fruit). Lower heat and simmer oats to desired consistency. Add remaining ingredients to a bowl and top with cooked oats. Stir and top with a sprinkling of uncooked oats and dash cinnamon.Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline~Complements of lovestobeveganIs there a comparison of fresh Indian Gooseberries to Dog Rose Berries? How do other Gooseberries stack up? Just because these aren’t commonly sold and brought does not mean people can’t grow them. You should start making the suggestion of people growing their own instead of removing them from the equation.Are dog rose berries the same as rose hips?Hello Doctor Michael, I read your blog & it is very helpful. Right now I need your guidance to treat a cancer patient. My sister aged 55 years just one month back diagnosed for stage-4 esophageal cancer. The moment it diagnosed Doctors said it is already at last stage. After doing endoscopies, CT scan, X-rays etc Doctors said no treatment is possible as the patient condition is not healthy to go for chemoteraphy or radiation. So now the patient is at house only. We got it installed a tube in the esophagus to ease the swaollowing of food & now she can eat food. So at present no treatment is being given & the condition is deteriorating day by day. Hence I request you to advice us is there any possibilty to treat the cancer at this stage with any natural remedies. If so please inform me what we can do at this stage. That is, what are the best fruits, best dry fruits which can reverse the cancer cells at this stage. I request you to kindly help me to save my sister out from this deadly decease.Rgds,Rajanna K V email-rajannakv2000@yahoo.comI am sorry to hear you and your sister are dealing with this. I don’t know if you have viewed Dr. Greger’s video on strawberries and esophageal cancer? I will provide the link and a link to other video’s on cancer.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/strawberries-versus-esophageal-cancer/ Be sure to read the article below the video for more information.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=cancerHave you looked at Suzanne Somers’ book, “Breakthrough”? She has some recommended alternative doctors in it.Dr. Greger continues to believe that berries are healthier for us to eat than other fruits. Unfortunately, scientific studies involving real populations of real people do not agree with Dr. Greger’s claims: http://dietanddisease.blogspot.com/2012/02/berries-do-not-decrease-cancer-risk.htmlBecause berries and cherries are moderately high in tannins (and therefore, they have moderately high ORAC antioxidant scores), this strongly indicates that foods that have high ORAC antioxidant scores do not prevent cancer that well (although tannins do have other health benefits). I swallow 4,000mg of triphala tablets every day. Triphala is even higher in powerful tannin antioxidants than berries or cherries.Just a reminder that this is just antioxidant level comparison (not trivial but). If we are talking about cancer fighting, strawberries may win.How to choose the best frozen berries–and how to use them: http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/tips-picking-unseasonal-berries/Just received my order of raw organic dried gooseberries (golden berries) WOW! Deliciously bitter-sweet. Found them at Raw Food World, not to expensive.I am currently taking black currants and am considering switching to aronia berries due the increased nutritional values. However, I read on the amazon buy site that the black aronia berries taste “like dirt and ten people had very negative replies. Any one here ever tried or tasted black aronia berries. they have the highest anthocyanins per USDA site. 1430/100grams vs 478/100 grams for black currants.Hi Don. I’ve never tasted an aronia berry so not sure. I might recommend eating fresh fruit/berries and leaving the powders alone. More benefits from the whole fruit.I understand how it helps narrow the scope of the research and is most applicable to all of those who are completely dependent upon others to grow and sell them berries. BUT what about all of us who have a spot of dirt and some sunshine and are able to grow our own berries? I just learned in the comments to another video that goji berries aren’t difficult to grow. I’m interested in growing Indian Gooseberries as well as anything else that will broaden and enhance and add character my daily berry habit. Plus we all know that commercially produced plant products are generally far lower in nutritional value and FLAVOR of those grown at home or captured in the wild. That may be my bent today: research and compose a list of berries exotic or otherwise that might be grown in my area (SE US, Zone 7 I think). If anyone has a good source for this, let us know. I’ll try to report back.For the record, wild Blackberries are now ripe here, wild Raspberries have come and gone (and are my FAVORITE-the store bought kind aren’t even close). I planted Blueberries this years and will plant Strawberries next year-and maybe much more. Pawpaws and Persimmons and Mulberrys grow wild here too. I eat those as well-but of course nutritional data will ever be scarce on those.Found that “Dog Rose Berries” are more commonly known as “rosehips”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_canina These will grow here: http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ROCA3And here is the Crowberry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empetrum_nigrum Which is a nogo for my location: http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=EMNI	antioxidants,apples,bananas,berries,blackberries,blueberries,chronic diseases,cranberries,crowberries,frozen fruit,fruit,goji berries,grapes,mango,noni fruit,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,ranking foods,raspberries,strawberries	Compared to popular fruits such as apples, bananas, and mangoes, which of the hundreds of different berries tested have the most and least antioxidant power: blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, crowberries, dog rose berries, grapes, raspberries, strawberries, or Tahitian noni juice?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos on fruits and don't miss all the videos on ranking foods. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blackberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frozen-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raspberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/noni-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mango/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crowberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20080168,
PLAIN-3066	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/	Better Than Green Tea?	This new data on the antioxidant content of thousands of foods revolutionized the way my family eats. For example, you’ve known me as a veritable green tea fanatic, not because I particularly like it, but because that’s what the science said was the best thing to drink. But that was before 283 beverages were tested. I don't think I could even name 283 beverages. They tested everything from red bull, to crowberry liquor.Let me pull out a few… Water has zero antioxidants, as does Red Bull. At this scale Pepsi, Coke, and cow’s milk get a 1; glass of white wine; a cup of red tea; … black tea… green tea, red wine—7 times the antioxidant power of white, but neither as good as grape juice. Here's a shot of espresso, a cup of coffee, and matcha tea—tea made out of powdered green tea leaves, which is what I’ve been drinking.But what is this? What beverage could be better than actually eating green tea leaves? Matcha has met its match. In terms of antioxidant power, the healthiest thing to drink on the planet earth appears to be… hibiscus tea! So like red zinger blows everything else out of the water.Here’s my latest recipe. Half gallon of water—8 cups, 4 bags of tea in which hibiscus is the first ingredient—I like wild berry zinger, the juice of one lemon, and 3 Tablespoons of erythritol. I just put it in the fridge overnight. No need to heat it; it can just cold brew. In the morning I take out the tea bags, shake it up, and drink throughout the day, every day, all day long. And as always, extra credit, for green foam: pour a cup of the tea into a blender with a bunch of fresh mint leaves, blend on high, and then pour it back. So you have dark green leafies blended into what may be the highest antioxidant beverage in the world, and it tastes - like fruit punch. Your kids will love it!	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos on beverages and don’t miss all the videos on ranking foods. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!For some context see my blog post Hibiscus tea: flower power.If you can convince my wife, you are my idol! You can only guess what we have been drinking for the last two weeks! I’m surprised she want’s me to live that long ;-} And the next American Idol is. . . NutritionFacts.org and the Master, Michael Greger.I have 2 very important questions about the video on drinking hibiscus tea.. 1. this tea is known for lowering blood pressure. if a person does not have high blood pressure, or has LOW blood pressure, will drinking hibiscus lower it even more, which could be dangerous? In other words, is it safe to drink this tea if you have low blood pressure? 2. The video suggests placing the tea bags in the water overnight without using any heat. So my question is this.. Does just soaking the hibiscus tea bags in water without heating, produce the same, more or less amount of antioxidants as making tea the regular way with heated water? What about green tea… would the same answer apply? thank you and thanks for the excellent video.There’s a video on cold steep vs hot tea on this site, cold steep has more antioxidant power apparently.thank you so much for that Barbara. I did not know there was an existing video about it. I don’t understand why this news is not making headlines in health articles… from now on, it’s cold steep for me!I found your question on drinking hibiscus and the low bloood pressure but cannot find the answer of Dr. Michael Greger. Can you please share with me his reply. ThanksI don’t believe I ever heard from Dr. Greger about my question of drinking Hibiscus tea if you have low blood pressure. He is so busy he rarely answers people anymore. I believe he has people that do that for him.new ideaI just made green tea with hibiscus leaves, guess i am getting the best of both worldsand wouldn’t the acidity improve the absorption of the green tea antioxidants?Can you stop amlopidine abruptly and take hibiscus tea instead?Do you add the lemon to the hibiscus tea as a matter of personal taste or to boost antioxidant effectiveness as in the case of green and white tea (as you’ve noted in the past)? I’ve taken to using Red Zinger instead of water as the base of my blended cranberry drink–yummy! I use dried mint leaves in these drinks rather than fresh mint leaves. Is there an appreciable difference nutritionally?Great idea about the cranberry drink dgmusselman! I’m following your lead and doing the same thing with my Pink juice with green foam recipe. Looks like dried mint has only about 1% of the antioxidant power of fresh by weight, but of course fresh is about 90% water so there is a 10-fold concentration. So it’s probably about 1/10th as good based on antioxidant content.I add lemon to increase the antioxidant absorption and as a matter of personal taste see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/green-tea-vs-white/ Either dry or fresh would add nutritionally but fresh is generally best although how plant products are prepared or cooked can make a difference see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/.I wanted to know the actual number of antioxidants for the hibiscus tea to see how much higher it is than matcha tea. I couldn’t read the number in the video. When I click on the link for “Source Cited”, I didn’t see hibiscus on the report (though I admit that I skimmed it pretty quickly).I have the DVD for this, so I can probably get the number myself. I just thought I would ask here, because I figure I will not be the only one with this question.I second your question to Dr. Greger.I have downloaded the document and the highest value I found was for Sangre de grado (Dragons Blood). I haven’t seen hibiscus anywhere in this document.If you look through the comments you’ll see the question’s been answered a bunch of times (that’s why I put Jamaica flower in parentheses in the subtitle above). Hibiscus tea is also known as “Agua de Flor de Jamaica,” agua de Jamaica or rosa de Jamaica.Thanks for the heads up…I noticed it a bit later when reading on. :)Hey Dr. Greger ,What do the studies show about “Hibiscus Sabdariffa –commonly known in Jamiaca as “sorrel” and one of the favourite drinks to have during Chirstmas time. http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20020325/cleisure/cleisure1.htmlAlso, after seeing Dr. Greger’s other videos on matcha, I did some research on it and tried to buy some. The research turned up various levels of quality of matcha, which I found a bit daunting. Which one should I get. Then when I tried to just go out and buy some, I wasn’t able to find just “matcha” tea. I found lots of tea bags that claimed to have matcha in it, but the matcha was always the last ingredient, and I suspect the amount actually present is microscopic.So, can someone recommend a product from a mainstream American store? Or (maybe even better) recommend a specific website and product for matchs tea? I’d like to try it, but I don’t want to waste money. I’d love to get a recommendation.ThanksYou can find matcha at the tea stores that have popped up in malls over the last few years, but it’s usually really overpriced and bitter and stale. I found the best matcha through a recommendation on chowhound.com for a farm in Japan called Hibiki-an which ships directly to you. Hibiki-an.com.BarbaraH: Thanks so much for the matcha tip!Zen Tea has it! eZenTea.com 678 547 0877 Atlanta, GAFinally, this video is awesome and I particularly appreciate that Dr. Greger not only gave us the scientific info, but his latest recipe.My question is a bit of push-back on the effectiveness of drinking the zinger teas mentioned in the video vs green tea. My thoughts are: green tea is usually all green tea or green tea with some flavoring. All the hibiscus teas that I have seen have hibiscus listed as only one of many ingredients and often not even the first ingredient. Did the study look at the antioxidant levels of real-life hibiscus tea or only pure 100% hibiscus?My point is: depending on how much hibiscus is really in the tea, I wonder if in practice, drinking green tea (or matcha) might still give one the most antioxidants. Perhaps? hibiscus tea is merely a flavor alternative rather than a dramatically superior antioxidant option? Just wondering.If you want 100% Hibiscus tea, go to your local Mexican or Asian Market and there you can find large bags of the dark purple colored flowers for a couple dollars. It is called Jamaica in the Mexican markets. Steep like you would any loose tea, and you can eat the cooked flowers too :) I’m sure if you wanted you could grind up the dried flowers into a sort of “hibiscus matcha” tea as well. In fact, I’m going to try that in a smoothie of acai, goji berries, blueberries, strawberries, date sugar, flax and hibiscus “matcha”. (:livetodiscover: Thanks for the tips on getting 100% hibiscus. Much appreciated!I hope your smoothie was delicious. I don’t think it could possibly be any healthier!I ended up making a smoothie with banana, frozen strawberries and blueberries, ground flax, non-dairy milk, erythritol, and ground hibiscus. It was great! (I didn’t have any acai or goji berries at the moment-time for a trip to the store!)The way I ground the hibiscus was with a mortar and pestle then sifted out until I got a fine powder. It took a little time, I’m sure with some sort of electric grinder it would work much better. Being in the military I don’t have room for too many gadgets; but if you do, more POWER to you! (excuse my pun) I’m sure an electric spice grinder would work great! I found the ground hibiscus ads well to smoothies or to powdered healthy drink mixes. Cold brewed “Agua de Jamaica” works great too. Pretty much the same recipe as Dr. Greger explains on the video but use the powdered Hibiscus; brew it, shake it up, and drink it all. (I haven’t tried it with the lemon yet) Good luck! :)livetodiscover: Thanks again for the second update. I love how you found a way to make it work without a bunch of silly gadgets. Me, I love the gadgets and I don’t have space problems. So, I also appreciated the idea of using the coffee grinder. I don’t drink coffee, but I have a grinder to grind my flax seed.This sounds like a fantastic drink, and I plan to make it. Just wondering, though, to what extent do antioxidant compounds survive the digestion process and how do they ultimately affect the body? Are there studies that indicate differences in people who consume high levels of antioxidants versus those who don’t—all other factors controlled for?ThanksAn FYI. My mother used to take Lasinopril (sp?) for high blood pressure. It gave her a terrible dry cough and she quit taking it. Then I read hibiscus tea was good for high blood pressure and bought her tea where hibiscus was the 2nd ingredient. Then one day I found one where it was all hibiscus tea and bought that. It made her dry cough come back (so the active ingredient in lasinopril must come from hibiscus). Anyway, if you develop an unknown cough, it could be from the hibiscus tea.cbetter: So interesting. Thanks for sharing! I hope you find a remedy for your mom that addresses the high blood pressure without the coughing.The mechanism of action for the blood pressure lowering effect of hibiscus tea does appear to be the same (at least in part) as that very drug. Both hibiscus and lisinopril act to inhibit an enzyme called ACE. When our kidneys detect a drop in blood pressure they release an enzyme called renin into our bloodstream which converts a protein secreted by our liver into something called angiotensin I which in our lungs is converted into angiotensin II by our angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). That angiotensin II then acts to constrict our arteries and boost our blood pressure–isn’t our body neat? Anyway, lisinopril (and the anthocyanin phytonutrients that so brilliantly color hibiscus flowers) inhibits ACE, preventing the formation of angiotensin II and subsequent rise in blood pressure. But that’s not all ACE does; it also degrades bradykinins, which can increase cough reflex sensitivity. So that’s the reason ACE inhibiting drugs may cause coughing in up to a third of users and it makes sense that hibiscus could cause a similar reaction. So there’s definitely science to back up your intuition cbetter–thanks so much for sharing (and letting me geek out on physiology :). If you do develop a chronic cough on hibiscus, please stop drinking it.I just finished reading the cited study and the antioxidant tabel for the 3139 tested food stuffs, nowhere can I find any references to hibiscus. Where do you derive the antioxidant values for hibiscus from? Kind regards SebastianSebastian,I have essentially the same question as you. I think I made some progress in finding answers. The article only summarizes a subset of the values. There is a supplementary file for this article that gives the complete listing for all of the 3100 items: http://www.nutritionj.com/content/supplementary/1475-2891-9-3-s1.pdfAlthough there was no entry for “Hibiscus”, according to Wikipedia an equivalent name is “Tea, flor de Jamaica”, which was listed and provided 6.99 mmol/100g. To convert to the units given in Dr. Greger’s video, I assume that he means that a serving is 1 cup or 250 mL of tea. Therefore, if density of tea is 1 g / ml, I can convert 6.99 mmol/100g to 175 on his scale (which is in units of 0.1 mmol/serving). However, his chart gives 132 for presumably the same item.Additionally, matcha tea is not clearly listed … though “Tea, green (pink) powder” gives an enormous value of 1347.83 mmol/100g, leaving me even more puzzled.Until these issues are resolved, I am unconvinced by the argument presented in this video.BCPveg, Thanks you for your input, I remain just as confused as you. I sincerely hope Dr Greger will clarify the values for us.I am also interested in seeing where these recommendations really come from.Thanks for clarifying the flor de Jamaica for Sebastian–imagine how excited I was when I saw that it was actually something folks could actually get (and in bulk no less)! Now you just have to do some detective work and find that pink tea for us :). I had to go elsewhere for the matcha. I looked at a bunch of sources; This the most recent I found: Draženka Komes, , Dunja Horžić, Ana Belščak, Karin Kovačević Ganić, Ivana Vulić. Green tea preparation and its influence on the content of bioactive compounds. Food Research International Volume 43, Issue 1, January 2010, Pages 167–176 (I added it up to the sources section). Once I learned that flor de Jamaica was just hibiscus tea I dug up as many hibiscus studies as I( could find so I could I could arrive at a mean value, but it came pretty close to what Carlsen et al. came up with.Thanks for your response, Dr. Greger. It’s funny how such a comprehensive study on antioxidants by Carlsen et al, did not provide a value for matcha tea. Though I appreciate that you used a mean value for hibiscus. And it sounds like the difference between using matcha or hibiscus is not so great when one considers all possible sources of variability.I think the pink tea is a product made by green teahp.They have a web site-www.greenteahp.com.They have 36 flavors and one is pink.I’m wondering what dr. Greger thinks of this product? I just made a similar comment.  Tea, leaves, fresh  gets 26.55 and Tea, instant, dry powder,  unsweetened  gets 165.86 very confusing.  maybe powder is more concentrated.  help explaining figure would be helpful ; -)In some Spanish speaking countries, hibiscus is called “flor de Jamaica’ (Hibiscus Flower). For tea its ‘te de Jamaica’ ( Hibiscus Tea ).Great post! Thanks Dr. Greger. My new daily drink.You can get matcha tea and hibiscus tea from rishi-tea.com. The have 100% hisbiscus. Just a warning – matcha is very expensive. If there’s a Whole Foods near you, they carry Rishi, but don’t have a huge variety. There’s also a great independent tea shop called Tea Trekker in Northhampton, MA. They are extremely knowlegeable about tea (no herbals) and will ship. The owners wrote a very informative book called “The Tea Enthusiast’s Handbook”.Hi Dr Greger I have read in a magazine that there are several types of vitamin K. According to the article: – Vitamin K1 is found in vegetables. – Vitamin K2 mk7 is found in meat, fish and eggs. The article also said that Vitamin K1 is stored in the liver for only one hour, time not enough to perform all its tasks. On the contrary, vitamin k2 mk7 would stay in the liver for the whole day. So my question is: should vegetarians take supplements of vitamin k2 mk7 (created from natto) ? ThanksNot sure what magazine you were reading, but the scientific consensus is that either one (menaquinone or phylloquinone, formerly K1 and K2) is fine for maintaining human vitamin K status. The recommended intake is about 100 mcg. A half cup of kale? >500. No need for natto; just eat your greens. In fact dark green leafies are so packed with vitamin K that if you’re on the drug coumadin (warfarin), a drug that works by poisoning vitamin K metabolism, you have to closely work with your physician to titrate the dose to your greens intake so as to not undermine the drug’s effectiveness!Hi again I’m checking in internet hibiscus tea. I have found two possibilities: tea made from leaf or tea made from the flower. Which one is the right one? ThanksDoes maximizing antioxidant consumption necessarily lead to better health?Definitely! The more antioxidants we have the better we can protect and repair our DNA and considering that our cells are under thousands of different superoxide attacks each day, it is crucial to have a big supply of antioxidants. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/repairing-dna-damage/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging Also, we cant max out on antioxidants so this is a plus! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/Toxins: Great reply. (as are most of your replies) BCPveg had a very good, thinking question. I’ve seen versions of this question posted on this site in various places. I haven’t had a good response. Now, (if only I can remember where this post is), I will simply point people to your post. Thanks!Thanks, Toxins, for your excellent response!I’ve noticed that when I drink hibiscus teas during spring and fall allergy seasons my allergies are exacerbated by the tea. Has anyone else found this?FYI – Orange zinger tea, my favorite of the zingers, lists hibiscus as the first ingredient. I usually find it at Vons or Safeway; I’m not sure why the orange is not stocked as widely as the other flavors.Lisa: I’m not a doctor, and I don’t know if this reply will help or not. But I wonder if you saw Dr. Greger’s note above concerning hibiscus and coughing? Maybe your allergies feel worse for the same reason that the person above started coughing more when drinking hibiscus?????Thanks for the tip on the orange zinger. I’m going to look for it.Michael,Excellent video as always. I like the fact that hibiscus has no caffeine. I’m using 1 quart of water, 3 tablespoons of crushed hibiscus flower (9 grams), 1 tablespoon of ginger juice, 1/2 lime, & 1/4 cup of z-sweet cold steeped. It’s adapted from a recipe in Going Raw by Judita Wignall. Her’s is similar except 1/3 cup honey for the z-sweet (nope) and a little too much ginger juice for my liking.I’m organic hibiscus leaves from Amazon for $12.90 per lb. I dry blend them into powder in my Blendtec and store them in Pyrex glassware in 4 ounce batches. I make the ginger juice in my juicer on a per batch basis since it is perishable.PaulIs comparing 6.99 mmol/100g for “Tea, flor de Jamaica” with 0.72 mmol/100g for “Juice, fruits with pomegranate” the same as comparing apples with apples? Ten times the antioxidants? If so, I’ll quit buying the expensive mail-order FruitFast Wonderful Pomogranate concentrate and buy the relatively cheap Celestial Seasons Zingers!EGCG is often cited as the leading cancer-fighting component of green tea. How do the EGCG levels of green and hibiscus compare?Though hibiscus has more antioxidant power, green tea still has unique phytonutrients found nearly nowhere else. See my video Dietary Brain Wave Alteration.According to the USDA Database, an 8 fl oz (237g) serving of hibiscus tea has 20.48 mg of Iron, while the RDA for a male is 8 mg with an upper limit of 45 mg. Furthermore, apparently the Vitamin C in the drink itself or added to increase the antioxidant content tends to increase the absorption of Iron by the body.Will a few glasses of hibiscus tea a day be a few too many from the perspective of potentially developing an Iron Overdose, and especially in males?I love the USDA Nutrient Database! (accessible here). That’s where the data for videos like The Best Nut, The Best Bean, and The Best Apple came from. I can see how you could get confused, though. I know it says “fluid ounce” but they’re just multiplying their 100 g portion by 2.37. So what they’re referring to is 237 grams of the dried bulk petals (the ash and fiber content can tip you off). So even if you chew and swallow the hibiscus flowers after you drink your tea (or do what I do: blend them in with a high speed blender), it would take about 400 cups to reach that 20 mg, so no need to worry!I think you raise a valid issue. Assuming an average cup is 4 ounces, you’d need 4 to hit the threshold or two if it’s a large cup. Three thoughts.1. If it is non-heme iron and you hot steep it, some of the vitamin C that helps absorption will be destroyed. and the bioavailability of the iron will be lower than heme iron found in meat and animal products. I don’t know what tolerable upper limit is based on, but I assume its heme iron. Of course if it is cold steeped like Michael suggests that’s a different matter.2. At least in red zinger tea, the hibiscus is an ingredient in a medley meaning that the hibiscus loading is less than if you were drinking straight 100 percent hibiscus tea.3. finally, the definition of the IOM about what constitutes a tolerable upper limit is the lowest level at which a food can be consumed without negative side effects. I’d want to know what the side effects are and how serious to adjust my intake.That said Pat, I think you raise a valid issue. Perhaps 1 to 2 cups of pure hibiscus tea or 3 to 4 of red zinger could be prudent. Good catch!PaulThanks for your reply Paul! Check out my note to Pat above.Thanks Michael. Do we know if theanine content of green tea is affected by the decaffinating process?PaulLike JMS, above, I wonder what is the ECGC content of hibiscus. Matcha is extremely high in ECGC — 10 times a high compared to regular green tea. How much does hibiscus have? And, to my knowledge, matcha is the only food that contains L-Theanine (the amino acid that helps one feel relaxed yet energized). I will continue to drink matcha tea but will also add hibiscus tea to my diet. Sometimes I need to remind myself that it does not need to be “this not that” but instead “this PLUS that.”I’m with you! (great michaels think alike :)I love Red Zinger style teas but I had been avoiding them because I haven’t been able to find a brand that doesn’t contain ‘natural flavors’. (I ran out of my bag of hibiscus flowers and haven’t been able to find more). What are your thoughts on ‘natural flavors’ in general?The exact definition of natural flavorings & flavors from Title 21, Section 101, part 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations is as follows:”The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.” In other words, natural flavors can be pretty much anything approved for use in food. Since these are typically considered “proprietary information” it can be difficult to find out what is in each product. By eating whole foods you avoid things with labels and hence avoid products with natural flavorings. When you cook you control the spices that you add so you know exactly what is in the food. Looking at the big picture the ingredients are a small part of the problem. More of a problem are the various sugars, fats and animal products listed above natural products on the labels and the tricks the food processing industry uses to hide these… like “Zero percent fat” in sprays that contain 100% oil… check out the number of servings on the back of those products. Of course, that doesn’t make them bad products. The point is it is hard to get to the “truth” of what is in products. Personally I use products like Red Zinger realizing the benefits probably outweigh the risks… it is a confusing world out there. Nutritionfacts.org helps us chart the best course possible so stay tuned… You never know when someone will do a study on natural flavors. Congratulations on paying attention to labels. The best advice on reading labels that I have seen is Jeff Novicks DVD entitled, “Should I eat This” available through his website… although he doesn’t get into natural flavorings but more about fats and sugars. Hope these comments are helpful.That’s 3 Tbs of what? erithritol? I played this over and over but can’t make out what that is. It’s in dates?Thanks.Dr. Greger said 3 Tbs of erythritol or you can blend in some dates.Could you please advise if hibiscus tea have the same effect as green and black tea, preventing the absorption of the calcium.Hey! Here is a great means of getting several beneficial ingredients into 1 serving of food rather than the tea. In an equivalent half cup of water (You can use a tall baby food bottle with a cap to be able to shake it) add 1/2 teaspoon of Konjac powder, which has many benefits you can read about on their website (http://www.konjacfoods.com/) a dozen Goji berries and 1/2 teaspoon of Hibiscus flowers that can be bought in many health food stores in their organic bulk spice/herb section and a cap full of freshly blended lemon water. Finally, add a teaspoon of pre soaked Chia seed that helps your body retain the liquid and releases its carbs slowly assisting the Konjac powder that’s mostly soluble fiber to amplify the slowing of sugar assimilation . It comes out like a Jello that is a super antioxidant mixture and great for kids, I don’t add any sweetener due to the sweetness of the Goji Berries but you decide…In my humble opinion, any artificial sweetener you may use tries to fool the body but you can’t fool your body, it will later say Hey! I want some real sugar so you end up craving and eating a typical high fat/sugar product that defeats the whole purpose…peaceFrom what I have researched of konjac, the only credible information i can find is that it is a good source of fiber, but i fail to see any other benefits from this root. I prefer not to use your website as a source since it sells this product, and they can glamor the “science” however they please.The emphasis on the website is on “soluble” fiber. Soluble fiber is abundant in the plant supply, just look at oats, barley, almost all fruits, and many vegetables. They are rich sources of soluble and insoluble fiber.This root seems like an overhyped marketing ploy to me.Dear Mr Toxins,I apologize but even though it looks like I was trying to promote Konjac I was really trying to relate what a good medium it is for making a healthy snack because of its Jello like gelatinous properties. I’m accustomed to making green smoothies every morning and found myself getting hungry about 1-2 hours after consuming them. I recently learned from Nutritionist Jeff Novick that when you blend foods that are supposedly high in fiber, you lose the benefit of the fiber when you blend the food, reason being is that food in its natural state has fibrous branches that do their work when consumed by simply chewing them but blending the food breaks up those branches into microscopic particles and you lose the effect to a large degree. So when I saw this video on Hibiscus, I had a brainstorm on a snack that was less in carbs and fat and more on a filling high fiber meal that that not only works but is high in antioxidants. However, I know enough about this substance because I do, do the research and am aware that for all its purported benefits, it has some issues, I purposely don’t make it too thick because of possible choking or lower intestinal blockage after consuming it. I haven’t experienced any of the noted possible side affects. Just because a website claims health benefits doesn’t mean they’re not true. Here is some information for your review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14983741 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1966003 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14993586 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12569112 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18842808Thanks for the clarification.Dear Dr. Greger, I am drinking hibiscus tea, which is cool. But this question is about: Valerian root tea, which I didn’t find on your website. I am taking valerian root as a tea — 1 tsp. steeped for 20 minutes in hot water — just before bed for staying asleep. I have been using it for about four days and have been getting amazing results — being able to sleep 5 to 7 1/2 hours per night and waking up rested and not groggy. I have three questions and seem to get different answers on the web and from where I purchased it. 1) Users are supposed to “take a break from using it.” Please let me know how long of a break. 2) One site says that if you have been using it for a long time you can experience withdrawal symptoms such as: headache, insomnia, racing heart, general grouchiness and depression. How does one avoid those unwanted withdrawal symptoms, if one takes a break from using it? 3) Is valerian root tea safe? Thank you. –AliceI’m confused. I went to Amazon.com to buy Matcha Tea and there’s a comment on there that Hunmatsu-Ryokucha is the tea with health benefits and Matcha tea is a ceremonial tea – it doesn’t have high nutritional value. The commenter seemed to know what he was talking about : http://tinyurl.com/7unusbpI would trust what the science says over an informative comment. Check out this video on specifically matcha, which are powdered green tea leaves. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-matcha-good-for-youActually I think the comment on Amazon is valid, although it’s a question of degree, and of which nutrients you’re looking for. I doubt that Matcha is completely devoid of nutrition, but it does have fewer EGCG’s (the cancer fighting catechin) than Sencha. Shade grown teas have less EGCG’s than teas that have been exposed to sunshine. Matcha is kept in the shade for about a month before harvest, thus reducing the amount of EGCG’s compared to a tea like Sencha, which is grown in the sun.This, from http://greentealovers.com/greenteahealthcatechin.htm:“The amount of catechin tends to increase as the season progresses. Spring tea (first crop) contains 12-13% catechin (13-17% as tannin) while summer tea (third crop) contains 13-14% (17-21% as tannin). If leaf order is compared, younger leaves include more catechin than mature ones. First leaves contain 14%, second 13%, third 12%, and fourth 12%. This explains why second and third crop summer teas are more astringent while Bancha is less so. Gyokuro green tea, whose leaves are covered during growth, contains less catechin and astringency (10% as tannin) because it gets less sunshine then Sencha.”I buy my matcha from Hibiki-an.com. Here is what they say about their matcha: “Our House Matcha is Ichibancha, the first tea harvest of the year, like all our teas, and is carefully grown in the shade for 20 to 30 days before harvest…”And here is what they say about their sencha: “Sencha contains more of the beneficial nutrient Catechin than other green teas, because it is grown in full sunlight, thus it becomes yellow-green in color.”I also have found the same information in a book called “Foods to Fight Cancer”, by Richard Beliveau, Ph.D. and Denis Gingras, Ph.D. I think they look reasonably trustworthy. http://www.amazon.com/Foods-That-Fight-Cancer-Preventing/dp/0771011350 (Beliveau holds the Chair in the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer at the Université du Québec à Montréal, where he is a professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. Dr. Béliveau is the director of the Molecular Medicine Laboratory of UQAMHôpital Sainte-Justine (Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau).They also say that in general, green teas from China have less EGCG’s than teas from Japan. And they rank teas from Japan from least EGCG’s to most EGCG’s and Matcha has the least and Sencha has the most.Much ado about tea!!BarbaraCan you give me any insights to Pu erh Tea? I drink lots of it, and have done for years. There are two varieties, the more common of which is the cooked variety which is fairly processed and far from natural. I personally drink the “raw” variety, which apart from sun drying and packing processes is completely natural, to my current understanding. I believe it can be classified as green tea. My question is, how does it rate vs. Matcha, or any other variety of green tea? And do you believe it falls into the “good for me” category, or am I somewhat deluded?One major problem I see is most of the Hibiscus teas have “Natural Flavors” which are anything but natural, it’s a lot of junk. Comment(s)?Green tea has nothing ,this is just marketing!!! You can take more anti oxidan via vegtables(Carrot and……….) You can see that how bad is Greentea for IronI keep a pot of Green/White Chai Tea with Hibiscus in the ‘fridge and use it as the liquid in my morning oatmeal. Because of your videos, I also add a handful of mixed nuts and dried fruit, to include dried Goji Berries. I also sprinkle it with Clove, Cinnamon, Allspice, Ginger, and Nutmeg. Its delicious and loaded with antioxidants!Sounds great, I’d like to add it to my diet. BUT as far as I understood from the discussion below, hibiscus tea lowers blood pressure. Is this true? If so, is it also recommended for people (like me) with sometimes rather low blood pressure levels, I could hardly benefit from something that makes it even lower???The benefits of cold brewing “tea” tea were pointed out in another video. I’m wondering if there are documented benefits to cold brewing hibiscus tea, or if he is just assuming there would be. I prefer making it this way, but if it was tested brewed hot then why assume cold would be as good if not better, when it is a completely different plant. Just wondering.What is erythritol?Erythritol is considered the healthier of the “zero calorie” sweeteners. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/Thank you for your reply.  Is it made from a chemical or a plant?  If you view the linked video, you will find that it is derived from fruitsThank you so much Dr. Greger. Today I blended a Hibiscus/Matcha tea soda using my Soda Stream because I love the idea of bathing my organs in antioxidants all day AND promoting alpha brain waves at the same time.  You ROCK!Whoa!Do you by any chance post recipes somewhere as it is difficult to jot down recipes as fast as you talk and would really like to try them….Are there any studies on dehydrated food?  I love dehydrated kale but found that it is hard on the intestinal tract if too many dehydrated foods are eaten…and I doubt that they are as nutrient dense since they lack water and possibly other nutrients that go with the water.I’m trying to make a great antioxidant herbal tea… and from what I have gathered from your tea videos…I have been making cold-brewed white tea with lemon, a hibiscus infusion (Red Zinger) with added peppermint and Chai spices (clove, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg).Anything missing? Maybe matcha?Also, if you brew or store tea (or any antioxidant beverage) in a plastic container, do the antioxidants interact with the phthlates to reduce their harm or do they draw them out of the plastic increasing your exposure?Just as amla can be found cheaper at an Indian market, or goji berries less expensive at an Asian market, so hibiscus (ie Jamaica) can be found in bulk in any hispanic market in the produce section.My wife who was born and raised in Mexico was thrilled to discover that “Agua de Jamaica” which she has been drinking all he life (and serving to us) because it’s so cheap, is really good for you.Thanks Doc!smart wife!I made this tea and it is wonderful!!  I actually used aguave nectar that I had.  What else could you substitute if you didn’t have the sweeteners you suggested? I just discovered that Fresh & Easy sells 20-pack *hibiscus herbal tea* for $2.49 a box. That’s what I call affordable health care.Vegan4life…and Wal-Mart sells the Red Zinger hibiscus berry flavor shown in Doc’s video here for $2.09 per box of 20.  I like blending it with Trader Joe’s organic green tea and fresh lemon! @3fd05b9e7e2d88cf66d79dbaf868f2b7:disqus You posted a video in 2011 stating that dandelion tea has the most antioxidants of herbal teas with no mention of hibiscus.But there is no mention of dandelion tea in this video.So which is better?Green tea (pink powder) is clearly the winner based on the research you cited.  It’s antioxidant content was 1347.83http://www.nutritionj.com/content/supplementary/1475-2891-9-3-s1.pdfFlor de Jamaica (Hibiscus Tea) is only 6.99 Please explain why you think hibiscus is a higher antioxidant beverageThanksAfter two months, I guess we won’t get answer on thisPlease see my above response to darkcity a month ago.Hi Dr. Gregor,Thank you so much for this recipe. I write a food blog where I conduct amateur cooking experiments at my home, and I decided to put your fruit punch to the test, asking “does this really taste like fruit punch?”  I wrote all about it, citing your blog.  http://obedientingredients.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/antioxidant-fruit-punch/ Thanks again.CUTE blog! I have been drinking “Dragon’s Well” (LongJin) green tea for the past 10 years (about 10-12 cups per day), I just love the taste of it and how I feel after 2 or 3 cups.  I should also mention that I remove the caffeine when I steep it. Wondering if there is any substantial antioxidant content among different varieties of green tea. Misworded my question: it should say:  Is there any substantial antioxidant content difference between different varieties of green tea?Ok, I’ve read all sources cited and I cannot find any information on Hibiscus other than the mention of it in the first study, which clearly states it is not a potent as green tea. I am not alone in my confusion I see by the comments.Dried bulk Hibiscus flowers are inexpensive (a lot less than tea bags).  Like coffee but concerned about raising blood pressure? Grind some Hibiscus with your beans.  Or better yet, for maximum effect of this überflower, toss a few flowers into your green smoothie concoction – gotta have higher impact than water extraction. Dried bulk Hibiscus flowers are inexpensive (a lot less than tea bags).  Like coffee but concerned about raising blood pressure? Grind some Hibiscus with your beans.  Or better yet, for maximum effect of this überflower, toss a few flowers into your green smoothie concoction – gotta have higher impact than water extraction. So which is better hibiscus tea or chai tea?  You have 2 different videos saying they are the healthiest beverage.Whichever one you’ll drink the most of! The tannins in tea started upsetting my stomach for some reason so I switch to hibiscus, but I certainly as losing out on all those tea plant specific goodies: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/teaThe Wild Berry Zinger in this video is not organic.  I’m surprised that Dr. Greger drinks non-organic tea.  Do you think pesticides in tea are a problem?  I even worry about dioxin in the bleached paper tea bag, so I cut it open and dump the leaves into hot water, then strain it.See my latest recipe: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-do-you-drink-dr-greger/As someone with a high risk of breast cancer (per a stong family history as well as an incidence of DCIS), I am very concerned about identifying whether a particular food or beverage has estrogenic qualities.  I try to eat in a way that does not encourage the production of estrogen–i.e., avoiding foods identified as “estrogenic.”  (The DCIS tumor, which I had removed six yeas ago,  was estrogen positive.)  I read that Hibiscus does encourage estrogen production (cannot remember the exact source).  Do you have any information on this? I also have a large goiter and so have had to cut my intake of soy and raw greens in the cabbage family because they are goitrogens.  I have been wondering if the Matcha tea that I now drink every morning is made from raw tea leaves and, hence, “goitrogenic,” or does the hot water in which it’s mixed negate that effect?These two concerns have complicated my food selection process.  Of course, having become totally vegan over three years ago, I believe that I have substantially cut my cancer risk (and have certainly improved my overall health), and that is heartening. Still the BC and thyroid concerns are ones with which I have to deal, and I could use any information you can provide.I find your website very helpful.  It helps me stay “on track” with my still “new” diet and lifestyle.I’m having difficulty referencing this for wikipedia.  Table 2 (excerpt) doesn’t mention Hibiscus.  In the extra documents, Table 2 (full) has   Tea, Flor de Jamaica, prepared — 6.99 (mmol/100g)I assume this is Jamaica flower – Hibiscus? Also, did you not mention the following because of availability?-Tea, Combe Tea, dried  — 57.57 (mmol/100g) Tea, green, (pink) powder — 1347.83  (mmol/100g) ???Maybe you can further explain the figures.Note the difference between prepared (including the water weight) and the dried powder.Antioxidant ..Green Tea I was told to discontinue as it effected my hypertension medication. I stopped any my pressure decreased and was back to behaving.  Would hibiscus tea have the same effect with my medication ?Elizabeth, the likeliest culprit is the caffeine in green tea. The Mayo Clinic says that there are about 24 to 40mg of caffeine in green tea (vs. 95 to 200mg in coffee), which can be enough to affect you. Also, depending on the type of medication you take, the caffeine could interact with it, making it less effective. Hibiscus tea, however, does not contain caffeine, and can possibly help lower blood pressure. That being said, though, it also can interact with some medications, so it’s best to consult your personal physician to ensure that hibiscus wouldn’t put you at risk of disrupting your meds. Best of luck!I would like to print your beautiful color chart on the beverages in the Antioxidant Food Table for my family; is there any way that I could do this?I read quite a bit about consuming too many anti-oxidants and this causing them to actually contribute to the oxidation process. What are your thoughts on over-consumption of anti-oxidants?If pasteurization kills probiotics in yogurt, will drinking hot liquids like tea and coffee kill the good bacteria in my stomach?The bacteria are not found in your stomach, but in your intestines.The warm liquid should not affect the bacteria once it enters your intestines as I am sure you are not drinking boiling water, and even so, it would cool in your stomach.Dear Dr Greger,Thank you for the gorgeous, lovingly made, humorous information that you provide so faithfully.As an ideologically lonely mum of one raising a healthy little vegan girl, you have been a source of assurance, confidence and inspiration! I also have a lot to learn, and you are helping me.Can you answer a query about tea? I do love my tea. Afraid I really mostly get on with black tea, though I dabble in other hues! My question is this-try as I might, I cannot deny that I really like my black tea with a good slug of soy milk. I can’t help it. It is something I look forward to! Am I totally negating all the tea’s benefits this way? What if I had a couple sips, then added my plant milk? Any good?! We follow a mostly wholefood diet free from any refined sugars, and love it – yet this little thing I really struggle with giving up!I would be so grateful for your comments.With sincere best wishes.Abi HardyI would not worry about adding the soy milk to your tea. The rest of your diet is particularly healthy, and I am sure adding the soymilk to your tea does not pose any negative health detriments. I say keep adding the soymilk!Maybe an even better way to get your Hibiscus is to place dried Hibiscus flowers into the blender (for example I use Davidson’s Tea Bulk, Herb Pure Org Hibiscus Flowers, 16-Ounce Bag). It’s about 1/10 the cost per oz than tea bags and it’s whole plant, so got to be better, right? BTW I’m taking this approach generally no water extracted food – I even “eat” my coffee (put the beans in the smoothie).You read my mind! See: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-do-you-drink-dr-greger/Overdosing on Antioxidants’http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1246542/Eating-superfoods-harm-health-overdosing-antioxidants.htmlOverdosing on anti-oxidantshttp://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=143This says anti oxidant supplements could be bad, but not those found in whole food sources.Overdosing on anti-oxidantshttp://whfoods.org/genpage.php…This says anti oxidant supplements could be bad, but not those found in whole food sources.Dr. Greger,You’ve unlocked the secrets of Mexico….I remember going to Mexico City when I was a kid to visit my Grandmother and there would always be “Agua de Jamaica,” which is essentially cold hibiscus too like you make (but with a lot of sugar).Great stuff!FernandoSmart grandma! I learned a bunch from mine as well (if you haven’t already, see my video Resuscitating Medicare).Hello Dr. Gregor, I drink Hibiscus tea every day now and love it, used to drink green tea. Is there any problem making a mix of hibiscus and earl grey (black tea)? I mix them in the morning to wake up, and drink it through out the day, the mix of both. Thank you very much.There should be no problem combining them. However you can overdo anything even as water(water intoxication) or green tea(fluoride) see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/.Dear Dr. Greger,I was interested in your take on this article in Scientific American about studies that are questioning the harmfulness of free radicals and the importance of antioxidants. Apparently it’s more complicated than free radicals = bad and antioxidants = good. Since you’re all about consuming the maximum amount of antioxidants that you can, I thought you’d want to read this:http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-free-radical-theory-of-aging-deadwhat are the 3 spoons you put in? how you i found it? i dont know how you spell it..If you click on “Transcript” above (or under any video) you’ll see the whole thing written out!Is hibiscus tea too acid for the body. I try not to eat foods that lower my body pH.Is it bad to use raw unprocessed honey in these drinks?I drink this tea everyday. I love it! I use the Wild Berry Zinger. Instead of lemon, I use the juice and partial rind of a lime. I don’t use any sweetener and I like it that way. One day it tasted a bit too tart so I added some canned (not from concentrate) pineapple juice to sweeten it up a bit. It turned the drink purple. I repeated it another time and it turned purple again. I am curious to know what made this happen.Hibiscus sounds very healthy but I’m unclear about its effect on estrogen. Some internet sources say it increases estrogen and equally other sources say it reduces it. If it increases estrogen my concern is it may encourage the growth of some types of cancer. Any clarify on the topic?I use xylitol..is this pretty much the same as Erythritol?? is one better than the other?..let me know…Thanksfor the great info! cant wait to get some hibisus tea..to drink and use topically! :)Xylitol can have a diuretic effect as it draws water out of the large intestines which can lead to dehydration and diarrhea. Erythritol is a better choice.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/However Xylitol mixed with cinnamon and clove is great for brushing teeth. It does not kill plaque germs but prevents them from sticking leading to hard tarter around gum line. Also over time it changes the flora of the mouth to a healthy flora which never produces bad breath, even in the morning.Roberta: Do you mix it all with water to form a paste? Or how to you do it?What is the point of the cinnamon and the cloves? Just for taste? Do you have any evidence that brushing something as abrasive (in my opinion) as cloves against teeth and gums does no harm? Have you researched this?I’m asking because I’m very interested in this idea. I’m just exercising judicial (to me) caution by asking questions.Thanks for your thoughts.Dr. Greger – You didn’t elaborate on limiting consumption in pregnant women. I’m currently 8 months pregnant and my doula gave my a recipe for a pregnancy blend tea, to drink plenty of, everyday (which I have been), which calls for a handful of hibiscus flowers. Also, can you confirm: I’ve read hibiscus flowers contain a good amount of vitamin C, would that be the same/similar as antioxidants? Do you think it matters to try to obtain organic hibiscus flowers? I get mine from the Mexican produce markets in town and I’m pretty sure they are not organic. ThanksAll of the antioxidants you’ve been drinking in Red Zinger (made by Celestial Seasonings) is probably being cancelled out by the dangerously high levels of pesticides found in Celestial Seasonings Tea.http://www.honeycolony.com/article/dangerously-high-pesticide-levels-in-brand-name-tea/For anyone in need of a source, I quickly found organic hibiscus tea (with just one ingredient: hibiscus tea leaves) on amazon.com at a great price: 100 tea bags for $12. The brand is Davidson’s Tea.Organic?What about Chaga Tea?When left out exposed to the air, in the refrigerator or otherwise, does the good stuff, maybe the antioxidants, oxidize and lose its usefulness?Dr. Greger,Do you know if there’s any relation of Hibiscus to Ragweed? There are two sites that say you should avoid Hibiscus tea and Chamomile tea if you’re allergic to ragweed. They also talked about other foods to avoid for ragweed allergy but when I tried to google about a specific relationship to Hibiscus and ragweed I couldn’t really find anything.Do you know if the plants are related or if they pollinate closely or something like that?I just bought some hibiscus tea (wasn’t expensive) but I was planning on taking it religiously, however, I have sinus and skin allergies and will avoid allergens like the plague because of the reaction I get.Btw, love the info on this site, please, keep up the good work. I’ve learned so much.Great video ~ loved it ~ I have been drinking a homemade tea of ~ lavender blossoms , hibiscus blissoms, nettles & alfalfa ~ brewed & stepped 8 hrs~ add desired sweetener ~ I use juice ~erythritol? Why? My search show erythritol not good and coke owns it.Erythritol is not a brand but a substance. Dr. Greger has a few videos on this substance. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erythritol/Simply looking at so-called antioxidant potential is not sufficient. We always have to consider the total impact of ingesting a food or beverage to determine its actual overall value. i.e. The “whole thing” or holism.Hibiscus is “better” than green tea in terms of having less toxic elements and compounds like aluminum and fluoride etc. However hibiscus is still high enough in aluminum to warrant limited consumption to a quantity appropriate for an individual’s ability to excrete such toxic elements…“…hibiscus….appeared to contain the greatest contents of Al, Fe, K, Mn, Ni, Zn…..”Aluminium and other elements in selected herbal tea plant species and their infusions. Food Chem. 2013 Aug 15;139(1-4):728-34. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.02.013. Epub 2013 Feb 16.Matcha has received a lot of press but there is a lot of confusion around it. Matcha is grown in the shade. Sencha is grown in sunlight. Both can be consumed as powdered whole tea. Matcha is higher in caffeine and L-theanine while Sencha powder is actually higher in catechins (antioxidants) than matcha.I have a fatty liver which gives me lots of pain and read here where I shouldn’t be drinking Nonni Juice (which I don’t) but good to know. Would it be fine to drink this Hibiscus tea? I’m suspicious now of what I should and shouldn’t eat/drink because of my liver problem. New to NutritionFacts and loving it!Is hibuscus tea alkalizing or acidic to the body after ingested?Hi, Thank you so much for all the helpful info provided on this site! A question about the blood pressure lowering quality you mentioned below: I guess this means I should stay away from Hibiscus tea if I have low blood pressure to begin with, correct? (Don’t really like the taste of green tea – what would be your next anti-oxidant drink recommendation for me?)I didn’t add Erythritol to my Wild Berry Zinger, (I don’t need sweet), & I prefer lemon to taste, cup by cup. When my 9 & 5 year old granddaughters tried it, I was going to add ‘E-tol’ / no lemon, but my wife waved me off…They loved it unsweetened! Now, when I bring it to their house for myself, they want it, too, (& the 6 year old suddenly prefers my “Field Roast” over beef). I was already somewhat satisfied that my daughter severely waters-down fruit-juices, & allows no soda, but now…! Hibiscus is a blessing.How much matcha did they use in the sample to get the resulting antioxidant count?I’m confused now. Wikipedia says that the antioxidant and anthocyanin activity of the hibiscus tea is not conserved after ingestion. Meaning it is converted to other things and won’t benefit like eating berries for example. HUH?We’ve had such good luck reversing my husband’s prostate cancer with, among other things, lots of green tea that I am a little afraid to change to hibiscus, even if it does taste better! Is there any science linking hibiscus tea and cancer cell apoptosis?What is amia?A warning/caveat: dentists have discovered that drinking lemon juice can be very destructive to your tooth enamel. Additionally, you should not brush your teeth until an hour after consuming it as the fact of the lemon juice softening the enamel puts you at risk of actually brushing it off. My dentist suggests only ever drinking lemon juice through a straw.Is there a way to measure the amount of antioxidants your getting because I recently read an article saying,like many other things,too many antioxidants can be harmful…….also from an natural energy stand point is there anything better than matcha green tea?Dr. Berger, what can you tell me about Maca powder?Dear Doctor Greger, have you heard about Moringa?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaasOlM0Uh0great work dr greger. however your decision making seems slightly flawed. the highest antioxidant content doesn’t necessarily mean it is the best. not all antioxidants work inside the body to quench oxidation, they have many effects within the body. lets use EGCG in matcha tea. the list of benefits are profound. what is it in hibiscus that gives it such a high rating? besides anti-oxidant capacity what do these compounds do inside the body? which is the most relevant to preventing disease? until there is a breakdown of the primary compounds in hisbuscus tea and a similar amount of impressive research to matcha tea, it would seem wise to keep drinking green tea rather than switching entirely. it’s not just the anti-oxidant value but the biological value of those compounds, full spectrum phytonutrients is i believe the best way forward. thanks.a brief link for those that are interested. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16106391Is there anything nutritionally that can stop the progression of ALS?I use 1 tablespoon of organic hibiscus powder and 2 tablespoons of rapadura in a glass of water. Good fruit substitute.How quickly do you have to drink the ice tea before antioxidants start to decrease or do they not decrease?Do you need the mint to make this taste like fruit punch? The green foam will turn my kids off to this… Also how many dates do you think it would take to sweeten this?I just read a report that the Celestial Seasonings Company was under a lawsuit for their tea’s containing numerous insecticides and pesticides above EPA level… We have to pay attention to details! So I guess I’m going to spend my night looking for a clean source… http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Regulation/Hain-Celestial-targeted-in-unusual-false-advertising-lawsuit-over-100-natural-teas-allegedly-containing-pesticide-residues-above-legal-thresholdsHi, great information. I was doing some research on hibiscus and have found it has been the center of some breakthrough research in cancer fighting proprieties. At the same time, I would love to try the tea, I am allergies to ragweed. Should people like me with this kind of allergy drink the tea?Can you simply empty 4 bags of tea into 64 oz smoothiehttp://health-benefits-of.healthyfoodscience.com/health-benefits-green-tea/I have been drinking hibiscus nearly daily for six months. I think it aides in weight loss. Here’s my recipe for a virgin Jamaican:A tea ball full of flowers (ordered online) 1/2 Lime (just juice) a shake of cinnamon a couple squirts of liquid stevia ice and waterSteep for at least 15 minutes, I make a drink in the morning for lunch. So 3-4 hours of cold soak. Nice and red by then.It is delicious and nutritious!I downloaded the 2010 Antioxidant Food Table with ORAC ratings for over 3100 foods which listed the tea you referenced. It is listed as “Tea, green, (pink) powder, NPS Japan” with a rating of 1347.83 mmil/100 mg, the highest rating in the entire table. Is this indeed “hibiscus tea”? Is hibiscus tea “green”? I’m confused. I thought it was a decaffeinated tea made from the hibiscus flower. Please advise. Btw, I am new to your website and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!! So much good information. I subscribe to your emails, watch your daily videos and read the blogs every day. I always learn something new.Hibscus is under the name Flor de Jamaica. However, in this study is scores well under coffee, seeing that it has a 6.99 score while double espresso was 16.33.What other studies are there showing the antioxidant amount in hibiscus tea? I haven’t been able to find any yet. Can you help Dr Greger? Thank youIs there any side effects if hibiscus tea brewed with chamomile tea for lowering blood pressureI am suffering from Erectile dysfunction. Is there any solution? Does all these herb can cured, green tea, hibiscus, cranberry etc?So I see ,Hibiscus Loose Leaf , also Hibiscus flower, teas are sold. Is the flower as good as the leaf ?Also was it “Zinger” that was tested or Hibiscus ? As I noticed that zinger contains over 15 ingredients ..so although hibiscus was listed first, theoretically it could be approx. 1/14th of the total.Doctor, I’ve heard about the health benefits of chaga, steeped so as to make a tea. Anything to this?I looked at the ingredients for the Wild Berry Zinger and was dismayed to find this in the list, “natural flavors of black raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries, cranberries and cherries with other natural flavors”. Natural flavors? Not the actual food item? And what are the “other natural flavors”? Any idea what this actually means? Are they using beaver butt perchance?I thought I read to only drink 4 cups a day of this. But now I can’t find where I read that and wondering if I imagined it. Is it true and if so, why?Some concern as to the metals content of teas. Limit to a quart/litre per day per this report: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=23561167As a Dentist who specialises in dental erosion, Im a little concerned about day long sipping this suggested hot drink containing fresh lemon juice. That would be around pH2, not far off battery acid. I hope Dr Gregers teeth dont feel sensitive when he breathes in cold air. Especially if hes has been drinking this powerful antioxidant, and highly acidic drink now for several years. Dental erosion from dietary acids is not easily measured, monitored or reversed. Thinning of the enamel from acids is an increasing issue in our population and is essentially irreversible. Frequent exposure to acid is the most destructive of diets for enamel. And you can forget brushing your teeth to re-mineralize. Brushing destroys the protein fingers left behind by the dissolved minerals, thereby doubling the damage. You have A higher pH tea alternative Dr Greger ?Try this: omit the lemon. I’m no dental expert, but I am of the opinion that my own teeth will survive the rest of their tour of duty in much better condition now that I have adopted green tea and herbal teas as my daily beverages (replacing full-flavor soda and coffee). They certainly feel better and I do too. Amla will be added soon.Hi Wade, unfortunately omitting the lemon will reduce the nutrient availability by a large factor. (although thats not my area) Im just putting out a warning about frequent lemon consumption as Lemon juice is apx pH2 Carbonated drinks somewhere around pH3 , Coffee pH5. So coffee is not an erosive concern. But remember: pH scale is logarithmic. Hence there is TEN times more erosive hydrogen ions in pH2 than pH3. ! These de-mineralising ions will have significantly more effect in a hot solution! You may notice your teeth feeling different and more sensitive after drinking hot lemon. (or you may not… , which may be more concerning) Do not brush your teeth after oral exposure to acid (including stomach acid (ph2 also)) as this will brush away the potentialy reparative protein matrix in dentine that could be re-mineralised later on by saliva.. Instead, wait at least an hour before brushing. Or use a non alcohol based fluoride mouth rinse to speed up the partial repair process. Hope that helps everyone out. Dental erosion is the most complex and expensive thing to get “fixed”. Id rather have tooth decay than dental erosion. Stay away from hot acids! Or get guys like me to repair your mouths for 20K$+Thanks Neil. I’m not interested in the lemon part. I don’t add sweetener, and don’t drink lemon juice in anything. I never liked lemon in iced Southern Sweet (strong and black) tea. I cold steep all teas now and drink them room temp. I do have hot coffee, but usually only one cup. I do like the limes though!	antioxidants,beverages,black tea,Coca-Cola,coffee,crowberries,erythritol,espresso,grape juice,green tea,hibiscus tea,lemons,matcha,milk,Pepsi,ranking foods,recipes,Red Bull,red tea,Red Zinger,tea,water,wine	The antioxidant content of a number of popular beverages is compared: black tea, coffee, Coke, espresso, grape juice, green tea, hibiscus (Jamaica flower) tea, milk, Pepsi, Red Bull, red tea, red wine, and white wine. Which beats out even powdered (matcha) green tea?	Note the impressive manganese content of hibiscus tea may exceed recommended limits at high intakes, though, so we probably shouldn't drink more than those 4 tea bags a day's worth.The sweetener I use is erythritol, detailed in Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant.Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos on beverages and don't miss all the videos on ranking foods. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/07/treating-pms-with-saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-bull/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/recipes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pepsi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hibiscus-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erythritol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/espresso/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-zinger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crowberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/matcha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/	-
PLAIN-3067	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/	Carcinogenic Putrescine	I’ve talked in the past about the biogenic amines like spermine and cadaverine that can be formed in decomposing tissues, but a new review on the human toxicological effects of these substances in our diet suggests that putrescine may have carcinogenic-cancer causing effects.Putrescine is a chemical compound of decay that contributes to the smell of putrefying flesh and the… fishy odor of certain vaginal infections. But it’s found even in non-spoiled fish, meat, cheese, and fermented foods. You can’t stay away from it, though, unless you which foods have the most.Here’s a dozen commonly eaten foods they tested: beer, blue cheese, feta cheese, canned tuna, sardines, sauerkraut, sausage, soy sauce, kimchi, miso,  tempe, and wine. Which do you think has the most? Sardines were the runner-up, but the highest levels are found in tuna.To stay away from putrescine, we should stay away from canned fish.There’s a recommendation that we should try to stick under 40 mg in a meal. So just a couple bites, a quarter of a serving of tuna and we’re over the limit, but it would take two servings of sausages or like 10 beers to approach the limit otherwise.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos which address carcinogens and putrescine. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!I like that this video has the “game show” format that other videos have had. This format is one my favorite kinds, because it gets my brain working and it is fun.The two biggies, were clearly the ones to talk about. What also interested me, though, was how some of the other foods played out. For example, there were two cheeses: feta and blue. One was twice the amount of the other. (But maybe at that level, neither is significant?)Also, there was two kinds of alchoholic drinks: beer and wine with what looks to me to be very different results.Another interesting thing to me about these results is the two pickled vegies (assuming I understand what they are): kimchi and sauerkraut. They are both under 40, but look to maybe be about 20? Hard to judge by the video. Assuming that these numbers are per-serving and in some cultures, one might have more than one serving a day of these foods or combine these foods with others such as say blue cheese, sausage or wine, perhaps one should be careful of these other foods too – not just the canned fish.I’m just having fun with the video and making some observations. Nothing to get worked up over. Thanks.You make a good point Thea. In fact, maybe this helps explain the kimchi finding? Check our my video: Is Kimchi Good For You?Dr. Greger: Thanks for reminding me about the kimchi video. I forgot all about that.Wow. So interesting! One video may very well explain the other.Thanks.Now with Brazilian Portuguese subtitles:http://youtu.be/1mpfmBQDnIQThank you so much Meha!Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies!Miso soup is made from a kind of infusion of Bonito (a kind of tuna I believe) that is dried, smoked and fermented. (It’s actually an infusion of both bonito and a kind of seaweed called kombu). It is soaked, like a tea, in hot water and then removed. The remaining infusion is called “dashi” and it is combined with miso and green onions and a variety of other ingredients to produce miso soup.Does anyone know or have a feeling for whether it is bad for you in some ways? Is simply infusing bonito into hot water toxic in some ways? Would anyone care to speculate if there is no direct evidence?Tuna fish contains LESS putrescene than any other food. The fruits that Dr. Greger strongly recommends are higher in putrescene than any other food: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3022763/figure/F0001/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3022763/table/T0002/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3022763/table/T0001/The big picture is that people who eat lots of fish and seafood have LONGER life expectancies than vegans in most studies.Putrescene appears to be relatively harmless. Meanwhile, spermine and spermadine appears to be greatly beneficial: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22250848Until you define exactly what constitutes a vegan diet and the criteria used for “most studies”, your ‘big picture’ assertion is baseless.I wonder what Dr Greger makes of these studies, I’m don’t speak medspeak, but your finds seem relevant. The only thing is that fish nowadays contains so many toxins that perhaps Dr Greger’s suggestion for b12 and omega 3 algae-derived seems like a safer alternative. I would advise you to search this site for ‘fish’ and watch the relevant videos.Oops, sorry, I wasn’t too clear there, I meant B12 supplements and Omega-3 supplements, the latter derived from algae. This for those on a vegan diet.	beer,biogenic amines,cadaverine,cans,carcinogens,cheese,fermented foods,fish,kimchi,meat,miso,putrescine,safety limits,sardines,sauerkraut,sausage,soy sauce,spermine,tempeh,tuna,vaginal health,wine	Biogenic amines such as spermine, cadaverine, and putrescine are chemical compounds of decay that may have adverse health effects. Which foods are most contaminated: beer, blue cheese, feta cheese, kimchi, miso, sardines, sauerkraut, sausage, soy sauce, tempeh, tuna, or wine?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos which address carcinogens and putrescine. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kimchi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spermine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaginal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fermented-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tempeh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biogenic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadaverine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sardines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sauerkraut/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/miso/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy-sauce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9207896,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20146930,
PLAIN-3068	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/	Throw Household Products Off the Scent	In addition to meat, exposure to common household chemicals may exacerbate or induce allergies, asthma and eczema. Researchers at Harvard and all around the world collected air samples from where children slept and demonstrated for the first time that the bedroom concentration of propylene glycol and glycol ethers was significantly associated with an elevated risk of multiple allergic symptoms, runny nose, and eczema. This class of chemical compounds is found in cleaning fluids, paint, pesticides, PVC pipes and varnishes, and may be one of the reasons we’ve seen an increase in these kinds of disease around the world over the last few decades.Recently, researchers put a few consumer products to the test: air fresheners, a laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets, each with annual sales over $100 million dollars. Six products; nearly a hundred volatile chemicals identified, though none were listed on the labels, it usually just says something like fragrance. And ten of the chemicals they found are regulated as toxic or hazardous, with three officially classified as hazardous air pollutants.For example, the fabric softener they tested. On the label it just says biodegradable fabric softening agents. And it even smells like mom when she leans in for a good-night kiss. But this is what they really found: a very long list of hazardous chemicals, including the carcinogenic hazardous air pollutant acetaldehyde.What about if you just stick to the naturally scented products? Even products advertised as green, natural, or organic emitted as many hazardous chemicals as standard ones. For example a soap boasting pure essential oils and organic tea infusions also contained all of these.Yeah but what if you somehow know for certain it’s all just natural— like the limonene, that’s a real phytochemical found in real citrus. Until, it photo-oxidizes with ozone in ambient air to form dangerous secondary pollutants, including formaldehyde.When it comes to consumer products, the best smell is no smell.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos which address allergies and asthma. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!I’d heard that scented products are generally “bad,” but the evidence put together here is so compelling that I’m buying unscented products for our home for the first time. Surprisingly, I am not missing the scents like I thought I would. Thank you, Dr. Greger!Love the videos! Do you have a suggested list of household products that are “lower offgassing” and safer for our newborn? Thanks for your help Doc.For all sorts of home and bath products, many of which you can’t avoid (like soap and toothpaste) the absolute BEST source I’ve found is Environmental Working Group. You can check to see the toxicity of your current products, from make-up to shaving cream, to just about anything else.  Check it out here:  http://www.ewg.org/It reminds of this website – informative and user friendly!Could you post a link to your video regarding cleaning and getting chemicals off vegetables? I know I saw a title regarding this but I’m having no lick finding it. Thanks a lot for all your work.Think this is what you are looking for: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/My daughter has terrible asthma. I have read that increasing her D and balancing the Omega 3 and 6 is a cure-all. This info is backed by studies what are your thoughts on this? Here is the link to the studies: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/06/managing-your-childs-asthma-with-natural-medicine.aspxDr. Hulda ClarkHi Dr Greger, I have a burning question regarding the cookware we use to cook our food. Apparently some articles I read mention that metals such as nickel, chromium that made up the stainless steel cookware could bleed into our foods when we eat and thus our food is contaminated with toxic carcinogens. May i ask how true is that? As I am a nickel allergic, which is the best cooking hardware to use. Heard of a type called the surgical stainless steel, which is good for cooking as it retains its nutrients more than the others, however it is also made up of higher nickel components. Hope to hear your views on it!Are products labeled “fragrance free” safe?Dear Dr Greger, first of all, great job! But I have to criticize your latest video on household products and monoterpenes. Yes, our household products contain limonene and alpha-pinnene, but also all living plants emit these compounds and especially Mediterranean threes (sometimes up to ppm). What worries me, is that, knowing this, walking trough Mediterranean forest (where ozone concentrations and UV radiation are extremely higher that in closed rooms) or introducing flowers with intensive smell or Christmas threes into your home, you will get the same effect. So when you say that introducing plant monoterpenes IN OUR HOMES it is being transformed into formaldehyde (which quoted paper does not say and it describes very controlled experimental set up for testing processes in atmosphere), you are ignoring the fact that you don’t have a proof of that (at least not in this video). Also these processes are part of our natural environment and this is what happens to all monoterpenes in our atmosphere. My criticism is that you are giving a wrong impression and only half information when you say that monoterpenes such as limonene is transformed into formaldehyde and therefore bad for us, without actually connecting it with handhold products or mentioning any concentrations and what do they mean. I can imagine that now a lot of people will avoid anything that has limonene written on it, but if someone wants to really avoid limonene, he can just stop breathing. From perspective of your video and knowing for example that tomato plant is emitting a lot of limonene, eating tomato on sunny day in the garden might be toxic. I like your work very much, but with the last part of this video, I think you have stepped into “the gray zone” of science and I am sure you don’t want to be there.We have heard of the recent scare surrounding the use of propylene glycol in Beneful Dog Food. We have been using Listerine mouthwash for years with ALCOHOL and decided to seek something a little safer. So my husband picked up Listerine ZERO at the local market. True while it does not contain alcohol, the 3rd item listed is PROPYLENE GLYCOL and the 4th is sodium lauryl sulfate. I have looked for warnings about propylene glycol in human food and cosmetic items. All say “considered safe” for human use preferably not ingested.WHAT SAY YOU?We do not have an official update on propylene glycol. It may be generally recognized as safe (GRAS), but there are many studies that report on potential toxicity. Interesting about the mouthwash! Have you seen our video on making your own?It’s very easy to make your own hand soap, laundry soap and fabric softener.	air pollution,allergies,asthma,carcinogens,chemical sensitivities,children,citrus,eczema,formaldehyde,fragrance,Harvard,industrial toxins,pesticides,sleep	Volatile chemicals in consumer products such as air fresheners, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets may be hazardous.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos which address allergies and asthma. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eczema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/formaldehyde/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/air-pollution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fragrance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemical-sensitivities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20976153,
PLAIN-3069	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/say-no-to-drugs-by-saying-yes-to-more-plants/	Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants	You’ll note in this study of 15,000 American vegetarians, not only did eating vegetarian appear to have a favorable effect on the prevalence of allergies, but several chronic diseases as well. This is what they referring to: After controlling for factors like smoking rates, vegetarians were found to have significantly less coronary artery disease, fewer strokes, less high blood pressure, less diabetes, less diverticulosis, etc. and significantly fewer diseases overall.They also noted that the non-vegetarians were more likely to have gone in for surgery for things as varied as varicose veins and hemorrhoids, to even more hysterectomies, as well as more likely to be on medications. Those eating meat had about twice the odds of being on aspirin, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, antacids, pain-killers, blood pressure medications, laxatives and insulin.So if you don’t like taking drugs, you don’t like paying for drugs, we may be able to cut our odds of needing medications in half by choosing to eat vegetarian.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos on chronic diseases and plant-based diets. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!For some context see my blog post Plant-based Benefits Extend Beyond the Top Killers,The article you cited Dr. Greger, had an unusual idea of who vegetarians are: those who munch on animals less than once a week. I’m sure the reduction in morbidity would have been even more pronounced if they had studied a cohort of true-blue vegans. One puzzle though, was why the veg group had slightly higher rates of breast lumps and prostrate problems than their meat-chomping peers. Any suggestions of how we can do to avoid those pratfalls? I’ve read indications that adequate iodine can help with the breasts and plant sterols and stanols might help with the prostate. Is this true?Note that only the “OR’s” (Odds Ratios) with the notation next to them are statistically significant, so none of those conditions listed were found significantly more in those eating plant based diets.As a vegetarian for 20 years and a holistic health coach, I completely agree with the fact that a plant based diet has a host of benefits including those mentioned in this video. That said, would you not also agree that part of the reason vegetarians have fewer surgeries and take fewer drugs is a psychological issue; those who consciously make healthy food decisions are less likely to run to the doctor when something is wrong and are less likely to take prescription meds or have elective surgeries.Good point.A version with Brazilian Portuguese subtitles to help spread the word, thank you Dr Greger for your authorization:http://youtu.be/DAQ5pW_27C0You’re the best! Anyone else with language skills that would care to help translate any of the more than 600 videos now?My mother 98 and myself 76 became World Champions in Athletics in World Sr.Games 2013 held in St.George, Utah. I am from India and I want to spread good health knowledge in Punjabi Language. How I can do that, please let me know.Hi Dr. Greger, can you shed any light on these findings – it seems to not support plant based eating. Regards, Mark…keep up the great work!High-Fiber Diet No Help for Diverticulosis http://www.medpagetoday.com/Gastroenterology/GeneralGastroenterology/30807A high-fiber diet afforded no protection against asymptomatic diverticulosis, findings from more than 2,000 colonoscopy exams showed. … “Our data demonstrated no association between fat, red meat, physical activity, and diverticulosis,” Robert S. Sandler, MD, of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and coauthors wrote in conclusion.Not sure, but a comment left at the bottom of the page of the linked report you mention was helpful for me:Humorously, I’d like to become famous for the following saying “When you ask the wrong question, you will get the wrong answer.” That is exactly what this study does. The real question is not quartiles of fiber in a a population that has the disease process, but what is the fiber intake of those populations that have no diverticulosis. Epidemiological studies of “pre-technological”(no electricity, gasoline, air-conditioning, grocery stores…)societies demonstrate that while those populations may have volvulus, they have no diverticulosis–due to their very high fiber intake (100-300 grams/day)according to the work of Burkitt (of Burkitt’s lymphoma)or S B Eaton of Emory U. (“Stone-agers in the Fast Lane” Am J of Med 1988). This current article is subject to the statistical errors as eloquently enumerated & discussed most recently by S Shapiro PhD (U of Capetown)regarding the UK “Million Women’s Study”; about the use of postmenopausal hormones, the subsequent development of breast cancer, and the correct statistical approach.Searching the Internet for cheap and safe Amla and Triphala, I stumbled upon this product: http://www.realphoenixhealthcare.com/servlet/the-529/Divya-Mukta-Vati-for/Detail – (Divya Mukta Vati) Could this herbal formula really be a valid treatment for hypertension? My wife has been a vegetarian (almost vegan) for about three years now, but her blood pressure remains a bit high and she has to take traditional medication.Be sure you are eating a low fat whole foods, plant based diet without free oils or processed food. Also be sure to limit your sodium intake to 1500 or less. If you do this I am confident your wife’s blood pressure will be reduced. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/And Exercise is also helpful.Alas, my gene pool have given me two knees that need replacements, my diet is good ( much better since I have found Dr. Greger) but I started to eat correctly later in life and see the results of earlier choices along with my families history of knee problems. Question, six months before my first replacement, what diet areas should I concentrate on, certain foods more than others, any help would be appreciated, thank you, Lynda WhitneyI’ve been vegetarian for 13 years, don’t drink alcohol and still I’m on meds for acid reflux and hypothyroidism. I’m also overweight and I’ve had surgery for anal fissures and polyps. What gives?The a low fat whole food plant based diet plus vitamin b12 gives you the best shot at achieving ideal body weight and improving acid reflux. Once your body has destroyed it’s ability to make thyroid you are stuck on taking replacement although you want to avoid over and under treatment. Your thyroid medication may need to be adjusted when you change your diet. I would recommend you read two articles in that appeared in Dr. John McDougall’s monthly newsletters. They are … My Stomach’s on Fire.. (February 2002) and Fat Vegan (Dec 2008). The best introduction to long term success at weight loss can be found by viewing Jeff Novick’s DVD… Calorie Density: how to eat more, weigh less etc and Doug Lisle’s presentation available on YouTube… How to Lose weight without losing your mind. This approach should give you the best chance of minimizing problems with anal fissures and polyps. Working with your physicians after getting the best information should serve you well. Good luck.I am a physician who was raised as a strict vegetarian since birth. Everyone in my family are strict vegetarians. However, heart disease, diabetes, etc runs in my family. Three years ago, after my father passed away, I realized that I was 40 pounds overweight. It dawned on me that being a vegetarian was not enough. I could stick a straw in a bottle of olive oil and be a vegan. I made the following changes and saw immediate and steady results in my weight. 1) no processed foods…if I haven’t made it, I don’t eat it. If I do have to buy something processed..it cannot have more than 5 ingredients in it. 2) Limit oil….all oil is 120 calories/tablespoon. If you got rid of one tablespoon of oil from your every day diet, you would lose 13 pounds at the end of one year. There is no dish my family of four gets that contains more than one tablespoon of oil. I do not eat anything fried and no oil in my salad dressings. 3) No animal dairy. Milk makes a baby grow..it makes us grow too 4) whole grains only. If it is not a whole grain, I do not eat it. 5) I run 3 to 5 miles 5 times a week, I do yoga, I dance, You have to moveCongrats.. points well made. In my diabetic patients it is important for them to realize that type 2 diabetes is a “sugar” processing problem caused by fats in the diet. The science shows that fat causes insulin resistance and turns off the genes that run the mitochondria that burn the sugar. This also partly explains why the same diet works so well with patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome.I think the difference is more about beliefs than truly giving veggies all the credit for keeping people healthy. I believe that vegetarians are more thoughtful and deliberately make causes for their health benefits and try to avoid ingesting chemicals and getting unnecessary surgeries. I believe that people who consume a great deal of meat show some disregard for their bodies and this reflects in their attitude toward medicine, thinking that pills are magic and that surgeries can cure all, which is not always true.I rarely used over-the-counter medication (OTCM) throughout my life, so much so that I had to go to my primary care doctor and he had to explain to me about getting some OTCM cold & flu medicine at one point. He acted like I was stupid. But really, it was just because I don’t run to the medicine cabinet constantly to abuse drugs.I would love to know if taking Warfarin for 15 years is bad and is it possible to come off this horrid drug.As a vegan animal (and sometimes people:) lover, i can not thank you enough for all that you are!!!!! i hope you know how important what you do is and how much strength you give others.. wish you would come lecture in israel soon:)Dr., I have pre-diabetes, and I don’t know if 1 of the symptoms of this disease is random cramping in toes, feet, calves, thighs, waist, back, arms, hands, fingers. I am a vegetarian (almost total vegan). I have been a vegetarian since 1980 (34 years). I also have chronic bladder infection which I control by using cranberry pills. I have always loved to eat desserts, although I have cut back more and more over the years. I have symptoms of diabetes at different times which include blurry vision, dizziness, numbish toes, extreme thirst (I drink usually 3 quarts a day). My urine is at times rank smelling, especially when I don’t drink at least 3 quarts of water. I also have been biting my cheeks and tongue often. I notice waking up with my cheeks between my teeth. Many years ago I had asthma and got on inhalers which gave me thrush in just a few days. I read the book, Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by Dr. Batman?????, and started drinking 5 quarts of water a day for the first week drinking water til my asthma went away. Eventually I drank less and then the normal amount for many years. I got asthma again about maybe a year ago and tried the water thing again, but it didn’t work this time, probably because of pre-diabetes. Doctors don’t know what to think of my cramping. Could the cramping be caused by diabetes or my puffers for asthma? I ask the doctors and they can’t seem to answer. Is the biting of my mouth caused by my asthma puffers? Could you give me some advice, please? Oh, I am a 60 year old white female. My weight is 120 pounds, and I am almost 5 feet in height. Thanks for your time.Laurie Hug: I’m sorry to hear about all your troubles.I’m not a doctor, so I can’t say whether diabetes is having those effects on your or not. It’s my understanding that diabetes does have all sorts of nasty effects, so it seems possible…What I recommend to everyone who has any interest in diabetes is to read the book: “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes – The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes without Drugs” (Amazon has it.)My thought for your situation is that if you adopted the diet that is laid out in the book, you *might* improve on the other problems you are talking about – even if those other problems have nothing to do with diabetes. The diet discussed in the book is generally the best for all-around health, and is consistent with the diet recommended her on NutritionFacts.org. Once people go down that healthy eating path, they tend to see all sorts of health problems clear up. No guarantees, but what would it hurt to try? (Especially if you did the diet changes with your doctor’s oversight.)That’s just my 2 cents. I sure hope you are able to get some relief.Laurie – I hope you are feeling better by now. I just wanted to say that I’m your age and I started getting random cramping. I tried a variety of supplements with no effect. (I’m also pre-diabetic.) Finally I took a ‘power pack’ packet of electrolytes and trace minerals. The problem stopped almost immediately. I don’t take the packets daily, but probably should. When the cramping started, I supplemented with calcium and magnesium and potassium with no benefit but the good electrolytes and trace minerals made all the difference in the world!Hey Laurie, cramping is often caused by a shortage of magnesium in your body. So if you start magnesium suppletion, the cramps should stop quite soon. Best to take magnesium for some months to fill up body reserves. Best to take a good form like magnesium – glycerofosfate (no Mg oxide). Best to start taking it in the evening, when you have low levels of magnesium you might feel sleepy/very relaxed in the beginning. Of course allways check with your doctor for counter – indications (which are rare).What is the best in nature cure for H.Plory.This is a very interesting article but to imply the reason for improved outcomes is just down to a vegetarian diet may be perhaps a bit misleading. It may be a confounding factor in some diseases or outcomes and actually be something else that provides the benefit, e.g. exercise. It may be that the vegetarians sampled were generally more aware of health and had less reliance on medicine to treat ailments or they were more likely to exercise more if vegetarian. Further research into which factors are most significant would be required to be certain. Saying that, I am a strong advocate of vegetarianism/vegan and whole food diet, I have not eaten meat for 20+ yrs, however I think a more holistic approach to health will give the best results on overall mental and physical health.can i increase my bone density with diet and if so what foods would help most ….I have just recently been diagnosed with -2.8 osteoporosis and have stopped my drugs after 4 weeks as didnt like what it said about actenel drmelmendo: I don’t know if there is a guaranteed way to increase your bone density, but I think the following book would be helpful to give you a fighting chance: “Building Bone Vitality – a revolutionary diet plan to prevent bone loss and reverse osteoporosis” I’ve read the book and think it is excellent, with lots of good science to back it up. As the book says, it’s probably the right kinds of exercise, in addition to diet, that is going to make the most difference.If you are interested, this is the book I’m talking about: http://www.amazon.com/Building-Bone-Vitality-Revolutionary-Osteoporosis–Without/dp/0071600191/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432769143&sr=1-1&keywords=building+bone+vitality	allergies,antacids,aspirin,blood pressure,cardiovascular disease,chronic diseases,diabetes,diverticulitis,diverticulosis,heart disease,heart health,hemorrhoids,hypertension,hysterectomy,insulin,laxatives,meat,medications,omnivores,pain,plant-based diets,sleeping pills,stroke,surgery,varicose veins,vegetarians	A study of 15,000 American vegetarians suggests their lower chronic disease rates translate into fewer surgeries (including hysterectomies) and medications (including aspirin, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, antacids, pain-killers, blood pressure medications, laxatives, and insulin).	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos on chronic diseases and plant-based diets. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hemorrhoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hysterectomy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/varicose-veins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antacids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleeping-pills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/laxatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insulin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	-	-
PLAIN-3070	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-allergies-in-adulthood/	Preventing Allergies in Adulthood	So during pregnancy, cutting down on meat consumption may decrease the risk of allergic diseases, but what about after children are born? Well, a preliminary study in Poland recently of vegetarian children suggested the benefits of meat restriction may continue after birth, concluding that some elements of a vegetarian diet may promote protection against allergy.And indeed, according to the longest running study in history comparing vegetarians to non-vegetarians, women who eat meat appear to have a 30% greater chance of reporting chemical allergies, 24% more asthma, 17% more drug allergies and bee-sting allergies, and 15% more hay fever, though in men, meat eaters just had significantly greater chance of chemical and drug allergies. Now this was cross-sectional data, meaning this was just a slice in time, so we don’t know necessarily which came first.Yes, eating vegetarian was associated with significantly fewer allergies, but maybe people suffering from allergies are more likely to start eating healthy hoping it will make them feel better. Still, after adjusting for other factors like smoking, the findings do suggest a favorable effect of a plant-based diet on the prevalence of allergies.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos which address allergies. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!For some context see my blog post Plant-based Benefits Extend Beyond the Top Killers,Dr. Greger, how about bee pollen? I hear it is a nutrient dense food but I am concerned that it might cause adverse reactions in the body. Possibly too immune stimulating or allergenic. Any thoughts?Bee products are controversial in vegan communities, and Dr. Greger is on record here: http://www.satyamag.com/sept05/greger.htmlThe most interesting bee product appears to be propolis, as caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) from propolis is a potent inducer of the Nrf2 mediated adaptive stress response and inhibitor of the NF-κB mediated inflamation, with strong chemopreventative and antiproliferative effects. http://www.researchgate.net/publication/51895357_Beneficial_effects_of_propolis_on_human_health_and_neurological_diseases/file/79e415016fcd443a20.pdfHello, Dr. Greger, I recently had blood work and skin allergy testing done. The blood work came back normal, but the skin testing revealed strong allergies to all trees, grasses, weeds, molds, dust mites, and also strong reactions to most healthy foods. I was a vegetarian for 12 years, then ate meat for 20 years, went back to a vegetarian diet 3 years ago, and am a recent vegan. My diet consists of legumes, vegetables, fruits and whole grains; the only sweets I have are 1 or 2 cookies occasionally. I’m in menopause, with hot flashes, and have the worst case of eczema I’ve had, going on 4 months, which I’ve been prone to since birth. What can I do to ensure I’m getting proper nutrition? Thank you.Try getting rid of the nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes etc) and gluten. I am on a lifestyle change trying to treat my psoriasis. Dr Pagano has a good book “Healing Psoriasis: The Natural Alternative”. He talks about eczema too.I forgot to point out that since I had reactions to most healthy foods, I’m nervous about anything I eat, and wonder if I’m capable of absorbing nutrients from them. Sorry for the long post!Hi gmteeter, Sounds frustrating to think you’re doing all you can to prevent these symptoms yet they persist. You didn’t list roots, tofu and soy products… which have been associated with decreased menopausal symptoms. Do you get plenty of water (1/2 your weight in ounces), do you get regular exercise…and how is your stress level? Are you optimizing the amount of melatonin you’re getting by going to bed before midnight? Follow a low-fat plant-base diet and check the above list for imbalances, then give your body time to kick-in! Enjoy life!AGuccione, thanks for your input. I do use soy milk and tofu fairly regularly and root veggies sometimes, and follow a low-fat plant based diet, and I’m working on being more consistent with my water intake. I’ve read about health and nutrition for years and most recently read and followed Dr. Barnard’s 21-day weight loss kickstart program. A doctor told me my body is in a constant state of stress because I stay up late, so I have to correct that. What I’m worried about most is the skin allergy test showed strong reactions to most plant foods, and when you have a reaction to something, even though it’s healthy, it’s not healthy for you because your body identifies it as an unwelcome foreign invader which can cause symptoms like my eczema, inflammation, or possibly something worse. I’m afraid if I keep eating the healthy foods I reacted to, I might get really sick. And since there were so many, an elimination diet would be nearly impossible. So I’m at a loss. I don’t know if continuing to eat healthy foods, even though they’re not healthy for me, is perpetuating the eczema and hot flashes. I’m hoping that if I get better quality sleep, maybe my allergies will wane.What would you recommend for nasal allergies? Hubby and I are both on a plant based diet and our allergies are better since going vegan, but it’s spring & it’s bad this year already lol.I have heard personal anecdotes of some friends of mine eliminating gluten from their diet and their allergies disappearing. This might be a good experiment to see if it works for you. But again, i don’t know of any scientific evidence supporting this.Besides gluten sensitivity, leaving gluten out potentially means an improvement in the variety of wholefoods consumed (where a lot of flour or some processed food has been routinely consumed and gets replaced by fresh produce and wholegrains and legumes), which may also explain a reduction in allergy symptoms.Oh, I’m so sorry you’re suffering! There was a new study published last week on diet and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (runny nose/itchy eyes) that confirmed that meat is associated with increased risk (in this case 71% higher), but that’s no help to a couple vegans! There are four plant foods, however, associated with cutting one’s risk in approximately half: 1. Seaweed. An ounce of sea vegetables appears to lower risk 49%–just make sure to avoid kelp and hijiki. 2. Dark green leafy vegetables. Greens of the land may protect as much as greens from the sea. A study found that those with the highest level of total carotenoids in their blood stream (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin, canthaxanthin and cryptoxanthin) had a significantly lower prevalence of seasonal allergies. See my video Egg Industry Blind Spot for a list of some of the best sources and Raw Food Nutrient Absorption and Forgo Fat Free Dressings? for the best ways to boost bioavailability. 3. Flax seeds. Similar to the carotenoid finding, those with higher levels of both long and short chain omega-3 fatty acids in their blood stream were found to have less allergic rhinitis in a cross-sectional study. 4. Miso. A teaspoon of miso a day was associated with about 41% lower prevalence. So try my favorite dressing on those greens: Blend until smooth in high-speed blender 3 T white miso. 1/4 cup brown rice wine vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 2 carrots, a small beet, an inch of fresh ginger root, and 1 T freshly toasted sesame seeds. Just watch your clothing as it comes out BRIGHT purple!Dr. Greger, my allergies manifest in the skin. About 80% of my body is covered in an extremely itchy rash. The skin on my face is thick and constantly flaking, including my eyelids, and it’s made my eyes puffy as well. Will these four foods help the itching and rash and calm down the inflammation? Thanks.Have you checked ingredients in your bath products — skin creams, makeup, etc. (if you’re female — sorry, can’t tell from your name!) Sometimes innocuous lotions, also kitchen cleaning products, laundry detergents, can have toxic ingredients.  are you getting all the correct essential fatty acids?Oh thank you Dr. Greger you are a gem!Okay, so I’ve been vegan and plant based for 6 years and yet I am now starting to have seasonal allergies. Any suggestions for treatment?Hey good Doc – thank you for all your information – i pass it along to as many people as possible, especially those with children, but as the tomato effect, chaging from the status quo is unfathomable…where can i get detailed information on canadian beef, milk and other such as your site but that deal with canadian policy? Thank youHi Dr. Greger, I have Parkinson’s Disease and take a drug called Azilect, an m-a inhibitor. Although I am experiencing peak level allergy symptoms at the moment (dry, scratchy throat, runny nose, sneezing), I cannot take standard allergy medication for relief of the symptoms because I take Azilect. Do you have any recommendations for what I might feasibly do?Gratefully. MarleneThis is absolutely true. A few years ago I quit eating dairy and rarely eat eggs or meat anymore – once a month or less. Was horribly allergic to cats through my early 40’s, and had pretty bad allergies to trees and dust. Since about seven months after making this change about six years ago, I am not allergic to any cats, barely notice most dogs, hardly have any problems with pollen or dust. Unpacking my summer/winter clothes used to set me into an allergy attack that lasted all day, made me sneeze uncontrollably for hours. No more. I am sure that cutting out the dairy and eggs and eating much less bread helped, but I think what really helped was sharply increasing my vegetable intake. If I do not maintain this, the allergies start creeping back. Yes, we all die someday, and I will die just like everyone else, but I will at least not be sneezing and wheezing when I go. I will trade a steak and ice cream for that any day.I have been having the worst allergy attack of my life. Mostly inflammation of sinuses, post-nasal drip, my lungs feel constricted, and I am coughing. I am taking Allegra (and add Benadryl at times), Nasonex, Zantac (for H2 receptor), and began using Albuteral again. These only temper my symptoms. I went to the doctor who said I’m doing all I can. I already eat a plant based diet. Any suggestions?I use raw milk from a local farm to cure my seasonal allergies. Klein Farms in Easton PA to be exact. I am vegan otherwise but make an exception here to ease my suffering. I was miserable just like you Carol M before I discovered raw milk two years ago. I would cut my lawn wearing a respirator and still would end up with a rash on my arms and legs. But now I can mow the lawn and not even sneeze once.My allergies are kicking my butt this year so I am looking to change my diet to see if that helps any. I am allergic to dust mites, pet dander and a host of other things. For the first time in years, I had to go to my doctor and ask for medication which I hate taking. But my allergies trigger rhinitis and that turns into sinus issues and sinus infection or azthma (triggered by pets) if it gets really bad. Eliminating eggs is a sad thing for me since I like to have a good breakfast. Well going to try to adopt some of these dietary changes to see if that helps. Thanks for the posts.mish: I’ve never suffered from allergies, but I have friends, family and co-workers who do. I can see how terrible it can be.I thought I would offer this breakfast thought for you: There are a million variations on scrambled tofu that end up being an awfully close to scrambled eggs. You might want to look up some of those recipes and techniques. You might find the result very satisfying and filling that breakfast egg spot for you.Here’s the secret to really getting tofu (or beans or whatever) to taste like eggs: get something called “black salt”. But don’t actually get black colored salt. I made that mistake and it just tastes like salt. The “black salt” I am referring to is actually a light pink/salmon type of color. And it smells like sulfur! When I opened the bag, I swore I was smelling hard boiled eggs. I’ve taken to calling it “egg salt” or “devil’s salt” (because of the sulfur smell). I’m having a lot of fun with this new secret ingredient. I’m working on a recipe for deviled eggs that so far have gotten very high ratings from my omni friends.Just thought you might appreciate the idea.Good luck.I have cold from 5-6 months. I get heavy sneezing in day time and nose get blocked after that. I feel some headache sometime. Is it allergy or something else?I’ve had terrible allergies to everything all my life and have been on pills since I was 6. Five months ago I adopted a whole foods plant based diet. My food intolerances have lessened and my nasal allergies are slightly better, but I still need claritin or zyrtec every day. I didn’t really foresee those improvements, I started the diet to reduce my cholesterol, help the environment, and not participate in the cruelty of animal foods. I wonder if there are certain foods that are particularly helpful for allergies?My wife has been suffering from a rash for the past two years.It appears on her hands and her legs.She has seen a dermatologist who prescribed taroclobetasol and subsequently protopic.When she applies the ointment it only gives her temporary relief. She suffers extreme itchiness which happens mostly at night.By the way she had been referred to an allergist.The results came back negative.Doctor what can she do to alleviate the itchiness?	allergies,asthma,chemical sensitivities,children,hay fever,meat,omnivores,plant-based diets,Poland,vegetarians	The longest running study on vegetarians suggests that those eating plant-based diets have lower rates of chemical, drug, and environmental allergies.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos which address allergies. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poland/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hay-fever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemical-sensitivities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19552790,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21048771,
PLAIN-3071	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-childhood-allergies/	Preventing Childhood Allergies	The prevalence of so-called atopic diseases—food allergies, asthma, hay fever, and eczema—appears to be increasing year by year around the world. Doubling, tripling, even quadrupling. Here’s asthma rates over the years. Here’s hospitalizations for food allergies among American children over just a few years. What’s going on?Well, we had a little new insight last year. Eczema, atopic dermatitis is a red itchy bumpy rash that can develop into thick scaly or leathery lesions.Researchers in Japan wondered if the westernization of the Japanese diet could account for the dramatic rise in incidence. In the first study of its kind, they found that higher maternal intake of meat during pregnancy was significantly associated with an increased risk of both suspected and physician-diagnosed eczema. They suggest that certain components of meat may affect the fetal immune system. They thought maybe it was the saturated fat, but that didn’t pan out. Maybe it’s the cooked meat carcinogens?Bottomline - they don’t know what it could be about the meat.They were surprised that fish did not reduce the incidence of the disease given the anti-inflammatory nature of the long-chain omega 3 fatty acids. They suggest maybe it’s the mercury and dioxins that are accumulated in fish that might be counteracting the omega-3 advantages.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos which address allergies and immune function. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!I’ve been vegan for nearly 8 years yet my 9-month old recently had an allergic reaction  even though we hadn’t given him any new food (he got all-over skin spots for 3 days). Only possible culprit I can identify is gelatin I just discovered in some darn Gerber baby food I had mistakenly thought was vegan. Separately he got rough skin patches that may be very mild eczema. Any studies linking gelatin in particular to either condition? I’m so disappointed this is happening.jcchavez: I’m so sorry to hear about your 9-month old. I hope he has a full recovery.I don’t know if you keep on top of watching each daily video, so I thought I would point you to today’s video: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/throw-household-products-off-the-scent/ This video talks about certain household products like cleaning products that can potentially cause allergies (or cancer?). So, maybe your baby’s problems can be traced to non-food sources. I don’t know of course. I’m just giving you another avenue of research.Good luck!HI we have had a similar issue trying to get to the root cause of my son’s eczema which seemed to flare up and disappear without any cause. I put him on a vegan version of “the eczema diet” (the authors provide options). He followed a simple starch based diet with limited fruit and vegetables for a short time. His skin cleared within 3 days, after a week of clear skin we started reintroducing foods one at a time. Oranges, corn and raspberries were all triggers for him. Once we had simplified his diet we could clearly see what happened as we reintroduced him to his normal diet one food at a time. When he had a slice of orange we saw a hot, red rash within 2 hours. Raspberries resulted in a face rash within 20 minutes.It was well worth it for us to find out those few triggers which could actually be a nice healthy food.The author of the book also mentions that there is good news – which is that people do often seem to grow out of some of these sensitivities and after healing the skin you may be able to reintroduce some of these foods without an issue in the future.We do try to provide organic foods but that doesn’t seem to be a major factor in comparison to him having these actual trigger foods. Other recommendations I’ve come across include checking your cleaning solutions, especially soaps, clothes washing and dishwashing detergents. (Our dishwashing detergent was a lovely natural organic product that contained citrus so we had to swap because citrus was a strong trigger for him. We also invested in a humidifier as we personally live in a very air conditioned environment but again this wasn’t a major factor in our case and doesn’t improve his skin but may be helpful for some people.Good luck with your efforts.Oh I forgot to say that if he is still breastfeeding then what mum eats can also be a major factor so while he might not have had new foods if mum did then so did he.I’d be interested in your opinion of this study I found online at http://www.finola.com/FinolaOilandAtopy.pdf. This is regarding hempseed oil, not necessarily for children but for adults with eczema. Have you seen other studies looking at hempseed oil and eczema? Is it ok to take so much oil every day for a month?I was surprised to find so few articles published in the human medical literature on hempseeds, but maybe I shouldn’t be given the lack of much of an industry lobby and the stigma attached to the plant. Only 4 popped up in a pubmed search (excluding articles written by a “Dr. Ian D. Hempseed.”). The latest (available full-text) was a double-blind placebo-controlled comparison of fish, flax and hempseed oil supplementation that lasted 3 months and found no significant effects of any of them on lipid profile, LDL oxidation or measures of inflammation. This result is similar to what was found in my video Is Distilled Fish Oil Toxin-Free? Before that a study comparing daily tablespoons of flaxseed to hempseed oil similarly didn’t find much effect. The third was the study you cited, which found that 2 daily tablespoons of hempseed oil improved atopic dermatitis (an itchy skin rash) better than the same amount of olive oil. The researchers suggest it may be because of the gamma linoleic acid content of hempseeds, an omega 6 fatty acid that paradoxically appears to have an overall anti-inflammatory effect. Instead of downing the oil, as always I’d suggest eating the whole food–hempseeds–directly (same with flaxseeds, see my video Just the Flax Ma’am). And the final study, “Anaphylaxis to ingestion of hempseed” soundly debunks the wikipedia claim that “In fact, there are no known allergies to hemp foods.”Based on comment in this video fish isn’t safe to consume because it comes with mercury, toxins and what not.  Does this pertain to both farmed and wild fish of any kind?  F.e. Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch site says Alaskan wild salmon is “OK” to eat…  Is it not OK? I would not eat fish or shellfish. Of course some fish contain less mercury, arsenic, dioxins, pesticides, endocrine disrupters than others but they all contain cholesterol and saturated fat. Even the Alaskan Salmon contain contaminants… remember everything that we flush or dump into our rivers ends up in the oceans where it circulates. As a physician if I recommend supplemental EPA/DHA to a patient I always recommend a plant based option see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/ (Algae-Based DHA vs. Flax). In addition to improved human health the health of our oceans ecosystems also benefit from a reduction in the number of fish caught and of course the fish appreciate it.What is the best nutritional way to combat eczema, in children?  take out all dairy if youre consuming it and have eczema.Other than being vegan, how do I avoid sinus, upper respiratory infections and pneuomenia?I love your daily videos and look forward to them each day. Thank you for the work you do.Thank you so much for your kind words. So glad I can help!Do you have information on adult environmental (trees, grass, etc.) allergy relief/prevention?International congress on Allergy in Berlin (2006) unanimously validated a fact established in the 70s by French doctor André Gernez. According to this “hygiene theory”, the rise in asthma and allergies is a consequence of birth in modern countries occuring 99% in hospitals. If you cover the eyes of a newborn mouse for only a few hours, it remains blind for life. The same *concept* applies to human organogenesis: the immune system’s recognition and tolerance to foreign entities (dust, blood of a different group, etc…) is possible in newborns but is short-lived. The longer newborns spend in hospitals or in cities and artificially clean environments, the higher the incidence of asthma/allergies. Like every function in organogenesis, if it is sollicited with the right timing, it end up being permanently sealed and fixed for life. Asthma and allergies are primarily a matter of being rapidly exposed a variety of potential allergens immediately to shortly after birth. Statistics or rural vs urban rates of allergy/asthma confirm this, and the length of stay in hospitals after birth is correlated with a higher incidence of allergy/asthma.	allergies,asthma,children,DHA,dioxins,eczema,EPA,fish,hay fever,heterocyclic amines,immune function,infants,inflammation,meat,mercury,omega-3 fatty acids,pregnancy,saturated fat	What is responsible for the rising prevalence of atopic diseases such as food allergies, asthma, hay fever, and eczema?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos which address allergies and immune function.  And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/21/schoolchildren-should-drink-more-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eczema/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hay-fever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19389315,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19552790,
PLAIN-3072	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/	Avoiding a Sugary Grave	Now that we know the major source of glycotoxins is our diet, the remaining question is which foods do we need to avoid. The major barrier to progress in this field has been the lack of a large reference database of these toxins in various foods, until now. For the first time ever, 549 foods tested for AGE content.They tested nuts and seeds, oils, beef, poultry, pork, fish, cheese, soy, eggs, breads, cereals, beans, grains, veggies, crackers, cookies, fruit, dairy, juice, Big Macs, and Hot Pockets, and Hummus, and veggie burgers, candy, soups, condiments, and miscellaneous, from Budweiser to breast milk, coffee, and coke, jello to vodka.Here were the top 15 most contaminated foods. Chicken, bacon, chicken, hot dog, chicken, beef, chicken, chicken, beef, chicken, turkey, chicken, fish, beef, and chicken.Cooking method does matter. For example, boiled chicken is safer than baked chicken. But more important is plant versus animal. Yes, baked apples have 3 times more than raw apples, but the amounts are totally negligible.Here's a McDonald's hamburger; Here's a veggie burger fried the same way. Whereas cooking is known to drive the generation of new AGEs in foods, it is interesting to note that even uncooked, animal-derived foods can contain large amounts of dietary AGEs, the so called glycotoxins.Typical New Yorker gets about 15,000 glycotoxin units a day. What’s a safe intake? No clue, but there are studies suggesting cutting ones intake in half may extend one's lifespan. How do you do that? Those who are regularly consuming lower-meat meals prepared with moist heat (such as soups and stews) as part of a diet rich in plant foods could realistically consume half the units.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out “part 1″ on AGEs in Glycotoxins. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!Loved this video – posting it on FB in hopes that my “friends” will be vegucated….. Would love to see what you have to say about pyroluria and you take on it. I worked in mental health and there was no mention of pyroluria being a factor in mental health…..I feel this is an issue that needs a spotlight – providing millions of sufferers with an healthful alternative to the psych drugs, you know, with the side effects which then require more medications……….you know the story.are AGES in rice cakes,air popped popcorn, plain puffed grains?How can I view the database? I noticed one source said milk was low… wonder why that is, but it is higher in cheese?Also, I want to sign in with fb, but the button won’t work.Never mind. I got it. I’m going to stay enrolled in college forever for access to all these awesome journals online. ;)I’d be interested in knowing how raw nuts and seeds compare to roasted ones. I remember you recommending that we roast our nuts to take advantage of better mineral absorption of roasted nuts. But if AGE’s are too high as a result of roasting, I’d rather get my minerals from some other source.According to the chart, roasted nuts are indeed higher in AGEs compared to raw nuts. Perhaps eating a mixture of raw and roasted nuts is best?Here’s a full-text PDF for the last source citation:http://marshfieldceliac.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/5/7/2557865/ada_ages_in_food_reduction1.pdfThanks Mike–I changed the link. All thanks to you!I posted this in the previous glycation thread, but I’ll post it again here. If you do some googling, it’s evident that vegetarians and vegans have higher AGE levels than omnis because they consume taurine which drastically lowers AGE levels. So it might be a good idea to take taurine.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15607576interesting. Dr. Greger – what are your thoughts on this?The pilot studies (here and here) that found higher levels in vegetarians appears to have been a fluke. A larger study performed by the same research group (90 vegetarians compared to the originals involving 19) did not find significantly higher AGE levels. McCarty’s hypothesis paper about taurine was published before the new data came out.Yes, Dr. Greger — any thoughts? I’ve seen taurine recommended for vegans before but know nothing about this.The link you cite says: “Thus, a taurine supplemented low-fat vegan diet may be recommended as a strategy for minimizing AGE-mediated complications in diabetics and in patients with renal failure.”I don’t know how this applies to those who aren’t diabetic or have renal failure. Maybe the full text explains more but that costs money to read.The one study that found higher levels in vegetarians appears to have been a fluke. A larger study performed by the same research group (90 vegetarians compared to the original 19) did not find significantly higher AGE levels. McCarty’s hypothesis paper bout taurine was published before the new data came out.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies!I have diabetes type 1 ,and I`d like to know weather there are specific foods or substances or supplements that counter balance the accelerated production of AGEs in the body of a diabetic.In other words,things I can do to go against AGEs. The AGEs created by the hyperglycemia. Not just the AGEs found in foods. Thank you very much.Wrong wrong wrong. Glycation comes from sugar, not protein or fat.What is on your menu? Go have lunch with ALz. patient.This video is called avoiding a sugary grave, but nowhere in it is sugar actually mentioned. What’s the deal?HI macbev! Maybe it’s not to be taken literally…Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs) are when sugar molecules have attached to other molecules, usually amino acids or proteins in this case. The term glycation is usually what confuses people, but it is referring to sugars(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycation).	Advanced Glycation End-products,aging,animal products,apples,bacon,beef,burgers,cheese,chicken,cooking methods,fish,glycotoxins,hamburgers,hot dogs,McDonald’s,meat,New York City,plant-based diets,poultry,processed meat,red meat,safety limits,turkey,veggie burgers,white meat	500 foods were tested for advanced glycation end products (AGEs).	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out "part 1" on AGEs in Glycotoxins.  And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-city/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcdonalds-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/advanced-glycation-end-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 20211718,
PLAIN-3073	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycotoxins/	Glycotoxins	Advanced glycation end products, AGE’s, appropriately acronymed, as they are considered gerontotoxins, geronto as in gerontology, these are aging toxins, thought to accelerate the aging process, the multisystem decline in anatomic integrity and function. AGE’s crosslink proteins together causing tissue stiffness, oxidative stress and inflammation. In the brain they may contribute to dementia, in the eye cataracts and macular degeneration. In the arteries and heart, hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart failure and stroke, then anemia, kidney disease, osteoporosis and muscle loss.There are two sources of these toxins. One, we can’t do much about—they’re produced internally as natural waste products of metabolism, but source number 2 is our diet.Research in the 70’s on rats found that AGE’s weren’t absorbed very well and so dietary sources were dismissed as irrelevant, until 25 years later when we finally tested people, and low and behold, we found that diet-derived AGEs that are absorbed into the bloodstream may represent a major source of chemically and biologically active toxins. and so we should eliminate the foods and modes of cooking associated with the highest AGE content.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out other videos on aging. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!Dr. Greger,Firstly regarding AGE’s, most studies discuss forms of cooking (frying, roasting, boiling etc.) but make no mention of the impact microwaving has on AGE production? Could you illuminate us please? Also in an unrelated area, how do you feel about Evista vs.bisphophonates for early osteoporosis in the spine and as a means to slow down ostepenia in the hip?The glycation reaction of sugar with a protein or fat occurs above 120 degrees. So microwaving food should also yield AGE’s. Cooking provides many benefits but varies from type to type see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/best-cooking-method/ for information. I don’t recommend any medications for osteopenia and only in isolated cases for osteoporosis. I would read the articles written by John McDougall MD in his newsletters especially the October 2004 newsletter.Got to his website, click on the Read More link under Hot Topics and click on Osteoporosis to see a list of these newsletters. Dr. Amy Lanou wrote an excellent easy to read and thorough book, Building Bone Vitality, for people concerned about bone health. I would recommend that you read that as well. Her conclusion about animal protein is not supported by the meta analysis reviewed by Dr. Greger: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/. What is clear is that regular weight bearing exercise and good nutrition are important. I recommend a plant based diet along with weight bearing exercise. Getting repeat testing periodically to monitor BMD helps sort out this issue. It is important to work with your physician in weighing the benefits and risks of non pharmacologic approaches vs biphosphonates, estrogen and/or thiazide diuretics.Can you offer any guidance for vegans and vegetarians. I just perused “Advanced Glycation End Products in Foods and a Practical Guide to Their Reduction in the Diet”. (URIBARRI, Journal American Dietetic Association June 2010 Volume 110 Number 6) With the exceptions of whole wheat bread and some olive oil, vegans do not eat the foods listed. ￼Take taurine.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15607576 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18834896Is it okay and effective to take taurine for regular vegans just trying to minimize AGE’s? I mean these articles seem to recommend it for patients with renal failure, not particularly for every vegetarian/vegan. Perhaps a new study will give us better insight soon!Yeah, that first link says: “Thus, a taurine supplemented low-fat vegan diet may be recommended as a strategy for minimizing AGE-mediated complications in diabetics and in patients with renal failure.”I don’t know how this applies to those who aren’t diabetic or have renal failure. Maybe the full text explains more but that costs money to read.Are AGEs a specific type of free radical, or are they a totally different type of toxin?I have a question regarding the use of hydrogen peroxide internally. I’m not finding much information on the subject and I have a family member who’s looking into it based on some (limited) online research. Thoughts and feedback would be apprecaited.Yikes! Hydrogen peroxide should never be taken internally. It can cause irritation of the gastrointestinal tract with nausea, vomiting, and foaming at the mouth (the foam may obstruct the respiratory tract or result in pulmonary aspiration). Within minutes of ingestion, confusion, coma, convulsions, cyanosis and cardiorespiratory arrest may ensue. Oxygen gas embolism in the brain may cause a stroke even after just a few sips. Most problems occur at concentrations >10%, but even dilute solutions can be toxic. If your family member wants to oxygenate their blood they should try exercising.What do you make of the study showing vegetarians had higher levels of AGEs? Im assuming they were unlikely to be consuming more AGEs in the diet so what is the likely cause? Could low carnosine be the issue? I think the researchers attributed it to higher honey (fructose) consumption.This comment made me do some googling and you’re right. Veg*ns do have higher AGE levels according to several studies. Apparently taurine powerfully works against glycation so it’s probably not a bad idea to take 150-400 mg of taurine a day. I linked above to some relevant research.Note: I’m not a doctor.The one study that found higher levels in vegetarians appears to have been a fluke. A larger study performed by the same research group (90 vegetarians compared to the original 19) did not find significantly higher AGE levels. McCarty’s hypothesis paper about taurine was published before the new data came out.Disappointing… I was hoping vegetarians would have significantly lower levels. I wonder where they get the AGE intake.Thrilled to see your point about the 2006 study and, as a PhD holder myself am impressed by your professionalism with research by others.are there AGES found in baked potatoes,air popped popcorn,plain puffed 100% whole grain brown rice cakes?I have reviewed the tables at the back of the paper. The authors have included AGEs from a number of foods, albeit not enough that most followers of your posts probably eat.Let us make it practical: Where is a list of the foods that contain loads of AGEs? Without that your video is just futile…Please click on the NEXT UP video above, to get the next video in the series (Avoiding a sugary grave) which does exactly that.Hello Dr.Greger. I am interested in finding the linkeage between A.G.E.s and male infertility. I hypothesise that the linkeage is probably O.S. (oxidative stress), R.O.S.(reactive oxygen species) and DNA fragmentation. But it is something I have to find evidence and the way it is happening. On the other hand, after watching a lot of your videos, I wonder whether the diet intake plays a second role or even the first role between A.G.E.s and male infertility. I would appreciate any kind of help. Thank you. (Excuse me for my rusty english)At 1:00 this video claims there’s little we can do about endogenous AGE production (much from the methylglyoxal produced during normal glycolysis),BUTWe have an enzyme to deal with it, lactoylglutathione lyase (or Glyoxselase I), a transcriptional switch in Nrf2 (PMID: 22188542) which happens to turn on a bunch of protective enzymes including Glyoxselase I, and a common food chemical that induces the Nrf2 switch, sulforaphane (many citations, can’t find the original discovery).Where can we find sulforaphane? All of the cruciferous vegetables, from broccoli to wasabi, include the glucosinolate precursors converted to sulforaphane upon chewing. It appears cabbage has the highest sulforaphane content among cruciferous vegetables (sorry, kale)(see Farag et al. “Sulforaphane composition, cytotoxic and antioxidant activity of crucifer vegetables”. 2010).,Thanks! Good to know.Only upon chewing cruciferous veggies, or is it converted also upon blending,juicing or krauting?What are your thoughts on vegans/vegetarians supplementing with low to moderate doses of synthetic taurine and carnosine (or its precursor, beta-alanine) for the sole purpose of reducing endogenous advanced glycation end product creation and development?I know you generally don’t recommend supplements and that they can sometimes cause more harm than good, but these two amino acids can only be found in animals, so it seems there is no whole foods way to obtain the seemingly beneficial effects of carnosine and taurine for a vegan.I’m also particularly concerned because of the recent news that carnitine and choline are digested into TMAO. Perhaps I’m a bit paranoid that maybe taurine, carnosine, or creatine may have similar processes as carnitine that I don’t know about since they are all animal-based amino acids. By that same logic, would supplementing with carnosine and taurine continue to promote colonies of animal protein-consuming gut bacteria that I’m trying to eliminate by switching to a plant-based diet?Thanks!Our bodies make taurine and carnosine. The side-effects or potential harms with carnosine (or beta-alanine) supplementation seem to outweigh any potential benefit. Taurine supplementation doesn’t seem to have any side effects or potential harms (that I can find), so that would most likely be just a case of wasted money if our bodies are producing all we need. I also wonder about the TMAO thing since that was just discovered.It’s carnitine that leads to TMAO, not carnosine.Unless there is evidence that carnosine doesn’t cause TMAO, we can’t be sure. Besides, carnosine may increase your risk for cancer due to it’s effect on telomeres. I’m taking the safer route of trusting my body to make the correct amount of carnosine (and taurine, carnitine, creatine, etc) from other amino acids found in plant foods.If you have Osteoporosis, is it better to not take medication like Fosomax and instead treat the bone weakness with plant based high calcium foods and exercise? I am taking the medication, but don’t like the side effects. Isn’t plant based nutrition and exercise a better and more effective remedy for Osteoporosis?Please read the book Biological Transmutation by Dr. Kirvran or the chapter in The Secret Life of Plants about Biological Transmutation by Christopher Bird for the understanding about potassium, magnesium and silica-containing foods interacting with hydrogen, oxygen and carbon and turning into our bones’ calcium. The supplemental calcium or the foods high in calcium do not help our bone density and has never been known to approach a human bone; this element calcium lines the myelin sheath of our nerves and makes us feel more peaceful.Dawn: Have you read the book, “Building Bone Vitality: A Revolutionary diet plan to prevent bone loss and reverse osteoporosis?” It’s a great book, with a ton of science to back it up. It’s a quick read and focuses mainly on the benefits of a plant based diet – with details on what to focus on. It even has some recipes and menu plans. And a chapter addressing drugs. http://www.amazon.com/Building-Bone-Vitality-Revolutionary-Osteoporosis–Without/dp/0071600191/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424294474&sr=1-1&keywords=building+bone+vitalityI’m not a doctor and can’t even begin to address the drug question. But I think this would be just the book for you to help you make some informed decisions.Hope that helps.why some people have wounds that are not healing long time?	Advanced Glycation End-products,aging,anemia,animal studies,blood pressure,bone health,brain health,cardiovascular disease,cataracts,dementia,eye disease,eye health,glycotoxins,heart disease,heart failure,heart health,hypertension,inflammation,kidney disease,kidney health,macular degeneration,muscle health,osteoporosis,oxidative stress,ranking foods,stroke,wrinkles	Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in our diet are thought to accelerate the aging process.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out other videos on aging.  And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cataracts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/advanced-glycation-end-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wrinkles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 20211718,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20497781,
PLAIN-3074	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-help-prevent-abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/	How to Help Prevent Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms	Researchers launched a study of more than 3 million people—by far the largest ever to uncover what we can do, other than just not smoking, to reduce our risk of developing an abdominal aortic aneurism in the first place. In terms of diet, apparently the riskiest thing we can do is eat meat.Eating meat just a few times a month appears to significantly increase our risk, which makes sense. Another name for atherosclerosis is hardening of the arteries. That’s what all that cholesterol goop in our arteries can do—harden and stiffen the walls of our aorta, making them less pliable and so instead of just bouncing right back after every heartbeat, your aorta is at risk for stretching bit by bit over time until eventually, you can end up with balloon animal in your gut and then, sometimes, pop goes the weasel.The most important thing, though, no smoking, which can dramatically increase our risk. Albert Einstein… died of an abdominal aortic aneurism—and he was a vegetarian, but did not start eating healthy until very late in his life and he was also a heavy smoker. So, minimize both smoking and meat eating and maximize fruits and vegetable consumption, and eat nuts every day, the two most powerful dietary behaviors found to reduce one's risk. May cut our odds of developing a abdominal aortic aneurism in half.	Be sure to check out this morning’s blog Aortic Aneurysm Prevention and yesterday’s “part 1″ on abdominal aortic aneurysms in Ticking time balloons. Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!And check out the associated blog post Aortic aneurysm prevention: Jeff Green and his aorta.What is the footnote notated by the asteric for the meat section.I uploaded the entire figure above in the Supplementary Info section, including the caption. Never hesitate to ask me to reproduce or blow-up any graphs or charts or anything featured in my videos. That’s what that Supplementary Info section is made for and I don’t use it enough!Suppose you were a young adult male, who is highly athletic (exercises every day), has well diversified diet of fruits and vegetables (still eating meat though), would such a lifestyle have a nulling effect if that person were to also smoke cigars every week? From watching various videos on your website I have come to the conclusion that smoking(not inhaling, but consider a scenario of a cigarette smoker contrasted with a cigar smoker) wouldn’t be nearly as big problem as any potentially harmful effects would just be muted by the extremely healthy life style the person was living. Or am I wrong to suppose that?Dr. Greger, could you say something about CoQ10, a coenzyme supposedly helpful in combating some diseases of the elder? Would you recommend it as a general supplement?Dr. Greger, I think it is important to point out that in this study, as with most population-based dietary studies, the threshold for consumption of fruits and vegetables is often absurdly low. The benefit in the risk of AAAs was found for those consuming fruit, vegetable and nuts more than three times per week and all you had to do to get the 50% reduction was eat either daily! There is no way to know how much more benefit a vegetarian or vegan diet might provide.PS. I really enjoy your website and appreciate all the work you do to put it togetherSo eating meat 2 to 4 times per month was worse for your risk than eating fast food every day? Hmm, questionable!Well, that is not necessarily the case.  You have to compare them using the error bars. Good ole statistics.  If error bars overlap at all, we can be sure that they are not statistically significant from each other.  So although there is natural variation in the results, it isn’t more variation than expected by chance.  Although eating meat 2-4/x per mouth was not (statistically) different from eating fast food, the results do seem to show support that eating meat frequently has a negative health affect compared with the other food categories. Also, check out why plant-based foods are so beneficial for many aspects of health. http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/01/10/plant-based-benefits-extend-beyond-the-top-killers/It is scary how contaminated our meat supply is!  http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/For some context, please also check out my associated blog post Watermelon for Erectile Dysfunction!so a patient with marfan syndrome should go vegan?was is it about the smoking?JUST DIAGNOSD WITH AORTIC ANUERYSM OF 1.3 CM . I ASSUME NO SMOKING.MINIMIZE MEAT,AD FRIED FOODS,EAT FRUIT AND VATBLES. HOW ABOUT MEDS OR HERBS? LARRY1.3 cm, WOW, you should feel really good! My doctor called me the other day and told me that he read my ultra-sound and mine is a tiny 5.5 cm. He wants to cut me open A.S.A.P. or sometime right after the first of the new year.mine has been 4.4 for a while now or may even be larger now as the scan was inconclusive I would like to know what I can do naturally as my doctor wants to put me on beta blockers & I am against prescription drugs,well unless they are going to save my life anywayI wonder why eating fast food daily and twice a month are so close together in the chart. Any thoughts?You are amazing at detail! Perhaps there was no significance found? Seems like there should have been regarding fast food. Here is the study in full “whereas red meat and processed or fast food were associated with increased AAA prevalence, although this effect did not remain significant in multivariable analysis. “	abdominal aortic aneurysm,Albert Einstein,aneurysm,aorta,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,fast food,fruit,meat,mortality,nuts,plant-based diets,saturated fat,smoking,vegetables,vegetarians	What dietary behaviors may cut the odds of developing of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in half?	Be sure to check out this morning's blog Aortic Aneurysm Prevention and yesterday's "part 1" on abdominal aortic aneurysms in Ticking time balloons.  Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them.  And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/albert-einstein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aorta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aneurysm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-aortic-aneurysm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20630687,
PLAIN-3075	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms-ticking-time-balloons/	Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Ticking Time Balloons	The aorta is the largest artery in our body. It’s like a garden hose. It comes straight off the heart, plunges down through our abdomen and then splits off into each leg.Our hearts beat about 40 million times a year and each heartbeat sends a wave of pressure down that hose, so it better be strong—flexible, elastic to deal with each pulse of blood pumped through it. But what if your aorta becomes stiffened with atherosclerosis, inflamed with oxidized cholesterol, clogged with fatty deposits?This is what the inner lining of our aorta should look like, all smooth, pliable, rubbery. But with too much saturated fat in one's diet fatty streaks start to appear, which can lead to inflammation, ulceration, and calcification. The walls of our aorta can weaken, start stretching, bulging out, ballooning under all the pressure. And when balloons get too big, they can pop, and then you die.The ballooning is called an abdominal aortic aneurism—a million Americans have them, but most don’t even know it. They can be like ticking time bombs, getting bigger and bigger, but you don’t feel it—until it bursts. So, the first and only symptom is usually, a painful death.So that’s why the current recommendation is that the highest risk group, male smokers over the age of 65, get a sonogram to make sure they aren’t carrying around an aneurism in their abdomen. But more than half who get them don’t fall into that group—they’re women, or nonsmokers, or under 65, so there’s obviously major risk factors that we’re missing.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out other videos on cardiovascular disease. And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!And check out the associated blog post Aortic aneurysm prevention: Jeff Green and his aorta.I can not access this video on YouTube at all, Doc, either on your home page OR by searching for the title. Is “private” your default setting for all your YouTube uploads?Sorry about my old Palm. I can only access YouTube videos on YouTube itself.Does this link help? http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3takC1aqR-g@Toxins Yes. Big help. here’s the shortened version:http://youtu.be/3takC1aqR-gAnother great video, Michael, thanks for all the information you may available. Question: From my studies of a plants-only diet I’d guess eating this way would reverse or prevent this bulding aorta. Esselsty and other say cholesterol of 150 or less makes us heart attack proof. Does the aorta problem fall into that category? Thank you. ~ ChuckGood question… the aorta falls into the same category. Arterial disease affects all the arteries in the body. The blood supply to the aortic wall is from small vessels, vaso vasorum, that originate in the aorta. These get blocked and inflamed just like the coronary arteries do.Thank you DrDons. I thought that’d be the case but wasn’t positive.Dr. Greger: i have been recently dx with dissection of the celiac trunk artery – a very rare occurance. I am being treated with anticoagulants to prevent clogging or aneurysm formation and was told to avoid foods high in vitamin k during the course of TX, expected 3/6 months. Any recommendations in terms of diet and pevention? Thanks for your attention to this inquiry¡hello Doctor my aorta has been 4.4 for a while now or may even be larger now as the scan was inconclusive for size. I also have a bicuspid aortic valve. Is exercise important as well as nutrition? I would like to know what I can do naturally as my doctor wants to put me on beta blockers & I am against prescription drugs,well unless they are going to save my life anywayYes, both are important as you can see in this video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance Hope that helps! Talk to your doctor about how strenuous you can be with your exercise. It may be a good idea to start with a certified personal training to get you pointed in the right direction as you get going on an exercise program.	abdominal aortic aneurysm,aneurysm,aorta,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,men's health,mortality,saturated fat,smoking	A million Americans have a silent aneurysm in their abdominal aorta (AAA) that may become life-threatening over time.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out other videos on cardiovascular disease.  And there are 1,449 subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aorta/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aneurysm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-aortic-aneurysm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3076	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/	Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero	Why stop just sprinkling statins on our happy meal, when we can be even more aggressive. Is it time for the polypill? One pill; containing 5 or 6 drugs: A statin, three blood pressure medications—a thiazide, beta blocker and and ACE inhibitor, maybe some aspirin— suggesting even over-the-counter availability. The chance of benefit… may be less than 1% per year and that of side effects 6% overall, some of which, like internal bleeding may be life-threatening, so for those you decide to go with diet rather than the 5 drugs how do you do it? To lower our cholesterol through diet we need to avoid three things, trans fats, saturated fats, and cholesterol. trans fats are mostly in junk food and animal products The top food sources of cholesterol raising saturated fat. That quarter pounder doesn’t come in until 8. It’s cheese, ice cream, chicken, then pastries, then pork, reduced fat milk, and then our burger. Where is cholesterol found in the American diet? #1's not beef. It’s eggs and chicken, and then beef, cheese, pork and fish before getting to cakes, cookies, doughnuts, and ice cream. How much should reduce our consumption of these foods? What are the tolerable upper intake levels for trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol? “The Institute of Medicine did not set upper limits for trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol because any intake level above zero increased bad cholesterol.” Here’s trans fat. There’s no level that’s safe. It's like a straight line. The lower the better. “any intake level of trans fat above zero increased LDL cholesterol concentration, the number 1 risk factor for our number one killer. heart disease. And same with saturated fat— “ any intake level above zero” and similar findings for cholesterol. So intakes of meat, eggs, dairy, and junk food should be as low as possible because there is no tolerable intake .	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And don’t miss today’s accompanying blog post, “Generic Lipitor is not the answer to our heart disease epidemic.”This video presents an argument that appears to contradict another video presented on this website.Specifically, it is argued in the present video that foods with any quantity of saturated fat should be eliminated from the diet in order to lower the risk of heart disease.By that logic we should eliminate nuts and seeds as they contain substantial contributions of saturated fat. In fact, the data to support this is partially presented in one of the tables that you show in this video, where nuts/seeds appear on the list.However, in another video (http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/halving-heart-attack-risk/) it is argued that eating nuts halves the risk of heart disease.Therefore, these two videos appear to contract each other.Best I can tell, this website frequently presents half-truths to convince you that animal products are absolutely terrible for your health.Weird, because every other site seems to indicate cholesterol is relatively harmless…The myth of the cholesterol myth is popular in the low carb blogosphere but does not stand up to the evidence. Nutritionfacts.org presents peer reviewed research, not misconstrued opinions from authors trying to sell you their products.“Serum cholesterol concentration is clearly increased by added dietary cholesterol but the magnitude of predicted change is modulated by baseline dietary cholesterol. The greatest response is expected when baseline dietary cholesterol is near zero, while little, if any, measurable change would be expected once baseline dietary cholesterol was >400-500 mg/d. People desiring maximal reduction of serum cholesterol by dietary means may have to reduce their dietary cholesterol to minimal level”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/6/1060.full.pdfThis study looked at 13,148 participants using an ultrasound to measure arterial wall thickness. “In general, wall thickness increased with increasing intake of animal fat, saturated and monounsaturated fat, cholesterol and Keys’ score and decreased with increasing intake of vegetable fat…the association between diet and wall thickness was in the expected direction in all race-sex groups.”http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/139/10/979.abstractParticipants were put on an oat diet or 2 egg a day diet for 6 weeks. Those that ate eggs did not have their cholesterol raised, while those who ate oats had their cholesterol lowered. Does this mean egg cholesterol does not affect serum cholesterol? No, it just means that baseline cholesterol was already too high to begin with, as the participants started out with an average cholesterol around 200.http://www.internationaljournalofcardiology.com/article/S0167-5273%2804%2900139-1/abstractA 2010 follow up study of the one above placed hyperlipedemic subjects (average total cholesterol 240) either on a egg group, sausage and cheese muffin group or egg substitute group. The sausage and cheese group and the egg group did not have a significant change in lipid panel and both had unfavorable results from the brachial artery test. Both the egg group and sausage and cheese group caused endothelial dysfunction, a sign of inflammation. The egg substitute group did not experience this arterial impairment and their cholesterol numbers actually dropped significantly in the 6 weeks. Again, because the cholesterol was already high to begin with for the egg and muffin group, we should not expect much change in the lipid panel.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2904713/#!po=43.1818Another interesting study took people who were insulin sensitive, insulin resistant, and obese+insulin resistant and put them on different egg feeding groups. The insulin sensitive group had an average total cholesterol of 186, which was much better then the insulin resistant group who had an average total of 209. After 4 eggs per day, the insulin sensitive group had a much bigger increase in serum cholesterol then the insulin resistant group. Not only this, but Apo B increased, the so called small dense ldl particles, the “bad kind” many paleo proponents make note of.http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/23/8/1437.longAgain, an old forgotten (but still relevant) study on eggs. Young healthy participants started out with cholesterol numbers averaging 195. They controlled for all macronutrients, keeping carbs, fats and proteins constant. The only thing that changed in the intervention was cholesterol. They added 6 eggs, a copious amount of cholesterol to their diet, after which cholesterol shot up to 253. And yet again, the feared ldl particle count was increased by the eggs.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1129159/pdf/jcinvest00767-0060.pdfNon vegetarian and semi-vegetarians’ biomarkers were taken. The semi-vegeterians had much lower cholesterol starting out (but still not great) then the full omnivorous counterparts. When given dietary cholesterol, their serum cholesterol went up because their baseline was not too high as in other studies. Clearly this evidence along with the ones above show that dietary cholesterol raises serum cholesterol when the baseline is not already high.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/59/6/1325.longPlease see here for more http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/back-in-circulation-sciatica-and-cholesterol/cholesterol and arterial fat is an inflammation response, LDL is there doing it’s job it did not start the fire it is just trying to put it out. Keys was the idiot scientist that started this whole invalid craze, by hand picking only 7 of the 22 countries studied and the media and pharma ran with it, to make millions off you guested it, Statins. Surgar is the enemy, a state of acidosis in the arteries is the true enemy. Unlike a leg muscle that is worked to hard, your heart, a muscle too, cannot take a break and in an inflammatory environment, acidosis reaks havoc and shear pressures at bifurcation points in the heart create cracks in the endothelium. Ever hear of a spleen attack? Kidney attack? Think about it. Heart disease is related to the autotomic nervous system, PNS and SNS in particular. too much to list here, but the bottom line is do not buy into the cholesterol and blocked artery theory of the ’cause’ of heart disease, it is a byproduct for sure. And the FDA food chain should have grains at the top not the bottom, and high quality fats at the bottom. Like medicine, even there pyramid is ‘upside down’…A sign, I read today at the YMCA, states “The body makes approximately 75% of cholesterol, and the other 25% comes from animal products that we eat.” The subject of the sign is “Don’t be confused by cholesterol!” The source is “Aegis”. Don’t know who that is. My sense is that they are trying to minimize the the perceived affect of eating animal products on cholesterol. Is there more to the story of cholesterol. If the response I get significantly refutes the quote, I will take that information to the YMCA.Hello Rick and thanks for your question. I would actually agree with your assessment. That statement seems to make the assumption that everyone eats animal products, and does not make a lot of sense as it is. Cholesterol is made intrinsically (by our own bodies) and is a substance that we need for various biological functions. However, we make all that we need, and do not need any at all from external sources (the food that we eat). If a person has a low cholesterol, and they are not on any cholesterol-lowering medications, it could indicate a serious illness or a state of overall malnutrition (or both), yet it has nothing to do with cholesterol in foods.Hi Dr. Greg. What about the saturated fat and heart disease link? I’ve read that not all LDLs are bad. According to these sources sugar increases arterial plaque-causing LDL while saturated fat increases benign LDL. Since the lab equipment needed to distinguish between the two is so expensive most experiments have merely shown that overall LDL is correlated with heart disease, leaving us with the question: which specific LDLs are responsible and what causes those specific LDLs to increase?I hope this doctor has learned a few things since the post… saturated fats, assuming from grass fed animals and organic in nature, are ‘extremely healthy’… saturated fat has been duped by the establishment, just like Statin drugs. Don’t trust doctors, get the facts yourself.http://youtu.be/1ZrxS7v2FDAOK. so this video does not appear on your YouTube homepage, yet the previous Lipitor with your fries video *does*. What’s the diff?Having a bit of time on my hands (obviously), I’ve found some links to Dr. Gregers’ mysterious lists/pie chart:Major sources of transfats…http://www.agingeye.net/maculardegen/qatra2ch.gifTop food sources of cholesterol-raising fat…http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/sat_fat/crf.htmlTop food sources of cholesterol…http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/cholesterol/table1.htmlDr Greger are you familiar with the book Nutrition and physical degeneration by Weston Price? Please let me know your thoughts. That book convinced me that animal fat was actually good and necessary. My Great grandparents living in Brazil lived to be 115 and 102 and they all ate meat, eggs, raw milk from their farm, they never visited a doctor. So I thought to myself, well Weston Price must be right and now I run into all of this contrary research… please help me Thanks SissyWeston Price’s research now many decades old had good intentions. I think the studies have since shown that animal fat is detrimental to health. Can we eat it? Of course. Have alot of folks eaten animal fat and lived to be 100 certainly. However many of those who lived to 100 were never exposed in their early years to the processed food that makes up the standard american diet nor did they consume the quantities they do today. Additionally chemicals have been added to the food chain mainly since world war 2 see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/. So I would recommend avoiding all animal fats which are unhealthy and contain many harmful chemicals.Processed food and chemicals found in the standard American diet do not mean that all animal fats are bad. Organic, grass-fed animal fat is one of the healthiest things you can eat, whether you look at “decades old” WP or the most current research.Hi Frasier, I’ve been curious about this. Could you show me some of the current research that organic grass-fed animal fat is ‘super healthy’ as you seem to have found more than I have. I’ve been scouring the medical journals, but could not find a single one…Your grandparents are eating properly! And it is probably organic and not GMO foods sprayed with Glyphosate that most all people fail to realize is in every meal if you are not 100% organic with not only fruits and veggies, but with grass fed dairy and meat as well. Cholesterol is ‘the most important product’ your body produces and is with out a doubt the problem in the USA and why so many people have dementia, Alzheimers’ and Autism, the young persons version of Alzheimer. Non-fat diet is a joke and killing us, I eat like your grandparents, organic whole milk and butter, though not a lot, and it is “UNPASTURIZED”. You and your family keep doing what your grandparents did, and if you live here just make sure anything in your mouth is organic… you will be head and shoulders ahead of 99% of the doctors and nutritionist out there :)Dr. Greger, so this video seems to be saying to eat plant based only and no processed food and 0 trans fats. This is very radical talk and go against the whole food set up currently surrounding me and us all. If there were people eating healthy , would they not stand out as being clearly superior physically to others and be a vivid display of the benefit of not eating animal and processed food? Why do vegans often look so pasty pale and meek and lacking in vitality? I would say that the appearance of vegans has been an obstacle for myself switching over easily and sooner. Also the growing obese population has also been a vivid display for me looking to make sure I don’t go down THAT path either.Vallis: Hi again. I happened to be skimming comments and came across this other comment by you. I really liked your comment because you pose some honest questions. If you aren’t tired of me yet, I have some thoughts for you.re: “Why do vegans often look so pasty pale and meek and lacking in vitality?” Whether or not someone looks attractive is of course subjective. But my first reaction to your comment was, “Gosh, who does she/he know? That’s not my experience *at all*.” Have you watched the documentary “Forks Over Knives”? It is available on Netflicks, many libraries and you can purchase it from Amazon. I *HIGHLY* recommend this documentary. I think it will answer a lot of your questions and it is spell-binding. Anyway, this movie has real-life people examples in addition to information on scientific studies. This movie shows vegan body builders and firemen and triathlon people and marathon runners. They all looked great to me.Also, you might consider some day signing up for Dr. Bernard’s 21 day KickStart program. Each day you will get an e-mail to a webpage. The webpage not only has meal plans and recipes, but it has inspirational words and tips from vegan: body builders, actors/actresses, athletes, doctors, and professional models. Maybe the “face of vegan” would change for you after seeing all these real-life examples of vegans.Thea, thanks for this responses. I hear it all the time: “I know X amount of vegans and they look skinny and unhealthy”.I always wonder how some meat eaters know so many more vegans ( less than 1% of US) than I.Anyone on any diet can look or be unhealthy, and yes it’s definitely subjective… to a certain extent. I know a lot of meat eaters who are obese and they look unhealthy. I’m not sure that’s very subjective though.Thanks for feedback Tan!Also, I can testify from personal experience that not all vegans are skinny. :-(I know some vegetarians that are obese. We all have to find our way somehow. :)I know some Vegans that are morbidly obese.  I’ve seen them at Dr. McDougalls!  Remember Oil is Vegan!-}  YUM!!I belong to a vegan group in my area and I can verify that all vegans come in different shapes and sizes. I would like to share that a newer member that I met a few months ago lost her husband a little over a year ago after he recovered from a heart attack and surgery, then succumbed to cancer and died a couple years later. It shook her up and she had a nursing background and knew their coach potato lifestyle was not a good one. So after much research and reading of the China Study, McDougall Program, Engine 2, Forks over Knives, and Neil Barnard’s PCRM she went vegan, lost 70 pounds over this past year and looks and feels great in her mid 50’s. So yes, people that eat a whole foods plant-based diet can slim down and look and feel great. We have been hiking together this month and she is in great shape and planning to do some backpacking. I just interviewed an Registered Dietician this past week and she is a competitive marathoner and triathlete. Talk about a healthy looking, thin and strong looking lady. They motivate me to get stronger, so I am off to the gym. Best to you! :)Vegans may be skinny. That is a possibility. But looking at the normal anyone with a BMI of 23 would look skinny. A comment about ‘vegan’. I occasionally teach about some of this. If you ever saw the movie “The Jerk” the main character, Steve Martiin, has a favorite meal of Tab, Twinkies and a tuna fish on white bread (SAD), I suggest we switch that to vegetarian of Tab, Twinkies and a cheese sandwich and ask if that is healthy. I then suggest we go to a vegan meal with a Tab, Twinkies, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and ask if that is healthy. Finally I suggest we go to an iced green tea (I like Chai) an apple, and a veggie wrap with hummus. Is that healthy? Probably depending on the hummus. I do not call myself vegan as there are too many that might be vegan do not live a healthy lifestyle including diet. I like the word Whole Food Plant Based as it defines what we eat and opposed to what we don’t eat. I would also comment about vegans and their appearance in term of being athletic. Some of the strongest most athletic people in the world are vegan, Carl Lewis, the great Olympian, is only one of many examples. Eat WFPB.I have been vegan for 2 years now, and have yet to meet a vegan :)I haven’t met any vegans either, maybe next time someone looks unhealthy I’ll ask them if they’re vegan, not.go to VEGAN FRIEND ME on FB…tons of awesome and healthy vegans to share info withVallis: This is part 2 of my reply to you.You also wrote: “If there were people eating healthy , would they not stand out as being clearly superior physically to others and be a vivid display of the benefit of not eating animal and processed food?”I think those are valid points/questions. And the answer is : Yes. And Yes They Do! If you watch more videos on this website, you will see that people eating a primarily whole plant food diet that is supplemented with a vitamin B12 (and maybe vitamin D), *absolutely* do have superior health compared to the rest of humanity. Such people are far less likely to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc, etc, etc. The areas of health abound. There are no guarantees in life, but if you wanted to maximize your potential for a long healthy life, you would be doing yourself a favor by eating a whole plant foods diet. This isn’t my opinion. This is what the science says.Don’t take my word for it. Watch more videos on this website. You might also consider watching the Forks Over Knives documentary that I mentioned in my previous post.They have to take supplements to be superior heathly on a whole plant food diet? I will stick to my occasional meat,eggs, dairy and skip the vitamins, and still remain of superior health to others, including your vegans. Also, don’t you think they are purposely picking the supplementing vegans, who are crazy active, fit and are at the peak of health for the videos/documentary? If you took a random sample of vegans from around the country, they would definitely not look like the people in the video. Last, I don’t see how being vegan is more healthy as I am the picture of a ridiculously healthy 31 yr old female and my doc brags about my bloodwork results every year and I am no vegan.Vegans do not require any supplements, any more than non vegans…animals don’t make b12 even, they get it from the fermentation of certain bacteria, and we can too…from just food…other than that, the latest science is clear on how a plants-only diet is healthier across the board, for everyone…Vegans should take B12. Vegan food does not contain B12 (unless it is fortified). B12 deficiency can cause irreversible damage and is not something to risk based on mistaken reasoning. Nutritionfacts.org has useful information on the topic based on science.Vallis: This is part 3 of my reply to you.You wrote: “This is very radical talk…”I can see why you would think that. It is certainly different from the Standard American Diet (SAD – how very sad). And I know that there are a lot of people who are still not educated about nutrition. But that doesn’t mean that this diet is “radical”.Yahoo just came out with an article that talks about vegan diets being mainstreamed. In addition, people highly educated in nutrition science have been advocating (and living) this diet for many years.A co-worker of mine (who is a social worker now) mentioned that he learned about a lot of this stuff when he went to school 30 years ago. As Dr. Gregor says in the introduction one of his DVD’s, the big picture, the scientific recommendations/body of information on good nutrition has largely been unchanged for decades.Yes, there is a LOT of conflicting information out there on nutrition. This makes it very confusing for mere mortals like you and me to know what to do. In the end, all you can do is research to the best of your ability, and then do what you think is right. That is the journey I have taken over the last couple of years, and I am so very glad I took the time to educate myself.Good for you for trying to educate yourself. I wish you all the luck.A diet has to be healthy. I could eat deep fried soy-cheese on white bread sandwiches all day. It would high in calories and very low in nutrients. But if you want to see real examples of what people could look like on a strict vegan diet, check out some of the Firehouse Diet and Engine 2 Diet books. When you see photos of those robust, muscular firemen who are eating a nutrient-dense vegan diet, you’ll get the picture.I went vegan decades ago after reading a Pritikin diet book. I was ready because at meals I would wonder if the animal on the plate had cancer or was full or hormones. Sometimes it even made me gag. At first, I still ate a lot of junk food, but I eventually learned. Those changes were the best things I have ever done for myself and might have saved my life. Wish you the best of health.MarkAt one point, those who worked to abolish human slavery were thought radical, and it is the same today with those of us who work to abolish animal slavery…such is the way of history…http://www.the300poundvegan.com/Why do vegan often look pasty and pale? Have you looked around at your fellow Americans? They are pudgy and red faced. Just google vegan athletes.Don’t listen to that Non-sense, it is based off Essylstein and Ornish diets, while they have good points, all plant based is not healthy, especially for your heart!!! They are half right and brilliant, and half idiot and there studies were all flawed. You would hope they would have used absolute data, but like big pharmacy and journals they only reported ‘relative date’ which is worth NOTHING! Limit all your carbs, mediterranion type diet best, 60-65% quality fats, 20-25% Proteins, and 10-15 percent carbs, mostly all coming from vegetables and fruits.I think it would be helpful if this website provided some information on the different types of saturated fats and their differing effects on heart disease.Even on a well designed plant based diet, it seems virtually impossible to completely eliminate saturated fat intake since beneficial plant foods like nuts and seeds also contain some saturated fat.According to a recent book ‘Becoming raw’ (2010) by two experts on vegan nutrition, namely, Davis and Melina, saturated fatty acids differ depending on the length of their carbon chain and include lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid. These saturated fatty acids are present to different extents in different foods and contribute differently to blood cholesterol profile and ultimately to heart disease. After reading this book, I was left with the impression that the effect of different types of saturated fats on heart health is complex and unresolved.Please comment.The jury is still out on the issue of saturated plant fats. Everyone agrees that artificially created saturated fats, such as the partially hydrogenated oils (aka trans fats) are very deadly. However, you are absolutely correct about nuts and seeds, which are are very nutritious. There are many examples of saturated fats that come from plant foods which either have a neutral effect on heart health or a beneficial effect, overall. In my opinion, the fats to avoid are the trans fats, and too much of the oils that contain high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids like corn, safflower and sunflower oil. Otherwise, I do not advise my patients to avoid any other types of fats (besides saturated animal fats of course). I only tell them to keep in mind that fats are more calorie dense, particularly if weight control is a concern.I’m also confused by this seemingly contradictory advice. You’re recommending 0% saturated fat, and yet olive oil is 17% saturated fat; sesame oil is 10% saturated fat; canola oil is 3% saturated fat. Let’s say someone recommends a diet of no more than 5% saturated fat. Is the saturated fat in plant oils (such as the ones listed above) counted in that 5%? Thanks for all your great work! LouisaAs Dr. Esselstyn would say emphatically: NO OIL. Besides which, oils tend to be high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, of which I’ve heard may claims that PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) tend to be quite harmful in their own right. So, why would you want to use refined oils if they’ve got so much bad crap in them and they’re non-nutritive, they’re basically just empty calories…Hi Louisa, The question directly above yours was very similar; see my answer/comment. The types of saturated fats to avoid are animal fats and trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils, and in many cases the label will list “hydrogenated” without specifying if that oil/fat is partially or fully hydrogenated. Yet in most cases those are also partially hydrogenated though the manufacturer did not disclose that).Vegan diet + egg whites (no yolks) …. Bad idea? I’m not seeing why it would be??? for ethical reasons yes. But health reasons???1. Egg whites are high in the amino Acid Methionine. Rice has 14 times less of this amino acid and beans 7 time less. When one consumes Methionine in a large quantity (like that found in egg whites), it is broken down into sulfuric compounds. these sulfuric compounds are buffered by the calcium of the bones. the result, over time, is osteoporosis and kidney stones. http://www.vivalis.si/literatura/6a00.pdf2. Methionine is metabolized into homocysteine. This substance is a risk factor associated with heart attacks, strokes, peripheral vascular disease, venous thrombosis, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression. http://www.pnas.org/content/100/25/15089 (this study was done with mice, not humans.)3. Cancer cell metabolism is dependent upon methionine being present in the diet; whereas normal cells can grow on a methionine-free diet feeding off other sulfur-containing amino acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14585259 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/124162544. Good ol’ Insulin like growth factor is raised significantly by Methionine. raised levels of IGF-1 = accelerated aging/tumor promotion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12176673 http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/18/1472.abstract5. Sulfur from Methionine is known to be toxic to the tissues of the intestine, and to have harmful effects on the human colon, even at low levels, possibly causing ulcerative colitis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9448181 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8287651 (this study done with rats) http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/82/11/950.abstract6. Restriction of methionine in the diet has been shown to prolong the life of experimental animals. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12543260 http://jn.nutrition.org/content/10/1/63.shortalso, egg whites are pure protein without any other nutrients, like antioxidants, fiber or carbs. Just as white flour is viewed as empty calories, so should egg whites.Thank u for an amazing answer :)Please also check out my associated blog post, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy!Dr. Greger, Assuming one eats a strictly plant based diet, is there an optimal amount of total dietary fat for preventing cancer or slowing the progression of cancer? Thank you Dr. Greger. You are providing a very helpful service!What about oils? I am trying to lower my cholesterol with diet. I am not eating any meat, dairy, fish, eggs, etc., but I do have a slight amount of oil. Olive oil, coconut oil and just a tad of canola oil in a salad dressing. Is this acceptable or should I get rid of oil 100%? Thank you!All oils have saturated fat which is metabolized to cholesterol by your body as Dr. Greger points out. So minimizing them helps. Fiber see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/ and phytosterols see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-phytosterols-lower-cholesterol/… available in plants also help lower cholesterol. John McDougall’s June 2003 Newsletter(check out his website, http://www.drmcdougall.com) has an article entitiled, Cleaniing Out Your Arteries which I think you will find interesting. In his experience and mine fruits and juices can also elevate triglycerides and cholesterol due to the metabolism of fructose by the liver. So some patients need to moderate their intake of those as Dr. McDougall points out. Natural sources of fats such as nuts,seeds,avocados can be substituted for processed oils in salads to help boost the absorption of phytonutrients… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/.A superb salad dressing is 1/2 of a small ripe avocado mashed up with any acid, lemon juice is great or balsamic vinegar! Many times I’ll just use the juice or balmamic vinegar but the avocado gives it a great “oily” mouthfeel!I have just ‘liked’ your facebook page. Thank you for all your information! I am aware that you are pro-vegan, however I am unsure as to what these studies of naturally occurring trans fats in animal products are based on. Can I assume that the meat and dairy products used in the studies came from factory farmed, crowded and stressed animals, fed an unnatural grain diet (and who knows what was added to these grains beforehand), and infused with hormones and antibiotics? These are sick animals. Of course their products are going to be a lot less than perfect. Animals that graze on grasses tend to be a source of omega 3 fatty acids, very much lacking in our diets, since the grasses contain omega 3. (I guess we can obtain that from the plant sources)Where do these animal based trans fats come from? And then wouldn’t we, as humans, have naturally occurring trans fats in our bodies, too? Just trying to understand this claim. Thanks!Question: It’s easy enough to avoid the﻿ trans fats. But I come across saturated fat listed in foods like raw organic almonds and other nuts, as well as a package of tempeh. Foods like those, for example, show 1-2 grams of saturated fat per serving. Should we then avoid those otherwise healthy foods because of the saturated fat? I’m confused now.There’s an interesting thread over here, called “When Vegan Isn’t Enough”:http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=36550In it, Jeff Novick talks about the notion that “Well, I eat ‘vegan’ so it must be ‘healthy,’ right?” or “I ate junk food, but at least it was ‘vegan’ junk food.” Junk food is junk food, whether it’s “vegan” junk food or S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) junk food.It is entirely possibly to eat “vegan” or “vegetarian” and still eat CRAP foods. Technically, plant oils are “vegan” as they come from plant sources. However, just because they come from plant sources does not, per se, on its own, make them “healthy.”There’s a fine line between “vegan” / “vegetarian” and “healthful” eating. They are not necessarily always synonymous.Many of the packaged “vegan” foods are frankly still appallingly bad for you, because they still use CRAP ingredients like tons of processed oils, trans fats, etc. Or they still have high saturated fat content, etc. Or they’re using tons of highly refined, nutritionally deficient ingredients, or they’re packed with sugar (albeit from “planty” sources, as though it matter where the ton of sugar comes from)…Don’t know if it helps or confounds the issue. Just an extra bit of stuff to think about.That said, I suppose it depends on your stance on particular ingredients and qualities of their nutritive [or not] value. If your doctor is telling you to avoid foods high in saturated fats, and/or to keep certain fats to under some % of total calories consumed, then you should definitely take note of the ingredients and fat content and fat-as-percentage-of-calories in foods.Can’t recall whether it was Greger or Novick who talked about calorie density and fat as percentage of calories. Likewise, the notion that food manufacturers pull a little trick on us and don’t list fats and such as a percentage of calories (how the advice is given by nutritionists and researchers), but as a percentage of weight, whicih isn’t necessarily the same measurement and can be misleading.I think it may have been Novick. Anyway, his suggestion was that if you’re going to fudge on fats and eat some amount larger than suggested (as a percentage of calories), dilute those calories by eating foods that are considerably less calorie-dense and more nutritive like vegetables to balance it out, in toto.I have an ask the Dr. Question for you:My father seems to eat a lot of cheese – and I mean a lot: about 2.5 pounds per week. He kind of just eats on autopilot without thinking about it. He is probably about 40 pounds overweight. Everything else he eats is pretty healthy, mostly vegetables and brown rice. How concerned should I be about his health, and should I be taking measures to get him to quit the cheese before something bad occurs? I actually took him to see you talk once a few years ago, but it seems like he needs a refresher. Thanks for your advice.Many thanks for your work on health. I read it every morning.I’ve been trying to find a book that explains in some detail the outcomes of heart research, such as the Framingham study or the China Study by T. Colin Campbell. Since I’m not a physician I don’t want something highly technical. Instead, I’d like something written for lay people. (I’ve read “Change of Heart” by Levy and Brink, as well as “The China Study” by Campbell. They’re very interesting but I’d like more detail on the science.)I’ve tried reading some of the journal articles. They are too technical and seldom pull thing together into the big picture.Any suggestions as to how I can better inform myself on this subject?John PorterI guess I have a question about nuts, seeds and the non-sweetened dark chocolate or cocoa bean (nibs) …. I thought these things were actually good for your heart and cholesterol…. clarification please….. I have high cholesterol in the family naturally and do not want to get this one wrong… I am vegan/plant based whole /raw foods so I don’t do the “bad stuff”…I would like to hear your stance regarding “The big fat debate: taking the focus of saturated fat”. I couldn’t find a video addressing the issue. ThanksWhat about the saturated fat found in foods such as tofu, almonds, chocolate, walnuts etc.? Is the saturated fat in whole foods clogging my arteries just like saturated fat from animal products and junk food?Probably? There’s still some debate. You might try reading Esselstyn’s “Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease.” He advocates limiting fat intake (from all sources) to under 15% of calories (as opposed to % of weight, which isn’t the same measure).“To a degree,” fat is fat is fat, whether consumed from “plant” sources or from “animal” sources. Vegan junk food is still junk food, despite coming only from plant sources… “Junk” take precedence over “vegan,” unfortunately.Think of it this way, not all things that come from plants are, per se, healthy… Take for example alkaloids produced by certain plant families, yes, they come from plants/nature, but that doesn’t mean they won’t kill you in high enough quantities (for instance when accidentally eating sufficient quantities of deadly nightshade, etc.).Now, that said, there is still some debate on whether *all* fatty acids are bad or whether there are some forms that are beneficial (and in what quantity; any quantity? or only up to a certain dosage) and some forms that will kill you over time when consumed in excess (through heart disease, fatty liver, etc.)…Look into McDougall, Ornish and Pritikin (not a doctor). All have been reversing heart disease through lifestyle modification. Esselstyn isn’t the only one.there’s that assumption that total cholesterol profile or LDL level predicts heart disease. . only SMALL density LDL predicts heart disease, as well as testing your level of inflammation. actually, testing inflammation predicts a ton of chronic diseases. not that transfat aren’t bad, they are. saturated fats though? animal saturated fats have been linked with inflammation, but things like coconut oil – no evidence so far.Hi Doc, I’m confused by this meta-analysis. The conclusion: : A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no signiﬁcant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. What do you think?Oops, forgot the link: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.full.pdf+htmlDr Gregor, you say there is no tolerable upper intake of saturated fat yet even on my brown rice it says it has some saturated fat in it ?I think the primary message is that we should limit saturated fat as much as possible. Every food we eat contains saturated fat, but we can choose low sources, such as with whole grains, starchy vegetables, fruits etc.Hi Dr. Greger, I just had a conversation with a nutritionist at a local health food store. He said that our bodies needs some cholesterol even thought our bodies makes up to 75% of what we need. The other 25% is needed and cannot be found in plant foods. This info is coming from the “Grain Brain” book by Dr. Perlmuter. Do we need to consume some additional cholesterol?RhondaRhonda: The nutritionist got one thing right: You can’t get cholesterol from plant foods. But that’s a good thing. As I understand it, our body makes *all* of the cholesterol it needs.I’m not an expert, but I have some thoughts for you on this topic.There’s a good amount of evidence on this site showing how helpful whole, intact grains are to have in our diet. This list is not filtered well, but it will get you started: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=grainAlso, a great book for understanding brain health is “Power Foods For the Brain – an effective 3 step plan to protect your mind and strengthen your memory” By Dr. Neal Barnard. Dr. Barnard did a ton of good scientific research for that book and he encourages people to eat about a quarter of their food from whole grains.http://www.amazon.com/Power-Foods-Brain-Effective-Strengthen/dp/1455512206/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398459234&sr=1-1&keywords=power+foods+for+the+brainThe Grain Brain author appears to be yet another person confused about what our ancestors ate and either unable to understand or deliberately misleading people on the science. While I don’t know the validity of the following articles, they make general sense to me given what I have learned from many known valid sources:http://wholegrainscouncil.org/node/16786/printhttp://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Regulation/Misleading-and-sensationalist-Grain-Brain-book-distorts-science-and-confuses-public-with-advice-to-avoid-grains-say-criticshttp://wholegrainalice.com/2013/10/grain-brain-book-review/Finally, I refer you to a series of videos on this site (see first three on the following list) which talks about how good (not) the advice is that we can from health food stores. ;-)http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=health+food+storesHope that helps.Rhonda: Even better source of information! I just found a post from JacquieRN pointing out an article from Dr. McDougall. That’s a source I very much trust:January 2014: “The Smoke and Mirrors behind Wheat Belly and Grain Brain” by McDougall. http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jan/smoke.htmThanks JacquieRN!Thank you Thea for sharing these links and articles. Much appreciated to find sources that help refute the direction that a health food store has been recommending.One could place their trust in a nutritionist who works in a health food store who has read a book which offers a single simple solution written by subject matter experts writing outside of their field of expertise. There have been occasions when science has progressed due to the efforts and observations of outsiders, but the vast majority of today’s registered dietician and those involved dietary research recommend “whole” grains as part of a healthy diet. It’s your choice regarding who you find more credible. Whole grains are an excellent source of selenium, soluble and insoluble fiber. It is difficult to meet one’s selenium intake needs while eating a maintenance diet without whole grains. Glucose is the human brain’s preferred fuel although it cam survive on keytones in times of starvation. Whole grains are an excellent source of low glycemic index carbohydrates. Whole grains are not some new fad food that has just recently made an appearance. People have been happily eating them for millennium.Thank you for your input on this subject Joe. I do understand the nutritionists point that wheat, corn, soy and rice have been super mass produced over the past 40 – 50 years and with the GMO to complicate matters, grains that were not subjected to the mass production, chemicals, and GMO would certainly be a different product. But so are the rest of our foods in the system.What about saturated fats from plant sources? Such as coconuts or nuts. I eat these a lot.Hello Gabrielle, Coconuts in moderation are fine, they are exceptionally rich in saturated fat so “moderation” is really key here. If you are concerned get your cholesterol numbers checked, as long as your LDL is 70 or lower and your total is below 150, you should be ok. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/Nuts have saturated fat too, but your other videos stating nuts are good. I’m confuse.Hey, my dad has bad cholesterol and is eating medicin for this. He has had a stroke and he loves meat, dairy and eggs. He is willing to make som changes but i have to show him som good facts that really shows that his cholesterol will be lowes and he can be off his medicins (after taking blood tests that shows the progress) if he changes his diet and he will not get any heart attacks and (more) strokes. He is also eating medicin because of his bad metabolism. Can you please link me some sites that states this fact that says what he should do. Can he stop with egg and stop eating read med (maximum once a week/month) or tips like this. I’m a vegan and i would love him to be that to. But I have to start som where with him, he is soon of gluten i think ;). Thank you in advance! :)﻿(I also asked this on one of your youtube videos, so you don’t have to answer it on both sites)Mathilda: My recommendation is to show your dad the video Forks Over Knives. It is a powerful video that has changed a lot of people’s lives. Also, there is a nice segment in there with a firefighter that I think is helpful for men to see. It will help him see this diet change as a manly thing to do as well as save his life.Another suggestion is to get him the book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, MD. That book is full of plenty of facts, has some very helpful pictures in the middle, and is very easy to read. And since the back half of the book is recipes, it is not that much reading to do.http://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408994221&sr=1-1&keywords=prevent+and+reverse+heart+diseasehttp://www.amazon.com/Forks-Over-Knives-Colin-Campbell/dp/B0053ZHZI2/ref=sr_1_2_bnp_0_main?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1408994273&sr=1-2&keywords=forks+over+knivesGood luck to you and your dad!Thank you so so much! I am going to show him the Forks over Knifes!! :)Do you know anything about fish? When i have watch a few of Michels videos its says clear that eggs, chicken, pork, cheese and so on is bad! But what about fish and diary? Do you know, do they talk about that in forks over knifes? :)Mathilda: Ah yes, fish and dairy (cheese is just concentrated dairy). Forks Over Knives addresses all animal foods. Fish and diary are no exceptions. Fish is just another type of meat. So what you learn from the movie Forks Over Knives will apply to all animal products.But I also wanted to mention that Dr. Greger does address fish and dairy quiet a bit on this site. Here are some links to get you started if you are interested: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=fish http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=dairyLike land animal meat and eggs, fish and dairy have cholesterol and saturated fat. And they both have animal protein, the type of protein that helps cancer to grow. And then there are the hormones in dairy that are best to stay away from. And the toxins/contaminants in fish are nothing that anyone should be eating. Etc.Hope that helps.This helped a lot!While I have you here… Maybe you also can help me about my dads metabolism problem. He eats medicin for that to… His blood values are more than dubble that it should be. Is there any facts that a planted based diet will help this to?Thank you, you are helping me a lot!!!!Mathilda: I’m not a doctor and do not know what medical condition you are referring to. All I can say is that a whole food plant based diet helps a whole lot of people with a whole lot of problems. But it is not a magic pill. There is no guarantee that a plant based diet will fix any particular problem, especially if someone has been eating poorly their entire lives.That said, as a lay person, I don’t think going to a properly planned plant based diet could hurt. If it fixed all his other problems except for this one, that would still be good and worth doing I would think…Just my thoughts on the matter.I had an angiogram 2 years ago that revealed a 50% blockage in one artery, very close to the heart. I was prescribed lipitor, which I refused to take. I don’t eat dairy, and have reduced meat intake to about once every 2 weeks or less, and only a few bites at that. I was vegetarian when I was a teen, and very rarely eat things like tortilla chips. Yet my cholesterrol level (the bad one) is going up and the good one going down. I eat almost exclusively organic fruits/veg/whole non-gluten grains, and cold pressed olive oil. Could you suggest what else I might do to reduce cholesterol? Thank you.I also eat quinoa as a staple, brown rice products several times a week, and walnuts almost daily. Fresh wild salmon 1-2 times per month. Avocados…and some dark chocolate several times per week. I wonder if high glucemic foods like rice cakes could contribute, or white rice, which I only eat if I eat out. I have had a lot of stress in the past few years, wonder if this would increase plaque.I can’t recollect where I read that different types of saturated fat have differing effects upon serum cholesterol; I think some of the longer ones like palmitic acid and lauric acid raise cholesterol, while others like stearic acid don’t raise cholesterol? I abandoned my use of coconut oil (and butter and eggs) over a year ago because at one point in time my cholesterol was over 300. More recently, I have been using a teaspoon or two of MCT oil (caprylic and caproic acid) to mix with turmeric and pepper to make a tasty coating for lentil and quinoa curry. Are these fatty acids going to affect my serum cholesterol?Studies on coconut oil actually show an increase in cholesterol with increasing intake.Many of these studies are the same ones used to purport that coconut oil is “heart protective” because HDL increases with LDL in those studies. LDL matters far more for heart disease risk as a major review has found, so the increase in LDL should not be seen as negligible. http://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b92In response to some of the comments, vegans looking weak and pasty may be a bit of an outdated cliché! http://www.greatveganathletes.com/This is a little of topic but why is it that dairy and meat are still heavily apart of recommended food pyramids? I have my suspicions as to why, but how still are they being able to run this up the flag pole? A lot of people simply think a plant based diet is not great for you simply because of the recommendations to not.What can you share about Burning Mouth Syndrome? No local doctor know what to do. Help!Hi, I really like your web site and appreciate all the work you put into this, it is a wonderful tool! I do have a question as well, I was wondering what your take on the abundance of research coming out that coincides with results from studies such as this one from long time Vegan Christopher Gardner, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eREuZEdMAVoThis is a late response to your post (I am nothing to with Nutritionfacts.org) but if memory serves me right, this was a study of overweight/obese, pre-menopausal women who were counselled to follow one of 4 popular diet books. The group counselled to follow the Atkins Diet had the best results with a mean weight loss of 4.7 kg (just over 10 pounds). . However, the groups were free-living and didn’t follow the diets exactly. The Ornish Diet, for example, is less than 10% fat, but at no time did the “Ornish Diet” group consume less than 21% fat. Indeed, at the 12 month point the so-called Ornish Group were consuming on average 30% of their total calories as fat. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=205916In the video you linked, Gardner notes that the one woman who followed the Ornish diet exactly lost 50 pounds. In addition, it is important to remember that all these women were very overweight or obese. it is accepted that standard mainstream “diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol are less effective in the obese and the most effective way for obese people to normalize their blood lipids is to lose weight”. (The Ornish diet would be considered I think a very low fat diet by mainstream standards.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16256004So, all in all, the Gardner study showed that the Atkins Diet is easier to follow and can deliver effective short term weight loss in very overweight/obese people. I don’t have a problem with that. Note also Gardner’s qualifier in his concluding remarks in the study publication “While questions remain about long-term effects and mechanisms, a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet may be considered a feasible alternative recommendation for weight loss”. However, for people who are willing to follow a diet strictly, even those who do have damaged metabolic/lipid systems, it is an inferior solution: “Calorie for calorie, reducing dietary fat results in more body fat loss than reducing dietary carbohydrate when men and women with obesity have their food intake strictly controlled,” said lead study author Kevin D. Hall, PhD, of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, in a press release. “Ours is the first study to investigate whether the same degree of calorie reduction, either through restricting only fat or restricting only carbohydrate, leads to differing amounts of body fat loss in men and women with obesity.” http://www.dailyrx.com/weight-loss-efforts-might-be-more-successful-reduced-fat-calories-reduced-carbohydrates?What’s your opinion on the saturated fat found in coconuts?“The U.S. government is poised to withdraw longstanding warnings about cholesterol”http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/10/feds-poised-to-withdraw-longstanding-warnings-about-dietary-cholesterol/“The nation’s top nutrition advisory panel has decided to drop its caution about eating cholesterol-laden food, a move that could undo almost 40 years of government warnings about its consumption”Anxious to see the good Doc’s reaction. Also, who exactly is “The nation’s top nutrition advisory panel”?Dr MAre egg beaters or egg whites totally cholesterol free and a healthy source of protein to supplement dietary needs although they are high in arachadonic acid which causes inflammation in the endothelial lining of blood vessels ? Are plant based protein shakes such as plant fusion a reasonably healthy protein supplement ?Dr. M.: Your concern for protein is understandable given the media attention to it. However, protein supplements are just not needed for the average healthy person eating a whole plant food based diet. Here is the best info on protein that I have seen. It gives you the detail you need to really get the topic: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.html So, you really don’t need even a plant based protein supplement. And generally when we start talking about processed foods, even plant based ones, we often wander into unhealthy territory. I can’t say anything in particular about plant based protein supplements. But history tells us that sticking to minimally processed foods is generally a good guideline to follow unless we have a special condition or good evidence otherwise.As for egg whites, they may be cholesterol free, but they come rife with a host of other problems. See list below for my standard response to the egg white question.Good luck. I hope this helps. —————- Stay away from anything containing any real egg, including egg beaters. There are two problems with eggs, the yolk and the white. (To paraphrase Dr. Barnard.)According to Wikipedia, here’s what’s in egg beaters: “”Egg Beaters is primarily egg whites with added flavorings, vitamins, and thickeners xanthan gum and guar gum. It contains no egg yolks.”Since egg beaters do not have egg yolks, the cholesterol issue is not in play. But egg whites are just as bad for you. Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, there are two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out two other health issues with egg whites.Dr. Greger recently posted some videos on how animal protein can raise insulin levels. The first of the following videos even specifically addresses egg whites. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/#comment-1978464793 http://nutritionfacts.org/video/if-white-rice-is-linked-to-diabetes-what-about-china/With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?How long might it take for the arteries of a 66 year old man to clean out when those arteries suffered under a Western Diet for 63 years but for the past 2 years have religiously been treated to a diet as recommended by your website as well as the website of Dr. McDoughall? I also exercise heavily and consistently.Don’t nuts contain saturated fat? How are we to reconcile this with a tolerable upper intake level of 0?The UL is not zero. It is “As low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet” which can vary widely. While it is important to focus on saturated fat and keep levels low, nuts and seeds are so powerful and health promoting we still recommend their use. Note, a little (1 handful) go a long way. ​If interested in more information here is a great video by Dr. Greger that explains the research between nut intake and body weight. Make sure to checkout the bottom of the video’s “Doctors Note” to see more links and info. Lastly, a follow-up to that video is solving the mystery of the missing calories, which may also help.​ Thanks for your comment.Hm, shouldn’t the title of the video get changed? It says, “Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero.” It sounds like the UL is 0 for trans fat and cholesterol, but not for saturated fat.	animal products,aspirin,beef,burgers,cake,cardiovascular disease,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,dairy,eggs,fish,hamburgers,heart disease,heart health,ice cream,Institute of Medicine,junk food,LDL cholesterol,meat,medications,pork,safety limits,saturated fat,side effects,skim milk,statins,trans fats,white meat	The intake of trans fats which come mostly from junk food and animal products, saturated fat mostly from dairy products and chicken, and cholesterol coming mostly from eggs and chicken should be as low as possible.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/23/generic-lipitor-is-not-the-answer-to-our-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/13/cholesterol-lowering-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/24/biblical-daniel-fast-tested/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/institute-of-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skim-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ice-cream/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21521229,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20691321,
PLAIN-3077	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/	Fast Food: Do You Want Fries With That Lipitor?	Why go to the bother of changing one’s diet, when you could just take a pill? In fact they could just hand them out at the drive through. Ridiculous, you say? Published in a prestigious cardiology journal last year: quote… “The risk reduction associated with the daily consumption of most statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs—is more powerful than the risk increase caused by the daily extra fat intake associated with a Quarter Pounder® with cheese and a small milkshake."  In conclusion, statin therapy can neutralize the cardiovascular risk caused by harmful diet choices.  Look, you want to ride a motorcycle, smoke, drive, we got helmets, filters, seatbelts. If people are going to continue to smoke cigarettes, might as well put some filters on them. Likewise, some individuals eat unhealthily.  Hey fast food outlets already offer free condiments to supplement meals, so why not a "statin-containing accompaniment." You've heard of ketchup packets? How about complimentary statin packets?  What about statin safety, side effects? They thought of that. Statins have a favorable benefit-to-risk ratio with only rare adverse effects reported in liver, kidney and muscle tissue.  Yeah, if statins are to be made more readily available by fast food outlets, statin toxicity might become a greater concern, but, uh, we’re talking about people who eat quarter pounders with cheese and a milkshake. Surely “We can conclude that the documented safety record of statins is substantially better than that of fast food!” They conclude: “We envisage a future in which fast food restaurants encourage a holistic approach to healthy living. On ordering an unhealthy meal, the food will arrive labeled with a warning message similar to those found on cigarette packets (“This meal increases your risk for heart disease and death”), and on the tray, next to the ketchup, will be a new and protective packet, “McStatin,” which could be sprinkled onto a Quarter Pounder or into a milkshake. This could easily be provided at no extra charge, just as sugar and salt.” That's the holistic approach; drugs in your happy meal. See figure 4, it says. Are you ready? I couldn’t make this stuff up. Figure 4: New concept in fast food risk reduction. “No tablet can completely neutralize the harm to your individual health from eating unhealthfully. Better ways to reduce your risk of death from heart attack include: Eating healthfully…See your doctor for complete advice.” Though of course your doctor may very well be somewhere behind you in the drive-through line.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on heart disease and statins.And check out my associated blog post “Generic Lipitor is not the answer to our heart disease epidemic.”This is insane! It sure sounds like fiction. I have to wonder who pays those people’s salaries.It’s just insane. I can’t stop thinking that.Insane.You think this sounds like fiction? Lookup more bizarre facts like False Flag attacks: Operation Ajax, Gulf of Tonkin, Sinking of the Maine, USS Liberty. These incidents precipitated the mass murder of millions of innocent people and the squander of trillions in wealth (wealth that could have gone toward advancing health, technology).This is horrifying! How could this be thought of as an appropriate solution to the problem of fast food? Unreal.I kinda like this approach of highlighting the real problems ;-) Thank you for posting this news!You can’t possibly be the only physician with a sense of humor. Maybe this was a draft of something meant for Saturday Night Live instead of a serious entry in a medical journal, it sounds very tongue-in-cheek. But maybe I’m giving too much credit to the medical establishment’s level of sanity and reality.Good point. One interesting point here is we sometimes forget how big the problems of a western diet are. “MacStatin” packets do certainly make heart disease look more like an everywhere problem.How does a person safely get off Lipitor when they start eating a new plant based smart fat free diet? My mother says she has to take Lipitor and will only do what her Dr tells her but it seems to me that her Dr. and the pharmacist will be biased towards a continued use of Lipitor and frown on diet as an access to lowering and handling a cholesterol concern.Vallis: I’m no doctor, but I have a suggestion for you. My understanding is that Lipitor is really only marginally effective. However, the diet, if it is stuck to, should be very effective. Maybe after a few months, you could go into the doctors with your mom and have the blood work re-done in detail. When it comes back shinning, ask the doctor if your mother could use that news to start weening herself off the drugs. Go to the meeting armed with information that backs up your assertion that the change in your mom’s blood work is her diet, not so much the drugs. If it is an honest doctor he/she should listen.I know how frustrating this can be. Sometimes our loved ones seem determined to work against common sense and their own self-interest. I wish you the best of luck with your mother and her doctor and pharmacist.How to transition from Lipitor to a plant based diet is my question, can she go cold turkey and just stop taking it? Might her cholesterol sky rocket and put her at risk? Thank-you.Vallis, I went off a cholesterol lowering medication using a plant-based diet. The key is to see your doctor first to discuss what supplements/vitamins you might need. I didn’t stop cold turkey from taking them, just like I didn’t stop cold turkey from taking my diabetes meds. I checked in with my doctor regarding my blood glucose readings and since my blood glucose level dropped 100 points within the first week of adopting a plant-based diet, it was obvious that the diet was helping my health. I was off my statin med within a month or two after going plant-based. The absence of eggs, meat, chicken, fish, cheese, animal-created milks is where the high cholesterol comes into play. Without it, it isn’t an issue. Going plant-based helps your body heal (and quickly). After she has been on a plant-based diet for a while, she should again go see her doctor to have her levels checked.Hi Vallis, All recommendations for use of statins such as lipitor include recommendations for improved lifestyle including nutrition so the doctor and pharmacist should be okay with an improved diet. Most doctors and pharmacists aren’t aware of the degree of improvement one can get from a plant based diet since they don’t have much experience in this area. For my patients who were on statins I recommended changing diet first then rechecking cholesterol panel to see the degree of improvement. If you change both things at the same time it gets a little confusing as the diet sends the cholesterol down and stopping the drug sends the cholesterol up. There is no inherent danger in stopping a statin “cold turkey”. The cholesterol will go up but will return to her pretreatment level. You might read more about the treatment of cholesterol, heart disease and the side effects of the statins such as Lipitor by going to John McDougall MD’s website, clicking on “Hot Topics read more” link and looking under “Cholesterol & Triglycerides”& “Heart Disease & Atherosclerosis”. She should continue to work with her health care professionals as going on a well design plant based diet will often require adjustments not only in her cholesterol medication but other medicines she may be on such as for blood pressure and blood sugars. Many patients can get off their medications but some will need to continue medications at reduced doses. Good Luck.Thea and DrDons, thanks a million. Points and wisdom read considered and greatly appreciated.Came across this:Older Women On Statins Have Higher Risk Of Diabetes http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240202.phpSo, perhaps nothing really changes here :)LOL your doctor is probably behind you in the fast food line!!!OK i think we have to give it to them that the were being very sarcastic.Statins…..playing the devils advocate, I will say that actually they are being shown to HUGELY reduce death and cardiovascular events in large prospective population studies. Its easy to villainize pills, but sometimes we can look at the wider picture too. Diet yes amazing and KEY. But we need a stepping stone in the middle. IE, diet, getting people to change, then lose the statins. Without people being bothered to change, they are at risk. Do they deserve whats coming then? Or should they be saved by the statin? I think its a valid question..but to be fair, when strong genetic risk is involved…..a statin might just be their best friend no matter what.Dear Mr Greger, Is it possible to cancel taking statines (i.e. Crestor) for female of 64 full years or it should be taken on a lifetime basis? What measures could be considered reasonable to avoid this dependence?Its possible on a whole foods plant based diet, but you want to be under the supervision of your doctor.Sometimes reality can be more hilarious than comedy.I just read that eating honey and cinnamon reduces cholesterol. I imagine the article you have cited was created tongue-in-cheek, since there are so many ways to reduce cholesterol levels through dietary balances. Durn funny, though!OMG!Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which comprises heart attacks (myocardial infarction), angina and strokes, is ranked as the number one cause of mortality and is a major cause of morbidity world wide. High blood cholesterol is linked to CVD events and is an important risk factor. Reducing high blood cholesterol, is thus an important way to reduce the chances of suffering a CVD event. Statins – cholesterol lowering drugs – (e.g. simvastatin, pravastatin, atorvastatin) are the first-choice treatments. Since the early statin randomised controlled trials were reported in the 1990s, several reviews of the effects of statins have been published highlighting their benefits particularly in people with a past history of CVD. Benefits include a reduction in CVD events. Statins have also been shown to reduce the risk of a first event in otherwise healthy individuals at high risk of CVD (primary prevention) but information on possible hazards has not been reported fully. The aim of this updated systematic review is to assess the effects, both in terms of benefits and harms of statins, for the primary prevention of CVD. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE and EMBASE until 2011. We found 18 randomised controlled trials with 19 trial arms (56,934 patients) dating from 1994 to 2008. All were randomised control trials comparing statins with usual care or placebo. The mean age of the participants was 57 years (range 28 – 97 years), 60.3% were men, and of the eight trials that reported on ethnicity, 85.9 % were Caucasian. Duration of treatment was a minimum one year and with follow-up of a minimum of six months. All-cause mortality and fatal and non-fatal CVD events were reduced with the use of statins as was the need for revascularisation (the restoration of an adequate blood supply to the heart) by means of surgery (coronary artery bypass graft ) or by angioplasty (PTCA). Of 1000 people treated with a statin for five years, 18 would avoid a major CVD event which compares well with other treatments used for preventing cardiovascular disease. Taking statins did not increase the risk of serious adverse effects such as cancer. Statins are likely to be cost-effective in primary prevention. This shook my foundation a little. It is from the Cochrane Collaboration. Is there any way we can know who conducted or financed the studies that give statins such an outstanding review?Please check the date on this study/article and see if it was published on April 1st.In their defense, there already is drugs in the happy meal. Ha, realistic jokes aside, I find this study almost to be in jest itself. How dare they compare riding a motorcycle the same as consuming a food. I don’t get on my bike knowing I’m killing myself slowly…	burgers,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,fast food,hamburgers,heart disease,heart health,Lipitor,McDonald’s,medications,mortality,side effects,statins	Cardiologists suggest that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs be given out free with fast food meals	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on heart disease and statins.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcdonalds-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7661078,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20691321,
PLAIN-3078	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-purely-a-question-of-diet/	Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Purely a Question of Diet	Having a total cholesterol under 200 or an LDL under 130 reduces your risk, but, as the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Cardiology wrote more than a decade ago, it’s time to shift from decreasing risk to actually preventing and arresting atherosclerosis. In an editorial last year he advocates for an LDL under 60, a total cholesterol under 150. “Whether or not we are willing to alter our diet sufficiently and/or to spend the money necessary to obtain the lipid-lower- ing drugs, and then take them religiously to achieve this goal is up to us.” “For the build-up of plaque in our arteries to cease, it appears that the serum total cholesterol needs to be lowered to the 150 area. In other words the serum total cholesterol must be lowered to that of the average pure vegetarian. Because relatively few persons are willing to abide by the vegetarian lifestyle, lipid-lowering drugs are required in most to reach the 150 level.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on heart disease and statins.And check out my associated blog post “Generic Lipitor is not the answer to our heart disease epidemic.”Looks like it’s not just my old Palm. This video doesn’t appear on your YouTube profile page or my buddy’s Android phone either, Michael.Here’s the URL for anyone else with this issue:http://youtu.be/b6cA7dnEuPgDr. Greger, This study might also be of interest to you and your other readers. As always, your comments and insights would be most welcome: http://www.ama-med.org.ar/obesidad/Interheart-LANCET-2004.pdfThank you Pat! The Lancet is one of my favorite journals. Sponsored by the World Health Organization, the INTERHEART study you point out was indeed a monumental undertaking, trying to tease out modifiable risk factors for heart attacks across populations in more than 50 countries on every inhabited continent. They concluded that more than 90% of the risk of our #1 killer is attributed to things we can do something about, like eating fruits and vegetables every day. The most important risk factor by far was cholesterol–twice as important as exercise–followed by smoking. The designated discussant at the European Society of Cardiology Congress, where the results were first reported, lamented “mankind is doing a good job of killing himself.” l Their follow-up study, called INTERSTROKE, published in 2010 concluded that 90% of strokes were preventable as well.Very enlightening study!I am astonished by the heroic scale, scope, the rigor in these studies and especially the value of their conclusions to humanity (not to mention the environment and the welfare of our animal friends). BTW, your series of DVDs provided the spark of inspiration I needed to adopt a plant-based, whole-foods (B12 supplemented!) diet almost a year ago – the benefits are monumental. Why isn’t everyone doing this? Super thanks to you!!!Michael. Thank you for these videos, they are really useful and effective teaching tools. I eat a low fat, whole food, plant based diet with no added OIL. Daily green smoothie. Probably an A+ diet and I love it and have been eating this way for past 4 years. Heres my question. My TOTAL cholesterol is 150. Great! Buy my LDL year after year is about 85-97 over the past 4 years. No animal products. None of these soy isolate fake meats, beans, veg, fruits, grains.. What the heck could keep my LDL above 80? I have heard Dr Esselstyn say even if your Total and LDL Chol is higher than his recommendation of 150 and 80, if you are on plant based diet as he describes that I am still heart attack proof. But my question… why is it still above 80? Never been below 80 ever. My norm??Hello Dr. Greger,Similar to what some of the folks have expressed here, I have a comparable situation that I‘d like to share with you and get your input on. In the recent months my boyfriend and I have switched from a mostly meat-based diet to a mostly plant-based diet (we make some exceptions when we go out). We did this because of my interest in a healthier eating lifestyle and because of my boyfriend’s family history of coronary heart disease. Recently, my boyfriend has consulted a cardiologist and has had some tests done that indicated that he needs to lower his cholesterol and blood pressure or possibly take statins and other medications to do so. Neither of us likes the idea of him taking statins or any sort of medications to lower his numbers. So, we changed the way we eat. After 3 months of completely changing how we eat, my boyfriend went in to get his lab values retested. The results perplexed us. Instead of his lab values lowering after a 3 month plant-based dietary change, they increased (his blood lipids numbers: LDL from 125 to 134, triglycerides from 100 to 151, and his total cholesterol from 180 to 202)! Do you have any explanation as to why this might have happened? We have not given up on the plant-based eating, but given his most recent lab values his cardiologist recommended that he take the medication nonetheless. This is disheartening to us. Any advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated. Much thanks in advance!I know Im not Dr. Gregor but I can relate my experience. When I went vegan my HDL went down and my trigs went up. In order to get my numbers in the right direction I had to go whole foods vegan, low fat. This meant minimizing or eliminating white flour, sugar, and oil. I eat small amount of nuts but be careful some people go overboard with nuts and are not able to lose weight. Reducing white flour, sugar, and oil put my LDL at 82 and total at 148 and my trigs went down by 100.Thank you, Roger and Dr. Dons, for sharing your advice with me. Yes, I think my bf’s numbers could improve if he followed a more strict version of plant-based eating as well. While he is following our new way of eating MUCH better than I ever expected, he is not as into it as I am. Still your advice and results give me hope. I will try my best to influence him in positive ways mostly by example. Again, thank you for your suggestions; they are much appreciated.There are several considerations. The first is to make sure that there was not a lab error and that you were fasting with only water for 12 – 14 hours. I think avoiding statins is an excellent goal see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/statin-muscle-toxicity/ I would do a 3-4 week trial of all whole food plant based diet avoiding oils and processed foods (i.e things with labels). Factors to consider: I would avoid all processed oils… olive oil and canola oil have saturated fat which gets converted to cholesterol; I would make sure that you are consuming adequate fiber see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/. The elevation in your triglycerides probably reflect increased consumption of sugars.. especially fructose/High Fructose Corn Syrup and possibly alcohol(I know it is plant based). Try and make all your own meals. Eating out will expose you to sugars and oils that are hard to control. After you do a good trial and repeat the blood panel see how you do. Over recommending drugs is common these days in medicine. You might enjoy reading Dr. Esselstyn’s book on reversing and preventing heart disease and some of Dr. McDougall’s newsletters go to his website click on Hot Topics and read more under Cholesterol and triglycerides or Heart Disease and Atherosclerosis… you might start with the Sept 2002 article on who should be treated. Given a new set of numbers plus information as above you will be able to work with your physicians. Don’t be discouraged keep working at it. Congratulations on working to stabilize your arterial disease and keep tuned to Nutritionfacts.org for the latest science.I hope this helps another(s)… I spent 8 years sick to the gills on simvastatin. but i was terrified i need another bypass if i quit. My wife suggested i try some diet changes to help the drug along. Naturally i took her advice and went hard vegan, you know, Esselstyn vegan. Guess who is off statins and feeling like a million bucks. I simply decided to eat to live and i never looked back. Real men eat plants…a fireman said that! Do it for a year, then decide if it is too extreme. Just say yes…PLEASEThank you so much for writing in and sharing your story (and being alive to tell it!)Dr. Greger, my LDL was 123 and 6 months later, 117 (under a plant based diet). Two questions: 1) could it take years to get my LDL to under 70 if it’s even possible? and 2) can arteriosclerosis be reversed/cured under a plant based diet?Congratulations on your success. I have been impressed with how quickly cholesterol levels can be lowered by going on the correct diet (i.e no animal products, no processed oils, low saturated fat, high fiber, exercise). I have seen patients over time continue to lower and improve their markers. Whether this is a response to further changes in diet or exercise or the body adapting over time I’m not sure. I am not aware of any studies that would help sort all this out. There is good evidence that arterial disease can be stabilized and reversed by going on a good whole food plant based diet. The advantages that occur in the first weeks are do to the nitrous oxide system. Studies have shown that stable angina or chest pain do to poor blood flow in the heart can be reversed by a plant based diet. For more information see the video’s on nitrous oxide most recently http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/the-power-of-no/. Drs Ornish and Esselstyn in the 1990’s showed reversal of the blockages themselves at rechecks 1 and 5 years out. Dr. Esselstyn’s clinical work since has confirmed the ability to stabilize coronary artery disease. You have to remember that the markers are only feedback and are relative to each individual. In my opinion there have been too few studies on the outcomes of a plant based diet to fully understand whether those on a well designed plant based diet can have LDL’s over the recommendations and still be okay. Given the dangers of statins see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/statin-muscle-toxicity/ I would be cautious about prescribing them to patients on a well designed whole food plant based diet with Vit B12 supplementation. You can also read Dr. John McDougall’s May 2007 newsletter on who should take statins see:http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/may/statins.htm. Keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org for the latest science as the evidence continues to mount that you and the planet will be healthier if we follow a plant based diet.Yes,  I wish someone could address this too…in the trenches so to speak, the crucial question is can those on a good WFPB diet have higher than recommended LDL’s and still be safe from plaque.   I see a lot of charts that show NO relationship between cholesterol and heart disease or even a negative relationship.  Are these true?                    e.g. http://healthcorrelator.blogspot.co.nz/2009/12/total-cholesterol-and-cardiovascular.htmlHi Dr. Greger!I have started my journey to veganism about a year ago, and have gradually becomemore and more vegan. Now I am about 90% vegan. Previously I was a big meat-eater,and being a 52 year old smoker, my blood work was not good:Cholesterol: 203, HDL: 27 LDL: 125 VLDL: 50 and Haemoglobin a1c: 6.1Trygs: 251 Because of my prediabetic condition, I have also reduced a lot of my sugar intake andhave added omega-3, niacin and sterol/stanol supplements. I have dropped a few pounds. The doctors have suggested statins, but I’m willing to do a lot before starting a statin regimen.I have done a few blood tests over the year, and my cholesterol has gone as low as 160s. In my last lab work some numbers improved and others did not, whichpuzzled me. The new lab numbers areCholesterol: 174, HDL: 31 LDL: 113 VLDL: 30 andHaemoglobin a1c: 6.1Trygs: 145. Although I know that I can get further improvement by quitting smokingand adding more exercise, my questions are:1.- Should I have expected a significantly larger drop in totalcholesterol and LDL?2.- Apparently, the lower the VLDL and trigs are significant, but arethey mainly because of the lower sugar intake and the addition of omega-3, rather than avoiding animal products? 3.- What should I do to further lower the total chol., total LDL andHaemoglobin a1c ? More importantly: should I consider a more dramatic change in my dietor in supplements?   Thank you!Hello,  I am a 45 yr old fit, healthy female, who has been strictly vegan for over 2 years, and I feel great about it. I don’t smoke, exercise regularly, and eat very, very healthy: lots of greens and vegies, whole grains, etc. and few unnecessary fats or carbs, and I do everything I’ve learned that has to be done.Last week I wanted to check my cholesterol to compare it with a test I had 2 years ago, and was quite surprised: almost no change from 2 years ago:  my total chol. increased a bit to 196, as well as my LDL, to 99. This is far from the ideal of <150 tot. cho. and <70 LDL.The truth is that before becoming vegan I already ate quite healthy, but included animal proteins with lots of eggs, milk and several chicken or steak per week. After 2 years of 0 animal protein I thought my numbers will be great. Have you seen this happen in other patients? Assuming my diet and lifestyle are indeed as healthy as I think, how can this be explained? Genetics? I have no known family history of high chol.The good news: My HDL is very high, and it also increased a bit from 2 years ago to a total of 81, and my trigs are low: 81. I know these 2 factors mitigate the other numbers, and lower my risk factors considerably. But still I am puzzled: How can my tot chol and LDL not be lower? How (un)common is this with strict vegans that eat and live healthily with no known family histories? Any insights? Should my numbers require consulting a physician?Thx!I’ve been on a very low fat vegan McDougall-type diet for more that 6 years and my total cholesterol is 196. I did get it down to 167 by taking Niacin (the itchy one) about a year ago, but then quit since I had a massive nosebleed and had to call 911 and be transported to the emergency room. My platelets were 124, and I read Niacin can have a bad effect on clotting. Now the platelet count is 163. My present HDL is 59 and LDL is 119. I don’t want to take statins. What is the answer to this? I’m female, 73, and both parents died of cholesterol-related disease.I have been searching for answers for the past 5 years with no luck, I have high cholesterol but live a healthy vegan life style. Is there any thing else that can cause high cholesterol? hdl = 2.07 mmol/L, ldl = 2.4 mmol/L, hdl ratio = 2.5 ratio, triglyceride 1.30 mmol/LDr Greger, I’ve created a breakfast recipe based on your postings related to lowering cholesterol. What do you think? Can this be improved for more cholesterol-lowing impact?2/3 cup rolled oats (regular, not instant) 1/4 cup dried apples 2 Tbs dried currants or raisins 1/2 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon 1/2 tsp amla powder (Indian gooseberry) 2/3 cup water 1/2 cup lowfat soy milk for toppingSounds delish! I make something very similar, as well. I like to use either hibiscus or green tea instead of water, and sometimes I add some cloves, dates, and flaxseed meal to “nutrify” it even more. I also love adding berries (frozen) to the mix. :)Ooh! I forgot the flaxseed meal and berries! Thanks for the input WholeFoodChomper. Your breakfast sound terrific!Dr. Greger, could you comment on this study: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstractI dont understand why there wasn’t correlation between saturated fat intake and CVD, CHD, or stroke risk. There are researchers saying vit K-2 is protective against cancer too. Why is it we use lack of Vit C production as evidence for eating plants but dont take the need for B- 12 as evidence for needing animal foods? Im trying to understand.I have read, from several sources, that total cholesterol isn’t the real problem. Some are saying that the bad stuff is small particle cholesterol. Please comment.I eat whole food, plant based (Esselstyn, McDougall…) but have familial hyper cholesterolemia (Total Chol 330 without drugs). I have been off and on drugs. I go off because I can’t handle the side effects- sever muscle pain and obvious memory problems. I’m in my early 40s. I’m wondering about studies for vegans with hypercholesterolemia and if we are protected by our diet alone despite our high cholesterol and LDL levels. I would love to be drug free AND have peace of mind I’m not short cutting my life. Seems my choices are I either kill my quality of life and live longer or enjoy my life and die early.One year ago (09/30/12) I had a “heart attack” and needed an RCA stent. I was at Total Cholesterol 189, and LDL of 119. A perfect example of this video, and what Dr. Esselstyn points out in his book. That is, being under 200 and 130 is not enough. I then followed the standard recommendations and I ate a low-fat, low-sodium, low-sugar, lean meats, 1% milk, and some dairy diet. Result? Total cholesterol dropped to 131, and LDL dropped to 71, and lost 15 pounds. Very satisfied! Then, on 04/14/13 we watched Forks Over Knives, and went Vegan the next day. Total cholesterol dropped to 97, LDL dropped to 39, and lost another 24 pounds. About a month ago I stumbled upon NutritionFacts. LOVE this site. Love the research backed presentations. Love the humor. I’ll never go back to the S.A.D.Really? How does that square with your other messages about the effectiveness of diet? What about the basis of this whole diet idea: the China study? Pick a lane in the highway, please.Thanks for the great videos…I’ve been vegan 4 years, having had (in my past) a 95% blockage of LAD which was stented. I love being a vegan, and my “mainstream” cholesterol numbers are good (TC 146, LDL 86, HDL 44, TG 79). I’m age 67, weight 149, and exercise 6 times a week (stationery bike), take 10 mg atorvastatin, baby asp, and plavix (for a few more months, post stenting)Being a curious guy, I decided to dig deeper and got the NMR (LDL particle & Insulin Resistance) & Lipoprotein (a) tests. I’m concerned, (given my strict vegan ways) with the results, some of which are off the charts in terms of cardio risk:Lipoprotein (a) 216 (normal <75) LP-IR (insulin resistance) score 64 (should be <45) LDL-P (particle count) 1287 (should be <1000) ApoB 87 (should be < 79) Apo A-1 is 132 (normal)Looking for answers, I read some studies (Bantus veggies vs Bantu fish eaters), e.g., http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/19/5/1250.long about how to lower Lipoprotein (a), LDL-P and LP-IR, I was surprised to read that vegans can have higher Lipo (a) and other studies recommend increasing fish consumption, high fat, and aggressively reducing carbs to correct the insulin resistance & lip (a). Carbs=vegan, right? I love being a low fat vegan (a la Esselstyn) but am having second thoughts. Thanks for your reply.60 years old vegan for 1 year has 230 total cholesterol, 450 uric acid; how else can she lower her cholesterol level? does she have to take statins along with the vegan diet?http://authoritynutrition.com/it-aint-the-fat-people/ Hi, I am a 26 year vegan and wanted to know your take on the above link, the site that espouses low carbs, etc. They post videos and reference many sources for their contention. Please review their case and debunk them if you will. I would greatly appreciate it.	cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,Dr. William Roberts,heart disease,heart health,LDL cholesterol,medications,safety limits,statins,vegetarians	To achieve the cholesterol level necessary to prevent heart attacks, most must take cholesterol-lowering drugs or eat a plant-based diet.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on heart disease and statins.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-william-roberts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7661078,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10080452,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21029840,
PLAIN-3079	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-agribusiness-sees-it-differently/	Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Agribusiness Sees It Differently	The level of LDL cholesterol our blood—our “bad” cholesterol—may be the single most important indicator of heart disease risk, and is the primary target of both drug and diet therapy. Your doctor will likely tell you that anything over 130 is high; anything under 130 is optimal or near optimal. But that’s what most people hospitalized for heart attack had circulating in their blood stream. \ Notes one of the investigators on this study, “Almost 75 percent of heart attack patients fell within recommended targets for LDL cholesterol, demonstrating that the current guidelines may not be low enough to cut heart attack risk. Close to half had “optimal” levels, though I’m not sure our grieving spouses and orphaned children will take much comfort in that fact. The leading agribusiness publication had a very different take on this study: “For years, we’ve been brainwashed to think that red meat and its associated fat content are killing us. Researchers, however, have found that the vast majority of patients — 75%, in fact — hospitalized for a heart attack did not have cholesterol levels that would signal a high risk for a cardiovascular event.” He’s saying see, cut out meat, and bring your cholesterol into the quote unquote optimal range and still die of a heart attack. So, he concludes, “fire up the grill, and eat up. The next time someone tells you that you just served a heart attack on a plate, you’ll be able to give them a science-based reason why they’re dead wrong,” when in fact you’ll more likely just end up dead.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on heart disease and industry influence.And check out my associated blog post “Generic Lipitor is not the answer to our heart disease epidemic.”As it stands, I am not finding the presented argument on heart attacks and cholesterol to be persuasive since heart disease is multi-factorial. Therefore, there is always a non-zero probability that someone with a very low cholesterol could get a heart attack.So what does it prove if a study reports that some who have low cholesterol get heart attacks. It could even be that blood cholesterol level matters to a point, but then fails to matter below a certain threshold.Average blood cholesterol level is a useful metric to make predictions about populations, but of limited value in interpreting an individuals health. I feel we should keep this point in mind when interpreting these studies.This is extremely interesting stuff. You can read the whole agribusiness article here:http://fdsmagissues.feedstuffs.com/fds/PastIssues/FDS8315/fds08_8315.pdfThe author, who seems to conclude that since were not really sure of anything, it’s best just to merrily continue stuffing ourselves with animal flesh (and for good measure he throws in a pic of a big slab of red meat for the slow-witted among us). He does though quote the bit that the current guidelines might not be low enough.A lot of pro-meat/anti-veg websites use information like this study (or “accepted” cholesterol guidelines) to propose that cholesterol is not really a risk factor for heart disease after all. Or, as even our agribusiness friend quoted in his article, maybe it could be that the current guidelines might not be low enough.Great video! So what’s the (almost) dead-proof cholesterol level then? 150 for total? or even lower…?As you can see in Heart attacks and cholesterol: Purely a question of diet Dr. Roberts is pushing for an LDL under 60!Rain,I’m not sure of the optimum LDL level, but from what I’ve read, no-one in the long-running Framingham Heart Study with a total cholesterol level of 150 or below has ever had a heart attack.yeah, I have heard that too but from the chart that shows at about 30 sec in the video one can see that the average total cholesterol of hospitalized patients was 170,1 +/-48,2 which should mean that at least some of them had it below 150… (one should read the actual study to be sure but at least so it looks from the chart)My mom has been eating vegan/plant-based for sox months. She has lost 15 pounds,but her cholesterol has not dropped. Any thoughts? We are confused.everyone is, nutrition science has no clue. even if blogs like this choosing the studies that fits in their agenda would like you to believe. i’ve searched the whole video archive, zero videos on kefir, yogurt, whey.. why? because there are no negative studies on those, and the positives dont fit into their agenda.All of these foods are not health promoting, there are not studies showing these foods prevent chronic disease. The opposite is true. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/daniel: re: “because there are no negative studies on those” This is not correct. All of the foods you listed are dairy foods. This site covers the problems of dairy in particular and animal protein in general – in great depth – showing just some of the many studies which show how harmful those foods are.as for “positives” of dairy: As Toxins points out – It’s awfully hard to find any positive. Dairy does not prevent chronic diseases – in fact the opposite is true.	cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,meat,mortality,nutrition myths,red meat,safety limits	The average "bad" cholesterol (LDL) level in people having heart attacks is in the "near-optimal" range, suggesting that the current guidelines are too lax.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on heart disease and industry influence.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21146668,
PLAIN-3080	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-attacks-and-cholesterol-dying-under-normal-circumstances/	Heart Attacks and Cholesterol: Dying Under Normal Circumstances	The current official recommendation is to have a total cholesterol under 200. Over 240 is considered high, 200 to 239 borderline high, but under 200 is desirable. So you’d imagine that the average cholesterol of people who have heart attacks is 250, 300, somewhere in the high range—that’s where it’s dangerous, right? A major study was published in the American Heart Journal this year. 65,000 people hospitalized with acute coronary syndromes, like myocardial infarctions—heart attacks, across 344 hospitals. Guess what their average cholesterol was on admission. 170. If you went to a doctor worried about your heart—maybe you have heart disease in your family, or you're feeling your diet hasn't been the greatest—and your cholesterol came back at 170, well within the quote-unquote “desirable range,” your doctor would probably pat you on the back, tell you to keep up the good work and send you on your merry way. Based on this new data, the next time you see them, may be when you arrive in the ambulance if you’re lucky enough to make it that far. Most people admitted to hospitals with heart attacks have quote-unquote normal cholesterols. Having a “normal” cholesterol in a society where it is normal to… drop dead of heart disease, is not necessarily a good thing. Desirable cholesterol levels leave a lot to be desired.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on heart disease.And check out my associated blog post “Generic Lipitor is not the answer to our heart disease epidemic.”Something odd here. If the ER patients with CV problems had a TChol of 170, well bellow population average, that suggests lower cholesterol is worse?? The cholesterol “skeptics” will be all over that one…..The principal investigator of the study concluded the opposite (in the accompanying UCLA press release): “Almost 75 percent of heart attack patients fell within recommended targets for LDL cholesterol, demonstrating that the current guidelines may not be low enough to cut heart attack risk in most who could benefit.” See my videos New Target Cholesterol and Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death and stay tuned–I stay on this subject all week. Thanks for your comment!The missing variable is that the number of people in the population with cholesterol over 200 is smaller than the number of people in the 150-200 range, I assume.This is an example where understanding bayes theorem helps.http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/57786/understanding-bayes-theoremHi: did the people in the study have “normal” cholesterol because they had taken drugs? How low does your cholesterol have to be to be heart attack proof? Thank you!!!Hi flabuzz, I’m not sure what normal cholesterol is… I have come to believe it is what your cholesterol is with zero intake of transfat, saturated fat and cholesterol… that of a whole food plant based diet. See recent video.. nutritionfacts.org/videos/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/. The heart attack proof levels are said to be a total cholesterol of less then 150 or an LDL below 90…although some would push the LDL number lower. Hopefully future studies using involving larger numbers will help provide better answers.That lower than average cholesterol intrigued me enough to do some research. It turns out that with a Western diet the TChol follows an umbrella shaped curve over a lifetime, getting lower, often significantly with age. So old sick people who followed a high fat, high animal food diet will have much lower cholesterol levels with older age, together with a lifetime of arterial plaque that becomes unstable too with age.In Japan at least the cholesterol levels are lower throughout life(with a trad diet) and don’t drop off with age.See Circulation 1978 58:3-19Flabuzz, 150 is usually given as the magic number based on Framingham study, 3.9 in units used outside of USBritish Medical Journal (April ’11) study of 16,718 women: Intake of a combination of calcium and Vit. D*, increased heart health risk (attacks and strokes)by 13-22%. I am a small framed 60 yr old vegan female, who takes 1200 mg a day of both CA and Vit D, in liquid form. What alternative do I have to supplement my diet? *risk remianed with or without Vit DHi kjcreate, The outcome we are hoping to effect with calcium +/- Vit D is to avoid fractures. It appears that vegans have the same bone density as omnivores at least in buddhist nuns see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/long-term-vegan-bone-health/ and it is apparent that both vegans and nonvegans have some difficulty meeting requirement of 600 mg per day see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/. The best way to get your calcium is by eating your greens. Dr. Amy Lanou’s book, Building Bone Vitality, is an excellent book on bone health. It makes a good case for the need to look at the effect of what we eat on taking calcium out of the bone in addition to meeting our intake needs. Although “the Acid/Base hypothesis” was not supported in a recent metaanalysis see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/, metaanalysis’s although popular due to being quick and low cost they are fraught with the difficulties of pooling studies. One clear cut intervention which has been shown to relate to less fractures is weight bearing exercise. So we should supplement our consumption of greens with a good walking program.I can not find this video on yor YouTube account. Michael (Sorry, my old Palm smartphone can’t play videos here on your website.)I’m sorry the site isn’t compatible with your phone. I’ve tweeked the youtube settings to make it public for your viewing pleasure. :)Thanks Doc, but for some reason there is still no video between the Neti pot video and “Heart attacks and cholesterol: Agribusiness sees it differently” on your YouTube homepage.Here you go: http://www.youtube.com/user/NutritionFactsOrg/More weirdness: that search link took me to your profile page. So I did my own search and came up with a direct URL which I’ve shortened:http://youtu.be/26df1p9a7OQThanks again.Is there a way to see more than just the abstract of this study?  Also, I recently saw a news report of a study that suggested taking vit D supplements can actually raise cholesterol levels  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_128919.html   My cholesterol levels have been in the 230-240 range since the first time I had them checked.  In an attempt to lower levels I did a vegan diet for 1 year.  At the same time  I discovered my vit D levels were low and for 6 months of the vegan year took 50,000u vit D.  At the end of the year I had cholesterol level rechecked and it actually went up to 263!  addendum to above…I took 50,000u of vit D per weekI read the study. A little over 41 percent of the people who made up this average of 170 were already on lipid lowering therapy. So they had high enough cholesterol at some time in the past to warrant LLT.Also, over 16% had prior heart attacks and almost 70% were hypertensive.Sorry, over 19%, not 16%, had prior MI.	cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,heart disease,heart health,mortality,safety limits,sudden cardiac death	Most people hospitalized with heart attacks have cholesterol levels considered "desirable" under the current recommendations. Having a "normal" cholesterol in a society where it's normal to die of heart disease is not necessarily a good thing.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on heart disease.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21146668,
PLAIN-3081	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-neti-pot-nasal-irrigation/	The Risks and Benefits of Neti Pot Nasal Irrigation	As described in a 2011 review in American Family Physician, nasal irrigation with salt water using something like a neti pot has been shown to beneficial for those suffering from sinus infections, “a safe and inexpensive treatment option for patients seeking symptom relief,” an opinion shared by none other than the Cochrane Collaboration, probably the most prestigious source of evidence-based medicine. So what’s the downside? Well as with any alternative or complementary medicine modality there’s always a concern it could potentially delay treatment of serious disease, but for non-severe symptoms in immunocompetent individuals—just mild pain and fever, symptoms lasting less than a week—nasal irrigation can work wonders. But the reason I bring it up is that an abstract presented at a medical conference in 2009 suggested chronic nasal irrigation may result in more frequent, recurrent attacks of sinusitis, and a new study appears to have figured out why. People were reinfecting themselves with contaminated neti pots, called here irrigation bottles. They cultured bacteria out of 97% of the bottles collected from people who used them for recurring sinusitis. Under a microscope they demonstrated biofilm formation, bacteria stick to the inner surface so you can’t just rinse them out. The same bugs that caused your sinus infection in the first place may just be sitting there waiting to reinfect you later on. The good news is they found simple cleaning methods, washing them out with boiling water or microwaving them for 2 minutes did a good job of sterilizing them so they are ready and clean for their next use.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on alternative medicine, and for more on sinus health: Is milk and mucus a myth?This is such great info. I have never used one of these pots, but I was curious if they were really any good. I love that these are not superbugs and that they can be killed so easily. Thanks!Dr Greger- I love your informative videos. Thanks so much. I have not missed a day of nosewashing since 1995. I rinse out my neti pots and have never had any trouble but perhaps I should clean them in the dishwasher ? I read an article about 2 deaths linked to a “brain-eating amoeba” called Naegleria fowleri in tap water used in a neti pot in the south. The article says that that amoeba is rare and usually found in the WARM fresh water lakes and rivers of the south – Florida and Louisana & around there. I’m in California – should I now boil my nosewashing water & let it cool?I do recommend you effectively sterilize your neti pots using one of the two methods I describe in my Risks and Benefits of Neti Pot Nasal Irrigation video. In terms of Naegleria fowleri, it’s not really an amoeba but it does appear to eat brains. It apparently invades through the lining of the nose and climbs along the olfactory nerve fibers into the brain, causing an nearly invariably fatal meningoencephalitis (about 99% of reported victims die). Thankfully it’s extremely rare (only about 3 cases a year reported in United States). It is a thermophilic (warmth loving organism) and indeed most cases are reported in the South, but there was a case up in Minnesota last year, so I agree with the new safety advisory that one should only use distilled or previously boiled (and cooled) water to irrigate one’s nose.I have to use a neti pot twice a day or I get really congested. Is it necessary to also use distilled or boiled water to wash out the neti pot or is tap water ok? I’m trying to figure out the logistics so it doesn’t take so much time out of daily routine.sanfrantreat, I also neti twice a day and it keeps my sinuses very healthy, quite a change from pre-neti times :), but after reading the doc’s remarks on needing to sterilize the water even from the tap, so I logically looked at it and I may consider boiling some water and then keeping it in the frig in a glass mason jar to use at my convenience, reheating to warm and then adding my neti salt at the end prior to neti’ing. I have those large 1500 size mason jars that would be perfect. I don’t keep anything I put in my body in plastic jars due to the leaching of chemicals (and you can smell it in the water that you neti with). Anyway, that is my opinion, goodluckHey Dr GregerHere is an article regarding deaths from neti pot use. Actually from an amoeba not the neti pot.http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/12/19/143960631/second-neti-pot-death-from-amoeba-prompts-tap-water-warning?sc=fb&cc=fpGood info. I always thought if we could use the microwave to disinfect things. Will that take 2 min at max potency? for larger objects more time?. Same for cloth?.Also, is there any way to reduce bacteria in liquid solutions e.g. nasal drops containing naphazoline (as I seldom use them they get old and I am not sure if they have a disinfectant in the ingredients). Can I microwave or freeze them?ThanksOT no need to publish. An RRS for the comments would be nice to have.Will the microwaves kill fungi too?for years used neti pot with good effect (dumb luck, i always cleaned w hot water from tea pot) – but recently when i use it, the saline goes into my ear canal somehowanyone every experience that? i have my first cold in years, and would like to irrigate but can’t!!Do you mean your nose is so congested with mucus the neti pot water can not get IN? If so you can get some Afrin nasal spray–blow nose first–then spray in the Afrin. wait 10 min – then try the neti rinsing. Afrin works to open your nose up and the effect lasts 12 hours – so if you try this at say 8 a.m. you can irrigate 3 or 4 times before 8 pm. My ENT doc says it’s ok to use Afrin for 5 days if you are irrigating each day. But long term use of Afrin is not good. Another thing you can use is Xlear with xylitol nasal spray. Google it or check Amazon – Amazon sells it and my local health food stores carry it. It’s like soap for the nose – clears out mucus and is safe, non addicting and naturalIs this type of cleansing necessary for commercially sold saline solution nasal wash dispensers? I find it more effective than the neti pot, because of the pressure.For reasons I have yet to understand, every time I take my B12 lozenge (1000 mcg TIW) my sinuses begin to tingle, and clear within thirty (30) minutes. I do suffer from rhinitis, with pseudoephedrine being my only effective means of relief. The neti pot (squirt bottle actually, which works better and is less messy) just stuffs my nose up.Stopping the eating of Dairy has been shown to make a big difference in congestion, colds, sinusitis etc in me. I have read that it is true in studies too, altho I can’t find a link right now. I have also eliminated all animal products after what I have learned about it’s effects on the body. I now know I can get everything I need from a plant based diet. Congestion is 99% better. It takes time. So glad I’ve discovered this option.…a little more on my journey is that I suffered for most of my life with chronic bronchitis and chronic sinusitis and now not. A nice side effect of eatin this way is that it also helped me lose a lot of excess weight and I feel better than ever. I have found wonderful tasty foods that I never knew existed and I am stronger in my workouts than ever. No problem building muscle either.I’ve used the sinus irrigation previously but the last 2 times I’ve tried it, it burned my nose sooo bad I had to stop. I’ve had a sore throat and earache on the left side-only at night. I use a steroid nasal spray. I don’t understand why I’m having such burning when previously I could irrigate with no problem. Thanks, MarieMake certain you are not using just plain water – as it will sting like crazy! Use the saline packets and mix that with your water before nasal washing.Since this was posted 2 years ago, not sure anyone will respond. This makes perfect sense, And yes, now it will take more time to do the process, but better safe than sorry.I am thinking this would be also true for other items that enter body orifaces – douche and enema nozzles – could probably reinfect, even grow a super bug!!! Am I right? Wondering if silicone can go in the microwave?How does one restore healthy bacteria in the nose?My husband, who is a vegan, suffers from nasal/sinus polyps. When they are large he can’t even use the Neti Pot. His doctor is recommending surgery, which we’ve discovered can have some pretty severe risks. Also, the polyps will most likely grow back anyway. To get them under control, he’s gone through two series of Prednisone. His doctor won’t prescribe any more, however. What natural ways are there to control sinus polyps? We do know that he is allergic to cats (we have two) and grasses. What natural methods are available to get the polyps under control?Dear Dr. Greger, I am suffering from what the medical community calls nasal polyps. I was diagnosed with this when I was in my early teens and I have been living with this for the past 15-18 years. Its an inflammation within my nose and causes me to have a painful, congested and runny nose when my nose is irritated whether by allergens like tobacco smoke, dust, water, cold weather, etc… At its worse, the polyps would block both of my nasal passages and cause me to be unable to breathe thus forcing me to breathe through my mouth. I would like to find out if Neti Pot Nasal Irrigation will help my condition or do I need to consider another form of treatment to look to… Preferably, I would not like to go for a surgery to remove it as the doctors have mentioned that there is a potential of 70% relapse of the condition… Is there a safer, easier and natural way to cure or reduce this inflammation to manageable levels? Thanks.Is a saline spray also risky?	alternative medicine,Cochrane Collaboration,complementary medicine,nasal irrigation,neti pot,sinus health,sinusitis	Though nasal irrigation with salt water has been found to an effective and inexpensive treatment option for sinusitis symptom relief, neti pot use may increase the risk of recurrence. A new study reveals why and what we can do about it.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on alternative medicine, and for more on sinus health: Is milk and mucus a myth?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sinus-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sinusitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cochrane-collaboration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nasal-irrigation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neti-pot/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17636843,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21534518,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20824637,
PLAIN-3082	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/	Take Vitamin D Supplements With Meals	What do you do if you’re one of the 42% of Americans with vitamin D deficiency, are put on a vitamin D supplement regimen and your levels still don’t budge? That kept happening to this group of docs at the Cleveland Clinic “In our practice,” they wrote, “it is common to see patients treated with vitamin D supplements who do not achieve an appreciable rise in their vitamin D level after therapy despite large prescribed doses.” So they did a few experiments it concluded that “taking vitamin D with the largest meal improves absorption and results in higher blood levels of vitamin D.” Just that one simple change in timing “results in about a 50% increase in blood levels of vitamin D achieved. They conclude: “It therefore seems reasonable to ask patients to take vitamin D supplements with their largest meal because it may be a cost-effective strategy that could very well help patients to achieve optimal serum levels of vitamin D.”	This is the final video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday’s video-of-the-day Resolving the vitamin D-bate and today’s blog: Vitamin D: Shedding some light on the new recommendations. Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them.Dr. Greger, Can you do some research on Spirulina and Chlorella? I have been hearing some things about these green algaes and want to know more about before i start taking them. thanks again.See my videos on spirulina here and Chlorella here. Glad I could help! Any time you’re looking for a video on a specific topic you can go to our alphabetical tag cloud.Dr. Greger, thanks for all the info on vitamin D.I posted a question on your vinegar video, but I’m reposting here, since you may not have seen it. Are you familiar with research linking high glycemic foods with incidence of macular degeneration? (NY Times reported on a 7/07 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.)Is there any reason to believe that restricting high glycemic foods, adding in vinegar, or boosting antioxidants by eating lots of leafy greens would help prevent further development of severe macular degeneration?Thanks for any insight you can provide!Thanks for your question–sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I’ll reply over on the Is Vinegar Good For You? video.Do Vegan Vitamin D supplements have a different absorption rate compared to non vegan Vitamin D supplements?Taken daily at the kind of daily doses I recommend, vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol) appear bioequivalent (meaning they both work just as well in your body). However if your physician suggests you take large intermittent doses (such as 50,000IU weekly, then D3 is probably superior).How does this work? How does the body know which is your largest meal of the day, in order to absorb more Vitamin D? Say you take Vitamin D at lunch. How does the body know whether you’re going to eat a larger meal at dinner?Also, I’ve heard that oatmeal interferes with Vitamin D absorption. True?Basically, the food helps the vitamin D absorb into your body. Similarly, A fat from nuts or seeds absorbs much more phytonutrients over no fat when eating a salad. Check out the video on that here http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/forego-fat-free-dressings/You know, Toxins, I have learned long ago to *always* include some kind of fat with a salad…could be a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds, or 1/4 of an avocado…even tahini to make the dressing…really critical for the uptake of all those awesome nutrients IN the salad itself! thanks!i take my 2 squirts of D3 (from lichen) in the morning when i eat oatmeal. my D3 went from 19-26 in 4 months. I plan to use 3 squirts now and will see what that does when i get my next blood test. that will be in a year as long as all stays well.Yep – Vitamin D deficient and now on 2000IU per day – taking it with the biggest meal!I do have an ask the doctor question on an unrelated topic – I have been vegan for 8 years and saw a remarkable shift in my lipid profile that has persisted over the years and shows up in my most recent lipid profile which was 167 total cholesterol with HDL of 101 and LDL of 52, VLDL of 14. I read somewhere that high HDL is not necessarily good news. What’s the complete story on all these DLs?Hi chpado, Congratulations on the improvement in your values. The science is changing all the time and the story is getting more complete but you need to stay tuned as the science changes. As far as LDL goes the lower is better but Dr. Esselstyn and others say that an LDL below 90 is a good target. Some would go below 70 which is where you are with an LDL of 52. HDL is considered a good cholesterol and you have a higher level than most. The target for total cholesterol is often mentioned to be below 150. Total cholesterol is the sum of LDL + HDL + 1/5(triglycerides). Given your high HDL which is good it would be hard for you to get below 150. I would feel great about your current numbers and wouldn’t use them as an “excuse” to consume foods that would raise the level. See http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/new-target-cholesterol/ for more information.Dr. Greger,You seem to be in favor of a ‘maintenance’ dose of vit D for most people. My OB/GYN discourages it because she insists that in a few more years we’ll be hearing about damage it does to the liver. Why aren’t you concerned about the long term effects on the liver?I ask because I am on the fence myself. Unsupplemented, my vit D levels gradually sink down to the single digits (frank osteomalacia), but I’m concerned about taking a high maintenance dose as daily insurance. I’m not sure if it’s better to get my levels up and not take anything for awhile until they drop again, or take 5,000 – 50,000 IU on a daily basis.Thanks, KatHi Dr. Greger,I was recently diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency with levels in the single digits. This is no surprise considering I was only on 400 IU for most of the winter. Now I’ve switched to 2000 but my doctor wants me to take the weekly megadose for 12 weeks. The supplement she wants to give me contains soy oil which I am sensitive too and also gelatin which I don’t want to eat as I abstain from animal products.Do you know of any other product I could use instead? Is there one you recommend for deficiency?Thank you for a VERY informative site, SaraFor some context, please check out my associated blog post Vitamin D: Shedding Some Light on the New Recommendations!vitamin D3 preferred over D2?Yes, D3 is preferred…my Vit D was 44 two years ago…Doc advised 5000 IUD of D3 daily *with* calcium and/or big meal…! Seems to have helped!With all due respect, Dr. Greger…what supplements do you take with your foods, which I presume are from whole plant sources?Here are the supplements, if any, Dr. Greger recommends http://www.drgreger.org/latestrecommendations.pdfCheck out my latest recommendations here: http://nutritionfacts.org/?p=4060Dr. Greger. Thank you for making it so easy to find your videos and blogs. I love surfing your info. Good to find out about taking vit.D with a meal. Thanks.Dr. Greger,My mother has asthma for the last 25 years and now when she got her cavities removed and filling done she has severe pain in that whole side of the mouth where filling was done. The dentist says because her eosinophilis level is high i.e. as per latest report it is 18 nad esr is 22 she is having that pain, i will be really thankful if you please answer me this, whether there is any connection between these two problems or the dentist is making us fool and how can the eosinophilis level be reduced to normal.Thanks in advance GurpreetCurious about your thoughts on this study. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(13)70212-2/abstractDear doctor what about anti candida diet???i am confused,i have candida and leaky gut……there are alot of diets….are fruits ok?????is meat ok???please inform me….regards from GREECE!I remember using “Y2K”. 2k IU is recommended. Take with meals (hoard food for the computer crash). Whatever it takes… kinda funny.Dr Greger, may I ask, what amount do you recommend for children? My husband and I take 5000 every morning (now will take it with dinner!) my 14 year old 2000 and my 11 year old does not take any. I haven’t mostly because her pediatrician (who is not very excited about a plant based diet) did not recommend it. Thanks for any recommendations or links to information you can provide. PS my oldest still talks about meeting you at our local veganfest in Madison, WI :-)ladybug: I think that the group Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) is a well researched, grounded source of information. They have a “kids index” page with some links on it that I was thinking would be helpful to you. You might want to check out the “Teens FAQ” and the “Feeding Vegan Kids” links. And maybe others would be good too.Note: I haven’t checked these articles out recently. I just know that in the past, they were very good. The Feeding Vegan Kids article was particularly good. And don’t get discouraged that it starts out with preganancy and infants. It talks about older kids further on.Hope something in there somewhere is helpful to you.	Cleveland Clinic,nutrient absorption,supplements,vitamin D	Taking vitamin D supplements with food may be a cost-effective strategy to achieve optimum levels.	This is the final video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday’s video-of-the-day Resolving the vitamin D-bate and today's blog:Vitamin D: Shedding some light on the new recommendations. Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/15/vitamin-d-shedding-some-light-on-the-new-recommendations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chlorella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cleveland-clinic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spirulina/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20200983,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21310306,
PLAIN-3083	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/	Resolving the Vitamin D-Bate	Is there a way we can ask the body how much vitamin D it wants overall? Scientists came up with two ways. First, let’s say you give a whopping dose, and I mean whopping, 100,000 IUs, something that could be toxic if done on a daily basis. The question is, what’s your body’s saturation point. Of this massive dose much does your body actually use, and how much does it sock away in storage at for use later on down the road? Here’s the graph; 30 people followed for 4 months after the megadose. Here’s the flood of D coming into their system, but the solid circles represent the pool of vitamin D our body is keeping in our blood stream for activation, and the rest is likely stored away to be used on an as needed ongoing basis. Note that in this setting of abundance the body is keeping our levels right around that sweet spot dip found in the U-shaped mortality curve. You can do the same thing at the other end of the spectrum too. Instead of a megadose you can start by giving really tiny doses and gradually work your way up. When you do you get a graph like this showing a so-called biphasic pattern, really steep at first, but then leveling out. When you take in just a little bit, your body zips it into circulation, desperately needing it. But then as you increase the dose, at a certain point you kind of turn the corner when the crisis is averted, your body seems happy enough with your levels that as you take more your levels still rise, but it’s not such an emergency. Now if this plateau was flat, completely horizontal there’s be no risk of toxicity, but because your body can’t help but let some in, your levels continue to rise with increasing intake and you can run into vitamin D toxicity problems if we take too much. But what’s this level here, right at the corner, when your body takes a big sigh of relief that you’re doing pretty good on vitamin D? Working in from both ends, the level at which your body appears satisfied translates to about 2000 IUs a day, which should get us right into that U-shaped longevity sweet spot, whereas the Institute of Medicine recomendatiosn appear too low, and the 10,000 recommendations put forth by others appears too high.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the 8th video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday’s video-of-the-day How the Institute of Medicine arrived at their vitamin D recommendation.Thanks for the comprehensive info. re: vit. D. I’m still unsure, however, about which form of D supplement is effective–D3(nonvegan) or D2(vegan). I’ve even seen ads for vegan D3. Over the last 3 years I’ve seen conflicting reports about the effectiveness of D2? Can you clarify?Taken daily in doses at 2000IU or less, vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol) appear bioequivalent (meaning they both work just as well in your body). However if your physician suggests you take large intermittent doses (such as 50,000IU weekly, then D3 is probably superior).I take 2400 daily, is this too much?Nope, the current upper daily limit is 4,000 (though more likely 10,000).I’ve found a affordable supplement, however the dosage is 5000 IU per capsule. Would you consider this as too much, Michael? If you decide you should take a supplement remember that Vitamin D is stored so if you were to take your 5000 IU every other day you would average 2500/d. I think caution is in order especially with supplements which can be toxic. Also cautionary is the study showing that taking isolated supplements Beta Carotene, Vitamin A & E lead to increase morbiditiy and mortality see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/. The best recommendation is to get your Vitamin D from sunlight. It would not surprise me if future studies show that there are other factors that our bodies make with exposure to sunlight that are helpful… time will tell. So I would recommend factoring in your location and amount of sun exposure you get to your decision whether to take supplements and how much to take see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/. Keep tuned as new scientific studies shed light on these complex issues.Thanks for the awesome website! So I’m assuming that the suggestion of 2000 IUs/d to hit the “sweet spot” are the total IUs of vitamin D/d, meaning from all sources such as supplements, food, and sun. Is there a correction factor to apply to 2000 IU/d to account for sun at various latitudes and times of the year? (For example, Denver, CO — Summer versus Winter.)So I watched the videos in reverse order a saw that there’s no “one-size-fits-all” correction factor. Guess I’ll just shoot for 2000 IU/d in the Winter and less if I’m getting some sun.Hi Dr. Greger,Is the 2,000 IU/day recommendation the same for vegan Vitamin D2? I thought one of your articles in a previous video explained that they aren’t exactly equivalent. Thank you!Same recommendation Joy–see my response to dgmusselman above.Thanks for the this informative video. Aren’t there other health benefits from the sun that we can’t get from supplements?Also, if I live on the east coast and get pretty much zero sun during the winter should I just take vitamin d or should I get tested because perhaps I have enough stored from previous sun and/ or from mushrooms?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Vitamin D: Shedding Some Light on the New Recommendations!Are your recommended levels the same for children as they are for adults?  I’ve read that adult dosages given to children are toxic. Any comment on this?I’m worried about the source of vitamin D3 CHOLECALCIFEROL, coming from cod liver oil or the liver of other fish. That also depends upon the waters from where those fish live, but all waters are increasingly toxic with chlorinated pesticides, PCBs, Dioxins. Don’t those also contaminate the liver?I would feel more comfortable about a vegan vitamin D2 supplement, but my local health food store only carries vitamin D3 from cod liver oils. I desperately need vitamin D to keep my bones strong especially with osteoporosis but need a brand name for security.I have read a number of articles on vitamin D and dundruff. I suffer from dundruff for over 10 years, no shampoo really cured my scalp. However, when I go for vacation – usually nearby sea during summer time, dandruff almost disappears within a week. I never thought of vit. D deficiency as I never had a broken bone (yet live an active lifestyle). I live in central Europe and am an office rat, lack of sun exposure is quite common in my case. I concluded that a weekly safe tube tanning might be a good way how to get D3 they way we are supposed to. Your opinion on the matter?I just discovered that Magnesium supplement helps/cures not only my newly revived muscle cramps, but also longstanding insomnia. Foot cramps (usually at night) arose after taking 2000IU/d Vitamin D for a few weeks. I read a story about a woman whose serum D levels didn’t go up with supplementation until she also took magnesium. Apparently it takes a good bit of Mg to convert the D to its usable form. Did any of the research on optimal D supplementation levels take Mg levels or intake into account? BTW, I’ve been eating nutrient dense whole plant food, lots of greens, for going on 6 years. Still I noticed if I skipped more than a day or two eating spinach, I’d get the leg and toe cramps. Wondering if i need less D when i get enough Mg. I am 61y.o. female. Thanks!Hi Dr Greger please answer my question. ???? Last year I had 1/2 my thyroid removed due to a undiagnosed nodule, which was benign. So I could have left it there. Very frustrated about that. Seeing my parathyroid glands have been interferred with during the operation and always keeping a check on my thyroid levels, due to having OSTEOPENIA, degenerative discs in my cervical spine. I would like to know which is the best way to avoid more bone loss seeing I am only 49. Should I eat more mushrooms and magnesium rich food. Is it only certain mushroom that have a high level of vitamin D OR do all mushrooms have vitamin D. Should I be taking vitamin D and magnesium supplements and vitamin K supplements and BORON supplements, Because don’t you need all of those vitamins working together to absorb enough calcium for your bones and other organs to keep healthy. Please explain. Should you be getting more vitamins from eating real food, or topping up on supplements. I would like to be able to educate my children as well. So this would really be appreciated. Advice from you.I will be having more surgery shortly a hysterectomy so more recuperating, not a lot of exercise happening for a few weeks after that operation. So not much sun around during winter. So do you take supps or not.???can I take vitamin D 50,000 IU D2 one time a week along with my reg dosis of Donepezil 5 mgThank you. I am a woman (from Norway) with ms- and are quite confused of how high level of D vitamin I should have and the best way to take it. There are not much sun here in Norway. At the same time, it could reduce attacks, so I’ve heard. I am confused, because there are several ways of measure the vit D level.. Is solarium the best mean or should one take substitudes? And are there other factors that lowen the leven of vit D? f.ex in food etc.Hi Anna, you may want to check out all the other videos on Vit D:http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=vitamin+dHi Anna – even more important than vitamin D is eating the right kind of diet. An American neurologist called Swank used a very low fat diet for recently-diagnosed cases of MS and got excellent results which were published in the Lancet around 1990. A 30 year follow-up revealed that all his patients who stayed on the diet were alive and well, with little or no disability. Another study is being done at the centre where Swank worked (Oregon USA), with Dr John McDougall acting as the advisor on diet. See the Dr McDougall website http://www.drmcdougall.com By the way, Dr McDougall is happy to answer emails. Good luck. Dr Colin Walshwhy not just take 60,000 once every month since the body regulated the mega dose down to that sweet spot level?My husband had 4stage liver cancer 2 years ago. He is healing himself with nutrition supplements and cannabis oil. My question is, his vitamin D3 levels have been way to low, around 27. He is taking daily 10000 D3 in liquid form. He feels healthy, gets plenty of sunshine also. Why aren’t his levels coming up? His cancer shrunk 2/3 and tumor markers are normalHi Beate. This is a remarkable comment to read. I wonder if there is any chance i could speak with you by phone / email? I have family who is treating their tumor naturally and would love to be able to speak with you if possible. I can be reached on lokeshsoni101@gmail.com or +34 674552214(Spain). Thanks, LokeshWay low? 27 is pretty close to the supposed ideal of about 30 ng/ml. He’s healthy, and he should be. Why try to assume his body needs to be in a place it is apparently fighting hard to stay at? The body knows what it needs, and his needs what everyone else’s does: around 30 ng/ml. I bet if he tested again it wouldn’t be 27, it would be different. Levels fluctuate.Dr. Greger, my (young) doctor has just given me a prescription for Ergocalciferol 50000 Unit Oral Capsule (**8** Capsule) to take one/week for eight week and then retest. I have sarcoidosis (currently no symptoms) and have been told in the past not to take Vitamin D supplements. I’ve just moved to Florida from Michigan. Blood test results were 26 ng/mL. Do you consider this a reasonable course of action? By the way, Sunday cup of tea is always enjoyed reading your email.My mom has sarcoidosis too. So if i understand your post correctly, vitamin D supplementation is not advised for people with sarcoidosis? And if i could ask, how are your vit.D levels now and do you still supplement with 50000 IU?The last blood test shows it to be normal. I took the supplement for one week.Glad to hear numbers improved! I suggest more Florida sun :-) and continuing having levels checked by your doctor.I have read recommendations that all of us–whether one is diabetic/pre-diabetic or not–would benefit from taking Metformin. Life Extension has been recommending it for 20 years. Metformin is the only drug they recommend. It appears to have positive impacts on cell function and longevity, decreasing cancer rates and increasing cellular metabolism, specifically by increasing the production of AMPK. I am interested in your perspective of Metformin use for non-diabetics.Are there any studies regarding eczema and vitamin D? Looking at medically prescribed eczema treatments such as UV treatments, and anecdotal evidence regarding vitamin D, it seems like a promising path…from a layperson’s viewpoint. Would love to see if there is anything more than anecdotal evidence.A quick PubMed search showed a number of articles but at this point it doesn’t appear to be a relationship between eczema and Vitamin D. There is evidence to support treating Eczema with diet see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/. Of course keep tuned as you never know when some new science will help shed light on the best lifestyle especially nutritional approaches to patients suffering from eczema.If a human living far enough away from the equator supposedly cannot expose themselves to enough sunlight during certain months of the winter to sufficiently make vitamin D naturally, how is it that they can still get a sunburn during those winter months?As we moved away from the equator we tended to lose our pigment to allow for more production of Vitamin D and the other beneficial aspects of sun exposure. Losing our pigment, however, makes us more susceptible to sun damage so we have to be careful not to get too much exposure.Thank you!I found some more helpful information elsewhere that explains the paradox as well: Vitamin D synthesis is enabled by UVB absorption, which the atmosphere scatters more. Sunburns are mostly from UVA, which the atmosphere doesn’t scatter much, even at the north pole.So even a sunburn doesn’t mean getting enough UVB in winter months at certain distances from the equator.Good point. Thanks. Interestingly the UVA seems to be responsible for liberating nitrate like compounds into our blood and helping our arterial system.Is the 2000 U/day recommendation based on an oral or sublingual dose?Ooops! I meant to ask this question under a Vit B12 thread (@ 2.5 mg/wk).It is recommended as sublingual but oral would most likely work as well. The Vitamin B12 needs to be absorbed in the upper part of your GI tract. Be well.I’m only able to find 10.000 IU capsules where i live, is it ok for me to consume this dosage every 5 days, reaching this way the 2.000 IU sweet spot?Hi Nicolasmainella, I think there are too many factors to say for certain. (age, skin color, dietary Vit. D intake, location, etc) I would ask your doctor the best dosage for vitamin D supplementation right for you. As I understand it needs are very personalized. Quick thought can you order lower doses of Vitamin D online?Best to you, JosephOk, thanks i’ll check it with my doctor!	dietary guidelines,Institute of Medicine,lifespan,longevity,mortality,supplements,vitamin D	Why the current vitamin D recommendations may be too low, other expert recommendations may be too high, and 2000 international units a day may be just right.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the 8th video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday's video-of-the-dayHow the Institute of Medicine arrived at their vitamin D recommendation.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/15/vitamin-d-shedding-some-light-on-the-new-recommendations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/institute-of-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3084	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-institute-of-medicine-arrived-at-their-vitamin-d-recommendation/	How the Institute of Medicine Arrived at Their Vitamin D Recommendation	There are many ways to arrive at a target vitamin level. We’ve already examined some of the problems inherent to just using deficiency disease prevention and evolutionary arguments to establish an optimum intake. If a vitamin only does one thing, then it’s easy, you set the level at whatever the body needs to do one thing best, but what if the vitamin affects dozens of different organs, then it’s more difficult. Here's a list of the target tissues affected by vitamin D. In revising their recommendations, the Institute of Medicine decided to only look at one tissue, bone, which many considered to be a mistake.  I did like how they went about it, though. They asked the expert: the human body. When our body senses we don’t have enough active vitamin D for adequate bone health it releases a hormone, called PTH, to boost our levels. And so the Institute of Medicine figured why don’t we just listen in on the body’s own innate wisdom and find out which level of vitamn D it feels comfortable with for bone health. And that number is about 20 ng/ml, here as 50 nanomole per liter. Once we fall below that our body is like uh, oh, and starts producing this PTH to protect our bones from softening. But that’s just the bone; what about the other 3 dozen organs affected by vitamin D?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the seventh video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday’s video-of-the-day The difficulty of arriving at a vitamin D recommendation.In the list of tissues involved with vitamin D, there’s something called the eggshell gland. What’s that? Do humans have this eggshell gland or is it found in birds only?Good eye! That’s just in birds and some fish and reptiles (though presumably in platypuses as well?). It’s part of their oviducts that forms the eggshells.hello, can u let me knw wat are the effects of vit D deficiency in adults..and wat if the level is below 5 ng/ml..?The effects of Vit D deficiency are many as you can see from the list on the right side of this video’s diagram. It is always difficult to say which effects occur in an individual. However a level of 5 ng/ml would be considered deficient by any recommendations. For further discussion see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/. The best way to keep our vitamin D levels at the appropriate level is to get adequate sunlight see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/. For individuals with very low levels as you mention I would recommend working with a physician to get recommendations and appropriate followup.There was a NY Times story several days ago noting a study suggesting that CRP levels went up once blood Vitamin D levels reached 21ng/ml. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/health/research/risks-when-too-much-vitamin-d-is-too-much.html?_r=1 ) Would this have any effect on your recommendations on Vitamin D supplementation?My CRP was under 1 and my D3 level was 40ng/mlFor some context, please check out my associated blog post Vitamin D: Shedding Some Light on the New Recommendations!Can ;post-menopausal women take vitamin D supplements? I read somewhere that Vitamin D was not recommended for that supplementation. I would like to know the correct answer. Thank You!Hello, it is possible, when many year not in the sun,and you have only 9 from 40 or 50 nmmol you geht trouble mit Parahytroid? I have hyperparathyroidism with 1 cm ademom? Can I lose the ademom, when eating vegan with much vegetable?There are studies hyperparathyroidism relating and nutrition? Thanks	bone health,dietary guidelines,Institute of Medicine,PTH,vitamin D	The latest revision of the official vitamin D recommendations were based on the body's reaction to protect bone health, but what about the other three dozen affected organs?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the seventh video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday's video-of-the-day The difficulty of arriving at a vitamin D recommendation.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/institute-of-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20511059,
PLAIN-3085	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-difficulty-of-arriving-at-a-vitamin-d-recommendation/	The Difficulty of Arriving at a Vitamin D Recommendation	Figuring our what level of vitamin D supplementation is necessary to bring one’s levels up to a specific blood level, like 30 ng/ml—the level associated with the longest lifespan, is not as easy as one might think. For example, here’s seven people starting out with blood levels under the target of 30. They all got the exact same same dose of vitamin D, 1600 IUs a day, and here's what happened to their levels over the next 6 months. One person's blood levels tripled Another even quadrupled. But in these three, even though they were on the same dose, their blood levels hardly moved at all and stayed under 30. So let’s say you’re trying to come up with a recommendation for people. Here’s a scatter plot of about 3000 people. Blood level versus intake. So people taking 10,000 a day average a blood level of about 75, with 95% of the people falling in between about 40 and 110. If we want to choose a dose for which 95% of people reach the target of 30, we’d probably choose something around 6000 a day, but though that would get the most to the minimum, ≈ the average level would be over 50, which is higher than we’d like to see on the U-shaped vitamin D total mortality graph. That's equivalent to like 125 nmol/L, which is off to the right of the graph. You can see why forming dietary recommendations is a formidable, and unenviable task.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the sixth video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday’s video-of-the-day Vitamin D supplements may be necessary.Dr. Greger, have you considered the possibility that humans should only be taking in vitamin D from the interaction of the sunshine on our skin, that all forms of vitamin D that we pass through our mouth (both supplements and food sources) somehow might be disrupting some sort of internal homeostasis as far as vitamin D receptors, hormones, autoimmune regulation. Something seems amiss to me, the popping of pills and food and expecting the same exact reactions internally as that of the relationship of the sun’s rays and our skin. Are humans possibly playing god by popping pills? And is there a limitation and or consequence to this that might possibly be unknown to us?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Vitamin D: Shedding Some Light on the New Recommendations!I had 18.9 ng /ml (30.0-100.0 ng/mL) So I used liquid vitamin D (vitamin D-cure) , 12 drops a day. And my levels were last time around 32I have a question: what can be done for females to lower androgen hormones (androstenedione) ? I dont eat much fat, basically eat like you say in all the videos, been vegan (sometimes eat eggs from my chickens) for 10 years. I’ve been tested for PCOS and don’t have that. Im 26 now. are there any supplements that might help lower androgens in females?When you consume a vitamin D supplement of 5,000 IU, why does the vitamin D in your organism decreases.What I mean is that I have been consuming the vitamin D 5,000 IU supplement, and instead of increasing, the vitamin D in my organism has been decreasing. For instance I had 26 ng/ml, and after consuming the supplement it went to 52 ng/ml (it increased), so I continued taking the supplement, but then it lower to 35 ng/ml. So i was wondering, why did this happen.Hello Dr. Greger, I was wondering if vitamin K2 MK-7 needs to be taken along with vitamin D3? D3 transports calcium to blood; while MK-7 takes it from blood and accompanies Ca2++ to our bones. Thank you in advance.	dietary guidelines,lifespan,longevity,mortality,supplements,vitamin D	People respond differently to the same level of vitamin D supplementation, making it difficult to formulate one-size-fits-all guidelines.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the sixth video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday's video-of-the-day Vitamin D supplements may be necessary.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20511052,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21378345,
PLAIN-3086	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/	Vitamin D Supplements May Be Necessary	How much sun exposure might one need to get their target vitamin D level to that found associated with the lowest total mortality rate? Well, it depends. It depends on our age, how long we’re exposed, the time of day, the time of year, our latitude, our skin color, our use of sunscreen, and how much of our body we’re exposing. Even in Boston, though, all it takes is 10-12 minutes, of midday, summer sun, without sunblock—if, you’re a young, pale, naked caucasion. But then you’re golden! Actually, you’d be a little pink. Note, though, if you’re some old white guy prancing around naked on the Commons you’re not going to make it. As I’m hope you’re beginning to appreciate, it’s not easy to make one-size fits all recommendations for how much sun exposure one might need. And “Low vitamin D status despite abundant sun exposure” has been found even in the best of circumstances: young, half naked skateboarders in Honolulu, mostly caucasion, averaging 30 hours of sun a week, and 51% didn’t even make it to 30. If they can’t, who can? And these days, even if we’re an albino nudist at the equator, how often might we be getting outside in middle of the day with a deskjob? So, if we’re really interested in getting to the vitamin D level associated with the lowest mortality rates, and our lifestyle or latitude won’t allow us the necessary sun exposure, then one needs to take vitamin D supplements: the piddly amount added to soymilk, calfmilk, margarine or mushrooms would simply not be enough.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the fifth video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday’s video-of-the-day Vitamin D and mortality may be a U-shaped curve.Hi Doctor, I noticed that since I started taking Vitamin D3 supplements, I feel really itchy all over. Could that be related to the D3 supplements? The onset is usually within an hour of taking it and it takes a few hours for me to stop itching. If it is related to the D3, what are the alternatives in winter? Thanks for your help.In some European countries, Vit D supplements prescription to adults over 70 years of age, with ostheoporosis, consists of monthly dosages of 25.000 IU (=820 IU/d considering 30.5 days/mo).IOM Upper Level is 4000 IU/d.Question: any study about the possible toxicity for such a large monthly dosages?NB: I recall similar questioning about Vit A mega doses in large national campaigns in developing countries in the last decade.I could not find anything so far on PubMed for Vit D.Thanks Dr Greger.FilippoHi filippodibari, I do not think a single monthly dose of 25,000 would lead to toxicity based on information at this time. Your concern is well placed though… since we have a history of making recommendations only having to change them after finding out about toxicities later.Dr. Greger — have you heard about the new vitamin D3 spray? What is your opinion — helpful? Harmful? Waste of money? Thanks!Based on their current pricing, supplementing with that product would cost hundreds of dollars a year. Given the fact that at the preferred daily dosing D2 and D3 appear to be equivalent, I would suggest choosing a less expensive option (D2 is easily 10 times cheaper). Just think about how much kale you could buy with all the money you save!im guessing from the above comment that you feel D2 is just as effective as D3?  i’m vegan and recently found out im very deficient in D.  from what i’ve read, i got the impression that D3 is more absorbable and d2 could be toxic.  I would much rather take D2 b/c of my moral concerns..but i was scared into taking D3!  what is your opinion on this matter?  thanks so much in advance.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Vitamin D: Shedding Some Light on the New Recommendations!Dear Dr. Greger,Thank you for this interesting video!Could you provide us with a list of the best oils/butters to use as a sunscreen (including a range)?Thank you so much!Hi. thanks for the videos. What about dosing for children? I started giving my 9 & 11 year old children 1000iu/day. Is this safe for them?Yes this is safe. According to the National Institute of health the recommended daily intake is 600 IU and upper limit is 4,000 IU/day for children 9 years and older. Found here http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-Consumer/#h2I try to follow a whole food, plant-based diet and I favor Dr. McDougall’s starched based diet. I watch Dr. Gregor’s videos frequently and I find myself conflicted regarding the efficacy of using Vitamin D supplements. It seems Dr. Gregor recommends the use of them; whereas, Dr McDougall does not. See https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2015nl/mar/vitamind.htm . Dr. McDougall states that these supplements do not have benefit at least as far as bone fractures are concerned and may have negative side effects. Dr. Gregor emphasizes studies regarding overall mortality and the level of vitamin D to be at that optimal level (2000 iu daily). I live in the Seattle area where many days may go by without sunshine. Questions: 1. Does the body produce vitamin D if outdoors even with cloud cover? 2. Are there studies that demonstrate the negative side effects of vitamin D supplements? 3. Dr Gregor’s video seems to suggest that there is no natural means of maintaining an adequate level of vitamin D without supplements so that suggests that perhaps the levels recommended are inflated. Does this seem plausible from available research?Hey Tim, Thanks for reposting this question. Vitamin D seems complex and doctor’s may have varying opinions based on the populations they serve. The choice is yours, as there is not a perfect answer. Know that there will be many more vitamin D videos from Dr. Greger to come, so stay tuned…Here is Dr. Greger’s take on vitamin D. Perhaps there is more to vitamin D beyond bone health? Dr. Greger mentions if vitamin D supplements are necessary in this video (the one above) and whether we should obtain vitamin D from sunshine, mushrooms or supplements here. You can also see his video on cancerous tanning beds.	dietary guidelines,Hawaii,lifespan,longevity,mortality,sunlight,supplements,vitamin D	To reach the circulating (25-hydroxy) vitamin D levels associated with the lowest overall mortality, one may need to take supplements, given data suggesting suboptimal production from sun even under optimal circumstances.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the fifth video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday's video-of-the-dayVitamin D and mortality may be a U-shaped curve.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hawaii/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunlight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2572832,
PLAIN-3087	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/	Vitamin D and Mortality May Be a U-shaped Curve	The Institute of Medicine raised their vitamin D recommendations based on a blood level target of 20 (ng/ml) to prevent bone softening disorders such as rickets. Although the Institite’s target of 20 may “prevent the overt skeletal deformities associated with rickets, there is now,” according to a review last year, “overwhelming and compelling data suggesting that the human body requires a blood level of above 30 ng/mL for maximum health.” Dr. Holick bases this assertion on data like this, a graph not of rickets risk, but of colon cancer risk versus vitamin D levels suggesting that the Institute of Medicine’s 20 is good, but 30 or more may be even better if you’re considering vitamin D from the cancer prevention angle instead of just strictly skeletal health. There are similar graphs for breast cancer risk, multiple sclerosis and other conditions linked to vitamin D status. Instead of going through each lets just jump straight to total mortality. What blood level of vitamin D will enable us to, on average, live longest? Here’s the graph, and as you can see, it’s kind of a U shaped curve. Not having enough in our bloodstream is associated with higher mortality; but looks like we can have too much as well. So what’s the sweet spot in the middle, the lowest mortality risk? This is the Institute of Medicine recommendation, 20 ng/ml (which translates to the 50 nanomoles per liter you see here). Here’s 30 (75) and this is 40 (100). So for longevity, around 30 would seem the best target. So one strategy to arrive at a vitamin D recommendation would be to figure out how much sun and/or supplements we might need take to get our levels to 30.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the fourth video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday’s video-of-the-day Is vitamin D the new vitamin E?.Are the mortality factors that increase with higher Vitamin D levels related to sun exposure, e.g. skin cancer? If so, I wonder whether higher levels obtained via supplementation would imply the same risk.Also, considering the increased risk of mortality from higher Vitamin D levels, how did the Institute of Medicine derive an upper daily limit of 4000 I.U. per day?Hi JMS, The studies track all case mortality and some focus further on deaths due to CV disease and cancer the latter would include skin cancer but they make up only a small number. The recommendations that come out of “expert committees” based on “consensus” have been shown to be highly variable and not very good even when not influenced by industrial/pharmaceutical ties so they have to be viewed as one piece of information. You don’t have to worry about the upper limit if you don’t take supplements. Dr. Gregers Dec 9 video does a great job at demonstrating how complex this issue is. You might enjoy reading John McDougall’s article in his March 2011 Newsletter available on his website entitled, Vitamin D:Values for Normal are Exaggerated. As shown in a study mentioned by Dr. Greger even life guards don’t often meet the recommended levels. So I don’t recommend Vit D supplements except in cases where patients can’t get sun light or have repeat values below 20 after attempts to increase by sun exposure. The other thought is that I wouldn’t be surprised if some day we discover other chemicals that are released by our skin when exposed to sun light… a good reason to stay tuned to Nutritionfacts.org for the latest science. It is clear at this point that sun light exposure on a regular basis is important to our health.In reading the details in the article you referenced on the U-shaped curve, I was interested to see those in the 90th percentile had a vitamin D level of >37ng/mL and the lowest 10 percent were <18ng/mL. Neither of these groups had much different dietary intake or supplementation than others in the study. Looks like much of the difference is genetic! The only variable that appeared different is a slightly higher percentage of the 90th percentile group had blood samples taken in the June-November time period, although they did not find this a significant confounding variable. Conclusion – some of us may have high vitamin D, even without supplementation! Should we get tested to make sure we don't overdose?Hi 2RHealth, I don’t think you are in danger without taking supplementation. Dr.Gregers series of videos does justice to demonstrating how complex this issue is and how much variability there is within a population. It is good that the institute of medicine is looking at a variety of ways to help sort this out such as using the pharmacokinetics: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/resolving-the-vitamin-d-bate/ although we have no good way to measure storage. It is a very complex area with concerns about recommending isolated nutrients see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/ and involving a fat soluble vitamin which can lead to toxicity. Throwing around terms like “optimal” levels is misleading for many reasons when dealing with complex systems. In my opinion when making recommendations that potentially effect 40 per cent of the population I believe caution is in order. For me as a physician patients should be encouraged to get regular sun exposure which varies according to latitude see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/ and for me I would accept Vit D levels are in the 20 -30 range. For patients with minimal sun exposure Dr. Gregers recommendation of 2000/day is reasonable.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Vitamin D: Shedding Some Light on the New Recommendations! In a recent paper “Vitamin D an Pancreatic Cancer Risk – No U-Shaped Curve”, the authors say that the U-shaped curve is most likely a statistical artifact and that there is no U-shaped curve to be explained.  See http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/32/3/981.full .2000IU or 50mcg every day is just enough to get in the range around 30ng/ml or 80nmol/l levels longterm. This is what study after study shows us.My vitamin D was 18.9 and the range goes from 30.0-100.0 ng/mL So seriously deficient… I live in Belgium, we don’t get much sun. So I supplement. Everyone is deficient hereI use an approved S.A.D. light every day. I used it to cure insomnia and continue to use it to maintain a normal sleep pattern. It is highly effective. I’m extremely sensitive to the sun–bad burns and sun rash, so laying out in it was not an option. Disturbed sleep patterns run in my mother’s side of the family, we haven’t been able to find an explanation.Do you think my body can make vitamin D from exposure to this light?I am 60, have the bone density of a 20 year old. Walk and swim long distances, but very off and on–6 months can go by when I get no real exercise, although people my age claim I “move too fast” :))I consume extraordinary amounts of milk, yogourt, cheese and cottage cheese to get protein. Litres and Litres a week. I eat a very small amount of meat and lots of vegetables and nuts.I am female. 5’6″ tall and weigh 120 lbs. My blood pressure is 100/85.I am concerned because I am VERY ‘small boned.’I chain smoked for 25 years but quit 15 years ago. I would have thought that might have had a serious impact.So far no health problems of any description, but I shouldn’t like to be surprised any time soon.I tried to be vegan in my 20’s but gained 45 lbs. in less than a year.When I am not vegan my weight is constantly stable at 120-125lbs.I’ve avoided processed food for the duration of my Adult life and was notpermitted to eat junk food as a child. My father was an off and on vegetarian.People keep telling me my bones are about to turn to chalk. I don’t know what to say to them. When I ask why they think so they cite studies like these.I should add that I’m Canadian and milk produced in Canada cannot contain growth hormones, anti-biotics etc. by law and the diary industry if extremely well regulated. Otherwise I’d never consider ingesting it. There is no regulation, however, against feeding the cows corn, or genetically modified feed. I invariably choose 2% milk products.There are actually 4 questions here:1) Am I making vitamin D from the 10,000 Lux light.2) Are the milk products without the toxins a good source of calcium, given that I’m also eating lots of vegetables and nuts?3) Do people with different constitutions have different needs?4) Is this a ‘time bomb’ situation?There are many things I eat because I crave them. Nuts are one example, avocado and asparagus are two others.Apologies that this is somewhat off topic, I feel there are so many factors involved in the calcium dilemma, it felt accurate to write this way.Yes, there is a U-shaped curve because vitamin K2 is needed to control whether calcium goes to bones or arteries and other undesirable places. More vitamin D requires more K2 to control it. Most people have a deficiency in K2 and the symptom is CHD and osteoporosis.Before refrigeration, our diets were rich in K2 because of fermented foods and fatty meats, Recent dietary advice against consumption of saturated fat and eggs has caused many people to stop consuming the richest food sources of K2. K2 deficiency is common today and causes calcium to be deposited into arteries instead of bones. K2 interacts strongly with Vitamin D and must be increased when vitamin D is increased to prevent these bad side effects.The best sources of vitamin K2 are fermented foods such as kefir, cheeses and sauerkraut. It is also found in grass-fed egg yolks and fatty meats. Unfortunately nutrition data is hard to find because vitamin K1 is lumped with K2 even though they have totally different functions. (K1 is blood clotting)The Rotterdam study found a 43% relative risk of CHD mortality for upper K2 tertiles but K1 had no significant interaction. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/134/11/3100.longMisguided dietary advice based on the lipid hypothesis has caused people to avoid most K2-rich foods.Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue just published an excellent book “Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox”I should clarify. There is a U shaped curve without K2 supplementation but very large doses of D are OK if you also take K2 supplements. You can buy tablets that combine D with K2 . Mouse experiments have shown that arterial calcification can be reduced in that way. Dr Kate’s book discusses this.I m in saudia living in a flat with no exposure to sun for 6 days n one day only at weekend for outing .so is this enough.This may detail it best: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6483701I know you recommend 2,000 mg/day, but what’s the max safe level I could take?This one study Dr. Greger cites produced a u-shaped curve and the suggestion that the optimal serum D level is 30ng/ml. Other studies indicate the risk of various cancers, type 1 diabetes, fractures, MS, etc. are reduced when serum levels are higher, in the 40-60ng/ml range. Note the chart at http://www.grassrootshealth.net/media/download/dip_with_numbers_8-24-12.pdf. Reduction of such conditions would imply a tendency toward reduction in all-cause mortality. So either (1) the U-curve study’s findings are flawed (all-cause mortality does not actually increase when serum D levels climb into the 40-60ng/ml range), or (2) at least some of the other studies’ findings are flawed (the higher serum levels don’t actually correspond with reduction in certain specific diseases), or (3) both are accurate, but high D levels are causing some other fatal condition. It is a complex issue, but at least for now I’m keeping my serum levels a good bit higher than 30!Hi I’ve been taking Vitamin D as of doctors recommendations but now I’m getting bone pain, back and sides? Is this a toxicity symptom?Dr Greger I am disapointed of you… Some of your video are quite misleading this one for example will do more bad than good. It will probably scare people from taking the sun or supplementing with vitamin D. In the us as much as 75% of the people older than 18 are vitamin D defficient promoting cancer. And now you post this video about a study made in Uppsala Sweden with just 1000 males. I dated a swedish girl from that town and I can tell you the salted fish intake is quite high so there might be other factors affecting vitamin D levels and mortality rate. It is nt clear if they checked for this confounding factors in such small population. But I also agree with the motion that everything in excess is bad even vitamins even antioxidantsAccording to the articles cited in this video, one have to take a daily amount of vitamin D3 so that his blood will contain the optimal concentration of 30 ng / liter of 25OHD. According to my calculations based on the data from the NIH (http://ods.od.nih.gov/factshee…/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/) you should take a daily amount of 3,000 IU … That is about 7.5 drops of vitamin D from a 400 IU vial …. Is that so? See in the above mention link the following quote:“The FNB committee cited research which found that vitamin D intakes of 5,000 IU/day achieved serum 25(OH)D concentrations between 100–150 nmol/L (40–60 ng/mL), but no greate”Your inspirations are welcome….	bone health,breast cancer,breast disease,cancer,colon cancer,dietary guidelines,Institute of Medicine,lifespan,longevity,mortality,multiple sclerosis,rectal cancer,rickets,sunlight,supplements,vitamin D	Vitamin D deficiency may shorten one's lifespan, but getting too much vitamin D may also adversely affect longevity.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the fourth video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday's video-of-the-day Is vitamin D the new vitamin E?.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/institute-of-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rickets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-sclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunlight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56070/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20511059,
PLAIN-3088	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/	Is Vitamin D the New Vitamin E?	It's understandable that the Institute of Medicine chose to act conservatively when bumping up their vitamin D recommendation. An editorial in the American Journal of Epidemiology said it best. Thirty years ago, vitamin A was all the rage expecting that if we gave beta carotene to people it would prevent cancer but instead it caused even more.Next came the Bs and I talked about this in one of my previous videos, folic acid supplements, vitamin B9, has since been linked to cancer as well. Next came vitamin C which was another big flop. In 1993 it was vitamin E until it came out that it was shortening people's life spans. So when people proclaimed vitamin D the new wonder pill we are right to be sceptical. Maybe vitamin D is the new vitamin A, the new folic acid, the new vitamin C, the new vitamin E worthless or worse.Critics of the new recommendations though felt that by conservatively choosing a target blood level sufficient only to avoid gross skeletal abnormalities was akin to setting the RDA for vitamin C at just the minimum level necessary to avoid scurvy. I'm sure a spoonful of orange juice of vitamin C would be enough to avoid the overt vitamin C deficiency disease scurvy but no one considers that enough vitamin C for optimum health.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the third video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday’s video-of-the-day Evolutionary argument for optimal vitamin D level.Looks like taking individual vitamins is not so healthy. I hope taking vitamin B 12 is safe.Hi Veguyan, Yes it appears that taking isolated vitamin supplements is harmful especially in the case of the fat soluble vitamins A & E. Isolated supplement of betacarotene has also been shown to be associated with bad outcomes. Supplemental taking of B vitamins has not shown to be harmful or helpful for otherwise healthy folks. Dr.Greger’s video nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/ can provide more information. His recent videos on Vit D help shed light on the newest “craze” of supplementation. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and is known to be toxic in higher doses. You can supplement Dr. Gregers excellent information by reading an article by Dr. John McDougall in his March 2011 newsletter entitled, Vitamin D: Values for Normal are Exaggerated. The supplement you need to make sure you take is Vitamin B12. See Dr.Gregers video,http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vegan-epidemic/. This can be done by weekly, daily or consuming adequate amounts of B12 supplemental food. The easiest one for me is to take a sub-lingual 2000 mcg tablet as Dr. Greger recommends. So the best way to get your vitamins, minerals and nutrients is eating a whole foods varied plant diet.Getting these vitamins from whole foods and your D from the sun seems like the best way.So What’s the conclusion? Is sunshine enough? Is a small amount of supplementation necessary? How much Vit D should I be taking daily, if any? Thanks!Great questions–I answer them all in the 6 video conclusion of my video series on vitamin D. Click on the “Next Up” video in the upper right hand corner of this page to go to the subsequent video.There is no “Next Up” if you are watching this on the NutritionFacts.org page. ….Just sayin.If you can get in the sunshine for 20 min a day. Then otherwise that wound be enough. I have been taking 2,500 IU for serveral year. You can and should get a blood test for Vitiman D, then you will know for sure.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Vitamin D: Shedding Some Light on the New Recommendations!The following supplements are now known to be harmful except in special situations: vitamin A (retinol), beta carotene, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B9 (folic acid), vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), acetyl-L-carnitine (triggers TMAO), and the pro-oxidant minerals iron, copper, manganese, and aluminum. The following supplements are usually only slightly beneficial: vitamin C (increases blood glutathione by 50% but increases heme iron absorption), calcium (causes calcified arteries), selenium (very beneficial antioxidant in theory but little or no benefit in practice), vitamin K1 (no benefit to bone health as had been hoped but surprisingly prevents cancer), astaxanthin (most powerful carotenoid antioxidant performed not quite as wonderful as expected), and fucoxanthin (works well in animals but may not work in humans) The following supplements have been shown to be extremely beneficial: vitamin B12 (even meat eaters should swallow vitamin B12 pills to prevent brain shrinkage), vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 (aim for 24ng/mL to 34ng/mL, which is the same as 60nmol/L to 85 nmol/L), vitamin K2/MK-7 (removes calcium from calcified arteries and puts calcium into bones to effectively prevent future bone fractures), tocotrienols (powerful fat-soluble antioxidants), vitamin PQQ, nattokinase (melts away blood clots), long-chain omega-3s (from krill oil, fish oil, or algae), conjugated linoleic acid, forskolin, astragalus, Korean red ginseng, psyllium husk, amalaki, triphala, zinc, benfotiamine, alpha-lipoic acid, and probiotics (lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, and bacillus subtilis natto).	beta carotene,bone health,cancer,dietary guidelines,folic acid,Institute of Medicine,lifespan,longevity,mortality,orange juice,scurvy,supplements,vitamin A,vitamin C,vitamin D,vitamin E	The Institute of Medicine's conservative position on vitamin D is understandable given the history of hyped vitamin supplements (vitamin A, beta carotene, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E) that turned out worthless or worse.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the third video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday's video-of-the-day Evolutionary argument for optimal vitamin D level.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/institute-of-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/scurvy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-a/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21734684,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56070/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20511059,
PLAIN-3089	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/evolutionary-argument-for-optimal-vitamin-d-level/	Evolutionary Argument for Optimal Vitamin D Level	The Institute of Medicine’s target vitamin D blood level corresponds well with what one finds out in the general population. Normal people getting about an hour a sun a day have about 20 to 30 (ng/ml). This is in nanomoles per liter, which corresponds to about 27 ng/ml, whereas lifeguards who spend more like 8 hours in the sun every day have abnormally high levels, like over 60. Others interpret this data differently, suggesting that the vitamin D levels in the lifeguards are the ones that are normal and the quote unquote "normals” are actually vitamin D deficient. We did, after all, live as naked creatures in the East African tropics for about a million years before we began to use animal skins as capes to cover our shoulders. But tailored clothing, something like we know it today, was not devised until about 40 000 years ago when needles first appear in the archaeological record. The invention of tailored clothing may have been an important factor enabling the first modern human beings to settle permanently in Europe with its cold winters about 30 000 years ago. In Africa there was plenty of sunshine and plenty of vitamin D. Not so in Europe, where there were long winters and people were covered in clothing. This must have been when our species first began to evolve a lighter skin as an adaptation to the shortage of sunshine and vitamin D." It wasn’t until we started living in the sunless alleys of the smog ridden cities did rickets rear it’s ugly head and we had to start fortifying our food supply with D. So instead of a blood level of 20, maybe we should shoot for what farmers in Puerto Rico get, or lifeguards from Israel or St. Louie. Just because those levels might really be normal for our species, doesn’t necessarily mean, though, that they’re the best. There’s a reason people tan, that’s our body producing more melanin to protect itself; there’s a reason we evolved with a built-in SPF-15 in our beautiful black African skin. So while maybe normal now is too low; maybe normal then was too high.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the second video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday’s video-of-the-day Vitamin D recommendations changed.Interesting topic. I assume the lifeguards were caucasian? With a “built in” SPF of 15 what blood level of Vit D does the lifeguard of African descent attain? Perhaps that is a better clue for evolutionary “normal”.I think this is a clue to get more direct sun exposure without burning. This is what we tell our dermatology patients. Supplement this video out with this next one: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/There defintely are some puzzling and confusing outcomes on vit d studies. I think that the body is capable of monitoring how much vit. D a body produces depending on its need. I hope that soon some study will unravel the mystery that shrouds vit. D absorption.You’re absolutely right, CapeBreton. Considering the average vitamin D levels of clothed high latitude office workers “normal” for our species doesn’t make much sense and though lifeguards are at least outside all day and half naked, they were still both Caucasian and Missourian. A more representative normal level of the “sunshine vitamin” could be gleaned measuring levels in those with black skin who live scantily clad in equatorial Africa. The problem is that such a study has never been done–until now.This month researchers published results from the Maasai and the Hadzaben and the title says it all: “Traditionally living populations in East Africa have a mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration of 115 nmol/l.” So lower than the pale St. Louisans, but still nearly twice the levels found in most Americans. No change to my recommendations, though, summarized in the culmination of my two week vitamin D series: Resolving the vitamin D-bate.Hi Dr Greger, your attention to Vitamin D is very relevant these months also to the huge discussion about the use of Vitamin D supplementation in Tubercolosis in developing countries. My best regards. filVitamin D is thought to be why the TB sanatoriums of old proved effective. They used so-called “heliotherapy,” which just meant exposing people to sunlight, 62 years before vitamin D was even discovered. Once vitamin D was identified and purified it was used therapeutically both before and after antibiotics were introduced.There is evidence that vitamin D supplementation may help prevent other respiratory diseases as well. For example, one study found that those randomized to 2000 IU of vitamin D a day (the amount I recommend) appeared to reduce their incidence of colds and the flu by 90%.The official vitamin D recommendation recently tripled to 600 IU (see Vitamin D Recommendations Changed), though the Endocrine Society just released guidelines suggesting 1,500-2,000 IU a day is better. To offer some insight into the behind-the-scenes wrangling on this issue I’m in the process of rolling out a 9-day series of videos on the topic that will finish up this coming week. I’m always conflicted about the level of depth I should go into on individual topics. I’d love everyone’s feedback on whether they prefer the one-off 2 minute highlight-type videos or these longer series where I delve deeper into the back-story.Love the video about the Lifegaurds! I only volunteer once very 3 weeks though!Dear Dr Greger, thanks for this. Few comments.– 2 min vs. longer: maybe the two are good for two different targeted audience? 2 min meant to be for lay people interested AND longer designed for both very interested people + professionals.– After all, also people like me, Public Health Nutrition professional, enjoy both strategies: the 2 min gives me a good grasp about new studies on the topic. I can always go back to it and research more.– If longer videoclip is there, than it is a joy to learn from it. Referencing for my own work becomes so much easier. Your work is valuable because spare the time to contstantly keep looking at the latest journal issue on so many topics.Therefore thanks for that.Please, let me dare to hint something for future videos. If spreading evidence-based nutrition is part of your mandate/mission/passion, maybe it would be interesting for your audience:– to learn just a little bit about the few different strength level of the available studies on nutrition (at least RCT vs. observational, plus case control,etc.). Objective: to appreciate the different quality of evidence out there. The beauty of this would be that you could always refer to such a video, just saying “this is a strong piece of evidence” or “this is not…” and then referring to this previous video. There is a good review on strenghts ranking for nutrition studies on the latest FAO fatty acids (http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1953e/i1953e00.pdf)– to learn about the differnt strategies to search on specific topics nutrition related. I do it regullarly not only for my job but ALSO for my own diet or friend’s diet, just a guidance or food-for-thoughT. That could be done based on open source data base (PubMed or other). I am sure people would still follow you pretty much, even if they set up their own email alerts on Pubmed web site. The “Limits” filter is one of my best friends there.Then a final question: will you ever tackle the topic of ready-to-use-foods (termed also lipid-base nutrients supplements) to prevent and treat malnutrition in emergency contexts or in very poor countries? Among the latest ones: http://alturl.com/dmgg7.The topic is picking up. The World Bank estimates that each year about USD 6.2 billion are needed to treat 3.5 million under five children affected by severe (http://alturl.com/ttths) or moderate acute malnutrition (http://alturl.com/gpwsn). If not treated on time, these might represent more than one-third of all paediatric deaths worldwide (http://alturl.com/xu3k9). A large coalition of international institutions is currently engaged in raising the needed funds (http://alturl.com/65wdi).I am sorry if my message is far too long.My best regards and thanks for your very interesting work.Filippo DibariTo add to the discussion. I agree that Dr. Greger should vary the number of videos depending on the topic. Vitamin D is an example requiring multiple videos. I think grouping them together helps. Thanks for the heads up on Vit D and TB. I found looking into the topic interesting. Dr. Greger’s points are excellent. It is of note that the TB incidence began to fall before the use of AntiTB drugs so we have alot to learn about non medicinal treatments. I enjoy reading the science as we look to find the “magic” bullets for treating disease. However I would like to see us effectively work on the “upstream”(see Dr. Ardell’s fable, Upstream/Downstream) issues that would help with primary prevention. In the case of TB issues such as the reduction of poverty and overcrowding. Going further we need to stem the Era of Infectious Disease which if the Bird Flu takes off will make the TB situation look mild by comparison. If you haven’t read I would suggest Dr. Greger’s article in Critical Reviews of Microbiology, 2007 for the best review of the Human/Animal Interface… including the origin of TB and his book on Bird Flu which is available for free reading on line.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Vitamin D: Shedding Some Light on the New Recommendations!	Africa,bone health,dietary guidelines,ethnicity,evolution,Institute of Medicine,sunlight,supplements,vitamin D	Should the vitamin D levels found in lifeguards be considered the norm for our species given the fact that we evolved running around naked all day in equatorial Africa?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. This is the second video in a nine day series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out yesterday's video-of-the-day Vitamin D recommendations changed.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/institute-of-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunlight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ethnicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56070/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21435280,
PLAIN-3090	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/	Vitamin D Recommendations Changed	How much vitamin D we should get is one of the most controversial areas in the field of nutrition. Up until recently, the Institute of Medicine, the official body that sets the “recommended daily allowances” considered 200 international units a day an adequate intake for those in middle age, but just bumped it up to a recommended 600 a day. How did they come up with the original 200, why did they go to 600, and why are there some experts out there saying we should take thousands a day? It all apparently started with this line, written more than a half century ago: "Apparently, a dosage of only 100 units of vitamin D daily was sufficient to prevent the flagrant signs and symptoms of rickets,” the bow-legged bone softening disease caused by overt vitamin D deficiency. From a review last year: “The fact that 100 IU of vitamin D prevented overt signs of rickets led to the false security that ingesting twice this amount was more than adequate to satisfy the body’s vitamin D requirement.” Hence the 200 recommendation, but no longer. The Institute of Medicine decided to take a more scientific approach by basing their recommendation on a specific target blood level, which they calculated to be 20 (ng/ml), which should prevent rickets in children and similar bone softening condition called osteomalatia in adutls. To get most peoples levels up to 20, though, the Institute of Medicine figured it would require about 600 IUs a day, and so the recommendation was officially bumped up. At the Institute of Medicine’s new target of 20 in the blood, right now 40% of Americans are deficient. And if we use higher cut-offs, say 30, then that proportion climbs to more than three quarters of our population.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on vitamin D.So 600 iu’s is the correct amount now?That’s the official recommendation, but I recommend 2000. I will be laying out my reasoning in videos over the next few days–I hope you stay tuned David! See all my recommendations at: http://nutritionfacts.org/?p=4060I do 2000 mg vitamin Dhttp://www.plantbasedpharmacist.com/2013/12/vitamin-d-to-supplement-or-not-to.htmlThoughts based on most recent analysis?My doctor monitors my serum vitamin D levels and I adjust the dosage accordingly, rather than just guessing or taking what works for someone else.I do 3000 is that too much?I’ve been taking 5,000 IU/day for years and regularly testing my serum levels, which are in the optimal range according to the Vitamin D Council (http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/), but different people may require different amounts based on lifestyle and genetics. Best would be do do some genetic testing and test along the regimen change to optimize the intake. Of course, all this depends on external factors like the season of the year and others. Anyway, you can’t really overdose with 2,000-5,000 IU. Even if you by mistake take it twice a day, you’ll be more than fine, again, according to the Vitamin D council, which says toxicity would be between 10,000-30,000 IU/day for 3 months or 300,000 IU in 24 hrs.I take 10,000 a day and my levels are good (43). A colleague of mine has been taking 20,000 a day for 3 years now and his levels stay at 62.I noticed that you will cover more Vitamin D in future videos. I hope one of them will talk about the difference between D2 and D3 and the recommended daily dosages for each type if taken as supplements.Thanks.Such a good question. Taken daily in doses under 2000IU, vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol) appear bioequivalent (meaning they both work just as well in your body). However if your physician suggests you take large intermittent doses (such as 50,000IU weekly, then D3 is probably superior).I could have sworn I watched a previous video by you that recommended 2000 iu’s per day. Am I mistaken?Yes, please see my answer above. Thanks for paying such close attention!I appreciate you so much!Can one consume too much vitamin D (i.e.,taking a vit D supplement and a calcium supplement with additional vit D)?Yes, absolutely. The Institute of Medicine pegs the upper daily limit at 4,000 IU a day and the Endocrine Society says up to 10,000 IU is safe but given that Vitamin D and Mortality May be a U-Shaped Curve I would suggest sticking with 2000 IU unless testing suggests that is insufficient.DR MG, I read somewhere that if someone is exposed to summer sun at noon time (11:00AM to 2:00PM) for 1/2 hour, he/she can easily get 10,000 IU all at once. Is it true? I do that all the time during the summer. So does that mean I am overdosed with Vitamin D?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Vitamin D: Shedding Some Light on the New Recommendations!would 200ul of vitamin d be safe in a carbonated beverageTHANKS MICHAEL ONCE FINISHED I WILL SEND YOU A SAMPLY OF PRIME + /COCONUT /LEMON, LIME / BLACKBERRY AND POMGRANATE WITH VITAMIN D AND CALCIUM CARBONATE IN 355 ML I HOPE PEOPLE LIKE ITthanks Michael prime + is all most finished 4 flavors pomegranate coconut blackberry lemon, lime all have vitamin and calcium carbonate I will send you a sample markthanks Michael I will be introducing this product soon prime + 4 flavors pomegranate coconut lemon, lime and blackberry all contain vitamin d & calcium carbonate cheersCarbonated beverages contain phosphoric acid which may be linked to osteoporosis.http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/soda-osteoporosisI did not consume much in my latter years, but my mother pushed diet sodas when I was younger. So much is known now, that was not known then.Carbonated beverages are strongly linked to osteoporosis –fragility of bones. Two hundred I.U. of vitamin D is way too low. Most physicians recommend 2,000 I.U. in two doses after a full meal, like breakfast and dinner. Fat in your diet help with the absorption of vitamin D, something I did not know decades ago. Fat can be a handful of seeds or nuts.Carbonated beverages are not safe as studies now testify. I consume 1,000 IU in two servings twice a day with purified water and eat seeds or nuts for added fat to help the vitamin D adsorb into my blood stream.Hi, I have breast cancer and bone metaseses . I was taking 2,000 a day but my vit d was high-94 ng. my dr said to lower it. I hear there are differing opinions on what is too high. What do you think? Right now I am doing it every other night but will probably buy 1,000 mg next time.The Life Extension Foundation recommends your Vit. D level to be between 50-100ng. They also recommend you take your supplement in the middle of your meal that contains the highest amount of fat. They recommend to have your levels checked from time to time.Before I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, I began supplementing with Multi-Minerals and vitamins, including vitamin D. At that time, the levels were only 400 I.U. per day. This was prior to 2006, and I swam 1.5 miles a day outside, as well as walked my dog 2 miles a day. I was getting vitamin D from the sun.After she passed away with bone cancer, I stopped walking. It was mentally painful to walk alone without her. A combination of not walking, and not getting much vitamin D, is perhaps part of the reason I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2006 after fracturing my hip. Now my PT was at an indoor walking pool, rather than in the sun.When I started fracturing my spine in 2012, I was unable to heal and had my vitamin D level checked. The physician told me it was so low that I should take 2,000 per day in two doses immediately. Amazingly, my bones began to heal. As we are on computers for longer hours and working inside, we do not obtain the minimal amount of sunshine on bare skin that we once did years earlier. This no doubt affected the vitamin D levels of numerous people worldwide. But, the medical community was slow to increase their recommendations.Now I eat my nuts just before taking my vitamin calcium and vitamin D supplements with meals, and my bones heal much faster than before. Of course, my diet is better too, thanks to the feedback from Dr. Greger, and other physicians here, and the knowledgeable people in this “chat room.” I thank you all!I bought vitamin D3 and per 1 tablet 85 µg. Can somebody answer how much IU in 85µg?1 µg = 40 IU. Do the math.Doctor reviews new research, says Vitamin D supplements generally not of benefit:http://www.plantbasedpharmacist.com/2013/12/vitamin-d-to-supplement-or-not-to.htmlYour thoughts? I know he is a big fan of yours.My chiropractor recommended 50,000 IU of D3 per week. I have been taking that for several months now. Is that okay?I love you Michael Greger and all that you do. Thank you so so much, you are helping so many people. Earth angels like you we need.I currently take between 5000 and 10000 i.u.s a day.After having an abnormally low vitamin D blood level, I took weekly OTC 50K units D3 for 3 months and brought my level up to 60. Can I keep taking the 50K weekly or biweekly instead of taking 2000 units daily?Many experts are saying the target blood serum range should be 50 – 60. They say that is the range for immune system boosting and cancer protection. It is interesting to me that the RDAs are thought of as minimum amounts for serious disease prevention like Rickets. Why not aim for the Optimum Daily Allowance! The RDA of Vitamin C is a measly 60mg per day!!!! It is dangerous to lead people to believe that 60mg / day is all they need to be optimally healthy. Dr Greger how about a video discussing the difference between RDAs and optimal amounts – I’d love to hear your opinion! Thanks for the video.what is current recommendation for optimum range of blood values for Vitamin D?John McDougall just published an article through the Forks Over Knives site saying Vitamin D supplements are harmful, Has something changed?There will be many more vitamin D videos from Dr. Greger to come, so stay tuned…Here is Dr. Greger’s take on vitamin D. Perhaps there is more to vitamin D beyond bone health? Dr. Greger mentions if vitamin D supplements are necessary in this video and whether we should obtain vitamin D from sunshine, mushrooms or supplements here. You can also see his video on cancerous tanning beds.	bone health,dietary guidelines,Institute of Medicine,rickets,vitamin D	The Institute of Medicine tripled their official vitamin D recommendation based on target blood levels that indicate a large percentage of the U.S. population is deficient.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on vitamin D.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/institute-of-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rickets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20511052,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56070/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21310306,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20511059,
PLAIN-3091	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pink-juice-with-green-foam/	Pink Juice with Green Foam	You’ve heard me say over and over that berries are the best fruit. So why didn’t cranberries do better than these others? Because it's not cranberry juice, it's cranberry cocktail—only 25% juice. So it should rightly be way up here, and take the gold. How do you do it without the corn syrup, though? You make your own. 2 cups of water, a handful of frozen cranberries, 8 teaspoons of erythritol, and a hardcore blender. When you do that, you don’t end up with 100% juice, you end up with 200% juice. Let me explain: Here’s the amount of 6 amazing phytonutrients in frozen cranberries, but then you blanch them, throw away all the wonderful solids, clarify it, pasteurize it and you’re left with less than half of the phytonutrients what you started with. So even if you found 100% cranberry juice, it would really only be 50% of the whole berry’s phytonutrient power. That’s why it’s better to blend the whole thing up. I call it my pink juice but it’s not juice at all, It’s whole fruit. Nothing taken away or filtered out. Comes out to be about 12 calories—25 times fewer calories, with at least 8 times more phytonutrients. When I make it with frozen cherries with the juice of a whole lemon thrown in I call it my red juice. The only thing healthier than berries? Dark green leafies, so for extra credit add some fresh mint leaves. Gives it a weird looking green foam on top, but then you’re chugging down berries and greens, then two healthiest things on the planet.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on juice (including Is pomegranate juice that wonderful?), and don’t miss Tuesday’s corresponding blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable with lifestyle changes.Subject *: Cranberry juice recipe Message *: I was unable to understand the name of the sweetener you suggested in the recipe for homemade cranberry juice in the video of 12/03. I’d be grateful if you could send along the spelling of the product. Thanks,“Erythritol,” a nearly noncaloric sugar alcohol found naturally in certain fruits. I have a video about it here: A Harmless Artificial Sweetener. My family goes through about a pound a month. A study published last month adds a cautionary note, though: consuming erythritol with a large load of fructose (as can be found in certain confectionery and soft drinks) could inhibit fructose absorption in the small intestine and result in bloating and discomfort from fructose fermentation in the colon. I don’t imagine people would typically be mixing their diet and regular soda together, but if they did it could it could be a bad combo.When you do that you end up with 200% juice and 100% faith in erythritol!I know my question will sound silly, but what is exactly a “hardcore blender”? Where I live there are cheap and expensive blenders, but all of them crappy.Have you seen Vitamix blenders demonstrated at Costco-type stores? They are powerful enough to crush a car hood! Seriously though, these blenders run about $500.00, but they are worth the investment. An order comes with a wet blade, but a dry blade container is handy for milling grain and nuts. The more you use them, the better they run. They are almost indestructible. We loooooooove ours! You can buy them on line new or refurbished (a little less spendy).I’m on my second Vitamix! The first was white, and after about a decade of making my green drinks, the white base just became too discolored. I use mine so much and I like to leave it on the counter, but the discoloration became an eyesore. It sold IMMEDIATELY on ebay. I don’t have that problem with my second Vitamix because it’s black :) Great suggestion to buy a refurb, I believe you can get a decent warranty on them, too. They are incredibly sturdy and have so many uses. Best purchase I’ve ever made for my health!Just buy a blendtec about $200 cheaper and even more powerfulI have made this drink with a Ninja blender and it turns out great. I bought mine for under $50 at Target. Amazon sells them too. Ninjas have 3 layers of blades that are quite sharp, so the Ninja serves as a blender and food processor (fast chopping like salsa) for me.I love my Ninja! It is an awesome blender — My friend has a Blendtec and she constantly has to stop – stir contents – and start it again to keep it moving. I NEVER have that problem with the Ninja no matter how packed it is (I got mine at Kohls — It came with the blender and a smaller food processor for under $100).I have a BlenTec – don’t particularly care for it – my sister bought a Vita Mix and doesn’t use it and instead bought a Ninja which she loves. Would never spend the money again for a BlenTec or a VitaMixYou can make a powerhouse smoothie with an ordinary blender: add about half to one cup of thawed berries, two big handfuls of chopped greens (eg kale or spinach or a mix) and as much juice (eg grape or pomegranate) as you need to get it to blend. Then you can add some ground flax just as you drink it which provides the fat to help with absorbtion of the nutrients from the greens!I never thought of mint as a dark green leafy veg….. I have a mint plant in my garden so will be utilising it a lot more now – thanks!Dr Gregor,Are there published studies providing evidence about the efficacy of frozen fruit (vs fresh)?What are viable sources of acai in the US?Sambozan adds soy lecitihin to their acai product.Please advise.Thank you for these great videos.Your fan,Evan BrandGreat question! I found two good studies comparing fresh to frozen fruit. One on strawberries and one on raspberries. They both found the same thing: “no statistically significant differences between the…[antioxidant levels] for fresh and frozen strawberries” and “It is concluded, therefore, that freshly picked, fresh commercial, and frozen raspberries all contain similar levels of phytochemicals and antioxidants per serving.” And in fact frozen last longer than fresh, are available year-round, and tend to be cheaper and more convenient. If you look in my freezer, normally it’s half frozen greens and half frozen berries (though this time of the year it’s also stuffed with 20 pounds of fresh dates!).In terms of your acai question, I’m not sure what your concern about soy lecithin is. Even people with soy allergies are often able to tolerate lecithin (soy proteins are more than 100 times less allergenic than other allergens such as eggs and dairy). I love the frozen packs of unsweetened acai pulp (featured in my videos Superfood Bargains and Antioxidant Content of 300 Foods), though if you’re extremely allergic to soy you may just have to stick to less exotic berries.Hi Evanbrand, Wanted to add a thought to Dr. Gregers excellent response. Since Acai Palms are tropical all Acai is imported. You might look for products that are certified and fair trade certified. Having been a physician for 30+ years I tend to be skeptical of the “hype” associated with new products whether they are drugs, alternative therapies or food products. View Dr. Greger’s other videos for relative information on: Cost http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/superfood-bargains-2/; Weight http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/; and Serving size: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/. Stay tuned as the science changes every year.I blend a Banana, handful of blueberries, flax seeds and baby spinach with a bit of Stevia powder (for sweetness), water and ice cubes. Yum! Even my teenage son will drink it!I hear what you are saying about Erythritol but you made an even better claim about dates as a sweetener. Since it’s going in the blender, why not dates instead? I’m going to try it this afternoon.Just made batch one. One cup water, half cup cranberries, two dates (seeds removed.) Blend to liquid. Love it.What a great idea–you just made it even healthier!Sub in cold brewed hibiscus for water. Mind blown.HTWWO- Yes, great idea. I made this drink with hibiscus flower tea (leaves and all), dried peppermint leaves and pitted dates. I found it necessary to strain the results as it was too particle-laden. But, then I placed the strained liquid back into the blender, added two tbsp ground flax seed and one ripe banana for an awesome smoothie. Sounds like a lot of bother, but it wasn’t that much trouble. Thank you Dr. Greger for this marvelous resource!I’m trying this. I have everything on hand. ;D THank you for sharing.This was a great idea – I just tried it and it was fantastic. Thanks for the tip!! (I used carbonated water to make it more “cocktail” like.)So where would one find erythritol? Wf?Yes, you should be able to find it at any health food store (including Whole Foods). I’ve found it cheaper to just order online, though.What about stevia? I’ve seen no mention of that no-cal sweetener (I don’t mean the derived, over-processed versions the major food companies now sell, but the basic dried, ground stevia leaf. I’ve even thought about trying to add it to my garden, but a lot of good things won’t grow in this clay-heavy Texas blackland!)If dates are better, and molasses second best, why use Erythritol?I tried date sugar but found it does not really work so well with tea, coffee, or any drinks that don’t have a thick smoothy like consistency.Is Erythritol better than raw sugar, or honey even?I can spend hours reading and listening to the videos…thanks for all you do!!!Erythritol is derived from fruits and passes fairly quickly through our body. It is considered the best artificial sweetener. Check it out on this video. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/Should the cranberries, mentioned in the video, pitted? – I know a 3hp blender is capable of pureeing even the toughest seeds of certain fruits including the avocado, but I just wanted to be sure.Thank you.I made a double batch of this tonight and my husband and I drank it throughout the evening. After about an hour my husband started having gas pains and then had diarrhea for a couple of hours. I also had bad gas pains and loose stools within a few hours. I just ordered 4.5 lbs via the Internet but now am afraid we are having a bad reaction to erythritol. Is this possible? Lots of “dangers” listed on the Internet, but nothing research based that I could find. What do you know about the possible negative side effects? Thanks!The wonderful thing about erythritol is that 90% of it is absorbed in the small intestine, and so one doesn’t typically experience the gastrointestinal side-effects seen with other sugar alcohols (such as xylitol). Having said that, 10% does make it down into the colon, and so you can overdo it, as you and your husband experienced. Now over a period of weeks, your colonic flora will shift to start metabolizing the erythritol, but you definitely want to start slow.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable! Try iherb.com – they have good prices on erythritol, as well as the ceylon cinnamon Dr. Greger recommends. You can use cod POD782 for $5 off an order up to $40 or $10 off more than $40.  Plus, there is free shipping, AND, make sure you click on the “Freebies” tab at the top and select a free sample for your order! I have a question about drinking a lot of cranberry juice, especially concentrated forms…I’ve heard that there are lots of oxalates(?) in cranberries, and was wondering if there would be a higher risk of developing kidney stones from too much cranberries?Dont worry about oxalates, as long as your eating a varied healthy vegan diet oxalates are of no concern.  I would avoid drinking cranberry juice as this is a concentrated source of sugar. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/Dr. Greger, your videos (aside from a world of great dietary info) are very funny at times…In a good way. I cannot say I ‘get’ everything presented but its a very helpful source for me in my quest to improve my health. I wanted to thank you for your efforts and making this sometimes complex info approachable and actionable.Dr Michael, I’m from Costa Rica an I always interested in your videos. Please send me the information of what you and your family eat in order to be certain that my family eats well. Best wishesdo i have to blend is juicing give the same benifts>Alcohol sugar is not a good thing. It is better to use Stevia and there are some wonderful brands (I like Stevita powder or liquid). It is possible for you to post your recipes on your website, like the Pink Juice recipe, or am I just not able to find them. Thank you for your good work.So do you have a recipe book with all of your recipe suggestions?I tried this recipe and while it tastes good, we lose much of the taste of the cranberries — due to the sweetener and water. Next time, I’ll try less erythritol and more cranberries with a couple cubes of ice to cool it down, and maybe try dates as the sweetener.Dr Greger Could you not use stevia as the sweetener?Check out this video on the healthiest artificial sweetener. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/so I take it there are no no really good sugars or even OK ones, guess I’ll stick with stevia until the jury comes in. Linda that is what I am using now the powder and the liquid. Tobias I was going to make it this this weekend and thought when I saw it it has too much water, heck I drink pure cranberry juice everyday and eat pomegranates all the time, I love tart though. Thank You Dr Greger for taking the time to reply.The healthiest artificial sweetener is erythritol. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erythritol/The healthiest non artificial sweetener would be molasses or date sugar http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/Here’s the scoop on stevia http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/I have hep C so try to steer clear of sugar and if I remember those are high in sugar I try to stay at 16-20 grams a day if that. So looks like I will buying the erythirtol tomorrow, again thank you!!!Do you have any information on antioxidant content of cranberries (or any other fruits) before versus after blending? I’ve always been curious about how much gets oxidized from the blending process versus what we would absorb from just eating the whole fruit.Does heating up the cranberry/lemon recipe in the microwave destroy the nutritional benefits? We love it unsweetened! Quite the surprise! :-)You can use dried mint also, only takes a bit, less than a teaspoon. Truvia is a common brand name of the sweetener. My cranberries always went bad before I could figure out what I wanted to do with them. Now they are a pleasure to get out of the freezer, and even the grandkids love this drink.I blend whole, fresh cranberries with blueberries and medjool dates. The taste feels like I’m cheating, but – health wise – I ain’t. =) I’ll try to add mint next time.Can anyone recommend a good supplier of cranberries? Also, I have had trouble finding organic frozen fruits in large sized bags for my family.55 years ago, when I was a teenager with a bladder/kidney infection, waiting out the weekend until I could see the doctor, my grandma fed me lots of cranberry juice. What a pleasure to read her ‘old-fashioned remedy’ corroborated in your article! Thanks for your VERY helpful work.Would Organic Cranberry powder sold at health food stores have a similar effect, or is it a waste of money?How about organic cranberry powder?What is your recommendation for inflammatory disease? Kind of a cross between RA / Spondyloarthropathy- basically inflammation in odd joints, occasionally bowl. I have seen a lot of your videos and know some of the recommendations- i was wondering if you recommend going completely vegetarian or vegan- or to just cut back on red meats?jodi: Here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Note how the article doesn’t say “vegan” at all. It is true that Dr. Greger does not recommend any meat, dairy or eggs. But at the same time, absence of animal products is not enough for an optimum diet. Notice how the recommendation focuses on *whole* plant foods. Do you have any questions about those recommendations or how to implement them?It’s now 2015 when I am writing this.. I would like to know that since cranberries are the best fruit to stop cancer, has there been any studies with actual cancer patients (using cranberries)? If not, why not? Thank you.	berries,cherries,cranberries,cranberry juice,erythritol,flavonols,herbal tea,juice,lemons,peppermint,phytonutrients,processed foods,recipes	Recipe for DIY (do-it-yourself) whole food cranberry cocktail with 25 times fewer calories and at least 8 times the phytonutrient content.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on juice (including Is pomegranate juice that wonderful?).	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/10/which-common-fruit-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/recipes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flavonols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cherries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erythritol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21438531,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17362029,
PLAIN-3092	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-pomegranate-juice-that-wonderful/	Is Pomegranate Juice That Wonderful?	Last year the Federal Trade Commission charged top corporate executives at pomegranate juice maker POM wonderful for making false and unsubstantiated health claims. For example, POM ads say that their juice can result in a significant reduction of IMT, intima media thickness—the thickness of arterial plaque.” They even cite research. Let's check it out: Effects of Consumption of Pomegranate Juice on Carotid Intima–Media Thickness in Men and Women at Moderate Risk for Coronary Heart Disease. What did it find? “No significant difference in overall CIMT progression rate was observed between pomegranate juice and control treatments.” And not only that, it was their study; they funded it. If you’re going to pay for a study, at least have the decency to falsify the data instead of just lying about the results. POM responded to the complaint claiming the Federal Trade Commission lacks the authority to tell them what they can or cannot lie about under the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution. When this defense was raised earlier this year in the journal Public Health Nutrition, Marian Nestle and a colleague responded “it seems obvious to us that this interpretation of the First Amendment neither follows its original intent, nor promotes the public interest. The founding fathers clearly intended the First Amendment to guarantee the right of individuals to speak freely about religious and political matters, not the right of food companies to market junk foods to children and adults.” I wouldn’t consider pomegranate juice junk, but I do consider lying about their own research junk science.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on juice (including Best fruit juice), and don’t miss Tuesday’s corresponding blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable with lifestyle changes.There must be more to the story than that. In a previous pilot study, the one in ’04 that you have a partial screen shot of in this video at 17 seconds, pomegranate juice was found to reduce carotid artery media thickness in patients with severe stenosis by up to 30% in just one year. Blood pressure was also reduced. One difference seems to be that in the present study the patients had “moderate risk for heart disease.” See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15158307 http://www.pomwonderful.de/pdf/clinical_nutrition.pdf Even this study suggested that the patients may have slowed the progression of the disease. I wouldn’t write of pomegranate juice just yet.Pomegranate juice no doubt has health benefits, as pomegranates are high in antioxidants, but Dr. Greger is making the statement that they do not do what the company advertises it does. Eating pomegranate is going to be far more beneficial than juicing it though! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/fruit-juice-fail/Claims made by pom wonderful aside, what do you make of the earlier ’04 study? The group that drank PJ for a year showed decreased IMT.I had a friend from Iran. He told me that pomegranates were like apples there. Nobody experiencing any magical health benefits there.Pomegranates are quite close in antioxidant quantity to apples. Apples actually have more! Check out this video showing pomegranates and apples in comparison with other fruits. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/Thanks Dr. Greger. Pomegranate juice is $4 a bottle in my area and the whole fruit is obscenely overpriced as well. It is to know there is no special reason to buy those things.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable!So what was the final ruling/outcome?  Did they get away with lying?   What blows my mind is that the FTC is going after a juice company instead of the dairy/meat/refined-sugar industries… maybe they are… I hope so.  “Milk does a body good.” should be “Milk makes life short.”Dr. Gregor, Are there any known studies that prove the benefit of pomegranates? I know Dr. Fuhrman touts their advantages, and I imagine he bases his recommendations on more than just one study. Thank you for your great work. Gratefully,I used to receive a different health subscription, but I got locked out of the email account, so I have not been able to find it since getting a new email account. Anyways, in THAT health journal they quoted a VERY small study from Sweden, or Switzerland…??? That stated a very small amount of Pomegranate juice everyday, I believe it was 4 ounces, lowered cholesterol by up to 20-30%. I can not take Lipitor, Crestor… due to the random muscle weakness it causes in some people. Mine was permanent unfortunately. I haven’t tried niacin because I do not want the hot flashes (that I’m just finishing due to menopause). My hand to God, I had my cholesterol checked recently and I SWEAR it went down by 20%. My doctor said how great the niacin was working. I swear I was in shock, because ALL I did was drink a little pomegranate juice everyday!!! I literally laughed out loud and told my doctor how I did it, with the juice. He didn’t seem pleased, in fact annoyed more than glad then, and insisted I ‘need’ to use niacin too. My opinion, no way in hell!! I have also added dried apples recently after reading Dr Greger’s chart on anti-oxidants in dried fruit. I also drink a gross kale and blueberries/strawberries shake every day. Only wish I started eating healthy 30 yrs ago, like my 18 yr old is doing!! I hope this helps, I am being totally honest, have no financial interest in the pomegranate market ;)I’ve gotten my cholesterol down by making a smoothie with Kale,mixed with a granny-smith apple and real lemon juice daily. I don’t like pomegranate and the juice is way too expensive. I also enjoy a fruit smoothie I make with flax-milk every other day that includes strawberries and blueberries with some either yogurt or flax seed.OMG I make a shake everyday with KALE, blueberries,apples and 1/3 banana!!! and I used to drink flaxseed oil, but EWWW I couldn’t stand it!! I do NOT like the taste of Pomm juice either, not at all!!! But my kale shake did not lower my cholesterol at all! I ve drank that for 4 years now! It wasnt till I added Pomm that it went down. And I looked up the amount, Im not positive but it is only like 3 TABLESPOONS! so I just look at it like taking medicine, guzzle a little down! And its not expensive if you’re only taking a couple tablespoons a day! And watch for sales! Just my opinoin, it helped me anyways. Best of health to you all!But also beware KALE shakes made with raw kale everyday can give you KIDNEY STONES!! Weird huh? (Saw it on Dr Oz)POM juice always made me very ill. I tried very hard to incorporate POM juice into my diet. But regardless of how little I drank, it made me sick to my stomach. It was very expensive, but I had to through it out.Pomegranate is reputed to be an alternative remedy for prostate problems, including prostate cancer. My urologist also recommended I take it. Since I have prostate cancer, I take LycoPom pills and sometimes drink a hot beverage made from pomegranate juice powder mixed with matcha green tea powder, sweetened with stevia. So far, so good. My cancer seems to be very slow growing, if growing at all.Iggy: I’m sorry to hear you have cancer, but happy to hear it is slow growing. The rate of growth can make all the difference in the world.You might consider doing a search on this site/NutritionFacts for more videos regarding cancer in general and prostate cancer in particular. It’s a lot of information, but you can do lots of things to fine-tune your diet with the idea of making that cancer as slow growing as possible or even maybe shrinking it.Good luck.Wish I were shocked, but I’m not. Of course, the less shocked we become, the easier it becomes to lie to the public.That is a very unfortunate use of that image of a noose. It is extremely offensive to the black community, as it stands for lynching.Go write a letter to POM :)The noose has been a favorite tool for minions during more than just the black pages of american history.Stands for non-appealable arbitrary justice if anything. And be assured the entire globe has had its taste.Oh, everything either offends the black community or is racist. Everyone and everything is not out to always get the blacks. Get some thicker skin!It stands for ‘hanging’. You must be a pc geek.Dear Doctor Greger – I was referred to this study by my naturopath as a good reason to consume pomegranate juice seeing as I am a heart attack survivor. Eating the whole fruit and the dried seeds must also be good I guess. What do you think of this study? Helpful, Harmless or Harmful? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15158307I have extreme heart disease. Emergency triple bypass surgery eight years ago, and not expected to live two more years. Two of those three blockages were 100% blocked and calcified 8 months after surgery. I have another dozen 80% blockages on smaller coronary arteries that are inoperable. I should by all rights be bedridden b on oxygen.I found many articles on research of pomegranates. Like apples ? Nonsense. They are one of the highest anti-oxidant fruits on the planet. They help the body produce a very significant molecule, that does not seem to arise much from anything else. Paraoxonase. It improves HDL function, and if in the diet for long periods, causes REMOVAL of cholesterol from blockages. All of this is documented in research journal articles that can be found on the National Institute of Health website, pubmed.I drink POM Wonderful juice almost every day, plus Langer’s 100% Pomegranate Juice. Despite my severe heart disease, I exercise almost daily, have played basketball, play 10 hours of volleyball many weeks, and am an avid sculler.My recovery from heart disease is documented and verified on WebMD. A low fat diet, and daily pomegranate juice are important parts of my recovery.I found numerous studies on pubmed about pomegrante juice and about paraoxonase. The latter requires the former. Paraoxonase from ingestion of pomegranate is a health improving triple threat according to research articles on pubmed. It boosts number and efficiency of HDL, our good cholesterol, part of the process to remove LDL from the bloodstream. It is a strong anti-oxidant reducing oxidized LDL in the blood stream. And thirdly, research I came across said that paraoxonase caused effusion of oxidized LDL from arterial macrophages, causing blockages to slowly be reduced in size and widening the lumen of the blood vessel, improving blood flow.Few if any other foods contribute to increase of paraoxonase in the body. If true, then this is a superfood that everyone is keeping under wraps. To know a little about me, http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/webmd-the-magazines-my-story-cardiac-recoveryWebMD sought me out for this article, after many years of posts on the course of my recovery from bypass surgery, which included many links to beneficial information I found on PubMed. Curiously, though after years of no growth on that forum, the forum was taken down. To the best of my knowledge, the articles are still available on Pubmed.can Arteriosclerosis be reversed with diet? how?Mike Logan: re: “Can Arteriosclerosis be reversed with diet?” Yes it can! Dr. Esselstyn has documented exactly this. You can learn all about the details from his book: “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The revolutionary, scientifically proven, nutrition-based cure” He has the data/cured patients to back up his claims.http://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426004637&sr=1-1&keywords=prevent+and+reverse+heart+diseaseThe back of the book contains recipes.Hey Mike. I agree with Thea. Note though you do not need to purchase any book it’s just an example of a reference that may be life saving! Dr. Greger mentions Dr Esselstyn’s work often, like in this video on plant-based diets. Let us know if you’d like more resources?Best, Joseph	cardiovascular disease,carotid arteries,FTC,heart disease,industry influence,Marion Nestle,nutrition myths,pomegranate juice,pomegranates	Food companies (such as POM Wonderful) invoke the First Amendment to defend false and unsubstantiated health claims.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on juice (including Best fruit juice).	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ftc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranate-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carotid-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marion-nestle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19766760,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20179287,
PLAIN-3093	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alzheimers-and-apple-juice/	Alzheimer's and Apple Juice	What if you or a loved one already has Alzheimer’s? The Processed Apples Institute funded a study suggesting apple juice may help prevent Alzheimer's And now they're back, after changing their name to the Apple Products Research and Education Council, funding funded a new study in which instead of dripping apple juice on nerve cells in a petri dish they had 21 Alzheimers patients drink a cup of apple juice every day for a month to see what would happen. Works in the lab, but does it work in the nursing home? After a month of apple juice, no change in cognitive performance or day-to-day functioning but they did report improvements in mood and behavior. Less apathy, anxiety, agitation, depression, and delusion. Did seem to hallucinate a bit more though. Now this was a tiny study with no placebo control—but hey, there are worse things doctors could be giving them then apple juice, though if I was going to repeat the study I’d choose pomegranate or purple grape. Though then you’d miss out on funds from Big Apple.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on cognition (including Constructing a cognitive portfolio), and don’t miss yesterday’s corresponding blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable with lifestyle changes.	Alzheimer’s disease,anxiety,apple juice,brain disease,dementia,depression,grape juice,industry influence,mood,pomegranate juice,pomegranates,processed foods	Pilot study published on whether apple juice could affect the cognitive performance, day-to-day functioning, mood, or behavior of Alzheimer's patients.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on cognition (including Constructing a cognitive portfolio).	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranate-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15004325,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20338990,
PLAIN-3094	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/constructing-a-cognitive-portfolio/	Constructing a Cognitive Portfolio	Does the fruit-always-better-than-the-juice pan out though, in terms of brain protection? We have the juice study—what about whole fruit and vegetables? Using the largest twin registry in the world, researchers concluded last year that "greater fruit and vegetable consumption may lower the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease." The reason it's so useful to study twins is that if one gets Alzheimer's and the other doesn't it can give us special insight into environmental and dietary influences since genetically twins are so similar. "These findings emphasize the importance of including a greater proportion of fruits and vegetables in the diet for cognitive health," but which one's are the best? In 2005, the Harvard Nurse’s study reported that high consumption of particularly cruciferous, and green leafy vegetables were related to less cognitive decline, but it took until 2010 before dozens of plant foods were tested, all the way down to… rutabegas. Now this was done in Norway. They don’t eat a lot of plant foods in Norway. For example, the average daily bean consumption, 1.3 grams a day. That’s like one bean. Maybe, half of a kidney bean? They found nearly all plant foods associated with better cognitive performance, including white potatoes, which was a pleasant surprise, and mushrooms. “The only negative cognitive association was with increased intake of white bread.” If you look at the data they actually found negative results with another group of plant foods. Not just white bread, .” but also cakes pies and cookies. Just because we're eating a plant –based diet doesn’t mean it’s a healthy plant based diet. Whole fruits appeared to beat out fruit juice; there was a nice dose response with fruits and veggies… the more you eat the better, especially that first pound every day, a nice steep rise in apparent benefit before it plateaus out a bit. And perhaps the most interesting finding, different foods seemed to boost different parts of the brain. For example, total vegetable consumption had the strongest positive associations with executive function, perceptual speed, global cognition and semantic, or fact-based memory, whereas total fruit intake was more consistently associated with visuo-spatial skills and autobiographical memory. So yes, while carrots and cruciferous seemed to win out above the rest, we have to eat a variety of whole healthy plant foods, because they each tend to shore up different cognitive domains.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on cognition, including today’s corresponding blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable with lifestyle changes.Another great series of videos (this and the two prior ones) – you do such a great job of pulling together the information from a variety of studies for a single video, and of highlighting and explaining the key results. I also really appreciate the links to the studies cited. Thank you! (from New Zealand)Hello doctor Greger,We recently changed to a vegan diet. We have a daughter who is 8 years old who had been feeling dizzy as well as headaches. So we decided to take her to the doctor where they did blood and urine analysis. The diagnosis was anemia. The doctor told us that animal products are necessary because they have aminoacids and other nutrients that non-animal sources do not have. The doctor gave us vitamins and we are still following our vegan diet. We have also added extra portions of iron-rich foods (beans, lentils, soy, and nuts) for my daughter. I would like to know what is your opinion?Sounds like your doctor needs a refresher in basic nutrition. You may want to share the official American Dietetic Association position statement, stating that vegetarian and vegan diets are suitable for all ages (i.e. animal products are unnecessary). In fact the most esteemed pediatrician of all time, Dr. Benjamin Spock, recommended in his final edition of Baby and Child Care that children be raised without exposure to meat and dairy. I talk about Dr. Spock in my video Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance.In terms of anemia, the iron status of vegetarian children is comparable to that of omnivore children. I am concerned that your physician may have jumped on the dietary explanation out of ignorance without considering other causes. There are multiple reasons for anemia. Is she not making enough blood? Is she losing blood? (At age 8 I wouldn’t expect her to be.) Are her blood cells not living long enough? Are her kidneys not making enough blood-boosting hormone? Your physician can test for all these possibilities. I would be happy to review her lab results and offer a second opinion (can email them directly to me at mgh1@cornell.edu if you don’t want them public).That’s an interesting sounding study, but I don’t think I have access to the inside. Would you happen to know whether children who were supplementing with iron were excluded from comparison?Searching on the internet I found this study: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2012/765476/It seems to indicate that vegetarians eat the same amount of iron, but absorb less, which I suppose can have its positives and negatives. Any thoughts on the discrepancy?Thank you very much for your response, doctor. I really appreciate it. I felt a little disheartened when my daughter’s physician told us that our diet was not working (at least for my daughter). We are really concerned about factory farming and all the consequences it is having in our health and environment. That’s is the basic reason of why we changed our omnivore diet to a vegan one. We have been reading a lot of information about veganism and about all the foods we need in order to have enough nutrients in our diets. However, it has not been an easy task. But we are trying our best. I am glad we found you, at least online.Regarding my daughter and her diagnosis, my wife is going to go to the clinic on Monday, 12/5/11, to ask for the lab results. We are going to give them your email in case they don’t want to cooperate with us. My wife told me that when she spoke to the doctor she sounded somewhat annoyed by our vegan diet. As soon as I have the results I will post them here so you can help us understand them better. I thank you very much for your help and willingness to help, Dr. Greger.Sincerely,Oscar Narváez Waukegan, IllinoisHi Oscar, A great resource that is in line with Dr. Gregor’s work is Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book, Disease Proof Your Child. Great for adults too! Fuhrman is excellent at making sure a vegan diet is also an excellent diet. I am assuming Dr. Gregor agrees…All the best, MelissaHello Dr. Greger,I have sent you my daughter’s results so you can review them at your convenience. Feel free to answer me here or via email, whichever is best for you. We look forward to hear from your opinion.Oscar NarváezGot them and sent you back an email–glad I can help!Hi Dr. Greger,What ever happened to this situation. I just read the string of emails and your willingness to help! I’m curious what might have caused the child’s anemia after the family going vegan.D. CostaTeam work! Way to GO!Hello How can I prevent ovarian cancer? ThanksWe (my hubby and I) are eating a low fat high raw diet now (from eating vegan) and feel so much better! We eat lots of fresh organic fruits, veggies and a huge leafy green salad each day with dressing made from fruits and veggies. We found that eating so much cooked food was not ideal since we were consuming enough fruits and veggies. My mother-inlaw has dementia (along with many other lifestyle related diseases) and it is really sad to see. So doing our part in staying healthy is the best thing a person with “genetic” issues in the family can do!	Alzheimer’s disease,beans,brain disease,brain health,bread,carrots,cognition,cruciferous vegetables,dementia,fruit,fruit juice,greens,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,memory,mushrooms,plant-based diets,potatoes,processed foods,rutabagas,twin studies,vegetables	Different fruits and vegetables appear to support different cognitive domains of the brain, so both variety and quantity are important.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on cognition.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rutabagas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/twin-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15852398,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2860006/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20550741,
PLAIN-3095	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-fruit-juice/	Best Fruit Juice	If phenolics are what's in fruit juice that provides protection against Alzheimers disease, then which juice might be best? They compared apple juice to cranberry cocktail, grape juice—purple, red, and white, grapefruit juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, and pomegranate. Whenever I show brand names, it’s only because they were the actual brands used in the study.Here’s the graph. As you can see, one really pulls ahead, though the next 5 came out pretty respectable; with a couple phenolic flops at the end. Which do you guess those are? Pineapple… apple apple… and white grape. Who do you think leads the pack? Six left to choose from.… Purple grape #1, then cranberry, pomegranate, grapefruit, orange, and red grape. So there are definitely better choices than apple, though this was for clear apple juice. Cloudy apple juice has more—way more, but that’s because it’s cheating and actually has a tiny bit of the actual fruit in there, that's it's cloudy. So imagine how superior an entire apple would be compared to juice, or even better, a whole pomegranate or whole concord grapes.So the best fruit juice is the one inside the whole fruit. \	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And be sure to check out all the videos on juice, particularly Phytochemicals: The nutrition facts missing from the label.What about green smoothies? I blend apples, bananas, blueberries and spinach. Is it better to have the whole fruit instead of the juice?Hello Heidi,To add on to Nicky’s comment, typically it is best to eat the whole food as you don’t get as full from the smoothie. The fibers are destroyed in the blending process. Its a different story if your juicing a fruit because then you are missing out on 90% of then nutrients! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/fruit-juice-fail/Your post is confused. a) A green smoothie DOES use the whole fruits and veges, nothing less than eating them whole but unblended. b) What do you mean by “destroyed”?Sorry Joel for the confusion, let me clarify.If your trying to get full, when you blend up an apple for example in a smoothie, you will not get as full as you would eating the apple alone because you have now liquified the fibers. If one is trying to get in the greens and fruits for the day then go ahead and liquify, no issues, but if your looking to stay satiated longer, then eating the whole food is best.I also added that juicing is a poor alternative to smoothies. I hope my post makes more sense now.Not actually true. There have been some studies (sorry i can’t reference them i saw it on a BBC nutrition documentary) that compared fullness from eating a fruit and drinking a glass of water compared to a smoothie of the same fruit blended with the same amount of water. The smoothie was actually more fulling. This is because unless the water is fully blended with something to give it nutrients and calories it get absorbed very quickly leaving behind the fruit like a sieve. Where as a smoothie the liquid component gets absorbed way slower (along with the fruit) as the body can’t separate them as they are so well blended. This is all despite the fact some of the fibre gets broken down during the blending process. I have a smoothie every day for breakfast and it leaves me incredibly full unit lunch time.I’m a huge green smoothie fan! You’re taking the healthiest thing on the planet (dark green leafy vegetables) and releasing all that nutrition (you could never really chew that well). In fact I just wrote the foreword for the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies, which will be out May 2012.Hi Heidi, Green smoothies are awesome! Whole fruit is almost always better than the juice. The juice is a highly concentrated source, and therefore provides an abnormal amount of sugar. Furthermore, the whole fruit contains the fibers, which are highly beneficial to your health.Hi Dr. Greger – What are your thoughts on fresh green juice? Juicing fresh cucumber, pear, kale, ginger,romaine, broccoli.Maria, here is Dr. Greger’s opinion of juicing in general. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/fruit-juice-fail/For some context, please check out my associated blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable!Hi Dr Greger, I’m trying to learn more about the natural anti-inflamatories in foods, in particular te supposed benefits of bromelains from pineapple. Are you able to shed some light on the subject. Thanks.hi my name is livnat and i want to know what is the best diet for kids 8 and 9 yr old ty.Doc. What are the best nutrients for an eye disease called karatoconus.I read that tart cherry juice is good for arthritic pain and good to drink at night before bed. Is it really?Search the site. He has a good video on this.What about freshly squeezed raw sugar cane juice? Any studies on the health benefits of drinking it?I wish you would check out the juice of the muscadine grape. There are 88 phenolic compounds in the muscadine grape. Probably better than any of those surveyed in the video, I imagine.Hey, Doc. Can you do a video on hydrochloric acid deficiency? As it turns out I CAN eat wheat. I just need to take hydrochloric acid before and after eating it. As a matter of fact my joint pain; which has plagued me since high school is gone when I take hydrochloric acid. :)I am confused about this. Are you saying that green smoothies are not as good for you as people would have you believe? I think I would find a lot of people who would argue this point.Juices and smoothies are very different things. Smoothies retain the fiber and much of the nutrients.What about sugarcane juice? Could you possibly do a video on that. From the research I have done, in its natural state the juice is very high in polyphenols, soluable fibre, is brimming with an abundance of vitamins and minerals and has a glycemic index of between 30-40 depending on the variety. That’s lower that a lot of conventional table juices. What’s your thoughts?If you drink grape juice AFTER eating a meal with a lot of fiber does it affect how the grape juice is metabolized?It probably does, as fiber helps slow rises in glucose.What about pineapple juice???I think pineapple juice was listed in the video :-)	apple juice,apples,cranberries,cranberry juice,fruit,fruit juice,grape juice,grapefruit juice,grapes,juice,orange juice,phenolics,phytonutrients,pineapple juice,pomegranate juice,pomegranates,processed foods	Which common fruit juices have the most (and least) phenolic phytonutrients, which may protect against Alzheimer's disease: apple juice, cranberry cocktail, grape juice (white, red, and purple), grapefruit juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, or pomegranate juice?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And be sure to check out all the videos on juice, particularly Phytochemicals: The nutrition facts missing from the label.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberry-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pineapple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phenolics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grapefruit-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cranberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranate-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17362029,
PLAIN-3096	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytochemicals-the-nutrition-facts-missing-from-the-label/	Phytochemicals: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label	It’s one thing to show Alzheimer's benefits in a petri dish, it’s quite another to show benefit in a human population. That came two years later. About 1800 people were followed for about 8 years. At the beginning of the study they asked how often everybody drank any kind of juice and then sat back and watched to see who would get Alzheimers. By the end of the study, it appeared that those who drank fruit and vegetable juices had a 76% lower risk of developing Alzheimers. They conclude that “fruit and vegetable juices may play an important role in delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.”What could it be? Here’s the nutrition facts label for purple grape juice on the left. According to the labels, there’s basically nothing in it. Not even any vitamin C. And indeed that’s what the study found, even after controlling for antioxidant vitamin intake—vitamin E, vitamin C, beta carotene, still, a quarter the risk of Alzheimers. Based on the nutrition label you’d think it was just sugar water, practically indistinguishable from coca cola—in fact it’s got even more sugar—9 spoonfuls per cup compared to 7 in coke, but it just looks like sugar water because the labels don’t list phytonutrients. If they did, the coke label would remain the same, but the grape juice label would spill down, and roll along the floor like Santa’s list. And this would be like the first page of the list. There are thousands of phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables, missing in junk foods and animals foods, yet never listed on the labels.The leading candidate class of compounds responsible for the protection against Alzheimers are the phenolics, like flavones, and flavonones, and flavonols, which in many cases can rapidly cross the blood-brain barrier. There are more than 5,000 different types of flavonoids in the plants we eat. Research suggests that within minutes of biting into an apple, for example, these phytonutrients are already starting to light up our brain.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And be sure to check out all the videos on phytonutrients, and yesterday’s video Amyloid and apple juice.Wow, never even thought of this, and I guess neither do most people. Thanks!I wonder how well all of these phytochemicals do with various forms of cooking processes, seeing as studies have only been done for a few of them, such as lycopene? Does anyone have any information on this?Check out my videos Best Cooking Method and Raw Foods Diet Myths for what I could find to answer your excellent question.Hi Dr. Greger, I was just wondering if the juice was standard bottled/tetra pack juice or was it fresh pressed. I assume that fresh pressed would be best but I’m hoping packaged juices hold some benefit because they are obviously much more accessible!I love your videos!!! I’m hungry for health information!!LesleyWow!!!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable!Hi Dr. Greger – I am just wondering how the phytonutrients compare in organic and non organic foods – thank you :)  Organic produce does indeed contain more phytonutrients compared with conventional. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/Please also check out my associated blog post Fighting Inflammation with Food SynergyI am a bit confused about the benefits of fruit or vegetable juice. I have seen some posts that insist that they ARE basically little more than sugary water and that the only real way to get benefits from fruits and vegetables is to eat them in their natural state, not as juices that have much of the nutrients (fiber, pulp, etc.) removed. So should I consider something like orange juice, tomato juice and apple juice “healthful” or not? Thanks …This site says that only 3% of the beta carotene is converted to the Vitamin A the body needs. Which means you would have to eat a lot, really a lot, of vegetables to meet the Vitamin A requirements.http://healthybabycode.com/why-you-cant-get-vitamin-a-from-eating-vegetablesCould you please suggest a good Mouth wash that prevents tooth decade/cavities or kills bacteria and where it is available ? Thanks!Naresh: There is a very interesting video about green tea that is coming up on NutritionFacts and that has to do with your question. Stay tuned!	Alzheimer’s disease,animal products,antioxidants,apples,brain disease,Coca-Cola,dementia,flavonoids,flavonols,grape juice,isoflavones,juice,junk food,phytonutrients,soda,vegetables	There are thousands of flavonoid phytonutrients in fruits, vegetables, and other whole plant foods missing from the nutrition labels that may play a role in delaying the onset of Alzheimer's disease.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And be sure to check out all the videos on phytonutrients, and yesterday's video Amyloid and apple juice.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flavonols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grape-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/isoflavones/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17362029,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15004325,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20088510,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16794461,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14980703,
PLAIN-3097	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amyloid-and-apple-juice/	Amyloid and Apple Juice	The 6th leading cause of death in the United States continues to be Alzheimer’s disease, currently afflicting nearly 5 million Americans.The disease process involves the buildup of a protein in the brain called amyloid beta, which is neurotoxic—it kills brain cells, leading to brain shrinkage, cognitive decline, and eventually death.In May 1970… a 4-year-old girl we know only by her initials L. S. presented to Sloan-Kettering with a nerve tumor. They cut it out, radiation, chemo, nothing helped and she died months later. But her cancer lives on, still going 40 years later in laboratories around the world. An undying cell line of human nerve cells.And that’s one way new Alzheimer’s treatments are tested. You take a petri dish of these nerve cells, expose them to the neurotoxic Alzheimer’s protein amyloid Beta, and they die. This is a measure of cell death. Then you do the same thing, but this time you add a substance X, whatever you’re testing, to see if it saves the nerve cells from death. First you just add a little, a 1 in 100 dilution, and if you’re lucky, less death. -ah hah. So you try a little more, a 1 in 50 dilution, and if you’re really lucky, whoa, you’re back to control. It’s like you never even added amyloid. Completely blocked the neurotoxicity of amyloid Beta. What is this substance X, what is this, “AJC”? Apple juice concentrate. Seriously, they just dripped some diluted apple juice on some nerve cells and, at least in a petri dish, it worked.A similar finding was reported this year with ginger. The control cells have 100% viability, but half die when you add amyloid beta, but adding a little ginger, or a little more, improves nerve cell survival.The question I had when I read this study, though, was why didn't they use the whole apple, blended up, instead of just using apple juice. As always, follow the money. He who pays the piper picks the tune; the study was funded by the Processed Apples Institute.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And be sure to check out all the videos on brain disease and industry influence.Ok, this is the sixth. I want know all the top 10. Someone told me no tobacco, no alcohol, no animal products and regular workout is enough to avoid de top 10. Is that true?If you click on the Sources Cited section under the video you can read the latest CDC report on top causes of death in the United States. The top 10 are 1) heart disease, 2) cancer, 3) COPD, 4) stroke, 5) accidents, 6) Alzheimer’s, 7) diabetes, 8) pneumonia, 9) kidney disease, and 10) suicide. So being a nonsmoker who exercises and eats a plant based diet would certainly dramatically reduce your risk of the majority of these, but you’d still be advised to wear your seat belt, bike helmet, check your smoke detector, etc. For more on maximising your longevity check out my 37 videos on mortality.I have a question about Amyliodosis. Isn’t Green Tea and some Herbs beneficial to halt the progression of Amyliod Proteins? Meditiation and Yoga can cure Amyliodosis, isn’t it so? If you do stomach exercise as Baba Ramdev says. I believe some effect could result…..Hi Meha, I wanted to add another list and a couple thoughts to Dr. Gregers excellent response. A 2002 report listed the following: 1)Heart Disease 2)cancer 3)Medical Care 4)Stroke 5)Chronic Respiratory Disease 6)Accidents7)Diabetes 8)Influenza&Pneumonia 9)Alzheimer’s 10)Fire Arms.. slightly different leads to similar recommendations. I would add maintaining a good body weight. It is possible to be a “fat” vegan as John McDougall points out in his December 2008 newsletter.Dr. Gregers videos on avoiding heart disease #1- http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/low-fat-or-whole-food/ and on avoiding cancer #2- http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/ are especially pertinent.. it goes without saying if you make good behavioral choices you will avoid the third leading cause of death… the medical industry!Can the results be trusted given the fact that they were sponsored by an institute that is set to profit from the findings?Depends. Do you want to cure disease in a petrie dish? If so, It can be trusted absolutely. If you prefer to cure disease in a human, regardless of funding source this sort of study is a “Hey researchers, take a look at this!” study, rather than a “Hey consumer, buy this!” type of study.Of course, if your change in behavior is to eat more apples, then the burden of proof is very low.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable!What do you recommend for chronic depression pleas?Hi D, check out some of these videos/research to see if they are helpful to you: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=DepressionWow, that voice is annoying to listen to. Very bad presentation form.	Alzheimer’s disease,apple juice,brain disease,dementia,ginger,in vitro studies,industry influence,juice,mortality,nerve health,neurotoxins	Ginger and apple juice appear to protect human nerve cells from the neurotoxic Alzheimer's plaque protein amyloid Beta in a petri dish.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And be sure to check out all the videos on brain disease and industry influence.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/26/how-to-counter-dietary-pollutants-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apple-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15004325,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21396424,
PLAIN-3098	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/	MRSA in U.S. Retail Meat	If you are not a factory farm pig or factory farm worker nor take showers in pork production facilities, is there reason for concern about the level of MRSA superbug infection in US pig herds? Retail meat samples were taken from 22 grocery stores including pork, chicken, beef, turkey, bison, veal, hen and lamb. 1% were found positive for MRSA. That was reported last year.This year methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in retail meat, Detroit, Michigan, USA in the CDC journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases. 289 samples from 30 grocery stores and chicken was found to be the worst. 3.9% of chicken samples were found to be contaminated with MRSA. A much more in depth study carried out in Canada. More than 900 samples of retail meat were tested. MRSA was isolated from about 10% of pork, 5% of beef and 1% of chicken samples.What are the practical implications? Touching ones nose after handling contaminated meat could plausibly result in nasal colonization, and contact of contaminated meat with skin lesions could potentially result in MRSA infection. As NYU professor, Marc Siegel summed it up, "MRSA is a big problem and appears to be invading our meat.".	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them! Be sure to check out all the videos on pork and in particular Airborne MRSA. And don’t miss Monday’s corresponding blog post Talking Turkey: 9 out of 10 retail turkey samples contaminated with fecal bacteria.Ewwww ! So glad I’m vegan !Feb 3, 2013: 2011 NARMS Retail Meat Annual Reporthttp://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm335102.htm April 18, 2013: The Environmental Working Group report “Superbugs Invade American Supermarkets”, which analyzes the above in lay terms: http://static.ewg.org/reports/2013/meateaters/ewg_meat_and_antibiotics_report2013.pdfWhere are we (as of 2011)? Percent of meat samples containing antibiotic resistant Enterococcus faecalis:Turkey: 81% Pork: 69% Beef: 55% Chicken: 39%Hypochlorus acid has been FDA approved to kill MRSA. I soak all my meat and fish in this acid prior to even touching it to avoid contamination.Hi Bill. You are just kidding us, right? Please respond so we know you are still alive. Cursory examination tells me the FDA approves this stuff to sanitize food processing equipment. But, if you want to soak your flesh foods in bleach, have at it. However, please keep coming back to this website to see how others like myself have transcended this issue as much as possible by eating a low fat, whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diet. Good luck! http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=178.1010http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11327319Living with a killer: the effects of hypochlorous acid on mammalian cells.AbstractThe production of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) by the myeloperoxidase-H2O2-Cl- system of phagocytes plays a vital role in the ability of these cells to kill a wide range of pathogens. However, the generation of a potent oxidant is not without risk to the host, and there is evidence that HOCl contributes to the tissue injury associated with inflammation. In this review, we discuss the biological reactivity of HOCl, and detail what is known of how it interacts with mammalian cells. The outcome of exposure is dependent on the dose of oxidant, with higher doses causing necrosis, and apoptosis or growth arrest occurring with lower amounts. Glutathione (GSH) and protein thiols are easily oxidized, and are preferred targets with low, sublethal amounts of HOCl. Thiol enzymes vary in their sensitivity to HOCl, with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase being most susceptible. Indeed, loss of activity occurred before GSH oxidation. The products of these reactions and the ability of cells to regenerate oxidized thiols are discussed. Recent reports have indicated that HOCl can activate cell signaling pathways, and these studies may provide important information on the role of this oxidant in inflammation.	antibiotics,beef,bison,CDC,chicken,factory farming practices,farm animals,food poisoning,foodborne illness,meat,MRSA,pork,poultry,staph infection,turkey,veal,white meat,zoonotic disease	More than a thousand retail meat samples have been tested for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) contamination in North America.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them! Be sure to check out all the videos on pork and in particular Airborne MRSA.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/staph-infection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bison/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20407991,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20681968,
PLAIN-3099	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/airborne-mrsa/	Airborne MRSA	From pigs to people The emergence of a new superbug. The discovery of a novel strain of MRSA able to jump from livestock to humans. In this study showing widespread and pervasive staph bacteria contamination of the U.S. meat supply this year or at least in turkey, pork, chicken, and beef. This is the scariest column. Oxacillin, which is in the same class as methicillin. These were of MRSA, methicillin resistant staph areaus, now killing more Americans than AIDS every year in the United States and now found in our retail meat supply.From an overview of the problem published last year out of the University of Iowa, overall MRSA prevalence in U.S. swine was found to be 11%, and higher in confinement operations. And indeed, testing the workers, those working in confinement operations has a higher prevalence of MRSA in their nostrils. They weren't necessarily picking their nose. Airborne MRSA was found floating around even outside confinement buildings. Because of this, concern has arisen about MRSA as a potential environmental and public health hazard.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them! Be sure to check out all the videos on pork and foodborne illness as well as yesterday’s corresponding blog post Talking Turkey: 9 out of 10 retail turkey samples contaminated with fecal bacteria.Frightening!!!In the past I never heard of MRSA. Now, in just this past year there have been two incidences at a local high school. Both incidents were months apart, but both with members of the wrestling team. One of the kids came very close to succumbing. http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Condition-Upgraded-for-LI-Wrestler-Infected-With-MRSA-115718314.html http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/long_island_high_school_confirms_6gMhvPicdHhqaMAQlCPjyMThat makes me so mad!Thank you Dr. Greger for telling the real truth about meat. Hopefully, the people who need to see this, will. I am grateful to be animal free since the very early 90’s. It is soooo great to see a pro-active Doctor who really cares and hasn’t been sold out by the media or, Big Pharmaceutical companies. Again, thank you<3Hello Janet, how fantastic that you’ve been animal free for so long, good for you…and all the animals you’ve saved! Like you, I hope the people who need to see this video (and all the others!) will. One way to help get the word out is to share the videos with your friends and family in the hopes that they will be positively influenced by the information they contain. If you’re on Facebook, you can share the videos quite easily and ask your friends to do the same, as well as follow on Twitter. If you’re not on a social network, you can view the videos on YouTube and then send them via email. A couple of other videos you may want to share are: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/ and: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mad-fish-disease/ Happy holidays!Hello Dr Gregor,I highly value your work and have been spreading your gospel across India for the last three years (i’m a Canadian expat) to personal friends and through food workshops to audiences of over 100 people. I have personally spent about eight thousand hours researching food and health and boast over 70GB of data on the various subjects involved in food and health. I share this knowledge with as many people as possible, free of cost, like you. I regard you as a model for academic integrity in research, and try to follow suit.My question regards Staph infections, which my wife and i have suffered several times since our move to India in 2010. I cannot seem to pinpoint the cause, and have narrowed down the potential contributing factors to: low b12, allergen exposure, hard water (from wells), prolonged excessive stress, and cannabis smoke. My wife does not smoke, but we each get infected 2-4 times per year. The infections tend to last for up to two months, spread all across our bodies with up to 50 painful boils that render us nearly immobile.We have not used any medicines and heal ourselves naturally with food and meditation, which is a slow process. We’ve been vegan for five years and my wife has recently checked for b12 and is just below normal range. I have documented the processes of disease onset, duration and healing at length but will not disclose here. I’m referring to you because i trust your judgment and highly value your approach on diet and health. I’d appreciate any light you could shed on this. Thanks!	AIDS,antibiotics,beef,chicken,factory farming practices,farm animals,food poisoning,foodborne illness,meat,MRSA,pork,poultry,staph infection,turkey,zoonotic disease	Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus "superbug" found not only contaminating the U.S. retail meat supply but isolated from air samples outside swine CAFOs.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them! Be sure to check out all the videos on pork and foodborne illness.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/staph-infection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20798295,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20407991,
PLAIN-3100	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/u-s-meat-supply-flying-at-half-staph/	U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph	May 2011 researchers published an investigation into the prevalence of the multi-drug resistant staph bacteria in the U.S. meat supply. Antibiotics are used extensively in food animal production for growth promotion and disease prevention due to the stressful, overcrowded, and unhygienic conditions in which they're often confined. Surveys conducted by NARMS, the CDC monitoring system “indicate that retail meat and poultry products are frequently contaminated with multidrug-resistant Campylobacter, Salmonella, Enterococcus, and E coli, but what about staph infections, which in people can cause everything from skin infections to pneumonia and meningitis?Reseachers “collected and tested a total of 136 meat and poultry samples from 5 US cities, encompassing 80 unique brands from 26 grocery stores. They tested retail beef, chicken, pork, and turkey. Any guess as to which was most contaminated?Staph “contamination was most common among turkey samples, followed by pork, chicken, then beef. Three quarters of retail turkey tested positive, and overall, 47% of U.S. retail meat…tested, was found contaminated with staph, and multidrug resistance was common.Here are 18 different common clinical antibiotics used in human medicine across the top: important drugs, like erythromycin, penicillin, ampicillin. ceftriazone, And then going down, these are some of the staph bacteria they found in turkey, pork, chicken and beef. Orange means intermediate resistance to the antibiotic, red means complete resistance, and black is multidrug resistant to 3 or more classes of antibiotics. These bugs were not from from some hospital ICU but right off the grocery store shelves.Conclusion: “Conventional concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs, or so called factory farms) provide all the necessary components for the emergence and proliferation of multidrug-resistant zoonotic, or animal-to-human pathogens. In the United States, billions of food animals are raised in densely stocked CAFOs, where antibiotics are routinely administered in feed and water for extended periods to healthy animals. The CDC has shown that multidrug-resistant E. coli and Enterococcus species are prevalent among US meat and poultry products. Our findings indicate that multidrug-resistant Staph aureus should be added to the list of antibiotic-resistant pathogens that routinely contaminate our food supply.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the accompanying blog: Talking Turkey: 9 out of 10 retail turkey samples contaminated with fecal bacteria.In the future….Sociologists and anthropologists (and let me coin a new are of study called “nationologists”, since we as a nation seem to be so good at screwing up the food supply chain) are going to have a field day as they study our past habits, use, misuse and protocols surrounding what foods we shove into our mouths.Well said gfortcher!An obvious follow up question is whether meat eaters are more likely to get sick from these pathogens and/or take longer to recover? Or did I miss the video proving that?Hi BCPveg, Try this video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mrsa-in-u-s-retail-meat/If we are at risk just being around these pathogens, allowing them into our system is asking for it! Russian roulette lifestyle!Why do you not hear about what the CDC says about these situations? This is so sensational sounding you would think the news media would be all over it. But then the news writers would have to confront their own eating habits in light of such science. Guess they don’t want to.	antibiotics,beef,Campylobacter,CDC,chicken,E. coli,Enterococcus,factory farming practices,farm animals,food poisoning,foodborne illness,meat,pneumonia,pork,poultry,Salmonella,staph infection,turkey,white meat,zoonotic disease	An investigation finds 47% of U.S. retail meat tested is contaminated with staph (Staphylococcus) bacteria. Turkey appears most likely to harbor contagion.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/25/bugs-drugs-in-pork-yersinia-and-ractopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pneumonia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/staph-infection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enterococcus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3101	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-nearly-killed-by-homeopathy/	Infant Nearly Killed by Homeopathy	Americans spend about 3 billion dollars on homeopathy every year. I’ve talked previously about the near total lack of scientific evidence supporting homeopathy, but maybe I was wrong… to dismiss it as just a waste of money, maybe it can be even worse.I was surprised to read this new case report published in the European Journal of Pediatrics: A little girl almost killed by homeopathy. An overdose of a homeopathic remedy might seem a contradiction in terms, but just because they’re no better than a sugar pill doesn’t mean you can stuff babies full of sugar pills.Many homeopathic pills are made of xylitol, which can have a laxative effect and cause diarrhea, which if untreated in an infant can turn into a severe life-threatening metabolic acidosis and land her in an ICU. Hence the title: too much of too little:.High dose homeopathy is also something you may want to keep away from fido.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And be sure to check out Is Homeopathy Just Placebo?The conclusion in this video is incorrect. Xylitol is the culprit and the authors of the report say so. I’m against the use of homeopathy beyond the placebo-effect at his point in time, but as a scientific researcher, I think the conclusion in this video is one step too far. Can you overdose on homeopathy in general ? No, there is no proof of that. Can you overdose on xylitol covered homeopathic pills ? Well, one child in Switzerland did. Can we conclude that xylitol is dangerous using this one isolated case as proof ? No not at all ! (1) Can we conclude that homeopathy is dangerous from this one case ? Absolutely not ! It is a scientific fallacy to do so, because the homeopathic solution in the pills was not defined as the causative factor in this adverse reaction report ! Therefore, may I express my personal opinion on this ? I absolutely hate this kind of (ab)use of evidence based science, and that’s what triggered my somewhat dismayed reply.(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17097152never used homeopathic remedies nor inclined to do so but on the subject matter of Xylitol I feel this is a toxic ingredient that should be used in creations such as homemade or organic toothpastes/mouthwashes but never ingested.There is so much wrong with this video it is almost difficult to sort it all so just a couple comments.Xylitol is not commonly used to coat homeopathic pills. Most by far are made of either lactose or sucrose.Out of the millions of doses of homeopathy given each year, can you find even one death or serious problem that was proven to be caused by the remedy in question? This one does not qualify as Louis so clearly pointed out.While it is true that there isn’t much in the way of solid research at this time, there is an abundance of clinical evidence pointing to the efficacy and safety of homeopathy as a modality.When one considers the incredible safety record for homeopathy and compares it with the appalling record for pharmaceutical drugs, perhaps it makes sense to give a very safe, though “unproven” treatment a try as a first rather than a last resort.This should be about the dangers of xylitol not about the dangers of homeopathy.I just came to this website and was enjoying the videos until this one. Now I have to doubt the validity of any of the other videos. I have used Homeopathic remedies for 35 yrs & they have helped my family thru many illnesses. Placebo? I know this is not true.When I saw this video I was a little startled. But I realized that I didn’t really know the exact meaning of homeopathy. So I looked in the dictionary and Wikipedia. Perhaps some of your readers could benefit from similar investigation.So,… what’s the argument about really? This site is designed to bring a new insight into a terribly flawed practice of a large part of most of mankind. Picking Nits about the fact that God himself does not edit Dr. Greger videos is not productive is it? So instead of nit picking my response,… Take a moment to connect with one of your loved ones and tell them about the profound truth of a plant based diet. No amount of bitching ever saved anyone from a terrible disease or death. So please,… speak about that which serves rather than complaining about what does not.–PeaceXylitol may not qualify as homeopathy. Xylarex, a xylitol containing syrup was marketed to pediatricians from 4-5 until about 2 years ago as useful in preventing otitis media. I believe there are CRTs showing safety and efficacy. I used it in my practice while it was available and in my experience was safe and efficacious in preventing otitis in many patients. It was classified as a food additive not a drug so no insurance company would reimburse or cover it and its manufacturer stopped production. Xylitol is available in sugar free chewing gum which I continue to advocate for older children prone to sinusitis and otitis. I’d love to see more information on xylitol if you feel this would be appropriate for your site.Thanks.Richard Gelber, MD: Thanks for this post. I’m an adult, but I enjoy sucking on xylitol mints and chewing the gum. While it is my understanding that the science is mixed on it’s effectiveness in preventing caveties (the benefit I am most personally interested in), I don’t feel like it is doing me any harm. Like you, I’m interested in learning about more research on xylitol as it comes out.That said, I don’t know if you have done a search on this site yet or not, but Dr. Greger has already addressed xylitol in at least once in one of his videos. Just an idea for you.Thanks Thea. I searched your site before responding. There’s nothing specific about using xylitol as prophylaxis for dental caries, otitis or sinusitis. I also question xylitol’s characterization as homeopathy if it’s active this way. Losing it as a therapeutic option as well because it’s a “food additive” sparks my interest in knowing more and and my above request. (As Dr. Greggor has said he scours the nutritional literature so I don’t have to, but I’ll try when I have time)homeopathic remedies contain ZERO XYLITOL . where did you get this from ???? never did . in fact you should make a trip to Boiron or any other homeopathic lab before you make these outrageous statements. Nothing but the remedy in question coats the pellets in question which for most are made of milk sugar or plain sugar . the pellets are rolled around in a vat of potentised liquid remedy then dried and packaged .No chemicals other than the natural remedy in question added EVER. If some co. claimed to be homeopathic was using XYLITOL they where miss leading the masses as it would NEVER be considered homeopathic. Many people use this term for stuff they want to sell and it is in fact very misleading . i strongly suggest you do your homework before jumping into a vat of poor information . And also there is tremendous work being done all over the world by MD’s and a huge array of scientist on patients using homeopathy with enormous success . chk out what the Cuban government did with their vaccine , what Jeremy Sherr is doing in the Bush of Africa with Aids and on and on and on . It is time to start thinking out of the box . the box has not served the masses it has only filled the pockets of the pharmaceutical co. But the people are getting it and also are sick and tired of being sick and tired and are seeking better more effective and certainly safer ways . THANK GOD :))As sad as this incident is – and it IS sad – how many infants were killed by allopathy that year?… :-(	alternative medicine,complementary medicine,homeopathy,infants,pets,snake oil,xylitol	Case report of life-threatening metabolic acidosis in an infant "overdosed" with homeopathic sugar pills.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And be sure to check out Is Homeopathy Just Placebo?Also, be sure to check out my associated blog post for more context:  Half of Doctors Give Placebos	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/03/half-of-doctors-give-placebos/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/homeopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xylitol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20625910,
PLAIN-3102	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/	Total Recall	Last year a half billion eggs were recalled. The industry mantra remained: stop whining, “completely cooked is completely safe.” Notice, though, that they never tell you what "completely cooked" means. Research funded by the egg industry itself found that Salmonella can survive scrambled, over-easy, and sunny-side-up cooking methods. Sunny side-up was the worst. The paper ends bluntly: "The sunny-side-up method should be considered unsafe." May the best kept secret within the egg industry. They know it's unsafe, but are they out there warning customers? Of course not. And this wasn't funded by some consumer group, some anti-egg group, but by the American Egg Board itself.Earlier research shows Salmonella survives in omelettes and French toast as well. Even boiling eggs up to 8 minutes may be insufficient to eradicate the threat… Bottomline? If there are high enough titers of Salmonella, no standard cooking method provides complete salmonella destuction.Fine, but what if you do boil all your eggs for 10 minutes? Even if you incinerate them, buying eggs is not completely safe, and this is why. Before you reduce your eggs safely to ash, salmonella can get on your fingers, your kitchen utensils, and sometimes stays there even after washing.No one in their right mind would eat raw eggs, but you whip up a cake batter, and salmonella can end up on your counter 40 centimeters away from the mixing bowl. And then it sits there, and could still potentially infect someone touching that kitchen surface a day later. So the day after we bake a cake all the way through—heck we could burn the cake, and still, someone in our family could end up in the hospital grabbing an apple sitting on the counter.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on Salmonella and eggs.When I was growing up, I ate raw cake batter and I never got sick from Salmonella. How do you explain that?Egg-borne Salmonella is relatively new disease. Our grandparents could drink eggnog and eat raw cookie dough with wild abandon without fear of joining the more than a thousand Americans who die every year from Salmonella poisoning. Before the industrial intensification of egg production, Salmonella Enteritidis was not even found in eggs in the United States. By the beginning of the 21st century, however, Salmonella Enteritidis-contaminated eggs were sickening an estimated 182,000 Americans annually. Factory farming practices such as forced starvation molting, feeding live hens “spent hen meal,” and overcrowing hens into barren “battery” cages so small they can’t even spread their wings have contributed to the epidemic of egg-borne Salmonella poisoning.In fact just today a story broke on Good Morning America about Sparboe Farms, our country’s fifth largest egg producer and supplier (until today) for McDonald’s Egg McMuffins. And undercover investigation found what the FDA noted were serious violations of federal Salmonella regulations. See my other Factory Farming Practices videos for more on the subject.I when young would eat raw eggs ……….. never would I do or recommend that now !!I’m a docent at a farm where schools come for field trips. I take kindergarteners through a chicken coop and I pick up a freshly laid egg and let each child touch it. Am I putting the children and myself at risk?You could lower the risk as long as hands are washed well after handling the eggs. However, studies on hand washing in medical personnel show that we don’t do a very good job at washing our hands in that when we lather up we miss areas. I imagine if we studied kindergarteners it would be worse. So I would recommend avoiding the practice. I have two other concerns as a primary care physician. The first is that you may be encouraging kindergarteners and adults to consume eggs which is definitely not healthy. For further information see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/. My second is that the kindergarteners may not get an accurate picture of the conditions that most eggs are produced in this country. Field trips with the added expertise of docents are a great way to learn. Hopefully your farm can include some tours of plants growing and their value in human nutrition.Please also check out my associated blog post, Poultry and Penis Cancer!I think I read somewhere that salmonella is only in the egg white and not in the yolk. Is that correct? The salmonella is typically found on the shell of the egg. When you crack it that’s how the inside of the egg may get exposed.Doesn’t a low enough dose of bacterial infection, like salmonella, not cause issues? I’ve always understood it to be a matter of “how much” to be the issue. Like if I got a couple hundred salmonella bacteria in me, it should be fine unless I have a compromised immune system, but that if I have a significant amount of raw chicken, then we’re talking. No?Yes of course, I am not a microbiologist but I do remember that from microbiology. I am not sure how much is needed to result in disease, not a copious amount I assume. If raw chicken touches something and you touch that surface, developing the disease is possible, and that’s usually how it spreads.are organic eggs cage free good for youEggs are similar whether organic or not. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/What about organic eggs- cookie dough still a fav here…	cooking methods,cooking temperature,eggs,food poisoning,food recalls,foodborne illness,Salmonella,zoonotic disease	Salmonella, the leading cause of food-poisoning related death, can survive most common egg cooking methods including scrambled, over-easy, and sunny-side-up. Cross-contamination onto fingers, utensils, or kitchen surfaces may pose an additional threat.	Egg-borne Salmonella is relatively new disease. Our grandparents could drink eggnog and eat raw cookie dough with wild abandon without fear of joining the more than a thousand Americans who die every year from Salmonella poisoning. Before the industrial intensification of egg production, Salmonella Enteritidis was not even found in eggs in the United States.  By the beginning of the 21st century, however, Salmonella Enteritidis-contaminated eggs were sickening an estimated 182,000 Americans annually. Factory farming practices such as forced starvation molting, feeding live hens "spent hen meal," and overcrowidng hens into barren "battery" cages so small they can't even spread their wings have contributed to the epidemic of egg-borne Salmonella poisoning.In fact just today a story broke on Good Morning America about Sparboe Farms, our country's fifth largest egg producer and supplier (until today) for McDonald’s Egg McMuffins. An undercover investigation found what the FDA noted were serious violations of federal Salmonella regulations. See my other Factory Farming Practices videos for more on the subject.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/10/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-recalls/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21140977,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11358718,
PLAIN-3103	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/	Nutrition Bill Doctored in the California Senate	In the hearing to decide the fate of a California bill to mandate doctors actually be taught a little something about nutrition, you can tell the author of the bill, Dr. John McDougall, is starting to get a bit frustrated at the opposition:In the end, Republican Mark Wyland has to make a choice. Between what he knew was right, and vote yes, or his campaign contributor, the California Medical Association, and vote no: "..."So good news it passed, but not without first being amended. It went from requiring 12 hours, to 7 hours, to just… striking the whole requirement altogether, just saying the board of medicine could set standards to include something, anything on the prevention and cure of chronic disease through diet. And then, they even took away cure, and settled on some nebulous plea for information on prevention and treatment.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on the medical profession and medical education, including Monday’s corresponding blog post Nutrition education in medicine: A doctor a day keeps the apples away.It is frightening to me that there would even be a question about this. I can’t believe that Doctors wouldn’t be asking for this training themselves! I have very little faith in the Medical profession that only knows how to treat with pills. Sad.My heart breaks for all the obese children, and all the children who’ll lose parents to heart disease, cancer, diseases largely preventable with diet. It boggles my mind all the plants and animals that will go extinct for the sake of all this misguided meat consumption.Thank you Dr. McDougall. I believe you’ll break through. This website is a great way to get more nutrition facts out there.I just wish that I could listen to these videos on my smart phone, instead of just the home computer (my experience is that the videos spend too much time buffering, and halt constantly, on the smart phone). Then I could listen to them when I have a few spare minutes in the day. Does anyone know if there’s a way to turn off the video part and just hear the sound?You can pause the video while it buffers and when it has completed its download you play it without it stuttering. Turning off the video is not possible and would not help. The audio is contained within the video file and the whole file needs to be downloaded, not just the audio, in order to access the audio portion. I agree with your first and second paragraphs.Disgraceful.These are educated people that cannot make a right ,and moral decision to protect all of Californians even his own parents.The money that he gets from Health Associations is what worry’s him.Republicans are full of crap and i hate to say that I’m a Republican. I guess money is more important than doing the right and moral thing, I guess that is what he learned from his mother , father,schools,and life.This is shocking and disappointing. What is a good way to find a physician who is treating patients and who is also well educated on how to cure chronic disease through nutrition?	California,California Medical Association,chronic diseases,Dr. John McDougall,industry influence,medical education,medical profession,reversing chronic disease	California Senate Bill 380 to require nutrition education for physicians was passed, but not before it was gutted.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on the medical profession and medical education, including Monday's corresponding blog post Nutrition education in medicine: A doctor a day keeps the apples away.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-john-mcdougall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california-medical-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3104	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/	California Medical Association Tries to Kill Nutrition Bill	Though enthusiastically supported by both the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, of which I’m a proud member, the California Medical Association and the California Academy of Family Physicians came out opposed, and testified against, a California bill this year that would require physicians to become educated on the subject of nutrition, or at least get 7 hours of nutrition training anytime in the next 4 years.One of the members of the committee in which the bill was stuck felt the need to side with the California Medical Association against the bill, perhaps because his number one campaign contributor was, the California Medical Association, but as the hearing went on you could tell he was struggling with his conscience:	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on the medical profession, including yesterday’s corresponding blog post Nutrition education in medicine: A doctor a day keeps the apples away.It is not so surprising that the medical industry and their contribution recipients are opposed, but is there any support from the nutritional community and the groups trying to combat various medical diseases caused by poor nutritional lifestyles? Who holds the most weight here? How does the everyday man get his voice heard in a situation like this?Posting comments is frustrating. I typed a comment and then needed to login. Found the login link hidden under the gear wheel bottom right. Logged in and lost my comment! Suggest the Login be more visible and even if it is not one should not lose one’s comment just because they logged in.I can see the video was posted 15th November 2011, but when did this really happen? Some time frame would be useful. Thank you for your good work in reporting about good nutrition.Wow, this makes me sad.I don’t know if people will listen to doctors on nutrition, because we have one right here being ignored while offering lifesaving advice, fully backed, reliable in the extreme, for free. I post Dr Greger’s info in the form of a quiz on Facebook fairly often. People play the quiz like “which food has the highest antioxidant value per dollar?” and they guess, but not sure if anyone actually takes any constructive action out of it. It may take incentives that punish the wrong conduct and reward the right in order to make any changes in this area. Or so it would seem. A study is needed!!Well bobluhrs, I’m sure it’s meaningful for your Facebook friends to learn the information you’re sharing! That’s a great idea to engage people by asking them quiz-style questions. And the site is here for whenever people decide that they want to start making more healthful life choices. :)one more thing…You’d think doctors wouldn’t need to be required to study 7 hours of nutrition, would you? What is wrong with them they cannot simply do this without the government mandating it? I know a local MD who is up on things nutritional….all by himself. Let’s get the ones who DO know, into some sort of local good guy list, and then see how business shapes up for the rest.	California,California Medical Association,chronic diseases,Dr. John McDougall,industry influence,medical education,medical profession,reversing chronic disease	California State Senator Mark Wyland struggles between his conscience and his campaign contributor in deciding whether or not to vote for a bill that would require physicians to learn nutrition.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on the medical profession, including yesterday's corresponding blog post Nutrition education in medicine: A doctor a day keeps the apples away.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-john-mcdougall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california-medical-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3105	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/	Medical Associations Oppose Bill to Mandate Nutrition Training	Given the fact that “7 out of 10 deaths among Americans each year are from chronic diseases.” Given that diet is a major factor. Given how inadequate nutrition instruction is in medical school, a California bill was introduced mandating physicians anytime before January 1st 2017 get, 12 hours of nutrition training. That was obviously too radical, so the bill was amended. How about, 7 hours? Who could possibly argue that doctors shouldn't get 7 hours of nutrition?So the California Medical Association was opposed to mandating 7 hours of nutrition training for doctors, what about the California Orthopedic Association?Frankly that didn’t surprise me; surgeons are not known for their passion for prevention. What about the California Academy of Family Physicians though? Surely they’re in favor of a few hours every 4 years on nutrition for family docs.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on the medical profession, including today’s corresponding blog post Nutrition education in medicine: A doctor a day keeps the apples away.Outrageous!! But thank God the soda companies are putting calorie counts on their cans..so much for nutrition!This attitude should be expected in a financially-driven system.After all, what money can be made if doctors teach there patients how to solve there own problems?A Bill Maher quote comes to mind:“You see, there’s no money in healthy people, and there’s no money in dead people. The money is in the middle: people who are alive, sort of, but with one or more chronic conditions that puts them in need of Celebrex, or Nasinex, or Valtrex, or Lunesta. Fifty years ago, children didn’t even get Type-2 diabetes. Now it’s an emerging epidemic, as are a long list of ailments that used to be rare, and have now been…mainstreamed. Things like asthma, and autism, and acid reflux, and arthritis, allergies, adult acne, attention deficit disorder. And that’s just the A’s. Doesn’t anybody wonder why we live with all this illness?”How I intensely dislike that arrogant man…but he is spot on here!I love how soda companies are putting calorie counts on their cans. Wait… it’s been that way for years. Maybe they need to put “This drink has no redeeming nutritional qualities what-so-ever. It won’t even truly hydrate you” on the label.Who knew that learning how to stay in good health gets in the way of focusing on ones specialty! The public should be outraged at this. These people are signing death sentences for their patients. I’m a doc and I’m angry that I never learned how to heal people With chronic diseases.As a physician who gives educational talks to physicians on prevention and reversal of chronic diseases I find that most physicians welcome the information. It is sad that the important studies in this area are so unknown to physicians. The reality is that most of the information in this area has only started to emerge in the last 15 years or so. It’s hard for the older physicians to keep informed and the younger ones are not being taught in their training. Once the physicians start working in this area I believe they find it rewarding but difficult for many reasons. I’m sure you are familiar with some of these challenges as a physician. I had the privilege of testifying after Dr. McDougall in his support. We are hoping that his bill that was passed in a modified form will make a difference. In the meantime keep informed, talk to your colleagues, work with your patients… let’s make a difference! Best wishes.I’d like to propose a bill…Lets call the entire medical industry “Sick care” as opposed to health care…That seems to be what it is…health care is obviously left up to the individual to ferret out the correct answers. Thank you Dr G. for giving me some of the valuable resources to help me with that research.gfortcher,You have made an excellent point, which is overlooked by most. The so-called “health care” is motivated solely by care of the sick with little to no emphasis/resources placed on the most important preventative aspect. Would love to hear more from Dr.G and other readers on this point.I agree, it’s sick care and I resent anyone calling it health care because it’s so far from preventive or integrative, holistic avenues that can reverse many conditions that the pharmaceutical companies work so hard to morph into “diseases.” Dry eye disease, acid reflux disease and so many more are probably just nutritional deficiencies.Let’s see. The average man on the street knows more about nutrition than the average physician, and yet these associations balk at medical students receiving a mere 7 hours of formal nutrition education. What are they learning in the 4-years plus of med school which is so much more important or relevant? Call me jaded and cynical, but something is rotten in the state of California. The industries that would take a shot to the bottom line if people actually got well have very far-reaching tenacles, and they care more about their profits than your well-being. My sympathies to Dr. John McDougall (and Dr. Forrester and Senator Wright) on losing Round One, but I know he’ll be back.I could be wrong but I think the bill was not addressing medical school but continuing education after doctors start “practicing”.I really don’t think the average person knows more about nutrition than the average Dr. But, the person interested in good nutrition certainly does. I don’t believe the industry whould suffer from giving good advice. There would be plenty of non-listeners. And those that accepted good advice would eventually get old and natural system breakdowns would keep the industry busy. It would be a shift as to when sick care would be more necessary. It will probably take 20 yrs of education in our elementary schools and support of parents at home to grow a new generation of Healthy young people – lets call them generation “FV” for fruits and vegetables. I’d like to call them Gen Vegan…but I think that would be a stretch. The bottom line is that without a Dr. to ask our basic nutritional questions to, we are forced to take it upon ourselves. We turn to unknown sources for this info. We sift and dig. Hopefully we are right. Hopefully we stumble upon valid advice sites…like Dr. G.Hi gfortcher,Dr. Greger has a video re: the comparative nutritional savvy of John Q. versus our esteemed doctors, and I believe in fact, the great unwashed came out on top. Can’t remember which vid, or I would post a link.Hello Mike Q. – I looked for the video you mentioned but I couldn’t find it either. Thanks for the info.gfortcher:Follow the link below: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/About half way through that video, reference is made to the comparison between the nutrition knowledge of doctors versus patients.Hello BPVeg…thank you for the link.Perfectly said!Thanks for the link, BPCveg! I agree with you, gfortcher—it beggars belief.If the medical schools and associations cannot see the wisdom in this, it makes me doubt all their decisions and choices, as perhaps the best interests of the patients are left out of the decision-making process.“Let food be your medicine.” -HippocratesCreating change in organizations is challenging. Most layered bureaucracies are designed to maintain status quo and are led by individuals who have no training in collaboration, leadership(as opposed to politics), and improvement techniques… that goes for front line physicians as well. Keeping up with latest in science is challenging. So I would keep tuned to Nutritionfacts.org and when interacting with health care professionals realize they probably don’t know much about nutrition and its use in preventing and stabilizing chronic diseases.How could we POSSIBLY ask these people to spend ONE HOUR AND FORTY FIVE MINUTES PER YEAR learning about nutrition?? Oh wait not even per year, after 4 years they would never have to learn about it ever again. But no, STILL, we are asking too much of these poor guys.Hi Wickedchicken, I give educational talks to physicians on the value of plant based diets. Most physicians are very receptive. Organizations as a whole are opposed to regulations of any type. The CMA represents less than 50% of physicians. Most upsetting to me was the opposition by the Family Medicine group. I am a Family Medicine physician although not a member of any FM organization, the CMA or the AMA for that matter. This type of reflex opposition to an excellent bill as drafted by Dr. McDougall is one of many reasons I’m not a member. The intent of the bill is still alive although it has been delegated to the Medical Board of California to decide whether information on nutrition should be included in medical education. Dr. McDougall and others(including myself) will be working next year to see what we can do. Wish us good luck.I think people should keep in mind that with a bill such as this, you can’t guarantee the quality of the nutrition education. You could wind up with doctors learning about the benefits of the Paleo diet and such. Look at what the nutritionists are spouting.7 credit hours….not 7 hours….big difference.I love how she tries to imply that nutrition is such a special interest field not related to health ‘this kind of thing should be left up to individual physicians to decide if they want to learn about….this could start us on a slippery slope’ the redumblicans and lobbysists love that phrase I’ve noticed ‘slippery slope’ any kind of regulation to make business practices more ethical and provide the public with more honest information is labeled ‘ooooh a scary slipper slope, this will lead us down the wrong path’ AAHHH I’m sharing this on my facebook in hopes that ppl will wake up and see who really runs our country and makes laws and why they aren’t getting accurate advice from many doctors, thank you Dr. Greger you’re a hero for truth seekersMy observation after living 68 years in the U.S: Aside from lip service, the medical industry has nothing to do with health, just as the music industry has nothing to do with creativity and the food industry has nothing to do with nutrition. There is no industry that is primarily structured for the benefit of the individual. Knowing this CLEARLY, whatever the field, is the first step. The second is taking control of your health or whatever it is you are now dependent on an industry for. The real answers (some of which are thankfully on this site) are everywhere except in the doctor’s office, the office of a record label CEO or the offices and pronouncements of the FDA, USDA, CDC, etc. Expecting nutritional or preventive advice from a traditionally trained MD is like taking your car to a wrecking yard for an oil change. This is dangerous conceptual confusion!Hi Joel, I was fortunate enough to be involved with Dr. McDougall in testifying on behalf of this bill which was eventually passed in a modified form. The modified form requires the Medical Board in California to address the issue. Stay tuned for how that turns out. I give talks to physicians on the application of lifestyle changes(i.e. mainly nutrition) to prevent, stabilize and reverse chronic disease. Most of the physicians are receptive but taking the information back to the office or incorporating it into their own personal lives requires a real shift in beliefs and behaviors. It is a certainly a challenge. In my opinion the solution is for the physicians to get exposed to the basic concepts and then have a way to keep up with the best current scientific information. I agree that individuals need to get the information and not rely on the medical profession. Nutritionfacts is a great resource for both healthcare professionals and individuals. Combining the information provided by Dr. Greger with information from other sources such as provided by John McDougall’s website provides current accurate science based information. Individuals can then help educate their doctors by setting good examples.You are so right Joel. I have seldom, or never, seen a problem solved by government intervention that did not include unintended consequences that were worse than the original problem. Let freedom ring, even for doctors.I am totally disgusted. Medical tradespeople untrained in nutrition have no idea what causes the common diseases of Western society. I once saw an inspiring article in the Australian Medical Journal–in 1955!!–titled Every Doctor A Dietitian. The author was a Sydney doctor who had charge of an orphanage, where he got the kids to eat whole-grain bread and to grow their own fruits and vegetables. He later found that these kids had the best teeth in the state. In 1990, I studied nutrition to find the cause of Alzheimer’s, and soon linked the disease with refined seed oils, which few people know are partly depleted in vitamin E. I went on to also connect these oils with ADHD, following seed oil consumption by the mother during pregnancy. But the really common diseases–diabetes, heart disease, tumours, arthritis, Parkinson’s etc–can be accurately traced to fatty diet (dairy, bakery and meat fats, and chocolate), which lowers cell membrane polyunsaturate levels, causing insulin resistance and oxidation. In addition, fatty maternal diet causes 1 in 4 Americans to be born anxious, and that leads to comfort-eating, alcohol and drug abuse, hypertension and depression, while also making a huge contribution to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. A low-fat diet rich in grains and legumes will prevent and correct most such diseases, and the seed sugar Inositol–also found in citrus–actually has anti-ageing properties (see my video on YouTube–PEERS ANTI-AGING. Doctors with no nutrition are a public health hazard, and get few results with their drugs.Cannot BELIEVE the CMA stood UP for Coca-cola! Now THAT, that, my friends, is really a crime.Good point.Wow, educating physicians what a novel concept. In Ontario we as specialists are mandated to be able to document 400 hours of CME credits over each 5 year period.  I agree that nutritional training in medical school is nonexistent.  It is a shame that the majority of docs don’t know anything about nutrition and prevention other than what they read in the common media. Hopefully all those years of medical school training would help you to realize that a can of soda is bad irrespective of what they’ve put on the label.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Nutrition Education in Medicine: a Doctor a Day Keeps the Apples Away!Pathetic, utterly pathetic! I am in the middle of reading “Overdosed Amercia” by Dr. John Abramson and it is not only absolutely shocking, it gives a physician’s insider look at what medicine has become — a sad state of affairs geared toward driving profits into the pockets of pharmaceutical companies, politicians, lobbyists, and the vast majority of practicing physicians. Most people will never understand this. Millions of people will continue to be victimized by it. God forgive these people for what they do. The general training of doctors in regards to nutrition seems to be as follows: vitamin  deficiencies, anemias, albumin, tube feeding and baby formula requirements–with a few words about cholesterol and statins thrown in.  No offense meant toward the hard working docs of course.  As this video demonstrates, it’s a systems problem!You can thank doctors of the past for their large role in encouraging women to use “formula” over breastfeeding. Insisting on exactly 4 hour feedings, showing concern that the baby might not thrive on breast milk, mother might not produce enough, etc. Part of the whole war on natural they have been fighting for decades. What they give babies today is frightful.follow the money… the food industry gives people junk, the pharmaceutical industry makes billions from people getting sick from that junk and the medical industry can only make more money from people getting sick. want to fix this sick cycle? promote a vegan diet…. get people healthy, the best thing anyone can do for the environment and end the suffering of billions of innocent beings. by the way research who really controls medical schools and their curriculums.7 hours is A LOT FOR TRAINING?!?!? You preposterous imbecile!!! EDUCATION IS THE BEST INVESTMENT IN ANY AREA, YOU TWIT!!!I wonder just how many of these doctors who say it is just too much are willing to go to training for a new procedure??Tell me if I am wrong but it says “CREDIT hours” not “hours”. Usually only 3 credit hours is one non lab course in college. So 5-6 months of class. I mean it is still nothing considering they are suppose to understand the human body. But hours and credit hours are different units of measurement.My ex-wife almost a year ago told me she had angina, and high BP. She is 70. I immediately got her to get some AAKG (Arginine Alpha Ketoglutarate) powder from Swanson vitamins and to take 2 scoops per day. This is for nitric oxide to relax her arteries. In weeks she was off nitroglycerin and had no more angina. Her BP was still high. So I told her to read a book by Caldwell Esselstyn “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”. She did so, and adopted his dietary recommendations which were quite simple. Over the next few months her BP returned from over 150 down to 108/60, the lowest it has been since she was 18. She told her doctor, but he wasn’t even interested. He sent her for an “Atomic Stress Test” which lasted for many hours. The results were stunning, he said her blood flow could not be better. She took her book, menus, meal plans, everything and the Arginine powder to him. He looked at the book as soon as she mentioned the Cleveland Clinic, where Esselstyn worked. As of now, this doctor is only testing her, not treating her. She is her doctor. He is a guilty bystander.So they don’t want the government to be involved in micromanaging their education, but they don’t mind if the pharmaceutical companies do it!!!!Dear Dr. Greger, I would like your opinion on GMO. I have MS with ongoing nerve issues and I am willing to make hard choices to get better. Since finding you I have been eating vegan and feel much, much better. I also stay away from all GMO and am gluten free (except beer.. :-) I am so happy that I found your information on the web. It has changed my life! I will be forever grateful! MaliaLucky California, they at least have reached the state of denial, which is an essential step towards progress, which means, well trained doctors in 10 or 15 years, then strongly recommending patiens to go vegan. Here in Germany the entire issue is not even yet on the table and vegans or even vegitarians are mainly considered idiots, freaks at best.I’m sorry, but 7 hours is not the same thing as 7 credit hours….I’m not saying it shouldn’t be mandatory, but please don’t be disingenuous. The first person did actually have a point about one mandate opening the door for many others. Perhaps a carrot approach would be better; some sort of “nutritional excellence” endorsement on their license, etc. When the public starts seeking out physicians who have a nutritional background, the economic incentive factor should kick in.This is why healthcare is a TEAM effort with allied professionals. Registered Dietitians play a huge role in helping people prevent and manage disease through nutrition and lifestyle changes and often work alongside physicians. Don’t blame physicians for being too busy to study nutrition, blame them for not working alongside and listening to those who have already extensively studied nutrition: dietitians.Must watch tis video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAMYAoiCSsII can appreciate where the opposition is coming from and I agree with them. However, I would think the nutrition education should be incorporated into medical school (rather than continuing ed) but for what I see them putting out as nutritionists. If that is the education they are going to get, it might be worse than none.	California,California Medical Association,chronic diseases,Dr. John McDougall,medical education,medical profession,reversing chronic disease	Physician trade groups such as the California Medical Association came out in opposition of a bill requiring doctors get 7 hours of nutrition training anytime before 2017.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on the medical profession.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/31/watermelon-for-erectile-dysfunction/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-john-mcdougall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california-medical-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3106	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/	Nutrition Education Mandate Introduced for Doctors	Doctors think they know nutrition, but studies show that most of them really don’t. So what’s the solution? Obviously more nutrition training in medical school, but what about for all the docs running around now? “attendance at lifestyle modification and chronic disease management workshops could form an essential component of continuing education for both medical and nursing professionals.” Doctors have to get continuing medical education credit anyway, why not mandate a few hours for nutrition? Good idea, said one of my favorite medical mentors, Dr. John A. McDougall, who drafted a bill in California to “require physicians and surgeons to complete, by December 31, 2016, a mandatory continuing education course in the subject of nutrition and life style behavior for the treatment of chronic diseases: "..."	Be sure to leave any ask-the-doctor type questions and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And please be sure not to miss Medical school nutrition education, Doctors know less than they think about nutrition, and all the other videos on the medical profession.Hi Doc, Any push back from other docs?Is this mandated in other states?JoeI testified in support of this bill. It is not mandated in other states. I don’t get push back from individual physicians who practice medicine unless they are in administrative positions in organizations. Those “leaders” actually more aptly termed “politicians” have a knee jerk response against regulation and vested interest in maintaining the status quo. I give educational talks to physicians on preventing and reversing chronic diseases. In speaking with physicians informally… almost all would welcome information on this subject if it is presented in a well done manner offering practical approaches that they would find useful in their practices. Unfortunately many educational conferences are done over lunch or before workdays. I find it challenging to bring together the material and synthesize it into useful information in short time spans while allowing time to answer the attendees questions. Most of the larger educational programs are funded by drug and equipment companies and of course many physicians giving talks have little knowledge in this important area. Keep following NutritionFacts.org… let your physician(s) know about the site and print out abstracts of key articles that are relevant to your care and hand them to your physician(s).Yes even naturopathic physicians have to continue to update themselves on human nutrition as science continues to see what helps in healing and what doesn’t. We tend to focus on pieces and parts but not wholism when it comes to diet. The question always comes to mind; ‘What is natural?’ Thanks for your website I share it to many people.But this will not solve the problem because there is such a pressure to rely on pills and other medications rather than good advices.You are correct it won’t solve the problem as even if it passes(which it did in modified fashion). The physicians could be getting bad information in their CME courses… assuming the Medical Board of California decides to require educational content… the modified bill put the onus on them. As you mention there are other important factors such as reimbursement, misplaced goals(we measure success by our control of chronic conditions not cure), and misplaced organizational pressures and government policies. I do think it is a good first step and helps bring attention to an area where we have clearly learned alot of the last 20 years. The science if skillfully applied could alleviate huge amounts of suffering while saving alot money for patients, organizations and the country.Considering the hundreds of study hours doctors must log to become MD’s, this seems to me a no-brainer. Diet might not be as sexy as “polypharmacology”—a term I heard Dr. McDougall use—but its importance is vastly understated. Kudos to Dr. John “Potato” McDougall for this initiative, and also to Dr. Greger for helping to spread the word.As my stepdaughter was making her way through medical training (she began teaching/practicing at a prestgious medical school in Chicago in 2010) at some of the very top medical schools in the USA, I asked her how much nutrition training she had received in medical school. At first she asked what I meant, then when I explained the connection between health outcomes and diet as I have come to know them through Dr McDougall’s work and others, she said maybe part of one class was given over to nutrition. It consisted of handing out the food pyramid prepared by the USDA and briefly summarizing the major food groups as a percentage of a healthy diet. My own MD, when I informed him that I had switched to vegan diet a couple of years ago did not even have enough interest in the topic to ask me why I did that. Obviously there is a GREAT need for remedial medical training related to nutrition and health outcomes. But the income of many MDs depends on having a steady parade of sick people populating their offices. So as long as we reward MDs for treating sick people but do not reward them for keeping people healthy, nutrition will alwyas be an umpopular topic in our medical schools.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Nutrition Education in Medicine: a Doctor a Day Keeps the Apples Away!Awesome work Dr Greger. Please provide follow-up to this mandate as it has been approved. Email: amavros@atsu.eduDr. Greger, your doctor’s note above said to leave questions here, so I hope this is an appropriate place to bring this up, even though it doesn’t relate to the current video content. I am, however, hoping you can create a video about this, because it is a real game changer that almost no one seems to know about! I hate to sound so dramatic here, but this stuff has revolutionized the health promoting things I can do with food, especially making veganism a more attractive option to other family members and friends. I’ve searched the site and couldn’t find anything about this item I am so very excited about and have been having a blast playing with in recipes and such! Though I doubt it would be considered a “health food” per se, since it is a virtually non caloric, odorless, flavorless and colorless powder initially, it is however proving to be an amazing and apparently very healthful addition to my kitchen (& even beyond)! It’s sold as konjac or glucomannan powder, and is a natural, soluble fiber that is found in the konjac plant tuber, a very strange and unusual plant! It is primarily used as a thickener and emulsifier, but this stuff is incredible and it’s applications are endless! It has something like 10x the thickening power of cornstarch, and the beauty of it is it has no calories, and you don’t even have to cook or heat it, to use it! (though warming it will make it thicken faster). The texture is very different than most thickeners. It’s perfect when using it to thicken and emulsify homemade low or nonfat salad dressings for example, where it not only adds body to the mix, but also lends an almost oil-like smoothness too, making a simple water, vinegar or lemon juice, and herb concoction into a almost non-caloric “oil and vinegar” magic dressing! LOL. Puree fruit and a bit of liquid with a very small amount of konjac, and you have a lovely quick desert after it sets for a few, almost like a pudding. Use a tiny bit more, and it becomes more “jello” like, but not at all rubbery. I add a bit to my homemade plant mylks so they aren’t so watery and it gives them a satisfying milk-like consistency, and added to homemade plant mylk yogurt, it gives them body. Puree any flavorful combo of food, raw or cooked (say mushrooms, onions, whatever, with some herbs or spices) with some water, broth or mylk and a bit of konjac, and voila, instant sauce or gravy…low cal and smooth! Or the coolest…add a little more konjac and pour it into a shallow pan and let it set up. In minutes you can slice it into flavorsome cubes to be used like tofu or an unmeat, added to dishes to add yumminess and texture! (once set it doesn’t melt!) The stuff is just awesome! It is a bit pricey, but a little goes a long way, so not too bad really. There aren’t a lot of recipes to take advantage of its unique properties yet, but once you play with it and get an idea of how it works and start experimenting, I’m sure you will come up with tons of them! Wikipedia has some info on it, and this link even gives research info, Dr Greger! Hint hint! LOL! http://www.konjacfoods.com/research.htm …and not their own, many links are NCBI and the like.I tell everyone about it, but I really think all the potential of this stuff deserves to be broadcast to a large, aware audience like yours, for it’s multitude of health promoting and life enhancing qualities! Read the link, you’ll be amazed at all the health benefits it can offer! It’s even used as a binder and adjuvant to heal wounds! I guess this probably sounds like a bad commercial, but I really just want to share this!!! What do you think?	California,chronic diseases,Dr. John McDougall,medical education,medical profession,reversing chronic disease	A bill drafted by Dr. John McDougall was introduced in California to mandate that physicians get continuing medical education in nutrition.	Be sure to leave any ask-the-doctor type questions and I'd be happy to try to answer them. And please be sure not to miss Medical school nutrition education, Doctors know less than they think about nutrition, and all the other videos on the medical profession.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/14/nutrition-education-in-medicine-a-doctor-a-day-keeps-the-apples-away/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-john-mcdougall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20105391,
PLAIN-3107	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/	Doctors Know Less Than They Think About Nutrition	In failing in a test of basic knowledge on diet and coronary heart disease, doctors are failing their patients. “The current study clearly shows that there is an undeniable misalignment of health professionals’ actual and perceived lifestyle modification knowledge. Simply put, doctors say they are knowledgeable but the majority of them are not. The range of knowledge demonstrated in the study indicates that misinformation and misconceptions regarding lifestyle modification are rife among health professionals. These results are particularly disturbing since the study tested health professionals’ applied knowledge of lifestyle modification, directly providing an indication of the information that they dispense to their chronic-diseases-of-lifestyle patients.”“These perceptions lead to misplaced complacency among health professionals and explain why they do not view lack of knowledge as a barrier to counselling. Even more disturbing is the fact that they are confident in providing lifestyle modification counselling to patients, which begs the question: are patients really benefiting from the current counselling sessions?When the doctors were asked why they don’t counsel their patients more often on diet, exercise, and smoking cessation, they denied the main problem their lack of knowledge, nor inadequate counseling skills on their part, no. Lack of time was certainly indentified as a problem but reason number one, they blame the patients.	Be sure to leave any ask-the-doctor type questions and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And please be sure not to miss Medical school nutrition education and all the other videos on the medical profession.Several years ago my endocrinologist gave me a cabbage soup diet pamphlet and said “give up vegetarianism”.Haha, wow!Oh my goodness! That’s horrible in a really funny way! I guess that’s why there are such tough standards and entrance exams for foreign doctors moving to Canada/USA.You think that’s bad? A 13 year old vegetarian girl visited her country Colombia last year. Some of the adults kept trying to force her to eat meat because they believed she was unhealthy without meat. One was her grandmother, which is understandable because that’s what you expect from seniors steeped in tradition.However, two young doctor friends of the family told her horrible things such as, “You can’t have a baby on a vegetarian diet.” Also, something along the lines of, “You may grow an extra limb”. And we thought the protein myth was bad. There was more, but I don’t remember. She told them that studies show that meat is connected to heart disease and cancer, and they told her, “Those scientists are lying”. In the end, she reluctantly ate some meat because they were so forceful. If that’s not child abuse, I don’t know what is.The good news is that her aunt went out of her way to prepare vegetarian meals and her young adult cousins supported her. Shame on those other adults and “doctors”.So we had a long talk and I send her links to studies such as ones from this site and other sources at least once a week. Her mom got her “Skinny Bitches” (not my style, but better than the blatant lies by those Colombian “doctors”). With all this true science and the scores of fit vegan role models I show her, armed with more veggie knowledge, she feels a lot better now and is on her way to a healthier diet and lifestyle, and peace of mind!Thanks for all the great videos. I’d love to see the original article on this one. Do you have the link? Thanks!oops! nevermind, I just found it. Thanks.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Nutrition Education in Medicine: a Doctor a Day Keeps the Apples Away!Happily, my husband’s cardiologist said he had gone to a lecture by Esselstyne and was persuaded that eating a whole foods plant based no added oil diet was a responsible thing to do.  He added that he couldn’t get his wife to cook that way for him.my doctor had me on statin drugs for cholesterol and as a Fibromyalgia sufferer the statin drugs made my condition much worse.  I decided to go vegan…nothing to lose and everything to gain.  When I went back to my doctor 3 months later for a check-up and told him I was now vegan…..the first thing he asked me was “where are you getting your protein from?”  I had to sit and educate him on where I was getting my vitamins, protein, etc from.  It has been 8 months since going vegan.  I no longer have constant pain, I have lost weight and my cholesterol is now in the healthy zone.  I will never go back to eating meat or animal bi-products again as I feel terrific and I am healthy. Thank you so much for your wonderful video clips.  They are very helpful and help to further educate me on healthy eating.I would love to figure out a way to teach doctors more about nutrition from my 30 years of knowledge and experience. We know that changing what you eat can, and will, change your life.Great idea to blame patients. We need more doctors who say “I don’t know”.HI, I have diverticulitis. I’ve had a colon resection but stlil have diver on the other side. I have since started taking probiotics. They seem to really help and my flares are much less. Two questions; Can probiotics with prebiotic in the diet heal the colon and is there a point where taking probiotics should stop. I also am making green smoothies which seem to make quite a difference. Thank you.I wish I had learned more about nutrition from medical school, but I didn’t. I have taken an active interest and learned for myself about nutrition, specifically the benefits of a plant-based diet. The system has to be changed. Physicians should be taught nutrition and how to cook so they can pass this onto their patients. Some medical schools are starting this, but all need to follow. I will be starting a pediatrics practice with a teaching kitchen, vegetable garden and cooking classes for our patients. Educating patients is the only way to really help them overcome diet-related illness. But the teacher needs to be educated first.DoctorYum: You patients are so lucky to have you!completely off topic but your video starter pics get me every time. :)Do you have any tips on how I might find a doctor who shares the focus of diet – maybe even a whole foods, plant-based one – as a major part of living well?What is the preferred method on a percentage basis in regards to what the patient prefers, lifestyle counseling or prescribed pills?	chronic diseases,exercise,medical education,medical profession,reversing chronic disease	Doctors found to be overconfident in their knowledge and ability to counsel patients about lifestyle modification for chronic disease prevention.	Be sure to leave any ask-the-doctor type questions and I'd be happy to try to answer them. And please be sure not to miss Medical school nutrition education and all the other videos on the medical profession.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20105391,
PLAIN-3108	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/	Medical School Nutrition Education	While bad nutrition advice from federal authorities has been be chalked up to corporate influence, bad advice from the medical profession more likely arises out of ignorance. What is the status of nutrition education in medical schools?Back in 1980… less than a quarter of medical schools required a single course on nutrition. By 1981, though, we were up to 32%, then 37%, then slipping to 35% and back down to 27% by 1984. That was a quarter century ago, though, back in the dark ages. What about 20 years later in 2004?In a survey sent to alll US medical schools, we went from 27% in 1984 all the way up to…. 30%. There was more nutrition education in 1982! On average, out of thousands of hours of preclinical instruction, doctors get an average of 23.9 hours of nutrition, with most getting only 11 to 20.Last year we got an update. Nutrition Education in U.S. Medical Schools: Latest Update of a National Survey. in 2004 we were at 30% and now we’re at, 25%, nearly the lowest ever recorded. Only a quarter of medical schools require a single course on nutrition.They conclude in their 2010 paper: “The teaching of nutrition in U.S. medical schools still appears to be in a precarious position, lacking a firm, secure place in the medical curriculum of most medical schools.” They advocate for, at a minimum, “the 25 hours of nutrition education needed to properly train physicians.”Currently, only a small fraction reach even that trifling standard and even if they did, that means you could learn everything a “properly trained” doctor knows about nutrition in one long weekend. 	Be sure to leave any ask-the-doctor type questions and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And please be sure to check out all the videos on the medical profession.25 hrs of nutrition training…sad. If I just watch your short videos each day I will get approximately 10 hrs across the year. And I’m not in it for the money. But, maybe that’s the problem. They are.Unfortunately part of the problem dates back to early in the 20th century when public health schools were separated from medical schools. Many instructors in med schools are involved in research not related to nutrition. The clinical faculty don’t know the studies. So even if nutrition was added to the curriculum it would not necessarily be taught well. Of course the reimbursement aspect of medicine as you mention is an issue but it doesn’t explain why prepaid health care isn’t doing more in this area… it is complex. You can help by making health care professionals aware of this website and you might even give them printed copies of abstracts of articles cited by Dr. Greger which are related to your questions or concerns. Hey Dr. Dons. I was thinking that talking about this to doctors could offend them. What’s your experience with your colleges concerning this issue? I’m guessing it won’t be so bad coming from a fellow doctor, but what if a patient brings it up?That is criminal! So instead of telling a patient to lower cholesterol via a plant based diet because they never learned about nutrition, they will prescribe stains instead. I have asked 3 doctors in the last 3 months what they think about the China Study. All 3 said they had never heard of it!! Thank goodness for people like Dr. Greger, Dr. Barnard, Dr. Furhman, Dr. Campbell, etc. that are educating not just the masses, but doctors as well. Thank you! Louise F.I’m afraid I’m one of those guilty docs who never filled in the nutrition knowledge gap that medical school left me with. NutritionFacts.org has been such an eye-opener, and I am already seeing some quasi-miraculous changes in some of my more motivated patients. Where else would you suggest I go to supplement my training in nutrition?My favorite source for continuing medical education credit is nutritionCME.org. It’s co-sponsored by the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. In fact they currently have my swine flu presentation up as one of the featured offerings!This testimony gives me hope!I like GreenMedInfo.com because they have the science/research information they base their articles on at the end of each article. It is one of my “go to” websites as well as LEF.org.When they specify 25 hours, are they referring to 25 physical hours, or 25 credit hours?Thank you for bringing this issue to light.  As a registered dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator, I am occasionally in the uncomfortable position of having to tactfully correct well intentioned but erroneous nutrition advice that a physician has given a patient.  Some patients tell me the doc has far more education than the RD, so he/she must know better.  Sigh:(What would you say is the #1 medical school (or in the top 5) for nutritional education?My guess would be Loma Linda, but when I was applying Tufts had the most (19 hours), which is one of the reasons I chose it over the other 18 MD/PhD programs I was accepted at.Does Dr. Greger have any advice for people like us who are willing to eat only extremely healthy foods and practice a moderately healthy lifestyle with regards to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)?Should we go naked on medical insurance and pay the annual fine or should we buy the plan with the lowest monthly premium with the highest deductible?Ron,If it were me considering those two options, I’d buy the cheapest plan with the highest deduction. I’ve known far too many very healthy people who have had various accidents, were inadvertently exposed to serious diseases, mugged, or just tripped on the sidewalk. By the time they were released from the hospital the ones who were insured were sad they didn’t have more insurance, but the ones without insurance were bankrupt and in debt.My girflirend is looking into nutrition. Could you please recommend the best plant based nutrition courses/schools? (She has no previous knowledge or medical background, but would like to work in this field someday. We are from Europe, so maybe online courses would be better, although she is open to study abroad). Thank you.The doctors that I see these days are a joke! They don’t know anything about anything. All they want is give me more prescriptions every day. There’s a huge need for changing the way they teach medicine in this country. What a shame!!! I lost 20 lbs and my bp is back to normal and I don’t need to poisen my body with medicine….They really think that we are stupid!!!!	medical education,medical profession	Most medical schools in the United States fail to provide even a bare minimum of nutrition training.	Be sure to leave any ask-the-doctor type questions and I'd be happy to try to answer them. And please be sure to check out all the videos on the medical profession.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/14/nutrition-education-in-medicine-a-doctor-a-day-keeps-the-apples-away/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20736683,
PLAIN-3109	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/	Dietary Guidelines: Pushback From the Sugar, Salt, and Meat Industries	The food industry was not happy with the new dietary guidelines. Complaints rained in from the Sugar Association and the Salt Institute. Sugar reduction is evidently impractical, unrealistic, and not grounded in the body of evidence, according to the Chief Science Officer of The Sugar Association.The Salt Institute's vice-president of science, said encouraging people to eat low salt foods would just make them eat excessively to make up for the lack of taste. And saving the lives of up to 92,000 Americans a year… is evidently a, “reflection of ideology than sound science.The American Meat institute also predictably railed against the suggestion to moderate one’s consumption of meat.To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Peter Mellor.To help out on the site please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and industry influence as well as yesterday’s blog post Dietary Guideline graphics. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Dr. Greger: Thank you for the daily videos. I watch and digest them every morning along with my steel-cut oatmeal and fruit. The best way to start my vegan day. Good for the body, good for the brain. I also enjoy your quizes. I take them to see exactly how much information I have retained from the related videos. Repetition is the mother of learning.When the label says: “No Additives” how did the salt get in there?http://screencast.com/t/5qEFBWvZaThere are many techniques employed by the food industry to disguise what is in the package or can. Salt must be classified as something other than an additive. Another technique is to increase the number of servings until the fat content is below 0.5%/serving. It can then be labelled “fat free” even though as in the case of cooking oil sprays they are 100% fat. Check out the number of “servings” in each container. The best guidelines on reading labels that I’ve seen is a DVD by Jeff Novick RD entitled, “Should I Eat This?” available through his website. You can see a brief You Tube preview of his longer talk at, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd9XnyNGXGs. It is important to keep reading labels or better yet avoid eating foods that have labels!With a massive body of evidence supporting the benefits of a diet without animal products, along with the negative effects of consuming them, it is clear that the misconceptions that people have are solely determined by the false rhetoric of these corporations! Despicable.Some people I know tell me that because they are not a Blood Type A, they need to eat meat or dairy or whatever; and I know people who claim that they were vegan for blah blah years and they almost died, and felt so much better after they started eating the meat or dairy or whatever again. I don’t know what to say to them.I was just actually interviewed about D’Adamo’s Blood Type Diet astrology in the Chicago Tribune. Probably best summed up by a quote from a review published in the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association: “The theories of D’Adamo must be viewed as lacking a scientific basis and should not be taken seriously….[H]ad D’Adamo been practicing in Norway, his practice would have been a violation of the so-called quack law….[I]t is difficult not to see the whole thing as a crass fraud.”When I hear how the corporations respond to attempts to educate the public for their health and well-being, It appears that the Atkins Diet and the Blood Type Diet, and that Soy Causes Cancer and Soy Causes Dementia controversies are sneaky ways to manipulate the public away from healthier vegan choices.I was at a “health discussion” at a vegan restaurant, presented by “Health Professionals” whose whole point seemed to be that vegetarian and vegan diets are destructive to health. I politely offered that credible scientific studies support the health of vegan diets, and the man of the couple very angrily shot back that there were plenty of studies to support his anti-veg position. In spite of his uncalled-for aggression in this small group which had been encouraged to participate in the discussion, I asked him to elaborate and be specific as to what studies. He went into a rage, he held a book up like it was The Bible, shaking it in the air. “Well, let me see it,” I said. He threw it at me. It was “Nourishing Traditions.” The cover looked like it was specifically designed to appeal to the counter-culture health types, and the Weston A. Price Foundation was on the cover page. “Weston Price” I said, “they’re behind the Atkins Diet, one of the most unhealthy and thoroughly discredited diets ever.” Oh, his rage became hotter, he and the woman tried to do this scripted good cop / bad cop routine with me. The woman was saying that I just don’t understand how unhealthy vegetarian diets are and essentially that they’re trying to save poor ignorant vegetarians from themselves, and from spreading dangerous radical beliefs. Their technique was effective, none of the others dared to oppose them, and they had a shill in the “audience” who agreed passionately with them.It certainly appeared that some organization is paying these attractive young professionals to infiltrate vegetarian groups to spread propaganda and undermine emerging vegan resolve and frighten them into eating diets heavily laden with meat, eggs and dairy. They portrayed meat eggs and dairy as the magic foods that will cure all your ills. I wish I knew what was behind it all, exactly. I know Weston Price is a tax-exempt “nutrition education” organization. And they are very anti-soy.As a funny post-script, the female “professional” had a degree in “human/animal communication” and she maintained that many animals had told her that they were fine with being killed and eaten, because that’s what they were for, and it fulfilled their purpose in life.Wow Gala. That is am amazing story. Thanks for taking the time to share it. I read it with my mouth open. That last bit is especially bizzare.I don’t get it either. It’s pretty sad that people would set out to take actions that hurt people, the planet and innocent animals.When science fails, just make wild accusations about vegetarians and hold up more pseudoscience references. Thanks for standing up to the confusionists.How did these people get the stage in a vegan restaurant?I get the same response from people. After one of my coworkers was stating how full he was from lunch, I replied me too. His response was but you eat “rabbit food”. Which I choose to view as a compliment. He added, “I still don’t understand.” He’s a hard core meat eater, who’s already heard my reason for going vegan. Which is to be healthier. So my response was, “And that’s ok.” The irony is that he’s been complaining about heart issues. My point is people are brainwashed to the point where there is no connection between their medical issues and what they eat. I didn’t even see it until I watched the movie ‘Forks Over Knives.’ Since then I’ve been doing research, and it’s amazing how much the food industry has manipulated the general public to even believe that food preservatives are ok to eat.I think this site is great, really opening my eyes to making better food choices. I am still interested in eatting chicken, is organic chicken healthier? If so is there something I should be looking for on the label? thanxOrganic chicken may be “healthier” relatively speaking, but eating meat flesh regularly is just not a healthful choice. Arm yourself with more knowledge about chicken, and you may soon be wondering if you should be eating chicken at all! Start with these: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/chickens-fate-is-sealed/. And this: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/Hi Dr. Greger: I have become a vegan for the past 3 months and am loving it. I have been looking for a video that addresses hypothyroidism but could not find one. What do you recommend for hormonal balance? I am 44 and peri-menopausal and have some hypothyroid issues. Thanks so much, Sacha UrbanI am 17 and have been vegetarian from around the age of 5 or 6 when my brother told me what I was eating. I have been 100% vegan for one year now and have realized my nails are not sticking to my flesh, leaving only a small portion if my nail attached to my skin, it is extremely painful. I eat enough in a day and have been following high carb low fat. I encorporated a handful or so a week of nuts in my diet for 3 months and only noticed that I was gaining weight and felt unmotivated to exercise, I have switched back to low fat, and have my energy back. But my nails are still in this aweful state, please help!Hi Only! Have you checked with you MD about the nail problem as it sounds like it is unrelated to diet. For example, a fungus under the nail could cause separation.Have you seen this one?http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animals-and-us/201412/84-vegetarians-and-vegans-return-meat-whyThank you for your efforts.	American Meat Institute,beans,children,dietary guidelines,greens,industry influence,meat,Michelle Obama,peas,Salt Institute,Sugar Association,vegetables	The Sugar Association, Salt Institute, and American Meat Institute all railed against the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and industry influence as well as yesterday's blog post Dietary Guideline graphics. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to My Plate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate, Uric Acid From Meat and Sugar, and Industry Influence on Dietary Guidelines	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/20/uric-acid-caused-by-meat-and-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-meat-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/michelle-obama/	-	-
PLAIN-3110	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-progressing-from-pyramid-to-plate/	Dietary Guidelines: Progressing From Pyramid to Plate	The pyramid has been replaced by the plate. Thursday, June 2, 2011, the First Lady unveiled the federal government's new food icon, MyPlate, to serve as a reminder to help consumers make healthier food choices…And indeed, which do you think is more helpful in terms of figuring out what to eat when you sit down at a meal. This? or, This?Nutritionists have expressed concern that Americans might equate protein with meat (or think dairy doesn’t include soymilk), but the USDA defines the protein group as including beans and peas, soy products, nuts and seeds, and specifically highlights beans and peas as unique foods, as they count towards both protein and the vegetable group. It's like a two for one deal.And I don't know if you caught it, but if you rewind, our Secretary of Agriculture appears to be saying next time you sit down for a meal, before you eat… make sure you include in your diet a centerpiece of fruit, and, random bottles of pharmaceutical drugs?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and industry influence as well as today’s blog Dietary Guideline graphics. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!That is SERIOUSLY odd. What message are they trying to send/hide there? If you eat a balanced Plate, then you will need to take your daily medication to fix things your diet can’t? Hmmmmm.I know–isn’t that crazy?Big pharm on board? Amazed there isn’t a side plate with dessert candy next to those drugs.And they make the pills look like candy!They don’t look like supplements. Yes, they are colorful capsules of drugs, without labels! Who would set up the scene like that, and why? It’s not accident. What that says is so strange and scary for us.I love how they keep picturing fruits and vegetables, but subsidize dairy and animal flesh to an obscene amount. Hypocrites!Ohh my God, I didn’t see the small battles of drugs!!!! Very funny.hahahha, I love all your videos, but the way you did the edit in the end of this one is priceless!!! I love it.. keep up the good workI think they are salt and pepper shakers.The drugs were the first things I saw. I was thinking to myself “what the hell?”. Then you called it out. Perfect.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to MyPlate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate!Dear Dr. Greger I have been diagnosed with Ulcerated Colitisand treated with Asacol 5.7g/day Is there a reason to hope that a plant based nutrition can treat this condition without aggravating it farther? BenjaminA plant based diet can indeed help with your condition. dr. McDougall sums it up quite well hear. http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_colitis2.htmlDr. Greger-First question: is there any less harm to our cells/bodies if the meats that we eat are certified organic, grain fed, hormone free?Second question: one of your ‘meat is bad for you’ graphics illustrate that it is the chemical pollutants in the grass that the cows eat that make the meat more toxic…well isn’t that same thing true for vegetables? The same environmental effects and toxins impact the vegetables as well as the grass that the cows are eating?Specifically, what is wrong with eating beef and chicken that has NO hormone or chemical toxins used ? If one were to eat meat what would the cleanest/best meat be to eat?We have used organically raised/fed, hormone free chickens to make broth for treatment of colds etc. with great success. After watching your videos, we are now prepared to eat strictly vegetarian but would like to know the answers to questions above first.Thanks for the ‘enlightening’ information!The issue with meat is more the direct effect the meat itself has on your body regardless whether it be organic or conventional. Here are a few videos that go into detail.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=endotoxemiahttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ (this video is the start of a series of videos)http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/Dairy and protein are not on my plate.Dr Greger, do you have a recommendation for the percentage of the 4 vegan food groups (Grains, Legumes, Veg, Fruit) we should be eating? e.g 50% veg, 30% grains etc. Or how many servings of each we need? I saw something that said vegans need 8 servings of grains (4 cups) but only 4 of veg (1 cup), that seems backwards to me. Cheers, LexyI think the general recommendation is to eat complex carbohydrate based meals (brown rice, whole wheat, beans, sweet potatoes, etc) with other veggies mixed in and fruits to snack on as well. The easiest way to follow a whole foods plant based lifestyle is not to regiment it.Some groups focus entirely on fruits and non-starchy veggies and have excellent outcomes. Grains are relatively low in nutrients compared to fruit and veggies. I try to limit whole grains to 2 cups a day and pile on the phyto-nutrient rich alternatives. Dr Joel Fuhrman’s website discusses this approach.Well spotted doc, lol!	beans,dairy,dietary guidelines,legumes,meat,Michelle Obama,milk,MyPlate,nuts,peas,plant protein,protein,seeds,soy,soy milk,USDA,vegetables	MyPlate represents a significant improvement over the USDA Food Guide Pyramid.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and industry influence as well as today's blog Dietary Guideline graphics. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/michelle-obama/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/myplate/	-	-
PLAIN-3111	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/	New Dietary Guidelines for Americans	“Ultimately, the best and most accurate dietary advice is only likely to come from those willing to follow the science, even when it is contrary to industry interests.” And indeed, with less corporate influence on the advisory committee, the 2010 guidelines are definitely a step in the right direction. The Committee had four main recommendations, including “Shift food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet that emphasizes vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.”Included in the new official guidelines 100% plant-based adaptation, for those who aim to eliminate cholesterol, saturated animal fat, and trans fat from their diets by taking tolerable-upper-daily-limits-of-zero to their logical conclusion.And now, we have the plate! Remember the ancient pyramid in 2000? That was actually a big step forward, implying that some foods were healthier than others. The meat, egg, dairy, junk food industries were not happy and so under a Texan administration in 2005, the pyramid got twisted on its side and replaced with unlabeled vertical stripes. Can’t you tell that orange represents grains and purple is the meat and bean group?But now at least tell, which is which.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and industry influence. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!The new diagram is an improvement over the label-less pyramid. But explicitly labeling “vegetables” and “protein” in separate groups…yikes! Stereotype reinforcement.Yes, stereotype reinforcement and also misclassification. Vegetables (a culinary class) being contrasted with protein (a biomolecule that widely present in vegetables, grains and even present to a lesser extent in fruit).I wonder where they would place seitan (which is mostly wheat protein) … I guess double counted as both grain and protein. Further to the point, our bodies don’t need protein, they need amino acids.  Specifically the nine essential amino acids that our bodies can’t make themselves.Are you still speaking at Calvin College in Grand Rapids on Friday November 18th?Peer Pressure and a Vegan lifestyleMy wife and I have found it very awkward at times when we “come out” and advise that we have become vegans, given the varying negative reactions, that we generally receive.The reactions range from hostility (don’t do it) to we will still love you anyways, (although you are weird).Any resources you could suggest to minimize or avoid this sort of thing.The word “vegan” is too political and basically meaningless from a true health perspective. To most people, a “vegan” is a person who actively engaged in “animal rights,” and avoiding all things from animals, including honey. Moreover, a person can live on potato chips and cola and be a junk-food vegan. Consequently, to avoid adverse reactions, simply don’t use a politically charged word. Instead, just tell people that you are giving up foods that contain saturated fat and cholesterol so that you can improve your health. Who can argue against that?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to MyPlate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate!New Dietary guidelines for Americans? Are they not fat enought yet? The Guidelines  are man-made and have a track record, decades long, to destroy normal nutrition. Vegetables are fattening and increasing their consumption can only be defined (My new word). Food Folly!This “Experiment” has absorbed trillions, shrugged off by food science. I have disclosed Obesity and sent an announcment to Harvard. I did not rceive a reply but it was erased from their health portfolio. Heart & Stroke continues to dabble with the Pyramid guide. Why do I succcide when science fails? I live by instinc, lifelong experiencest rejecting any and all medical influences. I cause health —Hart HealthHow are vegetables fattening? Vegetables are very low calorie in comparison with animal products.Next, we shoot down that glass of ‘dairy’.	beans,Bush administration,cholesterol,dairy,dietary guidelines,eggs,fruit,industry influence,junk food,legumes,meat,MyPlate,nuts,plant-based diets,safety limits,saturated fat,seeds,trans fats,USDA,vegetables	Following the recommendations of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee to "shift food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet," the latest USDA guidelines include a vegan adaptation.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and industry influence. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bush-administration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/myplate/	-	-
PLAIN-3112	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts-of-interest/	Dietary Guidelines: Advisory Committee Conflicts of Interest	The reason our federal dietary guidelines “may be more interested in protecting industry interests than adhering to the science” is not only because of conflicts of interest at the US Derpartment of Agriculture, but also conflicts of interest on the official dietary guidelines advisory committee itself.On the 1995 panel there was a guy funded by Mars, the candy bar company. He also served on “”McDonald’s Corpation’s Global Advisory Council on Healthy Lifestyles.”Dr. Garza was a visiting professor with the National Dairy Council—I didn’t even know they had professors.He was also VP and on the board of the Dannon Institute. Irwin served on Coca Cola’s Beverage Institute for Health and Wellness. I wonder what his thoughts are on sugar-sweetened beverages. And Dr. Schneeman has received money from the National Dairy Board, and the National Dairy Promotion Board. And was President of the Dannon Institute.In 2000… our visiting professor was back and we got someone else funded by the National Dairy Promotion Board as well as the National Livestock and Meat Board.Joanna Dwyer, whom I know all too well having attended Tufts med, served the American Meat Institute, the National Dairy Promotion Board and “Worked for Procter & Gamble as the company’s Duncan Hines “brand girl” and then as its Crisco brand girl.” You know you’re in trouble when U.S. nutrition policy is being decided by a former brand girl of cake and Crisco.Scrambling science for the American Egg Board… milking the National dairy Council, … and none other… than the “the star of a new Anheuser move to publicize the health benefits of beer consumption.” That’s who was forming official nutrition policy in the United States.In 2005, the Egg Board was back… the Chocolate Manufacter’s Association, the  M&M Mars’ scientific advisory board. Sugar Assocaition… Coca-cola, Hershey’s, McDonald’s, Sara Lee, and the Snack Food association. Give me a break.… lots of drug companies… Campbell’s soup—wonder what his take is on sodium intake? A single can exceed your entire daily upper limit. And dairy-dairy-dairy, milk, Kraft, dairy-dairy.And finally, our 2010 committee: General Mills, Dannon, Kraft, Campbell’s, and another more McDonald’s global advisor on healthy lifestyles.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and industry influence. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Another great video highlighting important health issues. Keep it up!After watching the videos I can’t help but feel that America is some sort of evil (nutritional) Empire! It seems like other countries actually have in place people that care but we have food industries running things. Very disheartening.I agree it is very disheartening but being aware and keeping ourselves and others informed may help change the way we do the politics and business in the US. If people demand better oversight and actually start to organize and vote for changes there are opportunities. I think so of this IS happening.Hello Michael Greger, do you have experience in treating seborrheic dermatitis without the use of medical drugs? Do you have any advice on how to deal with the root cause of seb derm? Regards/ Hakan from Sweden.Seborrheic Dermatitis although multifactorial seems to related to the presence of several yeast species. They are supported by saturated fatty acids. The process also seems to involve human sebum. Acne although different than seborrheic dermatitis also involves sebum and is helped by the proper nutritional approach. See http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-acne-2/. General skin health is also helped by proper nutrition… see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/. So pursuing a low-fat plant-based diet with B12 supplementation with particular attention to minimizing saturated fat intake by avoiding processed oils would be the first step. It is what I recommend. There are many effective topical agents in several categories. You should work with a physician who is familiar with the use of these agents and appreciates a minimalistic approach as far as medications occur. I have had patients see remarkable improvement in their condition with only the dietary change but some have required some topical therapy as well. Good luck.So….what is the point here? Are you suggesting that the conflicts of interest indicate corruption? I think that rumours like this do circle around the internet, and I just think you have to be careful about turning people against health professionals. Suggesting corruption at the highest level creates doubt among the public that people’s health is a priority of HCPs [these board members are docs and dietitians after all]. As you can see above, people take from this video that guidelines are a result of greed, corruption ond “evil”. While I do recognise the conflicts of interest, their mere presence on these boards is not going to mean that mcdonalds french fries, m’n’m’s, or crisco will make it to the food pyramid. I try to avoid encouraging the potential paranoia-heads who go crazy extreme with this sort of info and jump to conclusions. How and ever, it is a very interesting video and thanks for sharing.Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of the china study, was on the board for making dietary recommendations. He in fact saw a progression from caring about people’s health to corporate interests. “The authors of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid have had many political ties to animal agriculture. Their recommendations reflect this, and even when the guidelines are strictly followed, they still promote chronic disease.” http://www.tcolincampbell.org/courses-resources/article/get-the-real-story/?tx_ttnewsbackPid=76&cHash=c17f308268Are you suggesting that the conflicts of interest definately indicate corruption? I just think you have to be careful about turning people against health professionals. Suggesting corruption at the highest level creates doubt among the public that people’s health is a priority of HCPs [these board members are docs and dietitians after all]. As you can see above, people take from this video that guidelines are a result of greed, corruption ond “evil”. How and ever, it is a very interesting video and thanks for sharing.Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of the china study, was on the board for making dietary recommendations. He in fact saw a progression from caring about people’s health to corporate interests. “The authors of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid have had many political ties to animal agriculture. Their recommendations reflect this, and even when the guidelines are strictly followed, they still promote chronic disease.” http://www.tcolincampbell.org/courses-resources/article/get-the-real-story/?tx_ttnewsbackPid=76&cHash=c17f308268I agree that the public needs to be more knowledgeable about the conflicts of interests on the dietary advisory and decision-making bodies, and the lobbying that various industries are up to. Then, they can make up their own minds whether government is working in the best interests of the public or not.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to MyPlate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate!Dr. Greger, thanks for much for sharing.  I just watched your video today on the Uprooting the Leading Cause of Death, and it prompted me to look back through some of your other videos.  When it comes to our government setting dietary guideline, that are taught in our schools, it seems in order to play the game the groups representing the vegetable farmers and nutrition science need to get on the committee. But who are those groups?  Who should we be supporting?The link doesn’t work on the sources citedi’m curious how different it is in canada! probably the same story…I am playing this vid in my mind, only this time its about animal huggers pushing veganism. conflict of interest? or bleeding hypocrisy.The writer of a vegan cooking blog wrote that cooking flax seeds (as in flax muffins) caused the seeds to be toxic and carcinogenic. Do you have any information on this? Thanks for all the nuitrition information – I really enjoy your videos.	American Egg Board,American Meat Institute,beer,Campbell's Soup,Coca-Cola,Crisco,Dannon,dietary guidelines,Duncan Hines,General Mills,Hershey's,industry influence,Kraft,M&M's,McDonald’s,National Dairy Board,National Dairy Council,National Dairy Promotion Board,Sara Lee,Snack Food Association,USDA	The USDA Dietary Guidelines Committee has been made of up individuals funded by McDonald's, Coca Cola, the Sugar Association, the American Meat Institute, candy bar companies, and the egg and dairy boards.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and industry influence. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snack-food-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campbells-soup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-council/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crisco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcdonalds-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/general-mills/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/duncan-hines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dannon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-egg-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-promotion-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sara-lee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kraft/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-meat-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hersheys/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3113	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-science-versus-corporate-interests/	Dietary Guidelines: Science Versus Corporate Interests	Commentators on the USDA dietary guidelines committee recommendations note that there is “no discussion at all, of the scientific research on the health consequences of eating meat. If the Committee actually discussed this research, it would be unable to justify its recommendation to eat meat, as the research would show that meat increases the risks of chronic diseases, contrary to the purposes of the Guidelines. Thus, by simply ignoring that research, the Committee is able to reach a conclusion that would otherwise look improper.”We know that “A plant-based diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and no meat reversed heart disease, completely prevented deaths from heart disease, and slowed the progression of cancer, and an almost identical diet is promoted by the World Cancer Research Fund to prevent cancer, as based on the largest review of scientific studies to date.”The best summary of the dietary guidelines that I’ve found comes not from Greece, which I talked about, not from Harvard, but from a cartoonist, Jimmy Johnson: The new dietary guidelines have been released. They tell is to eat healthier…But, not so healthy as to noticeably affect any corporate profits.paraphrasing of course.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and heart disease. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!I didnt find on the source what you remarked on the video… I was hopping to print that and show it to my father who is a doctor and a very unbeliever men about the plant-based diet. :PA great place to start would be to show him the undeniable evidence between meat and mortality. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/meat-mortality/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/largest-study-ever/and then show him the undeniable evidence supporting a plant based diethttp://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/plant-based-prevention/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/repairing-dna-damage/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/research-into-reversing-aging/and then finish off with the tomato effect http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/the-tomato-effect/Search this site for more studies and information starting from volume 1 to 6 http://nutritionfacts.org/season/1/For further guidance, search the McDougall website for a whole other knowledge base on other topics as well, such as protein needs and requirements and fat needs and etc. that come with a plant based diet http://www.drmcdougall.com/search.htmlThanks for catching that. I’ve added it to the sources section: US Department of Agriculture. 2011. Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. So sorry about the broken link! I fixed it so now you can click on the link above in the Sources Cited section and download it–please let me know if you dad has any follow-up questions.Hi Dr. Greger, your link for the Herman paper doesn’t work. Could you please provide a new link or at least print what the references 50 and 51 in that paper referred to? Thanks! Link fixed–thank you for pointing that out!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to MyPlate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate!the link of Herman J. 2010 is broke in all videos that I found it cited. the correct URL is http://www.fdli.org/resources/resources-order-box-detail-view/saving-u.s.-dietary-advice-from-conflicts-of-interest and better yet the actual PDF hosted by Dr. McDougall website http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2010nl/jul/sc%20herman.indd.pdf	cancer,cardiovascular disease,dietary guidelines,heart disease,meat,mortality,plant-based diets,reversing chronic disease,USDA,vegetarians,World Cancer Research Fund	The USDA Dietary Guidelines Committee stands accused of ignoring the science to justify its recommendation to eat meat.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and heart disease. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-cancer-research-fund/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3114	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-protein-preferable/	Plant Protein Preferable	The dietary recommendations of countries that rely on their health departments to formulate them rather than their agriculture departments more closely parallel the recommendations of academics such as Walter Willet, the Chair of Harvard’s nutrition department, who, in his essentials of healthy eating guide talks about picking the best “protein packages, recognizing that food is a package deal and so one of his top 3 recommendations is we should emphasize plant sources of protein rather than animal sources.See, to the metabolic systems engaged in protein production and repair, it doesn't matter whether amino acids come from animal or plant protein. However, protein is not consumed in isolation. Instead, it is packaged with a host of other nutrients. The "baggage" that I refer to in previous videos. The quality and amount of fats, carbohydrates, sodium, and other nutrients in the ‘‘protein package’’ may influence long-term health. For example, results from the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study suggest that eating more protein from beans, nuts, seeds, and the like—while cutting back on refined carbohydrates like white flour—reduces the risk of heart disease.So the bottom line… Go with plants. Eating a plant-based diet is healthiest.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and heart disease. If you’re worried about the gassiness of beans, check out my blogpost Clearing the Air. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!So doc, can you direct me to any of your videos that rate the top protein rich veggies? You are changing lives – mine and my kids, especially! Thank you.Hello Cocowillie,When I tell people I don’t eat animal products the first thing i hear is “where do you get your protein?”. It is in fact, a myth, that plant foods are not complete proteins and in reality, all fruits and vegetables contain complete proteins so there is no need to compliment 2 foods for a full amino acid profile. If you eat when your hungry, energy expenditures satisfy protein intake. The American Dietetic Association acknowledges this fact as well “Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal” http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdf Plant foods such as spinach contain more of a percentage of protein than beef. For example, spinach is 51% protein and mushrooms are 35% while beef is 36% protein.Furthermore, Regarding our actual requirements for protein. For the average human being, male or female, the minimum has been set to 20 grams per day. This is according to Dr. William Rose of the University of Illinois back in 1942. Dr. John McDougall states that our body only uses about 10 grams of protein per day since we don’t actually store protein but use it as our body needs http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/031200puprotein.htm The World Health Organization states “adequate levels of protein intake are recommended to be 0.45 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight per day”. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/WHO_TRS_935_eng.pdf For me weighing at 150 pounds, that comes out to about 30 grams of protein per day. Note that the World Health Organization states this as a “safe” level, meaning it is not a minimum. Bottom line is, our body doesn’t need a large amount of protein, and since all plant foods contain more than adequate protein quality and levels, to focus on eating a “protein” is not necessary. If you eat when your hungry and till your full on a plant based diet, you are getting MORE than enough protein. If anything, in today’s society we should be worried about getting too much protein since too much protein gets broken down to uric acid and strains our kidneys. Let me know if you have any other questions, such as omega 3 requirements or any other question of the sorts.On another topic, check out this video on cancer prevention using whole plant foods! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/plant-based-prevention/This whole “complete protein” business is confusing. Yes, all plant foods contain all essential amino acids. But most are not in the perfect proportion necessary for us to build our own human protein. In my experience, the two amino acids to watch are lysine and methionine. They are usually the limiting amino acids. Whole grains are usually low in lysine, legumes are usually low in methionine. Plus, there are a few nonessential amino acids that are not present in plant foods, so in that sense plant protein is indeed incomplete. In my experience 2000 calories of plant foods supplies 63-73 g of protein. Not bad.Grains and legumes together supply a complete protein. It used to be believed that you had to eat them at the same time in order to get the complete benefit, but that has been proven false. As long as you eat a diet of grains and legumes, your body will get all of the proteins that it needs. Non essential proteins are not needed in the diet, hence being called “non essential.”When eating a plant-based diet, it’s difficult to become protein deficient unless you’re consuming nothing but fruits and junk food. I did a detailed breakdown of all the essential amino acids in some plant foods using the WHO’s recommended daily intakes. Find the results on my blog, here: http://debunkingnutrition.blogspot.ca/2013/09/are-plant-proteins-complete-proteins.html“Yes, all plant foods contain all essential amino acids” That’s false.The term “complete protein” refers to amino acids, the building blocks of protein. There are 22 different amino acids that can form a protein, and nine that the body can’t produce on its own. These are called essential amino acids—we need to eat them because we can’t make them ourselves. In order to be considered “complete,” a protein must contain all nine of these essential amino acids in roughly equal amounts.baggman744: I was with you until you said “in roughly equal amounts.” I don’t know why you would think we need them in equal amounts? What we need is the 9 amino acids in the amounts that our bodies need.The following page shows both how much of each amino acid humans need AND what amounts are in whole plant foods. As shown, plant foods have us covered when it comes to protein. “Vegetables have plenty of protein, and they’re complete proteins as well” http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlA quote that is to the point: “So when we compare the actual requirements to what plant foods actually contain, we find that basic plant foods aren’t incomplete at all. They have every essential amino acid, in excess of what we need. It might not surprise you that beans are a complete protein by themselves, but even carrots are a complete protein. Tomatoes are a complete protein. Celery is a complete protein. Even iceberg lettuce is a complete protein.”I probably read the “equal” amounts part somewhere; but thanks for the link, I’ll read it. My best guess was a bodybuilder site, as they/we tend to believe more is better, as in extra amino acids won’t hurt, but not enough could impede performance, etc. I’m constantly adjusting my diet, as I have a propensity to lose muscle weight when I don’t pay attention. So I’m always looking for calorie dense foods.baggman744: re: always looking for calorie dense foods. I wish I was in that boat. :-)On the topic of body building, I thought I would mention that the link I gave you above has a section on body builders/building muscle. Also, you may know all of the info below already, but just in case you would find it helpful (websites and books to get ideas or inspiration), I thought I would share these bits:(article from meatout mondays) Vegan Bodybuilders Dominate Texas CompetitionThe Plant Built (PlantBuilt.com) team rolled into this year’s drug-free, steroid-free Naturally Fit Super Show competition in Austin, TX, and walked away with more trophies than even they could carry.The Plant Built team of 15 vegan bodybuilders competed in seven divisions, taking first place in all but two. They also took several 2nd and 3rd place wins.For More Info: http://www.plantbuilt.com/——————— When Robert Cheeke started VeganBodybuilding.com in 2002, being the only vegan athlete he knew of, he may not have imagined that the website would quickly grow to have thousands of members. Robert says, “We’re discovering new vegan athletes all the time, from professional and elite levels… to weekend warriors and everyone in between.”For More Info: http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/ —————– There was that other guy who just did a world record in weight lifting. “Congratulations to Strongman Patrik Baboumian who yesterday took a ten metre walk carrying more than half a tonne on his shoulders, more than anyone has ever done before. After smashing the world record the Strongman let out a roar of ‘Vegan Power’…” For more info: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/vegan-strongman-patrik-babaoumain-breaks-world-record/ another article on the same guy: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/09/08/vegan_strongman_shoulders_550_kg_a_record_perhaps_at_vegetarian_food_fest.html —————– Here’s another site that I like: http://www.greatveganathletes.com/I found this story on the above site: “Pat Reeves has set a new world powerlifting record at the WDFPA World Single Lift Championships. The 66 year old lifter, who has been vegan for 46 years, lifted 94 kg to set a record for the under 50.5kg weight class while competing in France in June 2012. The lift was more than 1.85 times her bodyweight, which is exceptional for her division. Pat is now officially the oldest competing weightlifter in Europe.”————————- Story of Mac Denzig, winner of season six of The Ultimate Fighter http://www.ufc.com/news/Mac-Danzig-Diet-The-Truth-About-Vegan————————– Book: Vegan Bodybuilding And Fitness by Robert Cheeke http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Bodybuilding-Fitness-Robert-Cheeke/dp/0984391606/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396982744&sr=1-1&keywords=vegan+bodybuilding————————– For those who want a more thorough dietary guide, I suggest Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier. His book is exclusively about vegan sports nutrition and contains a variety of great tasting recipes along with a 12-week daily meal plan. (from someone on Amazon)More about Thrive: Thrive Energy Cookbook Created by two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion, Brendan Brazier, Thrive Energy Cookbook dives into Brendan’s philosophy on plant-based nutrition, showcasing 150 easy, health-enhancing recipes.An expert on how diet affects performance and how not to waste energy, Brazier explores how foods in their natural state maximizes energy and health, lowers body fat, improves sleep, and peaks conditioning and physical performance.Thrive Energy Cookbook includes the use of leafy greens, hemp seeds, quinoa, brown rice, and nuts as staples in an alkaline-forming, plant protein-packed diet regime.In addition to being a best selling author, Brendan Brazier is a former professional Ironman triathlete. He is the creator of the ZoN Thrive Fitness Program and the award winning, plant-based VEGA product line.—————– (from Meetout Mondays) Plant-Powered Athlete: Griff Whalen [NFL Player] His teammates say he has the most enviable body on the team. They say he consumes an average of 6,000 calories and 200 grams of protein a day. They also say, he does it all by eating plants!In a recent interview on IndyStar.com, Indianapolis Colts’ wide receiver Griff Whalen, talks about his vegan ways.“I feel a lot lighter, faster, quicker on the field. There isn’t that heavy feeling, that groggy feeling after I eat,” says Whalen.Hooray for another plant-powered athlete for us to cheer on. w00t! w00t!Read the full article on : org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=X9u7eAG%2FDmVet3kwZgrmHD5TipkEhWa4 **************** Check out fighter Mac Danzig: http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Mac-Danzig-3396 http://www.mikemahler.com/online-library/articles/mma-training/ufc-fighter-mac-danzig-vegan-diet.htmlWow, thank you kindly for taking the time to pass on all this info!! I assure you, it is very much appreciated. Guess I owe you a veggie smoothie ;-)“Plant foods such as spinach contain more of a percentage of protein than beef. For example, spinach is 51% protein and mushrooms are 35% while beef is 36% protein.”OK, help me with this one. My understanding is that 51% of calories in spinach come from protein, but spinach is actually less than 10% protein. Is this accurate? If so, then isn’t it misleading to present spinach as being 51% protein? It just sets us up to be exposed as frauds.Perhaps the measurements in your quote are by dry weight.One is percent of calories, the other is percent by weight.if not a percentage of weight, it could be percentage of volume…like 1 cup of spinach contains…etc. So you have percent of calories, percent of weight, or percent of volume–it all depends what is being measured.Since there are alot of ways to measure you might look at the actual data. A website I find useful is Cronometer.com.Thanks Doc. There is a daily argument in our house about the amount of almond and soy milk I drink. I do not drink cow’s milk unless I run out of the other stuff. Any concerns about the amount of almond or soy?Keep up the good fight!Hello again Cocowillie,I am actually not a doctor, just someone who researches nutrition obsessively and tries to stay informed!To answer your question, almond milk is fine, but be weary of soy milk if you plan on drinking it with fruits or veggies. Check out this video for details.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/soymilk-suppression/Also, soymilk, specifically for young girls is another thing to be cautious of. check out this video for details. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/All in all, I would say almond milk is the safest choice of the 2.So you’re saying drinking soy milk with fruits, blocks the absorption of phytonutrients from fruits? I’ve been loading my oatmeal (with soy milk) with fruits, in the hope that I could absorb the most of the powerful nutrients. Should I eat fruits separately?The second video also suggests that soy milk may promote health and reduce the risk for future breast cancer by delaying pubertal breast development.I often wonder, with so much soy being genetically engineered to be herbicide resistant and sell more health damaging chemicals in the world, if the studies are really promoting better health, or the earning potential to Monsanto, Dow, and other biotech-pesticide companies? I ingest soy products sparingly, especially after consuming 1/2 cup of organic soy milk, and having my first severe case of either indigestion or acid reflux. Don’t know what it was, but I really felt ill. And it happened just days apart on two different “milks”, one made from organic soy (by a company that regularly samples and tests its product for GMO’s), and the other from a non organic quinoa milk producer. Other containers bought earlier from both companies showed no adverse side effects but I’m now looking for another calcium-magnesium source to add to my oatmeal in the morning. Life would be so much easier if we had mandatory labeling and the right to know in North America if the foods we buy or ingest are made from GMO’s. (Both products claimed they were free of GMO’s), but they still could be contaminated from pollen or drift from Roundup, one of the most prolific pesticides in the air, soils, and waters, including rainwater in the USA. And side effects of ingesting glyphosate also appear a lot like GERD.The national Sunday paper here has run a three week series on the benefits of the Dukan diet. http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/collections/all+about+the+dukan+diet,207 (eeek!) Do you have any studies that show just how harmful this type of diet can be?This is sickening to me “The Dukan Diet starts with a short, sharp Attack phase where you eat nothing but protein – just meat, fish, eggs and (unlike Atkins) no-fat or low-fat dairy products. This is the kick-start that gives you the initial, rapid weight loss (up to three kilograms in just five days), and sets the tone for the other stages of the plan. Stay on the Attack phase for one to 10 days depending on how much weight you have to lose.The problem here is that they are not shedding fat weight but water weight. This is from Dr. McDougall, a plant based advocate “The initial weight loss is rapid, and therefore very rewarding, for the desperate dieter. Most of this loss, however, is water loss, rather than fat loss. With little carbohydrate in the diet the body resorts to using its glycogen stores of glucose. Glycogen, stored in the liver and muscles, can meet the average person’s glucose needs for about 12 to 18 hours. With each gram of glycogen is stored 2.7 grams of water. The average body stores 300 grams of glycogen. Depletion of the body’s glycogen would result in an almost overnight weight loss of 1110 grams (37 ounces or over 3 pounds). The ketones also cause a strong diuretic effect on the kidneys, resulting in losses of large amounts of fluid. The carbohydrate ceiling for weight loss may be as low as 15 grams, depending on the individual. This is only 60 calories of carbohydrate, which means 1/3 of a baked potato, 1/3 cup of rice, or one orange daily could be your limit of carbohydrate intake in order to remain in sufficient ketosis to suppress your appetite.” Read the article Dr. McDougall posted and you will see it elaborates on why the high protein diet is so harmful. Link below http://www.drmcdougall.com/res_high_protein_diets.htmlI feel sorry for people’s bodies if they are on the dukan diet.Logic is clearly out the window when it comes to weight loss diet desperation.I did the high protein diet we called Atkins in the 70s. Lost weight really fast, but knew nothing of Ketosis then. I was young and failed to stay on it. Because most people can’t maintain it, they/we don’t cause ourselves irreparable harm. Many of the ‘sudden onset kidney failures later in life, I read, can be traced to a high protein diet over a life time. There is often no warning. I really don’t want to take that chance….It’s a no for me!The Dukan Diet appears to be like the European version of the Atkins Diet. The UK National Health Service just highlighted that the Dukan Diet is the fad diet to avoid this holiday season, citing the British Dietetic Association’s conclusion that it is “ineffective and without scientific basis.” I wrote a whole book about these these types of diets, Carbophobia: The Scary Truth Behind America’s Low Carb Craze, available free, full-text at AtkinsExposed.org.Thanks Dr. Greger for the link!Always great to have references like this, thank you.I’ve been hearing more and more about the fact that legumes and grains have lectins and saponins in them, and that they are anti-nutritive or harmful (mostly hearing this from the paleo diet crowd).I was wondering if you could shed some light on what the current understanding is on that topic, or if you could point me in the direction of where I could learn more. Thanks!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to MyPlate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate!Dr GIf you were forced against the wall with an assailant armed with a chicken drumstick and he demanded an answer to the following question, what would you say? The (difficult) question is “About how many chemicals / chemical compounds does the average person consume in his diet daily?” I’m trying to gain information to strengthen my suggestions to friends to investigate plant-based diets as an alternative remedy to healing ills. Thanks for all I’ve learned from your articles in the past.It depends what that person is eating. Fish is the most contaminated and I would place poultry at second most contaminated.Contamination is only one issue, as endotoxins, high intake of arachadonic acid, saturated fat, cholesterol, and increased IGF-1 are all significant issues with chicken as well. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=endotoxemia http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/ http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=igf-1In a first aid class we were told high fever is deadly mostly because of protein in the blood becoming denatured. Is there any research indicating different temperatures for animal or plant protein for this to happen? Maybe this is irrelevant, just wondering :)> The World Health Organization states “adequate levels of protein intake are recommended to be 0.45 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight per day”.Actually, the recommendation of the WHO is:“0.83 g/kg per day of protein with a protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score value of 1.0.”referenced in the document you pointed to, but didn’t actually read:http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/WHO_TRS_935_eng.pdfThis recommendation gives and adequate intake for 97.5% of the population (median 0.66 plus 2 standard deviations of about 0.09 each).doc can i hve some facts abt plant proteinsPlant base is the way to go. I have saved so much money n lost weight.Celebrate your Independence from the Standard American Diet (SAD) by enjoying this health-filled chili.Make Your Own Fireworks Red, White, and Blue Chili– 1 cup dried kidney beans – 1 cup dried navy beans – 1 cup dried black beans – 6 cups water – 1 white onion, chopped – 1 green bell pepper – 1 cup white stuffing mushrooms, sliced – 1 apple, chopped – ½ jar strained tomatoes – ½ jar salsa – 1 cup water – 2 tbsp chili powder – 1 tbsp cilantro – 1 tsp marjoram – 1 tsp oregano – 1 tsp basil – ¼ tsp chipotle chili powder – 3 cloves garlic, minced – 3 garlic scapes, chopped – 3 green onions, chopped – Black pepper and sea saltIn a large pot, cook dried beans in 6 cups water until tender, about 1 ½ hours. Strain excess water. Mince garlic and set aside. In a dry, uncovered skillet, cook white onion, mushrooms, green pepper, and apple until tender. Add to beans with remainder of ingredients. Stir to combine, heat thoroughly and let sit for 10 minutes.Bookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline~Complements of lovestobeveganYou are so awesome for posting recipes–thank you!Thank you so much for the kind words Dr. Greger and sincere gratitude for all you do.Hello Dr. Greger First of all I recently became vegan because of you. My youtube recommended one of your lecture video over a month go and I’ve been learning and researching non-stop ever since. So I was wondering about Legumes and inflammation in the body. There was a post I read about how legumes cause inflammation in the body (it was a paleo blog..I figured I should educate myself on all sides) Have you in come across any findings or research that would indicate anything at all like this? Thank you, CarolineI’m so glad you find my work useful. If you check out this study for example, you’ll see that legumes appear to be anti-inflammatory: http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=22190025I wonder, what plant sources of fat-soluble vitamins A, D and K2 (for bone health) could you recommend? Some people are not able to convert plant-based beta-carotene to real vitamin A.Dear Doc…you are the BEST of all the rest…that is all! Great stuff here…love my lentils…and black beans too!Thank you Dr.Greger – can you please talk about FODMAP and veganism? My GI suggested I go with this “diet” to see if it will reduce my symptoms of IBS. But on the list of things to avoid are beans. As a vegan who is also allergic to nuts, I’m a bit at a loss. Help! http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1440-1746.2009.06149.x/fullYou might find another approach to more acceptable. The McDougall Diet for the Desperate see his website for the article he wrote in his December 2002 newsletter. If going on a whole food based processed oil free diet with adequate B12 intake doesn’t result in improvement it is a good alternative. He explains a somewhat less restrictive approach as well. You have to be very careful of any processed foods and I would definitely avoid GMO products especially corn and soy. Depending on your symptoms he has also written articles relating to diarrheal disorders(November 2002) and constipation(September 2002). Keep working with your physician(s) and hopefully you will be able to find relief even if you never identify the underlying disorder.But be carefull … most brown rice proteins contain hetals you don’t want in your system so choose for organic non hexan extracted sprouded brown rice protein. I use a nutrient dense superfood vegan protein meal powder that contains all 9 amino accids and chlorella spirulina maca mangosteen acai and 15 more in one blend only to stay healthy and fit .Peter, would you mind sharing which vegan powder you use that doesn’t pose a concern for heavy metal content? I cannot seem to find one and I am growing frustrated. Thank you for your time!!Hi Angelene i send you a message by facebookWish you the best day everPeter Langelaar Instagram @MrchocobeanThe protein i use is fed with revered osmosis water and contains max 10ppm on these metals ,but if you take regular protein from brown rice that is watered with normal water you will get more toxins from the water in your protein ( chemicals pesticides pharma products etc etc ) the rice is working as a spounge.This is mainly my dietary guideline: I count plant protein. It’s simple and easy. You don’t have to think about other factors seeing as plant protein comes with vitamins, phytochemicals, minerals and are not associated with cholesterol, saturated fat, etc.good day Dr Greger. I apologise for a slightly lengthy post and if this question has been asked before. I recently contacted a dietician that helped me lose weight as a teenager to ask her to assist me with creating a vegan diet. She is well respected and helped me drop weight quite easily when I was young. Her exact response was as follows “My experience with weight loss programmes on a vegan diet is not good at all. In fact I have so far persuaded every vegan to eat at the very least cheese for the time they want to spend on the weight loss regime. A vegan diet is always high in Carbohydrate and low in good quality protein. Protein stimulates metabolic rate. I anticipate your metabolic rate to be very low because of your weight. Fat has a very low metabolic rate! If you want to go the vegan way I am afraid I will not be able to help you. It would just be a waste of time and money, or result in a very unbalanced diet, which I am not prepared to work out for you. Please also consider that children need a high, good quality protein (animal origin preferably) diet in order to grow up into healthy adults. Children need to build masses of muscle for which protein is needed! Please discuss this with your paediatrician.” So my question is… is it easier to lose weight on a non-plant based diet due to the specific meat protein composition? Or is there a clever way to combine plant proteins to be as, or even more effective than meat proteins? Totally confused…. Michelletaikozfan: From her own words, your previous dietician is not up to date on even basic nutrition information. A great deal of what was written to you is simply wrong, including her understanding or expression of what children need. Because of that, I think you are better off without her/him. Rather than explain all the ways that she is wrong, I’ll stick to the positive. The good news is that there are great resources for helping you lose weight in the most healthy and safe way possible – the whole plant food way.Because your questions are specifically about protein, I’ll start by giving you my favorite protein reference information. If you work your way through these articles, you will be greatly relieved concerning your protein worries. For the first link, there is a section on the page that talks about the myth of the need to worry about protein combining. But I recommend going through the whole article. http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlThen, to fill in more details, check out Dr. McDougall’s article from December 2003. http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ You might also check out the January 2004 newsletter article, Protein Overload.Next are some resources that provide the conceptual information you need in order to know how to lose weight. The first is a free lecture on You Tube from Doug Lisle, Ph.D. called, How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQWhile you have to purchase it, I also *highly* recommend that you watch the talk from Jeff Novick called Calorie Density: How to eat more, weigh less, and live longer. http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Density-More-Weigh-Less/dp/B003ASP6JE/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_0_main?ie=UTF8&qid=1412277323&sr=8-1&keywords=calorie+density+jeff+novickNow on to some practical resources that will help you put the above conceptual information into practice.>>>> Check out Jeff Novick’s other videos, including the Fast Food series for a tasty, affordable and fast recipes. Also, on-line and free is a YouTube series of recipes/cooking shows called something like Chef AJ and The Dietician. I know that Chef AJ will not steer you wrong in terms of weight loss and providing accurate nutrition information.>>>> Check out the free 21 Day Kickstart program from PCRM. They hold your hand through 3 weeks of eating. Even if you didn’t want to stick to the entire program day by day, the recipes and active support and question forum could be really helpful.>>>> You might also consider getting some cookbooks which promote low-fat whole plant food based eating. Chef Del lost 200 pounds eating the food he shows in his latest cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Vegan-Favorite-Plant-Based/dp/1939529425/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412277641&sr=1-1&keywords=chef+dels+better+than+veganAnother favorite of mine is: Happy Herbivore, Light And Lean http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Herbivore-Light-Lean-Low-Calorie/dp/1937856976/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412277724&sr=1-1&keywords=happy+herbivore+light+and+leanI have plenty more cookbook suggestions, but I’m worried I’ve already overwhelmed you. So, I’ll stop here. One thing to keep in mind on the cookbook suggestions, there are many to choose from and lots of recipe options. If you don’t like the first ones you try, keep looking.Finally, I recommend taking a look at Dr. Greger’s Nutrition Recommendations so you don’t miss some important vitamins like B12. (And so that you don’t end up buying more supplements than you really need.) http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/taikozfan, you CAN do this! Please review the references above and post back to let us know how you are doing or if you have any more questions. I hope this helps.taikozfan: One more bit I realized I should have included:Here is part of an answer that Dr. Forrester gave to someone else in a similar situation that I thought might help you:“Dr. McDougall’s website is a valuable resource especially his newsletter article, The Fat Vegan, which was published in his December 2008 newsletter. You might also watch Dr. McDougall’s free online lecture, The Starch Solution, which goes along way to freeing folks from their misunderstanding about carbohydrates. His website also comes with many recipes from the unsung heroine of the McDougall team… his wife Mary. You can reasonably expect to lose 1/2 to 2# per week depending on your diet’s calorie density and exercise. … Truth in advertising… I have the pleasure of working with Dr. McDougall, Jeff Novick and Doug Lisle but honestly after 35 years as a Family Medicine doctor the science is in and just keeps reinforcing the best path. Good luck.”Hi Thea, Thank you very much for your detailed response. I appreciate all the time you put into sharing the best information with me. I think you are right. This dietician does not mirror the information that I am learning about and you are right – I don’t feel like trying to ‘convert’ or argue my point of view either. I know she means well. My biggest fear is that I will not be able to do this on my own. I have previously followed a raw food diet ( for 1.5 years) several years ago and about a year ago I competed a juice fast (6 weeks) but it always seems to plateaux after about a 10 kg/ 20 pound weight loss. I never seem to lose enough weight to motivate me not to give up. ( Yes, I know I am responsible or my own health.) I have looked into coaching from the Eat to Live ( Dr Fuhrman) site but $1000 for 3 months! It includes an online assessment from a coach, (30 mins) and then a coaching call (weekly for 20 mins). What can you cover in 20 mins? Unfortunately it is definitely too much for me to afford right now. I joined the Eat to Live membership site where they have a member’s forum but I don’t think the forum works for me. I end up making posts where few respond. It seems to me that the membership is not ideal for me. I will definitely investigate the links you have posted. Thanks again. MichelleMichelle: Thank you for your nice reply.Based on what you wrote, I think your best bet in terms of action to take would be the 21 Day Kickstart program. If you need/want a structured program, the 21 Day Kickstart program works great: and it is completely free. And they do have the helpful forum. I took the liberty of looking up the webpage for you to sign up. http://support.pcrm.org/site/PageServer?pagename=21day_vegan_kickstart&JServSessionIda003=upegog3qg1.app234cThey start a new program at the beginning of every month. So, you missed October. But it would be great to sign up now. Then you will have plenty of time to prepare. For example, when I did it, they sent out a grocery list early on. So, you don’t want to wait until November 1 to signup. You would want ot sign up now. If interested: You can start looking into it sooner by getting (maybe from your library?) the 21 Day Kickstart book. (If you feel that waiting until November 1 is too long.)http://www.amazon.com/21-Day-Weight-Loss-Kickstart-Dramatically/dp/0446583820/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412545227&sr=1-1&keywords=21+day+kickstartAnd of course, you can watch that video from Dr. Lisle now. I highly recommend that no matter what.Let us know how it goes!hi. this is sort of a long question. it is about sources of protein. i am a 50 year old male, 188 cm and about 70 kg. slim but not skinny. more than average level of activity and get about 2400 calories per day for stable weight. i do have a problem with gaining muscle mass – it is slow and hard to keep. years ago i found that when i increased my protein intake i ‘ felt better ‘. i do have a history of borderline ( non iron deficient ) anemia. generally i settled for carbs 55%, fat 25%, and protein 20% of caloric intake. so this amounts to about 120 gm of protein a day. fine. over the years i have moved to a more vegan diet but am not quite there yet. right now on a regular day the diet gives me about 20% of my protein from animal sources – dairy yogourt and cheese, the only animal flesh is about once or twice a week some herbavoric fish ( mostly sardines ). very rarely any other animal flesh, and some eggs from the occasional egg noodles or egg bread. i do eat some processed junk food, and do use t.v.p. and soy flour for a protein boost. i love beans, whole grain wheat breads, fruits and greens and veggies. so the question is how do i get rid of the animal protein from my diet? i find that the ratio of fibre to protein in a vegan diet a bit ‘taxing’ and voluminous. and i am concerned about too much soy protein in the diet. i seem to be ok with gluten, but it must be cooked, adding raw gluten to my breakfast cereal mix does not seem to be a good idea. any suggestions?Hi there!I remember when I first started on my plant-based journey and was very concerned about my protein intake. Prior to being vegan/Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) I was a chicken breast guzzling, 6 day a week in the gym guy obsessed with building muscle. I now feel great and build muscle without even worrying about my protein intake. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the grams, percentages and cm’s that we lose sight of the quality of our food. I’m not saying this is you, I am just sharing from personal experience.I think it is great you are taking steps in a more vegan direction. My journey was step by step. I began a vegetarian that still consumed dairy, fish and eggs. Then, I only consumed eggs and dairy, then dairy, and eventually I was a full vegan. I would say this process took me about 4 years because I had to feel comfortable with the food I was eating and how I was preparing it. This site is one of my favorites for some great plant-based recipes. You can also check out Forks Over Knives for some great recipes as well. While on the subject of cooking, I wouldn’t be too concerned with soy as long as you are sticking to 3-5 servings a day.Since I am not sure what your workout routine looks like exactly I cannot estimate the rate in which you would gain lean muscle mass. Just remember that when you workout you are actually destroying muscle fiber in order build it back bigger and stronger when you recover. I know plant-based foods can be filling due to their fiber, but this natural pairing creates a wonderful synergistic health effect in order to rid your body of toxins that were produced during the workout while at the same time building your muscle better than it was before. I highly recommend this article on where vegetarians get their protein from. it gives great insight on how much protein we actually need. I will also point out that on occasion I use an organic plant-based protein powder when I am in a hurry, but I mainly add whole foods to my meals, like hemp seeds to my oat meal and smoothies, to give a little more nutrient density.I wish you health and happiness my friend. I hope this information helps! :-)James: Really great post! It was nice of you to spend so much time sharing both your story and giving ideas for healthy eating. I also like the websites you listed for recipe ideas.I wanted to share with both you and ptrjnf my favorite sources for understanding protein needs. After working my way through these two articles, I had such a better understanding of how to get protein needs covered. It takes away all the fear and myths regarding protein: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.html http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/archives/ (check out December 2003 for McDougall’s site, “A Brief History of Protein: Passion, Social Bigotry, Rats, and Enlightenment”. Also April 2007, “When Friends Ask: Where do you get your protein?”)That information combined with personal experiences like James’ can be a great help to people like ptrjnf trying to transition.Hello, I came across this website that claims that chocho, an ecuadorian legume, has higher protein content than soy and doesn´t contain phytoestrogens! Is this true? I´ve done some research and just found a couple of articles that say the same thing. http://chocho.planeta.ec/Kenny: I don’t know if it is true or not, but let’s suppose for a minute that both points are true: 1) chocho has more protein than soy, 2) choco does not have phytoestrogens. Neither point makes chocho a better choice than soy.In other words, we don’t need more protein than we get from normal everyday plants that we already consume. This website explains why if you are interested: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlAnd we don’t need to avoid phytoestrogens. In fact, phytoestrogens appear to be good for us on a variety of fronts (including breast cancer patients). http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=phytoestrogens	animal protein,beans,cardiovascular disease,dietary guidelines,Dr. Walter Willett,fat,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,heart disease,legumes,nuts,plant protein,plant-based diets,protein,seeds,sodium	Since foods are a package deal, Dr. Walter Willet, the Chair of Harvard's nutrition department, recommends we emphasize plant sources of protein rather than animal sources.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and heart disease. If you're worried about the gassiness of beans, check out my blogpost Clearing the Air. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/28/what-is-the-healthiest-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/13/cholesterol-lowering-in-a-nut-shell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-walter-willett/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20974411,
PLAIN-3115	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-its-all-greek-to-the-usda/	Dietary Guidelines: It's All Greek to the USDA	When it comes to formulating dietary recommendations, what happens when there's a conflict between science and commercial interests. When the science says eat less animal fat, cholesterol, salt, and sugar, but the meat, dairy, eggs, salt and sugar industries strongly protest any advice to consume less of their produce."This puts the USDA in a tough position: if it follows the science, it would violate its duty to promote the agricultural industry; if it protects the industry, it would violate its duty to issue science-based dietary advice," not to mention contributing to the deaths of millions of Americans.And USDA has sometimes responded to this conflict by choosing industry over science.Here's an idea: why not have a health agency give health advice?Why is the agriculture department the lead agency on formulating dietary recommendations? why not the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? Just as many other nations do, the United States could put an appropriate health agency in charge of dietary advice.”What about countries that actually do have health professionals in charge? What are their recommendations like? Take the Dietary guidelines in Greece. I’m not saying they’re not without bias, but at least they were put together by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, what a concept.This is what our guidelines could say: Prefer fruits and nuts as snacks, instead of sweets and candy bars—radical! Always prefer water over soft drinks. The USDA could never could never get away with something like that.Here’s their pyramid. First thing I noticed. Non-refined grains. No pussy footing around. Whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, brown rice, whole grains, period. And these guidelines were released back in 1999, when U.S. guidelines didn’t make any distinction at all between whole and refined grains at all. And our guidelines still condone half of grain intake as refined grains. Why? There’s no science to support that; it’s just a big gift to the processed and junk food industry.What else? Avoid salt. Good strong message; replace with herbs. Nice. Nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day—including wild greens. I'm impressed.Probably the most important thing about these guidelines is that the daily diet is vegetarian. A few times a week, if you want, according to the guidelines, you can have white meat and at most 3 days a week eggs or candy. And the rest of meat is monthly. One serving a week—that’s 25 times less, than what the current USDA guidelines allow.And of course, obligatory woman in a bathing suit, because of course that what women wear when they go jogging.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and industry influence. And be sure not to miss last Monday’s blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of illegally deceptive claims. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!What shower filter(s) do you recommend (I am based in NYC and, like other US cities, the water supply has excessive chlorine, bromine, and fluorine). Or, what shower filters are recommended by other reputable, unbiased sources?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to MyPlate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate!Dr. G, is it Time to make a video straight up on the Med Diet in view of the new study reported in NYT http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/health/mediterranean-diet-can-cut-heart-disease-study-finds.html?smid=fb-share?I loved this post!!! When I was in college for a standard nutrition degree, it was so very difficult to answer test questions on the subject of our dietary guidelines. I was constantly feeling like I was answering in a unethical manner. Our system is incredibly wrong and it saddens me. I hope and pray it changes! Websites like this one gives me great hope!!! Thanks Dr. McGregor!!	animal fat,candy,CDC,cholesterol,dairy,dietary guidelines,eggs,fruit,Greece,greens,herbs,industry influence,meat,Mediterranean diet,nuts,salt,soda,sugar,USDA,vegetables,vegetarians,water	Unlike the United States, where the agriculture department is the lead agency on formulating dietary recommendations, other countries such as Greece rely on their health department. What do their dietary guidelines look like?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and industry influence. And be sure not to miss last Monday's blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of illegally deceptive claims. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greece/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3116	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-from-dairies-to-berries/	Dietary Guidelines: From Dairies to Berries	Why do we care what the federal dietary guidelines say? Well, the Guidelines do ”direct how billions of dollars are spent in programs like the School Lunch Program, Breakfast Program, Food Stamps and WIC.” More importantly though, is their potential to turn this country’s health around.After World War 2, Finland joined us in packing on the meat, eggs, and dairy. By the 1970’s, the mortality rate from heart disease of Finnish men was the highest in the world. They didn’t want to die, so they got serious. Heart disease is caused by high cholesterol, high cholesterol is caused by high saturated fat intake, so the main focus of the strategy was to reduce the high saturated fat intake. So that means cheese and chicken, cake and pork. So, a berry project was launched to help dairy farmers make a switch to berry farming. Whatever it tool And indeed, many farmers did switch from dairies to berries. They pitted villages against each other in friendly cholesterol-lowering competitions to see who could do best.So how’d they do? On a population scale, even if mortality rates drop 5% you could still save thousands of lives. But remarkable changes took place…An 80% drop in cardiac mortality across the entire country. “With greatly reduced cardiovascular and cancer mortality the all cause mortality has reduced about 45%, leading to greater life expectancy: approximately 7 years for men and 6 years for women.” That's what real dietary guidance can do.Now vying for the world record heart disease diease, the United States of America.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and heart health. And be sure not to miss Monday’s blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of illegally deceptive claims. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!It would be helpful (although perhaps too time consuming?) if the Sources Cited section included the URL for each website featured in the associated nutritionfacts.org video. For example, after a bit of Googling, I discovered that “Table 3. Top Food Sources of Cholesterol Raising Fat among US Population, 2005-2006 NHANES” was part of the following:Sources of Saturated Fat, Stearic Acid, & Cholesterol Raising Fat among the US Population, 2005–06. Risk Factor Monitoring and Methods Branch Web site. Applied Research Program. National Cancer Institute. http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/sat_fat/. Updated December 21, 2010. Accessed November 1, 2011.Google turned up another goodie that looks very interesting: The website for Finland’s National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) enables users to download, free of charge, a 300-page textbook on the North Karelia Project. The publication was written by Puska Pekka et al and updated in 2009: THE NORTH KARELIA PROJECT: FROM NORTH KARELIA TO NATIONAL ACTIONhttp://www.thl.fi/thl-client/pdfs/731beafd-b544-42b2-b853-baa87db6a046What a great find on the textbook Diane! I always link to the sources used in the video in the Sources Cited section, but the comments section is a great place to post related resources like that one. Thank you so much, and if you find anything else on this topic or the other 1,000 topics covered on the site please plug them in!Imagine if the United States adopted programs like this one!Incredible!Shhh–us doctors would be out of a job! :) Seriously, though, there has been tremendous resistance within the medical profession to the use of diet to prevent, treat, and reverse chronic disease. See my video The Tomato Effect for one of the reasons why.I can’t believe this! Found your site from the Forks Over Knives facebook posting and will definitely be checking back here daily. Why don’t we learn this stuff in school?I love Forks Over Knives! I was so honored to be part of one of their early DC premieres. And you’re absolutely right, Robzzz. Turns out even medical students don’t get trained on this stuff in medical school. Check out my video Do doctors make the grade? and the other half dozen videos on the medical profession. So glad you found the site!There are many reasons but most academics are doing research in other areas and most clinical faculty don’t know the studies and aren’t experienced in treating patients with a “nutrition prescription”. John McDougall has the most experience and he is involved in training medical students at his clinic. I believe in addition to medical schools nutritional information needs to be provided as a regular part of K-12 education. Of course many schools get money from deals with corporations putting dispensers in their schools and serving harmful foods in their cafeterias. Hopefully things will improve.Because vested interests do not want students to learn the truth, it means that students may be able to both think and question what they’ve been told.I’m not a teacher. But, was invited to speak before a class of Ethics at the University of Southwest Louisiana at Lafayette. I checked various references I had with the university library system to be certain that whenever I referenced an article, that the article would be available to the students. And told them, not to believe what I say, but to check the references themselves.I spoke of the heavy metals used in consumer products like fabric dyes and lipsticks, about endocrine disrupting chemicals and what they do to test animals, and mammals, including people. Some of the stuff was very scary, but made the kids think. I handed out a list of all my references to everyone in the class and told them the references were available in their university library.Some of the kids told their parents, who told the Dean, who had the professor dismissed. The parents told the legislators, who passed laws disallowing people like myself from talking to students of all ages UNLESS first cleared by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture, Wildlife and Fisheries, oil and gas industries (Office of Conservation and Department of Natural Resources), and other vested interests.I did not say anything that would point the finger at any particular industry and only said what I had read and where it was read. But vested interests did not like that information from going to students. Instead, they wanted only “approved” lies to come in contact with our ears.When I was in school, I was taught to think and question, to look up studies and see who funded them. That apparently does not stand in the USA any longer.Based on how that one teacher was treated, my daughter was directed to schools outside of the South, where she would receive a more “liberal” and open-minded education, which she did. She has no desire to ever come back here, which is fine with me. I just wish we could get out as well.There is a reason that Louisiana is a dump for the rest of the nation, why people here are fatter and sicker as a whole than people elsewhere. I blame it on the “controlled” education students are receiving –controlled by corporations!Susan: That is a truly jaw dropping story. It would be bad enough if that situation happened at *any* grade level, but to happen at a university level is tragic.That mentality is so hard to understand. I feel for you. I hope you will be able to get out at some point too. Good luck.Wow that is truly scary, yet why am I not surprised?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to MyPlate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate!Why is it never mentioned what the animals are fed? This directly impacts what type of fats are prevalent in their meat/dairy. And the fat quality, as we all know, has a direct effect on ones health. Most meat/dairy is raised on corn and soy and grain and that spells bad fat in the products from those animals and bad fat for us on our plate. If they are grass-fed the fat is very different and does not pose the heart disease and other health risks. These distinctions need to be noted more often – perhaps you can pave the way for better nutritional science? What is your evidence that because a cow is fed different food, that the inherent substances found in meat is somehow altered? Saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fats are still inherent compounds of meat. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/Endotoxins and increased IGF-1 levels are also unavoidable. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=endotoxemia Meat still causes inflammation whether it be wild game or conventional beef. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/modern-meat-not-ahead-of-the-game/The issue is not organic or conventional, but the inherent compounds found in meat that cannot be avoided by what the animal eats.Please cite peer-reviewed scientific studies that support your flawed and unresearched hypothesis. From a credibility standpoint, facts take precedence over conjecture and hyperbole.Peer-reviewed scientific studies have led us to longer, but much worse quality lives so far. I think for every scientist open mind and critical thinking is much more important than acceptance by current peers. In fact, peer reviews and critical thinking very often leads to conflict of interests which,in turn, leads to calling some doctors – quacks.Good points Lisa Marie. Frankly, after all the movies and statistics (that always can be modified and control points changed in order to please or not to please) I’m still not convinced that natural, organic fat is bad for us! What nations or prehistoric societies did not eat animal fat? Our brain is nth but fat! What seems very unnatural looking through the history is eating grains. Considering that cultivating grains is pretty recent invention and all scary diseases pretty much started to appear around the same time.	berries,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,dairy,dietary guidelines,eggs,farmers,Finland,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,longevity,meat,mortality,pork,saturated fat,School Lunch Program,USDA	The success story in Finland shows that science-based dietary guidelines can save millions of lives.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and heart health. And be sure not to miss Monday's blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of illegally deceptive claims. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/22/big-food-wants-final-say-over-health-reports/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/school-lunch-program/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farmers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/finland/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12027291,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/726509,
PLAIN-3117	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-the-first-25-years/	Dietary Guidelines: The First 25 Years	The first official Dietary Guidelines for Americans were issued in 1980 and have been updated every five years since. Let’s see how they’ve evolved. Originally they recommended to “Maintain an ideal weight.” They soon realized that was a bit of an overreach, so they switched it to, OK, at least. “Maintain a desirable weight.” As Americans got fatter and fatter, that became fine, how about just “Maintain a healthy weight.” By the 90s they just apparently gave up and advised Americans to at least improve their weight,  or at least aim for healthy weight. And by 2005, apparently the best we can do is just try to manage it.Let's go back… Avoid too much sugar. Good for them. Started out strong. But that's avoidance language. Can’t have that. So instead, use sugar. Don't avoid sugar, use sugar, but only in moderation. But only in moderation? Anti-american. So that became choose a diet moderate in sugar, as if we should go out of our way to make sure our diet has at least a moderate amount of sugar in it—who doesn’t want to appear moderate? Then, they changed it into a verb: Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars. That sounds a little negative, and by 2005, there wasn’t any sugar specific guideline at all. They went from Avoid sugar, to eh?Basically the same thing for many of the others. “Avoid too much sodium” and ended up ““Choose and prepare foods with little salt.”Choose especially whole grains to “Choose carbohydrates wisely for good health.” That’s a guideline? The whole point of the guidelines is to give guidance. That’s like asking your mechanic what's the best way to maintain your car and them saying, "wisely."	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and industry influence. And be sure not to miss Monday’s blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of illegally deceptive claims. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Some friendly advice :-) … you might wanna nudge down the sound level of your recording device. The sound of this video and the previous ones is distorted. From what I can hear, you’re probably talking very closely to the mic. I think the sound of your recordings will improve just by leaving a distance of about 10-15 cm between your mouth and the mic. You can boost the loudness after recording with an application called a compressor or limiter.My best, LouisThank you so much for the tip Louis, I just got a “pop” filter to take care of that distortion, so future videos should sound better. Folks were noting that the volume was too low on some of the older videos so I cranked it up but looks like I overdid it!Hysterical!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to MyPlate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate!I am a Registered Dietitian and work for a child nutrition program at the state level and I have such a hard time adhering, promoting and encouraging the dietary guidelines as outlined in our programs meal pattern for the very reasons you mention in many of your videos. I feel deflated most of the time and the work this child nutrition program could be doing to help the overall healthfulness of children’s diets is a squandered golden opportunity. In the past our program has had to walk on eggshells if we promote meat alternates ( i.e. beans, nuts) in lieu of processed meats, think chicken nuggets, canned meat and cheese ravioli and corn dogs b/ c of backlash from local beef and dairy councils. Most children in childcare and school settings don’t get real cooked food but instead reheated, reconstituted, fat-laden garbage. And these are the type of Institutions that participate on the USDA funded child nutrition programs. A lot of good USDA and tax-payer money is doing. Is America’s health up for sale? Because the industries with the most money wins! Congrats, because if the food industry wins so does our profit driven medical care and of course Big Pharma.	cholesterol,dairy,dietary guidelines,eggs,industry influence,junk food,meat,obesity,salt,saturated fat,sodium,sugar,USDA,weight loss	How have the Dietary Guidelines for Americans evolved over the years since they were first issued in 1980?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and industry influence. And be sure not to miss Monday's blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of illegally deceptive claims. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3118	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-just-say-no/	Dietary Guidelines: Just Say No	The latest dietary guidelines recommend consuming less than 200 mg of cholesterol per day for individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Given that it's the number 1 cause of death in America, that's a pretty sizeable chunk of the population. But if the limit was 200 then how could people ever eat eggs? A single jumbo egg… 234. So you could eat just like celery for the whole rest of the day and still be over the limit.When the guidelines say limit cholesterol, that’s code for limit eggs and chicken, by far the two largest sources of cholesterol in the American diet.Now the egg industry argues that “the Dietary Guidelines should avoid any inference that most Americans should consume fewer eggs, an inference that would be misleading to the average consumer.” Seems to be "limit cholesterol" is what's misleading; "consume fewer eggs" would actually be pretty straight forward.Instead of "Reduce intake sugar-sweetened beverages"—what, 2 cans of coke instead of 3? How about avoid sugar-sweetened beverages. These, after all, are supposed to be dietary guidelines.In the minds of food corporations there’s no such thing as a bad food, just bad dietary patterns. "We have to get off this good food/bad food dichotomy." This coming from the Salt Institute, which represents pure salt. Instead, argues the Salt Institute president, focus on dietary patterns to “derail the biggest deception and misdirection that has been undertaken by those who would have Americans believe that a single nutrient, a single food, or even a single meat has any health consequences whatever.”In the same vein, Cadbury— yes, that Cadbury, complained that the dietary guidelines committee had the gall to recommend less frequent consumption of sugar-containing foods. See, we should recognize they say that current lifestyles in the United States are not conducive to supporting a “less frequent” consumption of these foods.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and the standard American diet. And be sure not to miss Monday’s blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of illegally deceptive claims. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Hilarious ! What is truly outrageous is that people listen to these corporations! The home economics teacher at my school told a group of students “eating eggs does not effect your cholesterol level at all, you can eat as many eggs as you want”That is appalling! Eggs are also a cause for other disease. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/I agree, too much fluffing about. Avoid fizzy drinks, there is no benefit. It’s hardly that extreme, I don’t see why guidelines bother saying limit this, limit that. For the general population, avoid. If you are underweight, ill, dying, these may help you to increase calories/pleasure [if that’s your thing]. Generally there are always much better ways to get calories than sugary drinks.That last quote by Cadbury’s made me LOL! Really LOL. They are some chancers.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to MyPlate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate!I understand that the PCRM sued the USDA for access to info. on the committee of 11 that makes dietary recommendations. I also understand that 6 of the 11 members have financial ties to companies that would benefit from the public receiving bad information. Do we have access to that document? I would like to publish info. from it in our local newspaper.I looked for the answer to this question as to conflicts of interest among members of the 2015 committee. This is all I could find so far.2015 DGAC Members Brief Biographical Sketches of the DGAC http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-binder/2015/biographicalSketches.aspxWho will decide what’s in the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans? http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/R-D/Who-will-decide-what-s-in-the-2015-Dietary-Guidelines-for-Americans	beverages,Cadbury,candy,cardiovascular disease,chicken,cholesterol,dietary guidelines,eggs,heart disease,safety limits,Salt Institute,standard American diet,sugar,USDA	What happens when the twin mandates of the USDA to both promote agribusiness and protect our nation's health come into conflict?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines and the standard American diet. And be sure not to miss Monday's blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of illegally deceptive claims. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/07/dietary-guideline-graphics-from-the-food-pyramid-to-myplate-harvards-healthy-eating-plate-and-pcrms-power-plate/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadbury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3119	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-usda-conflicts-of-interest/	Dietary Guidelines: USDA Conflicts of Interest	Why do the federal dietary guidelines “sometimes favor the interests of the food and drug industries over the public’s interest in accurate and impartial dietary advice.”? The first problem is who’s in charge. The mandate of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is to promote agribusiness, but also give dietary advice. So no problem when it comes to fruits and veggies, but what about the stuff we’re supposed to eat less of though? How can they say eat less meat-and-sugar, for example, and still fulfill their primary mission?That may be why the eat more messaging recommendations are clear: increase vegetable and fruit intake, period. But when it comes to eat less messaging, recommendations resort to speaking in code, talking only about biochemical components, “Reduce intake of solid fats (major sources of saturated and trans fatty acids).” But what does that translate into in terms of actual foods to avoid?Let's break the code: Reduce intake of saturated fat, means reduce intake of cheese ice cream pizza and chicken.And reduce trans fats, means reduce intake of cakes, cookies, animal products and margarine, but they can’t just come out and say that.In their letter to the dietary guidelines advisory committee, the National Pork Board, in what almost sounds like a threat, “cautions the Committee against making any decisions which would limit the ability of Americans to choose more pork.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on industry influence and dietary guidelines. And be sure not to miss yesterday’s blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of illegally deceptive claims. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to MyPlate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate!Is there any healthy margarine out there or should we avoid them all?I would also like to know the answer to this. Once in a while, you need to make a pie, you know?I’m starting to think that perhaps coconut oil might be a good substitute for butter or margarine for pie crust anyway.I have been plant based for almost 2 years now. I work as a food demonstrator for a large box store chain, sometimes I do different kinds of meat or sausage and breathe in the steam from the meat. Will this absorb into my body? I am usually congested after one of these events.	animal products,cheese,chicken,dairy,dietary guidelines,ice cream,industry influence,junk food,margarine,meat,National Pork Board,pizza,poultry,saturated fat,sugar,trans fats,USDA	The mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is to promote agribusiness. At the same time, USDA is the agency primarily tasked with developing the nutrition guidelines.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on industry influence and dietary guidelines. And be sure not to miss yesterday's blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of illegally deceptive claims. And as always, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pizza/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/margarine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ice-cream/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-pork-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trans-fats/	-	-
PLAIN-3120	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/	Food Industry "Funding Effect"	When food companies claim there is science to support their wild claims, it may very well be true. Multibillion dollar industries have the cash to spread around to research establishments.The “funding effect” describes the uncanny correlation between the conclusion desired by a funding source, and the conclusion reached by the researchers being funded. The funding effect, and the strategy of "manufacturing uncertainty" has been used with great success by manufacturers of dangerous products to oppose public health regulation. To resist regulation, industries fund scientific reviews to downplay the risks of their products. Tobacco is the classic case, but producers have funded studies downplaying the risks of asbestos, benzene, lead etc.This has been studied extensively in the pharmaceutical industry—drug company funded studies just happen to be about 4 times more likely to reach a pro industry conclusion than independent studies but “In contrast, little information is available regarding the prevalence or impact of funding by the food industry on nutrition research. Whereas bias in pharmaceutical research could have an adverse effect on the health of millions of individuals who take medications, bias in nutrition research could have an adverse effect on the health of everyone.”So they looked at soda and milk. Are studies funded by coca cola or the dairy council more likely to reach favorable conclusions about their sponsor’s products.Turned out even worse than the drug companies. “The main finding of this study is that scientific articles about commonly consumed beverages funded entirely by industry were approximately four to eight times more likely to be favorable to the financial interests of the sponsors than articles without industry-related funding.”“Of particular interest,” check this out, “none of the interventional studies on [soda or milk] with all industry support had an unfavorable conclusion. Not one.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out today’s corresponding blog “Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board accused of making illegally deceptive claims,” as well as other the videos on industry influence. And don’t forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Dr. Greger, The last two years I was on an estrogen patch, had a hysterectomy 6 years ago, have my ovaries. I also was taking a progestrone pill at night. I have stopped taking both of them, I get a hot flash about three times a day, what can I do. I have lost 25 lbs in the last year and changed my total way of eating. Thanks, JudyWho paid for the “soy is bad for you” studies?The funding source of a study affects the finding all too frequently. Where is the “science”? Who can you trust? Perhaps it should be illegal for industries to fund studies in which they have a vested interest.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board Accused of Making Illegally Deceptive Claims!I assisted to your conference sunday in Montreal and very appreciate. My weight is around 105 pounds. As a start eating Raw food, I lost about 5 pounds in 2 weeks. I would like to know if I should continue or just tell me what to do. Thanks so much.What about kefir as a food and its health benefits…. the eastern part of europe in the Caucasus Mountains the natives drink kefir daily and foutinely live to 100… so a recent site said,…. any current research that backs that up…. or do the Caucasus Mtn people eat somthing else that helps the longivity….Hello, I am a student researching the effects of dairy and egg industry funding on nutrition research, especially research on plant-based nutrition. This video is very informative, however I am looking for other sources on this topic. Do you have any suggestions on where I could find this information? Thank you.	beverages,dairy,industry influence,milk,soda,tobacco	He who pays the piper calls the tune: studies funded by the dairy and soda industries appear to be more biased than even studies funded by drug companies.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out other videos on industry influence. And don't forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17119200,
PLAIN-3121	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-with-a-grain-of-big-salt/	Dietary Guidelines: With a Grain of Big Salt	The Salt Institute was probably the most strident in their condemnation of the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, complaining that the chair of the committee was a vocal proponent of universal salt reduction.Case in point: she was quoted by the American Heart Association about a CDC report that the dangers of salt. Obviously, this means she has "unhealthy prejudice." That’s like the tobacco industry complaining that the people at the American Lung Association are biased against smoking.Because cheese is one of the top ten contributors of sodium in the American diet, the National Dairy Council stood shoulder to shoulder with Big Salt.Sure, reducing sodium intake would save the lives of up to 92,000 Americans a year, but you dietary guidelines committee just didn't understand, salt is needed to maintain the expected flavor, body, texture and shelf-life of cheese. It’s like trans fats: good for shelf-life; bad for human life.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out Dietary guidelines: corporate guidance and all the videos on dietary guidelines. And don’t forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Dr G., You may have already seen this study that was published last month on Salt intake by Alderman and Cohen:Salt appears  to have a “J-shaped” relation to cardiovascular outcomes. Sodium intakes above and below the range of 2.5 to 6.0 grams/day are associated with increased cardiovascular risk.Interesting stuff: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed Yeah I don’t know, but salt seems okay to me, when combined with a healthy diet. By cutting meat and junk food you’re already drastically cutting your sodium intake. 2.5 grams is just under half a teaspoon according to this site http://www.traditionaloven.com/culinary-arts/cooking/table-salt/convert-gram-g-to-tea-spoon-tsp.html. That don’t seem too bad.Third post in a row sorry, but it’s more like 1 teaspoon of salt a day.Depends on the salt. Some sea salts have 390 mg per 1/4 teaspoon which equals 1560 mg or 1.56 grams per one teaspoon. Check it out.Hi Mike,A few things. Can you furnish your readers with any reference to the actual clinical evidence used to substantiate the recommendation of 1,500 mg sodium per day? Even one will do.You mention that 92,000 lives a year would be saved if we consumed sodium at the Dietary Guidelines recommended levels – is that from clinical evidence or from a speculative model based on debatable assumptions such as the defunct Rose population strategy?You sound like you have had considerable hands-on experience in the food industry – did you?Speaking about transfats, New York instituted an absolute ban on transfats in December 2006. Can you tell me with your untrammeled view of nutrition what has been the positive health outcomes for new Yorkers – better cholesterol profiles, reduced cardiovascular disease, reduced mortality – what? (And please, don’t get into “it’s multifactorial, so we can’t really tell” argument.) For years the NYC Health Dept promised to run the numbers since the ban – but five years on and I’ve heard nothing other than myth-informers continuing to make assumptions without data. Have you seen any results?And finally, since I am with the Salt Institute, you and your followers may believe that you have dedicated your career and accomplished more for consumers than I have – you know, highly nutritious food products, publications on nutrition, food safety and food poisoning, etc., etc. Would you be willing to make a public comparison of such accomplishment? I feel obliged to do this because you give the impression that our motives are driven uniquely by the wish to sell more salt. I would like to convey the dedication we have to informing the consumers of all the credible peer-reviewed science cautioning against the current salt recommendations. And don’t use the names of our great institutions as a substitute for actual evidence. It’s easy to go along with the establishment – but unchallenged recommendations such as those for hormone replacement therapy are the sort of disaster that can happen. People can eat as much or as little salt as they want, but they should do so from a point of fact and knowledge, not of myth and ignorance.Morton Satin Salt InstituteIs this the “one” study you were looking for? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&cmd=search&term=The%20importance%20of%20population-wide%20sodium%20reduction%20as%20a%20means%20to%20prevent%20cardiovascular%20disease%20and%20stroke:%20A%20call%20to%20action%20from%20the%20American%20Heart%20Association%22John McDougall seems to not have a problem with salt, per se: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVtOzOROUqEI would be curious if you allow that he may be correct.Reid, please check out this video by Dr. Greger that brings up some points Dr. McDougall may not be currently aware of.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/salt-ok-if-blood-pressure-is-ok/Dr. McDougall recommends a low-salt diet. All he’s saying in this video is, don’t pin all the blame on salt. You can sprinkle a little on your food, as long as your food starts out whole food plant based – which translates to a low salt diet.For further clarification, see this newsletter:http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008nl/aug/salt.htmHere are two passages from it:Eating salt is not wrong when it is added in small amounts to otherwise healthy ingredients, like starches and vegetables. The basic ingredients of McDougall meals are very low sodium; you then add salt to taste.A basic diet of starches, vegetables, and fruits (the McDougall Diet) with no added sodium provides less than 500 mg of sodium daily. Adding a half-teaspoon of salt to the surface of your McDougall dishes daily adds about 1100 mg of sodium—making the total daily intake 1600 mg. The “low-sodium diet” fed to a hospitalized patient, following a massive heart attack, under the expert guidance of doctors and dietitians, contains 2000 mg of sodium. Now you understand why I am comfortable putting the saltshaker on the dining tables at our programs.Hello Dr. Greger, I was curious about your take on a new report of a recent study (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45224421/ns/health-heart_health/#.TrrabPSImU8) that appears to demonstrate possible heart health issues with a low-salt diet (increases cholesterol, increases fat, increases hormone levels). It also appears to be adding to previous studies showing similar results. Thanks for any information you can provide.None of the studies over 4 weeks in length noted in the review cited by MSNBC showed any negative effects on cholesterol and in fact the American Heart Association (AHA) has just gone further and recommended that everyone shoot for 1500 mg a day (not just those at high risk). According to the AHA, cutting American sodium intake 1,200 mg per day could lead to as many as 66,000 fewer strokes, almost 100,000 fewer heart attacks, and up to 92,000 fewer deaths. It’s hard to get down to the recommended 1,500mg a day unless one sticks to an unprocessed plant-based diet.Mr.Greger, I was thinking…if you look at the Gerson therapy (where patients are not allowed salt at all), in the first weeks the body starts to remove salt from tissues bringing it into the bloodstream. As I remember, there were reported even cases of salt surges in blood stream after several weeks, given this continuos strict saltless diet. Therefore, one can’t really emit theorems upon the “bad” long term/general effects of reducing salt intake, as the msnbc study did. Is it? :)So much conflicting info….. confusing.The data is not conflicting in good studies. Different interpretations can be confusing especially from individuals who don’t keep up with the studies or just “parrot” recommendations that are put out by special interest groups. There is some disagreement on the absolute levels of salt but they are on the low end of about 1500 mg/day. However our consumption of salt in today’s world generally occurs in processed foods. In addition to Dr. Greger’s excellent points and his other video’s on salt and sodium see.. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/ I would recommend Dr. McDougall’s August 2008 newsletter article on Salt(see his website, go to “Hot Topics read more, click on Hypertension to see the article). There are minor disagreements between the experts but as one expert,Jeff Novick RD, has said “there is agreement on 95% so don’t get lost in the 5%”. I would follow a whole foods plant based diet and if you add salt only do so in small amounts at the table.That is a great quote by Jeff!The Intersalt study demonstrated that average sodium (not salt, DrDons) consumption around the world ranges from 120 – 210 mmols or 2,760 – 4,830 mg per day. This is nowhere near the recommended 1,500 mg Na/day. In fact, when life expectancy is charted against sodium consumption around the world, it is clear that the more salt consumed, the longer the life expectancy. While no cause and effect relationship between sodium intake and lifespan is implied, the data does demonstrate the compatibility between life expectancy and the associated high levels of sodium intake. On the other hand, the four low-salt outliers in the Intersalt study (who consumed 500- 1,400 mg Na/day) all have life expectancies of less than 50 years.With reference to special interests, we cannot ignore two very important conflicts of interest – intellectual passion and institutional arrogance. I am certain that there are many individuals in this debate that believe that their ‘mission’ is so altruistic and important that minor exaggerations or omissions are allowable – the ends justify the means. Sorry, that is just not on – opinions don’t count, only evidence will do and when it is not available, then we are obliged to everything to get it.Some well known institutions and agencies believe that their word cannot be challenged – well, even the might and reputation of the Holy Roman Empire was unable to make the sun revolve around the earth for Gallileo. And so it will be for the IOM and the FDA. It is evidence, not institutional fiat that will describe the effect of salt on heath.Get over blood pressure and start considering total health outcomes – if not, we risk repeating the tragedy of the establishment recommendations for hormone replacement therapy.msatin,vegans are at risk when consuming too much sodium due to high blood pressure. The reasoning is is that when a vegan has high blood pressure, since there is no plaque in the arteries to furnish the higher pressures, strokes are more common due to ruptures of the arteries. This is seen happening in Japan due to high sodium from (i assume) soy sauce. I am not sure if Dr. Greger has released the video yet discussing this but if he hasn’t done so, it will be released in the coming weeks.elevated blood pressure is only an issue when constant and chronic and is the state we call hypertension. it generally comes paired with hardened arteries because the lack of flexibility in the arterial walls means the blood us under more pressure. the transient blood pressure that can be caused by consuming salt with a meal [because salt causes us to hold water and temporarily increases volume] is not the same and does not cause or indicate disease. drinking a lot of water can have a similar transient effect on blood volume but we dont get warnings to keep water intake low.the only real exception is for people unlucky enuf to be both sodium sensitive and hypertensive. right now that number is around 10% of grown-ups. most people already know if theyre sodium sensitive because they get the bloat shortly after they eat something salty. but its easy to scope out yourself by drinking a glass of salty water and watching the results. if your fingers look like sausages and your rings get tight and hour or so after, chances are youre sensitive. there is no risk in doing this test yourself, and extra sodium is easy to flush out with a couple of extra glasses of fresh water.and lets face it, a lot of vegan food really can use a pinch of salt. its easier to eat well when your food actually tastes good.An old post and without evidence on my part I must say, I have learned a lot in 2 years of studying. Regardless of the topic at hand, I find food to be quite enjoyable without added sodium. Your tongue can adapt, and Dr. Greger even has a video coming out showing just this.Toxins,I find your comment on vegans rather interesting and somewhat contradictory. Under normal circumstances, because of the nature of their diet, vegans should consume high levels of potassium. That alone should have a very strong influence on blood pressure regardless of salt consumption. Could you list the publication that you refer to? ThanksI am having difficulty locating it because I don’t remember where I saw it. When i stumble upon it again ill share it here.Toxins, was this it? http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/hurtful-food-salt-potentially-more-dangerous-for-vegans-and-vegetarians.htmlFirst paragraph:Adapted from Dr. Fuhrman’s book Disease Proof Your Child: Although a low-saturated-fat vegan diet may markedly reduce risk for coronary heart disease, diabetes, and many common cancers, the real Achilles’ heel of the low-fat vegan diet is the increased risk of hemorrhagic (vessel rupture leading to bleeding) stroke at a late age.Thank you Barbara! That was it I believe! all your posts here are very informative, good job!I had never heard of the “intersalt” study, so I looked it up on Wikipedia. (Yay! It’s back.)Surprise surprise:The Intersalt study was an observational study that showed an association between dietary salt, measured by urinary excretion, and blood pressure.[1] The study was based on a sample of 10 079 men and women age 20-59 sampled from 52 populations spread across the world. The results were disputed by the Salt Institute (the salt producers’ trade organisation), who demanded that the results be handed over for re-analysis.[2] A re-analysis was published in 1996 and the results were the same.[3] The results have since been confirmed by the TOHP I and TOHP II studies.[4]The interpretation of the Intersalt study is still in full dispute. As it turned out, the per capita consumption of sodium in the majority of countries ranged between 130 – 210 mmol or 3 – 5 g per day the equivalent of 7.8 – 13 g salt per day. The results indicated that there was not a clear pattern between the level of salt intake and blood pressure and if anyone takes the trouble to look at the data this is plainly obvious. However, there were 4 populations (all primitive, rural) among the 52 groups that showed very low salt intakes and far lower than average blood pressures. The lowest consumption population in this group was the primitive Yanomami Indians, who live in the Brazilian rain forest. Normally, data points that are way out from the rest of the pattern are considered outliers and are omitted from the analysis. In this case, the outliers were included and a line drawn from their tight grouping all the way over to the tight grouping of the rest of the population in order to show that a pattern relating salt consumption to blood pressure did indeed exist (which was the objective of the Intersalt study in the first place). This manipulation has been considered illegitimate in the literature by most statisticians (see Petitti et al). As many papers have since stated it does not prove a link between salt and BP as say it dies. In other words it remains a polemic and is not considered solid science.While the advisability of making comparisons between modern Western societies and those that have vastly different lifestyles, levels of physical activity, caloric intakes and environmental stresses is legitimately open to question, the issue of life-long low BP among the Yanomami was repeatedly used as a justification. The Yanomami are described in the ethnographic literature as an aggressive and violence-prone people. The stress associated with this character along with the continual exposure to environmental stresses, does not appear to influence the BP of the Yanomami as they would other people. While their abnormal BP profile has been attributed to reduced salt consumption, a far more likely reason appears to be the almost complete absence of a D/D genotype – a genetic trait shared with other Amerindians such as the Xingu Indians of the Amazonian rainforest, one of the other four outlier points and the New Guinea Papuans – another of the Intersalt outliers. Notwithstanding their lack of an age-related rise in blood pressure, these populations are all characterized as small stature, high mortality and high fertility populations with a low life expectancy. Another interesting circumstance is that, despite their long history of evolution in a salt-limited rainforest environment, they have never acclimatized to low sodium intake and have chronically high levels of plasma renin. Nevertheless, the inclusion of the outlier data in the formal Intersalt analysis, however misguided, continues to be used to show the ‘relationship’ between salt intake and blood pressure, as it was in Wikipedia.Dear Morton Satin (Mr. Vice President of Science and Research at the Salt Institute),On behalf of followers of nutritionfacts.org, I assure you that we are taking your point of view with a grain of salt.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board Accused of Making Illegally Deceptive Claims!What’s your recommendation for sodium intake? The RDA is 1,500. To get that from whole food sources:Kale 4000g Broccoli 4000g Spinach 2000g Celery 2000g Carrots 2300gObviously you can split it between them but you would still be eating a lot of each.I calculated an average healthy day of eating to give you about 350mg. Is that enough? No, that’s the upper limit (for high risk groups). You only need about 500mgWell that’s a relief :). It is classified as the RDA though. RDI is about 2, 500. It’s funny that were sometimes to take RDAs as requirements then other times as limits it seems.Current recommendations are actually set at 2500 per day but this is more of an extreme upper limit then a recommendation. Safe levels are seen 1200-1500 or less. The estimated minimum required amount to maintain good health is said to be about 115 mgs per day by the National Academy of Science.If a regular person only needs about 500 mg salt intake per day, what should be my intake if I run 60 miles per week? I find that I get bad leg cramps, very dehydrated, and have symptoms of electrolyte deficiency if I don’t consume a lot of salt, and take salt tabs during a marathon. I use Himalayan sea salt if it makes a difference.In the words of Jeff Novick (a well known plant based dietician) :“Endurance athletes who work out in high temperatures who are adapted to a high sodium diet can lose sodium though their sweat.However, when one adapts to a low sodium diet, which can take about a week or so, they will lose much less sodium through their sweat and this will not be an issue.”Our sodium needs are set at a bare minimum of 113 mg per dayWhen I used to work out a lot, to avoid cramps I would take a couple Glucose tablets before bed. It seemed to work for me.100 miles per week on a regular basis not eating salt and am NOT having any problems above described!At work the office is torn between two side of the a salt issue, there are a numberof people that prefer their coffee to be brewed by adding salt. This group says that the salt will help take the bitterness out of the coffee, not to mention the faact that they also add flavored creamers and suagr after being brewed and prior to tasting. They also say that by using Sea Salt it is better for them healthwise, pure. Then there are the others that do not want to add salt and want to drink the old fashion way, just Black Coffee. For those in the office that would like to reduce their personal sodium level, does this amount of additional salt matter?I am horribly confused over salt. I have been vegan for 8 months so I’m assuming that in eliminating all forms of animal products (except for when I make a mistake!) from my diet means that my sodium levels have gone down significantly. I’ve also read some of Dr Joel Fuhrman’s opinions on salt and that less is better for your health. But I’ve also noticed that a lot of raw vegans still use salt in the recipes they post all over the internet – does this mean it’s still okay for me to salt my food? What’s the difference between the different types of salt (table salt, sea salt, maldon salt… I even saw “LO-SALT” at the supermarket recently… sodium-reduced salt!)? Should I avoid salting my food at all? Or, if I eat a whole-foods diet (nothing processed) and make all my own food, is it okay for me to put salt in it? I’ve also had a friend tell me she became salt *deficient* when she and her husband decided to do the low-salt diet thing years ago. As a result she now has to take a couple of granules of sea salt every morning otherwise she has problems with dehydration (something to do with salt helping cells retain water). I’m obviously not an expert so any clarification on this issue would be huuugely appreciated :) Thanks so much.I am in a culinary program which advocates the use of a lot of sea salt and justifies it from a culinary perspective. You tell us that from a health perspective that salt is harmful and that it does a lot of damage to our arteries. Exactly what kind of damage does too much salt do?Hello! I have a quick two-part question about salt. First is, if I eat a large salad but the only way I can enjoy it (and therefore will eat it) is by adding salty things like pickles and banana peppers, is it better to eat it with a lot of salt than not at all? Second part is if I a exercising a lot do I need to worry so much about it? I do resistance training three times a week, play squash and/or tennis twice a week and touch football once a week. P.S. I am vegan and make about 90% of my food myself so I’m not getting processed meat or anything in my diet.Hello Michael Thank you for your efforts with this website.Re. Salt I understand that North America is a particularly cold environment [1/3 of the USA is ice with other large areas frequently experiencing ice], and that North Americans are notorious for a lack of exercise. What I don’t know is the dietary composition of your food, I suspect that North Americans (incl./n.incl. Canadians) regularly have a high salt component to their foods. As such a reaction of stating in guidelines a particularly low salt intake may encourage members of the public to approach half way toward the very low recommendations – this makes logical managerial sense.Consider more “normal” warmer countries such as are experienced in much of the rest of the world (I do recognise that California is the US state with the greatest population and that experiences a more “normal” temperature). For better or for worse the USA has led the Westernised nations for the past 60 odd years, including in health guidelines. As such we have ridiculous guidelines telling us that we should be consuming less salt in environments that never reach freezing point – and as a result many people suffer and end up with medical conditions or even in hospital from a lack of salt.PLEASE Stop advising that salt is universally bad, salt is essential for retaining water in the body, yet is lost readily through (primarily) sweat and urine.An excess of salt disproportionate to your daily needs (perspiration and fluid intake) may prove unhealthy across an aggregate time frame, however there is no innate problem with the consumption of salt – and no universal limit, it is an essential nutrient (albeit a mineral) to our health and well-being.One of the more difficult OH&S considerations to manage is the intake of fluid in warmer environments (i.e. the management is responsible for ensuring the workers adequate intake of fluid). Without suitable and adequate salt intake the workers will not realise that they are suffering heat stress, or at risk of or already suffering heat stroke because the body realises thirst not from a lack of water but from a imbalance of ions in proportion to it’s internal fluids.This discussion could go on for a very long time and cover many important points, however I hope that you have got the idea by now.I don’t object to your stating a recommended salt intake level of 1500mg/day – I just want you to consider this from a more broad context (and I know that you have a technical background and so this should not be foreign to you) to specify that this recommendation is based upon assumptions and to try to make clear what those assumptions are before simply stating that “this is good” and “that is bad”.I’ll stop here before this becomes a novel.Thank you again for your efforts with this website.RegardsAlan, what an interesting perspective! From my experiences traveling in hot humid countries, I can say that my consumption of salt (and potassium via potatoes and bananas) went up dramatically so I could retain water and avoid dehydration. Thanks for sharing!Dr. Greger, Have you read Dr. Brownstein’s book “Salt Your Way to Health”? In it he indeed sites refined table salt as a poison, but modest use of unrefined sea salt as a necessary ingredient for a healthy lifestyle.. He sites and explains the discrepancies in the literature and research. Thank you for all of the information you have made available to the general public. I often recommend your website. ReneeHi Renee, the nutrition differences between table salt and sea salt are miniscule. To claim that sea salt is a health food whereas table salt is not, is a far cry from the truth. Jeff Novick, an excellent plant based dietician, has shared his take on this.1 tsp of Sea Salt contains12 mgs of calcium 7 mgs of potassium 27 mgs of magnesiumThe recommended daily values of these nutrients are600 mgs of calcium 4700 mgs of potassium 400 mgs of magnesiumSo to get just 25% of this daily value, we would need to eatCalcium, we would need to take in 24,600 mgs of sodium Potassium, we would need to take in 335,000 mgs of sodium Magnesium, we would need to take in 7,407 mgs of sodiumConsuming sodium in these amounts is extremely unhealthy and most likely toxic.Someone posted a video about this in the comments section to this new video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/I have not read the book, but I have not seen any research on why Himalayan or other special salts are better. I am happy to read more into it, just post the research articles if you stumble across any.Thanks so much for recommending the site! JosephHeres another report noting a link between salt and MS and other autoimmune diseases that needs to be investigated http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/march2013/03182013autoimmune.htm#.VPbuNYOEjo0.facebookHi Daniel. Looks like this study was being conducted on mice, if I am not mistaken? At any rate, if salt is linked to MS in humans to me that is just another reason to keep intake low.Yep n yep more study needed meanwhile less added salt. Elsewhere, trying to make sauerkraut pickles and miso is ever more challengingHeres another report noting a link between salt and MS and other autoimmune diseases that needs to be investigated http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/march2013/03182013autoimmune.htm#.VPbuNYOEjo0.facebookI’d feel better about reducing the sodium in my diet if you could show me some ward, randomized controlled trials or animal experiments that show why salt is so bad for us. I know salt raises blood pressure, and I know there are plenty of studies showing high blood pressure correlates to heart disease and stroke, but I’m not fully convinced it’s the salt that’s the problem. Most salty foods are junk food, so it stands to reason that the “salt is bad for you” mantra may be due to a correlation = causation fallacy, when in fact it may simply be the junk food that’s bad for you, while high blood pressure may not be a big deal as long as you’re eating a low fat vegan diet. I’m curious if you know of any studies that could undermine my doubts on this subject.I’m not fretting over salt. I’m not sensitive and my BP was low-normal while i was eating SAD-most of my 48 years. Simply eating non-processed foods and zero dairy (been off dairy for 25 years) has greatly reduced any hidden salt in my diet. I did once go radical no-salt such that my sweat was no longer salty/painful in eyes, and left no sweat rings on my shirts, but saw no other benefit. Also I utilize iodized salt for iodine supplementation.There are some low sodium salts available in India that are a mixture of sodium chloride and potassium chloride. Is potassium chloride safe to eat? I found an article that suggests that whole-food potassium helps reduce blood pressure, http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=6574 Does potassium chloride offer any nutritional advantage over sodium chloride or is it just marketing?I do not see much research on its safety. I know these are often prescribed to help lower blood pressure but please check with your doctor if this is right for you. A few studies in Peru and Tibet have been conducted and can be found, here and here.	American Heart Association,California Dried Plum Board,CDC,cheese,dairy,dietary guidelines,industry influence,National Dairy Council,prunes,salt,Salt Institute,sodium,USDA	The National Dairy Council teams up with the Salt Institute to downplay the risk of sodium in the American diet.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out Dietary guidelines: corporate guidance and all the videos on dietary guidelines. And don't forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/24/wisconsin-milk-marketing-board-accused-of-making-illegally-deceptive-claims/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-dairy-council/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prunes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt-institute/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california-dried-plum-board/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3066566/?tool=pubmed,
PLAIN-3122	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-corporate-guidance/	Dietary Guidelines: Corporate Guidance	As our federal government ramped up to release the new dietary guidelines they solicited comments, which they posted online. You can read all 19 hundred yourself at bit.ly/publicdietarycomments.There were all the usual suspects. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association felt that beef’s important role in the diet was often underappreciated. That’s funny, that’s exactly what the President and CEO of the sugar association said, Sugar’s important role in a healthy diet. adding “There is no scientifically verifiable negative health impact ascribable to sugar intake. What? not even for like dental health—it’s all the doing of some evil cavity fairy? Unbelievable.Wrigley’s was on the same page as the Cattlemen, complaining Americans don’t chew enough gum, a "beneficial part of a healthful diet." Really? Gum? Hey, you have to chew it, they remind the committee—that's exercise. Chewing gum expends 11 calories per hour, they note, and Americans could use all the help they can get…	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out Nation’s Diet in Crisis and all the videos on dietary guidelines. And don’t forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Wrigley’s comments had me in stitches. Great catch!I find this one pretty unbelievable, by Emeritus Professor of Animal and Food Science at Penn State. He says:“Efficient use of resources is one of the most important factors contributing to sustainability, and U.S. cattle farmers and ranchers represent a model that uses fewer natural resources to produce a more affordable and abundant food supply for a growing planet…Additionally, all beef cattle raised in the United States spend the majority of their lives grazing on pasture, and no other major animal protein can match cattle’s unique ability to convert wild grasses and other plants into nutrient‐dense food.”You would think that an emeritus professor would have more time to keep up with the literature and explore other areas that s/he is not familiar with. Unfortunately old beliefs die hard and “confirmatory bias” is a powerful influence.From the National Chicken Council:“NCC also recommends a re-examination of the call for “plant-based diets”. As defined and modeled in the DGAC Report, the definition does not exclude animal products such as poultry, red meat, milk, and eggs. However, to the casual consumer with limited time to devote to understanding the science of “plant-based diets,” the phrase may create the impression that the federal government is telling him or her to be a vegetarian and not eat animal protein.”wow… really unbelievable!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board Accused of Making Illegally Deceptive Claims!The meat industry has started supplementing cattle feed with methionine to increase quick growing lean meat also same with chicken.Ever wonder why pets are getting the same cancers that people get?That is the reason corporations continue to lie about the crap they make for us to buy. I guess it’s time to return to the farm in a country not contaminated with herbicides and GMO’s to grow our own food and feed our own animals.Is there such a place?We cannot trust either government or corporations. We can only trust our own common sense.	beef,chewing,chewing gum,dietary guidelines,exercise,industry influence,National Cattlemen's Beef Association,sugar,Sugar Association,USDA	Nearly 2,000 comments were submitted to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Watch what the Sugar Association, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and the chewing gum company Wrigley's had to say.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out Nation's Diet in Crisis and all the videos on dietary guidelines. And don't forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/10/24/wisconsin-milk-marketing-board-accused-of-making-illegally-deceptive-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chewing-gum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-cattlemens-beef-association/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chewing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	-
PLAIN-3123	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/	Nation's Diet in Crisis	In 2010 the USDA officially revised the U.S. dietary guidelines, which raises the question how have we been doing with the old guidelines? What’s wrong with the standard American Diet?This is a table reporting compliance with the 2005 guidelines, which were not particularly stringent. For example, they recommend we should eat at least one serving of whole fruit a day, yet three quarters of Americans couldn’t even attain that one a day. And look at college age men and women 90% couldn’t even grab half a banana or something all day long.For vegetables we did even worse. About 9 out of 10% of Americans couldn’t even reach the minimum and don’t get me started on dark green vegetables. For example, the recommended minimum intake of dark green vegetables for 9 to 13 year kids? a fifth of a cup a day—and they even consider romaine lettuce a dark green leafy. Yet only about 1 in 500 kids eat a single leaf of romaine lettuce. 97% of Americans don’t couldn’t bother with a carrot, 96% noncompliant with legumes, 99% of Americans don’t eat even the measly minimum of whole grains.And then to top it all off, junk foods. You want to know how lax the federal regulations are? A quarter of our calories are allowed to be empty calorie junk foods. A quarter of our diet can be cotton candy and we're still OK under the government recommendations.Still, how many Americans couldn’t even keep it up that? 95% of Americans exceed their maximum discretionary calorie allowances. And look at children. Only 1 in a thousand American children eats even marginally healthy, by ensuring less than a quarter of their calories aren’t completely wasted, the equivalent to eating less than 24 spoonfuls of sugar a day. One in a thousand kids can manage that. And we wonder why there’s a childhood obesity epidemic—and adults too!“In conclusion… nearly the entire U.S. population consumes a diet that is not on par with recommendations. These findings add another piece to the rather disturbing picture that is emerging of a nation’s diet in crisis.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines, children and those sneaky empty calories. And don’t forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!great video. If you would recommend one journal for a busy biology student to read to keep up with the latest nutrition research, what would it be? This site is great..please do not ever stop doing it. I have already handed it off to several people with cardiovascular disease. Thanks, VictorMy favorite journal is probably the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, but I strive to at least skim through every issue of most every English-language nutrition journal in the world (see my list here). The few you’ll note missing from my list are mostly industry journals (like New Horizons In Nutrition And Health, published by the Butter Council), which are great for comic relief but don’t make my must-read list.I do not see how it could be correct that 99.9% of 2-3 year olds exceed the recommendation for solid fats and sugars. Could you comment on the methodology of the study?I love when the studies are published open access and free to the world! As Mike points out below, the article is available free, full text at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2937576/pdf/nut1401832.pdf — enjoy!Mari,You can see the complete study by clinking on the link provided in the “Sources Cited” section. Then click on “Free PMC Article” at bottom right of paragraph to view the whole thing. The article has a section devoted to “Materials and Methods.”Thank you Mike! I changed the Sources link to make people direct to the PDF: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2937576/pdf/nut1401832.pdfThanks Dr. Greger. I meant to say “clicking” on the link, not “clinking.” I guess my Mac Mini can’t read my mind (lol).And it Scotland (and I’m sure here as well), we’re treating our pets to the same diet. http://bit.ly/piff3FWOW, these facts disgust me. I guess I chose the right line of work.Would you please add this soundtrack? It just goes so well. :-)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBbBfrKsVqYI want to be a nutritionist for children… I was going to be diabetic at age of 10 and it was horrible I changed my diet and now I’m good and I want to inspire kids to do the same to make them feel that they are worth more then just some fat kid who nobody likes. What would be the best school to study for that?Unfortunately there isn’t a good school for this that I am aware of. I advise people to go to the best program they can and keep up with the new science via commercial free websites like NutritionFacts, Dr. McDougall and PCRM. Read the literature and join the debate in your program. Write papers and include research supporting your position. Good luck with your journey whether it goes toward being a registered dietician, registered nurse or health provider… nurse practitioner, physician assistant, DO, MD plus others.Hi, Dr. Greger, thanks again for your work, everyone should have the information and contribute to its continuance, before they get sick, but anytime is also good.This video was listed as part of series, I am wondering if the series can be presented one after the other? In other words, I’d like to click “go” on the series. Am I missing somewhere that you click to ‘view series’ ? Maybe it’s not so easy to do, I don’t know, but would be helpful if it could be.Sometimes I just need a short video on a point, but most of the time, the information is new to me, and I find a few short videos on the same topic are much better than a single one…almost like the whole food versus the nutrient, so to speak..	calories,children,dietary guidelines,empty calories,fruit,grains,greens,junk food,legumes,obesity,processed foods,standard American diet,USDA,vegetables	Survey reveals the vast majority of Americans are not eating healthy even by U.S. dietary guideline standards.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on dietary guidelines, children and those sneaky empty calories. And don't forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/empty-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/	-	-
PLAIN-3124	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-potassium-sorbate-bad-for-you/	Is Potassium Sorbate Bad for You?	Previously we’ve looked at the safety of the preservative sodium benzoate. What about potassium sorbate, commonly used to prevent mold growth in cheese, yogurt, wine, dried meat, pickles, apple cider, and many herbal dietary supplements? Harmful, harmless, or helpful?Well, it’s been found harmless to Syrian hamsters, but toxic to Chinese hamsters. Then they discovered it’s actually harmless to Chinese hamster ovary cells, just toxic to Chinese hamster lung cells—but harmless to mouse lung cells. Now rats are a whole 'nother story, but what about human cells. Took us until 2010 but let’s find out: Does potassium sorbate induce genotoxic or mutagenic effects in lymphocytes—human lymphocytes, white blood cells. The paper concludes “Based on our results, consumers should be made aware that potassium sorbate should be considered a genotoxic and mutagenic compound.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on preservatives. And don’t forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Amazing site!I was diagnosed with R.A. over four years ago,methotrexate,sulfasalisine,plaquenol,enbrel,were some of my meds.I have been a vegan since Jan./11.My blood work shows none of the bio markers for the disease,I have no symptoms of R.A.My rheumatologists told me there was no cure,just lifelong medication. My own research on R.A. led me to a plant based diet with Zero animal products.I am now the healthiest I have ever been in my life.Thank you for this site it is an excellent source of nutritional information.Awesome! I love hearing about healing through a plant based diet. Its amazing how effective your body becomes once you give it the right stuff to work with!Would you recommend this supplement then? http://www.b12vegan.com/Would you recommend this supplement then? http://www.b12vegan.com/Just on the last sentence you said…you forgot “in vitro” ..but not yet in vivo. Very NB!!thanks for sharing! excellent post. Hi Dr. Greger, What is your take on potassium sorbate used as a cosmetic preservative? Would it also be considered toxic? Was the study primarily done on potassium sorbate ingested through food?﻿ It would worry me a bit more in a cosmetic product since the skin absorbs what is put on it and it bypasses the liver. Thanks!Yipes I’m scared!  I just had blood work that shows that my potassium level is off-the-charts high! 1) What would you suggest diet-wise and 2) If all vegans and vegetarians don’t have this problem, what would be occurring in my body that would cause this?  THANKS!The concern of getting in too much of any one nutrient from a whole foods plant based diet is really unfounded and virtually impossible. Rare exceptions include too much selenium from eating too many brazil nuts and of course, too much saturated fat from foods like coconut and the tropical oils.However, there are several medical conditions, such as kidney disease, where potassium may have to be limited and in those casesI had 2 kidneys failures from gentamicin and was on 20meq everyday for about 2 weeks and im still to this day having low B12 But it comes from A.L.L However im only taking B12, Multi vit/min and “K” Things are looking good. I needed 3 years of chemo only did about 6-7 months and i am 12 months in remission Woooplease visit these links.http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwBs_ihArc1lCYDym-DH4EsDMR_UMTtA6&feature=mh_lolzhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Rick-Simpson/298774923502987?fref=tsCannabis oil cures cancerThe concern of “too much saturated fat” is really unfounded.The national Academy of Science, a very reputable organization who has collected years of research over the topic to come to the conclusion is makes, disagrees.“Saturated fatty acids are synthesized by the body to provide an adequate level needed for their physiological and structural functions: they have no known role in preventing chronic diseases. Therefore, neither and AI nor RDA is set for saturated fatty acids. There is a positive linear trend between total saturated fatty acid intake and total low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A UL is not set for saturated fatty acids because any incremental increase in saturated fatty acids increased CHD risk.”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=422Hi, I am not sure if I fully understand your answer. My daughter and I take a spoonful or two of coconut oil in our morning smoothies. I know coconut oil has saturated fats but I remember reading it was GOOD ones…whatever that entailed. Is that bad? Could you please clarify?Although 60% of the saturated fat are medium chain fatty acids, the ones that are supposedly neutral, 30% of the total saturated fat is indeed long chain saturated fat and is more harmful to health. It would be best to consume the whole food, as coconut oil is quite barren in nutrients.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2I am actually allergic to Potassium Sorbate, it causes me to have trouble breathing.It’s also bad for you. 80% of American prepackaged foods are so toxic they are banned in the rest of the world. Sad but true.Me too!!! I just had testing at Johns Hopkins, using the raw powder form of Potassium Sorbate. The head of the allergy dept taste-tested the samples they prepared for me. He told me it gave him a huge headache the rest of the day. I am “allergic” to PS at this point, it causes my asthma and other health issues – including blemishes all around the mouth area. Feel free to check out my FB page “Breaking Out of Preservative Prison”. The FB page address is www facebook.com/PreservativeAllergiesI discuss PS specifically but also promote & educate about chemical-free living – foods, health, home & body products. I search out truly safe products and sell & promote them. Good luck!is Potassium sorbate harmful to patients on dialysis?WHAT A SHAME YOU GIVE NO POSSIBILITY OF SENDING THIS IN EMAIL FORM! I HAVE MANY FRIENDS INTERESTED IN THIS SITE BUT I AM MOST DEFINITELY NOT INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED IN ANY SOCIAL NETWORKS. PLEASE GIVE THE POSSIBILITY OF EMAILING THESE DETAILSJust click on the orange share button below the video and then click the email icon (little envelope).BUT IT”S IN SRIRACHA. I CAN”T EAT ANYTHING WITHOUT SRIRACHA. WHAT DO I DO DR.?!I know I’m late responding but I just read recently that the creator of sriracha is willing to give out his formula. He says it’s better if you make it fresh yourself anyway.Someone noted in the comments that potassium sorbate should be limited in kidney disease, but I didn’t see a doctor’s response. I have Chronic Kidney Disease (not on dialysis) and I am supposed to avoid foods with a lot of potassium.When I read labels, for instance this morning on a jelly label, I find that it has “less than 2%” of potassium sorbate. Is this in the same family as potassium? Is there enough postassium sorbate when used as a preservative to add significantly to potassium load?what about gut microfloraWould it be harmful to use Potassium Sorbate in Cosmetic?I just ate some dried fruit and when buying I noticed Potassium Sorbate in every type of dried fruit I looked at. I have to raise my eyebrow at the leaving out of dried fruit from the list.Is Potassium Sorbate Bad for You?yesi don’t think it’s that black and white, tyler.My 2 1/2 year old grandson has been drinking propel zero water. I am concerned about him consuming some of the additives as well as the preservatives in this product. I would like to know your thoughts.I had 2 kidneys failures from gentamicin and was on 20meq everyday for about 2 weeks and im still to this day having low B12 But it comes from A.L.L However im only taking B12, Multi vit/min and “K” Things are looking good. I needed 3 years of chemo only did about 6-7 months and i am 12 months in remission WooooI am a liver transplant person as of 5/13/13. Lately my potassiym has gone from 5.4 to 6.2, a very dangerous place to be from.what my doctor tells me. I’ve been told no potassium, but I see in numerous foods potassium sorbate, is this also a no-no as I like Mrs. Butterworth syrup if I eat it once a week? Thank you, Martha TaylorMy friend had some liposomal gluthione for a few days and his intestines got all irritated after that, thus severely limiting his already limited foods he can eat without harming his sensitive gut. It also seems to be irritating my gut after taking the same liposomal glutathione for a couple of weeks. I noticed today that it has potassium sorbate as a preservative. Neither of us eats preserved foods and make everything else as much as possible from scratch, so this is our only exposure to the potassium sorbate. So thank you for posting the information that potassium sorbate is a genotoxic and mutagenic compound for humans. It helps simplify what is going on with him–and me. I will have to listen to the video again however to catch who did the research. It would be nice to be able to better source it. Thanks however for finally letting the public begin to glean what is going on with possible side effects from potassium sorbate.potassium sorbate has been put into a vit c liposomal product can it attach itself to the liposomes.My son is on diaylsis and is on a low potassium diet is drinks with potassium sorbate good for .so is it bad or not?Yes it is.I experience extreme stomach pain and cramping after drinking wines containing sulfites and some foods that are preserved with sulfites, I try to stay away from those foods, but every once in a while I encounter the same symptoms after eating other foods. Yesterday, I had some jelly that contained Potassium Sorbate, and experienced the same symptoms. Is there anything that I can take to help me overcome these symptoms once they start occurring? I recently traveled to Africa, and found a vast majority of their bottled waters contain sulfites.Sulfites are really bad for you. Only American wines have them because, even though 80% of American prepackaged food is so toxic it is banned in foreign countries, there is still little awareness of this. Sulfites cause joint pain and heart arrhythmias. European wines don’t have sulfites because they know how bad they are.Potassium sorbate is toxic. Read Dr. Mercola’s website. It is much more honest than most websites on nutrition. He has no agendas and doesn’t care if he treads on the feet of big industries that make money poisoning Americans.joseph mercola is refreshing because you doesn’t talk or act like “doctors” whom am so allergic to. He’s a very passionate activist like me But OVERLY greedy, meaning no so trustful ! He warns about the Harm and Dangers of Potassium sorbate and Citric acid, Soy, and many other synthetic & GMO ingredients/substances, Yet he uses them in his own Supplements and desperately sell them to his very LOYAL customers/consumers/readers. That’s a serious criminal offenceI have posted related info on several strings here – here is the main info again, for background info BUT want to add – WINES may or may not add Potassium Sorbate. The ones that do make me violently ill when I drink them. I actually have to call individual vineyards before I know if a particular wine is safe to drink. With your story, I suspect you have become “overloaded” similar to me, and your body is beginning to reject particular chemicals – ultimately, you will be sensitive to all manmade chemicals. Transitioning to organic is the only thing I found to have helped me. I just had testing at Johns Hopkins, using the raw powder form of Potassium Sorbate. The head of the allergy dept taste-tested the samples they prepared for me. He told me it gave him a huge headache the rest of the day. I am “allergic” to PS at this point, it causes my asthma and other health issues – including blemishes all around the mouth area. Feel free to check out my FB page “Breaking Out of Preservative Prison”. The FB page address is www facebook.com/PreservativeAllergiesI discuss PS specifically but also promote & educate about chemical-free living – foods, health, home & body products. I search out truly safe products and sell & promote them. Good luck!Dear Dr. Greger: I am seeing ads for soaking in epsom salts as a better way to absorb needed magnexium, instead of diet or supplements. While magneium is absorbed through the skin, how would a person ever figure out how much he/she is getting? Have you sen any research in this area?Potassium Sorbate. Is this one of those products that can cause damage if you use say 2000# a day? Many products as you know are virtually harmless at very small doses.Click on “Sources Sites” (a few lines below the video) for links to studies used to draw conclusions.That’s the exact reason (denial) that America is the 48th healthiest in the world and why 80% of American prepackaged food is so toxic it is banned in foreign countries….Please know that you are wrong – the amounts we are using at this point, in conjunction with all the other toxic chemicals, is absolutely unsafe! I just had testing at Johns Hopkins, using the raw powder form of Potassium Sorbate, so I feel qualified to weigh in on this subject. I am “allergic” to PS at this point, it causes my asthma and other health issues – including blemishes all around the mouth area. Feel free to check out my FB page “Breaking Out of Preservative Prison”. The FB page address is www facebook.com/PreservativeAllergiesI discuss PS specifically but also promote & educate about chemical-free living – foods, health, home & body products. I search out truly safe products and sell & promote them. Good luck! I am “allergic” to PS at this point, it causes my asthma and other health issues – including blemishes all around the mouth area. Feel free to check out my FB page “Breaking Out of Preservative Prison”. The FB page address is www facebook.com/PreservativeAllergiesI discuss PS specifically but also promote & educate about chemical-free living – foods, health, home & body products. I search out truly safe products and sell & promote them. Good luck!http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_potassium_sorbate_form_carcinogen?#slide=1I have written a little paper about the possible connection between Potassium Sorbate, and other preservatives, with occurrences of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation. Anne Sherman (retired RN)I am “allergic” to PS at this point, it causes my asthma and other health issues – including blemishes all around the mouth area. Feel free to check out my FB page “Breaking Out of Preservative Prison”. The FB page address is www facebook.com/PreservativeAllergiesI discuss PS specifically but also promote & educate about chemical-free living – foods, health, home & body products. I search out truly safe products and sell & promote them. Good luck!Interesting and valuable information. I have observed anecdotal evidence that sorbates in soft drinks can sterilize beneficial lactobacilli (or else why would they be used to stabilize yogurt?) as I once tried to lacto-culture some sorbated commercial soda to make it less harmful. It wouldn’t culture, though plain sugar water cultures like the dickens! Do you want to sterilize your beneficial gut flora? Consume sorbates!Not sure if you’re still checking this, but I was wondering if you know of headaches as a side effect of potassium sorbate. I’m using water flavorings like Mio and I find that some give me headaches and some don’t. I’ve ruled out sucralose as first there’s no real evidence for it as a cause of headaches and second it’s in some of the flavorings that don’t give me headaches. The only other common denominators from the ones that cause headaches are potassium sorbate and propylene glycol. It’s definitely the flavorings and some diet drinks as I can reproduce it easily. I can even dial up the severity of the symptoms by drinking more.The obvious answer is avoid the ones that cause headaches, but it’d be good to find the root cause so I’ll know ahead of time from the label if it’s an issue.I just had testing at Johns Hopkins, using the raw powder form of Potassium Sorbate. The head of the allergy dept taste-tested the samples they prepared for me. He told me it gave him a huge headache the rest of the day so I would guess that yes, this is the ingredient causing your headaches. I am “allergic” to PS at this point, it causes my asthma and other health issues – including blemishes all around the mouth area. Feel free to check out my FB page “Breaking Out of Preservative Prison”. The FB page address is www facebook.com/PreservativeAllergiesI discuss PS specifically but also promote & educate about chemical-free living – foods, health, home & body products. I search out truly safe products and sell & promote them. Good luck!Oh man, I just bought a b12 spray with potassium sorbate in it. Should I scrap it and find a new one?I read all of this and found it very frustrating. So many people have the same question I do, but there was no direct response. Is potassium sorbate of the same group of potassiums that people with kidney disease are supposed to avoid or is it different somehow?As a cancer researcher and general health nut, it would seem to me, to be common sense, that when we add chemicals to our food supply, our water and in fact in the air we breathe, it does not take a rocket scientist, which I am not anyway, to ascertain that we are slowly or perhaps quickly doing ourselves in. When we ask such questions as to why there is so much more cancer now, than say 50 years ago, we only have to look at our environment and draw the obvious conclusion that chemicals kill — period. Why are they made and why are we told they are necessary — Well, the answer is $$$$$$$.$$ !!!!!	animal studies,DNA damage,food additives,mold,potassium sorbate,preservatives	Is the preservative used to prevent mold growth in foods such as cheese, yogurt, wine, dried meat, pickles, apple cider, and many herbal dietary supplements harmful for humans?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on preservatives. And don't forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potassium-sorbate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=12160896,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=1398347,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20036729,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=6540226,
PLAIN-3125	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/	Alkaline Water: a Scam?	Is alkaline water a scam? There are thousands of websites and pyramid schemes hawking $6,000 machines to alkalinize our tap water into "miracle healing water." And not just miracle healing water, but, "Magical miracle healing water." With, no surprise, miraculous properties, one of the supposed health advances in human history, the "secret to optimal health and longevity," exclamation point.Though if you actually scroll down you'll see the disclaimer that they're not allowed to claim their water will actually do any of these things. Does our water actually help to restore the body to a youthful condition? We can't say…The skeptics… are skeptical. Alkaline water is described as an incredible fraud, foisted on the public by desperate deluded glue-sniffing wanna-be's… asserting that there's no credible evidence in the scientific literature that there are any particular benefits. Turns out they’re both wrong.A new study found that compared to a control group drinking regular water, young adults drinking about a quart of alkalinized water a day dropped their bad cholesterol 10% within 2 months—that’s pretty impressive. And older women may achieve a drop of nearly 15%--that's huge! And even helped their blood sugars.If you and your doctor want to give it a try, you can make alkaline water, this way [cha-ching, label machine] or, this way [baking soday price tag]. By adding ¾ of a teaspoon of baking soda to a liter (or quart of water) and you can save yourself 5999 and 99 cents.Now baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, so this would add about a gram of sodium to our daily diet but sodium bicarb doesn’t seem to have the same effect of sodium chloride, or table salt. In this study those drinking the baking soda water had no change in blood pressue, and in the other study actually enjoyed a significant improvement in their blood pressure, but your physician will want to keep an eye on it.So, alkaline water machines are a scam, but alkaline water itself, might not be.	This is the first video off my Latest in Clinical Nutrition volume 6 DVD. Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on nutrition myths. And don’t forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Are you aware of any credible, definitive studies whether reverse-osmosis purified water should be used for drinking? As you might expect, the Internet is full of advocates for both sides.Good morning Joseph,Congratulations on your appointment as Nutrition Director of Nutrition Facts.org. I am a big fan of Dr Greger. I contribute to his foundation each month and I do volunteer work for him also.I have been reluctant to ask questions of him because I know how busy he is so now that we have you on board I am hoping that you can help me.My question is about “ionized” alkaline water and “ionized” acid water. I have a Chanson machine. It is the same as the Kangen machine but half the price and it works twice as well. I have been using the machine for five years now and I love the results I am getting. My hair and skin feel better and my health is much improved. I have a sophisticated set of pre filters which gets rid of all the chemicals and heavy metals before it reaches the machine. I use the acid water to rinse my hair and body after I shower and I use the alkaline water to drink and cook with. I am very pleased with the results and my blood ph is always slightly alkaline and never acidic.Here are my questions: (1) Are there any recent scientific tests or studies to confirm the validity of the results that I am getting by using ionized alkaline water for drinking and cooking and/or using ionized acid water for rinsing my skin and hair? Also: (2) Does ionizing add any benefits to the water, or is it just the change in PH that makes the difference? The cost is insignificant when amortized over the hundreds of gallons of water we use each year. I am not excited about the baking soda idea.Thanks, PaulHey Paul. Please forgive my delay. I appreciate the post and your kind words! Unfortunately, I have not seen anything new on ionized water. As Dr. Greger mentions these machines may not be worth it until there is better science.I hate to tell you, but everyone’s blood pH is between 7.35-7.45, unless you’re dead or dying…it’s an extremely narrow range and is naturally buffered by certain body system processes…if your blood pH falls out of that range, youve got acidosis or alkalosis…and both are deadly…there’s more to the body than blood. tissue pH varies fairly widely and has some correlation with disease. plan-based diets = generally higher (alkaline) tissue pH. we all have a lot more to learn.I prefer to use potassium bicarbonate instead so that I don’t get excess sodium- it’s is available on the internet. If I add it to my soup which contains red cabbage- it turns green since red cabbage is a pH indicator for alkaline solutions.This is just so fascinating.I’m going to try it to see how the baking soda affects the taste of the water.I don’t drink much water plain. Mostly, I drink teas of all sorts. So, I wonder if adding some baking soda to my tea would have a healthful effect and whether or not doing so would interfere with any of the good properties of the tea.And out of curiosity, I wonder if adding baking soda to any other drink would be worth it or not. For example, suppose I buy some orange or apple juice? (Which I don’t do very often myself) Would it be a good idea to add some baking soda? What about chia pudding/tapioca/gel where people add a bunch of water to a small amount of chia seeds and let it sit over night. Would adding some baking soda (since it is a lot of water) be a good idea?Also, I wonder if it is possible to get too much baking soda? Especially since it would not be in a baked good, but eaten/drunk raw. Is there an advisable upper limit?I don’t need an answer to this post. I’m just sharing my thoughts.Wouldn’t the acid in our stomachs dilute the alkalinity of anything we ingest?Yes, you are right. The stomachs acid will neutralize the alkalinity of the akaline water forcing stomach to produce more acid to digest the food. But the stomach acid is from your body that means that the more acid produced by the stomach, the less acid in the rest of your body. The important point to understand is the overral acidity of your body tends to move to alkaline side when something akaline is adsorb in your body. As fat and oil are fatty acids, high acid level will favorize them to stay inside our body. This could be the reason of high cholesterol problem. Thus high acidity is a cause of bad cholesterol deposit in our blood vessels. Our kidneys are responsible to maintain blood pH at neutral level of 6.5 to 7. The problem is that our foods contain too much acid. The kidney function of removing acid is overloaded causing this kidney function failure. When pH of our blood is neutral, try to control pH at this level and do not overdose the alkaline products that bring us to other troubles with too alkaline blood. Note that pH is a measure of -OH ions and this is calculated with logarithm 10 scale. Let suppose that pH 7 is 1 -OH ion then pH 8 is 10 -OH, pH 9 is 100, pH 10 is 1000, pH 11 is 10000, pH 12 is 100000… So do not think that pH 9 to pH 10 is just about 10% more alkaline. It’s is 10 times more. And from pH 8 to pH 10 is 100 time more ions. Therefore, be careful when you raise your water pH.Karen, I appreciate your efforts to educate us, but you must first make sure your information is correct before diseminating it. Your right wenyou say the stomach reacts to alkaline substances by producing more stomach acid to maintain the low pH of thestomach. However, the by-product of the production of stomach acid is the concomitant production of sodium bicarbonate which is sent to your pancreas to be sent to your small intestine to alklalize acidic chyme (food) from your stomach and into your blood stream as a store of alkaline buffer to be used where needed to neutralize acidity in all parts of the body.High acidity is indeed a cause of cholesterol deposits in our blood vessels, but the process is different than you describe. When acid damages blood vessel linings, causing inflammation, the body sends cholesterol to the site to help repair the damage. The more damage to the blood vessels, the greater the amount of cholesterol sent, hence the plaque build up over time which can cause heart attacks and strokes.If our blood pH dropped to 6.5, we would be dead. I don’t think that is the proper function of our kidneys.The pH of our blood is not neutral. Neutral, by definition is pH 7. Our blood must maintain a level of ph 7.365 to 7.465 to be healthy. At blood pH of 7, we would be comatose or worse.You are correct that the pH scale, like the Richter Scale for earthquakes is logarithmic or base 10 scale. But the letters pH, or Potential Hydrogen, is actually means the amount of hydrogen atoms in a fluid, not -OH, which is the hydroxide ion.Like many people, you admonish against drinking high pH water because you are apparently unaware of the overwhelming strength of acid vs alkalinity in the body. Nintey nine percent of us are suffering from too much acid, mainly from our diets, particularly meats, dairy and sodas. Sodas, including diet sodas and even an otherwise healthy ginger ale have a pH 3 to 2.5. in a laboratory setting, a single 20 ounce can of soda requires 32 times that amount of 9.5pH water to prevent it from lowering our blood pH to a fatal level. That is approximately 5.5 gallons of pH 9.5 water. Obviously in the body, there are additional alkaline resources to help neutralize the soda, but imagine the awful toll it takes on the bodies limited alkaline resources. In practice, research has shown that there is little to no danger of drinking too much alkaline water. The few people who are abnormally alkaline are or should be under a doctor’s care to treat the underlying condition.A little knowledge…Excellent post!I’m just curious about some fruit that is acidic, is it then unhealthy to consume lemons etc.? If not, could you explain why? I’ve heard it turns alkaline in the body, but that seems very odd. Too many lemons and oranges is dangerous? Thank you. Hoping for a little more knowledge…Almost all plant foods will produce a potential renal acid load (PRAL) that is negative (alkaline) because of the amino acid makeup as well as certain minerals being present. Grains are very slightly acidic but most animal products are several times times more acidic. The PRAL can be calculated with this formula PRAL = 0.49(Protein) + 0.037(Phosphorus) – 0.021(Potassium) – 0.026(Magnesium) – 0.013(Calcium).http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7797810You can go to the USDA nutrition database and calculate the alkalinity or acidity of certain foods this way using a 100 gram serving sample.http://nutritiondata.self.com/Here are a list of common plant foods. A negative number indicates alkalinity whereas positive means acidity.Cereals, oats, regular cooked with water, w/o salt/ 2.18Bananas, raw/ -6.93Blueberries, raw/ -1.04Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked/ 2.18Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt/ -3.57Cauliflower, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt / -1.33Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, w/o salt/ -4.10Peaches, raw/ -3.11Beans, kidney, cooked, boiled, w/o salt/ -0.69Kale, raw/ -8.34Animal FoodsChicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted/ 17.30Egg, whole, raw, fresh/ 9.43Fish, salmon, Atlantic, wild, cooked, dry heat/ 7.57Beef, bottom sirloin, tri-tip, separable lean only, trimmed to 0″ fat, choice, cooked, roasted/ 12.79Cheese, cheddar/ 19.00When a food substance is totally metabolized, at the end of the digestion cycle only then is the ph of the ash determined. And yes, as odd as it seems, lemons, limes and oranges test ””alkaline, not acidic on the ph scale.Thank you!!!! I am not nearly as articulate as you. I’m a CLS and some of this misinformation is downright crazy to me!Yes, plus constant excess alkaline intake can increase stomach acid production…which can erode the stomach and esophagus…yay ulcers and esophagitis…I’ve had them both and I don’t recommend it!Theoretically perhaps. But I have cured many many cases of GERD and even Barretts Esophogus with 9.5 alkaline water. Never have I heard of any GER being caused by alkaline water, have you? Here is an actual case http://cure-heartburn.comSpeaking of water, is there any credence to cold water therapy? That is to say, is there any health benefit to standing in the shower for 5 minutes while only cold water cascades over your body? I’ve been doing this for over 6 months and I sleep better and my skin is clearer…but that could be me looking for an upside to this practice. btw, great website and excellent work!Cool … since I make my own toothpaste out of a mixture of baking soda and refined sea salt, I probably luck out both by decreased exposure to fluoride as well as due to the effect of water alkalinity.Baking soda works slightly, but it sure doesn’t taste very good. And you have to be careful what else is in the soda…anti-caking chemicals, aluminum, etc.The body needs a blend of minerals to correctly buffer the effects of acid imbalance. Just like we need a variety of foods, we need more than just sodium bicarb. Having a good pH isn’t the entire answer, it’s how we get that good pH that’s key.As far as the stomach acid goes. I recommend reading some of Sang Whang’s work at http://alkalineworld.wordpress.com/2010/03/07/alkaline-water-stomach-acid/I had really written these kangen water people off as annoying, bothersome and somewhat idiotic. Wups!!Well, being salespeople- they are still at least two of those things [i’ll let you pick].http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002749.htmI wish they said what constituted a “large amount”…. yikes.Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) intoxication can be devastating, especially in infants. The 1995 paper “Baking Soda: A Potentially Fatal Home Remedy” in Pediatric Emergency Care led Arm & Hammer to start placing warning labels against use in children under 5 on all their cartons. Too much bicarbonate can overwhelm our kidneys’ ability to excrete it leading to a metabolic alkalosis, which can lead to seizures or even death. To answer your question, as little as a few pinches can sicken an infant, but based on the series of case reports in adults it appears to take tablespoons for folks with normal kidney function to get into trouble. This is why I encourage anyone trying the three-quarters-of-a-teaspoon-per-quart of water regimen to do it under the supervision of a physician to make sure you don’t have a condition that would preclude such a trial. There are ways to lower blood pressure without fear of toxicity. See, for example, my video Fill in the Blank.Some benefits of alkaline/reverse osmosis water is that it removes chlorine and over 90% of the sodium fluoride.Hydrofluorosilicic acid, which is the waste product from metal plating industry’s acid and phosphate mining industry’s fluoride, strontium 90, and excess chromium, is what gets thrown into city drinking water under the guise that it is “good for your teeth.”Fluoride is one of the 3 most common toxic elements on planet Earth. Arsenic is number 1, fluoride is number 2, and lead is number 3. The MCLG (Maximum Contamination Level Goal) for cities is 0 for arsenic, 0 for lead, and 4000 parts per billion for fluoride. What’s wrong with this picture?So does a good filter…it sounds like the pricy machines do something that the baking soda doesn’t in order to yield the results noted in the study. instead of writing off the machines, i think it best to systematically study what the machines are doing to create the healthful effects. as the saying goes, sometimes a fool can say something wise and the wise sometimes say something foolish.I have read that lemon juice added to a glass of water “alkalizes” water.  Is that true?  If so, it would seem a good and harmless alternative to machines and baking soda (given that you rinse your mouth and/or brush your teeth afterwards to prevent acid damage to your teeth).i think lemon juice is acid. it would acidify, which is the opposite of alkalize. same with vinegar and apple cider vinegar.For what I’ve heard lemon juice turns alkaline when digested, unlike vinegar (any kind). So yes it does alkalinize water. Nobody seems to be able to explain how or even if this is actually true. I would love to hear a breakdown of this process from someone who’s knowledgeable. Can anyone on the NF team debunk this? Thank you.A study by Remer et al. in 1995 evaluated the effects of food consumption on the urine by giving food the night before and checking whether the urine was alkaline or acidic the next morning. (reminds me of when we were checking urine glucose to control diabetes). He showed that citrus resulted in mild alkalinizing of the urine so it does have a mild effect in that direction. Grains interestingly have a mild acidic load on the body…. much higher were meats, eggs and cheeses whereas plants with the exception of grains were alkalinizing. Baking Soda is much stronger. As a medical doctor I’m not aware of the studies which support the timing, agents and best approach to oral hygiene. I was unable to find any links specifically to “teeth” or “dental caries”. Maybe Dr. Greger and his team can keep an eye out for some good articles in the prevention of dental caries and gum disease for future videos. They could be added to some of the other excellent videos on “oral health”… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/ for a fairly common self limiting condition that I used to see in patients and was unable to offer much except reassurance until 2009… now I can… thanks again to NutritionFacts.org.What about Potassium Bicarbonate which is found in club soda?  Would club soda be alkaline?   Yes Potassium Bicarbonate added to water makes it alkaline. However carbonated water is acidic so sodium or potassium bicarbonate are often added to reduce the acidity. Whether enough is added to make the product alkaline would depend on the amount so would vary from product to product. You of course want to avoid sodas which often contain benzene which is a carcinogen… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-sodium-benzoate-harmful/. And if your goal is to lose weight you are best off not to “drink your calories” as one study showed that drinking a 100 calories of fruit juice before your meal actually increased the amount eaten. Recent data has helped sort out the best drinks see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/. There are a variety of healthy drinks see.. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/. The best way to maintain a more alkaline diet is to avoid the more acidic foods such as cheese, dairy, meat and eggs and stick with plants which have an alkaline effect of the body with the exception of grains which are mildly acidic.I have a alkaline water filter that costs way less than the Kragen one and does not need chemicals added to it. It acts as a reverse osmosis filters also. If you were to buy a filter, I suggest getting an alkaline water filter. There is a difference between water that has been flowing down a river or in a lake (living water) and water held in a tank for redistrubution (tap water).I actually own a Kangen water machine. I have had it for the last two years. Everyone should try the water for themselves and see the difference in their health. Educating oneself while drinking the water (which is free) will help anyone to figure out what to believe. People can say what they want, but when you experience your own health problems disappearing (or not), that will give you a definitive answer.Olinda Dolly – Past 3 years Independent Distribute for Kangen Water Machines.This is 72 years young Mike from Australia, I own an Enagic Water Ioniser valued at US$4000 and can report only positive results for myself and others who have machines. The water tastes good so it is easy to drink, prior to getting the machine I would drink some water when thirsty but could always justify a beer to quench that thirst. I now drink less beer and other alcohol, positive #1. I now sleep better, positive #2. I now wake up refreshed, positive #3. So I have a better more productive day, positive #4 and the list goes on, perhaps it’s the Compounding Effect of one positive leading to another. My arthritic knee which was going to be replaced 3 years ago is now pain free and I take no medication or other supplements. My good friend Geoff similar age had Irritable Bowel Syndrome and after 3 months on the Ionised water is off his medication with the readings all back to normal; so Geoff can now look forward to a more active life once again, a big positive in the “mind body connection”. So I have no problem sharing my good fortune with others and would not be so actively engaged in the process if there was no financial reward. Direct Sales, MLM whatever you want to label it. Like any other industry that pays for effort attracts a few scum buckets, but they pail into insignificance compared to those greedy characters who wrought havoc on the world with the GFC and those who add chemicals into the food chain, not to mention the food labelling people who hide behind 4 font print on their 95% fat free products. So which scam are we talking about? I’ll go for the one where the evidence is in front of me not the one creep up on me microgram by microgram and eventually paralyses me, don’t get me started on the sugar people$6000-1$=5999$ not 5999.99$….just sayin’Dr. Greger meant one scoop of baking soda in water is 1 cent. He wasn’t referring to the whole box. :)Any comments on this? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19276390You’d obviously not want to consume a high pH water with food. My question: When is it optimal to ingest the bicarbonate water? Bedtime? Tip: “Ener G” baking soda incorporates calcium and magnesium bicarbonate rather than sodium. So the results might be further improved. http://www.ener-g.com/baking-soda.html Legitimate million dollar idea: “Night Time Water”. Enhanced with “Ener G” brand calcium and magnesium bicarbonate.Hello Doctor, I am in the process of buying a a Kangen machine. Why? Because it does do what it is suppose to do and yes it is worth it too! Our bodies are priceless, and so we need to take care of our bodies and we will live longer. My husband had Ulcerative Colitis and after drinking the Kangen water, less than three months, the Ulcerative Colitis was gone. He was on Insulin three times a day. Now it is down to once a day. Attention all readers. The Kangen water does work.Hi, I am presently reconsidering changing direction for my studies in nutrition, after searching a lot… So, an alkaline water have an impact… Well, I would like to know what you think of the AAADIET (Acid-alkaline-association diet)…”alkaline forming food”, is it fake? With the process of digestion that we know and the blood constantly keeping the good PH (or we would die), can we rely on urine PH test? Can the PH of the food we eat actually have an impact on our health? …Like others, I still have difficulty with the idea that drinking mildly alkaline fluids has an effect in the gut environment where the ph is around 2, however the trials confirming the efficacy of such a simple treatment are truly encouraging and here’s hoping that more trials and publicity will follow.I have searched your webb site but don’t see anything on the budwig diet. I would really be interested in your opion on this. Joanna Budwig claims that by mixing the flax oil, cottage cheese and ground flax it produces a chemical change and make the flax oil water soluable. This in turn allows the omega 3’s easy access to have a curing effect on cancer. She also claims it has an extremely good effect on heart desease. Would love your opion. Thanks GaryThis sounds more like mystical healing then any actual science. I have not seen any studies on this.If anyone wants scientific proof of how ionized water works go to thid site http://www.ionizedwater.webs.com Then when you are ready to buy your machine http://www.bowral.enagicweb.info thanksYou could just present the studies here? using a secondary, or even third source is difficult to make conclusions on.He’s not looking to educate, he’s looking to hawk his latest get-rich-quick scheme, obviously.Not sure if this is necessarily a good idea, but some people add a drop of hydrogen peroxide to a glass of water to alkalize it before drinking. It does increase the pH.Noooo!I have used a Kangen water machine for nine months. I can no longer drink “tap water” coffee because it tastes so bad. Baking soda may change the ph but I don’t think I would like it in my coffee! Kangendemo.com has a spot where they wash cherry tomatoes (previously washed in tap water) in 2.5 ph water and the water turns tea coloured: they claim this is the pesticides coming out of the tomatoes! They claim the 11.5 ph water works as a degreaser. They further claim that several several restaurant and hotel chains use Kangen Water to: 1. Improve the taste of coffee, water, tea and food, 2. As a chemical free sanitizer, and 3. As a chemical free degreaser.There are several major commercial floor cleaning equipment manufacturers that actually make and sell alkaline floor cleaning equipment successfully so the water must work!It would be nice to know if it really cleaned food (removed the crap from chicken, removed pesticides). Can anyone test for crap removal and pesticide removal???J Food Sci. 2011 May;76(4):C520-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02154.x.Reduction of pesticide residues on fresh vegetables with electrolyzed water treatment.Hao J, Wuyundalai, Liu H, Chen T, Zhou Y, Su YC, Li L.SourceCollege of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural Univ., P. O. Box 40, No.17 Qinghuadonglu, Haidian, Beijing 100083, PR China.AbstractDegradation of the 3 pesticides (acephate, omethoate, and dimethyl dichloroviny phosphate [DDVP]) by electrolyzed water was investigated. These pesticides were commonly used as broad-spectrum insecticides in pest control and high-residual levels had been detected in vegetables. Our research showed that the electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water (pH 2.3, available chlorine concentration:70 ppm, oxidation-reduction potential [ORP]: 1170 mV) and the electrolyzed reducing (ER) water (pH 11.6, ORP: -860 mV) can reduce the pesticide residues effectively. Pesticide residues on fresh spinach after 30 min of immersion in electrolyzed water reduced acephate by 74% (EO) and 86% (ER), omethoate by 62% (EO) and 75% (ER), DDVP by 59% (EO) and 46% (ER), respectively. The efficacy of using EO water or ER water was found to be better than that of using tap water or detergent (both were reduced by more than 25%). Besides spinach, the cabbage and leek polluted by DDVP were also investigated and the degradation efficacies were similar to the spinach. Moreover, we found that the residual level of pesticide residue decreased with prolonged immersion time. Using EO or ER water to wash the vegetables did not affect the contents of Vitamin C, which inferred that the applications of EO or ER water to wash the vegetables would not result in loss of nutrition.© 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®Here is #1 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e42078. Epub 2012 Jul 31.Molecular hydrogen reduces LPS-induced neuroinflammation and promotes recovery from sickness behaviour in mice.Spulber S, Edoff K, Hong L, Morisawa S, Shirahata S, Ceccatelli S.SourceDepartment of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.AbstractMolecular hydrogen has been shown to have neuroprotective effects in mouse models of acute neurodegeneration. The effect was suggested to be mediated by its free-radical scavenger properties. However, it has been shown recently that molecular hydrogen alters gene expression and protein phosphorylation. The aim of this study was to test whether chronic ad libitum consumption of molecular hydrogen-enriched electrochemically reduced water (H-ERW) improves the outcome of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation. Seven days after the initiation of H-ERW treatment, C57Bl/6 mice received a single injection of LPS (0.33 mg/kg i.p.) or an equivalent volume of vehicle. The LPS-induced sickness behaviour was assessed 2 h after the injection, and recovery was assessed by monitoring the spontaneous locomotor activity in the homecage for 72 h after the administration of LPS. The mice were killed in the acute or recovery phase, and the expression of pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus was assessed by real-time PCR. We found that molecular hydrogen reduces the LPS-induced sickness behaviour and promotes recovery. These effects are associated with a shift towards anti-inflammatory gene expression profile at baseline (downregulation of TNF- α and upregulation of IL-10). In addition, molecular hydrogen increases the amplitude, but shortens the duration and promotes the extinction of neuroinflammation. Consistently, molecular hydrogen modulates the activation and gene expression in a similar fashion in immortalized murine microglia (BV-2 cell line), suggesting that the effects observed in vivo may involve the modulation of microglial activation. Taken together, our data point to the regulation of cytokine expression being an additional critical mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of molecular hydrogen.Here is #2 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Cytotechnology. 2012 May;64(3):357-71. Epub 2012 Jun 14.Suppressive effects of electrochemically reduced water on matrix metalloproteinase-2 activities and in vitro invasion of human fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells.Kinjo T, Ye J, Yan H, Hamasaki T, Nakanishi H, Toh K, Nakamichi N, Kabayama S, Teruya K, Shirahata S.SourceDivision of Life Engineering, Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8581, Japan.AbstractIt has been demonstrated that hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) is directly associated with elevated matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression in several cell lines. Electrochemically reduced water (ERW), produced near the cathode during electrolysis, and scavenges intracellular H(2)O(2) in human fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells. RT-PCR and zymography analyses revealed that when HT1080 cells were treated with ERW, the gene expression of MMP-2 and membrane type 1 MMP and activation of MMP-2 was repressed, resulting in decreased invasion of the cells into matrigel.ERW also inhibited H(2)O(2)-induced MMP-2 upregulation. To investigate signal transduction involved in MMP-2 downregulation, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-specific inhibitors, SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor), PD98059 (MAPK/extracellular regulated kinase kinase 1 inhibitor) and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase inhibitor II, were used to block the MAPK signal cascade. MMP-2 gene expression was only inhibited by SB203580 treatment, suggesting a pivotal role of p38 MAPK in regulation of MMP-2 gene expression. Western blot analysis showed that ERW downregulated the phosphorylation of p38 both in H(2)O(2)-treated and untreated HT1080 cells. These results indicate that the inhibitory effect of ERW on tumor invasion is due to, at least in part, its antioxidative effect.Here is #3 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Biol Pharm Bull. 2011;34(11):1671-7.Histological study on the effect of electrolyzed reduced water-bathing on UVB radiation-induced skin injury in hairless mice.Yoon KS, Huang XZ, Yoon YS, Kim SK, Song SB, Chang BS, Kim DH, Lee KJ.SourceDepartment of Environmental Medical Biology, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju, Gangwon, South Korea.AbstractElectrolyzed reduced water (ERW), functional water, has various beneficial effects via antioxidant mechanism in vivo and in vitro. However there is no study about beneficial effects of ERW bathing. This study aimed to determine the effect of ERW bathing on the UVB-induced skin injury in hairless mice. For this purpose, mice were irradiated with UVB to cause skin injury, followed by individually taken a bath in ERW (ERW-bathing) and tap water (TW-bathing) for 21 d. We examined cytokines profile in acute period, and histological and ultrastructural observation of skin in chronic period. We found that UVB-mediated skin injury of ERW-bathing group was significantly low compared to TW control group in the early stage of experiment. Consistently, epidermal thickening as well as the number of dermal mast cell was significantly lowered in ERW-bathing group. Defection of corneocytes under the scanning electron microscope was less observed in ERW-bathing group than in TW-bathing group. Further, the level of interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-12p70 in ERW group decreased whereas those of IL-10 increased. Collectively, our data indicate that ERW-bathing significantly reduces UVB-induced skin damage through influencing pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokine balance in hairless mice. This suggests that ERW-bathing has a positive effect on acute UVB-mediated skin disorders. This is the first report on bathing effects of ERWin UVB-induced skin injury.Here is #4 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2011;75(7):1295-9. Epub 2011 Jul 7.Mechanism of the lifespan extension of Caenorhabditis elegans by electrolyzed reduced water–participation of Pt nanoparticles.Yan H, Kinjo T, Tian H, Hamasaki T, Teruya K, Kabayama S, Shirahata S.SourceGraduate School of Systems Life Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.AbstractElectrolyzed reduced water (ERW) contains a large amount of molecular hydrogen and a small amount of Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs). We have found that ERW significantly extended the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans in a novel culture medium designated Water Medium. In this study, we found that synthetic Pt NPs at ppb levels significantly extended the nematode lifespan and scavenged reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the nematode induced by paraquat treatment. In contrast, a high concentration of dissolved molecular hydrogen had no significant effect on the lifespan of the nematode. These findings suggest that the Pt NPs in ERW, rather than the molecular hydrogen, extend the longevity of the nematode, at least partly by scavenging ROS.Here is #45of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2010 Aug;25(8):2730-7. Epub 2010 Feb 26.Electrolysed-reduced water dialysate improves T-cell damage in end-stage renal disease patients with chronic haemodialysis.Huang KC, Hsu SP, Yang CC, Ou-Yang P, Lee KT, Morisawa S, Otsubo K, Chien CT.SourceDepartment of Family Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.AbstractBACKGROUND:T-cell damage by increased oxidative stress in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing chronic haemodialysis (HD) led to the increased T-cell apoptosis and the alteration of surface markers and Th1/Th2 ratio in CD4(+) T lymphocytes. Antioxidant electrolysed-reduced water (ERW) was used as the dialysate in ESRD patients undergoing chronic HD to test for improved oxidative stress-related T-cell apoptosis, alterations of surface markers and intracellular cytokine profile.METHODS:We evaluated apoptosis formation by annexin V, CD25-related surface markers, and cytokine ratio of Th1/Th2 in CD4(+) T lymphocytes and Tc1/Tc2 in CD8(+) T lymphocytes of 42 ESRD patients haemodialysed with ERW for 1 year.RESULTS:In comparison to 12 healthy individuals, the ESRD patients had more T-cell apoptosis and less CD3(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells and CD25/CD69/CD94/CD3(+) phenotypes at baseline. Lower intracellular IL-2 and IFN-gamma levels in the Th1/CD4(+) and Tc1/CD8(+) cells and higher intracellular IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 levels in the Th2/CD4(+) and Tc2/CD8(+) cells were also noted in the ESRD patients. After a 1-year ERW treatment, the patients had a decrease in T-cell apoptosis and increases in CD3(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+) cell numbers and CD25/CD69/CD94/CD3(+) phenotypes in the T cells. The intracellular IL-2 and IFN-gamma levels in the Th1/Tc1 cells significantly (P < 0.05) increased and the intracellular IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 levels in the Th2/Tc2 cells decreased. Furthermore, the Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2 cytokine ratios were improved toward a normal status.CONCLUSION:One-year ERW treatment effectively ameliorated T-cell apoptosis, altered CD25-related surface markers and intracellular cytokine profile in the HD patients.Here is #6 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Food Chem Toxicol. 2009 Aug;47(8):2031-6. Epub 2009 May 27.Hepatoprotective effect of electrolyzed reduced water against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in mice.Tsai CF, Hsu YW, Chen WK, Chang WH, Yen CC, Ho YC, Lu FJ.SourceInstitute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, No. 110, Sec. 1, Jianguo N. Rd., Taichung 402, Taiwan.AbstractThe study investigated the protective effect of electrolyzed reduced water (ERW) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced liver damage. Male ICR mice were randomly divided into control, CCl(4), CCl(4)+silymarin, and CCl(4)+ERW groups. CCl(4)-induced liver lesions include leukocytes infiltration, hepatocyte necrosis, ballooning degeneration, mitosis, calcification, fibrosis and an increase of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aminotransferase (AST) activity. In addition, CCl(4) also significantly decreased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). By contrast, ERW or silymarin supplement significantly ameliorated the CCl(4)-induced liver lesions, lowered the serum levels of hepatic enzyme markers (ALT and AST) and increased the activities of SOD, catalase, and GSH-Px in liver. Therefore, the results of this study show that ERW can be proposed to protect the liver against CCl(4)-induced oxidative damage in mice, and the hepatoprotective effect might be correlated with its antioxidant and free radical scavenging effect.Here is #7 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Biol Pharm Bull. 2009 Mar;32(3):456-62.The immunological effects of electrolyzed reduced water on the Echinostoma hortense infection in C57BL/6 mice.Lee KJ, Jin D, Chang BS, Teng YC, Kim DH.SourceDepartment of Environmental Medical Biology, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Gang Won, South Korea.AbstractElectrolyzed reduced water (ERW) is widely used for drinking by people in Asia. The purpose of this study was to examine the immunological effect of ERW on the immunity of animals by supplying ERW to C57BL/6 mice infected with Echinostoma hortense metacercariae. In the non-infected groups, interleukin (IL)-4 (p < 0.001), IL-5, IL-10, IL-1beta, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and immunoglobulin (Ig) A expression of the group fedERW (ERW group) increased in small intestine compared with the normal control group. In the case of infected groups, the group fed ERW (ERW+E. hortense group) showed the result that IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and Ig A expression increased, but IL-1beta and TNF-alpha (p < 0.001) decreased, and the number of goblet cells (p < 0.001) and helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) positive cells increased compared with the group without feeding ERW. However, adult worm recovery rate was markedly increased (p < 0.05). On the other hand, the expression of all the cytokines except IL-10 in spleen was mildly increased but not significant statistically, and there was no significant difference in the numerical changes of white blood cell (WBC). These results indicate that feeding ERW may have influence on the local immune response (Th-1 type cytokines such as IL-1beta, TNF-alpha) in the small intestine but not on the systemic immune response.Here is #8 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.iosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2009 Feb;73(2):280-7. Epub 2009 Feb 7.Enhanced induction of mitochondrial damage and apoptosis in human leukemia HL-60 cells due to electrolyzed-reduced water and glutathione.Tsai CF, Hsu YW, Chen WK, Ho YC, Lu FJ.SourceInstitute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.AbstractElectrolzyed-reduced water (ERW) is a higher pH and lower oxidation-reduction potential water. In the present study, we examined the enhanced effect of ERW in the apoptosis of leukemia cells (HL-60) induced by glutathione (GSH). An enhanced inhibitory effect on the viability of the HL-60 cells was observed after treatment with a combination of ERW with various concentrations of GSH, whereas no cytotoxic effect in normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells was observed. The results of apoptotic related protein indicated that the induction of HL-60 cell death was caused by the induction of apoptosis through upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2. The results of further investigation showed a diminution of intracellular GSH levels in ERW, and combination with GSH groups. These results suggest that ERW is an antioxidant, and that ERW, in combination with GSH, has an enhanced apoptosis-inducing effect on HL-60 cells, which might be mediated through the mitochondria-dependent pathway.Here is #9 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Drug Dev Ind Pharm. 2009 Feb;35(2):145-53.Effect of several electrolyzed waters on the skin permeation of lidocaine, benzoic Acid, and isosorbide mononitrate.Kitamura T, Todo H, Sugibayashi K.SourceFaculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Josai University, Saitama, Japan.AbstractThe effects of several electrolyzed waters were evaluated on the permeation of model base, acid and non-ionized compounds, lidocaine (LC), benzoic acid (BA), and isosorbide mononitrate (ISMN), respectively, through excised hairless rat skin. Strong alkaline-electrolyzed reducing water (ERW) enhanced and suppressed the skin permeation of LC and BA, respectively, and it also increased the skin permeation of ISMN, a non-ionized compound. On the contrary, strong acidic electrolyzed oxidizing water (EOW) enhanced BA permeation, whereas suppressing LC permeation. Only a marginal effect was observed on the skin permeation of ISMN by EOW. These marked enhancing effects of ERW on the skin permeation of LC and ISMN were explained by pH partition hypothesis as well as a decrease in skin impedance. The present results strongly support that electrolyzed waters, ERW and EOW, can be used as a new vehicle in topical pharmaceuticals or cosmetics to modify the skin permeation of drugs without severe skin damage.Here is #10 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Biol Pharm Bull. 2007 Feb;30(2):234-6.Preservative effect of electrolyzed reduced water on pancreatic beta-cell mass in diabetic db/db mice.Kim MJ, Jung KH, Uhm YK, Leem KH, Kim HK.SourceDepartment of Obesity Management, Graduate School of Obesity Science, Dongduk Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea. mijakim@dongduck.ac.jpAbstractOxidative stress is produced under diabetic conditions and involved in progression of pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction. Both an increase in reactive oxygen free radical species (ROS) and a decrease in the antioxidant defense mechanism lead to the increase in oxidative stress in diabetes. Electrolyzed reduced water (ERW) with ROS scavenging ability may have a potential effect on diabetic animals, a model for high oxidative stress. Therefore, the present study examined the possible anti-diabetic effect of ERW in genetically diabetic mouse strain C57BL/6J-db/db (db/db). ERWwith ROS scavenging ability reduced the blood glucose concentration, increased blood insulin level, improved glucose tolerance and preserved beta-cell mass in db/db mice. The present data suggest that ERW may protects beta-cell damage and would be useful for antidiabetic agent.Here is #11 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Life Sci. 2006 Nov 10;79(24):2288-92. Epub 2006 Aug 2.Anti-diabetic effects of electrolyzed reduced water in streptozotocin-induced and genetic diabetic mice.Kim MJ, Kim HK.SourceDepartment of Obesity management, Graduate School of Obesity Science, Dongduk Women’s University, 23-1 Wolkgukdong, Seoul, 136-714, South Korea. mijakim@dongduk.ac.krAbstractOxidative stress is produced under diabetic conditions and is likely involved in progression of pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction found in diabetes. Both an increase in reactive oxygen free radical species (ROS) and a decrease in the antioxidant defense mechanism lead to the increase in oxidative stress in diabetes. Electrolyzed reduced water (ERW) with ROS scavenging ability may have a potential effect on diabetic animals, a model for high oxidative stress. Therefore, the present study examined the possible anti-diabetic effect of ERW in two different diabetic animal models. The genetically diabetic mouse strain C57BL/6J-db/db (db/db) and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mouse were used as insulin deficient type 1 and insulin resistant type 2 animal model, respectively. ERW, provided as a drinking water, significantly reduced the blood glucose concentration and improved glucose tolerance in both animal models. However, ERW fail to affect blood insulin levels in STZ-diabetic mice whereas blood insulin level was markedly increased in genetically diabetic db/db mice. This improved blood glucose control could result from enhanced insulin sensitivity, as well as increased insulin release. The present data suggest that ERW may function as an orally effective anti-diabetic agent and merit further studies on its precise mechanism.Here is #12 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.J Food Sci. 2012 Apr;77(4):M182-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2012.02633.x.Transmission electron microscopic analysis showing structural changes to bacterial cells treated with electrolyzed water and an acidic sanitizer.Feliciano L, Lee J, Pascall MA.SourceDepartment of Food Science and Technology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.AbstractThe effects of various sanitizers on the viability and cellular injury to structures of Escherichia coli and Listeria innocua were investigated. A food grade organic acidic formulation (pH 2.5) and acidic, neutral, and basic electrolyzed water [AEW (pH 2.7, oxidation reduction potential; ORP: 1100 mV, free available chlorine; FAC: 150 ppm), NEW (pH 6.9, ORP: 840 mV, FAC: 150 ppm), BEW (pH 11.6, ORP: -810 mV)] were used to treat E. coli and L. innocua cells. After 10 min of exposure to the sanitizers, changes to the bacterial numbers and cell structures were evaluated by plate counting and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. It was concluded from the results that the sanitizers reduced the E. coli cells between 2 and 3 log CFU/mL. Except for the BEW treatment, reductions in L. innocua population were greater (>1 log CFU/mL) than that of E. coli for all treatments. Data from the TEM showed that all sanitizers caused changes to the cell envelope and cytoplasm of both organisms. However, smaller changes were observed for L. innocua cells. Decrease in the integrity of the cell envelope and aggregation of the cytoplasmic components appeared to be mainly because of exposure to the sanitizers. The organic acid formulation and AEW were the most effective sanitizers against bacterial cells, indicating that penetration of acidic substances effectively caused the cell inactivation. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: An understanding of the method in which E-water and an acidic sanitizer cause injury to E. coli and L. innocua would be helpful in selecting an effective chemical agent as a food safety tool. This will allow a scientist to target similar microorganisms such as food borne bacteria with structures that are vulnerable to the sanitizer.Here is #13 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.J Food Prot. 2012 Apr;75(4):765-70.Effect of anolyte on background microflora, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes on catfish fillets.Rajkowski KT, Sommers CH.SourceEastern Regional Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Wyndmoor, PA 19083-8551, USA. kathleen.rajkowski@ars.usda.govAbstractNear-neutral electrolyzed water (anolyte), having a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 ± 0.02, oxidation reduction potential of greater than 700 mV, and a residual chlorine level of 10 to 200 ppm, was reported to have a potential use to decontaminate food surfaces. An electrolyzing cell was developed that is capable of producing neutral electrolyzed water containing a chlorine level of greater than 700 ppm in the form of hypochlorous acid (anolyte). Anolyte with a chlorine level of 300 ppm was used to determine its effect on Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes cells after a 3-min contact. Transmission electron micrograph results showed disruption of the outer cellular membrane for both bacteria. The anolyte (300 ppm) was used as a washing solution to decontaminate catfish fillets inoculated with either Salmonella or L. monocytogenes. After a 3-min contact time with the anolyte, there was a 1-log reduction for Salmonella, and after 8 days of refrigerated storage (4°C), this bacterial reduction was maintained. There was no reduction of L. monocytogenes on the catfish fillet surfaces. The anolyte was an effective wash solution for Salmonella reduction on the catfish fillet surfaces.i think most of u r educated idiots, trying to impress either yourselves or us, it must be yourselves u r trying to impress because i m sure like me most of the people who read all that crap with the big numbers and fancy names u cant pronounce, doesnt mean diddly squat. we r all not rocket scientist. so what i would like to see is the kiss principle. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. what most of us i m sure would like to see is reports from people who has tried this and DID IT WORK FOR THEM!!!! period! signed a kiss believer.BOYD: Personal attacks are not allowed on this site. I’m deleting your comment.so much for free speech and ones self opinion. BOYDBOYD: If you can express your opinion without name-calling, etc, that would be great. In other words, if you can be civil, your personal opinion will be welcome.Here is #14 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.J Food Sci. 2011 May;76(4):C520-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02154.x.Reduction of pesticide residues on fresh vegetables with electrolyzed water treatment.Hao J, Wuyundalai, Liu H, Chen T, Zhou Y, Su YC, Li L.SourceCollege of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural Univ., P. O. Box 40, No.17 Qinghuadonglu, Haidian, Beijing 100083, PR China.AbstractDegradation of the 3 pesticides (acephate, omethoate, and dimethyl dichloroviny phosphate [DDVP]) by electrolyzed water was investigated. These pesticides were commonly used as broad-spectrum insecticides in pest control and high-residual levels had been detected in vegetables. Our research showed that the electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water (pH 2.3, available chlorine concentration:70 ppm, oxidation-reduction potential [ORP]: 1170 mV) and the electrolyzed reducing (ER) water (pH 11.6, ORP: -860 mV) can reduce the pesticide residues effectively. Pesticide residues on fresh spinach after 30 min of immersion in electrolyzed water reduced acephate by 74% (EO) and 86% (ER), omethoate by 62% (EO) and 75% (ER), DDVP by 59% (EO) and 46% (ER), respectively. The efficacy of using EO water or ER water was found to be better than that of using tap water or detergent (both were reduced by more than 25%). Besides spinach, the cabbage and leek polluted by DDVP were also investigated and the degradation efficacies were similar to the spinach. Moreover, we found that the residual level of pesticide residue decreased with prolonged immersion time. Using EO or ER water to wash the vegetables did not affect the contents of Vitamin C, which inferred that the applications of EO or ER water to wash the vegetables would not result in loss of nutrition.© 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®Here is #15 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.iomed Res. 2009 Oct;30(5):263-9.Electrolyzed-reduced water inhibits acute ethanol-induced hangovers in Sprague-Dawley rats.Park SK, Qi XF, Song SB, Kim DH, Teng YC, Yoon YS, Kim KY, Li JH, Jin D, Lee KJ.SourceDepartment of Environmental Medical Biology, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju, Gangwon, Republic of Korea.AbstractEthanol consumption disturbs the balance between the pro- and anti-oxidant systems of the organism, leading to oxidative stress. Electrolyzed-reduced water (ERW) is widely used by people in East Asia for drinking purposes because of its therapeutic properties including scavenging effect of reactive oxygen species. This study was performed to investigate the effect of ERW on acute ethanol-induced hangovers in Sprague-Dawley rats. Alcohol concentration in serum of ERW-treated rats showed significant difference at 1 h, 3 h and 5 h respectively as compared with the rats treated with distilled water. Both alcohol dehydrogenase type 1 and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase related with oxidation of alcohol were significantly increased in liver tissue while the level of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in serum was markedly decreased 24 h after pre-oral administration of ERW. Moreover, oral administration of ERW significantly activated non-ezymatic (glutathione) and enzymatic (glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase and catalase) antioxidants in liver tissues compared with the control group. These results suggest that drinking ERW has an effect of alcohol detoxification by antioxidant mechanism and has potentiality for relief of ethanol-induced hangover symptoms.Here is #16 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.J Food Sci. 2008 Aug;73(6):M268-72.Effect of electrolyzed water for reduction of foodborne pathogens on lettuce and spinach.Park EJ, Alexander E, Taylor GA, Costa R, Kang DH.SourceDept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA 99164-6376, USA.AbstractThe ability of electrolyzed water (EW) to inactivate foodborne pathogens on the surfaces of lettuce and spinach was investigated. Lettuce and spinach leaves were inoculated with a cocktail of 3 strains each of Escherichia col O157:H7, Salmnonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes and treated with acidic electrolyzed water (AC-EW), alkaline electrolyzed water (AK-EW), alkaline electrolyzed water followed by acidic electrolyzedwater (sequential treatment, AK-EW + AC-EW), deionized water followed by acidic electrolyzed water (sequential treatment, DW + AC-EW), and deionized water (control, DW) for 15, 30 s, and 1, 3, and 5 min at room temperature (22 +/- 2 degrees C). For all 3 pathogens, the same pattern of microbial reduction on lettuce and spinach were apparent. The relative efficacy of reduction was AC-EW > DW + AC-EW approximately = AK-EW + AC-EW > AK-EW > control. After a 3-min treatment of AC-EW, the 3 tested pathogens were reduced below the detection limit (0.7 log). DW + AC-EW and AK-EW + AC-EW produced the same levels of reduction after 5 min when compared to the control. AK-EW did not reduce levels of pathogens even after a 5-min treatment on lettuce and spinach. Results suggest that AC-EW treatment was able to significantly reduce populations of the 3 tested pathogens from the surfaces of lettuce and spinach with increasing time of exposure.Here is #18 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Int J Food Microbiol. 2008 Mar 31;123(1-2):151-8. Epub 2008 Jan 30.Efficacy of neutral electrolyzed water (NEW) for reducing microbial contamination on minimally-processed vegetables.Abadias M, Usall J, Oliveira M, Alegre I, Viñas I.SourceIRTA, Centre UdL-IRTA, XaRTA-Postharvest, 191 Rovira Roure, 25198-Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. isabel.abadias@irta.catAbstractConsumption of minimally-processed, or fresh-cut, fruit and vegetables has rapidly increased in recent years, but there have also been several reported outbreaks associated with the consumption of these products. Sodium hypochlorite is currently the most widespread disinfectant used by fresh-cut industries. Neutral electrolyzed water (NEW) is a novel disinfection system that could represent an alternative to sodium hypochlorite. The aim of the study was to determine whether NEW could replace sodium hypochlorite in the fresh-cut produce industry. The effects of NEW, applied in different concentrations, at different treatment temperatures and for different times, in the reduction of the foodborne pathogens Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 and against the spoilage bacterium Erwinia carotovora were tested in lettuce. Lettuce was artificially inoculated by dipping it in a suspension of the studied pathogens at 10(8), 10(7) or 10(5) cfu ml(-1), depending on the assay. The NEW treatment was always compared with washing with deionized water and with a standard hypochlorite treatment. The effect of inoculum size was also studied. Finally, the effect of NEW on the indigenous microbiota of different packaged fresh-cut products was also determined. The bactericidal activity of diluted NEW (containing approximately 50 ppm of free chlorine, pH 8.60) against E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, L. innocua and E. carotovora on lettuce was similar to that of chlorinated water (120 ppm of free chlorine) with reductions of 1-2 log units. There were generally no significant differences when treating lettuce with NEW for 1 and 3 min. Neither inoculation dose (10(7) or 10(5) cfu ml(-1)) influenced the bacterial reduction achieved. Treating fresh-cut lettuce, carrot, endive, corn salad and ‘Four seasons’ salad with NEW 1:5 (containing about 50 ppm of free chlorine) was equally effective as applying chlorinated water at 120 ppm. Microbial reduction depended on the vegetable tested: NEW and sodium hypochlorite treatments were more effective on carrot and endive than on iceberg lettuce, ‘Four seasons’ salad and corn salad. The reductions of indigenous microbiota were smaller than those obtained with the artificially inoculated bacteria tested (0.5-1.2 log reduction). NEW seems to be a promising disinfection method as it would allow to reduce the amount of free chlorine used for the disinfection of fresh-cut produce by the food industry, as the same microbial reduction as sodium hypochlorite is obtained. This would constitute a safer, ‘in situ’, and easier to handle way of ensuring food safety.Here is #19 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Comparison of the Microbicidal Activities of Superoxidized and Ozonated Water in the Disinfection of EndoscopesAuthors: Urata, M.; Isomoto, H.; Murase, K.; Wada, A.; Yanagihara, K.; Hirakata, Y.; Takeshima, F.; Omagari, K.; Mizuta, Y.; Murata, I.; Kohno, S.Source: The Journal of International Medical Research, Volume 31, Number 4, July 2003 , pp. 299-306(8)1The microbicidal activities of superoxidized water (electrolysed strong acid water [ESAW] or electrolysed weak acid water [EWAW]), ozonated water, 0.05% chlorhexidine and 2% glutaraldehyde were tested against seven strains of clinical micro-organism isolates. Following incubation of bacterial suspensions in ESAW and EWAW for 10 s, the number of micro-organisms was reduced below the detection limit. The microbicidal activities of ESAW and EWAW were similar to that of glutaraldehyde, and superior to ozonated water and 0.05% chlorhexidine. The microbicidal activities of ESAW, EWAW and ozonated water were markedly diminished in the presence of albumin. Microbial contamination of upper gastrointestinal endoscopes was detected after 90 endoscopic procedures, but treatment of the endoscope with ESAW, EWAW or ozonated water eradicated the microbes. These results indicate that ESAW and EWAW are effective disinfectants after mechanical cleaning of upper gastrointestinal endoscopes, and can, therefore, be used in the endoscopy unithttp://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/field/jimr/2003/00000031/00000004/art00007Here is #20 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Electrolyzed-reduced water inhibits acute ethanol-induced hangovers in Sprague-Dawley rats.Park SK, Qi XF, Song SB, Kim DH, Teng YC, Yoon YS, Kim KY, Li JH, Jin D, Lee KJ.SourceDepartment of Environmental Medical Biology, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju, Gangwon, Republic of Korea.AbstractEthanol consumption disturbs the balance between the pro- and anti-oxidant systems of the organism, leading to oxidative stress. Electrolyzed-reduced water (ERW) is widely used by people in East Asia for drinking purposes because of its therapeutic properties including scavenging effect of reactive oxygen species. This study was performed to investigate the effect of ERW on acute ethanol-induced hangovers in Sprague-Dawley rats. Alcohol concentration in serum of ERW-treated rats showed significant difference at 1 h, 3 h and 5 h respectively as compared with the rats treated with distilled water. Both alcohol dehydrogenase type 1 and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase related with oxidation of alcohol were significantly increased in liver tissue while the level of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in serum was markedly decreased 24 h after pre-oral administration of ERW. Moreover, oral administration of ERW significantly activated non-ezymatic (glutathione) and enzymatic (glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase and catalase) antioxidants in liver tissues compared with the control group. These results suggest that drinking ERW has an effect of alcohol detoxification by antioxidant mechanism and has potentiality for relief of ethanol-induced hangover symptoms.Here is #21 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Cytotechnology. 2005 Jan;47(1-3):97-105. doi: 10.1007/s10616-005-3759-2.Electrolyzed Reduced Water Supplemented with Platinum Nanoparticles Suppresses Promotion of Two-stage Cell Transformation.Nishikawa R, Teruya K, Katakura Y, Osada K, Hamasaki T, Kashiwagi T, Komatsu T, Li Y, Ye J, Ichikawa A, Otsubo K, Morisawa S, Xu Q, Shirahata S.Author informationAbstractIn the two-stage cell transformation theory, cancer cells first receive initiation, which is mainly caused by DNA damage, and then promotion, which enhances transformation. Murine Balb/c 3T3 cells are widely used for transformation experiments because they lose contact inhibition ability when transformed. Electrolyzed reduced water (ERW), which is produced near a cathode during electrolysis of water, is an alkaline drinking water that is beneficial to health. ERW contains a high concentration of dissolved hydrogen and scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS), along with a small amount of platinum (Pt) nanoparticles (Pt nps) derived from Pt-coated titanium electrodes. Pt nps stably disperse in aqueous solution for a long time, and convert hydrogen molecules to active hydrogen (atomic hydrogen) that can scavenge ROS. Therefore, ERW supplemented with synthesized Pt nps is a model strong reduced water. This is the first report that ERW supplemented with synthesized Pt nps strongly prevents transformation of Balb/c 3T3 cells. ERW was prepared by electrolysis of 0.002 M NaOH solution using a batch-type electrolysis device. Balb/c 3T3 cells were treated with 3-methyl cholanthrene (MCA) as an initiation substance, followed by treatment with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) as a promotion substance. MCA/PMA-induced formation of a transformation focus was strongly suppressed by ERW supplemented with Pt nps but not by ERW or Pt nps individually. ERW supplemented with Pt nps suppressed transformation at the promoter stage, not at initiation, suggesting that ERW supplemented with Pt nps suppressed the PMA-induced augmentation of intracellular ROS. ERW supplemented with Pt nps is a potential new antioxidant against carcinogenesis.Here is #22 of 22 abstracts with citations for peer reviewed work on reduced and oxidized water for your consideration.Electrolyzed-reduced water increases resistance to oxidative stress, fertility, and lifespan via insulin/IGF-1-like signal in C. elegans.Park SK, Park SK.Author informationAbstractElectrolyzed-reduced water (ERW) scavenges reactive oxygen species and is a powerful anti-oxidant. A positive correlation between oxidative stress and aging has been proved in many model organisms. In Caenorhabditis elegans, many long-lived mutants showed reduced fertility as a trade off against longevity phenotype. We aimed to study the effect of ERW on oxidative stress, fertility and lifespan of C. elegans. We also investigated the genetic pathway involved in the effect of ERW on resistance to oxidative stress and lifespan. We compared lifespan and fertility of worms in media prepared with distilled water and ERW. ERW significantly extended lifespan and increased the number of progeny produced. Then the effect of ERWon resistance to oxidative stress and lifespan of long-lived mutants was determined. ERW increased resistance to oxidative stress and lifespan of eat-2, a genetic model of dietary restriction, but had no effect on those of age-1, which is involved in insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1-like signal. In addition, knockdown of daf-16, the downstream mediator of insulin/IGF-1-like signal, completely prevented the effect of ERW on lifespan. These findings suggest that ERW can extend lifespan without accompanying reduced fertility and modulate resistance to oxidative stress and lifespan via insulin/IGF-1-like signal in C. elegans.The benefits in reduced water produced by electrolysis is in its anti-oxidant properties.Could it be the sodium/salt that created the affect and not the ‘alkaline water’? We need sodium for health, it is one of the main conductors of cell energy, we would be dead without it. In school, it was explained to me that if you drink something alkaline than your stomach just produces a little more hydrochloric acid to bring it to the right pH. Your stomach dumps at a certain pH level. At the end of the stomach into the duodenum there are buffers produced and injected into the slurry as the food leaves the stomach to reduce this acid, so what would alkaline water have to do with anything? I would think it was the baking soda itself, not that fact the water is more alkalineThe results are interesting, but on the other hand a plant based, low fat diet does much better.I think you really need to check out Tyler LeBaron’s site at http://www.molecularhydrogeninsitute.com to understand the difference between alkaline water and the ‘real thing’ with real and numerous scientific studies – 350 and growing for over 80 specific health conditions.Doctor, I urge you to read Dr. Hiromi Shinya’s Book, the Enzyme Factor, then research what you know nothing about. I did not see an RD after your MD, so I assume you have maybe the minimum nutrition classes behind you to become a Dr. (3 Units?) Do you even know of Dr Shinya? You might look up his credentials before commenting on something you know nothing about. Research before opening your mouth. I for one, am a survivor of BIG C and would not be here w/o it. I’d be 6′ under. The USA is not the #1 nation for longevity in the world. Why? Due to people like you. Think then insert Foot!Hello Dr. Greger I was wondering what do you think about getting spring water directly at the spring. Many tout its benefits. What do you think ?Thank youIf this were true, then those living in St Louis would be the healthiest on the planet with a tap water ph of 9.22.Am confused about how this discussion relates to drinking chlorinated municiple tap water ? Is it worth drinking some other type of water? Distilled? What would you recommend?youtube has several videos claiming baking soda can cure cancer. what do you think?Would about deminerailzed water? Is reverse osmosis unhealthy? What about distilled water? Is reverse osmosis considered deminerzlized water? Here’s the study from the World Health Organization (http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutrientsindw.pdf)? What’s your thought on it?What’s your thought on this article? It states demineralized water increases cardiovascular risk mortality and morbidity and it’s healthy? http://www.vega-licious.com/best-water-filter-home/I’m just trying to avoid all the chemicals and etc in my water and find the safest and best water to drink. The article suggests carbon. I’m also trying to avoid fluoride exposure. Any advice? Thanks!Hi Derrek. I wrote about this a while ago in response to a similar question about water, please check it out for more details, here.Good morning Joseph,Congratulations on your appointment as Nutrition Director of Nutrition Facts.org. I am a big fan of Dr Greger. I contribute to his foundation each month and I do volunteer work for him also.I have been reluctant to ask questions of him because I know how busy he is so now that we have you on board I am hoping that you can help me.My question is about “ionized” alkaline water and “ionized” acid water. I have a Chanson machine. It is the same as the Kangen machine but half the price and it works twice as well. I have been using the machine for five years now and I love the results I am getting. My hair and skin feel better and my health is much improved. I have a sophisticated set of pre filters which gets rid of all the chemicals and heavy metals before it reaches the machine. I use the acid water to rinse my hair and body after I shower and I use the alkaline water to drink and cook with. I am very pleased with the results and my blood ph is always slightly alkaline and never acidic.Here are my questions: (1) Are there any recent scientific tests or studies to confirm the validity of the results that I am getting by using ionized alkaline water for drinking and cooking and/or using ionized acid water for rinsing my skin and hair? Also: (2) Does ionizing add any benefits to the water, or is it just the change in PH that makes the difference? The cost is insignificant when amortized over the hundreds of gallons of water we use each year. I am not excited about the baking soda idea.Thanks, PaulHi Paul. Thanks so much for your kind donations. Forgive my delay. Did this video help clarify things? It may help to read the thread here and see my comment under Dr. Greger’s video on alkalized water. Make sure to click the link within that comment to learn more about deionized water. I hope that helps! Let me know!What about potassium bicarbonate (found in soda, wine (and fire extinguishers))?I used to rinse with sodium bicarbonate after eating fruit before brushing my teeth in the morning.EDIT: I see others have asked this question. Seems KHCO3 is common in many processed foods and drinks to reduce or neutralize their acidity.What about the effects of mixing baking soda with lemon juice (end result trisodium citrate)? I have some health issues which manifests sometimes after eating (swollen veins in hands is one effect) and I have found it has a very fast relief, in a matter of minutes if I drink 1-2 squeezed lemons in a glass of water, combined with baking soda, around 10-30 minutes after eating. I’ve observed no improvement if I drink this combination on empty stomach.This makes me so happy! I’ve been reading a lot of alkaline water and wished I could afford a way to have it. We purchased a Berkey Water Filter system to remove fluoride and the many other chemicals/toxins in our tap water. Now we can have our alkalinized water too!Not sure anyone will see this as this is an older post. but I was very curious about an aspect of my water consumption. When we moved here (FL) the well water was so sulfurous, you could smell when anyone in the neighborhood is using their irrigation system to water their yard! Even with the standard household water filtering system (ion exchange?) you could still smell and taste the sulfur in the water, smell it in clean clothes, showers, etc. We eventually opted for a rather pricey RO system, and one of the “sales points” was that it alkalized the water. It was just a huge relief to have usable water at last, and though I did wonder about the validity of the alkalinity benefits, I was later concerned reading about the lack of vital minerals that are also removed. Does anyone have any info about this, or how to (cheaply-on a fixed income now) compensate for the loss? I do eat an animal free WFPB diet, so hopefully that helps, but since water is such a primary necessity, I am concerned.how would you know if it ac tually changed the water? and if it did, how would you know what it was doing to you? any alkalinity it might add would a. be from metal ions and b. be neutralized by the 1000x more powerful stomach acid so scam wle	alkaline water,baking soda,blood pressure,blood sugar,cholesterol,diabetes,hypertension,LDL cholesterol,nutrition myths,pH,salt,snake oil,sodium,sodium bicarbonate,water	Hawkers of "ionizer" water machines (like Kangen) claim healing alkaline water benefits; skeptics call it snake oil. They both may be wrong.	This is the first video off my Latest in Clinical Nutrition volume 6 DVD. Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them.  Be sure to check out all the videos on nutrition myths. And don't forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/baking-soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alkaline-water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium-bicarbonate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sodium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ph/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=19954956,
PLAIN-3126	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/	The Tomato Effect	In his landmark article "Resolving the Coronary Artery Disease Epidemic Through Pant-Based Nutrition, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn notes how fortunate we are to possess the knowledge of how to prevent, arrest, and selectively reverse this disease. However, he goes on to lament, we are not fortunate in the capacity of our institutions to share this information with the public. He blames ties to industry and politics result in conflicts of interest within our private and governmental health institutions, compromising the accuracy of their public message. This is in total violation of the moral imperative of the medical profession. Now is the time for us to have the courage for legendary work, he concludes, Science must dictate dietary recommendations.After all, "The fact that a low-fat, fiber-rich vegan diet is likely to reduce risk for most types of cancer, ischemic heart disease and its complications, obesity… diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, gallstones, renal stones, appendicitis, diverticulitis, hiatal hernia, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and possibly the chief metabolic complications of pregnancy—disorders which collectively are responsible for the majority of the deaths and hospitalizations in Western society—should be sufficient to recommend it.Of course, Those who are only willing to make less striking changes in their lifestyle can be encouraged to reduce their consumption of animal products as much as they can.In the process of writing this paper on the comparative endocrinological effect of plant versus animal proteins, the researcher himself was overwhelmed by the balance of evidence and disclosed that in “During the course of researching and writing this article, my findings impelled me to become a vegan.” Why don’t more within the scientific and medical community similarly embrace a plant-based diet? Part of the reason may be the Tomato Effect.Coined in the Journal of the American Medical Association 27 years ago, the Tomato Effect describes the rejection of highly efficacious therapies by the medical establishment because they go against the prevailing conventional wisdom.Imported from the New World, “By the year 1560, the tomato, was becoming a staple of the continental European diet. At the same time it was actively shunned in North America for literally centuries. The reason… is simple: they were poisonous. Everyone knew they were poisonous, at least everyone in North America.It was obvious.Evidently it was not until 1820 when some dude ate a tomato on the steps of some courthouse—and survived, did things finally change. And today, in the United States, tomatoes are a billion dollar crop.Examples of this "Tomato Effect"—a slavish devotion to orthodoxy, are described in medicine, for example ignoring the successful use of this plant in the treatment of gout for a thousand years before modern medicine quote unquote “discovered” it was the drug colchicine. Aspirin was also ignored for almost 3,000 years of successful use as willow tree bark extract.But I'd like to extend this analogy into the field of nutrition. For example, thousands of died of scurvy, vitamin C deficiency, for a hundred years after lemon juice was found to cure it, because disease at the time was considered an imbalance of the humors; what role could eating fruit possibly play?A century later, in the mid-1800’s, humanity came up with the brilliant idea to polish rice from brown to white,  causing a epidemic of sudden death from heart attack in Asia. Millions died of beriberi, a vitamin B deficiency that affects the heart muscle, Again the cure was discovered—rice bran, or rice bran tea, yet decades of death before the medical community finally woke up.Today, there is another epidemic of sudden death from heart attack. It too is caused by diet, and it too has a cure. How long must we wait?...McCarty ends his paper: “I suspect that the simple injunction, ‘Do not eat animal products’ has the potential to do more for world health than all of the abstruse wisdom in all of the world’s medical libraries.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on heart disease, as well as the videos on nutrition myths. And don’t forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Thanks for another excellent video, Dr. Greger! I agree that the tomato effect – or dogmas, in general – are at the core of why less than 5% of people in North America have embraced vegetarianism, despite enormous scientific support for plant-based diets. One example of non sequitur reasoning that I’m sure you will recognize, goes something like:1) we have been eating meat for eons as proven by the anthropological record;2) therefore, we have evolved to eat meat and require it.Hmm…maybe if the discredited theory of Lamarck had been proven true, but #2 does not follow automatically according to the well supported model of Darwinian evolution.Yet meat proponents as sophisticated as Michael Pollan will suggest that following the current science of nutrition, pejoratively referred to as nutritionism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritionism), will lead people astray. Instead they suggest that we should use common sense intuition to eat according to the pattern of our ancestors.I feel that even rather rational people, with limited time to explore the literature, would buy into flawed arguments, like the above, and ultimately avoid vegetarianism.It is certainly an educational challenge to make major changes in the way people view the foods they eat. In my reading of Michael Pollan, I was understanding his mantra of “Eat food, mostly plants, and not too much,” is certainly advocating for a plant based diet as the primary food source. Although he may eat meat, his writings, seem to clearly decry the traditional western diet and the “food industry”.As he says in his “Food Rules”, Eat foods from plants, not food made in plants.I feel that ‘Mostly plants’ does not say much since most people of the world, including those from developed nations, already get most of their calories from plant sources. The food balance tables (http://faostat.fao.org/site/368/default.aspx#ancor) provide ample support for this.In his ‘Six rules for eating wisely’ (http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/six-rules-for-eating-wisely/), I think Pollan sums up his attitude when he writes: “The more I learn about the science of nutrition, the less certain I am that we’ve learned anything important about food that our ancestors didn’t know.”Concerns about the sincerity of Pollan’s support for vegetarianism have been well-covered elsewhere, including: (http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/09/hard-to-swallow/6123/4/)I would agree that the majority of the world has historically obtained the majority of calories from plant sources. The problems facing us here in the USA are we have really made a shift in the last century and it has been detrimental to our health.Pollan’s statement about nutrition is one I took as a critique of our reductionist approach, basically we have been taught to look at eating nutrients rather than whole food. Although being concerned about nutrients we need or don’t need can be helpful, most of the research seems to show eating whole foods is most beneficial.I am not too concerned about Pollan’s personal philosophy and whether he eats meat or not. I find his writing stimulated my own thought about what I eat – so his writings have been beneficial to me!concerned about Pollan’s sincerityNicely said! … I agree with you that Pollan makes an excellent point about the nutritional value of whole foods, which is well-supported by current research. If he is inspiring others to think more critically about the food they eat, then he is making a valuable contribution.Thank you.I started down my healthier path by just adding 3 pieces of fruit a day to my diet. Then I started reading and adding more veggies, then less sugar, then less meat and so on. Pollen’s writings have helped me along with Furman, McDougle and Gregers. It’s good to not forget that we all start in different places and most people can not go from the Standard American Diet to a vegan diet in one swoop…I’m amazed by how much some vegetarians love Michael Pollan!If you doubt that Pollan is a meat-proponent, come talk to me after you watch the The Oprah Winfrey Show: Oprah and 378 Staffers Go Vegan: The One-Week Challenge (Feb 1st, 2011) where Pollan goes head to head with the veganist Kathy Freston and even remarks in his backstage appearance that “meat is a perfectly nutritious enjoyable food…its not like you’re hurting yourself eating meat”.Pollan’s scientific errors and anti-vegetarianism have been well documented on Adam Merberg’s blog ‘Say what, Michael Pollan’.Most amazing of all is why anyone would take dietary advice from an english major who has no scientific credentials!An English major writes books. Researchers publish papers. Which has the greater readership?Mostly, we aren’t SOLD whole foods. Instead we are marketed concoctions based on nutritional claims.It’s obvious our ancestors knew what to eat. They weren’t influenced by mass media. They grew it or foraged it. They didn’t pick it up at the grocery. IF, and that’s a big “IF”…if grocery stores only sold what was grown a few hundreds of years ago, the masses (in the USA) would know even today what our ancestors knew. Imagine Thomas Jefferson or Ben Franklin going to and American super market. They couldn’t find the food. They’d read the ingredients on the package and think we’ve all gone mad. Maybe we have!Most Americans don’t know who Pollard is. They DO know who Dr.Oz, Rachael Ray, Rush Limbaugh, and a plethora of other media spokesperson’s are who mislead the masses. The masses hear their message daily. They don’t hear evidence based nutritional news (science) with few exceptions. American’s are conditioned to expect recipes for serving bacon with burgers and greens drowned in oil and Greek Yogurt. They snicker at any attempt to change the status quo. They are afraid to confront their doctors; instead they meekly take all the prescriptions to hide disease symptoms. In short, Americans are indoctrinated by the hidden food police, big business, who powerfully, through lobbyists and threats of economic downturn, sway politicians to not only support, but promote meat and dairy consumption. Had Pollard never been born the same epidemic of nutritional ignorance would exist today. Vegan proponents tape up one debate after the another to refute the latest meat and dairy diet nonsense. Meanwhile, it’s business as usual. The masses don’t have a lobbyists. We debate the science when the war is a political one. Unfortunately, polite doctors are armed with evidence based science while politicians are obliged to listen to their backers, big business. We are so entrenched in the meat and dairy consumerism-based economy we won’t risk change. Instead of independent men growing their own food, as a nation, we rely on the food police to not only tell us what’s right to eat but they sell it to us too. Billions of dollars worth. Polite doctors armed with evidence are no match for shrewd marketers who already have consumers convinced it is the evidence based doctors who are the food police. American’s therefore resist influence by facts. They instead die taking their pills. Americans, “meat and dairy” eaters, believe they must have meat and dairy to be healthy. They believe eating vegan means living on salads and cooked vegetables. They can’t imagine how anyone can endure that. They don’t have a clue it’s easy to fill up on starches and never bee hungry, even eating a small amount of calories. They don’t believe it because the message is seldom said. When media does say something like, Research proves that adults drinking three glasses of milk daily have significantly more hip fractures than those who only drink one. One, or more reporters scoff at the news saying THEY believe otherwise. Clearly this country lacks ethical journalism, responsive government, and honest business owners. By default, American men allows others in government and business to make health decisions for their families. It’s metrosexual to the extreme. Instead of a father saying, I’ve come to realize milk and meat are harmful to my children”, he instead, says, “Who wants KFC tonight and who wants McDonalds?” The problem will get worse before it gets better because Americans are so much more connected by media and not by family. Our government will change policy distribute the truth when we are too unhealthy to compete in the word and can’t afford medical treatments. Until then it’s a David and goliath war and most don’t even know David is in the fight.On one hand, you have people like the doctor in this video who educated himself and then felt compelled to go vegan.On the other hand, you have people like my morbidly obese, diabetic co-worker who takes pride in never eating vegetables, who can’t stand to go a day without a burger or two, and who would rather die than change her eating. I lent her Dr. Bernard’s book on Reversing Diabetes. She read it just far enough. She said she returned it to me before getting to the end because she knew that she would never make that change. She didn’t deny the science. She didn’t say everything is going well for her on her current path. She only said that she isn’t willing to eat healthily.Even my parents, who have listened to a lot of nutritional information and don’t really doubt it’s validity, are not willing to do much change.So, on one hand, we do need the medical community to wake up. On the other hand, I suspect that there are a large number of people who won’t change no matter what the medical community says. It may not be too late to help the kids. But I suspect that it is way too late to help most adults. Us adults outside the medical community all have our own tomato affect going on.The people who don’t care for their own body’s health has always baffled meIt could be like smoking where once the tide really started to change, people did stop smoking.Well, I think it was not health issue, it was higher taxes, higher price for cigs, 2nd hand smoke issues causing no smoking at desk, etc.“They” changed from an agrarian society to a money incentive, mass marketing society over generations. As long as big business can profit from dumping unhealthy food substitutes on Americans and Government condones it, why change? The masses simply don’t know any better. Eighty percent of the population are dependent on an authoritarian figure to make decisions for them. Advertisers do so gladly.Govt not only condones it, govt is a major advocate, not the peoples’ advocate. FDA, etc. is “owned” by big pharma, etc. Well, maybe not “owned”, but certainly $ are involved.JJ, my mom died from body cancer, originating from lung cancer, my dad from heart disease. Both were heavy, heavy smokers for years. After my dad’s last heart attack (they couldn’t even do bypass because he didn’t have enough vein left in his leg and no heart muscle to attach it to anyway) and STILL neither would stop smoking. Mom was young, 64, my dad, patched up twice with bypasses, survived a bit longer. Not a good life. So, it’s not only the food…This was fantastic. More videos like this please. We need rhetoric like this so vegans can properly defend themselves.Do you have a presentation on gout?Dr.Greger hasn’t done a specific video on gout. Gout is associated with higher blood uric acid levels. Increased consumption of meat, poultry and fish result in higher or uric acid. People getting most of their protein from plants have lower uric acid levels. I have had patients markedly decrease the number of gouty attacks or eliminate them altogether by going a a whole plant food based diet. Low fat dairy has been shown in men to decrease uric acid but you can’t recommend dairy because of its association with other diseases plus all the other non health arguments unnecessary suffering and environmental concerns. Go to browse all topics and click on Dairy for a number of excellent videos on the effects of dairy.I’ve been on a low fat vegan diet for 14-months – many health improvements including the elmination of gout-like symptoms. Went from a frequent sufferer to worry free in about a month!Another one: The fact that cleaning your hands would prevent the spread of disease was ignored and ridiculed for about 50 years…Semmelweis reflex: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semmelweis_reflexOh that’s a great example! Everyone should know about Ignaz Phillip Semmelweis. Quoting from the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine: “Many men have been endowed with clear intellects and hearts full of love for their fellow men, with the enthusiasm of humanity, and they have been enabled to achieve some signal service for the human race in their day and generation; but in the whole history of medicine there is only one Semmelweis in the magnitude of his services to Mankind, and in the depths of his sufferings from contemporary jealous stupidity and ingratitude.”Let me set the scene:The year was 1846. The place, Viennese General Hospital, the largest of its kind in the world. Semmelweis gets a job as obstetrical assistant. He notices that three times as many women are dying at the hands of the medical students than at the hands of the midwifery students from puerperal fever, commonly known at the time as, “the black death of the childbed.” Semmelweis describes: “In the medical school division the mortality from puerperal fever was so terrifying that this division became notorious….There were heart rendering scenes when [pregnant] patients knelt down, wringing their hands, to beg for a transfer [to the midwifery division]….”Why the discrepancy? The food and ventilation was the same in both divisions. If anything, surgical skill was better in the medical school and overcrowding less. The idea at the time was that the excess mortality was due to the emotional strain of being examined by male students, since the midwives were all female. So the elders of the Medical School met in council and proceeded to exclude the foreign students from the hospital on the ground that they were, “rougher in their examination than the Viennese.” Death rates didn’t change.Before Lister, before Pasteur, Semmelweis made the connection between the autopsies the medical students were doing and the, “examining finger which introduces the cadaveric particles.” In May 1847 he required every medical student to wash his hands with a chlorine solution before making an examination and the death rate plummeted. For the first time in the history of the Vienna Hospital, the mortality rate at the medical school fell below that of the school of midwives.Knighted, no doubt, for the discovery of the century? Hardly. Historians believe his doctrine was unpalatable to colleagues since it implied that the obstetricians were the cause of death. He shared this knowledge with his superiors. From the Proceedings: “The suggestion was unheard of! Indeed, it was sheer impertinence to suggest that the Accoucheur to the Imperial household should carry contagion upon his hands.” Semmelweis was summarily dismissed.So he lectured, he wrote papers; he continued to be ridiculed. Doctors regarded antisepsis as a poor joke. His successor in Vienna publicly stated that the doctrine was, “discredited and universally rejected.” Semmelweis wrote a book, The Cause, Nature, and Prevention of Puerperal Fever, expecting it to save thousands of lives, but it was ignored.So he turned from academics to polemics. He started to publish open letters to midwifery professors. “Your teaching… is based on the dead bodies of… women slaughtered through ignorance. If… you continue to teach your students and midwives that puerperal fever is an ordinary epidemic disease, I proclaim you before God and the world to be an assassin….”By the summer of 1865 he had taken to the streets of Budapest thrusting circulars into the hands of startled pedestrians. “The peril of childbed fever menaces your life! Beware of doctors for they will kill you…. Unless everything that touches you is washed with soap and water and then chlorine solution, you will die and your child with you!”Semmelweis, at the age of 47, the father of three young children was committed to an insane asylum in Vienna. He attempted to escape, but was forcibly restrained by several guards, secured in a straight jacket, and confined in a darkened cell. The asylum guards beat him severely.Quoting from the Bulletin of the History of Medicine, “He was not in the asylum for long. Thirteen days after admission he was dead.” From the autopsy report: “It is obvious that these horrible injuries were… the consequences of brutal beating, tying down, trampling underfoot.”This story is very telling. It shows how far people will go to keep their blinders on when the truth threatens their self-image or their entrenched way of life no matter how unfounded.WOW :-(Sounds like ancient Obamacare to me.Oh, please.If you dig a little deeper you find the cause of dogma and stupidity is also a chronic deficiency of complex plant biochemistry.http://beyond-belief.org.uk/node/8Dr. Greger, your website is a treasure; thank you.On a personal note: I have IBS, and am following Dr. Barnard’s advice on conducting an Elimination Diet to identify potential triggers. Tomatoes, it turns out, really are poison for me. In fact, many foods that have much to recommend them cause problems for me……wheat, oats, onions, tomatoes, squash…… Sometimes I get excited about something you discuss on a video, but evenutally find that I have to avoid it, if I want to feel good. Again, thanks for the information you provide; it’s wonderful.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Heart Disease: there is a Cure!It really is frustrating to have the weight of culture against you. Having been vegetarian for 23 years and vegan for 14 years, I’m an “extremist”. That I’d 3 major chronic health problems by the age of 15 which have probably been kept to some extent in check by diet, several years BEFORE going veggie doesn’t stop the comments that I’d feel better if I ate some meat.And worst of all is the argument that, “There’s no point to life if you don’t enjoy it while you can”; pointing out that it’s easier to enjoy life when you don’t have major health problems doesn’t cut it.As a young person, I tried angry outright argument when provoked; then I turned to refusing to discuss it; then I went through a phase of being cheerily fact-based and then changing the subject. Now I’m mentally noting the videos and articles on this site most likely to get emailed next time a member of the family and social circle complains about their asthma/gout/rheumatoid arthritis/type 2 diabetes/high cholesterol/high blood pressure, or asserts that soya products will make them infertile/less manly/gay/die from breast cancer. There’s something about a good-humoured short graphical representation by an MD specialising in clinical nutrition that packs more of a punch than “extreme” claims by someone you know. You’ve made my life a lot easier.  And how much do I love your video on cocoa solids as a treatment for chronic fatigue? – there are no words!:-) Great Website! Is it true that the consumption of ground flax seeds for men may be beneficial but that flax seed oil should not be consumed? Thanks.I recently turned vegan.  I have lost 15 pounds in 4 months.  I feel so much better since I stopped consuming meat and dairy.  I have asthma and am a smoker but since not eating dairy I can breath much better.I would really appreciate seeing more videos on gout.  There is a ton of conflicting information (or misinformation) about diet and gout: eat soy/don’t eat soy; avoid wheat bread/eat whole-grain bread; eat tomatoes/don’t eat tomatoes; eat lots of cherries, etc.  I’d love to get the real scoop on whether and how diet can prevent gout and whether diet can impact gout attacks when they occur.Many thanks for responding to my requests in the past!Dearest docta’ G!I and many others would love a LINK to McCarty’s vital report that concludes:“I suspect that the simple injunction, ‘Do not eat animal products’ has the potential to do more for world health than all of the abstruse wisdom in all of the world’s medical libraries.”So sorry if I missed it, as you source your facts almost as thouroughly as another favorite writer/healer/thinker truth-teller…Noam Chomsky [ http://www.chomsky.info ]¡Please re-post or post a link to McCarty’s paper, if you would, or simply its title, so we might be able to hunt it down.Thank you Noblest of Physicians! I am 2 months into being primarilly vegen, and truly love it. THANKS for your wisdom, joyful guidance and subtle encouragement!Life! Dave in harrisburg, PAIf you look under the video ‘window’, you will see headings: Topics, Supplementary Info, Sources cited, etc. Click on Sources cited and the list will unfold (or drop down). McCarty is the last one, linked to an online source. Perhaps you’ve already found it, but I thought it might be helpful to note this for others who overlook those headings.THIS is AWESOME!Thanks, Dr Greger. You, Dr McDougall, and Dr Esselstyn are responsible for my going vegan. You converted me to a vegetarian first. That lasted a day. The very next day, I went vegan!It’s been five weeks, and I have never been hungry, never craved animal products, and I’ve lost 5 pounds! (without exercise).thatbrian: What a fun story! Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.Good for you.I agree with “The Tomato Effect” theory. Beyond that, many today lack time to research and prepare healthy vegan meals. People who don’t cook grab whatever is easy (or cheap) and those who do cook have not had enough experience preparing truly appetizing and satiating vegan meals. It is much faster for them to throw a roast in the crockpot with dry soup mix than to look up a recipe that requires a few spices and fresh ingredients they are not used to buying and do not have in their home. Finally, one has to be motivated to change. The “We’re all going to die from something” attitude is still strong for many.I’d love to find a family physician who practices Lifestyle Medicine. Are there any resources for finding someone like this? I would love to find a dr. who “gets” why I eat a plant-based diet. Dr. Greger, I promise if you come to Akron, Ohio to set up practice, I will find you a ton of patients!!Hi Annette, I live in Akron too and have wished for the same thing too. My doc is ok but he has no interest or appreciation for my diet choices, even though I got off by blood pressure medicine by changing my diet,Dr. Greger, could we re-name this the Coconut Oil Effect? I couldn’t even argue with a friend who fed gobs of it to her 80-year-old husband, a brilliant music composer and choir director who had Alzheimer’s. “It’s good for you. The doctor told me it could help his Alzheimer’s.” I suppose she didn’t kill him, but she must still think she helped him, rather than hastening his death along.is there any information on diet and dementiatess: I recommend taking a look at the book, “Power Foods For the Brain, An Effective 3-step plant to protect your mind and strengthen your memory” by Neal Barnard, MD. Dr. Barnard includes a lot of research in regards to diet and dementia.Is there anything that can done for tinnitus! I developed it after a heart attack! I take a lot of medications! Is there any particular med that contribute to this!Sam, I too developed tinnitus shortly after adopting a vegan diet. I wonder whether this was coincidental or a true correlation. I have taken a tetracycline prescription for 23 years for rosacea which confounds ny experience because one side-effect of tetracycline can be tinnitus (but it did not appear until I went vegan).OMG! YOU’R GOD!… haha excuse my enthusiasm, but you nailed how to express the roots of the problematics in today’s health and how still lots of people in health provision services still can’t look beyond they’re old teachings and look at evidence.Dr, do you have any information regarding excess calcium elimination in the urine hypercalciuria?I have stage 3 Polycystic Kidney Disease in both kidneys, my liver etc. I am familiar with the Tanner rat studies research results. Has anyone followed this up with humans yet please? Can you tell me what level of potassium citrate I should be taking daily? Any other advice y are able to give me will be appreciated. (My doc told me to avoid stress. This is not really very helpful advice!)Helen: I don’t have an answer to your question. But I wanted to comment on: “My doc told me to avoid stress. …” Goodness, one sure way to create stress is to give that advice, right? Argh.I hope you get some help!Hello…u’all. Diet suggestion for “SQUAMOUS cell” cancer..? I was just told I have it. Very aggressive..Iodine is another one. Iodineresearch.com	aspirin,beriberi,cardiovascular disease,colchicine,dietary guidelines,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Europe,exercise,gout,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,lifespan,longevity,medical profession,medications,mortality,nutrition myths,optimal diet,plant-based diets,processed foods,rice,rice bran,scurvy,sudden cardiac death,thiamine,Tomato Effect,tomatoes,vitamin B1,vitamin C	Why does the medical establishment sometimes ignore highly efficacious therapies such as plant-based diets for heart disease prevention and treatment?	For more videos on treating Americans with dietary and lifestyle modification, check out: Lifestyle Medicine Is the Standard of Care for Prediabetes Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Disease What Percent of Americans Lead Healthy Lifestyles? Convincing Doctors to Embrace Lifestyle Medicine Plant-Based Workplace InterventionPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on heart disease, as well as the videos on nutrition myths. And don't forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/22/big-food-wants-final-say-over-health-reports/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/12/treating-breast-pain-with-flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-caldwell-esselstyn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice-bran/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/scurvy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspirin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colchicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/optimal-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thiamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beriberi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gout/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-is-the-standard-of-care-for-prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-workplace-intervention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lifestyle-medicine-treating-the-causes-of-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convincing-doctors-to-embrace-lifestyle-medicine/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=6341793[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6368890,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=11832674[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/12496338/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=21310315[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10687887,
PLAIN-3127	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/	China Study on Sudden Cardiac Death	What exactly do they mean by sudden cardiac death? It's defined as the sudden, unexpected natural death from a cardiac cause a short time (generally < an hour) after the onset of symptoms in a person without any known previous condition.Most know the number one killer of both men and women in the United States is heart disease. What people may not know, though, is that according to the American Heart Association, for the majority of Americans that die of heart disease, their first symptom occurs not years before they die, but literally minutes before they die. In our last hour on this Earth, in agony, all the dietary change in the world isn’t going to reverse our course. Even if the paramedics snatch our milkshake away, refusing to stop at our favorite fast food joint en route to the hospital it’s too late. One moment we're talking with our family, and less than an hour later we could be gone forever.The number one cause of death in America is not just heart disease, but more specifically sudden cardiac death. People dropping dead in their 30s 40s 50sIs that just what happens when you get old, though? Your ticker just konks out? The pump just wears out.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out Our number one killer can be stopped as well as Resuscitating Medicare, and don’t forget all the other videos on heart health and heart disease. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!What about this analysis of the China Study: http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/cancer/the-china-study-vs-the-china-study/Gio,Thanks for this thought-provoking link.I feel that Dr. Eades’ argument was weak in two major ways, namely:#1: The China study was not interpreted with respect to the totality of evidence in favor of a whole foods plant based diet; Of course, no single health science study, even randomized-control trials, provides full-proof scientific evidence. Expert interpretation is valuable since it provides a bird’s eye view.#2: A plausible alternative hypothesis was not provided that could explain the correlations found by Campbell and co-workers. These Atkins’ followers seem to have a one-track mind, always blaming refined carbohydrates for everything, with little data to support their position; They never apply the same standard of criticism to their own work as to that of the pro-veg movement.Therefore, I find it hard to take Dr. Eades and other Atkins’ followers seriously!But, I read ‘The China study’ and think that Dr. Cambell’s claim that animal protein promotes cancer is, at this stage, more of a hypothesis than a medical fact.Gio,Dr. Eades, who wrote the analysis, is a proponent of a high animal protein diet. It makes perfect sense he would find fault with the China Study—I would expect no less. Are there any critical reviews of the China Study made by a detached third-party that you are aware of?The real-world experiences of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr. Dean Ornish in preventing and reversing heart disease, and the methods by which their results were obtained, cannot be refuted. Nor can the evidence found in the PDAY study, which demonstated conclusively the atherosclerotic-producing nature of the SAD.The criticisms against Dr. Campbell’s “The China Study” book don’t hold up very well, if one has actually read the book.However, I can see how those criticisms might convince someone to not bother reading the book at all. I think that this is the main purpose of these criticisms, to bias people against Dr. Campbell’s book to the point where they don’t read it and therefore can’t be persuaded by it.I’m also highly interested to find out the truth about the value of the China study and who has the interest in blaming its value.Mike Quinoa, do you know Jack Norris and Virginia Messina? They recommend a vegan diet, but are against the Campbell’s approach. It’s the same speech: correlation is not causation, RCT is the golden standart, etc.Hi Meha,Yes, I know of Jack Norris and Virginia Messina. I appreciate the fact they never sugarcoat any contrary scientific evidence re: the vegan diet. They want the healthiest possible vegans out there. To me, a radiantly-healthy vegan is the best advert for a plant-based diet.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Heart Disease: there is a Cure!There are a number of issues with Cambell’s (and others such as Ornish) selective interpretation and manipulation of the China Study data. No other study has replicated the findings of the China Study and multiple academics and scientists have handily provided alternative ways of interpreting the data. Oh and three of the five sources cited above are just different publications of the same China Study data.Please read the following articles for proper, critical analyses of the Study and its misleading use in promising prevention and cures that don’t/can’t/won’t deliver. 1. http://www.skepdic.com/chinastudy.html 2. http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/385/ 3. http://rawfoodsos.com/the-china-study/ 4. http://www.foodrenegade.com/the-china-study-discredited/Please no anecdotal evidence if you reply to this post – here’s why: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidenceEat with moderation. Exercise regularly. Don’t smoke. Limit alcohol. And hope you have decent genes. Now those are replicated, falsifiable scientific theories of maintaining good health.SAD diet…cholesterol 239, plant based diet (NO STATINS), Cholesterol 168…that’s NOT anecdotal you jerk..that’s a fact. And thousands and thousands of plant based eaters get the same results.My personal China study: SAD diet was 320 total cholesterol, and plant-based is now 158 w/o meds.There’s a good reason why it would be difficult to replicate Campbell’s results in another population study: today, virtually no populations follow the eating patterns he found there during his study. In his study, the Chinese ate diets with very low amounts of animal foods vs. diets with slightly higher, but still very low, amounts of it. The Chinese no longer eat this way today, opting instead for increasing amounts of meat; their decreasing health and rising obesity rate is a reflection of this recent change. That Campbell happened to have access to a population eating this way in his time could be seen as a miraculous stroke of good luck. Researchers are not in the same boat today, although smaller studies comparing vegans, vegetarians, and health-conscious meat eaters have been encouraging.Also, blogs are not your best bet if you’re seeking to find fault with the study. Denise Minger, seriously? If you know of any peer reviewed articles that have made it into any nutrition journals that demonstrate flaws with Campbell’s work, by all means, provide us with links.Are there valid criticisms of T Colin Campbell’s book The China Study? I have become plant based recently and am looking for scientifically based information to share with family. I want to make sure I am using credible information.The China Study was an ecological research study that was very unique in its design for instance in the communities tested they pooled urine and blood samples. Like all scientific studies they can be criticized for their strengths and weaknesses. The conclusions are consistent with the good scientific research and what we currently know about our anatomy and physiology (we are hind-gut fermenting herbivores adapted to better consume starches). The best diet is a variety of whole plant based foods based on adequate starches to insure adequate glucose intake to meet our caloric needs… also insuring an adequate intake of Vit B12. The shifting of the paradigm is occurring but folks hang onto old beliefs and change at different speeds. Critiques are usually well meaning but can reflect vested self interests… pushing supplements like we in medicine sometimes push pills. The best in depth demonstration of this phenomenon is the issue of screening mammography. The science is clear at this point… no screening mammograms for women at any age. The best information on this contained in the Nordic Cochrane Center’s 2012 pamphlet and Dr. Peter Gotzsche’s book which dissects out all the studies and the misleading statistics. At this time as a Family Medicine physician I can no longer recommend them. It saves me some time but I takes a while to explain to my patients the reasons since we have been advocating them for so long. Interacting with others who have not made the shift to the best diet is difficult. The best discussion I have seen is by Dr. Doug Lisle’s video, Getting Along without Going Along. He is a psychologist who works at the McDougall clinic and the video is available through Dr. McDougall’s website. Congratulations on becoming plant based I think you will find it a rewarding and healthful journey.I totally agree re: mammograms! Off topic, sorry, but, what would you recommend to women with dense breasts, for example? Ultrasound? MRI? Thermography?Karna, please read “The Starch Solution”, Dr. John McDougall. All info is referenced. Weigh yourself. Have your blood tested. Go to the market, buy whole oatmeal for your first breakfast. Buy starches for energy and to maintain a healthy weight. Buy the greens, and other vegetables for your vitamins, and minerals. Get some sun, and a bottle of B-12. Throw out all meat, dairy, eggs, processed food, and oil. Eat all you want to, and as often as you want to. It is a simple, enjoyable, healthy plan. A month later weigh. Look in the mirror. Get your blood tested. If you like the results. Stay with it. If not, continue to read commentaries for health information. Even an ol’ blind sow will find an acorn. When reading, or watching on http://www.youtube.com, “The Starch Solution”, refrain from reading commentaries. Only a distraction. I am 80. Doctors were killing my skinny ass. AAA surgery led to seven years of uncontrollable, high blood pressure while taking three meds for it. Now! On McDougall’s Program, I lost forty lbs. I threw away the meds. Blood tests are excellent. Sleep apnea is gone, Esophageal reflux is gone. I walk three miles per day. I have more energy than at age thirty. My girlfriend is thirty. :-) I started “The McDougall Program 12/4/2012. I love it! I will never change back to meat except in a starvation emergency. Good luck, and I thank Dr. Greger. He is a great human.I’m pretty convinced about a plant based diet for optimal health. However, this in-depth critique of the China Study leaves me a bit uneasy about the rationale of the evaluation of the data. I would appreciate a response from you, since you seem to be somewhat unbiased in your data analysis, and still fully support a plant based diet.Here’s the link: http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/07/31/one-year-later-the-china-study-revisited-and-re-bashed/Thanks a lot!Here is a direct reference to Denise Mingers blog post on the china study touched upon by Plant Positive. http://www.plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/27/response-to-denise-minger-4-china-revisited.htmlPlease view this series of videos on Plant Positive to clear up the confusion. http://www.plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/26/tpns-62-65-china-studies.htmlI was in Guizhou about 5 years ago. To 镇远(zhenyuan) means far-away-place , if my translation is right. The hotpot is their favorite food there and I can assure you , when I met up with my chinese frieds there ( not a vegetarian at that time ) we all ate a lot of meat. An anecdote : My vegetarian friend who also travels to China often was given the chinese nickname meaning “rabbit” hahaCan congestive heart failure be reversed? if so how? How can you strengthen the heart to get better results on hyour echo-cardio gram?I have a question: some studies suggest that the ratio of Omega 3 to saturated fats in the diet is what prevent heart attacks and not necessarily cholesterol levels and they cite the diets of Eskimos. Any studies to confirm or refute this?Eskimos are riddled with heart disease, don’t rely on that fallacy. A good site to check this out with all of the sources cited is http://plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/25/tpns-27-28-the-eskimo-model.html . Extensive debunking there of all the circulated “myths”~!I haven’t read The China Study… yet. Could someone, please, tell me where the Chinese get their B12 from? Does the study say what’s the amount of fat in their diet?	angina,cardiovascular disease,China,China Study,Cornell,Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn,Dr. Dean Ornish,Dr. T. Colin Campbell,exercise,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,longevity,medical profession,mortality,Oxford,plant-based diets,sudden cardiac death	The China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project directed by T. Colin Campbell and colleagues showed that chronic diseases such as heart disease are not inevitable consequences of aging.	Some more recent videos on plant-based diets and cardiovascular health include: Why Was Heart Disease Rare in the Mediterranean? Cholesterol Crystals May Tear Through Our Artery Lining Heart Disease Starts in ChildhoodPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out Our number one killer can be stopped as well as Resuscitating Medicare, and don't forget all the other videos on heart health and heart disease. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/08/magnesium-to-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cornell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-caldwell-esselstyn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxford/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-t-colin-campbell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heart-disease-starts-in-childhood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=11832674[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=21310315[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=9860369[uid],
PLAIN-3128	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/our-number-one-killer-can-be-stopped/	Our Number One Killer Can Be Stopped	In the end, my grandma’s miraculous recovery from terminal heart disease through diet and exercise alone—remarkable as it was, was just one anecdote among many. Though it inspired me to pursue a career in medicine, I’ve always had a skeptical streak and just wasn’t convinced until Ornish’s landmark study in 1990 clobbered me over the head with enough science to change my own diet forever. Pritikin had been reversing heart disease with a plant-based diets for years before Ornish came along, but here it was, in black and white, in one of the most prestigious medical journal in the world.Ornish proved you could not just slow heart disease—our number one killer, not just stop heart disease in its tracks, but actually reverse heart disease, open up clogged arteries—and without drugs, without surgery. Since then, millions upon millions have died totally unnecessary deaths. If my grandma didn’t have to die like that no one’s grandmother has to die. We have the miracle cure, yet hardly anyone knows about itWait second, though. If we can reverse heart disease without drugs, without surgery, then great. doesn't that mean we can eat whatever the we want and then, as soon as we start feeling some chest pain, we can get with the program, eat as healthy as we need to and open our arteries back up, getting to enjoy not only our grandchildren—but also happy memories of years bacon and eggs, cheese and fried chicken. Here’s the problem with the plan: sudden cardiac death. Our first symptom may be our last.	This is a continuation of a theme I started in yesterday’s video about my personal journey into medicine. Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on heart health and heart disease. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!I have been preaching this for months now! Cardiologists and doctors don’t seem to know about this, or believe me when i tell them heart disease is reversible.These pioneers deserve a Nobel prize in medicine. God only knows the countless people who are alive today because of them.That a plant-based diet is the best for our health is beyond any possible doubt. That is can even reverse heart disease has been demonstrated by the pioneer studies of Colin Campbell, Caldwell Essenstyn and David Ornish. However, there is point in their recommendations that I find very hard to understand (and thus to accept). They insist on a very low fat diet from which any type of added fat is eliminated, even olive oil (rich in monounsaturated fatty acids: MUFA) and flax oil (rich in omega-3). A diet very low in fats means very high in carbs (sure, unrefined complex carbs). Now, there is plenty of studies in peer-reviewed journals showing unambiguously that a high-carbs diet results in reduction of HDL-cholesterol without significant change in total cholesterol and increase of triglycerides; when you add that the main fate of the excess carbs is stored as palmitic acid, the most atherogenic saturated fatty acid, one must have some doubts about the recommended diet. It seems to me that the type of fats are much more important than the quantity (when the latter is reasonable, of course). A high proportion of MUFA, as provided by olive oil (which contains also squalene, a powerful antioxidant) or canola oil, with a good amount of omega-3 (flax oil, walnut oil; the latter has much less omega-3 however) sounds definitely more reasonable than a diet containing 75% carbs or more. I asked the Campbell foundation, no answer. I asked vegsource after reading an article about Essenstyn’s diet, I got unconvincing answers (no biochemical explanations, just “it works that as they say”). I’m vegan, I read the China Study and I’m reading Essenstyn’s book, as well as hundreds of studies and books. I can’t, so far, get any convincing support to the low fat theory.Hello Pinco!These are doctors I have great respect for as well! They recommended low fat diets to their sick as can be patients who had already had previous heart attacks and damaged arteries. I don’t worry about low fat too much, because there really isn’t much healthy high fat whole plant foods except for nuts, which are the good kind of fats. (excluding coconuts)There are 2 reasons to avoid oil.1. Oil is empty calories, being all fat with no real nutritional value. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbALgjmZUek2. Oil , even olive oil, was show to cause endotheleum cell wall damage in the brachial artery tourniquet test. That is the test where they cut off circulation to your arm for 5 min. and when they release, the blood should surge back into your arm through inflated blood vessels. If your endothelial cell walls have been damaged prior to a unhealthy meal, they will not inflate http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/esselstyn_collapse_print.htm Olive Oil damaged the blood vessel walls in the test, as they did not inflate. Here is more on oil as well as Dr. Essyslten busting some current claims about olive oil by citing studies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_o4YBQPKtQFat though, is necessary for good health. We should just get fat from a healthy source outside of oil. Here is a link by Dr. Greger to why we need fat http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/forego-fat-free-dressings/Thank you for your reply, Toxins, but I would like somebody to explain me how a 75% or more carbs diet can be healthier when it increases triglycerides and palmitic acid and lowers HDL cholesterol. Unless you want to trash hundreds of studies showing that these parameters are strongly correlated to CVD. I keep on getting the same arguments, but never an answer to these objections.Ah yes, I understand your question, I believe Dr. McDougall can answer your question on the health value of starch (carbs). Please view the following links in order1. http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/sept/sugar.htm2. http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/oct/sugar.htm3. http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/feb/starch.htm4. http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/mar/passionate.htmIf you are still not satisfied, I highly recommend contacting Jeff Novick by posting in the McDougall forum. Jeff Novick will respond to any questions you pose.Here is the forum: http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=22&sid=00b117f10ba6e0546760c3bb2f22fae4I know what you mean. I was surprised when I watched the CNN special online [sanjay gupta all about the China study and the Esselsteins etc], when one lady who was on the diet explained how she’d adapt her salad to avoid the walnuts as they had fat in them. Sounded extreme to me.Anyway, have you seen this study? http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/29/8/1777.full.pdf+html. Diabetes patients put on a LF vegan diet with 75% CHO OR put on the standard ADA diet [normal %CHO]. TRIGs DROPPED in both groups after 22 weeks. HDL decreased in BOTH groups. So, theres an example that it seems we cant blame the 75% CHO for the trigs and HDL issues – from this study anyway!I am continually doing research on nutrition and it appears there is good reason to avoid nuts if one is at high risk for heart disease. Nuts are mostly fat, and all the studies showing its benefits were with 1-1.5 oz per day or 5 oz per week. I had not taken note of that amount. I strive to keep my saturated fat intake to 5 grams or less per day. For this to be achievable, nuts should be limited.Your study translates quite accurately to this video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/how-to-treat-diabetes/ Its so amazing how these diseases can be reversed!For some context, please also check out my associated blog post Watermelon for Erectile Dysfunction!Can be stopped, could be reversed, in yourself perhaps, but in some others their free will and lazy mental attitude got them to where they are. It is so much easier to buy gym equipment to stare at and collect dust while popping pills. Will the human nature of some ever be overcome? I came to this page linking from a page where you speak about the evils of coconut oil. Charging coconut oil advocates with using beef industry tactics by comparing coconut oil to butter, but this is the way some people live, they do eat butter. What would you suggest to get a somewhat demented poorly self managed diabetic under control?Please explain why caffeine (coffee, chocolate…) should be avoided. I am more interested in specifics rather than generalizations. Thank you.Here are several videos on caffeine http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/Dr Greger, I am interested in your evaluation of the following study: Effects on coronary artery disease of lipid-lowering diet, or diet plus cholestyramine, in the St Thomas’ Atherosclerosis Regression Study (STARS) Lancet. 1992 Mar 7;339(8793):563-9. Does this study lend evidence that using diets other than Ornish or Esselstyn style low-fat vegan diets can halt or reverse coronary artery disease? This study was brought to light by Stephan J Guyenet, PhD, University of Washington. who spoke at McDougall’s Advanced Study Weekend this September.What foods would you suggest for a diseased Gall Bladder. Hoping to avoid surgery? ThanksWhat a fraud.	angina,cardiovascular disease,Dr. Dean Ornish,exercise,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,longevity,medical profession,mortality,plant-based diets,Pritikin,sudden cardiac death,surgery	Dr. Dean Ornish proved decades ago that heart disease could be reversed solely with diet and lifestyle changes.	For more on heart disease and plant-based dietary interventions, see: Why Was Heart Disease Rare in the Mediterranean? The Mediterranean Diet or a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet? PREDIMED: Does Eating Nuts Prevent Strokes? Optimal Cholesterol LevelThis is a continuation of a theme I started in yesterday's video about my personal journey into medicine. Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on heart health and heart disease. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/08/magnesium-to-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/31/cancer-proofing-your-body/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=1973470[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=21310315[uid],
PLAIN-3129	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/resuscitating-medicare/	Resuscitating Medicare	Medicare is in trouble. Where oh where could we possibly save some money. Well, according to American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease alone costs us a half trillion dollars a year, so no wonder, in one of the most exciting new developments in lifestyle medicine, last year Medicare officially approved for reimbursement the Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease and the Pritikin Program. Now, hospitals can now get paid for reversing heart disease instead of just queuing people up for their next bypass operation after their last graft got clogged up too.Now most people have heard of Dean Ornish, but may not be aware of Nathan Pritikin, the original lifestyle medicine pioneer who started reversing heart disease with diet back in the 1970s. In fact, on a personal note, Pritikin is the reason this little freckled fellow went to medical school.I think the spark for many kids to want to become-a-doctor-when-they-grow-up is watching a grandparent get sick, or even die. But for me, it was my grandma getting better. This is my gramma at her grandson's wedding 15 years after doctors had abandoned her to die. She had already had a couple bypass operations, and they ran out of arteries. There was nothing more she could do. Wheelchair bound, crushing chest pain and then she heard about Pritikin. If anyone needed heart disease reversal it was her. Pritikin's like a live-in program you stay for a few weeks, they put you on a plant-based diet, teach you cook, etc. They wheeled her in, and she walked out. I’ll never forget that. And for a kid you know that’s all that matters, you get to play with gramma again. She was given her medical death sentence she was 65, and thanks to a healthy diet she was able to enjoy another 28 years on this earth with her six grandkids, including me.She's even mentioned in the official Pritikin biography “The man who healed America’s heart.” These were the death's door people," said an early administrator, like, Frances Greger arrived in a wheelchair. Mrs. Greger had heart disease, angina, and claudication; her condition was so bad she could no longer walk without great pain in her chest and legs. Within three weeks, she was not only out of her wheelchair but was waling ten miles a day.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on heart health and plant-based diets. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Way cool news! And thanks for sharing further details about hour grandmother’s dramatic recovery. She would be so proud of what you’re accomplishing with this web site.It’s sad that money and not the well being of citizens, is the reason the Ornish and Pritikin programs are getting some recognition by the government. However, the more this happens the better. Eventually, nutrition could be something truly backed by government and the people. Well… maybe.Your grandmother’s story is one of the reason’s I went vegan. It’s truly inspiring. If I could just get my parents to understand.Thank you for sharing the good news! Are these programs hospital based or clinic based?Fantastic video. Inspiring story. I look forward to these videos every day.Love this story. I can see how what happened to your grandmother would be so inspiring—chokes me up just watching it. Dr. Greger, you are doing a fanatstic job carrying the Pritikin torch in the 21st century.Great news for preventive medicine!Thanks for sharing your grandmother’s story. My own grandmother lived 20 years past her expiration date, and it can indeed be very inspiring.What a wonderful story! I remember Pritikin, my mother had some of his books.even back then Greger was looking fly in his Lacoste shirt.Such a great, encouraging story! Thanks for sharing it with us, Dr.Greger!Your Grandmother is the reason that you went to Medical School, well, YOU are the reason I stay in Medicine. If it weren’t for you and John McDougall, MD, I would have been swallowed up by pharmaceutical medicine and digested like a piece of meat. Have fun this weekend at the Flamingo resort. Don’t let Fuhrman and McDougall trade fists, although, it would see more DVD’sThank you for your kind note. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help keep you in the field–we need good folks in medicine!Thanks for the reply. I appreciate your helping offer but unfortunately I do not think there are any non-profit physician jobs available that beleive in practicing diet based medicine, because to them it’s all about the Benjamin’s ($$$). I am 46 and a new MD practicing in Family Medicine in California. I have $350,000 in medical school debt and I am paying $3500/mo on those loans for the next 16 years to pay them off. If I work in a nonprofit practice I can qualify for federal and state loan reimbursement here in CA. Problem is I am working private practice so I do not qualify for federal or state reimbursement and they want me to pay $40,000 to join their group. Also they don’t like my diet based approach for a few reasons. One, because my patients get better ALL the time and don’t come back as often; two, I don’t order as many Xrays and DEXA scans that we have in the office so that decreases revenue; and three, I can only see about 20 patients per day (because I teach my patients) and they want me to see 25-30. There is even more to this story that increases my disappointment. Anyway, I will be working for Dr. McDougall in March for a week with patients and he may have suggestions as well. If you have any suggestions such as should I become a solo practice with less overhead–ours is 55%–this would allow me to see fewer patients and practice the way I want (and my Patients want my style of care–98% of my patients are willing to change their diet if it means they can get off their meds!) or join some other practice that employs physicians like my self (I don’t know of any). It seems as the physicians that are doing the plant/starch lifestyle change have all written books and/or worked at prestigious institutions and all I have is a true passion and love for this style of medicine. And I’ll tell you if this style of medicine didn’t create amazing changes in people I wouldn’t be doing it, but it is the ONLY style of medicine that brings about true and permanent positve change in people. Personally I have patients who have reversed their Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohns Dz (great case of a 9 y/o boy now vegan playing soccer competitively), Ulcerative Colitis, Lupus, Unstable angina, Hypertension, Elevated cholesterol, Diabetes, and the list goes on. Why wouldn’t I practice this way. Diet is nothing short of miraculous when compared to the standard medicine treatment for chronic disease. Well, thanks for lending an ear and if you have any suggestions let me know. Regards, HemoGreat work Hemo. Keep it up. You are clearly a very compassionate person helping a lot of people.I hope you beat the system and go on to even bigger successes.Thank you Hemo.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Heart Disease: there is a Cure!But Pritikin diet is using lean meat, no?Yes they do use meat and seafood. ;( Pritikin would turn over in his grave if he saw how they have destroyed the original principles of his lifestyle change.I really like this story – and I love the fact that your Gran had the desire to change at a time when diet and lifestyle changes were probably thought of as insane.She must have had a very strong character – so I’ve got her to thank for your great videos then!This is a great example of the government taking active steps that can help everyone’s health with actions that private industry would never ever do. Way to go!Beautiful. =)Very inspirational story. To think, anyone of us informed lay people may save the life of family or loved ones or friends just by passing this simple information on, and referring them to this or similar sites and books. Good bye health care “crisis.”That’s a pretty amazing story! I wish I had a story like this so I could convince people on how important it is to is to eat plant based. But unfortunately I’m just a 28 year old female and as far as I know nothing is wrong with me, I want to eat healthy to prevent any future illness as well as I look at what my parents have had eg arthritis, diabeties, prostate cancer and high blood pressure and I want to avoid that and live long and healthy for my own family one day!Jessica: You will have that amazing story when you are a healthy and spry 103 year old out-walking the 50 year olds. Good for you for being a role model now instead of waiting until something goes wrong.Are the medicare costs based on pre-Obamacare or post-Obamacare estimates? Great story, by the way.	American Heart Association,angina,cardiovascular disease,claudication,cost savings,Dr. Dean Ornish,exercise,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,longevity,medical profession,Medicare,mortality,plant-based diets,Pritikin,surgery	Medicare is now accepting for reimbursement the Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease and the Pritikin Program, which, on a personal note, is what inspired me to go into medicine.	Also check out these videos for more on diet and cardiovascular disease: Why Was Heart Disease Rare in the Mediterranean? The Mediterranean Diet or a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet? Optimal Cholesterol LevelPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on heart health and plant-based diets. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/claudication/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medicare/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pritikin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/american-heart-association/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=21040881[uid],
PLAIN-3130	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/	Are Avocados Bad for You?	Published just last year, an in vitro evaluation of the genotoxicity of avocado fruit in human white blood cells. This study was not funded by the avocado commission; maybe its Big Salsa trying to muscle in on the guac market.A simple experiment. They took normal human cells. And the easiest way to get human cells is to just take a blood sample. It's kind of the easy way out—that's what I did for my research work at Cornell.Then they took some avocado fruit, smooshed it up, dripped a tiny bit on some healthy human white blood cells, and looked to see if they could detect any DNA damage. It was not subtle. This is what normal healthy human chromosomes look like. This is your DNA; this is DNA on guacamole. Chromosomes literally broken in half, terminal deletions, dysjunctions, translocation, all sorts of weird chromosomal abnormalities. This is the kind of thing carcinogens do.Conclusion: Their study suggests that extracts of avocado fruit can potentially induce significant genomic instability and some genetic damage in human white blood cells.Why do they say potentially—we could see it with our own eyes. Because it was an in vitro evaluation. These were human cells, but they were outside the body. Even people that love guacamole don’t shoot it up like heroin, you eat it. So before it can affect our blood cells it hits stomach acid. Then digestive enzymes. Then our liver is a carcinogen detoxifying machine! And only then, do food compounds get to circulate throughout our body.So, we don’t know what happens when when we eat it, but if the same effect occurs on body cells in vivo, meaning inside the body, then it could result in loss of function, cell death or transformation into cancer. And if it did the same thing to our sperm or eggs, it could lead to infertility, abortions, miscarriages, or birth defects.The bottom line we don’t know what avocado consumption can do inside the body, but until the jury is in, I think it’s reasonable, given these new data, for people to consider reducing their intake.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out Are avocados good for you? Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!It seems odd to me that they would include avocado leaves with the fruit. Perhaps that threw off their findings. I’ve never even seen an avocado leaf, much less put them in my guacamole!They did separate experiments and found similar findings with both leaves and just the fruit alone, unfortunately.I think I’ll just go with your insight that digestion may make this a moot issue and keep eating avocado. Thx.How common are “in vitro” studies like this? Is it fairly common? And if so, do you know of any other food which has caused such stunning genetic disruption?Michael Greger :”and then they took some avocado fruits, mashed it up”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20859823 “concentrations of 50% methanolic extracts of Persea americana fruit and leaves”And what was the concentration of the extract ? “The mean percentage total aberrant metaphases at 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 300 mg/kg concentrations of leaf extract”Is this the typical concentration we find in a fruit ? No, it is not !Michael Greger : “They did separate experiments and found similar findings with both leaves and just the fruit alone, unfortunately”Indeed, but the fruit extract at doses of 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 300 mg/kg produced less genotoxicity :”The group exposed to leaf extract showed higher frequency of all types of aberrations at equal concentrations as compared to the group exposed to fruit extract”It is the fruit that we eat and this does not contain the extracts/concentrations used in this study. What is the concentration of the so called dangerous persin in an avocado ? Plant food we eat on daily basis contains a myriad of toxins. If you concentrate them and do the exact in vitro test, there would be nothing left to eat … except for meat …Louis asks: “Is this the typical concentration we find in a fruit ?”Reproduced from the cited article (snipping out only relevant details on the avocado fruit preparation):“fruits of Persea americana were collected … shade-dried at room temperature … fruit pulp was macerated with 50% methanol and extracted once with 300 ml of 50% methanol at room temperature for one week with occasional shaking … methanolic extracts of fruit … [were] concentrated to dryness at 60 ± 1°C in a rotary evaporator … fruit extract after concentration gave a light-brown, oily, viscous extract … crude extracts were used for further study as solutions/suspensions in double distilled water after removing the particulate matter by centrifugation and sterilization using syringe filters … blood cultures were set up with three different concentrations (100, 200, and 300 mg/kg culture medium) [of] fruit extracts”Please note: the unit of measure is milligrams of dried extract per kilogram of “culture medium”My interpretation: The methodology presented in the cited article provides no basis to infer that the so-called dangerous persin was actually concentrated… since the methanolic extracts were expressed in arbitrary units (with no relation to concentration of toxins specified), it could be that the persin was 1 billion times more concentrated than the normal state after eating avocado or 1 billion times less concentrated than normal or even equivalent to normal. We simply don’t know!Conclusion: This is bad science and meaningless from the point of view of making health-related choices!I agree with this conclusion. This study also shows (or rather, ignores) that whole foods mostly act differently than their separated individual parts.I agree with this. The study and this article are totally bogus. I am beginning to see a trend in Dr. Greger’s articles.Bias.‘you can’t poison a goat’ refers to the way goats tend to eat a wide range of things rather than having a large amount of one thing, toxins in small amounts can be tonicI gave up meat, foul, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, sugar and white flour. I’m not giving up avocado!How were the extracts made? Some solvents used for extractions are toxic by themselves…There is a big difference between dumping something directly onto cells as opposed to having something (esp. something non extracted) digested before food fragments come into contact with immune or any other kind of cells.As somebody remarked above, it is curious that leaves were also extracted. Why did they study this at all, do food companies include leaves in their products?Were the used avocados raised ‘conventionally’ which may explain some of the pesticides found?My question is: Does the “fruit” of the avocado in this study include the meat plus peel, or just the meat? If the peel was included, then this is an unnecessary scare story, as we do not eat the peel. As mentioned, these in vitro assays are not reliable enough to reject a fruit that is such an important source of vitamin E and essential fatty acids – not to mention delicious!They just used the fruit pulp (no peel or pit).This is very disheartening. Avocado has been touted (in some of your videos, I believe? — not sure) as a superfood. How does a person reconcile all the conflicting info? I love this site and the invaluable info it provides, but it gets difficult knowing how to contextualize all the tidbits from isolated tests – often conflicting and/or focusing on different aspects of health – into an overall approach to eating. Clues?Bringing together all the studies into workable “models” or beliefs can be challenging. Scientists wrestle with this problem as well. Some shifts are easy such as the journey many have gone through from “dairy milk does the body good” to “dairy milk doesn’t do the body good” to “dairy milk does the body harm” to “dairy milk contains toxins”. Once on a essentially whole plant based diet with B12 supplementation the confusion is still there but you have made tremendous strides. For me I use moderation as the keystone when studies like the one cited here come out. You have to decide. Keep tuned however as the science keeps changing.plants protect themselves with toxins, don’t eat too much of any one kind, and you can probably mitigate one class of toxins, lectins, by eating chicken skin to provide sacrificial glucosamine for the lectins to bind to,For many years, I used four pounds of organically grown avocados daily, all year round, many varieties, purchased in 40 pound boxes direct from the farmer in San Diego County, Southern California. Eventually, whenever I ate avocados, twitching occurred in my fingers and sometimes my forearms, not much, but enough to scare me. The farmer’s widow, after the framer died, said that the farmer died of Parkinson’s disease, & she also said that another avocado farmer had also died of Parkinson’s disease. I’ve tried many times to resume eating avocados, but, after a short time, frequently the same day after just one avocado, the same twitching symptoms recurred. I’ve read that animals, such as goats, are poisoned by eating avocado leaves or pits. I ate only the pulp, always organically grown avocados. Perhaps the persin destroys some brain cells when excessive quantities are consumed, & over long periods of time, the damage becomes noticeable. In my opinion, all foods are potentially damaging in various ways so a varied diet is necessary, usually. Balance of nutrients & freshness are essential. Thank you.Hi DaySleeper,I’m sorry to hear about your bad experience with avocado…clearly this fruit is not for you!I was a bit confused by your hypothesis on what causes the symptoms. Your symptoms seem to occur “after a short time” and yet your hypothesis that “persin destroys some brain cells when excessive quantities are consumed” is, as noted by you, a process that would occur “over long periods of time”. I was confused by the mismatch of the time-scales for your symptoms and explanatory process.Have you considered an alternate hypothesis that you are having an alegergic reaction to avocado. There is data to support this possibility…the following link provides details: http://foodallergens.ifr.ac.uk/food.lasso?selected_food=4 You did not read closely enough.  He said that he consumed 4 pounds of avocado daily for many years….and after he first started noticing symptoms, only 1 avocado in a day would quickly bring back the symptoms.Good point. I now realize that I failed to notice the extreme consumption.It is unfortunate that the researchers who performed this study did not measure the concentration of persin in the avocado fruit extract that they prepared. In the article, so many arguments are given about deleterious effects of persin and yet the researchers never report the actual concentration of persin in the culture!As the researchers reported in the discussion section: “There is also a possibility of certain component/components causing the genotoxicity being scanty or absent in the fruit while being present in higher amounts in the leaves. This can only be resolved by isolation and characterization of the active constituents responsible for the observed genotoxicity.”It remains to be proven that avocado is harmful to humans. The present paper, though provocative, presents a weak argument for rejecting avocado consumption!Thanks for the info. Glad to see that most viewers are able to put this study in perspective. Many phytochemicals in fruit an vegetables are undoubtedly toxic when studied in isolation. This type of reductionist science is interesting but not very helpful in my opinion. I will continue to eat avocados in moderation as a small part of a diverse whole food plant based diet.As someone who has eaten at least an average of 1 avocado per day for many years, I think a petri dish study is alarmist at best, and the good doctors who throw this at the public without good human studies are not doing anyone a favor.  The gentleman who ate 4# per day could have had a lymphatic flow impairment, a B6 deficiency, or a gall bladder issue.  The persin is probably neutralized in the intestinal tract in most healthy individuals is my guess as to why the world has not been destroyed by the millions of pounds of avocadoes consumed.Thanks for the info MG and for reminding us about in vitro vs invivo..I’d like to know what the results are if they do the same (in vitro) to the top 100 most common foods…and classify the results from 0 (no damage) to low, medium, high, and compare where those foods effects are versus of avocado. I assume it’s not *common* for this to happen when you do this in vitro and put food on the cells…but is it unheard of? OR are there foods where similar things have been seen, and, those foods are (nevertheless) from epidemiological studies seem not to dangerous after all.I mean if even just one single other food does this *and* that other food from population studies seems harmless after all, then that suggests that the in vivo is maybe more benign  (but does not prove it, after all it could be that avocado digestion does not save the day but digestion of that other food does)Another idea/question – population studies directly comparing avocado consumption with effects years alter either in disease, or give people a blodo test years later and see if they can detect problems in the blood (or DNA found elsewhere)Seems to me like either of the above could give us additional clues making avocado consumption (in moderation) seem either more “guilty” or less “guilty”  depending on the results.I had 3/4 of a Hass avocado this evening and reacted to it. I don;’t always react, but often enough to decide there is something wrong. My search identified persin as the toxin. I wonder if the thin-skin varieties of avocado might have much less toxin in them. Any thoughts on this?any updates on Avacadoes in vivo?I’m happy to report that a new study this year found avocado consumption associated with significantly reduced prostate cancer risk (a third cup of avocado a day or more associated with 60% decreased odds of prostate cancer compared to men eating less than a daily tablespoon). Holy guacamole!A year later the same authors wrote: Avocado fruit (Persea americana Mill) exhibits chemo-protective potentiality against cyclophosphamide induced genotoxicity in human lymphocyte culture. that concluded: These studies suggest that phytochemicals from the avocado fruit can be utilized for making active chemoprotective ingredient for lowering the side effect of chemotherapy like cyclophosphamide in cancer therapy.Dr. Greger, I discovered your videos on You-Tube about a week ago and have been watching them as well as exploring your website here. Most of what I have been hearing has been very interesting and informative however when I hear studies like this it makes me a little crazy – I don’t know how to evaluate it. You read it in the same straight voice you use in all your other videos, and the source and nature of the study has no really differentiation from any of the other videos, but I do not know how serious to take the procedure used in this study?Would one not get the same kind of results dripping water on blood cells … they would explode or implode wouldn’t they? Or virtually any other liquid no matter how benign it seems to us on the macro level it seems like would cause a problem if dripped on blood cells directly.Is this a recognized and validated method of research? As I have been moving towards veganism for a little over a month now it is difficult to think that I have to start calling some fruits and vegetables friends and others enemies because of things like this. I am tempted by what I think is my better judgement to just ignore studies like this … but then again my bad judgement in eating the average American diet for over 40 years makes my own judgement a little suspect! What am I supposed to make of this please?If you look under the “Doctor’s Note” above, there is an update posted, which should help put your mind at ease (certainly did for me!).I was more concerned with the whole methodology of this study and then others that are cited where they drip juice on cells and things like that. Thanks for the reply, I appreciate what you are doing here, and in such a fact-baed and entertaining style as well!Has there ever been a study of the affects of persin (amounts typically found in a serving of Avocado) on the human body when digested by humans? It seems this study doesn’t give us the full picture of how persin affects the body after it is digested, frankly it scares people. Your follow-up is comforting, however still leaves a cliffhanger as to whether it’s better to consume or avoid Avocado’s!Who funded the avocado study and it’s affects on our blood? Could it have been the meat industry trying to scare vegans and the like? Do you consume avocado and if so in what quantity?Thanks Dr. Greger, excellent site and presentation of the information.Dr. Esselstyn, one of the few doctors out there successfully treating heart disease without surgery, says oils are very bad for the heart. check out what he says about oils in this interview:http://www.heartattackproof.com/qanda.htmI’ve personally spoken with him on the telephone and he says that avocado oil is the same as olive oil and other oils which are very bad for the heart. He says that they play a role in causing arteriosclerosis which leads to heart attacks. In his book “how to prevent and reverse heart disease” I think he specifically says to stay away from avocados and he says that the lower incidence of heat disease and heart attacks among the people who digest olive oil and avocados is a mirage. He says that while those people do have lower rates of heart disease and heart attacks than the people who eat the western diet, they still have higher rates of heart disease and heart attacks than the people who stick to a plant-based diet and also stay away from olive oil and avocado oil. He says the people with the lowest rates of heart disease/heart attacks are the people who eat a plant-based diet except for the plants with oils. He adds that the people who eat a plant-based diet including the plant food that have oils (avocados and olives) have lower rates of heart disease and heart attacks than the people who have a meat-based diet but they could lower their heart disease/heart attack rates even more if they stopped eating olive oil, avocado oil, and other plant based food with oil.People have their different sources they believe, but what make Dr. Esselstyn’s word gospel, and isn’t it most likely that no one has all the answers as well as realizing people’s message do not just freeze, they evolve and hopefully get smarter. A freezing message is an example of a product sold for a profit, and low and behold we see Esselstyn’s name on supermarket products now. How can I be sure that any time I see his name it’s not just some guerilla marketing … that that guerilla marketing is always bad, but convincing people of things in order to sell them things is a pretty big racket.> He says the people with the lowest rates of heart disease/heart attacks are the people who eat a plant-based diet except for the plants with oils.This sounds like something that makes sense, but I really doubt there is enough obejctive data to prove that because there are so many variables and and reporting them is often just subjective.Brux, either the evidence backs Esselstyn up or it doesn’t. That’s what it gets down to.Does Esselstyn make a profit off of his ideas? I think he does. Is Esslestyn allowed to make a profit off of his position? Of course. It’s still a capitalistic world. If you came up with an idea of how to cure a disease that lots of people have and is killing lots of people I bet you would give it away for free and not try to make one penny in the process. Right!!!!!The thing is that they did studies that show that the Mediterranean diet is way better than the American diet but there are other studies that show that the Mediterranean diet can be improved. Even better results can be achieved.In his book Esselstyn talks about how some sections of the Asian population were not seeing any hear attacks or heart disease. The people living on a plant based diet even avoiding the oils were free of heart disease and free from heart attacks. Then western culture started encroaching into hose populations and all of a sudden they are seeing heart disease and heart attacks. The older generations in those sections of the Asian population are still seeing little or no heart problems because they live by the old ways and the old diets and the younger generations ridicule the older people in those parts of Asia calling them jungle people and the like. But the older people eating a plant based diet and staying away from oils are still staying free of heart disease and heart attacks while the younger generation that is more and more adopting western culture is seeing more and more heart problems.I’ve heard the evidence, and seen videos from Essylstyn and others, as well as the summaries of studies here. I think there is room for disagreement, and no one has real proof. Yes, there is data to support Essylstyn’s hypotheses, but they do not know what all is going on here. I am working on keeping vegan, but I don’t want to be a fanatic about anything – no one understands this completely, so while I eat mostly veggies, I will occasionally eat oil, or cheese, meat or dairy, I just try to keep it way down. One of the most interesting videos I’ve seen is the one about intestinal flora and how it reacts to meat. Everything now has chemicals in it, pesticides, antibiotics, metals … it is disgusting how we have treated the planet and industrialized our food supply. I think organic, fresh and vegetarian mostly is a good way to be … past that, I don’t know for sure and I am not sure I buy Essylstyn’s views, logical as they sound.Even though I use olive oil, I suspect oils (not whole foods) are iffy…but whole foods? He makes a stronger claim that whole foods (avocados, in moderation for example) are bad, ok, please post some links, or just one link, to a study that did the comparison.(personally I have about 10+ blood readings of my trigl. levels, about 7 before, when I had a super low fat vegan diet, and about 3 after…my readings got much better, lower, after I made the change to moderate-low from super-low fat vegan diet)And even if there was 100 studies showing better heart health for super low fat versus medium-low fat vegan whole-foods diet, that’s still not the end, because heart health isn’t the only component of health…and for other components of health the results might be the opposite..but even for the narrow question of heart health, I have read or skimmed all this exchange and still not seen a link to a study peer reviewed, double blind etc, comparing the two. (then I’d like to see Greger’s analysis of such study/studies)A lot of the media stuff we see are linear extrapolations from some fact that someone digs out data mining some big study. I just do not think we know the perfect answers to these questions, and like you said heart health is not everything. I wish I could stick to a strict vegan diet, and I do try for the most part, but it’s just almost impossible. I feel I know the general parameters, and low fat, and especially as little animal fat as possible is better … but I am not sure some, such as fish oil is not good for you. To define rules based on who shouts the loudest of give the best video talk doesn’t make sense to be me. I just try to keep taking in information, it could be hundreds of years before we really understand everything – if we, human beings, are still here.I don’t think we will ever understand everything. Colin Campbell’s recent book, Whole, discusses the limitations of reductionistic approaches to understanding complex systems. They are useful but the limitations must be understood. I also believe most people would benefit from a better understanding of statistics and risk/benefit. It does boil down to biochemistry. Given our current food environment sticking to a plant based diet is a challenge. Current studies don’t show any value in consuming fish oil. It is a journey… stay tuned as the science keeps coming.Reductionistic, ie linear modeling only works in certain situations, and is usually good to demonstrate the effects a certain variable has one a complex system, not as a way to measure, quantify or control that system. Somehow we have allowed all life in Western civilization to be reduced to this industrial machine input and output … well, that is, except if you are rich enough to be able to escape that system and rise above it. But then … what’s Western about that the way that system, our system, is now?Just to clarify, when I said ” I made the change to moderate-low from super-low fat vegan diet” I meant “change to moderate-low VEGAN from super-low fat vegan..” Just adding more nuts, adding some avocado, and wise or unwise, adding more olive oil…lower triglyc, was strongly correlated with this diet change.I don’t use fish or other animal products but as Greger put so well in a cooking video he did a long time ago, don’t guilt trip yourself, if you can be 90% or x% vegan, you’re still doing a huge amount for your health, for the environment, and for the animals.I personally think dairy is more iffy than fish, but if you’re using fish, I’d research real carefully about heavy metals, then I’d research if there are any other chemicals, or hormones, then I’d reserach it is GMO fish, and if officially not, is it near another population that is that in 5 years they’ll tell you “oops, there was GMO contamination with fish interbreeding” as we know happens with plants, etc, just more to worry about to avoid, and research“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion” -The Dalai LamaI think you are seeing products connected with Dr. Esselstyn’s son, Rip.> See also yesterday’s “prequel” Are Avocados Good for You?And today it is “Are Avocados Bad For You” … at least there is somewhere in the media where the Fairness Doctrine still applies! If avocados are bad, or contain substances that are toxic or carcinogenic, doesn’t that mean that virtually everything does to some extent?Are we supposed to somehow classify all plants as to whether they are above some good v. bad level and only eat certain fruits and vegetables?I never used to eat many avocados … usually only in guacamole, or on turkey sandwiches, but since I started to eat more vegan fair I buy avocados pretty regularly, sometimes eating them for breakfast, or on a veggie burger sandwich.Since so many plants have so many different chemicals, and the body can never guess what chemicals plants will evolve, isn’t it reasonable to hypothesize that the human body has some mechanism to filter out or ignore most of these insecticide and fungicidal compounds? Is science crazy or are we on the step of a new understanding of how the human body and nutrition work?Tiny problem: were the avocados in question ripe? Unripe avocado is what the vast majority of people (including scientists) consider ripe when it’s not. A ripe avocado is soft, something like spreadable cheese. Ripe avocado are chemically different from unripe ones as it happens with most fruit. Usually unripe fruit contain toxic chemicals not present or much less present in ripe fruit.Thank You.I think this is very, very important!I bet the persin is the reason it is toxic to all animals except humans. I am so curious why that is.Considering how destructive it is (given the video above), if our digestive system didn’t neutralize the persin, I’m sure we would have the same reactions as other animals (diarrhea, death, or death by diarrhea!)What about avocado oil on the skin? Seems to be a popular ingredient in many natural products. Since an external application is similar to data mentioned in the above video, could it cause the same DNA damage?I can only hope that this ridiculous report is not being passed off as “scientific”. I won’t harp on the lack of cause and effect scenarios, proper scientific procedure to test a hypothesis and so on. A first year grad student wouldn’t be allowed to publish this tripe, assuming such a poorly designed project even got approval.As an aside, I will advise my DNA not to expose itself to anything while residing in a test tube without first obtaining my permission.Hi Dr Greger, have you got any input on premature infertility and diet?Yan Yee, I’m not sure about premature infertility, but Dr. Greger does have a video on the relationship between hormones found in meat and female infertility: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/ and male infertility: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/ . Hope that helps! :)Hi! I can’t find anything online thats consistent about testing and effects or treatment about candidiasis. Would be greatly interested in your findings! Thanks for all you do!A VERY engaging discussion on avocados. I am a loyal subscriber to the site and have been reading this avocado debate with enthusiasm. In reading all of the valuable and thoughtful input from past input, one comment jumped out at me. Gio made the point that properly ripened avocado is quite different in chemical structure than the partially ripened fruit. This is true for any plant product as an enormous part of the maturation process takes is responsible for changing the basic chemical structure of the end product. Personally, I followed a somewhat typical western diet for most of my life, making a few attempts at a vegetarian or vegan diet several times in the past; however, travelling significantly in my work, I found the lifestyle virtually impossible. Now, being faced with a very high PSA level, I have devoted to a nearly vegan lifestyle, having sworn off of ALL dairy, sugars, animal proteins (with VERY limited and infrequent exceptions of fish). I seldom cook vegetables other than the obvious, such as dried beans. The avocado toxicity paradox has me reeling and not knowing how to take these conflicting study results. I am; however, quite relieved and pleased by the positive avocado/prostate health study results. The individual who consumed pounds of the fruit daily, it seems to me, was begging for overreaction, simply by overindulgence. In my present diet, the few portions of ANY fat that I receive, I receive from avocado, nuts and olive oil. We know that fats are essential for brain function and development and goodness knows, I need all the brain function that I can get. My diet of the past two years is composed mainly of varied raw cruciferous vegetables, small but frequent asparagus portions, beans, raw spinach and nuts with olive oil and one avocado daily, all organic when possible. Being raised on a cattle and rice farm, this would seem to be a major departure; however, it is a departure in diet only. I question if any studies have been conducted on populations that have consumed high portions of avocados in their traditional geography and culture. These folks would be excellent subjects, rather than studies based upon westerners who have tainted their DNA, traditions, dietary makeup and general chemistry with the toxins, additives, GMOs and impurities that they have encountered in our typical environment. Any word or opinion on this would be welcomed.Doug: Nice post! I like your analysis.I’m afraid I don’t have much to add to your discussion. (Hopefully others will jump in.) But I wanted to say that I also appreciate a good avocado!Also, I’m curious if your diet changes have helped your PSA levels. Or is it too early to tell? I’ll think good thoughts for you.Finally, I wanted to say: There are plenty of people who would rather die than change their diet. So, it means something significant that you were able to make this change that was difficult for your. Congratulations. I hope it leads to a long healthy life. Best of luck.Hi Dr. Greger,This video is now has now prompted me to write you, I really hope you can find the time to respond … For years I’ve been trying to live by a plant based diet, but failed several times. As a runner I need good protein to recover and keep a healthy weight. On plant sources alone I simply lose too much weight (dropping to 130). As it is with chicken 2-3 times a week and avocados (walnuts too for the fats). Im 140 at 6’2. I was recently determined to be slightly anemic and my doctor also wants me to gain weight saying I have too low BMI. Main sources of many meals is oat meal, berries, walnuts (breakfast) and beans (black, red, kidney, pinto, lentils, pearly barley) , perhaps black beans and a vegetable at lunch and lentils at dinner. My doctor has also warned me about the high level of oxalates with my diet and the risk of kidney stones. Perhaps the oxalates also caused the anemia to begin with? So I kindly ask of you could you point me in the right direction? perhaps a sample weekly meal plan you follow? Is eating 3 times a day ok or should I be eating more frequently? Please this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading and thank you for your time.Joe.joe: I hope Dr. Greger is able to respond to you, but I know that he rarely has the time now a days to respond to indvidual people. So, I thought I would reply in case I can help. I’m not a doctor or an expert, but I have some ideas that relate to your situation.There is a frequent commenter on NutritionFact named “VeganRunner”. I’m hoping she will see your post and comment. But if not, maybe you could find one of her posts and ask her how she thrives on a plant based diet while being a serious runner.One of my favorite reference books is the revised express edition of a book called “Becoming Vegan” by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. Based on past posts, I know that Dr. Greger also has a lot of respect for Brenda Davis. I think he would approve of my recommendation that you get the book one way or another so that you can read the chapter on gaining weight. It is really excellent and will tell you how to gain or maintain your weight in a healthy way. The book includes meal plan examples for various calorie levels.Another idea is to look for some of the vegan athlete websites out there. I know that there is at least one that feature vegan athletes in general and another one that focuses on vegan body builders. You could gain information from those sites and might be able to ask questions. Similarly, I believe that there are some good vegan athlete books out there which also include meal plans.Dr. Greger has some videos and articles about kidney stones and oxalates that might make you feel better: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-best-diet-for-kidney-stone-prevention/ http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/oxalic-acid-in-beets/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxalates-in-cinnamon/I’m no expert, but based on what you describe, your diet sounds pretty on track! – minus the chicken. (2 to 3 times a week. yikes!) If you have time to look around on this site, you will see how great berries, walnuts and beans are for you. I’m thinking that it will just take some tweaking of your diet to meet your needs. Assuming no underlying medical condition, if you are losing weight, you are not eating enough. As you can see in Brenda’s book, there are some pretty easy ways to fix that.I think it is really great that you are trying to be as healthy as you can. I wish you luck on your journey and hope this post ends up helping you.Don’t avoid avocados. These scientists get bored and do these nonsense studies to confuse folks. Greger even says “we don’t know what happens when we eat avocados” This petrie dish stuff is a waste of time – much like studies on rats – We are humans, NOT rats ! I find it so hard to believe that a food from Nature can be bad for our health. Misinformation is bad for our health.This is truly weird science and of zero practical use. Why not study people in Southern California or Mexico who actually eat avocados and salsa virtually every day of their lives versus dripping avocado extract onto human cells in a petri dish. This is perfect example of how to waste money on weird research.Aww shucks just bought avocado fruits last week and I still have 3 more to go….Those of us that raise chickens know that all parts of avocados are toxic to them. Perhaps it is the same toxin that affects them, but to a greater extent. I think this is a great example of “Everything in moderation!” and we should strive for variety in our primarily plant-based diets or whatever diet we consume.Can Avocado seeds really be so wonderful? http://www.realfarmacy.com/avocado-seeds-superfoods-health/ Thanks!I wonder if avocado is a choice for someone with liver disease per the reference to it detoxifying role in the avocado. Does the generous doctor have an opinion?Hi Linda. I did not see anything on liver disease, but this in vitro study looked at esophageal squamous carcinoma and colon adenocarcinoma cell lines and avocado fruit extracts. Important to note this is far different from eating whole avocados as Dr. Greger mentions in both avocado videos.Is this information valid:Home » Health » Health Tips » Avocado Seeds – Super Food for Super HealthAvocado Seeds – Super Food for Super Healthadmin April 4, 2015 Avocado Seeds – Super Food for Super Health2015-04-05T03:37:27+00:00 Health, Health TipsNo CommentshareThe Avocado is also known as a super food that can give our bodies some of the healthiest nutrients. Worldwide , the avocado is considered to have the most soluble fibers.Eating one avocado provides our body with the entire daily needed fiber dose. Compared with other vegetables and fruits, it contains various types of antioxidants.The Benefits of Consuming The Avocado SeedOne astonishing thing is that the skin and the flesh of the avocado contain only 30 % of the antioxidants and 70% of them are present in the seed.These antioxidants lower the cholesterol and prevent different kinds of diseases especially heart diseases. They also reduce inflammatory diseases and calm soreness in gastrointestinal tract.Since the avocado is rich in fibers it can prevent constipation and ease diarrhea. Phenolic compound is an antioxidant present in the seed itself.It helps relieve gastric ulcer pain which is caused by antibacterial and sometimes anti-viral properties.Looking for more reasons why you should eat avocado?Another important antioxidant known as flavonol is also contained in the seed. This antioxidant can help in fighting cancer. So, avocado seed is the perfect food for people suffering from cancer since they are adviced to eat foods rich in flavonol.If you have a weak immune system and often get colds during the flu season, including avocado seeds in your diet is the perfect solution for you. Consuming avocado seed will help you strengthen your immune system.The fundamental reasons why people get sick , get cancer and get older rapidly are the free radicals. The avocado seed can help you in preventing all of these by fighting free radicals. Having the ability to build up the collagen below the skin, it can help you get a young and fresh look.And that’s not all you get from avocado! It will make you become more active by cutting down body aches, joint pains and bone diseases.Losing weight and lowering blood glucose level are another two benefits you get from consuming avocado. It can help with exercise-induced asthma and if you feel food cravings it will make you feel fuller.How to Extract the Avocado SeedIf the avocado is ripe it will open easily . Just take a knife and cut it vertically from both sides. When you have taken out the seed you can make a smoothie: Put it in a plastic bag and smash it with a hammer. Then put it in a blender along with other ingredients like spinach, bananas dates etc.If you have a more powerful blender, put the avocado seed with the other ingredients without crushing it before. Don’t forget to add some water. After the preparation make sure you enjoy drinking it!Source: http://www.dailynutritionnews.comahm sir can i ask? is it possible that an avocado leaves(persin) may be used as pesticide?ahm sir can i ask? is it possible that an avocado leaves(persin) may be used as pesticide?	avocados,birth defects,cancer,carcinogens,detoxification,DNA damage,enzymes,guacamole,infertility,liver health,miscarriage,natural toxins,nutrition myths,persin,pregnancy	The insecticide and fungicide compound found naturally in avocadoes (persin) may damage the DNA of normal cells as well as cancer cells.	What about some other nutritional surprises? See: Does Coconut Oil Cure Alzheimer’s? Does Coconut Oil Clog Arteries?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out Are avocados good for you? Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!See also yesterday's "prequel" Are Avocados Good for You?For the follow-up, see Any update on the scary in vitro avocado data?	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/any-update-on-the-scary-in-vitro-avocado-data/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avocados/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/guacamole/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/miscarriage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persin/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-oil-clog-arteries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-coconut-o…ure-alzheimers/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20859823[uid],
PLAIN-3131	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/	Are Avocados Good for You?	I've covered high-fat plant foods in the past such as nuts, which are health-promoting, coconut oil, which is, not so health promoting, but what about avocados. 75% calories from fat, but good for you none the less, neither good nor bad, or something we should consider avoiding?Well, Rats, fed the human equivalent of 200 pounds, of avocado seeds don’t do so well. But we’re not rats, and who eats avocado pits?Then of course the FDA warns about the toxicity of avocado leaves, for the lactating mammary gland of the goat, but what about the actual fruit? Not good for pets evidently, but neither is chocolate. What about the actual fruit for actual humans? We have been eating avocados for 10,000 years, the darling of health nuts everywhere. What could possibly go wrong?Well, they’re not a problem for cholesterol, in fact people put on an avocado diet, see a significant improvement in their cholesterol, probably in part due to it’s phytosterol content.The California Avocado Commission even supported a study pitting, no pun intended, hass avocados again a malignant line of oral cancer cells. Here's the control. The red dots indicate living mitochondria inside the cells, the little sparks of life force, extinguished by an avocado extract leaving dead lifeless husks of cancer cells in its wakeKills breast cancer cells too. There a natural plant toxin, produced by the avocado tree, that acts as a fungicide, an insecticide, and can do a number on human breast cancer cells. And here they are.These are not what you want in your body. These are three breast cancer cells huddled together, planning their route of attack. This is a different stain than before. Here the red is their nucleus, and the green is their cytoskeleton, the cells skeleton. Didn't know cells had skeletons? How else could they move?How else could a breast cancer cell get from the breast to the brain or to the liver, it crawls there. Here's a video breast cancer cells in a lab working their way way through a maze researchers set up for them; using their cellular skeletons to pull themselves along.Ah, but that’s what chemotherapy is for. This is what the chemo drug paclitaxel can do: Clumps up the cytoskeleton, so the cells can’t move, can’t divide. And the avocado toxin can do the exact same thing, stopping breast cancer cells in their tracks.The researchers conclude that persin should be further evaluated single agent combination chemotherapy agent for cancers of the breast, maybe other cancers too.Look what it does to cancer cell DNA. This is a measure of DNA fragmentation, the avocado compound rips their chromosomes limb from limb. Unfortunately, it appears to do the same thing to normal cells too.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on avocado as well as breast cancer. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Why does the Gerson therapy recommend low fat foods. Avacados are on their forbidden list because of the fat content.So, I assume that since avocado persin “rips cancer cell’s chromosomes apart from limb to limb” and that it does so in “normal cells, too” that avocados are NOT good for you? My poor avocados! Must I really say goodbye?Unholy guacamole? Don’t shoot the messenger! The ending is just a preview of Monday’s continuation of the avocado story and there is indeed some concerning data. Let me know if you have any followup questions after watching part 2.This is truly a cliff-hanger!! :-) I love my avocados so I’m really going to lose sleep this weekend until part 2 comes out. (Great site by the way!) :-)Me too! I was literally eating avocado on (whole grain) toast as I watched this video – feeling quite smug that of course the answer would be a resounding YES! Avocados are absolutely good for you!What should I do with the other half of my avocado? How can I possibly wait until Monday to find out??Does a avacodes have mercury in them? I get real sick when I eat anything made with them, no, bad!Bim-dependent apoptosis?? Man, I love it when that happens to cancer cells…….My cholesterol came in at 239, HDL 81 and LDL 160.  I eat mostly fruits, vegies, nuts, and fish.  I also exercise at least 3 times a week.  At 5’9″ 128 lbs, I feel in great health.  If I completely cut out the occasional piece of cake (about 3-4 times a year), will that lower my cholesterol? In my clinical experience it isn’t the occasional stuff that gets us in trouble and it would depend of course on the recipe for the cake (e.g. vegan vs non-vegan). To lower your cholesterol you need to avoid all animal products as they all contain cholesterol. Avoid all saturated fat which the body makes into cholesterol. Saturated fat is found in all animal products plus processed oils and is even higher in some plant foods such as coconut oil than in butter see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/. It is somewhat complicated see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/extra-virgin-olive-oil/ and the other videos on saturated fats plus the videos on Omega 3’s.  So the first step in your diet would be to stop the fish… see any of Dr. Greger’s 60 videos for reasons to avoid fish from the cholesterol and saturated fat to toxic chemicals  such as mercury to carcinogens such as dioxin to other substances such as medications. The exercise is helpful in many respects but has a minor effect on cholesterol about a 1-5% reduction depending on amount. Dr. John McDougall has information on his website under Hot Topics which you might find interesting and useful. It is important to work with your physicians for further modifications.Good luck.I AM LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE FOOD THAT IS GOD FOR YOUR HEALTH AND ITS IN ARE STORES  How much avocado would a person need to eat for it to be harmful?Are there ANY foods that u recommend people focus their diet on?  lolso am I to take from this that limiting the intake of guacamole should be observed? I am so vexed by this whole diet thing. I gave up white refined anything, grain, starchy root veggies, fast food (which I never really ate anyway) I eat organic at every turn, lots of veggies and yet I still seem to have digestive issues both upper and lower and have sneaking suspicion that I am suffering from some sort of inflammatory condition. I did not give up alcohol and have 2 drinks a day, mostly wine and 2 cups of 1/2 caf a day as well. Those are my only vices…… where do I go from here eradicate what feels like acid indigestion…. I tried all the ppi’s to no avail except having to wean off…..Hi Doctor, my name is Roberto. I am a fruit and vegetable consumer and I generally don’t eat meat or dairy. I eat plenty of avocado howerver. I was wondering, should I stop eating avocado?Not very happy as I have been eating them almost daily for over a year and love them!!!! What’s a girl to do?I would like your thoughts on Avocado Seeds!!!!! http://www.realfarmacy.com/avocado-seeds-superfoods-health/Hello Dr Greger, I’ve heard that the Avocado seed is also good blended in a smoothie for example. What are your thoughts on this?Howard Johnson 41 minutes ago I’ve been asked to post this again so here it is:Howard Johnson 1 hour ago How about eating avocado pits? Blending The Avocado Pit = Scrubbing Your Arteries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghBJHwC-H3k Blending the pit of an avocado to clear out the digestive track! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXuthHmm2O8 Please disregard the fact that she is hiding behind a lot of hair I’ve been asked to post this again so here it is: Howard Johnson 1 hour ago How about eating avocado pits? Blending The Avocado Pit = Scrubbing Your Arteries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghBJHwC-H3k Blending the pit of an avocado to clear out the digestive track! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXuthHmm2O8 Please disregard the fact that she is hiding behind a lot of hair Read more Show less Reply · 1▼ Edit Remove this commentHoward Johnson 2 hours ago How about eating avocado pits?Blending The Avocado Pit = Scrubbing Your Arteries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghBJHwC-H3kBlending the pit of an avocado to clear out the digestive track! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXuthHmm2O8Please disregard the fact that she is hiding behind a lot of hairYay! Thanks for reposting. I do not see any research supporting the inclusion of avocado pits in the diet. Eating avocados on the other hand offer some nutritional benefits. There are so many foods that can help “clear” the digestive tract and “scrub” arteries. Eating the pits of any fruit is probably not a good idea. Folks have tried doing this with apricots, here, and found no benefit only concerns about side effects.	animal studies,avocados,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,California,cancer,chemotherapy,chocolate,cholesterol,coconut oil,cytoskeleton,DNA damage,fat,FDA,fungicides,guacamole,insecticides,metastases,monounsaturated fats,natural toxins,nutrition myths,nuts,oral cancer,paclitaxel,persin,phytosterols,Taxol,women's health	Persin, a natural toxin found in avocados, appears so effective at killing breast cancer cells that it is being considered as a chemotherapy agent.	Also check out: Plant-Based Atkins DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on avocado as well as breast cancer. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!For more context, check out my associated blog post, Stool Size and Breast	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avocados/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insecticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metastases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconut-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fungicides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/guacamole/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paclitaxel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytosterols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taxol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cytoskeleton/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/monounsaturated-fats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-bad-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-atkins-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=19373608[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11320941,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=17582784[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20606779/,
PLAIN-3132	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-canned-tuna-on-future-wages/	The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages	Earlier this year, Consumer Reports published some new tests on tuna, confirming that just a single serving—like half a can of white tuna—would put women of childbearing age over the EPA mercury safety limit. Light tuna tends to have less than white tuna, but they found sometimes it can have twice as much. Bottomline? They recommend children and premenopausal women eat no more than a can a week and pregnant women avoid canned tuna entirely.Last year, scientists at the Harvard School of public health attempted to calculate what effect a reduction of mercury intake might have for our population given that methyl mercury is "a known human developmental neurotoxicant, as well as may increase fatal heart attack risks.” They calculated that if we could just cut back our mercury exposure 10%,we could save our country $860 million a year, most of which would be associated with reductions in fatal heart attacks and the remainder with IQ gains.The CDC estimates that every extra IQ point you have translates into about 1% future higher earnings in life, so lowering your mercury intake is healthy for your brain and bank account. Practically what does reducing methyl mercery exposure mean? Well, you can try not to live next to a volcano or coal-fired power plant, but “Fish consumption is the major source of methylmercury intake.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on tuna. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Is this the place to post ask-the-doctor type of questions? If not, please remove this and post it in the appropriate place. My question is what is your opinion of the new book “Wheat Belly” which discourages the use of all grains, and wheat in particular. It’s confusing with so many divergent voices; one shouting High Carbs, and another, Low Carbs.Hello Paul,To answer your question, when one looks through out human history, the primary source of nutrients has been a starch, such as grains or wheat. Obesity was never an issue in those times and carbohydrates are essential for energy. Carbohydrates are the most readily available fuel for our body and fat is only a secondary. Please view Dr. McDougall’s video on the starch solution and it will clear up a lot of your concerns. http://www.drmcdougall.com/video/starch_solution.htmlFor more information on grains, check out these videos by Dr. Greger http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=grainsOn the other hand, the races in the U.S. that have the highest annual incomes (such as Japanese-Americans, Chinese-Americans, other Asian-Americans, and non-Hispanic whites) tend to eat fish more often than the races with lower annual incomes: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_real_median_household_income_1967_-_2011.PNGhelp! suffering with arthritis. receiving therapy. what about diet???help with arthritis. I am vegetarian suffering with leg painelayne: I am sorry to hear about your arthritis and leg pain. Dr. Greger has done several videos on this topic. Hopefully you can get some ideas that will help you. There are no guarantees, but other people have reported great success in stopping the arthritis pain after adopting a whole plant food based diet fortified with B12.For videos specifically about arthritis: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=arthritisFor Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations (which should hopefully work for you situation): http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Bottom Line: Most vegetarians eat dairy and eggs – which are liquid meat in terms of their health effects. (At least according to my lay person’s understanding.) And some vegetarians also eat lots of processed foods. Getting rid of the diary and eggs and processed foods should help and at least wouldn’t be expected to hurt.Let me know if you would like some recommendations on switching to such a diet.Good luck!I do not eat dairy and eggs. I have been vegetarian for years but do eat fish. I just would appreciate any help. thanks xxxoooAhh. Thanks for the clarification. I do recommend checking out the videos specifically about arthritis that I linked to above.You might also check out what we know about fish: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/Fish is just another form of meat. So, if you become convinced by the videos that meat is detrimental to people with arthritis, you might want to consider cutting fish out of your diet.Best of luck to you.	birth defects,brain health,cardiovascular disease,CDC,children,cost savings,fish,Harvard,heart disease,industrial toxins,intelligence,mercury,neurotoxins,pregnancy,safety limits,tuna,white meat,women's health	The mercury contamination in tuna and other fish may adversely impact future earnings by impairing brain function and leading to a loss of intelligence (IQ).	For more videos on the dangers of mercury contamination, check out these: Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development Nerves of Mercury Hair Testing for Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy How Long to Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy? Fish Intake Associated With Brain ShrinkagePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on tuna. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/05/tarragon-toxicity/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/intelligence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20540573[uid],
PLAIN-3133	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/	Fish Oil in Troubled Waters	In one of my videos last year I noted that the fish oil distillation process was found ineffective at removing all the industrial contaminants from fish oil, so even quote unquote PCB-free distilled fish oil supplements are anything but.Isn’t there a law in California, though, that makes it illegal to sell toxic substances that cause cancer or birth defects without at least a warning label? I’ve never seen such a label on fish oil and neither did the Environmental Justice Foundation, and so they sued CVS, GNC, Rite-Aid, along with the major fish oil manufacturers.To do so, of course, they had to prove the fish oil you find in stores actually contains PCBs, so they went out and grabbed ten and tested them. Some had 70 times the PBCS of others and 240 times the toxicity. You can check out the results at fishoilsafety.com, or, even better get your long chain omega 3s without any risk of toxins by choosing microalgae or yeast-based EPA/DHA supplements, nutritionally equivalent, a safe and convenient source, without the toxic waste.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on fish oil. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Regarding algae oil supplements, I am concerned about rancidification and/or impurities.For example, I bought an algae-oil supplement (specifically Ascenta NeutraVege) that states directly on the bottle:“Store away from direct heat and light. After opening, refrigerate and consume within 100 days. Product may change appearance when refrigerated.”It would be nice to have an evaluation of the risks of these algae-products, preferably from an impartial academic source.Can you comment on the recent studies showing increased prostate cancer in people with high levels of DHA. There is an audio link on Vegsource with the lead researcher of the studyI work at Gnc And I am technically required to sell fish oil. This worries me as I constantly sell whey protein and fish oil for the sake of keeping my job while I’m vegan. Irony? Evil?Eric, That’s a common evil a lot of us deal with so you’re not alone. I’m a video editor for a national ad agency so I see a lot of stuff that makes me angry. Especially when it’s fast food tv commercials I’m working on. My girlfriend works for a large pharma corp in clinical trials. Her and I are both Vegan and hate to take even an aspirin much less any other major drug. But at least everything we put in our mouths is a vote for the right stuff. That’s a small something to feel good about. Jobs and careers are very hard to come by these days, so switching to something ethical is especially difficult right now.That was such a kind answer. I’m grateful for people like you. Thanks!So is Flax oil the way to go?I’d suggest the algae-based long-chain omega 3’s: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/I read somewhere that V-Pure is one of the best. Would you agree Doctor?Hi Eric, sorry to hear that this distresses you. It would for me also if I were in your position. Perhaps you can suggest to your customers vegan alternates and you can show them this site or the literature, including the dangers involved. Of course, they have freedom of choice but you never know. You may have planted a seed in their minds that may eventually lead them to veganism.Are there any purely academic articles supporting the use of algae oil supplements?It seems to me that most articles on algae oil discussed have financial conflicts of interest.NOTE: The study reported in this video by Arteburn et al states explicitly that:“This study was funded by Martek Biosciences Corporation.”To wit: Martek Biosciences Corporation are manufacturers of vegetarian algae oil supplements!!Excellent point, I would like to see neutral reviews as well. Still not convinced algae is bioequivalent given it has no EPA.What is your opinion of omega 3 from clary sage seeds marketted by Marvalous Israel? Also, is flax seeds and flax oil safe? what about Chia?Hello Sara,Regarding your question on Flax vs. Chia seeds, please view Dr. Greger’s video all on the subject. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/Now when it comes to flax oil, or any oil for that matter, oils are essentially fat without nutrition and we should strive for a more whole plants approach since empty calories is never healthful. Please view this video as well as the comments and let me know if you have any more questions! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/I recently watched a video where a doctor objected to vegan diets, saying that when we take omega-3 supplements, we need EPA to DHA in a ratio of 3 to two. This isn’t possible if we use algae oil, which is mostly DHA and we can’t convert DHA to EPA so he said that there’s a hole in the vegan diet. Is this ratio correct? He also scoffed at the idea that we can convert enough ALA from plant foods to the long-chained omega-3s, especially if we eat foods containing omega-6 fatty acids (grains, most seeds and nuts along with most cooking oils which I’m sure few of the regular viewers here use). So, what should we do in this regard?Is Chia seeds a good alternative?I’m a vegan do any supplements interfere with my natural thyroid med? I’m taking 1grain.. I take it right when I wake up in the morning. I’ve gained 25 pounds since my thyroid went into hypo. I’ve been on it for one month and still haven’t lost any weight! I’m very frustrated I think I’m starting to go into menopause. I’m 52 years old and have exercised my whole life! thank-you Zinette. P,S. Your articles are the best!.Thyroid medication should always be taken at least 1 hour before eating food. Supplements such as iron, calcium, soy and fiber can interfere with the absorption of thyroid medications. If you take calcium or mineral supplements they should be taken at least 4 hours away from thyroid medication.Unfortunately, weight gain is all too common in people with hypothyroidism. Taking the correct dose of thyroid medication is important; however, not everyone loses weight just because they take the medication. Making sure that you are eating a whole food, plant-based diet, not just a vegan diet, is the best assurance of a healthy weight.There are compounds in the brassica family of vegetable such as broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts called goitrogens. Goitrogens may inhibit thyroid function if eaten in large amounts and in their raw state. However, these are very nutritious foods and you should include them in your diet. Steaming is said to “deactivate” the goitrogenic activity of these foods. Soy foods may also impede thyroid function; however, studies show that if ones diet is replete in iodine then soy poses no problem. You just don’t want to drink a glass of soy milk to swallow your thyroid pill as this will impede the absorption of the thyroid medication. Iodine supplementation can also be tricky, as too much iodine may increase or decrease thyroid function. The RDA for iodine is 150- mcg per day for adult men and women.Many folks with hypothyroidism have the autoimmune form called Hashimoto’s Disease. You may want your doctor to check you for thyroid antibodies to rule this in or out. Having Hashimoto’s may make it more challenging to regulate your thyroid hormone dose and make it more difficult to manage your weight.My wife and I put 1tb spoon of Turmeric and Cinnamon plus 1/4 cup of flax seed in our oatmeal for breakfast every morning. Is that combination OK?Why n-3 may increase the risk of CVD? Whats the mechanism of action? If its describes elsewhere please share a referencje. I’m a dietitian reading your website for not so long and have to say your is one of the best source of a valuable data. Thank YouHi Pawel W, R.D. Welcome and thanks for commenting. Can you let me know what omega-3 and increase risk of CVD video or blog you are referring to? To me, this video only mentioned fish oil and how a cleaner sources of DHA/EPA from golden algae may be better. Omega-3’s are certainly important and we have loads of resources about them. Many people are told that fish oil is beneficial, but research suggests maybe we need to be careful before having everyone just take it. All of our references can be found by clicking the hyperlinks to the blogs, or under the “sources cited” tab under the video’s title. So glad you found us and I have another RD on here to chat with. Our site visitors could really benefit. Please feel free to help out and post more comments and questions around here. Always great to link research studies or valuable information.Best, JosephHi Joseph, R.D., Thank you for answer, I havent expected such one. I was wondering about safety of n-3 consumption (in pure, not contaminatet supplements/food). Some studies shows no benefits of n-3 consumption, and some explanations has arised to explain this phenomena but they didnt focus on oxidation processes. I’d like to know how safe is it to give somebody a n-3 supplements if this person has high CVD risk, obesity or any other disease witch base is inflammation. n-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated and are very sensitive to reactive oxygen species which in results may increase the risk of CVD or other diseases. One friend of mine added n-3 supplement to his patient and his profile lipid worsened. Why and how? I wonder if i have a patient after myocardial infarction, high levels of inflammatory markers, when is it safe to give him PUFAs? Is there a relationship between safety of n-3 administration and lvl of CRP, homocysteine or any other marker?Hi Pawel W, R.D. Welcome and thanks for commenting. Can you let me know what omega-3 and increase risk of CVD video or blog you are referring to? To me, this video only mentioned fish oil and how a cleaner sources of DHA/EPA from golden algae may be better. Omega-3’s are certainly important and we have loads of resources about them. Many people are told that fish oil is beneficial, but research suggests maybe we need to be careful before having everyone just take it. All of our references can be found by clicking the hyperlinks to the blogs, or under the “sources cited” tab under the video’s title. So glad you found us and I have another RD on here to chat with. Our site visitors could really benefit. Please feel free to help out and post more comments and questions around here. Always great to link research studies or valuable information.Best, JosephIt’s a minefield! If you do this then that or that. As you read one lot of information it is already being superceded by something else. The average layperson is in trouble. I find trying to work out what is best and eat my way to good health…well…stressful.What is the best recommended supplement for vegan long-chain omega-3s? Thanks.How can people trust any advice on nutrition as there is a con for every pro!	algae,birth defects,California,cancer,DHA,drug stores,EPA,fish,fish oil,industrial toxins,omega-3 fatty acids,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,safety limits,salmon,supplements,yeast	Major fish oil manufacturers and drug stores are being sued for failing to disclose the PCB pollutants in fish oil supplements.	For more recent videos on the fish oil supplements, see: Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil? PCBs in Children’s Fish Oil Supplements Fish and Diabetes Red Fish, White Fish; Dark Fish, Atrial FibrillationPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on fish oil. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/drug-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yeast/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/california/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18589030,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19265383,
PLAIN-3134	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chickens-fate-is-sealed/	Chicken's Fate Is Sealed	. How vegan does one have to eat, though, to sufficiently lower our level of arachidonic acid intake? I mean our body is already making some, is eating just like one egg a day going to significantly increase our blood levels? We didn’t know until last year. This group of Japanese researchers gave women just one egg’s worth a day, and “found that dietary arachidonic acid increased the arachidonic acid level in all fat fractions of the blood, even at a very low dietary dose.Now the meat industry realizes this is a problem, and they're exploring ways to genetically manipulate chickens to lower arachidonic acid levels in chicken muscle “to produce meat with health benefits.”The egg industry appears to be getting even more desperate, feeding laying hens seal blubber. The annual Canadian harp seal hunt evidently produces 16,000 tons of blubber every year, which can be used for animal feed. And indeed if you feed layings hens diets containing 5% seal blubber you can drop the arachidonic acid levels in eggs to as much as 34%, making them significantly less harmful. Any amount, though, in chicken and eggs, is in excess of what your body needs.Making arachidonic acid is like playing with fire. Your body makes just enough and no more. The colonel and the clubber might want to feed you a little extra, but your own body knows best.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the accompanying blog post Inflammation, Diet, and “Vitamin S”. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Hello, Dr. Greger :) I am highly disturbed by this whole thing, but in particular, I’m quite sure that a U.S. BAN on ALL seal products from the seal hunt in Canada is in place. How is this happening????????? I am vegan, and care deeply about the animals, and have fought for years against the seal hunt. Thanks for reading and for ALL the awesome work that you do! Shannon M.Hello sir! I,m quite surprised here & confused! Feeding seal-blubber to our laying-hens!? AH! Wth? Another question, don,t you disagree on feeding people with Horse-Meat!? YES, horse-meat. This is well know to be hazardous to people,s health. Toxic..Medicated race-horses and other breeds, pass through slaughter every day. 100 000 a year. This is NOT right and canada should be ashamed…TKS, and cya soon.You’re certainly right about at least North American horse meat. See “Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: a public health risk.“For some context, please check out my associated blog post Inflammation, Diet, and “Vitamin S”!Whats the link to view the research / document about the seal blubber ?Here is a research article on feeding hens seal blubber oil. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15049501 :-(I like the wallpapers also from http://www.favewallpapers.com/.They are very different. Big choice!Thanks for the invaluable information obtained on this site. The Mad Cow epidemic in the UK in the 80’s is blamed on the rendering of Scrapie infected sheep fed to cows. It seems we never learn that our interference causes havoc in the end because we know less than we think we do.	animal products,arachidonic acid,Canada,chicken,eggs,feed additives,inflammation,Japan,KFC,omega-3 fatty acids,plant-based diets,poultry,seal oil	The egg industry is attempting to improve the fatty acid lipid profile of eggs by feeding blubber from the Canadian harp seal hunt to laying hens.	Here are some more recent videos on the health hazards of consuming eggs: Eggs and Cholesterol: Patently False and Misleading Claims Debunking Egg Industry Myths Who Says Eggs Aren’t Healthy or Safe? How the Egg Board Designs Misleading Studies Eggs and Arterial FunctionPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the accompanying blog post Inflammation, Diet, and "Vitamin S". Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seal-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canada/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kfc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20580541,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20398309/,
PLAIN-3135	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/	Chicken, Eggs, and Inflammation	Inflammation isn’t always bad. When you get a splinter or cut yourself, the wound can get all red, hot, swollen, painful, pus-y. Inflammation can be your body’s way of fighting off infection, so we do need some arachidonic acid to trigger the inflammatory cascade, but we don't need to eat any since our bodies make all we need.For carnivores like cats, arachidonic acid is an essential nutrient. Since they’re eating animals all day, they get it preformed in their diet so their bodies never needed to make any. We, however, evolved from plant-eating apes, and so we evolved to make it ourselves,It’s like cholesterol. Your body needs some cholesterol, and so your body makes all you need. You have no need to take in extra through your diet, and in fact too much cholesterol is a bad thing. The same thing may be true with arachidonic acid.If you want to try to stay away from the stuff, there are the top ten sources in the American diet. As you can see, overwhelmingly chicken and eggs. That’s why even semi-vegetarians can drop their levels down, though one would have to eat vegan to optimally minimize one's intake.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out Inflammatory remarks about arachidonic acid. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!This is super informative. Thanks! I like how you clearly stated that our body makes the cholesterol we need as well as the arachadonic acid based on our evolutionary origins as primarily herbivores.Toxins, I’m a bit confused about that chart. Do chickens and eggs top the list because Americans eat more of them than, say, turkey? Does turkey have as much arachidonic acid as chicken?Hi, again, Toxins, Any chance you or someone else could answer my question below?Great video!!! Although plant-eating apes?? Really??Why is there so much cholesterol in breast milk if we can make our own? Why does my baby need it and I don’t?Kid’s brains grow until they are about 4. The brain is mainly made of fat.In looking at some studies on the ingredients in human breast milk I couldn’t find cholesterol listed. Human breast milk does have triglycerides, carbohydrates and many other ingredients including antioxidants see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/. Your baby’s liver and other tissues make all the cholesterol s/he needs.According to the USDA breast milk does in fact contain cholesterol http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/95/2Thanks Toxins. I should have checked with the USDA. Nice to know that breast milk has cholesterol. So the answer to Bechochic is I don’t know if babies need it or not but breast milk remains the overwhelming best food for newborns.As I understand it, we all need cholesterol. I think we make the right kind and the right amount. Certainly not in the form of bread and butter and steak and gravy.Babies are not good nutrition examples to use for adults. Babies are growing and require different proportions of nutrients. In addition, it is unlikely that the infant’s digestive trac (including the micro-biom) is fully developed – so they digest things differently.Even premature babies require different nutrients than a full term baby – but the mom’s body automatically adjusts the nutrients in the breast milk to accommodate the needs of the premature infant.Another example is cows: No adult cow drinks cow’s milk. A new born calf needs the milk – an adult does not and, in fact needs other things that are not present in the milk.Yes, breast milk is preferred for infants for MANY different reasons but: Using infant nutrition needs to project adult needs is not a viable method.is 1/2 cup of legumes a safe amount to eat daily ?i eat a low fat vegan diet as per dr mcdougall.It is indeed safe, in fact, it is extremely beneficial. The consumption of legumes (beans, peas, lentils) was associated with lower systemic inflammation in women (http://1.usa.gov/H8pvTP)An entire cup of black beans only has 1 gram of fat, I see no reason to avoid this highly nutritious bean. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4284/2Beans so are a common denominator for long life among various peoples. About a cup of beans daily is suggested by Vegan Dr. Joel Furhman.As for the cholesterol in breast milk, this might be a helpful explanation:From http://www.vegfamily.com/dietician/0705b.htm :By the way, human breast milk (which is, strictly speaking, an animal product) does contain cholesterol (yup, even a vegan mom’s – because mom’s body creates it, and some is naturally present in milk). This is, of course, fine because mother’s milk is the perfect food for babies. But if medical experts and formula manufacturers thought that dietary cholesterol was so important for brain development, they would put cholesterol in infant formula. They don’t.That is an excellent point Barbara. Thanks!Just to be clear, that’s Dina Aronson, M.S. R.D, who wrote that paragraph. I copied it out of the link I gave. Very interesting video. As an asthmatic who’s condition is well controlled with theophylline 200 mg tabs, Proair, and Symbicort; it’s important for me to be knowledgeable about what I put into my body. Unfortunately, I recently failed to do some research before embarking on a bodybuilding regimen. I began using several supplements like L-arginine, a Nitric oxide booster, and a post-exercise tablet along with perhaps the worst possible form of protein. I started purchasing cheap, farm raised tilapia from the largest retailer in the world. Needless to say, this was due to economical reasons. To make matters worse, I was without my corticosteroid inhaler Symbicort for approximately one month. I believe all of these factors lead to some significant inflammation in the lungs along with scattered prehypertensive bP readings. I went to the doctor and was given a corticosteroid injection and some samples of Advair to get me by until I could return on Symbicort. I have been back now on Symbicort for about ten days now and I’m doing better day by day. Needless to say, this has been a hard lesson to learn, but a lesson none the less. I’ve said all this because the more I learn about bodybuilding nutrition, the more detrimental it appears to be for those with medical conditions like asthma, allergies, various heart conditions, and arthritis. I hope I’m wrong. Assuming bodybuilding can be done in a healthy and safe way for those just mentioned; it just leads to many more questions. Let’s begin by looking at the main food sources for the vary building blocks for muscles themselves. The “big three” are fish, chicken, and eggs. The concern here is that they all contain arachidonic acid which is the culprit for inflammation. Obviously how this process affects individuals is as unique as the individuals themselves. It’s not a secret that this acid is hard to avoid for those in this sport, because of the vary foods which contain it. The “Million Dollar” question is: how is the body going to respond to such large quantities of this chemical that a sport such as bodybuilding demands? This is perhaps the greatest hurdle for those aspiring this sport with pre existing conditions. So, for someone with asthma, what’s the healthiest, safest, and most economical form of wild fish? Is 100% egg whites safe for asthmatics? And if not, what other sources of protein are? Is there a limit Before an inflammatory response occurs? Again, I hope I’m wrong for sounding so pessimistic, because afterall, I would like to “step-up” my exercise routine in order to reach my genetic potential. I’m just not willing to jeopardize my health to do it.There are a lot of stories of people overcoming Asthma buy going on raw fruits/vegis/lots of greens. Juicing, smoothies, and salads. Check out Youtube.I would add dairy to your list to be avoided as an asthmatic…. see as a start the videos on dairy especially see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/. You might also enjoy the video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/ and the others listed under the asthma topic. I wouldn’t worry about protein intake see the three newsletter articles in Dr. John McDougall’s monthly newsletters… History of Protein(12/03), Protein Overload(1/04) and Sources of Protein(4/07). You might be interested in comparing the essential amino acid profile of eggs, broccoli and asparagus. Evidence suggests you should minimize protein for long term health. As a body builder you might enjoy videos and material by Robert Cheeke who is a plant based body builder. There are no “safe” fish only fish that have less chemicals… as they all come with cholesterol and saturated fat. The Omega 3’s in the fish are from the algae the fish eat. No reason to eat fish if you want to eat a healthy diet. Good luck.FYI, my daughters asthma disappeared magically once we eliminated eggs and milk from her diet.Is it better to raise your own chickens for the eggs ? Or is this just as bad as store bought eggs?Eggs have inherent substances in them that are simply unavoidable whether they are store bought, organic or raised in your back yard. Eggs in general are a harmful food and one should avoid eating this food. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=eggsFor some context, please check out my associated blog post Inflammation, Diet, and “Vitamin S”!Why is it that chickens are also the number 2 contributor of Omega 3?http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/fatty_acids/table5.htmlAre the negative effects (i.e inflammation due to omega-6 consumption) of eggs strictly quarantined to the yolk? I eat egg whites fairly heavily so was curious if I should change my dietary habits. Thank you for the study results.What about the gels that are being injected into knees that come from rooster feathers? Should that be helpful or harmful for arthritis? I believe it is called gel one by Zimme corp. can someone help with this? Thanks, stretchhey, I am kunal from india.just few months ago, had high inflammation.. due to this my RBC count (Iron) get lower and still facing iron deficiency.Can u pls tell me if my RBC is only 85% and want to increase asap. what should i do..doctor suggested not to go for nonveg due to infection problem..what is the best way for getting rid of iron deficiency. ?email : kunal.dodiya1@gmail.comMan I am finding out every food I find worth eating is bad for me. As a woman of only 85lbs at 5’4 eggs were one of the things I use to help gain weight and ENJOY the food. Most everything I eat now I just tolerate. I don’t enjoy it much. I am not a fan of veggie and beans no matter how they are prepared. This makes me sad that I might have to get rid of eggs toIs this the same with duck eggs or any other bird egg?I disagree with your cholesterol analogy. Cholesterol is very important and eating cholesterol is NOT a cause of high cholesterol since the body simply makes less. The problem is eating high saturated fats and salt, these cause the body to produce more cholesterol. Eggs are one of the best foods around, be cautious about telling people not to eat them. I feel you should also mention there is good and bad cholesterol, and that it’s the ratio of one to the other which is important, not dietary cholesterol. If eggs -even organic- are contaminated, I accept the advice, but not on the simple fact of their cholesterol content. The only people advised to avoid/limit eggs, are those with disorders/pre existing cholesterol problems.The national academy of science disagrees with your view on cholesterolhttp://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=542More information can be shared regarding eggs if you wish.You’re 100% correct on the cholestrol and the eggs thing. and I honestly couldn’t care less what the USDA or National Academy of Science say, countless other entities and studies in the US and Europe recommend otherwise. The USDA and NAS both recommend grains and breads (whole grains) that are loaded with gluten; which is a harmful protein whether or not you’re allergic. Should we start counting the inflamatory properties of grains and legumes or their destructive impact on the digestive system? or should we talk about the hormonal inbalances soy creates. All foods have their good and bad properties, but we can’t just minimize the good and maximize the bad and vice versa to justify our eating choices and we also can’t discard an entire food category because of the downs and be missing out on the ups. Do the cost benefit math. Also while I’m at it, all those rules and studies don’t apply to every one, each human machine processes different foods in different ways. It’s each person’s responsibility to find a deitary system that works for them.Why is it that I eat 3 eggs (organic free range) a day at least 4 days a week and my good cholesterol is way off the charts and my bad cholesterol is way below the lowest in the range? My doctor actually was taking notes on my diet to replicate itACTUALLY THIS IS CORRECT…….LATEST STUDIES SHOW THE MORE EGGS U EAT THE LOWER YOUR BAD CH. GOES…..DO NOT BE AFRAID TOO EAT EGGS ..THEY ARE HEALTHY FOR ..REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOUR GOVT. OR DOCTORS TELL U….Why do you have to YELL?from Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2012 Mar;15(2):117-21 Rethinking dietary cholesterol Fernandez ML.thanks for censoring, you qualify yourself very goodAndrea, can I ask what you’re referring to regarding censoring?i posted it because didn’t find my previous comment, I’m sorryOh, okay. That’s the comment you were looking for above then? Sometimes comments with photos or links get stuck in the spam filter. The only time we might delete a comment is when it’s an ad hominem attack on another user, but that hasn’t happened much in my time here.ok, i apologize again, bye :)	animal products,apes,arachidonic acid,cats,chicken,cholesterol,eggs,evolution,fish,immune function,inflammation,meat,plant-based diets,poultry,wound healing	Chicken and eggs are the top sources of arachidonic acid in the diet, an omega 6 fatty acid involved in our body's inflammatory response.	Interested in learning more on arachidonic acid? Check out these more recent videos: Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fighting the Blues With Greens?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out Inflammatory remarks about arachidonic acid. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/13/is-titanium-dioxide-in-food-harmful/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wound-healing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128,
PLAIN-3136	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/	Inflammatory Remarks About Arachidonic Acid	The pro-inflammatory metabolites of arachidonic acid from animal products are involved in more than just neuroinflammation. They also appear to play a role in cancer, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune disorders. For example, last year we discovered eating at a lot of arachidonic acid and may quadruple our risk of developing the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis. The anti-inflammatory effects of a low arachidonic acid diet may help explain why patients with rheumatoid arthritis improve on a vegetarian diet.It’s funny there was an arthritis study done where they put half the people on a vegetarian diet for a year, and they were saying how “for some patients it may be difficult to change from an omnivorous diet to a strict vegetarian diet. They expected some people may have felt a decreased quality of life when they had to renounce ordinary food. Furthermore, a strict vegetarian diet can put a strain on a patient’s social life. Therefore one could envisage that the psychological distress experienced by the newly vegetarian would increase during the study. On the contrary, though, they found that the patients put on the vegetarian diet had a significantly better improvement in their GHQ-20 scores compared to the omnivorous patients," which is a measure of psychological health. Those eating vegetarian diet also became less depressed and less anxious, which could be a function of them eating less arachidonic acid, but, “Another possibility is that the patients in the vegetarian group experienced less psychological distress because of the clinical improvement. They got better; of course they’re going to feel better. Or as they put it, “It is reasonable to assume that less pain, shorter duration of morning stiffness, better grip strength and less disability would impose less psychological distress on the patients.”	So if rheumatologists really care about their patients, they should be discussing a whole foods vegan diet during every patient visit. The American Arthritis foundation does have 6 brief articles posted on its web site under the heading “Food and Inflammation”. They are not recommending a vegan diet at this point, but at least they are making progress in that direction.Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos on arachidonic acid! Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!A close friend was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis (lungs) a few weeks ago. He has been taking Cortisone tablets since and only yesterday a specialist confirmed that he should continue this treatment for another six months – at a dose of 10mg every day. I am truly concerned that this will cause more harm to his body and is only masking the illness. Are there any conclusive treatments to this condition? As a Vegan myself, I am trying to help him look at a dietary change, but he is not so open to the idea, as it all appears “too hard”. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.Hi Nina, Sorry to hear about your friends diagnosis. Sarcoid is a complex inflammatory disorder of unknown cause with a variable course making it difficult to treat. Treatment with cortisone, an anti inflammatory hormone, is an accepted treatment and s/he should continue to work with their physician. There are side effects for all treatments. I know of no studies on nutrition and Sarcoid. That said, if I was diagnosed with Sarcoid I would certainly follow a well designed low fat plant based diet for two main reasons. First,I would want to avoid as many other chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer that I could. Second it would seem prudent to provide the body with the best nutrients to heal. Beyond following a plant based diet with B12 supplementation I would recommend that consideration be given to decrease the the omega 6(inflammatory)/ omega 3(anti inflammatory) ratio in the diet. Dr. Greger has posted videos which help explain this somewhat confusing area.Yes, arachidonic acid in the body affects mood and inflammation. This is mediated through proinflammatory eicosanoids called leukotrienes (series 4). Dietary arachidonic acid is only one source and not the largest source. Arachidonic acid is produced in the body from linoleic acid (LA) by three enzymes. More arachidonic acid is made if the ratio of LA to ALA is larger than 3. Endogenous arachidonic acid is a large source, so the amounts and ratio of the essential fatty acids need to be controlled – along with dietary arachidonic acid.Dr.Steve,I think you raise an important point about there being at least two pathways for increases in AA in the body, namely, dietary intake and metabolism of LA.But, you go on to suggest that latter is a more important pathway. I wonder if you have a primary source to back that up ?My sources seem to suggest otherwise…Vegetarians and vegans seem to have a poorer ratio of LA:ALA than omnivores (see for example Davis and Melina, Becoming Raw). Yet they have a lower level of AA in the body (see Fisher et al., Arch Intern Med 1986;146:1193-1197). In fact, Fisher states “However, the increased ingestion of LA by vegetarians did not appear to affect the levels of platelet membrane AA. This would support the prior observation that human platelets have a limited capacity to perform the conversion of LA to AA.”Thus, my sources suggest that the dietary intake of AA (directly from animal fats) may have a more important effect on body levels of AA than the LA to AA conversion. This would support the conclusions of Dr.Greger’s last two videos that the mood improvement and reduced inflammation seen in vegetarians may be associated with lower AA intake.In a pure vegetarian, all of the arachidonic acid (AA) is made inside the body. Our bodies can make enough AA even when levels of LA are quite low – even 2% of calories. Deficiencies of AA are very rare. Like cholesterol, all of our AA is capable of being made inside our bodies and none is required in the diet.We make just the right amount of EPA and AA to balance, through eicosanoids, our immune response and inflammation. Dietary AA or EPA will throw these delicately balanced eicosanoid precursors off balance. Note that dietary gamma-linolenic acid will also cause excess amounts of AA to be stored in membrane phospholipids. Note that dietary DHA will retroconvert to EPA and also throw the balance off.It is best to support the metabolic machinery of the body to make the perfect balance of AA and EPA as described in Chapter 11 of “Understanding Dietary Fats and Oils” (you may Google this title).I find this video to be delightfully amusing!IS THERE ARACHIDONIC ACID IN EGG WHITES PARTICULARILY IF COOKED WELL DONE? CAN SKINLESS CHICKEN BREAST OR LOW FAT CANNED CHICKEN BE COOKED A CERTAIN WAY AS TO DRAMATICALLY REDUCE OR ELIMINATE ARACHIDONIC ACID?Arachadonic acid is a product of Omega 6 fatty acids. Too much arachadonic acid and we promote inflammation and we do not allow the proper synthesis of omega 3. All chicken products will have high levels of arachadonic acid.Egg whites are very low fat but here is why we should avoid them.1. Egg whites are ridiculously high in the amino Acid Methionine. Rice has 14 times less of this amino acid and beans 7 time less. When one consumes Methionine in a large quantity (like that found in egg whites), it is broken down into sulfuric compounds. these sulfuric compounds are buffered by the calcium of the bones. the result, over time, is osteoporosis and kidney stones. http://www.vivalis.si/literatura/6a00.pdf2. Methionine is metabolized into homocysteine. This substance is a risk factor associated with heart attacks, strokes, peripheral vascular disease, venous thrombosis, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression. http://www.pnas.org/content/100/25/15089 (this study was done with mice, not humans.)3. Cancer cell metabolism is dependent upon methionine being present in the diet; whereas normal cells can grow on a methionine-free diet feeding off other sulfur-containing amino acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14585259 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/124162544. Good ol’ Insulin like growth factor is raised significantly by Methionine. raised levels of IGF-1 = accelerated aging/tumor promotion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12176673 http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/18/1472.abstract5. Sulfur from Methionine is known to be toxic to the tissues of the intestine, and to have harmful effects on the human colon, even at low levels, possibly causing ulcerative colitis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9448181 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8287651 (this study done with rats) http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/82/11/950.abstract6. Restriction of methionine in the diet has been shown to prolong the life of experimental animals. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12543260 http://jn.nutrition.org/content/10/1/63.shortalso, egg whites are pure protein without any other nutrients, like antioxidants, fiber or carbs. Just as white flour is viewed as empty calories, so should egg whites.Chicken and eggs are very damaging animal products to consume, arachadonic acid is only one concern of many.I have a question Dr. I’ve had rheumatoid arthritis since I was about 24 years of age. I also suffer from muscle spasms on my lower back and have a slipped disk which causes my legs to fall asleep occasionally. I tried physical therapy and that didn’t work, so one day, I switched to acupuncture and surprisingly it helped a whole lot. I was advised by a patient on one of my acupuncture visits to cut on acidic foods such as tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers and eggplants to decrease the pain related to inflammatory diseases, so I did. One day I was so fed up with my arthritis pains that I decided to go on a raw diet and surprisingly, on the 3rd day, the pain that constantly bothered me on my shoulder was gone. I was encouraged by a friend to go Vegan, so until this day I still am vegan, almost 8 months now, I feel great and lost a few old pounds ;) So, my question to you Dr. Greger is, do I still need to stay away from acidic foods or does the combination of these vegetables plus meat consumption trigger something in the body to cause pain?Avoiding “acidic” plant foods is not necessary. I don’t know of any science supporting the idea that acidic foods will promote rheumatoid arthritis. There are many studies that show that a simple vegan diet can reverse this disease. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/How I wish this were true… however, it will depend greatly on the nature of the beast. Mycoplasma fermentens, for example, is an excellent potential culprit, as well as many other microbes we have not yet been able to view with current technology. It is true that food affects our inflammatory response one way or the other. As a long time vegetarian and RArthritic, I have learned by trial and error. If it sets me off I avoid it. The most recent foodstuff I gave up with the greatest positive response was- wheat! Almost 1 year later I can see my left elbow and many finger joints again.Thank you TOXINS!!! =)I found a 9700 word article on essential fatty acids, and one stands out as in opposition to this video, here it is: Arachidonic Acid Deficiency• Dry, scaly, and itching skin• Hair loss• Dandruff• Reproductive difficulties in both males and females• Gastrointestinal disturbances• Food intolerances• Kidney disease• Inability to maintain weight• Poor immunity• Poor growth• Inflammation” I have been long on omega 3 and low on omega 6, which is unusual since it’s most often the other way around, and I have most of the symptoms listed above. Insofar as going vegetarian, been there, done that and the results were devastating. Here is how it is, if Vegan diets make you happy, healthy and strong, go for it, and the same with vegetarian, omnivorous and carnivorous. However, it would be impossible to survive in Alaska or the Arctic on a vegetarian died, and the same for about 1000 miles due south. Where the vegetarian idea came from is kind of like where Mormonism came from, an idea popped into someone’s head and in vegetarians it was India. Why? Animal protection mostly, but many vegetarians ate fish, in India many eat diary, and so forth. But this arachidonic acid thing is the main focus. How many sources, supposedly science or medical based say too little arachidonic acid is harmful? Many. too many to count. The idea that one should sustain from such fatty acids is dangerous. Here’s something from Charles Darwin, in The Voyage of the Beagle, wrote: We were here able to buy some biscuit. I had now been several days without tasting any thing besides meat: I did not at all dislike this new regimen; but I felt as if it would only have agreed with me with hard exercise. I have heard that patients in England, when desired to confine themselves exclusively to an animal diet, even with the hope of life before their eyes, have hardly been able to endure it. Yet the Gaucho in the Pampas, for months together, touches nothing but beef. But they eat, I observe, a very large proportion of fat, which is of a less animalized nature; and they particularly dislike dry meat, such as that of the Agouti. Dr. Richardson, also, has remarked, “that when people have fed for a long time solely upon lean animal food, the desire for fat becomes so insatiable, that they can consume a large quantity of unmixed and even oily fat without nausea:” this appears to me a curious physiological fact. It is, perhaps, from their meat regimen that the Gauchos, like other carnivorous animals, can abstain long from food. I was told that at Tandeel, some troops voluntarily pursued a party of Indians for three days, without eating or drinking.[5]In more recent times, it appears probable that Christopher McCandless, subject of the 1996 book—and later film—Into the Wild died of rabbit starvation. The point being, eat lard, some butter, olive oil in small quantities, flax seed oil in even smaller quantities, coconut oil, red palm oil and beef tallow, all the above from organic and grass fed sources. I knew man, or met him, who was 102 years old and had a girl friend who was somewhat younger and said complimentary things regarding his “vigor.” Point being, drug companies who push Viagra would go broke if they had to rely on this type of man. Life is fun.Arachadonic Acid is important for the body. Omega 6 converts into arachadonic acid. Omega 6 is more than abundant in the plant food food supply, in fact, the issue is getting TOO much omega 6. TOO much omega 6 counters the enzymes used to convert omega 3 to DHA. Arachadonic acid deficiency is not an issueFor some context, please check out my associated blog post Inflammation, Diet, and “Vitamin S”!Hello,My mother has been diagnosed with Lupus. She is on a medication to stop it affecting her blood. While I can not do much about her medication I was hoping there might be something she can do with her diet? The biggest issue is her skin. It becomes itchy, red and cracks.I have looked for information about lifestyle changes to help manage Lupus but nothing has come up.Any information you can offer would be a big help.Thank you Sorry to hear about your mothers diagnosis. The diet can have a significant effect on the many of the autoimmune disorders of which Lupus is one. Many of the studies have been done on Rheumatoid Arthritis see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/. You can also read two case studies about lupus patients who recovered on Dr. John McDougall’s website under his “StarMcDougallers” see the stories by Vanessa and Mayra. Another excellent resource is Jill Harrington’s book, The Lupus Recovery Diet. Going on a plant based diet is the first step but some patients with autoimmune disorders also have plant triggers for their diseases. These can be a challenge to figure out. Dr. McDougall’s December 2002 newsletter article, Diet for the Desperate, outlines a practical approach to help sort out these issues. His newsletters are also available for free on his website. Good luck. Thank you so very much :)My husband serious dry, crack skin problem in his scalp and face was cure applying organic coconut oil, he uses every morning like a lotion Hope this can help your mother.The original title of the third paper shown in Dr. Greger’s video was “Anti-inflammatory effects of a low arachidonic acid diet and fish oil in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.”Why was fish oil edited out?I have been vegan for 6 years now. For 17 months I thought I had acid reflux disease, but after extensive testing my doctor has concluded that I have garden variety IBS. In an effort to be all-natural and avoid medication (which had horrible side effects) have been taking digestive enzymes, probiotics and avoiding “trigger foods” for a little over a year. The heartburn symptoms and nausea have decreased considerably, but I still experience bloating and feeling of being overly stuffed often. My doctor suggested I try a Low-FODMAP diet. What are your thoughts on that?This video is HIGHLY MISLEADING. Correlation isn’t causation.Arachidonic Acid doesn’t cause inflammation. The toxins in the animal products cause inflammation and also the oxidized lipids in seed oils cause inflammation.Eat whole foods.I was looking on your website for any information on Malonic Acid, and Malonate-Free Foods. Could there possibly be a future video and/or article on the subject?Is there enough arachidonic acid & palmitic acid in peanuts to justify limiting their consumption?I have MS and severe eczema. I have read that there can be a depletion of AA caused by the high levels of immune activity and if so and there are insufficient antioxidants in the diet it can result in eczema a classic omega 6 deficiency. What is your view please	animal products,anxiety,arachidonic acid,arthritis,asthma,autoimmune diseases,brain health,cancer,colon health,depression,inflammation,inflammatory bowel disease,joint health,lung disease,lung health,mental health,mood,plant-based diets,rheumatoid arthritis,stress,ulcerative colitis	Arachidonic acid may play a role in cancer, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune disorders.	For more videos on arachidonic acid, see: Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fighting the Blues With Greens?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Check out the other videos on arachidonic acid! Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammatory-bowel-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ulcerative-colitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=8205407[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18774339,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12548439,
PLAIN-3137	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/	Improving Mood Through Diet	In one of my videos last year, I reported on the finding that vegetarian men and women had significantly better scores on the Depression, Anxiety, Stress scale. Why were vegetarians significantly less depressed, anxious, and stressed than even healthy meateaters in this study?  “Negligable arachidonic acid intake may help explain the favorable mood profile observed with vegetarian diets. As I talked about last year, this arachidonic acid stuff in our diet produces inflammatory compounds which may inflame our brain.The omnivores ate 9 times as much arachidonic acid than the vegetarians, which is not surprising, given that arachidonic acid is not found in plants. That’s why vegetarians and vegans, have significantly lower levels of arachidonic acid flowing though their bloodstream. In fact you can even measure it right out of saliva. They found significantly lower levels of arachidonic acid in vegetarian drool.This was a landmark study, but it was also just a cross-sectional study, a snapshot in time. What you need to do to prove cause and effect is do an interventional study. So in a follow-up study presented at the annual American Public Health Association conference they took a bunch of meateaters and split them up into three groups. The control group maintained regular intake of flesh foods The second group ate fish, but no other meat, and the third was put on a vegetarian diet with no eggs. The whole study only lasted two weeks, but what do you think they found?If it was primarily the saturated fat inflaming the omnivores' brain, then the moods of both the veg and fish groups would presumably improve. If arachidonic acid was the culprit then presumably only the veg group would feel significantly better.This is the amount of arachidonic acid in blue consumed per day by the end of the study. The fish eaters, though, were eating a lot more of those long chain omega 3’s, though, EPA and DHA, so maybe they were protected? Or, more like nothing would happen in such a short time frame—just two weeks.In terms of psychological benefits, the egg-free vegetarian group significantly improved, meaning greater reductions in both the depression, anxiety, stress scale and the Profile of Mood Staes a measurement of mood disrturbance. Though the no-poultry fish group did marginally better than the control group, the difference was not statistically significant.Conclusion: “The complete restriction of flesh foods significantly reduced mood variability in omnivores…. Our results suggest that a vegetarian diet can reduce mood variability in omnivores. Perhaps eating less meat can help protect mood in omnivores, particularly important in those susceptible to mood disorders.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. For information on the role that plant-based diets can play in improving mood, check out my other video Plant-Based Diet & Mood. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!I wonder about meat intake and the higher rate of depression for people with diabetes… Yet another reason to try the PCRM plant-based diet for people with diabetes? Cool it only takes 2 weeks to affect the mood – that’s LOTS faster than SSRI’s.This video has perfect timing, I have suffered from depression and have been trying to stay off medication. This is week 2 of my vegan diet, for other reasons completely, but I have not felt any sadness or anxiety despite working full time and going to school full time! And I had three exams this week!Happy to hear. I see your post was written a year ago. How are you now, still well?this is amazing as usualI suspect there are other studies that would evidence psychiatric metrics improving with statistical significance with higher consumption of n3 long-chain fatty acids (from fish). Dietary lipids seem to present many paradoxes.I’m so glad to see this study. I have direct of experience of seeing someone who went vegan and, after 4 years, has not had any bouts of depression which had been frequent for her previous to going vegan. It wasn’t something she was expecting but a fantastic side benefit!I went on a rawfood/vegan diet 2 yrs old, and many health issues went away. But the nice thing was my mood/depression that went away. If I added bad foods back on in my diet, I quickly started to feel depressed. Now, this video explains it. I’m NOT crazy after all! Woo-hoo! I’ll stay on raw foods/vegan for life. Oh, my thyroid med was dropped from a high 180 mcg (amour) to 40! Yay! Allison NCWow Allison, great to hear — especially about the thyroid!Is Golden algae oil free of Arachidonic acid? Let us know… and maybe that could be one advantage over fish oil.Hello Lance,Although consuming excess arachadonic acid is harmful, there is significantly more harm in fish oil compared with algae oil. Please check out the following videos. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/I am not an advocate of consuming any oil since oil is essentially liquid fat with no nutrition. According to Dr. McDougall, “a condition of ‘essential fatty acid deficiency’ is essentially unknown in free-living populations….true essential fatty acid deficiency would result in: loss of hair, scaly dermatitis, capillary fragility, poor wound healing, increased susceptibility to infection, fatty liver, and growth retardation in infants and children.” Here is the full article http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/aug/oils.htm Although the algae oil may have the DHA, oil is still oil and not a whole plant food. I respect Dr. Greger’s statement of avoiding fish oil for its many contaminants and using algae oil as a substitute but is it really necessary to ingest any pure DHA in the form of an oil? After weighing it out, to me, it doesn’t seem necessary.Toxins, do you consider the oil in corn chips (they fry the chips with sunflower, safflower, and or canola oil) to constitute as a “free oil”, no longer a whole plant food once the oil has been extracted from the, say, sunflower seed? Or would the cooking of the sunflower oil into the corn flour make it somehow OK now? I am not an advocate of corn chips and the like, but the idea of extracted oils from plants and then re-combining them/cooking them into other plants, has me curious what your personal stance is on these sort of foods. Do you ever consume corn chips, taco shells, other products that have free oils cooked into them? Thanks for any insight, Toxins. And I do wonder if there is any “science” on this topic.That is so interesting, and impressive. I wish I had been at that conference to hear the reaction of the medical attendees. I wonder… would giving up meat etc lead to decreased guilt over eating animals, and increased moral contentment [subconscious or not] and this be a mechanism for the improved mental health, rather than just physical and chemical body changes. I suspect it might be ..both!Interesting but it seems biased. You can read many reports on the web of people eating a paleo diet (which includes meat and animal fat) and better health and mood.Hello Gabriel, You can read all about the harms of the paleo diet here on Micheal Greger’s free E book, “Atkins’s Exposed”. It has over a thousand references from studies and more. http://www.atkinsexposed.org/Thanks Toxins but paleo is not low carb like Atkin´s AFAIKThe paleo diet advocates high meat intake as well as vegetables and rejects complex carbohydrates such as beans and grains. Perhaps you have hybridized it. Nonetheless, high meat intake is by no credible standard healthy.The paleo diet diet does NOT advocate high meat intake. People following a paleo diet should be consuming the same amount of meat as other omnivores, substituting vegetables and fruits for grains and legumes. It is not a high protein, or low carb, diet.Also, it has been recommended by numerous doctors (a couple links: http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/fish-oil-to-treat-depression, http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200301/omega-3s-boosting-mood) that omega 3 is beneficial for mood disorders such as depression and bipolar.Ivy: Your post was actually pretty helpful to me. It helped to highlight for me where the problem is when communicating with proponents of the paleo diet. I believe that this is the key part is in defining what “high” means. Ie: “… NOT advocate high meat intake. … consuming the same amount of meat as other omnivores…”What we have learned on this site and from the many other experts in nutrition is that what “other omnivores” eat is very much high meat intake. It may not seem that way because you see lots of other people in your culture consuming such high amounts. But if you compare to what the science says is healthy, you can see that pushing such levels of meat intake is indeed a very high meat intake. So, if the paleo diet is pushing people to eat the same amount of meat as their peers, that is actually high meat intake.What I take from this is: the communication issue can be in understanding what “high” means. We once had someone post on NutritionFacts that he ate 50% of his diet from meat. And that seemed like a ballanced diet to him. Ie, it didn’t seem like high meat intake. Yikes.If you want to learn more about why meat is so unhealthy and why grains and legumes are so very healthy, this site is a great place to start.I think you’ll find you can find just about anything online. That’s why controlled studies like this, and the field of scientific inquiry in general, are so important.It would help if you put links to the studies.If fish eaters also improved, it is not the meat but maybe the fat that is a problem. If I understood correctly there is a mention of saturated fat increasing arachidonic acid. So the problem is not sure to be animal protein.Also, how is “flesh food” defined? Lean cuts, pastured animals, cow, poultry, free range, sausages, hamburgers with french fries, fast food, fried food using corn or other high omega 6 oils?I want to know more this issue of inflammation is very important. Thanks for pointing it outGabriel Check out the sources cited section, all the studies are hyperlinked.Also, omega 6 gets converted to Arachadonic acid so perhaps the higher omega 3 content of fish balances this out.Is it important for vegetarians to have omega 3 EPA supplements? My son’s doctor has recommended he take an EPA supplement to help with mood, but the studies cited in this video seem to imply that EPA is important mainly to counteract the arachodonic acid. If this is the case, would EPA be critical to the mood of someone who is vegetarian?Thank you so much for all the information you provide on this website!My 12-year-old son’s doctor has recommended that he take a supplement with EPA (and DHA) to help with mood issues. I have found an expensive supplement derived from yeast that provides the suggested amount of EPA, but I was wondering if it is likely to help my son.   Your video on mood shows that EPA is important to counteract arachidonic acid in meat-eaters, but is it likely to affect mood in vegans or vegetarians as well?  Would high dose EPA supplements be unnecessary for vegans and vegetarians since they do not have the same build-up of arachidonic acid?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies!How do I click on the stars to rate your videos? I appreciate the content but don’t know how to rate!You just have to login first (upper right hand corner). Registration, like everything else on NutritionFacts.org is and always will be free.those guys who switched to vegan diet were just high from knowing they are real vegans now. adventists are high all the time from being adventists (only half joke here).Hmm, I eat plant based, but still have ocassional meat and eggs. I will try complete vegetarian for 2 weeks, see how I feel. Hope my teeth don’t suffer, since eating fats and animal foods help avoid carb rich foods like rice, tubers, bread and corn. This will mean upping my fruit intake, as well as my rice and tuber intake. I dont get full on green vegetables alone.Hi,I suffer of Fibromialgia and am always in pain…. any suggestions? Thanks GisèleDr. Greger has some videos that may be of assistancehttp://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibromyalgia/I am one of the most stressed people I know and suffering from depression all my life , and I have been a vegetarian all my life and since five years a vegan. So I don’t know if this is true. I have been thinking to start eating fish again for the omega 3Extracted from Wikipedia:Brain Arachidonic acid is one of the most abundant fatty acids in the brain, and is present in similar quantities to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The two account for approximately 20% of its fatty acid content.[12] Like DHA, neurological health is reliant upon sufficient levels of arachidonic acid. Among other things, arachidonic acid helps to maintain hippocampal cell membrane fluidity.[13] It also helps protect the brain from oxidative stress by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma.[14] ARA also activates syntaxin-3 (STX-3), a protein involved in the growth and repair of neurons.[15]Arachidonic acid is also involved in early neurological development. In one study funded by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, infants (18 months) given supplemental arachidonic acid for 17 weeks demonstrated significant improvements in intelligence, as measured by the Mental Development Index.[16] This effect is further enhanced by the simultaneous supplementation of ARA with DHA.In adults, the disturbed metabolism of ARA contributes to neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Bipolar disorder.[17] This involves significant alterations in the conversion of arachidonic acid to other bioactive molecules (overexpression or disturbances in the ARA enzyme cascade).Alzheimer’s disease Studies on arachidonic acid and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease is mixed with one study of AA and its metabolites suggests they are associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease,[18] whereas another study suggests that the supplementation of arachidonic acid during the early stages of this disease may actually be effective in reducing symptoms and slowing the disease progress.[19] Additional studies on arachidonic acid supplementation for Alzheimer’s patients are needed.Dr. Greger, it seems like some arachidonic acid is necessary for the brain to function optimally. Please share your thoughts on this.Thanks for this. Are there any similar studies on OCD influencing foods/nutrients/diets?Typically, I avoid meat. Occasionally, I eat animal products. If I eat only complex carbs for a week or so, I feel sacked. No energy, hard to get motivated. It is common for me to eat 85% chocolate. When down, a bag of Oreos or a plate of white spaghetti seems to rally me. What is wrong? Why don’t I get more energized when consuming complex carbs? Thanks.What complex carbs are you consuming and how are they prepared? I find it rather interesting that whole wheat pasta makes you feel ill while white pasta does not.Whole wheat pasta=gluten. From Wikipedia: Symptoms (of gluten intolerance) include bloating, abdominal discomfort or pain, diarrhea, constipation, muscular disturbances, headaches, migraines, severe acne, fatigue, and bone or joint pain.White pasta has plenty of gluten too. White pasta is stripped of the bran but the endosperm still contains plenty of protein, thats what makes my question of interest.Vic Werlhof: Toxins asks a good question and makes an excellent point. I have another idea for you: Perhaps you are not getting enough calories? I had a friend who switched to a vegan diet, but she was eating a lot of veggies. Those filled her up and she wasn’t getting enough calories. Her symptoms were that she got weak and shaky. I suggested that she add some nuts and seeds to her diet, plus some avocado, and that has completely fixed her problem. She feels great now.This idea of adding more calorie-dense foods (but cutting out the junk!) might work for you since you say that eating chocolate and oreos helps. Those would be calorie-packed – but of course, not healthy. I imagine your plate of white spaghetti “rallies you” because it is a simple carb that goes straight to your blood and you feel that at least temporarily.I’m not an expert, but I hope that idea gives you something to work with. Good luck.It needs to be made clear that this study was done on people with diabetes 2.It is interesting that typically in Arctic populations their diet is heavily meat based, especially during the dark season, and it is common to have a high amount of people with depression in the Arctic. But the depression is thought to be from the darkness, not the high consumption of meat. Meat, in fact, is thought to give energy and vitality. Reindeer meat is extremely high in saturated fat but is said to be as good as eating fish.http://sciencenordic.com/reindeer-meat-healthy-fishI do find that a lot of studies on food do not consider the environmental factors on humans when examining diet.CheersTwo of 11 dependent variables related to mood improved significantly more in the vegan group. I’m all for a vegan diet, but let’s not make too much of this. Behavioral treatments for depression and anxiety are safe and effective.I have to say the my plant based diet has super increased my energy. Why is this important. With super increased energy it is very difficult for me to have a bad mood. It is just not happening.What kind of B12 do you use, if I might ask? What form, and how often? You seem to have some good insights and revelations on this website. Sublingual or swallowed with food?When I do supplement, which may be 3-4 out of a month, I use a vegan sublingual B12supplement by DEVA. I eat a lot of raw food and I think some B12 has to remain on them because supplementing so little my B12 are 3/4 of the max recommended. Thank you very much for the complement. I am humbled. I just came from the boxing gym and I am outworking 25 year old kids, and I am 47. They can’t believe how old I am, and that does make me feel good. All praise to the Creator of Life for my enlightenment.I have suffered from depression on and off since I was 14. I switched to a plant based diet over 2 years ago. I have since had a episode of major depression during a very stressful period (watching my father die being the main stressor) and had people try to tell me that my vegan diet might be partly responsible for my mood. So it is reassuring to know that if anything it is doing the opposite and helping to keep me mentally healthy. And that if I continue to eat this way and do all the other things I know I should such as regular exercise and changing the thought patterns/habits that can lead me down that black hole I have chance to beat depression permanently.Alicia: It sounds like you are doing absolutely everything you can to help yourself. I agree, from everything I have seen, your diet is only helping you. Best of luck. I hope it is only uphill from here.I have type 2 diabetes. For the past 10 years, I have been able to control it with just diet, exercise and wine. The diet was a low carb diet with lots of chicken, eggs and fish. Several months ago, I started a whole foods vegan diet which I feel has had a very positive effect on my mood and emotionality. My glucose readings, however, have now become wildly erratic. I want to stick with a vegan diet so I started 1,000 mg of metformin per day, which I have now upped to 1,500. I’m still getting some very high readings, especially in the mornings. Would it be better to stick with a vegan diet and try to control the glucose spikes with drugs or to try to control the spikes by adding more protein to my diet in the form of egg whites and organic grass fed beef?DS: Good for you for taking your health into your own hands.Concerning controlling Type 2 diabetes, I highly recommend that you get the book, “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The scientifically proven system for reversing diabetes without drugs”. That book will help you understand the details of what a whole plant food vegan diet should look like in order to stabilize and reverse your T2 diabetes. The back of the book even includes recipes. So, you can know exactly what the diet should consist of.http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412711612&sr=1-1&keywords=barnard+diabetesBottom line: You should not need any animal products at all. According to Dr. Barnard’s clinical trials, people did best without them.Hope that helps!My understanding is that peanut butter has a lot of arachidonic acid. I am wondering if it should be on the “use sparingly” list?Hi Jan. I think it depends. Typically I would say sparingly is a good idea. You may find more info here, Is peanut butter good for you?. Thanks for your question, Joseph	Adventist Health Studies,animal products,anxiety,arachidonic acid,brain health,chicken,depression,DHA,eggs,EPA,fish,inflammation,meat,mental health,mood,nutrition myths,omega-3 fatty acids,plant-based diets,poultry,stress	The purported role arachidonic acid plays in brain inflammation could explain why eliminating chicken, fish, and eggs may improve symptoms of mood disturbance, depression, anxiety and stress within two weeks.	Other, more recent videos on the health hazards of arachidonic acid include: When Meat Can Be a Lifesaver Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fighting the Blues With Greens?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. For information on the role that plant-based diets can play in improving mood, check out my other video Plant-Based Diet & Mood. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibromyalgia/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3718107,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20515497/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15598411,
PLAIN-3138	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowels-of-the-earth/	Bowels of the Earth	Who’s number 1?—at, number two? The country with the largest average bowl movements? Denmark, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Tonga—an island in the south pacific—the UK or the US of A? Remember the target minimum fecal output is 200 grams day—'bout a half a pound.And the winner of the bowels of the earth contest was Tonga at 531! The only other country to make the 200 target was, India, who gets the silver at 311 (with individual measurements ranging up to 1505 grams—that’s that more than three pounds! That’s impressive). And the bronze goes to Japan at 195—almost made the cutoff. Everybody else fell short, with the smallest stools in the world colored red white and blue. U.S. vegetarians faired better, though, as did vegetarian and vegan Brits.There actually was one population that did even worse than the standard American diet. The smallest average population bowel movement size ever recorded: New Yorkers. That’s less than 3 ounces.Instead of just living there, if only they would actually eat a big apple once and awhile...On the other end of the spectrum, though: What are they eating in Tonga? Well this was recorded decades ago when they were still eating their traditional plant-based diet of taro, greens, sweet potatoes, fruit, more greens, bananas, cabbage.Now, tragically, the most frequently consumed food item in the country is, “imported chicken parts.”And this is what happened. From one of the healthiest nations in the world, to one of the most obese. Thanks in part to the westernization of their diets.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. For information on stool size, check out Stool size matters! Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Thanks for my entertainment for the day Dr. Greger :) Who would’ve thought that talking about feces would be so enlightening.There’s the crap we put up with our politics in America and then there’s just plain old crap. For once I wish us Americans would be full of more crap to help reverse the current healthcare crisis going on in this country (politicians and citizens alike).Love this video—I can’t stop chuckling. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I just love the graphics and charts on these videos, not to mention Dr. Greger’s droll delivery. Comprehension has taken place.A tragedy for the Tongans. While the denizens of New York may suffer on average from shockingly small stools, it should be noted some of the finest vegan restaurants in the country are found in New York City!Holy Shit!Great video! I have a question though. If some people have such small stools and some have such large stools and supposing we all eat about the same quantity of food per day- what happens to the excess weight of food in the people with small stools? Actually, having been in India I wonder if NYers eat more than people in India on a daily basis. Where does it all go?i think it stays longer in the colon (i bet being on-the-go all the time trains their bodies to hold on to the poops longer, so that wouldn’t help the situation), so it gets drier. (water weighs quite a bit) so once it comes out, a similar amount of food would produce a much lighter and smaller bunny poop than it would a comfortable log.I also think other videos (eg on fiber) suggest that more fiber leads to larger stools. So in your scenario, the two people may be eating the same amount of calories, but the plant eater would be eating a much higher volume of food, due to its fiber content. (Plant eaters are getting more fiber – and other nutrients – per calorie). Fiber causes both faster transit, and due to its voulme, greater stool volume. So someone eating a plain bagel with cream cheese, or white pancakes with syrup, and a coffee with cream and sugar is going to have a smaller denser stool than someone eating a big bowl of oatmeal with soy milk and flaxseeds, plus a big bowl of fruit and nuts even if the calories are the same. But its an unlikely scenario – people eating less fiber eat more calories in order to try to feel full and as their bodies are hungering for nutrients they’re missing. Smaller food volume due to missing fiber means higher calorie diets and overweight. People eating a lot of fiber get full quicker and eat fewer calories. (See Eat to Live by Dr Fuhrman).I’m wondering how great a part “stress” plays in stool creation. (since New Yorkers are definitely NOT laid back people on average) Yet there would be lots of other factors, like: water supply, air quality, lowered oxygen levels (due to limited # of trees + lots of exhaust)…not to mention all the restaurants (which would keep food additive consumption higher than a kite!)BTW I once lost 40 # doing nothing else but strict avoidance of (even probability) of food additives!Where do-do you find your data?  Never mind.  I don’t really want to know. Westerners need to be aware of the types of food they’re donating to third-world countries.  Chicken parts!  And I can guess how the chickens were raised.Any idea of what grains Tongans used?Please also check out my associated blog post, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk!what causes colon polyps?i eat a very healthy diet Eat To Live by dr. fuhrman :based on raw and steamed vegetables,salads,berries,apples,beans/legumes and then smaller amounts of grain/starchy veg.everday,i also eat plain unsalted brown rice cakes (topped with cucumber and tomato slices).is there any way rice cakes could lead to colon polyp formation ?I have taro growing in my yard and I enjoy eating taro greens. I am aware they contain calcium oxalate and I wonder how much taro greens in my diet is too much?Big Apple residents should eat a big apple once in a while indeed! 8DHere is an interesting followup. A report came out this week stating that every 90 seconds a New Yorker dies of diabetes-related illness. The city is a nutritional disaster.Wow, chicken parts culprit again…Such great information on so many health issues Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge & all this research so freely. I was diagnosed with IBS 50yrs ago. 10yrs & 3 children later, developed chronic fatigue [Dr.diagnosis “country equivalent to suburban neurosis “! In my mid 30’s with 4 chrn. & at times near suicidal, by elimination diet discovered a SEVERE reaction to wheat, huge rage yet totally exhausted after 1 weetbix ! Have been wheat free ever since, but still far from vital & ‘present ‘.. suffering bouts of depression & lethargy + severe constipation. My diet is mainly my yeast free/ gluten free bread for breakfast, egg for lunch, & generally chicken or fish [mainly salmon] for evening meal, always with cooked carrots & greens, occ potato / sweede etc.These past 3 months I have been dairy free [loved cheese !] My concern is re the chicken ..& the high ARACHADONIC acid @ 26.9 … does this include free run / anti biotic/hormone free as well? I have always avoided too much beef as I know it is slow to move thru the colon. My current Dr wants me on a Paeleo diet, No grains , lentils/dried legumes but HIGH meat & fats. i do not tolerate raw vegetables well. Take probiotics & Vit D [ though will now take them WITH MEALS ! THANKS to your site. [I found it when googling ‘when best to take powdered probiotics ! I really would appreciate your advice re best diet, especially regards chicken & proteins & vegetarian .. Oh I also follow [ to certain extent .. Type A blood group diet ] Again my sincere gratitude for your site Thank you, DawnDawn: Here are Dr. Greger’s overall diet recommendations: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/You can also get great help from the PCRM site. Sign up for the free 21 Day Kickstart program where they will hold your hand through three weeks of meal planning, cooking videos, nutrition information, and a great forum for moral support and asking questions.A doctor who pushes the “paleo” diet? No grains!? No legumes!? High meat and fat?! I really, really hate to do this, but have to suggest getting a new doctor. It is one thing to recognize that one doesn’t know everything and to stay out of an area such as nutrition. But it is quite another to so misdirect someone to the extent that it could seriously hurt their health. Depending on where you live, you should be able to find a doctor who understands nutrition…I would also recommend taking a look at the videos on this site that address the topic of “mood”. I’m glad you figured out your wheat problem. With this site, you might be able to tweak your diet further for additional health.Best of luck.Thank you, Dr. Greger, for shedding light on this toilet topic – you’re connecting people to a daily reminder of how lifestyle food choices really matter. GO FIBER! (40-100 grams daily, to be exact) :)	bananas,bowel movements,cabbage,chicken,colon disease,colon health,constipation,Denmark,fiber,fruit,greens,India,Japan,New York City,New Zealand,obesity,plant-based diets,South Africa,standard American diet,stool size,sweet potatoes,taro,Tonga,United Kingdom	Which country has the largest (and smallest) average stool size.	For more videos on stool and your health, see: Stool pH and Colon Cancer Bulking Up on Antioxidants Preventing Ulcerative Colitis with Diet Bowel Wars: Hydrogen Sulfide vs. Butyrate Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. For information on stool size, check out Stool size matters! Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/29/bowel-movements-the-scoop-on-poop/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-city/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taro/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/south-africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/denmark/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tonga/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-zealand/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/11584734/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/3005140/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=15221356[uid],
PLAIN-3139	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/	Food Mass Transit	How long food takes to get from one end to the other depends on gender and eating style. If you’re a vegetarian male it should just be a day or two, though if you eat meat it could end up being 5 days. Female vegetarians also mostly 1 or 2 days but those who eat meat are most likely looking at 4 days.If it’s just 24, 36 hours your daily stool weight, which is what's flushing out all that excess estrogen and cholesterol, is probably going to hit that half pound target, though if it’s a couple days you may be hurtin’.Or, if you have a really good bathroom scale, you can just measure stool weight directly, to see if you hit that half pound minimum… by of course weighing yourself before and after, not, yoknow, messing up your scale.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on bowel movements. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!I have a question and I’ve not yet found an answer I’m often constipated unless i eat LOADS of leafy green veggies, especially kale, and even then its not that it’s a lot it’s just easier to push, to not go into that much detail. I’ve been vegan for almost 2 years now and I eat whole foods, nothing processed, low protein, low fat. I read that TOO MUCH fiber can be the cause and to scale back but it just sounds counter intuitive to me. i get anywhere between 30 and 60 grams of fiberThanks so much for all your dedication to research and education for all of us its so greatly recognized and appreciated! :)May I suggest drinking more water, and consuming less alcohol/caffeine/nicotine? *Sorry If I am interrupting*Thanks for the suggestion! No interruption at all :) I drink 3L a day sometimes more. No alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine either. Appreciate the advice though, thank youThanks for these videos. BMs might not be a trendy topic to discuss but still a very important indicator of health!Since your lectures are on the most current research, I was surprised by the dates on these studies. Is this as current as it gets?Dr. GregerWhat advise do you have for those who need to transition from eating low-bulk meat based diet that has them severely constipated to a healthy whole food plant based diet.Specifically, I have an Aunt who has been doing the low-carb thing for years. She is very attractive and thin, but she is starting to notice the complications: severe constipation. She has seen my health and weight improve and allowed me to feed her Whole Food Plant Based for a few days. Unfortunately, I believe the bulk was very uncomfortable since she was so stopped up from her previous diet.Thanks, JeffJeff, I’m not a doctor, but it will likely clear out in a couple of days and she’ll probably be fine with a high-fibre diet. I wouldn’t worry about transition, except perhaps staying away from bananas and perhaps potatos. Of course, prunes and prune juice are always good for regularity! My guess is it would only be in the rarest of cases after the prune juice trick has been tried that a real, true blockage, would require medical treatment such as enema. She could also contact a massage therapist trained in massage for constipation. This can be done over the clothes, in the abdominal area, but requires a knowledge of the anatomy of the large intestine and familiarity with the protocol.Hi Jeff, A serious enough condition is often the best “wake-up” call for the sufferer of that condition to make a change. Sounds like your Aunt has consulted with you about her discomfort already and she has identified you as someone who is doing it right when it comes to health. Here’s a few tips to help her: add more greens and beans daily and other great sources of fiber, drink plenty of water (1/2 her weight in ounces), exercise 30min- 1 hour daily. A green smoothy in the morning can really get her on a great start. Most likely her constipation is just the tip of the iceberg- there may be another undesireable condition or 2 lurking to spring up on her such as heart disease. Here’s a link that may give her more reason to changing asap: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/beans-beans-good-for-your-heart/Give her a salad made of purple cabbage, kale broccoli and spinach. It’ll blow her out one good time and she won’t feel any more discomfort from eating plant matter. Or as I like to call it – food.Dr Greger,I deal constantly with constipation (IBS + Crohn’s + med side effects). Scrounging the Internet one day in desperate need, I came across cureconstipationnow.com and the complementary book. If you haven’t heard of Dr Wes, he is a similar dr, complaining about the lack of nutritional and dietary advice given by doctors to their patients, and the subsequent lack of discussion on one’s bowel habits. Anyways, his “prescription” is fiber supplement 2x/day, either citrucel sugar free or benefiber (eventually working to psyllium), along with miralax as needed. (Apropos, i am already vegan and exercise several times a week). As long as I stick with the regimen (sometimes harder than you think to drink all those big glasses!), I’m more or less a consistent pooper. I recommend the book to anyone complaining about their bowel habits; it’s practically a miracle, yet so simple! I was just curious as to your take on these recommendations and any changes you would make. Thanks!Please also check out my associated blog post, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk!What about transit time on a purely vegan diet?Esp one that strives for nutritional excellence from whole foods?by weighing… yourself before and after :-)Eating 5K calories/day, I flush about three-five pounds at a time. Dang.	bowel movements,cholesterol,colon disease,colon health,constipation,estrogen,fiber,hormones,plant-based diets,stool size	Most women experience a four-day intestine transit time, likely too long to meet the target 200 gram (half pound) minimum fecal output for cancer prevention.	For other videos on this topic, check out: Stool pH and Colon Cancer Bulking Up on Antioxidants Preventing Ulcerative Colitis with Diet Bowel Wars: Hydrogen Sulfide vs. Butyrate Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on bowel movements. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prunes-vs-metamucil-vs-vegan-diet/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=6258626[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=4118696[uid],
PLAIN-3140	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/	Stool Size Matters	The bigger our bowel movements, the healthier we may be. The risk of low stool weight includes bowel cancer, diverticular disease, appendicitis, various anal diseases—even perhaps, the healthfulness of breast tissue.From a study of 23 populations across dozen countries, a graph, of average daily stool weight versus colon cancer incidence. As you can see, once you get down around 200 grams, colon cancer rates really seem to skyrocket. That's about half a pound. And once people start dropping quarter pounders, though, colon cancer incidence doubles.The link between stool size and colon cancer may be related to transit time, the number of hours it takes for food to go from your mouth to anus. The larger your stool, the quicker the transit time, the easier it is for your intestines to move things along.People don’t realize, though, you can have daily bowl movements and still be effectively constipated. You can be regular, but five days late.What you’re seeing today you may have eaten last week. If you want to test it for yourself, you can eat a big bowl of beets and see when things turns pretty in pink.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on bowel movements. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Hi Dr Greger. I so value the research and info you impart. I am 74 (F) and have been told that I need not have any more colonoscopies. I have spastic colon and an abundance of diverticula in spite of being a vegetarian, now vegan, for 32 years. My mother died of colon cancer. Therefore, I have been diligent about getting regular exams. Lately I am not forming full stools in spite of the high fiber diet. I have ordered some bowel treatment items from Dr. Schultze’s site. I am afraid not to have the colonoscopies. What would you suggest to a patient presenting as I am? Thank you very much. LynnLast summer I read a PDF book by a Buddhist monk discussing vegetarianism. Contrary to popular belief, Buddhism does not mandate vegetarianism for either monks or lay people. The monk who authored this book eventually decided to go vegetarian. He explained that one of the reasons why he delayed this decision was that he was turned off by a fetish that some sectors of the veg*n community has for discussing their inner workings like bowel movements, digestion, etc. He warned readers that these things could turn other people away from vegetarianism.I have read that there are some risks with larger bowel movements, primarily poor nutrient retention due to increased size and frequency. Is it reasonable too assume there could be a risk with a diet to high in fiber that does not permit for optimal nutrient absorption?My guess is that that risk would be more due to inadequate hydration, which it never hurts to bring awareness back to. Excuse me while I grab some water…The suggested home experiment of consuming a bowl of beets and estimating transit time sounded like an excellent way to do simple self-diagnosis. A clever and straightforward home health check-up! I hope to hear more tips like this in future.I think transit time is a relatively old tool-of-the-trade for naturopaths. I first heard of it in the early 70s via a Marin, California naturopath but I don’t know, it may have been used for centuries. It’s easy to check in any case so the connection must have been recognized quickly by the first beet eaters though they might have panicked at first thinking it was blood.Who knew that eating fruits and vegetables would cause one to drop whoppers.A good probiotic is also helpful in this regard, though not to “make up for” a trashy diet. A “good probiotic” is an operational definition: one that works for you. Since you may discover more than one that works well, over time I would rotate between those types and brands you find that work rather than getting the same one each time you buy a bottle.Another thing that is even more than helpful, it’s essential (learned from an Indian yoga teacher), is squatting for elimination. Can you argue with 100% natural? Essential but not sufficient of course. Diet seems to be #1. At an extreme, the former Roy Walford MD, longevity maven (calorie restriction studies) opined that the [Best Diet+No Exercise] would be better than the [Worst Diet+Good Exercise].I do not have large bowel movements but rather many small bowel movements throughout the day.  I eat a lot of fiber, especially raw vegetables.  Please comment.  SusanPlease also check out my associated blog post, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk!Hi, I have an anal fissure that is almost healed (6 months now).  It is much better but still bothers me daily.  I am taking Mirlaxa ever day- i never used to, although i was often constipated from childhood.  Now my stools are much smaller than they used to be.  The less mirlax I take- the more my fissure hurts.  Do you have any ideas to help?  Thanks.There may be people that aren’t aware of this, but another product that one should stay away from is bleached flour, & animal protein from meat, milk, & eggs which can get caught up in the pockets of the colon & create diverticulosis which can lead to diverticulitis. Just imagine anyone that has ever done paper mache will remember that the way they made glue is by taking bleached flour & water, then mixing it together.I have just started my plant based whole foods “diet”/lifestyle 2 weeks ago and I’ve noticed that I have alot less bowel movements??? I thought I would have more… Alot more gas but less of the other any insight would be great!!! ThanksThe opposite should be true, at least two a day. Exercise plays a key role in bowel movements as well. If you are not getting enough exercise this could be the case.Drink more waterMy wife and I have changed to a whole foods plant based diet over a year a go. My wife recently had a physical and it showed that she had an over active thyroid. She has never had a problem before. What is the best way to remedy this through diet? We are both in our late 40’s.Look into adding cruciferous vegetables to your diets. I believe they’ve been associated with at least slightly reducing thyroid activity.A delicious, whole, plant-based recipe for Pasta Fagioli. And easily made in a slow cooker. Check out the fiber content of this baby!http://www.gardendish.com/news/2013/5/13/slow-cooker-pasta-fagioli.htmlLol … my favourite dish .. last time I made it I added cabbage … delicious, but very potent, gas wise .. lol thanks for the linkI have been reading many of your posts on various topics and want to thank you for your contribution and service. I am a lay (uncredentialed) nutrition advocate, so this is not based on science, but is mainly experiential. Is it possible that Alzheimmers is diabetes of the brain and that hemrrhoids and anal fissures are anal diabetes? I recently noticed the biggest culprit in sabotaging healing the latter, but in healing almost anything, is sugar (and oil, of course). I used to label most illness as candida of the…………..(name the organ), but it may be less fungal and more sugar based. What’s your take on this? Being a natual healer (72 years & no medication; run/walker of 8-10 miles daily), i am always looking to understand reasonable theory so that if it strikes me as true, i can use it skillfully. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, SandraSandra: “72 years & no medication; run/walker of 8-10 miles daily” is simply amazing. That’s so cool.I am a lay person myself, but thought I might be helpful: Dr. Barnard has two books which may help answer your questions. He explains the nature of diabetes in his book: Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes. He also goes into Alzheimers in his newest book: Power Foods For the Brain. (The first book, diabetes, would be the most relevant of the two for your question.) While I don’t speak for Dr. Greger, based on Dr. Greger’s videos and recommendations, I guess that Dr. Greger would support the information in both of those books.After reading those books and doing some additional research, my personal opinion is that it does not make sense to classify Alzheimmers as “diabetes of the brain”. If you ever read those books, I would be curious if you have a change of thoughts.I hope when I’m 72 that I move as much as you do. That’s quite inspirational. Good luck.My bowel movements have grown in size and regularity. One huge one every morning. Some nearing a pound. I was beginning to become concerned about the size, but now I understand why. I am 65, as I learn more about nutrition, I eat more plant based. I have been doing this now for the past 15 months. I am now almost 100% plant based diet. Very interesting.I eat whole-food plant-based food that leaves me about 6 times a day.How do you feel about one taking trace mineralsOK I have to admit that I had kind of a grade school giggle moment watching this video. I know it’s a very serious subject, and I mean to diminish the importance of the topic with stupid jokes, but then you also know the say, humour is the best medicine, so I guess I had my daily dose.I’ve always been something of a smart ass (pun intended). I just couldn’t get my mind out of the toilet, which instisted on running through a series of really crappy jokes.After going through the list I finally concluded that, when one had ambitions to be a really big sh*t, maybe, in light of good colon health, that might be a really positive thing.Your too funny. OK, after reading your post, now I’ve had *my* grade school moment.Thanks? ;-)I love beets, everybody loves beets. I’m off to eat a big bowl of beets. Wish me luckI believe there is such thing as impaired digestion or slow digestion. Ancient Indian medicine recommends pranayama or breathing techniques to increase digestive fires. It is also my understanding that nothing bad survives in oxygen…. I also believe that slow digestion gives rise to allergies…..my beliefs in response to slow transit time……above it says larger stool size is associated with lower risk of amongst other things constipation, I think there needs to be a lot of research done on this in relation to what co factors reduce that risk, because my wife has sever constipation even though we both eat the same things and visits the stool room only once every 3 or so days and has as a result large stools. Transit time has to be in the days. I have daily usually 2-3 time daily movements and have a transit time of about 10-14 hours and have DV, so there’s a lot of compounding factors that I think are missing.If you are whole food plant based you should have at least one bowel m movement everyday. If not I would look at the diet. Any dairy products could cause immobility in the bowel. Children often have a horrible problem with this. Make sure your wife is getting some exercise that makes her breath heavily and avoid prescription medications that cause constipation like pain killers. Don’t live thirsty.	anal fissure,anal health,appendicitis,beets,bowel movements,breast health,cancer,colon cancer,colon disease,colon health,constipation,diverticulitis,diverticulosis,fiber,hemorrhoids,nutrition myths,rectal cancer,stool size	Larger bowel movements are associated with lower risk of appendicitis, colon cancer, constipation, and diverticulitis.	For more info on fiber intake and colon health, see these more recent videos: Breast Cancer and Constipation Can Flax Seeds Help Prevent Breast Cancer? Fiber vs. Breast Cancer Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan IntakePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on bowel movements. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anal-fissure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hemorrhoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/appendicitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anal-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diverticulitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/1105503/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20980354[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=1333426[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/95774,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=15221356[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=4118696[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/427491/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=6118633,
PLAIN-3141	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/	Relieving Yourself of Excess Estrogen	Earlier this year a study was published comparing the hormonal levels of women with and without breast cancer. If estrogen makes most breast cancers grow, then one would expect that the levels of both estrogen would be higher in women who have breast cancer compared to women who don’t, or at least who don't yet.And indeed, no surprise, that’s what they found, significantly more estradiol freely circulating through their bloodstream of those with breast cancer. But the study also looked at diets and hormonal levels. These were all omnivores. The women eating vegetarian did even better.This may help explain why, in a study of the "relative risks for breast cancer by levels of animal product consumption, there appears to be a trend between lower breast cancer risk the more vegetarian someone eats. And it was researchers at my medical alma mater Tufts that figured out why, in a landmark article published in the New England Journal of Medicine.See, the way your body gets rid of excess cholesterol is to dump it into the digestive tract knowing full well that there will be lots of fiber in there to grab it, hold onto it, and flush it out the body. (hopefully you chew a little better than that).We did, after all, evolve quite a long time before twinkies and wonderbread, and royal institutions such as burger king and dairy queen. So our body just expects it. It just assumes our intestines are going to be packed with fiber all day long—7 times more than we're getting now. We certainly did evolve eating some meat, but plants don’t tend to run as fast and so the bulk of our diets was made up, of a lot of bulk.And that's how our body gets rid of excess estrogen. Vegetarian women have increased fiber input, which leads to “vegetarian women having an increase fecal output, which leads to increased excretion of estrogen and a decreased blood concentration of estrogen."And this just wasn’t in theory, they measured it. “Subjects were provided with plastic bags and insulated boxes filled with dry ice for thee 24 hour fecal collections.” You've hear of popsicles, well they had them makee more like, poopsicles.And here you go: In any one 24 hour period, the vegetarians were fecally excreting more than twice as much estrogen as the omnivores. And, measuring the estrogen excretion versus the size of the fecal output, you can see, the bigger the better. See heavyweight V's versus the welterweight Os? No wonder vegetarian women in the United States have been found to have such lower rates of breast cancer.It’s great that many women stopped HRT, stopped taking extra estrogens. Well, another way to rid yourself of excess estrogens is in the way nature intended.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on estrogen. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Great website and info! Thanks Dr. Greger.Great stuff as always!Did the data on the nutritional profile of the paleolithic diet come from one of the cited studies? If not, could you provide the reference.Thanks :-)I am confused about how this relates to another one of your videos. This implies high estrogen levels coincide with breast cancer. But another video says it’s good to eat soy – which produces estrogen (or does it?) – to prevent breast cancer. Can you please clear this up?I agree – I viewed that video and had the same question. I ate foods containing soy before my diagnosis on a fairly regular basis. Now,my Oncologist tells me not to take supplements of soy but okay to eat in moderation or in a protein shake. I had a lumpectomy, radiation and no chemo. YAY for getting it out early! I say listen to your body. eat right and exercise. Live with out worry — If anything stress causes cancer not too much or not enough of something in one’s diet.The soy in estrogen is a phytoestrogen, which is 200-400 times weaker than animal estrogen. Forget what you heard about soy and estrogen (; the estrogen in soy is also in all beans and all seeds, and the estrogen in soy (which again is a phytoestrogen) actually has been proven to reverse breast cancer, because it occupies hormone receptors but it is much much weakerSoy and all plants have phytoestrogen. Phyto comes from Greek, meaning “plant”. Phytoestrogen doesn’t do anything in the body of anything that is not a plant. The human body DOES detect phytoestrogen and then thinks it has too much and cuts its own estrogen production. That’s why soy and probably most plants can help slow or reverse breast cancer. Dr. Greger can probably clear it more than I can ;)“Research on the relative impacts of phytoestrogens and synthetic hormone disruptors. Newbold, RR, EP Banks, B Bullock, and WN Jefferson 2001. Uterine adenocarcinoma in mice treated neonatally with genistein. Cancer Research 61: 4325-4328. http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/61/11/4325.abstract“Newbold et al. report that when neonatal mice are exposed to genistein—a phytoestrogen present in soy—later in life they develop uterine cancer of the same form caused by diethylstilbestrol (DES). The levels of genistein used in these experiments are comparable to those found in infant formula based on soy.”Xenoestrogens is a catch-all term for synthetic contaminants like DES, DDT, etc. which interfere with estrogen signalling…See more: Arnold, SF, MK Robinson, A Notides, LJ Guillete, Jr. and JA McLachlan. 1996. “A yeast estrogen screen for examining the relative exposures of cells to natural and xenoestrogens.” Environmental Health Perspectives 104(5):544-548 http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/newscience/phytoestrogens/phyto1.htmPLease note that as of recent, (after 2006 or so) we know that mice/rats have a totally different metabolism of genestein than humans, so all the studies that looked at mice are really moot. Human studies all indicate that moderate WHOLE soy intake (not powders of pills) actually reduce cancer risksHmm, that logic seems a bit unsubstantiated by research. Anecdotally, my PMS symptoms (cramps, breast enlargement) increase during months I consume a serving of soy daily.In theory the soy plant estrogens occupy estrogen receptor sites preventing the stronger human estrogens getting to the sites. I’ve heard Tamoxifen acts similarly. Now do note the Orientals from what I can tell eat primarily fermented soy such as tofu, miso, etc. and definitely not edamame. In particular the fermentation process reduces the plant estrogens quite a bit (how much?) from edamame. Now we’re vegans eating quite a bit of kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, cruciferous vegetables which have a mild estrogen reducing effect. Extracts are available for those who are interested. We tend toward whole foods.Sorry, I know I’m a little late on this comment, and maybe I am totally wrong here, but I’ve found random information stating that there are many foods that we commonly eat that contain phytoestrogen – like all nuts and seeds, all beans, and to a lesser degree, all other plant foods. Has anyone else found this?Please do not refer to people of Asian origin Orientals. Oriental is a rug Asians are people!That is fascinating. Can you please explain if this has an effect on the perimenopause and menopause when hormone levels fluctuate and eventually stabilize at reduced levels.First of all this site is awesome, Great job keep it going forever :) , I have a question not about this video i hope you can do another video about grains in general and corn specifically .The question is : Is corn good for us? (if so is it very good ,medium ,low ect.)Thanks, Jennifer. Am I understanding correctly that you are saying that the higher estrogen levels are naturally produced by the body – and coincide with breast cancer – not added from the soy, and that the soy can reduce those levels (b/c of phytoestrogen detection)? So where did all the talk about soy possibly increasing cancer risk come from due to its causing estrogen levels to rise? Dr. G, are you answering these questions? AND — what about estrogen and ovarian cancer and the connection to eating soy or other food? Thanks, All.The “talk” came from mice studies…we know now that humans don’t metabolize the same way. A recent study of over 9000 women confirmed it.Dr. G, are you responding to these? I so appreciate this website and all the fabulous info on it, and I am sure you are super busy. But it would be great to be able to get some feedback when there is confusion about the videos since we make important decisions based on them! :-)I see the good doctor has not had time to respond. I wonder if someone with expertise in this area can respond. I’ve heard that phytoestrogens are not harmful, but why? The last I heard (10+ years ago) we still have difficulty proving other xeno-estrogens are harmful (i.e. from the pulp and paper industry discharges, etc.). I guess I really should go to pubmed and search for phytoestrogen AND cancer.Some of the confusion stems from the fact that the vast majority of studies that initially hinted at potentially harmful effects were conducted on rodents, using dosages well beyond what the average person consumes in a life time. Clinical and epidemiological data, on the other hand, have generally failed to show similar risks.In fact, some have shown benefits, such as a 2010 study on menopausal women, who were administered soy isoflavones for two years, which concluded that “soy and soy isoflavones may provide a mild benefit to hot flashes, lipids, and bone health for some menopausal women” (Clinical outcomes of a 2-y soy isoflavone supplementation in menopausal women Am J Clin Nutr February 2011 93: 356-367)Another 2009 study of over 68 thousand women concluded that soy foods appear to protect against colorectal cancer risk (Prospective cohort study of soy food intake and colorectal cancer risk in women. Am J Clin Nutr February 2009 vol. 89 no. 2 577-583).Similarly, a Japanese population study of over 75 thousand men and women found a decreased risk of lung cancer among people who consumed soy products on a regular basis (Isoflavone intake and risk of lung cancer: a prospective cohort study in Japan. Am J Clin Nutr March 2010 vol. 91 no. 3 722-728 ).Given the existence of (weak) evidence that postmenopausal therapy with oral estrogen may increases breast cancer risk, it is recommended that women at risk of, or who already have been diagnosed with breast cancer, should avoid soy products just to be on the safe side. For more information on phytoestrogens and their benefits, see: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=phytoestrogensAnother great video review of research I would otherwise not have seen, thanks for sharing this!Dr. Greger, Is this your voice on the videos? AllisonAll me! (though sometimes you hear my dog Lilly barking in the background :)HI DR GREGER,  MY DAUGHTER GOT BREAST CANCER AT 29YRS OLD AND DIED AT 32YRS LAST YEAR.  SHE WAS INITIALLY TOLD MISDIAGNOSED AND TREATED.  SHE WAS TOLD THAT SHE DIDNT HAVE THE BRCA GENE.  SEVERAL YEARS LATER HER NEW PHYSICIAN SAID THAT SHE  HAD TRIPLE NEGATIVE RECEPTOR GENE AND HAD  THE BRCA GENE.  I HAVE BEEN VEGETARIAN FOR EIGHT YEARS AND IM NOW VEGAN  FOR ABOUT 4YRS.  WE STILL HAVE OTHER DAUGHTERS AND A SON TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING CANCER TOO.  IS THIS CANCER DESTINED TO EFFECT MY OTHER CHILDREN TOO(SOME EAT MEAT AND DAIRY LIKE THEIR SISTER DID)?  THANKSIt’s been awhile since you posted I hope all is well. Myself I’m not a doctor but my sister had breast cancer at 24 the first time received a radical mastectomy, chemo and radiation she got it the second time at 35 and had a mastectomy on the other breast (not radical) chemo and radiation as well both time they were very aggressive cancers. When she tested positive for BRCA gene and her oncologist was harassing me that I needed to have mammograms every 6 months for the rest of my life (without even offering a test), I flat out refused. My sister is now 48 and this year voluntarily had her ovaries removed (because of the gene) I don’t let them touch me and I don’t care if I have the “gene” or not and I turn 45 next month with no health issues (even though I’m slightly overweight) I have been vegetarian most of my life (as opposed to my meat and cheese loving sister) and I have been strict vegan going on 2 years now (although I’ve always leaned than way anyway). I don’t think being vegetable based is everything, I think lifestyle and stress are really important too but I think it’s really important to check and know your body. What I feel is most important to not be too paranoid that you jump on every “buzz word” or preventative treatment. I have no proof but who’s to say my sister would have got cancer the second time around if she didn’t go for a mammogram every 6 months – that’s a lot of tissue damage and radiation (that accumulates) and who knows what the latest treatment of removing her ovaries will do?how does eating 2TAblespoons of ground flaxseed daily effect estrogen levels in women??any risk/danger of consuming it?phytoestrogens are different from xenoestrogens. phytoestrogens, found in only plants, do NOT raise estrogen levels while xenoestrogens, found in milk, significantly raises estrogen levels. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/just-the-flax-maam/Great information to know! Thx.Please also check out my associated blog post, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk!would the addition of 2 TB of ground flaxseed be worth adding to a strict low fat(vegetables,fruit,beans and brown rice,air popped org popcorn) vegan’s diet? It would be extremely benifical. Flax seeds have a wide variety of benifits and attributes. Check out Dr. Greger’s videos on flax seed consumption. on page 2 http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=flaxDoes animal products also help produce more estrogen as well?Hi Dr. Gregor,Thank you for all the hard work you do and the great DVD’s.  I just received Nutrition Facts 10 and 11, as well as the top diseases. Awesome Presentations! I was wondering if there was a way for me to borrow some of your power point slides for a project I am presenting for a chef program I’m completing at the Nutritional Therapy Institute. I was under the impression they were more plant based program. They are heavily plant based, but have a deep connection with the Weston and Price Foundation. They are into animal products as long as organic and grass finished. As typical, I’m getting a lot of grief for being plant based (I have been taking little bites of what we create so I’m not able to follow true vegan right now) They seem to be able to manipulate studies showing the benefits of meat and are teaching theories that a meatless diet is harmful. I’m presenting on cancer at the end of the semester. I’m using the articles you cite. If you’re able to send me any of your slides, that would be great. I am focusing on breast and colon cancer. They actually made fun of Pritikin dying of cancer and implied he committed suicide because of his low fat plant based diet. I  will be explaining how long he lived with cancer (27 years) and what really made him commit suicide ( experimental chemo leaving him half dead) I’m hoping they don’t hold my presentation against me in final grading.  Please feel free to send me a blank CD-ROM or flash drive and a SASE and I’ll burn any slides you want. Note, though, that you have to have a mac and iWork since they are Keynote files (not powerpoint):Michael Greger 5113 Crossfield Ct. #9 Rockville, MD 20852So glad I can help!In health, Michael Greger, M.D.Your research and information is why I am still cancer free. You need to have a show on the TV network stations instead of all those meat, dairy, and butter cooking shows.The Adventist study at 1:00 seems to say that “pure vegetarian women” had 0.34 risk for breast cancer compared to omnivores: does that mean they had 66% less risk for breast cancer? That’s a pretty amazing statistic if i’m reading it correctly!Hi M85 :) Yes you are reading it correctly. What I love about Dr. Greger’s work is that he always cites his original sources, if you are interested in checking those out. Here’s an another one of his amazing pieces on diet and cancer: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/ Cheers!Thank you. Then that’s just amazing!! Why aren’t women being told this? I bet women that have been vegan for a long time probably have an even lower rate, i remember Dr. Fuhrman saying that adventists that had been vegetarian the longest actually had an even longer average life expectancy (+13 years) compared to the other vegetarians.M85,Now that is the $64,000 question! Dr. Greger talks about this in his video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/ A longer answer is in the book “The China Study” by T. Colin Campbell, PhD, and his son Thomas M. Campbell, MD. Help us spread the word…Pass on Dr. Greger’s video to a woman you care about :)lol these poopsicles are known as Minnesota PopsiclesHello Dr. Gregor, a friend of mine has been diagnosed with premature menopause at 43 yrs old and has very low (33 which apparently should be 600?) levels of oestrogen. I would like to direct her towards a plant-based eating plan. Do you have research that might help her in understanding the need and benefits to adopting this healthful lifestyle?the vegan style revivalist:I would recommend pointing your friend to Dr. Greger’s year-end summary videos. They are powerful and pack a big punch.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/For a more mainstream, yet also powerful punch, see if you can get your friend to watch the Forks Over Knives DVD. I bought a copy to lend to friends and family, but it is also on Netflicks and some public libraries have it. http://www.amazon.com/Forks-Over-Knives-Colin-Campbell/dp/B0053ZHZI2/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_0_main?ie=UTF8&qid=1393351409&sr=8-1&keywords=forks+over+knives+dvdHope that helps.Hi,I cured my dyshidrosis, which according to doctors, is an incurable condition, by supplementing with Estroblock. It is a natural supplement helping your body get rid of excess estrogen.By the way, I am vegan for the past two years. I got this condition whilst being vegetarian.	animal products,bowel movements,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,colon health,estrogen,fiber,hormones,menopause,paleolithic diets,plant-based diets,prehistoric diets,processed foods,saliva,Tufts,women's health	Women eating vegetarian may have lower breast cancer rates because they have larger bowel movements.	Other videos on plant-based diets and breast cancer rates include: Improving on the Mediterranean Diet Can Flax Seeds Help Prevent Breast Cancer? Fiber vs. Breast CancerPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on estrogen. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/14/how-tumors-use-meat-to-grow/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/04/are-bioidentical-hormones-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saliva/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tufts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prehistoric-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fiber-vs-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21500098,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2743252,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7144835,
PLAIN-3142	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/	Multivitamin Supplements and Breast Cancer	A Harvard study of what tens of thousands of women ate in high school found that "dietary intake of fiber and nuts during adolescence influences subsequent risk of breast disease and may suggest a viable means for breast cancer prevention." And the protection from nuts was independent of fiber: “Results for nuts were essentially the same with additional adjustment for fiber, suggesting that in addition to fiber, the inverse associations between nut intake and proliferative benign breast disease risk may also be attributable to nutrients other than fiber in nuts.” Nuts, afterall, are packed with vitamins and minerals, but wouldn’t it be easier just to take a multivitamin than eating all that PB&J?Last year a study of 35,000 women was published on the association between multivitamin use and breast cancer rates. “Many women use multivitamins in the belief that these supplements will prevent chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, whether the use of multivitamins affects the risk of breast cancer is unclear.” Well, it just got clearer: what do you think they found?Multivitamins for breast cancer prevention: Harmful, harmless, or helpful? 40% of women in the United States take a multivitamin, spending $4 billion dollars to do so. Is this money well spent, is it just a waste of money? No, it is worse. They are in fact paying to increase their risk of breast cancer. "These results suggest that multivitamin use is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer."The reseachers suggest it may be the folic acid that's the culrpit, something I talked about in a previous video,whereas the doubling of prostate cancer risk tied to multivitamin use is thought due to the zinc content.From the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine last year. Should healthy people take a multivitamin? No.“At least it won’t hurt,” may not be true”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on breast cancer. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Interesting information here Dr. Greger, but now I am a bit confused.While research suggests that healthy people should not take a “multivitamin”, what about individual vitamin supplements? I know it would be difficult to answer this because each one would have to be addressed separately however, what about the years of research done by the likes of Dr. Abram Hoffer and Andrew Saul, PhD. on vitamin C supplements?Having just watched Food Matters, I’m also confused and would like to hear a response regarding Dr. Saul’s work. Also, does the study take into account any of the additives in multivitamins, such as the dyes?KatTastic, I watched food matters too. I thought it was great…except they advocated alot of super foods which proved to be VERY HARMFUL like spirulina, blue-green algae, noni, kombu and kelp. They also advocate other “super” foods with VERY limited research on them, like bee products such as royal jelly, propolsis and bee pollen. After discovering this, the movie to me lost alot of credibility. They obviously didn’t do enough research. http://foodmatters.tv/_webapp/SuperfoodsWhere can I find more information on support of this claim “which proved to be VERY HARMFUL like spirulina, blue-green algae, noni, kombu and kelp.” specifically with regards to the movie?So, vegetarians should just take a B12 and a DHA suupplement only? Thank you!Please see my recommendations here LouiseF: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/09/12/dr-greger%e2%80%99s-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Hi I just found your site and love your videos. I tried the link but it is not there, would like to know your recommendations Dr Greger. Been a vegan for about 2 years I do take a vegan mutivit (Deva Brand), would this also be bad to take? Oh yes, I did have breast cancer in 2006/2007 and found out about vegan in 2011. Thanks :)Here are Dr. Greger’s recommendations http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Not all multi vitamins are equal. Synthetic “typical” (cheap) vitamins versus whole food-based natural vitamins. I think multi vitamin is too vague a term, don’t you think?I’m bit disappointed with your presentation, and I’m wondering why you exactly choose this multi vitamin study to underpin your conclusion in this video. The Swedish cohort was from 2010 and in April of this year a meta-analysis (1), which is scientifically stronger in terms of proof, concluded : “Multivitamin use is likely not associated with a significant increased or decreased risk of breast cancer, but these results highlight the need for more case-control studies or randomized controlled clinical trials to further examine this relationship.” Furthermore the same study says : “Eight of 27 studies that included 355,080 subjects were available for analysis … Only 1 recent Swedish cohort study (the study you refer to) concluded that multivitamin use is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.” It is my opinion, backed by science, that there is no need to scare people or make them stop taking their multivitamins. May I refer to a 2009 study (2) stating : “Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements.” However, many more studies suggest the positive impact on general health of multi-vitamin use. I can imagine breast cancer prevention isn’t the only health goal. I only hope that especially pregants women don’t stop taking their prenatal vitamins. Maternal consumption of folic acid-containing prenatal multivitamins is associated with decreased risk for several congenital anomalies, not only neural tube defects (3).(1) http://www.theannals.com/content/45/4/476.full (2) http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/287/23/3127.full (3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17022907Thank you so much Louis for taking the time to contribute! It is such a relief to see that meta-analysis come out. This video was queued up from my volume 5 DVD, reviewing the peer-reviewed nutritional science published between Spring 2010 to Spring 2011, and so I must have just missed it (wasn’t indexed by the National Library of Medicine until August 19!). I’ll have to re-record the video now that there’s a systematic review published on the subject.Of course negative findings don’t automatically “cancel” out positive findings. As one of my research preceptors once quipped: “if two people drill for oil in Texas and one finds oil and the other does not, one can’t conclude that the question of whether or not there is oil in Texas remains undetermined.” Similarly, the conclusion from the 2010 study profiled in the video is not necessarily invalidated: “These results suggest that multivitamin use is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. This observed association is of concern and merits further investigation.” But it’s nice to know that if there is an effect it’s it’s not one that has been replicated!The critical question remains: should women take multivitamins or not? That depends on the risks versus benefits like any other life decision. Since both the risks and the benefits appear equivocal (see for example the National Institutes of Health State-of-the-Science Conference Statement on multivitamins (PDF here) I agree with the Cleveland Clinic Journal article I featured and would recommend women take the money the would have spent on the pills and instead buy some produce with more proven benefits (see my Breast Cancer and Diet post). A similar recommendation can be made for men (as a similar meta-analysis likewise thankfully casts doubt on the multivitamin link there as well).Until we know more, I agree with the conclusion from the meta-analysis you cite: “Until further studies assist in clarifying the association between multivitamin use and increased or decreased risk of breast cancer, health-care professionals should open discussions with their patients regarding multivitamin use and risk of breast cancer.”Again, I can’t thank you enough–I hope you will continue to check back and ensure this is the latest info out there!I see an oncologist for breast cancer prevention, and she recommended folic acid as a separate supplement. She also recommended Tamoxifen rather than a plants-based diet. Thank you for providing information to me that my oncologist either ignores or doesn’t even know about!This video is quite misleading. Reading the study itself (Swedish Mammography Cohort, 1998-2007) and the references we find that risks are very small or inverse. While three studies showed this risk, four showed lowered risk, and seven showed no relationship at all.This Swedish study: 1.19 adjusted for risk factors (1.3 without necessary adjustments) 1.11 Multivitamins ½ glass red wine 0.97 Multivitamins > 2/3 glass red wine Two other studies showed increased risk of breast cancer with multivitamins: Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial 1.18 MultivitaminsAmerican Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort >1 only if < 1/2 cup wine dailyHowever, the following FOUR studies referred to in the Swedish study showed a LOWERED risk for breast cancer with multivitamins:Nurses’ Health Study Maruti, Am J Clin Nutr 2009;89:624–33. Ishitani, Am J Epidemiol 2008;167:1197–206. Zhang, JAMA 1999;281:1632–7.In Addition, there were SEVEN studies referred to in this Swedish study showing NO correlation between breast cancer and multivitamins, including the Women’s Health Study, a French randomized trial of antioxidants (Neuhouser, Arch Intern Med 2009;169:294–304), and Feigelson, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2003;12:161–4. Let's be fair and say that no extra risks for breast cancer can now be attributed to multivitamins.Dr. Steve, I appreciate your counterpoint on this topic and thank you for pointing out the additional information. As a person who takes in a LOT of information on health and nutrition each and every da, I always try and determine the source of motivation for such information.When information is published for or against something, I try and assess why this would be published in the first place. I believe that the main motivation for a lot of these studies is that someone stands to profit from such acts, directly or indirectly. Why would anyone publish an opinion, scientific findings, or research results? In my mind the people who have seen both side and have the least to gain and the most to lose are the ones I place the most credibility in.Reading your response I had to ask myself if you are in any way tied to any financial interests in vitamin supplements, or are you just being a good guy helping your fellow human to consider all sides. With the utmost respect, I wonder if your motivation is driven by an attempt to prevent people from getting healthy and keeping them in the doctors office and at hospitals taking prescription medications. Please do not take this as an accusal, it is merely a set of questions in my own head. For all I know, you may be doing this out of the kindness of your own heart with only a desire to give back to humanity during your lifetime. If so, I applaud you!What I do know is that billions of dollars are spent every year to keep people in the dark regarding nutrition and it’s impact on personal health. Billions of dollars are spent every year on protecting the financial interests of drug companies and westernized food products. Billions of dollars in revenues are made by pharmaceutical companies and health care practitioners.I have no financial interest in any supplements. I left my comment because the video seemed to unfairly represent the study cited and the facts. Multivitamin formulas vary and so the studies are inconclusive.Thank you DrSteve! Please see my reply to Louis above.Could it be that women more likely to take multi-vitamins used them as a replacement for eating well?Also, I agree with the above poster. If other studies came to different conclusions, then I want to know about that. What about prenatal vitamins? I am breastfeeding right now and I take a multi because I don’t always have time to cook and eat like I should.It is a crappy excuse, but if I eat bad for even a day or two and don’t take a multi, I am getting sores in my mouth. I’m deficient in something.The fact that multivitamin use is even controversial should be enough to put a yellow light on. Seriously. 4 billion dollars a year for inconclusive data??? This is ridiculous and is further indicative to the propoganding media we slurp up everyday. Let’s all just turn off the tv and have a handful of walnuts shall we?Well spoken :-)I take a multi because we eat a low sodium diet, and the soils in our area are depleted of iodine. I had ancestors with goiter issues. The only local store selling seaweeds is an asian one, and they are all labeled in Chinese. We also need B12 and D, so it is less expensive to just take a multi. We eat a plant-based diet, so we get most of our nutrients form food,and I do not expect any pill to protect us from heart disease or cancer. I just know what is short in our local soil and want to make sure we get the nutrients we need. I’ll be watching for further evidence otherwise.I take half a multivitamin a day (+ additional choline and vitamins B12 and D) because I don’t get the RDA of all vitamins from food only every day. It’s easier and cheaper to buy Deva One Daily multivitamins (without iron, I get more than menstruating woman RDA from food only) than to buy panthotenic acid, niacin, vitamin E, B6 separately and take them only when my intake from food is less than RDA. I do get some minerals from it, too, but sometimes also take calcium (+ vitamin C), depending on my intake from food. Half a tablet contains 200 ug RDA. What worries me is that I sometimes get even 1500 ug folate from food. Is folate from food dangerous, too? I really can’t understand why would a vegan supplement which is not prenatal contain folic acid.Hey there rhelune!Firstly, folate from foods is not at all harmful! Folic acid is the synthetic, man made version of folate. Check out Dr. Greger’s video on folic acid! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/ Also note that although your taking alot of vitamins and minerals, that is only a tiny segment of health. What really defines healthy eating is your intake of phytochemicals. While a vitamin supplement may have 12 different minerals, broccoli has over a thousand phytochemicals along with all your minerals and vitamins. The bio-availability of calcium from plants is much greater than the calcium from milk, meaning your body can take it in much easier http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/ If you eat a varied whole foods plant based diet diet you really dont have to worry at all about vitmains and minerals except vitamin b12, vitamin d and in some cases, iodine. Hope this helped!Don’t thank me, thank science, good science that is … I wouldn’t define the Swedish cohort, together with other “multivitamin” studies as well-defined. What would you think about a study done to investigate painkillers, where people just took “painkillers” and researchers found inconsistent results, with sometimes dangerous adverse reactions ? That’s because the “painkillers” are ill-defined and therefore, the study is a waste of money and time. What are “painkillers” in this study ? An aspirin, advil caplets, COX2 inhibitors, morphine ? And what were the doses ? The same goes with these “multivitamin studies”, they are mostly plain stupid, because the researched object is not defined well enough and taken at haphazard doses. In some cases, assesments are made with food questionaires going back 20 years; what/how did you eat 20 years ago and which supplements did you use ? This is just asking for skewed results and you’re bound to find strange and conflicting results. The simple fact that some people take multivitamins to compensate for a bad diet most possibly accounts for the higher cancer risk finding. (1) However, if you lift one nutrient out of a multi and look at the research, then all becomes more clear. Let’s take vitamin D. 400 IU vitamin D doesn’t protect against breast cancer (2), however 2000 IU slashed the risk by 50 % (3). Now, if the subjects of the multivitamin study take one Centrum a day (400IU vitamin D) (4), or a multi from Walmart at $7.97 for one month’s supply (5), what would you think the results would be in terms of breast cancer prevention/vitamin D ? No effect ! The doses/exposures aren’t adequate to elicit the hypothesized contrast of effects and intakes of other nutrients or foods, on which the tested nutrients are dependent, weren’t optimized. On top of that, consider the health consciousness (= diet) of someone who chooses to take “a multi” that’s as cheap as chips and hey presto, you have your additional increased cancer risk. Are those multi’s a waste of money, maybe or maybe not, but $7.97/month will not buy you much cancer protection from food either will it ?Furthermore, IMHO, the references you stand by aren’t based on real sound science. It would take me too long to discuss every study, but in the Cleveland Clinic reference they argue that a multi is bad and then refer to a meta-analysis of vitamin E, showing that doses up to 2000 IU give evidence of possible adverse effect, this is not entirely correct. The effect of an isolated synthetic nutrient in relative high doses can’t be extrapolated to a multi. The health effects of high dose dl-tocoferol are well-understood and aren’t applicable to multi vitamins. This is just one example.I’m pro food, there is nothing better than a really healthy diet, but if you study ALL the literature about vitamins, you see more evidence the study designs are flawed instead of the effect of vitamins/minerals.I like your website, and I can only hope you take the responability to use sound science and correct interpretations of it. And for that matter, if new views are published, you should adjust previous articles/videos with correct information.Respectfully yours, Louis(1) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666311005642 “More VMS-users were categorised as having an unhealthy diet (31.4%) than having a healthy diet (20.6%). ” (2) http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/100/22/1581.short (3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17368188 (4) (5) http://www.walmart.com/browse/Vitamins/Supplements/_/N-8z7yZaq90ZaqceZ1yzm10e/Ne-aqxa?browsein=true&search_sort=5&ic=48_0&ref=418717.418894+501454.4292446622&tab_value=11790_All&catNavId=1005863&povid=cat1005863-env250565-moduleA072111-lLinkLHN6MultivitaminsJust wanted to add an addendum to my comments above. Did you see the Archives today? A report from Iowa Women’s Health Study suggests that multivitamin use may actually shorten women’s lives. To quote the editor of the Archives of internal Medicine: “Because commonly used vitamin and mineral supplements have no known benefit on mortality rate and have been shown to confer risk….A better investment in health would be eating more fruits and vegetables…”Hello Dr Greger,You suggest in this clip that Zinc could be a factor in prostate cancer. Yet it is found that many vegans are zinc deficient. I find that if I take 15mg of zinc per say that I sleep much better and dream more–seems to have helped my skin as well.How does one balance risk with real needs? What comments or recommendations do you have on low supplemental zinc?Thank you,Michael WeaverCheck out this video on Zinc requirements http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/For some context, please check out my associated blog post Multivitamins and Mortality!Hi!  Is taking a B-100 complex supplement harmful since it has folic acid in it?  What should pre-pregnancy women take to prevent neural tube defects in their unborn?Thanks, Lauren Bateman MS,RN,CNS Lets examine the statistic of neural tube defects with and without folic acid supplementation. The relative data shows a 50% reduction in risk with folic acid supplementation. But looking at the absolute data itself, the 50% reduction is actually as follows: 1 in a 1000 chance of a child developing neural tube defects with folic acid. As opposed to a 2 in a 1000 chance of a child developing neural tube defects without folic acid supplementation. This 2 to 1 reduction is the 50% decrease and considering that the risk of a woman developing breast cancer is 3 times more common in those that do supplement with synthetic folic acid I do not see the end benefit. Remember that folic acid is synthetic and folate, the naturally occurring “folic acid” is the kind we want to consume from plants. Eating lots of greens and beans will give you plenty of folate.Check out Dr. Greger’s video on folic acid for additional information. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/I just looked at your video concerning Breast Cancer and Multiple Vitamins. The conclusion was that multivitamins may increase the risk of breast cancer. I take Vitamin Code which advertises it is made from raw whole foods and contained live probiotics and enzymes. Are Vitamin Code products safer than other multivitamins?Why take a multivitamin to begin with when we can get all we need (except b12 and vitamin D) from whole plant foods?What are your thoughts on taking individual vitamins rather than a Multi?At 2:10 into the video, the narrator says that zinc is thought to double the chance of prostrate cancer. Does Dr. Greger think that Zinc increases the chance of prostrate cancer? I’m vegan, and I take a Calciusm/Magnesium/Zinc vitamin with Vitamin D. The link to Multivitamins and Mortality didn’t work. This link (from a Dr. Greger comment) doesn’t work either: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/09/12/dr-greger%e2%80%99s-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/I’m curious what Dr. Greger recommends vegans do in terms of vitamins. Should they take any supplements?Ry176: Good question. The following page shows Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations, including which supplements he recommends: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/This kind of studies are not very reliable they are just questionaries… You cant verify the quality of the supplements they were taking or if they started taking the multivitamin because they had cancer already. I think there are a lot of brand some of them are really low quality packed with heavy metals and other stuff. Your best source of vitamins and minerals should be your food but I also think that for some vitamins a pill is a good option.how can multivitamin increase the risk of prostate cancer?Hi dietician afriyie. From this post the increased prostate cancer risk was from excess zinc. citation 41-45 within this reference: Vitamin and mineral use and risk of prostate cancer: the case-control surveillance study gives potential putative mechanisms. Hope that helps.Joseph	breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,chronic diseases,Cleveland Clinic,fiber,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,men's health,multivitamins,nutrition myths,nuts,prostate cancer,prostate health,supplements,women's health,zinc	New research suggests that multivitamin use may significantly increase the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer.	For more videos on the correlation between dietary supplements and breast cancer, check out: Multivitamin Supplements and Breast Cancer Risk Associated With Iron Supplements Food Antioxidants and CancerPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on breast cancer. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multivitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zinc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cleveland-clinic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/19093214/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20229245,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21343248,
PLAIN-3143	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/	Breast Cancer Prevention: Which Mushroom Is Best?	In this landmark study to find out which vegetable was best at suppressing the activity of the enzyme used by breast cancer cells to undermine our defenses, mushrooms came out number 1, but this was just for plain white mushrooms. If that’s how regular mushrooms roll, then think how good the exotic varieties may do.So they put them to the test, comparing regular mushrooms to woodear, crimini, oyster mushrooms, Italian brown, enoki, button mushrooms, which are just baby versions of regular white mushrooms, stuffing mushrooms, which are just big white mushrooms, shiitake, chanterelle, and Portobello.We already know what this one is here. Remember, 60- to 65% drop? White mushrooms, the original. Most of these other mushrooms are stuck up here in celery carrot-land. But one beat our regular fun-guy. Which one do you think it was?Woodear, crimini, oyster, Italian brown, enoki, button, stuffing, shiitake, chanterelle, or Portobello?I never would have guessed this one. Better than plain white mushrooms? Big plain white mushrooms!In conclusion, these studies suggest that daily intake of the common white button mushroom may have a significant cancer preventive effect with regard to breast cancer development. White button mushrooms are relatively inexpensive and readily available in markets across the United States, and therefore are a feasible addition to any dietary plan. [yeah, but how much do you have to eat, which other foods synergize with thei reffecst? I cover that all in my new DVD—all proceeds go to charity--I’m up to season 5 already for those who don’t have the new one, but let’s move on]	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on breast cancer. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Very surprising result, thanks for sharing! Please don’t tell me you have a study coming up that shows iceberg lettuce is better than kale in any application (although I suspect it would be a superior source of water!).I too am surprised that shitake mushrooms didn’t come up higher. I’ve read elsewhere that there is some evidence that they are cancer-fighting (although I appreciate you are looking at aromatase inhibitor activity specifically in this segment)Sample reference: http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/DietandNutrition/shiitake-mushroomThis is surprising. How many mushrooms do you therefore recommend eating daily? The actual research article mentions mushroom extract.Are most mushrooms grown in manure? Should I be concerned about contracting a pathogen from particles of manure that may be on the mushroom? What is the best way to clean mushrooms?Thanks very much for your videos.Mushrooms grow well in compost. And the beauty of compost, if properly aged, is that pathogens can be killed but the nutrition and high nitrogen sources are left intact.I have yet to grow mushrooms, but these articles empowered me to buy some and then learn to grow them. I found some interesting information from Pennsylvania University about Growing Mushrooms. And thought I’d give it a try this year as I become stronger.http://mushroominfo.com/growing-mushrooms/six-steps-to-mushroom-farming/?gclid=CN73kuyirbYCFTCmPAod4D4AvgAre the mushrooms better cooked or raw?Great question Teresa–please see my video Toxins in Raw Mushrooms (http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/). In other words, cooked :)Were these mushrooms tested cooked or raw? Since we now know we should cook them first to avoid toxins…Woohoo! I love mushrooms and eat them all the time :-)For some context, please check out my associated blog post The Best Foods: Test Your Nutrition Knowledge! Thank you Doctor! I was wondering which mushroom is best not 30 minutes before I ran across your article!   I am very interested in phytochemical density, bio-availability, and the  “Aggregate Nutrient Density Index.” I wonder if organic mushrooms are available…or all they all organic?  I shop at a Vons (Safeway) which offers some organic fruits and veggies. I also wonder which veggies should be cooked to “unlock” their bio availability. Thanks you so much!!Can you please clarify whether the study was conducted using raw or cooked mushrooms. I know that white button mushrooms have some toxins when raw but that cooking kills enzymes. Thank you!!I don’t like mushrooms so I take AHCC. There is a great deal of research out of Japan concerning the anti-cancer effects of this mushroom extract. See book by Dr. Fred Pescatore on AHCC.This is true cancer prevention. Mammograms don’t prevent breat cancer, and low level ionizing radiation can ever cause breast cancer. But if this is for real, it is a cancer prevention,The full study is at: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/12/3288.long#fn-group-1 I began eating mushrooms regularly to boost my immune system and prevented the flu from attacking my body thus far, anyway. I felt like I was coming down with something, Purchased some Chinese type mushrooms, which I washed lightly, removed the stem, and sauteed in an extra virgin certified organic olive oil for just a minute or so, and gobbled up. Yum! The amazing thing was that whatever virus was thinking about attacking my body, vanished. Works better than big pharma and does not hurt!Ladies find the healing Mushrooms I mention in a post I made today, see the advise here has you eating the less effective domestics, Today the FDA approved a new drug to shrink tumors of women suffering from breast cancer, it will cost $94,000 for 7 months treatment, so once again out of reach to many women, and the next no surprise to me” it will not quite totally rid the patient of cancer”. Hey they can’t make lots of cash actually curing these poor womenReally, the big Pharma kicks every women in the face again, The truth is this new drug known as Kadsayla, which you will be hearing lots on the news in coming days, how great they all think they are, doing high 5’s and stroking each other,is Bull ShitThe truth, the Chinese used herbal mushrooms to treat cancer just as well in fact better, this new drug they brag about, was stolen from nature, drug was made in a lab, to mimic the mushrooms ( Coriolus Versicolor ) properties, when will they stop the shit , go ahead copy nature, but offer the whole cure !Many cancer drugs are isolated from Coriolus versicolor,Reshie Mushroom, Chaga Conks, and are widely used in Asia, and been known powerful healing plants for 5000 years, you just need the right ones, at the right time, and right combination to cure, Spend your money on this.Search Coriolus versicolor, again it is a mushroom of the Basidiomycetes, and the other healing mushrooms., common name Turkey TailsI hope the day comes when pain out ways profit, but I doubt it, it’s up to the general public to demand changeis it different raw vs cookedI have tried mushrooms and just don’t enjoy eating them. Do they come in some kind of supplement or powder form that I can add to foods. I want to include them in my diet somehow. Thank you, in advance, for any help from yourself and your highly educated readers.Yes, pls try Agarikon by Myco San of Croatia. The best canser cure.Were these mushrooms to be eaten raw, cooked, or does it matter?Oh, nevermind — I see you responded to another ‘Teresa’ who had the same question below. (Great minds think alike, LOL.)Is it safe to take iodine tablets for thyroid problems?What about reishiThe breast cancer regions are exactly the dairy regions. Read the scientists detail on how and why in “The No-Dairy Breast Cancer Prevention Program” by prof. Jane Plant, CBE, who has too many citations to list here. She herself had recurring breast cancer after surgery, radiation, chemo wasn’t working any more – that was 17 years ago she’s doing fine now. Biggest problem is there is no “big pharma breakthrough” or “fee for service” so you don’t hear about the real cause, cure, and prevention. In short, cow’s milk is intended to grow calves into cows as fast as possible, by helping fast growing cells to grow fast – in a human adult, fast growing cells are cancer cells.Hi Doctor, I have some calcification on my left breast. Is that something to worry about? Will it turn in to cancer?My Mom had that and was okay, but twenty years later she had beast cancer. I think it cMe from excessive drinking alcohol though.A popular breast cancer hospital recommended I take a supplement made from Coriolus mushrooms. They mentioned a couple of studies that showed they were found to be the best cancer fighting mushrooms. Is it true?IS CHAGA MUSHROOM TEA REALLY GOOD FOR YOU?Hi Dr, I would love to eat mushrooms on a regular basis but I think the mold bothers me and contributes to my migraines..also pretty sure I have some candida… Do you think I would be bothered by eating a little amount OR is there an isolaed extract from the mushroo that would suit someone like me?????? Thanks…looking forward to your response	aromatase,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,chanterelle mushrooms,cost savings,crimini mushrooms,enoki mushrooms,mushrooms,oyster mushrooms,portobello mushrooms,shiitake mushrooms,women's health,woodear mushrooms	Woodear, crimini, oyster, Italian brown, enoki, button, stuffing, shiitake, chanterelle, and Portobello mushrooms were compared to see which was best at inhibiting aromatase enzyme activity.	For more videos on mushrooms and breast cancer, see: Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer? Breast Cancer vs. Mushrooms Vegetables Versus Breast Cancer Boosting Immunity While Reducing InflammationPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on breast cancer. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shiitake-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/portobello-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chanterelle-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enoki-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oyster-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crimini-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/woodear-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aromatase/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-while-reducing-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=19273315,
PLAIN-3144	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/	Vegetables Versus Breast Cancer	What new developments are there are in the battle against breast cancer? Well, most breast tumors are estrogen receptor positive, meaning they respond to estrogen; estrogen makes them grow. The problem for tumors in postmenopasal women is that there isn’t much estrogen around, unless of course you take it in a drug like pre-mar-in, made from pregnant mare urine, found not to affect the quality of women's lives, just the quantity, increasing the risk of strokes heart attacks blood clots and, breast cancer.Thankfully millions of women stopped taking it in 2002, and we saw a nice dip in breast cancer rates, but unfortunately, those rates have since stagnated. Hundreds of thousands of American women continue every year to get that dreaded diagnosis. So what next?Well, with no estrogen around, many breast tumors devise a nefarious plan, they’ll just make their own. 70% of breast cancer cells synthesize estrogen themselves using an enzyme called aromatase, which converts testosterone to estrogen, blue to pink. And so drug companies have produced a number of aromatase inhibitor drugs which are used as chemotherapy agents. Of course by the time you’re on chemo it can be too late, so researchers started screening hundreds of natural dietary components in hopes of finding something that targets this enzyme.To do this, you need a lot of human tissue—where you going to get it from? To study skin, for example, researchers use discarded human foreskins. They’re just being thrown away might as well use them. Where are you going to get discarded female tissue, though? Placentas. Human placentas. So they got a bunch of women to donate their placentas after giving birth to further this critical line of research.After years of searching, they found seven vegetables with significant anti-aromatase activity. And here they are,. Seven different vegetables, dropping aromatase activity about 20%, except for this one. That’s like a 60, 65% drop inhibition. ]Which one was it? bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, celery , green onions, mushrooms, or spinach. Not scallions, not celery, not carrots, not peppers, nor broccoli—that would have been my guess, not spinach, but: Mushrooms.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on breast cancer. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!I really thought this was going to be cabbage before I saw the video. I have read that new research says cabbage can be good against certain cancers but I don’t remember if breast cancer is one. Both of my grandmothers had breast cancer so I am VERY interested in breast health. Thank you for this information. I love mushrooms and my daughter and I will up our consumption. Is there a recommended weekly amount and any particular kind better than others?I would have guessed broccoli, but you’re absolutely right about the cancer-fighting effects of the cruciferous (cabbage-family) vegetables. See my video The Healthiest Vegetables and if you’re interested in cabbage in particular, Superfood Bargains. Given your strong family history (sorry to hear about your grandmothers) please feel free to check out my 30 other videos on breast health.And in terms of which mushrooms are best, check out the answer here!I look forward to more about which mushrooms: thank you!Maitake mushrooms are a staple food for us, generally well known as chemopreventive.Fascinating! So women should enjoy mushrooms regularly, but be sure to cook the mushrooms first to inactivate the agaratine, right?Exactly Karen! See Toxins in Raw Mushrooms?That’s what I was going to ask. Thought I’d heard that!Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer and Diet!Great info. I could read all night. I just go from post to post, but must sleep sometime. I am so grateful for all your hard work. Thank you. LynnDr. Greger, while we’re talking about mushrooms, I seen an article in one of my wife’s health magazines that said that mushrooms should only be eaten cooked. Is this true?Yes, cooked is preferred. View the video here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/I inmates I have anemia I feel dizziness some time had a headache and very dry skin. I always eat right to take care of myself. It’s seems like never going way what can I do? So I can completely cure.There is a more recent 2013 study which seems to contradict other studies cited here. It found no association between fruits and veggies for Estrogen Receptor positive ER+ breast cancer (the most common type) BUT a decrease in the Estrogen Receptor negative ER-. Interestingly it found virtually no association with alcohol or cigarette consumption! It appears that strawberries had, by far the most impact on contracting ER- cancer but not ER+.If its important to you – don’t just take Dr, Greger’s word for it – try to read the articles themselves and make up your own mind.http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/jnci/press_releases/jungdjs635.pdf	aromatase,bell peppers,blood clots,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,broccoli,cancer,cancer survival,cardiovascular disease,carrots,celery,chemotherapy,estrogen,heart disease,heart health,hormones,menopause,mushrooms,Premarin,scallions,spinach,stroke,testosterone,vegetables,women's health	Mushrooms may help prevent breast cancer by acting as an aromatase inhibitor to block breast tumor estrogen production.	Other, more recent videos on breast cancer include: Can Flax Seeds Help Prevent Breast Cancer? BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy Cholesterol Feeds Breast Cancer Cells Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? Which Dietary Factors Affect Breast Cancer Most? Phytates for Rehabilitating Cancer CellsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on breast cancer. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bell-peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/scallions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aromatase/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-clots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premarin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/19129847/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=19273315,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21357727,
PLAIN-3145	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-prevention-and-treatment-may-be-the-same-thing/	Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing	The breast cancer, you may feel one day as a lump in the shower, may have started 20 ago. We now suspect that all the epithelial cancers: breast, colon, lung, pancreas, prostate, ovarian, the ones that cause the vast majority of cancer deaths have been growing for up to 20 years or more. By the time it’s picked up it may have already been growing, maturing, scheming for years, acquiring hundreds of new survival-of-the-fittest mutations to grow even quicker, better undermine our immune system. Early detection is really really late detectionPeople are considered “healthy” until they show symptoms, but if we've been harboring a malignancy for 20 years we may feel all right, but we haven’t been. So many people who do the right thing and improve their diet in hopes of preventing cancer may very well at that very moment be treating it, as well. Cancer prevention and treatment may be the same thing.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on cancer and diet. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!Dr. Greger: I think your tag line is very discouraging and should be rephrased. I am a 38-year survivor of Stage 2 infiltrating duct carcinoma. I found my own breast lump, was sent for a mammogram which was negative, but because of my positive maternal history, I persisted and was sent to see a surgeon. I underwent a modified radical mastectomy and fortunately was node-negative; because of my age at the time (<30), I did not receive radiation or chemo but close followup. I do agree with you that breast cancer can indeed take decades to develop, but in conjunction with family history and external input (like the birth control pill can act as "fertilizer" to certain susceptible tumors) can certainly speed up the tumor process. If your followers feel that early detection via a mammogram may be too late, you could be doing the female population a great disservice.Thank you so much for sharing your story, justava. I’m so glad to hear you’re doing well now. But the situation with detection methods is indeed a discouraging one. Mammograms and all other early detection methods are, by definition of course, too late in that they don’t prevent cancer. And in many cases may even be too late to significantly alter the course of the disease. Please see, for example, the latest open access review on the subject, The Benefits and Harms of Screening for Cancer with a Focus on Breast Screening.” As you’ll note even in just the abstract, the regular breast self‐exams do not not appear to reduce breast cancer mortality, the effects of physician breast examination are unknown, and it is not clear that screening for breast cancer with mammography, thermography, ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging does more good than harm on a population level because of the need to balance the cases in which there is benefit with the number of unnecessary biopsies and surgeries. I still encourage women to follow the guidelines of the USPSTF, but in addition want to emphasize prevention so women don’t have to go through what you had to (or worse).Are there any similar studies showing the benefits and harms of colonoscopy? My family practitioner wants me to have this test (I’m 52). I eat only a whole vegan diet, don’t smoke or drink alcohol or caffeinated beverages, and I briskly walk 3.3 miles a day and my BMI is 20. Because I believe my risk for colorectal cancer is low, I’d rather avoid a colonoscopy. If there is a study showing the absolute benefit of colonoscopy, I’d like to know about it.I recommend one flexible sigmoid between ages 55 – 64 and not the colonoscopy. Over the last 30 years the recommendations have changed from checking for blood by occult testing kits to flexible sigmoid to colonoscopy and differs depending on group making recommendations. The best discussion I have seen is in the August 2010 McDougall Newsletter see link at http://drmcdougall.com/misc/2010nl/aug/colon.htm. These recommendations may need to be altered depending on patients own or family history. The science keeps changing so keep tuned to Nutritionfacts.org for updates.Thermography is the new early detection method. Check this out. http://www.breastthermography.com/Unfortunately thermography alone may have a sensitivity of only about 83% in detecting breast cancer (according to the latest review I could find). A combination of mammography and thermography may bring it as high as 95%, though, so there may indeed be a role for the technology. See my reply to justava above, though, in terms of prioritizing prevention. Thank you so much for your tip, Damian.I also wanted to point out that thermography is condemned as a substitute for mammography by the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Please see http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm257499.htmIf only we could be omniscient, knowing then about prioritizing prevention to what we know now. However, better late than never.Dogs are now being trained (even in my region) to detect cancer. It seems they are more effective at finding cancer from a breath sample than our technology is. While I agree that prevention of cancer through a vegetable-based diet, exercise, and good stress management skills is the best, I could see a role for submitting a much less invasive breath sample every year (or if cost effective, it could be done frequently). The trick will be training the dogs to indicate cancer at very low levels (i.e. early stage), and I don’t know where the dog trainers and science are on this one. By the way, I liked the video that showed that exposure to cats, dogs or pet rodents at any time of our lives, reduce the risk of the blood cancer called hodgkins lymphoma. That is cool! I knew that exposure to cats reduces asthma (and allergies too, I think), but blood cancer too!Please also check out my associated blog post, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy! Dr. Greger, these links don’t work. Thanks.So sorry and thanks again for pointing that out Tan- they should be running now!Dr. Greger, I tried writing on your FB wall but for some reason it’s not letting me lol but anyway, as a vegan, I keep hearing how vegans lack iodine. What are some ways vegans can get it?  Check out this video on iodine provided by Dr. Greger http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/thanx for the link but I don’t have cancer… I have a fat mass… benign tumour in the retroperitonuim – free floating,… not attached to anything. Not sure why you linked me to this…. NOT CANCER!Do you think that people who have the BRCA1 or 2 are most likely going to get breast cancer?The studies on these genes were done in families with high incidences of cancers… http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA. So it is hard to generalize to entire populations. it is clear that nutrition plays an important role in whether or not you get breast cancer. You can view the many videos that Dr. Greger has done with the cited studies for general information. The best information for patients on screening mammography is the Cochrane Collaboration Pamphlet on Screening Mammography see Dr. McDougall’s May 2012 Newsletter for the link. At this point I can’t recommend mammography as a general population screen regardless of history. As a diagnostic test for abnormalities found by patients or physicians it can be useful.What do you think of Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy to prevent getting breast cancer? She obviously doesn’t know that breast don’t cause cancer – it’s how we eat.Dr. Greger, One article posted showed a reduction in cancer growth after consuming lemons and cranberries I have Bronchoalveolar Carcinoma. It is my understanding that cancer likes an acidic environment. Years ago I had occasional kidney or bladder infection. When I thought one was coming on I consumed cranberry juice and it disappeared. I was told the reason was because cranberry was the only fruit which was able to remain acidic in your system and that is what would combat the infection. Is this true? Do cranberries and lemons create an acidic environment and if this is true why does it have an adverse effect on cancer cells? Also, it is my understanding that this study states that lung cancer is adversely affected by the consumption of cranberries and lemons. I can buy unfiltered !00% cranberry juice from Trader Joe’s, but regarding the lemon, should the whole fruit be consumed, skin and all?Hello I need to ask you something. Avocado Soybean Unsaponifiables (ASU) are commonly used as a treatment for Osteoarthritis. Do you know if this product is safe for estrogen positive breast cancer survivors? (also for those not positive estrogen cancer, please) I have osteoarthritis in my hands and usually take Avocado Soybean Unsaponifiables and also glucosamine & condroitin sulfate as a treatment. Besides, I was diagnosed with LCIS in 2011 and I had gone under a conservative surgery. My Lcis was very little (2mm) in 0 level and it resulted negative to E-caderina. I need to know if my taking of Soybean Unsaponifiables & Glusamine/coindritin supplements are safe for me, since I know some supplements used for osteoarthritis can diminish the inmune system response (thus opening the door to cancer). Thanks a lot AndyHello I need to ask you something. Avocado Soybean Unsaponifiables (ASU) are commonly used as a treatment for Osteoarthritis. Do you know if this product is safe for estrogen positive breast cancer survivors? (also for those not positive estrogen cancer, please) I have osteoarthritis in my hands and usually take Avocado Soybean Unsaponifiables and also glucosamine & condroitin sulfate as a treatment. Besides, I was diagnosed with LCIS in 2011 and I had gone under a conservative surgery. My Lcis was very little (2mm) in 0 level and it resulted negative to E-caderina.I need to know if my taking of Soybean Unsaponifiables & Glusamine/coindritin supplements are safe for me, since I know some supplements used for osteoarthritis can diminish the inmune system response (thus opening the door to cancer). The problem is that I have read in several medicine webpages that these medicines are effective for arthrosis by decreasing the immune system response because it is said that immune system attacks the joint cartilage. So my fear is: if the immune system is decreased by these medicines… Does it open the door to a recurrence of my old LCIS or something worse? Please, I need advice and none of my doctors knows answer my question. Thanks	breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,colon cancer,colon health,immune function,lung cancer,lung health,ovarian cancer,ovary health,pancreas health,pancreatic cancer,prostate cancer,prostate health,rectal cancer,women's health	Breast cancer can take decades to develop, so early detection via mammogram may be too late.	More on the connection between diet and cancer found here: From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? Which Dietary Factors Affect Breast Cancer Most? Phytates for Rehabilitating Cancer Cells Improving on the Mediterranean DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on cancer and diet. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovarian-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-on-the-mediterranean-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20956817,
PLAIN-3146	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/	Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants	What about all the other industrial pollutants, like PCBs?In perhaps the largest study to date, more than 12,000 food and feed samples tested across 18 countries. In the 11,000 food samples tested, "the highest mean contamination level was observed in fish and eggs: fish, and fish derived products followed by eggs, milk and their products, and then meat and meat products from land-based animals. The lowest contamination was observed in foods of plant origin."Reason enough to transition towards a plant-based diet. Here’s the data: Fish oil is just off the charts 117 mikes per k.g. Fish meat 35, eggs, with quantifiable levels found in 94% of eggs tested, dairy, beef/pork/chicken, and then, plant foods 0.08.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on PCBs. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!And check out my associated blog post EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption”.Thanks for developing this excellent website and I really appreciate that you make the articles available to everyone.I am, however,finding a discrepancy between the numbers presented in this video and those of Table 10 of your cited source.Specifically, if I read the numbers off the table in the same order you presented them, I get the following values in picograms / gram (for dioxin like PCBs):fish oil = 7.14; fish meat = 2.08; eggs = 1.09; dairy = 1.0; meat (sum of beaf,pork,dairy) = 2.02; plant = 0.09.The ratios I am reading seem considerably different from presented in the video and to convert from picograms / gram to your units of micrograms/kg I believe we would have to divide all of these numbers by 1000. Thus, the difference may be very large, as you state 117 micrograms/gram for fish oil when I wonder if it may in fact be 0.00714 micrograms / gram.BPC–It is such a breath of fresh air to see folks actually reading the primary sources! If there is anything NutritionFacts.org stands for it’s critical thinking. There is so much junk science purveyed by junk food industry interests out there. Don’t believe a word they say; but don’t believe a word I say either–believe the science! Don’t trust any nutrition source that doesn’t cite from the peer-reviewed scientific literature (which aint perfect, but it’s the best we have). And just citation isn’t enough, you actually have to READ the sources to make sure they are accurately representing the science and not just throwing citations around.I was totally puzzled by your comment until I realized you were looking at the wrong paper! You were looking at an older report (I think the link was wrong) that was measuring picograms of WHO toxic equivalents per gram (see the table you refer to says “pgTEQWHO98/g”?). The paper cited in “Sources” listed above under the video (EFSA 8(10):1701) and which I show in the video measures PCBs in μg/kg, as I say in the video. If you turn to page 25 you’ll see the data I showed in the video: 117 for fish oil (remember we’re talking about food for humans, not feed for animals) all the way down to 0.08 for plant foods (fruits, vegetables and grains), a three orders-of-magnitude difference! Definitely a powerful argument for trying to eat low on the food chain.Ever since i stumbled upon this website I ONLY trust what the science says through peer reviewed journals and discount the “opinions” of others. Its an important lesson for everyone to look at the science itself, Thanks for such a great collective resource!Thank you Dr. Greger for your detailed response that fully answers my question. Your video does indeed present a very powerful argument and one that I feel is not discussed widely enough.I feel that the way you inspire people to delve into primary sources of science is wonderful. I hope that you keep up the great work!I tried to find information about Alaskan Wild caught salmon specifically to see what the PCB levels are like and I found this article: http://www.ewg.org/reports/farmedpcbs The Monterey Institute rates Alaskan salmon as being one of the most sustainable that we have available but they still suggest limiting consumption to children under 6 because of contamination issues. (This is even in what we consider the “pristine” waters of Alaska!) Are the PCB’s with fish our only concern? If I ate an entirely plant based diet except for 2 meals per month with Alaskan salmon, would those two meals completely diminish what I accomplished by eating vegan the rest of the time? Is the fat in fish just as much of a concern for someone who has eaten meat for 50 years and is now just converting to a plant based diet?In the article you sent, the EWG first blasts poisonous levels of PCBs in salmon and conclude:“… EPA advice would restrict [farmed salmon] consumption to no more than one meal a month.”After reporting hideous levels of PCBs in salmon, they provide the following frightening summary:“If raised correctly, [farmed salmon] can help meet global demand for high-quality protein and take some of the pressure off of highly depleted populations of wild fish. But major reforms to the industry are needed.”What will it take for them to recommend that people just abstain altogether from eating salmon?To get in EPA/DHA, the best source is from algae – which is the original source of the EPA/DHA in the fish! There are several companies now that produce EPA/DHA from algae grown in tanks on land. This option lets me optimize my health, avoid PCBs, AND avoid contributing to the decimation of our ocean ecosystems.I am in agreement about farned salmon being loaded with PCB’s but I thought my question was about wild Alaskan salmon. The PCB’s are way below the farmed and it is considered sustainable. I haven’t eaten farmed salmon for years but I have been eating wild from Alaska. When I looked at Dr. Greger’s video on this page, it’s a European study and it doesn’t specifically look at individual foods. It lumps everything together into categories. There could be foods that were part of those samples that are safe but they are skewed by those that aren’t in the same category. Since I have been eating wild salmon, I was trying to do more research on it specifically. My thought is that it looks like it is not the demon that farm raised salmon is, so I’m not getting exposed to that level of PCB’s. On the other hand salmon does contain fat. Since I’m over 50 and have previously eaten meat most of my life I presume my arteries are somewhat clogged. If I eat wild caught Alaskan salmon two times per month am I denigrating all the other positives I’m accomplishing by eating plant based? I am not worried about EPA/DHA; I am considering the pleasure of eating something that I enjoy. If I found that it was a detriment to my health, I don’t think I would enjoy eating it just like meat and poultry are no longer enjoyable.Hi Lisa,I found an article that addresses your specific question on the PCB levels in wild Alaskan salmon as compared with farmed. The citation is:“PCBs, PCDD/Fs, and organochlorine pesticides in farmed Atlantic salmon from Maine, eastern Canada, and Norway, and wild salmon from Alaska. by Shaw SD, Brenner D, Berger ML, Carpenter DO, Hong CS, Kannan K. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY vol.40 pgs.5347-5354, 2006″Please note that they state: “Total PCB concentrations (7.2−29.5 ng/g, wet weight, ww) in the farmed salmon were significantly higher than those in the wild Alaskan Chinook samples (3.9−8.1 ng/g, ww).”Since their scale of ng/g is equivalent to micrograms/kg, you, thus, have your answer of 3.9-8.1 micrograms/kg of total PCBs present in wild Alaskan salmon. This can be directly compared with the other items on Dr. Greger’s video.Given the horrible health consequences of PCBs (see for example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_biphenyl#Health_effects),you may be best advised to limit consumption as much as possible if you are unable to eliminate it from your diet altogether.I hope that this information is useful to you.Isn’t it true that PCBs also tend to be stored in fatty tissues more readily (breastmilk, for example)? Hence, eating low-fat/non-fat choices are better for those who do consume animal-based products.Would the same statistics follow for organic meats? I need a high protein diet and it appears that we all differ on whether we can do well veggie diets. But buying organic chicken in a plastic wrap may be an oxymoron.Thank you, BPCveg, for the data on salmon.Patricia, we have an organic market that has meat in cases. You can bring your own glass storage containers to put the products that you buy in so you don’t have to wrap them in plastic.I think the cost ends up being prohibitive for many people to go completely organic. My understanding is that organic meats would lower your exposure to many toxins but for a healthy cardiovascular system you are still consuming fats so they are still not optimal.I think dietary changes are often baby steps though. There are a few things that I just haven’t managed to take out of my diet. Maybe after more education and additional time to adapt to where I am now, I’ll be completely vegan in not too long.It makes it more difficult when you have to convince an entire family to change their habits – best of luck to you!What about Lovaza as a source of fish oil? I have very high cholesterol and multiple myeloma and have been taking it for a few months. My triglycerides have come down significantly and my cholesterol as come down somewhat.Unfortunately the fish oil distillation process has been found ineffective for getting rid of all the toxic pollutants. See my video Is Distilled Fish Oil Toxin-Free? (http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/). That’s why I recommend the algae-based supplements (after all, that’s where the fish get it from in the first place). See http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/Do you have data on C02 extracted fish oil?What about sea veggies – dulse, kelp, nori, etc.? Plant based but from a marine environment.Dr. Greger has covered the seaweeds, and iodine is of the main concern. Check out this video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/Are ALL fish oil capsules contaminated? Also, do you think the almond, coconut and other dairy alternatives are safe? Thanks for your response and all you do to keep us safe.I am on a vegan diet but curious, what are the health concerns associated with egg whites from antibiotic & hormone free, Free Range Chickens?Gregg, please see this series on animal proteins and IGF-1 as well as the issues with methionine rich foods. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/Egg whites are a methionine rich food.	animal products,beef,dairy,eggs,Europe,fish,fish oil,industrial toxins,meat,milk,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,plant-based diets,pork,red meat,safety limits,white meat	The top three sources of industrial toxins in the diet are fish oil, fish, and eggs.	For more recent videos on industrial pollutants, see: The Wrong Way to Detox Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs? Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals Obesity-Causing Pollutants in FoodPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the other videos on PCBs. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	-
PLAIN-3147	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-consumption-and-the-feminization-of-male-genitalia/	Chicken Consumption and the Feminization of Male Genitalia	Sexual selection may have also played a role in penis size. According to the best available science, three quarters of women find both penile length and girth, somewhat or very important.What does this have to do with diet?Pthalates.“Phthalates are [chemical] compounds that are used in a wide range of consumer products, [including pesticides, paints, and PVC plastic]. However, the contribution of dietary intake to phthalate exposure has not been well defined.”What the problem with phthalate exposure? "Effects on sexual health and development have been observed in recent human studies."We’ve known phthalates affect the genital development of lab rats, but for the first time ever, human data has been published.Simple study. They measured the levels of phlatates flowing through the bodies of pregnant women, and then later measured the size and characteristics of their infant sons genitals after birth between ages 2 months to 3 years. The women who had the most exposure had up to 10 times the odds of giving birth to sons with one or both testicles incompletely descended, their scrotum categorized as small and/or “not distinct from surrounding tissue,” and a significantly smaller penis volume, a measure of penis size taking into account both length and girth.In other words, the more phthalates pregnant women are exposed to, the increased likelihood of testicular maldescent, a small and indistinct scrotum, and smaller penis size.”They conclude: “These changes in male infants, associated with prenatal exposure to some of the same phthalate metabolites that cause similar alterations in male rodents, suggest that commonly used phthalates may undervirilize humans as well as rodents.”So what foods should pregnant women stay away from to avoid the phthalate-related syndrome of incomplete virilization?The urine levels of thousands of Americans all across the country were measured, along with their diets, to find out food most significantly correlated the phthalate exposure within the body.They looked at dairy, eggs, fish, fruit, poultry, potatoes, tomatoes, vegetables in general, and red meat. Statistically, the most significant result in their analysis was poultry consumption.So for example, “In one analysis, while total dairy consumption was significantly associated with one of the phthalate chemicals, called MCPP, and eggs with another, poultry consumption was a significant predictor of levels of all of the individual DEHP metabolites, MEHP, MEHHP, MEOHP, MECCP, etc., etc., etc..“suggesting… that an increase of one ounce of poultry per day is associated with an increase in one of the pthalate metabolite levels of approximately 5.7%. A single chicken breast is nearly 8 ounces.Maybe it was just leaching into the meat from the plastic wrap packaging? Probably not. “the finding that egg consumption is significantly associated with levels of phthalates too, suggests that chickens themselves may be contaminated and that food is not being contaminated just through packaging and processing.So if there is one thing pregnant women may want to avoid during pregnancy to protect their son’s normal development it would be to avoid poultry.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the corresponding blog post Eating chicken may lead to a smaller penis as well. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!What about DEP that go in fragrances are there any human studies for that?Such a great question Jennifer! Before we knew that there were any of these industrial pollutants in the food supply, the levels in cosmetic and personal care products were in fact the number one concern. The most recent review on the subject that is available full-text online is “Toxic effects of the easily avoidable phthalates and parabens.”Michael, do you know if these statistics would also be relevant for Australia?Great, all my mom ate when she was pregnant was chicken. NOW look at this thing! (jokes)Very interesting research. In light of some other (conflicting) studies that show phytoestrogens also impact genital development — in your view, what protein choices are best for expectant moms?Also, do we have any data from the Food Science world measuring the levels of phthalates in organic vs. conventionally produced meat/animal-based foods?Hello klickityklack! I believe I can assist you with your question!Regarding the comment on phytoestrogens, phytoestrogens actually do not affect male estrogen levels. Dairy actually increased levels significantly. Check out Dr. G’s video on that here: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-sexual-precocity/Regarding the protein question, it is of no concern to focus on eating protein if you eat a whole foods plant based diet. All plants are complete proteins. The American Dietetic Association acknowledges this fact and states that “Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal” http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdf Basically, if you eat when your hungry and till your full then your getting enough protein for you and your baby since your body will be hungry when you need more energy. You also don’t need to compliment different foods since each plant source is a complete protein in itself. The world Health Organization also claims that we do not need too much protein. About 0.45 grams of protein per kilo of body weight. This is a moderate level and doesnt come out too much. Dr. McDougall also states that protein is also used in small quantities every day so we really do not need to focus on getting it specifically. http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/031200puprotein.htm As stated before, eat a balanced whole foods plant based diet, eat till your full and when your hungry and you will be well off. Spinach is 51% protein whereas beef is 37% protein!Regarding the difference between conventional and organic products, As Dr. T. Colin Campbell puts it, the differences between organic and conventional meat in compositional makeup is insignificant. It is still the same lack of phytochemicals and antioxidants and the same type of nutrients and protein. Organic is more of just a label on meat on a health standpoint.Hope this helped!What I’m wondering is how these companies get away with this. Arsenic is a POISON, they finish off the chickens with ARSENIC. They should be prosecuted for attempted murder. That would set a strong message. WHY ARE WE TOLERATING THIS!?Kill yourself you worthless, illiterate, large foreheaded, club weilding, cave dwelling, cunt.hey doc. can the phthalates, dehp etc, be detox out of the body and by nutrients, supliments etc. thanks.Your body will clear these substances naturally so the best way to detox is to avoid intake and let your bodies normal mechanisms via the liver and kidneys do their jobs. The good news is phthalates clear relatively quickly as opposed to dioxins whose half lives are estimated to be 1-7 years see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/.Dr Greger – I would love to hear your opinion on the latest craze in the fitness industry namely ‘Intermittent Fasting’. Proponents claim that it not only sheds excess fat from the body in a short amount of time, but also has many other benefits including better glycaemic control, reduced levels of IGF-I and reduced oxidative stress. I thought these were all benefits of a plant-based diet! Are there any benefits to IF that extend beyond a vegan diet? Are there any potential harmful effects? Many thanks, Dr Westwood, UK.Dear Dr. Greger,My 24 year old son was diagnosed with testicular cancer this year. I follow you and your studies closely and am wondering if you ran across any correlations or observations in reference to this rare cancer. I would appreciate any input including any dietary suggestions. We follow a high vegetable/fruit diet and he eats meat, eggs occasionally. He is allergic to dairy. Truly appreciate your time and website! TatianaI have seen no studies relating to any of the types of testicular cancer. In general whole food plant based diets are associated with less cancer for a variety of reasons. I would tend to avoid meat, dairy, eggs and fish. You might benefit from resources on the PCRM.org website from The Cancer project see http://pcrm.org/health/cancer-resources/. You may be able to find a Food for Life instructor in your area who is giving a series of cooking classes. The other advantage to eating whole food plant based diet is avoiding other chronic diseases. Good luck.People have been eating chickens for many years and there has not been a problem so I would think it must be something in the new food, drugs, etc.Does this data also apply to organic chicken and eggs? This information in your video would be helpful.HI this is shazad i want to ask a tips about penius enlargment my penius is so small upto 3.5 inch and my age is 23 year and i m very worry about it.I cannot afford any expensive supplements so plz suggest me sir what should i do now.how i should gain my proper size. plz send your answer at my email:shazadulhaq2@gmail.comO.K. Now, it’s personal!Very interesting thanks. Would you think is safe to eat organic eggs and organic chicken/turkey during pregnancy and breast feeding?Many thanksI would avoid both eggs and chicken and turkey not only during pregnancy but also before and after pregnancy. My daughter went through both her pregnancies following a whole food plant based diet and was easily able to meet her protein and nutritional needs. Of course you need to work with your physicians. A good resource for information so you can work effectively with your physicians is… Reed Mangels, The Everything Vegan Pregnancy which also covers infants (note PCRM also has free booklet Nutrition for Kids available for free download). She also has free resources online at http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/preginfchil or http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.php. Another resource is http://www.vegfamily.com/babies-and-toddlers/index.htm. Good luck and keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps coming.Hi talking about shrinking of penis of boy , what about middle age men thanksWhat about studies like this http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10619956? It says that vegetarian women were much more likely to have a son with hypospadias. Is it because of the soy, or something else entirely? Thank you.Seems to be due to increased fungicide (and pesticide?) consumption. Increased rate of hypospadias was not seen in vegetarian women who ate organic food. Dr. Greger covers this topic in this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/	chicken,dairy,eggs,evolution,fish,fruit,industrial toxins,infants,men's health,penis health,penis size,phthalates,plastic,potatoes,poultry,pregnancy,red meat,safety limits,sexual health,sexual selection,testicular health,tomatoes,vegetables,white meat	Eating chicken during pregnancy may affect the size and development of one's son's penis due to phthalate contamination of the meat.	For more on phthalates and other endocrine disruptors, check out these more recent videos: Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors Estrogen in Meat, Dairy, and Eggs Male Fertility and Diet Preventing Asthma With Fruits and Vegetables Protein, Puberty, and PollutantsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/15/eating-chicken-may-lead-to-a-smaller-penis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plastic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-selection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phthalates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20392686/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8153136,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16502148,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7374365,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19748073,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/16079079/,
PLAIN-3148	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/rosy-glow/	Rosy Glow	The second thing researchers found in trying to understand what makes some people’s faces more attractive than others, is that in addition to finding men and women prefer a tint of yellow in Caucasian faces, to enhance healthy appearance people also, increased skin redness.This makes sense evolutionarily, increased skin vascularization increases skin pinkness and is associated with increased physical fitness, but is impaired in patients with type 2 diabetes, hypertension. Increased blood oxygenation, associated with increased aerobic fitness increases blood redness. skin blood de-oxygenation is associated with cardiac and respiratory illness, and causes a dull, blue tint to the skin. And so it makes sense that we should prefer mates with a rosy glow.This may explain why we lost the bone, in our penis. “There are certain genetic diseases that affect 100% of the human population, and one is the congenital lack of a baculum. Whereas most mammals, and most other primates have a penile bone, including all the old world primates, all the great apes, including our ancestors—but over the last 6 or 7 million years we lost it—maybe, says evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, due to sexual selection by females looking for an honest advertisement of good health in prospective mates. Since human males lack this bone and must rely solely on fluid hydrolics to maintain erections, erection failure is a sensitive early warning of cardiovascular disease.“It is not implausible that, with natural selection refining their diagnostic skills, females could glean all sorts of clues about a male's health, and the robustness of his ability to cope with stress, from the tone and bearing of his penis." Without a bone, then only genuinely healthy or strong males could present a really stiff erection and the females could make an unobstructed diagnosis…Yet another reason to eat a heart healthy diet.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the corresponding blog post Erectile dysfunction and diet as well as tomorrow’s video. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them as well!what diet should we take to make our skin glow and look rosy?vega diet :)for every animal you don’t eat i’ll eat threenot for long with your likely life expentancy. . .	blood pressure,cardiovascular disease,diabetes,erectile dysfunction,evolution,exercise,greens,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,impotence,lung health,penile bone,penis health,phytonutrients,Richard Dawkins,sexual dysfunction,sexual health,sexual selection,skin health,tanning beds,vegetables	Erectile dysfunction may be an early warning sign for heart disease.	For more videos on erectile dysfunction, see: Survival of the Firmest: Erectile Dysfunction and Death Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction Pistachio Nuts for Erectile Dysfunction BPA Plastic and Male Sexual Dysfunction 50 Shades of GreensPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out the corresponding blog post Erectile dysfunction and diet as well as tomorrow’s video. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penile-bone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/penis-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-selection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/richard-dawkins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tanning-beds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/watermelon-as-treatment-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/50-shades-of-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/survival-of-the-firmest-erectile-dysfunction-and-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bpa-plastic-and-male-sexual-dysfunction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/19946602/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11424148,
PLAIN-3149	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/	Produce, Not Pills to Increase Physical Attractiveness	If dietary carotenoids contribute to a normal healthy skin color, why not just go for the quick fix and take a pill? Because, it doesn’t work. A paper published last year looked at how effective kale was at increasing carotenoid concentration in the skin. As you can see, compared to placebo there was a significant rise in carotenoid concentration in both the forehead and the palm during kale supplementation. And you can see that they were still significantly above baseline even two weeks after they stopped the kale. What if instead of the sugar pill, though, you tried beta carotene pills, leutein pills, mixed carotenoid pills. They didn’t work. Here are the three carotoid supplements each mixed in with the placebo—nothing happened. And here’s them mixed in with the samples of kale.They conclude that “The higher increase in the skin may possibly be caused by the fact that the antioxidant substances in the skin act as a network, protecting each other against degradation, caused by free radicals. Vegetables, fruit, and natural extracts, which contain a cocktail of different carotenoids protect tissues such as the skin more efficiently than high doses of single synthetic carotenoids. “This indicates that the antioxidants in the skin protect each other in an antioxidative network. They all work together in greens to help keep your skin healthy and beautiful.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And be sure to check out Golden Glow as well as the corresponding blog post Optimum Nutrition Recommendations. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I have found this to be personally true in my own observations. In addition to eating copious greens throughout the day, we make a daily green smoothie with the following ingredients (one could add fruit, but we do not want the extra fructose as we eat fruit separately):Green Smoothie Recipe-spinach (1/2 cup) -kale (1 cup) -parsley (1/4 cup) -cilantro (1/4 cup) -watercress (1 cup) -lemon juice (1/2 lemon) -orange zest (1 orange) -avocado (1/2) -red cabbage (1/4 cup) -almond milk (1 cup) -matcha green tea powder (1 t) -ginger (one small piece)Anyone else have any glow-ful recipes to share?Wow! That’s a SUPER Green Smoothie! I’m interested in trying it but do not have one of those fancy-schmancy super blenders to make this workable in my blender (really just 1 cup of fluid and a bit of lemon juice will blend all of this into a smoothie?). Reading the ingredients, though, I know I’d be tempted to add some sort of fruit to sweeten it up (and to ensure that others in my household would even try it).Yeah I would probably do so as well :P Maybe some applesIn addition to the above, we have a daily green juice (no fiber) before breakfast. We do not juice any hi-glycemic index veg or fruit (i.e. carrots, apples). The green juice ingredients are:Green Juice RecipeBlack kale, 2 cups Red cabbage, 1/4 cup Parsley, 1/4 cup Cilantro, 1/4 cup Romaine lettuce, 4-6 leaves Endive,1 small head Watercress, 1/2 cup Escarole, 1/2 cup Flax seeds, 1 T Green pepper, 1/4 Ginger (small piece) Lemon (1/2)Michael, I am having trouble understanding your voice on many of the video. There is too much resonance or something. Can you check this and see if electronically your voice can come through more clearly? its like you are speaking too close to the microphone.Thank you for your feedback Darrell! Was it like this on this video for you? I know there’s some problems with the older (volume 1) ones. Took me awhile to get it right. I’m hoping to be able to go back and rerecord some of the oldies-but-goodies, but I’ve just been so overwhelmed putting together new content (a new video a day is quite the challenge I’m finding!) that it may be awhile :(Dear Dr. Greger,Is there is any evidence that an effective natural skin cream can be made out of dark green vegetables? Or would absorption be an issue?Apart from attractiveness, are there any other outcomes associated with higher carotenoid levels in the skin? It would make sense that they should act against UV damage, and therefore reduce skin cancer risk?I love juicing with kale. A few handfuls of kale, a little bit of apple sauce (to cut bitterness of kale), half a banana, stalk of celery, flax meal and sometimes some frozen mango pieces. It’s great!Thanks for the great recipes! I have only been using baby spinach in my green smoothies with apple and banana, I will try some of yours.What is the best way to eat kale? Raw or cooked?raw kale can be goitrogenic- better to lightly steam it, especially if you have a thyroid issue or marginal energy at times.Michael, The sound on this video is quite understandable. It is a little “thick” and it reminded me of earlier ones more “thickly fuzzy”, and I was just using this opportunity to give you a heads up. Actually, the earlier items were understandable and I managed the information easily by listening two or three times.So, I don’t think any video needs to be remade, especially in view of your looming tasks. I turn 80 in a few months and am in very good health but, since singly managing my life with limited resources and energy, I regret that I can contribute only well-wishes to your enterprise. I am a thankful beneficiary, big time.NO REPLY DESIRED.DarrellAlso be sure to check out my associated blog post Optimum nutrition recommendations!I’d like to see this topic covered in a more functional way. Example: I take acai and amla in pill form as well as blend smoothies, eat salads etc. This study only tested synthetic carotenoids which implies undesirable stereoisomers and no mix of natural phyto chemicals. Let’s see what natural, standardized supplements offer compared to the whole-food standard.At 0:55 you say “the answer is produce not pills”. Why didn’t you comment on the additive effect of taking supplementation with produce? This seems especially interesting given that supplementation alone was no better than placebo.Our LUTEIvg works better that any fresh veggy. Steve Petvai bgtinc@ymail.com. Thanks for writting about Kale.Smile, Say Kale!– 1 bunch organic* green/red curly kale, de-stemmed (if large stems) and torn into pieces – juice of half a lemon – 3 cloves garlic, minced – pinch black pepper – pinch sea salt – 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeastRemove the bulk of the stems from the kale by holding the thick end of the stem and sliding your hand toward the skinny end. Shred the kale into pieces with your hands and place kale in a large bowl. Top kale with remaining ingredients except yeast and massage everything together until kale turns bright green, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in nutritional yeast. Serve cold.*Kale may contain pesticide residues of special concern so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php~Complements of lovestobeveganCertainly, diet is fundamental to good health. Agreed. When looking at your studies, I noticed that various supplements used in comparison to placebo were, in fact, synthetically produced. Can you provide a link to which supplement brands were chosen for these studies? (I’d certainly want to avoid those ineffective brands! Lol). Have you any studies comparing organic, plant-based nutrients extracted from real food without the use of high temperature, or caustic chemicals that would kill a living thing? In other words, shouldn’t a nutrient be **alive** to improve life?. Is it your understanding that all supplements are created equal? – regardless of manufacturer?I love you, Dr. Greger. You are so sexy! Another blockbuster 1 minute video!Will this actually work? Or just theoretically…I’m a youngish man with very pale skin. I eat spinach and some brocolli among other veg almost every day and i’ve never noticed a change in my skin colouration.How much exactly would be needed to make my skin a yellowish colour, without getting carotenemia?I think the key is if you go out in the sun, the tan will be a special glow.I think Dr Greger has the coooooolest voice — a n d – that little … kind of exasperated/humorous lilt to the voice topped up with just a hint of the ironic – yes – I agree with Esther4 – kind of a sexy – helps that the knowledge is so ‘bang-on!’Thanks for the video! Very interesting!Kale supplementation: significant rise of 30% (estimated number from looking at the graphic;carotenoids in skin of forehead; one month of intake compared to placebo which didn’t change carotenoids concentration in skin) [img]http://i.imgur.com/eU9h5VS.png[/img]3 carotene pills were tested for increasing carotenoid-concentration in the skin: [img]http://i.imgur.com/RFKYMmR.png[/img] Now what does that mean?‘Placebo beta carotene’, ‘placebo carotenoids’, ‘placebo luteine’ – obviously they are the different placebos compared to real beta carotene, real carotenoids and real luteine.Ok, you explain by voice: placebo beta carotene means: Beta Carotene pill, mixed with a placebo sample beta carotene means: Beta carotene pill, mixed with kale supplementationNow here it gets interesting:There seems to be a big effect of pills + kale (kale I guess can be replaced by carrots or tomatoes?)! -> more than 50% rise in concentration with carotenoid-pill (compared to the 30% rise above with kale alone) -> more than 75% rise in concentration with beta carotene pill -> more than 140% rise in concentration with lutein-pillMoral of the story for me: single ingredient stuff does not work alone but it very much enhances things when you add real vegetables. (Every health conscious person on earth probably eats veggies too..). So more different ingredient stuff works probably also better. And especially: greens (supplements that get the vitamins out of real food). Also of course take the pills when you eat a veggie meal (I give the powder over the whole meal of the day with like 1000 grams of veggies). Also another study I read showed that fats are very important for the absorption, so I take it with a full meal (that of course has fat in it ).Big question to make this more concrete:– How much Kale did they use?– What were the dosages of the pills?– What is the link or title of the study?	beta carotene,greens,kale,lutein,physical attraction,phytonutrients,skin health,supplements,vegetables	Kale works better at boosting antioxidant levels in the skin than synthetic beta carotene, lutein, and mixed carotenoid supplements.	Here are some other videos on antioxidant dietary supplements: Antioxidants and Depression Enhanced Athletic Recovery Without Undermining Adaptation Antioxidant Rich Foods With Every Meal Food Antioxidants and Cancer Food Antioxidants, Stroke, and Heart DiseasePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And be sure to check out Golden Glow as well as the corresponding blog post Optimum Nutrition Recommendations. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Also, check out my associated blog posts: Acai to Zucchini: antioxidant food rankings, Preserving Vision Through Diet, Optimum Nutrition Recommendations, The Anti-Wrinkle Diet, Treating Sensitive Skin From the Inside Out, Diet and Cellulite, and Improving Attractiveness in Six Weeks.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/06/26/improving-attractiveness-in-six-weeks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lutein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/physical-attraction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhanced-athletic-recovery-without-undermining-adaptation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-rich-foods-with-every-meal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20558286,
PLAIN-3150	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/golden-glow/	Golden Glow	The reason. the peacock looks like this and the peahen looks like this, is because of sexual selection. The females prefer males with the most elaborate displays. How does this make sense evolutionarily? How can appearance offer insight into the health of a potential mate.Having such ornate, excessive plumage is risky. The poor peacock can hardly get off the ground. And this is hardly effective camouflage against predators. And so the fact that the peacock could survive despite such costly ornamentation offers a sense of how robust the bird’s genetics must be. So natural selection might favor females attracted to that sort of thing.So are you just born attractive or not? Well some species use diet to increase their sexual attractiveness. Great tits prefer carotenoid-rich caterpillars which play an role in plumage pigmentation; their breasts become brighter yellow, which is more attractive to potential mates, and a signal of how good they may be at procuring food and is a reflection of their health status, since yellow carotenoids like lutein are so health-promoting. So scientists wondered if the same phenomenon could be found in the human species.Published in the International Journal of Primatology, “Facial skin coloration affects perceived health of human faces.” “The face plays a significant role in human interactions, including mate choice.” So the researchers took digital photographs of caucasian men and women and allowed people to turn a dial to manipulate various color values until they came up with what they perceived to be the healthiest looking color, and both men and women preferred increased yellow, the proverbial golden glow. In other words, "greens to be gorgeous."“We suggest that the healthy appearance of skin yellowness may be attributable to dietary carotenoid deposition in the skin. This suggests that carotenoids, which are involved in health signaling and sexual selection in many species of birds and fish, may also affect the appearance of health in humans.In fact “It is a popular view that suntanning enhances the healthy and attractive appearance of Caucasian faces, but this research suggests that any benefit to health appearance from tanning is due to the associated increase in skin yellowness, and that if you separate it out people actually prefer the lighter but yellower skin, so better than a tanning bed to improve our healthfulness and attractiveness is a bed, of greens.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the 30 other videos on phytonutrients. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them as well!As much as I want to thank you for that email you sent me about your site, I think I’ve spent more time here watching videos that studying for med school this weekend!Haha,just kidding but this website has great and informative stuff! I’ve already shared with nearly everyone I know.A healthy addiction I can assure you! :) Hopefully some decent clinical nutrition will help your future patients more then all the Kreb’s cycle reiterations combined. Please do share the site with your colleagues and let me know if you have any questions as you progress through training.Which foods are best for this healthy glow ?? :)Nouh nailed it–see below! :)dark greens ;) ??!Dark green leafies indeed! More at http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/ (and in the video today I specifically call out kale!) Incidentally, I’ve greatly increased my kale consumption over the last three weeks. Yay.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Optimum nutrition recommendations!Omg, I eat spinach!! Now it makes a lot of sense all the flirty looks I get when I buy groceries, yay.Do you have any idea of which carotenoids in particular may have this effect? Thanks!If your looking for good whole plant food sources of carotenoids, orange flesh sweet potatoes, greens and carrots can provide more then enough carotenoids to see this effect.Great tits?This is giving me pause…I have no desire to have orangy/yellowy/tan skin…particularly on my face. What about the coveted alabaster in centuries past…. maybe the yellowness of the skin was chosen in these studies because of changed in cultural preferences.Anything special for facial pigmentation and melasma?Look, this is serious. If it becomes known that eating healthy will make you more attractive, then we may well have the key for adolescent dietary improvement that could well alter the health profile of generations to come. Teens are immortal. At least I was at that age but being more attractive to women. WOW! I went with WFPBD for all the mundane things like avoiding arthritis, cancer, heart disease, et cetera. Had I known sooner about becoming a “babe magnet” I almost certainly would make it to 100+….I can’t believe you actually managed to talk about the breasts of great tits. Bravo	ethnicity,evolution,greens,lutein,physical attraction,phytonutrients,sexual selection,skin health,tanning beds,vegetables	How to be more attractive by eating carotenoid rich fruit and vegetables rather than tanning for healthy looking skin.	Some recent videos on carotenoids include: Eating Better to Look Better Antioxidants and Depression Produce, Not Pills to Increase Physical AttractivenessPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the 30 other videos on phytonutrients. Also, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/10/flaxseeds-for-sensitive-skin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ethnicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-selection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lutein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/physical-attraction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tanning-beds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-better-to-look-better/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/19946602/,
PLAIN-3151	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/too-much-iodine-can-be-as-bad-as-too-little/	Too Much Iodine Can Be as Bad as Too Little	In this study of Boston vegans, concerns were raised about their iodine status, but one vegan’s iodine level was so high, they were excluded from the study. How is that possible? They were consuming kelp. As I’ve written in my iodine recommendations for a decade now, unless your neighborhood nuclear plant just melted down, no kelp—it just has too much iodine. And if you find yourself in Namibia, you might want to stay away from paddleweed as well. Other than that, though… and staying away from hijiki, which has too much arsenic, sea vegetables are an excellent source of iodine.There’s been a few recent case reports of iodine toxicity in breastfeeding women eating soup made from kelp, also known as kombu, which explains this: Iodine toxicity from soymilk. Why? because it was made with kombu, but if you just read kombu on a label would you think anything of it? Well we should. There was a worldwide recall, complete with headlines like Café raid seizes banned soymilk. “A black market trade was operating in the banned soy milk even though they faced half million dollar fines.” Bonsoy has since been reformulated without kombu.The other way you can get in trouble with your thyroid gland, is if you eat too many of them. Hyperthyroidism caused by excessive consumption of sausages. After tests of the sausage revealed levels one might find in a starting dose of a thyroid hormone drug like synthroid, they “”concluded that this patient had an exogenous hyperthyroidism caused by excessive intake of thyroid-containing sausages."	See yesterday’s video about getting enough iodine, and the corresponding blog post How much pus is there in milk? As always, feel free to leave any questions you may have below.I get that Kelp affects the thyroid-but what is hypothyroid? Do you think it is effective to treat it with a measured amount of kelp instead of drugs? (If you get the blood tested to see the effects?). And just how much kelp will “hurt” you? If you “od” on it one day (darn I am drinking smoothie with kelp in it now!) then it will leave your system eventually, right?After seeing these videos I stopped using kelp but I apparently did not eat enough other seaweed because my TSH and LDL levels were high on my last blood test. After doing some research I found Lynn Farrow’s book about iodine. Again the medical “wisdom” of the day is wrong. Iodine is needed in greater quantities because of the toxic halogens the environment. Traditionally Japanese people ate much more than the recommended amount of iodine in foods and perhaps that is why their breast cancer rates were so much lower. There is a protocol to supplementing iodine because of halogen detox side effects. Iodineresearch.com has some information.OK, so this is the one that mentions kombu. Clearly kombu can be of concern and I’m glad you have posted this video now. I’m low on my kombu and may not be replenishing it.I still don’t think my question is answered, however. The video clearly says to stay away from eating kombu a lot. I’m trying to figure out if this would be too much or not: A sheet of 2×4 inches of kombu in a pot of grains. And then that pot of grains or beans gets eaten over the course of a *week*. Is that too much iodine? Not safe?Also, does all kombu have too much iodine or are there certain brands which are safer?Here’s why it matters to me: Your videos make it clear that it is vital to get enough iodine. I don’t like (and am rarely compliant about) taking pills, so I’d like to get my iodine from my diet. I do like nori, but I’m still not clear on how much nori I have to eat and I’m wondering if I have to eat X sheets of nori every week (day?) or if I can mix it up by putting some kombu in a pot of grains or beans. Would spreading out that little bit of kombu over the course of a week be just right or is that still too much?Thanks!I’m bothered by the same question. How much is a gram of kelp? I use kombu to cook grains and given it’s divided between a bunch of people and is cooked into the food, I don’t think its an issue.Thank you for the question JJ. My favorite questions are the practical ones! Please see my video Avoiding Iodine Deficiency for specifics on quantities.Dr. Greger –I’m a big fan of tuno salad sandwiches (basically mashed garbanzos in place of tuna). I add some kelp granules to give it that “seafood” flavor.I use about 1/4 tsp of the granules per sandwich, which according to the label is only about 50%DV of iodine.Is this much kelp still too much?VeganRyan: Any chance of posting your tuno recipe? Or pointing me to the book that has it? (Sounds good to me!)I wonder if ground up nori in place of kelp would give it the same flavor? My city has a vegan restaurant which serves “phish and chips”. Put aside for a second the unhealthy nature of fried food – what they do is pretty cool: the fish part is tofu slabs. The batter part includes ground up (I think) nori. This ground up sea food (of some kind – now that I think about it, I should ask which kind) really gives it a perfect fishy flavor. I liked the taste and the idea lot. Your tuno idea really intrigues me. Thanks if you get a chance to share the recipe!I basically combine the recipes from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s “The Vegan Table” and the Happy Herbivore website (http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/mock-tuna-salad/). I use my favorite ingredients from each recipe, and omit a few.The mashed garbanzos are an awesome visual and texture replacement for fish, and of course are much healthier. Enjoy. :-)Thanks!If that’s just 50% of the DV, then it would just be 75 mcg. Sounds like a great way to get your iodine. Can’t wait to try your recipe! Nice to have a sandwich and not worry how much brain damage the mercury is causing: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/Hi from New Zealand – I’ve just signed up. Thank you for all the work you put into providing these excellent little videos! – I look forward to watching more. I read the comments and have similar questions – I clicked ‘Supplementary Information’ hoping it would lead to detailed info as a follow up/background to the video. Is that generally provided? Or links to study the issues further? I am on PLant-based Wholefoods, and get my blodds donw regularly to monitor zinc, Vit D (I’m low), B12, iron,etc (I’m high). My GP,(MD), tested me for iodine and I was low. She recommended supplementing. I prefer to take seaweed instead of the drops. The test is convoluted so it would be difficult to test regularly for ongoing monitoring. How can I find out the optimum amounts and types of sea vegetables to eat?Welcome aboard Radhasahar! Please see Avoiding Iodine Deficiency for details on the specific iodine content of various sea vegetables, and if you want more information about any of more tha 1,000 different topics click here: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/Excellent video. Personally I take a daily supplement of 150mcg iodine, since I don’t like adding a lot of extra salt to my meals. And I’m staying away from kelp. ;]I have also heard: ‘Iodine for hypothyroidism: like gasoline on a fire?’http://twitter.com/#!/chriskresser/status/115748267156975616 links to studiesAre there Iodine only supplements and are they effective to take? Also, is there any vegan supplement that provides 100% DV of B12, D and Iodine all in one for those of us that eat only whole plant based foods?I’m trying desperately to get my mother to change to a vegan diet because of her heart issues, diabetes and cancer! She is doing really well with it so far, but because she had her thyroid removed many years ago, she’s afraid to eat kale, broccoli or anything in the cabbage family. (iodine related problem I guess)My question is…is it true that cabbage family foods need to be avoided for people who are on thyroid medication?There are natural substances in a wide range of healthy foods (including cabbage family vegetables, soy, flax seeds, and a hundred other plant families) that can interfere with thyroid function in those with inadequate iodine intake. The answer isn’t that we should avoid these super-healthy foods, but instead make sure we get enough iodine (the anti-thyroid effects are reversed in iodine deficient individuals with iodine supplementation). See my videos Avoiding Iodine Deficiency and Pregnant vegans at risk for iodine deficiency.Now your mom is a special case. The mechanism by which these substances are thought to work is by inhibiting iodine uptake by the thyroid (so this is why if you’re iodine deficient this can be a problem, but if you have enough iodine your thyroid gets all it needs even if you’re eating lots of these healthy foods–though one can overdo it, see Overdosing on Greens). Your mom doesn’t have a thyroid gland, so there should be no effect of cabbage family vegetables since she’s taking pre-made thyroid hormones in pill form.Can the efficacy of the thyroid pills be reduced by consumption of cabbage family vegetables at the same time as taking the pill?Over the last year I have had a lot of hair falling out, so am taking a supplement for hair growth. I decided to take an iodine supplement based on past experiences of low thyroid and because I eat a lot of greens that are said to interfere with thyroid/iodine function, and also a fair share of sea vegis. Now I am wondering if I am overdoing it. Any ideas? A few years ago I took a 24 hr iodine test and it came out ok. I think I’ll drop the iodine supplements.Please view this video for details on avoiding iodine deficiency. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/My family and I eat lots of beans. I buy Eden Organic beans and I’ve noticed that they all list kombu as an ingredient. Should I stop using this brand?Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Optimum nutrition recommendations!I found the URL to the site of the report featured in your video: https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2010/193/7/iodine-toxicity-soy-milk-and-seaweed-ingestion-associated-serious-thyroidBut it only shows a few people who were affected by consuming soymilk with kombu.  It is unclear whether combining soy with kombu was the problem.  Some researchers would argue that soy consumption could have contributed to the thyroid problem.  I am wondering how many other people who have been consuming just kombu without exhibiting iodine toxicity as reported in the video.Is one bag (454g) of kelp noodles a day too much?Actually, Doc, my nearest nuclear power plant DID melt down! (I live about 100 miles south of Fukushima Daiichi). Happily, we were spared dangerous levels of contamination.But seriously, this kombu business… How long does iodine stay in the body? I do ingest kombu from time to time, but it is in small amounts, such as when I make vegan dashi soup stock by boiling a bit of kombu and several shitake mushrooms. Once a week? perhaps less? I really don’t think iodine is an issue, even if I get more than enough iodine on one given day. How long is it in my body? A few days?As for shijiki… really? Eden foods has posted an excellent English language article about this which sites evidence (by scientists in Ibaraki – my fair prefecture – that the alleged arsenic levels may be due to the acidic compounds used to test for it. And In addition, this is not something we in Japan eat very much of, and not even daily. Perhaps a spoonful with a bento lunch once a week? I don’t know of any reports of actual harm being done to Japanese consumers due to eating small amounts of the stuff. Certainly, the meat and dairy consumed in Japan is a far larger concern, don’t you think?As you point out, sea vegetables contain many beneficial nutrients. I don’t over do eating them (as Americans seem to do with many foods) and until hard evidence suggests otherwise will not refrain from consuming them.Thank you, with respect and great appreciation for all you do to bring us the latest in scientific knowledge about nutrition.Are you concerned about the sea vegetables and mushrooms in Japan these days? http://zesterdaily.com/world/should-you-avoid-post-tsunami-seafood-from-japan/Please give me Your opinon on liquId iodine concentrate vs levothroxine for thyroid treatment . rx 2 or more drops in water per day. or .50mg levothroxine. Have been tested t3 t4 tsh. Close to a plant based diet. LOTS OF SYMPTOMS! NEITHER seem to help much with symptoms! THANKSDr. Greger, I am reading Kathy Hester’s book “The Great Vegan Bean Book” in which she states that beans in the kidney bean family should be boiled for 10 minutes — including cannellini beans — to rid them of “a toxic agent, phytohaemagglutinin, also known as kidney bean lectin” What does this toxin do? And do you agree with her remedy?Presently taking 1/8th teaspoon of kelp powder from plants grown in an Iceland bay away from shipping lanes. That amount has a bit more than the US RDA. Taking that with an equal amount of chlorella powder to bind any heavy metals which might still be in the kelp. Does that sound legit?Eden Black Bean soup has Kombu Seaweed, should we avoid it?I’ve heard that soaking kombu in cold water for a few hours, which the prefered way of making dashi, releases virtually no iodine. Is that true? I then thow away the kombu and use this subtle fragrant water to cook beans, soups, gravies and breads. I can’t find any reliable information about this claim and therefore ask for your insight.Off topic: I’ve been following several of the recommendations on this site for about 2 weeks now (more changes in the pipeline), and I’ve noticed a completely unexpected benefit – my persistent (but minor) tinea has almost disappeared without any ointment, powder, or even cleaning attention. Wow!Which of the things you were doing do you think positively affected your tinea? Thanks.Sorry, false alarm. It isn’t bad, but it hasn’t gone away completely yet either. I have changed so many things around the same time that it is difficult to know what caused what. But I still think all these dietary changes have been for the better :)Arame appears on the chart as a possible good middle level iodine content seaweed. However, it is a type of kelp according to the wikipedia article. Kelp is shown as dangerous. I’ll search for the source of this chart.Should these journal articles (cited in this video) be more freely available to the public? I found the article on Nutritional Value of Edible Seaweeds but I need to subscribe at $549 US.What is the iodine content of arame? What’s a good amount to consume daily?This guy claims that cranberries contain iodine, http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/iodine-foods/ 4 ounces = 400 mcg of iodine. If this is true, cranberries might be easier than seaweed.I am not sure about cranberries and their iodine content. I wrote about sources, here. Yes, I would agree that berries grown away from the coast would have less.I must be one typical example of this situation. Since a few years ago I have high TSH (about 6 to 7 mUI/l, normal is below 4), normal T3 and T4, thyroid ultrasonography normal, no symptom at all…. this year I did a ioduria test (on a 24h urine sample) and the result was 1332 mcg/l (normal is below 300). I used to eat a lot seaweeds, especially during my frequent travels to Japan, I do not see any other possible cause (I’m a long term vegan), so now I’m refraining as much as possible from eating seaweeds and taking essential oils to keep TSH to a more normal level. I do not have any anomaly apart from a somewhat high cholesterol (for a vegan: 1.92 g/l TC, I was between 1.20 and 1.40 before), which is also a known effect of hypothyroidism. Hadn’t I did the TSH test, I would never have suspected something was out of order, having no symptom at all.	food poisoning,food recalls,foodborne illness,hijiki,iodine,kelp,kombu,nutrition myths,organ meats,plant-based diets,processed meat,safety limits,sausage,sea vegetables,soy milk,supplements,thyroid disease,thyroid health	Excessive intake of kelp (kombu) or thyroid-containing sausages can lead to iodine toxicity.	For more videos on iodine, see: Can Gargling Prevent The Common Cold? Which Seaweed is Most Protective Against Breast Cancer?See yesterday's video about getting enough iodine, and the corresponding blog post How much pus is there in milk? As always, feel free to leave any questions you may have below.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kelp/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sausage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hijiki/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kombu/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organ-meats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sea-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-recalls/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15588380,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21613354,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21276114,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20308711,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20919974,
PLAIN-3152	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/	Pregnant Vegans at Risk for Iodine Deficiency	The mineral iodine is important for thyroid function, but during pregnancy is critical for fetal neurological development. Even a mild deficiency can impair cognitive ability.The derogatory word cretin, was originally a medical term describing those with stunted physical and mental development due to an untreated congenital iodine deficiency. It remains one of the most common preventable cause of brain damage worldwide, because of iodine deficient soil, which is why most table salt is iodized.“Iodine can also be found in dairy products due to iodine supplementation of cattle feed and it leaches into the milk from the use of iodine containing disinfectants to wash the udders, dip the teats, and clean the milk tanks out with. Dipping the teats in iodine can decrease the bacteria concentration, but in cows with staph mastitis can actually increase the pus content in milk as much as 60%. Regardless, “The iodine content of dairy products contributed by sanitizing products may not be well regulated and may not be a nondeliberate source of iodine, but it is a source of iodine nonetheless.These considerations therefore “raise concerns about the iodine status of pregnant women and women of reproductive age who are not consuming dairy products.” So, last year they concluded, “Iodine levels among U.S. women should be monitored, particularly among subgroups at risk.” Good idea, so this year they did it: “Iodine Status and Thyroid Function of Boston-Area Vegetarians and Vegans.” How did they do?One way to measure iodine status is with a urine test. The World Health Organization recommends we should average a 100 micrograms more in our urine, unless we’re pregnant in which case we’d really like to see it up around 150. This is where vegetarians came out, not bad: “U.S. vegetarians are iodine sufficient.”What about the vegans? 78.5. That’s not good. The findings suggest that U.S. vegans may be at risk for iodine intake.Therefore: “vegan women of child-bearing age should supplement with 150mcg of iodine daily.”The best new resource for those planning a plant-based pregnancy is probably Vegan for Life by Norris and Messina, released July 2011. 	See the corresponding blog post How much pus is there in milk? For details on exactly how much iodine we need and the practical tips on the best way to get iodine (without the pus), check out one of my earlier videos: Avoiding Iodine Deficiency.this isnt really related, but how does this make you feel? http://www.fastcompany.com/1775047/nestle-chairman-skeptical-of-growth-in-organic-food-market makes me a little queezyThanks for pointing that out–do you want to repost that comment in one of the organic foods videos? Maybe in Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off? That way people interested in organics won’t miss out on your post!Dr Greger I have a friend who drinks low fat soy milk at home but skim milk cappuccinos when out because she is worried that the full fat soy milk they have at cafes has too much fat (she is watching her weight). What can I tell her?You may want to send her the link to Hormones in Skim vs. Whole Milk so she can be fully informed before she makes her decision.i will!Dr. Greger, I’m a pregnant vegan taking a prenatal vitamin that supplies 150 mcg of iodine. Am I still at risk for deficiency? Thank you!As the good doc pointed out, prenatal vitamins have folic acid and iron which may harm your baby.Please also check out my associated blog post Do Eden Beans Have Too Much Iodine?My bride and I very, very seldom add “salt” to our foods. to supplement our iodine intake, we take “sea kelp”. Don :-))Hi Don, I hope all is well with you and your family, more than nine months later! I eat kelp occassionally but only recently learned it has enormous quantities of iodine. From the numbers I’ve seen 100g dried kelp can have about 60 000 mcg of iodine (not quite a fatal dose, but way over the recommended upper limit). I’ve chopped my dried kelp into hundreds of stamp sized strips for a daily tab. I also soak the kelp a bit before using to remove the occassional ‘crunch’. I assume that lowers the salt content but probably not the iodine.Dear Dr. Greger, I am 4 weeks pregnant and i’m vegan. I have watched your videos and I am concerned about iodine and vitamin B12. I eat a healthy varied diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and other legumes. Should I start taking vitamin B12 and iodine supplements? What do you suggest? Thank youCongratulations on your pregnancy! According to the above video, it sounds like all of us vegans should be supplementing our diets with 150mcg of iodine daily.Dr. Greger has lots of videos espousing the importance of supplementing a vegan diet with B12, especially when pregnant (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/). This video (http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/25/vegan-b12-deficiency-putting-it-into-perspective/) can give you some more context, and for the B12 Dr. Greger recommends, see this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/He says to take one 2500 microgram sublingual, chewable, or liquid supplement of cyanocobalamin once a week.Hope that helps! :)Tommasina: Nice post! I’ve been appreciating your participation on this site. Thanks!thank you very much !Dear Doctor Greger, do you have any data on whether alcohol free beer is safe during pregnancy? The data in internet is quite contradictory. Many thanks in advance.What about cranberries, seaweed or baked potatoes, aren’t those good sources of iodine? I will probably start eating cranberries everyday again like I used to.I’m currently vegan and 10 weeks pregnant. A vegan nutritionist told me about iodine supplementation. When i mentioned it to my endocrinologist (i have hashimoto’s thyroiditis) , he said that her information was completely false and the supplements wouod kill off my thyroid even more. (The nutritionnist coaimed the opposite, that my dose requirement of synthroid wouod go down). Who’s right? I don’t want to harm my baby or my thyroid!! How likely will i have caused cretinism in my baby since i listened to the endocrinologist so far? :( Thank you	breast milk,breastfeeding,cretinism,dairy,infants,iodine,Jack Norris,mastitis,milk,nutrition myths,plant-based diets,pregnancy,prenatal vitamins,pus,staph infection,supplements,thyroid disease,thyroid health,Virginia Messina,women's health,World Health Organization	Disinfectants used to sanitize cow udder may provide a source of iodine for dairy consumers but can also increase the concentration of pus in milk from cows with staph infection mastitis.	Here’s some more info on iodine in the diet: Can Gargling Prevent The Common Cold? Which Seaweed is Most Protective Against Breast Cancer?For details on exactly how much iodine we need and the practical tips on the best way to get iodine (without the pus), check out one of my earlier videos: Avoiding Iodine Deficiency.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/05/do-eden-beans-have-too-much-iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/08/how-much-pus-is-there-in-milk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/virginia-messina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mastitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/staph-infection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jack-norris/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prenatal-vitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cretinism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-seaweed-is-most-protective-against-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20554903,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21613354,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18922193,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20172469,
PLAIN-3153	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-versus-aricept/	Saffron Versus Aricept	The spice saffron beat out placebo in this randomized double-blind study, but Alzheimer’s patients aren't on sugar pills, they’re on drugs like donepezil, sold as Aricept. If some drug company wanted to release a new drug, they’d have to compare it not to placebo, but to the current leading treatment, and why should it be any different with flowers? “A 22-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind controlled trial of saffron in the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease, saffron versus AriceptHere are the results. In a graph of cognitive dysfunction, the circles are saffron, the triangles are the leading drug that costs about $2000 a year and associated with all sort of side-effects. Can you tell the difference? Saffron worked just as well as Aricept, which is to say not very well at all, but remember what untreated Alzheimer’s patients look like? They get worse; the reason drugs are prescribed is to just slow down the progression of Alzheimer's, so we still have a long way to go, but saffron appeared to work just that as well as the leading drug, and without the side-effects.	See the prequel to this video, Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s, the corresponding blog post, Natural Alzheimer’s treatment and leave any questions you have about this exciting research below.I noticed on WebMD, they say a specific saffron product will help with Alzheimer’s. Does it need to be this product from Iran? I noticed the study is by Iranian researchers. Here’s what WebMD said: “Alzheimer’s disease. Some research shows that taking a specific saffron product (IMPIRAN, Iran) might improve symptoms about as well as the prescription drugdonepezil (Aricept) over 22 weeks of treatment.”Thanks!So 15mg twice a daqy. Is there any evidence for its use as a preventative for those of us with family history?I second that…Is it preventative? Thank you:)I just checked it out on Amazon. Saffron would cost about $200 for a year. That’s only 1/10 of aricept and apparently it helps with cholesterol as well. Probably full of antioxidants as well. You can’t lose.It is exciting to discover that something as simple and reasonably-priced as saffron would work equally as well as Aricept. It would be a bonus if it helped to lower cholesterol as well – a win-win situation for prevention of both conditions. Keep up the good work.Love the idea of using saffron. As an FYI, Aricept went off patent Nov 2010, and a generic (donepezil) is now available in some places (although NOT from my mother’s insurance provider, who still charges as if they are selling the on-patent drug!) as cheap as $10/month. But who would want the generic drug, if saffron provides the benefit without side effects?30 mg transposes into about how many stigmas per day?Each flower yields 7mg dried saffron, and I think there are 3 stigmas per flower, so 30 mg should be about 13 stigmas. There’s research on saffron and infertility, cancer, PMS, obesity, and erectile dysfunction. I’ll be rolling out more videos evaluating the latest science on spices–stay tuned!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable!Question for you, Dr. Greger: Just viewed a lecture on the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii’s website by Steve Blake onAlzheimers. About 47 minutes into the lecture he reviews research on Ginko Bilobo, Gotu Kola, and saffron. he concludes that there is more support for the use of Ginko Bilobo and Gotu Kola than saffron. At his website, naturalhealthwizards.com is a book on the subject, which may contain more info. Am wondering if you have an opinion? Than you,The most beneficial probiotic organism overall is Bacillus subtilis natto, which produces dozens of beneficial chemicals including scyllo-inositol and subtilisin (nattokinase), which combine to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s better than saffron. The best food source of Bacillus subtilis natto is the Japanese fermented soybean food called, natto.If you suspect the onset Alzheimer’s, eat both natto and saffron regularly. The other beneficial chemicals manufactured by Bacillus subtilis natto include vitamin K2/MK-7, vitamin K2/MK-8, vitamin PQQ, vitamin C, pyrazine, gamma-polyglutamic acid, catalase, surfactin, conjugated isoflavone-phosphate, butyrate, unusual polysaccharides, glycolipids, hyaluronic acid, coenzyme Q10, and bacitracin Tracy.Bacillus subtilis natto has been shown in studies to feed and protect the lactic acid bacteria (lactobacilli and bifidobacteria), which manufacture many beneficial chemicals including butyrate, propionate, acetate, conjugated linoleic acid, conjugated linolenic acid, unusual polysaccharides, and lactic acid.If our diets contain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), then our lactobacilli and bifidobacteria can manufacture conjugated docosahexaenoic acid and conjugated eicosapentaenoic acid, both of which have been shown in studies to exert substantially greater health benefits than regular DHA, regular EPA, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and conjugated linolenic acid.Meanwhile, the bad bacteria manufacture endotoxins, enterotoxins, and free radicals which kill off the good bacteria and cause inflammation, cause diarrhea, and inflict DNA damage to human cells.Unlike lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, Bacillus subtilis does not have the ability to cling to our intestinal walls. Compared to the Japanese who eat natto regularly, Americans consume only about one-one thousandth as much Bacillus subtilis from their diets (mostly from raw green vegetables) but American intestines contain about one-tenth as much Bacillus subtilis as the intestines of Japanese who eat natto regularly. This indicates that Bacillus subtilis is strongly welcomed by the other good bacteria.	alternative medicine,Alzheimer’s disease,Aricept,brain disease,complementary medicine,dementia,medications,paella,saffron,side effects,spices	The spice saffron was compared to donepezil (Aricept), a leading drug treatment for slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease cognitive impairment.	Some of my more recent videos on Alzheimer’s disease include: Reducing Glycotoxin Intake to Prevent Alzheimer’s Preventing Alzheimer’s with Turmeric Treating Alzheimer’s with TurmericSee the prequel to this video, Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer's, and leave any questions you have about this exciting research below.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/06/natural-alzheimers-treatment/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aricept/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19838862,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20831681,
PLAIN-3154	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-alzheimers/	Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer's	The top killers in the United States are heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Number 5? Accidents. Number 9? Kidney disease. Number 13? High blood pressure. Now at 15? Parkinson's dosease. Over the last 50 years they’ve all stayed relatively stable. Except this one.Started out of nowhere just a few decades ago and now is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States of America. Whoa, what’s that one, coming from out of nowhere to become our 6th leading cause of death. Alzheimer’s disease. Last year it was the 7th leading cause of death. It keeps creeping up. Over the last decade or so been making some progress on some of the other top killers, but not Alzheimer’s.Enter… The saffron crocus. Saffron in the treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease. It was a double blind, randomized trial measuring cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimers patients, comparing saffron to placebo. Saffron is the female reproductive organs of the saffron flower, which you can buy as a spice.So what did they find? You give Alzheimer's patients placebo capsules, and as you can see, their cognitive dysfunction gets worse over time. That’s what happens in Azheimers, you get worse and worse, until you die. Unless, it appears, you spice up your life with a little saffonConclusion: “This double-blind, placebo-controlled study suggests that at least in the short-term, 16 weeks, saffron is both safe and effective in mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Larger confirmatory randomized controlled trials are called for.” Urgently, given the devastation wrought by this disease.But even if this study was a total fluke, what’s the downside of adding a little saffron to your diet, a spice that’s been cooked with for 3500 years. I don’t know about you, but if, God forbid, anyone in my family were ever to be diagnosed with this disease horror, I’d be cooking them paella.	See the corresponding blog post, Natural Alzheimer’s treatment, and leave any questions you have about this exciting research below. In tomorrow’s video-of-the-day, saffron is pitted against one of the leading Alzheimer’s drug treatments.By looking at the numbers, I would guess it’s related to something we introduced in our environment, water or food supply in the last 30~50 years. While it’s great to know that we have a natural treatment, it’s imperative that we keep searching (and very hard at that!) for the real causes behind Alzheimer’s disease. I’m very concerned about the subject as my uncle passed away last month from Alzheimer’s.I absolutely agree. It’s something that I will make sure to keep covering. See Dietary Theory of Alzheimer’s for one such theory.Thanks a lot Dr. Greger! I’ll it check out.I belive the cjd is the culprate for altzimers as it seems to have rased its ugly head at the time the farming industry finaly admited it had a problem with cjd but the governments decided that it must debunk the incidents of cjd in the developed world, just what caused cjd in cattle??? and what was the trigger for the outbreak of cjd and for how long was this condition in cattle??? and when was it realy identified if this was disclosed then we could back track and isolate the trigger and maybe reverse the problem but was it introduced wilfully to rid society of a rising aged population that governments could see as a burdon on the finances of countries and once there is a balance of young to aged then will these governments suddenly find a treatment ?????Love, love, love this. It continues to make the startling revelation that animal products are the cigarettes we never knew we were smoking. ♥You should make this into a quote, i really like that “Animal products are the cigarettes we never knew we were smoking.”So if Alzheimer’s started to escalate in 1980, what does this co-incide with? CJD and prions maybe? Environmental or viral factors? It is great that saffron helps, but something is affecting the population in the first place that wasn’t around before. This is very interesting. It can’t just be eating meat, dairy, eggs because people were eating all these things long before the 1980s. Is it the way food is processed now and the increase in fast food consumption, pesticides? I do hope there is much more research on this subject.is this suggesting to you that eating maybe organic meat, dairy and eggs may not be so harmful after all?Um, Reagan? “Government isn’t the solution to the problem. Government is the problem.” – Ronald ReaganThis is very interesting to me, as I work in home health care and hospice, often with Patients diagnosed with dementia. It’s sad how little the medical community focuses on diet and nutrition when it comes to disease and overall health. This is definitely a topic I’ll continue to follow up on. Thank you! http://eatplantsandrun.comThe only possible downside I see to this might be the cost, verified by the wikipedia entry: saffron is “the world’s most expensive spice by weight”. As per the info on the graph in this video, 30 mg/day is the dose. I can buy 1 Gm on amazon.com for a little under 20 bucks. This would provide about 33 doses. I’m sure that’s cheaper than Aricept!What is the recommended amount of saffron one should consume on a daily basis for it to be considered theraputic in the prevention of AD?The top “Sources Cited” link is dead. Here is the study summary:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20831681Thanks Mike–fixed!Terrific work here and throughout your site!I think there could be a “bean counting” effect here (no pun) in that small changes in the way in which one interrupts causes of death could influence these numbers – how does one actually die of Alzheimer’s – there are usually so many physical complications happening, death of a person with Alzheimer’s could potentially be placed under a number of categories. What could affect categorization? Alzheimer’s awareness, great funding needs for study of this terrible disease, political-legal reasons (if one dies of pneumonia for example, it could be the physician’s or hospital’s “fault”, right?)Then of course the population overall is getting older so naturally the rate of death per 100,000 people is “favoring” deaths of the aged. The logarithmic ordinate in the video is somewhat misleading in that the top three or four causes of death are so much larger, that a slight decrease in them has to be made up by some other category in the top ten (as the overall death rate is rather similar). I noted that “influenza and pneumonia” dropped down the most of any category (8.5% 2009 to 2010 by the latest CDC info from January 11, 2012 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm ) so I wonder perhaps if some of those deaths now appear as “Alzheimer’s”).What surprised me in that recent CDC data were the differences in causes of death by sex. Alzheimer’s is #3 for women and #10 for males – again an artifact of the difference in the age distributions? (Parenthetically incredibly #3 cause of death in males are accidents and #7 suicide across all age groups – anyone know dietary effects to reduce those categories?)So I don’t see convincing evidence that the disease process of Alzheimer’s is somehow accelerating by some new mechanism but certainly this is one common insidious devastating disease effecting patient and extended family without known cause or cure that needs a lot more attention.To illustrate the effect of “bean counting” on disease data, recently revised guidelines for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease would reclassify nearly all patients who are currently diagnosed with mild or very mild Alzheimer’s as having “mild cognitive impairment”, a new study finds announced this morning by TIME magazine’s Healthland: http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/08/why-a-new-definition-of-cognitive-impairment-may-confuse-patients/ So if you see numbers in the near future with Alzheimer’s disease essentially eradicated, it wasn’t necessarily a result of saffron mania.Saffron is only one component and merely a suggestion. If one is eating a whole foods plant base diet Alzheimer’s typically does not occur. It is a disease of diet. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/A recent 2011 study (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432811000325 ) shows, in vitro and in vivo (mice), it’s the antioxidant properties (rather than acetylcholine acetylhydrolase inhibition) of saffron that has the cognitive enhancing effect; crocetin, a crocin metabolite in saffron, appears to be a unique and potent antioxidant capable of combating oxidative stress.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable!Thanks for sharing this video. My mom reacted badly with Aricept, hence I have been looking for alternatives. This is a good lead. Would you know how much saffron to provide therapeutic value for people with dementia? Thanks!Dorothy, have you tried Namenda for your mother? It has helped my mom, who no longer benefits from Aricept.I love spicesDoes Saffron prevent Alzheimer? Does Saffron have any side effects?Most saffron comes in the tiny dried sprigs from the flower, any idea how many of those I should add to my mother’s smoothie?Ok, they toke 30mg / day in two divided (15mg) doses. A gram (1,000mg) of Saffron than would have 33 doses. I believe that works out to 10 threads/dose of Saffron, or 5 threads twice a day. Does anyone else agree, can confirm, or have a better number?Thanks for another great one! Yup, in addition to my mom, aunt and both sisters with breast cancer, and most all adults with heart disease and diabetes, Alzheimer’s was the cause of death for my mom and grandma, and though other cousins/uncles were diagnosed, they didn’t actually die from the disease. All while I have placed in 65 5K or longer races since ’06, 7th in the US in age group in 1500 meters. Go plants! All these dots are so connected, aren’t they?I want to buy saffron capsules or tablets. Could you give me a good recommendation of the best ones to get?There should be a average age of death line in there also. Yes the line goes up but so does the average life expectancy. There is a chance of diagnoses problem in that graph too. That sharp rise in between 1979 and 1986 is a result of a physician re-education campaign rather than a actual rise in true numbers. If one considers part of the rise after 1986 explained by longer life, and we ignore the diagnoses redefinition bumps in 1998 and the rise from 1979-1986, we are left with a markedly less frightening rise in true numbers from causes other than just higher median age of Alzheimer’s sufferers. All that remains is just a very flat and moderate rise if any.Maybe this is a dumb question, but if I want to use saffron threads to prevent dementia, exactly how do it I do it? Crush it? drink as tea? hide in a smoothie? or in hummus? Help!! What’s the “right” way to take 13 threads of it per day? Thanks everyone!Kathy: I’m no expert, but if I had to guess, I would think that the whole thread would be better than a drink made from the threads. In other words, it seems to me that any of your ideas, except the one about tea, would be perfectly good. ??? Just guessing.Thea, I put Saffron threads in cold water with a tea bag and some lemon. Why is putting Saffron threads in tea a bad idea ?Allan: I did not mean to say that a saffron tea is a bad idea. What I was trying to say is that if you could choose between a saffron tea and consuming the whole thread, then consuming the whole thread is likely to be better for you. I don’t know this as a fact, but am basing this on other examples and theories. For example, most people generally recognize that whole oranges are good for you, but orange juice, maybe not as much. Green tea is good for you for sure, but not as good as consuming the whole leaves (according to one NutritionFacts video if I remember correctly). The theory is that when you eat a whole food, you generally get more nutrients than an extract, and a tea is an extract. Now, maybe the saffron tea would have all the good parts you need. I’m just saying that the whole thread would for sure have all the good parts. Hope that makes sense. As I said, “I’m not experts, but if I had to guess…” :-)Did anyone else notice this study was done in Tehran (Iran is the largest producer of saffron)good observation. But drug studies are done by pharmaceutical companies who produce the drugs they are studying. just sayin’What about polio vaccine? Timeline is there…..For folks interesting in reading about Alzheimer’s I recommend Neal Barnard’s book, Power Foods for the Brain. It looks like a nutritional disease with some metals thrown in. Given the numbers and expense I’m sure there will be many studies coming out so you need to make sure you are subscribed to NutritionFacts.org for the latest studies.Dr. Greger, regarding Saffron, I don’t know if you have reviewed this study yet from 2014 regarding Saffron’s carotenoids’ effectivness against prostate cancer cells in an ‘in vivo’ mouse model? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4037572/pdf/BMRI2014-135048.pdfQuestion about saffron: Several years ago my elderly mother was on Aricept when we learned about saffron from Dr. Greger. We switched her to 2 15 mg doses per day, and she has been doing well on it. However, the last year or so, the product we were using has been unavailable. Now what I mostly find is “saffron extract” or “satiereal saffron extract” instead of whole saffron. Apparently Dr. Oz touted this as a weight lose product, and so now that is what is produced mostly; am not sure if this is a reasonable substitute for whole saffron. My Mom is unable to pick up and take whole stamens, it really helps her to have it in pill form. The version that came closest to what we were using is “Full Spectrum saffron 15 mg” but my confidence in it is not high; it is mostly a grey powder with some specks of yellow-orange. It’s hard to know what to trust; my Mom’s cognitive abilities are suddenly declining rapidly, and so am looking for a trustworthy product. Use “saffron extract”? Keep using the product she is on? Use something else? Any help appreciated! Thank you so much.working at it: I can’t speculate about whole vs extract when it comes to saffron. But I have an idea for you: If you want to give your mom whole saffron, but in pill form, you can make your own pills. There are some cool “machines” that let you do it. I was thinking that you could buy whole saffron, grind it up to make a powder, and then put it in the pills. Just an idea.Here’s an example of a machine that is affordable and which someone I know really likes. You will want to research pill sizes before you purchase. This brand comes in 3 sizes. http://www.amazon.com/Capsules-Capsule-Filling-Machine-capsules-included/dp/B008CH0OV8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427222315&sr=8-1&keywords=capsule+machineHope that helps!Stephanie NelsonApr 7, 5:30 PMSince sugar is what cancer cells use for food is eating white potatoes and rice (which become sugar because they are starch/carbohydrate) a bad idea? Does the type of sugar they become increase cancer cells?Dr, A friend steered me to your videos about saffron in treatment of Alzheimers…my wife has AD – I am very impressed with the results of the studies you site. What would be a good way to deliver the Saffron to my wife on a regular basis; ie, how much to give her and in what form? Also wanted to point out that in the graph you showed about the rather sudden appearance and increasing rate of fatality with AD it occurred to me that AD is effecting Baby Boomers at a much greater rate than any other age group. Is this true? Also one possible explanation for the sharp growth track of AD is that Baby Boomers are from a spread over about 20 years (’48 through ’68?) and as the latter born transition into their 70’s the AD is catching up with them. So it appears as if there is a skew in that regard…maybe? Have there been any AD studies that look for rate of occurrence in say the front half vs the back half of that generation or in subjects of the preceding generation? This might help in determining some real factors explaining the rather sudden appearance of AD.Hi Dshehan, Thanks for your questions. The group was taking 30mg or Saffron capsules daily for 16 weeks. Have you seen Dr. Greger’s videos on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). ? Dr. Greger might cover more on AD statistics in his longer videos on AD. See if those help and let me know if you run into further questions.	alternative medicine,Alzheimer’s disease,brain disease,cancer,cardiovascular disease,complementary medicine,dementia,heart disease,hypertension,kidney disease,lifespan,longevity,mortality,paella,Parkinson's disease,saffron,spices,stroke	In a double-blind study, the spice saffron beat out placebo in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease dementia symptoms.	Here are some more recent videos on Alzheimer’s and dementia: Reducing Glycotoxin Intake to Prevent Alzheimer’s Preventing Alzheimer’s with Turmeric Treating Alzheimer’s with TurmericLeave any questions you have about this exciting research below. In tomorrow's video-of-the-day, saffron is pitted against one of the leading Alzheimer's drug treatments.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/30/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/23/increasing-muscle-strength-with-fenugreek/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/06/natural-alzheimers-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saffron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-with-turmeric/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-glycotoxin-intake-to-prevent-alzheimers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-alzheimers-with-turmeric/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20831681,
PLAIN-3155	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/	Avoiding Epilepsy Through Diet	Another review last year confirmed that pork tapeworms taking residence inside our brains “is a significant public health issue within the United States.” At first though clinical diagnosis can be challenging. Initial presentations of the disease are often vague complaints like headaches, weakness, dizziness, high blood pressureIn terms of treatment, in a series of more than a hundred cases published this year, although antiparasitic deworming drugs were found effective, about 10% require brain surgery, what’s called open craniotomy where you have to go in and basically just dig ‘em out.They can get in your muscles too. This is a x-ray of someones leg and you can see how infested it is, and that’s why we can get it from pork, because it gets in the muscles.But what if you don’t eat pork muscles? Well, I say this to all the smug nonpork eaters out there: if we can find pork tapeworms in the brains of orthodox jews in Brooklyn, we can find pork tape worms in anyone.They weren't sneaking off for schnitzel. It was their pork-eating domestic houseworkers preparing their food. When they tested 1700 members of the local synagogue 1% tested positive. The researchers suggested that those “to be employed as domestic workers or food handlers should be screened for tapeworm infection via examination of three stool samples for tapeworm eggs.So for those of us that want to avoid the number 1 cause of adult-onset epilepsy, we may want to not eat pork, and not eat anything made by anyone who eats pork.	Check out the prequel to today’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day, Pork tapeworms on the brain, and please leave a comment if you have any questions for me about this important public health issue.Hi Michael,Thanks for bringing up this important topic. Is it any easier way to check if you’re infected, like a blood-test?Unfortunately the only ways to absolutely diagnose these brainworms is by taking a brain biopsy, actually seeing the head (scolex) of the tapeworm on CT scan or MRI , or direct visualization of the parasites behind your retina in the back of your eye with a fundoscopic examination (where we doctors shine a bright light in your eye).Now there are lesions as I showed in yesterday’s video-of-the-day highly suggestive of this disease, but neuroimaging studies are not without significant cost and risk. Bottom line is that if you’re experiencing neurological symptoms of any kind you should see your physician (or a neurologist) for a neurological exam and evaluation for further diagnostic testing.How does the parasite get onto the hands? From touching raw pork meat, or cooked meat also?Or do they eat infected pork meat and it some how oozes out into the hands? :)There are two primary methods of transmission: eating the tapeworm eggs in undercooked meat or exposure to an infected person’s fecal matter (one of the reasons we should all wash our hands after using the restroom!). You don’t want to know how well food service workers wash their hands.WOW o_OThat is disgustingly shocking! I’m going to be much more discerning as to where I go out to eat… heheAfter watching many of your videos i want to be tested for every ailment and contamination there is!how would I be able to get tested for tape worm? would insurance cover it?Does that mean that if the meat is well cooked you won’t get infected?Growing up in an Orthodox Judaism household taught my mother that even well cooked pork was dangerous and forbidden. Passed down was simply not to eat pork. Period.My family and I have been living the plant-based lifestyle for two years. Occasionally, my kids (13 & 10 yrs.) come home from their friend’s houses talking about how they miss eating ham and bacon. I just showed this video as part of their health lesson. It’s official, they will never complain about not eating pork, again.THANK YOU!!!I had a seizure in Aug and another one in March. I have had an EEG, MRI and CT scan. They have not been able to find anything wrong with me … but I have been told that I need to take meds (with many side effects). I have also had my drivers licence taken away for at least 6 months because of the seizure, making me unemployable. I do not eat meat and try not to eat any animal products, although my family members do not do the same. Suggestions? What can I do? What can I ask the neurologist to have checked?Hey Sammie, I don’t have any experience with this but happened to come across this video of a guy who had seizures a lot and switched to a fruitarian diet and says he is practically cured. Worht a look and good luck! Let me know if this helps and how it pans out if you try it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OnWdHSYD5QHi Michael, I have a dilemer in that my mother is suffering from some form of photo sensitive epilepsy which no one seems to be able to sort out as the doctors she speaks to seem to know very little about it themselves. She can have a seizure from anything shiny or water sparkling or anything flickering making it almost impossible to use a computer or go out on a sunny day. She only started getting these after being prescribed drugs for her palpitations but the doctors are overlooking this fact and not really helping her. I keep trying to get her on to a completely plant based vegan diet as i think this will help but although she doesn’t eat much meat she does eat fish and eggs etc. Do you have any advice at all that might be able to help? Thank you so much. PaulHi Paul, hope you don’t mind if I jump in. I think our good doc is up to his ears writing his new annual talk! Anyway, that is super disturbing to hear that these symptoms appear to be a side effect of a new medication :( Can you get a second opinion for your mom, perhaps with an Electrophysiologist (a special kind of Cardiologist who has expertise in palpitations and various treatments?) And YES, you are right on track that it might be helpful for your mom to increase her plant intake and decrease her fish intake. Diet can improve palpitations and irregular heart rhythms in general. Here’s one of my favorite Dr. G. pieces about diet and atrial fibrillation Hope this helps your mom!	brain disease,brain health,brain parasites,brain surgery,cysticercosis,dizziness,epilepsy,food poisoning,foodborne illness,headaches,hypertension,Judaism,neurocysticercosis,New York City,parasites,pork,seizures,tapeworms,weakness,zoonotic disease	Avoiding pork tapeworm parasites (cysticercosis) is not as easy as just avoiding pork.	Also check out these related videos: Superbugs in Conventional vs. Organic Chicken Norovirus Food Poisoning from Pesticides Foster Farms Responds to Chicken Salmonella Outbreaks Chicken Salmonella Thanks to Meat Industry Lawsuit Is Meat Glue Safe? MRSA Superbugs in Meat Ciguatera Poisoning & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome C. difficile Superbugs in MeatCheck out the prequel to today's NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day, Pork tapeworms on the brain, and please leave a comment if you have any questions for me about this important public health issue.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-city/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurocysticercosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cysticercosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dizziness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epilepsy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seizures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weakness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/judaism/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=7485700[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20957978,
PLAIN-3156	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pork-tapeworms-on-the-brain/	Pork Tapeworms on the Brain	The most common cause of adult-onset epilepsy in the world is called neurocysticercosis, which literally means, pork tapeworms curled up inside your brain.A review last year out of the Mayo clinic describes the problem. Cysticerci, meaning the larvae, create cavities in the human brain and other body tissue where their tiny bodies grow sometimes into tapeworms 2 to 7 meters in length and can live up to 25 years in the human body. 7 meters means 23 feet long.On MRI, so-called wormholes appear.On CT scan, there can be so many in the brain at one time, it can appear similar to a starry sky.Each star is a fluid filled cyst with the beginning of a living, growing tapeworm inside.This is what they look like on autopsy.This is what their face looks like. They have these rings of hooks to grab onto your brain tissue.Earlier this year a review was published by the CDC on the “public health implications of cysticercosis acquired in the United States. “Pork tapeworms on the brain has emerged as a cause of severe neurologic disease in the United States "Even after pork tapeworm larvae infect your brain, some people remain asymptomatic their entire lives, while others can go for years without symptoms and then “suddenly become very ill with seizures, headaches and other focal neurological deficits as the larvae multiply within the nervous system and other tissues and can cause sudden death just due to the pressure buildup in the brain.	This continues the brain theme from Thursday’s Avoiding Cholesterol is a No Brainer. Tomorrow’s NutritionFacts.org video will highlight how even those who abstain from pork may be at risk (i.e. if Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn can get pork tapeworms, anyone can get pork tapeworms).So you tell us about it but not how to get rid of them!!Elaine: All you need is Dr. Greger’s Patented Worm-Away® for 3 easy installments of $19.95.Just kidding! :)I will address medical and surgical options in tomorrow’s video. Sorry I’m keeping you in suspense! I’ve been told by my web guru friends that I should never make a video longer than 2 minutes because people evidently won’t watch it? So that’s why sometimes I split a single topic into multiple videos.Of course the best answer to your question is by not getting it in the first place. 28 grams of prevention is worth 0.45 kilograms of cure :) More on this tomorrow–thank you so much for tuning in. Watch more videos on foodborne parasites here.re: “…I should never make a video longer than 2 minutes because people evidently won’t watch it?”That’s just silly!! I forwarded one of the longer videos (I think it was 5 minutes) to a friend and she watched it without it being an issue. Your videos are so fascinating that people get hooked quickly. You may have to hook people very quickly, but after that, the length of the video is irrelevant. Well, maybe 1 hour is too long for the web…Please don’t skimp on information based on the 2 minute advice. If you make people have to click onto several different pages to watch multiple videos on the same topic, that is going to be much more of a detriment to getting the information out there than having a single longer video.That’s my 2 cents. No scientific studies to back it up though. :-)I found mention of this “study” which suggests 90 seconds–yikes!I’m with you, Elaine. Tell us now how to get rid of them, please.Thank you for your question ladeevee–please see my response to Elaine above.Please tell us what are other potential sources for the tapeworms?I believe the three most common tapeworms are from pork (Taenia solium), fish (Diphyllobothrium species), and beef (Taenia saginata).Shake your head vigorously for several minutes 1-2 times a day :-Dyou have a computer… research this condition and educate yourself on how to eliminate this conditionstart here: http://cmr.asm.org/cgi/content/full/15/4/747There is a 2010 update but unfortunately it’s not free (open access).Tapeworms happen only when the meat is not well cooked or is there still a risk even well cooked?There are two primary methods of transmission, sylvia: eating the tapeworm eggs in undercooked meat or exposure to an infected person’s fecal matter (one of the reasons we should all wash our hands after using the restroom!). You don’t want to know how well food service workers wash their hands.The other white meat indeed!Wow, this is incredible scary! Is there any evidence that eating a vegetarian diet can inhibit the growth of these tapeworms?Thanks for this website! It is a huge helpful daily reminder to kept on track with the vegetarian lifestyle!A question: how to get cysticercosis? From vegetables that received pork wast OR eating pork meat?I’m rather confused – happens more often lately – but I thought that (1) pork tapeworms, for the most part were gone from our food supply and (2) tapeworms lived in the stomach rather than in the brain. :-))I quit eating pork years ago when I found how nasty it truly is. I still ate beef chicken and eggs. Now im more into the vegetarian life style. but after watching this I don’t think I want to eat at food places any more. I don’t want worms in my brain yuckHi, I am a 26 year old woman from Norway. Could you please give me some advice on how to proceed in testing for Neurocysticercosis, and also treating it. Can it come from other sources as well?I suffer from the symptoms you mentioned in an article I read. I also have MCS and severe chronic fatigue. Could this all be related?Hoping for your very soon replyKind Regards Malin B.A.Norway	brain disease,brain health,brain parasites,CDC,cysticercosis,epilepsy,food poisoning,foodborne illness,headaches,Mayo Clinic,neurocysticercosis,parasites,pork,seizures,tapeworms,worms,zoonotic disease	Neurocysticercosis, infection with pork tapeworm larvae brain parasites, is an increasingly serious public health problem in the United States, potentially causing headaches, dizziness, seizures, other neurological disorders and sudden death.	Check out these videos for more about other food-borne illnesses: Superbugs in Conventional vs. Organic Chicken Norovirus Food Poisoning from Pesticides Foster Farms Responds to Chicken Salmonella Outbreaks Chicken Salmonella Thanks to Meat Industry Lawsuit Is Meat Glue Safe? MRSA Superbugs in Meat Ciguatera Poisoning & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome C. difficile Superbugs in MeatThis continues the brain theme from Thursday's Avoiding Cholesterol is a No Brainer. Tomorrow's NutritionFacts.org video will highlight how even those who abstain from pork may be at risk (i.e. if Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn can get pork tapeworms, anyone can get pork tapeworms).	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurocysticercosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cysticercosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epilepsy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mayo-clinic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seizures/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-meat-glue-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/norovirus-food-poisoning-from-pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/foster-farms-responds-to-chicken-salmonella-outbreaks/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20957978,
PLAIN-3157	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/	Do Doctors Make the Grade?	For me, the most disturbing finding in the latest update on last year on the status of nutrition education in U.S. medical schools, was that  compared to the last survey in 2004, the percentage of medical school instructors who think more nutrition education is even needed dropped, from about 9 out of 10 down to about 8 out of 10. Is it possible that doctors think they know more than they really do? Doctors may think they know enough about nutrition, but do they? Doctors were asked a list of simple questions on diet and cardiovascular disease.  Some simpler than others. True or false, does walking and gardening increase physical activity levels?  (95% got that right). Good. On the other hand 71% of health professionals and final year medical students, incorrectly thought that avocadoes had cholesterol.So,  how did they do overall?What was the average test score of doctors on question relating to diet and cardiovascular disease. Did they get an A+, 97-100% correct? If so, maybe they don’t need any more nutrition training. Or did they just get an A, A-, B, C, C-, D or an F, even, under 65% correct.What do you think?They didn't get an A, B, or C. Or even a D. 64% correct. They failed.	Anyone have any stories of doctors failing to understand basic nutrition? I’m almost afraid to ask. Make sure to check out my previous video on the subject, Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance, as well as my blog today, “Physician-assisted suicide: when doctors give nutrition advice.”6 months after my boyfriend and I adopted a plant-based diet (after reading the China Study) he had his annual aviation medical. When he mentioned to the doctor that he was now eating mostly plant foods and was essentially vegan, he expected to hear at least some encouraging remark about how much better his heart health would be and how that might allow him to keep his commercial pilot’s license for a longer time, etc. However, the doctor only commented that “a study showed that a vegan diet causes a reduction in intelligence with aging and is a bad idea”. Fortunately, the doctor didn’t see ‘being vegan and suffering a gradual loss of intelligence’ as an impediment to passing the aviation medical…maybe that’s because the medicals are based on measurable indicators of health!Not that we believe it, but do you know if such a study actually exists?Please ask that doctor for the study to which s/he refers. Or at least a citation? Too often I’ve found my colleagues just making “stuff” up, counting on patients to be deferential, unquestioning, and submissive (even though doctors may know less than their patients about nutrition).Certainly if folks aren’t getting enough vitamin B12 that can be a problem, but the longest running study on vegetarians in human history found that those eating meat (including poultry and fish) appear to have three times the risk of developing dementia compared to vegetarians.I have lots more videos on cognition. Maybe s/he was thinking about the tofu study?In mid 2008 my second child was about 9 months old. I was tiered and feeling bad so I went to my OB. She ran a blood panel and told me that I had PCOS. I didn’t agree so I did some research. It was pretty obvious to me based on the symptoms that I had insulin resistance, but most likely did not have full blown PCOS. I further researched diet and treatment and found that the medicine she wanted to put me on (Metformin) was not something I wanted to take for a long time. I made another appointment to speak with her and asked her about the nutritional research I did. She told me that changing my diet would most likely not do much good for this problem and that I just needed to take the medicine. I was shocked. How could something like insulin resistance not be treated by diet??? I began exercising again and drastically changed my diet and I haven’t had any more problems.That is so fantastic Rachel! News studies have indeed found that a healthy diet can both successfully prevent and treat insulin resistance. You know I should really look into doing a video on PCOS–I’m surprised to look at the topics list and not find it. There are a bunch on diabetes, though, if you’re interested.Thanks for posting the video. Lack of nutrition knowledge among physicians is a serious problem in this country. Most are unable to truly counsel patients with CAD, HTN or cardiometabolic risk, and 1 or 2 sessions with a dietician is insufficient as patients need reinforcement and specific advice at each visit. There is no one solution, but here are my thoughts (from a cardiologist with 2 degrees in nutrition): More intensive nutrition education in medical school, delivery system redesign that incorporates non-physician providers trained in diet and lifestyle counseling, and another round of Nutrition Education Academic Awards from the NIH/NHLBI.I would like to say I’m shocked. But I’m not.Great video Dr. Greger, pathetic results!As I’ve been getting healthier over the last year, one of the conditions I have battled is that of high triglycerides which for the last two decades averaged over 1,000. Yes I consider myself lucky to still be here and as of late my levels are now coming in at around 400. Still too high but getting better.My doctor’s recommendation for treating this at first was Lipitor. After having my gallbladder removed about 18 months ago I had finally awoken, changed my diet radically and now eat no meat or dairy products and consume very low levels of fat. I took myself off of 12 out of 13 medications I had been taking and was feeling better than I can ever remember.When I went back to my doctor a year later he was impressed with my achievements but still saw that my triglyceride levels were too high. Knowing how I was trying to use natural methods he prescribed Niaspan for me. However I could not stand the flushing effect if created so he then put me on Lovaza (fish oil) for omega-3 EFAs. After a while I could no longer stomach that either so I took myself off of it.What really perturbs me is that during this entire course of diagnosis and treatement he never once mentioned anything about nutrition. It was not until seeing Jeff Novick’s Oil to Nuts DVD that I learned about the ridiculous levels of omega-6 saturation that Americans have and how the body only has so many enzymes available to convert omega-6 and omega-3 into their usable parts. Could it be that my omega-6 levels were so high that the omega-3 was not working? Was my body too saturated with omegas?I don’t really know yet but I am feeling better. However, I am afraid to go back to my current doctor to get more of the same bad advice and drug remedies. I need to find a doctor who understands nutrition AND allopathic medicine.Very inspiring, keep up the great work and don’t forget to spread the word.Thank you Nouh, I appreciate your support! I myself went vegetarian about 18 months ago, then turned vegan about 1 year ago. Since the vegan phase, I have lost 109 pounds total however, I still have about 65 pounds to go to get to my goal weight of 170. I sleep better, have way more energy, and much better focus. I exercise around 2 to 6 times per week depending on my work schedule.Congratulations on your accomplishments as well! I am trying every day to spread the word through blogs, Facebook, face to face discussions, etc.That is amazing congrats on the weight loss. I’ve been a vegetarian for 12 years now and gone vegan off and on, but it’s time to do it for good and I hope to drop the weight just like you are doing.Thank you so much for taking the time to share this story. I wish I could say that it was atypical, but unfortunately nutritional ignorance (and then often the arrogance to not admit they just don’t know) is all too common my my profession.In terms of your triglycerides it sounds like you’ve made some tremendous strides but may need to go the extra mile and cut out refined grains. See my Great Grain Robbery and associated videos.And please write back to give us an update!This is why I don’t understand how doctors tout the most respectable nutrition advice. Someone like myself with a degree in nutrition couldn’t hold peanuts to a doctor. However, I hold a bounty of knowledge in regards to preventive disease. Where’s my parade?Virtual confetti for Eric!: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * :)My boyfriend has been on a plant-based diet since May 14th, the day he saw “Forks Over Knives” (I am already vegan). He went for his annual check up two weeks ago and he told the doctor that since seeing the documentary and reading “The China Study,” that he had become vegan. His Harvard educated doctor, although very smart, had never heard of the China Study! My boyfriend’s numbers came back and his cholesterol and dropped 60 points and his blood pressure is very good. Maybe this will teach the doctor something! We are sending him a copy of the study.Thanks for your wonderful website.Oh, LouiseF, you just made my day! Thank you so much for sharing your story. You know, people always ask me to recommend a doctor knowledgeable about healthier eating, and I advise them to stay with their current doc and teach them!Doctors have good hearts. They really do want to see people get better, but may be situated within a system (such as managed care here in the States) that demands they see 5 patients an hour and may feel all they have time to do is whip out their prescription pad. The most convincing thing to a doctor is not a book, movie, or website, but one of their own real-life patients getting better before their eyes. Doctors are so resigned to the notion that chronic disease patients will just continually get worse, that when they see the kind of clinical reversal of disease that can accompany lifestyle change, that is what’s going to get them to apply that knowledge throughout their practice. Just think how many people your boyfriend helped by showing that doctor the power of a healthy diet.I am indebted to Dr. John McDougall for pointing out that the doctors may actually have been technically right! Avocados do have trace amounts of cholesterol. How trace? Based on a cited 1975 study, one avocado may have up to 0.6 mg of cholesterol. To put that in perspective. one big egg has more cholesterol than 371 avocados. That… is a lot of guacamole.I know a cardiologist who has got high blood pressure and high cholesterol, he is overweight ( and is trying to lose it) and what scares me the most is that he has got more “customers” than probably all the nutritionists in the building ( there are many ). Since becoming a vegan, I’ve never been to a doctor, which surprises all my family and makes them think about the reasons ;)I remember one doctor my hubby had she was very overweight and every step she took sounded like she was going to collapse from breathing so hard. Though she didn’t tell my hubby about any kind of nutritional advice surprise surprise lolThanks Dr Greger! Is there a way to find out what the other questions were? I’d be dying to know how the drs answers the other questions and would love to share this in some talks that I give about nutrition. I would love to get a lot of these studies, but paying $30-45 for each of them can get quite expensive over the long haul. any chance you could email or post the remaining questions on this survey?Thanks shaniI’m so glad you didn’t spend the money. Unfortunately they just gave a sampling of questions in the paper. I’ll try contacting the principal investigator and getting the full test–thanks for your interest Shani!Thank you so much Dr. Greger! I hope the full test also shows how the drs answered the questions too. This could be great entertaining info for my talks on nutrition! I’ll await your reply. My email is shanasyy@yahoo.com if you can send it to me. Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I just can’t figure out how you have time to do all that you do! But….you’re the greatest!Dr Greger, I too am highly interested in the questions and range of answers in this study and am hopeful you can obtain them for our perusal. I second all of Shani’s sentiments.Huge thanks for your efforts! Joel PS. I neglected to check the comment feedback box. Please forward further comments or check it for me. Thanks again.The situation in Italy is probably even worse than in the USA. We don’t have an official document on vegetarian and vegan diet, like the ADA one. Mainstream doctors and nutritionists in TV still talk of lack of protein and iron, old myths. I heard stories of all kind on doctors’ advices, just mention one saying that beans are bad if you have diabetes. Medical degree (6 years) doesn’t include a serious nutrition course, only a very basic course. Luckily we have a great scientific vegetarian society gathering many physicians, but we talk about small numbers and low visibility, nothing like PCRM! The effect of this ignorance is that Mediterranean diet has become a terrible diet based on white pasta, bread, animal products, and vegetables as side. Few beans and nuts. A good point is that we surely have less commercial junk foods than you and probably some higher quality standard in general for food.Molto terribile! I’m actually putting together a few videos about the Mediterranean diet, so stay tuned. And benvenuto Stefano!When I had a significant coronary blockage, both my internist and cardiologist recommended a prompt stent procedure. My own research led to Dr. Esselstyn’s Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. When I asked my docs about the dietary treatment, neither had heard of Dr. Esselstyn, and both said not to bother. I did bother and reversed my symptoms almost immediately. 18 months later, a follow up nuclear heart scan showed no blockage. My cholesterol dropped from the 290’s to now the 130’s. My LDL from 212 to 39.My internist was interested and referred one of his surgery colleagues to me for (successful) similar intervention. My cardiologist was not interested, and speculated that perhaps the initial diagnosis was somehow wrong – despite clear symptoms and a positive nuclear scan. It’s true that you will “never convince a man against his salary.” Amazing.I have no doubt that the state of nutrition education for medical professionals is lacking universally, but how should we understand the implications for U.S. doctors of a study in Cape Town, South Africa? Might U.S. doctors do better?Not surprising- Basic doctor education is without direction- its overloaded with medical information- a lot of them just have to cram and forget a good deal of it. One common year with wide experiece to judge which area is right and then specialisation should be the norm- then only general doctors need great general nutrition training- other areas might specific nutition training.You asked about stories of doctors not knowing basic nutrition. After being diagnosed with colorectal cancer 27 months ago, I switched to a macrobiotic approach for health. I have re-learned about nutrition and its importance. All along the way, primary physicians, gastro doctors, oncologists, and every doctor I have met has no clue about nutritiion for health, and for healing. They instead act with narcissim, arrogance and snootiness. I spent an hour talking with a hospital nutritionist about why the hospitals diabetic diet menu creates diabetes. I don’t think it fazed her at all.I am a certified nutrition Coach, and Holistic Health Therapist and My client came to me asking about my weight loss/health program which incorporated whole foods with proper supplementation and she felt the need to ask her doctor and he advised her that seeing me would not benefit her. I was blown away by the Doctor’s response!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Nutrition Education in Medicine: a Doctor a Day Keeps the Apples Away!6 months ago my endocrinologist doc strongly recommended statins because of my high cholesterol,atherosclerosis and Berkeley heart lab lipid profile. I responded that i will make lifestyle changes recommended by Dr Greger to become vegan instead. He strongly opposed my preference and dutifully noted in writing his prescription and my refusal to adhere (a CYA letter-Cover Your Ass) Now six months later I’m 40 lbs lighter, my triglycerides and cholesterol are now within the low end normal range, my glucose levels have normalized and the Berkeley lipid profile indicates a tremendous shift away from the bad (small ldl lipids) that build ip as atherosclerosis. Go vegan, eat your flax and chia, Take your d3,b12,magnesium, probiotic,coq10, eat garlic and of course…eat your broccoli! Thanks Dr G !!!!I hope you have shared your outcome with the physician you mentioned. You might also include the other benefits you have probably noticed… your blood pressure is probably improved as well. You could recommend s(he) read The China Study. Physicians given the systems they work in have a difficult time keeping up with the literature and often don’t see the folks who have had dramatic improvement due to diet as they don’t see physicians very often. Congratulations on your success.I saw my doctor drinking coca cola… oh and when I was a child she recommended for me to eat potato chips and drink coke for diarrhea. I bet there is better source of sugar and salt then junk food.Given the current environment most physicians work in it is very difficult for them to learn about the advantages of a the best nutritional approaches. I had some training in Medical School but that was in the 1970’s… fortunately we have learned alot since then. Your physician probably doesn’t know about the benzene and phosphorus in soft drinks. I find keeping current is easier if you follow NutritionFacts.org and other good commercial free sources such as PCRM and John McDougall’s monthly newsletters. You are correct there are much better sources of sugar and salt for treating diarrheal illnesses.	avocados,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,exercise,heart disease,medical education,medical profession,nutrition myths	Doctors and other health professionals were put to the test for their nutrition knowledge regarding diet and heart disease.	For more videos on doctor’s nutritional education, see: Doctors Know Less Than They Think About Nutrition Medical School Nutrition Training Nutrition Education Mandate Introduced For Doctors Medical Associations Oppose Bill to Mandate Nutrition Training California Medical Association Tries to Kill Nutrition Bill Nutrition Bill Doctored in the California SenateAnyone have any stories of doctors failing to understand basic nutrition? I'm almost afraid to ask. Make sure to check out my previous video on the subject, Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/09/health-food-store-advice-often-worthless-or-worst/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avocados/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-profession/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medical-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-medical-association-tries-to-kill-nutrition-bill/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-education-mandate-introduced-for-doctors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-associations-oppose-bill-to-mandate-nutrition-training/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/medical-school-nutrition-education/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrition-bill-doctored-in-the-california-senate/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20105391[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20736683[uid],
PLAIN-3158	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-blind-spot/	Egg Industry Blind Spot	The egg industry loves to boast that eggs have these two compounds, lutein and zeaxanthin, that appear so protective against cataracts and macular degeneration. What the industry does is feed hens yellow corn, alfalfa, even marigold petals, anything to boost the egg content up to 166 mcg per large egg. So, they say, don't worry about about that whole cholesterol thing, eat eggs to protect your sight.Eggs can actually have up to 250, a cup of carrots, though, has over 1,000. A single serving of collard greens closer to 15,000 and a serving of kale tops the chart at nearly 24,000.One spoonful of spinach has as much as 9 eggs. For eye protection, the recommendation is to get 10,000 a day. So that’s like a third cup spinach or, 40 eggs, More than 3 cartons of eggs a day, every day.That’s nutrition unscrambled?Here are the top ten sources of these critical eyesight-saving nutrients. All greens. Eggs don’t even make the top 100 food sources. To get to eggs you have to scroll down a couple pages, and according to the USDA, come in right behind, Captain crunch with crunchberries.There are more phtyonutrients in crunchberries than there are in eggs.	For more on the egg industry’s misrepresentation of the facts, see my Avoiding cholesterol is a no brainer and Egg cholesterol in the diet videos on their scrambling of cholesterol science.Wow- fascinating!One question, though, why did you choose the second “egg” listing in the database (there is another one right below General Mills Corn Flakes)? Just wondering because that was the first “egg” that popped out to me…You don’t call yourself “eagle” for nothing! Great catch eagle-eyed, eagleraych–I didn’t even see that first egg listing! Wow, I’ll have to go back and re-count. Eggs may actually slip in to the top 100 after all! Thank you so much for catching that. I’m going to add this to the queue of videos that I intend on rerecording to correct these kinds of flubs–how embarrassing! I can’t thank you enough. In fact, if you email me your mailing address I will send you a complimentary copy of my latest DVD as a small token of thanks for you helping me improve the site.WOW, how could they do that? are they kidding themselves. Might as well be like, “yeah there’s protein so eat up!”This is a great video, showing how the animal food industries supplement their foods with traces of nutrients in order to be able to say that the foods are healthful (not how healthful) in one respect, despite their unhealthfulness.Thank you SO much for this information! I found myself at a party last week with an ophthalmologist who berated me for my plant based diet. She raged on about how I, and all vegans, would suffer macular degeneration. She reported that she’d seen it many times over the years with vegans. She told me that I had to eat 5 eggs a week to protect myself. I was at first upset, but then turned to you! Thank you for all your hard work and research. Seems we have another doctor who is not up on nutrition!I hate when doctors think vegans are deficient in an abundant nutrient!I am lucky to have found a Dr. who is vegan and understands (most of) these findings. I do however, have an accupuncturist who is also a kick box and Zumba leader. She says she loves my Dr. but is constantly asking me about getting “enough protein.” The issue has become uncomfortable and I am torn between trying to convince her and not going to her any more which hurts me, but the stress is really uncomfortable. Any ideas?This is a bit off-topic, but I have a question about an eye problem. A person who is very close to me has the eye problem explained below. My question is: is there anything that can be done about it with diet? Is the greens listed in the video going to help with this particular problem? Or is there another class of food this person can eat to help? Thanks for any help anyone can give.Problem: “glaucoma. It appears I need some kind of treatment for Elevated Intraocular Pressure (IOP). The pressure in my right eye is at 39, which is way higher than it has been. The left eye is normal at 15-16. The pressure became elevated after I had a posterior lens implant for cataracts in 2006. It may have been the wrong kind of lens implant. I don’t want to have a tube inserted into my eye to relieve pressure, because of the problems this can cause. I wouldn’t mind trying a laser treatment to relieve pressure but have been told by my ophthalmologist that since I have had other surgeries on my eyes for such things as cataracts and yag laser treatments, I am not a good candidate for this surgery. I have been having reactions to a wide range of IOP meds, such as Pilocarpine, Xalatan, Lumigan, Timoptic in Ocudose in a .5% solution, Istalol, Alphagon and Alapha. Drug reactions have included at various times: sleepless nights, tingling in fingers and toes, jitteriness, fuzzy-headed feelings, pain in my eye, nausea, diarrhea, to list a few. All symptoms go away when I stop using these eye drops. I would try the laser treatment, if someone was knowledgeable and optomistic doing it.”So, drugs are not working and she is rightly afraid of any more surgeries. Can diet come to the rescue?Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Bad Egg!Hello Dr. Greger:This information is very useful for me as I suffer from wet macular degeneration.  I have one question, though. when the industry says, assisted by some medical “experts,” that the lutein in eggs is more bioabailable than that found in greens, is it right?  Could you help me grasp the notion of bioavailability that my meat eating friends also throw around?ThanksArun MukherjeeSorry about the twice posted comment.  This is my first time posting and so I goofed.  But just want to add that this is a very important video for me as I suffer from macular degeneration, and, of course, get told to consume eggs and fatty fish.  I have been a vegetarian all my life and do not wish to change.I noted an odd thing in the data.  Although the data on the weights of the foods were not standardized so comparison is difficult, cooked spinach seemed to be a much richer source of lutein and zeaxanthin than raw (not surprising), but that did not seem to be the case for broccoli.  I know that it’s a crap shoot between nutrients being potentiated vs. weakened by cooking.  Have you noted any pattern between cooked vs. raw for these nutrients?  Thanks.I love your videos!Can you comment on the study released in August 2012 that compared the damaging potential of eggs for those at high risk for heart disease with smoking? When I mentioned this study, many people said that it was poorly designed and that the researchers have ties to big pharma.  What I don’t understand is how telling people that eggs can greatly increase heart disease for high risk patients is being equated to supporting big pharma. Can you shed some light on this?They’re equal in terms of nutrients–one is just larger. According to this list– http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR17/wtrank/sr17a208.pdf–it’s just that one of them is large and the other is extra large. Curiously, for no good reason that I can see, the USDA defines “medium,” “large,” and “extra large” eggs inconsistently with their public mass list.This a little off topic here but it is egg related. Has there been any research comparing pastured organic eggs to conventional eggs. I have often heard local food advocates make the assertion that there is and that pastured organic eggs are much better than conventional. I actually know someone who is an ex vegan who makes this claim along with pastured and organic meats. I think she has probably drank some of the Weston Price Koolaide but I wanted to know if there are any studies on the topic.Knowledge is king.Cool hand Luke could do it. Nobody else should even try.	breakfast cereal,carrots,cataracts,cholesterol,collard greens,eggs,eye health,greens,industry influence,kale,lutein,macular degeneration,phytonutrients,spinach,vegetables,vision,zeaxanthin	To help deflect criticism from the cholesterol content of their product, the egg industry touts the benefits of two phytonutrients, lutein and zeaxanthin, that have indeed been shown to be beneficial in protecting one's eyesight against vision threatening conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration. But how do eggs stack up against plant-based sources?	Here are some of my other videos on the health effects of egg consumption: Who Says Eggs Aren’t Healthy or Safe? Eggs and Cholesterol: Patently False and Misleading Claims Eggs and Choline: Something Fishy Eggs, Choline, and Cancer Eggs and Arterial FunctionFor more on the egg industry's misrepresentation of the facts, see my Avoiding cholesterol is a no brainer and Egg cholesterol in the diet videos on their scrambling of cholesterol science.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/10/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zeaxanthin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cataracts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lutein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast-cereal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/	-
PLAIN-3159	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/	Avoiding Cholesterol Is a No Brainer	The egg industry would rather blame the bacon or hashbrowns, railing against this myth that eggs are the most concentrated source of dietary cholesterol. And it’s true, they’re right. It is a myth. According to the official USDA nutrient database, in a list of the the most concentrated cholesterol sources, eggs are not #1, they’re number 2. Brains, are #1. Veal brains, cow brains, pig brains, lamb brains, raw pork brains, more veal brains and then eggs. Then more brains, eggs. Brains, brains, eggs, brains, eggs, eggs.The take home message? If you’re going to do veal brains? Pan-fried, definitely, not braised.What about omega-3 rich eggs? “The new type of eggs containing omega-3 fatty acids are still loaded with cholesterol,” the Director of the Stroke Prevention & Atherosclerosis Research Centre notes, “The answer is not to feed flax seed to the chickens, but rather to put it on the cereal and leave the chicken out of the meal!”The devastating new review published last year implicating egg consumption did not go over easy, with the egg industry. They countered that the overly restrictive 200mg upper safety limit for cholesterol intake that wouldn't even allow a single egg, is only for people at risk for heart disease, to which the lead researcher replied, most everyone is at risk of vascular disease—the only ones who could eat egg yolk regularly with impunity would be those who expect to die prematurely from nonvascular causes. In other words his famous “the only people who should eat eggs regularly are those dying of a terminal illness, because at that point who cares, you’re going to drop dead anyway.In their landmark review, they conclude, that waiting until your first stroke, heart attack, or diabetes diagnosis to avoid eggs is too late. They conclude: “Stopping egg consumption after a heart attack or stroke would be like quitting smoking after a diagnosis of lung cancer: a necessary action, but late.”	I guess only zombies are at higher risk than egg-eaters :)Please check out the corresponding blog post Bad Egg, and Egg Industry blind spot about the industry’s misleading claims concerning eye health.So what would you suggest as an ideal omega 3,6,9?I try to think in terms of whole food sources rather than nutrients (have you read The China Study? It has a whole chapter trying to make that point). I’d be happy to talk with you about ratios and percentages, but in terms of practical advice I’d encourage people to minimize their intake of the omega-6 rich oils (such as safflower, sunflower, and cottonseed, and all of the processed garbage manufacturers make with them), and try to eat healthy omega-3 rich whole foods such as walnuts and flax seeds every day. And especially for men as well as women who are expecting, breastfeeding, or even thinking about getting pregnant I would encourage consideration of taking an algae- or yeast-derived long-chain omega-3 supplement. Thanks for writing in, Eric. Keep the questions coming!The China Study? Yikes. That’s thoroughly debunked junk science.Eating fat does not lead to obesity or coronary disease, as the evidence indicates. And there is little correlation between total cholesterol level and risk for heart disease, contrary to the prevailing propaganda.You are on the mark KentAZ. We ate eggs, dairy for centuries with no effect on our health. It was only when our diet switched over to vegetable oils, sweet cereals and margarine that heart attacks became an epidemic. There has been scientific evidence that cholesterol doesn’t cause health problems since 1936 and we now know it’s necessary for brain function among other very important things. It’s also known that cholesterol from diet has little effect on our cholesterol numbers anyway so why all the fuss about what we are eating? It’s appearing that heart attacks are actually caused by inflammation which would come from carbohydrates like grains. Our own doctors are killing us by not keeping up with the evidence and keeping us on unhealthy diets as well as feeding us statins like candy. Statins have horrible side effects like severe leg pains and loss of memory and should be taken off the market.Who has debunked it? Weston Price? Chris Masterjohn, who has no nutritional education or background? Try again.“No nutritional education or background”….http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/about-cholesterol-and-health.htmlIs ground flax seed better than flax seed oil?I buy whole flax seeds and grind them in a dedicated coffee grinder each morning. Flax seeds are notorious for going rancid quickly, so try to avoid buying ground flax. If oil is more convenient for you, I recommend Barleans – found in the refrigerated section of most health stores.Just read a comment by the good doctor that states pre-ground is ok if kept refrigerated & in an air-tight container… :)Heidi, thank you so much for your question, and Precious, thank you for your answer! Yes indeed, please check out Just the Flax, Ma’am for my take on ground flax.can somebody elaborate on kenaz’s comment on debunked science of China study? I’ve no idea what he is talking about. I have thought of China study being rock solid…..what the heck is he talking about?The China Study was criticized by a paleo blogger, which is why many claim that it is “debunked”. Please see these 2+1 videos for clarification. http://www.plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/26/tpns-62-65-china-studies.html http://www.plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/27/response-to-denise-minger-4-china-revisited.html http://www.plantpositive.com/blog/2012/3/27/response-to-denise-minger-5-wheat-and-carbs.htmlGround flax seed is a whole food, so it’s much better than just the oil. The great things about whole ground flax seeds is the lignans content. I have two (big) table spoons a day and I feel great :)Well said, Nouh!I remember learning in my biochemistry class that most of the cholesterol in our blood is synthesized by our liver from dietary fats. I believe 80% of our total cholesterol comes from this source. My understanding was that even if we eliminated 100% of our dietary cholesterol that we could only lower that 20%. What I took away from this you would get more bang for your buck if you changed the types of fats you eat. Thoughts?“The only people who should eat eggs regularly are those with a terminal illness.”Yeah, and the only people who should eat *brains* are those who want to GET a terminal illness. Creutzfeld Jacob Disease. Seriously, prions scare the bejeezus out of me.Despite the official guidelines, there is no scientific evidence that dietary cholesterol is a health risk for anyone. The fact that brains are full of cholesterol just underlines how important cholesterol is. The human body regulates its cholesterol production based upon its needs; the more you eat the less you make.This is nonsense. There is boatloads of scientific evidence that dietary cholesterol is a health risk for not just anyone, but everyone.The fact that brains are full of cholesterol doesn’t “underline how important cholesterol is.” You’re equivocating, fallaciously. Cholesterol is important for certain functions. The intake of dietary cholesterol is not just not important, but unnecessary and harmful. The human body synthesizes the cholesterol it needs. The more you eat, the less you make is true–the problem is that you eat (if you eat meat and eggs and dairy) FAR more than you need, and far more than what your body would produce to fulfill its needs.While cholesterol is important, DIETARY cholesterol is only important with reference to the fact that humans should not get any of it–its dietary importance is in the negative. Equivocal phrases like “underlines how important cholesterol is” is a dishonest equivocation.I’ve been told that the white part of the egg has the high protein, and the center is where the cholesterol is (yellow part). First, is this true; and 2nd – what if you make hard-boiled eggs – eat the outside and throw away the yolk – is this OK?It is true that egg whites are indeed the primary protein source but that doesn’t make it at all healthy…1. Egg whites are high in the amino Acid Methionine. Rice has 14 times less of this amino acid and beans 7 time less. When one consumes Methionine in a large quantity (like that found in egg whites), it is broken down into sulfuric compounds. these sulfuric compounds are buffered by the calcium of the bones. the result, over time, is osteoporosis and kidney stones. http://www.vivalis.si/literatura/6a00.pdf2. Methionine is metabolized into homocysteine. This substance is a risk factor associated with heart attacks, strokes, peripheral vascular disease, venous thrombosis, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression. http://www.pnas.org/content/100/25/15089 (this study was done with mice.)3. Cancer cell metabolism is dependent upon methionine being present in the diet; whereas normal cells can grow on a methionine-free diet feeding off other sulfur-containing amino acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14585259 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/124162544. Insulin like growth factor is raised significantly by Methionine. raised levels of IGF-1 = accelerated aging/tumor promotion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12176673 http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/18/1472.abstract5. Sulfur from Methionine is known to be toxic to the tissues of the intestine, and to have harmful effects on the human colon, even at low levels, possibly causing ulcerative colitis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9448181 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8287651 (this study done with rats) http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/82/11/950.abstract6. Restriction of methionine in the diet has been shown to prolong the life of experimental animals. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12543260 http://jn.nutrition.org/content/10/1/63.shortalso, egg whites are pure protein without any other nutrients, like antioxidants, fiber or carbs. Just as white flour is viewed as empty calories, so should egg whites.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Bad Egg!Everyone talks about the risks of too much cholesterol. Is there such a thing as too little cholesterol? Any health issues associated with that? I am vegan, and I’ve been vegan for almost 4 years, so please don’t take this question as an attack. I have been progressively less healthy over this period of time, so I am trying to find the right balance. As pointed out that brains are a high source of cholesterol in the diet, I imagine our own brains need cholesterol as well. Am I wrong? Please see this video on can our cholesterol levels be too low http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/Actually, we have no dietary need for cholesterol as our body makes all that it requires. Why are you less healthy? Do you supplement vitamin d and vitamin b12? What does your diet consist of? Toxins, thanks for your reply. This can be a long answer to what I eat. After I read the China Study I went vegan cold turkey. Throw away every junk in the cabinet and been buying organic produce ever since. My diet started with grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Then I started developing an intolerance to gluten, then it became all grains, and sugar too, even honey, or the overly sweet fruits (dried is specially bad). I got psoriasis and when I eat these foods it gets worse. I also get very bloated. I look like I am 3 months pregnant. I’ve always supplemented with B12, DHA and have been taking vit D for the last year. I also added Zinc a month ago. I am unable to concentrate or think straight. I have overall dryness (lips, eyes, skin, hair). My hair is constantly falling (a lot). I am loosing muscle mass, etc etc etc My naturopath told me to add eggs to my diet “at least”, so after a couple of months struggling with the idea I started eating eggs…. I’ve already done several tests. It is not thyroid, not bacteria as my flora is very good (I do significant amount fermented foods), my blood work is perfect… though my liver is slightly off, my doctor (functional) does not seem concerned. It bothers me that when I think of it I was healthier when I was eating junk all day and now that I am going everything right, things just seem to get worse. I really don’t like the idea of eating animals, but I have to ask myself what is it that I am doing wrong. This would be something to email Dr. Greger directly about mhg1@cornell.eduI had the same symptoms and decline in health over the course of years. My health improved after I added eggs and a little fish back into my diet.First of all the China study has serious flaws and unfortunately caused people like you to dump healthy foods in favor of an unhealthy diet. Your body needs animal fats as you have found out with your dry skin. Oh, and doctors tend to do only a TSH test for thyroid function and it’s the worst test out there. I test in the normal range yet I do have thyroid problems. Soy can be the culprit and I avoid it as much as I can. It’s in everything unfortunately. Please check into a book called “Stop the Thyroid Madness” and it’s website and Yahoo group. It helped me so much and showed me how little doctors know. Flawed studies and misinformed doctors will kill you faster than eating eggs.If animal fat is needed by the human body, how do you explain the excellent health of vegans who are SOS ( no salt, oil, sugar) ? I am friends with a group of SOS vegans .. no problems thereDR. Michael Greger M.D.I want talk with you regarding this (cysticercosis) because my father have this dises,LAST 2 year. i’am waiting for your replay    thanksfaithfully Manazir tel no 0094755737744 form SRI LANKAhttp://www.cdc.gov/parasites/cysticercosis/Interesting facts as always, but what about egg “white”. People like me, who regularly lifts weights at the gym, is always searching for good resources of easily cooked protein. Egg white does not according to the Swedish equivalent of the FDA (Livsmedelsverket) contain any cholesterol. Are there any health studies made on egg, when only the “egg white” is digested? What is your opinion on this matter doctor?…never mind, I saw the answer from “Toxins” further down after I posted.Does anyone remember which NF video mentions that the risk of a heart attack increases within moments of eating a high fat meal (eg, a burger)? I remember seeing it somewhere and am having a heck of a time locating it. Can anyone point me in the right direction, please?If it increases it’s because of the bun, not the burger. Grains cause heart attacks, not meat or meat fat.Thanks for your input, @cyndiphillips:disqus . Empirical research bears out that burgers are not a health food and the cholesterol is a very real issue and problem when it comes to heart disease. Keep watching and reading this site to learn more about what current empirical peer-reviewed science has to say on the topic.I’m still hoping someone can help me find the NF video that mentions that the risk of a heart attack increases within moments of eating a high fat meal (eg, a burger). Anyone out there remember the video that I am referring to?Empirical evidence does not show that cholesterol in any way causes heart attacks. That’s my point. It’s never been proven and with good reason. There are many societies where the populace consumes high levels of animal food and saturated fat but remains free of heart disease. Dr. George Mann, who studied the Masai cattle herding peoples in Africa, found no heart disease, even though their diet consisted of meat, blood and rich milk. Our rate of heart attacks started really going up during the 1950’s, when people started using corn oil, margarine, hydrogenated oils and greatly increased their intake of grains and other carbohydrates. The truth is that in spite of all the propaganda you have heard, the lipid hypothesis has never been proved. In fact, inadequate protein intake leads to loss of myocardial muscle and may, therefore, contribute to coronary heart disease. The only claim that can be made against beef as a cause of heart disease is that some studies have shown beef consumption to temporarily raise cholesterol levels in short term feeding experiments. Other studies have shown that beef consumption, including beef fat consumption, lowers cholesterol levels. But even if all studies show that beef consumption raises cholesterol levels, the only conclusion you can draw is—so what? There is no greater risk of heart disease at cholesterol levels of 300 than at 180, and people with cholesterol levels below 180 are at greater risk of death from other causes, such as cancer, intestinal diseases, accidents, violence and suicide.5 In other words, it’s much more dangerous to have cholesterol levels that are too low than cholesterol levels that are too high.“Propaganda”? Oh, no my dear friend (@cyndiphillips:disqus), just the facts, the peer-reviewed, empirical, and reproducible scientific facts. Coming from a culture that was fueled on social/cultural propaganda. being educated with a keen sense of critical thinking skills, and possessing a strong understanding of the scientific method, I know propaganda when I see it. And, in this case, I’m afraid you seem to have succumb to the old pot calling the kettle black phenomenon.The balance of evidence on the benefits of a plant-based diet are abundantly clear. I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty of it, as this site does a fantastic job of it as do the many educated and eloquent contributors to the commentary section (e.g. @DrDons:disqus and @Toxins:disqus).Really, please just open your mind and keep watching and reading this site.LOL What drugs are you on?Cyndi Phillips: Contrary opinions are fine as long at they are expressed respectfully. Personal attacks are not allowed. I am deleting your comment.If you logic was true, I would have had a heart attack years ago. But, I never have. My father did not eat many grains, but ate lots of beef, eggs, and cholesterol rich organ meats. He had all sorts of health problems strictly related to his diet. He died, however, from a brain tumor the size of an ostrich egg, which we think may have been linked to environmental exposure near the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.It’s not an opinion, it’s fact based on studies. His problems were not related to cholesterol rich foods because it’s been proven that eating foods high in cholesterol doesn’t affect cholesterol levels. That means all those people who avoided eggs for years did it for nothing. Also, cholesterol is healthy and is no different than blaming a bandaid for your cut. Cholesterol is high in the longest living populations on the planet. Just because you didn’t experience a heart attack proves nothing. Most people that smoke don’t get cancer either.Hi Cyndi, if you have an Apple product and are interested in hearing what Noble prize Michael Brown had to say bout cholesterol you can find it here: iTunes U > Academy of Achievement > Nobel Prize Scientists > Michael Brown.Also, what studies can you post that show that the longest living populations had/have high cholesterol?Do you have anything to back that up?about cholesterol(CHl): …cholesterol infiltrating the lining of the coronary arteries crowning our heart. is that not the function of CHl to infiltrate the lining of the coronary if the bloodvessel is damaged. its just doing its job. its an action,so if no damage is happening,nothing happens if you would have higer cholesterol. is that correct viewpoint.Dr G. I’m trying to loose weight and I’m struggling to get my 60g of protein per day. I have been having eggs on top of my veg diet but would like to stop or at least cut down. I aim at a 1200-1350 cal a day diet. Any suggestions? Am I having too few calories?Don’t worry about protein intake… you will get all the essential amino acids you need if you consume adequate calories. In general the calories you report are not adequate. Calorie restricted diets and high protein diets don’t work over time and cause health issues. The only diet that works is the proper “Ad Libitum” diet… aka eat when you are hungry. I would stop the eggs… the “quality” of protein in broccoli and asparagus are the same as eggs. I would recommend reading Dr. John McDougall’s articles in his April 2007 and December 2003 issues.. free on his website. They are the best articles I have seen relating to protein. You can view his lecture, The Starch Solution, free on his website or purchase his book by the same title. I also recommend Jeff Novick’s DVD.. Calorie Density: How to Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer. Doug Lisle’s video, How to Lose Weight without Losing your Mind which can be viewed on YouTube or a somewhat more polished version through the McDougall website. The reason to stop the eggs are many….see the 63 video’s that Dr. Greger has done. If you eat correctly you can look forward to losing between 1/2 to 2 pounds per week depending on your exercise and more importantly your diet. As Jeff Novick points out if you lower your Calorie Density low enough you can lose weight on a couch with a remote… that said exercise or more accurately fitness is very valuable to work into your daily routine. Good luck.I eat a lot of calories, full fat raw milk and tons of eggs and I’ve lost 25 pounds in about a month or so. I have my own chickens and they eat a soy free, GMO free diet that people line up around the block for my eggs. What causes health issues is people thinking they are meant to eat vegetarian.You may have lost weight, but that does not cancel out the negative effect of a diet rich in animal fats. Your weight loss may be attributed to a lower caloric intake. Monitor your LDL levels in your high risk diet.Please cite a single study showing any negative effect of a diet rich in high-quality (not grain-fed) animal fats. Please also observe the many people following such diets who easily maintain excellent LDL levels (which are mainly elevated by processed carbs).This video set regarding endotoxemia shows this http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/As do studies on eggs http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/What is defined as “good” levels of cholesterol? Normal cholesterol is not normal. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/The burden of proof is upon you to demonstrate that animal based foods, particularly those high in saturated fat do not lead to inflammation or raise cholesterol levels. I encourage you to share studies so that we may look at them.The burden of proof lies with those making the claim, particularly when said claim is contrary to how humans have eaten since (and while) we first became human (without any inflammatory disease to speak of until very recently). Still, here are some articles for your perusal: http://anthonycolpo.com/new-study-women-with-higher-cholesterol-live-longer/ http://www.marlev.com/Cholesterol.htm http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/cholesterol-longevity.shtml http://afn.cbdco.com.au/2012/03/26/australian-study-links-insufficient-red-meat-with-anxiety-in-women.htmlPlease share the studies, not the article links. Also, I encourage you to view the selected videos I shared with you.The articles reference the studies, and explain them in a manner accessible to more readers—your request is a bit ridiculous given I haven’t seen you reference a single study yourself. I’d rather not spend my time sitting through videos waiting for supposed evidence. Regardless, here is the study referenced in the first article, for your convenience: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21951982The populations who consume the highest amount of carbohydrates and have low intakes of animal protein have the best survival rates and lowest disease incidence. Lets look at a few examples.The Tarahumara Indians of Mexico are a population considered to be very healthy for reasons to be explained. Their diet is 75-80% carbohydrates and unlike their American counterparts, only 6% of calories came from added sugars as opposed to 20%. They ate mostly corn, beans and peppers. Their total fat was 12% of calories, and saturated fat was 2% of calories.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/32/4/905.full.pdfTheir life expectancy is statistically drawn down to to high infant mortality but it is noted in another study on them that they have very low levels of cholesterol, no obesity and no age related serum rise in cholesterol. They were also adequate in all nutrients and their diet was very high carbs.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/31/7/1131.full.pdfInterestingly, when they were put on the standard American diet for 5 weeks that is also very high in carbs, but likely wrong kinds, their results were as follows:31% increase in CholesterolIncrease in LDL and HDL 39% and 31% respectivelyTriglycerides increased 18%body Weight increased 7%http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199112123252405Lets look at another native diet, the “Hawaiian Diet”. This study took 20 Hawaiians who were consuming a high carb standard American diet and put on a diet for 21 days that was the traditional pre western Hawaiian diet. This diet had 7% of calories from fat and 78% from complex carbohydrates. they were allowed to eat however much they wanted to. Low and behold, the average weight loss was 22 lb’s and cholesterol decreased 15%.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/53/6/1647S.longThe weight loss was extreme for the 21 days, notably because the participants were quite overweight (average 264 lbs). Another study with more humble results took another group of people and put them on the hawaiian diet for 21 days. The results were as follows11 lb weight reductionSystolic BP 136 to 124Diastolic BP 82 to 78Total cholesterol went from 205 to 156LDL from 125 to 94.9HDL from 38 to 31Triglycerides from 238 to 152blood sugar from 112 to 91http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11320614Now lets look at a very high fat diet, the famous Inuit diet. They consume copious amounts of animal protein and fat and have a very low carb diet. This diet is not one to model after, “The data collected through this new investigation shows that Eskimos do have a similar prevalence of [coronary artery disease] CAD to non-Eskimo populations, and in fact, they have very high rates of mortality due to cerebrovascular events (strokes). Overall, their life expectancy is approximately 10 years less than the typical Danish population and their overall mortality is twice as high as that of non-Eskimo populations.”http://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/investigators-find-something-fishy-with-the-classical-evidence-for-dietary-fish-recommendationsAnd lastly as presented by Jeff Novick, the Okinawans.Back in the 1950’s the Japanese rural Okinawan group of people had the most centenarians per capita. How did they live so long? Here is their dietCaloric Restriction, the TraditionalOkinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life SpanAnn. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007).TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950Total calories 1785Total weight (grams) 1262Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9)Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85)Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6)Saturated fatty acid 3.7Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8Total fiber (grams) 23Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)GrainsRice 154 (12)Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7)Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1)Sugars 3 (less than 1)Oils 3 (2)Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1)Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1)Eggs 1 (less than 1)Dairy less than 1 (less than 1)VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69)Other potatoes 2 (less than1)Other vegetables 114 (3)Fruit less than 1 (less than 1)Seaweed 1 (less than 1)Pickled vegetables 0 (0)Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.Some pointsTheir diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day)The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a day.Also, a quick summary of endotoxemia and the mechanism for inflammation “The combined importance of dietary lipids and LPS in determining inflammatory risk may arise, since endotoxin has a strong affinity for chylomicrons (lipoproteins that transport dietary long-chain saturated fatty acids [SFAs] through the gut wall) as endotoxin crosses the gastrointestinal mucosa (23–25). As such, atherogenic and inflammatory risk may arise through a combination of dietary lipoprotein patterns and an increase in circulating endotoxin, exacerbated by feeding patterns (26,27). Therefore, altering the lipid profile through dietary intervention may reduce endotoxin and the arising inflammatory response…. Finally, while the most obvious solution to metabolic endotoxinemia appears to be to reduce saturated fat intake, the Western diet is not conducive to this mode of action, and it is difficult for patients to comply with this request”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3263907/I think we all agree that the wrong types of carbs are a (if not the) major problem. Studies with that as a huge confounding factor don’t effectively demonstrate anything about animal fats.I think you would find value in this study, showing that whole grains were anti inflammatory http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/92/4/733.longAs well as meats and high fat products being linked with increased inflammation http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3427005/I also think you would value the endotoxemia series I referenced earlier, which explains a mechanism for inflammation through which saturated fat is the mode of transport.“3 servings of refined cereals foods were substituted with either 3 servings of whole-wheat foods (70–80 g whole-meal bread + 30–40 g whole-grain cereals) or with 1 serving of whole wheat foods and 2 servings of oats.” Less inflammatory than refined grains is not “anti inflammatory.” The second study is full of confounding factors, i.e. the “healthy user bias” surrounding vegetarianism.There are a number of studies demonstrating this, I see now that my posts will simply be “explained away” or portions ignored because it does not agree with your misconceptions. That is fine, good luck on your quest for health.“Explained away” by irrefutable logic because a study doesn’t support the point you allege it to is not even remotely the same as dismissing it because it disagrees with my preconceptions (which I could easily accuse you of doing based on many of your responses to my and others’ posts). It’s also a lot better than dismissing something because it is the less popular conclusion. What have I ignored?Also, I would be cautious comparing a physically burdened and short lived life of the paleo hunter to the long lived lifespans we have today. Population studies demonstrate this, those eating the highest carbohydrate diets (from whole food sources) have the healthiest lifespans, while those who eat low carbohydrate diets do not. The Inuits are a prime example of this“Short lived life” only if you ignore the same point about life expectancy you make in regards to the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico… Furthermore, children today are suffering from these problems, so long lifespans are irrelevant.The Inuits live less not because of infant mortality, but because of their diet related diseases, as noted if you clicked the link. I agree completely with you on reducing inflammation, which is why we should eliminate as many inflammatory agents as possible, namely animal based foods.In addition, I think you would value this. http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Articles/Entries/2012/6/18_Todays_Breaking_Health_News!!.htmlSingle studies on cholesterol do not overhaul the entire diet heart hypothesis, you must look at the whole body of evidence.Your comment, “short lived life,” that I was responding to here refers to paleo, not Inuits. You can’t look at “the whole body of evidence” as if every study holds equal weight; you first must judge the merit of each individually, and discard those that don’t effectively support or negate the claim in question (such as the ones you have given in this discussion, as I pointed out). So far, the “evidence” I’ve seen for the diet(ary fat/cholesterol) heart hypothesis, no matter how ubiquitous, has been a lot weaker than that against it.This is an excellent resource for showing the studies that support diet-heart hypothesis with NF.org style videos. Good luck to you http://plantpositive.com/The difference in palmitic acid concentrations between grass fed and grain fed beef is not significantTable (SFA): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846864/table/T1/Granted, Grass fed beef contains more Omega-3s and fewer omega-6s (see table below).Table (PUFA): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846864/table/T2/Study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846864/“The impact of feeding practices becomes even more evident in light of recent reports from Canada which suggests a shift in the predominate trans C18:1 isomer in grain-fed beef. Dugan et al (2007) reported that the major trans isomer in beef produced from a 73% barley grain diet is 10t-18:1 (2.13% of total lipid) rather than 11t-18:1 (TVA) (0.77% of total lipid), a finding that is not particularly favorable considering the data that would support a negative impact of 10t-18:1 on LDL cholesterol and CVD”Grass fed is healthier than grain fed, but it’s still not ideal. A plant based solution is the healthier alternative. We cannot sustain American levels of beef consumption especially if everyone eats grass fed beef, which by the way requires many more resources and produces 50% more methane than grain fed beef.I still have seen no substantial evidence that grass fed beef is “not ideal” (beyond the fact that no solution is truly ideal) or that a “plant-based solution” is healthier. In fact, a large study in Australia found a strong association between lower consumption of beef (most beef there is grass-fed) and mental disorders like depression and anxiety in women (not many men in the study fell into the lower category of beef consumption): http://afn.cbdco.com.au/2012/03/26/australian-study-links-insufficient-red-meat-with-anxiety-in-women.htmlI don’t know what gives you the idea that grass fed beef requires more resources (I guess it depends on which types of resources you look at). Some (including the fabulous EWG; http://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/a-meat-eaters-guide-to-climate-change-health-what-you-eat-matters/why-go-organic-grass-fed-and-pasture-raised/ ) argue that the greater methane production is likely offset by carbon sequestration. I think you might find this article interesting: http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/grass-fed-beef-and-global-warming/Don, I don’t know what protein “quality” means to you, but the amino acid profile (standard measure of protein quality) and bioavailability of egg protein are both blatantly superior to those of broccoli and asparagus.That is an irrelevant issue, <3% of Americans are protein deficient, and these are people who are calorically deficient.I was responding specifically to Don’s claim that “the ‘quality’ of protein in broccoli and asparagus are the same as eggs.”Josee, I lost 65 pounds when I stopped eating animal protein and started eating only plant protein. Where I’ve had problems going further, is that I love nuts and seeds, and eat more than a single serving.Most nuts should cause zero weight gain for most people. Some seeds, I can imagine, could be a contributing factor. But nuts? Nah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRxMhqdmb2Y&feature=youtu.beDr. Greger has a series on nuts http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/I am still skeptical though, and I am unsure if someone consuming a whole, plant based diet that is very low in fat would see these same results.Same here, no counting, just eliminating animal foods, most processed foods, added sugars and oils caused 20 pounds to vanish from my body. Male from 180 to 160, active but with no real aerobic exercise to get this far-so easy. Also i “cheated” on the weekends a bit (what you do MOST of the time is what really counts).I would like to here someone comment on the attached video.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hgOHzFb1XgI am very very wary of any advice Dr. Mercola has to offer; he does not seem like a very credible source of health advice or information (read his Wikipedia page), at least not to me. I stick to learning about plant-based nutrition from Nutritionfacts.org instead.As I have said elsewhere on this site:Sure, Dr. Mercola is an educated man and a smart businessman, to be sure. However, regardless of the degrees he has obtained and the positions he has held, I believe that he is not a credible source of information, and I am (and will continue to be) wary of any health/medical advice he has to offer unless it is backed by credible, i.e., reproducible and peer-reviewed empirical research (and not by dubious and cherry picked research that suit his monetary interests). Credibility here is in the scientific evidence and not in the man. (Although, it helps when the man can be credible, too.)Dr Mercola selects studies that promote his life style and his supplement his income of selling vitamins. As a case in point, he had a paper recently that said it was difficult to get magnesium from food, and that you cannot get too much magnesium.Magnesium is very easy to obtain from a plant based diet, and is in both my collard greens and cannellini beans which I eat often. It’s also in cashews, which I love and tend to eat too many, and in pumpkin seeds, which I also tend to overdose on.Eating too much magnesium is the same as eating salmonella tainted eggs. You repeatedly spend lots of time in the bathroom.I don’t think there is much controversy over the fact that magnesium has been depleted in our water and soil (and hence food supply) and that (mild to moderate) deficiency is widespread. Look up “symptoms of magnesium deficiency,” and see how many you have.Your comparison with salmonella is way off—a brief episode of loose stools from magnesium overdose (that can actually be therapeutic, especially for someone with any level of constipation) pales in comparison to days of horrible sickness that deals a devastating blow to your gut flora (especially if you take antibiotics for it) and can result in long-term chronic symptoms if not treated impeccably.There is some conversation here about Masai people eating lots of animal products and having low rates of heart disease. Let’s not forget that their life expectancy is less than 60 years.“Did not go over-easy with the egg industry.” This type of hilarity is an added bonus to the plethora of information on this site. Thanks Dr. G!Then we should get Obama to EAT the BAD stuff !!!Hi A-K Dan, your comment does not appear to be relevant to this study or the site. We welcome vigorous debate of the science not personal attacks.So please, for everyone’s benefit, help us foster a community of mutual respect or your comments will need to be deleted.Thank you, JacquieI would imagine that both Obamas eat more healthy than animal protein.	beef brains,brains,breakfast cereal,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,chronic diseases,diabetes,Dr. David Jenkins,Dr. David Spence,eggs,flax seeds,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,LDL cholesterol,lung cancer,omega-3 fatty acids,organ meats,pork brains,safety limits,seeds,smoking,stroke,tobacco,veal brains	Eggs and brains are the two most concentrated sources of cholesterol in the diet.	Want to know more about cholesterol? See: Optimal Cholesterol Level Cholesterol Crystals May Tear Through Our Artery Lining Switching from Beef to Chicken & Fish May Not Lower CholesterolI guess only zombies are at higher risk than egg-eaters :)Please check out the corresponding blog posts: Bad Egg and Egg Industry blind spot about the industry's misleading claims concerning eye health. Also, be sure to check out the following associated blog post for more context: The Most Anti-Inflammatory Mushroom and Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-david-spence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veal-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organ-meats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef-brains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-david-jenkins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast-cereal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21459286,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725,
PLAIN-3160	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/	Egg Cholesterol in the Diet	The egg industry got their juevos handed to them last Fall in a devastating review published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology by three academic heavy hitters. David Spence is the Director of the Stroke Prevention & Atherosclerosis Research Centre; David Jenkins the guy who invented the glycemic index, and Dr. Davignon, the Director of the Hyperlipidemia and Atherosclerosis at the Institute for Clinical Research statusThe last time Dr. Spence spoke out publically against eggs, his house got its cholesterol raised too, but reason they felt the need to set the record straight is that “recent media reports reflect the remarkable effectiveness of the sustained propaganda campaign of the egg producer’s lobby to downplay the risk of cholesterol.The fundamental flaw of the studies the egg industry uses to muddy the waters on the issue is that they tend to only measure fasting cholesterol levels, which just reflects what’s happening to your arteries for the last few hours of the night, not after you’ve eaten breakfast. Not only do eggs make your bad cholesterol go up, but for hours after you eat, dietary cholesterol increases the susceptibility of LDL to oxidize, vascular inflammation, oxidative stress, and postprandial hyperlipemia and potentiates the harmful effects of saturated fat, impairs endothelial function, and increases cardiovascular events, meaning heart attacks.Dietary cholesterol may only increase our fasting cholesterol levels 10%, but it may increase the susceptibility of our LDL to oxidize by 37-39%, and that’s what triggers much of the arterial inflammation.So maybe an omelet might not be good, but how much dietary cholesterol is in just like one egg? A single egg yolk contains approximately 215 mg to 275 mg of cholesterol (depending on the size). The yolk of a large egg provides more than the 210 mg of cholesterol in a Hardee’s Monster Thickburger, which contains two-thirds of a pound of beef, three slices of cheese and four strips of bacon. The media storm that followed compared an egg to the fast food monstrosity du jour, the KFC double down, where even the bun is made out of meat. What came worst: the chicken or the egg?A single egg yolk… thus exceeds the recommended daily intake of cholesterol. So you could eat just like celery the whole rest of the day and you’d still be over the limit.Despite the harassment he's gotten, he remains unperturbed. He said yolks shouldn't be regarded as an item that's suitable for human diets for anyone at risk of vascular disease. And you name me one person that isn't.	Check out my blog post “Bad Egg” to help put egg consumption in context, and don’t miss Avoiding cholesterol is a no brainer and Egg industry blind spot for more misleading claims from the egg industry.(I posted this on the blog page relevant to this video, sorry for the duplication)Not all eggs are created equal.I had bookmarked from when I used to eat eggs this very interesting article on Mother Earth News:http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs.aspx“Our testing has found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:• 1⁄3 less cholesterol• 1⁄4 less saturated fat• 2⁄3 more vitamin A• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids• 3 times more vitamin E• 7 times more beta carotene ”Also, I found a link to full research document on the benefits of pastured eggs:Vitamins A, E and fatty acid composition of the eggs of caged hens http://www.windyridgepoultry.com/docs1/eggstudy.pdfThat may be true of pasture-raised birds, but a new study published this summer found no significant difference between cholesterol levels in “free-range” compared to conventional eggs (over 200mg per jumbo egg in each case). Free-range eggs are certainly better from an animal welfare standpoint, and also less likely to be contaminated with Salmonella (the leading cause of food-borne illness related death in the United States), but don’t appear to have less cholesterol, the most important health reason to minimize one’s egg intake.“• 1⁄3 less cholesterol• 1⁄4 less saturated fat” – that’s not very convincing.“Less” is good, but shouldn’t we instead strive to consume “zero” ? (Ok, cholesterol is also in most plants, but only at trace levels.)Vitamin A? – A small bunch of spinach alone exceeds minium daily requirements (microwave for 1 min and add a twist of lemon – awesome). Omega 3? – A tablespoon of flax seeds from the coffee grinder goes great as a topping on oatmeal or as part of a sauce (or take the supplement if you get too many 6’s with grains). Vitamin E? – A daily handful of roasted almonds will blow you through the minimal requirements (and provide some of the essential Ca that many of us are short of).If you still think those egg yolks taste great do this – go to your local hospital, find the cardiology department, sit in the waiting room for an hour, and witness a world of suffering that might in part be unnecessary.Hope this helps,patmAmazing information, so glad I don’t eat eggs. Just need to figure out how to get my parents to stop eating them!I eat free-range eggs, all this info is wrong. I eat A LOT of cholesterol and I’m willing to bet my cholesterol levels are much better than 90% of the population. I have a LipoProfile from LipoScience to prove it. Dietary cholesterol in foods does not lead to cardiovascular disease. http://chriskresser.com/three-eggs-a-day-keep-the-doctor-awayGio, I’m sorry I wasn’t more clear in the video. The point the researchers were trying to make in their review is that it’s not the rise in cholesterol that accompanies the consumption of dietary cholesterol that is the primary problem. They note that you’d only expect a bump of 10% in our cholesterol level eating eggs. It’s the oxidative, pro-inflammatory effects on the endothelium (the “life jacket” lining of our arteries) that is the primary reason we need to try to avoid eating cholesterol. Unfortunately these effects are more difficult to accurately measure. And as to your final point, please see my reply your subsequent post below.The article you linked to makes reference to antioxidants in eggs purported to help one’s eyesight. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s video-of-the-day as that’s exactly what I’m going to be talking about–perfect timing! Thank you for your contribution. I hope you’ll post more!http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/71808705I wrote about the cholesterol “skeptics” in my book Carbophobia (available free, full text online). One medical journal editorial entitled “Cholesterol Myth Club on Par with Flat Earth Society” read “as mixed up as Flat Earth Society members obviously are, at least you can laugh their dumb idea off, and if you want to believe the Earth is flat, this view is not going to cause serious problems like… coronary artery disease.”PS: Sorry for editing your post, Gio, but as NutritionFacts.org is a strictly noncommerical site, I changed the bookseller link you posted to the equivalent library link.Okay, sorry about the link, but, my C-Reactive Protein is extremely low, is this not a good measure of inflammation?I’m not scared of eating cholesterol, after years of eating CAFO meat, nuts, vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy, legumes, my cholesterol profile was terrible: 110 TG, 74 HDL, 135 LDL/ After 1 year of Paleo Diet,nothing but grass fed beef (fattest cut, no lean meat), vegetables, fruit, nuts, eggs (increased consumption +14 free range eggs per week), my levels with the LipoProfile from LipoScience: 30 TG, 90 HDL, 95 LDL. I ate more foods with saturated fat and cholesterol, yet, my blood lipids are significantly better.Hello again Gio, The definition of health does not stem from a cholesterol reading so this idea you are bringing up of eating more animal products being healthful is false. Cholesterol is only one tiny aspect of true health. The correlation between meat consumption and life quality is clear, as represented in this video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/meat-mortality/ People who consume meat are at risk for a wide range of degenerative diseases and shorter lifespan. Regarding your ridiculously high egg consumption, take a look at this video, http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/ Egg consumption as well has been linked to a significantly shorter lifespan. Regarding your “grass fed” beef, as Dr. T. Colin Campbell puts it, the compositional make up of organic grass fed beef is minute and insignificant. It still contains the same amount of antioxidants and phytochemicals, basically 0, as well as the same type of protein and nutrients. All beef and dairy is also a source of trans fat no matter how much fat you strip away http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/good-great-bad-killer-fats/ and it is recommended 0 grams of trans fat per day. Any amount exceeds this strict standard. Regarding the healthful properties of meat consumption, meat does not have any phytochemicals which are necessary for a healthful body and contains about 1 or 2 antioxidants. Check out this video regarding the comparison of animal to plant foods http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/ Antioxidants are essential for longevity and overall health. Animals foods cause much more rapid DNA breaks compared with plant based eaters as seen here http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/repairing-dna-damage/ Animal based foods also shorten lifespan by cutting down our telomeres, therefore forcefully causing an early death. Plant based foods oppositely promote the telomerase enzyme which adds to the telomere, therefore increasing lifespan. View the video here http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/research-into-reversing-aging/ Looking further into the power of plant foods and aging, it is now known that plant foods provide mitochondrial protection by promoting the enzyme superoxide dismutase. To learn more about why this is so significant view this video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/ Basically, its a tumor suppressor and neurological protector. To promote this enzyme, it is significantly important to eat plant based. Omnivores had 3 times less of this enzyme compared with vegetarians. Taking a step back, and looking at meat besides the malicious damage done on our bodies, shows a product that is highly contaminated with heavy metals, pathogens and a massive array of other contaminants. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=beef Meat, in an all around sense, is plain old, unhealthy.Take a look at this: Where are the vegan centenarians?http://naturalhygienesociety.org/diet3.html#8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjiO8oZBHwU http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_southeast_valley/mesa/109-year-old-mesa-man-credits-health-to-5-foods http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyHlkEJZdPQThey are easy to find just google it :)Hello Gio, You are correct, major populations that are typically centenarian are not vegan. But note that they do not consume meat in the quantity that we do and their meat is typically not as tainted as ours. Even organic chicken contains arsenic in this country http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/arsenic-in-chicken/Regardless though, the idea of whole foods plant based veganism is relatively new so we cannot accurately measure lifespan yet since we haven’t seen a full life of pure whole foods plant based. Most people discover the diet midway through life. I was lucky enough to discover this early in my life. Based on the damaging affect of meat consumption and the understanding of the incredible healing powers of plant foods, it is safe to assume, based on the overwhelming evidence, that one would live a very long, healthy, centenarian life under a whole foods plant based diet. An interesting article to view is our anatomy in comparison towards other omnivores and herbivores. http://www.vegsource.com/news/2009/11/the-comparative-anatomy-of-eating.html I am not making the case that we are herbivores but it is safe to say that we should definitely be getting 90% of our calorie intake from plant sources based on our anatomy. It is similar to feeding cows corn, they aren’t supposed to eat corn and they encounter complications from doing so, but they can handle eating it. Meat is our corn.Arsenic? So plants don’t absorb arsenic? What planet do you live on? http://www.dartmouth.edu/~toxmetal/research-projects/5-plants.htmlhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1637429/“meat is our corn” – this is the pinnacle of stupidity. Like it or not, humans evolved because we ate meat. http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/low-carb-library/are-we-meat-eaters-or-vegetarians-part-ii/We are genetically evolved to eat meat. Maybe not CAFO meat, but meat that is from small production farms, grass finished. This is where I buy my meat. “CAFO meat is our corn” is more accurate. Where do you get this “90%” crap? I eat a lot of plants, but I do not eat legumes, they are possibly one of the worst foods you can eat: http://whole9life.com/2011/04/legume-manifesto/Based on our anatomy, we are meat eaters: http://www.mnforsustain.org/food_ag_worst_mistake_diamond_j.htm Oh, and that Dr. Mills article is bogus. Why listen to a medical doctor on what he thinks constitutes an omnivore? Most anthropologists agree that we are omnivores.Gio,I agree with your suggestion that hunter and gatherer societies of the past ate lots of meat. But then you state “we are genetically evolved to eat meat”… I disagree. You are suggesting that past meat consumption is somehow relevant to how we should eat today to obtain optimal health.If meat consumption in the past had provided the Darwininan selective pressure necessary to make meat a requirement for good health, then you would not need to argue with a group of vegans who are living perfectly healthful lives. In other words, it would be obvious to us too!The fact is that people can obtain all required nutrition by following a whole foods plant based diet while simultaneously enjoying the benefits of a greater supply of antioxidants and a lower burden of toxins than obtainable on an omnivorous diet.These obscure pieces of random evidence do not prove your point. You obviously want this to be true so bad. Sorry, its not. No matter how hard you believe it to be true it wont be. I have explained my point several times now and this is becoming a circuitous argument. You are blind to the overwhelming evidence and are obsessed with your own fragmented argument. If you wish to cherry pick random information on the benefits of meat, ok. But you have to acknowledge the health detriments that come along with it. You treat meat as the best food on earth, and again, I have explained why it isn’t several times now so it is silly for me to state it again since you don’t seem to care. But then again, its more about the viewers of this debate that must decide who is more “correct”. For now, I have made my point and do not wish to carry on this debate any longer, its going no where.Your very own “obscure pieces of random evidence do not prove your point.” You may think that vegan/vegetarian is healthier, but “No matter how hard you believe it to be true it wont be”. “Health detriments”, right. You keep on believing your PCRM sources of info, after all they tell lies, and If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. You need to read The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith.OH and what about Steve Jobs? Wasn’t he a vegetarian? He died of pancreatic cancer, glad that meat-free diet worked out for him.please watch Dr Mcdougall’s video on How Steve Jobs died, he actually lived longer because he was a vegan.Really? Your going to go there? Vegetarian implies that dairy and eggs are still in the diet as well as the possibility of processed foods. Again, you ignore the facts.Steve Jobs ate fish as well………Our environment can also give us cancer. But that’s another story. I so wish he tried the Gerson Therapy.The Gerson Therapy. What kind of garbage is that??http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/cancer.htmlTo Gio, um…..I have read a lot of information regarding the Gerson Therapy. Including your nice little quack watch link. Until they add chemotherapy to the quack watch site, I don’t give it much merit. Garbage? I do know it’s not the “same” garbage that killed 5 people I know this summer. I do know that people have cured themselves, and longer than the 5 year cure that the ACS considers cured, for decades from pancreatic cancers, melanomas, etc…..I am also following a mother and daughter using the therapy for 2 different types of cancers. The daughter had already tried therapies that would not be on quack watch, like drugs, chemo, and radiation. They didn’t work. People should have options available to them. I also feel like you seem more angry then wanting to engage in a conversation about how we can better things and so don’t think it’s prudent to spend any further time engaging with you. Wish you luck on your journey and that you find peace.Um……..I also think the Cholesterol test that we run today is bogus. That’s why people think that cholesterol has nothing to do with heart disease, well at least maybe one reason. The VAP test measures not only the generic stuff, but goes pretty in depth. Check those VLDL levels, as you can have “normal” (and what is normal in the States, is well, whatever) cholesterol & be in a bad way. Also, your particle size. In addition to the fact that this was about inflammation. There isn’t enough land anyhow, to raise all the “perfect” meat & dairy so the world could eat like us. But I think the 75% obesity rate is probably speaking for itself-But PaleoMan, I would get a VAP test, which should be free if you can get the script. Just to ensure that you are as squeaky clean as you think, and then get it repeated every so often as you age.Damn right the cholesterol tests we run today are bogus. I’m sorry but the VAP test is not as accurate as the NMR LipoProfile I got from LipoScience. Everything was measured directly and not estimated with the Friedewald Formula. The LipoProfile gives you Large VLDL, Small VLDL, Large HDL-P, VLDL size, HDL size, HDL size, and insulin resistance score (I scored an 8 out of 100) Also, my C-Reactive protein is 35% lower, which means significantly less inflammation. I’m willing to bet my levels are better than yours. Also, in my family, we all have naturally high cholesterol levels (men and women). Because of the cholesterol vilifying doctors in America, one of my cousins decided to go vegan, after 10 years on the diet (lost weight, lowered cholesterol), he was the very first person in my family to have a heart attack. Yes he ate plenty of B12. And by the way, obesity has nothing to do with eating meat, I am 6 feet, currently 185 lbs with 6% body fat. http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/2009/02/cholesterol-presentation-between.htmlHello Gio, Just to clarify, vegan does does not mean healthful. One can be a junk food vegan eating oil, fried foods, white bread, soy isolates, processed foods, etc. Eating these foods defeats the purpose of being vegan if one is looking for a healthful approach over an ethical one. On a whole foods plant based diet on the other hand, it is extremely difficult to achieve heart disease (unless you eat nutrient poor foods such as white potato and coconuts but in general this is the case). The epithelial cell wall surrounding your blood vessels and arteries repairs and never becomes damaged. This wall is responsible for keeping your blood smooth as well as contracting and expanding. This video by Dr. Caldwell Essylsten explains the process. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYTf0z_zVs0 As stated in my above comment to you, meat brings on a wide array of illnesses. Being skinny with a low body fat percentage does not signify good health, as does a low cholesterol reading. Again, advocating meat into ones diet is extremely harmful and the blog post link you submitted is a look at only cholesterol. For more information on cholesterol and other issues, check out this video, http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/convergence-of-evidence/FACT: Humans are omnivores, always have been always will be. I do not eat CAFO meat, it is nothing but antibiotics, growth hormones, and surplus germs. Grass-fed, free-range, hormone/antiobiotic-free animal meat is completely different. As a meat eater, I also eat a LOT of vegetables, in fact I make it a point to eat more vegetables than meat. Not only is my cholesterol optimal, but my C-Reactive protein is low and my insulin sensitivity is optimal. Currently at 6 feet, 190 lbs, I have 10% body fat. As you can see I am far from obese (meat does not make you fat). OH, I eat mostly the fatty cuts of meat, not the lean kind. Furthermore, the acid/alkaline balance in my blood is at optimal levels, meaning that meat does not cause bone degeneration. Take a look at this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16804013?ordinalpos=5&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumAnd read this: http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/sugar-and-sweeteners/vegetarians-age-faster-2/I am enjoying this debate gentlemen!To those who think that vegans/vegetarians are “healthier”: I run a Strength&Conditioning program(not a stupid gym) and this is what I’ve noticed: all vegetarians/vegans I’ve seen come through are weaker, have more body fat, get sick more often than the rest of us. All the physical fitness tests we run, they all fail to even come close to the strength gains, endurance/stamina/speed/agility/balance/coordination that us “meat eaters” achieve. In fact, one of my clients has just recently started eating meat, ditching the legumes and grains, and guess what? In just three months, he’s considerably stronger than the rest of the vegetarians. He just told me that he has never felt better, and his doctor can’t believe the amount of fat he has lost and is happier with his lab results. He has put on more muscle, lost fat, no longer looks “skinny fat”. His endurance/speed/stamina has increased tremendously. He is making it his mission to convert people to this much healthier lifestyle. OH, he is also able to sleep better and have more energy.Hello Gio, One must weigh out the pros and cons of high meat consumption. As I have stated several times before, body fat percentage is not an indicator of good health. To consume fatty parts of meat, especially beef, is simply not health promoting as you will see in this video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/good-great-bad-killer-fats/You will of course stumble upon evidence that says “there are benefits to meat”, but I am still waiting to see the evidence that nutrient dense plant sources are harmful or reduce lifespan. Who can find information on why kale will harm us? The overwhelming evidence points to plant based. Your making a great point that there are benefits to meat but there are also much more harms that come with the benefits. Take spirulina for example, it is 70% protein, can control blood sugar levels, blood pressure, cholesterol and helps with seasonal allergies. Yet we look at the harms and Spirulina may dissolve our muscles from the inside out, can cause liver cancer from the hepatotoxins it has and it contains a potent neuro toxin in it that can cause nerve damage. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=spirulina The harms outweighs the good so the wisest choice would be to avoid it. Another point to make is that unless your sourcing meat from a local farm, it will be contaminated no matter if it is organic or conventional.You are using semantics in a failed attempt to sound clever. Obviously, no one is saying that Kale will “harm us.” It’s what a vegan is leaving out of the diet that is harmful.Who can deny that a diet which includes animal protein is optimal for humans, when it is a scientific and nutritional FACT that the human body cannot be healthy without the vitamin B12 that animal protein, and NO OTHER FOOD, provides? If you have to supplement your diet with regular visits to GNC, then your diet is unsuitable for a human.I cannot imagine that there needs to be further argument, when that one, simple, undeniable fact all on it’s own cannot be overcome by any argument a vegan could make in support of the “experiment” they call a diet.The fact that we have survived, and thrived, for as many years as a species as we have proves out the efficiency and effectiveness of animal protein in our diet.If we were not meant to be meat eaters, why then do our bodies require the vitamin B12 which can only be found naturally in animal protein? Seems a little odd that we would have that requirement for our bodies not just to be healthy, BUT TO SURVIVE????If one is using the “personal experience” game then I can show you this too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSjBmn_cOpoIn addition to this video above, I am a sponsored rock climber and my greatest strength gains have come since dropping meat. More endurance, quicker recoveries, high energy, etc. The personal experience game will not work, one must use scientific sources as a source of evidence.Right, let me know when a vegetarian/vegan actually does well in the CrossFit Games.Griff’s comment about B12 does indicate humans evolved as omnivores. However, it does not follow that omnivory is an optimal human diet. Most of our evolutionary history was spent without modern medicine or science but few people would argue the absence of these in our life is an optimal way to live. Also, evolution only cares if an organism survives to reproduce successfully. Human lifespans were MUCH shorter in our evolutionary past so meat eating may work fine for paleo humans who died around age 40 after raising their children. Good luck!Why not just stick to your diet then…….why waste your time being angry on this site?Dietary cholesterol is packaged in the gut into chylomicrons, which do not become LDL. The cholesterol in LDL comes from the liver. So it doesn’t make a lot of sense to talk about dietary cholesterol and LDL. Where has it been shown that atherosclerosis is caused by cholesterol; the presence of cholesterol in plaques is not a proof of cause. Spence et al said “based on the careful and independent conclusions of Ancel Keys”. Keys was the originator of the idea that saturated fats are a cause of heart disease; he cherry picked his data to justify this. A consideration of all the data then available would not have backed his conclusion. I have also read that even Keys didn’t blame dietary cholesterol. There is no direct proof that dietary saturated fat is a risk in heart disease. Animal studies on cholesterol are questionable, especially if the animal in question cannot regulate its cholesterol production in response to dietary cholesterol (which of course one would expect in animals that naturally do not consume cholesterol.)drrggibbs, you are spot on! http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/search/label/Cholesterol%20fed%20rabbitThis is why I love your info Dr. Greger, because you only talk about HUMAN studies.http://chriskresser.com/three-eggs-a-day-keep-the-doctor-away“Egg intake has been shown to promote the formation of large LDL, in addition to shifting individuals from the LDL pattern B to pattern A, which is less atherogenic.”Hey love your site! What is your opinion on this Harvard study? Thank You!http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/egg-nutritionSeems like cholesterol is necessary for healthy bodily function: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2011.01767.x/pdfhttp://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/96/12/927.full.pdf+htmlhttp://metabolichealing.com/key-integrated-functions-of-your-body/cardiovascular/cholesterol-is-your-body-s-most-powerful-defense-against-toxins-and-free-radicals/Hello Gio,Nobody is doubting cholesterol is necessary for proper health. No doubt! The human body actually creates this cholesterol and plants actually contain very minute amounts of cholesterol as well. But this implies we need very little extra sources of cholesterol. It is like the amino acids, the non essential ones do not need to be focused on because our body produces them but the essential ones are necessary for proper health. Similarly to cholesterol is arachadonic acid, our bodies produce this chemical so we don’t need to consume extra quantities of it. The cat, which is a strict meat eater, does not produce arachadonic acid because it obtains it from animal sources. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/Meat Contains more arsenic than plants……….We may not be able to avoid something entirely but we can minimize exposure. And to anyone wanting to know the true health regarding cholesterol-have your doctor get you a VAP test. This will break down all the types of cholesterol and show you particle size. Sure, your total number can be 156 and you can have a heart attack, but if you break down those numbers then there is probably a number out of whack. LDL (c) is one to watch…….It is your legal right to egg eggs, however I am not happy that I as a taxpayer am subsidizing them. These are peer reviewed studies, so it isn’t like he is making the information up. It is also not like the places he cites studies from are “pro vegan” in the least!!The VAP test is ancient technology. Get an NMR LipoProfile like I did, it is a lot more accurate. I’ve already shared my LipoProfile on this site, I have the large particle, harmless LDL. LDL is not “one to watch”, it is only 1 number, you also need to watch your TGs, mine are ultra low, you also need a good high HDL, which mine is. Also, C-reactive protein measure the inflammation on your body; inflammation directly contributes to heart health, mine is ultra low, lower than 90% of the population. ALSO, you must pay attention to insulin sensitivity, a known contributor to heart disease. As for the eggs, I get mine that are free-range, antibiotic and hormone free, they are NOT subsidized. PLUS, people who have LOW cholesterol have heart attacks. AND PLEASE DEBUNK THIS STUDY, it shows that women with higher cholesterol live longer: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2011.01767.x/pdfOur body also already makes cholesterol. So yes, we may need it, but it is already there!This is what I find really funny: my entire family has “naturally high cholesterol”, whatever that means. One of my cousins decided to do something about it and he went vegan. He took all the proper supplementation under the supervision of a vegan nutritionist, he lowered his cholesterol below everyone in my family. After 10 years, he was the first person in my family to have a heart attack. People with low cholesterol have heart attacks.DId he have all of those tests done???? We don’t know your brother or what his situation is but since only 1% of the population may be vegan, I am doubting that us vegans have all the heart disease, cancer, & diabetes in the country. You are allowed to eat however you feel is ethical and your food is subsidized. That makes it very nice for you. I choose to minimize the suffering around me because I cannot actually live another way. It isn’t a choice for me. And minimize is the key word here.It’s my cousin, not my brother. My food is NOT subsidized. Yes, he had all these tests done, his TGs were elevated, near 120, that’s awful, mine hover around 35-45. His LDL was exceptionally low- 53, his HDL was around 60. He had really high C-reactive protein- lots of inflammation, probably from those “healthy” whole grains.Wow, reading your comments make me shriver. I was diagnosed with breaast cancer last year…I was given the book The China Study to read, I went cold turkey to a plant based diet never looked back. you see I am runner and always believed we need aminal protein for muscle recovery and to get stronger..being on plant base diet I have more energy plus I feel much stronger…no only did I refuse chemo & radiation, my last PET scan showed some tumors gone, some shrunk and not growing. Animal protein raises estrogen in women which feeds cancer cells, lots of women are now going vegan for this reason.It’s hard to know what he was actually eating :) I can only speak for myself and my numbers were great……….I will still probably get mesothelioma from going into abandoned homes in East St. Louis with the rescue group…..but hoping to utilize Gerson or something NON chemo if something like that does ever happen. I can only choose my own diet, and I started going this over 30 years ago, when I was a child, because I did not have a choice. I am thrilled with the health benefits it has given me personally, but that obviously was not my concern in grade school. To tell me to eat burgers would have been like telling a child to kill his/her dog :) In my family my mom is the only one not with high cholesterol or other issues like that, and she is pretty much vegan, always vegetarian. She has a ton of other stress from working nights and parenting….but so far she has avoided medications. Her father died at 43 of a heart attack. My health & the enivronment are just fringe benefits of this lifestyle for me. I personally cannot eat meat or dairy. I do go to a preventive care doctor and so far after 30 years of plants, apparently everything is great. But that isn’t why I’m doing this. But I have lost several people, not in my family, to cancer, and I do feel passionately about food choices and cancer risks.Odd, I’ve eaten no less than a dozen eggs a day, sometimes even raw, along with bacon, sausage, butter, red meat, and a long list of things that all the experts say are ‘bad’, haven’t eaten anything soy in almost a year, yet my doc says that I’m in better shape and health than 99% of all patients he’s ever seen, including all his patients on vegetarian and vegan diets.I am not sure what your doctor is using to define as “healthy” since you seem to be lacking any sort of phytonutrients and fiber. Check out Dr. McDougall’s article on high protein diets, and why weight loss occurs initially as well as the initial lowering of cholesterol and etc. http://www.drmcdougall.com/res_high_protein_diets.htmlCheck out this video on one egg a day http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/Furthermore, see the antioxidant and aging videos, because animal products have no lifespan increasing effect but shortens lifespan and stresses cell DNA, shortens Telomeres at an expedited rate and stresses the cell mitochondria. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/repairing-dna-damage/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/research-into-reversing-aging/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/If you are trying to eat paleolithic and avoid complex carbohydrates this seems silly to me. I find it interesting that people idealize these ancient peoples. They had no knowledge of nutrition at all, they just ate whatever was available, it wasn’t about health and nutrition it was, eat whatever you can find to survive. They had very short lifespans as well so I wouldn’t idealize that, we have a lot more knowledge about what foods are healthy for us and we have the variety available to us to choose, they did not have that luxury. They hunted because during climate change, migration and famine or drought there was nothing else to eat. That’s like people in another million years saying back in in the 1900’s a lot of people smoked cigarettes so why shouldn’t we?Furthermore, current meat eating populations have significantly lower lifespans then most advanced countries. For example, the inuit live 10 years less on average then the average Canadian, and the average Canadian eats similar to the average American. So your looking at the 60’s for survival. The Maize are an African population that eat all animal products as well and live on average to about the age of 45, they don’t usually make it past 60. The Okinawan on the other hand are plant based and usually live to be centenarians. Choose your team wisely!I think the point is that we evolved eating that way – our bodies adjusted to that because that’s what there was. People may have had shorter life spans, but we certainly survived and thrived as a species. Meat and fat were instrumental in growing the big brains we have as humans, and there is much speculation that the effects of hunting and adding that fat-rich animal protein to our diets is what grew our brains and separated us from the apes in intelligence and culture.And I’m not sure what YOU mean by holding up any Japanese or other Asian culture as plant-based. They have always eaten a great deal of fish, and also ate pork and chicken. ??? They also relied heavily on soy – does that mean we should?Griff, i encourage you to explore this site and view what more studies Dr. Greger collects. I also encourage you to view Atkins Exposed, a book written by Dr. Greger that directly attacks high protein diets. http://www.atkinsexposed.org/You know, I have explored veganism – a couple of years ago I came to a place in my life where I knew I had to make some dietary changes for my health. I explored veganism, talked with many vegans, attended group gatherings, and seriously considered the possibility for myself. What I kept coming back to again and again was that most vegans “think” they feel great, but for a variety of reasons many begin to eat animal protein again, and suddenly realize they weren’t feeling all that great after all. I heard many stories from former vegans, but some common themes were recurrent. Chiefly, poor immune response to viruses; long, drawn-out, and life changing recovery times; increasing weakness over time; depression and hypersensitivity to everyday circumstances; slowed mental responses; bad skin and hair loss; and the list went on and on. Mind you, these weren’t people who just woke up one day and decided to quit eating animal protein. One gentleman was a naturopath. Another was an acupuncturist, and another a chiropractor! These are folks who researched a diet free of animal protein prior to making that change in their lives, and still were disappointed at how their health declined. At the very least I would have to say it’s just not a healthy diet for everyone.Another consideration for a lot of people is a sensitivity to carbohydrates. I am not able to devote that much of my diet to carbohydrates. When I have done so, in the absence of protein, I am rendered completely useless from a constant feeling of sleep deprivation, caused, I believe, from spikes in insulin. I will not be eating huge quantities of soy in any form, and beans and grains disagree with me more than any other foods I’ve ever tried.I am hesitant to agree that a vegan diet is sustainable for a long, healthy life. I have heard comparisons between the human digestive tract and that of the great apes. No one seems to consider the fact that if they aren’t washing their food (and they’re not) they aren’t eating as purely vegan a diet as a lot of folks want to claim. Insect matter covers most surfaces, unless it is washed away. Chimps use tools like twigs to plumb termite mounds for their inhabitants on a regular basis. And who can forget the scenes of carnage, readily seen on the National Geographic channel, of chimp and gorilla males riling up their underlings to attack and kill the young of rival males in order to bring the females into estrus? And they aren’t just killing them, they share the meat of those babies between themselves. Vegan? I think not.For me, the fact that our meat-eating diet has provided us the nutrients to survive, thrive, and rise above our primate relations over the course of our history as humans is enough to prove out it’s effectiveness as a adequate and healthy diet. Veganism is about as “new-age” a diet as it gets. Scientists agree that if ever there had been a purely vegan society anywhere on earth, they certainly didn’t last long enough to leave traces of themselves.Over the course of my research, many vegans pointed to some indigenous Indian populations as shining examples of societies who ate a vegan diet and glowed with health. Well, we all know the folly of that story – their native diet was so infested with insect matter that they remained healthy, and when they attempted to replicate their diet in Western Europe, they became malnourished because the food in the Western world was free of insect infestation.I would like to see science based evidence that a vegan diet is not healthy, rather than personal anecdotes and assumptions. So far, the science is in the total favor of a plant based diet and it is well known that a whole foods, plant based diet can, and does reverse degenerative diseases that occur today. Again, I encourage you to explore the website thoroughly, as you have apparently not done so.http://www.westonaprice.orgI ask you for science based evidence and you show me a page that has outlandish, unsupported claims? The first thing I see is “cod liver oil is a super food” yet Dr. Greger thoroughly revokes this claim. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/When you find scientific, peer reviewed studies and reviews on the ill effects of a vegan diet be sure to pass it on. I can point to many that show meat to be quite harmful, or you can look for yourself by simply looking through this site.One of the authors of this study, J. David Spence MD, is one of the world’s leading experts in stroke prevention. In his book “How To Prevent Your Stroke,” he indicates that people who desire meat in their diet should eat no more than 2 oz. every day (or 4 oz. every other day).Or of course, you could dispense with meat entirely.How is it that there is still argument about what constitutes an adequate diet for humans when we know that the human body requires **FOR SURVIVAL** vitamins that can only be provided by the consumption of animal protein? I’m talking of course about vitamin B12, or does no one else seem to see that if you have to supplement your diet with a visit to GNC, your diet is obviously NOT SUITABLE FOR HUMAN SURVIVAL???And why is it that so many of the vegans I’ve met, be they well-informed and educated vegans, who think they are making the right dietary decision for their health, or those that just can’t eat anything that “has a face”, end up depressed, slow-witted, angry, forgetful, sickly, and have no energy or drive? Hmmmm…. Makes me wonder if there isn’t something missing from their diets….Look at the replies here that are for and against the vegan diet. One of the two groups is clearly displaying what is maybe not quite anger but clearly aggression.If you stop eating animals your blood lust might just stop.You are meeting the wrong vegans ;)And yet, neither of you addresses the question of vitamin B12.There was no need to address that non-issue.Maybe you could just explain why it’s a non-issue then, because I’d really like to hear what you think-“Non-issue” means it’s nothing to worry about. A simple google search would have found you the definition of that phrase easily.Okay, I have googled the subject of vitamin B12, and read books, and talked with Dr.s., and I’m thinking it might be a bigger issue than you realize. I’m asking YOU to explain why YOU think vitamin B12, as it relates to nutrition, is a non-issue. Can you do that? I would really appreciate it. It seems like if you know anything about it you would be able to expound on why you think it’s a non-issue, but if you don’t know, then…..Plants and animals cannot make their own vitamin B12. B12 is synthesized through the fermentation of microorganisms, most commonly Pseudomonas denitrificans and Propionibacterium shermanii.Eating animals is completely unnecessary for getting vitamin B12.Hello Griff,Dr. Greger explains in his later videos (not released yet until a few weeks) more on the topic of B12. Vitamin B12 is a byproduct of bacteria, it was once found in our water supply, and on the plant foods we eat. Because we now chlorinate our water (to avoid getting sick from other bugs) and because we dont ground pick our vegetables from the wild without washing them, the only available source is now from animal products. This is of course an unnatural setting. Similarly, iodine is no longer found in plant foods. This is why the government iodized salt, to help Americans get adequate iodine intake. Similarly still, we do not expose ourselves to adequate sunlight, and the UV rays of today are much more potent then they once were in our evolutionary past so vitamin D must be supplemented for optimal health.Humans have changed their environment, so sometimes supplements are necessary to achieve optimal health. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/Okay. Point made, point taken. I will no longer use that as my argument against veganism. I still disagree that it is sustainable for the planet, as most vegans seem to claim, but you are correct on this point. Why didn’t you just say so to begin with?I didn’t say it to begin with because anyone who actually looked into vitamin b12 already knows where to get it and where it comes from.As for the meat diet providing us “the nutrients to survive, thrive, and rise above our primate relations over the course of our history as humans,” the biggest boost to our development as a species was the discovery/invention of cooking.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Bad Egg!Does the lecithin in eggs stop cholesterol absorption (as some claim) or inhibit the inflammatory and oxidative effects? No it does not, cholesterol in eggs as well as the marked levels of arachadonic acid found in eggs both cause problems.“Diet is not all about fasting lipids; it is mainly about the three-quarters of the day that we are in the nonfasting state. Fasting lipids can be thought of as a baseline; they show what the endothelium was exposed to for the last few hours of the night.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/?tool=pubmedThe fact of the matter is, nutrition is ENTIRELY dependent on the individual. Saying that everyone should be raw vegan, or vegetarian, or whatever is just plain short sighted. There is a guy in India who is an Oxygenarian. Does that mean we should all just not eat anything?Plants have feelings too. This has been proven time and time again, so your ethics argument is completely false. Nutritionally, you can get what you need from plants, but you can only do this because of the modern system of food production and delivery. People living in Siberia don’t eat strictly vegetables because they simply cannot grow what they need to remain healthy. They eat meat, and guess what? They are perfectly healthy doing that and have lived for 1000’s of years without the same problems people have in modern society.There is NO ethical reason not to eat meat. You cannot hold the life of a cow over the life of an insect, and your strict vegetarian diet kills way more insects than cows. Environmentally there is some argument there, but to say that no meat should ever be consumed would through the balance of wildlife out of whack. We do not have enough predators to keep the prey in line, and many prey animals simply starve to death if they are not culled by hunters using them for meat.Much of the research is flawed anyway because science has this nasty little secret no one wants to admit. There is no way to accurately assume that a small sample of the population from one area of the world is an accurate representation of the entire human population. There is no way to eliminate all the variables that could effect a studies outcome so ANY study you see in regard to human interaction is flawed at it’s core. Until you can bring an infant up in a lab and never feed it eggs, then have it’s identical twin grow up in the same lab and experience the exact same introduction of nutrients with the addition of eggs, you will NEVER have an accurate assessment of the effect eggs have on the human biology.All of this is junk science disguised behind lobbyists and people who claim they know what is best. Eat meat if you want. There is nothing wrong with it. Get off your high horse and stop trying to change the way people live their lives.Nutrition is an individual thing. One thing that works for one person may or may not work for another. All of this is junk science. Any time you see someone referencing a “study” the study itself does not adhere to true scientific principals. There are too many variables involved to determine anything even remotely accurate. This is the dirty little secret of the health industry. They want you to believe that a small sample of the population is representative of everyone on the planet.To really understand what is happening, you would have to have two babies who were identical twins. They would have to be raised in a lab where they were introduced to the exact same nutrition and stimulus their entire lives until the variable was changed. One twin would be given eggs and one would not. Then their life would continue in parallel until some kind of symptom arose in the one given eggs. then you would get a true scientific conclusion. Anything less is just opinion.As for the vegan debate, please just stop it. Vegans and vegetarians have no solid ground. If you indulge in that lifestyle for ethical reasons, your ethics are flawed. Plants have a consciousness, and have been proven to experience fear and pain. Nonetheless, millions of insects die as a result of the cultivation of plants. To say that insect or plant life is less precious than animal life is absurd. It is also absurd to say that an animal fears more or feels more pain than an insect or a plant.If you want to spout off about the environmental impact, you may want to look at how we have destroyed biodeversity with plants. There are thousands of varietals that are extinct now for the sake of growing standard vegetables. Then there is the issues of pesticides, insecticides, and GMO’s which are all a result of vegetable production. Certainly there is a heavy price for animal production, but to say that vegetable production is any less destructive is once again absurd.I won’t even being to talk about the environmental impact if we simply let all of the animals go free and had no checks in place to regulate populations. Just talk to the fish and game people about deer and you will understand how out of whack we are with the predator/prey dynamic in many parts of the world.If you are a vegetarian or a vegan for health reasons, again, you have no ground to stand upon. there are plenty of cultures and people who do not have the luxury of going to the grocery store to buy ingredients shipped in from far away cultures. They eat what is local, and they can ONLY get certain vitamins and minerals from animal sources. Many of these cultures do not have the same diseases western cultures do, and certainly do not have them at the epidemic levels the west does. Your health is not entirely dependent on what you put into your moth, so trying to profess that you can be healthy simply by not eating animals is once again absurd.Most people who hide behind these things are really only choosing a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle out of vanity. You want to have that false sense of superiority or a false sense of ethics. You are being absurd and when you spout off it only proves how absurd you really are. Eat some bacon. It’s not going to kill you as fast as a million other factors will.If you truly believe that the peer-reviewed scientific research is “junk,” and that human nutrition is beyond the study of modern science, then why are you here on a research-reporting website clogging up the comments section? No one is talking about the ethics of meat consumption except you. This website is for those of us who want to keep up with the lastest in health and nutrition research. Thank you.Wow, Corbin you obviously have too much time on your hands. I disagree with most of what you say, however, ill only touch on the nutrition side of it. Yes, everyones bodies are different but the plant based diet has so much powerful research behind it, with VERY convincing studies and research. Vegans often eat terribly so that means nothing. But if you eat a whole food, plant based diet, I believe it would be a healthy choice for most, if not everyone, with certain needed supplementation for certain people. Yes, one piece of bacon wont kill you but even one piece does have an effect on the endothelial cells in your arteries, thus effecting your chances for atheroclerosis through a nitric oxide effect. Look at Dr. Esselyton’s book, how to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. There is nothing in meat and dairy that you cant get from a plant based diet, except B-12 in some cases, in which you can supplement. You should try it, you may be surprised. I’m always open to new research and may change my diet at some time , but for now NOT eating meat and dairy is a no brainer for me.nice info, very helpfully Doc !!!If you consume 30-40g of dietary fiber through foods a day, doesn’t that lower the amount of dietary cholesterol in your blood?Yes dietary cholesterol is lowered by a higher intake of fiber. You can review the topic summary by Denise see… http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/ and follow the links to see the various factors that can lower your cholesterol. There are currently 93 videos relating to cholesterol on NutritionFacts.org. Of course when you are consuming a lot of fiber you are consuming a lot of plants which means you are consuming less animal products and hence less cholesterol and saturated fats. Oatmeal for breakfast does lower cholesterol partly from the effects of the oatmeal and partly due to the other breakfast foods it replaces such as eggs.Dr Barry Sears (of Zone diet) states that the yolk is the biggest problem because it contains so much aracodonic acid ; therefore his suggestion is to remove the yolk if one wishes to eat eggs.Egg yolks are the problem. Egg whites are still a fantastic source of protein. Learn how to remove the yolks. For cooking purposes, 2 whites = whole egg.Stacy: I like to paraphrase Dr. Barnard who wrote something like, “There are big problems with eggs, the white and the yolk.” Actually, there are more problems, like with salmonella, but that is a bit of a digression.I’m glad you understand the problem with the yolk. The problem with the white is that it is pure animal protein, the type that likely promotes cancer growth. If you would like to learn more about how this works, you can check out the following video series on this NutritionFacts site:• IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop • Cancer-Proofing Mutation • The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle • Protein Intake & IGF-1 Production • Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk • Animalistic Plant Proteins • Too Much Soy May Neutralize Benefits • How Much Soy Is Too Much? • Plant-Based BodybuildingGood luck.From what I have learned in various nutrition courses and cancer related course work, animal proteins are NOT the problem either. Preparation techniques are the problem. Over processing, including over cooking in general increases presence of carcinogens in food as a rule. Not just meat.If you have any peer reviewed, published primary articles with research to back up your claims, I’d love to read it.Stacy: It’s great you want to look at the primary studies. If you look under each video on this site, you will see a “Sources Cited” section that you can expand. Thus, if you follow the video series I referenced above, starting with IGF-1 as One-Stop Cancer Shop, you can get the references to the direct studies.Also, you might consider reading the book The China Study. That book discusses studies linking dairy protein to cancer (as well as some other studies if memory serves). Also if memory serves, the book includes the full references to the peer reviewed published research.Good luck.I love the China Study – great recommendation.Can you get too low of cholesterol? Someone said they are vegan but eat eggs because of the cholesterol.It’s someone I know.No. Our bodies make all the cholesterol we need.I’m really frustrated right now. I openend scholar.google.nl to seek for “eggs and heart”. And I continue seeing studies with conclusions like:– “Higher consumption of eggs (up to one egg per day) is not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke.”http://www.bmj.com/content/346…– Conclusions We did not find a significant positive association between egg consumption and increased risk of mortality from CHD or stroke in the US population. These results corroborate the findings of previous studies. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S136…– “Conclusions: No association between egg consumption and the incidence of CVD was found in this Mediterranean cohort.” http://www.nature.com/ejcn/jou…I’m not an egg advocate or something but feel frustrated about conflicting messages. I don’t have the authority at this point to judge all this information. I’m just left feeling frustrated about this. One party says: avoid eggs like the pest. The other says: eggs are ok. Can the true egg-conclusion please stand up.I hear you. One thing I’ve noticed is that any doctor I talk to tells me that you can absolutely get all the healthy nutrition you need from a plant-based diet, whereas many doctors are extremely concerned about meat, eggs and dairy. No one is worried about the broccoli and kale, so I take my B-12 supplement and eat the things that are agreed by everyone to be safe.So what about this article from Dr. Mercola? http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/08/10/making-sense-of-your-cholesterol-numbers.aspx#_edn2I’m so confused about who has the definitive answer. But all i get is a cesspool of yes and no. Is Mercola referring to the egg industry studies? Or are these claims backed by non suspicious candidates? And what about people who are in shape and do resistance training exercise? And what about hormones and cholesterol? For a resistance trained athlete who would need more testosterone to build muscle, is the amount produced the body enough? Can the body up its production to meet test needs for muscle? Do these studies apply to low body fat % resistance trained athletes? so many questions!Don’t buy into Dr. Mercola. He has some very backwards theories and is a well known quack in the scientific community. Please see here for a very thorough clarification of the myth of the cholesterol myth by plant positive. Start at “18 Cholesterol Confusion 1 Primordial Prevention” and go on from there. http://plantpositive.com/18-cholesterol-confusion-1-pri/I contend ALL studies involving eggs are flawed. Are they using eggs from standard hatcheries that produce subpar eggs whos hens who have never seen the sun or eaten grass & insects or eggs from a free range hatchery where the hens get sunshine, green grass( yes hens eat grass too), bugs, etc. There is a huge difference in the eggs. Now take a standard hatchery egg and fry it on a hot skillet with oil. The lecithin in the egg yolk( which there is very little in a standard hatchery egg) is destroyed and you are left with cholesterol, but not just cholesterol ,but radically changed cholesterol that has been heated to 400 degrees more and swimming in heated oil. I think most eggs in these studies are consumed fried instead of the healthier poached, boiled or soft boiled. A healthier cooked egg still has the lecithin intact which nature intended along with the cholesterol that hasn’t been overheated. A free range healthier egg has much more lecithin in the yolk to emulsify the fats in the egg. YES, fried eggs are bad for you because the high heat perverts the contents of the eggs. I contend boiled or poached free range eggs are not bad for you and your health and you will find NO studies to ever disprove it. Its still pretty old school to still think egg cholesterol is bad for you in all forms. CHOLESTEROL is NOT the problem. Inflamation is the problem and the lack of nutritious fruits and vegetables to heal the damaged artery linings . Never fry foods even vegetables.Dan, there are some leaps in logic that are being made with your post.1) There are little meaningful nutrition differences between free range hen eggs and factory farmed eggs http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/content/90/7/1600.long2) Dietary cholesterol is harmful regardless of whether it is oxidized or not.LDL does not have to be oxidized to enter the endothelium and become foam cells, the beginning stages of heart disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2877120/Nonoxidized LDL’s typically precede accumulation in aortic lesions, thus LDL does not have to be oxidized. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1850639/This study used hard boiled eggs and found significant endothelial impairment which was equivalent to a sausage and cheese muffin. This did not occur with the egg substitutes, indicating that it is indeed the cholesterol and saturated fat. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2904713/#!po=43.1818Dan, there are some leaps in logic that are being made with your post.1) There are little meaningful nutrition differences between free range hen eggs and factory farmed eggs http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/content/90/7/1600.long2) Dietary cholesterol is harmful regardless of whether it is oxidized or not.LDL does not have to be oxidized to enter the endothelium and become foam cells, the beginning stages of heart disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2877120/Nonoxidized LDL’s typically precede accumulation in aortic lesions, thus LDL does not have to be oxidized. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1850639/This study used hard boiled eggs and found significant endothelial impairment which was equivalent to a sausage and cheese muffin. This did not occur with the egg substitutes, indicating that it is indeed the cholesterol and saturated fat. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2904713/#!po=43.1818	bacon,beef,burgers,cardiovascular disease,cheese,chicken,cholesterol,Dr. David Jenkins,Dr. David Spence,eggs,fast food,hamburgers,heart disease,heart health,industry influence,inflammation,KFC,LDL cholesterol,oxidative stress,safety limits,saturated fat	Cardiology experts warn that eating even a single egg a day may exceed the safe upper limit for cholesterol intake.	A few more recent videos on the effects of cholesterol include: Optimal Cholesterol Level Cholesterol Crystals May Tear Through Our Artery Lining Switching from Beef to Chicken & Fish May Not Lower CholesterolDon't miss Avoiding cholesterol is a no brainer and Egg industry blind spot for more misleading claims from the egg industry.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-david-spence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kfc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-david-jenkins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21459286,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725,
PLAIN-3161	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-and-mucus-a-myth/	Is Milk and Mucus a Myth?	The Dairy Council denies there’s an association between milk and increased mucus production, and they blame it on the jews. The original myth, they claim, stems from a 12th century Jewish physician. Not just any 12th century Jewish physician though, but none other than Maimonides himself.What have we learned in the last 800 years? The latest review on the subject was published last year. Does Milk increase mucus production? Fact… or fiction?It appears to be, fact.The milk protein casein breaks down in the stomach to produce a substance called casomorphin, which as it’s name implies, has opioid effects, which makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint, as species survival may depend on a close maternal bond between infant and mother.The guess is that opioid receptors on the mucus glands in the respiratory tract may respond to the casomorphin from milk, which could potentially "Stimulate the production and secretion of mucus from these respiratory glands." This may explain why "a subgroup of the population who have increased respiratory tract mucus production, find that many of their symptoms, including asthma, improve on a dairy elimination diet.”Maybe Maimonides was right.	Dairy industry policies have also been accused of racial bias, as profiled in this article published in the Journal of the National Medical Association.I can’t begin to thank you enough for posting this video. When explaining this issue as the reason I can’t consume dairy, people tend to think I’m a tad wacky. But seeing it here makes me feel…sane. ♥Very good information. I was literally asking myself this very same question a couple of days ago, since I had recently heard it mentioned many times.Thanks again Dr. Greger. Keep up the great work!Love, love, love these videos. Proper science with the important bits underlined. The connection between milk and allergies / asthma and mucus / phlegm is well known. Many singers avoid milk for this second reason. And the opiates in milk serve an obvious purpose in mother-child bonding – which begs the question why so many of us drink the breast milk of another species.I’m a singer, and many singers avoid dairy before a performance because of this. I even heard the director of an elementary school musical warning her cast about this before the show. Go, Maimonides!“Dairy industry blames Jewish physician” Ha!Of course most Jews are in fact lactose intolerant. The Dairy Council must be perturbed at ethnic groups that can not digest their products!Good catch Doctor. I think the Dairy Council is in need of some new copywriters.As someone in a position of trust, you may want to review some of the statements in your video.First off, what is it that told you that the source article was a review, was it the title of the journal: “Medical Hypotheses”, or was it the long list of references?Secondly, what makes you think that article states that it is indeed fact? There is nowhere in that article that states that this is what happens. Perhaps I missed that part and you can quote it for me so that I can better understand.Finally, while you do indeed say that ‘this may affect that’ and ‘this may cause that’, most of this hesitation is invalidated by the fact that you earlier stated that this is certainly what happens since it is a fact.That being said, while I have little doubt in my mind that the milk industry is bending facts like every other large industry with rumours or myths or even evidence against them, I abhor when people with presumably noteworthy credentials say things in a way to make the general population think something is true, when it is simply a hypothesis. And so I must apologise for the somewhat hostile tone.-a Ph.D. Candidate in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Protein Dynamics, and Drug DesignThank you so much for your feedback! It’s very sweet of you to take the time to leave a comment. It’s a dream come true to have science-minded folks like yourself reviewing the site and it would be a great favor to me personally and to those visiting the site if you had time to review as many other videos as you can. If you don’t have institutional access to any of the articles I cite please let me know and I can email you PDFs.With specific regard to your comments, you’re absolutely right: “review” is only correct in the colloquial sense and not in the technical sense. So I should have said the “latest paper” on the subject instead. In fact I’ll add it to the queue of videos I want to rerecord just to make sure it’s crystal clear. I am indebted to you and all those who have noted site search glitches, videos with sound problems, etc. as I am constantly trying to improve on the site (while at the same time working on coming up with new content every day!).The Bartley and McGlashan paper I highlight is indeed more of an explanatory paper, trying to figure out the “why” rather than the “what.” Although reports of mucoid impaction tied to milk allergy go back nearly 30 years, such a large percentage of the population recognizes a milk/mucus link (see for example, here, here, and here) that allergies alone couldn’t account for such a widespread perception. That’s why this new paper is so interesting, offering a non-allergy explanation of why so many people report increased respiratory mucus production with milk consumption. Is their hypothesis (i.e. educated guess) correct? It hasn’t been tested, but hopefully it will lead to a fruitful line of research and I will make sure to keep everyone in the loop.And EH, good luck on your thesis!I appreciate that you responded and are willing to improve and review your descriptions.While I cannot access the article titled “Recurrent mucoid impaction in an asthmatic infant with cow’s milk protein allergy”, the article titled “The Milk Mucus Belief: Sensations Associated with the belief and characteristics of believers” states that even in non-believers there was a sensation of needing to swallow, of coating of the throat, etc. They also refer to a similar double blind study they did in which they report that the subjects also experienced the same effect with soy milk, and so conclude that these sensations are just something that comes with this type of drink and is not actually associated with cow’s milk itself.The next article titled “Patients’ perceptions of food-induced asthma” found that approximately 35% of respondends reported that dairy products had “made you start to cough, wheeze, feel short of breath or get a tight feeling in the chest?”, but with that same questionnaire, about 40% reported those same symptoms with fruits and vegetables. They conclude that ‘confirmation of these perceptions will require well conducted challenge studies’. More importantly here, they say that ‘health professionals need to be aware of their own beliefs.’The last study “Do You Believe Milk Makes Mucus?” found that there are equal proportions of people who think milk causes increased mucus production when considering those that have illnesses that could affect that effect (asthma, cystic fibrosis, and allergies). There are also an equal propotion of people that believe it across different ethnicities. The part of this article I personally find interesting is that the stated sources for the idea that milk causes more mucus is 9.8% pediatricians, 18.7% other physicians and 2.6% other healthcare professionals.Your argument that allergies alone could not account for such a widespread perception falls under the argumentum ad populum fallacy of argumentation that states that something is true because many people believe it is. Nobody has yet confirmed that milk does indeed cause increased mucus production, and until somebody does so, be it for some small percentage of the population, it is irresponsible to advertise it as being a true effect.I do look forward to seeing the results of that study though, being asthmatic myself.I too read this paper and think Dr. Greger’s video was representative in that all he actually stated was that it “appears to be fact” that milk increases mucus production.In fact, Bartley and McGlashan cite a number of studies that support dairy elimination and conclude that “These observations would suggest that in some situations a cow’s milk exclusion diet can be beneficial.”To support these observations the authors provided a plausible and testable mechanism to explain why a certain type of milk (A1) could increase mucus production in a subgroup of people who have increased intestinal permeability.Like I said, most of the wording in the video does indeed have a note of doubt in it, but most people will assume it is just turn of phrase. Scientists will often state things this way because they are aware that discoveries are rarely certain and even more seldom absolute, whereas for the general population, if you tell them it appears that drinking and driving cause accidents, the will take it as a fact because it is something they already think or know to be true.When you saw this video, before looking at the sources and reading the comments, were you not under the impression that milk did indeed cause mucus production?I got this from Dr. Mercola’s site on raw milk. What’s your take on it. (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/01/cdc-misrepresents-raw-milk-statistics.aspx?e_cid=20120101_SNL_Art_1)Raw Milk is a Healthful, Living FoodHigh quality raw milk has a mountain of health benefits that pasteurized milk lacks. For example, raw milk is:Loaded with healthy bacteria that are good for your gastrointestinal tract Full of more than 60 digestive enzymes, growth factors, and immunoglobulins (antibodies) Rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which fights cancer Rich in beneficial raw fats, amino acids, and proteins in a highly bioavailable form, all 100 percent digestible Loaded with vitamins (A, B, C, D, E, and K) in highly bioavailable forms, and a very balanced blend of minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron) whose absorption is enhanced by live lactobacilli It is not uncommon for people who drink raw milk to experience improvement or complete resolution of troubling health issues—everything from allergies to digestive problems to eczema. It is also common for people who have “milk allergies” to tolerate raw milk just fine. Pasteurized milk is a completely different story.Pasteurization Creates a Dead, White Liquid That is NOT Beneficial to Your HealthPasteurization turns milk into a dead white liquid whose health benefits are largely destroyed. Consider what pasteurization does to milk:The price of killing the pathogenic bacteria is that you also kill the good bacteria which helps digest milk and make it such a nourishing food Proteins and enzymes are completely destroyed or denatured, made less digestible and less usable by your body Immunoglobulins, metal-binding proteins, vitamin-binding proteins, carrier proteins, growth factors, and anti-microbial peptides such as Lactoferrin are destroyed Many vitamins and minerals are rendered biologically unusable Fats are damaged and destabilized Additionally, the bacteria killed by pasteurization are not removed, so their dead carcasses remain in the milk to ignite immune reactions in those who ingest them, which is one major cause of milk allergies. It isn’t really an allergy to the milk itself, but to the organic cell fragments it contains.Interestingly, Maimonides was right on alot of medical issues.  I believe he also  wrote that people needed to allow a sufficient amount of green space around cities for clean and, thus promoting optimal health.A reviewer on Amazon.com, commenting on one of the English translations of Maimonides medical writings said this:Maimonides studied medicine long before he decided to enter the profession because he knew that good heath is important to a satisfying life. He taught that prevention of illness and the maintenance of good health is the major goal of physicians and non-physicians alike. He focused his attention not only on the body, but also on the mind, the environment, a proper attitude, good interrelationships, the avoidance of stress, and other similar subjects.Maimonides was very modern in his approach to good heath by stressing exercise, proper foods, sufficient sleep, and recognizing that nature by itself, without the aid of a physician, can resolve many illnesses. His advice on health, contained in his medical, philosophical and legal writings, remains worthwhile reading today.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Bad Egg!I didn’t see any research included in the video to prove the casein theory, just conjecture.I have a germophobic housemate of Jewish descent who is constantly hawking up phlegm and loudly blowing his nose. He thinks it’s just “allergies” but he eats meat, cheese, and dairy pretty regularly. His solution is to gargle Listerine, which I think is probably making things worse for him. Recent studies have found helpful viruses living in human mucous, and most of the bacteria we carry are beneficial as well. But he’s one of those kooky old dudes who will never be deep enough to change his habits, so he’s never tried eschewing meat and dairy to see how it might affect his health. Instead he baselessly insists it’s nothing to do with diet, and he just keeps on suffering and being a noisy annoyance to his housemates. What to do??That video really helped me a lot, because I’ve been very discouraged lately. I’m a singer in a band, and also I make my own music as a kind of solo project, and I noticed a few years ago I got sick and had all this phlegm and I thought well I just never got rid of the mucus, I never recovered in that aspect. But I also noticed..I drink sometimes 3 to 4 glasses of milk a day. That’s a lot..and it seems that my phlegm buildup is even more increased. I can barely talk and sing now. So I think eliminating milk although I love it so much would be healthy and improve my well being and vocal abilities. I hope.“Medical Hypotheses” being the keyword in this video.The journal name “Medical Hypothesis” is the keyword in this video.I have only recently excluded virtually all animal foods. My breathing feels easier, yet another unexpected benefit. Thank you Dr Greger for this material.JR: I had a conversation just this last weekend with a group of vegans who were all sharing various “unexpected benefits” after switching to their vegan diets. It is fascinating how many medical problems get cleaned up when people start eating healthy – sometimes problems they weren’t even really aware of beforehand.Congrats on your easier breathing.Right On! that’s the bottom line. I’ve experienced the same. When I asked the “Dr.’s” for help 20 years ago, with my constant sinus inflammation and congestion in my nose throat etc, their only solution was drugs and/or surgery-no mention of the power of plants alone! THANK GOD I was willing to eventually change. After all, the definition of insanity is o continue to do the same thing and expect a different result!Speaking totally subjectively here. I drink close to a gallon of milk a day.. I have no excess mucous or phlegm or any other noticable symptoms. I have done without for months at a time and just miss drinking it. No science, just satisfaction.Because you may drink milk does not automatically mean that you will produce excess mucus. This occurs with some popel, as milk may promote acne in some, but not all. There are major concerns with milk though other then this, such as the xenoestrogens and elvated IGF-1. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-sexual-precocity/ http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1While you may show no symptoms of mucous of phlegm, there are also a litany of less symptomatic side effects. The video linked below specifically looks at prostate cancer growth when looking at almond and organic cow milk. Major concerns are also found in IGF-1 regulation with cow milk and we should evaluate our own personal health through multiple factors beyond noticeable symptoms.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/The frowny face of the cereal is great!Chronic sinus suffer here, I found I was allergic to salycaletes, hence I would get a head cold after a night out. If I went to a more adventurous restaurant I would have severe headaches lasting up to 4 days. I had turbinate surgery. The worst decision of my life. I now have a constant post-nasal drip.The best things I have found work for me are:- 1. swimming in salt water (best in the surf), to clear out my head of mucus. 2. starting the day with fresh lemon juice, waiting 10 minutes, to then have green tea, inhaling the steam to help clear move the mucus and clear as much as possible, then having a healthy breakfast.I have always wondered about milk and mucus. I was told by GPs it was only in children it produced mucus, but tend to err on the side of caution personally.Oddly enough Coriander is my number 1 mucus maker. Have that in a meal and I have sneezed 10 times in half an hour on my way to a headache in an hour and migraine like pain in 4 hours. Makes food selection at a lot of restaurants a challenge! SandraThank you for sharing this video. It’s very helpful. You might enjoy this page. http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/clinical/departments/medicine/divisions/digestive-health/nutrition-support-team/nutrition-articles/LiacourasArticle.pdf* if you search the paper for the word – cow – then look at the 3rd and 4th finding… it supports what you’re saying I believe.I would think raw milk might be an okay option for many. However Dr. Mercola has shared that there are two types of cows and one type has the kind of milk that can cause allergy. They’re called A1 and A2.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/09/The-Devil-in-the-Milk.aspxI like how http://www.westonaprice.org helps people find raw milk sources.Blessings! Ali in IL < We support Israel!Why is everything blamed on the Jews? Sheesh. Anglo Saxon white men have been in power for thousands of years, yet they are always touted for their discoveries and successes, never the war and indignities they’ve committed on humankind.I am 80 years old and spent 78 years suffering from post-nasal drip and throat congestion. I was constantly spitting to clear my throat. That stopped when I quit drinking three glasses of milk every day. I need no other test or proof.I am concerned about my sons ongoing problem with excessive mucous – he is well in every way, but has to regularly clear his nose of mucous – especially last thing at night & first thing in the morning.I would like to eliminate milk from his diet, which will be difficult because he loves it, has it with cereal every morning and drinks it every night before bed.If the excessive mucous is being caused by milk, how long would it take to notice any improvement if we completely omit milk from his diet?Hi Debre, I would recommend trying Almond Breeze unsweetened original almond milk. It tastes basically the same and is thinner then “silk” brand almond milk, which gives it the same texture as cows milk. I don’t think you will find much of a noticeable difference in taste. Give it a try! There is more to dairy then mucus too. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/Thank you for the suggestion of Almond breeze almond milk.However, due to the fact that I live in Turkey, it is not possible for me to get hold of any kind of milk substitute.(It is also not possible to find tofu, quinoa, soya products etc.)I am currently following a 98% vegan diet -as a result of the revelations I have learned from this wonderful website.I would like to cut out dairy produce from my son’s diet gradually.He is eleven years old – and agrees to try going without milk for one month.Would 1 month be long enough to see improvement with regard to mucous production?? With regard to calcium, I aim to meet his body’s needs for calcium by including lots of fresh vegetables in his diet, plus flax seeds, tahini and nuts.A month will be long enough to notice any mucous drop indeed. You can also attempt to make your own almond milk. From my understanding its quite easy, and you need a cheese cloth to strain them after blending the almonds. I would look online for a recipe.I would agree with Toxins that a month trial will allow you to see if there is benefit to the mucous problem. I would second his comment that there are many other reasons to stop or minimize dairy consumption. Calcium intake will be met by a whole food plant diet. I and I imagine others would be interested in how your trial goes. Good luck.Debre: What a bummer that you can’t easily buy foods like almond milk and quinoa, etc. I feel for you.I wanted to second Toxin’s suggestion of creating your own nut milks. It can be a lot of fun to make your own and while not as convenient, end up tasting a lot better than the store bought brands. If you have some nuts and a blender, it is easy to make any sort of nut milk – or even oat milk if you can get a hold of whole oat groats.For the filtering step: I have made nut milks using both a nut milk bag and just a common, small holed colandar. It just depends how picking you are about texture and how good the blender is/how small it chops up the nut bits.I have also made nut milks from nut butters (like say almond butter) instead of the whole nuts. Using a nut butter can make the process more convenient since you can avoid the filtering step all together. You just blend up a bit of nut butter with water – perhaps with a touch of sweetener and/or vanilla if relevant (such as for putting on cold cereal). A ratio you might try is: 1/4 cup nut butter to 4 cups water.It is a good testament to both you and your son that your son is willing to go a whole month without a food that he loves. I wish you both luck!I DO NOT TRUST THE GOV.This thing about the opiates in milk making dairy addictive, seems to me if you turn that around it explains why some substances are ‘opiates’ in the first place, they trigger mechanisms we’re evolved to have.Thanks for the video Mr. Michael. About non-diary milk products? Does non diary milk product as; hemp, almond, oat,cashew, coconut milk cause or can cause mucus? Thanks Dr.	casein,casomorphin,dairy,evolution,industry influence,Judaism,lung health,Maimonides,milk,mucus,sinus health	Do dairy products contribute to increased mucus (phlegm) production?	For more on the effects of dairy consumption, check out these recent videos: Formula for Childhood Obesity Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility Is Milk Good for Our Bones? Why Do Vegan Women Have 5x Fewer Twins? Skim Milk and Acne Preventing Parkinson’s Disease With DietDairy industry policies have also been accused of racial bias, as profiled in this article published in the Journal of the National Medical Association.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/casein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/casomorphin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sinus-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mucus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/judaism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/maimonides/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6376463,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19932941,
PLAIN-3162	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/	The Effect of Soy on Precocious Puberty	The age of puberty for girls continues to decline.  Last year researchers published a study of more than a thousand girls across the country  and found a “a higher prevalence of onset of breast development among girls at ages 7 and 8 years old compared with those observed more than just a decade earlier."This has obvious psychosocial implications, but from a  medical point of view, the reason we're so concerned is that those who start developing at a younger age are at an increased risk of breast cancer later in life, due to the increased estrogen exposure.  For every year puberty can be delayed, risk of future breast cancer may drop 7%. A century a go, girls were starting their periods at around 16, which may help explain why breast cancer is now such an epidemic.So what’s contributing to this premature development?  New study last year following 3,000 girls found the single most important dietary determinant was how much meat girls eat. “Meat intake, measured, at 3 and 7 years was strongly positively associated with starting their period by 12 years 8 months,  so the trends in "age at menarche" in the West over the last century might reflect the trends in meat consumption.” The  second most powerful predictor was animal protein in general, so it wasn't just meat.The reason girls eating vegetarian have been found to develop more normally may  also be influenced by their soy intake. Last year a group of German researchers calculated that girls  drinking just like two cups of soymilk a week developing breasts on average 8 months later than those who drank hardly any. Soy  failed to have an effect, however, on timing in puberty in boys.	Related videos on premature puberty include Hormones in Skim vs. Whole Milk and Xenoestrogens & Early Puberty. And there’s more than a dozen videos on soy, including Soy & Breast Cancer and Soy & Breast Cancer Survival.You may also be interested in my blog post today: Soy and breast cancer: an update.This is all such important information. I find myself fighting my own emotions, based on my past assumptions, upon hearing all this research. And it’s all good. Thank you. ♥We use soy milk to feed our baby girls!STOP IT BEFORE IT’S TO LATE.Have their been any studies on the effects of grass-fed organic meat and dairy vs. factory-farmed meat and dairy?According to T. Colin Campbell, a prominent doctor in the nutritional field, he says that compositionally, conventional meat and organic meat are nearly identical. The difference may be in growth hormones and contaminants but both types of meat cause the same diseases. It’s the animal protein itself that causes harm. All those other contaminants just add on to the load.I have been fielding some questions from a group of about 50 people regarding the Weston A. Price Foundation assertion that consuming soy could be detrimental to one’s health due in part to the high phytic acid content.Can anyone please address the nonsense that WAPF has spewed out regarding soy?SOY IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU. it mimics the real protein(opposite effect) in your thyroid gland. Soy protein is not a true protien, it mimics a true protein.Hi Doc. I would like to know about the effects of soy protein (trypsin inhibitors, etc, etc, etc) cuz this conserns me a lot.There are some confusing info regarding soy and it’s more processed versions. Try these video leads. – Does Tofu Cause Dementia? – Milk Protein vs. Soy Protein – Soy Foods & Menopause – Soy Hormones & Male Infertility – Tofu vs. Tempeh – Waistline Slimming FoodAlso check this discussion: http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/pdf/pdf050400nl.pdf These antinutrients are all deactivated with cooking.I am the mother of 2 little boys (18 months and 2 months). I am breastfeeding my youngest, but am still giving formula (dairy milk based) to my son at night and if he isn’t eating enough during the day. We are transitioning to a whole foods, plant-based diet as a family because of information that we have gleaned from your site (thank you!).My question is what, in your opinion, is the BEST milk alternative for older infants and children (that no longer breastfeed). I’ve heard concerning comments about phytoestrogen content in soymilk being harmful to older infants/young children. Is this concern evidence-based?I am 72yrs old and was reised on a farm in my early years and am very healthy today. So on saying that I would tell you to keep on feeding your kids cow,goat milk but as they get into their middle ages to go to skim milk and they will be as health as I am today. Stay off all of these GMO type of foods(Genetically Modified Organisms type foods as long as you can. Fresh fruits and veggs is the best way to go.I would recommend stopping the dairy milk based formula that you are giving your son. The concerns about soy are not evidence based. For information on adverse effects of hormones both male and female in dairy see… http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-sexual-precocity/. There are other dairy videos on nutritionfacts.org detailing other associations of the consumption of dairy products which are many. A good resource for parents interested in improving their older children’s nutrition is the 28 day pamphlet, Nutrition of Kids, available for free download at http://www.PCRM.org. For infants PCRM’s information sheet is helpful: http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vegdiets/vegetarian-diets-for-children-right-from-the-start. Of course each child can have special needs and you need to work with your physicians as needed.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer and Diet!Does a vegan diet ( eating soy products: 5 x per week, soy milk) affect a young woman’s fertility?YES it does. Stop it now.(the soy products that is)Dr. Greger, I was hoping to get your opinion (based on the most current scientific findings, of course) on the topic of soy safety.  Recently, my friend and I have been going back and forth about the safety of soy.  I’ve been sending her links to your videos (as well as links to Dr. Barnard’s info) and she would answer back with evidence to support her claims about soy’s danger (http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy.htm, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21353476, http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/jeremy-piven-i-grew-man-boobs-from-excessive-soy-milk-2009311 …I realize the latter piece is hardly evidence-and that the “man boobs” were probably just as likely caused by Piven’s over consumption of fish (xenoestrogens) rather than soy, but still she shared it with me).The debate we shared left me feeling just a wee bit confused about soy, despite what your videos state. It seems that the topic of soy is still a controversial issue (there is the issue about GMOs). Recent talk about the “paleo” diet seems to be stirring up more confusion these days. I am by no means super Rah Rah about soy (everything in moderation, and the more whole the better); and, I still believe that the preponderance of evidence speaks to soy’s safety (except for those who are allergic to it). And, of course, like all our food, it should be produced safely and without GMOs and other bad chemicals.  All the same, I wanted to share the above links with you and get your opinion about them, since you are respected expert in this area and I trust your opinion. Plus, you are not beyond correcting your viewpoint when the evidence suggests that makes sense.Thank you in advance for taking the time to address my comments.To health! JolaP.S.  Do you have any videos coming up on GMOs and the Paleo diet.  These topics always come up in conversation. It’d be great to see what the current evidence states about these topics in nutrition. Hello Jola,Firstly, Dr. Greger covers the paleolithic diet here on his free e book here http://www.atkinsexposed.org/Now to the point of soy. I find that when debating someone over an issue, it is best to debate using the primary sources. So instead of sharing the whole videos themselves or articles themselves, share some of the sources cited and actually read through the primary source and quote from it. Also, try to google the title of the primary source and you may find the full study available so you can quote from it more in depth rather than just posting from the abstract. When Dr. Greger quotes from it, you can usually expect those same words in the study so you can use these same quotes.Now when dealing with the opposing side, when they present to you evidence, look through the study itself and search for inherent flaws. Dr. Mercola is not a very trustworthy doctor and he tends to skew the actual data in the study or ignore other studies that show what he is saying is clearly wrong. This can be seen with his support of coconut oil and spirulina.If they simply show you articles without references this does not count as evidence. For you I will pick apart Dr. Mercola’s argumentFirstly, Dr. Mercola argues that soy beans have many antinutirents, such as protein inhibitors and phytic acid, and that cooking does not completely deactivate these. This is false, cooking does in fact deactivate these antinutrients. Imagine if it didn’t, the epidemic of “protein deficiency” “calcium deficiency” and “zinc deficiency” in Japanese culture, Native American culture and certain parts of western culture would be significant. Cooking deactivates these anti-nutrients which include lectins, phytic acid, trypsin and α-amylase inhibitors. This is fairly well established common knowledge and most beans, from peas and lentils to kidney beans have these antinutrients unless cooked. This is why I say there would be an epidemic of deficiencies in other cultures because all beans contain these antinutrients unless cooked.Soy protein isolate is not the whole soy bean, but an extract of soy. It is 100% pure protein lacking all the fiber and phytonutrients found in the original plant. It is highly processed and not really considered a “food”. Soy Protein isolate is established as harmful since is does indeed raise insulin like growth factor quite significantly which accelerates aging and promotes tumor growth. But again, this is when we eat soy protein isolates, not the whole food itself.He continues to cite soy protein isolate as the main cause of harm in promoting cancer growth, which everyone is in agreement with. Perhaps some of his audience is confusing the extract with the whole food. This would be like confusing beta carotene with sweet potatoes. There is a lot of human evidence showing that soy prolongs life once one is diagnosed with breast cancer. (cite sources from the video) http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/ In laboratory studies, isoflavone from soy can inhibit the growth of breast cancer and prostate cancer tissues. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1314077 Population studies suggest soy protects against thyroid cancer. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11815400 Soy isoflavones enhances the immune response and provides a possible explanation for lower incidence of certain cancers in soy-eating parts of the world. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12224602 these are human studies I am presenting, not animal studies that Dr. Mercola persistently puts forward.Dr. Mercola goes on to point a finger at the phytoestrogens and cites studies from animals such as birds, pigs rats but not humans. Here is a human study showing the soy phytoestrogens have no negative hormonal effect on humans http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20378106His next assumptions on “birth control pills” are based purely upon the premise that soy foods alter hormones negatively in humans which is false.He then confuses animal estrogen studies with phytoestrogens showing a very skewed point of view. He is actually blaming the soy phytoestrogens from soybeans in america for early puberty in girls when it is in fact the xenoestrogens from the much more widely consumed dairy milk that is causing early puberty. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/Dr. Mercola goes on to cite decreased brain function from middle aged people consuming soy and this could be a precursor to Alzheimer. Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are actually less common in Asian compared to Western populations. Recent studies have actually shown improvement in brain functions with the use of soy supplements. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9748017 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12792289 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15772567The entirety of Dr. Mercolas argument relies on animal studies, false pretenses and skewed data. He also completely ignores the data showing very healthful outcomes when consuming soy just as I thought he would. I hope my rebuttal to Dr. Mercola’s paper helped you.Thank you, Toxins! This is such a great reply, and exactly what I was looking for. In fact, more than I expected as a response! I really appreciate the time you took to respond to me in such great and researched detail!  I will be using the points you shared with me to continue the debate with my friend.I was weary of Dr. Mercola from the moment that I started reading the  link my friend sent me, and especially after looking him up on the internet.  He does not seem like a credible medical/nutrition authority. Likewise, the resources he shares seemed highly suspect to me as well.  Of course, your breakdown of the evidence made this all the more clear to me.Thank you for clearing up the confusion for me and for fueling me with a great, informed, and up-to-date comeback!Best wishes, JolaP.S. I will definitely look into reading Dr. Greger’s ebook to learn more about the Paleo diet. Do you know whether scientific evidence indicates that when consuming soy, that it should be well fermented such as sprouted soy products, miso, tempeh, tamari? I’ve heard that such soy products are more conducive to healthy digestion than regular tofu, soy isolates (well we know about the soy isolates), soy-milk and soy flour. And, what about the GMO issue?I do not know of any evidence regarding this, I would say consume soy in whichever way entices you to eat it as long as it remains low in sodium (avoiding soy sauce) and its as unrefined as possible.As for GMO, there is a lot of mixed opinions on this with little scientific backing, so I do not know. What is clear though is that these chronic illnesses are not caused by consuming gmo soy.. What we do know about non organic foods is that the pesticides may be of the greatest concern.  If one is truly concerned then by all means try and consume organic soy.Toxins, I do not know who you are, but you are the best!  Thanks for sharing your insight on all these plant-based nutrition topics.  Are you a nutritionist? dietitian? scientist? How is it you know so much about all these topics. You Rock!  You are very welcome!You can read it for yourself if you realy care to. Check out different sites and make your own choices.Any time you take anything and heat it to a certin temperature for a certain about of time you change the molecular structure of it , some times it’s good and sometimes it bad in thihs issue it is bad. Think back when you were in hig school and in chemistry class, did you learn about this there ?Also you can look-up SOY ALERT by Westin A. Price Foundation and they will tell you the same thing I’ve been telling people for years.I finally had the chance to read Dr. G’s ebook: http://www.atkinsexposed.org/.  It was very good, but mostly Atkin’s diet specific.  At this point, although it states many truths, it is still a bit dated (written 8 years ago).  I was wondering if Dr. G had an up-dated/revised version of the book, especially since the low carb trend seems to be dramatically increasing these days (in the guise of primal/paleo/caveman/etc. diets), rather than fading, as he suggested in the last pages of his book in 2004.Stop all those GMO foods as well. Thats what mis.obama is trying to push on our kids today(GMOs)Hi, I read this thread and am still confused about Soy. When I look into the milk alternatives’ ingredients/process, (almond/soy/rice etc), they do not look too healthy.Is it possible to clearly publish which milk/meat alternatives are healthy (maybe they were published but I missed it)? For example are Edamame beans OK for kids & adults? How many times a week? Other products?Please check the following scientific american link for more concerns: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soybean-fertility-hormone-isoflavones-genisteHi Shiri, Have you had a chance to watch/read all that Dr. G has to share about soy here? The answers you are seeking should be there.Guest (??) answered your question about soy whose amino acid profile seems to be more similar to meat than other plant protein sources. As guest points out probably better to limit soy to below 5 servings per day. Children and my grand children love edamame beans as they have higher sugar content than soy beans. However we don’t need to go out of our way to consume alot of protein. Given adequate calories it is impossible not to get enough protein or essential amino acids. You might be interested in three articles written by Dr. John McDougall on proteins. You can find them in his newsletters available free on his website. The month/year and titles are Dec 2003(History of Protein), April 2007(Sources of Protein) and Jan 2001(Protein Overload). Based on current science there are no safe dairy or meat alternatives. Milk alternatives as you point out are processed and have added ingredients. My only other recommendation is to avoid GMO foods. My patients following a plant based diet need to be particularly careful with corn and soy and buy organic. For more information on GMO foods see the Institute for Responsible Technology’s website. Keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps changing.Stay away from ALL soy proucts. They are in ALL processed food you buy in the stores today. Read the ingrents on the packages and learn whats in the food you buy. Soy letchen is not a complete protein.094870: As this video (backed up by valid studies) and others on this site show, traditional soy products are very healthy. Yes, it is probably best to stay away from processed soy, such as isolated soy proteins. But 2-3 servings a day of traditional soy products, like tofu and soy milk and tempeh etc are quite healthy–according to the vast majority of studies on the subject. I invite you to explore the information on NutritionFacts.org.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=soyLOVE that there are sane reports on soy! Thank you!My italian great grand mother had her first period at 18 (when she got married!) and lived to 100.What is the best way to handle precocious puberty in a female child showing signs of early development at the age of six?	animal products,animal protein,beverages,breast cancer,breast development,breast disease,breast health,cancer,children,meat,plant-based diets,premature puberty,puberty,soy,soy milk,women's health	Meat, animal protein, and soymilk (soya milk) can affect premature breast development in girls.	For some other videos on food and women’s health, watch: BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy Breast Cancer Survival and Soy Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer? Estrogenic Cooked Meat CarcinogensRelated videos on premature puberty include Hormones in Skim vs. Whole Milk and Xenoestrogens & Early Puberty. And there's more than a dozen videos on soy, including Soy & Breast Cancer and Soy & Breast Cancer Survival.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premature-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/11875733/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20696727,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20529402,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20631200,
PLAIN-3163	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/	Calcium Absorption: Soy Milk Versus Cow Milk	When you look at the nutrition facts label on soymilk it says it has the same amount of calcium as milk, but is it absorbed as well? "Calcium absorption in osteopenic—meaning low bone mineral density—post-menopausal women: an acute comparative study of fortified soymilk to cows’ milk." Pretty self-explanetory. What do you think thy found? Which works better? soymilk, calves' milk, or the same? And the answer is… the same.There is, however, a caveat. When it comes to soy you’ve got to shake things up. A prior study looked at a variety of calcium fortified soymilk and orange juice and they found that some of the calcium in soy settles to the bottom and so you really only get the amount it says on the label if you give it a good shake before you pour. So when the carton says shake it up, you shouldn’t do it just because the label says so, or do it because I say so, you should it because the science says so.	My calcium recommendation is to get least 600 mg daily via calcium-­rich plant foods—preferably low-­oxalate dark green leafy vegetables, which includes all greens except spinach, chard, and beet greens (all very healthy foods, but not good calcium sources due to their oxalate content). Check out the video Plant vs. Cow Calcium for more.And for more from a practical perspective, check out my accompanying blog post Soy milk: shake it up.Do you know the absorption rate of tahini,molasses and almonds? And I been told that in sprouted tahini there is disaccharide instead of oxalic acid which improve its absorption rate,is it true? Thanks for a good video,I will start shaking it up :)Great question sagi! I bet you’d find this article interesting. The tahini calcium absorption would depend on whether the sesame seeds are roasted or raw, and whether the seeds are hulled (anyone know if hulling is typical for commercial tahini production?). Black strap molasses is one of the two sweeteners that’s actually good for you, but unfortunately don’t know about the calcium absorbability. I know almonds though! Between 14 and 21%, about half that of both milks (which are about 30-32%), and less than the superstars, low-oxalate greens (40%+). Never even heard of sprouted tahini, though. Let me know if you can dig up that reference and I’ll take a look at it.Wow.. The article about Traditional Food-Processing is so interesting. Maybe you’ll find this article interesting http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889157506001062 it’s a little tricky since as usual in those kind of article the way they see a serving size of green vegetables and the way vegans see it is very different.. Shake it!!Love your blog comment on this…SO helpful! ♥This holds equally true for all non-dairy milks. I see settling in almond milk (our staple milk) and hemp milk as well.I appreciate your wanting to be balanced with comparisons. But comparing calcium from a plant to “calcium” from an animal unrelated to humans is one of the most overlooked aspects of studies and conclusions. Its’ like comparing the oils in plants to the lard or animal fat in any animal product. Plant oils are worlds apart from animal fats!!Going from a meat-eating diet for the first 34 years of my life into an organic, plant based diet entirely has “spawned” some very incredible, eye opening aha’s around the worlds’ apart nature between plant as food/medicine and animal flesh and products.At some point it would be nice to see researchers coming from a place that understands through experience that humans are not meant to be what is being referred to as an omnivore. Good heavens, even Kodiak bears will consume up to 92% of their diet as herbivore and put on pounds of bear fat from that source.What is needed is an awakening in America to the complacency people have around taking responsibility for their diseases. Was I the only one that heard…on national news…when the debate was just beginning on health care costs and a national insurance…that over 75% of the health care costs in America are preventable? My life is a living testament to a much higher percentage.But thank you and keep up the good work. It is a great service you are providing.Is there any difference between cow’s milk and goat or sheep’s milk?Calcium availability is similar between cow, goat, human, and sheep milk according to this 1995 Belgian study.Keep the questions coming Lisa!Is goat cheese, then, no better for one’s health than cheese made from cow’s milk? Some friends of mine seem to think it is. (It may also be that they think the way goats are treated is preferable to the treatment of most dairy cows.)Looking at hard goat cheese versus cow cheddar on the USDA nutrient database, it appears as though goat has 15% more saturated fat and 3 times the cholesterol but 83% less sodium.What about supplementing with powdered calcium carbonate product mixed into something like tomato juice or other pulpy drink (per the instructions on the label)? If absorption is low, would increasing the intake amount suffice or is there a “law of diminishing returns”? I have kale every morning in my green smoothie, but I also supplement with powdered calcium at night. Good? Bad? Indifferent? Any better suggestions for a supplement?Hello David!In all honesty, the daily requirement of 1500 mg of calcium per day is extraordinarily high. That “requirement” has a lot of corporate backing to it and we really absorb very little calcium. Dr. McDougall states that “It seems likely that normal people can adapt to have a normal calcium balance on calcium intakes as low as 150-200 mg/day and that this adaptation is sufficient even in pregnancy and lactation.” http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/feb/whenfriendsask.htm Unless you experience starvation, calcium deficiency has actually have ever occurred. This emphasis on calcium is a marketing technique used by the dairy counsel. Dr. McDougall has made the statement that if we actually did absorb all the calcium required by the daily value, our organs would calcify.If you are simply worrying about plant calcium vs animal calcium, the bio availability of plant calcium is more easily absorbed than dairy sources http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/Based on all the evidence presented, it is unnecessary, and a poor use of money to invest in calcium supplementation.I get my calcium from plants such as kale and broccoli and also So Nice soy drink (for the lazy in me). So good to feel alive.What are your comments regarding a recent ‘comment’ in youf FB site regarding ‘..cow’s milk will actually cause osteoporosis due to acidifying of the body that ends up depleting calcium from our bones that are released when we drink cow’s milk.’ThanksPlease check out my video Is Protein Bad to the Bone?Hello,Recent studies, seem to indicate that taking calcium supplements may increase the risk of heart attack. Since soy milk is fortified, which would mean the calcium is not naturally occurring in soy milk, would it not be the same as a supplement? was wondering if consuming soy milk (fortified with calcium) is considered the equivalent of consuming supplements.Any studies comparing these alternate methods of supplementation? (fortified vs pills)Thanks,MihaiAlso be sure to check out my associated blog post Soymilk: shake it up!The link doesn’t seem to be working. Try this: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/28/soymilk-shake-it-up/What about the carageenan in soy milk?Carrageenan is an indigestible family of large molecules obtained from seaweed. Large amounts of carrageenan have harmed test animals’ colons; the small amounts in food are safe.Wondering if you might do a feature on whether or not to take calcium supplements (especially post menopause, elderly etc)? I can’t possibly eat enough volume of plant based food to get the recommended amount. I am taking Vit D3. Why is it humans need to supplement for calcium, when our animal friends don’t (thinking of elephants)?The best comprehensive review of the literature is by Amy Lanou in her book, Building Bone Vitality. She reviews over 1200 studies… take home message is that exercise helps, animal products especially dairy are bad and calcium supplementation is not helpful. The best hypothesis is that it is about acid load which is explained nicely in her book. Although Dr. Greger reported on a meta-analysis not supporting this hypothesis… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/, I am reluctant to put alot of weight in meta analyses due to statistical problems in combining studies. I would recommend that you start by reading John McDougall’s excellent article in his February 2007 newsletter entitled, When friends ask: Where do you get your Calcium. Humans don’t need to take supplemental calcium. Vitamin D is important but best obtained from the sun unless that is not possible. For the complicated issues around Vit D view the excellent series of nine posts by Dr. Greger beginning on December 5, 2011. The medical profession is doing alot of testing and prescribing of Vitamin D. I would refer you to another McDougall article in his March 2011 newsletter entitled Vit D: Values for normal are exaggerated. Dr. Greger did a post which showed omnivores vs vegan on bone density which showed no difference… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/long-term-vegan-bone-health/. It is all somewhat confusing but stay tuned to NutritionFacts for the latest science. Hope this helps.Sesame has 10 times more calcium than any PUS milk –we are not quadrupeds! Dairy is scary/horrific. Tahine, plants, beans, etc. But to help our bones, we also need Vitmanin D, Magnesium and Calcium at ratio of 3:1. I ery often hear that our bones dont need calcium after 21 years old, but they need exercise to be in good shape.useful info, thanks!Does the oxalate in spinach prevent/reduce the absorption of calcium from other greens eaten in the same meal? Do I need to separate my greens into different meals?Osteoporotic: I believe I once heard Brenda Davis (famous dietician) answer this question. If I remember correctly, I believe she said it was not a worry. If for example, you eat kale with spinach, you still get all the calcium you would from kale even though you are eating the spinach. Hopefully someone with a more definitive answer will reply, but I thought I would reply now just in case no one else does.Hi Dr. Greger, reviewing your website and others (veganrd and vrg.org) it seems like getting calcium in the range of 600 – 1000 mg / day is important. When I look at my own diet, it seems like getting up that high requires a huge amount of greens and/or fortified nut milks (I prefer hemp). The calcium in commercial hemp milk seems to come from calcium triphosphate. If I make my own hemp milk, should I add this compound to it? Does this have the same drawbacks as phosphate preservatives in chicken etc.?Hello Dr. Greger, there is some controversy on calcium fortified foods, one of them being that they can lead to heart disease and to soft tissue calcification:http://chriskresser.com/calcium-supplements-why-you-should-think-twice. Being a teenager, one often gets told that we need a lot of calcium. How much do you recommend for me, and is it possible to get enough without supplementing( or without calcium fortified foods)?I can’t thank you enough.durianmangosteen: I’m glad you mentioned that you are a teen. It’s exciting to me that (at least one anyway) teenager is paying attention to this information.You may be interested in Dr. Greger’s Optimal Nutrition Recommendations as shown in this next link. The following page has a section on calcium. Note that the recommendation is to get your calcium from certain foods, rather than fortified foods if possible: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Also, I thought I would point out that calcium needs are more complicated than “take this number”. I like a point made in the book, “Becoming Vegan: Express Edition” by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. They point out that, “Calcium *balance* is more critical than calcium *intake.*” In other words, it’s not how much calcium you take in that matters, but how much your body keeps over how much it loses. In the end, they recommend that people get the recommended amount of calcium a day (which in their book is 1000 mg). However, I will point out that many people believe that a well balanced whole plant food diet requires less calcium intake than other diets. And even Brenda and Vesanto say, “…some populations who eat less than 400 mg of calcium per day have lower rates of osteoporosis than populations who consume more than 1,000 mg per day.” Given how many of the experts that I really trust all seem to say something different about calcium, it is not clear to me that we/human science have a very good handle on the issue of calcium yet. But everyone agrees that regular weight bearing excercise is important. My (lay person) suspicion is that the weight bearing exercise is more important than a specific calcium intake level – as long as one is following a really good whole plant food based diet. (But again, please note that I’m no expert.)Not sure if you will find any of that helpful, but I hope you do. Good luck on your path of healthy eating.I can’t thank you enough for dedicating your time to reply to me. Surely this will help on my path to veganism Thank you so much!!What about hemp milk? The Pacific brandDr Greger, the main problem with soy milk is that it is fortified with Vitamin D2 instead of D3. D2 is not as shelf-stable as D3 and so the amount present in the Soy Milk may actually be half of what is stated on the label. D3 is what is needed to help bones absorb calcium. Bone-Building is crucial for Children and Women and anyone under age 30 especially to prevent Osteoporosis later in life. Your comments please.I think the efficacy is similar. Dr. Greger discusses this in his video Is Vitamin D3 Better Than D2?	beverages,bone health,bone mineral density,calcium,citrus,juice,milk,nutrient absorption,orange juice,osteoporosis,soy,soy milk,women's health	Soymilk (soya milk) should be shaken before pouring to get at the calcium that settles to the bottom.	Some more on milk found in these more recent videos: Is Milk Good for Our Bones? Formula for Childhood Obesity Prostate Cancer and Organic Milk vs. Almond MilkMy calcium recommendation is to get least 600 mg daily via calcium-­rich plant foods—preferably low-­oxalate dark green leafy vegetables, which includes all greens except spinach, chard, and beet greens (all very healthy foods, but not good calcium sources due to their oxalate content). Check out the video Plant vs. Cow Calcium for more.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orange-juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-mineral-density/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20460239[uid],
PLAIN-3164	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-epidemic/	Vegan Epidemic	How common is vitamin B12 deficiency among vegans? Last year, B12 levels were measure in the blood of hundreds of British vegans. What percentage do you think were deficient? Less than a quarter, almost a half? More than half? Or more than three quarters?Now I’m not talking below average B12, or suboptimal B12 levels, or even what’s clinically called B12 depletion, where your levels place you at high risk for deficiency, but actual bonafide vitamin deficiency, meaning that your levels are so low your biochemistry is screwed up. Your body just isn't working the way it shouldAnd the answer is, more than 50%—52% are deficient. Meaning, you run into a vegan on the street (or at least on a street in London) odds are they are suffering—whether they know it or not, from vitamin B12 deficiency.52% deficient, 21% depleted. What about ovo-lacto vegetarians? , 7 and 17%. One thing I hear from whiny vegans is that B12 deficiency isn't exclusive to vegetarians, meat-eaters can get it too. They’re right: zero point four percent.There’s still enough in the general population for public health professionals to debate whether or not we should just mandate adding B12 to our food supply. Until then, though, what could explain this epidemic of B12 deficiency? Easy, only a small fraction of British vegans were taking vitamin B12 supplements. Well no wonder then! I hope vegans elsewhere are smarter. Everyone eating a plant-based diet must ensure a regular reliable source of vitamin B12.	Check out my blog post Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It into Perspective to put this subject into context.*likes*Hold on Doctor Greger, a bigger study was done in the U.S. back in 2000, and it clearly showed that even 39 percent of meat eaters are B-12 deficient, so don’t automatically believe that 1% stuff regarding British meat eaters, that the British study showed. Bottom line is everyone should take a B-12 supplement. Sublingual tablet, or shots, are best, as you know. Anyway, below is the 2000 study link. http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2000/000802.htmNo, if you read that page you linked to 39% were found to be “low normal,” not deficient. Either way the best way to get B12 is through healthy fortified foods and supplements. I try to put the whole issue in perspective here: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/08/25/vegan-b12-deficiency-putting-it-into-perspective/Come on Rick! – this study is put out by the USDA – you really believe their statistics? The say people should be eating about 30% fat!!!! When in healthy actuality humans should only ingest about 10% fats! They also say we need more protein than we do! They’re idiots and that’s one of the reasons this country is in the horrible health that it is!Puzzling, as so many alternative milk products are well fortified. Don’t these people eat cereal or oatmeal where they could easily use fortified soy/almond/rice milk etc.? Or is fortification not a reliable source, does only direct supplementation meet the criteria? If the latter is the case, I am afraid this will only be a growing problem. Most people cannot be trusted to take care of themselves (self medicate with B12 in this instance).So true, but I know vegans who purposely avoid the fortified soy milks in favour of the “organic” ones and same with cereals etc, so they are missing alot of the easiest ways to get their B12 cause they think it’s a myth.How often should you have your B12 measured? I just had mine done and without any supplementation, I have normal levels..Please see my response below at the bottom.ps. I am a 60 year old vegan with a normal liver!Please tell us what is is a sufficient supplement? Is fortified nutritional yeast, fortified rice milk sufficient? How much (i.e. in tablespoons or cups) is adequate?Please see my reply below–thanks for that important question!It’s shocking because its so easy to take a supplement daily or even a few times a week. Get with it Brits, don’t give vegans a bad name!lol. Is this a joke? I’m sure the same is true for American vegans.If you’re in the UK and drink soya milk just buy fortified soya milk (i.e. not organic) with your cereal and you’re there! 250ml provides the RDA. Also, crappy keloggs cereals are all fortified so you don’t need to fork out for expensive suppliments every day.I think you kind of missed the point of the video. It wasn’t an attack on British vegans, but rather uneducated/misinformed vegans. There’s plenty of them out there everywhere. There just isn’t an equivalent study done on Americans or others (as far as I know). I’ve talked to many American vegans that don’t see why they should take B12 supplements as “nature has provided all the nutrients we need” and “meat eaters get B12 deficiency too”.Drinking fortified soy milk is NOT the answer in the U.S. Unless we buy organic soy products over here, we’re more than 95% likely to be consuming GMO soy. I’ll take a B-12 supplement instead. Thanks.Also, read the ingredients. Nearly all non-organic soy milk has crap like carrageenan added.What’s wrong with Carrageenan?Just Google it. Here’s one link: http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/carrageenan-natural-ingredient-you-should-ban-your-dietWow. Nasty stuff indeed.Some of the additions to Soy milk are NOT Vegan. Same goes for fortified cereals!I’ve just read that the “best” way to supplement B12 is either a daily intake of 100µg or to take 1000µg twice a week, better if it is showed. Those people that don’t take their b12 really give vegans a bad image, instead of people seeing how great and healthy they will be when following a vegan diet, they see these horror stories one after the other and the worse thing is that the media seem to focus enormously on these sick people more than they would focus on people who recovered from heart illnesses or slowed their cancer enormously with a vegan diet. The best thing a vegan can do to promote the diet is to look great and tell people how he did it.Well said!Exactly! Especially when the B12 vitamins and fortified foods are completely vegan.So well said! I am vegan and you are RIGHT! If you catch a cold people say it is because you are not getting enough of the “right” foods ..too sad!Exactly!It would almost be better that those people who are not informed about this should not be vegan at all. It could even be outright dangerous to not get enough B12. and gives veganism a bad name.But it still puzzles me, how hard can it be to take a tiny pill of B12 each day or a few times a week?? It is such a small task, but such an important one.So better for animals to die because some one is ignorant of how to manage their health? I think a better solution would be that we educate the misguided vegans..I’m so grateful to hear all this, spelled out. Doctors need to watch these videos, too! ♥In reading this info I wonder if any of you have read the book “The Whole Soy Story by Kaayla Daniel. Soy is not recommended for babies, children, women who are trying to conceive, women in perimenopause basically everyone. Soy should NOT be eaten unless it is fermented, ie, miso, tempeh,natto etc. Phytoestrogens are precursors for breast cancer and infertility. Soy products are being forced down our throats just like corn products and neither one are healthy. Chinese women feed their unfaithful husbands soy. Soy was never intended as a food and only in the US is it subsidized and put in over 60% of our food.Please see my response below.Daniels is a shill for the Weston Price ppl, and spreads misleading or outright false information that has no scientific backing…if you check her “sources”, they all lead back to WAP, affiliated groups, or her…I agree that fermented soy products are most healthful, but I disagree with your general condemnation of soy. In fact there is evidence with specific diseases it may be helpful. http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2011/03/breast-cancer-and-soy.htmlExcellent video! Vegans should take B12-supplements, period.Hoping Dr.greger will answer my question about how often to test if B12 is normal and no liver issues..Please see my response down below.That’s why I take a multi with B12 in it, and a B12 sublingual once a week!Sorry it took me so long to reply (Irene knocked our power out!). First let me repost the recommendations I added to the B12 blog entry:In my opinion, the easiest and cheapest way to get our B12 is to take at least 2,500 mcg (µg) cyanocobalamin once each week, ideally as a chewable, sublingual, or liquid supplement (you can’t take too much–all you get is expensive pee).Or, if you’d rather get into the habit of taking something daily (instead of once-a-week), I recommend at least 250mcg (I know the math doesn’t seem to “add up” but that’s due to the vagaries of the B12 receptor system–I’m going to post a video on how I arrived at these recommendations soon).Or, if you’d rather get it from B12-fortified foods, I’d suggest three servings a day, each containing at least 25% of the “Daily Value” on its label (again, I’ll explain). Such foods can be as exotic as a certain type of “nutritional yeast” or as simple as a bowl of Cheerios.One would assume all products such as soymilk (soya for you, Peter :) and plant-based meat substitutes would have B12 added, but sadly that’s not the case. You just have to look at the label. Once one starts looking on packages you might be surprised how frequently you’ll find it in often unexpected places (such as Celestial Seasoning’s “tension tamer” tea).imgreen: In terms of what constitutes a sufficient serving (see above) of various fortified foods, typically this would mean a half a cup of most soymilk brands (though a cup for one popular rice milk), a cup of most popular (i.e. loaded with added sugar) breakfast cereal brands, a heaping teaspoon of B12-fortified nutritional yeast (not all is fortified), one veggie hot dog, five slices of veggie bologna, etc. You should check the label, looking for the “25%” next in the B12 Daily Value box (see above).In my 20 years eating a plant-based diet, I’ve personally found the cheapest and simplest method to just take the once-a-week supplement I described above, which if you share with a bunch of friends can cost as little as $2 a year — cheaper than Cheerios! :).mainlinebooker: At your age (over 50) everyone should be supplementing with vitamin B12 regardless of their diet according to the Institute of Medicine (the official body that brings us the “Recommended Daily Allowances”). Because your physician likely doesn’t know any better, you probably got a serum B12 level drawn (a relatively specific but insensitive test). So a “normal” vitamin B12 blood level does not rule out even potentially severe B12 deficiency. There are better tests your doctor can order, such as a urine MMA level (“methyl-malonic acid,” though there appears to be an even better test on its way–I’m planning to record a new video about it), but I’d recommend you just follow the IOM recommendations and supplement.healthcoach7: There certainly is all sorts of crazy stuff on the internet about soy (and just about everything else I imagine). Thankfully the public appears resilient to such internet rumors (at least according to a United Soybean Board survey released last week). You may find this article by author John Robbins useful. I can’t vouch for everything he writes (haven’t checked his sources), but it’s his response to the kind of legume defamation you describe :)Just two naive questions–how much research has been done into “vitamin-B12 deficiency” after the first studies between the end of the 1920’s and the end of the 1940? And how many of us are still relying in Prontosil to treat infectious diseases?Awesome. No Irene effects here. Colorado is a long way from the east! I think that 2% milk I drank last week has me in the black. Not a vegan yet- but this site has me thinking….I’ve never been vitamin tested at all to my knowledge. Hmmm……………My question is what type of B12?? I keep reading in many blogs and articles that the most potent form of vitamin B12 is methylcobalamin and not cyanocobalamin (the one I’ve been taking for over a year now). To tell you the truth, I’m really scared I may be harming my body! Dr. Greger, do you have a justified answer to this? If so, please enlighten me.Nouh, if you click on Dr. Greger’s blog post link (very first comment), he answers your question in the comment section following the article.Thanks for the info ;)Great info. I recently began taking a sublingual form of B12 and have been pleased to see my energy levels steadily increasing. I have anemia also, the cause of which my docs haven’t been able to pinpoint. Hoping I see improvement in this area also.One of the comments mentioned liver issues. Is a deficiency in B12 related to liver issues? During a preventive visit to my doctor she said I had slightly elevated AST and ALT levels. She said she was puzzled as I don’t drink, don’t take tylenol (or any medications, except a 3 day course of Nutrofuran 3 months ago for a UTI) am not overweight, exercise regularly. I told her I rarely eat animal products. (Note: I am now taking a supplement after watching your video).Nutritional yeast is commonly used by the vegans I know. It is a tasty addition to many dishes, and provides 130% of the daily B12 requirement in 1 1/2 T. Shouldn’t that be enough? It also has other B vitamins. Love this site by the way, new discovery.Yes, this is my primary source of B12 in addition to daily consumption of fortified nut milks. And it does taste great in many dishes!I live in Phoenix and try to sun 20 minutes a day at 11am. I have heard that after you sun, you should not use soap on the majority of your skin for 24 hours in order to allow the surface B12 to be absorbed. I would like your thoughts on this information?Hello GregV, You actually do not absorb vitamin b12 through your skin, what you are referring to is the absorption of vitamin D. Humans cannot create their own b12 and must obtain it from outside sources, such as through supplementation. Check Dr. Greger’s video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/ to see that you should be getting 15-30 min. per day of pure sunshine in the summer for adequate vitamin d levels as well as supplementing vitamin b12. Also note that getting sun on your head and arms is probably not enough, you should lay out with as little clothes as possible, like wearing a swimsuit. Also note that in the winter is extremely difficult to get adequate vitamin d absorption. Regarding bathing after tanning though, it has been discussed by Dr. John Cannell that a significant amount of vitamin D is produced on the surface of the skin and may in fact require absorption for adequate levels. The scientific literature states that vitamin d is produced deep within the skin, although this is true, it is only half the story. In the words of Dr. Cannell “Holick, et al’s, landmark 1980 study showing most human Vitamin D production occurs in the deep epidermis was incomplete. It was based on surgically obtained (and assumedly surgically prepped) skin samples that had any remaining surface oils removed by washing with hot water. Indeed, to accurately address the question of where Vitamin D is made, one would need to obtain unwashed human skin, difficult to do even from cadavers.” Right now it is unclear where most of the vitamin D is created as their isnt enough research on the subject. You could go with Dr. Mercola’s theory of not bathing for 48 hours for adequate absorption. Due to our modern era, its hard for tanning to be a reliable and consistent source of Vitamin d. Most doctors recommend between 2,000 to 4,000 IU’s of vitamin d per day. You could supplement a lower amount and also tan just to be on the safe side. If you are really curious, you could also get a blood test now and another one a month later to see how well your vitamin d levels are. Hope this helps!I did mean Vitamin D, sorry. My head is a bit spinning from all the great info i’m getting from this site!The B12 stuff keeps making me nervous about raising my baby on a vegan diet, but while eating the SAD junk diet I was low in iron and b12! I ate animal products constantly.Nothing to be nervous about, just get a good book on how to raise a baby on a healthy vegan diet. Check out a show called ‘It’s all about food’ with Caryn Hartglass. Anyway, email her for book advice on the subject of raising a child vegan. You can find her show at http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/its-all-about-food/does rain water contain b12 or any other micro/macro nutrients?I am still confused about B12 (and I think many are) I have not taken regular supplements of any kind and have been vegetarian for 13 yrs and vegan the past 3 yrs. I recently had a blood test and my B12 was ‘on the high side’ at 811 (the normal range was something between 200-900) Now I keep reading all these things that say vegans need to supplement so just to be ‘better safe than sorry’ I now pop a B12 supplement every once in a while (I also use nutritional yeast in my cooking quite often) Here’s why I am still confused, my understanding is that people who eat animals get their B12 (which I’m told is a bacteria not a vitamin) from the animal products. When asked how the animals have B12 and we don’t (when these animals are vegan too, like cows) I’m told that the cows eat the grass off the ground and because its not washed and the ground is teeming with bacteria including the B12 bacteria, the cows ingest it this way….so if the cows ingest the Bacteria how does it get into their flesh? Also how does eggs and cheese have B12 ? Do certain animal products have more B12 than others? Also if B12 is a bacteria and it somehow gets transferred from the cows’ stomachs to their flesh, people cook their meat before eating it specifically to kill bacteria so wouldn’t the B12 bacteria be killed too? Also there are meat-eaters who have B12 deficiency as well as many other deficiencies, in fact based on my personal experience the people I have known who had any deficiencies were non-vegans but anytime I tell someone I’m vegan (including other vegans these days) I’m told I need to be very careful to supplement with B12 because my vegan diet is not adequate. In addition to answering my questions posed, Dr. Greger, can I suggest that you put together a chart or visual showing all types of deficiencies and how nutrient deficiencies in general compare from vegans to non-vegans…because it would be my guess that non-vegans do suffer more deficiencies than vegans but everyone just focuses on this one mysterious bacteria called ‘Vitamin B12′. I would also suggest to be more accurate that people stop calling it a vitamin if it’s a bacteria, this confuses people too. With all the weird info about B12 I see that in a few years it will be like the ‘pluto phenomenon’ where for so many years scientists said pluto was a planet and now they say actually pluto is just a moon…I suspect with more research into this topic, it may come about that B12 ‘deficiency’ has nothing to do with a vegan diet or its not the way we thought it was. Thank you for answering my questions.Hello Rebecca, I see you have much concern for b12, let me explain.B12 is a byproduct of bacteria, not the actual bacteria itself. We use very tiny amounts of b12 everyday so we wont find deficiencies until 20 years have passed in some cases. Nutritional yeast has a daily amount of b12 but if your taking a sublingual supplement with a big dose, then you only need to do this once a week. It doesn’t matter if you take too much though because if you take excess b12, you pee it out.Dr. Greger explains b12 in many of his videos, particularly this one. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/Also, Dr. Greger does in fact show a comparison in this video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/ of omnivore and vegan nutrient deficiencies.I know that the best b12 supplements are the sprays or sublingual ones but I do not know how effective the pills that you swallow are. Cows achieve b12 because they grow that bacteria in their gut flora, we do not.You say you’ve been vegan for only 3 years. I’ve heard people can go up to 20 years before becoming B12 deficient.Hold on everyone, a bigger study was done in the U.S. back in 2000, and it clearly showed that even 39 percent of meat eaters are B-12 deficient, so don’t believe that 1% stuff that the British study showed. Bottom line is everyone should take a B-12 supplement. Sublingual tablet, or shots, are best. Anyway, below is the 2000 study link. http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2000/000802.htmThat was from the Framingham Offspring Study. I actually have a video coming out about it soon, so stay tuned! 39% didn’t qualify as deficient, though, as you can read but just “low normal.” I agree though, that supplements are fortified foods are the best cholesterol-free source of B12 for everybody.I ahve followed you for years and purchase your tapes. Met you in Ann Arbor at the food co- op.Is it true Cyanocobalamin b12 ( which you recommend for us as vegans)turns into cyanide and the best b12 to take is hydroxycobalamin?Per Raymond Francis MIT scientist. That’s what his website shows anyway. His comments were it is man made , not natural, and not well utilized. What is absorbed is turn into cyanide. Could you please clarify, help.Let me guess: Mr. Francis sells hydroxycobalamin supplements? It’s like the whole coral calcium scam. Calcium is cheap as chalk–in fact it is chalk! So how are you going to bilk people out of lots of money? You sell some sort of special calcium. Same with B12 supplements. They are so cheap to produce that supplement manufacturers try to come up with all sorts of fancy ways to “add value” to products so they can charge $30 a bottle. Unless you’re a smoker, have kidney failure, or base your diet around cassava root, cyanocobalamin should be fine.Hi M ichaelMy wife and I are vegans and we take B12 supplement. I have a couple of questions:– we use methyl B12 1000 mcg 2/week. You often discuss the necessity of taking B12 for vegans. We swapped to methyl B12 as a workmate said the cyano B12 was unhealthy? I see from your site you recommend the cyanocobalamin and that methyl is expensive and unecessary. Is the methyl just as effective?– why is taking B12 as a supplement healthy and taking other vitamins as supplements unhealthy. I understand the argument for other supplements goes like this: taking supplements overloads the receptors on the cell for that group of vitamins and therefore other vitamins within that group can’t be taken up and imbalances occur. If that is correct, why doesn’t this happen for B12 in relation to uptake of other B vitamins. There seems also to be an issue about taking your nutrients in the context that they came from eg having an orange rather than drinking orange juice for vitamin C. How does this relate to B12? By the way congrats on nutrition facts. I have sent it to my kids but they haven’t become addicts yet! Thanks GaryI don’t buy these numbers, either, at least not in America. The Standard American Diet is conducive to digestive problems. It takes intrinsic factor or absorb B12. Also, it was my understanding that cyanocobalamin is not the human-active form and depletes the body of crucial methyl groups when being converted to methylcobalamin, the primary human-active form. Are you familiar with David Rainoshek, M.A.? He wrote a book called “B12 Exposed.” Based on his researching, B12 deficiency is widespread and mainly due to rampant digestive problems and a lack of intrinsic factor. The swallowed forms of supplementation aren’t going to do much if you can’t﻿ absorb it. Sublingual methylcobalamin and injections are more effective. The accurate test for B12 is the urinary MMA test, not the blood test. The blood test can show adequate levels when there really is a deficiency.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!I am ‘one of those Brits’ Dr. Greger we have a Daily Vitamin D complex supplement which includes B12 and says 100% RDA. Is this enough for us? Thank you so much for this information, as your videos are normally USA based, it’s good to find some evidence relating to UK.Brits should not be worried about this – they have MARMITE!I happened to have a blood test 2 months after I became vegan and my b12 was low – really low.  My doctor said there is no way it could have dropped that low in 2 months from a vegan diet, so I am fairly confident I was deficient before becoming a vegan, and I believe it was due to my acid reflux medication which prevents absorption of vitamins and minerals.  I think b12 should be routinely tested on everyone.Dr. Greger, Are the high level B12 supplements safe for children?  I have 2500 mcg sublingual, and wonder if I can give them to my kids in addition to their multivitamin. Thanks so much!!Yes, vitmain b12 is water soluble. It would be like taking too much vitamin c, the excess is simply urinated out.“Whinny Vegans” WTF!!! That part was not needed. Pissed me off. I get my B12 elsewhere and I get plenty of it. So Suck Off!are there any other Vitamins and other food adhesive that vegan needs ? what a bout eating one portion of meat once a week? There is no dietary need to consume animal products whatsoever. Here are the vitamins dr. Greger recommends supplementing. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/ http://www.drgreger.org/latestrecommendations.pdfCould you be more condescending?hahaha! I am NOT part of the “whiny vegan” population, but I am a vegan..and very careful to take a B12 supplement! I was so interested as to the explanation about WHAT it was…where it came from, etc. I had a doctor recommend it years ago when I had wrist pain that could not be explained by tests…but the pain stopped when the sub lingual B12 was added by this wonderful physician! Since then I became vegan and my doctor said “now you REALLY need this B12 so do not forget!”…Now I know why and I thank you for this AMAZING website and all the information!!!!! Thank you thank you!!!The fact that the study tests were serum (blood) B12 tests is a BIG red flag for me since such a test can result in false-positive or false-negative results!Without the study testing for MMA, homocysteine, holotranscobalamin, could it be that the actual B12 levels could actually have been LOWER?Does anyone see anything wrong with a diet where supplementation is absolutely needed to prevent death? What if you lived in the wild where you only ate what you could gather or kill? Could you gather enough food to sustain life?The only supplement all vegans should take is B12. Out in the wild we would probably get enough B12 from our food and in our water as we would be living in a less sanitized environment. We and all the other creatures would be pooping everywhere basically. This would give the soil B12 which plants can absorb. I’m sure there are some extremist vegans here that would refuse to eat meat under any circumstance, but I would do what I had to do to survive. Would we be able to gather enough food as vegans? This depends. How many people are you sharing the land with? Where are you? I don’t see why I would adjust my diet, because I couldn’t do it in an environment I don’t and probably will never live in.Can you please clarify what a “normal” healthy level of B-12 is? I have been largely vegan for the last couple of years, but have not supplemented or had my B-12 tested in that time for a couple of reasons. Reason one is that I’m not a devout vegan. I eat a whole foods vegan diet the majority of the time, but I occasionally a small bit of animal products (seafood maybe once every few months, dairy maybe once every couple of months, and eggs from our own free range backyard chickens maybe once a month). I have those occasional spoils less and less as time passes so that is why I’ve been wondering about supplements. We drink fortified almond milk, but not in anywhere near the amounts you suggest. The second reason I have not supplemented is because the last time I had my blood work done, my b-12 levels were abnormally high. The lab work says it was a T4 FREE test and it lists my B-12 at 1117 while showing normal to be between 211-911 pg/mL. I’m curious since my B-12 was so high if it’s a bad idea to supplement, even as a vegan. I used to take a B-stress complex daily back then to help with lack of energy from fibromyalgia type symptoms (never diagnosed with it but have similar issues with chronic pain and tiredness), but after that test result I quit taking it and only take it once in a great while if I’m ill for a boost of energy. I was also still omni at the time of the test which was about 5 years ago. I’m hoping to get some new blood work done in the next year or so, but I’m unable to right now so I’m not sure how to handle this issue. Even eating a whole foods natural largely oprganic vegan diet, I still get sick frequently and don’t feel as well as I’d like to so I’m wondering if there something I’m missing. Thank you in advance for any insight you can give.I was taking B12 supplement and B12 fish foods. Didn’t work. I started feeling poorly. I noticed blood test results MCV high and Hem low. Internet search B12 needs a protein from the stomach to be absorbed by the small intestine. Elderly men 78 may not make the protein. Solution sublingual under the tongue B12. 500 mcg daily after a month feeling better than the last 9 months. Liquid B 12 from GNC or B12 dots. I don’t know the maintenance dose. Blood test next month…oh, we eat for health and exercise most days.I haven’t seen one vegan who is B12 deficient and am really tired of seeing “b12 deficiency” with the word “vegan.” IF a vegan is eating a complete whole foods diet their OWN BODY will make b12 this is proven. So let’s get updated and end the b12 scare.In large intestine yes, but it cant be absorbed there. Elsewhere, small possibility, but very lacking in evidence.Hello doctor, thank you for you informational website. As a pregnant vegan woman, what is the daily amount of B12 supplements I should take, and is there any risk if I take too muck (if there is already 2,6 mcg in my prenatal vitamins, do I need another supplements) ? Thank you very much.Dr. Greger recommends 250-500 mcg of b12 per day, or 2500-5000 per week. 2.5 mcg is too low. Please view the video series below for the details. Click the link, watch the video, then push “next video” for the full series. Or you can see the optimum nutrition recommendations. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/ http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/I recently had blood work done, and my B-12 was high – higher than the high end of normal – for a fasting test.why is this? Does this mean man is not meant to be vegan? I always thought that eggs were a natural food source but you speak against them for health. Our natural food source should contain every thing we need. Would love to know your thoughts on this.shelley: The problems with eggs far outweigh the benefits. Eating eggs for B12 is like drinking Coke for the water content. The bad of the coke far outweighs the good unless you just can’t get your water any other way.The idea of, “Our natural food source should contain every thing we need.” sounds so good in principle. However, the key concept of “natural” needs some expanding. Most humans no longer live in a natural world. B12 comes from bacteria and traditional sources such as water and veggies are unnaturally sanitized. That sanitizing is a good thing. It saves us from terrible diseases. But then we have to get our bacteria-by-product from somewhere. The safe, reliable source of B12 is a B12 supplement. Because we just don’t live in a natural world.Also keep in mind that *everyone* over 50 is supposed to take a B12 supplement regardless of their diet – because over a certain age, your body isn’t as efficient at absorbing B12. This is just another example of how the idea that our food should supply all our nutritional needs breaks down when you really think about it.You can learn a lot more about eggs and B12 from other pages on NutritionFacts.org. Check out the links that Dr. Greger included at the top of this page. i.e: “For some context…” Good luck.In addition to what Thea said, please see Dr. Greger’s note on eggshttp://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/I’ve been a vegetarian for years and went vegan back in April. After reading blogs like yours, I was so worried about a B12 deficiency. So in August, I started taking 5000 mcg methylcobalamin everyday. I just had my blood work done (I stopped taking the supplement a week before my blood was drawn) and my B12 level was 1996. No deficiency here. I think I need to scale back on the dosage.LabCorp Test – my blood works shows 799 pg/mL. Supplement if you need to. This should not even be a factor that makes people worried. Don’t skip on the b12 the fact that vegans are showing poor levels levels is crazy to me. It is not that hard to get good levels.Love your work Dr. Gregor that is why I am asking your opinion on this perspective. http://www.roylretreat.com/articles/b12.htmlDr. Greger has extensively covered b12 in nearly all regards. Please see this note by Dr. Greger. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/SuplleB12 supplements are not good for our health –they can be seen on exams, but they are NOT absorbed.That´s why I eat organic eggs.Eggs are very poor sources of b12, b12 supplements are actually well absorbed if taken in the correct dosage. Please see Dr. Greger’s video series on b12. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/Vegan here, I take a regular supplement. No need to call Vegans whiney though, you did a fine job making your point about vitamin deficiency. A lot of non-vegans say that Vegans don’t get enough protein, which is not the case. Have you ever heard of a real case of protein deficiency? Ha! It’s a joke. Beans, lentils, tofu, vegetables… a lot of us Vegans get more protein and vitamins than most non-vegans! Many Vegans may be lacking Vitamin B12, for which they should take a supplement, but many non-vegans are lacking many vitamins from eating too much starch, meat, and processed food. There has to be a balance. Thanks.We’ve been vegan for 23 years and my B12 levels are just fine! Yes we eat tons of plant foods.I just eat dirt! :)Was the “whiny vegans” comment necessary?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2933506/“In conclusion, the results from this study show that vegetarians and vegans have much lower concentrations of serum vitamin B12 but higher concentrations of folate in comparison to omnivores. Mean serum vitamin B12 was not associated with the duration of adherence to a vegetarian or vegan diet, which may indicate that mechanisms that maintain circulating concentrations of vitamin B12 are upregulated in vegetarians and vegans. Further research into the health effects of vitamin B12 deficiency and depletion in vegans and vegetarians is warranted and vegetarians and vegans should ensure a regular intake of sufficient vitamin B12 from fortified foods and/or supplements”I myself am trying to follow a mostly plant based diet. But don’t these type of studies show that despite the other demonstrated benefits of plant based diets, they eventualy would lead to a major nutritional deficiency, i.e. Vit B12 deficiency, suggesting that they are actually not the best diets for humans? Or would we be getting vitamin B12 from other sources (bacteria in underwashed plants coming from the soil for instance) if we were living in more natural conditions?	b12,nutrition myths,plant-based diets,supplements,United Kingdom,vitamin B12	Vitamin B12 deficiency is common among those eating vegetarian and particularly vegan diets because of failure to take B12 supplements or eat B12-fortifed foods.	Want more on B12? See: Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health Daily Source of Vitamin B12 Safest Source of B12 New Vitamin B12 Test	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20648045/,
PLAIN-3165	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/american-vegans-placing-babies-at-risk/	American Vegans Placing Babies At Risk	Surely this kind of tragic neglect couldn’t happen here in the United States. Journal of Pediatrics last year, based on a CDC survey across a dozen states, vegan mother-induced B12 deficiency occurs in about 1 in every half million live births in the United States. About 4 million babies are born annually, so American vegans put the health of 8 infants at risk every year.A follow-up study this year, published in the Journal of the AMA, testing 364,000 babies, suggests the annual number of infants placed at risk by vegan moms in the United States may instead be as high as 20.	Check out my blog post Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It into Perspective to put these terrible tragedies into context.I just love this site,got informed by jack norris RD mailing list and I can’t stop checking out all the videos you published. You are very easy to understand and funny :) I wish more vegans would learn from this site and won’t neglect their health. Thank youYou are absolutely welcome–thank you for your kind words. I too want vegans to learn to eat healthier, but it’s the health of the other 99.5% of the population I’m primarily concerned about!As a vegan I do my best to keep myself healthy and it serve the cause-some of my friends try to minimize their meat consumption and 4 of my friend converted to vegan after seeing the health benefits of a vegan diet. It is a shame that some vegan don’t take B12 and keep the myth of the necessity of meat alive.Btw would you mind to link to the researches you rely on in every video please?I wouldn’t mind at all–in fact I already did! See the “Sources Cited” link beneath the video? I always have the links to all my source citations for each video there. I link to full-text sources whenever possible (meaning whenever doesn’t violate copyright laws).That is great! thanks again for such a great siteDo these people live in caves? How do they not know that they need to take a supplement?Thanks for your wonderful website!!Their cave must not have access to NutritionFacts.org :)I feel our family has a healthy and complete diet (in no small part thanks to you!) but do you have any specific recommendations or guidelines for those who would like to follow a vegan diet through pregnancy, infancy and childhood? Is the most important thing (apart from healthy, whole foods) kid-friendly B12 and DHA, and probably D?There are two great new resources for those who want to raise their families on plant-based diets: one my Reed Mengels and one by Jack Norris and Ginny Messina. Check them out at your local library!Thanks, Dr Greger!Dr Greer thank you for your wonderful posts.. I have a 1 year old baby girl.. After breadtfeeding for 8 months and starting solids at 6, I wanted to raise my child macrobiotically and I am except for the milk because her dr insisted on this at least till she s 2 years old.. But I m giving her only once a day 8oz cow s milk and once organic Eden soy milk.. My question is does she still need B12 supplementation if she s having fish (because in the macro diet fish are allowed)? Thank youDr Greger thank you for your wonderful posts.. I have a 1 year old baby girl.. After breadtfeeding for 8 months and starting solids at 6, I wanted to raise my child macrobiotically and I am except for the milk because her dr insisted on this at least till she s 2 years old.. But I m giving her only once a day 8oz cow s milk and once organic Eden soy milk.. My question is does she still need B12 supplementation if she s having fish (because in the macro diet fish are allowed)? Thank youDr. Greger would strongly advise against cows milk consumption even for toddlers. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/In addition, the consumption of fish is strongly advised against due to the plethora of contaminats from mercury, pcb’s, dioxins, drug residues etc. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=fishWe live vegan and any child living in our house would also live vegan. We supplement vitamin b12 in methyl form daily, and I take a large dose every week.It’s important to stay informed and stay healthy on every diet.should I be supplementing my 8 month breastfed + vegan solids baby with B12 or does she get enough from breast milk? I take 500 mcg of methyl a few days a week. also, how much does my 3.5 year old need. she eats plant-based (fruits, veggies, beans, whole grains, nuts, fortified soy milk, and eggs a few times a month and turkey/fish a few meals/year)?You didn’t mention non-vegan mums with B12 deficiencyI don’t think that’s the point of the video. The point is to illustrate the dangers of Veganism and what Vegan mothers should and could do to prevent the problem.	b12,breast milk,breastfeeding,infants,nutrition myths,plant-based diets,pregnancy,prenatal vitamins,supplements,vitamin B12,women's health	Vitamin B12 is an imperative for those eating vegetarian and vegan diets, especially during pregnancy and infancy.	Other videos on vitamin B12 include: Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health Daily Source of Vitamin B12 Safest Source of B12 New Vitamin B12 Test	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prenatal-vitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20400092,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21427371,
PLAIN-3166	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/did-a-vegan-diet-kill-this-baby/	Did a Vegan Diet Kill This Baby?	Vegan couple whose baby died of vitamin deficiency after being fed solely on breast milk. Uh, isn’t that what you’re supposed to feed babies? Yes, but if you’re not getting enough vitamin B12, then your baby’s not getting enough B12Parents adopted lifestyle after watching TV programme about butchered cows, and ended up generating headlines like this: Vegans charged with death… neglect… and baby killing. Poll: did a vegan diet kill the baby. Why, yes it did. A non-B12 fortified vegan diet killed that little girl, and she’s not the first and if vegans don’t get their act together she will not be the last.	Check out my blog post Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It into Perspective to put this terrible tragedy into context. Tomorrow‘s video-of-the-day will address how commonly vegans in the United States place their infants at risk by failing to supplement their diet with vitamin B12 based on studies published recently in the Journal of Pediatrics and the Journal of the AMA.Dear Dr. Greger, I sincerely appreciate this website! That said, I have one constructive comment.Let’s not say that a vegan diet killed the baby, please; rather, let’s put into the headline that a vitamin (vital amine) deficient diet killed the baby. There are plenty of vegans who know the inherent risk of lacking such vital amines in their diet, and, as you state in another post, there are plenty of vegan-congruent ways to attain plenty of these essential nutrients. Rather than scare well intentioned people away from a vegan diet, let’s proffer the true information.Sincerely, Damian Rowe (vegan-inspired, non-vegan)I appreciate your comment. Sadly, the true information is that most vegans apparently aren’t supplementing (I’ll cover this in my video on Saturday). It’s not enough that “plenty” of vegans know about the importance of B12; all vegans need to know. Please help me spread the word!Dear Dr. Gregor. If the parents were supplementing with B12, would the child have died?A vitamin deficient diet absolutely has consequences for all involved.Dr. Gabriel Cousens wrote an interesting article about the vegan/meat-eater diet deficiencies.I wonder how many parents (male and female) are tested for vitamin/mineral deficiencies before they conceive, regardless of their diet. I can’t help but think we’re dealing with possible preventable issues, at every level of development, due to this, but we don’t yet know the full spectrum of it.I was severely deficient in B12 (and other vits/mins) while still eating an animal-based diet (due to undiagnosed celiac and other autoimmune issues). But I didn’t know it. I shudder to think what would have happened, had I had children.Dr. Cousens recommends D3. Is that a vegan supplement?Gabriel also recommends Spirulina and Chlorella for plant protein. Now Dr. Greger tells us these things are hepatotoxic, etc. What’s one to do?I was just noting the article because of the interesting comparison of deficiencies on both sides (I didn’t know Dr. Greger already had a video on it).I try to stay away from supplements (except B12). I get my vits/mins from eating whole food. I get my Vitamin D from sunshine.Well, I’m “trying” to get my Vit D from sunshine. My levels are being monitored, so we’ll see.Oh my goodness, I just watched Dr. Greger’s spirulina videos. I wondered about it, but I assumed if you purchased what you assumed to be a high quality product (Spirulina Manna), there wouldn’t be risk. Wow. I can’t say I want to test that theory out (anymore).This site is great.There are lots of wonderful sources of protein (legumes) that don’t have such toxins. Dr. Cousens just may not be aware of the latest research--I certainly wasn’t!Hey Veguyan!Vitamin D3 is most often from animal origin. But there seems to be one product on the market that is true Vegan Vitamin D3 (even approved by the vegan society, yey!):http://www.vitashine-d3.com/I came across this site by following an discussion on Jack Norris RD page: http://jacknorrisrd.com/?p=1050Otherwise, you have Vitamin D2, which is the vegan version of Vitamin D. However, there seems to be very mixed opinions and scientific studies about it’s effectiveness compared to Vitamin D3.Vitamin D2 is a “synthetic” version of Vitamin D, and Vitamin D3 is identical to the Vitamin D that is produced in your body when you expose your skin to the sun.However, Vitamin D2 seems to be working just fine even though it’s not “natural”, after all, it has been used for treating Vitamin D deficiency for a very long time. :)Taken daily at the doses I tend to recommend, D2 is equivalent to D3, so I’d suggest just getting whichever is cheaper. Given new findings (which I’ll profile soon in a new video), my new recommendation for those not getting enough from sun is 2000iu a day.If you’re interested, I have a video similar to Dr. Cousen’s article: Omnivore vs. Vegan Nutrient Deficiencies.Love it, Dr, Greger, thank you! I’m adding these resources of yours to my plant-based wellness page. It helps so much to see it all laid out, side-by-side.And I was thinking…it would be something if the parents of FAS/drug babies were held as accountable as the parents who were B12 deficient. ♥Critical prevention education, Dr. Greger: thank you. Perhaps we could make the handout easy to get to, and put together a pre,during,post-baby prevention diet guide for each type of diet being consumed out there.I am a Clinical Nurse Specialist, nicknamed Earth Mother, out to prevent so much tragedy and suffering going on unnecessarily. lb.swic@gmail.comA noble venture! For those who choose to eat vegan I would recommend Norris and Messina’s book Vegan for Life.I find it hard to believe a woman could be B12 deficient enough to cause her breast-fed infant’s death, without suffering some symptoms significant to cause her to seek medical attention. The story just somehow doesn’t sit right.Always good to be skeptical about everything! What you may not be taking into account in your thinking, though, is how good our liver is at storing the vitamin. So after this mother decided to cut animals from her diet she still had some stored up (adults typically keep about 2 or 3,000 on board). But her baby didn’t have the luxury of starting out with that much. Infants usually only get come out with about 25 mcg, just enough to last for a few weeks. Normally, colostrum (a mother’s first milk) is packed with B12, but in someone without much B12 to give, the infant is particularly susceptible with potentially devastating consequences. Does that make sense?Well, yes, but if the mother was already vegan when the infant was born, you’d think her obstetrician would have caught this. Of course I don’t know the details of this particular case. Certainly a tragedy and something to be learned from. Thanks for the education, it’s very much appreciated.When I speak at hospitals and medical schools it’s definitely something I cover. As plant-based diets continue to get more popular it’s important for the medical community to to educate itself (before they’re all put out of business by people eating healthy diets! :).I’m so glad you covered this video, my vegan friends ignore the important of B12 and do not eat fortified foods and advise other people it is not necessary, in an attempt to show the superiority of the vegan diet and avoid/ignore any considerations vegans need to make. Same with omega 3 etc, they are convinced natural is best, I’m sure, but let’s not waste the tremendous knowledge we have learnt and an opportunity to make the most of our vegan diets!The health benefits of the vegan diet are covered in abundance across your other articles, it is important for vegans to be aware of their own requirements in order to achieve optimal health, and stop the meat-eaters avoiding the vegan diet for the wrong reasons, or converts going back to meat when their doctors tell them they aren’t getting enough B12. The last thing we need is vegans ignoring their few ‘pitfalls’ and counteracting all the benefits of our superior diets :-)Could not have said it better myself–I hope you come back and contribute often!Ouch! Humans have not evolved to ignore animal protein 100%. They have been called “hunter gatherers” for a reason. Cyanocobalamin. I remember seeing this stuff in its pure form. I’m still reducing my meat consumption though!Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Vegan B12 deficiency: putting it into perspective!Ok… so let’s suppose I have a tooth against taking ‘medicated’ food AND I’m a vegan. mostly raw. what DO I eat? Yeast? What kind of yeast? Where do I get it? I know lots and lots of people who lived in the countryside, never or almost never had animal products and lived a happy healthy long life. Not to mention hundreds of monks that live on almost nothing… again, happy, healthy long lives. Is there something that doctors or biochemists don’t know? Or something they do know, but keep away, to sell ‘supplements’, now that more and more people refuse medication? I mean.. if these were isolated cases, I would’ve said it’s ok. But hundreds and thousands of people doing that.. is not just an exception, is it? Thanks for your time! I really, really appreciate this website. Makes more sense than others.how to speak to my doctor about no vaccination to my baby or meI am a breastfeeding mama. How much B12 should I be taking to make sure I get enough for me and baby?Aren`t B1,B6, B12, B17 and many other vits and supstances at nuts,almonds, seeds of apricots and at aple seeds and at many/all other seeds ? I believe herbivore animals have not B vits deficiency, so raw vegans have it not too ( if eat 80%fruits,15% vegetables, 5% seeds ) . I do not know what was causa mortis by that baby at the article , maybe mother was guilty if did not feed baby , but I think vegan diet of mother was not guilty. I know many mothers who eat like an omnivores but had bad quallity / poor milk so must add baby feeding with artefitial baby food because baby eat their poor milk and stay hungry and cry..Sorry for my english.	b12,breast milk,breastfeeding,infants,nutrition myths,plant-based diets,pregnancy,prenatal vitamins,supplements,vitamin B12,women's health	Vitamin B12 deficiency can be life-threatening.	For some more recent videos on vitamin B12, see: Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health Daily Source of Vitamin B12 Safest Source of B12 New Vitamin B12 TestCheck out my blog post Vegan B12 Deficiency: Putting It into Perspective to put this terrible tragedy into context.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prenatal-vitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spirulina/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20400092,
PLAIN-3167	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/calculate-your-healthy-eating-score/	Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score	A few years ago a proposal was published for a healthy eating index and I though it might be interesting to look at the latest USDA dietary survey to see how the standard American Diet is doing. The index is simple, it’s a score of 0 to 100 which simply represents the percent of dietary calories derived from foods rich in phytochemicals. Phytochemical is just a more technical term for phytonutrient, since nutrient implies essential for life, whereas phytochemicals are merely essential for a long healthy life.So if 1% of your diet is composed of phytonutrient-rich food your diet gets a score of 1. If that’s where half your calories come from then your score is 50 and if that’s all you eat, you max out at 100, 100%. How are Jane and Joe sixpack doing?Here is the latest data on the standard American diet: 3% of calories come from beans and nuts, 3% from fruit, 5% is vegetables, 23% from grain, 17% is added sugars, like candy and soda and other junk. 23% comes from added fats, butter, margarine, oil, and shortening, and 26% of the American diet is meat, dairy, and eggs.For the healthy eating index we only get to count phytonutrient-rich foods, since they’re the ones most associated with chronic disease prevention, treatment, and cure. So, first off, the reason they’re called phytonutrients is that by definition they are found in plants, derived from the Greek word “phyton,” for plant. So automatically we start with a score of 74. Neither lard nor candy are phytonutrient rich, so taking away the added fats and oils, we’re down to 34. But the grain category is a combination of both whole grains—rich in phytonutrients, and refined grains, which had the phytonutrients largely removed. Of the 24, only 4% of the American diet is composed of whole grains, oats, barley, whole wheat, brown rice, and the rest is highly processed garbage like white flour and corn starch.Yikes, down to 15! But it gets worse. 2/3 of our vegetables are white potatoes, half of which are potato chips. The average American eats 23 calories of potato chips every day. But none of the white potato products count, since they contain very few phytonutrients.Similarly, a third of our fruit calories are low-phytonutrient juices and a third are from bananas, which are pretty pitiful, but we’ll give it to them. So the typical American diet rates an 11. So on a scale of like 1 to 10 we get about a 1.How do you score a perfect ten? “Theoretically, a vegan diet that excluded refined grains, potato products, hard liquors, and added sugars and oils could have a perfect dietary index rating of 100. Sadly, the score of most current American diets would be unlikely to be as high as 20–yeah we wish it were 20—which means that there is quite ample room for improvement.”	Another amazing video! Something to look forward to every day now, watch each video as soon as I get home.Is there any way to sort the existing videos in a particular order, I think I’ve seen them all by now but it would be good if you could do them in date order etc.Yes! If you just go to the home page the videos should be listed with the most recent first. So if you’re up to date then it’s just a matter of checking back after 8am EST every day!Is there ANYTHING nutritionfacts.org can’t do :)Excellent video Dr. Greger.Thank you. Please help me spread the word: folks can “like” us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter.I am Always sharing your vital information on my facebook page… Thanks for posting all of the results from your research… Knowledge is key in preventing cancer and illness!! ~ Green Smoothies Mom https://www.facebook.com/GreenSmoothiesMomIs there any online calculator which we could put our diets into, and figure our own score?Wouldn’t that be cool? The best diet analysis site out there that I know of (please anyone share any other suggestions!) is CHRON-O-Meter, and open-source (free) web application for tracking personal nutrition and health data, but it doesn’t have this particular functionality. If you just eat whole plant foods it would be pretty easy to calculate though :)http://www.nutritiondata.comIn addition to nutrients, tracks amino acid score (protein quality), glycemic load, and inflammation factor of foods. Have not used CHRON-O-Meter, so cannot give a comparison.Assuming you’re familiar witht he McDougall eating plan, where would you rate it on this scale?I have tremendous respect for Dr. McDougall. Those following his prescription could presumably range anywhere from as low as 49% (by eliminating meat, dairy, eggs, and added fats) up to 100%, depending on how healthfully they choose to eat.“theoretically?” I’m so sick of the mainstream dismissing veganism a a pie in the sky idea! It’s proven, it’s doable, it’s a rational way to live! Thank you so much for this site!Amazing information!I have a BS in genetic biology, so I can even understand some of the scientific jargon. As an avid hiker, I’ve witnessed the spreading obesity epidemic with horror. I’m not hitting many home runs with my diet, but am seeking to improve steadily. (Baby Steps!) I’m buying some nuts at the GS tomorrow!Hi Michael,Brilliant insights. Thanks for all the work and efforts to share.Could you reference your source for the percentage of calorie distribution you use in this video.Thanks!MichaelJust found the reference above, thanks.Sorry you had to hunt around! I always link to all the sources (or at least the source citations if they aren’t available full-text online) in the Sources section below the videos. Thank you CapeBreton for your interest!Hi Dr Greger: Based on the “Greger Dietary Recommendations” of getting in daily servings of greens, beans, nuts, berries and tea, would 2 Tbsp freshly ground flax seed be included in the nuts category?Hello Karen, to answer your question, definitely! Nuts and seeds fall under the same category and to include flax seeds in this is definitely very beneficial! Keep up the good work!Thank you for the helpful video. As an economical, convenient juicing alternative to the norwalk juicer, what juicer do you recommend for juicing kale and greens (as well as fruits and veggies in general)? (Assuming of course that your learnings have not suggested that juicing is not beneficial…)Hello evan,Sorry to tell you but juicing is not very beneficial! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/fruit-juice-fail/This video link is about fruit juice vs the whole fruit, not about juicing at home with veggies. Juicing is beneficial when it is done at home and is a part of your whole food plant based diet. Juicing has been shown to greatly increase the phytochemical intake since you can drink much more (for instance carrot) juice than you will ever be able to eat in carrots, adding greens to your juice aids in blood sugar regulation and many many patients have great beneficial outcomes when juicing.The issue presented in the video is that we are throwing out the fiber and much of the nutrients in the pulp. Plus, if someone is trying to lose weight or is insulin sensitive, fruit juicing has a lot of sugar not binded up in the fiber which can lead to spiked blood sugars and a large intake of easily consumed calories that do not satiate. Overall it seems quite wasteful.There is a huge difference between home vegetable juicing and sickly sweet store bought pasteurized fruit juice! My favorite at the moment is kale, lemon, ginger and apple. Quite a bit of the fibre stays in – some of the insoluble, and nearly all of the soluble.Of course, it should be used in moderation like everything.Maybe you mean blending?Smoothies preserve the fiber, juicing does not.Supposedly, 80% – 90% of the antioxidants are in the juice. That’s a serious amount of antioxidants and other phytochemicals if you’re juicing several kg of produce – condensed into a large glass. Most of the insoluble fiber is removed, but the soluble fibers like pectin mostly remain, and they do slow the absorption of nutrients (and sugar) considerably. Most juicers also leave some insoluble fiber, and my juices are quite ‘pulpy’.It is absolutely different from store bought juices – where the antioxidant activity has been pasteurized out, and any remaining pulp removed (then preservatives + sugar added and sat on a shelf for a few months)Having said that, juicing isn’t natural. There is a huge industry behind it pushing it as a cure-all – and plenty of exaggeration everywhere on the net. Whole foods will give you the full nutritional load in a balanced package.Personally, I don’t see a problem with kale, ginger and lemon juice – with an apple thrown in for sweetness. The shear volume of veggies would be hard to eat on their own. Dr Gregor’s video on Kale juice seems to be in favor as well – http://nutritionfacts.org/video/smoking-versus-kale-juice/ . In an ideal world, maybe we’d spend all day eating masses of greens – but in reality I think it a good way for people to add greens to their diet. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence showing very positive results – including from diabetics – so until further evidence comes to light, I think it’s a good addition to my day.The bulk of the antioxidants are in the pulp http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/fruit-juice-fail/Your point is valid – and you have inspired me to research this further. But – your statement is a generalization. That video also talks about 3 studies: and none of them clear this matter up. Eg The apple study makes no comparison between juice and waste – it just mentions the source of the phenolics as the apple waste. It also deals with an extraction – not exactly comparable to the whole food – and it only looks at specific compounds – so generalizations cannot be made. The grape study is interesting, but the highest ORAC value was in the seeds – something we don’t digest anyway. The skins were high.I couldn’t view the orange study from the USDA thanks to the Government Shutdown!Both these fruits contain most of their power in the skins – and most water and sugar in the centre. I don’t know how home juicers perform extracting from the skins. They must be partly effective, because purple grapes make purple juice – but my guess is not as great as juice promoters make out. RE the 90% claim – I have found no evidence.I think it is a different issue with veg like kale and carrots, where there is a smaller difference between the skin and the flesh. With kale, I’d expect the antioxidant loss to be much less. Then Also, nutrients are probably more bioavailable – so thats another factor.I have become more skeptical. The problem I see is huge lack of data. Sites like nutritionSELF and the USDA database contain no data on fresh raw juices. The closest was canned carrot – of which 100g was more nutritionally dense than 100g of fresh carrots – but obviously took a lot more raw ingredient to make. Although not fresh – pasteurization and shelf storage are two important factors that make store bought juice incomparable.I’d love to see a study comparing the most common home-juiced vegetables versus the whole food. I think that’s the only way we’ll know. For now, the data just isn’t there, and we should refrain from deciding one way or the other. Without knowing the nutritional values of the juices we consume, or the effect on bioavailability, we are in the dark.I will continue juicing because of positive personal experience – but my mind will not be made up until there is some decent research on the subject.Thanks for the interesting conversation!I agree that it is probably better in general to eat whole fruits and vegetables than their juices. But, what do you think of the argument that fruit and vegetable juices are less filling (due to loss of their fibre) and are therefore more likely to be consumed in greater quantities without having to stop due to satiation, thus providing more of other nutrients (including antioxidants)?I think the argument is sound, I remember Jeff Novick discussing the phenomenon when people consume a fruit before a meal vs a juice or smoothie. The people who consume the fruit eat less of the meal as it triggers satiation better then pureed liquid. Of course, I do not have a study on hand. But it makes sense.Dr. Greger, I’m curious… Based on that phytochemical index, ¿would you say a vegan diet is the healthiest? Thank youA vegan diet is inherently healthier based on phytochemicals because phytochemicals are found only in plants.¿What about a diet almost entirely vegan but with a very small amount of eggs, meat and dairy?What constitutes a “very small” amount? Based on the scientific data presented by Dr. Greger, we should avoid these products entirely because they are essentially junk foods that bring about harm. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-sexual-precocity/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/I score 100 most days, though I do still eat white potatoes on a fairly regular basis, though never with unhealthy toppings.  (My favorite topping is a mixture of nutritional yeast and yellow miso mixed with a little water; second fave is home made salsa…)  Still, this video demonstrates what a sad state of nutritional affairs we are in for a society as a whole.  How do we change this?Also be sure to check out my associated blog post How to live longer in four easy steps!is air popped organic plain popcorn a healthy whole grain i can eat daily?does popcorn have a good phytochemical amount?so according to your dr greger dietary prescription ,an optimal diet would be comprsied of:vegetables,fruit,legumes,2 Tablespoons of ground flaxseed and whole grains/starchy vegetables optional or always daily?thanks!Also be sure to check out my associated blog post, Preserving Vision Through Dietone of my favorite dishes is kale, shitake and potatoes. but its a usually about half a potato per serving. I don’t see how this can be an unhealthy part of my vegan diet.Try a variety with colored flesh (not just skin).http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-healthiest-potato/I think the point in the video was that french fries are not a source of nutrition – and that makes up the bulk of potato eating in America. Boiled potatoes have a good nutrient content – they’ve sustained cultures in the past!Potatoes are quite healthful and nutrient rich. https://www.facebook.com/notes/national-health-association/do-you-recommend-that-diabetics-avoid-white-potatoes/10151143052782614 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2770/2Potatoes are not bad, per se, but they are not as nutrient-dense as other starchy foods. I see no problem with eating potatoes in moderate amounts on occasion, especially steamed or baked in the skin. Fried potatoes obviously are not healthy.Just because something is not chock full of phytonutrients does not mean that is ‘unhealthy.’ Potatoes are a good source of a carbs to keep you going! If you are eating kale and shiitakes alongside your spuds, and that’s how you like it, then keep it up. Maybe try it out with sweet potatoes, if you really wanted to add a few more nutrients to your meal.It is healthy, to think otherwise would be silly. The video was referring to crips or deep fried potatoes. Boiled, dry roasted or steamed potatoes are very healthy.I think I score around 85-95%. I cook with oil and use margarine on occasion… and I eat refined grain in tortillas.Some days it’s more of an 85%. Fruits, veg, nuts, beans, and greens compose the majority of the diet in our home. We love it and feel great.There are many superfoods with very high antioxidant values. For example, amla or gooseberries. Any implications? (Specifically, is there any benefit in adding more after 100%?)I score a 9 out of 10 or somethingThis should be the leading headline on the evening news, like every day – until “they” get it!!!! That may eventually foment complacency. But, ce la vi, eh?Great video…. so white potatoes baked… would be 100% phytonutrients???Below website is just an illustration of the fact that we know everything about healthy food as soon as we can make an extra penny out of growing animals in a more healty way. As a teenager 35 years ago, I was calculating feed for cows and believe me , at that time we where applying more knowledge in our cow feeding then we do today for feeding people. http://bronto.ua/pages/more/extrusionofricebran%E2%80%93thebestwaytoobtainhigheffectiveanimalfeed.htmlSo what people are eating today, all comes down to “money” besides , political propaganda in old sovjet union was nothing compaired to modern advertising for food.Thanks for sharing this information.Dear Dr Greger – Is mieliepap a traditional staple here is South Africa a refined grain ? It is made from corn flour added to boiling water and then left on a dying fire to slowly cook… This is then eaten as a staple with some green leaves or smashed tomatoes…Do all cooked potato dishes lack sufficient phytonutrients or is it only processed potato products?	alcohol,antioxidants,bananas,barley,beans,beverages,butter,candy,chronic diseases,dairy,dietary scoring,eggs,fat,fish,fruit,grains,juice,junk food,lard,legumes,margarine,meat,nutrient density,nuts,oats,oils,optimal diet,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,potato chips,potatoes,processed foods,rice,shortening,soda,standard American diet,sugar,sweeteners,USDA,vegetables,wheat	Rate your diet on a scale of 0 to 100 using the phytochemical index and compare your score to the standard American diet.	You can also watch these related videos: What Percent of Americans Lead Healthy Lifestyles? From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death Why Was Heart Disease Rare in the Mediterranean?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/17/diet-vs-exercise-whats-more-important/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barley/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wheat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bananas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shortening/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-scoring/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potato-chips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/margarine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/optimal-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-density/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=15488652[uid],
PLAIN-3168	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/	Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods	In a review on vegetarian diets and public health published last year, they concluded that sufficient scientific evidence exists for public healthy policy to ptromote a plant-rich diet for health promotion. This does not need to wair for science to provide all the answers as to why and how.But this is certainly one reason On average, 64 times more antioxidant power in plant foods than animal foods, but is it really a fair comparison? Included in the plant group were some things that were just off the charts, like some exotic wild berries, herbal medicines that really skewed the chart upwards. People eat corn, they don’t eat dried Norwegian cornflowers. So let’s bring it down to earth.The average plant food may have over a thousand micromoles of ferric ion reducing antioxidant power per decagram, but for comparison’s sake I’m going to choose the least healthy plant food I can think of, good old American iceburg lettuce, which I think of as basically just water. It doesn’t have 1,157 units of antioxidant power, it has, 17 units.Still beats out fish, though, which averages 11. Even nice pink salmon? 7. Chicken? 6. A hardboiled egg? 2 And eggbeaters, which is just the whites, zero. Even coca cola has 4! The same amount found in cow’s milk, and yogurt, though soymilk only has about twice that. The best animal foods can do, in the meat category, is a serving of ox liver at 71. It beat out moose meat, reindeer steak, but… still couldn’t quote reach, a Snickers bar. This is why we need to eat a plant-based diet.There is one animal product, however, that does kick some serious tush. There are samples of blueberries that didn’t even test that antioxidant rich. An animal product so healthy, I encourage everyone to consume it… when they’re a baby. Human breast milk.During infancy, breast is best. After infancy plants are preferred.	amazing :) thanksWay to go, Dr. Greger: this couldn’t be put any better way!Thank you both for visiting the site and leaving comments. Please let me know if any questions arise.These comparisons of plants to animal products are undoubtedly enlightening and of course we should all be eating huge amounts of salad and greens daily.. but it would be great to see some discussions about grass fed beef/dairy and pastured eggs thrown into the mix, to see how we could improve our nutrition (and animal welfare/food production standards) without giving up some of our favourite animal products too.Thanks for the videos, all very informative and thought-provoking..Michelle from http://www.mybigfatgreenblog.wordpress.comRegardless of how meat is handled and how animals are raised, animal products in itself are nutrient poor and is a cancer promoter. There are not many positive things that can be said about meat even if it were organic. Its still not healthy.LOL at the snickers bar. Love the way you present the data! I wonder, what portion did they use of each? Average portion of lettuce V average portion of fish? I presume. I wouldn’t be eating a whole head of lettuce very often……!I think the measurements were looking at concentrations of antioxidants in the foods. “all samples were homogenized, dry samples were pulverized and solid samples were chopped in a food processor…The concentration of antioxidants was measured” You can read more about it here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841576/ on the “Sample collection and sample preparation” heading.Hi, I have just followed the link you posted and read through some of the original study, including the pdf file with all of the results in. The results really confuse me! The amounts of the foods I considered high antioxidant seem to be a lot lower than I would have thought.For example, I eat lots of red lentils & medjool dates, and was expecting them to be very high. Apparently red lentils are 0.23 per 100g (this is a third of the snickers bar mentioned?). USA Medjool dates are showing as only 0.56, so only 2/3rds of the snickers bar?I am disheartened by these results, considering I thought I was following a very high antioxidant diet, I don’t have huge quantities by weight of berries and spices very often, so have to rely on my staple foods. Even Broccoli is showing as approx 1.0, compared to a snickers bar being 0.73.Could you do anything to put these results in perspective, or are we just consuming much less antioxidants then we might think even following a rich plant based diet?I can only partially answer this question and say that although brocolli may not have a mega dose of antioxidants, antioxidants are phytochemicals but not all phytochemicals are antioxidants. Most phytochemicals being studied for health reasons do function as antioxidants, but many serve additional functions that are unrelated to their role as antioxidants. So brocolli may come close to antixoxidant content of a snickers bar but this is only part of the nutrient profile. Hope this helped!chocolate is actually very high in antioxidants… sugar isnt good for you in high quantities, but thats a different story. REAL chocolate (cocoa) is a powerhouse of antioxidants (before its processed – heated etc…)Unfortunately cocoa nibs don’t taste as good as chocolate bars. :) I would be interested in knowing the best middle ground. My approach is to throw a bit in, but put it in the “treat” category.sf_jeff: re: “Unfortunately cocoa nibs don’t taste as good as chocolate bars.” I’m with you there!re: “I would be interested in knowing the best middle ground.” Here’s a thought for you: Cocoa powder is the cocoa bean without the fat/cocoa butter. Of course cocoa powder by itself is pretty yucky. But there are some fun things you can do with cocoa powder that might meet that middle ground you were talking about. For example, b00mer recently suggested mashing up cocoa powder in sweet potatoes for a kind of chocolate pudding. You might also look into making chocolate-banana soft-serve, which is just frozen bananas, cocoa powder and maybe some dates thrown into a really good blender. Or another idea is adding cocoa powder to Mexican dishes, including making say a mole sauce.Just some ideas for you.Interesting. Does cocoa powder retain the antioxidant power of nibs even if it is roasted and alkalized? If that’s true then I guess it’s well worth finding a way to incorporate into ones diet.sf_Jeff: re: “Does cocoa powder retain the antioxidant power of nibs even if it is roasted and alkalized.” I don’t know the answer to that question. I think cocoa powders are created with different processes with different brands, so there may be some products that are better than others.If I had to guess, I would say that just like any plant food, the more processed it is, the less nutrition. But on the other hand, that doesn’t mean that cocoa powder has *none* of the good stuff. From all of the various recommendations I have seen, it seems to me that cocoa powder probably has enough good stuff still in it to make eating it worth while. But that’s just my opinion.Just to throw this out there, an easy way to add antioxidants to your diet is to add teas and herbal teas. Search for “hibiscus” (cold brewed) for a good example. Also remember that it is a lot better to drink a little bit of an antioxidant source every three hours then to drink the same total amount once per day (assuming you are not getting too many calories with the antioxidants).Another option is to search for the “Amla smoothie” video. If you are getting fiber and polyphenols from your diet but are a bit low in antioxidants, it’s probably easy to spike your antioxidant level with just a few additions.Has there been any study done on diet post stroke and recovery?Hi KamalPrasad, Unfortunately I’m not aware of any studies in this area. It would be nice if there was more studies done in this area. We’ll all have to stay tuned. On the other hand there are several studies that show that following a whole food plant based diet will result in lower blood pressures and cholesterol levels which one would imagine would lower the risk of having another stroke. see Dr. Gregers videos nutritionfacts.org/videos/avoiding-cholesterol-is-a-no-brainer/ and nutritionfacts.org/videos/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/Here’s something I happened to come across recently that might help put the anti-oxidant thing in some perspective. It’s a message board response by Jeff Novick, on a McDougall forum. I hope it’s okay to put the link here. Scroll down to 4) in Jeff’s response, where he starts talking about antioxidants. It’s very long. http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11112Hi BarbaraH- Thanks for the link. Jeff Novick is one of the best read evidence based registered dieticians I know. His post points added to the videos that Dr. Greger has previously posted point out some of the difficulties in figuring out how much and what type of antioxidants to consume, how to prepare foods, are the antioxidants absorbed(i.e adding a squeeze of citrus to green tea markedly increases absorption), do they make it into the cells or their organelles through the effects of outside factors such as stress.It is complex. See Dr. Greger’s previous videos: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-level-dynamics/ among others for further information. I would just keep up with the science by following reliable sources and make the best choices as you plan your whole food plant based diet.Speaking of Jeff Novick, I am a little confused over your opinion of iceberg lettuce versus Jeff’s here:Jeff’s conclusion is: “Iceberg lettuce is a healthy food. Not only is it fairly high in nutrient density, it is very low in calorie density. Yet, somehow it gets relegated to the level of junk food.”I have heard this as well from Jeff, I am curious as to what Dr. Greger makes of it.Based on it’s nutritional content, it’s the least healthy leafy green on the planet, but even the least healthy green is healthier than a lot of what the public eats! Check out my video Nation’s Diet in Crisis to see just how bad the Standard American Diet is.Ahh, this makes sense. Thanks!I agree the Standard American Diet is in crisis, that is not my question at all.In your video, you said “Iceberg lettuce, which I think of as bascially just water”.This is what I am a little confused about versus examining the actualy nutritional facts of iceberg lettuce. It may be the “least healthy leafy green”, but that does not make it unhealthly. Similarly, grass fed, lean beef may be the “most healthly beef”, but that doesn’t make it healthy.It appears at first glance that you have fallen victim to a food myth. Do you really consider iceberg lettuce to be basically just water in nutritional content?Iceberg lettuce is 96% water, but that’s not a bad thing–water is a nutrient too! I’m not saying it’s junk food; I’m just saying that any other green is better so if you have a choice (and even most salad bars these days offer alternatives) pick something better.I still think you are dissing iceberg lettuce unjustifiably. Romaine lettuce is 95% water so I don’t see the point about iceberg lettuce being 96% water making them all that different. Is that 1% difference really that significant?As long as one is eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, iceberg lettuce is a perfectly good and healthy choice at times, even if other leafy greens are available. Some people prefer it, so it might mean that they end up eating more resulting in more net nutrients. Also, if one needed more Vitamin C or E, then iceberg lettuce is the better choice.I suppose if one doesn’t eat a proper wide variety of fruits and vegetables, then the slight difference might make a difference. But if one is eating a healthy, plant-based diet and you like iceberg lettuce, enjoy it without any stigma or guilt.Patrick, I think the point Dr. Greger is making is that, yes, iceberg lettuce is healthy but there are other greens and vegetables that are far healthier. Iceberg lettuce is the most consumed by American families and it would contribute to their health if they ate more of the cruciferous greens.Also, check out my associated blog post http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/!ORAC value of foods (aside from the vitamin C and E) have never been shown to have any benefit in vivo, they might be potent in a test tube, but have little to no antioxidant benefits in the body.  In fact, only 5% of phytochemical antioxidants are even absorbed and then they’re fast-tracked to the liver for excretion.  The only benefit of phytochemicals is probably their hormetic effect, as the body treats them as a toxin.  Also, the amino acids in meat (and meat has a much more favorable amino acid profile for this and much higher protein density) can be directly used by the body to produce glutathione, the most potent antioxidant in vivo.  Not to mention meat has very high concentrations of CoQ10, the second most powerful antioxidant in vivo, as well as creatine (an indirect antioxidant by boosting mitochondria efficiency), Carnitine and Carnosine (two potent in vivo antioxidants).  All of these meat-derived antioxidants are critical to antioxidant recycling in the human body, which are FAR more important then total antioxidant numbers.  Antioxidants without proper recycling chains just become pro-oxidants.  It’s great that your a vegan (I’m one myself for ethical reasons), but purposely misleading people by presenting information in a bias fashion and/or cherry-picking what studies you analyze is quite unethical and completely goes against what real science is about.  I would never try to stretch the science to make it look like a vegan diet is more healthy than a vegan-style diet that also incorporates 6-10oz of whole-food meats per day. Don’t know how this site works, if you will see my reply or not. But have you received an answer on that?You’re not a vegan. You’re a meat industry plant.Why did my post get deleted?  Nice censorship… ORAC value of foods (aside from the vitamin C and E) have never been shown to have any benefit in vivo, they might be potent in a test tube, but have little to no antioxidant benefits in the body.  In fact, only 5% of phytochemical antioxidants are even absorbed and then they’re fast-tracked to the liver for excretion.  The only benefit of phytochemicals is probably their hormetic effect, as the body treats them as a toxin.  Also, the amino acids in meat (and meat has a much more favorable amino acid profile for this and much higher protein density) can be directly used by the body to produce glutathione, the most potent antioxidant in vivo.  Not to mention meat has very high concentrations of CoQ10, the second most powerful antioxidant in vivo, as well as creatine (an indirect antioxidant by boosting mitochondria efficiency), Carnitine and Carnosine (two potent in vivo antioxidants).  All of these meat-derived antioxidants are critical to antioxidant recycling in the human body, which are FAR more important then total antioxidant numbers.  Antioxidants without proper recycling chains just become pro-oxidants.  It’s great that your a vegan (I’m one myself for ethical reasons), but purposely misleading people by presenting information in a bias fashion and/or cherry-picking what studies you analyze is quite unethical and completely goes against what real science is about.  I would never try to stretch the science to make it look like a vegan diet is more healthy than a vegan-style diet that also incorporates 6-10oz of whole-food meats per day. Sorry, for my hasty assumption.  I see it wasn’t deleted and i apologize.This is an old video but I am wondering why you are comparing anti-oxidant values of plants and meats. Surely people eat meat for protein and fats, and then have the plants for the anti-oxidants. I hear you that meat isn’t great for us and I haven’t even watched any of those videos yet. But I am still eating some grass fed organic raised meat because I got too thin on a plant diet alone.Animal fat, that being saturated fat, serves no dietary purpose for us and the more we consume the less healthy we are.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/As for protein, all whole plant foods contain complete proteins and if one eats till they are hungry till they are full then they are getting adequate protein.  Just because beef is organic and grass fed does not change inherent traits of meat that make it harmful. For example, bacteria inherently grows on meat and endotoxins found in meat is an inherent trait. These endotoxins cause chronic inflammation. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=endotoxinContinue exploring this wbesite and you will  find that the issue with meat is far more then just contamination.  Thank you. I watched all the Volume 9 videos and I am convinced to try a plant based diet again. I am being tested now for Gluten sensitivity with cross-linked foods so that eliminates most starches from my diet. I’m just scared to go down to 95 lbs again like I did on the vegan diet last time.Hi, thanks for the video. What is the unit measure based on unit per calorie? Unit per  oz? Doc, your video is useless. Why don’t you actually state vegetable based foods that are high in antioxidants?Please click on the next videos. I go into excruciating detail.okay, so let us assume that plant-based foods are far more healthy to eat than animal-based foods. but within the plant foods, which are the healthiest? that is, assuming that the five main categories of plant foods are fruits, raw vegetables, high-starch vegetables, nuts, and seeds, what is the order of the healthiest plant food group to the least healthy?I’ve got a video on that! Somewhere… Anyone remember?The plant kingdom is so vast in nutrients, major minerals, minor minerals, protein, the way nutrients work together and cooperate within the human body and the processes that create vitamins that it will NEVER be known just how all of it works together for the good of the human body. The VASTNESS of what has been proven in clinical studies is not even the tip of the iceberg of how a plant based diet was made for the human race to live life, thrwart disease and THRIVE!Fair and thorough — as always. Thanks Doc.I’m vegetarian but I find this was taken completely out of context. Meat was never supposed to be an antioxidant, it’s just protein & fat. Antioxidants are to come from vegetables and fruits. So to say meat doesn’t have antioxidants is like saying plant-based foods don’t have B12 so we should eat meat. None the less, shocked about snickers & coke.I’m not certain that it’s out of context. Eating animal products means less room for antioxidant-rich foods (plants) in the diet, whereas eating a vegan diet does not mean less room for B12 intake (obtained very easily with a supplement). According to the studies shared by Dr. Greger, the estimated minimum antioxidant need is 8 000-11 000 units, which means rich-antioxidant foods should be consumed practically all day, everyday. It’s harder for people to eat a suitable antioxidant diet if it’s the animal foods take take up the space in their plates… Also, a well-balanced vegan diet of whole foods will also meet the body’s needs for protein and fat…But the Salmon contains the most powerful antioxidant you can find in nature (Astaxanthin) which is more powerful than even Lycopene.Chlorella also has this antioxidant and farmed salmon seems to have pollutants. Organic salmon issues concern as well in regards to pollutants. Of course the choice is yours! I worry a bit with chlorella, as a case study on psychosis is enough to issue caution. It does still appears to be super helpful for patients with Hepatitis C and perhaps others, but this case on psychosis was enough to sound the alarm. We’re updating the resources to the Q&A link I sent so stay tuned. Thanks for your note.	animal products,antioxidants,berries,beverages,blueberries,breast milk,breastfeeding,candy,chicken,Coca-Cola,cola,corn,dairy,Eggbeaters,eggs,fish,flowers,fruit,infants,junk food,lettuce,meat,milk,moose meat,oxen meat,plant-based diets,red meat,reindeer meat,salmon,soda,soy,soy milk,vegetables,white meat,yogurt	On average, plant foods have 64 times more antioxidant power than red meat, poultry, fish, dairy, and eggs, but is it a fair comparison?	For more info on plant-based antioxidants, check out these more recent videos: How Much Fruit is Too Much? Minimum “Recommended Daily Allowance” of Antioxidants Food Antioxidants and Cancer Food Antioxidants, Stroke, and Heart Disease Bulking Up on AntioxidantsThank you both for visiting the site and leaving comments. Please let me know if any questions arise.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/06/spices-antioxidants-in-a-pinch/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/18/the-anti-wrinkle-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/24/biblical-daniel-fast-tested/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocacola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breastfeeding/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/moose-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxen-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yogurt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggbeaters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reindeer-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flowers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20222825,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20096093/,
PLAIN-3169	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/	Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods	In the beginning, blueberries were the best. Then walnuts took the title, then wild blueberries took it back, then small red beans were the #1 most antioxidant packed foods… until herbs and spices were tested.I frankly thought it was over in 2007. Remember, USDA had released a database of 277 foods. When only 40 foods were tested blueberries were #1, but when hundreds of foods were tested blueberries, no longer even made the top ten. I ranked them for you by serving size, and by cost, antioxidant bang for your buck. Mission accomplished, until, last year.“The total antioxidant content of more than 3,000 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide. The most comprehensive ever, by far. Are there even 3000 foods out there? Just looking at the first page the 138 page chart of their data, you know you're in for a wild ride when they don't just include something like gooseberries, whatever those are, or Indian Gooseberries, or indian gooseberries in a can, but even the antioxidant power of the syrup in the can of the Indian gooseberries.The tested 30 different beers, for those who stay up all night wondering if there’s more antioxidants in Coors or Bud Light? The answer? Miller by a hair. But nothing compared to Santa Claus beer from Austria, which put Guinness and the rest to shame. Don’t laugh, the standard American diet is so pitiful that beer represents the 5th largest source of antioxidants in the United States.They measured Cap’n Crunch, the antioxidant content of tootsie rolls, everything from Kirspy Kreme to the crushed dried leaves of the African Boabab tree. The skin of an organic lemon. , Norwegian jungle dessert. It took them 8 years to compile this data.With 3,139 foods tested you can get as nitty gritty as you want. Like those new gold kiwis, do they have more antioxidants than the regular green kiwis? About three times as much! This body of work can help us decide hundreds of real-life grocery store decisions we make all the time, but it’s easy to get lost in the details. Let’s take a step back, which is what the researchers did. What does this body of work say about what we should eat, in general?The first thing they did, table 1, was to split it into plant foods versus animal foods. Heres plant foods. Here’s animal foods. On average, plant foods have 64 times more antioxidants than meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. This represents a powerful argument to eat a plant-based diet. Every time you eat something in this column, you miss out on an opportunity to eat something in this column. Animal foods max out at 100, plant foods go to 289,000.Quoting from the conclusion: “rich foods originate from the plant kingdom while meat, fish and other foods from the animal kingdom are low in antioxidants….Diets comprised mainly of animal- based foods are thus low in antioxidant content while diets based mainly on a variety of plant-based foods are antioxidant rich, due to the thousands of bioactive anti- oxidant phytochemicals found in plants which are conserved in many foods and beverages.”	A couple of comments,First congratulations on the launch! I intend to be a daily reader. Your contribution to the health of people everywhere as well as the health of the planet, and benefit to animal welfare is immeasurable. Thank you.Second, I want to tie back this video with the video you did on Beliveau’s work on foods fighting cancer. Beliveau while acknowledging the importance of antioxidants cautions overemphasizing this as a health metric (proxy) (See pages 60 to 64 in Beliveau’s Foods to Fight Cancer). The specific example he gives in those pages is of isothiocyanates which have very limited antioxidant potential but which are also believed, based on current research, to have among the highest effects on stopping cancer. I realize that this video was primarly to compare the metrics of animal vs. plant food. And so, in such a comparison, antioxident given the wealth of data makes sense. A disclaimer, say 30 seconds or a cross reference to the work you did on capturing Beliveau’s research (I think Furhman gave onion a 50 ANDI score, I will have to check)would help.PaulThank you for your kind words, and you’re absolutely right that the antioxidant power of plant foods represents only one of their many benefits. That’s indeed why I presented those two videos (part 1 and part 2) ranking vegetables by their ability to slow down cancer cell growth. Just because something is good for you doesn’t mean it necessarily has lots of antioxidants (like oyster mushrooms) and just because something has lots of antioxidant power doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good for you (uric acid and preservatives like BHT come to mind).I agree with Paul. Exactly what you just said Michael would be of great help for the existing portion of readers with little knowledge in health science. As of now, a lot of the videos on antioxidants come off as if antioxidants alone were the only or the most important factor for health, when we know indeed there is more than just that antioxidants to health.Dear Dr. Greger, I have seen most of the videos that you have released on your DVD sets and I was curious if you have come across any studies relating to bee pollen. I am a vegan and take my B12 supplement several times a week in addition to my daily spoonful of bee pollen. I know that some people argue that bee pollen isn’t necessarily vegan although I guess that is in the grey area. Have you come across any studies discussing the pros/cons of taking this so called “superfood”? Thank you so much for your time and for putting this site up. -CoryGDr. Gernez, most famous in France for world-changing work on preventing degenerative diseases, recommended to blow of a minute amount of pollen on newborns (anytime during their immunotolerance period) along with minute amounts of vaccuum cleaner dust collected in late summer (“yuk” you may say, I know!) as a means to get their immune system to recognize pollen. It may be less necessary in places where moms and their newborn are discharged within days of the delivery, because that way the baby is naturally exposed to allegens in the short window of opportunity that is his first few weeks of life. Any medical textbook refers to that period of immunotolerance and the doctor did it on all his family, none are allergic. That’s the only really valuable thing I’ve heard so far on pollen, and I’m like you always curious to learn more about its benefits, perhaps more as a food this time :)I would like to know the same regarding bee pollen and the safety of glucasomineDear Dr. Greger: Is antioxidant power THE ONLY measure of antioxidants, so that the higher the ORAC value the better and variety of antioxidants not so critical?? I’m confused!!This is an incredible website that I promote to many!! Thank you so VERY MUCH!!I’m eager to find your answers on nutritionfacts.org! I’m intelligent, just not this web-savvy!! balangiga@aol.com Please help! Great website! Its too early to nominate you for a Nobel Prize in Medicene, but its CERTAINLY COMING! John S.balangiga@aol.com John Swallow 4th message, 1st with notification requested to my Email.!Sorry it took me so long to get to your comment. Please see my answer to PaulB above.LOL that beer is the 5th greatest source of antioxidants in the American diet!!!! OMG.Dr. Gregor,You have given us all a wonderful gift with this website. Thank you for the fantastic resource to help us all navigate the complex world of nutrition science.SherryMaybe I’m slow, but what’s the number one antioxidant food?I don’t think you’re slow…your question is actually a good one. I don’t know of any one food in particular as holding the #1 position for post digestion antioxidant potential, as far too many variables would preclude such a finding most likely. However, the following foods have ORAC (oxygen radical absorptive capacity) scores that are considered impressive: Cocoa, red beans, berries, and spices like dried clove, oregano, ginger, cinnamon and tumeric. However, scientists are continually discovering powerful disease fighting substances in all kinds of plant foods, which is a very powerful plus for those of us following a vegetarian and/or vegan lifestyle.Megann19, Thanks for your response. You make good points. I just thought I’d get a #1 from this study, at least on some merits and until proven otherwise. Oh well, we’ll just have to keep eating the best whole foods regardless. :)This site keeps me on my toes and reminds me to keep increasing my consumption of fruits and vegetables. Never felt better.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post The last heart attack! Your link is broken Dr. It’s the extra http at the beginning. :) Thank you so much–corrected!As always this is a great video. I would really love to see a video simply discussing exactly what antioxidants are and why we should be so concerned with them. also, can you give us more details about how antioxidants are calculated?I have a question regarding the antioxidant content of the study here using FRAP and the USDA study showing ORAC values of foods.This study by the USDA  in your other video of the antioxidant content of 300 foods (https://www.drgourmet.com/column/dr/2010/usda-orac.pdf) seems to put apples at 3065 umol/100 grams while this study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20096093/) puts apples at 300 umol/100 grams. Are these 2 methods of testing the antioxidant capacity of certain foods that inaccurate?Raw cacao has the most of any foods even more than acai which has a score of 536. Raw cacao has a score of 955 source: Superfoods by David Wolfe.What better way to increase your consumption of purple cabbage than with this simple to make snack.Antioxidant Coleslaw – 3 cups purple cabbage, chopped – 1 clove garlic, minced – 1 green onion, thinly sliced – ½ small red onion, diced – 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar – Sea salt and black pepper to taste• Combine all ingredients in a shallow dish. Better flavor is achieved when ingredients can marinate in the fridge overnight.Great video!I have a short question. Is there such thing as *too much* anti-oxidants?apparently not according to Dr. Greger.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/Thank you for the reply!I actually read a part of the original study. It seems that they only tested one antioxidant… Therefore I find it difficult to understand why the same result should follow for other antioxidants as well.Interesting stuff anyways.Dear Dr. Greger,Thanks so much for highlighting this study and lists. I have downloaded the list.In reviewing some items in the list, I came across what seems and unusual result: Toasting whole wheat bread doubles the antioxidant value!Whole wheat bread Wonder USA 0.47Whole wheat bread, toasted Wonder USA 1.001. Do you believe this is correct? 2. How can it be explained?Thanks, -ErnieToasting removes moisture (and weight) so if test is per 100 grams, 100grams of toast contains more wheat than untoasted.Thanks Daniel,I did additional research which confirmed the result, but your explanation makes perfect sense.Looks like the USDA removed the list from its website?I googled “U.S. Department of Agriculture. Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods – 2007. November 2007. It is now at: http://www.orac-info-portal.de/download/ORAC_R2.pdfI know what antioxidants do but not sure what they are. Do all vitamins have antioxidants or just E and C? Is vitamin E a antioxidant or does it contain antioxidants?There are many many antioxidants found in plant foods. Vitamin E and C are indeed antioxidants, but there are many more. Strawberries for example, have a wealth of antioxidants. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22153122In a book on sports exercise and nutrition called “The First 20 Minutes” the author quotes a German study which showed that post exercise, athletes taking anti-oxidants (vitamin C and E supplements) had elevated levels of antioxidants BUT the same level of free radicals as those who hadn’t consumed the vitamins. It was because the body didn’t summon its own genetic and enzymatic defense mechanisms in the presence of the consumed anti-oxidants. This would indicate that consuming high levels of anti-oxidants may be ineffective if your body reacts by reducing its own defensive efforts. Are you aware of the validity of this research? The book also mentions similar results found a few years earlier in lab rat experiments at U of Valencia in Spain and U of Wisconsin, Madison.Dr. Greger will release a video showing that Exercise is an oxidative activity, but for several days after, our antioxidant capabilities are significantly stronger then before the exercise. He also shows how consuming antioxidants while exercising does not produce the same effect. Details soon to come!What about this in vitro vs. in vivo distinction? http://ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=15866I see the USDA is no longer posting the study this is derived from, as they felt it was being misused.http://www.ars.usda.gov/services/docs.htm?docid=15866&pf=1What is the secret to aging more slowly and living longer? NOT ANTIOXIDANTS, apparently.Many people believe that free radicals, the sometimes-toxic molecules produced by our bodies as we process oxygen, are the culprit behind aging. Yet a number of studies in recent years have produced evidence that the opposite may be true.Now, researchers at McGill University have taken this finding a step further by showing how free radicals promote longevity in an experimental model organism, the roundworm C. elegans.“The Intrinsic Apoptosis Pathway Mediates the Pro-Longevity Response to Mitochondrial ROS in C. elegans”, Callista Yee, Wen Yang, and Siegfried Hekimi, Cell, May 8, 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.02.055https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/node/20712Dear Dr Gerger. I want to express my great appreciation for sharing this information. It is good to have a source where you get the facts. I watched you presentatiom on the leading causes of death and it is one of the most impressive presentations I’ve ever seen. It changed, and probably will extend, my life. Thank you very much.Hi Dr Greger,Thank you so much for this valuable resource!A quick question on my favorite topic, beer. You mentioned a breakdown of the different antioxidant properties of different beers but I was wondering if there is any research around other health benefits to beers. For example, some great beer coming out of Russian River in California include brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus. Could these possibly be serving as probiotics?Potential health areas for discovery: Organic vs non-organic beer Unfiltered vs filtered Hop content directly influencing antioxidant levelsBest, DrewDr. Greger, For vegans who periodically fast (every couple of weeks I fast for 2-3 days), is there some harm being done because we fail to ingest antioxidants/phytochemicals while fasting? HDSoda bi carbonate mix in lemon jioce Is it good for cancer?This website is really wonderful . If you need thisguru Les privat di Surabayaguru les privat ke rumah di SurabayaLes privat guru ke rumah siswa di Jogjasewa mobil di Pareojek dan rental motor di Pare kampung inggrisrental motor dan ojek di Pare KediriKursus Bahasa Inggris di Pare Kediriguru les privat bahasa inggris ke rumahLes privat SurabayaGuru les privat TK di SurabayaLes privat untuk SD di SurabayaLes privat SMP/MTS di SurabayaLes privat SMA/MA/SMK di SurabayaLes privat TK,SD,SMP,SMA,Mahasiswa,Karyawan, dan Umum di SurabayaPenyedia Guru les privat semua mata pelajaran di surabaya	amla,animal products,antioxidants,beans,beer,berries,beverages,blueberries,breakfast cereal,candy,citrus,cost savings,dairy,eggs,fish,fruit,gooseberries,herbs,kiwi fruit,legumes,lemons,meat,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,spices,standard American diet,USDA	In the most extensive study of its kind ever published, the amount of anti-aging anticancer antioxidants is measured across thousands of different foods.	For more videos on plant-based antioxidants: How Much Fruit is Too Much? Minimum “Recommended Daily Allowance” of Antioxidants Food Antioxidants and Cancer Food Antioxidants, Stroke, and Heart Disease Bulking Up on Antioxidants	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gooseberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/preservatives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemons/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast-cereal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amla/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-fruit-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20096093/,
PLAIN-3170	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/melatonin-breast-cancer/	Melatonin & Breast Cancer	For billions of years, life on the planet Earth has evolved with about 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark. We discovered fire awhile ago, but have only been using candles about 5,000 years and electric lighting for only about a century. This is what the country used to look like. Then 20 years later. 20 years more years. And then estimated about 20 years in the future. Our skies used to look like this. Now they look like this. The photo on the left was taken during a blackout. These days, this is the only milky way our children will likely ever see. But so what? Does it have an effect on our health?—the light, not the candy bar. Let’s find out. You may have heard that light at night increases breast cancer risk. Is this fact or fiction? Well, two reviews were published last year assessing the existing evidence. Electric light causes cancer? Surely you’re joking. Well, let’s look at the evidence. Smack dab in the middle of our brain is the pineal gland, the so-called “third eye.” And it’s got only one function: produce melatonin in the dark. It’s hooked up to our eyes and at dawn, the gland shuts down. Then at night it turns back on. That’s how our internal organs know what time of day it is: they sense the level of melatonin in our blood stream. And melatonin is thought to suppress cancer growth, kinda like putting cancer to sleep at night. Let’s test the theory: If that’s true, should blind women have more breast cancer or less breast cancer? Less, right? Because their pineal gland never gets turned off by the sun. And guess what? Blindness is indeed protective against breast cancer. Cuts your risk in half. What about shift workers who work in the middle of the night? Increased risk, right? Melatonin production is interrupted. What if you live in neighborhood with really bright street lights. Increased risk—they took satellite photos and the brighter neighborhoods seemed to correlate with greater breast cancer risk. Anyways, fact, but what does this have to do with nutrition? Last year, for the first time ever, melatonin levels and food choices were studied. The Harvard Nurse’s Study, found two foods significantly associated with melatonin suppression—like a bright light at night, which is bad. They looked at fruits, vegetables, nuts, bread, meat, and dairy. In which group were the offenders found? Both meat and dairy intake were associated with lower melatonin levels, which may help explain why they found that meat and dairy intake in adolescence was associated with breast cancer risk later in life.	I wonder whether the data show any correlation between meat and dairy intake at other times of life (not just adolescence) and breast cancer risk.We know, based on studies of breast cancer risk due to exposure to ionizing radiation, for example, that since invasive breast tumors may take decades to manifest, dietary exposures during adolescence may be particularly important.There are many links between meat and dairy consumption and breast cancer. However I think the most compelling is the link between dairy and breast cancer. In studying the geographical occurance of breast cancer, researchers have found that in places where dairy is not part of the average diet like Japan the incidence of breast cancer is very low. However they have also found that when Japanese women migrate to high dairy consumption countries like the US and adopt the countries diet their breast cancer risk becomes the same as the average population. The link can not be clearer. Do not put bovine breast milk into your body and reduce your breast cancer risk.I agree that we were designed to be weaned from milk as toddlers (and stick to breasts of our own species) but the latest meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies did not find a convincing relationship between cow’s milk consumption and breast cancer:I find that interesting, do you think that study is reliable? The study differentiates between dairy products and milk suggesting that dairy products, reduce breast cancer risk but Milk does not.I know of several studies including the Harvard nurses study which show a link between meat and dairy consumption and breast and bowel cancers. Two areas of the body which are affected by hormones, which high fat diets seem to increase in women. As well as the hormones in cows milk itself.There is also the research done by Dr T. Colin Campbell. Where he could turn on and off the cancer in rats by regulating the amount of casein in their diet.It seems odd based on the number of studies I have seen sited that show a correlation that this study should find none.It isn’t “a” study, but a meta-analysis, meaning it’s an attempt to pool the results of multiple studies together, in this case (as you can see in the above graphic) more than a dozen. After pooling the results from these studies they did not find that milk intake was significantly associated with breast cancer risk (in humans).Does melatonin have an important interaction with other human diseases?Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer and Diet! Dr. Gregor – the colon is missing in the above link, creating a broken link ;)Thank you so much for pointing that out! Should be working nowAre melatonin supplements safe? I take 5mg at night to help with falling asleep. Do you know of any studies showing risk factors there?In which plant food can we find melotanine? Are supplements safe? Thanks JulieRaspberries. Dr. Gregger has a link for this information.Tart cherries have a high amount. But the best way to boost it is to get into a good sleep rhythm and to make sure your room is black when you sleep. Between 10pm and 2am is when the body produces a lot, so the earlier to bed, the better.(Right now its midnight! What with electricity. computers and the internet, and a job that finished late, its hard to stick to early nights!!)EMFs are also said to interrupt melatonin production, so if that were the case, it would be good to turn everything off and put cell phones in airplane mode.I’ve been a full time night nurse for more than twenty years of my career. I am obese and I can’t help but notice that some of the others nurses are too. Until they realize my contribution to the team, the day staff think I (we) are fat because we must be lazy but I know I am definitely NOT lazy. I am awake during my nights off even if I am awake all day. I am close to retirement. I know there is a link between obesity and breast cancer (as well as ther types of cancer). What can I expect for my retirement in terms of sleep pattern changing back to the ‘norm’ and breast cancer risk?There seems to be a link between night shift workers and obesity……AND a link between obesity and breast cancer…How does melatonin factor in?Unfortunately, many of us ate the meat and dairy our parents fed us as adolescents. I am 39 and eating a whole foods plant based diet. But I know that my risk of breast and other cancers are still elevated. Are there any other protective measures that you recommend?You might find Dr Christine Horner a useful resource:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_yRmHw2kv0Hello, some important dietary steps to ward off cancer would include consuming amla http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=amlaFlax http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/and soy products http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/Consume healthy vegetables will also help ward off cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/1-anticancer-vegetable/The only significant association was the lower morning melatonin levels found in red meat consumers. Dairy did not show a significant effect although dairy cream consumed by women subjects showed a minor association. Fish and poultry did not seem to have a lowering effect on the melatonin levels in the study. Very interesting study. I hope more are done on this interesting subject. The book, “Lights Out,” contains lots of information about lights at night effects on melatonin production for readers interested in this topic.	adolescence,animal products,blindness,bread,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,dairy,evolution,meat,melatonin,nuts,pineal gland,sleep,sunlight,vegetables,women's health	There are components of our diet that may increase cancer risk by mimicking the role of light pollution in melatonin suppression.	More recent videos on the connection between animal products and breast cancer include: Cholesterol Feeds Breast Cancer Cells Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens Which Dietary Factors Affect Breast Cancer Most? Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and ChickenPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on melatonin. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Breast Cancer and Diet, Mushrooms for Breast Cancer Prevention, and Breast Cancer & Alcohol: How Much Is Safe?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/28/breast-cancer-alcohol-how-much-is-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bread/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blindness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunlight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/melatonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pineal-gland/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-butterfat-and-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16217131,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2744623,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18293150,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2734067,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19271347,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19649715,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19401186,
PLAIN-3171	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/convergence-of-evidence/	Convergence of Evidence	Dr. Ornish published an editorial in the American Journal of Cardiology last year that I think really sums up where we are, describing a growing convergence of scientific evidence that an optimal diet is mostly plant based. Make sure it has nuts, soy, and fiber and you can drop your bad cholesterol as much as taking drugs every day for the rest of your life, but without the cost and without the side-effects. Save the country about $20 billion. Of course most patients aren’t even given the plant-based option because of the patronizing belief among doctors that no one will actually do it. But in reality most people don’t want take the drugs. People hate the side effects. They don’t make you feel any better and it’s scary popping pills every day so you don’t keel over and die —people don’t even want to think about it. However, when people actually improve their diets … You actually feel so much better, so quickly, that it reframes the reason for making these changes from fear of dying, which usually is not sustainable, to joy of living, which often is. And the diet doesn’t just help your cholesterol. Unlike the drugs, a plant-based diet can also prevent and treat diabetes, hypertension, obesity, prostate cancer, breast cancer, etc. Pills can’t do all that. And instead of being on a list of medications, one drug for this; one or two drugs for that, there’s not one diet for heart disease, another one for diabetes—a plant-based diet covers all the bases. Why? Because plant-based foods contain more than 100,000 different disease-preventing nutrients. Let me say that again 100,000 phytonutrients. Only found in plants. You know blueberries have the anthocyanins for memory. Tomatoes are rich in the red pigment lycopene, which targets heart disease and cancer. Ginger’s got gingerols for hypertension, pomegranates have some totally different phytonutrients. And let’s never forget kale, the list, goes on and on. And you can’t just take these phytonutrients in a pill. B-carotene pills may actually increase cancer risk, as opposed to the whole carrot, which may lower our risk. And you probably couldn’t swallow a hundred thousand pills a day anyway. Then he talks about his work stopping and reversing the progression of even severe coronary artery disease. … Slowing, stopping, or reversing, cancer. Living and eating healthy actually changes you on a genetic level, upregulating disease-preventing genes and downregulating genes that promote breast cancer, prostate cancer, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Drugs can’t do that. The bottom line: People tend to think of breakthroughs in medicine as new drugs, lasers, high-tech surgery, but they have a hard time believing that simple choices can be as powerful as drugs and surgery, but they often are. Sometimes, even better. And I will leave you, on that note.	Thank you for this and the other videos! A Convergence of Evidence, yes. Like the index and all of it. Very nice.Isn’t the index great? I couldn’t be happier with how the site turned out.Dr. Greger, thanks for launching such an invaluable resource! Yay! –DilipI’m glad you found it useful–please help me spread the word.And what’s even more amazing is how no one know this… Spread the word!The food and beverage industry spends billions of dollars every year marketing junk to us, to our children, contributing to the public’s confusion about basic, accepted nutrition principles. I’m glad to be one little voice trying to push out some science!Is Co-Q-10 necessary for heart health…if so, is ubiquinol so much better than ubiquinone? Or, is this just a lot of hype and another waste of money?Dr Greger: I had artery bypass surgery in 1997 and have a prescription for 40 mg. of lipitor to lower my cholesterol. Three months ago I went to a vegan no oil diet, and even though I cut the lipitor dose in half, I was pleased to learn that my cholesterol measured a mere 97. My LDL reading was also only 50 but my concern is that my HDL level was only a very low 27. Should I be concerned?Congratulations on improving your diet and reducing your medication. You have made great strides in minimizing the chance of recurrent problems. I would not worry about the low HDL. HDL goes down with the other cholesterols when you adopt an improved diet… partly due to the reduction in a transport molecule in your blood so free HDL is not as low as you might assume. The levels of LDL and total cholesterol you report should allow you to further reduce or eliminate your statin. You need to continue to work with your physician(s). I would suggest reading Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s book on Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease… he also has a new DVD out but I haven’t had a chance to view it yet. I would also suggest you read Dr. McDougalls newletter article on Statins, http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/may/statins.htm and keep tuned to nutrtionfacts as the science and recommendations keep changing. Good luck.Incredible info. It’s such a shame that this info is NOT given attention from the media. One would think newspapers and media would be ALL OVER it. Ground-breaking news that is too practical to make the cut???The thing is, vegetarian diets for lipid lowering advice… It’s not first line advice, as of yet anyway, and to suggest it as a healthcare professional, one can be seen as promoting their own lifestyle without sufficient guidelines to back you up. So, when will this get enough regognition to be used as a first-line Rx????Never, I’m afraid. There’s no $ in it. Can you imagine what a big decrease in bypasses, other heart surgery would do to the profession? There´s no lobby for kale or broccoli, sadlyHi, We too long for the day that healthcare providers will have the majority voice on the optimal diet, but until then, we can have that one voice crying in the wilderness! Even one soul won will put out the word exponentially through their circle of influence, and so on and so on! One patient at a time. People still put a lot of stock on the word of a trusted physician, especially one who practices what he or she preaches. Physicians ought to promote what they have actually experienced. Their message will be that much more impactful. Walk your talk, talk your walk, ArleneDr. Gregor, could you please let us know where to find the interesting figure with phytonutrient compounds from different vegetables? I would love to use that when I talk to my patients about the benefits of a vegan diet.  I’ve added the source above and placed the graphic in supplementary materials. Too bad we can’t squeeze all 10,000-or-so in :)Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer and Diet!Excellent lecture you gave at the Nat’l Animal Rights Conference!!  Thank you for all you do.  It is very frustrating when I suggest the benefits of a plant-based diet to people, only to hear them reply that their physician tells them to keep eating lean meats and dairy…end of story.  They are done listening to anything I have to say.B12 is not well absorbed, thus the larger pills. Since it is stored in the liver and there is no known detrimental effect for overdosing, you should be fine with the 1200mcg a few times a week .Dr. Greger, I had the pleasure of meeting you at Health Fest in Marshall, Tx and loved your presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death and bought several CDs. I eat a low fat, whole food, plant-based diet but recently my total cholesterol and LDL shot up. A year ago I was at 183 and LDL of 101, not as good as I’d like, but as low as I think I can get. This week I retested and it was 225 and LDL 137, HDL 70. I exercise strenuously 30 minutes/day and my BMI is 21. I am 52 years old. So . . . I’m wondering what other factors are at play and whether stress is a factor. Have you reviewed literature on the relationship between cholesterol and stress?I have the pleasure of taking care of patients at the McDougall Whole Foods program. One area you might look at is fruit and fructose consumption. Whereas “glucose” is our bodies fuel and burned by every cell in the body… “fructose” is only metabolized by the liver to uric acid, inflammatory aldehydes, triglycerides, cholesterol and glycogen. I have had several patients adjust their fruit consumption down or reduce consumption of recovery drinks or bars which might contain fructose. Even though your LDL is high your LDL/HDL ratio is good. As far as stress goes… it has been linked to a wide range of disorders… in my almost 40 years of practicing medicine I’ve been more impressed by the fact that when patients are under stress they eat and exercise differently. Keep up the good habits and stay tuned to NutritionFacts.org. As an athlete you might enjoy Scott Jurek’s book, Eat Run. He has recipes he uses for recovery.What changed? Stress?As a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient, I was hoping to find specific information regarding treatment in this video. I did not. I have followed a vegetarian diet for over 15 years, and a mostly plant based diet for the last three. Additionally I take multiple vitamins everyday, go to exercise classes at the gym 4 days a week and do not smoke, drink alcohol, coffee, tea or soft drinks. I still developed breast cancer. Stop telling people that this will not happen if they will only make better choices.I’m a vegan going on 6 months now. What I’ve garnered from all I’ve read is that it improves your odds against diseases. There are no gaurantees in life. No one here or anywhere has stated illness will not happen. I can tell you since I’ve changed my diet to entirely WFPB I feel so much better on so many levels. For one, I was borderline diabetic with very high cholesterol. Not anymore. That alone makes it worth it to me. I wish you well!I have been listening to many of your videos and I´m always impressed and schoked as to why we don´t know so much more. Thank you, thank you, thank you…. What about juicing, which seems to be a new fad?A plant based diet contains over 100,000 different disease preventing nutrients! I love it!I switched to a plant based diet nearly 3 years ago, lost 70 lbs and feel a lot better. One thing is still bothering me: I easily get cold. Right now I’m sitting in 80 degree F in shirt&shorts and feel comfortable. But at work, I’m wearing winter clothes and am still freezing. 2 weeks ago it hit me and I actually got a cold and sick. Any thing I could do?Additional info: I came to healthy eating listening to Dr. McDougall and then many more through his Advanced Study Weekends. I’m eating mostly whole plant and lately really ramped up my green leaves consumption. I’m easily constipated even on a whole plant diet. I’m now thankful for this near instant feedback.Dear Doc, I suffer from fluctuating blood pressure. It’s high in the mornings and drops to low BP around noon and rises again bY night. What would be Your advice for this issue? – PaulHi Paul, as you can see I am not the “Doc”!Is this an ongoing issue of fluctuations? For how long? How high? How low? Do you have any other health problems? Caffeine use? Tobacco Use? Stressed? Do you work at night or sleep at night-so morning for you is? In other words need some more information.The BP does normally have fluctuations throughout the day usually in pattern of: normally lower at night while sleeping. BP starts to rise a few hrs. before you wake up. BP continues to rise during the day, usually peaking in the middle of the afternoon. Then in the late afternoon and evening, BP begins dropping again.Hi Guys, My Dr recently commented on my Orange Palms and said I most probably have carotenemia- I eat a lot of coloured vegetables because I eat salads and cooked veg every day and I like my food to be colorful. I was trying to find out which fruits and veg I should cut out to reduce the orangeness… I eat carrots, including the purple variety, pumpkin, beetroot, red and yellow capsicums, tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes, and I have strawberries/ other berries/ mandarines at least once a wk- do I need to cut out all of these or just carrots? One source I found even said that spinach and broccoli where high in Carotene! Can you shed some light?AliceDoes gmo soybean beneficial on human health?Please stay tuned for Dr. Greger’s upcoming videos on soy and GMO.What do you mean “sometimes”… The final note should read… “ALWAYS BETTER”!How perfect are berries (as well as most fruit) for the human design. Nutrient for nutrient, they match almost exactly the same as the nutrients in human breast milk. They draw you in with bright colors, wonderful smells, and beg to be eaten. And the tree or bush they come from keeps on living and giving to the next creature who passes by. Sounds like the perfect food for the human design.Hi Doctor, Does irradiation of spices and vegetables (like garlic, onions, potatos, etc.) before marketing to the public lowers the amount of antioxident in them? Thank you!Hi Moran. That’s a good question I think the antioxidant content remains. I am not sure if they are testing irradiated black pepper, but in this video it appears healthful. I couldn’t find any research perhaps others know? Feel free to post some research if you come across anything. Sorry I cannot provide more.	bargains,berries,beta carotene,blueberries,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,carrots,cholesterol,chronic diseases,diabetes,Dr. Dean Ornish,epigenetic changes,fiber,ginger,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,industry influence,inflammation,kale,medications,men's health,nuts,obesity,optimal diet,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,pomegranates,prostate cancer,prostate health,side effects,soy,statins,supplements,surgery,tomatoes,weight loss,women's health	Profile of an editorial published by Dr. Dean Ornish in the American Journal of Cardiology describing the optimal diet and how simple choices can be as powerful as drugs and surgery.	I have a ton of videos on the benefits of a plant-based diet, here are only a few: From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food The Actual Benefit of Diet vs. Drugs Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease With Plants Plant-Based Diets and Diabetes What Diet Should Physicians Recommend? How to Prevent Prediabetes in ChildrenPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Also, be sure to check out my associated blog posts for more context: Breast Cancer and Diet, The last heart attack, Kiwi Fruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk, and Generic Lipitor is not the answer to our heart disease epidemic.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/23/generic-lipitor-is-not-the-answer-to-our-heart-disease-epidemic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epigenetic-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/side-effects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pomegranates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ginger/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/optimal-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bargains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-diet-should-physicians-recommend/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-alzheimers-disease-with-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-prediabetes-in-children/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19766763,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19489612,
PLAIN-3172	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/	Mitochondrial Theory of Aging	Let me end with one final topic. In 2010 we earned a lot more about aging and eating. Awarded the highest honor for scientific achievement in this country, one of the greatest biochemists of all time wrote that, “Aging is a disease. The human lifespan simply reflects the level of free radical damage that accumulates in cells. When enough damage accumulates, cells can’t survive properly anymore and they just simply give up.” First proposed in 1972, the Mitochondrial Theory of Aging suggests that it’s free radical damage to our cells’ powersource, known as mitochondria, that lead to a loss of cellular energy and function over time. It’s a little like charging your ipod battery over and over again; every time the capacity gets less, and less. Mitochondria are like miniature blast furnaces inside our cells where the food that we eat… is converted, into useable energy. In my Stopping Cancer Before it Starts DVD, I go into detail about the, quantum biology of oxidative phosphorylation, but just to simplify, it is in these fireworks inside the mitochondria, where the oxygen we breathe may get a hold of an electron we ate that was pumped with energy by plants (thanks to photosynthesis) and transform that oxygen molecule into what’s called superoxide, which can damage our delicate cellular machinery—oxidize our cellular machinery. Basically we're rusting—that's what rust is, right? The oxidation of metal. And scientifically, aging has been considered the slow oxidation of our bodies. Like those brown age spots on the back of people’s hands? That's just oxidized fat under the skin. Oxidant stress is why we get wrinkles, that's why we lose some of our memory, that's why our organ systems break down as we get older. How do we slow down oxidation? By eating foods containing anti-oxidants. If you want to know if a food has a lot of antioxidants in it you slice it open, expose it to air—expose it to oxygen and see what happens. Does it oxidize, does it turn brown? Think about our two most popular fruits: apples and bananas. Turn brown right away—not a lot of antioxidants inside there. How to do you keep your fruit salad from turning brown though? Add lemon juice, which has vitamin C in it, an antioxidant, which can keep your food from oxidizing and can do the same thing inside our bodies. Here’s the catch, though: Many antioxidants can’t penetrate through the mitochondrial membrane into the mitochondria. So they can protect the rest of the cell, protect our DNA, but they can’t get access inside the powerplants of our cells and so may be helpless to slow down the aging process. That’s why our bodies, have an enzyme called superoxide dismutase. It’s a detoxifying enzyme within our mitochondria that neutralizes superoxide, and turns it back into oxygen. Because of it’s “bomb-defusing” role, it’s considered a tumor suppressor gene staving off cancer, considered neuroprotective in our brain, staving off dementia. In fact the reason women live longer than men, may be because they have superior enzymatic activity of this superoxide dismutase. This Mitochondrial Theory of Aging has enjoyed such universal acceptance within the scientific community, that there was even a paper published last year asking whether there was anything more to aging at all? OK, bottomline: how do we boost the activity of this anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-Alzheimers enzyme? Become a woman. Or become a vegetarian. Last year researchers compared this enzyme’s activity in omnivores versus vegetarians. This is your superoxide dismutase enzyme activity if you’re over 85. When you’re younger, this enzyme may work a little better, but when one eats vegetarian it works a lot better. Eating vegetarian appears to boost this anti-aging enzyme’s activity 300%! A three-fold increase in the expression of the superoxide dismutase gene in the vegetarian group compared to the omnivore control group. We had no idea. No wonder vegetarians live longer; no wonder they have less cancer and cardiovascular disease—we had just never tested them for this enzyme before. A higher enzyme expression, at the genetic level. Thus, a better defense against superoxide radicals might be expected as a consequence of a vegetarian diet. So maybe that’s why lower rates of cancer and chronic cardiovascular disease compared to omnivores. Yes, they eat more phytonutrients, but the higher protection against chronic disease in vegetarians may also be explained by what are called epigenetic changes. You think you’re just born with genes and stuck with them? No, we now know that what we eat can turn on and off gene expression. And in this case, eating vegetarian seems to significantly boost the activity of one of the most important workhorse enzymes in the body.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on aging. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Intriguing! I know of mitochondria as the organs of respiration in the cell. They are thought to have been captured in the early days of evolution like chloroplasts were in plants. They are alien. They don’t have the same number of chromosomes as human cells. Rusting out. Amazing analogy. Linus Pauling was fanatic about vitamin C. That didn’t turn out to be the cure all.Becoming a woman is not an option for me. This despite the increasing acceptance of transgendered individuals.Hormones and psychology have branded me with a distinctive phenotype. The river doesn’t go upstream! I’ll try improving my diet instead!What do you make of this statement? DrEades had a post on this quoting Aubrey de Grey’s Ending Aging http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/low-carb-library/low-carb-diets-reduce-oxidative-stress/ ‘Chapter 5, Meltdown of the Cellular Power Plants’- DrEades adds: ‘But what if all this increased antioxidant activity is because the diet is so inflammatory (as the section in de Grey’s book would have us believe is the case with low-carb diets)? That’s where the CAT and SOD measurements come into the picture. CAT and SOD are catalase and super oxide dismutase, both enzymes involved in the body’s defense against increased oxidation. If CAT and SOD are not elevated, that indicates that the body isn’t threatened with increased oxidative stress. MDA is the malondialdehyde levels, which were unchanged. MDA is another marker for oxidative stress. The fact that it’s unchanged also is just another indicator that the diet didn’t increase oxidative stress.'”You’re right. Thank your for bringing Eades. The video is wrong about vegetarian diet being good because it increases SOD. It increases SOD because it’s inflammatory and SOD is being upregulated because of the carb ingestion. It’s totally unnatural to our evolutionary diet. And when the video ascribes long life and less disease to vegetarianism it couldn’t be more wrong. “Similarly, the Russians of the Caucasus mountains live to great ages on a diet of fatty pork and whole raw milk products. The Hunzas, also known for their robust health and longevity, eat substantial portions of goat’s milk which has a higher saturated fat content than cow’s milk. In contrast, the largely vegetarian Hindus of southern India have the shortest life-spans in the world, partly because of a lack of food, but also because of a distinct lack of animal protein in their diets. H. Leon Abrams’ comments are instructive here:Vegetarians often maintain that a diet of meat and animal fat leads to a pre-mature death. Anthropological data from primitive societies do not support such contentions.”Many, many vegetarians come back to an omnivore after decades of ruining their health. This video is really an indictment of vegetarianism…the body is saying no, no, no by the increased SOD production and when it’s not enough and the inflammation is daily for years vegetarians get cancer. I’ve seen bright people pick the wrong paradigm.This video is not opinionated in any way, its simply laying out the facts based on the studies. You can view the sources cited yourself. Furthermore, a plant based diet is NOT pro inflammatory, quite the opposite in fact. http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/10/04/inflammation-diet-and-vitamin-s/In addition, degenerative diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and auto immune diseases are reversible on a plant based diet, even one that is complex carbohydrate centered, not a meat centered diet.The assumption that vegans also lack protein is complete nonsense, 99.9% of all whole plants are complete proteins and energy expenditures satisfy protein needs. Our protein needs are also very low, it has been said by Dr. William Rose that our minimum protein requirements are 20 grams per day. http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/apr/dairy.htmI am not going to argue what we were “evolutionary” brought up to eat because your arguing a carnivorous diet “an observation contradicted by all aspects of our anatomy and physiology. Our teeth are not like a cat’s, we have no claws for tearing apart meat, our intestine is designed for digesting plant foods, not meat, and our livers have a limited capacity to metabolize cholesterol, which is one big reason our cholesterol levels rise on the Western diet.” http://www.drmcdougall.com/res_high_protein_diets.htmlIts about what we know now, not how we “think” we were brought up in the past. For example, cooking food is unnatural, yet it is simply pre digestion and actually allows the bioavailability of many nutrients to be absorbed.http://www.nrjournal.com/article/S0271-5317(11)00136-9/abstract?elsca1=etoc&elsca2=email&elsca3=0271-5317_201108_31_8&elsca4=nutrition“Few favorable associations between fruit and vegetable intake and biomarkers for chronic disease risk in American adults”“After adjusting for demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, lifestyle factors, body mass index, total energy intake, and the presence of at least 1 of our 5 predetermined comorbidities, no associations of reduced or increased risk were observed in any quartiles of combined fruit and vegetable intake.”Toxins,with respect you cannot win arguing against evolution. Our eyes face forward because we are predators, not prey. Prey animals have eyes on the side of their head — they are plant eaters. Our stomachs are not evolved to eat plants, like a cow or a horse — that’s silly lack of understanding. The nutritient density of meat, and ONLY the nutrient density of meat, allowed us to spare the energy required to evolve a massive stomach for plant digestion (apes) and divert that energy into brain development.In terms of generations, we been eating a predominately meat based diet for 100,000 generations. Agriculture, and it’s contributions of slowly increasing quantity of carbs in our diet, started only 500 generations ago. Here’s the kicker — our current massive, massive, rapid increase of produce only started with the Industrial Revolution — 13 generations ago — coincidental with massive disease.You state “99.9% of all whole plants are complete proteins.” Plants are carbohydrate. But even your guy McDougall gets it wrong.———————————– http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/search/label/Fruit%20and%20vegetables%20%288%29%20WHEL%20study%20and%20McDougall“The kindest thing I can say about McDougall is that he is a ranting extremist. He is stuck in his vegan rut and doesn’t seem to understand how metabolism works.The weird thing is that I believe he gets results! How come?A real low fat diet will dump almost all PUFA. A real Food diet will eliminate all sugar. A hypocaloric weight reduction diet will both reduce insulin levels (a growth promoter for breast cancer) and switch metabolism to animal sourced saturated fat, the best source of calories available. Of course ketosis is out of the question, low fat veganism is a very limited approach.Does McDougall know what he’s doing, to get whatever results he does get?No way.Peter” Petro Dobromylskyj ——————————————– This kind of argument is futile because we will never convince the other — and you are welcome to have the last word. My last word is “you can choose to eat AS a vegan, but your body will never BE vegan.good health, ronPetro Dobromylskyj — i love this guy.“Eating willow bark is no different from taking aspirin, except it’s slightly more toxic as the salicylic acid, a plant toxin, is not had it’s toxicity reduced (though far from eliminated) by chemical acetylation to give aspirin.Why should natural foods be volunteering themselves to get eaten without fighting back in the most toxic manner they can?Some people have better defences against plant poisons than others. A small percentage of people do very badly on plants. I don’t see why this has to be blamed on their other dietary indiscretions.We’re talking chemical warfare and plants are damn good at it. We only eat the failures. Otherwise they do their best to kill us. Why should it be any other way?By comparison meat is pretty helpless once it’s impaled on a spear or has been driven over a cliff.Peter”mehitabelThis is why we have a liverTo say fruits and vegetables are not beneficial is nonsense. Dr. McDougall gets results. He has reversed people’s cancer, diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disease etc. with this diet so your making a very silly statement to say the diet is flawed…apparently not.And yes, all plant foods contain complete proteins, there are not protein deficient whole foods plant based eaters walking around. I myself am a prolific rock climber and since my dietary changes, my strength increases have been significant along with much faster recoveries, more endurance and stamina,, etc.Regarding your anatomy debate: http://www.vegsource.com/news/2009/11/the-comparative-anatomy-of-eating.htmlhttp://www.cyclingforums.com/t/232637/humans-are-herbivores-not“I noticed that many vegetarian web sites usually devote a page attempting to show, by comparative anatomy, that humans are herbivores. The Name Milton R. Mills, MD, came up quite a bit. Here is what I found out about the good doctor:Milton R. Mills, M.D., a Stanford University-trained physician specializing in nutrition, practices in Virginia and volunteers as associate director of preventive medicine at the Washington-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. He wrote this column for the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.PCRM! Kinda says it all, doesn’t it?Fortunately, not all vegetarians are as brainwashed. Here is what vegetarian John McArdle, Ph.D, anatomist and primatologist has to say about the taxonomy of humans compared to carnivores and herbivores:”http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/omni.htmmehitabel, after reading through this two year old thread, I can honestly say that you’ve done a terrible job trying to defend your delusive ideas. You claim that Toxins is using biased information, yet ironically you cite a source which has been overused and is probably biased itself! That source has insubstantial evidence; not enough to provide a sound argument on your part. You can argue all you want about how you think humans have evolved as meat-eaters, but for every minor piece of evidence you provide to substantiate your claim, I can produce at least one to contradict it. Our eyes face forward because we’re predators you say? Well, what about the color of our eyes? Predators would have a dark sclera (the part surrounding the pupils) so that prey would not be able to detect the direction of their gaze. This is not the case with humans: our white sclera is quite contrasting to the dark color of our pupils. Our direction of gaze is easily detectable.Point being, every single piece of “evidence” you put forth has another piece of evidence that will come to an inverse conclusion. I do believe that our bodies are naturally suited to eat plant foods and know that there are a plethora of findings out there which support this and dispell your previous assertions. Still, I don’t like arguing about evolution, because I understand that even professional archaeologists and anthropologists are constantly contradicting each other and can’t come to a complete consensus.What we do know is that, in today’s day and age, a plant-based diet has a multitude of benefits, and humans can thrive off of it. That’s all that should matter.“PCRM! Kinda says it all, doesn’t it?”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem“Dogs are typical carnivores, but their intestinal characteristics have more in common with omnivores. Wolves eat quite a lot of plant material.”This article doesn’t seem to be written very well and is self-contradictory in places like the one above.“Our eyes face forward because we are predators, not prey”. Yes, eyes in the front, just like all other primates. Gorillas have eyes facing forward. Why aren’t they eating meat?“In terms of generations, we been eating a predominately meat based diet for 100,000 generations. Agriculture, ”Even if you think this is true do you really think that 100,000 generations is enough time for eyes to migrate to the sides of our heads? Also, I don’t think that eagles and sharks are herbivores. The genetic difference between eagles and pigeons is simply too small for that kind of specialization. I think the whole eyes forward thing is an over-generalization based on just a couple phyla that coincidental orders that match the rule.“and switch metabolism to animal sourced saturated fat, the best source of calories available”Not really relevant to vegans.“Of course ketosis is out of the question, low fat veganism is a very limited approach.”Intermittent Fasting can produce ketosis equally well in Atkins and Vegan diets. Are you talking about 24 hour a day ketosis? I am actually pretty skeptical of that approach. As far as I know, most of the touted benefits of ketosis have been based on examining cyclical or periodic ketosis.You’re ridiculous. What about Charlotte Gerson? She’s been a vegetarian longer than a decade, she’s in her 80’s and healthy free of disease common to an 80 year old.An old post but a point worth making: The Hunza eat mostly plants. They eat lots of fruit and quite a few grains and beans and pulses. Fermented Goats milk + yogurt features, as does a little meat – but by most records they are mostly plant based. As are the Okinawans, the Sardinians and the 7th Day adventists in California (The longest lived group in America.) Researchers consistently find people living in these longevity hotspots are eating mostly plant based. Granted, none are vegan – but the focus is definitely on plants.People usually hold the Masai and the Inuit up as examples of animal based success, but their life expectancy is way down compared to previous groups.Now I’m not saying this is all proof – there are many other factors such as environmental pollution, social structure and belief systems – but to discard plants as not only worthless but dangerous is to ignore the vast majority of scientific and anecdotal data that exists.Hi Michael,This is more of a general question regarding body detoxification:What’s your opinion about juice fasting / feasting with fresh fruits and vegetables for the purpose of detoxifying the body? Is this method beneficial for getting rid of toxins in your body, or is it just a hype without any scientific evidence? Is it even possible to get all the needed nutrients and not actually break down the body during the juice fasting / feasting process?Hello Cylco, I believe I can answer your question. People like to throw around the word “cleanse” a lot but it is not always used in the correct sense. It may be due to the fact that you are drinking all liquids so you tend to use the bathroom much more but why not just drink water? Juicing a fruit is no doubt healthy, not harmful. But you throw out 90% of the nutrients when you juice something and its a waste of fruits. It takes 3 oranges to juice a cup of orange juice and its STILL not nutritionally equivalent to 1 plain orange. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/fruit-juice-fail/ Not only that, it was shown that if you eat a fat with your nutrient dense foods (such as nuts, seeds, avacados but avoid OIL) then you absorb a significantly greater amount of phytochemicals. Without a fat source you absorb almost no phytochemicals. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/forego-fat-free-dressings/ If your interested in doing a system cleanup, eat a whole foods plant based diet focusing on the most nutrient dense foods you can and drink a lot of water. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/Here is another perspective on “cleansing”, actually fasting.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UkZAwKoCP8Hi Dr G,you made comment to old age spots and oxidised fat under the skin, why does this occur only on the hands, interesting, I have 3, they were there before I went vegan and I have developed no more since that time (11 years) Thanks for a wonderful site with great, relevant and factual information!! cheers DonnaThe spots tend to occur more on the back of our hands where we get the most sun exposure. Our body is usually working to reverse damage and heal itself. Proper nutrition is important to this healing process. Avoiding excessive sun helps prevent the damage. Since I have been on a plant based diet the age spots have lightened on the back of my hands. Not sure there is a connection but am planning on continuing learning more about the latest in proper nutrition by tuning in to Nutritionfacts.org… Be well.It’s hard not to feel Invincible listening to all these studies. I think I will live forever ha ha :PThis is great, but wouldn’t it be more accurate to use the term “vegan” or “plant-based”?  I grew up “vegetarian”, but what we lacked in meat we made up for by consuming milk, cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt, eggs, etc. Vegetarians who consume a lot of dairy and eggs (and processed food) get the same diseases as meat eaters. My mom was a lifelong vegetarian, and she suffered from cognitive decline and dementia the last 14 years of her life.  I’m hoping my unprocessed vegan diet will protect my brain for the rest of my life.   You make an excellent point there is alot of confusion in the various terms. I come across folks who don’t think fish is a meat and of course the dairy issue as you mentioned. There are many types of vegetarians and new terms are being added like semi-vegetarian or flexitarians all the time. The best terms are the most descriptive… I prefer plant based diet in lieu of vegan and often add the term whole food and maybe mention Vit B12…. so whole food plant based diet with Vitamin B12. FYI… Dr. Neal Barnard has a new book coming out next spring on Dementia which you would probably be interested in. Good luck on your quest to avoid dementia and other chronic diseases. Keep tuned in to NutritionFacts.org as the science just keeps on coming.What about coenzyme Q10??? Just wondering if anyone takes these supplements? I have been for a while…my dentist does too!Wow, this is just amazing.I’m plant based, but intrigued by an increasing amount of stories about great results from certain Paleo-styled diets.. I’m wondering if someone from NF.org can comment on this video.. DR. reverses MS with Paleo styled diet:http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxIowaCity-Dr-Terry-Wahls-MinGreat Video! So glad people are finally taking notice about this stuff. But nothing that can’t be obtained via plants.You get so many more toxins from fish and meat than you would get just by eating what animals eat to get their Omegas. NASA actually found that algae based epa/dha was a higher quality and sustainable alternative to traditional fish oils, and uses that for their needs. As far as organ meats for vitamins, minerals, coQ10??? not necessary. And she even talks about only having them once a week. A whole foods, plant-based lifestyle definitely bypasses paleo.And I would rather live looking into the future, not like a caveman :)What is your opinion of the February 2013 article in Scientific American: The Myth About Antioxidants?Just received a McDougall Breaking News email that addresses the article:http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2013other/news/oil.htmCorrection, the McDougall Breaking News did not refer to the Scientific American article but an article in my local newspaper… sorry.Id be interested in see some studiesHi Dr G. I have just read an article in the Scientific American Feb 2013 page 56 called The Myth of Antioxidants. What do you think of it? Cheers AlanQuestions: what do you think of protocel? what is the best dietary approach for cervical cancer? Thank you!totally irrelevant sidenote: 0:52 cutest baby ever. Go vegan babies! That is all.Sadly, “a meta-analysis of 5 prospective studies showed that both vegetarians and vegans had lower mortality rates from heart disease than regular meat eaters. However, in the case of vegans, this did not lead to lower risk of mortality from all causes”. Key TJ et al. Mortality in vegetarians and nonvegetarians: detailed findings from a collaborative analysis of 5 prospective studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Sep;70(3 Suppl):516S-524S. http://www.ajcn.org/content/70/3/516S.fullLoads of vegans are emotionally driven towards their lifestyle and just stop eating animal products without any other considerations other than easing animal suffering. Making poor nutritional choices in a already very restricting diet clearly negates all the advantages of a 100% plant based diet overall.Pretty sure that if one could effect a split of the statistics between the ratio health benefit driven toward vegan and the just plain animal huggers, that a huge gap of average expected lifespan would be observed.A difference of 20 years expected average lifespan between these 2 groups wouldn’t surprise me in the least. The meta analysis combines both groups and spits out a neutral number. To me that shows going the informed mostly vegan path will produce great benifits.So, would you take CoQ10 and PQQ along with the Red Zinger tea you drink…??	aging,Alzheimer’s disease,antioxidants,cancer,cardiovascular disease,chronic diseases,dementia,elderly,epigenetic changes,heart disease,heart health,mitochondria,mortality,omnivores,oxidative stress,plant-based diets,superoxide dismutase,vegetarians,wrinkles	The role of the detoxifying enzyme superoxide dismutase in staving off aging, cancer, and dementia and what we can do to boost its activity.	A few of my newer videos on aging include: How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years Does Meditation Affect Cellular Aging? Why Do We Age? Telomeres: Cap It All Off with DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on aging. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Also, check out my associated blog posts for some more context: Acai to Zucchini: antioxidant food rankings, Kiwi Fruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Eating Green to Prevent Cancer, Ergothioneine: A New Vitamin?, and Hibiscus Tea: The Best Beverage?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/superoxide-dismutase/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epigenetic-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mitochondria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wrinkles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/telomeres-cap-it-all-off-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2815734/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5016631,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/19796285/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17090425,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20079384,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/18684339,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19467856,
PLAIN-3173	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-pills-vs-tanning-beds/	Vitamin D Pills vs. Tanning Beds	As I’ve noted in previous volumes, vitamin D deficiency remains a major problem. Even if every day we do go outside and get 15-30 minutes of mid-day sun, the majority of North America is at such a high latitude that during the winter months the sun’s rays are at such an angle that it’s necessary to supplement our diet with this sunshine vitamin. There’s been a suggestion, though, that instead of taking pills it’s preferable to go to a tanning salon. Well, a major review on just that topic was, just published. What do you think they found? Tanning beds for vitamin D: Harmful, harmless, or helpful? Harmful. Last Summer the World Health Organization raised the carcinogen classification of tanning beds to the highest level. With evidence showing that tanning bed exposure can raise the risk of the deadliest kind of skin cancer by up to 75%, the International Agency for Research on Cancer bumped tanning beds up to a category 1 carcinogen, along with things like asbestos, cigarettes, and arsenic. OK, more skin cancer, but wouldn’t the vitamin D you produce lower your risk of internal cancers so much that it would all balance out like it does with moderate sun exposure? The light produced by the sun is not the same as the light produced by tanning beds. Most tanning devices primarily emit UVA, which is relatively ineffective in stimulating vitamin D synthesis. So the health benefits can be fully dissacociated from the risks with vitamin D supplementation for those unwilling or unable to get enough sunshine.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on vitamin D. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I live in Yukon, Canada (doesn’t show on your map). How much should I be taking? 4000 IU a day, all year long? Also, is this the amount for D2? Any thoughts on D2 vs. D3?Check this out, D2 vs D3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq1t9WqOD-0#t=35m20sD2 works the same as D3, nice!According to Dr. Mercola, we don’t get proper Vitamin D from the sun because we shower with soap and the oils that need to still be absorbed on top of our skin don’t have a chance to. He claims it takes 48 hours without a soapy shower for vitamin d to be used effectively. Is there any truth to this?The process by which vitamin D is synthesized by our body begins with a presence of sterol cholesterol on our skin which is converted into sterol-7dehydrocholesterol. When the skin is exposed to the sun (or ultra-violet light) for regular intervals, a photochemical conversion from sterol-7 dehydrocholesterol into Vitamin D occurs. The absorption of this newly formed vitamin D into the bloodstream is what is claimed to be disrupted by using soap. I’m not sure how strong the evidence is for this claim, and I wasn’t able to find a research publication on the topic. However, if it is true, all the more reason to take vitamin D supplements as Dr. Greger suggests! Here’s another great video that shows the association between vitamin D supplementation and longer life expectency, check it out! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/ I hope this helps!Mercola is a dolt. He also advocates eating meat and dairy which are carcinogenic.Mercola also wants to sell you a $3500 tanning bedAnd he sells tubs of coconut oil and advocates for raw milk.Now that there is a new vegan D3, (Vitashine) would you recommend this over D2? How much should we take per day? At 20$ a bottle, 4000 would be pretty expensive.There is no advantage to taking D3 over D2 at the daily doses typically recommended. See my recommendations here: http://nutritionfacts.org/?p=4060 . I have lots of new videos on vitamin D coming up. If you can’t wait, you can get a sneak peek on my new volume 6 Latest in Clinical Nutrition DVD (all proceeds to charity).In New Zealand we have a problem with a hole in the ozone layer, causing a much more intense UV exposure and major problems with rates of skin cancers. My question is, does this mean the length of time for sun exposure in order to achieve sufficient vitamin D would be shorter than in the northern hemisphere?Very interesting…but what about sensible narrowband ultraviolet B for production of vitamin D? For example 10 minutes 3 times a week on bare skin, in conjunction with tobacco avoidance and an anti-oxidant packed, plant based diet which has been shown to be protective against skin damage including both melanoma & non-melanoma….Hello Kerleyc,Based on the studies Dr. Greger has found, to get adequate vitamin D intake, 10 min. 3 times a week is inadequate. If you are fair skinned, you need 30 min. a day 7 days a week with full body exposure and this is midday sun in the summer, in the winter it is longer. You will find supplementation of Vitamin D to be your easiest option.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/What about light therapy? Could this not be a way to avoid both the risk of skin cancer AND the dangers of vitamin d-supplements? I recommend sun light first in moderation. You can consider Vit D supplementation and get levels checked to make sure you are not overdoing it. Although the recent recommended blood levels have been increased levels in the 20’s are probably acceptable. Some patients even with alot of sunlight exposure can’t raise their levels above 30. It is however a confusing area but the science keeps getting better. It is also possible that somewhere down the line we will discover some other substance or effect that natural sunlight has for us that isn’t contained in a Vit D supplement. The nice thing about sun light exposure is you can often couple it with exercise. So work with your  physician(s) and keep tuned to NutritionFacts as the science keeps coming….Hello Dr. Greger, Love your video  website. Can you please post more videos on melanoma.  My sister-in-law died of it last year at 48 years old.  She left behind two beautiful teenage daughters.  I want to educate them on staying healthy.  Of course I am encouraging them to eat as much raw fruits and veggies as possible. TraceyWhat about tanning beds with electronic ballasts? instead of magnetic, or the smaller version UV lamps? that are being sold? can these also me harmfull?electronic ballasts are more energy efficient than magnetic, but I can’t see how it would have any effect on the spectrum of light put out by the fluorescent lamps.Same would go if they used ultraviolet LEDs instead, all that really matters is the frequency of the light, and how powerful the light source is.What about Tanning Beds with UV-B insted of UV-A ?I have read very contradictory information about sunscreen and skin cancer. Some say to always wear sunscreen to protect against skin cancer, others say non-natural sunscreens causes cancer. Of course, we also can get Vitamin D from the sun. Can you please clear this issue Up?What do you think of a therapy lamp so the body can produce its own vitamin D?Dr. Greger points out that modern commercial vanity tanning beds are not appropriate for Vit.D production, because they produce UVA and little or no UVB. Are there any decent broader spectrum UV options that can be used lightly to simulate light/moderate exposure to the sun? Of course, UVB is more dangerous and carcinogenic than UVA, so any such product would need to be used with great care. Anyone??“Sunbeds of course can be used to make vitamin D. It has been one of the ways that we have measured the amount of vitamin D that the skin has the capacity to make,” stated Dr. Reinhold Vieth, a professor at the University of Toronto in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology.“Tanners actually have robust levels of vitamin D,” stated Dr. Michael Holick, Professor, School of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes &amp; Nutrition, Boston University.Here is a comparison of a typical sunbed as related to outdoor sunlight. The outdoor snapshot was taken on June 24, 2014 which coincides with the Summer Solstice in Chicago. These levels are only available between the hours of 12-2 PM.The Sunbed replicates this golden window of optimal UVB for Vitamin D production on demand and is not dependent on a daily schedule, time of the day, time of the season, weather conditions such as clouds and haze any day of the year in a controlled environment which can then be additionally adjusted by skin type for personalized exposure schedules.https://justdfacts.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/sunbeds-and-outdoor-exposure-as-a-means-of-producing-vitamin-d/	arsenic,asbestos,cancer,carcinogens,convenience,Harvard,melanoma,skin cancer,skin health,smoking,sunlight,supplements,tanning beds,tobacco,vitamin D,women's health,World Health Organization	A reclassification of tanning beds as a category 1 carcinogen underscores the importance of vitamin D supplementation for those at risk for deficiency.	Here is some more recent information on Vitamin D: Is Vitamin D3 Better Than D2? Take Vitamin D Supplements With Meals Is Vitamin D the New Vitamin E? Vitamin D and Mortality May Be a U-shaped CurvePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on vitamin D. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts:  Aspartame: Fibromyalgia & Preterm Birth and Vitamin D from Mushrooms, Sun, or Supplements?  If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/30/aspartame-fibromyalgia-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asbestos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/convenience/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-d/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/melanoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunlight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tanning-beds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-and-mortality-may-be-a-u-shaped-curve/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/	-
PLAIN-3174	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vinegar-good-for-you/	Is Vinegar Good For You?	Vinegar is helpful, according to an examination of the antiglycemic properties of vinegar this year. It blunts the spike in blood sugar that occurs after a meal. If you eat a piece of white bread, this is what happens over the next three hours to your blood sugar. But if we eat that same bread dipped in balsalmic vinegar, it looks like this. Vinegar reduces postprandial glycemia by about 20% compared to placebo. How? We think it’s because vinegar slows down the speed at which food leaves the stomach, which is good because it can keep us feeling full, longer. How much do we have to take, though? Just two teaspoons with a meal. There’s all sorts of wild vinegars out there—pomegranate vinegar, blood orange, black fig. They’re not just calorie-free, they’re good for us.	Just wanted to clarify about the “calorie-free” nature of vinegar. If you walk into your kitchen right now and pick up a bottle of vinegar you will see on the label: zero calories. Does it actually have zero? No. According to the USDA nutrient database, it has 3 calories per tablespoon, but that is considered such an insignific­ant amount (how much vinegar can you really use in a meal anyway?) that the FDA allows them to label it zero (per 1 CFR 101.9(c) of the FDA labeling guide: “less than 5 calories [per serving] may be expressed as 0 calories”)­. So I should have said “virtually­” zero, or “effective­ly” zero. Given the effects on gastric emptying I talk about in the video, though, one would expect a net decrease in caloric intake, which is what matters in the end (i.e. why we typically care about calories). So there are actually technicall­y a few calories, but for practical purposes (and that’s what the website is all about–hel­ping inform people to making real-world day-to-day decisions based on the best available science) it’s essentiall­y calorie-fr­ee.Some balsamic vinegars have a lot of sugar in them and therefore have a substantial calorific value!Can individuals just drink the 2 tablespoons of vinegar by month or just adding it to prepare food is equallJust 2 TEASPOONS, not tablespoons was the effective amount that was used in the study. But be sure to dilute it with something – a serving of food or some water or into a serving of salad dressing, before you ingest it.“But be sure to dilute it with something … before you ingest it.”Why?I believe that it’s rough on the tooth enamel. But some people do drink it (apple cider vinegar) straight up. I’d guess they put it in the back of the throat and swallow to keep it away from the teeth. Maybe something the good Dr. can checkout if it’s fact or fiction. :)Also heard you shouldn’t brush you teeth within 30mins of consuming vinegar.I have heard that apple cider vinegar which I know contains potassium, that is can also leach potassium, and can thus contribute to high blood pressure. Do you have any information about this?There are a baker’s dozen articles in the medical literature on apple cider vinegar (as indexed by the National Library of Medicine), and indeed there is a case report “Hypokalemia, Hyperreninemia and Osteoporosis in a Patient Ingesting Large Amounts of Cider Vinegar” that does suggest ingestion may lead to potassium wasting. Acetic acid in vinegar is rapidly metabolized in the liver into bicarbonate, which the kidneys use potassium to excrete from the body. So chronic use of high doses could lead to problems–the woman described in the report was drinking more than a cup of vinegar day! One would not expect any such problems as the doses described in the studies featured in the Is Vinegar Good For You? video (2 teaspoons with meals). I would, however, warn against apple cider vinegar pills. A study published in the Journal of the ADA of 8 such products found some “could be considered poisonous, as indicated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission….”What of ACV’s long reported ability to stop a cold/flu in its tracks? Are there any studies that confirm or deny this old folk remedy? On the same note, what of ginger, garlic and onions for the same (and vitamin D3 for that matter — I’ve heard one theory that we get the flu because the sun is at too low an angle to synthesize sufficient if any vitamin D)?Around this time of year everyone is always looking for safe natural remedy’s without resorting to ibuprofen etc. I also recall something about red seedless grapes, pineapple and a few other fruits and veggies being beneficial when it comes to cold/flu with grapes being most effective if you catch it early.Sorry, a whole lot of questions but all the same main idea. Nobody likes getting sick!Colds and flus are caused by viruses. Colds while annoying are less a concern than flu which can be a real problem. Avoiding influenza is complex area but the best overview I have read is in Dr. Greger’s book on Bird Flu available for free read on internet at http://birdflubook.com/g.php?id=5… go to the chapter on “Our Health in Our Hands” for information on social distancing, masks, handwashing. Reading the whole book will provide a sobering context of the situation we may find ourselves due to CAFO’s and provide insight in to where the real danger to the world’s population arises. You could also view Dr. Greger’s answers to questions about being prepared during the swine flu infestation. http://crazysexylife.com/2009/what-you-should-know-about-swine-flu-qa-with-dr-michael-greger/… key is to be prepared not scared! I would not put as much faith in home remedies as the efforts mentioned above plus boosting our immunity through sleep see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/sleep-immunity/.Dr. Greger, are you familiar with research linking high glycemic foods with incidence of macular degeneration? (NY Times reported on a 7/07 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.)Is there any reason to believe that restricting high glycemic foods, adding in vinegar, or boosting antioxidants by eating lots of leafy greens would help prevent further development of severe macular degeneration?I’m so glad you brought this up. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading threat to eyesight among the elderly and responsible for millions of cases of blindness every year. The study you may be referring to is “Dietary glycemic index and the risk of age-related macular degeneration” available full-text here. As you’ll read, they conclude that “Low-glycemic-index foods such as oatmeal may protect against early AMD.” Eliminated refined carbs may also slow progression. A study published this year (and available full-text here) suggests that three simple lifestyle behaviors (a healthy diet “abundant in plant foods,” daily exercise, and no smoking) can eliminate most of our risk. See My video Egg Industry Blind Spot for a discussion of the best sources of eyesight-sparing nutrients.Thank you, Dr. Greger. This is precisely the information I needed, and I really appreciate your sharing the links to the full articles. I will be sure to pass this information along — the person I have in mind has been told, “There’s nothing you can do to fix this.” While that may be accurate, what she hasn’t been told is that there is something she can do to keep it from getting worse.Hello Jessica,Eating leafy greens is extremely effective in preventing macular degeneration. Check out Dr. Greger’s video on the topic. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/egg-industry-blind-spot/Toxins,Thanks! I am interested in preventing macular degeneration (in myself) but also in arresting further development in a loved one who has severe, wet macular degeneration. My question for Dr. Greger had to do with that second concern – this far in, can anything be done?JessicaI have been listening to your articles and I find many good points that I agree with. In regards to taking vinegar with meals I believe that it shows lower levels of blood spiking due to the vinegar impeding digestion. A better choice for folks would be to not consume cooked and processed foods like bread (which converts to sugar anyway) that spike blood sugar and stick to a plant based diet that regulates blood sugar (especially living foods such as freshly harvested sprouts). If people ate more plants they would not need the vinegar and they would not feel like they were hungry all the time. Is it safe to intake vinegar if you have ulcers.Am wondering If vinegar Is healthy For your Body?well is it good for u or not it dosent realy tell if it is or notWhat about the acids in cultured veggies like sauerkraut or kimchee?Does vinegar cause cancer? Russian researchers say, no, not by itself but vinegar (acetic acid) increases the deadliness of any cancer-causing nitrosamines in our diet. Salt and sea salt always contain nitrosamines. Beef, pork, and poultry always develop nitrosamines (and heterocyclic amines) when they are cooked in normal ways. Processed meats contain nitrosamines even before they are cooked. The only way to avoid creating nitrosamines in bloody, raw meat is to boil it in water without adding any salt. Balsamic vinegar is by far the most delicious of all vinegars but it contains a substantial amount of lead, which is toxic. The lead comes from the oak wood casks used in Italy to manufacture balsamic vinegar. Distilled white vinegar is made from corn and is very low in lead. French’s Yellow Mustard, Worcestershire Sauce, Heinz Ketchup, and many other commonly consumed foods contain substantial amounts of distilled vinegar in their ingredients.These 2 scientific studies from Russia say that vinegar does not cause cancer by itself but it increases the severity of the cancer-causing effect of nitrosamines: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2635642 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3381501Balsamic vinegar is delicious, almost always made in Italy, and contains the most lead: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21550100According to Environmental Health News, “The aged varieties produced by the traditional method, which involved concentration in wood barrels for at least 12 years, have the highest lead levels:” http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/lead-in-vinegarBalsamic vinegar must be aged for a minimum of 12 years to a maximum of 25 years during which time the atoms of lead transfer from the oak or other wood into the balsamic vinegar.However, vinegar is slightly beneficial in causing weight loss, preventing and treating diabetes, preventing heart disease, preventing stroke, and preventing and treating high blood pressure.Ron, do you still stand behind the statement that balsamic vinegar has a tremendous amount of lead?I love vinegar! I lived in China several years and vinegar is a staple. You will find (usually) three condiments and one spice on an authentic Chinese restaurant’s table: Soy Sauce (Jiang You), rice vinegar (cu), chili sauce (la jiao) and white pepper (bai hujiao)thank you for posting again Dr. Greger! My husband (diabetic) is on this kick from a book called PH Miracle. And that author concludes that diabetics must keep their bodies very high alkaline and does not want any vinegar in the diet. The author also wants readers to take alkaline pills which I guess are most sodium chloride – isn’t that table salt? – and to eat 4+ avocados/day (I did say 4) and liberally use cold pressed olive oil as salad dressings to help absorb vegetable nutrients. Luckily he does prescribe a most vegan diet – no grains/starchy veg, but allows some oily fish. Sounds a bit whacky if you ask me.All whole plant foods will produce a net alkalinity or very close to it. Please see Dr. Greger’s video here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/Suzanne: Wow. I agree, that diet sounds super, super whacky to me. (Perfect word.) If you are able to get your husband to read the following book, I think it would do him (and you) a world of good. It not only includes great info, but has a set of recipes in the back of the book. And his diet is clinically proven.“Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes. The scientifically proven system for reversing diabetes without drugs.”http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384808299&sr=1-1&keywords=barnard+diabetesIf you can’t get him to read the book, you might start by seeing if you can find a YouTube video from Dr. Barnard on this topic. Someone told me that she found a 20 minute video from Dr. Barnard on this topic. Her husband had just been diagnosed with diabetes, but wasn’t interested in a vegan diet. But she got him to watch the video (sorry I don’t have a link) and her husband said something like, “Hmmm. He’s not a crackpot.” Now her husband is a HUGE believer. :-)Best of luck to you both.I second Thea’s recommendation to read Neal Barnard’s book. Other resources including a DVD can be found on the PCRM website. The diet from the book The PH Miracle is not the best diet for diabetics. I’m not aware of any good scientific studies to support it’s use. The recommendations you mention are not consistent with the current science. My patients who read and followed Dr. Barnard’s recommendations did very well. It is important to work with your physicians as medications need to be reduced quickly. Another resource is the McDougall newsletter article entitled, Simple Care Diabetics, in the December 2009 issue. Best.Are you telling me this information is wrong? If so, would you kindly explain.Dee, I don’t know if anybody else saw your question, but I’m wondering where you found this article. Who is the author? Dr. Jarvis, who wrote Folk Medicine, highly recommended apple cider vinegar. Whenever I eat out in restaurants I take a bottle of water mixed with two teaspoons ACV to help digest some of the questionable food items that are served to us. Works for me!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._C._JarvisThat info is from the “80-10-10″ diet, which advocates raw high carbs. I can’t speak to the correctness of the information there. Anyone have the sources he uses for those paragraphs?What was the original source of the information? I can find the book it was written in, but not the sources cited for these specific claims.Was recently diagnosed with GERD. I had been consuming about 2 tsp of Org apple cider vinegar in warm water every morning and eating a homemade garlic dill pickle with meals in the afternoon. The typical GERD dietary suggestions have you eliminating most acidic foods. So is it safe for me to be drinking vinegar or anything else acidic? I have also been drinking organic aloe vera juice, about 4 to 8 oz per day. But now am wondering if I should be doing that as well because the aloe tastes very acidic, like I’m drinking lemon juice in water, which I have stopped doing as lemons are on the typical list of foods to avoid. I have been diagnosed with a hiatal hernia in the cardia, erythema and congestion in the duodenal bulb and in the antrum & distil stomach body, & ring in the GE junction. I was prescribed omeprazole-sodium bicarbinate, but have not taken any of this, as I am very reticent of starting on any PPIs. I want to attempt to control this condition with dietary and physical changes, but the information out there is so confusing. Also high carb VS low carb diets? I’ve found resources for both points of view, and so I really don’t know what to eat. Right now I am following the typical GERD diet protocol, minus any meat or eggs. What suggestions might you offer?is vinegar harmful in anywaySo is apple cider vinegar good for you? How much is the max per day?I haven’t touched vinegar of any sort in over 5 years due to its acidic effect once consumed. And even though I am a WFPB eater, I also like to veer on the alkaline side of things and so vinegar is way too acidic. I don’t miss it at all and indeed if I consume any foods that have it (when out for a meal say) then it ruins the taste for me.	blood sugar,calories,diabetes,gastric emptying,metabolic syndrome,prediabetes,vinegar,weight loss	The role of vinegar in modulating our blood sugar levels and satiety.	More info on vinegar can be seen in Tipping Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes and Plant-Based Diets: Dental Health.Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on vinegar. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Soymilk: shake it up! and  NutritionFacts.org: the first month.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gastric-emptying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vinegar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prediabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolic-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tipping-the-balance-of-firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20068289[uid],http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=9630389,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=16015276,
PLAIN-3175	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-petroleum-jelly-good-for-you/	Is Petroleum Jelly Good For You?	Petroleum jelly. Not to eat. People, rub inside their nostils when their nasal membranes get dry. I know it has the dreaded P word in it, but is it harmful? Harmless, or helpful? Harmful. A report last year of lipoid pneumonia. And this is not the first case. Not surprising, perhaps, since the jelly liquefies at body temperature. Physicians and patients need to be aware of the hazards and should try to stop this habit. But it’s not the petroleum itself—it’s the fact that you’re putting any kind of oily substance in your nose, particularly at bedtime, so even the non-petroleum products should not be used this way.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!What about using petroleum jelly to keep your lips soft?I find that salt sprays for dry nostrils are just not enough.While reviewing the cited sources, I wondered if plant based oils such as olive oil would be a safe alternative to animal and mineral based oils?He answered that exact question at the end of the video.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!I get really dry skin. What would you recommend? I have a strange habit to rub my fingers and use a lot of petroleum jelly. I can’t stop it and it wears out my finger pads. What would you suggest.Yeahh, I’d like to know an alternative that works though Dr Greger… When I have cracked lips from the intense cold of northern UK I use this stuff to stop my lips cracking and bleeding.What would you recommend?SebHi Seb, I also live in the UK and would recommend buying an organic unrefined shea butter from ebay. It’s great, melts inbetween your fingers and works so much better than petroleum jelly!I live in Canada with very cold winters. Recently my nostrils have been so dry that they started bleeding. Vaseline helps a bit, but the problem doesn’t go away. I’ve tried Rhinaris nasal gel as well with the same result. One of my nostrils has scabs and does not seem like it’s going to heal any time soon. Help!Hi, J.Ugh — how frustrating! I wish I had a solution! Please ask your doctor for a solution, perhaps she or he has more info? Some folks use avocado oil and coconut oil on their skin, not sure about in nostrils, as Dr. Greger pointed out it may be any oily substance in the notice that could be problematic. Sorry I cannot help more!Joseph	petroleum jelly,pneumonia,sleep,Vaseline	What can happen to those who rub petroleum jelly in their nostrils before going to bed.	Also check out Hot Sauce in the Nose for Cluster Headaches?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other "HHH" videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Soymilk: shake it up! and Vitamin B12: how much, how often?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pneumonia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/petroleum-jelly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaseline/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2803992,
PLAIN-3176	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-peanut-butter-good-for-you/	Is Peanut Butter Good for You?	It was another nutty year in nutrition. Most of which we already knew. Walnuts lower our cholesterol—been there; done that. This was a little surprising. The scientific record has been crystal clear that eating nuts does not make you fat, but the Harvard Nurse’s study just found that eating nuts may actually help you lose weight. How? Nuts may increase our resting energy expenditure by as much as 11%. Meaning those whose who eat nuts burn more calories just sitting, sleeping, breathing. If there was some pill that could do that it would be making some drug company billions of dollars! Nuts were also shown this year to suppress cancer growth, and may also decrease inflammatory markers…You eat butter, inflammation goes up. You slug down a quarter cup of olive oil? Nothing happens (other than you taking in about a quarter days worth of mostly-empty calories) and three handfuls of walnuts significantly decreased inflammation. Same thing with almonds: 3 handfulls a day significantly reducing inflammation throughout the body, and 3 daily handfuls of pistacios significantly improving the function of our arteries. As one headline put it, a handful of pistachios could destroy cholesterol. We know that nuts are good for us. But what about peanut butter? Peanuts aren’t actually real nuts, they’re legumes. Peanut butter: Harmful, harmless, or outright helpful? Helpful. Last year a new Harvard study found that women at high risk for heart disease eating peanut butter every day had only about half the risk of suffering a heart attack compared to women who stayed away from the stuff. So even nuts that aren’t even nuts are good for you. The only caveat is to “watch out for nuts in your travels.” An unusual case of drug-facilitated robbery reported last year in the Journal of Travel Medicine. The perpetrator employed a highly unusual and a very creative method where he cut hazelnuts in half and carved them so that he could implant his choice of drug, in this case a valium-like drug called klonopin, and then glued them back together. To overcome the unpleasant taste of the drugged hazelnuts he mixed them with dried raisins. He then offered this mixture to the fellow passenger who sat next to him during the trip. How generous these locals are. When the traveler was unconscious, he stole everything they had... But other than that, nuts are good for us.	With a n6:n3 ratio of in excess of 4000:1, I will pass on peanut butter. Better idea to make homemade nut butter, adding flax to help balance n6:n3 ratio to less than 4:1 or better.I don’t believe the ratio is that high. According to the latest USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference entry the ratio is about 180, still high, but could certainly still fit into one’s diet without unduly crowding Δ6desaturase. Love your idea about making your own, though! Ooh, I bet walnut butter would be yummy, How do you do it? I’ve seen industrial-scale grinders in supermarkets but didn’t know there were kitchen-sized versions.Vitamix or Blendtec are the answer. There are many cool YouTube videos of people blending peanuts into butter in just few minutes. Those machines can grind almost anything… (and the warranty is 7 years – so they must be pretty durable). Unfortunately they are not sold where I currently reside. But such a blender is definitely vegan’s best friend (right next to kale and spinach).PS: still I’m a bit uncomfortable regarding 7% of sat fats in peanuts. not that I’m going to stop eating them :)Not easily. Have a Vitamix and only got almond flour after 5 min plus constant pushing with plunger. Have since gotten a Magimix food processor and nut butter is as easy as pie. However machine get very warm as it has to run about 10 min.Well, it could be that almonds structure is harder, and also roasting makes a big difference – at least it does with sesame seeds – I only made tahini with my 800 W blender (pretty painless experience it was). In any case I decided to go more easy on fats – just having ground flax. I definitely feel great – high energy, substantially cleaner face skin. I start my day with fruits (apple-banana-berries smoothie being first meal) and then lowering glycemic index throughout the day towards beans for my dinner and having bananas/dates as snacks whenever I want and/or need an energy boost. Smth of 80-10-10 / McDougal combo. Those fruitarians are onto something I strongly feel… :)I have not tried it yet but have a blendtec and they recommend to roast almonds prior to making nut butteryeah, raw nuts are much sturdier, so it makes sense!:) cagey answerUnless you have unlimited time on your hands and nothing else to do, do it. Otherwise it’s rather absurd. Just go buy Skippy and skip it.SKIPPY INGREDIENTS: ROASTED PEANUTS, SUGAR, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (COTTONSEED, SOYBEAN AND RAPESEED) TO PREVENT SEPARATION, SALTLOW-FAT SKIPPY INGREDIENTS: ROASTED PEANUTS, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, SUGAR, SOY PROTEIN, SALT, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (COTTONSEED, SOYBEAN AND RAPESEED) TO PREVENT SEPARATION, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, MINERALS (MAGNESIUM OXIDE, ZINC OXIDE, FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE, COPPER SULFATE), VITAMINS (NIACINAMIDE, PYRIDOXIDE HYDROCHLORIDE, FOLIC ADIC).I prefer that my peanut butter be made of, you know, peanuts. It doesn’t need anything else.Not to happy about the rapeseed. But on a serious note, there is 100% pure peanut butter on most store shelves now. Just remember to refrigerate after opening. Of course, nothing will beat freshly made.Cronometer.com gives these values for one tbsp of peanut butter: Omega-30.0g 1% of daily target Omega-62.2g 18% of daily target I think if you eat 2 tbsp of flaxseed per day, you really don’t need to worry about eat a few more tbsp of peanut butter.Sorry, I forgot to type a space between the numbers there. For clarity’s sake: Omega-3 0.0g 1% Omega-6 2.2g 18% (ps Omega-3 is not zero grams of course, but rounded to the nearest tenth)food processor would probably get the job done.Good thinkin’! I tried it and all I got was walnut mush :( Maybe I just need a better machine.Go for it! Then post a video. LolDon’t tempt me! :)The “China Study”s author claims some peanut butter is made from moldy peanuts, and the mold contains a carcinogen. Do you know anything about this?That used to indeed be the case back when (the great!) Professor Campbell was working on aflatoxin 43 years ago, but it’s not something we need worry about any more in the developed world. If however, you’re vacationing in the Sudan, BYOPB :)I ain’t dead yet, aside from some diarrhea from too many of these snacks a day.But didn’t the cancer only get turned on, from aflatoxin, with animal protein? And what if you did eat moldy peanuts? Does the aflatoxin stay in your system or does it leave eventually if you don’t continue eating it. I ate some peanuts in argentina, and they keep them in big bags, in the fruit shops, in bulk. They seemed dusty, and not crisp, and some had some blackish kind of dust and some kind of webs on outside. Am I doomed?Gross! The carcinogenic effects of aflatoxin are dose-dependent, though, so a one-time dose (if that’s even what you got) is unlikely to lead to any problems.Worrying about this baloney will give you a heart attack or stroke before you die from a peanut butter sandwich.There is nothing as uncommon as common sense for health food nuts.I had been eating a “peanut butter” that was made from defatted peanuts. Would I still get the benefits? Or am I better off going back to regular peanut butter. (By the way, isn’t it annoying that they add trans fats to the cheap brands of peanut butter? I mean, they have their own oil already!)Also, can I assume that this likely translates to other nut butters. I usually eat almond butter instead.Reduced or defatted nut spreads are typically produced by increasing the protein-containing solids and decreasing or removing the level of oils. From a nutritional perspective this will lead to fat soluble nutrient losses. Most importantly you will be missing the mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids that will contribute to health benefits http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/288/20/2554.shortI sometimes make a little walnut butter in my coffee grinder. Then I add a medule or bahari date and some ground flax for a serotonin lift. An adaption of a recipe in Dr. Nedley’s book Depression the Way Out.Hey, Dr. G! Long time no see. Love the site. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. Question: what do you think of the advice to (mostly) avoid PB because of acrylamide content? I’ve tried raw PB and am not a fan. Hope you’re well, johnMake your own: get a food processor ($30 at Walmart), and dry, roasted (unsalted) peanuts. You can then add cashews, Truvia, and use a bit of peanut oil. Much better for you, and you know what’s in it.I have been able to quit all animal products except butter. I have heard about alternatives like; Earth Balance and Smart Balance Organic Spread Whipped. I was wondering what you use as a butter replacement?Hi GregV,That’s great to hear about you quitting animal products…congrats! I’m glad that you recognize that butter should also be eliminated. It too is tied to a host of degenerative diseases. As seen in this video, all fats of animal origin are directly tied to an increase risk of Pancreatic Cancer (http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/largest-study-ever/). The study, however, did not show the same correlation with any fats of plant origin. So to directly answer your question, Earth Balance and Organic Smart Balance are good substitutes for butter, as they are derived from plant oils, and do not use partially hydrogenated oils (the bad guys behind trans fat). Please make sure to double-check the ingredients of other brands out there, to make sure there are no trans-fatty acids (or hydrogenated oils). As discussed in this other video, these fats are “the killer” fats (http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/good-great-bad-killer-fats/), and should be completely avoided. If you are cooking, you can also use a small amount olive or canola oil. That said, I should point out, that all processed fats, even the oils and butter substitutes I just mentioned, should be minimized or eliminated, to help decrease your risks of degenerative diseases (and empty calories).GregV: Good for you for quitting animal products! Butter is not an easily replaced food, as it’s basically saturated fat and dairy, and should be avoided. The best thing you could do for your diet is to ditch butter and butter substitutes altogether and get your healthy fats from whole foods like nuts and flax!Unfortunately, even artificial butter flavor should be avoided; see this video to learn more: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-artificial-butter-flavor-harmful/Got a question : How is it that peanut butter reduces heart disease if it has such high saturated fat content and saturated fat is positively related to heart disease ? Does this mean saturated fat has nothing to do with heart disease?Idan this is a great question!Although all nuts contain saturated fats, the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat far outweighs the affect of the saturated fat. What these other unsaturated fats do, is actually perform an exchange system in your intestines, pulling out the bad fat from your body and putting in this good fat. Its really an interesting process! I encourage you to view this video about fats http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/good-great-bad-killer-fats/ as well as this video about the heat healthy benefits of nuts http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/halving-heart-attack-risk/ as well as the essential value that the fat in nuts and seeds provide for proper nutrient absorption http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/forego-fat-free-dressings/So is the bottom line that peanut butter is good for you despite the saturated fat content?It is recommended by doctors such as Jeff Novick that an ounce per day of nuts (particularly walnuts) can prove to be healthful. Exceeding this limit may result in too much unnecessary saturated fat. Too much of anything is bad and “too much” of a nut is quite easy to overdo. You will notice too in most of the nut studies, like this one for example, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2683001/ that positive affects were shown with an ounce of nuts. Jeff Novick speaks more on the topic, view this link here for more, scroll down to Jeff N’s post. http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=6067&start=15Or is it that health outcomes improve when really bad foods (oils, refined products, etc.) are replaced with somewhat better foods (eg., peanut butter), but that health outcomes could be even better with no saturated fat consumption at all?It is true, saturated fat is completely nonessential to our diet and is only one that brings about harm. It is nearly impossible though to find a fat source without having along with it, saturated fat. If you are looking for one, nuts would be your answer like you mentioned. But remember, an ounce per day is all you need for the benefits. More is not beneficial.I posed this question to Jeff Novick regarding nutrient absorption when it comes to eating nuts with foods. His response was interesting. I posted it below. Make of it what you will. _______________________________________________Absorbing more doesn’t automatically equate to better health outcomes.Speaking of health outcomes, which is what really matters, lets put all of this into proper perspective.From“‘Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids’, Food and Nutrition Board. Institute of Medicine. National Academy Press, Washington D.C. Pp. 343-344 (2000)”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9810&page=353“These data, although in varying populations, suggest that 3 to 6 mg/day of β-carotene from food sources is prudent to maintain plasma β-carotene concentrations in the range associated with a lower risk of various chronic disease outcomes (see Table 3).”Table 3:http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9810&page=341As just detailed, plasma and tissue concentrations of carotenoids have been associated with a variety of health outcomes; that is, higher concentrations are associated with a lower risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality. This could be used as a possible indicator for establishing requirements for carotenoids. However, the limitation of this approach is that it is not clear whether observed health benefits are due to carotenoids per se or to other substances found in carotenoid-rich foods.Thus, these data are suggestive of prudent intake levels, not required levels of intake. Recommendations have been made by a number of federal agencies and other organizations with regard to fruit and vegetable intake. Nutrient analysis of menus adhering to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines and the National Cancer Institute’s Five-a-Day for Better Health Program, for example, indicates that persons following these diets would be consuming approximately 5.2 to 6.0 mg/day provitamin A carotenes on average if a variety of fruits and vegetables were consumed (Lachance, 1997). Similar levels would be obtained by following Canada’s Food Guide for Healthy Eating which specifies a minimum of five servings of vegetables and fruit (Health Canada, 1997). Other food-based dietary patterns recommended for the prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases would provide approximately 9 to 18 mg/day of carotenoids (WCRF/AICR, 1997).NOTE: this is 3-6x the amount recognized as being enough to lower disease riskIt is also based on the WCRF/AICR report from 1997. In many other discussions here, I have quoted the WCRF/AICR newest report from 2007 saying that they now more than ever, recommend dietary “patterns” over recommending specific “individual foods”.So, in other words, if Americans would just get in the recommended amounts of fruits and veggies, it would not only provide carotenoids, but more than enough of all of them to produce the beneficial health outcomes, including reduced risks of cancer. And anyone following a Whole Food plant based diet, as recommended here, would already be consuming WAY more than enough.Of course, the real issue is why do you have to increase the absorption of raw veggies (which are very low) when you can just eat tubers, which have almost the highest absorption rate, as is. :)http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9810&page=354In Health JeffIs there any health concern related to eating raw peanuts? I found articles that says that there is a toxin that is removed when roasting the peanuts. Is there a difference between eating it with the peel or without? Thanks!As Dr.Greger remarked earlier on this post…eating peanuts in the developed world should not be a problem. Roasting peanuts does remove the fungus that produces the aflatoxin but the toxin itself is heat stable. Well stored fresh peanuts shouldn’t be a problem with or without the skin.is 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed the healthiest nut/seed choice to eat?is there a need/requirement for eating any nuts/seeds as a strict low fat vegan diet follower(mcdougall)Nuts and seeds are nonessential for a low fat vegan diet. Flax seed, chia seeds and English walnuts are the healthiest seeds/nuts to consume, and Jeff Novick, an advocate of the McDougall program, would agree with that statement. 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed is extremely healthy and is low in saturated fat. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/just-the-flax-maam/Do Peanut butter increase the cholesterol level?I think we should also consider which kind of peanut butter we are buying. I see that most of them are made from peanuts with vegetables oil and other things added which makes no sense other than save money! So my advice is to look for a real peanut butter, here in Norway I can find a butter made from 99.3% organic peanuts and 0.7% salt, the taste is great.Dr. Greger, could it be interesting to make a video with a comparison of all nuts-butters, in particular with the n3:n6 ratio? Thanks :)I agree with Stefano – why replace the natural peanut oil with some other oil like Palm Oil ?? – here on the East Coast US there are at least 3 that are made with just (only) peanuts: Trader Joes, Crazy Richard’s, and Smuckers..crunchy or smooth…the Smuckers also with salt if you must… The organic i haven’t seen but probably better still..I grind my own in the supermarket. Ingredients: nothing but dry-roasted peanuts.According to this, peanuts contain an astounding 4448 to 1 ratio of Omegas 6 to 3. So has this study been refuted? If you discover new findings, I would love to see a post!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SF8wVQsCwcDoesn’t roasting nuts higher than 117 degrees create toxins or free radicals? Advanced Glycation  End-products are considered toxic molecules formed by heating foods and are thought to increase the risk and severity of many diseases including the metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, arthritis, Alzheimer’s Disease, and cancer. AGE’s are also thought to contribute to diabetic neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy and aging. Starches have been criticized for this toxin. Yes over cooking starches appears to produce AGE’s but let look at it in perspective with other foods.AGE Amounts In Food (per serving)Starchy vegetablesCorn, 20 Sweet potato, roasted, 72 White potato, boiled, 17 White potato, french fries, homemade, 694 White potato, french fries, fast food, 1,522 White potato, roasted, 45 min, prepared with 5 mL oil, 218Grains/legumes/CerealsBean, red kidney, raw, 116 Bean, red kidney, canned, 191 Bean, red kidney, cooked, 1 h, 298 Pasta, cooked 8 min, 112 Bran Flakes, 10 Corn Flakes, 70 Frosted Flakes, 128 Oatmeal, dry, instant, 4 Oatmeal, cooked, instant 25BreadWhole wheat, center, 16 Whole wheat, center toasted, 25 Whole wheat, crust, 22 Whole wheat, crust, toasted, 36 Pita pocket, 16FruitsApple 13 Apple, baked, 45 Banana, 9 Cantaloupe, 20 Raisins, 36High Fat Plant FoodsAlmonds, roasted, 1,995 Avocado, 473 Cashews, roasted 2,942 Olive, ripe 501 Peanut butter, smooth 2,255 Walnuts, roasted 2,366High Fat Animal ProductsCream cheese, 3,265 Mayonnaise, 9,470 Butter, 1,324BeefFrankfurter, boiled 7 min, 6,736 Frankfurter, broiled 5 min, 10,143 Hamburger, fried 6 min, 2,375 Hamburger, fast food, 4,876 Meatball, boiled in sauce, 2,567 Shoulder cut, broiled, 5,367 Bacon, microwave, 1,173 Deli ham, smoked, 2,114 Pork chop, pan fried, 4,277Chicken breast, skinless cubesSteamed 10 min and broiled 12 min, 5,071 Pan fried 10 min and boiled 12 min, 5,706Chicken breast, skinless cutletRaw, 692 Boiled 1 h, 1,011 Broiled 15 min, 5,245 Fried 8 min, 6,651 Roasted, barbecue sauce, 4,291 Roasted, breaded, 4,102 Roasted, breaded, microwave, 1 min, 5,157FishSalmon, raw, 502 Salmon, smoked, 515 Trout, raw, 705 Trout, roasted 25 min, 1,924CheeseAmerican, processed, 2,603 American, processed, low fat, 1,425 Brie, 1,679 Cottage cheese, 1,744 Feta 2,527 Mozzarella, part skim, 503 Parmesan, grated, 2,535http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/1/6/1293.full http://missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Cooking/sdarticle.pdf(Information provPhew. I am really glad it has the green light. Is the Palm Fruit Oil that Skippy puts in its Natural Peanut Butter safe to eat? I read that it raises cholesterol, but perhaps this is Palm Kernel Oil that I read about.The best option – use PB without added oils just good ole peanuts. Added oils just add saturated fat: Palm Kernel oil is 83% saturated fat while Palm Fruit Oil is 51% saturated fat. When you see the words ʺpalm oilʺ on a food label, what you are probably eating is palm kernel. You may want to view the following video discussing saturated fats: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/Thanks. I’ll try to find a organic peanut butter that taste good. This is what Skippy has on their website:Skippy® Natural uses palm oil, that is extracted from the pulp of the palm fruit, then continues through several non-chemical processing steps. Skippy® Natural does not use palm kernel oil that is derived from the seed of the palm fruit, which is extremely high in saturated fat.By U.S. FDA definition, ALL Skippy® peanut butter is trans-fat free. In 2008 Unilever announced that it will make a shift to using sustainable palm oil, as soon as the first supplies become available.This major initiative is one that will have a significant impact, not just on climate change but also on the sustainability of the rainforest.Unilever’s intention is to move to 100% certified, sustainable palm oil by 2015, and we will also support an immediate moratorium on any further deforestation in Indonesia linked to palm oil cultivation.every time I hear Nurses Health Study I think of prof.Campbell’s critique (of scientific reductionism in methodology). Are new NH Studies better in that regard? Or probably this methodology doesn’t hurt in this particular observation?Is there any specific kind of ingredient that we should look out for when we are planning to purchase Peanut butter from commercially different products ?Is there any limitation on the amount ?DOES TO MUCH PEANUT BUTTER OR ANY NUT BUTTER MAKE YOU FAT !!!! ?Im so glad :< I love peanut butter on toast, Ive been eating plain toast :(Is there really rodent hair in peanut butter from stores?Hi there I was wondering if you could provide any info on the problem that a lot of peanut butter (and peanuts) being contaminated with the aflatoxin fungi which is a known carcinogen and used for switching on tumor growth in lab experiments. Thank youWhich is the better ‘butter, conventional or organic? Does one have less aflatoxin than the other?Looking for a video on Palm Oil and it’s detrimental effects ?Is peanut still healthy even though the nuts are roasted?Wondering what you guys think about PB2. Because it is defatted peanut powder it mixes more readily in shakes, oatmeal, etc. but does the processing make it less healthy in some way?If you have cancer, new research shows that peanuts help it spread. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/breaking-anti-cancer-news-ditch-the-peanuts-and-spread-the-word/This is news to me when did AICR come out against peanuts? They do say aflatoxin from peanuts from third world countries improperly stored can increase liver cancer, but not here in the United States. Please share any new info with us from AICR if possible. Thanks, Harriet.My understanding is that the high rate of peanut allergies among young people today is due to the fact that peanuts are being planted directly after a cotton crop has so denatured the soil, that the cotton crop becomes stunted and non-productive. Perhaps it’s the heavy-handed use of glyphosate (roundup) as cotton is one of the four main GMO baddies. The peanut legume in solution from the soil soon absorbs these herbicide and pesticide chemicals. I’m in my late 60’s and when I speak with others of a similar age, from different parts of the country, none recall knowing any children with these terrific symptoms as a youth.	almonds,butter,calories,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,convenience,Harvard,hazelnuts,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,legumes,medications,metabolism,nuts,obesity,olive oil,peanut butter,peanuts,pistachios,processed foods,raisins,walnuts,weight loss,women's health	An update on the healthfulness of nut consumption and whether the cardiovascular benefits extend to peanut butter.	What else do nuts do? Check out: PREDIMED: Does Eating Nuts Prevent Strokes? Four Nuts Once a Month Nuts May Help Prevent Death Tree Nuts or Peanuts for Breast Cancer Prevention?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on nuts. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Soymilk: shake it up!,  Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk, and  NutritionFacts.org: the first month.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raisins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/convenience/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pistachios/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hazelnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peanut-butter/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-may-help-prevent-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tree-nuts-or-peanuts-for-breast-cancer-prevention/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/four-nuts-once-a-month/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19883717,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696988,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2683001,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20087377,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18952211,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19647416,
PLAIN-3177	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-licorice-good-for-you/	Is Licorice Good For You?	What about, licorice? The kind that’s made from actual licorice root, not the artificially flavored corn syrup stuff. So like, healthfood store licorice Harmful, harmless, or helpful? Licorice can be quite harmful. The natural compound that makes licorice so sweet can affect kidney function. Just 4 candy cigars for 2 weeks landed this woman in the hospital—a physician no less. She recovered completely, but others have not been so lucky. Now there is some evidence that the same compound may be effective at killing human prostate cancer cells in a petri dish, so one could argue these people were just eating too much of a good thing, but the safety window is so narrow—the safe upper limit of black licorice intake is 6 grams, so that’s only like 6 inches of licorice. And it may be especially detrimental for pregnant women. Kids born to moms who ate a lot of licorice when pregnant suffer from diminished speech, visual, and memory skills, as well as 2-3 times the odds of having attention, rule-breaking, and aggression problems.	does this also include the tea that i love to drink if so I will stop.That is a great question. The only study I was able to find looked at a tea which included licorice root and concluded: “One cup of the herbal tea [“Smooth Move”] contains approximately 15 mg of glycyrrhizic acid, which is significantly below the level of concern for known side effects of licorice overdose.”I want to thank you for this question. One of the “teas” I like to drink is “Licorice Spice herbal tea”. The first ingredient in the brand I buy is “licorice root”. So, thanks for getting the answer.I will probably limit how much of this tea I drink and may not buy any new stuff, but at least I don’t have to throw out the boxes that I already have. (And it’s a relief not to feel bad about poisoning my guests when I have previously served it at my house.)What about deglycyrrhizinated licorice supplements for digestive health?Please see below Betsy–thank you for your question!For digestive health after a big meal of tofu and rice, etc., I like to take 4 or more tablets of DGL. It’s made by enzymatic therapy. Two tablets is 760 mg of Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice. It also helps me sleep. Is this stuff okay?If it really is deglycyrrhizinated then it should be OK, but I don’t know how reliable the process is. If you’re able to get information from the company on any independent testing that’s been done please post it here.Apparently it has not been 3rd party tested, but the company stands behind their claim that it is deglycyrrhizinated.That’s what companies tend to do!Mgreger what is your profession?I’m a physician: About Me. I’m going to have the system change my username from mgreger to my full name just so people don’t get confused, so thanks for your question!How does one calculate the amount of licorice in items that are made of many ingredients.  For example, Panda licorice lists its ingredients as “molasses, wheat flour, licorice extract, Natural flavor (anise seed oil).  One official serving would appear to be about 35 grams.Do fennel and anise seeds pose any risk? They have the same type of licorice flavor and I eat fennel seeds several times a week!I didnt catch the amount of glycyrrhic acid that is at question nor if the whole herb was included in the licorice candys studied. In addition, it was mentioned that four cigars sticks of licorice candy was consumed, though what was the amount of glycyrrhic acid? i’ll have to look up safe levels in my herbal PDR and compare studies. If some are concerned, licorice comes with glycyrrhic acid removed. It can be bought as a supplement in wafers.I saw your licorice root in herbal teas comment, and have been drinking about 6 cups Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat every day for a dry throat related to the mountain air @ 6,000 feet. The nutrition info states 760 mg of organic licorice root. It sounds like way too much Glycyrrhiza acid to me. Are my days numbered?Yes ;-)Does liquorice in tea have some effects on blood pressure? I’ve heard that it helps when blood pressure is low.Is the 6g safe upper limit you mention per week or per day?Just 2-ounces (60g) of licorice per day for 2 weeks can cause you to end up in the emergency room 1.Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) has been used traditionally in Chinese medicine and herbalism for centuries for ailments such as asthma, sore throat, adrenal “burnout”, and heartburn. The root contains a compound known as glycyrrhizin (or glycyrrhizic acid), which in large amounts has associated with high blood pressure, salt and water retention (edema), and may reduce potassium levels to dangerously low levels 2,3.However, deglycyrrhized licorice (DGL) appears to be safe and does not cause the side affects associated with licorice because the glycyrrhizic acid has been removed. DGL is commonly used to treat ulcers and heartburn.The EU (European Union) suggests that one should not consume more than 100mg of glycyrrhizic acid per day. This amount equates to roughly 50 g licorice sweets 4.Sources: 1.http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm27715htm 2.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22653692 3.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8191541 4. http://www.nutriology.com/glycyrrhizin.html	aggression,alternative medicine,attention deficit,brain health,cancer,candy,children,cognition,complementary medicine,health food stores,hyperactivity,junk food,kidney health,licorice,memory,mental health,pregnancy,prostate cancer,prostate health,speech impairment,vision,women's health	The safe upper limit of licorice consumption and why pregnant women may be at particularly high risk.	For more information on health concerns during pregnancy, see: Bacon, Eggs, and Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy How Long to Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy? Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy The Wrong Way to Detox Diet Soda and Preterm BirthPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Soymilk: shake it up!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/attention-deficit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aggression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/licorice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/speech-impairment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vision/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/health-food-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-soda-and-preterm-birth/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19711916,
PLAIN-3178	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-goji-berries-good-for-you/	Are Goji Berries Good for You?	What about, Goji berries? Goji berries are fantastic. Probably the healthiest dried fruit on the planet. And they are only expensive if, you buy them as, “goji” berries. Then, they’re ridiculous—like 20 bucks a pound, but if you instead go to an Asian market and buy them as “lie-kium” berries, then, they’re cheaper than raisins. So whatever you used to do with raisins—oatmeal, trailmix, whatever—now start doing with goji berries.	where can i find them for cheap i cant find it any cheaper than goji berries.ThanksWhere do you live? I’ve found that most major cities have an Asian grocery store–that’s where I’ve had the most luck finding them at a reasonable price.It works the same way with shitake mushrooms too. In health food stores and co-ops you can pay several dollars for just 2-3 shitake mushrooms. Several dollars in an Asian grocery store will get you a huge sack of shitake mushrooms.While they are cheaper in Asian Markets, they contain preservatives. I buy them in the bulk section at Whole Foods and I believe they are the Sunfood brand if I remember correctly. Whatever brand it is, I checked their website and it said they’re preservative-free.I’m surprised you found some with preservatives (which I believe by law have to be listed on the package). The “lycium” (goji) berries one finds so inexpensively in Asian markets may not be organic, though, but I haven’t found any studies that have looked at goji pesticide levels. If anyone finds any such studies please send them my way. My direct email address is mhg1@cornell.edu. You know, I wish I liked the taste of goji berries better. I know they’re so good for me but I’ve grown addicted to these monukka raisins (they have seeds!) that I discovered at a co-op in Charlottesville, VA last weekend that my poor gojis have recently lain fallow. Love all the info, thanks! We’ve found that soaking goji berries mellows their somewhat funky flavor, and makes them easier to chew and to digest. We use the soaking water, too, so no nutrients are lost.it seems that at least the cheap gojis will be really full of pesticides. And many of those sellers saying they are organic or from wild harvesting will contain so many pesticides that they can only be grown industrially. so i guess it is not a good tip to recommend buying them in the asian shops for cheap. i did not find real studies but some result of examinations in German language.try these links with google translator :http://www.food-monitor.de/2010/03/erhoehte-rueckstaende-von-pflanzenschutzmitteln-in-goji-beeren/lebensmittel/tests/Baden Württemberg/Germany authorities with 4 entries to the topic “goji”:http://www.ua-bw.de/pub/search_results.asp?allebegriffe=AND&subid=0&lang=DE&suchbegriff=goji+beerelast year the food and drug authorities of Baden Württemberg (a German province) tested 14 different goji packs and in 13 of them they found irregularities. Especially the remnants of a pesticide called ‘Acetamiprid’ were higher than allowed but not yet doubtful for the health. Now in 2010 the European Community has changed the limit value from 0,01 to 0,1 mg/kg for acetamiprid and that is the only reason why all gojis now are under the limit value :-(In one single sample they found up to 19 different pesticides. the authorities recommend now that you let the seller show you the laboratory examination valuesfor their imports…Michael Is it possible that Goji caused me to have rather severe abdominal cramps and pain along with diarrhea? It started a couple of days after I started eating them and seemed to get better when I stopped. I am fine now.I get the same abdominal ‘cramping’ type pain after consuming goji berries. For me, it began about a month after consuming them regularly. It’s been almost a year since it first happened, at which point I stopped consuming them (after trying from different retailers). But I can no longer eat them without that severe pain. I’ve been very curious of the cause. Any science out there?I have the same symptoms – severe abdominal pain after consuming small portion of goji berries. Pain may last for 24h.I had similar issues. At the end of my first packet of goji berries, I started to feel cramps, but at first I didn’t realize what it was about. I bought another packet from the same brand, and the stomach aches, sometimes followed by diarrhea, started to get progressively worse, even with very small amounts. Both were from the same brand, which is a fairly reputable brand of dietetic products and I never had problems with any other products from them.I also have this exact problem. The first couple weeks of eating them were fine then even just a handful on a random day causes a day of stomach pain and camping out on the toiletAlso, please check out my associated blog post http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/01/17/amla-indian-gooseberries-versus-cancer-diabetes-and-cholesterol/!After learning about the health benefits of Goji berries, I recently purchased some from a local Asian food store. When I looked more closely at the package, I saw that they contained sulfur dioxide and the label “contains chemicals known by the state of CA to cause caner.” It also had directions to wash them before eating. I’m now worried that I shouldn’t eat them. Can you explain this labeling?I wouldn’t eat anything grown in China with their toxic rivers, air pollution coming down as acid rain, and toxic soil, unless the food is grown on high hills/mountains, so no toxic river water, and industrial pollution, and is certified organic.I have extreme sleep apnea. My CPAP machine is very helpful and I do drink tart cherry juice. I also have goji berries on hand but didn’t know they had melatonin. How many do you suggest I eat before bedtime? Thanks, Wayne HalfordI’m seeing references online to lycium fruit being synonymous with lychee/litchi. Here’s just one:http://supplement-geek.com/nv-clinical-review-ingredients-side-effects/ — Litchi – Also called Litchi chinensis and Lycium chinense. Litchi also goes by the names Lycium, lychee and Chinese wolfberry, among many others.Can anyone confirm this? I wonder if eating fresh lychee (one of my favorite exotics) would have the same benefits, or if dehydrating and concentrating them is required to get “enough” … ??Not the same. Sorry.Every morning I have a smoothies in which I alway make sure to include berries. I used to use fresh berries but because my household is large (there are 6 of us) it became quite expensive. Now I buy frozen berries from Costco because it is much less expensive, and ensures I am able to include them in my diet daily. However, now i read there is a concern that most berries have lots of pesticides and one should only buy. Should I only buy organic, meaning I will have to cut down on how often I include berries in my diet? Might be rather silly question, but I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.Betseyb: It is a very good question.Dr. Greger has a great blog post where he puts pesticide consumption into perspective. :“A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.” from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/I translate this bit of info into: Eat organic when you can, but don’t stress about it when you can’t. I’m not a doctor, but I would say that eating a smoothie’s worth of berries every day is great, even if you have to eat non-organic.China China special on Goji? You sure Doc? what about the spray used on these berries from China? but I suppose pesticide laden berries are better than no berries…Goji berries don’t taste good? REALLY? Doesn’t that tell me all I need to know? China, a country in which the law does not prevail? Strike Two! I will not wait for Strike Three and instead just say No now. Clean up the rest of my diet and I will not need a wantabe-miracle-cure berry which we’ve successfully evolved without for hundreds of millions of years.I live in Appleton, WI and can’t find any lycium berries at Asian markets.Where can I find amala gooseberry for a reasonable price?go to an Indian store and check the frozen section. Amla berries are in season and fresh stock should have arrived. (However, i know that sometimes these frozen food packs are held up in customs for months)… If the amla berries are yellow/orange, then they are too ripe/not best anymore. The freshest ones are light green/green. However, i always wash and take a bite to see if they are tart enough.Do let us know if you find other sources !I know it’s a little off topic, but what are your thoughts on Forskolin? I found this resource: http://tryskinnypills.com/ and was curious what a doctor would say about this supplement :) Thanks so much!Yes, that’s what I noticed – the huge price difference. The Chinese on the package shown from Asian markets actually reads “goji”, nothing else! Also, there’s a kind of goji from a certain part of China that’s considered the best – goji from Ningxia (ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goji). In Western super markets such as Whole Foods, their goji berries are labeled as being from the Himalayans. i wonder whether it’s really from the Himalayans, or just from China.Another thing i’d like to mention: i haven’t heard from Westerners about when it’s not good to have goji. In Chinese medicine, when one has apparent symptoms of inflammation, including coughing, it’s not good to take goji, since it would intensify the inflammation. Correct me if i’m wrong: Western nutritional research seems to just look into the the chemical elements of foods, whereas in Chinese medicine, there are properties such as “warming” or “cooling”. Goji is warming, and should not be used if one already has too much “internal heat”. It’s a herbal fruit, and has its herbal uses. Is my observation correct, or am i missing something?Good questions. I suggest asking the manufacturers for clarification. If going by the standards of Chinese medicine (which I only know so much about) and goji berries are indeed “warming” then your observation may be correct. I’ve heard about mangos doing the same thing but I would be reluctant to say don’t eat mangos or goji berries due to their “warming” effect because I have not seen any research to confirm this. Perhaps someone more familiar with Chinese medicine can weigh-in here?Wolfberries are native goji berries that grow in the west in mild climate areas. They naturally grow in poor soil. Here in Tucson we have at least 6 varieties. Some fruit in spring while others in late summer and still others autumn. If I eat 10 can feel an energy lift, unlike any other food but coffee. Pea sized, reddish orange either round or football shaped. Tomato family plant.	artichokes,Asian markets,bargains,berries,convenience,cost savings,dried fruit,goji berries,health food stores,oatmeal,raisins,trail mix	How to buy goji berries cheaper than raisins.	Here a few of my more recent videos on the benefits of berries: Best Berries Clinical Studies on Acai Berries Plant-Based Diets and Cellular Stress Defenses Reducing Muscle Soreness With Berries Inhibiting Platelet Aggregation with Berries How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years Dietary Prevention of Age-Related Macular DegenerationPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on goji berries. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Also, please check out my associated blog posts: Indian Gooseberries versus Cancer, Diabetes, and Cholesterol, The Best Detox, Soymilk: shake it up!, NutritionFacts.org: the first month, and Best Nutrition Bang for Your Buck	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/26/best-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artichokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raisins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oatmeal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cost-savings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asian-markets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/convenience/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trail-mix/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/health-food-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bargains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/goji-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inhibiting-platelet-aggregation-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-prevention-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clinical-studies-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-cellular-stress-defenses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reducing-muscle-soreness-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19844860,
PLAIN-3179	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/	Is Kombucha Tea Good For You?	Tea is healthy; mushrooms are healthy. What if you put them together. Kombucha tea, a fizzy fermented drink—complete, with chunks of slimy fungus. Now if you base your nutritional knowledge on the kind of books you find in healthfood stores, bestsellers like “Kombucha the Magical Fungus,” will tell you that already by the Tsin dynasty it was known and honored as a beverage with magical powers enabling people to live forever. Given the fact that you don’t tend to meet many people from the Tsin dynasty these days, not only may kombucha not give you eternal life, it apparently won’t even grant you a measly 2,000 years. Never believe anything you read in healthfood stores. But what does the science say? Kombucha tea: Harmful… just harmless… or helpful? Kombucha tea can be harmful. Published last year in the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine, Kombucha may post serious health risks. Consumption of this tea should be discouraged as it may be associated with life-threatening lactic acidosis. This is just the latest in a series of case reports of people ending up in a coma because their blood turned to acid after drinking kombucha. How does it do that? We have no idea. Maybe it’s a magical fungus after all.	Hi Good Doctor…i read the link http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-kombucha-tea-goodfor-you/ …Ok It seems some people’s body can’t handle the Therapeutic Kombucha…but the scientific studies I sent you above(link below) seem to indicate a larger truth that IT won’t harm you and be beneficial . i find it odd that your nicely presented report is biased and not balanced..from meeting you in Montreal I found you objective but what I get from your link and the non inclusion of the scientific studies as noble as the one you refer to is that you are into shock news rather than balancing the reporting of the studies you select…PLS correct your unbalanced report on Kombucha if you want to be helpfull rather than an alarmist… regards Roberthttp://www.kombuchakamp.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Possible-Protective-Effect-of-Kombucha-Tea-Ferment-on-Cadmium-Chloride-Induced-Liver-and-Kidney-Damage-in-Irradiated-Rats.pdfhttp://www.kombuchakamp.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Does-kombucha-tea-attenuate-the-hepato-nepherotoxicity-induced-by-a-certain-environmental-pollutant.pdfhttp://www.kombuchakamp.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Protective-effect-of-kombucha-mushroom-KM-tea-on-chromosomal-aberrations.pdfhttp://www.kombuchakamp.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Possible-Protective-Effect-of-Kombucha-Tea-Ferment-on-Cadmium-Chloride-Induced-Liver-and-Kidney-Damage-in-Irradiated-Rats.pdfKombucha may indeed reduce the organ damage of irradiated rats, but not sure the relevance (unless you have a pet rat and your friendly neighborhood nuclear plant melts down?). As a physician I’m kind of a rather limited veterinarian–I only know about one species! But I’m not saying there aren’t benefits to kombucha consumption, I’m just saying that if you look at a systematic review of the clinical evidence the benefits may not outweigh the risks. In fact, why tolerate any significant risks in our diet? That’s why I have a low tolerance for recommending against the consumption of foods shown to have serious adverse effects.I think it’s a little much to state that, based on 3 adverse reports (with no data about those cases at all) that there is too much risk in drinking kombucha. Maybe the issue lies in proper preparation. There are also rumors stating that lavender and tea tree oil lead to hormonal issues in boys, but that was based on 3 kids as well and wasn’t a study at all. Furthermore, I have heard that reports on PubMed can simply be paid for and put there. So we need to look at “evidence” there with an open, yet questioning, mind. I’d love to hear what you think about my points. Thank you.“I’m just saying that if you look at a systematic review of the clinical evidence the benefits may not outweigh the risks”Couldn’t you say this about nearly any food? Our ENTIRE diet is LOADED with significant risks. Remember when people were getting salmonella from spinach? 33 deaths from Listeria in Cantaloupes last year? Processed foods and soda which harden arteries and kill you slowly?” In fact, why tolerate any significant risks in our diet? That’s why I have a low tolerance for recommending against the consumption of foods shown to have serious adverse effects.”Doc,I do NOT want to tolerate risks in my diet. However, as a health professional I would prefer if your public health education program was more focused on the mainstream, rather than the minority. We have so many other problems!So the paper displayed here says ‘A Case Of Kombucha Tea Toxicity’. Was this literally one case? Or are there others? I can’t find much info aside from various references mentioning a single ‘rare case of myositis’ – this does not in anyway imply some kind of serious risk here. We do not know what else was going on with this ‘single case’ – did this person have other health issues? Was they on certain medication (known to cause lactic acidosis)? There can be a number of causes:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001428/An awful lot of people drink Kombucha (some on a daily basis). This sounds like a statistical anomaly.This was just a case report (which means by definition just one patient is described), but as I noted above, a systematic review concluded the benefits may not outweigh the risks. This was just one of the latest cases. It’s certainly an extremely rare consequence of kombucha consumption, but just like with medications, even though side effects can be rare, one still has to balance the benefits and risks. So I’d much rather see people drink (green or white) tea straight, which has more proven benefits and fewer reported risks.how do you feel about kefir? safe? there are several vegan options of kefir available.I find your position a bit funny given the way perscription drugs are perscribed at the massive number of lawsuits concerning them. Heck the bulk ogf my health issues were caused by the use of antibiotics. Fosomax was a difinant contributing factior in my moms death…didn’t know it until years later when the link was found between that drug and heart issues, which my mother never had until she started taking fosomax. My neighbors mom started haveing issues after taking fosomax, her dr. told her she was haveing panic attactks. Hah! nope it was the fosomax. The drug side effects are rediculous! Talk about the benefit not outwaying the risk. Far more risks to drugs than consuming kombucha. I love what Kombuchas has done for me! Crazy how easily dr. poo poo natural remedies and go nuts over the limited number of side effects but the industry won’t hardly admit to the side effects of drugs and especially the possibility that there are issues with immunizations…Hum interesting that the gov’t has the immunization injury fund…I wonder why that is!Dr. Gregor does not seem the type of doctor to routinely over-medicate.Thanks for comments Doctor..Granted …Foods have risks..and if you Got AIDS you need to be careful about what you drink…carefully made Kombucha is a health drink that is therapeutic and needs to be consumed with the understanding of possible side effects…The Kombucha I drink has been very helpful for me as my digestive system not so great…but caution in consumption quantity at start if Novice is needed especially if you have AIDS…as outlined in you toxicity study link above.What about the beneficial pro-biotic organisms and EGCG in kombucha? If someone is able to balance their pH by consuming more alkaline foods, wouldn’t its consumption be justified?I make and drink kombucha on a daily basis and give away the scobies to friends to start their own batches.  I think this article and doctor are ridiculous to suggest it is harmful.  As usual, anything rich in life and probiotics, are deemed harmful by the medical association, who would rather dispense drugs than actually give something helpful to a person.  BUT, Do no harm…. what a crock of ****In the words of Jeff Novick“While Kombucha tea is widely promoted to have miraculous medicinal properties, there is no evidence that Kombucha tea is effective for any of the reasons it is promoted for.What is being sold as Kombucha today is a colony of numerous species of fungi and bacteria living together, which permeate the tea. The precise composition of any sample of Kombucha depends to a great extent on what was floating around in your kitchen when you grew it or the kitchen (room) where it was grown.The most common microorganisms found in Kombucha tea include species of Brettanomyces, Zygosaccharomyces, Saccharomyces, Candida, Torula, Acetobacter, and Pichia. However, some analyzed specimens have been found to contain completely different organisms, and there is no guarantee that they will be harmless.In addition, there are case reports, which suggest that Kombucha preparations can cause such problems as nausea, jaundice, shortness of breath, throat tightness, headache, dizziness, liver inflammation, and even unconsciousness.Mayser P, Fromme S, Leitzmann C, et al. The yeast spectrum of the ‘tea fungus Kombucha’. Mycoses. 1995;38:289-295.Food and Drug Administration. FDA cautions consumers on “Kombucha Mushroom Tea” {News release}. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Food and Drug Administration, March 23, 1995CDC. Anticholinergic poisoning associated with an herbal tea — New York City, 1994. MMWR 1995;44:193-5.Srinivasan R, Smolinske S, Greenbaum D. Probable gastrointestinal toxicity of Kombucha tea: is this beverage healthy or harmful? J Gen Intern Med. 1997;12:643-644.Unexplained severe illness possibly associated with consumption of Kombucha tea—Iowa, 1995. From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA. 1996;275:96-98.Perron AD, Patterson JA, Yanofsky NN. Kombucha “mushroom” hepatotoxicity. Ann Emerg Med. 1995;26:660-66Sadjadi J. Cutaneous anthrax associated with the Kombucha “mushroom” in Iran [letter]. JAMA. 1998;280:1567-1568. ”Doctor G, I love your site, but I read that Kombucha naturally produces B12 (among other things). Is this true, because I’m ready to send a sample of my own brew to get it tested. If true, this is fantastic news!Also, the animal tests don’t mean anything to me…I’m not a rat, pig, rabbit or dog and all those tests proved it to be unsafe. As an example; there are a number of toxic things my dog can’t eat, but onions and almonds are safe for humans. :)I am not aware of any data suggesting kombucha can be relied on as a source of vitamin B12. Here’s what I would suggest: Safest Source of B12What about the Cornell study? Sorry to use a commercial site, but this was the only version I could find that was more than an abstract. Granted it is from 2000, but the death of the woman often referenced was in 1995.http://www.happyherbalist.com/analysis_of_kt_cornell.htmBecause something has antimicrobial properties does not necessarily mean it is healthy for you, as we can see with alcohol. The study Dr. Greger presented is independent of this antimicrobial property so it shouldn’t matter as there is no dispute.What about water kefir ? i have been making my own kefir with water kefir grains since i turned vegan to help get the probiotic i used to get in my yogurt. i don’t see any serious studies about it; have you come across any ?thanks for all your great work !This is fun learning at its best. I am still attempting to learn about vitamins, with a bit of fence-sitting about giving them up. Made easier, for the nonce, by me not having the money for them, after taking them for 35 years. I am totally NOT on the fence about eating a plant diet!This one may be more heartening. I learned to make some pretty good kombucha tea a few years ago. Mmm, cold, fizzy, tasty, they said it was good for me, what’s not to like? Especially when I am *not* one of those health food fanatics – there’s always one in every online board – who drink quarts of kombucha daily or, I sh*t you not, the broad on Marie Oser’s soy board who described her diet of soy this for breakfast, soy milk that, soy theotherthing for lunch, soy yogurt, soy this for dinner…. barf. Nut.But maybe I can relax and stop making it. Making it was waaay cheaper than the $4 (I sh*t you not) pints in the health food stores. [Spoken in a Dr. Greger voice] Not making it would be… even cheaper.Still makes one long for ca. 1967 Mad Magazine’s ideal business street. The health food store’s sign said: “We don’t overcharge for stuff just because it’s good for you!”“Chunks of slimy fungus?” do your research, fungus is mycelium, kombucha has chunks of yeast.I believe you are mistaken. Yeast are unicellular fungi. Kingdom fungi, phylum Ascomycota, class Saccharomycetes, order Saccharomycetales, then typically family Saccharomycetaceae.Guess you’re right on that point. I still don’t think you’ve given a complete picture of the potential benefit’s / risks of Kombucha. There is a lot of other research out there yet you’ve only quoted ONE study. What about the high levels of antioxidants in Kombucha: http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/Article.aspx?ID=1450-71880738165V&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1? Also the “Potential use of d-glucaric acid derivatives (found in Kombucha) in cancer prevention” : http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/030438359090083A?Also this paper quoted “Research conducted in Russia at the beginning of the century and testimony indicate that Kombucha can improve resistance against cancer, prevent cardiovascular diseases, promote digestive functions, stimulate the immune system, reduce inflammatory problems, and can have many other benefits.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996900000673I’m not saying that there aren’t health risks which is why proper standards are necessary to make sure Kombucha is prepared properly. Similar to Vodka, which can make you blind if it isn’t prepared properly.A short while ago I saw a video presentation from NutritionFacts site that included a chart for fruits, vegetables and grains for acid vs alkaline content. I have been unable to find this in my search of the site. Can you please help me to locate it? Thank you.I was very sorry to have missed your lecture at St. Clair Hospital. I was waitlisted but after viewing this little snippet, I am glad that I didn’t go. I feel that you have a responsibility as a doctor to present information in a meaningful way. This is prejudicial and presented in a cutesy tongue in cheek manner that is disappointing. I think that if you find this information to be possibly life saving, then you should present it in a way that people can understand and not in an alarmist way. Sorry, not a fan of this video. I am disappointed! This is important information, not a joke.In some way, I agree with you. This video is not balanced, although I’m not a kombucha drinker. Scrolling down the comments, there are many studies that people have put forward. That said, I attended Dr. Greger’s lecture two years ago, and it was quite good. It certainly helped educate an audience of people diagnosed with various forms of cancer, and those supporting them.Comparing Kombucha with Raw Homemade Vinegar:I was wondering if this could cause a similar problem with making your own vinegar. I know from other nutritionfacts videos that vinegar is good for you. If I made my own vinegar, which uses a similar process as kombucha making, and even has a “mother/scoby” like the one in kombucha….would the vinegar have the same health risks as kombucha? Or is there something different with vinegar that causes it to be safe, even when making it at home?Love your site, admire you greatly, but one day you will ferment and then drink your kombucha conclusion. We can all prepare a food badly and get sick from it, but considering the thousands of years and millions of folks who drink kombucha, its benefits do outweigh the very small risk so far reported. At a minimum you could have just asked people to be careful as to how it is prepared. As to the rest of your site, I raise my kombucha glass to you!http://www.happyherbalist.com/cautions.htmExcerpt from above link: While an under-fermented probiotic may harbor pathogens or fail to develop the beneficial nutrients, an over-fermented probiotic (higher in acetic acid) may overburden the stomach’s digestive juices. Here’s why. The acidic pH aids the stomach’s digestive juices and helps break down food and relieve stagnation. Acetic Acid from Kombucha and Lactic Acid from kefir are all weak acids. When ingested, they react with minerals such as Calcium, Sodium, Potassium and Magnesium in the body tissue and blood, to form alkalies. This reaction is termed Alkaline-forming foods. That is how an acetic kombucha tea actually helps alkalize the body. However you have to be very careful in not over doing this. An excess will rob your body of ionic minerals. A cup or two is fine, but large amounts of these acids are not a good idea. How much is too much? It is a relative term. For a normal healthy adult the amount is thought to be 4-8 fluid ounces daily. (see Drug interactions). This amount appears to be comparable to another popular folk remedy – Apple-Cider Vinegar. The most often repeated recommended dosage for ACV is one spoonful daily. The reason is that typically ACV is 5 % acetic acid – almost 5 times that of Kombucha Tea. There are other differences but our focus here is on the acetic acid. Kombucha tea is far less leeching (a common AMA complaint) and kombucha, because it is alkaline forming, will not create acidosis in a healthy individual. If it does it is far more indicative of a deeper more serious disorder.What are some natural sources of good bacteria? I flatulate a lot and probiotics can be expensive.hate to tell you brother but probiotic foods will just make you “flatuate” more…. saurkraut, pickles, kimchi, but kombucha doesnt really do that too badI think I have dysbiosis and a problem with low levels of good bacteria. That’s why I think it will help.I also think it’s a bit much to label Kombucha as Harmful. Did the case study mention why THIS person had this reaction, and why not every single person who drinks Kombucha ends up in a coma?I do not hear evidence one way or the other in your “statement”I wonder if there is more evidence you could share about ‘more harmful than helpful” for WHOM?I am finding kombucha helpful to my digestion. I drink water too, and hibiscus and green tea. But am I at risk for acidosis or toxicity? Isn’t kombucha just another fermented product we hear such good things about? I feel we need more info on this. Was that case review subject drinking homemade ‘booch? Gallon a day? Had pre-existing poor health?Is that case sufficient to stop drinking something I seem to find beneficial??Current evidence on physiological activity and expected health effects of kombucha fermented beverage: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24192111“It is shown that KT can efficiently act in health prophylaxis and recovery due to four main properties: detoxification, antioxidation, energizing potencies, and promotion of depressed immunity. The recent experimental studies on the consumption of KT suggest that it is suitable for prevention against broad-spectrum metabolic and infective disorders. This makes KT attractive as a fermented functional beverage for health prophylaxis.” — Effect of Kombucha, a fermented black tea in attenuating oxidative stress mediated tissue damage in alloxan induced diabetic rats.: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23907022 —- Hypoglycemic and antilipidemic properties of kombucha tea in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22591682“CONCLUSIONS:The findings revealed that kombucha tea administration induced attractive curative effects on diabetic rats, particularly in terms of liver-kidney functions. Kombucha tea can, therefore, be considered as a potential strong candidate for future application as a functional supplement for the treatment and prevention of diabetes.”Thanks for sharing. We’ll look into the studies you so nicely listed and update the information on Kombucha as necessary. One question though to your studies, have you found any conducted on humans? Looks like all of these were conducted on mice or in a petri dish. Human trials are the gold standard! Stay tuned for more on Kombucha. I appreciate your comments.Never believe what you read in a health food store?, that might have been true 30 years ago ( maybe) but how can you make such a blanket statement now, maybe we are supposed to believe the big PHARMA companies, tha t makes more sense, we should be getting away from the stigma of “hippy” health food stores” not being scientifically sound, the FDA sure knows better, not. You are taking us back 50 years by that comment. Also, while I’m on my soapbox, kombucha tea could be harmful, but so can other substances that could be contaminated, not just because of it being kombucha. From other comments, you are an objective person but from this article you are definitely close minded and someone I would NEVER look to for advice, you are just trying to give something that can be beneficial a bad name because someone obviously got a bad batch ( kind of the same thing that happened to L-tryptophan when it was banned and bastardized for years because there was one bad batch that was contaminated. And how about those sprouts that were contaminated, do you recommend people Never eat SPROUT, because of a bad batch! Stop trying to shock the public and scare them, it’s unbecoming and unnecessary, positive comments are much more helpful. I just realized this was dr. Gregor, VERY disappointed, I’ve heard you speak and thought highly of you at the time, but to make the comments you did based on a few cases is WRONG. Hope you take heed from us and stick to what you KNOW to be true, a plant based diet is beneficial and can be life changing, but to hear you make these comments is VERY disconcerting.Hi Jill. Thanks for your comment. We’ll update the research on kombucha as more is available. I think the reason why Dr. Greger reported on this case study was for those who drinks tons of kombucha this may warrant caution. I agree that so many foods could be contaminated and perhaps a kombucha every now and then is not the worst thing to consume, nonetheless, Dr. Greger felt the need to report on it.	acid/base balance,beverages,coma,fermented foods,health food stores,kombucha tea,lifespan,longevity,mold,mortality,nutrition myths,probiotics,supplements,tea	Case reports of people ending up in a coma after drinking kombucha tea.	Here are a few other videos on different teas: Is There Too Much Aluminum in Tea? How Much Hibiscus Tea is Too Much? Better Than Green Tea?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on tea. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!You may also be interested in checking out my associated blog posts: Eating To Extend Our Lifespan,  Soymilk: shake it up!, and  NutritionFacts.org: the first month.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fermented-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kombucha-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acidbase-balance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/health-food-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19460826,
PLAIN-3180	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/	Is Kimchi Good For You?	We know that vegetables reduce cancer risk, but what about fermented vegetables? Kimchi, a Korean dish usually made out of fermented cabbage. Harmful, harmless, or helpful? Harmful, potentially doubling one’s risk of breast cancer. And may increase the odds of getting prostate cancer 10-fold—just a spoonful a day. This is one of the studies that changed my eating habits this year. It’s funny, everytime I come home from the medical library my family’s like “What can’t we eat now.” Or they’re like “Hmm, why is there, parsley in everything all the sudden?”	Is there more information about this? Is this traditionally made kimchee rather than kimchee made in a manner similar to that of making sauerkraut? For that matter what about sauerkraut and other pickles?This was for traditional kimchi. I can’t find anything in the literature about sauerkraut either way, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out. It is high in sodium, so if you do eat it I would suggest moderating your intake.Would really like to learn more about sauerkraut, as it’s a very tasty way to enjoy cabbage. The delicious Spreewald brand (“mild” version) shows 480 mg sodium for a 125 gram serving. Is this really bad?I imagine there are lower salt options out there for this food…Dr. Weil’s website Q & A Library area has a positive review of this food yet warns about the salt levels. Guess I’ll need to look into making my own. :)Most kimchi has a fish sauce added to it…..This may be a contiributing factor to this research. As a vegetarian who thinks garlic is smelly and aweful, I make my own and hope that the jury is still out over vegetarian kimchiThis is a shame.My thoughts exactly–used to eat the stuff all the time!Hm……made with Organic Cabbages?? I wonder why?? Please find evidence and reverse this decision :)This is on my pubmed alert list.Hi Dr. Greger, Can you please site where you found this information precisely? Are they talking about kimchi/fermented foods made with white vinegar? Or are they made with salt and other spices? I looked up PubMed and I am having trouble finding and understanding it as I am not learned in medical/scientific facts. thanks!I’m so glad you asked! If you look on this page, right under the video you’ll see a section called Sources Cited. If you click, it will open up and list the hyperlinked citations to all the sources I use for any of the videos on the site.That is something I feel very strongly about. Nutrition information (and everything else in medicine!) should be based on the best available science. Thank you for giving me a chance to point out this feature of NutritionFacts.org for those that might have missed it.Looking at the abstract for the first study on breast cancer, they only controlled for non-dietary risk factors and vegetable intake. What if those who eat more kimchi also eat more preserved meats? It seems they wouldn’t have caught preserved meats as an independent risk factor in that study. I think the second study found a correlation between prostate cancer risk and all fermented foods. I don’t like to see fermented soy products included here, too! I’m going to hope salt is a culprit, and I’ll keeping eating my tempeh….Doesn’t traditional kimchi also contain fermented fish? Could this have affected the results? I am confused: I thought fermented vegetables were really good for the immune system and for fighting cancer. I have cancer, so I really need to know whether to eat them or not.Mary Jurmain,there are a variety of vegetables that help prevent cancer and in some cases reverse it. Check out these few videos on what those foods are if you have not already. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/cancer-reversal-through-diet/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/1-anticancer-vegetable/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/veggies-vs-cancer/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/cancer-fighting-berries-2/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/plant-based-prevention/Fermenting anything usually involves a preservative which in turn is almost always harmful. The studies do in fact point to pickling foods increasing cancer risk.Good luckis the preservative youre talking about, salt? i just want to be clear on this..Hi “Toxins” (hmm!? Interesting nickname!)Thanks for the references, which I will definitely watch again, but I already own and have watched all of Dr. Gregor’s videos, so chances are I have seen all of those clips. I know a fair amount about what I need to eat; I just want to have a very good reason if I’m going to eliminate something else from an already rather restrictive diet (and also before I throw away 30 quarts of fermented green tomatoes). I seem to recall reading something about a study that showed sauerkraut prevented H1N1 from spreading in chickens, or something similarly bizarre. I’ve read Sandor Katz’s book “Wild Fermentation”, in which he talks about how his diet, heavy on fermented foods, has kept him healthy for years in spite of AIDS. And fermented vegetables have a long tradition in many cultures. It’s not that I can’t be convinced that they’re unhealthy, but if I’m going to accept data that goes against the grain of thousands of years of human history and a fair amount of anecdotal data, I’d like more than one study to convince me; I’d like multiple studies and an explanation of the mechanism by which these foods do harm. I hope Dr. Gregor will weigh in on this debate.First of all, a big thanks to you ,Dr. Greger, for providing us with this fascinating website. I love it and check it frequently. I was very sad to hear your report of the research regarding Kimchi. Kimchi is made with cabbage, garlic and hot peppers. It sounds like it couldn’t be healthier! What aspect of it might contribute to cancer risk? Is occasional eating of canned saurkraut (a few Tbs once or twice weekly), made with cabbage , salt and maybe vinegar probably unwise?Also: I typically prepare a salad once a week, such as cucumber salad (made with onions, dill, cucumbers, salt, lemon juice,two packets of stevia, and a little olive oil). Then I eat a little bit each day with fresh lettuce, peppers etc. Do you think this unhealthy because the cucumber salad is not made fresh daily? (It is the only stevia I have all week.)Thanks!I make fermented veggies with Body Ecology Culture Starter. I add no salt or vinegar to my fermented veggies. Do you know any scientific information on eating this type of fermented veggies? I do make sauerkraut with salt, but keep it raw with no vinegar.Thanks, DebI understand for most koreans it’s not a meal unless there’s kimchee on the table.Is there a high rate of prostate cancer in Korea?well Dr i am ashamed that u call yourself a doctor and dont do all your research like most doctors.. Traditionally prepared kimchi is made from raw cabbage and when fermented properly contains PROBIOTICS.. u can do some google searching and find out how beneficial probiotics are for us.. as a matter of fact, human life as we know it would not exist if it was not for PROBIOTICS…The probiotics found in kimchi and other naturally fermented vegetables ( sauerkraut, pickles, etc.) create by-products like organic acids (helps to preserve veggies and has alkalizing effects on the body) and more enzyme content (easier to digest and better absorption of nutrients).Most doctors don’t do any research nor do most doctors care for the subject of diet! Nobody here is doubting the benefits of intestinal flora. Dr. Greger has two cited sources showing that pickling food has a negative impact on our health, could you please cite some sources that show otherwise?THANK YOU JANE! my exact thoughts as well!Hi dr greger what do you think about gochujang?PLUS! Fermented foods, have been used thru the ages to prevent and sometimes even cure illness. For example, sauerkraut was used by the Germans and Europeans to prevent scurvy… Due to its high concentrations of Vitamin C it helps warn off illnesses like scurvy.Vitamin c is abundant in the plant world and eating a fermented food is not necessary to acquire this easily available nutrient.xxjane42xx – please cite your sources, rather than just spout conjecture.  If you’ll notice, the information presented in the video is attributed to specific scientific studies.  What is your information based on?My wife is Korean and her family, ancestors, and everyone I know have been eating Kimchi for ages……not one of them has ever had breast cancer. I think you should search and find out more information. I couldn’t find any sources to support the video which he stated. If you click on the Sources Cited link up above you’ll find the sources linked there.*ahem* “The mechanism of deleterious effects of preserved foods remains unclear”. i need to see why and how kimchi can cause an increased chance of cancer.. then ill believe the video. and doesnt one of youre sources claim that cancer is reported to be lower in asian countries than it is in western countries?There are a number of studies that have found potential mechanisms (e.g. mutagenic substances produced via fermentation, there just haven’t been the studies, animal studies/clinical trials etc, to determine this for sure).Nitrite and secondary amines are formed with fermentation:1. Nan HM, Park JW, Song YJ, Yun HY, Park JS, et al.: Kimchi and soybean pastes are risk factors of gastric cancer. World J Gastroenterol 11, 3175–3181, 20052. Seel DJ, Kawabata T, Nakamura M, Ishibashi T, Hamano M, et al.: N-nitroso compounds in two nitrosated food products in southwest Korea. Food Chem Toxicol 32, 1117–1123, 19943. Mitacek EJ, Brunnemann KD, Suttajit M, Martin N, Limsila T, et al.: Exposure to N-nitroso compounds in a population of high liver cancer regions in Thailand: volatile nitrosamine (VNA) levels in Thai food. Food Chem Toxicol 37, 297–305, 1999.4. Yuan Z and Ding Y: Mutagenesis and anti-mutagenicity in several traditional Zhejiang preserved foods. Carcinogen TeratogenMutagen 15, 91–93, 2003.… there are also many studies about the risks of salt and the nutritional deterioration of acid-preserved foods. Many of these studies also control for confounding variables which explain the lower overall cancer rates in Asian countries.Dr Greger’s recommendations are based on risk-aversionI think it might be premature to suggest eliminating all pickled vegetables from your diet based on these two studies, and a cursory review of the literature which indeed provides further evidence for an increased risk of esophageal, gastric and other cancers. Most studies having been done in Asia on relatively small numbers of subjects where the average consumption of pickled vegetables is high may have produced results that would not be seen elsewhere. Indeed, the prostate study demonstrates higher likelihood of getting prostate cancer in those eating the highest quartile of pickled vegetables, which is well above what I believe would be the norm for most Americans, with no suggestion of a dose response curve. Therefore, it might be more appropriate to suggest avoiding high intake levels of pickled vegetables and admit that we don’t have enough data to determine the effect of lower levels of intake. However, I agree that until health benefits of pickled vegetables are proven, they should not contribute a large percentage of vegetable consumption.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer and Diet!I was wondering if you had any information on capers? The kind you find pickled in jars. I’ve heard the berry is high in antioxidants but then I only see them sold pickled, and it seems that this might not be a good thing. Thanks for all of your hard work!!I couldn’t read the Yu study, so I didn’t know if they differentiated between vegan and non-vegan (e.g., shrimp paste, anchovy, fish paste); traditional kimchi in Korea isn’t vegan.As a vegan who has finally found a source of vegan kimchi, this information–if true–makes me sad.http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410300,00.htmlkinda conflicts with mainstream theories of whether it healthy? I thought that eating fermented foods helps with dysbiosis?  Are the raw/salt-free sauerkrauts ok to eat (like Rejuvenative Foods brand)?Could Dr Greger or Joseph Gonzales answer Bee’s question please – I also would like to know the answer to this and, if they are ok to eat, in what amounts and frequency would be considered healthy?No studies I am aware of look at the kind of products you describe and it’s role on dysbiosis. This review may offer some insight. If you eat fermented foods like sauerkraut I suggest keeping intake low and yes a salt-free version perhaps is better. I have never seen those but another site user posted about it in a recent video. Let me know if you want me to find the comment maybe you guys can connect?PS: I have replied to all other question you had on kimchi. I hope the are helpful.Thanks, BenJ JosephI checked out this site and it says that Korea had low prostate cancer rates but as they become more westernized their rates are increasing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16741923This comparison of prostate cancer death rate by country http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/prostate-cancer/by-country/lists the U.S. is 103 whereas South Korea, the birthplace of kimchi, is low at 165. I look forward to learning more on this because I make my own kimchi and I love it.Seems like some studies are schlock-Fermented and organic foods are still healthy to consume. I sometimes really question the surdies you accept as fact…Jesus Christ. Is is so bad? I think this biased video forgot to mention that Kimchi is rich in vitamin A, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium, and iron,[15][16] and contains a number of lactic acid bacteria, among those the typical species Lactobacillus kimchii.[17][18][19] Health magazine named kimchi in its list of top five “World’s Healthiest Foods” for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possibly reducing cancer growth.[20] (wikipedia) If anything, Just look at the difference between the obesity levels between USA and Korea ._.I don’t know where you found the information or the idea that kimchi increases the probability of breast cancer. Neither do I know how familiar you are with the food itself. But i do want to point out to you that first of all, Koreans have been eating kimchi for centuries; however, studies have shown that only recently (since the early 1990s) have breast cancer incidents been steadily increasing. If Koreans have been eating kimchi for centuries, why should this problem start arising now? Maybe instead of targeting kimchi specifically, look at the broader picture and trends. For example, did you know that the increase in cancer incidents coincides with the timing that Western diets were introduced to Korea? Moreover, not only breast cancer but cancer rates in general has increased in Korea after the introduction of Western Diet. And something else i think you should know. According to breast cancer statistics in Korea, despite the increase of breast cancer incidents, Korea still has lower breast cancer incidents (26.2 per 10000) compared to the world average of 37.4 per 100000.I think Dr Greger does us a great service by informing us of the latest dietary research. However quickly leaping to conclusions and giving broad recommendations based on insufficient research, or a very narrow interpretation of that research is a big problem in what he does, it discredits everything he says, and this video is a perfect case in point.Based on two small Korean studies, he’s telling people to never eat Kimchi because he thinks it will cause cancer. I looked at the studies and they do not seem tightly controlled or conclusive at all, and have no mechanism proposed (as others have pointed out).I am increasingly taking all of Dr Greger’s recommendations with a grain of salt (and in this case, a lot of salt, along with some fermented vinegar..)hrmm…interesting….not. http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410300,00.htmlWorld’s Healthiest Foods: Kimchi (Korea)I tend to believe there are additional factors involved besides people consuming more pickled vegetables. Perhaps the people consuming them made them in a certain way that created scum or mold? or with certain ingredients like fish, contaminated seaweed, dairy? I do not know these specifics. I DO know that I am a vegetarian/vegan for 25 years who has fallen in love with healthy fermented vegetables including sauerkraut and Kimchi (which i make myself). Why do I mention “healthy”? because what most people do, and is “tradition”, is to use a german or polish type ceramic pickling crock. These may be traditional but they usually allow air in them which creates scum or mold and people think it is healthy and beneficial to simply “skim off” the scum or mold and the rest is healthy to eat (yuk). What they are making is “rotten” vegetables. Healthy “Fermented” vegetables should have no foul odor that smells rotten. I use a fermenting vessel that is fool proof if you follow directions carefully. The http://www.pickl-it.com is made of glass and it keeps the air out. namaste;, rachelDon’t believe everything you hear on the internet, there are so many disinformation out there.Kimchi and other fermented vegetables contains essential probiotics which everybody nowadays (in chemical loaded environment) are lacking of.However on the opposite side, fermented vegetables contains Acetaldehyde compound which can be detrimental to our health if consumed in large quantity. Therefore Fermented food is a double edge-sword, it is good to our health if consumed in moderation, but bad if we overconsumed.The notion of Kimchi is bad overall and must be avoided is ludicrous, our ancestors had been fermenting vegetables for thousands of years before the invention of refrigerator. How else can they eat their vege during winter months?If Kimchi is bad overall, one must question, “how to these Koreans, survived 2000 years of Kimchi without dropping dead all over from Breast Cancer!????”And what would you say about this article: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/10966200360716544 ?However, I think it’s a great source of information, but it may be that some fermented veggies (especially Kimchi) would have a very different risk associations with the cancers and other health issues, depending on the context of the study as there are a lot of cancer types. I mean that according to some research they can slow or even inhibit some types of cancer, on the contrary, other research may prove that it’s completely different with other cancers.This seems to directly oppose your conclusions and is very indepth study. Better than some of the studies you cited, in fact… It’s google-able.Dietary factors and gastric cancer in Korea: A case-control studyHyun Ja Kim1, Woong Ki Chang2, Mi Kyung Kim1, Sang Sun Lee3, Bo Youl Choi1,†,*Article first published online: 2 NOV 2001DOI: 10.1002/ijc.10111Someone just showed me this article: http://articles.latimes.com/2006/may/21/world/fg-kimchi21Not all fermented foods are pickled and not all pickles are fermented. If you buy kimche in a jar, it may not have been fermented (no probiotics), may have been pasteurized (no probiotics), and will probably have preservatives. I wish this study had made fermented kimche to compare to the store bought.http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/the-crucial-difference-between-pickled-and-fermented/Go to the grocer and try to find a jar of pickles, kimche or sauerkraut that is also fermented and doesn’t have preservatives. It’s nearly impossible. These studies did NOT look at traditional kimche because it was not fermented. If you want to look at benefits of true fermented veggies, it would be best to disregard this study because it only looks at preserved foods. Who wants to eat that?!I’m reposting a comment from another thread since I agree with you and think the topic is treated too superficially on this site – I’d really like to see it explored a bit more: I’m keen on fermented plant-based foods like miso, natto, amazake, kombucha, homebrew beer and lacto-fermented veggies – I think it may be a bit oversimplistic to lump all these together, see http://kimchicancer.blogspot.c… which notes a protective effect for some fermentates and a cancer increased risk with others, e.g. radishes.Fact is, once a fermented food is jarred or canned under heat, the probiotics are killed and it it is worthless as a source of them, preservatives or not. Also, I think it needs to be reiterated that “pickling” can refer to simply adding vinegar to ingredients, again, rendering a food worthless as a source of probiotics! Cultured, lacto-fermented vegetables indeed have a long and illustrious history and regardless of what a few recent questionable studies show, I’ve been consuming them for my 60+ years and will continue to, especially in light of the newish volumes of info (and LOTS of personal experience) regarding the importance of the microbes in our gut as our “second brain”. Like anything else, be moderate, a good overall diet is the most important thing!Sad face! I love kimchi, assumed since it was cabbage with spices that it would be good for you. :(http://www.humanewatch.org/hsus_doc_exposed_as_schlock/ Enough said.Not enough said for me. The article you linked to is simply a reminder of how easy it is to attack another person on the web. It is one thing to disagree and present scientific evidence but it is another thing to call people names and just slam other well meaning organizations that do base their work on research with significant improvement in people’s lives. Even the Harriet Hall in her article linked to at Science-Based Medicine has “cherry picked”, didn’t stick to facts, used gross generalizations, omissions when citing a study and veered off from scientific objectivity. Would Harriet Hall MD actually speak to Michael Greger MD, C. Esselstyn MD, Neal Barnard MD, Dean Ornish MD, John McDougall MD, etc. that way or tone – I can bet not.The causes of cancer are still a mystery, so just take this ‘research’ with a ‘grain of salt ‘ !Wondering if the chile pepper ingredient could be a factor. Though it’s been shown to have anti-cancer properties, a 2010 study showed capsaicin to be carcinogenic for skin cancer: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100902121057.htmAs for sauerkraut, anyone concerned about it having too much sodium can make their own with potassium chloride.I wonder if the fish content of kimchi has anything to do with the formation of carcinogens. I just made a huge batch of vegan kimchi and wonder if I should throw it out now. I wish I had found this video first!Don’t throw it out! People have been eating this for thousands of years! There may be more to these studies than meets the eye or else it would have been apparent long ago! Seriously, think about it! Even too much water can kill you! Relax…it’s a condiment, not a daily meal!This would suggest that non-preserved fermented foods can provide beneficial bacteria, without increasing cancer risk. Kombucha is too risky, how about vegan yogurt or kefir? There is evidence for the benefit of fermented food, but now against preservation. Perhaps due to salt or acidity?“what can’t we eat now?”, “why is there parsley in everything all of a sudden?” ROTFL! *Good healthy laughs* :)Hi dr greger. Are there any studies on gochujang? Is it okay to still use it?Does this mean pickles and sauerkraut are bad for you? If not, what’s the difference?I am curious if there is any more information on pickled and fermented products on this website. I can see that Kimchi and Kombucha aren’t too good for you. I can also see that pickling food may not be great. Is there such thing as a healthy pickled item? Also, what fermented products are good for you? I saw that tempeh was quite healthy (and it’s fermented). Thank you kindly.Apple cider vinegar is still okay, but don’t mess with the pills. Are kimchi and sauerkraut harmful? It seems a little bit of sauerkraut is okay, but there is not much research. Lastly, I like this powerpoint from a dietitian from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle presenting at AICR on fermented and picked foods on cancer risk. Yes, tempeh is fermented and very healthful. The problem with pickles and sauerkraut is their salt content. Perhaps limiting these foods would be a good idea? If I come across more research I’ll post here.Perhaps related, these studies on the relationship between kimchi and gastric cancer risk point out that not all varieties of kimchi have a positive correlation with cancer. (I’m hoping that my own home-fermented vegetables are beneficial):https://cancerkimchi.wordpress.com/ CANCER AND KIMCHI BY DR. JOSEPH C KIM“… Different types of kimchi and stomach cancer “There are many different types of kimchi. Let’s look at these 3 types and see how they are linked to gastric cancer:Baiechu kimchi (prepared with salted Chinese cabbage and red pepper, etc.), Kkakduki (a kind of kimchi prepared with salted radish and red pepper, etc.), Dongchimi (a kind of kimchi prepared with radish and a large quantity of salt water)To assess gastric cancer (GC) risk in relation to dietary intake in Korea, a case-control study was performed. Trained dietitians interviewed 136 patients diagnosed with GC, and the same number of controls were selected by matching sex, age and hospital. A significant decrease in GC risk was observed with increased intake of Baiechu kimchi (prepared with salted Chinese cabbage and red pepper, etc.), Baiechu kimchi-stew, garlic, mushroom and soybean milk. On the contrary, a significant increase in the risk of GC was observed with increased intake of cooked rice with bean, charcoal grilled beef, pollack soup, Kkakduki (a kind of kimchi prepared with salted radish and red pepper, etc.), Dongchimi (a kind of kimchi prepared with radish and a large quantity of salt water) and cooked spinach. In food groups, increased intake of soybean products was associated with decreased risk of GC. Intake of citrus fruits rather than total fruits was shown to have a protective effect on the risk of GC, but was not significant. In this study, intake of total vegetables was shown to have a protective effect, whereas high nitrate-containing vegetables increased the risk of GC. In conclusion, our study suggests that the risk of GC decreased with high consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits, whereas high consumption of foods rich in nitrate and carcinogenic substances produced during the cooking process increased the risk of GC.”Also: “… Nitrate levels are high in kimchi. The full article can be found here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2766547/“	breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cruciferous vegetables,fermented foods,kimchi,men's health,natural toxins,nutrition myths,probiotics,prostate cancer,prostate health,vegetables,women's health	Epidemiological evidence that kim chi consumption may significantly increase cancer risk.	For some more recent videos on fermented foods, see: Bacterial Vaginosis and Diet Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia Carcinogenic PutrescinePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on kimchi. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Soymilk: shake it up! and Breast Cancer and Diet.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kimchi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fermented-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacterial-vaginosis-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20432165,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2409746/,
PLAIN-3181	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-dragon-fruit-good-for-you/	Is Dragon Fruit Good For You?	Last year we learned that there are exotic fruits that we should stay away from. What about, dragon fruit? Where do you get dragon fruit from? You can get it dried at Trader Joes. It’s yummy, but is it harmful, harmless, or helpful? Helpful; we just found out this year it has all sorts of prebiotic goodies to keep our good gut bacteria happy.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fruit. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!thanks for this great informationAre there any treatments /cures for Tinnitus? Thank you, Nancy L.	bile acids,colon health,convenience,dragon fruit,dried fruit,exotic fruit,fruit,gut flora,prebiotics,Trader Joes	The role this exotic fruit plays in health promotion.	Here are some other videos on prebiotics and gut flora: Juicing Removes More Than Just Fiber Preventing Crohn’s Disease With Diet Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO ConnectionPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fruit. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Soymilk: shake it up!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exotic-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dragon-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prebiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/convenience/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/trader-joes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	-
PLAIN-3182	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-dates-good-for-you/	Are Dates Good For You?	Dates are whole foods, but, by weight, are 80% pure sugar. Just to put that in perspective. Froot loops, are only 40% sugar. Half the sugar content of dates—and has fruit-shaped marshmallows, so it’s got to be healthy. Straight frosting? Only 60% sugar. And jellybeans? Only 70% sugar. Dates: 80%. Yes, dates have fiber, they have phytonutrients, but the concern about consuming high sugar foods is that they can raise our blood sugar, raise our triglycerides, oxidatively stress our bodies, and make us fat. So, last year Israeli scientists took a bunch of people, stuffed them full of dates for a month and measured what happened. Are dates bad for us? Does the sugar and fiber kinda cancel each other out? Or are dates good for us? Dates are fantastic. No adverse effects on blood sugar or weight, and beneficial improvements in triglycerides and antioxidant stress levels. Check out the title of this review: possible best food? Concluding that “dates, may be considered as an almost ideal food.”… As an aside, one date scored significantly better than the other. They’re both good, but one’s better. Medjool or the smaller and sweeter halawi dates? Without a doubt, halawi’s better.	I’m Yerba mate Girl, and I am SO thankful about this one!! So dates didn’t raise blood sugar?? And lowered triglycerides? That’s crazy good!!!! So the low fluffing raw fooders may have missed the mark? YEAH!! Going to order from The Date People this year!I love the Date People! I’m averse to endorsing any sort of products or brands, but I’m a huge date fan and these are my favorite. But if anyone has another favorite I’ll certainly check them out.Great information! Thank you!You are absolutely welcome! As an aside, has anyone tried barhi dates? I’ve also seen them spelled barhee. They are my favorite. I freeze them (they are one of the moistest dates) and then eat them with apples and I swear it tastes like the caramel apples of my youth! Any other varieties out there people love that I should try?Yes doctor, its one of the types that widely produced in my country. But its precious very expensive, especially the big size ones. When its yellow prematured, it will be very delicious. After fully matured its better to freeze it. As being frozen the taste will improved.Wrap a date around a pecan and you have an instant pecan pie. You will like this one too!Hadrawi – they are between majhool and halawai. Akmost like best of both in one date. There’s also dekel-noor, which is the dryest date but very sweet (almost like going our with a nredy accountant… ;-) )This is great news! Dates are a favorite treat in our household, I buy medjools at the shuk (open air market) here in Jerusalem. I’ll have to try the barhi and khadrawi varieties. Thanks for the tip about freezing, I’ll try it with the medjools, it sounds like a tasty summer treat.Ooh, I’m jealous Lisa–I bet you get the freshest dates!Despite my best efforts I have never been able to source a halawi date, only medjool. Still looking!I’m sure you can get any kind online, but I’ve found locally my best bets are middle eastern and Indian grocery stores (great place to also get cheap spices). And evidently Ramadan is a good time of the year to find great dates. You’re a little late, but maybe you’ll find some bargains!You can get Delilah Halawi Dates at Fairway.Hi Dr. Greger,Thank you for this fantastic, resourceful website. I’m a bit confused on how much fruit is safe to consume. The study you quote here says it’s healthy but there are other well known Doctors who say one should not consume more than 2 – 3 fruits per day. Apparently it can harm our liver and raise triglycerides? Thanks for clarifying.The only thing I can imagine they’re thinking about is the relationship between rising fructose consumption and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, but the fructose is coming from high fructose corn syrup (mostly from soft drinks) and table sugar, not fruit. See for example this recent article. Fruit may even have beneficial effects, for example this study on prunes and liver function. As far as I (and as far as I can tell the best available science) am concerned, the more fruit the better.Hi Dave23, Dr. Gregers articles provide good information concerning this issue. Fructose is metabolized solely in the liver whereas glucose is metabolized by all cells. Most studies of the adverse effects of fructose have been done on intake of HFCS in beverages. It does raise the concern that the fructose in fruits might be an issue. Fruits contain fructose, glucose and sucrose(half glucose,half fructose). Fruits also come with fiber and nutrients. There are some health care professionals that are speaking of fructose as a bad thing. At this time I know of no studies which would support this conclusion. Eating a variety of whole foods seems to be the best approach. Avoiding sweetened drinks and processed foods with High Fructose Corn Syrup(HFCS) added seems to be best approach.I checked and they said that the issue is not just with high fructose corn syrup but with insulin resistance and fruit can still be an issue. Apparently fruit can be problematic with people that have insulin resistance?Fruits naturally contain sugar, but most do not have a great affect on blood sugar. Watermelon and pineapple are the exceptions because they have a high glycemic index, which means they rapidly increase blood sugar. Fruits are an important component to a healthy whole-foods, plant-based diet. Check out this video on fruit and vegetable recommendations http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/nine-servings-a-day-minimum/. Find out which fruits are best for cancer prevention http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/best-fruits-for-cancer-prevention/. Here is a video on treating diabetes with diet http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/how-to-treat-diabetes/.Please ask for some science to back up their assertions–I’d be happy to review any papers they have, as what I’m seeing in the scientific literature is studies showing phytonutrients in fruits may actually improve insulin sensitivity (see this study on blueberries for instance).Would not naturally occurring sugars, in their whole food state be part of the reason why fruit sugars have health benefits while processed and synthetic sugars have health risks?Hello,I am happy to say I regularly enjoy black sphinx dates as I from, & still live in, the Phoenix area. If you’ve never tried one, I highly recommend them. They’re delicious and taste a bit like honey.If you are unfamiliar, check this out: http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/ark_product_detail/black_sphinx_date/Thank you for your informative site!Thank you for posting the tip!Dr greger,General question on sugar – if 80%+ of my diet is whole food based veganism, how much harm is there in a serious sweet tooth? Several times a week probably, I have banana ice cream (frozen banana, vanilla, soy milk, cocoa powder in vitamix) with chocolate chips and/or homemade chocolate cake (ie whole wheat flour, now dates). Occasionally (several times a month) I indulge in high sugar candy like jelly bellies or vegan candy corn. Other than that, I don’t drink soda (I use either juice or erythritol sweetened drinks with my citrucel/miralax) or eat high sugar cereal (does kashi crunch count?). With that data, is this sweet tooth a problem, and do I need to cut back? Thanks.You don’t have a sweet tooth problem. Humans are made to eat carbs! Your body is craving sweet things because it wants more carbs. Try adding more sweet fruit to your diet.Iggyputty,I don’t want to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong since you addressed your question to Dr. G. So no problem if you don’t want my input.I’ve eaten the whole gamut of diets (omni, veggie, raw, vegan) and am now vegetarian again. I also have a sweet tooth, sometimes more than others. Moderation with it is definitely a wise move. I know that if I’m not eating a wide variety of veggies especially greens I’m depriving myself of lots of vitamins and minerals. Chlorophyl is our friend.All the best…Does this information about dates apply to dried dates as well as fresh? I LOVE dried dates but have tried to avoid them because of the high concentration of sugar.Indeed, this information is totally relevant to dried dates. There is not much water in fresh dates to begin with. The concentration of sugar does not increase with dried vs. fresh dates.Hi Dr. Greger,I’m so confused about the date discussion here – as I am regarding all dried fruits for that matter. For example, dried plums or dried apricots have nearly HALF as much sugar as dates. Considering the research study that you mention, how can date sugar be any different than sugar in ANY dried fruit? Isn’t there ample evidence of the dangers of sugar to the cardiovascular system as well as the addictive nature of sugar in the way it stimulates the same region of the brain as does cocaine? Wouldn’t date sugar have the same affect at least with regard to the addiction factor?Last night’s “60 Minutes” segment on CBS, , presented a compelling case to definitely eliminate processed sugar, but I’m not clear about highly concentrated sugar found in some fruits such as dates.There’s also Dr. Lustig’s widely viewed lecture on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM, that he gave at UCSF that goes into detail regarding the dangers of high concentrations of sugar. Have you viewed these videos, and if so, what are your thoughts?Furthermore, it is certainly not uncommon for the conclusions from a scientific study to be later refuted as more evidence is collected. Isn’t it premature to draw such a conclusion about dates from this one study that you present?I would love to know your thinking on the matter as our family is attempting to follow the healthiest diet possible and cutting out sugar completely won’t fly with most of our members.Thank you so much!Date sugar is not really sugar, its ground up dates. You would be eating a whole food. I don’t know anybody that would say eating fruits is not good for you! Yum! :)Hi Dr Greger, i wanted to ask – Does aerobic exercising and sweating reduce the level sodium on our body and can actually balance the sodium levels of our body?To anyone who sees this, I wanted to share my healthy “brownie” recipe. After seeing the videos about cocoa, dates, and nuts, I knew I had to give it a try, and they turned out DELICIOUS. You will not miss the old brownies after this! And, the best part is, you can eat as many as you want because every single ingredient is healthy!1 c dates 1 c walnuts (I’m sure any nuts will work though) 1/4 c cocoa (or to taste – everyone likes different amounts) 2 tsp vanilla extractPut all of this in a high-powered blender (like Vitamix) and blend to desired consistency. We like ours with chunks of walnut still intact, but you could also blend them perfectly smooth.then what? after you blend it. Do you bake them or just put them in a pan and let it sit and then cut them?Don’t cook. It is a raw recipe!!Thanks. Healthy and sweet. Will try.Actually the high fat will make you lethargic. I was making something similar to this with coconut shreds instead of cocoa and no vanilla and did not feel as optimal as when I do low-fat. Low fat, high carb, fruit based raw vegan is most optimal.No you cannot eat as many as you want just because something is made with “healthy” ingredients…1 cup of dates has 400 calories and 1 cup of walnuts has 800 calories and while these ingredients are healthy ingredients and good for you as opposed to refined sugars and white flour…eating an entire pan of these brownies in one sitting would be 1,200 calories. A healthy calorie is still a calorie and too many calories will make you fat.I know that studies can be wrong, but I’m going to take this one on face value that the high sugar content isn’t a problem. In fact, I’ve even taken to putting a date in my coffee to take the edge off of it (can’t find date sugar). But I have another question, should we be at all concerned about it’s rating as “strongly inflammatory” on the Nutrition Data website. I read somewhere the analytical basis for their ratings is proprietary and many of their inflammation ratings cannot be verified. But is there any reason to go easy based on this rating. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1882/2I am taking it on face value that the results of the study are valid and trump any concern about too much sugar. But I noticed on the Nutrition Data site that dates are rated as “strongly inflammatory. Is there any reason to be concerned about that? As an aside, I have also read from some supporters of that sites, that Nutrition Data’s inflammation ratings are based on secret, proprietary analyses, and therefore cannot be verified. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1882/2Just found a delicious date-based “candy” bar from a UK company – http://www.naturalbalancefoods.co.uk/nakd/One of their bars is called “Pecan Pie” – Ingredients:Dates (52%), Pecans (28%), Almonds (20%), natural flavourSince I just learned that dates are the healthiest sweet, and pecans are the healthiest nut (thanks Doc!) I’ll be ordering up a case of these bars to stave off the occasional sweets cravings.I tried the orange chocolate ones today, they taste like Eatmore bars (or maybe tootsie rolls), only better!Perhaps adding fats, in the form of nuts, to your dates creates a new problem; high blood sugar. Fats may interfere with the work of insulin and slows the uptake of sugar into our cells.ajwa dates are probably the best dates ever,they are grown in arabia,you maybe able to find it in arabian groceries if luckyI love dates ! Could you please link the studies mentioned in this video ? Or do they require some sort of subscription ?Yeah dates. Dates for so many things from sweetening to a carb source for exercise.Any thoughts on whether it is worth paying several times more for organic dates? To your knowledge are pesticide etc residues an issue. What about possible toxicity of natural chemicals used on organic produce. Info I have come across confusing. Any insight much appreciated. Thanks, JohnI love Medjool datesI understand that and why dates are healthy, but what about date butter?I’ve read that dates are a laxative similar to prunes. Is this true? How many dates per day are safe to consume? Thanks!I LOVE your website and great little videos on nutrition, backed up by peer-reviewed literature! I just wandered onto this post on dates. I fell in love with them during my nine years in Egypt and have been fascinated ever since. The dates there are FANTASTIC and quite different than California dates. Eric Hansen, who wrote one of my favorite books ever (On Foot Across Borneo), also wrote two wonderful articles with a lot of good information on dates a few years ago. One on dates in North Africa, the other in California. I have them as PDFs and can send them if you are interested. He mentioned the Flying Disc Ranch and I order from them. The Yellow Barhi (fresh) are my favorites, but I also have about 8 other varieties in my freezer. Thanks for letting us know what I suspected all along; that dates are good for you!My favorite is a Barhi date with 1-2 macademia nuts. Sweet and salty mmmm!I’d love to read both PDF articles, if you are willing to send them.Thank you so much.HEATHERMEDJOOL@GMAIL.COMHi VegasVeganGirl Would love to see the PDFs too…many thanks. stef.moore@hotmail.comcan I say “me, too!”? if anyone would be kind enough to send them to me I would be greatly appreciative. shaynajoy83@gmail.comIS USING DATES SYRUP INSTEAD OF SUGAR AS SWEETENER IN MILK, YOGHURT AND TEA A HEALTHY OPTION? HOW MANY MLS OF DATE SYRUP IS GOOD FOR NON DIABETIC OBESE PERSON?If your goal is to lose fat… you mentioned that the person in question is “obese” you should be eating less calorie dense foods. Since fat is the most calorie dense food relative to carbohydrates and proteins you should be minimizing refined sugar intake and increasing tea and minimizing and hopefully eliminating yoghurt and milk. Best resources to introduce you to the concepts are the DVD available on Jeff Novick’s website entitled, Calorie Density: Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer and the presentation by Doug Lisle, How to Lose Weight without losing your Mind, available on YouTube. You can check out the calorie density of each food on Cronometer by entering food selecting gram(g) as serving size and entering 454(grams per pound). Check out yoghurt, milk, sugar and dates then check out potatoes, vegetables, brown rice and you will get some information. You might enjoy watching John McDougall’s free presentation on his website entitled, The Starch Solution. Good luck.I am new to this site and I enjoy all these videos comparing all these great foods head to head. It is helping me make better decisions. Although I always wondered what is the criteria used to measure a “helpful” or “harmful” foods? because as I suspect, it is a combination of multiple factors that play together to determine how healthy a food is. I get asked that question all the time and it would be helpful to put together a video outlining the test methodology.Once again, great effort and thank you for doing this, it helps to bring that information down to the mere mortals of us.When comparing the best nut, the best bean, or the best berry, it is based on antioxidant content. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-nut-2/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/Hi Doctor. I have a growth in the bladder. I have had tests and seems it is not malignant. I am using molasses and baking soda treatment for cancer anyway. Am wondering if dates would be beneficial to eat.I knew my taste buds weren’t lying to me. Too bad that I’ve never seen Hallawi dates in grocery stores around here. On the positive side, I love Medjool dates.Black mold in medjool dates how toxicI Love dates! AND if they only measured fasting blood sugar and not postprandial highs, they were missing a lot of potential long term damage. One month is really nothing in the scheme of things. Load up your diet w/ dates for several years then get back to me. Watch for fungal infections (like candida overgrowth), rotten teeth, gradually increasing blood sugar spikes. Eventually you may well show increase insulin resistance but that could be way down the line for many. The other things are quite common in those who eat “excessive” fruit like 80-10-10 type diet.80-10-10 doesn’t require copious fruit consumption, as this macronutrient guideline is in line with Dr. Gregers message. A low fat whole foods plant based diet should be very high in carbohydrates from whole plant sources, including complex starches as well as fruits. Fruits tend not to spike blood sugars because of the fiber which allows slow release.I’m so happy they are. I’m doing vegan cuisine–whole-food, plant-based with no sugar, oil or salt, this year, and without dates I’d have a hard time.omnimatty: Congrats on a great diet commitment. You are at a place few people seem able to get to.While I can’t claim to be sugar, oil or salt-free, I share with you a great reliance on dates. So versatile and sweet!Thanks Thea, Day 58, forget about eating out…good thing I love cooking. I have been making date paste and just putting it everywhere. :) Good thing they are potentially the most healthy food :) Those researchers should study me :)I had a date that puffed black powder into my mouth. Is this dangerous?Did you go out with him again?That is hilarious!!!!Puffs like that are generally from molds. Some can be dangerous-like aflatoxin which grows on peanuts. Don’t know which ones grow on dates (yet). Most aren’t a problem in my experience, I don’t cull the occasional moldy nut/seed/berry any more. My system is strong enough to thrive right on. Heck moldy bread brought us penicillin-and the ancients knew that mouldy bread was a good thing long before we the moderns learned why.Wow, Dr. Greger, this is great news from two perspectives. One, I am a whole foods plant-based vegan who eats many dates each day for desserts, snacks and on my bike as energy food ( I am a long-distance cyclist). Dates are to me what energy gels are to most cyclists. Second, I, too, love The Date People. I have been eating their dates for several months now. They are wonderful! I was a bit worried that maybe I was eating too much sugar, but you have put my mind at ease. THANKS!So should we just ignore the glycemic index/glycemic load calculations for dates and other fruits? The GL of one date is about 9, depending of course on the variety. I’ve always heard that we should aim to cap GL at around 100/day. Is that correct?What do you make of these calculations? http://glycemicindex.com/foodSearch.php and http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/7348/2Why do you think that 10 healthy subjects eating 4 dates a day for 4 weeks didn’t have increases in fasting blood glucose? Were they eating dates on an empty stomach– or after meals? Were they eating anything else at the same time that could have slowed down release of sugars? How long after eating dates were their bloods drawn? I’d love to read the entire study.However, I suspect the biggest impact fruits and veggies have is not on increasing lifespan but on quality of life, especially in old age, like the 90-100 year old Okinawans still tending to their gardens.the middle east people testing for goodness of dates is like the ciggy companies testing for how healthy smoking is.Are you implying dates are unhealthy?I think they are implying that it is a conflict of interests.Only where funding is suspect. To assume they are all connected is akin to assuming that all Americans have stock in the fast food industries. Dr. G is really good at exposing such conflicts and letting us know when they exist, even when the conclusions _are_ aligned with the dominant theme of WFPB eating.Dr. Greger, a few months ago I ate my first date, it was great. I cut out all my processed crackers and ate dates instead. However, I noticed I would get a really bad migraine a few hours after consumption and sadly had to stop eating them. Could this be an allergy? Thanks.This is most likely not an allergy. Migraine headaches are often triggered by certain foods. In my clinical practice many of my patients with migraines had success with avoiding food high in tyramine. There are a variety of low tyramine diets on line… the national headache foundation has one. Of course, the first step is to make sure the diagnosis is correct… not all headaches are migraines. If they are I would recommend make a list of everything you ate the 24 hours preceding your headache and cross check with foods listed on the low tyramine diet. In my experience most folks who are under stress eat much differently during stressful periods in their life. Skipping meals leads to larger meals and more tyramine. The amount of tyramine in stored foods goes up during storage so leftovers can be an issue. Eating out can pose challenges. You need to work with your physician(s) but if you can determine your triggers it is always best to prevent migraines. I had one patient decrease migraines by eliminating peanuts. Another found that meat tenderizer was a trigger. The interesting thing is that there are some plant foods that are high in tyramines such as snow peas, olives and raw onions. I couldn’t find dates listed on the diets i checked but it doesn’t matter if they are on a diet or not if they trigger your headaches you should avoid. Good luck.Can some one with Type 2 diabetes eat dates safely? And how many?See this video @ 2:00 for information on the glycemic response from dates relative to sugar water. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/I make a mock sweet potato pie with microwaved sweet potato(es), dates, cinnamon (preferably ceylon), ground ginger, allspice, and some nutmeg. I may also put some frozen berries on top.Melissa: Sounds so yummmm! I’ve heard people share similar ideas before. I just need to get down and actually do it.Phew!! I was almost afraid to open that video :-D, If dates turned out bad it would have been bad for me since I use them in smoothies and munch on a few when I need a snack. Surrounded by Mid-Eastern and Indian stores dates are quite readily available around where I am.Ravi: I know what you mean! I’m a fan of dates too. Lucky you to have such a nice supply around.What are your thoughts on Lara bars? Is date paste healthy for blood glucose support?2014 harvest Organic dates have arrived at SunOrganic Farm. Have them delivered to your door…www.SunOrganic.comA friend of mine made me a snack of medjool dates stuffed with cocoa dusted almonds and sprinkled with cayenne pepper after we had spent the day outside and I was feeling very run down and low on energy. Not only were they delicious, but they perked me up within 10 minutes of eating them! I am now eating this as a pre-workout snack and was happy to find this information confirming that I’m not harming myself by doing so. Thank you!That sounds fantastic, sweet and hot with cocoa! thanks for sharing.Here is a helpful feature about dates: http://valerietonnerhealthcoach.blogspot.ca/p/healthy-recipes.html	antioxidants,candy,dates,fiber,Froot Loops,junk food,marshmallows,oxidative stress,phytonutrients,sugar,triglycerides,weight loss	Do the beneficial phytonutrients in dates make up for their high sugar content?	For more recent videos on dates and other fibrous fruits, watch: Do Fruit & Nut Bars Cause Weight Gain? Dried Apples, Dates, Figs or Prunes for Cholesterol? How to Reach the Antioxidant “RDA”Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on dried fruit. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Soymilk: shake it up! and Best Dried Fruit For Cholesterol 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/12/best-dried-fruit-for-cholesterol/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dried-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marshmallows/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/candy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dates/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/froot-loops/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/triglycerides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-reach-the-antioxidant-rda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19681613,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12850886,
PLAIN-3183	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-chili-peppers-good-for-you/	Are Chili Peppers Good For You?	Endorphins are wonderful things, but there’s been longstanding concern that chili pepper ingestion may cause stomach inflammation, which could lead to bleeding, stomach cancer—but only recently have we started to get some good data. Are chili peppers bad for us, neither good nor bad, or good for us? Are chili peppers good for you? You betcha. If fact they even prevent stomach irritation. Check this out: you give a drug like ibuprofen and you can burn a hole through your stomach and start bleeding internally, but the more chilies, the less bleeding, the more stomach lining protection. The balance of evidence suggests chili peppers may actually prevent cancer and ironically have an anti-inflammatory role within the body. Chili peppers are health-promoting foods.	I’ve been growing and eating these things for years. Their healthfulness is no secret. Vitamin C and Capsicum are the bomb! Who knows what else they contain that has not been quantified? This years crop only included Jalapenos, but in previous years, I’ve had some awesome Habaneros, hot enough to burn your socks off! Mixing them with tomatoes in salsa is a winning combo. “I eat local because I can”- says one of my T-shirts.Whoa–habaneros are too rich for my blood! But you’re absolutely right about the myriad phytonutrient compounds. And in fact a new study published last month found that they varied widely between peppers so I like your multi-pepper strategy. The more the better!However, I’ve read just the opposite in some instances. Other research has shown strong connections between gastric and skin cancers and chili peppers and capcaicin. See, for example this research:http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/139/3/263.shorthttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100902121057.htmDr. Greger, can you help in clearing up this confusion and debate? Thanks.Hi Dr. Greger and thanks for the information. I have a question, however.In some instances I’ve read about deleterious results (gastric and skin cancers) from capsaicin and hot peppers. See, for example this research:http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/139/3/263.shorthttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100902121057.htmDr. Greger, can you help in clearing up this confusion and debate? Thank you much and keep up the great work!I’m so glad you brought that up Maybush! The sciencedaily piece you mentioned just appears to deal with rodents, so you may not want to share any salsa your pet mouse but as a physician rather than veterinarian I have a bias towards human data. The Mexico study you mention did certainly give the medical community pause (when it was performed 20 years ago) but later studies (including data suggesting a cancer-fighting effect) led the most recent reviewers of the subject to conclude chili peppers are safe.Great news and great points! Thanks again Dr. Greger.hi, dr Gregger, i’m from romania and i have some questions about stomach related issues.. what about gastritis,  acid reflux, helicobacter pylori cure an prevention with a plant base diet ? I’m a vegan and i have this problem with my stomach, exception made helicobacter pylori. (I got rid of helicobacter pylori after I began to eat a plant base diet). I need some suggestions on what to eat or maybe some legumes and fruits that reduce gastric acid. thank you very much. (sorry for my bad english)Thanks for the reply Mr. Don Forrester. I appreciate it very much !!I’d love your insight into nightshades and it’s affect on rheumatoid arthritis. I don’t know to actually avoid them as I’ve been told or if they really aren’t so harmful, as I am a vegan and don’t eat meat, eggs, or dairy. Thank you!Several studies say that the regular consumption of spicy-hot capsicum peppers (including jalapeno, serrano, habanero, cayenne, chili, tabasco, chipotle, anaheim, pepperoncini, pimientos, and yellow wax/banana peppers, etc.) will approximately double a person’s risk of developing both stomach cancer and liver cancer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12208187 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12800206 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17365137 http://www.scgcorp.com/pdf/scg_written_11.pdfChili powder, cayenne powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, and other powdered or dried peppers very frequently contain cancer-causing nitrosamines, aflatoxins, and ochratoxins. However, people who regularly consume fresh garlic, fresh onions, and/or fresh green onions to “spice up” their food will enjoy about a 50% reduction in their overall cancer risk. My best guess is that eating sweet bell peppers is perfectly safe [despite high pesticide residues] and that they will almost certainly help in slightly lowering our cancer risk: http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/2012-shoppers-guide-to-pesticides-the-dirty-dozen-clean-15In the case of kimchee (pickled cabbage), most of the increased cancer risk can be blamed on the nitrosamines and only part of the increased cancer risk can be blamed on the red pepper flakes: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-kimchi-good-for-you/Hi Doc, mind if I ask you which software do you use for these videos? They’re very nice and professional!MarkKeynote! :)I have read that there is a substance in nightshades (peppers,eggplant,potatoes and tomatoes which inhibits healthy cartilage formation,suggesting those with arthritis should avoid those vegitables. what does the preponderance of research reveal,fact?or fiction?I can testify to the healing powers of chili peppers. Just six months ago, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and had a nasty case of gastritis, colitis, and multiple small bowel ulcers. Inflammation central. I started taking about one tablespoon worth of cayenne chili pepper a day, and noticed a considerable decline in the amount of pain I was experiencing, which was great! I had repeat scopes done a couple of weeks ago, and all of the tissue looked pink and beautiful. The gastritis is completely gone, the colitis is completely gone, and more than half of the ulcers have healed (some still remain, but they look much much better than they did). All of this was done without pharmaceuticals.Going against medical advice is always a gamble since we’re taught to put our faith in doctors because they know what’s best. In my experiences, I’ve found intuition and focusing on nutrition to be more helpful than western medicine.I remember type 1 diabetic rat i think it was had capsaicin injected into its pancreatic artery and reversed its diabetes and 2 years later still diabetes free! How is that for the healing power of nature :PHi Dr do u know this small pepper I know it as bird pepper I heard if good for the body is it trueI’m curious as to your thoughts as to these studies, both newer than the oldest Mexican study you cite.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12208187 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12800206 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22414649 A few months ago I started taking daily cayenne (whole herb from GNC – ~2,000 mg/day [max the bottle suggests is 3,000), mainly to help with blood pressure concerns (which worked!), but also as a natural blood thinner, cardiovascular supporter, metabolism booster, etc. However, some of the stomach cancer articles and concerns I saw made me discontinue it (though I still eat a healthy amount of spicy food and don’t plan to ever give that up). Would love to know if your opinion at this time is that current science supports its safety as a supplement, or if you think people should stick with keeping it part of diet but continue abstaining in supplementary form. Thanks!Hi All/ Michael! I have been reading articles that claim that Capsicum is technically a neurotoxin and that it will activate a response from the adrenal glands. What are your thoughts on this? Do the benefits of chillis outweigh this?Cheers!Chili peppers give me hives. I have had chronic hives for over 5 years. Still trying to figure out if bell peppers are a trigger. Am pretty satisfied that Eggplant is a trigger and maybe canned tomatoes as it seems i can’t pin triggers on fresh tomatoes. I have dramatically cut back on all meat, eggs, fish and dairy and do see an improvement. It is difficult to switch to a whole food plant based diet but am getting better all the time.Oh forgot to mention, the pic is from stupidly eating a few baby back ribs. I no longer care for pork.Eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes? Sounds like you might have a problem with nightshade plants?Ed, I have been doing my best to avoid all the nightshades now. It does seem to help. My bad foods list seems to grow and grow. Alcohol, all meats, dairy, nightshades. My boyfriend is a foodie and likes to go out a lot. I find it very difficult to avoid all my bad foods when we go out. Bell peppers, tomatoes and potatoes or some cheese is everywhere. Even if I stick to the salad or veggie section of a menu, I more often than not find there is nothing I can eat. The Ceasar salad with no dressing (egg), no parmesan is really a dry romaine lettuce bowl. I am the big kill joy in this family.I’m curious about how healthy chilli is when it is cooked, considering that capsicum is best uncooked. Any comments? Thanks :)Hello! May be an off-topic: I was actually looking for some article or video about solanine in nightshades. The question is: shall we eat nightshades because of all their goodness – antioxidants etc – or shall we avoid them because of their containing solanine?	cancer,chili peppers,endorphins,internal bleeding,nightshades,nutrition myths,spicy food,stomach inflammation,stomach ulcers	Do chili peppers promote or protect against stomach inflammation?	What else do peppers do? Check out: Which Vegetable Binds Bile Best? Hot Sauce in the Nose for Cluster Headaches? Cayenne Pepper for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Chronic IndigestionPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on chili peppers. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Soymilk: shake it up!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chili-peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-ulcers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endorphins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nightshades/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spicy-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/internal-bleeding/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-vegetable-binds-bile-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-sauce-in-the-nose-for-cluster-headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cayenne-pepper-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-chronic-indigestion/	-
PLAIN-3184	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/	Plant-Based Diet & Mood	Speaking of chilling out, there’s a stereotype. The angry vegetarian. Who wants to eat healthy if it will just make you cranky? Well, a new study was just released on the emotional health and mood states of vegetarians. We know about the physical health benefits, but might that come at a cost to their mental health, particularly with regard to mood. They used two two psychological tests: What’s called a Profile of Mood States, looking at depression, anger, hostility, fatigue, confusion. And the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, designed to measure negative mood states: depression, hopelessness, lack of interest, anhedonia—which means lack of pleasure—anxiety, stress, agitation, irritability, and impatience with people. What do you think they found. Fact or fiction: Vegetarians tend to be, on average, more depressed, anxious, and sad. Fiction. Vegetarians report significantly less negative emotion than omnivores. Why, though? They offer two explanations: First, if you’re unhealthy, if you’re sick all the time, going back and forth to doctors, dealing with HMOs—of course you’re going to be more irritable, stressed, and depressed. So they suggest the emotional health of vegetarians may in part be a result of their superior physical health. The second reason may be arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid is taken in through the diet, metabolized in the body to produce inflammatory mediators. In fact that’s how anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen work, by interfering with the conversion of arachidonic acid into compounds that produce inflammation, pain, and swelling. Where is arachidonic acid found in our diet? Here’s a list of the top ten sources in the United States. Overwhelmingly, chicken and eggs, though there’s also some in beef, pork, fish, and other animal products. So maybe one reason vegetarians are, on average, so much happier, more positive, is that arachidonic acid is a key substrate for the synthesis of proinflammatory compounds in the body which can adversely affect mental health via a cascade of neuroinflammation. So omnivores may be more negative, depressed, stressed, hopeless, in part because their brains are so inflamed by their diet.	I had read elsewhere that folks with some AA did better with DHA supplementation.If you remember where you saw that please pass it along.I’m wondering if seventh day adventists might be more positive than the general population. Has a similar study been done of vegetarians who are more representative of the general population?The experimental and control groups were both randomized groups of Adventists, so one would expect this to not have played a role, but to answer your question, no, I haven’t seen anything similar. I’ll keep my eyes out though. Thank you for the question!Thanks for this video, it is very informative! By the way, is it possible for us to get a copy of the whole original study? One of my friends is very interested, and asked me about it.Dr. Greger’s link gives the whole article if it is available for free. Since he only gives the abstract here you would have to pay for it. Many journals charge for articles. If you have access to a medical library or even a good science library you might be able to have them order it for you. I’m fortunate to have access to a medical librarian so I just request the article. As an alternative you might address a letter to the author of the study asking for a reprint. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.Dr.Greger, I was wondering, can the hormones found in meat and dairy, both naturally occurring and the additional hormones that the animals are given on factory farms, cause mood swings? Would a person suffering from a mood disorder benefit from eating a plant-based diet and ridding their body of all the extra hormones found in meat and dairy?I know this is a year old, but on this site I have seen plenty of indications that the naturally occurring hormones in cow (and goat) milk are biologically active in humans. Organic milk doesn’t help since milk naturally has hormones even when nothing is added. For example, look up acne on the site here and you’ll find plenty of articles about how milk may exacerbate acne (which is widely regarded as being caused by hormones, hence the reason it flares up in the teen years… though it can persist for much longer perhaps due to diet). I’m not sure about hormones in meat.In considering the video associated with the study, “Restriction of meat, fish, and poultry in omnivores improves mood: a pilot randomized controlled trial,” I find this research and video confusing when compared to the Wikipedia entry on Arachidonic Acid (ARA). See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachidonic_acid. There it’s noted that ARA is crucial for: muscle growth. {“Through its conversion to active components such as the prostaglandin PGF2alpha, arachidonic acid is necessary for the repair and growth of skeletal muscle tissue.[10] This role makes ARA an important dietary component in support of the muscle anabolic process.”}; and for brain health including early neurological development {“Arachidonic acid is one of the most abundant fatty acids in the brain, and is present in similar quantities to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The two account for approximately 20% of its fatty acid content.[12] Like DHA, neurological health is reliant upon sufficient levels of arachidonic acid. Among other things, arachidonic acid helps to maintain hippocampal cell membrane fluidity.[13] It also helps protect the brain from oxidative stress by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma.[14] ARA also activates syntaxin-3 (STX-3), a protein involved in the growth and repair of neurons.[15]”} What about dietary arachidonic acid and inflammation? “Under normal metabolic conditions, the increased consumption of arachidonic acid is unlikely to increase inflammation. ARA is metabolized to both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory molecules.[20] Studies giving between 840 mg and 2,000 mg per day to healthy individuals for up to 50 days have shown no increases in inflammation or related metabolic activities.[20][21][22][23] Increased arachidonic acid levels are actually associated with reduced pro-inflammatory IL-6 and IL-1 levels, and increased anti-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor-beta.[24] This may result in a reduction in systemic inflammation.” Finally from Wikipedia: “Health effects of arachidonic acid supplementation – Arachidonic acid supplementation in daily dosages of 1,000-1,500 mg for 50 days has been well tolerated during several clinical studies, with no significant side-effects reported. All common markers of health including kidney and liver function,[22] serum lipids,[26] immunity,[27] and platelet aggregation[21] appear to be unaffected with this level and duration of use. Furthermore, higher concentrations of ARA in muscle tissue may be correlated with improved insulin sensitivity.[28] Arachidonic acid supplementation by healthy adults appears to offer no toxicity or significant safety risk.” So is ARA necessary for muscular and brain health, or should it be eliminated from diet? Could these mood test results be an example of the placebo effect? The omnivores who became vegan understood that they were radically changing their diet unlike the other subjects; in a double-blind experiment the subjects do not have such information.Even if it was placebo, hey it’s working. But I doubt it. Vegetarians often face marginalization, negative stereotypes, and a barrage of meat promotion. The study may underestimate the mood-enhacing effects of a veg diet.I transitioned quickly from an omnivorous diet to a vegan diet in January 2012. Almost immediately, I noticed that my mood improved. My chronic daily anxiety (I awoke every morning in fight-or-flight mode) and low-level depression that I had suffered from for years improved almost immediately, and within a few weeks they were nonexistent. I’m so glad to hear!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Inflammation, Diet, and “Vitamin S”!I regularly see patients fill out a self depression analysis  survey before and after their 18 day lifestyle program and our statistics indicate very high upward shifts in mood with the vegan diet.I heard when total cholesterol is too low…under 130 or so one can experience anxiety/depression….happened to me…..feel much better now my total cholesterol is 170This explains why my sister who has had a long standing mental health issue has been significantly better since she has become vegan.I still have serious mental health issues, even though I was a vegetarian from age 11 to 15, vegan from 15 to 22, and then “mostly vegan” with a few backyard eggs a year for the last year. I have no doubt that my diet and active lifestyle plays a huge part in keeping me healthy, but I don’t think I would be alive without the help of anti-depressants and anti-psychotics. My body stopped producing enough serotonin when I was an adolescent. Even with healthy eating, I can’t overcome the deficiency, but merely maintain my levels – is there a way that I can get my body producing the good stuff properly again? I already go out of my way to eat plant-based foods high in L-trypothan. I also have started on EPA supplements, to overcome the “brain fog” caused by the anti-depressants. I’m told to get 1000mg a day. I would prefer to try and boost these levels with food, rather than supplements, but it is hard to get enough from food-alone. Do you think going on the supplements for a few months is enough to boost this, and then I’ll be able to maintain this with food naturally high in EPA? I look forward to your opinion – thank you!Avoid all grains, especially gluten grains. This changed my life as a vegan. Most beans as well. Eat romaine, spinach for omega 3. Lots of fruit and veggies. Eliminate caffeine. But please, no wheat, no gluten grains! If you want to get specific, check out the “SCD” diet. Good luck.I’m coeliac, so I don’t eat gluten. I eat fresh greens everyday, and my omega3 (and 6) levels are fine. I need beans for protein. I treated my mental illness successfully with medication and therapy. Plant-based diets aren’t a magical cure-all. I love being vegan, but medication has improved my life just as much.I felt a bit better when I went Vegan but I felt worlds better when I started counting how much fat I was eating and then reducing it. I also lost a crazy amount of weight and moved out of home where I was surrounded by negative depressing family members. I was depressed in that time from fat and negative people.Conclusions: In Western cultures vegetarian diet is associated with an elevated risk of mental disorders.Vegetarian diet and mental disorders: results from a representative community survey International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2012, 9:67 doi:10.1186/1479-5868-9-67http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/9/1/67Hello…. I have a 3 month old baby and its normal to have poor or disrupted sleep in the first few months. About 3 weeks ago i lost my ability to fall asleep. I just cannot fall asleep. Feel like a zombie. Tried all kinds of homeopathic and over the counter sleep aids, ambien, lunesta, and i still cannot fall asleep. I took xanax one night and i slept, then i took xanax the following night and was wide awake all night. It is fair to say that in the last 3 weeks i have not slept more than 20 hrs. Its a pretty exhausting and miserable way of being so i went to see a sleep specialist. Going to a sleep study in few days. When the doc asked me if i did anything different the day i stopped being able to fall asleep, it didnt register with me to tell him that that same day i went on the south beach diet – no fruits/carbs, only low fat meat and veggies…..i lost 10 lbs in a week…. Reading through the article, is it possible that my drastic elimination of fruits and carbs, along with already disbalanced hormones due to pregnancy/delivery has caused my sleeping disorder? I have introduced carbs and fruits in the past week but still no luck with falling asleep… Perhaps the body needs time to adjust.Anna, I am not a health professional but I have a lot of experience with gut health and also sleep issues and I know that when my stomach is upset that I cannot sleep at all sometimes… like right now. I find that eating fermented foods really helps me get to sleep and feel better. Maybe you should try eating more fermented food products like soy kefir, sauerkraut, and other fermented vegetables.	Adventist Health Studies,aggression,animal products,anxiety,arachidonic acid,beef,brain health,chicken,depression,eggs,fatigue,happiness,inflammation,medications,mental health,mood,omnivores,pain,plant-based diets,pork,poultry,red meat,seafood,stress,vegetarians,white meat	The putative role of arachidonic acid, a fatty acid found in animal products, in mood alteration as a result of brain inflammation.	For more videos on mood and food found here: Antioxidants and Depression Exercise vs. Drugs for Depression The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin Fighting the Blues With Greens? The Best Way to Boost SerotoninPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on vegetarians. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Inflammation, Diet, and "Vitamin S", How To Boost Serotonin Naturally, Saffron vs. Prozac for Depression, and How Probiotics Affect Mental Health	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/15/boost-serotonin-naturally/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/12/saffron-vs-prozac-for-depression/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anxiety/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aggression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/happiness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-blues-with-greens-mao-inhibitors-in-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-and-depression/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-vs-drugs-for-depression/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19897346,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20515497,
PLAIN-3185	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannabis-receptors-food/	Cannabis Receptors & Food	In 1973, scientists discovered that we have specific receptors in our brain for opiate drugs like heroin and morphine. Since we didn’t evolve shooting up, it stood to reason that there were natural compounds produced by our bodies that fit into those receptors. So we went looking, discovered them, and named them “endogenous morphines,” or endorphins for short. And endorphins are good, they’re our natural pain relievers, released during exercise, the consumption of spicy food, and orgasm. So, there are healthier ways to stimulate these receptors than shooting up heroin. In 1990, scientists discovered that we have specific receptors in our brain for the active ingredient in marijuana as well, cannabinoids like THC. Since we didn’t evolve toking up, it stood to reason that there were natural compounds produced by our bodies that fit into those receptors. So we went looking, discovered them, and named them endocannabinoids, endogenous cannabinoids. And endocannabinoids are good, they’re one of our bodies ways to ease nausea, ease pain, generally chill us out. The question is, is there a way to get the good without the bad, stimulate these receptors without smoking marijuana. What’s so bad about smoking marijuana? Lung cancer. Smoking just a single joint is like smoking an entire pack of cigarettes. The worst death I ever witnessed in my medical career, the one that gives me the most nightmares, was a lung cancer victim gasping for breath being drowned by their tumors. It was hideous. Please don’t smoke—anything. Smoke inhalation is bad no matter what the source. Thankfully, researchers discovered a food this year that stimulates cannabinoid receptors, so you can get the benefits without the risks. Which food was it? Was it broccoli, coconuts, garlic, green tea, mushrooms, or tomatoes? It was the tea.	Michael,How can we believe in any study? It seems they can always refute each other.VeguyanBy Marc Kaufman Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, May 26, 2006 The largest study of its kind has unexpectedly concluded that smoking marijuana, even regularly and heavily, does not lead to lung cancer.ScienceDaily (Apr. 17, 2007) — The active ingredient in marijuana cuts tumor growth in common lung cancer in half and significantly reduces the ability of the cancer to spread, say researchers at Harvard University who tested the chemical in both lab and mouse studies.It’s not conflicting data. The 2007 study used cannabis extract. If you want to get that same effect then you should juice a few ounces of marijuana and drink that daily. Unless you heat it the THC won’t be activated and you won’t get high..or in the case of consuming a few ounces you won’t pass out for a few day’s.Smoking marijuana does not provide you with nearly enough cannabinoids and you still get all the toxic effects of smoke.If you are going to use recreationally then either eat (after heating it..brownies) it or vaporize it to minimize the harmful combustion products.What about vaporizing marijuana?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20451365“Pulmonary function in cannabis users: Support for a clinical trial of the vaporizer.”“These preliminary data reveal meaningful improvements in respiratory function, suggesting that a randomized clinical trial of the cannabis vaporizer is warranted. The vaporizer has potential for the administration of medical cannabis and as a harm reduction technique.”WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Jan. 29 — Smoking a single marijuana joint may be as carcinogenic to the lung as 20 tobacco cigarettes, researchers here determined.ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2008) — A new study finds that the development of bullous lung disease occurs in marijuana smokers approximately 20 years earlier than tobacco smokers.ScienceDaily (Aug. 5, 2009) — In a finding that challenges the increasingly popular belief that smoking marijuana is less harmful to health than smoking tobacco, researchers in Canada are reporting that smoking marijuana, like smoking tobacco, has toxic effects on cells.All of these, tests were done on Chimpanzees, the only way to “Make” Them smoke a marijuana cigarette is to FILL the room with smoke until they dont breath anything but smoke, further causing respiratory problems, so on so on, the actual effects of Marijuana are much less harmful then smoking Tobaco, i got cancer from smoking tobaco, and got cured by….you guessed it, MARIJUANAwrong! ccic.net get reading! I’m sooo in Cannada and you gotta read the wholes studies eh! And remember they are controlled studies by corps. and gov.s to make their drugs be in the best light. Veguyan you will be convinced of radiation and chemo, nothing I can do about that other than to get you to trust the earth dude. Be your first opinion. Meducate yourself! .trythis … http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21749363BOTTOM LINE: I AIN’T SMOKIN’!Thank you for bringing up this important larger point. What does one do in the face of conflicting evidence? The answer is to look at the balance of evidence and ask yourself before making any decision “What does the best available evidence show right now?” Unfortunately, sometimes the media fails to put new study results in context and so you get this kind of intellectual whiplash back and forth. In terms of the purported link between smoking cannabis and lung cancer, although doubts have been raised, the latest review continues to raise strong concerns. It seems smoke inhalation is not good for your lungs, whether from a burning building or bogie.What about the benefits of medical cannabis or drinking marijuana tea etc ? ie vs smoking it ? Currently discussing this on my Facebook page …To Ryan.. I have the same question. Smoking anything is bad, so that does not make marijuana bad. Im sure smoking GREEN TEA is bad! We seem to be avoiding the question of whether or not the cannabinoids in marijuana are bad themselves, not the smoke. Why has this not been addressed?Hey Andrew, thanks for reminding me about this post. Cannabis Sativa (Ganja/Marijuana/Weed) has a greater deal of complexity in regards to the cannabinoids that have been found to have medicinal value with continuing studies suggesting its usefulness against diseases such as cancer and maybe more.HOWEVER, regarding NUTRITION, Cannabis Indica is of more interest to me as its a complete protein with only between .03-1.5% of the psychoactive compound known as Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which has higher concentration of between 5-10% in Cannabis Sativa. Since most if not all of the THC is removed in Industrial Hemp (aka Cannabis Indica) , I would like to see more nutrition facts about Hemp Milk and Hemp Seeds which imported to us here in Jamaica from America and (mostly ) Canada. Oh the Irony ….Bogie. HAHAHA! How West Coastal of you.What about cannabis vaporization?what? one cig of marijuana causes cancer? Breathing air not smoke is definitely better; even so, I have a hard time believing one marijuana cig does all that damage …..That is not what the statement is. The statement basically is that one joint is equal to roughly 20 regular cigarettes.Anyone who thinks that incense is ‘cleaning the air’ is completely delusional. As the Dr says, any kind of smoke inhalation is not good for your lungs. This is due to the toxicity of small particulates. I heard a lecture about small particulates about 15 years ago from an air quality expert. By the way, to all smokers, it makes your breath, your clothes, your car, and your house smell very bad, too. You can’t really cover up the smell, it still seeps through the other smells, but your nose is used to the smoke, unlike everyone else’s noses.It seems like eating or drinking cannabis would be safer and healthier. That’s why “a friend of mine” always eats his pot.So we should you know smoke tea right, hehHi Dr. Greger…excellent information, as usual. I’m just wondering are there other foodstuffs which can influence cannabinoid receptors? Thanks…decaf or regular!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!Hey, does herbal teas ( like hibiscus tea ) stimulate endocannabinoid receptors too? or in the video does all kinds of tea stimulate them?Herbal teas, such as hibiscus, are not truely teas because they are not part of the Camellia sinensis family. Teas in that family, such as green and white tea, contain catechins. Catechins stimulate cannabinoid receptors found in the brain.Dr. Greger I have a question. The fat foods stimulate the endocannabinoid receptors and they cause a sort of addiction, why we can’t stop eating chips but we don’t feel the same when we drink green tea?Can you do more videos on all aspects of marijuana and its different forms of consumptionHI!I don`t have the patience to read all the comments. :)So, you maybe have get this question before; Is it just tea thats stimulates cannabinoides?Or are there any other supplement or food that stimulates cannabinoides?Kindly regards/ SImonHow about this?http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/09/42-medical-studies-that-prove-cannabis-can-cure-cancer.htmlThere is NO evidence that smoking marijuana causes cancer.Be careful with all or none statements, as there is some evidence showing that marijuana can indeed contribute to cancer growth.http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-can-you-believe-in-any-study/Should you really use the name “Toxins”. Kind of creepy!!Some Toxins are quite pleasurable :)What about smoker’s vaporizors?.. which can be used with marijuana extract cartridges.What about Marijuana tea? Meaning, what about when Marijuana is not smoked but drank? I’m not a user and neither for or against, I’m just curious.Ah, there is a documentary I watched today about medicinal marijuana and they don’t recommend smoking it for treatment BUT said that there was an epidemiological study that found no connection between smoking marijuana and lung cancer.Just wonder who has the write info here Doc.This is the doco I watched –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvVQ-s-o0nAI think its somewhere in the second half they cite a study they did to find that.I was discussing medical marijuana use with my neighbor, who said that a Dr. William Courtney M.D. advocates drinking un-heated juice that is juiced or blended from cannabis leaves. The doctor asserts that CBD and THCA are powerful antioxidants that are beneficial in the treatment of many forms of cancer.Your thoughts Dr.?Isnt that study talking about cannabis cigs that are mixed with tobacco? because my friend told me about a study that sounds very similar to this and when I googled it I came across some info that what the study failed to mention was that in england (where it took place I guess) they add tobacco to the cannabis mix, and because when you smoke weed you hold it into your lungs, mixing it with tobacco makes it to where you are not just holding cannabis in your lungs but also tobacco! and holding the tobacco is the reason for the increased risk of cancer, since cig smokers never ever hold in a cig but they do when its mixed with the cannabis in an attempt to hold in the goodys.I invite anyone interested to do further research into: smoking cannabis and lung cancer; ingesting raw cannabis; cannabinoids present in cannabis and their effects; us government patents on cannabinoids. It’s mind blowing (even without smoking it) what this plant is capable of, despite how it was demonized for decades.What about eaten cannabis or eaten CDB(non-carboxylated non-THCA active) or cannabis oil (descarboxilated THCA active)?have there been any documented cases of lung cancer in people who only smoke marijuana & not cigarettes?Now that cannabis has become legal in more states and in more contexts, what if anything is known about the health benefits or risks of consuming cannabis or cannabinoids that have been absorbed into cooking oils, as is done in edible cannabis foods (marijuana brownies and the like)? Is any of the cancer danger that we see in cannabis smoke lessened or eliminated if the cannabis is consumed as a food instead of as smoke? (Obviously, there are health concerns associated with eating brownies at all, since they’re typically made with refined flour, sugar, and oil, so my question is more to do with the cannabinoids alone and not with the risk that’s inherent in eating refined oils and the like.)Too good not to share: http://youtu.be/UX-6FO5zq_8I would suggest, that when your videos become outdated, as your sources to support them, please remove them so you’re not passing on false claims.How do you feel about this article on fasting regularly to stimulate white blood cells during chemo treatment. http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/06/05/fasting-for-three-days-renews-entire-immune-system-protects-cancer-patients-remarkable-new-study-finds/ it sounds a bit counter productive. But anything is a worth a go.Aloha,While I agree 100% that smoking anything is bad for your health, I would think that Jamaican Rastafarians would all be dead or dying by now if the one joint equals 20 cigarettes were completely true. Here is a group for which one joint (spliff) would be the equivalent of 5 regular joints. If this particular study were to be validated, I would think research on Rastafarians in Jamaica would tell the tale. Something to remember, the diet of Rastafarians is Ital (plant based). A big concern for me is people who are rolling cannabis with tobacco leaf or cigars( blunt).Is this true to white tea, too?	brain health,broccoli,cancer,Cannabis,coconuts,cruciferous vegetables,endocannabinoids,endorphins,exercise,garlic,green tea,lung cancer,lung health,mental health,mood,mushrooms,nausea,orgasm,pain,smoking,spicy food,tea,tobacco,tomatoes,vegetables	Researchers discover a food that stimulates human cannabinoid receptors.	For more on the subject, see Human Neurotransmitters in Plants.Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog post: Raspberries Reverse Precancerous Lesions	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/orgasm/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endorphins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cannabis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocannabinoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spicy-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/human-neurotransmitters-in-plants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19897346,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4687585,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2308954,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18238942,
PLAIN-3186	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/	Is Protein Bad to the Bone?	Is protein “bad to the bone”? The thought is that dietary protein creates a metabolic acid load that has to be buffered by calcium from the bones, and so someone who eats a lot of protein—particularly animal protein, which has a higher acid-forming sulphur content—is basically peeing their bones down the toilet. Is this fact, or fiction? We used to think it’s fact, but now we know the best science says it is fiction	Best 33 seconds of info on protein and bones I’ve seen in a long time!Thanks–that means a lot coming from you.Yikes! Just got DEXA backbone scan results of Osteoporosis…. upgrade from reports of osteopenia for previous scans. age 67…. grandparent history of Osteoporosis. I am a two year “smart… doing it the right way” vegetarian. ( no fish, eggs or dairy ) I need to reverse this diagnosis….. do you think I can ? I also do water aerobics three times per week.I don’t think you can reverse this diagnosis…however there are many things that you can do to slow the progress… A strict vegetarian diet may lack essential nutrients Eat calcium-rich foods, for example• Dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese (low-fat milk and skimmed milk contain less saturated fat and are healthier choices)• Seafood eaten with bones or shells, such as whitebait, dried silver fish and dried shrimps• Soya bean products such as tofu, fortified soy milk, soy chicken, beancurd stick and beancurd sheet• Dark green leafy vegetables, e.g. white cabbage, broccoli and Chinese flowering cabbage• Nuts, e.g. almond and sesame• Ensure adequate vitamin D intake, such as egg yolk and fortified milkLimit caffeine (coffee & tea ) Limit Alcohol Perform weight-bearing exercises (Swimming …while it is certainly good for you…will not strengthen bones) Good Luck !!!Before I went vegan, as a result of a spinal injury, and to reduce pain and inflammation and avoid Cortisone steroid injections for the rest of my life, I ate vast amounts of dairy including skimmed milk, low fat cheese, and lots of yogurt. It did NOT prevent osteoporosis, which I was diagnosed with in 2006 after fracturing my hip. Nor did eating salmon or other cold water fish give me enough vitamin D. In fact, the old recommendations on vitamin D were inadequate and not protective.Since 1992, when our first computer was purchased, I moved inside to explore the worldwide web and received little sun to get vitamin D through my skin. At the same time, physicians were saying to stay out of the sun between the hours of 10-2 to prevent skin cancer.Now I’m learning that I should be in the sun during those hours to accumulate vitamin D3 through my skin, and that my skin needs to be pink to know that enough is achieved.Did I get osteoporosis from misinformation by the medical community and disinformation from industry propaganda?I now receive calcium from plants including oatmeal, mission figs, blackberries, and Mori-Nu organic silken tofu; collard greens, black organic soy and “white” Italian kidney beans and whole grains to balance amino acids. I’m careful not to ingest 5 servings of soy per day. But, I carefully look for plant foods that contain the most soy.Eating animal foods increases pain and inflammation immediately. Whereas eating a plant based diet eliminates the pain and inflammation and has reduced my bad cholesterol in my body by leaps and bounds.I am now a strong believer in a vegan diet to keep the calcium in my bones. I lost 66 pounds when eating vegan, but then I reached a plateau and am trying to get over the hurdle.I just need to learn how I can lose more weight now!I limit caffeine to one cup of green tea, don’t drink alcohol, and am adding weight bearing exercises including Pilates twice a week, and using pilates straps to increase muscle strength in my spine as well as limbs. Weight resistant exercise in the pool, and walking more. It is not easy with a fractured spine and my body screams when I do too much.Advice other than eating animal products is wanted. Eating cold water fish hurts excruciatingly!According to the FAQ page on Rip Essysltens Engine2 page, he claims that bone loss is due to high protein. http://engine2diet.com/about_e2/FAQI guess it needs updating!ThoraM60……. You valiated my instincts and I do so appreciate the time you took to make this response. I have so enjoyed the adventure of being a vegetarian….. almost vegan…. for the last two years. The cardio vascular benefits in particular are so obvious. I do intend to address this bone loss in the ways you mentioned, and added weightbearing exercise plus a Dr. reccommended supplement. I will retest in one year and I am certain I will see no further bone loss.eileenmcv: I am not in any way associated with the following book, but I recently purchased it for my mother. I thought you might be interested:Building Bone Vitality: A Revolutionary Diet Plan to Prevent Bone Loss and Reverse Osteoporosis–Without Dairy Foods, Calcium, Estrogen, or Drugs http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071600191One person wrote this review of the book on Amazon: “The authors offer their insights on osteoporosis after reviewing over 1,200 research articles on the topic. And they tell readers how to find that literature, or will actually send you copies of all of it for a fee that covers their expenses. This strengthens their positions that the commonly held beliefs to drink your milk, eat your dairy products or take a calcium supplement to prevent or treat osteoporosis are not based upon a preponderance of research findings. … ”and someone else wrote: “I’m a family practitioner in practice for over 20 years and I found this book refreshingly thought-provoking. I’m also a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed with osteoporosis and put on prescription medication based solely on bone density studies. I like to think I keep up to date on the medical literature by reading journals and attending continuing education, but I was shocked and amazed by the sheer number of studies cited in this book (and rarely if ever mentioned in those journals and courses) that challenge the conventional wisdom on bone health. While the authors do not discount the usefulness of medication for some, their common sense advice on lifestyle as the key to “building bone vitality” is the most important news this decade for women, doctors and parents like me.”Plus, in an e-zine that I get, I found the following blurb from an article: “… Calcium is high in dairy products and some vegetables including pinto beans, red beans, white beans, bok choy, kale, broccoli, and spinach. However, eating calcium rich vegetables is rarely associated with increased risk of cancer while high intake of dairy products has…. Researchers at Oxford University reported that high intake of protein from dairy products produces high serum levels of insulin-like growth factors or IGF-1, linked with risk for both prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. …” The full article is here: http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Nutrition/Food/calcium_and_dairy_products_boosts_prostate_cancer_0917110220.htmlEverything I’ve seen on this site and others point to the idea of adding dairy and egg yolks to ones diet is much more likely to cause health problems, not solve them. Plus, I haven’t seen anything to indicate that a whole-plant foods-based diet with B12 and D supplement would be lacking in any nutrients. The opposite appears to be true.I’m not a doctor or an expert, but I’ve been doing a lot of research on nutrition. You need to do what you think is right, but maybe before you change your diet, you might want to check out the above book??? Just a though.You may also want to check out the following videos on this website which are relevant to your posts: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/long-term-vegan-bone-health/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/I’m curious about the supplement ….as I have similiar issues…. and I know there are side effects associated with bone loss prevention drugs like FosamaxJJ…. Partof the excitement of a plant based diet is the research and education. I will surely purchase that book and I have bookmarked the article. As far as Dr. Greger is concerned, I practically know all of his studies by heart…. !! I began with his first DVD and he was my inspiration for the major change in my life. This osteoporosis is a little bump, but I like what you said about needing to do what you think is right… Thank you for your comments and help.eileenmcv: I’m later to this scene (healthy whole, plant food eating) than you, but I’ve become an ardent fan. I’m making new recipes every weekend. I am also enjoying the research and knowing that while there are no guarantees in life, I am doing everything I can to stay healthy. Pretty cool.Good luck with your bones. I get the sense that you will do very well in the future.ThoraM60 Interesting that you have similar issues….. I received the test results over the phone, so I had ample time to research before met with my Dr. My research told me that I did not want to do the drug (fosamax, Boniva etc.) There was too much information relating to the negative effects of these drugs) and I told the Dr. that I was sure that I could stop the progress if I was more diligent with the Kale, beans etc. base of plant choices. She supports my vegetarian/almost vegan lifestyle and I highly respect her. Well, she chose to educate me about all of the drugs ( even the IVdrip one… YIKES!!!) from her clinical knowledge and experience. This was her recommendation: Do what you’re doing…. continue to take the New Chapter Bone Strength “take care” formula two per day… Continue the B12, and DHA. Do weight bearing exercise. Add Boniva once per month for one year and then retest. If the test result in one year shows no further bone loss/ or improvement, discontinue the Boniva if I choose. I thought long and hard and she told me that she has had many patients that have done this successfully. so… I agreed… Boniva is the supplement. I will do it for one year. I would love to know your approach this issue.How are you doing with Boniva? My arthritis physician prescribed this for me since I keep fracturing bones. My latest are two spinal injuries. And, the last spinal injury is incredibly painful without a brace, such as getting up in the middle of the night, or walking even in a rollator.I know I need to do something and am eating healthy vegan to fight pain and inflammation (Dr. Neal Barnard recommended this in his book, Foods That Fight Pain.), but the pain is severe. Plus, everything I’ve read on Boniva includes more pain while the medication is in effect, and the mediation is effective for 3-5 years after it has been stopped.Other patients who have pain from the drug tell me that bone pain all over the body is not the only side effect they have, there is also fractured femurs, (something I have yet to fracture), esophageal reflux disease if one lies down within an hour after taking the drug, kidney damage; calcium loss in bones; and more.I’ve been afraid of taking anything with recombinant DNA, but now with my second bone fracture of the spine within 11 months, I’m interested in learning more from those on the drug. Have you experiences recent bone fractures of the hip, wrist, knee, or spine, since 2006?For the record, I am 71 and have been diagnosed with osteoporosis..eileenmcv ….I would like to share some more thoughts…I’m not so comfortable on a public site…send me your email and I’ll reply….would like to know more about your experience with vegan ThoraM60@aol.comJJ… Just received the “Building Bone Vitality” book you recommended. It has a powerful beginning and I thank you for mentioning it…Wait a minute. Pages 204-210 in the Campbell & Campbell’s “The China Study” (paperback) summarize the results of numerous studies that themselves were meta-analyses of in some cases over 1,000 different studies, all of which apparently support a negative relationship between animal protein consumption and bone health. Charts that show a striking relationship between average calcium consumption and hip fracture rates must be due to something other than coincidence. I’m confused…I also recall Dr. Greger mentioning calcium being peed down the toilet in his book, Atkins Exposed, so I too am somewhat confused.In Documentary, Forks over Knives, I also heard this message about calcium intake and hip fractures. Dairy protein causing metabolic acidosis – calcium leaching out of bones, causing weak bones.. I am also confusedI view the study that Dr. Greger cites as one piece of information to be weighed against others as we develop our beliefs about what to eat. It is a metaanalysis of several pooled studies. This is increasingly popular type of study… it is cheap and fast. However pooling studies together introduces many problems since you are often comparing apples to oranges. You need to have a fair amount of statistical savy and access to the data of the pooled studies to fairly interpret the results. They may have excluded studies that would have led to a different conclusion. Given the weight of all studies I still advise patients to avoid dairy for bone health. Of course there are alot of other reasons not to consume dairy. You can look at any of the 45 videos that Dr. Greger has posted which outline the problems with dairy. Problems range from hormones and relation to acne & chronic disease( http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/, heart disease, cancer and Parkinson’s (http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/industrial-carcinogens-in-animal-fat-2/) and more pertinent to the bone question is the vegan vs omnivore study looking at bone density see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/long-term-vegan-bone-health/. I plan on getting used to being confused but by keeping up on the latest science at NutritionFacts.org you will be making the best decisions… current take home message is dairy is out… unless you are a newborn calf. The best and most thorough resource I have found has been mentioned by others… Building Bone Vitality by Amy Lanou.I agree totally and plan to stay on the above course. Making that decision in light of all the information that is available is  clearing the confusion for me!!I have been given mixed messages on dairy. In Documentary, “Forks over Knives”, the message was given that dairy results in metabolic acidosis, causing calcium to leach out of the bones to neutralize the acidic environment.. is this fiction?I’ve seen studies that show virtually no relationship between calcium intake in a population and their hip fractures rate (more calcium does not equal fewer, or more, hip fractures). If you want to predict which populations have the worst hip fractures the best correlate is animal protein intake. So, if these new studies show that animal protein is not the cause, there must still be something, probably in animal foods, that is the cause of this well documented pattern. I’m really looking forward to hearing Dr. Greger’s thoughts on this.Yesterday I pulled this paper and read it carefully. After doing so, I found it amazing that Dr Greger and Mr Norris supported it at all. Why pick this one paper from all the other possibilities, Dr Greger? This paper seems to say it’s okay to eat hamburgers (in any amount) if you have osteoporosis since this will actually strengthen your bones a little. This is hardly supportive of HSUS. I admit my confidence is deeply shaken. Here is what I found:1. This study explicitly excluded studies of calcium excretion and calcium balance data (see the section “Design” in the Abstract). So there is no way that these results apply to situations of “peeing bones” anywhere. Thank heavens, all those prior studies on Atkins dupes or desperate meat-eating subjects peeing their bones down the drain through measured calcium excretion are still valid.2. This was a review and summary of former studies, so no new clinical data were generated. In fact, neither were any new conclusions generated. We have known for a long time that BMD and BMC are unreliable measures of bone status. And this study found only 1-2% increase of BMD for an increase of dietary protein from all sources, which was reported despite the authors acknowledgment of confounding problems among the regressions used. However, this 1-2% sensitivity is certainly within the measurement uncertainty of BMD, which also was not discussed, so this is not a useful conclusion or analysis. Further, no relationship of protein to bone fracture was found. This is not surprising since bone fractures introduce a whole new array of their own metrics to confound the results (what did they fall on, from how high, how did they twist, etc, etc, etc).3. I deeply question the range of the protein measured in the source studies used. Dr Campbell was thorough and eloquent in his analysis of such flawed studies in his book The China Study (please read his chapter 14, then read it again). Furthermore, he specifically addresses BMD and osteoporosis on pages 203-211. Anyone with osteoporosis should be required to read this book once at least, the whole thing, then talk to a plant-strong informed MD, such as doctor John McDougall in Santa Rosa, CA, before doing anything else. The one thing Dr Campbell doesn’t talk about is the importance of weight bearing exercise in the bone context, which NASA uses to help the astronauts when their bones become depleted from low gravity space missions.My sincerest best wishes to anyone with bone problems. Seek the truth, there is a lot of misinformation in this particular area. Dr Campbell’s work has been thoroughly reviewed multiple times by the finest scientific authorities and Dr McDougall has been practicing science-based, diet-based medicine for over 30 years. These people are the best there is with respect to diet and health.Dear dr Greger, would you please try to sort out all (or at least some) of the confusion these comments here create in addition to your video; which (the video) already creates some in me as I have been quite strong supporter of dr. Campbell and dr. McDougall myself + fan of “Forks Over Knives” where the same issue is presented somewhat differently…I looked at the summary and conclusions of the cited study and it said nothing about protein, metabolic acidosis or protein causing bone loss at all. The study talks about protein improving bone density and that the analysis of the studies did not show any statistical significance in protein improving bone density.  I’m confused as to how this meta-analysis proves that protein doesn’t cause metabolic acidosis and subsequent bone loss.This meta-analysis excluded studies of calcium excretion and calcium balance, those studies may have led to completely different conclusions about proteins effect on bone loss and calcium excretion.  Not enough evidence here to dismiss ingestion of large amounts of animal protein causing osteoprosis. It is well known in countries that have high consumption of dairy products also have a high incidence of osteoprosis. We also know that highly acidic foods such as sugars meat white flour produce an acidic enviroment and this overly acidic enviroment is corrected by the body producing buffers..re the pancreas to neutralize this condition.Furthermore, high protein consumption of either plant or animal causes many pathological conditions such as gout, various arthritis, etc It is also known that a high percentage of kidney stones are made of calcium. Ones body always tries to return itself to homeostasis and the proper ph is necessary to maintain this homeostasis. Thus the body will do what it requires to either neutralize an acidic condition or increase acidity to correct for an alkaline condition.Animal protein, I have found, increases pain and inflammation in my body. Whether or not it was the cause of my osteoporosis, I know not. The cause may have been too much sitting, not enough exercising outside in the sunshine (since 2005) and little weight bearing exercise. From what I’ve read or heard from body builders, such as Red LeReille who has a health club near me, is that weight lifting builds or amasses bone.But my spine has been twice fractured now in the last month, and is too painful for me to lift any weights. The pain is reduced by wearing a brace during the day, but I need to lie flat at night without a brace. And rising is extremely painful.Dr. Greger, Why haven’t you at least attempted to clear the confusion on this topic? Seems a little questionable to me. I would love to see you explain in further detail why you have supported this study and reply to the past posts that question it’s details.We all know that animal proteins are bad to bone, while vegetable proteins are not. The rationale between this seems to be the stronger acidifying effect of the former. I am trying to put some numbers on this but I am having troubles. One way of estimating – roughly, OK – the acidifying effects of proteins is to look at their content of sulphur-containing amino acids, namely methionine and cyst(e)ine. Now, when expressed in mg of these amino acids per gram of protein, the difference between meat/fish/dairies and grains is not so macroscopic (beans is different; indeed, the limiting amino acid in beans is often methionine). Another way of quantifying the acidifying effect is by using the PRAL index. But then, again, the difference between the index of grains and that of animal proteins is not so big. What other indices one should look at to get an approximate measure of the observed effects, then?I recently read that bones regrow themselves over a period of time – smaller bones “turn over” every two to three years, large bones every ten to twelve years. That means, with a good diet and an adequate amount of load-bearing exercise, one should be able to reverse some of the effects of osteoporosis, given enough time.We have significant evidence that higher animal consumption equals higher osteoporosis, Given the above video, do we know the cause of this weakening of bone?Actually, what we thought to be the case is false. Dr. Greger is getting to this in the current Volume 15 so keep your eyes open for it. Just to briefly summarize, when we consume animal protein, we actually absorb more calcium which then ends up appearing in the urine, we do not actually buffer the acidity with our bones. There are other significant issues though from consuming foods that have an acidic renal acid load as Dr. Greger will discuss, but bone loss is not one of them.I don’t understand why the nutrition research community is so sloppy. Why did they come to that false conclusion in the first place? Shouldn’t this be fairly easy to test thoroughly? Did they just not feel like designing the necessary controlled experiments? These “mistakes” often seem like these clowns are just making up hypotheses on the fly without adequate testing. It’s very frustrating to deal with.Most studies testing biological processes use resulting biomarkers, such as MMA production for b12 status. The same idea was applied. In theory it makes sense, but I agree more thorough research should have been conducted before the community came to a firm conclusion as the newly discovered myth will continue to perpetuate for years.http://www.raw-food-health.net/Eskimo-Diet.htmlTrue, protein per se is not necessarily deleterious to bone mineral density. In fact, a certain amount of protein is necessary to build and repair bone. What is “bad to the bone” is a lot of protein along with an insufficiently alkaline diet — a diet heavy in acid-forming foods like meat, legumes and grains, and light on alkaline forming ones like fruits and vegetables.See the following studies showing that the alkaline mineral potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) attenuates bone loss. Potassium citrate, found in abundance in fruits and vegetables, converts to potassium bicarbonate in the body; therefore fruits and vegetables should have the same effect as KHCO3 if they’re consumed in sufficient quantities vis-a-vis acid-forming foods, such as meat, legumes and grains.IMPROVED MINERAL BALANCE AND SKELETAL METABOLISM IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN TREATED WITH POTASSIUM BICARBONATEhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu…TREATMENT WITH POTASSIUM BICARBONATE LOWERS CALCIUM EXCRETION AND BONE RESORPTION IN OLDER MEN AND WOMENhttp://press.endocrine.org/doi…LONG-TERM PERSISTENCE OF THE URINE CALCIUM-LOWERING EFFECT OF POTASSIUM BICARBONATE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMENhttp://press.endocrine.org/doi…I’ve improved my own bone mineral density over a two-year period as demonstrated via dexascan by supplementing my diet with KHCO3 along with ensuring that my urinary pH is kept sufficiently alkaline.so 90% calcium from animal protein goes down the kidneys, what causes bones to loose calcium and osteoporosis ?so, according to the study, 90% calcium from animal products, dairy, meat, eggs, goes down the kidneys, what causes bones to loose calcium and osteoporosis then ?	acid/base balance,animal products,animal protein,bone health,calcium,dairy,kidney health,nutrition myths,osteoporosis,protein	The best available science on protein intake and osteoporosis risk.	For more videos on bone health, check out these videos: Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, & Calcium Loss Is Milk Good for Our Bones? Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis How the Institute of Medicine Arrived at Their Vitamin D Recommendation How Beans Help Our BonesPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/11/20/how-beans-help-our-bones/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acidbase-balance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-institute-of-medicine-arrived-at-their-vitamin-d-recommendation/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19889822,
PLAIN-3187	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/	Vegan Protein Status	Last year we learned, in a study of Buddhist nuns, that long-term vegans —vegans for up to 72 years straight had clinically equivalent bone mineral density despite milk-drinking women getting twice as much calcium intake in their daily diet. This year, there was a 200 page review published on health indicators in people eating vegetarian long-term. What about protein status? Both vegans and meat-eaters, on average, get the recommended amount of protein in their daily diets. Meat-eaters eat about 20% more protein a day, though, but do they achieve significantly higher levels of protein in their blood? Who has higher plasma protein levels? Three choices: vegans higher, meat-eaters higher, or both the same protein levels. Despite 20% less protein in their daily diets, vegans actually have significantly higher plasma albumin, the predominant protein in the blood, though inflammation suppresses protein production in the liver, so this is more likely just an indicator of how much less inflammation there is in the bodies of those eating vegan.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on protein. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Why is it that the study referenced says that the digestibility of plant based foods is not as good as animal based foods? Where does this myth perpetuate from?Hi Toxins, You seem to be referring to the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score, or PDCAAS, correct? While casein (the predominant protein in milk) boast a score of 1.00 and peanuts earn a score of only 0.52,these numbers merely reflect the body’s ability to digest a particular protein. Note however, that a higher score doesn’t necessarily equate to a better protein. On the contrary, proteins with higher scores trigger the release of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1 more than plant proteins may be because the relative ratios of amino acids in animal proteins more closely resembles our own.So while plant-based foods do appear less digestible than animal-based foods, this feature conveys a virtue rather than a detriment.There is another possible explanation for the higher albumin level in vegans: albumin is a heterogenous class of protein, so its aminoacids sequence is not constant; it can vary to certain limits. It is possible that albumin serves as a sort of aminoacid buffer (store) to contain excess/waste aminoacids from vegetarian diet to avoid excess gluconeogenesis due to unbalanced aminoacid intake from vegetarian food. These molecules could break down some days later when the subject changes the protein sources profile in order to provide missing aminoacids, while other albumin molecules are build up with different excess aminoacids from the current diet. Just a speculation. We shouldn’t forget that the cells are provided with aminoacids as protein source, not with albumin.How much protein should a vegan consume after exercising such as lifting weights or aerobics exercises. Does eating protein it help in the recovery process?Hi Sagar, there are many vegan athlete sites, for one consider: Brendan Brazier (http://www.brendanbrazier.com/…. He has a really well done site/program free – you can tailor to your needs/goals , has a section for athletes too: http://thriveforward.com/Hello, I’ve been vegan since January. Blood tests have shown my Albumin and platelet levels are low. My doctor wants me to eat meat, I don’t know what to do. I’m 25 and female.Hi Chelsey. Did you have a blood test before changing to a vegan diet with the albumin and platelets within normal range – meaning do you know that the diet is the cause of these low values? Low albumin and platelet counts can be caused by a variety of conditions- so your MD has ruled out everything else except for diet?If everything is healthy for you, continue to learn about your eating/nutrition, have MD monitor and maybe you can share information with MD!Low Albumin: So as a vegan are eating nutrient-dense plant protein? For starters check this information out: http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/faq_protein.pdf http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/Vegetarian-Starter-Kit.pdf http://www.pcrm.org/Low platelets: A low platelet count can be caused by diet, but this would be exceedingly rare without other more prominent signs and symptoms. Vitamin B12 and folic acid are 2 vitamins that are required for platelet production which can be deficient in some cases. You should be tested for levels of these two vitamins as a part of your work-up. Since the body stores B12 it takes years for a vegan to become B12 deficient not usually a few months as in your case-so this is puzzling. Nonetheless be sure and get your B12.Check for and get enough through fortified breakfast cereals, fortified soymilk, and fortified meat analogues contain a reliable source of the vitamin. Nutritional yeast, such as Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula, is also a reliable source.But supplementation is easy, cheap and worry free: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/ For more B12: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=b12Hi JacquieRNThanks for your considered reply. Unfortunately I don’t have blood tests to compare pre-vegan. My Cumulative Liver Function Test came back normal and Cumulative Electrolytes were normal too, but Creatine was on the low side. However my Vitamin D level was significantly low, but I attribute that to not getting out in the sun (now supplementing).Iron was low but I have being taking Ferro-tab which has bought things back to normal. FT4 was low in the thyroid so I now take Thyroxine. I’ve been treated for Major Depressive disorder and panic disorder for the past 11 years and have taken lots of medications in that time.Vitamin B12 is at 313 pg/mL and Red Cell Folate is 549 ng/mL (I’m from Australia.) The test says they’re both normal.Thank you for the links, I like to eat beans but will attempt to get more dietary protein, I’m looking at a vegan protein powder.I suppose I’m a bit nervous as to whether I’m doing the right thing, especially when most say I need to eat meat, but in my heart I want to be vegan.Thanks againHi Doctor Greger..I have been vegan for 5 years and I seem to have a significance of hair loss. I have had my thyroid checked and iodine is in tac and folic acid in tac, I take B-12 also. I have noticed low protein levels in my blood work. I have added more higher protein foods such as seitan and tofu to my diet and I seem to feel better and be showing more hair growth again. I still consume a lot of beans and whole grains, veggies, fruit and greens in my diet.	albumin,biomarkers,inflammation,liver health,omnivores,plant-based diets,protein,vegans,vegetarians	The anti-inflammatory nature of plant-based diet may explain higher blood protein levels in vegans.	Here is some newer info on plant-based diets and protein: Do Vegetarians Get Enough Protein? Do Flexitarians Live Longer? Methionine Restriction as a Life Extension Strategy Treating Kidney Failure Through DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on protein. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/albumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomarkers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-kidney-failure-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19350341,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19634781,
PLAIN-3188	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inverted-rabbit-sign/	Inverted Rabbit Sign	Before vegans get cocky, though… Floppy ears… are cute on a bunny. Not so cute on your spinal cord. The inverted rabbit ear sign. See how it kinda looks like an upside down bunny with floppy ears? Well, that’s not what your spinal cord’s supposed to look like. Why did this woman have spastic ataxic quadriparesis, a sensory polyneuropathy, and diffuse spinal cord swelling? Because, she was a strict vegetarian lady. I assume they mean strictly vegetarian? Then again maybe she was just quite the disciplinarian. Either way, people eating plant-based diets must take vitamin B12. Reports continue to pour in from all over the world, whether you’re a vegetariana estricta a strehng veganeh, or eating vay-jay-tah-lee-yeh, you’d have to be crazy not getting your B12. Literally. 31 year old stock trader turned paranoid psychotic—but not because he was schizophrenic. Because he was vegan, and didn’t eat vitamin B12 fortified foods or take a B12 supplement. Suffered for 3 years before his doctors figured it out. Kiss me I’m vegan. No thank you. 41 year old woman, vegan for two and a half years without B12. Kiss a vegetarian and taste the difference Before, And after she took her B12. Cleared up in no time. Vegans taste better, when they take their B12.	Love this.Please feel free to leave any questions for me on this topic below and I’ll answer them as soon as I possibly can. Also, check out the 16 other videos on B12 and feel free to explore any of the other 1,449 subjects I cover in my videos.A very well tasting Vitamin B12 resource is the old British well known Marmite. Easily taken in soups or breakfast porridge but also thinly spread on toast.I don’t know about good tasting :) but yes indeed, a good source of vitamin B12.It’s become a by-word for something that polarises opinion.. over here in the UK…hee hee hthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFLHialhZ8cand.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay8D39ojQsgAlso be sure to check out my associated blog post Vegan B12 deficiency: putting it into perspective!i LOVE Marmite and eat it every morning,  – not sure i’m getting enough B12 though, starting to get worried after watching this vid…i suffer from severe back problems! (never taken supplements, but now i will!)Why don’t they add B12 to soymilk like they add Vitamin D to cow’s milk?They do in the U.S., but I think in the U.K. for example, vitamin fortification isn’t allowed until the organic (bio) standards. Maybe someone out there knows more?Canada’s organic “So Nice” brand has B12 and D fortified among other vitamins.Is it true that B12 needs to be injected to get the full benefits???How do I get B12 for children?Barley grass is loaded with B vitamins and including B12. Live enzymes/foods are way better then dead foods, processed foods, vitamins . . . So why don’t you mention that?No plant food naturally create b12, it is a byproduct purely from bacteria. Dr. Greger discusses enzymes here. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/Every time I watch B-12 deficiency horror stories, I find myself going to the fridge and getting a B-12 pill. =DThat’s terrifying about the spinal cord. I’m quite worried I have a deficiency because my memory/concentration/brain fog is BAD. And i have a few other symptoms. Thanks for this!	b12,mental health,nerve health,neuropathy,oral health,plant-based diets,psychosis,schizophrenia,spinal cord health,vegans,vegetarians,vitamin B12	The very real and potentially disastrous effects of vitamin B12 deficiency.	Here’s some more on Vitamin B12: New Vitamin B12 Test Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health Safest Source of B12 Daily Source of Vitamin B12Please feel free to leave any questions for me on this topic below and I'll answer them as soon as I possibly can. Also, check out the 16 other videos on B12 and feel free to explore any of the other 1,686 subjects I cover in my videos.For some additional context, please check out my associated blog posts: Vegan B12 deficiency: putting it into perspective and Do Vegans Get More Cavities?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinal-cord-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neuropathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/schizophrenia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psychosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19340788,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19795687,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19417166,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19748244,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19892219,
PLAIN-3189	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/	Industrial Pollutants in Vegans	What is the impact of adopting a vegan diet on the concentrations of organochlorine in the blood. What are organochlorines? Organochlorines are chemical products that were widely used after World War II as insecticides and in industry. In the 1960s, their adverse effects for the environment and human health began to be known, and in the 1970s their use was banned in most industrialized countries, including the United States. However, because they are so resistant to degradation, many of these persistent organic pollutants continue to be present in most food chains worldwide. Furthermore, because they are attracted to fat, these chemicals accumulate in the fat tissue of organisms. Being at the top of the food chain, humans are contaminated via food, in infancy from what their mom’s ate and later from animal products such as fish, meat and dairy products. But vegans don’t eat any animal products which are the main source of these toxic pollutants, so their exposure to these compounds should theoretically be lower than that of non-vegetarians. There are studies showing lower concentrations in the breast milk or fat tissue of vegetarians, but what about vegans? So they ran the experiement, and found that vegans were significantly less polluted then omnivores regarding a whole list of carcinogenic industrial toxins and pesticides—even after controlling for age and weight, which makes the difference in contamination even more dramatic because of course the vegans had less body fat. What surprised them was that the vegans had as much as they did. Here’s the data. As you can see, there’s certainly lower levels among vegans compared to omnivores, but why isn’t there an even bigger spread? The researchers offered a number of explanations. The vegans may have been breastfed as infants, and thus exposed to organochlorines accumulated by their mother, which are then transferred to her baby at the time of lactation. And most vegans aren’t vegan from birth. Becoming vegetarian or vegan is often a decision made in adulthood. Thus, the omnivore diet followed during childhood and adolescence results in a contamination by accumulated organochlorine compounds. In addition, vegans may, on rare occasions, depart from their diet and eat some animal products, and contaminate themselves that way.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on industrial toxins. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!And check out my associated blog post EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption”.I suspected this. Great find!How much can we detox these chemicals by donating blood?Since most of these chemicals are fat soluble donating blood would be helpful but not significant. Your body tends to rid itself of these substances slowly over time. The best way to “detox” is to stop the input of these substances and letting the body rid itself of the chemicals via regular metabolism courtesy of liver, kidney which work 24 hours a day to rid ourselves of unwanted substances. This can take some time as the half life(time to rid the body of one half of it’s toxic load) can be years. For instance dioxin one of the most carcinogenic substance known see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/… is estimated to have a half life of 6-7 years. So while your body is working to get rid of these chemicals it is best to minimize exposure by going on plant based diet… organic is best… avoiding GMO’s seems like a good idea as well. Of course giving blood does lower the bodies iron load which has benefits in normal persons see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/. Blood donation also does a valuable community service. Medicine is not transfusing as much blood as we used in the past for a variety of reasons but when folks need blood it can be life saving.In relation to this toxicity, would there be any benefit to following some of the more popular “Detox” diets or something like Chelation therapy? A friend of mine was a machinist working on marine brass and years later he found he was intoxicated with Lead and had to follow a Chelation therapy which apparently resolved the issue. However, I am not sure how this works or if it would accomplish anything with respect to the toxins discussed here.I have searched your wonderful website but cannot see any references to the safety and effectiveness of Krill supplement. If one wishes to continue supplementing an already high plant, green drink, and primarily vegetarian diet with a supplement for Omega 3, is Krill a bad choice? I reduced all my bad stats so dramatically in such a short time through multiple dietary changes inc Green Drinks, 4xs increase in daily colored vegetables, and also by adding the highest quality Cod Liver Oil, that I am afraid to eliminate completely all animal / fish oil types of supplements because I am not sure what did the trick so well and so fast.	adolescence,animal fat,animal products,biomagnification,body fat,breast milk,carcinogens,children,factory farming practices,fat,industrial toxins,infants,insecticides,lactation,omnivores,organochlorines,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	Why vegans appear "significantly less polluted" than omnivores, but not as toxin-free as expected.	For more on industrial pollutants, see: Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs? Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat The Wrong Way to Detox California Children Are ContaminatedPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on industrial toxins. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption”, Eating Green to Prevent Cancer,  How To Reduce Dietary Antibiotic Intake, Avoid Cooked Meat Carcinogens, and Avoiding Dairy to Prevent Parkinson's	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/04/avoiding-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insecticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organochlorines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lactation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20030906,
PLAIN-3190	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/	Obesity-Causing Pollutants in Food	The dramatic rise in obesity has been blamed on overeating and inactivity, but might it be something more? I talked about the “chicken obesity virus.” Scientists are also now identifying industrial chemical pollutants released into the environment in the last few decades that can disrupt our metabolism and predispose us to obesity. These pollutants have been called obesogens. The existence of chemical obesogens suggests that the prevailing paradigm, which holds that diet and decreased physical activity alone are the causative triggers for the burgeoning epidemic of obesity should be reassessed, which is what scientists are doing right now. The focus has been on these organotin compounds. Basically they turn preadipocytes—pre-fat cells, into fat cells. How are we exposed? Through our diet. Where are obesogens found the most? Beans, dairy, fish, fruit, grains, meat, nuts, or veggies? There is actually some in conventionally grown fruits and veggies, because some of these chemicals are used as fungicides, but the #1 dietary source is… fish. Again, you hear the word pollutant, think fish, as our oceans have become humanity’s sewers. Everything eventually flows down into the sea.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on persistent organic pollutants. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Consuming obesogens may also make your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren obese. At least if you are a rat in this study:Manikkam, Mohan, et al. “Plastics Derived Endocrine Disruptors (BPA, DEHP and DBP) Induce Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance of Obesity, Reproductive Disease and Sperm Epimutations.” PloS one 8.1 (2013): e55387.	animal products,beans,body fat,dairy,exercise,fish,fruit,fungicides,grains,meat,nuts,obesity,obesogens,organotins,overeating,persistent organic pollutants,seafood,vegetables,weight loss,white meat	Chemical obesogens in the food supply may be contributing to the obesity epidemic.	For more videos on industrial chemicals in food, watch these newer videos: Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility California Children Are Contaminated How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs? Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own FatPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on persistent organic pollutants. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Boosting Gut Flora Without Probiotics.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organotins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/overeating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fungicides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fast-can-children-detoxify-from-pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16807202,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16690801,
PLAIN-3191	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/	Is Distilled Fish Oil Toxin-Free?	Fact of fiction: fish oil decreases inflammation. It better—that’s a main reason people take it. But it’s not true… No effect of fish oil supplementation on inflammatory markers. This randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled intervention trial showed no effect of a whopping dose of fish oil on markers of inflammation in the blood. If anything, there was a trend that all serum inflammatory markers tended to increase after fish oil. Wait a second. The whole reason people are told to eat fish, told to take fish oil is that the long chain omega 3 fatty acids like DHA are anti-inflammatory. So there must be something in the fish oil counteracting the good stuff and increasing inflammation, and it’s likely the industrial pollutants, such as PCBs d insecticides. We now know, that PCBs can induce the kind of inflammation that promotes obesity and heart disease. It’s the same reason polar bears are now suffering from chronic inflammation: the industrial contaminants in our oceans that build up in fat. And so when we swallow capsules containing straight fish fat it puts us at the same tenuous polar bear position at the top of the food chain. So, what about distilled fish oil? You’ll see things like this: molecularly distilled. Molecularly distilled for maximum purity. Well, researchers put fish oil distillation to the test last year. Fact or fiction, fish oil is safe—but only if it’s distilled. Fiction. It’s not safe. They found the same PCBs and insecticides, even in the supposedly “PBC-free” fish oil. And the exact same levels of other industrial pollutants. The bottom-line: “This suggests that the commercial molecular distillation treatment used for removal of toxic contaminants is only effective for some of the contaminants. So, they conclude, that you have to balance the trade-off between risks and benefits, especially given how ineffective current fish oil treatments are at removing some of these contaminants. That’s why I recommend the algae-based DHA—a win-win for humans, so you can get the benefits without any of the risk. Because our oceans are so polluted, even when you buy distilled fish oil… you can’t get off the hook.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish oil. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!And check out my associated blog post EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption”.Dear Dr. Gregor,I’ve read the labels of several algae-based products and they have good amounts of DHA, but minimal EPA. Do you see this as a problem? Don’t we need both, and in relatively equal amounts? Is there a product you are aware of that does have sufficient amounts of both? How important is EPA as compared to DHA, and why dosen’t algae produce much EPA?EPA is metabolized to DHA which then is converted to the antiinflammatory and anti clotting substances our bodies need. So taking in adequate DHA would be enough and you need not worry about increasing the amount of EPA. Studies show that the supplements work…See video for more information: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/Dr. Greger, Please indicate if studies support AJ of Epidemiology 4/24/11 report that men with higher levels of DHA were 2 1/2 times more likely to have an aggressive form of prostate cancer. What about contaminate free form of DHA, like MorDHA prenatal, EMAS status (most stringent European standard). ps does Algae also support eye health?About 6 months ago I started a plant based diet to lower my cholesterol, among other ailments. I have been taking flax seed oil capsules, but I have heard that fish oil is more effective than flax seed oil. My diet did lower overall cholesterol 30 points in 10 weeks and my triglycerides were reduced by half. Is there a benefit to algae vs. flax supplements for cardiovascular health?The short answer is that fish oil is not effective and comes with contaminants & saturated fats which are harmful. Since fish get the omega 3 plus EPA & DHA from plants (i.e. algae) you should eliminate the middle “person”. This eliminates the bad stuff and the fish come out ahead as well. The omega 3/omega 6 issue is a bit complicated. In 2003 Dr. Greger did a presentation on heart disease and nutrition which is now available as an 8 part series on YouTube (Dr.Greger’s Optimum Vegetarian Nutrition). Parts 3 and 4 of those talks explain the whole issue including DHA, EPA and AA issues as well as any that I have seen. I would review those to better understand the issue. The links for these are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fsT2fAVEiA&feature=related (Part 3) & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrZ0Wgtc7xQ&feature=related (Part 4). Some experts claim that if you consume a whole food plant based diet plus avoid processed oils you don’t need to take a supplement for EPA & DHA. As Dr.Greger points out this can be difficult to do so he recommends a 250 mg supplement daily. If you are going to supplement you should use an algae based product of which there are several see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/. This is especially important for women who are pregnant and breast feeding. Congratulations on your progress and keep tuned to nutritionfacts.org for more of the latest science.Thanks for the great info..Isn’t algae also potentially contaminated due to being from the same polluted ocean? I especially avoid anything from the Pacific Ocean since Fukishima..Many or maybe all(?) algae DHA supplements are grown in a lab – check the labels or websites.1.5 grams in the study is below the therapeutic dose recommended for fish oil which is in the 3 to 5 gram per day range. Not advocating fish oil, algae oil is still better but it’s a straw argument to say that no effect at 1.5 grams means fish oil cannot anti inflammatory. Need better QA here.Hello I use Usana Health Sciences Bio Omega Fish oil does it have contaminates? Norma Chabot cellfood@hotmail.comI don’t understand why anyone would consume fish oil and run the risk of contamination. The fish don’t make the DHA, EPA or omega 3’s that the body uses to make those substances. Since as Dr. Greger’s video’s point out their are acceptable alternatives that eliminate “the middle person aka fish” from the whole process. Of course then the question is should the general population consume omega 3’s as a supplement. As a general rule the only supplement you need on a plant based diet is Vitamin B12. The use of other supplements should be based on the individual patient’s situation.Would reverse osmosis be any better at filtering out toxins? ThanksI fail to see the evidence of a cause-consequence relationship between:1. the presence in fish oil of PCBs, organochlorine pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, brominated HNPs, and2. the lack of the effect of its supplementation on the serum concentration of a number of cytokines, chemokines or cell adhesion molecules as compared with placebo after 3 weeks.There are several alternative explanations to this “lack” of anti-inflammatory effect (I’d have liked to see the concentrations of other inflammatory markers such as CRP, directly linked to the risk of developing cardiovascular disease).Only a direct comparison between the effects after fish oil supplementation and a supplementation with omega-3 EPA and DHA from non-animal sources at an equivalent dose will actually tell us whether there’s a clear difference in the effect dependent on the source of the omega-3 supplement.In this line of thinking we shouldn’t eat any fish? (suplement or not) Are anything in nature that isn’t contaminated? Should we stop eating?Fish is by far the most contaminated animal food one can consider eating. Dr. Greger does indeed encourage we do not consume fish.I know someone taking Frutol a fish oil supplement. The site claims no detectable levels of heavy metals or PCBs. Is this the one and only that a lot of people claim is OK? I wouldn’t use it. Thanks for what we have been taught here by Dr. G.What about contaminants in algae/seaweed foods and supplements?Hi Lauren. I wrote about this, here. See if this helps? Let me know if you have further questions, but i’ll update the information on that link as it comes in.Best, Joseph	algae,biomagnification,body fat,cardiovascular disease,detoxification,DHA,fish,fish oil,heart disease,heart health,inflammation,marketing,nutrition myths,obesity,omega-3 fatty acids,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,supplements	Researchers test molecularly distilled fish oil supplements for industrial pollutants.	Also see Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil? and PCBs in Children’s Fish Oil Supplements for more info on fish oil.Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish oil. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption”. and Treating Crohn’s Disease With Diet.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/13/dietary-treatment-for-crohns-disease/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marketing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1310920/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19265383,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19623203,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430232/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19733817,
PLAIN-3192	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury/	Hair Testing for Mercury	Now this was last year, 2009. This year, scientists may have come up with even better biomarkers for fish consumption. Dioxins, PCBs, and mercury. The most important fish consumption biomarkers were dioxins and PCBs, among men, and mercury among women. A tighter correlation than even omega 3 levels. You can tell how much fish people eat by the amount of arsenic and toxic waste circulating in their bloodstream. In fact you can even take a hair off someone’s hairbrush and tell how much fish that person has been eating by the mercury content in their hair. This was a study done on childrens’ hair clippings. Your whole body gets contaminated with the stuff.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And be sure to see the prequel video on biomarkers for fish intake. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!And check out my associated blog post EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption”.Dear Doc, How do we rid our bodies of mercury, lead and other toxins that most of us born in the mid 40’s have accumulated ? Does clinoptilolite i.e. zeolite work to gather toxins in our blood and eliminate it through sweat, urine or feces?The best way to detoxify Donna is to reduce one’s consumption and let your body do its thing: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/Zeolite is probably a worse-than-useless scam (may even be a carcinogenic like asbestos).I wonder if ALL fish are bad? I shop at Whole Foods and they sell a smoked salmon that has “no antibodies and no hormones”, It doesn’t say it has no mercury, but are there regulations about stating what toxins are in the fish you buy? Do suppose Whole Foods sells such a mercury ladden fish when they had out the little broshure that tells which fis have the most mercury and to avoid?	animal products,arsenic,biomarkers,children,dioxins,fish,fish oil,hair health,men's health,mercury,neurotoxins,omega-3 fatty acids,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,seafood,supplements,white meat,women's health	Due to the state of the world's oceans, human biomarkers for fish consumption now include dioxins, PCBs, and mercury.	For more on the subject of mercury contamination, check out: Hair Testing for Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy Nerves of Mercury Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain DevelopmentPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And be sure to see the prequel video on biomarkers for fish intake. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post, EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption”.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hair-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomarkers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18987591,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19490733,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20104234,
PLAIN-3193	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-intake-biomarker/	Fish Intake Biomarker	One of the difficulties in doing nutrition research is to try to accurately assess what people eat. Not what we say we eat, or not what we eat during a 3 day food record where someone basically follows us around with a clipboard, but what we actually eat, on average, when no ones looking. That’s why scientists love biomarkers, things you can actually physically measure in the blood or urine to tell you how much of a certain food someone is eating. So, for example there are these unique phytonutrients in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, and collards that help prevent cancer, but you can’t just ask people if they eat their greens, because people want to look good and so they fib a little bit. Not any more, though, now there’s a urine test you can do to see if people are actually telling the truth. Some employers test for drugs; now you can test for greens—it’s like a broccoli breathalyzer. The important thing is that now researchers can more accurately measure intake. Last year, scientists discovered a biomarker for fish consumption—like a tuna test. They take a sample of your blood and without asking you a single question about your diet can tell how much fish you’ve been eating. What’s the biomarker? Arsenic. Arsenic turned out to be the best indicator. Blood arsenic appears to be a useful biomarker for total fish and seafood intake.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the sequel video on biomarkers for fish intake as well. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	animal products,arsenic,biomarkers,broccoli,collard greens,cruciferous vegetables,fish,fish oil,greens,kale,seafood,white meat	Blood arsenic levels may be an accurate indicator of seafood intake	For more videos on the topic of toxic pollutants and fish, see: Diet and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Fish and Diabetes ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease): Fishing for Answers How Long to Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the sequel video on biomarkers for fish intake as well. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog post, Mercury Testing Recommended Before Pregnancy.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomarkers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/als-lou-gehrigs-disease-fishing-for-answers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19490733,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19490835,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17717627,
PLAIN-3194	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/	Dioxins in the Food Supply	Every five years, our government measures the amount of dioxins in our food supply. Dioxins. are toxic waste pollutants spewed out into the atmosphere that accumulate in the fatty tissues of humans, and food animals consumed by humans. The most significant exposure to dioxin-like compounds is thought to be dietary intake of animal and fish products. But which ones, are the worse? Using data from the EPA published last year, is there more toxic waste in beef, cheese, chicken, eggs, fish, lamb, or pork? When you hear toxic waste and diet, the first thing we should think of is fish, and indeed that was by far the worst, but what’s second worst? Second only to fish in terms of dioxin levels, eggs. (with cheese the runner-up.) That’s why we got to be careful. If you’re breast feeding for example, then you can reduce infant exposure by avoiding fish, but if you replace that fish with some other food group containing chemicals, like the dioxins in dairy products, then you might not be doing your baby any favors. And we now know that eggs have about 3 times as much as dairy. This may explain this new study: “Egg consumption and the risk of cancer,” which found that just a half an egg a day or more was associated with about twice the odds of getting mouth cancer, throat cancer, esophageal cancer, and voice box cancer. Three times the odds of getting colon cancer, about twice the odds of rectal cancer and lung cancer, three times the odds of getting breast cancer—just eating a half an egg a day or more. And about twice the odds of prostate cancer, bladder cancer and all cancers combined. This is from a study last year that measured the amounts of PCBs, DDT, and other dioxins and pesticides inside people’s bodies. Both male, female, infants, children, teens, adults, and the elderly. The red line represents what the EPA considers to be the level at which there’s significantly increased cancer risk. Was there any age group that exceeded that level? Let’s, look at the results. Every single age group. Ten times that benchmark level of PCBs—the red bar, especially in the bodies of young children. And DDT levels right about at that cancer level across the board. How are still we exposed to DDT—wasn’t it banned decades ago after Silent Spring came out? Yes, but it’s still polluting the environment. As the CDC points out, we’re primarily exposed, through meat, fish, and dairy, though thankfully the levels in the U.S. continue to decline. A commentary in a journal called Reproductive Toxicology summarized the rather grim situation. Contemporary reproductive aged women and their offspring are facing an unprecedented onslaught of toxicant exposures from myriad sources in their day-to-day life. And it’s not just cancer we’re worried about. Increasing evidence suggests that maternal exposure to toxic chemical compounds may be associated with various birth defects, pediatric problems, skewed gender ratios, lethal cancers in children and teens, psychosexual challenges, as well as reproductive and hormonal dysfunction in later life. The author concludes: “I anticipate that future generations of scientists will look back with disbelief at a medical culture that permitted poisoning of reproductive aged women and ignored ramifications to unborn children.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on industrial toxins. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!And check out my associated blog post EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption”.Dr. Greger,does egg substitutes like, egg beaters, have the same risk?i have two questions: 1)i eat only egg whites (not egg beaters, but pure egg whites) by so doing am i still exposed to same dioxins that you are talking about? 2) by eating pure egg whites am i still exposed to the same amount of cholesterol that i would be consuming eating a whole egg?i do not use facebook so please respond by email thanks mike mikehousemd@yahoo.comMike: Egg whites do not have any cholesterol. However, just like the yolks, egg whites come with significant health risks. There are two problems with eggs, the yolk and the white. (To paraphrase Dr. Barnard.)According to Wikipedia, here’s what’s in egg beaters: “”Egg Beaters is primarily egg whites with added flavorings, vitamins, and thickeners xanthan gum and guar gum. It contains no egg yolks.”Since egg beaters do not have egg yolks, the cholesterol issue is not in play. But egg whites are just as bad for you. Dr. Barnard talks about the problems that animal protein presents for kidney health. Other experts talk about the (strong in my opinion) link between animal protein and cancer. The question scientists then want to answer is: Is there a causal link? If so, what is the mechanism by which animal protein might cause cancer?If memory serves, Dr Campbell in The China Study mentions several ways in which we think that animal protein causes and promotes cancer. Here on NutritionFacts, you can get a great education on how animal protein is linked to the body’s over-production of a growth hormone called IGF-1. IGF-1 helps cancer to grow. To watch the series about IGF-1, click on the link below and then keep clicking the “next video” link on the button to the right until you get through the bodybuilding video. Then you will have seen the entire series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/And Darryl recently reminded me about the methionine issue. Egg whites have *the* highest concentration of methionine of any food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000084000000000000000.html?categories=1,18,9,0,13,14,5,4,42,16,17,15,6,3,2,11,7,19,21,12,10,8,22 Dr. Greger did a nice video showing the link between methionine and cancer. So, there are two clear pathways linking animal proteins, especially egg whites, to cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/Darryl also pointed out that, “…high methionine diets increase coronary risk in humans. In its associations with cardiovascular disease and other disorders, homocysteine may be functioning partly as a marker for the major culprit, excess methionine.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475305001092And while I can’t find it right now, I believe that Toxins has pointed out two other health issues with egg whites.With all of the information we have about the harmful effects of animal protein in general and egg white in particular, I think it’s best to stay away from egg white. Why not get your protein from safe sources? Sources which are known to have lots of positive health effects and will naturally give you a balanced amount of protein? (ie: whole plant foods) Make sense?I refer to this video in my blog post EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption” if anyone is interested in this topic.So does the list go like this: fish, eggs, cheese, beef, lamb, pork, chicken?You have the order correct. By avoiding all these products you are better off. see also http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/. In addition animal products are high in arsenic… http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/arsenic-in-chicken/, mercury… http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/hair-testing-for-mercury/, & aluminum… http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/.I wanted to ask Dr Greger, is he aware of any studies of the toxic content of non-industrial meats? I and my family eat lots of free-range eggs, range chicken, heritage pork, and grass-fed beef, all from farmers whom I know and trust. I feel noticeably worse when I lapse and eat factory-farmed chicken. Also, I recall a study by Mother Earth News showing much higher nutritional content of truly free-range eggs. http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs.aspx So I believe we’re doing the right thing.But I would like to know if any empirical analysis has been attempted on meats and animal-based foods that were raised the way our grandparents raised animals?When I first ‘became acquainted’ with dioxin (late 1970s) I recall that there were several chemicals in this group… and the one which attracted the most concern was “TCCD” dioxin. Is that still the case? Does the government study distinguish between the various compounds? Are we more likely to encounter certain ones? I appreciate having this info accessible. Thanks! ^..^You are correct that several chemicals in the group and they have different toxic effects. When they enter the environment most commonly from burning of waste they enter as a mixture. So each chemical is measured and multiplied by its toxic equivalency factor to estimate the overall effect. The estimated half life of these substances in the human body has been estimated at between 1 to 7 years. These estimates are based on studies done in cases of large industrial exposures. So you will encounter a variety in the environment but the exposure for those on a plant based diet is only about 2% of those on the standard american diet. Complicated area… take home message… the best approach is a whole food plant based diet. The good news is the amount in the environment is decreasing.. the bad news the amount of other chemicals like flame retardants is going up. See other videos including http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/So…What is safe to eat, then? Mikala, I can’t speak for Dr. G but it seems that vegan sources (no meat, dairy or eggs…the rest of this website and the website of PCRM have lots of info on vegan diets) help avoid most of it. I’ve found this chart on the web:http://www.ejnet.org/dioxin/dioxininfood.gifAs you can see the lowest bar is the one marked “vegan diet”Also eating organic helps with avoiding some heavy metals and other contaminents used in fertilizers and pesticides.Dr. Greger – very much a wake-up call, alarming…but I have two questions1. The graph at 2:12 is alarming, but is there a graph you can show us that shows the answers for vegan populations (or even not by age group but just overall)?hopefully lower graphs but how much are we exposed to from other sources, I don’t know..(of course a more careful analysis would grade into several levels, depending on how many years vegan or maybe how many years non-vegan that person has eaten in their life so far, and show us the average for each such catetory)2. I remember as clearly as yesterday reading this in 1999 on BBC, just google for “British breast milk ‘highly contaminated'” It reads in part,“British babies fed on breast milk could be receiving as much as 40 times World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended levels of a wide range of potentially harmful chemicals, says a report.“The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says more than 350 man-made pollutants have been identified in the breast milk of women in the UK. These include 87 dioxins, the poison which sparked the recent…”Dr Greger – What’s the update in 2012, 13 years later, surely we know more?I even tried to contact WWF about two years ago but got not reply from the one source I tried. Has the research during 1999-2012 confirmed, or strengthened, or weakened, the worries about, confirmed or contradicted the amounts, etc? Or have virtually no studies been done in the past 13 yeas (which would be shocking but shocking things happen in terms of what’s studies and what’s not studied..)What about farm animals that are fed organic feed? I’m thinking that synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, etc cannot be used for organic crops, but crops could be contaminated by chemicals in the atmosphere just like conventional crops? For that matter, so can the organic produce, grains, etc that we purchase? Thank you for all this wonderful information and for making it accessible to everyone and anyone. LouisaThe major health issues seen with animal products is independent of whether the meat is organic or conventional. Red meat that is grass fed still contains trans fat http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/ , it still causes increased levels of IGF-1 http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/ and it still causes endotoxemia http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/ .Hi Dr. Gregor, I love your website. Thank you so much for all your efforts. I was wondering where that graph comes from, the one that was from last year’s study where they tested the levels of 4 different toxins in humans by age group. I don’t think it was from the articles listed in your references, and I couldn’t find it when I searched pubmed. I just was wondering what country that study took place in and was hoping to get the reference. Thank you!!http://www.epa.gov/dioxin/pdfs/EPA_Dioxin-Factsheet-2012.pdf this fact sheet seems to show the EPA doesn’t feel dioxins are a problem? Id love to know your views on this – is it just changing evidence? Are they required to support the ADA guidelines?Kind regards,MelThe “fact” sheet you referenced correctly states that the air emissions have gone down and our exposure is “low” level. Unfortunately dioxin family is the most carcinogenic substance known so even low levels are not good. They have a long half life in the body of up to 7 years. By going plant based you can reduce your exposure to as low as possible while allowing the body to rid itself of the dioxins that have built up in your body if you have been eating the standard american diet or vegetarian with dairy/eggs.I have recently switched to a plant based diet. I’m loving it and my health has improved significantly, but I worry that I may be consuming large amounts of pesticides. I can’t source exclusively organic veg, but I do wash everything before cooking / eating. Is this enough? Is there a way of washing veg that has been shown to be most effective?me8932: Congratulations on switching to the healthiest human diet on the planet!I have heard your concern from other people before. While I don’t have an answer to your exact question, I hope the following thoughts will ease your fears:Dr. Greger has a great blog post where he puts pesticide consumption into perspective. : “A new study calculated that if half the U.S. population ate just one more serving of conventional fruits and vegetables, 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented. At the same time the added pesticide consumption could cause up to 10 extra cancer cases. So by eating conventional produce we may get a tiny bump in cancer risk, but that’s more than compensated by the dramatic drop in risk that accompanies whole food plant consumption. Even if all we had to eat was the most contaminated produce the benefits would far outweigh any risks.”from: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/ I translate this bit of info into: Eat organic when you can, but don’t stress about it when you can’t. Happily, there is a way to take this advice a step further to minimize your risks without completely depleting the pocketbook. Every year, the Environmental Working Group actually measures pesticide levels in fruits and veggies–after those fruits and veggies have been prepared in the way people would normally eat them. (For example, peeling a banana or washing first.) If you scroll down on the following page, you will see a list for the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean Fifteen”.http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.phpI bring your attention to these lists because I think they are very helpful for people who can’t afford to eat organic for everything. You could use these lists to help you decide when it is worth putting down money for organic and when it might be safer to buy non-organic.I hope this helps!It certainly does help – thank you for the quick and comprehensive response! I really appreciate Dr Greger and all the NF team’s efforts in getting this vital information out to the public.Question for the Doctor;This video got me thinking about pesticides and other toxic residue on fruits and vegetables. Do you have any data that supports the use of ultrasonic cleaning to remove these hazards? I did find one study from Thailand which did recommend warm water and 10 minutes of ultrasonic therapy, but wanted to hear your wisdom. I suppose that a better question is “Which method best cleans fruits and vegetables”.Thanks for all you do!Ultrasound and pesticide residue: As. J. Food Ag-Ind. 2012, 5(05), 364-373I am not sure about that, but if this is a concern for you, Dr. Greger recommends eating organic. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/Chlorophyll derived from Chlorella inhibits dioxin absorption http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1240248/Dr. Greger, This was a very informative video. I am vegetarian; however, I consume eggs, and what I heard on the video was deeply disturbing to me. So I am wondering whether the researchers of the study on the egg consumption and dioxins used organic eggs or just regular store-bought eggs. Are the study findings include both types of eggs? Do you have information about the potential toxicity of organic eggs? Thank you.I have extremely high levels of pcb’s and am looking for a way to reduce these toxic chemicals. any suggestions?	animal products,beef,biomagnification,bladder cancer,body fat,breast cancer,breast disease,cheese,chicken,colon cancer,dairy,dioxins,eggs,esophageal cancer,fish,lung cancer,meat,mouth cancer,persistent organic pollutants,poultry,prostate cancer,rectal cancer,seafood,throat cancer,voice box cancer,white meat	Which foods accumulate the highest levels of industrial toxins?	More on dioxins in these more recent videos: Dioxins in U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish Counteracting the Effects of Dioxins Through Diet Diabetes and Dioxins California Children Are ContaminatedPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on industrial toxins. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog posts: EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption”, Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies, Poultry and Penis Cancer, Breast Cancer and Diet,  How Chemically Contaminated Are We?, Fukushima Radiation and Seafood, and Male Fertility and Dietary Pollutants.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/04/male-fertility-and-dietary-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/05/epa-dioxin-limit-has-national-chicken-council-worried-products-could-be-declared-unfit-for-consumption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/02/11/fukushima-and-radioactivity-in-seafood/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/voice-box-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bladder-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouth-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-u-s-farm-raised-catfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-and-dioxins/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19490835,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19733382,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20104980,
PLAIN-3195	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prozac-residues-in-fish/	Prozac Residues in Fish	Not to worry, though, our fish may have benedryl in it. Because so many drugs are excreted in our urine, when we pee them down the toilet they can end up polluting our rivers and streams and the flesh of the fish swimming in them. In fish fillets they found, Benadryl, Cardizem, tegretol, lopid, Zoloft, and prozac metabolites. The levels they found were really low, but what if these compounds bioaccumulate in tissue or have unintended consequences from the complex mixtures of contaminants we’re exposed to?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	animal products,antidepressants,biomagnification,drug residues,fish,medications,Prozac,seafood,SSRI's,water,white meat	Pharmaceuticals flushed into our waterways may end up contaminating fish.	Also check out Ractopamine in Pork and How Many Cancers Have Been Caused by Arsenic-Laced Chicken? for more on the subject.Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog post, Mercury Testing Recommended Before Pregnancy.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/drug-residues/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ssris/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prozac/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antidepressants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/	-
PLAIN-3196	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/allergenic-fish-worms/	Allergenic Fish Worms	There’s a parasitic worm in fish called anisakis. This year we learned that about 2/3’s of retail fish samples came up positive for them. This is what they look like—they’re really quite small, actually. You can see two here kind of peeking out of some sushi. Because people eat fish raw, parasites are always a concern, but the unique thing about these worms is that our bodies can be so sensitive to them that the worms can trigger an allergic reaction dead or alive—even if they’re cooked. So we’re finding some people that are “allergic” to fish really aren’t; they’re allergic to the dead worms in the fish. In fact, because we feed fishmeal to chickens, you can have an allergic reaction to a parasitic fish worm and not even eat fish at all!	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on parasites. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!barf this is so grose. reason number 150 why I do not eat animal bi products.	allergies,animal products,anisakis,chicken,fish,parasites,poultry,seafood,sushi,white meat,worms	The role of a parasitic worm in allergic reactions to chicken and fish.	What other parasites are found in our food supply? See: Chronic Headaches and Pork Tapeworms Not So Delusional Parasitosis Tick Bites, Meat Allergies, and Chronic Urticaria Tongue Worm in Human EyePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on parasites. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/worms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anisakis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tick-bites-meat-allergies-and-chronic-urticaria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20085278,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16889264,
PLAIN-3197	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mothers-overestimate-dietary-quality/	Mothers Overestimate Dietary Quality	One reason kids may not be eating better is that maybe their parents overestimate the quality of their child’s diet. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I mean if they think their kids are already eating well, then there’s no reason to change. For the first time ever, this theory was actually tested The mothers of 2,000 preschoolers were interviewed. What percentage of moms insisted that their child’s diet was good? The vast majority. What percentage of their kids diets were actually good? Now note this is in accordance with the USDA healthy eating guidelines, which aren’t exactly strict. Let’s look. Only point two percent—1 in every 500 kids. The vast majority of mothers overestimate the quality of their child’s diet.	The source link is incorrect and brings up a 1991 study by the same lead authors on muscarinic cholinergic agonists and antagonists. The correct link is here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19958913Thank you so much StrayKat–corrected!Is there any another study to estimate how European mothers do? Do they know more about healthy eating towards their child’s diet that american mothers?Would be interesting to know. John from MaltaMothers Don’t know how to COOK any foods except for out of a box and into a microwave.They should add cooking, sewing, cleaning house, cleaning yourself, how to clean baby & how to manage bills type of classes that have to be taken before or while food stamps are given out.This sould be a psycology video. It’s called cognitive disonaunce .Seriously! ‘Mothers’?!	children,dietary guidelines,junk food,USDA	Mothers have been found to dramatically overestimate the quality of their preschoolers' diets	Here are some other videos on our dietary quality: Higher Quality May Mean Higher Risk What Percent of Americans Lead Healthy Lifestyles?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Protecting Our Babies From Pollutants	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dietary-guidelines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/higher-quality-may-mean-higher-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-percent-of-americans-lead-healthy-lifestyles/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19958913,
PLAIN-3198	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty/	Protein & Puberty	What’s the big deal about what kids eat? Well for one thing, the type of protein children eat, particularly at preschool age—5-6 years old, the critical window—appears to determine when they start puberty. Kids eating lots of animal protein at that age—meat, eggs, and dairy—prematurely start puberty a year earlier than those eating lots of plant protein. An entire year earlier. Why do we care? Cancer and mortality. Earlier puberty means, on average, a shorter lifespan.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on puberty. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Cow’s Milk Casomorphin, Crib Death, and Autism!What do you think about this comment on Facebook?“Only time a vegan or vegetarian diet is at all beneficial is when you compare it to people that eat like shit and even then you are still risking you’re health for no reason… Vegan = gullible idiot”	animal products,animal protein,cancer,children,lifespan,longevity,mortality,plant protein,premature puberty,puberty	The type of protein young children eat at a critical age may affect when they start puberty.	For more videos on animal protein and health during adolescence include: Saving Lives By Treating Acne With Diet Protein, Puberty, and Pollutants Formula for Childhood ObesityPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on puberty. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Also, be sure to check out my associated blog posts: Cow's Milk Casomorphin, Crib Death, and Autism, Eating To Extend Our Lifespan, and Why Are Children Starting Puberty Earlier?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/15/why-are-children-starting-puberty-earlier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premature-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-puberty-and-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20042466,
PLAIN-3199	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-in-a-burger/	What's in a Burger?	Besides hormones, what else is in a burger? Published in the Annals of Diagnostic Pathology, anatomic pathologists at the Cleveland Clinic recently dissected burgers to see what was inside. “Fast food hamburgers: what are we really eating?” We eat 5 billion burgers a year and most consumers presume that the hamburgers they eat is composed primarily of meat, but what, did they actually find? They analyzed burgers from 8 different fast food joints and found them to contain the same tissues observed in hot dogs—that’s probably not a good sign. They found blood vessels… nerves… cartilage… and swarms of these little parasites, in burgers from a quarter of the fast food restaurants they sampled. No brains found, though, that’s good. But so how much was actually meat? What percentage of a fast food burger is actually muscle flesh, as opposed to all these other tissues and parasites and fillers and everything?... Meat content in the hamburgers ranged… from 2% to 14.8%. 2% meat? They’re practically vegetarian! Part of that other 85 to 98% that wasn’t meat: ammonia. Thanks to some excellent investigative reporting, we learned last year that a company developed a novel technique for killing all the fecal bacteria: injecting beef with ammonia. The meat industry loved it so much, it became a multi-billion dollar industry and and made it’s way into the majority of hamburger sold nationwide. McDonald’s, Burger King, and millions of pounds every year given to our kids at school. This is what the process looks like. It produces what one USDA microbiologist called pink slime, saying he doesn’t even consider the stuff to be meat. And when the USDA says something isn’t meat…. Not even good enough, for prisoners in Georgia—they sent it back, because the meatloaf stank like window cleaner. Why would they feed this to schoolchildren? School lunch officials said they ultimately agreed to use the treated meat because it shaved about 3 cents off the cost of making a pound of ground beef. Three cents.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on meat. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Hi Dr. Greger. We met in Toronto this summer and I love your site. I need some help.McDonalds in Canada is doing a huge campaign to help break the myths of their food. One of them is that their beef does not include any “pink slime”. They have very explicitly said this, they say it is not allowed in Canada. A lot of meat eaters are using this as a reason to eat their burgers without guilt.Do you know if this is true? Are they bending the facts?I would love to get your insight. Thanks!What a startling finding … 2% meat, yikes! The story on ammonia was also a real shocker…thanks for bringing this to our attention!But, to fully interpret the percentage meat figures, I think it is also important to consider the percentage of naturally occurring water in muscle tissue, which according to the USDA is up around 75% (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Water_in_Meats/index.asp).When I read your cited source, namely, [Prayson et al., 2008], it turns out that they measured water content by weighing the tissue before and after dehydration. Thus, when they claim that nearly 50% of the burger is water, most of this is naturally occurring water. On a related note, they measured % meat by actually measuring % skeletal cells (after dehydration of tissue and infiltration of cells with a paraffin wax). In my experience, the process of paraffin embedding leads to large amounts of cell shrinkage and I wonder whether this fact may bias their interpretation of the % meat in a burger?Whatever the case, I still wouldn’t eat another burger to save my life!You can read the full PDF here:http://www.tissuepathology.typepad.com/files/prayson_anndiagpath_dec2008.pdfThank you Mike!Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!Yikes! Just makes me more determined to keep educating myself. Your info is one of the few I really trust. Thank you!What causes high levels of ammonia in a person?The process of disinfecting meat from the feces it comes into contact with during slaughter and processing with ammonia is not legal in Canada. It would be interesting to know what is in a Canadian fast food burger. I suspect a lot of them may be imported from the US but I don’t know. I guess you either get one (ammonia) or the other (feces).Excellent information.Testing: testingAre u dumb?	ammonia,animal products,beef,Burger King,burgers,children,Cleveland Clinic,factory farming practices,fast food,fecal contamination,hamburgers,industry influence,junk food,McDonald’s,meat,parasites,red meat,School Lunch Program,USDA	Cleveland Clinic pathologists dissect fast food burgers to see what's inside.	What other potential dangers is burger consumption associated with? Avoiding a Sugary Grave Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study Dead Meat Bacteria EndotoxemiaPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on meat. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Vitamin B12: how much, how often?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mcdonalds-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/school-lunch-program/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ammonia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burger-king/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cleveland-clinic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-and-weight-gain-in-the-panacea-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-a-sugary-grave/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dead-meat-bacteria-endotoxemia/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18995204,
PLAIN-3200	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat/	Anabolic Steroids in Meat	Some hormones we do implant in farm animals, though. Last year Japanese researchers were lamenting the dramatic increase in hormone-dependent cancers in their country—four times more breast and ovarian cancer, 8 times more endometrial cancer and 10 times more prostate cancer just in the last 25 years. They suspect it might be because they import so much hormone-laden beef from the United States, but just because we implant cattle with hormones doesn’t mean it actually makes it into the meat. We inject these hormone implants in the ears of cattle, but the ears get chopped off at slaughter so the U.S. beef industry argues that the hormones don’t get into the meat, but these researchers were suspicious, so they compared the hormone levels in American beef to Japanese beef, where they don’t commonly inject cattle with hormones. They found up to 600 times the level of estrogens in American beef. So they got the feeling that the increasing consumption of estrogen-rich American beef following steroid implantation might facilitate estrogen accumulation in the human body and could be related to the incidence of hormone-dependent cancers, although further studies are required. . For example, eggs may be the greatest source of estrogens in a person’s “normal” diet. Why would estrogen-rich beef lead to prostate cancer—you think of that more related to male hormones like testosterone. We inject cattle with that too. Just like athletes can use doping agents in sports to build up their muscles, in the livestock industry anabolic steroids are given to cattle to “beef” up their muscles. We don’t just give estrogens, we implant anabolic male steroids with brand names like magnum and, “steer-oid,” some of which contain androgens like testosterone. Where are these hormones found the most? Researchers in Iran last year compared the levels of testosterone in the meat, liver, and testicles of sheep. What, did they find? Interestingly, though testicles produce testosterone they don’t store it, and so builds up elsewhere in the body. In fact, the levels of anabolic steroids in meat can be so high that studies have shown that athletes who eat certain kinds of meat may be falsely accused of abusing steroids. As with dairy, eating meat may also affect prepubescent children, boosting their production of male sex hormones in both boys and girls, which may hasten the first appearance of pubic hair between ages 6-8. Even though the effect was small, the fact that it’s a modifiable factor—something you can change about your child’s diet—makes it potentially relevant.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on hormones. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Thank you very much for your excellent website. Do you have information on bioidentical hormones and their effects on women who are post menopausal?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies!I absolutely love your videos! Would you do one on ph diet vs acidic diet. There is a lot of stuff on the web about this but none of what I have seen has referenced a scientific study. ThanksDr. Greger. Thank you much. Your videos are great!What is your view of Testosterone supplementation? I have a free Testosterone level in the low 100s. I have been injecting Testosterone Cypionate 10mg/ml every two weeks for about a year and I feel great my free Testosterone levels are <300, but am concerned that I might be causing some damage. I have normal lh and fh levels and HDL level is high.Hi Jan. I assume your doctor prescribed this? I think it’s important to weight the risks and benefits and your doctor should be able to inform you. I am not sure. I’ve asked one of our star doctors to reply please give her some time to investigate. Thanks for your question.	animal products,Asia,beef,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,eggs,endometrial cancer,endometrial health,estrogen,factory farming practices,farm animals,growth promoters,hormonal dysfunction,hormones,Japan,liver,meat,men's health,ovarian cancer,ovary health,prostate cancer,prostate health,red meat,sheep,steroids,testosterone,women's health	The implantation of hormones into U.S. beef cattle may have adverse human health effects	More info on hormones and meat here: Why Do Vegan Women Have 5x Fewer Twins? and Estrogen in Meat, Dairy, and EggsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on hormones. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies, Breast Cancer and Diet, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk, Eating Green to Prevent Cancer, How Chemically Contaminated Are We?, and  Are Bioidentical Hormones Safe?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/04/are-bioidentical-hormones-safe/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/growth-promoters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovarian-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormonal-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sheep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20020373,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19793857,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10861987,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19680919,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16125328,
PLAIN-3201	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/acne-cancer-connection/	Acne & Cancer Connection	In volume 3, I talked about the link between these hormones in dairy and the stimulation of sebaceous glands, resulting in acne. But as we’re learning the growth of acne is not the only thing the hormones in milk can stimulate the growth of. Acne, dairy, and cancer, published last year in the journal demato-endocrinology A potent link to dairy seems to exist for acne, breast cancer, and prostate cancer, but why? Maybe it’s 5-alpha-P. What is 5-alpha P? 5-alpha pregnanedione is another sex steroid hormone present in cow’s milk that is a direct precurser to a testosterone metabolite that not only drives acne, but may promote both prostate and breast cancer like the other dairy hormones. The article starts out how, over the past 35 years parts of a highly important jigsaw puzzle have gradually come to light. First, all any doctor has to do is take a medical history to learn that, for example, extensive back acne is almost exclusively due to excess dairy intake, but not necessarily milk itself—it could be other dairy products. Now we’d like to do controlled clinical studies, but the problem is there’s no control. Dairy without the offending hormones does not exist. Even organic milk, where they’re not allowed to inject cows with hormones, has growth hormones in it because biologically, that’s the whole point of milk, to put a couple hundred pounds on a baby calf. The problem with humans drinking cow hormones is that there’s no natural feedback loop. For our own hormones, if we have too much estrogen or something, our brain damps it down, but this protective feedback system is bypassed when the system is “invaded” by these dihydrotestosterone precursors in dairy products. See the human endocrine system didn’t evolve under the influence of ingested dairy and other external hormones and growth factors, and we’re just not equipped to cope with such a quote-unquote sneak attack. In summary, the evidence suggests that dairy-sourced hormones, not being subject to any innate feedback inhibition, may be the source of the steroid sex hormones that drive acne, prostate and breast cancer. This is the most promising unifying hypothesis—or theory—available, to explain the cause of diverse diseases that blemish, scar, shorten and take, the lives of millions.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on acne. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Hello from the Israel… (sorry in advance for my horrible English..) I’m doing a little research about the estrogen in milk my self (I’m a vegan nutritionist my self..). I read the article you’re talking about in this video but I was disappointed to find out that they check less then 20 people… so I just can’t take it seriously… Is there any other articles dealing with this question?I have another question, I know that the milk industry claims that Estrogen is collapse until the consumers are drinking it. but i couldn’t find any information about what happens to this destroyed Estrogen, maybe he is still act like Estrogen (and this can also explain the finding on this Japanese study. Oh and your website is just great and really Inspiring :-) Thank you!Kerem, I recommend going through the other videos regarding estrogen and excretion as the questions you posed are answered in Dr. Greger’s videos. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=estrogenhttp://youtu.be/E-PQCCiw_Zswatch this video,maybe it could help u understand about milkAlso be sure to check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer and Diet!Is there a link betwen baby acne and the hormones in human  breastmilk  being linked to cancer.  Both my children had baby acne as newborns and I wonder if there are increased hormones in m breastmilk that could lead to an increased risk for breast cancer. Human breast milk is by far the healthiest milk for a baby. The only concern would be what the mother is eating as the substances in other foods, such as dairy, can be a part of the breast milk.Check out these video links on dairy and infants. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-crib-death/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/what about raw﻿ dairy products from grass-fed cows?Great food for baby cows not for humans. Raw dairy can be associated with infectious agents. The best way to avoid the myriad of problems associated with dairy products is not to consume them either raw or pasturized. Dr. Greger’s videos on diary and cheese go over these problems in detail. Go to View All Topics and chose between the 79 videos on dairy plus the overview on dairy by Denise on the first page of the dairy videos.Besides dairy free, what other advice you have for acne? I got acne when I went frutarian, now cooked vegan have it.It kinda makes me think, the healthier I ate the worst my acne got! I believe it was a coincidence, but it was a rather funny observation.Nina: That’s too bad. But I have a lot of respect for you. Humans have a hard time believing in coincidence. Sounds like you were able to put some logical perspective on things (and took the logical step of going to a dermatologist).I hope the skin thing clears up for you!hello Dr.Greger, Iam a Pathologist from India and i too m a vegan i agree with everything here but i have one question…these IGF and other growth factors, arent they heat sensitive? dont they get destroyed when subject to high temperatures say during pasteurisation?Dear Dr. Greger,I am suffering from acne for almost 10 years now and I am desperatley searching for some medication / advice that could help me fighting my acne. Since I switched my diet to vegan it is better but not gone.Now I have heard about methylsulfonylmethane as a treatment for acne and seasonal allergic rhinitis, from which I am suffering, too. I could not find articles providing scientific evidence for these promises. Could you please tell me if it works and how it works? I really don’t want to take something without knowing that it can help and that it does not have severe side effects.Kind regards from Germany :)I suffered from back acne for a lot of years and I can testify that when I stopped consuming dairy my back acne improved 50%. Also, I had to take Accutane twice (once at 16 and once at 26) and the only time it worked was when I wasn’t consuming dairy.A 2013 journal article concluded “This analysis of African-American women provides little support for associations of dairy and meat intake with breast cancer risk.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23329367A 2011 study stated that the “findings of the present meta-analysis indicate that increased consumption of total dairy food, but not milk, may be associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21442197 Do you have any comments on these studies?well, I think dairy may aggravate the condition in those predisposed. For me, my acne was never bad until this year, Ive been vegan for three years and the past few months have been the worst for me. and i have even tried going oil free. I finally went to the dermatologist to help. Diet is a not a cure for acne, and dairy does cause it can, but I do believe that it can aggravate it if you are so inclined to have it. P.S, for years I had clear skin before I was vegan (probably due to birth control pills which don’t seem to be working now) and during that time I ate badly, lots of meat and dairy and still had beautiful clear skin (though 10lbs overweight!)I gave up on the diet connection. I eat my well rounded vegan diet but i no longer expect miracles from it.Dear Nina, There is definetely more to a healthy skin than just diet, still the diet is one of the main factors that impact it. Vegan is far better than eating meat/dairy products, but there are ways to optimize your vegan diet/ lifestyle to achieve clear skin. I’ve done it myself and I’m very happy to enjoy acne free as well as allergy free skin:) I recommend that you research more on “alkaline diet” and balancing your blood’s pH. We need to keep our blood slightly alkaline (pH>7) for the body to be able to function properly and healthy skin is one of the signs that our internal body environment is functioning well. In general, plant foods are more alkalizing than animal products, but still grains/legumes/some fruits are considered slightly acidyfing to the body, so if your vegan diet consists in big part of grains,legumes and the wrong kind of fruits you may still be overall more acidic. The most important thing to do is to include as many vegatables as you can in your diet, in particular the dark green leafy ones (the most alkalizing foods on earth eg. spinach, kale). Eat a huge salad every day, it can be accompanied by potatoes as this are highly alkaline, too. I could recommend you the book by Karen Fisher “The Healthy Skin Diet”, as the author expalins in more detail what is important to create a beautiful complexion. For me the book has been very helpful when it comes to various skin issues I used to have. However, the book is not about a vegan diet and the presented dietary plan isn’t vegan, but I believe it can be easily adjusted. I used the author’s advice and in circa 2 months of improving my vegan diet I had a clear healthy skin. I continue on eating in this “alkalizing” way with lots of green veggies and smoothies and I can assure you that it isn’t hard to keep up this kind of eating style. In addition, I encourage you to include an excercise regimen (if you don’t have one now) because movement is very important for the blood and particullarly lymph circulation, which both contribute to the effectiveness of you body eliminating harmful metabolites and distributing essential nutrients. Moreover, it’s very important that you are capable of handling your negative thoughts/emotions and any stresses you may have in life as that also greatly impacts your skin. You could do yoga/deep breathing exercises as well as practice some positive affirmations about yourself and your life…may sound weird but it does work to improve your life overall and also to help you achieve the healthy skin you were meant to have. To sum up, I hope you’ll be encouraged to reserach the subjects I’ve brought up a bit further and benefit from it. For me it worked wonders therefore I’d be very happy to help you by sharing this information:)Thank you for taking the time to reply. Those few months of acne were caused by harsh products as I discovered. My skin normalized after following the dermatologist Rx and stopping all the scrubbing and products I was using.I’m glad to read your skin is better. Diet and exercise as Daria mentioned are very important to overall health. Although the only thought I had which is a bit different is that you don’t balance the pH of your blood your body does. By eating consistent with our anatomy and physiology which is that of a vulnerable (at least until we invented weapons) hind gut fermenting herbivore we make it easier for our body to maintain the proper pH by not using alot of our calcium compounds in our bone. The acids come from our metabolism and foods we ingest. Most of the acidity comes from amino acids in proteins. Some of the amino acids tend to be more acidic then others. These sulfur based amino acids tend to be more prevalent in animals but are also present in plants. You can view more about specific amino acids such as methionine which is one of the sulfur based amino acids… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension. We don’t need to worry about getting enough essential amino acids via protein in our diet if we eat enough calories. Congrats again on solving your skin condition.have u myb tried tea tree oil?and turmeric…both good topicals for acneCows are great mothers. Each one loads her milk up with 5-alpha-pregnanedione and other hormones to help her baby pack on 500 pounds. And she gets even when you take away her baby’s milk – with poxes of zits, breast cancer and prostate cancer on whoever breaks the laws of nature!It always strongly confuses and upsets me, when I hear how many vegans cured their acne and how this condition is mainly caused by dairy consumption…. I have been a vegan for over three years, eat a very healthy and whole foods diet and still have bad hormonal acne…You Tube presentation about pitfalls of milk is excellent – worth the hour and twenty minutes. Professor Veith, a South African Zoologist and researcher, gave this lecture at unspecified date. However, Dr. Veith has chosen evangelical pursuits as his primary focus. His science based approach to nutritional discussions and opinions on biblical prophecy and evolution denial is a true dichotomy.	5-alpha pregnanedione,acne,animal products,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,chronic diseases,dairy,estrogen,factory farming practices,farm animals,hormonal dysfunction,hormones,men's health,milk,organic foods,organic milk,prostate cancer,prostate health,skin health,testosterone,women's health	The hormones present in cow's milk may help explain the association between certain diseases and dairy consumption.	Other videos on dairy include: Formula for Childhood Obesity Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility National Dairy Council on Acne and Milk Trans Fat In Meat And Dairy Is Milk Good for Our Bones?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on acne. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk, Breast Cancer and Diet, and  Are Bioidentical Hormones Safe?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/04/are-bioidentical-hormones-safe/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormonal-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/5-alpha-pregnanedione/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20046583,
PLAIN-3202	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/	Dairy & Sexual Precocity	We’ve known for over a decade that women who eat meat have the highest levels of estrogenic hormones in their bloodstream, and vegans the lowest, but maybe that’s just because vegans are so much slimmer. This year, the consumption of animal products was definitively linked to the levels of circulating steroid hormones in the blood, regardless of body fat levels. The reason we’re concerned, is that the increased consumption of animal-derived food may have adverse effects on the development of hormone-dependent cancers. Among dietary risk factors, these investigators were most concern about milk and dairy productrs because the milk we drink today is produced from pregnant cows, in which estrogen and progesterone levels are markedly elevated. That may be why milk-drinkers have 5 times the rates of twins compared to vegans—that’s how much of an affect dairy can have on our hormones. A landmark study was published this year in an international pediatrics journal on just how much estrogen we’re exposed to when we drink milk, given that the majority of commercial milk comes from pregnant cows. During the 60s and 70s, genetic manipulations of dairy cows enabled them to lactate throughout almost their entire pregnancies. That’s why commercial cow’s milk these days contains large amounts of estrogens and progesterone. During the same period there’s been a dramatic increase in estrogen-dependent malignant diseases, such as ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, breast cancer, testicular cancer and prostate cancer. Eating and drinking estrogen is not just a problem for women; research shows that among various food items, cow’s milk and cheese had the highest correlation with the incidence and mortality rate of these male cancers as well. Especially for prepubescent children, there is particular concern about exposure to exogenous estrogens in commercial milk produced from pregnant cows. So what they did is have young men, ages 19-21, and children, ages 7 through 9, try to chug a quart of cow’s milk in under 10 minutes. This is what happened to the men. The levels of the pregnancy estrogen estrone started to shoot up 60% within an hour of drinking the milk. And their testosterone levels, significantly dropped. You know there are men who don’t want to drink soy milk because they have an irrational fear of phytoestrogens even though soy does not have feminizing effects on men, yet are perfectly willing to drink cows milk which has actual estrogen estrogens in it. Within one hour of the milk hitting their intestines estrogen levels go significantly up and testosterone levels go significantly down. What about the children? Same thing, but even more dramatic, because they start out with such low levels. Within one hour of drinking cow milk, the level of sex steroid hormones in their little bodies more than triples. And half the kids couldn’t even finish the whole quart. Why should we care? Because some of these powerful estrogens could be categorized as carcinogens, and milk is a rich source of these hormones, and concentrates in mammary drainage. Never seem to see that in the advertisements…. The corresponding suppression in testosterone secretion means that men are certainly affected by commercial cow’s milk. And height, growth, and sexual maturation of young children could also be affected by normal intake of cow’s milk. As I talked about in the last volume, recent surveys on the onset of puberty show an alarming trend of earlier sexual maturation in girls. During this same time period, exposure to exogenous—meaning external—estrogens through intake of commercial milk produced from pregnant cows has spread around the world. They think that this intake of pregnant cow’s milk is one of the major causes of early sexual maturation in young children. This relationship between estrogens in pregnant cow’s milk and sexual maturation in children must be acknowledged as an important theme.	great researchDr. Greger, are there studies about early puberty and non-milk dairy (yogurt, cheese, etc)? I assume there would be as much bovine endocrine debris in these products as the milk they were made from, but do we know?The study showing the connection between premature puberty and animal protein consumption in general did indeed include all dairy items. More at http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/Hi Dr. Greger – My husband has prostate cancer and after two unsuccessful surgeries (brachytherapy and cryosurgery) he is now being given hormone treatments in a drug called Lupron. If prostate cancer is an estrogen-dependent disease, as you state in this video, why would the docs be feeding it to him to slow down the cancer growth?Here’s a partial definition of estrogen in the American Heritage Dictionary: “. . . substances that. . . are used to . . . ameliorate cancers of the breast and prostate.”What am I missing?Thank you so much for the excellent work you do!Lupron is given to block the production of both estrogen and testosterone in patients. Prostate cancer is especially stimulated by testosterone. One study showed that males who go on a vegan diet have gone from doubling their PSA levels every 12 months to every 120 months. Studies have shown positive effects on prostate cancer both in vitro(in the lab) and in clinical studies… see.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/cancer-reversal-through-diet/. There has also been recommendations about cancer in general… see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/. Some vegetables have been shown to be more effective in the lab at affecting the growth of cancer cells… see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/1-anticancer-vegetable/. Good luck.http://harvardmagazine.com/2007/05/modern-milk.htmlMany people probably saw the story about Jeremy Pevin the actor where he said:(snipped)“…”I was the guy that dabbled in soy milk, but now I’ve found out soy milk has enough estrogen for me to grow breasts,” he told STV (via Digital Spy). “I had to put the soy milk down. It was a very confusing time.”Turns out Piven was drinking 12 cups of soy milk a day! ….”Is it 100% conclusive that soy does not have unwanted estrogen for men? I have heard from more than one source that it was not good to drink too much of it if you are a guy.I do not drink regular cow’s milk (for decades) either and have switched to almond milk. I could not find any commentary on almond milk on this website.Perhaps you could direct me to a place where almond milk is mentioned on the site , if it is.I can’t answer your exact question but would just like to state that no matter how healthy anything is for you everything must be taken in moderation even moderation. (I.E. If you drink too much water at a time you can wind up drowning your liver and killing yourself.)Is there any difference in the levels between a grass fed, pasture raised cow and that from a cow in a “Factory Farm” or “CAFO”?  The only difference may be in contamination level but this is not the issue here. What this video is looking at is the nutritional composition of milk itself which is relatively unchanged whether it be organic or conventional. Milk is indeed used to grow a baby calf and this is a completely unnatural substance for adult humans to be consuming.Please also check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/04/25/mad-cow-california-is-the-milk-supply-safe/!Please also check out my associated blog post, Mad Cow California: Is the Milk Supply Safe?!Thank you for this interesting video (as usual) ,I’m a vegan dietitian and I have 2 question about this topic: 1. I can’t remember where I read it, but I think that the half life of Estrogen is only 50 hours, I’m not sure if that’s correct and I also don’t know to what exactly does this Estrogen break up to… do you know about any research that deal with this question? 2. About soy, I know that soy have a protective effect from Estrogen related cancer. But I’m not sure that this is the same with sexual development. most of the researches I found had been focus on infant formulas. And they found that soy formulas may also precede sexual development. I also found a research that claim that high Isoflavone in the serum may be connected to early puberty: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2265.2011.04127.x/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=falseWhat's your opinion about this subject? Sorry in advance for my bad grammar… (I’m from Israel)To answer part 2 of your question, view this video. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effect-of-soy-on-precocious-puberty/jojo, the article is obsessed with phytic acid, when all beans, not just soy, and many grains contain phytic acid. Phytic acid is neutralized by cooking, and I do not know many people who eat raw beans. Trypsin is also deactivated with cooking. Soy does not affect hormonal levels either as shown by this video. Nitrosamines are forms not from high temperature cooking but when nitrites are exposed to fat. Nitrates and ntirites are different substances. Nitrates are found in plant products. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/The article is filled with flawed information.What about eating raw legume sprouts? Is the phytic acid diminished at all through germination?Does this also apply to fermented milk such as yogurt and kefir?This is one of the most helpful websites I’ve ever seen. I’ve been studying it for several months now and even down loading some of the journal articles it references. I feel so much better informed and able to take care of my family members better! Great work!Welcome aboard Skeptic. I agree that is feels great to be informed and self-empowered. This is a great site.Thanks for posting.I’ve searched the (excellent and helpful) site for information about uterine/endometrial cancer but haven’t found much. Is there a lack of research to report? I’d love to be able to find more information.Elisabeth, is there something specific about uterine cancer that you’re looking for? I’ll see if I can help. :)Hello Dr. Gregor, there’s a history of uterine cancer in my family, my grandma and her sister both had it and my aunt had it. My mom is paranoid about soy foods and thinks that they cause cancer and since I became vegan is hyper aware of my soy intake. I was curious about what you’ve found out about soy intake and uterine cancer. Is it something I should be worried about or is it actually good to have soy like it is for breast cancer?Rachel: This website has a *bunch* of information about traditional soy products and cancer. Usually the videos discuss soy vs breast and prostate cancer. But I would think (though I’m no doctor or expert) that the same information would be applicable to uterine cancer.I highly recommend checking out the videos and articles in the link below. But I’ll give the bottom line summary here: 2-3 servings a day of traditional soy products like tofu, tempeh, and soy milk are healthy foods that likely help prevent cancer and/or help prevent cancer recurrence. It’s most likely to provide preventative benefits for women if you eat it your whole life, but I still think there are studies Dr. Greger highlighted that show benefits at any age. I certainly do not see how it could hurt you or your family.HOWEVER, note that “isolated soy protein” which comes in many processed packaged foods, does *not* count as a traditional soy product. And note that many commenters have posted on this site that isolated soy protein may be as bad for you as dairy in terms of how it affects IGF-1 (another NutritionFacts video I highly recommend).I’ll also add that some people think that it is important to get organic soy. That way you avoid pesticides and the GMOs. (Other people think that GMOs are not a concern.) Luckily it is easy to get organic soy products – or at least those labeled as GMO-free.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=soyHope that helps.There are many factors associated with increased uterine cancer as Dr. Greger points out estrogen intake is one factor. Obesity and diabetes are also associated with uterine cancer… I’m assuming you speak of uterine cancer and not cervical cancer which has other associated risk factors. Overweight and obese women are at more risk for uterine cancer… hard to say if it is from the foods such as dairy or from the estrogen that is produced by fat cells. As Thea points out whole soy products are fine. Good luck.This video is filled with unsubstantiated speculation.Not all dairies use Holstein cows and not all dairies keep their cows pregnant and not all dairies use rBGH. There’s a big difference between small raw milk dairies and large pasteurized milk dairies.They don,t refer specifically to raw milk or any raw animal products for that matter.Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) and antibiotics are given to animals, such as cattle and chickens in order to make them gain weight faster. Growth hormones also increase milk production in animals. These hormones may hold negative health repercussions for humans. Early puberty in girls has been associated with certain growth hormones used in meat and dairy products.Would this also apply to goats milk? How about organic or grass fed cow’s milk?The study used to say soy has no feminizing effects on men was paid for by the soy industry.“M.M. regularly consults for companies that manufacture and/or sell soyfoods and/or isoflavone supplements, and he is the executive director of the Soy Nutrition Institute, a science-based organization that is funded in part by the soy industry and the United Soybean Board.”The author is from Loma Linda University’s school of public healthy, too, which makes me suspicious of the Adventist health studies.	animal products,body fat,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,children,dairy,estrogen,genetic manipulation,hormonal dysfunction,hormones,milk,omnivores,ovarian cancer,ovary health,premature puberty,prostate cancer,prostate health,puberty,reproductive health,testicular cancer,testicular health,twins,uterine cancer,uterine health,vegans	The effects of the hormones in cow's milk on men and prepubescent children.	For more on the potentially harmful effects of dairy, see: Formula for Childhood Obesity Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility National Dairy Council on Acne and Milk Trans Fat In Meat And Dairy Is Milk Good for Our Bones?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on dairy. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Please also check out my associated blog posts for some more context: Mad Cow California: Is the Milk Supply Safe?, Breast Cancer and Diet, Cow's Milk Casomorphin, Crib Death, and Autism, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk,  Protecting Our Babies From Pollutants, Why Are Children Starting Puberty Earlier?, and Avoiding Dairy to Prevent Parkinson's	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/21/protecting-our-babies-from-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/15/why-are-children-starting-puberty-earlier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/27/want-to-help-prevent-parkinsons-disease-avoid-this/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uterine-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uterine-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premature-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/genetic-manipulation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovarian-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormonal-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-in-meat-and-dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19496976,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20211044,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20378106,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19904296,
PLAIN-3203	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-sex-hormone-binding/	Boosting Sex-Hormone Binding	Two years ago I presented a mystery… Long-term adherence to a diet that includes meat even just once a week or more was associated with a 74% increase in the odds of getting diabetes relative to long-term adherence to a zero meat diet. Just a single serving of any type of meat or more a week, was associated with dramatically increased risk. This makes sense, though. Eating vegetarian helps you lose weight, losing weight helps you avoid diabetes, so what’s the mystery? Even after controlling for weight, controlling for weight change, weekly meat intake remained an important risk factor for diabetes. So even at the exact same weight, eating meat weekly significantly increases our risk of diabetes. So there must be a more direct factor. And this year we got closer to an answer. Your body’s smart. It knows that high levels of circulating steroid sex hormones in the bloodstream can be deleterious, increasing our risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other disorders like diabetes. So our bodies produce a sex hormone-binding globulin, a protein your body makes that takes excess hormones out of circulation. The more hormone-binding proteins we have, the lower our risk of these diseases. That’s, where a plant-based diet comes in. Sex-hormone binding levels were significantly higher by more than half in vegetarian women compared to omnivore women. And higher concentrations have been shown to be associated with a favorable metabolic profile as well as reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. So this may explain why even when vegetarians are overweight, they don’t suffer the same rate of diabetes that meat-eaters do.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on hormones. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!What effect is this going to have on my sex drive?!:-|I would kindly ask if you have some recommendations for hormonal balance (low estrogen and progesterone)?	Adventist Health Studies,animal products,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,diabetes,flexitarians,hormonal dysfunction,hormones,meat,men's health,obesity,omnivores,plant-based diets,prostate cancer,prostate health,vegans,vegetarians,weight loss,women's health	The benefits of a plant-based diet for diabetes prevention appear to extend beyond weight loss.	Here’s some more on Type 2 diabetes: Diabetes as a Disease of Fat Toxicity Bacon, Eggs, and Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy Plant-Based Diets and Diabetes What Causes Insulin Resistance?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on hormones. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog post, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormonal-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adventist-health-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bacon-eggs-and-gestational-diabetes-during-pregnancy-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20211044,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18349528,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19770023,
PLAIN-3204	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-flora-obesity/	Gut Flora & Obesity	Only one in ten of the cells in your body is human. The other 90% are bacteria—we have about a 100 trillion of them on us and in us. The human colon is considered the most biodense ecosystem in the world. We’re just like along for the ride. We exist as one big superorganism, in a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship—usually. Collectively, our gut bacteria weigh as much as one of our kidneys and are as metabolically active as our liver. They affect our immune system —we just found out that if you give probiotics to kids, they don’t get sick as much. Our gut bacteria affect our hormonal balance, and they can affect our energy balance, as well. Is obesity linked to our gut flora? There are some species of bacteria better at extracting calories from our feces than others. Pooped calories end up in the toilet rather than on our hips. But there’s certain obesity-associated bacteria with an increased capacity for energy harvest. Our bodies are trying to get rid of fecal matter, but certain bacteria in our colon can take our waste, break it down further, and release calories that are then absorbed back into our blood stream. So here our body is trying to get rid of it all and the calories are bouncing right back. Now this was originally all based on mouse studies so we really didn’t know what to think, but finally this year we have some human data and indeed the type of bacteria in our guts is related to body weight and weight gain. That got some researchers in Austria thinking. Maybe one of the reasons vegetarians are so much slimmer, on average, is because their diets foster more of the lean-type bacteria, rather than the obese-type. And that’s exactly what they found. They took a bunch of fecal samples from vegetarians, did some DNA fingerprinting, compared it to… omnivore feces and found significantly more of the lean-type bacteria, suggesting a smaller capacity for energy gain from food in vegetarians. How much smaller? Perhaps 2% of daily caloric intake. That doesn’t sound like a lot but it just happens automatically—while we sleep even, and adds up over time. Over a year that may come out to about 5 pounds of fat. And that may not sound like a lot either but that’s exactly how much people tend to put on annually during mid-life years, so that could help explain why as we’ve gone over before, those eating vegetarian don’t seem to get that age-related weight gain that afflicts the rest of the population.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on weight loss. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!For vegans who don’t eat yogurt, what is a good source for probiotics? Probably not Kimchi, as you noted its harmful effects in another video!Commercial yogurt of any kind (soy, rice, cow, or coconut) is an insufficient source of the level of probiotic bacteria found effective in treating diarrheal illnesses, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. A plant-based diet appears to naturally modulate one’s gut flora, but if you need to bring out the big guns for therapeutic usage or to repopulate your gut after a round of antibiotics, allow me to refer you to the advice of one of my medical mentors, Dr. Michael Klaper, who has some great probiotic tips and insight.Thanks for all of your information. But I was wondering, what about kefir grains? There are milk kefir grains and also water kefir grains used to ferment beverages. And do you know of any reliable comparison of yogurt and kefir, such as how many organisms are found in homemade yogurt and kefir? Thanks again.Dr. Greger, many thanks for your fine, concise, science based videos on so many subjects. My wife is battling stage 4 breast cancer. Due to the experience we’ve had I decided to put together a blog (stage4living.wordpress.com) to share resources I found that have helped my wife to save others from some of the distress we’ve experienced. Many of your videos dealing with cancer are posted on my blog.Here’s my question: I’ve probably heard over a hundred times people recommending the fruit and a tea (made from the leaves) of the soursop fruit tree. The common phrase is that it’s “10,000 times more powerful than chemo” (it’s even on YouTube). There’s clearly a bucket of hyperbole in that statement but I’m wondering if the sheer volume of people that place such faith in this magical fruit indicate that there’s at least some truth to the legends. Have you heard of any studies that shed some light of science on this legend? I’d appreciate your help in evaluating if it would be worth including this fruit (and tea from its leaves) in my wifes cancer management treatment plan.We are following predominately the integrative treatment system advocated by Dr. Keith Block (author of Life Over Cancer).Can you please help guide me for what are the best sources of probiotics? Pills, yoghurt, Kefir? It would be valuable to know this, short of going for a fecal transplant. Thanks!P.S. I love your posts, and appreciate your hard work and service. Thank you for all you do!	bile acids,bowel movements,calories,children,colon health,gut flora,immune function,metabolism,obesity,omnivores,plant-based diets,probiotics,vegetarians,weight loss	How one may be able to modify one's own gut flora to facilitate weight loss.	Here are some more videos on gut bacteria: Stool pH and Colon Cancer Gut Feelings: Probiotics and Mental Health Preventing Ulcerative Colitis with Diet Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause InflammationPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on weight loss. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Boosting Gut Flora Without Probiotics and How Probiotics Affect Mental Health	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/01/07/how-probiotics-affect-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/metabolism/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/probiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-leaky-gut-theory-of-why-animal-products-cause-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gut-feelings-probiotics-and-mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19615307,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19641302,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19651563,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17183312,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20205964,
PLAIN-3205	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/	Does Eating Obesity Cause Obesity?	Of course that may just be because chickens these days, are mostly fat. Up to three times more fat than protein. See now we confine animals, genetically manipulate them, pump them full of growth promoters, deny them exercise… How fat have our chickens got? You’re not going to believe this. According to the USDA, a hundred years ago a serving of chicken used to only have 16 calories. That’s half the calories of a brown rice cake. Now, one serving of chicken has over 200 calories, like eating a scoop of ice cream. The fat went from less than 2 grams, to 23 grams of animal fat per serving—twice the fat of ice cream. So now chicken has ten times more fat; ten times more calories—so that could well explain why chicken has been so tied to human abdominal girth, no viral explanation is necessary. In fact the chickens themselves may be technically obese, raising the concern does eating obesity cause obesity in the consumer? A chicken carcass now contains two to three times the energy coming from fat compared with protein. Parents may think they’re feeding their children a low-fat product, as it was when they were kids, but are instead unknowingly feeding their children on a high-fat product. The cocktail of gene selection for fast weight gain, lack of exercise and high-energy food available 24 hours a day, is a simple and well-understood recipe for obesity in these birds. Farm animals used to make DHA, the long chain omega 3 fatty acid important for the brain, but fast-growing animals fail to fully synthesize it in muscle. This reversal in fatty acid status in intensively-reared chickens is described as a most unusual new phenomenon. It is likely to be the result of genetic selection for fast growth ourstripping the biosynthetic process. To obtain the same amount of DHA from intensively reared chickens today as would have been obtained in the 1970s, one would be required to eat six whole chickens—that’s like 9000 calories. These researchers, at the Institute of Brain Chemistry, go as far as to suggest that this may be in part why we’ve seen skyrocketing human mental illness. Although the intensification of chickens alone cannot be responsible for this rise in brain disorders, they consider it part of the package of changes in our food system that has ignored human nutrition.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on obesity. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!So how much fat to protein would you say is in a single chicken breast?According to the article cited in the video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/, there is a fat:protein ratio (energy) 3:2 in reported data from 2004. It used to be 0:4 in 1870.Excellent, thanks. This is Valuable knowledgeThere is so little visible fat on chickens e.g. a skinless chicken breast. I don’t see how it’s such a high ratio.Much of the fat in chicken is in the muscle (meat) itself, what’s called intramyocellular lipid, where droplets of fat build up inside the muscle cell itself. In fact that’s why chickens are used as experimental models of human obesity, since the buildup of fat inside our own muscles is thought to contribute to the insulin resistance associated with type 2 diabetes, and chickens are one of the few animals fat enough mirror our obese population. This month in the medical journal Stress, for example, a team of Chinese scientists found that stress hormones may actually facilitate this process of fat accumulation within the muscles of chickens, raising the question of whether the conditions in which most chickens are raised these days may indeed be making their nutritional profile even worse as suggested in the “Modern Organic and Broiler Chickens Sold for Human Consumption Provide More Energy from Fat than Protein” article I profile in the Does Eating Obesity Cause Obesity? video.oh my, that is shocking. thanks, i never knew!Why is it that the USDA states that a chicken breast only has 6 grams of fat and 2 grams of saturated fat when this study shows otherwise. Is the methodology used in the USDA lab study folly? http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/703/2I need to see more of these videos and posts.  I respond to these graphic facts.  I haven’t made meat of any kind a staple of my diet for years, but still wondered if I’m doing the right thing.  You have put the nail in that…uh, box!  Thank you.  Now I am more and more sure that my plant based, fruit and vegi diet is the right thing for me.  Now I need to decide if I should be concerned about every little nutrient, or just go for the fruit and green vegis as a mainstay and not worry about it.  I am due for my blood tests, so that might help in my decision.  Still trying to learn all about the low fat vegan diet and what is good for me.  Altho, I have been mostly vegitarian for 32 years, I am trying to refine it to avoid the perils associated with old age.  I love your site; both for the info you give and the intelligent responses.  Thanks everyone.  You may never know how much encouragement from you all.  LynnI’m puzzled as to how the caloric and fat values are determined in this video. If one gram of fat has 9 calories, then a 16 calorie serving of chicken in the early 1900s would derive all of its calories from fat and no calories from anything else. If a present day chicken serving has 23 grams of fat, that would equate to 207 calories from fat. Your data gave 208 calories for one serving, suggesting that one calorie came from something other than fat. Is this possible?At 1:36, it sounds like you say, “Unknowingly feeding their chicken on a high fat…”So the implication is that modern producers of chicken meat are rearing animals that are unfit for the health of the general population. The information provided by the studies and presented here does not translate to the labeling of the chicken products we are buying in our supermarket now. Do these types of rearing and farming problems also apply to other meat sources? What about polluted fish? Soil is depleted and polluted and there is plenty of information about this. Water sources are unfit to drink. What chance does the ordinary consumer stand, in a market full of misinformation and blatant omissions, to eat a healthy and balanced diet? Is there any wonder there are so many obese people?Dear Doctor Gregar,This seems to be confirming the points that paleo people are trying to make. Of course a real freerange chicken that was living outside with lots of space, that had to work for getting it’s food etc etc would be much more healthy than an industry chicken.But what is the health benefit of a healthy vegan diet over a similar diet that included said healthy chicken? Has there been any studies on that subject?The average paleo diet still seems to be based on carb restricting so that won’t count as a healthy diet.Dr. Greger, Please note that in 1896 there was more than 16 calories in a 100 gram serving of chicken. The 16.2 calories in the table referred to the calories from fat in the serving (9×1.8=16.2). This is a serious error that might undermine confidence in your otherwise excellent videos. I hope you fix it. Joseph GriffinThe fact that he just unquestioningly accepted that number tells you that he doesn’t understand the subject matter. A table entry stating that 100 grams of chicken contains only 16.2 kcal should make someone with an MD go “wat.”The table was not reporting calories per 100 grams of chicken, but rather FAT per 100 grams of chicken (and calories in that fat). The numbers are correct. Just multiply x9 to get calories.Thank you so much! I’ve rerecorded the video to correct it (should just take a few hours to get it up on the site). I’m sorry I didn’t see your comment until today (thank you Karen for pointing me to it!). In the future if you ever see even the slightest error anywhere, please email me asap so I can get it corrected. I can’t thnak you enough for finding it. As is custom on NutritionFacts.org, anyone who finds an error gets a free DVD of their choice–just let me know which one you want and I’ll send it right out!What a great process for encouraging folks to help catch the very rare mistakes on the videos. The devil is always in the details… chicken breast, skin removed before cooking=785 kcal/#, Roast chicken from fast food restaurant=1290 Kcal/#, Chicken cordon bleu=2259 Kcal/pound. I find Cronometer.com to be a good source of calorie/density. I find calorie density to be the most useful concept in helping patients understand how to achieve a more desirable weight.Is the fat in the muscle saturated? Or is it full of arachidonic acid like that layer of fat just under the skin?	abdominal fat,animal products,body fat,brain health,calories,chicken,DHA,factory farming practices,fat,feed additives,genetic manipulation,growth promoters,ice cream,industry influence,mental health,obesity,omega-3 fatty acids,poultry,weight loss,white meat	The implications of chicken now having ten times more fat and calories.	For more videos on other genetically modified foods, see: Are GMOs Safe? The Case of BT Corn Are GMOs Safe? The Case of Roundup Ready Soy Is Monsanto’s Roundup Pesticide Glyphosate Safe? GMO Soy and Breast CancerPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on obesity. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Poultry Paunch: Meat & Weight Gain and Diet and Cellulite 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/22/poultry-paunch-meat-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/24/can-cellulite-be-treated-with-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/genetic-manipulation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/growth-promoters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ice-cream/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/	-
PLAIN-3206	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-chicken-virus/	Obesity-Causing Chicken Virus	You may have seen headlines like this, suggesting that infection with certain viruses can contribute to obesity. According to a new review published this year: Viral obesity: fact or fiction?, It all started about 20 years ago. A never-before-described poultry virus emerged killing thousands of chickens. That’s par for the course, but the strange thing about the new virus is that the survivors became fat. Normally, when you suffer a serious viral infection you lose weight, but infection with this virus made them gain 50% more abdominal fat than uninfected birds. This was the first virus ever discovered that could cause obesity. And the virus was spread through feces, so you put one fat infected chicken in a room and all the chickens become fat and infected. The kicker is that it didn’t happen by boosting their appetite or something, they ate the same amount of food, but the virus just made them start piling on tummy fat any way. So researchers immediately started taking blood samples from overweight people, to see if they were infected with the chicken virus. They found that not only do one in five obese humans test positive for exposure to this virus—those exposed to the virus weighed 33 pounds heavier than those that weren’t exposed. This is in kilograms. Those positive for the virus averaged 210 pounds; those testing negative were only 177 pounds. 33 pounds different Infectobesity: Obesity of infectious origin. So where does this leave us? The recognized risk factors of obesity include overindulgence, lack of exercise, lifestyle, food habits, environment, stress, heredity and genetic factors. All these factors are components of a multifactorial model of obesity. The current evidence adds to our knowledge that viral infection could probably be considered as another component cause, although not a necessary cause of obesity in humans. Meaning you can be fat on your own with no help needed from some chicken virus, but it may be a contributing factor. May be one reason why for many people the pounds just don’t seem to come off. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why, in a study of 40,000 men and women last year, one of the foods most closely tied to expanding waistlines was poultry.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on obesity. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!This article disagrees with the chicken virus theory, http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2009/02/obesity-virus-new-risk-factor.htmlYou might want to read it.. I enjoy your talks on all the heath issues. I have this weight loss problem that may be caused by this chicken virus in this video. If so, how do I get rid of it systematically and lose the weight? And I haven’t been eating chicken at all for a long time now.What is your take on living in functional Ketosis as an athlete in training? What about as an average american?	abdominal fat,animal products,body fat,calories,chicken,exercise,farm animals,obesity,poultry,viral infections,weight loss,white meat,zoonotic disease	Are viral infections contributing to the obesity epidemic?	For more info on infectious viruses in poultry and meat, watch: Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics? Carcinogenic Retrovirus Found in Eggs Viral Meat Spray Poultry Exposure Tied to Liver and Pancreatic Cancer Poultry Exposure and Neurological DiseasePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on obesity. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Boosting Gut Flora Without Probiotics.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/abdominal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/viral-meat-spray/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19631041,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19874530,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9385623,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17425944,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1320784,
PLAIN-3207	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/crop-nutrient-decline/	Crop Nutrient Decline	But sellers of supplements like to argue that we have to take vitamin pills because the nutrient content of our crops has declined over the last 50 years due to soil depletion Is that true? The nutrient content of our food is in decline: fact or fiction? It’s a fact. But by how much though? On average, over the last 50 years, have the nutrients declined just a little—1-20%, or is it 20-40%? Are they only half as nutritious? Do we have to eat twice as many carrots these days as we would have in the 1950s to get the same amount of nutrition? Or is it even worse, and the majority of the nutrients have disappeared? We’ve only lost about 15%, on average, across 43 different crops. So instead of eating 6 florets of broccoli, eat 7.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on nutrition myths here. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I suppose there are many other nutrients and good things not tested.If I put wheat grass in my morning green smoothie is that a good thing or a bad thing? If I bathe in 1 Tbs full of coconut oil every morning is this increasing my cholesterol or do I actually have to injest it?  Can it pass through my skin?Create your self as a guinea pig. Have your blood cholesterol tested after bathing in coconut oil, while making certain that you are not eating any cholesterol containing foods.Then after a few months –keeping track of the foods you ingest –ingest coconut oil, but do not bathe in it, and have your blood cholesterol tested again.Report back to us. Unless coconut oil passes through the skin, I should think you’d be “safe” bathing in it. But, that’s my guesstimate.Our crops have lost some of their nutritional value – I assume that this is where soil has been misused by 1. lack of crop rotation and 2. pesticides and herbicides. I assume that if I plant a garden in my back yard, there is no nutritional loss from days of old. Is this wrong?It would depend on quality of soil and the seeds you plant and other variables such as weather and water. Generally planting your own fruits and vegetables is an excellent way to save money, avoid pesticides and get healthy food. Good luck with the garden.It is the micro-organisms in the soil that “feed” the plants the nutrients they need. Plants growing in soils that are “dead” lack the minerals because the micro-organisms are not there to feed them. This is why adding organic matter to the soil is so important. Organic matter is food for the microbes. Spraying chemicals such as pesticides, etc., kill these needed microbes in the soil. So buy organic or better yet grow organic!I think there is a danger with studies like this – they give a false sense of security. Business as usual for modern farming. In many places, the top soil is being eroded so fast that it is predicted to disappear in the next few decades. Granted, these are only the most intensely farmed zones – but we need to learn to farm in a way that improves the top soil – both for plant growth and for carbon sequestration. It is entirely possible that the top soil will keep giving us a good level of nutrients until it is gone.So buy organic produce because they feed the soil, beside supplements are fractured/mostly laboratory concoctions and do not work in the body like foods do. Just look at an orange for example – there are many many nutrients in an orange that you will never get from taking a supplement like ascorbic acid, which by the way is usually synthetic and is NOT vitamin C. We were meant to eat food not pills.	broccoli,carrots,multivitamins,nutrient density,nutrition myths,soil health,supplements	How much has the nutrient content of food crops declined over the last 50 years?	Also check out these recent videos for more information on GMOs: Are GMOs Safe? The Case of BT Corn Are GMOs Safe? The Case of Roundup Ready Soy Is Monsanto’s Roundup Pesticide Glyphosate Safe? GMO Soy and Breast CancerPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on nutrition myths here. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog posts:  Prevent Breast Cancer by Any Greens Necessary and Best Nutrition Bang for Your Buck	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/11/26/best-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multivitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-density/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soil-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2730961,
PLAIN-3208	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/	Can Folic Acid Be Harmful?	Folic acid supplements, which are recommended for all women of child-bearing age to prevent birth defects. Harmful, harmless, or helpful? In other words vitamin and panacea or, genetic time-bomb? I do not recommend folic acid supplements; I recommend folate, from the same word root as foliage, found in dark green leafy vegetables and legumes. But everybody knows no one eats greens and beans every day, so the government started fortifying our food supply with folic acid in 1998. Folic acid, though, is not the same thing as folate, but it’s cheaper and more stable in pill form, so that’s why they use it instead. In fact folic acid is a synthetic chemical not found in nature at all—but, studies on rats found that there’s an enzyme in the liver that basically changes it into the natural form. Studies keep coming out, though, linking folic acid supplementation with diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer. So yes, it lowers the risk of birth defects, but may raise our risk of cancer. But wait a second, spinach doesn’t raise our risk of cancer. Beans and greens lower the risk of both birth defects and cancer. It was a big mystery until last year, when scientists figured out: we’re not rats. It’s hard to study human livers, because people tend to need them, but sometimes an organ donor dies and there’s no one to take the liver, and so scientists were finally able to see if what happens in rat livers happens in human livers. And it turns out that the enzyme that converts folic acid in pills into something our body can actually use, is 50 times less active than in rats. Less than 2% of the activity we thought it had, based on the animal studies. So because our enzyme is “extremely slow,” people who take folic acid pills have lots of this synthetic folic acid circulating in their bodies and that’s what we think may be behind the elevated cancer risk. Whereas beans and greens every day offer the best of both worlds.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on folate. If you’re worried about the gassiness of beans as a source of folate, check out my blogpost Clearing the Air. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I have a genetic defect known as MTHFR, which makes it impossible for me to utilize folate from food or conventional supplements. I must take methylfolate supplements twice daily for life, as a result. Although I realize this does not entirely return me to “normal” health, I am extremely healthier with the supplement than without. Can you speak to those who have issues with folate utilization?For those unfamiliar, humans have a gene that regulates the activity of an enzyme called MTHF-reductase. This enzyme is responsible for methylation or in layman’s terms, activation of several B vitamins, in particular folate. This is an important enzyme as the body only uses folate in the activated form and methylation is one method the body uses to remove toxic intermediaries of metabolism and other substances that might otherwise cause harm. Inability to activate folate can contribute to symptoms including fatigue, depression and elevated homocysteine that can contribute to cardiovascular disease. During pregnancy this enzyme helps provide L-methylfolate which is required for proper development of the neural tube or nervous system of a developing fetus. It is estimated that up to 30% of the population can possess one or more genetic variants of the MTHFR gene. If you have this genetic trait, the activity of MTHF-reductase can be reduced by 30%-70%. Taking a high quality supplement that contains folic acid as L-methylfolate and B12 as methylcobalamine, can address this deficiency and help reverse symtoms. For the majority of people who don’t possess this trait, getting most of your nutrients from food is always your first choice. You might like to check out these other interesting videos on supplementation: Vitamin Supplements Worth Taking and Should We Take a MultivitaminThanks for your excellent and detailed response. I wonder if the high prevalence of MTHFR mutations warrants more extensive screening testing for this mutation, at the very least in women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Do you (or other NF viewers/readers) know the cost of this test and whether insurance generally covers the cost?Linda provided some good resources! I’m not an expert on testing methods and unsure what insurance covers the testing. Perfect question for your doctor and healthcare team. Let us know if you find out anything.Could someone from the team…Darryl : ) please address Monica et al. regarding this MTHFR issue? I’ve never heard about it.thanksI can’t see that this has been actioned yet????What about folic acid supplements for vegans during pregnancy? Healthy vegan diets are high in folate so it seems possible and certainly preferable to get this nutrient from food rather than supplements.The fact that folic acid is attributed to the diseases mentioned in the video makes taking it as a supplement out of the question in my opinion. Its similar to taking a beta carotene supplement, what they have done is isolated a single carotenoid and super concentrated it in a pill. The prenatal supplements are truly not necessary, especially if one is eating as health a a plant based eater.Check our Dr. Greger’s video of the dangers of Iron during pregnancy and the vitamin supplements worth taking.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/iron-during-pregnancy/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/Hi Brandon, Correct, a vegan diet high in greens, such as spinach, and legumes, like black beans, will be an excellent source of folate during pregnancy. Please note, however, that a vegan diet is often deficient in iodine, which can pose problems during pregnancy. Please check out this video for more information: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/pregnant-vegans-at-risk-for-iodine-deficiency-2/Its vitamin b12 you will lack, but requireShould we avoid folic acid in supplements completely? I’m looking into B-complex supplements and almost all of them contain 1 mg of folic acid. Thanks for all the awesome videos!The study measured folic acid at 1 mg or higher. 1 mg is considered the upper tolerable intake of folic acid. They note that .4 mg of folic acid in individuals gets metabolized to folate but higher than that and we get unmetabolized circulating FA which is harmful. If you are eating a well balanced plant based diet the only supplement you would need is vitamin b12. A B-complex is not necessary. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-b12-recommendation-change/Thank you so much for the reply! Yeah I was also wondering if B-complex was necessary, I heard from some sources that your body really wants all the B vitamins to be taken together. But Dr Greger seems to recommend B 12 supplement only.It is true that almost all whole plant foods contain a mix of the b vitamins, but just because they lack b12 doesn’t mean that the other b vitamins are ineffectively used, nor should we have any reason to believe so.I guess when I really think about it, it makes sense that since we can get the rest of the B vitamins from a plant-based diet, the only supplement we need is B 12. Thanks again for your reply :)For some context, please check out my associated blog post Multivitamins and Mortality!There are food based vitamins such as MegaFood, which offer folate in the normal food form, from broccoli. 40 percent of population has MTHFR genetic mutations which affect the absorption of folate, to varying degrees. The synthetic folic acid is probably more harmful to these people and on top of that, they may need food based supplements-depending on the health of their gut and which mutation they have. It is insane that folic acid is added to everything.I was on 5mg folic acid daily to offset harmful effects of methotrexate (for Rheumatoid Arthritis) I’m currently off the mtx but has the 5mg a day possibly done my body harm? I know the mtx probably has! :(Is this supplement ok? It contains Folate (5-Methyltetrahydrofolic Acid), not Folic acid:http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-ultra-folate-5-methyltetrahydrofolic-acid-800-mcg-30-veg-caps5 MTHF is the folate that is actually used in the folate cycle to to make B12. If your folate is not able to be converted to 5-MTHF because of an enzyme deficiency (MTHF reductase) then this is the one that will keep your B12 levels up, your homocysteine levels down and keep your methylation happy. Folic Acid (provided by law in all enriched products) is not found in nature but is quite shelf stable in foods, and requires several more steps to turn into 5-MTHF. We are provided so much in our over consumption of enriched foods (think anything with flour that is not 100% whole wheat) that the build up of Folic Acid can be toxic and cause its own problems. And as chicavegana comefrutes commented above, a large segment of the population has the defective MTHF reductase enzyme which greatly puts them at risk.Dude, you are so wrong. Go back to collegeWhat is your opinion about L-methylfolate .Hi Dr. Greger: I was wondering about Perfect Prenatal by New Chapter Organics as is is a whole foods vitamin which includes “folate” not “folic acid”. Also, I am wondering about Seeking Health L-5 MTHF 1000 which claims to provide only folate as “metafolin” for people with the MTHR issue. In general, are vitamins containing “folate” no “folic acid” ok?I think Dr. Greger would stick to his assertion that getting vitamins from whole foods and not pills, will serve our bodies better. Beans and greens are great, affordable sources of folate. :) Hope that helps.Dr. Greger, you need a video on MTHFR defects. Some people do process folic acid, but 40% of the population have an MTHFR defect that causes them not to process folic acid into folate. So your recommendation that everyone eat beans and greens is right on target; however, people with MTHFR defects should take a multi and B-complex containing the natural form of folate. In fact, there are studies that link pregnant women who have this defect and take prenatal vitamins containing folic acid are at much high risk for premenopausal breast cancer. That’s 40% of women! (MTHFR polymorphisms, dietary folate intake, and breast cancer risk: results from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study. Shrubsole MJ1, Gao YT, Cai Q, Shu XO, Dai Q, Hébert JR, Jin F, Zheng W. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14973091)Since my entire family has one or two MTHFR defects, I’ve been reading more and more and am astounded by the statistics, some of which you state that are probably related to MTHFR people ingesting folic acid-fortified foods and increasing incidences of various types of cancer, but it’s more than that. It probably has a hand in every western degenerative disease. As you know, methylation is essential for the proper function of most body systems and cellular processes. It is also needed to support glutathione production which neutralizes free radicals, helps the body process toxins and supports proper DNA synthesis and repair and other metabolic processes. It is required for the creation of every cell in your body. Consequently, it is easy to see how this mutation could have a role in many conditions and diseases. And while I agree that if one is a vegetarian or vegan and eats beans and greens and does not take folic acid or eat fortified foods, their folate status will likely be good enough to not have problems with MTHFR; this is unfortunately not the case for the majority. Please do a video on MTHFR. 40% of the population is a lot of people. Get this, 98% of autistic people have this defect. No wonder they may have trouble processing toxins. Great site. Love the information. You do a great service to the many seekers of nutritional and medical knowledge! Many thanks!Seems like a more recent summary (and a reading of the study posted) suggests there is not a significant known disease correlation between suggested FA intake and disease:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22746304Consuming MethylFolate in green vegetables trumps all #MTHFR gene polymorphisms.Yes, I’m very curious to hear the Dr’s opinion on the MTHFR research out there. I asked my doc and she just said it’s “controversial”. I have compound heterozygous mutations and was taking methylfolate in very high quantities daily, but recently stopped because I’m wondering if it’s really making a difference. If I don’t need to be spending $40/month on those pills, that would be great!I recently heard from a physician lecturer that preliminary research suggests *high* doses of methylated B-vitamins (methylcobalamin, methylfolate) may shift the cell reproductive cycle towards cancer formation. He said it’s really just a theory right now, but his current recommendation is to avoid *high* doses of methylated B-vitamins. Those with MTHFR mutations should still take *physiologic* doses of methylated B12 and folate, but avoid high doses.I would love to see Dr. Greger do a blog post or video on this issue as I have been unable to find the research the lecturer referenced in making his recommendation and as others have commented, MTHFR mutations are common.Dr. Ben Lynch and Dr. Amy Yasko have a lot of information on line about the MTHFR genetic defects. Lynch says that those of us with MTHFR defects need to take 5-methyltetrahydrofolic folate. He says not to take the wrong kind – folic acid. Synthetic folic acid is not effective and the unmetabolized folic acid hangs around and reduces our T killer cells leading to immune issues. Also, I believe he says it fills up the folate receptors so the real stuff can’t get in. People can get raw genetic data from 23and me to see if they do have MTHFR (and many other) problems and then go to geneticgenie.com for help deciphering these very complex genetic issues.	animal studies,beans,birth defects,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,colon cancer,colon health,folate,folic acid,food additives,greens,industry influence,legumes,pregnancy,rectal cancer,spinach,supplements,women's health	New research on the human metabolism of folic acid suggests natural sources of folate are preferable	Also check out these videos: Some Dietary Supplements May Be More Than a Waste of Money Risk Associated With Iron Supplements Dietary Supplement Snake OilPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on folate. If you're worried about the gassiness of beans as a source of folate, check out my blogpost Clearing the Air. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Multivitamins and Mortality, Breast Cancer and Diet, and Soymilk: shake it up!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2730961,
PLAIN-3209	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/iron-during-pregnancy/	Iron During Pregnancy	Last year we learned that iron supplements were harmful, but what about for, pregnant women—it’s a chief component of most prenatal vitamins. Now this is for nonanemic women—obviously if you’re iron deficient, no matter who you are, you may need extra iron, but if your blood count’s ok, is supplemental iron during pregnancy harmful, harmless, or helpful? Harmful, “non-anemic pregnant woment should not take iron supplements.” But why? Increases the risk of low birth weight, preterm birth, and maternal hypertension. In fact, during the first trimester your body dramatically curtails iron absorption naturally. Maybe, this researcher is suggesting, it’s your body’s way of trying to protect the baby. Your body can only control the absorption of plant iron, though. Blood iron—so-called “heme” iron from animal sources, cannot be controlled by your body. It goes right through the gut and you could inadvertently get too much of it.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on pregnancy. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Women who eat vegan diets high in dark green leafy vegetables and other iron-rich foods can meet their iron needs during pregnancy without supplementation, right? It seems monitoring iron levels is a safer approach.please some advice on vegan iron sources- have been anemic since going vegan- I consume lots of dark leafy greens and vitamin C (in combination) and would rather not supplement if possible.Thank you! I love this website!Anemia (low red blood cell count) has many causes (remember 2.5% of normal patients fall below the reference range and aren’t anemic). If you have iron deficiency anemia your iron level will be low. There are many reasons for having iron deficiency anemia. You need to work with your physician to make sure that the iron deficency anemia is not due to something that needs to be treated. A common cause in otherwise healthy individuals is menstruating women who lose iron each month. A good article listing the sources of iron in plants is “Iron in the Vegan Diet” by Reed Mangels on The Vegetarian Resource Groups website http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm. Spinach, beans and soy beans are good sources. Consuming the Vitamin C can help the absorption. Dr. Greger’s video in Jan 2011….http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/ cautions against iron tablets in healthy patients but some patients do need to take supplements. Whole foods are the best way to go if possible. Good luck.thank you!Is there any research to support a recommended ferritin level for vegan or vegetarian women? I’m still in my child bearing years and while my cholesterol level and blood pressure have improved on 2 years of a plant based diet I’ve had a lot of difficulty with fatigue, particularly as the 2 years have progressed. My labs recently showed that while I don’t have anemia my ferritin level is at 10 ng/ml. B12 levels were also good just taking a high dose supplement once a week. Taking iron supplements makes a huge difference in my energy level, but I’d like to know how long to continue this and what ferritin level to work towards.Dr. Greger, my wife is pregnant and I am confused on Iron supplementation as this recent study seems to indicate the opposite:http://www.bmj.com/press-releases/2013/06/19/daily-iron-during-pregnancy-linked-improved-birth-weightAwaiting your help to clear the confusion!I’m not pregnant – but am mildly concerned about iron. I’m vegan, and a few years ago, a doctor told me my iron was low. I haven’t recently been tested but have since incorporated more kale into my diet in addition to spinach (the iron from which I understand isn’t easily absorbed). I also gave up caffeine (which I’ve read can hamper iron absorption), and added cauliflower to my kale/spinach stir-fries, thinking that that vitamin C would help with iron absorption. I’m not super concerned about iron since I feel good, but do you think these changes will help with the iron issue, and anything else you think I should do?I am a bean-loving sufferer of hemochromatosis. Any advice for limiting iron absobtion? ThanksMy daughter is pregnant. She has a chron disease. I am worring about what she can eat. And I am worring what the doctor told her. She could have a hard time to feed the baby. My question is. Which kind of milk she should feed the baby? Do you work as a regular doctor . Do you have a office? Do you think you could give a directions for my daughter ?Hi Marta. Dr. Greger has some resources on crohns. Dr. ​McDougall has a “Find a Health Care Practitioner”​ page that may be helpful. We do not have a clinic or office, but a new promising medical center is opening in Washington, DC – the Barnard Medical Clinic, if that’s an option based on your location. Here is a factsheet on feeding infants. I also suggest she seek a dietitian. Her doctor should be able to refer one, or I can help, just let me know if that’s a route you’d like to take. I hope some of these links help.Best, Joseph	anemia,iron,nutrient absorption,pregnancy,prenatal vitamins,supplements,women's health	An argument that non-anemic women should choose plant-based sources of iron and not supplement during pregnancy.	More videos on dietary supplements include: Heavy Metals in Protein Powder Supplements Some Dietary Supplements May Be More Than a Waste of Money Risk Associated With Iron Supplements Dietary Supplement Snake OilPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on pregnancy. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Check out my associated blog post, How to Enhance Mineral Absorption.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prenatal-vitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/crohns-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20025097,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19804947,
PLAIN-3210	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caffeine-during-pregnancy/	Caffeine During Pregnancy	In previous volumes I’ve talked about the benefits of coffee consumption, but what about during pregnancy? How much is too much? Should you not drink any, and just stick to water? Or can you get away with a short, tall, venti, or grande brewed coffee every day? A review was published last year and they recommended to stay under 300 mg of caffeine a day, so a daily grande is too much.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on coffee. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!What about green tea ?Green tea I know has 25mg for an 8oz cup on average	caffeine,coffee,pregnancy,water,women's health	How much is too much?	For more on caffeine, see these newer videos: What About the Caffeine? Coffee and Artery Function Treating Parkinson’s Disease With DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on coffee. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post, The Best Detox.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19238414,
PLAIN-3211	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/	Overdosing on Greens	From the healthiest beverage to the healthiest food: Dark green leafy vegetables—cruciferous vegetables, cabbage family vegetables, like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, collards, and kale. How could one possibly eat too much kale? Well, there are natural goitrogenic compounds in this family of vegetables that can interfere with thyroid function in people with marginal iodine intake. They can block the thyroid’s uptake of iodine, but the answer is not to avoid these super healthy foods, we just to get enough iodine in our diet, as I’ve detailed in past volumes. Still, though, you can overdo anything. How much is too much? I specify raw here because an enzyme that releases these compounds is deactivated by cooking so we don’t have to worry about cooked cruciferous, but how much raw is too much? How many cups of coleslaw a day is too much, for example? Five cups a day? Ten? Fifteen? Twenty? Or can you go up to 25 cups of coleslaw a day, every day, for months at a time? The New England Journal of Medicine: coma induced by raw bok choy. She was eating about 3 pounds a day every day, which means… 15 cups a day is definitely too much. In the two months before she was admitted to the intensive care unit in respiratory failure, she had consumed about a thousand cups of raw bok choy. Now each cruciferous vegetable has a different amount of these compounds, so you could probably get away with 50—five zero—cups of raw cauliflower a day, but just 3 cups of raw mustard greens a day is too much.	Sounds like your assessment of excessive amounts of cruciferous vegetables is based upon one person’s experience. Is that a fair assessment?Though it was a case report (and so by definition described only a single patient), it is consistent with data going back more than 50 years, when researchers in Finland blamed the consumption of milk from cows grazing on cruciferous plants for contributing to the national epidemic of goiter. Don’t get me wrong, I recommend everyone eat greens every day (except those on the drug coumadin who should first ask their physician about re-titrating their dose). Greens are probably the healthiest foods on the planet–but a thousand cups is too much!Can you explain further why the drug coumadin would react with kale. If someone has too much iron in their blood, haemochromotosis, would they suffer from eating kale. Is there an immediate reaction to too much kale or is it a slow build-up in the blood system that would create symptoms? thanks ps – kale chips are on the way!Great questions–seriously! One can eat dark green leafy vegetables while one is on Coumadin; one just has to titrate their greens consumption to their Coumadin dose. Coumadin (a.k.a. warfarin, a.k.a. rat poison) is a blood thinner that works by interfering with the action of vitamin K. So if all the sudden you eat lots of greens (excellent sources of K) you can overwhelm the drug’s ability to keep it from clotting your blood normally. So we should all be eating lots of greens; folks on coumadin just need to keep their greens consumption relatively stable and make sure their physician matches that level of consumption with the appropriate dose. Or even better, one can eat a healthy diet and help avoid the kinds of conditions (like heart attacks) that might lead to one having to take these sorts of drugs in the first place! :)And no, one does not have to worry about plant-based sources of iron in terms of iron overload since your body is able to restrict absorption. Blood-based (“heme”) iron is absorbed whether our body likes it or not, however, and can indeed contribute to the development of that iron overload disease in susceptible individuals. Eat your kale! More about iron here.And I can’t wait for the chips! For those that missed it, I’m offering to mail a complimentary copy of my latest DVD to anyone who sends me (address here) their very own homemade kale chips–now that’s what I call veggie booty! :)The oven is on! Seriously Dr. Greger, I’ve been on Synthroid for 30 years (since age 37) so do I need to worry about iodine and thyroid function? I’m well controlled on medication. I don’t do salt, so my source of iodine is what’s in the liquid from Eden Organic NAS beans. Thanks.I have yet to make kale chips successfully. Can anyone direct me to a good reliable and tasty recipe?1 C raw cashews 1 red bell pepper 1 small/roma tomato 1/8 cup lemon juice 1/4 C nutritional yeast 1/8 tsp salt or to taste pepper to tasteBlend in high-speed blender. Coat kale leaves with blended mixture. Dry in dehydrator.Adjust all ingredients to your taste – e.g., if you like it tangier, use more lemon juice.Dr. Greger: Do you consider 10 cups of cruciferous to much at day? Is there a link between them and inflammation?According to this study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 10 cups a day on a regular basis is probably the limit for raw kale–my second favorite vegetable!Please tell what is your favorite vegetable? You can’t leave us hanging!! Also is that cooked or raw?I would also like to know why kale is not your favorite vegetable and what is?According to the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture database, 10 cups of kale is like 670 grams. I double any human can eat so much on a daily basis.I just “discovered” your site ! really enjoy the videos. It just made me think of all the euphoria there is with drinking green smoothies and juices lately ( which I love) how much is too much kale for example in one day? and will doing a one month or two month juice fast for example be harmful in the long run if too many greens are used?Please see my kale response to walfaro immediately above–thanks for your question!Interesting video. I am wondering if you are familiar with the Wahls diet (http://youtu.be/KLjgBLwH3Wc or http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wahls-Foundation/150956531629073?sk=app_208412272531040 ) and if so do you believe given the information that you researched that she is recommending too many greens?I’m not familiar with Dr. Wahl’s dietary recommendations, but I liked her recent commentary on self-empowerment in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (one of my favorite journals): The Seventy Percent Solution.Wow! What a great read.Also, please check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/!Please check out my associated blog post, The Best Detox! My husband and I have begun drinking green smoothies containing raw kale…maybe 1/2 a bunch or more in the vitamix along with fruit to make it more palatable. We really feel this is a easy way to get greens consistently into our diet. By the way, we are totally convinced that whole food, plant-based is the healthiest form of diet. No need to convince us of that. My question is, since my husband (age 71) is on thyroid medication should he avoid completely all forms of raw cruciferous vegetables?Certain veggies, especially the cruciferous veggies, contain natural chemicals called goitrogens that can interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis. Other foods that contain these chemicals include corn, sweet potatoes, lima beans, turnips, peanuts, cassava, and soybeans.Most of these goitrogens are not of any real significance unless they are consumed in very large amounts or there is coexisting iodine deficiency. So, while it is theoretically possible for someone to consume enough of these foods that they may have an effect, for most people it is not an issue. However, when consumed raw, as part of a smoothie, there is the possibility of there being an impact from them, especially if the person is consuming several of these smoothies a day. These goitrogens are inactivated by cooking, even by light steaming, so there is no need to forego them when consumed in that style.Rami, are goitrogens in soybeans and sweet potatoes, etc. also inactivated by cooking? How about peanuts, which are not steamed, but roasted?Generally yes, but this is only a concern for those with pre existing thyroid conditions. I would not worry about it otherwise.Goitrogens are chemicals in food such as kale, cruciferous vegetables and soybeans. Many, but not all, green vegetables contain some levels of goitrogens. Even when eaten frequently, foods containing goitrogens will not cause thyroid disease in healthy people. You need only monitor goitrogen intake after you have been diagnosed with thyroid disease. Kale and green vegetables are very healthy foods, rich in nutrients, and do not need to be avoided completely. If you have thyroid disease, continue to eat these foods cooked. Dietary guidelines given by your doctor should take precedence…..Mr. GhandiYou have echoed my responseDear Dr. Greger, Thank you for the brilliant posts on this subject. Several years back I published a paper [Food Alone May Not Provide Sufficient Micronutrients for Preventing Deficiency] open access http://www.jissn.com/content/3/1/51  I performed diet analysis on 10-men & 10-women according to actual weighed foods they consumed over 3-7-day periods. None of the 20-healthy subjects were consuming near the reference range iodine levels. It was the only micronutrient 100% were deficient. I declare 20-healthy randomly chosen subjects do not represent the whole. It is this note that asks if the potential cause for many disease have a dietary component complexly resulting in hypothyroidism in large populations? We would enjoy hearing your view… Bill Misner Hello Dr. Bill, Dr. Greger addresses the iodine concern in a couple videos. These videos may answer your question. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-iodine-deficiency-2/Please research the Gap’s diet for clearing up adrenal and thyroid related issues!!There has been no scientific studies/research done on the GAPS diet. Any evidence that it “clears up” adrenal and thyroid issues is purely anectdotal. 85% of the GAPS diet is made out of meats, fish, eggs, fermented dairy and vegetables (some well-cooked, some fermented and some raw). This diet is too high in saturated fat and cholesterol to be healthy.Good point Dr. Sanchez, but I think that vademonbreun is saying what you are (to a point) that there are no scientific studies on the GAPS diet, and that someone should conduct some studies to determine its effects on adrenal and thyroid health.I, for one, wish that there were a site similar to this one on thyroid health. From my few forays into researching thyroid health it seems that, just like in the health and wellness nutrition field, there is a lot of bunky claims being made often to people who are quite desperate for relief.It frightens me that doctors are still afraid of saturated fat (the healthy kind). I lost 50 pounds and all my health markers increased when I started consuming fat for 70% of my daily diet. Please don’t go off what you learned in school. Take some time to research.Dr. Greger, is there any danger in consuming too much greens because of vitamin K. Almost all green leafy food easily contain daily dosages – and vitamin K is said to have an impact on blood clotting..My husband and I recently depressed our thyroid function by juicing a large handful of fresh kale from my garden every day with our smoothies. After 4 or 5 weeks of daily juicing we began to lose energy and stamina, and developed brain fog. When we complained to our primary care doc he drew blood and discovered that our TSH was high and free T4 was low. I should mention that we didn’t have much iodine in our diets. We started eating dulse and a little seaweed salad every day for iodine and left off the kale–we are recovered now after about a month….who knew?!Wow, That must have been quite the experience for you guys! Glad that you were able to adjust your diet and recover rather quickly it sounds like.As someone with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, I have read that raw kale and other raw cruciferous veggies can have goitrogenic effects on the thyroid (the ability to cause a goiter and slow down the thyroid, much like anti-thyroid drugs do), and can even affect the absorption of synthetic thyroid hormone medicaiton. Apparently, raw juicing goitrogenic vegetables ends up providing especially high concentrations of goiter-promoting ingredients.Luckily, I have also read and been informed that the enzymes involved in the formation of goitrogenic substances in some plant foods can be partially destroyed by heat. Which is a good thing b/c that means that these yummy health foods can still be eaten if they are steamed or cooked. And, even in moderation in there raw form.How much kale did each one of you have daily?Почему без титров? =( печаль какая то выходитCan an overdose of raw cruciferous vegetables (kale, collards, etc.) in smoothies cause the feeling of serious acid-burn tongue similar to same from overload of raw pineapple, but lasting for a week? Is there any ingredient we could add to the smoothie that would neutralize this effect? Any cure besides the tincture of time and time off those smoothies?Hi, Dr. Greger, I recently adopted a whole, plant-based vegan diet after years of reading the research. However, I have Hashimoto’s Disease and regularly take levothyroxine to mitigate the effects of this. Lately, my TSH levels have gone back up — have you seen any evidence to suggest that the addition of raw greens in smoothies could produce this? I am also a green tea drinker in the morning and am wondering if this could all be interacting. Any advice you may have to give would be greatly appreciated! Thank you, NH Girlctrl-F search on this page for “TSH” the answer is, more Iodine and cook or skip certain veggies.When I vitamix-juice, I juice 1 pound of spinach, 1/4 pound of kale, 1-1.5 pounds of berries and sometimes add chia seeds and/or parsley. I drink this over about 8-12 hours. Is this too much?So, Dr. Greger, would you recommend against drinking raw kale juice regularly? Thank you.dr. Greger, I currently am on armor thyroid, since I had a complete thyroidectomy ten years ago. Just started sprouting broccoli and i eat a lot of homemade kale chips. do you see a problem with eating about a quarter cup of broccoli sprout and a cup of kale chips a day. I have a great recipe for kale chips which includes miso, nutritional yeast and turmeric.I juice daily, so always add a double handful of kale, spinach or another leafy green veg. I read somewhere that revolving your cruciferous vegetables can minimise any side effects, so I use a different handful every day. But it seems I could be wrong! I must check on your iodine posts.If 10 cups of greens is ok, does it matter wether it is juiced or eaten as a salad or steamed?The study included 293 cases of thyroid cancer and 354 population controls. We found that high consumption of cruciferous vegetables was associated with thyroid cancer among women with low iodine intake (OR=1.86; 95% CI: 1.01-3.43 for iodine intake < 96 µg/day). The high consumption of cruciferous vegetables among Melanesian women, a group with mild iodine deficiency, may contribute to explain the exceptionally high incidence of thyroid cancer in this group.http://www.hal.inserm.fr/docs/00/47/13/39/PDF/dietary_factors_in_thyroid_cancer_20100308_CCC_R1.pdfI am hoping you can provide more info on which plants contain more of these compounds than others… My wife loves arugula what would the daily limit be?Thank you, Dr. Greger, for your contributions here on NutritionFacts.org. Great stuff. I’ve been consuming one or two small bunches of watercress daily since I read about how it helps with exercise recovery. How much watercress would be too much? Would eating dulse seaweed help balance it’s goitrogenic effect?Can you tell me if there are any true studies showing the danger of too much kale comsumption and excessive thallium intake?Please see link below pertaining to the idea: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/could-kale-be-poisoning-you.htmlThank you!Me too. I just read this: http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2015/07/kale-silent-killer (I do have to say, nutrition advice that concludes “everything in moderation” makes me wary.)	bok choy,Brussels sprouts,cauliflower,coleslaw,collard greens,coma,cooking methods,cruciferous vegetables,goitrogens,greens,iodine,kale,mustard greens,raw food,thyroid health	Raw cruciferous vegetables: how much is too much?	For more on cruciferous vegetables: Prolonged Liver Function Enhancement From Broccoli The Broccoli Receptor: Our First Line of Defense Counteracting the Effects of Dioxins Through DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on greens. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: The Best Detox, Broccoli Boosts Liver Detox Enzymes, and Nutmeg Toxicity	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/31/nutmeg-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/18/broccoli-boosts-liver-detox-enzymes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iodine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coleslaw/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bok-choy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/collard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/goitrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mustard-greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brussels-sprouts/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-broccoli-receptor-our-first-line-of-defense-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/counteracting-the-effects-of-dioxins-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/	-
PLAIN-3212	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-tea/	Overdosing on Tea	Now to significantly extend our lifespan the latest research suggests one would have to drink 7 cups of tea a day, which raises the question, how much is too much? Sometimes you can get too much of a good thing—even water. Last year, for example, a jury awarded 16 million dollars to a family whose mom died of water intoxication trying to win her family a Nintendo. Some radio jocks came up with the idea for a “Hold your wee for a wii” contest. Whoever could drink the most water wins. Jennifer came in second, before she keeled over dead. So you can overdo anything. How much tea too much? Is the safe upper limit around 5 cups a day, 10 cups, 15, 20, or can we safely drink 25 cups of tea a day? The limiting factor is probably the fluoride levels in tea. There was a case recently reported of a woman developing fluoride toxicity from tea. How much did she drink? One to two gallons of double strength tea every day of her adult life. That’s the equivalent of about 30 to 60 cups of regular tea a day. That’s definitely too much. Based on a new analysis of fluoride levels in five brands of bottled tea, I would recommend people not drink more than … ten cups of tea a day.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on tea. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!What about caffeine? Tea is healthy but caffeine cant really be considered healthy?Tea contains polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants and help reduce free radical damage and oxidisation. Societies built on tea, such as China and Japan, seem to have low levels of cancer compared to Western countries – although it’s worth noting that they tend to consume green tea. At the same time, tea – especially black tea – also contains tannins, which inhibit the absorption of minerals such as zinc and iron. So too much is not a good idea. Caffeine, whether in tea or coffee, is a stimulant which can cause anxiety and disrupt the sleep cycle if taken in excess (you don’t need a study to show you that!), as well as leading to withdrawal effects such as headaches. But based on the research, there are also benefits to consuming coffee (see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/. However, women who drink coffee and who are (or want to be) pregnant should view this video: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/caffeine-during-pregnancy/, and those prone to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) should check out this post from my PMS warrior blog: http://www.pmswarrior.com/why-caffeine-and-pms-dont-mix/It was noted by Dr. Caldwell Essylsten that when one drinks coffee, epithelial cell damage occurs, and it was linked to the caffeine. To weigh out the pros and cons, this outweighs the pros for me so I drink decaf.Given the fluoride toxicity case, I wonder whether you would recommend that your followers change to non-fluoride toothpaste?  Here is Dr. Greger’s position on fluoride“The proposed (http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/3881d73f4d4aaa0b85257359003f5348/86964af577c37ab285257811005a8417!OpenDocument) EPA changes to water fluoridation have sparked a resurgence of many of the  old anti-fluoridation arguments, which as far as I can tell were  successfully debunked (http://www.dentalwatch.org/fl/classification_of_objections.pdf) over 50 years ago. According to the CDC, fluoridation of drinking water joins vaccination (another unjustly vilified practice) as one of the greatest public health achievements in the last last century (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056796.htm).”All 3 links are dead!there’s a big difference between naturally occurring and relatively harmless calcium fluoride and fluosolicic acid (by product of extracting uranium) or sodium fluoride (byproduct from china) Might want to look up the different types of “fluoride” that gets added to our water rather than say that “all fluoride” dangers have been debunked. The fluoride debunked in those studies IS NOT the “fluoride” added to our water.a couple weeks ago started drinking organic green tea and i noticed every time i drink it i become unusually sad and anxious for no reason and i get really depressed, it last i think for a couple of hourscan grean tea cause depression like symptoms in people?The only study I’m aware of found that drinking 4 or more cups of tea a day was associated with significantly less depressive symptoms. But your own body knows best. If you don’t like how it makes you feel then I’d follow Toxins’ and DrDons’ advice to switch to something else.From personal experience I know for my own body set in anxiety mode, caffeine do not go well together. Green better then coffee but still sweating above my nails on fingers after coffee or tea is a dead give away I need for at least a while cut down on caffeine.Ignoring such a warning even when feeling fine and suffer a stressor on top of it, panic disorder gets to be the boss of me and I’ll just have to suffer the consequences.Caffeine reaction is my panic disorder barometer.Arjan: I think it is pretty cool that you have such a clear indicator – and that you are aware of it. I think a lot of people (myself included) don’t pay enough attention to signs our body is giving us.Thanks for sharing.You perhaps could be sensitive to caffeine, try decaf tea and see if you feel the same wayI haven’t come across patients who have depressive symptoms from green tea. I think Toxins suggestion is worth trying. If that doesn’t work you might be sensitive to any one of hundreds of other ingredients in green tea so best to avoid drinking it. You could experiment with other teas see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/ and avoid green tea.A Quick Note About How Much Green Tea East Asians Drink:East Asians, when drinking green tea will typically reuse the leaves. So a quart a day isn’t 4 fresh servings of tea.A decent ( not good, just decent ) quality green tea can be used more than once.East Asians will typically start off with a small pot of green tea leaves and keep reusing all day long, just refreshing it with more hot water.So, they probably get a lot less caffeine.How about Matcha? Would you say it has the same upper limit as regular green tea or is the fluoride increased when one consumes the actual leaves? Yes, I would like to know the answer to that too. Thanks. I am have seen this study in my past researches on tea. You did not note that this woman was specifically drinking large quantities of “brick tea” – apparently an important point, since brick tea is rather like ground whole-plant tea, and possibly contains a much greater concentration of hand-picked teas (only the leaves), such as those found in most higher-quality loose or bagged tea.What’s the ounce size of a cup of tea? Is it 8, like a standard cup or 4, as in most teacups?A British teacup is about 5 fluid ounces, a Greek teacup close to 6.And what about the exposure to aluminum in tea?	beverages,black tea,fluoride,green tea,tea,water	How much is too much?	For more information on fluoride, see Plant-Based Diets: Dental HealthPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on tea. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Also, please check out my associated blog posts: The Best Detox, Is Caffeinated Tea Really Dehydrating?, and Nutmeg Toxicity	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/31/nutmeg-toxicity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fluoride/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-tea/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19628408,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15639213,
PLAIN-3213	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-matcha-good-for-you/	Is Matcha Good for You?	Who cares how much nutrition is extracted from tea leaves, though, if you eat the leaves? We know that drinking tea is good for you, what about eating it? Matcha, powdered green tea—invented in China about a thousand years ago, transplanted to Japan. Whole leaves of tea milled into a fine powder, you dump a spoonful in water, and then drink the whole thing down. Now it sounds like a good idea. Why waste nutrition throwing away tea leaves when you’re done, when you can drink them whole? Or were tea leaves just not meant to be eaten. Powdered green tea leaves: Harmful, harmless, or helpful? Super helpful! And how easy. You can carry around little packets of matcha with you wherever you go and just dump them in your water bottle. You add zero calories at the same time you’re adding whopping loads of nutrition. I carry them around whenever I travel. Why leave home without it?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on tea. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!For an update, check out my blog post Hibiscus tea: flower power.Is there any significant danger from the pesticides that the Chinese seem to lavish on their agricultural products in such great quantity when we eat green tea leaves?Dear Dr. Greger I would also be interested in knowing whether non-organic matcha (from Japan, or anywhere else) has dangerous herbicides that would outweigh the beneficial effects. Thank you, WIlliamHello Paul and tokyovegan! To answer your questions, typically, phytochemical dense foods outweigh the pesticides they are sprayed with. For example, would you rather choose non organic kale over white pasta? Hope you chose the kale! If you consume matcha every day or so, the safest choice would be to get organic. Otherwise, once in a while of conventional matcha will not detriment your health. Hope this answers you questions!Hello, Dr. Michael Greger its an honor and privilege to be a serious student of your 2009 and 2010 “Latest In Clinical Nutrition”… I’m serious about my health. You had mentioned in one of your dvds that Matcha Green Tea is a highly recommend tea. What location, website etc., may I purchase Matcha Green Tea?? I could not find any store that carries the matcha green tea in packets that I can mix in a 16-20oz bottle of water. Especially at an affordable price. What do you suggest/recommend I do now? I need your help. Thank you for time and make it a grrreat 2012! I look forward to getting your response.regards,Luke WebbHi, I am an independent distributor for a German company that can provide Matcha in various forms by mail to many European countries and is just getting started in the USA. You can purchase on-line at http://www.matchamagical.comIf matcha tea is that good, would it make any sense to ground your own green tea? Or blend it? I often let my tea brew in cold water, and throw away the green leaves, would it be preferable to just put everything in the blender instead, leaves and all?The reason matcha tea is so good is that you are eating the tea leaves! The tea leaves are your green leefies so it would be best to keep them.Thank you for your reply, but I don’t see how my question was addressed by your post. I might just be tired.So, basically matcha tea is grinded green tea. Would it then be (to use the words of Doc himself) helpful, harmless or harmful to just put some green leaves in my blender together with water instead of just letting it soak in the water? I drink it cold, by the way.Sorry for myIm sorry, I misunderstood your original question!Well sure, grinding up your own tea leaves is what matcha is! It would be better then soaking it and throwing away the leaves.That’s what I’ll be doing every morning from now on then! Thanks!You’ll note that’s what I do in my smoothie recipe–I just blend them in: A Better BreakfastDear Dr. Greger, Thank you for your dedication to spreading such valuable news about nutrition and health! I’ve always loved matcha tea. Since the Tohoko tragedy in Japan, do you know if Japanese matcha is still safe to consume due to radiation?What about radioactivity in matcha tea from Japan?Dr. Greger,I would also like to know about the radioactivity? I have been hesitant to buy matcha green tea from Japan because of this. Surely it cannot be good.Is this good for anemia?Michael, do you drink plain water by itself anymore? Or do you just make cold matcha tea or the hibiscus tea as your regular beverages? Is there any benefit to drinking plain water? Or should you always mix it with either green tea or the hibiscus tea? Or perhaps cucumber water? I would appreciate a response.What about the caffeine in Matcha? And what about Sencha? I’ve read some web sites stating that Sencha has less caffeine. I would love to see a comparison among different types of teas, Sencha, Matcha, etc. in terms of caffeine and phytonutrients.I have to get a bigger handbag, carrying around cacao, macha, amla…Does the drink have to be matcha, or “green” tea?Why couldn’t one do this with any tea leaves? Is it just green tea, or matcha, or whatever. Assuming it is really tea, why not just break open the tea bag and let the tea mix with the water and eat it/drink it? I’m assuming tea the planet, not tea the generic idea of infusing plant extracts into water?We know 10 cups a day is the limit for brewed tea. But, how much matcha is too much?Any thoughts on using matcha for an enema colon cleanse? Any reason why this would NOT be recommended? thank you!!!!There are great little packets of organic matcha and sencha (cheaper and not as brilliant in color, but still tastes great to me) made by Rishi. I carry them in my purse or backpack and add one to a bottle of cold water any time I need a healthy, thirst-quenching, and refreshing drink. Best price I have found is at iherb.com, and new customers can get $10 off a $40 order + free shipping with code POD782Thanks for you wonderful info Dr. Greger. Something very important I haven’t been able to find out elsewhere: how much steviol is created in our colon from green stevia rather than the refined stuff. I wonder also what is the proportion of steviol creation to /stevioside intake in general? Thanks again!.can this be taken when you are taking beta blockers? thank you.	Asia,beverages,China,convenience,green tea,Japan,matcha,tea	If drinking tea is good for you, what about eating it?	Want more on green tea? Check out these videos: Cancer, Interrupted: Green Tea Better Than Green Tea? Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on tea. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my related blog posts: Hibiscus tea: flower power, Is Caffeinated Tea Really Dehydrating?, Soymilk: shake it up!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/matcha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/convenience/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/china/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-caffeinated-tea-dehydrating/	-
PLAIN-3214	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cold-steeping-green-tea/	Cold Steeping Green Tea	What’s the healthiest way to prepare green tea? Recently in Taiwan, a new trend has arisen of cold steeping tea. Not like ice tea where you make it hot then cool it down, but you start with cold water throw the tea in, put it in the fridge for two hours, or just leave it at room temp. Supposed to have less caffeine, reduced bitterness—and I’m sure it does, but cold water probably also doesn’t draw out many of the antioxidants either. I mean that’s the whole point of brewing tea with hot water, right? To extract all the nutrition. We shouldn’t just presume, though, and so scientists in Italy took it upon themselves to compare the antioxidant activity of hot versus cold steeped tea. Here’s the data for hot-brewed tea. This is measuring the lag time before cholesterol oxidizes. You mix LDL—bad cholesterol, with an oxidizing agent, like copper in this case, and it takes about 28 minutes to oxidize, but you add tea and the antioxidants slow down the oxidation and increase the lag time—that’s a good thing, and as you can see oolong tea is better than black, green is better than oolong, and white is the best overall. But this is the antioxidant activity for hot brewed tea. In a surprise upset, Cold steeped tea was even better. Significantly better. So much so that cold steeped black may even be healthier than hot brewed white. Why? Well, the only thing they could think of is that hot water is so hot that it destroys some of the cat-a-kins, the antioxidants in tea. So I no longer brew my tea—I just throw it in cold water. Saves time, saves energy, and we now know it’s even healthier!	A great way to enjoy green tea on a hot summer day – glad to know the health benefits are enhanced cold steeped! Does this also apply to matcha green tea powder in cold water mixed vs steeped in hot water?With matcha we presumably don’t care about how much of the nutrition dissolves into the water, because we drink it all up, so I’d suggest mixing it up any way you like! (I put mine in smoothies :)matcha is healthy and good any way. but unless you mix properly, it can get clumpy. personally though, I think the simplicity of throwing it in with some ice and cold water is much simpler than mixing with hot then adding to ice.So you have to leave it for 2 hours for it to have more anti oxidant content then hot tea? Ive been drinking your “healthiest drink”…chai tea with raw cacao powder. Is this best served cold?Do you feel there is a concern with radioactive tea coming from Japan? France just refused to accept a shipment of Japanese tea, due to high radioactive cesium levels. I recently purchased some from Costco, that I am not going to drink. I have instead, ordered some from India. What are your thoughts?Since your tea purchase was recent, you can’t be sure if it was harvested prior to, or post Fukushima. Erring on the side of caution is not bad, especially when we’re trying to minimize our exposure to contaminants, (see, for example, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/. Purchasing white tea from the Darjeeling region of India or Ceylon, Sri Lanka are also great choices. Check out: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-brain-wave-alteration/, to see how tea effects the brain, and: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/green-tea-vs-white/, to learn more about the benefits of white tea and how you can enhance them.Anyone know where I could buy some matcha tea? What stores sell it?Hello ks!Check out amazon for a wide variety of matcha teas. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_6?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=matcha&sprefix=matchaAlso, check out Dr. Greger’s video on Matcha tea. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-matcha-good-for-you/I wonder if you gently warm it after cold brewing will you destroy the cold-brew effects. I just like warm tea!I recently heard an interview with Dr. Klaper in which he states that tea contains antimicrobial properties that destroy the gut flora, so tea should not be consumed. Always believing that green tea was good for us, I’m confused and would love some clarification. Thank you.after doing some research ive found the very opposite is true…yes there are some antimicrobial effects, but in a good way, meanwhile green tea, like matcha, which has natural antibiotics can actually improve gut floraWatch out for this green tea! Talking from experience! It will make you hyperactive, with resulting speeding, lowering self control etc, and also, I followed this for months while one morning was dizzy like a drunkard, asked fellow lifeguard, and he said he experienced the same and told me that is due with the interference with the gall.Although the graphs show the other teas significantly higher when steeped cold, green tea appears on the graph at the same level whether hot or cold. Is this an error?Could somebody respond to this? Green tea appears to be the same on the graph whether it’s brewed hot or cold. Are we missing something?I agree – even with the error bars, the result appears rather odd. But no comments as to causeGood question! I’m intrigued as well.I always use the coffee maker to get water for my green teabags. This is both easier and prevents water that’s too hot from scalding the tea. But wake up! The human body is 37 degrees celsius. If you put it in lower than that it will just heat up in your body anyway. Unfortunately, most coffee makers have plastics in contact with water in both the reservoir and brewing/heating process. Unless you are using a stainless “percolator” style pot you are ingesting toxins leached from the heated plastics. “But wake up…” does not warrant attempt at rebuttal :)Dr. Greger,What’s the latest on epicatechin and/or raw cocoa? I noticed that the researcher, Norm (Norman) Hollenberg (sp?) is quoted as saying something to the effect that epicatechin should be “reclassified as a vitamin” – and that many diseases may one day be seen as related to “epicatechin deficiency.” Would be very intrigued to know your take on this. (Thus far, I’ve reluctantly begun a rigorous twice daily dose of a heaping Tablespoon of Raw Cocoa Powder added to various things; tough work, but someone has to do it. :)Thanks, SteveRelating to this video (and epicatechin): I also sometimes enjoy a nice cold cup of cat’s claw infusion (sweetened with healthful, natural things). I’ve heard that cat’s claw and cocoa – both raw (as the heat zaps it) – are some of the best sources of epicatechin?I use my yuzamashi (water cooler) before I brew it! Japanese tea is traditionally steeped with water ranging from 60-80 deg Celsius! Gyokuro being the finest tea and usually made with water after it just has stopped steaming!Hi! I drink decaffeinated green tea daily (water-processed). Have the catechins already been destroyed in the decaffeinating process?Does this also apply to hibiscus? Is it better to cold brew hibiscus too?I like my tea hot most mornings, but not scalding hot. I have to wait 5 to 10 minutes after brewing for tea to cool to a drinkable temperature. If we were to brew tea just slightly hotter than we like to drink it, how long would we have to brew it for? Maybe I can just tell from the taste? As it becomes bitter when over-steeped.I cold steep Zinger Wildberry (hibiscus) tea. There is some in the frig at all times. I still like my green tea very warm–like my coffee. The warmth is soothing on my throat and senses. My coffee comes from a coffee pot, which doesn’t get very hot. I put my green tea bag in a jelly jar full of water and put it in the micro for two minutes. I could cut that to one minute and still have soothing, warm tea.I’ve been drinking my green tea steeped in room temperature water or cold water for over 5 years now!! I wasn’t thinking about the health benefits… It was just easy to drink this way as I dont enjoy hot drinks! When people asked me why I do what I do!! I jokingly made up something saying “Hot water kills antioxidants, so I drink my tea this way because its more healthier!” Lol!! I never thought my joke would be an actual fact!Can you next joke by saying that eating medjool dates all day long is the healthiest thing ever? =DDon’t forget the lemon.all energy companies hate this website :)My skin has become dark after consuming green tea for a long period of time. I want to know when I can drink water so that I get the benefits of green tea and at the same time do not become darkVery interesting. But what about decaffeination? I often decaffeinate tea by throwing out the first infusion. Does the first cold-steep decaffeinate tea?Hey there, Doc! Radishes did great in my garden (Jan, Feb, Mar), this year; been eating their “greens” day-in-day-out, raw & cooked, in my march towards a complete plant based diet. Curious, tho, how do they rate, say compared to kale? Hope to donate soon…I’m unemployed… Thanks, Sir!DL Stephens: I don’t have an answer to your question, but I wanted to congratulate you on your, “march towards a complete plant based diet.” It sounds like you are doing great. I wish you luck on both your diet and getting a job!I’ve been cold brewing green tea for years. I had heard somewhere along the line that cold brewing left more beneficial compounds because heat destroyed some of them. I was happy to find this video to clarify this. Here’s how I make it – it always comes out perfectly. Never bitter. http://bebrainfit.com/lifestyle/nutrition/6-ways-green-tea-benefits-your-brain-plus-my-secret-recipe/Thank you for posting the transcript too.Sorry, where from the copper? From the teapot? And, I wonder if the conventional (even organic) tea contains some trace metals or toxins? Thank you.This raises many questions. Traditionally, green tea is prepared with water that is hot, but cooler than that used to prepare black tea. It would be nice to know what the outcome would be at various temperatures.anti oxidant have been link to shorter life span in lab animals…..Where?So interesting! Is there any data showing the differences in caffiene content between hot and cold brewed tea?I wonder if these results were accurate. There are two big problems. First, people often overheat tea. Most tea is NOT boiled, with significantly cooler temperatures needed to properly steep thr tea. So, did they boil all the tea, and compare overheated tea with cold? Or properly prepare tea at it’s actual cooking temperatures, and compare the correctly prepared tea with cold?There is a second, even bigger, problem. They used two hours steeping of a cup, against only one cup of hot tea. That is comparing one apple, with a bag of apples. I may steep a teaspoon of oolong six times before discarding the tea leaves, getting nutrients and sometimes different flavors! Of course a two hour soak will beat ine single steeping! To accurately test cold vs hot, you would need to not test one cup of tea, but how much is ultimately brought out of a gram of tea … at least for oolongs and dark teas.I hate to say it, as I really like NFO, but in this case, Dr. Greger jumps to a conclusion by extrapolating way beyond the data. Just because cold-brewed teas have higher antioxidant activity than hot brewed teas, does not make them better in other respects. Green tea has documented effects in preventing cancer, etc. It may well end up that the anticancer compounds that prevent cancer may require hot water brewing to effectively make it into solution, and that the increased antioxidant activity DOES NOT reflect increased amounts of cancer preventative compounds. And as far as the data goes, almost all of the data looking at the health effect of green tea look at the health effects of people drinking green tea steeped in hot water. Compared to hot brewed green tea, the epidemiological track record of cold brewed green tea at this point seems almost non-existent. One can of course assume that all of the beneficial compounds that give hot brewed green tea also end up in cold-brewed tea in the same or higher amounts – but to my mind, that seems a pretty big and unlikely assumption. Until someone does a comparative analysis of the specific compounds in hot vs. cold brewed green tea, with respect to their identities and amounts, I see hot green tea as the green tea of choice.I note Dr. Greger made the same assumption with respect to antioxidant activity as basically the only important thing to look at when he promoted hibiscus tea over green tea, but antioxidant activity just seems one factor among many to consider with respect to green teas beneficial effects, and once again compared to green teas, but as far as I know the epidemiological and other research studies with respect to hibiscus tea’s effectiveness as a cancer preventative, seem pretty much unknown. Perhaps they exist, perhaps they don’t, but hibiscus tea having a high antioxidant activity does not guarantee anything other than that it has a high antioxidant activity. Green tea and hibiscus tea seem quite different in their chemical composition (compare: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/duke/farmacy2.pl with http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/duke/farmacy2.pl ) Antioxidant activity seems a quite general and non-specific measure, INDIVIDUAL compounds, that one tea has but the other one does not – may play far more important roles with respect to a teas effects.Fo some reason the links I provided don’t work – hopefully this general link will: http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/plants.html Just enter the common or scientific name of a plant, choose non-ubiquitous chemicals, an the database will list them.according to the graph in the video, green tea had the same amount of antioxidants, whether hot brewed or cold steeped. Meaning, cold steeping did not increase antioxidants in green tea.. only the other teas.is the act of drinking hot water bad for our bodies in some way?I would like to know if I bring my tea to hot, not boil, and then put my bags in ( black ,green, and white) will I still be able to draw the catechins out. I believe you would. Also, I usually steep my tea for 20 min on average.Ok what if u overheat green tea like if they say brew 5 minutes but it brews 7 minutes is it worth drinking itIt seems then that cold brewing is healthier than hot brewing. However, in this video it’s said the more we (hot) brew white tea the better for DNA protection. I am confused…	antioxidants,beverages,black tea,caffeine,catechins,convenience,green tea,nutrition myths,oolong tea,phytonutrients,sustainability,Taiwan,tea,white tea	Surprising new data on what may be the healthiest way to prepare tea.	For more on green tea, watch these videos: Cancer, Interrupted: Green Tea Better Than Green Tea? Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on green tea. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Is Caffeinated Tea Really Dehydrating?, Hibiscus tea: flower power, NutritionFacts.org: the first month, and Why Less Breast Cancer in Asia?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/catechins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sustainability/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/convenience/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oolong-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/taiwan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-tea/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/	-
PLAIN-3215	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asian-paradox/	Asian Paradox	What’s so special about green tea asked my medical alma mater in their health and nutrition newsletter. Well, in just the last 12 months we’ve learned 2 cups a day may drop our stroke risk 70%, may halve our risk of dying from pneumonia, And keep us from losing our teeth. Three cups a day started 6 weeks before pollen season significantly reduces allergy symptoms. And four cups a day may decrease our risk of diabetes, in part because tea may be useful in the prevention of obesity. Considered nature’s defense against malignancies, at least according to Dr. Butt… and it may, even help if we’re bitten by a venomous snake. Can your coffee do all that? According to the head of Tufts’ antioxidant research laboratory, we can think of tea as a plant food, much like fruits and vegetables. In fact, green tea may explain the so-called "Asian paradox": Why do people in Asian countries, where smoking remains more popular, suffer heart disease and lung cancer at the same rate as Americans? The phytonutrients in green tea, may be partly responsible, by maintaining artery function, inhibiting clots, and blocking tumor growth.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on green tea. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!But China has just surpassed the US in the T2D rates: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/health/diabetes-epidemic-grows-in-china.html?ref=healthExperts have blamed many factors: the introduction of high-calorie Western diets and fast food, more travel by car, sedentary factory jobs replacing farm labor, and families who spoil the one child that most are allowed to have. Less green tea and more Coke?The science supports that it is the fats in the diet that contribute to the most the development of type two diabetes. The sugar contains one molecule of glucose (our cells primary fuel source) and one molecule of fructose (metabolized almost exclusively by the liver to fats, uric acid, inflammatory aldehydes and glycogen). So sugar can be a contributing factor along with Exercise. They are only secondary to fat consumption… both animal and plant fat. In my clinical experience patients with type two diabetes who remove fats from their diet have the best results.So you are saying to cut down on fat most importantly, but also on added fructose and sucrose (fructose+glucose). Whole fruit is okay? Or do you recommend that T2D patients also cut this out or down?My understanding of competing/conflicting studies on T2D is as follows (mostly based on videos from this site – I am not a doctor and wouldn’t mind being corrected).Long term type 2 diabetes treatment should be to minimize fats; especially saturated fats.Short term type 2 diabetes treatment should be to minimize glucose spikes, as these can be hard on the rest of your body.The general idea is that the long term approach is intended to help restore balance to your glucose pathway while the short term approach tries to minimize the damage done to the rest of your body while the glucose pathway is subverted.This can be a bit contradictory, as if you want to burn fats from your muscles, it is probably better to limit your calorie intake window and increase your fasting periods, whereas if you want to minimize glucose spike levels it’s probably better to eat more, smaller meals. Ultimately I think the best approach would be to find a nutrition-savvy medical professional and decide on the best eating pattern to maximize fat treatment and minimize short term damage based on your specific case and how well you are able to mitigate sugar spikes damage using other approaches, like choosing lower glycemic index foods and supplementing insulin.Whole fruit has no fat so it is generally fine for folks with type 2 diabetes. Added sugar in small amounts in not a problem either. However refined sugar is very calorie dense (i.e.1800 calories per pound) and as such won’t help with weight loss. Since most type two diabetes are overfat it is best minimized or avoided. See the video… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/. These are general recommendations and some individuals may need to minimize fruit for other reasons. It is important to work with your physician to avoid problems especially if you are on medications.Fat as in code for all meat has fat in it. Recent study -without headlines – suggests it’s the meat protein and heme iron not the fat http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25832335I would love to get rid of my per-hipertension, so I could drink green tea all day long, because I live green tea, unfortunately that may never happen.Green tea on an empty stomach makes me nauseous. I’ve searched the internet for explanations, but all the results turn up unsatisfying answers, like that it’s the tannins. I drink a ton of red wine, which is full of tannins, and experience no nausea. And it’s not the caffeine, because coffee and soda don’t cause the problem. It’s something specific to green tea. This is, from what I surmise from internet searches, a common problem.I would be curious if it matters whether you make the tea with distilled or tap water. Also, do you see similar issues with herbal tea and coffee?I’ve tried both ways since, similar to Gina, green tea causes nausea for me. (I say “similar to” because green tea also causes me nausea when eaten with & immediately after meals.) Unfortunately, changing the type of water (distilled or tap) doesn’t change the nausea-inducing properties, whatever they may be. I wish there were a solution to this problem, since whenever I read (as here) about the benefits of drinking beverage made by steeping unfermented C. sinensis leaves I become–yes!–green with envy.As far as the other beverages you mention, sf_jeff, they don’t incite nausea in me. Black and oolong tea without soymilk also do cause problems, though not nearly to the degree that green tea does.I have the same problem with green tea and stomach nausea. Curiously, I have no problems with jasmine tea (which is just green tea stored overnight with jasmine petals). Presumably the linalool (the major fragrance compound in jasmine and lavender) has a sedative effect on autonomic nerve activity in the stomach.Because of the nausea that green tea causes me, and–based on her earlier post–Gina, I propose that Dr. Greger look into ways of combatting the apparently widespread problem.I suggest jasmine tea (see my comment above).	allergies,Asia,beverages,blood clots,brain health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,chronic diseases,diabetes,fruit,green tea,heart disease,heart health,lung cancer,lung health,obesity,oral health,phytonutrients,pneumonia,polyphenols,smoking,stroke,tea,tobacco,Tufts,vegetables,weight loss	Why do people living in Asia have lower heart disease and lung cancer rates than would be expected given their level of smoking?	Here are some more videos on the benefits of drinking green tea: Cancer, Interrupted: Green Tea Better Than Green Tea? Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on green tea. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Why Less Breast Cancer in Asia? and The Best Way to Prevent the Common Cold?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/11/why-less-breast-cancer-in-asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pneumonia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tufts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-clots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronic-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2821884/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19399671,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19585481,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2669862/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20109485,
PLAIN-3216	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soymilk-suppression/	Soymilk Suppression?	In 2007 we learned that milk blocks the absorption of the phytonutrients in chocolate. In 2008 we learned that milk may completly block the beneficial effects of the phytonutrients in tea. Might as well just be drinking water. In 2009, soy milk was tested. The reason cow milk blocks the benefits of tea is because the milk protein casein binds up the phytonutrients in tea. Since soy milk doesn’t have casein, though, one would assume that adding soy milk to tea is fine, but you never know until you run the experiment. What do you think? Soy milk blocks the benefits of tea: fact or fiction? Let’s look at the data: This is measuring the beneficial effects on arterial cells in a petri dish. Here’s the control, plain water. Then comes, the plain black tea, no creamer, and you can see the spike in beneficial effects that appear completely blocked by milk. Then they tried three types of soymilk: sweetened, calcium-enriched, and unsweetened. All of which, had the same effect as milk! Fact, vascular effects of tea are suppressed by soy milk. Now this was in vitro, in a petri dish. We don’t know if this translates into actual people, but until we do know more I encourage folks to drink their tea straight. And, as I’ve noted in previous volumes, green tea is healthier than black.	As posted on other pages, I’ve seen all these videos. I’m trying to synthesize all the information in my head into a coherent picture on how to eat. Here’s the problem:This video along with some others seems to say that eating any kind of protein, not just animal protein, blocks absorption of the wonderful nutrients from plants like cocoa, berries and *green tea*.There is also a video that says that our bodies will not absorb the good nutrients from greens (and my understanding is that green tea is like eating greens) unless we have some fat with the meal.In this video, you recommend using whole foods with fats (such as nuts) instead of fat-laden dressing in order to get the nutrients from greens into our bodies.But isn’t one of the things notable about nuts is that they have protein? And wouldn’t the protein block the absorption of the nutrients in greens? Do we really know the effects of nuts on absorption of nutrients in greens? And how much fat does one need to get the ideal absorption?It’s an honest question because eating greens is not easy for me. So, when I do it, I want to get the maximum impact. I’m working hard, with some minor successes, to build up a liking for kale. One recipe that I do like, probably because the sauce drowns out the kale, is a recipe that includes: kale, onion, and a yummy “creamy” dressing that is really a cashew base.So, I figure the cashews are giving me some fat in which to absorb the kale nutrients. But how much fat/cashews do I need per X amount of kale? And is it possible that the protein in the cashews turns around and simply blocks the nutrient absorption?Hope this gives you an idea of where my confusion is. I’m sure I’m making this more complicated than it needs to be. Any clarification you can provide would be appreciated.Thanks, – JJJJ, only dairy appears to have the ability to block the phytonutrient benefits of cocoa and berries (Nutrient Blocking Effects of Dairy). So it’s not all protein by any stretch (in fact it may not even be the dairy protein–we don’t know what’s in dairy that does that). So no need to worry about eating protein with your greens. And in terms of the carotenoid absorption (Forgo Fat-Free Dressings?) just a few cashews is all you need, especially if you release all their fat by blending them up. I’m sorry you got confused and I hope this helps clear things up!Dr Greger: Yes, your explanation helps a lot.My confusion is that I’m familiar with the concepts of things like “fat”, “protein” and “carbohydrate”. I do not have an understanding of what phytonutrient is. Or carotenoid. So, when I hear those words, I translate them into my head as “other stuff good for you”. Looks like I was getting confused because I was equating phytonutrient and carotnenoid. You definitely helped clarify!I clearly need to up my education level on for nutrition information so that I can process your videos better.Thanks again!!!Hi, doctor. I can’t really find this information online. What about if I consume both soymilk and green tea separately on the same day. Would soy milk still block the phytonutrient effects of the green tea, or is this block only effective when it’s mixed in the same cup? For example, let’s say I want to consume an oatmeal with soy milk at 8 in the morning and then drink a cup of green tea at 9? How far apart do the consumption times need to be to retain all the health benefits of green tea?I drink about 1 cup of milk a day with my two coffees in the morning. I’m drinking the milk then I usually eat my breakfast about 10 min after drinking the coffee with milk, my breakfast is always oatmeal with blueberries and no milk. My question is how long between drinking the milk and eating the blueberries does the milk effect the nutrients in the blueberries. I don’t want to lose the nutrition of the blueberries but I really cant drink coffee without milk, so should I wait longer than 10 minutes between drinking milk and eating berries? I could just not eat berries with breakfast and maybe eat them later in the day but I really enjoy them in my oatmeal.Just to be clear, you mean soymilk right?No I actually only like real milk in my coffee.The ill effects of dairy milk are quite significant. 1 cup a day is a lot. Are you aware of the health detriments you are exposing your body to? Dr. Greger covers dairy quite extensively on this website and after viewing the data it is easy to see how damaging consuming milk is. Some videos that really hit hard with me are these…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-hormonal-interference/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/acne-cancer-connection/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-sexual-precocity/This is a small sample of the many videos Dr. Greger has to offer over the topic of milk. After seeing some of these videos I hope you will reconsider your choice to include dairy milk with your coffee. It is indeed quite harmful.I also want to point out that that kale dish that I like also has a can of garbanzo beans – more protein.One of the reasons I like that dish is that it seems to have it all: healthy protein, high-quality calcium-rich greens and good taste! But am I getting any good out of it?The kale and cashews sounds yummy–you should post the recipe!Sure! I got the original recipe from: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2011/05/cosmic-cashew-kale-and-chickpeas-with-confetti-quinoa.htmlShe has LOTS of really good “fat-free” (I think she means free of added processed fats) vegan recipes. I have modified her recipe to fit my tastes. For example, I omit the hot sauce, and I add mushrooms. I also changed up the process so that I can use the microwave instead of the stove top.The recipe is yummy. I highly recommend it to people who are trying to develop a taste for kale. While the author recommends putting it on quinoa (which would be very good), I think it works just great as a dish by itself.All plants have complete proteins..no need to compliment for the 8 essential amino acids.I was thinking about this article recently, Does any non-daiy beverage have this effect? Has any more information been done to determine if it’s the protein, the fat, or some other compound that impedes the phytonutrient absorption?Hello Chris!To quote Dr. Greger above, “only dairy appears to have the ability to block the phytonutrient benefits of cocoa and berries http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/ . So it’s not all protein by any stretch (in fact it may not even be the dairy protein–we don’t know what’s in dairy that does that). So no need to worry about eating protein with your greens.” Almond milk would be a safe non dairy substitute for tea, or with eating another nutrient dense meal. For right now the jury is out regarding what exactly blocks the nutrients.Who does the voice on the videos? The guy cracks me up and does an amazing job of keeping me listening and engaged.SOY. I heard too much soy is not good for men because of the supposed estrogen in it. I heard that allot of men started to grow breasts in the 90’s who were drinking tons of soy. Is there any science supporting this? It completely put me off soy products when I heard/read this.I am not sure if this was the right video to post this question. But there it is.The narrator is non other than Dr. Micheal Greger! http://nutritionfacts.org/about/Dr. Greger actually address this in many of his videos. this one in particular discusses how phytoestrogens had no estrogen raising affect while regular milk lowers testosterone and raises estrogen levels. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-sexual-precocity/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/I know you said it’s best to drink it straight, but is there any data yet about coconut milk-based creamer or other non-dairy non-soy creamers?Tom, we should do our best to stay away from coconut products in general. Its a very high saturated fat food. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-coconut-milk-good-for-you/That is disappointing. Thank you.Sorry! Coconut water is fine though. Perhaps you can add coconut water to your soymilk?I do like coconut water. But with creamer it’s mostly about the texture for me. Same thing with coffee. I was looking to replace dairy-based creamer. Soy milk, almond milk, creamers based on those, etc just don’t add the right texture. I imagine coconut water wouldn’t either.I do like coconut water. But with creamer it’s mostly about the texture for me. Same thing with coffee. I was looking to replace dairy-based creamer. Soy milk, almond milk, creamers based on those, etc just don’t add the right texture. I imagine coconut water wouldn’t either. Thank you for the suggestion, though.Well what about this coconut “flavored” creamer. Based from rice milk and soy milk and “natural” flavors. http://www.naturesflavors.com/index.php/flavored-coffee-beans-organic-flavored-coffee-beans/organic-non-dairy-coffee-creamers-powder/organic-coconut-non-dairy-coffee-creamer-low-fat-kosher-vegan-gluten-free.htmlI approve of the ingredients (from face value) but id just need a confirmation from the nutrition label.Re: More Texture to Faux Creamer/Coffee: I’ve been making my own soymilk for years now and a post by Bryanna Clark Grogan at http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca prompted me to add 1/4 cup old-fashioned large flake oats to my basic soymilk recipe. The results were delicious in my morning soy latte – very creamy. I’m not sure how you’d get this effect with commercially prepared soymilk. Mind you, none of this addresses the issue raised by Dr. Greger about soy and its effects.I sometimes use ‘micro’ amounts of soymilk, as in, less than 1oz in a cup that holds 20 ounces of teaSo….to be most useful, research should show us not one bar for “adding soymilk” but many depending on how much, proportionately.If 20oz tea plus 1oz soymilk causes as much “suppression” as a combination of  15oz tea plus 6 oz soymilk, then I’d stop using it entirely…but if it’s a very graduated effect, then those of us who enjoy such small amounts (just enough to just barely ‘cloud’ the drink a tiny bit, would maybe want to continueI agree, that’s what i do too. I try to drink tea without anything, but sometimes it’s just too bitter and i need to add a little almond/soy milk. I just add the smallest amount necessary to cover up some of the bitterness.What about almond milk? Almond milk should not be assumed to have the same affect as soy milk. These foods have very different phytonutrients and protein ratios.Hi, Toxins. I can’t really find this information online. What about if I consume both soymilk and green tea separately on the same day. Would soy milk still block the phytonutrient effects of the green tea, or is this block only effective when it’s mixed in the same cup? For example, let’s say I want to consume an oatmeal with soy milk at 8 in the morning and then drink a cup of green tea at 9? How far apart do the consumption times need to be to retain all the health benefits of green tea?I honestly do not know. I would assume when consumed at least 2 hours apart there should be no cause for concern. This is how long typical stomach emptying takes.How about the effects of Soy milk on Coffee Lattes? Almond milk is just not as delicious to me. Is there anything we can mix soy milk with sans losing nutrient benefits?Not that I know of Gayle, but I don’t think that you should worry about it in that situation. Soymilk itself has nutritional value and masking some coffee antioxidants is not really a big deal.Thank you for this, Toxins, and for all your informative and clarifying posts. You are treasure!We add ½ tsp or so of a mix of spices, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, turmeric, pepper, and ginger to our coffee with our soy milk, froth it up, and YUM YUM. Tastes a bit like “chai coffee.” Someday I may go to almond milk, but I find it chalky and love the richness of soy after a lifetime of non-fat and 1% cow’s milk! After decades of loving green tea, just before going WFPB I suddenly began to hate it. Thanks to Dr. Greger, we discovered the even healthier and so beautifully ruby-colored hibiscus tea and find it delicious with some Truvía (erythritol 50+% and stevia).I love your practical and non-dogmatic approach, Toxins! Thank you. So! Antioxidant vs phenol suppression. Blueberries and mangos with a date in our favorite Vitamixed soy ice cream. Soy in tea, milk, coco. Trade offs? In the context of a 100% WFPB diet, it seems OK even if we would be better off or safer using almond milk. We buy our Almond milk and it has more salt than our brands of Soy milk. How to gauge all the trade-offs? (BTW Whole Foods unsweetened soymilk has almost twice the sodium of Trader Joe’s and of Wildwood brands.Thanks Gayle for the compliments. I would agree with your tendency, that “In the context of a 100% WFPB diet, it seems OK even if we would be better off or safer using almond milk.” These drinks are not your primary calorie source and even if they were, they are healthy nonetheless. Worrying about these minor details is not relevant in the big picture, as going WFPB is the best thing you can do for yourself and your family. Enjoy your soy milk infused drinks!The confusion is something i at one time shared with “JJ,” until i did some academic research on tea. The main chemicals in tea that we do *not* want blocked is a group called “catechins” (there are several in tea, eg, EGCG & EGC). Research was done to compare green tea catechin absorption on an empty stomach versus with food. The human subjects were given either some carbs, in the form of bread of muffins, to accompany their tea, or just drank the tea on an empty stomach (in the morning after waking). The researchers found that the catechin absorption into the subjects’ blood stream was much higher when tea was taken on an empty stomach. Another study also found that tea catechin absorption is further enhanced when ingested with something acidic, like lemon juice. (I experienced nausea when i tried to drink green tea on an empty stomach, and especially with lemons. However i experience considerably less nausea when i use white tea leaves instead).This however contrasts with the carotenoid antioxidants found in high levels of many colored and green leafy vegetables. These carotenoids are fat soluble and require some fats to go with the veggies, as i learned from Dr Greger’s video also. JJ, if you happen to see this post and would like links to the 2 research articles on tea, i would be happy to provide them to you.So, long story short: try to drink tea on an empty stomach. It seems that any kind of food, not just tea, will affect catechin absorption. The exception is acidic foods, eg, lemons. Acidity actually seems to help.Yes, would you please cite those articles? Eating bread increases cocoa catechin bioavailability, so it would be interesting to see where eating bread decreases tea catechin bioavailability. Thank you.Yes the first paper is titled “Effects of Dosing Condition on the Oral Bioavailability of Green Tea Catechins after Single-Dose Administration of Polyphenon E in Healthy Individuals” and is in the June 15, 2005 issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research. It is available to read for free online; try google search or enter this into google: http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/11/12/4627.full In the “Conclusions” portion of the abstract (ie, end of abstract), it says ” We conclude that greater oral bioavailability of free catechins can be achieved by taking the Polyphenon E capsules on an empty stomach after an overnight fast. Polyphenon E up to a dose that contains 800 mg epigallocatechin gallate is well-tolerated when taken under the fasting condition. This dosing condition is also expected to optimize the biological effects of tea catechins.” Polyphenol E is a pill that has standardized amounts of tea catechins. The paper explains that these pills were provided by the National Cancer Institute, but i also did a little more reading on the internet and found that it’s made by a japanese company that makes these pills available to institutions for research (apparently Polyphenon E is the preferred means of studying standardized quantities of tea catechins, as opposed to extracting the substances from tea leaves oneself). I recommend reading the whole paper, even though it’s a bit lengthy. I will have the other 2 papers for you by the end of this weekend; i need to search through my files and try to find them.The paper above that i’m referencing is however not the same one that i alluded to in my first post above (from one year ago). That’s one of the papers i’m going to look for.Thank you. Fasting seems to increase green tea catechins overall 3.5 fold and may possibly decrease ECG and EC catechins. The biological processes discussed in Results suggest that taking green tea catechins fasted with lemon juice should enhance bioavailability by maintaining low pH in the small intestine and by maintaining supportive antioxidants (esp. ascorbic acid) without substantially activating the mechanisms that decrease tea catechin absorption: slowing digestion rate or increasing bile release. Fat and protein probably decrease catechin absorption, but carbohydrate (sugar and bread) may or may not increase tea catechin absorption.Is there any reason carbs should have different effects on tea and cocoa catechins? Interestingly, googling “cocoa milk catechin bioavailability” suggests milk protein impairs tea catechin absorption but not cocoa catechin absorption.Another study that i latched onto was regarding the use of ascorbic acid vs. citric acid in preserving the tea catechins’ stability; this was however just by test tube (in vitro), and not tested on human subjects. The study is “Stabilizing Effect of Ascorbic Acid on Green Tea Catechins,” in the June 1998 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. It’s available online free, via google search or at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf971022g The above study echoes what you’ve stated, which is that ascorbate appears to help preserve the tea catechins, presumably in the gut, although we don’t know for certain since this was just by test tube. And since the citric acid didn’t preserve the catechins, we know that the pH of the ascorbic acid is not the only factor at work; it may be that the ascorbic acid acts as an antioxidant to help preserve the catechins. So i’ve taken to taking lemon juice with my tea, when possible. I’ve even tried consuming capers along with my tea, since capers have high levels quercetin, which along with the ascorbate, may aid in preserving the catechins (however i can’t find the study that suggests the quercetin in the lemons may be responsible, so i guess i shouldn’t speculate here). For me personally, i’ve recently enjoyed putting freeze-dried berry powder (different kinds of berries) into my tea, because it adds to the health properties and helps mask the tea’s bitter taste, and so i think that the carbs from the berry powder may have an effect on catechin absorption, but whether it assists or hinders i have no idea. I don’t know what the answer is to your question about why tea being impaired by certain substances such as milk proteins, and yet cocoa catechins are not impaired. I did read that they have different flavonoids– cocoa having “procyanidins” and “flavan-3-ols,” while tea has the trio of “EGCG,”, “EGC,” and “ECG” (hope i spelled those right), so maybe that’s the primary reason for the difference.Mauro Serafini, PhD, of Italy’s National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in Rome, reports:“Our findings indicate that milk may interfere with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolate … and may therefore negate the potential health benefits that can be derived from eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate.”Any updates on soy milk blocking this and that?No updates on that, although i wouldn’t worry about it too much. Soy has its own benefits, especially if homemade. I’m sure Dr Greger will update us eventually if a study appears on the subject. If you are concerned about interference by soy but don’t want to give it up with your tea, try mixing it 50/50 with almond milk– that’s what i do and i still manage to get some of the soy flavor that way.You can possibly improve the absorption of the tea catechins (whether using soy or not) by adding having some vitamin C & xylitol sweetener with your tea. According to this study, it increases gut absorption by 10x, versus drinking tea plain. To quote from the “Results and Discussion” section (web link below):“The intestinal uptakes of total catechins in green tea with xylitol/citric acid and xylitol/vitamin C were approximately 6 and 11 times, respectively, higher than that in green tea only. Meanwhile, the addition of sucrose and glucose to green tea with citric acid did not give any significant effect on intestinal uptake of total catechins, though sucrose and glucose were significantly effective on catechin uptake in green tea with vitamin C.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996911005928Thank you, GB!Does adding nut/seed milk, like hemp/almond, also interfere with absorption of antioxidants, particularly in green tea?  No, it appears that soymilk and dairy are the only perpetrators that we know of.Thanks for this answer. How do we know this? Have more studies been done? Would love to know.The protein profile may be at play here, and as soy has a very similar protein profile to that of animal products, including milk, we can assume that almond milk and others would not have the same effect. Of course this is speculation.So if I am putting soy milk in my spinach/blackberry smoothie I’m not getting the phytonutrients?  So sad!  I like almond and rice milk but my kids like soy, so that’s what I’ve been using…If I put soy milk in a fruit shake containing amla powder, will it negate the effect of the antioxidants or any other good value of it? If it does, how much time do I need to wait between soy milk intakes before I drink the shake (without soy milk) Thanks!Hello Dr. Greger,Would you please present information or effects with carrageenan found in soymilk and alternative dairy products? I am reading that it is harmful and should be avoided. Thank you!!Would soy milk also negate positive effects of other foods/drinks, like muesli, porridge, smoothies etc.?Is there any information out there on whether other milk substitutes such as rice-, hazelnut- or almond milk have the same effects as cows milk and soy milk? I don’t actually put any milk in my tea anyways. What I would just like to have is a bowl of oatmeal with some sort of milk and a cup of green tea for breakfast. Surely, there must be some way to do that without losing the tea’s benefits?There is not currently any evidence showing that these other milks suppress the antioxidants like dairy or soy. I would doubt that this evidence would be found as we can hypothesize that this binding of nutrients is due to the protein structure.How does soy milk compare to almond milk (store bought)? I try not to drink soy milk because I dont really like the taste and prefer almond milk so I just drink that. But what if I add almond milk to berries or tea? Does it block the nutrients?Well there goes my antioxidant chai with rooibos tea each morning, which uses soy milk. What’s the point if the soy milk likely blocks the uptake… So, which “milk” has a green light?Ironically, I have been: * eating tofu with salads (black beans, bell peppers, green leafies, berries) * adding cocoa powder to Greek yogurtImplications of the protein argument due to their protein digestion times: * consuming soy protein? wait 3-5 hours before consuming antioxidants? * consuming dairy/casein? wait 6-8 hours before consuming antioxidants?Questions outstanding: * What class of substances exactly block antioxidant absorption * What is the exact time lag after which one can eat antioxidants * Do only milk and soy (milk) block antioxidant absorption * Does this effect only block antioxidant absorption from cocoa and berries * Wouldn’t this casein clumping effect not defeat but only delay the digestion and absorption of these antioxidantsSadly, for now, it appears the only conservative thing we can do is limit milk and soy to perhaps the last meal of the day and try to eat antioxidant rich foods throughout the day, hoping some of them get absorbed.Does soymilk block the phyotnutrients in cocoa? Or should I switch to something like almond milk?For now, we can assume that it does. Switching to almond milk may be a smarter choice to preserve the phytonutrients.I often add cocoa powder, cinnamon and clove to my tea. Do you think these ones could affect the phytonutrient effect of tea as well?Please some clarification, this study apparently contradicts a previous one:http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage/“This year from the British Nutrition Foundation, does adding milk remove the benefits of your daily cuppa tea? The answer is yes. It seems that cow proteins bind up all the good phytonutrients. None of the soy, rice or nut proteins in plant based milks have that same nutrition cancelling effect. ”Notice that last part — None of the soy, rice or nut proteins in plant based milks have that same nutrition cancelling effect.Unfortunately I cannot access the research paper in that study:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2007.00636.x/abstractSo I don’t know what method they used, vs the method used in this study:M. Lorenz, K. Stangl, and V. Stangl. Vascular eﬀects of tea are suppressed by soy milk. Atherosclerosis, 206(1):31-32, 2009.In this one we know thanks to Dr. Greger, that it was done “in vitro, in a petri dish. We don’t know if this translates into actual people”Anyone with access to the first study can comment? Given that most of us use soymilk and tofu etc, the fact that the soy protein could be binding up pythochemicals, :SBut I noticed that Dr. Greger uses soymilk in his smoothies, and recipes, and also tofu, which means that he isn’t too concerned about the possibility that it might be blocking other phytochemicals beyond the ones in tea?The study was in vitro, and not even on human cells: they used bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs). This is quite far from being conclusive.Dr. Greger, I love your videos and I am so grateful for them – thank you! However, I have to admit that this information made me sad… I drink tea with soymilk everyday! Is there an update to this information? Perhaps a study done with humans?Sounds like they used commercially made soy milk in there test ( we make our own) there is allot of other junk in that milk besides soy . Should we avoid eating other soy products when we drink green tea?	beverages,black tea,casein,chocolate,green tea,in vitro studies,milk,phytonutrients,soy,soy milk,tea,water	Does soymilk have the same tea phytonutrient blocking effects as cow's milk?	Check out these more recent videos on tea: Antimutagenic Activity of Green Versus White Tea Better Than Green Tea? Is There Too Much Aluminum in Tea? How Much Hibiscus Tea is Too Much? Hibiscus Tea vs. Plant-Based Diets for HypertensionPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/casein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soymilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-tea/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibiscus-tea-vs-plant-based-diets-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19268288,
PLAIN-3217	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/healthiest-chocolate-fix/	Healthiest Chocolate Fix	The phytonutrients in soy responsible for lowering cancer risk are called isoflavones, a type of flavanoid. There are also flavanoids in, chocolate but where are they found the most? According to a new study this year, in terms of phytonutrient content, is the healthiest chocolate fix baking chocolate, chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or semi-sweet chocolate chips? Here’s the graph… Which one takes the cake? … cocoa powder, is the best way to get your chocolate fix. You know how dark chocolate is like 70% cocoa solids? Well cocoa powder is like 90+% cocoa solids—that’s basically all it is! Number 2, is the baking chocolate. Which is number 3, though? the semi-sweet chips are actually number 3, with the dark chocolate #4. Any guess on last place? They’re both pretty useless, but the hint, is the “genuine chocolate flavor.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cocoa. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Is it more healthful to mix cocoa powder with milk or milk alternative or with water when making a chocolate drink? I am a chocoholic but I want to consume it the most beneficial way.Definitely not with dairy! Dairy is all harm no good. A non dairy substitute would be best. Note that cacao powder isnt sweet at allIf I want a drink I’ll mix cocoa powder with rice milk which is pretty widely available but the best I’ve tried so far is with millet milk (Isolabio makes it but it’s more difficult to find). It doesn’t have any added sugar but tastes quite sweet. I mix cocoa powder with a smushed banana and enjoy that as a snack fairly often. You can also make fake nutella by mixing cocoa with hazelnut butter and adding a sugar replacement like stevia. (As you can tell, I’m a chocoholic too) ;-)yummy: The main concern in the chocolate is the saturated fat and the sugar. If you consume cocoa powder, you will receive all the benefits without the saturated fat or sugar. The recipes and ideas are endless, but I doubt that cocoa powder and water would be a very palatable beverage. A milk alternative with added cocoa is an excellent idea. Try this recipe! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/healthy-chocolate-milkshakes/Here’s a video on sweeteners as well: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/Hey, I beg to differ about the cocoa and water. I had something in a children’s museum once that was just cocoa, water, and cinnamon. They were demonstrating something like the original Mayan’s chocolatl. It was very good. I still make it that way sometimes.I’ve lived with mayan chocolate makers for a few days and they also made it with water. Although I think they used the whole cocoa been and not just powder.I make mine with mostly water but heaps and heaps of dutch cocoa powder – 4 heaped teaspoons. I also add sugar and cinnamon to mineSurprise, surprise, milk fails again.Love chocolate.Cocoa powder with almond milk is delicious! I like to make a smoothie with the cocoa powder, almond milk, ground flax seeds, a little vanilla, and coconut oil. You can also change it up by adding a banana and/or peanut butter! Very good, filling and healthy! You don’t need to sweeten it – the almond milk has a some sugar in it.I would avoid the coconut oil, it is 91% saturated fat and provides empty fat calories without nutrition. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/Thanks for your comment. I’ve seen Dr. Greger’s video on coconut oil. There are conflicting opinions out there… I think an occasional tablespoon or so is not going to be life-threatening. It adds a nice flavor and texture. I am not afraid of some healthy saturated fat in moderation as long as you compensate for the fat and calories in your daily intake.There are many opinions out there indeed on coconut oil. It has become over hyped by the media with little scientific backing, as has olive oil. Do not be fooled. A tablespoon of coconut oil has 12 grams of saturated fat, and since we have no dietary need for saturated fat and our intake should stay as close as possible to zero, the intake of this oil can only be considered harmful. The more saturated fat you take, the more you increase your risk for developing heart disease, there is no “healthy” saturated fat.I could see the inclusion of this oil on rare occasions if one is already eating a low fat whole foods vegan diet, but other than that, Americans do not need anymore saturated fat in their diet.This is how I get my chocolate fix:http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/vegan-blackbean-brownies/I passed them off as regular brownies to our boy scout troop. After they scarfed them up, I asked what they thought the ingredients were.Funny, i made those yesterday! They are very goodThank you for the link to this recipe…have been wanting to try the black bean brownies for a while now…will bring to work also to see if folks will eat them (not telling them about the beans though)…hee hee!For some context, please check out my associated blog post The Best Foods: Test Your Nutrition Knowledge!What about raw cacao beans? You’ve mentioned that cocoa powder is nutritious, having had the fat removed, so would that mean that whole, unprocessed cacao beans would be a case where the whole food is actually bad for you and the processed, isolated food is good? Just wondering — should I stop using raw cacao beans? raw cacao nibs? raw cacao powder?In Dr. Greger’s video, it shows 70% as the dark chocolate…what about 90% dark chocolate? That’s what I’ve been eating when I want a chocolate treat…the cocoa powder shown is described as having 90% cacao solids…is the same true for a 90% dark chocolate bar? (Lindt is my usual go-to but I also love a Polish brand called Wawel which I believe is pronounced “Vavel”) thanks so much!  I ♥ Dr. Greger and his work!I wondered same thing…Most chocolate bars contain sugar as #1 ingredient and or milk. That might balance out any benefits.Hello Dr. Greger! Thank you so much for all the incredibly informative and interesting videos you make for us.  I have stopped consuming whey protein after workouts. I’d like to know if you have a suggestion to replace the protein shake. Also, can my wife and I have too much soy protein isolate? We are currently blending 1/4 cup of raw oats, half banana, vanilla soymilk, 1/2 tbsp of sugar free peanut butter and 20 grm of soy protein isolate with ice and water. Thanks!Raw cacao is the healthiest form of chocolate I hope you can post something on raw chocolate and not processed. I know youre a busy guy lol keep up the good work!http://www.creativehealthinstitute.com/blog/raw-cacao-tops-the-table-of-orac-values-for-common-foods/ List of foods with the highest ORAC. There are many lists out there that also confirm this.Thanks for this. Odd that it’s got milk choc so high up the list after we’ve learnt the goodies in milk choc are not bioavaialbe. I guess the list doesn’t take that into account, but then it is the only food on list that is mixed with anything else! :O)Use this guilt-free, nutritious, and delicious dessert to incorporate the bean with the most antioxidants (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-bean-2/) and the healthiest chocolate fix into your diet.Black Bean Brownies-2 cups cooked black beans -1 large very ripe banana, mashed -½ tbsp vanilla extract -1/3 cup cacoa powder -pinch cayenne pepper -pinch sea saltMash beans to desired consistency. Mash banana in a separate bowl and add to beans. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Stir in cacoa powder, cayenne pepper, and sea salt until thoroughly mixed. Spread mixture in a glass baking dish and cut into squares. No baking necessary.sounds good!I created this recipe a few years back and it satisfies my daily chocolate fix. So delicious yet so simple.Happiness By Chocolate – ½ banana, mashed – 2 ½ tablespoons cacoa powder • Simply mix two ingredients together and enjoy. Makes one serving. • Depending on the consistency you prefer, vary the ratio of banana to chocolate. For a more pudding-like consistency use a whole banana and use less banana if you would rather a fudgier texture. The banana’s ripeness will also dictate the consistency.What about raw chocolate, such as cacao nibs? Usually, the rule is that the less processed a food is, the better it is for you. Since raw cacao is much less processed than cocoa powder, does it have more beneficial properties?Cocoa beans have a lot of fat – the cocoa butter. When you separate the cocoa butter from the cocoa solids, you get the good bit without the fat. This seems to be one case where processing improves the result. see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_powderI would like to know to what extent the flavanols in cocoa powder are destroyed by adding hot water during the making of a hot cocoa beverage. I assume it would be better to consume without adding any heat, but I really like preparing it in the same way as matcha – this method works really well. Thanks,There may be some loss but just making an assumption, it doesn’t make a difference in the big picture. There may be some loss but not complete loss, and we should eat these types of foods in whichever way entices us to eat them the most.Cocoa may be the best but people don’t usually eat plain cocoa!I put cocoa powder and cinnamon in my oatmeal. Tastes great!I just saw the following study and would like Doctor Gregor’s professional opinion on it http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672359/ it says cocoa is linked to testicular cancer and other testicular disorders. Should I halt my daily spoon of raw cacao powder in my herbal tea or coffee?Cocoa from bars have a lot of fat, some added sugars and milk as well in some cases. I don’t think this is necessarily applicable.However, his study singles out theobromine in cocoa specifically. The paper mentioned that there were other studies done on theobromine. Any chance we could get a word from Dr. Gregor about it?This study is a correlation between testicular dysfunction in males and chocolate consumption by country. They cite other research of the effects of theobromine in rodents, but no evidence in humans. They propose that chocolate consumption by pregnant women carrying male fetuses and by very young males could effect testicular function later in life, but they do not have evidence or mechanism. Eating chocolate as an adult male does not seem to be related to any testicular issues (according to this article), and they acknowledge that milk and sugar go along with human consumption which is how they proxy cocoa use at a country-wide level. Considered alone, this study is pretty weak.hersheys supports unethical harvesting practices. Buy fair-trade, and support human equality!	chocolate,cocoa,flavonoids,isoflavones,junk food,phytonutrients,polyphenols,ranking foods	Which has the highest levels of beneficial phytonutrients: baking chocolate, chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or semi-sweet chocolate?	Interested on more about cocoa/chocolate? Check out: Cocoa Good; Chocolate Bad Dark Chocolate and Artery Function A Treatment for Chronic Fatigue SyndromePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cocoa. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: The Best Foods: test your nutrition knowledge.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cocoa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chocolate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/polyphenols/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flavonoids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/isoflavones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dark-chocolate-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19221874,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19754118,
PLAIN-3218	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-survival/	Soy & Breast Cancer Survival	We’ve known for years that soy helps prevent breast cancer, and that evidence continues to grow. And the earlier we can get our daughters to eat soy the better, as that’s where we see the strongest protection. If you remember in my volume 2 DVD we learned that women who have breast cancer that eat soy live significantly longer, but what if you’re on, tamoxifen, a drug breast cancer survivors can take to help prevent a recurrence by blocking the effect of estrogens on the body. So if you’re trying to wipe out all trace of estrogen activity, do you want to be eating the phytoestrogens found in soy? Fact or fiction: breast cancer survivors on tamoxifen should avoid soy. Fiction. In the Life After Cancer study, following nearly 2000 breast cancer survivors, women on tamoxifen who ate the most soy had a sixty percent reduction in breast cancer recurrence compared to the women who ate the least amount of soy phytoestrogens. They cut their risk of their cancer coming back in half, just by eating soy.	This is what I am curious about. Does soy lower estradiol and estrone? Or does it act more like DIM and work for a better balance. Isn’t estradiol heart protective, helping memory, blood sugar, etc……while estrone makes ya gain weight, etc…..?? I thought that you wanted the estradiol to be at least twice that of the estrone. If soy increases estradiol then I will Throw a party. And isn’t bioidentical estrogen made from soy, I mean prescription estrogen that is not made from a drug company. So in that case, the soy is used to boost estrogen, but the happy estrogen. I go back and forth on soy because I don’t really understand what it does to the sex hormones and the LAST thing I want to do is to lower my happy estrogen. I do have to say that we cooked two pounds of tofu after the video that soy made ya skinny. :)Just for you did a whole blog today on it! :)Soy and breast cancer: an updateWhat’s up with the studies citing negative effects of soy? There is a lot of media out there on Dr. Mercola – which says that soy is terrible for you. Really. A bean?I know of no good scientific articles on the adverse effects of soy. Looking into Dr. Mercola’s background and claims should be enough to avoid following his recommendations.Sure, there’s no such thing as a dangerous bean! Have yourself some raw kidney beans (esp. sprouted). :)Oh ya.. Because a two min video says so your all gaga over it. Sorry im not buying it. Where is your proof!Err… didn’t you notice that just below the video there is a section with Sources Cited? (with links to the studies)Everything presented is based on studies. In this case:S. A. Lee, X. O. Shu, H. Li, G. Yang, H. Cai, W. Wen, B. T. Ji, J. Gao, Y. T. Gao, and W. Zheng. Adolescent and adult soy food intake and breast cancer risk: Results from the shanghai women’s health study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 89(6):1920-1926, 2009.L. A. Korde, A. H. Wu, T. Fears, A. M. Y. Nomura, D. W. West, L. N. Kolonel, M. C. Pike, R. N. Hoover, and R. G. Ziegler. Childhood soy intake and breast cancer risk in Asian American women. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 18(4):1050, 2009.B.N. Fink, S.E. Steck, M.S. Wolff, J.A. Britton, G.C. Kabat, M.M. Gaudet, P.E. Abrahamson, P. Bell, J.C. Schroeder, S.L. Teitelbaum, A.I. Neugut, & M.D. Gammon. Dietary flavonoid intake and breast cancer survival among women on Long Island. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, 16(11):2285-2292, 2007.N. Guha, M. L. Kwan, C. P. Quesenberry Jr, E. K. Weltzien, A. L. Castillo, and B. J. Caan. Soy isoavones and risk of cancer recurrence in a cohort of breast cancer survivors: The life after cancer epidemiology study. Breast Cancer Res. Treat., 118(2):395-405, 2009.I am well confused about eating soya when having a cancer….i have found many articles which suggest that eating soya reduces the risk of cancer coming back and increases survival rate etc…but there is also the whole lot of articles uploaded recently that suggest that although soya can reduce the risk of getting a cancer it is not recomender for people who already have one becuase of that thingy similar to estrogen…my mum has breast cancer…should she avoid soya or should she start eating it???The early confusion has been answered by more recent studies. The current science supports the use of soy in the diet of patients who have had breast cancer. Other videos you might find of interest is the effects of exercise on breast cancer: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/exercise-breast-cancer/ and specific vegetables on breast cancer: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/veggies-vs-cancer/ & http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/. Animal and epidemiology studies support avoiding the consumption of animal protein in patients with cancer.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer and Diet!What about the concern over soy and endometrial cancer when taking tamoxifen?I wrote a post about soy Should I stay away from soy if I have breast cancer? Although I do not touch on endometrial cancer tamoxifen is often prescribed. Ask your doctor when the best time to take your medication is if eating soy foods. There is no data to suggest whole soy foods cannot be consumed if you have endometrial cancer or you take tamoxifen. A great link by oncology RDs can be found here. Hope this helps!	breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,cancer survival,chemotherapy,estrogen,isoflavones,medications,nutrition myths,phytoestrogens,soy,tamoxifen,women's health	To prevent a recurrence should breast cancer survivors on tamoxifen seek or snub soy?	For more information on breast cancer risk, check out these videos: Can Flax Seeds Help Prevent Breast Cancer? BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy Breast Cancer and Constipation Cholesterol Feeds Breast Cancer Cells Statin Cholesterol Drugs and Invasive Breast CancerPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on breast cancer. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Soymilk: shake it up!, Breast Cancer and Diet, and Soy and breast cancer: an update.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tamoxifen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/isoflavones/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19318430,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18006917,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19221874,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19403632,
PLAIN-3219	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-breast-cancer/	Exercise & Breast Cancer	We’ve known that physical activity, can reduce breast cancer risk, and appears to work especially well at preventing estrogen-receptor negative tumors—the hardest one’s to treat but only last year. did we figure out how much exercise was needed. We’ve known that light exercise doesn’t work—like a leisurely stroll appears useless for preventing breast cancer, and we’ve know that fewer than 10 minutes a day of even good exercise doesn’t work either. How many minutes of moderately intense exercise—hiking, biking, swimming, aerobics—or even just fast walking, does one need, on average, every day to significantly decrease breast cancer risk? Less than 10 minute doesn’t work, but how about full 10? 15? 30? 45? A full hour a day? Well, It’s not 10. It’s not 45. And it’s not 15. We need an hour of exercise every day. Darwin was right: it is survival of the fittest, so let’s get fit!	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on breast cancer. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!What are my choices for moderately intense exercise?As mentioned in the video, fast-walking, hiking, & biking are all forms of moderately intense activity, as well as light jogging and leisurely swimming. A good indication that you are working out at a moderate level is a noticeable increase in heart & breathing rates – you should be able to talk, but you shouldn’t be able to sing. Regular exercise is definitely beneficial for both the body and mind!(see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/reversing-cognitive-declineAlso be sure to check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer and Diet!shoot–bad news for me. Will try to do better! As a teacher, I often work till 7:00 pm. Breast cancer is in my maternal side-mom (passed form it) her sister and her daughter (my cousin) -survived, but cousin ended up with liver cancer later that took her. Made the switch to plant based eating—Food for thought here….Maybe time to actually use my elliptical machine!Surprise, surprise…I’ve never heard anybody else say that – ever! (except maybe Ruth Heidrich) Sounds like it’s time for a major lifestyle change!Two of the best exercise methods require much less than 60 minutes: For optimal strength, muscle, & bone health, an HIT session can be completed in 20 minutes. For conditioning & fat loss, a Tabata workout is over in 4 minutes. Anything more is counterproductive.how does one hour of daily exercise decrease the risk of breast cancer ?	breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,exercise,women's health	How many minutes a day of moderately intense exercise is necessary to significantly decrease breast cancer risk?	For other, newer videos on breast cancer risk, see: Can Flax Seeds Help Prevent Breast Cancer? BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy Breast Cancer and Constipation Cholesterol Feeds Breast Cancer Cells Statin Cholesterol Drugs and Invasive Breast CancerPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on breast cancer. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Breast Cancer and Diet, Treadmill Desks: Stand Up For Health, and Mushrooms for Breast Cancer Prevention	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/16/treadmill-desks-stand-up-for-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19796379,
PLAIN-3220	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/	Reversing Cognitive Decline	If you or anyone you know is currently starting to suffer from cognitive decline—starting to forget things, starting to repeat things—there is some exciting new research published this year. This year, they took folks with mild cognitive impairment and had them exercise 30 minutes a day for 6 months, versus a control group that just, stretched for half an hour every day instead of exercised. Here’s the data… They did this test of cognitive performance at the beginning and then repeated it at the end of the 6 months. As you can see in that six month period those not exercising—just stretching—continued to decline. At the end of six months, both men and women got fewer correct answers then they did when they started. Now what they were hoping for is that by adding exercise they could slow down this decline. So if instead of just stretching every day, if they were doing aerobic exercise, getting some blood to their brain, maybe they’d only decline half as much, or ideally, not decline at all—stay the same, have zero fewer correct answers. But this is what they found instead. The cognitive decline reversed—they actually did better at the end of six months than when they started. Drugs can’t do that; exercise can.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cognition. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Hi Dr. Greger, Do you know of any research that compares rates of cognitive decline among people treated for hypertension vs people not treated? My concern is that when a person takes medication to lower their BP, their diastolic may go too low and decrease the blood flow returning to their heart and brain. Could this decrease in perfusion contribute to or even cause white matter disease and cognitive decline? I’ve seen the research that shows lowering BP decreases the number of strokes, but what if it increased rates of cognitive decline? My mother was a lifelong vegetarian who walked 4 miles a day and was treated for hypertension from age 46 until she died. She was diagnosed with white matter disease and mild cognitive impairment at age 67 which slowly progressed until she died at age 81. My sister and I are both whole, plant-based vegans. My average BP is 130-140 over 80-90. My sister’s is higher. When we are stressed (even happy stress) our BP can go over 160/100. We are both thin (BMI’s of 18.5 and 19.5). So far, both of us have refused to take blood pressure medication. We wonder if it did more harm than good for our mother. She had many episodes where her BP went too low which caused fainting and falling (breaking her pelvis once). Her BP medication and dosages were adjusted several times during the 35 years that she was treated for hypertension. She never had a stroke, but she needed fulltime care the last 4 years of her life due to decreased mobility and decreased cognitive ability. We wonder if decades of blood pressure medication causes side effects to the brain that pharmaceutically-funded studies are failing to look at. Your input on this question will be appreciated!Vegans with high BP! Me to! I am 61 with a BMI 22. I do not exercise enough but after seeing this video I will try to do more. Great question!. BP medication interferes with Potassium absorption. Lack of Potassium causes cell degradation that is why i refuse to take BP medication.Good job Dr.Keep getting the word out because dying of dementia related things is no fun for anyone; patients and/or care givers.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable!Bravo!Is there any way to reverse osteoporosis? I will be 70 this year. Thank you.Exercise and moderate resistance work (weight lifting) promotes stronger bones. But take it easy.Hi Shuk. I suggest looking at Dr. Forrester’s comment here, he mentions a great book by a colleague and co-author of mine, Dr. Amy Lanou. See if that helps? She has a lot of great tools in her book, “Building Bone Vitality”.Best to you, Joseph	Alzheimer’s disease,brain health,cognition,dementia,elderly,exercise,memory	Exercise shown to reverse mild cognitive impairment.	For more on the benefits of exercise, check out: Exercise vs. Drugs for Depression Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? Preventing Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress With Watercress Longer Life Within Walking DistancePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cognition. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Alzheimer's Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable, Natural Alzheimer’s Treatment, and  Treadmill Desks: Stand Up For Health	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/06/natural-alzheimers-treatment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/16/treadmill-desks-stand-up-for-health/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/exercise/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/longer-life-within-walking-distance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-exercise-induced-oxidative-stress-with-watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-vs-drugs-for-depression/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20150596,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20065132,
PLAIN-3221	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/	Dietary Theory of Alzheimer's	One of the great remaining medical mysteries is what’s behind the dramatic rise in Alzheimer’s disease. In a century we basically went from no Alzheimer’s to the 7th leading cause of death in the United States, currently afflicting 5 million Americans. A provocative theory was published last year in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Alzheimers has become an epidemic. 1 in 10 of us in our 60’s. 1 in 5 of us in our 70’s, and nearly 1 in 3 of us in our 80s will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Some say it’s just because we have an aging population, but if you go back and look at the data, prior to about 100 years ago, there was no evidence of Alzheimer’s—no matter how old you were. And even now, it’s really only a major problem in the developed world. The elderly in India and Africa, for example, are spared this disease. When we look at the epidemiology we should be, shocked. We have allowed something in our environment to steal the minds of our elderly, at a terrible cost. As a people we should be outraged—frightened, and frantically searching for what’s in the environment that’s causing this terrible onslaught. But instead the scientific community seems to be passively letting this happen. There is not much research in this area. Most efforts, frankly, are coming up with drugs to try to treat it rather than try to prevent it in the first place. Given the link between meat eating and dementia, some scientists have suggested a prion theory, maybe Alzheimer’s is some human variant of mad cow disease. We certainly are eating more beef, but this new researcher is skeptical, believing the real cause to be something else in our developed environment, namely copper toxicity. Interestingly, that could explain any meat/Alzheimer’s connection, because meat eating may contribute to copper toxicity—remember the U.S. meat shipment that Mexico refused to let in? That was for copper contamination. This reseracher blames three things that developed countries have done over the last half century or so: started using copper plumbing for our water supply, started taking lots of supplements—like multivitamins with copper, and started eating too much meat. So he suggests we test our water for copper, throw out any supplements with copper in them, and then, in terms of diet to prevent Alzheimers, number 3, reduce meat intake, since the copper in meat is much better absorbed. So yeah, blaming meat may actuallybe right—but, this new theory goes, it’s not prions, the damaging agent in meat may be copper.	Copper, eh? Hm. I’m a vegan “nutritarian” in the Joel Fuhrman mold. I track my nutritional intake and my copper intake is always 300-500% the RDI. Should I be worried? Mushrooms are very high in copper; I try to have about 100 g a day because they are so high in lysine and B vitamins. Or should I just hope that copper from plants is not well absorbed, so despite the megadoses of copper I am getting, it won’t lead to trouble down the road?I, too, am a nutritarian and would like to know if you’ve found an answer to this questionIs there an RDA for copper or just an RDI?RDA for Copper is 900-1,000mcg for adults with an upper limit of 10,000mcg. There has been research supporting theory that copper reduces the bodies ability to clear away toxic proteins in the grain, encouraging clumping. Over time, this could result in Alzheimers. Copper is prevalent in liver, oysters, nuts and seeds, some grains and many nutritarian foods. I agree with DrDon that the human body has mechanisms to avoid problems with copper unless exposure to a large amount over time. #Copper, #AlzheimersI saw this video about the same time that I took a trip to our local farmer’s market. I asked a person in one booth whether or not his food was organic. He said “such and such is, but such and such is not, but we don’t add pesticides”. I wanted to be clear, and used a phrase that I had seen in another booth: “Oh, you are spray-free?” He said, “No, nobody is spray-free. Nothing would grow if we were spray-free. We just use organically approved sprays, such as copper.”Then I saw this video about copper and a potential link to altzheimers. Any thoughts about how much copper is in organic foods and whether or not this should be a concern? And if so, are some organic crops given more copper than others???Thanks!I don’t worry too much about the amount of copper in organic fruits and vegetables. The human body has mechanisms to avoid problems with copper unless exposure to a large amount over time or in the case of Wilson’s Disease( a rare inherited condition that causes build up of copper in the body).JJ, that is disturbing information. I did a Google search and found that indeed, copper spraying is a standard organic agricultural practice. Many of our water pipes are also made of copper. Zinc, commonly deficient in vegans, helps keep copper levels from getting too high… Dr. Gregor, what are your thoughts on this? Do you know if we should be concerned here?Dr. Greger, what about copper IUD’s? I can’t find any studies about this this; just anecdotal information. I’m thinking about getting mine removed because of the copper toxicity issue, though I have no other pressing reason to do so. :(All forms of contraception contain risk and have to weighed against the risk of pregnancy. I also couldn’t find any studies on it. There is a free online review article on the copper IUD’s available through PubMed if you are interested. The article is by Bliss Kaneshiro and Tod Aeby, Long-term safety, efficacy, and patient acceptability of the intrauterine Copper T-380A contraceptive device Int J Womens Health. 2010; 2: 211–220. The article doesn’t mention any systemic difficulties with the copper. Hope this helps. Be well.I found this paper: “Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in developing countries: prevalence, management, and risk factors” published in The Lancet in 2008 and it has a map showing distribution of Alzheimer’s Disease in the world. It does show that it’s low in India and a few other places but the authors of this paper describe it as being absent in the developing countries, which is clearly not the case. I’m confused. These authors got their information from a paper by Waldman and Lamb. I guess I’ll try and track that down.Dr Greger:  Love the site and love the info–it’s inspiring my wife and me to make healthier choices (we’re both long time vegans for moral reasons).  I’m concerned about how strongly you state that Alzheimer’s is a first world problem or one that did not exist prior to 100 years ago.  I can’t imagine the level of evidence that would be required to back up such strong assertions.  My wife’s Grandmother died of Alzheimer’s.  She was born and raised in Trinidad and was a life time lacto vegetarian.  Her family moved her to Canada for medical care when she was in her 70s because she had become senile and was unable to live on her own.  In Canada she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.   It’s not unheard of for elderly people in Trinidad who have limited access to medical care to become senile.  Many of them probably have undiagnosed Alzheimer’s.  Correction on the diet listed above–I got the sides of the family mixed up.  My paternal Grandmother in law was not a vegetarian.  Also, please check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies!Regulation of Brain Iron and Copper Homeostasis by Brain Barrier Systems: Implication in Neurodegenerative Diseases.Pharmacol Ther. 2012 February; 133(2): 177–188. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3268876/Some critics of veganism say that vegan diets have too much copper (potentially leading to copper toxicity) and also that there is not enough zinc in vegan diets to offset the copper intake. Is there any validity to this?is there a significantly higher concentration of copper in low quality meat products versus “good” quality meats?all heavy metals can lead to increased oxidative stress in the brain, not just copper. Aluminum is also much more prevalent in our environment. Some believe it due to chemtrails where aluminum and barium particulates are sprayed into the air. Also, vaccines and antiperspirants contain aluminum. Seems like all diseases are caused by eating meat, according you Dr. Greger. Since meat is higher in zinc, it may also help to chelate excess copper from our bodies. Meat is not necessary to do this, other foods are high in zinc, such as oysters, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate. Personally, I take supplements. Zinc is necessary to rid the body of excess copper and excess heavy metals. Glutathione also protects us from heavy metals.Just published:Singh, Itender, et al. “Low levels of copper disrupt brain amyloid-β homeostasis by altering its production and clearance.” PNAS 110.36 (2013): 14771-14776.PDFhttp://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-10753/the-surprising-ways-grains-are-destroying-your-brain.html This article says to drastically reduce carbohydrates in our diet to avoid dementia. This would of course mean increasing meat intake in order to get adequate calories. How do I know if this research is valid? How do we know it’s not just PROCESSED grains that are harmful? If I keep eating my steal cut oats with flax and fruit and avoid flour and sugar produces, will I really still be at risk for Alzheimer’s? I get 60-80% of my calories from carbs. Often I’m eating 10x the amount of carbs this MD suggests. And perhaps the issue is really our omega fatty acid balance. We know our diets are too high in Omega 6 and lacking Omega 3. This doctor has me puzzled. I do avoid gluten. But only because I did an ellimination diet and found out it triggers my excema. For those who are not allergic to it (sure wish I wasn’t) I think wheat can be a totally wholesome food. Also, he talks about aerobics, but what about weight lifting? How can we do that much aerobic exercise without carbs? And resistance training is just as important isn’t it? Aerobics without weights could cause us to have a lower metabolism, couldn’t it? And if we ever went back to eating carbs we would likely start putting on the pounds. That’s definitely a health risk. What would be a helpful way for me to interperate this article? Thank you for your help!!Teale Niles: I highly recommend that you take a look at the book, Power Food For the Brain by Neal Barnard. http://www.amazon.com/Power-Foods-Brain-Effective-Strengthen/dp/1455512192/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389052678&sr=1-1&keywords=power+foods+for+the+brainDr. Barnard addresses Alzheimers as well as other memory and dementia issues. Dr. Barnard is a very respectable author who has been both studying and doing nutrition research for years and years. I can tell you that he doesn’t tell people to cut back on “carbs”. Also, in addition to diet, the book has a section which addresses physical exercises.Hope that helps!I would stay away from weight lifting as you could get hemoroids. Aerobics is safe, stick mostly to low impact. It does not lower motabolism, but increases the rate at which you will burn calories at rest.I don’t agree — in my view, weight lifting/strength training should be part of one’s exercise program. It has many benefits e.g. strengthening bones, preventing muscle loss, increasing the number of mitochondria in muscles (reudcing odds of insulin resistance), generally increasing the odds one will stay functionally independent as one ages (I’m 68 so that is an issue for me). I have been lifting weights for decades and never had a problem of it causing hemorrhoids. Of course one should exercise within one’s tolerance and use proper technique, which means **not holding one’s breath”. Beginners should get instruction in proper technique and advice on a sensible program. Here’s the url to a reasonable discussion of this topichttp://www.livestrong.com/article/333209-weightlifting-hemorrhoids/Now Carbohydrates? What’s a person to do or believe? Is this a fact? partial fact? or fiction? http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/do-carbs-cause-alzheimersFlo: Concerning “What’s a person to do or believe?” I think the first thing to understand is that Dr. Oz’s show is great entertainment, not good medical information. The information on the show constantly contradicts itself, sometimes even within the same show. It is a good platform for people to advertize their message and products, but the information is not vetted in any responsible way.I highly recommend the following book for knowing the latest credible information about avoiding alzehimers and having all-around good brain health:“Power Foods For The brain” by Dr. Neal Barnard.http://www.amazon.com/Power-Foods-Brain-Effective-Strengthen/dp/1455512206/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1389996614Good luck.Could you comment on this journal article?Roberts R, Roberts L, Petersen R, et al. Relative Intake of Macronutrients Impacts Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia. Journal Of Alzheimer’s Disease [serial online]. December 26, 2012;32(2):329-339. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 15, 2014.It seems to suggest that diets high in carbs encourage Alzheimer’s?ThanksAt the following link: http://kalw.org/post/alzheimers-blood-test-raises-ethical-questions studies of elderly people yielded results enough for these researchers to say:>> We discovered that 10 blood lipids [fats] predicted >> whether someone would go on to develop cognitive >> impairment or Alzheimer’s.http://www.alz.org/research/science/earlier_alzheimers_diagnosis.aspWhat I am wondering is if Dr. Greger has heard about this and if there is any way to associate these 10 blood lipids with animal fats?How about aluminum ending up in the brain from all the acid drinks which include soft drinks and beer which are provided from the aluminum in aluminum cans? Whether it is copper, iron, and/or aluminum, metals do not do justice to the brain and are difficult to get out. Correct me if I am wrong!Of course there was no evidence of Alzheimer’s 100 years ago, since it was only discovered in 1906!Many elderly sure had symptoms that looked a lot like Alzheimer’s in 1965. But that was way before it was being widely diagnosed.What is a safe alternative to copper water pipes?This is what is used for water pipes. Does any of it sound safe? … the most commonly used materials for drinking-water supply piping are galvanized steel or iron, copper, polybutylene, unplasticized polyvinylchloride (PVC), chlorinated polyvinylchloride (CPVC) and polyethylene (PE).Prof. Woodrow Monte’s website >http://www.whilesciencesleeps.com/references/&lt; has an extensive list of research studies regarding the effects of methanol and its metabolite formaldehyde in our modern diet. According to Monte and his colleagues, areas of the world that have the highest incidences of DOC (Diseases of Civilization) such as Alzheimer's, MS, Cancer, Autism, etc, are likely to consume or use tobacco products, diet products, canned foods and smoked meats. Lifestyles in the Blue Zones probably don't include too many of those products. To eliminate as many DOC's as possible is it worth it to ride into the "Blue" on a plant-based diet? Yeah, think I'll sit in the no-smoking section and cut the methanol and formaldehyde please!Alzheimer’s might have multiple causes. One might be the modern stressed out lifestyle. Sleep deprivation might be the clearest link.: http://tedsummaries.com/2014/10/15/jeff-iliff-one-more-reason-to-get-a-good-nights-sleep/thanks so much!What about Aluminum and Autism? Is there a connection there?Sleep is the key toward detoxification. So yes, aluminum bight be involved as it needs to be detoxified. That is why I said watch the video. I am not sure about Autism. I will investigate.Spraying Bordeaux Mixture – copper(II) sulfate (CuSO 4) and slaked lime (Ca (OH) – is a very common use in agriculture in Portugal. Potatoes and tomatoes get fungus and one looses the crop very fast if not sprayed. Especially when close to the coast line. A common characteristic is to see the tomatoes in a blue colour.	Africa,aging,Alzheimer’s disease,animal products,beef,brain health,cognition,copper,dementia,elderly,factory farming practices,heavy metals,India,mad cow disease,meat,multivitamins,neurotoxins,omnivores,prion disease,supplements,vegetarians	A provocative theory published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition attempts to explain the dramatic rise in Alzheimer's disease	For more videos on heavy metals in our food supply, see: Male Fertility and Diet Amla and Triphala Tested for Metals Heavy Metals in Protein Powder SupplementsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on Alzheimer's disease. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies, Alzheimer's Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable, and  Natural Alzheimer’s Treatment.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/06/natural-alzheimers-treatment/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/africa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/copper/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prion-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/india/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multivitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mad-cow-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heavy-metals-in-protein-powder-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20150596,
PLAIN-3222	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mad-fish-disease/	Mad Fish Disease	Antibiotics aren’t the only dangerous thing agribusiness feeds to farm animals. We used to feed cow brains to pigs and chickens until last year, when Obama’s FDA banned the feeding of cow brains to most other farm animals. Though it should have been a, “no-brainer,” it took 12 years to take that step, and still doesn’t go as far as Europe, which bans the feeding of all cow parts to all animals, including fish. Last summer a group of neurologists raised the concern that by feeding cow brains to farmed fish, the consumption of farmed fish may provide a means of transmission of infectious prions from mad cows to humans. That was in June. It was all just theoretical, though… until July… Researchers in Greece fed infected mad cow brains to fish to see what would happen… And though the fish appeared fine, you could see the disease building up in their systems. The neurodegeneration and abnormal deposition in the brains of fish challenged with prion, especially BSE—mad cow disease, raises concerns about the potential risk to public health. The prospect of farmed fish being contaminated with infectious prions, or developing their own prion disease is alarming. This is just for farmed fish, though. Wild fish don’t tend to eat cows.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Yet another great reason to boycott agri-business!	brain health,factory farming practices,farm animals,FDA,feed additives,fish,Greece,growth promoters,mad cow disease,meat,Obama,prion disease,seafood	Researchers raise concerns about the feeding of cow brains to farmed fish.	Fish might also be a potential dietary source of pollutants. Check out these videos on the subject: Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals Fish and Diabetes Diabetes and Dioxins Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat Dioxins in U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish Dietary Pollutants May Affect Testosterone LevelsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my blog post: When a Scraped Knee May Once Again Kill.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/03/13/when-a-scraped-knee-may-kill-again/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prion-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/growth-promoters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mad-cow-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obama/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greece/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19363268,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19636413,
PLAIN-3223	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/drug-residues-in-meat/	Drug Residues in Meat	One of the reasons we are increasingly plagued with new superbugs is the mass feeding of antibiotics to farm animals. As Britain’s chief medical officer put it in his 2009 annual report: "every inappropriate…use [of antibiotics in] agriculture is potentially signing a death warrant for a future patient." Earlier this year I had the opportunity to debate some of the kinda captains of industry like the National Pork Producers Council on this dangerous practice of feeding antibiotics to livestock… I’ve always insisted that the reason it’s dangerous to feed millions of pounds of antibiotics to cows, pigs, and chickens every year—in part just to fatten them faster for slaughter—is because this fosters antibiotic resistance in bacteria that can then infect human beings, not because there’s a problem with antibiotic drug residues getting in the meat itself. How wrong I was. In a damning report released earlier this year, the U.S. Inspector General slammed the USDA for not protecting the American public. As you can see in the Executive Summary of the report, one of the public safety issues facing the United States is the contamination of meat with residual drugs, pesticides, and heavy metals. These drug and chemical residues then find their way to our dinner plates, but in order to safeguard the nation’s food supply from harmful residue, the USDA, FDA, and EPA are supposed to test for these contaminants and prevent adulterated meat from entering the food supply. But based on their review, the Inspector General found that the national residue program is not accomplishing its mission of monitoring the food supply for harmful residues. They haven’t even established threshold levels for many dangerous substances, which has resulted in contaminated meat being distributed to consumers. And then the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service doesn’t even attempt to recall meat confirmed to have excessive drug residues. What’s the problem with not having safety thresholds? Well, for example, in 2008 Mexican authorities rejected a shipment of U.S. beef because it contained excessive levels of copper. But since we haven’t set any safety level for copper, it was fine by U.S. standards. So too dangerous to be sold in Mexico, but good enough for U.S. consumers. There are more than a thousand pesticides approved for use in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency routinely asks the USDA to test for pesticides that everyone agrees has high health risks. But, for many years now, they continue to test for only one type of pesticide, out of more than a thousand. What’s the big deal, though? What potential affects could the drugs and toxic metals in meat have on people? Bleeding, ulcers, allergic reactions, serious nerve damage, severe inflammation, skin cancers, internal cancers, jaundice, kidney failure, neurotoxicity—kills brain cells, and even death. Doesn’t cooking destroy the drugs, though? … No amount of cooking, will destroy residues. In fact, in some cases, heat may actually break residues down into components that are more harmful to consumers. And then even when our government find these drugs in the meat, they don’t stop it contaminating the food supply. The inspector general noted a case where a slaughterhouse found four drugs—ivermectin, sulfadimethozine, florfenicol, and sulfamethazine—yet, released the meat from these carcasses into the food supply despite the fact that consuming these drugs could result in stomach, nerve, or skin problems, but the USDA ordered no recall. Now the USDA doesn’t actually have the authority to demand a recall—which is a problem in itself—but they can, at any time, at least ask a company to voluntarily recall the meat. So when’s the last time they asked a company to recall their meat due to illegally high drug residues? The USDA hasn’t even asked since 1979. And this is not the first time the USDA has been cited for failing to protect the public. This was exposed twenty-five years ago by the National Academy of Sciences. So what happened? What happened in 1984, according to the Inspector General, is they signed an MOU. And then, the problem remained unresolved for the next 25 years. So that’s what we’ve been eating all this time. So what does the Inspector General propose now? Number one recommendation: Start from scratch. The government needs to reestablish the National Residue program so that it can accomplish its mission of safeguarding the U.S. food supply. What will the USDA’s response be now? Maybe they’ll draw up another memo. In the meanwhile, if we insist on doing drugs, though our diet, which meat has been found to be at highest risk for contamination? It’s the veal. Think about how they’re raised, yaknow?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on meat. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Does eating cumulative antibiotics in the food chain have an effect on one’s resistance to the drug if one has to take oral antibiotics at some time in the future, for example, H.pylori treatment which uses megadose antibiotics in the regimen (HPpac)?Hi Dr.﻿ Greger. Why veal has a higher risk of drug residues compared to beef? I was thinking that calf liver is less risky compared to cow liver! “If the cow is poisonous I’ll just eat its babies and then that will be cool. “Veal is a product of the dairy industry – not the beef industry. Dairy cattle are fed enormous amounts of antibiotics because they are prone to more infections due to the conditions that they are forced to endure. And they are forced to endure those conditions for years longer than beef cattle are. So, they are accumulating more and more antibiotics in their systems over a much longer time frame. Their offspring are going to have a higher accumulation in their bodies as a result.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies!Hi Dr.﻿ Greger.glad to meat you ther is a matter that im dealing with it for a long time.&its that why herbal antibiotics are nt use in veterinary medicine?& if its used do u know where and how?because in that way we will not have any antibiotics residue in meats .am i right?thanks a lot.	allergies,antibiotics,biomagnification,brain health,cooking temperature,copper,drug residues,EPA,factory farming practices,farm animals,FDA,feed additives,food recalls,growth promoters,heavy metals,industry influence,insecticides,jaundice,kidney disease,kidney health,liver disease,liver health,meat,Mexico,National Academy of Sciences,nerve health,neuropathy,neurotoxins,pesticides,skin health,stomach health,superbugs,USDA	The U.S. Inspector General cites the USDA for failing to safeguard the meat supply from drug residues.	More recent videos on toxic residues in meat include: Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies Flame Retardant Chemical Contamination How Long to Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on meat. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies, Adding FDA-Approved Viruses to Meat, How Chemically Contaminated Are We?, How To Reduce Dietary Antibiotic Intake, and Bugs & Drugs in Pork: Yersinia and Ractopamine	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/14/how-chemically-contaminated-are-we/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/25/bugs-drugs-in-pork-yersinia-and-ractopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/28/how-to-reduce-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insecticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neuropathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jaundice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mexico/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/copper/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/drug-residues/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/growth-promoters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/superbugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-recalls/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industry-influence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/national-academy-of-sciences/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20429659,
PLAIN-3224	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxic-megacolon-superbug/	Toxic Megacolon Superbug	There’s a new superbug in town. Clostridium difficile, known in short as C. diff. You may remember superbugs from such hits as MRSA last year, methicillin-resistant Staph aureus, now killing more people than AIDS in the United States, MRSA used to just be something you picked up in hospitals, but then, all the sudden, there were all these cases found out in the community and no one knew where it was coming from. Then we discovered MRSA in pigs, veal calves, chickens, and dairy cows. Ah ha! So they tested farm workers, and about half of them were carrying it. So then they tested the meat, and found MRSA right off the supermarket shelves. In the hospital we have something called contact precautions. Before you can even walk into a room with a patient with MRSA you have to glove mask and gown—even if you’re not even going to touch the patient. There is such a concern that you might just touch some contaminated surface they won’t even let you in the room unless you look like this. Yet we still let kids run up and down the meat aisle at the supermarket, where MRSA contamination has been confirmed Now, only about 5% of retail meat tested so far in the U.S. has MRSA on it, but if you went to any infectious disease specialist and offered them an object, informing them there was a 5% chance it was contaminated with mersa, MRSA, first of all they wouldn’t touch. And if they had to, they’d definitely glove up. If you handle raw meat, wear gloves—I’m serious, and wash your hands. What about C diff. C diff used to just be something you picked up in hospitals, but then all the sudden there were all these cases found out in the community and no one knew where it were coming from. Then we discovered C diff in calves, cows, chickens, and pigs. Starting to sound familiar? Then they tested meat, and found C diff right off the supermarket shelves. 42% of meat products sampled contained toxin-producing C diff. The riskiest meat was ground turkey, actually. Relatively common in retail chicken too, and out of legs, wings or thighs, the riskiest body part to touch were chickens’ wings. MRSA causes nasty skin infections. What does C diff. do? Normally nothing. Even if you get infected and your gut gets colonized with C diff, your good bacteria can usually muscle it into submission. But the C diff just waits patiently until you have to take an antibiotic, for example, and with your good bacteria out of the way, C diff can go crazy, and cause a severe infection of your colon, called pseudomembraneous colitis. Which can get worse, and even turn into a life-threatening condition called toxic megacolon. This man is not pregnant. This man has toxic megacolon. On autopsy, his colon looked like this. Yeah, but people don’t eat raw poultry. Doesn’t cooking wipe out most bugs? C diff isn’t like most bugs. For most meat, 71 degrees Celsius is the recommended internal cooking temperature. That’s what our meat thermometers are supposed to reach, just to be safe, err on the side of caution. C diff can survive 2 hours at that temperature. Chicken can be grilled for 2 hours straight and still not kill off C diff. You know those how those alcohol based hand sanitizers say they kill 99.99% of germs. That 0.01% is C diff. They don’t call it a superbug for nothing. And then residual spores are readily transferred by a handshake even after the use of an alcohol-based hand rub. So you don’t want to touch raw meat, and you don’t want to touch people, who’ve touched raw meat.	After watching this video on Volume 4, I was hooked. I haven’t eaten meat in 16 years, but I thought this was so compelling that I wanted to share it with my meat-eating friends. There is rarely one study or one piece of info that can change a major behavior, but this video/information is so impressive, I thought it might change behavior of someone.The first person I explained this information to was a friend who happens to be a nurse. My friend said that she had a cousin with MRSA who was in the hospital for quite a while. My friend’s family did not have to glove, mask or gown up when they visited the cousin in the hospital. MRSA is not an air-born, so the mask was not needed. And they were just told not to touch anything.Since the part about gloving up was not true in my friend’s experience, it was hard for her to buy into anything else I was saying. Is this video exaggerating any? Are there different protocals at different hospitals? Would it be better to say that at “*some* hospitals you have to glove and mask up?”Here’s another part of the response that I got from my friend: She said that lots of people have MRSA on their skins, etc and it is only a problem if the infection gets into the blood. Since so many people have MRSA on their skins already, it is hard to get excited about finding it on meat.My friend sent me a MRSA fact sheet that said: “MRSA…are bacteria that often live in the nose or on the skin of healthy people. MRSA can be carried on the skin or in the nose without causing any disease, which is called colonization. Approximately 25-30% of the population is colonized in the nose with staph bacteria at any given time; however, the proportion colonized with MRSA is not known.”If MRSA is already on 25% of the population, then surely having kids run down the meat isle at the grocery store is not something to panic about? (The image was very powerful to me before talking to my friend.)I still find this video personally compelling, but it is hard to convince other people in light of the above. Do you have a response? What am I missing?Thanks!I’m afraid you are confusing staph with MRSA. MRSA is a multidrug resistant form of staph (full name: Methicillin-Resistant Staph aureus). So yes, lots of us are colonized by regular staph, but thankfully very few with the much more dangerous MRSA, which is resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics and so is much harder to treat. As I noted in the video, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA kills more people than AIDS in this country, more than 18,000 Americans dead every year. I’ve personally never worked in a hospital that didn’t require what are called “contact precautions” for MRSA (glove, mask, and gown) but am horrified to learn that indeed the CDC allows some leeway in how individual hospitals deal with the problem. See the official CDC recommendations here. I’m glad I don’t work where your friend works!There used to be a time when simple scrapes could turn into mortal wounds before the miracle of antibiotics arrived on the scene. Now with the rise in multidrug resistant bacteria many experts fear we may approaching a post-antibiotic age. That is why we need to stop the squandering of this precious resource by feeding it to the millions of pounds to animals on factory farms just to promote growth or prevent disease in such overcrowded, unhygienic, stressful conditions. I suggest checking out Keeping Antibiotics Working for more information in general, and “What the USDA Doesn’t Want You to Know…,” an excellent exposé published last month in Mother Jones.Thank you again Dr. Greger for your very helpful reply! This definitely helps to put things into perspective for me. I am sharing your reply with my friend, but it also helps me to understand the big picture and clarifies what you were saying in the video.I’ve long heard about the problems with over-use of anitbiotics. I’ve been careful not to buy soaps, etc with antibiotics in them. I’m sure that is probably the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the abuse by the factory “farmers”. Between my soap buying and my refusal to eat most (I’m still eating honey) animal products, I figure I’m at least making a difference on a personal level.I really appreciate all the links you provide that back up what you say. Also very helpful! Thanks!!“Between my soap buying and my refusal to eat most (I’m still eating honey) animal products, I figure I’m at least making a difference on a personal level.”to be totally honest, i dont think an individual being vegetarian or vegan can make a difference for something like this…the fact that some people are vegetarian or vegans doesnt stop the factory farms from using antibiotics…and as long as the factory farms use antibiotics on animals, drug resistant bugs will emerge…and once these bugs are in the community- it effects everyone INCLUDING the vegans or vegetarians.I also wanted to say, you are right: I WAS confusing staff with MRSA. I went back and re-read the paragraph that I quoted more closely and even that paragraph says that what you are saying. I was more thinking about what my friend *said* than what the literature she sent me actually said. Thanks for pointing that out.Not a good video if you have OCD, but one of the reasons why I went veg 12 years ago is because of all the gross stuff in animal protein. So glad I did!I live in the UK. I have to have a very minor surgical procedure soon and at my initial hospital appointment was swabbed for MRSA so know I am clear of it. I recollect c.diff. getting into a section of the water supply a few years ago and a medical scientist friend telling me that if you boil the water it just forms a protective cyst around itself rather than being destroyed. The more disinfectant and antibiotics we develop, the more resistance new generations of bugs are going to become to outwit us. I am a tad OCD about hand washing in the kitchen, prepare raw meat in an empty sink which is then scrubbed and cook it to 90 degrees. Haven’t poisoned anybody yet, but that mega-colon really does make you think. Ew!!The official recommendation (at least here in the States) is that one should never wash meat in the sink (or anywhere else) given the potential for cross contaminating kitchen surfaces with bacteria. So even though you try to be careful about cooking it (for my metric-challenged friends out there Karen is talking about around 200 degrees Fahrenheit), the concern is that some “juice” will splash onto a kitchen sponge, towel or utensil that isn’t properly cooked and be a source of infection). That’s why researchers here in Arizona found more fecal bacteria in peoples’ sinks than on their toilets, because people were washing raw chicken. All I’m saying is please be careful! See other foodborne illness videos here.Where are you suppose to wash chicken?If you look at the food poisoning data, the vast majority come from animal product exposure. But I think it’s also fair to point the finger at intensive farming – including fruits and vegetables – as that can also lead to contamination. Home grown is safest!How would can I test for C diff or MRSA? I have been vegan for 9 months but like you say, it could be incubating inside me.People who are colonized with MRSA usually have it in their nose. A swab can be done to check for this, however if you’re not sick it probably doesn’t help you to know this. C. difficile can be detected in stool cultures, especially when there’s a lot of it (in a person who is sick with C. diff infection), but again, what to do with the information that you’re colonized? It’s interesting that in Europe, where the hospital MRSA problem is much less than in the United States, all elective (non-emergency) hospital admissions require being tested for MRSA with a nasal swab before admission (as Karen, above, notes). For some reason we in the US consider this some kind of privacy violation, and so instead we let our hospitals be petri dishes full of MRSA.Great. Now I’m afraid to go to my brother’s for the family Thanksgiving. I thought having to look at the bird and endure tasteless jokes about killing livestock animals was the worst of it.What a bunch of propaganda. Check your science people, don’t be led blindly by people with an agenda. This people are not living in reality.Bradka, I am confused as to why you say this. If you view the “Sources Cited” tab you can view all of the scientific papers and studies from scientific journals, such as the national library of medicine, that were used for this video. It isn’t a matter of opinion, its factual information that is being said here. If you disagree, that my friend is an opinion.Dr. Greger- Wow, the video is frightening and particularly frightening for me. I am 57 now, but I remember back in 1990 when I was first diagnosed with IBS. Later in 1999 I was having dreadful diahrea (sic) again and after multiple tests the doctor, so triumphantly called me so say they found an odd, unusual bug: C diff. The first he had ever heard of it. So odd, back then! For the last 5 years I have had returning symptoms and now I have a chronic CDAD that is well beyond anything mild. I have been treated repeatedly by doctors who have no clue how bad this is and I am suffering painfully and do not want to eat, nor do I enjoy food anymore. Are there any suggestions you can give me. You, as a doctor, knows I cannot try to tell these doctors their business, they do not listen. Please help me save my own life. I would really appreciate a private reply, Dr. Greger. My email is bockius@succeed.net. Thank you. Chronic diarrhea can have many causes. In my experience we in the Medical profession often use IBS as a diagnostic term to cover diarrhea and/or constipation with or without abdominal pain for which we have ruled out other causes like cancer, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s Disease. This is complicated by the complexity of the intestine itself along with its many bacteria see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-and-fecal-flora/. The trouble with recurrent use of antibiotics is that it can adversely effect the bacteria in the gut. More recently the issue of gluten is getting alot of press… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/. It is confusing. Working with your physicians is important since it is possible that there is more then one thing going on. To help you and your physicians sort this out you might find useful suggestions and information in two of Dr. John McDougall’s newsletters which are available on his website. “Chained to the Bathroom” published in November 2002 and “Could it Be Celiac Disease” published in September 2005. These link to others which might be of interest on probiotics and his elimination diet. Dr. McDougall has had alot of practical experience and success over the years. Hopefully you will be able to achieve the benefit achieved by one of my “Meals for Health” patients who had chronic diarrhea labeled as IBS. If you go to http://www.EarthSave.org website you can view the 7 minute video of 5 testimonials (see top video). The last testimonial by Kimberlee is the one I am referring to. Kimberlee and I will never know what it was in her diet that was causing her difficulties. Good luck.You can also research prebioticshttp://nutritionfacts.org/?s=prebioticsFor some context, please check out my associated blog post Talking Turkey: 9 out of 10 retail turkey samples contaminated with fecal bacteria!Holy crap!how do you become a vegetarian? is there a grocery list or a shoppers guide?Elley: Great question! Here’s some ideas for you: The PCRM (Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine) site says that the average household tends to cycle through about 9 different meals for dinner. In other words, baring special occasions or the rare time of trying a new recipe, most households are eating only about 9 different dishes for dinner. Lunch can generally be be left over dinner. And breakfast can oatmeal prepared in any number of different ways for lots of variety.So, that leaves you with only having to find 9 dishes that you like. Don’t worry about doing it all at once. Just start working on it. Find those dishes and before you know it, you will have enough ideas in your pocket to make the transition for good. I have two ideas for you on finding the 9 (or so) dishes: 1) Start thinking about what you already eat and enjoy, and think about how you could make them without meat, dairy and eggs. These dishes, for example, are easy to make healthy: chili, burritos, lasagna, all manner of soups and stews, bean and quinoa salads, spaghetti, etc.2) Consider also investing in a good cookbook or two. I recommend these for starters: Everyday Happy Herbivore, Vegan On the Cheap, Let Them Eat Vegan, and Vegan Casseroles. You want to find a book that uses mostly whole plant foods. (In other words, just because it is vegan, doesn’t mean it is healthy. So, do some research before picking a book.) Or you might look for some free recipes on-line. A favorite source of good recipes for a lot of people (I haven’t looked myself) is Thug Kitchen. (beware profanity) http://www.thugkitchen.com/If you want more hand-holding than that, consider signing up for the free on-line PCRM 21 Day Kickstart program. They will give you grocery lists, recipes, meal plans, etc. And it includes a dietician-moderated forum which can answer your questions. http://support.pcrm.org/site/PageServer?pagename=21day_vegan_kickstart&JServSessionIda003=upegog3qg1.app234c (scroll down to register)I hope that helps!	AIDS,animal products,antibiotics,bile acids,C. diff,chicken,colon health,cooking temperature,factory farming practices,farm animals,fecal contamination,feed additives,food poisoning,foodborne illness,growth promoters,gut flora,meat,MRSA,poultry,pseudomembranous colitis,skin health,superbugs,supermarkets,toxic megacolon,turkey	Clostridium difficile is another "superbug" found in the U.S. meat supply.	Other videos superbugs and bacterial resistance include: C. difficile Superbugs in Meat MRSA Superbugs in Meat Superbugs in Conventional vs. Organic ChickenPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on meat. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Talking Turkey: 9 out of 10 retail turkey samples contaminated with fecal bacteria and Bowel Movements: The Scoop on Poop.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mrsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supermarkets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/toxic-megacolon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/growth-promoters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/superbugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pseudomembranous-colitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/c-diff/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19951330,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20150212,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20002685,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19778624,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20463269,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19402980,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20102510,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20122300,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19145257,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18978079,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20429659,
PLAIN-3225	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-out-of-utis/	Chicken Out of UTIs	When people think E. coli, they think E. coli 0157:H7, or other diarrheagenic E. coli strains in retail meats, particularly ground beef…. —But have you ever heard of this E coli? You may not have heard of it, but if you’re a woman, odds are you’ve felt it, or you will. This is within the class of E. coli that cause urinary tract infections. Intestinal E. coli, like O157:H7 are bad, but fewer than 100,000 Americans are infected every year, and fewer than 100 die. But millions of women get extra-intestinal E coli infections every year—urinary tract infections with the potential to invade the bloodstream and cause fatal sepsis, or blood poisoning. The strains of E. coli that cause extraintestinal infection are an increasingly important endemic problem and underappreciated “killers”. Billions of health care dollars, millions of work days, and hundreds of thousands of lives are lost each year to extraintestinal infections due to E. coli. We know where E. coli O157:H7 comes from—manure in the meat—but where do these other E. coli come from? They come from food too. But which food? Researchers went to supermarkets and tested one thousand six hundred and forty eight different types of food—and, they found it. We now think that urinary tract infections come from eating chickens. Half of retail poultry samples were found contaminated with the UTI-associated strains of E. coli. Scientists now suspect that by eating chicken, women infect their lower intestinal tract with these meat-borne bacteria, which can then creep up into their bladder. In addition to the traditional hygiene measures aimed at preventing urinary tract infections—wiping from front to back; urinating after intercourse—women can now add avoiding poultry as a way to help fend off UTIs. In chickens, the disease is called colibacillosis, one of the most significant and widespread infectious diseases in the poultry industry. Why? In part because of the way we treat these animals. Studies have shown infection risk to be directly linked to overcrowding in factory farms. In egg-laying hens confined in cages, the most significant risk factor for flock infection is hen density per cage. Researchers have calculated that affording just a single liter of additional living space to each hen would be associated with a 33 percent decrease in the risk of a disease outbreak. That’s about equivalent to just a 4-inch cube of space. If each of these birds just got that tiny bit more space the risk drops by a third. Imagine if the birds could actually walk around, spread their wings, get some fresh air? How we treat animals can have significant public health implications.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on chicken. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Dr. Greger, Since farm raised chickens are administered copious amounts of antibiotics as a rule, why does this infection persist? Are these super bugs resistant?Also, couldn’t a man also get infected and subsequently pass it on sexually to the woman? Resistant bacterial is part of the problem. The food industry isn’t interested in eradicating bacterial infections from the animals but only controlling the infections to maximize growth and their profit. In my experience bacterial infections in the bladder are not generally transmitted as are the sexually transmitted bacterial diseases. So if a women has a UTI(Urinary Tract Infection) she probably won’t give it to a man and vice versa. As Dr. Greger points out there are some hygiene steps to take to prevent UTI’s in women. I would add to his suggestions one other one that was shown in one study to make a significant difference. The days after intercourse women should not delay urinating when they get the urge to go. Women are more susceptible to UTI’s due to the fact that their urethra (the tube between the bladder and the outside world) is shorter and given it’s location it is not uncommon to have bacteria introduced to the bladder during intercourse. The trick is to make sure to minimize the extent that this happens and then not to let the bacteria set up housekeeping by drinking fluids and urinating when you have the urge. Men are less likely to get UTI’s due to length of urethra. The usual path to a bladder infection is  via the urethra but can get to the bladder by other routes. So we can now add avoiding chicken to the list of things patients can do to avoid UTI’s.Have you done any research on interstitial cystitis and if diet plays a role in this chronic disease/makes it worse?Interesting video as usual.. The same group published another study last month, I think you’ll find it interesting too.. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/18/3/11-1099_article.htm But I couldn’t find any study that actually measure the relative risk of poultry intake and UTI incidence.:-(For some context, please check out my blog post E. coliO145 Ban Opposed by Meat Industry!Hi! Dr. Greger, thanks for these great videos! Do you think a UTI on a 5 years old boy would have the same cause?It would not be likely but possible. When young boys get infections you should work with your child’s physician to identify the type of infection and determine whether further work up is necessary.I only buy a farmers market brand chicken that is labeled no antibiotics, no growth hormones, not fed animal by products and cage free. Have any of the tests on chicken been done on the organic or farmers market brand such as this?	animal products,beef,chicken,colibacillosis,E. coli,E. coli o157:H7,ExPEC,factory farming practices,farm animals,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,meat,poultry,red meat,supermarkets,urinary tract infections,women's health,zoonotic disease	Half of retail poultry samples were found contaminated with strains of E. coli linked to human urinary tract infections.	For more videos on urinary tract infections, see: Can Cranberry Juice Treat Bladder Infections? Avoiding Chicken To Avoid Bladder InfectionsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on chicken. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my blog posts: E. coliO145 Ban Opposed by Meat Industry, Talking Turkey: 9 out of 10 retail turkey samples contaminated with fecal bacteria, Why is it Legal to Sell Unsafe Meat?, Bugs & Drugs in Pork: Yersinia and Ractopamine, and Plant-Based Diets for Rheumatoid Arthritis	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/25/bugs-drugs-in-pork-yersinia-and-ractopamine/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/urinary-tract-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supermarkets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/expec/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colibacillosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli-o157h7/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15223564,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12738001,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20080990,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15747237,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20031048,
PLAIN-3226	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/	Fecal Bacteria Survey	Last year, we played the USDA parasite game. This year, we can play the fecal bacteria game, thanks to the Centers for Disease Control, which tests retail meat to see how much fecal matter contamination they can find. First up, Salmonella, a fecal pathogen that can trigger something called Reiter’s Syndrome, where you come down with Salmonella food poisoning once, and you can end up with chronic, debilitating arthritis for the rest of your life. And all sorts of other grisly consequences. Where’s Salmonella found the most? Chicken, turkey, beef, or pork? I would have guessed chicken, but no, turkey was nearly twice as risky in the latest annual survey in terms of Salmonella contamination. But what percentages are we talking about? Who thinks greater than 50% of turkey has Salmonella in it? Or is it less than 50%? Thankfully, less than 50%. Only about 1 in 7 retail packages of poultry has the potential to permanently cripple us. Better odds than Russian Roulette! Seriously, though. Why are American consumers placed at such high risk? Earlier this year, in a meat industry trade publication an article was published on how countries in Europe boast extremely low salmonella rates. They’ve gotten salmonella contamination in poultry as low as 2%. How do they do it? While countries like Sweden still find some Salmonella-positive flocks, the difference is that it is illegal there to sell salmonella-positive chicken… What a concept. It’s illegal to sell a product that could kill or cripple our childen. So why don’t we do that? Banning infected poultry is a “hard-handed” policy, an Alabama poultry science professor explains. The fact is that it’s too expensive not to sell salmonella-positive chicken…. Can you imagine a toy manufacturer saying, Sorry, we’d love to pull unsafe toys off the market but such a large percentage of our toys are hazardous that it would be too expensive for us. Next up, Campylobacter, a fecal pathogen that can trigger something called Guillain-Barre syndrome, where you come down with Campylobacter food poisoning once, and you can end up paralyzed on a ventilator. You’re not in a coma—you’re awake, but so completely paralyzed you can’t even breathe on your own. I’ve seen about a dozen patients with Guillain-Barre—it’s like straight out of a buried alive horror movie. Where’s Campylobacter found the most? Chicken, turkey, beef, or pork? No contest: the chicken breasts. It doesn’t seem to be in red meat at all. But is it more than half of chicken in the store these days? Or less than half? … Just under 50%. Still, with the virtual elimination of polio, the most common cause of neuromuscular paralysis in the United States now comes from eating chicken. And finally, E. coli, a general indicator of how much fecal matter is left on or in the meat. Chicken, turkey, beef, or pork? … Turkey to another surprise finish. But is it more than 50%, or less? … More than 90%. Nine out of 10 packages of ground turkey, nine out of 10 chicken breasts are packaged with poop, and most ground beef in the country has manure in it as well., although less than half of pork chops are contaminated with hog feces.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fecal contamination. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Absolutely appalling to learn that there is so much fecal matter in our meat. Doesn’t fully cooking meat get rid of the bacteria?Why is the food industry so uncaring? There needs to be major regulationIt’s called money. The gov is the problem, not the solution. There needs to be no subsidies to the meat and dairy industry. Economics will fix the problem but unfortunately lobbying will never end in DC. People will stop buying meat and dairy when they can’t afford it.This is bad but not surprising, unfortunately. It is defies reason why we find the animal industry standards acceptable when it is making people sick and killing people. I found your discussion about chicken and Guillain Barre to be particularly interesting. WOW. I’m a nurse and we do see that from time to time–not terribly common but we see it– and it IS like a horror movie. Another really good reason to avoid chicken (how many do people need??)…..By the way, thanks so much for the work you do on your website. It’s the best of it’s kind I have found. Great information!!For some context, please check out my blog post E. coliO145 Ban Opposed by Meat Industry!I have Crohns and was wondering how safe is turkey burger I have been having flareups and I so appreciated your video on vegetarian foods. Thank -you Sue Vodicka. I also have addisons disease and colitis yes doing great all around ughlol, not really . Did you watch the whole video?Dr. Greger, Would you please comment on the H.pylori bacteria? Is this also caused, from e.coli? I’ve been dealing with this for over two years, despite twice recieving the “gold standard quadruple drug therapy”. Thank you…you’re the BEST!WoW! Now when you tell someone to eat shit, they can!Does this include natural & organically raised chicken & turkey?Can you provide perspective on mycotoxins in our food supply? Thank you.You rock. Every time I turn around you coming up with definitive reasons meat and dairy can kill/make u sick. Been vegetarian but mostly Vegan, going more Vegan since seeing some of the Egg videos.Thank you for all the work you do to give us facts that we can use to increase our lifespans.	animal products,beef,Campylobacter,CDC,chicken,E. coli,Europe,fecal contamination,food poisoning,food recalls,foodborne illness,Guillain-Barré syndrome,iritis,joint health,nerve health,paralysis,poultry,red meat,Reiter's syndrome,Salmonella,turkey,white meat	How contaminated is the American meat supply with fecal matter?	For more recent videos on meat and foodborne illnesses, check out: Superbugs in Conventional vs. Organic Chicken Infectobesity: Adenovirus 36 and Childhood Obesity Chronic Headaches and Pork Tapeworms Eating Outside Our KingdomPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fecal contamination. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my blog posts: E. coliO145 Ban Opposed by Meat Industry, Talking Turkey: 9 out of 10 retail turkey samples contaminated with fecal bacteria, Why is it Legal to Sell Unsafe Meat?, Bugs & Drugs in Pork: Yersinia and Ractopamine, Plant-Based Diets for Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Why Is Selling Salmonella-Tainted Chicken Legal?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/23/why-is-unsafe-meat-legal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/25/bugs-drugs-in-pork-yersinia-and-ractopamine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/01/why-is-selling-salmonella-tainted-chicken-still-legal/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/turkey/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/e-coli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/campylobacter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/guillain-barre-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paralysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-recalls/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reiters-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infectobesity-adenovirus-36-and-childhood-obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eating-outside-our-kingdom/	-
PLAIN-3227	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/	Bristol Stool Scale	Last year, the University of Bristol celebrated their 100 year anniversary. Prestigious institution of higher learning. Produced nine Nobel laureates and the Bristol Stool Scale, a medical tool used to classify the fecal form. Seven different classifications. Type 1: Looks like rabbit droppings. Separate hard lumps, like nuts, hard to pass. Type 2: Looks like a, buncha grapes. Sausage-shaped, but lumpy. Type 3: Looks like corn on the cob. Type 4: Like a sausage or snake, smooth and soft. Type 5: Looks like chicken nuggets. I don’t think I’ll be able to look at chicken nuggets quite the same way ever again. Type 6: looks like porridge, and Type 7: Looks like gravy. You got to love them Brits. The best #2 is a #4, a smooth and soft snake. Unfortunately, only a minority of adults enjoy normal bowel function, and only about half pass normal stools. Wow. And younger women, due to hormonal fluctuations throughout their cycle, are particularly disadvantaged. But this is for people eating a standard Western diet. Wouldn’t it be neat if some reserachers compared bowel function measurements between individuals eating different diets? It would, and they did. Bowel function was assessed: omnivores, versus vegetarians, versus vegans. Each subject was provided with a “stool collection kit,” a stack-a-boxes each used to accommodate one stool only, reducing the risk of specimens becoming squashed. They weren’t messing around. So, meat-eaters versus plant-eaters, put to the test. First question: where did the meat-eaters fall. Does the average bowel movement of meateaters look like rabbit droppings, bunches of grapes, corn on the cob, a smooth and soft sausage, chicken nuggets, oatmeal, or gravy. Meateaters, on average, poop out corn cob stools. What about vegetarians? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7? #4, right where we want to be. And finally, what about vegans, on average? Number 4 as well. But, vegans actually ended up beating vegetarians, because none of the vegans had the hard rabbit-turd stools, whereas a few of the vegetarians, like a bunch of the meat-eaters, struggled to pass type 1’s. And, the smoooooth vegan snakes were softer—exactly 18% softer. How could they tell? Using a stool penetrometer of course. An editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal celebrated the finding this year, calling on doctors to tell all their patients to eat a plant-based diet, as vegetarian diets can only help push patients into the comfortable middle range of the much-beloved Bristol Stool Scale.	Nice… by the way, I’m happy to have come across this site. I’m a primary care doctor in Wisconsin and likely will be recommending certain things to patients. Thanks a lot!What?! No laminated Bristol Scale in your white coat pocket? :)My 7 year old loves this video. He is asking all his friends where they are on the Bristol Stool Scale!I look forward to your daily videos. Today’s video has made me a real fan. Informative and funny! You are great.You’re so sweet to take the time to leave a note. Because even the scientific nutrition literature can be such dry technobabble, I’m always trying to find ways to insert some humor or something just so the material’s not so dense. Sometimes I’m more successful than others, but I have been looking forward to posting the one this morning. Whole new meaning to the term “brain food”! :)I love this one! Your delivery is pitched perfectly.Thank you Karen, it wasn’t easy to do it with a straight face!Nasty to visualize but informative! Amazing website, you put alot of work in these videosI think I’m glad looking at this Bristol Scale. My stools have changed a bit. And according to this scale, I’m a “Type 4″. I don’t eat meat. Maybe once in a while I have fish. I was still sometimes a Type 3, but the past month I’ve only been a 4. So I hope that doesn’t mean anything bad. I don’t feel blocked up, or blotted, So the thinner type 4 is where I’m at now. I’ve been a vegetarian for several years and am pre-menopausal.I have created an iPhone application which brings the Bristol Stool Scale to your iPhone. It’s easy to use, and easy to understand. Over time it creates a graph of your stool quality which you can share with your health professional. This could help in monitoring the effects of lifestyle or drug changes, medical treatments, etc, over time. The app also includes links to some online resources and a brief explanation of each type of stool.If you’d like to know more have a look at the website here: http://www.bristol-stool-scale.com/Thanks,DavidDo you use the iPhone as a stool penetrometor ???dconlisk, I thought you were kidding.I don’t own an iPhone, but I’ll be sure to get the word out.Sausage stoolers unite!Vegan Poop Power!!! Lol!!! Great video.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Bowel Movements: The Scoop on Poop!One more reason to celebrate the year of the snake!my stool fits into type 4 fortunately but why is it little bit greenish sometimes?I strive for the green stools, because that’s how I know I’ve eaten enough greens. Embrace your green sausages!too funny! :DWhat a “crappy” video ! :-)It’s full of sh*t.Apparently porridge is better coming in than going out! LOL :-)http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11325968/Porridge-could-be-key-to-a-long-and-healthy-life-says-Harvard-University.htmlDr. G, thanks for teaching us about the Bristol scale. My life has been profoundly changed by this knowledge, not least because it helped me realize it isn’t neurotic (after a lifetime of reading and hearing doctors opine that it is neurotic for patients to dwell or even spend any time on the topic) to regularly observe my doo and use it as a clue (one of many) to how I’m doing overall!Might there be an analogous scale for the other end of the tract, namely, tongue coatings?Not sure about tongue coating scales, but that would be interesting. I know acupuncturists and Chinese medicine evaluates the tongue.	bowel movements,Canada,colon disease,colon health,constipation,diarrhea,omnivores,plant-based diets,United Kingdom,vegans,vegetarians	Classifying the fecal form of omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans.	Other videos on stool and health include: Stool pH and Colon Cancer Bulking Up on Antioxidants Preventing Ulcerative Colitis with DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on stool. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Bowel Movements: The Scoop on Poop, Kiwi Fruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, NutritionFacts.org: the first month, Boosting Gut Flora Without Probiotics, and Best Treatment for Constipation	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/10/boosting-gut-flora-without-probiotics/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canada/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stool-size/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3005140,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20351119,
PLAIN-3228	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/greasy-orange-rectal-leakage/	Greasy Orange Rectal Leakage	Speaking of toilets, last year there was a review of fish-induced keriorrhea. I had to look that one up myself: It turns out there are bunch of fish that store large amounts of waxy substances in their bodies, and if we eat them the accumulation of the indigestible wax in our rectums through consumption of these fish engenders rectal discharges or leakage of orange or brownish-green oil. Keriorrhea is greasy orange anal leakage. (Keri is the greek word for wax). The scientists were even nice enough to include a picture, though, sadly not in color. Also highlighted, the potential for embarrassment from stained clothing arising from the unanticipated passage of oil as an aerosol with flatulence. So much potential for embarrassment there have even been demonstrations demanding immediate government actions against the quote unquote “fish-induced keriorrhea epidemic.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Hi Michael-I’m vegan but have very little rectal sensation and have been diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction (resulting in constipation). Might you have any idea as to the underlying effects of my condition. Also, might you know of what I can do to manage it? I feel as if I have tried everything. Thank you. I so appreciate the work you do!The pelvic floor is made up of a group of muscles which support the the organs (i.e., bladder, uterus, rectum) in the pelvis like a hammock or a sling. These muscles may become weakened as a result of being overweight, menopause, and/or having children. Exercises known as Kegel’s may be performed to learn how to gain better control (contraction & relaxation) of these muscles. Techniques such as biofeedback have also been shown to be beneficial. Maintaining a high fiber diet, such as a whole food, plant-based diet, is also very important in keeping the stool soft for easier elimination.This happened to me once after eating a lot of salmon sashimi. I was a bit worried at first, but I guess I wasn’t the only one. One thing that prevented this from occurring again was eating varieties of sushi that contained starches (ie. rice) instead of just the pure fish (sashimi).I’ve eaten pretty large amounts of salmon, red snapper, etc maybe close to 3/4 lb at one meal and never had that problem (nor any other time!). that large an amount though was always cooked. Raw, sushi/sashimi always smaller portions. Maybe mostly from some types of fish not commonly seen in the US?Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Bowel Movements: The Scoop on Poop!What do the demonstrators propose the government do? They’d be better off holding up “Go Vegan” signs.If a 60 year old vegetarian eats a lot of fruit, veggies .. Drinks a lot of water…walks 5 miles a day… and is still constipated? What next?Cyn: Is sounds to me like the 60 year old vegetarian is on the right track! I wish I walked 5 miles a day.But vegetarian still usually means plenty of eggs and dairy. NutritionFacts has a video showing how dairy promotes constipation. The video is talking about kids, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t relate to adults too: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/Also, if someone is calories from dairy and eggs, one is not eating healthy foods like beans, whole intact grains, veggies and fruit–all of which have fiber while dairy and eggs do not. I know you said that the person is eating veggies and fruit, but to the extent that some calories come from animal products those calories are not coming from fiber-rich plant foods.Finally, being vegetarian and eating lots of fruit and veggies does not preclude also eating lots of processed foods. I would expect those processed foods to be a problem constipation-wise. So, there may be room in this person’s diet to clean up a bit, replacing processed foods with healthier whole plant foods.I would recommend doing a search on this site and watching the videos and articles on the topics of: bowel and constipation. Here is one good article: http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/I’m not a doctor or expert, but I think these are good ideas that are worth a shot. On going constipation is nothing to ignore and may even be related to increased breast cancer. (See videos on this site.) So, it is worth fixing.	bowel movements,colon health,diarrhea,fecal continence,fish,flatulence,keriorrhea,seafood	Certain fish accumulate waxy substances within their bodies that can present an unpleasant surprise to consumers.	For more videos on health concerns related to fish consumption, look into: Red Fish, White Fish; Dark Fish, Atrial Fibrillation Switching from Beef to Chicken & Fish May Not Lower Cholesterol How Long to Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy? Diet and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Bowel movements: the scoop on poop and Best Treatment for Constipation	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/17/prunes-metamucil-or-a-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/29/bowel-movements-the-scoop-on-poop/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/keriorrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flatulence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-continence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/red-fish-white-fish-dark-fish-atrial-fibrillation/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19595384,
PLAIN-3229	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hepatitis-e-virus-in-pork/	Hepatitis E Virus in Pork	You’ve probably heard of hepatitis A, which you can get traveling in the third world. Then we discovered hepatitis B, which is often sexually transmitted, and then we discovered hepatitis C, which we can get from IV drug use. That’s not what your liver’s supposed to look like. Well, we’re up to hepatitis E virus, now, and its mode of transmission was just figured out. From the CDC this year: much meat; much malady. It is now known that hepatitis E is a zoonotic disease, an animal-to-human disease, and pigs are the reservoirs of the hepatitis E virus. It all started years ago when Japanese researchers linked hepatitis E infection with the consumption of grilled pork liver. They went to the grocery stores, tested pig livers and indeed found the virus in 2% of the meat. But that’s Japan, so U.S. researchers tried grocery stores here and found the virus in more than 10% of the meat off the shelves. This was the first report demonstrating that commercial pig livers from grocery stores contain infectious hepatitis E virus. The results from this study raise additional public health concerns over pork safety and the risk of Hepatitis E virus infection. Just because there’s infectious virus in retail meat, doesn’t mean it could survive cooking, though. Well, unfortunately it seems that some virus would most likely survive the internal temperatures of rare-cooked meat. Yeah, but who eats pig liver? What about other pork products? Well, just this year a more extensive survey of pig tissues was carried out, and indeed they found the virus in the animals’ bloodstream, so suspect it can get basically anywhere in the meat. In fact it’s possible that the relatively high exposure rates found in normal blood donors in the United States and other countries, may be a result of individuals consuming hepatitis E virus contaminated pork. So researchers decided to do a cross country comparison: mortality from liver disease versus the consumption of pig meat. As a kinda control, they first looked at liver disease mortality and alcohol consumption, because, we know that alcohol is toxic to the liver. and indeed they found a clear relationship: the countries with the highest alcohol consumption tended to be the countries with the highest mortality from liver disease. No surprise there. Then they looked at pork, and found an even tighter correlation. Death rates from liver failure were even more closely related to pork consumption than they were to even alcohol consumption. Just so vegetarians don’t get cocky, though, once someone is infected through pork they may then transmit the infection through their feces to other people. So if you live with someone who likes their pork a little pink in the middle, make sure they wash their hands after using the toilet.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on pork. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!THANK GOD for Hepatitis E – proud sinning of eating pork! Just enough information in these videos, thank you I can take it all in without getting too bogged down with information….Thanks so much for that feedback. I’m always struggling with how much depth to put into each. I feel like I could do an hour on each little bit, but realize few would watch them!Dr. Michael, would you be amazed if this was already known around 1400-1500 years ago?I always hated pork liver when I was a childThank you for the “transcription” function on this site. For me it is easier and faster to read than to watch&listen a video.	alcohol,blood donation,CDC,cooking temperature,farm animals,food poisoning,foodborne illness,hepatitis,hepatitis E,liver disease,liver health,mortality,omnivores,pork,supermarkets,vegetarians,viral infections,zoonotic disease	The discovery of infectious hepatitis E virus in retail pork products may help explain the purported association between liver failure and pork consumption.	Other health hazards associated with pork consumption: Yersinia in Pork Ractopamine in Pork Chronic Headaches and Pork Tapeworms C. difficile Superbugs in Meat Avoiding Epilepsy Through DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on pork. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hepatitis-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alcohol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supermarkets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-donation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hepatitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-epilepsy-through-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/c-difficile-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20002688,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17325364,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19563698,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20206394,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16088844,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12917455,
PLAIN-3230	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/wart-cancer-virusesin-food/	Wart Cancer Viruses in Food	Last year, I talked about Butcher’s warts, a condition that afflicts those who handle fresh meat for a living because of the viruses in meat, but it’s more than just a cosmetic issue. Earlier this year, a landmark study of cancer mortality in poultry workers was released. We’ve known that people who handle a lot of fresh chicken get a lot of warts on their hands, but the concern is that some of the wart viruses are oncogenic, or cancer-causing. Workers in poultry slaughtering and processing are exposed to these cancer-causing viruses, some of which are the most potent cancer-causing agents known in animals, but what does that mean for people? Well, compared to the general population, poultry workers appear to have an excess of cancers of the mouth, nasal cavities, throat. Cancer of the tongue, the tonsils, the inner ear, then down the esophagus, rectal/anal cancer, and liver, bone marrow, and blood cancers as well. The reason it’s so important to study this group is because it’s possible that the cancer-causing viruses present in poultry and poultry products could be transmitted to anyone handing raw poultry. Proper cooking will kill any and all chicken wart and cancer viruses, but the problem is that meat may come into our homes fresh or frozen and contaminate our hands or kitchen surfaces before it gets into the pot. Same concern with other meat. There was a fascinating case report about pork intake and human papillomavirus, HPV, which can cause cancerous anal and genital warts. Oh, the poor guy. 19 years old. Giant warty tumor nearly an inch in diameter protruding from the tip of his penis. They cut it off, but it grew right back and so they asked for a dietary history. He was eating more than a pound of pork a day. They told him to stop the pork, and the tumor completely regressed on its own—totally disappeared. The doctors were so blown away, they even went as far as to suggest that the low cervical cancer rates in Israel could be because they eat so little pork.	So why do I have warts on my fingers? I have been vegan for four and a half years. How can I get rid of them?The animal you most likely got your wart virus infection from was Homo sapiens. Wart viruses are thought to be typically transmitted when using a towel or something someone else with a wart has used. Salicylic acid is probably the most effective treatment (75% success rate compared to about 50% for placebo). Thanks for your question, Heidi!HI Dr I love your videos, keep up the good work. I have been trying to find information about the prevention of sore throats on your website. I am a vegetarian and do no have milk but I seem to constantly getting a sore throat can you help?Hi Andrew, there are a number of reasons why someone might get a sore throat. If you’re getting them often, you might want to look at possible lifestyle factors. Things like pollution, not washing your hands, or even dehydration could contribute to the frequency and severity of the symptoms you’re feeling. Preventative dietary strategy? Drink lots of fluids (hot or room temperature) when you’re feeling a sore throat come on. You might want to try a warm bowl of Miso Soup to get the pro-biotic benefits (just don’t over-heat and kill the health promoting enzymes). Avoid alcohol. And make sure you’re getting vitamins and minerals such as Zinc, vitamin E and vitamin C. Oh, and make sure you’re getting enough sleep: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/sleep-immunity/Also, please check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/!Please also check out my associated blog post, Poultry and Penis Cancer!	butcher's warts,cancer,carcinogens,chicken,colon health,ear health,esophageal cancer,esophagus health,inner ear cancer,mortality,mouth cancer,nasal cavity cancer,oral health,pork,poultry,poultry workers,skin health,throat cancer,throat health,tongue cancer,tonsil cancer,viral infections,wart viruses,warts	The wart-causing viruses in animals may present more than just a cosmetic issue for consumers.	Other videos on cancer viruses and meat include: Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics? Carcinogenic Retrovirus Found in Eggs Poultry Exposure Tied to Liver and Pancreatic Cancer Poultry Exposure and Neurological DiseasePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on poultry. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog post, Poultry and Penis Cancer.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/17/poultry-and-penis-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nasal-cavity-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophageal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/esophagus-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ear-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/warts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry-workers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butchers-warts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wart-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/inner-ear-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tongue-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouth-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tonsil-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-retrovirus-found-in-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-dioxins-viruses-or-antibiotics/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2161100,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19847658,
PLAIN-3231	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-multiple-myeloma/	Meat & Multiple Myeloma	The NIH-AARP study also looked at diet, lifestyle, and acute myeloid leukemia. Two things seemed to do it. Smoking and total meat intake, which included all beef, chicken, fish, pork, bacon, etc. Since they measured the effect of both smoking and meat intake, we have the rare opportunity to actually compare the two. In terms of our risk of getting this rare—but deadly, blood cancer, this much meat, two boneless chicken breasts worth, may increase our leukemia risk as much smoking 10 cigarettes. So what if we don’t eat any meat? The most comprehensive study of cancer rates in vegetarians was published last year. No surprise that vegetarians had significantly less cancer than meateaters. Perhaps the most striking finding was how low the risk was for lymphoma and leukemia among vegetarians. Just a quarter, of the risk of multiple myeloma in vegetarians compared to meateaters, an aggressive incurable cancer of the bone marrow. Potential mechanisms include the mutagenic compounds and viruses in the meat.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on meat. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!my mother in law got diagnosed with multiple myeloma 2 years ago, she has been vegan for over 2 decades and  her cancer markers in her blood are still going up. she reads a lot of information about cancer everywhere but it is mostly information about the more common cancers like breastcancer. since myeloma is quite rare its hard to find specific information about it.  I was wondering where i could gather some more reliable information about this cancer and maybe its possible treatmentI’d like more info on multiple myeloma also.I have just recently found out that my mom is going in for chemo because the doctors think she has this kind of pretty much to them “rare” dis-ease. But I´m a planteater myself and found this highly valuable supporting my own values. Do you think that it is possible to save her without getting through chemo, and putting her on strict diet and lifestyle?Doc, I hope you can comment on the recent study published in the journal of nutrition (J Nutr. 2012 Jun;142(6):1074-80.) contradicting the previous NIH-AARP findings. I would like to see how you deal with it. Here is the link http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22535761I am a CML patient for about 11 yrs and soon will undergo transplant. Can you suggest food that I should be eating more of. I have been a vegan for the last 1 year and always regret why I haven’t consider going vegan earlier. Your website have been very helpful for over the years. Thank you for all your videos and discussions.Shaila, I’m not a doctor and don’t have specific recommendations for you. However, I thought I would note that a whole plant food based diet seems to be very good for making a healthy immune system. Surely that would be a good idea for someone facing a transplant.I just wanted to wish you good luck with your procedure. And to say that I am totally with you on your thought about, why didn’t I go vegan earlier!? I sure wish I had.Best of luck to you.I have MGUS. I’ve gone on a plant based low fat high starch diet and feel great but its always like the sword of Damocles with the possibility of Multiple Myeloma hanging over me. I read some studies out of Australia that showed some promise of preventing or delaying Multiple Myeloma using Tumeric and black pepper combination and started taking that. Any other suggestions?Here is a few things for you to try: http://www.cancerforums.net/forums/17-Multiple-Myeloma-Forum?s=a68d10a7a5543861a68f3bbe48646c5f https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/cancercured/search/messages?query=Multiple+Myloma&submit=Search&charset=ISO-8859-1 http://www.cancercenter.com/multiple-myeloma/survivors.cfm http://www.cancercenter.com/multiple-myeloma/nutritional-therapy.cfm The Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) is an inexpensive drug with no side effects that has worked for some people. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/lowdosenaltrexone/ http://www.ldndatabase.com/ http://forum.ldnresearchtrust.org/index.php?/forum/55-cancer-ldn-experiences/ http://curetogether.com/blog/2010/09/13/new-study-low-dose-naltrexone/I have a few reports that I can email to you, if you five me your email address Important things that you need to do Change your diet !!!!!!!!!!! Take wheatgrass everyday & a green drink every day Know & believe this is a temporary problem and it will go away.	acute myeloid leukemia,animal products,bacon,beef,blood cancer,bone marrow health,cancer,cancer viruses,carcinogens,chicken,DNA damage,elderly,fish,leukemia,lymphoma,meat,multiple myeloma,NIH-AARP study,omnivores,pork,processed meat,red meat,tobacco,vegetarians,viral infections,white meat,zoonotic disease	Meat consumption may increase one's risk of a variety of blood cancers.	Other videos on blood cancers include: Hot Dogs & Leukemia EPIC Findings on LymphomaPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on meat. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Poultry Paunch: Meat & Weight Gain and Harvard's Meat and Mortality Studies	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/22/poultry-paunch-meat-weight-gain/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lymphoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nih-aarp-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acute-myeloid-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-viruses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/viral-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-marrow-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zoonotic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-myeloma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hot-dogs-leukemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-findings-on-lymphoma/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19536095,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2842202/,
PLAIN-3232	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/largest-study-ever/	Largest Study Ever	Last year, … pancreatic cancer ate Patrick Swayze alive. Before him, it was Pavarroti. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers—less than 5% of victims even make it out 5 years. Thankfully it’s rare—only strikes down about 30, or 40… thousand Americans every year. But how do you study something that’s so rare? You bring to bear the largest study ever. The NIH-AARP study is currently following a half million American men and women in their 50s and 60s. It is the largest forward-looking nutrition study ever conducted. What did we just learn from it about pancreatic cancer? Well we’ve known pancreatic cancer was a lifestyle-related disease, related to smoking, and the dietary intake of fat, but what kind of fat? Enter: the NIH-AARP study. What do you think they found? Who thinks pancreatic cancer is associated with beef fat? Bacon? Chicken? Fish? Dairy, Eggs? Anyone want to change their answer to none of the above? What about all of the above? The answer, according to the largest such study ever, is, all of the above. Dietary fat of animal origin was associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk. What about dietary fat from plant origin? I covered up the rest of the conclusion so we could find out together. Who thinks your typical vegetable oil is associated with pancreatic cancer? The plant fat largely found in nuts? The saturated fat found in chocolate and coconut milk? All of the above? None of the above? Let’s look at the rest of the conclusion. Dietary fat of animal origin was associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk. … And that’s the end of the conclusion. Pancreatic cancer is significantly associated, with red meat… significantly associated with dairy… and when one adds in other meat, fish, and eggs, it makes the cancer connection even stronger. But no association with plant fats. Conclusion: evidence of a role for animal fat in the development of pancreatic cancer, but no connection with any kind of fat from plant food sources. What if we just eat animal foods that are low-fat, like skim milk. An even newer study out this year found an even stronger link between pancreatic cancer and animal protein—an even tighter correlation than with animal fat. Plant protein, on the other hand, appeared protective. Even animal sugars were associated with pancreatic cancer. There’s only one animal sugar—lactose. So animal fat, animal protein, and animal carbs—all independently associated with pancreatic cancer risk.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on animal products. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Thank you for this video. It is a bit chilling! So do you suspect that it is the way animals are farmed, fed and managed that is affecting so many people’s health, rather than the actual meat itself?Hello Crone,There’s more to meat than contamination. Let me explain.This study discussed animal fat as the culprit of pancreatic cancer, not the contaminants associated with it. The china study showed that we could completely eliminate heart disease by simply not eating animal products or processed foods. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/ Animal products are also the only natural source of trans fat in which the upper limit is recommended to be 0. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/good-great-bad-killer-fats/ It has also been suggested by Dr. McDougall referencing Dr. Swank, that reducing fat intake “not more than 40 to 50 grams of total fat (compared to 150 to 175 grams in the American/Canadian diet) and 0 to 15 grams of saturated fat (compared to 140 to 165 grams).” could eliminate multiple sclerosis (auto immune disease) “There was no limit on the amount of carbohydrate from starches, vegetables, and fruits.” This is nearly impossible on a diet that includes meat in ones diet.Furthermore, eliminating animal products will reverse auto immune diseases such as arthritis and the like. http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/jan/ms.htmPlants can also cease the growth of cancer, while meat actively promotes its growth. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/veggies-vs-cancer/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/1-anticancer-vegetable/Plants are also the only foods to increase lifespan significantly http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/repairing-dna-damage/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/research-into-reversing-aging/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/There is much more to be said about meat but i think you understand the implications.Accordingly to The China Study, it’s the protein in animal products that are linked to cancer. Check out this video for more info.!are crabohydrates such as plain organic puffed rice(100% whole grain brown rice only ingredient) and plain unsalted organic brown rice cakes “safe” and healthy foods too?These are indeed healthy foods. Just do not make it a staple of your diet as these foods tend to be cooked at high temperatures and when carbohydrates are cooked at high temperatures carcinogenic acrylamides tend to form.These food have health affects, but variety seems to be the best idea when adding these into your diet. Vegetables and fruits have the best chance of actually increasing your lifespan.are these specific foods less acrylamide containing than say baked potatoes?Meats do not form as much acrylamides as carbohydrates based foods, like cereal grains and breads. Check out the chart at this link. http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/june/050600acrylamide.htmthanks toxins. i am a vegan following the mcdougall planThanks Dr. Greger, for an incredibly informative website. I do like to check some of the sources myself and thought readers might like to know that the NIH-AARP study was not in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology as suggested in the video, but rather the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2009);101:1001-1011. Thanks againThe Mercola Fruit Phobia Kool Aid is now being served…Have you seen this myopic manipulation and misrepresentation of the facts by Joseph Mercola (I purposefully left off the Dr. part!) http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/02/11/all-fruit-diet.aspxEating only culinary fruit (aka sweet fruits) is NOT a Frutiarian diet nor the diet of Steve Jobs! “For about a month, I only ate fruit and carrot juice,” Ashton Kutcher on stage at Macworld actor said on stage at Macworld on Thursday January 31, 2013Many times I have found Dr Mercola’s articles to have a minimal amount of falliscious premises and conclusion BUT this article highlights his ignorance, poor research, assumptions, unscientific approach and fallacious biases! To make matters worse he tops it all off with an attempt to validate his premises with non-scientific actor/celebrity comments!Mercola seems to present the Ashton Kutcher anecdotal diet quotes as some kind of medical research hypothesis validation! WTFC (What THE Fruit Cake) Is he serious?!There are so many fallacies I gave up attempting to keep track!To those who pursue(d) an unbiases education in both food science and human biology I would guess they would qualify this article more as a biased PRODUCT SALES AD PAGE than a unbiased research article based on medical science!Here is just one example – Dr Mercola presents a fruitarian diet as an ALL fruit diet! WRONG! The Frutarian diet is no more all fruits than a Paleo Diet is all animal muscles diet!The vast majority of ‘educated’ followers of a Fruitarian diet more aligns with the botanical (science) definition of fruits and not the culinary definition of fruits. Examples of botanical ‘fruits’ that are derived from both the dehiscent and indehiscent type include (not a full list): Avocado, Coconut, Durian, Olive, Cucumber, Eggplant, Squash, Tomato (also an acid fruit), Bell Peppers, nuts, grains…To support either his ignorance and/or bias Mercola conveniently fails to note that when he lists foods in his “adding the correct types of fat” matrix that “Olives”, “coconuts”, “Raw nuts, such as, almonds or pecans”, “Avocados”, and the oils (from fruits) such as “Palm oil”, “Unheated organic nut oils”, “coconut oil”*, “Olive oil”* are ALL BOTANICALLY classified as FRUITS!!!*Note the included links for him selling these same products.I thought The China Study was the largest study ever…??Most comprehensiveThe China Study is the most comprehensive study ever. Meaning, that they spent the most time and in-depth analysis on it.China Study info: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/china-study-on-sudden-cardiac-death/I am vegan, following Dr. Neal Barnard’s Foods That Fight Pain.Thanks to him and you, Dr. Greger, I have stayed on the diet, kept the weight loss off, and am struggling to lose more weight since I cannot exercise enough to actually burn calories. But, at least now I know how I can possibly prevent food related cancers by continually eating vegan.Thank you.What about Steve Jobs, who was a strict vegan???This video was done exactly one year before Steve died.Steve Jobs was a strict fruitarian for many years (hence the name of his company, Apple). What’s interesting is that when Ashton Kutcher was prepping for his role to play Steve Jobs in the movie Jobs, he also became a strict vegetarian. He soon wound up in the hospital with “messed up insulin levels and pancreas pain”.Coincidence? Probably, but you can’t rule anything out, and being a strict fruitarian is NOT healthy, period.I think Dr McDougall raises some good points re Steve jobs.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81xnvgOlHaYJoe: Wow. That’s a powerful video. Thanks so much for posting the link!!!Find me one 3 generation vegan society existing today; it doesn’t exist. We need some clean meat, not the crap big agra is feeding us; you cannot get all the amino acids the body needs to repair itself.Actually, you can get all the amino acids the body needs from plants. The nine essential amino acids, which cannot be produced by the body, must be obtained from the diet. A variety of grains, legumes, and vegetables can provide all of the essential amino acids our bodies require.How do you explain the fact that lifelong vegans can even survive, if without eating meat a person “cannot get all the amino acids the body needs to repair itself”? Why do vegans not die within a couple years every time?You realize that government has analyzed the amino acid content of nearly every food and different websites make the data available. Here it is for broccoli: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2356/2What about Steve Jobs? He died of pancreatic cancer and he was vegan. Is there more to the story?Danny B.: It’s a great question. And yes, there is much more to the story.Dr. McDougall gave a great 40 minute talk on titled, “Why Did Steve Jobs Die?” I thought this talk was so helpful and well done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81xnvgOlHaYTo read see Dr. McDougall’s newsletter article, Why did Steve Jobs die? in November 2011 the link is: https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2011nl/nov/jobs.htmHello Dr. Gregor~ Thanks for this great information. My vegan husband and I enjoyed your talk at the E2 retreat in Chicago last month. My mother was just diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas and is home recovering from Whipple surgery. She is a thin, non-smoker, but a meat eater and dairy consumer. It was an incidental finding and caught quite early, however my husband and I are clearly aware of the grim statistics. We showed your video to her and my stepdad. And while my mother is open to making some changes, my stepfather has asked that we refrain from discussing such changes any further as we are upsetting her and overwhelming her. I love my stepdad, but he is quite frightened. We have two oncologists in the family who have been tremendous in talking with my mom’s doctors but don’t understand our vegan lifestyle. When I asked the Hopkins surgeon about diet from here on, he told me he’d be pleased if she could keep down Doritos and a roast beef sandwich!! My husband and I have been feverishly cooking for my mom and stepdad and will bring more meals along with fresh turmeric over this evening. So… 1. How do you suggest we navigate these waters? 2. Do you know of any nutritional supplements other than Ensure that we can give her to help her put on weight as she is quite thin and on a low fat diet? 3. Would your talk in Towson, Maryland on August 30th be of benefit to my stepdad? We have to proceed lightly so as not to turn him off completely.Thanks so very much in advance! SharynSharyn: You sure are in some tricky waters. I have a tiny suggestion in response to your third question. I think that Dr. Greger’s talks are terribly compelling, but I’m not in your stepdad’s shoes and you know your stepdad better than I. My guess is that you can essentially preview Dr. Greger’s talk, because I would *guess* that the August 30th talk is going to be a variant on his From Table To Able talk. You can see this now and see if you think it is compelling or not. Here is a link to the video: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/Also, you might consider watching Dr. Greger’s other two summary videos from previous years to see if you think that those talks are more likely to be compelling for your stepdad: (though I think that a live presentation is more engrossing and impressive than one on-line…) http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/Another idea you might consider is showing your stepdad the video Forks Over Knives. It is a professional documentary that has had a big impact on many people.You really are in a tough spot. I like how your post was respectful about your stepdad’s position even as you must be terribly worried about your mom. It sounds like you are doing everything you can to help. I hope it all works out as best it can.Maybe Dr. Kelly and Dr. Gonzalez on onto something afterall!?!http://www.dr-gonzalez.com/index.htmFrom their website: “The prescribed diets are quite variable, and can range from nearly vegetarian to diets requiring red meat 2-3 times a day.”Pancreatic enzymes may be one of the missing keys to better health (better function)… either having enough left over as a result of eating a low protein diet or needing more via supplementation as a result of eating a high protein diet.Dr. Greger, what do you think of the new Science article in which researchers from Johns Hopkins conclude that two thirds (65%) of cancer incidence of various types can be blamed on random mutations, not genetics or risky behavior? The researchers deliberately excluded breast and prostate cancer. Do you agree? Thanks.Thank you so much for this video! My mom passed in May 2014 from Pancreatic Cancer. For years before the diagnosis, I had been trying to sway her to a plant-based diet. The first thing she said to my aunt after hearing there was nothing the doctor’s could do for her after her last round of chemo…”Anne-Marie told me about this plant-based diet…I think I’ll try that”. I hope this video reaches someone else in time!! Prevention is where it’s at. Thanks again, Anne-Marie (@StarchItUp)	animal fat,animal products,beef,cancer,chicken,dairy,eggs,elderly,fat,fish,meat,mortality,NIH-AARP study,oils,pancreatic cancer,poultry,red meat,seafood,tobacco,vegetable oil,white meat	The largest prospective nutrition study ever published suggests animal fat may play a role in the development of pancreatic cancer.	More on pancreatic cancer found here: Poultry Exposure Tied to Liver and Pancreatic Cancer Turmeric Curcumin and Pancreatic CancerPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on animal products. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Gerson Therapy for Cancer?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/09/gerson-therapy-for-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/elderly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nih-aarp-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-tied-to-liver-and-pancreatic-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19277880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19561318,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17220612,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18328435,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19850469,
PLAIN-3233	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/	Can Cholesterol Be Too Low?	Can our cholesterol be too low, though? In the 80’s some studies came out showing that many people dying from cancer have really low cholesterol. There are two possible explanations for this correlation: the cancer led to the low cholesterol, or, maybe, low cholesterol led to cancer—that wouldn’t be good. To this day there are doctors telling people not to let their cholesterol get too low based on that data. Are they right? Can our bad cholesterol—LDL—be too low? The answer is no. It appears our cholesterol can never be too low; the lower the better. Brand new studies have put the controversy to rest. In fact, the opposite may be true. Lower cholesterol means less heart disease risk, and now we know it may lower cancer risk as well.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cholesterol. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Dr. Greger, I came across a question asked by my uncle that I did not have the answer too. He said that if cholesterol is too low, then we cannot have proper excretion of hormones and our normal hormone levels will be low. Is there truth to this? If not, what are the studies that dispel this idea.This shows that women are better off with high cholesterol:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2011.01767.x/pdfHello Gio,Interesting article, nonetheless, if your suggesting meat is a health food you are mistaken. An analysis of the micro nutrient load shows a rather poor nutrient profile. To focus on one aspect of meat that may be beneficial is not a sensible approach, as one must look at the big picture. Do the pros outweigh the cons? The answer is a resounding no. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=meat http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/Yeah, and in that study anyone with a total cholesterol below 200 was considered “low”, and that made up less than @20% of the test subjects.  That “200” or anything close to it still WAY too high, and is not a good current standard for cholesterol, as people with 175 total drop dead from lard clogged arteries all the time.so 80’s, people drop dead from oxidised cholesterol, mediated by too much omega 6 plant oil in the diet, and from weak artery walls caused by glycation and calcification, google vitamin K2why do our bodies produce saturated animal fat and cholesterol? if stearic acid in cacao is healthy why would stearic acid in lard harm us, plants and animals produce the most saturated fat that will melt at their body temperatures, to reduce oxidative stress.Help! My doctor is so concerned about my low cholesterol levels (24 LDL, 32 HDL, 89 Total), that he wants me to get a liver biopsy because he’s certain something is wrong. I’ve been vegan about 3 years, and a year ago LDL was around 50. I think the drop from 50 to 24 is what he’s concerned about. I know about 9 months ago I started restricting my calories to around 1500 to lose weight, and I’m pretty sure I let my protein intake drop to about 30-40g/day, which is too low (should be 80g; I’m 6’5″, 200 lbs). Can too low of protein intake lead to very low LDL numbers? Should my doctor take a chill pill? Thanks!1500 per day?! Arent you hungry a lot? Most whole foods plant based advocates allow all the food you want as long as it fits under the criteria of low fat whole foods plant based. Our calorie needs satisfy our protein needs so if your going hungry, then your depriving yourself needlessly.Perhaps you can show your doctor this study? http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/18/11/2805.full http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19887582 Also, if you eat whole foods plant based, our white cell count in the blood is lower when we are not sick. This is a sign of health but the doctors misinterpret this as cancer because, well, they probably haven’t seen any truly “healthy” person.Was I hungry? Yes, but I was also tired of lugging around an extra 50+ pounds (I weighed 260 last January)! I also didn’t count fruits and veggies against the 1500 calories, i.e. I would eat as much of those as I wanted, without counting their calories.I guess my real question was whether a too-restrictive protein intake can lead to lowered cholesterol numbers (by which I really mean if I get my protein intake back up to what it’s supposed to be will the cholesterol numbers come back up a bit?).This is interesting, the white blood cell count being low can be a sign of health. What do you consider too low? I also have read and been told that low white blood cell counts often go higher once B12 levels increase.Hey, it’s funny you mention white blood cell count being low for WFPB eaters. I also have a very low cholesterol profile http://i.imgur.com/qU57Gni.jpg. Anyway, my white blood cell count was lower than the recommended range: http://i.imgur.com/h56sNwt.jpg The doctor thought I might have had a virus or something at the time even though I felt fine. I have yet to get a follow-up test, but I will soon. But where have you heard/read about WBC being lower for WFPB? I know you wrote this 3 years ago…I believe that I got the idea from Dr. Fuhrman who made the claim. My standards for evidence are much higher now then they were in 2011 (when the comment was made). I have gone through a steep learning curve. I found the article that mentioned this. http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/cat-white-blood-cells.html“Consistent with these data, those who follow a Nutritarian diet often have lower than average white blood cell counts, reflecting appropriate levels of systemic inflammation and immune system activation. Lower WBC counts are reflective of excellent health and associated with longer lifespan.5 As such, those whose healthful eating habits cause WBC counts drop below the normal range should not be alarmed. ”Here is the study he used to cite it. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16608411I have to request full access before I can see past the abstract though. I cannot give you a definitive answer to your question.Interesting. Yeah, my university doesn’t even have access to the full article either. It usually can access these types of publications. I guess, according the Dr. Fuhrman, I might just be so healthy that I need fewer white blood cells. Huh. Either that or I have cancer or I had an asymptomatic virus at the time of the test. I feel great, I’m athletic, I have energy all day, and I am thin. I guess I might be okay. Thanks.I can request publications via my university interlibrary loan and get any publication out there. You might have this feature at yours as well. It takes a few days to electronically arrive though.Can you tell me how you’re doing now, 3 years later? I have been WFPB vegan for almost 3 years now and have a cholesterol of 100 mg/dl.Hi Jdevries, Lower cholesterol levels in your blood is a marker for good health unless associated with starvation. Your liver produces cholesterol naturally to meet your bodies needs. A small number of folks have livers that make alot of cholesterol. Beyond your livers production of cholesterol the amount is raised by how much cholesterol you eat(only in animal products) and how much saturated fat you eat(it is converted to cholesterol and is found in animal and plant products). Just a note to say there is alot of saturated fat in the tropical oils. Your cholesterol is also reduced by the amount of fiber you consume(helps pull bile and cholesterol out of your body). The amount of protein in your diet is not a factor in what your cholesterol numbers are unless your protein intake is associated with the above factors. So I wouldn’t try to get your cholesterol numbers up. I would be happy that they are low. You raise the issue of protein requirements. Our body needs 9 essential amino acids(the building blocks of protein). If you are consuming adequate calories you will get enough essential amino acids to meet your requirements. Clinical studies at this time point to consumption of animal protein to adversely effect our kidney function and decrease calcium content in our bones. Animal and epidemiological studies support animal protein as an initiator and promoter of the growth of certain cancer cells. So the consumption of plant based protein seems to be the best recommendation at this point. I would encourage you to read the two articles on protein by Dr. John McDougall. The articles are in his December 2003 and April 2007 newsletters which you can read free on his website. They provide the best concise summary of this complex issue that I have seen.DrDons, I am trying to find a scientific paper stating we do not need dietary cholesterol and that our liver produces all that we need. My uncle seems to think that we need dietary cholesterol for hormone production. Can you clear this up for me and provide me with any scientific literature if you can?You can check out the official Institute of Medicine monograph: “Given the capability of all tissues to synthesize sufficient cholesterol for their metabolic and structural needs, there is no evidence for a biological requirement for dietary cholesterol.”Thanks Dr. Greger. This is exactly what I was looking for.To resurrect this, what do you think of the newer release from the American College of Cardiology?   http://www.cardiosource.org/News-Media/Media-Center/News-Releases/2012/03/LDL_Cancer.aspx Low LDL may be a marker for cancer in certain scenarios but LDL cholesterol is not cancer protective. These are simply relationships seen with cancer patients. Furthermore, we have no dietary need for cholesterol as recognized by the national academies of science and the FDA.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/Are they not referring to omnivores who would be expected to naturally have higher LDL levels? A person on a purely plant-based diet would be expected to naturally have lower LDL levels.I’ve heard many people say that the body creates less cholesterol when intake is high, so the cholesterol level will balance out.Doesn’t seem to be. If you read the book “Engine 2″ by Rip Esselstyn, there were some formerly-omnivorous firefighters who adopted a purely plant-based diet who had very significant drops in cholesterol.A naturopathic doctor I have been speaking with told me the following. Can you tell me if it is correct or not please and thank you. I like to have the right information.“if your liver is producing enough cholesterol then you do not need to worry about cholesterol. However, I have treated vegans who have developed symptoms that I would attribute to low cholesterol levels. We are just starting to understand how the body carries cholesterol to and from cells in the form of LDL, VDL, and HDL particles. Cholesterol is used by the body to help aid in cell integrity and cell signaling. Cholesterol is also used to make steroid hormones such as, DHEA, Cortisol, testosterone, estrogen and other sex hormones. A low BMI and low fat vegan diet may, over-time, lead to extremely low cholesterol levels. There may be vegan ways to raise cholesterol which might include offering liver support and increasing consumption of healthy fats that the body can use to make cholesterol.”I’m assuming you mean that cholesterol can’t be too low……as long as it is not caused by statin usage. Due to a coronary “event” in May resulting in 4 stents being placed, I was put on Lipitor. I told both my cardiologist and internist that I was concerned about statins because I am almost totally vegan. When my lipid levels were re-checked, my LDL came in at 43 (doctor’s target was at or below 70) my total cholesterol was 90 and my HDL 29. My cardiologist promptly had me cut my 80mg Lipitor tablets in half and I’ve been taking 40mg since….to be rechecked in 3 months. Please comment on this. Thanks.I don’t know why the Doctor has you on statins when you are so low. Maybe the statins made them lower? The review will be interesting. I think it’s standard procedure for heart patients because Cholesterol is believed to be the cause. But I don’t think that story is so clear. I think there are other causes and contributing factors, like low vitamin C and lysine. (and possibly proline). Philip Day, in his book health wars, describes heart disease as a ‘slow motion scurvy’ caused by nutritional deficiencies of the 2 amino acids above + vitamin C – which cause damage to the arteries, which is then repaired by cholesterol (which then builds up eventually blocking arteries) (I’m pretty sure it was lysine and proline – you’d have to check).I am only a layman in such terms, but Day really makes a good case for further examination. Have you had your lysine levels checked? What kind of diet do you eat? Do you go for whole foods or is it more grain based?Also, perhaps its the LDL /HDL ratio that is the problem, and not total cholesterol.I just came across this article and thought it was relevant to this discussion. I also wonder if it’s true.Can total cholesterol be too low?As a psychiatrist, I have been quite aware, for more than 40 years, of the serious mental illness dangers associated with low cholesterol. Recent research has shown that there is a much higher association of depression, suicidability, and anxiety with cholesterols less than 159. Several cohort studies on nondepressed subjects have assessed the relationship between plasma cholesterol and depression. A direct relationship was found between low cholesterol and rates of high depression. It became clear among patients with major depression that there was a strong causative association with low cholesterol.Gabriel Cousens, MD “There Is a Cure for Diabetes”” Recent research has shown that there is a much higher association of depression, suicidability, and anxiety with cholesterols less than 159.”What kind of diet are these subjects eating? A person on a plant-based diet would naturally, and healthfully, have lower cholesterol levels. The rural Chinese have a TC of about 127. Does this predispose these largely plant-eaters to depression?I’ve been on a plant based diet for over 40 years. My TC is around 140. I’ve always had some depression and anxiety, but there were so many reasons other than TC. What does Dr. Greger say about Cousins’s article?Not sure what Dr. Greger thinks, but I think you’ll find this Dr. McDougall newsletter quite interesting:https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2003nl/sep/030900pugoodcholesterolworsens.htmGood article. Thanks.Dr. Greger, where’s the study for this? I’d like to see it. Also, any other sources of selenium if vegan diet besides brazil nuts? People suggested eating 1 per day.The study is in the sources cited section http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19887583Also, grains like brown rice have a good amount of selenium too	cancer,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,heart health,LDL cholesterol,nutrition myths	The connection between cancer and cholesterol.	Interested in more cholesterol videos? See: Cholesterol Crystals May Tear Though Our Artery Lining Optimal Cholesterol Level Switching from Beef to Chicken & Fish May Not Lower CholesterolPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cholesterol. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog post, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19887582,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19887583,
PLAIN-3234	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/	Statin Muscle Toxicity	Who needs lettuce/lentils/legumes, though, when we have Lipitor. This was actually a bad year for statins—the cholesterol-lowering drugs. We’ve known about their potential to damage the liver; that’s why you have to get regular blood tests to check your liver function. But there’s some new data this year on their muscle toxicity. We’ve known that about 1-5% of patients suffer enough muscle damage to cause pain and overt weakness, but only about one in 6 or 7 million actually suffers enough muscle damage to kill them. It’s called fatal rhabdomyolysis, where your muscles break down so rapidly your urine starts looking like this as you literally start peeing your muscles down the toilet, then your kidneys fail and you die. But that’s like winning-the-lottery chances. There’s a 1 in 2 chance we’ll die of heart disease, so no surprise this is the #1 prescribed drug in the world. But then this study was published last year. Normally if you have muscle pain on a statin, you go to your doctor and they take blood and see if you have elevated levels of muscle breakdown products in your bloodstream. If you don’t, they basically say it’s all in your head, go home and keep taking your medicine. What these researchers did, though, was they instead took these people and got muscle biopsies and proved, that even though their blood levels were normal they were indeed suffering muscle damage. The damage just wasn’t leaking into the blood stream. Well if that’s the case; if you can’t pick it up with the test, maybe everyone taking statins is suffering muscle damage whether they’re experiencing pain or not. And that’s exactly what’s been found. Clear evidence of muscle damage in statin-treated patients. This is what your muscle is supposed to look like under a microscope. This is your muscle; this is your muscle on a statin drug. Still, the degree of overall damage was slight. Most people don’t even feel any pain with statins, so what’s the big deal? This is the big deal. New study on statins, muscle function, and fall risk. Hundreds of older men and women followed for a few years and those who were on statins suffered greater declines in muscle strength and performance, and an increased risk of falls. So we don’t want to be taking this drug unless we really need it. The problem is, because heart disease remains our #1 killer, most everyone does need it—except for one group. It’s our choice…	Very interesting studies. Do you think the medical community knows this information given how readily statins are prescribed?Postmarketing surveillance studies suggest that side-effects patients may by under-reporting adverse drug reactions to their physicians. For anyone on statins it’s critically important to let your doctor know immediately if you start experiencing muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, lack of energy, fever, chest pain, nausea, extreme tiredness, unusual bleeding or bruising, loss of appetite, pain in the upper right part of the stomach, flu-like symptoms, yellowing of the skin or eyes, rash, hives, itching, difficulty breathing or swallowing, hoarseness, or swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs.It’s hard to report something when medical staff doesn’t believe in the condition. I had to fight and go to Urgent Care, ERs, and be a pain to my doctor-and I had black urine. My tendons went out 7 months after starting statin. I sat for over 3 hours in a room, when the UC doctor came in-he was screaming that he wouldn’t interfere with the meds my PCP gave me. I was in for back spasms-no falls, not hit, no bruising, no back problems-just statin toxicity. He took X-Rays and helped me in getting the diagnosis. When I was checking out. He ranted at the nurses for how they put me in that room and didn’t write down my complaint and let him judge if I had a side effect of statin, and they weren’t supposed to put patients in rooms and hope the patient left.   I really think that thousands of people aren’t diagnosed because of the hostility of the medical community.and, may I add, Rhabdomyolysis. This is what I had, while trekking, I believe due to the statins I was taking. MosheLike with any very successful drug, the companies that sell it will keep denying there is a problem.If it were just the companies, that would be better. But it’s not, it’s the whole entire medical community. Just try telling a doctor you won’t take a medicine due to side effect, etc. they will argue with you and accuse you of being non compliant or even not caring about your own health. They will curse you for going against their precious “protocol”. They don’t like patients who think for themselves. Luckily more doctors seem to be learning about diet and the dangers of some meds, but most are still brainwashed and embedded in the medical establishment and will refuse a patients input.In addition to muscle toxicity there is an increased risk of diabetes.Culver AL, Ockene IS, Balasubramanian R, et al. Statin use and risk of diabetes mellitus in postmenopausal women in the Women’s Health Initiative. Arch Intern Med 2012; DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.625. Available at: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/. Johansen KL. Increased diabetes mellitus risk with statin use. Arch Intern Med 2012; DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.625. Available at: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/.Thanks for pointing that out. I tried to put statin use in more context in my blog as well Generic Lipitor is not the answer to our heart disease epidemic.I have high cholesterol – or did. I also am a compulsive eater who hasn’t resolved my issues entirely. But I don’t eat much meat and a year ago I tried halving my statin dose. My chronic pain diminished some – not entirely, but when you have a lot of pain, a little regular reduction helps a lot. My cholesterol tests seem to be OK and I may try stopping the med altogether.I also emailed your video to my doctor and to many of my friends.I have been to a LOT of medical conferences, presentations, dietetics evenings, courses. I have never heard anyone mention of the vegan/pure vegetarian dietfor preventing anything!!!! Not a thing about it!!!In fact at a recent diabetes conference one doctor presented on how ALL diabetic or prediabetic patients should be on a statin despite their blood fat readings (even if normal).I wish I had this info at hand at the time, to question her!!!! This makes me more fuelled to change people’s attitudes to prevention. Thank you!I have been to a LOT of medical conferences, presentations, courses. I have never heard any mention of the vegan/pure vegetarian dietfor preventing anything!!!! Not a thing about it!!!In fact at a recent diabetes conference one doctor presented on how ALL diabetic or prediabetic patients should be on a statin despite their blood fat readings (even if normal).I wish I had this info at hand at the time, to question her!!!! This makes me more fuelled to change people’s attitudes to prevention in the medical amd health professional community. hank you!Walking and moving around is a large part of lowering lipids and maintaining health. I just can’t do that. Fatigue is one of the side-effects of statin toxicity. I try to mop or do something-anything to keep from going quite insane. I finally got myself built up enough where I can drag water hoses around so my trees don’t die. I like to do woodwork, I work about 30 minutes and rest, even if I don’t feel tired. Once I didn’t feel tired, but slept on the couch for over 16 hours. I woke up 2X, and decided that I was too tired and hurt too much to go to bed.  I’m getting where I can take my dogs for short walks-My doctor started getting after me for weight gain-I told him that maybe I’d be lucky and have CVA and die-what difference does it make? It hurts to drive, I can’t wander around salvage yards and lumber yards. I ice my legs before I go, and ice when I get back. I hired a dog walker to walk and jog the coonhounds 2-6 miles 3X/week. You don’t know how much I miss getting out and being with people. I used to be a democrat county delegate for my ward- I can’t do stairs, I can’t stand in lines, I can’t sit for hours without ice-and I’m allergic to aspirin-acetaphimines.  If I got a million dollars, I’d get my feet amputated and prosthetics so I could be like the military and get out and do something.I’m so sorry for you.  I have felt like I couldn’t get off the couch too in the past.  I was not on statins, but other drugs.  I started a fruit and veg diet (no animal products) a year ago and now love to walk the loop down at the port here.  If I could tell anyone anything to help, it would be that it’s what you don’t eat/ingest more than what you do that will change your life.  You don’t want to lose any body parts, I know that.  You just want to feel well.  We have done a lot of damage to our bodies and there is a way out.  No animal products, no grains, no cooked foods.  Start juicing all possible vegs/greens and watch Youtube for people on the Raw Food who juice.  It will be a new life for you.  Good luck.Meyati:I am very sorry to hear of your trouble with walking and everyday activities. I am; however, very excited to share something that I’m positive will make a huge difference in your life! Send me an email at nancyhelmold@gmail.com. I look forward to talking with you.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!Thanks, Doc!  Can’t seem to pull up those posts, but I use the B12 patches every day and don’t want to use anything soy, but understand trying to make sure everyone updates their intake of plant foods. I am now on mostly raw fruits and vegis.  Not perfect, but I definitely thrive on it.  I so love that you do all this research for us.  Thank you. LynnWhy no soy?Good question. It says that was a year ago. I have been on The McDougall Plan since then and feel great. Still don’t really eat soy. No place for it on my plan. I do eat beans, but all whole foods, so no soy products. No refined or processed foods. Thanks for asking.I’m assuming “Pure Vegetarians” means Vegan?  No animal products.  Why can’t they just say that if you stop eating animal products, you’ll get better?  Either they don’t believe it, or they are in the pockets of the animal product and pharma folks. The latter, I believe.  Maybe both. Excellent article!  Thanks!Only pure vegetarians…do not need statins? This is confusing. Vegans can have high cholesterol due to the body’s production of it. Does this mean that vegans who have high cholesterol need not take statins?The specific studies have yet to be done to answer your question. That said the current recommendation based on the best studies (i.e. epidemiological and clinical) and our understanding of the biology is that your goal should be a Total Cholesterol < 150 or LDL Cholesterol < 90. There are folks who follow a whole food plant based diet who don't achieve these levels. There some other modifications lowering fruit intake and nut intake that can be tried beyond that before using medications. The best guidelines I have seen is an article written by Dr. McDougall available for free on his website. The article, Cleaning Out Your Arteries, is in his June 2003 newsletter. Many physicians are recommending lower levels but the best clinical long term results have been demonstrated by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. His book, Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease, describes his approach. There are patients who even though they follow the best diet may need to take a medication to lower cholesterol. To avoid the problems with statins there are other alternatives so you need to work with your physicians to work out what is best for you. Of course you need to keep tuned as the science keeps changing.I think that if you read the Starch Solution by Dr. John McDougall it is a vegan diet but with no added oil. Adding oil to your diet is the thing that increases your fat on your body and when you don’t eat added fat you lose weight and when you lose weight your cholesterol goes down. That and your Trigylercides. When you see your labs change you won’t need the statins. Dr. McDougall says get off the statins. Well, my huband so far was able to quit by half. So we are on our way. Hope this helps.In 3 short months on statins, I watched my mom’s muscles waste away until her skin hung off of her body and she could no longer climb stairs / walk (she was only 73 and was a tough as nails woman). I now know that cholesterol can be lowered to healthy levels via a low fat, vegan diet. I wish I knew this then… :-(You’re a good daughter to feel that way, but we can only do what we can with what we know. My mother died of colon cancer at 76. I’m 75 now. I wish a lot of things. I wish I knew better and would have had enough influence to change things, but I do know that our mothers would want us to do better for ourselves now with the information that we have. After I posted here to not eat grains, I found the McDougall way of life. I believe it is a life saver, so I’m excited for my colon and every daughter who doesn’t have to take statins or eat fatty foods and can save themselves. I didn’t always do it when I was young so I thank my mom often, these days, for paving the way, and teaching me through her experiences.Thanks Lynn, I certainly changed my way of eating after my Mom died, and two years ago I took the T. Colin Campbell Foundation Plant Based Nutrition Program from eCornell. That information completely changed the way I look at food, and I’m so thankful I did it. I’m glad you discovered the McDougall info – he was one of the lecturers in the program and he makes some great points. Best of luck to you!I am a massage therapist. I have noticed that some of my clients on statins seem to have hardened bodies. I didn’t know if this was due to a dehydrating effect. The muscles and even the fat tissue feels thick. There muscles are usually hypertonic all over. I didn’t know if the medication or the high cholesterol itself did this.I was on Zocor for 3 months and couldn’t figure out why I was finding it harder and harder to do anything – then it hit me. I went off Zocor immediately but 4 years later, I am still unable to build up muscle properly. This drug ruined my life.Thank you for publishing this, Dr. Greger. It feels good to have confirmed what my body has always “known”.Diagnosed with Familial Hypercholesterolemia at age 22, my overall cholesterol level has been high since it was first checked almost 20 years ago. In October of 2011 it was in the 400 range. As a reference, my siblings’ cholesterol range is between 400-500, despite the fact that they are athletic and thin. Neither of them is taking statins, backed by the advice from a cardiologist at an internationally renowned research hospital. This MD believes that cholesterol, its effect on the arteries/body and whether it indeed needs to be regulated with medicine is not that straightforward at all.In my twenties I was prescribed statins, and took several brands for a total of about two years. After complaining of muscle pains that kept me up all night, as well as other ailments, my PCPs kept switching me from one pharma product to the next. Finally, despite being told repeatedly it was important to stay on the statins, I decided that they were probably the culprit for many of the ailments I started having, ailments very a-typical for a twenty-something year old, and I stopped taking them. I changed my diet moderately, and exercised, hoping it was going to be enough to battle cholesterol. Fast forward 14 years, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since then, I have spent much of my time doing research on “healthy living”, or what is known about it thus far. – In an effort to recover from “treatment” and avert possible recurrence, I have drastically altered my diet. With a homeopathic doctor’s guidance, these are some of the changes I implemented: Increased intake of vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables, as well as fruit, nuts and seeds. I reduced my intake of meat and dairy products, as well as cut out coffee, and replaced it with organic green tea, or ginger “tea” (hot water with fresh pieces of ginger). One other change to my diet – I started taking Curcumin pills daily, which greatly seem to reduce the arthritis pain that began immediately following my chemotherapy “treatments”. Lastly, I use grapeseed oil for cooking, and on days I don’t use it, I take a grapeseed supplement.In less than a year after implementing these changes, my overall cholesterol level went down nearly 100 points, albeit allowing myself to “cheat” quite a bit (eating Pizza and/or processed foods, having Starbucks etc). In the past few months I have minimized those “cheats”, and therefore I am really curious to see what my cholesterol levels (HDL, LDL, tri-gyc) will be at my next blood draw in April. – Based on my personal experience, I will continue to do what I am doing, and would never agree to go back on statins. However, it would be gratifying – and beneficial to other people, if conventional medicine finally acknowledged the problems with statins, and scientists/researchers started looking into other options of solving the underlying condition.Great story! Given Dr. Greger’s videos on the downside of meat and dairy, have you thought of going totally plant-based for a month or two to see if things improve even more?Isn’t your heart a muscle? Don’t statins damage heart tissue as they damage the rest of your muscle’s?My doctor ran a cat scan. They seem OK. He was really worried-it centered on my legs, which seems to happen to most people to varying degrees.I think i have had all the lowering cholesterol tablets in the book, after a year or so the problems start. My problem is the high trigs; i was taking Vytorin and now they have added Lopid. I hate these tablets but without them I’ll get embolism (lung and spleen)Sources Cited – second link goes to the third citation. The correct article can be found here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19633029There’s lots of information out there on the problems with statins … So where does that leave those of us whose cholesterol is high without them? I have been vegan/no added fat or oil/whole foods for 2.5 years now (had a blockage) with very little straying (some dark vegan chocolate, white rice at restaurants, that sort of thing). I ride my horses, kayak and run on the treadmill (not every day). I’m 5’3 and 130 lbs. and when I go off my statin (generic Lipitor) my cholesterol goes to 220 ( in the 150s on it). So, yup, there’s places to improve, but… If I go off the statin am I putting myself at risk of the blockage (or heart attack or stroke) again? I haven’t been able to find a doctor who has much experience with this way of eating.If you have had a blockage and are tolerating the statins it sounds like you will need to stay on them. You can fine tune the diet a bit and need to work with your physicians of course. I realize it is difficult to find a physician knowledgeable and experienced in this area. There is Dr. Esselstyn in the Cleveland area and Dr. Baxter Montgomery in the Houston area. Dr. McDougall wrote an excellent newsletter on how he uses statins and one on cleaning out your arteries… see his newsletters May 2007 and June 2003. I don’t view rice as going off the “diet”. Composed of mainly starches and with no cholesterol which are long chains of glucose molecules it is not associated with inflammation… at least I have seen no good studies on that. It is true that if you are fat from eating calorie dense foods your adipocytes aka fat cells will put out inflammatory compounds so it is important to maintain ideal body fat content for women about 18%. Of course I would recommend going with brown rice as the extra fiber will help lower your cholesterol. We do need more studies on the various populations with and without arterial disease as far as primary and secondary prevention goes. Dr. Esselstyn will have a paper published this year on the success of patients he has treated. His book on preventing and reversing heart disease is an excellent resource. You need to stay tuned to NutritionFacts.org and other commercial free reliable websites such as John McDougall’s to keep up with the important developments.Every day I tell folks about Dr Gregor’s presentations and changing to a plant based diet, about 1 person out of 40 has any interest in it. Amazing, folks seems to think they have to suffer and only surgery and medicine can keep them alive – suckers!I saw an article in a health newsletter some time ago about British doctors not being concerned about older people with cholesterol at 220 or even higher. They felt that it was safe, that older people normally had higher cholesterol and that American doctors were making a big fuss over it. Sounds like pressure from Big Pharma to sell more statin drugs? It would be interesting to see what doctors and medical people in Japan, Scandinavia, Germany and France say about cholesterol numbers and what numbers they would consider starting treatment to lower (and what drugs and supplements they would recommend).Doctor just put me on lipitor, I am diabetic, I have high cholesterol and triglycerides but now am scared to take statinsLeanne: Have you read the book, “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The scientifically proven system for reversing diabetes without drugs”. Many of the people in the clinical trial were able to get off most or all of their diabetes drugs. And their cholesterol levels went down, so that they didn’t have to worry about statins. The diet in the book is generally in line with Dr. Greger’s diet here on NutritionFacts.org. If you are intererested, here is the book, with recipes in the back!: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420244493&sr=1-1&keywords=dr.+neal+barnard%27s+program+for+reversing+diabetesIt’s very affordable and I suspect that many libraries carry it. Good luck!I used to be vegan and never had cholesterol problems, but had very high good cholesterol. When I suddenly became diabetic I was put on statins because my high good cholesterol made my total numbers look higher than normal. Now my good cholesterol numbers are much lower than they used to be and after being on statins for about 4-5 yrs. I’ve had major muscle cramping for a long time. Acupuncture helps along with Gatorade, but now I want to just stop taking the statins and all my doctors say I should stay on them because of the diabetes. But if you now say it’s some type of risk for post menopausal women, like me, I want to know more. Doctors aren’t giving good reasons other than it’s scientifically proven to be a helpful drug. I tried krill oil one month without the statin drug and had no cramping and my cholesterol was great. My doctors freaked and said to stop doing that.Nancy: Have you read the book, “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The scientifically proven system for reversing diabetes without drugs”. Many of the people in the clinical trial were able to get off most or all of their diabetes drugs. And their cholesterol levels went down, so that they didn’t have to worry about statins. The diet in the book is generally in line with Dr. Greger’s diet here on NutritionFacts.org. If you are interested, here is the book, with recipes in the back!: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Bar…It’s very affordable and I suspect that many libraries carry it. Good luck!I have known for a long time that statins news were a scam, a reliable scientist friend warned me, their ethos on research is invent a drug then invent a scam disease to make money. I had to have a major arterial op to share my arm 4 years ago, my specialist asked me to take statins ,I refused and asked him had he done thorough research re side effects??? I rest my case .	cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,fall risk,heart health,kidney failure,kidney health,Lipitor,liver health,liver inflammation,medications,mortality,muscle health,muscle inflammation,muscle strength,pain,rhabdomyolysis,statins,weakness	Video updated 3/5/2012 to reflect new FDA warning labels citing risks of confusion, memory loss, new onset diabetes and muscle injury. Even people who don't experience pain or weakness on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may be suffering muscle damage.	Here are some more recent videos on statins: Statin Cholesterol Drugs and Invasive Breast Cancer Statin Muscle Toxicity The Actual Benefit of Diet vs. Drugs Fast Food: Do You Want Fries With That Lipitor?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cholesterol. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Be sure to check out my associated blog posts for more context: Soymilk: shake it up!, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk, Cholesterol Lowering in a Nut Shell, Generic Lipitor is not the answer to our heart disease epidemic, What is the best way to get vitamin B12?, and  Vitamin B12: how much, how often?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/23/generic-lipitor-is-not-the-answer-to-our-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/13/cholesterol-lowering-in-a-nut-shell/	http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/what-is-the-best-way-to-get-b12/	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rhabdomyolysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-strength/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weakness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fall-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-do-you-want-fries-with-that-lipitor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-muscle-toxicity/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19581603,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19633029,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16799920,
PLAIN-3235	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-fat-or-whole-food/	Low-Fat or Whole Food?	A plant-based diet is best, but what kind of plant based diet? A review last year looked at all the randomized controlled trials to date. Using a meat-eating group as the control, it compared people eating like a Mediterranean-style diet that minimizes meat, versus a meat-free diet, versus a meat, dairy and egg-free diet. You can’t really directly compare all the studies, because they were on all slightly different diets, for different durations, studying different populations of people, but in general, people cutting out most meat cut out a quarter of their risk... Those cutting out all meat cut their risk of our number one killer in half, and those that eliminated dairy and eggs, did even better still. But there’s kinda two popular styles of vegan diets, there’s those pushing very low fat versus those that encourage high fat whole food sources like nuts. Which one works better? … A whole-foods vegan diet chock full ‘o nuts may wipe out as much as 80% of our risk of falling victim to the number one killer.	The citation provided does not appear to match this presentation, and it sounds as if more than one article is cited. Is there a citation for the low-fat vs. whole foods vegan diet? Thank you.You are my savior! Thank you so much for pointing that out. You deserve a prize for finding the first error on the site! In fact if you want to email me your mailing address I’ll send you a copy of my new DVD as a token of my gratitude. I have corrected the citation source (thanks to you!). A group of my interns uploaded the source citations and one of them must have made a mistake. Please help me root out any other errors on the site (and I’ll send you even more free stuff :).I’m also curious about the low-fat vegan diet vs. the whole food vegan diet that included nuts. How low was the low-fat diet? Thank you.That is such a great question. Too often “low-fat” diets are anything but! In this systematic review, though, some of the diets really did dip down into the 10% of calories from fat range, which is low-fat by pretty much anyone’s standards.any added benefit to having a RAW whole food vegan diet?Should’nt we be heart attack “proof” as Caldwell Essylsten puts it on a whole foods plant based diet??I think Dr. Esselstyn would assert you are heart attack “proof” if your LDL cholesterol is under 80 mg/dL.So what is the optimal fat percentage in a whole food plant based diet.Hi Shaadoe, What is “low fat”? Many a confusing conclusions from faulty clinical studies have caused many well-meaning dieters to lose faith in low-fat studies. The American Heart Association says 25-30% fat is low enough, but is it? In comes Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s to the rescue with his immensely important book: “The China Study”. His findings from rural China showed that only when dietary fat was reduced from 24% to 6% was there a clear association seen with lower breast cancer risk. But the reduction must not only be of dietary fat “but more importantly of animal-based food.” Judging from his” plant fat/ breast cancer death” chart, we may become heart-attack and breast-cancer proof with a 10-12% fat vegan diet which includes a handful of nuts/day. Get the book; there’s more goodies!great questions……looking forward to more discussion. I ate an Esslestyn diet for a couple of years, and never did manage to get my cholesterol under 150. I briefly managed to get under 150 on a Fuhrman diet, but still have not been successful long term. Would REALLY like to know how to be successful with this. Perhaps stress plays a role in keeping cholesterol high? Looking for answers……Hello working at it, If you are eating whole foods plant based and avoiding all animal products and processed foods while focusing on the most nutrient dense of those foods than your cholesterol should drop since your not taking in any outside sources of cholesterol. Cholesterol can only be produced by animals. Also, exercising at least an hour a day and eating ONLY when your hungry will significantly aid in lowering cholesterol levels and stress. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/halving-heart-attack-risk/ Maybe do some rock climbing at a gym near by? I hate working out with the weights so all I do is rock climb, its great fun and it works your body hard!We produce cholesterol whether we eat animals or not. Cholesterol that we produce is very important for many functions. Each person produces the amount your body needs. If you are not taking in dietary cholesterol, than you shouldn’t worry about it. There is a reason why your body produces 150 and that’s healthy for you. Statins lower your body’s natural cholesterol, cholesterol that your body needs, recognizes and has a purpose. Perhaps the damage statins do is because the body is now not producing the cholesterol needed for neurological functions, muscle contractions, etc. Cholesterol is not the problem if your body produces it. The cholesterol we take in is the problem.Thank you, Toxins, for your suggestions on ways to lower cholesterol! Yes, am fanatical about eating only whole unprocessed plant foods. Sometimes too many fruits, and Dr. McDougall says this can raise cholesterol….I do like sweet things (like dates!). Sometimes “stress eating” is an issue, and could always get more exercise. When I was younger I LOVED to rock climb; it’s definitely a good way to focus energy, especially when on the sharp end of the rope.Im glad i was of help! Check out Dr. Greger’s video here all about dates! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/are-dates-good-for-you/ They are in fact health promoting! Good luck!Do you have any outlines to eating a wholefoods vegan diet? i have been doing the lowfat mcdoughall diet and weight watchers simple filling technie?? Maybe some websites to give me a new durection in weightloss??The McDougall diet is really good. Id stick with that!I would agree that the McDougall diet is a great way to go. However the devil is always in the details. Two resources that I recommend for those looking to loose weight is Jeff Novick’s DVD, Calorie Density, which can be ordered off his website, http://www.JeffNovick.com. Jeff ties Calorie Density(much more important than calories) to exercise which is very important to understand. By adding more low calorie dense foods like vegetables and some fruits you will have more success at “fat” loss. I would also recommend John McDougall’s newsletter article, The Fat Vegan, it can be found in his December 2008 issue available on his website. Those resources should give you some ideas on how to proceed. Best wishes.For a clear understanding and how to immplement a plant based diet with good fats check out Dr Fuhrman’s nutritarian dietAlso be sure to check out my associated blog post Soymilk: shake it up!Hi Dr. Gregor. I would love for you to address the claims of the “cholesterol myth” crowd and those researchers who say having high cholesterol is healthy. They cite studies such as this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21951982Another website I read said here are at least 11 studies showing that high cholesterol is not associate with coronary heart disease, 11 more studies show high cholesterol didn’t predict likelihood of death.I think it’s important that you address these research studies, which conflicts with what we are being told as vegans. Thank you!It is very well established that cholesterol is lined with heart disease. From the national academy of science, “Given the capability of all tissues to synthesize sufficient cholesterol for their metabolic and structural needs, there is no evidence for a biological requirement for dietary cholesterol.”…”a tolerable upper intake has not been set for cholesterol because any incremental increase in cholesterol increases [cardiovascular disease] risk”I highly recommend this video, and very rarely do i ever link to youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bSdnQ1MKGoAs well as some of these nutritionfacts videos.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=cholesterolthen why are nuts not included in the reversal of heart disease….???Doctors such as John McDougall MD, Caldwell Esselstyn, Dean Ornish, T. Colin Campbell, and Neal D. Barnard all recommend a low fat vegan diet (between 10-12% fat) and also have significant research on that. Can you please address this? I’m now very concerned about which path is most beneficial. Thank you for your help and all that you do!I eat nonfat plain fortified yogurt as a partial means of getting the 1500mg calcium recommended after an osteoporosis diagnosis. I know that Dr. Greger recommends zero dairy, but I just don’t know any other means of getting sufficient calcium. All of the high calcium foods seem to be fortified. Which is the greater problem- nonfat dairy or undertreated osteoporosis?Dr. Margaret: I’m sorry it took me so long to reply and so sorry to hear about your osteoporosis diagnosis. I’m not a doctor, but I have carefully read a book called, “Building Bone Vitality: A Revolutionary Diet Plan To Prevent Bone Loss and Reverse Osteoporosis” by Dr. Amy Lanou and Michael Castleman.It is an excellent book. They reviewed over 1,200 studies and make a compelling case on what type of diet (and exercise!) will help prevent bone loss and possibly reverse osteoporosis. Following their plan is very do-able on a healthy plant based diet. They explain exactly how to do it, including providing some meal plans and a few recipes to give you the idea of how to proceed. This way the osteoporosis is *not* under-treated. It is just treated appropriately.Calcium is just one element to consider when dealing with bone health. Throwing massive amounts of calcium at a bone problem without considering 16 other vital bone related nutrients, AND without considering their proportions, AND not addressing the “bone bullies” (substances which take away from bone health – a term I picked up from the excellent reference book for nutrients: Becoming Vegan – Express Edition by RDs Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina) is not likely to help the bone problem. My understanding is that only upping calcium is very likely to hurt the problem.Bottom line is that I *highly* recommend that you read that book. Also, if you want to use fortified foods to get to 1,500mg calcium a day, I recommend using a non-dairy yogurt. You would have to read the labels, but those non-dairy yogurts typically have just as much calcium as the dairy counter-parts – and if you get the right brand, are just as tasty. (The book explains why non-diary is better than dairy – better than I could.) Best of luck to you.Hi, I’d just like to mention that Dr Campbell in his latest Whole addresses these questions, quote: “relax”. As long as you eat whole, vegan foods, you’ll be all right. It helps me to relax, I was actually getting paranoid about eating a couple of nuts and fat content in edamame…I am a massive fan of Nutritionfacts.org, and Dr. Greger. I cannnot say enough good things about the quality of information provided at this site. THANK YOU!!!. One question though- I don’t understand the conclusions of this video. I realize that at this point this is now an older video, but even by 2010 Dr. Esselstyn had published his first clinical study. Since then his 2014 study showed amazing results arresting and even reversing heart disease with a low fat, whole food, ‘no nuts’ diet. Esselstyn is staunchly anti-nuts and yet has the most impressive clinical studies on heart disease management (and reversal) published. It seems to me that Esselstyn’s results are even more impressive than Ornish’s, and Ornish has done a lot for heart disease reversal and awareness. Esselstyn has achieved these amazing cardiac results by looking at all dietary fats, even those from whole food sources.Everyone has their own take on the research and the doctors you mention are paving the way for heart disease prevention! ​They are doing amazing, life-saving work. Still, the research on nuts seems to be positive. Here is a great video by Dr. Greger that explains the research between nut intake and body weight. Make sure to checkout the bottom of the video’s “Doctors Note” to see more links and info. Lastly, a follow-up to that video is solving the mystery of the missing calories, which may also help.​	cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,heart health,Mediterranean diet,mortality,omnivores,plant-based diets,vegans,vegetarians	Which type of plant-based diet has been shown to maximize cholesterol reduction?	For other videos on meat and cardiovascular disease, check out: Flax Seeds for Hypertension How to Prevent a Stroke Why Was Heart Disease Rare in the Mediterranean? Cholesterol Crystals May Tear Though Our Artery LiningPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cholesterol. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Be sure to check out my associated blog posts for more context: Soymilk: shake it up! and Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mediterranean-diet/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-was-heart-disease-rare-in-the-mediterranean/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-crystals-may-tear-though-our-artery-lining/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19766762,
PLAIN-3236	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-cholesterol-fighters/	New Cholesterol Fighters	Avoiding meat is only one part of the picture. A healthy vegetarian diet should be chock full of foods with known benefits. Within the last 12 months, eight products were tested—some for the first time ever—to see what they would do to our LDL, our bad cholesterol. Almonds, cheerios, cola, flax seeds, flax oil, kiwi fruits, red yeast rice, and strawberries. First up almonds—packed with nutrition, but might they raise our cholesterol? Or does eating almonds not affect our cholesterol, Or does eating almonds lower our cholesterol? Almonds lower our cholesterol. What about the hype about cheerios? Do they really lower cholesterol Yes they do, but they also have a tablespoon of sugar in them, per serving—and that’s before you add extra sugar. We should stick to oatmeal for the best of both worlds. Obviously soda is just plain bad for us, but does it actually affect our cholesterol? Only the cola—isn’t that interesting? The other sodas didn’t do it, so colas are particularly bad for us. Flaxseeds are a given—definitely lower our cholesterol, but what about flaxseed oil? It doesn’t work. Flaxseeds, but not flaxseed oil, lowers our our cholesterol; another reason the ground seeds are better. Kiwis are definitely a first. No one had ever tested their ability to affect our cholesterol. Until now. Two kiwis a day for 8 weeks significantly improved cholesterol levels. What a yummy way to help our hearts. Red yeast rice. It’s actually red mold rice. Moldy rice, a fermented food, prized in Chinese medicine, which can be taken as a supplement. Does it work? Yes it does, because the red mold actually produces lovastatin, sold for billions of dollars as mevacor. Just like there’s a mold that makes penicillin, there’s a mold that makes a cholesterol medication. The problem is by eating the rice you could have all the side-effects, without the dose standardization. And finally, speaking of yummy ways to lower our cholesterol, what about strawberries? I wish! Strawberries have all sorts of amazing properties, as I’ve documented over the years, but unfortunately lowering our cholesterol is not one of them.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cholesterol. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Why won’t you attempt to debunk this study? Because it goes against you think may be true?http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2011.01767.x/pdfI’d be interested in an analysis of this as well. This article discusses the issue of cholesterol levels – even saying that moderate levels and elevated cholesterols MAY prove not only to be harmless, but in some cases actually beneficial..You have to make sure that the vitamins you have chosen are of reliable.Because you will discover so many options available, it’s excellent to discuss with others.Contact specialists, like your druggist and healthcare professional.Compare brandnames and rates because this will aid you to make the choice that is right for youHello there,For more information on multivitamins check out Dr. Greger’s blog post and discover their rather non beneficial harm. http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/10/11/multivitamins-and-mortality/.Firstly you could attempt “La Champa? im? a”, the true Catalan first.You might get a sip there but it’s actually not exactly a new bar or maybe a pub.You possibly can eat in that respect there but it truly is like hardly any restaurant you’ve lots of people in prior to.There’s in no way any music from the place but it really has a good atmosphere you simply will not forget right away.Located from the port area all around “La Barceloneta” neighborhood station it’s frequently packed using people. Have you ever felt that urge to know more, to know the answers to the universe? I am sure you all have. Looking up into the abyss made me feel something that I do not feel everyday of my life. It is a different feeling, a feeling of wonder, and joy. It is also a feeling of overwhelming excitement to know that we are just a tiny speck in a universe which is made up of billions of stars.Most folks know of the Big Dipper. I have known that constellation since I was a little kid and I still find it interesting to look at it, even to this dayAlso be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!I am following the PBD to reverse heart disease written by Caldwell Edelston . my question is if nuts are so good for you what is the science for not consuming them in trying to reverse the disease you have??I would like to know when the conclusion that red yeast rice was a natural statin was made for this article. From what I understand it is useless now as the drug company sued to have the natural statin removed,because they have a patent on it. I am at the point where I do not believe anyone anymore when it comes to food and medicine. It’s criminal. In the future you should cite the source as well as the date of the citation being used. You could be out of date.jeffrb: Did you see the “Sources Cited” section above? Perhaps that would answer your question???My husbands Dr ask him to take 1000 mg 2x a day of flax seed oil. Since flax oil does not do a thing, how much ground flax would equal 2000 mg. I put 2 tbsp in his oatmeal the days he eats oatmeal. My husband is not vegan, wish he would go vegan but he has tried but does not like not having his meat. Love you videos… :)Aloha Dr. Gregor, I was unsure where to pose this question so I’ll do it here. My husband suffered a stroke this past December due to a “solidly blocked left carotid artery”. His doctor as well as other info I’ve looked up online & in books suggests he will need to live with a blocked carotid as there is no way to remove the plaque since they will not perform surgery (too risky) nor use the super powered drug to remove blockage (I was told they only use this when there is still some blood flow immediately following a stroke). He is primarily vegan though he does eat lowfat yogurt, sometimes ghee. He was a heavy smoker and has weaned himself down to 3 cigarettes a day & is trying to eliminate them completely. He refused statin drugs such as Lipitor which did not go over well with the medical establishment. He is taking red yeast rice and aspirin daily. Is it possible to clear the blockage in a fully-blocked carotid? If so, how?Mahalo for your help.Andrea from Honolulu (BTW–we look forward to hearing your lecture at the Veg. Society of Hawaii on Tuesday (June 10). Thanks for all your good work!You state that cheerios have a tablespoon of sugar per serving, but the nutrition label on the side of the package says 1 gm sugar per serving -which I think is only about 1/4 teaspoon of sugar.I noticed that too. It appears to have 1 tbsp of sugar per BOX. Even the flavored Cheerios don’t have 1 tbsp per serving, nor did they at the time of this video’s publication.I have a question about the kiwi lowering LDL. So I went and read the abstract referenced in PubMed. Unless I was reading it wrong, there was no significant difference between baseline and 8 wk values for TGs, total and LDL cholesterol, but there was a significant increase of HDL by 8 weeks which would decrease the LDL:HDL and TC:HDL ratios. Did I read that incorrectly?Hi Dr. Greger, I’ve followed a vegan diet for 23 years, but it’s only been in the last 5 years that I’ve largely cut out fried foods and soda. My cholesterol is not where I want it. LDL is 106, and HDL is 42. I do moderate-brisk walking, but only 30 minutes per day. What is the single most effective thing I can do to improve my cholesterol numbers?Todd: Dr. Greger has several videos that highlight foods that are shown to lower cholesterol. Instead of looking for a single thing to do, how about tweaking your diet to try to include as many of those things as possible? Seems to me that would give you your best chance of success.Also, Tom Goff did a post recently talking about a study that shows that obese poeple may have a tough time lowering cholesterol regardless of diet. And so getting into a healthy weight may be an important step. (I have no idea what your weight is. So, I don’t know if this applies to you or not.) The link in Tom’s post didn’t work for me, or I would have repeated it here. Maybe he will post it again.Good luck.what about giving a 13 year old boy flaxseeds in order to lower LDL cholesterol of his? Could there be any side effects? Τhak you!I have not seen any data to suggest teenagers cannot handle flaxseeds. I would suggest more than just using flax but having a healthful diet full of fiber to help reduce cholesterol. Here is a video about the nuts and bolts of cholesterol lowering. For more on cholesterol and ways to reduce LDL I suggest watching more videos! See if any of these links help.hi; again it is all in the details…… in the study of the kiwifruit and HDL i have one important question. were the kiwifruit consumed with the skin on or were they peeled ?hi; again it is all in the details…… in the study of the kiwifruit and HDL i have one important question. were the kiwifruit consumed with the skin on or were they peeled ?Great question the answer is not in the abstract let me pull the study and find out. Thanks, ptjnf	almonds,berries,breakfast cereal,cardiovascular disease,Cheerios,cholesterol,cola,flax oil,flax seeds,fruit,heart health,kiwi fruit,LDL cholesterol,lovastatin,medications,Mevacor,mold,nutrition myths,nuts,oats,omnivores,plant-based diets,red yeast rice,seeds,soda,statins,strawberries,sugar,supplements,vegetarians	Eight products put to the cholesterol-lowering test.	For more on the topic, you can also check out: Cholesterol Feeds Breast Cancer Cells The Actual Benefit of Diet vs. Drugs Does Cholesterol Size Matter? Statin Cholesterol Drugs and Invasive Breast CancerPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cholesterol. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Also, be sure to check out my associated blog posts for more context: For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Vitamin B12: how much, how often?, Is Caffeinated Tea Really Dehydrating?, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oats/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/almonds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lovastatin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheerios/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kiwi-fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-yeast-rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mevacor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breakfast-cereal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-actual-benefit-of-diet-vs-drugs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/statin-cholesterol-drugs-and-invasive-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cholesterol-size-matter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-feeds-breast-cancer-cells/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19919518,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20425265,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19013285,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19699825,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19935852,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20102847,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19998552,
PLAIN-3237	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-target-cholesterol/	New Target Cholesterol	Of course the primary concern is not cholesterol in our gallbladder, but cholesterol in our coronary arteries, leading to our #1 cause of death, heart disease. People come to me all the time and say “I don’t have to worry about what I eat because my cholesterol’s normal.” Well, having a normal cholesterol in a society in which it’s normal to die from heart disease, is not saying much. Having an average cholesterol means dying an average death. This, is from the Harvard Heart Letter. Once upon a time, average was thought to be perfectly OK, but, average cholesterol no longer makes the grade—lower is better. In fact way below average is the new target. How low, can you go? We’re born with a total cholesterol down around 50… But then it quickly bounds upward, elevated by milk and fatty foods, generally breaking into the 200s by middle age… More raw material for making artery-clogging plaque. The target is an LDL—the bad cholesterol, under 70, which means about a total cholesterol under 150. How do you do that? How do you get to total cholesterol of 150? Well, you could, move to the planet of the apes. Or just, eat a strictly plant-based diet.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cholesterol. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!It’s funny how the cited source gave a powerful quantitative argument for becoming vegetarian, but then goes on to conclude that:“A vegetarian or low-fat diet and exercise,possibly helped along with fish oil or niacin, can help a highly motivated individual achieve an LDL under 70.”Do you agree that the above statement gives the impression that all folks really have to do to be healthy and heart attack proof is to get off the couch and switch from fatty to leaner meats?I wonder if others agree with me that that statement is highly misleading.Dr. Greger, I would appreciate your insight into my situation. I have been following a strict whole food plant-based diet since attending the NAVS summerfest – no sugars, animal products of any type, refined flour, processed foods, added oils, etc. – and I’ve been doing an hour of cardio exercise 3 times a week. My doctor was thrilled with my initiative, and took me off Zocor to see what my new baseline cholesterol levels would be. After 2 months on this diet and no meds, my total cholesterol is 246 (was 135 with meds), LDL went from 52 to 148, and triglycerides went from 131 to 239. I have oatmeal with ground flax seed each morning. What is going on? I’m very disappointed.Hi Maria, have you seen these other nutrition facts videos? This one suggests some foods that can help lower cholesterol: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/new-cholesterol-fighters/ This one suggests that a whole foods vegan diet is better than a low fat vegan diet for reducing cholesterol: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/low-fat-or-whole-food/ Here Dr. Greger notes the cholesterol lowering power of avocados: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/ Here he suggests cocoa powder (I add it to smoothies): http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/ My take on all this: make sure you’re getting plenty of good fats from whole plant foods, particularly nuts and avocados. Also, consider adding some resistance training to your workout routine, as it is better than cardio for reducing body fat, which will have a favorable effect on your cholesterol. Note I’m not saying do resistance instead of cardio, but rather in addition. Good luck!“Good fats” is a misnomer. There are only 2 essential fatty acids – Omega 6 and 3, and the ratio should be under 3:1. The body can manufacture ALL the other fatty acids as needed. Avocados are 75% fat with an Omega 6:3 ratio of 15:1. Nuts too are very high fat and handfuls are harmful if you have a cholesterol problem. The only 2 studies showing actual reversal of heart disease was a very low fat diet – less than 10% fat (Ornish and Esselstyn). Dr. Esselstyn allows no nuts or avocados for is heart patients.Thanks for your input, Amber. I have watched the other videos. My diet has been strictly plant based – mostly raw and including nuts. In addition to the cardio, I do 30-45 minutes of weight bearing exercise 3 times a week. I may just be one of those people who overproduces cholesterol. But I’m still sticking with it.Two and a half years of being vegan, just had my cholesterol checked for the first time: total of 102 with an LDL of 31!congrats! After my 4 months low meat diet and exercise my cholesterol went down to 135 whit LDL 70. Now I’m about to go full vegan.Is it possible to have 0 LDL and is that dangerous?LDL is still necessary as cholesterol is used for hormones. The goal is to have an LDL below 70.I’m a bit confused with the units used. Here in Canada we use mmol/l. My LDL is 2.22 mmol/l. I used a conversion program and that gives 85 mg/dl. My total serum cholesterol is 3.52 mmol/l or – still with the conversion program – 136.I wonder what the situation is insofar as ‘ghee’ (as prepared in Indian homes from cow’s milk) is concerned. Is it saturated, mono-unsaturated? good for arterial health or bad? there are ayurvedic physicians who swear by it and prescribe it for various disorders and i know of at least one Indian cardiologist who openly advocates its consumption by patients with CVD for its treatment and prevention. Dr Greger can you point me to some articles that can clarify this issue? Since i’ve not seen any videos from you about ghee, have you given it some thought?I have been vegan for almost 2 years now and really mostly eat whole foods. I am not really into vegan meats or cheese. My total cholesterol is 146 mg/dl, whereas the LDL is 79. The HDL/LDL quote is 1.52. Do I need to be worried about my LDL? Thanks in advance.i use bio identical hormone replacement, will that cause my cholesterol to be high, is it harmful?	animal products,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,dairy,evolution,Harvard,heart health,LDL cholesterol,meat,milk,nutrition myths,plant-based diets,safety limits,saturated fat	"Normal" cholesterol redefined.	For newer videos on cholesterol, see: Optimal Cholesterol Level Switching from Beef to Chicken & Fish May Not Lower Cholesterol The Problem With the Paleo Diet ArgumentPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cholesterol. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog post, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/switching-from-beef-to-chicken-fish-may-not-lower-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/optimal-cholesterol-level/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20071875,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19662696,
PLAIN-3238	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-gallstones/	Cholesterol Gallstones	The number one digestive reason people are hospitalized, though, is because of a gallbladder attack. Every year, more than a million Americans are diagnosed with gallstones, and about 700,000 have to get their gallbladders surgically removed. What are gallstones made of? In 80-90% of cases, the gallstones are made out of cholesterol. Here’s a picture of someone’s gallbladder packed with gallstones. All that yellow you see making up the stones is pure crystallized cholesterol that built up in this person’s body. If the only source of dietary cholesterol is animal foods, one might expect meateaters to be at higher risk. Turns out you have to go all the way to Katmandu to find some good science. Non-vegetarians were found to be at higher risk for gallstones than vegetarians, but not just a little more risk. Nine times the risk. 9 to 1 odds of getting gallstones; nonvegetarians versus vegetarians.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cholesterol. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I’ve read that low-fat / vegetarian diets can actually CAUSE gallstone formation due to the gallbladder not being flushed regularly enough and thus bile sits there and cholesterol, et al, eventually precipitate out of solution into stones? I ask in part because I think this may have happened to me when I had tried a low-fat plant-based diet (not a pleasant experience). And it has been a… worry… about restarting said diet again.http://www.dietdoctor.com/gallstones-and-low-carbAmong others. Wondering what the studies say? What’s the best way to avoid gallstones? High fat to empty the gallbladder regularly? Low fat, high fiber to lower cholesterol? If there’s little to no fat, does the gallbladder get triggered to expel its contents or let bile sit and precipitate into stones? Can other substances in the diet cause the gallbladder to expel its contents w/o adding lots of fat back into the diet?Do low-fat dieter only THINK they’re protected because they HAVE stones, but their gallbladder is never forced to strongly contract, thus reducing the chances of a painful obstruction, despite stones existing?Interested to know the answers…Gallstones are much less prevalent in persons with on a plant-based diet see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cholesterol-gallstones/. Of course those of us who were on the standard american diet we may have already formed stones which won’t go away. Eating a low fat plant based diet will tend to stimulate the gallbladder less and won’t contribute to the formation of more stones or larger stones. I haven’t seen a study on frequency of gallbladder attacks but in my clinical experience patients going on a low fat plant based diet have decreased or eliminated their attacks. The presence of stones doesn’t appear to be a problem as long as they remain without symptoms. When going on a plant based diet the intestinal tract can take some time to adapt. The overall health of the body is best on a low fat whole plant based diet with Vit B12 supplementation. Hope this helps.Thank you for your input Dr. Forrester. I’ve got symptomatic gallstones, calcified, all small, under 5mm. My symptoms are slowly starting to decrease ever since I started the 80/10/10 lifestyle, cooked version, vegan; just over a month ago. What should I do? My symptoms have drastically decreased, but I still feel kind of uncomfortable with them.Should I consider surgical removal of the gallbladder? Would a 80/10/10 lifestyle have any effect on the purge of the stones, or am I stuck with them and will need the surgery eventually? Will my health be compromised in the long run without a gallbladder? Is my health at risk keeping the gallstones although them staying mostly asymptomatic?Thank you greatly for any input.You definitely want to keep your gallbladder unless you are in a really tough spot with very frequent attacks. I’ve heard of stories where people become much worse after having it removed, even getting ghost pains etc. 2/3 people with gallstones never even get an attack, myself included. These are called “silent” gallstones. I’ve often wondered what the long term effects of having gallstones that don’t cause pain would be, but I doubt there would be anything too serious. The best thing to do is try to not get them any bigger.I advise patients to hang on to their original parts for as long as possible. If the gallstones remain very symptomatic with alot of pain you can consider surgery. There is always a chance that your gallbladder becomes infected or you can pass a stone and it can get hung up at the valve before the intestine causing gall stone pancreatitis. Both these would require intervention although the latter can often be taken care of with endoscopy. These complications are however not frequent. All surgery carries risk so best avoided if possible. I hope your “gall stone” symptoms have continued to improve and you and your gall stones live a long healthy life.Will a low fat vegan diet get rid of gallstones? I am scheduled to have GB surgery and am wondering if I can avoid it by a change in diet. I have been eating a low fat vegan diet for 2.5 months since a day spent in OR for GB pain.Definitely! Make your new diet your diet for life. For more discussion see http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_gallbladder.html. Also for more great videos from Dr. Greger see http:www.nutritionfacts.org/?s=CholesterolIf 80-90% of gallstones are cholesterol, what are the other 10-20% made of?A friend has been taking Lipitore for years and just had her gallbladder removed – – Is there a connection?  If Lipitore is supposed to reduce the cholesterol in the blood, does it get flushed to the gall bladder?  How does not having a gall bladder affect your general health?? If we could not live without our gallbadders, science would find a way surgeons could remove the gallstones without removing an important organ. Why hasn’t this option been explored?Other options have been explored like dissolving the stones directly by infusing various liquids into the gallbladder but they haven’t worked. This is a case where primary prevention or avoiding them in the first place is best. But many patients with gall stones can avoid “attacks” by eating a low fat plant based diet. This strategy would probably markedly reduce the number of gallbladders that need to be removed. Most patients tolerate life without their gallbladder without too much difficulty although there are exceptions. It is nice to know that there are surgeons and safe anesthesiology for those cases that the gall bladder doesn’t respond to medical and nutritional therapy.what works for restless les syndrome. it’s so bad it goes up to shoulder/upper arms.? I have fibromyalgia .It started with sleep apnea then panic attacks, then restless les syndrome, then pain all over. Is there a link. I taken meds, but the restless legs syndrome and fatigue is worse than pain.I have been vegan for 2 years and have recently been diagnosed with gall stones. The doctors were very quick to recommend removal of the gall bladder however I am adamant to do this if it can be treated naturally. I’ve read that milk thistle (silymarin) is a known natural remedy for the dissolution of gallstones. How true is this and are there any other natural remedies that might be tried?Hello. I’ve vegan for about four years, and six months ago I had a cholecystectomy, I wonder why. Now my houseband is having troubles with his vesicle and his is vegan at home and lactovegetarian outside. My parents in law suspect that it’s because of the diet, what do you think it is then?Doctor Greger, do you have any information on how gallbladder polyps are formed(multiple, 3mm). Also, if they disappear eventually by a plant based diet? My husband, 26, recently discovered while getting an ultrasound done on his liver, that he has them. Please help! Thank you!My doctor says I need to have my gallbladder removed due to gallstones but I was hoping to avoid surgery and finding a natural way to shrink and remove the stones. I’ve seen/read many quacks for solutions. Is there a legitimate method?Dr. What about the gallbladder and kidneys cleansy with apple juice and laxative that supposilly in six days expell the oily stones?example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bE8skCC9YQI can tell you that mallic acid in apples does soften gall stones and the flush as per Andreas Moritz method does work because I just flushed over a hundred stones this morning. I’ve been a veg/vegan 50/50 little bit lacto n ovo for 30 yrs next month. Stones up to golfball size can be passed by this method. Does this render surgery obsolete :-) .? First flush in 60yrs!!!I had gallbladder pain for 6 months before I found out I had ONE big cholesterol stone. The doctor removed my gallbladder. I had no idea there were natural remedies that might reduce the size of gallstones. So I wonder if turmeric would be good for me or not. I do need liver support, and I have osteoarthritis, which is getting worse, and would like to try it. Does turmeric help with fibromyalgia?Dr. Greger, I have read, or heard in one of the many YouTube lectures I have watched, that once the gallbladder is removed if the fat intake is not drastically reduced the bile will drip into the intestine and can cause irritation or even worse. Do you have any information to share about this? Thank you in advance.It is true that once your gallbladder is removed that you have lost your ability to store bile and that you won’t have the ability to discharge your bile from the gallbladder after a meal. Your liver will continue to make bile which will be slowly released into the intestine. I have had one patient who had a condition called bile gastritis which responded to a prescription of oral carafate. However in 30+ years of clinical practice I found that my patients tolerated the removal of their gall bladder very well especially when it was causing significant symptoms in the first place. Most folks with gall stones will not need to have their gall bladder removed. I would not be concerned unless you continue to have problems. Since there is alot of variability it is important to work with your physician(s) or other health care professionals to pick the right path for you. By eating a whole food plant diet with vitamin B12 you will minimize the likelihood of difficulties. Good luck.about 6 months after i went vegan i passed about 10 gallstones (maybe like 1 or 2 a month), it hurt like hell and the first time i was in the emergency room because i had no clue what it was, the gallstones had formed from my old extremely unhealthy diet and after i went vegan all the stones left my gallbladder causing the attacks, i havnt had a new attack in forever, im guessing all the stones are gone now, im pretty sure a vegan diet saved me from massive trouble down the road if the stones had time to grow largernameless void, If you do get an ultrasound test showing that your gallbladder is now clear of previous stones, please post the results. We’re generally told the stones will not disappear but we know most people with stones are not whole plant vegan. So there’s little proof either way.so which repercussions does a gallbladder & bile duct removal have (for a vegan)? …how can one then lower estrogen?I am 59 and mostly vegan. Four years ago at a good private hospital in Thailand I had imaging done which found a small cartoid atery plaque buildup on one side. And a gallstone cyst. I was told to monitor both but that they were so small as to be inconsequential to blood flow to the brain or becoming a gallstone. Six months ago after a full cardio check up at Hanoi Heart Hospital and two more relevant ultrasounds (and blood tests) the cardiologist recommended that I should start stains. I am looking into alternatives because of possible side effects. But what I don’t understand is *why* anyone would want to eliminate the ‘scab’ on a wound, if in fact the first step of plaque deposits in arteries is an injury. Wouldn’t that be like unplugging a hole?2005 http://www.health.am/ab/more/gallstones_linked_with_cardiovascular_disease/2011, but then “largely unexplained”… http://www.modernmedicine.com/modern-medicine/news/modernmedicine/modern-medicine-news/gallstones-linked-increased-risk-death?page=fullfinally another report with dietary implication: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1416200/ (1985) which led me to these. OK enough for now. (ADHD satisfied). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1416200/citedby/	animal products,cholesterol,gallbladder health,gallstones,Nepal,omnivores,plant-based diets,vegetarians	Comparing gallstone attack rates in omnivores versus vegetarians.	Also check out Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cholesterol. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog post, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallbladder-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nepal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gallstones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-consume-curcumin-or-turmeric/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20071875,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16844493,
PLAIN-3239	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/migrating-fish-bones/	Migrating Fish Bones	Woman walks into an emergency room complaining of a sore throat after eating fish the previous morning. On exam, she has a lump in her neck. So they take a scalpel, slice it open, and what pops out but a fish bone! A migrating fish bone presenting as an acute onset of a neck lump. It went out of her throat next to her voicebox, into her neck, and just barely missed her carotid artery, in which case she would have probably bled to death—but, thankfully, it missed the artery and after 5 days in the hospital and she was all better.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Once again, your videos are so informative and amazing. Who woulda thunk?! Thanks of your good work!Dr. Greger, I appreciate all you do with your informative video presentations, but I truly don’t get the point of this one. But keep up the good work.	fish,foreign body,throat health	A rare complication of fish consumption.	There are other health risks associated with eating fish. Check out these videos to name a few: Food Sources of Flame Retardant Chemicals Food Sources of Perfluorochemicals Fish and Diabetes Diabetes and Dioxins Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat Dioxins in U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish Dietary Pollutants May Affect Testosterone LevelsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/throat-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foreign-body/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19251553,
PLAIN-3240	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-homeopathy-just-placebo/	Is Homeopathy Just Placebo?	What about homeopathy? Not for canker sores, but for ADHD, asthma, cancer, dementia, influenza, and the induction of labor. A metanalysis of all the best studies was published this year covering all those conditions. Homeopathy: good, bad, or a waste of money? According to the best science we have: useless. Homeopathy advocates claim that the medical establishment’s campaign against them is no more than a witchhunt. It didn’t help matters this YEAR when the British Medical Association declared homeopathy is “witchcraft.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on common nutrition myths. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well! I suppose all the people I know, myself included, that were sent home by their doctor to get their ‘bizness’ in order due to their short-term contract with God would disagree with you. Kangen Water and Protandim saved my life and many others.  I hear testimonies regularly.Are there any studies comparing IQ, or educational levels, with those rate of belief in things like homeopathy, acupuncture, reiki, “kangen water”, etc?I started looking into homeopathy lately. I’m shocked that so many people subscribe to it! Total snake oil.Sounds nearly as dubious as “faith healing” to me, except that the special diluted/holy water goes in your mouth instead of sprinkled on your forehead.Very dissappointed in Dr. Greger. There is nothing in this video that is objective. You just say its witch craft Just great. You are sir ignorant and a Bigot!Please see this systematic review of systematic reviews of homeopathy, concluding that “no homeopathic remedy that was demonstrated to yield clinical effects that are convincingly different from placebo,” available full-text at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1874503/pdf/bcp0054-0577.pdfIt’s important to note at this point that placebo results are very powerful and sometimes more powerful than; for example the use of SSRI drugs. All drugs; like anything else, are vibrations or frequencies or resonance. Obviously the placebos rely on the brain or organs to release endogenous neurotransmitters or hormones rather than injecting exogenous versions.Totally agree with you – maharawj :-) Well thought out.Anyone who can believe in the “theory” of vibrational energy, and that INCREASING the dilution of a substance simultaneously INCREASES its potency really isn’t paying attention.  Faith in things that make no logical sense might be nice in some parts of your life, but medicine should be based on SCIENCE.When taken homeopathic remedies Internally, there may be little benefits to adults. But how can you call in a placebo? Babies do not fall into the trickery of the placebo affect, yet have experienced NEGATIVE OVERDOSING of homeopathic remedies. This proves that although they make not be strong enough to be taken Internally by adults, they are still NOT placebo. For adults, stick to the Topical ointments only.UUrgh…..excuse the numerous grammatical typos. CELL PHONE. :-)I experienced homeopathy in a negative way. I was given several different remedies and become quite ill for months. I have used some that seem to work. I feel it depends on the constitution of the person and the type of remedy given. ” Witchcraft’ in my world has a positive meaning, the ‘herbalists’ were known as witches, and most everyone would agree, that herbs are a potent form of healing the body.This study proves otherwise http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%28%28otitis%29%20AND%20homoeopathy%20OR%20homeopathy%29%20AND%20pain%20AND%20freiI’m skeptical of that study. Look at thee method they used to test… they were treating kids for pain and tried a different remedy every 6 hours until one worked.  I don’t know about you, but pain often goes away in less than 12 hours, so most of those remedies will “work” in the given time frame.  In kids, a lollipop can also “magically” treat pain too! Which is why most medical offices give them to kids! LOLWhat’s sad is that NIH and CDC thought this crap “study” was even worth looking at. That’s not how you do a medical test.To learn more about placebo and related topics lookup Rupert Sheldrake and Bruce Lipton. Fascinating youtube videos with almost as much empirical support as Dr Greger.Thank you, people really need more exposure to the facts when it comes to this nonsense. I would’ve liked to see a more in-depth piece though, Ie., how many studies in the meta-study, proportion of studies finding effect vs. finding no effect, quality rating for both sides.Most of all, i’d like to see an explanation of how homeopathy claims to work (the excuses have varied over the years). I’ve found many homeopathy proponents don’t even know how it supposedly works. Which might explain why they think it works at all.There was a metastudy done on acupuncture as well. I’d love to see you cover that too.None of those “studies” are reliable. Look who is doing them. The last two are obvious by looking at their site names. The first is merely a database held by the NIH, which sadly, happened to pull up not a real piece of scientific research, but an article from a British homeopathy “journal”.May as well believe that Astrology journals claim too.Dr. Gregor, I am mostly vegan. I don’t use meat, and I hardly ever use dairy or eggs. My health indicators are good. My cholesterol is low, and my iron is sufficient even though I am a regular blood donor. My doctor is concerned about my ferritin. It is so low, that it is practically off the chart. He suggested that I either eat meat or take iron supplements. My own feeling is that he is comparing my ferritin levels with those of meat eaters, and that there ought to be a different standard for vegans. I am not concerned about my health, as I have lots of energy and I really feel great. In fact, I really, really feel great!! Do you think that I should be more concerned about my ferritin level, and if so, what do you suggest? I am 52 years old. anita.abramovitch@gmail.com Many thanks, Anita Abramovitch.Here are Dr. Greger’s recommendations on iron.http://www.drgreger.org/latestrecommendations.pdfYou should try to eat vitamin c rich foods with your iron rich sources such as whole wheat products and beans. Try to consume cruciferous greens such as collards, kale and bok choy as these are low oxalate greens. For more information on mineral enhancement. Check out this video.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/Hi MichaelCan you elaborate why you conclude homeopathy is useless? As far as I can see, the systemic review only concludes that homeopathy is not an evidence based treatment.I’ve had a seleveral miles long facebook discussion about the subject and we managed to find some trials that concluded that the homeopathic remedy was equally effective as the established remedy. All were lacking placebo though, but I don’t think it rules homeopathy out. It just shows that you will get results no matter wich remedy you use. I think more research needs to be done.As a response to homeopathy does not make logical sense, I agree. But that does not mean it is wrong, it just means that with our current understanding of the world, it sounds upside down. But wasn’t it the same thing that happened when someone discovered bacteria? Everybody could see that this glass of water has no ingredients, so it is wrong to say that it is full of bacteria that can make you sick. No, they just didn’t have the tools then, to see bacteria. Maybe we are in the same situation today: we can measure with our tools, that there are no ingredients left in homeopathic medicine, so it must be wrong. Maybe we just don’t have the rigth tools yet?Homeopathy is energetic medicine that can be explained by quantum physics as far as I understand. The sugar, alcohol or water that is diluted, carries energetic information from the matter it has been in contact with from the beginning.In the following experiment they could measure the degree of each potency from purchased remedies and see that the higher the dilution, the higher the energetic load. The experiment is not conclusive and obviously need to be replicated by non homeopaths. Again, I think more research needs to be done.http://hpathy.com/scientific-research/homeopathic-potencies-identified-by-a-new-magnetic-resonance-method-homeopathy-an-energetic-medicine/The difficulty with homeopathy when trying to compare it to allopathic medicine is that homeopathy medicine is for the particular person – not for/ against a cerrtain disease. This means that one cannot declare a certain remedy curing e.g. ADHD. The practitioner heals the person and may therefore give all her ADHD patients different remedies. Also, classical homeopathy practitioners would never mix remedies or change them in a fast sequence – they don’t do this to keep track of whether actually their choice renders success. This big misconception of homeopathy – that remedy A heals e.g. headaches – leads to random results. So homeopathy renders potent results – but only when administered by a talented practitioner… and that’s its biggest weakness.Lots of great information on this site and I really appreciate all the science to back up the information.I’ll admit though that when I came to look at the information on homeopathy, I was a little apprehensive. The reason being that if Homeopathy got the thumbs up, I would have felt that the rest of the information on the site was a little dubious. Excellent, Homeopathy gets the thumbs down.It seems that many sites that promote a plant based diet also promote pseudoscience, which I think can be really of putting to the more scientifically minded amung us.	alternative medicine,asthma,attention deficit,brain health,cancer,cognition,complementary medicine,dementia,homeopathy,hyperactivity,lung health,meta-analysis,nutrition myths,placebo effect,pregnancy,snake oil	A review of the best science on the usefulness of homeopathy to treat a variety of conditions.	Here’s more on potential placebos in medicine: Do Antidepressant Drugs Really Work? The Lie That Heals: Should Doctors Give Placebos? Can Cranberry Juice Treat Bladder Infections?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on common nutrition myths. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Be sure to check out my associated blog post for more context:  Half of Doctors Give Placebos	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/03/half-of-doctors-give-placebos/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/attention-deficit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meta-analysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/homeopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hyperactivity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/placebo-effect/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-cranberry-juice-treat-bladder-infections/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lie-that-heals-should-doctors-give-placebos/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20402610,
PLAIN-3241	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apthous-ulcer-mystery-solved/	Apthous Ulcer Mystery Solved	Lichen planus not the same thing as apthous ulcers, also known as canker sores, which are much less serious, but much more common. Some people have a recurring problem with them, where they keep coming back over and over—and we didn’t know why in most cases, until, last year. An immune reaction against cow’s milk proteins and wheat proteins—gliadin is a gluten protein—within the cause of recurrent aphthous ulcers? You tell me… Dairy, gluten, both, or neither? Gluten, had nothing to do with it. It was the dairy. Two thirds of the recurrent canker sore sufferers had high levels of anti-cow’s milk protein antibodies in their bloodstream. The thought is that the milk proteins themselves penetrate deep into the lining of the mouth, inducing a major immune disorder where our body attacks the foreign cow proteins and in doing so ulcerates our mucosal lining. To test this a few of the patients stopped eating all dairy, a cow’s milk protein free diet. And the ulcers disappeared, with no reappearance of clinical disease, until they tried adding back dairy. Same thing with the next patient—went into complete remission, with a reappearance of ulcerations only after some ice cream had been consumed. This is really exciting news for sufferers of this painful condition.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on dairy. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Hi, I am a Vegan but keep getting ulcers in my mouth lately (last 2 weeks). Im not sure but it’s been since I stopped eating lot’s of white bread and switched to brown and I also drink 4-5 cups of coffee a day and eat a far amount of pasta (brown). Any ideas Michael? CheersPerhaps you should not drink so much coffee. Caffeine is not a health promoting substance.Mouth ulcers are a challenge. The studies show clear link to milk products. People due have reactions to plant foods which can be difficult to figure out. Dr. McDougall’s December 2002 newsletter(available for free on website) contains an article, Diet for the Desperate. Below is a quote from that article which talks about the plant foods most likely to cause allergic problems. Hopefully by now the problem has vanished and is no longer an issue but if the problem has persisted you might consider avoiding some of these foods. “If the elimination diet seems too severe for you right now, then follow the McDougall Program, which eliminates six of the leading causes of food allergies: dairy products, eggs, chocolate, nuts, shellfish, and fish. If your problems persist, then the next suspects to eliminate are wheat, corn, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and strawberries–the most frequent causes of adverse reactions among foods in the vegetable kingdom.”I have found that using a toothpaste without sodium laurel sulfate completely prevents these ulcers. There is clinical evidence for this as well, though I don’t have a citation off the top of my head. Rembrandt made a SLS free toothpaste for this very reason- not sure if they still do. I just look in the “natural” section of my grocery store for a toothpaste with fluoride, but no SLS. Nature’s Gate, Jason, and Trader Joe’s all make them, but you need to read the labels.I have had great success using Rembrandt Canker Sore Toothpaste.  It does not have sodium lauryl sulfate in it.  My local stores no longer carry it so I order it directly from the company.  I think it may also be available on Amazon.  While it is expensive, it is worth the cost to avoid the terrible pain.  I stumbled on it in a magazine article about 10 years ago at my doctor’s office.   Before I found this special toothpaste I had suffered with frequent canker sores for years (since my teens), often with several at once.  They wouldn’t heal on their own but had to be cauterized with silver nitrate sticks I got from my family doctor–a painful process in itself.  I got them whenever I injured the inside of my mouth–biting my lip or cheek or scraping the tissue somehow.  Now I almost never get the sores, and if I do they heal up promptly.  What a relief!  I will consider the milk angle, but since this toothpaste has virtually eliminated my problem I’ll probably just stick with that.  I highly recommend that all canker sore sufferers try Rembrandt’s Canker Sore Toothpaste.  Don’t just look for Rembrandt though–several of their varieties have SLS–get the Canker Sore type!   : )cool thanks I use co-op tooth paste cos it’s vegan but i’ve never read the label properly. Why is coffee bad for you? I gave it up this week and am feeling pretty good for it and I feel like I can think much better too. :-)Its not the coffee bean itself that’s bad for you; it is a bean after all. Check out the video on its health benefits http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-coffee-bad-for-you/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/update-on-coffee/But as always, one must weigh out the pros and cons. It has many health benefits but the caffeine itself is not a beneficial substance. It is after all, an unnatural stimulant. Check out these few articles on coffee by Dr. McDougall. http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/2004nl/040700pucoffee.htm http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/july/050700fav5.htm Drinking 4-5 cups of coffee a day is an extreme amount, since depending on what type you drink, such as filtered, it can have up to 100 mg of caffeine, and the daily limit is 200! You should aim for 2 cups a day max or drink decaf. A much healthier choice would be to drink Decaf Chai Tea http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/the-healthiest-beverage-2/I’ve suffered with mouth ulcers my entire life.  I’ve never found a dentist or doctor who had an answer to the cause.  Eleven months ago, I started a whole foods, plant-based diet (thus, eliminating all animal and dairy).  I was still getting the mouth ulcers.  In January I was searching the internet for causes for mouth ulcers (as I have done many times before) and found an article about SLS in toothpaste as a cause.  I switched to a natural toothpaste and the ulcers went away.  That is until June when I spent a month traveling Europe.  The interesting thing about this is that I decided not to be plant-based while I traveled (I wanted to eat what the locals eat) and I ate dairy.  I also ran out of my natural toothpaste and switched back to SLS toothpaste for a couple of weeks.  By the time I got home, I had mouth ulcers once again.  So, was it the dairy or was it the toothpaste?  I’m back off of both, so perhaps I will never know for sure, but I suspect it is the SLS in the toothpaste since I was still getting them after several months on a non-dairy diet. They are sooooo painful and frustrating!Not a single canker sore in my mouth since avoiding all dairy years ago. I had forgotten all about them until I saw this video. Pleasant change explained!Dr. Greger,My husband, a sufferer from recurring, painful canker sores, is inclined to try eliminating dairy, after seeing this video. My question: Is cows’ milk the only dairy source that could trigger this condition? Does goat milk have the same negative effect; or could he consume goat milk products in exchange? He is having a hard time giving up cheese…Thank you!~ UteHi, I am Sahithi,i am suffering fro mouth ulser from 2 weeks.I am getting mouth ulcer after eating food made up of chick peas powder,i wonder what is the cause of it.chick peas powder is procesed food like enithing else form modern style life. Try to eat chick peas raw…very healthy!!! ( my experience)Hi everyone, I suffered with these horrible canker sores for years, never knowing what was causing them, a hapless victim of their merciless pain that often lasted for two weeks. Sometimes the pain was so great I could not even sleep or eat normal food. I finally saw a world reknown dermatologist who advised me to eliminate one of the possible food groups that cause them at a time, and for me it was the dairy products. Here’s the thing: I thought I was doing everything right and I was still getting them, until I found out the margarine I was using contained whey which is a dairy product. Ever since then, I began looking at food labels, avoiding the whey and have rarely had a problem. I found that the more concentrated forms of dairy such as butter and cheese were the worst causes, as well as milk chocolate, moreso than regular milk. If you’re searching for a solution as I was, try eliminating ALL dairy from your diet, which you really have to watch food labels (and ask annoying questions at restaurants) to do. Best wishes everyone.Makes sense. I wasn’t vegan til I moved out of my parents house. The whole time at my parents’ house I had recurring mouth ulcers. I thought it was because I started cooking on my own and reduced my salt intake, but this could make sense too! Either way, just another victory of a healthy diet!Would the dairy issue with the body attacking itself ..autoimmune… cause the same problems in the gut.. as in crohns disease? And if so, what is the best way to test to see if your body fights against dairy like this?Michael, I have seen huge progress from that expo in Chicago….just go, an go….I’m 100% on Your side…we have to change the world…and I think we allready did!!!P.S. Sory about My broken English ;)…because, I’m actualy from the road to no where!And, You never answer that question about “smoke is healthy”?….more than 78% smokers have no simptoms of AH decease…no parkinson, and very low level of alergy sensitive between smokers?!allergies antibiotic ointment will helpI have never had ulcers until I became a vegetarian .My body was clean of meats,dairy for months at a time.Once in a blue moon I would eat a cheeseburger and get a ulcer on my tongue right after eating it.This happened 3 times.This must be a signal of rejection of my body.After watching this video, I have been recommending it to my patients. The results have been very good! Unfortunately, the dentists I have shared it with are not willing to give it a try. Old habits die hard.Dr. Jones, I would like to chime in here re mouth (tongue) ulcers. I have been vegan for a few years now and was taking 2000 ug B12 once a week. I have also experienced ulcers mostly on my tongue every so often going way back. I also have a history of Crohn’s going back 30 some years. In the past year I started experiencing other symptoms like fuzzy thinking, fatigue, moodiness and just overall yuckiness. Long story short, I kept digging for a solution and the only thing that put it all together was a vitamin B12 deficiency! So, knowing you can’t OD on B12 and that massive oral doses could be just as effective as intramuscular injections, I started taking daily 5000 ug sublingual methylcobalamin. Within two weeks my symptoms cleared up and I haven’t had any tongue ulcers again even though I drink coffee and eat a lot of tomato paste.Lawrence: Great problem solving. Thanks for sharing.Thanks for being here. Dr. Greger and the entire NF Team are a national treasure. For the sake of brevity, I did not mention a confounding factor in my ‘race for the cure’ of my myriad symptoms, that of my recent serum B12 lab work indicating a normal level (568 pg/ml in a range of 239-931). I have come to learn that the serum tests can be misleading for a number of reasons and one needs to see their homocysteine and MMA levels as well, tests that were not ordered at the time. In addition to all the excellent B12 videos here, Dr. Greger has a great lecture on Youtube called ’40 Year Vegan Dies of a Heart Attack’ that is well worth the time of anyone who frequents this website, and especially for vegans. Another outstanding resource is the CDC continuing education course for healthcare professionals on B12 deficiency. It is suitable for lay readers and will assist the public with being more proactive when interfacing with their health care providers who may not know about the myriad problems associated with B12 deficiency and the dangers of misdiagnosis. Here’s a link to the course:www dot cdc dot gov/ncbddd/b12/documents/b12-030910.pdfLawrence: I’ve seen that other Dr. Greger video too! I agree, it’s great.And thanks for the additional info, re: CDC continuing education course.Take care.My son is 11 and for the past 4 years he keeps getting painful red and often bleeding sores on his lips and the edges of his mouth we ruled out lots of things but it seems he gets them especially if he drinks cow milk the kind given out at school or milk i buy at the store after switching him to coconut milk its completely. Stopped why does this happen? What is it called in medical terms it does not happen when he eats cheese or icecreamLike others here i have had apthous sores my whole life. I have eaten dairy my whole life. But when i stopped eating nuts, 30 years ago – no more sores. I still eat dairy. I’d say the immune response like people in general are different.Thank you for this Video Dr Greger. It was quite a revelation to discover that it was caused by dairy. I just did not make the connection between Dairy and Oral health. I am wondering now if some people have a kind of an allergy or an immune system issue which makes them prone to these painful oral health issues more than others, when consuming certain foods. It would be great to see more videos like this, since people with oral health issues tend to have suffered from it for a very long time, even with regular check ups and cleaning they receive from dentists and periodontists .Never been prone to acne but had those apthous sores my entire youth. Do kids showing these sores have higher ADHD prevalence, anybody here privy to this? Scored unusually high 38/40 on a test 20 years back, with all the exorphin talk out there and now this sensitivity linked to milk again. I wonder….. , could I have had a normal life?Is there any link between stomach ulcers and dairy?I am a vegan (vegan 2 years, 6 years vegetarian) who has recently been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease 4 months ago. I have been getting canker sores for the last 4 years, I follow a strict vegan diet and every month I get these sores? Is this related to my Crohns?Hey Sam. Ughh, sorry to hear about the Crohns. Luckily symptoms can be heavily managed sometimes by diet and lifestyle. Not sure about the canker sores or if they are related. A quick search did find some common themes. One study Oral manifestation in inflammatory bowel disease: a review. And another that discusses From aphthous ulcer to full-blown Crohn’s disease. This is a serious condition and I highly suggest discussing diet with your doctor and even seeing a dietitian. There are many herbs, foods, vitamins that may be a good option for you. Let me know if I can do more. I have a few freinds with crohns and anecdotally I can say a few things really triggers flares : refined carbohydrates (soda and fruit juice), some beans (but not many of them), and raw cruciferous veggies. Funny though he dies fine with spicy foods, homemade breads (but not commercially bought), and most all other foods. Very individuals, hence why seeing a dietitian could be super helpful!Best to you, JosephJust returned from Holistic Holiday at Sea. (Great presentations from you, Dr. Greger) One presenter, Dr. Blyweiss, addressed the treatment of Aphthous ulcers as including Lysine and “the clyclovirs”. I can’t remember what he attributed as “cause”, but I hope to receive the powerpoint slides for review soon. All my life, I have gotten random single or double “simple” sores. I usually gargled with salt water and used “Kank-a” (brand) topical solution, which burns it to numbness. About 18 months, several sores erupted simultaneously and then flared into a massive sore that spanned the length of my tongue and gums on one side of my mouth. I have never been in so much pain. It hurt to talk, and eating was out of the question. I sought out an oral specialist, and after careful interviewing and listening and the use of many reference materials, the doc cited the presence of Herpes in my system, due to past diagnoses of Chicken Pocs, Shingles and Mono. He said that the virus remains dormant and then it is activated when immunity is low. While I had already practiced healthful eating (vegan), and he was happy to hear it, I went totally sugar free and took his prescriptive action, which started with a Medral Pak 5-day steroid blast, followed by a group of things: an Rx”Acyclovir” and another Rx for Miracle Mouthwash, and over-the-counter: “Lysine”, “ACHH”, “Colostrum” and “ViraStop” as a full scale treatment. Since that time, my canker sores have appeared about every 4 months. (No regularity, no rhyme/reason) I cannot, for the life of me, figure out a true cause-and-effect for the occurrence of canker sores for me. I get more than one at a time, usually. There is no specific thing I am doing that suddenly brings them on…ie I used to think it was because of a random sugary dessert, but other times, the same dessert does not cause a break out; I have purchased natural, Laurel Sulfate-free toothpaste, and I still get them randomly; I am almost 100% vegan, with only one exception: half-n-half in my daily coffee. (I know that “needs to go” for many reasons), but still, it’s perplexing to me that, if dairy is a culprit, note that I have 1-2 TSB of half-n-half every day in my morning coffee, (for years) and I only randomly get canker sores. Is there any updated information on aphthous sores these days? It has been 5 years since this video… Anything you can present would be greatly appreciated. I have been on another dose of Acyclovir (“every 6 hours”) for about 10 days. The original canker sore on my tongue has gone away, and now I have two more getting started on the roof of my mouth and where my gums attach to my upper lip. I am willing to do anything to make them stop coming. HELP!Hi Christine. Thanks for your comment and glad you were able to connect with Dr. Greger and others on the cruise! I suggest avoiding the dairy for a bit and see if it helps? The association between canker sores and dairy seems to remain.I used to get canker sores when I was little and didn’t consume any dairy products.Now I eat a lot of dairy foods but hardly get any mouth sores anymore.I just hope they don’t come back to haunt me:/	allergies,animal products,aphthous ulcers,canker sores,dairy,gluten,ice cream,immune function,milk,oral health,pain,wheat	A dairy-free diet may stop the recurrence of canker sores.	For more videos on health concerns related to dairy, check out: Formula for Childhood Obesity Childhood Constipation and Cow’s Milk Prostate Cancer and Organic Milk vs. Almond Milk Cow’s Milk-Induced Infant Apnea Skim Milk and AcnePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on dairy. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some additional context, please check out my associated blog post: Do Vegans Get More Cavities? 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canker-sores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wheat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aphthous-ulcers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ice-cream/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-constipation-and-cows-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-induced-infant-apnea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/formula-for-childhood-obesity/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19563417,
PLAIN-3242	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-lichen-planus/	Diet & Lichen Planus	There’s another inflammatory auto-immune condition called oral lichen plan-us, in which your immune system attacks the lining of your mouth. This is what is looks like. It’s actually not that rare—strikes up to2% of the population. And there’s no cure, and the available treatments are pretty nasty in themselves—steroids, immunosuppressants. Sometimes, the lesions can even turn into cancer. Thankfully, scientists just discovered a new treatment. A treatment with no side-effects. A treatment leading to remarkable clinical improvement in the vast majority of patients—even total remission. And it’s just a plant; a simple common plant. Which one is it? Is it artichokes, celery root, fiddlehead ferns, Jerusalem artichokes—which are actually the roots of sunflowers, hence the term sunchoke, purslane, or watercress? I gave a hint when I said it was a common plant, it is in fact one of the most common plants in the world. Purslane.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on alternative medicine. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I am currently taking 10 mg of prednisone for oral lichen planus and I would love to stop taking it for good! How much purslane so you have to eat daily to keep the lichen planus from flairing up?Hello MissReesa, Owning a dermatology practice I would like to know too! Start by adding parsllane to your salads. A recipe I have for a similar succulent- type plant is to quickly put the parslane in boiling water to slightly wilt it, drain it then add thinly slices of tomatoes. Monitor your progress. Clinically speaking, check with your doctor about immune deficiencies, as well as check with a biologic dentist for failed amalgams and/or a sensitivity to gold in your teeth. Additional inspiring links to the topic of immunity can be found here http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/Can someone PLEASE clarify how much purslane should be used to treat oral LP daily and in what form?Hello Dr. Greger, Thank you for this video! I have been diagnosed with oral lichen planus in the gums and will not do the nasty drug route, as it provides no clinical improvement or remission. I am eager to begin taking purslane, and like the previous commentators, would like to know how much to eat. The article cited (Efficacy of Purslane, in the journal Phytotherapy Research) says patients received a single dose of purslane extract in the form of 235 mg capsules—but I can’t tell if the dose was one time only or repeated daily over the course of six months. What is the edible equivalent? Does it need to be eaten raw or is lightly steaming or cooked as effective? I’ve searched every website for purslane supplements, but cannot find any. Do you know if and where they can be purchased? P.S.: I and many members of my family became committed vegans after reading your articles and watching your videos. I can’t thank you enough for all of your public service activities.I was diagnosed with lichen planus in March 2013. Thankfully I saw your video about purslane very soon after and I eat a minimum of 4 ounces of raw purslane every day. I don’t have to take any drugs for my symptoms any longer and the progression has stopped. I also take 2 standardized olive leaf capsules a day which seems to strengthen the immunity. I did some research and saw that thiazide drugs are linked to the development of Lichen Planus and I was taking Hydroclorityiazide for blood pressure. I stopped taking it and started drinking more beet juice, meditating and doing some CBT for my panic attacks and my blood pressure is now as good or better than when I was on the drug. I am 63 and a vegan for 7 years. I also take some Chinese herbs for the blood pressure. Another thinkg I saw was some research linking invisalign braces to Lichen Planus. I have had invisalign since 2/1/11 so I had a retainer made out of stainless steel and acyrilic. All of these things have stopped the progression of this illness. Hope this helps someone else.Thank you for this. I had a gum biopsy and do not have all the major symptoms of OLP but it is pointing in that direction. I guess a milder version. I will try using the purslane if I can find it and the Olive Leaf caps.Could you give any hope for lichen planus on the skin but not oral, of a 10 year old girl? As far as I know, her paternal grandmother had it.Check out the paleo approach, the author (Sarah) has (had) LP herself and healed it through dietThank you so much Dr. Greger for the information about purslane as a treatment for oral lichen planus!…I have endured constant pain from OLP for 2 years….doctor did a biopsy which led to the diagnosis but none of my dr’s have any idea how to treat it…I will definitely be back to your site and thank you for the work you do.ChristinaI have lichen planus and your suggestion to use purslane has really cut down on the inflammation. I want to know if there is any way to cure it? I will try anything.Immediately make dietary changes, no refine salt, less sugar, no yeast, no dairy products, no sour foods lemon tamarind tomatoes vinegar. No sesame oil and seeds. Avoid refined flours. Take homeopathy. Do yoga and reduce stress let go.Doctor, my urologist recently diagnosed me with genital lichen planus, although what I have doesn’t look to me like lichen planus pictures I’ve seen, he is a very respected guy, but I need a second opinion. Does the purslane work for this type of lichen planus? Can I get extract of purslane? What dosages would you recommend? I am 55, male and 235 lbs.Thank you.Before i jump off a high bridge I would like to ask if there is any nutritional remedy for lichen sclerosis. I’m a male and this is devastating to say the least…Ayurveda is d key to all types of LP read my reply above. See if allopathy works. Else try homeo and then ayurveda. All d bestcould this also work for lichen sclerosis and if not, is there anything other than steroids that helpThank you Dr. GregerI have used this plant I bought it at Lowes for Oral lichen Planus I am completely healed this is so great! I have pictures I would love to show anyone interested . My primary care doctor told me this wasn’t going to go away . Well I’m proud to say it has !!!!!!!!!!Thank you Dr. Greger for the work you do .How can i bought it ? i live in lebanon what is the Lowes?Would be interested in knowing genus/species of plant “Happy” purchased at Lowe’s. My lichen planus presented almost 2 years ago. .. reasonably under control. Occasional flare – ups. Got purslane start from a friend but hasn’t grown fast enough to eat that much on a regular basis. Thank you Dr Gregor. PattyPortulaca oleracea (common purslane, also known as verdolaga, pigweed, little hogweed, red root, pursley, and moss . Hope it’s not too Late to share this!All these comments and no one can give specifics on how much purslane was used to help with oral LP?Would appreciate any guidance…. should capsules be used and swallowed, and if so how much? Or do you chew on the leaves? and again – how much?Summer17 I take the puSummer17 I take Purslane capsules 400 mg and they work. I have a bad case OLP. It really works. You take one pill a day. You still have to watch what you eat and drink. I got them on Amazon.com from Swanson it contains 60 pills. The cost is $7.99 a bottle. Good Luck.I have been diagnosed with oral and esophagus lichen planus. What do I need to do to have a thin to liquid diet while I wait to be treated. (insurance company needs to be pre approved)I was also diagnosed with Oral Lichen Planus many years ago. I was embarrassed to laugh with my mouth open because of the way my tongue looked. When I saw a small study showing that purslane controlled and sometimes reversed OLP I decided to give it a try. And it works. I purchase mine in a dessicated (powdered) form from a Canadian company called Natural Plantations. They sell capsules as well, but the powdered form is the most economical. 1/8 tsp per day in water (or your smoothie, juice, etc.) I also use the shampoo and conditioner as my scalp has problems with lichen planus and it seems to control this as well. Very knowledgeable company owner, good service. Purslane is an outstanding anti-oxidant.I’m glad this works for you. I have recently found a source on amazon.com(http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Mojo-Purslane-Herb-Powder/dp/B00JEI5VW6/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_1),and the price difference between them and Nature’s Plantation is pretty dramatic, even with shipping to Canada and customs fees……if you’re interested, of course.Keep well.	alternative medicine,artichokes,autoimmune diseases,celery root,complementary medicine,fiddlehead ferns,immune function,Jerusalem artichokes,lichen planus,medications,mouth cancer,oral health,purslane,steroids,sunchokes,vegetables,watercress	A common plant may successfully treat oral lichen planus, a painful condition affecting the lining of the mouth.	Want more on oral health? See: Plant-Based Diets: Oral Health Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer Plant-Based Diets: Dental Health What’s the Best Mouthwash?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on alternative medicine. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some more context, please check out my associated blog post:  Do Vegans Get More Cavities? 	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/25/do-vegans-get-more-cavities/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lichen-planus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sunchokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/watercress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artichokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jerusalem-artichokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celery-root/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/purslane/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mouth-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiddlehead-ferns/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whats-the-best-mouthwash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/black-raspberries-versus-oral-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-dental-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19585472,
PLAIN-3243	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-rheumatoid-arthritis/	Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis	Rheumatoid arthritis can be a disfiguring condition… The treatment often involves some of our most toxic drugs—steroids, chemotherapy agents, thalidomide. We’ve known for 10 years that meat consumption may play a major role, based on this kind of data, where it appears the more meat populations eat, the higher their prevalence of the disease, and so eating vegetarian may reduce our chances of getting rheumatoid arthritis, but once you already have it, does it matter what you eat? Vegetarian diets can be used to successfully treat rheumatoid arthritis: fact for fiction? Fact; nearly every study ever published on the matter has shown that vegetarian diets can indeed be used to successfully treat the disease. Some tested vegetarian diets with or without fasting, some tested vegan diets, some used raw vegan diets, some used gluten-free raw vegan diets. The one thing they all shared in common was that they were all vegetarian, and that they all worked. The only really remaining question is why? Is rheumatoid arthritis an autoimmune meat-induced joint attack, or are the meat proteins themselves involved in attacking the joints. This is from earlier this year, a case report of woman eating eggs, dairy, and meat with joint inflammation so bad she was on chemo and steroids —until she stopped ingesting animal products, and her symptoms disappeared when she just ate plant proteins. She could turn her disease on and off like a light switch. It even says how she ate meat the night before her doctor’s appointment just to show the doctor that she really did have bad arthritis. When susceptible people put all these foreign animal proteins in their body, one of two things may happen. When we nibble on the cartilage at the end of a chicken’s leg, our immune system may react to these foreign cartilage proteins by producing anticartilage antibodies that may get confused and start attacking our own cartilage. That’s what they mean by the meat-induced joint attack. The other possibility is that even if there is no cross-reactivity confusion, the immune complexes formed by the meat proteins and our antibodies may migrate into our joints and trigger inflammation that way. It’s actually interesting how they’re doing some of these experiments. When scientists want to know if someone’s truly reacting to animal protein they can’t just give them bacon and eggs and ask how they’re feeling, because you have to have a placebo control to compare the food to, and people are going to know if they’re eating bacon and eggs or a sugar pill, so how do you get food into somebody in a way that bypasses the tastebuds? You stick it up their butt. “Reactivity after a rectal food challenge in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.” Again, don’t try this at home.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. For more information on the role that diet can play in arthritis, please see Dietary Osteoarthritis Treatment. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Hello Dr. Greger, It surpasses my belief that I am finally discovering this astounding portal. Thank you for your amazing work! I watch your videos on plenty of different topics yet my search began here at “Arthritis”.A year ago my 15 year old daughter fell victim to juvenile arthritis. In a blink of an eye of every doctor we visited methotrexate drug was prescribed. Any of my attempts to discuss the healthy diet were either dismissed, denied, or treated with anger, at one point even mocked :( Hence it has been a very scarry and lonely journey in search of sources articulating my own belief in natural healing processes.I have read China Study, and many more books about alternative treatment for arthritis, yet the professional research seems thrifty comparing to other medical studies. The staple argument of rheumatologists for using the toxic drugs is to stop inflamation to prevent deterioration of cartilage and deformity of joints.Why there is no research about drugs vs diet among the arthretic children. Is it because they are the best silent golden goose in the history of the disease? Methotrexate facilitators pronounce to us a life sentence of pain and deformation and say that diet has no meaning in curing this ailment. What segment of society is more vulnerable to such a threat if not that of little girls and their frightened mothers?Within our extremally small community of immigrant friends, I know 3 teenage girls who suffer from arthritis. Is being an immigrant even better an oportunity to the health care providers to say that we have no other choice but DNA altering drug?I was full of hope when I first brought my daughter to the world leading rheumatology unit in children’s central hospital in the nearby metropolitan city. “She will never get out of it” said the doctor to my teenage daughter – an acro- and hip-hop competitive dancer.The book “Blindness” by Jose Saramago, a Literary Nobel Price winner comes to my mind.I am willing to do anything to contribute to a survey/research/anything to help the arthretic youngsters.Thank you again Dr. Greger.Thank you for sharing your story Lucyna. Methotrexate is indeed a pretty harsh drug, but as you know more than most, juvenile arthritis can be a pretty harsh disease. Though typically reserved as a second-line treatment reserved for those that don’t respond to less toxic drugs, methotrexate may be prescribed right up front if there is serious multiple joint involvement. In both these cases the benefits are expected to outweigh the risks. The nice thing about healthy dietary interventions is that there are no risks–just benefits–and perhaps particularly in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis patients who tend to suffer from inadequate nutrition. So it’s not either/or. Hopefully you can find a physician who respects your family enough to talk to about improving your daughter’s diet in addition to other medical interventions they have in mind. Two of the first things I would suggest is cutting out dairy (as there is a report in the medical literature of complete remission of the disease “after the elimination of all cow’s milk protein from her diet.”) and gluten-free trial, since (rarely) celiac disease can manifest with strictly joint symptoms.Thank you for your reply Dr. Greger.One of my best friends, now 50, used to have arthritis as a child. Her father happened to be a farmacist and she remembers vividly his refusal to treat her with any toxic drugs. Her memory stops there and she does not know how her parents treated her, but she lived arthritis free up until now. When I mentioned my daughter’s condition to her she gave me a book by Patric Holford “Say no to Arthritis- the proven drug-free guide to preventing and relieving arthritis”. I am wondering if you know of this author and his book.I cook dairy and gluten free since January as a result of my own studies regarding arthritis, and my daughter is experiencing similar trial to the one experienced by a girl from medical report you had sent to me (“report”). She is fine and asymptomatic (while on methotrexate) until coming back from vacations with relatives who do not cook dairy free and eat with no reservations excluding junkfood.As to inadequate nutrition, I have three children. My first two are 6′ tall and exceptionally healthy at normal weight. My daughter with JRA is 4’11 and weighs 86 lbs. I am comming from heritage of pure, healthy european eating and lousy food was never in my kitchen. Yet we ate dairy, poultry and breads. (As a matter of fact, in the past, I could not imagine life without milk or rye bread). I seem to be healthy but with the dairy-, gluten- and meat-free diet since JRA entered our home, ironically I feel and look better than ever before even though it should be the other way around considering the tremendous stress I am going through with regards to my daughter’s health. Disease was an abstract term for me until now. If arthritis is a result of malnutrition, could it be because of internal malabsorbtion?Here is a picture of Methotrexate that I can not find peace with. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkY7dWtPvusIt alters our DNA. Without it my friend got healed from juvenile arthritis 40 years ago in Europe. With it my daughter seems worse just like most of other kids in North America.Your help means a lot to me Dr. Greger. If you know more as to methotrexate and alike vs. nutrition please let me know. Thank you again.To add to Dr. Greger’s comments you may benefit from information on the John McDougall MD website. If you check on “Hot Topics read more” and then click on Arthritis you can view the 10 miinute video on Juliea Baker a patient with JRA or one of the three newsletter articles he has written about inflammatory arthritis. There are patients with arthritis who have triggers in plant foods. Hopefully the information on NutritionFacts.org and the McDougall website will help you and family members work with your physicians to remain healthy and on no medications.Hi there. Do you have any information that can put to rest the theory that grain consumption causes inflammation which can sometimes lead to arthritis and joint pain. I’ve heard ideas like “cooked grains cause acid toxemia and contain opioids” to “grains and the synovial tissue in our bodies are similar chemically so our body attacks the grains, and they attack the joints”. Any aspect of this true to any degree?at 35 and longstanding semi vegan, i had a ischaemic stroke of unknown etilogy. i´m now on crestor 5mg (for antiinflammatory purposes) and plavix 75mg. with history of lupus in my family. i want to get off of the pills.what foods do i eat tolower the inflammation.Thank you Dr Dons, I have found the suggested links easily. I have come across Dr. McDoougall’s website during my research before, yet the arthritis section was quite hidden, so I missed it that time. I only knew he was teaching what I believed. Juliea’s story is very encouraging to both young girls suffering from JRA, and their mothers. Hope others will find it in this blog as well. Girls have been deeply affected by JRA symptoms, toxic treatment and prognosis coming from doctors belonging to “earth is flat” segment of people. Thank you for speaking up.Please also check out my blog post, Watermelon for Erectile Dysfunction!I don’t see anything on this site about Fibromyalgia. My sister-in-law suffers from it and although I don’t hold out much hope that she will make a significant lifestyle change, I would like to be armed with some data when I suggest she incrementally move toward more of a plant-based diet.Dr. Greger, you are my new hero!  I have learned so much from your mini lectures- very well-researched and spin free!!!  Thank you so much- please keep it going!Thank you for such insightful information. I was diagnosed 3 years ago at 28yrs old. Started taking NSAID’s, steroids, methotrexate and now on Tocilizumab. but Since I quit dairy and gluten 2yrs ago my body feels better and I now only take Tocilizumab. I instany know if theres been dairy/whet in my food the night before because i’ll be to stiff to get dressed. i already eat very little meat, and I’m always aware of my food intake but I’m going vegan now after watching this video. I’m very thankful for this information.Linda, I have something that I think will help you. Message me back at nancyhelmold@gmail.com and we can talk.I have had RA since 1996 and am still taking methotrexate and placquinel. I have been following Dr. Esselstyn’s program (Whole Food Plant-Based, no oil, no dairy) for 3 1/2 months. I see no change in my RA symptoms. I tried to decrease my methotrexate from 10 2.5 mg per week to 8 2.5 mg per week (for 6 weeks) and my RA symptoms increased. Is there hope for me to get off of my medications?I have been vegan for 24 years, considering it the best thing I’ve done for my health and my conscience, but was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 15 years ago after the birth of my son, later also being told I had lupus and Sjogren’s. I’m now 45, after living with relatively mild symptoms for years (taking naproxen and plaquenil most of that time) I now clearly have joint damage in my hands and difficulty walking with a swollen knee. I don’t know if there’s anything further I can do to help myself with diet or any supplements. I’ve tried such a lot of things already (perhaps mostly a waste of money) and I think I eat generally very well anyway, with a lot of very varied fresh (mainly raw) fruits and vegetables, lentils, beans, seeds etc, very little refined wheat flour or sugar. I used to be very active and walked a lot, but the recent increase in joint pain is now making it harder to exercise, though I’m still able to comfortably peddle a stationary exercise bike, though I hope that’s not going to do further damage to the inflamed knee? Unfortunately my rheumatologists don’t think there’s any connection between diet and RA, some other people have told me that I have caused or worsened my symptoms by being vegan. Any advice or suggestions would be very welcome. Thank you.Hi there — I, too, have lupus — 30 years! I began a vegan diet as well, but didn’t notice any significant change in my pain levels decreasing until I omitted all forms of oil and fat from my diet (with the exception of nuts, seeds and avocado.) As soon as I eat something with oil, I immediately feel it. Just wanted to pass that info on to you in case it’s of some help. I got used to sauteing foods in broth, wine, or just plain water, and I have a bunch of salad dressings without oil that are just delicious. So possibly try that…see if it makes a difference? Regards!Thanks for that, glad it’s working for you, I’ll give it a try.If u have a look at dr John mcdougalls diet it is not just being Vegan but whole foods and low fat, so no added oils or processed food. Follow his elimination diet if you have trouble still to work out the causes of inflammation as you will read in his success stories some havemto stop gluten, corn etc too.I have tried glucosamine and chondroitin for years for joint and knee pain and now my doctor say its Arthritis and prescript ‘Regenerix’ which is pretty expensive. I would want to try natural remedy, what would you recommend.I had active RA from age 9 until age 20 that affected my ankles, wrists and elbows. I also had two joint reconstructions during that time because my elbows had almost seized up. Plus, I had very limited mobility and was confined to a wheel chair.At age 20 my RA went into remission but I continued to have pain and limited mobility although I was able to walk. If I walked for too long I would end up in severe pain and unable to walk at all until the pain subsided after a day or so.At age 43 (2 years ago) I changed to a plant based diet and not only lost 60 lbs (bringing my weight back down to a healthy weight) but I no longer had joint pain and was able to begin a much more active life style. I’m now able to hike for several hours a day without pain. I do believe that the change in my diet (no animal products at all, little or no oil, no processed foods, no sugar etc…) made the difference in my health.Hello Dr. Greger,I have a problem that I was hoping you could help me with. I have been a vegetarian for a year and a vegan for 6 months. For the past 2 or 3 months I have been noticing increasingly sore joints. It started with sore knees and now it has moved to my hips. Having done some research I have come up with a few possible reasons, but I am not a doctor so I could be completely wrong. Is it possible it has to do with a vitamin D deficiency? I haven’t taken any supplements (wrong I know) and even before I was vegetarian did’t consume a lot of vitamin D rich foods. Another reason I have found is soy, but that could just be the soy scaremongering campaign… I would really appreciate any input, as the discomfort is increasing and I am at a loss.Thank you!I am a 28 year old female with RA. I have been a vegetarian throughout the course of my disease and definitely feel better eating a plant-intense vegan diet. I am a MPH student and I try to educate myself as much as possible, but I still feel overwhelmed with all the opposing views expressed by the medical community. Can you advise me on dietary lectins (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10884708)? A close friend said I should stop eating legumes to improve my RA symptoms. The thought of not being able to eat hummus, lentils, and beans makes me want to cry. I would appreciate your insight on this subject.I am a 60 y/o female with a 15 year hx of RA. I have a brother two yrs senior with a 30 hx and an Aunt that had it for 60 years so clearly a genetic component. Each of us tried dietary approaches to the treatment of the disease without benefit. For me my condition significantly worsened. I should point out I followed a mostly vegetarian diet for 20 years before I was diagnosed. My brother is currently back on a vegan / microbiotic diet and his symptoms have significantly worsened. He is very twisted and crippled. While I am on methotrexate and rituxan infusions and doing better than I ever have. You make me feel terrible about my choice to take these “toxic” drugs but I am living a much more active life now. I would say to that concerned mother of the teen girl, be careful before dismissing all the Rheumy’s. You cannot feel your daughter’s pain or know the guilt you create in her for wanting other options to help end it. Keep an open mind.Hi Dr. Greger. Thanks so much for the work that you do. I popped over to pubmed to look at the abstract on the last journal article cited in this video. Can you clarify the conclusion? I realize that just reading the abstract doesn’t give the entire picture of the findings or the experiment. What I read and interpreted in the summary was that cumulatively strong (11%) and moderately strong (22%) = 33% of the patients had mucosal reactivity to cow’s milk protein, yet the very last statement made was that “mucosal reactivity to CM and gluten is seen in a minor fraction of RA patients and isn’t related to the frequently perceived intolerance to these proteins.” I may not be interpreting this correctly, but the fact that 33% had mucosal reactivity, followed by the statement that mucosal reactivity to CM is seen in a minor fraction of RA patients…, doesn’t seem to agree in terms of what they are saying as a conclusion. (I don’t know what the definition of mucosal reactivity is). But my main thought is, that I would doubt that many rheumatologists would even test for CM (cow’s milk protein sensitivity) for the authors to be able to make this blanket statement. Do they have data for that somehow regarding RA patients in general and their CM? From reading the abstract, that’s all that I can make of what they are saying, anyway. The gist of my question, is that I’m confused by their some of the conclusion in the abstract. Here’s the article: Scan J Rheumatol. 2010 aug;39(4):292-8 Self-reported food intolerance and mucosal reactivity after rectal food protein challenge in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Dr. Greger,First let me say how thankful we are you provide these videos and this service to all of us. It’s like David against the Industrial Food Conglomerate Goliaths, and we are really happy to get these layman-understandable reviews of relevant scientific literature. THANK YOU!So here is my story/question: My wife (and I) went vegan after she was diagnosed with RA about 4 years ago. Her anti-CCP test was apparently “off the charts”. She was put on Methotrexate, which she decided to continue in parallel with the dietary change, since the goal was to minimize joint damage ASAP.We both loved the change to the vegan lifestyle. Upon moving back to the US from Europe a few months ago, and into a new health care system, my wife was tested again for RA … and the Rheumatologist found none, and her anti-CCP levels were normal. Great news of course.She’s now off all of her meds (more great news). But here is the lingering issue — while her lab tests (and X-rays) show no RA (or damage), her joints (fingers and ankles mostly) are still somewhat swollen and quite sore (more than they were when she was taking the Methotrexate). We’re wondering if we are missing something in the diet that may still be a source of the inflammation or auto-immune response.Do you have a suggestion of what to try? While we are 100% vegan when we eat at home, we will make exceptions when we eat out. We are always strict vegetarians, but sometimes the only options include eggs or dairy in the restaurant recipes. We don’t eat out that often, but is that the likely issue?Or might you suspect something else, like wheat or gluten sensitivities? Or maybe elimination of oil? Just looking for rational theories that fit her situation, so we know if we should be trying elimination diets, and if so, how long must they be adhered to before we should expect to see symptom relief.Thanks in advance for any suggestions or insights. Your work has already made such a difference, but we’d like to get her totally symptom free if at all possible.Stevenp.s., we are loving your Hibiscus tea (started about 2 weeks ago)Hi Steven, I also have an autoimmune disease. (Couple actually) but I no longer have symptoms. I would recommend that your wife give up the gluten-at least for 4-6 weeks and see if she notices a difference. Also when I first went vegan I ate a lot of tofu and tempeh. I woke up every morning with every joint in my feet hurting. It took me awhile to figure it out but once I decreased the tofu/tempeh the pain cleared up.So although it is difficult to say exactly what cured me I have a feeling it was just eliminating all the inflammatory foods. (Soy and gluten and animal) at this point I am not willing to add them back.Good luck! And good news about the RA resolving.I would definitely stay away from dairy as I have come across patients with RA who have noticed flares with minimal intake of dairy. As a clinician who has had the good fortune of working with Dr. McDougall I have encountered patients who still have some problems after going to a whole food plant based diets due to certain plant foods. The difficulty is finding the culprits as skin testing and blood testing for allergies often confuse the issue. I favor a more practical approach that you and your physicians can consider. I would read Dr. McDougall’s article, Diet for the Desperate in his December 2002 newsletter. He discusses the plant foods that are often the culprit and an approach for helping ferret out the offending agents. Bon chance!My mother in law has progressing scleroderma with raynolds disease. I am trying to find a nutrition regime for her that will alleviate symptoms. Could a vegitarian diet help? What about gluten and dairy?I was recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis even though I’m pretty certain I’ve had the onset for over a year. Even though I have the prescription, I haven’t started any medication such as methotrexate (spelling?) due to the possible side effects. Instead, I’m 5 weeks into a plant based diet, but have yet to see any noticeable change in swelling and pain in my hands and feet. Regardless, I will continue eating this way to reduce factors of illness, but how long should I wait before taking (if at all) the medication? How long should it take for my NEW way of eating to help? I’m in a quandary!Hello Dr Greger, I understand Rheumatoid Arthritis is a case of an overactive immune system (please correct me, if I am wrong) If so, should a RA patient still take food or supplements that would improve or stimulate or strengthen the immune system? Food like beets are said to boost immune system. Should RA patient avoid such food? Fish Oil Omega3 supplements for example are reportedly strengthening the immune system, yet they are popularly recommended for RA patients to take. Please kindly advise what is best. Thanks very much!Dr.Greger,I am 62 years. I have been a lacto-vegetarian all my life. Since I am a native of India, my food always has a variety of spices in everyday food. I had some pain in my left shoulder and from the x-ray the orthopedician said it was glenohumeral arthritis and that I have to live with it, as it was due to wear and tear. I so mild exercises, which sometimes seem to reduce the pain; however the stiffness when I wake up in the morning is sometimes painful. Will going Vegan help? What kind of food will give a quantum jump to pain minimization?Hi Dr Greger.I was diagnosed with psoriatic or undifferentiated arthritis as my NZ Rheumatologist calls it, coming up six years. What advice can you give with regards to diet?Thank you JoHi Jo. Hard to say. Diet can play a role in arthritis, but I am unfamiliar with those specific types. I would assume they could be treated similarly. Ask your doctor about using food as “medicine”. I suggests browsing through some of the videos on arthritis for more info. Let me know if you have additional questions.Best, JosephRA, OA and the other 100++ forms should be treated with egg’s, collagen and UC-II, they need to be tested for mycoplasma autoimmune attack’s, get treatments asap, vegan’s will experience a honeymoon period of suppressed Inflammation but this is easy to see in the camps in ww2 from starvation as well, dealing with vegan’s for 35 years ever time some guru comes out with a fad diet you can watch them literally Disintegrate into nothing ! so yes vegan and starvation diet does reduce and work but it also kills, here is a tid bit of research on egg’s (wife and I eats 8 whole raw egg’s full shell and all to get the Non oxidized cholesterol and egg shell membrane collagen in living form ) http://www.thealternativedaily.com/powerful-benefits-eggshell-membranes/ get tested ASAP for this http://www.life-sources.com/pages/Mycoplasmas-%26-Cell-Wall-Deficient-Forms.html http://forums.prohealth.com/forums/index.php?threads/arthritis-autoimmune-treatment-discussion-collagen-oral-tolerance.266895/#post-1789445Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Dan. The research still supports the safety and healthfulness of a plant-based diet in any stage of life, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.http://authoritynutrition.com/10-proven-health-benefits-of-eggs/ You eat vegan, my body is made from protein’s, it needs healthy collagen and non oxidized cholesterol ! 4 whole raw egg’s a day ! minimumNope, Dealt with vegan’s my entire life and have watched countless come in my store to purchase protein powders and supplements to keep them on a vegan diet, perfectly healthy women you would Kill to take out on a date in 2 years or so waste away to dried up prunes and Beans are not even to be considered a source of proteins, they contain lectin and are beyond worthless destroy your gut, and create malnutrition ! so we don’t need to even discuss a frigging vegan bs diet ! totally worthless (other than a 2 week clean out ) that is it, and if you stick on it for health reasons you will develop them, when you have destroyed you gut, you will get systemic candida which vegan diet’s feed with ever bite you take (everthing in vegan diet’s rot’s ) meats, and eggs are digested by enzymes so don’t lie about healthy benefits of vegan BS(http://www.life-sources.com/pages/Mycoplasmas-%26-Cell-Wall-Deficient-Forms.html) (http://www.rain-tree.com/myco.htm#.VVUM__lVhBe = to get tested ) http://forums.prohealth.com/forums/index.php?threads/arthritis-autoimmune-treatment-discussion-collagen-oral-tolerance.266895/#post-1789445Someone asked about Stiff Persons Disease. I had never heard of it and there is not much literature on diet the the disease. If anyone finds more information please share. Gluten may be a concern and could be avoided to see if it’s helpful, along with other elimination diets, since there are autoimmune components involved.	animal products,animal protein,arthritis,autoimmune diseases,cartilage health,chemotherapy,dairy,eggs,gluten,immune function,joint health,meat,medications,omnivores,plant protein,plant-based diets,rheumatoid arthritis,steroids,thalidomide,vegans,vegetarians	Preventing and treating rheumatoid arthritis through diet.	Other, more recent videos on autoimmune diseases and diet include: Lipotoxicity: How Saturated Fat Raises Blood Sugar Clonal Deletion Theory of Immunity Poultry Exposure and Neurological Disease Inflammatory Remarks About Arachidonic Acid The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5GcPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. For more information on the role that diet can play in arthritis, please see Dietary Osteoarthritis Treatment. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Preventing and Treating Kidney Failure With Diet, Watermelon for Erectile Dysfunction,How Does Meat Cause Inflammation?, Biblical Daniel Fast Tested, Biblical Daniel Fast Tested, Plant-Based Diets for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Plant-Based Diets for Psoriasis, Plant-Based Diets for Fibromyalgia, and The Science of Acai Berries	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/16/plant-based-diets-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/27/plant-based-diets-for-fibromyalgia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/30/plant-based-diets-for-psoriasis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/24/biblical-daniel-fast-tested/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cartilage-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thalidomide/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/clonal-deletion-theory-of-immunity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/poultry-exposure-and-neurological-disease/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7747149,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11177171,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1681264,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11242480,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11252685,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7835013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9566667,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11156742,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10479237,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Kutlu%20Meat-induced%20joint%20attacks%2C,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20141485,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11890437,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7986787,
PLAIN-3244	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-osteoarthritis-treatment/	Rose Hips for Osteoarthritis	What about… rose hips for osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that’s very frustrating to treat—and worse to have, no doubt. Can be painful and debilitating. Rose hips have long been considered the traditional herbal remedy. Rose hips are the fruits of the rose bush. Good, bad, or useless? Good, resulting in a significant reduction in pain, and may help with rheumatoid arthritis too. What if you don’t have any rose bushes, though? You can get them dried in bulk at your local natural foods store and just eat them straight. For arthritis sufferers I’d recommend asking your doctor about starting on a dose of ten rose hip berries a day.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. For more information on the role that diet can play, please see Diet and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Question about how to consume the rose hips: Bought a pound of dried whole organic rose hips ($9.30). These are too hard and crunchy to just eat., and they contain hard seeds. Am trying to soften some in hot water, but doubt the seeds will soften enough. Could easily grind them, which is what the researchers used…..powdered rose hips. And what? put the powder in soups or tea? Suggestions appreciated! MaryI just searched (via Yahoo; usually google) on rose hips use recipes; this one looks like a good start:How To Use Rose HipsPowdered Rose Hips are really easy to use. http://www.mountainroseherbs.comI see you didn’t get any answers here. I am reading about this for the first time and am wondering if you found how to eat them on your own? I have osteo arthritis in multiple joints and 2 joint replacements! Thanks.Rose hips have a mild sweetness to them, and as another viewer commented, they are also hard and crunchy…which makes them a great alternative to croutons for your salad. Another way to enjoy them is in oatmeal or oat bran. Typically, I soak the rose hips in the cereal overnight in water and then put a seed or nut milk on them in the morning and they are wonderful. I also soak them alone in water and just eat them with a spoon, drinking the remaining liquid. Besides B12, l don’t like to supplement, and rose hips (depending on their preparation) contain a good source of vitamin C. Other flowers also contain vitamin C, including hibiscus, which can be purchased in tea form or dried like fruit (though delicious this way, be careful to avoid those that have sulfites and sweeteners added). These flowers also contain nutrients that can help protect us from disease, see for example: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-hibiscus-tea-good-for-you/. I hope you experience a good response with rose hips, and remember to consult with your prescriber for his/her recommendations on dosing, etc.Have not found out yet…..just noticed the bag of rose hips still sitting in the cupboard too. Remain interested though.http://homecooking.about.com/od/jellyrecipes/r/blfruit15.htm I found this link that tells how to strain the seeds out through a sieve. I don’t have a sieve…..Are they the size of cherries? I am wondering if they could be cooked to soften and then eaten plain and just spit out the seed. I could maybe eat them this way just for the health benefits.The seeds are about the size of a grain of quinoa……too numerous in each hip to spit out. Sieve could work…. The recipes are not helpful to me, having a bag of dried hips with seeds inside. Am thinking to try “blending them”, seeds and all. Will be looking for a better way next time…Rose hips have a mild sweetness to them, and as another viewer commented, they are also hard and crunchy…which makes them a great alternative to croutons for your salad. Another way to enjoy them is in oatmeal or oat bran. Typically, I soak the rose hips in the cereal overnight in water and then put a seed or nut milk on them in the morning and they are wonderful. I also soak them alone in water and just eat them with a spoon, drinking the remaining liquid. Besides B12, I don’t like to supplement, and rose hips (depending on their preparation) contain a good source of vitamin C. Other flowers also contain vitamin C, including hibiscus, which can be purchased in tea form or dried like fruit (though delicious this way, be careful to avoid those that have sulfites and sweeteners added). These flowers also contain nutrients that can help protect us from disease, see for example: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-hibiscus-tea-good-for-you/. I hope you experience pain reduction with rose hips, but don’t forget to consult with your prescriber for his/her recommendations.Hi,I am wondering if there are any herbs that I should stay away from with autoimmune disease (Rheumatoid Arthritis). I am currently taking turmeric, and drinking holy basil and licorice tea as they are anti-inflammatory, but I was cautioned that I want to make sure I’m not overdoing it with herbs and I don’t know if any have counter productive reactions…Any and all info is appreciatedI’d go to the Johns Hopkins lupus center website….they suggest garlic should be avoided by all people with lupus (and other autoimmune issues, i think). They actually list a few “natural” foods to avoid.HELP….I see the last question was 2 years ago. I didn’t see any great responses about how to make the rose hips more palatable. It’s doubtful that many will just eat these extremely hard, ill tasting rose hips just dried. Eating them as is, is pretty harsh. What about just grinding them up into a powder and adding to foods this way? What about making tea with the suggested 10 berries per day dose?I just bought a pound of organic dried seedless rose hips from Starwest Botanicals online. The person who suggested using in place of croutons on salad must have never tried to eat them. They have sort of a plastic texture and are not easily chewed. I plan to put them in VitaMix smoothies. Of course I’ll never know if I feel less pain if it was the rise hips or the turmeric/black pepper almond milk I’ve started to drink daily. Pain and swelling relief takes precedence over a personal well controlled trialI would like to know if Osteoarthritis is included in the realm where chicken and eggs are to be avoided for Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers’…….also, is turkey and duck included (all being fowl)? I would gladly give up chicken and eggs for a significant decrease in Osteoarthritis pain.It would not hurt you to test the theory out and abandon all poultry based products for at least a week or 2 to see if you have nay benefit.A good way to enjoy rose hips is by making rose hips tea (infusion). Grind the rose hips (about 8) in a spice grinder and place in cold water in a covered pot. slowly bring to boil. Turn off heat and steep for 5 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a mug and enjoy.In answer to all these questions about how to add rosehips to diet…. I buy a one lb bag of organic rosehips from Mountain Rose Herbs via Amazon, all split into a few pieces with some seeds and a few small twigs mixed in, and some seeds still attached to some of the pieces. I sort through them by hand to remove twigs and seeds, and then I soak them in a jar in water in the fridge They soften up and increase in volume. I add about a tablespoon or so of the softened rosehips to oatmeal or smoothies with all the other ingredients. They add a little tartness, which is pleasant with the other fruit in your mix. They are too hard to eat “as croutons on salad” as one comment suggested. I don’t see how anyone could sift the loose seeds out, especially since some are still attached to the pieces of hip, but will easily pull or rub off by hand. Some of the pieces of hip are as small as the seeds, and you would have to find a strainer with holes the exact right size that would strain out the loose seeds without too many of the small pieces of hip. I used to put dry hips in a VitaMix with smoothie ingredients, but there was always a grittiness from the very finely ground, but still very hard rosehips. Hope this helps.Oops, correction…. they’re from Starwest Botanicals, not Mountain Rose Herbs… $13 from Amazon Prime, or $11 Amazon Subscribe&Save. It’s getting as hard to remember where I buy different things as it is to find space for, and remember where I stored, all the different ingredients in my freezer, fridge, and pantry since switching to a whole-food, plant-based diet (-:Is there scientific evidence showing that nightshade vegetables contribute to arthritic conditions. Thanks	alternative medicine,arthritis,berries,complementary medicine,health food stores,herbal remedies,joint health,osteoarthritis,rheumatoid arthritis,rose hips	A cheap herbal remedy may significantly reduce the pain associated with both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.	To watch more videos on arthritis, you can check out: Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid Arthritis The Cilantro Gene The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc Potassium and Autoimmune Disease Turmeric Curcumin and OsteoarthritisPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. For more information on the role that diet can play, please see Diet and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please also check out my associated blog posts: The Science of Acai Berries and Hibiscus Tea: The Best Beverage?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/22/the-science-on-acai-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/joint-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rheumatoid-arthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rose-hips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/health-food-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-remedies/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-cilantro-gene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-osteoarthritis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-inflammatory-meat-molecule-neu5gc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/potassium-and-autoimmune-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/turmeric-curcumin-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18407528,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19818588,
PLAIN-3245	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/zinc-gel-for-colds/	Zinc Gel for Colds?	New game: Good, bad, or useless? Helpful, harmful, or just, a waste of money. First up: zinc-containing nasal gel as a cold remedy. It’s unclear whether oral zinc supplements help with a cold, but what about squirting zinc up your nose? Good, bad, or just snakeoil? Bad. More than 100 reports of people losing their sense of smell, some permanently—forever.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on immune function. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Dr Greger, Why does fresh beet juice make me so instantly and very, very ill? Thanks, SandraThere could be several reasons. You could be allergic to the beets or just have a food intolerance. Dr. McDougall has a good post on “Allergic Reactions to Foods” on his website, http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_allergic.html. His recommended approach is very practical as it often difficult to pinpoint the reason for your reaction. Clearly you should avoid the food. If the reaction consists of trouble breathing I would suggest being evaluated by an allergist. Best wishes.Are you drinking it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach? I did that and immediately was ill…sweating, dizzy, nauseous for about an hour. I tried it again a few weeks later after I’d had breakfast and was just fine. I think it was just too much fruit sugar for the body to handle on an empty stomach.Dr. Greger, I am feeling concerned about a long-term vegan diet. I have adopted a vegan diet about 6 months ago. I have tried throughout these months to eat the healthiest I can and I am now eating mostly high carb. I thought I was getting all the nutrients I needed from food (apart from vitamin B-12 of course) but after reading about Zinc and how it isn’t properly absorbed by plant-foods (is this true?) I am quite disappointed. I don’t want to be worrying every single day about if I am getting enough nutrients. What do you recommend for me to eat to be be getting my daily recommendation of Zinc? Thank you for your time.Emillie: Your comment caused me to pull out my well loved and trusted reference book on vegan nutrition: “Becoming Vegan, Express Edition” by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. I don’t speak for Dr. Greger, but I do believe I have heard Dr. Greger speak highly of Brenda Davis in the past and guess that he would agree with the information in the above book.Becoming Vegan includes sections on Zinc. It is definitely possible to get all the zinc you need from plant foods. It is also possible to not get enough. The book tell you how to do it right. I highly recommend taking a look at the book since it answers so many other questions too. It is a great reference book. If you aren’t interested in buying the book, maybe you could get it from your public library?I don’t have time to type out all of that great info. What I will do is say that the book contains a really cool section starting on page 155 that looks at the strengths and weaknesses of various types of vegan diets. The first vegan diet on the list is one that they call “conventional” which is defined as: combination of cooked and raw foods; about 30% fat. The “weaknesses” paragraph says, “With poor food choices, a conventional vegan diet may be low in foods rich in protein, iron, and zinc, such as legumes, or in calcium-rich foods.” (Eat beans was one of the suggestions earlier in the book for getting enough zinc.) The key point in that sentence is, “With poor food choices…” The “making it work” paragraph says: “Eat a balanced of cooked and raw foods, and use convenience food sin moderation.”Does that help?I do eat a variety of legumes. :) It’s just that I’ve been experiencing hair loss and skin itchiness, which is related to low zinc levels. I bought zinc supplement but I haven’t been taking it… I’m not taking it because I don’t feel like being a slave to taking supplements the rest of my life. I’ve included even more zinc rich foods than when I wrote that comment so hopefully that will have a good effect.Please let me know if you come up with anything on the zinc issue. I too have concerns, as most of my diet has far more copper than zinc, and on a 100 percent vegan diet I experience very poor and slow wound (cuts and scrapes and such) healing. It is quite noticeable.When I add in limited amounts of low mercury shellfish, the improvements are dramatic. But I’d rather be 100 percent vegan, so maybe a zinc supplement might be the way. Just not sure if they are safe or even effective.Hey , I’m concerned as to where you are on the Zinc issue now? :) Have you added in some animal foods or did you start supplementing? I sort of forgot about it for a while to be honest.. But I am still losing a bit of hair sometimes on a fully vegan diet.If you’re eating good amounts of wheat and other things like beans, your zinc intake should be fine.Are there any reports about those using oral Zinc-Gluconate cold treatments, such as those offered by Zicam, Cold-Eeze, and their generic equivalents?  These are often in the form of lozenges, or oral sprays.  Can these cause permanent loss of the ability to perceive scent?  The world may never know.holy cow! it’s good to know that	anosmia,common cold,immune function,sense of smell,snake oil,supplements,zinc	Is zinc-containing nasal gel helpful, harmful, or just a waste of money?	Also check out Nutritional Yeast to Prevent the Common ColdPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on the common cold. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Soymilk: shake it up! and The Best Way to Prevent the Common Cold?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anosmia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zinc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sense-of-smell/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutritional-yeast-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-
PLAIN-3246	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benzene-in-carrot-juice/	Benzene in Carrot Juice	Speaking of toxic chemicals, last year we learned that some soft drinks have benzene in them: Well, this year, another beverage was found to have benzene levels exceeding safety standards. Which one was it? Apple juice, beer, carrot juice, coffee, red wine, or white? It was the carrot juice. There are some natural components in carrot juice that are turned to benzene when you heat it. Now fresh carrot juice has no benzene, though. Nor do carrots themselves. The safety limit for benzene in drinking water is one microgram. Pasteurized carrot juice has that one microgram and bottled twice that. Now drinking water standards are made to be conservative, because they assume we’re drinking cups a day, but better to just eat carrots, or juice our own.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on beverages. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Is the benzene coming from the natural components of the carrots in the juice or is it from an additional additive to the juice. In the study did they use organic carrot bottled juice or was it conventional? If there is natural componenet in carrots that converts to benzene when cooked, than does it also possibly apply to cooking carrots?Hello cmarble! To answer your question about the benzene. It was not the additives + heat that caused the benzene it was the makeup of the carrot themselves. Thus, it wouldn’t matter whether they were conventional or organic. To quote the study, “This study shows that carrot juice contains substances such as beta-carotene, phenylalanine or terpenes that may act as precursors for benzene formation during food processing.” In reality, not enough studies have been done on just the carrots, its been on carrot juice. Keep in mind that to make carrot juice you need A LOT of carrots so although it seems reasonable to think cooking carrots might produce benzene, it would be a small, insignificant amount. In a separate study in Germany regarding benzene in carrot juice,”The heating temperature was studied at four levels (unheated, 100, 125 and 150C) and the heating time was varied at three levels (30, 60 and 120 min)” In this study, they were organic. Thus, one can assume longer heating means more benzene. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02652030802036230 Hope this helps!Dr. GregorYour site is great. I see it as the example for how doctors of one specialty can keep up with a different speciality. In Caldwell Esselstyn’s book “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, he writes of a compound called asymmetric dimethyl arginine ADMA, which prevents arginine from being a substrate for NO synthase. He further speaks of a different enzyme, dimethyl arginine dimethyl amino hydrolase (DADAH)which readily breaks up the ADMA, allowing NO synthase to produce NO from arginine. He states that by products from a meat eating diet inhibit DADAH and gives this as a reason that plant based eaters have less heart disease than meat eaters with equal cholesterol levels.Can you explain this, elaborate on it or provide some references? Thanks.	apples,beer,benzene,beverages,carrots,coffee,juice,pasteurization,processed foods,red wine,water,white wine,wine	Which beverages have been found to have benzene levels exceeding safety standards?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on beverages. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog post:  Prevent Breast Cancer by Any Greens Necessary	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/benzene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-wine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pasteurization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/%ef%bb%bfcdc-report-on-environmental-chemical-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-flame-retardant-chemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19835926,
PLAIN-3247	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/deep-frying-toxins/	Deep Frying Toxins	Frying is not just bad because it destroys more nutrition and oil is such a waste of calories. We should never deep-fry foods because of the toxic volatile carcinogens that are produced. In fact we shouldn’t even let anyone deep-fry in our house. Like second-hand smoke, they may be putting your whole household at risk because of the air pollution created by deep frying. If they insist, though, we definitely want to open the windows, keep the kitchen ventilated. And some oils, are worse than others. What’s the worst oil to deep-fry with? Canola, coconut, safflower, or extra virgin olive? The worst is coconut. The worst is coconut oil, which should not be used, period. What’s the least harmful?…, Canola was the oil generating the least amount of potentially toxic chemicals.	So how do you feel about a little olive oil in a stainless steel pan for cooking up say a stir fry? Something in the area of a couple tablespoons. If that’s no good then what do you recommend? BTW I love this site.Try cooking with water. I do and the vegetables turn out the same consistencyThis video is titled “deep frying” but does this also apply to normal frying? I love coconut oil for all its topical uses, and my roommate recently started using it in the frying pan, in place of butter/nonstick spray. A few friends of mine told me that this is dangerous as it becomes carcinogenic (they said it especially happens with cold-pressed oils). Are they right? Thanks.Coconut oil is covered by Dr. Greger. It is indeed an unhealthy food to use, as are all oils. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/Coconut oil manufacturers constantly point a finger to the medium chain saturated fatty acids being used for energy expenditure and therefore not being disposed of as fat in adipose tissue. Coconut oil does indeed contain medium chain fatty acids and this may be metabolized differently but there are very few studies to make the conclusion that coconut oil is “ok” or that medium chain saturated fats are negligible. A tablespoon of coconut oil has about 12 grams of total saturated fat. about 8 grams of this is medium chain saturated fat and about 3.7 grams of this is long chain saturated fat. We have an abundance of evidence concluding that long chain saturated fats are harmful so we cannot consider this oil a healthy option based on that alone.As far as minerals and vitamins go, there is not one significant vitamin or mineral in coconut oil. The only vitamin present in a tablespoon of coconut oil is .1 micrograms of vitamin k which does not even register as a percentage of daily value. Its also absent of any omega 3 fats. Just looking at coconut oils nutritional profile we see that it is clearly a junk food. Junk food is by definition empty calories.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2What about peanut oil? It was suggested to me because of the smoking point being the highest of the oils.Peanut oil is extremely rich on omega 6, with a ratio close to 4400:1 of omega 6:3. An adequate ratio is 4:1 so this far exceeds what we should strive for. This is important because if the ratio is off, then omega 3 ALA cannot be converted to DHA and EPA.0_0 IM afraid to sak about Canola oil, but I may learn somethingSo – in terms of carcinogens and Omega 3 oils, Canola is the healthiest other than flax. I have heard that Canola is bad for frying because Omega 3 oils, while being heart healthy, oxidize more under heat, so it’s possible that your best bet for oils is in salad dressing.I work in a restarant that changes there deep fryer grease 1 time every 2 weeks. I have asthma and before the 1st week is out I’m using my rescue inhaler. This has been going on for years now. Is this dangerous to my health?NO SH*T, SHERLOCK. quit!!!http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24344977 This study including the use test with coconutoil, finds less acrylamid after fying with saturated fats. Coconutoil should do rather well then, right?Canola oil is extracted from rape seeds, high in omega 3 which at high temperatures turns into trans fats. Worse than saturated fat for cholesterol levels. Canola oil should only be used unrefined, cold pressed, and for salads as all omega 3 oils denature at 325F or 160C. As advised by Dr. Greger avoid deep frying.Recommending canola as a preference for deep frying as a healthy choice is a bit like recommending coca cola to athletes because dehydration is so detrimental to performance.	air pollution,canola,carcinogens,coconut oil,cooking methods,cooking temperature,empty calories,frying,junk food,lung health,nutrition myths,occupational health,oils,olive oil,safflower oil,tobacco,vegetable oil	Volatile toxins created by deep frying may pose a respiratory risk.	For more videos on deep frying, see: Cancer Risk From French Fries Prolonged Liver Function Enhancement From Broccoli Estrogenic Cooked Meat CarcinogensPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cooking methods. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coconut-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/air-pollution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/occupational-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/empty-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/junk-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safflower-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/olive-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-french-fries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prolonged-liver-function-enhancement-from-broccoli/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19776562,
PLAIN-3248	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/	Raw Food Nutrient Absorption	It’s not what you eat, though, it’s what you absorb. Check out this study on long-term raw foodists: This study was done in Europe, so the “average Western diet” here wasn’t terrible. Four servings of fruits and vegetables a day resulting in a B carotene intake of about 5mg a day ; versus, a decent diet—seven servings a day of fruits and veggies, both raw and cooked; versus, a raw food diet, in which they ate on average a whopping 17 servings of fruits and veggies a day, leading them to have about 3 times the B-carotene intake.But that’s intake. How much of it actually got into their bloodstream? Blood B-carotene is considered a good surrogate marker for a healthy diet Tell me what your blood B-carotene level is and I will tell you what your health risk is.So who had the most B carotene in their bodies—those eating 4 servings a day, 7, or 14? It was the middle group, the 7 servings a day group,because cooking can boost the absorption of phytonutrients like B-carotene—like the cooked carrots having more antioxidants than raw. The raw foodists here were eating 17 servings a day, and basically had the same amount of this phytonutrient reaching their vital organs as those on the crappy standard diet! So I recommend a combination of raw and cooked foods.	Excellent suggestion, I will be cooking more of my veg after watching this.Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on raw food. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Hello, I started making green leaf/fruit/seed smoothies a regular part of my daily diet a couple weeks ago. I mostly feel great, but my digestive system has been screwed up in several ways, so now I’m wondering if because I am not masticating my foods but rather sucking them through a straw in liquid form, this has caused the nutrients to not break down by stomach enzymes, or maybe my brain doesn’t not realize that I am in fact ingesting foods because they are in liquid form. I believe that we are able to get more nutrients into our bodies when blended versus chewed, but are those nutrients actually being absorbed properly? My feces has been quite green and irregular, whereas before they were quite regular. Any thoughts on mastication being vital?This is great to know – is their a list of foods that is available that shows which veggies are better cooked vs. raw?Hi Dr. Greger:Thank you for providing so much valuable information.In regards to raw food nutrient absorption – Have there been any studies performed on blended raw vegetables versus raw vegetables (in their natural form) nutrient absorption. I’m advised that blended vegetables are more easily absorbed than eating the whole raw vegetable in its natural form. I suppose a lot has to do with how much blending (chewing) you do before swallowing the mouthful?Regards – Colin SapireAs you can see here, the heating itself seems to improve the bioavailability of lycopene. I would not be surprised if the blending helped too, though, so you could blend and heat and have the best of both worlds. :)Thanks for bringing this important study to our attention.Is it true that consuming raw foods leads to greater alertness than eating the corresponding quantity of cooked food?Hello, With the huge rise of Alzheimer’s in this country, a recent study finds that at least half of the cases could have been preventable with lifestyle changes.  Cholesterol intake (only found in animal products) seems to be a big culprit, which makes sense.  Cholesterol clogs the arteries around our heart- why wouldn’t it do the same to the arteries in our brains?  Read more here  http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/11/29/alzheimer%E2%80%99s-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/ With regards to raw versus cooked, I am linking to great videos found on this website that discuss many studies focusing on this topic. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-vs-cooked-broccoli-2/(You might be surprised by the answers) http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/Raw isn’t always better. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/How should we eat mushrooms? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/ This video compares the different cooking methods and how they affect nutrient absorption.  The results are surprising!http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/ Very interesting video discussing some big myths among the raw foodist community.  Is raw only diet really better for you?http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/  To address the issue of mental clarity and mood, check out these videos.  Diet isn’t the only factor when it comes to our mind.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/reversing-cognitive-decline/http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-mood-through-diet/   Amanda, thanks very much for the link gathering. I was looking for a lot of them!Nice post, Doc.  Love, Light and Aliveness :-)You never take into account the amount of waste from cooked foods. Raw is clean (and logical), so who cares about what some lab people says. All medical science is based on that, we always have to measure things and now we are the sickest people in the history of mankind.Tom, what waste do you speak of? When one is on a raw diet, this requires eating a lot of food all day just to satisfy energy needs and expenditures.There is no evidence whatsoever that a raw diet is “better” or “cleaner” or superior to a whole foods plant based diet. Nor should we idolize ancient people’s who may have eaten only raw as their lifespan consisted of an average of twenty to thirty years. This short lifespan is something I personally do not idolize.Current nutritional science is based on studies like these and is not based on how one feels about a diet. Furthermore, you are correct that many people are sick. That is why Dr. Greger is here to help others in showing them that they can prevent nearly all westernized chronic illnesses with a whole foods plant based diet.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-diet-myths/After listening to this most unscientific cooked-fooder apologistic nonsense, I’m more convinced than ever to stay 100% raw vegan. God, what junk “science”! What were the “raw” subjects conditions like BEFORE the tests? Many raw fooders had debilitating conditions before they went raw. I know young men and women who  win Olympic gold medals and ther championships being RAW VEGAN. Wake up!  Everyone converting to a raw diet from a cooked one improves their digestion, absorption, and energy, youthful appearance, healing ability, eliminate illness, shrink tumors in days, clear up skin problems. No cooked food diet will EVER compete with the benefits I have pesonally experienced and seen. Sure, there are some foods that need to be cooked before their poisons can be neutralized such as wild mushrooms and medicinal herbs, but that’s not the case with 95% of everything that;s edible.There is actually no scientific evidence whatsoever that supports a completely raw diet over a cooked diet. A raw diet is more of a philosophy then any actual real scientifically supported diet. If your truly interested in seeing the opposing side of a raw food diet with open eyes then visit this link. They gather the evidence against a raw food diet quite well. http://www.beyondveg.com/tu-j-l/raw-cooked/raw-cooked-1b.shtmlFurthermore you have eliminated complex carbohydrates on a raw diet (such as beans, grains, potatoes and other starches). You cannot consume these foods without exposing your body to an abundance of antinutrients such as tannins, lectins, amylase inhibitors, phytic acid etc. What this means is that you will have to constantly be grazing all day to achieve adequate caloric needs.In addition, what is the point of a raw food diet when we have an abundance of scientific evidence showing that a vegan diet including mixed raw and cooked plants can eliminate chronic illnesses and extend ones  life span significantly. The most long lived populated, the Okinawans, once found in rural japan, had their diet composed of 70% complex carbohydrates, that is, sweet potatoes. They did not eat these sweet potatoes raw and they had the most centenarians per capita.Please provide some evidence showing that a raw food diet is superior to a cooked diet. I don’t mean a philosophical argument either, i mean actual peer reviewed scientific evidence.I’m not 100% raw, but I would disagree with your assertion about beans, grains, potatoes and other starches. These items can be “cooked” in a dehydrator (up to @ 115) and still be considered raw. The reason for this is that the low temp does not destroy the vital enzymes. And remember, I am only seeking to learn new information and share what information I have, not looking for an argument.The problem with dehydrating these foods is that the antinutrients such as amylase inhibitors, tanins, lectins and phytic acid are still present and these do not allow proper synthesis of calcium, protein, zinc and can create other problems as well.In addition to what Toxins said here, the whole idea of “vital enzymes” is (according to Dr. Greger, whom I trust) a myth. The enzymes are useful to plants, but mean nothing to our bodies.Checkout this video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-3/#comment-814395720How was chewing measured? If the test subjects did not chew thoroughly, therefore did not burst many plant cells for their nutrients, would that in part explain why subjects who ate cooked food with more plant cell ruptures had higher blood ß-carotene? Lycopene aside, I am not clear on what caused the difference between the groups.Dr Greger, I have been a whole foods vegan for 6 months but I am wondering if I should go raw. Please tell me if the claims below are accurate about cooking food. Thank youWhat is wrong with cooked foods?Applying heat to foods provides no nutritional benefit to the food and is detrimental to the person ingesting the cooked food. There are reported instances where, by heating food, certain nutrients are more easily released, like lycopene from tomatoes. However, this ignores that hundreds of other nutrients in that heated tomato were damaged or destroyed. And it also assumes that more of a specific nutrient is better, instead of trusting that the body knows how to extract just the right amount that it needs for optimal health. Many nutrients are deadly toxic if we overdose on them, and more is definitely not always better. Many foods that we cook would otherwise be unappetizing or inedible to humans, such as meats, grains, and starches, thus bypassing sensory safeguards that normally protect the body from ingesting unnatural and unhealthy substances. Studies have shown that the immune system often reacts to the introduction of cooked food into the bloodstream the same way it does to foreign pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Cooking food denatures the proteins, renders the fats carcinogenic, and caramelizes the carbohydrates. Many other nutrients are damaged, deranged, or destroyed by the heating process, leaving mostly empty calories. Regular consumption of cooked foods results in a detrimental enlargement of the pancreas.What are some of the toxins that accumulate in the body from eating cooked foods?Eating cooked meat creates excess uric acid and ammonia in the body, both of which are toxic to the system. The proteins in cooked food become denatured, and, as a result, the polypeptide bonds cannot be broken down into amino acids. These polypeptides are treated as foreign invaders and must be excreted through the kidneys. The cell wall of the kidneys doesn’t allow for easy transport of these substances, causing the distress that leads to kidney stones and eventually to kidney failure. Cooked grains cause fermentation in the body that produces gas, alcohol, and acetic acid; protoplasmic poisons that kill every cell with which they come into contact. http://foodnsport.com/faq.php http://foodnsport.com/video/DrGraham-RawFoodFestival2000.phpDo not trust raw food “doctrine”. It is mixed science with philosophical belief. Denaturing of proteins occur in stomach with the presence of HCL. Denaturing proteins allow stomach enzymes to easily break down the proteins into their simple amino acids. Cooking also deactivates anti-nutrients which include lectins, phytic acid, trypsin and α-amylase inhibitors. Cooking at extremely high temperatures, such as with cakes and cookies may pose minor health risk, but this is insignificant. Uric acid is a byproduct of all cells and is not specific to cooked foods. If these statements were true, studies should be present, yet these are unsupported statements and very much misconstrue the science. A trusted source is this write up from vegsource about raw food diet myths. http://www.beyondveg.com/billings-t/selected-myths/selected-myths-1a.shtmlThank you so much for the link. I really enjoyed http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/hb/hb-interview1a.shtmlThere’s just no scientific evidence not one for evolution from one species to the next. Lateral evolution, yes.Elizabeth, not that this is the place to discuss evolution, but there’s plenty of evidence which shows that we all evolved over time, from one species to another. There are thousands of books on the topic, hundreds of courses you can take, every museum can show you and every scientist can explain it further. There’s no debate about evolution AT ALL.They won’t kick you out of the liberal atheists club for calling a theory a theory. Not a shred of evidence for the theory of evolution.Too bad there are no studies on pulverization or juice. This is one of the only places where we are at odds, but thanks for the book tip “Becoming Raw” by Davis and Molina. I’m now into about a pound of dark leafy greens a day, and thanks to you I choose more nutritious foods across the board.Hi Dr Greger, I’m confused about the safety of cooking foods in a microwave. I’ve read that it kills the nutrients in vegetables and other foods, and other articles I’ve read say it’s safe. Can you give me your opinion?Dr. Greger covers the science on cooked foods herehttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/Be weary of online articles, as they usually only have grains of truth to themMost of the time they’re not even whole grains… :Pstupid. your body takes what it needs more is not better. and then this would also mean you are under carbed and have a lack of energy. we dont need more! more is not better!Dr greger could you do an article or video about skin turning yellow from healthy eating? i have been having this for years now. Sometimes more sometimes less (eyes are white btw)According to a previous study on German long-term strict raw food dieters, “plasma carotenoids in raw food adherents are predicted mainly by fat intake.” (Long-term strict raw food diet is associated with favourable plasma beta-carotene and low plasma lycopene concentrations in Germans.) This is also emphasised by Dr. Greger, as consuming fat with vegetables increases absorption of nutrients. Some raw vegans strictly follow low fat diets, so it would be interesting to see the full diet of these participants and whether fat intake was a contributing factor to lower ß-carotene levels.Like others, I too wonder if the study notes the fat intake at all of any of the subjects. How much does cooking affect nutrient absorption alone (without fat)? Dr. Greger, I’m actually concerned my carotene levels are too high; a recent blood test gave my carotene levels as 242 ug/dL. They say normal can be up to 300 but my skin is a little too yellow, at least to me. Since oils aren’t good for you, I was actually hoping cooked veggies without oil would not result in really high absorption. I mean if your eating a healthy diet anyways, you might not need super amounts of carotene for added protection and there’s other things in veggies that are good for you besides carotene which is why I’m still eating them, but at the same time hoping not eating any added fat will help with high carotene/yellow tone factor.What do you think?I want a cookbook and recipes… How about a section where you post NutritionFacts approved recipes. I am new to this and need some assistance. Thank you.Robin: Here are some resources you might find helpful.1) Consider going through the free 21 Day Kickstart program by PCRM. They will hold your hand for 21 days, including meal plans, recipes, videos, inspirational messages, and a forum where you can ask questions. http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ (Click the green “Register Now” button.)2) Pick some good cookbooks and start making recipes. You don’t have to go cold-turkey and expect that you aren’t going to like every recipe you try. So, just keep trying dishes until you build up a set that you really like and are easy enough for you to make. Then you can just make those recipes and stop making your old ones. Some cookbooks that I recommend are: Let Them Eat Vegan Vegan On The Cheap Vegan Casseroles Everyday Happy Herbivore (or any book in that series)Or if you have a specific condition you want to work on, there are some great books that have recipes in the back for those conditions. Let me know if you want some suggestions for diabetes, heart disease, memory/dimentia or one that is good for athletes, etc. Actually, the main diet is the same for all of these conditions. But it is nice to get the specific books and recommended recipes when you are first starting out so that you start to get a handle on what you are looking for in terms of what is healthy.3) Check out some good recipe blogs. These sites have free recipes as well as some emotional support as you can read about the lives of others. Here are some sites people really like: http://mouthwateringvegan.com/ http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/ http://vegan-magic.blogspot.com/ There are A LOT more out there! So, keep looking until you find one or two that you like.4) Get a copy of Jeff Novick’s Fast Food DVD series. Jeff does a great job of giving simple, tasty, extremely healthy recipes, all in a mini cooking show format. Here’s one to get you started: http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Novicks-Fast-Food-1/dp/B00466DP42/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1418772380&sr=1-1&keywords=fast+food+jeff+novick The burgers and fries DVD is a good one too!5) Don’t forget your B12 supplement. Here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations. This will give you a very general, overall game plan along with some advice on specific nutrients to make sure you have all your bases covered: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Aye, but how much beta-c do you need? How many other nutrients are broken down in the process?Hello, I have been searching the Net to find a list or table of vegetables that are better raw or cooked. Do you have any info or links to this please? Thank you, DawnHi Dawn. I think both are good ways so I don’t have a particular list. Some foods however are better absorbed when cooked, like tomatoes, carrots and foods with beta-carotene. I would also cook the cruciferous veggies (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts).	antioxidants,beta carotene,carrots,cooking methods,Europe,fruit,nutrient absorption,nutrition myths,phytonutrients,raw food,vegetables	There are certain phytonutrients that are absorbed better from cooked foods.	For more videos on nutrient absorption, see: New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found Omnivore vs. Vegan Nutrient Deficiencies Juicing Removes More Than Just FiberFor some of the newest videos on phytonutrient absorption in raw and cooked foods: Raw Veggies Versus Cooked for Heart Disease Kale and the Immune System Second Strategy to Cooking BroccoliAnd for some of the newest videos on the benefits of the phytonutrient lycopene: Treating Asthma With Fruits and Vegetables Why Might Vegetarians Have Less HPV? The Fruit Whose Juice Is HealthierPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on raw food. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Check out my associated blog post, How to Enhance Mineral Absorption.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beta-carotene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-fruits-and-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-might-vegetarians-have-less-hpv/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kale-and-the-immune-system/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19940473,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19776562,
PLAIN-3249	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/	Best Cooking Method	You may remember back in volume 2 I compared the effects of different cooking methods on the phytonutrients in broccoli. well last year food scientists outdid themselves.... They looked at 20 different vegetables, six different cooking methods, and then, looked at three separate measures of antioxidant activity. That’s over 300 separate experiments to figure out, what’s the best way to cook our vegetables. First, though, let’s figure out the worst. In terms of loss of antioxidant content. Baking, boiling, frying, george foreman, nuking, or pressure cooking? The worst is boiling. What’s the second worst? The pressure cooking. When we use these wet cooking methods some of the nutrition is lost into the cooking water. It may be less than you think though. Averaged over those 20 vegetables, boiling only removes about 14% of the antioxidants. So if you really like boiled broccoli, fine—just eat one more floret. Seven florets of boiled broccoli has all the antioxidant power of 6 florets of raw broccoli. So the best way to eat your veggies is really whichever way will get you to eat the most of them…with the exception of frying—that just adds way too many empty calories. What’s the gentlest cooking method, though? Out of these remaining four, which preserves antioxidants the best? It was the microwave, preserving 97.3% of the antioxidants. But that’s on average across 20 vegetables. There was one vegetable whose antioxidants get clobbered now matter how you cook it; up to 75% of the antioxidant power gone. Which is the one vegetable really best to eat raw? Artichoke hearts? Asparagus, beets, broad beans, broccoli, I hope we don’t have to eat raw brussel sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, celery, eggplant, garlic, greenbeans, leeks, corn on the cob, onions, peas, bell peppers, spinach, swiss chard, or zuccini? The most vulnerable vegetable is bell peppers. Do try to eat them raw. On the other hand there were three vegetables that weren’t affected by cooking at all—you could even boil them and lose no antioxidants. Can you guess at least one of them? The three were… artichokes, beets, and onions. Boil away. Asparagus actually gets honorable mention here. Unaffected by all but frying, so you can boil asparagus too. Final question, and perhaps the most interesting. There are two vegetables that no matter what you do to them they increase in antioxidant value. They become healthier. Which two are they? First the honorable mention: green beans. With the exception of boiling and pressure cooking, they actually increase in antioxidant power when you cook them, so microwaved green beans are actually healthier than raw green beans. But which two vegetables always increase in value no matter you cook them? Carrots and celery. So when we make a nice vegetable soup we’re actually boosting the nutrition.	So informative. I am surprised steaming was not included.Oceanic–I was surprised too! I do have some videos that cover steaming, though. Check out all my videos on cooking methods .I would have loved to seen how the numbers would have shifted for boiling if you consumed the water.What about boiling vegetables in a soup (where you eat rather than throw away the vegetable water)? I would think that provides superior antioxidant retention.Hi, Dr. I just discovered your site a couple days ago and am really getting a lot (of ammunition for whole-food plant based diet) out of it. My friend just asked me whether garlic was good for you (she likes to eats it roasted) and whether there’s such a thing as getting too much, so I turned to you, but surprisingly couldn’t find anything. Do you have an opinion on garlic?Garlic is great! I profile the whole allium class of vegetables here: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/1-anticancer-vegetable/Wow, I can cook pretty much any vegetable without fearing too much loss of nutrients! I’m so shocked about cooking carrots increasing in value about carrots and celery. I put carrots in my pasta.I’m curious what the raw food vegans would think of such studies.Raw food vegans have just as bad science as the paleolithic diet advocates! It’s all very cherry picked and involves a lot of half truths.I’ve experienced what you’re describing. I’d still air on the opinions of the raw vegans though. Of course, I have more in common with them, but I try to be as impartial as I can.I think seeing the results is the most persuasive. And trying them for yourself. Whatever you eat (not counting animals) is digested in a few hours to a couple of days.It’s a mixed bag. Cooking carrots breaks the cell walls and allows carotenoids and other nutrients to escape and become biologically available to us (we can’t digest cellulose plant walls). However the cooking destroys the vitamin C content. So it’s good to have them both ways. I juice them in a Vitamix, and it is the best of both worlds – it can shear the cells apart freeing internal nutrients without destroying heat-labile nutrientsThe vitamin c content is reduced, but not destroyed. We could just eat one more of the cooked vegetable to make up for the loss, plus we could eat more of it since its pre digested. But you are correct in it being a mixed bag, many phytonutrients in the cruciferous greens are deactivated when cooking, while others are enhanced.I also blend my carrots in the Vitamix, but as part of the pasta sauce; I blend it to powder, LOL. The kids I have over know about it and don’t mind since it’s hardly noticeable.Agreed ;) I do the same!I use a pressure cooker to steam small beets. I routinely take off the thin skins with my hands, before eating them. Nutritionally, is it better to leave them on?Excellent beet cooking information, including the benefits of leaving the skin on (I do): http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookvegetables/a/beettips.htmAlmost all fruit and veg contain the majority of nutrients in the skin, or outer layers, so best left!Did the study (or any others you’re familiar with) analyze the cooking methods for other nutrient loss/gain aside from antioxidants? Is antioxidant preservation the best metric to use when determining an optimal cooking method? Thanks!I am surprised that the microwave isn’t singled out as a bad cooking method because I often read or hear stuff mostly on the internet according to which microwave destroys the nutrients in food and thus such a cooking method should be avoided. You might have heard yourself advice against micowaving infant milk (1 960 000 occurrences with “infant”, “milk”, “microwave” from search on Google). Would you be kind enough to explain this discrepancy?The chief reason it’s not a good idea to thaw breast milk in a microwave is that they heat unevenly and scald your baby.To add on to Dr. Greger’s comment, there has been little evidence that microwaving foods in general makes them bad to eat. The word “nuking” is tossed around with microwaving but X rays have nothing to do with microwaving. All cooking methods provide certain nutrient loss (to an extent). Boiling specific plant foods, especially bell peppers and green leefies causes a significant drop in antioxidant content unless you drink the liquid, more so than microwaving.We should eat vegetables whichever way entices us to eat the most. If for example we lose some nutrients from boiling broccoli, just eat an extra floret to make up for the loss. Not only that, but you can eat more florets because the heat is basically pre digestion.A very informative video on this is here: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/raw-food-nutrient-absorption-2/Don’t get me wrong though, eating raw food is essential for optimal health. There is nothing more nutritious than a big raw, dark leefy green salad!Well fer cryin’ out loud! The nutrients aren’t “lost” by boiling or pressure cooking, they are just displaced into the water. Easy fix for that, consume the water!!! I always do that. Why the heck would anyone not eat the cook water???Also, check out my associated blog post http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/!Please also check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/!For some context, please also check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli!I’m sorry but the microwave is by far the worst method of cooking then all the others. Perhaps it shows the nutrients stay put because there was no way of escaping (who was this study funded by, btw?) but that doesn’t address the point that the very cellular structure has been altered and damaged and therefore your body will not absorb or digest the nutrients not to mention all the RADIATION that is emitted. Germans built microwaves in WWII to supply warm food during the war. Since many came down with blood cancer (leukemia) overnight they including Russia banned them. I love most everything on your website but I really hope you don’t endorse the use of microwaves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBX_B8WQEwMThere is no evidence that if someone was to follow an optimally healthy lifestyle and diet that the use of a microwave to heat some of their foods is going to cause any major health problems or is related to any of the main reasons why American die prematurely.Microwaves and X rays are not the same thing. The food is not contaminated with mutagenic radiation after cooking.If you could provide evidence from peer reviewed medial journals (not opinions on youtube) then I will gladly take note of this issue more in depth.there is no scientific evidence or proof that cigarettes are killing you or alcohol, or GMO, or chemotherapy…Hey! I love raw brussels sprouts, thinly sliced, in my deliciously crunchy salads! You should try them!I dont understand how microwaving is healthiest!  Everything Ive ever researched said it was the most damaging way to cook foods and may be cancer causing.  What is the best way to cook beans and starches, if boiling and pressure cooking is not healthy?I thought that water-based cooking produced the least carncinogens….baking and anything that browns food makes carcinogens.I’m not understanding the science behind the video…. There is little to no scientific evidence showing that microwaves are harmful when ingesting microwaved foods despite what may be said on the internet. Boiling beans and starches is a very healthy method and does not cause significant nutrient loss in these foods.The science behind the video is in regards to antioxidant content. The best cooking method for preserving the antioxidants seems to be microwaving (although I would guess steaming would be even healthier.)Thanks, Toxins!So how did the microwave/radiation scare come in to play, then?  How do microwaves work…I thought it emits radiation, which spins the cells, thus creating heat?If this study was in regards to antioxidants, then what is the best cooking method to preserve macronutrients and micronutrients?  For instance, the more something is heated, the more likely it is to denature proteins and suchSo, it a microwaves sweet potato healthier than a steamed or baked sweet potato? Radiation is a term referring to waves. Radiation can be used  to describe light waves, uv rays, x rays and microwaves as well. The microwaves, from what is so far known, does not have mutagenic properties when exposed to cells. Microwaves and x rays are not the same.These losses in macronutient content is fairly small and is not significant enough to cause an overall dietary impact.Good to know..thanks for debunking that! I gave away my microwave 2 yrs ago bc of the supposed health risks associated with it.To reheat leftovers, is microwaving the best method?Are microwaved sweet potatoes healthier than baked or steamed, then? And what about rice and veggies—does microwaving STILL trump all other cooking methods?Dr Fuhrman seems against microwaving, for he seems to recommend steaming or water sauteeing. Any thoughts on these issues?A lot of people just seem to get scared, because some other people use the term radiation when they discuss the microwaves in a microwave. However microwaves are indeed a form of radiation, it has no link to radioactive radiation: the think people automaticly think about. Light is also a form of radiation, so is WiFi, heat (infrared), FM and AM radio. Radioactive radiation has either extreme high energy (gamma-ray) (microwave doesn’t even get close to 0,001% ) or consists of actual subatomic particles that can collide with DNA and cause damage. Microwaves just transport energy to heat up stuff relatively fast. (Actually wireless chargers for your phone also use microwaves, but another wavelength.)I have heard from various sources like the following ; http://www.ontariotenants.ca/health/articles/2003/gm-03j17.phtmlthat the flavonoids are all most all destroyed by cooking in microwaves compared to   other forms of cooking. Flavonoids being a symbiotic componet in fruits, vegetables, and herbs that help form a symbiotic relationship with other componets inside the fruit, vegetable, or herb that help humans utilize various vitamins(ie bioflavonoids). In addition, these flavonoids(effectiveness) would be destroyed in whole herbs. If the flavonoids etc are damaged or destroyed largely by microwave cooking, would that not also destroy the effectiveness of the vitamins (in that vitamins or flavonoids are only one or two componet/s of many contained in a fruit, vegetable, or herb that are dependant upon flavonoids for proper function in the human body)? Could one say that destruction of flavonoids would reduce the synergistic relationship within the plant and in the human body rendering whatever microwaved food/herb either decreased in activity or destroyed almost entirely…? curious..This is very interesting that cooking doesn’t destroy some anti-oxidants. High temps do however destroy enzymes so if one is wanting to increase the amount of live enzymes in their diet cooking would be something to cut back on.So, you think I’m better off not eating vegetables at all than eating sauteed vegetables? Your videos have shown olive oil to be pretty harmless (though full of empty calories), so if it entices me to eat tons more vegetables, is it really that horrible? For me, a little bit of oil goes a long way in my enjoyment of vegetables, whether on a salad or sauteed.Oil has more of an impact than just empty calories.Dr. Vogel conducted a study that compared different fats and oils (olive oil, canola oil, and salmon) and how they impaired our endothelieum cells. Our endothelieum cells are within our blood vessels lining their walls. They keep clots from forming and keep our blood running smoothly. It also helps our blood vessels dilate and contract when needed. The participants of the study ate a meal containing 3.5 tablespoons of olive oil and the examiners measured their arterial damage after 3 hours. “Contrary to part of our hypothesis, our study found that omega-9 (oleic acid)-rich olive oil impairs endothelieum function postprandially.”They also make note that “In terms of their postprandial effect on endothelieum function, the beneficial components of the Mediterranean and Lyon Diet Heart Study diets appear to be antioxidant-rich foods, including vegetables [and] fruits”Fruits and vegetables can be attributed to making our cardiovascular system healthy, not oil.http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/36/5/1455It was even noted that “In a clinical study, olive oil was shown to activate coagulation factor VII to the same extent as does butter. Thus, olive oil does not have a clearly beneficial effect on vascular function.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9409274Another study looked at different oils (olive, soybean and palm oils). They had their patients eat a potato soup. The soup either had 3 tablespoons of each oil OR they fried the potatoes in the oil. They too examined the extent of damage on the volunteers’ arteries. this is what they found “All the vegetable oils, fresh and deep-fried, produced an increase in the triglyceride plasma levels in healthy subjects.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17174226This is clearly not heart healthy for the short term, and the authors even note that they do not know if olive oil is healthy for the long term. So what about long term studies with olive oil? This 2 year study looked at coronary artery lesions of the heart after consuming different types of fat. Polyunsaturated fat (omega 3/6 type of fat) Monounsaturated fat (75% of which makes up olive oil) and Saturated fat (the kind found in mostly animal products). They looked at angiograms a year apart after intervening with increasing one type of fat in each group. All 3 fats were associated with a significant increase in new atherosclerosis lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats. Only by decreasing all fat intake including the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats did the lesions stop growing.http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/263/12/1646.abstract?sid=47d1d016-3c15-43f4-a013-0d10144ef8e3Most current studies supporting olive oil are population studies with many other factors that could be affecting the dietWhat do you think about Dr. Mercola’s research on why microwaves are bad? He cites current research studies. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/microwave-hazards.aspxI would not buy into the data Dr. Mercola presents. He always tries to find links with non issues. The evidence to say microwaving your food is bad is nonexistent.What he does is say that people with microwave exposure experience certain symptoms and then he assumes that people easily get this dose from microwaving food, which is nonsense.Check out this article by world renowned nutritionist, Jeff Novickhttp://healthscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=388:the-effects-of-cooking-a-microwaves&catid=102:jeff-novicks-blog&Itemid=267Any data on baking vegetables such as kale? – I like to make kale chips by baking the leaves for about 10 minutes at 300 degrees. The leaves dry out and are crunchy, but not burned.I don’t know how I ever overlooked this great study! Thanks for the find!Thank you Dr. Greger for all this great information! So are microwaves scientifically known to be bad to the human body?Could you elaborate on pan frying? I eat most of my veggies fried with a bit of water at a low heat without oil, does that add empty calories as well?Wow – I actually got that right about the bell peppers. But don’t raw foods give you more ENZYMES? They seem to give so much more ENERGY! Raw food gives me power to stay busy. Cooked foods make me want to take a little nap so I can digest them. FASCINATING video in any event. Thanks!I’m not sure I understand completely the Spanish study on anti-oxidants. Did they look at the effects of cooking on the enzymes in garlic that convert to allicin or the enzymes in crucifers that convert to isothiocyanates? Are there other important phytochemicals besides antioxidants that they did or did not consider?Regarding microwaving foods … of course it is good to look for peer reviewed research, but first of all it is best to use your common sense. A lot of this good research that Dr Greger makes available to us wasn’t available before, but that didn’t stop us from making judgment calls on what to do when lacking hard evidence. Several years ago my oncologist told me that there wasn’t hard peer reviewed evidence to support that a plant based diet would help me survive the stage 4 cancer I had. I used my common sense and am so glad I did. Several years later he is telling me that the evidence appears to be coming! Heating food by use of microwaves goes against common sense. Radiation is high-heat cooking. High-heat cooking is usually considered a poor choice for multiple reasons. Radiation is used to destroy cancer cells by applying high heat to them. People exposed to radiation in the past, not knowing it was damaging, later came down with cancer. Why on earth would anyone focused on healthy living want to use radiation to cook food? Being a whole-foods vegan is one of best choices of my life, but it takes more time and effort. I think it best to take the time to cook food without taking the microwave shortcut. Why do all the right things, but then mess it up to save a few minutes cooking?You are referring to two different kinds of radiation as if they were the same. That is like saying all vehicles are the same, when a vehicle can be a car or a bus, or a substance you dissolve things in, like oil and solvents being a vehicle for oil based paint, or water being a vehicle for water based paint, or alcohol being a vehicle for certain medicinal preparations.Light waves are a kind of radiation too. Would you refuse to use light waves to see? Microwaves and gamma waves are not the same. Gamma waves, X-rays, etc. are called IONIZING radiation. They are the ones used to destroy cancer cells.Wonderful information! I was curious, if one is making a vegetable soup in the pressure cooker, however, the antioxidants would be in the broth, and thus be consumed? Correct?Dear Doctor,You are certainly not recommending that we microwave?I will defend the pressure cooker here because when I use the pressure cooker, I do not have any water to throw away because it all gets reabsorbed into the vegetable.And often I make vegetable stock in the pressure cooker in 5 minutes at pressure (not having to by cans, jars or packages) and use that to cook my vegetables which also boosts the nutrition.As you know, one study does not a cooking method make. I am not likely (as a Registered Dietitian or person who teaches cooking) to start recommending that people nuke their food for their health.I find that pressure cooking if done correctly is better than steaming because it is super steaming without air which as you know oxidizes food. And why didn’t they include steaming?Please tell me that is not what you are saying here…IDear Veggie Queen, Could you tell us how to steam pressure cook? I’ve heard that’s a good way of preserving polyphenols in beans.Hi Dr. Greger, What about steaming??? Thanks, GabyDr. Michael, I find your video very interesting and useful, thank you for posting! Do you have any information related to other different food preparation methods, such as: parching, smoke-drying, braising, pickling? Your help would be much appreciated!BR., H.CsabaDon’t we have to look beyond anti-oxidants to understand the effects of cooking? For example, the anti-oxidants in onions may survive cooking but cooking can kill the enzyme allinase, which is responsible for producing the healthy sulfurs. Ditto for the enzymes in broccoli that produce cancer- fighting compounds. http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/anti-cancer-recipes-should-you-cook-onions/More information can be found in this video here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/I’m curious, How do they cook the broccoli in the microwave? Steam microwave or just throw it in with nothing, just a plate and veg?mitch, I don’t know how “they” do it, but I thought I would share how I do it: which is to “coat” the broccoli in a bit of water. When I’m done, there might be a couple tablespoons of standing water at the bottom of the bowl. This method has worked really well for me. The broccoli says moist, but it’s not being boiled this way. There’s probably a better way to do it, but as I said, this works well for me. Good luck.I believe this addresses how they cooked the veggies. “Microwaving: the vegetable (500 g) was placed in a glass dish without additional water, and cooked in a domestic microwave oven ” http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2009.01091.x/fullSuperb video. Love it!A few years ago my mother had myeloid leukemia and i read studies suggesting that microwave cooking increased white blood cells and that raw was best for keeping white blood cells low. I use aq microwave sparing because of this. Any thoughts?Rosemary Guy: I haven’t seen the studies you mention, but I have seen every other argument against microwaves “zapped” to smithereens. :-) Here’s one of the beset sites I have seen in regards to debunking microwave myths:http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmShe doesn’t address the white blood cell issue that you are concerned about. But I can’t think of how cooking with a microwave would cause changes in blood cells beyond what any other cooking method would cause. Perhaps the above post, along with the references which you can check out, will help put the issue into perspective. If it’s no help, then I hope someone else will reply to your post.Good luck.What are the best cooking methods?I have yet to read any convincing evidence that microwaving foods makes them unhealthy for us. I’ve read plenty of articles that talk about how terrible microwave ovens are, but I remain unconvinced. Is there real evidence of negative effects of that method of heating food? I sure wish you’d take that up as a topic, Dr. Greger! :)Dear Dr. Greger and Toxins, I’ve posted this question a few weeks ago. Did you get it? I would really like to know what you think about this: Did you ever hear about Dr. Hans Ulrich Hertel? I read about his Swiss Clinical Study In 1991: A “small, but well controlled study” that “showed the degenerative force produced in microwave ovens and the food processed in them. The scientific conclusion showed that microwave cooking changed the nutrients in the food; and, changes took place in the participants’ blood that could cause deterioration in the human system. Hertel’s scientific study was done along with Dr. Bernard H. Blanc of the Swiss other studies “concerning the biological effects of microwaves”: “The initial research conducted by the Germans during the Barbarossa military campaign, at the Humbolt-Universitat zu Berlin (1942-1943); and, From 1957 and up to the present [until the end of the cold war], the Russian research operations were conducted at: the Institute of Radio Technology at Kinsk, Byelorussian Autonomous Region; and, at the Institute of Radio Technology at Rajasthan in the Rossiskaja Autonomous Region, both in the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics.”   I have one more question: Is an electromagnetic stove similar to a microwave?Kitty:I think you might find the following page helpful:http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmI don’t know much about Dr. Myatt’s general qualifications, but this particular page seems to be well researched to me. She has a section on the supposed Hertel research.Again, I don’t know how valid the data is on the above page, but it sure does make sense to me.Hope that helps.Hi Thea, thank you so much! This helped a lot! :-)Personally, I use the microwave all the time for cooking. It saves a bunch of time and effort and often allows me to cook without oils.I’m so glad I helped. Thanks for letting me know.I’d like to give pressure cookers a better rap sheet. They have wonderful vegan applications, like turning dried beans and whole grains into fast foods. Jill Nussinow (MS RD)’s book has me cooking pearled barley into tender as part of great soups and other dishes in about 20 minutes. Steel cut oats are delicious for breakfast in 3-5 minutes cooking time. ETC. For soups, onions, carrots, and celery can go in at the start along with veggie broth and grains. More delicate items (peppers, tomatoes, greens) get added at the end. It’s truly whole food, and plant based, with many different phytonutrients coming together. It’s also so easy that it’s FAST food, too. By the way, modern pressure cookers are light years from ones you may remember in the past. Once pressure is achieved, the heat is cut to almost off (usually lower than simmer) — just enough to maintain pressure. The only entry you have for pressure cooking is for veggies.Since you also encourage eating whole grains, and pressure cookers can make them FAST food — shouldn’t that get them honorable mention?veggiegirl55: I’m a big fan of pressure cookers myself. I like Jill’s book too.If you are looking for some variety, you might also try: Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure. http://www.amazon.com/Great-Vegetarian-Cooking-Under-Pressure/dp/0688123260/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388272437&sr=8-1&keywords=great+vegetarian+cooking+under+pressureThe title says “vegetarian,” but it is really a vegan book.Thanks — I’ll look into that one too.Great finds doctor!Had my esophagus removed what is the best veggies for me . I can’t eat meat any more won’t go downWe would appreciate your help. My wife sautés onions and garlic in olive oil. We use them with our nightly steamed broccoli, kale, and collard greens. We keep the garlic and onions in the frig, having sautéd enough for several days. We recently noticed the garlic changing color over a couple of days. It takes on a metallic green color! IS IT SAFE TO EAT? Thank you for any advice.Any thoughts on pressure cooking chick peas, lentils, brown rice and such? Is the pressure cooker bad for veggies only?Doctor, Doctor! What’s better – more antioxidants in my diet, or more anti-nutrients? (relative to the plant being consumed)Victor: Most of those anti-nutrients get destroyed when food is properly cooked. So, no worries. Here are Dr. Greger’s recommendations for what a healthy diet looks like:http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Hi Dr! I am a nutrition student here in Brazil and I love your videos and researches! Thank you a lot! I want to be just like you in the future!Microwaving destroys nutrients, microwaved water will not even germinate seeds. Cooked beets create toxins..best eaten raw…noI wonder about the damage to food that some claim comes from microwaving, aside from the temperature factor. I’ve heard that microwaving produces free radicals in food, and I saw an experiment where they watered two plants, one with purified water and one with microwaved water. The plant watered with microwaved water died within a week, but I’m not positive on the legitimacy of the experiment.Ben: Your concern is well placed given the information that you generally find out there about microwaves. However, I’ve found that the anti-microwave information is pretty much based on urban legends repeated over and over again – often by sites that one would think is reputable.Here is a link to my favorite site for busting those microwave myths, including the one you mention above about the plants: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmHope that helps.I thought that the microwave killed enzymes and so it should not be used because of that.Cooking foods destroys enzymes, as does our stomach. But this video is very relevant to your question. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sometimes-the-enzyme-myth-is-true/I just bought an electric pressure cooker thinking it was the best way to keep the nutrients in the food by not cooking for as long and not frying or nuking my food. That’s the way it was touted in the commercial. What about pressure cooking meats?Loni: I’ve had a pressure cooker for a few years now. I love it!Below is a link to Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations. Notice how Dr. Greger does not recommend eating meat at all – regardless of how you cook it. http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Here’s a book I highly recommend in order to get the best nutrition out of your pressure cooker: http://www.amazon.com/Great-Vegetarian-Cooking-Under-Pressure/dp/0688123260/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403732493&sr=1-1&keywords=great+vegetarian+cooking+under+pressureGood luck.What about stir frying with no oil? I use vegetable stock to stir fry and leave my food crunchy but slightly cooked.I wish there was a transcript with this. Video is nice, but rather read this…Snowgrrl: You are in luck! Click the “transcript” link under any video on this site to expand the transcript. The transcript does not include the charts and pictures, but I agree that sometimes it is nice to read the information. I use both myself.I actually found it after I posted my comment.. LOLLet’s not forget this is only based on antioxidants. How about vitamins? general bio-availability? pathogens elimination? I notice you leave online old “obsolete” videos as they are, but perhaps you should include in them (through Youtube text boxes) link to more recent more complete videos to guide viewers to them. For instance, many of us are shocked to not only find that for instance steaming is not included, nor is slow cooking, but also that the video is named “Best cooking method” based on antioxidant loss alone. The equation is much more complex than just antioxidants to lead us to a decision. I generally notice that people mistakenly take decisions based on many of the videos you make. Sometimes it’s obvious what decision to take based on the studies you present, but in many cases the video is purely informative and provides little to take any decisions upon, yet the comments show people do take decisions based on them (ie in vivo studies). Could you please make more clear what the limitations of your facts are and be more clear about whether or not it’s actionable and how? Thank you.Dr. Gregor is not actually giving advice. He’s just reporting the results of scientific studies.I agree. What I pointed to is two things. As a public service I feel he should discourage people from extrapolating the data and taking action based on them. A lot do based on the comments. The other thing is the limitation of his focus should be stated clearly. The purpose of this website is to break down science publications to the general public. Dealing with such a variety of uninformed people, you can’t call a video “Best cooking method” if that’s not what it delivers, and you can’t put in their heads the idea that a food is healthy only if it has a lot of antioxidants (it’s what he said, but this is what can be easily deduced by people who know little about nutrition). In short an expert would see the limitations of the information presented, but the general public requires extra care in communication to avoid misunderstanding the data.EXCELLENT Answer!!!!!! We don’t trust this nice guy at all who is clearly after money donation and misleading. He’s NOT on people’s side he’s on the Others’ side working for themI didn’t comment on Dr. Greger trustworthiness, I only said I’d welcome more rigor in titling and avoiding predictable misinterpretations. I actually quite trust Dr. Greger with his intentions and my comment is just feedback to improve further.Dear Doctor, Is microwave bad for us to use to cook anything? Please advise? ThanksLam Mour: Dr. Greger has some videos on the harmful effects of using the microwave to cook commercially prepared microwave popcorn: http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=microwaveBut other than that and cooking in plastic, microwaving seems to be a good thing in general for cooking foods. You can learn a lot about microwave cooking here: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmHope that helps.With all due respect to the good doctor who always puts out informative and extremely helpful information, I do not agree with nor do the overall numbers support microwave cooking. A microwave is a mini distributor of radiation. In fact microwaves are so dangerous, especially to those with compromised immune systems, illnesses or diseases in general, that when in use no one should be in it’s direct vicinity. I live with a compromised immune system and did not find out until very late in life after experiencing countless and very trying set backs with my health. Due to experience I discovered that ingesting microwaved food introduces acidity to the human system which is the catalyst to disease and general non wellness. For a perfectly healthy person seldom use of a microwave doesn’t seem to do any substantial harm, BUT for anyone compromised by major health issues it is a death machine. When documented disease rates were at it’s lowest in the West over one hundred years ago, a microwave was non existent. They boiled, baked, grilled over open flames and even fried. Now, with unprecedented numbers that continue to grow in rapidity only common sense can tell us that the majority of the practices in place where eating habits are concerned are really making us sick. Steaming, boiling and baking, with all numbers and measurement rates of various nutrients considered, are best aside from eating our vegetables and fruits raw.Hello Dr. Greger, In case one of these days you will make some visits in the Philippines especially in the southern part, i hope to have time of being coached by you. Id been embarking in the lifestyle based medicine (i am not a doctor, I’m a chemist by profession), but i admit i need more coaching. My province need more lifestyle based medical practitioner that will be able to help especially those who are financially challenged and have li’l or nothing to support any hospitalization. Sad to know, most of the doctors here are just milking patients and families resources. Our family is one of the victims of “un-hippocratic” oath of most of the doctors locally. My dad died last 2012, that is why in my lil ways I want to contribute for a better and healthier community with full sincerity in attending my clients. I am hoping to be able to get any help or services from you. I dont know how but I hope I can…Dr. Greger, as always great informative videos. Thanks. Your graphic of vegetables reminded me of a fine children’s book by Lois Ehlert – EATING THE ALPHABET. Even the endpapers are well thought out. I’m an elementary school librarian. We learn that A is for apple, apricot, artichoke, asparagus, and avocado. B is for banana, bean, beet, blueberry, broccoli, and Brussels sprout. The pictures inside are beautiful water paints. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hKjMMFqpwdo/UAmuXZhr1qI/AAAAAAAAAqY/jLrW-gr841M/s1600/veggi.jpgWhen you cook vegies. you loose all of the enzymes which helps with the digestion. Killing the enzymes, by cooking, makes the body work harder to digest the food.Because bell pepper is a fruit~sorry but are we not getting deductionist here? Anti oxidants are not the alpha and omega of nutrition. In studies I have done with chromatography (wick/filterpaper method) microwaving decimated nutrition….Raw stood supreme and next was steaming.Interesting. What exactly do you mean by “nutrition” and would you send me these studies you did?Is there an extended or complete video?Dr. Greger I love your videos, but I need all this information in my kitchen. Don’t you have cheat sheets or charts for all this information, including charts for “superfood bargains”, “best beans”, “best rice”, etc? We need charts so we can hang in our kitchen and to take to the supermarket when shopping! :)Microwave cooking! the best method??? I just gave away my MW because I have learnt that all nutrients are sucked up by the MW. It compaerd eating from MW to eating the bottom of my shoe!!!! I avoid restaurants where (everywhere) they heat up the food by MW. Am I mistaken?Istvan: Yes, I’m sorry to say, you are mistaken. The video on this page helps you to understand why in part. Here is a great resource to help you understand the other myths about microwaves: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmI cook in my microwave all the time. It saves a huge amount of effort and as you can see, in general, does nothing dramatically to harm or help food beyond what any cooking method would do.ONLY Andreas Moritz you can trust blindly Magda Havas & George Carlo toohttps://youtu.be/ScbbQ2pYd9I https://youtu.be/OBX_B8WQEwM http://www.mercola.com/article/microwave/hazards2.htm http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/microwave-hazards.aspxHello, So…pressure cooking lose nutritions and antioxidants in water. What if we use that water with food too, and keep the water? Like preparing a soup ?? in that case, would pressure cooking be off from the second worst method ?This is highly misleading! Microwaving destroys vitamins and minerals and is a VERY dangerous way to cook. Check out ‘Microwaves damage food, but something worse…..’ on Youtube. Steaming is best.Period.Paul: Alas, there are so many myths about the problems with microwaves. The following site does a great job of addressing each of the myths – with solid science. In other words, the following site likely addresses each and every point form your youtube video, plus more. I strongly encourage you to check this out: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htmSince microwaving is so convenient in multiple ways, I would think that finding out microwaves are so safe would make for a happy day. I hope I made your day happy.“Now, I know that once some people have their mind made up about something, it’s hard to confuse them with facts. I’m sorry to disappoint, dear readers, but anyone who believes there are “numerous studies” proving the microwave oven is unsafe, damages nutrients in food or somehow does other bad things hasn’t really taken a close look at the scientific research on the issue. Many laymen — and even a number of “scientists” — are also seriously confused about the difference between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and even what the term “radiation” means…”Source: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/Microwave.htm Thea linked it below (thanks Thea). I use excerpt to “show” folks some of the text without them having to lift their clicky finger.	antioxidants,artichokes,asparagus,baking,beets,bell peppers,boiling,broad beans,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,carrots,cauliflower,celery,cooking methods,corn,eggplant,empty calories,frying,garlic,green beans,grilling,leeks,microwaving,nutrient absorption,nutrition myths,oils,onions,peas,phytonutrients,pressure cooking,raw food,soup,spinach,Swiss chard,vegetable oil,vegetables,zucchini	Which are the gentlest cooking methods for preserving nutrients and which vegetables have more antioxidants cooked than raw.	Also check out Second Strategy to Cooking Broccoli and for more videos on nutrient absorption you can check out Raw Veggies Versus Cooked for Heart Disease.Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cooking methods. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please also check out my associated blog posts: Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli, The Best Foods: Test Your Nutrition Knowledge, Acai to Zucchini: antioxidant food rankings, Prevent Breast Cancer by Any Greens Necessary, and Rooibos & Nettle Tea	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/05/latest-science-on-rooibos-nettle-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/13/prevent-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bell-peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zucchini/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggplant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broad-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/boiling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artichokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pressure-cooking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/swiss-chard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/baking/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/empty-calories/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asparagus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leeks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grilling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/raw-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microwaving/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brussels-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-veggies-versus-cooked-for-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20055410,
PLAIN-3250	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/improving-memory-through-diet/	Improving Memory Through Diet	For example, eleven years ago, blueberries gained notoriety for their ability to improve memory… among, elderly rats. Now it’s always difficult to extrapolate between species, but I told people it might translate over and not just work in rats but work for their pet hamsters too. But we finally, this year, have human data. The first human trial to assess the potential benefit of blueberry supplementation on neurocognitive function. What do you think they found? Blueberries improve memory in humans. Is this fact? or is this fiction Let’s look at the study. Blueberries improve memory in humans! Fact. And it turns out the healthful properties may survive processing into products like blueberry jam, but best to store it in the fridge—even before it’s opened.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on brain health. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Dear Dr. Greger: I’ve been eating fresh/dried or frozen blueberries daily, often at least 2x a day, since learning they improve memory in older adults, thanks to your LCN Vol. 5. I’ve eaten blueberries regularly for most of a decade, since learning of the USDA/Tufts Univ. study of 40 fruits & veggies. What are optimal quantities? Since sleep is primarily for the brain to process events/thoughts of the day, would eating them again 2-3 hours before bed be wise, since they would be digested coincident with sleep? I’ve been taking Fish Oil 2-9 grams (now 2 x 2 times a day) and 1 tbsp. Flaxseed Oil for a decade (now 2 tbsp. Flaxseeds themselves at breakfast). Would these combine with blueberries to further optimize brain health??I’m a 54 yr. old male, 79 yr old mother clearly with undiagnosed Alzheimer’s or dementia, her mother with Alzheimers severely for 6 years, strongly for 10-12. I exercise regularly & vigorously and have NO signs of dementia.Thank you!!Hello John Swallow,I cannot answer your entire question, as i’m sure Dr. Greger will get to it, but I need to reply to something troubling you wrote. And that is your use of fish oil. If you view this link, you will see fish oil is highly contaminated and quite harmful indeed http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=fish+oil I recommend you stop using fish oil as soon as possible, as even “filtered” fish oil has many of the same contaminants as regular. Not to mention that fish oil could result in “aggressive” prostate cancer. http://www.vegsource.com/news/2011/04/study-fish-oil-increases-aggressive-prostate-cancer.htmlUse Hemp Oil, it is high in both Omega 3 and Omega 6. Good substitute for fish.I’ve got to eat some blueberries to study better. Hehe.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable!Just saw this medical news about a nutritional drink that supposedly will help improve cognition in alzheimers.  What can you tell us about this study? http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/247593.php What amount of Blueberries should be consumed per day for the memory benefits? And how long will that take to possibly see some positive result? Thanks muchlyHello! I am a vegan medical student about to take the Step-1 medical licensing exam was wondering if you had any tips for brain-boosting snacks to help power-through 8-hours of intense-testing. If there’s anything to do/avoid the night before/at breakfast, I’d appreciate knowing that as well! Thank you for your time and consideration.Some people’s memory gets better with age no matter what they eat. “That fish he caught keeps getting bigger and bigger, every time he tells that story.”Dr. Greger, are there any studies showing that eating well has an IMMEDIATE effect on cognitive performance? Take, for example, people who work in an office setting all day. Some of them eat a McDonald’s breakfast sandwich on the way in, candy out of the secretary’s dish mid-morning, two pieces of pepperoni pizza for lunch, and tons of coffee with cream and sugar all day long. Other folks eat oatmeal with flax seeds and blueberries in the morning, and a big bowl of broccoli, tofu, and brown rice for lunch. By the 4 p.m. strategy meeting won’t the people in the second camp be thinking more clearly? Are there studies on this kind of immediate effect of diet quality on cognitive performance? Thanks.Dr Greger, I have been having very little success at getting a Healthy whole foods plat diet for my mother in her assisted living facility. Do you have hay suggestions, or resources that might help? Thank you.Dr. Greger, Thanks for having this forum! Would you address which amino acids are particularly important for memory? I can only seem to go about a month on a vegan diet before developing problems, which wasn’t true until recently. Spirulina, raw veggies, and balancing seeds and grains with every meal extends the time to about a month. But something seems to be missing!Hi Carol. Thanks for your questions. All essential amino acids are important. Trying to recall my biochemistry, phenylalanine and tryptophan come to mind, play important role in neurotransmitter synthesis. Think of dopamine (regulates mood) and Norepinephrine (keeps mind active, alert), serotonin (helps with sleep), etc. I try to stay away from counseling folks to focus on particular amino acids. It it perfectly fine to know what foods are higher than others, but all protein sources have some. If you are eating a mix of foods with protein, all amino acids good for memory should be covered. The idea is variety and finding the best protein sources available. Beans, lentils, peanuts, other nuts and seeds are very high in phenyalanine and tryptophan. I would cautious about spirulina as a protein source and healthy food. I hope this helps a bit!Sincerely, Joseph	animal studies,anthocyanins,berries,blueberries,brain health,cognition,jam,memory,processed foods	Blueberries have been shown to improve cognition in rats, but what about in people?	Here are some newer videos on the health benefits of blueberries: How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years Boosting Natural Killer Cell Activity Best Berries Dietary Treatment of GlaucomaPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on brain health. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Alzheimer's Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable, Natural Alzheimer’s Treatment, and Raspberries Reverse Precancerous Lesions	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/12/19/black-raspberries-may-help-prevent-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/29/alzheimers-disease-up-to-half-of-cases-potentially-preventable-with-lifestyle-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/06/natural-alzheimers-treatment/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anthocyanins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jam/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blueberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spirulina/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-natural-killer-cell-activity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-treatment-of-glaucoma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20047325,
PLAIN-3251	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/	EPIC Study	What about this, though? Fruits and vegetables have little effect? Eating veggies doesn’t stop cancer? Here’s the study they’re talking about. Fruit and vegetable intake and overall cancer risk in the EPIC study. Here’s the data. For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a large apple officially weighs 223 grams. So, compared to people eating about less than an apple a day, those who ate one or more had a 5% decrease in overall cancer risk across the board. And those who ate the most fruits and vegetables had 11% lower risk. Here’s the conclusion: the study supports the notion of a modest cancer preventive effect of high intake of fruits and vegetables. But what about those headlines? They made it sound like fruits and veggies didn’t offer any protection. It’s not that fruits and vegetables didn’t prevent cancer in the study, it’s just how “modest” the preventive effect was. The bottomline is we can’t eat a standard Western diet and just add a few fruits and vegetables and expect to be cancer-proof. We have to fundamentally change our diets. Still, even if we’re living off burgers and doughnuts, a 5% drop in overall cancer risk means that an apple a day may keep 1 in 20 cancers away. That’s, not too bad—I mean how much does an apple cost? One and a half million Americans are diagnosed with cancer every year. This study suggests that if we all ate lots of fruits and vegetables 168,000 cancers could be prevented every year in the United States. 168,000 cancers. If that’s modest, I’ll take it. And they were counting like iceburg lettuce as a vegetable. It would have been interesting to see what some of the more powerful fruits and vegetables could do—berries, citrus, garlic, greens. And of course there’s lots of other health reasons to eat fruits and vegetables besides just cancer.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cancer. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Hi Dr Greger – I really enjoy your site and the nice little video summaries – they provide a lot of clarification of complex issues. I of course found you via PCRM and Neil Barnard who I strongly admire.COMMENT: I noticed that the 5th quintile represented greater or equal to 647 grams per day of fruits and vegetables. Does this include water weight and fiber weight? Measuring by weight alone does seem pretty inaccurate since most of us think in terms of volume when we track and analyze our diets – ie grams and cups and ounces.Most nutrition and calorie charts and sites track by “grams of pinto beans” etc. Plus there is so much fiber and water weight in fruits and veggies. The amount of water in fruits and veggies seems to range from 80 to 96% according to one chart I just found (http://www.ca.uky.edu/enri/pubs/enri129.pdf)CALCULATION: So, if you for a moment assumed that 647 grams by weight of veggies and fruit intake contained all carbs and proteins at 4 cals per gram for example (and NO fiber or water or fats weight – to make the calculation a little easier) – that would equal about 2500 calories per day food intake from 647 grams of pure “carbs and protein” food. (Again this is just for discussion sake).Remove 80% water content from this calculation (not to mention the fiber weight) – and that is only about 700 calories of carbs in 647 grams of veggies and fruits – if you know what I mean. I’m eating a vegan diet and am taking in about 2000 calories per day and my weight is stable. So I am ballparking that I’m probably taking in about 3 times the 647 “gross” grams per day of food – just to get to the 2000 calories per day. So this amounts to about 1950 grams per day of fruits and veggies, since that is all I eat as a vegan. Does this make sense?MY QUESTION IS: how does this 647 grams of fruits and veggies per day translate into an all vegan diet? How many grams per day does a vegan taking in 2000 calories per day amount to? Any studies regarding this much higher level of intake – amounting to 647 x 3 – approx 1950 grams per day – or 69 ounces of fruits and veggies – or roughly 4.3 lbs per day? Wow – that is a lot of weight but probably a good approximation of my total food intake by weight daily. Do my numbers make sense here? About 4.3 lbs per day by weight of food intake for 2000 vegan calories daily.Please also check out my associated blog post Fighting Inflammation with Food SynergyDo you have any specific information on a high carb, low fat, raw vegan diet for weight loss and overall health? Like the one suggested by Dr. Douglas Graham’s “80 10 10″? If not, I would love to see the information.But don’t studies point to that vegetarians vs. healthy omnivores in general have pretty much the same all cause mortality pretty much, except one or two things?Sorry repeated a word there twiceEPIC Failure? I am puzzled about the EPIC result that prostate cancer was not influenced by fruit and vegetable consumption, and the poor showing in general of vegetables and fruits as indicated by the hazard ratios. This makes me suspect there is a significant methodological problem with EPIC as I have reviewed a lot of research which suggests substance in plant foods inhibit prostate cancer growth, including the small Ornish study. Also at odds with in vitro work which suggest profound effects of plants on cancer cell proliferationThis 2012 study presents interesting statistics – “Vegetarian Diets and the Incidence of Cancer in a Low-risk Population” Yessenia Tantamango-Bartley et al, and shows an HR of about 0.8 for vegans with respect to male cancers (penis, prostate, testes)	apples,berries,cancer,citrus,EPIC Study,fruit,garlic,greens,lettuce,nutrition myths,vegetables	The role of fruit and vegetable consumption in preventing cancer.	Here are some other videos on fruit/vegetable consumption and cancer risk: Preventing Breast Cancer By Any Greens Necessary Apple Skin: Peeling Back Cancer Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better? Which Dietary Factors Affect Breast Cancer Most?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cancer. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli, Fighting Inflammation With Food Synergy, and Poultry Paunch: Meat & Weight Gain.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/01/22/poultry-paunch-meat-weight-gain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/citrus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epic-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-breast-cancer-by-any-greens-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-fruit-fights-cancer-better/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20371762,
PLAIN-3252	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-apple/	The Healthiest Apple	You may also remember how the USDA measured the antioxidant content of different varieties of apples. red delicious shot to #1, with granny smith in a surprise upset taking the #2 slot. But people kept asking me What about Cortland? What about Empire, What about McIntosh? Everyone has their own favorite. Someone even asked me: What about crabapples? And all I could say was: I have no clue; that’s all in fact anyone could say, because they hadn’t been tested. Until now. Twenty-one different varieties tested. I mean why bite into a red delicious when you can bite into good old 56-9-181 apple? There’s actually 7500 different types of apples, but let’s look at some crowd favorites. In alphabetical order: braeburn, Cortland, crabapples, empire, golden nugget, honeycrisp, and idared. Here’s the graph, and… we have a new winner! In fact two new winners, putting red delicious in its place. We have a new loser too—less nutrition than even a Fuji! Let’s start there. Which one’s the least nutritious apple? And the bad apple is… golden nugget. What about #1? Mirror mirror on the wall, which is the healthiest of them all? Let’s take a bite out of the tree of knowledge. Crabapples! Crabapples? Gross. What’s this one? What’s the healthiest apple you can actually buy? Five options left to choose from: braeburn, cortland, empire, honey crisp, or idared. Well… it’s not… McIntosh, … not empire, … not braeburn—oh, I love braeburn, and not… Cortland. The healthiest apple apple, beating out red delicious is idared.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fruit. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Havebeen on vegan diet for a year. How do I know if I am having enough protein. I have not paid much attention to protein content of food.Anita, your on the right track. all whole plant foods contain complete proteins, so if you eat till your full there is no worry! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vegan-protein-status/This is great. Easy way to choose a variety when shopping. Could you please do videos, or at least a list of the antioxidant levels in different varieties of oranges (or related fruits) like clementines, tangerines, tangelo, blood oranges etc? And tomatoes (plum, grape, cherry etc). And other foods where there are similar options. That would be wonderful. I love these videos so much.Is there more antioxidants per apple or percent? I love Galas and Fujis but they’re about half the size of a Granny Smith (which I also love but can’t find organic around here)For some context, please check out my associated blog post The Best Foods: Test Your Nutrition Knowledge!In the final ratings, did you mean to say “Honeycrisp” and not “McIntosh”?Apples rank #1 in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so try to purchase organic. View the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce here: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/haha idared was my guess, because it’s sounds like “ideal red” :)Interesting, I’ve never seen an Idared in any stores or farmer’s markets, even in orchards. I’ll eat a red delicious now and then, although they’re by far the most hit-or-miss apple.My favorite is still Red Delicious. =)What about the Pendragon apple? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6151010/800-year-old-apple-healthiest-to-eat.html Was it included in the study?I wonder how my favorite apple the Heirloom Arkansas Black measures up.I’m sitting here right now eating my Fuji apple while watching this video ooo lolWhat about sugar-apples (Annona squamosa)?	antioxidants,apples,fruit,phytonutrients	Putting red delicious in its place.	Want to see more on the health benefits of apple consumption? Watch: Apple Skin: Peeling Back Cancer Dried Apples, Dates, Figs or Prunes for Cholesterol?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fruit. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: The Best Foods: test your nutrition knowledge and Dr. Greger's Natural Nausea Remedy Recipe	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/28/dr-gregers-natural-nausea-remedy-recipe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/apples/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/apple-skin-peeling-back-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dried-apples-dates-figs-or-prunes-for-cholesterol/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20492102,
PLAIN-3253	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/	The Healthiest Lentil	In 2008, black beans beat out lentils by a hair and remain the reigning champ for most laudable legume in terms of antioxidants, but, with regards to protein, iron, zinc, and folate, lentils actually triumph over black beans. The problem is, you go to the store, and there are, three different kinds! Red lentils, green lentils, and French green lentils. Which is healthiest? We didn’t know until, this year... Well, it’s not, green lentils. Spilling the beans, red lentils are healthiest.	I love this information. But I sometimes want to access information but do not want to have to view a video. Please make text an available option.That could also allow us to get volunteers to help translate the transcript into other languages–thank you for the suggestion!I would love to volunteer! :-)If you need a volunteer to translate to/from Russian, I will be happy to helpThat would be great! Instructions here: https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1VLQvCUNrC47Yrti861QcH09YesAmY5e-pJgzBQAyBR4great :) It might be a good idea as well to put the link for these instructions to some place where people are more likely to see it. I have seen it by accident and decided that it is worth a try.I just wanted to update everyone that we can now read any video transcript by clicking on the “Transcript” button under the video. You don’t have to view the video to read what Dr. Greger is saying. Hope that helps! :)If anyone is worried about the gassiness of lentils, check out my blogpost Clearing the Air.I am so happy to read that red lentils are the best, since I love them and have been using them in a variety of recipes lately (soup and curry). I just wish they were more readily available to my friends who live in small towns. I can get them here in the Chicago area easily, but outside Chicago – not so much.Walmart now sells both green and red lentils. My local health food store just added French green lentils to its bulk repertoire, but it also sells brown lentils. Where do they fall on the lentil scale??BTW, the lentil scale gives different numbers than the all-legumes scale. What gives?if red are the healthiest lentil choice would that also include red split lentils?The splitting should not have much effect. You have to keep in mind that processing tends to decrease nutrient value depending on the degree and type of processing see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/great-grain-robbery/. Be well and keep tuned to Nutritionfacts.org as the science keeps changing.Yes indeed!For some context, please check out my associated blog post The Best Foods: Test Your Nutrition Knowledge!I’ve heard that not soaking lentils for 12 hours can result in negative “anti-nutrients” that completely offset any benefit. I find it difficult to soak lentils for this long before use but I have heard pressure cooking may destroy these anti-nutrients. Could you advise on this at all?This is false, soaking actually greatly reduces phytic acid which tends to bind calcium and zinc up. Phytic acid doubles as an antioxidant though. Cooking eliminates all antinutrients which include lectins, tannins, phytic acid and aeromylase.Thank you :-)Toxins, could you share some research demonstrating – 1. phytic acid doubling as an anti-oxidant in legumes and 2. the elimination of anti-nutrients in legumes via cooking. Thanks.Of course,“Phytic acid, concentrated in grains, is a known anti-oxidant. Phytic acid forms chelates with various metals, which suppress damaging Fe-catalysed redox reactions. Colonic bacteria produce oxygen radicals in appreciable amounts and dietary phytic acid could suppress oxidant damage to the intestinal epithelium and neighbouring cells”http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FPNS%2FPNS62_01%2FS0029665103000211a.pdf&code=60b2f75e99e7397a8a9e7b504bdd5319In terms of deactivated antinutrients, there are several papers on the topic, and not limited to these few.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1841541http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17852484http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814698002064http://www.sciencepub.net/nature/ns0808/19_3415_ns0808_163_167.pdfNot-So-Lowly-Lentil Soup-2 cups red lentils -6 cups water/homemade vegetable broth -1 clove garlic, minced -1 red onion, diced -2 medium-sized carrots, cut into half moons -2 green plantains*, cut into half moons -1 tbsp cilantro -1 tsp cumin -1 tsp oregano -black pepper to tasteCombine all ingredients in a soup pot. Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat until vegetables and lentils tender, about 20-25 minutes. Serve and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.*If you have never cooked with plantains before, the green ones taste similar to a potato but look like a green banana. As they ripen and turn brown they become sweeter and at their brownest (sweetest), resemble the taste of a greener banana.~Complements of lovestobeveganAnother interesting video =)Why is the antioxidants level the right measure of which food is healthier?Seems like food can contribute to the body in so many different ways. One could argue that you can still eat very healthy foods according to this measure and suffer from malnutrition due to lack of iron, for example…I’d greatly appreciate your opinion about this!Ok, I know this is an old post, but I hope your still replying. I take it I should soak my lentils based on a previous response because of the reduction of phytic acid. My query is what do I do with the soaking water? Is it necessary to throw it out?If you cook your lentils, the phytic acid will also be nearly eliminated. There is no need to soak beforehand.How about black lentils?I too would be interested to learn how black lentils compare with the 3 covered here.Are there any nutrients removed going for the split lentils? Or is it much better going for the whole?No, but they do cook faster, so watch the clock.Hello Michael. Are these red lentils the “hulled” brown/green lentils which are red inside? Hulled lentils would typically be smaller and weigh less so are they considered healthier on a per lentil basis or only as compared in weight to a whole lentil? I enjoy sprouting my whole (unhulled) lentils, they are one of the few beans that can be sprouted and safely eaten with out being extensively heated. Sprouted lentil can be eaten raw and at least in my experience digested easily however I find them more palatable when they are sprouted and lightly sauteed.Hey Michael. Okay this is great, I just found a review from 2012 on the role of lentis in human health that compares the nutritional content of split lentils to whole lentils among other things. I’m still reading it and thought that you might enjoy doing so as well. I don’t know, it may be old news to you. In any event here is the link: http://www.academia.edu/2110576/Role_of_lentils_in_human_health_and_nutrition_a_review . By the way thank you for the video reviews. I’m always learning so much from them and I often forward them to family and friends. They are much appreciated!Enjoy your informative videos. I’m 45 became vegan 2 years ago, eating mostly out of my organic garden. I work full time, have been very stressed due to losing a child to cancer 2 years ago and my job. I have developed the following symptoms warts on my fingers, sore gums, lost my sense of smell, no sex drive and painful periods. What do I need to supplement with or eat more of?? Please helpKathy: Good for your for becoming vegan – and growing your own food too. That’s pretty cool. It’s something I aspire to do some day.I’m sorry to hear about the death of your child. That’s truly horrible. It sounds like the last two years have been pretty hard.I thought I would let you know that NutritionFacts does have a video that covers painful periods. It would give you an idea to try. But the other symptoms you mention sound pretty serious to me. It seems to me that you might want to check in with a doctor to see if there is something other than nutrition which needs to be addressed. I mean, your diet already sounds amazing. Sounds like mostly whole plant foods? Not a lot of processed foods? So, I’m thinking that *maybe* you have a medical condition that might need to be addressed – or at least diagnosed so that you can think about your options and what is best. Note that I’m not a doctor. I’m just sharing my reaction to your post.If you want to check out the videos on painful periods, here you go: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=painful+menstrualI hope you are able to address the problems that have popped up. Good luck.Three kinds of lentils in the store?! Surely you jest us who live in rural parts of flyover USA. We are quite happy to find lentils in a local store. Online shopping is usually necessary for many healthy foods urbanites find readily available. Luckily beans/lentils/grain ship easy.	beans,black beans,folate,iron,legumes,lentils,plant protein,zinc	Red, green, or French green?	Here are some newer videos on legumes: Beans, Beans, They’re Good For Your Heart Diabetics Should Take Their Pulses Increased Lifespan From Beans Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis Prostate vs. PlantsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on lentils. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: The Best Foods: test your nutrition knowledge.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/11/06/the-best-foods-test-your-nutrition-knowledge/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lentils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/black-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zinc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/folate/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/legumes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-beans-theyre-good-for-your-heart/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20058926,
PLAIN-3254	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-herbal-tea/	The Healthiest Herbal Tea	Walking through the herbal tea aisle, can be daunting. Thankfully, last year this study, was published comparing the antioxidant activity of more than a dozen different types of herbal tea. They’re all good for you so the healthiest one is probably the one you’ll drink the most of, but if you don’t have a favorite, which is healthiest? Bergamot tea, chamomile, dandelion, fennel, jasmine, hawthorn, lavender, lemongrass, lemon verbena, peppermint, rooibos—also known as red tea, rosemary tea, thyme tea, or rosehip tea? For years I’ve been looking for good herbal tea data—and here it was, all in one place, thanks to a group of intrepid Korean investigators. For the first elimination round let’s pick the top ten. There are 14 listed here. The first three to drop out of the running? Bergamot, fennel, and thyme. Then, even peppermint doesn’t make the top ten cut. Here are the top five, Chamomile, dandelion, lemongrass, rooibos, and rosehip. And the number one most antioxidant packed herbal tea? Dandelion. Who woulda guessed?	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on tea. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!For an update, check out my blog post Hibiscus tea: flower power.Hi Dr. Greger,I have been suffering from Chronic Gastritis and would like to know which tea would be good for me? I also would like to see a video on the subject( Gastritis) I am vegan and Gluten Free. I have Crohn’s and Celiac. I grew up drinking black tea and seem to have trouble stopping it. I like the taste of Roibos, White tea, Hibiscus but I do not like the taste of green tea. I heard that slipery Elm, or Marshmelow tea are good for the heart burn, what do you know about that? I do not like the taste of both those teas but if it would help my disease I would drink it.It is possible that your GI tract doesn’t tolerate black tea and would explore other options as you mentioned. You might find some useful suggestions in Dr. John McDougall’s articles in his monthly newsletter… see Feb 2002 for gastritis… My stomach is on fire and I can’t put it out and Nov 2002 for inflammatory bowel disease… Chained to the Bathroom and Sept 2005 on Wheat and Celiac Disease. As he mentions there are some plant products that cause inflammation in the GI tract. Good luck.I was happy to see chamomile in the top 5, because I drink a cup every day. I wonder where exactly it placed?The study Dr. Greger alluded to placed green tea first, black tea second, then dandelion, hawthorn, rose hip, chamomile (in that order). But like he said you’re likely to get the most benefits from the herbal tea you’re inclined to drink more often :)The researchers listed the top ten as: Green tea, black tea, dandelion, lemon grass, haw thorn,rose hip, chamomile, rooibos, Lemon verbena and rosemary (in that order)Hi Dr. Greger, My first question is do you recommend dandelion root or the leaves? As a result of this video I ran out and bought dried dandelion leaves. I put a teaspoon in boiling water, strained it, and drank it. In a little while, my mouth went totally dry which scared me. It seems that dandelion has a strong diuretic effect. Second question: can this really be healthful?Perhaps that’s why dandelion is tradtionally recommended for the liver.Hi Gary, I don’t see the connection here. Dry mouth –> liver? Can you explain? Also does anyone know if we can just pick some leaves from the garden and put them in our salads or soups? Thank you.Dr. Gregor, Thanks for all your great videos. I love to drink different types of herbal tea every day, but many of my favorite teas, even the organic ones, list “natural flavors” as an ingredient. I’ve read the government definition of what can be included in these flavors, but it isn’t clear to me whether or not they are safe. It’s not too hard to choose unflavored teas, but is it worth the effort to choose teas (which often don’t taste quite as good) to avoid these flavor compounds or are they completely harmless? Thanks!I put fresh dandelion greens in my green smoothies! They have a good amount of calcium too. :^)Thank you for you work on all this information. – You cut to the chase and give with grafts a visual for what is top… Thanks again.Jeanwas rosehip tea much inferior? my mum makes it in a thermos all the time – it tastes fantastic when brewed for enough time (a couple of hours or even more). I think now I’ll buy a thermos myself (and research what else can be brewed to max my ORAC :))I’m curious about the nutritional content of wild foods. I read that dandelion has ten times the phytonutrients of the average green. I can buy two types, red and regular. I hear that mint and other herbs are considered wild foods, as well as green onions. Which ones are safe to eat and which ones are not?While in vitro antioxidant assays are a useful proxy for total polyphenol content, they can’t say much about how the polyphenols are metabolized (many have low bioavailability), or how they function. Polyphenols may be functioning as pro-oxidants in vivo, which may be their disease preventing mechanism:Plant-derived compounds as antioxidants for health–are they all really antioxidants Polyphenols as adaptogens—the real mechanism of the antioxidant effect Research strategies in the study of the pro-oxidant nature of polyphenol nutraceuticalsOf the herbal teas listed here, the most interesting in my readings has been rosemary, due to the high content of polyphenols carnosol, carnosic acid, and rosemarinic acid. Carnosol is of considerable interest as an anti-inflamatory and anti-cancer agent:Carnosol: a promising anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agent Antiangiogenic effect of carnosic acid and carnosol, neuroprotective compounds in rosemary leavesCarnosic acid, unlike many dietary polyphenols, has high bioavailability, even past the blood-brain barrier, where its neuroprotective:Carnosic acid, a catechol-type electrophilic compound, protects neurons both in vitro and in vivo through activation of the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway viaS-alkylation of targeted cysteines on Keap1Were those effects not enough, carnosic acid also appears to inhibit fat absorption:Carnosic acid, a new class of lipid absorption inhibitor from sageInhibition of gastric lipase as a mechanism for body weight and plasma lipids reduction in Zucker rats fed a rosemary extract rich in carnosic acidSage is also high in carnosic acid, and a mixture of sage and black tea is a traditional in Greece and the mideast and quite tasty.I wonder if chrysanthemum tea would be similar to dandelion, healthwise. It’s very popular in Asia… I don’t think there’s any scientific data covering this though… Anyone?I use a wheatgrass juicer and grow my own wheatgrass. During the spring, summer, fall, I go out and collect dandelions in stead and juice them. They’re more tolerable than wheatgrass. I call it a vitamin in a shotglass.The dandelion tea, was that the leaf, the flower or the root?Thanks!The roots are usually used for Dandelion Tea. You can buy pure medicinal (meaning pure and strong) dandelion tea called “Traditional Medicinal” Roasted Dandelion Root tea. I hope I can leave that because I am not selling it, just drinking. Whole Foods & more conventional supermarkets (Kroger) sell organic Dandelion Leaves – fresh – for salads. Use the stalky part too as it is great for the gut microbiomes & increases probiotics in your gut. I just did a University course on this. :D Don’t use them from your yard if there is any chance of pesticides – that’s probably obvious but I just thought I would add.Thanks!The box in the video clearly states “Dandelion Leaf Tea”. The whole plant is edible though.What dark green leaf tea was doctor Gregor referring to at the end of the video? Thank you-Another easy to make at home sort of thing. I have eaten fresh greens and blooms before.	alternative medicine,antioxidants,bergamots,beverages,chamomile tea,complementary medicine,dandelion,fennel,hawthorn,herbal tea,jasmine tea,Korea,lavender,lemon verbena,lemongrass,peppermint,phytonutrients,red tea,rooibos,rose hips,rosemary,tea,thyme	More than a dozen herbal teas were compared for their antioxidant activity.	To learn more about herbal teas, you can watch: Herbal Tea Update: Rooibos & Nettle Is There Too Much Aluminum in Tea? How Much Hibiscus Tea is Too Much? Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy Enhancing Athletic Performance With PeppermintPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on tea. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For an update and additional context, check out my blog posts: Hibiscus tea: flower power and Hibiscus Tea: The Best Beverage?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/08/hibiscus-tea-flower-power/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/03/hibiscus-tea-the-best-beverage/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lavender/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemongrass/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chamomile-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bergamots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/korea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rooibos/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jasmine-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rosemary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hawthorn/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fennel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lemon-verbena/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rose-hips/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyme/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dandelion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19723177,
PLAIN-3255	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-yerba-mate/	Update on Yerba Maté	And finally, what about yerba mate, a latin American herbal tea that’s been linked to cancer. Should we continue to avoid it? Yes, an evaluation of the cyto- and genotoxic activity of yerba mate in human white blood cells, found it caused a significant increase in the rate of cell death. Not what you want from your herbal tea.	But is it bad and have the PAH’s because the Yerba Mate is smoked as part of the “drying” process?? Guayaki says that the Organic, Unsmoked, Air Dried Mate has less Pah’s then Green Tea. I know that they are selling the product, but I also really want to know what in the Mate is bad. For many years I drank the traditional blend, but in the last few years I have switched to Air Dried, Green, Organic Yerba Mate with water that is not terribly hot. And IF it is the “smoking” process that is bad, then are other teas smoked, like Lapsong? And then does it make my beloved Organic, Air Dried, Yerba Mate okay? It’s seriously a major happy tea………Please Miraculous Michael Gregor, do deliver good news to me.That is an excellent question, and unfortunately the answer is that we just don’t know. A study of 8 different brands found “very high concentrations” of carcinogenic PAHs in all of them. As you’ll see if you have a chance to read it, they even go as far as to say suggest “that the benzo[a]pyrene intake associated with drinking mate may be comparable with that associated with smoking cigarettes.” Yikes! If you are going to drink it I’d recommend unsmoked varieties, but unfortunately we’re not sure how much better they are. I’ll definitely keep my eyes peeled for any new data–I used to love the stuff myself.This piece of literature, on the other hand, is thought provoking indeed. I am amazed to see the hydrophobics making their greatest impact in the first 5 minute steep, and irrespective of temperature! So my 6g daily Mate is equivalent to 2.7 cigarretes’ worth of benzo- yeesh. I hope the antioxidants have been negating that….Does the study include the Organic, non-smoked version sold by Eco Teas,here? http://www.yerbamate.com/YerbaMate/You’re right to claim that there are “high concentrations” in all 8 brands. But there’s a surprisingly wide variation — let’s compare ‘Brand 5′ against ‘Green Tea’.When you do so, you’ll see that Brand 5 only has twice the total level of PAHs compared to Green Tea. Moreover, a large number of Brand 5’s PAHs come in the form of Fluoranthene and Pyrene. Fluoranthene is classified by the International Agency on Cancer Research as “not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans”. http://cira.ornl.gov/documents/FLUORANT.pdf Pyrene is trickier. Maybe it’s bad for the liver and kidney. But the EPA has placed “pyrene in weight-of-evidence group D, not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity.”If we are willing to exclude Fluroanthene and Pyrene from our calculations, then Green Tea and Brand 5 are very similar ~330 vs. ~200.I’d guess that Brand 5 is an ‘unsmoked’ variety. The evidence here doesn’t seem damning — what do you think?Yeah!! I know, I read some of that stuff. BUT, nearly all the mate in the world is consumed in South America and basically every brand I have ever seen there is Smoked. I think it isn’t very “porteno” to drink unsmoked. So I am assuming that all the varieties they tested were smoked. Maybe I can find out from Guayaki which study they are talking about. I ran into research on the web somewhere, but you had to pay for the rest of the paper. Yeah, I drink it from the gourd and quit a few times and may still because it does elevate the heart rate. We drink vats (well under the 60 cups a day :) of green tea as well, but I don’t feel complete without my Mate! Thanks for your answer!hi, what have you done since this video? I also feel incomplete without mate.Do you keep drinking Organic mate? Thanks!Hey Dr. Greger.I take Vega Sport pre-workout drink (18g servings) five times a week. For each 18g of serving, there’re 167mg of yerba mate leaf.How much of a threat is yerba mate in this form and at the frequency I consume per week? Thanks.Hi Tan Truong, Reviewing the product you consume shows it has many good components. However as discussed above it does contain a Mate which contains carcinogens plus a tropical oil(coconut seed oil see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/ and another substance Kombucha see http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kombucha-tea/. Although the dose is small I recommend avoiding carcinogens as much as possible.Thanks DrDons for your time and research.I can’t imagine too many pre-workout drinks that don’t have carcinogens. I’m curious what Vega has to say about this.It’s just that it keeps me jacked and focused during workouts. I definitely will cut down on the consumption, and likely eventually eliminate it for good.I’m so confused by this – so why aren’t Argentinians dropping like flies?I am from Argentina! This is TRAGIC NEWS for my country! lolHello Dr. Greger. The primary lit you quote in the video (Evaluation of the cyto- and genotoxic activity of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) in human lymphocytes in vitro) is highly misleading, and using its results to validate the potential carcinogenecity of Y. Mate demonstrates poor interpretation of the data. The authors utilized caffeine as a control, and found it to perform worse than Y. Mate extract in the two ‘genotoxic’ assays of micro nuclear formation and aneugenic activity. Aside from yielding a non-result, the experimental design was flawed, as the Mate liquer produced was 4-8 times the strength of Mate produced in a normal kitchen (1-2 Tbsp per 8 oz cup yields 25.4-50.8g per Liter; compared to the 200g per Liter used in the experiment.). Couple this with the fact that the brewing method favors the extraction of more lipophilic molecules than would be encountered in normal brewing, (212 deg for 10 min vs 150 deg for 5-8 min) and the whole study is shot due to improper methods before we even get to discussing controls. Finally, the in vivo equivalent of bathing cells iYerba mate triggered my anxiety attacks I developed a week after taking it. Mate contains theobromine–a neurotoxin. Stay away as it messed up by adrenal glands.Do you have an recent studies on Yerba?Dang it, and here I was thinking about using Yerba mate instead of coffee. Thanks for the update.I do not know ,but, I have heard of more health challenges with coffee. We drink Green Tea daily and have Yerbe Mate as a treat, after hearing about testosterone problems with Stevia , that has me concerned .It seems to me that the problem with yerba mate is the SMOKING process of drying, rather than the leaves themselves. I hope research comes out soon on the effect of the NON-SMOKED yerba mate varieties. Please keep updating this topic! Thanks.I agree – please keep us posted on any updated research on the PAH levels of air-dried yerba.I’m from south brazil. Here we drink it every frakking day. Its a tradition and honestly is not because theres a vague relation to cancer we’ll start giving up this tradition.For someone like myself, whose maternal family is Paraguayan, and drinks it daily, how can I flush my system of these carcinogens? I am 42 years old and thought it was a healthier option. Thank you!What a reductionist vision. So, all this time.. it wasn’t the agrochemicals, nor the pollution or the synthetic poison added to our food. It was Mate! Thank you “Dr” for helping the sensationalism about health with this 0:30 seg. – explaining nothing – video about an historically used herb.Could you please share article based on this fact?Andrea: Look just below the video for the “Sources Cited” section. You can click that text to expand the section and see the reference.	beverages,cancer,carcinogens,cell death,herbal tea,natural toxins,nutrition myths,yerba mate	Why this herbal tea may increase cancer risk	Some other videos on herbal teas include: Herbal Tea Update: Rooibos & Nettle Is There Too Much Aluminum in Tea? How Much Hibiscus Tea is Too Much? Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy Enhancing Athletic Performance With PeppermintPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on Yerba Maté. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Soymilk: shake it up!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbal-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kombucha-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cell-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yerba-mate/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-there-too-much-aluminum-in-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/herbal-tea-update-rooibos-nettle/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/enhancing-athletic-performance-with-peppermint/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chamomile-tea-may-not-be-safe-during-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-hibiscus-tea-is-too-much/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19733686,
PLAIN-3256	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/	Update on Vitamin E	What about vitamin E? The concern has been that vitamin E supplements increase all-cause mortality, meaning those taking vitamin E live, on average, a shorter life. And now, we know how much shorter. A QALY, a “quality adjusted life year,” is defined as a year of healthy, illness-free life. If you take vitamin E supplements you live, on average, point three QALYs less than if you did not take vitamin E supplements. So by buying vitamin E you are in effect paying to erase like four healthy, illness free months from your lifespan. Still, harmful.	What is the dose of Vitamin E that becomes harmful? Or are all doses harmful?Isn’t Vitamin E included in a lot of multivitamin supplements? Should we avoid those that have Vitamin E in them?Great question Lindsey! All we know based on this series of studies is that typical doses appear harmful. How these studies are typically run is by asking people if they take the vitamin in question (no dose specified) and then after controlling for a number of factors see if the people that claimed they did do better or worse than those reporting that they don’t. In terms of multivitamins, next week I’m going to be posting a new video on how taking multivitamins may increase breast cancer risk. Until then check out my other multivitamin videos.Is it possible that a portion of people taking vitamin E were doing so for medical reasons?Thank you, Dr. Greger! This site is a gold mine!And NOW the news is going crazy, we found it first here!Which vitamin E are you referring to that’s harmful–the natural or synthetic?Aren’t there different types of vitamin E?Hello Kmatthews, similarly to synthetic vitamin c (ascorbic acid), and natural vitamin c from plants, your body will treat it and react the same way. The same can’t be said for synthetic vitamin a and the carotenoids found in plants as one can’t really overdose on the plant form of vitamin a if taken through its natural plant form. The second you isolate a mineral or vitamin you can expect an imbalance (unless one is truly deficient or requires supplementation for health reasons such as b12, vitamin d and in some cases, iodine.) http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/In conclusion, we should not be supplementing vitamin E, whether it be synthetic or extracted from its natural form.This study was based on useless synthetic vitamin E, not on the natural Mixed Tocopherols form!I much appreciate your work Dr Greger, but you need to mention important details like this in your video’s.Plus lets be honest, how can any study tell us if Vitamin E supplements shorten or lengthen our lifespan? There are just way to many individual diet variables in a control group to come up with any form of accuracy on any vitamin study regarding human longevity. Lets all keep our common sense hat on we we look at these supplement studies regarding longevity, and that’s no matter which way the study turns out.Hi Rick, You are correct that the studies to date don’t “prove” that Vit E shortens lifespan. Reading the abstract connected with the video they were concerned with “high” dose Vit E and left open the possibility that low dose vitamin E might be okay. However the studies have shown that vitamin E does correlate with shorter lifespan. So there is evidence to not take Vitamin Supplements of A, E, and D. See Dr. Gregers other video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/. This makes some sense to me since A, D and E are the fat soluble vitamins and can accumulate in our bodies as opposed to the B vitamins which are water soluble and don’t accumulate. It is interesting to me that my patients want science to stop taking supplements but don’t base their decision to take supplements on scientific studies. At this point my recommendations are to get your vitamins, minerals and trace elements by consuming a varied whole plant diet. The only vitamin I routinely recommend for folks following a plant based diet is Vitamin B12. It is clear that we need more studies in the area of human nutrition and supplements.but the soil our food is grown on has lost much of its viability–so our plants don’t have the full nutrients we need.For some context, please check out my associated blog post Multivitamins and Mortality!ugh….why do i always see these things right after i buy a product!!! i was just thrilled to find vitashine plant based vitamin d3 (my bloodtest for D came in at 8 so I need to supplement but am vegan).  well $40 later, sure enough, there is vitamin E in this spray bottle as well.  Dr. Greger, would you recommend not taking it due to the E? If so, do you have any other recommendations for plant based D3?  I’m hesitant to use D2 b/c of all the aggravating controversy. Thnx in advance and thnx for this whole site!There are some misconceptions about Vitamin D2There are two types of vitamin D:Vitamin D3 – cholecalciferol; is derived from animals (usually from sheep’s wool or fish oil). It is the preferred form that is usually recommended as studies have shown it to be more effective, and it is the form animals (including humans) synthesize from sunlight.Vitamin D2 – ergocalciferol; a plant chemical that is the form synthesized by plants. It has vitamin D activity in humans, but not as much activity as D3;While D3 has been shown to be more effective (some studies have estimated it to be about 3- 10x more effective) it doesn’t mean that D2 is ineffective.If you are avoiding animal products, and are unable to get enough Vit D from exposure to sunlight, a Vit D2 supplement may be a solution, but you may have to take more of it, or take it more often.The reason is that in a study done in 2004, subjects were given one dose of 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 or vitamin D3. Vitamin D2 was absorbed just as well as vitamin D3. However, after three days, blood levels of 25(OH)D decreased rapidly in the subjects who were given vitamin D2 and by 14 days they had fallen to the original level. Those who received vitamin D3 sustained high levels for two weeks before dropping gradually. This seems to indicates that vitamin D2 needs to be taken at least every three days to maintain adequate blood levels.Quoting from the study..The relative potencies of vitamins D(2) and D(3) were evaluated by administering single doses of 50,000 IU of the respective calciferols to 20 healthy male volunteers, following the time course of serum vitamin D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) over a period of 28 d and measuring the area under the curve of the rise in 25OHD above baseline.The two calciferols produced similar rises in serum concentration of the administered vitamin,indicating equivalent absorption. Both produced similar initial rises in serum 25OHD over the first 3 d, but 25OHD continued to rise in the D(3)-treated subjects, peaking at 14 d, whereas serum 25OHD fell rapidly in the D(2)-treated subjects and was not different from baseline at 14 d. http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/89/11/5387.longIn addition..OBJECTIVE: Assessment of the effectiveness and safety of high daily 125 microg (5,000 IU) or 250 microg (10,000IU) doses of vitamin D(2) during 3 months, in rapidly obtaining adequate 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels.DESIGN: Longitudinal study.SUBJECTS: Postmenopausal osteopenic/osteoporotic women (n = 38 ) were studied during winter and spring. Median age (25-75th percentile) was 61.5 (57.00-66.25) years, and mean bone mineral density (BMD) was 0.902 (0.800-1.042)g/cm(2). Subjects were randomly divided into three groups: control group (n=13): no vitamin D(2), 125 mug/day (n=13) and 250 microg/day (n=12) of vitamin D(2) groups, all receiving 500 mg calcium/day. Serum calcium, phosphate, bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), C-telopeptide (CTX), 25OHD, mid-molecule parathyroid hormone (mmPTH), daily urinary calcium and creatinine excretion were determined at baseline and monthly.RESULTS: For all subjects (n=38 ), the median baseline 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) level was 36.25 (27.5-48.12) nmol/l. After 3 months, 8% of the patients in the control group, 50% in the 125 microg/day group and 75% in the 250 microg/day group had 25OHD values above 85 nmol/l (34 ng/ml). Considering both vitamin D(2) groups together, mmPTH and BAP levels diminished significantly after 3 months (P<0.02), unlike those of CTX. Serum calcium remained within normal range during the follow-up.CONCLUSIONS: The oral dose of vitamin D(2) required to rapidly achieve adequate levels of 25OHD is seemingly much higher than the usual recommended vitamin D(3) dose (20 mug/day). During 3 months, 250 microg/day of vitamin D(2) most effectively raised 25OHD levels to 85 nmol/l in 75% of the postmenopausal osteopenic/osteoporotic women treated. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16391587Also..Concluded: Vitamin D deficiency was less prevalent in elderly women taking Vitamin D(2) supplements (1.8%) compared to women not taking any supplements (12%). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15225846And..Concluded: In elderly subjects, both vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3 supplements may contribute equally to circulating 25OHD levels, with the role of vitamin D supplement use being more predominant during winter. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14648011I appreciate that information. Being that D3 does seem to be more effective, then if there is a vegan choice available, I would rather take that.  This is why I’m wondering about the safety of the Vit E included in this product.  A rep said that each spray contains < .1%.  So Im still unsure if this will do more harm than good.What is the RDA for vitamin E? I can’t find any decent information on this. In the UK they say 4mg, America they say 15mg, and neither really shows any science to explain why?What are the best vegan sources if vitamin e? I’m struggling on 80/10/10 being vegan. Should I supplement or possibly with a whole foods mulivitamin. Are whole foods multivitamins ok?Dr. Gregor, My husband and I are both vegans who eat a HCLF diet. We have been tracking our nutrient intake via cronometer for several months now. One trend we have observed is that not only do we get more than enough protein and vitamin b12, but the only nutrient we lack in is vitamin e. We have not found much literature of Vitamin E deficiency being of any concern; however, it appears that if one is a vegan eating no added fats and onlya couple nuts a day, it is very difficult to obtain adequate amounts. Should we be concerned?Thanks for your post! A few nuts and seeds will cover your vitamin E for the day. Mangoes, green leafy vegetables, and whole grains also contain vitamin E. The RDA for vitamin E is 15 milligrams per day. A 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds has like 12 mg. So you can see how concentrated the nuts and seeds are in vitamin E. You won’t need more than an ounce or so to obtain the RDA, so long as incorporating plenty of whole grains and veggies.	lifespan,longevity,mortality,nutrition myths,QALY,supplements,vitamin E	Paying to live a shorter life.	Here are other videos on fat-soluble vitamins, see: Is Vitamin D the New Vitamin E? Is Vitamin D3 Better Than D2?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on Vitamin E. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Multivitamins and Mortality, Eating To Extend Our Lifespan, and Soymilk: shake it up!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multivitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-e/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/qaly/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19866453,
PLAIN-3257	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/	Is Stevia Good For You?	The jury is finally in on Stevia The reason it’s been such a long time coming is that research out of Japan in the 90s found that steviosides, the active ingredient in stevia, appeared totally harmless, but in the guts of rats intestinal bacteria transformed steviosides into something called steviol, which is toxic, causing a big spike in mutagenic DNA damage. So the question was do we have those same rat bacteria in our guts, and it turns out we do. So we know that when we eat stevia, mutagenic compounds are produced in our colons and absorbed into our bloodstream. The only remaining question was how much. The World Health Organization just released their latest evaluation of food additives, and they consider up to 4 mg/kg of body weight safe. So that’s 1.8 mg per pound, so if you multiply your weight in pounds times 1.8, that’s how many milligrams of stevia compounds you should stay under. The problem is the American sweet tooth. We’re supposed to stay under 4, but if we sweetened everything with stevia we could exceed that safety limit, at least in the United States. But, as long as you only drink like two stevia-sweetened beverages a day, it can be considered, harmless.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!1. Have there been any other studies other than the one mentioned in the video? To be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen any negative effects of stevia and I’m concerned because I use it quite often for sweetening my tea – and I drink a lot of tea. :) 2. If you stay under the amount mentioned in the video, does that mean it’s harmless or simply within safe levels? 3. How does the amount you mentioned in the video translate into daily allowance when using liquid stevia? (a typical variety available, such as NuNaturals organic liquid)I have the same question Melanie. We have been using stevia for years and now I don’t know what to do. I only use about 1/8 tsp at a time and maybe do this 2-3 times a day. I have no idea how this compares to the “safe” amounts talked about in this video. since seeing this i have started to decrease the amounts i use in my tea and smoothies and I’m actually finding that 1/16 of a tsp works fine too. hopefully we can get answers!Don’t know how you could possibly stay under the limits. The organic stevia I use comes in 1g pkgs. 1 pkg = 2 tsp sugar according to the box. So 1/4 a pkg (1/2 tsp of sugar) more than the max of stevia a 150 Ib person could consume/day. No way would 2 drinks/day sweetened with stevia contain small enough amounts to be considered safe.I also use a lot of Stevia, and have for MANY years! I don’t like the flavor of my local water and add it to every glass I drink! What I have done to myself??Maybe there’s something wrong with your local water. Have you tested it? tried filtering it? tried drinking water with lemon juice instead?Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!Is there any studies comparing stevia to sugar regarding health issues?I grow stevia on my patio, and use the leaves & stems in smoothies.  Do you have an opinion on whether unprocessed stevia plant parts would cause similar changes at similar levels?THIS is what I have been asking! If any one knows, please tell us! I don’t like using processed crap any more. I’ve never used stevia as a flavouring, so I want to get the plant. My friend purchased one a few weeks back and it seemed like such a good idea. I’ve been doing research and every other article is either it’s good for you, it’s bad for you. No one can decide and I can’t get a finalized answer lol.Wow, this is scarry….I use tons of it! :/so do I and have been for about 10 yrs!!While it is concerning and I hope we get a clear answer, we should try to avoid using a ton of anything! Even a water in excess is not good.I’d like to see some more information to this segment. What does this bacteria in the gut do? I use stevia and well over 4.5 grams per day. What is the alternative? What about growing your own? Can you follow up please with more info?that’s about harm, what about nutritionscale with other sweeteners?Wow, this is news. Is there an assessment of Lakanto, another reportedly non-glycemic sweetener?Are you aware that the study you refer to may have been funded by the Artificial Sweetern Industrial Complex corporations? Can you please update your video to include recent studies that show stevia has does not have “mutagenic compounds are produced in our stomach”?Can you provide some URL or journal links? I’m interested in both sides of a story and would like any info on Stevia. Thanks.http://drjameslong.com/blog/Posted on Sept. 10, 2011 pretty much stating it can be safe and provides a link to an FDA study, if we want to give weight to them. It also depends on WHAT BRAND you use. If it has more than 2 ingredients, you should rethink your brand. That part I found in doing my own research. The info is out there and the time and energy you put into uncovering it is well worth it.I was told by a chemist that processed anything is a problem. If you use Stevia it should be in pure form. It is not the Stevia plant it is the chemicals and other ingredients used in the processing .Forgive me, but I am going to be blunt here. I am truly sick and tired of a panic being perpetuated over EVERYTHING! This causes cancer…that causes hemmorhoids…this causes you to grow an extra hump on your back…c’mon people, CALM DOWN!!! Nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING is 100% safe nowadays. You think you’re eating 100% organic? You honestly believe that even if you grow your own garden, that the water you use is 100% pure? The soil is untainted? Just because you use no pesticides, your product is never going to be perfect. The very AIR you breathe is toxic, and that has more of an adverse affect on your body than anything you eat. There will always be conflicting reports, funded by competitors, looking to undermine eachother. We are all going to die of something, but chances are, it’s going to be from a stampede of chicken littles trampling eachother in a blind panic, before anything else. Stevia, even processed, is as close to safe a sweetener as you’re going to find.I saw an article on this site by Dr. Greger stating that agave nectar is a superior sweetener, which I know is not the case. I question whether this site is biased.You must be confusing me with someone else. Here’s what I say about agave: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/what about growing the plant and using the leaves as apposed to using the store bought supplement. Is the plant leaf itself safe, without all the processing?I don’t like the way stevia tastes (bitter and ultra sweet), so I’m not surprised with these findings. I’m just now drinking a protein drink make with high quality ingredients and of course Stevia is included. It has that awful aftertaste reminiscent of artificial sweeteners. How can we get the food companies to stop putting it into almost everything? I don’t care if people add it or any other natural or manufactured sweetener, but I don’t want it showing up in everything (as if it’s the next “free ride” for sugar addicts.I buy dried stevia where I buy tea and use it in my den pitcher with tea can also be blended into powder in the other things I do not like the formatted products? But really everything in moderation!So does stevia act as a contraceptive? Is it safe for consumption?Here is a video on stevia. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/Thank you JD, I was beginning to feel panicked since I use a lot of organic pure stevia extract powder… glad to see there is nothing to worry about despite the older studies sited in the video above.Thanks for the response Linda. I do find it a little concerning that Dr Greger (or his sidekick “Toxins”) has not responded to any of the information I included in my response.What about stevia extract drops or whole stevia leaf? Are those bad too?Stevia purchased at the grocery story has all kinds of additives that suppose to make it taste better. You must read labels! Only use PURE Stevia that you can only find at health food stores.I take around a quarter teaspoon of Stevia per day in my smoothie and my liter of apple cider vinegar drink, so half a teaspoon per day. Too much ?Is there evidence yet on the exact damage Stevia does in long term daily use, such as a five year or ten year study?What about coconut sugar? is that as healthy as date sugar? And what about all coconut products. I read that coconut is a superfood which can do no wrong if it is not processed highly. I drink the water by the quart from boxes sourced in Thailand, but I prefer the nut opened fresh off the tree.1 tiny package (serving) of stevia = 1 gram so even I package is way over the limit :(Can you clarify if the effects are cumulative? Also, does “mutagenic dna damage” mean that ingesting stevia can literally mutate our dna?!? I’m concerned because, as a brca1+ breast cancer survivor, I completely switched over to stevia for baking and beverages. This sounds a lot like what they said about saccharine once upon a time, when it was killing rats, but it was ok to have a few Tabs. Many of the vegan recipe sites I follow are using xylitol, is that a safer choice than stevia? TY!!At some point a few years back, the FDA or Michael Taylor. Food Czar of the FDA and once a lobbyist of Monsanto (now its vice president in charge of policy) allowed Neotame, which is far more toxic than aspartame to be used in Stevia, and any organic sweetened food without telling the public or labeling the product as such. For that reason, I totally stopped buying anything with added sugars, including stevia, and have never looked back.I now add dried figs, or dried apricots to my tea. It re-hydrates the fruit while sweetening the tea and adding nutrition to my tea break.To add to my previous post above. “Neotame is essentially aspartame plus 3,3-dimethylbutyliii–the presence of which ends up reducing the production of phenylalanine, which allegedly makes it safe for those suffering from phenylketonuria (PKU).(Hence neotame does not need to bear a PKU warning label like aspartame.)Unfortunately, it may actually be an even more potent and dangerous neurotoxin, immunotoxin and excitotoxin than aspartame.”“Monsanto’s own pre-approval studies of neotame revealed adverse reactions, and there were no independent studies that found neotame to be safe.”“The makers of Neotame, in partnership with an Indian health care company called EnSigns Health Care Pvt Ltd, introduced the neotame-laced cattle feed sweetener back in October 2010.” http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/28/neotame-more-toxic-than-aspartame.aspxHence, for those who eat supermarket meat, they are also eating Neotame, but without the right to know compliments of Big Brother.Personally, I don’t believe anything the FDA claims is safe, and found this bit unbelievable as well. http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm397725.htmhttp://www.mercola.com/downloads/bonus/stevia-natural-safe-sugar-alternative/report.htmWho in their right mind would listen WHO? Like the gov, they are in the pack pocket of big biz. For every negative study like this their is one or two that is positive. Do the research and make up your own mind.Isn’t Truvia a mixture of stevia/erythritol?Wonderfully researched comments. Thanks! I must point out in fairness to Dr. Greger that he did not say steviol is derived from the steviosides in the stomach, but in the colon. I myself badly want to believe in stevia. One of my favorite plants to grow and consume powdered or to buy in bulk green leaf powder!Thank your for the correction karlremmen about Dr Greger’s refernce on location. He said colon not stomach. “mutagenic compounds are produced in our colon” Min. 0:40I’ll ask him if there is any update on the research. As you can imagine he is very busy. My job is to help translate the information he produces and we of course get so many inquires! I appreciate your patience (dang…2 years! so sorry) and I’ll do my best to reply as soon as possible. If possible, please send links to studies that you have found counter his stance on stevia. Wikipedia is hard to navigate and the first PDF is not opening for me (I am sure it did two years ago!!!). Thanks, JD Mumma!	artificial sweeteners,beverages,bile acids,DNA damage,gut flora,Japan,nutrition myths,Purevia,stevia,sweeteners,Truvia,World Health Organization	How much of this natural sweetener can be considered safe?	Here are some of our recent videos on alternative sweeteners: Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia Aspartame and the Brain Neurobiology of Artificial Sweeteners How Diet Soda Could Make Us Gain WeightPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Also, be sure to check out my associated blog posts: Vitamin B12: how much, how often?, Kiwi Fruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Is Caffeinated Tea Really Dehydrating?,Soymilk: shake it up!, and Is There a Safe, Low-Calorie Sweetener?	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/07/is-there-a-safe-low-calorie-sweetener/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stevia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/purevia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/truvia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/japan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/world-health-organization/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8962427,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19961353,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20112497,
PLAIN-3258	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/	Another Update on Spirulina	What about Spirulina? The reason I told everyone to throw their spirulina away was that it was found to produce hepatotoxins. While blue-green algae has the brain toxins; spirulina can have liver toxins. Should we continue to avoid the stuff? Yes, now spirulina can boast neurotoxins as well—last year a potent neurotoxin was found in spirulina for the first time.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on spirulina. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Another aspect of toxicity, specifically in Hawaiian spirulina, is a concern expressed by Steve Blake, a N.D. and researcher on Maui . He noted on a visit to Hawaii, where the production facility is located on the Kona coast, that the Kona airport was nearby and that some or many (?) jet landings and takeoffs transited over the spirulina facility. He contacted the company asking if they were aware of jet fuel residue, etc possibly contaminating the algae and has not received a reply.Hello again! I am planning on conceiving in the next few months and I have been researching prenatal vitamins. Dr. Fuhrman has a prenatal that looks excellent (most importantly, no folic acid) expect it has some spirulina in it. It is listed as an ingredient in the “250mg of a fruit, veggie and greens blend.” Should I continue my search, or is this as good as it gets?It seems, from all the data presented, that spirulina is much more harm than good and that maybe Dr. Fuhrman (a doctor I highly respect) may not have received this information.I could not disagree more- spirulina provides all the minerals, vitamins and even protein that a pregnant woman could need. In fact it was the food staple of choice of the Aztecs before the Spanish colonisation of the Americas. Of course one should buy a reputable label, ensuring it is grown away from pollutants, but that goes for all of our foods including fish and fruit and vegetables. It does a wonderful job of keeping anemia at bay and I have been using it myself for more than 20 years (including while pregnant), and recommending it to my pregnant clients, and have never had any adverse reactions. I would recommend it over any man-made supplement out there. Though nothing is as good as a great wholefoods, organic diet, the fact is that few pregnant women can actually manage to get it. Spirulina really helps to fill in the nutritional gaps.Good for you for planning ahead for the healthiest possible pregnancy! Interestingly, although the idea that pregnant women need to take a special multivitamin is fixed in the minds of the American public, there is no evidence that prenatal vitamins are helpful in Americans, who generally get enough nutrients, even for growing a baby. Multivitamins may help malnourished pregnant women in poor countries, although there is not great evidence for that, either (see the Cochrane data base, www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab004905.html). See also Dr. Greger’s video on multivitamins and breast cancer: nutritionfacts.org/videos/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer for a discussion of the problems with folic acid supplements. Your safest and healthiest bet is probably to eat green leafy things like crazy starting now, before you conceive. By the way, most doctors and nurses who provide prenatal care will likely advocate vitamin supplements, so you may need to arm yourself with facts from this website! Best of luck with your (future) pregnancy.You might look up “Propax with NT Factor” – an excellent food-based vitamin/mineral supplement. Available online or via your local “Vitamin Shoppe”I know there are vegetarians, especially vegetarian weightlifters that eat spiralina.  Is it the amount that is take and/or where is it from that causes the nuerotoxins?  I had my wife quit taking it after giving her this information.It Appears as though that these toxins are an inherent byproduct of spirulina and unrelated to where the spirulina came from.Any piece of scientific evidences ? Please give at least one argument to justify such an allegation …According to the research and cmmentary I have read, the toxins are not caused by the spirulina, but are instead caused by contamination. See:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirulina_(dietary_supplement) (I don’t usually cite wiki, but this has the citations for all the claims at the bottom).http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/spirulinaLiz:Good research on your part. Dr. Greger covers this very issue in the newest video on the topic of spirulina: (good one to watch)http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/I don’t know about you, but if a significant number of products are contaminated, it doesn’t matter to me whether it is the spirulina itself or “just” the contaminants. I’m going to play it safe given that the consequence of getting one bad product is so severe. Just sharing my take on the topic.Good luck to you.What about Hydrilla Verticillata? Safe?Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!Spirulina Division Hello, Christopher. The point you raise is the prime reason why it is extremely important to harvest spirulina at a pH over 10 (between 10-11). This is part of the quality control that commercial producers and small-scale producers employ to ensure spirulina’s quality for consumers. If it’s not at the right pH, it simply doesn’t get harvested. The liver toxins you’re speaking of are called microcystins, which are peptides produced microcystis, not by spirulina. Microcystis are unable to survive at such a high alkaline level between 10-11. This is what separates spirulina from another superfood cyanobacteria, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (aka AFA blue-green algae), which commonly grows up in Klammath Lake in Oregon. AFA, however, cannot grow at the high alkaline levels that spirulina can in order to avoid microcystins. This is the prime reason why I grow spirulina and not AFA, or chlorella for that matter, which also grows at a lower pH. Commonly, people and researchers assume that since AFA and spirulina are both cyanobacteria, their ideal growing conditions are also one and the same, but they usually get lumped together anyway when the research is not complete. It would be helpful if the gentleman who produced the video would learn more about each species and their Hey Mike thought I would share your Spirulina videos with the spirulina division on Facebook. They asked me to tell you to do more research…here is there response, Hello, Christopher. The point you raise is the prime reason why it is extremely important to harvest spirulina at a pH over 10 (between 10-11). This is part of the quality control that commercial producers and small-scale producers employ to ensure spirulina’s quality for consumers. If it’s not at the right pH, it simply doesn’t get harvested. The liver toxins you’re speaking of are called microcystins, which are peptides produced microcystis, not by spirulina. Microcystis are unable to survive at such a high alkaline level between 10-11. This is what separates spirulina from another superfood cyanobacteria, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (aka AFA blue-green algae), which commonly grows up in Klammath Lake in Oregon. AFA, however, cannot grow at the high alkaline levels that spirulina can in order to avoid microcystins. This is the prime reason why I grow spirulina and not AFA, or chlorella for that matter, which also grows at a lower pH. Commonly, people and researchers assume that since AFA and spirulina are both cyanobacteria, their ideal growing conditions are also one and the same, but they usually get lumped together anyway when the research is not complete. It would be helpful if the gentleman who produced the video would learn more about each species and their differences. Spirulina Division The same goes true regarding BMAA — and I’m glad you bring it up to help demystify it. Cyanobacterias are a diverse organism kingdom and BMAA has been associated with certain species of cyanobacteria, but not with arthrospira (this is the spirulina species). This was the point of a response published April 2005 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS 102: 5074-5078).Green vibrance (http://www.vibranthealth.us/). Throw it out?What about Chlorella – where are we with that?Dear Dr. Greger, What would you recommend to persons who have consumed spirulina on a regular basis? Are there any “detox” protocols? Thanks.Please understand this is mostly scaremongering, its completely ridiculous, me and dozens of friends have taken spirulina for years, its completely safe as long as its not tainted (same as something like POTATOES, really). This site is ridiculous in some issues.What is spirulina? is a supplement if so what other name would it have? or is it like an additive?Anatoxin-a in Aphanizomenon blue green algae supplements has been long suspected or known. The abstract cited here doesn’t say that anatoxin-a was found specifically in Spirulina supplements. Are they more specific elsewhere in the paper?“These supplements most commonly contain the genera Spirulina (Arthrospira) and Aphanizomenon…A total of 39 samples were analysed in the study. Results showed that three of the samples (7.7%) contained anatoxin-a…”Which samples? Spirulina, Aphanizomenon or mixed?Information presented in this manner is categorically useless, and intellectually dishonest.The questions are:1) Is there BMAA in spirulina and/or chlorella?2) Is there microcystin in spirulina and/or chlorella?If the answer is no, then there is no problem (at least until we discover if there are any other dangerous compounds produced by these organisms).The only method of determining the answer is through scientific testing, not rank speculation.Keep in mind the study in question was done on algae growing in water ways, and it was beyond the scope of the study to test food or nutritional supplements. That is the obvious next step that must be done.Pure planet premium spirulina is grown in california in a controlled enviroment should that one be avoided as well. I do have an autoimmune illness called LupusAlso, Dr. is the powder just as bad or worst than the capsules.SPIRULINA ISNT BAD IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM, DONT TRUST EVERY RANDOM AND BASELESS STUPIDITY YOU READ!Dr Greger,I am a keen Endurance Athlete, over fifty and eat only a plant based diet, Like all athletes, mine is the battle to recover from hard training or racing,most training manuals or experienced athletes write and speak of the benefits of Spirulina, I have always been tempted to try but I’m put of by the information in your 2009/10 video clips, would you have the same concerns for Organic Lab grown Spirlina, should I just exclude it from my diet?Did I miss a discussion od Barley Life or Barley Green (Dried Barley grass juice)? Also sold as multilevel market product, Claims a lot.Any update on avocados? I gave up spirulina, and chlorella because of the potential neurotoxins. I also gave up avocado’s because of the gene damage. Any updates on that one? I broke down and had some quac recently . Will I become a mutant?what is wrong with alfalfa sproutswhat is your take on iron supplements ?Please see here http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/newsfromnci/2003/ebolaAnti-HIV Protein from Blue-Green Algae Also Inhibits Ebola InfectionResearchers have discovered that a bacterial protein known to reduce the ability of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to infect cells also inhibits infection by the Ebola virus. The antiviral protein, known as cyanovirin-N (CV-N), can extend the survival time of Ebola-infected mice, researchers from the National Cancer Institute’s Molecular Targets Discovery Program report in a study published in Antiviral Research*.The study, done in collaboration with researchers from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, provides important insights into the process of Ebola infection. There is currently no treatment for Ebola infection, which causes severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever.CV-N comes from a type of bacterium known as cyanobacterium, or blue-green algae. Its antiviral properties were originally discovered through NCI’s Laboratory of Drug Discovery Research and Development in a screening process designed to identify natural materials that act against HIV. CV-N effectively inhibits HIV infection of cells grown in the laboratory.Were organic spirulina samples used in studies?Is the information on Spirulina in this video pretty current and accurate? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLDGuTusV6QYou can check out the six videos on spirulina on NutritionFacts.org for information on spirulina. You might start with http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/. Over the last 40 years in practice I have seen many drugs, diets and supplements come out and be touted as “the answer” to health. Of course there are many interventions that are useful to treat specific conditions in patients. There is a big difference from using a specific substance to treat a condition… say vitamin c for treating scurvy and recommending vitamin c for the entire population. The information on protein in this video is not complete. It implies that we need to take extra steps to get protein. All you need to do is consume adequate calories and your bodies metabolism will take care of the rest. The best three articles on protein were written by John McDougall MD in his monthly newsletters…. Protein History (12/03), Protein Sources(4/07), and Protein Overload(1/04). The neurotoxin BMAA mentioned in the video I cited above is a neurotoxin that is produced by some blue green algae. You should stay tuned as Dr. Greger will have more on blue green algae and ALS in upcoming video’s. For me the take home message is that whenever you see an Ad or informercial for a product then check out the latest science. With the latest and best information you will be armed to avoid disease and disability and work with your health care professionals if symptoms arise.Thanks so much!	algae,alternative medicine,blue-green algae,brain health,complementary medicine,health food stores,liver disease,liver health,nerve health,neurotoxins,nutrition myths,spirulina,supplements	Potential neurotoxicity is another concern regarding spirulina supplements.	For more on spirulina check out Infant Seizures Linked to Mother’s Spirulina UsePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on spirulina. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Vitamin B12: how much, how often? and Toxin Contamination of Spirulina Supplements	http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/29/toxin-contamination-of-spirulina-supplements/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/health-food-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spirulina/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19520132,
PLAIN-3259	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-msg/	Update on MSG	What about, MSG? The scientific consensus has been that MSG is generally harmless, but what’s the latest Monosodium glutamate allergy, menace or myth? Myth. Despite concerns raised in the 1960’s, decades of research have failed to demonstrate a clear and consistent relationship between MSG and the kinds of reactions people typically attribute to it. 	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Interesting. I wonder if there were possible conflicts of interests in this study. Just a thought. Sometimes a single study doesn’t mean anything. I don’t have problems with MSG (although it does make me thirsty, like any other salt), but I do avoid it. It is pretty easy to avoid MSG anyways.I don’t think it’s just a single study. I believe Dr. Greger has mentioned two European conferences that looked over all the research (surely more than one study, if they spent time on the question a second time) and determined it to be harmless.Why is there so much anti-msg on the internet? Almost everybody says it is bad for you. I wish it was harmless, it is in so many foods.I like Dr. Russell Blaylock because his concern about MSG has frightened me away from processed foods.  Do you totally discount his book “Excitotoxins  The Taste that Kills”?  What about MSG being an excitotoxin for the brain?  Nutritionfacts.org has been the backbone for my change to a plant based diet, but I wish you could dig up a little dirt on MSG to help keep me on track.  You’re my hero Dr. G, thank you.I was also curious after a friend posted a link on Facebook about the “excitotoxicity” of MSG. I tried some googling to see if I could find anything reliable. So far, what I found is this:Deciphering the MSG controversyhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2802046/They say that there is dose-dependent death of mature mouse neurons with MSG. They say the effect is mitigated with the presence of Vitamin C. This is in in vitro, using the cells of another species, so I don’t think it’s definitive.Dr. Greger, could you weigh in on this?I have been told that MSG is used in laboratory studies on rats to induce diabetes in the rats. Is there any truth to this? And, what is MSG anyway? What is it made from?  My husband and I have been vegan and following your website for over a year and a half and respect your opinion. We also recently read the book “Excitotoxins, The Taste That Kills,” by Dr. Russell L. Blaylock. We followed it up with extensive internet research, and the evidence seems to be that free glutamic acid in the diet over a lifetime can cause nerve and brain damage. That the corporations feel they have to hide glutamic acid in thoroughly deceptive labeling loudly proclaiming “NO MSG,” yet their ingredients lists show hydrolyzed vegetable protein, textured protein, soy protein isolate, yeast extract (including nutritional yeast we were fond of), soy sauce (also used to be a staple of ours), carrageenan, “flavors” (not specifically named) and many others–they are simply changing the names in order to keep what they call a “clean label” to deceive the consumer. After all, the uninformed consumer would think how bad can protein and yeast and seaweed be? If I understand the process of manufacture, then the amino acid chains are broken down by boiling in sulfuric acid, and neutralizing pH with lye. Then plenty is wrong with eating it. It isn’t natural, and is just as fake as any GMO food. I had no idea that there is free glutamic acid in so many harmless-sounding ingredients. So regretfully we no longer eat fake meats (the processing being as repulsive as the slaughterhouses for the real meat), and a lot less soy sauce and we watch the ingredients in the plant milks we buy as we frequently see carrageenan and disodium something-or-other (meaning that there is also glutamic acid in it.) If glutamic acid is harmless, then why has it been outlawed in Europe in baby food, and why do corporations feel they have to go to great lengths to make such deceptive labeling while claiming “No MSG.”??? We’ll grow most of our own food, and buy the basic ingredients. No convenience foods as I’d rather spend the time in the kitchen than in the hospital. Very much interested in other opinions about glutamic acid in all the processed vegan food that is becoming so popular–especially the fake meats, milks, and soy sauce.My husband and I have been vegan and following your website for over a year and a half and respect your opinion. We also recently read the book “Excitotoxins, The Taste That Kills,” by Dr. Russell L. Blaylock. We followed it up with extensive internet research, and the evidence seems to be that free glutamic acid in the diet over a lifetime can cause nerve and brain damage. That the corporations feel they have to hide glutamic acid in thoroughly deceptive labeling loudly proclaiming “NO MSG,” yet their ingredients lists show hydrolyzed vegetable protein, textured protein, soy protein isolate, yeast extract (including nutritional yeast we were fond of), soy sauce (also used to be a staple of ours), carrageenan, “flavors” (not specifically named) and many others–they are simply changing the names in order to keep what they call a “clean label” to deceive the consumer. After all, the uninformed consumer would think how bad can protein and yeast and seaweed be? If I understand the process of manufacture, then the amino acid chains are broken down by boiling in sulfuric acid, and neutralizing pH with lye. Then plenty is wrong with eating it. It isn’t natural, and is just as fake as any GMO food. I had no idea that there is free glutamic acid in so many harmless-sounding ingredients. So regretfully we no longer eat fake meats (the processing being as repulsive as the slaughterhouses for the real meat), and a lot less soy sauce and we watch the ingredients in the plant milks we buy as we frequently see carrageenan and disodium something-or-other (meaning that there is also glutamic acid in it.) If glutamic acid is harmless, then why has it been outlawed in Europe in baby food, and why do corporations feel they have to go to great lengths to make such deceptive labeling while claiming “No MSG.”??? We’ll grow most of our own food, and buy the basic ingredients. No convenience foods as I’d rather spend the time in the kitchen than in the hospital. Very much interested in other opinions about glutamic acid in all the processed vegan food that is becoming so popular–especially the fake meats, milks, and soy sauce.Take a look at this TedTalk – the mother – and doctor – of a child with autism. She did her own research and completely turned around her childs health through the removal of all sources of MSG (as you noted hidden in everything). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL4SD5f2toQit totally gives me headaches… can;t be goodHello! Are GMO´s responsible for any allergies?I don’t have the research but my MD told me to stay away from GMOs, because I am trying to heal leaky gut. Leaky gut leads to many allergies.Whenever I have eaten at a restaurant that uses MSG, I get the same very distinct reaction. After 20-30 minutes after eating there is an increase in heart rate, my ears and hands turn beet red, and I get a killer headache. The first time it happened I thought I was dying. I learned that I had used up ‘my allowance, everyone has a certain tolerance and once that has been surpassed you get a reaction’. The last time I got it it was a a sushi restaurant I love, it was in the pickled ginger. I was so nauseous and drowsy that I couldn’t keep my balance, let alone drive a car. It lasted for 2 days, because I foolishly ate more ginger (we took some sushi home because I got so ill) I thought it would help with the nausea. Even if I ask beforehand, some people downplay it being in their food. I know that this is not a harmless substanceIt’s not a myth, it gives me seizures. If you are referring to naturally occurring MSG, then it’s harmless, but the manufactured MSG, for some reason gives me seizures. I had eliminated it completely from my diet and my seizures stopped completely. I have been off my medication for over 2 years, pretty unheard of because before I couldn’t go 2 weeks without having a seizure and being off my meds.I don’t agree that MSG is safe. When I have it in food, my heart rate goes up and I don’t sleep and flip around like a fish on a dock….it makes me absolutely hyper!I am a cancer researcher and I would like to enter my comments about MSG. It is about the single worst additive that one can possibly ingest, and I am surprised that on your two videos about MSG, that you have concluded it is harmless ! Allen CohenAttached is a link to an well written article on the problems associated with MSG. It is anything but harmless. Please read, everyone, and stay away from processed foods containing this terrible food additive. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/21/msg-is-this-silent-killer-lurking-in-your-kitchen-cabinets.aspx	allergies,MSG,nutrition myths	The reactions attributed to monosodium glutamate do not appear to hold up to scientific scrutiny.	For some recent videos on food additives and preservatives, look at: Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola Phosphate Additives in Chicken Are Nitrates Pollutants or Nutrients? Artificial Food Colors and ADHDPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/msg/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-nitrates-pollutants-or-nutrients/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19389112,
PLAIN-3260	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-juice-plus/	Update on Juice Plus+®	What about, juice plus supplements? Dubbed in the American Journal of Medicine as toxicity plus, … here’s indicators of liver inflammation before juice plus, the huge spike, and then, coming back down after stopping it.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. For more information about Juice Plus+®, see “Juice Plus+® Supplements.” Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Still confused about Juice Plus. Was this liver problem found in only one patient?It was a case report.  Here is a link.  Why take juice when real fruit and vegetables are available? Here is the link to the article — plushttp://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(09)00712-8/fulltextHere is the link to the case report. http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(09)00712-8/abstractJuice Plus, or TouchStone Essentials are not juices. The answer to your question is cost. People use these products because they can’t afford to buy vegetables and fruits at the exhorbitant prices. Do a cost analysis and the answer is quite obvious.I haven’t looked at the nutritional information yet, but unfortunately you could be right about the cost issue. Not that I promote this type of supplement at all, I believe in whole foods that you recognise when you buy or grow them. Although, it is difficult to say that cost is of no significance to those desperate to become healthy.Interesting you should choose to highlight a case report of hepatotoxicity of a cancer patient while avoiding comment on the 24 published studies, many randomized and placebo controlled, which show benefits. I love your site, but you appear to be suffering a bias here. In particular I’d like to see you review the reduction in oxidative stress in athletes (three studies) and the apparent induction of superoxide dismutase (one study) found by the researchers in the Carolinas and Austria. As well, the inhibition of brachial artery constriction after a high fat meal and the arrested coronary artery calcification in hypertensives is intriguing and warrants comment.If an unnecessary product has both potential benefits and risks (such as JuicePlus, or kombucha, or spirulina, or green tea supplements) I tend to err on the side of caution and encourage folks to stick to things that only boast benefits.. Why accept any unnecessary risk as all?You’re comparing a product to others and using faulty logic to draw conclusions. You honestly believe that everyone is going to buy the “guilt by association” argument? I am not. Green tea supplements are useless and possibly risky according to recent studies. So what? Green tea is beneficial and anyone can afford it. You are NOT telling us what is risky about any ingredient in Juice Plus. Please do that in future videos or articles.Furthermore, how can you say it is an “unnecessary product” while a recent huge study in Europe was just released PROVING that people NEED SEVEN or more servings of vegetables and fruits to avoid the big diseases that are epidemics all around us. Please, Dr Greger. I believe as you do that food is medicine. What ingredient in Juice Plus or TouchStone Essentials (a “similar” product but with more transparent advertising, I believe) is risky?The answer to your last question is obvious. Personal budgets.I agree with your budget argument. The study you mentioned regarding 7 or more servings was quite popular, I’m from the UK, but only a few days ago in July 2014, a reversal on the same study was published. It suggested that increasing to 7 or more from 5 made little measurable positive difference.Articles were posted on the BBC and Guardian websites, I haven’t checked anywhere else. It seems that recommendations change frequently :)Boast benefits? You mean like the prescription drugs you prescribe?You wanna trust the AMA???Have you investigated Univera products?For such reasons we forget to look outside the good ole USA. for objective non biased information and knowledge. It would be interesting to compare Australian, European, etc with US research. Personally I still will consume aloe juice, Noni, Kava, and juice vegetables in addition to eating plant based and grass fed foods. It is the over-consumption of KlooAid that I am most concerned about here.juice+ video is only 20 seconds, I suspect video is not working properly.Any info on Univera products? They claim to be science based, better than all others.what if you dont have access to a variety of fruits and vegetables, would juice plus then be a good option when traveling to places with limited produce options?Absolutely! It is only concentrated fruits and vegetables. It bridges the gap as most people can’t east the variety of 9-13 servings per day. I have been taking for 5 years and love it. Dr. Katz at Yale is a big advocate as well as Dr. William Sears. Read the research and decide for yourself. There are 2 studies showing that it reduces systemic inflammation so not sure what happened with this one case of liver inflammation.Juicing is not something Dr. Greger advocates. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/Hey Lisa, It’s quite misleading to say that JP+ is only concentrated fruits and vegetables. Go back to your JP+ Orchard and Garden blend labels and read them. Vitamin C, beta carotene, d-tocopherol, folic acid, enzymes, and acidophilus are all added back in after manufacturing. JP+ says that it is because the FDA requires that every label says the same thing, and they can’t guarantee that every bottle will contain exactly the same amount of nutrients (as you would not to be able to compare apple to apple, or cucumber to cucumber). Therefore, to standardize, they add nutrients they can ID by amount. Go to the Vineyard Blend label and see: L-arginine, L-carnitine, d-alpha tocopherol, calcium ascorbate, magnesium stearate, “natural enzyme blend,” coenzyme Q10, and folic acid. This may be just fine and all super healthy, but it is NOT “only concentrated fruits and vegetables.” Also, though I have not read the studies myself, every independent review of the JP+ reports I’ve seen indicate that virtually all of them are inconclusive. I have been taking JP+ for over 5 years and honestly believe that it has helped keep me healthy. However, I am under no illusions that their marketing provides full disclosure.What happened with that one case, may very well be overuse of Ibuprofen the woman was taking for cancer pain, which was probably withheld right after admission, and the liver enzymes were reduced. I don’t buy that one case study as evidence of anything, except the foolishness of people that draw conclusions from it. As scientists, we learned NOT to be.But the ingredients in JP absolutely couldn’t have caused it? Aren’t you being as presumptuous as the point you are criticizing? I am finding the most common way of defending JP is by being confrontational and rude and by inferring those that oppose are stupid.As Dr. Greger has shared, juice plus is not a health promoting supplement. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus%c2%ae-supplements/When traveling, dried fruits might be a better option.Are the powdered supergreen foods beneficial? Drinks like Pure Synergy and Sun warrior Ormus Supergreens?I saw a video here recently about sniffing rosemary helping with memory. I’d like to see it again, but I can’t find it.	alternative medicine,complementary medicine,Juice Plus supplements,liver disease,liver health,nutrition myths,supplements	More evidence linking Juice Plus+® supplements with liver inflammation.	Here are some other nutrition myths: Meat Mythcrushers The Problem With the Paleo Diet Argument Debunking Egg Industry Myths Eliminating 90% of Heart Disease RiskPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. For more information about Juice Plus+®, see "Juice Plus+® Supplements." Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice-plus-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-the-paleo-diet-argument/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-90-of-heart-disease-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20102976,
PLAIN-3261	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-herbalife/	Update on Herbalife®	What about herbalife supplements? We were concerned about liver toxicity And we’re still, concerned about liver toxicity. We think it may be because it has too much vitamin A. In fact there’s even been calls to have all animal-based vitamin A supplements just pulled from the shelves because of concerns about safety. Of course it’s naturally found in fish. This year from the Journal of Food Protection: someone ate some red snapper and got vitamin A poisoning. Just a few hours after ingestion, headaches, vomiting, fever, visual disorientation, followed by peeling of the skin. This poor 41-year-old guy suffered serious peeling of the skin that took more than 3 months to heal.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And for more information about Herbalife®, check out Herbalife® Supplement Liver Toxicity. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!error: page not found.error: page not found.Hello Dr. Greger I’m a distributor and due to the fact that my twins had Herbalife all through my pregnancy (4 shakes a day and 1 meal – I was eating for all three of us) and in their bottles from the time they were 5 days old, they have been extremely healthy. They have never been in a hospital for sickness and in 11 years we had one ear infection. However, I am now facing terrible slander because I am giving “dangerous supplements” to my children. I am looking for facts and information that I can put out there to inform the world that the sugar in their kids’ cereal is way more dangerous than Herbalife. I’m not saying they must put their kids on the weight loss program, but a shake or NRG can only benefit the children. Best Regards, LizetteIs it because of overdosing in Herbalife products? Or is it that they contain a toxic ingredient? I would love to get more information about this as I am about to become a distributor and don’t want to encourage people to risk their health. What recommendations would you give me?I don’t generally recommend any supplements except Vitamin B12(see video’s in February 2012 for cost/efficacy/dosing). A low fat plant based diet of whole food that avoids GMO’s is the best place to start. I briefly perused the Herbalife website. I can’t support supplemental protein for any reasons as consumption of adequate calories gives all the essential amino acids you need… asparagus and broccoli have the same amino acid profile as eggs. See Dr. McDougalls articles on protein in his newsletters dated 12/03, 04/07 and 01/04. Mineral supplements are not needed unless specific deficiencies are identified. Many mineral supplements contain copper, zinc and iron which have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Products that profess to replace fruit and vegetable intake with a pill isn’t a healthy approach based on current science. Finally it is often impossible to know what all the ingredients are as they are often “proprietary”. Of course the supplements may be an improvement over the foods they replace but why not avoid the supplements, save the money and go for the best scientifically supported diet.Thanks for the information Dr. Forrester, I myself would prefer to go vegan than start relying on such products. However, it seems like some products may help some people (those who refuse to eat healthy) get somewhat healthier. Which supplements do you suggest to avoid?After over 35 years in clinical practice I am a pragmatist and generally support anything that helps folks transition to a better lifestyle especially improved nutrition. I want to be clear that I am aware of no good scientific studies supporting the use of supplements with continuing poor nutrition as the preferred path. There are many supplements out there and there is alot of money being made and wasted on these products. With so many it is hard to get into specific products. I do research specific products for my patients. I generally go to the appropriate website and/or label and look at ingredients and cross reference the ingredients with the information and studies from reliable sources such as Dr. John McDougall, Jeff Novick RD, Dr. Michael Greger and Dr. Neal Barnard. At this point I can’t list any that I recommend. Hope this helps.herbalife uses any performance enhancing drugs or steroids directly or indirectly . Please as we are keen knowing since after it gives good results quickly which i feel is a bit suspicious. I am wandering of long time side effects which would be seen after many years that could be catastrophic .bodo bangang bangsatI am using Herbalife and have done so for more than 12 months. Recent bloodtests have revealed high uric acid and confirmed some of the symptoms I have of gouty arthritis. Is this confirmation that the high protein diet is to blame?I have used herbalife products for a little over a year. I had to recently stop using herbalife, because my blood results for my liver have come back very bad. I took off from herbalife meal replacements, and my AST and ALT numbers went down. I do believe there is something in Herbalife’s products that can cause liver damage. I honestly loved herbalife before this.. such a bummer.Hello, I was considering giving Herbalife a try for weight loss. However, I have stage 4 diverticulitis, DLE Lupus, and have been diagnosed with Chronic Migraine Disease. (Sounds like I should be taken out back and shot!) Anyways, is Herbalife safe for me to try?Need advice sir How to increase good cholestrol. How to increase testerone.What about Monavie Juice, is it safe?	alternative medicine,cod liver oil,complementary medicine,fever,fish,headaches,Herbalife,liver disease,liver health,nausea,nutrition myths,skin health,supplements,visual disturbance,vitamin A	The liver toxicity associated with Herbalife® supplements may be due to vitamin A toxicity	Here are some videos on fat-soluble vitamins: Take Vitamin D Supplements With Meals Is Vitamin D the New Vitamin E? Is Vitamin D3 Better Than D2?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And for more information about Herbalife®, check out Herbalife® Supplement Liver Toxicity. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nausea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cod-liver-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/headaches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fever/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-a/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/visual-disturbance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/herbalife/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d3-better-than-d2/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-vitamin-d-the-new-vitamin-e/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20040703,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19944093,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20377970,
PLAIN-3262	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gum-arabic/	Update on Gum Arabic	What about gum arabic, the hardened sap of the acacia tree used as a stabalizer in the food industry and for the lickable adhesive on the back of envelopes. Considered harmless—but, there’s actually some new data suggesting in large enough doses it can actually help feed our good bacteria, so I’m actually going to bump that up to, helpful.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Wish you’d do a piece on the various gums (locust bean, guar, arabic, tara, gellan) used as food stabilizers. Vis a vis the “Wal-Mart Ice Cream won’t melt!” fiasco… As certain alterna-medicine sites Like Mercola & NaturalNews seem to keep banging the drums about “ooh, gums are totally dangerous!” Personally, I’m more concerned by the levels of sugar & saturated fat in the ice cream bars than the food stabilizers used to make them not run all over your hand in 2 minutes… (Not like these bars haven’t been in every gas station and convenience store freezer in nearly the same formulation since the beginning of time, with none the worse for wear.)http://www.theskepticsguide.org/just-chill-it-doesnt-matter-that-your-ice-cream-sandwich-wont-meltHave generally found that most gums are considered harmless:http://chriskresser.com/harmful-or-harmless-guar-gum-locust-bean-gum-and-moreJust hoped maybe you could to some degree settle the matter with actual science…Hi Michael. Ask and you shall receive! (I just wish I could work quicker…) See if these help: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gum-arabic/I know we have some info on carrageenan, too: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrageenan/The main point with these are not that they are healthful, but if there is a small amount in healthful products (soymllk or other fortified foods come to mind) no reason to avoid those foods completely. Check out the video I may have the message wrong. As for the others you mentioned I’ll look into posting more about stabilizers, but I agree with you “concerned by the levels of sugar & saturated fat in the ice cream bars”Thanks, JosephThankee muchly!Look forward to it. ^_^	bile acids,food additives,gum arabic,gut flora	From harmless to helpful?	For more videos on food additives, see: How to Avoid Phosphate Additives Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge and Cola Who Determines if Food Additives are Safe? Artificial Food Colors and ADHD Seeing Red No. 3: Coloring to Dye ForPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrageenan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gum-arabic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phosphate-additives-in-meat-purge-and-cola/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/seeing-red-no-3-coloring-to-dye-for/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-phosphate-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-food-colors-and-adhd/	-
PLAIN-3263	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-gluten/	Update on Gluten	What about gluten? For the vast majority of people, wheat protein, just like quinoa protein or any other grain, has been considered good for us, health-promoting. But only for about 99% of people. The rare 1% or so have celiac disease and they have to stick to a gluten-free diet. But what about people who don’t have celiac, but may be otherwise gluten-sensitive. Last year the possibility was raised that some cases of irritable bowel syndrome, for example, may improve on a gluten-free diet, so if you do suffer from symptoms like chronic diarrhea and abdominal pain your doctor may want you to give a gluten-free diet a try, but if we don’t have those symptoms, gluten is good for us In fact there was a study last year suggesting a gluten-free diet was bad for our good bacteria, so we shouldn’t go gluten-free unless there’s a good medical reason.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on gluten, and plant protein. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Can’t get this video, Update on Gluten, to play.Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment–anyone else having this problem? Do the other videos work for you?It works now! Thanks! Generally the site works perfectly in Chrome. However sometimes, when using Firefox, the first video in a fresh session plays OK but trying to watch more videos or accessing anything else, results in the page not loading at all. Overall ten thumbs up (out of eleven)!That is a very interesting study on the detrimental effects of a gluten free diet on the good intestinal bacteria. I recently heard an expert (sorry, I can’t remember who), who talked about wheat is not at all like the wheat that was grown 80 or 100 years ago. At my local bulk food store, I managed to find some red fife wheat, which was labeled as an heirloom wheat. I had no idea that wheat would have been selectively bred to make it so different, but I guess that is what our government (at least in Canada) supports through the experimental farm and other agricultural research programs.I’ve been diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. I’ve done some looking into it and it seems that just eliminating gluten from a diet does not heal the villi in your intestines. Is there something that can be done without costly “supplements”?I’m not an expert, but seriously kombucha helps a lot….The gold standard for diagnosing celiac disease is a biopsy of the small intestine. Clinical improvement after a period of time on a gluten-free diet is actually part of the diagnosis. I would make sure that you truly have celiac disease before going gluten-free; the first step is to find a gastroenterologist you trust. If celiac disease is established, a lifelong, gluten-free nutrition prescription (strictly avoiding the prolamins of wheat, barley and rye) is indicated. Strict (and the key word here is strict) adherence to the diet is what allows the intestinal villi to heal, thereby resolving the symptoms of malabsorption and preventing complications that can be associated with long-term untreated celiac. As for supplements, I am not familiar with any supplements that are effective in treating this disease (which doesn’t mean they don’t exist). What I am aware of however, is that people who adhere to a gluten-free lifestyle are often not getting enough dietary fiber, and need to pay special attention to B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate, and trace minerals such as iron. Supplements are often indicated and do not have to be expensive. The treatment for celiac disease is usually a major lifestyle adjustment, and working closely with a GI specialist and a registered dietitian is crucial!Megann19; there are many, many gluten free flours out there that are loaded with B vitamins and I use psyllium husk in my gluten free bread recipes. The one I come up short on is vitamin B-12 and D so I supplement to correct that. I’ve learned the hard way to strictly avoid any gluten, corn, or soy and their derivatives. I had to change a Blood pressure medicine because it was making me sick with the old familiar symptoms, and I found out it had corn starch as an excipient!What is your opinion of the book Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis MD, which says that wheat gluten in modern wheat in particular is bad for almost everyone?Wheat belly does not hold much scientific backing, and the recommendations in the book are philosophical at best. Only those with a gluten allergy or sensitivity should avoid wheat otherwise there is no reason to.Lab test do not always show a gluten sensitivity. The only test that was positive on me was an inflammatory process. My cranial nerve 6 always becomes inflamed with ingestion of gluten. As long as I am avoiding gluten, corn and soy I am asymptomatic and I feel healthy. My suspicion is pesticides, herbicides and GMO are the culprits in many health issues. And is being proven scientifically to be true.Its worth pointing out that the majority of wheat consumed is heavily refined. I’m sure in this state it can do some damage, just as HFCS and white sugar does.I’d love to see a study looking at comparing refined wheat with the whole grain.Worth mentioning that there is a lot more gluten in modern wheat, so it’s not a naturally balanced food. You could argue that because of this, it has already undergone some ‘processing’ even when just picked.I have also read that those with hypothyroidism should avoid gluten.  Any comments on that? http://chriskresser.com/the-gluten-thyroid-connectionThis really does not seem like a credible source to cite. I’ll stick to evidence-based sources to form my opinions and decisions. I suggest you do the same.http://www.tenderfoodie.com/blog/2011/12/19/interview-w-dr-alessio-fasano-part-1-should-anyone-eat-glute.html“No one can properly digest gluten.  We do not have the enzymes to break it down. Gliadin, one of the proteins found in gluten, cross talks with our cells, causes confusion, and as a result, causes the small intestine to leak. How your body reacts depends upon how long the gates stay open, the number of ‘enemies’ let through and the number of soldiers that our immune system sends to defend our bodies.”This does not sound good for me…Where is the science behind this statement? Scientific papers trump biased articles every time.Science, it’s funny and reliable like that. :) Gotta love evidence-based information!I’ve read the scientific information, it’s there if you care to find it. I believe it because I’ve proven it to myself time and time again. By a process of elimination in my diet, SCIENTIFICALLY done. I have a background in healthcare so I KNOW how to do that. I’m suspicious of your skepticism.Its not out there, this is the problem. Please see the most recent updates on gluten http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/I think its worth considering problems of gluten. Personally I don’t see any problem with whole grain heirloom varieties, but modern wheat has a much higher level of gluten, so theoretically is not balanced the way nature intended. Whatever keeps gluten in check may have been bred down or even out.It’s difficult because the vast majority of people consume refined wheat, which makes study almost impossible. Its a bit like fruit juice versus fruit. Perhaps Celiacs disease is only caused by refined, hybridized wheat? Perhaps people who say they do better on Paleo damaged their villi with refined wheat some years before?Anyway, I don’t have confidence in most of the Paleo bloggers because they don’t make these distinctions – whereas the difference between grass-fed saturated fat and cafo saturated fat is night and day!Lately, I have also been hearing (from friends) and reading (in the popular press online) (and more here) that those with hypothyroidism (specifically Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis) might be sensitive to gluten and should therefore avoid it. Are you aware of what the scientific evidence says about this topic? Your advice, suggestions?There is a paper which shows the requirement for replacement thyroid in patients with celiac disease is higher than a control group. If the patients with celiac disease ate a gluten free diet or increased their replacement dose it corrected the problem. I know of no direct connection between the diseases. However, it might be that celiac disease increases the body’s exposure to foreign substances increasing the incidence of autoimmune disorders in general. Note this paper applied to just Celiac Disease(prevalence in population about 1 in 133) and not “gluten sensitivity”. See videos… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/. Gluten is in the news due to the improved testing available but it is still a relatively uncommon disorder.Suggesting that your patients just up their medication (which you did in a comment to me earlier) rather than getting rid of the offending food stuff is ridiculous. I can only wonder how you treat your obese patients or those with diabetes. Do you suggest they get bigger pants rather than cutting back, or hand out prescriptions for more insulin? I am very glad that my doctor is more concerned about building up my health through proper eating rather than just handing me a new prescription or an additional prescription.I take Synthroid and have been on the same dose for decades. And one of the problems I was dealing with was skin so dry on my heels that it was cracking and painful and no amount of lotions or ‘sanding’ ever helped. But I cut the gluten out of my diet and a month later, my doctor was able to give me a lower dose of Synthroid and the skin on my feet is finally almost normal again. My feet don’t burn and hurt now and that’s a first on that score, in years. Eliminating gluten was the only change and the benefits are obvious.I totally agree with your comment and your approach to your health. However you read something into my post that wasn’t my intent. My comment reflected the study which tested both ways to improve thyroid. As a physician I always recommend eating better. I would always recommend avoiding the gluten in lieu of adjusting dose in patients. However in the real world I have patients who don’t follow my dietary recommendations in which case I would be stuck to just adjusting their medications. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t keep trying to get them to improve their diet. In fact given my current practice as staff physician at the McDougall clinic and Medical Director for Meals for Health I take patients over 80% of medications and only occasionally write new prescriptions. I’m glad you have a physician who is knowledgeable about diet. Sorry for the confusion but hope this clarifies my post. Congrats on improving your diet and improving your health.My apologies if I came off a little harsh. I have spent the last number of years fine tuning my diet and also my Synthroid needs and in the process have learned a great deal about the apparent lack of real nutritional education that most doctors seem to get when in med school. And in the twenty plus years that I’ve been on this medication, not once has any doctor that I’ve seen, ever inquired as to diet and dietary issues that I should be aware of in connection with this kind of medication. The only reason that I’m even fully aware of the effect of some plant foods goitregens is because I came across that first article online, and then researched it myself.While I am sure that the majority of patients ignore dietary recommendations, I can’t help but be aware of the great gaps in the knowledge of doctors, regarding diet. I even watched a discussion (online) between a registered dietician and someone who claimed to be a doctor, and the doctor made the astounding assertion, that diet has far less to do with health than the dietician was claiming.I’m very glad that you weren’t actually recommending just upping the meds in lieu of adjusting the diet, as being the ‘best’ answer to a medical issue. So my apologies and I do hope that you will have a great holiday season and new year. Merry Christmas Don.Not at all… apology not necessary. It is always nice to hear from folks who are passionate and ready to challenge their physicians. I believe that one way to improve the medical profession is to have patients lead by example. It is of course important to be taught nutrition in medical school and residency. For the most part it more important to have systems in place where health care providers are able to keep up with the best and newest science. For me even if I got alot of nutrition education in med school and I did get a little we have learned alot since the early 1970’s. Keep up the good work. Happy Holidays.Debrah McCabe, I can totally relate to your frustration regarding your health condition. It took years before I was diagnosed with a thyroid condition, and ever since I have been, it seems everything I have learned has been through my own research and question asking, especially when it comes to the role of diet. Like you, not a single doc to date has ever brought up the issue of diet as it relates to hypothyroidism (not even the endocrinologist). Med regulation seems to be the only way that docs I’ve seen have addressed my Hashi’s. That could be b/c hormone replacement therapy is the best way to regulate the condition. And, that is fine, but I do think that it is odd and even irresponsible to not bring up diet as an important factor. The nature of this situation is very frustrating for me, so I turn to sites such as this to educate myself so that I can make the best health decisions possible, and to obtain information that my doctor does not have the time to share with me.@facebook-1621869949:disqus it seems to me that you have misinterpreted @DrDons:disqus response to my comment. He was just summarizing the findings of the paper he referenced on the topic of CD and thyroid replacement therapy (which addressed both a gluten free diet and increased thyroid replacement therapy), he was not making any specific therapeutic recommendations.@Don Forrester MD: Thank you, for your reply. I have already seen all of Dr. Greger’s videos on the topic of gluten. Actually, based on what I have learned on NF, I asked my doctor to be tested for celiac disease (CD) about a year ago, as it turns out I am negative for it, which makes me very happy. Yet, I still have the Hashi’s, which does not make me very happy.I empathize with those who have CD; however, I am also wary of all the anti-wheat hype one hears and reads about today. Given all the “talk” I’ve been hearing regarding thyroid health and gluten, I was just wondering if there were any studies out there related to hypothyroidism, specifically related to those who are negative for CD but have thyroid issues. I suspect more will come out on this topic as the science develops. And, I look forward to future updates on the topic.Again, thank you for your input as always.Don Forrester MD : Thank you, for your reply. I have already seen all of Dr. Greger’s videos on the topic of gluten. Actually, based on what I have learned on NF, I asked my doctor to be tested for celiac disease (CD) about a year ago, as it turns out I am negative for it, which makes me very happy. Yet, I still have the Hashi’s, which does not make me very happy.I empathize with those who have CD; however, I am also wary of all the anti-wheat hype one hears and reads about today. Given all the “talk” I’ve been hearing regarding thyroid health and gluten, I was just wondering if there were any studies out there related to hypothyroidism, specifically related to those who are negative for CD but have thyroid issues. I suspect more will come out on this topic as the science develops. And, I look forward to future updates on the topic.Again, thank you for your input as always. BTW: Could you please share the source of the article you cite?Virili et al, Atypical CD as cause for increased Lthyroxine, J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2012, Mar:97(3). If you go to Pub Med and type in celiac disease and hypothyroidism you will see some other pertinent articles. I had a bicycle accident 2+ years ago, needed a right total hip… I’m not happy about it but as with hypothyroidism based on what we know now we both might have done things differently in the past. Good luck.Thank you @DrDons:disqus , I’ll check that out and the other listed articles on PubMed, as well.Sorry to hear about your accident and your hip. I hope you have recovered and healed up. So true about doing things differently now. I’m trying my best. ;-)Can gluten be the cause of someone being really tired after eating & headaches from sores popping up on the scalp. This usually happens to me about after a hour or more after I eat. Sometimes when I don’t eat gluten I get the symptoms too.I have IBS, I have become a vegan completely the last 7 days, prior I was a vegetarian until I watched the video uprooting the leading cause of death. I don’t have the constipation affect (rarely) of IBS just the opposite. However, after going completely vegan I find myself in the bathroom 4 to 5 times a day. Will this level out eventually?I would think it will, however, this is not a bad thing but only something that you’re not used to. It’s probably because you’ve upped the amount of veggies that you’re eating to compensate for not filling up on wheat stuff.The adjustment of the bowels to a plant based diet can take a while but typically most problems reflux, constipation and diarrhea get better relatively quickly. There are plants that cause problems and natural substances such as fructose that if consumed in large enough quantities can cause difficulties even in “normal” folks. I would recommend you read two newsletter articles by John McDougall MD available for free on his website… http://www.drmcdougall.com. The first is November 2002, Chained to the Bathroom and the second is December 2002, Diet for the Desperate. They contain some practical suggestions for helping with diarrhea. I would also recommend avoiding GMO foods especially corn… see website Institute for Responsible Technology for a link to information about avoiding GMO foods. Good luck on your journey and congratulations on taking a big step in improving your health.Did you try avoiding gluten completely? I have a good friend who was told she had IBS (and later endometriosis too), but has been able to eliminate all of her symptoms by avoiding gluten 100% (along with eggs, most dairy, onions, garlic, and reducing tomatoes and hot peppers). Turns out she had celiac along with multiple food sensitivities, but had to find that out on her own.thank you, I was never diagnosed with celiac or did I have sensitivity that I knew of, but I eliminated wheat (I’m a vegan) and interestingly having less symptoms. I do have food sensitivities to citrus fruits but eat outside of those and sensitive to tomatoes, but I have found eliminating wheat seems to do the trick :)Gluten light seems to work for many people who are a bit sensitive to the glutinous foods…this is not a black a white, gluten or gluten free issue. My science has been my gut, which feels happiest when taking it easy on gluten.I’ve heard a few people go on about eliminating wheat. Given that meat causes C-reactive protein levels to increase, I wonder if there are any measures to test for possible inflammatory effects from wheat or gluten. This could be helpful in managing heart disease, arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions.For vegetarians, are green beans considered to be in the same category (as healthy) as red and white? They aren’t often mentioned. Thank you! Also, the kiwi for IBS video did not work.Green beans (and green peas sadly) don’t match the nutritional robustness of beans and other legumes. The Kiwi video is working for me. Anyone else having problems watching http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kiwifruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/Dr. Greger, Your recent series on the inflammatory nature of meat has made me wonder: might gluten-sensitivity and/or celiac disease be caused by chronic inflammation due to animal protein consumption and, if so, might gluten sensitivity/celiac disease be reversed with a change to a plant-based diet? Also, how reliable are skin and blood tests for gluten issues? Thank you!Have you any medical advice about treating depression and other mood disorders with a gluten free, sweetener free diet? It seems I’ve tried everything else with little or no success, I might as well try this. My naturopath says that up to a third of people with gluten sensitivities don’t have gastronomical distress, but have many of the mood disorder symptoms I went to see her about hoping she’d find a cure where SSRIs and Talk Therapy and other mainstream treatments have failed. I’ve met other people like me who had treatment resistant depression, who were anxious, had trouble concentrating, trouble with time management, and were easily irritated by loud noises and chemical smells among other things who felt better when they made changes to their diet including giving up gluten. I remember what it was like before the depression and I’d like to be able to function like that again. So I’m trying a gluten free diet.Dr. Greger, thank you for all you do. I have not jumped on the gluten-free band wagon, but I’m now wondering if I should reconsider. I am hypothyroid and was tested for Celiac disease which was negative. I have read some theories that gluten may contribute to hypothyroid and have read some anecdotal accounts of people being able to go off of their thyroid meds after going GF. It’s the only med I take, but I’d love to be rid of it. I would appreciate any information you or others may have regarding a gluten-hypothyroid connection. Thanks!Is there any evidence that a gluten free diet helps asthma?Recently our local PBS station taped a show promoting Dr David Perlmutter’s best selling book called “Grain Brain”. He claims that in the scientific literature,( he reviewed 275 papers ) grains contribute to the rise in Alzheimers disease. He even states that eating eggs and grass fed beef is healthy. Since I am plant -based and want to eat the healthiest diet, I would like your take on yet another MD promoting anti-grain eating.I know of not a single study showing that whole grains are harmful to health, not one. I think people may try and lump whole grains and refined grains together, which would indeed show negative health outcomes. All the studies I have seen on whole grains show that it is protective in preventing chronic disease. Check out this review gathering the evidence. http://www.healthgrain.org/webfm_send/251Very few MDs know anything about nutrition. It’s not their fault. Med school doesn’t spend much time on this subject. 1 credit hour at most. Dr. Greger is one of the few I would trust.What about gluten and acne?I have been reading the book “The Gluten Free Edge” and a gluten free diet seems to help sooooo many professional athletes perform at the top of their game. It is a very interesting read that claims that Gluten is toxic to our bodies whether or not we are allergic to Gluten. It states that Gluten causes inflammation throughout our body and in our intestins interfering with the absorption of healthy carbs and other nutrients. I think it even has some studies cited on this information.Can you help me make sense of Esseltyn/Barnard et al research that plant-based low-fat is healthy vs research supporting Perlmutter’s advocacy of high-fat low carb no gluten nutrition recommendations?Is it the gluten or the glyphosate they spray on wheat to dry it down before they harvest? http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416strong correlation between roundup sprayed on wheat and celiac hospitalizations: http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/gluten-intolerance-from-roundup-herbicide-zw0z1402zkin.aspx#axzz2wvVu0Oy7 and http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/~/media/2C6428C5A5254BAFB484C6E43E4ADCF9.ashxjust like Monsanto to arrange to blame the victimsThat study refers to people with celiac disease… it’s obvious that gluten wreaks havoc for those people, but that doesn’t correlate to dementia in non-celiac’s.Hello Dr. Greger, I see that you commented on the Wheat Belly book by Dr. William Davis 2 years ago. Do you still believe that if you do not have gluten problems then you should still have gluten? When I read the book it made so much sense. I tried it for 2 weeks, no wheat whatsoever. I felt so good, no tiredness nor bloating and gas. Then easter came and I went back to eating bread and all. Now I am tired, bloated and didn’t sleep well. Do you have any more studies that you have come across lately on the subject? Btw love watching your videos and reading your articles…love it!!!My 10 year old was exhibiting several signs of gluten sensitivity for the past year. When I removed gluten all of the pains and moodiness went away. We have reintroduced small amounts of food with gluten twice both times he was in a lot of pain for several hours. I was told he would not have an accurate ds since gluten has been removed and I don’t want to add it back in because of pain..is there any reason it would be dangerous to keep him off it for a few years and encourage a more invasive procedure to determine when he is older?So Setan is ok to eat for the protein. Will it make you fat?Are people with atherosclerosis needs to eliminate gluten? Are gluten causes inflammation of the arteries? Thank you, dr. Greger.Interesting. I happen to be one among those who have developed a rather strong and adverse reaction to most wheat products in my adulthood, however I can digest heirloom wheat varieties like einkorn wheat quite well despite its gluten content. I’m starting to think that the adverse reactions to wheat in many people may be from the hybridized polyploid wheat varieties which contain a lot more chromosomes than their wild diploid ancestors. I did find one study investigating einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum) and celiac disease here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17060124Also several links to other studies here http://www.einkorn.com/3-reasons-einkorn-may-be-easier-to-digest-than-other-types-of-wheat/Dr. Greger have you ever had a case like this? My own research proved to me I am one of those gluten sensitive people. Starting in 1997 I started have a few symptoms. As time passed more symptoms appeared until I had to go to ER for HA relief and prednisone to clear up the c6 inflammation. If I eat ANYTHING that has gluten in it I have the following symptoms. Extreme fatigue, “Foggy” brain, vertigo, staggering gait, inflamed cranial nerve 6, left side acute HA, double vision, nausea and vomiting, abd pain, abd bloating, abd cramps, diverticulitis, acutely odorous gas, soft flour paste type stools with MANY undigested food particles, . After many tests, scans, etc., the results was positive for inflammation! Well, duh. Symptoms persisted so I revisited my Doctor. I was labeled a hypochondriac. Finally I got a clue from my opthamologist and started doing research on Taloosa Hunt Syndrome. And came upon a site with information about gluten sensitivity. Further searching revealed gluten may be my culprit. I immediately eliminated wheat from my diet and symptoms began to disappear. In a month I felt alive a well again. I wanted to test my theory so I deliberately ate some bread. By morning I was acutely ill with the same symptoms and had to go to ER for relief. Once more several months later I took three bite of pizza. Same symptoms again. So I began a process of diet elimination and have stayed healthy. Culprits for me are corn, soy and anything with gluten in it. Symptoms are consistent with ingestion of these foods. I can eat my own organic home grown corn so I suspect pesticides and GMO is involved in my sensitivities. My wish is more of the Health Professionals would educate themselves and really listen to their patients! Look at the diets Please!What is the best source of iodine on a vegan diet, preferably a kosher source if available?What is the best source of Omega 3 on a vegan diet, preferable a kosher source if available? Can plant foods supply sufficient Omega 3?Flax seeds. Make sure to grind them. Plant foods can indeed supply enough omega 3.Authentic sourdough and glutenSourdough and gluten. In the book “Blue Zone Solution” they say that authentic sourdough (made with lactobacillus and wild yeasts with no commercial yeast, and long slow leavening) breaks down the gluten to a level lower than “gluten free” products. In addition it digests the starches and sugars to reduce the glycemic load of the whole meal. Page 177. I would love to be able to eat crusty bread again…. and rye and pumpernickelSounds good to me! At the Physicians Committee for Responsible medicine we often recommended Pumpernickel and Rye breads as they have a lower GI. The book, AntiCancer, by David Servan-Schreiber has information and research on sourdough. Let me know if you want me to pull those studies. Thanks for reposting this! A great question.I would appreciate the additional information. We are gluten sensitive and tried Authentic sourdough bread without repercussions. The first crusty bread we have eaten in years without issues afterward.No problem, but the book is not currently by my side. I’ll get back to you in a about a week when I have it. If you are getting antsy check out their website for ordering information or content on their site. Thanks, Tish!My further research has brought Einkorn wheat to my attention. The ancient ancestor of modern wheat with 2 chromosomes while modern wheat has 4 or more chromosomes. It is more nutritious and has a different form of gluten. Gluten issues might be an unexpected/undesireable consequence of man’s attempt to get larger crops – feed more people. My personal experiments with Einkorn (sold in my health food store) have been free of gluten issues for my family. Is there any validation of this idea?Forgive my delay. Here is a citation from the book, AntiCancer. Unfortunately I thought there was more to this, but one reference is just mentioning how lower GI from sourdough and whole grains are preferred. If you are not experience any problems from the sourdough or other wheat breads perhaps you found something that works! Lastly, I am not sure about that particular type of wheat. I found of bunch of studies on it that you can sift through, if helpful?	bile acids,celiac disease,colon disease,colon health,diarrhea,gluten,gut flora,irritable bowel syndrome,nutrition myths,pain,plant protein,quinoa	Pros and cons of a gluten-free diet.	Check out our recent series on gluten: Gluten-Free Diets: Separating the Wheat from the Chat Is Gluten Sensitivity Real? How to Diagnose Gluten IntolerancePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on gluten, and plant protein. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bile-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/quinoa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gut-flora/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celiac-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19455131,
PLAIN-3264	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-coffee/	Update on Coffee	What about coffee? There’s some new data on coffee and liver cancer. Should coffee still be considered good for us? Yes, we knew it decreased our risk of diabetes, and, there’s new evidence to support that, but what we didn’t know until this year is that it protects us from liver cancer as well, protects us from brain cancer, and protects us from death—decreased all cause mortality. This should not be a surprise. What is coffee, but beans and water? It’s a plant food. You know how soybeans have those healthy phytoestrogens? Well, now we know, so does coffee. The reason I do not recommend drinking coffee is that there is something even healthier to drink instead, and that’s tea. Coffee is beans in water; tea is a dark green leafies in water, and though both are healthy, certainly, greens beat out beans, and pretty much everything else.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on coffee. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Caldwell Essyslten says that we should avoid coffee because it damages our epitheleal cell wallsGreat new web site! I really like the format of the short videos, esp. since you provide shots of the papers that you are summarizing the information from.One comment about the “coffee is good for you” message in this video. It is not supported by one of the articles you show an image of. Specifically, the article “Trigonelline Is a Novel Phytoestrogen in Coffee Beans” by Allred et al concludes that Trigonelline that is found in coffee “stimulates the growth of estrogen-dependent breast tumors in vivo”.Coffee good for you? I have significant reservations as to whether this is really true.NickInteresting video, but I’m staying away from coffee. Most coffee drinkers I know look unhealthy. I’m not saying it’s the coffee, but there’s something about that lifestyle that I want no part of. Plus, how good does it taste without the milk/cream/sugar — the nasties?I agree, coffee is not necessarily heart healthy either because of the caffeine. We must weight out the pros and cons. I, like you, choose not to drink it as i prefer to be stimulant free! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20125186Question on purines and gout:  I just started the plant based, “face free” diet as advocated in Fork over Knife.  During the past 10 years, while eating a typical American Diet (low fat, but with dairy and meat), I have experienced gout like symptoms in my big toe and ankle and can definitely associate it with eating lima beans (one of my favorites).  Can I expect this issue to remediate with the new diet?  Currently scared to eat limas, and tread carefully when trying new varieties of beans.Lallemand LS et al. A Structural Basis for the Biosynthesis of the Major Chlorogenic Acids Found in Coffee Plant Physiol. 2012 September; 160(1): 249–260.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3440203/What kind of tea do you use instead of coffee?I tried coffee once and got addicted for a year. Then I started getting insomnia, palpitations and other problems. I decided to quit drinking. I felt so much better after about a week and never touched coffee since. I believe the risks outweigh the benefits with coffee. I’d rather eat my veggies, beans, whole grains and fruits and use sunscreen to decrease my risks of getting skin cancer. I also read this article 2 years ago http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2012/08/21/caffeine-the-silent-killer-of-emotional-intelligence/ and through my own experience and what I see happen with regular coffee drinkers, I’m happy I quit drinking coffee.Any thoughts/studies on the ‘benefits’ of medical marijuana? and, can a person O.D. on pot, as an article from Britian just suggested?Michael and Staff, your work is the most significant right now in our country,(since we influence the world). You have certainly influenced my and husbands health. I tell everyone about this site. My birthday present from hubby will be a donation.That is very kind of you to support this incredible resource!I have heard that coffee can cause hormonal imbalance leading to the formation of ovarian cysts. Have you heard anything about this? Also, although you advocate green tea consumption, I have heard that it is very high in fluoride and that fluoride causes cognitive decline. Any thoughts on this?does coffee really stunt your growthHow something so acidic can be healthy?Why should an acid be unhealthy? Vitamin C is Ascorbic acid. http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/vitamin-c-ascorbic-acidPlease, lets look at this video about coffeehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YOwEqGykDM&feature=youtu.beMy question: can I get rid of all those newly-manufactured adenosine receptors my brain made, or am I stuck feeling like a zombie for the rest of my life?﻿Thank you!	beans,beverages,brain health,brain tumors,cancer,coffee,diabetes,green tea,greens,lifespan,liver cancer,liver health,longevity,mortality,nutrition myths,phytoestrogens,phytonutrients,seeds,soybeans,tea	The benefits of coffee consumption	Here are some recent videos on coffee and health: Preventing Liver Cancer with Coffee Coffee and Artery Function Coffee and Cancer What About the Caffeine?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on coffee. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!Check out my associated blog post, Eating To Extend Our Lifespan.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beverages/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soybeans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-artery-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-about-the-caffeine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-liver-cancer-with-coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/coffee-and-cancer/	-
PLAIN-3265	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-chlorella/	Is blue-green algae good for you?	 So no change there either. What about chlorella? Blue-green algae supplements. Historically, the concern has been about a neurotoxin called BMAA. Should we continue to avoid blue-green algae? Yes, previously the only two places you could find this neurotoxin was in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and on your health-food store shelf in the form of chlorella. But now it’s been found a third place, in the brains of those dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease. I’d continue to stay away from the stuff. 	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on blue-green algae. And note that chlorella is not in the same category as blue-green algae. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I was wondering if you know anything about Carageenen from seaweed, so far I’ve read that it isn’t good to consume, however some vitamin supplements have it, is this such a small amount I shouldn’t worry? Sorry I wasn’t sure where to post this.As a precautionary measure I would recommend those with inflammatory intestinal disorders try to stay away from it. Still unclear whether it should be avoided otherwise. I’ll keep an eye out for new research–thanks for your question!For some context, please check out my associated blog post Multivitamins and Mortality!I would with the wild blue green algae and ee are PROVEN to be BMAA free (is 3rd party). We are NSF certified, proving we are clear of all contaminants including microcystin   http://www.simplysuperfood.comSorry – that was strange.  I work with the wild blue green algae from Upper Klamath Lake. While there has been a lot of negative press our algae is safe. I have been eating it 25 years. 1. We are PROVEN to be BMAA free (is 3rd party) 2. We are not farmed, and we are organic, removing herbicide/pesticide issues 3. We are NSF certified, proving we are clear of all contaminants including microcystinso you say that we should all take 250 mg of algae based DHA everyday but stay away from spirulina, chlorella and blue green. what gives?The algae-derived EPA/DHA is from golden algae.I have researched regarding the blue-green algae Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae (AFA), since I found it in the book “Healing with Whole Foods” (Paul Pitchford) and found out that there are certain studies with specific extracts that haven been proven to be toxin-free. So, since there are a huge number of benefits from using AFA (among other types of seaweed), WOULD YOU CONSIDER POSITIVE TO INCLUDE IT IN OUR PLANT-BASED DIET? (most like likely in form of extract) Thank you.Yes, please answer this question, Dr Greger. I stopped taking mine after reading your opinion of Spirulina, but my arthritis is getting worse since I stopped taking it.How do you feel about green powders such as amazing grass supplements and garden of life green blend powders? These contain blue green algae, but many other things as well.Do you know anything about lithothamnion…algae from Iceland used for calcium in bone health supplements?Hello there! My vegan daughter’s favoured soya milk is calcium fortified with lithothamnium calcareum seaweed/algae. Is this a good and safe seaweed for us to be consuming?Many thanks.Not just supplements. Bioaccumulations of BMAA have been found in seafood (especially shellfish) consumed by clusters of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease) patients. Recent reviews:The emerging science of BMAA: do cyanobacteria contribute to neurodegenerative disease? (2012) Presence of the neurotoxin BMAA in aquatic ecosystems: What do we really know? (2014) β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) produced by cyanobacteria as a possible cause of neurodegenerative deseases (2014)This is totally off topic but… Somewhere in your 658 comments, you talk about the studies showing pescatarians have a slight advantage over vegans in mortality studies and why you think that is. Which mortality studies? Mind citing one or two? I’d like to have a read.Those 2 comments are most likely referring to the early results through 2009 from Adventist Health Study 2, which is the first prospective study with enough vegans to provide any sort of statistically significant results for mortality. As of that report, vegans had an adjusted mortality rate 15% below that of omnivores, though still not quite achieving statistical significance. Pescetarians had a mortality rate 19% below that of omnivores, and because this is a larger cohort, had already achieved statistical significance. While pescetarians may appear to have a lower risk, the difference with vegans is nowhere near statistical significance (the two RR confidence intervals are 0.69-0.94 and 0.73-1.01), so there’s a very good possibility this distinction would arise by chance from sampling even if the two groups had identical risks.Curiously, vegan men had a statistically significant 28% lower mortality risk than omnivore men, and nearly identical to pescetarian men. Its the vegan women who don’t seem to be benefiting much, with a negligible 3% lower risk than omnivores, whereas the pescetarian women had a non-significant 12% lower risk. It should be noted that the comparison omnivores in AHS-2 are much healthier than the general population, as Adventists have low rates of smoking, alcohol use, and are more socially engaged.These results don’t say much at present about distinctions between vegan and pescetarian health risks, but I do think vegans should pay attention, in order to avoid complacency in our dietary and supplement strategies. Followup is continuing, and if AHS-1 (1/3rd as large, with few vegans) is a guide, AHS-2 may continue through 2016, with results published through the next decade.And re: the comments comparing cancer risk in pescatarians versus vegans– What are those comments referring to?Another report covered cancer incidence in the early years of AHS-2. Pescetarians lower trending adjusted hazard ratio of 0.88 (0.77–1.01) compared to omnivores, while vegans barely achieved statistical significance with 0.84 (0.72–0.99) – if the 95% confidence interval doesn’t include the reference group HR of 1.00, then its “significant”. As either confidence interval encompases the HR of the other group, there’s no significant difference between pescetarians and vegans in these results.Hi – I note that there is a discrepancy between the video and the transcript when it comes to chlorella – the former does not mention it, the transcript does. Do you / studies consider chlorella safe or not?	algae,ALS,alternative medicine,Alzheimer’s disease,blue-green algae,BMAA,brain health,complementary medicine,dementia,health food stores,Lou Gehrig's disease,neurotoxins,nutrition myths,supplements	The potential neurotoxicity of blue-green algae supplements remains a concern.	For more videos on blue-green algae: Diet and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Infant Seizures Linked to Mother’s Spirulina UsePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on blue-green algae. And note that chlorella is not in the same category as blue-green algae. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lou-gehrigs-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blue-green-algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bmaa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/health-food-stores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19254284,
PLAIN-3266	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-aspartame/	Update on Aspartame	 What about, aspartame? Should we continue to avoid nutrasweet? Yes, probably a good idea, as there continue to be case reports of aspartame-induced brain conditions like pseudotumor cerebri.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on sweeteners. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!There are so many studies, reviews and meta-analyses on pubmed to say aspartame is fine, that I really don’t understand the point of reporting one random study that says it is bad. One can’t just cherry-pick to suit personal views. Legitimate science is about telling the full picture. I have watched/read all your aspartame info, perhaps the next step might be to put it all in a greater context, and explain why in a greater context it is harmful enough that it should be removed from the world food supply [making reference to EFSA and world food safety authorities not banning it, and in fact approving it due to their conclusion of its safety to human health.]I don’t think aspartame is great or anything, and I don’t consume many aspartame containing foods/drinks, but I am trying to discover the truth behind it all, and not interested in being mislead due to the few weak studies scandalising it.Aspartame, that’s my name! Ask me again and I’ll tell ya the same!!Wickedchicken,Something to consider. EFSA, FDA, and other food safety agencies also state that meat, dairy, eggs, and thousands of processed food are safe for consumption, despite enormous evidence than such foods lead to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and a host of other auto-immune diseases. Do you really trust them to tell you what is safe to eat or not? If it is not a whole, plant-based food, then you are damaging your body without consuming the nutrients to protect it.So why do humans have incisors??? I eat plenty of meat, fish, poultry, but I also eat lots of greens. Nothing mass produced, however. I think your vegan ways are a little misleading for people considering that for millions of years people have survived on meat. We cannot live without protein…It is difficult to argue from an evolutionary standpoint because we currently have science showing what foods contribute to chronic diseases, and what foods prevent them and prolong lifespan while simultaneously increasing the quality of ones life. I encourage you to explore this site more and you will see the science really leans towards a plant based diet for optimal health. Lets not forget that all whole plant foods have protein, and protein deficiency is essentially unknown in developed nations unless one is starving. If you consume enough calories, you will get enough protein. I would see this video regarding vegan protein status. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegan-protein-status/I would also see these 2 videos for a review of the evidence in terms of combating chronic disease. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/Indyguy and anyone else wondering about the incisor issue or about humans and meat consumption: I suggest you watch this. It will answer your question with cited references, comparative pictures, and logic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH-hs2v-UjIAlso be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!Your link for ‘Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!’ doesn’t workFixed! Thank you @db17bc337cb7017d5a7961a529ca4d6e:disqusVegans consume substantially more methanol every day than people who eat both plants and animals. Methanol breaks down in our bodies into lactic acid, formic acid, and formaldehyde, which are 3 substances that vegans consume substantially more of every day than omnivores. The following studies indicate that aspartame is completely safe: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7230276 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2802896 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12180494It’s not good science to form conclusions based on anecdotal stories. Many small stores that specialized in selling more than 10 different kinds of artificial sweeteners have gone out of business. These stores tell me that people who purchased various artificial sweeteners complained of severe side effects – everything from fibromyalgia (pain) to diarrhea to other bizarre occurrences. Aspartame was NOT one of their best-selling sweeteners (the giant supermarkets had much lower prices for aspartame). The criminal boss doesn’t have enough money to pay his members adequately for the work that he requires them to do. He therefore must pay his members in other ways such as encouraging them to become jealous of somebody and then satisfying that jealousy with malicious actions. Things that only the middle class can afford – such as artificial sweeteners, cellphones, cars, and state-of-the-art appliances – become their targets. Instead of tougher laws against unhealthy foods, we have tougher laws restricting cellphone usage and enforcing car seat belts. Appliances and high-tech gadgets suffer mysterious breakdowns caused by the criminals’ misuse of their tracking radars. Many of these anecdotal reports against aspartame are fabricated by members of the mafia and never really occurred. In other cases, the fibromyalgia (pain) was caused by tracking radar. I think that aspartame is completely safe but I personally use sucralose (Splenda) to avoid giving the criminals an excuse to shoot me with their tracking radars. Very recently, I’ve learned to enjoy my white tea and green rooibos tea without adding any Splenda.If anybody doubts that the criminals can influence science, simply search the Pubmed database for all scientific studies on the safety of smoking marijuana. Incredibly, about 75% of these PubMed studies will conclude that smoking marijuana is completely harmless to our health. Only 25% of these PubMed studies will tell us the truth, namely, that smoking marijuana is extremely harmful to our health. The criminals derive a large proportion of their total income from marijuana sales.Aspartame makes me sick. if I am careful and don’t ingest any I am fine. Once I eat something with aspartame (and its in a lot of foods) I get migraine head aches and stomach pains that lead to serious vomiting. IF its going to be in food it needs a warning label.you may have phenylketonurics please be careful! It can lead to serious health issues!!I wish to ask the doctor whether taking aspartame can bring situation similar to “Parkinson Decease”. I have been taking sweetener with aspartame and now I have tremor in my right arm and left leg. Further, I have white spots in my body.If you haven’t already gotten that checked out, please know that those are signs that you cannot process and break down aspartame and you may be a phenylketonuric, which just means you cannot deal with these amino acids. This can lead to serious health issues like brain damage and seziures!I recently sent a message and the tremor left arm and right leg.IS there any updated information on Aspartame (as of 2013) ?My 67 year old mother has been using nutra sweet and it contains aspartame…We never read up on artificial sweetners until a friend of mine became ill because of the use of artificial sweetners that contained aspartame….My mother is on 21 medications a day and has trouble walking,dizziness,trouble remembering and stomach pain….She drinks Diet Mt. Dew everyday and Im beginning to think that this poison “aspartame” has something to do with all of her health problems…She has a Dr. appt this week and I am definitely going to do some research….As for now she is off all artificial sweetners and only drinking bottled water…This is day 2 of the water test…I hope and pray that it is not the “aspartame” that is triggering all these symptoms for bad health problems…just stop drinking artificial stuff. All of these studies are for healthy people. If you mother is taking meds with cola then the problem is obvious.We think that our bodies are these engines and we just have to do an oil change (doctors appointment) once in a while. Truth is that health begins every day and continues throughout the night. If you drink a litre of cola before you go to bed rather than a herbal tea or simply water, your body is running on dirty motor oil rather than clean healthy water…….water is the key to life. People are not thriving because they are replacing water with cola and milk.Is diet soda harmful to body because it contains Aspartame?Aspartame is indeed quite harmful to consume so yes, diet soda is best avoided.Hello doctor, I am having regular headaches in rear part of head and also i m having lot of hair fal. I have a baby of 15 months old and i m also working for 10 hours….kindly suggest me the reasons and also ways to reduce the headache and hair fall also. Thank you for your time and concern. Regards, Sweta JoshiI have had a brain anuerysm and I drink a dt. mtn. dew or diet coke 2-3 times a day can this be affecting my health and thinking badly? And what is considered safe as far as diet drinks?No soda can be considered truly healthful.yes. Jesus. Yes. stop drinking cola and drink water.you drink about 2 cases of cola a week. that is a lot!!!!2- 3 times a day!?!?! are you an idiot?! drinking that much fizzy drinks will make you OVERWEIGHT and ill. not necessarily the aspartame, its the sugar and fat your consuming!!! JESUS. people are so stupid these days!! what kind of a person asks what drink is healthy?!I have serious problems I go every day with headaches and get “episodes” where I become temporarily paralyzed I only drink about one Diet Pepsi maybe once a week and don’t believe that is enough to cause aspartame poison but a friend told me to look into it since the symptoms fit can you clear this up for me. I was discharged from the ICU without a diagnosis and still suffer episodes each getting more severe than the last These headaches are taking over my life Any way you can help shed some light on my situation since the doctors around here seem to have no clue?Mary Beth: Since this is so serious, if this were me, I would stop all artificial sweeteners of any kind right away. Just a lay person’s advice.I also thought you might want to check out the following page: http://www.pcrm.org/search/?cid=158PCRM is a well respected group whose diet recommendations fit perfectly with the NutritionFacts perspective. PCRM also does original clinical research. The information they provide is generally super-high quality.The above page identifies 12 common trigger foods for migraines. I don’t know if you have migraines or not, but again – your condition sounds so serious, I would think it would be a good idea to try the very safe and generally effective food elimination diet. (Ie, follow the “2 week test” described on the above page.)Finally, if you are not already eating a whole plant food diet as recommended by Dr. Greger/NutritionFacts and PCRM and many others, that is highly recommended. A diet is not a magic cure, but it seems to work wonders for a vast variety of conditions. Simply eating a truly healthy diet *may* stop whatever is messed up in your body. And what’s the harm? Even if it doesn’t cure your episodes, it would only make you healthier on all other fronts.Hope this helps.I have avoided artificial sweeteners for decades. My chewing gum of choice was Juicy Fruit which I used a lot. Unbeknownst to me, the formula for the gum was changed from having sugar to having aspartame. Although the packaging design was changed it never occurred to me to look at the ingredients and i kept using. For about 2 years I started to experience escalating episodes of migraine headaches, severe abdominal pain, insomnia, and other symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). One idle day, i chanced to read the ingredients in gum and discovered the aspartame. I quit using the gum and within days, all of my symptoms went away. It has been five years since i stopped and haven’t had a migraine or stomach cramp since. After eating aspartame it metabolizes into methanol and then into formaldehyde. why would anyone in their right mind eat formaldehyde?Barbara: Those are some serious symptoms/effects. I’m glad you were able to figure it out!One thing I was told a couple years ago (I don’t know if it is true) is that companies are required to change their packaging within X months of a change of ingredients. I used to think that package changes were strictly marketing. Now I pay close attention to package changes as potential indications of content change.You paid a big price for the change that Juicy Fruit made. Who would have ever thought to blame the gum? Good sleuthing on your part. Thanks for sharing.http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/…/02p-0317_emc-000199.txt‎Here’s a link to a government study on aspartame.No surprise, the content has been removed from the FDA website. I guess they’re trying to clean up their image. Try this link http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/jan03/012203/02p-0317_emc-000199.txtDoes aspertame really cause headaches?Several studies do link headache and aspartame for some but no all people.”It appears that some people are particularly susceptible to headaches caused by aspartame and may want to limit their consumption.”(Neurology 1994). “Aspartame, an artificial sweetener added to many foods and beverages, may trigger headaches in susceptible individuals.” (Headache 2001).Does aspertame cause headaches?I had an awful experience with severe non-stop ear ringing and vertigo. Once the vertigo began to hit on a weekly basis, it struck me to take inventory of my food and beverage intake. Through eliminating the flavoring packs that I had newly incorporated into my “better eating plan” to increase my water intake and all other sources of aspartame laced food and drinks I recovered. I have been vertigo free for nine months and almost completely free of ear ringing depending on if I get lazy about reading those food labels and take in artificial crap. I see a vegan lifestyle on the horizon!Okay I want to know the exact problem of aspartame and is it called something else on the back lables	aspartame,brain health,Nutrasweet,nutrition myths,pseudotumorcerebri	Case report of aspartame-associated brain disease	For more recent videos on sweeteners: Aspartame and the Brain Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia Neurobiology of Artificial Sweeteners How Diet Soda Could Make Us Gain Weight Erythritol May Be a Sweet AntioxidantPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on sweeteners. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Vitamin B12: how much, how often?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aspartame/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pseudotumorcerebri/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrasweet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-diet-soda-could-make-us-gain-weight/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/neurobiology-of-artificial-sweeteners/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19593279,
PLAIN-3267	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-alfalfa-sprouts/	Update on Alfalfa Sprouts	Which ones have changed? Let’s start at the beginning and work our way across. Alfalfa sprouts, considered dangerous because of the risk of food poisoning, but what’s the latest? Should we keep avoiding raw alfalfa sprouts? Yes. Another major Salmonella outbreak last year. The FDA and CDC recommend not eating raw alfalfa sprouts. So I continue to encourage people to eat broccoli sprouts instead.	What about alfalfa sprouts that we grow ourselves? Are the seeds contaminated (so sprouts I grow at home will be too), or is just sprouts offered by restaurants that needed to be avoided?Thanks for the great site!Excellent question! Turns out it appears to be contamination of the sprout seed itself, and so even if we sprout them ourselves we may be putting our family at risk. The answer? Sprout broccoli sprouts instead. Safer–and healthier too! They are kind of pungent, though. If anyone has found a good way to incorporate broccoli sprouts into their diet please share!I used to love (read: hide) them with mashed avocado and sauerkraut but now that I saw your videos on avocado and kimchi… Not sure I’ll be doing that as much.What is your opinion on home grown Clover sprouts?Lately, I have been sprouting Clover seeds at home. What is your opinion on the nutrition and safely of Clover sprouts?Please also check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/!Please also feel free to check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/!Please also feel free to check out my associated blog post: <a href="Please also feel free to check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/!” title=”Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli”>!Please also feel free to check out my associated blog post:!Please also feel free to check out my associated blog post:Please feel free to check out my associated blog post, Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli!ohoh, i’ve been eating my homemade alfalfa sprouts for years, organic, here in france…but mostly prefer sprouts of all radishes, leeks, fenugreek, lentils…have a harder time with broccoli and parsley sprouts though (even though i love broccoli) can we get too much iron from certain sprouts while menopaused?The primary difference between heme iron (animal based) and plant based iron is that when one consumes heme iron, it is absorbed through our small intestines and our small intestine has no way of keeping it out. When our body has had enough iron when consuming plant based foods, our body can actively block iron absorption.Too much animal based iron is linked with many health issues including  breast cancer because iron is a pro oxidizer. “A high intake of iron in developed societies may, over time, lead to a physiological state of iron overload in postmenopausal women. Iron overload favors the production of…DNA damage, and may contribute to [breast cancer] independently or by [accelerating the rate of damage from other carcinogens and oxidizers]”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17823849Is there a difference in iron from other sources, for example, from Himalayan salt?Sea salt would not contain heme iron, as heme entails “from blood”. Consuming sea salt for minerals is not the best tactic, as sea salt generally is so low in minerals that one would have to consume tens of thousands of mg just to reach 25% of the DV. An example is celtic sea salt, as presented by Jeff Novick.1 tsp of Sea Salt contains12 mgs of calcium7 mgs of potassium27 mgs of magnesiumThe recommended daily values of these nutrients are600 mgs of calcium4700 mgs of potassium400 mgs of magnesiumSo to get just 25% of this daily value, we would need to eatCalcium, we would need to take in 24,600 mgs of sodiumPotassium, we would need to take in 335,000 mgs of sodiumMagnesium, we would need to take in 7,407 mgs of sodium.These amounts would be toxic. Advertisers that claim that sea salt contains these minerals only try to paint sea salt as healthy, but salt is salt, and should be limited in the diet no matter what the source.Bingo! Thanks.How to eat broccoli sprouts? How about a lemon-olive oil dressing with lots of raw garlic?Bacterias are in the air, they’re everywhere. Now humidity and a good growing media is all they need. If that study is to be taken seriously, then many other sprouts would be a problem (if not all of them). So my question is : why broccoli is safer? Any study prove no pathological bacteria grow on broccoli sprouts?	alfalfa sprouts,broccoli sprouts,CDC,FDA,food poisoning,foodborne illness,nutrition myths,Salmonella,sprouting,sprouts	Raw alfalfa sprouts continue to be associated with outbreaks of foodborne illness.	For more videos on sprouts: Broccoli: Sprouts vs. Supplements Antioxidants Sprouting Up Biggest Nutrition Bang for Your BuckPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on sprouts. Also, there are 1,686 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!For more context, check out my associated blog post, Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli.	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cdc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmonella/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alfalfa-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sprouting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/biggest-nutrition-bang-for-your-buck/	-
PLAIN-3268	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/research-into-reversing-aging/	Research Into Reversing Aging	All right, let me close out with a final round. First a bit of background. Each one of us, has 46 strands of DNA in each of our cells, coiled into chromosomes. At the tips of each chromome, at the end of each DNA strand, there’s a cap, like the tip of a shoelace, which keeps our DNA from unraveling and fraying. That cap is called a tellamere. Everytime our cells divide, though, a bit of that cap is lost. And when it’s completely gone, the cell stops dividing or dies. So telomeres have been thought of as kind of our life “fuse.” They start shortening as soon as we’re born and when they’re gone, we’re gone. In fact forensic scientists can take DNA from a blood stain and tell you how old the person was, based on how long the telomeres are. The thought is, if we can slow down this ticking clock, slow down this shortening, we may be able to slow down aging and live longer. So what do we have to do? Stop smoking—number 1, which has shown to significantly eat away our protective telomeres. But is there anything in our diet that’s accerating the process, speeding up aging? We didn’t know until last year.120 food item questionnaire. Two foods were associated with telomere shortening—accelerated aging; you tell me which ones: In alphabetical order: coffee, fried foods, high-fat dairy, non-fried fish, processed meat, red meat, refined grains, or high fructose corn syrup-containing soda. I’ll give you a hint, one of them was processed meat. Which was the other one? It was the fish nipping at our DNA. Eating fish appeared to age people’s DNA 6 years, and processed meat 14 years, in terms of how short the telomeres were of fish and lunchmeat eaters. So to conclude this, fish and bacon appears to speed aging up, but is there any way to slow aging down or even actually turn back the cellular clock and actually repair and lengthen our telomeres? Yes, but it appears you have to eat vegan. Dr. Dean Ornish wasn’t satisfied with just reversing heart disease and cancer, so now he’s trying his hand at reversing aging. There’s a tree, called a bristle cone pine, which is the oldest living thing on earth. There’s one in California that started growing around the time the Egyptian pyramids were being built—about 5,000 years ago—and the tree is still going strong. Scientists found an enzyme in its roots called telomerase, which could actually rebuild the telomeres—and humans have the enzyme too. The problem, is that no one had ever found a way to boost its activity, but that’s because no one ever tried a whole foods plant-based diet before. In a study funded by the U.S. Department of Defense department, Ornish found that after just 3 months of a whole foods plant-based diet—along with exercise—one could significantly boost telomerase activity. The accompanying editorial celebrated this breakthrough and hoped that this “exciting outcome…would encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle in order to avoid or combat cancer and age-related diseases.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on DNA damage, and aging. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!So the Fountain of Youth is. . . A Vegan Diet!!Maybe that is the Holy Grail that many fail to find. . .A Vegan LifestyleThis is the easiest, cheapest, healthiest, tastiest way to be vegan here … . http://y2u.be/tOW5eljyjmsI agree 100%I would be interested in knowing if they made distinctions between canned (ie canned tuna), processed or smoked fish. I could see that maybe some of the same treatments applied to processed meats could apply to these. It could be possible that a significant percentage of respondents’ fish intake could correspond to canned tuna. I also wonder if uncooked fish (sushi) has the same effect as cooked fish.Does that mean we can keep our cells dividing forever with a whole foods plant based diet?Dear Dr. Greger,Thank you for bringing this exciting research to the attention of your followers. I admire your tireless devotion to the very important cause of lifestyle medicine.I have a specific concern, however, that when I followed the link to the cited article by Dean Ornish, I discovered that he is not advocating a strictly vegetarian diet. In fact, he used a whole foods, plant-based diet, which included fish oil supplements daily (This made me cringe because of your other video on highest PCB levels present in fish oil?!).While the article presented an intriguing pilot study, nothing in it even suggested that vegetarianism was responsible for the increased telomerase activity.You may wish to consider this feedback to improve the accuracy of your video.Thanks, BPCI agree with your concerns about fish oil and no longer recommend for my patients. I was present at a McDougall Advanced Study Weekend where Dr. Ornish presented. He was asked about his fish oil recommendation. His response was, in my opinion, dismissive and didn’t address the issue. Based on the best current science I would avoid fish oil and if you feel that you should take an omega 3 supplement I would follow Dr. Greger’s recommendation of an algae based product… see video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/, not to mention the lack of adequate labeling see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/fish-oil-in-troubled-waters/.Dr. McDougall’s website has an article or newsletter or one of his “hot topics”, in which he supports his claim that the people eating the traditional Japanese diet with fish are healthy in spite of eating the fish, not because of it.No need for me to elaborate; Dr. McDougall writes and supports it well enough for anyone interested to go straight to the source.And, that source would be: the February 2003 newsletter, article “Fish Is Not Health Food”.There: I made it easy for you. *And* surprised myself that I so clearly remembered something from that long ago. Hm… Must have made an impression.I don’t understand why fish would decrease telemores since the Japanese have traditionally eating a diet rich in fish and have also had the longest lifespans.If you heat fish it will form oxidized cholesterol and this will shorten telomeres: Front Biosci (Elite Ed). 2010 Jun 1;2:1164-8. Telomere length and its associations with oxidized-LDL, carotid artery distensibility and smoking. Nawrot TS, Staessen JA, Holvoet P, Struijker-Boudier HA, Schiffers P, Van Bortel LM, Fagard RH, Gardner JP, Kimura M, Aviv A. Department of Molecular and Cardiovascular Research, Laboratory of Hypertension, University of Leuven, Study Coordinating Centre, Leuven, Belgium.One of the best studies on longevity was done on residents on Okinawa. Many folks assume that because they lived on an island that they consumed alot of fish. Actually the long living study participants ate a small per cent of fish… they ate about 70% sweet potatoes. Fish has omega 3, EPA & DHA(antiinflammatory substances) which they get from algae they eat. Unfortunately fish also comes with cholesterol, saturated fat and all sorts of chemicals including mercury, arsenic, drugs, pcb’s and other organic chemicals including fire retardants. Therefore it is not surprising that fish has an adverse effect on our telomeres. See http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/hair-testing-for-mercury/, http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/, & http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/prozac-residues-in-fish/. We are learning more about aging see… http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/ so keep tuned to Nutritionfacts.org for updates.Do you think that the fish caused a shortening of telomeres due to the contaminants themselves? Or do you think it was independent of the contaminants?Good questions. I don’t know. The sample size of the study was small. If it had been larger it might have helped answer your question(s). The Ornish study involved diet and exercise. So there may be confounding variables as well. I view them as more evidence which supports the “paradigm” that eating a whole food plant based diet with B12 supplementation is the best way to eat… for individuals, families, communities, nations and the world.O I am well aware of the benefits of a whole foods plant based diet, I am just curious to know if the contaminants in fish increased telomere shortening. I would think the nitrosamines in processed meats would be the culprit in rapid telomere shortening.I just discovered your website a few days ago(Dr. McDougal e- mail) and have shared it with multiple friends. I was familiar more than 15 years ago with some of Dr. McDougal’s work, also the China study, the recent “forks over Knives”, some of the TED.com videos of Dr. Ornish. I just wanted to thank you for all the information you have put together here and also the way you present it. My wife is Chinese so this type of plant strong diet is easy for us and quite normal. What I like is that you bring in a lot of new ideas as to the why’s and how things work. thanks again for all you effort.This is a very interesting video! My concern is that if the telomerase activity was significant, wouldn’t this cause a flaw in the blood/dna aging procedure? IE: They wouldn’t be able to correctly identify a persons age by their blood, because they wouldn’t know if that person was vegan or not. What do you think? Do you know how significant this telomerase activity is?I’m just wondering, when Ornish says that a vegan diet along with exercise can boost telomere strength – how much exercise must one do? I’m a vegan, but I really super enjoy sitting. It’s so awesome, is sitting. Just wondering. And thanks for all these great videos. It’s a great service you are doing. Thank you! Ellen ReidFor optimum health, recommendations have increased to 2 hours a day of rigorous physical activity.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post How to live longer in four easy steps!What about Lavaza ?The study discussion states: “Food groups such as whole grains, nuts, fish, fruit, and vegetables and prudent dietary patterns rich in these foods were inversely associated with several age-related diseases and total rate of mortality (14–19, 21–29, 46).” Yet the results found that “With the exception of nonfried fish (P = 0.04), processed meat consumption (P = 0.001), and the dietary pattern scores for fats and processed meat, which were each inversely associated with telomere length.” This “inverse association” found between fish and telomere length was ignored in the discussion.Additional studies have found fish consumption to correlate with increased telomere length. It would be nice to see more recent data on this topic.The tip of a shoelace is called an AGLET. FYI.If eating fish will shorten you life span do you think taking fish oil will shorten your tellameres ?Dr. Greger strongly advises against fish oil for multiple reasons. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/Fish will untie your shoes.According to this article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18996878 telomerase activity increases in the presence of cancer cells…if Dr Ornish’s research was done on subjects with cancer…might not the increase in telomerase activity indicate that the cancer was progressing and not an indication that the telomere’s were lengthening ? I would love to believe that we can lengthen our telomere with a low fat whole foods vegan diet but I don’t see how this proves it…Please help me understand! I’m looking online and not finding anything other than maybe eating more folate rich foods!Where in the study you posted do you get this conclusion from? I am looking through but did not find it as a variable. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3037593/I’m looking into intermittent fasting for its supposed health benefits. Have you come across any research in this area? Although caloric restriction is generally associated with longevity, I do not wish to be malnourished and nutrient deficient.This video would be of benefit to you.Ah yes I have seen this one! (Ive seen almost all of them haha), but I am interested more in the negatives of fasting despite the already prevalent benefits of veganism. I would like to incorporate it into my life regardless.I do not know of direct research other then benefit with water fasting and hypertension http://www.scribd.com/doc/32727377/Medically-Supervised-Water-only-Fasting-in-the-Treatment-of-Hypertension http://www.scribd.com/doc/32727203/Medically-Supervised-Water-Only-Fasting-in-the-Treatment-of-Borderline-HypertensionBut Jeff Novick, a very prominent and well informed plant based dietician does discuss fasting here. “Fasting is not required or necessary for good health. However, in certain conditions, fasting can be of benefit.” http://drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5852&highlight=fastingAccording to researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, the higher the blood levels of fish-derived omega-3 fatty acids in patients with coronary heart disease, the longer the telomeres. Their study, published in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that leukocyte telomere length (LTL) was positively associated with higher (not lower) blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids. (http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/715449)Far from causing a shortening of telomere length, fish oil appears to increase it.Wonder if they get the same results from Krill, Flax & Chia, as “fish-derived” omega 3? Side-stepping the negative effects apparently associated with eating “fish” by getting Omega 3’s elsewhere?Of course, I don’t know whether plant-derived sources ever have EPA/DHA or just ALA…Here is the link to a new article about telomere research in patients with prostate cancer lifestyle change and telomere length. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(13)70366-8/fulltextI am wondering if there is such a thing as too much fruit. I eat approximately 7-8 servings of fruit per day. My husband says too much fruit can have a bad effect on my blood sugar. Is this true? The rest of my diet is pretty healthy. Incidentally, I also eat around 4-5 servings of vegetables per day.	aging,bristle cone pine,coffee,corn syrup,dairy,DNA damage,doughnuts,Dr. Dean Ornish,enzymes,fish,frying,grains,high fructose corn syrup,lifespan,longevity,meat,mortality,omnivores,plant-based diets,processed meat,red meat,reversing chronic disease,soda,telomerase,telomeres,tobacco,vegans,vegetarians	The first dietary intervention shown to boost telomerase activity.	Here are a couple of other recent videos on diet and aging: How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years Does Meditation Affect Cellular Aging? Caloric Restriction vs. Plant-Based Diets Why Do We Age?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on DNA damage, and aging. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/18/kiwi-fruit-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/telomerase/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dna-damage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bristle-cone-pine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/telomeres/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/high-fructose-corn-syrup/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/doughnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-meditation-affect-cellular-aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-we-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-slow-brain-aging-by-two-years/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18799354,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18996878,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12062940,
PLAIN-3269	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flatophonia-the-art-of-the-musical-anus/	Flatophonia: The Art of the Musical Anus	I like to end these talks with my top pick for study-of-the-year, but before I get to the top finalist, I thought I might briefly share some contenders for last place. For example, money was spent sniffing the effect of mugwort and mushrooms on the urine odor of aged mice. Or how ‘bout this one: How to use fish guts for laundry detergent. Taxpayers paid for an investigation of the structure of tomatoes by means of quantitative nuclear MRIs. We now know, ladies and gentlemen, what the inside of a tomato looks like. The effects of a horsemeat-based Atkins diet on rats was studies, as well as how to improve the gelling properties of ground lizardfish, because you know there’s nothing worse than runny lizardfish jello. What are the sensory and color changes in warty venus flesh during marination—because if the color’s off or something just forget it. The meat industry continues to try to get rid of their byproducts. You’ve heard of soy infant formula, dairy infant formula, how about chicken-based formula for babies. Don’t worry the, meat is blenderized so as to be easily sucked through a rubber nipple. See, I don’t just read journals like plant medica, phytomedicine, I read the Journal of MuscIe Foods. Not foods for muscles, mind you, but foods made out of muscles. What might one find in a nutrition journal of meat? Articles about how to starve bunnies, of course. Starved rabbits, have the highest ripe meat ratio, and therefore the best barbequed bunny can be obtained by withholding food. On a lighter note: from a Norwegian medical journal, “\Flatophonia: the art of the musical anus is reviewed The man could blow out candles from yards away—a true fartiste. You’ll notice that the 13th edition of this book, published in 1727, was not only reviewed by the college of physicians but “approved by several Ladies of Quality.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. There are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!There is obviously a lot of disgusting research going on and getting published. I had no idea there was a “Journal of Muscle”. I feel sad for all the animals that were tested on for such seemingly pathetic uses. Really, I thought paid research had to go through ethical review boards to focus on reducing the number of animals, finding a replacement (non-animal), and refinement (to find ways to reduce suffering and harm to the animal research subjects), referred to as the 3 Rs in research.I hope the horse meat study took into account that most horses raised in the US are not raised under food safety guidelines and are therefore given many substances which are banned from use in ANY animal intended for human consumption.An August 19 article by Dr. Mercola states ” a healthier alternative to vegetable oils are saturated fats from animals and vegetables … your body cannot function without saturated fat.” This is the exact opposite to what you claim in your articles and videos.	animal studies,Atkins diet,chicken,dairy,fish,flatulence,horsemeat,mushrooms,rabbit meat,seafood,soy,tomatoes	A menagerie of weird studies published in nutrition journals.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/horsemeat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rabbit-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flatulence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/atkins-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19136821,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19241566,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18042533,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19128552,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19144488,
PLAIN-3270	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-vs-chia-seeds/	Flaxseeds vs. Chia Seeds	Flax seeds have also been shown to slow prostate cancer, but which is healthier? Chi-chi-chi-chia or flax? Well, there are 3 reasons why people eat flax: the cardioprotective omega-3’s, the cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber, and cancer-fighting lignans. Compared to chia seeds… flax has more omega 3’s. But, to my surprise, chia has significantly more fiber, which makes chia Obama, very happy. Looks like lignans are going to be the decider. Flax has always been considered so amazing because it has about 100 times more cancer-fighting lignans than any plant in the world, until, evidently, chia seeds were tested. According to the website of “better than flax” Anutra-brand chia seeds, chia has 25 times more lignans than flax. That’s incredible! No really, that’s in-credible. I called them up, challenged them on it, and it turns out they lied. Flax is healthier.	Nothing beats flax, just two table spoons a day will keep most diseases away :)I don’t know about most diseases, but a 2011 review did conclude that “Studies proved that flaxseed has tremendous potential in disease prevention particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD), osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer (breast, colon, and prostate cancer), and constipation and also affects immunity favorably.” So listen to Nouh–two tablespoons a day!Hi Dr. Greger,I’m a pregnant vegan and I’m concerned about not getting enough Omega 3. The ob/gyn told me to stop taking algal oil because it’s not FDA regulated. So I’ve been having 1 tablespoon of chia seeds a day. The dietician told me yesterday to have chia seeds and flaxseeds everyday. I’m so confused! Are you saying she’s wrong about flaxseeds? And is a tablespoon of chia seeds enough Omega while I’m pregnant?Ronni, this was the dr.’s reply to someone up in the thread italics mine. “Michael Greger M.D. NF Team chewy • 10 months agoNot only safe, but extremely healthy! I would encourage you to eat them with your vegetables to enhance carotenoid consumption (and encourage you to eat other nuts and seeds). The only population that I would advise against flaxseed consumption is pregnant women.”Thanks for getting back to me via email. Sorry to read about morning sickness… medicine still hasn’t figured that one out. First congratulations on the vegan nutritional approach to pregnancy… you have already taken a huge step in avoiding exposure of your baby to persistent organic pollutants such as dioxin and endocrine disrupters and metals such as mercury and arsenic. Dr. Greger cites a study which says preliminary data suggests avoiding flax seed in last two trimesters of pregnancy to decrease preterm delivery…. see video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-lignan-intake/. Unfortunately the cited reference isn’t listed in under Sources Cited. It is very important to take Vitamin B12, insure adequate iodine and Folate. There is a book, The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book… I haven’t read but it might be worth a look. I would review the other video’s that Dr. Greger has on pregnancy and work with your Ob/Gyn to work out a program for you. As I mentioned my daughter had two very successful pregnancies but had to “show” her physicians that her protein intake was adequate as they were pushing meat/dairy… maybe they learned from her. Seems like avoiding flax for the last 2/3 of pregnancy is reasonable. Good luck with the pregnancy and congratulations.I learned about chia seeds only a few months ago. I had been buying and throwing away flax seeds for over a year. I just can’t make myself eat flax. I don’t like smoothies. I don’t like texture of flax seeds on things that I put them on. I just have them in my fridge until it is time to throw out. (Until recently when I started giving 2-3 tablespoons a day to my Great Dane who loves it.)So, I jumped on the idea of the chia seeds, but was really wondering if they were as healthy as the websites claim. This video answered two thirds of that question and I’m grateful.My thought would be: OK, so chia has only 80% of the omega 3s as flax – but if I will eat chia and not flax, then the one that is healthier is the one that I’m willing to eat. yes?It’s still something of a question for me because of the lignan issue. You say that flax has more lignans, but how much more? Do we know how many lignans are in chia seeds?Here’s another question: To get the nutrition from flax, you have to grind it up. I’ve been soaking the chia seeds over night. The seeds swell up and for the most part, get the consistency of tapioca (which I love). However, there is still a tiny, tiny hard spot in the center. So, am I absorbing all the nutrition I should be absorbing from chia seeds which are soaked overnight, but not ground up? Or is all the good parts of the chia seeds in that teeny tiny hard spot and my body won’t absorb it?Thanks!Get the ezekial cereal with flax in it. you dont even notice itYou might consider flax oil. It doesn’t have the texture. I added it to my daughters soy milk when she was a toddler because she was not putting on weight to the Dr’s liking. She didn’t complain of any taste. ;)oh and I put my milled flax seeds in ground beef and don’t even notice its there. My family doesn’t either. So I sneak the extra fiber and nutrients into them. My friend’s very very picky eater son(textures and in general) that comes to my house often didn’t even notice.For anyone who is interested, here is the breakfast that I have been eating every morning for 2 months.Put the following in a bowl the night before and stir: * 2 tablespoons chia seeds (organic) * 1/3 cup thick rolled oats (organic) * 2/3 cup water * a good dash of vanilla extract (maybe a teespoon) * a large amount of date sugar (maybe 1/3 cup?) * a large amount of cocoa powder (maybe 1/4 to 1/3 cup?) * 2-3 teespoons of a nut butter. I’ve been experimenting with different flavors. * sometimes I also add one or more of the following: cinemamon, cloves, pumpkin pie spices, banana slicesBy the morning, it is the consistence of a nice thick oatmeal, but it has a taste and texture that beats plain oatmeal by a million miles!And it’s pretty healthy, right???If I get 2 tablespoons of chia seeds every day, do I still need an EPA/DHA supplement??See toxics post to me, above. There’s a couple good books on chia seeds on The Raw Food World Store site. LynnFlax seed question: Roasted Flax Seeds?I recently purchased a bag of flax seeds (admittedly: mostly for my dog, but some for me too) from Trader Joes. I guess I didn’t look very closely at the bag. It actually says, “Roasted Flax Seed”. The flax has a strong nutty smell – very strong compared to regular flax which I can’t smell at all.The back of the bag says, “Roasting the flax seeds reduces the natural moisture level in the seeds, resulting in 8-10% more fiber, Omega-3s and protein than regular flax.”Does this claim make sense to anyone?Also, even if the claim is true technically, I wonder if humans would actually benefit from this additional fiber and omega-3s? Wouldn’t some of that good stuff be destroyed in terms of bio-availability somehow through the cooking? I’m thinking about often hearing the advice that it is healthier to buy raw nuts and roast them ourselves. I’m not sure why, but I think it is because the roasting causes the good stuff in the nut to degrade faster??? Wouldn’t the same process apply to flax seed?Or maybe the issue with the roasting of flax seeds would only apply depending on the temperature of the roasting? I thought I remembered that Dr. Greger wrote somewhere that it is not temperature that affects the Omega-3s in flax, but exposure to oxygen – at least up to a certain temperature.Note that the bag does say, “Refrigerate After Opening”. If I did refrigerate, along with putting the seeds in an air-tight container, would the flax seeds stay fresh for a good long time even if they are roasted?Another related question: One of the reasons I give the ground up flax seed to my dog is that a vet said that flax seed has anti-inflammatory properties. I assume the same is true for humans. The question is, would roasting destroy the anti-inflammatory properties of flax seeds?Any thoughts?See if I can answer some of your questions. Ground Flax seed has many nutritional benefits. Dry Roasting seems to enhance the nutrient absorption of nuts see video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/raw-food-diet-myths/ and since seeds are similar to nuts it might also apply. I’m not aware of any science to support. Roasting may drive out some water but seems to me since we want to avoid processed food it is more advisable to go with unroasted flax seeds. Of course you want to make sure you either grind the seeds or buy it already ground up. The seeds are very tough and the flax seeds will come out without contributing to your health. Flax is very healthy. I find that buying the ground flax meal and then refrigerating/freezing is the best way to keep it from spoiling. It does have antiinflammatory properties being high in Omega 3’s. Whether heat would destroy the antiinflammatory properties would depend on the temperature. I would stick with unroasted in the future until a study comes out supporting roasting flax seeds… keep tuned to Nutritionfacts.org…Hi JJ, I’m not well-informed on flax seed, but in many cases cooking foods, especially grains, can actually increase some nutrients’ bioavailabiltiy by breaking down materials that can interfere with the body’s ability to properly absorb important nutrients. As far as I’ve seen, roasted flax seeds are very beneficial. I imagine that you will indeed be getting the nutrients mentioned on the package, and may even be better off with roasted rather than raw. Until we know more information, maybe you can switch betwen raw and roasted. I’ll keep an eye out on this topic for a more informed answer. I hope this helps! AlexandraWell, Now I think I may be overdoing the Omega 3 thing. I use a big T dry of Chia seed in my morning smoothie and I still use a lot of Fish Oil. I have the same question as JJ. Also the lignan issue. How am I doing with the chia? And to share how I do it, I used to soak them up ahead of time, but became lazy, so I just put a glass of water in the bottom of the blender with a tablespoon of chia and run it on the lowest speed to stir. Let it sit while I get the vegis and fruit ready. Stir again and in goes everything else with some more water. It really only takes abt 5 minutes to start to gel. Just make sure it has enough water.Hello Lynn, I must address your use of fish oil, as I highly recommend stopping its use entirely! Fish oil does not reduce inflammation which is one of the main reasons people take it http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19623203 Fish oil, similairly to fish, is the number one source of contaminants in the food supply and the distilling process to clean fish oil of heavy metals does not work. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-distilled-fish-oil-toxin-free/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/ If you must supplement for omega 3, then take algae oil http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/plant-based-omega-3-supplements-2/I have said this before in a previous comment, but I am not an advocate of consuming any oil since oil is essentially liquid fat with no nutrition. According to Dr. McDougall, “a condition of ‘essential fatty acid deficiency’ is essentially unknown in free-living populations….true essential fatty acid deficiency would result in: loss of hair, scaly dermatitis, capillary fragility, poor wound healing, increased susceptibility to infection, fatty liver, and growth retardation in infants and children.” Here is the full article http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/aug/oils.htm Although the algae oil may have the DHA, oil is still oil and not a whole plant food. I respect Dr. Greger’s statement of avoiding fish oil for its many contaminants and using algae oil as a substitute but is it really necessary to ingest any pure DHA in the form of an oil? After weighing it out, to me, it doesn’t seem necessary.Hi Tox! I was just surfing the new site and noticed you had talked to me a year ago. Thanks! I guess I missed it then, but am pleasantly surprised to see all the info you included. I might say I stopped the fish oil shortly after I posted that. I also read the report that it wasn’t doing any thing good for my heart. I also love what I have learned from Drs. Esselstyne and McDougall, etc. My Doctor is a McDougall-er, so am getting the NO OIL talk from him too. As long as I have some weight to come off I avoid nuts, olives, avacados, and other fatty vegan goodies. Of course I miss them, but must get the job done. Probably won’t go back to them in the long run. Funny how one gets used to a new way of living when willing! Huh?is it perfectly safe to eat 2 Tablespoons of pre-ground flaxseed daily for the long term?i am a gluten-free vegan who eats no other fats/seeds/nuts/avocados….i eat vegetables,beans,fruit,squash,brown rice/brown rice cakes/air popped organic popcorn.You need healthy fats in your diet. Avoiding all fats is truly not good for you.Fats are for babies. Or the injured. Or if Winter is coming.hoping to hear whether 2 Tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily for the long term is perfectly safe….Not only safe, but extremely healthy! I would encourage you to eat them with your vegetables to enhance carotenoid consumption (and encourage you to eat other nuts and seeds). The only population that I would advise against flaxseed consumption is pregnant women.Can you consume Chia seeds when pregnant instead of flaxseeds?why should pregnant women avoid flaxseed?what is dangerous about eating it?i wish that i’d known this 9 years ago when i was pregnant! i ate 2 heaping tablespoons daily the entire pregnancy which was great by the way. 20 pounds on and off within a week of giving birth.The risk for having a still born baby is increased when one consumes flax seeds when pregnant.is this true?Dr. Greger covered this in one of his videos. He mentions that there is an increased risk of stillbirth seen with flaxseed use when one is pregnant. I believe the video has not yet been released.A great breakfast: dump into a smallish saucepan: 1/3 cup quinoa, 1/3 cup steel cut oats, 2 T. chia seeds, 2 T. ground flaxseeds, 1 t. cinnamon, 1 t. ground cardamom, 1 t. ground nutmeg 1 sliced banana 1 dash salt 1 1/2 cup hot water Let it all soak for at least 15 minutes to overnight. Then simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring often. A splash of vanilla extract at the end is good, also.Flax versus chia? Why not both–thanks Badgett! Sounds delicious. Anyone else have any personal recipes to share? I’ve only got a few (see http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/recipes. What are your thoughts on the new book called “Chia: The Complete Guide to the Ultimate Superfood” by Dr. Wayne Coates. ?After browsing in this book today, I found out that overall Chia seeds are better for you then flax seeds. He states that lignans are known to start and prevent cancer. So, from what i understood and maybe you can clarify is lignans are good but how much?I found this book very informative as i take about a TBSP of chia seeds with my oatmeal w/almond milk and cinnamon. yummie. Just set it in the fridge for about 10-15mins… its sooo good.Flax seeds are actually the number one source of lignins, and second to flax would be sesame seeds.Hi Dr. Greger… Here’s my Morning SmoothieFew Blackberries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries 1 Pitaya or Dragonfruit 1 Kiwi 1 Apple 350ml Green Tea (Cold Steep) 2 to 3 Cloves of Garlic (Organic) Pinch of All Spice, Cayenne, Black Paepper, Turmeric 1/8 tsp Freshly Ground ClovesI’m allergic to banana :-( What could I replace it with??I bet there is no need to replace it, just leave it out. However, I bet blueberries (or some other fruit, like diced apples) would work great, too!We have left the banana out many times. My husband does food-combining so doesn’t usually eat fruit with grains. The banana is not needed for this to be delicious.datesNo need to replace it, just leave it out. However, I bet blueberries (or some other fruit, like diced apples) would work great, too!Thanks for sharing this amazing breakfast! We fell instantly in love with this the first time I made it. I have a food blog and will be posting this on there very soon! A batch is simmering on the stove right now.regarding your interview with dr fuhrman:are you more in agreement with dr fuhrman’s eat to live and his inclusion of nuts/seeds and not in agreement with dr esselstyn and dr mcdougall?i definitely got that impression in regards to eating nuts/seeds. 2 TAblespoons of ground flaxseed is the only added fat i eat daily with my vegetables,fruit,beans and starchy vegetable/grain.is 2T a fine amount?thank you!No study that I am aware of shows harm from eating two tablespoons of ground flax seed a day. You need to look at recommendations of the “experts” based on the best science, the populations involved and what the goals of the patient are. Dr. Esselstyn deals with patients who have heart disease a different population than the “normal” population that showed value in consumption of nuts in the primary prevention of heart disease http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/halving-heart-attack-risk/. He himself eats nuts/seeds. Dr. McDougall also accepts the consumption of nuts/seeds which are whole plant foods. As he and Jeff Novick RD point out if you are trying to decrease your body fat consuming foods that are high in caloric density (2800 cal/# for nuts) isn’t a good choice. Dr. McDougall emphasizes starch intake due to meeting caloric requirements in populations. He does support the consumption of a wide range of vegetables. For all these “experts” you need to evaluate their claims based on the best science. All the information about antioxidants is hopeful but understanding it both within populations and for the individual patient requires assumptions that are effected by many considerations. So you have to beware of sweeping generalizations that aren’t supported by the scientific literature. It is challenging to make sense of it all. Sounds like your diet is consistent with the best current science but keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science is constantly changing.Ground flaxseed have (or is it has?) 37 calories and 3 grams fat per tablespoon. Not too much for me. Nutrition is like religion. The research becomes the bible and just about every idea can be backed up by research, as folks do with bible verses. We follow our nutrition gurus as we do with our religious leaders, with faith.I think folks hang on to their beliefs about how they should eat almost as hard as they hang on to their religious beliefs. I think the difference is that there is science on which to base how and what you eat as well as which “guru” you should follow. We tend to navigate our complex world through our beliefs which can be based on information, stories, relationships and goals. Since science is constantly changing our beliefs are constantly tested against the newest information until at times we get to the point of shifting our beliefs. For instance I once believed that “Milk does the body good” currently I believe that it does the body harm and often contains poisonous substances. My new belief drives me to eat, shop and cook in a different way. If a “religious” text were to tell me to eat milk I would ignore unless given information to shift my belief. Religion is not being exposed to new science and most religious texts were written at a time when scientific paradigms or beliefs were wrong. So when selecting your belief system about eating I would go with the science keeping current via sites like NutritionFacts.org. In picking guru’s I would be cautious especially if they have vested self interests in what they are “selling”. Of course beyond the health aspect is the issue of what we eats effects the environment and the suffering of animals. You might be interested in the YouTube video by Dr. Melanie Joy, Carnism: The Psychology of Eating Meat, that provides an interesting view on the non health aspects of eating. Be well.Just a passing thought… the Bible( one religious text) does not say to drink milk. God did say he would lead his people into a land flowing with milk and honey, but that could mean the health of humans(breast milk) and abundance of plants(that bees use to make honey). Sorry, but I just hate to see people try to say the Bible is not “scientific”. Our creator is the ultimate scientist!Should chia seeds be ground like flax seeds, or is it best to soak them first before consuming? Also, why should pregnant women avoid flaxseed?Thanks.For some context, please check out my associated blog post The Best Foods: Test Your Nutrition Knowledge!How is it best to grind flaxseeds?Also, is it ok to use preground, or is it best to grind them yourself prior to consuming? A coffee grinder may do the job. Pre ground flax seeds are much easier and nutrients are still stable in pre ground flax seed unless expired.I found a brand that uses sprouted flax seeds!  Is this worth the extra money?  They claim the sprouting method increases nutrients, increases absorption, and breaks down the enzyme inhibitors.I thought that preground flax goes rancid and oxidizes? Sprouting is more of a diet fad then any real boost to health.“The magnitude of the nutritional improvement is, however, influenced by the type of cereal, seed quality, sprouting conditions, and it is not large enough to account for in feeding experiments with higher animals.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2692609“Sprouting of grains causes increased enzyme activity, a loss of total dry matter, an increase in total protein, a change in amino acid composition, a decrease in starch, increases in sugars, a slight increase in crude fat and crude fiber, and slightly higher amounts of certain vitamins and minerals. Most of the increases in nutrients are not true increases, however. They simply reflect the loss of dry matter, mainly in the form of carbohydrates, due to respiration during sprouting. As total carbohydrates decreases, the percentage of other nutrients increases.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7002472  Yes pre ground can go rancid and oxidize but this is why you should keep it refrigerated until expiration.A fad? I’ve never heard that. All my research has shown that it is significantly healthier and more optimal…ugh, nutrition is so confusing!Re flax: so it is better to buy a bag of WHOLE seeds and grind them myself prior to usage…or is buying a bag of preground and keeping it in the fridge/freezer ok?The studies I presented are worth looking into regarding sprouting. Advocates tend to misconstrue the data. Buying a bag of pre ground flax is just fine.Nutrition tends to be quite straightforward when you focus on current peer-reviewed scientific studies (i.e., preponderance of evidence) and reject non-sourced statements (conjecture and hearsay).I cant agree with this assment of flax seed. how can a product that is a common carrier used in oil paint be healthier than chia?Flaxseeds have more omega 3 and a much higher lignan content then any known food. Further benefits can be seen with this videohttp://nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam/Water is a common carrier in water-based paints… so using your same analogy, one might conclude that water is not healthy. Science does not operate by analogy – it operates by evidence and observation. Perhaps decisions based on current scientific studies might prove more fruitful than those based on analogy and conjecture.Flax seeds are always available, and cost far less than chia seeds. Flax seeds are easily ground with a coffee grinder and keep well in the freezer.I would say that if you enjoy flax seeds, stick with it. My only concern is that flax seed, when not ground fresh for use is susceptible to oxidation – particularly the omega 3 fatty acids. Chia is easily digested, though with about 20 % less Omega 3 – I wonder if chia might ultimately have more biologically available omega 3 in the end due to it’s more bio-available O-3s. When I make my morning smoothie it includes 3 oz of spinach, 3 oz of assorted kale (seasonally available here in Georgia and a cup of mixed frozen berries blended with some soy milk (deliberately not in a vitamix to retain more fiber) then I mix in 2 tbsp of chia, which absorbs up to 30x it’s weight in water and gives you a major load of fiber. Mix it together, let sit and mix again in fie minutes, let sit and consume fifteen or more minutes later. I call it time released water and nutrition throughout the morning and early afternoon. I’d be interested to see Dr Greger’s point of view on the oxidation factor in O-3 availability, as it is more or less just my own theory and I’d appreciate learned counsel. Also, I can’t get past the taste of linseed oil. hahI just discovered Sweet Basil Seeds at my local market. They are fun to eat and kind of resemble chia seeds when soaked. Any nutritional or scientific data on these yummy seeds?How do you grind flax seeds?I use a coffee grinder.vitamix blenderSorry, have scanned through the comments and cannot seem to find the answer to how to ensure to get all of the nutrients out of chia seeds. Are the best to soak, grind or will the nutrients be released by our own digestive juices? I’ve bought organic seeds but want to ensure that I’m not missing out on the nutrition & it is not just passing through if you catch my drift?It is best to grind the chia seeds to get the benefits. If not that, then you have to chew each and every individual seed to break through the tough cell wall.Flax seeds have goitrogens , chia seeds don’t , so chia seeds are better considering the prevalence of hypothyroidism ….Thanks for being succinct .I cracked up after you said you called them….that was classic. I really appreciate your work. Thank you.Damn, doc, you hardcore. Calling up the company and challenging them! You’re my effing hero.Just eat both! :)Hi Dr. Greger… Here’s my Morning SmoothieFew Blackberries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries 1 Pitaya or Dragonfruit 1 Kiwi 1 Apple 350ml Green Tea (Cold Steep) 2 to 3 Cloves of Garlic (Organic) Pinch of All Spice, Cayenne, Black Paepper, Turmeric 1/8 tsp Freshly Ground Cloves2 tbsp Flaxseed 1/2 tbsp sunflower seed 10 pcs almondsall freshly groundWow! Tough love!Isn’t a good reason for chia over flax calcium, though? I’ve been eating ground flax every day in my breakfast cereal or in my smoothies for a long time but I recently decided to do chia instead because chia seeds have some 16% to 18% calcium and iron, but ground flax only has 4% of each of those in 2 tablespoons. I find it hard to get enough calcium without making choices to incorporate more, like picking chia over flax. In my attempts to find high-calcium foods I saw in the bulk isle that chia has a lot of calcium and it seemed natural to jump ships.I was looking for something beside ground flax seed to take. The reason is that when I take ground flax it stops me up big time….and yes I do drink water about 2 to 3qts a day. I am vegan so I really dont know what to do. Was taking 2tbs a day with my salad in the evening. I am a breast cancer survivor and have high triglycerides at 187 but that is better then 2 years ago when it was 258 before I went vegan. Its going down slowly was hoping flax would help. Anyone else have this problem with flax? ThanksDo you mean it causes you constipation? This would be very odd, as flax is not a low fiber food, but is actually quite high in fiber. Do you mix it with with other foods, such as oatmeal?I have a hard time going to the bathroom when I use flax not hard stool its soft but hard to come out, and i go very little once a day, strange as it may seem. But when I do not use it I have my normal BM’s twice a day without any problems. I do mix it with other food like my large dinner salads or sprinkled in my homemade vegan soup. Only like oatmeal with sugar and butter and since I do not eat butter or processed foods like sugar I stay away from it. Was wondering maybe I need more water say a qt 30min after a meal..just guessing. Thanks :)That is very strange, and I wonder if it truly is the flax causing your digestive “back up”.PS. I have oatmeal every morning for breakfast, and what I find to be very tasty is when I have bananas, date sugar (ground dates), walnuts, raisins, ground flax and ceylon cinnamon. The large walnut halves taste almost buttery to me. Also, THICK rolled oats makes the whole difference and tastes far better then regular rolled and much better then quick.Hummm I will try the oatmeal with the ingred you have mentioned looks good to me.. thanks againTry cutting to 1T, and have it in the morning instead of evening since you’ll be moving all day. Go from there as far as dose.I love flax, but I also take a teaspoon of chia every day. My triglycerides have been really high, and I have been told that chia may be the culprit. Is there any truth to this?Can someone please clarify the actual amount of lignans in chia vs flax? This video uncharacteristically leaves one wanting for the actual stats and simply states flax is better. Come on doc! ;)Not totally relevant for this video but can’t find a more suitable – what about hemp seeds? How do they compare to flax and chia seeds? Hulled or not hulled?What about phytoestrogen? i heard flax is high in this.This article says chia is better, for several reasons.http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/09/flax-vs-chia_n_3567261.htmlIt also says that chia and flax have different kinds of fiber–chia has insoluble and flax has soluble, both of which have different benefits. The author’s conclusion was to eat both chia and flax.Hi Dr. Greger, I have uterine fibroids and fibrocystic breast disease. Can flax help with these issues? How about soy? Thank you!For iodine, is 150 mcg of a supplement ok if it is kelp?Would it be too much to have two tablespoons of flax and two tablespoons of chia a day? If so, would having one tablespoon of chia and one tablespoon of flax be a healthier balance(with the fiber) compared to two tablespoons of flax a day?Thank you!i am intolerant to flax seed, can I have chia seeds instead or is it in the same familyChis is fine :-)LIAR LIAR, SEEDS on FIRE! chiazy chiazy.go flax!SUPERB! we can also go with these top rated Reviews that gives you amazing ideas to lose weight: http://eweightlossresources.com/info-product-reviews	cancer,cardiovascular disease,chia seeds,cholesterol,fiber,flax seeds,heart disease,heart health,lignans,men's health,omega-3 fatty acids,prostate cancer,prostate health,seeds	Flax and chia seeds can both be considered superfoods, but which one has the edge?	For more videos on seeds, you can check out: Can Flax Seeds Help Prevent Breast Cancer? How Many Poppy Seeds Are Too Many? Flax Seeds for Hypertension Flax Seeds For Breast Pain Fat Burning Via Arginine The Best Way to Boost Serotonin Benefits of Fenugreek Seeds	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lignans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chia-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-poppy-seeds-are-too-many/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flax-seeds-for-breast-pain/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-fenugreek-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fat-burning-via-arginine/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2703189/,
PLAIN-3271	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-cancer-progression-2/	Saturated Fat & Cancer Progression	Does it have to be all or nothing, though? Researchers at the University of Texas followed a few hundred men after they had their prostates removed for cancer, and split them into a high saturated fat group and a low saturated fat group, and asked the simple question: does just cutting down on meat improve cancer-free survival. Now this was texas, so that meant comparing those that ate the equivalent of three quarter’s of a bucket of KFC worth of saturated fat, to those eating half a bucket’s worth a day. The question is, does that modest drop in meat consumption significantly improve cancer-free survival, or do you really have to cut out all meat to see a significant effect? This is how long men lived before their cancer came back, eating that much saturated fat a day. Those who ate less saturated fat got this far out before their cancer returned. Less than 20 months; more than 40 months. That’s the difference even a quarter bucket of KFC worth of saturated fat may make if we have cancer. Obviously cutting all out saturated animal fat is better, but it’s not all or nothing.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on saturated fat, meat, and cancer survival. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Are plant saturated fats from coconuts the same as animal saturated fats?No. Saturated fatty acids come in many forms, each acting differently.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturated_fat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturated_fat_and_cardiovascular_disease_controversy http://juvenon.com/jhj/vol4no09.htmdo you realize your citing wikipediaWhat about cultures that have certain cancers but have managed to avoid breast, prostate, ovaries, and colon, yet they manage to eat massive quantities of saturated fat: http://okicent.org/study.htmlAnd the Inuits who eat mostly fat and meat but avoid prostate cancer:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14504206http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/07/cancer-among-inuit.htmlYour okinawan study says nothing about high saturated fat, it says the opposite. ” Some of the most important factors that may protect against those cancers include low caloric intake, high vegetables/fruits consumption, higher intake of good fats (omega-3, mono-unsaturated fat), high fiber diet, high flavonoid intake, low body fat level, and high level of physical activity.” This implies plant based (high folate levels, unsaturated fats). Now looking at the Inuits. their lifespans are much shorter compared to the the peoples of Canada. They are on average 15 years shorter. Just because they don’t get prostate cancer doesn’t mean they are healthy. Cherry picking will get you no where, examine all relevant data.Do you have a link to the study’s report? And why does the video use “saturated fat” and “meat” consumption interchangeably? (I realize meat has a significant amount of saturated fat but has a very different nutrient profile than, say, butter or cheese.)If you click under the sources cited section you will see a link to the study. Animal products are the top sources of saturated fat. Butter and cheese are also high sources of saturated fat and are also harmful compared with other animal products.Thanks! I didn’t see that link earlierWhat do you say to this?http://www.bulletproofexec.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Butter-Infographic1.jpgI have been plant based diet for 4 years and just found out I have breast cancer and probably had it for 10 years. It measures approximately 5 cm. What vegetables to you suggest I should be eating most of to help get rid of this. I will probably have chemo and a mastectomy soon.Please see this very relevant video. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/Flaxseeds http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseeds-breast-cancer-prevention/and soy http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-breast-cancer-3/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/are all very helpful in warding off breast cancer. I wish you the best of luck!Do you have any specific diet recommendations for heptocellular carcinoma? My husband had Y90 treatment for a 7cm tumor in November. Since then all MRIs have had good results – no detectable cancer. Besides low salt and low cholesterol do you have any other suggestions? He is trying to gain wait after a major surgery last fall that left him skinny and weak. His overall health right now is good. Our goal is to get thru hep c treament this summer and try to put off a liver transplant as long as possible.Now we are hearing an influx of saturated fat has no effect on CVA, heart attacks, stroke, etc, in fact today during another students presentation he states fat has no affect on any of it, the dietitians ask to clarify, and he again states he found no research supporting the facts on fat? why is this occurring again how hard is it to justify that yes indeed fat, saturated fat has negative affects on our health? I need a rebuttal and standing position on this.HI Cameron, I don’t know if you are familiar with plant positive. But it is my #2 to nutritionfacts.org. Plant positive is dedicated to debunking paleo myths with an evidence based approach with the studies available. There are so many topics on plant positive and he is so thorough, the website is truly a goldmine. I think you will find your answers there http://plantpositive.com/	animal fat,cancer,cancer survival,flexitarians,men's health,prostate cancer,prostate health,prostatectomy,saturated fat	Does cutting down on saturated fat intake improve cancer-free survival?	I have a wealth of other videos on meat consumption and cancer. Here are a few: Which Dietary Factors Affect Breast Cancer Most? Never Too Late to Start Eating Healthier Can Diet Protect Against Kidney Cancer? From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection Paleo Diets May Negate Benefits of Exercise	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostatectomy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/paleo-diets-may-negate-benefits-of-exercise/	-
PLAIN-3272	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/	Cancer Reversal Through Diet?	Just like with diabetes, the same diet that prevents heart disease, can be used not just to treat it, but to reverse it. Next year is the 20 year anniversary of Dean Ornish’s landmark research showing that—without drugs—a near vegan diet could reverse atherosclerosis, dissolve the plaque, open up the arteries. Well, if that’s the case, can’t we just eat whatever we want then just go vegan after our first heart attack to dissolve the plaque away? Unfortunately, there’s a little something called sudden cardiac death. Half of those that die of heart disease just drop dead, so our first heart attack may indeed our last, but not in the way we were hoping. So what’s Ornish up to these days? Well, he’s still reversing heart disease. Nearly three quarters of patients angina-free without drugs or surgery. But now that he’s conquered the number one killer, he’s moved on to trying to reverse killer number 2, ,,, cancer. PSA levels are typically what’s used to follow the progression of prostate cancer. In the standard diet group they got worse, in the vegan diet group they got better. No surgery, no chemotherapy, no radiation—they just started getting better. Here’s an MR spectrograph showing the drop in cancer activity on the plant-based diet. To figure out what was going on, they took blood from each group and dripped their blood on prostate cancer cells in a petri dish to see what affect the dietary change had. The blood of the standard diet patients did reduce the cancer cell growth rates by about 10%. Their bodies, their immune systems were doing what they could to beat back the cancer. The blood of people on a vegan diet, though, knocked the cancer growth down 70%. Eating a plant based diet made their bloodstream eight times less hospitable to cancer. Now this is after a year. Subsequent studies have shown that one can see a significant cancer-fighting effect after just two weeks on a plant-based diet with exercise. What’s happening, it seems, is that the vegan diet reprogrammed gene expression within the prostate gland itself. Ornish took biopsies before and after the dietary change, and you can see the subtle shift in gene regulation from more red to more green—the green denotes genes that are being downregulated by the lifestyle changes. Before, and after. Ornish’s two year followup was just published last year. A significant number of the standard diet group were forced to go into surgery for what’s called a radical prostatectomy, which often leads to urinary incontinence and impotence in 60% of men coming out of surgery. , But not a single one of the men on the plant-based diet had to go to surgery.	Wow! So why are they holding a world record longest BBQ in Australia to raise money for prostate cancer?Sounds like they’re going to need all the money they can get!Just showed this video to a patient today in my office that came to me specifically for Dietary counseling and has a PSA of 11.8. Gotta tell ya thanks!!!!!!  As always, your work has many times been the cornerstone of my success.  Being able to show these videos in specific situations has profound impact on a patients future behaviors.  You should win an award because you make my job more ReWarding ;-}A friend of mine just started chemotherapy. Should I wait until after he is finished with the chemo to show him this? From what I understand a diet high in antioxidants might actually counteract the chemo, whose job it is t oxidize the cancer cells. Is that true?The oxidation is the key to the succes of the vegan diet cutting cancer. It’s so polemic I wish to just to say that it is still unknown. But it does increases oxidation. So it is recommended for your friend in this time. As the same as chemo. BTW I am not vegan or vegetarian. I am just a medical doctor. I wish mankind could find the answer to a perfect diet. Myself I like the fructiferous diet philosophy. The only diet that does not kill other living beings like all the other diets like carnivores, vegan or vegetarian..I wish GOD didn’t invent Carnivores….in THAT World every living animal would eat some type of plant. Never could understand any of that. I have NHL and became a Plant Food Eater mostly raw….Also some anticancer supplements that work on apoptosis and angiogenesis. What kind of Doc are you?HIV – NHL? you are obviously offended by my comment wich is not my intention. I am a good Doctor :) and angiogenesis is not what you want if you have NHL. I hope you get better, there are clinical studies showing better results with a complete lifestyle change, trying spiritualism, letting regrets go, living without hate brings better results over the first 5 years of most of Cancers. It is hard related to the decrease of function of the immune system when the person is depressed. BTW didn’t fully understood? Makes no sense to me sorry. GOD “inventing” Carnivores? why would carnivores eat plants? I was saying I don’t like to kill others to survive. I like the fructiferous philosophy. Plants can be symbiotic or prey. I choose symbiotic. Cause they are living beings and feel pain as well. The fact that we don’t understand them doesn’t give us the right to catalogue them as products, the same a vegetarian argument for carnivores why is different? Just saying my point of view on that subject.I was wondering WHY there ARE Carnivores at all. IF I was God I would have done it with Just Plant Eaters. I find it repulsive where tigers chase and kill a wilder beast and eat it. ALSO Our anatomy is more towards plant eaters anyway. I want Anti Angiogenisis….curcumin, Green tea extract, IP6 and others show some promise with that. Just doing the best I can. Have a slower growing type and have not taken any treatments in the past 20 months. Have had some nodes go down to normal. I pray a lot also and write Songs and post at barrydbutler channel on youtube…..lol I’m sure you are a great Doc….I’m not sure about plants feeling pain in the veggies and fruits it produces. It seems to ME as it is designed to fall off for us to eat….But what the hell do I know. It’s Nice getting to know you and glad you are at this site…..BarryI love thisFor some context, please check out my blog post Treating COPD with Diet!It makes me mad that doctors don’t discuss diet with patients, outside of low salt, ADA, AHA or renal.    My Dad had prostate cancer a year and a half ago and nare a word about diet.   Well, except telling him to avoid certain foods when he was having diarrhea after radiation…It is almost criminal the way nutritional research is ignored.   If a doctor didn’t order a statin drug for a patient that had high cholesterol it would be near scandalous.   Yet, all this potentially life saving information and the patients have no idea.   I talked to an invasive cardiologist about it once and he said the reason he doesn’t “get into that’ with the patients is because they’d never do it, so it’s would be a waste of time due to lack of compliance.  Plenty of diabetics don’t check their blood sugar regularly but we still advise them to do so!…Why don’t we offer the information and let the patient decide?  At this point it seems like an ethical duty that’s being ignored.  I’m certainly not anti-doctor, but I don’t understand the kicking and screaming about something proven to work that’s EASY and affordable.  :(I’m having the same problem with my husband who has stomach cancer. He’s been losing weight and the doctor told him to eat whatever he wanted in order to gain it. I was so mad and frustrated on how little they care… I’m doing research on my own, trying to help him fight this disease.Jennifer, one “elephant in the room that no one talks about” that the invasive cardiologist did not mention, which explains a lot about why doctors do not inform patients about this: because major players in our medical system would lose profits if they did. Our medical system in the U.S. is about pharmaceutical companies making profits from drugs, and medical device companies and surgeons making profits from surgeries. Eating a healthier diet could reduce or eliminate the need for drugs and surgeries — which could reduce or eliminate those profits. THAT’s the main reason (the ulterior motive) why doctors don’t discuss this superior option with patients. (That, plus the fact that so many doctors are just plain ignorant about the role of nutrition.)Can’t blame all the individual dr’s.A] In 10 years of medical school they get a total of 2 hours of “nutritional” lectures. B] They get indoctrinated by their professors that there is no other legitimate method than what they are taught in med school. C] It is the pharmaceutical companies that fund & direct the content of med school text books etc.That 1 in several thousands breaks free of the “matrix” like these 2 did is already in the mode of miracle.BTW The Ramba”m of blessed memory said several centuries ago that almost all disease is due to improper diet, insufficient physical activity & improper lifestyle.Except for the 1, I agree with you. A proper lifestyle would change all this. Doctors say that too. Problem is not as easy as it sounds specially if people is already living city lifestyles. How are tue doctors to blame on diseases is just human nature when no one else is left to blame, blame the first to come across you and the problem.Yes White Elk, the Ramba”m zt”l was a very wise physician and Rabbi.Look for young doctors; some of them have a clue. Make sure your Dr is normal weight and looks fit for her age. But you’re right, it should be a crime to not inform people of medically significant information. And many people enthusiastically stay on vegan diets when their health improves so much. There’s been some problems on intervention studies where patients refuse to return to omni diets after being on low-fat vegan diets.Sorry for the misunderstanding, I really don’t want you to feel in any way attacked: This here is not a fact, the studies you see here are in many ways misleading, that is one of the main reasons doctors don’t say this things. You need to dedicate your life to study medicine in order to understand many things we see in the internet. For example, try studying research protocols, it may give you a hint of what I am talking about. Not saying that going vegan is bad, it is a choice. But still have to know the pros and cons, For example, as a doctor I know how the biodisponibility of nutrients and how the body metabolize to acquire them affect strongly in the beta oxidation and the free radicals. So if you study that subject further you will understand more how different diets work inside your body. I hope I helped.Subject *: Sour Sop Message *: I would like your opinion on using Sour Sop for a cancer prevention/cure. This goes by other names but all are from the Gaviota Tree.Could it be that these people were getting better in spite of their diet, instead of because? You’re talking about a ‘near-vegan diet’ reversing atherosclerosis but the intervention was also stress management, aerobic exercise,﻿ and group support as clearly seen at 00:23 in your video.The study where Ornish was still reversing heart disease has a 1h/day stress management intervention – so he’s not exactly keeping all the other variables the same.Nope. There have been numerous studies and doctors like Ornish who treat patients in their clinics- see for example Neal Barnard, Caldwell Esselstyn, and Joel Fuhrman. They all use vegan, or near vegan, diets to reverse heart disease and other illnesses. This is much bigger than one study by Ornish.Excellent point.Feel free to point us to other studies, but all of those cited on this page used “comprehensive” lifestyle interventions including exercise and stress management, not just vegan or near-vegan diets—It is misleading to attribute the results to diet alone (not to mention the difference in diets was much more than simply inclusion or exclusion of animal foods).There are plenty of studies showing vegan and vegetarian diets are protective against cancer. The China Study might be an interesting read for you. In any case, three studies are sited below. I’d spend the time to link in more, but I need to go get started on the lentil loaf we’re eating for Thanksgiving tomorrow :)1. Cancer incidence in British vegetarianshttp://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v101/n1/pdf/6605098a.pdfCONCLUSION: The incidence of some cancers may be lower in fish eaters and vegetarians than in meat eaters2. Cardiovascular Disease Mortality and Cancer Incidence in Vegetarians: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Reviewhttp://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/337301Conclusions: Our results suggest that vegetarians have a significantly lower ischemic heart disease mortality (29%) and overall cancer incidence (18%) than nonvegetarians.3. Vegetarian diets and the incidence of cancer in a low-risk population. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23169929CONCLUSION: Vegetarian diets seem to confer protection against cancer.IMPACT: Vegan diet seems to confer lower risk for overall and female-specific cancer than other dietary patterns. The lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets seem to confer protection from cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.The China Study has serious flaws as detailed in various critiques, and the others you present are observational studies that cannot and do not adjust for all confounding factors, the most glaring of which is the comparison of plant-based diets against average (i.e. poorly planned) omnivorous diets.The “China Study” in the “The China Study” constitutes only one part of a large book. As well, there are serious flaws in some of the critiques I’ve read on the “China Study” in “The China Study.” Since you of course have read the book yourself in it’s entirety I don’t need to call out the many other studies referenced in that book, which is why I mentioned it in the first place.The studies I presented indeed are adjusted for various factors – the first adjusts for age, smoking, alcohol, BMI,physical activity level, and “for women only, parity and oral contraceptive use.”The Adventist study is interesting in that it’s comparing diets among members of a group that as a whole has a healthier lifestyle than the general population.Here’s another study Dr. Gregor has talked about:Cancer incidence in vegetarians: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Oxford) http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/5/1620S.full.pdf+htmlConclusions: The overall cancer incidence rates of both the vegetarians and the nonvegetarians in this study are low compared with national rates. Within the study, the incidence of all cancers combined was lower among vegetarians than among meat eaters, but the incidence of colorectal cancer was higher in vegetarians than in meat eaters.Interesting, this study compared vegetarians with non-vegetarians who ate an otherwise healthy diet – consuming a similar amount of vegtables and fruit. Dr. Gregor’s video on this stufy is here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-versus-healthy-omnivores/Regardless, you seem to consider a prospective study on diet to be invalid if it isn’t adjusting for what you consider a “healthy” omnivorous diet. Feel free to reference studies comparing a “healthy” omnivorous diet to a whole food plant-based diet.Your last article goes on to say, “Total cancer incidence was significantly lower among fish eaters and borderline significantly lower among vegetarians than among meat eaters,” and the other article cited in that video also finds the lowest total cancer incidence among fish eaters. Furthermore, to call a diet “otherwise healthy” based only on a similar (and still smaller) amount of fruits and vegetables is a bit of a stretch.Dietary habits and mortality in 11,000 vegetarians and health conscious people: results of a 17 year follow up. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8842068 “In this cohort of health conscious individuals, daily consumption of fresh fruit is associated with a reduced mortality from ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and all causes combined.”Vegetarian diets, chronic diseases and longevity. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19166134 “Meta-analysis of several prospective studies showed no significant differences in the mortality caused by colorectal, stomach, lung, prostate or breast cancers and stroke between vegetarians and “health-conscious” nonvegetarians. In vegetarians, a decrease of ischemic heart disease mortality was observed probably due to lower total serum cholesterol levels, lower prevalence of obesity and higher consumption of antioxidants. Very probably, an ample consumption of fruits and vegetables and not the exclusion of meat make vegetarians healthful.”Mortality in British vegetarians: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Oxford). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19297458 “Within the study, mortality from circulatory diseases and all causes is not significantly different between vegetarians and meat eaters.”Regardless, none of these speak to this page’s titular, ill-supported claim of “cancer reversal through diet.”I simply changed my diet to %100 plant based, and I am all better. If you choose not to believe it, you are free to stay ill and encourage those you love to stay ill also. That should keep your dr’s very wealthy and happy!!That’s great! You had cancer? Is a plant-based diet the only change you made to your lifestyle? By the way, I am not ill and rarely visit doctors.Thank you for clearing that. Lifestyles, mot only diet but the whole lifestyle.but isn’t it the opposite conclusion to the article? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gerson-therapy-vs-chemotherapy/Is supplimenting with whey protein vegan?cfd2012: re: “Is supplementing with whey protein vegan?” No, it is my understanding that whey comes from milk.While vegan protein supplements are available for purchase, you may want to review for yourself why you are supplementing protein at all. Most people get plenty of protein just by eating enough calories. See this site: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.htmlAlso, we have many examples of supplements harming us. Ex: Green tea – amazingly healthy for us. Green tea extract – not so much.Whole foods are generally better, unless you are different in some way. Just a thought for you.Thea, you are correct, Whey does indeed come from milk. Some sources of plant based proteins are soy protein preferably non-GMO which is difficult to find, even better would be hemp protein.Why supplement it at all when we can get all we need through diet? Excess protein is not health promoting.just 3 days on your website and I can’t imagine myself benign not vegan anymoretavit: I’ve been enjoying your comments and enthusiasm. I agree that the information on this site is persuasive. Welcome aboard.Homeopathy done by a trained level headed homeopath not a woo-woo new-age or 6-week-course one has great track records in stopping & curing cancer. Dr Banerjee & Dr Sankaran’s group in India are examples of world class success in this.Dear Dr. Greger, Thank you so much for posting this information. We have believed for the past 35+ Years that cancer is up to 90% preventable. I would be honored to talk to you some time. Warmest Regards, CarlHas Dr. Ornish continued follow up on the test group? What were the Gleason scores for the men in the test group and the control group?Raw Foods, Juicing ( also Powdered Green Drinks ) and Anti Cancer supplements. Check out the site Chris Beat Cancer AND his facebook page. A Great New Book about Survivors and what they did is Radical Remission by Kelly Turner PHD. Good Luck…I Have NHL…. Barry David Butler Sebring, Florida bdbutler@centurylink.net((((Quote))))Toxins NF Team Devoooo • 10 months ago Why supplement it at all when we can get all we need through diet? 2 • Reply•Share › ((((/Qoute)))) Because today’s growing process is shorter, full of toxins that ruin nutrients and some is even color injected to look like it took in the sun and time it needs so we now need to supplement. Even our beef is feed junk food instead of the foods it needs to process good meat. Think about it.And because our beef is fed junk,,, maybe that’s why we get cancer from our diets when in this day we should have been able to combat it better. Pharma still uses methods they used in the 70s. I heard aspirin might control and minimize some tumours but it seems pharma doesn’t sell it so they won’t put bucks on testing it. My hubby died from cancer that we beat with my treatments and theirs,,, he felt cured, it was all good but he stopped taking my stuff after they called it clear, then it got him a second round in the heart, viciously at what looked like a flu symptoms to dead in two weeks. Here is the thing, his tumour was down by half with my stuff before they started their treatments, they sucked up all the success for themselves letting him believe ‘they’ cured him in the end of his first round. I think he believed that and then let my stuff go thinking they did it all and it wouldn’t come back. But here is the thing, he should have showed rad burns in third week, he didn’t, he never showed any after 8th week and that was the finish line, they loved what a wonderful job they did. It was my stuff that made him the first they knew in this clinic who didn’t show signs of radiation or chemo. Still miss him badly.My stuff was all natural, algae, vit C, vit A, vit B in high levels, modified pectin, the best fish oil you can get and lots of it, a good multi, and a lot of other stuff, they wanted him off all of it and he chose to keep it all during their treatments, their reason,,,, it would kill their treatments, if so then let’s say my stuff did kill their treatments, it was my treatments that cured him, right? He was 100% cured! No signs anywhere But, it came back after he thought he was safe and let go. Had he road on my stuff for the rest of his life, I believe he’d be alive today because cells can hide and go dormant with any treatment, he just needed to keep scaring it away so it couldn’t come back and what’s a few pills if you can afford it? He loved sugar so he allowed that again in his diet after the cure. Here is what kicked me badly, they wanted him to eat gravy, potatoes and meat, as well as a supplement food Boost, and keep the weight on, he did what I wanted and ate good stuff and Boost, no gravy and potatoes and he kept it on. After it was cured he also went back to his meat and potatoes and gravy diet. Oh how I wish I had pushed him to cure it on my plan,,, I just couldn’t do that because if I was wrong I would have to take this all on myself so I let him choose and he chose both methods but I should have pushed harder after the first round was done for him to stay off the bad food and keep the pills going, we had beat it after all.Don’t go thinking supplementing is a bad thing, just know what you buy is a good product. He was the best cancer patient they had ever known, he was healthy and strong during the whole treatment and they didn’t know why. Seriously, not one single burn on the skin after eight solid weeks, not one bad day, he was into it and did all both sides asked except for dumping his supplements and eating off their menu even tho he told them he did as they asked. Yay for them, they got to see him a second round even tho the treatments this time were none, it was too late, for me and them to help.Hey Doctor, I have never seen your stuff before but I back you all the way! Keep up the good work. I have seen lots of people like you trying to help after my time of studying at a min 4 hours a night to save my hubby, I still study and one day we will kick this disease and all others in the butt. I know he would have beat it if he had not thought it was a one time thing, we have to keep fighting once we know what works. I have studied food and nutrition a lot of years before he was diagnosed just some guys are hard to change. Some women too haha.read that there is a strange inverse correlation.People with dementia dont get cancer. People with cancer dont get dementia.Make of this what u will !!My PSA is 12.9 and has wavered between 11 and 13 for over two years when I discovered the PSA during a general physical. I am 60 years of age, 175 lbs, a near-total vegan now but was once a poster child for bad diet, my general health has noticeably improved; however, the PSA remains high. Prostate symptoms have subsided dramatically and as mentioned, general health is great with a blood work-up like a young athlete, not counting the PSA score. My diet is based upon cruciferous vegetables, greens and lots of legumes. No enriched flour, seldom even whole wheat, no white rice, no dairy, no eggs, no animal protein except monthly salmon. Quite a change for the last family member of generations of cattle and rice farmers. Refused biopsy for fear of seeding and aggravating the condition. Should I expect the PSA score to reduce or should I be satisfied with the fact that it has stopped rising? I am considering German transurethral hyperthermia and plan to remain near-vegan forever. ???I’d just LET IT BE….it seems like it is under control. It may come down but stay on the diet etc….check out supplements for Prostate Cancer and other problems….I wouldn’t do anything else….Let your body heal itself. BarryThank you. Has anyone on this forum had experience with or have knowledge of the process of transurethral hyperthermia. I understand that it has been performed in Germany for over 25 years with nearly 100 percent effectiveness against prostate cancer. Any info, data or advice is welcomed.I read a story on a forum from someone in Seattle who went over to Klinik St. George to get this. His PSA didn’t stay down after several months, so it apparently did not work for him and he doesn’t want to go back. Not cheap, either for just heating things up. I am inclined to think that something so simple, non-invasive and quick that works even 80 percent of the time would have greater notoriety, even if someone tried to suppress it.Thank you. I’m continuing to await more advice and recommendations. It seems that this procedure is either very successful or not at all successful. There seems to be little or no middle ground.If I were you I would eat a clove of raw garlic 1 to 2 times a day. Hopefully that is not overdoing it, you of course don’t want to smell like garlic then you would know that you are taking too much.There’s no doubt the Ornish prostate study is valuable and guiding. I have not been diagnosed, but am still following most of it, simply because I’m 69 and have BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia). I also do IP6, cardamom, black pepper, blueberries, amla from this site as well as the books by Dr. Shamsuddin. The end of this video shows some text that summarizes 2 years of followup. It notes the better treatment rates in the experimental group. But it also notes the lack of significant differences in PSA levels and PSA velocity between the two groups after 2 years. Cancers often contain combinations of subtypes, and some of them get knocked out by a treatment, reducing the tumor size or other indicators making it appear the battle is won. Then later the other types take off, some of which may be more aggressive, but not necessarily so. Up to 15 years would be more like a sure followup, in other words. PSA plus blood drip plus tumor imaging combined give a strong picture of benefits, I hope more followup is possible on this, since only time is the final judge when it comes to cancer. If the same results still apply at 15 years, no treatment, no rise in Gleason scores, etc, then it’s moot, many men would have died with instead of from the PCa.	angina,cancer,cardiovascular disease,chemotherapy,Dr. Dean Ornish,epigenetic changes,heart disease,heart health,immune function,in vitro studies,medications,men's health,omnivores,plant-based diets,prostate cancer,prostate health,prostatectomy,radiation,reversing chronic disease,sudden cardiac death,surgery,vegans,vegetarians	Dr. Dean Ornish turns from reversing heart disease to trying to reverse prostate cancer.	Here are some recent videos on plant-based diets and cancer prevention: Lipotoxicity: How Saturated Fat Raises Blood Sugar Do Flexitarians Live Longer? More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/10/03/flaxseeds-for-prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/04/preventing-kidney-failure-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/27/is-caffeinated-tea-really-dehydrating/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epigenetic-changes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostatectomy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/surgery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sudden-cardiac-death/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chemotherapy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radiation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/angina/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lipotoxicity-how-saturated-fat-raises-blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/<a http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/31/watermelon-for-erectile-dysfunction/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18602144,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18359307,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430265/,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16094059,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18283296,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2621010/,
PLAIN-3273	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eliminating-the-1-cause-of-death/	Eliminating the #1 Cause of Death	The number one cause of death in the United States, however, is heart disease. Late last year a landmark review was published on the cause of our number one killer, by a Dr. William Clifford Roberts. First of all, who is this joker? The head of Baylor’s Cardiovascular Institute, he’s authored a mere 1,387 scientific publications, written more than a dozen textbooks on cardiology, and has been the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Cardiology for 25 years. Well then, what is the cause of atherosclerosis? Well, first of all, doesn’t he mean causes, though? I mean there’s lots of things that increase our risk of heart disease—hypertension, diabetes, obesity, inactivity, cigarette smoking. None of that matters, he says—unless, you have high cholesterol. All those things can speed the buildup of plaque in our arteries, but if our cholesterol level is low enough, there’s nothing our body can build the plaque with. According to Dr. Roberts, atherosclerosis simply does not occur if elevated cholesterol is not present, regardless of how high our blood pressure is, our blood sugars, no matter how obese, how inactive, or how many cigarettes we smoke. The plaque that builds up in our arteries choking off blood flow to our heart, to our brain, to the other arteries in our body is made out of cholesterol. If you don’t have enough bricks and mortar to build a dam choking off a river, the dam will not be built. Unless we have elevated cholesterol levels, there simply isn’t enough substrate to form these plaques throughout our arteries to trigger strokes, heart attacks, kill us, make us impotent (though, not necessarily in that order). If cholesterol is the cause of atherosclerosis, how low does our cholesterol have to be to be heart-attack proof? Ideally, our bad cholesterol—LDL—should be under 70. “If such a goal was created, the great scourge of the Western world would be essentially eliminated.” There are only two ways, he says, to get it down that low: put a hundred million people on a lifetime of high dose statin drugs starting in one’s twenties or be what he calls a “pure vegetarian fruit eater,” which is just what he calls those eating whole foods vegan diets. Now if we put everyone on drugs, then thousands of people would suffer side-effects, so “Of course a [vegan] diet is the least expensive and safest means of achieving the plaque-preventing LDL goal, but few in the Western world are willing to live on the herbivore diet.” In his words in a recent interview: “The best way to prevent heart disease is to be a… nonflesh-eater, a non-saturated fat eater.” “Because humans get atherosclerosis, and atherosclerosis is a disease only of herbivores,” he reasons, “humans also must be herbivores.” The cause of our number one killer is elevated cholesterol. According to the most renowned cardiovascular pathologist in the world, that means the cause of our number one killer is: not eating vegan.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on heart disease. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Why aren’t more doctors shouting this from the rooftops?!! Thank goodness for Dr. Greger and some others that will not rest until the whole world knows about this!I’ve never been vegan or even vegetarian, but have always understood the value of eating a varied diet.Since the obesity epidemic exploded beginning around 1980, I must have missed this massive dietary change at that time. I was 18 in 1980 and my major exercise career was just starting. My theory is that a combination of sedentary lifestyle and worsening diet,i.e. the decline of the family farm and a huge shift to more sedentary employment combined to give this terrifying epidemic its horrible power. My tomato plants are really coming into their own! Can’t go wrong with Heirloom Tomatoes!Don’t forget high fructose corn syrup too. I was born in 74′ and I even remember my dad hauling it as a truck driver to faygo all the time. We even used it in out koolaid. Sad, but true.The video mentions eliminate saturated fats to reduce cholesterol. So we should not eat nuts?Nuts actually appear to dramatically lower heart disease risk! See: Halving Heart Attack RiskHi Veggiecarrie, Good question. Nuts do contain saturated fats but studies have shown that eating nuts can reduce our risk of heart attacks see Dr. Gregers video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/halving-heart-attack-risk/. Of course nuts are a concentrated source of calories(about 2800 cal/#) so if your goal is to lower your bodies fat content you might want to go easy on the nuts. I am unaware of a specific study that looks at cholesterol and nut consumption. Whole plant products like nuts also contain beneficial fats, minerals and antioxidants. So the science at this time suggests that unless you are allergic or don’t tolerate nuts then enjoy in moderation of about 1 ounce per day. Hope this helps.Here’s a full-text PDF:http://missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Previous%20years/Atherosclerosis/Roberts.pdfRecently I heard from several vegan friends whose LDL cholesterol numbers were refusing to go down, and in one case had gone up form 102 to 108 in one year. (That particular person had been a vegan for almost 2 years by the time of the test showing LDL level of 102 mg/dL.) I remember hearing that about 10% of people do not see any significant drops in LDL levels after adopting a vegan diet. If so, what does this mean for their risk of heart disease and for Dr. Roberts’s claim (also made by other prominent researchers) that we could eliminate heart disease through vegan nutrition?Vegan is not enough to reduce cholesterol sometimes, for optimum health, they must eliminate all processed foods, all free oils (olive oil, canola and flax oil too) and if they are having issues with cholesterol, try reducing nut consumption by at most a 1/4 cup a day of walnuts. The other side of the coin is exercise, which is almost equally as important as diet. For optimum health, 2 hours a day of rigorous exercise may be necessary.I eat 3000 calories a day,low fat,low protein,high carb,mostly fruit,and hardly ever exercise.Maybe walk my dog.My blood work is perfect, and my cholesterol is under 100. I feel great,and maintain a 7% body fat year round.Movement is great,but you don’t have to kill your sellf in the gym.Diet. cholesterol..fat intake is the #1 problem.The fat you eat,is the fat you wear.You would have to see what they are eating?Just because your Vegan,doesn’t mean your cholesterol will go down.Most Vegans eat 60-70-% of their calories from fat,because they think carbs are the bad guy.Check out 80/10/10,or Mcdougal diet,or Dr.Essylstein from the world famous Cleveland heart clinic.Most DR’s are recommending heart healthy oils,wich are vegan,but pure fat..Lower your fat intake,and I guarantee you your cholesterol will go down.I eat a high carb ,low fat,low protein vegan diet,blood work is perfect across the board,I eat more calories,than an 18 year old(48),and I maintain a 7% body fat year round,and hardly exercise,maybe walk my dog.Never have had a problem with diabetes,because I keep to a low fat diet.Also you will lose weight,because the fat you eat,is the fat you wear.happy healthy & proud vegan raw foodist no health issues no medication no junk food no added sugar after all real food has dirt not labels and not a faceI eat vegan and love it.  My big downfall is exercise.  I like my projects, but nothiong really active.  I have pulled the old treadmill out from behind the junk in the garage and notice that I still resist.  I don’t want to get some bad diagnosis and hear, “If only you’d exercised more.”  Maybe saying this out loud will shame me enough.  Thanks for all your info.  So helpful. Lynn,The treadmill will burn calories, but not as efficiently as a hard workout, and that’s IF you actually get on it. Personally, I don’t know anyone that owns a treadmill and is actually thin and fit.You can burn calories while gaining muscle and increasing cardiovascular, rather than simply running on a treadmill. If you’re not into traditional weight lifting, then I would suggest you consider workouts like the “Spartacus” series by Funk Roberts:You do various weight training (dumbbells and kettlebells) and calisthenics exersizes at the same time, in timed intervals. This increases strength and cardio., while burning calories. Theoretically, you’re so oxygen “deprived” that your body continues to burn fat while you’re not working out, and does it does a lot better than simply running.http://www.spartacusworkout.com/program.html#week1Ideally, one would do this at a gym because of the equipment and the motivation (the hardest part about working out is the motivation part). Try to find a treadmill from anyone you know that’s not dusty.Side note: I did a self experiment to test my cardio from this type of workout. I don’t run too often, but this summer, without any warm up runs, I went straight to a 11.5K run, and found no cardio issues. I did feel really sore in my legs though.Well, you’re “saying this out loud” so I gave you a reply. :)Most Vegans eat way to much fat,nuts,seeds,avocados.Veggie and fruit fat is still fat.Low fat is the key!!Try less fat,and walking.I have seen it work a 1000 times.Low fat,would be 10% of calories,not 30% like most dieticians would recommend.I agree. I’m eating no overt fat, nuts or seeds right now. I am a procrasonator when it comes to getting consistent with the walking, tho. I don’t run so, I think it’s the same walking on the tmill or outdoors. Probably safer on the tmill. Anything is better than nothing. lol! Yes I like doing a little weight lifting too. Thanks all for the encouragement.Yay…my LDL (okay, last year) was 68.3; I had to go dig out my report. My doc specializes in lipids and told me to keep doing what I’m doing. And, I still eat cold water fatty fish 3 or 4 times a week…but switched to almond milk a few months ago. Yes, thank you for another interesting video, Doc! Fish is not Good for you. See this Video again you will find doctor talking about Vegan diet (No Animal Products)Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Soymilk: shake it up!I eat meat regularly and my LDL’s are below 70mg/dL!It doesn’t mean you aren’t damaging your epithelium!Check out Dr Esselstyne’s talks.Dr. Greger, thanks so much for your informative, science based videos.  My family and I really enjoy them.  I have a question that I am having trouble answering to my friends who think I am making a mistake by eating so low fat.  What about HDL?  They are concerned that my HDL will be too low, and although it doesn’t make sense to me that it need be high if my LDL is low.  What data are out there to help clarify this when it comes up in conversation.  I try to not even discuss the way we eat at all just to avoid confrontation.  It’s too bad, because I want to share this information, but I don’t want to be backed in a corner, so to speak.  Thanks! Check out this video regarding cholesterol being low. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/The only fat your body needs is omega 3 and omega 6. A plant based diet is abundant in both these fats. There is no dietary need to consume monounsaturated fats, saturated fats or cholesterol.Dear Doctor Gregor,Thank you for the videos, I love all the great info.I have a friend that is getting into the paleo diet and he referred me to the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRe9z32NZHY&feature=share where they claim exactly the opposite…quoting a studyKM Anderson, WP Castelli, D Levy, “Cholesterol and Mortality: 30 years of follow up from the Framingham Study.”  JAMA 1987; 257; 2176-2180where they claim increased death associated with lower cholesterol.  I am a devout vegan but all of this information is terribly confusing, I know everyone has there ulterior motives.  Any help would be much appreciated.Thank you! Dylan, low cholesterol causing increased death is an old theory. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/We should also note that the population with the most centenarians per capita were the Okinawans. Here is there diet.Back in the 1950’s the Japanese rural Okinawan group of people had the most centenarians per capita. How did they live so long? Here is their diet Caloric Restriction, the TraditionalOkinawan Diet, and Healthy AgingThe Diet of the World’s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life SpanAnn. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1114: 434–455 (2007). TABLE 1. Traditional dietary intake of Okinawans and other Japanese circa 1950  Total calories 1785Total weight (grams) 1262Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9)Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85)Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6)Saturated fatty acid 3.7Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8Total fiber (grams) 23 Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)  GrainsRice 154 (12)Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7)Nuts, seeds Less than 1 (less than 1)  Sugars 3 (less than 11)Oils 3 (2)Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)Fish 15 (1)Meat (including poultry) 3 (less than 1)Eggs 1 (less than 1)Dairy less than 1 (less than 1) VegetablesSweet potatoes 849 (69)Other potatoes 2 (less than1)Other vegetables 114 (3)Fruit less than 1 (less than 1)Seaweed 1 (less than 1)Pickled vegetables 0 (0)Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (less than 1)   Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons. Some points Their diet was 85% carb, and 6% fat. Sweet potatoes (a Japanese sweet potato) made up almost 70% of their calories. Nuts were less than 1% of calories (the equivalent of 1/10 of an ounce a day) Oil was less than 2% of calories (which is about 1 tsp a day) and sugars were less than 1% of calories (less than a tsp a day) The total animal products including fish was less than 4% of calories which is less then 70 calories a day. That is the equivalent of around 2 oz of animal products or less a day.Looking at the prized Inuits of the paleolithic diet, their diet is comprised of almost all protein and fat. They live 10 years less then the average American. Is this something anyone would idolize? I doubt it.Dr. Greger covers the paleo diet here in his free ebook showing short term/long term side affects. http://www.atkinsexposed.org/I believe from all that I have read, that inflammation is the cause of most chronic health problems. Perhaps a vegan diet may help to decrease inflammation but there are other ways of doing this.Inflammation,doesn’t kill 750k people a year.Coronary Heart disease does.Would love your advice regarding this article that someone just sent me trying to disprove that a plant based diet will reduce our risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. My husband and I have been eating vegan for 5 months now, and he’s lost 35 pounds (I lost none, and don’t need to lose a pound). We both feel great and love the food. Been following Dr. Fuhrman’s eating plan. http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/the-china-study-revisited/What is the relationship between elevated cholesterol and the cholesterol that your body makes naturally? I know vegans with elevated LDLs and assume they have a genetic cause that their body makes high cholesterol. I am a pescatarian, only eating seafood a couple of times a week, no dairy, and still have a total cholesterol of 200 and an LDL of 128. I hope my next test show an improvement on these numbers.I also eat a mainly whole food fruit and vegetable diet. Juicing once or twice a day and limit processed food to an absolute minimum.Isn’t cholesterol the main ingredient that makes up our cells? I have heard from Dr. Coldwell that people can be absolutely healthy even with high levels of cholesterol. I am a healthy ovovegetarian and consume 2 pastured eggs a day as well as exercise daily (my levels are extremely healthy btw) http://drleonardcoldwell.com/Can irregular menstruation with excessive bleeding and non-cessation be caused by albinism in the family history? I had to be on birth control pills most of my life from 19-50 but no one made the possible connection to albinism. I also had astigmatism and low thyroid. My sister and dad (who had albinism in the famIly) had astigmatism also. My dad’s father and mother had 7 children, 3 of them albinos. I recently read on the Internet there are some connections to diseases I never imagined. Also, is thereafter connection between albinism and pulmonary fibrosis. My daughter’s husband died of p/f and I am worried about my 16 y/o granddaughter.I turned to Vegan and now my LDL is 60. Before turning Vegan my LDL was 115 (I was Lacto Vegetarian at that time) I am 5-11 and weight 164. Age 27I have been vegan, but recently found a source for raw milk from grass-fed, traditionally raised cows. I know that dairy is supposed to be highly carcinogenic as per “Forks Over Knives” and “The China Study” but wonder if that pertains to this high quality milk and yogurt that I make myself at home. I do not heat the milk over 112 degrees and consume the milk fresh with all its enzymes. Thank you for allowing us to ask questions!The raw milk fad is something that should not be viewed as healthful. the issue with milk has nothing to do whether is is pasteurized or not, but what inherent nutrients exist. Here is an excerpt of a write up I have done on dairy.The concern with dairy and hormone dependent cancer is something to think about as well. It has been shown that consuming dairy significantly increases circulating steroid hormones in woman and that vegetarians have far less of this hormone. “In conclusion, greater consumption of red meat and dairy products might influence circulating concentrations of SHBG and estradiol, respectively. Given the well-established role of steroid hormones in breast cancer etiology for postmenopausal women, these findings may have important health implications” Tumor growth from these hormone imbalances is also evident “A dramatic increase in estrogen-dependent malignant diseases, such as ovarian, corpus uteri, breast, testicular and prostate cancers has been recognized. Ganmaa et al. investigated the incidence and mortality of testicular and prostate cancers in relation to dietary practices. Among various food items, cow’s milk and cheese had the highest correlation with incidence and mortality rate of these cancers” Children are at high risk “Among the exposure of humans, especially prepubertal children, to exogenous estrogens, we are particularly concerned with” These xenoestrogens from lactating preganant cattle (the majority of commercial cattle used for milk) significantly raised estrogen levels in male adults and reduced testosterone levels and did even more so in children. This is significant since these estrogens have mutagenic affects “Toxicological and epidemiological studies have indicated that E2 could be categorized as a carcinogen. Milk is considered to be a rich source of estrogens. Indeed, E2 concentration is higher in mammary drainage than in the peripheral circulation in high yielding cows.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20211044http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19904296http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19496976200000000 species on the planet,they all eat the same foods,but humans.Humans,are the only species to drink another species milk.Many of these postings are talking about how much exercise people are doing and working out at the gym and doing “2 hours of vigorous physical exercise every day”…??? The video and the article explain that a person’s cholesterol level is CRITICAL (and that this is determined by diet!!!!). Lifting weights or walking or doing a stairclimber or treadmill (or whatever) are all good…but the net effect on your cholesterol level is very minimal.Eat a whole-foods, plant-based diet and your cholesterol level will drop like a rock.please address the issue of the so called cholestrol myth claiming we do not absorb cholestrol we eat into our blood thanksvery interesting video. It gives to think a lot of!http://softfinder.com/“non flesh eater” is a good start, but to go a bit further, shouldn’t we be telling people not to eat eggs and cheese etc. All animal foods?after giving up red meat two years ago, I began eating a low-fat plant based diet about 20 months ago in line with the recommendations of dr. esselstyn, jr. md. after four months on esselstyns diet I saw a nice drop in cholesteral values almost in line with his study goal of total <150, and ldl<80. the problem is that on my next cholesterol check my values were going back up. I have been careful to maintain a low fat plant based diet. what am I doing wrong? is my atherosclerosis progressing?It depends on exactly what you are eating and your lifestyle, are you consuming processed flours? Do you consume any free oils? Do you regularly exercise? Is your diet primarily whole unprocessed plant foods?I eat whole grain breads, as low fat as I can find. no free oils. I walk every day for about 30 minutes. for breakfast I eat oatmeal with raisens, flaxseed meal, walnuts, apple, banana, and blueberries. for lunch I eat a chickpea, kidney bean, onion, tomatoe salad. nothing else added. for supper I frequently have a baked potatoe with onion and mushrooms and maybe green peas. for snack I may have a banana, or a can of peaches, or air-popped popcorn, or an appleNot having heard any construction advice from you, I have moved forward, I hope, by eliminating popcorn and reducing the amount of russet potatoes consumed. I am concentrating on reducing the amount of higher glycemic index foods I eat. both of these have a high index. this is the advice in “dr. neal barnard’s program for reversing diabetes.”I apologize, I was not notified of the reply. Potatoes are not unhealthful, but perhaps adding more cruciferous vegetables will help you. Other than this, that is the extent of my advice. Your diet sounds quite healthful.https://www.facebook.com/notes/jeff-novick-ms-rd/potatoes-diabetes-dietary-trends-truths-about-taters/434650191818I have been taking Crestor for the last year and the more I read about it, it’s starting to scare me. I have read a few different articles that say it is very possibly dangerous for your heart and also that it really is not having better heart attack results. I am overweight (250 pounds) 5’8″, my blood pressure is fine (125/80) and I am also taking a blood thinner and a water pill. I stopped taking my Crestor a couple of weeks ago without telling my doctor as I don’t like taking all these meds and will know try to stop eating a lot of meats and eating more vegetables. Do you think I am making a mistake by going off my statins drug? Also can you suggest a good recipe book to get me started on a plant based diet?Statins are best avoided. My experience clinically working with Whole Food Employees at the McDougall Whole Foods program is an average drop of 40 points in total cholesterol in about a week. Although results vary from individual to individual. We have many recipe books so it is hard to recommend one. The McDougall website has recipes for free and you will probably find the newsletters on the treatment of high cholesterol( i.e. Statins May 2007, Cholesterol – When and How to Treat Sept 2002). If you are taking your diuretic for swelling that should improve as you lower your salt intake and lose weight. Diuretics work by removing sodium via the kidneys. For weight loss I refer you to my two favorite resources, Jeff Novick’s DVD Calorie Density: How to Eat More Weigh Less and Live Longer and Doug Lisle’s You Tube video, How to Lose Weight without Losing your mind. If you are taking your diuretic for blood pressure I would recommend Dr. McDougall’s Nov 2009 newsletter, How I treat patients with elevated blood pressure. Of course going plant based… no dairy,eggs, meat and fish will usually help you lose about 1/2 to 2 pounds per week depending on your diet’s calorie density(see Jeff’s dvd for details) and how much you exercise. After about 1 month I would recheck your laboratory results including a fasting glucose with your lipid panel( LDL, HDL, Total cholesterol, Triglycerides). At that point you given the information above and working with your physicians you should be able to decide on the best path for you. The link for the recipes on http://www.drmcdougall.com is under Education link. Keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps coming. Good luck on your journey. Bon Apetit.Wayne: Dr. Forrester gave you an excellent and more helpful reply than I could. However, I wanted to address your last question as I have some recipe books that I particularly like. For the few recipes that call for say a tablespoon of oil to saute onions, you can just water saute or cook in the microwave:Vegan On The Cheap Everyday Happy HerbivoreLet Them Eat VeganThere are many more out there, but these are my current favorites for everyday cooking.Good luck!” “Because humans get atherosclerosis, and atherosclerosis is a disease only of herbivores,” does this mean that dogs and cats do not get atherosclerosis?Dr. Greger (or anyone else who may be reading this and know), are you aware of any vegan-friendly doctors in the Las Vegas or Henderson, NV area?Bill Roberts was a neighbor of mine when he lived in Maryland (My father is a cardiologist and I’m a pathologist — we had much to talk about!) I share Dr. Greger’s admiration for Dr. Roberts, and of course, for his conclusions!What are your thoughts on chiropractors? I”m trying to figure out what I want to do. I am also interested in nutrition and my health. Any ideas on careers in nutrition?Any careers more holistically based not popping pills? Thanks!Hi Dr Greger – thank you so much for such wonderful and explanatory videos!However, I have to disagree with the issue of cholesterol as the single factor in the initiation of atherosclerosis. Many people with low cholesterol still get heart disease and many people with elevated LDL do not. What is the common factor? As far as my research says it is inflammation so irrespective of the level of cholesterol, if there is inflammation present it can initiate atherosclerosis.There are other factors which increase LDL and lower HDL : refined sugar, alcohol, lack of sunshine, lack of fibre, hormonal imbalance (especially women), lack of exercise, coffee, stress. According to Dr Udo Erasmus, 70% of us have a feedback mechanism whereby any cholesterol taken in via diet means that the liver produces less. So animal products don’t necessarily produce an increase in cholesterol. What animal products do is increase inflammation.I would really appreciate your comments! All the bestHi Shot of Health. The body is complex for sure and “cause” intertwined! You may want to check out some of the other research articles about cholesterol, inflammation, etc. by using the Search functionality or the alphabetized list on the left nav bar. To get you started this is another related to your question: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/blocking-the-first-step-of-heart-disease/It is true that our livers have receptors that remove cholesterol from our blood. If you have an Apple product – you may want to listen to iTunes U > Academy of Achievement > Nobel Scientists > Michael Brown (MD). He talks briefly about cholesterol being removed from the body via liver and the impact of eating too much dietary cholesterol/animal fat. Thanks for your discussion.Thank you so much Jacquie! I will definitely have a look at this subject more on your website and I will watch the video on the link you gave me. Sadly I am just coping with a terminally ill mother at the moment (cancer) and trying to work at the same time. I do appreciate your response and I appreciate it very much – very rare to get a sensible responsible on these discussions sometimes! Love and health to you SJust remember to breathe – sometimes that all we can do. Take care, JacquieI thought the new understanding was that it was inflammation that causes heart disease? Meaning processed white flour & sugar will also give you heart disease. I saw a quote from Dr. Esselstyn saying hes seen plenty of vegans die of heart attacks because of this.I would love to know your opinion regarding the consumption of antioxidants that are trendy, such as Asthaxantin or Pine Bark Extract (Pycnogenol).Thank you so much!Jose from Portugal, EuropeSorry for my ignorance, but when you say our LDL should be “under 70″ I’m assuming that’s g/L? Am I correct? And on the same note, total cholesterol I understand should be 150. But again, is that g/L? Thanks so much.Its measured in units of mg/dL not grams/dlI heard an analogy recently that I liked. LDL, (the bad cholesterol) is like trash, where as HDL (the good stuff) is like trash trucks. The more trash you have in your body the more HDL you need, the less trash the less HDL needed. The lower the total cholesterol the better, even if HDL goes down. Outside sources of cholesterol (within animal flesh) is not needed in human beings, it’s our Achilles heel.which foods do you recommend to reverse arteriosclerosis?HI Mike. I would recommend many whole plant-foods. Fiber tends to help reverse heart disease risk. For more info see more on plant-based dietshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7270479?dopt=AbstractVery interesting. Dr. Gregor, if you are still checking comments to previous videos such as this one, can you please read the study above and please provide me with your opinion and feedback? I would greatly appreciate your help because of the conflicting information out there and you have a wealth of resources at your disposal. Thanks.What is your response to the best selling books:” Wheat Belly” and “Grain Brain”? The authors of both were celebrated with hoir long presentations on PBS. Why are their conclusions so contrary t6o your’s? RSralph: I would argue that the majority of videos on this website can be seen as a response to those books. Just looking at the videos on whole grains shows solid evidence supporting their consumption. Here’s some videos on grains: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=grainThat said, I think I remember Dr. Greger specifically addressing those books or at least flashing their covers in at least one of his videos – but I can’t find it if it does exist. :-( Maybe someone else can find it.Also, Dr. Greger has a free e-book called Carbophobia that delves into details on why those books you referenced are not valid. I think you can find that book if you look around. Or ask and I know someone here will get you a link.On PBS: PBS is out to raise money. They are happy to feature best selling authors if it will raise money for the station. The people who make the decisions to include a speaker or not do not have the expertise to evaluate the work. So, it’s perfectly understandable that they would bring on an author who is popular because he is telling people to do something that they want to do anyway–as opposed to the real, but more difficult message of what a truly healthy diet looks like.Okay…well, im confused. i was told that GOOD sat fat would actually LOWER my cholesterol levels and my LDL while raising my HDL. So, for the past 2 weeks, ive been drinking coffee with 2 tablespoons of grass fed butter and 1 to 2 tablespoons of MCT (medium chain tryglycerides) in my coffee every morning. Ive actually lost almost 10 pounds doing this! My cholesterol is a bit high as is my LDL but my HDL is 60. So, please kind docs tell me, do I eat the “good” sat fat or not? I am a vegan btw and enjoy 2 very large green salads daily.Tex: I’m glad you have lost weight. That’s great. But there are all sorts of ways to lose weight and some of them are very unhealthy in the long term. I’m not saying your diet is unhealthy. I don’t know enough about it. But I can say that just losing weight is not enough to say that what you are doing is good for you or not.It was interesting to me that you consider yourself a vegan, but still eat eat butter. The definition of a vegan is a person who does not eat animal products (ie, no meat, diary or eggs). “Animal products” would include butter. I’m not aware of anyone who would agree with you that you are vegan.I’m not trying to argue semantics. I think this is an important point, because you are not only taking in saturated fat with your butter, but also directly consuming cholesterol. You are also consuming 2 tablespoons worth calories that are just fat, fat and fat. No fiber, no phyonutrients, etc. I’ve never heard of something called “good saturated fat”, unless it is in the context of a whole plant food, like nuts and seeds. I know that you didn’t make that concept up. But I believe that others have made that concept up without much evidence to back it up.There are a whole lot of great videos on this site that give a lot of evidence showing that saturated fat in general, especially when coming from animal products, is not good for you. Neither is consuming cholesterol. You can get more great info/evidence about consuming cholesterol from Plant Positive: http://www.PlantPositive.comI’m not a doctor nor an expert. And I think it is great that you are eating 2 green salads a day. But you might want to think twice about consuming butter, grass fed or otherwise. Just my opinion.	blood pressure,blood sugar,brain disease,brain health,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,diabetes,Dr. William Roberts,erectile dysfunction,genital health,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,impotence,LDL cholesterol,medications,obesity,omnivores,plant-based diets,reversing chronic disease,sexual health,statins,stroke,tobacco,vegans,vegetarians	How to essentially eliminate the great scourge of the Western world.	For more videos on plant-based diets and heart disease prevention, check out: From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food Do Flexitarians Live Longer? More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common DiseasesPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on heart disease. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/12/23/generic-lipitor-is-not-the-answer-to-our-heart-disease-epidemic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/13/cholesterol-lowering-in-a-nut-shell/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/obesity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-william-roberts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/statins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-sugar/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reversing-chronic-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ldl-cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/impotence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/genital-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erectile-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-flexitarians-live-longer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18849550,
PLAIN-3274	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whose-health-unaffected-by-eggs/	Whose Health Unaffected by Eggs	What’s the latest on eggs? Well, the fallout from the Harvard Physician’s study continues, which as I covered last year, showed that eating just a single egg a day or more significantly shortens ones life span. More egg on the medical profession’s face?, this editorial AKWS in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, better egg on our face than having to go down our gullet. Dr. David Spence, Director of the Stroke Prevention and Atherosclerosis Research Center in Ontario—one of the world’s leading stroke experts, ruffled a few feathers this year when he said that based on the latest research, you can eat all the eggs you want if you’re dying from a terminal illness. Then it doesn’t matter. Now the egg industry’s nutritionist disagreed, to which Dr. Spence replied, “Who would you want to believe—the dietician who works for the Egg Farmers of Canada or a doctor who has spent 30 years trying to prevent strokes. I don’t have any interest in this at all, but they certainly do. They are selling eggs; I am selling stroke prevention.” Since the Harvard Physicians Study results were published, egg consumption has been linked to heart failure, along with dairy, as well as diabetes in both men and women. A single egg a day or more.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on eggs. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Bad Egg!Is there any research or at least any reasonable assumptions about egg whites that you know of?What about just plain egg whites ! ?If doctors were selling stroke prevention they’d be out of business, so kind of silly I think.I see a lot of vegetarians around suffering from all the diseases you list for meat eaters – diabetes, CAD, hypertension, cancer, kidney disorders, obesity, alzheimer’s, parkinsons…………… WHY???? Pl throw some light on the matter. I am a vegetarian myself & enjoy being so.I’ve heard people tell me that brown eggs are better than white eggs, is there any merit to that commentary? It may be like asking what is better for you a bullet in your foot or your head?They are nutritionally equivalent, its just the pigment of the shell.	brain disease,brain health,cardiovascular disease,cholesterol,diabetes,Dr. David Spence,Egg Farmers of Canada,eggs,Harvard,heart disease,heart failure,heart health,lifespan,longevity,marketing,mortality,nutrition myths,safety limits,stroke	A leading stroke expert ruffles a few feathers.	Here's more on the health risks associated with egg consumption: Eggs and Cholesterol: Patently False and Misleading Claims Who Says Eggs Aren't Healthy or Safe? Debunking Egg Industry Myths Eggs and Arterial Function How the Egg Board Designs Misleading Studies Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis Eggs and Choline: Something Fishy Eggs, Choline, and Cancer Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection Eggs and Diabetes Total Recall When Low Risk Means High RiskPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on eggs. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-david-spence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marketing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-failure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/egg-farmers-of-canada/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stroke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/total-recall/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-choline-something-fishy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-choline-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-low-risk-means-high-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/debunking-egg-industry-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-arterial-function/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18400699,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/?tool=pubmed,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18954578,
PLAIN-3275	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/long-term-vegan-bone-health/	Long-Term Vegan Bone Health	But if we don’t drink milk what happens to our bones? Well, a study published this year answered that question, comparing the bone mineral density of long term vegans to omnivores. Buddhist nuns, vegan for up to 72 years, versus same age, same height, same weight, same exercise omnivorous women, who because of their dairy consumption ended up getting about twice as much calcium per day as the vegans. Who had stronger bones? Three choices: Vegan stronger, omni stronger, or both the same? Despite the vastly different calcium intake same bone mineral density.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on dairy, omnivores, and vegans. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Can you tell me why – in general – poppy seeds are not mentioned as a good source of nutrients (especially minerals)? I use to put them in my morning green smoothies. Is it ok?I thought dairy leaches calcium from the bones from its acidity?The scientific nutrition community used to believe that the abundance of sulfur-containing amino acids in animal proteins would lead to a negative calcium balance, but that is outdated thinking. See http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-protein-bad-to-the-bone/ for one of the later reviews. And on a personal note, Toxins, thank you for your prolific commenting–I love it!Haha, I have watched literally all your videos and I want to have as close to a full understanding of nutrition as I can. I saw your video link but now my question is, what is the cause of osteoporosis? Does nutrition play a role?Yes, thanks Toxins for all your replies here. It’s good to see people always willing to help, yet always looking for nutritional facts as old truths stand and fall.Dr. Greger,I have been doing my reading and many online sources still mention acidity of meat causing release of calcium in bones into our urine. If this is not true, then what is the linkage between consuming too much protein/dairy with increase in osteoporosis if any at all?JindaInteresting. I assumed the vegans would have the stronger bones. Well maybe the nuns didn’t consume enough calcium-rich plants. I know lately, the Buddhists, at least where I live, have developed and/or use a lot of processed food, but I don’t know if this is a regional thing as I live in Toronto.I was diagnosed with osteopenia before I became a whole foods vegan in 2011. I know to get sunshine and exercise, but is there specific diet suggestions to strengthen my bones?The best reference I have seen concerning osteoporosis and osteopenia is Amy Lanou’s book, Building Bone Vitality. It appears that the acid/base issue is critical. There are some plant foods that have less effect than others. I know that Dr. Greger reported on a meta analysis study that didn’t support the acid base issue but there are issues with meta analytic studies that are difficult to sort out. Congrats on improving your diet in 2011.I am 62 years old and have been a vegetarian/vegan since I was 19. I was just diagnosed with osteoporosis and I am shocked. I work out every single day…I do weight bearing exercises and forms of aerobics. My diet is great. My D3 levels are high. Everything checks out well and yet I have osteoporosis. I am baffled and very concerned.Even if you do everything correct there is no guarantee that you won’t get a specific chronic condition. Of course I was vegetarian for 15 years before going plant based 7 years ago. During that time I consumed dairy which is probably the worse thing you can do for bone health. As I mentioned in my previous post the best reference I have seen concerning osteoporosis is Amy Lanou’s book, Building Bone Vitality. It should not only give you suggestions to adjust your diet but has a chapter on drug therapy. It appears that thiazide diuretics are as effective as Fosamax type drugs. In my experience they are better tolerated and have fewer side effects. Of course the decision to take drugs and which drugs should be worked out between you and your physicians.Natto can help repair the damage, studies showed thickening of the femur neck.Calcium is part of a group of substances that work on bone. D3, calcium , K1 , K2, magnesium. Low magnesium intake might have caused erosion of bone calcium.Hi, Doctor Greger, How about the health of tendons and ligaments? I couldn’t find any references on your site, and I’m wondering what’s best for the vegan runners like myself to keep them in good shape and avoid diet related injuries. Thank you.I haven’t seen any articles that specifically relate to your question. There is alot of published advice in this area some evidence based and some not. You might enjoy reading Scott Jurek’s book, Eat Run, or the book he coauthored, Born to Run, for some advice. Scott is a vegan. Beyond diet as you know there are other factors. One study showed that running every day yielded a high rate of injuries after 9 months where as exercising every other day had a very small injury rate. Another program which has been successful for some of my patients is the Jeff Galloway program on Running Injury Free. I think the best diet would be the one we are designed for… whole food plant based diet… I would avoid GMO’s… good luck on finding enjoyment and avoiding injury.Thank you very much Doctor Forrester for your answer. I’ve read (almost) all about it, from Scott Jurek to Rich Roll and Brendan Brazier, but I still don’t know how to address a ligament/tendon injury. Is it similar to a bone or closer to a muscle? Maybe I can adjust my diet to speed up the recovery?I would say tendons and ligaments are more similar to muscles than bone. I’m sure the diet does influence the rate of healing but rest and time are also needed… always difficult for those of us who like to exercise.Thank you very much Doctor Forrester for your answer. I followed your advice&tips and found a lot of new (to me) and interesting stuff in the Jeff Galloway’s programs. Keep up the good work!Can a woman who is diagnosed with osteoporosis, reverse her condition with a plant based diet? Or is the best protocol an integrative approach of medication and a plant based diet?10 years I was diagnosed with osteoporosis at age 57. My doc told me to read The China Study, get off meat and dairy, and go to the gym and lift heavy weights. My diet automatically became way less acidic, but a crucial factor is the weight bearing/resistance exercises. I’ve had 2 DEXA’s since then and each one was showing osteopenia, the last one even better than the first. As a side effect, I lost the gastric reflux I had been plagued with, plaque on my aorta, and arthritis in hand and shoulder. BTW whole food plant-based is not potato chips, fries and Coke. I eat hardly any processed foods and add no oil, sugar or salt. That’s the kind of protocol that was shown to actually reverse heart disease (Ornish and Esselstyn studies)This is a ridiculous study. Nuns are isolated, the average person has to face stress and other daily hassles. to try to use such a study is irresponsible since other studies show vegans to have weaker bones than omnivores by as much as 5 %, not to mention lesser storage iron, deficiencies in iodine as well as testosterone. Mental illness is also high in vegans.Hi Saddha, I would point you to a few other research reviews to get you started to address your concerns about weaker bones, iron, iodine and testosterone. I am not sure what “mental illness” you are referring to but here are some for depression (check out the search function or alphabetically on left navigation bar)http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/ http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=iron http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=iodine http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/12/less-cancer-in-vegan-men-despite-more-testosterone/ http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=testosterone http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=depressionHave fun exploring.I think I know you guys are a cult which is why you are citing only cults studies –http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2… #!po=32.5758 The growth of a child is a sensitive indicator of the potential negative effects of vegetarian, vegan and macrobiotic diets. Children younger than two years of age who were fed vegetarian or vegan diets exhibited significant lower mean weight and length velocities (12) and were overall lighter in weight and smaller in stature than reference populations (13). http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/167553… Vegetarian Mom Charged With Manslaughter After Baby Dies of Malnutrition http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18574603/ns/us_news… Vegetarianism produces subclinical malnutrition, hyperhomocysteinemia and atherogenesis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21872435… Do you know? Vitamin B12 is found primarily in meat. According to several studies, 92% of strict vegetarians experience vitamin B12 deficiencies, resulting in anemia, exhaustion, and a greater likelihood of coronary artery disease. http://www.samitivejhospitals.com/healthartic… http://m.timesofindia.com/home/stoi/all-that-… The Survey reveals that the four southern states of Andhra Pradesh (32.5%), Karnataka (37.6%), Kerala (22.9%) and Tamil Nadu (29.8%), have lower malnutrition rates than Haryana (39.6%), Rajasthan (39.9%) and Uttar Pradesh (42.4%). The data also reveals that consumption of fish, chicken or meat at least once a week by women in Andhra Pradesh (69.5%), Karnataka (45.9%), Kerala (89.6%) and Tamil Nadu (66.1%) is much higher than in Haryana (5.5%), Rajasthan (11%), and Uttar Pradesh (14.7%). Karnataka fares worse of all the southern states in terms of malnourishment and intake of fish/ chicken/meat. Gujarat and Punjab don’t present a rosy picture either. In cash-surplus Gujarat, 44.6% children are malnourished, and in food-surplus Punjab, the rate is 24.9%. Is it mere coincidence that women in Gujarat (12.4%) and Punjab (20.1%) have a lower intake rate of fish/chicken/meat than the national average of 40.9%? Vegetarianism and veganism lead to brain atrophy!!! It literally shrinks the brain!http://www.asylum.com/2008/09/15/a-vegertaria…Research shows the more mental disorders people have, the more likely they choose to become vegetarians:http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/9/1/67Rather, our results are more consistent with the view that the experience of a mental disorder increases the probability of choosing a vegetarian diet, or that psychological factors influence both the probability of choosing a vegetarian diet and the probability of developing a mental disorder.Vegans and vegetarians also are more likely to suffer from iodine deficiencies resulting in lower vital thyroid functionality:http://bastyrcenter.org/content/view/795/The average 24-hour urinary iodine concentration in omnivores, lacto-ovovegetarians, and vegans was 216 mcg per liter, 172 mcg per liter, and 78 mcg per liter, respectively. More than 25% of the lacto-ovovegetarians and 80% of the vegans were iodine deficient compared with only 9% of omnivores. Severe iodine deficiency was found in 27% of the vegans, 10% of the lacto-ovovegetarians, and none of the omnivores. Evaluation of the lacto-ovovegetarian and vegan diets showed that they both were lacking in iodine-rich foods, but lacto-ovovegetarians had a higher intake of iodine due to intake of dairy products and eggs.Hi Saddha, thank you for citing studies you feel are important for others to investigate since we welcome vigorous debate of the science. However, we aim to make NutritionFacts.org a place where people feel comfortable posting without feeling attacked by comments that are inappropriate, like calling this a cult. Dr. Greger has gotten more sensitive to this after a physician who graciously donated his time to answer people’s questions stopped contributing because of the acrid atmosphere. So please, for everyone’s benefit, help us foster a community of mutual respect or your future comments will be deleted. Thank you in advance.I agree about attitude. That put aside, I think it’s very healthy for this group to have people with different views, particularly views that challenge the very essence of this group veganism and health, and that challenge the studies.My daughter, after eating vegan and following Dr Esselstyn’s plan for about a year now, had her bone density checked this week. Where she should be about a10 she scored 2. Can you give her any advice?Ellen: That seems really odd, especially since Dr Esselstyn’s plan generally includes eating lots of greens. Of course, I don’t know what your daughter’s bone density was before she changed her diet. So, maybe it was a 2 beforehand. Or maybe she went up from a 1???I’m not a doctor, but I recommend checking out the book, “Building Bone Vitality” by Amy Lanou and Michael Castleman. It not only includes specific recommendations for bone health, but also reminds people of the importance of exercise on bone health – and which type of exercises work and which do not.http://www.amazon.com/Building-Bone-Vitality-Revolutionary-Osteoporosis–Without/dp/0071600191/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403732148&sr=1-1&keywords=building+bone+vitalityHope that helps!I’m a 54 year old male and been following a whole food plant based diet for over 3 years. Generally, I feel great and have gotten off my statins, lost 30 pounds and get plenty of exercise through road cycling. I slipped on some ice a couple of months ago and thought I sprained my ankle, but it still didn’t quite feel right so I saw an Orthopedic specialist and was found to have an oblique nondisplaced fracture at the base of the medial malleolus, along with a split tear of the inframalleolar peroneal longus tendon. I have taken Nexium daily for 15 years and am scheduled for a bone density scan next week. My doctor is concerned that my diet may be adversely affecting my bone health and I’m looking for some specific resources I can share with him that may allay his concerns.Bill: Sounds like you are doing so well! Except for that terrible fall anyway. I highly recommend the following book: “Building Bone Vitality” by Amy Lanou and Michael CastlemanAlso, you might check out Brenda Davis’ book Becoming Vegan.Both are great sources of information about eating plant based and bone health. These sources might prompt you to tweak your diet, but over all should support what you are doing and provide assurance for your doctor.You might also check out some of the other videos on this site showing how diet affects bone health.Hope that helps.is heart attack a potential risk from calcium supplementation? Is there a safe amount of calcium to take, and what form is best – lactate, carbonate, citrate, chelated?Can you consume too much calcium from supplements? I don’t have a calcium deficiency, but being vegan everyone is telling me to supplement my calcium. I thought that an excess of calcium can land in the heart or in bones joints (like sandpaper). Any thoughts?There is no need to supplement calcium. Calcium needs are lower if you are not consuming animal products and if sodium is low.“Reducing animal protein intakes by 40 g reduces the intercept [calcium balance] value and requirement to 600 mg. Reducing both sodium and protein reduces the intercept value to 450 mg.”http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y2809E/y2809e0h.htm#bm17Eat plenty of dark leafy greens, such as kale and collarsd, as well as beans. You can track your nutrient intake with https://cronometer.com/Hello Doctor Greger, Thank you for all your research and helpful information. My mom is 70 years old and she has been a vegan for one year. her doctor recommended injection of Prolia twice a year for her osteoprosis. I want to know your opinion on Prolia. Please advise whether it is a safe and useful drug for Osteoprosis and if there are other ways to treat osteoprosis. Thank you for your help.Did you get any information on this? same case with my mother! I’d really appreciate some advice!	bone health,bone mineral density,Buddhists,calcium,dairy,milk,omnivores,osteoporosis,plant-based diets,vegans	The bone mineral density of vegans compared to omnivores.	Here are a few other videos on bone health: Phytates for the Prevention of Osteoporosis Alkaline Diets, Animal Protein, & Calcium Loss Vitamin D Recommendations Changed How the Institute of Medicine Arrived at Their Vitamin D Recommendation	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/calcium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/buddhists/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-mineral-density/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bone-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/osteoporosis/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-osteoporosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-institute-of-medicine-arrived-at-their-vitamin-d-recommendation/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19350341,
PLAIN-3276	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-hormonal-interference/	Dairy Hormonal Interference	So, Where do we go from here? Here’s what the science says: “Our deeply-rooted beliefs about the wholesomeness of milk and dairy products should be reconsidered…” “We are just beginning to re-asses the biological effects of milk and dairy products as [human] foodstuffs. Human beings are the only species on Earth that from the beginning of [infancy] into adulthood are subjected to [this] external hormonal manipulation…” “Milk developed over the course of mammalian evolution…only to be consumed during infancy. The consumption of cow’s milk [in humans] interferes with the sensitive endocrine regulatory network from the fetal period into old age.” While dairy is being re-evaluated as human food, in the very least, “given the tumor promoting effect of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1, from dairy), patients with tumorous disease should restrict consumption of milk and milk protein.” Unfortunately we don’t know if we have a tumor until it gets big enough to get picked up. “The same applies to patients with coronary heart disease [(the number one killer in the United States)] and [those] with a family history of neurodegenerative disease. Milk’s…already been identified as an aggravating factor in the acne epidemic…[but] it is even more important that excessive milk consumption can promote diseases commonly associated with a Western lifestyle.”	It is shocking that this information is not widely known by health care practitioners, parents, schools etc. It should be daily on the front pages of newspapers and in news bulletins on TV. Unbelievable, that people still look at you as if you are being not completely normal when you inform them about the health hazards of animal based foods. I wish I had known this at least 30 years earlier; my children would not have been raised on animal products. I could post this comment at almost every video though. Thanks again, dr. Greger.Things are definitely changing, though–did you see the story about Clinton yesterday? In fact this Sunday, CNN is premiering their new documentary The Last Heart Attack featuring two of my heroes, Ornish and Esselstyn.The documentary you mentioned may be accessed direectly from CNN at : http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/podcasts/gupta/site/2011/08/29/sgmd.last.heart.attack.cnn#/video/podcasts/gupta/site/2011/08/29/sgmd.last.heart.attack.cnnHave you seen Dr. McDougall’s video on IGF-1? He agrees with you on the dairy, but is even more adamant about soy protein isolate being orders of magnitude worse than dairy in this regard. (Soy protein isolate is an ingredient found in all those fake meat products that vegans often flock to, as well as protein powders, and all breakfast cereal and breads labeled “high-protein”.) The way Dr. McDougall talks about it makes it seem like it’s SO cancer promoting that it should be banned in food. Here’s the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHYFOJBU434 (or just google Dr. McDougall IGF-1)I would also really like to know your views on that, dr. Greger. Thank you!Are the hormones still present in ghee?What about hormonal acne caused by fluctuating hormones during menstrual cycles? I am completely dairy and meat free (have been for a year) and I still get terrible breakouts during before and during my period. I would LOVE to know if I can take dietary measures to prevent this.Hello Dr. Michael, I’d like to know more about the diary/meat products and what best alternative available for diary/meat products.For example, I heard about grass-fed hormone-free whey protein, I hope maybe in the future you make a video that clarifies this issue. Related topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBhn62iuXXM Thankshttp://www.gutpathogens.com/content/2/1/21 The attached study makes a very convincing argument that ulcerative colitis and crohn’s disease are caused by exposure to mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (map) directly from the milk of or feces (from runoff) of infected cows. How does knowing this not make a cure available or at least in near sight? Just as a side note – The study identifies map as the cause of tuberculosis which is now close to erradicated, via innoculation, in many countries.I have a few questions: 1) how much hormones are in milk per 100ml in the worst case of scenario at least approximately? So I could compare it with for example contraceptives. 2) which part of milk has the most hormones?Most of the sources i found on the internet say that milk fat has more hormones, because they are fat-soluble while in your videos it says that butter milk and skim milk has the biggest hormonal concentration, while butter milk has the highest levels. ( So where the hormones are mostly concentrated and how butter milk could have higher concentration if it is made from the same milk? 3) are there hormones from milk and traces of antibiotics in a whey or casein protein isolate??? 4) Organic milk products: how much hormones they have compared to factory farmed? is it a good replacement? 5) Cheese and yogurt: do they keep hormones?(I consume big amounts of dairy products each day so it is very important for me)Olga: I don’t have answers to your specific questions, but I have some thoughts for you since you eat a lot of dairy.I think that focusing only on the hormones is missing the big picture. The big picture is that there is a whole bunch that is wrong with dairy. It’s not just the hormones, it’s the animal protein and it’s potential link to cancer growth, it’s the saturated fat, it’s the cholesterol, it’s the contaminants, and it’s the lactic acid (for many people).Once you eliminate the fat, animal protein, the lactic acid, the hormones and the contaminants, what are you left with? Water and some minerals? Anything that even remotely resembles dairy? So, the question we all need to ask ourselves is: Do the good things about dairy outweigh the bad?If you are not already familiar with the issue of animal protein and IGF-1, check out the following NutrtionFacts.org video and then keep clicking “next video” (link on the right) until you get to “Plant based bodybuilding” to have seen the whole series. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/igf-1-as-one-stop-cancer-shop/To learn about some of the other problems with dairy, check out: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/ http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=dairyAfter you assimilate all of this information, my guess is that your questions will not seem as important.Good luck.Thank you Thea, but these questions are still important, because there are no products on the market with absolutely 0 harmful chemicals even vegetables and fruits are not 100% harmless due to pesticides and genetically modified plants, and they also have hormones. if not mention they are loaded with fructose and other carbohydrates. If they are absolutely harmless why even Steve Jobs developed multiple cancers while being vegetarian from his childhood? And I think that animal protein including milk is healthy itself, people were consuming it for centuries and genetically we were made to consume this, the only what makes it anhealthy is how it is produced now on factory farms. Almost all food including vegetables has some naturally occurring hormones, the question is if there enough hormones to affect health. If some one would decide to find negative information about any product it is pretty easy to do so. Hormones from vegetables can affect health dramatically as well, from thyroid gland suppression to estrogen, testosterone suppression, and other side effects. So in my opinion only facts matter, just sayting that something has hormones and harmful chemicals without any factual numbers (how much) is pointless, and incorrect.Olga: I guess we are on completely different pages. From my perspective, it is a matter of evaluating the whole package – the whole food – and asking “Do the benefits outweigh the cons?”When you look at all of the evidence for and against plants, the benefits far outweigh the cons for the majority of the plants we consider food. Similarly, when you look at all of the benefits of dairy, the cons far outweigh any benefits–based on the evidence.A couple quick points that you raise as concerns: it is my understanding that while plants have hormones, they have plant hormones, not generally mammal hormones. In other words, plants do not have estrogen-estrogen like you and I have. Plants have phytoestrogen (sp?), which means plant estrogen. (NutritionFacts has a good video on this.) And what we have learned is that phytoestrogens are protective against cancer. Meanwhile, hormones in dairy, promote cancer. NutritionFacts links to various studies showing both of these points.re: “just saying that something has hormones and harmful chemicals without any factual numbers (how much) is pointless”. I agree with this to a degree. But when you have multiple studies creating a pattern and that pattern shows dairy promoting cancer and say soy and other plants discouraging it, then the issue of exactly how much hormones are in dairy is irrelevant. Whether it is the hormones or the animal protein or other things or (most likely) combinations of all of these things, dairy has been shown over all to be a harmful food.re: “they are loaded with fructose and other carbohydrates.” You say that like it is a bad thing. :-) Naturally occurring carbohydrates in whole plant foods are great for health. We have seen time and again that eating whole fruits, regardless of whatever fructose is in them, has healthful effects. An ideal diet consists mainly of starchy food containing lots of carbohydrates. You might want to check out the book, The Starch Solution, to get a very good idea of what a healthy diet looks like.re: Steve Jobs I love that you brought this up. Steve Jobs is a great example of how eating healthy lowers your risk dramatically, but does not provide guarantees against ever getting diseases. Steve Jobs lived literally decades with a cancer that is normally very fast growing. A fast growing cancer can kill someone in a couple of years. Steve Jobs lived decades with his cancer. Jobs’ healthy eating likely added years and years of happy living to his life. If you would like to learn more about Steve Jobs cancer vs diet, check out the free talk on YouTube from John McDouggal called, “Why Did Steve Jobs Die”. This talk is only 40 minutes, and it is really interesting and helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81xnvgOlHaYre: “people were consuming it for centuries and genetically we were made to consume this” Genetically, no mamilian species is made to consume breast milk, let alone breast milk of another species, after weening. The vast majority of humans can not properly digest dairy. Only a small percentage of humans with a genetic modification, a fluke of nature, can do so.re: “what makes it unhealthy is how it is produced now on factory farms.” Factory farms certainly contribute to making animals even less healthy, but once you familiarize yourself with the issues, you can see that there are basic problems with meat, diary and eggs regardless of how they are raised. Toxins and other participants on this site have given nice lists of these issues to supplement the details on the videos.We are not likely to come to any sort of agreement or understanding. I get that. I just wanted to do give you one more follow up. Good luck to you. I hope you find the answers you are looking for.	acne,Alzheimer’s disease,animal protein,brain disease,brain health,cancer,dairy,dementia,evolution,hormonal dysfunction,IGF-1,infants,milk,protein,skin health	Concern that the consumption of cow's milk can upset our body's hormonal balance.	For more videos on dairy hormone effects: Why Do Vegan Women Have 5x Fewer Twins? Estrogen in Meat, Dairy, and Eggs Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility National Dairy Council on Acne and Milk Skim Milk and Acne Prostate Cancer and Organic Milk vs. Almond Milk Prevent Cancer From Going on TOR Saving Lives By Treating Acne With DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/evolution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-dean-ornish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormonal-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19243483,
PLAIN-3277	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hormones-in-skim-vs-whole-milk/	Hormones in Skim vs. Whole Milk	Major review on diet and acne this year in the International Journal of Dermatology. Acne is described as a disease of Western civilization, a near universal disease affecting up to 95% of teens and about half of adults here in the United States, but if you go to places that still eat more traditional diets, out of over a thousand people examined, not one single case of acne. Dairy appears to play the major role. The steroid hormones in milk are at high enough concentrations that it may affect our oil-producing pores. But if there are that many hormones in milk, then acne would seem the least of our worries. From the Journal of the German Society of Dermatology this year: Milk consumption: aggravating factor not only of acne, but a promoter of chronic disease in general. Yes, the potential risks of cow’s milk consumption include affecting the skin, but I’m less concerned in the so-called “acne epidemic,” than I am about the epidemic of dementia, and cancer, and heart disease, though premature puberty and autoimmune diseases are serious issues as well. Which has the highest hormone levels, though. Fat-free milk, reduced fat milk whole milk, or buttermilk? Here’s the study, and buttermilk had the most hormones, but who the heck drinks buttermilk? What’s number 2? After buttermilk, is it skim, 2%, or whole milk? The number 2 most hormone-packed is skim milk. Why are we concerned? Breast cancer for one thing. All part of the soup of cancer-causing suspects scientists continue to find in milk. Skim milk second only to buttermilk in terms of the levels of about a dozen steroid hormones recently found in retail milk. Part of the reason is what we’ve done to dairy cows. Through genetic and dietary manipulation we’re now able to force them to lactate even in the late stages of pregnancy, and since we have to keep them constantly impregnated to produce milk, that’s good for the industry, but right at the end of the third trimester the hormone levels really skyrocket, and that’s what we’re drinking. Milk was designed by nature to make things grow like crazy—that’s why it’s good for babies, but bad for tumors. Good for baby cows, but bad for adult people who may have tiny microscopic breast or prostate tumors that we don’t want growing so fast. In a study of 140,000 men last year, 35 grams of dairy protein increased the risk of developing high grade prostate cancer by 76%, so that’s like 2% increased risk for every gram of milk protein. So like a cup of cottage cheese a day could increase one’s risk by about 50%.	Wow.Please let me know if any questions arise.Does plain non-fat GREEK “chobani” yogurt contain estrogen, although it may be absent of fat?absolutely fantastic. send this to time magazine, they seem to having some issues understanding all of this.Is organic milk any better?Essentially, milk is used to grow a baby animal and when they are past this point, to cause growth can only be harmful. This is what milk does, milk is a heavy promoter of insulin like growth factor which is at high levels when your a child, but significantly tapers off as an adult. Increasing IGF-1 results in accelerated aging and the promotion of tumor growth. Furthermore, as Dr. McDougall puts it “The primary biologic purpose of cow’s milk is to cause growth—from a 60 pound calf to a 600 pound cow in less than 8 months. This “miracle-grow” fluid has several qualities that help accomplish this feat. Cow’s milk is 50% fat, providing 600 “growth-supporting” calories per quart. Cow’s milk also has high concentrations of protein, potassium, sodium, calcium, and other nutrients to sustain rapid growth. (In comparison, these nutrients are at a three to four times lower concentration in human milk than cow’s milk)” http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/mar/dairy.htmSo it is quite unnatural to drink milk anyway, regardless of whether it is organic or not. In addition, beef and dairy is the only natural source of trans fat http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/good-great-bad-killer-fats/ which is recommended a daily value at 0. Milk also binds up phytonutrients http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/ which is definitely not helpful! Plus, calcium from plants is much more easily used than that of dairy calcium http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2/I prefer to consider dairy as basically junk food, because it brings about a lot of damage to ones body with no benefit.What about Raw Milk?I know the general arguments against milk as ‘Toxin’ cites above, personally I am a vegan, but what is the actual research on Raw milk vs pasteurized milk. I work in the area of local food and farmers markets and I am exposed to vegetarians and omnivores that are big boosters for raw milk. With so much propaganda and misinformation being flung from both the sides of the raw vs. pasteurized milk its hard to make sense of it all. What does the research say? I find it hard to believe that raw milk is the super food a lot of people claim it is.Milk is milk is milk! Whether it be raw or pasteurized, the same nutrients exist. Pasteurization by dictionary definition is a process of heating a food, usually liquid, to a specific temperature for a definite length of time, and then cooling it immediately. This process slows microbial growth in food. The same harmful affects of milk still remainA review published in the Journal of Pediatrics focused on the benefits of dairy “the findings of epidemiologic and prospective studies have raised questions about the efficacy of the use of dairy products for the promotion of bone health. ” after a review of the existing literature and finding “A positive relationship between dairy product consumption and measures of bone health in children or young adults was reported in 1 of 4 cross-sectional studies; in 0 of 3 retrospective studies; in 0 of 1 prospective study; and in 2 of 3 randomized, controlled trials. Only 1 of these randomized clinical trials adequately controlled for vitamin D intake, and it showed no significant effect of dairy products on BMD [bone mineral density]” , they concluded, “Scant evidence supports nutrition guidelines focused specifically on increasing milk or other dairy product intake for promoting child and adolescent bone mineralization.” http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/115/3/736.longA meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal found, “The small effect of calcium supplementation on bone mineral density in the upper limb is unlikely to reduce the risk of fracture, either in childhood or later life, to a degree of major public health importance.”and “The authors concluded that the literature did not support recommendations for consumption of dairy products for bone health end points in children and young adults…Our quantitative systematic review confirms this conclusion” The authors also state, “Our results also do not support the premise that any type of calcium supplementation is more effective than another.” Even studies that used intakes of 1400 mg per day of calcium showed no benefit. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1602024/?tool=pubmedAn editorial accompanying this meta-analysis pointed out, “Populations that consume the most cow’s milk and other dairy products have among the highest rates of osteoporosis and hip fracture in later life. Given this fact, it is important to ask whether sufficient evidence exists to continue assuming that consumption of these foods is part of the solution.” They concluded “It is time to revise our calcium recommendations for young people and change our assumptions about the role of calcium, milk, and other dairy products in the bone health of children and adolescents. While the policy experts work on revising recommendations, doctors and other health professionals should encourage children to spend time in active play or sports, and to consume a nutritious diet built from whole foods from plant sources to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and provide an environment conducive to building strong bones.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1602030/A review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of the research on the effects of dairy products on bone health found 57 studies, and of these, 21 studies were considered to have stronger-evidence, worthy of inclusion in this review. “Of 21 stronger-evidence studies, 57% were not significant, 29% were favorable, and 14% were unfavorable.” Keep in mind that the majority of these studies were funded by the dairy industry, and even with this natural bias and influence to produce positive outcomes, no better than 29% of the studies were favorable to bone health. One of the studies that showed unfavorable results that was funded by the dairy industry showed some shocking outcomes. The findings showed post menopause subjects who received the extra milk (three 8 ounce glasses of skimmed milk daily) for a year lost more bone than those who didn’t drink the extra milk. The authors wrote, “The protein content of the milk supplement may have a negative effect on calcium balance, possibly through an increase in kidney losses of calcium or through a direct effect on bone resorption…this may have been due to the average 30 percent increase in protein intake during milk supplementation.” Skim milk is very high in protein so this is unavoidable unless one is to consume the very fatty whole milk in which 2-5% of the fat content is trans fat and is very high in saturated fat. http://www.ajcn.org/content/72/3/681.long http://www.ajcn.org/content/41/2/254.longIts evidence such as this that I am unconvinced calcium should be from cows milk. Long term studies on vegan bone density comparing the omnivores diet showed the same bone density “…although vegans have much lower intakes of dietary calcium and protein than omnivores, veganism does not have an adverse effect on bone mineral density and does not alter body composition.” The vegan participants had been on a vegan diet an average of 33 years. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19350341I find it interesting that modern society believes that the human species is dependent on the milk of another animal species. The primary biologic purpose of cow’s milk is to grow a 60 pound calf to a 600 pound cow in less than 8 months. This is no way natural to humans as cow’s milk has high concentrations of protein, potassium, sodium, calcium, and other nutrients to sustain rapid growth. In comparison, these nutrients are at a three to four times lower concentration in human milk than cow’s milk. Milk is used to promote growth, so how is this natural as human adults to be consuming milk, let alone another species of animals milk? Dairy is a heavy promoter of insulin like growth factor in adults. This spike in IGF-1 is the most likely source of positive bone growth in the studies showing favorable outcomes of dairy on bones, not necessarily the calcium. Elevated IGF-1 does more harm than good in adults, it heavily promotes tumor growth in breast, prostate, lung, and colon cells and accelerates the aging process. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12417786 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16168602The consumption of dairy in children has resulted in earlier puberty. “The effect of animal protein intake, which was associated with an earlier puberty onset, might mainly be due to dairy. “An earlier puberty onset has been related to an increased risk for hormone-related cancers in adulthood. For example, a meta-analysis of 26 epidemiological studies reported a 9% risk reduction for breast cancer with every additional year at menarche. Additionally, recent study results demonstrated that a 1-y delay in menarche was associated with a 2.4 to 4.5% lower total mortality. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/140/3/565.longThe concern with dairy and hormone dependent cancer is something to think about as well. It has been shown that consuming dairy significantly increases circulating steroid hormones in woman and that vegetarians have far less of this hormone. “In conclusion, greater consumption of red meat and dairy products might influence circulating concentrations of SHBG and estradiol, respectively. Given the well-established role of steroid hormones in breast cancer etiology for postmenopausal women, these findings may have important health implications” Tumor growth from these hormone imbalances is also evident “A dramatic increase in estrogen-dependent malignant diseases, such as ovarian, corpus uteri, breast, testicular and prostate cancers has been recognized. Ganmaa et al. investigated the incidence and mortality of testicular and prostate cancers in relation to dietary practices. Among various food items, cow’s milk and cheese had the highest correlation with incidence and mortality rate of these cancers” Children are at high risk “Among the exposure of humans, especially prepubertal children, to exogenous estrogens, we are particularly concerned with” These xenoestrogens from lactating preganant cattle (the majority of commercial cattle used for milk) significantly raised estrogen levels in male adults and reduced testosterone levels and did even more so in children. This is significant since these estrogens have mutagenic affects “Toxicological and epidemiological studies have indicated that E2 could be categorized as a carcinogen. Milk is considered to be a rich source of estrogens. Indeed, E2 concentration is higher in mammary drainage than in the peripheral circulation in high yielding cows.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20211044 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19904296 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19496976This is only some of the evidence I have seen gathered by Dr. McDougall and Dr. Greger, there are much more harms to be found, but this is just a snippet.I understand and familiar with a majority of what you have posted however the milk is milk is milk line does not work when discussing issues with people who don’t believe milk is milk is milk. When I have tried to bring up some of the information you cite the response is that those studies were done on pasteurized milk and not fresh raw milk which they allege is different and that the pasteurization process alters the nutritional quality of milk.Have them present scientific research that raw milk is better than pasteurized, and if it is, have them prove that it does not have the same harmful affects that milk does. The burden of proof is upon them, not you. If they present studies to you please post them here so we can judge them ourselves.There was a systematic review published in November that looked at some of the claims of raw milk advocates. They researchers basically concluded that the impact of pasteurization on the nutritive value of milk appears to be minimal. The greater issue is that of infectious disease (the reason it’s illegal in most states). Advocates argue that consuming raw milk is a matter of personal choice, but not when they go on to infect others. For example, in a raw milk outbreak of E.coli O157:H7 that hospitalized a number of children in Connecticut, in one household one kid who consumed raw milk infected a sibling who didn’t, who then infected a third. For those who are interested there are a number of recent commentaries on the dangers (here and here for example). Before pasteurization and the virtual elimination of bovine tuberculosis, hundreds of thousands of Americans died as a result of TB-infected milk. Let’s not go back to that era.Pasteurized or not, organic or not, there continue to be public health concerns about the hormones present in all milk (particularly skim). See, for example, my videos Dairy Hormonal Interference and Acne & Cancer Connection.Thanks for the valuable information Dr. Greger!I have a question that arose when you mentioned how societies with no dairy consumption have virtually no acne. I stopped consuming dairy almost a year ago (and took myself off of ProActive face wash around the same time when I realized how bad benzyl peroxide is!). I have been eating vegan for the entire year, with little to no processed foods, added sugars, etc. That being said, I still have some acne that will not go away. What other factors could affect it?Thank you!Have you tried applying green tea compresses after a hot shower? That really helped my adolescent son. Just brew some tea, then dip some cotton into it and apply it warm or cold–regularly.some acne produced by lack of sleeping or sleeping late. it occured in my body and most people that having a hard time to sleep at night or work overnight. how about it ?in my country we have so many pollution and dust, we have high exposure of sun. it triggers the acne also. @indonesiaam sure so many cause of acne and milk just one of the culprit. good luckThank you for this informative video.  How about organic milk?  Are they any better?  Thanks! Organic and conventional milk is nutritionally identical. There are very few differences and the hormones in milk still exist. The issue is not contaminant levels but the actual milk substance itself. Therefore, it shouldn’t matter whether it be organic or not. Check out this other video on milk and its ill effects. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-sexual-precocity/Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer and Diet!What of plain yogurt and kefir?Rather scary. I do wonder why humans first started drinking milk. Why we are the only mammals that continue to drink milk after the baby stage? Cancer is rampant in our society and meantime, our big dairy and meat earners are flourishing!.The history of dairy production is very interesting. Dairy farming probably started about 8000 years ago. Back then it was helpful in getting us through harsh winters, bad wheat yields, etc. I think perspective on how humans have eaten over the course of the past 160,000 years is helpful. In today’s world, with 7 billion people on earth, animal milk consumption is detrimental to our health, our planet, and deprives people of food in impoverished areas.I agree with Dr. Garvey’s point. I would add that another driving factor is effects of the narcotic like substances aka casomorphins which are metabolites generated from the digestion of casein the major protein in dairy. Cheese cravers… 20% of cheese market eating cheese straight from packages every day and Cheese enhancers… 20% of cheese market putting cheese on alot of their food are actually addicted. We are seeing dairy consumption in this country decline unfortunately dairy farmers are going out of business. In Finland they recognized that a large part of the cardiovascular disease problem was due to their high dairy consumption. They did an innovative pilot in one part of their country converting dairy farmers to berry farmers with some other innovations and noticed a decline in rates of cardiovascular rates. They have since expanded the program nationally with government support to the farmers. In this country we subsidize dairy farmers to keep them producing a product which harms our health instead of supporting a transition to other more healthy products. Of course if the subsidies were removed the costs would go up dramatically and our consumption would drop and health improve.noooo! why I didn’t know that when I was 10 I drank milk like crazy. At least it was whole milk. Now I’m 20 and I just split my skin milk down the drain. Now I guess I gonna watch the rest of the videos on this site.If interested, her is a concise review of dairy with hyperlinked text. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/Don’t fret, tavit. Just load up on foods that inhibit mTOR signaling: green tea, curcumin, resveratrol, crucifers, and yes, soy and caffeine (ok, not too much soy and not too much caffeine).I recently read that soy milk is ineffective when it comes to weight loss because it is a genetically modified food. Is Almond milk or Organic milk any better?Great piece, just a small correction–maybe. That link to the March 2009 Science News article says that cows are not milked in the two months prior to giving birth. Could you clarify?Hello Doctor. I have a question, why if skim milk seems to have more hormones than “whole” milk, why is it that there has been studies that have found a greater association between whole milk and prostate cancer? Are there any studies that have linked high intake of skim milk to greater risk of getting prostate cancer or other type of cancers? I f so, please do share. thanks.Is it just me or is the link to “sources cited” broken? I can’t seem to bring up the citations.Hey! Im wondering if there has been any studies / information in how healthy “quark” or cottage cheese really is? Nowdays its very popular because of the richness of protein by many athletes etc. Best regards Henrik in sweden .in many of your videos you differentiate between what is in food and what actually gets into our blood. so… slim milk is second in total hormones but they are almost all conjugated and not free (base?). that of course affects solubility – no fat in skim milk so no fat soluble free form. now is the free form absorbed into the body the same way as the base ( no ). and is the distribution the same ( no ). are there any studies that differentiate between the two forms in the diet? the conjugated form being more water soluble, dose it get absorbed and quickly processed by the kidneys and comes straight out in the urine? while the free form is absorbed with the fat and distributed more through out the body before being metabolized by the liver?	acne,adolescence,Alzheimer’s disease,autoimmune diseases,brain disease,brain health,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,buttermilk,cancer,cardiovascular disease,dairy,dementia,estrogen,factory farming practices,farm animals,heart disease,heart health,hormones,milk,premature puberty,prostate cancer,puberty,skim milk,steroids,women's health	Genetic manipulation has resulted in cows lactating into the third trimester of pregnancy, leading to milk with abnormally high hormone levels.	For some of my recent videos on the connection between dairy and hormones see: Why Do Vegan Women Have 5x Fewer Twins? Estrogen in Meat, Dairy, and Eggs Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility National Dairy Council on Acne and Milk Skim Milk and Acne Prostate Cancer and Organic Milk vs. Almond Milk Prevent Cancer From Going on TOR Saving Lives By Treating Acne With Diet	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/12/skim-milk-and-acne/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/buttermilk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premature-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/adolescence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skim-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prevent-cancer-from-going-on-tor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/saving-lives-by-treating-acne-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/skim-milk-and-acne/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/national-dairy-council-on-acne-and-milk/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12472346,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19243483,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18382426,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19217359,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19335417,
PLAIN-3278	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/	Nutrient Blocking Effects of Dairy	But what if we eat our strawberries with cream? In 2007 we learned that milk blocks the absorption of the phytonutrients in chocolate. In 2008 we learned that milk totally blocks the beneficial effects of the phytonutrients in tea. Might as well just be drinking water. What if you eat dairy at the same meal with berries? We didn’t know until this year. Does dairy blocks berry nutrition, or not? Let’s find out: Ellagic acid is considered one of the key phytonutrients in berries, which, for example, may play a role in the ability of berries to prevent age-related cognitive decline. This is how much ellagic acid is absorbed into our bloodstream when we drink blackberry juice made with water, at half an hour, one hour, two hours, three hours, and four hours after consumption. Compare that to how much you absorb when you drink the same amount of berry juice with skim milk added… Zero. Nothing. The absorption completely blocked. Fact. And similar results were found with blueberries.	Does whey protein powder have the same affect as milk on phytonutrient absorbtion? Do we need to add protein powder to our diet to get enough protein on a vegan diet?Good question about the whey powder. I don’t think that’s known. We’re still not exactly sure what it is about dairy that’s the culprit. I’ll definitely try to stay on top of the topic and let you know if anything new shows up.And I don’t recommend protein powder supplements for anyone. We should get our protein from whole foods, and the healthiest sources are legumes–beans, peas, lentils, and soy.don’t forget dark greens! Collards have a surprisingly high amount of protein considering their low caloric weight!don’t forget dark greens! Collards have a surprisingly high amount of protein considering their low caloric weight!Also, while I’m vegan and would never touch a glass of milk, my sister-in-law raised a good question: do we know if these studies are specific to pasteurized milk? Do we have any idea if raw milk suppresses antioxidants?please find the info on whey asap.I’m fearful for my morning smoothies. I’ve learned from other videos that soy milk blocks the absorption of the phytonutrients from tea. Dairy milk blocks absorption of phytonutrients from tea, chocolate and berries. So, logically, might soy block absorption of phytonutrients from berries, too? Anyone done the research?Indeed, and how about almond milk? Is it the calcium?Hi Cxfleetw, I am aware of no studies on almond milk. There is a study on soy milk and antioxidants in tea. This study also showed that Ca free soy milk suppressed antioxidant intake see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/soymilk-suppression/. Adding a squeeze of lemon seems to increase the intake of antioxidants in tea. see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/green-tea-vs-white/Since I see a question about whey protein under this video I put my question here although it does not exactly relate to this video. Whey protein seems to have anti cancerous properties according to this link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2025891What is your idea about whey protein?I understand: – that you cannot approve of a food just because you like a specific component of it – food is a package deal – that casein, not so good, makes up 80% of the milk proteins – that whey as a supplement, may not be so good, because of the whole idea that supplements can do more harm than good (vit. A,E. beta-carotene, folic acid etc.) – at this stage, there is no solid scientific evidence that whey can prevent of cure cancerDo you agree with the above? Do I miss something?Thank you very much for your time and this website!Protein supplements such as whey will increase the insulin like growth factor hormone in your body which results in rapid aging and tumor growth promotion. IGF-1 is not something we want in high concentrations as adultsHi hsroex, I agree with your conclusions. There are major problems with extrapolating the findings of animal research to humans. There is no need to take supplemental protein as it can be obtained by eating whole foods. See video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/plant-protein-preferable/ on the best way to get your protein. The two best articles I’ve seen are by Dr. John McDougall see his articles in his newsletters in 12/2003 & 4/2007(available on his website). Even in endurance training where recommendations are to consume protein & carbs within one hour for recovery purposes this can be accomplished with whole foods. Going beyond the issues with cancer there is clear data from the Nurses Study that showed that animal protein intake accelerated the loss of kidney function. As you alluded to in your comment whey supplements often come “packaged” with other ingredients. At this point I see no good evidence to suggest that whey protein is “anti-cancerous”.Not having read any of the literature, it does seem to me a bit of a stretch to say that because ellagic acid is not absorbed into the bloodstream if these berries are consumed with milk that they are not beneficial. Not absorbed is not the same as not beneficial. Of couse, if you are referring to cognitive or motor benefits, it seems that getting into the bloodstream is critical. But, if you consider the potential anti-cancer benefits, just for example, of phytonutrients WITHIN the GI tract, abosorption into the bloodstream may actually be counter productive. just something to consider.I’m confused. I read the abstract of: Antioxidant status in humans after consumption of blackberry (Rubus fruticosus L.) juices with and without defatted milk.   and I don’t see where it is saying that milk w/blackberry juice blocks the antioxidant. I could only get the abstract as I don’t have access to the whole article. I’ll admit, I don’t really know what the article is saying is I’m unfamiliar with some of the compounds listed. Nevertheless, I still don’t see where it states that milk blocks antioxidants in any way.I’m sorry the publisher hasn’t made the article available open access, but the study makes clear that “For ETs [ellagitannins, the phytonutrients thought primarily responsible for the high antioxidant content of blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries], a total inhibition of absorption after intake of blackberry juice prepared with defatted milk was observed.” I’m sorry if I didn’t make the point clearer in the video.Thanks Dr. Gregor; I appreciate the explanation.  I’m vegetarian and I use whey to get my protein – I have 2 protein shakes every day and I load them up with vegetables and berries. Now I’m trying to find a new protein. I wish this group would investigate the interaction further and elucidate exactly what is going on. Since soy milk blocks the phytonutrients in tea maybe I can’t get my phytonutrients from my protein shakes. I do have salads everyday but I can put in a lot of things I wouldn’t eat by themselves, in my shakes.I do frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries and a banana or 2 in a blender with yogurt and raw milk. Are the antioxidants being absorbed or is the raw milk and/or the yogurt curtailing the absorption? Still confused about raw milk and yogurt was not mentioned prior.Dear Doctor – Can you please enlighten us on whether drinking lactose free milk is a safer healthier way to use a small amount of milk in ones diet?Dairy is not considered a health promoting food. Here is some information on dairy. I Highly recommend looking through the links. If you are in need of a milk substitute, soy milk or almond milk would be a better, and healthier alternatives. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/They used skim milk in the tests. How about whole milk?What about kefir made from milk?Dr Greger, what do you think of this study that shows Ellagic Acid & EGCG inhibit each other:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814697001003We have been meat and dairy for over a year and feel great. My own cholesterol went from 334 to 196 in less than a year!​My brother and his wife have become interested and started to make changes with their diet. They have a 3 year old with leukemia and are wanting to give him the best chances for a full and fast recovery and that is why many of the vegan ideas seem so ‘right’ for them. They are excited about how they feel and how their child feels with the few changes they have made. They are tired of the french fries, hamburgs and milk that the hospitals serve, when they brought up taking dairy out of their sons diet the doctor was not happy. He told them there is a lot of good stuff in milk and made a real point of saying he needs all the calcium he needs because of the medications he is on.Does anyone have any thoughts, ideas or experience with this? They really feel that a change in diet would help their son but their doctor is telling them it would be a bad idea.ThanksThe physicians should be able to order a plant based diet at their hospital. It might not be as good as what you can prepare at home but in my experience it is alot better then standard hospital fare. When I was in the hospital several years ago my plant based breakfast came up with a carton of dairy milk. I wrung the nurses who came in and gave me soymilk instead. They said the dietary dept often made that mistake. You can point your physicians toward any of the 90 videos on dairy at NutritionFacts.org or if s/he prefers reading you can suggest “Whitewash” for an indepth exploration of the harms associated with dairy products. Congrats on your journey. I hope your 3 yo does well.What about other dairy. Does cheese block nutrients as well? All cheeses?J9: Cheese is just concentrated dairy. There’s no reason to believe that cheese would block nutrients any less. If anything, I would expect cheese to block nutrients more.How about ingredients in almost every whey powder?just to name a few:Silica, Sucralose, Acesulfame K, Artificial Flavors,Di-Sodium Phosphate, Silicon Dioxide…That must be good wright?Does casein also inhibit the absorption of phytonutrients in cruciferous vegetables such as indoles and specifically DIM? Do the nutrients get absorbed more slowly, or not all?	berries,blackberries,brain disease,brain health,cognition,dairy,dementia,ellagic acid,milk,phytonutrients,skim milk,tea,water	Dairy appears to block the beneficial effects of tea, but what about other phytonutrients?	Here is another video on nutrient absorption: New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blackberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skim-milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ellagic-acid/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19057194,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19053224,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17213230,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19135520,
PLAIN-3279	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maxing-out-on-antioxidants/	Maxing Out on Antioxidants	These phytonutrients are wonderful, but is there a concern that our bodies can only absorb a certain amount of antioxidants at one time, so we should kind of spread out our fruit and vegetable consumption. Like the law of diminishing returns—maybe you absorb all the phytonutrients in that first cup of strawberries, but if you eat two cups at one sitting, maybe absorption kind of plateaus, so maybe it’s better to eat one cup now and the second in a few hours. We finally have some data: is that fact, or fiction? Fiction. Here’s about one, two, and four cup strawberry “treatments” and the more you eat, the more you benefit, with no end in sight.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on antioxidants. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I found an interesting article on strawberries and it is overwhelming to see how many different nutrients and phytochemicals are present in just a strawberry, even a decent amount of fiber. http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(11)00306-6/fulltext Enjoy the berry and the article :) Thanks for the great link!I’ve found some articles online citing this study, I think, from Kansas State. The articles claim this study says that too many antioxidants can be a BAD thing. Thoughts? http://ep.physoc.org/content/94/9/961.fullKeep in mind this study was done with rats, not humans and the antioxidants were supplemented, and not obtained through food. As of now, we know that humans need as much antioxidants as one can consume through diet and there are only benefits that come along with a high antioxidant diet.Thanks!I am curious of any negative effect of  Red Drink Powder sold by Trader Joe’s. It is a concentration of 51 dried fruits, seeds, berries etc. No supplements or chemicals added. It has many times the anti-oxidants score that is found on ORAC. I have not been able to determine who the producer is. Does anyone have any info on this ?Could you please comment on the recent statement by James Watson (DNA discoverer) that antioxidants can actually cause cancer.The full-text of Jim Watson’s article can be found here. As you can see, he’s talking about “antioxidative nutritional supplements,” something I’ve also warned about in videos such as Antioxidant Vitamin Supplements, Some Dietary Supplements May Be More Than a Waste of Money, Is Vitamin D the New Vitamin E?, and Update on Vitamin E. Whenever possible we should get our nutrients from produce, not pills.Can you eat too many fruits in a day or at a time? I heard eating large amounts of fruit causes your liver to store some as fat. Is this true? I just didn’t want to eat too many fruits at one time if it had negative effects.The fibers in fruit allow fructose to be slowly drawn to the liver so it is not overwhelmed all at once. Eating a lot of fruit is not a concern.I get a yeast smell and don’t eat hardly any processed food. Just fruits and veggies. Should I lay off the fruit or what else would you recommend as I’m vegan and eat lots of veggies? I also have dandruff. Any advice?I have the same problem for the last year. I think it started when I bought a used car that was from the pacific northwest. It had a funny sweet yeasty moldy smell, crushed potato chips on the floor and mold on the ceiling. I used my ozone generator to kill everything living in it but I drove it home first and breathed that nasty spore into my sinuses. I use Hydrogen peroxide at about .75 (less than 1) percent as an irrigation (with nelli med irrigation bottle, and their saline packet), every day or so to knock down the smell. It never completely goes away though.Dr. Greger, please comment on this latest article of the possible adverse effects of too much antioxidants http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcibr1405701Well that is wonderful news! :)I wonder if with all the new developments in research this idea needs to be revisited.. For example, they tested up to 4 cups of stawberries and saw an increase. We now know the antioxidant content of over 3100 foods. Based on that study and others I have pieced together a morning smoothie that is insanely oxidant rich: 1 C Spinach, 1 C Kale, 1 C Arugula, 1 C Blueberries, 1 C mixed red berries, 1 banana (I like the taste!), 1 C Broccoli florets, 1 T flax, 1 T chia, 1 t Dulse, 1 t Amla powder,dash of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and turmeric. Blend and consume for breakfast. Obviously a meal like this is light years beyond 4 cups of strawberries. I wonder if there is any research into these huge mega dose antioxidant smoothies and juices that are becoming popular? Especially with the emergence of super antioxidant rich foods like Amla, Clove, Acai, and such. I worry sometimes that these mega rich doses may have a reversed effect such as is seen with mega doses of vitamin C in pill form, or at least that much of the nutrition (and food cost) is wasted. I have started consuming my smoothie over the course of the day to try to err on the side of caution in regards to these concerns. So I’ll have something extra for breakfast like a small bowl cold quinoa with almond milk and berries and nut sprinkled on top and some spices (cinnamon, clove, allspice) and drink about a third of my smoothie. Then I will consume the rest throughout the day with and inbetween meals.	antioxidants,berries,fruit,phytonutrients,strawberries,vegetables	Are there diminishing returns when it comes to whole food antioxidants?	For more recent videos on phytonutrient antioxidants, see: Recommended Daily Allowance of Antioxidants The Fruit Whose Juice Is HealthierPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on antioxidants. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/strawberries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18034759,
PLAIN-3280	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-rice-vs-black-rice/	Brown Rice vs. Black Rice	You know the answer to this question, white rice versus brown rice. But what about the answer to this question: Brown rice versus red rice. Ah, what the heck: brown, versus red, versus black rice. Which is healthier? And the winner is… red rice! That was a surpise—I’ve been using black, but I just switched to red. Ten times more antioxidants than brown rice. The phytonutrients in these pigmented strains of rice may protect against heart disease, inhibit the growth of human cancer cells, and even help protect against asthma and hay fever, so I encourage folks to make the switch.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on rice, and antioxidants. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Hi!Thanks for a very informative site! Do you know if red jasmine rice has a lower glycemic index than brown rice?I agree. It would be nice to see the best type of rice, not from an antioxidant perspective, but from beneficial fiber and glycemic index perspectives. Maybe barley is better?I read something on wikipedia that made me think that the antioxidants in red and black rice don’t count “Although anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants in vitro, this antioxidant property is unlikely to be conserved after the plant is consumed. As interpreted by the Linus Pauling Institute and European Food Safety Authority, dietary anthocyanins and other flavonoids have little or no direct antioxidant food value following digestion. Unlike controlled test-tube conditions, the fate of anthocyanins in vivo shows they are poorly conserved (less than 5%), with most of what is absorbed existing as chemically modified metabolites that are rapidly excreted” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthocyanin It is still worth to buy those rices? They are 2 times more expensive than brown rice where I live.Yes, I think so. The fiber and phytonutrient content found in whole grains like rice is beneficial.Well this is intriguing, and does not relate only to rice!After watching this I tried to buy red rice online, but I found all different kinds. Is this red rice the one called Himalayan?Mary Zdrojewski: There are many varieties of red rice. The red pigment comes from antioxidants, so no matter which variety you choose, you will be receiving beneficial antioxidants and phytochemicals. To learn more about antioxidant-containing foods, see the following videos: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-content-of-3139-foods/ and http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/Why is white rice the worst? Just because it has less nutrients? What about the lack of insoluble fiber – is that a positive or negative?Hello again Adam!View this video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/great-grain-robbery/ as well as read the comments and you will be enlightened further on the harms of white rice!Thanks for the link, but I’m not following. It talks about how refining flour makes it lose nutrients, but doesn’t specifically talk about rice (though yes, I assume it loses nutrients too).The part about the plaque building up, it still says you need to go on a plant based diet to actually stop or reverse the disease. Are there any studies on vegans eating white rice? From what I’ve read, I just don’t really see anything proving that white rice is bad.This site even seems to suggest brown rice has more arsenic in it, which is not desirable. And other things I’ve read say that brown rice absorbs more water from your body, so it fills you up quicker. Does that basically mean it dehydrates you?I’m just trying to learn more, so please enlighten me. :)These are all good questions,The “Great Grain Robbery” can be applied to white rice as well because it is in fact the bran that holds the great majority of the nutrients. Similarly to eating an oil, which is all fat and little to no nutrients. White rice is all carb, and an insignificant amount of nutrients. To eat empty calories is never beneficial.We should strive to eat as close to the whole plant food as possible for optimum health. This is what is meant whenever you see or hear the words “plant based” said by Dr. Greger. Check out this link Dr. Greger mentions in the comments “[White rice] actually resulted in millions of deaths from a vitamin deficiency called beri-beri, Louise. A very dark time in nutrition history.” Here is the medical review link http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2889456/pdf/medhis5403-02-295.pdfWhenever you eat brown rice, similarly to whole wheat pasta, it already contains water in it since it was boiled. Therefore, to absorb even more water within your body doesn’t make a lot of sense. What is meant by the statement you quoted is that you are taking into account water weight when you eat brown rice so you will get full quicker because it takes up more space due to the liquid absorption from boiling. This is a good thing!In regards to the arsenic issue, I agree, it makes me uneasy that a healthy food can contain arsenic, so that is up to you to whether or not to eat rice. But if you do, choose US grown, and always brown rice.Thank you for the detailed response! I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.Ok, so brown rice has more nutrition than white rice… but isn’t it still a “good” carb? I know what you mean by empty calories, but comparing oils and white rice is a stretch in my opinion. Much better to eat 500 calories worth of white rice than oil, right? Not all empty cals are the same. Even 500 calories of white rice compared to processed white bread… the white rice is still way better, correct?And does white rice not digest and get assimilated into the body more easily than brown rice, which could be important for athletes who need to fuel up on carbs?Looking forward to your responses! :)I don’t think white rice is bad because as the China Study and McDougall mention, Asian countries thrive on a diet with white rice. Although brown rice may have more nutrients, but I wouldn’t say that white rice is bad.I would assume European grown rice would have less arsenic since they banned arsenic based food-stocks. Not that I know how to buy whole grain European rice…You are correct, oil and rice have different health values but i was just going for the analogy here. I would also agree with you that white rice is better than white bread because more of the whole plant is intact. I will say though, that brown rice will keep you full longer, providing more energy, and will also satiate your vitamin needs better, as you well know. White rice is in fact more easily digested because their is less bran to it but again, this is considered empty calories. I highly encourage you to view the world health organization’s view on white rice vs brown. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=128#healthbenefitsIf you have a choice between the two, choose brown rice. I myself am a sponsored rock climber and brown rice really keeps me full for a long time. I don’t feel sluggish either, its consistent energy.This link will fully answer that question for you.http://healthyguy.com/brown_rice.pdfIs there any danger to NOT washing black or red rice before cooking? It seems like a substantial proportion of the pigment washes away in the wash water.DebRichards: Great question and I hope that someone answers it!To add to the discussion: I don’t bother washing my rice, and I still see a lot of pigment come out in the method that I use to cook the rice: casserole method in a pressure cooker. When I see that red-tinted water at the bottom of the pan, I wince, thinking that I must be loosing a lot of nutrients. But if so, those nutrients are rising with the steam over the edge of a glass bowl and then falling to the bottom of the pan.I wouldn’t worry so much about the loss of nutrients which in itself would not be dangerous. However washing is a good idea as it can avoid contaminants and food borne illnesses that might have been introduced by harvesting and packaging. Obviously buying organic is better see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/ and avoiding animal products substantially reduce pollutants compared to plant based http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/industrial-pollutants-in-vegans/ but organic foods can still be contaminated. So I would continue washing.I just purchased a Zojirushi rice cooker that has a GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) setting to cook brown rice (add two hours at 104 degrees to activate the rice) that claims to increase to 150% of the amount of GABA contained in non-activated brown rice, which it further claims to lower blood pressure and relieve stress.It seems to be a pretty lofty claim, but I cannot seem to find any scientific information to support it.I wanted to know whether it is worthwhile to cook brown rice on this setting, given the additional cooking time, and use of energy.It might depend on whether you just want to live a healthy lifestyle or whether you need to bring cholesterol down quickly. My assumption is that you don’t need optimal, but only enough to make steady progress on reducing atherosclerosis. But I don’t have any personal knowledge on the biochemistry.I won’t weigh in on the issues of GABA except to say I haven’t seen any studies to support their claims and until I see credible evidence I will remain skeptical. You did ask about how to minimize the reactions to folks when you “come out of the closet” as a person following a plant based diet… I prefer to vegan after my biking buddies starting accusing me of being from the planet, Vegan!. The best approach is the one recommended by Doug Lisle PhD. You can order his DVD, The Pleasure Trap, from the John McDougall website. It is very entertaining and contains three talks. The last one, Getting Along Without Going Along, is the best approach I’ve come across. It involves the importance of status within groups. I could try and explain but really couldn’t do it justice. It is practical and effective.Thanks, I will check it out.Hi Dr. Greger, I just had a question about the red rice. I took a quick look at the studies you cited and was wondering where it says that the red rice is higher in antioxidants? I couldn’t find that study. It looked like they all reference black rice. Am I looking at the wrong stuff? Thanks! Emily :)I keep finding Chinese black and red rice, but i know that this should have higher arsenic levels because it was shipped from China. Does this rule apply to black and red rice like i know it does for brown?I just got back from a dinner with Dr Greger. Someone noted there are many varieties of red rice and asked what kind of red rice to buy? His reply was it didn’t matter and to buy whatever is cheapest. He also confirmed in answer to another question that “Red yeast rice” is different than “Red rice” and is not what he was talking about here.btw, Ayurveda’s Caraka Samhita said red rice (raktasali) was best thousands of years ago. :) worth checking out other grains, like barley for “general equilibrium” and job’s tears “nothing more reducing/slimming.”For some context, please check out my associated blog post The Best Foods: Test Your Nutrition Knowledge!Can you somehow raise the volume on these older topics? People can turn it down, but I’ve everything up and can barely hear this one and some of the other older ones.What kind of red rice is it? Camargue red rice?My son is asthmatic from a very young age and has problems with his immune system. He ask has allergies to nuts dairy and sesame. Any advice would be appreciatedthanks for posting this informative vid; i am surprised that black rice has fewer anti-oxidants, by such a substantial margini do find the red varieties easier to eat, as the black can be quite hard even after cooking, whereas the red fluffs up nicely and has a softer texture and is very versatile as a salad ingredient or to accompany cooked dishes such as stews and currieshere in europe there are some great varieties of red rice grown in italy and france and while i was in auroville, an intentional community in india, they produce their own lovely red rice, organically grownthe next part of the conversation i am interested in is rice vs quinoa – which also has red and black varietiesblessings of good healthIf you add black rice to soup, it does a better job at softening and becomes nice and fluffy.Enjoy both the healthiest lentil (nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-lentil/) and healthiest rice with my version of sloppy joes.Tidy Joes-1 cup red rice -2 cups uncooked red lentils -5 cups water/homemade vegetable broth -1 large red onion, diced -5 cloves garlic, minced -Jar organic salsa -2 tbsp chili powder -2 tsp oregano -2 tsp marjoram -2 tsp basil -1 tsp cilantro -¼ tsp white pepper -Pinch cayenne pepper -Pinch Ceylon cinnamon -Black pepper to taste -1 organic* red bell pepper, dicedCook rice in 2 cups water for 40-45 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, in a large pot with a splash of water, sauté onion until translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Add remaining 3 cups of water, lentils, garlic, spices, and salsa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until lentils are soft, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for about 10 minutes to allow flavours to meld. Serve over red rice and top with raw (bell peppers lose up to 75% of their antioxidants when cooked nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/) bell pepper.*Sweet bell peppers rank number three in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so try to purchase organic (http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/).~Complements of lovestobeveganIt’s great to﻿ know that red rice is super with antioxidant. What about other minerals like zinc, iron, manganese, Vitamins, Carbs, sugar, protein, fat and fiber contents amongst the 3 type of rice?How about “instant” brown rice, such as http://www.minuterice.ca/prod_brown.htm? Is this really a fast and convenient whole food, or is there a catch? http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/expert.q.a/06/25/brown.rice.jampolis/With a good Japanese rice cooker like Panasonic, Tiger, or Zojirushi, or other brands, you can cook rice on the “quick-cooking” cycle in a about 20 minutes. I personally prefer this to any processed, packaged rices marked “quick” or “easy”, though this doesn’t sound too bad.Is distilled water safe? I have a water distiller and i want to know the safest way to get electrolytes. You should do a video on the healthiest water because there is so much conflicting information out there. Thanks a bunch love your videos!!!! Will ReadI’ve been drinking distilled water, the purest water in the world, for over 40 years. I’ve been told all kinds of horrendous horror stories of how damaging it would be to my body including my nails wrinkling and other horrible things. It turns out it is all lies. Dr. Paul Bragg, the Father of Health in America, got it right like so many other things.What about quinoa vs black rice??What about the arsen in rice? Is it found in all these kinds?Hello Doc,Thanks for all your wonderfully informative (& often entertaining) video”s.Question regarding the “Red rice”… what kind is it? Found some at a Indian grocery store… are there different kinds? You said you switched to red rice…where do you get yours?Cheers, RKRK: Thought I would share my experience with red rice: I can get it really cheap at our local Asian store. But I can’t get it organic there. I can also get it at our “health food”? grocery store, Market of Choice. But at Market of Choice, it is very expensive. On the plus side, it is organic and one brand is even fair trade.As for different kinds: I’ve used both long and short grain red rice. The short grain red rice is like typical brown rice in texture, where “typical” is what I grew up with anyway. The long grain red rice is like brown basmatti rice – at least I think so. The point is that there are different varieties and textures.Hope that helps.Thanks for the info! I understand that it is recommended to get organic for fruits and veggies because of pesticides and gmo… but is that recommended for rice too?I have been tempted by the Red Rice on sale at Chinese markets. However I find myself worrying about additives, dyes, and heck even lead paint. By now we’ve just heard it all about products coming from some parts of the world. The news is replete with goods like plastic seaweed (like shredded garbage bag) in soups, city-caught pigeons sold in restaurants as “quail” all over the US east coast in Chinese restaurants, etc. And I’m too cheap to buy it at a pricey organic grocer. That’s why I personally don’t eat it.Hello Doc,Have a question on cooking methods of rice versus it’s nutrition value!A relative told me that cooking rice with excess water and then filter/throwing out the excess water, is healthier option since it will drain excess starch! Is there any truth to this?Does cooking method affect nutrition in rice?Thanks, RKIf you don’t want to waste your starchy rice wash: 1) Asian women use rice wash as a facial wash/treatment for beautiful skin. It is the same pH as the human skin. 2) It can also be left overnight for 1-4 nights and is great for your garden or houseplants. It is slightly alkaline especially after the first washout which is slightly acidic. 3) by adding a small amount of yogurt or kefir you can let it sit for 2 days while lactobacillus colonizes the starch. This is great for pets or gardens. Some people say they do this and drink it as a probiotic, but I would never do that myself or advise it for human consumption.It’s here that my nutritional existential questions are answered. =DWhat is the best rice for good carbsHi. I was told that Basmati rice is whole grain rice. I haven’t been able to find any documentation that supports that and I was wondering if you know the answer? I LOVE Basmati rice.ellie: I am not an authority on this topic, but I can tell you that a couple years ago, I bought a package of “brown basmati rice”. Because there can be a brown one and a white one, that says to me that unless the basmati is labeled as “brown”, you are not really getting what people typically mean by whole grain.Now, I don’t know if that is really true. Maybe all basmati rice is really brown and they just added that to the package I bought for marketing purposes? The issue of brown vs non-labeled basmati is worth investigating if you eat a lot of basmati rice, and I’m thinking this post will give you a clue on how to search.Good luck.What about red quinoa is it better than black & White quinoa? Which type of quinoa is lower in fodmaps,I can’t find anything on it after a google search. Thanks!Also if you can’t eat much fibre,parboilled rice is a better option than White rice because the process(soaking & steaming) keeps some of the b vitaminsDoc – your reference sources are showing black rice not red rice; am I missing something here?How do the levels of arsenic in red and black rice compare to levels in brown and white rice?What has more anthocyanins? Black rice or Red Rice. It looks to me that black rice might have more anthocyanins. Can someone clarify? What is more important when fighting cancer, anthocyanins or antioxidants?Anthocyanins are one specific type of antioxidant, of which there are many types. It’s like a Sea Bass is just one type of many types of fish.The Japanese tend to combine red, black, millet, and several brown rices together and sell as a health food rice. They are probably on to something, providing a broad array of minerals and antioxidants with each serving.I personally mix my rices and cook with a Zojirushi rice cooker, using its timer function to soak/germinate the rices for about 10 hours (to get real “GABA rice” you need to use the timer to give a long germination period- the standard GABA default setting is a silly 2 hours + 1 hour cook cycle), followed by the slow-cooked/low-temp “GABA” setting to preserve nutrients, enzymes, and antioxidants as much as possible.Hello!Unfortunately, I am one of those people who prefer white rice over brown rice just because I think white rice tastes better. But, recently, I have been using brown rice to make my vegan sushi. But I was wondering, and I did not find the answer on this website, if sushi vinegar is a healty option to flavor the rice?	allergies,antioxidants,asthma,cancer,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,heart health,in vitro studies,phytonutrients,ranking foods,rice	Which has more antioxidants: black rice, brown rice, or red rice?	Want some more videos on rice? Check out: Kempner Rice Diet: Whipping Us Into Shape Power PlantsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on rice, and antioxidants. Also, there are 1,449 other subjectscovered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17392122,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18034759,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16970933,
PLAIN-3281	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/aluminum-in-vaccines-vs-food/	Aluminum in Vaccines vs. Food	Speaking of toxic metallic elements, there continues to be growing concern about aluminum exposure and the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers. But how are we exposed? This is how much you get cooking acidic foods like tomato sauce in an aluminum pot for an hour. Aluminum is also added to childhood vaccines as an immune irritant to improve efficacy, but it’s come under fire from some parenting groups. This is how much you get smoking a pack of cigarettes, and this is how much you get if you use aluminum-containing antiperspirants. But researchers just found a food item that blows these other sources away.What do you think it is? Is it Brussell sprouts—many of you wish it were Brussel spouts. Cheese, chicken, eggs, fish, or shellfish. The highest natural levels of aluminum are found in shellfish, but the highest levels overall is in cheese. Why? Just like the poultry industry adds arsenic to chicken, the dairy industry adds aluminum to cheese, the number one source of aluminum in the diet. Why would they do that? The aluminum salts produce a “smooth, uniform film around each fat droplet” to prevent something called fat bleeding and to give the cheese a softer texture and “desirable slicing properties.” So if you’re a parent worrying about the aluminum in vaccines, every grilled cheese sandwich you give your kids, is like injecting them with a dozen aluminum containing vaccines.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cheese. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Dr. Greger, can you point me to more information about the latest research on the link between Aluminum and neurodegenerative brain disorders? Is there new and or more research suggesting a link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s. The Alzheimer’s Association seems to still be suggesting that it’s a myth. Perhaps it takes a long time or more compelling research to change their recommendations. http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_myths_about_alzheimers.aspThe latest review I’m aware of was published last year in the journal of Alzheimer’s: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20378957. As you can see it remains an unanswered research question. As I noted to JJ below, though, until we know more, it is reasonable to try to decrease our exposure.what about the aluminum in tea? How much is in green tea? Thanks!!!This video ends with: “Every grilled cheese sandwich you give to your kids is like injecting them with a dozen vaccines.”Is this really true?I thought this information was so compelling that I went around telling it to everyone after I first watched it. I was met with a lot of skepticism.So, I tried to do my own research. What I came up with is that only “processed cheeses” have large amounts of aluminum added. According to Wikipedia, a processed cheese is a cheese product that is made *from* normal cheese.I’m sure some parents really do give their kids that processed stuff. However, plenty of parents also are likely to use normal/regular cheese. So, is the ending sentence missing a qualifier word? Ie, should it be: “Every grilled processed cheese sandwich you give to your kids is like injecting them with a dozen vaccines.”Or did I not do enough research? When I tell people this stuff, I want to be accurate. Thanks for any clarifications you can provide.The aluminum is indeed added in the processing, but that is what American cheese is, processed cheese (American cheese is the cellophane-wrapped slice that one typically makes grilled cheese sandwiches out of. In fact that’s why you make grilled cheese sandwiches with American cheese because it melts easy (thanks in part to the added aluminum)). I’m not saying that chronic aluminum ingestion is necessarily pathogenic. The risk of aluminum, as I noted in the video, remains an unanswered research question (see this review http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20378957 last year for example). I do think it’s reasonable, however, until we know more, to try to decrease our exposure.I get that the “American Cheese” brand is “processed cheese”. And it may be true that lots of people use that brand to make grilled cheese sandwiches, but certainly not everyone. My family (not me any more) makes grilled cheese sandwiches only with regular cheese. My family eats lots of regular cheese, but doesn’t touch processed cheese. When I told my mom about how much aluminum she was getting, it was not true. Yes?You didn’t say “processed cheese” anywhere in the video. I just listened to it again for like the 7th time. The words in the video only say “cheese” time and again and the graph also only says “cheese” – meaning that all cheese is given aluminum salts. This is not true from what I am able to determine.I think it is an important distinction to make. I don’t want to run around telling everyone that cheese has all this aluminum when in fact only some “processed”/fake cheese have it and regular cheese does not.Your point about the pathogenic nature of aluminum being unknown is well-taken. As is the part about wanting to limit aluminum in our diet. I think most people would agree with that – which is why I wanted to tell people about this.As something of an aside: I recently got a recipe book called “Uncheese…” (The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook: Delicious Dairy-Free Cheeses and Classic “Uncheese” Dishes) It has a recipe for “Geez Whiz” which is suppose to be something like processed Cheese Whiz. I haven’t eaten real Cheese Whiz in many years, so I can’t say for sure, however, I think the Geez Whiz is pretty authentic tasting and has an authentic texture – and it is pretty healthy too. I mention this just in case someone wonders if there is a way to get that processed-cheese experience without the aluminum.I’ll have to try that recipe! As noted in the video, if your cheese does not soft, easily melting, and with “desirable” slicing properties than it is unlikely that the dairy industry added aluminum salts to it. I guess the only way to be sure is to contact the company directly (since it is just used in processing they don’t have to list it in the ingredients),I’m amazed at the lengths people will go to avoid a particular substance while ignoring the facts. Cheese, as in all dairy, is harmful. Casein, the protein in dairy, has been proven to cause cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease. Dairy is also the cruelest industry on the planet. Maybe the safest, and smartest thing to do is avoid dairy altogether.You know, injecting something directly into the bloodstream is NOT the same as ingesting it. So… it isn’t a fair comparison.Either way, I wouldn’t want to eat that much, though.You’re absolutely right becochic, but in the calculation I took into account the relative bioavailability of the aluminum ingested orally.I use a Body Deodorant Stick called “Crystal” which says it has “No Aluminum Chlorohydrate” but it has Natural Mineral Salts, and Ammonium Alum. What are your thoughts on this form of aluminum?What do you use for deodorant?What about the use of aluminum foil in cooking, such as lining a baking pan with aluminum foil when roasting, or wrapping it around corn to cook on the grill; thoughts?CHEMICALS ARE NOT SAFE IN INJECTIONS JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE IN FOOD Medical students learn that substances behave differently when they are injected or ingested – why do so many appear to forget this basic fact?EVEN WATER IS NOT SAFE WHEN IT IS INJECTED As with other substances, water behaves differently when injected, in fact it is dangerous. Injections containing only water should never be administered because they cause irreversible damage: hemolysis/bursting of blood cells.That is why if injection of water is required it must be mixed with another substance to regulate isotonicity so that blood cells will not be damaged. One example of a substance which is often used for this purpose is sodium chloride. An injection of 0.9 per cent sodium choride is ideal as it presents least damage to blood cells.Thankyou Sandy for clarifying this, I was about to lose my mind b/c my daughter as a toddler ate a slice of cheese every day. She hasnt in a long time, but here i am thinking she is going to get some kind of cancer or alzheimers!I’m having trouble scrolling through the comment thread, I can only see the top one and cannot scroll through the rest, it just doesn’t move. I do not eat the “cheese food” slices at all as I consider it to be fake cheese.  But I do get other types of cheese with food such as the white cheese on a pizza or the feta in a greek salad for example.  Am I getting aluminum poisoned?  After watching the video I got the idea that I need to eliminate all types of cheese, but the comments suggest otherwise. Non “processed” cheeses may be less likely to have aluminum which is a worry and should be minimized. There are however many other reasons to avoid cheese which is highly calorie dense, contributing to obesity, contains cholesterol & saturated fat, contributing to arterial disease, and contains chemicals such as dioxin see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply to the risk of cancer and hormonal considerations. In children dairy products have been associated with early onset of puberty (something I believe most parents would like to delay for reasons along with the health benefits of delayed puberty) see…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/.Interesting how you did not mention the Rotterdam Heart Study which showed that eating hard cheeses was associated with a 57% decrease in cardiovascular events. Show me any other action that can lower heart risks by over 50%! Your vegan agenda is evident in your choice of data to highlight.The current science supports a whole food plant based nonGMO diet with adequate B12 intake. This is consistent with our biological design as “hind gut” fermenting herbivores. Beyond human health there is also the environmental impact of raising animals not to mention the suffering involved… not only the animals but the workers in the associated industries. So I guess my “agenda” would be more aptly labeled “global health”. Back to the study… I’m not sure I have reviewed that particularly study but would be glad to if you sent me the link… a quick pubmed search didn’t turn it up. Most studies that are used by folks to support their beliefs that consumption of animal products are beneficial are usually poorly done, relative studies and/or cite statistics without understanding. The saying, “s/he uses statistics like a lamp post more for support than illumination” comes to mind. In my CME talks with clinicians I recommend three references: first, Dr. Gilbert Welsh’s presentation, “Two Most Misleading Numbers in Medicine” available for free on the McDougall website under free lectures; second read the Nordic Cochrane Collaboration pamphlet, Screening for Breast Cancer with Mammography; and third, Dr. Goetzche’s book, Mammography Screening: Truth, Lies and Controversy which details all the studies done and is a great introduction to the practical issues of interpreting clinical studies. The most frequently cited CV study is the Lyons Heart Study which is an example of an intervention which showed improvement over the control group. That doesn’t make it the best intervention. Another study that comes to mind is the DASH study. I think it is important for clinicians to make sure that their patients are prescribed the best approaches and not a better approach (e.g. Barnard diet over American Diabetic Assn. Diet, Esselstyn(not Ornish) over the American Heart Assn. diet). I’ll look forward to the link.I agree with Don below, the study link would be useful in analyzing its applicability.Dr Greger,Do you know if veggie “cheese” such as Veggie Shreds/Slices has aluminum added so that it will melt easily?Thanks,Veggie “cheese” is made from soy. A huge amount of soy is genetically engineered with organisms from another species so that it resists incessant spraying with as many as three different and very toxic weed killers. I’ve never seen any certified organic veggie cheese.I need some advice on what to do about my teeth…Have them gold plated and have your initials tatood on your gumsI would like to know if you have an opinion on the dangers of using aluminum  cookware.   I have a lovely old-fashioned silver-plated aluminum teapot which my mother brought from England in the 50`s.  I love this little pot but barely use it because I’m worried about the connection to alzheimers.  I am vegan so don’t load my body down with animal product toxins so I’m hoping that perhaps my body can handle low levels of aluminum.  Is there a “safe” level to ingest on a daily basis. Hey TinaDespite what you’ll hear from fad diet book authors and internet bloggers, the world of science doesn’t drastically change it’s opinion on important matters very often at all. There’s always the odd scientist that likes to bend the truth of course or out right lie even.Sometimes things will be called harmless, later to be called harmful. Sometimes things will be called harmless and then later found to be healthful, but not many things make the leap from harmful to healthful.Often research is said to say something it doesn’t in the media. Like how tea and coffee were said to be dehydrating when really the studies were looking at strong caffeine tablets.Smoking will never be good for you. Neither will a steak unless you’re starving or not taking a B12 supplement. Fibre and antioxidants will never be harmful unless we conduct an experiment with unrealistic amounts of them perhaps. Maybe we’ll one day discover that fibre and antioxidants aren’t as healthful as we thought. Might turn out to be something else in the fibre, antioxidant rich foods that’s helping, but whatever it is, we still know looking for fibre, antioxidant rich foods is a good idea.Dr, I am a bit confused. The aluminium in vaccines enters the blood directly bypassing all the body’s defenses where as in the case of cookware, cheese, etc, it enters the body but through regular entry points. Surely the body can deal with aluminium differently if it enters through the mouth instead of in the vein directly. Kindly help. ThanksI did indeed take reduced oral bioavailability into account when I made the calculation–thanks for your question!Dr. Greger, do you think that most organic cheeses do not have anywhere near the aluminum?My friends over in the paleobubble of course say that seeds are trying to kill us all — and soy is especially bad because it has aluminum, aluminum I say! Will I get Alzheimers if I eat organic edamame or drink organic soy milk? [No more than 2-5 servings/day per your excellent video re how much soy is too much, which also does not mention the Al-soy angle.]Aluminum has been implicated in Alzheimer’s Disease but so have copper, iron, zinc and mercury. Saturated fat and cholesterol are also associated with increased incidence of dementia(multi-stroke and Alzheimer’s Disease). On the positive side to avoid these conditions getting regular physical exercise, adequate sleep, mental exercises and plant based sources of certain vitamins… E, Folate, B6 and B12. You need to avoid taking supplements as the fat soluble vitamins A and E have been associated with increase morbidity and mortality…. see video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/ and more recently see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/ . By avoiding supplements you will also most likely avoid iron, zinc and copper as many multivits have those as well. You should also view the videos on Alzheimer’s Disease on Nutritionfacts.org see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/. Pulling all this together is the upcoming book, Power Foods for the Brain by Neal Barnard which will be available on Amazon next month. Bottom line I would worry about the minerals in nuts and seeds when taken in moderate amounts such as 1-2 oz per day.You mention that you would worry about the minerals in nuts and seeds when taken in moderate amounts (1-2 oz. per day). It seems to me that moderate servings of some beans match similar amounts of minerals as do these nuts and seeds. Would you suggest worrying about the minerals in these beans?I imagine that Dr. Forreser meant to say that he *wouldn’t* worry about nuts and seeds in moderate amounts. Am I wrong?I would tend to agree with Lyra’s reading of Dr. Forrester’s comments. Also, nuts and beans are high in phytic acid which binds to minerals, such as aluminum which reduces their bioavailability…Also another key takeaway from Dr. Forrester’s comments is more recent studies showing that vascular issues (his reference to saturated fat and cholesterol) may be a significant contributor to the development of dementia.Thanks for the additional comments. I corrected my post re: nuts.Lyra… Thanks for catching my error. I corrected it.How can eating something be compared to injecting something? I’d think an injection which doesn’t not get broken down, but goes directly into our blood must me more potent.Hi Shari, you are correct and indeed scientists have been able to measure the difference in bioavailability of aluminum through injection versus ingestion. The study that Dr. Greger cites, focuses on this very issue. You can find this study under “Sources Cited”, below the video.We use BPA free canned beans for ease. I’m glad it’s BPA free, but what about the aluminum getting into our food and increased risk of things like Alzheimer’s?(Not to mention that I’m guessing that since BPA has to do with plastic, that a plastic coating is what is in direct contact with the food. I’m concerned about the leaching here as well.)Is it worth the time and effort to be cooking large batches of bulk beans and freezing them?I believe the can is steel.Is the aluminum in only processed cheese or in all hard cheeses?can you comment on the effects of the aluminum in titanium implants?Could this be a cause of migraines in people that get them from eating cheese?Dr. Neal Barnard speaking on PBS, said that aluminum sulfate is used by municipal water treatment plants as a clarifying agent for water that comes out of the tap. He suggested purchasing and installing a Reverse Osmosis Filter in order to protect your brain from the Aluminum. I have yet to purchase an RO filter, but I have found that eating more blueberries seems to sharpen my cognitive ability.What about immunotherapy for allergies? People get several shots a month containing aluminum hydroxide. It worried me so I stopped my therapy. And I’m happy I’m not eating a sandwich with cheese every day, like I used to.Aluminum has no known biological function in the body. Our bodies have the ability to excrete Aluminum through our kidneys. Aluminum is poorly absorbed by GI tract so we are somewhat protected. Direct injections by pass that protection. The key issue is the amount since our bodies will get rid of it. It can accumulate so it is best avoided or minimized. Dr. Greger’s video does a nice job at providing the relative intakes given various sources. Clinically it depends on the risks/benefits. Congratulations on moving beyond cheese.what kind of cheese? all cheeses?Your opinion on whether to have a vaccine, such as for flu and shingles?Do all cheeses contain aluminum? What about cream cheese, mozzarella and cheese made from organic milk?Not all cheese, just processed cheese such as the kraft cheese squares. There is more to cheese then just aluminum though. Check out this video http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dairy-sexual-precocity/A lot of the confusion about proper diet comes from the assumption that there is ONE diet that is best for EVERYONE. Roger Williams documented the wide variety of structures and functioning in our human species. Scientists like Pottenger, Kelley, Watson, Wolcott, have gone on to show that diets based on ones’ metabolic or oxidative type prove to be more useful than just prescribing ONE diet for EVERYONE. Example: Parasympathetic dominants tend of have overly alkaline blood pH. Eating the “healthy” way with lots of fruits and veggies drives their ph even higher, further away from the optimum pH of 7.46, making them feel worse, whereas Sympathetic dominants have more acidic blood and need the fruits and veggies to bring their blood pH up to 7.46. Find out more about metabolic typing and you’ll find out what your body specifically needs.Any studies to back your claims?I can list several sources of information which if you want to check their references you can find sources for the above statements. To look through and list sources for these statements would take more time than I have for a casual statement in a blog. Biochemical Individuality by Roger Williams (sample reference: Motulsky A. Human genetic variation and nutrition. Am J Clin Nutrition 1987, 45:1108-1113). Metabolic Typing by William L. Wolcott. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price. The Nutrition Solution: A Guide to Your Metabolic Type by Harold J. Kristal. One Man Alone by Nicholas Gonzalez, MD.Its difficult to come to our own conclusions based on the opinions of other authors. I would like some solid evidence.Well I would like the tea party Republicans to quit holding the congress and the American people hostage, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. If you want some solid evidence you’re going to have to look it up and read it for yourself. I’ve given you some reference books with medical references in them to begin with. These are not just author opinions put into print. I’m not going to do your work for you – you wouldn’t believe me or my references anyway if I wrote something that conflicts with your already preconceived paradigm of the one best diet for mankind. I have studied human nutrition for many decades and have yet to come up with a unified nutrition theory that explains it all but I firmly believe that the variability in structure and function of the human species is best served by a variety of diets that are individualized.Humzee: While I can’t say anything definitively about the particular diets you are talking about, I did want to say that this sounds an awful lot like the “diet for your blood type” – which is simply wrong.The reason I feel comfortable saying anything at all about your comment is that this site alone provides such strong evidence that (baring a genetic deficiency), there really is one basic diet that applies equally well to the vast majority of humans.It would sure take a whole lot of evidence to over shadow the current mountain of evidence we currently have. I encourage you to take a look at the great information on this site.There are many “typing” systems out there that attempt to tailor diets to specific populations: blood typing, ayurvedic doshas, metabolic typing oxidative typing, etc. some more useful than others. I agree with the inaccuracies of the blood typing system. The other three mentioned have proven to be more useful. They are based on a person’s individual biochemical and physiological make-up. I have studied the hunter-gatherer diet as put forth by Cordain and others and have come to the conclusion that it works well for those with a parasympathetic nervous system dominance (or protein types as they are sometimes called) and it is a disaster for those with a sympathetic nervous system dominance. As an example Dr. Robert Atkins used a variation of the paleo diet to treat a wide variety of ailments quite successfully but dropped his cancer treatment program using the same because of dismal results. The paleo approach works best with parasympathetic dominant types and poorly with sympathetic dominants who need a more plant based diet. You can check any of the work by Nicholas Gonzalez or William Donald Kelley who used this approach to achieve the best results known to modern medicine in treating cancer.Hi Humzee, So happy you have found this site…you sound super smart and like you have done a lot of research on nutrition :)) All I would say is to exercise caution when reading the work on anyone who is practicing medicine for profit and not thinking about the best interests of the patient. Check out Kelly and Gonzales about 1/2 way down on this link http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/cancer.html Hugs :))Hi Jen, thanks for taking the time to reply to my post. The cautions you advise regarding listening to those who practice medicine for profit also applies to those who would criticize them as they too could have their own private agenda. This seems to be the case for the author of the quackwatch website: http://www.raysahelian.com/quackwatch.html Dr. Gonzalez was given a chance to do a preliminary study to demonstrate the effectiveness of his program on pancreatic cancer patients. He achieved the best results ever demonstrated in the history of medicine and was granted a chance to do the gold standard comparison of his program compared to the best allopathic cancer treatment for pancreatic cancer. His study was sabotaged by the scientists who were running the program who had a conflict of interest because their program was the one being compared with the Gonzalez program, but they were allowed to perform the study. After the study’s conclusion the biased scientists were charged, convicted and punished for their unscrupulous behavior. Read What Went Wrong by Nicholas Gonzalez for Dr. Gonzalez’s side of this story. Follow his references to verify what actually happened. You can also check out his One Man Alone which describes 50 patients treated by the Kelley program that all had clinically diagnosed cancers and all had reduction and disappearances of their tumors following the Kelley approach. On quackwatch it was stated that this manuscript was never published. It has been published. The quackwatch article is pretty old. The manuscript was not published initially because no one could believe that nutrition and diet had anything to do with cancer so no one dared to publish it. It took a couple of decades before the climate had changed to allow for it to be published. Persecution of new ideas that are perceived as threats to the established order, especially when that order is taking in millions of dollars with their expensive, often ineffective treatments has always been met with attempts to discredit and condemn them. Having looked at both sides my analysis says Gonzalez, Kelley, Gerson and others as far back as John Beard all have information and techniques that if objectively included in the current fraternity of cancer treatment approaches could bring a lot of relief and reduction of suffering to a population suffering from this cancer epidemic…Hi Humzee, Very interesting read :) Thanks for sharing! I agree with you, we probably all have our own reasons for believing what we do…speaking of which, have you seen my very favorite Dr. Greger video? http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/ Be well, my friend :))Hi Jen, I have ordered 17 DVD’s so I will get a full dose of Dr. Greger’s knowledge soon! I haven’t watched the one you gave the link to. I have a satellite internet system and am limited as to how much I can download. Alas I am almost out of downloading allotment until Oct 8 so I will have to wait to watch it. I did preview the first minute or so and I can tell you that I like Dr. Esselstyn’s approach but have some reservations about its need to be so draconian – again I think his approach could be refined with some individual adjustments and he really doesn’t go far enough to discourage usage of all refined carbohydrates nor does he take into account the best ways to prepare grains to limit phytates, etc. as we see in traditional ways of preparing these complex carb sources. One of the reasons I’m low on download allotment for this month is that I did watch a lot of Dr. Greger videos and like his manner of presentation although I keep trying to read the actual research papers often shown in the background when he makes some nutritional point… frustrating as it never shows the whole paper..Gotta go to bed.. get my fix of natural melatonin…Humzee, Wow, you will be the expert! :) You are in for a treat! :) Can’t wait to hear what you think about them. Enjoy your DVDs! CheersI just started reading Dr. Barnard’s Power Foods for the Brain in which he recommends to limit Tea consumption because of its absorption of aluminum into the leaves. And yet Dr Greger has discussed its health benefits at great lengths as well (especially green tea and hibiscus). Is there an optimal range of consumption then? How much it too much? ThanksQuart or liter of tea per day is the Greger-approved level as I recall it.I appreciate learning about cheesy aluminum and urge my clients to remove such things. Shell of the book,”Recovering Autism, ADHD, & Special Needs.”I really like this site and the research that is delved into. However, the vegan bias is painfully evident. There are organic, less processed cheeses available that do not contribute aluminum to the diet. There are also vegan soy protein isolate products (not even mentioned) that contribute aluminum to the diet. Instead of painting a picture that demonizes all cheese, I feel a more responsible approach would be to offer straightforward advice to those who wish to continue eating animal products. A diet is a personal choice. While I do not agree with factory farms, I have many malabsorption issues which make a vegan diet an unhealthy choice for me (as I do not absorb many of the nutrients in these foods). Animal products are not synonymous with American Cheese and Egg McMuffins any more than miso and soy protein isolate fall into the same category on a health scale.Dr. Greger You are blaming (processed) cheese for Aluminum intake, but what about cacao you recommend for HD prevention? EU Foodauthorities registered hi Aluminum contents in various cacao samples. Is there any risk to get Aluminum related diseases?Antacids are commonly taken daily by a great many people including myself. Antacid contains Aluminum Hydroxide. Is this a problemThis very interesting video leads me to think about an issue I haven’t seen discussed on this site; namely, what types of cookware are safest. I have heard that some health professionals argue that aluminum cookware isn’t safe because harmful metals leech into the food — I’ve also heard similar things about cast iron. I’d be interested in hearing Dr. Greger’s opinion of, say, cast iron versus ceramic cookware — what’s the safest? Thanks!Dr. Christopher Shaw is a neuroscientist at the University of British Columbia and has been focusing his research on neurotoxicity of aluminum. Here he touches on the the difference between “injecting vs ingesting” this heavy metal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfTo35UrFPAJust watched this, 5 yrs later… I think is important to clarify, that study was about not only processed cheese, but pasteurized processed cheese. I wonder if aluminum is used in RAW cheeses? In goat or sheep cheeses? Guess will have to contact the company itself. RE: injected AL vs. ingested AL, even tho the quantities were estimated in regards of mutual bioavailability, the scenarios are very different. Injected aluminum is combined with a number of other agents, which are intentionally designed to create an inflammatory response; therefore the injected AL is likely to incur more cellular reactivity and/or damage.	aluminum,Alzheimer’s disease,antiperspirant,brain disease,brain health,Brussels sprouts,cheese,chicken,children,cooking methods,dementia,eggs,fish,food additives,sandwiches,seafood,tobacco,tomatoes,vaccines	What is the number one source of aluminum in the diet?	For more videos on the health risks associated with toxic metals, you can look at: Cadmium and Cancer: Plant vs. Animal Foods Get the Lead Out Amla and Triphala Tested for Metals Some Ayurvedic Medicine Worse Than Lead Paint ExposurePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cheese. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dementia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sandwiches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antiperspirant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vaccines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aluminum/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brussels-sprouts/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-and-triphala-tested-for-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-ayurvedic-medicine-worse-than-lead-paint-exposure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/get-the-lead-out/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cadmium-and-cancer-plant-vs-animal-foods/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18668223,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18436363,
PLAIN-3282	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/	Arsenic in Chicken	Arsenic is bad stuff—no argument, but most of the arsenic in the American diet comes not from rice; more than three quarters comes from animal products. Beef, milk, pork, hot dogs, eggs, and… chicken. Purdue is the most contaminated. One bucket of American fast food chicken may exceed the EPA safety limit for arsenic in a glass of drinking water by 2000%. How did it get there? The poultry industry fed it to them. Two million pounds of arsenic compounds are fed to chickens every year in the United States, and about 85 tons fed to pigs. Here’s the list of arsenic-containing feed additives approved by the FDA. But why would the industry do that? Why do we feed millions of pounds of arsenic compounds to chickens every year. Here’s one of the chemical company ads: “Livestock and profits growing healthy together.” Approved by the FDA to increase the rate of weight gain. When you cram tens of thousands of birds into filthy football field-sized sheds to lie beak to beak in their own waste they become so heavily infested with internal parasites that adding arsenic to the feed to poison the bugs can result in a dramatic increase in growth rates. It’s also approved for use to “improve pigmentation.” Arsenic can give the carcass a pinkish tinge, which consumers prefer. So the industry gets more profit; the consumers get the pink—what’s the downside? Landmark review in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences last year out of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. What are the public health consequences of extra dietary arsenic? extra cancer risk, heart disease, diabetes, neuropathy, and neurocognitive deficits in children, not something to crow about.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on chicken. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!thank you very much for this great truth3-Nitro has been withdrawn from the market.That is just one of the many arsenic-containing feed additives approved for use in the United States. It’s great that sales of one of them, 4-Hydroxy-3-nitrobenzenearsonic acid (3-Nitro®), was suspended, but we need a ban so all of them are pulled from the market. See Food and Water Watch’s report last year “Poison Free Poultry.”Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Dr. Oz, apple juice, and arsenic: chicken may have ten times more!I eat a plant-based diet for good reasons, but friends and family tell me they feel they ‘have to have meat’ to feel good. I don’t agree, but that’s their opinion. I am wondering for their sake, does buying simply “organic” chicken solve this arsenic  ingestion problem? Or would it have to be organic, free-range? Or kosher? Does the arsenic feed only apply to factory farm chickens that  are not organic?Arsenic is only one aspect of the harms seen with chicken. check out these few videos discussing inherent compounds in chcken whether it be organic or not. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/trans-fat-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-tolerable-upper-intake-of-zero/ http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/I watched your video “Pandemic Prevention:  Bird Flu and Emerging Infectious Diseases.”  If you put it on this web site more people will quit eating chicken.The USDA does NOT allow arsenic in organic poultry.“Farmers and ranchers must accommodate the health and natural behavior of their animals year-round. For example, organic livestock must be: Generally, managed organically from the last third of gestation (mammals) or second day of life (poultry). Allowed year-round access to the outdoors except under specific conditions (e.g., inclement weather).Raised on certified organic land meeting all organic crop production standards. Raised per animal health and welfare standards.Fed 100 percent certified organic feed, except for trace minerals and vitamins used to meet the animal’s nutritional requirements.“…Managed without antibiotics, added growth hormones, mammalian or avian byproducts, or other prohibited feed ingredients (e.g., urea, manure, or arsenic compounds).”http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5102526Chicken Meat contains Arsenic? FDA… so what?Do you think its time for CHANGE? FDA could easily and immediately fix the problem,” said Paige Tomaselli, senior staff attorney with CFS, “but instead puts its head in the sand. We can only conclude the FDA is catering to the companies that continue to sell products containing arsenic that ends up in our food supply.” Is this a PROBLEM? David Gross •There was a big scare when Dr. Oz found arsenic in apple juice.Then rice.There is a difference between inorganic and organic arsenic.Total arsenic may not be something to worry about.what can I eat that is not poisoned? Meat, veggies, and fruits all are full of crap, now what? Where do you go, what can you eat?And then of course since we’re killing all the bees… Remember when all food was organic?David Monkey–I feel the same way!where does brown rice fall on this graph?I’m amazed! Thanks for the information. Now please what do you think about 1. The chemicals they use in growing and preserving fruits and vegetables? 2. Is drinking distill water better than tap water since tap water has been found to contain many chemical?The agri-business for farm animals is evil. They don’t care about animals or people. Thank you for telling the truth. The FDA is also finally talking about removing antibiotics from farm animals.You should quit eating processed meats and lower your food bill by half and all the fat and toxic stuff, but you have to think differently. A baked potato, carrots, succotash and apple sauce is a meal and the meat doesn’t have to be there. For some protein wolf down some nuts or seeds. IF people eliminated meats they could eliminate the huge refrigerator.All other meats have increased in price by a lot. Even turkeys, but chicken is staying the same. So why do the others have to raise their prices? Turkey has increased by triple in the last five years. How can they make chickens with no increase? They say no hormones, but strange how it takes a chicken the whole Summer to reach full size but they can do it in six week sin a chicken house. So just quit eating the crap and eat sunflower seeds. Because the stuff is toxic.	animal products,arsenic,beef,brain disease,brain health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,chicken,children,cognition,diabetes,eggs,EPA,factory farming practices,FDA,feed additives,growth promoters,heart disease,heart health,hot dogs,marketing,medications,milk,nerve health,neuropathy,neurotoxins,parasites,pork,poultry,safety limits,water,white meat	The poultry industry feeds their birds millions of pounds of arsenic-containing drugs every year.	Check out How Many Cancers Have Been Caused by Arsenic-Laced Chicken? to learn more about this issue.Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on chicken. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/02/adding-fda-approved-viruses-to-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/how-much-arsenic-in-rice-came-from-chickens/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neuropathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/medications/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marketing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/growth-promoters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/water/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-many-cancers-have-been-caused-by-arsenic-laced-chicken/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18939599,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18991934,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1637422/,
PLAIN-3283	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-rice/	Arsenic in Rice	What about white rice? Came free with the broccoli in garlic sauce you just ordered. Better than nothing? And the answer is nope. Put some brown rice in your rice cooker and it will be done by the time the delivery person arrives If brown rice is so good for you and white rice is pretty much a waste of calories, why not just eat rice bran, which is part of what is taken away from brown rice to make white rice. Bad idea, doesn’t matter either way, or great idea—you get all the good stuff concentrated together? Unfortunately, you get all the bad stuff concentrated together as well. Plants grown in water-logged soil can absorb arsenic found naturally in the environment, and it concentrates in the bran. Does that mean we shouldn’t eat brown rice? No, but if you eat a lot of rice, I would encourage you to buy U.S. grown rice, as it has lower arsenic levels than Asian or European-grown rice.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on rice. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Does organic brown rice also contain arsenic? A lot of it? I eat organic brown rice maybe 4 to 5 times a week – and my dogs eat it almost everyday! So I’d like to know. Thanks for your posting. I had no idea that rice had any arsenic. Also, does organic white rice contain arsenic too? (I use it to make yellow rice).Hi Kathleen, See Toxins response below.   I hope this helps! AlexandraI’m also interested in knowing if white rice has as much arsenic as brown rice. It seems that you’re suggesting it doesn’t if rice bran has a relatively high concentration of arsenic (as that’s the part white rice is missing).Hello Adam!It appears as though, based on the study, that united states brown rice has more arsenic than in US white rice because the bran is what absorbs the arsenic. I would assume that we should avoid white rice all together because, although it may have lower arsenic levels, it is a nutrient poor food and provides no real nutritional benefit anyway. Brown rice actually has a lot of health value to it http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/great-grain-robbery/Avoid rice from China though as this seems to have the most arsenic! For more on rice check out these videos http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=riceHi: I eat rice 2 or 3 times a week. When i go out to eat, I eat brown rice. When I make it at home, it is generally a wild rice blend. Does wild rice contain the same levels of arsenic?It really depends on where its shipped from. Brown rice in most instances is lower in arsenic than white rice because of where its shipped from; I have seen wild rice getting shipped in bulk from China, and the rice shipped from there usually has higher arsenic levels. 2-3 times a week is not much cause for concern. If you ate it two meals a day, everyday (like i sometimes find myself doing) then I think it would be cause for worry.Wild rice appears to have levels of arsenic comparable to regular rice, whether sourced from China, sold in the U.S., or specifically from Wisconsin. Chicken appears to be a more important source of arsenic in the American diet though. See my video Arsenic in Chicken and blog Dr. Oz, Apple Juice, and Arsenic: Chicken May Have 10 Times More. Recently Consumer Reports vindicated Dr. Oz’s concerns about the unregulated levels of this toxic element in juice.Hello Adam,I want to add on to my previous statement because it was misleading. White rice, it appears, had more arsenic in most cases than brown rice based on where it was shipped from.“Total arsenic levels in the 107 south central rice samples averaged 0.30 μg/g, compared to an average of 0.17 μg/g in the 27 California samples. A white rice sample from Louisiana ranked highest in total arsenic (0.66 μg/g), and an organic brown rice from California ranked lowest (0.10 μg/g). Organic growing conditions, however, do not guarantee low arsenic levels, since any rice growing in arsenic-laden soil soaks up arsenic, says Meharg…a daily limit at 10 μg/L from drinking water” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1892142/We should not be concerned too much about brown rice it appears unless we eat a lot of it, which i tend to do.Thanks for the info man, you’ve been very helpful. Kudos.I’m getting conflicting information. Dr. Greger, you’re saying that US grown rice has less arsenic, but according to the article I’ve linked to below, John Duxbury, Professor of Soil Science and International Agriculture at Cornell University suggested eating basmati rice imported from India and Pakistan and jasmine rice from Thailand. And, Professor Meharg suggested sourcing from the Himalayas and Egypt. So, I’m still confused. Which is the best rice to buy. Or do we just not really know? http://www.green-talk.com/2012/02/23/arsenic-in-organic-brown-rice-syrup-and-rice-how-to-eat-rice-safely/Shlomy,The information you provided coincides with the information Dr. Greger presents. Where are you having confusion?Toxins,The source I referenced says rice from India, Pakistan, Thailand, Himalayas, Egypt has less arsinic. Dr. Greger says American rice has less arsenic. So the confusion is over which rice actually has less arsenic. U.S. grown rice or foreign rice?The information you are providing coincides with the information Dr. Greger is presenting. Here is the study Dr. Greger used. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1892142/I agree with Shlomy – in this video Dr. Greger says U.S. grown rice has less, and Asian rice has more. Did he misspeak in this video? I was confused by this as well. I eat a lot of brown rice and want to make sure I’m getting it from low-arsenic locations :)A new study has found arsenic at worrisome levels in all rice, and its worst in american grown rice…. need a little update on the video me thinks :)my bird is on a pellet made of rice and rice protein. should i be concern the brand name is Roudybush.My lovebird eats the same, she also loves brown rice.i am concerned about arsenic in brown rice/brown rice products that i eat often:lundberg brown rice cakes and nature’s path puffed (brown )rice.should i eliminate these foods from my diet ?would i be safer eating organic popcorn(air popped,plain ) and nature’s path organic corn puffs?I was a rice cake freek, and gave that silliness up. Ditto popcorn, rice puffs. THese are dead carbs and use valuable body resources to deal with. Don’t eat that junk. It’s junk food, despite the “whole” and “organic” on the label. Eat grains, if you must eat grains, cooked at low temp, steamed and boiled. If the arsenic don’t get ya the acrylimides from high temp processing will! Stop worrying and just do it!The Consumer Reports study that was recently published seems to go against your assertion that US grown rice has less arsenic than foreign-grown. They found exactly the opposite.Here are some of the things we do at the High5Kitchen to address the arsenic issue.Limit processed rice foods (which we already do as a matter of preference) Be aware of how many products contain rice and rice syrup such as rice cereals, rice cakes, health bars, gluten-free pasta and bread products.Cook rice differently: Thoroughly rinse raw rice before cooking. Cook rice in excess water (1 part rice 6 parts water, once cooked drain excess water to reduce arsenic level by 30-45%) follow by steaming for 5 minutes for better texture. Levels of Aarsenic in Rice: Effects of Cooking.Purchase California rice which was found to have 41% lower arsenic levels than rice grown in the south central states were cotton was grown. Market Basket Survey Shows Elevated Levels of As in South Central U.S. Processed Rice Compared to California: Consequences for Human Dietary Exposure.For information covering Consumer Reports, FDA testing and the rice issue with source information you may wish to visit my blog at http://celebratewholefoods.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/rice-and-arsenic-should-you-be-concerned/. Apparently the links do not copy in this comment section. Sources are linked in the blog.Currently, we are experimenting with double cooking rice using the method described above until just al dente, then discarding the water and continuing to cook to obtain the texture we like so much.Asian grown rice has LESS arsenic not more. The worst is from the southeast US. If he’s got this wrong what else does he have wrong.how about oat bran and other brans?We are told to eat more chicken, and rice has always been said to be healthy. Now we are told we have contaminated water & chicken & rice. Arsenic is the main ingredient in Roundup. Why is Roundup still on the market????Well, an online article published in 2007 for a popular and well known newspaper – The Telegraph – stated that rice with the lowest levels of Inorganic Arsenic levels were found in Egypt and India.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/food/3304831/Dangerous-levels-of-arsenic-in-10pc-of-rice.htmlIs this why we should wash our rice before cooking? Will it remove most of the arsenic? ThanksI used to eat short grain brown rice but now I’m grown a strong liking for basmati direct from Pakistan. This rice is aged for a year so I guess this gives it an amazingly good taste and texture. So, let’s say I eat a nutrient rich diet in most respects. Is it unhealthy to eat white rice? Sans the arsenic, could there be an argument that white is better than brown? I’m loath to give up this white rice. Tell me how it’s harmful, please.Tobias Brown: I’m no expert, but based on my understanding, I could not say that some white rice in the context of a nutrient rich whole plant food based diet would be any problem. After all, isn’t that pretty much was the rural Chinese used to eat? Ie, those people with low cancer rates, etc.?Having said that, I have an idea for you: I have happily eaten brown basmati rice that I got from the store. That seems to me to be the best solution since it involves both basmati and all the fiber and nutrients you get from the whole grain.Just an idea. :-)Maybe I will go back to mixing. But frankly the brown version does not have the wonderful fragrance, texture, or taste of the white version, as least from my perspective. And best of all, no arsenic? (I’ve heard that the asians did so well on white rice because… they walk their butts off normally. That’s a good point. :)Well, who am I to say, but I think that if you get so much pleasure from the white rice and you do everything else so well, then just enjoy your white rice! It is also important to get pleasure from your food.Now you have me curious about that white basmati rice. You may be a bad influence on me. ;-OMaybe add pick and we could fall in love. :) Seriously. I’ve recently realized that for weight control, it would not hurt me to minimize white rice and potatoes, the major “pure” starches. The quick conversion to sugar might make weight control more difficult.In the “What should I know about arsenic and food?” link at http://www.lotusfoods.com/Faq.aspx some rice arsenic levels are listed. I ordered 2 six-packs of http://www.lotusfoods.com/Organic-Madagascar-Pink-Rice/p/LOT-501581&c=LotusFoods@Organic, for the $9.95 shipping cost it came in a couple of days. It has a lighter color and taste than either red or forbidden rice, so I don’t know about the anti-oxidant levels. At 3 ppb it has the lowest arsenic level whole grain rice I have found. The “ALTER ECO RUBY RED” rice at Whole Foods has 213 ppb. According to the CDC arsenic concentrations as low as 300 ppb can cause “symptoms such as stomachache, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea” http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=18&tid=3Invegat: was hoping to follow your links, but they no longer appear to work. Darn!Am puzzling over where to find healthy brown rice: we eat ALOT of rice. Used to buy Lundberg organic brown, either short or long grain. Since the arsenic issue surfaced, have been eating white Basmati from India. But we sure would like to find a source of low-arsenic Brown rice. Have just been to all the grocery stores in our area: all the brown rice is Lundbergs or from the southern US – believe that it all has arsenic issues. The brown basmati was also Lundberg. Anyone have good ideas on where to buy low-arsenic brown rice? Thanks for the helpLotus Foods took down their arsenic testing results when they reformatted their site. The CDC link still works for me. Another resource that might be of some help is http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/UCM352467.pdf. Did you try the Madagascar pink rice with only 3 ppb? Its link is now http://www.lotusfoods.com/lotusFoodsC5/index.php/products/organic-products/organic-madagascar-pink-rice/How does red rice and black rice compare to white and brown rice in terms of arsenic levels?	arsenic,Asia,Europe,natural toxins,rice,rice bran,supplements	Ways to decrease one's arsenic intake from rice.	Here are some other videos on rice: Kempner Rice Diet: Whipping Us Into Shape Power PlantsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on rice. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice-bran/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/arsenic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/europe/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/kempner-rice-diet-whipping-us-into-shape/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/power-plants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18939599,
PLAIN-3284	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-sweet-potatoes/	Toxins in Sweet Potatoes?	What about sweet potatoes? Bad, eh, or good? They’re not good. They’re great! Ranked as one of the top ten healthiest foods on the planet by the Mayo clinic. So, sweet potatoes good, white potatoes bad. If you insist on continuing to eat white potatoes, peel them, which removes about three-quarters of the toxins.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!So are you saying that it is bad to eat potato skins? I thought they had healthy nutrients? -thanks, DaveHi Dave, You’re better off not eating the skins.  Although they may contain nutrients, potato skins are still not worth eating due to their toxic properties.  Peel the skin, and try to occasionally substitute white potatoes with sweet potatoes to boost your nutrient intake. I hope this helps! AlexandraDoctor, Do you recommend that we peel our sweet potatoes as well?No need!Two questions: 1) What about white sweet potatoes? Mayo clinic was mentioning only orange sweet potatoes, which I don’t like. But I like white sweet potatoes a lot! http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/health-foods/MY01108&slide=9 2) What about sweet potato skin? A skin of regular potato is harmful, is the skin of sweet potato OK?Could you clarify what you mean by white potatoes? Would this include russets, yukon golds, etc.?Thanks a lot! I love your website :)Yep–even purple potatoes! (though they may have special properties).I get to eat this sweet healthy food. Woot!Here’s some new and different sweet potato recipes I found…some even using Dr. G’s favorite spices. http://www.ncsweetpotatoes.comNow that we know we can eat nuts (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/) and nut butters (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/testing-the-pistachio-principle/) without fear of weight gain we can use them to flavour this surprisingly amazing stew which just so happens to contain one of the healthiest vegetables (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-sweet-potatoes/).Peanut/Almond Butter Barley Stew-1 ½ cups barley* -3 cups water/homemade vegetable broth -1 red onion, chopped (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carrots-vs-baby-carrots-2/) -2 cloves garlic, minced (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/) -½ inch piece of fresh gingerroot, minced -4 carrots, diced -1 large sweet potato, cubed -jar strained tomatoes -1 tsp cumin -pinch cayenne pepper -2 tbsp unsalted peanut or almond butter -chopped peanuts/almonds for garnish -sea salt and black pepper to tastePlace all ingredients except peanut butter, peanuts, and salt into a large soup pot. Cook for 40 minutes until barley almost cooked. Add peanut butter and cook until it has melted and heated. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Serve garnished with peanuts.*If sensitive to gluten substitute with buckwheat~Complements of lovestobeveganSounds yummy! Thank you for sharing. Anyone else have any recipes to share?What about yams? I see sweet potatoes and yams used interchangeably in the store often. Following the rule of more colorful usually = better, I’d pick a garnet yam over the less colorful sweet potato. But which is actually better?We eat whole food/plant based in our family, and have a young child, so I’m conscious of what we eat. But the sweet potato/yam question is still unclear to me. Thanks!I would not worry about this, because both of these foods are quite healthy. Usually it is the case that the more colorful foods have more antioxidants but these foods are both very healthy so its not much concern.I have found an interesting fact about sweet potato :http://abstracts.acs.org/chem/244nm/program/view.php?obj_id=143706&terms=I always like to check sources. But in this case, there’s an apparent contradiction. Salmon is also in their top ten healthiest foods list, so by the exact same logic, salmon is also great for you! But I thought you were against all fish consumption (mercury, PCB’s, heterocyclic amines, etc.)?When it comes to peeling the white potatoes, does this apply also to organic potatoes?Dear Dr. Greger,I was wondering about the different types of sweet potato. In my local supermarket they sometimes have the ones with orange flesh but more often the red ones with white flesh, though they’re sold under the same name.Both ok, or just the orange ones?Thank you,Coen (from the netherlands)I recently read that white potatoes contain antinutrients. Is this also true for yams?	glycoalkaloids,Mayo Clinic,natural toxins,sweet potatoes,yams	Sweet potatoes are one of the healthiest known vegetables.	Check these videos out to learn more about sweet potatoes: Anti-Cancer Potential of Sweet Potato Proteins The Best Way to Cook Sweet PotatoesPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycoalkaloids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mayo-clinic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yams/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/	-
PLAIN-3285	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-cooked-potatoes/	Toxins in Cooked Potatoes?	Any other natural toxins to consider? Well, potatoes produce these natural insecticide compounds called glycoalkaloids to keep potato beetles from nibbling on them—they’re not stupid. So bad for beetles, but what about us? Well, a number of dietary risk assessments have been published lately, and although these glycoalkaloids are thought to be the most highly consumed natural toxin in North America, people have been growing potatoes for 7000 years, currently the 4th largest food crop in the world. Major review just published, what do you think? Now this is for a baked potato, not fried, no butter, no cheese, no sour cream—no salt. Just a plain baked potato. Bad, neither, or good? True safety, or false sense of security? Asking the question of “vital importance.” Are potato glycoalkaloids dangerous to humans? This discussion suggests they are indeed toxic and this problem should no longer be ignored. OK, then.	New (as-yet-unpublished) study evidently suggests that the consumption of purple potatoes may significantly improve blood pressure of overweight and obese individuals. If you choose to continue to eat potatoes, choose the varieties with colored flesh (though I suspect that sweet potatoes still remain healthier overall).I prefer the light sweet potatoes and almost don’t like the dark ones at all. I would love to hear that my choice is a good one and fits in your statement of remaining healthier overall. Hmm?“This discussion SUGGESTS they are indeed toxic” and further studies will say they are not after all.Michael, Could you provide a list of the food you consider to be safe and nutritionally beneficial please? Thank you. Karen :)I believe for a variety of reasons (incredible nutritional profile, lower glycemic index, edible raw or cooked) that sweet potatoes – a staple of many long-lived cultures – should always be consumed over potatoes.Does this include all potatoes that are not sweet potatoes – even like Yukon golds and red skins and purple potatoes? (I saw your post about purple and blood pressure, and I don’t need to lower my blood pressure).Yes, what’s the verdict on gold, red & purple potatoes?The healthiest potatoes are probably sweet potatoes (see my video about sweet potatoes), but if you are going to eat plain potatoes, the varieties with colored flesh (not just skin) do appear healthier. A new study published this month found that the consumption of 6-8 microwaved purple potatoes a day (they’re pretty small) resulted in a boost in antioxidant capacity of the blood (whereas the plain potato starch control acted as a pro-oxidant) and a drop in blood pressure in overweight individuals. “Thus,” they concluded, “purple potatoes are an effective hypotensive agent and lower the risk of heart disease and stroke in hypertensive subjects without weight gain.” Last year a study found that purple potatoes appeared to suppress both early and late stage human colon cancer cells in vitro, but only if they were fresh. After being in storage a few months their anti-cancer properties diminished. And finally, another study published last year (and this one available full-text), found a trend towards lower inflammation in men eating purple potatoes than white, concluding “Pigmented potato consumption reduced inflammation and DNA damage in healthy adult males. This offers consumers an improved nutritional choice in potato consumption.” Purple sweet potatoes may offer the best of both worlds, as suggested in an in vitro study last year on human fat cells that suggested anti-obesity, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory benefits.»The healthiest potatoes are probably sweet potatoes (see my video about sweet potatoes), but if you are going to eat plain potatoes, the varieties with colored flesh (not just skin) do appear healthier«Oh yes, but your video tells me that the »normal« potatoe, I – and untold millions – eat, is harmful. I can hardly believe that!Do you recommend not eating plain potatoes ever?Do you think the levels would be insignificant in potatoes that were entirely or almost entirely free of green. Some suggest we just need to be more careful with storing them (farmers that is). I would agree that even slightly green potatoes you should say no to though and there are better choices of course.I follow your reports closely and this has to be one of your most questionable positions. White potatoes harmful. You should know that in John McDougall’s latest book “The Starch Solution” he cites white and sweet potatoes as the most nearly perfect foods, very early in the book. He claims these two foods each alone could sustain human life (add b12) fairly well. So, next to nixing avocados 86ing the white potatoes leaves me feeling quite doubtful. And the problem with raising such doubt on a few items with viewers like me is that it forces me to reduce my level of confidence slightly in all of your statements. I suspect another example is your positive view on cocoa. This food can be quite dangerous to some animals (dogs, for example). And it’s clearly “the rage” in health food stores now. A fad? So, maybe it’s time to cut cocoa down a few notches by comparing it head-to-head with carob. Please? Anyway. I wish you would have another category for evaluating foods: The jury is still out ( or uncertain). Placing a harmful rating on some foods is a very difficult proposition!I am also in disagreement with Dr. Greger’s view on white potatoes, while I still do not eat avacados for more complex reasons. Potatoes are quite nutrient dense and satiating,http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2770/2I think the main issue that we find in studies are that potatoes are lumped together with french fries or potato chips which are the least bit healthful.Jeff Novick really cuts into the potato concern quite well here.https://www.facebook.com/notes/jeff-novick-ms-rd/potatoes-diabetes-dietary-trends-truths-about-taters/434650191818I appreciated your post especially the link to Jeff Novick’s facebook notes which is excellent. I have found the nutritiondata website useful as well for looking up details. I was surprised to see the amount of Vitamin C and Folate in 300 grams of a white potato. I was surprised to see that it is listed as an inflammatory food as it is primarily starch (i.e glucose) and very little fructose. I wasn’t surprised that I couldn’t ferret out the details of the equations used to calculate the number… sorry my undergraduate training as a chemical engineer drives me to the equation before I put any credence in a number whether that is the Inflammatory Factor on nutritiondata or Nutrient Density in Whole Foods. If you look at the ratio of Omega 6/3 it is about 4/1 which is acceptable. Toxins… thanks again for the post.Does this glycoalkaloid toxin problem apply to the whole potato or to j ust the skin?I have the same question. When I boil potatoes, the chemicals must be in the water and therefore effect the meat of the potato.According to FoodSafetyWatch.org (http://www.foodsafetywatch.org/factsheets/glycoalkaloids/) “In normal tubers, potato glycoalkaloids appear to be concentrated in a small 1.5 mm layer immediately under the skin, therefore, with normal tubers, peeling will remove between 60% – 95% of the glycoalkaloids present.” But since their is a higher concentration of nutrients in the skin, one is in effect throwing the metaphorical baby out with the bath water nutritionally speaking. The article goes on to say that potatoes that are high in glycoalkaloid toxin, the green and sprouting ones, have a greater percentage of the toxin in the flesh, and that the glycoalkaloids are heat stable until the very high cooking temperatures found in deep frying which impart their own set of problems.http://www.foodsafetywatch.org/factsheets/glycoalkaloids/For some reason, my link isn’t resolving and I do not have edit privileges…Hmm… I dunno. Peruvians seemed to use it as a staple (I think it was Peruvians).So, it’s pretty easy for me to peel my cooked Yukon Golds, the Russets are a little harder and I can’t see peeling a baked pot. To think that I used to eat the skins and not the insides. Anyway, are baked even good for us at all? I’m just about ready to get my new stove put in and dying to bake up a big batch of baked potatoes. Hmmm. Should I give up the dream?Ann Med. 2013 Nov;45(7):467-73. doi: 10.3109/07853890.2013.813633. Epub 2013 Jul 15.The role of potatoes and potato components in cardiometabolic health: A review.McGill CR, Kurilich AC, Davignon J.SourceHealthy Science Communications, LLC.AbstractAbstract Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are an important food crop worldwide and contribute key nutrients to the diet, including vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber. Potatoes and potato components have been shown to have favorable impacts on several measures of cardiometabolic health in animals and humans, including lowering blood pressure, improving lipid profiles, and decreasing markers of inflammation. A range of glycemic index (GI) values have been reported for potatoes, and data are sparse regarding the impact of potato consumption on the postprandial glycemic response, especially when potatoes are consumed with other foods. There is a lack of clinical trial data regarding the impact of potatoes on weight management. A small number of human cohort studies have reported beneficial associations between potato consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle and cardiometabolic health. Another small number of human population studies have included potatoes as part of a dietary pattern with other calorie-dense foods and have not reported cardiometabolic benefits. The epidemiological literature should be interpreted with caution due to lack of consistency in both defining dietary patterns that include potatoes and in control for potential confounding variables. Controlled clinical trials are needed to define the impact of potatoes on cardiometabolic health.This video does not appear under potatoes when you search the index bar on the left side of the site.This has to be the one report on this site that is most likely to be WRONG. Really wish we could get some solid information on eating white potatoes. So many resources say that they are a great food. And Dr Greger says they aren’t based on this one study? or are there many studies supporting his ADVICE here?Are the delicious skins of the variously colored sweet potatoes toxic, or super healthy?Dr Greger recommends sweet potatoes — including the skins. He also recommends varied color ones… especially darker purple ones.I have a better chance of finding diamonds in my backyard than finding purple potatoes in ANY store around me. They are the one food nobody carries!? Not whole foods… not mothers market… no place in Southern California carries purples… I’d make the switch if I could find them as I love red potatoes and eat them every day, practically every meal as suggested by our good friend Dr. John McDougall. If I ever go on one of those health cruises. I’m going to strait up ask both Dr.’s to stand up and debate over our beloved white or red potato. (I hope McDougall wins). =)I’m not sure about the conclusions on the harms of the white potatoe. When I went to the sources cited, one study was a model, and the other was based on testing on hamsters. Perhaps the evidence is pointing away from the healthiness of white potatoes, but these conclusions seem to be based on weak data. I have to admit, I didn’t read the whole articles, just access to the free text (in this case, Abstracts only).Perhaps the study points toward toxicity because potatoes belong to the notorious Deadly Nightshade family. Many people react to foods belonging in this family group. There is always good information to had on this site that is always backed up by research and peer reviews. Thank you Dr. Greger.I have been told that the glycoalkaloids in potatoes are due to solanine, in green parts of the potato, and they can be eaten safely as long as there are they are kept in the dark, there are no deep green parts, and any green on the skin is discarded. What do you think?	glycoalkaloids,insects,natural toxins,pesticides,potatoes	Natural glycoalkaloid toxins concentrate in the skins of potatoes.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/insects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glycoalkaloids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19286450,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15036866,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18614268,
PLAIN-3286	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/	Toxins in Raw Mushrooms?	Harmful, harmless, or helpful? Raw mushrooms. I got an email from someone last year saying that Dr. Joel Fuhrman told his patients to stop eating raw mushrooms out of fear of a natural toxin in mushrooms called agaritine, which is essentially destroyed by cooking. Now I get crazy emails all the time about doctors spouting all sorts of nonsense, but I have tremendous respect for Dr. Fuhrman, so I took it seriously enough to research the topic and what do you think I found? Raw mushrooms: Harmful, harmless, or helpful? Has Furhman just drank one too many of his blended salads, or is he really onto something? He’s right. Mushrooms have all sorts of amazing health benefits, but eat them cooked.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?) as well as these videos on mushrooms. Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I eat raw white mushrooms all the time. Switching to cooked would be easy enough. Sometimes I microwave them for 30 seconds to make them soft and juicy. Is that sufficient to kill the toxins? What’s the best method, and minimum length of time to cook them to kill the toxins?Hello Eric,Taking a look at the study, when microwaving, it appears that if you microwave for 30 seconds you lose 51% of the agaritine and after 45 seconds 60% of the agaritine is lost.To answer your question about the absolute best method to reduce agaritine, if you boil in water for 1 hour you lose 88% of the agaritine and if you freeze them for 30 days then allow them to thaw out on their own for 1 hour without microwaving you lose 77% of the agaritine. These are by far the best 2 methods it seems to reduce this toxin. https://mycotopia.net/forums/attachments/fungi-all-edible-medicinal-other-mushrooms/78237d1203797227-carcinogenesis-button-crimini-portabella-mushrooms-processingstoragedegradationagaritine.pdfYou should note that there is also no “safe” level of agaritine as it is known as a human carcinogen, the tolerance should be 0. Of course, one could assume that reducing as much agaritine as possible would be not nearly as destructive as full exposure. http://books.google.com/books?id=vMDRLMP-FC4C&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=safe+level+of+agaritine&source=bl&ots=5b5tajAnBV&sig=mugP0fgo2HTM3_V1jNDiZDwHT-o&hl=en&ei=hIydTu75IOa1sQLv1KXgCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=falseFor more on some typically consumed toxins, check out this video on Blue-green algae and Spirulina http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/blue-green-algae-spirulina/Hope this helped!What about just buying canned mushrooms? These would already be cooked and could be rinsed off if they have any added salt.I see no problem in that as long as the sodium content is low. If its very salty, we might be able to reduce the sodium, at best, by 30%.signmanbob: I have another thought for you concerning canned mushrooms – toxins leaching from the cans. I’m sure you’ve heard of the problems with BPA. But even if you can find a brand free of BPA, I have to wonder what else is in there that might be bad. What are they replacing the BPA with???? (That last part is just speculation on my part.)My tip on convenient mushrooms – get the pre-washed, pre-sliced mushrooms from the store. I know that Trader Joes and Market of Choice sell mushrooms this way. Then throw the mushrooms in the microwave (no oil or anything need be added) for a good 4-6 minutes. They come out perfect and you don’t have to deal with opening a can, draining, salt, BPA or anything else.Just a thought for you. Good luck.Thank you Thea! That does sound good. I’ll have to see if I can find those around here. So if microwaving 4-6 minutes will get rid of the toxins in the mushrooms, that won’t be much trouble at all.signmanbob: So glad the tip appeals to you.FYI: the reason I give such a large range of times is that cooking time depends on all these factors: your microwave power, how many mushrooms you are cooking, whether or not the mushrooms comes from the refrigerator or were sitting on your counter, and how thick/thin the store sliced them. (Trader Joes ones are thicker than Market of Choice. Depending on what I’m doing, both come in equally handy.)I just cook until it gets that cooked mushroom consistency. Once you get a brand you are familiar with, you will know exactly how long to cook them each time. It will be a snap.Another tip: The mushrooms naturally release their “water” into the cooking bowl. I scoop out the mushrooms, but leave the mushroom water. Then I add the chopped broccoli or cauliflower or whatever to the same bowl and cook it in the mushroom water. Yum! I usually do 3 minutes for broccoli. 4-5 minutes for cauliflower.Hope you can find those pre-sliced mushrooms I am talking about because it is so fast and comes out tasting so good. Good luck!What happens when eating raw mushrooms?If agaritine is so toxic and cooking mushrooms does not remove all of it, wouldn’t it be healthiest to not eat mushrooms at all?   It seems the exposure to agaritine is more dangerous than any health promoting effects of mushrooms, right?Although yes agaratine is toxic and yes agaratine is not completely eliminated, mushrooms are still higihly nutritious and the minute amounts we are exposed to when eating cooked mushrooms is not of a concern.On the other hand many foods are also highly nutritious, and they have no agaritine at all.Mushrooms are special, in that they are more beneficial in certain ways then other plant foods. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=mushroomsVitamin C counteracts the carcinogen acrylamide produced by roasting coffee beans. I wonder if Vit C or another antioxidant would counteract agaritine?I have not seen this evidence, please share.Please Google acrylamide+Vitamin C.Articles, blog posts, and news stories are not evidence, as this is what you will find when google searching. I need you to link an actual study so we can examine whether this claim you made is true or false.Google past page one. Several of the hits do reference actual studies.P.S. the “approval” came from me by accident :)http://www.mykoweb.com/articles/EatingRawMushrooms.htmlThe kicker with Agaricus species, including the buttons, is that one of their primary hydrazine components, along with gyromitrin, is “agaritine,” a substance somewhat resistant to cooking heat, with a significant percentage (25–75%) of agaratine material typically remaining after being subjected to various methods of cooking. So, the question as far as avoiding hydrazines in Agaricus is concerned, actually becomes whether to eat members of this genus at all.We need to keep in mind that lab tests and subsequent conclusions drawn concerning carcinogenic or mutagenic health hazards of hydrazine involve massive doses of isolated extracts administered to mice in a concentrated time frame. Similarly disturbing test results are likely to be found with many substances present in many, many foods humans commonly eat without suffering or even worrying about any particular health concern. The relatively unblemished human history of consuming edible Agaricus species suggests we may continue to do so.are the white muahrooma harmful raw? ive been eating them for 35 years!Worth noting that the initial toxicological studies fingering agaritine in mice (but not rats) used rather extreme protocols.“Feeding studies using mushrooms and mushroom extracts have in general provided no evidence of toxicological effects of agaritine or mushroom consumption, in contrast to results of studies which have administered non-physiologically relevant concentrations of chemically synthesized hydrazine derivatives to mice. The available evidence to date suggests that agaritine from consumption of cultivated A. bisporus mushrooms poses no known toxicological risk to healthy humans.”Roupas, Peter, et al. “Mushrooms and agaritine: A mini-review.” Journal of Functional Foods 2.2 (2010): 91-98. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464610000241I think we can conclude that we have to take Dr Greger advice with a pinch of salt :). He also seems to be demonizing coconuts but very pro soy. Go figure!Not the old “soy is bad for you” propaganda again…Dr. Greger does not demonize coconuts, he doesn’t advocate coconut oil or coconut milk.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/Hello. I love you Dr. Greger!Yesterday I ate several raw white button mushrooms (even after viewing your mushroom video) so I was a little concerned. I went to “sources cited”, and saw evidence of the agaritine content, but I wanted to know why agaritine from mushrooms was considered so toxic.I found this 2010 “mini review” from Australia that concluded there was no evidence of toxic effects from eating raw mushrooms:Roupasa P, Keoghb J, Noakesb M, Margettsa C, Taylorb P. Mushrooms and agaritine: A mini-review. Journal of functional foods. 2010;2(2):91-98. According to the conclusion:“Direct administration of chemically synthesized hydrazine compounds, including agaritine, to mice has been reported to be associated with potential carcinogenic effects in some studies, but contradicted by other studies. No carcinogenic effects have been scientifically validated in studies with mice, rats or humans where mushrooms have been consumed…A critical analysis of the studies to date leads to the conclusion that consumption of A. bisporus and other edible mushrooms does not result in any known toxicological or carcinogenic effects in healthy humans.”Please note that the review was funded by Mushroom and Health Global Initiative (MHGI).Do you happen to know if there are any studies on consumption of edible mushrooms that have found toxic effects? Thanks for being a fantastic resource!The source cited seems to be about the agaritine content not about its level of harm. Also, agaritine doesn’t seem to be all bad, e.g. the article “Agaritine purified from Agaricus blazei Murrill exerts anti-tumor activity against leukemic cells.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20347942Which states “The results indicate that agaritine from ABM has direct anti-tumor activity against leukemic tumor cells in vitro. This is in contrast to the carcinogenic activity previously ascribed to this compound.” Is there conclusive evidence that agaritine is harmful if consumed in raw mushrooms? I couldn’t find it. Thanks.Is there a difference between “Fresh Cooked” and Canned Mushrooms? In other words is the efficacy of the mushroom diminished by the canning process? Or are canned and cooked on par?This review found that there is no evidence that consumption of agaritine in mushrooms leads to any toxicological effects. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464610000241Most of the animal studies that found toxic effects resulting from agaritine used an isolated form in very high doses that are not representative of whole mushroom consumption. Given that agaritine is a known toxin, it’s a decent precaution to cook mushrooms. But given the lack of evidence of any real toxic effect from human consumption of whole raw mushroom, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.	agaritine,Dr. Joel Fuhrman,mushrooms,mycotoxins,natural toxins	Agaratine, a natural toxin found in mushrooms, is destroyed by cooking.	What else do mushrooms do for us? Check out: Breast Cancer Prevention: Which Mushroom Is Best? Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?) as well as these videos on mushrooms. Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/08/30/the-most-anti-inflammatory-mushroom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/04/02/ergothioneine-a-new-vitamin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/06/mushrooms-for-breast-cancer-prevention/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mycotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dr-joel-fuhrman/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mushrooms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/agaritine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-prevention-which-mushroom-is-best/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12396396,
PLAIN-3287	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-foods-menopause/	Soy Foods & Menopause	All right, back to foodsSoy consumption helps ameliorate symptoms of menopause. Now as with nearly everything in the field of human nutrition, the evidence is mixed, so the question is always “What does the balance of the evidence show?” To bean or not, to bean. Here’s what the science shows: There’s been a dozen studies on soy consumption and hot flashes, and one showed an increase in hot flashes. Three didn’t show soy did much of anything, but the remaining 8 showed significant reduction in hot flashes. You can imagine what the headlines were like after the publication of the study at the bottom: “soy doesn’t work.” But you have to take the totality of evidence, and soy really does seem to help.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on soy and women’s health. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I find 1-3 tabls of ground flax helps more. I don’t know what the dose of soy to take and find this easier to take.Hello, Michael!Question: A coworker takes an estrogen patch and in her efforts to make the switch to a vegan diet, is concerned that soy will cause some problems since she cannot control the amount of estrogen she receives from this patch. What advice would you give someone in this situation in regards to Soy consumption?Regards, Scott Hi Scott, If there is one thing that holds true, nutrients in its original source are healthier than other types of (artificial) supplementation.  Your coworker may find her menopausal symptoms (assuming this is why she has the patch) have lessened the more whole foods she is consuming (and the bad stuff she’s ditching) in general.  With the consult of her doctor, she may want to ditch her artificial supplementing for a whole-foods, plant-based diet to help her menopause.  Regardless, every day more and more evidence comes out about the benefits of soy and not just with menopause!  Here you can see how the forms of soy compare to each other health wise.  http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tofu-vs-tempeh-2/Many of the studies support a daily consumption of soy (1-2 servings), which is how the Asians typically eat.  Here are two great but short reads on current research of soy and Breast Cancer.  In addition it explains why previous studies using lab animals misguided us on how soy is processed in the human body.  http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/04/26/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2011/08/29/soy-and-breast-cancer-an-update/ Here is a great video on the subject also!http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/ Here is also a video on the benefits of soy beans in general.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-worth-a-hill-of-beans/ Just on a side note, here is a video providing evidence of the negative health consequences of taking supplements.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/ I wish your coworker great luck with her healthier life changes.Will you be posting any videos on PMS any time soon? I just love all these clips. So informative! Thank you!!A larger question would be why humans experience menopause much earlier than other primates. For instance, one study I’ve found says chimps don’t experience it until 90% life span.It’s because our offspring take so long to mature. We need to live longer (and have more infertile years) in order to ensure their survival and the survival of our grandchildren–our gene pool :) There are studies showing that having the grandmother around increases the survival rates for the grandchildren–especially in less industrialized cultures.My wife and I eat the same vegan meals. But where my LDL cholesterol is 50, hers is 104. The HDL numbers are closer with mine at 50 and hers at 66.She is 59 years old and started menopause 2-4 years ago. Could the menopause have any affect on raising her LDL cholesterol? And If not, what else could raise a vegan woman’s LDL cholesterol.Since soy is a xenoestrogen (plant estrogen) and your wife’s bodily make up is estrogen, perhaps that along with menopause is the difference between her cholesterol levels are you own. This is a guesstimate. I’m no expert.Is there a difference between using soy beans in their whole form (I/E – edamame, or mature soy beans to make soy milk) and soy protein isolate, in their effects of hormones? Thank you so much for all of the great information!Soy protein isolate is a more concentrated and refined form of soy beans and less of it will increase IGF-1 levels.Soy does affect hormones in my experience, but depending on one’s needs it can be for the good or bad. I need my estrogen and progesterone balanced or I get depression. Soy puts off the balance so I must stay away from it and balance my hormones with an HRT patch.What can I eat to help with vaginal dryness-decrease in sexual appitite-I’m 63 yrs old”Eating soy foods appears to help with hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause.” If you have a thyroid problem you’re not supposed to eat soy… What would you recommend a menopausal woman with a thyroid problem to take? Hope you’re able to answer. Can’t get a good enough answer from my doctor.	hot flashes,menopause,soy,women's health	Does eating soy foods help with hot flashes?	For more recent videos on women's health and soy, check out: Breast Cancer Survival and Soy BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy How Much Soy Is Too Much? Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer? GMO Soy and Breast Cancer Animalistic Plant ProteinsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on soy and women's health. Also, there are 1,449 other subjectscovered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hot-flashes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menopause/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gmo-soy-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animalistic-plant-proteins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-asian-women-have-less-breast-cancer/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18815739,
PLAIN-3288	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-bad-for-you/	Is Gluten Bad For You?	What about gluten, the protein in wheat which is used to make a number of mock meats like seitan. You may or may not have noticed a bunch of labels recently touting gluten-free foods and diets. Gluten: Harmful, harmless, or good for you? For literally more than 99% of people, gluten/seitan/wheat protein is good for you. Excellent source of high quality protein, the very staff of life. But, only for 99.3% of people. One in every 133rd American has celiac disease—whether they know it or not—and for those people, gluten consumption can cause a range of symptoms, including chronic diarrhea, bloating, weight loss, and fatigue, all of which disappears when they’re placed on a gluten-free diet. For the other 132 out of 133 people, though, gluten is fine. If you have do any of those symptoms, though, you should get tested for the disease. Simple blood test— the standard intestinal biopsy may not be necessary, and in fact since testing is so simple there’s consideration of just screening all kids for it to pick up those rare celiac cases, since if you have it but don’t know it you may live a significantly shorter lifespan, so get tested if you’re concerned.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Dr. Greger, When calculating the populations that should or should not consume gluten, did you include those that suffer from a gluten intolerance, that may or may not have celiacs disease? Just based on my experiences, this seems to be affecting a larger population than the Celiacs population.Would you happen to know the medical distinction between gluten intolerance and Celiacs?Dr. Greger, When calculating the populations that should or should not consume gluten, did you include those that suffer from a gluten intolerance, that may or may not have celiacs disease? Just based on my experiences, this seems to be affecting a larger population.Hi Micah Risk-Uspensky, The 1/133 people in the population with celiac disease does not include the folks who are gluten sensitive. In my clinical experience I have come across many patients who can’t tolerate a food(including wheat)in varying amounts. It is always wise to avoid food when your body is telling you that it isn’t tolerating with symptoms such as diarrhea,abdominal pain, bloating,etc.. This can be a difficult thing to figure out given the complexity of foods, our food processing industry and the limitation of medical tests. The best general advice is to stick with a whole food varied plant based diet but pay attention to what works for you. See Dr. Gregers other video.. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/update-on-gluten/ and stay tuned.I love your videos and information, and after watching Forks Over Knives and Food Matters I’ve gradually turned off the animal-proteins channel and I’m so happy about how I feel and how confident especially I’m feeling after being worried so long about those diseases my parents had and/or died from (cancer, osteoporosis, AR Macular Degeneration, stroke, etc), This is great! I was just wondering, however, WHY our joints get so creaky when we get older. I’m 67, and it’s definitely the worst thing about aging — which is a very small thing compared to the rest of it! Still, if you could post any more about creaky joints and any special foods which help that, that would be great. I’ve seen “Diet and RA” and that was encouraging. But I can’t help feeling that there is something basic in our diet (or a lack of it) that is affecting our joints– I don’t believe aging is natural!  Thanks so much for all your labors of research. Peggy KelloughYour heart and brain are robbing sulfur from your joints because these organs are vital and you are deficient from lack of meat and seafood. Eat plenty of RAW/slightly cooked onions and garlic as cooking eliminates the sulfur.Dear Michael I do not have any of the above symptoms but used to suffer cluster migraines at least 2 attacks a month, last year I gave up Gluten and now I still suffer migraine but one attack every few month, I wish I can be free 100% as the pain is unbearable, I wonder if I am Gluten intolerant what other food I should avoid, I do not drink alcohol as it also gives me migraines, I can eat cheese and chocolate in moderation and only if I know I feel 100% I am 56 years old, female thanks DesireeCongratulations on decreasing your migraines through modifying your diet. Many foods can trigger migraines. One substance in foods known to trigger migraines is tyramine which is a natural substance occuring naturally and as a by product of tyrosine, an amino acid, in food. It is complicated as you may tolerate tyramine up to a certain amount before it triggers a migraine. It also goes up in foods that are stored… so leftovers can be a problem. Since your migaines are relatively infrequent you can run down your other triggers by looking back to all the foods and drink you consumed in the 24 hours preceding the migraine. I paraphased a list from Wikipedia under tyramine for you so you can avoid these or pay special attention when looking for triggers. “All foods containing considerable amounts of tyramine include meats that are  pickled, aged, smoked, fermented or marinated, most cheeses, sour cream, chocolate, most alcoholic beverages, yogurt”. So the best approach is to go plant based with Vitamin B12 supplement and then look out for plant triggers such as tempeh, sauerkraut, broad beans, green pea pods, snow peas, avocados, nuts.. for the fuller list see Wikipedia. One artificial sweetner, Sucralose, have been associated with migraines see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/.  Good luck on becoming migraine free and keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org for the latest science! Dear Don Thank you ever so much for your time and advise. I was vegetarian for over 20 years thinking it will help but did not. I always avoided artificial sweeter. I will from now on try to remember what I consumed 24 hours before the attacks and will look up Tyramine in Wikipeadia, never heard of it before! By the way I also found out that cold wind gives me migraine so now I always wear a hat in cold weather all the best  i have’t read this book yet (i put a hold on it at my library), but are you familiar with it?  it might advocate that most people, even without celiac, avoid wheat.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1609611543/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d1_g14_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=15AQPKJB0PJ00YFAT0BA&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846 .what do you know about coenzyme q10 ?Hi Dr. Greger!  Huge fan of your work (recommended to watch your videos by a coworker of mine who mentioned she has helped collaborate with you).  I was diagnosed with CD in 1980 at 18 months of age after being hospitalized for a long time.  Even my father, a physician, didn’t know what was going on.  Now that blood tests are an option, I’m a total advocate for getting children tested as soon as possible so that parents dont have to watch their children get as sick as I did as well as go through biopsies.  Growing up Gluten-free (even in the age when no one knew what it was) was so easy!   I get so annoyed when people think I’m “going gluten-free” to be ‘healthier’ when it’s not a choice for me.  But it IS healthy for most people!!  Keep up the wonderful work.  Dr. Greger, Is there any way you could do an updated video about the consumption of wheat products? I watched the video on gluten from 2011 and it said that gluten was healthy for more than 99% of the population. But what about all this talk about today’s wheat versus the wheat of our ancestors? Hasn’t wheat turned into a somewhat evil alter ego of what it used to be? Doesn’t wheat cause inflammation in the stomach and intestines for most of the population? Wasn’t most wheat in the United States messed with genetically in the 70’s to mass produce? Hasn’t wheat gone from a tall plant to a short and stocky, high-yielding plant?It’s difficult to sift through what is an accurate truth here. Please help!Thanks, JessicaIt’s my understanding that gluten is NOT the only protein or compound in wheat (or other similar foods) causing the problems. I have read a lot of research from GreenMedInfo on why we should not eat wheat/grains, and I have to agree with the research on that site as to why no one should eat grains. A quote from their article on wheat states, “Despite popular opinion, wheat consumption may not be beneficial to health. These two published articles make a strong argument against perceiving wheat intolerance as simply a matter of allergy/genetic intolerance in a minority subset of the human population, but rather as a species-specific intolerance, applicable to all.”The 2 articles are “The Dark Side of Wheat: New Perspectives on Celiac Disease and Wheat Intolerance,” and “Opening Pandora’s Bread Box: The Critical Role of Wheat Lectin in Human Disease.” I’d like to know what you think of the research? “Rice, Potato and Tomato May Be As Inflammatory As Wheat” because they also have lectin, according to another article on GreenMedInfo. Founder Sayer Ji’s articles conclude that wheat is univerally toxic.Dr. Greger, should I or shouldn’t I eat wheat (bread for example). Healthy or not (I not have any kind of intolerance for glutes.I don’t know what to think some say eat it and some say don’t. I was recently listening to yuri William you suggests not to eat gluten. Any advice? It’s not that I don’t trust you dr. Greger it’s just like most say gluten free is best as I don’t have celiac. Also would about eliminating most grains in ones diet? Is this healthy?Dr. Greger’s position on gluten is that unless you have a medical incapability of digesting gluten, there is no cause for concern. If gluten somehow upsets your stomach or makes you feel groggy, you may have a mild allergy and should discontinue to test the hypothesis.I decided to omit gluten from my diet in order to get rid of the belly fat. What I found is that ALL my back pain was eliminated, and that was just within 6 days. It feels amazing. I found out that even if you’re gluten intolerant, it can cause joint pain. I’m also discovering all kinds of new grains that I otherwise would not have eaten. I think going gluten-free is a wise idea!Your opinion conflicts with my experience. My doctor told me 80%+ of the population has varying degrees of reactivity towards gluten, especially the current mutated semi dwarf strain. I had Crohn’s disease, which after a lot of testing, turned out to be allergies to dairy, wheat, most grains, and yeast/fungus. You might want to read Wheat Belly and look into this more. Harmful advice is being given here.So far, there is not evidence sharing your doctor’s views. For those who are not allergic, gluten is not at all harmful. Whole grains are highly nutritious foods, and not all grains contain gluten. Brown rice is the most non-allergenic food one can eat. “Whole grains are rich in many components, including dietary fiber, starch, certain fatty acids, antioxidant nutrients, minerals, vitamins, lignans, and phenolic compounds, that have been linked to reduced risk for coronary artery disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases. Most of these components are found in the germ and bran, which are reduced in the grain-refining process.” http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/70/3/459s.full.pdfIt is difficult to make sound conclusions off of books, such as wheat belly, because the author can easily misconstrue the actual studies to make his point.Toxins,Hi. I posted a wheat question the other day for Dr. Greger but I am wondering how you feel about his mentor’s, (Dr. McDougall) own words on gluten as it relates to mental illness. From what I have understood in the literature out there and anecdotes of lot of people is that a true allergy to gluten is not required to suffer sever ailments due to gluten.Dr. McDougall’s words:“A serious psychological disease caused by foods in some people is schizophrenia. In hospital-based studies, some patients have been identified who react with dramatic behavioral changes to milk products and high-gluten foods (like wheat, barley, and rye). Some people with schizophrenia have actually been cured of their disease by changing their diet, to eliminate the trouble-making foodstuff.”Its more to say that allergens are triggering the disease, if someone is mildly allergic to gluten and they feel better not consuming it, then so be it. But schizophrenia is not caused by consuming grains with gluten.Camel S: As I understand Dr. Greger’s opinion, it is that some people are sensitive to wheat. So, he neither disagrees with nor disregards your experience.I don’t either. There are people who are very allergic to say, tree nuts. I don’t discount the seriousness of their condition. But that said, that doesn’t mean that tree nuts are bad for everyone, or even most people. For most people, tree nuts are very good for them. We have good science to back up this statement. (See videos on this site.)That Wheat Belly book is a sham and a shame. While the author sites studies, the studies do not often support his claims. Here is one site showing how the science does not back up the claims in Wheat Belly. (And this is from an anti-gluten site!)http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.htmlBottom line is that Wheat Belly is just another form of the Atkins/Paleo/low-carb/Eat For Your Blood Type diet fads. These fads confuse and mislead people, even doctors. It is so sad because it sounds like good science. Thank goodness we have NutritionFacts. (You might look up Dr. Greger’s video showing one study that showed patients know more about nutrition than doctors. The majority of doctors get little to no nutrition training nor training on how to spot a badly designed study.)I would suggest you take this approach: It is fine to share your story as appropriate. But like the person who has a tree nut allergy, I would be very careful of making a generalization that somehow tree nuts are bad for 80% (? I swear that number gets larger every time I see someone post on this topic) of people.I’m glad you were able to get at the root of your problem! Severe allergies are serious business. Good luck.So many questions here:1. What about other autoimmune diseases, such as Hashimoto’s? I was recently diagnosed with this and my doctor advised that I eliminate gluten as part of my medical care. “Why exactly?” I asked. Because the protein gliadin bears strong resemblance in structure to that of the thyroid gland, for which Hashimoto’s patients are producing antibodies. Thus, I was told, gluten (or rather its protein, gliadin) is a trigger for that antibody response which wants to attack the gliadin and attacks the thyroid along with it. Fact or theoretical fiction?2. Is it true that the accuracy rate of testing for celiac disease is less than 30%? On their website, Cyrex Labs explains that the gut wall has to have experienced significant destruction for Celiac blood testing to be positive, while those in early stages of the disease won’t show this. Is this true?3. What about cross-reactivity from other foods? When an autoimmune response mistakes proteins in certain foods, causing inflammation or other other woes such as brain fog?4. And there’s so much more; I’m very confused– but my bottom-line question is whether gluten’s gliadin triggers my autoimmune response from Hashimoto’s– AND whether gluten should be avoided for autoimmune diseases OTHER than Celiac’s.Among my siblings, we have 2 diagnoses of Hashimoto’s, 1 of Addison’s, and 1 of Graves (thyroid removed). So my questions/concerns go beyond my own health– to that of my family and our children who may carry this genetic response. If eliminating gluten is one small step toward better health, I’d like to know. If I’m missing out on healthy protein sources by eliminating gliadin and other proteins, I’d certainly like to know that too!I really respect your input.My suggestion is that you completely eliminate grains from your diet for 6 months, and then notice how your body responds. Very few people actually have had this experience of going grain free for long periods of time, yet I have found of the people who do go grain-free (but maintain a vegan diet) they feel much better and are thrilled to no longer have grains passing through their bodies. Vegans do not need to eat grains. Experiment. Give this a go.I’ve heard or read that 80% of people are sensitive to gluten, or “partially” celiac. Is this true? If true, is it better to avoid gluten in a vegan diet? Thank you.http://www.againstthegrainnutrition.com/newsandnotes/2010/01/08/undiagnosed-gluten-sensitivity-andceliac-disease-increase-risk-of-death/Gluten free people are like religious converts, I swear. If you have allergies fine but don’t generalize and say that gluten is bad for everyone. Science does not back you up. I eat whole wheat every single day without any problems whatsoever.Is a gluten free diet healthy? In other words, are there any studies about gluten damaging intestinal walls and causing damage? I hear ads about gluten and being detrimental. I know everything isn’t true but just wanted to see if there was any science behind going gluten free. Also, what about grain free diets? Is this healthy? What do you think of the book, “Wheat Belly?”Derrek: I haven’t read the book myself, but everything I’ve heard about the book makes me think it is nothing but a re-hashing of Atkins/Paleo, etc. There is an entire chapter in the book, according a friend, extolling the virtues of meat – all after having demonized grains. Sound familiar? Here’s an anti-gluten site, but even they found scientific problems with the book:http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.htmlPersonally, I think the message behind Dr. Greger’s video on this page is the best one: If you have an allergy to gluten, then it is not good for you. Otherwise, it is good for you. Just like any other whole plant food (peanuts, strawberries, etc) that is generally good for people, but can be a problem for some.Just my 2 cents.I’m just not sure if I have a gluten intolerance or allergy. My grandma has celiac.http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/ States that roundup use and not gluten is the real culprit behind celiac desease. Is there scientific study to confirm or refute this?Dear Mister Gregor, I have a question about Seitan. In my opinion or thoughts its Seitan nothing others than sugar, oil oder withe flour – it means a extraction of somewhat. So that this seitan is without the other components of the wheat. And, if you buy seitan product, you will buying a industrial product too. Is there also not the same danger for the health? I know, that seitan is a protein and oil a fad… but it is a extract and an industrial product.Thank you so much for a quick, short answer – my patient will be thankful too ;-)cheers Steffen Jurisch Heilpraktiker in Prittriching (Bavaria)My doctor’s PA took a class a few months ago about gluten. She says the problem with gluten is directly related to GMO. She learned that all the wheat we eat has been GMO for the past several decades. Is there any truth to this? Thank you!WhitelotusJan: *None* of the commercially available wheat is GMO. I understand that this idea that wheat = GMO keeps getting repeated over and over. But I have seen the list of the something like 8 or 9 foods that are GMO, and wheat is not one of them. The following Wikipedia page says, “As of 2013, no GM wheat is grown commercially, but many field tests have been conducted.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_wheatHi Thea, I replied to this long ago but my response isn’t here. Wikipedia isn’t a reliable source because anyone can post to it and say anything they want. I searched a little further today and found a number of references to GMO wheat mysteriously showing up in a farmer’s field in eastern Oregon and also in Montana. No one knows how it got there. As of sometime in 2013, “Biotech titan Monsanto has made significant advances in the development of herbicide-tolerant wheat, the company announced recently, and could have the first-of-its-kind crop ready for farming in just a few years’ time.” http://rt.com/usa/monsanto-gmo-wheat-crop-648/. If it’s not here now (a few years time is this year). it’s something we need to watch out for.	autoimmune diseases,bloating,celiac disease,diarrhea,fatigue,gluten,lifespan,longevity,mortality,nutrition myths,plant protein,protein,seitan,weight loss,wheat	Approximately 1 out of every 133 Americans has celiac disease.	Here are my recent videos on gluten: Gluten-Free Diets: Separating the Wheat from the Chat Is Gluten Sensitivity Real? How to Diagnose Gluten IntolerancePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seitan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diarrhea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wheat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gluten/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/weight-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/autoimmune-diseases/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bloating/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celiac-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-diagnose-gluten-intolerance/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-gluten-sensitivity-real/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/gluten-free-diets-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chat/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19362553,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19336349,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12578508,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19111551,
PLAIN-3289	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/glyconutrient-supplements/	Glyconutrient Supplements	What about glyconutrient supplements? With over a billion dollars in accumulated sales, could it possibly be a scam? Glyconutrient supplements are a total sham—in fact they just settled a multi-million dollar suit for false claims.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on supplements and snake oil. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!What can you tell us about a product called “Protandim”?I think you should take this down as it’s not true AT ALL! If you want, email me privately and I’ll show you the research. abkel@senet.com.au	glyconutrients,nutrition myths,snake oil,supplements	What the peer-reviewed scientific literature has to say about glyconutrient supplements.	What are some other potential marketing scams? Alkaline Water: a Scam?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on supplements and snake oil. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/glyconutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-water-a-scam/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17855741,
PLAIN-3290	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juice-plus-supplements/	Juice Plus+® Supplements	As noted in the journal of the National Cancer Institute last year, the first research on supplements back in 1982 and every study since came to the same conclusion: get our necessary plant-based nutrients from plants—from food. But what about Juice Plus, a supplement that claims to be the best of both worlds—all the best of fruits and vegetables extracted into pill form. Scam, or no scam? Researchers found that it’s basically just an overpriced vitamin supplement.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on supplements and snake oil. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I came across your presentation to the Vegetarian Summerfest 2012 and really enjoyed it.  It’s nice to hear a doctor who believes in food as medicine.  We changed our diet to plant based last summer after watching the documentary Forks Over Knives.   It is the best decision we have ever made.Regarding this Juice Plus clip, I’m curious who the researchers are that are being referred to and would like to read the entire letter to the editor.   Would you please send the reference info. Can you give more information about the benefits or harm of dehydrated juice supplements? I find it hard to believe that there is any phytonutrition left after the processing and encapsulation.If you go to the Juice Plus website they reference dozens of peer reviewed studies supporting their claims. To his credit Dr. Greger is not selling anything, as opposed to some of the other internet physicians such as Drs. Mercola, Sinatra, Whitaker, et. al. However, I do think he tends to view things through vegan, antisupplement eyes. The Juice Plus website presents a pretty comprehensive view of their product and I think it is worth looking at. A single review or anecdote to me is not compelling.It’s pseudoscience mostly funded by the makers of Juice Plus. The only benefits are as overpriced vitamin pill. If you are really convinced of its nutritional value, consider buying Juice Festiv for 1/3 the price of Juice Plus.So, by your comment you imply that only Juice Plus+ funds research? Every pharmaceutical drug that your doctor prescribes goes through the same clinical research funded by the company that is producing it. The Juice Plus research was carried out at respected universities and hospitals like MD Anderson Cancer Center, Brigham Young University, Vanderbilt University, and UCLA, among many others, then published in peer reviewed journals including the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Every study used the same Juice Plus product that customers receive.This is a long was away from pseudoscience. Now, show me the research on Juice Festiv.Knowing that barley is very good. Is barley juiced powder also nutritious? By the way, thanks for all you do.I would be interested in knowing who the researchers were that you quote in this video, please!Kathleen: This may not answer your question, but I thought I would make sure that you saw the “Sources Cited” link above. If you click the link, a list of papers cited in the video appears. And when possible, Dr. Greger links to those videos. Hope that helps.your Juice Plus info is dated from 2009 & 2010. Do you still believe what you state in these videos?? it is not a vitamin supplement it is whole food?? and where is the article on the American journal of medicine about the liver inflammation? I tried to locate it and could not, please if you would, provide the link… thanksYou can read why the authors comment on the study consider juice plus a supplementhttp://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/11/3725.longThanks for the link!The only conclusion that should be drawn from that peer review, is that further studies needs to be done to determine what changes in blood levels are “caused” by what, and that’s it. It asks questions, as it should. That is from 2003.Google “Juice Plus or Toxicity Plus” byAung Naing, MD, Joann Aaron, MA, Razelle Kurzrock, MD at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Americal Journal of MedicineOne woman with cancer, and taking other medications that could have caused her liver toxicity. How much Ibuprofen was she taking prior to admission for cancer treatment? She may have been popping them like candy to alleviate the cancer pain. Using one case study to draw conclusions is nearly as faulty as using anecdotal evidence. I am sure Dr Greger understands that.Hey Donna, It’s quite misleading to say that JP+ is only concentrated fruits and vegetables. Go back to your JP+ Orchard and Garden blend labels and read them. Vitamin C, beta carotene, d-tocopherol, folic acid, enzymes, and acidophilus are all added back in after manufacturing. JP+ says that it is because the FDA requires that every label says the same thing, and they can’t guarantee that every bottle will contain exactly the same amount of nutrients (as you would not to be able to compare apple to apple, or cucumber to cucumber). Therefore, to standardize, they add nutrients the FDA requires they can ID by amount. Go to the Vineyard Blend label and see: L-arginine, L-carnitine, d-alpha tocopherol, calcium ascorbate, magnesium stearate, “natural enzyme blend,” coenzyme Q10, and folic acid. This may be just fine and all super healthy, but “it is not a vitamin supplement it is whole food” is incomplete at best. Also, though I have not read the studies myself, every independent review of the JP+ reports I’ve seen indicate that virtually all of them are inconclusive. I have been taking JP+ for over 5 years and honestly believe that it has helped keep me healthy. However, I am under no illusions that their marketing provides full disclosure.Very nice assessment.The naturopath I see trying to navigate the menopause highway found that most of my organs are stressed. My thyroid is stressed and the nutritionist in the naturopath’s office said that I could eat 1 Brazil nut daily in order to get adequate selenium. I’ve read elsewhere that 5 Brazil nuts are necessary to get sufficient selenium. I’ve started taking Nascent Iodine (2% strength) and need the selenium in order to work with iodine. Do you have any idea as to the combination of Brazil nuts and iodine? I appreciate your time. Patti, Atlanta, GAPatti: Here is a page showing Dr. Greger’s nutrition recommendations. He includes specific sections for selenium and iodine. http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/Note: NutritionFacts also has a nice set of videos on iodine that you might want to check out.Good luck.If one uses sources to back up a claim, it behooves one to read them. The second study cited from the Journal of Nutrition, “supports” the use of Juice Plus. I quote: “In the absence of dietary modification, supplementation with a fruit and vegetable concentrate produced responses consistent with a reduction in CHD risk.”I’ve tallied our grocery bill many times in the recent past, and separated the vegetables and fruits costs. We have spent well over $200 per person, per month, during our attempts to consume 10 or more servings per day. Juice Plus is $46 per person per month.My liver enzymes are normal.Dr Greger, I have been told that we should by no means eat raw food, especially green salads or fruits in the evening because this would damage our guts and produce harmful kinds of alcohol. I appreciate very much if you could comment on this.That is an unsubstantiated myth. Don’t worry about that one!Thanks a lot for this quick answer. It makes eating healthily much easier as we often eat late (8pm) and didn’t eat any salads or fruits then.Timing meals and food combining (other then maximizing antioxidants and nutrient absorption) are 2 commonly spread myths. Eat as much salad as you like, dark greens are some of the healthiest veggies you can eat.Dr. Greger, what about those green powder supplements such as Amazing Grass or other wheatgrass / barley grass or spirulina powders that claim to have a high ORAC value? What do you think of those?	alternative medicine,complementary medicine,fruit,Juice Plus supplements,nutrition myths,phytonutrients,plant-based diets,snake oil,supplements,vegetables	What the peer-reviewed scientific literature has to say about Juice Plus+® supplements.	-	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/juice-plus-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14608104,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18505961,
PLAIN-3291	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lutein-lycopene-and-selenium-pills/	Lutein, Lycopene, and Selenium Pills	Normally I wouldn’t spend so much time on one topic, but people are always asking me about supplements. Let’s try three at a time. Lutein, a phytonutrient found in dark green leafy veggies, lycopene, found in tomatoes, and selenium, a trace mineral found in nuts and whole grains. Not a single one of these, in pill form, prevented cancer, and one of these three was just found to increase cancer risk when taken in pill form. Which one was worse than just a waste of money, and actually seemed to cause cancer? It was the lutein pills. There’s no getting around it; we just have to eat our greens, which has thousands of phytonutrients in it. Drug companies are never going to find the right combination, but they don’t need to, because Mother Nature did it for us.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!A Brazil nut a day keeps the bird flu away?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12730444I have an allegery (RAST testconfirmed) to Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, coconut and almonds and have been advised to avoid all tree nuts for a while (not seeds).I eat mostly raw and used to eat a brazil nut everyday for selenium. Sunflower seeds seem to be the next best think that could be on my diet. I would have to eat 8 cups a day though to get 200mcg!Is a selenium deficiency worse than taking supplements? I don’t want to supplement if I can help it. This whole tree nut allergy thing has introduced some serious problems to eating raw for me. Vitamin E is a little tricky but at least attainable.Selenium is abundant in the plant supply. I wouldn’t concern myself with getting adequate levels of selenium. Eating a variety of whole grains provides sufficient selenium levels. 1 cup of brown rice for example has 27% of our daily value of selenium. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5707/2For some context, please check out my associated blog post Multivitamins and Mortality!Doctor Greger, I do take Lutein as a supplement (recommended by my optometrist). I read the document from 2nd Pub Med citation from your video “Lutein, Lycopene, and Selenium Pills”. I’m concerned because I’m taking 6 mg of lutein and the study was looking at people who took 1.5 mcg as a mean daily dose.“Because lutein supplement use was relatively infrequent in our study population, we decided to classify lutein supplement use as nonusers, (lutein-containing) multivitamin users, and individual supplement users rather than presenting information on average dose and years of use. Although there were only 2 lung cancer cases in the individual lutein supplement use category, the respective mean and median daily doses among users were 1.5 mcg (standard deviation, 0.7) and 1.0 mcg, and only 0.22% of participants had used the individual supplement for 6 years or longer, the results are strongly suggestive of elevated risk associated with lutein use. Given that lutein supplements have been used only in the past 15 years and only recently at high doses, this potential risk factor for lung cancer may be more important than suggested by the present study.”I tried reading the tables, but got lost in the numbers. Can you reinterpret what this above paragraph is stating in terms of the numbers and percentages?Thanks	antioxidants,cancer,carcinogens,grains,greens,lutein,lycopene,nuts,phytonutrients,seeds,selenium,supplements,tomatoes	Which of these three has been associated with increased cancer risk?	Also check out Treating Asthma With Plants vs. Supplements? to learn more about the efficacy of pills vs. whole foods.Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/19/preserving-vision-through-diet/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/selenium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lycopene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lutein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19204221,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19208726,
PLAIN-3292	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-multivitamins-good-for-you/	Are Multivitamins Good For You?	So some vitamins may make you live longer, some may make you live a shorter life. What if you put them all together. Do people who take multivitamin supplements live longer or shorter lives than those who don’t? All just seems to cancel out and give you expensive pee.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!As far as weight loss goes, L-arginine and white bean extract were mentioned on the Dr. Oz show recently and I’m wondering what your opinion is on these supplements? As a dietitian, I’m hesitant to recommend any type of supplement because we are always taught “food first” but if something is safe and effective in blocking the absorption of (some) carbs or increasing metabolism, it could potentially be another tool in our arsenal to help people who are trying to lose weight. It would take some significant data to convince me to actually recommend supplements for weight loss, but just curious what your opinion is. Thanks!I share your concern about recommending supplements especially as it relates to weight loss. I recommend the only diet shown to work over time… the “ad libitum” low fat plant based diet with B12 supplementation. I particularly like and often cite the study, Shintani et al., The Hawaii Diet: Ad Libitum High Carbohydrate, Low Fat Diet for reduction of Chronic Disease Risk Factors: Obesity, Hypertension, Hypercholesterolemia, and Hyperglycemia, Hawaii Med J 60: 69-73; Mar 2001. I think the key concept for patients to understand is “calorie density” and not “calories”. I recommend and keep loaner copies on hand of Jeff Novick’s DVD, “Calorie Density: How to Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer”. He discusses the important concepts of satiety and calorie density and ties the latter to the amount of exercise a patient does. He shows how folks can lose “weight” without exercising. I also recommend John McDougall’s newsletter article (12/08), The Fat Vegan, so folks who adopt a plant based diet can avoid some of the behaviors that will thwart their efforts. Neal Barnard’s “Breaking the Food Seduction” is also helpful for many of my patients to help understand that the issue is “addiction” not weak will… it is available as a book or DVD. Resources beyond that depend on the patients individual circumstances. I’ve been practicing primary care medicine for over 30 years and the science is clear on the best approach. I’ve seen many diets come and go and many “supplement” recommendations come and go. I don’t recommend any of them. Calorie restricted diets don’t work in the long run except for a very small % of patients. Diets like the Atkins Diet have been shown not to be healthy. We can avoid chemicals see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/ and start adopting the best overall diet see.. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/thousands-of-vegans-studied/. I am a fan of understanding the science and the complexity to help us understand what works for patients see… http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/ but we have to be able to give our patients straight forward practical information and avoid jumping on the latest bandwagon whether that is a supplement or the newest fad diet. For example I believe the best practical starter handout is PCRM’s Vegetarian Starter Kit available as free download on their website. Keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org as the science keeps changing..Where can I find a PCP like you? Out of curiosity, do you have any “primal” or “Paleo” folks coming to your practice these days?  It seems like this another diet trend/fad that is taking hold of the public and medical profession as well (our local news show even -uncritically- featured this type of diet for a week in its medical/health segment). Dr. Greger, I’ve got 3 questions on vitamin supplements that I couldn’t find answers (or should I say, reliable answers) on the internet. 1.       Many supplements contain magnesium stearate, which acts as a lubricant to prevent tablet and capsule contents from sticking to the machinery during production. Some say it is harmless, some say harmful. What’s your take on this issue? 2.       Are “whole food vitamins” really better than “synthetic vitamins”? They do sound better, but if you consider how the manufactures would have to do to extract those nutrients from food… No one has looked into how those are extracted or made, which might add potential contaminations. Am I thinking too much? 3.       What does “organic vitamin” really mean? If it is synthetic (looks so to me from reading their labels, if whole food is used, they sure would mention it), how can it be “organic? Thank you!At a minimum, isn’t taking an all natural vegetarian supplement a good way to get some of the trace micro-nutrients into our bodies? I see many ingredients on the label that I would not get otherwise. I take Solgar Earth Source Multi-Nutrient Tablets ($45 for 180 tablets…so, it’s like $90/year (one a day) and it is full of things that you recommend. Granted it is all mixed together.Eating whole unrefined plant foods will not result in vitamin deficiencies other then b12. What vitamins do you think you are missing? Also, you can put in your food for the day and see how much of each nutrient you are getting. I typically surpass recommendations eating only whole plant foods. Use this website run by the USDa for that purpose. http://cronometer.com/It would have been interesting to tease out those people who had the lowest intake of animal products from those with the highest. An argument could be made that vegans, who tend to be low or deficient in B12, protein, and iron, may have benefitted from multivitamins. In the absence of evidence, its hard to argue with your points, but I’d say the jury is still out on this question.Vegans are actually not low in protein, this would entail caloric deficiency http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/In addition, appropriate iron status is not difficult for most people as long as they consume a diet based on whole ,unrefined plant foods. Please see here for details on enhancing absorption other then vitamin c. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/The study you provided suggests that 3% of people actually are protein deficient, so clearly it can be a problem, as it was for me. I was at 25 grams a day protein because I had dropped most grains as a result of becoming pre-diabetic on an Ornish-style diet for 30 years (despite being slender/fit). Dropping grains brought my glucose down to normal levels, thankfully, and I’ve since learned to add back large quantities of daily tofu and some seitan so I’m finally stable re protein.However, it is a very difficult challenge to maintain sufficient B12 or iron on a plant-based diet, so I’ve had to add in a multi-vitamin for those. Please see this meta-study on B12 deficiency. It outlines how serious the B12 problem may be:http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v68/n5/full/ejcn201446a.htmlWould if you fast or are deficient in nutrients? Just supplement with the micronutrients?	lifespan,longevity,mortality,multivitamins,nutrition myths,supplements	What apparent effect does taking multivitamin supplement have on our lifespan?	I also have these videos on multivitamins: Multivitamin Supplements and Breast Cancer - Vol 5 Should We Take a Multivitamin?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multivitamins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-take-a-multivitamin/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19204221,
PLAIN-3293	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-iron-pills-good-for-you/	Are Iron Pills Good For You?	What about iron? Shorter lifespan, same lifespan, or longer lifespan? In fact, last summer an editorial in the journal of the National Cancer Institute questioned whether cancer itself was a “ferrotoxic” disease, after a study showed that donating blood to rid oneself of excess iron appeared to cut cancer death rates in half. And with advanced neuroimaging techniques, iron accumulation in the brain is being increasingly linked to neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Now if you’re pregnant you need enough blood for two, or if you have iron deficiency anemia, then you may need iron supplements, but for most people taking extra iron is a bad idea, and in fact that may be one reason there are higher cancer rates among meat-eaters because they get heme iron, or “blood” iron, which our body is unable to regulate the absorption of.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!What should people with Iron deficiency do, especially when they are prescribed to take Iron pills?Hi Desavov, There are many causes of iron-deficiency anemia (from intestinal bleeding, menses to insufficient dietary intake or absorption). The most common cause of iron-deficiency anemia in adults (age 50+) is chronic GI bleeding due to gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer or GI cancer. Also,the following food items can decrease iron absorption: Dairy (irritates stomach lining), eggs, tea,coffee and cocoa taken during meals. A balanced vegetarian diet that includes legumes, fortified grains, and green veggies easily provides adquate iron. Vit. C and A from fruits and veggies appear to enhance iron absorption. People with iron deficiency should discuss their condition carefully with their physician to identify the CAUSE of their deficiency and then rectify that problem in order to circumvent or minimize having to be on iron pills. Here’s a helpful video clip for pregnant women and iron: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/iron-during-pregnancy/ For more info on other forms of supplementation: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/desavov: At 0:45 he says that you may need to supplement, take iron pills, under certain circumstances. He then says “for most people taking extra iron is a bad idea.”For some context, please check out my associated blog post Multivitamins and Mortality!Cheapest first test – after serum ferritin – to identify the CAUSE of  iron deficiency: reticulocytes in blood, normal range 0.5% to 1.5%.My latest blood work showed anemia and the doctor ordered iron supplements.  Based upon these videos, two questions come to mind: (1) is there a separate test to determine if mine is iron deficiency anemia or some other reason for anemia (no sign of ulcers etc. but should I have a test?) and (2) should I take the supplements in the mean time?  I have upped my green leafy veggies (kale, spinach, etc.).  Are there other / better sources or iron for diet?How increased luminal – but not systemic – iron strongly promotes murine intestinal  tumorigenesis:  http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/abstract/S2211-1247(12)00199-4My friend who is a science teacher tells me that Iron is more easily absorbed from Animal flesh than from any plant based source? He says it’s to do with the types of Iron. I forget the words he used. He also said the vitamin C helps absorption of Iron, in which I said so does eating lemons. However? Is this true? Is the best source of Iron not plant based?Iron is more easily absorbed from Animal flesh ( hemoglobin, myoglobin) than from any plant based source. But Iron is a double-edged sword. It forms hydrogen peroxide (free radical) which is removed by antioxidants – if you have enough in your body from plant-based food. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/In addition to what Michel Voss said, none heme iron is also absorbed more easily with shallot family vegetables, such as garlic or onions.http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/Iron is very easy to get on a whole foods plant based diet so even ignoring the fact that non heme iron is not as easily absorbed is not relevant.1978 – 1999 I was blood donor, felt always very tired after donation & had an extreme lack of iron – despite whole foods with plenty shallot vegetables since 1982: Ferritin 2 ng/mL. PMID: 23712019Interesting – thanks for sharing. My husband is on iron supplements because of anemia. Multiple tests including CT scan, colonoscopy, and endoscopy show everything normal. Speculation is blood donations plus near vegan diet (5 years) plus maybe he doesn’t absorb iron well. Any comment or other things you have learned?Cheapest FIRST LINE test to identify the CAUSE of iron deficiency: reticulocyte count. If the result shows a low or normal value CT scan, colonoscopy, endoscopy are useful only for the income of specialist doctors ;-). See my three years old below answer. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003637.htm http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/blood/anemia-yg.pdfWhat about cooking in an iron skillet. I thought you had covered that somewhere along the line but I don’t see it. Concerns, effects????Hi, I recently got my blood tests back and am a bit concerned. I have been Vegan for 4 years. I try to keep the fats low but have been known to eat some more processed foods like boca chick’n pattys and potato chips :( Within the last year I started drinking soda and have consistantly had 3-4 beers in the eveninng 5-6 nights a week before bed for the last few years. I am wondering If going back to just drinking water and losing the processed foods could fix my #’s or if the alcohol could be what is making them off. Also, I am 31, caucasion, Female, 143 lb., 5’4. The things out of wack are: Iron 208 ug/dl Glucose 100 mg/dl SGOT 12 U/L SEG 39% Lymph 47%Thanks in advance for your time. I am very worried. I don’t see my Dr. about this for a month and he is very overweight and unhealthy looking, I would trust your advice much more. From what I see online they may want to remove large amounts of my blood weekly to fix the iron. Should I be worried about this???!!!! thank you JamieI’ve just been diagnosed with Anemia, probably due to extremely heavy menstrual periods. Been prescribed iron pills, but would rather treat with diet. Already eating lots of tofu, beans, leafy greens. Advice/suggestions? Should I take the iron?1. Cause of extremely heavy menstrual periods should be treated first. 2. How is your serum ferritin – http://www.intelihealth.com/article/iron-deficiency#diagnosis – marker of total body iron amount?Beth: This is just a tiny suggestion that might help in the bigger picture: are you eating the foods you listed, ex leafy greens, with foods high in vitamin C like lemons? That can help increase your body’s absorption of iron. There are lots of ideas like that that may help you.Check out some of these and you may want to search for more ideas like this: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/can-tea-hinder-the-absorption-of-iron/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/This “ask the doctor” has questions that I would think you and your doctor would want to address too: http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/second-opinion-for-8-year-old-with-anemia/Good luckThanks Michel and Thea! Heavy periods most likely due to a fibroid and fluctuating hormone level that come with getting older. I was not told about serum ferritin level. I was just told that my hemoglobin is 10 while normal is at least 12 and at 8 you get a blood transfusion (and I had to pry that information out of them.) Is this something I should ask for? And thanks for the vitamin C advice. I had been thinking that I probably should be more conscious about having some at each meal.If you still feel good, you only need a blood transfusion at 6. My grandfather had 6 – although he was 90 years old. And survived 6 further years after healing of his duodenal ulcer. Ask for ferritin, which reflects more accurately body’s iron. You ouhgt to read my answers above + links.”BEFORE commencing treatment, there should be definitive diagnosis of the underlying cause for iron deficiency.”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_deficiency#TreatmentI am a long-time vegetarian (over 30 years). I feel great. Recently, I went in for a physical and had blood work done. Everything was great, and I’m not anemic, but my ferritin levels are low (7, where the doctor said she likes to see it up around 30). Since then, I’ve upped my bean and pumpkin seed intake. I don’t think I’ll have blood work done for at least six more months, but should these dietary changes be sufficient? Or should I consider a supplement? Although I’m 51, I haven’t hit menopause yet, so that may be a factor.I am vegetarian since 1981. 1997 my ferritin level fell below 2 because of blood donations. Although without anemia, at that time I felt really tired. As you feel great, you can eat more pumpkin seeds and wait six more months.What studies show the health risks of iron fortified foods? It’s unnatural to add iron filings to foods. It seems that it’s always been assumed to be safe, yet the body tries to bind up iron through transferrin. I did come across one study showing it to be harmful, but it does not seem much research has been done in this area. Here’s a link with a story about the study. http://www.memory-key.com/research/news/brain-iron-levels-may-need-be-just-rightIron is a double edged sword: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/Thanks Michel, but this video and the one you linked to are both about iron supplements. My point was that there does not appear to be much study on whether iron filings added to fortified foods may be harmful. We naturally consume plant iron, and some heme iron, but iron filings are unnatural. I’d like to see Dr. Greger make a video addressing iron in fortified foods, maybe using his traffic light.What is an acceptable lab value for vegan female 52? Is a lower hgb acceptablefor post menopausal female?What is an acceptable lab value for vegan female 52? Is a lower hgb acceptablefor post menopausal female?	Alzheimer’s disease,anemia,blood donation,brain disease,brain health,cancer,cardiovascular disease,cognition,heart disease,heart health,iron,lifespan,longevity,mortality,natural toxins,nutrient absorption,nutrition myths,pregnancy,supplements	A question as to whether cancer and Alzheimer's disease can be considered "ferrotoxic" diseases.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/11/01/how-to-enhance-mineral-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-donation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/anemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/iron/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	-	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19057183,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18612127,
PLAIN-3294	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-vitamin-c-pills-good-for-you/	Are Vitamin C Pills Good For You?	Last year we learned that vitamin A and vitamin E supplements weren’t just a waste of money, but you were actually paying to live, on average, a shorter life, whereas vitamin D supplements were shown to increase one’s lifespan. Let’s keep filling in the alphabet: vitamin C. Did scientists just discover that vitamin C supplements shorten our lifespan? Don’t do anything to our lifespan? Or do vitamin C supplements enable us to live longer? No effect on lifespan, heart attack risk, or cancer risk—just, apparently, a waste of money.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!The work of dr matthias rath and, possibly, other sources, would suggest that vitamin C offers significant benefits..Second, is frozen fruit and, specifcally, frozen acai limited or void of nutritional benefit? If so, what can US residents do to get optimal acai?Hello Evanbrand, yes, indeed you (and the others) are correct, vitamin C does have healthful benefits…if it’s obtained by eating whole foods. When you get your vitamin C from sources such as mangos, papayas, cantaloupes and yams, for example, you get other nutrients and antioxidants that are also vital for optimal health, like the beta carotene that is also abundant in these foods. The video discusses vitamin C from supplements, which can not only be a waste of money, but can be potentially detrimental to your health, particularly in large doses like vitamin A, see:http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/herbalife®-supplement-liver-toxicity/ There is also evidence that rather than protecting from disease, multivitamins can actually increase the risk of breast cancer: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/ Also, I wouldn’t put so much emphasis on one particular “superfood”, because there are many others that contribute to longevity, like cocoa (but of course without the milk and sugar that many folks tend to add for palatability), see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/kuna-indian-secret/ and: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/. If you want to include acai in your diet, no need to concern yourself with the freezing process, it has very little (if any) impact on the quality and/or amount of antioxidants it contains. You should make every effort to eat a widely varied, plant based diet to ensure that you get as many phytonutrients as possible. It’s also very economical to eat this way, see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/superfood-bargains-2/ Have a wonder, healthy holiday!Hmm, I think Dr Greger is being entirely too dismissive of the powers of Vitamin C in convenient supplement form. Just note that in the antioxidant study he draws on for many of his videos, namely The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs, and supplements used worldwide, Vitamin C (specifically, CVS Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid), 500 mg) has 1,019.69 mmol/100g of antioxidant content. Compare this with the paltry 261.53 mmol/100g of antioxidant content of powdered amla (Indian gooseberries) which he lauds so much. Almost 4 times more! I rest my case.Hi Dr. Greger. I am currently taking D-Mannose for “IC-Like” symptoms (mainly urinary retention/trouble emptying). I was going to take Glucosamine in addition, but I was advised to take high doses of Vitamin C instead to help repair the bladder wall. What do you think?As always it is important to get the diagnosis right. Many common problems with bladder function reflect difficulties with muscle, hormones, lifestyle and aging. Others seem to be inflammatory and involve the bladder itself. Bladder Pain Syndrome of which Interstitial Cystitis(IC) is a subcategory is a poorly understood group of conditions of unknown cause which are difficult to treat. As a primary care physician I have had several patients plus one relative with the diagnosis of IC. I think it is best to find a physician who is experienced with treating patients with IC and who uses evidence based therapies. From my experience foods seem to have a significant effect on many bladder conditions but it can be hard to figure out. I think keeping a food diary is important to see if you can relate certain foods to improvement or aggravation of symptoms. If the problem seems to be one of the inflammatory conditions such as IC it would seem reasonable to follow a plant based diet with an emphasis on foods that improve the immune function and emphasize antiinflammatory over inflammatory foods while avoiding substances such as caffeine and alcohol which can have a detrimental effect. I would view the videos under the appropriate links. These include videos on the importance of a variety of plant foods in decreasing inflammation see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/ or the importance of avoiding meat to minimizing inflammation see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/. Lifestyle issues such as sleep see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/ and exercise seem to help. I would only try isolated nutrients or therapies that have been supported in the literature and would discontinue them if after a fair trial they don’t seem to help. It is very important to work with your physicians to help sort all this out. Good luck.Thanks, DrDons! I’m 25 and I’ve been plant-based for almost a year now, getting plenty of leafy greens, superfoods, and avoiding processed foods. I avoid alcohol since I know all too well that it makes it worse. I had all those unpleasant tests performed when I was younger and they could not find anything, but sent me for biofeedback, anyway, and prescribed Detrol. The biofeedback didn’t do anything but the Detrol helped a tiny bit (not enough to keep taking it, and I also did not like the ingredients in the drug). I’ve tried many others things including naturopathic medicine, diet modifications, bodywork, rebirthing, energy healing, and acupuncture. The only thing that helps is holistic Chiropractic, but only if I get adjusted at least twice a week, and still it does not provide the relief I am looking for. Rebirthing/Breathwork also helped once, it was the only relief I’ve had in YEARS, but then it stopped. I have noticed that it is worse if I am angry, anxious, or emotionally irritated about something, so I try to stay calm. I read that “pockets” can form in the bladder wall and trap bacteria (but does not show up on tests), which can lead to IC-like and UTI-like symptoms including urinary retention, and women suffering from the same thing suggested D-Mannose. I’m going to try it for a few months and see if I notice a difference.is it good to take vitamin c as pillsBetter absorbtion has better result. If it can’t be absorbed it waste the money. Recommend you use the isotonix one. Check istonix here:http://betterresultnutrition.com/Just because vitamin C didn’t prove beneficial for things like lifespan, cancer or heart attack risk? Its possible that it could assist with the flu, common cold, athletic performance, mood or a multitude of other factors that the study didn’t address. It might not be a waste of money after all.“Vitamin C is used as a dietary supplement because of its antioxidant activity, although a high dose (500 mg) may act as a pro-oxidant in the body1, 2. Here we show that 100 g of fresh apples has an antioxidant activity equivalent to 1,500 mg of vitamin C, and that whole-apple extracts inhibit the growth of colon- and liver- cancer cells in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. Our results indicate that natural antioxidants from fresh fruit could be more effective than a dietary supplement.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10879522“May act as a pro-oxidant”this is one of the most misleading statements I have ever heard…a waste of money….where’s the evidence….what studies….who else is in agreement with this one study ??????What about new research just published that found vitamin c warded off stroke ???I have not seen the study, but vitamin c is may be a marker of how much fruits and vegetables consumed, not necessarily how much vitamin c you isolated then consumed.“Vitamin C is used as a dietary supplement because of its antioxidant activity, although a high dose (500 mg) may act as a pro-oxidant in the body1, 2. Here we show that 100 g of fresh apples has an antioxidant activity equivalent to 1,500 mg of vitamin C, and that whole-apple extracts inhibit the growth of colon- and liver- cancer cells in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. Our results indicate that natural antioxidants from fresh fruit could be more effective than a dietary supplement.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10879522vitamin c supplements do not contain pesticide which is found on fruits and vegetables, unless you can afford to buy organic…Also vitamin C leaves the body within 12 hours, and your body rids itself of any amount it does not need. That’s why unless you take a time released capsule it is recommended that you take it every 12 hours to ensure round the clock levels..it does not accumulate in your body and any excess is rid through urinating.Taking a supplement does not replace a whole food, and it will never be the case. I know of no studies showing vitamin c to be more protective then regular fruit and vegetable consumption. Again, I shared with you the above study showing that the whole is greater then the sum of its parts. I know of no reason to supplement vitamin c when a plant based diet can supply mass quantities of this single nutrient. When studies show no benefit or worse, I tend to open my eyes and follow the trail of evidence.studies ???? or one study ?I am unsure why you think vitamin c is a super nutrient which is required to supplement. Yes it functions as an antioxidant but so do thousands of other phytonutrients in food. Please see here for more details on antioxidants. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/Vitamin C is like a soldier work on the front. antioxidant like the supplyer give him a gun and bullets. Body need nutual Vitamin C, not the artifical one.What do you think of Liposomal C? I have experienced great benefits myself from taking it. I didn’t experience any benefits of taking “normal” vitamin c pills (although I didn’t try mega doses). There is even some research indicating that liposomal c kills cancer (http://knowledgeofhealth.com/researchers-achieve-cancer-killing-effect-with-oral-dose-vitamin-c/). What do you think?Dr. Greger, I started taking vitamin C supplements to increase progesterone, per Dr. Sara Gottfried’s book, The Hormone Cure. Do you see any research that there is this benefit, hormonally? Also, what’s your take on the famous chemist, Linus Pauling, and all the benefits he claimed with vitamin C? Here is a link to a recent acticle on Medical News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/12154.phpThank you for all your work. I use and share your site, and it has been invaluable!Hello Dr. Greger,I like your site very much, really! I saw your video about vitamin c pills, but there was nothing about vitamin c powder. There’s a lot of confusion about vitamin c on the Internet. Lots of people pretend to know all about it. Some of them have very promising solutions, one of them especially. So to read the article, is it very clear (although I am Dutch), it looks like a new science. But to be sure I would like you to read it and share your honest opinion about it.http://www.forbiddenhealingforum.com/Thanks for reply, RuudJust eat the whole plant foods. It’s always best.Well ,yes, that’s sound advice but I eat whole plant foods and when I don’t supplement with vitamin C I get a bad cold/flu two or three times a year. When I supplement (1-2 grams daily), I don’t get colds or flu at all.I have seen no evidence that such doses are harmful. Rami below provides a quote that says “although a high dose (500 mg) may act as a pro-oxidant in the body”.However, the reference I found stated that “ascorbate at pharmacologic concentrations was a prooxidant, generating hydrogen-peroxide-dependent cytotoxicity toward a variety of cancer cells in vitro without adversely affecting normal cells.” http://www.pnas.org/content/105/32/11105.fullIn other words, it only acts as a prooxidant towards cancer cells not normal cells. This sounds like a good thing to me, not a bad thing which was the impression I got when I read Rami’s post.That said, I would be interested to see any other papers people may be aware of, that suggest vitamin c supplementation may be harmful.Anybody an opinion on this website http://www.forbiddenhealingforum.com/ Harmful or good? Thanks for reply.Hi Rudd. Thanks for your note. I think the pills and powders are similar. The website offers no studies about vitamin C. I like to find references online when searching websites that have information about nutrition. Hope that helps.Best regards, JosephRe: Natural Vit. C Molecule versus Synthetic Ascorbic AcidIt appears synthetic ascorbic acid (AA) is NOT harmless.http://www.drugfreehealth.com/ascorbic_acid_question.htmHoffman-La Roche, a Swiss company, was the first company to manufacturer synthetic AA. According to wiki, Roche is the 3rd largest pharma company in the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoffmann-La_RocheRoche remains among the top manufacturers of AA in the world. Would a pharma company be producing a relatively unprofitable product that generates health, creating a healthy population, or at least health among some people, therefore reducing or eliminating their need for pharma drugs?http://www.google.com/patents/US3247065IT IS A SCAM of Roche to call AA vitamin c, a scam joined in by many, among them some who are ignorant of the fact that AA is NOT Vitamin C.AA increases body acidity and can cause kidney pain if slightly dehydrated, blood in urine if moderately to severely dehydrated.Vitamin C is the entire Vit. C molecule, not just the AA which is only the outer coating of the Vitamin C molecule that protects the inner contents of the moleculeIn some people AA causes bruising which is evidence, perhaps, that AA increases the need for vitamin C, or by some other mechanism is causing harm resulting in bruising. Bruising not from an exogenous injury, but occurring from harm within the body simply from taking AA.Many harmful ingredients are permitted in foods in US, to a lesser extent Europe, and even lesser extent Asia, at least officially, but not always in practice. Bromide in flour (other products) is prohibited in Asia, I think it is banned also in Europe, but permitted in the US. It would appear foods in US are deliberately ‘posioned’ in order to generate customers for the pharmaceutical industry, bromide being one good example of a toxic ingredient in US food products. AA is disease promoting, not health promoting.AA has been used in cancer therapy but acidosis from AA limits its use. AA’s only use in cancer therapy is to increase hydrogen peroxide in cancer cells.AA increases oxidative stress to the body, it increases oxalates in the body. AA is a pro-inflammatory agent. AA increases body acidity.AA generates genotoxins: http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=ascorbic+acid+genotoxin&btnG=&as_sdt=1%2C20&as_sdtp=AA reduces endurance capacity, decreases muscle mitochondria biogenesis http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=ascorbic+acid+reduced+endurance&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C20AA apart from the entire vitamin C molecule is harmful to the body. I give link to search results above, and there are conflicting reports as to the harm/benefits of AA. The confusing part is where AA is called Vitamin C and so need to examine did the research study use just AA and they are calling AA Vitamin C, or were other components of the Vtamin C molecule included along with AA, or just natural whole Vitamin C administered as food (orange juice or other high C food)?2-6 grams of AA can cause gastrointestinal disturbances, can cause diarrhea. http://www.nutritionj.com/content/2/1/7Has anyone who has eaten a diet high in natural Vitamin C experienced GI distress from the Vitamin C in those foods? But synthetic AA is an irritant to the GI tract one reason may be it is very acidi. There are buffered forms of AA and whether 2 grams or more of buffered AA can cause GI distress, haven’t seen anything on that.Does AA cause DNA damage? Lee et al demonstrated AA DOES cause DNA damage because AA induces decomposition of lipid hydroperoxide in the presence of transition metals to form DNA reactive electro-philes, among the electro-philes formed are a genotoxin that can react with DNA to form mutations. And that is why ROCHE, the world’s 3rd largest pharma company continues to manufacture AA and that is why many foods in the US have AA added to them. But the Nutrition Journal does not believe AA generates genotoxins, despite the experiment by Lee et al showing that it does. The Nut. Journal states, without any citation to back up their claim, that lipid hydroperoxides form only when AA is exhausted. The Nut. J. states AA prevents the formation of LH, but no citation to back up their claim that AA does prevent formation of LH.http://www.nutritionj.com/content/2/1/7Linus Pauling was a long term user of AA, he died of cancer. Pauling’s long-time partner in research is purported to have said that everyone who they put on long-term AA use developed cancer. And that is consistent with the findings of Lee et al. that AA starts a chain reaction that in the end produces genotoxins. The information at link below is good, for the most part, except their including Linus Pauling, for to make the claim (which I do not dispute) that every person who has cancer has an acidic pH and yet include Pauling’s highly acidic AA regimen as an alleged cancer preventative flies in the fact of Otto Warburg (and others) showed that cancer cannot survive in an alkaline, oxygen rich environment. Otto Warburg is not stated to have died from cancer, but Pauling is stated to have died from prostate cancer.http://integratingdarkandlight.com/big-pharma-is-making-us-sick/alternative-cancer-treatments/http://www.canceractive.com/cancer-active-page-link.aspx?n=777 no citation given unfortunately,,stated at No. 4 is that the blood of people given natural Vitamin C molecule in the form of orange juice showed significant antioxidant activity 4 hours after ingestion, but the people given AA showed no antioxidant activity 4 hours after ingestion.http://www.thedoctorwithin.com/vitaminC/Ascorbic-Acid-Is-Not-Vitamin-C/AA is a harmful substance overall. There is no way the world’s third largest pharma company would be producing a substance for alleged healthy fortification of food products if indeed AA could have any role in promoting health and thereby keep some people away from the need for pharma drugs.http://beforeitsnews.com/health/2015/04/switzerlands-sygenta-gmos-for-the-world-but-banned-in-swissy-land-2569778.html Switzerland is a corrupt, evil nation, protectors of the Vatican, founded by Knights Templar in 1291, still their possession. Not disparaging all Swiss people in Swissy land, though. Switzerland funded Hitler, took in the gold from Hitler’s victims, mostly Jews; and its level of evil and corruption is ony second to the most corrupt entity on the planet, the City State of Vatican. Switzerland is home of the central bank of western central banks, the secret bank that runs most of the world, the Bank for International Settlements. And Swissy bring GMOs to the world through Switzerland based Sygenta, but refuses Sygenta’s GMOs to be available in Swissy land.Correction: Not Cameron, but rather Dr. Arthur Robinson, one of Pauling’s research scientist, said everyone they put on long term AA developed cancer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFaXR9cym-gThere is NO Vitamin C in corn starch, and it is corn starch from which ascorbic acid is manufactured by use of sulphuric acid. There are doctors who say that use of AA does cause side effects associated with Vitamin C deficiency, such as bleeding gums,, spider veins, varicose veins and bruising, which demonstrates that AA causes deficiency in Vitamin C.	cancer,cardiovascular disease,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,longevity,mortality,nutrition myths,supplements,vitamin C	What apparent effect does taking vitamin C supplement have on our lifespan?	For more videos on dietary supplements: Some Dietary Supplements May Be More Than a Waste of Money PCBs in Children's Fish Oil Supplements Treating Asthma With Plants vs. Supplements? Broccoli: Sprouts vs. Supplements Risk Associated With Iron Supplements Dietary Supplement Snake Oil Vitamin D Supplements May Be Necessary The Wrong Way to Boost SerotoninPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-c/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/broccoli-sprouts-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-supplement-snake-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-boost-serotonin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-with-plants-vs-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18755329,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19116389,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18997197,
PLAIN-3295	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-cod-liver-oil-good-for-you/	Is Cod Liver Oil Good For You?	Cod liver oil that has been distilled to remove any industrial toxins and heavy metals. Harmful, Harmless, or Healthy? Harmful, due to toxic levels of vitamin A. In fact, so much it could damage our own liver. So, not good for the cod’s liver or ours.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I would be interested in hearing the answers to the above questions?above question has been answered by myself, please view the responses.I’ve been using Arctic Cod Liver Oil from Nordic Naturals for years. I’ve also been giving it to my 7 year old son for years. I’m deeply concerned about the possibility of liver damage due to high levels of A. Are you recommending that we no longer use cod liver or fish oil supplements?According to the bottle of the Nordic Cod Liver Oil, there is only 650 IU of vitamin A per serving (about 13% of Daily Value). This is no where near toxic levels. I’m assuming that most other common cod liver oils off the shelves are no where near toxic levels either.What is considered to be a toxic level of Vitamin A?see my reply aboveWhere is the answer to the question ” what is considered to be a toxic level of Vitamin A? I would like to know the answer too.“Because vitamin A is fat soluble, the body stores excess amounts, primarily in the liver, and these levels can accumulate. Although excess preformed vitamin A can have significant toxicity (known as hypervitaminosis A), large amounts of beta-carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids are not associated with major adverse effects”Upper limits are capped at 3,000 IU’s so consuming 10,000 IU’s of preformed vitamin A is indeed toxic.http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/More information on fish oil can be found here. The science indeed shows ill effects.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/In addition to the above risks, excess amounts of vitamin A have been shown to increase risk of bone fracture. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=retinol+retinoic+acid+vitamin+A+and+hip+fracture+risk10,000 iu is the upper safe level for vit A !! people regularly consume 20 – 50000 iu without issue. Many people can’t convert betacarotene to Vit A & thought to cause cancer in smokers for this reason. Many believe since abandoning organ meats we don’t get enough & rdi should be higher. It is now known that we don’t convert beta carotene 1 for 1 either.The safe upper limit is 3,000 not 10,000. People do not regularly consume mass quantities of preformed vitamin A as this would lead to toxicity. Your statements regarding beta carotene are untrue and unsupported. Please share evidence to back your claims.3000 is the RDI !!! 10000 is the upper safe level. Wardlaws perspectives in nutrition , upteen govt sources & the cancer council. Do a search on google scholar.According to the NIH reference tables, 3,000 is the upper limit. http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Nutrition/DRIs/DRI_Vitamins.pdfthose figures are ug/d (aka mcg) not iu’s – 3000ug= 10,000 iu’s.Thanks for pointing out the discrepancy. Your absolutely right, I have confused the units of measurement.no worries – I would appreciate it if you would correct the article/comments to prevent mis-information regarding intakes.Sure thing.I have aI have an A vit deficiency, should I take cod liver oil? Or what would be best? Right now I eat goji berry.Eating greens, sweet potatoes and many other yellow/orange plant foods provide plenty of vitamin A.if distilled=concentrated then perhaps, but distilled=purified to my knowledge, the levels of vit A in fish oil are not toxic. people can consume 10,000 iu with no toxicity.there is a difference between helpful advice and scaremongering- fish oil is the most important supplement today to combat our diets.“Because vitamin A is fat soluble, the body stores excess amounts, primarily in the liver, and these levels can accumulate. Although excess preformed vitamin A can have significant toxicity (known as hypervitaminosis A), large amounts of beta-carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids are not associated with major adverse effects”Upper limits are capped at 3,000 IU’s so consuming 10,000 IU’s of preformed vitamin A is indeed toxic.http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/More information on fish oil can be found here. The science indeed shows ill effects.http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/In addition to the above info on vitamin A, excess amounts are also associated with increased risk of bone fracture.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=retinol+retinoic+acid+vitamin+A+and+hip+fracture+riskcan you please correct this one too.http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/prevention/lung/HealthProfessional/page1#Section_206 Interventions Associated With an Increased Risk of Lung CancerBeta-carotene supplementation in current smokersBased on solid evidence, high-intensity smokers who take pharmacologic doses of beta-carotene have an increased lung cancer incidence and mortality that is associated with taking the supplement.Magnitude of Effect: Increased risk, small magnitude.Study Design: Two randomized controlled trials with consistent results.Internal Validity: Good.Consistency: Good.External Validity: Good.Beta carotene supplements have been well established to pose risk for all individuals. The problem is when you isolate a nutrient and try to supplement it. The caratonoids collectively in greens and orange, yellow vegetables do not pose a health risk and will decrease risk of cancer significantly. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/some-dietary-supplements-may-be-more-than-a-waste-of-money/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/produce-not-pills-to-increase-physical-attractiveness/this should read 3000ug (10,000iu) is the upper safe limit. Toxins has his measures confused.Recently, the results of a study investigating the effects of omega-3 supplements/fish oil on cognitive outcomes in children were published: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news70305.htmlIf fish oil has no benefit, then why did my triglercerides go way down? When I stopped taking the fish oil, it came way back up again! I started to take fish oil again….my triglycerides went back down! WHY?????Hi Rose. I am not sure. I am glad they went down though, most importantly! This video is just mentioning cod liver oil and toxic levels of vitamin A.	alternative medicine,cod liver oil,complementary medicine,fish oil,liver disease,liver health,natural toxins,nutrition myths,omega-3 fatty acids,supplements,vitamin A	Even distilled cod liver oil supplements may have toxic levels of vitamin A.	Also check out: Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil?Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alternative-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cod-liver-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-a/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/complementary-medicine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liver-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18755329,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19102134,
PLAIN-3296	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/artificial-coloring-in-fish/	Artificial Coloring in Fish	The contaminants I’ve been talking about are just from how polluted our planet has become; it’s not like they’re deliberately adding them to the fish. But fish farmers do feed about two dozen human antibiotics to their fish to help keep them alive in such stressful, overcrowded environments. They also had to figure out a way to make grayish fish flesh look pink, which it is naturally when pulled out of the ocean. So the aquaculture industry feeds farmed fish artificial coloring. This is from the drug company Roche. Fish farmers get to pick out the color they want to dye their flesh like paint chips. The human health consequences? You can get a rare condition called gold dust retinopathy, as the coloring potentially crystallizes in the back of your eyeball, which can potentially lead to problems down the road.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish and artificial coloring. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Where can I get more information about this?I have a patient that has an ostomy and essentially no intestines left after years of surgeries and stomal hernias and is now unable to heal an abcess near the stoma. I’m trying to encourage her on a plant based diet, but she tells me she can’t eat many veggies or fruit due to the fiber and it causes pain, blockages, fills up the bag and creates problems for her to maintain that properly. Brown rice is out due to the hulls and she basically eat very western food b/c it is so devoid of anything healthy she can handle it. I have her taking Juice Plus+ and she is getting good results regarding energy and her hair growing back in thicker and she feels she’s able to absorb nutrition from that. How can a person in her situation go plant based and how do I best direct her to understand or read about acidity/alkalinity concerns etc.Astaxanthin is the pigment used. Its the same natural pigment found in shrimp, lobster, crab, krill, and wild salmon flesh. You can buy it at vitamin shops in pill form; it’s a powerful antioxidant and relatively expensive. I see no problem (and a number of benefits) with this unless, like any natural substance, you consume way tto much.Astaxanthin pigment in farmed salmon is the same pigment in wild salmon. As it turns out its a highly desirable antioxidant. You can buy it at health food stores and pharmacies (its expensive). Or you can eat any type of salmon.	artificial colors,canthaxanthines,eye disease,eye health,factory farming practices,feed additives,fish,food additives,gold dust retinopathy,salmon,seafood	Canthoxanthine feed additives given to farmed fish may be linked to a condition in consumers called gold dust retinopathy.	These are some of the recent videos on the prophylactic use of antibiotics in meat industries: Antibiotics: Agribusinesses Pound of Flesh MRSA Superbugs in Meat Superbugs in Conventional vs. Organic Chicken Lowering Dietary Antibiotic Intake Past the Age of Miracles: Facing a Post-Antibiotic Age Meat MythcrushersPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish and artificial coloring. Also, there are 1,449 other subjectscovered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/canthaxanthines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gold-dust-retinopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/feed-additives/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/artificial-colors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lowering-dietary-antibiotic-intake/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibiotics-agribusinesses-pound-of-flesh/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/past-the-age-of-miracles-facing-a-post-antibiotic-age/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mythcrushers/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18589030,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18565584,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10088829,
PLAIN-3297	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-problem-with-organic-salmon/	The Problem with Organic Salmon	The endocrine-disrupting industrial toxins in fish don’t just affect our gonads, but other glands, too. Like getting thyroid disruption from the flame-retardant chemicals, which literally just settle out of the atmosphere such that even fish who only swim in Antarctica are contaminated. Levels in the United States, though, are higher than anywhere else in the world. Researchers recently looked at U.S. retail salmon. And where do you think they found the most contamination? Six choices: Wild-caught with skin, wild-caught without skin, organically farmed salmon with or without skin, or conventionally farmed salmon with skin or without? The differences were really marginal, but the worst? Organic farmed salmon with skin. The wild-caught was least contaminated. Notice also, that it didn’t really seem to matter whether you took off the skin, which suggests that the toxins are actually concentrating in the fish muscle itself. PBDEs aren’t the only new industrial toxin we’re finding in fish. This year researchers looked at the amount of polychlorinated naphthalenes in fat that was sucked out of the butts of New Yorkers in liposuction samples. Where in the diet was it coming from? Out of about 52 daily nanograms, 50 came from fish. What’s the bottom line? Until safer and more renewable sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids—plant-based sources—become more generally available, it would seem responsible for physicians to refrain from advocating that people should increase their intake through fish. But it is available now. There are a half dozen brands of microalgae-derived DHA on the market now—I just show this one because I’ve found it to be the cheapest. And it’s 100% bioequivalent to what’s in fish. A “safe and convenient” source, and less likely to go rancid than fish oil. As you can see on the little handout that came with this DVD, I recommend people take 250mg of microalgae-based DHA every day, which is about 5 times the average American intake.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish and industrial toxins. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!And check out my associated blog post EPA dioxin limit has National Chicken Council worried products could be declared “unfit for consumption”.What was that brand of algae-based DHA? I’ve been trying to find a local source and could only find one: a prenatal DHA pill. The price is about twice that of fish oil (family of 5 would use $46 / month = two bottles of 60 pills). My wife thinks this is too costly so I’m hoping to find another source…PLEASE INCREASE THE VOLUME ON YOUR VIDEOS – AT LEAST ON INTERNET POSTINGS! Today I listened to several of your videos for the first time. I found them fascinating + extremely useful. I would like to listen to them again, and others of yours, BUT:Trying to hear them was TORTURE, because the volume is MUCH too low. Both the videos’ volume AND my computer’s volume were at 100%. Yet I could barely hear the audio – and had to lean my head over close to my laptop’s speakers to do so! (And this was in a quiet room.)FYI my laptop has excellent speakers which I normally keep at 50% volume. I rarely have to increase it for certain listening, and never past 75%. And I am NOT hard of hearing!Thank you for honoring my request.A fan.Underneath the video there is a transcript button you can select so you can read what is said in the video. That has helped me when I don’t have speakers.Oh geez! I feel horrible. I ate 3oz of salmon twice per week while pregnant and nursing I ate it 3 to 4 times. I also gave both my kids commercial fish oil drops, but on the package it says most of the toxins and metals have been removed. GEEZ! Now I feel like my breastmilk is toxic as was my entire pregnancy!!!!How many times  a week is it safe to eat canned wild sockeye salmon and wild sockeye salmon?   My email is alanw.@axxent:disqus .ca  Thank you. Alan Warren Dr. Greger recommends a pure plant based diet. Fish, whether it be wild caught or not, has a myriad of pollutants and heavy metals. It is advised to completely avoid fish products. Unfortunately he doesn’t keep things in perspective.  All the pesticides, herbicides, fungicides on all his GODLY fruits and vegetables are WAY MORE TOXIC than eating a little fish or lean chicken/turkey breast.  Not everyone can buy all organic produce, and most of it is not truly organic anyways.  The best diet is MOSTLY plant based, with some lean turkey/chicken and fish in small portions. Avoid all red meat.  Vegans get cancer from these pesticides and they still have heart attacks. Dr. G gets upset with NANOGRAMS of pollutants in fish, but MILLIGRAMS of pesticide on my fruits and vegetables is perfectly safe according to him?  The science is wrong, and I am a scientist, biologist, and health care worker. I respect Dr. G’s beliefs not to eat animal products, but trying to convince the world that being a vegan will make you live forever and never get diseases is ridiculous.  I know a vegan marathon runner that dropped dead from a heart attack climbing some stairs on vacation.  As long as you avoid smoking, red meat, and other self destructive habits, you will live to when you are genetically programmed to live. You will eventually get the disease your body will succumb to in old age.  Dr. G. seems to think eating his diet will prevent or cure cancer because it does in a petri dish. That is not real life.  Maybe vegans can live a couple years longer than if they were omnivors, but sacrificing 60 years of quality life to get to live 2 more miserable years in old age is silly.  Everything in moderation.  Take things with some common sense, his anti-aging diet has left him with less hair and looking older that myself, a healthy omnivor of the same age.  Fruits and vegetables are not a miracle, they are a part of a healthy diet. The END. Vegan does not equal healthy. Whole foods plant based does. A vegan can eat white pasta, french fries and candy all day long and still be vegan. Furthermore, the limitation of oils is essential to completely prevent athleroscerotic lesions from developing.If you have kept up with the latest science you should know that vegans will in fact, at the biologoical level, live longer then omnivores.There are several contributions to aging and dying. One factor includes breaks in our DNA, which contributes to organ failure and cancers. The amount of DNA breaks in a 65 year old vegetarian eater is equal of that of a 25 year old omnivore. This is significant. http://www.biomed.cas.cz/physiolres/pdf/57/57_647.pdf   When one is completely plant based, we promote our DNA repair mechanism significantly and also protect our DNA from damage, where as one eats animals products, we expose our DNA to a lot of oxidative stress.At the ends of our chromosomes is a cap called a telomere. Every time our cell divides, this cap gets shorter and shorter, think of it like a burning rope. Once the telomere runs out, our cell no longer divides, and dies. We can actually measure our age based solely on the length of our telomeres. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12062940   The logic now here is how do we keep our telomeres from shortening so much, or better yet, how can we repair our telomeres? Well thankfully, our body has a repair mechanism, similar to the DNA repair mechanism, that will lengthen our telomeres. It isn’t perfect of course, because it will shorten faster than it can repair, but its better than no lengthening at all. The study link below shows how processed meat can shorten our telomeres by up to 14 years, while fish (due to contaminant levels) can shorten our telomeres by 6 years. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18996878   After 3 months on a whole foods plant based diet + exercise, one can significantly boost telomere growth activity. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18799354It is a known fact that aging is directly correlated with eating http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20079384   And now we have more evidence to prove this.  Denham Harman discovered that the mitochondria had a significant role in aging and he described aging as a “disease”. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5016631   As i described above, our DNA gets attacked by oxidation on a daily basis.  Oxidation is like rusting, and we can think of aging as rusting. We prevent this by eating antioxidants, found in plants. Our mitochondria though is the power plant of our cells and the antioxidants cant get to the mitochondria without the help of a special enzyme called superoxide dismutase. Its a detox enzyme within the mitochondria  that converts the superoxide molecule (which is damaging) back to regular oxygen., Its like a bomb diffuser. It has been linked with tumor suppression http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19467856   It is considered neuroprotective http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2815734/   And the reason women live longer than men is because they have better superoxide disumutase activity. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17090425   The mitochondria has been accepted in the scientific community as the greatest factor in aging http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/19796285/   How do we boost this enzyme? We have to be a plant based eater. Our superoxide dismutase enzyme is about 4 times more effective when we are vegetarian. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18684339nice answer bro toxin. I love the facts that u provide.Furthermore, DHEA is the most abundant steroid hormone in the human body. It can be viewed as the hormone that extends lifespan and the more we have of it the longer we live. Caloric restriction has been shown to upregulate the production of this hormone, but there is a better way then walking around starving. Researchers found after just 5 days on an egg free vegetarian diet, blood levels of DHEA rose about 20% compared with those on the meat based diets. The vegetarians weren’t producing more DHEA, they were actually keeping more of it and losing less through urine. These levels of DHEA are something you would only see in fasting people or those experiencing caloric restriction.Interesting still is that the calories were controlled in both the vegetarian diet and meat based diet so the caloric intake was equal.In summary, if one is on a plant based diet, they can mimic the levels of DHEA found in caloric restriction without going around hungry, thereby significantly increasing lifespan. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15261843 http://www.pnas.org/content/98/15/8167.full http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9626151What is your evidence that vegans will not live much longer than omnivores? If you truly are a “scientist” then you should be well aware of the abundance of data supporting a whole foods plant based vegan diet. Also, you would be best supporting your claims with evidence. If one is on a whole foods plant based diet then the amount of pollutants exposed to ones body is significantly lower. What you find on non organic vegetables and fruit pale in comparison to what you find in fish and chicken. Do you have any evidence to support your claims? How exactly do whole foods, plant based vegans develop heart disease? Where is your evidence?Lets look at fish alone shall we:Flame retardants are found in fish http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18040989a large quantity of dioxins are found in fish http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17637492Methyl mercury found in fish which has been linked with neurological impairment in children and cause other neurological impairments in adults http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18029503 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18332715 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1257552 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12900074Endocrine disrupting xenoestrogens in fish may be interfering with male fertility. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12477510DDT found in fish http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19200125Pharmaceuticals flushed into our waterways end up contaminating fish, such as Prozac residues. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1897/08-561.1/abstractBlood arsenic levels are actually used as an indicator of how much seafood one is eating. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19490733Fish and fish oil are the top 2 sources of PCB’s http://www.efsa.europa.eu/de/scdocs/doc/1701.pdfand this is JUST Looking at contaminants, ignoring what other baggage fish entails and ignoring biological contaminants as well.You cannot really justify your position to say that non organic fruits or vegetables are more polluted then fish, this is simply nonsense. Yes, there are toxins in animals. But there are more toxins (PESTICIDES DIRECTLY SPRAYED ON AND INCORPORATED INTO ALL PLANTS AND VEGETABLES) in vegetables and plants than meat.  Every pesticide used is a PROVEN carcinogen, why would you want to eat a ton of that?  Sure fish and chicken have some toxins in them, but they are not like plants that have airplanes dump TONS of carcinogens on them.  And fish oil has been proven to be beneficial for everything from heart disease to eyesight, depression, arthritis, etc.  I agree and would not trust Joe’s Fish Oil.  But Omapure makes fish oil out of sardines and anchovies (which have next to no contaminants since they are small fish) and then they molecularly distill it, and then it is tested by another company and labeled as Pharmaceutical grade fish oil.  Buy Omapure, or you can spend TEN times the money and get one tenth of the Omegas from an overpriced, insufficient dose Algae source pill.  Why do you vegans always fail to realize how much MORE damaging pesticides are then any of the minor parts per billion of toxins found in animals?  And where is arsenic? In the ground where plants grow.  I agree that nothing should be taken to the extreme, like eating bacon, eggs, steak every day.  But a little of something is a different story.  A baby aspirin a day will make you live longer, prevent heart attacks and colon cancer. A bottle of aspirin will kill you.  A little pesticide on your fruits and vegetables is the same risk factor as a little pcb, dioxin, arsenic, mercury, whatever in fish.  And do you what population lives the longest?  The ones that eat no plants, basically only fish and whale blubber, yes Eskimos. There are not many plants growing in Antartica, yet they live the longest.  It all comes down mainly to genetics and the rest to a REASONABLE diet. Veganism is like a religion, it is bad when anything gets that fanatical in life.  Do I eat at McDonalds every day? No, that would be bad.  But I will go to Subway, get a whole wheat sub with all the veggies, and yes, heaven forbid, the 4 slices of paper thin turkey breast they put on it.  Do you really think that amount of turkey is killing me?  Get real.  I know that red meat is carcinogenic, but I also personally know Oncologists who will eat steak fairly regularly.  The oncologists I know say that the ONLY two things that really matter in your health and odds of getting cancer are genetics and smoking.  I take vitamins, but they also say that vitamins are also no protection (except maybe D), and the only supplement oncolgists usually take is Aspirin! Again, your statements are personal anecdotes and opinions. Provide some scientific evidence from peer reviewed medical journals. A good place to start is here. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedUmmm, McDonalds is bad overall because the small GOOD (being the lettuce) is overshadowed by all the BAD; like the white bread bun (highly refined), mayo & cheese (just plain gross fat), and the mystery-meat patty from a sick cow on antibiotics… and the turkeys are just as ill, so stop crying about it. All I hear from you is “Waah, waah, I want my indulgence because I’m weak with no discipline.”The whole thread is about how you just got bad news you couldn’t handle so you threw a tantrum instead. With lack of scientific evidence your statements are simply opinions and some of them are blatantly false. As you explore this website, you will see many of your questions answered and many of your statements proven faulty. Not only that, but there is science to back up what is claimed on this website where as there is none to back up your claims. When a group of 60 year old oncologists who have seen patients live and die for 40 years all remain healthy omnivors, there is some proof.  If diet was the key to preventing cancer, other diseases, and prolong life, DON’T YOU THINK EVERY PHYSICIAN WOULD BE VEGAN?  GUESS WHAT, PHYSICIANS ARE NO MORE LIKELY TO BE VEGAN THEN THE REST OF THE POPULATION. AND THEY ARE HIGHLY EDUCATED AND KNOW WHAT DOES AND DOES NOT CAUSE DISEASE AND DEATH.  You know what, go on denying yourself any animal products, inconvience people at partys or dinners, etc. Go ahead and live to be 106 with 80 years of whatching everything you eat.  I will eat SENSIBLY and live to 100 with my shorter telomeres, and be happier in the process.I find a healthier body, tasty foods and degenerative disease free increased lifespan to be quite satisfying actually and I am in no way (nor are most vegans) dissatisfied with my dietary choices. To each his own. I like potato chips.  Potato chips are vegan. Even the healthiest potato chips that are only potatoes and olive oil or peanut oil are still cancerous.  Will I eat a giant bag every day? No, but will I deny myself potato chips because they are bad for me? No.  If you drank a 2 liter of Coke every day you would definately get cavities and ulcers. If you drank a dixie cup of Coke a day, NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN TO YOU.  It is all about degree and amounts.  You vegans don’t get that.  You will eat potato chips anytime, but never a piece of fish?  REALLY??Not true. I never ate anything fried, even before I was vegan. Your statement is silly. Everyone knows (except you) that fried foods are bad. Period.I believe you have failed to read my responses to you in their entirety. Potato chips, nor is oil healthy.The idea is whole foods plant based. This essentially means unrefined foods.As for “Moderation” Jeff Novick, world renowned nutritionist, puts it best.“The items we know that are causing harm to Americans right now are the excess consumption of added sugars, refined grains, sodium, fat, and saturated fat.   So, how much does the average American consume of these?   Added Sugars – 242% over the recommended upper limit.   Refined Grains – 200% over the recommended upper limit.   Sodium – 229% over the recommended upper limit.   Saturated fats – 158% over the recommended upper limit.   Solid fats – 281% over the recommended upper limit.   Therefore, these are 5 items we can no longer consume “in moderation” as their current level of consumption is far beyond the level we know to cause harm.   The only solution is a dramatic reduction in the amounts we consume of these items.   Then, and only then, perhaps we can again, consume these things in moderation.   However, there is also a flip side to the saying “everything in moderation.”   There are items that we know are very beneficial, that we should be consuming a certain amount of in order to gain their benefit.  These are fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fiber.     So, how much does the average American consume of these?   Fruits – only 42% of the recommended minimum intake.   Vegetables – only 59% of the recommended minimum intake.   Whole Grains – only 15% of the recommended minimum intake.   Fiber – only 40% of the recommended minimum intake.   Therefore, these are also items we can no longer consume in moderation as their current level of consumption is far below the level we know to be beneficial.   The only solution is a dramatic increase in the amounts we consume of these items.   Then, and only then, perhaps we can again, consume these things in moderation.”Firstly, you have no evidence that just  because they are from China that goji berries are not safe.Secondly Meat contains approximately 14 times more pesticides than do plant foods…Thus, by eating foods of animal origin, one ingests greatly concentrated amounts of hazardous chemicals. The reason for these high levels of contamination is because most pesticides and herbicides are attracted to and stored in fat.  Low levels found on the grasses and grains that are fed to the chicken, pigs and cattle accumulate in their body fat in very high concentrations for people to eat.Thirdly, it is far healthier to consume a pesticide laden apple then it would ever be to consume a filet of fish. If one is truly concerned about pesticides, then avoiding the “dirty dozen” apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, and strawberries would be bestFourthly, this is an issue of only pesticides we are dealing with, you have not considered other very harmful components of animal products such as cholesterol, trans fat, endotoxins, xenoestrogens etc.A more in depth look on organic vs conventional can be viewed on Jeff Novick’s forum where  he cites many studies comparing the two and showing that in the long run it really doesn’t matter whether one eats organic or conventional as long as they are eating fruits, vegetables and starches. http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=6229 Wow seriously, The Dirty Dozen? Those are the ONLY fruits and vegetables I eat. Apples, berries, celery,spinach. Oh well, I am screwed with a vegan diet of those of a regular diet, so guess I will just stick to everything in moderation.A scientist, biologist and a health care worker who hasn’t heard of the Dirty Dozen? You claim to be a scientist but your arguments couldn’t be further from the scientific method. You argue based on anecdotes and a lack of logic backed up by no facts or science. It seems to me that there are no foods that YOU can actually eat safely.  Could you post your grocery list and foods you eat so I can see if it is even possible to stick to only those 3 foods?You are a gold mine! I’m sad to see it wasted on the “voluntarily blind”…Read all your comments here. No evidence, followed by attempts of distraction. Grasping for straws.Your lack or professionalism drastically takes away credibility from your statements. I will link you to several videos answering some of your questions in the above statement.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/the-tomato-effect/http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/do-doctors-make-the-grade/http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/doctors-know-less-than-they-think-about-nutrition/Furthermore, your “evidence” is not proof nor is it really evidence. Again, explore the science itself at the primary source, not the opinions of others. Hmm, I am sitting here eating the worlds healthiest food. Dried Goji berries from Whole Foods. Then I notice the fine print, they are from China. WHO know WHAT THE HELL contaminants are in them? China constantly lies about safety.  No food is really safe.  All I am saying is you must admit that all the plants you eat have carcinogens sprayed on and in them. Why do you fail to see that that is just as bad as the toxins in fish or chicken??The U.S. government also lies about what contaminates are in our food, air, and water. The Congress protects themselves but deregulates laws or defunds agencies that protect the rest of us. Not all the Congress behaves like this, but certainly those who are against raising taxes to cover the debt created by everyone in Congress since FDR, including those conservatives who attach riders to appropriation bills.oh fcuk off “me”. your noise is garbage, we are here for science, we can’t afford organic is bullshit. those same people buy take aways, alcohol and cigarettes. stfu alreadyI’ve heard Dr. Michael Klaper say the exact same thing as in the above 4 videos.So what are you suggesting? If all plants are bad, what will you eat? You are FAR from a carnivore and ALL animal proteins grow cancer cells. You can bash the plants all you want, in the end, you’re stuck. You can’t live off fish alone and God help you if you tried. If you are that worried, grow your own produce, geez.My soil is now contaminated with radionuclides brought in accidentally by my husband from a company that mixed sweepings or diggings from production waters contaminated with Normally Occurring Radioactive Materials and dumped into my backyard.My dog tasted the newly spread soil which filled some of the holes from downed trees after hurricane Lili, and less than three months later she was dying of a fast growing bone cancer after just receiving a good health report from her veterinarian.I cannot use the soil in my yard to grow food, even if I could get down to the ground. So I’ve ordered cedar raised beds from Vermont and soil in hopes that it is cleaner than Louisiana. And, all summer I’ve made my compost in preparation for planting this fall.If all works out, I’ll buy more raised beds next year and place them where we have 6 hours of sun. Then, I’ll learn to put up foods like my mother did during WWII. The difference is I’ve led a soft life and at the age of 71 now have osteoporosis. So it depends how I do at getting stronger to how much I can accomplish.But I enjoyed gardening organically in the past, so I hope I’ll be able to pay people to help me garden this fall.I take Res-Q 1250, which on the label says its “the purest, most potent, pharmaceutical grade omega-3 marine oil”  Is this ok to take, or all those contaminents really not able to be removed?Looks like this is the brand of algae DHA shown in the video:the fact that animals suffer so horribly when killed for eating is enough for me not to eat meat ever. I need no other reason.When we visited China in 2005 and I heard as well as saw a white duck which had regularly been fed being swooped up, and his neck wrung in preparation for fresh Peking Duck for its master’s customers, I ate vegan on the rest of the trip.But it was not until 2012 when the pain I experienced from a fractured spine led me to purchasing a book by Neal Barnard, M.D. that I changed my diet to vegan to reduce the pain and inflammation, not just in my mind but in my entire body.When I give into my cravings and eat any animal protein, I experience pain and inflammation, and when I eat a plant based diet, it lessens or disappears. There is nothing like experiencing that pain to make one change their ways.The pollutants that have accumulated in wild Alaskan salmon explains to me the why my body screamed in pain several hours after eating a serving of wild sockeye salmon.I began dreaming about eating anything that was not green and swam instead of growing roots.Alas, my compost pile is nearly finished and my raised bed needs to be assembled for the late fall planting of collards, which I’ll grow, wash, blanch and freeze.I crave anything that does not grow roots. But, it’s not worth the pain or the toxic outcome of eating industrial poisons and GMO’s in what used to be called food.someone ban this “me” idiot alreadyGod this is a hornets nest of vegetarians. Dioxins can be found in all food sources. Maybe larger in fish or meat, although the study group numbers are always low, they are shown in vegeterians too, urban and rural, READ the studies! Vegetarians are also exposed to GMO food sources, pesticides and poor soil nutrients. What we are all agreeing on is we live in a toxic world and clearly diet alone is just one of the contenders in limiting out life span. We are indeed being poisoned by the industrialists. Life expectancy rates year on year have increased in the western world due to the overall improvement of controlling infectious diseases mainly and not lifestyle choices between omnivores or vegetarians. Maybe you all think eating more greens is going to save you from an early death but it isnt. I suggest you check your water, air pollution, fabrics, medications. If you americans have moved on from creational theory to evolutional theory yet, then you should know that nature makes all the smart moves for a reason. The reason we have been given a digestive system to cope with metabolising such a varied food source is because it makes us a versatile species to evolve over all other species. No other creature has this ability. Therefore, nature has evolved us to happily accept these varied food sources, in the right balance. We are also very capable of dealing with poisons and toxins as we do find in the natural world as we always have. Most of these studies show tiny amounts and you would have to consume fish for example on a massive amount to have serious effects.You raise points that are discussed and clarified throughout nutritionfacts.org. Yes those on a plant based diet are exposed to some pollutants, but not nearly to the degree as those on an omnivorous diet. The effects of bio-accumulation are important.Also, we actually do not need to consume much fish at all to have harmful effects from the pollutants. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/There is FAR more wrong with animal foods than pollutants, and the most convincing evidence to abandon the consumption of animal products is not because of the pollutants. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/ http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/I encourage you to further explore this site before you jump to rash conclusions. The purpose of nutritionfacts.org is to share the science, not the opinions.	algae,Antarctica,body fat,DHA,endocrine disruptors,factory farming practices,fish,flame-retardant chemicals,genital health,industrial toxins,liposuction,naphthalene,New York City,nutrition myths,omega-3 fatty acids,PBDEs,persistent organic pollutants,salmon,seafood,thyroid disease,thyroid health	Much of our fish supply is so polluted that algae-derived sources of long chain omega-3 fatty acids may be safest option.	Some more recent videos on omega-3 fatty acids: The Mediterranean Diet or a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet? PREDIMED: Does Eating Nuts Prevent Strokes? Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development PCBs in Children's Fish Oil SupplementsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish and industrial toxins. Also, there are 1,449 other subjectscovered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/new-york-city/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/naphthalene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/algae/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flame-retardant-chemicals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endotoxemia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/body-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antarctica/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pbdes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/liposuction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/genital-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/thyroid-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/predimed-does-eating-nuts-prevent-strokes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pcbs-in-childrens-fish-oil-supplements/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18313722,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18504962,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19084307,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18589030,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18672266,
PLAIN-3298	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-other-banned-pesticides/	Avoiding Other Banned Pesticides	Anyway, DDT was banned in 1972, and replaced by the insecticide dieldrin, subsequently found to be so toxic it was outlawed just two years later in 1974. But it’s still around and appears to be why every single prospective study on dairy consumption and Parkinson’s disease shows more milk means more Parkinson’s. “Though dieldrin has been banned, humans continue to be exposed to the pesticide through contaminated dairy products and meat due to the persistent accumulation of the pesticide in the environment.” What else can these persistent pollutants do? Just looking at the research published over the last year, linked to endometriosis, fibrosis, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular mortality, and even gum disease. When pregnant women eat lots of animal products they risk having babies with smaller brains, lower intelligence, poorer attention span, other cognitive impairments, and more pediatric respiratory infections. The more of the DDT metabolite DDE women are exposed to, the fatter their daughters may become when they grow up. “Prenatal exposure…may contribute to the obesity epidemic in women.” Toxic waste exposure in the diet, may even result in fewer men in the world. Pregnant women exposed to the most PCBs were 33% less likely to have a boy, and we’re not sure if that’s because the PCBs damage male sperm or male embryos, but if having a baby girl is more important than your health, bulking up on your PCBs may do it for you: Fish and other aquatic animals provide about three-quarters of human PCB dietary exposure. And the same with dioxins.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on dairy products, pesticides, and Parkinson’s. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!If Dieldrin is accumulated in the environment – does is exists in plant foods as well?Dieldrin and similar type chemicals are fat soluble and are much more prevalent and concentrated in animal products and are seen in greater concentration in humans consuming more animal products… see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/dioxins-in-the-food-supply/. So although they can be present in some plants they are much less. Washing plants and going organic whenever possible will further lower the amount of exposure. Vegans have about 2% of exposure as those who are non vegans see.. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/flame-retardant-chemical-contamination-2/. There is some good news as some of these compounds are decreasing in the environment… the bad news is that new chemicals seem to taking their place. Practicing the precautionary principle and following a low-fat plant-based diet with B12 supplement is the best approach.Dear doctor, I have a severe case of endometriosis, 10 years ago I’ve had a duoble intestinal resection (all the sigma, the ileocecal valve and 20 cm of large intestine) I am trying to become a vegetarian, with the full agreement of my doctor, but sometimes it is hard because fibres irritate my bowels. I am increasing antioxidants, probiotics (see dr. Klaper), but are there some foods that can help both my intestine and especially my fight against endometriosis? I red a lot about foods that could have caused endometriosis (an excess of red meat), but what should I eat if I already have it? Thank you so much, for being so simple in your explanations and for always giving tha source of all the infomation you give!! An Italian fan, Lorenza’72, Udine, ItalyDear Lorenza, I am going to help address the bowel issues you are likely to be having after your intestinal resection; most particularly the resection involving the ileocecal valve. The irritation you are reporting, I would be willing to bet, is related to food moving through your intestines faster, causing you to be prone to a looser stool. It would make sense that fiber would irritate you, because certain types of fibers speed things up even more. There are 2 basic types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Most foods naturally contain a blend of both. For you, the insoluble fiber would be the type of fiber you would want to avoid in large amounts. Either check the label to determine how much insoluble fiber is in a food relative to the soluble fiber and/or get a small book you can use as a pocket guide, which lists this information. Avoid foods that contain more than 2 grams of insoluble fiber per serving. Soluble fiber, on the other hand, can be helpful as it generally slows digestion, promoting a firmer stool. Also, certain fiber supplements can be helpful such as psyllium and other soluble fibers (pectin, dextrins, etc) (NO insoluble fiber supplements). If they don’t help, you might give a product called “Concentrated Flax Lignans” a try (www.FlaxLignanHealth.com). This is a special product that is very difficult to find anywhere other than online. It is not very expensive and I have found it to be very helpful. As always, run it by your doctor. I hope this helps!And don’t forget that you can absolutely follow a vegetarian diet and lifestyle, regardless of your symptoms. It would not be more difficult, and it is the absolute best way of protecting your intestinal health (and the probiotics don’t hurt either!!) and to protect your health in general!!I hope dr.Greger will answer to my question about specific nutritional suggestions for patients with endometriosis. Megann19 thank you so much for your suggestions, I am learning to choose foods depending on their insoluble fiber amount!http://www.drmcdougall.com/stars/051205starpaula.html - This lady cured her endometriosis with a 100% plant-based diet with no vegetable oils. you might want to ask your question to Dr. McDougall in an email.  He is really good about replying and has experience curing this disease.after years of stomach issues, and allergy tests showing I was allergic to dozens of foods. when i started paying attention to my diet, i was able to eliminate the problems. The processed foods made it more difficult to eat the good things. I went vegan, and also paid attention to my pain when I ate grains. If i felt pain the next morning, I knew to eliminate the pasta or the rice. It became easier to eat the veggies without problems. I found that the probiotics unfortunately irritated my stomach and the problems were gone when I cut that out. My rule is to choose foods of the highest amount of nutrition and so that eliminates all items in a box or can. Processes involving chemicals to manufacture the food, will not be listed in the ingredients on the box but can still make it difficult for you to digest it.  Fruits and veggies(non-gmo) have been the best choices for me.Dear dr Greger,I cured myself from endometriosis with low-fat high-fiber vegan, nonrefined diet, but still I struggle with vitiligo. Is there a dietary treatment for this disease?Lady from eastern EuropeHello, I have a question about endometriosis. I’m going to have a laparoscopy to remove it but I want to make sure I address the root cause, i.e. the conditions under which it grows to start with. Any advice on diet? What I already found what confusing at best: some say dairy is good, some others absolutely discourage it, same for soy, etc… Many thanks for your help.Not sure if this is the best location for this question, but I am having trouble finding any links to Pulmonary Fibrosis. My friend’s father was recently diagnosed with Cardio Pulmonary Fibrosis and so I was wondering if you have found any nutritional links or food based treatments for Cardio Pulmonary Fibrosis? Thanks!	birth defects,blood pressure,brain disease,brain health,cardiovascular disease,cognition,dairy,DDT,diabetes,dieldrin,endometrial health,endometriosis,fibroids,heart disease,heart health,hypertension,infants,intelligence,meat,milk,oral health,Parkinson's disease,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,pregnancy,uterine health,women's health	Industrial pollutants in the food supply may help explain the link between dairy consumption and Parkinson's disease.	Other videos on persistent pollutants: The Wrong Way to Detox California Children Are Contaminated Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility Food Sources of PerfluorochemicalsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on dairy products, pesticides, and Parkinson's. Also, there are1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/06/25/apple-peels-turn-on-anticancer-genes/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fibroids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/uterine-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ddt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hypertension/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dieldrin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometrial-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endometriosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/intelligence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/birth-defects/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/blood-pressure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/milk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-wrong-way-to-detox/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-sources-of-perfluorochemicals/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2603182,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16112328,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17551544,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18294985,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430157,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18606400,
PLAIN-3299	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-fish-oil-supplements/	DDT in Fish Oil Supplements	What about fish oil capsules? Packed with PCBs and insecticides, but which is worse? Fish, seal, or shark oil capsules? Well, for PCBs, here’s how much is in fish, but seals eat fish. And sharks eat seals. And then if we eat sharks, that puts us precipitously at the top of the food chain. What about pesticides, like DDT? Though banned decades ago after Silent Spring came out, it’s still found in the food chain, and will be for another few centuries, but no worries. If you trusted the chemical companies at the time, you’d know that DDT was good for you. And our baby. Similarly, if you trust the tuna companies, tuna’s safe for both mom and baby—and teddy bear! According to the Tuna Council, it’s not just safe but a healthy choice, providing a boost for your baby’s brain. Same corporate playbook. The only difference is now they’ve learned to use nicer names for their companies, like Starkist. Harder to get nursing mothers to trust you when your company’s called Killing Salt Chemicals.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish oil. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Just wondering if Krill Oil supplements are any better than fish oil capsules. Do you have any suggestions on the best way to get the benefits of fish without actually eating it?The longest study I could find done on krill oil was only 3 months in duration, so long-term effectiveness and safety is unknown, but recent short-term studies suggest that krill oil would have comparable bioavailability and metabolic effects. They are lower on the food chain and would be expected to have lower levels of accumulated pollutants, though an upcoming paper in Environmental Pollution suggests that they do take up DDT metabolites. When it comes to industrial toxins, always seek as low as you can go on the food chain, in this case, algae that produce bioequivalent long-chain omega-3’s. Check out videos like Algae-Based DHA vs. Flax and The Problem with Organic Salmon.As an aside, you never know what you’re going to run into in the medical literature. In looking up krill oil for you I stumbled across a paper in the Journal of Plankton Research published this year (with pictures!) entitled: Ocean-bottom krill sex.	biomagnification,children,DDT,DHA,EPA,fish,fish oil,marketing,mercury,neurotoxins,nutrition myths,omega-3 fatty acids,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,seafood,seal oil,shark oil,supplements,tuna,Tuna Council	Though banned decades ago, the pesticide DDT persists in the food supply.	Here is my more recent video on fish oil: Is Fish Oil Just Snake Oil?	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna-council/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dha/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ddt/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seal-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/shark-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biomagnification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/marketing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish-oil/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish-oil-just-snake-oil/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19200125,
PLAIN-3300	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cannibalistic-feed-biomagnification/	Cannibalistic Feed Biomagnification	Now to be fair, the mercury isn’t just in fish. I mean what do you think happens when we feed fish meal to other farmed animals? You can get the worst of both worlds: saturated fat (with the industrial pollutants) and methyl mercury. OK, we know that Nemo here is the worst out of all these options… but coming in second place? Beef, butter, cheese, chicken, clams, or cream? Beef, butter, cheese, chicken, clams, cream. Chicken: almost as much toxic waste ingestion as from fish. Cheese, comes in third, and because of that, not eating meat may not be enough. From the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the most prestigious nutrition journal on the planet, and considered one of the most influential scientific journals of the 20th century: “Vegetarian diets and exposure to organochlorine pollutants, lead, and mercury.” Because we continue to feed farm animals to other farm animals in the United States—slaughterhouse waste, blood, and manure— Note only may mad cow prions be found in meat, but also these persistent lipophilic organic pollutants, or “PLOP,” such as pesticides and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins. Animal products can also contain other neurotoxic substances like methyl mercury and lead, because the industrial PLOP accumulates in fat tissues, the lead accumulates in bones, and so when farm animals are fed meat and bone meal, the toxins biomagnify, bioaccumulate up the food chain. Therefore, a predominance of plant food in human diets, a plant-based diet, is an important step in lowering the body burden of harmful substances—but, veganism is defined as the practice of consuming only plant foods. Although a vegetarian lifestyle can lower the body burden of PLOP, mercury, and lead, such benefits can be undermined by the consumption of contaminated milk and egg products, because farm animals that are fed contaminated animal products produce contaminated animal products.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on industrial toxins and animal products. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I see you have a video already with some information on acrylamide. However, I was listening to a podcast with Dr. Graham (fruitarian guy – 80 10 10) and one of the benefits of sticking to his plan is not ingesting acrylamide which he states is a carcinogen. So, should I stop drinking coffee? Stop baking my potato? Stop eating organic corn chips? Stop eating breakfast cereals such as organic corn flakes? You get the idea. I’m about to adapt my diet from just gluten free vegan, to gluten free, modified raw vegan. My version of a modified raw vegan being someone who allows rice, quinoa, beans and potato type starches in a crock pot, or boiled. I won’t give up coffee though. Am I overly concerned with regard to acrylamide according to any science out there? Thank you for your great work!Just to throw this out there, a possible alternative to trying to get carcinogens to their absolute minimum might be to try to make all the easy cuts to carcinogens and then focus on increasing your antioxidents, polyphenols, and carcinogen blockers.Dr. Greger, what do you feed your cat with?	animal fat,beef,butter,cheese,chicken,clams,cream,fish,heavy metals,industrial toxins,lead,mad cow disease,manure,mercury,neurotoxins,omnivores,organochlorines,persistent organic pollutants,plant-based diets,poultry,prion disease,saturated fat,seafood,vegans,vegetarians	Feeding meat and bone meal to farm animals may increase the levels of industrial pollutants in animal products.	Here are a few other videos on persistent pollutants and biomagnification: Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own Fat California Children Are ContaminatedPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on industrial toxins and animal products. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/26/lead-poisoning-risk-from-venison/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-products/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heavy-metals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/manure/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/butter/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cheese/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organochlorines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prion-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/clams/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mad-cow-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cream/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/california-children-are-contaminated/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19027108,
PLAIN-3301	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/	Amalgam Fillings vs. Canned Tuna	Because mercury can be so dangerous, concern has been raised about amalgam fillings, the silvery cavity fillings in our teeth, because they do contain mercury and release a certain amount every day. Eating just a single can of tuna a week, is the equivalent to having how many mercury-containing fillings in our teeth, day in and day out? Less than 5, 5-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-25, or more than 25? Now keep I mind, you only have 32 teeth. One can a week, is like living with, 29 mercury-containing fillings. I don’t know if you remember those old James Bond flicks, but basically that means looking like this.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on mercury and tuna. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I recently found out that amalgam fillings in the teeth release mercury and I have about 4-5 of such fillings; should I remove them? Are there scientific articles encouraging it’s removal? I found this organization/video on the web touting for its removal because of it’s neurotoxicity: http://www.iaomt.org/patients/video.asp Are there risks of removing them? Thanks in anticipation of your response.Dear Dr. Greger: First of all, let me thank you for your excellent work here. It really helped me and I’m sure it will help others a LOT. I’ve been ovolactovegetarian since I was 4, and now I’m a vegan for almost 2 years. I’m also an odontology student, so I’m not only interested in nutrition but also in the subjects related to my career. I was told in the university that amalgam fillings release a minimal amount of mercury a day, so it’s not relevant as a health issue, ¿what do you think about it?. I would feel sorry about all the patients I put those grey fillings in if i knew they’re bad for health. Responding to those wondering if there is a risk removing amalgam fillings, yes there is: the risk that your dentist removes additional tooth material by expanding the cavity every time they remove it, either by iatrogenesis or because there is a caries under the filling. Another risk may occur because of the swallowing of the filling material, because of that, the dentist should always use a rubber dam before removing the amalgam fillings.I’ve read that Albacore tuna is bad but that chunk light tuna is safe and has safe levels of mercury (if there is such a thing). Is that true?Hi Mjeejsmith, As we have learned, all types of tuna contain dangerous levels of mercury. This other video also shows the staggering levels of mercury in tuna: (http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/)Hello mjeejsmith! Just to expand on NickyC’s comment, Nicky is correct. A safe level of a toxin should always be 0. Mercury is stored in fat and it can take years for you to actually remove the mercury from your body. Check out this video regarding fish contamination http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/hair-testing-for-mercury/ As with regarding the different types of tuna, check out the Environmental Defense fund’s website http://apps.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=16314 and they show the tunas with the lowest levels. But again, these levels of mercury are considered “moderate” and other contaminants are excluded. Especially when they say eat no more than 4 servings of US/Canadian albacore a month, you know there is something harmful just in that statement. Seafood now a days can be considered where the sewage winds up, they are almost always contaminated with a wide range of harmful chemicals, from PCB’s, Mercury and Dioxins to Arsenic. These chemicals are difficult to remove from ones system so we should not eat these foods as to avoid replenishing the supply of toxins in our body. Check out this video for more information on fish contamination http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/food-sources-of-pcb-chemical-pollutants/Interested in the same previoos question about Albacore and chunk light tuna.Hi Lina, As I posted above, all types of tuna contain dangerous levels of mercury, and therefore should be avoided. Check out this video for more information: (http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mercury-in-vaccinations-vs-tuna-2/)I have lots of fillings in my teeth. Is there anything I can do apart from removing them?.I read that sardines are better than tuna regading mercury. Also, from the nutrition data I see they have more omega 3. What about mackerel?Almost all fish are contaminated by mercury. So to minimized the ingestion of mercury it is best to avoid all fish. See http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/hair-testing-for-mercury/. I know of no credible sources recommending removal of fillings to reduce mercury load in the body. Omega 3’s are best consumed through natural sources (flax and walnuts) or by taking algae derived omega3’s(which is where the fish get it anyway)… see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/algae-based-dha-vs-flax-2/. By avoiding fish you also avoid all the cholesterol, saturated fat plus all other contaminants such as PCB’s.Please not there are other countries apart from the US. Not all supplements are available everywhere.Does anyone know a good place where you could go to test your mercury level- like doing a mercury hair test?Dr. Greger,With regard to your video: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/I recently found out that amalgam fillings in the teeth release mercury and I have about 4-5 of such fillings; should I remove them? Are there scientific articles encouraging it’s removal? I found this organization/video on the web touting for its removal because of it’s neurotoxicity: http://www.iaomt.org/patients/video.asp Are there risks of removing them?I am confused because some people say that the exposure from amalgam is not sufficient to result in any health issues, and that taking out the fillings could cause more problems (i.e. weakening the tooth more, and increasing mercury exposure in the process).To further compound this case, the alternative to amalgam (composite resins/fillings) have also proven to be equally or even more toxic compared to amalgam. I have read several scientific articles and they seem to contradict one another.Thanks in anticipation of your response.Dr. Greger,Thanks again for this incredibly informative website. I love it.A question: how did you come up with your calculation about how many mercury-containing dental fillings are equivalent to eating a can of tuna once a week?”Three national brands of canned tuna were recently tested for mercury. They averaged 600 ppb of mercury, exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s safety level for human consumption (500 ppb). The drained solids in a can of tuna weigh about 170 grams, so that comes out to be about 100 mcg of mercury per can of tuna. A conservative estimate of the amount of mercury we’re exposed to on a daily basis per amalgam-filled tooth is 0.5 mcg, so eating a single can of tunafish a week is like having 29 teeth filled with mercury-based fillings day in and day out.I think your numbers are off, so I put together my own comparison with details that you did not address. http://www.mercuryexposure.info/context/debunking-amalgam-myths/more-mercury-in-a-tuna-sandwich/item/842-is-there-more-mercury-in-a-tuna-sandwich-compared-to-mercury-dental-fillings We might also want to factor in exposure during placement polishing and removal. Check out Richardson’s other published study, “Inhalation of Mercury-Contaminated Particulate Matter by Dentists: An Overlooked Occupational Risk”http://www.mercuryexposure.info/occupational/mercury-exposure/item/576-inhalation-of-mercury-contaminated-particulate-matter-by-dentists-an-overlooked-occupational-riskMaybe instead of removing amalgams and cause problems it is better to take a supplement that captures the mercury. I read selenium is good but have no experience.does this come from the TUNA or the CAN ?? what about ALL canned food? i didn’t find any video in this concern ???That’s from the tuna itself, due to biomagnification up the food chain of the mercury largely released from burning coal.thank you, is there anything there to know about canned food too?thank you, anything there to know about canned food too?See BPA Plastic and Male Sexual Dysfunction and Which Plastics are Harmful?.I’m not sure if this is still open as the last comment was a year ago but I will give it a go. I have to have a filling replaced and my dentist said the only option is a mercury amalgam filling due to the size and shape of the cavity. I am a nursing mother. Is it safe for me to have my tooth filled or should I wait? There is too much conflicting info out there. Thank you.You can always get a second opinion.According to the World Health Organization – Mercury is toxic to human health, posing a particular threat to the development of the child in utero and early in life. Mercury exists in various forms: elemental (or metallic); inorganic (e.g. mercuric chloride); and organic (e.g., methyl- and ethylmercury), which all have different toxic effects, including on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.Mercury is highly toxic, especially when metabolized into methyl mercury. It may be fatal if inhaled and harmful if absorbed through the skin. Around 80% of the inhaled mercury vapour is absorbed in the blood through the lungs. It may cause harmful effects to the nervous, digestive, respiratory, immune systems and to the kidneys, besides causing lung damage. Adverse health effects from mercury exposure can be: tremors, impaired vision and hearing, paralysis, insomnia, emotional instability, developmental deficits during fetal development, and attention deficit and developmental delays during childhood. Recent studies suggest that mercury may have no threshold below which some adverse effects do not occur.Dental amalgam is the most commonly used dental filling material. It is a mixture of mercury and a metal alloy. The normal composition is 45-55% mercury; approximately 30% silver and other metals such as copper, tin and zinc. In 1991, the World Health Organization confirmed that mercury contained in dental amalgam is the greatest source of mercury vapour in non-industrialized settings, exposing the concerned population to mercury levels significantly exceeding those set for food and for air.(Source:http://www.who.int/ipcs/publications/cicad/en/cicad50.pdf)Here is a much more detailed and nuanced breakdown of this comparision from the researcher who Dr. Greger quotes for his amalgma numbers.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adpGsBI7u7Q&list=UUfe7ZYwOanRKdl0C_mX757A&index=5As this is a relevant topic, I was wondering?Root Canal Treatment? Its a dental procedure and even though there are surplus files and documents spilling around the Internet about faulty metal hips and metal teeth (such as above) Is there any real evidence linking Root Canal dental procedures with cancer? The idea about an abscess growing back in a dead tooth and mutating into something cancerous with no nerve sounds logical, but is there anything solid to note?I would think that nerve damage is a lot more likely than cancer, but I wouldn’t rule cancer out. Especially if you are including “local” cancers, like you can get mouth cancers from chewing tobacco over the years.I don’t know if this guide is a reliable or biased source, but maybe it can add some nuance about mercury levels in different fish http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/seafoodguide/page4.aspEnd scene: James Bond and Jaws From Moonraker.Interesting to hear the opinions and research findings; however, I must consider one thing that no one has mentioned, according to my reading of these entries. When calculating “acceptable” and “dangerous” levels of the differing types of mercury, I hear people relating to tuna sandwiches and cancer rates. I haven’t heard anyone mention the presence of carcinogenic elements of enriched, processed flour and mayonnaise in the sandwich equation. Also, I haven’t heard anyone mention that cancer was virtually unknown before the “modern” age. Example: Several thousand mummies were autopsied to check for cancer presence in the non-modern or pre-modern age. Only one case of cancer was found – in thousands !! Now, we know that one in three to four people will be impacted by cancer. One in six men are already impacted by prostate cancer. At what level of exposure do we finally say, well, that’s acceptable to me?!?! We have made a fine art of processing, transporting and storing food. We experience a constant barrage of microwave and radio wave transmission penetrating our body, 24 hours per day, so that we can enjoy soap operas, satellite TV, cell phone and internet communication. We watch kids eating Skittles and popsicles without giving it a second thought. Cattle and chickens are fed concoctions that make them grow fast and infection free only as long as it takes to slaughter them, so we can cook them (and their man-made body chemistry) in oils from genetically modified corn and soybeans. At what point do we separate the fish mercury from the rest of life on modern Earth and define a formula to evaluate amalgam fillings?How do sardines fit into this picture?Hi rb99. Good question. I think sardines would have lower mercury levels than tuna (most other fish do) since they just eat plankton. They still have mercury from what i gather, but I am unsure exact amounts. It appears contaminates can vary based on location and type of fish. A study from the U.S. shows doses of lead, cadmium and arsenic in canned sardines. This study in Port Moresby tested different levels of fish and found sardines to be the lowest. I am not sure any level of mercury is safe. Some other videos that mention sardines and if interested, here and here. One video is on atrial fibrillation, the other on amnesic seafood poisoning.I wonder how incompetent you are? Corelation dont imply causation. Check maybe Japanese nation with highest fish consuption rates and why we dont see any problems there in the cognitive tests?.Please no name calling on the site. This video is about canned tuna and fillings not Japanese populations and cognition. Thanks.	amalgam fillings,cans,dental health,fish,mercury,neurotoxins,oral health,seafood,tuna	Eating a can of tuna once a week is equivalent to living with how many mercury-containing amalgam tooth fillings?	Still interested in mercury exposure? See my videos: Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development Hair Testing for Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy Nerves of Mercury How Long to Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy? Fish Intake Associated With Brain40 Shrinkage Which Brand of Tuna Has the Most Mercury? Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own FatPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on mercury and tuna. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amalgam-fillings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oral-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brand-of-tuna-has-the-most-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12900074,
PLAIN-3302	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog/	Fish Fog	Mercury affects adults too. Hair loss, memory loss, slurred speech. Here’s a case report of a guy who ate tuna every day—became so crazy he was thrown in a psych ward. Couldn’t even remember his name. It’s not always this dramatic though. Eating fish gives people sub-clinical neurobehavioral abnormalities, meaning you feel fine, you look fine, but if you’re actually put to the test, the performance of those who eat fish is significantly worse on a bunch of tests, like finger tapping speed—like how fast you can do this. But if go up against your fish eating friends and win bets seeing who can tap faster, I get a cut.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the companion video on mercury poisoning from maternal fish-eating. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22178180J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Feb 15;139(3):765-71. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.12.010. Epub 2011 Dec 13. 5α-reductase inhibition and hair growth promotion of some Thai plants traditionally used for hair treatment.check this thai plants inhibit 5 alpha red… hope it helpsIm just curious. You eat a healthy plant based diet (vegan) i assume, and usually the people that do have great hair health but ou seem to be balding. Is this a genetic thing or maybe exposure to something in your past?rudeDr. can olive oil using on scalp prevent DHT ? if yes, can it work so actively . Actually as you know revivogen a natural DHT inhabitor product which has omega3( i believe its derived from either flax seeds, olive oil or fish) plus it has alcohol which I think make it quite active along with zinc. revivogen is quite thin actually. it really works , I’ve found it incredible product but its costlier to me that is why I also bought hairmax comb also which is a one time investment but I believe I still miss revivogen. I want something topical, so I was searching what aleternative can be of revivogen, last week I used extra virgin olive in my hair at bedtime , trust me any kind of itching/ tigling which specially occurs after hairmax went away, i washed hair in the morning they were shiny like they had a life, though revivogen also does same work. I am just wondering can it really helpful using olive oil into scalp to stop DHT ?check out amla in smoothies or on scalp. Good luck.to help stop DHT use saw palmetto herb good for both your hair and prostate, and fo-ti herb also good for hair and keeps it from graying.Are there any studies you know of that show correlation between diet and alopecia? I could not find anything on this site or pub med, but I may have missed something!Me too, i’ve read several blogs regarding vegetarianism and hairloss. I’ve heard b12 and possibly zinc can help, but was hoping to see some studies regarding diet and hair loss.Can you say the same about Japanese? I only look at your site 1h and concluded that you cherry picking studies to supports your claims.What is a fish frog	brain health,fish,hair health,hair loss,memory,mercury,nerve health,neuropathy,neurotoxins,psychosis,seafood,speech impairment,tuna	The link between fish consumption and neurobehavioral abnormalities in adults is likely related to mercury toxicity.	For other, more recent videos on the health risks associated with mercury, see: Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development Hair Testing for Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy Nerves of Mercury How Long to Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy? Fish Intake Associated With Brain40 Shrinkage Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own FatPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the companion video on mercury poisoning from maternal fish-eating. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hair-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hair-loss/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neuropathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tuna/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/speech-impairment/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/psychosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/memory/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12900074,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19167574,
PLAIN-3303	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/	Maternal Mercury Levels	In a study of the links between fish consumption and infertility, levels of mercury were measured in vegans, for the first time ever. They took hair samples from fish-eaters and vegans, and this is what they found. Ten times more mercury contamination in the bodies of those who eat fish. In fact if you take meateaters and put them on a vegetarian diet, within just 3 months the levels of mercury in their bodies drops significantly, as well as other toxic heavy metal levels such as cadmium and lead. (What’s this one going up? That’s magnesium—that’s a good thing.) Whereas the more fish meals we eat per month, the higher our mercury levels climb. Just one or more fish meals a week, and 1 in 4 childbearing women exceed the EPA mercury safety limits. What’s the big deal about mercury? Hundreds of thousands of American babies poisoned by their mothers’ fish consumption every single year. So much mercury coming from their mothers—measured straight from the umbilical cord blood, that they’re born with brain damage. The resulting loss of intelligence that will plague these kids for the rest of their lives because their moms ate fish, is estimated to cost our nation billions of dollars in lost productivity. We’d be billions of dollars more productive had these hundreds of thousands of kids been born smarter if their moms had been smarter and not ate fish during pregnancy. Of course, you can’t blame the mothers if they simply didn’t know how much they were damaging the brains of their children with every bite.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish and mercury. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!What great education on this topic of mercury from fish and poisoning children.Does this have anything to do with the rise in Autism?I love your website but have to disagree with you about fish. There are other studies that show fish in pregnancy raises the IQ level of children. I ate fish throughout my pregnancies and fed my 3 sons a lot of fish. One has a PhD in Molecular Biology, one is a medical doctor and the other is doing his PhD. Nothing wrong with their brains!I thought I was eating healthy for years, eating only chicken and fish for meat. When I got pregnant I did what I was told to do and did not drink alcohol or caffeine, didn’t take any kind of medication, didn’t eat soft cheeses or raw fish, so no sushi and limited my cooked fish intake to 1-2 times per week. My son was born with an Intellectual Disability (ID), his cognitive ability is in the 1%. MRI’s and EEG’s show no gray matter, he did not have any brain trauma or infection. They believe his ID happened during early fetal development. Could eating mercury laden fish be the cause of his ID? Maybe, maybe not, we probably will never know but the maybe is something I have to live with for the rest of my life. I am now a plant based vegan so I can live as long as possible to care for my son who needs me to be alive as long as possible. Perhaps I can prevent one more child from being born with an ID by posting this. Think before you eat!@annabella. Our oceans are much more polluted now that they used to be. Just because your children turned out okay 30+ years ago doesn’t mean they would today.http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/?id=3893Study: No Link Between Mercury Exposure and Autism-like BehaviorsHow are we to reconcile the contradiction between sources??Wow that’s crazy but makes sense. Glad I’m vegan	bargains,brain disease,brain health,cadmium,cognition,detoxification,EPA,fish,infants,intelligence,lead,mercury,neurotoxins,omnivores,plant-based diets,pregnancy,safety limits,seafood,vegans,vegetarians,women's health	The resulting loss of child intelligence linked to maternal fish consumption is estimated to cost billions in lost productivity.	For more videos on the health risks associated with mercury, check out: Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development Hair Testing for Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy Nerves of Mercury How Long to Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy? Fish Intake Associated With Brain Shrinkage Pollutants in Salmon and Our Own FatPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish and mercury. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cognition/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lead/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadmium/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/epa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/intelligence/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bargains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pollutants-in-salmon-and-our-own-fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-testing-for-mercury-before-considering-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerves-of-mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercury-vs-omega-3s-for-brain-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-long-to-detox-from-fish-before-pregnancy/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9646524,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18814872,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1257552,
PLAIN-3304	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/	Xenoestrogens & Early Puberty	Until the 20th century, the average age of puberty for girls was 16 or 17 years old. Now, we’re seeing significant numbers of girls starting to grow breasts before they’re 8. The change has been so dramatic that the medical profession has had to keep changing its standards for what’s currently pathological. The question is why. Is it just fiction that the increase in meat consumption has something to do with it? It appears to be fact. Based on Harvard data, “girls who consumed more animal protein and less vegetable protein started their periods earlier.” And it may not just be the hormone content in milk, meat, and eggs. A study of Korean children found that seafood and processed meat seemed to be the main culprits, and they think it may be the endocrine-disrupting industrial chemicals that build up in meat—fish in particular—like the dioxins and PCBS, that may be what’s doing it.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the companion video, “Xenoestrogens & Sperm Counts.” Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!imagine how a plant-based america would change the whole birth control debate! i wonder how much teenage pregnancy would be reduced?Ive heard that environmental pollutants are much less in colder water, Alaskan Salmon, because the cold water is much dense and thus pollutants descend faster….but what about migrating fish carrying the contaminant?And all those chemicals from industrial processes in Asia migrate northwards to colder climes.Ive heard that environmental pollutants are much less in colder water, Alaskan Salmon, because the cold water is much dense and thus pollutants descend faster….but what about migrating fish carrying the contaminant?	animal protein,breast development,children,dioxins,endocrine disruptors,estrogen,fish,hormones,industrial toxins,meat,menarche,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,plant protein,premature puberty,processed meat,protein,puberty,seafood,steroids,xenoestrogens	Until the twentieth century, the average age of puberty for girls was 16 or 17 years old.	I also have these videos on xenoestrogens: Estrogen in Meat, Dairy, and Eggs Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors Male Fertility and DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the companion video, "Xenoestrogens & Sperm Counts." Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/08/29/soy-and-breast-cancer-an-update/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dioxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/premature-puberty/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-development/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xenoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menarche/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16817811,
PLAIN-3305	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/xenoestrogens-sperm-counts/	Xenoestrogens & Sperm Counts	Anyways, when you hear about “environmental estrogens” and male fertility they’re not talking about phytoestrogens, they’re talking about xenoestrogens, these humanmade chemicals like PCBs, pesticides that can have estrogenic effects. Where are they found the most? Fish. So it follows that “The highest…concentrations were found in urban fish eaters, followed by rural fish eaters, [then] urban vegetarians, and with the lowest levels in rural vegetarians.” Here are the sperm counts, fisheaters versus vegetarians.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the companion video, “Xenoestrogens & Early Puberty.” Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Hi, Dr Greger. I’m vegan and love it, and am blood type A. I know people, especially blood type O, who say they NEED meat or their health declines. What do you say to that? I would like to think that no one needs meat and perhaps there’s something wrong that’s making them need meat. Could you shed any light on this for me, as I don’t know how to respond to them other than maybe it’s their blood type (like in the blood type diet). Thank you :-)i’m o neg, have been vegetarian for 20 years, and just recently went vegan :-) blood type diets have no science to back them upEndocrine disrupters are also found in other meat products, fruit, vegetables and even water, plastics, cans, …Most of them are pesticides wich are sprayed on food, the rest are mostly anticorosive syntetic hormones used to protect plastic, cans, even glass.Often a lack of iron absorption may occur when people stop eating meat, due to inadequate digestive secretions. There are only 2 things in existence that facilitate iron absorption….1. Vitamin C. 2. Sufficient Hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Years of processed foods, wheat, dairy, alcohol, coffee, refined sugars etc all take their toll on our digestive health, affecting hydrochloric acid and enzyme secretion. Taking probiotics and herbal digestive blends such Ginger & Gentian, coupled with a healthy, clean diet, will restore digestive function & enable more iron to be absorbed. Seeing a knowledgeable plant based Naturopath or Herbalist, would be very beneficial in sourcing the correct herbal blend. Liquid herbs are superior to tablet form in this instance, and are very, very effective.	endocrine disruptors,estrogen,fertility,fish,hormonal dysfunction,industrial toxins,isoflavones,men's health,omnivores,PCBs,persistent organic pollutants,pesticides,phytoestrogens,plant-based diets,reproductive health,seafood,sexual health,sperm counts,testicular health,vegetarians,xenoestrogens	Endocrine disrupting xenoestrogens in fish may be interfering with male fertility.	Here are some recent videos on xenoestrogens: Estrogen in Meat, Dairy and Eggs Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors Male Fertility and DietPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the companion video, "Xenoestrogens & Early Puberty." Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/07/27/mercury-testing-recommended-before-pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/19/pollutants-in-californian-breast-tissue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/15/why-are-children-starting-puberty-earlier/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/estrogen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pcbs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pesticides/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/xenoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormonal-dysfunction/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/industrial-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/persistent-organic-pollutants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/isoflavones/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors-and-allergies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-alkylphenol-endocrine-disruptors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-estrogen-and-male-fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/male-fertility-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12477510,
PLAIN-3306	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarian-zinc-requirements/	Vegetarian Zinc Requirements	And before we leave the topic, just as the iron requirements in many women are higher than men because some iron is lost every month in the menstrual flow, the zinc requirements in men are higher than women because some zinc is lost in semen. Because the zinc in plant foods isn’t absorbed as well as the zinc in flesh foods, a study published earlier this year found relatively low blood zinc levels in vegetarians, so anyone eating plant-based diets—men or women—should make sure they eat whole grains, beans, and nuts every day, but some men might just require more than others. 	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on zinc and vegetarians. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Is zinc supplementation safe and maybe advisable for vegans? If so, any forms you suggest? The issue of cadmium in zinc supplements has been raised.What do you think about the ratio of zinc/copper in the diet? Iv read the ideal is 8/1 but that seems pretty much impossible on a plant based diet, thoughts?wheat germ has a better ratio than beef, although oysters are the best by far but oysters also have many other things I would not consider safe for consumption.Also I found that hemp seeds contain zinc without any copper. 28 grams will provide about 23% of your daily requirement for zinc.My zinc levels are low. I eat walnuts and flax in my oatmeal, and black beans or potatoes or grains with steamed broccolli, kale, etc., vegetables.Is there a quality supplement that will up the zinc level?I heard you need to keep a 10 to 1 ratio of zinc to copper. Is this true?My wife was recently diagnosed with having very high levels of copper. What are the chances that her mostly vegan diet has contributed to this problem. There is a lot of hype about copper-zink imbalance in a vegetarian and vegan diets. Although high in zinc, nuts and beans are also generally high in copper. Is this fact or fiction?Since no one has answered you yet, I will. Yes, nuts, seeds and beans are generally high in copper–and while the phytic acid in those foods binds their zinc, calcium, iron and other minerals, their copper is still available to us for absorption. As you probably know, high copper can make you tired and fuels the spread of cancer. I also read recently that it may be linked to Alzheimer’s.Here’s the long version of the copper-zinc connection and some suggestions on how to increase zinc and lower copper: http://eatandbeatcancer.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/anti-cancer-diets-and-the-pitfalls-of-plants-part-1-copper-and-zinc/I am concerned about cadmium levels in zinc supplements. I have read that zinc orotate is the most bio-available type, but is it a good source of low cadmium zinc? I have also read that zinc gluconate has the lowest levels of cadmium but also low absorption. Which would you recommend Dr Greger? Thank you!How much beans, nuts and grains should be eaten?Derrek: Most of the professionals that I follow recommend up to 1 to 2 ounces of nuts and seeds a day. But beans and grains can easily be half of the volume of food that you eat. Check out the PCRM Power Plate, which I find to be a really helpful visual guide: http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/pplate/power-plateI just follow 80/10/10I also found a recommendation for legumes, grains and veggies and fruits but couldn’t find it anymoreIt was on their websiteWhat’s the rda for vegans for zinc? I heard there’s a problem absorbing it.Do you recommend zinc supplements for vegans? How much should I be getting per day? I heard it’s harder to absorb for vegans. How much should I supplement each day?I just reviewed the comments and questions here. Zinc is best absorbed from whole food, so a supplement is not a good choice. The best way is to be sure to find delicious ways to eat beans, whole grains and/or a palmful of nuts every day.I understand that zinc is vital in bode building process. I have read that the most absorptive form of is zinc acexamate.‘Role of nutritional zinc in the prevention of osteoporosis.’http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20035439See also the Zinc Acexamate-Osteoporosis Studies http://osteoporosis-studies.com/spplements/zinc/zinc-acexamate/My zinc tends to be a little lower than the commonly cited recommended daily value; I’ve heard Dr. Greger say elsewhere (specifically, here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5FLp1YqPO4&t=2m38s) that if you’re eating a diet rich in whole plant foods, especially beans, greens, nuts, grains, and seeds, zinc is nothing to worry about. I eat plenty of those foods, but my zinc levels nonetheless tend to hover at around 8.5mg a day, 77% of the standard recommendation. Is this something I should seek to remedy, or should I be content knowing I’m eating plenty of of cruciferous and green leafy vegetables (in addition to beans, nuts, grains, and seeds)?Thanks again for reposting! I suggest upping your zinc intake a bit. You are almost to 11 mg. Keep in mind these are just “averages” to shoot for, but they are the best averages we have, set by the Institute of Medicine. Adding 2.5 mg of zinc to your diet may be pretty easy, especially if you like pumpkin seeds, as 1 ounce offers 2.2 mg of zinc. If you want more foods sources of zinc let me know! Thanks again for reposting.Sincerely, Joseph	beans,grains,men's health,menstruation,nuts,omnivores,plant-based diets,seeds,semen,sexual health,vegetarians,zinc	Vegetarians may be at risk for zinc deficiency.	A few other videos on potential nutrient deficiencies associated with plant-based diets: Safest Source of B12 Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/semen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/menstruation/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/zinc/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18953504,
PLAIN-3307	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/soy-hormones-male-infertility/	Soy Hormones & Male Infertility	What about soybeans, though? The phytoestrogens in soy protect against cancer, but might they decrease male fertility? Fox News thinks so. Fact, or fiction? Are you sure—they say they’re fair and balanced. Fiction, and it’s interesting why. The study did find that soy decreased sperm concentration, but did not significantly affect sperm count. How can you have the same number of sperm, but a lower concentration? Because of larger ejaculate volume. Soy appears to stimulate the prostate gland to produce a larger load of ejaculate fluid, but the actual overall sperm count remains the same.	I want to ask if it’s true that soy makes men more feminine because of the phytoestrogen?Soy apparently “does not have feminizing effects on men.”Seems like a win-win to me! However I’ve heard that soy can supress the thyroid. Is there an upper limit?Excellent question! Soy does indeed have so-called “goitrogenic” compounds (as does broccoli-family vegetables and flax seeds), which can interfere with thyroid function in people with marginal iodine intake. The answer is not to avoid these super healthy foods but to just make sure you get enough iodine. See my video Avoiding Iodine Deficiency.Dear Michael!I love this website and want to congratulate you on the amazing work you do!Quick comment – the paper by Chavarro states that there was lower sperm concentration among men who consumed soy, but that the ejaculate volume was the SAME. The paper suggests that those eating soy had lower sperm counts.The abstract of the article that you referenced suggests that there was no effect on ejaculate volume. Also, in the video, the table you show does suggest a trend of decreasing sperm counts. I wonder if it is clinically relevant though?Cheers and Thanks!If you look at table II (I love open access articles! :) you can see although they find an significant difference in sperm concentration (middle column down at the bottom), since there’s a trend towards larger ejaculate volume (second column down at the bottom) you can see that the statistically significant correlation between soy and sperm vanishes (P for trend = 0.65; bottom of first column in table). Thanks so much for leaving a comment!Hi Dr. Greger,I have a question along this topic.  Can you summarize any available information on how plant-based diets may affect one’s libido?  Does libido generally increase, decrease, or stay the same on a plant-based diet and do certain foods swing it either way?  Thanks for all the great info here and keep up the good work!Dr. Gregson…what about soy protein isolate and gmo soy?Soy protein isolate would fall under the umbrella of foods that are unhealthy. Soy protein isolate raises igf-1 levels similar to animal proteins.http://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production/so eating soy gives sperm more wiggle room!I have Acute lymphoblastic Leukamia , can I drink soya milk? is it bacteria free?please, (Q. 1)does soy milk or soy products consumption significantly reduces the chances of a wife becoming pregnant? or should a woman expecting to become pregnant avoid soy milk / soy products? (Q.2) Does intake of soy milk or its products reduces sperm count?Soy does not appear to reduce fertility.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/xenoestrogens-early-puberty/can the daily intake of soy milk or its products lead to miscarriage and at what stage of the pregnancyPlease, are there some food / processed food that can promote miscarriage during pregnancy that one has to avoid? If yes please kindly list them. thanks.Afinal! a soja pode ou não causar algum tipo de dano na fertilidade masculina? Ou ainda pode elevar os níveis de estogênio em homens?Could you comment on this article? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/mens-health/11172519/Vegetarians-have-much-lower-sperm-counts.html it states that the sperm of vegans has lower motility compared to meat eaters.Hi Dr. Greger. A friend of mine recently turned down edamame at a dinner outing because she’s trying to get pregnant. You have several videos on your site about male fertility and diet but none about female fertility (that I could find). What is the effect of soy on female fertility? How does it compare to the effect of dairy? Thanks!	cancer,fertility,Fox News,infertility,isoflavones,men's health,nutrition myths,phytoestrogens,reproductive health,semen,sexual health,soy,sperm counts,testicular health	The phytoestrogens in soy appear to protect against cancer, but might they reduce male fertility?	Here is a more recent video on prostate health and plant-based diets: Prostate vs. Plants	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytoestrogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/semen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fox-news/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/isoflavones/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-versus-plants/	-
PLAIN-3308	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-hormones-female-infertility/	Meat Hormones & Female Infertility	In fact, everyone, and pregnant women in particular, may want to stay away from all meat. In the first recorded volume of my Latest in Nutrition series back in 2007, we learned that meat is so packed with sex steroid hormones that when pregnant women eat meat it may affect the development of their sons genital organs while still in the womb, such that when they grow up they have decreased fertility. When moms eat meat during pregnancy it “may alter a man’s testicular development in utero and adversely affect his reproductive capacity.” But in this study they just looked at beef, and we know that all meat has these hormones, and they only looked at the fertility of the next generation. So in effect this study showed eating meat may lead to fewer grandchildren, but what your own fertility? Is there any direct effect of meat consumption on fertility in women? Fact, or fiction? Fact, and not just any study, but the famous Harvard Nurses study, which followed 18,000 women trying to get pregnant for 8 years and measured what they ate. They found that meat intake was in fact associated with infertility. Adding just a single serving of meat per day was associated with a 30% greater risk of anovulatory infertility, meaning the meat consumption appeared to interfere with ovulation, and this increased risk was due mostly to the intake of poultry. To break it down: eat a single serving of any meat and you increase your infertility risk 30%, and red meat increases risk 40%, but just a single serving of chicken, half a chicken breast a day, and women increase their infertility risk more than 50%—more than bacon and hot dogs! Now while animal protein was associated with increased risk of infertility, consuming protein from vegetable sources appeared to have the opposite effect, improving fertility. The researchers aren’t sure why, but they think it might have something to do with the fact that animal protein intake increases the levels of a growth hormone called IGF-1, which has been linked not only to infertility but to cancer. Whereas eating veggie protein doesn’t seem to have that adverse effect. In summary: they concluded that by replacing animal sources of protein, particularly chicken, with vegetable sources of protein—like beans—may reduce the risk of infertility because of anovulation, or failure to ovulate.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on hormones. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Dr. Greger, I’ve been trying to find nutrition information that relates to the hormone prolactin, but I haven’t been able to find anything on the site. Is there anything natural you’re aware of that can reduce prolactin levels?Thank you!I am not aware of studies relating prolactin and diet. The causes for elevated prolactin can be due to normal conditions such as pregnancy and stress, medications, tumor or abnormality in the pituitary gland, among others. It is best managed by a physician who is knowledgeable in this area. Of course eating a low fat whole food plant based diet with Vitamin B12 supplement will help prevent, reverse, cure, and/or stabilize alot of chronic conditions which are best avoided.Macuna Pruriens is natural and reduces prolactin levels. I take a teaspoon of this 15% extract dissolved in hot water to make a cup of tea pre-bedtime http://www.amazon.com/Mucuna-Pruriens-L-Dopa-Extract-Powder/dp/B00Q3NHSAS/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429327198&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=hard+rhino+macuna+pruriens+15%25It does not dissolve easily in water but in hot water you can get it done. If you don’t like the taste you can buy in caps. Taken at bedtime it improves my sleep or a hot cup in the morning seems to give me added energy. I find this stuff amazing and wish Dr. Greger would scan the research on this product and report to us. Oh yeah it is also supposed to be an aphrodisiac although I have not noticed too much of that effect.Fantastic site…love the video format as well.Is there any way you can provide a pdf link to the articles you are referencing? I would love to read the full article.I will be sure to tweet about this video to my followers…great job!DrewWhenever available I always try to provide PDF links to the full-text of the papers in the Sources Cited section beneath each video. More and more journal publishers are joining the “open access” movement to provide unrestricted online access (check out this graph to see the trend). Since many studies are taxpayer-funded it only makes sense that we should have access to the results, right? Unfortunately, there are some holdouts, journals that continue to charge readers exorbitant rates to view papers they publish. In this case, you’re left with a few options: 1) You can check WorldCat to see if there are any local institutions that have the journal in question (such as university libraries). 2) You can also request a copy (so-called “reprint”) from the author (usually they list a contact email address in the PubMed abstracts to I link). 3) Worse comes to worst, you can pay on the journal website or order it for a fee through the federal Loansome Doc program. I’m privileged to live biking distance from the National Library of Medicine and so have easy access to just about everything, but unfortunately it’s not legal for me to directly share copyright protected materials. Otherwise I would post all the papers on the site!Similarly, what do you think of the research suggesting full-fat dairy boosts fertility? And what would you suggest as good nutrient dense foods for getting body fat high enough to allow for reproduction?We have no dietary need for saturated fat or dietary cholesterol. I have heard these myths as well, they are not true. The only dietary fats our body needs are omega 3 and 6, but they are abundant in the plant food supply. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/good-great-bad-killer-fats/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/Can you comment on the likelihood of a woman over 40 who eats a plant-based diet to produce a child with birth defects? It seems like the current statistics are based on studies where the population of women is typical of American society, which means most eat meat, dairy and/or eggs. IT depends what is eaten on this diet specifically. If one is truly whole foods plant based with unrefined whole foods, than an issue could possibly be from over consumption of pesticides. But even pesticides found in meat are greater than those of plants due to bio accumulation. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-pesticides-be-rinsed-off/I saw that video. Very informative. Let’s assume the person is eating organic fruits and vegetables and whole grains and legumes. What is the likelihood of a woman over 40 (say 40 – 45) who eats such a diet to produce a child with birth defects? (compared to the average woman).I’d love to see a post addressing PCOS sometime. Thank you!The current science supports a low fat whole food plant based diet as helpful in PCOS (e.g. Stamets et al, Fert & Ster, 81:3, 3/04). As you are probably aware PCOS is associated with increased male hormones, insulin resistance, obesity, decreased menstrual cycles and infertility. Losing weight consistently helps. Insulin resistance is increased with increased fats in the diet. This is why type 2 diabetics respond to a low fat diet(decreases insulin resistance and improves mitochondrial function in cells… it is a sugar processing problem caused by fats in diet). Since animal products are high in fat they need to be eliminated from the diet. Low fat also increases the sex binding hormone in the blood resulting in less free male hormone. High fiber intake further removes sex hormones from the body courtesy of increased gut transit time and decrease in the enterohepatic circulation. Of course you can go on a plant based diet and still not lose weight if you eat high calorie dense foods. A plant based diet is also higher in inositol which is present in grains, nuts and fruits and has been shown in one study to improve insulin function( Gerli et al, ERMPS 2003;7:151-9). So my recommendations for patients with PCOS is go on a low fat whole food plant based diet with Vit B12 supplements. If they have trouble I make sure they understand the concept of calorie density (best source Jeff Novick’s DVD Calorie Density: Eat More, Weigh Less and live longer and some of the potential traps leading to “Fat Vegans”. See John McDougall’s article in his Dec 2008 monthly newsletter free on his website. I did a brief pub med search for more recent articles and found many addressing PCOS but none to change or modify my recommendations. I hope this helps until Dr. Greger weighs in so keep tuned in to Nutrition Facts as the science keeps coming and our understanding keeps improving. Be well.Thank you for this question and answer! I have been following this way of eating and noticed huge improvements in my symptoms despite the fact that many doctors have recommended a high fat moderate protein diet.Great info! Thank you.Hi, I would like to know what you think about supplementation of myo-inositol for polycystic ovary syndrome. For me, it looks like it’s working so well. I would like especially to know more about the safety. For this issue, it’s about 4 grams per day. Conventional gynecologists don’t make me confident, because they look like they know pretty nothing about that. But, it seems like there’s some good studies that show very good results.Thanks very much for you answer ! and for your site !Can you please tell me if there is a pork parasite that can cause female infertility and how does one get tested for it? Many thanksWith my first child I consumed everything that was animal. Had no problems conceiving. Second child was a little less meat but loads of anything dairy, processed and full of sugar. So then my husband watched Forks Over Knives and the next day we threw out everything in our pantry and only ate a vegan diet with no processed foods, honey instead of sugar and loaded up on a bean and green everyday. My kids are doing great! Super leaps in growth and intellect. My husband lost 20 lbs and has so much energy and stamina and much happier. I’m the one with the trouble. Im not losing weight. I’m really tired. When I lay down my arms/legs get cold, numb and painful. I wake up to swollen/tight hands and feet. My thyroid is sluggish but I’ve been on meds for 12 years and have it checked often. Now I’ve had 3 miscarriages all in 2014. I feel I’m fertile enough but my body is just shutting down. Any ideas why some people don’t respond well to a vegan diet? Too many cruciferous veggies? The doctors have no idea and all my friends/family think I need meat and dairy to rebalance. Also I was raised a vegetarian and started meat again after leaving home. Not looking for a diagnosis really, but definitely needing a point in a new direction. Is there anything about a vegan diet that might provoke an already genetically proned autoimmune reaction like lupus or fibro?Perhaps you should consult with an authority in the field Reproductive Immunology. Also, vegan diets can lead to vitamin B12 and vitamin D deficiencies. Further, some women have an impaired ability to convert the plant based provitamin beta-carotene into vitamin A. Not to mention a vegan duet can lead to long chain, highly unsaturated omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies (EPA and DHA). Generally, (there are many exceptions and there are no simple sound bites) vegan diets impair fertility, unless one has PCOS and needs to lose weight and lower androgen levels.There is evidenče that low levels of vitamin D can impair fertility. There is a at least one reported case of vitamin B12 deficiency causing unexplained female infertility. You might have developed a sensitivity to gluten, it can happen at any time and his can cause spontaneous abortions (i.e., miscarriages.)http://www.lmreview.com/articles/view/common-genetic-variants-and-other-host-related-factors-greatly-increase-susceptibility-to-vitamin-a-deficiency/Hi, Dr Greger,I am a vegan for two months now and would love to stop taking the birth control pills, but I have the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. I would like to know if the diet can have any impact on treating this syndrome or if it safe to stop the pills.Dear Dr. Greger, could you provide some advice regarding the female athletic triade & vegan diet. The question is how can an active woman in her early thirties use the power of plants to avoid/treat the triad symptoms without giving up physical activity, achieving better fitness results, etc. Thank you!I am 25 and have recently been diagnosed with mild PCOS, not requiring treatment just yet, but have been advised to lose weight through exercise and healthier eating – and I hope I can follow through with these.I was a vegetarian for about 7 years, and started eating fish+chicken+meat again in the last year. I was wondering if this (artificially introduced hormones in meat) may have caused the onset of PCOS? Should I stop eating these to help my chances of getting better?I also wanted to know if it is okay to use a menstrual cup – I have been using the cup on and off for the last couple of years. I’ve read some contradictory accounts of menstrual cup use helping and harming/creating more problems for users with PCOS.Thank you!	animal protein,beans,chicken,children,fertility,genital health,Harvard,Harvard Nurses' Health Study,hormones,IGF-1,infertility,meat,men's health,ovary health,poultry,pregnancy,processed meat,protein,red meat,reproductive health,sperm counts,steroids,testicular health,vegetable protein,white meat,women's health	What is behind the purported link between poultry consumption and anovulatory infertility?	For more videos on exogenous hormones and meat, watch: Why Do Vegan Women Have 5x Fewer Twins? Estrogen in Meat, Dairy, and EggsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on hormones. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/05/03/stool-size-and-breast-cancer-risk/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/07/how-do-plant-based-diets-fight-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetable-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/infertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sperm-counts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/reproductive-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/testicular-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/processed-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ovary-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/harvard-nurses-health-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fertility/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/igf-1/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/genital-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hormones/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/steroids/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-vegan-women-have-5x-fewer-twins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogen-in-meat-dairy-and-eggs/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18226626,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17392290,
PLAIN-3309	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brain-parasites-in-meat/	Brain Parasites in Meat	Next up, lamb chops. The prevalence of the parasite toxoplasma in lambs destined for human consumption in the USofA. USDA researchers obtained the hearts of 383 lambs on the day of killing. So for those who think the USDA doesn’t a heart? Wrong—they’ve got 383! What do you think they found? Greater than 50% infested? Or less than half? The good news, is that it was less than 50%--only about 1 in 6 U.S. lambs are actively infected. The bad news is that 10% of Americans are currently infected with this brain parasite. That means odds are we all know people who have a battle going on inside their skulls between their immune system and these toxoplasma parasites, which have been linked to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and Parkinson’s, but most people’s immune systems are able to keep them at bay. Should our immune system start to seriously slip, though, they can infect our eyeballs, here’s a closeup. This is what it looks like in the brain of an adult. And this is what these parasites can do to the brains of our children. No one, but particularly pregnant women, should eat undercooked meat.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on parasites. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!wow, how would I go about getting tested for these brain parasites mentioned in the video and the parasites found in fish in ur previous videos? I’m afraid something might be incubated inside me (been vegan for 9 months) and I wont even know it.I was informed that i have had toxoplasmosis.Steak Tartare was on many menus in the 70s,as well as our affection for rare meat.Does this mean the parasite is alive still? There was no treatment recommended,just the information that I had had it.Up to 20% of US citizens have been exposed to Toxoplasmosis. Even if you have a blood test and it is determined that you were exposed unless you have symptoms there is no treatment recommended. Since it is rarely a problem except in patients with impaired immune system such as AIDS. The CDC has an excellent website which should answer your questions.So does the parasitic worm still live?With a good immune system does your body defeat the parasite & thusly you have Toxoplasmosis anti-bodies appearing?According to Flegr men infected with T. gondi have subtle behavioral differences, e.g., loss of coordination/reflex time (manifested in double the car crash rates in statistical surveys of military personnel) and an affinity for women with cats. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/ In the life cycle of the parasite it infects rats who then lose their fear of wide open spaces, lose reflex time and develop a sexual arousal from cat urine, increasing the chances of being eaten by a cat. People blame cats for T Gondi, but the infection is more commonly acquired by undercooked lamb consumption as Dr. Greger notes.My 18 year-old nephew has just been diagnosed with bipolar disease, so am researching the disease. Would treatment for toxoplasmosis make sense? I am heartsick, and would appreciate any help. Thank youOmega 3’s (DHA supplements) have been contraindicated for people with bi-polar. This means DON’T TAKE DHA SUPPLEMENTS, AND DON’T TAKE FLAX, CHIA, HEMP or other high omega 3 foods. High omega-3 has been known to cause really bad reactions in bi-polar patients.love your videos, thank you for all that you do. Do you have any other research on bipolar and diet please?thanks doctor for those wonderful videos, I have rapid cycling mania, which is a brain disease linked to bipolar disorder, do you think that by following a strict vegan diet I can cure my disease?taha: I don’t have the experience to be able to answer your specific question, but I do have a thought for you that might be helpful: When someone is dealing with such a challenging situation such as you are, the very last thing you need is for something *else* to go wrong. What I’m getting at is: I would think that whole food plant based (WFPB) diet might help with your cycling mania, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to try. But even if a WFPB diet does nothing for the brain disease, there is a ton of evidence that it will help keep you healthy in all the other areas of your life. A WFPB diet is not a guarantee, but it maximizes your changes for the healthiest outcomes. So, even though I’m not a doctor and I’m not familiar with your specific condition, I would think that changing to a WFBP diet (especially with a doctor’s or at least friend’s help/oversight to give you some objective feedback on how you are doing) would be very worth trying.Please note that I am very careful to say WFPB diet and not just strict vegan. That’s because a potato chip and coke diet is strict vegan. But it is not healthy and not likely to help you. If you want some clarification on what WFPB means or advice about transitioning, let me know.Just at thought for you. If you give it a try, please let us know how it goes.ok, I will give it a try and I will let you know if its helpful for mania.You can freeze parasites to death. For instance, sushi is pre-frozen fish.	bipolar disorder,brain disease,brain health,brain parasites,children,cooking temperature,eye disease,eye health,immune function,lamb,mental health,parasites,Parkinson's disease,pregnancy,schizophrenia,toxoplasma,USDA,women's health	What percentage of U.S. lambs are infested with toxoplasma parasites?	For some recent videos on parasites and meat, see: Chronic Headaches and Pork Tapeworms Not So Delusional Parasitosis Tongue Worm in Human EyePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on parasites. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pregnancy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bipolar-disorder/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lamb/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/schizophrenia/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/toxoplasma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mental-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parkinsons-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19825110,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18191859,
PLAIN-3310	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/usda-parasite-game/	USDA Parasite Game	OK, that’s kind of gross so let’s move on… to the USDA parasite game. Every year or so the U.S. Department of Agriculture tests retail meat to see how infested the flesh of farmed animals are. It’s up to you to guess just how infested. Greater than 50% or or less than 50%. First up, the detection of sarcocystis parasites in retail U.S. beef. This is what it looks like in the meat; and sliced through under a microscope. So what do you think? Greater than 50% of U.S. retail meat samples infested with this parasite? Or less than 50%? Well they fed beef to dogs, and the bad news is that parasites “were excreted by nearly every dog fed beef samples originating in the United States, suggesting near universal bovine infection,” so they assumed the prevalence in the U.S. beef supply was around 95%, so definitely greater than 50%. The good news is that the strain they found only seems to infect dogs.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on parasites. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Any studies on papaya seeds to rid parasites? seems like most OTC para-exterminators are WFPB with one exception… Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth aka D.E. aka dirt, aka clay, aka silica….. ancient microscopic freshwater plants called diatoms????? plant based after all.	animal studies,beef,dogs,farm animals,parasites,sarcocystis,USDA	What percentage of retail beef samples are infested with sarcocystis parasites?	Here are a few other videos I have on parasites and meat: Chronic Headaches and Pork Tapeworms Not So Delusional Parasitosis Tongue Worm in Human Eye	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/usda/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/farm-animals/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sarcocystis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/not-so-delusional-parasitosis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-worm-in-human-eye/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronic-headaches-and-pork-tapeworms/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18939769,
PLAIN-3311	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/	New Corpse Smell	Then there are all sorts of really rare fish toxins, that can cause our muscles to break down. Guy ate some salmon, went to bed, and when he woke up he could hardly stand or hold up a cup of coffee. Not being able to walk is one thing, but no coffee? The key point? There are lots of toxins in fish, and they’re not affected by cooking. Nobody in their right mind would eat poisonous puffer fish, but what if it was mislabeled as monkfish, causing these two recent cases of tetrodotoxin poisoning in Chicago. Then there’s scombroid poisoning. Woman eats some mackerel at a restaurant and just collapses. When fish starts spoiling, toxins can be released—even when the fish still tastes and smells fine—and can cause what may actually be the most common cause of food poisoning from fish. See when flesh decomposes, it releases chemicals that can have a toxic effect like putresine and cadaverine, which is the “new corpse smell” that they use to train cadaver-sniffing dogs. But it’s not just fish, when all carcasses rot you can get these decaying flesh compounds, including spermine, actually, which is what gives semen its characteristic odor, but it really depends just what kind of bacteria are involved in the putrefaction process.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!	biogenic amines,cadaverine,cadavers,cooking temperature,dogs,fish,food poisoning,foodborne illness,mackerel,meat,monkfish,muscle disease,muscle health,natural toxins,puffer fish,putrescine,rhabdomyolysis,salmon,scombroid poisoning,seafood,semen,spermine,spoilage,tetrodotoxin	Compounds released from the putrefaction of flesh can cause a common form of seafood poisoning.	For more on the topic, check out: Ciguatera Poisoning & Chronic Fatigue SyndromePlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on fish. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/natural-toxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spermine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadavers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/puffer-fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/putrescine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/biogenic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/scombroid-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rhabdomyolysis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tetrodotoxin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cadaverine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/semen/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/monkfish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mackerel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/muscle-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spoilage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19234946,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19435231,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17084013,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17984750,
PLAIN-3312	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sexually-transmitted-fish-toxin/	Sexually Transmitted Fish Toxin	What if we do it ourselves? From the meat counter straight home in a biohazard suit to place the meat directly into boiling water, assuring absolutely no cross-contamination in the kitchen. Even if it’s fish—the one animal more contaminated than chicken—would we finally be out of the woods? Fact or fiction: You can’t get food poisoning from properly handled and cooked fish. Now it’s easy to get food poisoning eating raw seafood. About 85% of fish is contaminated with fecal bacteria thanks to “gut waste exposed during [fish] evisceration,” we can get cholera from raw oysters—in fact there was a newly emerging strain reported last year in the U.S. Or one can get tapeworms from sushi, and other delights and parasites such as brain worms or eye worms—I’ll spare you a photo. Or necrotizing infections reported this year from oysters, shellfish or other seafood, the so-called flesh-eating bacteria. Immediate limb amputations were performed, but still 37% of the victims died. But what if you cook out the crap? Fish don’t get mad cow disease—which is caused by a pathogen that can survive even incineration at temperatures hot enough to melt lead. So are we safe if it’s cooked? And this is only in terms of food poisoning—we’re not talking long-term effects of eating the mercury or PBCs. In terms of acute illness only, as long as you cook it is it safe? Or not necessarily? It turns out some of the most common causes of fishborne food poisoning are not destroyed by cooking. 50,000 people get poisoned every year from a neurotoxin in tropical fish, like red snapper, sea bass, grouper, who eat fish who eat toxic algae. Can cause all sorts of weird reactions, like a reversal of hot and cold sensations. And, after fish consumption, the toxin itself can be sexually transmitted and cause weeks of painful genital symptoms. So even if we don’t eat fish and our nonvegetarian lover assures us they properly handled and cooked their fish we may not be safe.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on foodborne illness and fish. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Doctor, so are you saying we need to avoid eating fish and other sea food? if thats not the point, which sea food is the safest and what is the best way to eat it?Dr. Greger does not recommend fish at all, and strongly advises against fish consumption. Please view his many videos on fish.http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=fishDr. Greger, I got a request to like a Facebook page about a boy that has an undiagnosed neurodegenerative disease or condition, & he’s in a wheelchair. I asked what he eats, & posted your link, & said to look up “Nerve Health” on your website, & I commented on chicken having arsenic & causing many public health issues. I don’t know what else to do. I hope he gets a plant based diet. I’m thinking he gets junk food to eat. Poor kid. Is there anything else I can say that might help???Hi, I’m a vegan and it’s been a common trend for vegans to eat oysters because they have good amounts of b12 and omega3’s.Would there any drawbacks to eating smoked oysters?More specifically is there any reasearch about heavy metals or other toxins found in oysters?	amputations,brain disease,brain health,brain parasites,cholera,ciguatera,cooking temperature,eye disease,eye health,eye parasites,fecal contamination,fish,flesh-eating bacteria,food poisoning,foodborne illness,mad cow disease,mercury,necrotizing fasciitis,oysters,prion disease,seafood,sexual transmission,sushi,tapeworms,white meat	There are neurotoxins in certain fish that can survive cooking and cause unusual symptoms.	For more on neurotoxins and fish see: Ciguatera Poisoning & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sushi/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mercury/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sexual-transmission/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oysters/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prion-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mad-cow-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholera/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/necrotizing-fasciitis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-parasites/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ciguatera/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tapeworms/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/amputations/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flesh-eating-bacteria/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eye-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seafood/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ciguatera-poisoning-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19276771,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16206105,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18724746,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18724759,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19325530,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18781876,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12856219,
PLAIN-3313	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/restaurant-worker-hand-washing/	Restaurant Worker Hand Washing	To avoid the cancer-or-E-coli conundrum, we could ask a restaurant to boil or steam our meat, but they’d still have to handle it correctly. You know how bathrooms in restaurants have that sign saying that employees have to wash their hands, well researchers at Iowa State University sent trained observers to 16 restaurants in the Midwest to count how often and how well restaurant employees washed their hands as they prepared our food. How did they do? Now note that this is handwashing compliance with the U.S. Food Code guidelines, which are pretty strict—like you’re supposed to wash your hands every single time you switch from preparing one food to another, like from meat to veggies. So it’s hard to score 100%; at the same time, they had a researcher sitting there watching them with a clipboard. Are you so cynical that you think they complied less than 20% of the time? 20 to 40? 40 to 60? 60 to 80? Any optimists for 80 to 100? It wasn’t 80-100% of the time. Or 60-80. Or even 40-60. “Thus, there was zero percent compliance with Food Code recommendations for handwashing procedures”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on foodborne illness. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!I know it’s pretty gross, but the “[p]roposed benchmarks for the number of times hand washing should occur by each employee… [is] 29 times per hour for restaurants” is quite high.Think of the time involved in.washing your hands “29 times per hour” as a restaurant worker. To comply with the regulations you must wash with hot water for at least 20 seconds, then dry hands for a few seconds, then put gloves back on. In total, this would require over 30 seconds each time, meaning HALF YOUR TIME AT WORK would be SPENT WASHING YOUR HANDS.It is not practical.When I was visiting Paris I noticed that at sandwich shops, one person handled the cash. Other workers ONLY prepared food. This would certainly help avoid cross-contamination, although it does not solve the problem entirely.I doubt that American establishments would be willing to pay an extra person to do this.Whilst in France this summer, all of the employees at the Boulangeries (bakeries) handed me my whole wheat bread with their bare hands and took my money at the same time with their bare hands. I doubt sanitary practices are emphasized over there.LOL. Did you eat it?Distressing news for a vegan that likes to eat out.Eat vegan at home (whole foods), and you win in every way you can think of.I’d recommend you avoid eating at non-restaurants as much as possible because I promise you raw meat contamination gets on everything.As someone who’s worked as a cook I can confirm that this is very true. Even though you will wash you hands when you’re not busy if the order’s are piling up you just don’t have the time.	food poisoning,foodborne illness,hand washing,restaurants	What percentage of restaurant workers comply with the federal Food Code guidelines for hand washing?	For more videos on E. coli contamination and animal products, you can watch: Avoiding Chicken To Avoid Bladder Infections Meat May Exceed Daily Allowance of Irony	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/restaurants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hand-washing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-may-exceed-daily-allowance-of-irony/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-chicken-to-avoid-bladder-infections/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18724759,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18791922,
PLAIN-3314	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fast-food-tested-for-carcinogens/	Fast Food Tested for Carcinogens	OK, so it’s really the chicken, but which chicken? Researchers last year tested the levels of carcinogenic heterocyclic amines in chicken samples from McDonald’s, Burger King, Chick fil-A, Chili’s TGI Friday’s, Outback Steakhouse, and Applebee’s. Which was worse? You tell me. One hundred samples of chicken were taken. Every single one of the hundred was contaminated, but which one took the cancer cake? Applebee’s has a grilled chicken salad. Burger king and Chick-fil-A both have chicken sandwiches, Chili’s has a “guiltless” chicken platter, MickyD’s has a grilled chicken salad, Outback has barbequed chicken and TGI Fridays a grilled chicken salad. Which is worse? It was that… chicken salad from Friday’s. The researchers conclude: “Simple measures such as reducing or avoiding the consumption of grilled chicken products can be encouraged as a strategy to reduce one’s total intake of carcinogenic or mutagenic toxins.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on chicken and carcinogens. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!Dr. Greger, I have a question for you. First of all thank you so much for posting all your fantastic videos! They are so informative and entertaining. The way you speak is captivating and at times very humorous in the best possible way! Thank you for making all this information free! I watch at least 30 to 50 videos a week minimum. Now, back to my question. I myself am a raw vegan (I take supplements. Hopefully all the right ones.) but my fiancee is an omnivior. He says he will never stop eating animal products. At this point I have been able to get him to stop eating eggs, beef, and pork (for the most part). The pork he did on his own and giving up eggs wasn’t much of a sacrifice. The beef he gave up because I told him chicken and fish are healthier and his sweat is less offense when he sticks to chicken. Now, after watching numerous videos it seems like chicken may be killing him faster than the beef ever did! So, if he has to eat either chicken or beef which is better? Could you also talk a bit about why beef gives off a stronger body odor than chicken?Thank you so very much for all you do for this world, MyraThere is not really an answer that will satisfy what you are looking for, as both chicken and beef should be avoided. Beef contains trans fat and higher amounts of saturated fat then chicken but chicken has more cholesterol. We can lump these 2 groups together though when we look at IGF-1 and endotoxemia. http://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=endotoxemiahttp://nutritionfacts.org/index.php?s=igf-1Since chicken and beef are bad, should I switch to turkey? Is there a difference?Hello, My partner and I are interested in doing a project about carcinogens for the school science fair. We would like to know if it is a very complicated process to test for the carcinogens, or if it is possible to do at home. Thank you.Hi Natasha! What a great idea for the science fair! I think the Ames test would be a good way to start looking at foods that might be mutagenic and potentially carcinogenic, but it might be too complicated to do at home unless you have microbiologists around who could offer some guidance. If you were still interested in testing out fast food, what about testing to see how long it takes for fast food to start decomposing? McDonald’s burgers have been notorious for not decomposing, but perhaps you could expand the sample size and look at the same type of food (like french fries) from five different fast food restaurants? I’d be interested to see what you find out! :)Thank you so much for your help :) I looked into your fast food idea, and I discovered that McDonalds hamburgers DO rot when there is moisture, and even homemade burgers can withstand rotting when the conditions are right. @Tommasina1:disqus	Applebee's,barbecuing,Burger King,cancer,carcinogens,Chick-fil-A,chicken,Chili's,fast food,frying,grilling,heterocyclic amines,Outback Steakhouse,poultry,restaurants,salads,sandwiches,TGI Friday's,white meat	Chicken from seven fast food outlets were tested to see which had the highest levels of carcinogenic heterocyclic amines.	I have a few other videos on meat carcinogens here: Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens Carcinogens in the Smell of Frying Bacon Meat Fumes: Dietary Secondhand Smoke Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine? When Nitrites Go BadPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on chicken and carcinogens. Also, there are 1,449 other subjectscovered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chilis/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salads/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sandwiches/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fast-food/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grilling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/restaurants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/applebees/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barbecuing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tgi-fridays/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chick-fil-a/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/outback-steakhouse/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burger-king/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7590526,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18791922,
PLAIN-3315	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-coffee/	Carcinogens in Roasted Coffee?	In the U.S., though, children have the highest levels of these carcinogens in their bodies. And these chemicals may play a role in our childhood asthma epidemic as well. Two things seem to do it: meat intake, and the presence of smokers in the home. So parents need to be educated to take certain precautions: no indoor smoking, and reducing their children’s intake of grilled and smoked meat so as to decrease their exposure to these carcinogens. Warnings about meat in general is kind of vague, though. Where are these carcinogens found most? Flame-broiled burger or fried? Pan-fried chicken? Lamb chop, pork chop, or grilled salmon? Salmon is bad, but for the first time it seems, chicken… beats out fish for carcinogenic contamination. Chickens aren’t the only things roasted, though What about coffee beans? Measured for the first time this year, but… they don’t have any muscles, so they only contributed “very insignificant quantities.” And an earlier study found zero mutagenicity from frying veggie burgers—again, they are not “muscle meat.” The carcinogen is created from the muscle itself—in fact it has been detected in roasted human muscle too, though I really don’t know why that even did that study.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cooking methods. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Great info as always, Michael. My question is…I am 74 and have been a “vegetarian” for about 32 years. I certainly haven’t alway eaten well and had tiny bits of meat here and there. Lots of cheese, and other dairy. Before that I ate a pretty meat centric I am told I don’t need any more mammograms or colonoscopies. That is a bit worrisome. If I might have 20 or more years left, Isn’t it playing a dangerous game? I have been mostly raw vegan and now McDougall plan the last few years. I certainly hope it helps. What does your research showing? Thanks. LynnCongratulations on your healthy diet. We certainly can’t go back and undo our past diet but it is important to realize that the body works to heal itself and get rid of the mercury, arsenic and persistent organic pollutants that we ingest when we eat meat, dairy, eggs and cheese. Although I now recommend patients avoid GMO products… to find out more about that visit the website for the Institute of Responsible Technology & see…. http://nongmoshoppingguide.com/ for a shopping guide. As far as screening tests the mammogram issue from a science and statistic stand point is no longer up in the air. I advise my patients not to obtain and to read the Nordic Cochrane Center’s Leaflet on Mammogram screening available on the web. Screening for colon cancer is best done by sigmoidoscopy(short scope) once after age 55 with consideration for colonoscopy depending on the results. You can read more about screening tests on the McDougall clinics website. It is important to continue to eat right as Dr. Greger has pointed out in his videos to prevent cancer and possibly reverse precancerous lesions. The best science shows that a non GMO whole food starch centered diet with a variety of vegetables and fruits with adequate B12 intake is the best course. Of course the science keeps changing so keep tuned to NutritionFacts.org and if you have symptoms or questions work with your physicians.Thanks to your info Dr Greger, I have discovered how to boost the nutrition of my morning 2 cups of coffee which I drink in 16 oz mug,( which I used to self-deceptively call “a cup”). I add one quarter teaspoon of each:dried powdered Acai, marqui, and hybiscus, plus soy milk. This is amazingly so much better tasting to me,I look forward to it and feel good about consuming this consciously designed high ORAC drink.Acrylamide cause cancer in animals. It’s no wonder pets get cancer. Their kibble is cooked to death. Only two ways I cook my foods are steaming and medium-heat sautéing.Where can I get nutritional facts on eating roasted coffee beans particularly the fat content cafestol and kahweol raising cholesterol levels	air pollution,asthma,barbecuing,beef,burgers,cancer,carcinogens,chicken,children,coffee,cooking methods,fake meat,fish,frying,grilling,hamburgers,heterocyclic amines,lamb,meat analogs,pork,poultry,red meat,roasting,salmon,tobacco,veggie burgers,white meat	If there are carcinogens created when you roast chicken, what about roasted coffee beans?	For more videos on carcinogens in meat: Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens Carcinogens in the Smell of Frying Bacon Meat Fumes: Dietary Secondhand Smoke Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine? When Nitrites Go BadPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cooking methods. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lamb/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/air-pollution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/children/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asthma/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fake-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salmon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/roasting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat-analogs/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grilling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/veggie-burgers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barbecuing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fish/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/hamburgers/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18313659,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19271317,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18980880,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7590526,
PLAIN-3316	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/muscle-tremors-diet/	Muscle Tremors & Diet	Breast cancer has been the traditional target of these cooked meat carcinogens, but now there’s also prostate, stomach, colon, and kidney cancer concerns too. We also know these cooked muscle chemicals are neurotoxic, and so last year researchers looked into meat consumption and “essential tremor,” one of the most common neurological conditions in the world. They can start as early as our 40’s, and usually starts in the hands but can spread to the rest of the body and become quite debilitating. And we never knew what caused it, but now, at least for men, we seem to have a pretty good idea. Men eating the most meat in this study had more than 20 times the odds of having this tremor. Just to illustrate how dramatic a 20-fold increase is, the odds of a pack a day smoker getting lung cancer after 20 years is only 13 times that of nonsmokers. So for meat and tremor, it comes out to be 6% increased risk for every 10 grams of meat consumed daily. That’s like one strip of bacon. That means if we eat the equivalent of a chicken breast a day we may double your risk of developing a tremor for the rest of our lives.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on meat. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Can tremors be reversed with a whole foods plant based diet?I don’t know what all of the research says, but I had tremors for a year because of autoimmune problems. I went on a low fat plant based diet (no meat or dairy at all and not much processed foods) and my tremors are completely gone after a year on the diet.Research is sparse concerning ET and diet. Most effort seems to be focused on the usual suspects: drugs, surgery, and medical devices-profitable ways to endlessly treat symptoms.In my lengthy personal experience, no, though it seems to reduce them and may prevent progression. In my experience, in my individual case of severe ET, some of it appears to be irreversible, like many neuro disorders. Perhaps it might eliminate them for a mild, developing case. This approach has been very worthwhile for me.Hi Toxins, I give you my two cents: I’m a 30 years old woman and occasionally have mild tremors on my hands. They began I’d say four years ago, when I became a vegetarian and increased milk consumption. They then were a lot reduced on a low fat vegan diet, but didn’t disappear completely until I went on a reduced gluten version of this diet, because of a sensitivity to wheat. For me it seems more a matter of autoimmune reaction.What if any foods/nutrients increase the production and/or usage of dopamine?For some context, please check out my associated blog post Harvard’s Meat and Mortality Studies!Dr Greger, do you have any studies showing how nutrition affects ovarian cancer? Specifically, what are good foods for fighting/avoiding ovarian cancer?I have essential tremors,I have been looking for a good dietI’ve been on a low fat vegan diet for a year now and am feeling amazing and no more tremors.I’m a long time severe ET sufferer. The diet has helped me a lot. And its also highly effective against most every other health challenge. Do this diet; its absolutely win-win. It should probably be Dr supervised for any diabetic though.Could this study implicate meat consumption in restless leg syndrome? It is sort of a muscle tremor.Theoretically it is possible, although there does not appear to be studies on it yet. The underlying cause for RLS would be pertinent, as there is no one cause. While they manifest similarly and often co-exist, essential tremors and restless leg syndrome are different disorders.My wife has restless leg. She’s been a vegan for almost 10 years. Whether prior meat consumption contributed to the current condition is anyone’s guess.drink tonic water, it work wonders. the quinine.I’ve noticed that restless leg syndrome is brought on in me with ice cream. It may be the sugar or the calcium or a combination. But ice cream does it almost exclusively. I haven’t noticed it with any other food, meat and fish included.Hi Dr, thanks for the great videos. I really want to help my ~Dad, he is vegan, hasnt ate meat for 30years and has Essential Tremor badly in his hands. Would it help to find out his B12 levels? Ive heard a low B12 could contribute towards this. What else can he do?ET is in my lengthy, personal experience, very responsive to diet, though not entirely reversible. Here’s a quick list to consider:Never drink caffeine, it makes it much worse; alcohol has a “rebound effect” and makes it worse; eat very low-fat, down around 10% and no trans fat; eliminate all animal products; do take B12 supplements if vegan; focus on high nutrition foods with lots of antioxidants; eliminate most or all processed food; make fruit and veggies the core of diet, supplemented with some nuts and legumes and small amounts of whole grain. Basically, eat like this site says sans the coffee.I appear to have stopped the progression and manage the tremors. At this point, some of it appears to be irreversible. We in the ET community need to advocate for diet studies to see what can be done.Dr. Greger, I am 70 years old and my tremors began at age 19. Sometimes now, my hands flutter uncontrollably like butterflies. Beef has been a staple of my diet. Quite accidentally, I found that large consumption of watermelon, (seeds and all) brought almost total relief the following day. I have tried watermelon seed extract with lesser success. I have just now found watermelon seed for sale by the lb. from a seed vendor and roasted watermelon seeds by the lb. from nuts.com which I am going to try.Have you ever heard about relief with watermelon before?My father had the same problem as did his mother. I had decided that it was hereditary, but we all were consumers of cooked meat mostly beef.I have also investigated getting my brain zapped with radio waves in Virginia.ET has not been proven to be familial or hereditary. In fact, over half of patients have no first degree relative with the disease. The President of the IETF states that “the cause of ET is currently unknown.” Dr Louis, who led the study cited here, is very prominent in ET research and writing. He knows from prior studies and evidence that environmental factors, like diet, may be the causal agent for ET.Try the diet Sid. I’ve had extremely good success with it, though it has not eliminated all tremor, it may have halted the progression, and the tremor is less severe. And the general benefits of low-fat veganism are a big bonus. I started off becoming a vegan to manage ET, and found out nutrition is the key to most health issues. Its win-win!One of these days, we’re going to get our intervention study. Then we’ll know if diet can manage symptoms and progression, and maybe prevent the disease altogether.Any updates on the tremors and meat connection? In particular, if cutting out meat has any effect on reducing or elimination tremors? My brother in law has tremors and can no longer work.I’ve been using a low-fat, vegan diet for almost 10 years to manage what was once severe ET. While the diet has not eliminated the ET, I don’t appear to be “progressing” and my tremor is less severe.I’ve been trying to get researchers to do a intervention study to see if putting an experimental group of ET patients on a low-fat plant diet would measurably reduce symptoms. So far I’ve gotten some nibbles, but no takers.Definitely try the diet for a few weeks. The improvement was very noticeable for me, and of course it helps with over all health in general, which strengthens a person’s coping capacity.The photo used in this video is also inaccurate, since it depicts a resting tremor test. ET is a kinetic tremor and is tested with movement tasks, like writing or lifting a glass of water to drink.Without knowing the confounding variables, the short video is meaningless.. .The reality is that most meat in the US today is consumed with the worst of the worst: In hamburger joints where meat is mixed with wheat and sugar to stick together and last, with sweet sauces, drinks and french fries cooked in vegetable oil. Any salad is destroyed by sugar-mixed dressing with vegetable oil again. The last two one may be the worst: Our nerves are isolated with myelin sheets that are made of fat. It degrades over time and need to be changed like engine oil in a car. High quality long last engine oil or fat for us is essential. The lowest quality fat that can be used is the vegetable omega-6 fat, because it oxidizes much faster than the fats that used to be most common: saturated and monounsaturated fats. When the oil come embedded in French Fries part the high temperature exposure has already degraded the oil before we eat it. Not even olive oil should be used for frying! .But another connection to meat is meat from CAFOs, beef and especially Pork, since most meat is produced this awful way today: It contains much more omega-6 than before because grain and soya is used to feed the fast growing animals. Even if it wasn’t GMO it would be the last I for one eat. Grass fed and grass finished beef is the only real thing. If obtained direct from small farmers it can come at reasonable prices.Most cattle are fed in a pasture setting females, and the bulls… I know this first hand. Then they give birth, and get pregnant again, at the same time though they raise this calf in that pasture eating grass, and hay… mineral blocks, and we also have tubs that have extra nutrition that we give them in the winter, and yes they are treated with a spray across their back that treats for lice, ticks and intestinal parasites. When the calves are big enough to go to sale, then they will be bought by a cattle buyer from a big meat co. and that’s when they will put them in a feed lot and feed them up for slaughter, Most of the Ranchers in this Country do it this way, , you can’t afford to any other way, you’d go broke. You are getting grass fed Beef.Check out how US farmer Joel Salatin and others are doing it !It is grass fed all the way and good money is made from it. Here a link to a presentation made by a Canadian farmer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75nwvIK2AMsBecause the number of animals per acre is and grass productivity is going up immediately and also year on year the systems become profitable , combined with higher prices on superior produce. Especially in drier areas the system extends growing periods significantly as the soil improves and thickens and bind both more nutrients and water. The usual comment is “if it is that simple why isn’t it used allover” Check out the video and see what you think. It all makes sense!Thank you for this very informative film, I learned allot from it and I will pass it on. Yes there is parts of the Country that do experience drought conditions, so they are forced to sell there herds or to feed hay. or do what they have to. we have multiple pastures, so we do not have a problem with overgrazing, but I know exactly what you mean by it. Thank you again.Great that it can come to more use! Thanks.Excuse me! I have hand essential tremor all my life I am 55. I am a total vegetarian and I have never eaten meat ! How do you explain this?Do you consume eggs or dairy?I actually learned more from the comments than the video. I am 57 and developed the tremor about two years ago, was told it was hereditary. I have spent many years eating lots of dairy, some meat, but lots and lots of bad fats and sugars. I am going to try this cleaner style of eating, as I am trying to undo some of the previous damage. Thanks for the info, I had an idea it might be related to diet.	brain disease,brain health,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,carcinogens,colon cancer,colon health,essential tremor,heterocyclic amines,kidney health,meat,men's health,nerve health,neuropathy,neurotoxins,prostate cancer,prostate health,rectal cancer,stomach cancer,stomach health,tobacco,tremors,women's health	Essential tremor, one of the most common neurological conditions, appears to be linked to meat consumption.	For more videos on neurotoxins in animal products, check out these recent videos: Preventing Parkinson's Disease With Diet More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common DiseasesPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on meat. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/essential-tremor/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neuropathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rectal-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/colon-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neurotoxins/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tremors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18314326,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18382115,
PLAIN-3317	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/	Carcinogens in Roasted Chicken?	That’s why you have to cook the crap out of them—literally. But seventy years ago this month a Swedish researcher first reported that feeding mice roasted horse muscles caused cancer. This “cancer producing substance” has since been identified. Heterocyclic amines are “the carcinogenic chemicals formed from the cooking of muscles…such as beef, pork, [poultry], and fish” created when the building blocks of muscles react to high heat—roasting, frying, grilling, barbequeing. Seventeen different such carcinogens have so far been discovered in cooked meats, and it goes on to explain how people eating meat well-done appear to have higher cancer risk than those eating meat cooked rare. So we’re kind of damned if we do and damned if we don’t, because, you know, we’re not supposed to eat meat rare any more because of the risk of food poisoning. So it’s like we can take our pick—cancer or E coli. The reason we’re so concerned these days about these cooked meat carcinogens is that last year we learned that humans are much more susceptible than we thought. The prior research was done on rats, and rodents have to this uncanny ability to detoxify 99% of the heterocyclic amines we stuff down their throats. But last year we discovered that the human liver can only detoxify 50% of the carcinogens we get from eating cooked chicken, for example. So instead of 1% getting into our system—based on rat studies—we now know 50% gets into our bloodstream, so now we’re 50 times more concerned.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the prequel to this video, “Fecal Residues on Chicken.” Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Dr. Greger, thanks for all the fantastic information. I’m in AU, and complained earlier this week to the local Cancer Council about their dietary suggestions that include meat. Would you be at all able to respond to any of their “key messages”:They seem to try awfully hard to find a way recommend meat, and I’d be grateful for any references to peer reviewed research, especially larger scale studies. I’m no scientist. :)FROM THE CANCER COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA:• The term ‘meat’ encompasses a variety of foods, including unprocessed red meat (beef, veal, pork and lamb), processed meat, poultry and fish. Processed meat differs from unprocessed red meat in that it may be cured with the addition of preservatives and/or other additives. • The relationship between meat consumption and the risk of cancer, especially colorectal cancer, has been controversial. The consumption of red meat and processed meat appears to be convincingly associated with a modest increased risk of colorectal cancer. • There is limited suggestive evidence that red meat may be associated with an increased risk of oesophageal, lung, pancreatic and endometrial cancer, and processed meat with oesophageal, lung, stomach and prostate cancer. • There does not appear to be a strong association between red meat or processed meat and the risk of other cancers. • There is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions on poultry intake and cancer risk. • For fish consumption, there is limited but suggestive evidence that it may be linked to a reduced risk of breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. • Despite the concerns about meat and cancer, Cancer Council recognises that lean red meat is an important contributor to dietary iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and protein in the Australian diet. • Cancer Council recommends people consume moderate amounts of unprocessed lean red meat. A moderate amount of meat is 65-100g of cooked red meat, 3-4 times a weekdplatter, Debates are always fun. Here is what you should do, do a search on nutritionfacts.org for “meat” or “cancer”, then go to every relevant video. Pull up the sources cited box and go to each study. Write to them a lengthy email quoting and explaining each study you listed with hyperlinks in an organized manner. There is a huge body of knowledge at your disposal! I have done with with dairy consumption and the consumption of oils, it is a really solid tactic.Toxins, thanks for the comment. Who have you been debating?I’ve been trying follow your suggestion but I’m having trouble finding a real smoking gun. The website talk so much about the latest research, but I need something that’s shows conclusively that meet overall causes cancer in humans. but I’m keeping up my research and also going through some books that I have.i debate nutritionist now and again. Well, for individual meat for example, cite arachadonic acid in chicken, cite the contaminants in fish, and cite the correlation with meat and degenerative diseases. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/meat-mortality/You wont find a study that concludes “Meat causes cancer”. There will be reactions or compounds found in meat that cause these diseases.Thanks, Toxins.I cant believe how much chicken I was eating before I was diagnosed with breast cancer 10 months ago. I thought like many others chicken was the healthy protein. I have sinced been on a plant base diet, no chemo no radiation, and cancers cell either shrunk or gone. I have done this all on my own by doing research, such as watching all of Dr Greger’s videos, going to seminars and corresponding with others who are on the same jouney as I am. But it saddens me to watch people all around, like supermarkets, destroying their health by whats in their shopping carts. Does it have to be getting a disease to wake people up, like in my case?Hi, so what? Is really bad to eat meat/chicken/fish or we just have smaller portions, and organic chicken? Do you suggest to become vegetarian?It’s been hard for me to give up meat, but this type of info helps these early steps I’m taking. I find the longer I go with less meat, the harsher the reaction seems to eating the next bite. Unlike my more usual beans and veggies meals, with meat after the initial euphoria, I then get sleepy, then don’t sleep as well, get acid reflux, breathing is harder during the night. And those are benign compared to the risks.	animal studies,barbecuing,cancer,carcinogens,chicken,cooking methods,cooking temperature,detoxification,enzymes,frying,grilling,heterocyclic amines,meat,poultry,roasting,white meat	Our bodies are less efficient at detoxifying heterocyclic amines—carcinogens formed from cooked muscle tissue—than once believed.	For more videos on meat and carcinogens: Estrogenic Cooked Meat Carcinogens Carcinogens in the Smell of Frying Bacon Meat Fumes: Dietary Secondhand Smoke Heterocyclic Amines in Eggs, Cheese, and Creatine? When Nitrites Go BadPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the prequel to this video, "Fecal Residues on Chicken." Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/02/estrogens-in-cooked-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/03/05/eating-green-to-prevent-cancer/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-methods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/enzymes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/frying/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/roasting/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grilling/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/barbecuing/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/detoxification/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heterocyclic-amines/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cooking-temperature/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-the-smell-of-frying-bacon/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/heterocyclic-amines-in-eggs-cheese-and-creatine/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18692111,
PLAIN-3318	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-residues-on-chicken/	Fecal Residues on Chicken	That wasn’t the only new use of laser technology last year. Detection of fecal residue on poultry carcasses by laser imaging. See in slaughter plants, birds are gutted by a metal hook that often rips the intestines, so commonly the skin on chicken gets contaminated by these ruptures of the digestive tract during the evisceration process, which can expel what they call “internal content.” Internal content, that can be picked up by laser scanning. So, what percentage of retail chicken carcasses are contaminated with fecal matter? 92%. Nine chickens out of ten. At least with pigs and cows, we don’t eat the outside of them, … but that’s one of the problems with eating chickens and fish—by eating the animals’ skin itself, you’re more likely to be exposed to fecal bacteria. Don’t try this at home.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on chicken. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Hi Dr. G,I seem to remember a video you did where you said how the kitchen countertops of meat eaters were so contaminated with fecal bacteria that it would be safer to eat off the inside of their toilet bowls, but now I can’t find that video. Am I remembering that correctly? Can you help?Thanks so much for all your incredibly important work!! Look forward to seeing you next month here in Sacramento.Emily :)Hi Emily. You are correct here is the video…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-contamination-of-sushi/.Other related videos pointing to other unusual or at least not usually appreciated is one on shopping carts see…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-borne-infection-risk-from-shopping-carts/ and bottled water see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bottled-water-vs-tap-2/. Of course proper labeling of risks would lead to less of these problem bacteria in the environment see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-poisoning-bacteria-cross-contamination/ and see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fecal-bacteria-survey/. See you soon.	beef,chicken,factory farming practices,fecal contamination,food poisoning,foodborne illness,lasers,pork,poultry,red meat,supermarkets,white meat	Researchers use laser imaging to determine the proportion of retail chicken contaminated with fecal matter.	You can learn more about the contamination of food from slaughter plants here Superbugs in Conventional vs. Organic Chicken Yersinia in Pork Ractopamine in Pork Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal MRSA Superbugs in MeatPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on chicken. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/poultry/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/white-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/factory-farming-practices/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/food-poisoning/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/foodborne-illness/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beef/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lasers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/red-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fecal-contamination/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supermarkets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/superbugs-in-conventional-vs-organic-chicken/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mrsa-superbugs-in-meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/yersinia-in-pork/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/salmonella-in-chicken-turkey-deadly-but-not-illegal/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ractopamine-in-pork/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19021355,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19397721,
PLAIN-3319	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-level-dynamics/	Antioxidant Level Dynamics	OK, here’s another fascinating study. Published last year in the Journal of Biomedical Optics and comes straight out of science fiction. They used an argon laser to measure, in real time, the levels of antioxidants in people’s bodies. Antioxidant substances in living human skin. We know that eating fruits and vegetables boosts our antioxidant levels, while stress eats up our stores of antioxidants causing our levels to drop, but how fast does this all happen? What are the dynamics of it? We didn’t know, until this study. While they were taking measurements they had people take diaries—when they were sick, tired, eating tomato sauce, up partying all night. And so they came up with graphs like this, tracking antioxidants levels and linking them to life events. So here for example, things are going fine, then stress at work. Eats more fruits and veggies, but then starts not getting enough sleep, boosts fruit and veggie consumption, then gets a bad cold—drops him way down before starting to recover. Their most important finding was that antioxidant levels can plummet within 2 hours of a stressful event, You get stuck in traffic, agitated, breathing in car exhaust and your body starts using up antioxidant stores left and right. Takes 2 hours to lose, and can take up to 3 days to get our levels back up again. So the take-home message is that especially when we’re sick, stressed, or tired, we need to be soaking our bodies in antioxidants, which means fruits and vegetables at every meal and snack, and sipping green tea all day long. They’ve actually used this same laser technology to tightly correlate the development of wrinkles with low antioxidant levels in the skin, so even if you don’t care what’s going on inside your body, you should eat healthy for the outside too.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on antioxidants. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Wow, fantastic info. It seems stress and emotional turmoil can cause so much damage. This reminds me of how we know things intuitively, or perhaps even literally seeing the consequences of things such as this, yet are told there is no “evidence.” Glad to see the evidence coming through! Thanks for providing it — and in realtime!Dr. Greger,What do you think of this research?http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/OtherCancers/36762They do agree with you about vitamins, but seem to undermine the helpfulness of any antioxidents when treating cancer.How about indigenous antioxidants promoted by aerobic exercise …	air pollution,antioxidants,common cold,fatigue,fruit,green tea,lasers,oxidative stress,skin health,sleep,stress,tea,tomato sauce,traffic,vegetables,wrinkles	Using an argon laser to measure human antioxidant levels in real time, researchers uncover how fast stress can deplete the body and how slowly it takes to restore antioxidant levels	You can also check out these more recent antioxidant videos: Bulking Up on Antioxidants Minimum Recommended Daily Allowance of Antioxidants Food Antioxidants, Stroke, and Heart Disease Food Antioxidants and Cancer Antioxidants in a Pinch Antioxidants Sprouting Up Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants Here are some recent videos on wrinkles and diet: Preventing Wrinkles with Diet Beauty Is More Than Skin DeepPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on antioxidants. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/01/25/acai-to-zucchini-antioxidant-food-rankings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/08/the-best-way-to-prevent-the-common-cold/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomato-sauce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fatigue/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lasers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/air-pollution/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oxidative-stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/common-cold/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stress/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/skin-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/wrinkles/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tea/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sleep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/traffic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-stroke-and-heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-wrinkles-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bulking-up-on-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-antioxidants-and-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/minimum-recommended-daily-allowance-of-antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-antioxidants/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19021355,
PLAIN-3320	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/forego-fat-free-dressings/	Forego Fat-Free Dressings?	Final step: the dressing. Which is more nutritious, a salad with an oil-free dressing or salad with an oil-based dressing? And the answer is fat-filled. What? Why? Because many of the phytonutrients in salad are fat soluble and so our body needs fat to absorb them. The bioavailability of nutrients is higher when you take in fat. Check this out: Here’s the amount of these nutrients we can measure in your blood stream over the course of ten hours after you eat a salad with fatty dressing. This is how much you get from reduced fat dressing—with the open circles, and at the bottom—the triangles—is the amount of this nutrition you absorb from a fat free salad. Essentially nada, zero. Why did you even eat it to begin with? Now oil isn’t good for you—it’s basically just a lot of empty calories. The healthiest way to eat fat is from whole foods, like nuts and seeds. So a dressing made with tahini, which is just ground sesame seeds, or a creamy dressing you can whip up on your own by blending nuts like cashews is the best way to absorb all that nutrition in our salads. Or you can use a fat-free dressing and just throw some nuts and seeds on top. My family’s favorite is freshly toasted walnuts. Just 5 walnut halves is all the fat you need to get at those fat soluble nutrients in your greens.Similarly, this is all the lycopene you absorb from salsa—that great red phytonutrient that protects against cancer. Why? Because salsa is a fat-free food. This is how much you absorb if you add some avocado to that salsa. Again, the fat helps you suck up the nutrition. And adding a whole avocado worked just as well as adding a half of one. In fact, just one-quarter of an avocado is probably all you need to add to salsa or salad to maximize absorption.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on absorption. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Dr. Greger, nowadays avocados seem to be frowned upon as a vegetable that has too much fat/cholesterol to eat…especially every time we eat any salsa.So, is it recommended to eat whole nuts and seeds with every salsa and every salad?And in order to maximize the amount of fat-soluble antioxidants in all of our diet, do you recommend eating something “fatty” (like nuts, seeds, oils) with EVERY meal? If so, how much? Thanks!My understanding is that Avocados have a lot of mono-unsaturated fats, like olives. So if you are already getting too much fat they would be bad for you, but avocados can be healthy in an otherwise lean diet. I have also heard that full avocado is better for you than an equivalent amount of avocado oil, but I don’t remember specifics.when a wild animal harvests a meal, it first eats the soft abdominal fat, soft nutrient dense organs, and gut contents, so the veg gets to go 30 foot thru a herbivores gut, then another 12 feet thru a carnivores gut, a lovely symmetry, the carnivores taste buds tell it to target the energy rich fat stores, a wild animal at 80% of its lifespan is stronger than one at 30%, so as long as you aren’t eating processed oils, like vegetable oil that has been solvent extracted, then RBD refined bleached deodorised, to remove all of the nutrients that should accompany them, and as long as you exercise to offset the calories, I wouldn’t worry about ‘too much fat’Simon, as to vegetable oils, are they all solvent extracted? And, olive oil then too? Do you use one that’s healthier? Please let me know? Thanks.extra virgin olive is cold pressed, and full of antioxidants, and we have thousands of years history of eating it, there’s a bit of a problem of mediterranian suppliers adulterating it with cheaper oils, colored and flavoured with some green olive juice, to rip off the consumer, I don’t hot fry my food, so smoke point isn’t an issue for me, for fish or chicken, I use olive oil and a couple tablespoons of water, put a lid on it, bring the temperature up slowly until I can’t touch the lid, then rest it, steak I have barely sizzling, for veg, I microwave it with a small amount of water to prevent localized heating, and add olive oil, butter, tomato paste afterwards, so no really hot cooking to damage nutrients or oilSometimes I sit down with a bowl of avocados. When I eat cashews, I eat an entire tin. I don’t do it often but when I do, look out, FATTY ON THE LOOSE!! I’m not gaining fat, though. Dr. G did a video profiling a study that proves people who eat up to a couple of handfuls of nuts per day don’t gain the fat associated with that food over a year. I don’t know about avocados, but I think the fiber prevents us from actually getting fat even though those foods are upwards of 90% fat. I’m not a doctor nor an expert but I was worried about the same thing and I don’t worry about it anymore. I am still losing body fat after nine months of fruit and veggies. Love youHello maybush1! Cholesterol is actually a production of animals and cannot be found in any plants! As humans, we even create our own cholesterol. Avocados are therefore void of cholesterol. The fat in avocados are primarily monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which actually extract saturated fat from your body (the bad fat) and replace it with this good kind. Like nuts, avocados are health promoting. Check out Dr. Greger’s video all about avocados! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/ Also note that cholesterol can never be too low! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/can-cholesterol-be-too-low/ I would say every time you eat a phytonutrient rich meal, like a salad, tea, or fruits; eat a fat with it. As suggested in this video, 5 walnuts halves suffice to absorb all the pytochemicals of that meal. I make it a point to do so with my meals!Why do you answer questions not directed at you? I came to this website to read advice Dr. Greger has on nutrition. I did not come here to read your unreliable information.   If I wish to ask a question of  Dr. Greger, or if I’m reading a question by another poster directed at Dr. Greger, it’s Dr. Greger’s reply I expect to read in return, not yours.   Jayson2, you will have noticed upon looking over the comments section in the many pages on this site that it’s not just Dr. Greger replying but rather, when someone asks a question, everyone who has input chimes in with what they know. This does not stop (and has not stopped) Dr. G. from replying when he wishes to add something. I actually enjoy the back and forth in the comments section, and I think readers have enough sophistication to notice who the source is of the advice, and to make their own minds up about how reliable it is.The back and forth is a positive aspect of the comment section imo. And speaking of keeping things positive, let’s all try to do that. Taking my own advice is why I do not add additional commentary on your comments directed to Toxinscholesterol can never be too low, if you don’t mind depression and alzheimers, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21802743 http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/alzheimers_statins.htmlHi Toxins and thanks for the reply! Actually, it’s not correct to say that cholesterol “is actually a production of animals and cannot be found in any plants”. Cholesterol is also a production of plants and are found within them…albeit in much lower quantities than in animals (cholesterol is a partial component to cell walls). See, for example, http://chemistry.osu.edu/~gopalan.5/file/7B.PDF Also, in the same study, it mentions some cholesterol is found in avocado oil as well.Besides, it is beginning to seem that the idea of eating avocados may not be such a good idea afterall as shown in Dr. Greger’s latest set of videos on the subject (today’s video – http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/are-avocados-bad-for-you/ and last week’s: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you.Ah yes, I didn’t realize that plants had cholesterol. But it seems like an insignificantly small amount! And ya, it seems my response is all around wrong since avocados are now considered not health promoting. My apologies, I try to be as accurate with my responses as possibleNo apologies necessary Toxins! The nutritional science that comes out is constantly in a state of flux and is very dynamic. Old dietary recommendations are, many times, being superceded or adjusted by the new science that is coming out. It’s difficult to keep track and to be on top of it. I’m just very glad that there are those who are doing this so well, such as Dr. Greger, Esselstyn, Campbell, Novick, et al! We should all be grateful to him and his efforts on behalf of us all.I agree, these are all great doctors. Maybush1, I want to thank you and not just for not beating up on Toxins but for the new information..this was new to me and I’m sure others too.However I don’t want this to turn into a talking point for the pro-omni-diet folks…I don’t think that’s what you’re doing but when this info gets more widely disseminated other folks might use it to say “see you vegans can’t ever, ever complain about cholesterol in meat/dairy ever again..ha!”So as Toxins said the amounts would seem very small but I wanted to look at some numbersSee my post (I’ll copy paste there) at the top (well as the “July 9, 2012″ date which may or may not be the top when you get here) for the numbers I found  by a few little conversions based on the source you gave.Arrgh! I’m so confused! Dr. Esselstyn tells us not to eat fat from ANY source in his book on reversing heart disease!Hello Susan!You have answered your own question. If one has heart disease but is looking to reverse it, cutting out fat is probably the best bet until it has healed. Essylsten advocated avoiding nuts as more of a safety net, possibly accelerating the process of healing the arteries of the heart. These fats in nuts are primarily monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats being the good kind. After the point of reversal, consuming nuts will not bring about any risk of heart disease. Check out these few videos for more on nut fat.http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/good-great-bad-killer-fats/http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/halving-heart-attack-risk/yes, but you’ll end up like james fixx the running guru, dead at 52 with blocked arteries, from eating too much carb and sugar, just stick to saturated fats like the masai, get some vitamin K2 and vitamin C and your arteries will be fineThank you for your answer. I have become addicted to this web site and will soon have to face an intervention!!heh, I’ve become a nutritionfacts junkie too! And I share it as much as I feel I can with others without becoming too “preachy.”What if you put your salad in a blender and drank it? How would absorption compare to adding a little fat?I know that if you take a wheat grain, chop it into a powder and eat the powder, you absorb more (at least more of the calories, if not the nutrition). Would the same be true if you blended your greens and drank it without adding anything else?HiBlueberry, Putting the salad in a blender will help aid digestion much as chewing the salad does. However it appears that the fat is necessary to get the nutrients (i.e.antioxidants) from the intestine into the body. As the video states you don’t need processed oil to do this(although it works) but you can accomplish with nuts,seeds, avocados and don’t need much.The nuts, seeds and avocados contain nutrients you won’t find in processed oils. The fats are more calorie dense then starches so if you are trying to loose weight you have to not overdo the processed oils and nuts and seeds. The absorption of carbohydrates is not dependent on fat for absorption so you still get alot of calories from carbohydrates and protein even if you don’t add fats.mr Greger,Is this video still correct? I was just wondering because of this logic:-If you eat fat with your meal, the nutrients will indeed stay longer in the bloodstream, simply because you consumed fat. But does this automatically mean that you absorb more>? Are we sure that blood nutrient levels are a good indicator of nutrient absorption for the human body?-However, if you eat the fat-free salad, wont the nutrients just directly go to the cells trough the action of insulin instead of circulating for hours in the bloodstream ?So what I am proposing is–> Because of the lack of fat, all the nutrients get into the right place, quicker, than if fat is added.Is this evidence ever tested in the way of gene expression yet?If the nutrients are in the bloodstream, then they have already been absorbed and your body has already begun utilizing them. Everything must pass through the gut wall before it is considered “absorbed”. Now do we utilize all of the phytonutrients? That I do not know, but why not include more of a good thing?@Toxins,Thx for your reply,So. How many grams of fat are needed for nutrient absorption? Are the fats, present in natural foods ( take for example wheat) sufficient for this effect? Or is additional fat needed?I wonder what Mcdougall would say about this.. Since you would assume, everyone on that plan would be highly deficient in everything according to this video.Are there more studies done on this ? Because it really would seem unlikely to me, also only a few parameters were measured, What about if you would add in a high insulin stimulating food like potatoes into the meal. Wouldnt that make a huge difference, in the way of absorption?I’m not saying healthy fats are bad … But I do wonder, if it is necessary to eat fat with every meal, as this video would suggest u should.I have brought up this topic with Jeff Novick who works closely with Dr. McDougall. Jeff’s position is that it is not necessary to eat fat with food since we absorb enough from the food anyway. The issue he says is not that we are not absorbing enough, it is that Americans do not eat enough…“These data, although in varying populations, suggest that 3 to 6 mg/day of β-carotene from food sources is prudent to maintain plasma β-carotene concentrations in the range associated with a lower risk of various chronic disease outcomes (see Table 3).”http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9810&page=353Table 3: http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9810&page=341This range is more than sufficiently achievable if one does not include fat. That is Jeff’s position and I respect it.As for myself, I see no problem in increasing the quantity of phytonutrients in my body. There are no ill effects associated with this.Dr. Greger says that 5 walnut halves would be enough to absorb most of the phytonutrients found in the salad.We can conclude that it is not necessary to include fat with the salad, but I don’t see how it would hurt. Especially if one included healthier nuts/seeds like English walnuts, flax or chia seeds.Following up on the source Maybush1 gave (thanks again for the heads up!) that indeed plants do contain cholesterol..but the amounts are very small..here’s what I found.Maybush1’s source (Cholesterol and Plants E. J. Behrman* and Venkat Gopalan ) states “the quantity of cholesterol is generally small when expressed as percent of total lipid. While cholesterol averages perhaps 50 mg/͞kg total lipid in plant”A little calculation – 1kg is about 35.27 oz So the average is just over 1.4mg per oz or  5.7mg per 4 ounces.But that’s per 4ounches of pure plant lipid ; since the plant food will be less than 100% lipid, the mg cholesterol per 4oz of plant food will be less – or much less depending on the food – than 5.7According to one source (“What Percentage of an Avocado Is Fat?”, livestrong—-com)“Of the 201 g in a regular avocado, 29.47 g, or about 15 percent of the avocado’s weight, exists in the form of fat.”So to the extent that avocado fat is not far from the above ‘average’ figure given,  4oz of avocado would have about 0.1466 as much or (0.1466)*5.7 or about 0.835mg of cholesterol.Less than 1 mg!By comparison, “A four-ounce serving of tuna has 40 milligrams of cholesterol, while haddock or rainbow trout has more than 80 milligrams” (“Organic Meats Are Not Health Foods”, pcrm—org)Even if avocado    fat had 5 times the ‘average’ concentration for plants, in its fat/oil, that   would take us to 4mg, or one-tenth of what tuna has per 4oz serving, and the beef and many other meat based sources  are higher( or much higher) than tuna.Seems like 1mg or even some modest multiple, per entire serving, thereof isn’t the end of the world (but I did look at the link on the potential effecdt on DNA of avocado, even if we’re not sure if it’s really tube int he body or only in the test tube) Following up on the source Maybush1 gave (thanks again for the heads up!) that indeed plants do contain cholesterol..but the amounts are very small..here’s what I found.Maybush1’s source (Cholesterol and Plants E. J. Behrman* and Venkat Gopalan ) states “the quantity of cholesterol is generally small when expressed as percent of total lipid. While cholesterol averages perhaps 50 mg/͞kg total lipid in plant”A little calculation – 1kg is about 35.27 oz So the average is just over 1.4mg per oz or  5.7mg per 4 ounces.But that’s per 4ounches of pure plant lipid ; since the plant food will be less than 100% lipid, the mg cholesterol per 4oz of plant food will be less – or much less depending on the food – than 5.7According to one source (“What Percentage of an Avocado Is Fat?”, livestrongdotcom)“Of the 201 g in a regular avocado, 29.47 g, or about 15 percent of the avocado’s weight, exists in the form of fat.”So to the extent that avocado fat is not far from the above ‘average’ figure given,  4oz of avocado would have about 0.1466 as much or (0.1466)*5.7 or about 0.835mg of cholesterol.Less than 1 mg…..By comparison, “A four-ounce serving of tuna has 40 milligrams of cholesterol, while haddock or rainbow trout has more than 80 milligrams” (“Organic Meats Are Not Health Foods”, pcrmdotorg)Even if avocado    fat had 5 times the ‘average’ concentration for plants, in its fat/oil, that   would take us to 4mg, or one-tenth of what tuna has per 4oz serving, and the beef and many other meat based sources  are higher( or much higher) than tuna.Seems like 1mg or even some modest multiple, per entire serving, thereof isn’t the end of the world (but I did look at the link on the potential effecdt on DNA of avocado, even if we’re not sure if it’s really tube int he body or only in the test tube)I want advice on how to make an oil-free salad dressing (using nuts and seeds to provide the fat) that is still tasty.  Please provide suggestions.Hi BPCveg,Here is an oil-free dressing recipe that a friend shared with me that my boyfriend and I really love:Tahini Garlic Dressing1 cup roasted tahini (sesame seeds ground into a paste) 1/4 cup soy sauce (high quality shoyu if possible) 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 6 large garlic cloves ( more or less to taste) 1 – 2 cups filtered or spring water (depending on desired consistency)In the future, I will use much less of the soy sauce, as I found the dressing a tad too salty for my likes. You can also use this recipe as inspiration to create different dressings by changing up some of the ingredients (e.g. try different vinegars, seeds, nuts, or nut butters).  For example, I food processed cashews (best to soak them overnight or for a few hours…in this case I did not have the time so I ground them unsoaked) instead of using the tahini and I used liquid aminos rather than soy sauce and it made for a delish dressing. In general, I find that ground cashews make for wonderful creaminess in recipes.You can also look for dressing recipe inspiration here: http://www.nutritionmd.org/recipes/index.htmlHello WholeFoodChomper (previously Joya),You are a gem! This recipe is awesome!By the way, for the formula that you gave for tahini dressing, I was able to get away with 1 cup of water and 1 Tbsp of soya sauce.Thanks a lot!Help! The links to share your videos aren’t showing up where they used to be.. Several of my friends say they love that I fwd them (email because they won’t take the time to look up the website for themselves. The Lazybones.. Will you put the link back, please?For those eating chips and salsa, is the amount of fat in the chips enough to increase absorption of the phytonurtrients? I know that the this is not a good fat source, but I’m curious since many people eat salsa this way.I’m actually fairly interested in an answer to this as well.Beet Around the Greens Dressing– ¼ cup sunflower seeds – ¼ cup pumpkin seeds – 1 organic* golden delicious apple, chopped – 1 medium beet, cooked – WaterCombine all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Using very little water results in a consistency which is quite thick and easily spooned onto salad. Adjust the amount of water to achieve the consistency desired.*Apples rank 1st (most contaminated) for yet another year in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.phpBookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline~Complements of lovestobeveganSounds delicious–and nutritious! Thank you so much LTBV!What about water soluble vitamins like vitamin c or b – can the added oil harm there absorption ?I am really wondering if ground flax is suitable for the fat soluble (correct term?) antioxidants absorption. The reason I have doubts is because flax seeds are pretty firm and potentially they might get processed by GIT some time later (too late) compared to, say, walnuts. I’m grinding them as fine as possible yet still not quite sure. In any case I firmly decided to avoid any oils thanks to Esselstyn/Ornish/Greger arguments.Hi I am following a plant based diet and I am following advice and data from people like Dr.McDougall, Esselstyn, and Dr.Michael Greger. I saw a video of Dr.Gregers where he talks about a study that says that oil based dressing is better than oil free dressing. Which is a conflicting issue between these doctors. So I posted this on Dr.McDougalls Message board to get peoples opinions, Jeff Novick replied plus others and Dr.McDougalls opion on the matter from the past was posted. I would love to hear Dr.Greger thoughts about this thread: https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=43793 I hope it’s ok that I am referencing Dr.Mcdougalls site here.Thank you for all your work by the way, its very informative and changed my life big time.RomanRoman: Congrats on adopting a healthy diet. Sounds like you are on roll!I’m not a doctor nor an expert. So, I can’t chime in with any authority. But I do have some thoughts for you.The main point of Dr. Greger’s video is about understanding how a certain amount of fat is needed in order for your body to absorb certain nutrients. This is a very narrow statement. It says nothing about people’s unique situations. So, for example, if someone had say an obesity problem, then maybe they would want to forgo absorbing those nutrients and stick to low calorie dense foods instead. In other words, each of Dr. Greger’s videos is very focused. You have to apply some common sense to see how the information in the video might apply to you.re: “I saw a video of Dr.Gregers where he talks about a study that says that oil based dressing is better than oil free dressing.” If you look under each video, you will see a Transcript section where you can see the video’s text. Here is a quote from Dr. Greger from this very video: “Now oil isn’t good for you—it’s basically just a lot of empty calories. The healthiest way to eat fat is from whole foods, like nuts and seeds.”So, even though Dr. Greger is being a bit funny/provocative in the opening of the video, I think he makes it quite clear that he is not advocating oil based dressings. Instead, Dr. Greger is advocating that you not have completely fat-free salads. He advocates adding a few nuts or a quarter of an avacado. I think that those quantities of calorie-dense foods would work fine for most people – and do not contradict anything that McDouggal, Esselstyne or Novick allow for average healthy people.That’s how I put it all into perspective. Hope that helps.Thanks for your reply. Like you said it’s all about interpretation and things can be different on a case by case basis. There is a lot of information out there. Just trying to figure out and understand everything properly so all of this data / knowledge by all the experts can be applied with the most benefit.I would like to make my question more specific, in that video the study showed that with no oil or may be fat in the salad the absorption of the nutrients was 0 or close to 0. and that was very interesting. In the thread i posted in my original post here, there was a question about how valid that fact is that the absorption is 0 or so close to 0. Since oil in salads and such is actually a new thing and humans ate plant based diet before and managed to absorb the nutrients etc.Roman: Thanks for clarifying your question/discussion topic.I don’t have time to read that thread you referred to, but here’s my take: While the healthiest human populations may have been primarily plant-based, they did still eat some small amounts of fat-laden food with their plants. For example, Okinawans (sp?) ate 1% fish. And as Dr. Greger’s video shows, it doesn’t take much fat to help your body absorb the nutrients. So, now we have healthier options than the fish. We can eat the plants with some nuts, seeds or avocados and perhaps get the same effect the Okinawans got.I don’t know if that gets at your issue or not, but I wanted to chime in one more time.Good luck with your efforts. I agree that this is not easy and I admire the people who struggle with the information to try to help themselves.Hello, it’s my unprofessional opinion that the wider, more expanded variety of vegan foods consumed, the better in order to avoid “splitting hairs” with individual foods thereby creating confusion and uncertainties as to what to eat and what to reject. Unless it has to do with avoiding entirely certain foods because of an illness. :o)My fat-free catalina contains “trivial” amounts of soybean oil. It’s listed as the sixth ingredient right after salt. The serving size is two tbsp but in a two-pound salad of purple cabbage, kale, broccoli and spinach, I use about a half cup of this dressing. That should be enough fat, right? And if I use five walnut halves, do I get the max amount of absorption? I see that it takes four hours to get the bulk of the nutes from the cruciferous veggies so that’s enough time time to break down a nut to get the fat, right? Thanks for the best information.After watching this video, I went to the dressings isle. And you’ll never guess what I saw on the bottles with fat contents as high as 16g/serving (2tbsp) – “helps get nutrition from your salad” It’s on every bottle. This label should be in the pecans. I’m ashamed to have a business degree. Corporations literally have NO SHAME. This is why I drive trucks :) And who uses 2 tbsp of dressing in a salad? Maybe on one of those salads they serve at schools – three pieces of iceberg lettuce and a tomato slice. Don’t forget the pickle. Pathetic.What about all the other vegetables? Should I be concerned when I eat, for example, cooked spinach or cooked broccoli? And if I want to munch on some carrots, should I dip them in a nutty salsa in order to absorb the phytonutrients? My question basically is if I need to put some healthy fat on every vegetables I eat or only on lettuce.	avocados,cancer,cashews,dressings,fat,greens,lettuce,low-fat diets,lycopene,men's health,nutrient absorption,nutrition myths,nuts,oils,phytonutrients,prostate cancer,salsa,seeds,tomatoes,walnuts	Fat is needed to maximize the absorption of certain important phytonutrients.	Here are some other videos on nutrient absorption: New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found Take Vitamin D Supplements With MealsPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on absorption. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/avocados/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrient-absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/phytonutrients/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nutrition-myths/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/greens/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/low-fat-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lycopene/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/walnuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salsa/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/absorption/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cashews/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dressings/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-mineral-absorption-enhancers-found/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/take-vitamin-d-supplements-with-meals/	-
PLAIN-3321	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/	#1 Anticancer Vegetable	But anyway, back to beans. In terms of nutrient density, nutrients per calorie: are beans the most nutritious class of whole foods? Or is it fruit, nuts and seeds, vegetables, or whole grains? What should go on the base of a healthy eating pyramid? Beans, fruits, nuts, veggies, or grains? Definitely vegetables, but which are the healthiest ones? A major advance was made this year ranking vegetables. Graphs like this that I’ve shared over the years that compare the antioxidant power of foods were all based on very primitive methods—basically just measuring how much a food slows down an oxidation reaction between two chemicals in a machine. That was the best we had, but it required a leap of faith that what was happening in the test tube could be extrapolated to what might happen in living human tissue. This year, though, a landmark study was published, pitting 34 common vegetables against 8 different types of human cancers. Breast cancer, brain tumors, kidney cancer, lung cancer, childhood brain tumors, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and stomach cancer. Let’s look at breast cancer—I’ll cover up the. What’s being measured is tumor cell proliferation. Here’s the control. You drip some water on a human breast tumor, and nothing happens—it’s still powering away at 100% growth rate. And these 7 vegetables appear useless against breast cancer, no different than placebo. But these 6 cut the cancer growth rate in half. And these 5 at the end stopped cancer growth completely—stopped these tumor cells dead in their tracks. Take-home message #1: we need to eat a portfolio of vegetables. Take a look: radishes, do nothing against pancreatic cancer, in fact if anything they might accelerate growth but, against stomach cancer, they completely eliminated tumor cell growth. On the other hand, orange bell peppers don’t do much for stomach cancer, but can cut prostate cancer growth by more than 75%. So we need to eat a variety of vegetables, because each one tends to target different cancers. If you’re particularly concerned about a specific cancer, like if you have a strong family history of breast cancer, then you can narrow it down and really nail those 5 or 6 veggies every day that excel at targeting breast tissue. But otherwise, to fight against any kind of cancer, we’ve got to eat a portfolio of vegetables to cover all our bases. That doesn’t mean some veggies aren’t better than others. Some of these vegetables target multiple cancers at the same time. So using this groundbreaking new data, let’s play “Which is healthier.” Imagine you’re standing in line at one of those custom made-to-order salad places, where you get to choose your lettuce, choose your toppings, then choose your dressing. Lets assume that you don’t have a strong family history of any particular cancer, and so aren’t trying to hone in on avoiding one tumor over another. First, let’s choose our lettuce. Boston, endive, radicchio, romaine, or spinach? Out of the five, spinach is #1 against breast cancer—remember, the farther right the better it is at slowing down these cancer cells. #1 against brain tumors, #1 against kidney cancer, #1 against lung cancer, #1 against pediatric brain tumors—feed your kids spinach! #1 against pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and #1 against stomach cancer. Now note it’s not #1 overall—there are 16 vegetables more powerful at stopping stomach cancer growth than spinach, but out of those five salad greens, spinach wins out across the board, against every cancer type tested. What if the salad place said they were out of spinach, though? Which comes in second out of the four left to choose from. For breast cancer, radicchio is #2. against brain tumors. radicchio, kidney cancer, radicchio, radicchio, romaine, radicchio, radicchio, and radicchio. So overall, out of those choices for greens, radicchio is number 2. Back to the menu. Next we get to choose 4 toppings. Now there’s a long line of people behind you, all staring at you to make your choice. You don’t have time to ponder and pick the 4 absolute best, but you can at least make a guess as to roughly where on the graph they are. Yes or no? According to this amazing new data, do carrots slow cancer cell growth rates more than 50%? Yes or no? The answer is no. No, no, no, no, no, no, and no. So shredded carrots aren’t going to make our top four toppings choice.What about shredded beets? Yes or no? Yes. Super yes! Brain tumor? Just beet it. Kidney cancer is a no, close to 50%, but not quite there. And then yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. So overall, yes for beets.Are we putting cucumber on out salad? Yes? No? As tasty as they may be… no. For most cancers it suppressed tumor cell growth less than 50% What about a tomato? Yes or no? No tomato either. What about a potato? You can actually put potatoes onto your salad. Yes or no? No potato either. Wait a second, no iceberg lettuce, carrots, cucumber, tomatos, potatos—that’s all people eat! That’s the problem. Even people eating their vegetables, aren’t really eating their vegetables. The majority of veggies people commonly eat have little effect. Cutting to the chase: The line at the salad place is now out the door at this point. In this study there was one clear winner. One vegetable that completely 100% stopped cancer growth in 7 out of the 8 tumor lines. One of the most important findings of the year: which vegetable was it? Was it bok choi? Broccoli. Brussel sprouts, fiddlehead ferns, garlic, kale, or red cabbage? Number one against breast cancer? Garlic. Number one against brain tumors: garlic. Number two against kidney cancer: garlic. Lung cancer: garlic. Childhood brain tumors: garlic. Pancreatic cancer: garlic. Prostate cancer: garlic. And stomach cancer? Garlic. So might I suggest a garlicky salad dressing? Wait a second, though. Is it just that garlic is toxic to all cells? Yes, it stops the growth of cancer cells, but maybe it stops the growth of healthy cells too? That wouldn’t be good. They tested for that. The black bars are cancer cells; the white bars are normal cells. As you can see garlic slams cancer cells, but doesn’t touch normal cells, and the same thing with pretty much all the vegetables. They’re selective; they go after the cancer cells but leave the normal cells alone. Veggies are amazing. Now if you didn’t pick garlic and instead chose one of those others you probably weren’t far off. The two best families of vegetables for cancer prevention are the cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, kale, cabbage, and the allium family vegetables, like garlic, onions, and leeks. Let me just run through this one last time to highlight this important fact. Starting from the beginning. Cruciferous vegetables in green; allium vegetables in yellow. What I want you to notice is the clustering of colors over on the right side, which illustrates the power of these two superfood classes of vegetables. Whether for breast cancer, brain cancer, kidney cancer, lung cancer, or brain cancer. Interestingly you’ll notice that bok choy is often the odd one out, apparently the least healthy of the cruciferous vegetables. Pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and finally stomach cancer. So you know all those recipes that start with garlic and onions and then throw you in some greens—that, is the way to eat. The researchers conclude: “the inclusion of cruciferous and allium vegetables in the diet is essential for effective dietary-based chemopreventive strategies.”	This is the most informative health video i have ever seen, thank you!Don’t forget to check out part 1 of this video (kind of like the prequel :) just to put it in context.Incredible as alwaysDefinitely one of my favorites!amazing and life changing.Definitely changed the way my family now eats!dr. gregor, i tried to post this earlier but it didn’t post. How do you feel about all the people out there claiming that garlic harms brain cells, alters proper brain functioning, and other negative effects? There is no shortage of people who feel that garlic causes them a lack of mental clarity, and a disruption of what “feels” normal. A lot of the evidence is anecdotal, but do you really think nature wants us biting into a garlic bulb? It seems to me that our taste buds suggests we don’t do that. Any credible studies you are aware of in the negative consequences of garlic consumption? Much thanks.Which vegetables are best for fighting the spread of prostate cancer ,I can’t find the list. I think your website is terrific , good job with this and the friendly narrations are perfect .According to Dr. Campbell in “The China Study”, not eating dairy, which causes the cancer cells to grow, is a great start. Cooking the cruciferous veggies half an hour to get rid of the goitrogen, which prevents one from losing weight, is another.I figured it out by stopping the video turning my head and copying the top 10 under the prostate chart . Garlic is #1 and cabbage is a about 10th. Once again ,great great websiteSorry about the neck strain! If there’s anything you can’t read let me know and I can post a larger image in the Supplementary Info section.I’m guessing that 50 cents I spent on a bulb of garlic was money well spent!Thanks for such a great resource!Are these best consumed raw or cooked!?!He replied elsewhere that if you cook garlic you should wait ten minutes first to allow the beneficial compounds to form.The most helpful cancer preventive video I have ever seen. Thank you!Jennifer – great question! Dr Greger has a few videos on the topic of cooking methods and the effects on nutrients. In fact there’s one video that may be perfect for you: Best Cooking Method. You may also want to look at this article which does a nice overview of some of the other research on the topic.Great stuff. What about mushrooms? I understand they are great, AND they are usually on the salad bar menu. Any intel to share?Mushrooms are great for us! They are good against breast cancer and are high in antioxidants. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vegetables-versus-breast-cancer/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/the-best-mushroom-2/The only issue with mushrooms is that we should avoid eating them raw as they have a natural toxin called Agaratine in them that is destroyed by cooking. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/toxins-in-raw-mushrooms/Awesome video, Dr. Greger! I am left with the question of the anticancer effects of raw vs. cooked garlic and onions. I know cooking reduces some of the nutrients but have raw and cooked alliums been tested in regard to the anti-cancer effects? In other words is it important to try to consume these raw notwithstanding their very strong flavors?The secret to maintaining the anti-cancer effects of garlic is to either eat it raw (think salsa, homemade dressings, pesto, etc) or crush the garlic first, wait ten minutes, and then cook it. You know those chemical flares? You bend them, two chemicals mix and a light-emitting reaction takes place? The same kind of thing happens in garlic. Floating around in the cytoplasm of garlic cells is a compound called alliin and packed away in tiny intracellular storage compartments (called vacuoles) is an enzyme called alliinase. When the garlic tissues are crushed, the two mix and alliinase turns alliin into allicin, the phytonutrient thought to be responsible for many of garlic’s health benefits. Cooking destroys the enzyme, though, so even if you crush your garlic, if it’s thrown immediately into the pan, little allicin may be produced. Allicin is relatively heat stable, though, so if you chop your garlic and wait 10 minutes for the allicin to be formed, you can then cook it (the enzyme has already done its work) and presumably maintain many of the benefits.Hard to follow the chemical ways of the garlic, but thanks for posting that it is best eaten raw and if cooked to wait 10 mins. I get stomach discomfort when I eat garlic (I think) it is hard to tell what is doing it, because I get the same problem with other things.  I wish I could figure it out.  Anyone have any ideas about how to go about figuring out what is bothering your stomach?To really know what is bothering your stomach, I would suggest starting with a food diary or journal. Keep track of what you eat, how you feel, and the timing between the food and the feeling.You will begin to see a pattern. Keep in mind that if you are mixing foods you may not get a true picture of the culprit. But then take the foods one at a time, and journal. Its a puzzle to be solved! Woah! Will remember this.in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWF8fPnE4wcGarlic is mentioned, it appears that the garlic oil is an important factor therefore the dried garlic (unless fried-oxidized) does not have these properties as RAW.Mike Thanks for sharing , this video is so interesting !!!I remember learning about this in April 2011 while my mother was dying from pancreatic cancer at the Cleaveland Clinic . Thanks (whole heartedly ) for the great summary and info re the alliinase , allin , allicin and all the info I’ve gleaned elsewhere , including nitrites, nitritates, nitric oxide, nitrisamines (sp) etcIs it true that according to Japanese Research , bananas may be better for us as they ripen and the black spots appear on the skin ? ( some TLC factor or something to that effect ? :-)I Love this video so much, thank you! My question is should I consume the veggies/garlic, etc RAW or cooked? I like to do greensmoothies and juice, raw of course, are they veggies LESS anticancer if I cook them?? Also how much daily should I eat? Ex.- like 2 raw cloves of garlic in a savory smoothie?Any thoughts? Thanks, PaulaThanks for your question PaulaPooh. Please see my answer to Michelle above.Thank you!I am surprised to learn that Carrots didn’t do much in this study to block cancer growth…as it is heavily used in the Gerson Therapy to fight/prevent cancer…very odd! Did anyone else notice that? Thanks.I actually have a video coming our about Gerson Therapy–stay tuned! Unfortunately the data does not look good :(Wow, oh no, I’m looking fwd to seeing that video! Thanks for all your hard work and research!That is a great video and sort of an eye opener. When it comes to garlic; how about the odorless or capsuled oils preparations? Are these any good?Great question. I am curious about the prepared crushed garlic that comes in a jar too… is it any good? I am guessing these preparations can’t be as good as fresh garlic. However, are they better than not eating garlic at all?I have a question about garlic. From watching the video it is my understanding garlic targest cancer cells but does not hurt regular cells. My first question is does this apply to both raw and cooked garlic and if so is one more effective than the other.My second request is to ask your help in sorting out the conflicting advice on garlic from other authors and researchers who say raw garlic especially is toxic to the body with cooked garlic less so. They say raw garlic can burn tiny holes in the lining of the stomach of some people and it is especially dangerous for people with leaky gut syndrome as the garlic can get in the blood where it is especially dangerous. They also say it is bad for brain cells. Please review these two short videos on garlic to see my point on the difficult conflicts in the advice. Thank you in advance for your help with sorting this out.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGMbAQNXlCY&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14aZbjs0mIY&feature=relatedI am also curious about these claims. I know Dr. Greger is focused on evidence-based science. It seems there is far more evidence of the health benefits than there is to support the idea that allium vegetables are toxic. Sometimes the lack of studies or evidence can be motivated by industry funding, perhaps this is one of those situations? If someone could weigh in with some authority on the matter I would also appreciate it.It is pronounced radeekio. :-)One of my favorite salads starts with wilted chard; but I didn’t see any of the traditional cooked greens — kale, mustard, red/green chard, turnip, collard, etc — in this video. Assuming a) they’re gently wilted for the salad, and b) diners appreciate their more robust texture … how would they compare in terms of cancer prevention?Hey Doc, How does a petri dish experiment compare with the human body?GareyIsn’t it true though that some of the beneficial compounds don’t last long enough inside the human body to reach the tumors? The study was for extracts applied directly onto cancer cells, no?Dr. Greger: Where does swiss chard belong on the scale? I grow a lot of it and freeze it so that I can eat it all year. I use it the same way spinach is used. I much prefer it to spinach, and it is easier to grow in my climate. Does it have similar health benefits as spinach?Hi Ridley, Both the spinach and chard belong to the chenopod family, which also includes quinoa and beets. This is a phytonutrient-packed family of veggies. Here’s a link if you want to look into the detailed comparison between spinach and swiss chard: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16 Also, here’s a very interesting study on more anti-cancer properties of plants http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/Do I understand correctly that according to this data bok choy is actually cancer promoting? I ask because on the charts where lower is better bok choy often scores over 100%. I also wonder why bok choy would be the odd one out. It is packed with micronutrients and does contain ITC’s that should be cancer blocking. Very strange!This is a wonderful site I’m glad I found it! I so wish this study covered colon and ovarian cancer. I would love some trust worthy facts on it… I’ve been doing a little research and I came up with Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, and Chai Tea. I know its a shocker but you cant believe everything you read on the net… I’m still confused on the soy milk in Chai tea issue.Good too know about the cancer blocking properties of Spinach but i have heard lots of accounts from different books etc on how much Spinach is safe to eat given the higher levels of oxilates compared to other leafy greens. Is there any current guidelines for safe oxilate consumption and how that equates to servings per week for example?Hi Adam. While you are correct that spinach has a higher content of oxalates compared to other dark leafy greens, I would argue that unless you are an infant, or someone with a history of oxalate kidney stones, the benefits of spinach definitely outweigh the risks assocaited with its oxalate content. This other video, which discusses oxalate consumption from beets, may be of interest to you: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/. That said, everything in moderation. Why not diversify your consumption of greens? Some spinach, some kale, some chard, some collards, etc. You can also check out another video that discusses the consumption (or overconsumption) of raw greens: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/.does beets bell peppers with garlic combat prostate cancerI noticed cabbage always scores much higher than red cabbage.   I assume that’s plain green cabbage. That seems counter-intuitive and I think you recommended red cabbage in another video.How much garlic per day should we be eating for these benefits? How much beet as well; I heard not to eat too much beet — but how to know how much of what to eat?!I noticed that the last part of the video showing yellow for the allium family and green for the cruciferous (brassica) family, the rutabagas got left out! They would add even more green to the chart!He also forgot that radishes are part of the cruciferous family (Brassicaceae)!For some context, please check out my associated blog post The Best Foods: Test Your Nutrition Knowledge!Excellent information.Great video presenting vital information.  Thanks, Dr. Greger!  May I offer two comments on language from an English and foreign language teacher… First, radicchio is from Italian and is pronounced “rah-deek-ee-o”… in other words “ch” is always pronounced like “k” in English in Italian.  “Ci” is always pronounced “chee” as in “arriverderci.”  I know I am fighting a losing battle on this second point but I simply must try… “Healthy” and “healthful” are both adjectives.  The former refers to the physical (and mental and so on) status of anything alive, man, beast, or plant.  If, for example, a basil plant is healthy, it is thriving.  However, if one is pondering whether basal as a food substance is nutritious, the proper adjective is clearly “healthful” or ‘full of health” for the eater thereof.  As a linguist, I know that the tendency is for all languages to become simpler as they evolve, but must we permit this at the cost of clarityoops, misspelled basil. ( not a complete sentence)Wow, this is an amazing video! Thanks, Dr. Greger!! I do try to focus my eating around the healthiest spectrum of the greens, veggies, and fruits. Bok Choy and Red Cabbage were lower on the spectrum than I expected. But that’s okay. I’ll just eat more leeks, garlic, and onions. I already eat tons of spinach, kale, cauliflower, and broccoli. Thanks for this really useful and practical information. I had breast cancer (stage 0, surgically removed) in 2009, so now I eat (vegan) to fight cancer. I make cancer-fighting nutritional smoothies that contain the best cancer fighting nutrients and drink them (about 20 oz.) with every meal. And I’ve lost 40 pounds doing it… not a bad thing. :) ~ April1)  This study was in cell lines, not humans.  Are there studies out there that corroborate this effect in real life? 2)  How much and in what form is necessary?  Raw garlic/onions are hard to take in large quantities.  Does cooking destroy the antiproliferative effect?  3) Does a daily, well-rounded vegetarian/vegan diet give sufficient quantities to do the job, or are “super-quantities” needed?Thanks for an amazing array of practical health topicsVery informative. Just shared with my friends!Very interesting. I’ve been taking the NEWCHAPTER Organic Garlic Force pills for some time. Are those kind of supplements any good?Please also check out my associated blog post Fighting Inflammation with Food Synergywhat about kale? Your site is amazing. Thank you so much. I just posted a link to this video on a private Facebook site for a particular cancer. It’s worth checking out Chinese Nutrition Therapy, one of the few decent books in English on a Chinese medicinal diet. Only recently did I notice there was a decent correlation between the vegetables, herbs, oils, nuts, grains & other foods that act on certain organ networks and the data from those studies.excellent pacing and summarizing. Good stuff!Both interesting and informative.  I love the fact that the presentation is completely based on experiments presented in a peer reviewed medical journal, but in layman terms.@Charlotte, this particular video by Dr. Greger is powerful indeed; hope you can also spend an hour of time and watch his “Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death” dvd that he has so compassionately shared FREE here on his website, on FB, and on youtube. It is remarkable and wo@27e16bfde4827c69112fccc8dafde66b:disqus nderful!I was with you talking about the salad bar.  Raw onions and greens are high on my salad ingredients.  Then you mentioned starting a cooked dish with cooking up the garlic and onions followed by the greens.  Doesn’t cooking remove the very good substances we need?Awesome info….thanks for sharing!I will make a green smoothie recipe out of the main ones you listed for my brother who has a brain tumor. Hopefully he will get into the habit of having one daily. Be careful with that.  I got into trouble with Mom when she was dying of pancreatic cancer by raising vitamin K levels and perhaps causing blood clots.  Was giving her a green soup with most of those ingredients.  It may or may not have caused the blood clots but I sincerely doubt it did her any good.Radicchio is not pronounced with the “ch”sound as in chair, but as a “k” sound. Pronounce like radikio. Thought you might want to know. :)This is fascinating.Does this have to be organic??No it does not, as you should eat vegetables in whichever way entices you to eat them the most.If red cabbage has more antioxidants than green cabbage, why does green cabbage out-perform red cabbage in cancer fighting?This is a serious questionwhat is the difference between red and green cabbage?stop the celebrating people.now tell if im wrong.., but doesnt garlic attack probiotics in the gut?? i understood the cancerous benefits but isnt there other factors u should account for before u tell people to fill themselves with garlic?!No, garlic does not ‘attack probiotics in the gut’. garlic is a PREbiotic, Or in other words; fuel for, and very helpful to the probiotics that help us so much.Is there a place where I can access those graphs you used in the video? It’s wonderful information and I would love to have them saved to my computer!I’m silly. I followed your sources cited and found exactly what I was looking for.thank you for this article, i find it very informative, i would like to know if the beetroot you mentioned, should be raw or could it be boiled. thanksDr. McGregor, This information seems very important, but I would like actual copies of these graphs. For instance, I have an uncle with metastatic prostate cancer. I would like to look at the entire graph and each vegetable, and give him a copy, so he can increase all the top ones whereever possible. You need to create handouts of this if you really want to help people the most.so far this is the only video on radishes – this is so unfair :) BTW they hold up well in those rankings!Romaine lettuce infused with passion fruit and green tea dressingIngredients1 small head of romaine lettuce½ cup of pineapple chunks3/4 cup of passion fruit juice½ cup matcha green tea (made out from 2 bags)1 teaspoon olive oilSalt to tastePreparation:1. Cut romaine lettuce into small pieces.2. Add the pineapple chunks on top of the romaine.3. In a small bowl mix the passion fruit juice, green tea, olive oil and salt.4. Toss romaine lettuce with the dressing (step 3).Does the minced garlic one finds in a gar at the grocery store have the same anti-cancer properties as fresh garlic?Is there any scientific study on anticancer fruits?Oh no… I HATE garlic, I can’t stand the taste or the smell.. I always said if I had it my way I would legalize pot and criminalize garlic :) I think I am just going to take my chances on this one, but an amazing video, as always, thank youPetri dish studies like this one should not be taken too seriously, especially when epidemiological studies contradict them. For example, tomatoes and carrots did not prevent cancer too well in this petri dish study but tomatoes and carrots worked very well at preventing cancer for real populations of real people: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9605210 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23352874 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15006906 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16227704My Mother is stage IV Lung cancer, and it is pushing into her ribs. She also has a blood clot in her upper left chest, just below her shoulder. Will the vegetables you mention that fight lung cancer help prolong her life? She’s coming home today from the hospital, and we are trying to find anything that might stop the mass from growing so it doesn’t continue to push on her ribs. The Doctor’s also said the cancer has most likely started in her bones because of the cancer pushing on her ribs. Please email me.I grew up eating spinach and love it! I love all my greens, but it didn’t prevent me getting breast cancer!What a wonderful video Dr. Greger! I visit your site constantly and I’ve learned so much from it! My husband has stomach cancer and its wonderful to know we can come here for reliable information! Thank you so much for your hard work! God bless!Road Trip Winnebago Soup– 3 lbs organic* potatoes, peeled – 4 large rutabagas, cubed – 1 bulb garlic, peeled and crushed – 1 large red onion, chopped – 1 large yellow onion, chopped – 1 leek, sliced – 6 cups water/homemade vegetable broth – 2 tbsp dill weed – 1 tbsp cilantro – 1 tbsp parsley – 2 tsp paprikaPeel and crush garlic, then set aside while preparing the other vegetables. Add all ingredients to a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until potatoes are soft and mashable. Thicken the soup to your desired consistency by mashing the potatoes against the side of the pot with a fork. Season to taste with sea salt.*Potatoes rank 10th (up from 12th last year) in the “dirty dozen: 12 foods to eat organic” so choose organic. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.phpBookmark my new Plant-Based Emporium Facebook page for all my latest recipes. https://www.facebook.com/PlantBasedEmporium?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline~Complements of lovestobeveganradicchio: it’s pronounced [ruddikyo]great one, really loved itWhew. Great Information. However, what about the juicing of raw veggies in the cabbage family for those of us who have Hypothroid Disorder?Dr. Greger does not recommend juicing. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/fruit-juice-fail/Limited evidence suggests that cooking will deactivate the goitrogens.Unbelievable. I love you Dr.I so loved this video, very informative and now I know better what to choose :)For even more cancer-fighting power serve this soup with some cruciferous vegetables such as steamed Brussels sprouts or kale.Potleek Soup– 4 cups water/homemade vegetable broth – 9 potatoes, peeled and cubed – 1 leek, thinly sliced – 1-2 tbsp fresh rosemary – Sea saltPlace all ingredients, except sea salt, in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat but leave pot on hot burner. Once potatoes are soft, mash some against the side of the pot with a fork until soup thickens to desired consistency. Season to taste with sea salt.~Complements of lovestobevegangarlic is a perfect remedies against cancer and people :)great video dr g.since i dislike garlic and so does buddha, I’m glad there are other options outside the allium family……….above the 50% mark sounds good and i’ve always had a preference for those veges as well………..Is radish related to beetroot in someway? They seem to be up there as well?What about Kale?http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/cancerThe above webpage suggests that it might even be more benefical (in terms of getting cancer) to add fish tou a vegan diet compaired to eating pure vegan. So this is not a black and white story between vegetarian and meat. How little do we know about what is really going on in our body ? I have also seen reports where vegans show to have less lymphosites. My understanding is that those are the white bloodcels that are supposed to recognise and kill cancer in an early stage. I am a vegan now for 2 years (except on christmas and newyears day), but still wondering if the optimal line for our health is really between animal and plant kingdom.We live on Guam and my wife has stage 4 breast cancer. I’m doing what I can nutritionally to help manage the illness the best we can (in addition to the unfortunate toxic chemo routine). Can you tell me if there are any studies providing evidence for or against the rampant recommendations I hear for soursop fruit (and a tea using the leaves) in treating cancer. I’ve had it recommended many, many times. One phrase I’ve heard over and over is that it’s “10,000 times more powerful than chemo” in dealing with cancer. Just wondering if where there’s so much smoke there might be a little fire.Doctor Great information.I understand from the comments below that raw garlic is the best way to eat garlic. How much garlic would you recommend we eat per day and how do we eat this amount of garlic without loosing our friends due to halitosis (my spelling maybe wrong but I think you get the point). Thanks again.Jim DBest video ever! Thank you, thank you, thank you Dr. Greger M.D..Thank you for the is informative video.I am a heavy kale and onion eater. Adding garlic to my diet is something I need to think about.Hi Dr. Greger, I wander about the relevance of this paper for our health, as what we eat goes through our digestive system before it gets to the cancer cells. therefore we must ask how do these veggies effect cancer cells after they were goen through the digestive system.Hello DR. Michael …… how many garlic should one consume per day ( raw and cooked ) if cancer is already detected in body?And last question …. by squashing garlic and cooking it ….. how much of the cancer fighting power do we lose?Thank you in advance.Great video I Nutribullet every morning for breakfast and Lunch this combo: Handful of Raw Kale, Spinach then raw ginger, 1/2 avocado, raw beet, 5 strawberrys, 1/2 banana, cinnamon, teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup of sun warrior plant protein(no soy) and Almond milk….It tastes great…Not sure if everyone knows this but you should only be buying garlic from the us or canada. The ones from China and other countries have been found to have been grown in, and it’s unbelievably gross, human feces. Or just grow it yourself.While I’ve slowly; but surely been going vegitarian, this puts my Stage 4 lung cancer in a new light. With “thanks” and “appreciation”. Don and WE CAN! :-))Allium vs. Predator-2 cups red lentils -4 cups water/homemade vegetable broth -1 red onion, chopped -6 cloves garlic, minced -1 large leek, sliced -3 shallots, chopped -½ cup purple cabbage, dicedMince garlic and set aside. Bring water and lentils to a boil while chopping vegetables. Turn heat to low and add vegetables. Simmer over low until lentils tender. Serve with toasted corn tortillas and steamed beets or kale.~complements of plant-based emporiumDR. Michael ….. is garlic good only for prevention or its good for fighting cancer as well?Thanks in advance.Seems leeks are the big winners here not the garlic.Who can manage more then 2 cloves a day, every single day? Even that is stretching it. While having a fixed 100-150 gr of leeks in a diet plan is extremely doable. Even possibly tripled if confronted with ailments, would still be manageable.I’ll add a fixed 100 gr of them to the daily veggy intake.Still regularly amazed over the sheer bulk a person can consume eating a plant based diet. My veggies alone is about 1 – 1,2 kg a day. The fruit brings it easily to 2 kg. Thats not even counting the starchy carbs, nuts and seeds.Feel like a silverback gorilla eating all day long :). Only bulk I gain is muscle mass. Its trully amazing.I noticed that rutabaga and radish also had strong anti-cancer properties against several cancers, but you did not correctly mark them as cruciferous vegetables. These are crucifers (Brassica fm.) as well and would in several of the charts increase the green shading representation of that family at the right side of the graphs.Brain tumour, just beet it. LOVE IT!Awsome! Keep up the good work :)YES! Dr. Greger, you rock!!!my father always had cereal with milk for breakfast-he was 64 when he died-if only we had seen your article sooner…I have a friend who has stage 4 melanoma. He has several brain tumors. Any studies on melanoma??Does garlic powder hold some of the health benefits of fresh garlic?Dr. Greger, THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING WORK! Cannot say how much I love this information.Fantastic info thanks a lot. Love your videos.What about spinach being involved with gall stones because of it’s being a member of the oxalic acid family? And spinach being involved with anemia?wow ….I was browsing the web for some health information and came across this website …. This is amazing information. I am in love.As well as being on of the best family of vegetables to slow the proliferation of stomach cancer cell growth in a petri dish, cruciferous vegetables have many other great health benefits and you can check out more videos here(http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/)Based on EEG studies, Dr. Robert Beck says that garlic is toxic to the brain, also kills off gut flora. A Stanford study confirmed his assessment. For this reason, it should not be eaten on a regular basis. He does say, however, that it is an excellent cancer fighter. It can also be used topically to good advantage on a number of skin conditions including cancerous lesions.an excellent website – many thanks ..i scan approx 40 e-mails from allopathic and intergrative web sites each day – tjis one gives absorbing and informative discussion without fail . i am a med.lab.scientist with exprience over a wide range of health.veterinary.food technology disciplines .i also have bi-lateral lymphodema [ legs ] giving cellulitis / sepsis often . pseudomonas now is not a bystander but the main pathogen resistant to everything except cephalosporins and the dreaded cipro .in re-bandaging , i have tried many topical products without success , until greenmed info.suggested that black tea and garlic might help . it does , the tannins and allicin work .Thank you so much for these videos!My husband became vegan several years ago because of your work. He unfortunately, around the same time, started to suffer from accute pancreatitis. He had to suffer six of them before they could find any cause for them, since he had no risk factors or biliary conducts problems. Last year they diagnosed him with type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis and he afterwards had to be treated with high dosage of corticosteroids for several months. Since then, he had no other accute pancreatitis, but it is not rare he feels remnants of pain from his last one, as though a shadow of chronic pancreatitis was formed because of these too many episodes (or the last horrific one).I was wondering if you knew about any diet recommendation to prevent such patients from developing pancreatic cancer. I of course already implemented in our kitchen the findings of this video on what vegetables fight best this type of cancer in a petri dish and the one about reducing inflammation in the body with the 4 potent spices to that effect. We also eat a lot of aragula, legumes and (only) whole grains. But I hoped there was more. Would you happen to have read about anything in diet that could trigger such a condition as Type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis or that could prevent it to lead to chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer (even after standard medical treatment)?I also wanted to be sure: by reducing inflammation in the body with spices and the like, wouldn’t it be possible that the body adapts to produce more of these compounds, so as to maintain an homeostatic level in the body?Thank you for any information you can provide!I was poking around this classic NF video and it was so interesting I got the source article. There are two additional facts about the study (which dripped vegetable juices on cancer cells) that might modify our understanding. 1) A surprising but very important point was, as a result of the method used to extract the juice from the fresh, raw vegetables, “The vegetable juices used in this study … do not contain water-insoluble molecules such as lycopene found in tomatoes or beta-carotene found in yellow, orange and green leafy fruits and vegetables, including carrots, spinach and broccoli. It is thus possible that our results underestimate the whole antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities of specific vegetables containing water-insoluble bioactive phytochemicals,” such as carrots and tomatoes which the video pretty much discounted as useful for purposes of anti-cancer promotion.2) Since the vegetables in the study were delivered in the form of fresh juice, it is not clear to what degree cooking might affect the results. Actually it is clear, as reported in NutritionFacts, that in some bioactive substances are damaged by heating and others are enhanced.Yes, healthy eating is not simply about “more fruit and veggies,” since which fruits and veggies and how we prepare them also matters. At the same time, we need to find a balance between 1) choosing foods and prep methods wisely, and 2) not over-thinking it such that eating becomes a over-managed burden.One of the best in NutritionFacts !!So tomatoes promote cancer?My husband have abdomen non Hodgkin limphoma 3rd stag Enlarge cells & I don’t know go for chemo Therapy or go for RawVegetable+Fruits/Uncooked Diet, please help me as soon as possible From: jayvanda@gmail.com My husband name Bharat BodaliaAs a highschool kid I did some research on the anti-bacterial effects of Allium sativum (Garlic) and found that it kicked bacteria’s butt! Great to know that it’s as effective for cancers as well. I knew this was coming!! :)I LOVE THIS VIDEO! Thank you! Clears up a lot.Hello,My mom of 54 years old was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and is told by the doctors that statistically she has 2 years. The three of us, her children, are doing the impossible to keep her alive and provide her a good lifestyle. The doctors have put her in hormonal therapy and we have done a lot of research on our own and have put her in an alkaline, almost vegan, gluten-free diet (occasionally eats goat cheese and goat yogourt, salmon and sardines). She also jucies three times a day and twice does coffee enemas. I am really interested in the study that was done on consumption of garlic and the reduction of cancer cells, the Part 2 video you posted. Could you please give me more information on the quantity of garlic she should consume? She loves eating raw garlic and kimchi, however she is a teacher and the smell may be a problem, would you recommend the garlic pill supplements?If you have any other suggestions, i would really appreciate it! Thank you!	antioxidants,asparagus,beans,beets,bell peppers,bok choy,brain health,brain tumors,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,broccoli,Brussels sprouts,cabbage,cancer,carrots,cauliflower,celery,cruciferous vegetables,cucumbers,eggplant,endive,fennel,fiddlehead ferns,fruit,garlic,grains,green beans,green onions,jalapeno,kale,kidney cancer,kidney health,leeks,lettuce,lung cancer,lung health,nuts,onions,pancreas health,pancreatic cancer,potatoes,prostate cancer,prostate health,radicchio,radishes,ranking foods,rutabagas,seeds,spinach,squash,stomach cancer,stomach health,tomatoes,vegetables,yellow onions	There are two superfood classes of vegetables most adept at blocking human cancer cell growth in a petri dish.	For some recent videos on diet and cancer Which Dietary Factors Affect Breast Cancer Most? Can Diet Protect Against Kidney Cancer? Which Parts of the Mediterranean Diet Extended Life? Never Too Late to Start Eating Healthier More Than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/06/28/fighting-inflammation-with-food-synergy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/05/treating-an-enlarged-prostate-with-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/celery/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bell-peppers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lettuce/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bok-choy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rutabagas/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/potatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/endive/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radishes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/radicchio/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tomatoes/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/yellow-onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cauliflower/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinach/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/garlic/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/jalapeno/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lung-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cabbage/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cruciferous-vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggplant/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-onion/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kale/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/green-beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cucumbers/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/onions/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/asparagus/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/leeks/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fennel/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/squash/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/carrots/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiddlehead-ferns/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brussels-sprouts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-parts-of-the-mediterranean-diet-extended-life/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/	-
PLAIN-3322	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/veggies-vs-cancer/	Veggies vs. Cancer	But anyway, back to beans. In terms of nutrient density, nutrients per calorie: are beans the most nutritious class of whole foods? Or is it fruit, nuts and seeds, vegetables, or whole grains? What should go on the base of a healthy eating pyramid? Beans, fruits, nuts, veggies, or grains? Definitely vegetables, but which are the healthiest ones? A major advance was made this year ranking vegetables. Graphs like this that I’ve shared over the years that compare the antioxidant power of foods were all based on very primitive methods—basically just measuring how much a food slows down an oxidation reaction between two chemicals in a machine. That was the best we had, but it required a leap of faith that what was happening in the test tube could be extrapolated to what might happen in living human tissue. This year, though, a landmark study was published, pitting 34 common vegetables against 8 different types of human cancers. Breast cancer, brain tumors, kidney cancer, lung cancer, childhood brain tumors, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and stomach cancer. Let’s look at breast cancer—I’ll cover up the. What’s being measured is tumor cell proliferation. Here’s the control. You drip some water on a human breast tumor, and nothing happens—it’s still powering away at 100% growth rate. And these 7 vegetables appear useless against breast cancer, no different than placebo. But these 6 cut the cancer growth rate in half. And these 5 at the end stopped cancer growth completely—stopped these tumor cells dead in their tracks. Take-home message #1: we need to eat a portfolio of vegetables. Take a look: radishes, do nothing against pancreatic cancer, in fact if anything they might accelerate growth but, against stomach cancer, they completely eliminated tumor cell growth. On the other hand, orange bell peppers don’t do much for stomach cancer, but can cut prostate cancer growth by more than 75%. So we need to eat a variety of vegetables, because each one tends to target different cancers. If you’re particularly concerned about a specific cancer, like if you have a strong family history of breast cancer, then you can narrow it down and really nail those 5 or 6 veggies every day that excel at targeting breast tissue. But otherwise, to fight against any kind of cancer, we’ve got to eat a portfolio of vegetables to cover all our bases. That doesn’t mean some veggies aren’t better than others. Some of these vegetables target multiple cancers at the same time. So using this groundbreaking new data, let’s play “Which is healthier.” Imagine you’re standing in line at one of those custom made-to-order salad places, where you get to choose your lettuce, choose your toppings, then choose your dressing. Lets assume that you don’t have a strong family history of any particular cancer, and so aren’t trying to hone in on avoiding one tumor over another. First, let’s choose our lettuce. Boston, endive, radicchio, romaine, or spinach? Out of the five, spinach is #1 against breast cancer—remember, the farther right the better it is at slowing down these cancer cells. #1 against brain tumors, #1 against kidney cancer, #1 against lung cancer, #1 against pediatric brain tumors—feed your kids spinach! #1 against pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and #1 against stomach cancer. Now note it’s not #1 overall—there are 16 vegetables more powerful at stopping stomach cancer growth than spinach, but out of those five salad greens, spinach wins out across the board, against every cancer type tested. What if the salad place said they were out of spinach, though? Which comes in second out of the four left to choose from. For breast cancer, radicchio is #2. against brain tumors. radicchio, kidney cancer, radicchio, radicchio, romaine, radicchio, radicchio, and radicchio. So overall, out of those choices for greens, radicchio is number 2. Back to the menu. Next we get to choose 4 toppings. Now there’s a long line of people behind you, all staring at you to make your choice. You don’t have time to ponder and pick the 4 absolute best, but you can at least make a guess as to roughly where on the graph they are. Yes or no? According to this amazing new data, do carrots slow cancer cell growth rates more than 50%? Yes or no? The answer is no. No, no, no, no, no, no, and no. So shredded carrots aren’t going to make our top four toppings choice.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on vegetables and cancer. Also, there are 1,448 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!When I click on the article under “Sources Cited,” I do NOT get that article, but rather one with a similar name from 2002 with different authors. Am I doing something wrong?Scott–thank you so much for finding that! The link was wrong but has now been corrected.Dr. Greger,I was interested in your take on what the abstract of this cited paper says with respect to antioxidant levels of the vegetables tested and the anticancer affects they have. I’m actually very surprised!! The abstract says:“The antiproliferative effect of vegetables was specific to cells of cancerous origin and was found to be **largely independent** of their antioxidant properties.” [my emphasis]So, what this seems to me to be saying is that we may not want to be focusing on the antioxidant levels of plant-based foods afterall (at least not for possible anti-cancer affects)…??Hello Maybush1,I believe the purpose of antioxidants is for protection of the cells key components, such as the DNA and mitochondria, ensuring long term health and stability while these specific foods that have anticancer enzymes are more for a short term approach directly stopping any cancer from growing, and of course, eating a lot of these foods everyday makes short term last for a lifetime! Check out these videos on antioxidants for further details. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/repairing-dna-damage/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/research-into-reversing-aging/ http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/Here’s the thing – there is no magic to vegetables. People who have cancer and remove refined sugars from their diet significantly decrease the #1 fuel source of virtually all cancers – and that is glucose.But to combat cancer even better, adopting a VLCKD is the best choice. This would entail removing virtually all carbohydrate from the diet.http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/7/1/33This deals with brain cancer but since virtually all cancers use glucose as their fuel source, a VLCKD should work in the same manner and other research papers have shown such.Other resources:http://www.carbohydratescankill.com/3010/there-role-for-carbohydrate-restriction-treatment-prevention-of-cancer-yes-of-courseThere is no magic to vegetables. There is just much harm in processed sugars and high blood glycemia.Frederick Its funny you keep talking about “fueling” the cancer with glucose when ALL our cells run on glucose. Again, eliminating carbohydrates does not make any sense. Your health outlook is severely skewed to viewing all carbohydrates as bad, which is plain wrong. It has been shown that cancer proliferation does in fact cease with certain vegetables. http://missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Previous%20years/Antioxidants/Mindblower.pdfThat paper shows how certain plant components affect cancer in a lab, not in the human body.You said:“Its funny you keep talking about “fueling” the cancer with glucose when ALL our cells run on glucose.”No they don’t. They can, but not always. They can run just fine on fat and ketone bodies – better in fact. And glucose can and is made via gluconeogenesis. No need for carbs in the diet at all in order to obtain all the glucose you need. I’m amazed you don’t know that.And cancer cells DO feed on glucose. Have you not read the research? Allow me to start you on your journey:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2394295/“Again, eliminating carbohydrates does not make any sense.”It makes perfect sense to keep blood glucose levels normal best done by limiting carbohydrate intake. And it sure matters a lot to the diabetic.“Your health outlook is severely skewed to viewing all carbohydrates as bad, which is plain wrong.”Strawman. I never said that. I’ve said many times that most vegetables and some seasonal fruits are quite good for you. It’s the grains that need to go.“It has been shown that cancer proliferation does in fact cease with certain vegetables.”Really? Show me the research that supports this.And again, the idea that vegetables are the reason for a slowing of cancer fail to take into account that when people have cancer and go vegan, they also remove all the junk food from their diets. THAT is what is most responsible for the slowing down of cancer not the vegetables themselves.I challenge you to put up your most recent blood panel. Here are my fasting numbers from 5/2011 (I’m 50 yrs. old):HDL: 83 HDL3: 61 LDL: 174 LDL Pattern: A (large buoyant) HbA1c: 5.6 Triglycerides direct: 57 CRP: 1.02 links Frederick, http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/atkins-diet-trouble-keeping-it-up/ http://www.atkinsexposed.org/Regardless if it was in a lab, the fact that these vegetables affected the cancer cells themselves, to the extent of stopping the growth, sends a powerful message. Let’s see beef extracts do that in a lab.The paleo diet is not supported by any credible health foundation, for good reason. Ketosis is harmful in the long run, as explained thoroughly by Dr. Greger, i dont need to do any copy and pasting for that. From what i understand by your response, u view vegetables as vitamins and water. Antioxidants and phytonutrients in vegetables are what makes them so healthy and helps prevent cancer. Go look at the many studies Dr. Greger cites from this link http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/slowing-the-growth-of-cancer-3/ Showing the marked decrease in cancer risk with vegetables consumption and how meat significantly increases this risk. I am assuming since you think grains are so bad that the past rural Japanese populations, that had most of their diet comprised of rice, had short lifespans and poor health? No, they thrived. They were known to be typically centenarians. Same story for the Okinawan.P.S. I have never had a blood test taken (last time i remember I was 6 years old), I have not had any bodily issues.I read the study at Fredrick link and I could see no mention of any advantage of the “KD” diet – it grew the cancer as fast as the “SD”. “While CT-2A growth was rapid with the unrestricted feeding of either diet, a moderate 40% restriction of either diet significantly reduced growth.” Only calorie restriction slowed the growth of the cancer, on either the “SD” or the “KD”. Or did I miss something?Hi Michael or any volunteer, I want to know if it’s possible to have the complete article cited in this video. It will be useful for me. Anne-Marie RoyHere is the full pdf file, enjoy! http://missclasses.com/mp3s/Prize%20CD%202010/Previous%20years/Antioxidants/Mindblower.pdfDr. Gregor, first of all, thank you! Love the site!In this video you didn’t reveal the full lifting of the vegetables and their respective rankings in the charts relative to different cancers. Do you address that else where? Would love to see full charts with veggies listed. Thanks.The next video would show the charts. Here is the link! http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/1-anticancer-vegetable/Thank you, Dr. Gregor. Excellent information.Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer and Diet!Dr. Greger,I pulled the paper you cited. Figure 1 puzzles me. Yes, garlic kills all tumor cells. But I also see that orange bell peppers and radish make pancreatic carcinoma worse (even if you account for the error). The same goes for jalapeno and tomato in case of lung cancer. Does this mean we should stop eating these vegetables?Thanks.No, of course not! This is all in vitro which means outside of the body. These vegetables are good guidelines but they are not solid proof that cancer will completely stop in their presence in vivo until further studies are done. Keep eating your bell peppers and jalapenos with a peace of mind.Dr. Greger,My question is about the study(ies) relating to brain tumors and spinach and beet roots demonstrating anticancer effects. Did the study(ies) include oligodendrogliomas?Thank you for posting these videos–they are very informative!My son is 25 and sadly just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He is having 5 weeks aggressive chemo and then Whipple surgery. I just started him on a whole foods plant based diet with two fresh green juices a day. A big raw salad and lightly steamed cruciferous veggies with fresh garlic or fresh garlic dressing. Is there anything else I should feed him? He has beans and hole grains and sweet potatoes too. I need to get as much tumor fighting food in his body to combat the cancer.This video is highly relevant. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/ Also, Amla may provide great benefit http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/ More information on cancer is here. http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/* whole* not holeAs much as I’m a fan, I don’t see the connection between the effect of these vegetables on cancer outside the human body. It’s quite a leap for me to accept that the outcome of these petri dish studies have anything to do with what goes on in our bodies. There may be an influence but then… how do we know that in a real bodily context the other veggies don’t have a powerful effect as well. I want to believe it and I’m excited to eat more of the powerful veggies, but I can’t help but doubt the validity of this science. (Again, you take a simple lab context and correlate this to an immensely more complicated human body context.) Please, I’d like to think otherwise.What does the study mean by “living human cancers”? Where these in living human bodies or outside them? The earlier studies required a leap of faith, why don’t these studies also require a leap of faith? Don’t get me wrong, I tend to want to believe it. But my mind requires me to question this…Author George Johnson has just published a book entitled The Cancer Chronicles: Unlocking Medicine’s Deepest Mystery in which he apparently (I haven’t read the book yet) claims that “large-scale studies have failed to show a strong relationship between consuming more fruits and vegetables and a lower incidence of cancer.” This quote is from a Mother Jones magazine article on the book, and it goes on to cite how “clinical trials using vitamin supplements have actually shown increased risk of cancer in certain populations, and have cast doubt on the significance of micronutrients in reducing your overall mortality.”Do you have any comments on this? I’d expect the book to have a more nuanced discussion; perhaps the Mother Jones article conflated consumption of vitamin supplements with consumption of whole vegetables containing those vitamins, which, from my understanding of your research reviews, are two very different modalities?Dr. Greger,Great video. Please tell me where is the vegetable breakdowns for specific cancers? Thank you.Right here! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/Thank you very much.will garlic, bell peppers and beet help in the cure of prostate cancerJust diagnosed with stage 2c prostate cancer that. I have been basically 95% gluten free, meat fee, dairy free for a year but am evidently losing the battle. I am being told I will need either surgery & radiation, or hormone treatment with 2 types of radiation therapy. Please suggest nutrition resources specific to fighting and recovering from this type of cancer.	antioxidants,beans,brain tumors,breast cancer,breast disease,breast health,cancer,fruit,grains,in vitro studies,men's health,nuts,pancreas health,pancreatic cancer,prostate cancer,prostate health,ranking foods,seeds,stomach cancer,stomach health,vegetables	A landmark study pitted 34 common vegetables against 8 different lines of human cancer cells.	For more videos on diet and cancer: Which Dietary Factors Affect Breast Cancer Most? Can Diet Protect Against Kidney Cancer? Never Too Late to Start Eating Healthier Phytates for Rehabilitating Cancer Cells Boosting Anti-Cancer Immunity with Berries Can Flax Seeds Help Prevent Breast Cancer? Which Nut Fights Cancer Better? Starving Cancer with Methionine Restriction1 Lung Cancer Metastases and Broccoli Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation BioassayPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on vegetables and cancer. Also, there are 1,448 other subjectscovered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/26/breast-cancer-and-diet/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/25/nutritionfacts-org-the-first-month/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/12/23/boosting-anti-cancer-immunity-with-berries/,http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/07/09/blocking-cancer-formation-green-tea-garlic/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fruit/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/in-vitro-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/grains/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/brain-tumors/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreas-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/stomach-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/antioxidants/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/prostate-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/pancreatic-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nuts/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/seeds/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/ranking-foods/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diet-protect-against-kidney-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lung-cancer-metastases-and-broccoli/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/developing-an-ex-vivo-cancer-proliferation-bioassay/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-dietary-factors-affect-breast-cancer-most/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-flax-seeds-help-prevent-breast-cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-nut-fights-cancer-better/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-rehabilitating-cancer-cells/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/	-
PLAIN-3323	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-myelopathy/	Vegetarian's Myelopathy	I’m not going to harp on it too much this year, but a major review was just published:60% of vegans are B12 deficient, because they’re not regularly eating B12 fortified foods or taking B12 supplements. So that means yet another year of horror story, after horror story, after horror story, after horror story, after horror story. Vegetarians even got a disease named after them! Vegetarian’s myelopathy. People eating plant-based diets must take vitamin b12.	B-12 in cyanocobalamin form or methylcobalamin form? At my local veg society dinner last month the speaker said the cyanocobalamin can’t be used by the human body and buying the methylcobalamin is much better. Marketing hype or current unresolved controversy?Great question mms9070. See my answer over at Vegan B12 deficiency: putting it into perspective.Got it! That makes sense. Thanks.I’m a strictly Methylcobabamin gal myself ;)Some of the dogmatic vegans need to pay attention to this.I’m sure someone has mentioned this already, but omnivores are at risk these days of B12 deficiency, too. It’s not strictly a vegan problem. Much of the animals raised for meat aren’t grazing naturally anymore (grain fed), so the animals are deficient in B12, which means the humans eating them are deficient in B12 as well. My co-workers father was just diagnosed with B12 deficiency, and he is a meat eater. Beyond the issues you mention is an autoimmune disorder, Pernicious Anemia. Certain cells in the stomach normally produce a substance called intrinsic factor which is necessary for the B12 to be absorbed by our receptor sites. This doesn’t effect the passive diffusion mechanism but does markedly alter the amount of oral B12 needed to meet our requirements… see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/ plus the other in the excellent series of B12 videos February 3 to 9 of this year. If diagnosed with B12 deficiency it is important to work with your physician to be treated and tested periodically.I agree April, we give A LOT of B12 injections to common meateaters at our clinic. It seems, after the age of 60, our gut has a harder time processing and absorbing B12 correctly. At 60 yr, in the USA it is 20% deficient rate! Can you imaging how many folks are B12 deficient in a nursing home? Perhaps contributing to there parenthesis and dementia? I can tell you, just my observations, we were giving a high percentage of elderly patients B12 injections due to B12 deficiency and Vit D supplementation too! Surprising how the aches and pains can decrease with something as simple as Vitamin DAlso be sure to check out my associated blog post Vegan B12 deficiency: putting it into perspective!I agree April, we give A LOT of B12 injections to common meateaters in our clinic, it seems, after the age 60, our bodies have a hard time processing B12 correctly. So whether Vegan or flesheater, we all need to have our B12 checked and supplemented (while you are in there have them check your Vit D too!)As i dig deeper and deeper for naturally occurring sources as my diet gets closer and closer to full-on vegan (not there yet, not a big rush, but do like the results!), I found this extensive list of foods and vitamin contents. While i don’t fully trust the source, I hope the data is sufficiently correct. And maybe they have some numbers for well-water/spring water samples from around the country too!Here: 7282 “foods” tested for B12: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/nutrients/report?nutrient1=418&nutrient2=&nutrient3=&fg=&max=25&subset=0&offset=0&sort=f&totCount=7282&measureby=m“food” because it’s all manner of things, many food-related or food-like and a great many that few of us here would consider eating.	b12,myelopathy,nerve health,neuropathy,plant-based diets,spinal cord health,supplements,vegans,vegetarians,vitamin B12	Vegetarians got a disease named after them.	For more recent videos about vitamin b12, see: Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health New Vitamin B12 Test Daily Source of Vitamin B12 Cheapest Source of Vitamin B12	-	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spinal-cord-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/neuropathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegans/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nerve-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/myelopathy/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/daily-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-vitamin-b12-test/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16778348,
PLAIN-3324	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/low-meat-or-no-meat/	Low Meat or No Meat?	What about vegetarians, though? Eating meat shortens our life, but who lives longer? Those eating low meat, or those eating no meat? Three choices: low meat, no meat, or they both live the same. Do you think eating a little meat will help you live longer? Is it like smoking—there’s no such thing as a safe level of meat consumption? Or do you think the latest science says no difference—that you appear to get the same longevity benefit from cutting down on meat as you get from cutting it out? If you said low meat, you’re wrong. If you said either no meat, or no difference, you’re right, and that’s because it depends on whether you’re talking about studies on American vegetarians or British vegetarians. American vegetarians live longer than healthy meateaters, but British vegetarians don’t. Why do British vegetarians lose their advantage? Lots of theories, but my guess is that it’s because they appear less likely to supplement their diet with vitamin B12 fortified foods or supplements.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on vegetarians and flexitarians. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Are there any particular vegetables or fruits which help fight ovarian cancer?Hello L. Petrich; Yes, there are many. Garlic, asparagus ( for a glutathione detox boost), cabbage, onions, made up in a home made broth with only a pinch, if any , sea salt.  Beets (raw juiced). 6 Organic carrots, 2 oranges and 2 organic beets juiced daily.Fresh organic  Cucumbers with skins on. Mangos with skins ON.  Broccoli STEMS. Phytochemicals are the key to unlock our cellular receptors. the ones that unlock the phase 2 enzyme, which is the primary detox process of the human body undertaken by the liver. It is the phase 2 enzyme that we activate for reversal of cancer. The very best foods we can use to unlock this are in the parts of our food that we discard too often. The skins, seeds, and stems. Many of the seeds, such as apple, avocado, etc can be ground in the form of a smoothie with the fruit. In a pineapple, add the stem, rip off the pineapple leaves and use the stem parts under the leaves….loaded in phytochemicals. The spark plug to activate our bodies into action.Carrots help rid the body of tumors and strengthen the immune system. Falcarinol slows the growth of cancer cells. Falcarinol is a NATURAL pesticide in a carrot, it protects the roots from fungal diseases while it grows. Carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables eaten every day is very important. Foods such as Carrots,oranges, broccoli, romaine lettuce and spinach, with carrots being your best choice. Fresh is best, but steamed lightly will only result in about a 30% loss of falcarinol and if boiled about a 70% loss. warmest regards Janet HAnother possible explanation is the quality of meat in the US vs UK. Hormones, antibiotics and corn finishing could make US meat less healthy.Is there a connection between the amount of meat you eat to the harms on the body, or like the IGF-1 a few “slips” harm the body like consistent meat consumption? (in most cases)Illogical statement. Eating a less diverse diet of high nutrient foods, is far more nutritious than a very diverse diet of nutrient poor foods. Also, eating a large variety of metal filings and pesticides is far less nutritious than eating a lot of kale.	b12,flexitarians,lifespan,longevity,mortality,omnivores,plant-based diets,safety limits,supplements,tobacco,United Kingdom,vegetarians,vitamin B12	Flexitarians versus vegetarians: who lives longer?	Want to know more about diet and longevity? Check out: Caloric Restriction vs. Animal Protein RestrictionPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on vegetarians and flexitarians. Also, there are 1,449 other subjectscovered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/10/25/what-should-women-eat-to-live-longest/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/supplements/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/safety-limits/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/united-kingdom/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/tobacco/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/caloric-restriction-vs-animal-protein-restriction/	-
PLAIN-3325	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-mortality/	Meat & Mortality	I realize I’m moving very quickly through all this—I’m just trying to fit in as much of the best new science as I possible can. It is important, though, to pause and just acknowledge the tremendous dedication, work, energy, and resources these researchers have sacrificed. I mean imagine what it takes to not only study thousands of individuals, but then follow them for a decade or two. I can hardly keep track of friends that long. Now imagine following a half million people for ten years. The National Institutes of Health AARP study, the largest forward-looking study of diet and health in history. So what does the largest study ever have to say about meat intake and mortality? Meat means increases in total mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular mortality. End of story. Here’s the title of the accompanying editorial in the American Medical Association’s Archives of Internal Medicine: “Reducing meat consumption has multiple benefits for the world’s health,” calling for a “major reduction in total meat intake.” They do particularly pick on processed meats, but in terms of global crises “There is a…tsunami brewing, namely, we are seeing the confluence of growing constraints on water, energy, and food supplies combined with the rapid shift toward greater consumption of all animal source foods,” which they note are inefficient, wasteful, and polluting. And this is in a journal of the AMA. Just so readers don’t think they’re biased, though, they note that “The author is not a vegetarian.”	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on meat. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!You’ve discussed the health effects of meat, and advocate a reduction or elimination of meat from people’s diets (with proper B12 supplementation). You’ve also posted a fair amount of videos on the industrial contaminants present in meat, and how those can contribute to cancer rates, mortality rates, etc. My question is, have there been any studies which focus specifically on the health effects of naturally farmed beef, pigs, chickens, etc (from cows which are free range, grass fed, not constantly given antibiotics, etc), and do those studies reinforce data procured from studies regarding the healthfulness of industrially produced meats?Hello Cameron!Compositionally, organic meat and conventional meat is basically the same. Regardless of whether there are antibiotics or not, they are typically still contaminated, such as even organic chicken containing arsenic http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/arsenic-in-chicken/ But lets assume that these products were not contaminated at all, lets say they were as clean as a whistle, with no heavy metals or anything. Still, these foods are sub par. The incredible healing power of plant foods over animal foods is overwhelming. Animal based foods are nutritionally poor meals, providing little nutrients to your body. Antioxidant wise, they fail the test as well http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-power-of-plant-foods-versus-animal-foods/ Looking at meat and dairy, they still contain trans fats which the recommended daily allowance is at 0 http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/good-great-bad-killer-fats/ Dairy blocks the phytonutrients of plant foods, http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/ Looking at chicken, its fat to protein ratio is abominable http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/does-eating-obesity-cause-obesity/ Fish protein itself shortens lifespan by 6 years by cutting down our telomeres http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/research-into-reversing-aging/ and overall, what do animal products have in common? They promote cancer due to raised IGF-1 levels, promote heart disease, autoimmune disease, dementia, etc. What can stop the progression and in most cases reverse these diseases? Plants, not meat. It seems clear based on all of the evidence that plant food, all around, is much healthier than meat, organic or not.Hello “Toxins,”None of your links have cited that organically grown and fed chickens contain arsenic. Furthermore, when I ate meat prior to 2012, I only ate organic and my fingers, which are chemically sensitive to both VOC’s and to arsenic still had lots of circulation when organic poultry was eaten, but not when so called “natural” poultry was eaten.The USDA standards do not allow arsenic in organic-chicken feed. Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035960_arsenic_chicken_Pfizer.html#ixzz2RM4emYNhI don’t know where you get your information, but none of the urls you posted said that organic chickens are fed arsenic laced feed.VERY WELL said toxins, and you are just showing the tip of the evidence based iceberg! But, It will always be that the fleshlovers come to the truth only by being drug by one foot kicking and screaming. They always have faux proofs that would magically ‘change’ the outcome of eating the poisons in meat, like ‘but the meat poison was organic’, its kind of like their logic runs even with ‘I’ve shot myself with a shotgun plenty of times and its never hurt me yet!’The meat intake and mortality study is interesting – apparently, women actually get healthier as their red meat consumption increases! Male mortality increased 107% from the 1st quintile to the 5th, but women’s mortality decreased 29% from the 1st to the 5th quintile of red meat consumption! I am definitely checking into a sex change if this study is accurate!Interesting point indeed!One must weigh out the pros and cons of meat looking at other sources of data besides this study! View these videos to see even more harms of consuming meat http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=meat as well as the truly amazing benefits of a plant based diet. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mitochondrial-theory-of-aging/Where do you get the idea that women get healthier as their red meat consumption increases? Tables 2 and 3 in the paper show that all cause mortality increases for men from 1.00 to 1.31 in the 5th quintile of red meat consumption (T2), and for women it is 1.36 in the 5th quintile of consumption (T3).I might possibly have misread the table – good thing I didn’t get that sex reassignment surgery after all!“When comparing the highest to the lowest quintile of white meat intake, there was an inverse association for total mortality, and cancer mortality, as well as all other deaths for both men (Table 2) and women (Table 3). In contrast, there was a small increase in risk for CVD mortality in men with higher intake of white meat. There was no association between white meat consumption and accidental death in men or women.”… I respect your videos but how could you neglect to mention any of this? That was taken right out of the study you cited and it states that high white meat intake resulted in less mortality. The small increase in CVD for white meat was 5% and that was only in the very highest quintile of consumption. Basically, you try to make meat out to be worse than it is, when a far better idea would be to put emphasis on reducing red and processed meat, and reducing refined carbohydrate intake. I agree that most likely being vegan is the healthiest option but i feel like you are cherry picking your dataDr Greger,I’ve been a vegetarian most of my life and have – four years ago become vegan. I was wondering if you’d reviewed any of the reference material in the link -> http://authoritynutrition.com/how-to-win-an-argument-with-a-vegan/ ?I have experienced, recently, three of my co-workers go through some form of CVD over the last few months. While their ages vary from 40-60 and their weight and size vary greatly also, one thing is consistent.. They are all omnivores. The worst case was a heart attack – this man was not overweight.I’m not out to convert everyone to a vegan diet – as you’re doing a great job with that ;) What I do want is to influence the people that are close to me, that I care about, so they can be spared the poor quality of life that follows the standard western diet.Do you have any tips for dealing with this issue?Kind Regards Clint WalkerClint: The problem with responding to the page you linked to is that the page is so long with so many points. It is hard to address all of those points in a single post here. I do have some thoughts for you, but in the end, it is more likely that the best you can do is model good behavior. It’s so hard when people you care about are self-destructive. But sometimes humans tend to listen to the people closest to them the least. So, your ability to influence directly is limited.Having said that, you could happen to leave around a couple copies of the book, “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” by Caldwell Esselstyn: http://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425071565&sr=1-1&keywords=prevent+and+reverse+heart+disease I would recommend reading the book first yourself (half of the book is recipes, so there isn’t that much to read) so that you can talk about it with any co-workers who happen to bring it up.I don’t know how practical this would be, but another idea is to host a series of lunches, say one a week?, where you show the following videos: Forks Over Knives, and Dr. Greger’s three summary videos: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-table-to-able/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-than-an-apple-a-day-preventing-our-most-common-diseases/ http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/ And at the same time, serve them some really delicious plant food. That’s a good 1-2 punch: hit them with real science and also show that healthy food is really, really good.I noticed that the Authority Nutrition article started out with the tired argument that humans have been eating meat for X years! Following is an article that is a great response to that statement. The problem is that it is not a 30 second sound bite. It takes a bit of time to understand all the flaws in Authority Nutrition’s argument. So, I don’t know how effective it would be to share this information. But here you go to learn that humans are naturally plant eaters – based on our biology: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.htmlThat might get you started. I hope this helps. Good luck.	cancer,cardiovascular disease,flexitarians,heart disease,heart health,lifespan,longevity,meat,mortality,NIH-AARP study,omnivores,plant-based diets,sustainability,vegetarians	The massive NIH-AARP study looks at the relationship between meat consumption and total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality.	For some recent videos on meat and mortality: Never Too Late to Start Eating Healthier Harvard's Meat and Mortality StudiesPlease feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on meat. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!	http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/03/15/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/	-	http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/paleolithic-diets/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/womens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omnivores/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mens-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/sustainability/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/GMO/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/organic-foods/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cardiovascular-disease/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/mortality/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/longevity/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/curcumin/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/aging/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/nih-aarp-study/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flexitarians/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heart-health/,http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets/	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/,http://nutritionfacts.org/video/never-too-late-to-start-eating-healthier/	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677007,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19307515,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2803089,
PLAIN-3326	http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-treat-diabetes/	How to Treat Diabetes	OK, so we know how to prevent diabetes, how do we treat it? Well there are lots of different drugs for diabetics that lower their blood sugars, but at the expense of increased risk of heart failure, heart attacks, and bone fractures. There has to be a better way. Just like with heart disease, the same diet that prevents the disease in the first place can reverse the disease once you have it. You put 20 diabetics, for example, on even a near-vegetarian diet, and in 16 days, half don’t need even need their insulin any more, and those who do are on half the dose. And that’s after only about 2 weeks. A randomized, controlled clinical trial put head-to-head the official American Diabetes Association diabetic diet versus a vegan diet. The ADA diet slowed the progression of disease, such that their diabetes was just a tiny bit worse at the end of the study period, but on the vegan diet, their diabetes actually got better. Significantly better. Just think how many lives a vegan diet could save, how many lives, eyes, kidneys, feet, and families.	Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on diabetes. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!Thank you Dr. Greger! Your information on this site is amazing!Since you seem to like PubMed/NCBI so much, the Paleo Diet offers a solution to diabetes: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19604407Paleo diet is an improvement over the standard American diet in SPITE of meat, not because of it.  What you are seeing there is the direct result of paleo diet including many whole plant foods, similar to the diet ADA recommends.  Anthropological speculation on a brief and turbulent period of human history does not dictate optimal diet, modern peer-reviewed science does…and a template like “paleo” has very little to support it.Somebody needs to do a study comparing the effects of paleo diet vs a whole foods plant based diet on Diabetes (and other diseases). Dr. Greger?Diabetes might reasonably be described as a disease of carbohydrate intolerance:1. Normal stimulation of insulin production is impaired (type 1),2. or the response to glucose-stimulated insulin is compromised (type 2).If blood glucose levels are kept low via a low carb diet (plant based without refined grains fall under this category) diabetes symptoms won’t manifest.Low fat/no meat has nothing to do with treating diabetes.But not for Type 1. Type One can be GREATLY helped by a vegan diet, but the person will always have to take insulin, or they will die.Type 2 can, for the most part, be reversed by drastically improving one’s diet.Type I diabetics are successfully treated with low carb, ketogenic diets all the time and are often even able to go insulin free while following one. Turns out the brain is actually able to make some of its own insulin.I can provide the data if you’re interested. It’s pretty fascinating.may I have more info? I know lchf can reverse type 2 diabetics, and improve lives of type 1 diabetics but totally reverse? wow!Here’s how you treat diabetes:Eat a diet that has less than 50 grams of carbs, all from non-starchy vegetables.Keep your proteins fatty (salmon, duck, lamb, beef) and eat smaller meals more frequently – 4-5 per day if possible.Stay normally active and strength train twice per week in a high intensity fashion.Viola!Dr. Greger –Why do you attribute the benefits to diabetics on a vegan diet to the vegan diet itself and not the lowered intake of carbohydrate and specifically refined carbohydrate?Hello Frederick,To respond to your three question, I recommend viewing Dr. McDougall’s web page, an advocate of a starch centered diet surrounded by other plants. He has successfully reversed many many people on this plant based, starch centered diet, so your views of diabetes are flawed in that sense.Please see the links below.http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_diabetes.htmlhttp://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/dec/diabetes.htmAlso, to advocate any meat in the diet at this point is harmful based on what we know about meat. Please view this link, and go to town on viewing why animal based foods are harmful. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=meatFirst, let’s stick to science as our guide, not popular opinion. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that eating meat is bad for you. The entire idea is ridiculous. Humans have been eating animal matter for as long as they have been human.However, if you have access to such controlled studies, studies I am unaware of, could you please place links to them here. It would be greatly appreciated.Unfortunately, the link you posted above does not provide any scientific evidence that meat is unhealthy. It is a link to a page with numerous videos many of which have nothing to do with diet or meat in particular. Could you narrow your suggestions?As for starch, starch raises blood glucose. The last thing that a diabetic wants is to raise her blood sugar levels. A starch based diet would be a completely irresponsible diet to place a diabetic on.The only way you could control diabetes (to a point) on a starch based diet is if the total amount and type of carbohydrate was considerably less than what the person was eating before. But then it’s not the starch based diet that is helping – it’s the decrease in total carbohydrate intake that is doing the trick.Research concludes over and over again that a low starch/carbohydrate diet is the best dietary approach for diabetics.http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2010/Meeting2/CommentAttachments/Feinman-Volek2009-170.pdfMeat is not harmful and does not raise blood glucose significantly. Only carbohydrates can do that. and diabetes is a condition of carbohydrate intolerance.There’s another way to control diabetes on a starch based diet, Fred: increased physical activity. There’s PLENTY of science to back that up.IMO, diabetes is more a disease of exercise deficiency than of ‘carbohydrate intolerance’. I seriously doubt paleolithic man spent most of his days parked on his ass like modern humans do. I also doubt he had unlimited amounts of large game to feast upon. I think he ate a lot of fruit and tubers, a lot of bugs, and some fish and rodents, with an occasional bit of larger game. And I think he spent most of his waking hours MOVING around in search of those things.Natural state of humans: parked on ass eating bacon? Or moving around and eating whatever is most abundant in the environment? I vote B, and live accordingly. And I suspect I look a lot more like Grok than your average low carb blogger.Amber –What your saying, with all due respect, doesn’t make sense. Diabetes isn’t a condition of lack of exercise, it a condition of carbohydrate intolerance.You don’t control lung disease by continuing to smoke and jog 40 miles a week. You quit smoking.Increasing physical activity just burns up the sugar that you shouldn’t have taken in in the first place. But too much exercise is also not a good thing. You’re young. Obese 60 year olds are not going to start running 5K’s.Paleolithic man was only active when he needed to be. What paleo-man didn’t eat was ANY grain based foods and all his carbs came from seasonal fruits and vegetables. Most of paelo-man’s diet was animal based. That is a fact.I don’t know what looking like grok means. If it means you look fit, this may have everything to do with your genetics. I have many friends who look “grok” and never exercise. For 50 I’m pretty grok and rarely eat anything other than animal matter and some plants. I almost never eat grain and never eat processed food.As I said, the overwhelming majority of the evidence indicates that a low carb diet is the go-to diet for a diabetic. Exercise, specifically resistance training, is a wonderful adjunct.Lets not assume what people did in the past and look at the science, plant based diets reverse diabetes, this is an undeniable fact. Eating starch on this diet does not slow the healing of diabetes, meat does.We are not assuming what people ate in the past – we know.Plants do not reverse diabetes – a lower total carbohydrate diet does. This is what a plant-based diet does inadvertently. It removes all the refined sugars from the persons diet and lowers their total carbohydrate intake.But a low carb diet dies this better and improves the diabetics condition all the while providing them with the necessary amino acids and fats they need.Where is your evidence that eating meat slows the process of reversing diabetes? Show me ONE study. Don’t look to hard because you won’t find a single one.“a low-fat vegan diet appeared to improve glycemia and plasma lipids more than did conventional diabetes diet recommendations” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677007/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19386029That’s because conventional diets are too high in carbohydrate. It’s got nothing to do with the meat.HbA1c went from 8.05 to 7.65 over 74 weeksfor the vegan group in this paper:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677007/That is a miserable outcome. On a meat based, low carb diet, most T2D can reduce their HbA1c to under 6 in a fraction of that time. And HbA1C is one of if not the most important marker to lower.Also from the paper:“Much of the effect of the intervention diets on glycemia appears to be mediated by weight reduction. However, the 2 diets appear to have altered energy intake by different mechanisms. Although overweight individuals in the conventional diet group were prescribed an explicit energy deficit, a low-fat vegan diet typically elicits significant weight loss in the absence of prescribed energy intake limits (2). This is likely because reduced dietary fat and increased dietary fiber reduce dietary energy density (15, 16).”IOW, much of the benefit was due to reduced calorie intake not necessarily the diet itself. And as for the loss of weight in the vegan group in those who did not reduce calories, the real reason why they lost weight is lean mass loss.Fredrick:I agree with your suggestion that hunter and gatherer societies of the past ate lots of meat. But I disagree with your suggestion that this fact is somehow relevant to how we should eat today to obtain optimal health.If meat consumption in the past had provided the Darwininan selective pressure necessary to make meat a requirement for good health, then you would not need to argue with a group of vegans who are living perfectly healthful lives. In other words, it would be obvious to us too!The fact is that people can obtain all required nutrition by following a whole foods plant based diet while simultaneously  enjoying the benefits of a greater supply of antioxidants and a lower burden of toxins than obtainable on an omnivorous diet. The studies that you are asking us for which would  definitively prove that meat is harmful will never be found because human studies are not perfectly controlled experiments. Since humans are not raised in confinement like lab animals, there are always sources of variability in human studies that cannot be fully explained. Therefore, common sense is required to interpret human nutrition studies in the context of nutrient composition of foods.Dude, it’s so not fact. It’s speculation. Plenty of primitive cultures even today live on largely plant based diets today (hello Kitavans). Paleolithic man’s diet was almost certainly dictated by his immediate environment. Largely plants in some areas, largely animals in others. Thank goodness humans are adaptive omnivores.Diabetes as a disease of exercise deficiency makes perfect sense. Humans are built to move. We stop moving and everything goes haywire, including our ability to metabolize macronutrients properly. Fiddling with those macronutrients isn’t the answer, it’s just a band-aid. MOVING is the answer. THIS there is scientific evidence for.Saying my appearance is genetic reminds me of my crossfit coach trying to rationalize my body composition (12.5% body fat) and strength (advanced level on most lifts, as a 40 year old newbie to lifting, and with arthritis in both knees) as a product of being ‘naturally lean’. Sorry guys, I was obese with metabolic syndrome just like millions of other Americans before I started exercising. I got this way by moving and eating real food, including plenty of starches. Not by eating bacon and sitting on my ass, which is pretty much what my crossfit was telling me I was supposed to do to get strong and lean. And pretty much how you are telling me paleolithic man lived.Bollocks.I find it quite telling that Dr. Greger has stayed silent.Dr. Greger is quite busy and does not have much time to answer the many questions received on the website, I have volunteered to assist him.So why did he say this:“Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them.”I started out responding to every single comment but that rapidly because unsustainable as the site grew more and more popular. So far I’ve responded to more than 600 comments and still strive to get to as many as I possibly can. For a few of the latest, please see my weekend Q&A blogs. For example, yesterday: Ask the Doctor: Q&A with Michael Greger, M.D. (Week 6). Hopefully I’ll be able to feature one of your questions there soon!Thank you Dr. Greger for responding.Q: Could you do me a huge favor and cite a single controlled study (not an observational or EPI study) that indicates that a high carb, low fat diet is superior to a high fat, low carb diet (low carb meaning under 60 grams per day) for the treatment of diabetes. I have been unable to locate a single study and your moderator Toxins also has been unable to do so.Thanks very much!I ate paleo for a time while I was doing crossfit, about 3  months I ate that way… I had never felt more sick, more depressed or more lethargic before in my life!!!All your talk and yet you can only provide ONE MEASLY link to a study that semi-supports what you are trying to claim.  Fatty proteins of lamb and duck?!?  Are you just copy/pasting directly from a 1930’s Weston Price book or from your copy of Atkin’s Diet published in the 80’s?  It’s hilarious how you would ignore the mountain of evidence, recent and established, that completely contradicts the diet choices you are recommending. Your “diabetes 3 step plan” you posted is a very mediocre way to simply regulate blood sugar levels, and does nothing beneficial in regards to total health OR reversing the condition. I find it odd that someone who claims to be so educated on matters of nutrition would be SO IGNORANT to the multitude of information available regarding the detrimental effects of consuming an animal-based diet. You are obviously a very misinformed person, who just loves to parrot that misinformation to everyone.  Hopefully you just preach to the choir on your paleo-forums, your brand of BS is going to cause a lot of heart attacks.  Deluded individuals thinking they are going to become some “Mighty Paleolithic Hunting Warrior”, instead ending up with gout and ED wondering why they have an arterial blockage.  It’s hard to grip the spear with all that arthritic inflammation I bet.Ancestral health isn’t Dr Greger’s forte, I don’t think.I still would like to see a plant based whole foods diet pitted against a strict paleolithic diet. I actually think they’d fare pretty evenly, and health outcomes would be influenced tremendously by individual activity level.The Kitavans? How about the Inuit back at ya.Exercise hasn’t a thing to do with the issue. Quesiton for you – if a diabetic is on a high starch, low fat diet (why do you keep harping on bacon as if it is some sort of evil food?), do you agree that her diabetes will rage unless she exercises like a fiend?Conversely, if a person adopts a low sugar/carb diet, then they do not need to exercise like a fiend.Do you really think Paleolithic man was running all over the place all the time? Heck no. That makes no sense. Look at lions – they are sedentary most of the time. Then they engage in a high intensity effort, eat and then rest again.If what you eat requires you to exercise for hours a week, something is amiss with what you are eating.You’re making extreme assumptions about my diet and exercise, which I find a lot of paleo/primal types do (as well as vegans, to be fair). No one’s talking about exercising like a fiend, I’m talking about not spending 22 out of 24 hours either lying down or sitting on one’s ass. More walking, less sitting, that’s all I’m talking about when I say moving more. And yes, I do think that anyone who starts walking more and sitting less will see improvements in glucose metabolism, blood glucose, lipids, the whole 9. That’s how I think paleolithic man’s life was: lots of walking, some climbing, carrying children on their backs, an occasional sprint to outrun a predator or catch a small animal, squatting down when ‘resting’ as opposed to reclining in an armchair (keeps muscles engaged and ready to move), etc. I absolutely do not think paleolithic man spent most of his time blogging or playing video games, and the introduction of those activities coincides exactly with our obesity and diabetes epidemic. This has nothing to do with fiendish levels of exercise, I suspect my exercise routine looks very much like yours. That’s why we have had such similar results.Lions are pure carnivores. Humans are omnivores who are more than well adapted to eating plants as a primary fuel source. Saying we should adopt the lifestyle of a lion is, well…ridiculous. It’s perfectly fine for you to pound your chest and pretend to be a mythical caveman, but don’t try to tell me that that way of living is the One True Path to health. I’ve got some very pretty lipid numbers to prove you wrong. It is A path to health.“You’re making extreme assumptions about my diet and exercise, which I find a lot of paleo/primal types do (as well as vegans, to be fair). No one’s talking about exercising like a fiend, I’m talking about not spending 22 out of 24 hours either lying down or sitting on one’s ass.”***No one does this. Talk about extreme assumptions.“More walking, less sitting, that’s all I’m talking about when I say moving more. And yes, I do think that anyone who starts walking more and sitting less will see improvements in glucose metabolism, blood glucose, lipids, the whole 9. That’s how I think paleolithic man’s life was: lots of walking, some climbing, carrying children on their backs, an occasional sprint to outrun a predator or catch a small animal, squatting down when ‘resting’ as opposed to reclining in an armchair (keeps muscles engaged and ready to move), etc. I absolutely do not think paleolithic man spent most of his time blogging or playing video games, and the introduction of those activities coincides exactly with our obesity and diabetes epidemic.”****No it doesn’t as there are thousands of chess playing, violin practicing, model building, book reading, people who are not fat or diabetic.“This has nothing to do with fiendish levels of exercise, I suspect my exercise routine looks very much like yours. That’s why we have had such similar results.”****I spend about 8-20 minutes a week exercising. Other than that I am a sedentary, book writing, journal reading, sloth.“Lions are pure carnivores. Humans are omnivores who are more than well adapted to eating plants as a primary fuel source. Saying we should adopt the lifestyle of a lion is, well…ridiculous. It’s perfectly fine for you to pound your chest and pretend to be a mythical caveman, but don’t try to tell me that that way of living is the One True Path to health.”*****I didn’t do anything of the sort. Perhaps I should have used th